Sauce - Issue 43, 30-5-07

On the street every second Wednesday

Issue #43

30/05/07 - 13/06/07 Made in Tasmania

122 YORK STREET LAUNCESTON 6334 7231 www.jameshotel.com.au j

DALLAS CRANE supp.

www.myspace.com/jameshotel p j

SATURDAY 9TH JUNE

INTERCOOLER ERCOOLER ER

supp. Mary Trembles

The S.I.G.I.T

SUNDAY 3RD RD JUNE JUN

TIX AVAILABLE FROM MOJO MUSIC OR THE JAMES HOTEL

BORNE

supp. Red Rival

FRIDAY 15TH JUNE

SAT 16TH JUNE (18+) ( SUN 17TH JUNE (Under 18's))

BEHIND CRIMSON EYES supp. Stand Defiant and Mindset

BEH I ND CR I M S O N EY ES

HARD BOILED

Tight Pants And Vaseline!

By David Williams We crack our knuckles, pull out the stops, and go for the jugular, armed with a few sneaky left-of-centre questions juicier than an undercooked steak. The unsuspecting? Aussie scream dynamos Behind Crimson Eyes, who are returning to our shores for a set of all-ages and licensed shows. I spoke to bassist Gareth about tight pants and Vaseline.

Competitions Win one of six signed copies of Behind Crimson Eyes’ You’ve Had Your Chance single.

To win, email us the top three bands that you’d like to see tour Tassie. Please include your name, age, address and phone number.

Send entries to competitions@sauce.net.au with “Behind Crimson Eyes Comp” in the subject line.

Entries close 7/6/07

Win one of three signed copies of Behind Crimson Eyes’ album Revelation For Despair.

To win, email us the top three bands that you’d like to see tour Tassie. Please include your name, age, address and phone number.

Send entries to competitions@sauce.net.au with “Behind Crimson Eyes Album Comp” in the subject line.

Entries close 7/6/07

Win a signed Behind Crimson Eyes blockmount.

When [Jayden] said to me that you were the bass player, I said, “Oh, yeah – bass players always get the most chicks.”

[Laughs] Well, he laughed too! I was just thinking, “OK – is he laughing because it’s true? Or is he laughing because it’s not true?”

Well, no one does in our band, because we all have girlfriends. But it’s definitely not true! [I] definitely attract the least amount of attraction!

Still talking about girls, Aaron, on his Myspace, has pictures of his girlfriend plastered all over the front page … I was just wondering – how has Aaron being under-the-thumb, or being whipped, affected him as a musician?

Um … That’s something you’ll have to ask him! [Laughs] I really couldn’t answer that! It never even crossed my mind!

Looking back, when you guys got signed to Roadrunner … it was obviously a fantastic time in the development of the band, but did it have any effect, in terms of the music that you produce? Did you think to yourselves, “Roadrunner are a metal label – we’ve got to make it even heavier?” Did you feel any pressure from the label or anything like that?

Absolutely not. It was the complete opposite. And, to be honest, John – A&R of Roadrunner – I think it was a good month or more before he’d heard anything, and that was a month into recording it. So I think all the music was almost done before he’d even heard anything. So, in terms of musical direction, the label had nothing to do with it, you know? That was one of the many great things about Roadrunner; we don’t have to compromise anything. Basically, we’re the musicians – we write what we want to write, and they just market our band however they feel the need. They do the business end, and we do the artistic end.

In general terms, you guys are touring – what else are you up to at the moment, in terms of songwriting and production and CDs and that sort of stuff?

Well, not much, because we’ve been quite heavily touring for the last six months or more, I guess. We’ve been on the road non-stop, so we haven’t really been back in the studio, or even writing that much. But we are coming towards the end of our touring schedule for probably the next three or four months at least. So once we’ve done Tasmania and WA and Darwin, that’s going to be us done. And we’re just going to be concentrating on writing this next album … For the rest of the year, pretty much, we’re just going to be locked away, like we were last time, writing.

I guess, touring as much as you have – and do – you guys must have your stage presence down-pat. Is it hard to get yourself up to do show-after-show with the same sort of enthusiasm? Or is it a process of honing the stage show?

It definitely can be a challenge, especially when you’ve been on the road for so long, and you’re quite exhausted. You know, driving all day; it’s hard to be healthy. I mean, we’re not one of those bands that choreograph all of our moves and stuff. We totally don’t care about all that stuff. We basically just get up there and rock out … None of it is planned … A lot of it comes down to adrenaline, really. I know, for myself,

I could be really tired, but as soon as you walk out on that stage, you’re pumped. You’re psyched to be there and to play, so that kind of just takes over, and you just let loose.

The last time that SAUCE spoke with someone from Behind Crimson Eyes, the band had had a bit of a runin with the guys from Simply Red …

[Laughs] Oh, yeah!

I was just wondering if you guys were sort of working out who you were most likely going to clash with next …

[Laughs] Not at all! That’s what was so funny about that incident, is that it never happens – ever.

It didn’t happen?

No, the incident with Simply Red happened, but that was just so weird for us; we’ve never had any run-ins with any bands before. Like, we get along with anybody. But that was just an absolute joke; that whole incident was just ridiculous.

Emo music has lost all meaning. All music is emotional. It’s like people get thrown into this category as an insult.

Can you run me through it a bit? How did it develop?

Well basically, we were doing an MTV, Live At The Lair …

I’m not sure if you’ve heard of that; it’s an MTV show. We were playing that with Juliette & The Licks and a couple of other bands. That was in one half of the Metro in Sydney; in the second half is the music venue, and that night, Simply Red were doing a show. So anyway, we finished up at a reasonable hour, and we were all parked in the same car park as them and their chauffers. As soon as we were done, we were pretty keen to get out of there; pack the car and cruise.

It was just this entourage of security and flash cars and all these people waiting for them to finish, and escort them off to their five-star hotels or whatever. [Laughs] … As soon as I could, I was like, “Is it cool if we load-out?” And everyone was like, “Nah, you can’t do that – you’ve got to wait for Simply Red to leave.” It was like, “Ah, OK … just let it go.”

[It was] like an hour later – we would have been out in ten minutes – “OK, this is a joke! We’re ready to go; our gear’s sitting on stop of the stairs. Can we please load-out? We’ll be out of your way in ten minutes.” “Nah! You’ve got to wait!” …

Two hours later, I just snapped, and was like, “That’s it!” I just walked up; I said, “This is just an absolute joke!” Everyone’s just about ready to fight! These dudes were walking up, going, “When you’ve sold fifty million records, you’ll get treated like this! Blah, blah, blah.” I’m just like, “I don’t care!” … They were just really rude. I just thought the whole thing was a joke. Like, “We would have been out of here in ten minutes. You’ve made us wait two hours. It’s unacceptable!”

And the security just wouldn’t let us unload! They didn’t even

have the time of day for their fans. There were people waiting out there for an hour, and the dude’s like, [slurred voice] “Oh, I’m so tired – I can’t even sign a couple of autographs!” … I promise we will never end up like that band! Ever!

When I know that I’m going to have a confrontation with someone, I start imagining about how it might go – what I might say, what I might do, what they might do. Did you maybe run over in your mind how you were going to deal with Mick Hucknall? Or were you just going to be concentrating on staying out of his curly locks?

Yeah! It was weird! I guess the problem … It wasn’t so much the band at the start. But then, when they came out, and we saw how stuck-up they were as well … You know, like, “Don’t come within ten meters of [me]!” [Laughs] Royalty treatment!

You guys, in a sense, get stuck in with the tight-jeanwearing crew sometimes ...

Yeah – we’re always getting labeled “emo”. It’s nothing new.

[Laughs] It’s a bit weird, though – I don’t see you as an emo band. Do you see yourselves like that?

No, absolutely not! I think that ... emo music has lost all meaning. All music is emotional. It’s like people get thrown into this category as an insult. It doesn’t even mean anything anymore.

To win, email us the top three bands that you’d like to see tour Tassie. Please include your name, age, address and phone number.

Send entries to competitions@sauce.net.au with “Behind Crimson Eyes Blockmount Comp” in the subject line.

Entries close 7/6/07

Win one of three copies of the new MOS compilation CD Discotek.

Whenever we were called it, we were like, “Why are we an emo band?” “Oh, ‘cause you guys wear black.” I’m like, “Yeah? Well, so do eighty percent of people who go to work everyday – [they] wear black suits. I don’t know – it doesn’t mean anything to us. People just throw it around like it doesn’t mean anything.

Talking about black – and especially black jeans – they’re pretty tight these days. At one point, apparently, Lars from Metallica stopped wearing tight pants because he was becoming impotent. I was just wondering if you guys ever go and have a sperm count done; if you’re worried about that or not?

No, never! [Laughs] Never even crossed my mind! But there you go; there’s a metal band. That’s Metallica, and if I heard someone call them “emo”, I’d just laugh hysterically.

So no sponsorship from Vaseline, to avoid chafing on your thighs?

[Laughs] No, no ...

Or maybe they’re sponsoring you for something else?

I don’t know – I don’t know what other people use Vaseline for ...

[Laughs] No, no – I can’t say we are!

“Listen kiddies – use a water-based lubricant ...”

Yeah! [Laughs] Behind Crimson Eyes play Hobart’s Republic Bar on June 14th, an under age show at The Loft on the 15th, and a licensed and underage show at Launceston’s James Hotel on the 16th and 17th .

To win, email us the top three bands that you’d like to see tour Tassie. Please include your name, age, address and phone number.

Send entries to competitions@sauce.net.au with “Discotek Comp” in the subject line.

Entries close 7/6/07

Win one of three $100 credits for movie downloads from www.reeltime.tv.

To win, email us the top three bands that you’d like to see tour Tassie. Please include your name, age, address and phone number.

Send entries to competitions@sauce.net.au with “Reeltime Comp” in the subject line.

Entries close 7/6/07

To listen to the full interview, go to www.sauce.net.au PAGE 3

SAUCE NEWS

SUZANNE VEGA: NEW ALBUM BEAUTY AND CRIME Over twenty years into her storied career, singer Suzanne Vega shows that she remains one of the freshest voices in popular music today, with the release of Beauty & Crime, her seventh album and her debut for EMI. Revolving around the theme of New York, the city where Vega was raised and still lives, the eleven original songs on Beauty & Crime present Vega’s signature poetry and folk-pop songcraft illuminated by lush orchestral arrangements that are juxtaposed against cutting-edge beats.

From the driving opener Zephyr & I, which recounts a conversation with the seminal graffiti artist while strolling down West End Avenue, to the ghosts of Lower East Side haunts depicted in Ludlow Street, to New York is a Woman, which personifies the city as a hard-luck lady whose beauty still shines, Vega captures the spirit of her hometown’s past, present and future. The album also includes two of her most personal songs yet, a love song for her husband (Bound) and a dedication to her daughter (As You Are Now).

The sessions, recorded in both New York and London, were produced by Jimmy Hogarth (Sia, Corinne Bailey Rae, KT Tunstall), mixed by Tchad Blake, and included an eclectic cast including orchestral arranger Will Malone (Dido, Seal, Corrine Bailey Rae), background vocalist and vocal arranger KT Tunstall, guitarists Gerry Leonard (David Bowie) and Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), bassist Tony Shanahan (Patti Smith), as well as members of Vega’s touring band, bassist Mike Visceglia, and drummer Doug Yowell.

INTERPOL: NEW ALBUM OUR LOVE TO ADMIRE Fresh from their blistering headlining performance at Coachella, Interpol gear up to release their third studio album, Our Love To Admire, out July 14th on EMI. Produced by Interpol and Rich Costey and recorded in New York City at Electric Lady and The Magic Shop Studios, this album, their first for Capitol Records, is the band’s most engrossing and accomplished work to date.

From the opening notes of Pioneer to The Falls, to the sprawling echoed chords of The Lighthouse, Interpol have taken a far grander approach with Our Love To Admire, encompassing arrangements of more paramount proportions than captured by the usual four-person band. Following a brief break after their world tour supporting the release of their last hit album Antics, the band re-grouped in New York City to lay down the foundation for Our Love To Admire. A departure from songwriting tactics used on both of their prior releases, the band brought no material from the road, instead choosing to start work on their third album revitalised and with a clean slate. Thus, armed with completely open minds and lacking any conceptions as to what this release would bring, Our Love To Admire is the natural evolution from their prior albums; 2002’s Turn on the Bright Lights and 2004’s Antics.

THE ORCHARD LAUNCHES GROUNDBREAKING ONLINE SYNCH TOOL FOR MUSIC SUPERVISORS Following recent announcements of the major expansion of its synchronization and music licensing business, The Orchard, the world’s leading digital distributor and marketer of independent music, and MusicIP, a leader in digital music technology, announced a unique collaboration to harness the power of MusicIP’s MusicSearchTM technology in a new search facility called Trackdown, which The Orchard will offer to select music supervisors and other industry professionals.

MusicIP’s MusicSearch technology lets Trackdown users search on millions of terms – including familiar mainstream artists and titles – returning musically similar matches from The Orchard’s catalogue. MusicIP’s industry-leading database of over 29 million analysed songs has been mathematically related to The Orchard catalogue using patented technologies incorporating acoustic and social relationships. Hundreds of thousands of titles from The Orchard’s catalogue of over one million tracks are available on the Trackdown service, located at www.theorchard.com/trackdown.

The Orchard will initially provide the Trackdown search facility to music supervisors in film, television and advertising, offering unparalleled music discovery and navigation of The Orchard’s diverse licensing catalogue, which represents every music genre and spans international multi-platinum acts, cutting-edge breaking bands, and iconic, historically significant regional music. Additionally, The Orchard and MusicIP are collaborating on a consumer-facing portal with web and music device access.

PAGE 4

UNKLE HO RELEASES CIRCUS MAXIMUS Unkle Ho is a Chinese-Australian producer who grew up in Sydney but was born in Hong Kong. Although a productive electronic music producer since 1996, he’s perhaps best known for his role in hip-hop band The Herd. Their three albums (The Herd – 2001, An Elefant Never Forgets – 2003, and The Sun Never Sets – 2006) have brought the group great acclaim and regular spots on Australia’s biggest music festivals.

Unkle Ho has branched out and expanded on those musical ideas with two solo albums (Roads to Roma – 2005, and Circus Maximus – 2007) where the listener truly witnesses the multicultural dimensions of his music.

Hints of rollicking speakeasies collide with gypsy jazz and ancient Asia under a bed of hip hop rhythms – he creates flashes of old-times set in modern landscapes with new technology.

Whilst The Herd is vocally-based, Unkle Ho is predominantly instrumental, allowing Unkle Ho to conduct up a bewitching blend of samples, double bass, horns, harps, clarinets and more.

It’s this intriguing aesthetic that has seen his first solo album Roads to Roma acclaimed in 2005 as “the best Elefant Traks release yet” (Rolling Stone) and “contender for album of the year” (Tim Ritchie – Radio National). It’s also seen him go on to support acts like Buck 65 in Sydney and Kid Koala.

Internationally, Unkle Ho has had various tracks licensed to compilations, including Café Paradiso Vol. 6, and, on the live front, he toured Japan in 2006.

Unkle Ho designs all his own artwork and has been heavily involved in the creation of the music video for Big Bad Rag – the first video from Circus Maximus. He’s also a founding member of Elefant Traks and contributes to the label as a graphic designer and web developer.

LIAM FINN – NEW ALBUM Since relocating from Australia to London with his band Betchadupa in 2005, Liam Finn has been very busy indeed.

The heir apparent to the Finn family’s musical talent has just put the finishing touches on his solo album I’ll Be Lightning which is set to be released in July this year.

Liam has recently given live audiences in London a bit of a thrill by singing, playing guitar lines, bass lines and the drums onstage at his solo gigs, with only a looping effects pedal for company, and has also been on the road in the US opening for the reformed Crowded House, joining them on stage at the famous Coachella festival.

Liam spent two months at the beginning of this year in a central Auckland studio, Roundhead, playing, recording, engineering and producing his own album I’ll Be Lightning. “I didn’t want to compromise or collaborate,” he acknowledges.

“I wanted to record these songs the way I heard them in my head. And I had a very clear idea of how I wanted them.”

Part of this had to do with what Finn describes as the sort of passion and raw enthusiasm musicians get when they’re recording demo tracks – that is, when they’re recording a new song – for the first time. “It’s a pretty special feeling.

But usually you don’t record them well enough to convince anyone to release them. So I wanted to get myself into a situation where I could translate that special mood into a recording.”

To do this, Finn also stayed away from anything digital or computerised, instead opting for old-fashioned analog gear, including a vintage Neve recording desk that The Who had once owned and a bunch of two inch tape. “It’s like the difference between digital video and film”, Finn explains.

“There’s just something you can’t capture on computers.”

The results of all of the above are released in July – the first single Second Chance was released in May.

ELEPHANT MOJO: GET STRANDED IN DESERT Brisbane band Chasing Gravity (previously known as Elephant Mojo) recently found themselves in a bit of trouble when their tour van broke down in the middle of the Western Australian desert.

The van had to be left on the side of the road in one of the most isolated parts of Australia while the band were on their way to play a show at Australia’s 3rd most remote mine site.

After hitching a ride with a semi-trailer road train, the band were able to contact emergency services to come and rescue them. Upon returning to the vehicle two days later, the boys discovered it had been completely trashed, with five broken windows and over $5000 worth of luggage and

recording equipment stolen. Despite this major setback, the boys are continuing their outback tour for another three months before they head to Sydney to record their debut album with well-known producer Phil McKellar.

