BMA Mag 359 Oct 27 2010

www.bmamag.com

#359OCT27

OPERATOR PLEASE Hello operator!

SHIHAD

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s e r o h s e h TiĂŤsto hits t

a r r e b n of Ca

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WOMAD for it

“I still don’t know if it’s going to be a laughy-laughy laughlaugh, or somewhat heavy!” To read more turn to page 27.

# 3 5 9 O C T 2 7 Fax: 02 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608 Publisher Scott Layne General Manager & Advertising Manager Allan Sko T: 02 6257 4360 E: advertising@bmamag.com Editor Julia Winterflood T: 02 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com Accounts Manager Ashish Doshi T: 02 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com Super Sub Editor Josh Brown Graphic Design Cole Bennetts Exhibitionist Editor Yolande Norris E: exhibitionist@bmamag.com Film Editor Mark Russell Principal Photographers (The Flashbulb Posse) Andrew Mayo Nick Brightman NEXT ISSUE 360 OUT NOV 10 EDITORIAL DEADLINE NOV 1 ADVERTISING DEADLINE NOV 4 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.

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WOMADelaide recently announced a sneak preview of its 2011 festival line-up with legendary supergroup Afro Celt Sound System and famed folk pop darlings Angus and Julia Stone topping the list.

WOMADelaide 2011 will again bring the world’s finest artists to Adelaide’s Botanic Park between Friday March 11 and Monday March 14. The event will host over 400 incredible artists from more than 25 countries, transforming Adelaide into a celebration of cultural diversity and global sounds as thousands of fans across the nation make their annual WOMADelaide pilgrimage.

Head to womadelaide.com.au for all the info.

Gettin’ high on blues Owen Campbell has been playing guitar for 16 years and his style has developed into a gravely blend of blues, roots, soul and country. In the past three years he’s been touring non stop, impressing audiences all over the globe, from private shows in Papua New Guinea to the highest blues festival in the world, The Himalayan Blues Festival in Kathmandu.

He’s soon to jet off again to the Himalayan Blues Fest but you can catch him before he goes at The Front on Saturday September 30.

We are all made of stars Mikelangelo is rolling into town once again with his swaggering posse The Tin Star, and he’s got a new album on the brew.

The tunes are all Mikelangelo originals, the style is resolutely Surf’n’Western, with plenty of twanging instrumental tunes and sordid tales of love, death and despair. Whether you ride high in the saddle or crash through the waves, The Tin Star will make you twist, swagger and crack a crooked gunslinging smile. Special guest Saint Clare will be joining the group on tour, heating up the

room with her sultry voice and wild go-go moves. Opening the night are locals The Fuelers. The night kicks off at 7.30pm at The Merry Muse, Canberra Southern Cross Club, Turner, on Thursday November 4.

capital rawk!

The Capital Rock Music Festival, held at The Maram on Nov 20, will feature some of the hottest alternative and progressive rock bands in Australia. Among them are Sydonia (touring with Korn shortly after the festival), Jericco (recently toured with Dead Letter Circus), Breaking Orbit, Bellusira, as well as local favourites Atlantis Awaits, Escape Syndrome, Spoil, and many more. Tickets are $25 from Moshtix or $30 at the door. Doors open at noon.

All Shook Up Sydney indie/punk trio The Shake Up have teamed up with indie club night favourite DJ El Mariachi to present the Three Men and a Deejay tour.

In July, The Shake Up released their debut album …if you have no shame. Produced by Jim Diamond (White Stripes, Electric Six) and mixed by John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, The Hold Steady), Brisbane’s Rave Magazine said it was “how punk-pop should be done in 2010.” DJ El Mariachi is a permanent fixture at Sydney club nights Teenage Kicks and Britpop. They’ll be at Transit on Saturday November 6.

Put it on Wax Wax Rabit makes electronic music (dubstep mainly) and plays in all sorts of places using laptops, midi controllers and all manner of audio FX.

He also DJs - dubstep, house (progressive, electro, minimal) D&B and all the craziest shit he can get away with playing. When he plays live, he’s joined by his life shaman VJ Joebbles. They’ll be hitting up The Clubhouse on Saturday October 30, with support from Aeon and Ben Collin. Tix are $10/$5. Check Wax Rabit at waxrabitstudios. com/artist .

Mouthing off Longtime collaborators, The Tongue and Spit Syndicate, join forces for a national tour of epic proportions. The Tongue’s new album, Alternative Energy, has just dropped and it’s been generating quite a buzz, while Spit Syndicate are on a high after the release of their critically acclaimed second album Exile. They’ll be blowing the roof off ANU Bar on Friday November 5. $12+BF presale through Oztix and Ticketek, or $15 on the door.

free festival!

The Woden Valley Festival will herald in the festival season on Saturday November 6 when the newly redeveloped Eddison Park becomes a hive of activity and festival goodness. See some of Canberra’s favourites: The Dan Banks Band, Julia and The Deep Sea Sirens and The Wedded Bliss, while enjoying free workshops, themed villages, and a range of community expos and dance performances. The Woden Valley Festival also features the BMA sponsored Liftoff with D’Opus and Roshambo, Paqman, Turbulance and the finals of the Liftoff band comp. Admission is free and it runs from 10am to 5pm. www. wodenvalleyfestival.org.au .

dan banks band

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FROM THE BOSSMAN Me and the dear lady wife – a full eight months preggers and more beautiful than she has ever looked – attended the joys of an all day birthing class recently and I can tell you this dear readers: I now know all about vaginal tears, mucal plugs, and have witnessed things that will stay with me until I shuffle off this mortal coil.

For the seven of you still with me, it’s a funny dichotomy this whole giving birth palaver. It is the single most natural thing in the world; a force so powerful it can bring atheists and religious people together on its beauty and importance. It is also just plain fucking weird.

It’s strange that something so inherently natural also seems so alien, and this is an emotion shared by perplexed men and terrified women alike. There’s not a woman alive, locked in the throes of pregnancy, that hasn’t felt like their body has been invaded by an extra terrestrial with an insatiable appetite, a restless penchant to alter the feng shui of their internal organs, and the insistent grabbing of 40 winks on your alreadystressed bladder. And when it gets to the point that you can see the distinct shape of a little foot, a little elbow or – heart a flutter – a little bottom poke itself up from the belly, you half expect Sigourney Weaver to burst into the room replete with flamethrower, torch the whole area, and bark something about getting to the ship.

Having written all this, I feel I haven’t been completely honest with you dear readers. Y’see, I don’t get squeamish about the whole birthing process, but I gleefully recognise that about 80-90% of all men do. So when the utterly delightful Calvary midwife Jane tentatively and sensitively asked whether our class would like to see a birthing video – and my equally vivacious wife immediately shot her hand up in affirmation before she’d even finished the question – I could immediately sense a pall of unease descend upon the room. With a certain malevolent glee, I awaited their reaction as the tape rolled…

YOU PISSED ME OFF! 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 complete tool at UC whose fully sik number plates read ‘SO SUS’. The word ‘suss’ has a second ‘S’ in it you fucking retard.

It’s a slang form of the word ‘suspicious’ and gains an extra letter on contraction, just like ‘derro’ gains another ‘R’ when contracted from ‘derelict.’ I can’t even fathom the kind of massively overinflated ego / deadeningly base sense of humour combo you possess to think that ‘SO SUS’ would be an awesome idea in the first place, but the fact that you are dense enough to lay down $2337.30 for incorrectly spelled plates totally floors me. “It’s coz I had 2 fit a space between da wordz bro!” doesn’t fly either: you can fit up to 7 characters on unique plates and your retarded shit takes up 6. FAIL, BRAH. OMG. Knowing there are people as dumb as you running around with as much cash as you makes me want to glass myself in the face repeatedly until the ridiculous situation we have here - society’s thickest bottom dwellers commanding a disproportionate amount of its wealth - won’t hurt as much anymore. Maybe once I bash my intelligence away you and I can have a race - I’ll be the asshole with the plates that say ‘SO DERO.’

I wasn’t disappointed. The gentleman in front of me, who had been largely quiet throughout the class, started thrashing and squirming in his seat as if a large bowl of live eels had been poured down his trousers; and behind me, a younger gentleman’s contribution was simply to whisper under his breath: “Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiit.”

It’s a perfectly understandable reaction; we love our women, and as natural as childbirth is, it’s undeniably distressing to see our favourite people torn asunder by the fruit of our loins. But the madness, my friends, is very much worth it, as elicited by the final video of the day.

After enduring an extremely useful but largely tortuous day comprising what can go wrong, places you didn’t think could possibly rip but really can, and the splendour and colour of mucal plugs, the joy of watching the Bringing Your Baby Home video uncoiled a deep emotion in my breast. Seeing footage of a teeny tiny baby lovingly cradled, staring wide-eyed and curious up at Mum before cracking a pure-as-the-driven-snow smile was enough to summon a reaction avid readers will already recognise as threatening my stature as a man. It’s messy, arduous, alien, painful, crazy and surreal, but it is also exciting, life-affirming, beautiful, fun and very real. Bring it on, I say, warts ‘n’ all.

Besides, if anything comes up about mucal plugs or vaginal tears at the next trivia night, I’ll be all over that shit.

ALLAN SKO - allan@bmamag.com NB: The person in charge of medication section of the day – that is, the person in charge of attempting to take the pain away – is called Joy. No kidding. Isn’t that just smashing?

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and

another thing…

Tank is one of heavy metal’s hidden treasures. That this state of affairs is a travesty is not in question – had the band got a few breaks in the early ‘80s the high quality of their output at the time would have assured them of godlike status and household renown – what is in question is whether the band, newly resurgent after years of enforced hiatus and now back with a soon-to-be-released new album, War Machine, are up to the task of restoring the name of one of England’s most enduring metal names. A demo version of the one track (Judgement Day) that BMA had heard at the time this interview was mooted suggests they are, so we decided to look up longtime guitarist Cliff Evans with a view to finding out a little more about this new chapter in the band’s history. Regular readers of this column will remember that I last talked to Cliff a couple of years ago, at which time there were no plans for a new album mentioned – so, I mused, things have moved pretty quickly of late – how did this all pan out?

“Tank had ground to a halt a few years back mainly down to Algy [Ward, the band’s former bassist and vocalist who also featured in late ‘70s lineups of punk icons The Damned and The Saints]’s ongoing health problems and general lack of interest in the band. He would often disappear for a couple of years at a time, so we were used to that, but this time he really had called it a day. Mick [Tucker, Evans’ longstanding six-string partner] and me – we’re getting really pissed off with not touring and the lack of new material and albums. We were constantly getting emails from fans, labels and agents worldwide asking us why we are not doing anything. This was very frustrating for us so we decided to do something about it. The decision was made to move Tank forward into a new era.”

So it’s very important for you to keep Tank progressing? It’d be very easy for a band of this vintage to just trot out on a greatest hits tour once a year and then spend the downtime counting the t-shirt money, surely?

“We’ve got to prove to the fans that Tank is one of the best classic rock/metal bands around today. This new line-up has given us the firepower to do that. The new album War Machine is the proof.”

We mentioned Algy Ward’s inability to get things together earlier.

Late last year, when this album was first publically mooted, Algy made some rather intemperate comments about the whole thing being done ‘without his permission.’ Has he calmed down now?

“We felt very let down by Algy. Mick has been a member of Tank for 28 years and I have myself for 26. In all that time I think we only played about 30 or 40 shows worldwide. We all like a drink, but Algy tended to pick rather inappropriate moments to get pissed which led to us being ignored by promoters and, ultimately, losing record deals. I guess that was just his style. There’s an army of Tank fans out there who just want to come and see us play and enjoy the music, new and old. We now intend to give them what they want.”

Stay tuned next time when we’ll be back to talk a little more in depth about the new album, former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno, and about Cliff’s drinking plans for the year ahead… scott adams thirtyyearsofrnr@hotmail.com

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katy hall

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WHO: Shaun Kirk WHAT: Blues, roots and folk WHEN: Thursday November 11 WHERE: The Front Café and Gallery

Like many a boy-teen before him, musician Shaun Kirk reached the tender age of 14 and decided it was high time to pick up a guitar and see what happened. From there an obvious love of putting words together to create stories developed and soon the crowds began to gather. Touring with his latest release, debut album Cruisin’, Kirk is headed around the nation and stopping by our fine town for one night only. Tickets are available on the door and the support will come from local song man Joe Oppenheimer, who’s reason enough to head along. Head to www.shaunkirk.com and myspace.com/ joeoppenheimer for more info.

WHO: Robbins, Stilson and Molloy WHAT: High end hilarity WHEN: Thursday November 11 WHERE: Canberra Theatre

To jump straight to the point, Mick Molloy, Glenn Robbins and Jeff Stilson are hitting the road together and coming to Canberra.

I’m pretty sure there is only one other sentence in the world that can match this, and that’s “Pam Shaw’s broken both her legs and I wanna dance with you”. Thank you Baz Luhrmann. But back to the point at hand, it’s three hilarious men with expertise in film, television and radio on stage for 90 minutes. What’s not to like and laugh about? Head to Canberra Ticketing quick smart to get your mitts on the prime seating area.

WHO: Classic Albums Live WHAT: Brothers in Arms live in concert WHEN: Friday October 29 WHERE: Canberra Theatre

Dire Straits were the closest thing my mother ever came to in terms of musical culture (not that the Phil Collins/Elton John/ Chris Rea mix-tapes weren’t great Mum) and I latched on like any starved child would, particularly to their best selling album Brothers In Arms. Classic Albums Live is in charge of this little evening and while the real gang are not back together and gracing the stage, other Aussie heavyweights like Phil Emmanuel and Kevin Bennett are and it will undoubtedly be amazing. They even promise to play Romeo and Juliet at the end. Head to Canberra Ticketing to secure some seats.

WHO: Western Synthetics WHAT: Dub step WHEN: Saturday November 6 WHERE: The Clubhouse (above the pancake parlour in civic)

Dub step is like the misunderstood child of the family; particularly with its recent status of everyone-is-remixing-in-its-style but few are doing it spectacularly enough to make it of general listening interest. Western Synthetics (aka Rhyece O’Neill) is an Australian artist who is proudly putting his name out and clearing up any misconceptions about the genre on his recently released album May Day Radio. The album is a delectable mix of acid, dub, techno and psychedelia and he’s proudly being brought to Canberra by new night spot, The Clubhouse (located above the Pancake Parlour in Civic). Head to www.subcontintentaldub.com for more info.

WHO: Coptic Soldier and Phatchance WHAT: Hip-hop pandemonium WHEN: Friday October 29 WHERE: ANU Bar

I know, you’re thinking ‘Katy Hall you duffer you already talked about this show in the Tidbits last issue, what are you doing?’

Which is true, I did talk about it, and thank you for noticing. But, in my Australian hip-hop rant I failed to mention much about the new wordsmith on the block, Coptic Soldier. Apart from the obvious perks of life on the road, he’s also hitting it to show off his latest EP The Sound of Wings. Looks like the I Forget, Sorry!

Tour is going to be a pretty big night so get there early.

