BMA Mag 347 29 Apr 2010 by BMA Magazine

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BRITISH INDIA Bring the party

SPOON

Bring the slickness

#347APR28

VA M P I R E WEEKEND Insert terrible cow pun here

Always Take the Weather Want to help shape the future of music in Canberra? Then make a submission to the inquiry, laddie!

# 3 4 7 A P R 2 8 Fax: 02 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608 Publisher Scott Layne General Manager & Advertising Manager Allan Sko T: 6257 4360 E: advertising@bmamag.com Editor Julia Winterflood T: 02 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com Accounts Manager Ashish Doshi T: 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com Graphic Design Cole Bennetts Exhibitionist Editor Naomi Milthorpe Film Editor Mark Russell

Super Sub Editor Josh Brown

Principle Photographers Andrew Mayo Nick Brightman NEXT ISSUE 348 OUT MAY 12 EDITORIAL DEADLINE MAY 3 ADVERTISING DEADLINE MAY 6 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.

One of Sydney’s latest indie treasures, Bell Weather Department, will be playing Phoenix Pub on Saturday May 8 and they’re sure to bewitch you with their tightly wound psychedelic dream-pop. Also featuring Cat Cat and Killing Birds, so roll on over to this gig for merry times and good original music. Free entry, doors at 8pm. www.myspace.com/ bellweatherdepartment .

So Afflicted Consistently one of Brisbane’s hardest working bands, The Amity Affliction will be embarking on a national tour in July to launch their new album Youngbloods, and true to TAA’s punk rock ethos the tour will be a mix of all age, under 18 and over 18 shows. To help them party The Amity Affliction have roped in Misery Signals (USA), popular Melbourne moshlords Confession, and Flood of Red (UK). They’ll all be at the Woden Basketball Stadium on Thursday July 8. Tix onsale now through Moshtix, Landspeed and The Music Shop.

These Days Just Ain’t Nothin’ Like I’d Planned 28 Days are back after a two year hiatus from the hectic lifestyle of recording, touring, smoking and choking – two years of digging ditches made them

realise that being on the road wasn’t so bad. Looking forward to getting back on the road and visiting the faithful, 28 Days with good friends Behind Crimson Eyes are pleased to announce the Sing It To Me tour – storming the nation, smashing venues and doing what they do best. They’ll be at ANU Bar on Thursday May 6. Tix through Ticketek.

School of Rock Attention all young musos! triple j Unearthed is looking for Australia’s best high school band. If you win they’ll fly you to their Sydney studios and record your song, plus your whole school wins as triple j will put on a gig at your school with your band and British India. If you already have music uploaded on Unearthed you still have to update your profile to enter; simply check the Unearthed High box and add the name of your high school. Get cracking!

Go Bananas! Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House curators Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed recently announced a second round of acts for this year’s festival, taking place from May 27 to June 11. Two of Vivid LIVE’s centrepiece collaborations will come from opposite ends of the musical spectrum but share the curators’ ongoing investigation into the possibilities of audio immersion, harmonics, technology and improvisation. Noise Night in the Opera Theatre on May 31 will journey to the outer limits of music with the turbulent, spaced-out

sonic explorations of abstract Japanese noise rockers Boris and Melt-Banana and the psychedelic sounds of Philadelphia’s Bardo Pond, plus more to be announced. For more info head to www. sydneyoperahouse.com .

Hazardous Material Once Brisvegas three now Melbournites, Scul Hazzards have just zoomed back into Australia from being perched in London working their hearts out to create some of their finest work since their debut album Let them sink. Having played more than 60 shows across Europe they are making Canberra part of their touring route, bringing us their second LP Landlord. Having played in Canberra before it is something they’re keen on doing again so Birds Love Fighting Records have booked them an energetic Saturday show at The Phoenix Pub, Saturday May 29 from 6pm.

¡sabores latinos! The Griffyn Ensemble launch their 2010 season with music, food, and wine from the Spanishspeaking world in their concert Latin Flavour at the Belconnen Arts Centre on Saturday May 1. This year heralds new beginnings for Canberra’s premier classical music group, with soprano Susan Ellis and trumpet player Zach Raffan joining the flute, clarinet, harp, horn, percussion and composer that makes up The Griffyn Ensemble. Belconnen Arts Centre, 5.30pm.

LapTopping TEXT MESSAGE BLUNDERS Let’s go to the movies Let’s go to tie mother Hey Alice hope you’re ace Hey Algae hope you’re bad Take care roads are icy Take cape sober is gay I’m in a rush I’m in a suzi Your song was lovely Your pong was loudly See you for brunch Pee you for crunch Catch you soon Batch you smoo Do you know what time you are on Do you know what vine you ape on Thanks Darling Thanks Earking I think about our kiss I think about our lisp I love you I loud wot I crave your body I brave your andy I’m full of lust I’m full of kurt Let’s watch a dvd Let’s watch a dud That sounds fascinating xxx That sounds fascinating zzz JUSTIN HEAZLEWOOD www.bedroomphilosopher.com Justin performs as The Bedroom Philosopher and writes for Frankie and Jmag.

and

another

YOU PISSED ME OFF!

thing…

Ignorance, according to my old Physics master Ronald ‘Harry’ Boardman, is bliss. And of course he was in part correct. All through my schooling I was blissfully unaware of the works of Archimedes, Boyle’s Law and Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principal; a willful ignorance that often led to Mr Boardman hurling a board rubber at me whilst screaming his catchphrase – “IDIOT! NO! YOU’RE NOT EVEN THAT CLEVER – YOU’RE A QUARTER HALFWIT!” And it wasn’t just Physics. I was convinced Euripedes, the tragedian of ancient repute, was a Greek tailor… “You rippa dese trousers, I menda dese trousers.” Sorry. I just slipped into stand-up mode there, I’ve been watching a lot of DVDs recently of old British comedians and they have a habit of rubbing off when one starts holding forth on matters. Now, where was I? Ah yes. Bliss. Events over the course of the previous weekend have led me to question Mr Boardman’s aeons-old law of bliss, and I’ve come up with the following examples: Bliss is pottering about in one’s underpants in the morning, looking forward to the day ahead. Bliss is putting on some sharp threads when you don’t normally need to. Bliss is meeting up with some friends, old and new, to have a couple of swift ones as the moment of truth looms. Bliss is arriving at a wonderful venue, in wonderful weather, with the sense of anticipation hanging heavily in the air. Bliss is the wonderful staff at the wonderful venue opening the bar just a little bit earlier than they wanted to, so the friends, old and new, could have a swift livener to settle any remaining pre-match nerves. Bliss is the Lady Wife turning up, looking as beautiful as the day we got married. Bliss is a gathering of faces from all over the world, even with ash clouds gathering, to be in this one place at this one time. Bliss is watching two valued friends say their wedding vows to one another in the afternoon sun. Bliss is the celebration starting in earnest. Bliss is bellowing Don’t Stop Believing at the top of one’s voice. Bliss is sumptuous foodstuffs being brought to your table repeatedly, until you feel like Mr Creosote. Bliss is watching people throw caution to the wind and make fools of themselves on the dancefloor, swing-style. Bliss is the light dimming, slowly, and the realisation that you’ve had enough. Bliss is going home with the one you love after a perfect day. Bliss was Allan and Elisa’s wedding – thanks guys, and all the best for the years to come. * * * * * * * But enough of the dewy eyed reminiscing. There are campaigns to be fought and this column would like to exhort you, if you haven’t done so already, to get over to Facebook and join the group I Want to Help Shape the Future of Music in Canberra!. There you’ll find likeminded souls concerned about the way things are going in this town viz a viz live music, its venues and the hounding thereof by the cloth-eared forces of repression that pass for a government in the nation’s capital. It also has some handy tips on how you can get involved in the democratic process by submitting your own thoughts to the ongoing government inquiry into Canberra’s live entertainment scene. There are a lot of people around in positions of power that would not worry a bit if live music withers on the vine in Canberra and, if you don’t voice your opposition to them, they’ll assume you agree with them. Let’s go to work! scott adams thirtyyearsofrnr@hotmail.com

Has someone yanked yer chain recently? Well send an email to editorial@bmamag.com and have your sweet vengeance. And for the love of God, keep it brief! [All entries contain original spellings] To the low-life person who stole my back bike light outside the school of music last night (April 20) while I was inside journeying to the heavens with the Brahms requiem. I just can’t imagine how you could feel ok or justified in ripping off a light from a bicycle or in fact anything? It wasn’t even all that FLASHY not that that should matter. Please RETURN IT to the reception at the SM. HOW APPALLING that there are people like you making the world a grasping, self-centred and compassionless place. LEARN SOME BASIC RESPECT ALL-TIME LOSER. Thanks to YOU we all have to BATTEN down our POSSESSIONS and write our NAME on everything in BIG TEXTA. GO BACK TO YOUR OWN PLANET. To the pond dwellers who hurled abuse at my daughter and friends during their respite week outing to a Lyneham park. You pissed me off! Is showering disabled kids with four letter words, whilst telling them to get back on their bus and back in their wheelchairs, your idea of fun? Yours must be a very sad, angry life if the highlight of your day is abusing the disabled!

FROM THE BOSSMAN So my wedding day has been and gone and was as magical as I could have possibly hoped it to be, thanks largely to a pictureperfect day, a beautiful blushing bride*, and the best friends and family a man could possibly hope to assemble. And it’s good to see the signing of the wedding certificate suitably modernised as well. Instead of adjourning to a table replete with one o’ them fancy-letter’d documents to sign by many a trembling finger and a posh pen, instead you’re led to a table replete with laptop, lovingly opened by the celebrant where your Facebook page awaits, allowing you to change your relationship status from ‘It’s Complicated’ to ‘Married’ and thus officially sealing the deal in the eyes of the 21st Century. Once celebrant Ann Marie Tarry updated her Twitter page to read “Just married Allan n Elisa, LOLZ”, it was set in stone. So romantic. “But enough with the sappy-pappy personal bollocks already, we had enough of that last issue, Allan, you handsome bastard,” I hear you violently spit into your BMA. Well harness that bristling energy, dear reader, and fire it in the direction of the Legislative Assembly, for the time has come for you to do your bit to save our beloved live music. There is nary the space to explain here, but in short, the ears of the pollies are open to the o-so important subject of live music in Canberra, and how we can keep it in existence. They need and want your opinions and they need and want them now. I urge you to turn to editor Julia’s Locality column on page 17 for further details about how to get involved. Important? You betcha. ALLAN “GET INVOLVED” SKO *let’s face it, she could have walked down the aisle in a potato sack and looked gorgeous

with

TRAVIS HEINRICH

WHO: DJ Naboo WHAT: The Shaman from the Mighty Boosh, in DJ form WHERE: Mesh, TIX FROM MOSHTIX WHEN: Thurs May 13

It’s a lacklustre effort that Australia hasn’t been offered the full Boosh stage show yet, but this is something you diehard hipster fans can still salivate over. Mike Fielding, aka Naboo - the least popular of the Fielding brothers from the Boosh (his brother being Noel, aka Vince) is touring Australia in May with his psychedelic voodoo DJ set. You love his acting, so go watch him play music. I’m not sure how that works to be honest, but I’m guessing you don’t care. Dress up as one of the characters and shout “I’m old Greg” until it stops being funny. Bring your mouth ready to crimp, and a belly ready to fill with Baileys.

WHO: You WHAT: 15th Annual Canberra short film festival WHERE: Dendy WHEN: Entries open now, close July 30

Every jackhole seems to have a camera on their phone these days, with clips of people getting tasered/putting sunglasses on their dog appearing on YouTube all the time. Well hey, you should snake up that raw talent and apply it to something slightly grander – like the 15th Annual Canberra Short Film Festival. It will run over three nights from September 30 with up to $2,000 awarded over four categories (plus Peoples Choice awards). One of last year’s flicks, Miracle Fish, netted an Academy Award nomination. So make sure you’re pointing your camera at your gin-loaded buddy next time he tries to powerslam the coffee table. You’ll be snorting coke off Julia Roberts’ ass in no time.

WHO: Everyone! WHAT: Canberra International Music Festival WHERE: Foreshore Gallery, Old Bus Depot, Kingston WHEN: Sat May 22 11am-4pm

Music For Everyone is a free hands-on music shindig happening at the Old Bus Depot markets. Rock up at 11am, join the drum circle and just go fucking nuts on an instrument. They’ll have bells, drums and the plenty of whistles (boy are whistles annoying), but feel free to bring your gear too. If you play classical acoustic guitar, later on in the day you can be in the biggest guitar ensemble Canberra’s ever seen. Register and download the music online and show up with a music stand. Finally on the day, Rock Academy. Seven youth bands will pulverize some rock classics ’n’ originals. Fingers crossed some Huey Lewis and The News makes the cut. www.mfe.org.au .

WHO: Alasdair Roberts WHAT: Scottish alt-folk singer WHERE: The Street Theatre WHEN: Mon May 3

Alasdair Roberts has carved a comfortable niche for himself over the last decade or so in the contemporary British Isles music scene. Raised in Scotland, Roberts drew from his vast songbook of esoteric ballads, unfolding fables and haunting finger picking to present a collection of truly individual and engaged songwriting. He’s worked with the likes of Will Oldham and Sean O’Hagan (High Llamas) amongst others, and scored the No.4 album in The Wire in 2009. That’s not to be scoffed at in the slightest. Supported by the always-feisty Voss, this is looking to be a swell evening. $10, doors open at 8pm.

WHO: Rob Swift WHAT: A Master Turntablist WHERE: Transit Bar WHEN: Fri May 14

The tables have turned for Rob Smith for around ten years now, with his unique DJing technique fathoming praise from all sorts. His most recent release Architect has landed a comfortable place on Mike Patton’s label Ipecac Recordings, a sturdy place to parade his unique style of turntablism. Spouting inspiration from Mozart to Grandmaster Flash, the album shows that 1s and 2s are very much instruments, as opposed to the iPod DJs that seem to have plagued a substantial portion of our live music scene. If you’re after something innovative within this field, come along and peer at him shredding his tangibles at Transit Bar.

WHO: Moonchild, with Offtapia, Bricksta, Staky, Get Stellar and Party By Jake DJs WHAT: HEARTBEAT WHERE: Transit bar WHEN: SAT MAY 8

The Heartbeat party juggernaut continues! I’m unsure at this point if it’s the same Heartbeat as that god-awful English drama series, but all signs point to ‘maybe’. For Saturday May 8 the guys have reeled in Sydney uber-dance wiz Moonchild. According to the press release, Moonchild is bringing his late night nu-disco rapture (whatever the hell that means) to Transit Bar. He’ll rule the night and, apparently, “make you fall in love”. What about those already in love? Is this guy promoting cheating? Edgy move. As always Heartbeat is free entry and this one will include some extra special Party By Jake giveaways for 15 lucky party-heads on the night.

c o n t ra - ver s ia l

KATY HALL Ralph Lauren has some serious thanking to do of the men of VAMPIRE WEEKEND. Bursting into the world in late 2007, the preppy and pleasant stylings of the four gentlemen made everyone want a piece of their delectable sound and style – one that’s built for consumption – and suddenly happily rethink the polo. Fresh from Columbia and straight from the uppers of New York, Ezra Koenig, Chris Thomson, Chris Baio and Rostam Batmanglij unashamedly embraced a label that was certain to be thrust upon them come debut album time. The clip for Mansard Roof is the epitome of the critics’ argument; it takes place on a sail boat, the men all loafered and cottoned up. Skip to late 2009 and the image of the undiscernible woman we just couldn’t stop seeing everywhere, wearing the polo and staring into the camera. It was almost like their very own Rorschach test to prepare us all for the sophomore album Contra; the image worked brilliantly at getting our curiosity flowing once again and the album reached the number one chart spot in no time.