Meanwhile, Fredrik Åkesson (ex-Arch Enemy, Talisman) has been confirmed as Opeth’s new guitarist after Peter Lindgren’s departure. Opeth are working on their new album which will likely see the light of day in early 2008.

THE VALENTINOS ANNOUNCE NEW NAME!

FEAR FACTORY’S DINO CAZARES IS BACK

The Valentinos are pleased to announce their new name – “Lost Valentinos”.

After five years, Dino is back with his new band Divine Heresy.

Lost Valentinos farewelled their old moniker with a bang last weekend, selling out their last ever shows as “The Valentinos” at The Annandale in Sydney, and Click Click in Melbourne.

Dino Cazares, co-founding member of the revolutionary band Fear Factory, has triumphantly returned with a new group that is quickly going to force the entire genre to take notice.

The band also previewed brand new tracks from their upcoming debut album, some for the first time, at these shows. Lost Valentinos will release 17 Deaths, the first single from their debut album, in July, which was recorded and produced in Sydney by legendary Berlin-based UK producer Ewan Pearson. The band is gearing up to head back into the studio with Ewan when he returns to Australia in the next few months to record and produce their LP.

This new juggernaut is Divine Heresy, whose members feature Cazares handling guitar and bass duties, Tim Yeung (Hate Eternal, Vital Remains) on drums and newcomer Tommy Vext on vocals.

With a new name, a new single that’s just about to hit the airwaves, a killer debut album and a national single launch tour that’s milliseconds away from being announced, the future is looking bright for Lost Valentinos.

This band will redefine the true meaning of extreme with their Roadrunner Records debut offering, Bleed The Fifth which is set for release later this summer. Bleed The Fifth was produced by Dirty Icon (Logan Mader (ex-Machine Head, Soulfly) and Lucas Banker) and co-produced by Divine Heresy.

ROADRUNNER PETITION RESULTS IN METAL ON CHANNEL V

Dirty Icon and Divine Heresy also handled the mixing duties.

Joachim Luetke (Dimmu Borgir, Arch Enemy, Marilyn Manson) created the album’s striking cover art, which perfectly compliments the music’s sheer intensity.

Roadrunner’s “Metal on V” Petition has finally brought home the bacon, and the result – Metal on Channel V!

For more on Divine Heresy, check out the band’s MySpace page: www.myspace.com/divineheresyband

After months of petitioning and pulling together metal fans all over the nation to complete and mail back our postcards demanding a metal show on Channel V, they have finally granted our wishes and announced that they will add a metal show to the station. So we have the metal fans of Australia to thank!

Apology/Correction

Roadrunner’s promo director, Bob Stevenson took all “Metal on V” postcards into the directors meeting at V, and, as you can see from the video on youtube, he laid down the law, threw down the postcards from the thousands of metal fans, and our combined efforts have secured our victory!

Want to see exactly what happened when Roadrunner stormed the Channel V office that fateful day?

Apologies to the Batman Fawkner Inn and all concerned for any offence or confusion generated by statements made in the Blood Duster article in Sauce #42, distributed on the 16th of May. In the article it was stated that there were rumours that Blood Duster had been banned from playing at the Batman Fawkner Inn. Whilst it may be a rumour, generated by the Blood Duster gig there in 2004, the venue has assured Sauce that the band is not banned from playing there. The rumour was given new life recently, which was then made reference to in the article, as Blood Duster do not have a Launceston gig on their upcoming Tassie tour. While Sauce does its best to verify facts, sometimes this is not possible due to time and resource constraints, and so if something is stated as being a rumour it should not be taken as fact.

The Editor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kMd42cY7V8

MEGADETH’S NEW ALBUM: DEBUTS AT #23 ON THE ARIA CHART United Abominations is in stores now and debuted in Australia and the UK at the #23 position. This chart debut suggests a big comeback for the band: The System Has Failed debuted at #57, and The World Needs A Hero debuted at #72.

Editor David Williams Graphic Design Simon Hancock

shancock@sauce.net.au

Sub Editor Tom Wilson

twilson@sauce.net.au

According to Hits Daily Double, Megadeth is on track to sell around 60,000 copies of UA in the first week, which suggests that the album could even make its presence felt in the top 5!

Previous Megadeth release The System Has Failed debuted at #18 with 46,000 sales, while 2001’s The World Needs A Hero opened the account with 61,000 units and a #16 debut.

Contributors: Adam Ferguson, Shannon Stevens, Emma Dilemma, Nicky Wilson, Chris Rattray, Ryan Cooke, Ryan Farrington, Ian Murtagh, Felix Blackler, Zadoc, Patrick Duke, Nicole Calabria, Steve Tausche & Dave Hernyk.

Deadlines Sauce #44, 14th - 26th June DEADLINE: 08/06/07

SHOCK OPETH SPLIT! Guitarist Peter Lindgren has quit the band to the amazement and surprise of fans! After sixteen years playing guitar in Opeth, Peter addressing the issue by saying, “It is with sadness I announce that Opeth and I are going separate ways after almost sixteen years.

The decision has been the toughest I’ve ever made but it is the right one to make at this point in my life.”

“The reason behind this is that I feel that I simply have lost some of the enthusiasm and inspiration needed to participate in a band that has grown from a few guys playing the music we love to a world-wide industry. The love of music has always been, and still is, our motive, but I personally have lost something along the way. The massive amount of touring has taken its toll. Opeth has worked extremely hard to get where we are right now and in order to persist and maintain the quality of the music, it is necessary that we continue to work hard and always stay focused. But in doing so, it means that we nowadays spend eighteen or nineteen months on the road, and I don’t feel the same enthusiasm for the upcoming world tour that I have felt earlier.

I have come to a point where I realise I won’t be able to give the band 100% and from both sides this will not be good enough for what Opeth stands for. I will always love playing, listening to and living music, but I will do it differently from now on.

Address:

Po Box 5094, Launceston, Tas, 7250 Phone: 03 6331 0701 Advertising: advertising@sauce.net.au Editorial: editorial@sauce.net.au Opinions expressed in Sauce are not necessarily those of the editor, publisher or staff.

Contents 3 4 5-8 9 10 11

Hard Boiled News Rock Salt Hard Boiled Rock Salt Hard Boiled / Rock Salt

12-13 14-15

Rock Salt Gig Reviews

16-17 18 19

Gig Guide CD Reviews Hard Boiled

22-27 28

Bangers & Mash Spotlight

29 20

Comedy Street Fashion

BO B EVA NS

An Identity Crisis?

ROCK SALT

By David Williams

The pseudonym – a method of protecting one’s reputation? Or a complete alter-ego? As the frontman for seminal rock act Jebediah, Kevin Mitchell knew that if he wanted to do something differently, he was going to need a new banner to stand under; a name to differentiate his solo material from the Jebediah back catalogue the rock community knew so well. But of all the names he could have chosen, why did he choose “Bob Evans”?

Ahead of his Tasmanian visit, I wanted to find out.

“Bob Evans talking to David Williams” sounds like two Welsh miners talking to each other, but I was wondering – going from your own birth name of Kevin Mitchell, and using the pseudonym Bob Evans … Bob Evans isn’t exactly a name that lights up in lights …

Not exactly “Johnny Rocker” is it?

No! So how did the suburban-type pseudonym come about?

Really out of laziness, more than anything. I was wearing a t-shirt one day that said “Bob Evans” on it, and I just happened to be wearing that t-shirt on the day when I had to put my name in the gig listing, because I was doing my very first gig. So I had to call myself something, because I knew I didn’t want to be Kevin Mitchell. I just happened to be wearing that t-shirt that day, so I thought, “Oh, I’ll be Bob Evans”, not thinking that … at that stage, I wasn’t thinking I’d even play another gig again, let alone make records and all that sort of stuff. That was almost ten years ago now.

So why did you feel the need to have a pseudonym?

Was it because you didn’t want to get that association with Jebediah, and the preconceptions that people might have, coming along to one of your Kevin Mitchell or Bob Evans shows?

Yeah, that’s pretty much it. I never intended to play Jebediah songs solo, so I knew that if I played gigs as Kevin Mitchell – Kevin Mitchell from Jebediah – there was a good chance that a lot of people would turn up, and they would all be expecting to hear their favourite Jebediah songs to be played solo and acoustically. That was never what I wanted Bob Evans to do or be. So I started off just playing shows really, really ultralow key – they were almost like secret gigs. And I think it kind of worked, because it took a long time, but I think people like Bob Evans’ groove naturally and organically. I did my first record independently, and now the new one’s on a major, and it took a long time to get a fan base and everything. So I think … even while Jebediah was going on, I managed to create another musical being quite naturally and organically.

Do you see any kind of similarities in what you’re doing as Bob Evans compared to what you were doing in Jebediah?

To me, I kind of look at it; at both outlets as being … We both just write pop songs; we just dress them up a little bit differently. Jebediah write pop songs, but we do it in a particular style, and Bob Evans writes pop songs as well,

just in a different way. I think … on a superficial level, they both seem like completely different things. But I look at them as being pretty similar. I think, if you listen to some older Jebediah records, you’ll probably hear some of the moments where Bob Evans is kind of creeping in. Any time when there’s a pedal steel, for example! [Laughs] That’s probably Bob’s fault!

… If you listen to some older Jebediah records, you’ll probably hear some of the moments where Bob Evans is kind of creeping in.

How much do you still have to do with the rest of the Jebediah guys?

We’re still writing together … when I’m at home, we’ve been getting together once a week and writing. We’re just slowly working away towards another record, hopefully.

What about in terms of Bob Evans releasing another record? Where are you at with that?

I started demo-ing. I’ve got a little studio space just walking distance from my house, so I started demo-ing for the new record a couple of months ago. So yeah – I’m just going to continue [down that road] till the end of the year as well. I’m just going get to the end of the year, and look at the two – look a Jeb and look at Bob – and see which one’s more ready to make a record, and that’s the record that I’m going to make next.

Bob Evans plays Stage Door The Café in Burnie on the 6th of June (sold out), and Hobart’s Republic Bar on the 7th.

PAGE 5

MARY TREM BLE S

The Other Face Of Intercooler ROCK SALT

By Tom Wilson

Mary Trembles may have started as a side project of Intercooler’s Damon Cox, but he’s quick to point out that they’re not doing things by halves. On the contrary – for the upcoming Tasmanian tour, Intercooler is bringing its side project along for the ride as a support. But how did it all begin? Damon gave me the lowdown.

I understand that the band was formed as a side project of your individual musical endeavors – Intercooler and Tex Perkins’ Dark Horses. To what extent was it a case of wanting to achieve something that wasn’t possible in your existing bands?

The idea for Mary Trembles came about in LA actually. I was there with Intercooler doing some shows and Skritch (guitar, vocals) happened to be there as well doing live sound for Resin Dogs, who also happened to be in LA. He had a night off, so we hired him to do live sound for us at Intercooler’s Viper Room show. We were sitting around chatting after the show, and I knew Skritch had a bunch of really melodic, angular and edgy songs written that I’d heard in demo form that I really loved. I asked him if he’d found the right people yet to deliver the songs in a live setting. He hadn’t, so I put my hand up there and then to play drums. Upon arriving back in Australia we enlisted a friend, Duey Coert to play bass. It was simply a case of me being a fan of Skritch’s songs and thought they deserved to be heard and it all progressed very organically from there.

And what was it that you wanted to achieve?

There is a large element of musical freedom in Mary Trembles, and we wanted to really explore that spontaneity.

A lot of the newer material has come from jamming around on ideas from scratch in the rehearsal room. It’s a formula that really works for us and we feel we are just beginning to scratch the surface. It’s exciting.

It’s been said that Mary Trembles is “more than just a side project”. When would you say this band became a firm commitment for its members?

It’s been a firm commitment for all members of Mary Trembles from day one. We are not really into doing things in halves, or, really, it’s not worth doing. It’s a real thing and we take it very seriously.

What is the story behind the band’s name? Why did you choose it?

Duey came up with the idea to call the band Mary Trembles.

She was one of the last three people to be hung for practicing witchcraft in England in 1682. It’s an eerie tale and a great name for a band – we think, anyway.

You released an EP, PS … Situation a year ago.

Looking back on it, how do you think the band has evolved musically?

We just seem to be really finding our feet now, in a live setting anyway. We are starting to feel really comfortable playing together. When we recorded PS ... Situation we hadn’t even played a show.

How would you describe the sound of Mary Trembles?

And how have others described it?

It’s hard to describe – we have been compared to bands from The Pixies to Shellac to The Cars and Fugazi, which are all

We’d spent months in the rehearsal room experimenting.

Those songs were all very new when we recorded them, but I’m glad we did it that way, as you can here that immediacy on the recording. We just seem to be better at knowing what

What are some of the pros and cons of sharing a member with another band?

Up to this point there hasn’t been any cons; as long as everyone communicates, and time is managed well, the two bands can co-exist without any drama. There have been a couple of situations of missed opportunity, but you just have to accept that will happen from time to time when sharing members.

W I NDMI L L

Alternative Music And Rocky Impersonations

ROCK SALT

By Steve Tauschke Multi-instrumentalist Dillon recently finished shooting a video for a track on his debut album Puddle City Racing Lights that depicts him in mock Rocky garb “running around the sights of London in a smelly old grey tracksuit.” He says he made a point of checking out the latest instalment of Stallone’s boxing saga prior to the shoot.

“You’ve gotta go see it, there were like three grown men; me, my dad and my brother all just sitting there crying,” says Dillon from his small UK hometown of Newport Pagnell, famous for its production of James Bond’s Aston Martin cars. “It was really pathetic.”

I wasn’t trying to fit into any genre; I was just literally making anything that I felt was brash and different.

I could really just explore my imagination. Sometimes the sound quality can be rubbish because it was all cassette tapes, it wasn’t digital and there was no Myspace or anything but in a way I’m glad because I got to develop it without any feedback and do exactly what I wanted.

I believe your room was piled up with keyboards?

Yes, I went to Office World and bought a table so there was about half a foot for me to squeeze past the bed and I had all these keyboards, some on the bed, some on the table.

And I had this little four-track and a separate reverberator machine and CD burner.

The record is like a definitive version of all that stuff in 45 minutes. It’s like a collection of musical diary entries of what I was feeling at that time and what was going on in my head.

The track Asthmatic you wrote as a sixteen-year-old I believe?

We did four different versions of it and we kept the one I did when I was 16. I did the piano riff for that a week after I got my first keyboard and I thought it was a nice testament to my past to have that song on the record.

How did you handle graduating to a proper studio?

I was recording for ten years in a bedroom and I could be completely uninhibited with what I was doing. I wasn’t thinking ‘are other people going to like?’ But then when I got signed and got to go into the studio, it was just like something you fantasise about as a musician playing in your room thinking ‘wow, imagine if I could get a real string section’ and to get PAGE 6

works and what doesn’t since then. Not saying those songs didn’t work – they’re great – but the new material is quite a few notches up from that.

What plans do you have to return to the studio?

We are booked in to start recording our first full-length the week after this tour finishes.

What are your ultimate goals for the next few months?

We have our sights firmly set on making a really good record.

We have a few shows with Dinosaur Jr. in July, but nothing else is booked apart from lots of recording, which we are really excited about!

Mary Trembles plays with Intercooler at Launceston’s James Hotel on the 15th of June, and Hobart’s Republic Bar on the 16th.

Duey came up with the idea to call the band Mary Trembles. She was one of the last three people to be hung for practicing witchcraft in England in 1682.

You’re touring Tassie with Intercooler, whom Damon also plays in. Why did you decide to do this?

Intercooler had a bit of a wish list of support bands for this tour, but for one reason or another all the bands on that list were unavailable due to other touring and recording commitments. So we though, “Fuck it – let’s ask Mary Trembles. We could keep touring costs down a bit and I could get some extra exercise each night.” [Laughs] Sucker.

So tell us a little about your history of home recordings.

The great thing about bedroom recordings is that you have no pressure.

compliments I’d say. We all listen to lots of different styles of music, including those bands, and it all comes out when we get together and write. The songs are quite simple but can sound rather complex at times, due to the sounds we choose and the intensity we deliver them with. Come see us play and you decide!

to do it was so cool and so exciting.

You recorded fairly quickly didn’t you?

It was really quick. We had eighteen months worth of songs to recreate in ten days which was really scary. Normally I’ll only do one demo version of a song and it’ll be completely improvised. I’m like Ed Wood in those B-movies where every take is good.

What’s the attraction of the piano for you?

I refused to listen to what my friends were listening to, just because I wanted to be different, so I turned to the American alternative scene.

So whenever there was a piano riff I was really drawn to it. It wasn’t something I was given to play, I had to actively pursue it myself and so I begged for a keyboard for my birthday when I was sixteen. And to recreate some of the piano riffs I’d been listening to was such a buzz.

What appealed to you about Mercury Rev and Flaming Lips, et al?

There was just so much Brit pop being shoved down our throats over here when I was growing up, and so I just rebelled against that and turned to America for my influences. I think the songs were touching me much more, and being from a small town I think you’re drawn to things that are very far because they’re exciting.

Are you hiding behind the Windmill moniker? … is it a buffer for you in a way?

