BMA Magazine 418 May 22 2013

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In Canberra Tonight’s Sophomore Succeeds

Check out the new Album and Film Review sections from p. 38. Also something about The Great Gatsby. # 4 1 8 M A Y 2 2 Fax: (02) 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608 Publisher Scott Layne Allan Sko General Manager Allan Sko T: (02) 6257 4360 E: advertising@bmamag.com

Advertising Manager Scott Johnston T: (02) 6257 4360 E: sales@bmamag.com

Editor Ashley Thomson

T: (02) 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com

Accounts Manager Hongyan Ao

T: (02) 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com

Sub-Editor & Social Media Manager Greta Kite-Gilmour Graphic Design Marley Film Editor Melissa Wellham NEXT ISSUE 419 OUT JUNE 5 EDITORIAL DEADLINE MAY 27 ADVERTISING DEADLINE MAY 31 Published by Radar Media Pty Ltd ABN 76 097 301 730 BMA Magazine is independently owned and published. Opinions expressed in BMA Magazine are not necessarily those of the editor, publisher or staff.

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Last month, on Thursday April 18, The Polish White Eagle Club was employed by a group of musicians, theatre types, and ‘visionaries’ operating under the moniker In Canberra Tonight.

The idea, which was revived for its second instalment on Thursday May 16, was to present a uniquely Canberran variety show. With a house band (The House Rats), a Producer/ Stage Manager (Meg O’Connell), a full lighting and sound rig, an MC (Chris Endrey), and a packed house, the two-hour-ish variety show, replete with interval, showcased a full series of skits, interviews, news, peanut gallery-style humour, live music, spoken word poetry and more. It was daring, blissfully unrehearsed, and quite brilliant for the aplomb with which its creators navigated every facet of Canberra without regard for age or talent. With Nozl’s Tom Harwood (youtube. com/watch?v=Sk2pdtruKeI), National Poetry Slam Champion CJ Bowerbird (youtube.com/ watch?v=rND--VnOyvQ) and the easy charm of MC Chris Endrey the evening’s highlights, the question of its ability to consolidate the formula seemed barely worth asking.

But we have, and it has. In another sold out show, ABC 666’s Melanie Tait interviewed an insightful ten-year-old and unrepentant social media addict, Poncho Circus put on a display of extraordinary acrobatics, RiotACT’s John Griffiths summed up the month in online news (vastly different to regular news), Katter Australia Party Steven Bailey swore he would cut off his left testicle to prevent Tony Abbott from becoming Prime Minister, Producer Meg O’Connell was interviewed for her own job to hilarious effect, and quiet genius David Finnigan stripped naked in the pursuit of magnificent empathy. The next episode of In Canberra Tonight will take place at The Polish White Eagle Club on Thursday June 20. See their Facebook page (facebook. com/incanberratonight)

Canberra to House Largest Musical Instrument Store in Australia We’ve known of it forever – Better Music has been a fixture in Phillip since the first time a Canberran needed an instrument to reap grave injustices upon. But after shutting its doors for a period, Better Music will be reopening at 18 Salamander Court, Phillip, as Australia’s largest purposebuilt musical instrument store, and it’s still locally owned and operated to boot. Starting out as a two-man operation in 1983, the still-independent Better Music continues to be by and for Canberra. Said Managing Director Greg Soulsby, ‘We built our new store because we believe Canberra’s local music community deserves a world class music store.’ The opening weekend, starting Saturday June 1, will feature in-store performances, demonstrations and specials storewide – a term that now refers to 2500 square metres of floor space. The new store comes in addition to Better Music’s online store at bettermusic.com.au. And with

all this, Canberrans may some day be able to look forward to a music store that isn’t forced to do business from an industrial estate twenty minutes from the city.

Street Theatre Gives Local Theatre Nine Lives First Seen: New Works-InProgress returns to The Street Theatre from Sunday May 26 to showcase nine new plays (and a slew of rolling stones) by local playwrights and invite the public to play a part in their construction. 2013 begins with a themed session, ‘How We Create’, focusing on the different ways performance works are conceived. This is followed by five rehearsed readings of more developed works crossing musical theatre, social and political drama, historical fact-turnedcontemporary comedy, and an adaptation of a Herman Melville short story moved to a contemporary Australian office. Featuring work by Geraldine Turner, Julian Hobba and Helen Machalias, and curated by artist-in-residence Andrew Holmes, the First Seen sophomore season run until Sunday June 30 and you can attend via thestreet.org.au.

[Three great minds at work; In Canberra Tonight, Thursday April 16. Image credit: Anna Boydell.]

for highlights and further information.

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FROM THE BOSSMAN Of all species that have roamed this big ol’ space-drifting rock we would surely rank highly for communication. Yes, dolphins have pulsing whistles that can travel great distances, and there’s a lot to be said for the fine art of meaningful poo-chucking indulged in by our primate cousins, but for the ability to express complex abstract ideas by stringing together a series of sounds, we’re second to none.

This being said, we tend to have a hell of a time saying goodbye.

And I’m not talking in a teary-eyed final farewell sense. I mean a good old-fashioned, straight up, simple ‘this conversation has reached its end’ goodbye.

With the amount of time I spend on the mobile I’m like the canary down the mines with the ‘Do mobiles cause brain tumours?’ debate. Through these myriad chats I can ascertain that a good portion of us can be eloquent and erudite all conversation through - bubbling with wit and whimsy and conveying ideas with purpose and passion - but stumble as soon as we hit the crucial culling of conversation.

YOU PISSED ME OFF! Care to immortalise your hatred in print? Send an email to editorial@bmamag.com and see your malicious bile circulated to thousands. [All entries contain original spellings.]

To the fark tards wot stole the infamous Schlooong bike, you piss me off. It’s been 4 years since Rat Patrol OZ welded up that sucker and still it’s nowhere to be seen. It was built to be ridden, but obviously you’ve been too shit scared to ride it, cause you can’t ride the Schloong without being seen. Or perhaps you don’t even know how to fix a flat? In which case you don’t deserve the bike. Either man up, and ride it. Or drop it at Gorman House, no questions will be asked. If you didn’t pinch it, but know where it is, perhaps you might like to liberate it for the common good. This thing should live on the streets. Loong live the Schlooong bike!

There are many ways in which we stumble. Some people simply can’t utter the word ‘goodbye’. The rhythm of the conversation builds up to that familiar end - ‘Great! I’ll catch you tomorrow then’/Absolutely! - to the point where the exchange of ‘byes!’ would take place. Instead it continues - ‘OK then /Nice one/Yeah/ Yup...’ - followed by an interminably long silence. If someone doesn’t finally man up and offer the first ‘Seeya!’ it can tear a black hole in the atmosphere, sucking the participants into conversational oblivion. I’ve lost three friends in this manner.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are those who abruptly hang up - ‘So great, I’ll catch you tomorrow then/Yup <dial tone>’ - leading to an unsettling end to an otherwise cheery encounter.

Others, known as ‘The Clingers’ (*cough* my dear Dad *cough*) will find a way to extend the conversation right at the death, like a player hitting a miraculous last-minute goal sending the game into overtime - OK then, bye!/O, one final thing... Did I tell you I saw Jesus in Woolworths last week..?’

I am not immune to such trappings. Despite being able to hold a lively conversation - ‘fruity tosser’ is the term bandied about in the BMA Mag offices - come the close something strange happens whereby my voice goes up a curious octave, like a trapped ferret - ‘OK, catch you soon! Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Why are we so afraid of saying goodbye? In the minute-byminute self-analytical process in which I indulge - so crucial to the levels of panic and anxiety unto which I am accustomed - it seems that it boils down to an unwitting power game. To be the first to declare ‘goodbye!’ is to be the one to have the power in the dialogue, to declare, ‘Your worth and entertainment value has ceased... Begone!’ There are sectors of high-powered business that rush to hang up on each other first for this reason.

Between beloved business colleagues and family, however, it’s a more tentative game, for heaven forfend if we were to offend.

This is why - when ten sweat-inducing minutes from a piercing final deadline - I will allow my dear Dad, upon the fifth attempt to hang up, to enlighten me for the 17th time on the time he met Clint Eastwood. I will never hang up on him because, in short, I love him and don’t want an abrupt ‘goodbye’, no matter how valid given the circumstances, to be misinterpreted as me not caring.

As you may have gathered, I tend to over think these things.

Anyway, I must be off for a brief lie down. I’ve just had a 20 minute mobile chat with my Dad resulting in a ‘hot ear’ and a heartbeat in my head. Did you know he’s met Clint Eastwood?

ALLAN ‘Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eee! SKO - allan@bmamag.com

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WHO: Local Hip Hop Artists WHAT: The Next Movement: Part 5 WHEN: Thu May 23 WHERE: La De Da Bar

According to The Next Movement crew: it’s time we got back to basics in Canberra. TNM is all about getting a bit more organised, a bit more thorough, and putting in as much as possible toward the growth and support of the Canberra hip hop community. The plan of action involves a series of events aiming to inject hip hop sensibilities into our town and provide more opportunities for bedroom DJs and beatmasters, rappers and MCs who have been hibernating. TNM: Part 5 showcases an impressive line-up, including Topazz, D’mannik & Tweed, B.C., Savilian and Sateovmind, with host Context, and DJ Danggers spinning the decks. 8pm. $5.

WHO: Owen Campbell WHAT: Album Tour WHEN: Fri May 31 WHERE: The Abbey

With buzz from his packed showcases in Los Angeles and having recently completed his second album, The Pilgrim, Sydney-based singer-songwriter Owen Campbell has embarked upon a national tour in the lead up to the new release. Owen enjoyed extraordinary success in 2012, with his debut album Sunshine Road spending over ten months in the Australian iTunes Blues Charts. Many may also remember Owen as a finalist in last year’s Australia’s Got Talent.

Despite having toured extensively throughout his career, including many international festivals, this is his first national headline tour.

6:30pm doors. $20 + bf through theabbey.com.au.

WHO: Fun Machine WHAT: Single Launch WHEN: Fri May 31 WHERE: The Polish White Eagle Club

Fun Machine are putting on a show to share another slice from their forthcoming album, Bodies On. Single Naked Body is ready and raring to be celebrated. Accompanying it is a stunning clip from Canberra photography legend Martin Ollman. YouTube it – it’s nothing less than sexually engaging. Never failing to generate high energy moving and shaking, smiles, and shoe(possibly also pants)-less good times, Fun Machine strongly advise you pre-book at their Facebook event page as this show will sell out. The line-up is guaranteed good, featuring The Stiffys and Jason Recliner. Just remember: don’t trust un-naked bodies. 8pm. $25/$20/$15.

WHO: Local Electronica Talents WHAT: Goddam Sector Festival WHEN: Tue Jun 4 WHERE: CIT Music Industry Centre, Woden

Goddam Sector is inspired by rhythm and syncopation. Hip hop and electronica will be brought together to raise funds for ACT Mental Health Foundation. Goddam Sector is designed to make you move, with local electronica talents that aren’t to be missed, including Jared Ross as Down Set Go, trap genius Daniel Drasich as PRNTZ, and Tyler Harford’s signature glitch sounds. Headlining are hip hop sensations Bushland Prodigies ft. Jrekless, Black Berry Jams with local live electronica band Safia, and Raw City Rukus bringing their unbeatable original sound. All proceeds raised will go directly towards funds for the ACT mental health foundation. 5:30-10pm. $5.

WHO: Tom West WHAT: Single Launch Tour WHEN: Wed Jun 5 WHERE: The Front Gallery and Café

Tom West is a songwriter and fingerpicker who wrote his first song at the age of 15 after being acrimoniously dumped by a high school sweetheart. Sadface. And yes, as per the implementation of most emoticons, that was ingenuine. But who needs sympathy when you have lyrics and music that are endearing enough without need for cliché? Jonathan’s Farm is the first single from Tom’s forthcoming debut album, A Spark in the Dark, to be released in August. The single is a bittersweet reflection of a life in hindsight, featuring Adelaide musicians Tom Capogreco (Sparkspitter) and Alister Douglas (Wild Oats). 7pm. $11.50 thru stickytickets.com.au.

WHO: Before Ciada WHAT: East Coast Tour WHEN: Thu Jun 6 WHERE: The Basement

Before Ciada is a pre-apocalyptic metal five-piece band from Sydney, with the ideology of ‘producing music that tells the story of humanity’s struggles, downfalls and impending collapse into a world that no-one could ever predict or embrace’ (assuming you don’t count the pre-1950 works of Huxley’s Brave New World, Orwell’s 1984 or H.G. Wells’ Time Machine. But, whatever...). ‘Ciada’ is an undefined word relating to the end of the world as humanity knows it. Through music, they aim to spread a message of ‘who we are, who we were and, most of all, who we need to be’. Answer to life and a night out. Bargain. Doors 8pm. Updated details at: facebook.com/BeforeCiada.

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DAVID SMITH Starting Monday May 27, 2XX FM Community Radio is flicking the floodlights on. Turning it up a notch. Putting a megaphone to Canberra’s alternative voice. The 2XX FM RADIOTHON is back, bigger than ever – and not a moment too soon.

Distinct from the telephone drive of olden times, the Radiothon is making a resurgence through online crowd-funding platform Pozible. Station Manager Jamie Freestone is excited about the prospect. ‘From what I can gather, this approach is maybe pretty unique among community radio stations around Australia – I don’t think anyone has done this on a crowd funding platform yet.’

The timing of the Radiothon’s resurgence is critical, as 2XX FM rides the crest of a new wave of enthusiasm and change.

For the past year Freestone, Assistant Manager Meg O’Connell and their growing, young, ready-and-able team have been developing their vision, working to improve and expand the soundscape of Australia’s oldest community radio station.

Among other additions, the station has partnered with ANU student media group Woroni and Narrabundah College, and introduced new music shows and a multicultural youth program.

And there’s a lot more planned for the future, says Freestone.

‘We have a whole bunch of things that we want to improve at the station. Over the past year we’ve expanded our suite of Indigenous programs, we’ve got new young presenters on board and trained them up, so we want to take that to the next level by expanding that even further, and also hopefully getting at least one of those programs syndicated nationally.’ They also want to develop programs for other schools in the ACT, and provide a forum for students to have their music broadcast.

Freestone and O’Connell are keen to strengthen the music focus of the station also – to work more closely with local artists to pump out a targeted, effective and unique music program that operates outside the boundaries of both commercial radio and triple j. ‘Stations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane that have done really well, gathered huge amounts of subscribers, and clearly connected with their community seem to have done so by basically offering something that is more alternative to triple j,’ observes Freestone. Along with the recruitment of key local musical talent through the station’s drive-time LocalnLive program, Freestone and O’Connell have appointed a new music director, Chris Endrey, to help sculpt and revitalise the station’s music content.

2XX FM was “something that could be” and indeed in previous decades it had been a major Canberra cultural institution – that’s what it should be again

It was the promise of relative autonomy in shaping the station’s direction, as well as the promise the station itself showed, that drew both Freestone and O’Connell to jump headfirst into the action. ‘I started as a presenter, then the job of manager came up and I went for it,’ says Freestone. ‘I love doing radio. I’ve now had to stop doing radio though… so that didn’t quite pan out. When I took over… it was obvious that 2XX FM was “something that could be” and indeed in previous decades it had been a major Canberra cultural institution – and I think that’s what it should be again.’

Freestone and O’Connell are also enthused about the potential of community radio as an alternative voice in Canberra. ‘It’s a great organisation to get involved with; because there’s so few staff we really get a say in its direction – which is very exciting for me as a young person,’ says O’Connell. ‘I think Canberra gives you the opportunity to do that more than any other city, and that’s exciting and challenging.’

It’s clear that their labour of love has already borne fruit – over this past year the breadth and variety of content that the station offers has exploded. 2XX FM currently puts out a hefty 20 hours a day of local programming content, produced and presented entirely by volunteers. The station broadcasts a varied patchwork of programs, their breadth spanning local news, contemporary art and film, youth programs, literature, public events, current affairs, Indigenous news, and multicultural content in 16 languages.

As well as a ramping-up of the station’s social media presence and tightening up of scheduling and programming, Freestone and O’Connell have pumped new blood into the roster. ‘Overall there’s about 20 new presenters and staff who are all quite young and have key roles,’ says Freestone. ‘Plus volunteers, work experience kids from high school, and interns. So it’s been great, there’s been a lot of involvement from young people in the community.’

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When the campaign week kicks into high gear on Monday May 27, 2XX FM will be making themselves heard with a vibrant, unique melange of live events such as drum ‘n’ bass barefoot bowls and an end-of-semester university party in conjunction with the ANU Students Association. 2XX FM will have prizes ready to gleefully jam down the eager craws of all concerned – including tickets to the Vagabond Music Festival and Canberra Theatre, as well as hampers fresh from the rolling meadows of Belconnen Markets.

But to kick it all off, the 2XX FM Radiothon will be launched at Gorman House Arts Centre, with a happy (half) hour and acts Rueben Ingall, Chris Endrey and Hannah Beasley, and Burrows.

2XX FM has an incredible amount to offer to the vivid, diverse patchwork of cultural interests that is the broader Canberra community – content that, in the space between commercial and Government-operated entities, simply no one else offers.

The possibilities that flow from this year’s campaign are potentially endless. Get behind it and help give Canberra a radio station worth having.

Find more info on the 2XX FM website (2xxfm.org.au) or make a pledge now at pozible.com/2xxfm. The official pay-as-you-can Radiothon launch, with Reuben Ingall, Burrows (Sam King et al.), more live music and free drinks until 6pm, takes place Friday May 24 at Gorman House Arts Centre. Invite yourself at facebook.com/ events/418920148205887.