You can tell that people in the band were listening to a lot of Madonna’s older stuff

Vampire Weekend has always been a band of clashing maximums. Almost everything that could be put in would be, and the filled to the brim style is one they conquered like few others. It’s in this mix of Afro, Soweto, pop, punk, weekends in the fields music, that comes the divide of lovers and haters. When talking to drummer Chris Thomson, he claims “we came to age with Napster and the internet. We weren’t bound by our parents’ records or what was on television. That allowed us to go deeper into music and explore all kinds. And in saying that, I think that as a band we really do. We never say ‘we know what we like’ and that’s that; we look at things and find what we like and are always wanting to explore things that we haven’t before. I can understand why people wouldn’t like that - people enjoy predictability especially in music - but I look at it and think there’s something for everyone in what we make.” On the eve of their latest Australian tour, Thomson sounds a little worse for wear. He quickly admits “we’ve been playing a lot of shows, yeah; we’ve been on the road since the start of January. But, when we started as a band this was the goal. The basis of touring is that you want to play music for people, and for me it’s really fun.” When I ask if there’s been a break since their inception he says “not really. A few little ones here and there but they generally get filled with other projects [like Koenig’s Discovery and Batmanglij’s collaboration with The Very Best] but we don’t want to take extended breaks and a lot of time out. We’re really happy with where we’re at and we’ve done a lot of work to get here, so we’re just enjoying the ride. We’re especially looking forward to this

tour. We love Australia so much anyway, the crowds are always amazing to us, but we get to go to a lot of different places, like Townsville.” After a long pause he continues. “Is it a town or a village?” Compared with the process of the first album, which took place after working their day jobs, recorded in apartments, studios and basements around the city, the making of Contra was one that brought a lot of new processes to the table for the band. Now with their full time job being in the band, there was, Thomson concedes, a lot more time for testing. “We had 80% of the first album recorded before people started paying attention which was a real luxury, because we didn’t have to worry too much. We’d already done what we had wanted to, but with Contra it was really a mental thing. We knew, yeah, okay there’s an audience and there are existing fans, but we also knew we just had to trust ourselves. There’s some expectation, but it was just getting over the mental aspect of that and learning how to trust ourselves and our instincts, and knowing that we could please people again.” Solely produced by Rostam Batmanglij, Contra plunges tenfold into the mixed sound delivered on the band’s debut, and adds all sorts of subtle differences to be found only after several listens, and even then several more. It’s a little bit hyperactive in parts, with Cousins pumping you up, up and away and Taxi Cab bringing you wistfully down. “On the last album there was one very constant thing, and that was that drums were always playing. Not having such a predominance on Contra made it really interesting. We were really conscious of wanting to do something else and not repeat what we had already done, but happily build on that,” says Thomson. “And even though I am the drummer I think songs like I Think Ur a Contra would probably sound worse with drums,” he says with a laugh. “But because of it being so heavily constructed in the studio and a lot more electronic, it came time to go on tour with songs like Diplomat’s Son and we were like, ‘okay, how do we perform this?’” The thing I didn’t realise about Vampire Weekend is just how aware they are of their labels. The preppy Columbia grads, Paul Simon’s bastard children, the clean collared music for East Coast teenagers. But from more and more listens Contra delicately unfolds its intricacies and shameless addictions to pop. “I think on Contra you can tell that there were people in the band listening to a lot of Madonna’s older stuff,” Thomson laughs. “Our main ideal is to have all our future albums sound fresh and show they exist now, in whatever time they are, and whatever influences we have or wherever we feel they belong and in being the band we are that defies a lot of genres.” You’d be mad not to catch Vampire Weekend as part of the amazing Groovin’ The Moo lineup, held at UC on Sunday May 9. Tickets through Moshtix.

It’s pretty interesting, could explain much of Spoon’s appeal to after seven listeners fed up with jumbled, over-rehearsed records, to think songwriting. “We have never really tended to that other bands come up with songs by ‘jamming.’ On this album sound like us in particular, I think we traded ‘feel’ for ‘slickness.’ I think ultimately this album just doesn’t have the machine sound of previous albums.”

SPOONERISMS BEN HERMANN It’s difficult to know what was going through Britt Daniel’s mind during the early months of 2009 as he wrote and recorded snippets of demos which would later form the majority of his group’s next album. As frontman and founding member of Austin indie-pop outfit SPOON, it would be fair to speculate that he was meticulously dissecting the group’s 2007 release, Gagagagaga, for the distinct element which set it apart from its five predecessors. Gagagagaga did, after all, bring the group huge commercial success and widespread exposure – a deserving reward for a group who had struggled to gain anything beyond niche critical acclaim since their founding in 1993. But then again, the fact that Spoon released so many stunning yet critically underachieving albums without ever shirking their musical identity shows that they never have been too worried about unearthing the secret to commercial recognition.

But far from parting with every stylistic mantra the group had assumed in the past, Transference does, nonetheless, sound very much like a Spoon album, despite those elements whose presence will undoubtedly take some fans and critics by surprise. “I think we do have a particular sound,” says Eno, speculatively, although his fans would never have considered it a point open to debate. “It’s pretty interesting, after seven records, to think that other bands sound like us. We don’t try consciously to have a ‘sound,’ it’s just elements that we prefer. It’s Britt’s songs and Britt’s vocals, which is the obvious part. But it’s also about having tight drums and sparse arrangements. Spoon have only ever used things if they add to a song. There’s never any miscellaneous stuff in our work.” Spoon play Groovin’ the Moo on Sunday May 9 at UC. Tix through Moshtix.

So it’s no surprise, ultimately, that their latest effort, Transference, departs somewhat from the slick charisma of Gagagagaga. The album offers tracks which are refined and raw – at points bordering on minimalism – allowing what sounds like aggression or simmering resentment on the part of Daniels to shine through without being drowned out by over-production. “The way a lot of these songs came about is that they were demos, and when that happens, it’s not going to be as ‘produced,’” says Jim Eno, the group’s drummer and, alongside Daniel, the only remaining founding member. “Whenever you want to work with a producer, and they hear a demo, they just want to re-record it. Britt was capturing great takes at his house by himself. Sonically, they were good, and we felt they needed to be used. We didn’t spend much time, relatively, in the studio, because we really wanted to use Britt’s stuff.” Such a simple yet effective approach to writing and recording

ALL AGES Well, we’ve got quite the bunch of great lineups to bask in before we endure what may be a tremendous dry spell on the AA hardcore front. Now, there is a lot to mention in this issue, so we’re just going to dive straight on into it. On Saturday May 1 you’ll have a chance to see Sydney’s Chemical Transport live at the Tuggeranong Youth Centre. Supporting them on this plank of their national tour is Sydney band Worst Case Scenario along with local bands Atlantis Awaits and Retraspec. Prices are yet to be announced for this one, folks. The very next day on Sunday May 2, Melbourne hardcore band Confession are stopping through the capital on their ever so anticipated Mistake tour. They’ll be up on stage at The Jam Factory (formerly known as The Warehouse) with Lover’s Grave (also hailing from the great city of Melbourne), Sydney’s Thy Art Is Murder and Wish For Wings coming to us all the way from Brisbane. You can grab your tickets from any Moshtix outlet. Acclaimed US hardcore legends Evergreen Terrace are touring the country yet again. They’ll be jetting all the way from Florida with their support Casey Jones for a national tour with Newcastle band Dropsaw. Finally, a gig with confirmed ticket prices! You can watch all the action go down at the Tuggeranong Youth Centre on Tuesday May 18 for just $25 (+bf) from Moshtix. Only just finishing up epic tours in Japan and many countries in Southeast Asia, thriving American metal band Shai Hulud are almost ready to commence their tour of Australian shores. They will be making a brief stop in Canberra on Wednesday May 19 to shake down the walls of The Jam Factory with Shinto Katana from Sydney and Canberra’s very own spawn I Exist. Now, just to notify you all in advance of a few gigs that are already proving quite popular. On Tuesday June 22 you can catch Perth bands Miles Away and Break Even at the Tuggeranong Youth Centre with Melbourne hardcore five-piece Hopeless as well as The Broderick. Then on Sunday June 27 you have a chance to see Aussie hardcore wonders 50 Lions play at The Jam Factory with Perth band Blkout and Persist from Sydney. I am well aware that these dates are rather far off, therefore unfortunately ticket prices and the like have not been specified as yet. But, keep these dates fresh in your minds, my friends. Colossal Australian hardcore six-piece The Amity Affliction are awaiting their next and possibly most anticipated tour on record. In celebration of Amity’s new album Youngbloods, the Youngbloods tour will feature America’s Misery Signals, Melbourne’s own Confession and Flood of Red from all the way in the UK. Embargoed Media have claimed that “this is no normal tour.” This is a mind blowing lineup that no good Canberran gig-goer should be missing. This hardcore blowout will be at the Woden Basketball Stadium on Thursday July 8. I am unsure of ticket prices but for more information you can go to moshtix.com.au, Landspeed Records or The Music Shop. Trust me, no matter what you pay, this lineup will be worth every cent. NAOMI FROST allagescolumn@gmail.com

LOCALITY

So you’re one of the 1,389 members of the Facebook group I Want to Help Shape the Future of Music in Canberra! yeah? But are you one of the 28 people (at time of writing) who’ve made a submission to the ACT Legislative Assembly’s Inquiry into Live Community Events, launched to hear our thoughts on how the Government should balance increasing residential developments with the need to protect live music? It’s easy to click Join, but having your words read by the Standing Committee on Planning, Public Works and Territory and Municipal Services is an entirely different kettle o’ fish to liking a comment or posting your own, such as “I want to see bagpipes figure more in the music scene in Canberra in future! lol!” as one member did.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve nothing against bagpipes (though I prefer the uilleann), but if you think joining a Facebook group and posting a comment like “MORE METAL” is going to help shape the future of music in Canberra, you might as well start a group entitled I Bet Transit Can Get More Fans Than The Waldorf. It would, but what would come of it? My point, dear readers, is that Facebook is not our only outlet of expression. As Karen Radford, editor of FasterLouder Canberra, told Eleri Harris of CityNews in a recent article on the lack of submissions, “I think it’s quite symptomatic of us, as Gen Ys, that we’re keen to campaign for something as long as we can just click on it, and not actually have to write something. Which is a bit of a shame, because I think there are so many people here in Canberra who do really care, but if they’re not making themselves heard now and not putting their viewpoint across then they’ll just whinge later that something’s closed down.”

Local music lover Andrew Mottram started the group to “encourage the musicians, venue owners, venue employees, promoters, sound techs and engineers, DJs, VJs, lighting techs, and music loving punters of all types and from all genres to take part in the inquiry so that its outcome doesn’t hurt our scene,” but only a miniscule number of members have. We flick around on Facebook for hours but shooting an email to the Standing Committee seems just a bit too much like homework. As Mottram said himself, “I find it disappointing that people haven’t made more submissions, it is a big issue for Canberra. If the Legislative Assembly finds in favour of residential developers it will really negatively affect Canberra’s music scene.” The inquiry, launched by Greens MLA Caroline Le Couteur last year, has just had its due date extended for an unknown period. This suggests to Locality that the Assembly is actually quite adamant about hearing what we have to say. It was drilled into us in high school that consultation is integral to legislation making, yet we ignore the opportunity. The question must be asked, however, for those who aren’t a member of the Facebook group, who knew about the inquiry? Perhaps the lack of submissions goes both ways; we’re lazy, but so is the Government when it comes to communicating with the target audience. Why isn’t there an ad underneath this column alerting the masses I ask? Submissions can be lodged with the Committee Secretary, Ms Nicola Derigo, by email at committees@act.gov.au., and addressed to the Chair, Mary Porter. To view the submissions head to www.parliament. act.gov.au, hover your cursor over Committees and click on Current Inquiries, and then on Inquiry into Live Community Events. To spur you on I’ve included an excerpt from one of the submissions to show you what we’re up against: “The nights of Toast proved intolerable… spare us Transit as well please.” I know you can do better than that. My submission will be in the moment I slay this current deadline dragon. Free stuff for anyone who beats me to it. Julia winterflood julia@bmamag.com

DANCE THE DROP

Something occurred to me on the way to work this morning. If you fast forward to the year 2040 and find yourself browsing through a music store with your children, imagine picking up a Drum and Bass Hits of the Noughties compilation from the five dollar sale rack and popping it into your nuclear powered super neon disposable iBag. This album is wicked. Andy C, Pendulum, Grooverider – they’re all there. You congratulate yourself on a great buy and can’t wait to get back to your hovering residential platform and enjoy it. Your kids see it and laugh.

I guess what I am trying to communicate is that essentially the cool music that sustains us now is fated to become daggy old people music in the distant future. Lucky we aren’t there yet. We have all heard enough about the Warehouse Winter Music Festival right? WRONG! This epic event is finally here and hopefully readers would have already purchased their tickets because by the time this goes to print, the last few will probably have been snapped up by lucky patrons. If you are one of those unfortunate latecomers and do find that the on-site ticket booths have shut up shop by the time you and your gaggle of homemade novelty singlet wearing jokesters mosey on down, you need not stare longingly through the fence at the throbbing AIS Arena. Why not go home and prepare yourselves for the after party at Academy? Kicks have utilised their trademark zeal to secure Devotion headliners The Bingo Players and one of my personal favourites, French producer/DJ Lifelike who, I might add, is not playing a set at the festival itself. Do not miss! Let’s face it people, thanks to the chutzpah of local promoters we now have more new music festivals than you can poke a severely reduced bank balance at. One of the top notch virgins is the All Our Friends Festival which is basically a mini We Love Sounds in our town. On Saturday June 5, the University of Canberra will be shaken to its very foundations by an unbelievable lineup of artists including Steve Aoki, Laidback Luke, Tiga, Concord Dawn, Joachim Garraud and many, many more. Get your last minute tickets from Moshtix, Landspeed Records and Q-Jump. Regardless of the fact that it sounds like a vernacular expression for something that would be frowned upon in India, the Groovin’ the Moo festival is making its Canberra debut on Sunday May 9 in The Meadows at the University of Canberra. Apart from the raucous rock headliners, there is also a healthy contingent of electronic artists for all your bovine pleasures including Empire of the Sun, Miami Horror, Bag Raiders, Ajax, Yacht Club DJs, Killaqueenz and The Only. I’ve rambled, haven’t I? Let’s not forget the other gigs in and about town! Club-wise, keep your ears peeled for dates in May at Academy, with appearances by TV Rock, Emily Scott, Chris Fraser and Adam Bozetto, while PANG! charges ahead in the merry month with tYdi, Strip Steve and Das Glow, The Aston Shuffle, Yolanda Be Cool, Dcup and Marlo. Phew! TIM GALVIN tim.galvin@live.com.au

myspace.com/pangnight

DISCO SUPERSTAR

FUTURISTIC SOUL, RIGHT NOW

ANGUS PATERSON

Growing up in Montreal, Canada, TIGA recalls his upbringing and the remarkably relaxed parents who gave him his direction. “Musically, I never had any aspirations of being a musician. I loved music, yeah, though didn’t have a band. I played clarinet in school for a while! I have awesome and supportive parents who allowed me to be myself. The first time I decided I loved techno culture was when I was 17 and went to a rave!”