I dunno, maybe, I’ve not really thought about it, maybe I’m too scared to think about it. I just think of Windmill as Windmill, if that makes sense.

Puddle City Racing Lights is out through Inertia.

MA N BI TES GO D

Goldfish Scatology!

By Tom Wilson

ROCK SALT

They call themselves “satirical pop for the discontented”, and frankly, I can’t define these guys any clearer than that. But I can say this – a musical group who can drop references to scatology, Edgar Allen Poe and naked women with parachutes into their interview answers should be a shoe-in as one of the most original live acts you’ve ever seen. I spoke to them about porn and parking tickets.

Considering your most recent single is about a man building a cubby house to escape from the police (correct me if I’m wrong), exactly where does Man Bites God draw lyrical inspiration?

Great question! We pride ourselves on writing songs about topics that no-one else would ever think to write a song about. Usually they come out funny or weird or dark or disturbing, but they’re never boring. On our new album, Peppermint Superfrog, we have songs about building a girlfriend out of wood, beating a butterfly to death with a hammer, seeing religious iconography in food and wearing a hat made of cake. Our lyrics are pretty surreal, but they make people laugh, and they make for a more interesting song. Man Bites God are a bit sick of the usual clichéd pop songs. The songs we write are a protest against that kind of lazy song writing.

… Naked women parachuted onto us from a low flying pink zeppelin and the ghost of Edgar Allen Poe defecated onto a goldfish …

The sound of Man Bites God was described as “pub rock, bubblegum pop and sleazy pornstar funk”. If you were to enter the business of getting busy, what would be your porn star names?

My porn star name would be DJ Jimmy (and when I was making love to my special lady I would always yell, “DJ Jimmy’s in the House!!”) Mark’s porn star name would probably be something exotic like Senor El Brutalicious and Chris’ porn star name would be … Chris. (He’s already a porn star – don’t tell his mum) You guys said online that “You are the most beautiful visitor we’ve ever had at this site. This may sound crazy, but I long to kiss you”. My number is 0437 … oh, never mind. Anyway, when was the last time Man Bites God had a sleazy encounter?

Once, when we were touring the UK, a beautiful woman came backstage after the show and pressed a piece of paper into my hand. I thought it was her phone number. It turned out to be a parking ticket. They have really hot parking inspectors in the UK. Earlier in the year, you reported that you were working on a new album. What stage is that at?

The new album is ready, raring to go, and will be available to buy in shops and at our shows in Tasmania. It’s called Peppermint Superfrog and we’re really excited about it. We’re touring it all over Australia. The songs on it are all really poppy and electric, and the album’s cover art looks like a lolly wrapper – it makes our new CD look delicious.

Rosnystock 2007

What do you think will set it apart from your last album, The Popular Alternative?

Both albums have very different feels – Peppermint Superfrog is a fast, furious collection of catchy pop songs; it’s a bit punk and a bit electronica. The album is very electric and very urgent. It’s like a rollercoaster for your ears. The Popular Alternative is a more acoustic, lush and stately affair. We’re very proud of both albums, and we’re really happy that Peppermint Superfrog will be a different listening experience for people.

Where did the band’s name come from?

After one of our first gigs, the band had a big night on the town, involving several cocktails, three boxes of jelly crystals and a catholic priest. When we woke up the next day we discovered we were called, “Man Bites God”. And we were all sore. And our keyboardist was dead.

What are some things to be wary of when biting God? Well if God is everything (as some people believe) then she could turn herself into aluminum foil. And no one wants to bite on aluminum foil, especially if they have fillings. Also, it is hard to know what wine to drink when biting God. Would it be white or red? I have no idea.

Where on his/her/its body would you bite God, and why?

I would bite God somewhere low on her body – like the ankle.

That way I wouldn’t have to get off the couch.

What would make your upcoming Tasmanian shows really memorable?

During a show if a tiger ran onto the stage and offered to sing backing vocals, while naked women parachuted onto us from a low flying pink zeppelin and the ghost of Edgar Allen Poe defecated onto a goldfish … that would be memorable.

However we’d just be happy to get as many people as we can to come along and see our band. This is our first tour of Tasmania and we’re really excited about it.

Lastly, which of these questions has been the most asinine, and why?

I think the one about where we would bite God – but maybe that’s just because I couldn’t think of a very good answer.

Man Bites God plays the Republic Bar on the 27th of June.

Borne Occasionally a band will arrive without the hype, without the pretence, and will let the music speak for itself. After finding rapid and unexpected success in the US, Borne deliver a heartfelt collection of tunes which display a kind of emotion rarely captured in modern rock.

From Melbourne, formed in 2003 and fronted by Cam Tapp, Borne has set a musical agenda of their own and will set it free in their homeland with the Australian release of their latest album Loss of Signal on the 3rd of July.

Just before they head overseas again to Europe in June, Borne are doing some exclusive shows in May and June to give Aussie audiences a sneak peak of what they can expect in July when they release their Loss of Signal album.

2006 Rock Challenge winners Stroke of Ace Rosnystock is an annual all-ages event, showcasing the best of Rosny College’s rock music program.

In recent months, Borne have had astounding international success and recognition, including breaking into the US Billboard charts and unprecedented sales of their EPs through Apple I-Tunes around the world. Borne became the only independent Australian artist to have two albums in the top ten downloaded albums on I-Tunes at the same time and their latest single, The Guide has recently been added to the Nova radio networks around Australia.

This year’s event will be once again held at the Uni Bar, Sandy Bay on Thursday the 31st of May. Rosnystock will feature bands: The Trolls – regular giggers at The Loft in Hobart; 2006 Rock Challenge winners Stroke of Ace; as well as The Craves, Down with Melons, On Your Feet Soldier, and quite a few more to be announced.

The show, now in its eleventh year, has featured in previous year’s bands such as Unleash The Nugget, Ballpoint, Melatonin (later Enola Fall) and The Overview.

Tickets for the show will be $8, available at the door, and doors will open at 7:00pm.

The event is an all-ages show, and will be smoke, drug and alcohol free, with security in attendance.

Rosnystock will be held at the Uni Bar in Sandy Bay on Thursday the 31st of May.

The band’s ability to create amazing live charisma has also been a source of wide acclaim and commendation. Borne’s on-stage electric presence has translated into today’s polished and professional foursome parting the difficult waters to recognition and receiving praise and humbling comparisons to other international stalwarts.

Borne plays Curly’s Bar in Hobart on the 8th of June, and Launceston’s James Hotel on the 9th.

PAGE 7

upmarket ... uptown ... Upper Burnie

254 Mount St Upper Burnie 7320

THURSDAY MAY 31

Jazz Club '07

Viktor Zappner Swingtet featuring Yoly Torres, from Burnie, on vocals 8:00PM

friday 8 june

FRIDAY JUNE 1

Gaye Clarke The troubadour 7:00PM

SATURDAY JUNE 2

Mikaela Campbell

& Kendal McCreadie

FRIDAY 15 JUNE

7:00PM

WEDNESDAY JUNE 6

Bob Evans

T U O D L O S with special guest Farryl Purkiss (South Africa) 7:30PM

$20 on the DOOR

THURSDAY JUNE 7

Jazz Club '07

Ben Winkleman Trio from Melbourne $15 ($10 pre-paid) 8:00PM

“I’ve walked on my hands across deserts of quicksand.

Just so, ______ I can have a beer with you.”

Record and send your own love song at www.gallantryisback.com

FRIDAY JUNE 8

The Andy Farrell Trio 7:00PM

$15 on the door

SATURDAY JUNE 9

Salty Dog premier Australian swamp blues/rock outfit $15 ($10 pre-paid) 8:00PM SUPPORTED BY ROGUEISH FOLK HERO (MELBOURNE) & LOCAL ARTISTS FRIDAY 29 JUNE $5 ON THE DOOR FROM 8PM

Gallantry is back.

SO DO M

HARD BOILED

Thrash Legends To Film DVD In Tassie!

By Tom Wilson They’ve been together for over twenty years, and in that time have become rightly revered as legends of thrash metal. One would think that a band like Sodom would bypass Tasmania on an Australian tour, in a disappointment similar to bands like Slayer and Kreator. But one would be very, very wrong … because not only are the German riff-masters coming to Tasmania – supported by local luminaries Nosce Teipsum, Abacinate and The Wizard – they hand-picked Hobart’s Republic Bar as the gig to film for their upcoming DVD. Metal heads unite – this is going to be a big one ...

You’ve been together for over twenty years. What made you decide to name your most recent release Sodom, considering a self-titled album is usually reserved for a first release?

The band was formed in 1982, so we have 25th years’ anniversary in this year. There is special meaning behind the self-titled Sodom album. When we saw the original cover artwork for the first time, we didn’t miss any title, and we also thought about that we don’t need a special title for this album. We, Tom, Bernemann and Bobby are Sodom, and we are together now for 10 years, so just call it Sodom. Also the record company was satisfied with this idea.

One of your earlier albums, Agent Orange, was a milestone in the thrash metal genre. What do you feel it achieved for the band that previous releases hadn’t, in terms of musicianship, opportunities, success, etc?

I think you can’t compare it! Agent Orange was an album that reflected the spirit of the end [of the] eighties. It was the best selling, but not the best album in my opinion. The current album is much better in a musical and lyrical way. We always try to keep Sodom’s early spirit, but we try to write better songs.

Agent Orange will always be a classic, but we have to look forward, and have to promote the latest releases.

One of the main topics you write about is the state of the world and what’s happening on a world-wide scale. Have you found music to be a useful means to get your message across?

What happened to the World Trade Center inspired me so much;

I was really shocked. But this theme’s fed my mind to write lyrics about. We always describe the bad things of this world in our lyrics; I think a thrash band has to do it in this way. I know that I can’t change anything, ‘cause I am not political active, but being a singer in a thrash band gave me the chance to scream it out. I always try to write it down in a lyrically way, based on historical facts, but you’ll never find any political opinion in the lyrics. The message is very simple: stop the war to live in a peaceful world.

What do you hope to achieve by voicing your message through your music? Do you hope to influence people, make them aware of the state of things, simply put out your opinion?

Yes I hope, but I know that most [of the] fans didn’t realise the meaning behind the lyrics. The main thing is the music Your upcoming tour to Australia will be your first visit here. What do you hope to get out of this tour?

I am very glad to go to Australia for the first time in my life, but it’s very sad that we never find the time during a tour to learn more about the countries; their people or their history. But we are always satisfied to meet new friends, and to be a part of their metal scene for a while.

The Australian tour places you in an interesting position – you can choose to present to this new audience a “best of” set, or promote the new album. What do you plan to do?

I think that fans outside Germany are still hungry to see metal

bands, and they get enthusiastic when Sodom is in town.

Sodom was always a band who did the first step in some foreign countries, but it’s sad that we got the first chance after all the years.

people are waiting for the headlining bands! Sodom in Tasmania – that sounds great.

The idea is to make a kind of tour documentary to see the band on tour and showing the band behind the scenes.

Now the time is right! I know that we have fans all over the world, and we have to try everything touring over there. We’ll give a kind of “best of” set list with a couple of classics, all-time faves and new material, and songs we never played live! That could be very interesting for the fans. It’s always a hard decision to form a good set list to leave everybody satisfied!

What will be the outcome of the DVD and when will we see something?

Yes, we are working for the next Sodom DVD, but I can’t promise a date of release, ‘cause this will have running time of over six hours! You can imagine how much material we need, and how much time we have to spend to get it finished. But both the new album and DVD will be a killer, and this is a promise.

It has taken a long time for Sodom to get to Australia and I once read that you are interested in playing in different countries where not many bands have played before. Did you ever think you’d get the opportunity to visit Australia?

It’s like a dream come true, and I am glad that our agency found a serious promoter there. We got a lot of offers in the past, but that never came to the point, and the offers weren’t acceptable!

You’re doing something that very few international metal bands have done playing in Tasmania, and something no metal band has ever done – recording the gig for a DVD release. It’s an enormous plan, and it’s big news here. It must be quite exciting for you, considering the gig will also be in a smaller, intimate venue.

I am looking for special places to record something. We don’t want to record a show for the DVD at big festivals where the

Sodom recently celebrated a milestone with your current line-up being together for ten years and it being the longest standing Sodom line up. What do you attribute that to? Do you think it is a challenge to maintain the same line up for over twenty years?

Why not? These guys are my friends, and we can talk about everything, and we have the same musical ideas. That’s the secret! I am really glad to have them in the band.

This is the strongest line up ever, you are right. I always try to keep a line up together, and I am looking forward to the next ten years.

Sodom play the Republic Bar in Hobart on Saturday the 9th of June, with Nosce Teipsum, Abacinate and The Wizard.

Republic Bar & Cafe

299 Elizabeth St North Hobart Ph. 6234 6954 www.republicbar.com Jordan Millar Band E.P. Launch $7/5 conc 9:00PM Kobya & band (reggae) $5/$3 cover 9:00PM Dallas Crane Support S.I.G.T. (Indonesia) + The Evening Dolls $20 Pre/ $23 Door 10pm Dallas Crane Support S.I.G.T. (Indonesia) + The Evening Dolls $20 Pre/ $23 Door 10pm Matt Zarb $3 9pm Simon Astley 8:30pm Tenniscoats (Japan) 9pm Joe Piere + Greg Frith (Sax) 9pm Bob Evans $20 Pre/ $24 Door 9pm Legends of Motorsport Support Red Rival + The Reactions $10 10pm Sodom (German Metal) Support Abacinate + Norsce Teipsum + The Wizard $35 10pm Against Me (USA) + The Draft (USA) + A Death In The Family (Melb) $35 9:30pm Quiz Night 8:15pm Blue Flies 9pm Mihirangi $3 9pm Behind Crimson Eyes Support Stand Defiant + Mindset $10 Pre/ $13 Door 9pm

MAY JUNE

FRIDAY 1ST & SATURDAY 2ND JUNE

Dallas Crane + supp. S.I.G.T & The Evening Dolls $20 PRESALE / $23 DOOR

THURSDAY 7TH JUNE

Bob Evans $20 PRESALE / $24 DOOR

Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu

30th 31st 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th

PAGE 9

L EGENDS OF M OTO R S P O RT

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines ROCK SALT

By Tom Wilson

Rock fans, it’s time to start your engines and hang your fluffy dice; the Legends are coming. I spoke to Richard Fyshwick ahead of their Tassie tour.

How did LOMS begin?

We began jamming as a three-piece – two guitars and drums – in Coburg in 1996. That incarnation folded before doing a show. We then found ourselves in Tassie six months later with a new drummer, Mike (now of Drones fame), and started doing shows in Hobart. I remember one of our first shows was at the Cygnet Town Hall! About six months later, we started incorporating keyboards into the set, which seemed to be a crowd favourite from the outset.

After a couple of years, we seemed to be getting lots of shows in Melbourne, and would be over there every month.

Jean Claude and Mike had already moved over, and I followed in 2000.

I don’t think it’s made any big waves. Feedback seems to have been positive. We still get plenty of people at our shows, and that’s a really positive and great thing.

You’re playing in Tassie next month. Is this your first time playing down here?

It’s the first time in about three or four years! It’s taken us quite a while to get back down there.

We’ve been up and down the east coast of Oz quite a lot in the last two years.

was a shadow of its former glory. It was very sad in some ways. The venue didn’t even realise that there was going to be a crowd that night. The show was like a time-warp though – a really great night! That place used to be packed every weekend.

I remember seeing Meanies and Fridge gigs there that were some of the best rock n roll I have ever seen; sweat dripping off the rafters. RIP Les.

What have you heard about Tassie’s live scene?

I’ve heard that the music in Hobart now is completely crap, other than a handful of OK bands. There aren’t any venues and PA’s either. I’ve heard there’re more hippies with kids.

I’ve read that you’re working on a concept album. What can you tell me about this?

The new songs are shaping up, but it’s early days. I had an initial idea about The Planet of Bogans – we would do a double album, the first being Escape From … and the second being Return To …

What memories did you take away from your previous visit?

I remember playing the Doghouse last time we were down – it

The baby bonus (or plasma payment), the increase in suburban McMansions and the dumbing-down of Australia due to boganism are all themes that I would like to touch

on with the next record, along with the traditional themes of chicks, cars, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.

How would you sum up a typical LOMS gig?

Heavy, lots of fun, liberating. A chance to let your hair down and dance. Exciting rock played with a maximum amount of fire.

What’s on the cards for the rest of the year?

We are gonna write songs, play a few select shows, and record an album.

Legends Of Motorsport play the Republic Bar in Hobart on the 8th of June, and Launceston’s Royal Oak on the 9th.

I’ve heard that the music in Hobart now is completely crap, other than a handful of OK bands. There aren’t any venues and PA’s either.

What were each of you doing before you formed the band?

Music-wise, I had a country band going called 40 Watt Stars, Jean-Claude had been in a great band called Mouth, while Mike had earned his chops in Puppyfat.

Where did the motoring theme come from, and how does it tie into your music?

It was just a band name, but it also gave us themes to write songs about. Driving hot cars is all about freedom, as is playing in Legends.

It’s fairly obvious you’re into your cars as well as your rock ‘n’ roll – what are you guys driving these days?

Jean-Claude has moved up to a Dodge Charger, while I’ve got a Toyota Corolla (my Monaro is currently living with my parents in Ulverstone). 2Stroke has a good-ole Aussie ute, while Whiskey Ago-go has the Number 96 Tram.