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LOCALITY

Given this magazine is released on a fortnightly rotation, even if each bundle of new issues reached its intended destination on the intended Wednesday, it would still take for a discerning reader (who gives a shit about this column, which I wouldn’t) to pick up the magazine, open it to this page, and read my column right then and there for any gigs occurring on the same day to be affected by what I strangle into print – which also assumes that the aforementioned reader shares my taste in local music and would actually go to whichever fictional gig I’m talking about. So, if you happen to be fulfilling that almost impossible prophecy, I may as well tell you there’s fuck all happening on Wednesday May 22. Sit down wherever you are and cry like a bitch.

Until Thursday May 23 at 4pm, when Hipsley Lane in Braddon reopens its repainted doors for The Hipsley Evolution Party, with Alice Cottee, Dollface and more welcoming the store’s return from 6pm. If that’s not your thing, keep crying like a stupid bitch until The Second Hand Salmon appear at The Phoenix Bar with Party Gravy and Ellie Thurston from 9pm.

The Front Gallery and Cafe will be hosting the Bizoo Zine Book Launch the next day, Friday May 24, from 7:30pm. I’ve been reading the book in question – a compilation of the best articles published in a long-running Toowoomba zine called ‘Bizoo’ – for the last few nights, and have to declare it a very ‘Toowoomban’ experience (look, Ma, I’m like Shakespeare) but the key draw of the event is local band The Fighting League, who are headlining after an EP launch from Bad Pharma. The whole shebang costs $10. (If you know where the word ‘shebang’ comes from, email me.)

Saturday May 25 sees Canberra City Punk Fest hitting the Magpies City Club under Gus’s Cafe. It runs all day so trip down the steps and figure it out from there if you survive – here’s hoping otherwise :D. Nishi Gallery is hosting MODERN Market the same day, selling fancy local arts and crafts. Why the capital letters? Because it’s really cool and unique and you wouldn’t understand because you don’t love Neutral Milk Hotel. Also Predator is showing at Arc Cinema at 2pm. Predator is the balls.

And speaking of balls, quiet playmaker Blahnket has stepped up to back a rather extraordinary gig, The Aurora Session, at the Kingston Foreshore on Friday May 31. Featuring Harmonic 313 (aka Mark Pritchard), Dizz1, Ribongia, Spartak, Onetalk, Joe Oppenheimer and more, the event is a subtle upgrade of weight division for the local event planning enigma. Tickets will be $25 at the door but can be pre-purchased at residentadvisor.net/event. aspx?482059 for significantly less.

Finally, catch the Canberra Musicians Club edition of The Bootleg Sessions at The Phoenix on Monday June 3. Why? Two words: Coolio Desgracias. It starts at 8pm and entry’s free.

And that’s everything local I care about.

ASHLEY THOMSON - editorial@bmamag.com

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ALL AGES Hey folks. Get ready to craft your own adventure with this long and varied list of things for you to see and create!

The Tuggeranong Rotary Youth Art Award is open again for young people aged 15 to 25, and the cut-off date for submissions is so close it’s as uncomfortable as an itchy homemade jumper (thanks, Nan!). Speaking of jumpers, you could actually submit an itchy homemade jumper to the competition, as all art mediums are welcome. Don’t forget to knit Parliament House on that jumper though, ‘cos they are willing to kick in an additional major prize of $2000 for a work recognizably related to the Centenary of Canberra theme. Submissions are due to the Tuggeranong Arts Centre by Tuesday May 28. Entry forms and further details can be found on the TAC website or by contacting the curator, Narelle Phillips, at narelle.phillips@tuggeranongarts.com.au or on (02) 6176 1643. The exhibition showcasing successful entries opens on Saturday June 1.

The Australian Hip Hop Championship is back this year on Saturday June 1, where competing crews will bust a move and battle it out for a spot in the national finals in Melbourne later this year. The epic battle will take place at 2pm, Lyneham High School.

Tickets are available from Moshtix for $20 + bf.

Does composing words tickle your fancy? Have you ever considered a career in journalism? An internship with The Kids Are All Right might be a perfect start for you in your career path. The Kids Are All Right is an online community that provides support and advice for the parents of teenagers, and they’re looking for the inside scoop. The articles that you write for them will be aimed at parents, but will cover issues that relate to young people like you. Like the idea but not into commitment? No biggie – one-off submissions are also welcome. Expressions of interest should email contact@ thekidsareallright.com.au and for more details on the internship, visit thekidsareallright.com.au/journalism-internship.

The 2013 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition is a charity songwriting competition like no other. The competition supports young songwriters like you, whilst also raising much-needed funds for music therapy, which improves the lives of many who suffer with developmental disorders. The top prize this year is $50,000, and by paying $50 to submit your original song you’ll be in the running for this prize and supporting a worthy cause. All proceeds are donated to the Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre. You can submit as many songs as you like before the cut-off on Friday June 21, and the winners will be announced this August. The winner will join competition veterans Kimbra and Megan Washington.

Up so early, feel so bright! Bernard Fanning just wants to release his new album, tour across Australia, and wish you well! His Australiawide tour hits Canberra on Sunday August 4. He’s handpicked the likes of Vance Joy and Big Scary to accompany him for the tour. He’s playing at Royal Theatre at 7:30pm. Tickets cost around $70 + bf and can be bought online or by calling Ticketek on 13 28 49.

And that, my friends, should be enough to keep you out of trouble... winky face.

Cheers, ANDIE EGAN allagescolumn@gmail.com

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There is an otherworldly feeling to it – it’s nothing like anything else

it’s a really interesting line-up with a really good mix.’ He is looking forward to seeing everyone in the line-up, from The Bedroom Philosopher (‘his comedy and performance are great’) to Fishing (‘they have a great vibe, they’re great to dance to’) to Chile’s DJ Sien (‘he is completely live and off the cuff, stuff you can’t have heard before unless you were actually there’).

A FRUITFUL FORAY luisa ryan Adam Taylor’s advice for anyone wanting to start their own music festival is ‘Be prepared to sacrifice a lot of sleep and weekends you could be surfing and hanging out with friends, because you’ll be stuck indoors writing emails and negotiating with people to get your festival off the ground,’ he laughs. With the inaugural VAGABOND MUSIC FESTIVAL fast approaching, it looks like Taylor’s efforts are paying off.

Kangaroo Valley is another of the festival’s main appeals. ‘The countryside is pretty stunning, whichever direction you’re coming from,’ says Taylor. ‘There is an otherworldly feeling to it – it’s nothing like anything else.’ And then, of course, there is the farm itself. ‘The location, the rustic farm makes it quite unique…people are going to love it. The beauty of the spot will set it apart.’

Vagabond Music Festival will be held Sat-Mon June 8-10 in Kangaroo Valley. Tickets are $75 + bf, incl. camping. Line-up, tickets and additional information are available on the website at vagabondfestival.com.

Scheduled for the Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend, Vagabond promises a diverse musical line-up over two days in a disused Kangaroo Valley orchard. ‘I tried to pick a musical line-up that an Average Joe would like,’ Taylor explains. ‘I have a really eclectic taste myself, so that’s what I’m aiming to deliver.’ He hopes festival-goers will enjoy a little bit of everything in a fairly calm, relaxed and warm atmosphere.

The idea for Vagabond started when Taylor paid a visit to his grandfather’s farm in 2009. Taylor thought it would be the perfect site for a music festival, but had no idea how to get it off the ground, his only experience in the area being attending other music festivals. When he approached his granddad with the idea, it took just one conversation to get him on board. ‘At first, he laughed,’ says Taylor, ‘he had a bit of a giggle, but then he said, “Okay, if you’re serious about it, do some research and come back to me, and we can work something out”.’

So began five years of working any spare minute to get Vagabond off the ground (and yes, Taylor’s grandfather will be rocking out at Vagabond).

After years of hard work, Taylor is looking forward to seeing Vagabond come to life. He says his team is passionate about the music and about the line-up. ‘We’ve thought really hard about it, and

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zoya patel Canberra is a place of many institutions, and Smiths Alternative Bookshop has been one since 1976. Living through several reincarnations, but always remaining a bookshop, Smiths has long been a second home to readers, writers, students and artists in Civic, giving us a cosy space to browse the shelves or grab a coffee. But now, following the sale of the store by former owner Peter Strong to Jorian Gardner and Domenic Mico, Smiths has undergone a massive transformation. Now known as ‘SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE’, the former bookshop has been reinvigorated into a performance space, gig venue, retail outlet, café and bar, with some books also remaining.

Catching up with Jorian Gardner to interview him was difficult, which is testament to how busy the man is these days, with Smith’s opening in late April and already having a full program of events and gigs.

‘There should be smaller bars [in Canberra] and the ACT government have been trying to encourage people to take up licenses for smaller bars over the last three or four years, and good luck to them,’ he says. ‘If you can run a nice venue that’s only for 80 or 90 people it can work quite well for you, and quite frankly I wish there were another two or three around me so there was more of a thriving scene.’

Smith’s Alternative is certainly paving the way towards invigorating that scene, and Jorian’s expertise in performance and events is helping the process along. I asked if his work for the Fringe Festival has influenced his vision for Smith’s. ‘Absolutely. I did that for quite a period, I did six Fringes. So, in a way, you can know what to expect from me, but not really in another way. Because Fringe was a mixture of theatre shows, visual art, gigs, parties, weird stuff, dance, comedy. It was all a mixture of that. So that’s what I’m doing only on a smaller scale, seating 80 inside and 50 outside, at the moment,’ Jorian says. ‘And we hope we can grow bigger, but yeah, it’s pretty much the same philosophy, which is about having as much stuff as we can, offering as many opportunities to local artists as we can, and trying to be part of that economy as well.’

We need artists to continue to come to us and talk about their idea for shows and gigs, [help us to] continue to be a hub of activity

So far, the reaction from punters has been good, though there’s definitely going to be an adjustment period as people acclimatise to the new Smith’s. The store looks and feels quite different, but elements of the old Smiths remain, Jorian promises. ‘We’ve gutted the place, basically. There’s far less books, but that was just a commercial decision, it’s not that we don’t like books. We’re keeping that part of the business, but we’ve had to grow another way.’

Jorian and Domenic have certainly diversified Smiths, and the new space is incredibly versatile. Already, a number of different events have been held in the venue, and there’s plenty more planned. ‘I’m putting together as many gigs as I can,’ Jorian says. ‘I just announced today that we’re bringing back A Bunch of Fives, which is a show I used to do back in The Street Theatre for about four and a half years. It’s five actors doing five-minute monologues based around a theme, so that’s on the first Friday of every month.’

As well as A Bunch of Fives, the Canberra Musicians Club will be taking over Wednesday nights at Smith’s, with local musicians set to hit the stage each week. There will also be Jazz Jam on Thursdays, and Jorian is hoping to get a regular theatre program going soon as well.

On top of the regular planned nights, there are a tonne of events being held throughout the week by local musicians, artists and performers. ‘Record launches, everything from Latin guitar bands to the poetry night we’ve got coming up, and a bingo night to announce as well. So there’s stuff happening all the time!’

With so many events in the evenings, and such a diverse range of uses for the store during the day, surely it’s somewhat difficult to adapt Smith’s for each new function? ‘It is difficult, I won’t say it’s not. I mean, you’re running essentially four parts of a business – a café and bar, a bookstore, a vintage clothing store and a venue.

Juggling it all has been, uh, not a logistical nightmare, but a learning process, let’s just say that. It’s something that we’re going

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to continue to work through,’ Jorian assures me. It’s a challenge Jorian is keen to take on, however, as Canberra’s dire venue situation is something he feels needs to be addressed.

A big part of that is supporting other locals, of course, and Smith’s Alternative is also a retail outlet for the successful vintage store, April’s Caravan. The original store exists in Lyneham, but so far the retail outlet in Smith’s has been working out well. And on top of that, the cafe is still going strong. Smith’s Alternative recently adopted the Suspended Coffees program, which allows customers to purchase a coffee for a person in need when getting their own beverage. These ‘suspended coffees’ are tallied up and then handed out to people who need them.

As Smith’s continues to evolve into this new incarnation of the business, Jorian reminds us that the public support for the Canberra institution needs to continue for it to flourish.

‘I’ve been really happy with the amount of support that we’ve had from all sorts of sectors – from audiences and artists to politicians to local businesses, I’ve been really happy with it,’ he says. ‘But that needs to be continuing support, and especially from the arts world, we need artists to continue to come to us and talk about their idea for shows and gigs and everything else, and [help us to] continue to be a hub of activity.’

Smith’s Alternative is located at 76 Alinga St, Civic (in the Melbourne Building). Smith’s webpage smithsbooks.com.au is undergoing construction, so visit their Facebook page for updates and event info at: facebook.com/smiths.alternativebookshop.

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There’s no separation between band and reality.

The band is reality

the band, however.

They’re already back in the UK (having just returned from the States), before coming home to launch their Australian tour with Millions and Chaos Chaos.

SANS BLAND DISCO sinead o’connell Imagine hanging out with three of your friends at high school one day, then in an exceptionally short period of time, not only starting up your own record company but also playing at Lollapalooza. Ironically, playing music professionally wasn’t something that SAN CISCO had in mind for when they ‘grew up’. Josh Davieson (lead guitar, keys and vocals) says, ‘It just kind of happened. Me, Nick, and Scarlett had other things underway and ended up having to put it all on hold to focus on the band and touring.’

For example, Josh was studying graphic design – a talent he’s been able to continue in designing album covers and press images for the band.

From Fremantle, Perth, they launched the band initially under the name King George. Why the shift to ‘San Cisco’? One can never be sure, including Davieson himself. ‘We had a whole bunch of ideas for a name but yeah, I dunno why we chose San Cisco,’ he laughs. ‘It’s got good panache.’ A fitting name for a band alike.

In retrospect, the overload of fame and attention has been quite a ride, Davieson admits. He comments, ‘There’s no separation between band and reality. The band is reality.’ Which in its own right seems a very just rationale for someone just 20 years old.

Finally, a fun fact for both our road and theirs; they love The Sopranos: ‘We get pretty involved.’

San Cisco are playing at Zierholz @ UC, Saturday June 8 at 8pm with Millions and Chaos Chaos. Tickets are $28.60 + bf through Ticketek.

Their decision to start up Island City Records, their independent record label, came as a surprise as well. It was Scarlett’s father Phil Stevens who co-founded Jarrah Records (The Waifs, John Butler Trio) that aided in their decision to go out on their own, for the sake of both convenience and investment.

‘We wanted to be independent in Australia, so we started up the record label. And now we just do it all ourselves – we distribute the music, we do our own publishing, all that stuff.’ However, in the United States they’re represented

by Fat Possum Records (Black Keys, Spiritualized) as well as Columbia Records in the UK. This combination seems a sure thing for success, but also, Josh adds, ‘It’s just good business, being able to keep everybody happy.’

Of their recent US tour, Josh reflects, ‘It was awesome. We were away for a very long time though. A month all up, including a few shows with The Vaccines. But it was good because we met a lot more people, especially record label people.

It was nice to put a face to the emails. They were all really excited.’

A month on the road seems like an easy task in comparison to the next couple of months ahead for

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DANCE THE DROP

Those of you who were lucky enough to be of age during the infamous Lot 33 heydays will know who I am talking about when I say: Electric Man. For those of you who weren’t, imagine a stringy, middle-aged gentleman clad like a Gazman mannequin with a messy mop of black hair struggling to hold back the grey. Electric Man was always alone in the middle of the dance floor with his eyes clamped shut, his limbs pulsating wildly as if he had lightning coursing through his veins. This month marks three years since I last set eyes on Canberra’s weathered clubbing enigma; Electric Man, if you are still out there, this one’s for you.

The mighty pumped up Kicks machine has reappeared on the Canberra clubbing radar with a novelty whale-balloon sized announcement for September. UK ‘drum ‘n’ pop’ superstars

Rudimental (Feel The Love, Not Giving In) are set to bring their full live band to the UC Refectory for an all ages show that is set to positively brainwash hundreds of youngsters into actually appreciating quality music. Sell lemonade, mow your grandma’s lawn, do whatever it takes to get a ticket to this show!

Kissy Sellout (UK) lugs his record collection to Trinity Bar on Friday May 31 ably supported by Melbourne act Trumpdisco. Kissy is one of the world’s most unique producers (his remix of Mark Ronson’s Stop Me is my favourite electro club track ever) and he has a knack for pulling out something special every time he lands in Canberra.

Empress Yoy (Syd) and Karton plan to line The Clubhouse’s walls with beads of sweat on Saturday May 25. The show is presented by bass barons Subsquad and supports include Key Seismic, Logic and Printz.

youth interact grants

If you prefer your tunes deeper and sleazier than most, Sydney based house and techno don Raulll has got you covered. You can catch him entering you musically at Trinity Bar tomorrow night, and just to get you nice and warmed up, here is a juicy Top 5 from the man himself.

Iz & Diz – Love it, Dub it (Fred Everything Love it, Remix it) [Silver Network] – An oldie but a goodie, probably my favorite Fred Everything tune. I love the groove; it’s even better slowed to 120 bpm.

Ninetoes – Finder (Original Mix) [Kling Klong] – This one for me is just a really fun track, I love pulling it out mid-set. I can honestly say I never thought I would love a tech house tune with steel drums in it, but this one seems to do everything right.