Several years ago when Sydney’s Katalyst – aka Ashley Anderson, an already esteemed funk, soul and hip-hop producer extraordinaire – dropped his second artist album What’s Happening, the lead track How Bout Us featured a rather soulfully-charged collaboration with the UK’s Steve Spacek. He was a vocalist who’d already taken massive musical steps in his home country, hailed by the likes of Gilles Peterson as “the voice of modern soul,” and it was a partnership that just seemed to work. Steve was often on the road with Ashley while he was touring What’s Happening, and from there they continued to write music until it became pretty clear the collaborations were worthy of a project all of their own. Hence, SPACE INVADAS was born.

Indeed, the lad was well travelled before his brilliant career took off. “My folks did a lot of travel,” he explains. “They started in the early 1970s looking for new places to go, and they took me along for the ride. By the time I was six I was hanging out in some far out places – one of those places was Goa in India, where there was already a fledgling party scene and I enjoyed it. I realised this was an acceptable way to live your life.” Upon returning to Canada he became disillusioned with the scene there, calling it “the plumage of a bird I cannot bring myself to want.”

I decided I loved techno culture was when I was 17 and went to a rave!

So in return, he began to throw a series of small parties with friends. “In my formative teenage years, I was a bit of an oddball,” Tiga recalls. “I never really tried to fit in – I just made sure my experiences were fun. I was into a lot of things and I was always getting obsessed with stuff, like performing and entertaining. At that age, I wanted to be an actor on stage.” Yet fulfilling his dreams through others, he helped orchestrate a number of Canadian dance events including touring The Orb as well as organising the first North American appearance of continental illusionist Jean-There. By the time 2010 rolled around, his list of successes and achievements was off the chart. Tiga has his Turbo label well and truly in the spotlight, as well as swags of funky EPs, remixes and appearances. Nor is he scared to bring a group of ideas together – witness his 2009 LP Ciao, which was the follow-up to the 2005 synth-pop smash Sexor. “It has been a long road, with ups and downs and its own experiences – the lowlight has been when I was really stressed over it, but now that it’s finished I am relieved.” One of Australia’s favourite sons, Tiga is shortly on his way back for another round of performances. I have to admit, it’s hard to pinpoint what I like about this guy. Perhaps it is his charisma and mystique – or maybe it is his intelligence. Regardless, his character is best encapsulated by the profile in his biography. It reads as such: “the citizen may take a bride, but it is the rifleman who takes a lover. Ultimately we all must choose either the myth or the mountain.” Spend a moment to try and understand that – it makes a lot of sense. Catch Tiga at We Love Sounds, held at the UC on Saturday June 5. Tickets through QJump.

Steve’s profile has largely come from his groundbreaking work with future-soul collective the Spacek Sound System since 2001 (alongside several other members who also adopted the Spacek surname for the sake of a little musical enigma). However, he’s made a permanent relocation to Oz and is now settled in Bondi with his wife and two kids. Ashley says Soul-Fi was something that gradually came together over the process of a whole year, off the back of some initially informal studio sessions with the pair. “It was super simple really. Just hook up with Steve, head to the studio, play him a bunch of ideas I’d been working on, or even some older beats that I could hear him on. We’d get in the zone, he’d vibe on some of the beats and then get down to writing on it.”

It was a conscious decision to give the soul a modern edge

Steve’s work with Spacek Sound System won acclaim particularly because of their forward-thinking approach to the soul genre, fusing elements of trip-hop and downbeat electronica into the mix, and this carried over to Space Invadas. Soul might be its defining musical focus, but what’s most captivating is the futuristic rubdown Katalyst has given his already super-honed production. The space age sonics are far more prevalent than in anything he’s done in the past, and the live instrumentation and Steve’s sublime vocal harmonies play beautifully off the assorted bleeps, synths and spacey soundscapes. Ashley says his choice of collaborators definitely had an impact on this choice of direction. “Steve’s solo music has always been quite futuristic, and he’s been great to work with in terms of being open and experimental. So I guess it was always going to be an influence on the outcome of the album – both sonically and stylistically,” he says. “It was also a conscious decision to give the soul a modern edge because we wanted to make it relevant to what’s happening musically today. It ended up being kind of a natural direction for us, as there are so many influences out there and the boundaries are so blurred that it’s only natural. The possibilities are endless, and that’s always cause for excitement.” Space Invadas are a part of the insanely awesome Groovin’ The Moo festival, held at the UC on Sunday May 9. Tickets through Moshtix.

TAG, YOU’RE IT!

T-T-TERRIFIC

shailla van raad

zoya patel

In meeting READABLE GRAFFITI and after reading their biography, I was expecting some crazy, scraggly-haired musos. Chris Readable and Christian Graffiti turned out to be actually more insane – I was greeted with Doctor Who teleportation conversation and nonchalant dropping of the C-word, known also to the group as “C-bombing.” Not bad for a self-professed ‘local’ band. “We’re all local Canberra boys,” Chris says. “We’ve been doing a lot of instrumental stuff together for a long time and Buttons decided that he wanted to get involved.” Buttons Machiavelli, vocalist, and the third member of the dance/electronic trio that is Readable Graffiti, was mysteriously absent from the interview.

The guys from TTT are all about change. Formerly named Tic Toc Tokyo, the Melbourne four-piece changed their name to coincide with the new phase in their five year career. “It’s pronounced Tee Tee Tee, not Triple T,” Marty Umanski from the band informs me. “Triple T sounds like it should be the name of a professional wrestler or something!”

Chris, the group’s button fiddler and guitar expert, and Christian, the IT admin and drum padder, when questioned as to the location of Buttons, simultaneously throw up their hands and coolly state “we don’t know where our third member is – he’s kind of unpredictable.” It seems like the boys are well practiced in saying this. “He does what he wants and rocks up at the most unexpected moments. He likes time to himself.” As if that’s such a normal thing. Buttons is also “the random one. He gives us all a little bit of edge; he’s the charisma when we’re on stage and he brings focus to the band.”

Our music is like a cuddly, friendly monster that is screaming incoherently

Seconds later when we get onto the topic of dance music, the duo energetically almost jump off their seats, not containing their passionate excitement for the genre. “We bonded over the dance genre when we first started getting into it. Buttons started introducing us to wide-eyed evenings at Lot 33. Buttons used to sing for harder rock bands before we were Readable Graffiti and then he decided to do vocals over the top of the instrumental stuff that we were already doing.” The bass pumping, guitar-shredding melodic trio admit that their lives have not always been so technological with their music. “We’re actually not that technically gifted for a band that’s into this type of music, apart from programming the microwave to play a kick-ass solo from Metallica’s One. Some of us may be musically talented but some of us aren’t.” I told the boys to tuck all that self-professed modesty away into their internal hard drives, because they cannot deny that they have now scored a slot in Canberra’s infamous Groovin’ the Moo festival. They attribute this success because “our music will make you dance first and think later… it’s like a cuddly, friendly monster that is screaming incoherently.” So what of those who complain that dance music is linked to substance abuse? It seems like the Readable Graffiti boys are all for it – sort of, “certain members of the band are certainly not against free and easy use of substances. There’s shitty dance music that needs that and then there’s us.” They said this right after they dropped a C-bomb. Nonchalantly. See Readable Graffiti at the Groovin’ The Moo festival, held at the UC on Sunday May 9. Tickets through Moshtix.

Talking to Marty about their recently released album and upcoming tour dates, it’s clear who the more level-headed one is in the conversation. While I try to extract details of band fights (they’ve been together for five years, there must be something juicy to tell, right?), Marty offers me some sage advice on the indie music scene – never expect to be treated specially. “We’ve never gotten any kind of rock star treatment,” he admits. “I mean, it would be nice to have a few houses and some nice cars, but it isn’t really very realistic.”

Triple T sounds like it should be the name of a professional wrestler

Rock star treatment may well be something TTT will need to get used to though, if the response to their newly released album, Lands, is anything to go by. “It’s been crazy!” Marty agrees. “We’ve been getting a fair bit of radio play, and tonnes of reviews and interviews!” It shouldn’t come as too much of a shock, following the positive response to the band’s EP Artefacts in 2008. TTT play a particular brand of atmospheric, melodic indie rock, bringing in a range of different styles and instruments to create music that can only be described as addictive, if their popularity is anything to go by. As well as building a strong fanbase, TTT were recognised by the Victorian government when they received the Music Career Building Grant from Arts Victoria in 2009. “The grant was really important. Without it, we would’ve still been able to tour, but we would have been really in debt!” The band will be touring throughout May, stopping by Canberra to play Gangbusters at Bar 32 on the 5th. “We’re really looking forward to playing in Canberra,” Marty enthuses. “We’ve played there once before, at The Basement, which seemed like a pretty hardcore place. But it was cool, and we got out of there alive!” Other than checking out the nightlife, Marty is also pretty keen for some sightseeing while he’s in the nation’s capital. “I’m looking forward to visiting the war museum; I’m really into old Australian history and stuff,” he tells me, with a surprising amount of enthusiasm. As keen as Marty is to get his history on, he’s even more keen to perform. “I hope everyone comes along to the show and has a good time. I know I’m looking forward to it!” he says, as we say our goodbyes (me more emotionally than him, I’m sure). Well Marty, this writer’s there with bells on! Catch TTT at Gangbusters at Bar 32 on Wednesday May 5.

DARTH DECLAN

A HAIRY SITUATION

Palimah Panichit

NAOMI FROST

“Someone said, uh, bands should never break up over money, but they should always break up over track listing.” The rock trivia geek in me was clawing to get out, but the side of me that wanted to make a good impression on Declan Melia, lead singer of BRITISH INDIA, wanted otherwise. Ah hell.

I am almost certain that this entire interview can be summed up in just one word – BEARDS! There is no escaping it! If those six letters don’t quite catch your fancy, these four men’s lives revolve solely around beards. They grow beards, they sing about beards, and even fall in love with beards. I myself, not being the most knowledgeable person concerning the issue, found it quite interesting and in fact rather intimidating chatting to Facey McStubblington, guitarist of THE BEARDS and undoubtedly one of the world’s most dedicated and revolutionary beard enthusiasts.

Wasn’t that Bono? Of U2? “I knew it was Bono, but I didn’t want to say; that’s lame, but you’ve done very well my friend, to expose me for the closet Bono fan that I am.” British India, all that is indie, with their thrashing garage rock and slashing guitar chords over proto-punk rhythms – and I was talking to their frontman? I had always expected rock stars to be, well, callipygian marvels of marble-esque man or woman, but Declan seemed completely normal and personable. Effervescent, I’d say, even as I kept referring to their upcoming record as Avalanches. Without the S, me hearties.

You’ve done very well to expose me for the closet Bono fan that I am

So, fighting the urge to wildly improvise nicknames for him like BroBot 9000 or Darth Declan, we ploughed on. “I think we’ve found our niche, as a band, halfway through the last record, in terms of writing, but that said, the approach to every song has to be different in order to best serve the song. In terms of recording, it was a really different environment. “I’m proud of all of them [the new songs] for different reasons. I don’t know if you’ve heard the song Satellites…” Of course I have, you brilliantly humble bastard! “If I heard that record… it’s not my favourite track, but not my least favourite. I love it for what it is. Or like a song like Because of You. I love it for its drama which we would have been too self-conscious to pull off before. We just let the songs be what they are, and it’s really strong; I’d say for sure our strongest record.” Declan seems to be anxious to bring da mothergoosin’ ruckus on the stage though, and he elaborates eagerly on his vision for Groovin’ the Moo. “I think the songs will fuckin’, y’know, blow some hair back when we play Groovin’ the Moo.” But still, he remains almost incredibly grounded, even when I thought I finally got a rock star-y statement from him. “We’re not really the archetypal festival band, in a way, y’know, we don’t have that festival thing of ‘Come on! Are you ready to rock?!’ This might sound forced, but I think that Australian audiences are good at spotting a phoney. That was a longwinded answer to a simple question,” he finishes, laughing. “We’re probably more comfortable rocking a pub or a club than anywhere else… but we’re getting better, we’re at ease anywhere after we did the Big Day Out, which was a bit of a learning curve. I think we can bring the party anywhere, nowadays.” On ya, Deccas. You can catch British India as part of the amazing Groovin’ The Moo lineup, held at the UC on Sunday May 9. Tickets through Moshtix.

Just last year The Beards performed at the opening of the World Beard and Moustache Championships. “It was easily the best gig we’ve had. We played in front of nearly 1500 people, most of which had beards, all of whom loved beards.” Being the very first time Australia competed in the event’s long 20 year history, McStubblington felt it important to mention “I myself entered into the Verdi category, which is a full beard, capped at about ten cm with a big moustache twirled upwards.”

We are all for the lady-beard. I say the more hair the better

Having flown all the way over to Alaska for both the performance and for the competition itself, there was of course a little bit more to the trip than just competing. “It was brilliant,” McStubblington enthusiastically adds. “Gorgeous weather, everyone was really nice. The air was like mother’s milk, it was beautiful and we saw moose and bison. It was like a big bloody bull thing, but a vicious kind; they have hooves and beards hanging down from their chins.” As would be expected in such a conversation as this one, somehow we wound up on the delicate yet entertaining issue of lady-beards. “I say the more hair the better,” proclaims McStubblington. “The next Beard and Moustache Championships is actually in Norway next year; I might just take myself a wife while I’m there. We are all for the lady-beard. In fact,” he loudly adds, “when we come to Canberra, I, Facey McStubblington, will be looking to take the most beautiful hairy woman back to my accommodation.” (Just throwing that into the equation as a heads up for all you hairy women out there). When asked about their greatest inspirations (excluding beards) it truly does become evident that when it comes to a conversation with Facey McStubblington, there really is no escaping the matter. Drifting directly back to a solid discussion of the message that they are trying to convey, he responds with “the desire to live in a world, a perfect world, where everyone has facial hair. The music is really secondary to trying to impose our ideas onto people and getting them to realise the wrongdoings of major corporations like Gillette,” he preaches. “Shaving is playing god. This is not our job in the world. It’s just evolution. Beardism will succeed.” Catch The Beards at Transit Bar on Thursday May 13, $8 on the door. (I highly recommend wearing a false beard if you don’t have one though; if you couldn’t tell from the article, these boys are bloody serious about beards! - Ed.)

calls and when I did answer it, I was a bit Shirley at the start. I was like, ‘wait a minute, is this a prank call?’ I was still a little suspicious of it and I was listening on the radio all the next day.”