How has Remnants From The Big Bang been received?

What kind of feedback have you got so far?

MAS ERATI

Who Needs Vocals Anyway?

ROCK SALT

By Tom Wilson The first line of Maserati’s official bio asks a question – “Who the fuck are Maserati?” While we already know they’re a dynamic group from the States with an interesting penchant for instrumental music, we still thought it was a great question. So we asked it to them. They replied. We printed. You’re reading it. Enjoy it.

There are no vocals in Maserati’s music. Why is this?

When we first started the band, we began writing songs in our old drummer’s bedroom. We didn’t have a PA of course, so the first few songs we wrote we kept saying, “Let’s just finish these songs – we can put down vocals later.” When we went back to try and fit vocals, we really couldn’t find room for them, or even see them as necessary. That really just started a process of writing for us; we never started off thinking we would be an instrumental band.

To what extent was this a conscious decision? And has it always been so?

No, never a conscious one. I think we’re so open about our music now that if we wrote something where we thought we needed some vocals, we would just do it without thinking twice.

What do you see as being the key strengths of instrumental music?

That’s a pretty tough question; it really depends on what you’re going for. If you want to do soundscape-type

instrumental music, you want it to be memorable but unobtrusive; something that can work behind the scenes and flow with whatever medium you’re using. If it’s very epic and powerful, you want great dynamics and hooks that will keep the listener’s attention. I think that’s what distinguishes the best instrumental bands from ones that simply don’t have vocals.

The band takes its name from a car company. What’s the story behind this?

We wanted a band name that was simple, but sounded familiar. Steve and I originally had the idea of “Maserati at 185” from the Eagles song, but soon thought it was too long and shortened it to Maserati.

Finish this sentence – “Maserati will never, ever ...” “…Live in the same city! [Laughs] Matt and I live in Georgia, Jerry lives in NYC, and Steve lives in Oregon.

How did the group come together?

Steve and I met in South Carolina in 1998. We started playing music very loosely, but really wanted to find other people to take it more seriously. We played with different drummers,

but no one really worked. He, our friend Kent and I had visited Athens quite a bit to go to see shows or whatever, and really fell in love with the town; we ended up moving here in the spring of 2000. A few months before we moved, I met our guitarist Matt Cherry at a show at the 40 Watt Club.

We started talking music, and he said that he played guitar.

He was into a lot of stuff that I was [into] at the time, like Swervedriver, Sonic Youth, Mogwai etc ... He told me that he “knew the perfect guy” to play drums; we played for the first time in Phil’s bedroom a week after.

What kind of musical background did you each come from?

We come from a pretty diverse background. Steve comes from more of a jazz background; Phil was a west coast punk kid; Matt and I came from a lot of the same backgrounds, like the bands I mentioned before.

I was into a lot of NYC hardcore and punk growing up as well.

Our drummer Jerry (who took Phil’s place in 2005) came from a more 70s rock school like John Bohnam, Jaki Leipzig (from Can), Stewart Copeland …

Your bio is one of the most original we’ve ever seen

– to what extent do you think it reflects the band and the music?

We love it! Our friend Ryan Lewis, who was one of the co-owners of Kindercore Records, wrote that for us. It came time when we were starting to shop the Inventions record around, and we needed a bio.

I absolutely loathe how stupid most bios are, and really wanted to try to have fun with it. You have to admit that, even if you were not into the band, it’s going to grab your attention immediately! [Laughs]

“Punters?” I’m not sure what you mean – must be Aussie slang us Americans are not privy too!

What kinds of punters do you see the most at Maserati gigs? Have you noticed any specific demographic of people who are most into the music?

“Punters?” I’m not sure what you mean – must be Aussie slang us Americans are not privy too! No, it’s pretty diverse I think.

At most shows, you could look around and see an old 70s rock-dude that loves it to a sixteen-year-old that’s into bands like The Cure and digs us.

Out of curiousity, why is your official website called “ihaveadagger.net”?

I Have A Dagger, It’s Shaped Like A Lightning Bolt! was the first song we ever wrote. It came out on our first EP, which became kind of a favorite of friends of ours.

Who in the music scene would you most like to use a dagger on?

Don Henley – in the balls, no question! [Laughs] www.myspace.com/maseratirocks

PAGE 10

S I MO N A S T LEY

ROCK SALT

Tassie Ex-Pat Returns Home

By Tom Wilson A Tasmanian-born piano tinkering singer/songwriter with talent coming out his ears, the works of Simon Astley have been compared to the likes of Ben Folds and The Whitlams. But we don’t think that’s fair, because there’s a level of uniqueness in his music that we haven’t seen anywhere before. I spoke to him about the processes of songwriting.

What do you feel is the most important quality in lyrics, and why?

Being recognised as an important part of a song.

Mostly the melody is the one talked about in driving the songs. I believe there has to be a marriage between both the lyrics and the melody for a song to really shine. It’s the tool that tells the story, and the melody paints the picture.

to be a part of. Nothing against Tasmania – I love the place.

Where do you draw inspiration from when it comes to writing music? What usually triggers it?

It triggers for me when I am excited and hyped-up, such as after seeing a great musician play, hearing a new song, or relationships. It can come with both happy and sad emotions for me. Inspiration just flows without any warning, and all the time, it’s the chorus which comes first, then I just rebuild the song from that, from start to finish.

What has been the biggest high and the biggest low of your musical career?

The biggest high would be playing in the big venues in Melbourne such as The Espy, Manchester Lane etc. and being a part of the Melbourne music scene. I have also met a lot of great musicians, who I have learned a lot from. I can’t think of any lows – it’s all exciting at the moment.

I always have hidden agendas when it comes to gigs.

Last I heard, you were working on an album. What stage is that at now? What can you tell me about it?

The album is finished; just waiting on the release dates, etc.

It’s called Sofa So Good – it’s an easy-listening CD with a few surprises. I spent a lot of long hours on the CD, and I’m looking forward in releasing it soon.

You play with a band called The Hidden Agenda. How much work do you do as part of the band, and how does that compare to the time you spend on solo work?

It’s a totally different way of playing when you put yourself in both situations. Playing with the band, it’s less work when it comes to the chords, [the] foundations of the song, when playing the piano. The vocal seems to be the main concentration for me with the band. With solo [work], it’s a lot more demanding, but you have more control of where you want to go, and how open and relaxed you want the song to be. Playing in the band, you have to always think as a team.

When was the last time you had a hidden agenda?

What was it?

I always have hidden agendas when it comes to gigs. I always like to throw a few jokes and puns into the mix.

Simon Astley plays Launceston’s Batman Fawkner Inn on the 3rd of June, appears in-store at Aroma Records in Hobart on the 4th, before playing the Republic Bar later that night.

Pure Punk 4 feat.

Bumtuck The Belchers Halfmast

You spent most of your schooling years in Tasmania, before relocating to Melbourne. Why did you decide to do this?

I was ready to move on, and I always had a soft spot for Melbourne and big cities. That’s one big inspiration I wanted

SHIHAD

Taking The Time To Get It Right ROCK SALT

Psycroptic Ruins Thy Plagues

SATURDAY 2ND JUNE

From there, how long was it before you saw music as a career ambition?

Around eighteen years of age, when I had just competed a year at the Hobart Conservatorium of Music in Compostion.

I decided that I wanted to be a singer/songwriter from then on, and I haven’t looked back since.

By Carlisle Rogers Shihad has fought an uphill battle of perception in the past, capitulating to the US fear of everything by changing their name to Pacifier after 9/11, eventually reverting back to Shihad in 2004. Working in the studio on their seventh album, singer and songwriter Jon Toogood says their new space has seen the band at their most experimental.

Playing a few winter festivals, Jon says that he will be using the live dates as a meter-stick to gauge the new songs, more than anything. “For me, the gigs are an opportunity to try out some new songs. You find out really quickly when you play a song live, what’s working and what’s not. You see a crowd moving to a certain section and maybe not moving to a bit you thought they should have, so you can go back and rework that part. There are bits where you think, “that’s a mellow song, but they are loving it” – that gives you more encouragement to try out those sorts of ideas. That’s the

FRIDAY IST JUNE (18+)

Psycroptic Ruins Thy Plagues

When did you first discover the piano?

When I was seven. mum and dad sat me down, and I haven’t got up since … [Laughs] Okay, I’ve got up a few times since then! Piano and the saxophone were both introduced to me at around the same time; my mum is a music teacher, so that was a main reason for the start on piano.

“We’re still treating these tracks as demos, and it’s all about writing at this point. It is funny how demos can sound pretty awesome sometimes. Especially since we have our own space, and we’re learning how to use the studio; some of the songs we’re coming up with would be hard to top even using an outside producer. But I think there is something really valuable in having someone from the outside coming in and going, “That’s really good, but what about trying this and trying that”; someone to make you think about it differently. I think there will still be a point where we work with somebody outside. Who that is going to be, I don’t know at the moment.

There is plenty of talent in Australia as far as producers and engineers go, but my head is still in songwriting right now.”

Adam Cousens

SATURDAY 2ND JUNE (4PM ALL AGES)

What’s the story behind A Better Place To Hide? What is the song about?

The song is about being in a relationship and needing time on your own, whether it is a day away just to spend time alone where you are not constantly in the face of the other person.

It can be healthy for relationships, I believe – it makes you appreciate what you have.

“On the last album, Love is the New Hate,” reflects Jon, “we did that one in Birdland Studios in Prahran.

That is probably the dirtiest record we’ve ever made, but that had a lot to do with getting two years of a massive chip off our shoulders; that whole American experience of having to change our name in the first place. That is why that last record was as angry as it was. This time around, we’re starting to use a lot more technology. We have been trying things we’ve never done before. Because we have our own space, rather than hiring someone else’s studio, you’re never worrying about, “Oh fuck – we only have two days in here; we better get this idea down quick.” We have had the time to think, “what haven’t we tried?” Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. But because we have the space, we have the luxury of doing that. I think we have created some of the freshest shit that we’ve done. Some of it is really rocking, but sometimes it is based around a groove rather than melody, and other songs are based around loops instead of guitars. We’ve been having a great time.

WEDNESDAY 30TH MAY

best feedback you can get – from a thousand people either moving or not.”

“I’m still the guy left with having to write words,” Jon says, with almost a veil of self-pity over his voice, that he seems to laugh at as soon as he says it. “That is all well and good, because I have to sing them at the end. But, Phil, our guitarist, is a bit of a technological genius, and he has just bought a new keyboard.

That’s the best feedback you can get – from a thousand people either moving or not.

He is coming up with all of this crazy keyboard shit, which I really like. I’m still writing most of my stuff on guitar. I have discovered this new program, Ableton Live, which was originally designed for DJs to use to mix up tracks live.

You throw shit into it, and it puts it into whatever tempo you want. The weird side effect is that it is a really fast tool for creating music. I don’t think they designed it for that, but for someone like me it is a godsend.

I can have a riff or an idea and throw it into Ableton and as long as I’ve played it to a click, I can throw a beat in later. Then I can try out lots of different rhythms with it. I have been using a lot of synth emulators, like Midi Moogs and stuff like that. I have been writing a lot of material based around that. Tom and Carl still manage to write their own stuff; everyone is writing at the moment.

Whatever is the best idea on the day tends to be the song that gets worked on.”

Shihad is planning to release another single before the end of the year from the forthcoming album, which will be called Beautiful Machine.

WEDNESDAY 6TH JUNE Buzz Explode Love feat.

Elvis Christ Cityscape Riot Smothers Brothers THURSDAY 7TH JUNE

Echo Blue FRIDAY 8TH JUNE Electronic Trout feat.

Tom Hall (Bris) Mumble(speak) User SATURDAY 9TH JUNE

The Bad Luck Charms CD Launch 381 ELIZABETH STREET NORTH HOBART 6236 9777 PAGE 11

BUMTUCK

ROCK SALT

The Rawest Of The Raw!

By Tom Wilson If there’s one thing I like about punk bands, it’s that they can take a joke. Let’s face it – would you really want me to ask the same set of safe, formal questions to a band like Hobart’s Bumtuck? Of course not! Providing us with details of how he lost his virginity – as well as a frighteningly vivid description of his arse – allow me to present bassist and vocalist Glenrohan, who spoke to me ahead of two shows at Hobart’s Trout.

Bumtuck first started in the mid-nineties. Aren’t you all a little old to be playing punk music?

Age and art go hand-in-hand. Without maturity and growth, artists, whether they’re Da Vinci or Metallica, would’ve never progressed or changed and would’ve been doomed to repeat themselves. Whether or not you agree that they became better as people or artists, they’ve gone [down] in history as not just becoming stereotypes of themselves or their influences.

“Rawness” is a word that seems to buzz around you guys like flies on a dead sheep. Is it deliberate? Or is it just because you can’t play for shit?

Being as raw as possible is part of this whole band. I hate bands that are too polished – every song sounds the same!

People have to realise that you can write a song about feelings, religion, insanity or politics, and the music and sound should reflect the feeling deep inside you where those words came from. It’s called art and self-expression. I’m not impressed by some death metal band trying to sound angry all the time – that’s just bullshit! How do they know when they’re angry if they’re never happy or sad?

What’s the best thing about punk rock?

The best thing about punk rock is that you can be yourself and say what you think of the world and the things that happen in it.

What was the story behind calling your first demo The Shithouse Tape?

We called our first demo that because a friend of the band recorded us jamming through a wall with a tape recorder, actually sitting on a toilet cistern.

I’ve heard you guys are working on an EP. What stage is that at now?

We’ve written most of the material for the new CD (Taking the World Without Force). Now we’ve just gotta get it tight and record it. We’ve tried out a few new tunes recently at shows; punters seem to be liking them.

How are you planning to distribute it?

We were thinking of just throwing it at passer-bys – that always seems to work. Actually, Tasmanian Alcoholics do our distribution for us!

What gigs have you got lined up in the near future?

I reckon the only gig you could get is in a school for the deaf …

We have Pure Punk IV coming up at Trout (2nd June) with The Belchers, and Halfmast and MVP (Metal Vs Punk) also at Trout (30th June) with Stand Defiant, The Restless Words (WA), Transfixion and Roadkill. We did play at a school for the deaf once, but I don’t think they really got the point of our lyrics.

How did you lose your virginity?

When I lost my virginity I was very scared – it was dark, and

When I lost my virginity I was very scared – it was dark, and I was all alone … Come to think of it, that was only last month.

I was all alone – like most guys! Come to think of it, that was only last month.

What’s a good comeback?

My favourite joke/comeback at the moment would have to be, “How many wrinkles does a cunt have? You smile – I’ll count’em!”

How hairy is your bum, and why?

No-one in Bumtuck has hair on our bum, but they’re all covered in millions of tiny razor nicks, and I have hundreds of pimples that spell out in Braille, “If you can read this, you’re standing way too close”, and under that, “Maximum headroom 3 metres”.

What was the last thing you tucked in your bum?

I had an aircraft carrier full of U.S seamen – including George Bush Junion and Senior, John Howard and Tony Blair Bumtuck play Hobart’s Trout on the 2nd and 30th of June.

NECROMA N T I X

Life Is A Grave … And I Dig It! ROCK SALT

By David Williams Considered by many to be one of the world’s premier examples of psychobilly bands, Necromantix come across like the musical equivalent of a film by cult director Ed Wood – playing up camp horror theatrics weaved through an infectious sense of fun. They’re coming to the mainland for the first time, and frontman Kim Necroman spoke to me from Colorado.

What are you up to in Colorado at the moment?

Well, today we have an off-day, and tomorrow we have a show. We played Kansas City last night and drove all night, so we’re just hanging out in the shitty weather right now.

What are you envisaging what your tour of Australia is going to be like?

I think it’s going to be awesome. I mean, I was there last year or the year before with my other band, The Horror Pops, and there’s a lot of crossover audience there. So I kind of know what to expect, and it’s going to be a blast.

Your last name, Necroman – was the band named after you? Or did you change your name?

What’s the connection between “Necromantix” and “Kim Necroman”?

Well, the band name came first, and I just adapted that name after the band, because it was pretty obvious, you know?

The music of Necromantix gets described as “psychobilly”. Is that still accurate?

Yes … Let me first say that I don’t really consider psychobilly as a musical style, but more of a subculture, with people listening to a wide range of ‘billy music, which would include everything from The Clams, The Living End, Reverend Horton Heat to the more “accepted” psychobilly bands.

I know what you mean, in terms of associating yourself with your work, because people call me by the magazine which I work for … people call me “David SAUCE” … How long a tour are you doing? Will you continue straight from the States to Australia? Will you have a break? Or will you go to other places in between?

We’ve been out for six weeks now; we are headlining the Hellcat tour. We do that tour, and then we have five days off, and then we’re going to finish the second leg; it’s going to be on the US west coast.

Even rockabilly … you know, it’s more like a bunch of people that dress up in everything from the 50’s hot rod-style look to more punk, almost Mohawk, and everything in between. And they all listen to a wide range of music. It’s kind of like goth people or skinheads – they don’t have a specific skinhead music style, or a goth music style; they listen to a wide range of music, within that style.

And we have one day off, and then we go straight to Australia.

PAGE 12

Would you say that you are part of that psychobilly subculture? Or do you see yourselves as just playing music for that subculture?

Well, that’s what we came out of. So I would say yeah; we are a very big part of that, still. There’s other bands that evolved

and developed or moved more away, while I say we still have our feet firmly planted in that subculture.