Danilo Cardace, Elia Perazzini – Boat in the Sky (East End Dubs Remix) [WOZ Records] – East End Dubs is definitely one of my favourites at the moment, a very solid producer and even more solid record label under the same name.

Nico Lahs – My Side (Daniel Dexter Remix) [Bedrock Records] – Daniel Dexter is another artist I can’t get enough of. This remix is just beautiful, plain and simple, and it builds without going over the top.

Bicycle Beat – Fuck Your Funky (DZeta N’ Basile Remix) [Re-Vox] – Dzeta & Basile can’t do anything wrong at the moment – every tune they churn out I have to go and buy straight away.

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TIM GALVIN tim.galvin@live.com.au

@bmamag

Image credit: Andrew de Francesco

Where’s north from here? allan sko

Simon ‘BONOBO’ Green’s fifth studio album The North Borders lit up the BMA Mag offices upon first spin. With each subsequent play our adulation for it soon grew to the point where awkwardly-bearded Editor Ash named it our April Album of the Issue. From the beautiful Gold Panda-esque frains of album highlight Cirrus, to the oriental wind instruments of Antenna to its astute vocal collaborations, ...Borders is a beautiful EDM record showing Green’s 13 years in the game. Pitchfork’s Ruth Saxelby didn’t think so, though, giving it 6.0 out of 10.

I was feeling the pressure on this one....

times already’ because it’s such a huge task. And the expectation as well, especially since the one before [Black Sands] was well received... I was feeling the pressure on this one. Then after awhile you forget; I’m just at home making music again and I forget there’s lots of people everywhere just waiting.’

This being said, Green is a man with creative rhythm, declaring ‘I know halfway through the process whether it’s gonna be a vocal track and I have an idea on what kind of vocal will work’ and ‘I prefer to keep it as a solo project; that’s how I work’. But he confesses to never knowing which tracks will be best received. ‘It’s always the track that you had the most moments of despair that people are like ‘Yeah, it’s cool’ but the ones that just fell out one afternoon - with simple, silly ideas - are the ones that people really love. I nearly left Antenna off this album and Flutter from the second album; that ended up being one of the biggest tunes on the record.’

You can judge for yourself what the biggest tune on Bonobo’s The North Borders is. It’s out now through Inertia, innit?

‘Yeah, I thought it was a little...

Lukewarm to say the least,’ Green says with a wry British twang.

‘I’m not some new kid blowing up; they can’t allow themselves to be championing something that’s been around for awhile. You can read 100 things from people saying they love your music and then there’s one person saying they’re not into it and you take that one to heart, y’know?’ he laughs. ‘It’s just the way it is. But it’s those who find me at the shows that matter. Those are the people I care about rather than whoever’s desk at Pitchfork it landed on.’

Despite a sellout tour of America and over a decade building a name, Green refuses to rest. ‘You have these long stretches in the studio when not much happens - you don’t see other people for days! - and then you’re in this manic world of touring for months and months and you don’t have any sort of space. In an ideal world I’d do a week of touring and a week in the studio... But I’m not complaining! I’m constantly surprised and amazed I can do this.’

Now five studio albums deep, the process isn’t getting any easier, Green reveals. Far from it.

‘It’s different every time,’ he says.

‘Starting out a record you’re standing at the bottom of a mountain looking up and you realise, ‘I can’t believe I’ve done this five

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METALISE Last week triple j’s Lochlan Watt announced on The Racket the national supports for the June Hate Across Australia tour.

The Canberra show on Wednesday June 12 at The Basement in Belconnen includes local grind hounds Wretch bringing their blistering death grind twin-guitar attack to the bill, headlined by Campbelltown’s more brutal Thy Art Is Murder.

The national tour also includes the USA’s Cattle Decapitation, the current darlings of the Australian metal scene in Melbourne’s King Parrot and Queenslanders Aversions Crown. This show should warm your winter up nicely.

Another great night’s entertainment is slated for Saturday May 25 at The Phoenix in the city with the welcome return of The VeeBees, bringing their own peculiar brand of unbridled Australiana pub rock to the fore. Aided and abetted by the living party that is Turbo Belco and Seedy Jeezus, that’s a kickarse night of rock and roll right there.

Guitar shredders will be happy to note that Mr Steve Vai is coming to town pretty much hot on the heels of his G3 show, as a part of his six-date Australian solo tour announced last week. Canberra Theatre on Thursday July 14 is the place and date for one of the greatest guitar slingers to ever shred a fretboard. Well worth a look if you’ve not seen him play before.

Finland’s Amorphis are also putting some Frequent Flyer miles on their reward card of choice with a four-date Australian tour announced for October. You can get tickets for their show at the Factory Theatre in Sydney (18s and over only) from metalmassacre. com.au. Check the website out just in case you’ve ever wanted to pick up a pair of Morbid Angel hotpants…seriously, go check it.

Nick Calpakdjian is a young documentary filmmaker and vision editor currently working on a project focusing on Australian heavy metal. Entitled Metal Down Under, the documentary recently wrapped filming at Indonesia’s Hammersonic Festival where the team caught up with Soundworks Touring, The Amenta and Voyager. The next round of filming will be in July, where Calpakdjian will be interviewing members of Alchemist, Nothing Sacred, Dreadnaught, Segression, Blood Duster, Mass Confusion and more, as well as other industry figures.

Melbourne’s Blue Freya Records have put together two digital Aussie metal compilations to help raise money for the project, which is already around two volumes in length, including material from across the metal spectrum going back to the ‘80s, including Hobbs Angel of Death. The compilation is available from iTunes and Amazon and bluefreya.com. If you wanna help fund the project, you can pre-order from metaldownunder.freecartel.com.

I Exist has announced a local show (ahead of their European tour) at The Magpies Club in Civic on Saturday June 8. Along for the fun and games are Hygine, Machina Genova and Throat of Dirt.

The band head to London to kick off 30 dates in nine countries over the course of late June and July and are currently in production for their third full-length.

JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com

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HITTING A NERVE

Image credit: Nicole Clearly

Playing live is a conversation. You have to listen as much as you talk

tedi bills Considering that no member of his new band lives in the same state, let alone the same country, it’s little wonder that THE NERVE’s frontman, Ezekiel Ox, is a master of navigating the pitfalls of contemporary communication. Proving himself the most committed subject I’ve ever had the pleasure of almost talking to, Zeke

doggedly navigated family emergencies, dysfunctional phones (RIP Nokia 3310) and the pain of email to bring forth the news of his latest venture; loud, proud rock quartet, The Nerve.

Comprised of ex-members of Cog, Mammal, Juice and Pre-Shrunk, The Nerve’s line-up reads like a who’s who of underground Aussie rock. Nevertheless, Zeke says the band is determined not to rest on their individual reputations. ‘Reputations can be destroyed as quickly as they are made, so it’s just about turning up, enjoying the work and being responsible to your audience each night.’ Luckily, Zeke finds few things more artistically invigorating than starting from the ground up with a fresh group. ‘I’ve done it before with Full Scale and OverReactor. It’s exciting. The possibilities are there, the potential. The work is ahead, and we love hard work.’

That said, Zeke admits that much of The Nerve has its grounding in its members’ progressive rock backgrounds. ‘Obviously you can’t and wouldn’t want to erase your history; it’s the work that guides you. But The Nerve is its own beast. It’s about looking at it with a fresh set of eyes and ears, and making sure that you are looking to the future.

We don’t discuss previous work, it counts for nothing, we have to win everyone again and look forward to that challenge. The best elements of everything that came before are in there, though, by osmosis.’

Zeke has an interesting creative history: he’s a left-wing activist, author, and spoken word poet with his own production house.

Not one to shy away from strong statements, The Nerve has given Zeke the perfect platform for political expression and social commentary. ‘The lyrics are mine, and they are brimming with ideas about justice, the war machine, the struggle to be human. I think that’s one of the best things about this band: it’s saying something.’

When I ask Zeke what he’s most looking forward to about going on the road, his answer is endearingly enthusiastic. ‘The hour on stage! The rest is just filler. I’m keen to connect with the band and the audience, and to rise to the challenge of making something happen each night that is unique and live. Playing live is a conversation. You have to listen as much as you talk.’ And the excitement of a great new conversation, he suggests, is what makes The Nerve’s gigs so much fun. ‘All bets are off. But I can guarantee one thing. We will be loud and there will be guitar solos.’

Be part of The Nerve’s ‘Down There’ tour at ANU Bar, Thursday June 6 at 8pm. Tickets $15 + bf through Moshtix and Ticketek.

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THE REALNESS Last Realness column featured the Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge 12 Reasons to Die (12 RTD) project, which gave mention to the exclusive Apollo Brown 12 RTD remix cassette. Hip hop fiends were sent into a frenzy trying to secure one of only 100 tapes and many were left disappointed, venting via social media.

Well, this venting has paid off with the label responsible for 12 RTD, Soul Temple Music, responding to the fans’ needs. 12 Reasons to Die – The Brown Tape has been pressed up on double vinyl, CD, and digital download and is available for pre-order now via the Soul Temple Music website. Hopefully, the success of the remix project sparks an official Ghost and Apollo joint in the near future.

Sleep must be overrated for Apollo Brown. Not only working on the 12 RTD remix, he has just announced the forthcoming release of his latest project Ugly Heroes’ self -titled debut. Released via Mello Music Group, Ugly Heroes is the coming together of MC’s Verbal Kent and Red Pill and producer Brown. Ugly Heroes is a testament to the ‘blue collar individuals that make the world go round.’ Featuring more of that gritty soulful Apollo Brown trademark sound, Ugly Heroes would be a welcome addition to any collection.

Pre-order now via the Mello Music Group website.

There have been many attempts at cross-pollinating different genres with hip hop, some successful, others not so. The debut album from The Unclouded, Hokey Fright, may just be the first credible hip hop/folk collaboration that may very well spawn a sea of imitators. The Unclouded is the coming together of lyrical wizard Aesop Rock and singer songwriter Kimya Dawson most widely known for her work on the Juno soundtrack. It has definitely created one of the more interesting partnerships in hip hop and may take a few listens to be truly appreciated. Available now on all formats via Rhymesayers Entertainment.

Closer to home, Know Associates are releasing their debut album Ashes to Dust via Broken Tooth Entertainment, Friday May 17.

Know Associates sees labelmates Ciecmate and Maggot Mouf team up with DJ No Name Nathan to form a formidable triple threat.

Fans of the classic tag team MC delivery won’t be disappointed.

Featured guest include Bias B and Newsense to name a few. Secure your copy via the Broken Tooth Entertainment website.

Touring-wise, things are pretty quiet for the remainder of May. However, there are two dates worthy of saving in early June.

Wednesday June 5 will see the Kerser and Rates We Here Now Regional Tour at Zierholz @ UC. The brothers have teamed up for their most recent single We Here Now and will be showcasing material from Kerer’s previous releases and Rates’ forthcoming studio album.

Then prepare to back up on Thursday June 6 when Transit Bar plays host to another Sydney MC Chance Waters. Previously known as Phatchance, Chance Waters will be passing through the capital to tour his 2012 release Infinity. Tickets are available for both shows via the respective venue websites.

[Ed: Catch Bert Pole spinning tracks and eating tacos at Honkytonks on Tue May 21 & Tue Jun 4.]

BERT POLE - bertpole@hotmail.com

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E X H I B I T I O N I S T ARTS IN THE ACT

A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT chloe mandryk Dean Butters and Natalie Mather are exploring identity by creating work removed from themselves and each other. They have a cinematic appreciation of the world around them, and by that I don’t mean the beauty of a wide shot or scene, but the trickery and unreality of it all.

This article started out as an exploration of the push and pull of collaboration. It was interesting to learn that as a result of working between two cities the pair began to respond to the ‘idea’ of one another.

DIFFERING PERSPECTIVES is an exhibition which presents two artists who explore shifting formats, uneasy liminal space and pop culture references. Both artists present fantasy and utopia in their works. Warhol and Russian science fiction inspired the artists because perception is key.

I found their interest in each other, but maybe not full understanding, very poignant. In the way that you know a person is magnetic but you’re not sure why, or you come in halfway through a film and it clicks.

Looking at their works, I experienced a similar feeling – a sense of a story underway. The pieces have a strong sense of purpose.

In film, intent is sometimes created through a device called a ‘MacGuffin’. This is a place, something or someone that motivates a person (or character) to act. Perhaps you observe this mysterious motivation in people around you. It can be sincere or an affect. I like the idea that directors encourage an actor to engage with an imaginary MacGuffin; it relates so readily to art and life.

Natalie’s images represent the breakthrough moment on the way to a better path through the destruction of accepted ways of thinking or communication – well-articulated with titles such as Where Do You Think You’re Going and The Tip. Dean’s images of sexualised girls, classical works of art and pop icons (Warhol’s Skull, 1977) are doubled up like a kind of visual static to create a tension where you sense something is happening but you’re not sure exactly what.

To be confronted with a familiar image, machine-processed but obviously toyed with by the artist, is very intimate. Dean considers how we see his subject, the relationship between him and the girl modelling and our connection to iconography of the past.

This is particularly clear in Fading Into Forgetting and At Times I Sit and Imagine Conversations I Never Had. Dean explained, ‘To define this relationship as exploitative is not to say that it is always, or even often, a malicious exploitation, just that the photographer always

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uses the model for their own ends. The subject is the objectified other, and there is an intrinsic unkindness in that.’

Natalie’s works are made up of geometric explosions, or implosions, of shards of light and colour. Is this combustion the end goal, or the beginning? Why does she engage in fantasy? Is it a road to articulating something real?

She developed her aesthetic during some studio time in Berlin where she investigated impact in terms of literal collisions, grand apocalyptic blasts and crashes in space on a large scale. She constructs these images to appear as if ‘to be moving at high speeds through a hyper colour space…the blinding detritus of a neon apocalypse.’ Like Dean’s work, there is a high sense of drama.

However, her tension and reason to be, or MacGuffin, comes from a different place.

So how do Dean and Natalie question what is real and at the same time seem so anchored? They both use repetition, which implies control; another manmade marker is the level-appropriated imagery, challenging gaze of the subject and also Natalie’s plasticine colours.

We are set up to enjoy an unrealistic image, but are pulled into the fantasy of it – like a zoetrope. Maybe looking at his and her works you unearth a half-truth, which is what is enticing about them. As Warhol said, ‘It’s not what you are that counts, it’s what they think you are.’

Bury Me with my Back to the Sun shows Dean’s focus on repetition.

He elaborated, ‘Repetition is an ongoing concern within my printmaking, and it was with this idea of the line – of a repeated stripe running across a work – that I stood in the darkroom and looked at the slithers of test strips pinned up against the wall, one after the other.

These works became about the essence of an image, about how much you can take away and still have that image be about the same thing, and how that is then influenced by repetition.’

Before creating this body of work for Differing Perspectives, the two artists spoke about points of commonality. Of the collaboration, Dean posed, ‘I found myself collaborating with the past, with works of hers that I knew, rather than these imagined works that were yet to be.

There was solidity there, and a start point. A set of finely constructed rules that I had to work within.’

Differing Perspectives is on show at ANCA Gallery Wed-Sun June 5-23. Officially opening at 5pm, Wednesday June 5. Entry is free.

More information at: anca.net.au.

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A HILLS HOIST

EXTENDING A LIFELANE

allan sko

zoe pleasants

It’s all happening for ADAM HILLS. Selling out shows, championing the increasingly popular The Last Leg in England, returning with Adam Hills Tonight in Australia and being invited to perform to a four million strong audience for the Channel 4 comedy gala alongside the likes of Miranda Hart, Russell Brand, Jack Dee and Jonathan Ross.

Lifeline is relaunching its Braddon retail outlet HIPSLEY LANE with a shorter name and a bigger heart. The store first opened last September, specialising in vintage A-grade fashion, but now it’s evolving to include more affordable products, more of an op-shop element and more colour, couches and cushions. Cheneoh Miller has come on board as manager and she wants to turn the store into a cosy community space where people feel welcome and, as a sideeffect, can pick up a bargain.

‘My ego got the better of me; I liked the idea of saying to people, ‘I’ve just gotta to fly to England to do a six-minute gig’. Now I’m absolutely dreading [the gala],’ Hills chirps. ‘If I miss the Heathrow flight I won’t make it back to film Adam Hills Tonight. We’re talking about putting Shaun Micallef on standby.’

Hills’ work in England has seen an edge creep into his usually chirpy act, even famously taking recent aim at Joan Rivers on The Last Leg by declaring ‘Fffffffuck you!’ and ‘You’re being a dick!’ ‘I saw her tweet about Adele and make a fat joke and it made me feel angry,’ he explains. ‘But we’ve all done dumb jokes and feel bad afterwards.

Then, when I saw her on Letterman making the same joke I thought, ‘Wow, you think it’s okay to make fat jokes’. I feel like all comedians are in the trenches firing at the enemy and for some reason Joan Rivers decided to start shooting innocent people.’

Despite the adulation this brought him, don’t expect Hills to completely change tact. ‘Afterwards a lot of viewers tweeted saying, “You should do one of those every week” but that’s now looking for a target. It’s all well and good to overstep the line but you’ve got to work out why you’re doing it. People are listening to comedians at the moment. We used to be weird outsiders commenting on everybody else, now suddenly we’ve got big audiences. A few years ago I met the Dalai Lama and he said, “You have microphones... You should use it to say something.” I think that’s really important.’