WHO: Ben Solo WHAT: Indignant tour WHEN: Friday November 19 WHERE: The Front Café and Gallery

Even though his name has gone and spoiled the surprise, Ben Solo is a one-man Adeladian wonder kid making waves around the country and is getting noticed from all sorts of spectacular people. Released earlier this year, his self-titled debut album is filled with his unique blend of folk and avante-pop stylings; a delightful listen any time of the day. Embarking on his maiden nationwide tour, Canberra has made it into the diary, so be sure to head along and be as welcoming as I know you can all be and dance along like only the frequenters of The Front can.

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STILL NUMBER ONE

RK It might have been a few years since Tijs Michiel Verwest knocked over the odd DJ Mag #1 award, but to millions of punters around the world, he still remains number one. Indeed, years on, he remains one of the finest exponents of the Dutch trance scene the world has ever known; and to think that this decade also marks another important milestone in his life: he’s turned 40. Yet, all of this stands for naught; what is important though, is that TIËSTO possesses the same energy and vigour that he always has – and he continues to spread his message across every corner of the globe. We talk to him on the eve of his return to Australia.

According to an internet rumour, I apparently died in July!

“I never actually planned it like this,” chimes Tiësto, straight from the get-go. “Music is my life and my hobby and always has been; so one day, I just started collecting music and making tracks for my friends. We would record them or mix them on very basic tape mechanisms – this is how it was back in the day! I must say, it was much more difficult to do things back then, compared to the way we do now. I suppose the idea remains the same and that is whatever you do musically you are just trying to please people.

After that, I spent some time working in a record store and from that, I got the opportunity to work for a record company. Eventually they let me mix my first compilation and I sold a thousand records and I made a couple of big remixes like Silence and in that year I felt like that was when I was really getting known – that was probably around 2001 I think.”

By 2010, Tiësto has unequivocally become to electronic music what Madonna is to pop; and yet he is a smooth talking, polite bloke, who, years and years on, remains humbled and touched by his success. Indeed, it has all been written about him before and as such, having a conversation with an artist of this calibre is always met with some trepidation. Regardless, the man is as level-headed as he is accomplished; an ambassador for EDM and music generally – I mean, he played at the opening ceremony of the Olympics – and he is no stranger to putting people at ease first; and then whipping them into a frenzy, second.

Never scared to push boundaries either, he pioneered ideas like working with artists beyond trance to allow punters outside the electronic spectrum to appreciate his music. That remix of Delerium’s Silence featured Sarah McLachlan and further increased his exposure.

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By the time the new millennium rolled around, he’d released his solo album, titled In My Memory, and was already on the way to being named the world’s number one DJ. That happened – in the end for three years running – when he was awarded #1 by DJ Magazine from 2002 through 2004.

So what does he put that success down to? Well the answer isn’t simple: “I’m very spontaneous with stuff; I take it as it comes – I never really think about the future or the past, I’m very lucky and very happy with the way my life is going. As I say, none of these things were necessarily planned, they just happened and turned out that way.

“Right now though, it’s summer over here in Europe,” says the great man, “so I’ve been at my Ibiza residency every Monday night and travelling pretty much all over Europe every other night! Another really funny story that I came across recently was that, according to an internet rumour, I apparently died in July! I also played in Spain on the same day that they beat Holland in the World Cup Final – so that wasn’t completely ideal!”

I suppose that comes with the territory. How quickly we digress; back onto the music though, he recounts the recent work he did with the Kaleidoscope album and the world tour that followed it. “Well, with Kaleidoscope I wanted to make an album that brought together all the different musical influences that I was listening to at that moment in time. This included a lot of indie rock, electro, techno and house – and I drew from all of these to create the album. I am continuing to bring in new genres and influences into my work but it still has the essence of what makes up the Tiësto signature sound, but it takes it in a whole new direction.”

Kaleidoscope was the fourth studio album from Tiësto and contained collaborations with Nelly Furtado and Calvin Harris amongst others. The album also contained the smash hit I Will Be Here which was co-produced with local supergroup Sneaky Sound System and achieved critical success in almost every market worldwide. Yet not to be outdone, he remains busy not only with his gruelling touring schedule, but also his other projects, an important one of which is his label Musical Freedom.

In terms of studio work, Tiësto has a track coming out with Mark Knight on Toolroom, which he says will surprise a lot of people; as well as a bunch of other collaborations in the works. “I have also been working on the Kaleidoscope World Tour DVD,” he says. “It is going to look and sound amazing! I have already started to think about A New Dawn, my new mix album that will be released in early 2011. Other than that, I’m really excited to get back to Australia for this festival tour, so it will be a little different to my Kaleidoscope tour. Expect it to be large!”

Catch Tiësto at Foreshore 2010, along with Cut Copy, Robyn, and a whole stack more, held on Saturday November 27 at Commonwealth Place.

Tickets available through Moshtix.

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ALL AGES What better way to brighten up our city’s dreary all ages scene than to be there in the flesh to support some of Canberra’s newest emerging talent? The Liftoff Festival is just one of the many exciting events and festivities to be had at the Woden Valley Festival on Saturday November 6 at Eddison Park in Woden. Liftoff will present D’Opus and Roshambo, Paqman and Turbulence. The Liftoff band competition will see local bands Dramatic Effect and No Assumption compete in the Liftoff Finals. The event also features swing dancers, circus acts, dance groups, amusement rides and a tasty selection of food. You can be part of all the wonders that the festival has to offer between 10am and 5pm. For more information visit www. wodenvalley.com.au and follow the links to the festival site.

At Margaret Timpson Park on Saturday November 13 you can take part in the Circo Belco and the Future Footprints Sideshow, the theme of the 2010 Belconnen Community Festival. It is of course a free event that promises its audience a magical carnival environment. Unfortunately many festivities have not yet been confirmed, so hop on the Belconnen Community Festival website for more details closer to the date.

On Friday November 26 begins the 22nd annual Tuggeranong Community Festival. On Cowlishaw Street in Tuggeranong between 6pm and 10pm you have a number of festivities laid out before you at your disposal. Main performers include The Choir Boys and supporting act Velvette. Rollin’ 2 Summer, a BMX competition at the Tuggeranong Skate Park, will expose some of Canberra’s finest and will feature live artists Raw City Rukus and Still Cool. The Streetlight Soiree street party will bring to you live entertainment in many shapes and forms, as well as amusement rides, sideshow games and multicultural food. You can also catch a public screening of young finalists for the Leonid Film Awards at the Tuggeranong Arts Centre. A spectacular projector lighting display, Street of Lights, and the best part of this is that it is a 100% free event.

Just jump on the Tuggeranong Community Festival website for a detailed schedule of the events.

Despised Icon’s final Australian tour at The Holy Grail in Civic on Friday November 12 with Thy Art is Murder, The Red Shore and more will unfortunately not be an all ages event due to renewed liquor licensing laws. And so as to not finish the column on a completely negative note, Electric Lake, which was originally to be held on Saturday October 16 has been postponed to Saturday November 13, due to weather understandably unsuitable for an outdoor event. In its second year the festival will feature Jonny Telafone, Hoodlum Shouts, Kasha, Horse Macgyver, Waterford, The Warm Jets, Killing Birds, Ellis Collective, Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens and many more. This is a free event to be held at the amphitheatre in Commonwealth Park. The action starts at midday.

See you there with your grooving boots on!

NAOMI FROST allagescolumn@gmail.com

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LOCALITY

Greetings handsome and loyal readers. It is I, your fearless Bossman Allan here. I have lovingly hijacked the Locality column for this issue to inform you of an important development in the region’s musical landscape. Normal transmission with the much-more-good-looking Julia will resume next issue. So, without further ado...

Over the past few months, a group by the name of ALMA has been taking shape. ALMA stands for ACT Live Music Association, and its mandate is the “promotion and advocacy of live music in the ACT”.

So what does that mean exactly? Glad you asked. Whilst the rules and laws that govern live music have oft proved to be problematic and detrimental – from sound regulations to liquor licensing laws – over the past 12 months the ACT Government has put into motion a number of pleasing initiatives that you yourself may very well have been involved in, including the Review of the Arts in Canberra, the interdepartmental committee inquiry into live music, and the live music stakeholder forums facilitated by artsACT.

ALMA has been created as a direct result of these processes and aims to fulfil the role of an ongoing need for a consolidated voice for contemporary live music in the ACT. The group’s core incorporates significant figures from all levels of live music – venues, musicians, music organisations, educators, retailers, music industry businesses and professionals, and of course those handsome tykes in the media – with a goal of lifting the profile of live music in the ACT. ALMA’s main role and function is two fold: to lobby the government and to support live music from the grassroots level by pooling together local resources and groups to be greater than the sum of its parts. ALMA’s first showing as a representative group came recently with a submission to the recent Loxton Report into the arts in Canberra. In time, ALMA will serve as a message board to break down these cumbersome reports into simple, concise language where you can read, understand, and comment accordingly.

At a grassroots level, the exact services ALMA will provide to members is still taking shape, but the broader goal is to offer musicians access to all-important public liability insurance, accounting services (an oft overlooked aspect), access to venue and rehearsal spaces, a database of contacts, promotion through publications, and help with entertainment and contract law amongst others. Venues and promoters will also have access to a rich pool of talent to fill their nights and bring people together.

In short, ALMA is both a conduit and a voice, linking together musicians to venues and promoters, and the general public to the parliament (and vice-versa), so live music in the ACT can finally get the recognition and representation it deserves. More details will emerge about what ALMA can provide and where you can sign up, so keep your eyes glued to this page. In the meantime, if you wish to learn more, drop me a line at allan@bmamag.com .

Go forth and strum my pretties.

ALLAN SKO

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DANCE THE DROP It is a well known fact that Canberrans love to party. Gift us with a Monday off work under the clever guise of a public holiday and we will find a way to justify spending most of our 72 hour hiatus with a vice-like grip around a frosty mind-altering beverage. But now that the season of the three day party pass has subsided, we must focus all of our giddy mind powers back onto our old pal ‘the weekend.’

The Purple Sneakers DJs must have a thing for Canberra. They visit the capital more frequently than our venerable Prime Minister and probably have a bigger fan-base than our copper-haired commander to ‘boot.’ You can catch them at their second home, Transit Bar, on Friday October 29 for an explosive special event including Stonefest headliners Bluejuice, who are performing an exclusive DJ set. Indie high five!

What’s this? A Sunday party? But you have work tomorrow! You can’t possibly… ah who am I kidding, it’s Superpitcher! The German Kompact label legend is appearing for one night only at Transit Bar on Sunday October 31, proudly presented by Lollygag and Effigy.

Biggie, Bobbin, Tim Heaney, Brenton K, Pete Canell, Ced Nada and Anjay will be your co-pilots for an evening of ‘f*ck Monday’ mayhem.

Those of you who spent a large portion of 2007 trapped in clubland will be familiar with UK producer/DJ, D.Ramirez. His chart topping remix of Bodyrox – Yeah Yeah made him one of the hottest properties in dance music and the 4Sound team have managed to lure him into the red belly of Lot 33 for a special intimate show on Friday November 5. Supports include Fourthstate, Skin N Bones, Team Wing and B-tham and all they ask for is a measly $10, get on board!

Well shiver me timbers, the lads at Effigy must be all hopped up on Mountain Dew! The new kings of the underground are putting on another top quality event at Hippo Bar on Saturday November 6.

This installment brings yet another duo of headliners, with Moshic (Israel) and Kayla Scintilla (aka Merkaba) appearing behind the square table. Regular locals Peekz, Eukali, String Theory, Yohan Strauss and Gabriel Gilmour promise to make your evening a regular progressive hoedown.

One of the big finds of 2010 has been local music manipulator Jared De Veer. In only a few months he has gone from relative obscurity to headlining gigs at Academy and appearing on the Foreshore lineup. You can catch him rocking the main room at the old cinema on Saturday October 30. Big ups!

Finally, I have a bit of ‘just to hand’ news here. I know a lot of you are as excited as I am about the 2010 Foreshore Summer Music Festival and that you may have a few questions about what this year’s massive event will be like. Well, I managed to corner Kicks cofounders Paul Azzopardi and Ryan Phillips for an exclusive insight, so tune in for that next edition!

TIM GALVIN tim.galvin@live.com.au

myspace.com/pangnight

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PITCHERS OF YOU tim galvin On a dark and stormy night in the deep south of mother Deutschland, two figures appear against the shadowy blanket of night. Through the pounding rain, we can see that one is Kompact head honcho Michael Mayer and as the other staid figure angles his face, it becomes apparent that it is none other than his stablemate SUPERPITCHER. The two are best known for their prodigious collaboration Supermayer, which is the most exciting underground pairing since Sasha met Digweed, as Superpitcher reveals. “It was happening after being friends for a very long time, so strange we didn’t I was looking for something to help me think about it before but I get away from all the believe that these things boredom around me need to happen naturally.

So at one point we built new and luckily, I found studios and just because music we were both smokers at the time we’ve decided to share one,” he says. “Suddenly we were sitting there together and discovered that it is a lot more fun to work together, to make decisions together and of course to drink together!”

Superpitcher grew up in an area of Germany that has fostered its fair share of minimal techno artists, most who will tell you their love for music came from a sense of complete apathy. “I grew up in the south of Germany, really beautiful and really, really boring. I think I was looking for something to help me get away from all the boredom around me and luckily, I found music. My one true love!”

After a series of minor successes, Superpitcher happened upon a like-mind in Mayer, who aided his production career with an offer to work for his lucrative label, Kompact. “My very first interaction with Kompakt was meeting Michael Mayer at a bar in the Disco. We liked each other so much, we got really super-drunk and have been best friends ever since,” he says. “Later on I was asked if I would like to work in the shop and having no money and no job at the time, I said yes.”

The young producer then set about making a name for himself, with muscular solo releases like Heroin and Yesterday introducing him into the underground elite. His latest offering, the long awaited album Kilimanjaro is an affidavit for his enduring passion for the art of techno. “I think I started more than four years ago. First on and off, collecting ideas and in the last year working intensely on the production, arrangements and the mixing. I had a few nervous breakdowns before it became what it is!”

Superpitcher has been in high demand all over the globe, with his constant travels inspiring the deep soundscape emanating from the bass-bins. As he slides his synthesizer into a flight bag, the German artist delivers a warning to his southern hemisphere fans, one which will delight the throng of techno zealots eagerly awaiting his arrival.

“Right now I’m looking forward to coming to Australia! Put on your dancing shoes!”

Catch Superpitcher live at Transit Bar on Sunday October 31. Tickets are only $10 (+bf) and are available through Moshtix.

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HaHa Ned’s head triptych 2009

the transition from its early manifestations to a genre of art that transcends both the streets from which it got its name, and the galleries in which it is now exhibited. Having said that, street art is intrinsically forward-looking, so Space Invaders will also feature a number of contemporary artists “who are constantly pushing the boundaries and experimenting with new forms.”

ALL UP IN YA SPACE jemima fort Street art is as dynamic and diverse as the streets that inspire it and the artists who create it. SPACE INVADERS (which opens at the National Gallery of Australia on Saturday October 30) is a major exhibition that traces the story of street art in Australia. This week, I’ve been trading emails with curator of the exhibition, Jaklyn Babington.