There’s a real fun atmosphere around the style of music that you put out; as you said, the references to that 50’s style, and the clothes and the make up and all of that stuff. Is that something that you try hard to keep in the band, a sense of fun?

I don’t know. We look how we look. It’s nothing we really think about – it is how it is. It’s not like I wake up every morning, and go, “Man! What a great day for psychobilly!” [Laughs] I guess it has something to do with age too. When you’re a young teenager, you really need to have something to identify with, and I guess we’re kind of over that right now.

There’s always that danger of rebellion being kind of institutionalised, where it becomes as much as a uniform as the things that the people are rebelling against. The whole punk movement in the seventies was a classic [example] of that.

Exactly. And that’s why I’ve always liked psychobilly, because people with all kinds of political opinions … when you gather up for a show or a festival, you don’t talk about politics, because it’s all about having a good time; get away from everyday, boring life.

It’s one of the few subcultures where there’s no politics involved. That doesn’t mean that people don’t have an opinion

… You don’t talk about politics, because it’s all about having a good time; to get away from everyday, boring life … … a political whatever. It’s kind of like you don’t think about it, because it’s all about having a good time, and getting away from boring life!

So it’s more hedonistic music than intellectual music, you’d say?

Yeah. I would like to say that. Totally … and then again, it’s not that the lyrics within this genre don’t touch on those subjects, but it’s not a “must”. If you look at our lyrics, you can see them as primitive little horror stories, but you can read more into it, and you can actually see a lot more if you want to.

To listen to the full interview, go to www.sauce.net.au

A S H GRUNWA LD

ROCK SALT

It’s Time To Get Serious, People.

By Dave Williams If it was anyone else, it might seem strange for a seemingly laid-back musician to call their latest musical travels “The Serious Tour”. But then, it’s not anyone else – it’s roots singer/songwriter Ash Grunwald, and given that he told me he considers himself a weirdo, it doesn’t seem strange at all. I spoke to him about the hectic pace of touring on the back of his last album Give Signs.

What have you been doing lately?

Well I just did a big tour. Pretty much after New Year’s, it just kept going; did Woodford, Pyramid Rock, and then the Feelgood Festival in Sydney, and then from there basically kept touring up the east coast, right up to the Gold Coast. Then I came back for a couple of days, and just played a couple of shows on the weekend. Then I’ve got a couple of Day On The Greens next week, and then I start my tour for the single.

They’re really different sorts of markets, I would say – the Pyramid Rock Festival, compared with A Day On The Green. Would you agree with that?

Yeah. Well, I guess I’m lucky that my whole … audience is pretty wide; it doesn’t really sit in any one scene. So it’s pretty cool to be able to swap between doing supports for guys like Pete Murray and Missy Higgins and stuff, and then playing roots festivals and rock festivals. Just different things. It’s kind of good to not be in any one scene; it’s the good thing about being a weirdo, I guess. I don’t fit into any categories.

[Laughs] Well, you said it, mate … How was the Pyramid Rock Festival this year?

It was sick. It was really good. I hadn’t done it before, so …

I think it’s the … what is it? The third year of it, and it was sold out. It was just really good. It was all really busy, ‘cause that time of the year is just crazy. So we pretty much had to leave and be in Sydney that night, so it was pretty full-on.

But the gig was just so fun. In fact, this whole round – this year’s – has been my favourite by far, I reckon, for gigs.

Like, Woodford was sick as well; it’s so huge in Woodford. I was playing before The Beautiful Girls and John Butler on one day, and that was just so fun; good to see John Butler playing solo. He did a couple of songs; that was really interesting. He was really good. I just had a ball over that whole period.

Do you think maybe it’s got to do with you enjoying playing more now, than ever before?

I don’t know. I mean, I do enjoy it more these days, I guess; I’ve always just been stoked on it. I just think you’re so lucky to be doing it for a job, that, you know, you should never take it for granted. I guess now … I don’t know … something’s changed in me. I just feel like I’m really just loving it, you

know? Just playing guitar a lot more at home and stuff. I guess, also because I was doing the radio show on Triple J, and that’s only once a week, but it took a little bit of my headspace away from just music. So I’m really just loving it at the moment.

It’s the good thing about being a weirdo, I guess. I don’t fit into any categories.

Yeah, I was going to ask you about that – talking about jobs. What happened there? Why did the show end?

Ah, the show’s still happening – but Sarah Howells is doing it, who’s really, really good. It was just too much for me to do constantly. I’m in the middle of touring Give Signs – I was sometimes doing five gigs a week, and maybe having one afternoon at home if I was lucky. There was one time [when] I came home, and I had one day at home, and then I had to go over to Melbourne on that day for an interview and stuff.

It was really busy, and I was just sort of just getting by; just on a bit of a train, not necessarily steering it myself, [but] just getting by. And I still loved every bit of it, but just freeing it up a little bit more; giving me a bit more time to do a bit of songwriting, a bit of recording. I set this room up. The room I recorded Give Signs in – in my house – I had an engineer come out and we recorded it there. But I’ve set that room up like a proper studio now, and it’s just so fun; I might get up in the morning, and go do whatever, and then come back and just start up the computer and keep working on a tune, or write another tune or whatever. It’s just so fun now. I’m having a ball with it.

You’re probably not having as much financial stress as earlier in your career as well, which probably makes you a bit more relaxed too.

Oh, yeah. I mean, to be fair, when I first started, I was only just getting by, and I was driving around in my car, and bringing my own PA and playing really small venues and

DI NOS A UR JR

The American Power Trio Is Back ROCK SALT

By Steve Tauschke If you’re searching for the missing link between Neil Young’s 70s proto-grunge and the Seattle rock phenomenon, then look no further than Massachusetts’ favourite sons Dinosaur Jr. Quite distinct from the J Mascis’ solo vehicle of the 90s, the original incarnation of Dinosaur Jr was arguably at its peak, producing a triumvirate of incendiary albums culminating in the 1989 classic Bug, with its pre-Nirvana grunge anthem Freak Scene. Now, on the back of 2005’s back catalogue re-issues and last year’s reformation world tour, Mascis, bassist Lou Barlow and drummer Murph have recorded Beyond, the trio’s first studio album in eighteen years. I spoke with singerguitarist J Mascis.

stuff. If I had to do that again now, I might not like it. But at the time, I was having a ball. That’s the good thing about a career that’s building slowly; every couple of months, it gets a bit better. But you appreciate every level. I’ve played to one person … ten people … plenty of times, and still always had fun. But I must admit, it is a lot easier these days; you turn up, and people are ready to have a good time, and they know what to expect. It’s not as much effort to win people over, I guess, which is a nice, lucky thing.

It’s always nice to be loved.

[Laughs] Well, I guess so. I guess every musician would be lying if they said they didn’t love that; when people are cheering you and whatever.

or fine art or graphic art of whatever. All artists need to get a pat on the back and say, “You’re OK”.

Yeah. Why else are you presenting it to the world, if you don’t want their comment on it? And that’s something in my gigs; I’m a real attention-seeker on stage. That whole personality trait has influenced my music. I always think that the audience taught me to play the way I play, because when I first started out I was playing really laid-back blues stuff. And then I went out on the road, and now it is what it is now, which is a lot more adrenaline-driven music that is constantly changing tempo, based on what the audience does. The whole style; the whole live style is just this live blues dance music kind of thing. And that’s really because of the audience – they kind of force me into that, through me trying to win them over all the time, I guess.

I think it’s a trait of all artists – whether it be in music So what was the initial catalyst to get back together?

These albums were coming out again, and we thought we could try it out and see if we could promote the album somehow, and see if it’d work.”

What do you make of the recent spate of reunions; Pixies, Lemonheads, etc?

I like Mission Of Burma; they were kind of an inspiration, and they seemed to be better now than they used to be back then – and they’re even older than us, and that was a big help to see that it could be good, you know?

So how did it feel reconvening with Murph and especially Lou after so long?

I mean, when we first played together, it kind of felt the same; like no time had passed. It was kind of strange how it sounded the same. But I guess we’re a bit more consistent or something.

We don’t fall apart as much these days.

Do you mean musically or personally?

Probably both.

… people actively disliked us when we played, especially people who worked in the clubs. We got bottles thrown at us from soundmen …

Was there tension in the room initially?

Yeah, a little bit, but not nearly as much as the bad days. It’s interesting to see that, while there’s not much tension, there’s still some energy there. There’s something there besides tension, which is good. The shows and stuff went better than I thought they would.

What are your lasting memories from the early days of the band, pre-1990?

I know that I like playing better now than I used to, and I’m trying to figure out why. I often wonder why we stuck it out and kept playing when we didn’t have any fans, and, even more than that, people actively disliked us when we played, especially people who worked in the clubs. We got bottles thrown at us from soundmen, and if you’re really loud and have no fans, it drives people away. So I just wonder how we kept going, because we weren’t great friends or anything, and we had no fans, and somehow we kept playing.

Well, the new album Beyond is out, recorded at Bisquiteen, your home studio. Do you physically record in the same way you used to?

Nah, it’s different, because there’s no time limit specifically, so the pressure’s off in that way, and you can create your own time, which isn’t the best thing. So you’ve got to try to figure out ways to make it end.

So tell us about the DVD that’s coming out?

It’s mainly one show we did at The Middle East in Boston, and the crowd wasn’t overly enthusiastic, and I liked that better than the shows where everyone was going crazy in the audience, because that seemed like a better representation of the band, because we had to win people over in the early days.

Beyond is out through Liberation.

Contact Carl: 0438 015 697

PAGE 13

Nation Blue TROUT – 18/5/07

Missy Higgins

Josh Pyke

ALBERT HALL – 23/5/07

REPUBLIC BAR AND CAFÉ – 27/4/07

My Disco were the next up. The bass sound was so tight it almost sounded like someone was cheating and running it off CD or a sequencer. But they weren’t; they just had a huge, almost techno, sound for a three piece. Add great stage energy, and it was just full-on party mode. So by now, I’m already loving this gig, and we still have Nation Blue to come on. Awesome!

The huge sound continued with Nation Blue – great high energy rock/punk that rarely let up. The crowd by then was pretty much packing the room, although it was never too much to be uncomfortable. I was easily able go and stand next to the left PA bin with no pushing or cramming. I just regret that I forgot my earplugs – I was beyond caring by now, though.

JAMES HOTEL – 26/5/2007

Packed room? Yup. Fogged windows? Check. Sound any good? Pleasantly, yes! Since watching him, I now know who to blame! I’ve been carrying the weight of a song chorus (who knows which one … but they’re been flogging it sideways on all frequencies everywhere, and always when I’m in the shower, somehow…). That bugs me, because I don’t know any of the words, and it’s just the same part over and over, you know? For a while that bit in the song – that really is quite supreme – has been following me around, looking shifty. I raised my eyebrows in delight when he sang it. I still can’t remember the words.

The Bad Luck Charms and ex-Hobartians Nation Blue I have seen a few times before, but I had only half-watched My Disco last time due to having deep and meaningfuls in the corner of Trout. A line-up with all three was looking real good … A warning, though – there will be extra dribble over the page here as, personally, this was the best gig I have seen at the Republic.

The Bad Luck Charms kicked off. Lisa was using a large Ampeg “Fridge” bass amp that looked likely to blow her off the stage. Hearing the extra punch that rig gave her – plus the extra work the guys have put in during the six months since I saw them last – has paid off big time. There was a damn appreciative crowd there too; not hiding out the back, but getting right into it.

The Scientists of Modern Music

Missy Higgins live is an engaging, funny, and most of all talented affair. She is so incredibly comfortable on stage, and between songs her banter really does make you feel like you’re watching her perform in your living room. The only addition (to an otherwise bare stage) was a chandelier sitting on her grand piano, that really did emphasise the intimacy of it all.

This level of comfort really does transpose into her music.

As such, I was expecting a very laid-back sound, but her live songs do contain a certain degree of “grunt”, and were hook-laden enough to keep me tapping my feet all night. Her set-list revolved around her most recent effort, On A Clear Night, but, the real treat for me was Dusty Road, a b-side from the Steer EP, and Peachy, the most rock song in her repertoire that you just can’t help singing along too.

It was great to see a cross section of people with different music tastes at this gig; I recognised a lot of faces from the local music scene. It’s also good to see some harder-edged

A finely-tipped hat must also be given to the backing band.

However, due to the presence of Missy Higgins and the power of her songs, they are almost anonymous in their approach. Missy really is a unique change from some of the more “serious” live performances that flood the market these days. Go and see her live – for me, it was a great way

gigs coming to The Republic and succeed.

to spend an evening. Ta, Missy.

KEVIN GLEESON

It didn’t seem the brand of bash we were gonna get to jiggle lots at, because everyone sort of just stood there, all focused on Josh, in their slightly squished fashion. I couldn’t shake loose the rather odd sensation of being crammed into a small space with perhaps too many people, just standing there; it was eerie, until sudden applause snapped you out of it at the end of each song.

I remember feeling surprised at the reaction he was getting, in the sense that I didn’t realise how popular he was; how far his arm reached. I’d thought the place would be full of Hottest 100 junkies, but the crowd wasn’t singing to just one song. And that was it – un-finger-put-on-able at first. My finger wasn’t on the pulse, but everyone else’s was.

I looked forward to this gig, and I don’t know why. I hadn’t heard any of his stuff at all, except the “shower song”, and to be fair, I didn’t know that song was his fault. I found his melodies to be uncommonly sweet, and song structures simple in that devious, complex way; basic stuff, just doing it better. It’s like he went back to the start and started from there, instead of halfway. I didn’t leave too disappointed.

I should have bought the album. I was mostly pleased at everybody’s response to a mellow fellah – he wouldn’t beat Wolfmother in a fight, but he’d probably last at least ‘til round five with that bunch backing him.

After showing up at nine and being informed that the doors weren’t opening for another hour, I felt like a right dickhead.

Fast forward another hour, and I came back for attempt number two and got straight in. After sitting through an hour or so of Recut (I think that’s who it was) who got all the patrons grooving and bouncing away with his … well … techno (remember I don’t know anything about this genre of music), it was almost time for the Scientists.

By the time the boys were ready to come out and rock the house, the room was packed … and had to be close to being sold out. From the point the boys dropped the opening beat of their hit Number One, the room was moving as one, and everyone was grooving away. It was hard for even a scene kid like myself – who is usually the guy at the side of the stage with his arms crossed not looking like he’s enjoying himself – not to have a huge smile across my face and get into the music.

All the bands popular tracks were played, including Robot On, Housework, and the sure-to-be-a-huge-hit Technology Illiterate, which had Cal and Simon on stage bouncing around and doing silly dance moves of sorts. This group has it all – how often do you see a dance group playing a Gibson on stage? This was another amazing performance by an amazing band. I really hope to see these boys get the success they deserve in the near future.

IAN MURTAGH

BRAD HARBECK

RYAN COOKE

Edge Radio 4th Birthday

Unleash The Nugget

Amber Savage and Archie

Dexter

CURLY’S BAR – 4/5/07

REPUBLIC BAR AND CAFÉ –17/5/07

Syrup – 25/05/07

Curlys – 25/5/07

Curly’s was the host of Edge Radio’s 4th birthday fundraiser, and by the time we got there, it looked like it was going to be a merry night.

Due to bad timing I’m just going to blame on global warming, we missed The Reactions. Without time to wonder if that was a bad thing, The No-No’s were smashing it out across the stage, continuing to show why these guys are pulling gigs all over the place. The floor was filled with obvious fans of the “Rising No’s” as they hit hard with some solid rock with an old-school flavour. With songs like Necrophiliac, you know these boys mean business.

The Offcutts – well, what I saw – were good, with some rolling, funky and deep sounds from the bass guitarist, and some well-structured vocals. But they failed to hold onto the earlier energy until the track that most people know them for, Break It Down, gave some people reason to get on up – although not like a sex machine, more like a typewriter.

A quick surface for air, and The Scientists of Modern Music were going to finish it all off. As usual, they were awesome, with some new material I hadn’t heard before. Under the effects of too much red cordial, but with ying/yang composure and style, we all love them – ‘nuff said. These guys made a good night a great night, and we went home shaky but satisfied.

FELIX BLACKLER

PAGE 14

New songs, Dan sitting this one out, Benny stepping up to the plate, strangers in the wings – there was a smorgasbord on offer for eager Nugget nuts. Early on in the gig, I was considering mentioning that it was a pretty pov show of hands, as far as the audience was concerned, but the place filled up within the first couple of songs, forcing me to think of a different way to describe the crowd. I wasn’t expecting a small crowd because, as far as support from the locals goes, these guys get it in spades. I’ve noticed that people are turning up early to see them more often than other locals supporting touring acts – a nice feather in their cap.

They supported True Live this time round, who should get a mention because they are pretty a tight outfit, but, to be honest, they’re moving away from the music I was digging on their first release, so I’m iffy on them at the moment.

The Nugget lads had heaps of fun as usual, though I didn’t think it was their best – probably just because I noticed the absence of songs I was hoping to hear; a perfect excuse to bitch that I haven’t got their stuff to listen to unless they play a gig. Grrr.

I feel I’m going to get a ribbing for saying this, but I really didn’t know Dan wasn’t on stage until I bumped into him in the crowd. I mentioned in the last Nugget review that I wanted to see Ben step up a bit more on the decks – maybe have a little more presence in the band – and his colours were vivid tonight. Gilly should have his own brand of guitar, and the picture selling it should be of his “ooh” face.