Hills adhered to this mantra during his time at Spicks and Specks, with its seemingly perpetual re-running on ABC2 summoning an array of emotions. ‘What’s sad for me is realising how many guests have since passed away; Ari Up from The Slits, Bill Hunter, Darryl Cotton. That makes me realise how long ago it was. But it’s good we chronicled those people; it was lovely that the episode with Chrissy Amphlett played [after her death]. We have these built-in tributes ready to go which says we did a good job honouring these people.’

As well as another year of comedy, Hills can finally look forward to changing the Union Jack design on his prosthetic leg; the result of a losing Olympic bet. ‘We’re going with a Terminator look,’ Hills says.

‘I know the person who can do it.’ But until then it’s all about his first love... Standup. ‘I’m looking forward to getting to Canberra and doing some more shows. It should be a lovely weekend.’

Adam Hills’ Happysim tour will stop at the Royal Theatre on Saturday June 1 (which is sold out) and Sunday June 2. 7pm. $48 + bf through Ticketek.

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‘The most important thing for me is to create a space that is warm and inviting, where people are happy to hang out. It’s like a shopfront for Lifeline, so that means I might have five or six volunteers on in a day. I don’t mind if four of them are sitting down playing a game of chess with someone or having a coffee or whatever, having a chat,’ explained Miller.

Cheneoh Miller has a background in theatre and performance art.

She is the Artistic Director of Little Dove Theatre Art, a company that puts on physical theatre or live art shows, Music ACT’s annual awards, the MAMAs, and the Sound and Fury Speakeasy festival which was part of Art, Not Apart. Probably unsurprisingly with this background, Chenoeh is treating Hipsley like her new show, one that she’s creating directly for the community, ‘which is what I really love to do. So we’re building a little stage in here, we’ll have regular events, we’ll have live music. We’re trying to create that community atmosphere.’ I asked Miller if this felt like a big change for her. ‘It’s not about having a background in retail, it’s about having a background in working directly with helping the community. And I love that, I love that everyone in Lifeline…their heart is what leads them, not their career.’

Lifeline is about crisis support and suicide prevention – 80 per cent of calls that come through to the call centre are related to suicide prevention. One of the first things Cheneoh did after she joined Lifeline was attend a dinner at the War Memorial at which the CEO of Lifeline Canberra, Mike Zissler, spoke. ‘He often does the morning shift in the call centre,’ Chenoeh told me, ‘and just that morning he and the person he was sitting right next to, had talked people down from suicide. This is their daily life; I think it’s amazing that the CEO does that. This is what we’re all here for.’

To celebrate Hipsley’s evolution and the shop’s namesake, Eben Hipsley, founder of Lifeline Canberra, Cheneoh is putting on a party at the store. It will feature Alice Cottee and Dollface, a 1930s-60s cover band; buskers out the front, including Jack Billson on his slide guitar; and live manikins in the window – undoubtedly Cheoneh’s performance art background making its way into the store.

Hipsley Lane’s Evolution Party starts at 4pm on Thursday May 23, with bands from 6pm. All welcome, free entry.

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A R T | C O M E DY | D A N C E | L I T E R AT U R E | T H E AT R E provide a voice to the angst of all of us wanting something better.

It’s a deviously simple plot device constructed by Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) encumbered with additional weight as characters struggle with the new world of telephony and typewriters.

‘You can understand why there’s this comfortable feeling the show generates. Everything was changing. Education for women, medical systems were changing and it was quite exciting. We even had somebody learning to use a typewriter to jump out of where she is.

And you think, “Great!” …but the family upstairs suddenly felt very vulnerable.’ (Well, they should. That somebody was Rose Leslie, as Gwen the Housekeeper, who left Abbey to join Game of Thrones as Ygritte the Jon Snow-taunting wildling. Now that’s class mobility.)

GOWN-TON ABBEY justin hook When DOWNTON ABBEY premiered in 2010 there was little inkling it would be one of the biggest shows of the year and a hit for a network more comfortable with tennis and teen soaps. Stuffy period dramas are usually the domain of the ABC but Abbey had huge commercial crossover appeal, and each Sunday nearly two million people tuned in to chortle at the latest Maggie Smith tart put-down or watch her recoil in horror at electricity. But why exactly did a show with only the gentlest mocking tone of the English class system set nearly a century ago become so popular? Charmain Adams – production designer for Abbey and therefore the person most responsible for the extraordinary visual palate of the show – is just as confused. ‘I simply don’t know why it caught on. When we first did it there was a three-year option on everything; Highclere Castle (where Abbey is filmed), the production staff, the actors. So we were open for it to go either way. But it just took off, taking us all by surprise.

Designing Abbey has been a dream job for Adams, but talking to her it sounds like everything she’s done has been the dream job. ‘Over the years you forget exactly how much you’ve seen. It’s the lovely part of what I do, you know; ending up in peasant’s shacks in Ibiza, having glasses of wine on dirt-floored shacks. I feel very privileged.

It’s the perfect job for a nosey parker.’

All three seasons of Downton Abbey are available through ABC shops or online at: shop.abc.net.au.

‘I mean, we knew it was a good script. Amazing cast, a great director [Brian Percival], great talent – all the components were there. But you work on other things where all the components are there and they come and go not having the same impact. I’m still not sure.’

The reality is Downton Abbey is a reminder of a simpler time and, whilst the language and life of the extended Crawley family is antiquated, it’s not incomprehensible. The Earl of Grantham might very well lose the Abbey – he has money troubles, just like us! And the servants

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UNINHIBITED The Gallery of Australian Design, or GAD, is a strange little beast.

Small, underfunded, possibly lacking a firm identity, the space still manages to kick the occasional goal. I’d hoped that CAPITheticAL, coming off the back of the excellent Young Hot Canberra show, would be another. I was wrong.

This show, so says its breathless website, ‘[Showcases] the finalists of the CAPITheticAL (yes, the annoying capitals are intentional) international design competition… Using plans, videos and drawings, each designer’s vision for the city of the future offers imaginative resolutions to questions of national symbolism and identity, access to government, sustainable development and community building.’

Later the blurb exhorts us to ‘come see the future!’

So what we had here were imaginings of ‘[a] vision for the city of the future, the year 2113.’ To these four eyes, I saw less of the future, and more of the following: a ponderous exercise in architectural grandstanding, and a missed opportunity.

Pray tell: why would an audience be interested in Canberra 2113 when they can’t see themselves staying in the city beyond the end of their next contract, which finishes up in 2015? Why squander an opportunity for real debate that affects lives now in this growing city?

Why not a tougher brief, asking architects what they could do to make the city a more attractive and sustainable place by 2030? Or 2020? Why not a brief that sets in place certain forecasts (say 4% population growth, one recession, a two-term government followed by a progressive administration, ongoing climate change and a successful local referendum to erect a statue of Pat Seears from Seears Workwear on city hill) and lets architects rip?

Why not something that could be useful, guide conversation, get people arguing about the kind of place they want to live in by being tangible and relevant? What the fuck is the matter with relevance?

Thank GAD, then, for the entry by Sarah Herbert, who chose not to imagine the capital as a shoddy sci-fi site, but to extend pre-existing ideas about the city centre (light rail, integrated living, greater density et al.) and visually indicate what these political footballs and thought bubbles might actually look like.

Interestingly enough, Sarah Herbert is a student at UC. Her work stood out amongst this global company by bringing clarity and a practical ingenuity to this troubled brief.

I’m all for architects celebrating the far-away crevices of their minds and designing possible landscapes that we might live in one day.

I’m also a fan of The Jetsons, which did the same, but with jaunty tunes and jokes. Where there is debate about fundamental matters, such as how we live, architects and curators can combine to do a great service – to render ideas, policies, arguments and make them that little bit more tangible. They can combine powers to illustrate possible futures, and hence shed light on said possible futures.

Alternatively, they can do what they’ve done with CAPatheticAL, which is miss a great opportunity.

GLEN MARTIN glenpetermartin@gmail.com

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A R T | C O M E DY | D A N C E | L I T E R AT U R E | T H E AT R E

LITERATURE IN REVIEW The Shining Girls Lauren Beukes [Harper Collins; 2013]

At the height of The Great Depression, a disturbed vagrant stumbles across a house with a dead man in the foyer and the trophies of a serial killer upstairs – but the murders haven’t occurred yet, and the house is a doorway through time. Harper Curtis is driven by a force he doesn’t understand to complete the house’s grisly work; to stalk the shining girls across the 20th Century and cut the light out of them.

The Shining Girls is a genuinely creepy genre-bending thriller with a villain who is the stuff of sadistic, horrifying nightmares. The present-tense narrative gives the whole thing an unsettling air, but lends an especially visceral, disturbing edge to the murder scenes.

The cool, emotionless detail with which the assaults are described is fascinating and repulsive; the insight into the killer is startling.

The story loops back and forth – we meet Kirby in 1992 before we see the attack in 1989, we see Carver kill a social worker in 1992, and then take a nurse dancing in 1932. Carver disposes of a body in a dumpster, then returns to the house to find it on the floor again. It’s disorienting and occasionally chilling, but the time travel isn’t a gimmick or a twist. Carver’s compulsion to kill and his need to close the loops are tangled together. It makes for a brutally effective story. emma grist

Not unexpectedly for a timetravel story, the narrative jumps around a fair bit, split between the two main characters and the points of view of a half-dozen other players – mostly the other murder victims; young women from the late-‘20s through to the modern day. These are no disposable horror movie victims, though; each woman is a whole, interesting character in her own right. From the dancing girl who paints herself with radium to glow in the dark club, to the single mother welding warships, to the black-market abortion activist; the author shows vividly why these ‘shining’ women draw the malevolent attention of the house. Each time period is meticulously researched and believable, giving the stories of the victims texture and meaning, and the changing landscape of Chicago becomes a character in its own right.

In 1989, Kirby Mazrachi barely survives a brutal attack that leaves her gutted, scarred and obsessed with finding her attempted killer. Kirby, the heroine of the piece, is a disaffected Gen-X punk kid, cocky and brave, whose first thought on being knifed in the stomach is a furious, ‘Don’t you dare.’ She later becomes obsessed with finding her attempted killer, and finding other girls like her, but when she takes an internship at a newspaper to further her research, she stumbles on more information than she can handle.

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FILM FAIR sinead o’connelL In its sixth year running, the HUMAN RIGHTS ARTS AND FILM FESTIVAL (HRAFF) are touring once again in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Perth, Brisbane and Alice Springs to exhibit a selection of contemporary cinema, music and fine art.

Festival Director Ella McNeill comments, ‘The program will engage with people in Canberra because it’s the perfect city for a festival like this. The city is full of people from just about everywhere, people interested in politics, development and foreign development. We’ve always had a successful run in Canberra and we’re really looking forward to seeing how everyone responds again this year with the selection. Also we have to thank the ANU for supporting us. It’s so great to have them on board.’

In each city a selection of three films are screened over three consecutive nights. This year, opening on Monday June 3 at the National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra is privileged to have on the menu In the Shadow of the Sun – ‘the debut feature by British filmmaker Harry Freeland, which looks at the harrowing reality of ritual Albino killings in Tanzania’ – as well as Sally El Hosaini’s My Brother the Devil – a ‘slick and energetic portrayal of migrant youth pushed to the fringe’ – and finally, on closing night Alias Ruby Blade ¬– an ‘action-packed documentary [that] demonstrates the astonishing power of individuals to change the course of history.’

Curious regarding the selection criteria for the festival, I asked McNeill how it works and how they choose the final films. ‘To begin, we look at films that have been chosen for festivals like Tribeca and Cannes and see what gets good responses. Ultimately, though, it’s about us researching the films, doing a callout each year, getting screeners in and, finally, placing the most fitting for the program in the selection.’ She adds, ‘We take on tour a small, strong selection of the program, choosing films that are not only a great representation of the program but also films that might relate to particular cities.’

Pertaining to human rights in general, the possibility of contention regarding some of the films is a battle that the team is prepared to endure. However, McNeill elaborates, ‘When you put yourself out there talking about human rights, you can guarantee that people are more sensitive in receiving the work… Ultimately, we are a platform for the films, though; the films aren’t news stories and I think most people are generally aware of that. We take it upon ourselves to ensure we don’t let public opinion censor us; if there’s an issue that needs talking about we will talk about it.’ In this way, McNeill does justice to not only the festival but also the integrity of human rights issues on a global scale, selecting ‘its arts and film to engage and inform people on human rights issues.’

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The Human Rights Arts and Film Festival is in Canberra from Mon-Wed June 3-5 at the National Film and Sound Archive. Tickets are $18 + bf through hraff.org.au.

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A R T | C O M E DY | D A N C E | L I T E R AT U R E | T H E AT R E My fury, therefore, at a petty appeal from a Mr Ashley Thomson, Editor-in-Chief of this filthy rag, for the reliably frequent presentation of my musings to meet his frankly irrelevant deadlines, may initially appear hypocritical, but is, in fact, absolutely warranted.

If there is one thing I cannot abide, it is a lack of punctuality.

Other than that, I would consider myself a tolerable soul, bar understandable revulsion for the needless education of those on low incomes.

Punctuality can be acquired through several means, just one being the implementation of compulsory child labour – a practice I now believe to be bewilderingly contentious.

It is my understanding that children can now not only enjoy generous recompense from a vigorous working day, but may also be precluded from its benefits under the liberal deceit that offspring of the lower classes be considered in anyway superior to a particularly astute donkey.

There are many proven benefits to child labour. Gnarled and calloused hands enable a grip sufficient to claw one’s way through a latrine; a prematurely aged appearance aids the acquisition of gin; the aesthetic splendour of a stooped back is something it has taken my own family centuries of inbreeding to achieve. But chief among these many advantages is the appreciation of punctuality.

The inability to observe a predetermined engagement can and must be met with ferocious remonstration: a worker, child or otherwise, justifiably denied food for tardiness; a subordinate publicly lashed for failing to keep an appointment; a once-faithful dog justly kicked into a nearby lake for an inability to retrieve a stick in a predetermined time.

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All my misgivings are rightly exclusive to those of a lower social order than that which I inhabit. All accepted conventions of punctuality are inapplicable to someone of my own standing, blessed as I am with four extra chromosomes when compared to the likes of you.

It was some days ago that Mr Thomson, in the barely recognisable drawl of the commoner, bid—nay, demanded my latest offering, without whiff of genial sarcasm or offer of fleshly compensation.

The baffling delusion that even Mr Thomson’s chief concern could outrank any trifling whim, sexual or otherwise, in which I happen to be furiously engaged, is a premise so laughable I allowed the escape of a mild chortle. No. A derisive snort.

I remind you that Mr Thomson owns no significant holdings in any opium plantations, has a negligible income of less than £150,000 per month, and can produce zero evidence of any familial incest. In short, he is a man impossible to take seriously.

Punctuality is something that I am perfectly entitled to demand, but should never be expected to supply. Furthermore, items which require immediate attention are to be determined at a gentleman’s sole discretion.

As a rational man, there are some things for which even I am happy to wait. But, as a moral man, that Mr Thomson be in receipt of the merciless thrashing for which he is surely scheduled is not one of them. gideon foxington-smythe

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bit PARTS RUBEN GUTHRIE WHAT: Theatre Production WHEN: Wed-Sat May 22-25 WHERE: Drama Lab, ANU Arts Centre The National University Theatre Society is proud to announce their upcoming production of Ruben Guthrie by Brendan Cowell. Ruben Guthrie is on fire. He’s the Creative Director of a cutting-edge advertising agency, he’s engaged to a Czech supermodel and Sydney is his oyster. He pours himself a drink to celebrate, a drink to work, a drink to sleep and one night he drinks so much he thinks he can fly.

Ruben Guthrie is a brutally honest comedy about confronting change, spiralling high, crashing hard and the role of alcohol in Australian society. 7:30pm. $10/$15 + bf through shop.anusa.com.au/nuts.

‘Petite Offbeat’ by Kendal Murray

PINUP WHAT: Brooch Exhibition WHEN: Wed May 22-Sun Jun 2 WHERE: ANCA Gallery ANCA presents an exhibition of artist-made brooches, showcasing miniature wearable works by local, regional and interstate artists.

Following on from the success of ANCA’s inaugural brooch exhibition in 2011, and rePIN in 2012, PINup is the title of this year’s PIN exhibition series. Enthusiastically received by makers, the concept of honing in on a wearable, miniature platform appealed to artists from a broad range of practices such as sculptors, printmakers, painters, photographers, wood-workers and glass artists. The results are both accessible and intimate. Official opening is Wednesday May 22, 6-8pm. Free.

MODERN MARKET WHAT: Night Craft & Design Market WHEN: Sat May 25 WHERE: Nishi Building, NewActon MODERN Market, Craft ACT: Craft + Design Centre’s inaugural craft and design night market, will feature high-end, innovative and emerging creators from Canberra and the nation. It offers visitors the opportunity to meet and buy directly from craft and design talents.

The event will showcase concepts and approaches to contemporary creativity and will include the work of jewellers, ceramicists and illustrators, plus textile, product, fashion, industrial and surface pattern designers. The location at NewActon will see the products in one of Canberra’s most exciting environments. craftact.org.au. 4-9pm. Free.