She describes the exhibition as a celebration of the art form, held “at a unique point in time, where street art is transitioning from the ephemeral to the collectable, and from the street to the gallery.”

Comprising of 150 artworks by over 80 artists, Space Invaders will be the largest ever exhibition of Australian street art. It combines various display methods to incorporate the diverse range of media, from stencils and paste-ups to installation pieces and zines.

“I would love for visitors to be bowled over by the sheer diversity and complexity of the Australian street art scene”, says Babington of the exhibition’s breadth. “I’d like for visitors to gain insight into these alternative forms of creative expression and to gain an understanding of the enormous amount of skill, do-it-yourself attitude and creative optimism that exists in Australia and is progressively shaping our visual culture.”

So, let’s get elementary. What ‘is’ street art? As Babington sees it, “one of the most fantastic things about this area of creativity is that it really defies categorisation and definition”. Rather than a genre, street art is a culture of expression - an idea linked to location (ie. the street), but not necessarily determined by a shared belief or style.

Today’s relatively cohesive street art culture has developed from a variety of experimental movements dating back to the 1970s.

Space Invaders will survey this development, and in doing so explore

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While staging an exhibition such as this at the National Gallery of Australia lends the prestige of a major institution to the development of an independent style, it is really an exhibition that is long overdue. Most galleries across Australia, and the world, already consider street art an important area of collection. “The exhibition is really only just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the talent and diversity that is out there and hopefully, it is only the first in a long line of future exhibitions that can focus on other aspects of Australian street art.”

The NGA was the first major institution in the country to start collecting what Babington describes as having been “more or less uncollectible”, acquiring street stencils and posters from the moment it was viable to have done so (c.2003-4). Babington describes these early holdings as a “time capsule of what was happening on Australian streets at a particular moment of collective creativity.”

The strength and cohesiveness of the NGA collection means Space Invaders is an exhibition of unprecedented potential. It can provide both a comprehensive history of the genre’s development, as well as highlight the works of important contemporary artists. In this way, the exhibition promises to be a unique and insightful introduction to what is fast becoming the most popular of all contemporary art cultures. “The scene has radically changed over the past ten years,” explains Babington, “becoming more commercially viable for artists and galleries, essentially making a transition from the sub-cultural to the pop-cultural.”

Obviously, relocating any culture that has been defined by its setting has a dramatic impact upon it, and Babington makes it clear that “it is no longer ‘street art’ but multiple forms of ‘street-inspired creativity’”. Although hybridisation, the move to gallery spaces and a transition to the status of ‘fine art’ blur the definition of what street art is, it’s not as if the definition was ever particularly clear in the first place. By putting street art in the context of its own history, Space Invaders can analytically examine transitions in style, techniques and ideas. According to Babington, contemporary “postgraffiti” artists are working in an increasingly hybrid form, as they interact both with the street and with gallery spaces.

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This means that street artists are in the newfound position of being influenced by gallery traditions, while other contemporary artists are now influenced by street culture. “I doubt there is a contemporary artist who hasn’t been influenced by some kind of street based creativity - even in just so much as the attitude of the street: a chaotic and largely uncontrollable public space, despite the authorities attempts to control it.”

To launch the exhibition, the Gallery is preparing itself to be overrun by street artists who will demonstrate their techniques and distinctive styles in a range of free activities. This Is A Stick Up, on Saturday October 30, features a day-long program of related events, including: Capital Letters: the National Gallery of Australia Zine Fair Presented by Melbourne’s Sticky Institute in the Gandel Hall.

The infamous Everfresh crew will create a graffiti, stencil and pasteup installation on the bridge. There’ll be a book launch and signing with Ghostpatrol, Miso, Nails, Twoone and the Everfresh crew in the Gallery Shop. Curator and artists talk Jaklyn Babington, curator of the exhibition, will be joined in the Project Gallery by artists Vexta and Nails, who discuss their work in the exhibition.

Space Invaders: Australian Street|Stencils|Posters|Pasteups|Zines|Stickers is on show at the National Gallery of Australia from Saturday October 30 2010 – Sunday February 27 2011.

SIMON WEAVING Q&A SARAH MASON The CANBERRA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (CIFF), held from October 27 to November 7, has a little more bite than your usual orange-cheese-in-a-can cinema offerings. I spoke with Festival Director, Simon Weaving.

What’s the process for choosing films for CIFF? Are there peculiarities about a Canberra audience that influence your selection? I hunt for great stories told in a cinematic way and look for the best independent cinema from around the world - beautiful and provocative films that have won awards at other festivals. I then finish the line-up with a few commercially orientated films to add some pizzazz. Last year Canberrans couldn’t get enough of the horror film Dead Snow - so this year we’ve created a brand new House of Horror Strand - seven fabulous horror films, old and new, at the Arc Cinema in Acton. Don’t miss Rubber - about a tyre that blows people’s heads off!

Will the other films get jealous if you nominate a favourite from this year’s selection? Yes, but hey, where would the world be without a bit of competitive jealousy? My favourites are Honey (moving and beautiful), Enter The Void (OMG what an amazing experience!), North (a road movie on skis with one of the funniest scenes I’ve seen on the big screen for years) and A Screaming Man (an amazing film from Chad - we don’t get too many of those!)

Are there any CIFF films that I shouldn’t take Grandma along to? You have to absolutely not take your Grandma to Enter The Void. It’s a truly amazing cinematic experience: drugs, sex and the journey of the soul (and it’s a trippy journey I can tell you). One reviewer called it “a hallucinatory mindfuck for adults”. But then again, if Grandma lived through the 1960’s she might dig this. Two of my other favourites for contemporary style are I Killed My Mother and Heartbeats - both made by the same 20-year-old director. Very funny and oh sooooo cool.

Finish this sentence: “the Canberra International Film Festival is a perfect excuse to...” Think of any excuse to take 12 days off!

Last year two people saw 35 films. C’mon - it’s a record waiting to be broken. You can do it. You know you can. Tell your boss you have CIFF-itis. Or maybe not. The 14th year of the CIFF includes 53 screenings at Dendy and Arc cinemas (National Film and Sound Archive), across seven themes: Far Corners, Personal Journeys, Thicker than Water, Conflict Zones, Wildly Wicked, The House of Horror, Stranger than Fiction and Extreme Close-Up. There are also masterclasses with industry professionals and special Q&A screenings with Directors and field experts.

For info about the program and to make bookings head along to www. canberrafilmfestival.com.au or look for the CIFF on Twitter or Facebook.

Prism not titled (red shoes) 2004

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Performer Geordie Malone, photograph by Eryca Green

there, out there, down there, then perhaps there are answers in here, in our bodies,” Mae explains.

“I see now, through painstaking investigation into the lives of these three people, that one must have passion to withstand the blows and abrasion of days among the living. And passion at its source is both primal and physical. If passion is our shield then curiosity is our sword. An interest in other human beings can bring us out of the mire of minutes and hours. I hope this curiosity will bring people to the theatre.”

I’M STILL HERE SARAH MASON How does one keep going? That’s the central question in the new work by tableau artist Min Mae. In STILL STANDING, performers Jordan Best, Alison McGregor and Michael Ellis are stripped of clothing, ego and language as they undergo what Mae calls “trials of influence” - moments or events that push each human forward towards its future.

They are supported by clothed performers, original music from Geordie Malone (guitar) and Natalya Bing (violin) and lighting design from Gillian Schwab.

“Initially Still Standing was an attempt to understand how we get by, how we go on. In the void left behind by the loss of the ability to believe in a greater purpose for us all, I asked these performers to answer this in a language I can understand. If there is nothing up

And why is nudity important for the work? “Today I read a news report from Shanghai. A young man had cut his wrists, climbed to the third floor of his building and there he took off all his clothes before alighting from the window. An image showed his unconscious body hanging over a telegraph wire. Why did he choose to be naked?

Why is it that so many of us have had nightmares about arriving at school and realising we’ve forgotten to get dressed?” Mae asks.

To explain further, she borrows a quote from American theatre director Anne Bogart, sent to her by performer Alison: “The artist’s responsibility is to bring the potential, the mystery and terror, the trembling, back... I believe that theatre’s function is to remind us of the big human issues, to remind us of our terror and humanity...

In the face of terror, beauty is created and hence, grace’.” It seems fitting, as Mae describes this performance as the primal excavation of the human heart, that it will reveal something deeper by far than mere flesh.

As for putting on the show at The Street Theatre? “More than ever, I’m terrified,” Mae says.

Still Standing is part of the Street Theatre’s Made in Canberra season and is showing for three performances only: Thursday October 28 to Saturday 30 at 8pm.

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films and shows including When Harry Met Sally, Scream 3, Weeds, Sex and the City, and more recently, Tina Fey’s 30 Rock. Though Fisher often writes her own cameo material (script doctoring) she says, “Tina Fey is a great writer and has a great writing team. A lot of times I’ll do a part in something and I’ll want to change the dialogue, but not at all with 30 Rock.”

Despite her preference for writing she is still clearly a performer, drawn to the spotlight. Unlike Mark Hamill, she hasn’t simply disappeared - Fisher is everywhere! “I’m used to the spotlight… Do I gravitate towards it? Well, maybe,” she says, uncertain. “This is the first time I’m doing my own work on stage. My Mother has done it, which makes it easier for me to do because I’ve seen it up close.”

PRINCESS OF POP CULTURE PETER ROSEWARNE Beyond Star Wars, there’s a reason why you may have seen a lot of Carrie Fisher interviews over the past few weeks. Not just the Princess of Alderaan she is also a Princess of Pop Culture, immersed in the world of media from television shows and movies to books and theatre.

Perhaps the reason for her graduation from epic screen star to candid writer (using an often acerbic pen in place of a light saber) is because she thinks of “acting and performing as a hobby - writing is more like a real job. With acting, there are a lot of people around and it’s sort of like a party. Writing though, you feel the accomplishment more because you’re alone, and it takes discipline and patience.”

It’s funny that Fisher considers acting to be but a hobby. While her roles are primarily cameos, she has appeared in an abundance of

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Her mother, Debbie Reynolds, has her own claims to fame, most notably for her role in Singin’ in the Rain. But there is no Kathy Selden concrete sex doll, like there is for Princess Leia. “My Mother and I were famous at our peaks in very different times,” Fisher says, “the kinds of films she made they didn’t merchandise. Also, to be famous now with the internet, DVDs… Those things didn’t exist during the peak of her fame. Now, we’re both doing stage shows, so we’re more similar in that respect.”

It goes without saying that Carrie Fisher will always be recognised more for her role in Star Wars than for her writing, cameos and stand-up routine combined. Yet she perhaps isn’t as bitter about this as she sometimes appears, saying, “People love Star Wars and they always will. It’s a fairy tale for the 21st Century.”

Carrie Fisher performs at the Canberra Theatre Thursday November 4 and Friday November 5. Ticket bookings can be made through the Canberra Theatre website www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au or by calling 02 62752700.

ARTISTPROFILE: Katie Green

What do you do?

I’m a gold and silversmith. I make wearable jewellery using porcelain and silver, and I incorporate various mechanical elements to make pieces more interactive.

When did you get into it?

It wasn’t until my degree at the ANU School of Art that I really got started, but it’s definitely a craft that I’ve always been interested in – when I was little I would collect anything that looked like gold and hoard it in a stash under my bed. It finally got discovered when we moved house.

Who or what influences you as an artist?

I’m influenced by everything around me, in all mediums. Nature is a huge inspiration – it’s amazing that it can create such beautiful shapes and perfect lines.

What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far?

Finishing my first commissioned piece – an engagement ring – and knowing that I had the skills to put my study into practice.

What are your plans for the future?

To work less at my day job and devote more time to making. In the near future I’d like to finish setting up my workshop.

What makes you laugh?

Almost everything. I’ve been known to giggle way too much.

What pisses you off?

Arrogance - you’ve got to be able to laugh at yourself.

What’s your opinion of the local scene?

There’s a lot of amazing stuff here if you look for it – if people hung around rather than moving away it would get even better.

What are your upcoming projects?

I’m in a group exhibition next year that explores the art of making and why different people make the things they do. In the meantime I’m setting up my business and taking on more commissions.

Contact info: janika51@hotmail.com

UNINHIBITED Last Friday the crew of the good ship BMA had a party, complete with the promise of as much free beer as one small girl could drink, and the company of some of the best darn folk ‘round these here parts. And I didn’t go.

No, not because I’m some kind of pig-headed, snob-nosed arts editor who would rather sit alone of a weekend with a bottle of red, an overflowing ash tray and a crazy-eyed cat while watching subtitled films on mute to the soundtrack of The Birthday Party on vinyl and feeling the weight of the world. No. It was because the last week was so crammed with arts events, so cruelly, unreasonably, laughably over booked that it was all I could do not to fold onto the floor in a fantastic toddler-inspired fashion beating my fists squawking “why why why!” But this, as with the bohemian lock-down and BMA soirée, was sadly not an option.

After two days spent at the School of Art’s painting symposium, and another three at the NGA’s printmaking conference, the week climaxed into Thursday and Friday nights of exhibition opening madness.

I felt like a mother choosing between her children: amazing art vs. free beer, inspirational arts organisations vs. the pub, art world superstars vs. the devastating appeal of Allan Sko, Julia Winterflood et al.

What twisted world is this - that would make me choose sides?

Unfortunately this predicament is nothing new. This time of the year always turns out this way, and I think I know how it happens. Every New Year dawns to Canberra as an empty shell. Students have gone back to their hometowns, public servants are all racing each other down the Clyde on pilgrimage to the South Coast, and those that fall into neither category, like myself, are doubtless hiding sweatily in fibro houses with the blinds drawn and air conditioning in the form of a bowl of ice in front of the oscillating fan. There, peeking out onto the deserted streets and shut-up shops, we began to fear that maybe all the talk is true – maybe there really is nothing to do here in Canberra. Maybe it really is a hole.

Anxious to make amends we begin to make plans for the year ahead, looming huge and starkly empty. We form bands, collectives, collaboratives; make artworks, blogs, zines; organise plays, parties and exhibition after exhibition.

Momentum gathers, and slowly but surely these summer projects come to life.

By the time winter descends things are humming along nicely, but then August and September are gone in a flash while October rears its glitzy head, full of frivolity and over-stimulation, too many Facebook invites to hazard a glance and a BMA that rivals the Canberra Times in density.

With eight hours sleep a night, a well-maintained caffeine habit and a strict no party policy I should survive. Until then however, until that sweet time swings around once more when we can all complain of having nothing to do, do you think you can forgive me? yolande norris exhibitionist@bmamag.com

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bit PARTS WHO: Chris Gudu WHAT: Rhythms of Zimbabwe WHEN: Saturday November 6, 8pm WHERE: The Street Theatre In his homeland, Chris Gudu’s music is known as ‘umbaqanga’, or ‘township jive’, originating from the streets and shebeens of Soweto, South Africa. Gudu, born and raised in Zimbabwe, now tours his trademark rhythms around the globe, and Australia is his next port of call. Rhythms of Zimbabwe, a powerful and exuberant performance, hits Canberra when Gudu and his seven-piece band perform at The Street Theatre for one night only. They’re joined by special guest Felix Machiridza - a Canberra-based Zimbabwean traditional singer, dancer, mbira and drum player. To check out Gudu’s sound visit www.chrisgudu.com, and once you’re hooked, you can book tickets to the show by calling the Street Theatre on 6247 1223 or dropping by www.thestreet.org.au .