I want to know why the hell there isn’t an album from these guys yet. What’s going on? This needs to be addressed!

You’ve got all the pieces you need, boys! Chop-chop!

IAN MURTAGH

Hard-style is electronic music that looks pop culture in the eyes than kicks in in the balls as it tells you it’s here to stay.

Most fans of the variety of dance music today might not admit it, but a healthy bass driven diet was usualy founded on a dollop of techno or a garnish of trance. Despite been led astray by the temptings of break-laden bitches or the vocal sirens of house, these genres have continued with a strong following. Friday night at Syrup with Amber Savage and Archie brought out the masses.

To be honest, the mixture of cold air and warmer wines kept me running a bit late to this gig but in enough time to catch Archie rip it out.

One of the things about trance and hardstyle is that while you are going to consistently get pummelled by pulsating bass lines, it can pull on some solid musical tones from classy strings, a grungy guitar riff to just a threatening vocal telling you that your time is now!!

Amber Savage started off with just that, a slow building synth that made its way to the perfect climax before tearing the place apart. Then with an evil twist, Amber through down another thumper that set up a crazy atmosphere before bringing it all back down with a massive track by 4-Strings.

I had a great night made even better with DJ’s who just wanted to play their hardest and punters who say “f*%k you world, we’re here to party and party fk’n hard!”

FELIX BLACKLER

Dexter; short, skilled, and if you got close enough, I’m sure he’s kinda cuddly.

Australia’s funkiest turntablist gave us a treat at Curly’s on the weekend with a smorgasboard of smooth stylish sounds, served up in his all-you-can beat buffet.

Dameza, Hobart’s own hip hop instrumentalist warmed up the place nicely with some ol skool funk and hip hop that held class rather than machine-guns. The party atmosphere was cemented for me when Dameza rolled the deep lyrics of Dublex Inc’s remix of ‘Pop’ across the club.

Dexter started in front of an excited crowd, briefing us at the start as through the mic he warned us, that tonight, we were going deep. Deep on a journey we went, with musical stylings that would have had Willy Wonka getting solid remixes for the Oompa Loompas.

Dexter surprised us all with some soulful South American flavours and some instrumental beats that I would challenge you to hear elsewhere live. After a quick burst with the maraccas and we headed deeper into Dexter’s groove, flowing through great tracks from A Tribe called Quest to the more popular rasta sounds of Damien Marley’s “Welcome to Jamrock”.

Some might have wanted something more signature ‘Dexter’ with that ‘Avalanches’ sound but I was utterly impressed with the talents and the variety of tunes he hit us with. An awesome night of talent from Dexter and our locals, I really hope to see him next time for a cuddle.

FELIX BLACKLER

T H E N AT I O N B L U E - T H E R EP U B L I C B A R & C A F E 18/ 05/ 07 - P H OTO B Y RYA N C O O K E

GIG GUIDE 30th May - 13th June Batman Fawkner Inn Irish Murphy’s

Bredda @ 6:00 PM Republic Bar & Café Legends of Motorsport + Red Rival + The Reactions @ 10PM

James Hotel Glenn Moorhouse + The Fabulous Picasso Brothers + DJ Randall

Syrup La Casa with Gillie, DSKO, and Discotouch

Northern Club Hugh Montgomery + DJ Joel + Kylie @ 11PM

Trout Electronic Trout, Feat,: Tom Hall (Bris) + Mumble(speak) + User

The Loft FRACTURED – B-Side + Outlaw

Saloon OneLove @ 9:30PM

The Loft Electric Boogaloo – Texas + Quality + Pilot

LAUNCESTON

SCAMANDER

WEDNESDAY 30TH HOBART Curly’s Bar Live Bands

Republic Bar & Café Jordan Miller Band Trout Adam Cousens

Saloon Alphanumeric + DJ playing commercial music

THURSDAY 31ST BURNIE

Stage Door the Café Viktor Zappner Swingtet + Yoly Torres @ 8PM

HOBART

D’Art Factory Roman Astra @ 6:30PM Republic Bar & Café Kobya and Band The Loft Bump in the Night – Project Weekend + Shammie + guests

Xavier Rudd’s New Album

UTAS Rosnystock – The Trolls + Stroke of Ace + The Craves + Down with Melons + Beaverjam + Reviver + On Your Feet Soldier + The Soul Mass Transit System, + Squealer + Honeybee Hurricane + A So-Called Hero + Motorbreath

LAUNCESTON

White Moth

available June 2nd

Lizzy's

This ‘n’ That

CDS & CLOTHES - 7/9/ SMITH STREET SMITHTON PH. 03 64521393 - WWW.LIZZYSTHISNTHAT.COM

JUNE FRIDAY 1ST BURNIE

Stage Door the Café Gaye Clarke – The Troubadour @ 7PM

DEVONPORT

Spurs/Warehouse Cruel Like That

Syrup Break Even with Adam Turner, Mez, and guests Trout Psycroptic + Ruins + Thy Plaugues @ 9PM The Loft Viva Computer

LAUNCESTON

Batman Fawkner Inn Irish Murphy’s Gunners Arms Shock Corridor James Hotel Leigh Ratcliffe + Dj PD Northern Club DJ Ben @ 10PM

SATURDAY 2ND BURNIE

2 Cameron St Launceston PH: 6331 2555

Stage Door the Café Mikaela Campbell + Kendal McCreadie @ 7PM

HOBART

Curly’s Bar Bobby Flynn + Jordan Millar ALL-AGES @ 5.30PM Republic Bar & Café Dallas Crane + S.I.G.I.T. (Indonesia) + The Evening Dolls @ 10PM Syrup DFD with DSKO, Gillie, and Adam Turner Trout Psycroptic + Ruins + Thy Plagues (All Ages) @ 4PM BumTucK + The Belchers + Woof Woof + Halfmast The Loft The Viva Computer Social Union + City Scape Riot @ 9PM Bass Invaders – Carlos + Texas + Pilot + Outlaw

GUNNERS ARMS

Pizza & Beer

10

$

(One pot per pizza) 23 LAWRENCE ST. L’TON - 6331 3891

Raincheck Lounge Live Acoustic Music – Joel Imber + Tom Ambroz + Sam Stansall + Louis Higgins

The Venue Ben Winkelman Trio

LAUNCESTON

James Hotel Glenn Moorhouse + DJ PD Northern Club DJ Ben @ 10PM Royal Oak Legends of Motorsport

SATURDAY 9TH BURNIE

Republic Bar & Café Matt Zarb @ 9PM

Stage Door the Café Salty Dog @ 8PM

LAUNCESTON

HOBART

Batman Fawkner Inn Simon Astley James Hotel Dallas Crane + The S.I.G.I.T. (Indonesia)

MONDAY 4TH HOBART

TUESDAY 5TH HOBART

Republic Bar & Café Dallas Crane + S.I.G.I.T. (Indonesia) + The Evening Dolls @ 10PM

Professional Service At Reasonable Rates

Lewisham Tavern Bobby Flynn ALL-AGES @ 4PM

James Hotel UniNight – 3Sum + DJ G-Rox

Halo 3oHz (Lot 49 UK) + Smithmonger

Civil & Criminal Law

SUNDAY 3RD HOBART

Republic Bar & Café Simon Astley @ 8:30PM

Curly’s Bar Bobby Flynn + Jordan Millar (18+)

BARRISTER / SOLICITOR

Scamander Community Complex, Scamander Coastal Vibes Festival – Bliss N Eso + Muph & Plutonic + Pegz Feat. Bonez & Patto + Funkoars + Timbre Terrorists + More

Batman Fawkner Inn Bobby Flynn

HOBART

James Kitto

LAUNCESTON

Curly’s Bar Commercial Dance – D2M, JimK, Grotesque, Samex @ 10PM Halo Simon Caldwell (Syd) Republic Bar & Café Sodom (German Metal) + Abacinate + Norsce Teipsum + The Wizard @ 10PM

35 CAMERON ST LAUNCESTON 6331 7222

Syrup DFD with Kir, Adam Turner, and Gillie

THURSDAY MAY 31ST

Republic Bar & Café The Tenniscoats @ 9PM

Trout The Bad Luck Charms CD launch

BOBBY FLYNN

WEDNESDAY 6TH BURNIE

The Loft Bass Invaders – Carlos + Texas + Pilot + Outlaw

Stage Door the Café Bob Evans + Farryl Purkis (South Africa) – SOLD OUT

HOBART

Curly’s Bar Live Bands Republic Bar & Café Joe Piere + Greg Frith (Sax) @ 9PM Trout Buzz Explode Love. Feat: Elvis Christ + Cityscape Riot + Smothers Brothers The Loft Tenniscoats FRACTURED – B-Side + Outlaw

LAUNCESTON

James Hotel Music from the 70s, 80s, 90s Saloon Ethel the Frog + DJ playing commercial music

THURSDAY 7TH BURNIE

LAUNCESTON

James Hotel Borne + Red Rival + Glenn Moorhouse + DJ Randall Northern Club Hugh Montgomery + DJ Joel + Kylie @ 11PM Royal Oak Legends of Motorsport Saloon Ethel the Frog @ 9:30PM

SUNDAY 10TH HOBART

Raincheck Lounge Live Acoustic Music – Joel Imber + Tom Ambroz + Sam Stansall + Louis Higgins Republic Bar & Café Against Me (USA) + The Draft (USA) + A Death In The Family (Melb) @ 9:30PM Syrup Syrup House Party – 16 DJs over 2 floors

HOBART

TUESDAY 12TH HOBART

Republic Bar & Café Bob Evans + Farryl Purkis (South Africa) @ 9PM Trout Echo Blue The Loft Bump in the Night – Project Weekend + Shammie + guests

LAUNCESTON

Republic Bar & Café Blue Flies @ 9PM

WEDNESDAY 13TH HOBART Curly’s Bar Live Bands

Halo The Freestylers (UK) + The Rogue Element (UK) Republic Bar & Café Mihirangi @ 9PM

James Hotel UniNight - Funkin Unbelievable + Dj G-Rox

The Loft FRACTURED – B-Side + Outlaw

FRIDAY 8TH BURNIE

LAUNCESTON

Spurs/Warehouse Cruel Like That Stage Door the Café The Andy Farrell Trio @ 7PM

HOBART

Curly’s Bar Borne + Hannah Halo Simon Caldwell (Syd) Rektango

SUNDAY JUNE 3RD

SIMON ASTLEY www.myspace.com/simonastleymusic

THURSDAY JULY 12Th

MAGIC DIRT www.magicdirt.net

THE LOYALTY CLUB 1 Discounted drinks for 12 months 1 $25 to join

Curly’s Bar Queen’s Ball @ 9PM

Stage Door the Café Ben Winkleman Trio (Melb) @ 8PM Irish Murphy’s Amy Kendall @ 9PM Samuel Bester @ 10.10PM Hannah @ 11.30PM

www.myspace.com/bobflynnfive

James Hotel Music from the 70s, 80s, 90s Saloon Alphanumeric + DJ playing commercial music

1 Every Thursday a draw for $150 and 4 cartons of beer 1 Part Proceeds to charity Must be present to claim prize. If prize not claimed, prize increases by $50 and 1 carton per week. To join contact the venue.

Club limited to 100 members, 50 places already gone, get in quick!

Tix available from Mojo & the venue

BURNIE Sirocco’s 69 Mount St. BURNIE 6431 3133 Stage Door The Cafe 254 Mount St Upper BURNIE 64322600

HOBART Curly’s Bar 112 Murray St HOBART 6234 5112 www.curlysbar.com.au Raincheck Lounge 392-394 Elizabeth Street Nor th HOBART 6234 5975 Republic Bar 299 Elizabeth St Nor th HOBART 6234 6954 www.republicbar.com Syrup 1st Floor 39 Salamanca Place HOBART 6224 8249 Trout 381 Elizabeth Street NORTH HOBART 6236 9777

LAUNCESTON The Batman Fawkner Inn 35 Cameron St Launceston 6331 7222 The Nor thern Club 61 Cameron St Launceston 6331 3568 Gunners Arms Bar & Bistro 23 Lawrence St LAUNCESTON 6331 3891 James Hotel Reality Niteclub / James Bar 122 York St LAUNCESTON 6334 7231 www.jameshotel.com.au The Royal Oak 14 Brisbane St LAUNCESTON 6331 5346 Saloon 191 Charles Street LAUNCESTON www.saloon.com.au 6331 7355

THE RAKES

Ten New Messages 6/10

This is not the best release from London band The Rakes.

Their debut album back in 2005, Capture/Release, was of a higher quality than their latest album Ten New Messages. They can produce top-quality work, as seen in the past, but this release was just a little too bland for me.

Not all the songs were plain though. Suspicious Eyes is based upon the London train bombings, and shows how judgemental the population has become towards people of a different race. The lyrics have been set from different perspectives of the train passengers. The different styles and use of different vocals make this song really quite intriguing, and is a real eye-opener.

We Danced Together borders on the boring side, due to the amount of times they repeat “We danced together”. It is obvious the band is English, due to the tone in which the lead vocalist Alan Donohoe sings; this is not necessarily a bad thing, but, personally, it seems that there are countless bands nowadays who sing using this style.

The lead-in to The World Was a Mess but His Hair Was Perfect lasts for over one minute, but the hot guitar riffs and pounding drum work make up for the length.

I wouldn’t race out to get this album, unless you’re a big fan of the English rock or post-punk revival genres.

SHANNON STEVENS

THE BEES

Octopus 5.5/10

The Bees are back after a three-year break with their third album, Octopus. They were a favourite with the crowd down at Marion Bay for the 2006/07 Falls Festival, and this album should be a favourite for the large fan base they have built up due to their many festival tours.

(This Is For The) Better Days is a slow-paced song, and seems to drag out too long. The four-and-a-half minutes of boring nothingness seems only good for album filler. There is, though, a change of pace with Who Cares What The Question Is? This song is painfully catchy, and will leave you humming away and tapping your feet. Perhaps it’s the lead singer Paul Butler’s husky vocal work, or the eerie guitar riffs at the beginning of the track.

Consisting of two CDs – one a live mix by Phil, and the other unmixed for DJs alike – this music is, basically, easy listening, soulful, jazz, funky, Latin and deep house; perfect for warming up a night, or enjoying some uplifting background music. Still, you could dance to it all night if it’s your kind of style.

Some stand-out tracks would be AtJazz Put it On, Liquid People Presents Danism Love Is On Its Way, Roy Ayers Brand New Feeling and Bah Samba Calma. It’s definitely vocally-driven, with many organic features, such as brass and woodwinds, all creatively intertwined to create a great, happy presence throughout both CDs. PD

BRAD STRUT

Legend: Official 9/10

Brad Strut is more or less a spokesman for the grimy, vicious Melbourne underworld, bringing brutally honest verses with a scary intensity and passionate flows, demanding respect from each listener. Over the years, Strut’s lyrical content has become more thoughtful, and his wording has a unique feel that no one else seems to be able imitate, although many try.

Legend: Official is a banger of an album, equipped with window-shattering bass, impressive collaborations, and tracks that show Strut’s overall rise in maturity. The majority of the beatsmith duties are taken care of by the one and only Trem (from Strut’s crew Lyrical Commission), keeping the beats at a consistent level, and giving the entire album that dirty, street feel that Trem has perfected over his many years behind the mixing boards.

This really is a step above both Strut’s and LC’s previous material, and, with collaborations with Sean Price and Outerspace (Planetary and Crypt Da Warchild) along with extra beats from Prowla and Asip (Eastern Bloc), the album is definitely classic material.

The collaboration with Sean Price on ‘Automatic’ is dope, with both MCs ravaging the chilled beat apart with wild verses that will be sure to please the raw hip-hop heads. Never Ending Blue has Strut describing a past relationship with a sour edge, over an odd beat as he sits back with a brew “watching the never ending blue…”

There’s not a lot about this album that I don’t like, other than the slight annoyance of the monotony of some of the beats – not enough changeups – but that’s Trem’s style, and you get use to it. Go grab yourself a copy if you’re into your dark Australian hip-hop.

RYAN FARRINGTON

The chorus of Love In The Harbour makes this track stand out. The wide variety of instruments that were used in the making of this song have given it such a unique sound, and is a credit to the band.

HILLTOP HOODS

With six members in the band, The Bees are one of the larger Indie bands hailing form England. And between the six of them, they play thirteen different instruments, as well as providing the vocal work.

Hilltop Hoods – I’d probably be wasting valuable print space introducing them, as chances are, 70% of Australians would have to know who or what the Hilltop Hoods are, but here’s a

SHANNON STEVENS

MOBY Go – The Very Best of Moby 8/10 Not that Moby has enough cash from his loyalties and long list of chart-smashing tunes, but there’s a new album out, full of his classic tunes remixed into eighteen tracks of gold; eighteen tracks perfectly constructed for any dedicated fan or DJ out there that would want to play the more exciting mixes available for your aural or physical pleasure.

With his famous tracks such as Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?, Go, Bodyrock, We Are All Made Of Stars and many more that you may have heard on any type of media out there. Some big names worth mentioning on this CD are remixes from the likes of Mylo, Bob Sinclar, Ferry Corsten, Armand Van Helden, Benny Benassi, Steve Angello and many more.