THE MAJOR MINOR PARTY WHAT: Political Drama WHEN: Wed May 29-Sat Jun 1 WHERE: The Playhouse Commissioned for Canberra’s Centenary, Version 1.0’s entertaining and thought provoking The Major Minor Party is a political drama with its roots quite literally in Fyshwick. The Major Minor Party explores the realm of the minor parties in Australia and asks who really represents us. With the Australian Sex Party as a launching pad for an investigation of civil liberties, Version 1.0 explores marriage equality, voluntary euthanasia, abortion, censorship, sex education and the separation of church and state. 8pm nightly, matinee 2pm, Sat Jun 1. $30-$63 from canberratheatrecentre.com.au or (02) 6275 2700.

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ARTISTPROFILE:

Of what are you proudest so far? I was happy with my most recent portrait series. It’s a collection if imposing people in unsettling situations. My intention was to make the viewer feel uncomfortable and, judging from the feedback, that’s what I achieved. You can see the series on my website.

What do you do? I’m an aspiring photographer and a failed skateboarder.

What are your plans for the future? Keep shooting, skating on the side, no doubt. But I’d really like to shoot stills for movies. That’d be the dream job.

Dean Johnson

When, how and why did you get into it? I started skating in early high school with my mates back in Temora. I’d shoot little videos and photos of us all screwing around. From there I just never just stopped. I’m always trying to shoot a little better each time I get the camera out.

Who or what influences you as an artist? I get a good deal of creative inspiration from mob movies and The Sopranos. I can’t get enough of that stuff. I love cinematic-looking images. Of course, I also have many photographers that I look up to like Ryan Allan, Zach Gold, Terry Richardson and dozens more.

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What makes you laugh? Bill Murray, J. Peterman, Rick James, Greenwood.

What pisses you off? Most things, ha ha! Scooter kids, penny boards, longboards, rolled up pants, fixies, #hashtags… the list never ends. Ask Zac Gaudie.

Upcoming exhibitions? An exhibition at PhotoAccess in November.

Contact Info: deanjohnson.com.au; facebook.com/ DeanJohnsonPhotography.

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the word on albums

– stick thin, tall, mangy mop of hair looking more like a lost member of Iron Butterfly than a content, weirdly boring 33-year-old family man.

Since leaving the equally low-key The War on Drugs in 2008, Vile has released nearly an album a year, which makes him sound not only prolific but possibly a man in a hurry. You’d never guess it from the music.

He’s always been languid but never has he been so unrushed. Opening track (Wakin’ On A Pretty Day) ambles in at a little under ten minutes, barely rising above a medium ripple. To call it a crowd splitter is an understatement. In fact, you could almost accuse him of being deliberately difficult because, in all honesty, not only does the first track wrong-foot by being a poor indicator of what’s to follow but it’s also not an especially good song, just a slow shuffle punctured by the occasional innocuous reverb-soaked riff. A ballsy and confident opening gambit.

album of the issue kurt vile wakin’ on a pretty daze [Matador] When the John Fahey comparisons started doing the rounds just prior to the release of Kurt Vile’s most recent and fifth album, Wakin’ On A Pretty Daze, it was an intriguing association.

John Fahey was one of the true originals of American music; he created an entirely new and unique language of folk and blues in the second half of the 20th Century. Precise and circular hard-hitting fingerpicking acknowledged the misery of the past but was punctuated by long stretches of searching, progressive-esque inner discovery. His instrumental cover of Charlie Patton’s Some Summer Day equals the original’s downtrodden yearning without a single word passing his lips.

Fahey died desperately poor and on the margins in 2001.

Vile is a talented singer-songwriter with a unique musical voice (hazy strums, lo-fi reverb, indifferent vocals, scratching solos), but the comparisons seemed less than rigorous. Until Pure Pain hits one of its frequent breakdowns and, in between jagged stop-start thrashes, you hear the ghost of Fahey looming large.

The impact of those drifting repetitive arpeggios almost makes you forget they’re part of the same song. It’s bravura songwriting, but this isn’t a young artist showing off his chops or influences. Vile has never sounded like he needed your approval and, like Fahey, he comes off as a marginal character

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The true extent of Vile’s confidence can be measured in the very next track, KV Crimes.

Filtering the ruff-hewed scungy sounds of Credence through archetypal sloppy ‘80s alternarock a la The Replacements, Vile proceeds to slow the song down to damn near half-pace and drawl, ‘I think I’m ready to claim what’s mine.’ As a listener, it’s tempting to be too literal at times, and read unmeant intent into lyrics, but he sure sounds ready – in a slothful way.

Even the up-tempo songs feel lazy. The drum-machineassisted Was All Talk is a song at war with itself – a syncopated artificial beat no match for a heavy layer of hazy fingerpicked acoustic guitars. It’s as though nothing, even digital machinery, is capable of overwhelming Vile’s natural inclination to mellow the fuck out. And even though most songs on the album clock in at over five minutes, this is a result of Vile hitting specific grooves rather than scrambling vainly for conclusions. The eight minutes of Too Hard contain no epic builds, just gentle riffs and refrains in constant hypnotic repetition.

If this sounds harsh, it’s not meant to. Wakin’ On A Pretty Daze is Vile’s most realised album yet, and one that consolidates his considerable talent. There’s enough light and shade to make it a classic grower, taking circuitous routes and time, demanding the same of the listener.

Still, it’s no game changer. There’s nothing here that will open him up to the masses or even the medium minority. Critics will continue to fall over themselves but Vile will remain an admired but mostly overlooked artist, appearing mid-to-high up the bill at boutique music festivals. And besides, he’s already had one song (He’s Alright) soundtrack the final scene of an Eastbound and Down finale, so arguably he has nowhere else to go.

JUSTIN HOOK

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songs malabar [popfrenzy]

letters to the sun letters to the sun [obese records]

little green cars absolute zero [liberator music]

In 2009 Sydney band Songs arrived riding a very particular crest of hype.

Letters To The Sun have been quietly working from two of the most isolated parts of Australia but have emerged with a debut album that’s nothing short of a musical goldmine. LTTS is made up of MC Coin from Perth and Tasmanian producer/DJ, Akouo.

Little Green Cars has made remarkable strides for such a young band. Having formed in their Dublin school about five years ago, the quintet, all now aged about 20, has formed a mature sonic personality and an ability to put together sophisticated arrangements.

Their ascension to the top of the bloggers’ parade was interesting – the band comprised three old hands of the Flying Nun ‘80s/‘90s era, rounded off by the death stare of young bassist Ela Stiles. They were the best of two marketing worlds – a new band with old school authenticity. Their first EP was a jangling triumph, their debut LP a moody and mostly excellent drone pop number. Songs were clearly good at cresting the next wave of cool.

Four years later and the sound of jangling starts and long kraut grooves are the sound de jour. Times move fast in the blog age.

This has nothing to do with the actual tunes, of course, but the fact that we’re talking about Songs is because they possessed a particular appeal to tastemakers and editors over a bunch of other bands doing similar things at a place in time.

The point here is that because Songs arrived as the sound de jour, their latest work runs the risk of being overlooked as a new sound de jour occupies the cultural space.

A live show in Melbourne two years ago made me think they were on the cusp of becoming Australia’s most exciting band.

The material here isn’t strong enough to justify that claim, but Malabar is another interesting, high quality addition to their CV. I can’t help but think that their strengths are in the deceptively simple pop tunes of the first EP. If there was to be a third Songs LP, a record full of these would elevate them beyond the tastes of the day.

They have a beyond-cool classic in them, but this will do in the meantime. glen martin

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From the gorgeous artwork to the poignant lyrics, it’s clear that a lot time and effort has gone into creating the duo’s self-titled album, and the result is a work of art.

I’ve heard a lot of Aussie hip hop in my time and, although I enjoy most of what I hear, it takes something like this release to realise that I’m probably a bit liberal with the gold stars I hand out. I’ve re-thought the rating I’m giving these guys but stand with it because this album has the makings of something great.

More than competing with local artists, it can battle worldwide hip hop greats. As much as I wish that were true for all Obese releases and, moreover, all the music leaving our shores, it just isn’t the case. This record can compete because it has no hints of the ‘this’ll do’ vibe that has killed so many other emerging artists. The elegance of the tracks is a rarity these days, especially in hip hop, but it’s a beautiful thing to see and hear.

A standout for me is Mile High Club, featuring the smooth vocals of Donavan de Souza, but each track could easily stand alone as a representation of the calibre of the album. It takes a few songs to hear the tales behind the words, but they contrast the eclectic melodies seamlessly.

Soulful, yet fresh, meshing beautiful beats with thought provoking lyrics, the result is an instant classic, sure to make a solid mark in the hip hop world. jade fosberry

It’s easy to pick up snippets of tracks that bring to mind other bands. For starters, they have elements of Boy & Bear, demonstrating all the command of melody, timing and vocal skills which that band is renowned for. There are traces of Mumford and Sons in The Consequences of Not Sleeping and shades of Cloud Control in Big Red Dragon.

However, Little Green Cars are in no way a clone of other bands. They have a captivating style of their own, which draws on the versatility of their two lead vocalists.

There couldn’t be a bigger contrast between Stevie Appleby’s slightly scratchy voice and Faye O’Rourke, who possesses some of the tone (if not the same oomph) of Florence Welch (Florence and the Machine).

She impresses in My Love Took Me Down to the River to Silence Me and Please, with the wonderful, forceful emphasis she places on every word. Absolute Zero brings great melodies and standout harmonies, boosted by the participation of all members in the vocals. The band also appreciates the impact that can be gained from mid-song variations in tempo. Songwriting duties were shared amongst the members, the best lyrics appearing in Harper Lee, with a comic twist in Appleby’s lines such as, ‘I put mice in the kitchen to see if you’d kill them.’

Other highlights in this very impressive debut include The Kitchen Floor and The John Wayne. rory mccartney

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fm rockville [riff city records]

primal scream more light [ignition/inertia]

iceage you’re nothing [matador]

Over a quarter of a century ago, FM formed as a British antidote to the tide of American melodic rock acts such as Journey, Survivor and REO Speedwagon that dominated the poodle-permed scene at the time, releasing at least two classic albums (Indiscreet, 1986, and Tough it Out, 1989) before their career petered out after the advent of grunge.

As a longtime Scream fan, I couldn’t help but feel that their last two preceding albums showed them trudging ahead, a mere shadow of their former selves circa highwater marks Vanishing Point and Xtrmntr.

You have to feel for founders Bobby Gillespie and Andrew Innes, though, with the last few years seeing the departures of guitarist Throb, live member Kevin Shields and bassist Mani, the latter two to their own recently reformed bands. Against seemingly huge odds, however, this tenth Primal Scream album offers up what’s easily some of the band’s most exciting and deeply psychedelic music in more than a decade.

If you were to press play at almost any point of this album, crank the volume and hold the headphones away from your ears, what emerged would sound something like a very angry young man banging furiously on the tin wall of an abandoned factory building while yelling harshly at a buzzsaw cutting through granite. To dive deeper past the surface noise, however, is to be enveloped in the crashingly loud, coarse and intricately crafted mess that is You’re Nothing, the second LP release from young Danish punk/ post punk rockers Iceage.

They reformed (don’t they all?) in 2007, released an okay comeback record, Metropolis, in 2010 but here, now, in 2013, they’ve recorded an album that absolutely puts them back at the top of the UK melodic rock tree.

In a word, Rockville is superb. So superb, in fact, that it’s the best thing they’ve recorded since Tough it Out. Choc full of powerful, emotive rockers and, well, powerful, emotive ballads, the album absolutely fizzes with energy and passion.

Steve Overland – one of Britain’s great rock voices, yet somehow a name that never gets dropped when grizzled old men gather to discuss such matters – puts in an absolutely stunning performance throughout, whilst new guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick peppers every song with his marvellously assured lead work. Both he and Overland mesh together beautifully on tracks such as Crosstown Train (by far the heaviest track this band has ever committed to wax), whilst on the ballads his tasteful counterpoints to Overland’s soulful vocalising are an absolute joy to behold.

There are no standouts – every track is an absolute pearler – and if you like classic hard rock performed with all the skill only seasoned practitioners can muster, yet with the passion and verve of men half their age, then you must have this album. scott adams

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It’s in part due to the involvement of producer David Holmes, who brings back the layered, cinematic-sounding aesthetic missing on 2008’s disappointing Beautiful Future. More than anything else, the 13 tracks collected here cover all of the Scream’s established touchstones, from Stones-y rock stomps and free jazz freakouts, through to glittery electropunk and countrified psyche-soul.

Nine-minute-long opener 2013 provides a good argument for the band’s return to strength, kicking things off with a saxophone-fuelled psychedelic rock-out that ends in a furious Sun Ra-esque free jazz meltdown. Elsewhere, Culturecide offers up an industrial-edged slice of politicopunk equally as ferocious as anything off Xtrmntr, with Mark Stewart contributing electronically-processed backing yells to the wall of noise, before Hit Void blasts off in a thunderous roar of surf-rock meets shoegazer guitar feedback as Kevin Shields makes a welcome reappearance.

While there’s the odd weak moment here – see disappointing Robert Plant collaboration Elimination Blues – this is a stronger album than anything else Primal Scream have released inthe last ten years. chris downton

You’re Nothing follows on from Iceage’s stark, lean 2011 debut New Brigade, exhibiting a newly dense and full sound, and a new embodiment of the band’s adroitness in seamlessly marrying punk, hardcore and post punk sensibilities. As in their debut, here Iceage utilise brevity as a weapon, each track stripped back to a raw, sinewy core, the album burning out just short of 28 minutes. Iceage’s ability to consistently thread genuinely catchy punk guitar lines through driving four-chord choruses and crushing rhythm sections is remarkable.

So is their agile turn of pace – the band are equally at ease thrashing through tracks like Coalition and In Haze as they are when slowing to allow space for the heavy, trudging verse of Burning Hand.

Centrepiece Morals is the most telling example of Iceage’s growth – jagged, echoed piano chords create a cavernous space atop a slow, grinding rhythm section while vocalist Elias Bender Rønnenfelt’s voice, more tuneful and reflective, emerges to ponder, ‘If I could leave my body, then I would/Bleed into a lake/Dashing away, disappear.’

In short, You’re Nothing is formidable – a dark, nuanced exhibition of raw power alongside genuine song-crafting nous. david smith

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brighter later the wolves [independent]

parquet courts light up gold [what’s your rupture]

the break space farm [sony]

Comprised of principal songwriter Jaye Krantz and collaborator Virginia Bott, Melbourne-based band Brighter Later explore a richly textured downbeat approach that sits somewhere between psychedelic folk and dreamy indie, with occasional hints of alt-country rearing their heads. It’s not surprising to find out that this debut album The Wolves was self-produced in an old church, as all ten tracks collected here come draped in a cavernous sense of natural reverb, further adding to the sense of slow-burning atmosphere. Perhaps one of the closest sonic comparisons evoked by tracks like the gorgeously gentle Come And Go and dreamy opener All The World is early Cat Power fronting Low, as Krantz’s reverb-heavy vocals float against delicately chiming guitars and minimalist drumming.

Have you met the music critic who says it’s all been done before? That nothing is new, that it was better in their day? You have? Of course you have. We all have.

These charmless killjoys are found up the back of shows, or joylessly flicking through the racks on record store day, wearing a Television or Pastels or Pavement t shirt.

They’re schmucks, and I hate them.

Listening back to early Midnight Oil a couple of nights ago, it struck me just how much the incredibly tight rhythm section made that band explode. It’s perhaps for this reason that the reunion of Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie and Martin Rotsey alongside former Violent Femmes bassist Brian Ritchie as the instrumental surf-rock outfit The Break attracted such widespread interest back in 2010, with the release of their debut album Church Of The Open Sky.

Having said that, the range of different influences surfacing throughout this consistently strong collection of songs is a wide one that ranges from lush orchestration, through to elements of chanson and minimalist ballads. The texturally lavish The Woods manages to hint at Stereolab’s rich European palette with synths, clavinet and strings creeping into the mix, in what’s easily one of this album’s more eclectic moments. Elsewhere, Satellite takes things off into some of the most alt-country-tinged atmospheres explored here as rich slide guitar strokes and rolling Fender Rhodes keys provide the perfect sleepy accompaniment to Krantz’s almost weary-sounding, husky vocal.

Having said that…

I like this record. I like the songs. The cover art. The production. The combination of elements, the straight-up pop punk that recalls The Ramones if they were led by a slightly more confident Jonathon Richman.

The slightly stoned application of some killer riffs. The beats that recall the best of The Strokes, which recall the best of New York new/no-wave ‘76-83. It sounds great.

But… The key question is: does this album add anything new to our popular, or not-sopopular culture? And the answer here is… not really. It’s nowhere near as good an album as Slanted & Enchanted or Modern Lovers, nor does it come with the excitable cultural weight of an Is This It. It probably doesn’t quite hit the mark set by the first two Eddy Current Suppression Ring LPs.

While some listeners might find The Wolves a little too on the slow side, there’s an emphasis upon building rich layers of haunting atmosphere here, rather than real peaks. An impressive debut album from Brighter Later that suggests good things for this relatively new band.

This doesn’t mean that Light Up Gold isn’t worth the effort. Borrowed Time is a cracking tune. The Sonic Youth axes and Fugazi vocal of Donuts Only is awesome.

The pure Pavementalism-via-Richman of Yr No Stoner is excellent. So on through the whole record. The songs are great and the references are spot on. But the songs never rise above the references. And when the references are so obvious, it’s akin to imitation sugar reminding you of how excellent real sugar is.

chris downton

glen martin

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Three years on and on the heels of an Australian tour alongside Rodriguez, this second album Space Farm offers up a considerably more cosmic and psychedelic voyage than its predecessor.