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WHO: Anyone who has ever loved zines, and anyone who’s wondered what the fuss is about WHAT: Capital Letters - NGA Zine Fair WHEN: 11am – 4pm Saturday October 30 WHERE: National Gallery of Australia Coinciding with their new exhibition Space Invaders – Australian Street, Stencils, Paste-ups, Zines, Stickers, the NGA is going gangbusters and hosting a fittingly huge zine fair. For the whole of Saturday October 30, zine makers will descend upon the opulence of the NGA’s new Gandel Hall, and fill it with all kinds of DIY deliciousness. The fair has been organised by The Sticky Institute, Melbourne, so you know it’s good. And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s heaps of other amazing stuff going on that same day, including graffiti demos, artist’s talks and books signings – and of course you could check out the exhibition. Sounds like you’d be mad to be anywhere else.

WHO: E.L.K WHAT: Purty new website WHEN: All of the time WHERE: www.elkstencils.com Be it coincidence or a master stroke in marketing, Canberra’s favourite stencil-making son E.L.K has launched his slick new website, right as the town goes mad for all things street art related (see above). Even if you think you don’t know E.L.K’s work you do.

His commissions grace many a wall of this city, including murals in City Walk and Petrie Plaza, and pieces can be seen in fine drinking holes Knightsbridge Penthouse and Parlour Wine Room. To get a full sense for the awesome breadth of his practice you’ll have to have a flick through the photo gallery on the site, so click on over to www. elkstencils.com .

WHO: Chloe Bussenchutt WHAT: Exhibition Where The Fleeting Collide WHEN: On now until Saturday November 27 WHERE: CCAS Gorman House In simple terms, local artist Chloe Bussenchutt is a sculptor, but her unique artworks encompass so much more than that clumsy label.

Chloe states: “my work is informed by the process of collecting from considered sites. Connections are created between familiar objects, artefacts, specimens and emotions. Memories surface, personal histories are exhumed, natural histories recognised.” For her most recent installation, Where The Fleeting Collide, Chloe pairs natural and man-made elements; the dense and the delicate. Definitely one of the hidden gems of the Canberra art scene whose career is about to take off. Catch the show at Canberra Contemporary Art Space Gorman House until November 27.

WHO: All you photographers WHAT: National Photographic Portrait Prize WHEN: Entries close Friday November 12 WHERE: National Portrait Gallery If you’re a photographer, or an aspiring one, you will have seen the National Photographic Portrait Prize exhibitions of previous years at the National Portrait Gallery. But you may not have considered entering. Well, I’m here to tell you to get off your arse and do it!

One of the best things about the prize is that it encompasses photographic artists from all walks of life - from hobbyists, complete newbies, to those who make a living off their art. The other best thing about it is the incredible $25,000 prize for the winning portrait, courtesy of VISA. For full information about the prize, as well as entry forms, head to www.portrait.gov.au. You owe me a beer if you get selected [damn straight! - Ed.].

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WHO: School of Art painting alumni WHAT: Exhibition This Way Up WHEN: Until Saturday October 30 WHERE: ANU School of Art Gallery Last issue you may have caught Sarah Mason’s story on a series of exhibitions and two-day symposium entitled This Way Up – now it’s your last chance to catch the major exhibition by the same name, before it’s all packed down. The show, in the School of Art Gallery, is a look at a diverse range of abstract painting from School of Art painting workshop alumni – encapsulating nearly three decades of amazing artistic practice. Don’t be scared off by the ‘abstract art’ moniker – there really is something for everyone in this very sexy show. A must-see for any Canberra art lover.

It’s a method that seems to be working, with Rafe’s last show A Show to Make You Smile enjoying a sold out season, and his new production In Song and Story likely to be similarly popular.

BADLY DRAWN BOY zoya patel From my experience interviewing bands, I’ve quickly learnt to brace myself for the worst when interviewing a muso in the morning. No matter what day of the week it is, it’s likely they’ll be hungover, shitty, tired and covered in all manner of grime from last night. When RAFE MORRIS bounds into the café with clean clothes, a smile and what appears to be enthusiasm for our chat at 11 in the morning, though, I’m surprised to say the least. Suspicious may in fact be more accurate.

However, two minutes into our conversation I’m already convinced that Rafe’s the nicest guy in the world. Having become popular for his penchant for singing quirky songs about strange subjects, ala Kimya Dawson or Darren Hanlon, Rafe makes cheerful music that’s guaranteed to make you grin despite yourself. However, Rafe claims he doesn’t write songs to be funny.

“In the past, my songs have always been written to be funny. I’m not sure if that’s changing, or if my humour has just become more subtle, but I now no longer just write songs to be funny, I just try to write good songs.”

I hate recording, I love gigs. This CD is a live CD, so that’s a way around the studio!

For both shows, Rafe has teamed up with a group of likeminded musicians, forming Rafe and The Well Dressed. For In Song and Story, they’ve also enlisted the help of comedian Kale Bogdanovs to provide titillating entertainment between songs.

If that sounds unique and exciting to you, then Rafe can only agree.

When I ask him to describe the show, he gazes off with a confused expression, before replying “you know what, I don’t know. It’s going to be a surprise for everybody to see what the show is. I still don’t know if it’s going to be a laughy-laughy laugh-laugh, or somewhat heavy!”

Even more exciting is the prospect of getting a hard copy of Rafe and The Well Dressed’s music to take home with you. The group will be releasing an EP of a live set they performed for the ArtSound radio show, Friday Night Live. The CD is (appropriately) called Live on Air, and manages to combine Rafe’s love of playing live with his desire to get some recorded material out there. “I hate recording, I love gigs.

This CD is a live CD, so that’s a way around the studio!” Rafe grins.

When I ask him to tell me a bit about the songs, he laughs. “Do they have a theme? They’re all good!” Sounds like the perfect theme to me, especially if his past work is anything to go by. With the prospect of cheeky lyrics, pop-tastic music and comedy to keep you entertained when the songs cease, this is one show you shouldn’t miss!

Catch Rafe and The Well Dressed, at The Street Theatre on WednesdayThursday November 3-4. Tickets are $25/$15 concession and are available direct from the Theatre.

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ALL ABOARD sarah tops Hop on board, because you’re in for a whirlwind of a ride. Canberrabased BETH ‘N’ BEN have just released their anticipated debut EP Boarding Pass. Beth, one half of the dynamic duo, states, “It’s our ticket out, our debut, getting on the train and seeing where it takes us.”

Together since mid-2009, these two have clearly revealed they are ones to watch. In little over a year Beth ‘n’ Ben have co-collaborated to produce a sound which intertwines “folk, roots, soul, jazz, rock and reggae.” Basically, they are their own Folk Festival lineup, providing a little something for everyone We are a vibrant, and fitting the claim that good energetic act. things come in small packages.

Come see our gigs, come dance, take us home with you – in CD form

I’d come to a dead-end when I tried to explain who they sounded like and luckily it had been put to the ‘people’ prior to the interview. The sole response they received stated, “you sound like awesome.”

So essentially when you listen to Beth ‘n’ Ben, you are listening to AWESOME. They are the musical equivalent of Chuck Norris, and thanks to Beth they are just as tough, as Ben highlights. “She is tough, a lot tougher than I am – she even has hairs on her chest, but we try not to show them off too much.” Ben’s attitude towards the response is humble and rather refreshing – “I’m not saying it myself, but the people have spoken.”

Having both spent time as solo artists within the Canberra music scene each agree it’s the supportive nature and passion that derives from all our local bands that helps produce the ongoing development of new music. Ben puts it in plain words that “the Canberra music scene’s very strong; there are so many good bands and when you go out to see a band you can see about another 30 people from other bands in the audience going off – it’s a great scene.”

Musically, “you always hope people get a warm and fuzzy feeling out of your music and there is only room for the warm and fuzzy in Beth ‘n’ Ben,” as Ben points out. These two are quirky, cheeky and instantly lovable. They blend soul-soothing vocals, energetic instrumental music and playful lyrics to provide an entertaining performance.

Sure to get you up and dancing or at the very least doing the ‘reggae bounce.’ Ben provides the final message for the readers: “We are a vibrant, energetic act. Come see our gigs, come dance, take us home with you – in CD form.”

Not to be missed is Beth ‘n’ Ben’s Boarding Pass EPmEP launch on Sunday November 14 at Corroboree Park from 3-7pm. Local acts also performing are The Big Score, Fun Machine and The Cashews, who will provide a twist performing covers of the three other bands. Jump aboard this musical journey which is sure to satisfy and surprise.

Catch Beth ‘n’ Ben’s Boarding Pass album launch with The Big Score, Fun Machine and The Cashews from 3-7pm at Corroboree Park, Ainslie on Sunday November 14. Entry is $10 or $15 with a CD.

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choose. You can’t do it all.’ The good thing about Casey is he’s done a lot of rock stuff and a lot of electronic stuff – he’s really versatile.”

KASHA-ED UP PETER KRBAVAC Local experimental rockers KASHA have kept a low profile of late.

While members were finishing their studies at the School of Music, the band took a break from shows to ready their second EP, What a Colourful Mouth. But now, armed with a freshly minted stack of 7” singles, the four-piece are back.

The new record, which follows last year’s debut Five Songs for Sunstroke was recorded at Melbourne’s Headgap Studios with engineer Casey Rice. Originally based in Chicago, Rice is permanent soundman to post-rockers Tortoise and over the years has worked with the likes of Liz Phair, Sunny Day Real Estate, Cap’n Jazz as well as countless Australian musicians including Ben Lee, Dirty Three, Bird Blobs, Mum Smokes and Songs. Despite the tight timeframe of just four days to complete all recording and mixing, bassist Josh Becker says the sessions were relatively stress free. “Casey’s a really relaxed guy. He kept us focused because sometimes we can get a bit carried away and think ‘we want to do this and this...’ and he reminded us ‘man, you’ve got two days in the studio, you’ve got to

At the moment we’re in a transitional stage, trying to get to a different kind of sound

The four track EP sees Kasha – completed by guitarist Adam Guzowski, drummer Hugh Deacon and keys player Austin Buckett – refining its sound, easing off on the complicated riffage and focusing more on rhythm and groove. “It feels like at the moment we’re in a transitional stage, trying to get to a different kind of sound,” Josh says. “We’re going to expand that a bit more with electronics and different instruments, sounds and ways of writing. I think what we’ve got up to now has run its course – it needs to change.”

Just where Kasha will end up is anyone’s guess. During the chat Josh enthuses about recent performances from Japanese noise rockers The Boredoms, as well as UK electronic duo Autechre. “On one of the nights we were mixing in Melbourne, we went and saw Autechre play,” he remembers. “Most electronic acts have a light show, but there were no lights at all. We were getting pummelled with this electronic noise and you couldn’t see anything. It was so alienating but also amazing – one of those gigs where you just leave drained.”

With Kasha’s membership all now free from studying, the band plan to begin writing in earnest towards an album, the recording of which will be aided by a well-deserved ArtsACT grant. “Next year we’re going to be flat out doing it, putting all our time and effort into making this album as best we can,” Josh says. “Now that the money side has been taken care of it’s up to us to work really hard on the songs.”

Kasha launch What a Colourful Mouth at Transit Bar on Thursday November 11 alongside Hoodlum Shouts and Mere Women (Sydney). Entry is free.

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It’s not like they

collaborate with other artists to write picked us out of either for the sake of it or for something a line-up and put they might be working on,” she says. us together “Tim [Commandeur, drums] and I usually collaborate our writing on the Operator Please albums, but I like to do other things where I can; it’s just a good chance to write things I want to but that don’t fit with the band, and to test a lot of stuff out generally and see what works as a whole.”

SMOOTH OPERATOR KATY HALL It feels like a lot more than three years have passed since the world was blasted with Queensland quintet OPERATOR PLEASE. Their breakthrough debut Yes Yes Vindictive included smash hits like Just a Song About Ping Pong and Get What You Want. It also led them to support slots with the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs and The Futureheads and even earned them an ARIA, all at the tender ends of their teen years.

Leading lady Amandah Wilkinson admits that it’s been “a pretty wild ride” for all involved, but is quick to add there’re a lot of falsehoods out there about how young they are and how ‘produced’ they were.

“We wrote that record, and I can say that because I wrote the lyrics for those songs myself. We had a lot on interest from record companies and things like that, but it’s not like they picked us out of a line-up and put us together.”

When I talk to Wilkinson, she’s back in her hometown, outside a recording studio working on an unnamed project. “I quite often

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After the monstrous success of Yes Yes Vindictive and a well earned break that came along with it, the band faced the task of making a follow up album. In April 2010 Gloves was released, and with it an unleashing of Operator Please’s slightly unexpected dark and brooding pop sensibilities. “We’re not one of those bands that can write 20 or 30 songs and then choose from those. We had a really good idea of what we were going into the studio with and how the album would end up going.”

When it came time to hit the studio and try and emulate the success from their debut, Wilkinson admits “we decided really early on it wasn’t something we were going to consider. I think if we had always rehearsed with that in the back of our heads we would have gone mad and probably wouldn’t have been able to produce anything really, but because we ignored it we were a lot more comfortable with the directions we took and building on ideas we’d had over the past few years together.”

And so, five years on from their high school inception, the band is stronger than ever and gearing up once more for a summer on the road and in the bus. “It’s always fun doing the Australian shows because we’ve now seen so much of the country!”

Operator Please are part of the stellar line-up at this year’s Stonefest, held on Saturday October 30 at UC. For more line-up info and tickets, head to www.stonefest.com.au .

ON FIRE IS PS THE ROOFTO chiara grassia With a new album ready for release next year and a sparkly new single, Brisbane’s THE ROOFTOPS are kick-starting a national tour which will see the band charm audiences nationwide with their pop sensibilities and toe-tappin’ tunes. “We’re going on tour from today, actually,” says lead singer Euan Gray, about to travel around the country until early December. “It’s our first national tour of sorts, so we’re pretty thrilled to be doing it. It’s just a real sense of getting out there and introducing ourselves to other people and other audiences.

I think some of the best responses are in the places that aren’t regularly toured

“I kind of added Canberra on to the list,” admits Gray. “I think some of the best responses are in the places that aren’t regularly toured. We’re heading to Armidale, which is a lot smaller than Canberra, where I grew up in fact.” Gray, whose father lives in Canberra, quips that he staged this as a little bit of a homecoming tour, which “fits in with the single we’re releasing which is all about coming home to the familiar.” Describing their sound as “very dance friendly without being rock music, just really sort of fun,” their latest catchy tune, single Something So Familiar, sure does fit the bill. Embracing a feel-good vibe amidst a cruisey beat, the song has already wormed its way into becoming a crowd favourite, with the band receiving correspondence from fans who have found the song to have resonated deeply with them.