TRIALS AND TRIV-ULATIONS STAKY Daniel Gaffney returned from Sweden in 2004 with a Swedish proverb that would in turn give birth to his band’s name. “There is this phrase and one of the words in it is ‘Trivs,’ which sort of refers to be doing well,” remembers Gaffney. Six years later their name could not have truer meaning as the foursome are gearing up for the Canberra leg of Groovin’ the Moo. I caught up with half the band – drummer Gaffney and bassist Michael ‘Bonesy’ Bones – to chat about their recent good fortune. triple j’s Unearthed initiative has spawned the careers of many independent Australian bands including Art vs Science and Washington. THE TRIVS have shared a slice of the Unearthed pie, winning a slot at Canberra’s Groovin’ the Moo alongside such musical alumni as Vampire Weekend, Tegan and Sara and Silverchair, the latter of which are also famously of Unearthed notoriety. “I almost didn’t pick up the phone,” laughs Gaffney, waiting for his coffee to arrive. “I was studying and I hate answering withheld phone

With over 23,000 registered artists ‘Trivs’ is on the Unearthed website and more Swedish, which logging on by the day, The Trivs’ win sort of refers to is a mammoth feat, a fact not lost be doing well on the band. “Our last EP [For Your Health] has been up on triple j for well over a year and it was really quite odd to happen to get the phone call,” says Gaffney. “I suppose there were other competitions that came through town and you’re like ‘maybe, maybe we’ll get this one,’ but I suppose we just got the nod this time.” “I’m fine with it though!” agrees Bones. “As far as the lineup goes it is pretty amazing and quite shocking.” triple j experts have identified some of The Trivs’ clear influences as ‘Strokes-y’ guitars and Silverchair-type vocals. However head honcho Richard Kingsmill cannot deny that put together, their sound “stands on its own merits of style.” The band are certainly looking forward to displaying their goods alongside Groovin’ the Moo’s eagerly anticipated lineup. “We are trying to get some new songs ready for it,” smiles Bones. “We don’t have an entirely new set. They picked us for the songs we already have. It would be good to have something new and something fresh though.” “I’m usually quite reserved,” says an excited Gaffney. “I’m like ‘oh no, I don’t want to be a nuisance,’ but this time I’m gonna be a nuisance!” The Trivs’ current EP For Your Health is available now at Landspeed with their second release due out midyear. Catch Gaffney and Bones alongside bandmates Miller Ralph and Byron Fay at Groovin’ the Moo on Sunday May 9 at the University of Canberra Meadows. Tickets through Moshtix.

E X H I B I T I O N I S T Samuels – one of the world’s leading vibraphone players and a mentor of France’s – has performed at jazz festivals around the world. Jazz enthusiasts will know him from his work with jazz supergroup Spyro Gyra, as well as his current, Grammy-winning jazz-Latin music ensemble, The Caribbean Jazz Project. “I’m fans of both of these guys. I studied with Dave in 1977 […] so it’s a particular treat to have him here with us.” France is particularly excited about the fantastic opportunity the performance will give ANU percussion students in DRUMatiX, who will act as “a percussion orchestra,” that will support the performances of Åstrand and Samuels. “The students are actually performing with these guys. They’re performing compositions that both of these guys have composed.”

HEAR A DIFFERENT DRUMMER NAOMI MILTHORPE “Think of things like icicles. Imagine if you hung them all on a tree. They’d be like ice wind chimes.” The ANU School of Music’s Gary France is talking through what possible ways Swedish percussionist Anders Åstrand could make an ice instrument. Within the space of 30 seconds, France – a percussion impresario and passionate performer – rattles off half-a-dozen options, from creating a sonorous ice guitar to carving out an ice bowl and covering it with a skin to make a drum. The mind, as they say, is boggling. “He’s from Sweden!” laughs France. “If you live in the land of the midnight sun, that’s just what happens... we’re not doing any of that here. This is not the land of ice.” The possibilities for performance, as I soon discover, are in no way ruled out by the seeming improbability of the material. Besides ice, Åstrand has composed percussion works for fighter aircraft and tractors, as well as music for fire sculptures. Anders Åstrand (sadly without his ice sculptures) is coming to Canberra as part of the ANU School of Music’s Premier Concert series, “a special selection of concerts that have been chosen to showcase [the School of Music’s] staff, elite student performers, and featured guest artists,” France explains. The series premiered in March, with a jazz double bill featuring performances from the inimitable Mike Price Trio and jazz quartet Vertical, and will continue throughout the year, providing opportunities for the ANU School of Music students to perform with world-class musicians. It also provides audiences with an affordable opportunity to access great music. At 20 bucks a pop for student tickets, it’s “a super accessible concert,” says France. The next concert on Wednesday May 5 will see France – Head of Percussion at the School of Music – leading the DRUMatiX percussion group as they perform a program of jazz, fusion and world music infused compositions for percussion with Åstrand and fellow percussion maestro Dave Samuels.

On the issue of performance versus theory in artistic education, France is passionate and articulate. “It’s extremely important. It’s quintessential. You can quote me on that. It’s quintessential for young musicians to interact musically with artists and educators who are examples of world’s best practice.” France, a native of Syracuse, New York, originally came to Australia to teach at WAAPA in Perth, and has much to say about the role of performance in creative arts education. “Students can improve dramatically when allowed the opportunity to interact in this way. This is nothing new to Australia, as conservatoriums were established in Australia along this model. The ANU School of Music, formerly the Canberra School of Music, is an example of this research and performance practiceled teaching. There’s no question that out of these elite training institutions come outstanding performers.” The ANU is certainly producing outstanding performers – and performances. In the same month, France will perform in a concert at Llewellyn Hall celebrating the Bicentennial Year of the Argentine Republic, paying homage to Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera with a performance of Ginastera’s Cantata Para America Magica. The Cantata is “a gigantic, monumental work for percussion, two grand pianos, a gigantic work, and I think only ever performed in Australia once. [It’s an] absolutely amazing work,” says France. “The fact that we’re doing these two concerts in one month is unbelievable” Bringing world-class performances, with opportunities for students, performers, and audiences to catch a glimpse of excellence, is of paramount importance, says France – and, he suggests, it makes for a better experience of life all round, which is why he continues, enthusiastically and passionately, with the often “daunting” task of mammoth performances as well as teaching. “We have to continue to do good deeds for our young people and our art […]. All those people who spend all their time complaining about the state of the world, if they actually spent some time doing something about it, we’d have a better world!” Gary France and DRUMatiX will perform with Anders Åstrand and Dave Samuels at Llewellyn Hall as part of the ANU Premier Concert on Wed May 5 at 7.30pm. For info on the Premier Series head to www.music.anu.edu.au .

No stereotype is spared and pop-culture references are peppered throughout. Fans of TV’s first family The Simpsons will instantly recognise Spice Rack – After Homer, a perfect replica of Homer Simpson’s attempt to prove that he is manly enough to build things for Marge. This persistent cliché of the Man As Builder is expressed in the plentiful references to hardware that appear in the show. The unmistakable influence of Ben Forster is evident as he nerds out in typical form with a selection of artworks that utilise custom computer programming. The Men I Look Up To series is portraits of Forster’s heroes, their likenesses mapped out by binary code in a patterned nuts and bolts motif.

musk see yolande norris Hardware, maths and arm wrestling. That’s what real men are made of. Benjamin Forster, Robbie Karmel and TJ Phillipson are a group of local artists questioning and exploring what it is to be men in their exhibition MUSK at M16 Artspace. All three are well known about town for their tongue-in-cheek cultural appropriations and witty subversions of the art world. For Musk, the lads have collaborated on many of the works on show and are refusing to credit individual artworks with their maker. This over-arching anonymity means that the artists are released from the confines of self-representation, able instead to present bigger picture ideas and a common view. Despite this, the contributions of each artist are easily recognisable to fans of Forster, Karmel and Phillipson, who have been storming the local art scene for the past 18 months.

Robbie Karmel (face obscured) appears in a row of gargantuan photographs on the adjoining wall. Resplendent in glittering tights and a peacock feather headdress he makes an eye-popping homage to ostentatious male beauty in the natural world. Nearby, a collection of rubber pool toys are intermittently inflated to attention by screaming leaf-blowers - those iconic suburban male playthings - before again withering out of shape in a suggestive though pathetic display. The flexing and posturing continues with Arm Wrestle, a platform built for the very purpose including a camera to record and play back bouts for subsequent spectator’s viewing pleasure. This hotbed of competition becomes the central focus of the exhibition and represents a competitive streak that some would say is inherent to maleness. An unmistakable self-deprecating humour occurs throughout the show. This larrikin approach particularly anchors the works in the realm of Australian male identity and creates a non-threatening environment into which more serious agendas are able to emerge. Although Musk doesn’t attempt to make any hard hitting constructive commentary on the state of modern masculinity, it is a collection of highly entertaining works that antagonise further consideration of male identity. It does only scratch the surface however, and maybe, in this case, bigger would be better. Musk continues at M16 Artspace until May 2.

UNINHIBITED Some bright, unknown spark once quipped that a painting contains any number of meanings, including the correct one. A source of amazement to the tubthumping critic within Uninhibited is that the correct meaning of a work of art (ie, ours) is, on occasion, unclear to even the most apparently intelligent people around. Take, for instance, King Lear. The play is one of the great sublime wonders of English drama, full of guts and blood and madness and hatred and love and raw, messy emotion; emotion that bursts with the gouging of Gloucester’s eye and finally spews over the containing wall of strict iambic meter with Lear’s heart-wrenching “Howl! Howl! Howl! Howl!” in Act 5 Scene 3. Or so we believed before going to Bell Shakespeare’s production, directed by Marion Potts, which opened at The Playhouse on April 15. The way Uninhibited reads it, Lear’s complex meaning is bound up in the maddening extremities the play explores, which reach a sublime manifestation in Act 3’s terrible storm. Part of the difficulty in mounting a stage production (for the modern theatre at least) is that the play embodies subjectivity to a terrifying extreme; Regan and Goneril are as justified in their tyrannical rejection of Lear as Lear is in banishing Kent (that is, not very). For some reason we sympathise with Lear: why? He is a fool, and a madman, and a tyrant, and a bad father. We should reject him as we reject Richard III or Macbeth. But we don’t, because the terrible beauty of his torment overwhelms our judgment. These are all prefatory remarks to the purpose of this rant, which is that, as viewed by Uninhibited, the sublime conjunction of aesthetic and emotional experience embodied within the text of King Lear was sadly lacking in Potts’s production. The fault is mostly Bell’s. He is such a powerful presence in himself that he is never forced – and never bothers to try – to launch himself out of the measured cadences that have made him famous, and unfortunately that particular brand of honeyed, confident clarity doesn’t sit well with the chaos that eventually overwhelms Lear. The supporting players don’t do much to help, especially Susan Prior’s pallid Cordelia and Tim Walter’s preening Edmund – but then, all their performances hinge so crucially on how Lear is played. It’s not that they are bad, but that the whole thing is so clipped and clean and confident and solidly, godforsakenly dull that they may as well have been. Instead of a tremendous aesthetic Sturm und Drang that leaves the audience breathless, Potts and Bell spend three hours sucking the colour, fury, and madness out of King Lear with the result that what is presented is less circling typhoon, more Lazy Susan. To get back to the beginning: art is subjective. Of course it is. Although Uninhibited was infuriated by the performance, a quick survey of some respected friends during intermission revealed that reactions ranged from mild irritation to grudging admiration to shrugging enjoyment. On the BMA website we’ve published our official In Review of the production, a mostly positive appraisal from regular contributor Emma Gibson. We at Uninhibited recognise that not everyone shares our opinion. We just wish they would.

NAOMI MILTHORPE exhibitionist@bmamag.com

ARTISTPROFILE: Erica Hurrell

What do you do? I’m a photographer. I take documentary/ photojournalism style photos - my camera is pretty much always with me. I spend a lot of my spare time on my photos just for fun and because I’m a little bit obsessed! At the moment I’m also studying film at the Australian Film, TV & Radio School in Sydney. I want to be able to make documentaries/videos as well as photography – in a similar style to the photos I take now.

unfold stories

Photo: Jeff Busby

ben hermann In late 2008, Raphael Bonachela was in his native Europe and working with composer Ezio Bosso, when he was offered the appointment of Artistic Director for the Sydney Dance Company. Bonachela didn’t realise it then, but his work with Bosso at the time, and the ensuing rushed move to Australia to begin his new post, would become the major influence for Sydney Dance Company’s new production WE UNFOLD. We Unfold is Bonachela’s first as Artistic Director, and explores themes of fear, the unknown, discovery, and the emotions felt as we search for meaning in new experiences. For Bonachela, the production – and in particular his choice of Bosso’s Symphony No. 1 – is a natural consequence of his experiences of recent years. “There are so many connections between my life, the production, and the music,” Bonachela says. “It is my first piece as Artistic Director [of Sydney Dance Company], and it’s Bosso’s first symphony; I was moving across the world, across the oceans, and the title of the symphony is Oceans One.” As the title, We Unfold, suggests, the production looks to illustrate not how a particular person, but how everyone, in one way or another, opens themselves up and reveals themselves to each other. Whether this ‘unfolding’ is an act akin to a flower blossoming or conversely like an outburst of rage catalysed by a certain event, it is an experience which is deeply personal, but at the same time inevitably revealing to those around us. During rehearsal, Bonachela challenged the dancers’ reluctance to open up to each other and to connect as much as possible with what they were attempting to convey. “When you’re dealing with a choreographer like me, who’s out there to open up a dialogue, there will always be hard and emotionally challenging moments for the dancers,” he says. “My work is not a narrative, it is not pantomime, and it is not some Disney-like production. It is about everyday life and ordinary people. It is about feelings everyone can open up to. The dancers improvised to a lot of different ideas and a lot of different music to reach those genuine feelings. The production is not esoteric at all. It may sound like it is. That’s not the sought of production I do.”