While the astronaut-themed sleeve art might suggest knowing kitsch, in reality this is a far deeper, darker and more widescreen collection than you might first expect.

Offerings like the driving title track and the twanging Face The Music see the rhythmic propulsion intact, but in this case it’s welded to a far more galactic tableaux of dubbedout space effects and electronic trickery.

Perhaps Engelbert Humperdinck’s curiously George Jones-esque guest vocal on a cover of his own Ten Guitars represents the most unexpected moment here. It’s hard though to compete in terms of weirdness with the closing Space Farm Suite, which sees Ritchie contributing a piss-take psychedelic guru spoken word reading against a cosmic backdrop of twinkling synths and chanting Gyuto monks that suddenly charges forward into a relentless clattering garagerock rumble.

If Link Wray had been shot into space by NASA in the ‘60s and they weren’t able to bring him back, Space Farm would probably be the last transmission from his capsule.

Impressive and occasionally ferocious stuff. chris downton

41

the word

on films

WITH MELISSA WELLHAM

I’ve heard murmurings that people are getting sick of Ryan Gosling. Ryan Gosling tea towels aren’t selling well.

Friends of friends have made comments on Feminist Ryan Gosling memes on Facebook, saying that they don’t get the appeal. Don’t worry, I think even Gosling has realised his face has reached a point of saturation – he’s taking a break from acting, after all.

But before he does, enjoy these last few films he has out. Because he’s a pretty phenomenal actor.

quote of the issue ‘You think you’re safe; you are not.’

John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), Star Trek: Into Darkness

STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS In the spirit of full and dull disclosure, I am something of a Star Trek fan – and I have such love for the work of Gene Roddenerry (creator of the franchise) that it’s difficult for me to separate my heart and my head.

Following on from the rebooted Star Trek released in 2009, Into Darkness shows our heroes facing a threat that is both old and new. Captain James Kirk (Chris Pine), the logical Vulcan Spock (Zachary Quinto), Doctor ‘Bones’ McCoy (Karl Urban) and Uhura (Zoe Salanda), as well as the rest of the gang, must come together to fight a threat from within the Federation (that’s the futuristic intergalactic UN, remember). An agent named John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) has gone rogue.

He’s smart, he’s strong, and he seems to be unstoppable.

What’s a group of plucky space adventurers to do? Band together as a team, of course, and beat the bad guys with no small amount of banter.

Into Darkness is nothing like the original series of Star Trek – there are more explosions, there’s more extravagance, and there are more emotions from the inhuman Spock. But that’s part of what makes the reboot so much fun: it’s unashamedly Hollywood – providing humour and heartthrobs alongside its lessons about democracy and daring.

Into Darkness is well scripted and slick – just try to ignore the excess of solar flare. melissa wellham

DRIFT

SPRING BREAKERS

There are lots of great Australian surfing documentaries, but for a country surrounded in water we just can’t nail a really good surfing drama. Drift has a pretty good crack at it.

Spring Breakers isn’t your usual film about spring break. Hell, it isn’t your usual film. Brit, Candy, Faith and Cotty head off on spring break, but after a night of the usual hijinks (beer bongs, cocaine, dancing in foam) they get thrown in the slammer… only to be bailed out by James Franco, as gangster Alien, and that’s when the party really begins. The deliberate casting of Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez and Ashley Benson, angel-faced teen idols turned into sex-crazed, criminallyinclined college students, is a pretty obvious move, but also kind of inspired. The fourth player is Rachel Korine, wife of director Harmony Korine.

Set in Western Australia in the ‘70s, two brothers (Xavier Samuel and Myles Pollard) start up a surfing business. Working with the beautiful canvas of the coast of Western Australia, directors Ben Nott and Morgan O’Neill, with cinematography from Geoffrey Hall, manage to capture the majesty of the ocean.

While it’s easy for Nott and O’Neill to find the best breaks, it’s not as simple when it comes to the plot. Samuel and Pollard are great playing the siblings and a lot of the film’s charm comes from their interactions, with a little spice added by a troubadour/photographer played by Sam Worthington.

The biggest problem is that, while the brothers are chasing the perfect work and surf balance, not much really happens and instead the antagonists pile up in an attempt to kick-start a narrative. There are tough bikers, an evil bank manager and a drugged up employee.

Throw in a last minute surfing competition to save everyone’s financial skin that feels ripped from the final act of a Mighty Ducks film and you’ve got a really lukewarm drama.

Drift is a film that is superb on the water but a little wobbly on dry land. cameron williams

Don’t see Spring Breakers if you’re bothered by hair regrowth, scene repetition, out-of-sync dialogue, or intentionally pervy uses of the male gaze. It’s hedonistic but ridiculous, disturbing yet trashy, and all in this dreamy sort of way. It’s bikinis and bullets, Disney princesses turned rogue and plenty of tongue-in-cheek angst. Franco is eccentric but magnetic, and Hudgens is probably the only convincing/ memorable one of the girls, who are shallow metaphors for coming-of-age dissatisfaction turning into delinquency.

If you’ve seen anything of Korine’s before (he wrote dark teen film Kids and directed the controversial Gummo), you’ll know what to expect. I guess what I’m saying is…I loved Spring Breakers. But you might legitimately hate it. It’s sort of the ‘anchovy on pizza’ of films – it’s either your thing, or it isn’t.

MEGAN McKEOUGH

42

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THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES Writer and director Derek Cianfrance is ambitious. His films are tough work. They are tough to watch, his characters are tough to understand and the conclusions are tough to deal with (because they barely feel like conclusions).

The Place Beyond the Pines starts off with Ryan Gosling as Luke: a stunt motorcycle rider who wears a leather jacket, is in love with a woman who isn’t really his to love (Eva Mendes), and who gets embroiled in a life of crime.

Before you stop watching because you think you’ve accidentally walked into Drive – don’t worry. It all gets very different from there. Luke’s criminal activity connects him with cop Avery (Bradley Cooper). Their lives become seemingly intertwined – as do the lives of their families.

This film is being touted as a crime drama, but it is really more of a character study. And what characters to study. Each personality – even those of the minor, supporting roles – is complex. No one is all bad, or all good: merely human.

Some critics have called it an epic, or a tragedy, or a tale of redemption. It could be called all of those things. But what makes this film compelling is not the whole or the sum – it is the parts; the individual moments and the individual choices the characters make.

(P.S. Ladies – Ryan Gosling holds a baby in this film.

It’s adorable.) melissa wellham

A PLACE FOR ME The emotional shrapnel of a divorce scars a family of writers in A Place for Me. An acclaimed author (Greg Kinnear) and his teenage children (Lily Collins and Nat Wolff) are silently suffering after mum (Jennifer Connelly) bails.

Due to a ridiculous amount of publishing success, the characters have an air of pompousness and talk like they’ve got all the right answers, but none of it seems genuine. These are people with big houses and even bigger problems, but it’s hard to feel sympathetic. Sure, the characters have the Hollywood flawed virtuoso gene, but they are always one wine glass swivel away from complete arrogance.

The cast delivers tiny bites of charm, but the smugness is overwhelming and the story is a mediocre walk through the breakdown of a marriage; dad can’t move on, the daughter avoids intimacy and the son does drugs. Before you can ask, ‘Where’s the character with a brain tumor?’ you’re dumped bedside, ready to be milked for tears. It’s strange that writer/ director Josh Boone chose to make his film about writers.

There is dialogue in a scene where a character is lifeless after a bad reaction to narcotics and someone yells, ‘She has a drug problem!’ In this scene, Boone forgets that sometimes actions speak louder than words on film, especially when the prose is lazy.

A Place for Me is ripe for a daytime soap opera but the concept is stretched as a film. cameron williams

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43

the word

BLACKBOX

on games

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon Platform: PS3, Xbox, PC Developer: Ubisoft Montreal/ Shanghai Length: 5 hrs+ Verdict: Worth trying You may have recently seen the title Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon bandied around and wondered, ‘Why the hubbub?’ A quick synopsis of the game should help clarify the chatter: ‘In an ‘80s-inspired world, you play Sergeant Rex Power Colt, a Cyber Commando who finds himself fighting cyborg soldiers and laser shooting dinosaurs in order to save the world from a second apocalypse.’

What more needs to be a said?

(About 400 words more, the Editor tells me.)

What Blood Dragon represents is awesome. It shows that the big game devs, including at least one of their executives, are willing to have a bit of fun. This isn’t just some half-arsed side project of a few; Blood Dragon has clearly had some solid time and thought put behind it. While the game admittedly takes much of its gameplay from Far Cry, there’s enough novelty here to keep fans interested.

First and foremost is the cornball story, which is accompanied by many a classic one-liner and ‘80s homage. For those of us who have been playing games for a while, you should find the old-school references, such as the 8-bit cut-scenes, pretty amusing. The game is also rocking an awesome ‘80s soundtrack worthy of a Daft Punk album, including the new one (it’s a two-for-one review!) It picks up at all the right times and really completes the retro theme.

My biggest gripe with the game is the controls. With it having such high-calibre heritage, I was surprised how clunky the aiming felt, at least when playing the console version. Even after a few hours I was still left feeling a bit incompetent, a feeling that the Call of Duty series did well to avoid. While this sounds like the workman blaming his tool, there’s a lot more magic to the aiming process than most gamers would think. Console FPS games typically employ multiple forms of auto-aim to seamlessly hide away the fact that a control stick kinda sucks for aiming. In comparison, Blood Dragon has your aim either patronisingly lock onto an enemy, or uselessly darting around their head.

Another gripe I’ve heard about the game is that it’s too similar to Far Cry. Having only played FC for a bit, I can certainly see that this is the case; however, there’s still plenty of novelty there for me.

As this is a standalone title, i.e. it doesn’t require you own Far Cry 3, this game could be a good way to get into the series. The open world FPS experience is an interesting one and worth trying if you haven’t already. All up this game is fun enough that its worth playing, particularly on the PC. It’s not as long as its spiritual predecessors, but for 20 bucks it’s hard to complain. torben sko

44

Winter (and the rich tapestry of ratings winners it brings) is definitely here. Grab a blanket, a hot cocoa (or espresso martini, if you prefer) and curl up for these five not-to-be-missed appointments with the box: 1. The Americans (SCTEN, Mon May 27, 8:30pm) – The Cold War set spy drama finally goes to air a full two weeks after the season ended in the US. This brilliantly executed drama follows the exploits of two deep cover Russian spies. If you only have room for one new show this year, make this it.

2. Robot Chicken Star Wars: Episode II (SBS2, Mon Jun 3, 9:30pm) – Stop-motion animated Star Wars skits. Up there with Blue Haven and the lego stop motion of Eddie Izzard’s Star Wars standup.

3. Paper Giants: Magazine Wars (ABC1, Sun Jun 2, 8:30pm) – The second instalment, after Asher Keddie’s award winning portrayal of Ita. This time it’s the ‘80s, the explosion of chequebook journalism and the battle between editors of Murdoch’s New Idea and Packer’s Woman’s Day to be the top selling tabloid mag in the country.

4. Whitlam: The Power and the Passion (ABC1, Sun May 26, 7:30pm) – Narrated by Judy Davis, the two part doco traces arguably Australia’s most famous Prime Minister’s journey from his start in the Labour party, through the dismissal, cataloguing his legacy – some lasting reforms as well as his place in constitutional history.

5. World B-Boy Championships (SBS2, Sun Jun 2, 6:30pm) – The six part series follows top break crews around the world as they battle to represent their country at the world finals.

And if that’s not enough, there’s also Cliffy (ABC1, Sun May 26, 8:30pm), a biopic of Australia’s favourite marathon running potato farmer, Longmire (GEM, Wed, 9:30pm), a police procedural set against the backdrop of Wyoming, The Life and Times of Tim (SBS, Thu May 23, 9:05pm), an animated series from the mind of Steve Dildarian, and new seasons of Dallas (GEM, Thu May 23, 11:30pm), Nurse Jackie (11, Mon May 20, 10:40pm), Rules of Engagement (11, Tue, 7:30pm), Offspring (SCTEN, Wed May 29, 8:30pm) and Rockwiz (SBS1, Sat May 25, 8:30pm), which kicks off with Steve Kilbey, Tex Perkins and Russell Morris at Bluesfest.

Docos to keep an eye out for include Climb Every Mountain: The Story Behind the Sound of Music (SBS1, Fri May 24, 8:35pm), Kidnap Terror on Seymour Avenue (SBS1, Sun Jun 2, 9:30pm), a look at the story of the girls rescued in Cleveland this month, Making of The Great Gatsby (WIN, Sat Jun 1, 1pm), worth it just for the costumes and jewels, Sunday Best: When We Were Kings (ABC2, Sun Jun 2, 8:30pm), about Ali and Foreman’s Rumble in the Jungle, and Her Majesty’s Prison: Aylesbury (ABC2, Tue Jun 4, 9:30pm), a look inside the prison housing the UK’s worst young offenders.

SBS is kicking off its Australian film series with Snowtown (SBS1, Sat May 25, 9:30pm) and The Tree (SBS1, Sat Jun 1, 9:30pm). Other movie picks include 1965’s The Great Race (GEM, Sat Jun 1, 3:30pm), Made in America (Go, Fri May 24, 9:40pm), Die Hard (SCTEN, Sat Jun 1, 8:30pm), Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Go, Tue May 28, 9:30pm), Clerks II (Go, Wed May 29, 10:40pm), Dirty Dancing (Go, Thu May 30, 9:30pm), Mars Attacks! (Go, Sat Jun 1, 8:40pm), the original Superman (WIN, Sat May 25, 9:50pm), and Gone in 60 Seconds (7Mate, Sun May 26, 6pm). Don’t miss the World Cup Qualifier: Japan vs Australia (SBS1, Tue Jun 4, 9pm).

TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyherrernan@bigpond.com @ChezBlackbox

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the word on dvds

The dust bowl [madman]

the newsroom [warner home video]

hemingway and gelhorn [warner home video]

The Americans have this thing called manifest destiny, an inviolable right – nay, requirement – to explore, expand, conquer and settle.

The Great Plains, an area that covers roughly the middle of the US, capturing Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and a bunch of other states that chews my word count, is living proof of manifest destiny. It was once a fertile land where dreamers and chancers became instant farmers and land holders.

Urged by the government to service the post-WWI booming economy and become the food basket of the country, millions of acres of rich, moist soil quickly became fields of glowing yellow wheat. Then Wall Street crashed and grain prices plummeted. Faced with lower returns, the farmers of the Great Plains made a fatal miscalculation and planted twice the amount of seed to make up the difference. It backfired, destroying the soil.

Then drought and one of the greatest man-made ecological disasters in history unfolded.

Fast-spreading winds picked up tonnes of unanchored soil, dragging it hundreds of kilometres across the country in noxious clouds hundreds of metres high and wide. Day turned into night in minutes, dust clogged the mechanics of mammal anatomy and thousands perished. The Fruit Bowl became the Dust Bowl and 2.5 million people left the Great Plains in the greatest mass exodus in US history. The Dust Bowl is like every Ken Burns doco – daunting narration, stark imagery (the era was one of photo journalism’s biggest gifts) and heavy-hearted recollections. Burns’ style is timeless – 1080p hi-def might be the new standard, but this is grainy, methodical and defiantly unglamorous old school filmmaking. At nearly four hours long it’s a slog, but The Dust Bowl is hypnotically heartbreaking and not nearly as – ahem – dry as expected.

Aaron Sorkin sells himself as a genius. For all his talent, Sorkin has a strong streak of obnoxious know-it-allism that some find charming and forgivable because his intent is pure and politics are noble.

There are others who don’t.

The Newsroom is an unholy intersection of all that is great and gruesome about Sorkin. The show starts with a rousing ‘mad as hell’ monologue delivered by Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) lamenting the state of journalism in the early 21st Century. A fluffy newscaster with no experience in hard hitting journalism, McEvoy decides to be better, more truthful, more demanding.

Thereby introducing ten episodes of an elongated Sorkin rant against a panoply of small ‘l’ liberal targets, but mainly Fox News and the Republican Party.

The third most popular Google autocorrect for Ernest Hemingway is ‘manly’. It’s fair to assume it references the author’s legendary masculinity and chronic oversupply of testosterone and not the Sydney beachside suburb.

Hemingway was a giant of 20th Century literature in every conceivable way. His reputation as a hard living, hard drinking knockabout and knocked-out bear-of-a-man has only grown since he took his own life in 1962. He also loved cats, so would have loved the internet.

Sadly, it’s a hypothesis we cannot test.

justin hook

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The Newsroom is polemical. It’s ‘statement’ TV; worthy, serious and thought provoking. At least, it thinks it is. In reality, it’s smug and self-satisfied, only fitfully making the case it slays sacred cows. Setting the show in a fictional newsroom dealing with real (albeit old) events is Sorkin strong-arming history into his world view – a world where complex problems are solved ex post facto with sassy rhetorical flourishes, rat-a-tattat office interplay and good old-fashioned angst. The Bin Laden assassination episode is one of the worst 40 minutes of TV I have ever seen. For every problem (oil spills, immigration, campaign funding) the political Left are right and the Right are dead wrong.

Frustratingly, Sorkin is actually making valid points. Broadcast media is vastly and dangerously under-servicing communities all over the globe. But the answer isn’t simply being more progressive. It’s a much bigger issue, one that cannot be addressed in a DVD review.