The Rooftops have recently finished recording their third album, currently untitled, the result of which Gray describes as “a pretty honest thing to what we do live. We haven’t added a hundred different layers. We were actually really constricted, where we only had a set number of tracks so we had to really make the most out of it. It was just a really good challenge. There’s plenty of fun to be had on it,” he says, noting that the album does “take a bit of a journey through a couple of different styles, different moods, which is ideal really.”

And if festival-friendly pop music still hasn’t convinced you, maybe the look of Something So Familiar will. Boasting one of the cleverest packaging ideas around, developed by Gray’s girlfriend, the single is constructed “like an old school postcard; with the back you can actually fix a stamp onto it and write a message to someone and send it. So we’re actually going to offer that service at gigs, so people can hear the song, go up to the merch desk and write a postcard to a friend and we’ll send it for them. It’s a bit of a concept, but it ties in with the song. So if Australia Post works in our favour, you can just send the whole thing as it is with the stamp. We’ll have to do a little test, I think; see how damaged it gets.”

See The Rooftops supported by locally illustrious merchants of madness Fun Machine at The Front Gallery in Lyneham on Friday November 12.

Tickets are $10 on the door.

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space with the new material but still showcasing his own highly original blues and soul riddim style. Can’t wait to hear it.

THE REALNESS G’day – if you’ve missed it or been under a rock lately, jump onto OzHipHop.com and check out the Rappertag concept kicked off by 360. The basic premise is rappers going in over the same beat over webcam and then passing the verse off to the next rapper. There’s been quite a roster so far with dudes like Newsense, Urthboy, Brad Strut, Hunter and Briggs all participating. Good to see everyone getting involved… wonder how far it will go? I’m pretty sure there’s a YouTube channel for it as well, so check it out.

After dropping DJ Skae’s Guestlist about 12 months ago, DJ Skae is back with another killer compilation entitled DJ Skae’s ‘A List’ – does the dude ever sleep? This time around he’s linked up with some of the country’s premier artists who have all submitted tunes for the album.

The ‘A-List’ boasts over 20 originals from artists representing every state; Fluent Form, Draz, Torcha, Tommy Illfigga, Chase, Hunter, Sereck (with Grand Puba!) and even D’Opus & myself. There’s beatbox and producer tracks from Rivals, DJ Morgs, DJ Butcher and also Skae himself. It’s an impressive effort putting it all together and an even more impressive record as a whole. Check it out at myspace.com/alist/ and support the release.

Everyone’s favourite Belfast d‘n’b producer and musical extraordinaire Calibre is back with his (seventh!) album Even If through his own Signature Records imprint. Following on from his wonderfully strange Shine A Light album, he’s firmly back in d‘n’b

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Also on the bass and drum tip is the latest LP on D Bridge’s phenomenal Exit Records. This time it comes from a true veteran – Genotype. Ritual Dance is out now and is surprisingly Genotype’s first ever artist album despite him being on the scene since the mid ‘90s. Instead of heading for bleak mechanical tear outs, Genotype has stayed true to the Exit sound print by pushing d‘n’b sounds into the future with a mix of organic drums and West Indian music.

Should be suitably amazing.

Can Mr. James Blake do no wrong? His latest EP Klavierwerke on R&S is again undeniably amazing, and without pausing for breath he’s dropped the first single from his forthcoming as yet untitled 2011 debut album. Limit to Your Love is a woozy beautiful cover of Feist’s original and showcases his previously hinted at vocal talents.

The production is trademark Blake in all the right ways – minimal, subtle and full of deep resonating bass. Check the video out online and support all of James’ releases – he’s on some shit right now.

Tour-wise there’re some nice shows popping off in the next few months. The Wildstyle tour is hitting Canberra on Friday November 5 at the ANU Bar with a two-way headliner featuring The Tongue and Spit Syndicate with support from Melbourne’s Class A. Get your tickets from oztix.com.au. Hot on the heels of supporting Method Man & Redman and The Beatnuts, solo artists Phatchance and Coptic Solider are hitting Canberra as part of their national I Forgot, I’m Sorry tour at the ANU Bar on Friday October 29.

To hear music from all the above and much more, tune to The Antidote on 2XX 98.3FM from 9.30pm every Tuesday night.

ROSHAMBO roshambizzle@yahoo.com.au

LAZY BONES DAVE PARSONS In lieu of an interview with the illusive BONE THUGS-N-HARMONY we caught up with promoter and notorious emcee Dave Parsons to chat about the tour and the future of major hip-hop events in C City.

Back in 2001 a couple of mates and I scored tickets to the hip-hop event of the year – Eminem live in Sydney. I was asleep in the back of my Nissan using my girl’s lap as a pillow when suddenly I found myself flying into the back of the seats in front of me. I looked up and realised my mate had run up the arse end of the car in front of him and sent that car into the car in front of it!

In a state of panic my mate turned and asked me what he should do.

Like any true Em fan my answer was simple. “Reverse, take the exit ramp and get us to the venue!”

So with a crushed front end, one headlight and a bumper hanging off we arrived at the Shady concert with at least six minutes to spare.

If we can sustain an event like Foreshore, why can’t we rock the big names in hip-hop?

One of the mates that made that trip with me back in 2001 will be at the Bone Thugs-NHarmony gig at the Southern Cross Entertainment Centre in Woden and this time he won’t need a car. He can leave the ride at home and walk down the street to catch one of the most successful groups in hip-hop history.

That’s what KP are aiming to do for Canberra – we want to bring the best hip-hop has to offer right here to our own backyard. Old school, new school – the works.

If we can sustain an event like Foreshore, why can’t we rock the big names in hip-hop? A lot of hip-hop fans here complain that we miss out on all the big shows.

Now’s your chance to change that. Canberra’s a dope city with a solid hip-hop scene and we have the numbers to stand up and be counted when the big events go down.

I’ve gone with one of the biggest venues being used on this whole Bone Thugs-N-Harmony tour and it’s on the first Friday night of the tour. It’s a bigger venue than Melbourne’s, it’s a bigger venue than Sydney’s and that’s because I want to prove a point to the people of this city!

So get down to the SCEC on Friday November 12, support the movement and catch Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and some top shelf local talent. Tickets are available through Moshtix. Doors open 8.30pm. Bone will be hanging at Tongue and Groove after the gig if you wanna party with the man himself.

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METALISE Tickets for No Sleep Til Sydney are evaporating so for all those fans who missed Megadeth tour out here with Slayer about 12 months ago, you should consider the show in Moore Park on Saturday December 18. Pretty mixed bill of bands, here’s the full line-up again in case you’ve missed it: Megadeth, Descendents, NOFX, Dropkick Murphys, Parkway Drive, A Day to Remember, Gwar, Atreyu, Alkaline Trio, Frenzal Rhomb, Me First and The Gimme Gimmes, Suicide Silence, August Burns Red, Katatonia, 3 Inches of Blood, We Came As Romans, House Vs Hurricane, Break Even, Heroes For Hire and Confession.

Another act that could be considered ‘seminal,’ but in a more underground context is stalwart New York act The Swans. Their first ever tour is slated for March next year with the Saturday March 12 Metro show likely to sell fairly briskly given it’s their first time out.

Touring with The Necks, you can get your tickets through Ticketek.

On national affairs, don’t forget that the Black Mass all Aussie black metal festival is happening in the Shush nightclub, level 2 of the Newtown RSL on Saturday November 27. Nazxul, Astriaal, Drowning The Light, Sanguinary Misanthropia, Wardaemonic, Erebus Enthroned, Moon and Spire are the bands on the bill and there is promise of stalls, giveaways and black metal DJs too. Played there a few weeks ago and it’s a bit of a barn in size – hopefully a lot of keensters get along to that one as I reckon the more the better in that room.

Pantera was the gateway band to metal for many metal fans – not me ‘cause I’m old and I thought they were shit racists after I saw them on their last ever Aussie tour, but I digress… It’s about respect for Dimebag and there are a slew of tributes going on around the place celebrating the life of the uber talented guitar slinger. Canberra isn’t missing out. On Friday October 29 The Basement hosts Spoil, Blind Eyed Gods and Reign Of Terror. I would imagine the love-tera will be on in force that night so get along for Dime worship.

Saturday November 6 is a big night on both sides of town. The Maram is great now they’ve set the stage up properly and given the band room a makeover, and the shows get better and better out in Erindale.

So Saturday November 6 they’ve got a killer line-up with Sydney’s Killrazer being joined by Tortured and Unholy Vendetta, all presented to you by the fine folks at CRMetal.net and Missmanagement.

Megafauna is on again Saturday November 6 with a diverse lineup of acts all for the benefit of the Australian Cancer Research Foundation. The Basement in Belconnen is the venue and the line-up includes The VeeBee’s, Disavow, The Red Vest, Inside The Exterior, Hoodlum Shouts, Yeti, Mr Fibby, Leisure Suit Lenny, Cracked Actor, Chasing Rabbits along with circus sideshow performers and more. Just 15 bucks for a good cause and a slew of great local music.

Don’t forget Festival of the Bread at the end of November at The Basement either. Australian Kingswood Factory, Witchgrinder, Aprocessof, Absence of State, Na Maza, Teen Skank Parade, No Longer I and The Drill.

IGNITION daniel boyle SHIHAD have brought us their eighth album. Over a career spanning more than two decades, these Melbourne-based Kiwis have continued to rock. Critics have hailed this album as a return to their older sound, and what better way to find that sound than by playing those old songs. On a recent tour, Shihad played the classic albums Killjoy and The General Electric.

Bass player Karl Kippenberger says of the tour, “We started in Christchurch and we did about a four hour soundcheck each night, just going through the record and making sure everything was still I think especially in places like there. We’ve played nearly all those Canberra, songs somewhere in the last 16 years. we better do Somewhere in the dark recesses of something special. our memory, they’re there. There are of e som Maybe songs we’ve never played live from the rarer tracks those recordings though; we had to learn them completely.” The band made the tour a celebration for completing the new album Ignite as well as a treat for long term fans.

Fans in Canberra were not treated to this same spectacle, so I ask if we would be hearing some old classics. “I think especially in places like Canberra and Adelaide, places where we didn’t get to on that tour, we better do something special for them,” Kippenberger reveals. “Maybe some of the rarer tracks. We should do something for you guys.”

Although Shihad are renowned throughout the world as a touring machine, it’s been a while since last drinks in the capital. “We pride ourselves as a band that travels and tours around a lot, we should really get to Canberra more than we do,” he admits. “I’m trying to remember the last time we played Canberra. It was probably the ANU as well.”

For the process of this album, the band has brought things almost completely in-house. “We self-produced the album,” says Kippenberger. “Tom pretty much took charge of that side of things.

He has a studio in Melbourne now. I did all the artwork. We’ve kept things a bit more in-house this time around. I guess that’s the natural progression for any kind of band that’s been around a fair while. Get it all a bit closer; have a bit more creative control.” It’s also the band’s first record with Roadrunner Records.

Josh NP: Trouble – Heaven On My Mind - Trouble

After a long career, Karl looks back at what’s gone by and says “It’s strange, looking back now, in some ways Roadrunner should have been our home in the mid ‘90s. It’s strange how things come about.

It feels good now though.” In support of the album, Shihad will be hitting the road with Trial Kennedy as well as a new band on the scene, Black Devil Yard Boss. It’s no surprise that after this tour, the plan is “more touring.”

JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com

Catch Shihad on the Canberra leg of their Ignite tour at the ANU Bar on Thursday November 4. Support comes in the form of Trial Kennedy and Black Devil Yard Boss. Tickets are $23.50 and are available from Oztix.

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after that tour, they will play a full Canadian tour from the West Coast to the East Coast. After that they travel through Asia, playing shows in Thailand, Singapore and Japan before arriving on our shores.

ICON AIR daniel boyle DESPISED ICON are about to embark on their first ever Australian tour, which, funnily enough, will be their last tour before playing some final hometown shows and then calling it a day. Since forming in 2002 the band have gone from what guitarist Eric calls “a more brutal death metal style” to “these days we integrate a lot more of the hardcore sound into our music.”

The band will be joined on their tour by The Red Shore and Thy Art is Murder, both bands of a very similar style to Despised Icon. “We’re touring with The Red Shore – those guys are really troopers of metal.

Our friends in All Shall Perish were touring with them when the tragedy happened. It’s great that they’re still going and it’s an honour to be playing with them,” Eric says.

Before arriving in Australia the band has a pretty heavy schedule.

When I call Eric he tells me that the band has just arrived in San Francisco, playing the last few shows of their US tour. Just one week

It may sound boring for you, but all we hear about are kangaroos and kolas. It will be a very exotic tour for us

When I ask how the band expects the Australian leg of the tour to go, Eric tells me “I’m really anxious to get there. I’ve heard it’s really awesome, really beautiful too. It’s a dream come true. We wanted to go over there for many years – this is our chance. I think we’ll have a great time and it will be awesome.”

Looking back on their early albums, Eric says the band has come a long way. He also says “I think it was a good album to start with. We were still searching for our sound back then.” When I ask what sort of bands he recommends now, he tells me he’s not the one to ask. “I’m the old man of the band. I’m more into classic rock and old music. Rush is in my top five bands of all time.”

Once the tour of Australia finishes, the band goes back to Canada to play four final shows. “We’re playing two in Toronto and then two in Montreal, our hometown. That’s where we started, so that’s where we will end it.” Once the band calls it a day, there are no particular plans in the works. “We’re just going to have a break, everybody needs that.

Some of us will have children and that takes some time. Maybe some of us will start some other bands but nothing is planned yet.”

The tour won’t just be about playing the shows. “It may sound boring for you, but all we hear about are kangaroos and kolas. It will be a very exotic tour for us.”

Catch Despised Icon along with The Red Shore and Thy Art Is Murder live at The Holy Grail in Civic on Friday November 12. Tickets are $43 (+bf) through Moshtix.

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the word

on albums

album of the issue The Holidays Post Paradise [Liberation]

Once in a while, an indie band sheds their generic rock roots, and strikes out to create music of a unique, exciting and new variety – The Holidays are one such band. Post Paradise, the debut album from the Sydney four-piece, is a collection of swooney, summer pop tracks that combine electro grooves and indie tunes to create an ambience that can not be matched.

Singles Moonlight Hours and Golden Sky are ripe with catchy pop lyrics and excellent hooks, while more stripped back tracks like 6am manage to display frontman Simon Jones’ vocals perfectly. All ten tracks on the album are sonically addictive, with the sing-along chorus on 2day proving to be impossible to get out of your head.

There is no denying that The Holidays are incredibly musically talented, and each track manages to display their new style to perfection without sounding repetitive.