When did you get into it? I’ve taken photos for as long as I can remember. I remember the first time Mum let me use her camera to take a photo, and we’ve still got that photo somewhere. I’ve been pretty obsessed ever since. I take photos all the time of my friends and family, they’re pretty used to it so mostly they ignore the camera now. I like photos that aren’t posed. Usually if I try to set shots up they don’t work out so well, I like the natural ones when people aren’t paying attention to the camera. Who or what influences you as an artist? I’m influenced by real life - my family and friends. I don’t like trying to create stories because most of the times real ones are more interesting than any I could make up. I am also influenced by music, tattoos/tattoo art and injuries and scars and the stories behind them. What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far? Having my video Idle Hands reviewed in the entertainment section of The Age and having photos in a subculture slide night at the Australian Centre for Photography this year. What are your plans for the future? To get a job I love where I get to be creative. And I will keep on taking more photos and hopefully have work in some more shows soon. What makes you laugh? My niece, bad TV and my classmates. What pisses you off? Bad drivers, rude people, when someone says they’ll do something and they don’t! What’s your opinion of the local scene? There’s lots of really great art and artists in Canberra and there is usually always a good exhibition on somewhere to check out. What are your upcoming performances/exhibitions? My solo show at the Canberra Contemporary Art Space in Manuka June 17 – 27. Contact info: erica.hurrell@gmail.com

Such improvisation may also be seen as the production evolves over numerous performances. Canberra will only be its second audience (after its Sydney debut), and its first chance to ‘breathe’ and take on a greater life of its own. “After Canberra, we go to Venice, then to Shanghai, then keep going,” says Bonachela. “We’ve already started changing things, but we just do what we feel is right and hope for success. For me, Canberra is exciting, as it’s the beginning of the development.” We Unfold runs from May 5-8 at The Playhouse, CTC. Tickets $50/$43/$35.

bit PARTS WHO: Ji Chen WHAT: Reflections of 21 Years WHEN: April 17 - May 9, 11am-5pm daily WHERE: Paintbox Fine Art Gallery, Lonsdale St Braddon To quote: “Twenty one years ago, just a few months before the student uprising in Beijing’s Tianenman Square, artist Ji Chen set forth on his journey to Australia. The Australian landscape provided Ji Chen with a new artistic experience. The weather, atmosphere, light and freedom of our great expanses allowed him to continue his adventure both in life and in his paintings. Over the last two decades he has become acclaimed for his impressive Australian landscapes.” Check out 21 years of Ji Chen’s impressive work showing at Paintbox now.

WHO: Budding filmmakers! WHAT: Canberra Short Film Festival WHEN: Entries close July 2010 WHERE: For details check out www.silversunpictures.com.au/csff, or enter at www.withoutabox.com There’s an episode of that gemlike early ‘90s tween television programme, Blossom, in which Blossom’s formerly-drug-addicted, now oddball brother (not the one played by Joey Lawrence) writes, directs, produces, edits, and stars in a short film called, I think, Boy Meets Girl. The film itself runs for about 20 seconds but is bookended by four minutes of credits in which No Longer Drug Addict Brother has separate credits for each role he has fulfilled. It’s arguably one of the funnier moments in all of television history. If you’ve ever wanted to satisfy your own vanity in a similar fashion, maybe you can try entering the Can’s own Short Film Festival. Entries are due on July 30, and remember that making text panels is the hardest part of any production process, so get cracking. WHO: Toe-tappers and soft-shoes of Canberra WHAT: Australian Dance Week WHEN: May 3 - 9 WHERE: Rhythmic locales over Canberra

Burnt Down Bushes by Ji Chen

Turn the beat around. Love to hear percussion. Etc. It’s DANCE WEEK people, DANCE WEEK, which we’re fairly sure means a whole week of free license to spirit-finger or jazz-hand anyone you flipping well please. Anyway. Check out the events coordinated by the good folk at Ausdance, including free classes, dance displays at Belconnen Markets, workshops, forums, and films on the multiplicity of dance styles to choose from (dance! dance! dance!) and the showcase performance by the Sydney Dance Company, We Unfold. For info check out www.ausdance.org.au/act or call 6247 9103 WHO: Diarists, journallers, pensmiths WHAT: Journey through Journals with Kathy Kituai WHEN: 10am-12pm on six Wednesdays, 5 May-9 June WHERE: ACT Writers Centre The ACT Writers Centre asks: “Have you jotted down your life experience for your grandchildren but are not sure if this is all there is to keeping a journal? Perhaps you’ve vented your feelings in cathartic writing, are still unsatisfied but don’t know why? […] Journey through Journals is a hands-on course that heightens writing skills through simple exercises like unsent letters, lists and everyday observations - exercises that broaden writing into publishable work.” The course is run by poet and writer Kathy Kituai over six Wednesdays. Get scribbling! Bookings on 6262 9191 or visit www.actwriters.org.au . WHO: Free Rain Theatre Company WHAT: Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest WHEN: April 30 – May 16 WHERE: Courtyard Studio, CTC

WHO: Joanna Weinberg and Watchdog Communications WHAT: Every Single Saturday WHEN: May 11 – 15 @ 8pm WHERE: Tuggeranong Arts Centre

Decadents and dandies unite! The wit and wisdom of St Oscar only gets trotted out on average thrice a year in theatrical form so there’s nary a moment to lose. Get your yellow socks on, tie up that cravat, and brush down your velvet frock coats: that stalwart of the proam stage, The Importance of Being Earnest, is being produced by those bastions of the Can scene, Free Rain Theatre. Directed by Liz Bradley and featuring a cast of Canberra’s finest, audiences are sure to enjoy the shenanigans of Jack and Algy, Cecily and Gwendolen, and the matchless Lady Bracknell. Call Canberra Ticketing on 6275 2700 for details and bookings.

Anything that is both “agonisingly familiar” and “excruciatingly funny” has to be good, right? No pain, no gain is the mantra of sports fanatics the world over, and this new musical from Joanna Weinberg treads on exactly that theme – kinda. Every Single Saturday looks at sport from the sidelines – literally – examining the drama that happens on the margins of the playing field. It’s got a tidy little pedigree, with a start in Short+Sweet as a ten-minute musical, and subsequent OzCo funding for development, and this year it’s touring around Canberra and Sydney. Check it out at TCA – bookings and info 6293 1443.

BRAN NUE DAN

THE HEART OF AFROBEAT

chiara grassia

BEN HERMANN

It’s been a whirlwind of a year for the gorgeous, hip-swingin’, smoothvoiced DAN SULTAN. His second album, Get Out While You Can, has found the attention its deserved, had a role in Australian musical Bran Nue Dae and his performance at the Paul Kelly Tribute concert was critically praised. “It’s really good,” Sultan’s deep voice crackles down the phone line, “but you don’t want to burn out. You don’t want to party too hard and do all this work at the same time, or be too hard on yourself. You need to make sure that you can still relax if you need.”

Touring with a group of 20 musicians isn’t an easy thing to do, as Zvi Belling will tell you. As bassist and founding member for Melburnian Afrobeat group PUBLIC OPINION AFRO ORCHESTRA, Belling has helmed a group who has risen from obscurity to national acclaim and international demand in their mere 12 months in existence. Funnily enough though, when the group make their appearance at The Gum Ball Festival in the Hunter Valley this May, their debutant status will be more a result of their logistical complexities than a lack of demand. “We did have discussions with Gum Ball last year, when we’d just formed,” says Belling. “We were quite flattered at that stage, but the logistics of getting such a huge band together at such short notice was too difficult.”

Sultan and his band have landed a slot at this year’s Splendour in the Grass, which he’s (rightly so) keen for. “Obviously we’re not one of the larger bands on the bill, so it means we’ll be playing pretty early, I imagine. Once we play, we can just hang out and have fun, which I’m really looking forward to. I’ve never been to Splendour in the Grass before, but I’ve been to Woodford. It’s gorgeous – a beautiful part of the world.”

I’ve been playing guitar since I was four

Lyrically, Get Out While You Can is emotionally dense; love songs roll along with heartbreaking tales of growing up. “Personally, I’ll imagine things and I’ll try and be empathetic towards a certain character,” Sultan explains. “Scott [Wilson] helps me a lot with my writing, we obviously co-wrote together. He’s really good at writing lyrics. I’ll do a lot of the arranging and producing and music. In some cases I’ll go to [Scott] with bare bones for words and he’ll come to me in a couple of weeks, and he’ll have a beautiful story using where I was coming from. “I think I’ve always had my own understanding of music, Scott just showed me country music and some underground soul music I hadn’t heard. I’ve been playing guitar since I was four, writing songs for a long time and I’d been in bands. I had my own kind of battles and successes and failures before I met him, and him the same. Then we met up and got it together.” And is a third album in sight? “Yeah, we’re starting to think about it, we’ll wait and see. It’s good to keep up appearances. I’d like to get to work on another one pretty soon, but you know, we’ll wait and see. We’re not too hard on ourselves.” As for Canberra, his expectations are pretty open. “The time before I was in Canberra, I was actually camping in one of the city gardens. I was hitching up to Cairns – me and my friend went camping. It was our first night and we didn’t put a fly-up on the tent, because it wasn’t going to rain, but of course the bloody sprinklers came on in the dark, so we got pretty much saturated. As long as that doesn’t happen this time around…” Catch Dan either at his show at the UC Refectory on Saturday May 22 or at Splendour in the Grass, this year held in Woodford, QLD, over FridaySunday July 30-August 1. UC tickets through Ticketek, Splendour tickets are on sale Thursday May 6 through Moshtix.

The political and musical elements of Afrobeat are intertwined and can’t be separated

The group has recently released their debut LP, Do Anything Go Anywhere, a rampant mix of Afrobeat, funk, hip-hop and soul which was recorded partially in Australia and partially in South Africa and Nigeria, where several of the core members recorded their collaborative jamming with local hip-hop stars and musicians. “Our desire isn’t necessarily to record and collaborate with people in other parts of the world,” says Belling, when asked whether such travel-cum-recording trips will be a mainstay tool of the group in preserving their distinctive style. “But we think the process of featuring guest artists is very important. On our next album, it’s likely that a lot of the guest artists will be Australian.” The Afrobeat movement sprouted during the 1970s in Africa, when jazz and funk began to fuse with traditional African percussion and vocal styles. However, it was the political edge inherent in the Afrobeat music and its scene which gave the music both its passionate energy and lasting appeal. “The political and musical elements of Afrobeat are intertwined and can’t be separated,” says Belling, of whether the group’s Afrobeat influence has been more political or musical. “The two come packaged and we’ve been very conscious of that. We’ve sung about issues in Africa, but the trick for us is to make it relevant for us, as we all live in Australia.” But while Afrobeat is spreading its wings in many other parts of the world, Australia is, in Belling’s eyes, falling behind. “I think globally, in the last five to ten years, there’s definitely been a rebirth of Afrobeat; it’s really blossomed,” he says. “But Australia is really slow to catch on. Fortunately though, people are really receptive to the sound, so I think that it will gradually grow at a faster and faster pace here.” Australian Afrobeat fans should hope, therefore, that festivals around the nation follow the lead of Gum Ball and WOMAD in hosting groups like POAO. As Belling points out, festivals are currently one of the only ways for the group to get out of Melbourne. “Many clubs aren’t big enough for us, so festivals are really our only opportunity to open ourselves up to new audiences.” The Gum Ball Festival is on over Friday-Saturday May 28-29 in Belford, Hunter Valley, featuring The Basics, Tijuana Cartel and many more. More info at www.thegumball.com.au .

Greene says that he was reborn personally, musically and mentally and began writing the album under this mindset. He felt he was the only one who could bring this concept to life, so he stood up to the producer podium – a task he had never attempted before. “I wanted to make these songs identifiable so if you listened to them you know what album they’re from,” he says.

The road is home for me

GRASS IS GREENER shaun bennett “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” These magical words of John Lennon really hit home for singer/ songwriter PAUL GREENE. It struck him when he was on tour in north Queensland and his daughter was on the tour bus with him and she was missing home and her friends. Remembers Greene, “I was trying to comfort her by saying that the bus was our home and that she was Australian and we were in Australia, so she was home; and that she was from the planet Earth, and we were on Earth, so she was home. She went silent for a long time, then from the back seat said to me in the rear view mirror ‘so Dad – everywhere is home’.” In an instant he had an album title, album concept and new life philosophy. “We all have this goal that we’re rushing towards and I find when I’m in that mode I’m never satisfied because you’re always looking at this thing that’s far away from you,” Greene says. “From travelling and constantly being on the go, everywhere from home sums it up well for me since the road is kind of the home for me, and you should enjoy the place you’re in and appreciate where you are rather than always chasing some imaginary thing of what success is.”

With all this karma in action, songs from the album including Going to Take a Miracle, Stay On and Everybody Got a Little Love all followed on seamlessly from each other and their significance was self explanatory. If life wasn’t already good enough for Paul, things got all the more better when he was in New York recently. “I found myself at a poetry night in Brooklyn,” he explains. “The people there were so passionate about what they were doing; it was quite inspiring. It’s nice to find yourself in a different situation.” There was even more inspiration awaiting him at home that everyone will get the chance to see on this tour. “I’ve been touring solo for the last few years and I’ve just put a band together, so this will be the first tour of mine with a band,” Greene says. “They’re from the south coast and are quite excited to be on tour. They’re real musicians; they’re all about playing rather than about the glitz and glamour; another inspiration.” Paul Greene will bring his karma to The Front in Lyneham on Sunday May 9 with Penny and The Mystics. His new album Everywhere is Home is out now.

METALISE Brutal hails and RIP Peter Steele of Carnivore. I’m sure more of you will know him from the other band, but Carnivore and their kooky Escape From New York meets Mad Max 2 post-apocalyptic themes will be my favourite Pete memory. (Mine, on the other hand, is Type O Negative’s Black No. 1; a killer track and a bit of a theme song for me - Ed.).