But Sorkin’s efforts to do the same in a severely misfiring TV show are equally misguided and fanciful. Never trust a salesman. justin hook

In the mid-‘30s Hemingway met Martha Gellhorn. They ended up travelling to Europe soon after to report on the Spanish Civil War. Gellhorn was a bold, forthright journalist who had carved out an enviable career in reportage as a chronicler of the Great Depression. Regardless of whether Hemingway was her match or foil, the pair spent most of the next ten years together. The partnership was sealed in a hotel room under barrage by the Spanish Army; a fitting start to a fiery relationship. Nicole Kidman, as Gelhorn, pulls out one of those performances that reminds us she can actually act and isn’t all pale perma-shocked glances.

Clive Owen, on the other hand, is a bit lost, never capturing the presence of a true giant. Owen – a brilliant actor, it should be said – is more affectations than brute strength. His accent and mannerisms are all over the shop, much like this two-anda-half hour (!) movie. It’s part travelogue, part biopic, part soap opera – bits of everything, lots of nothing. On the upside, the supporting cast is brilliant (David Strathairn, Molly Parker, cats) and Lars Urlich as a Danish documentarian with all his trademark whining insolence. Like its protagonists, Hemingway and Gellhorn is damaged goods. justin hook

45

the word

on gigs

British India, Super Best Friends ANU Bar Friday May 10 A guy in a long black jacket moves about, shuffling from one foot to the other, spilling beer and almost losing his plastic cup. A young girl in a blue dress flicks her hair, singing along with the crowd to the lyrics of Run the Red Light. A nearby couple hold out near the side, dancing slowly. For some reason, a sock flies through the air, landing a few feet away.

A tight, furious rhythm pushes through the air, Matt O’Gorman’s drumsticks crashing down on the cymbals. Lead singer Declan Melia screams the chorus into the microphone, his voice rising above the distorted wail of the guitar. The crowd pushes forward, young fans banging their heads in unison, hands gripping the barrier near the front of the stage. It’s halfway through a British India gig at the ANU Bar and the band is in fine form, showcasing both old material and selected tracks from their new album, Controller, released just a few weeks earlier.

The gig opened with a support slot by local Canberra punk rockers Super Best Friends. With a stage presence almost as awesome as their name, the group expertly knew how to warm up the slowly growing crowd who were filing in from the cold.

The band brought a huge amount of energy to their performance, with most of the room nodding along to the thick bass lines. A small pack gathered near the front, jumping around to the fast-paced, grungy music. Whether they were old fans or new converts, they seemed to be having a great time.

It wasn’t too long before headliners British India took to the stage.

A second support band was meant to play, but a cancelled flight had left them stranded elsewhere. The audience didn’t seem to mind, though, greeting the Melbourne headliners with a loud cheer. The opening chords rang through the air, sounding loud but very clear.

There was an immediate sense of the band giving it all they had right from the start, putting in a full rock ‘n’ roll performance.

The heavy four-piece looked like they were genuinely having great fun onstage, with plenty of musical chemistry between the group. Bassist Will Drummond’s moppy hair waved back and forth as he carved out some heavy riffs, facing his amp with serious concentration. The rest of the band jumped around the stage, guitarist Nic Wilson and lead Declan Melia wielding some classic guitar rock-star poses.

The group used the tour to feature a bunch of new tunes from their fourth album, Controller, including singles I Can Make You Love Me and Summer Forgive Me. However, it was definitely the old favourites that received the best reaction from the audience, with sing-alongs and plenty of moshing to Tie Up My Hands, I Said I’m Sorry and Vanilla. Their hard rock edge never felt forced and was delivered with passion.

A special mention should also go to the sound engineer who mixed the band live, creating balance in the music while still maintaining its power.

PHOTOS BY CLINTON HATFIELD

It was refreshing to hear a rock band focused on simple riffs, a few guitar solos, catchy choruses and a good dose of showmanship in an era of over-production and synth-pop. A band like British India can prove that Australian hard rock certainly isn’t dead, and there is still an audience ready to rock out on a cold Friday night.

PETER O’ROURKE

46

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the word

Bob Evans, Tigertown, Julia Johnson Zierholz @ UC Saturday May 11

on gigs

On a Saturday not long past, the Zierholz @ UC bar was home to Kevin Mitchell as his alter-ego, Bob Evans, as well as support acts Tigertown and Julia Johnson, for a few hours of folk pop. A semicircle of lounges and chairs provided an intimate setup to the gig, with a seat fast becoming a prized commodity as the venue filled up.

To those more familiar with Kevin’s work as the lead singer of Australian rock favourite Jebediah, his work as Bob Evans may be somewhat disarming. The Jebediah rock hits such as Leaving Home are at odds with the folk pop charm that pervades Kevin’s work as Bob Evans, the teenage angst replaced by themes of redemption and forgiveness amongst harmonica and acoustic-laden tracks.

Seat gained and beer in hand, the crowd settled in to listen to the first support act, the lovely Julia Johnson, who employed artful guitar work paired with an impressive vocal range to set the tone of the gig. Julia, normally with her band The Deep Sea Sirens, warmed the crowd up with solo acoustic versions of the songs off her newest album.

The second cab off the rank was the husband and wife team Tigertown, also using a minimalist band setup (two rather than five) and going with the combination of lead and acoustic guitars.

Maybe it takes being married, but the chemistry between the two was lovely; great harmonies and the double guitar setup giving both soaring electric and delicate acoustic sides to their songs.

With two solid support acts complete, Kevin Mitchell strode on stage replete with wine bottle (no wine glasses, please) and plenty of good humour. Closing in on 20 years in the music business, there are few artists who appear as comfortable on stage as Mitchell. Hits Nowhere Without You and You Are My Friend were played in addition to covers such as Lily Allen’s Not Fair and The Divinyls’ I Touch Myself. In the extensive hour and a half-long set, a good portion of the Bob Evans catalogue was played.

Performances through the night were punctuated by great banter and crowd interaction, with, at one point, Kevin striding into the audience to perform Don’t You Think It’s Time without the aid of microphone (simply pointing out, ‘this is the point in the night where everyone can hear you talking through the songs’). This comfortable performance style was combined with moments of levity such as RocKwiz-inspired music quizzes and a few ill-timed harmonies from the audience being integrated into songs as they happened. This was a gig notable for the rapport between entertainer and crowd.

There aren’t many artists who make multiple invitations for song requests, but Kevin was more than happy to oblige the crowd for seemingly everything but AC/DC’s Back In Black. This encouragement worked so well that in the interlude pre-encore, one lady went backstage hoping to get Kevin to play her favourite song.

‘Let’s make a moment of it,’ said Kevin, before placing her before the microphone and jumping into the crowd to listen to the backstory of the song request, which he then happily performed (and hats off to her for telling a story before a packed Zierholz bar).

PHOTOS BY ERICA HURRELL

At over an hour and a half of playtime, the show would have clocked in at some of the better for value for money, with seemingly no request unfulfilled and the better part of the Bob Evans back catalogue played throughout. A great gig in terms of both the music and general entertainment value.

PETER DAVIS

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47

the word

on gigs

Afrika Bambaataa Transit Bar Wednesday May 15 That was the most fun I’ve ever had on a Wednesday. Coming to the gig late, I entered Transit Bar to find a strange mash-up of fedorawearing soccer mums, head-shaven hipsters and black-suited public servants, all determined to bring the funk for the one and only Afrika Bambaataa. Standing at the back of the crowd, my friend Mitch and I watched as the mountainous Bambaataa stood behind the Transit decks and, without one smile, whipped his worshippers into a sweat stained dance frenzy.

Bambaataa is a serious man with a serious history. Hailing from New York’s South Bronx, he was core to the development of the hip hop movement throughout the 1980s. Former member of the notorious Black Spades gang and founder of the Universal Zulu Nation, Bambaataa renounced the violence of the projects in order to commit himself to his music and to spreading the message of hip hop: peace, love and good times. Widely regarded as the godfather of the genre, Bambaataa’s gone from Bronx River Projects warlord to Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and visiting scholar at Cornell University’s Music Department. That’s one hell of a ride.

Supported by MC King Kamonzi, Bambaataa played a fierce mix of old and new funk and hip hop, ranging from Cee Lo Green to Michael Jackson to classic Sly. Relying on computer mixing and heavy scratching, his set was seamless and upbeat, and proved why he continues to be referred to as the father of electro funk and break beat DJing. Kamonzi was an engaging MC, continually calling out to crowd members, proclaiming Bambaataa’s message of friendship and equality, and telling the kids dancing in front of him just how special they were. I liked the bit where he talked land battle tactics, too. Bambaataa played bangers right up to the last, and refused to grin right up to the last. Not even a twitch. It was kind of scary.

Because it’s surprisingly difficult to find six hundred words to write about a DJ set, even one as impressive as Bambaataa’s, I want to take a moment to praise the four guys who watched the gig from in front of us.

I have never seen white boys dance like that. I have never seen any boys dance like that. They pioneered a sort of ghetto two-step/ crazed Irish jig/Cossack squat routine, pausing only to gaze wideeyed at the crowd and utter time and time again: ‘Do you guys know who that is? !’ Maybe they were mega fans hyped up on adoration, maybe they genuinely had no idea who was playing, but either way those boys got footloose right up to the point their friend passed out on the couch and they had to twerk their way to the exit.

It was awesome, and if you’re reading this – dude in the striped cap, marry me.

Turns out, I was hanging with a certified gangster. By agreeing to act as official chaperone to Bambaataa and his legionnaires, Mitch had automatically been recruited to the ranks of the Universal Zulu Nation, which is pretty funny when you consider the fact he’s a super-styling, bowtie wearing, bearded white dude with glasses.

Luckily for Bambaataa’s newest recruit, the godfather wasn’t such a badass after all.

PHOTOS BY STELLA-RAE ZELNIK

According to Mitch’s message updates as he drove the DJ and his crew to Sydney the next day: ‘He has a funny laugh!’ ‘He has a little lunch pack and keeps offering me stuff!’ ‘He is really nice!’

Gangster’s got soul. An adorable little soul.

TEDI BILLS

48

@bmamag

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Wed May 22 - Fri May 24 Listings are a free community service. Email editorial@bmamag.com to have your events appear each issue. wednesday may 22

thursday may 23

Art Exhibitions

Art Exhibitions

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

Digest

The Inksmiths

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Karaoke

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Exhibition opens Thursday May 23, 6pm. 11am-5pm. Free entry.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Digest

On The Town

Live Music

4Some Thursdays

Riley/4th Degree

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

9pm. Free.

Something Different Seize the Day: Movement

Dance, martial arts and musical expression -- all to raise funds!

Doors 6:30pm.

ALBERT HALL

The Hipsley Evolution Party

Come celebrate the reimagining of Hipsley Lane, with Alice Cottee, Dollface and more. Doors 4pm, ban

5pm/10pm. Free.

Motez (Ade)

Pang! Presents. With Raull (Chinese Laundry). Free entry before 10pm.

TRINITY BAR

Holly (Geordie Shore) and DJ Kronic

Fambiz Presents. Presale tickets thru Moshtix. [Be warned: they cost more than nothing.] 9pm.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

The Foreigners

9pm-midnight. Free entry.

HIPSLEY LANE

Karaoke Wednesdays

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme

Theatre

Matt Dent

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Inhabit – Living in Design

Word Play

MOOSEHEADS PUB AND NIGHTCLUB

9pm.

Live Music Dave Sattout

The Jukebox tour. 7pm. Door price TBA. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Mandalay Victory

With As Tide Breaks, Punchdagger.

Doors 8pm. $12.

THE BASEMENT

On The Town Latino Wednesdays Doors 9pm.

MONKEYBAR

Theatre Word Play

Interactive performance meets live video game. Bring your phone! 7:30pm.

See bohointeractive.com for CSIRO DISCOVERY CENTRE

A Clockwork Orange

Acclaimed adaptation of Anthony Burgess’s novel. $69-99 + bf thru canberratheatrecentre.com.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Ruben Guthrie

A play by Brendan Cowell, presented

by NUTS. 7:30pm. $10/15 thru shop. anusa.com.au.

ANU ARTS CENTRE

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Part of the Designing a Capital: Crafting a Nation program. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Film The Sun’s Burial (U/C18+)

Part of the Oshima Nagisa season.

7pm. See nfsa.gov.au/arc for info/tix.

ARC CINEMA

Karaoke Karaoke at The Inn

Interactive performance meets live video game. Bring your phone! 7:30pm.

See bohointeractive.com for CSIRO DISCOVERY CENTRE

A Clockwork Orange

ANU ARTS CENTRE

friday may 24

Daniel Champagne

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

TRINITY BAR

Solquemia Trio

Latin/Spanish guitar trio. 7pm. $10 door.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Live Jazz

7:30pm. Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

The Inksmiths

11am-5pm. Free entry.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Digest

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local and international artists respond CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Inhabit – Living in Design

Part of the Designing a Capital: Crafting a Nation program. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

The Second Hand Salmon

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

THE PHOENIX BAR

Curated by A. Boynes. Featuring H. Darroch, T. Robertson and more. Opens Fri May 24, 6pm. 11am-5pm (

With Party Gravy, Ellie Thurston. 9pm.

Chad and Della 9:30pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

facebook.com/bmamagazine

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.

A play by Brendan Cowell, presented

by NUTS. 7:30pm. $10/15 thru shop. anusa.com.au.

Art Exhibitions

The best in the ACT compete for cash, show slots and a residency. 9:30pm start each round.

Live acoustic musicians. 5pm onwards. Free.

Ruben Guthrie

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Live Music

Pang! & Our Sound DJ Competition

Live Fridays

On The Town

OLD CANBERRA INN

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

7-10pm. Free entry.

Acclaimed adaptation of Anthony Burgess’s novel. $69-99 + bf thru canberratheatrecentre.com.

8pm-midnight. Free entry.

The Gypsy Moon tour. 7pm.

OLD CANBERRA INN

The Triangle

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Blame it on the Boogie Weekends DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

DJ Trent Richardson

Havana Nights presents Canberra’s hottest. Latino night. From 9pm.

MONKEYBAR

Something Different Bizoo Zine Book Launch

With The Fighting League Bad Pharmer (EP launch), spoken word and more.

7:30pm. $10.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Theatre Word Play

Interactive performance meets live video game. Bring your phone! 7:30pm.

See bohointeractive.com for CSIRO DISCOVERY CENTRE

A Clockwork Orange

Acclaimed adaptation of Anthony Burgess’s novel. $69-99 + bf thru canberratheatrecentre.com.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Ruben Guthrie

A play by Brendan Cowell, presented

by NUTS. 7:30pm. $10/15 thru shop. anusa.com.au.

ANU ARTS CENTRE

49

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Sat May 25 - Tue May 28 saturday may 25 Art Exhibitions Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

The Inksmiths

Exhibition opens Thursday May 23, 6pm. 11am-5pm. Free entry.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Film Mr Christmas, Mr Lawrence (M) Part of the Oshima Nagisa season.

4:30pm. See nfsa.gov.au/arc for info/tix.

ARC CINEMA

Predator (M)

The classic. 2pm. See nfsa.gov.au/arc for info/tix.

ARC CINEMA

Live Music Killing the Sound 10:30pm. Free.

MODERN Market

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

NISHI GALLERY

Bobby Soxers vs. RocKabilly. With a Swing Katz taster class, live music and more. 7pm. See tickets.c

The market for all things impenetrably unperturbed. 4-9pm. See craftact.org. au for more info.

The Big Band Bash

Digest

ALBERT HALL

J Williams (Live)

Urban Playground Presents. With DESS Top Model Comp Final. Doors 10pm.

MONKEYBAR

Turbo Belco

With The Vee Bees, Seedy Jeezus. 9:30pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

On The Town Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Theatre Word Play

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme

Love Saturdays

Interactive performance meets live video game. Bring your phone! 7:30pm.

See bohointeractive.com for

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

A Clockwork Orange

Inhabit – Living in Design

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Part of the Designing a Capital: Crafting a Nation program. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

With Lucrative & DJ Daz. $10 door.

CSIRO DISCOVERY CENTRE

Canberra City Punk Fest

All day punk fest with everyone from all over.

Acclaimed adaptation of Anthony Burgess’s novel. $69-99 + bf thru canberratheatrecentre.com.

Grace Knight

Ruben Guthrie

MAGPIES CITY CLUB

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Comedy

6:30pm doors. Dinner + show $110.

Show only $40. See theabbey.com.au for more.

A play by Brendan Cowell, presented

by NUTS. 7:30pm. $10/15 thru shop. anusa.com.au.

Greg Fleet

THE ABBEY

ANU ARTS CENTRE

‘90s Music Festival

Workshops

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Frenzied Productions Presents. $20 presale/$25 door. See frenziedproductions.com.

AINSLIE FOOTBALL CLUB

Ten bands cover the best bands of the ‘90s: Faith No More, Rage Against The Machine and more. Doors THE BASEMENT

Straighten Up and Playwright

With Genevieve Kenneally. Writers have three hours to invent and workshop plays. 9am-12pm. More at a ACT WRITERS CENTRE

sunday may 26 Art Exhibitions Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

The Inksmiths

Solquemia Trio

Latin guitar with flamenco influences and Turkish and Spanish vocals. Tapas + happy hour 5-7pm. Free A BITE TO EAT CAFE

Party Gravy

One of the most versatile brass bands in Australia. 7:30pm. Door price TBA. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

On The Town Free Pool Tables

Does exactly what it says on the packet.

From 2pm.