Despite some lyrical clichés, overall Post Paradise creates a narrative of escapism and the search for a utopian lifestyle, set to a backdrop of sunshineladen pop that is perfect for summer days spent lying outside, with nothing but relaxation on the horizon. zoya patel

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Allen Lande The Showdown [Frontiers/Riot]

Mogwai Special Moves [Spunk]

Phil Collins Going Back [Atlantic]

2010 has been a great year in the world of melodic hard rock and heavy metal, but, just when your reviewer was starting to think about end of year polls, and what was in with a chance of topping the bill from a slew of great releases, this album arrived, and required a complete reframing of the market.

One of the most rewarding gigs I’ve seen was Mogwai at Sydney’s Metro Theatre in 2006, because I seem to enjoy a particular musical dynamic predicated on aching build-ups and sustained joyous release.

This kind of thing happens in similarly pleasurable areas in life, and I guess Mogwai is attuned to capturing certain urges in musical form, although not quite as you would expect.

There has always been something a tad unsettling about the sounds emanating from this ultra-atmospheric band where an illumination of the dark heart through intense emotional expression is built on a turbulent soft/ loud equation, and the soft part is as compelling as the noise whiteout. Each of the band’s seven studio albums explores this particular aesthetic in a consistently rewarding manner, and so it goes that a live album in the right environs will leak the good stuff which one would expect from a band on top of its game. This 11-track performance was recorded with the minimum of fuss, yet with fireworks in the right places, in a smallish venue in Brooklyn in 2009. It includes sense stimulating highlights from a first-rate body of work, and demonstrates that when you hit upon a good thing stick with it, as the ironically titled and more recent I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead crosses paths with raging epic Mogwai Fear Satan from the very early Young Team album. And I wanted to be there.

Phil Collins is a vastly underrated drummer. Probably more famous as the cheeky chap out front of Genesis who had a few solo hits, especially that one with the big air drum solo, he played on seminal albums by Brian Eno (Another Green World) and John Cale (Helen of Troy). Look, he’s no hack. Then there’s his baldness.

In an industry where hirsute is king, fair play to the short bald man. OK, so that’s all well and good, but is this album of traditionalist Motown covers any good? Yes and no. Collins has always professed a love for soul standards, even charting with a well chosen cover in the ‘80s (You Can’t Hurry Love) so this isn’t some late career revisionist cash-in a la Rod Stewart or Barnsey.

In case you are wondering – and you should be – Allen Lande isn’t a man, but the earth-shatteringly good agglomeration of two of modern metal’s great voices – Symphony X throatsmith Russel Allen and BMA’s favourite metallic voice du jour, Jorn Lande (geddit?) – in one gloriously pompous and overblown package.

Christ on a bike, the opening one-two of the title track and the spine-tingling Judgement Day is good enough, and almost certainly worth the price of admission on its own, but The Showdown just won’t stop. Like I said, there have been some great albums released in this field this year, but none of them can reach the level of consistent brilliance that Lande and Allen manage to purvey here. Both men sing their absolute arses off (though if it comes to push and shove I’d pick Lande to sing for me if my life depended on it), whether it be out and out metal or on some utterly splendid ballads (Bloodlines has to be the greatest song AOR titans Journey never wrote). Very, very exciting stuff.

SCOTT ADAMS

Dan Bigna

Still, we shouldn’t be expecting it to reach the stratospheric heights of the source material – Collins’ middling warble hits its fair share of notes but cannot possibly match Smoky Robinson’s (Going to a Go-Go) rich velvet croon or Stevie Wonder’s (Uptight) propulsive hot wail. This is Collins’ vanity project – not quite 100% blue eyed soul, but he’s having fun so good for him. On the other side of the ledger, the playing is incredible. You can thank three parts of the legendary Funk Brothers, who appear on every track for that, lifting Going Back from ‘yawn’ to ‘alright, pretty decent’. Of course, hunt down the originals every single time.

JUSTIN HOOK

singled out

with Dave Ruby Howe

Ruby for Lucy Catching Bream [Half a Cow Records] In 2007 an online music site provided the means of a chance meeting between Julie Stenton and Kat Borghetti. Their friendship evolved into folk duo Ruby for Lucy and the creation of this, their debut release.

The EP (it’s not quite an album, as two of the nine tracks last less than a minute) is as much a deep conversation between dear friends as a collection of songs. Whimsical tales explore the poetry that exists below the surface of everyday life, if only you bother to look.

The beautiful lead vocals, which sound uncannily like Jessie Vintila from The Lucky Wonders, have the quality of being able to evoke either joy or sorrow with equal skill.

In Grandma’s House, about leaving a friend behind, you’d be convinced that the singer was on the verge of tears. The sweet tone of Sentimental Porcelain brings to mind the style of folkies Tinpan Orange. Simple but infectious melodies, spun by the duo’s acoustic guitars, bring the alluring quality of the lead vocals and harmonies to the fore. The one quality the EP lacks is variety, as the same vocal style and tempo is used on most tracks, making it almost ‘too pretty’. The only song that moves faster than a walking pace is the sprightly title track, which is a highlight.

Everything about the release is a work of art, from the exquisite cover to the environmentally friendly, plastic-free disk cover, which holds the CD in place with a cool egg-crate and cork creation.

RORY McCARTNEY

Sufjan Stevens The Age of Adz [Rough Trade]

Timo Maas Balance 17 [Balance Music]

This album has already been lambasted for marking the end of the gently beautiful Sufjan Stevens of Illinois and applauded for being another boldly unconventional evolution for a truly unique musician. First it must be said that the Stevens of Illinois is not gone. At the heart of this album lie the same profoundly human expressions of self that have always tugged the heartstrings. And the melodies are as peculiarly alluring as ever. However, to say The Age of Adz is even close to business as usual is a vast underestimation. Woven into each track, tethering piece to piece and slathered over the top of this album are an unusual and almost overwhelming plethora of orchestral and electronic trimmings, from bubbling flutes to booming synths. Few sounds are left in their natural state, as though Stevens has endeavoured to be as meddlesome as possible, daring listeners to keep pace. Is it self-indulgent? Well, the last track is over 25 minutes long.

But it’s not inaccessible. It’s as poignant and mesmerising as anything Stevens has done.

However, I did work hard to connect with this album through the bizarre medley of sounds Stevens revels in. His past work is so easily relatable that I found myself unexpectedly challenged, but the challenge was welcome. The scope is broader, but worth it. Still, no one should be able to get away with a 25-minute track unless its pure genius, and Stevens’ isn’t. Yet.

The Balance CD series has provided a platform for some of the most exciting international dance music producer/DJs to dig into the dark depths of their record collections and provide listeners with a unique insight into their avant-garde persona; and German ‘percussive funk’ legend Timo Maas’ effort is no different.

ASHLEY THOMSON

The most appealing attribute of the Balance format is that it gives the artist two discs in which to build a club symphony.

On Disc One, Maas weaves us through a morning chorus into stellar tracks like Solvent Lost for Words (Vector Lovers Remix), Deetron - Sing, The Crystal Ark - The city never sleeps and one of my all time favourites, the classic Danny Tenaglia - Elements. The throbbing hum of the finale leads us into Disc Two, where Maas ramps it up into full club mode.

The evilly haunting Mutant Clan (one of Maas’ side projects) remix of Mark Romboy and Stephan Bodzin - Luna wastes no time in getting its groove on, setting the scene for a more housey techno sound. This is perpetuated by Alex Dolby and Santos - To Be Large and The Mole - Nervous Disid before the disc slowly shifts back into early morning techno with several more Mutant Clan originals and re-edits. Maas closes off the epic two hour performance with a hands in the air redux of Placebo - Ashtray Heart, a fitting end to an impressive journey.

TIM GALVIN

Digitalism Blitz [Kitsune] 2007 was pretty awesome, wasn’t it? Acts like MSTRKRFT and Justice ruled the world and in particular we were all vibing on the punchy electro tunes of Germany’s Digitalism.

Since then that movement has kind’ve died in the arse, but I’m actually genuinely excited for some new Digitalism. They’ve always been meticulous in their production and Blitz is no exception, packing a walloping bassline, frantic synth hook and a nice touch of atmospherics.

The lack of vocals holds this one back from having the impact that it should, but it’s definitely a welcome return.

Miami Horror Holidays [EMI] Make no mistake, the Miami Horror album is filled with little electro-pop treasures but when it comes to new single Holidays, everything else can suck a dick. This track is next level. Everything just clicks so well. The choppy disco guitars, the striptease synth-bass and Neon Indian’s chant-ready guest vocals. This will be your summer.

Katy Perry Firework [EMI] It’s kinda frightening how much I’ve enjoyed Katy Perry’s 2010 output, but the long and short of it is that these tunes are just great pop music, and there’s nothing wrong with plastic fun when it’s done right. Sure Perry could tone down the warbling here on Firework but it’s still quite a jam with surprisingly banging beats and you will no doubt hear this everywhere you go soon enough.

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the word

on films

WITH MARK RUSSELL

Ben Affleck can direct, oh yes. But films like Gone Baby Gone and now The Town throw up an interesting question: with such a great eye for story, pacing and character – how the hell does he always pick such absolute turkeys to act in?

One look at the “I’m not the bad guy” scene from Daredevil and he’s gotta understand why we all thought that Matt Damon might’ve been the sole scribe on Good Will Hunting. His resume reads like a horror story: Pearl Harbour, Reindeer Games, Gigli, Surviving Christmas (Surviving Christmas!!!!).

Ah well, from the ashes of his prior acting career, rises the phoenix of one of the greatest new directing talents of the last decade – welcome back, Ben.

quote of the issue “This is the not fucking around crew so get me something that looks like a print because this not fucking around thing is about to go both ways.” Adam Frawley (John Hamm, The Town

38

the town Ben Affleck follows up the sublime moral quandaries of Gone Baby Gone with his second directorial effort – ultraslick heist drama The Town. He also fills in main acting duties as Doug MacRay, the leader of a very successful bank robbery crew, who finds himself forming a relationship with the assistant manager of one of the banks they hit, Claire (Rebecca Hall).

The Town draws very obvious if favourable comparisons to Heat. The only problem with this is that Affleck’s two-hour running time makes the characters and story occasionally feel a little undercooked compared to Brian DePalma’s sweeping three-hour epic. As such, some motivation is lost along the way. Claire also never quite fulfils the Yoko Ono role they want her to be, as the crew’s downfall really has very little to do with her.

This is nit-picking though. The film as a whole is well-devised, superbly-acted action-drama that keeps the blood pulsing and the story beats pumping like shotgun bursts. It’s meticulously woven, smart and operatic in vision. Jeremy Renner is a particular highlight as Doug’s violent and edgy best friend, James. The action scenes are superbly handled, though are one of the main culprits of glaring Heat similarities. The razor-sharp dialogue, character and drama are well-balanced throughout and the film offers something for all tastes. Overall it’s a graze short of Affleck’s first crack at the directing chair but will doubtless find a much broader market and bodes well for his future offerings. mark russell

wall street: money never sleeps Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is the sequel to Oliver Stone’s ‘80s classic Wall Street, which said greed is good. The sequel, then, says that greed is gooder. And the film is about as great as that sentence. Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) is released from prison, after eight years for insider trading.

Upon his release he tries to reconnect with his daughter, Winnie (Carey Mulligan), but she won’t even watch him on television, let alone meet with him face to face. Instead, Gekko bonds with his daughter’s fiancé, Jake (Shia LaBeouf), who wants his help bringing down the evil banker Bretton James (Josh Brolin). Backstabbing and backroom deals ensue.

This film is, essentially, a relationship drama. And there’s nothing wrong with that, except that in a GFC climate one might hope for a bit more meat. Instead of a real comment on capitalism, the audience is given motorcycle chase sequences and heavyhanded metaphors. Stone’s directorial style is about as subtle as a sledgehammer, but where in the original film it packed a punch, here it feels like a parody. With split screens and gimmicky graphics, it all becomes a bit painfully ‘80s – and this undermines great performances from Douglas, Mulligan and LaBeouf.

23 years after the original, you’ve got to wonder why this film was made, when so little of the material feels fresh. Maybe because it was guaranteed to attract an audience – and Oliver Stone thinks greed is good. melissa wellham

let me in When I first heard that they were going to do an American remake of the haunting Swedish film Let The Right One In, I was horrified. I ranted for days, throwing around terms like “dumbed-down fodder,” “moneygrubbing hacks” and “shameless pillaging of art to satisfy a moronic need to suck money out of the ignorant masses.” …Perhaps I was overreacting.

Let Me In is actually a great film – engaging and interesting, and carried by some spectacular performances. The film follows the growing friendship between a young boy, Owen (Kodi SmitMcPhee), and a young girl, Abby (Chloe Moretz). He’s awkward and bullied at school; she’s mysterious and sad. Also, she could tear your neck to shreds, because she’s a vampire. Like the original, Let Me In is dark and moody, and retains most of the semi-controversial material (minus an ambiguous crotch shot or two). However, much of the original’s subtlety is gone, and thus a lot of the poignancy.

Some shots in Let The Right One In are so beautiful that you completely look past the fact that it’s some gory scene involving blood and carnage.

Let Me In doesn’t really have this quality, and in the end it feels more like a horror story than anything else, whereas Let The Right One In felt like it was about so much more. I shouldn’t spend my whole review doing some faux-intellectual compare and contrast. Let Me In is an excellent film – edgy, wistfully bleak, interesting, well shot and very atmospheric.

Unfortunately, in the shadow of Let The Right One In, it’s never going to feel quite right.

MEGAN MCKEOUGH

the word on dvds

Beyond The Lighted Stage (Blu Ray) [Universal] The best music docos tackle marginal acts. Whilst Some Kind of Monster was undoubtedly a hit, the stink of immature petulance will forever cloak Metallica. In comparison, 2009’s vastly superior Anvil! The Story of Anvil was a triumph for the underdogs. And now there’s Beyond The Lighted Stage, an intimate portrait of Canadian prog-trio Rush – not so much a marginal band… more of a marginalised band. Rush are the archetypal nerd band – geeks loved them, critics hated them.

Formed by the offspring of postWar European émigrés who’d resettled in suburban Ontario (Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee) Rush had confident swagger from the very beginning; check out the unbelievable footage of a Lifeson family dinner conversation where a very young Alex lays out his future plans for rock domination. It looks like a dramatic recreation, but it’s not. The band settled down after the dour, intense and bookish Neil Peart took over drum duties from John Rutsey. To this very day he is the brooding foil to the Lee/Lifeson levity. He’s also one of the greatest living rock drummers.

Hitting their stride in the late ‘70s, the band had enjoyed its period of commercial glory (Tom Sawyer, Freewill, Entre Nous) at the exact same time as punk broke. So despite selling out arenas they were yesterday’s news. Still, the fans stuck it out. Beyond the Lighted Stage juggles the competing demands of its audience perfectly. There is enough revelatory information and intimate footage to appeal to the dedicated fan (of which there are legions) and for the newcomer there is a mesmerising story of three guys shunned by the popular press who prevailed against the odds despite the most repulsive of wardrobe decisions imaginable.

Impossible to recommend this doco any higher.