Overkill is celebrating 25 years with a world tour including three Australian shows in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney – with the Sydney leg being at The Metro on the Saturday September 25. With a classic thrash band on tour, it comes as no surprise that Mortal Sin will be the support for the whole tour and fittingly so. You can get tickets at redanttouring.com, Ticketek or metrotheatre.com.au

. I mentioned last time a number of Australian releases due out soon and the first cab off the rank is Five Star Prison Cell and their new album M.A.T.R.I.A.R.C.H due to hit stores on Tuesday May 18. They’ve announced a run of over 30 shows to support the release of the record and the Canberra leg of the tour lands at The Basement in Belconnen on Friday June 4. Alestorm’s Plunder Down Under Tour hits The Gaelic Theatre on Friday June 18 and the band have now announced Bane Of Isildur as the support. You can get your tickets at the Moshtix website. Pod People are at The Basement on Friday May 7 with the

awesome Sydney band Fattura Della Murte and I Exist. Fattura have parted ways with vocalist Benny and have recruited Bubsy, formerly of Sydney grind terrorists Ebolie, to fill in the lungsmith duties. I Exist have a new album entitled A Turn For The Worse that is supposedly due for release on the same day – check the band’s website for details on where you can pick it up. The following night, Saturday May 8, also at The Basement is the Welcome To Slavery show with a slew of delights in the form of Voltera, Sin City and Nobody Knew They Were Robots. Contrive have had a busy six months preparing the follow up to the Fredrick Nordstrom mixed effort The Meaning Unseen. The new album, also featuring celebrity mixing duties by Canadian sonic experimentalist Devin Townsend, is entitled The Internal Dialogue and is due out soon. You can see recording footage, hear previews and pre-order the album at contrive. bigcartel.com . Soundworks Touring have brought out a tonne of metal bands in recent years as well as handling the booking duties for Aussie heavyweights like Psycroptic. They’ve amassed a truckload of leftover tour merch and have a crazy run out sale to salivate over. If you didn’t have the cash to get shirts or posters on their recent tours hit this email up for a list – soundworkspromo@bigpond. com . Damn am I stinging I’m not joining half of Australia’s metal bands on tour in the states next month. Portal, Captain Cleanoff and Blood Duster are all touring! Captain Cleanoff has just completed work on a new split 7” for the tour with Melbourne uber grinders The Kill. Also in Captain Cleanoff news, long time bass player Anand is leaving the four string duties behind on the US tour, with Jason P.C. of Blood Duster stepping in to take his place. The transition has already begun with P.C. playing a show recently to test the waters. Anand will play the much vaunted Maryland Death Fest. JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com

THE REALNESS Great news first up is a column dedicated entirely to local releases this fortnight! Obese Records have just announced the signing of the Broken Tooth Entertainment label and its entire back catalogue for national distribution. One of Australia’s most loved hip-hop labels, Broken Tooth is home to the likes of Ciecmate, Newsense, Tornts, Bigfoot and Hospice and over the years has certainly built a rep as one of the hardest hitting hip-hop labels in the country. Joining the Obese family means that previous Broken Tooth releases will be available both online and in retail stores in the coming weeks, including all new and upcoming releases. Congrats to all involved in making this happen, great to see. Outta Sydney town, Undertow is due to drop his new record entitled Minds Believing on Monday May 10 through Timeless Lifestylez/ Foreign Dub Records. The album is executive produced by Dazed and hosts production from Dazed himself, Rob Hectik and Flawlezz. There are guest verses from a bunch of Sydney hip-hop legends – I’m taking the likes of Swarmy, Fame, Rinse, Dazed & Flawlezz and Boundary Pushers. Check out Undertow at www.myspace.com/undertowmc . Jumping down to Melbourne now and the long-awaited release from Maundz, whose debut LP Mr. Nobody drops on Friday May 7 with Obese distro. Having previously released two heralded 7”s through Mass MC’s Double Beef Records in 2005, the 24 year old has gained a strong following as one of the hip-hop scene’s best kept secrets through some dope guest LP spots and radio appearances over the past couple of years. Over 16 tracks, Maundz sets a ferocious pace over instrumentals from Vanderslice, Wizard, J-Squared, Methodz, WIK, B Wiv and Rob Shaker. Joining him on the mic is the vocal talent of Verbal Kent, Shawn Lov, Fluent Form, Briggs and Deece. Another big release for Melbourne in an already stellar year. ARIA nominated duo Spit Syndicate return to the table with their sophomore release Exile on Friday May 14 through Obese Records. Having spent the last little while touring and travelling overseas, it’s only natural that their second LP is inspired by both their travels and the confines of their hometown Sydney. The pair has again created a set of rich melodic tunes punctuated by both lyrical dexterity and vivid storytelling. Soundtracked predominately by Adit (Horrorshow), with other beats provided by M-Phazes, J-Squared and Cam Bluff – I’m really looking forward to hearing the full record. Nine High bredrin Fraksha and Scotty Hinds have just offered up free mix CDs respectively and both are 100% niceness. Fraksha’s It’s Just Bars is mixed by Affiks and features Diem Tornts, Byron, Brinks and many more. On the other hand, Scotty Hinds has unleashed P.O.V. which is mixed by Doc Felix. It features Nine High, Byron, Aires, Serocee and an appearance on the wheels of steel from ex-Canberran PaypaCutts (what up!). Check the Smashbrovaz video up online too. You can find links to download both releases on the OzHipHop.Com forums. Art Of War returned on Friday April 16 with their latest offering Cop It: Volume 3 – Supremacy. This release sees them team up with Canada’s Sin, as well as collaborating with big guns Lil Wayne, Styles P, Sheek Louch, Bizzy Bone and Mysonne. To top it off both Ciecmate and Newsense show up on the release and DJ Kilo supplies all the cuts on the release. To hear music from all these releases and more, tune to The Antidote on 2XX 98.3FM every Tues night from 9.30pm. Till next time… ROSHAMBO roshambizzle@yahoo.com.au

DOWN TO URTH katherine quinn The first thing I notice about URTHBOY is the way he talks. His voice is strangely devoid of the Aussie hip-hop accent, with its lilting rhythm and homogenised vowels. Still, it’s clear that he’s a wordsmith because he selects his words very carefully, often pausing for thought mid-sentence. An MC with Australian rap royalty The Herd, Urthboy released his second solo album, Spitshine, in August last year. He scored himself a nomination for the Australian Music Prize as a result, and due to popular demand he’s about to embark on his second tour for the album, The Sneakquel tour. “We wanted a new challenge and we wanted to make music that didn’t copy what was going on overseas, didn’t copy what was going on here, just tried to have its own identity,” Urthboy says of his new album. “I think everybody has some kind of I think that gift at communicating an idea, and I sometimes the think that sometimes the most potent messages come from the most potent weirdest places.” ges messa

come from the weirdest places

Spitshine certainly packs a punch, featuring Urthboy’s characteristic catchy beats and sophisticated linguistics, overlaid with what he calls a “colder veneer” than his 2007 album The Signal. With guest appearances from artists such as Lior, Solo from Horrorshow and long-time collaborator Jane Tyrrell, Urthboy’s sophomore album is mature and impressively diverse. The man himself has anything but a cold veneer, however, playfully ribbing me for asking an unintelligible question and regurgitating it back to me in a jumble of indecipherable sounds. It’s clear that he doesn’t take himself too seriously, either; when I enquire as to the origins of his stage name, he immediately responds, “oh boring, boring, boring story. It’s seriously the most boring story in history. Instead of Never Ending Story it’s just never-ending boredom,” before finally revealing that it’s derived from a Hotmail email account he created when he was a teenager. “I probably even wrote ‘Urthboy’ spelling it properly and somebody already had it, I can’t remember!” he confesses. Intrigued by its absence, I enquire about the Aussie hip-hop accent and he laughingly insists I give him “an example” by talking like a rapper before he will answer the question (listening to the recording is MORTIFYING). “It’s a cultural thing in some respects,” he says. “You listen to hip-hop music and you follow all the people that are involved in it and the slang, and it becomes something that creeps its way into the way you talk sometimes,” and funnily enough, the undulating hip-hop rhythms have indeed edged into his voice as he answers. “There’s no well-trodden path for hip-hop overseas,” Urthboy says, when I ask what the future holds for this uniquely Australian genre. “We’re doing something that’s very untraditional and unconventional, so the challenge is much greater for us. It’s much more daunting, but much more exciting.” Well, you can say that again sir, in whatever accent you like! Urthboy will play a show at the ANU Bar on Friday May 14. Tickets through Oztix and Ticketek.

the word

BLACKBOX

on games Bioshock 2 Developer: 2K Publisher: 2K Length: 8hrs Rating: Definitely borrow Style: First person shooter Platform: PC, 360, PS3 Bioshock 2 is, as the cover loudly proclaims, the follow up to 2007’s Game of The Year and as such has some mighty shoes to fill. The first game did nothing truly innovative with the FPS genre, but its unique mix of gunplay, storyline and steampunk-inspired environment gave it the kind of street cred that MC Marky Mark always dreamed of. Just as in the first game, Bioshock 2 takes place in Rapture – a dystopian underwater society that has been torn apart by its citizens, who have essentially become violent crack addicts due to their reliance on a gene-mutating goo called Adam. Adam gives the user a variety of spectacular powers including the ability to electrocute, throw fire and to become invisible, but unfortunately also causes the user to eventually go insane. As such, each citizen has the unfortunate tendency to blindly attack anyone whilst spouting nonsense and throwing fireballs. It is into this eccentric hell that the player is thrust, immediately finding out that he is now one of the Big Daddys from the previous game with the intriguing code name Subject Delta. You spend the game trying to piece together who you are whilst applying your own brand of justice (hint: it involves a shotgun and fireballs) to the Adam-crazed citizens. Machine guns, grenade launchers and spearguns are just a part of the staple arsenal that will become available to you throughout the game, and plasmids allow the player to burn, shock, sting and freeze their enemies, just to name a few juicy possibilities. The weaponry isn’t revolutionary and for the most part is taken directly from the original Bioshock. This might disappoint some players who like to fire bizarre alien weapons that bend time and space, but the old adage applies well – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The original Bioshock copped some criticism for an overly simplistic good/evil mechanic that eventually only decided what movie was played at the end of the game. In Bioshock 2 the storyline is again a heartwarming romp through basic morality, but now the twist is that Darth Vader is actually your father (oh noes!). Really though, this time around the good/evil thing is done in a much more interesting fashion; it’s more than deciding whether to harvest or help the little sisters and the result is more than just a video at the end of the game. Just like the original, you can love this game for its immersive storyline, lush visuals, fully contextualised environment or for the sheer joy of setting an enemy on fire, watching them run to water, then electrocuting the water. Gold. If you are looking for innovation on the last game, it probably isn’t here, but if you liked Bioshock, then this is a must buy. Peter Davis

Get your tiaras and garish costumes ready, dig out the ‘70s recipe book, open a bottle of sparkling and gather your friends – it’s time for Eurovision (SBS, Sun May 30, TBC). There are three essential ingredients for a successful Eurovision viewing party – a camp retro vibe, culturally appropriate food (usually involving toothpicks with flags) and a sweep (which needs to be drawn before Tuesday May 25 when the semis start – damn interweb). This year’s event is in Oslo, Norway, so perhaps some traditional Norwegian delicacies (most of which seem to involve salmon) or a broader Scandinavian experience (fondue perhaps) might be in order. At the very least make it as retro as possible. Chez Blackbox is also salivating with anticipation for Psychoville (ABC1, Wed May 5, 9.30pm), the new black comedy from the makers of The League of Gentlemen. Starring Dawn French, Jason Tompkins and creators Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, the gothic series is old school British comedy mixed with a touch of Alfred Hitchcock. The BAFTA winning show will have you glued to the edge of your couch and will undoubtedly hold its own on the DVD shelf once the series is released. Diehard fans of MTV cult classic cartoon Daria will be happy to know that while it hasn’t showed up on the box for a while, the complete series is finally being released on DVD on Tuesday May 11 after more than a decade. Those too young to remember it but who love a sardonic wit should order it now. Blackbox is tossing out the VHS copies as we speak. Auntie has thrown up some great movie seasons on ABC2 but the latest is the best – The Clint Eastwood Season (ABC2, Sat, 8.30pm) features classics such as Coogan’s Bluff (Sat May 1), Two Mules for Sister Sarah (Sat May 8) and Play Misty for Me (Sat May 15). If you’re planning a night out, press record – sugary drinks, salty snacks, a couch and Clint make for a good hangover cure. Docos to look out for include Wild Things (SBS1, Fri May 7, 8.05pm) which tells the story of a group of children raised collectively in a commune with one surname, Compass: The Trials of Galileo (ABC1, Sun May 9, 10.10pm) which looks at the event that pitted science and religion against each other long before some Americans sought to have creationism taught in schools, Annie Leibovitz: Life through a Lens (ABC2, Sun May 2, 7.30pm) and Close Up: Photographers at work: Portraits (ABC2, Sun May 9, 8.15pm). Two highlights with a musical flavour – the new series of triple j TV Presents (ABC2, Mon May 3, 11pm) starts with indie darlings Phoenix and I Rock (ABC2, May 3, 9pm), the Australian dramedy following the antics of a rock band kicks off this week. Other new or returning shows include new South Park (SBS1, Mon May 3, 10pm), Dog Squad (Prime, Wed, 7.30pm) which follows police, prison and airport dogs, new Family Guy (Prime, Thu Apr 29, 10.30pm) and Ax Men (SCTEN, Sat May 8, 2pm) which follows extreme loggers. Don’t miss Dr Who (ABC1, Sun May 2, 7.30pm) – the daleks and Winston Churchill, or the excellent new Aussie doco, Voyage to Planets (ABC1, Thu May 13, 8.30pm). Blackbox question of the week: why are the networks keen to rerun the movie Serenity at every opportunity but not replay the brilliant Firefly series? TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyheffernan@bigpond.com

the word

on albums

album of the week british india avalanche [shock]

British India’s identification and frustration with disaffected youth comes through loud and true in Avalanche. A call to arms – scattering riffs and vocals listless then urgent – you’ve no option but to raise your ears at this reflection of modern alienation and disgruntled ambivalence. These are songs of love unattainable beyond windshields of muted uncertainty, yet they reveal the cage of social construct suffocating a wasteland of youth. Frontman Declan Melia urges expression of desire with proverbial brick, yet he’s afflicted with the same disease – an enraged empathy pervades. Vanilla licks with violent jealousy of unrequited love, screaming in the anguish of discarded hope. Beneath the Satellites aches for an escape to a new experience, and recognises the transience and inherent futility in the attempt. Reminded how amazing an age it is, Melia’s response – “then why do I feel like I’m missing out” – really says it all. Ironically, such an accurate expression of a generation in isolated turmoil actually stands in solidarity and sounds a cry to the confused and aggravated at an inexplicable existence. Avalanche pleads with us to not let a maze of cold pavements steal away our hope and passion. ADRIAN THREADGOULD

Calling All Cars Hold, Hold, Fire [Shock]

JAYTECH & JAMES GRANT Anjunadeep:02 [Anjunadeep/Onelove]

Liars Sisterworld [Mute Records]

It may have been because they were supporting masters of tedium Cog when I saw them live, but I really had CAC down as being something a little more unusual than the usual workaday modern Australian rock outfit.