TRANSIT BAR

monday may 27 Art Exhibitions

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Live Music CIT Presents The Bootleg Sessions THE PHOENIX BAR

With Infinite Winter, Bent Hen, Bruges, Hidden Desire. 8pm. Free.

tuesday may 28 Art Exhibitions Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Inhabit – Living in Design

Part of the Designing a Capital: Crafting a Nation program. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Karaoke

Exhibition opens Thursday May 23, 6pm. 11am-5pm. Free entry.

Karaoke Love

Digest

TRANSIT BAR

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Film

Croon and wail your heart out on the Transit stage. 9pm. Free.

Live Music Irish Jam Session

Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free.

The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (M)

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Spyndrift

A Don McAlpine pick. 2pm. See nfsa. gov.au for info/tix.

Lashings of theatrics, delicious stage antics and dirty grooves. 7:30pm. $10.

ARC CINEMA

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Live Music

Trivia

Daniel Champagne

The Gypsy Moon tour. 7pm.

Nerd Time Trivia with Joel and Ali

Irish Jam Session

THE PHOENIX BAR

BEYOND Q

Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

The Dorothy Jane Band

Dee’s Books & Comics and Impact Records Present. 7:30pm. Free entry.

Trivia Tuesdays

First prize $75 cocktail party.

7:30pm. Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

4pm-7pm. Free entry.

OLD CANBERRA INN

50

@bmamag

wednesday may 29

thursday may 30

friday may 31

Art Exhibitions

Art Exhibitions

Art Exhibitions

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

Plain Site

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

The Inksmiths

The Inksmiths

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Exhibition opens Thursday May 23, 6pm. 11am-5pm. Free entry.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Digest

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Inhabit – Living in Design

Part of the Designing a Capital: Crafting a Nation program. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Exhibition opens Thursday May 23, 6pm. 11am-5pm. Free entry.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Digest

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Inhabit – Living in Design

Part of the Designing a Capital: Crafting a Nation program. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Karaoke

Karaoke

Karaoke Wednesdays

Karaoke at The Inn

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

OLD CANBERRA INN

9pm.

8pm-midnight. Free entry.

Live Music

Live Music

Evermore

Mudd Puppy

8pm. Tickets through Ticketek.

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

The Ghost Inside

With The Twisted Pitchforks, Danny Paryce. 9pm.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

The Inksmiths

11am-5pm. Free entry.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Digest

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

A Critical Diversion

Art by Lucy Buttenshaw, Pol Cruz, Eryn Mullins, Ralph Tikerpae. Opens Fri May 31, 5:30pm. 10am-5pm.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Inhabit – Living in Design 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Comedy The Kransky Sisters

The Piece of Cake tour. Bookings (02) 6283 7288 or cscc.com.au.

CANBERRA SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB (WODEN)

Los Capitanes with burlesque by The Velvet Vixens. 8:30pm. $20 door.

HELLENIC CLUB (CIVIC)

Harmonic 313/Mark Pritchard (Warp/Sydney) Blahnket Presents! With Dizz1, Ribongia, Onetalk, Sparkak, Joe Oppenheimer and more. $20 door.

KINGSTON FORESHORE

Kissy Sell Out (UK)

Pang! Presents. With Trumpdisco. $20 before 10pm.

TRINITY BAR

Gasoline

9pm-midnight. Free entry.

OLD CANBERRA INN

Something For Kate

Star-Crosses Cities tour. With Courtney Barnett. 8:30pm. $44.90 + bf through Oztix.

ZIERHOLZ @ UC

Owen Campbell

6:30pm doors. $20 show only. Show only $25. See theabbey.com.au.

THE ABBEY

On The Town Pure R&B

Featuring DJ Normz. $10 door.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Dance

DJ Trent Richardson

9:30pm. Free.

InFlight

MONKEYBAR

Pang! & Our Sound DJ Competition

THE PHOENIX BAR

With Emmure. Door price TBA. 8pm.

Chicago Charles & Dave

The Mountains & Achoo!

Bless You

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

THE BASEMENT

Paintings by Steph Wilson about space, modern architecture and design. Opens Fri May 31, 5:30pm. 10a

Leave Them With A Ska

Canberra’s hottest. Latino night. 9pm.

7pm. Tix thru bookings@nla.gov.au.

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA

Something Different

Film

Poetry Slam

On The Town

The best in the ACT compete for cash, show slots and a residency. 9:30pm start each round.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Latino Wednesdays

Short Seasons Short Film Festival

Live Jazz

7:30pm. Free.

Short films of all types. A free night’s entertainment on the big screen! 7pm.

Two River Blues

Live Music

7:30pm. Door price TBA.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Doors 9pm.

MONKEYBAR

Theatre Word Play

Interactive performance meets live video game. Bring your phone! 7:30pm.

See bohointeractive.com.

CSIRO DISCOVERY CENTRE

The Major Minor Party

Entertaining and thoughtprovoking political theatre. See canberratheatrecentre.com.au for tickets/tnfo.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

TRINITY BAR

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Australia’s newest cranking acoustic blues act. 8pm. $10.

NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVES

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Live Fridays

On The Town

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Live acoustic musicians. 5pm onwards. Free.

4Some Thursdays

Special K

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

9pm. Free.

10pm. Free.

Beatniks, rap cliques and pretentious dicks welcome. 7:30pm.

Theatre Word Play

Interactive performance meets live video game. Bring your phone! 7:30pm.

See bohointeractive.com.

CSIRO DISCOVERY CENTRE

The Major Minor Party

Entertaining, thought-provoking political theatre. See canberratheatrecentre. com.au for tickets/t CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Theatre Word Play

Interactive performance meets live video game. Bring your phone! 7:30pm.

See bohointeractive.com.

CSIRO DISCOVERY CENTRE

The Major Minor Party

Entertaining and thoughtprovoking political theatre. See canberratheatrecentre.com.au for tickets/tnfo.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

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51

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Sat May 1 - Sun Jun 2 saturday june 1 Art Exhibitions A Critical Diversion

Art by Lucy Buttenshaw, Pol Cruz, Eryn Mullins, Ralph Tikerpae. Opens Fri May 31, 5:30pm. 10am-5pm.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Inhabit – Living in Design

Part of the Designing a Capital: Crafting a Nation program. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Plain Site

Something Different Wind Air Water: Centenary Kite Festival

Celebration of World Environment Day 2013 with kites on Lake Ginninderra.

11am-3pm. Free.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Design Gate

The inner north creative market, with live music, stalls and more! 10am-3pm.

Free entry.

DICKSON COLLEGE

Theatre

Paintings by Steph Wilson about space, modern architecture and design. Opens Fri May 31, 5:30pm. 10am-5pm.

Word Play

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Interactive performance meets live video game. Bring your phone! 7:30pm.

See bohointeractive.com for

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CSIRO DISCOVERY CENTRE

The Major Minor Party

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

The Inksmiths

Entertaining and thoughtprovoking political theatre. See canberratheatrecentre.com.au for tickets/t CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Exhibition opens Thursday May 23, 6pm. 11am-5pm. Free entry.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Digest

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Dance InFlight

Contemporary dance celebrating flight. 3pm and 7pm. $30/$20 thru bookings@nla.gov.au.

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA

Live Music The Arachnids

With Mind The Gap, The Khalasar. 9:30pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Casual Sets

sunday june 2 Art Exhibitions A Critical Diversion

Art by Lucy Buttenshaw, Pol Cruz, Eryn Mullins, Ralph Tikerpae. Opens Fri May 31, 5:30pm. 10am-5pm.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Plain Site

Paintings by Steph Wilson about space, modern architecture and design. Opens Fri May 31, 5:30pm. 10am-5pm.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

The Inksmiths

Exhibition opens Thursday May 23, 6pm. 11am-5pm. Free entry.

10:30pm. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Disorganised Crime

Digest

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

9pm-midnight. Free entry.

OLD CANBERRA INN

Sorathian Dawn

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme

With Reign of Terror, Claret Ash and more. 8pm. Door price TBA.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

THE BASEMENT

Live Music

DJs Karma/Jswiss/ Hypnotic/MC Tee

Irish Jam Session

MONKEYBAR

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Urban Playground Presents.

Doors 10pm.

The Vanns

With Josh Veneris & The Second Hand Salmon. 8pm. Door price TBA. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

On The Town Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free.

Beth n Ben

Local lyrical funkal folkal legends. Tapas + happy hour 5-7pm. Free.

A BITE TO EAT CAFE

Nightless Lovers

4pm-7pm. Free entry.

OLD CANBERRA INN

Matt Dent

10am to 1pm. Free entry.

URBANFOOD STORE + CAFE

Matt Dent

10am-1pm. Free entry.

URBANFOOD STORE + CAFE

On The Town Free Pool Tables

Does exactly what it says on the packet.

From 2pm.

TRANSIT BAR

52

@bmamag

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Mon Jun 3 - Fri Jun 7 monday june 3 Art Exhibitions Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Live Music CMC Presents The Bootleg Sessions

With Bad Pharma, The Monotremes, Coolio Desgracias and Azim Zain. 8pm.

Free entry.

THE PHOENIX BAR

tuesday june 4 Art Exhibitions A Critical Diversion

Art by Lucy Buttenshaw, Pol Cruz, Eryn Mullins, Ralph Tikerpae. Opens Fri May 31, 5:30pm. 10am-5pm.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Plain Site

Paintings by Steph Wilson about space, modern architecture and design. Opens Fri May 31, 5:30pm. 10am-5pm.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Inhabit – Living in Design

Part of the Designing a Capital: Crafting a Nation program. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

Live Music

Karaoke

Live Music

Irish Jam Session

Karaoke Wednesdays

Pang! & Our Sound DJ Competition

Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free.

9pm.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Live Music

The best in the ACT compete for cash, show slots and a residency. 9:30pm start each round.

Hip hop/electronica festival. Four hours of music and a BBQ. With Raw City Rukus and more. 5:30-10pm

Kerser

Rasa Duende

CIT MUSIC INDUSTRY CENTRE

ZIERHOLZ @ UC

Trivia

On The Town

Trivia Tuesdays

Latino Wednesdays

7:30pm. Free.

MONKEYBAR

Grandmaster Monk

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Goddam Sector

First prize $75 cocktail party.

7:30pm. Free.

7:30pm. Free.

Art Exhibitions A Critical Diversion

THE STREET THEATRE

Live Jazz

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

With Zoopagoo and No Hausfrau.

9:30pm.

thursday june 6

The Phoenix Quiz

wednesday june 5

THE PHOENIX BAR

The Nerve

Art Exhibitions Digest

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

On The Town

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

4Some Thursdays

Inhabit – Living in Design

Plain Site

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Part of the Designing a Capital: Crafting a Nation program. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

Paintings by Steph Wilson about space, modern architecture and design. Opens Fri May 31, 5:30pm. 10am-5pm.

A Critical Diversion

Inhabit – Living in Design

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

The Down There tour, with Deathcap Mushrooms, Na Maza and T-Bone.

8pm. Presale $15 + bf thru Moshtix

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme

Art by Lucy Buttenshaw, Pol Cruz, Eryn Mullins, Ralph Tikerpae. Opens Fri May 31, 5:30pm. 10am-5pm.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Three cultures collide, with tabla, sarod and flamenco combined. Doors 7pm.

See thestreet.org.au for

Doors 9pm.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR THE PHOENIX BAR

TRINITY BAR

With Rates, Jay Dee and more. Doors 8pm. $23.50 + bf through Oztix.

Art by Lucy Buttenshaw, Pol Cruz, Eryn Mullins, Ralph Tikerpae. Opens Fri May 31, 5:30pm. 10am-5pm.

Part of the Designing a Capital: Crafting a Nation program. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Paintings by Steph Wilson about space, modern architecture and design. Opens Fri May 31, 5:30pm. 10am-5pm.

Intensity of Purpose: 21 Years of ANCA

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Outside/Inside

Domestic Meditation ANU SCHOOL OF ART

Outside/Inside

Karaoke

Outside/Inside

Art by Tessa Dorman. Open Wednesday June 5, 6pm. Free entry.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Karaoke Karaoke Love

Croon and wail your heart out on the Transit stage. 9pm. Free.

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Art by Tessa Dorman. Open Wednesday June 5, 6pm. Free entry.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Digest

Karaoke at The Inn

8pm-midnight. Free entry.

OLD CANBERRA INN

Third in the trilogy of Drink! And Eat! Local artists and international artists respond to the theme

Live acoustic musicians. 5pm onwards. Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Tigersnake Jive

9pm-midnight. Free entry.

OLD CANBERRA INN

CMAG celebrates 21 years of Australian National Capital Artists. 10am-5pm (12-5pm, Sat/Sun).

By Danny Wild. 6pm. Free.

friday june 7

Live Fridays

Plain Site

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Live Music

Art by Tessa Dorman. Open Wednesday June 5, 6pm. Free entry.

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

9pm. Free.

Loose Groove

Dancefloor Euphoria with Projections from Zonk Vision. 8pm.

TRANSIT BAR

Perisher Snowy Mountains of Music Festival Blue King Brown, Kylie Auldist and more. See snowymountainsofmusic. com.au for full details and ticke PERISHER SKI RESORT (SNOWY MOUNTAINS)

On The Town

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

TRANSIT BAR

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

OUT

JUN5

KATE MILLER-HEIDKE Something FOR KATE gold fields palace electric’s spanish film festival ...and more!

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FIRST CONTACT Aaron Peacey 0410381306

SIDE A: BMA band profile

Adam Hole 0421023226 Afternoon Shift 0402055314 Amphibian Sound PA Clare 0410308288 Annie & The Armadillos Annie (02) 61611078/ 0422076313 Aria Stone sax/flute/lute/ harmonica, singer-songwriter Aria 0411803343 Australian Songwriters Association Keiran (02) 62310433

Obsessions Where did your band name come from? Obsessions is named after an album by UFO, who we try to emulate on Doctor Doctor – a favourite of founding members and a reflection that we play an eclectic mix, for the pure joy of it as well as playing covers that the punters love.

Group members? Steve Quick (lead vox/guitar), Wendy Ross (vox/percussion), Neill Ross (lead guitar/vox), Tony Hinwood (guitar), Lizzie Miller (drums/vox), Andrew Rickard (bass).

Describe your sound: Solid pub rock covers.

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? UFO. Bands from Jet, Green Day and Good Charlotte, to Rick Springfield and Cocker, to Metallica and Bon Jovi. All the good Aus rock bands. Oh, and Tony & Lizzie. Love the ‘80s!

What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had whilst performing? The whole dance floor filling up from the first to the last song!

Of what are you proudest so far? Our new original song Coming Home (a group effort).

What are your plans for the future? Build our gig ratio, have a set list big enough to play totally different gigs, release an original CD and support someone big!

What makes you laugh? Tim Minchin.

What pisses you off? Wankers, losers, bastards, dorks, and basically anyone who thinks it’s okay to step up at someone else’s expense.

What about the local scene would you change? We’d make everyone suddenly feel like they have to go see a live band at least once a week.

What are your upcoming gigs? Fri Jun 14 at Calwell Tavern; Fri Jun 28 at Chisholm Tavern.

Contact info: obsessions@grapevine.com.au; obsessions.net.au.

Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422733974 backbeatdrivers.com Bat Country Communion, The Mel 0400405537 Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows-bookings@ birdslovefighting.com Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438351007 blacklabelphotography.net Bridge Between, The Cam 0431550005 Capital Dub Style Reggae/dub events Rafa 0406647296

Johnny Roadkill Paulie 0408287672 paulie_mcmillan@live.com.au Kayo Marbilus myspace.com/kayomarbilus Kurt’s Metalworx (PA) 0417025792 Los Chavos Latin/ska/reggae Rafa 0406647296 Andy 0401572150 Missing Zero Hadrian 0424721907 Hadrian.brand@live.com.au Moots Huck 0419630721 aspwinch@grapevine.com.au Morning After, The Covers band Anthony 0402500843 Mornings Jordan 0439907853 MuShu Jack 0414292567 mushu_band@hotmail.com Obsessions 0450 960 750 obsessions@grapevine.com.au Painted Hearts, The Peter (02) 62486027 Polka Pigs Ian (02) 62315974

Cole Bennetts Photography 0415982662

Rafe Morris 0416322763

Danny V Danny 0413502428

Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404178996/ (02) 61621527

Dawn Theory Nathan 0402845132 Danny 0413502428 Dorothy Jane Band, The Dorothy Jane 0411065189 dorothy-jane@dorothyjane.com Drumassault Kate 0414236323 FeralBlu Danny 0413502428 Fighting Mongooses, The Adam 0402055314 Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410381306 Lachlan 0400038388

Redletter Ben 0421414472

Rug, The Jol 0417273041 Sewer Sideshow Huck 0419630721 Simone & The Soothsayers Singing teacher Simone 62304828 Sorgonian Twins, The Mark 0428650549 Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401588884

Fourth Degree Vic 0408477020

STonKA Jamie 0422764482 stonka2615@gmail.com

Gareth Dailey DJ/Electronica Gareth 0414215885

Strange Hour Events Dan 0411112075

Groovalicious Corporate/ weddings/private functions 0448995158

Super Best Friends Sam White sam@imcmusic.net

Guy The Sound Guy Live & Studio Sound Engineer 0400585369 guy@guythesoundguy.com Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com

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Jenn Pacor Singer-songwriter avail. for originals/covers 0405618630

System Addict Jamie 0418398556 ThrownUp Scott 0415849619 Top Shelf Colin 0408631514

In The Flesh Scott 0410475703

Undersided, The Baz 0408468041

Itchy Triggers Alex 0414838480

Zoopagoo zoopagoo@gmail.com

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