JUSTIN HOOK

Iron Man 2 [Paramount]

dexter season 4 [Paramount]

The first Iron Man film was something of a revelation. It was a comic book adaptation that was actually fun. Iron Man was not as dark and brooding as Batman, nor as whiny and annoying as Spider-Man. Iron Man 2 is still fun, but the premise just isn’t as fresh this time around.

After a frustrating and lacklustre third season that ambled to nowhere in particular with Jimmy Smits in tow, Dexter has received a much needed bounce back. By now our titular hero is married with a bouncing baby in one room, a surly step-daughter in another and a wife yapping about nappies.

Oh god does Rita ever shut up? Turns out – yes, she does but we’ll deal with that later.

Dexter is now a rumination on the terror of suburbia, where violence lurks just beneath the surface. There’s only so long a serial killer cop can fly underneath the radar and it’s this need to hide in plain view that has driven Dexter Morgan since day one, but it has never been more pronounced. Surely someone will notice? Maybe, but in the meantime there’s another killer on the loose.

Special Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine) is back in town cooking up some cockamamie ‘Trinity Killer’ theory, a murderer who kills in allotments of three.

Crazy old coot. Of course, turns out he’s right and in the Trinity Killer character (John Lithgow) the writers have delivered the single best antagonist in the show’s entire run (notwithstanding the sadly departed Doakes. Oh how I miss the pantomime intensity of Doakes). Lithgow is creepy belligerence personified; the mid-season finger-snapping (literally) episode is one of the more jaw-clenching TV experiences of 2010. High praise for a show that is, essentially, goofy ham horror.

Indeed the entire supporting cast could be replaced with piles of old newspapers and I don’t think I’d either notice or care. Sadly, it’s this lack of attention to the minor characters and plot arcs that prevents Dexter scaling any great heights. Michael C. Hall remains fantastic, although his expository voiceovers are utterly redundant and need a mercy killing.

In this second film, Tony Stark/ Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) has come out of closet, with his metal suit, and the world is aware of his alter ego. Stark now has to contend with government interference, while also fighting off a disgustingly-dreadlocked and terribly-tanned Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), who has been hired to kill him by rival inventor Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell).

Not to mention dealing with all the attractive women in his life: assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and assistant to the assistant Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson), who has a secret of her own.

Iron Man 2 tries to fit too much – and too many characters – into a limited period of time. The result is that some sub-plots and characters are woefully under explored.

Scarlett Johansson’s character, Natalie Rushman, seems to appear on screen for the sole purpose of making men salivate. To be fair, it’s a role she accomplishes admirably, what with all that skin-tight lycra.

Despite the lack of cohesion in this costumed caper, Iron Man 2 still features some great performances and an actionpacked plot. And it’s definitely worth watching again – if not for the special features, which include the film with commentary by director Jon Favreau – then for a charming Downey Jr., a (ahem) welldressed Johansson, or Sam Rockwell in a suit. Depending on your type.

Melissa Wellham

JUSTIN HOOK

39

the word

BLACKBOX

on games Kane & Lynch 2 Developers: IO Interactive Platform: 360, PS3, PC Style: 3rd Person Shooter Length: 4-8hrs Rating: Nothing special

For me there was only one way to play Goldeneye and that was one shot kills. Screw body armour, power-ups and all that kind of shit.

What this came down to was a simple who could hit who first. It made for highly strung gameplay centred around skill rather than tactics and that’s what made it so immensely appealing. Years on, I’m still loving games for the same reason; just take Counter Strike or Modern Warfare as examples. Unfortunately, it seems that no one must have ever blessed the makers of Kane & Lynch 2 with the saintly Goldeneye, if the enemies’ near immortal abilities are anything to go by. Throw in a bunch of inaccurate weapons as well and essentially you’ve just made your key gameplay a mostly frustrating one.

It’s a shame that the gameplay is a bit of a letdown as the game has a lot else going for it. First and foremost are the visuals. The action is depicted as if shot on a handheld camera – jitters, digital artefacts and light flares and all. The imposed pixelation does well to imply more brutality than one could plausibly show. However like Man vs.

Wild (and I refer to the show rather than the truly terrible computer game) it does beg the question as to why the film crew are neither getting shot nor helping out. Probably best not to think about that one too much.

Another standout element is the voice acting (when you can hear it, that is). Weak audio levels aside (just make sure you turn on the subtitles), both protagonists are backed by strong, believable performances. Unfortunately, the animation fails to equally reflect the same level of emotion. On several occasions I had my AI driven partner stroll past me with a nonchalant look slapped across his face during an all out gun battle. Much the same can be said for the enemies, who appear to lack much comprehension as to what’s going on around them. They tend to take terrible cover, with some even coming to the decision that the cover behind you is the best place to be. Idiots. Luckily for them you can return the favour thanks to the dicky cover system you’re given. As some compensation it incorporates a form of auto-aim, although it often has the tendency to miss. Go figure.

Despite its qualms though, I did eventually warm to Kane & Lynch 2. That said, I still wouldn’t recommend buying this one. Apart from anything else, there’s nothing that really distinguishes it. Sure, the online multiplayer does do well to offer some variety and you do get to run around naked with your pixelated bits hanging out, but at the end of the day it’s a run of the mill shooter with a pretty face.

TORBEN SKO

40

“The British are coming, the British are coming,” was the infamous cry of the horseman Paul Revere. It appears the Boston blacksmith and sometimes town crier, immortalised in a Beastie Boys tune, was on the money. Sherlock, which aired last week on WIN, was an ambitious contemporary re-imagining of Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic tale. And despite the mini-series style format requiring quite an investment, Chez Blackbox was in its grip. Attention to detail gave just the right balance of 21st century pace and Victorian sensibility. From the grey tonal production palette to Sherlock running around London’s cobbled streets in a trench coat sending texts on a mobile phone. Despite the same production palette and location, the ultra modern British spy drama Spooks (ABC1, Sat Oct 30, 8.30pm), now in its ninth season in Britain, is very different, yet equally compelling viewing. Aunty is about to air the eighth season here and regular viewers will remember the seventh season ended with Harry kidnapped by Russian agents, following the revelation of a decades old intelligence leak.

The ‘80s have come in for a lot of ridicule over the past few years as ‘80s shows full of bleached perms and overdone blush are re-aired but a similar ‘90s phenomenon is beginning to take shape. You just need to look at Elaine’s long skirts and boots on Seinfeld (Go!, Mon-Fri, 12.30pm and Sat, 3pm) and the dark brown lipstick of all the female Friends (GEM, Mon-Fri, 6.30pm) to see just where this year’s fashion inspiration is coming from.

If you really want to ridicule a classic and much referenced TV fave, tune in to a repeat of the Mythbusters: MacGyver Special (SBS1, Mon Nov 8, 7.30pm).

Docos to look out for include A Ripple of Hope (ABC1, Thu Oct 28, 9.25pm) which looks at Robert F. Kennedy’s decision to continue with an appearance in an African-American neighbourhood on the day Dr Martin Luther King was assassinated, A History of Scotland (SBS1, Sun, 7.30pm), The Lancaster at War (SBS1, Fri Oct 29, 8.30pm) which looks at the bomber’s role in WWII, a new series of Sleek Geeks (ABC1, Thu Nov 11, 8pm) with Adam Spencer and Dr Karl, I, Spy: The Rise and Fall of a Master Spy (ABC1, Thu Nov 4, 9.25pm) about ASIO in the 1950s from the makers of The Prime Minister is Missing, Chevolution (SBS1, Tue Nov 9, 10pm) which explores how a portrait of Che Guevara taken in 1960 has become one of the most reproduced images in the history of photography, Obama and Me (SBS2, Thu Nov 11, 7.30pm) which follows the lives of six ordinary Americans in the year after Obama was elected and Outrage (SBS1, Tue Nov 2, 10pm) about the movement to ‘out’ gay politicians who campaign against gay rights.

Choose new episodes of The Big Bang Theory (WIN, Wed, 8.30pm) over the much more contrived and unrealistic Beauty and the Geek Australia (Prime, Thu Nov 4, 8.30pm).

If you couldn’t be bothered trick or treating, settle in for Francis Ford Coppola’s Dementia 13 (ABC2, Sat Oct 30, 8.30pm), Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Halloween Party (ABC1, Sun Oct 31, 8.35pm) and Scary Movie (Go!, Sun Oct 31, 9.30pm).

Don’t miss Adam Hills Live: Joymonger and Characterful (ABC2, Thu Oct 28, 9.30pm), the Season 2 final of Mad Men (SBS1, Sun Nov 7, 9.30pm) and The Melbourne Cup (Prime, Tue Nov 2).

TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyheffernan@bigpond.com

the word

on gigs

Tame Impala/Cabins/Felicity Groom ANU Bar Saturday October 9 Tame Impala swept a Canberra crowd with psychedelic viscera on Saturday October 9, as part of their current Australian tour in support of their first full album, Innerspeaker, released in May this year. Having recently completed a significant European tour, the band is riding a wave of complimentary reviews, many of which advise fans to ‘take their dads’ to hear the apparently John Lennonesque vocals of lead singer Kevin Parker, or to nostalgia surf on Cream/Hendrix like layers of wet and chunky out-of-phase fuzzy goodness. This feat is made the more remarkable by the fact that the band was firmly beyond the womb when said acts were on the stage, rocking their mums or dads (or grandads).

The crowd at the ANU Bar on this night were firmly of the current generation, to be fair. Recent touring seemed to have worn down the batteries of the band; renditions of It Is Not Meant To Be and Solitude Is Bliss were far too soporific even for the dreamy genre to be entirely to blame. But the boys began to find their groove with an infectious, driving and loud take of Lucidity – probably the strongest track from their new album. It is a compliment to the band’s virtuosity that it can convincingly recreate the complex textures and nuanced sounds of their new album on stage.

Innerspeaker is the lovechild of indulgent studio tweaking and experimentation by the band, who locked themselves away in a remote mansion south of Perth for seven weeks to develop the project last year. Kevin has described it as “a modest album with modest songs” but fans have revelled in its luxurious decayed guitar riffs and poignant nods to early influences. The band’s retro sound and home studio origin have sometimes led to comparisons with contemporary lo-fi outfits, but Tame Impala are responsible for some of the most lush and organic music gracing the Australian airwaves in recent years. And for what is essentially a traditional four-piece band, their onstage presence is hard to match, after the layers of reverb and echo begin to stack up.

After Lucidity, the band returned to older material, which has seen significant reworking since the Sundowner Syndrome tour of 2009.

Desire Be, Desire Go is played twice – once containing a lengthy interlude that references obscure early Pink Floyd’s Atom Heart Mother, the second rendition as a short almost punky segment that is segued into Skeleton Tiger. The band’s well known cover of the 1980s Blueboy remix Remember Me revealingly gets the most enthusiasm of the night from an audience that seems more interested in dance songs than in exploring the aural soundscapes in a blissed out swoon, like its ‘68 era LSD soaked prototype. But this is the price of popularity. Finishing the night with their superb Glass Half Full of Wine the band gets a roar from the crowd, but ultimately there is a lack of frisson, which becomes palpable with no chance of an encore being granted due to a soggy endgame of half-hearted applause and confused whistling. The sound desk has to look at how it is mixing this venue as a massive midrange and loss of detail was punishing this music at different points during the night.

Tame Impala are already talking about releasing their next album, whilst continuing to tour almost constantly, and judging by the ease with which they are creating great music (and amassing kudos), they are going be a hot act to follow for some time.

photos: Saini Copp, who also shoots for fasterlouder

Support act Felicity Groom and The Black Black Smoke made an impression earlier in the evening; the eponymous Ms Groom sporting an awesome elastic voicebox and an electric zither – occasionally both at the same time. If you’ve never heard an electric zither, go find Felicity right now, and get her to stick one in your ear.

ALEX SCHULZ

41

GIG GUIDE Oct 27 - Oct 29 wednesday october 27 Arts Every Breath You Take

Presented by Erindale College. Bookings 6205 8111.

ERINDALE THEATRE, WANNIASSA

Reel McCoy: Advise and Consent (1962)

A candidate for the USA’s Secretary of State must be vetted first through a Senate investigation. 6.

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA

Paths to Portraiture

An exhibition by Jenny Sages. ‘Til Jan 16.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Crystallography

An exhibition by Al Munro. ‘Til Sat Nov 6.

CRAFT ACT

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2011 ‘Til November 12.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Weathering

An exhibition by ceramics artist Catherine Reid. ‘Til November 6.

CRAFT ACT

Hush Now, Louisiana

An exhibition by Deb Mansfield. ‘Til Nov 27.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

When The Fleeting Collide

An exhibition by Chloe Bussenchutt.

‘Til Nov 27.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Dirty Finger Prints

An exhibition of collages and video by Pete Volich. ‘Til Nov 27.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Big Score

Dance

Wednesday Lunchtime Live

uniVibes Thursdays

THE PHOENIX PUB

WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

Something Different

Soul Train

Dance

HIPPO LOUNGE

Voodoo

Live

HIPPO LOUNGE

Fame Trivia

Do you know lots of stuff about nothing? Then why not try your hand at Trivia every Wednesday. 6pm.

P J O’REILLY’S, CIVIC

Trivia

Presented by Overheard Productions.

7.30pm.

CANBERRA SERVICES CLUB, MANUKA

Bluejuice DJ set, PS DJs, PhDJ, M.I.T, Fantomatique. Free.

TRANSIT BAR

Open Mic Night

Halloween

Fame Trivia

9pm, free.

Impress your friends with bountiful knowledge.

TRANSIT BAR

Fame Trivia

Do you know lots of stuff about nothing? 6pm.

P J O’REILLY’S, CIVIC

thursday october 28 Arts Every Breath You Take

Presented by Erindale College. Bookings 6205 8111.

ERINDALE THEATRE, WANNIASSA

Still Standing

Tableau artist Min Mae maps a ‘pathway through vulnerability’ as part of Made in Canberra 2010.

THE STREET THEATRE

Bed, Breakfast and Belief

Touring exhibition by Flossie Peitsch. ‘Til November 14.

Misunderstood

POT BELLY BAR

Starfish Hill

With Celadore, Architect DJs, Damon Parker. 8pm, free.

TRANSIT BAR

The Bridge Between Duo

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Peking Duck EP Launch.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Phatchance and Coptic Soldier

7-10pm.

THE GEORGE HARCOURT INN

Something Different Karaoke

Every Thursday from 8pm.

HELLENIC CLUB IN THE CITY

Karaoke

9pm ‘til 11pm followed by DJ Pete ‘til 5am.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

friday october 29 Arts Every Breath You Take

Still Standing

On his Let Me Do The Talking tour. Ph 6275 2700.

9pm ‘til 5am with DJ matt, drag show and prizes for best costume.

Back to Back

Comedy

Arj Barker

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Live

BELGIUM BEER CAFE

M16 ARTSPACE

Johnno Davis and Aaron Pakula.

9pm ‘til 5am with DJ’s Matt and Pete.

6-9pm.

Presented by Erindale College. Bookings 6205 8111.

CASINO CANBERRA

42

The Joe Kings

Purple Sneakers Stonefest Warm Up Party

MONKEY BAR

P J O’REILLY’S, TUGGERANONG THE HUSH LOUNGE, PHILLIP

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Klick’s Picks

8pm, free.