Trance trio Above & Beyond were recently in Australia headlining their very own stage at Future Music Festival, and over the past decade they’ve changed the face of trance with their winning Anjunabeats label. Lately though, attention has been turning to its house-based offshoot Anjunadeep – which has been responsible for some of the most sublime dance music you’re likely to hear. Deep, progressive grooves laced with gorgeous trancey melodies are the order of the day and for those already acquainted with the label’s output, the idea of a new double-disc compilation of mostly fresh material is almost too good to be true.

liar

In the live arena they make a hell of a lot of racket for a ‘mere’ three-piece, and their dynamism made them a far more compelling proposition than the headliners that night at the Hellenic Club... all of which makes Hold, Hold, Fire something of a disappointment. It’s not bad, but the transition from all guns blazing live outrage to the more polite, measured confines of the recording studio has left the band at something of a disadvantage. Opener Disconnect suggests we may be in for a ride of exciting proportions, but the band can’t quite back up this early promise and in fact it’s not until final track Little Red Hands that you really get a glimpse of what this mob are actually capable of. In between those twin peaks it’s all a little safe, all a little samey and all a bit commercial radio friendly. The title track blusters a bit but never quite breaks the shackles, This Ship Will Sail Without You almost makes the grade but doesn’t quite... are you getting the picture? Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot to like about CAC - so maybe next time? SCOTT ADAMS

Above & Beyond took the reigns on last year’s debut compilation, but this time they’ve handed them over to A&R head James Grant along with Canberra wonderboy Jaytech. The duo’s own fine work features heavily here, but they’re joined by an all-star cast of progressive house talent that includes Jodi Wisternoff, Oliver Smith, Paul Keeley and 16 Bit Lolitas. While the original basically tied together the label’s existing back catalogue in a package that was wanting for flow, the sequel lives up to the stunning standard of the label itself. James Grant’s deeper selections have the edge over Jaytech’s more euphoric and tranced-up offerings; overall though there’s an outstanding collection of tunes across the two discs. It’s brimming over with warmth, melody and sophistication, meaning Anjunadeep:02 is about as close to electronic perfection as you can get. ANGUS PATERSON

n a person who has lied or lies repeatedly a band from New York, consisting of (according to Wikipedia philipino born, but he’s actually from Australia) Angus Andrew, Aaron Hemphill and Julian Gross. ...and continuing from that a band who have released some of the greatest tracks over the past decade. However, for every brilliant song they have created have written three fold the amount of utter tripe. I can happily listen to Drums Not Dead until the cows come home. But there comes a point in anyone’s life where you need to draw a line. This band strives on being left to their element and struggling on their own intrapersonal issues. Their self titled album was half decent but suffered the regular mainstream production values that you see from most bands. “Hey guys, you’re really different and real. We want you to sign to a four album record deal and in the process make money from you and drag you away from the art you choose to make”. It’s sadly a common event. Artistic merit is only made up by the soulless bastards who exploits you. But I digress... Sisterworld resonates much in the same way that self-titled does. The band has experimented and is going to use that as an advantage. Hmm, two minute psuedo-pop songs deciphered in the Liars way. Well who is lying to who? Liars have had their fun and now have a recipe. LACHLAN SHIELDS

singled out

with Dave Ruby Howe

shout out louds work [dew process] The cover artwork for Shout Out Louds’ previous albums Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, and Our Ill Wills, although poles apart in style, were immersive and contemplative, nodding suggestively at the sugarsweet, yet often complex indiepop gems that were contained therein. The cover artwork for Work, however, shows the group in black and white, instruments in hand, staring deadly at the camera. A touch narcissistic, it also creates a moment of awkward tension for the listener, who wanders who has stolen the warmth from the eyes of these gorgeous Swedish folk. And that’s how much of Work feels compared to their previous…um, work. It’s recognisable as Shout Out Louds and, even for a group of such slender age plugging away at their third release, shows them confident and uncannily able to evoke in the listener, at points, the angst of the depths of their heart. Their penchant for Cure-like refrains and ‘80s postpunk structures is as strong and polished as ever, but Adam Olenius’ vocals sound hollow and vacant. Even the title, Work, hints at the banality of routine, as though the group is going through the motions, rather than (ironically enough), working hard to dig deep and really exhume the feelings and emotions which gave their pop licks such heart and soul. The album is certainly no back-step, but for those who saw in them greater potential, will be a little disappointing. ben hermann

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra Kollaps Tradixionales [Constellation] Surely one of the most unsafe MS Word spell check bands in existence, Silver Mt. Zion continue to confound, frustrate, delight and amaze in equal measure. For every passage of visceral, eye-popping, locked-in groove volcanic momentum there’s another of middling, directionless distraction. Never a band to structure ‘songs’ in the traditional sense, the Montreal based collective have pushed their sonic palate immeasurably towards the exhilarative ‘angry-crunch’ idiom since their quasi found-sound beginnings as a Godspeed You Black Emperor side project. Always an acquired taste, Efrim Memuck’s vocals have found a natural cadence vacillating between agit-prop chant, aggravated sneer and disillusioned waft. As usual it’s the longer pieces that reward the most; There Is A Light is one of the band’s finest, a slowgrinding organ and viola gypsy dirge gradually giving in to a cataclysmic sub-terrarium fireball of crunching hard-rock intensity. As is normally the case, Sophie Trudeau’s violin colours every key passage with understated tenderness or vicious, vibratoladen fury. Silver Mt. Zion have yet to make their unified masterpiece, and Kollaps falls over (oh dear) in places struggling to find a memorable melody or rhythm, but really that’s an uncharitable complaint; they’re not a pop band and those moments are rare and pass easily. Screw it – Album of the Year. JUSTIN HOOK

Various Afro-Rock Volume One [Strut Records] I recently experienced a quiet night at Hippo Bar where an acoustic two-piece played lilting tunes which kept everyone firmly in their seats. This was disappointing, as our group happened to include several beautiful females, and some solid beat-action from the sound system would have helped things along nicely. In fact, this collection of deliciously infectious Afrobeat would have had people scrambling over each other to bring about sweet sensual stuff on the dance floor. This music often features strong political content attached to highly desirable arrangements, and there is something joyous about the coming together of voices, horns and guitar under the starry night of soul enriching rhythms, that will make listeners feel better about the world and all the unfortunate things that happen in it. This compilation of Fela Kuti inspired African funk focuses on the mid to late 1970s which turned out to be a particularly fertile period. It is, in fact, a re-issue of a Korma Records compilation from 2001 on the always dependable Strut label, and originally appeared at a time when compilations of this nature were few and far between. And in terms of geography, much ground is covered including places like Kenya and Zaire, where the Afro funk influence from Nigeria - the mother lode state - had spread with great success. All 12 tracks are winners with killer rhythms that get those juices flowing right over. dan bigna

Big Boi - Shutterbug [def jam] Who needs a new Outkast album when we’ve got goodies like this? Big Boi is furiously fast on the mic whilst Scott Storch rocks his best production in years. It won’t make a dent over here but it bloody well should.

Crystal Castles Celestica [Shock] After an agonising studio break, Canada’s chiptune doom squad Crystal Castles return to the fray with what could be their most layered, thoughtful single yet. Celestica still has that classic Crystal Castles feel of 8-bit flourishes and effects overload, but here it’s kind of all restrained and more considerate. Especially with Alice’s actually sung vocals. Don’t expect them to stick with this for long but it’s great while it lasts.

Miami Horror Moon Theory [EMI] This could essentially be a whole new act because it’s a bold departure from the glitzy electro fun of early Miami Horror, instead embracing some Australian strain of the widescreen synth-pop virus. That includes acoustic guitars and atmospheric sweeps. And at this stage I think that’s a good thing.

Uffie - ADD SUV ft. Pharrell [Ed Banger] The good: Mirwais’ futuristic and funky production and Pharrell’s verse is surprisingly tight. The bad: Uffie. What happened to this girl? I know Ke$ha swiped her style but she just sounds totally neutered on this.

the word

on films

WITH MARK RUSSELL

What happened to you John Cusack? You were in Grosse Pointe Blank, and High Fidelity - High Fidelity man! These are two of the most effortlessly cool films ever, and now you’re just a douche for hire. I gave you a pass for Must Love Dogs. “Everyone needs a paycheck,” was my thinking. Then you made 2012 and I got all parental : “I’m not angry with you, I’m just disappointed”. But with Hot Tub Time Machine you’re on your own. You’ll get no love from me. Go do the next Miley Cyrus movie for all I care, join Greg Kinnear’s shame spiral.

quote of the issue

“You and I are the same. We’ve only got each other. I’m your mother.” Mother (HyeJa Kim)

mother

harry brown

hot tub time machine

Just to give you some context – I LOVE director Joon-Ho Bong’s 2006 creature feature The Host. I’m also a big fan of his earlier film Memories of Murder. As such I’ve been waiting for Mother since I first heard whisperings of its imminent arrival. Did it live up to the hype? Hmmm, not quite.

On first inspection, Harry Brown presents itself as the British equivalent of Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino. Ex-military pensioner protagonist? Check. Disillusioned at the surrounding neighbourhood? Check. Spurned into vigilante action by a shocking event close to home? Check.

“What, the fuck, did you expect?” I hear you yell. “Better.” I feebly respond.

As far as filmmaking goes, it gets almost every element down pat. It looks superb – utilising the ultra-slick, rich visuals common to Joon-Ho’s earlier efforts. The winding pathways of the ramshackle village mesh well with the open-field landscapes and haunting woods. The central performance is beyond words. Hye-Ja Kim’s turn as the Mother of Yoon Do-Joon (Bin Won) a mentally-disabled man accused of murder; runs the full gamut of character and emotion. The merest flicker of her eyes speaks volumes, while her screams and wails contain a subtlety and nuance that’s completely captivating.

Being British, you can expect Harry Brown to be grimmer than its American counterpart, and to be well acted and well shot. Check on all three counts again. What you don’t expect is for their characters to be underdeveloped and largely two-dimensional, thus robbing the film of its potential full impact. Gran Torino succeeds because Eastwood’s Walt Kowlaski and the situation around him is what lecturers would refer to as ‘complicated’; war has made him racist, and he struggles to come to terms with living with good people of an ethnicity he’s been trained to hate. Caine’s Harry Brown is a good character played in typically beautiful fashion by Caine, but he’s too good, and his enemies are too horrid. The always excellent Sean Harris (you may remember him from his wonderful turn as troubled Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis in 24 Hour Party People) is almost comical as the utterly depraved dealer Stretch, and director Daniel Barber and actor Ben Drew have done well in creating one of the vilest antagonists put to recent cinema in Noel Winters. While this would make for an excellent action film villain, here it robs a sociocharacter piece such as Harry Brown from the tragedy writer Gary Young and Barber could have achieved with more rounded characters. In the end, we have a valiant effort that falls short of truly powerful revenge cinema.

The problems, unfortunately, are in the story and pacing. Mother spends too much of the time pleading with other characters – cops, Do-Joon’s friend Jin-Tae (Goo Jin) – to fix the situation for her. It’s only once Jin-Tae tells her to take matters into her own hands that the film really gets going; and by this time we’ve lost half the running time. Mother is still a great watch. The opening scenes are extraordinary, and the shot construction is as interesting and innovative as you’ll see in modern cinema. It’s just not as entertaining as I would have liked. But maybe it just needed a mutated river monster?

mark russell

allan sko

Four guys get in a hot tub and are transported back to the eighties with a chance to fix their disappointing lives. It sounded so terrible I could only assume it would be brilliant. It’s not. It’s a film about four guys who get in a hot tub and are transported back to the eighties with a chance to fix their disappointing lives. Honestly, I blame Judd Apatow for my naivete. The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up convinced me that terrible concepts could be done brilliantly. But not here. I’m sure I won’t be the only one to point out the irony that this sort of concept could only be truly popular in the eighties. But then it would have been done by John Hughes and would have had heart, instead of this long string of laughless set-pieces using liberal helpings of profanity and gross-out humour to hide their lack of substance. Sure, it tries a tongue-in-cheek approach, hoping we’ll run with the gag without explanation. But in these hands the wink and the nod comes off more as a mockTourette’s-twitch. At one point, John Cusack actually utters the words: “Three days ago, or 20 years depending on how you judge the space/ time continuum, you would have been the last people I’d want to sit down with.” We’re right there with you, John. Maybe we all needed a time-travel experience to give us a perspective where we could enjoy this shit. mark russell

the word on dvds

The Big Bang Theory S2 [Warner Home Video]

TWILIGHT: new moon [sony pictures]

invictus [warner home video]

The first season of The Big Bang Theory was a surprise runaway success. Coming from the same writing team as Two and A Half Men, expectations were guarded, but when it first aired nearly four years ago there was a peculiar simplicity about it; a standard multi-camera, scripted situational comedy in the strictest sense. It didn’t have that interested insidery hipster irony a la 30 Rock, deadpan uncomfortableness as seen in The Office or incessant juvenile vulgarity of its stablemate. Its closest natural bedfellow would be the increasingly diabolical How I Met Your Mother. But where the latter has stretched a once-unique concept thinner than a crepe l’orange, Big Bang has settled into a neat groove with a group of characters easy enough to care about, just the right side of one-dimensional being propelled through storylines with ungainly, awkward humour.

New Moon, the second filmic instalment of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series, is a lifeless film. Directed by Chris Weitz, New Moon continues the story of the supposedly tragic romance between Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), a 17-year-old with no personality, and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), an eternally 17-year-old with no pulse. Edward realises that dating a vampire might negatively impact on Bella’s health and longevity, so they break up and Edward leaves town. Bella sinks into a deep depression, but finds herself drawn to her super-buff best friend Jacob (Taylor Lautner), the only person who makes her feel alive. Jacob, however, is going through some changes – he’s a werewolf – and so Bella finds herself in the middle of a supernatural love triangle. Throw in some suicide plans and evil vampires, and you have yourself a plotline. New Moon is as much about wish fulfilment for teenage girls as ever, and unsurprisingly as anti-feminist as its predecessor. Bella can only feel alive when she has a man, and her favourite pastime is cooking dinner for her father. Meyer’s religious beliefs are still apparent: abstinence is sexy, and teen marriage a-okay. Aside from the dubious male dependency message, the film is also technically inept, with strained dialogue and stilted direction. The teen leads – good-looking, sure – also cannot do justice to the pain they are supposed to be feeling. Or, er, to any emotion, really. The special features are also disappointing. At least, I expect that one would be disappointed, if one were a fan. With one (1!) special feature – a “Team Edward or Team Jacob” featurette that splices together footage of fans on the street screaming either character’s name incoherently – I cannot imagine what might induce someone to fork out money for this DVD. New Moon sucks – pun definitely intended.

We knew Morgan Freeman would end up playing Nelson Mandela, but as the years passed, an aging Freeman meant that Mandela’s latter years would be the focus. But Invictus isn’t a Mandela biography. South Africa’s most famous revolutionary prisoner cum Springbok-loving President is presented here as the driving force behind a euphemistically ‘rainbow’ acceptance of the national rugby union team. The political tinderbox prison years are dealt in flashbacks with his newly minted freedom and subsequent election represented in brief introductory scenes that look hastily edited. After that it’s all football, all the time. Despite being universally loathed by the black population because the white Afrikaners love them, Mandela figured the national rugby union team – the Springboks –represented some sort of crude reconciliation talisman, so he promptly invites the underperforming team’s captain Francois Pianeer (a suitably barrel-chested and slippery-accented Matt Damon) to a private defrag. After which Pianeer realises he should steer his team to an unlikely World Cup victory later that year. It’s that simple, see. Pianeer’s teammates resent being the unwilling poster boys of Mandela’s fresh start, but eventually acquiesce. Sure, the still seething racial divisions of the post-apartheid era have been smoothed over – but c’mon, this is a story of sport triumphing over racial hatred. Credit to director Clint Eastwood; the ruggers scenes are tightly shot, amply reflecting the beauty and brutality of union with little concession to the international audience who would barely understand the game. But Eastwood has constructed a film where technical expertise is immaterial because Invictus is a simple story of acceptance prevailing over division; a theme the aging director is devoting an increasing amount of time to in the final act of his brilliant career.