One of my favourite picks of the bunch is Manhattan Clique’s remix of Slipping Away; it has a definitely positive, energetic electro punch behind the track. Raining Again by Steve Angello has a happy-house anthem vibe … Benny Benassi’s mix of Beautiful … also some good work by Trentemoller.

Overall, the CD offers a taste of Moby in all different formats – from house, electro, breaks, progressive, and a touch of trance. Definitely a must for the Moby freaks out there.

PD

PHIL ASHER PRESENTS Phil Asher Presents Jazz In The House 7/10 Courtesy of Creative Vibes, The Sound Of Still has another release to their series, derived from promoting many different artists and supporting their electronic, soulful vibes to be shared with the world. Supported by names such as Jeoy Negro, Danny Tenaglia, Dennis Ferrer And Alix Alvarez, these identities point you to the direction of style that this CD is.

PAGE 18

Legend: Official is a banger of an album, equipped with window-shattering bass, impressive collaborations, and tracks that show Strut’s overall rise in maturity.

The beats are nice, clean and classic (including a beat supplied by The Alchemest), but the sloppy flows don’t do them much justice. If you can remember, P-Money had a track on his Magic City album from 2005 named Keep On Calling featuring Akon, which was also remixed with Sway at some stage. Well check this out: the exact same song is on this album too, but with verses from Joell instead (with no note about being a remix).

With collabs with Big Daddy Kane, Ras Kass and Immortal Technique, you’d think it would be a great album, but, to be honest, even with those guests, it only just scrapes in as a “good” album.

My favourite track would be the smooth, laid back 125, Pt.4 (Finale). Although it’s a common theme and beat for a soulful track, I think Joell does well in expressing the dark stories from his past, and explaining why he’s so driven to succeed (plus I’m a sucker for those sort of tracks).

Overall, I wasn’t that impressed, but really it’s not all that bad.

So, if you happen to stumble across it in the record store, give it a little listen.

RYAN FARRINGTON

The Hard Road: Restrung

ARCADE FIRE

8/10

Overall, Octopus is a decent album, if you don’t pay too much attention to the few songs that drag on just a little too long.

Brad Strut

Neon Bible 6.6/10 From the band who gave us 2004’s Funeral, Canada’s own Arcade Fire are back with their brand new album Neon Bible.

Their alternative style is what managed to get this band

short introduction.

The Hoods have been the main driving force behind Australian hip-hop’s commercial success worldwide; with over fifteen years of experience in the scene, DJ Debris, MC Pressure and MC Suffa definitely know what they’re on about. The Hard Road: Restrung is essentially a remix album, but it has a totally different vibe, with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra taking care of all the melodies and bass riffs on the album.

nominated for a Grammy.

Conversations From A Speakeasy has quite a different feel to the original, with a guest verse by Californian freestyle king Okwerdz matched with jazzy horns, giving some swing to the track. Stopping All Stations is probably the only track that betters its original counterpart, with Suffa covering the third verse from the murderer’s point of view instead of Pressure, giving an unusual spin to the track. Another interesting feature about this version of the album is that all profanities are censored, which I suppose leaves the album open for many more promotional possibilities (radio, etc).

The start of Black Wave/Bad Vibrations sounds similar to one of those corny Christmas carol CDs which parents seem to love. Some of the lyrics are also sung in French, which didn’t do the song much justice. The song does improve slightly when the male vocals start, but overall the song itself is rather undesirable.

The playlist of the album is switched up as well, so the album flows with an unfamiliar structure that sub-consciously separates it further from the original version of the album.

I’d have to say that the Restrung version of the album isn’t “better” than the original, but different. But at the same time, it doesn’t quite feel like a separate album altogether.

Having said that, I’d rather listen to the original album, but that’s probably just because I prefer samples over real

I must admit, I don’t really like how a number of the songs sound similar. If re-arranged, it would be hard to distinguish between some of the songs, due to the similar sound of a

instruments.

RYAN FARRINGTON

Arcade Fire is a mixture of alternative, indie and baroque rock, all compiled together to produce a high quality album.

The fast pace at the beginning of The Well And The Lighhouse draws you in, and makes you want to keep listening. The paced begins to slow down roughly halfway through the song, and the vocal work also changes rapidly.

Parts of Black Mirror are also sung in French. Unlike in Black Wave/Bad Vibrations, this aspect works well, as it provides a nice contrast to the fast tempo of the song.

few of them. Other than this, the album is worth a listen.

SHANNON STEVENS

JESSE MALIN Glitter In The Gutter 6/10

JOELL ORTIZ The Brick (Bodega Chronicles) 7/10 This one is interesting. Joell Ortiz sky-rocketed to success when he won the 2004 EA Sports Battle, which resulted in his single Mean Business being put on the playlist for NBA Live 2005, and soon after being signed to Aftermath.

I like this guy on a lyrical tip for the most part; it’s edgy, intellectual and raw. But I keep getting this niggling feeling that he could easily slip into that crate full of bad clichés; New York mainstream rappers especially, having collaborations with commercial artists Akon and Styles P, which are a sure, safe way of copping a few extra customers.

Glitter In The Gutter has the classic rock feeling, and also aspects of punk rock, combined together for our listening pleasure. Jesse Malin’s latest album has a much more mature sound to his previous works; producing higher-quality tracks in comparison to his older music.

Famous names such as Bruce Springsteen, Jakob Dylan and Ryan Adams have collaborated to help make this album Jesse’s biggest release yet. In The Modern World is a major stand-out track off the album; it has that real edgy rock feeling to it, which makes for excellent listening.

Don’t Let Them Take You Down (Beautiful Day!) doesn’t do Jesse Malin’s voice justice. The whiney way in which the song is sung makes his voice sound quite weak and unappealing.

This may have been the affect that he was going for, but personally, I thought that it ruined what would have otherwise been a good song.

Happy Ever After (Since Your In Love 2007) is one of the songs that prove Jesse has a unique voice when used to the best of his ability. The husky vocals, along with the intriguing backing music, really stand out, and make this a feature on the album. This is a solid release, and I would think that it is going to be his most sought-after album yet.

SHANNON STEVENS

ORIANTHI Violet Journey 5/10 This album is all about Orianthi’s ability as a multitalented musician. Not only does she provide the vocals for the album, she also wrote the lyrics, did the guitar, drums, bongos and other percussion work. She is an allrounder when it comes to the art of music.

Lights of Manos is the first track off the album. This song is one of the few that have no lyrics – just music. The third and tenth track also have no lyrics – very Tommy Emmanuelstyle …

Orianthi’s voice is very similar to that of Tina Arena – the style of her songs shows the many similarities between the two artists. The guitar work in Right Now stands out within the track. This is one of the more upbeat songs off the album, and is one of the more engaging.

Wouldn’t Change a Thing is one song that really provides a good example of Orianthi’s strong vocal ability. The strength of her voice is well-suited to the pitch that is required for this song.

Violet Journey is a relaxing, contemporary take on the average “pop” genre. From the laid-back guitar riffs to the intensity of her vocal work, this CD is probably best suited for people who enjoy easy listening pop. But I did find that the songs without lyrics do make the album less appealing.

SHANNON STEVENS

BLUELINE MEDIC 42:19 7/10 Attention fans of Australian rock, or just decent music in general! If you have never heard of Blueline Medic, get out of your seat and go and get this album right now!

The third full-length from one of Melbourne’s longest and probably finest independent rock-and-rollers, this is probably the band’s best release to date.

If you could imagine Eskimo Joe’s music with a bit more balls, that would, I guess, best describe the band’s current sound. It runs the gamut from driving rock to melodic indie to a little dash of punk rock, all peppered by one of the most distinctive Australian drawls you will ever come across. Soft Toy, Know This One, Sister Friend and Success were all highlight tracks for me.

I will admit that all the elitists will think this album is rubbish, and that this band has well and truly had its time. But until today I hadn’t actually heard them, and they have well and truly won me over as a fan, so that says a lot. Blueline have always been the band labeled by the press as the band who’s “too clever for their own good”. But I think 2007 will change all of that.

Yet another great Australian release from another great Australian band. I hope they will finally get the huge success that’s well overdue.

RYAN COOKE

MACH I NE H EA D

Dropping The Ten Ton Hammer

HARD BOILED

By Tom Wilson

It’s no secret that these are troubled times we live in. Just as Machine Head. While frontman Robb Flynn had hinted that their latest album was going to be politically-charged, it’s fair to say that no one expected them to take it as far as they did on The Blackening – an album that’s as much an evolution for the band as it is a mirror to all the things in the world that need to change. I spoke to guitarist Phil Demmel about where all the rage comes from.

Before The Blackening was released, Robb said in an interview that it was very much an album of protest. To what extent do you feel the same way?

Well, I think, lyrically, that probably ties into a lot of the songs, whether it’s protesting the war, protesting corrupt religious rights, protesting racism – things of that nature. I think that metal, as a whole, it’s not a nice genre of music, so there’s going to be some sort of opposition, for sure.

Do you think it’s fair to say that that’s always been particularly relevant with Machine Head – the protest [element]? The releases have been consistently pissed-off-sounding. Would you agree that protest has always been an element in Machine Head?

Yeah, I think so. Maybe not “protest” as much as “emotion”, or some sort of response to something like that. I guess “protest” could be used there, sure. But Robb writes a lot of emotional stuff.

some of the most important bands in metal today, and why?

In metal today? I think that Lamb Of God is one of the most important metal bands today, because they’re brining that extreme … Somebody with the vocals that they have is top ten on Billboard, Grammy-nominated! I love that band; I love the riffs, I love the musicianship, and I think they’re really leading that charge for extreme music. Who else? Metal bands … I think Slipknot’s pretty important. [They’re] all great musicians, but they bring that … We need the theatrics in metal. For every Kiss and Alice Cooper, there needs to be

that style of what’s going on. I enjoy those guys quite a bit; I think they’re bringing that extreme music to the masses, and letting kids know that heavy music is still good.

You forgot to mention Meshuggah, by the way.

You know, I’m not a huge Meshuggah fan. I haven’t really listened enough to them; I just haven’t been schooled in that.

I’ve heard awesome things about them, and they’re amazing players … I’m not really a prog guy! A lot of that stuff sounds like somebody falling down the stairs to me!

[Laughs] Oh well, Phil, no one’s perfect, no one’s perfect!

I’m just a simple guy! I get confused with all the crazy time signatures! I don’t think I’m smart enough to listen to them!

[Ha! I’m officially smarter than Machine Head! – Tom] To listen to the full interview, go to www.sauce.net.au The Blackening is out now.

We’re a lot older now; just ‘cause we’re pissed off, we’re not going to go out and beat the shit out of fools anymore, you know?

It’s pretty obvious with The Blackening that you guys have headed into a pretty new direction; I sense a lot of progressive elements in it. It reminds me a lot of Mastodon, in ways.

Uh … OK … [Laughs] I know – I’m just weird. [Laughs] What were some of the influences that you took into the studio when you were making this album?

Well … We’re four very different individuals, and we get influenced by a lot of different things. I think you’ll hear, obviously, a lot of Metallica in this record.

You’ll hear some of the bands we’ve toured with. Lamb Of God … There is, maybe, a little bit of a Mastodon influence; I definitely got one of my riffs from a Mastodon influence.

Beautiful Mourning … [Starts humming the riff] But there’s also other bands … shit, even from My Chemical Romance to some of the poppier stuff that Robb’s into, you know?

Coldplay … All of us just love all different kinds of music, so it just affects us in different ways.

I remember seeing on the Roadrunner United DVD; I found it quite amusing to see Robb – arguably one of the meanest-looking motherfuckers in the music business – playing with his child. It seems strange that a band that seems to have a fair few reasons to be happy could still produce an album of such aggression and anger. How much of it comes from you? Do you have a lot of rage that comes out in the music?

Musically, yeah. It’s definitely an outlet. We’re a lot older now; just ‘cause we’re pissed off, we’re not going to go out and beat the shit out of fools anymore, you know? We’re a lot more responsible now, and we have to channel that aggression somewhere other than the bad ways; the illegal ways! [Laughs] Definitely, music has always been a release for me; even back in the Vio-lence days, it was a way to get aggression out, get energy out. It still is that way for me.

Are you the kind of guy to break things a lot?

Ah … [Laughs] It depends on what kind of alcohol I’m drinking! If I get into the whiskey, then I’m definitely breaking things, for sure!

I remember Robb saying that he was very partial to Grey Goose vodka – would that be Machine Head’s poison of choice?

Yeah, I think we all drink the vodka; that’s the one common bond that we have – drinking. I’ve got more into the Captain Morgan and the rum lately. The band’s put me on whiskey restrictions, so I don’t drink the whiskey anymore.

That’s probably a good thing.

Yeah! It’s good for everybody!

In the past, there’s been a bit of shit-slinging between Machine Head and Kerry King from Slayer. What was the story behind this?

Yeah, that happened before I was in the band, so I don’t really know what happened. I think that Kerry was a big Machine Head fan, then he didn’t like a couple of albums, and he kind of attacked the band, and Robb took it personally, and attacked him back. I don’t really want to speak on it because I don’t really know the particulars.

So that animosity isn’t around much anymore?

I think Robb tried to squash it, and extended his hand to Kerry, and Kerry denied it, or something to that effect. I’m not quite too sure what’s going on … It’s not like Robb and Kerry are bumping their cars together at the grocery store or anything like that. Neither one of them are losing sleep over either one of them.

A nice big general question – who do you believe are

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BANGERS & MASH

SYRUP HO U S E PA RT Y

16 DJs, 2 floors, 1 night

By Tom Wilson Given the venue’s reputation, it’s fair to say that fans of electronic music don’t need to be any more convinced to go to Syrup. Well, now they’re really going to be, because on Sunday the 10th of June, more than fifteen DJs will converge on both levels of the famed club for the epic that is Syrup’s House Party. I spoke to some of them to get a taste of the vibe leading up to the event.

D2M

So what’s your style?

I like to jump around, but predominately vocal/electro/progressive house. My base has been a fairly commercial scene, so I like to start with the favourites and delve into deeper stuff when the crowd permits.

When is your set?

4 a.m., I believe.

Where in the club will you be playing – upstairs or downstairs?

I’ll be downstairs. On a night out at Syrup, you’ll usually find me upstairs … With the odd sprinkle of Tacky throughout the night.

What kind of sounds will you be bringing to the night during your set?

Hmmm, good question … right now I’d say lots of vocal progressive stuff; lots of acapellas thrown over popular beats. I’ll let the night dictate.

Dave Webber

So what’s your style?

In house music, I mainly stick to funky, jackin’ and west coast house. I also play a fair bit of electro, but I prefer the funky stuff, especially when the artists use live instruments etc.

When is your set?

I’m playing from 1 till 2 – After Matt B, before Kir. Where in the club will you be playing – upstairs or downstairs? And which is better?

I’m playing downstairs. Upstairs is better for the thumping sound system, but downstairs is better for the raw appeal of sleaze.

That pole is fantastic.

What kind of sounds will you be bringing to the night during your set?

I reckon I’ll go for tight, jackin’ house – big bass lines, with live instrument arrangements, plenty of sax and trumpet lines, with some guitar action thrown in also. There’s a fair bit of jackin’ electro gear to get through, which I’ll use to lead into Kir’s set.

Adam Turner

So what’s your style?

That’s a hard question for me to answer. I’m an absolute genre slut at the moment. I’m playing jackin’ house, electro house, tech house, breaks … and the other night I even played some old school jungle and drum n bass … It’s quite an expensive habit.

When is your set?

I can’t remember to be honest. I think it’s 2am till 3am, or 3am till 4am.

Where in the club will you be playing – upstairs or downstairs? And which is better?

I’ll be playing upstairs I think. The sound system upstairs is a monster, but as long as the floor is rockin’ I don’t mind where I play.

What kind of sounds will you be bringing to the night during your set?

Squeaks, bleeps, 80’s synths, plenty of driving bass, air guitar, and a few claps for good measure.

Timo

So what’s your style?

All kinds of house – funky, disco, electro, progressive, electro, tech. [The] occasional bit of breaks too.

When is your set?

12:30AM to 1:30AM. Where in the club will you be playing – upstairs or downstairs? And which is better?

I’ll be playing upstairs – my usual haunt. Downstairs may have the pole, but it also carries the stigma of Tackyland!

What kind of sounds will you be bringing to the night during your set?

I’ll be aiming for some twisted funk – tough house tracks with a bit of a jackin’ sound.

Shad

So what’s your style?

Hard trance/hard tech.

When is your set?

4:30 AM till close.

Where in the club will you be playing – upstairs or downstairs? And which is better?

Upstairs; I play fairly hard, so upstairs is better for my style. [It’s a] much darker vibe.

What kind of sounds will you be bringing to the night during your set?

Lots of energy for the dancefloor! Gritty tech synth-lines, heavy kicks, powerful builds and drops – will throw in a few remixes of better known tunes also. Hard, dark and dirty, with a touch of funk! Perfect to keep you going ‘til the sun comes up!

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PAGE 21

The Freestylers

JOHN C OUR S E

Is Vinyl Dead?

BANGERS & MASH

By Tom Wilson

The Freestylers formed in 1996 when DJs and dance music producers Matt Cantor, Aston Harvey and (initially) Andrew Galea joined forces. All three of them had been involved in the British dance music scene since the 1980s.