9pm-midnight.

Every Wednesday.

Austen Tayshus Season of Comedy

Rock Nation Unplugged

Chicago Charlie

With The Crunch.

Foreplay Friday

Photgraphy from Iran by Timo Nest. ‘Til Nov 14.

8pm, free entry.

With Mario Gordon.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Latin Dancing

Arj Barker

Live

THE CLUBHOUSE

WAMI Award Winners on their Fool For Love tour.

Comedy

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Hosted by Traverse Poetry. @ The Front Gallery and Café. Signup from 7.30pm. australianpoetryslam.co

The Clubhouse is now open three nights a week. Providing your alternative music needs.

Robert Schmidli (piano). Performing 12 Études Op 10 by Chopin.

M16 ARTSPACE

On his Let Me Do The Talking tour. Ph 6275 2700.

2nd 2010 ACT Australian Poetry Slam Heat

ERINDALE THEATRE, WANNIASSA

Tableau artist Min Mae maps a ‘pathway through vulnerability’ as part of Made in Canberra 2010.

THE STREET THEATRE

On the I Forget Sorry tour. With supports Johnny Utah, Domesticated Apes and Convict.

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Brothers In Arms Live in Concert

Legendary musicians perform the Dire Straits classic in full as part of Classic Albums. 7.30pm.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Pantera Tribute

Feat Spoil, Blind Eyed Gods and Reign of Terror.

THE BASEMENT

Double Happiness

Every Friday from 5pm ‘til late. Head to the Facebook page Double Happiness @ OPH for all the info.

OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE

Style Fridays

Indie / live. Supplying your alternative music needs.

THE CLUBHOUSE

Jaq Diamond and The Dubious Pleasures With Ruby For Lucy and Your Sweet Disposition. 7.30pm, $17/$14/$12.

THE MERRY MUSE

43

GIG GUIDE Oct 29 - Nov 5 friday october 29 something different Reclaim the Night

Join in solidarity for women to live without the fear and reality of rape and violence. 6pm.

GLEBE PARK

Havana Nights

Latin dancing every Friday night.

MONKEY BAR

saturday october 30

Sarah Blasko

Something Different

Comedy

THE PLAYHOUSE

Melbourne Cup Day

The Austen Tayshus Comedy Club

Sold out! She didn’t, the show did.

Space Party

With The King Hits.

THE PHOENIX PUB

Oscar

Space Invaders

The biggest ever exhibition of street art, posters, paste-ups, zines and stickers in Australia.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

Every Breath You Take

Presented by Erindale College. Bookings 6205 8111.

ERINDALE THEATRE, WANNIASSA

Still Standing

Tableau artist Min Mae maps a ‘pathway through vulnerability’ as part of Made in Canberra 2010.

THE STREET THEATRE

The Cafe Poet Program

The Cafe Poet is local scribbler Hal Judge who can be found ensconced at The Front at 11.

TNT: Karaoke Dynamite Cup Day Melbourne Cup screening live.

THE PHOENIX PUB

Dance

Melbourne Cup Luncheon

Evening Music Matinee

Feat Toxicmen, Ruckus and The Drill.

THE BASEMENT

Owen Campbell

He’s soon to jet off to the Himalayan Blues Fest so catch him before he goes!

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

sunday october 31 Arts DJ Pauly D 5pm.

ALL BAR NUN

Cube Sunday

10pm ‘til late with DJ TJ. CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Superpitcher (Germany)

Kilimanjaro album launch. Presales $10 from Moshtix. Doors open 2pm.

Trivia Night

With The Remnants. Bookings essential: 6257 9191.

ALL BAR NUN

Irish Jam Session 7pm.

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

wednesday november 03

John Farnham

The Bridge Between Duo

AIS ARENA

Dos Locos

With Rafe Morris and the Well-Dressed and Kale Bogdanovs. 8pm, $25/$15.

THE STREET THEATRE

The Blonde Sessions

With The Amosa Brothers.

HIPPO LOUNGE

Wildlife

Halloween edition feat. Centaspike, Faux Real vs Buick, Twisted System and more.

TRINITY BAR

Wax Rabit

Sound and visual show.

THE CLUBHOUSE

Monkey Bar Saturdays

Disco, top40, RnB, house, Latin.

With Aaron and Jacinta. 4.30pm6.30pm.

A BITE TO EAT CAFE

Irish Jam Session 5pm.

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

The Bootleg Sessions 8pm, free.

THE PHOENIX PUB

Something Different

THE HUSH LOUNGE, PHILLIP

THE PHOENIX PUB

THE PHOENIX PUB

Something Different Fame Trivia

Do you know lots of stuff about nothing? Then why not try your hand at Trivia every Wednesday. 6pm.

P J O’REILLY’S, CIVIC

Trivia

Presented by Overheard Productions.

7.30pm.

CANBERRA SERVICES CLUB, MANUKA

Trivia

$5 Night.

TRANSIT BAR

thursday november 04

Live

Salsa Dancing

Arts

Stonefest

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

Cave

TRANSIT BAR

tuesday november 02

UC

Art School Ball

Mr Fibby, Kasha, Voss, Hoodlum Shouts, Cat Cat, Joe Oppenheimer, Danger Beach and more. 6.30pm, $15.

comedy

In Song and Story

Domus Adultus

Hospitality Night

Pendulum, Does It Offend You Yeah?, Boy and Bear, Los Capitanes and more.

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

Rock Nation Unplugged

P J O’REILLY’S, CIVIC

MONKEY BAR

6pm.

9pm-midnight.

With Rafe Morris and the Well-Dressed and Kale Bogdanovs. 8pm, $25/$15.

Captain, My Captain

Lino Lounge

NATIONAL PRESS CLUB, BARTON

7pm, free.

ADORE TEA, FEDERATION SQUARE, GOLD CREEK

Touch Of Soul

Tangled Brew

In Song and Story

8pm, free.

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

BELGIUM BEER CAFE

One of Australia’s most innovative blues artists and respected guitarists. 7pm.

Brass’ere

THE CLUBHOUSE

6-9pm.

7.30pm, $10.

Candy Cube

With Humbug. 2pm, free.

With Cheese, Offtapia and more.

Live

Paul Greene

Sunday Sessions on the Deck

THE CLUBHOUSE

Live

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Dubstep. The Clubhouse: Supplying your alternative music needs.

uniVibes Thursdays

HIPPO LOUNGE

live

Womp Saturdays

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Mingle Intimates

The Monotremes

12pm.

A gentle palate, with a crisp finish, quaffing good.

CIVIC PUB

Dan Connell.

Live

monday november 01

Ashley Feraude

Civic Pub Comedy Club

TRANSIT BAR

the front cafe and gallery

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

comedy

With Special guests Katie Noonan and The Captains. Tix through Ticketek.

A magnificent concoction of soul, folk, pop, roots and rock. 7.30pm.

With Ninja Charlie.

The Clubhouse is now open three nights a week. Providing your alternative music needs.

Dance

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

CASINO CANBERRA

Misfits Tribute

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

10pm ‘til 5am with DJ’s Matt and Pete.

Introducing some of the finest emerging comedy talent in the country. Three comedians every night.

TRANSIT BAR

Capital Letters - NGA Zine Fair NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

THE GEORGE HARCOURT INN

10.30pm-2.30am.

Arts Along with graffiti demos, artist’s talks and books signings. 11am-4pm.

Bookings: 6230 2484.

Exhibition by Jessica Herrington. ‘Til Nov 14.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE - MANUKA

THE STREET THEATRE

9pm, free.

Mikelangelo and The Tin Star

With Saint Clare and The Fuelers. 7pm.

THE MERRY MUSE

Shihad

Supported by Trial Kennedy and Black Devil Yard Boss. 8pm.

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Open Mic Night 9pm, free.

POT BELLY BAR

Back to Back 7-10pm.

THE GEORGE HARCOURT INN

Alice Cottee and Zak Rich

A night of acoustic singer/songwriters.

7.30pm. the front cafe and gallery

Something Different Karaoke

Every Thursday from 8pm.

HELLENIC CLUB IN THE CITY

Karaoke

9pm ‘til 11pm followed by DJ Pete ‘til 5am.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

friday november 05

Ryan Coffey (Melbourne)

Presented by TAC Comedy Club, with support from Emo Parsonson.

Arts

7pm.

Live

8pm.

Mike Chaplain

The Remnants

THE GEORGE HARCOURT INN

ALL BAR NUN

ANU SCHOOL OF ART

Battle of the Backyard Bands Grand Final DEAKIN FOOTBALL CLUB

1-3pm.

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TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

5pm.

Urinetown – The Musical

ANU ARTS CENTRE

GIG GUIDE Nov 05 - Nov 10 Dance

Jemist

Evening Music Matinee

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

With Mo Lopez.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Faux Real

Rolls it on the low end. A little bit to the left.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

UG Beats

TRANSIT BAR

A Touch Of Soul

With The Amosa Brothers.

HIPPO LOUNGE

Foreplay Friday

9pm ‘til 5am with DJ’s Matt and Pete.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Live Something Like This 10pm-2am.

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

Rubycon

THE CLUBHOUSE

Spit Syndicate and The Tongue

Way back. Back into time.

Chrome

Goth, industrial, dark, electro. 9pm, $10.

Emma Davis

Debut self-titled album launch, coproduced with Brian Campeau. $6/$8, 8pm. the front cafe and gallery

HOLY GRAIL, CIVIC

Debut album launch with Sofie Loizou, Faux Real, Black Samurai and Aeon. $15/$10.

THE CLUBHOUSE

Effigy Presents Moshic & Kalya Scintilla With Black Samurai, Peekz, String Theory, Gabriel Gilmour, and Yohan Strauss.

HIPPO LOUNGE

Live Liftoff Festival

D’Opus and Roshambo, Paqman, circus acts, Liftoff Band Comp winners and more.

EDDISON PARK, WODEN

Cube Sunday

dance

10pm ‘til late with DJ TJ. CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Hippo Live

With The Inflections.

Live

HIPPO LOUNGE

Tomás Ford

Triple-WAMi award winner has a wardrobe of neon-lit costumes, creates video projections and smoothly croons.

7.30pm. the front cafe and gallery

Classic hits. 1-3pm.

THE BASEMENT

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

Sunday Sessions on the Deck

Laura and Matt

THE GEORGE HARCOURT INN

Double Happiness

Fred Pilcher

With The Blue Ruins. 2pm, free.

THE GEORGE HARCOURT INN

Irish Jam Session

Every Friday from 5pm ‘til late. Head to the Facebook page Double Happiness @ OPH for all the info.

OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE

Amy Vee

Ethereal indie folk musings tell the story of a girl well travelled and often lost. 8pm. the front cafe and gallery

saturday november 06 Arts Urinetown – The Musical

8pm.

ANU ARTS CENTRE

Dance Candy Cube

10pm ‘til 5am with DJs Matt and Pete.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Womp Saturdays

1-3pm.

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

Cabaret for Timor

5pm.

Including The Gossips, Phantom Drums, The Cashews, Jordan Best, Drew Walky.

7.30pm, $20.

ST JAMES UNITING CHURCH HALL

Peabody

With Super Best Friends and Dictaphone Blues.

THE PHOENIX PUB

The Chris Gudu Band

Bringing the rhythms of Zimbabwe. One show only. Book now! 6247 1223.

THE STREET THEATRE

Megafauna

Cracked Actor, Yeti, Leisure Suit Lenny, Hoodlum Shouts, Chasing Rabbits and more.

THE BASEMENT

The Shake Up + DJ El Mariachi

Three Men and a DJ tour. With Cat Cat and The Fighting League.

TRANSIT BAR

8pm, free.

THE HUSH LOUNGE, PHILLIP

Do you know lots of stuff about nothing? Then why not try your hand at Trivia every Wednesday. 6pm.

Special K

10.30pm-2.30am.

Rock Nation Unplugged

Fame Trivia

live

With Hira Hira (Syd).

Live

Something Different

monday november 08

To The North (Qld)

THE MARAM, ERINDALE CENTRE

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

wednesday november 10

dance

On the Wildside tour. Tix on sale through Oztix.

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

7pm.

TNT: Karaoke Dynamite

Daysend

With Killrazer, Tortured, Unholy Vendetta.

Irish Jam Session

TRANSIT BAR

sunday november 07

Western Synthetics

Something Different

P J O’REILLY’S, CIVIC

Trivia

Presented by Overheard Productions.

7.30pm.

CANBERRA SERVICES CLUB, MANUKA

Trivia

$5 Night.

TRANSitU=

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

The Bootleg Sessions 8pm, free.

THE PHOENIX PUB

Something Different Hospitality Night TRANSIT BAR

Salsa Dancing 6pm.

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

tuesday november 09 live The Stilettos

Bosom Buddies Charity Night. 7pm.

YOWANI COUNTRY CLUB

Dubstep. The Clubhouse: Supplying your alternative music needs.

THE CLUBHOUSE

OUT NOV 10

You Am I hungry kids of hungary fun machine the vasco era ...and more!

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FIRST CONTACT SIDE A: BMA DJ profile

DJ RAWSON Where did your DJ name come from? It’s my last name and it was my nickname all through school. It was an easy name at the time and now it has just stuck with me.

Describe your sound: House/ electro, R’n’B, hip-hop, Dutch house, nu disco.

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? Every artist that produces fresh beats for us DJs to play around with. There have been some really good artists and some of my favourites at the moment would have to be DJ Chuckie, Mobin Masters, Calvin Harris, Kid Cudi and Swedish House Mafia. Actually they are just a couple – I could ramble on for ages as there are some really awesome artists out there today.

What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing? Haha, I haven’t come across anything that I can remember. Nothing really weirds me out.

What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far? Playing at Warehouse 2010. I’m pretty happy with how far I’ve come so far.

What are your plans for the future? Festivals, radio and producing. I want to also put a clothing label together – I love Graphic.

What makes you laugh? All the partygoers.

What pisses you off? Fakes. There are a lot of fakes out there. Keep it real and be true to yourself!

What’s your opinion of the local scene? The local scene has a lot of potential – everyone here loves to party. With all the events/festivals running around the place, instead of the Nation’s Capital, we could possibly become the Party Capital!

What are your upcoming gigs? Nothing as yet but you can catch me upstairs at Mooseheads Pub & Nightclub every weekend. You can follow me on my Facebook page for any upcoming gigs.

Contact info: DJ RAWSON (Facebook page) dgrawson@gmail.com

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Aaron Peacey Aaron 0410 381 306 Activate Jetpack activatejetpack@ hotmail.com 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 Bill Quinn Overheard Productions bill@overheard.com.au, Ph: 0413 000 086 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 982 662 /colebennetts.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 Groovalicious Corporate/Weddings/ Private functions 0448 995 158 groovalicious@y7mail.com Guy The Sound Guy live & studio sound engineer, 0400 585 369, guy@ guythesoundguy.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 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 Words for You: writer/publicity/events Megan ph 6154 0927, megan@wordsforyou.com.au 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 Rafe Morris 0416 322 763 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 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

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