melissa wellham

JUSTIN HOOK

This time around there is a more natural and cohesive interaction between the main actors. Of particular note is Simon Heldberg as the miss-firing, still-livingat-home ladies man Howard Wolowitz; in a show built on rapid fire boom-boom one-liners and stilted geek humour Heldberg increasingly stands out and challenges Jim Parson’s portrayal of bean-pole nerd Sheldon Cooper as the energetic focus of the show. Unusually it’s the nominal ‘star’ of the show Johnny Galecki who falls short of the mark more often than not, being surrounded by scene stopping performances he seems weak and insipid rather than calm and collected, particularly so when his fellow Roseanne alum Sarah Gilbert guest stars alongside him. Viewership has almost doubled since the show’s debut and whilst ratings don’t necessarily or easily equate to quality, in this case the numbers stack up for a reason. Within its self-imposed limitations The Big Bang Theory is undemanding, quirky and satisfying. justin hook

the word

Voss/Cascadeer/Epithets Transit Bar Thursday April 8

on gigs

As we were redirected through the back entrance of Transit, down a flight of stairs and straight into the pool area, I couldn’t help but think of the same roots that lead me to meet the lead protagonist of one of the bands I was about to see. It was to be a return to the Canberra stage with family, friends and usual scene in tow, this time with the exception of calling Brisbane home. The Blind Llamas. Many years ago a friend of mine dropped an EP in my lap. It happened to be that of his brother’s band. Fairly far removed from the pretentious art-rock music I was listening to at the time, I was attracted to their ridiculous name and catchy punk tunes. At that point I was well aware that my friend’s brother, Cascadeer lead vocalist Kieran Ryan, was capable of writing amazing songs but what I was to see this night was delivered well and truly above target. I arrived just in time. After speaking with security as to why the front door was closed (insert rant about sound complaints, a certain exgovernment building and its subsequent and feeble attempts to kill Canberra’s music scene – don’t worry, we will prevail) I walked down to see Cascadeer take to the stage with excessive cheers from the crowd. Their music was the opposite side of the same coin to the band with which they were touring; Canberra’s very own Voss. Enter into a crucible of country, folk, indie and fine storytelling. With at least two members juggling instruments during songs, the audience were given a bouquet of sounds to feast on. Including a banjo. I hate banjos. It probably has something to do with the trauma caused by watching Deliverance when I was 12. Thanks Dad. But Cascadeer managed to not only remove some of this stigma but also show me that this wasn’t an instrument just played by six-fingered hicks in Queensland, erm, I mean Hicks-ville, Georgia. Rather sadly for the audience, they departed the stage. Next was Voss. They need no introduction. If you haven’t seen them then you either have a really good excuse or alternatively need to be lined up along a ditch and promptly shot. No exceptions to this. I was once on a plane to Melbourne with a young chap who asked me what it was like to live here. He was down to see some family and found it incredibly boring in comparison. I said that it was somewhere between musical chairs and Sodom and Gomorrah; it’s fun while the music lasts but you don’t want to be there when it stops. When Toast sadly ended it felt like God was ready to smite our sorry arses for the sins we’d committed and be even happier to do again. The delightful miscreants no longer had shelter and were forced onto the lonely streets. There was no meeting ground for bands of long lost genres who found solace in their joint attempts to just make music for the sake of doing so. But Voss represents what is good about Canberra. Talented musicians banding together to write damn fine music without the pretence of what ever scene is around them.

PHOTOS: ELIYA COHEN

Upon leaving Transit, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of getting back to my roots. Whether that be Australian or my own Canberran experience. What I had seen from both bands was a return to a refined simplicity. No bullshit. A night that did not hype itself or attempt to fake its authenticity, but delivered a solid dose of (as Garth would say) “Live in the Now.” LACHLAN SHIELDS

GIG GUIDE April 28 - May 2 wednesday april 28 arts Musk

Collection of photographs of the extraordinary beauty of ordinary men. ‘Til May 15.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Temple Twenty Ten

Santo Miguel’s extensive collection of celstial weaponry among other celestial things. ‘Til April 29

THE QUEANBEYAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

Other Side of Art

thursday april 29 arts Arc: Rashomon (1950, M)

2pm.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Grand Canon (Ken and the Beach Idols Series)

Beats serve chilled.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Triple X Bitter

Exhibition by Eric Bridgeman

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Stationery

An exhibition by Adam Veikkanen. ‘Til May 2.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE - MANUKA

Live The Bedroom Philosopher

Off the back of hit JJJ single Northcote (So Hungover). You’d be stark raving to miss this. 8pm. THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Winchester

With Girl Sized Hands and Ah! Pandita. Free.

Strangeways DJs. TRANSIT BAR

Something Different Trivia / $5 Night TRANSIT BAR

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

With Big Score.

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

Purple Sneakers

Featuring Princi, M.I.T. and Fidel Maestro, Toki Doki, Celebrity Sex Tape and more. Free! TRANSIT BAR

Foreplay Fridays

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

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Frank Madrid

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

THE PHOENIX PUB

Indentical Strangers HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON

Chemical Transport

With Retraspec and Atlantis Awaits. Tix through Moshtix and Landspeed. TUGGERANONG YOUTH CENTRE

Soctor Deuss

It has harmonies! It has morals! It has more rhymes than you can shake a Lorax at! 8pm, $5. THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Deep Purple

With special guests Electric Mary. Tix through Ticketek.

Live

Friday night madness.

Domus Adultus

Live

THE PHOENIX PUB

Bill Jackson & the Acoustic Orchestra

arts

THE MERRY MUSE

On a Wing and a Prayer. Book now 6275 2700.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Alice Cottee, Genevieve and the Assumptions. 9pm, free.

Open Mic Night POT BELLY BAR

Cherie

P J O’REILLY’S, CIVIC

Jazz, shuffle and rhythm and blues from Melbourne town. 8pm.

saturday may 1

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

dance

Something Different

Jemist

Karaoke

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

friday april 30 arts Moon Over Buffalo

Silky smooth party panache. KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Candy Cube

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

Vinyl Only

Buick, Goldfinger, MGO, Saad, and more straight on wax. TRANSIT BAR

Warehouse Winter Music Festival

Everything that could go wrong does, and knowing it could happen, makes it even better. ‘Til May 15.

Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77 and a truck load more world-class dance acts. Tix through Ticketek.

Desert Links

Warehouse Afterparty

CANBERRA REPERTORY

An exhibition of paintings and soft sculpture. Opening at 5.30pm.

ROYAL THEATRE

sunday may 2

Supported by Badja River Quartet. 6.30pm, $17/$14/$12.

The Snappers

The Red Shore

TUGGERANONG YOUTH CENTRE

Matt Dent Band

Nathan Frost

THE PHOENIX PUB

With The Abandonment and Forgiven Rival.

Dance

BAR 32

Dance

Latin Flavour

COURTYARD STUDIO, CTC

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Privacy, celebrity and women’s rights in emerging liberal and modern Japan. 7pm.

Live Musical wunderkinds The Griffyn Ensemble performing music from Spain, Catalonia, Chile, Uruguay.

Scandal (1950, 18+)

Tom and Mario

Exhibition by Erik Krebs-Schade. Opening 6pm.

Produced by those bastions of the Can scene, Free Rain Theatre. ‘Til May 16. 6275 2700 for details.

REV

A major survey of 3 decades of works by important urban Indigenous artist Trevor Nickolls. ‘Til May 23 DRILL HALL GALLERY, ANU

The Importance of Being Earnest

ais arena

With The Bingo Players and Lifelike. ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Fiona O’Loughlin

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Dance Cube Sunday

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

Live The Bridge Between

Sunday blues session. 3-6pm. CANBERRA YACHT CLUB

Brass’ere

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

Chasing Rabbits

Passionate, humorous pop crotchet broken beats, crazed thoughts and more. 8pm, $10. THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Confession

With Lover’s Grave, Thy Art Is Murder and Wish For Wings. Tix through Moshtix. THE JAM FACTORY

CHAPMAN GALLERY

Traverse Poetry Slam: HUNGER Hunger themed poetry slam! 7.30pm. www.traversepoetry.org . THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

GIG GUIDE May 3 - May 12 wednesday april 28 arts Musk

Collection of photographs of the extraordinary beauty of ordinary men. ‘Til May 15.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Temple Twenty Ten

Santo Miguel’s extensive collection of celstial weaponry among other celestial things. ‘Til April 29

THE QUEANBEYAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

Other Side of Art

thursday april 29 arts Arc: Rashomon (1950, M)

2pm.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Grand Canon (Ken and the Beach Idols Series)

Beats serve chilled.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Triple X Bitter

Exhibition by Eric Bridgeman

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Stationery

An exhibition by Adam Veikkanen. ‘Til May 2.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE - MANUKA

Live The Bedroom Philosopher

Off the back of hit JJJ single Northcote (So Hungover). You’d be stark raving to miss this. 8pm. THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Winchester

With Girl Sized Hands and Ah! Pandita. Free.

Strangeways DJs. TRANSIT BAR

Something Different Trivia / $5 Night TRANSIT BAR

With Big Score.

Your weekly Big Night Out with DJs playing rock, indie, alternative, punk and dance. 9-way late. Featuring Princi, M.I.T. and Fidel Maestro, Toki Doki, Celebrity Sex Tape and more. Free!

HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON

Chemical Transport

Soctor Deuss

It has harmonies! It has morals! It has more rhymes than you can shake a Lorax at! 8pm, $5.

Foreplay Fridays

Frank Madrid

Indentical Strangers

TUGGERANONG YOUTH CENTRE

TRANSIT BAR

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

THE PHOENIX PUB

With Retraspec and Atlantis Awaits. Tix through Moshtix and Landspeed.

Purple Sneakers

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

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Deep Purple

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

With special guests Electric Mary. Tix through Ticketek.

Live

Friday night madness.

Domus Adultus

Live

THE PHOENIX PUB

Bill Jackson & the Acoustic Orchestra

arts

THE MERRY MUSE

On a Wing and a Prayer. Book now 6275 2700.

ROYAL THEATRE

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Alice Cottee, Genevieve and the Assumptions. 9pm, free.

Open Mic Night POT BELLY BAR

Cherie

P J O’REILLY’S, CIVIC

Jazz, shuffle and rhythm and blues from Melbourne town. 8pm.

sunday may 2

Supported by Badja River Quartet. 6.30pm, $17/$14/$12.

The Snappers

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Something Different

Jemist

Karaoke

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

friday april 30 arts

Fiona O’Loughlin

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

saturday may 1 dance

The Red Shore

TUGGERANONG YOUTH CENTRE

Matt Dent Band

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Nathan Frost

THE PHOENIX PUB

With The Abandonment and Forgiven Rival.

Dance

BAR 32

Tom and Mario

Exhibition by Erik Krebs-Schade. Opening 6pm.

COURTYARD STUDIO, CTC

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Dance

Latin Flavour

Musical wunderkinds The Griffyn Ensemble performing music from Spain, Catalonia, Chile, Uruguay.

Scandal (1950, 18+)

Privacy, celebrity and women’s rights in emerging liberal and modern Japan. 7pm.

Live

Produced by those bastions of the Can scene, Free Rain Theatre. ‘Til May 16. 6275 2700 for details.

REV

A major survey of 3 decades of works by important urban Indigenous artist Trevor Nickolls. ‘Til May 23 DRILL HALL GALLERY, ANU

The Importance of Being Earnest

Dance Cube Sunday

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

Silky smooth party panache.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Candy Cube

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

Buick, Goldfinger, MGO, Saad, and more straight on wax. TRANSIT BAR

Moon Over Buffalo

CANBERRA REPERTORY

ais arena

Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77 and a truck load more world-class dance acts. Tix through Ticketek.

Desert Links

Warehouse Afterparty

With The Bingo Players and Lifelike. ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Sunday blues session. 3-6pm.

Brass’ere

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

Chasing Rabbits

Everything that could go wrong does, and knowing it could happen, makes it even better. ‘Til May 15. An exhibition of paintings and soft sculpture. Opening at 5.30pm.

The Bridge Between CANBERRA YACHT CLUB

Vinyl Only

Warehouse Winter Music Festival

Live

Passionate, humorous pop crotchet broken beats, crazed thoughts and more. 8pm, $10. THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Confession

With Lover’s Grave, Thy Art Is Murder and Wish For Wings. Tix through Moshtix. THE JAM FACTORY

CHAPMAN GALLERY

Traverse Poetry Slam: HUNGER Hunger themed poetry slam! 7.30pm. www.traversepoetry.org . THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

OUT MAY 12

ALL OUR FRIENDS FELIX DA HOUSECAT DJ NABOO TIM ROGERS …AND MORE

FIRST CONTACT SIDE A: BMA band profile

The Love Recession Where did your band name come from? ‘The Love Recession’ was dreamt up amid the global turmoil of the global financial crisis which was a tough time for the globe. Group members: Will Johns (guitars and vox), Steve Paillas (guitars and vox), Jeremy Sung (keys and violin), Brad Cheers (bass) and Dave Landauer (drums). Describe your sound: TLR uses denim-squeezing folk rock to tell stories about love, loss and places we’ve never been to. The songs vary from soft to loud, neat to anarchic, serious to absurd, but always with the howl of the heartbroken and a healthy dose of harmony. Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? The band dabbles in folk, blues, country, rock and pop traditions. Our biggest influences are the narrative songwriting greats such as Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen, as well as Aussie bands like Augie March, Midnight Oil and The Simpletons. What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing? After playing a gig one day our bass player got hit with the question, “you have nice calves, do you blade?” What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far? Holding a steady band lineup for more than three months. What are your plans for the future? Convincing a global corporation (or TV hospital drama) it wants to buy our song When Love Comes Around for a multimillion dollar advertising campaign. What makes you laugh? Kids who try to squeeze too much leg into too little denim. What pisses you off? Songwriters who write bad lyrics and sing them slowly. Everybody writes some stinkers, but you’ve got to get through them quick smart. What’s your opinion of the local scene? Seasonal. Canberra has a lot of music lovers but getting them out can be tough, especially on winter weeknights. What are your upcoming gigs? The Phoenix (Saturday May 15) and The Front Gallery and Café (Thursday May 27). Contact info: theloverecession@gmail.com

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 Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows - bookings@birdslovefighting.com Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438 351 007 Blister Bug Stu 0408 617 791 Bridge Between, The Rachel 0412 598 138, thebridgebetween.com.au Bruce Stage mgr/consultant 6254 9857 Caution Horses Nigel 0417 211 580 Chris Harland Blues Band 0418 490 640 chrisharlandbluesband@yahoo.com.au Clear Vision Films rehearsals/film clips/stunts - 0438 647 281 wcoulton.clearvisionfilms.com Cole Bennetts Photography 0415 087 833/colebennetts@gmail.com Cris Clucas Cris 6262 5652 Crooked Dave 0421 508 467 Danny V Danny 6238 1673/0413 502 428 Dawn Theory Nathan 0402 845 132 D’Opus & Roshambo hifidelitystyles@yahoo.com DJs Madrid and Gordon 0417 433 971 DJ Latino Rogelio 0401 274 208 DJ Moises (RnB/Latin) 0402 497 835 or moises_lopez@hotmail DNA Vic 0408 477 020 Drumassault Kate 0414 236 323 Easy Mode Daz 0404 156 482, easymodeband@gmail.com Entity Chris 0412 027 894 Epic Flagon band@epicflagon.com Fighting Mongooses, The Adam 0402 055 314 Final Warning Brendan 0422 809 552 Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410 381 306/ Lachlan 0400 038 388 4dead Peter 0401 006 551 Freeloaders, The Steve 0412 653 597 Friend or Enemy 6238 0083, www.myspace.com/friendorenemy Funk Shui Dave 0407 974 476 Gareth Hailey DJ & Electronica 0414 215 885 GiLF Kelly 0410 588 747, gilf.mail@gmail.com 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