Cantor had recorded as Cut n’ Paste and Strike with Andy Gardner (Plump DJs). Aston Harvey recorded as Blapps!

Posse best known for the 1990 breakbeat dance hit Don’t Hold Back before working with Definition of Sound, Rebel MC and DJ Rap (as DJ Rap and Aston). Harvey joined with Galea under the name Sol Brothers before Cantor was recruited to form the Freestylers. The group took their name from their first sample Don’t Stop The Rock by Freestyle.

The trio’s first single Drop The Boom (AK-48) on their own Scratch City Records in 1996 became a dancefloor hit in the UK and Miami. The band released the Freestyle EP in 1996 on Freskanova (Freskanova’s parent label, Fresh, had released Cantor, Galea and Harvey’s previous work).

Andrew Galea left the Freestylers shortly after the release of the Freestyle EP. The band’s first album We Rock Hard was released in 1998.

The single B-Boy Stance became a singles hit in the UK in 1998 featuring the contributions of rapper Tenor Fly. In 1999, the Freestylers enjoyed success in the U.S. with track Don’t Stop reaching the top 10 of the Billboard dance charts and Here We Go becoming an MTV Buzzworthy clip.

We Rock Hard sold well in the US selling over 150,000 and reaching the top 30 of the Billboard Heatseeker chart.

The Freestylers play Hobart’s Halo on the 13th of June.

Vinyl – cool collector’s item? Wanky gimmick? Or a time-honoured form of media that, in the face of the digital age, simply refuses to die? After a debate on this subject left all of us in the SAUCE office looking like extras from Fight Club, we went to the one man who we knew could settle the argument – MOS mainstay and renowned Aussie DJ, John Course.

I want to talk to you today about the technology; the tools of the trade of DJs such as yourself.

In the last twenty years, it’s gone from vinyl turntables to CDJs. To what extent has new technology affected the level of skill that you would need to become a DJ? When it comes to DJing live, mixing with CDJs is really no easier or harder than mixing vinyl, if you’re just talking one-track-to-another.

A lot of people seem to think that when you’re playing on CDs it’s easier. It’s just as easy to mix as it is on vinyl; it’s no harder or no easier. So you’re not kind of cheating.

As for being a good DJ, there’s a difference between being able to mix – whether it’s on vinyl or CD – and being a good DJ. I think the experience of working in clubs, and having a feel of the music, and understanding the programming side of it, the technology makes no difference.

Well, I think [that] if it’s not dead yet, it will be very soon. I still buy vinyl, and you do still find things on vinyl that you don’t find on CD.

About four thousand songs go up [online] every single week or something. If four thousand records come into a record shop, imagine how long it would take to listen.

But the person in the record shop only orders the things that he thinks are good … So you go in there, and you get a pile of vinyl that might be forty records, and half of them you’re kind of interested in, you know?

So that side of things is still well-and-truly alive with vinyl, but the fact that you can buy so much stuff online; it’s so much easier, it’s cheaper … it actually makes more money for the artist, because normally, when you do vinyl, it costs so much – that’s why it’s so expensive. And the artist gets very little of that money at the end of the day; the retailer gets a lot, and so do the manufacturers and all those sorts of people.

So what’s one of your favourite tricks using CDJs? I think it’s just a case of … the hot-cue buttons – on a CDJ1000, there’s three hot-cue buttons. And basically, what they are is a button that, when you put it in record mode, you can set a point for the songs to go back to, and you’ve got three of them.

So the digital side of things means it goes from studio to music site overnight, so for speed, you can’t beat it. And I think that’s going to get bigger and bigger.

So, you put it in record mode, they all go red, you hit the button to record the spot that you want to go back to, and then every time you hit that button again, when it’s green, it’ll go back to that spot in the track.

John Course plays the Saloon Bar on Saturday the 16th of June and at Sirocco’s on Saturday 7th July on the MOS Sessions tour.

So those three hot-cue buttons, if used well, are fantastic.

And I think that’s probably one of the best things about the CDJs, is definitely the hot-cues.

To listen to the full interview, go to www.sauce.net.au

MAT T NUGE N T

BANGERS & MASH

How did you get involved in OneLove?

When the OneLove guys decided to set up the Sydney club night at Tank, they did a bit of research on the Sydney scene by spending a bunch of weekends making the trek to Sydney from Melbourne, going out and checking out the local DJs as well as speaking to just about everyone they could. I think I was pretty lucky that I’d played heaps of times with some of Melbourne onelove resident DJs when I was living in Brisbane like Coursey, Smillie and Goodwill and then in my time in Sydney at the Chinese Laundry. I guess the style of music that I play in a big room and few good words from the Melbourne posse must have seemed like a good fit to Frank and Raff the OneLove promoters.

Even though you had established a high profile in the Brisbane scene, you moved to Sydney in 2005. Why did you decide to do this?

I really love BrisVegas and enjoyed my time up there. Family has got to be one of the best clubs in the country, and the festivals are great thanks to the QLD weather, but I felt I wanted to change things up a bit and get out of my comfort zone. The first few months were a bit tough starting all over again in a new city, luckily for me Paul Azzopardi at the Laundry had faith in me and gave me a shot at a residency which gave me an awesome place to lay the foundations, and I’m loving Sydney now.

You’ve played a lot of festivals and tours in the past – what stands out as the best, and why?

I’d have to say the Good Vibrations gig in Brisbane a few years back, where I got to play main stage between Arrested Development and Mylo, and then between Mylo and Scissor Sisters. It was an amazing vibe as the sun set.

A lot of DJs I’ve spoken to tend to stick to one genre of music. You, however, dabble in everything from electro to breaks and hip-hop. Why do you think some DJs are set on a particular sound? And what sets you apart from them?

I’ve always had pretty eclectic tastes in music I guess. I’m playing more house/electro gigs than anything nowadays but always try and do an old-school hip-hop/disco/funk gig whenever I can, and “proper” house or leftfield gigs as well.

It keeps things interesting, and stops you from getting bored PAGE 22

with what’s in your record box/CD wallet. It’s a lot to keep up with though; I guess that’s why a lot of people stick to playing one genre. I’m sure they like other music too.

What remixing and production work have you been doing recently?

I’ve been working with my production partner Nick Galea on quite a few things lately; we’ve had two remixes released so far this year that have gone top five in the Aussie club charts – one for The Potbelleez’ Junkyard on Vicious, and one for Mark Dynamix and Jaytech’s Destructor on M.O.S/Hussle.

We’ve got a couple of originals in the works, and we’ve just finished remixes for two other tracks that we’re waiting on approval from the labels for – fingers crossed.

Which remix do you think you’re most proud of, and why? And which, if any, are you least happy with?

Mark Dynamix is including our mix of Destructor on his next CD for Ministry of Sound which is pretty exciting, and I love the arrangement we put together for it.

Nick and I are probably least happy with the mix-down on it though, so I guess it’s [the] best and worst at the same time.

One of the new remixes has come out hot though, so if we get approval from the label, and they decide to release it, it will be the new favourite.

When you listen to some of your earlier works, what differences do you notice between them and your more recent output?

Mainly the production value; you learn more every time you sit in the studio. Our mix-downs are getting better, so things sound fatter and crisper.

Plus also picking up new tricks with effects plugins can make things a little more interesting.

You’re coming to play in Tasmania. What experience have you had with playing down here?

None whatsoever – this is my first Tassie trip, so I’m pretty excited to get down there and get amongst it.

Matt Nugent plays OneLove at Launceston’s Saloon on the 2nd of June.

We’ve been having a bit of an argument amongst the dance music fans in the office, so we’d love for you to settle it for us. Is vinyl dead?

Well, I think [that] if it’s not dead yet, it will be very soon. I still buy vinyl, and you do still find things on vinyl that you don’t find on CD.

That’s one of the reasons that people still like going to record shops to buy vinyls, because you’re getting a level of advice.

Well, it hasn’t stopped Kraftwerk, has it?

Well, they’re still around, and they’re still going OK.

By Tom Wilson Don’t let the event’s name fool you; touring DJ Matt Nugent has more than “OneLove” – when it comes to the various genres and stylings of electronic music, he’s a man who loves them all. He spoke to me about his experiences in Australia’s numerous scenes, ahead of his visit to Launceston’s Saloon as part of OneLove.

Your back would be thanking you, I take it.

Yeah, and my excess baggage bill.

And certainly, the art of the music assistant in the record shop is something that you don’t get when you buy online.

The technology only makes a difference with the mixing side of it. And as I said; I don’t think it makes it any harder, it just makes it different. And certainly, with the CDJ, once you get your head around them, they can do some amazing stuff, as far as tricks and editing and doing stuff live … People who are working off a laptop is a bit different, because, if you work off a laptop, you [might not be able to] work off CDJs, and the only reason you’re working off a laptop is because you can’t mix in the normal sense. Sometimes that is the case.

More Than Just OneLove

Neat. How much equipment do you tend to haul around when you’re touring? Do you use all your own gear?

No, not at all. I just turn up at clubs with my music, and everything’s at the club. And that side of things … the days of doing the mobile DJ thing, where you bought the whole lot, for me, thankfully, are over!

… This is my first Tassie trip, so I’m pretty excited to get down there and get amongst it.

DJ PI L OT

Breaks Take Flight In Hobart BANGERS & MASH

By David Williams

One of the things I like about Tassie is that if you want to make something happen, all you need are a few people who are open to it. When he’s not an art teacher, DJ Pilot is taking breaks to a new level both as a resident of The Loft in Hobart, and as the organiser of all the electronic artists who share his stage. He spoke to me while on a teaching expedition in Devonport.

I noticed that this is a north-coast phone number.

Yeah, it’s the Devonport number. I’m up in Devonport – I’ve been up here for five weeks teaching.

What are you teaching?

I’m a trained art teacher, but I’m just up here while my girlfriend’s up here teaching; I’m just doing some relief work.

I was wondering how you’d do your work in Hobart, yet be based up on the north-west coast there.

Yeah. Because I’m originally from the north-west coast, I came up here to do my internship for teaching, and I scored a job last year, so I’ve been commuting up and back. We’re just up here filling in for a teacher at the moment, and I’ll be back in Hobart next week.

most, or that you like the most? And are they different?

Do you find yourself playing all the music that you like or not?

I’d listen to all sorts of dance music, except for breaks. And then I was getting really sick of all the dance music that I was listening to at one stage, and I went out to Mobius one night, and heard Smithmonger – who’s originally from Burnie – play.

And from that night on, I just got hooked on breaks.

So, from then on, I’ve just been collecting breaks and playing breaks. I love playing breaks, because you can play anything from hip-hop to funk, tech, drum n bass and electro in a breaks set; you can easily just slip those tracks in.

Would you say that’s mostly the style of stuff that you’re playing at The Loft?

Yeah, that’s the style that I play everywhere. I’m a breaks DJ. Some DJs do play stuff that the crowd wants that’s perhaps not their favourite track sometimes – but you’ve got to please the crowd. How do you feel about that?

Well, you can’t just go in there and play the set that you’ve been practicing at home, or the ten to twenty tracks that you really want to hear. Because you go into a club and you find out when you’re playing; that dictates what type of music you’re going to play – who’s playing before and after you, and what type of night it is, and what the crowd respond to.

You’ve got to play what you want to hear, combined with what the crowd would like to hear. It’s like a relationship – you’ve got to give and take a bit.

Your work at The Loft; you organise gigs there, but you also DJ there. How do the two roles affect each other?

Well, I took a year off DJing, based on my final year of teaching. Then I wanted to get back into the club scene, and I walked past The Loft and saw a number there. I called up the number and talked to Paul, the manager, and he said, “Oh, you can come and play Friday night.” I said, “Who else plays?”

“Oh, no one at the moment.” “Well, I’ll get a few of my friends to come down and play with me!” And I ended up organising all the nights there with all the different DJs, and then that just developed into being club manager and resident DJ. DJ Pilot plays at The Loft in Hobart on Fridays and Saturdays.

To listen to the full interview, go to www.sauce.net.au

What I was trying to do through art was try to capture the way that you feel when you listen to dance music; try to capture the energy.

How did you get involved in the whole club culture, and DJing?

I grew up in England, and I’ve got an older brother, and when we moved back to Devonport, he was listening to a lot of dance music, and I got influenced from him. And then, when I moved down to Hobart, I got exposed to it a lot. And I worked at Aroma Records, and just got hooked on it.

And did you learn from a class? Or did you learn from a friend? How did you learn about mixing?

Well, I was at art school in Hobart; I did a Batchelor Of Fine Arts to start off with. What I was trying to do through art was try to capture the way that you feel when you listen to dance music; try to capture the energy. Then I realised that it was probably too hard to do through art, and so I thought, “Well, I better go out and save up – get some money and buy turntables and [a] mixer and some records”. From there, I slowly taught myself.

What sort of music would you say that you play the

S I MO N CA LD WELL

BANGERS & MASH

Let The Music Speak For Itself

By Tom Wilson Founder of the renowned Mad Racket parties on the mainland, Simon Caldwell has been described as a DJ who’s name adds a certain level of “integrity” to a bill. Ahead of his set at Halo this month, he spoke to me about letting the music speak for itself.

What have you been up to in the last couple of months?

I’ve been busy promoting the Mad Racket parties, playing regularly at a little club called Melt, and trying to finish a degree.

and some techno as well. Eventually I started getting booked to play my deep house and more tech-y stuff, which is lots of fun to mix. By the mid 90s, I was doing support for some really big international DJs and playing big parties.

You first started playing music on a radio show at the beginning of the 90s. How did that lead you to DJing?

I’d been collecting for a while, landed a late night radio spot, and then started playing small parties; little funky warehouses and some dodgy late night venues. Getting gigs was a great excuse to keep collecting.

Who is the best DJ you’ve ever played alongside, and why?

Probably Derrick Carter, who is just amazing on the mix, especially in the 90s. You could be standing next to the guy and watching him, and still not be able to work out everything he was doing! Claude Young is a crazy-ass DJ, doing quarterbeat juggles of techno tracks! And Chris Duckenfield, who has played at Racket four or five times, never fails to put together seamless, quality sets.

What kind of trajectory was there to your progression from playing your first shows to playing larger events? How long did it take?

It took two or three years until I started getting asked to play bigger events. I originally played mainly funk, jazz, soul and hip-hop, but was always buying house

DJs are notorious for having outrageous sleeping patterns. That must leave you pretty worn. What’s your pick-me-up of choice? Coffee? Red Bull? Cocaine?

It depends who’s offering … I’m a firm believer in the power of caffeine, but I have also experienced the effects of too many Red Bulls. Not nice!

You’re a co-promoter of “Mad Racket”. What can you tell us about this?

There are four of us involved in putting on Mad Racket – Ken Cloud, Jimmi James, Zootie and me. We’re coming up to our ninth anniversary and still going strong! It’s held at a lawn bowls club, and has become something of an institution.

It’s a fun, music-oriented night where we get to let down our hair. We’ve had plenty of guests, including Herbert, Charles Webster, Steve Bug, Theo Parrish, Claude von Stroke and many more.

Some years ago, you had the pleasure of watching Kraftwerk at … er … werk. During their live shows, they all look like they’re checking their email. What’s your physical presence like behind the decks? Got any favourite dance moves?

Well, if you’re looking for crazy dance moves and in-your-face attitude, I may disappoint a little. Kraftwerk let their music do their talking for them, and while I’d never compare myself to them, I tend to agree. I get into it, have a jiggle, but it’s not

line dancing, you know.

Yeah, I do. If someone was to buy you a drink at your Tassie gig, what would you like it to be, and why?

Well, the Tassie beer is always good. Tequila shots are OK if kept to safe levels, but just keep me away from the Diesels …

It was said in the press that, at your set, “you can expect to hear the old alongside the new, but in the hands of Simon Caldwell, music is timeless.” What do you think they meant by “timeless”?

Well I think they meant that hopefully the music I play isn’t just what’s hot this week. If I play a set today, I’d rather not listen back in six months or a year and cringe. Like, “Gee, I really hate that track now…” I guess I just try to play music that I actually like, rather than just following fashion trends.

But really, they’re just hyping me up! [Laughs] Simon Caldwell plays Halo in Hobart on June 9th.

If I play a set today, I’d rather not listen back in six months or a year and cringe.

Like, “Gee, I really hate that track now…”

PAGE 23

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D J PE R I L

Heavy Mellow Metal Funk

The Return Of The King

By Andrez Bergen There’re a swath of internationally recognisable (and respected) Japanese producers of electronica who, over the past few years, have tweaked music generating gadgets – most of them also made in this east Asian country.

Think bods like Ken Ishii, Fumiya Tanaka, Takkyu Ishino, Hideaki Ishi (a.k.a. DJ Krush), Tatsuya Kanamori (DJ Shufflemaster), Susumu Yokota, Tomoyuki Tanaka (a.k.a. Fantastic Plastic Machine), Shuji Wada and Heigo Tani (Co-Fusion), and HIFANA (Japanese breakbeat/hip-hop/splice-and-dice duo Keizo Fukuda and Jun Miyata, who also dub themselves KEIZOmachine! and Juicy).

Then there’s Tatsuya Oe, a guy who moonlights under the better-known alias Captain Funk, as well as a more cerebral and obscure one (“OE”).

Oe, as Captain Funk, released a blockbuster breakbeat hit called Bustin’ Loose almost a decade ago, and Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim himself) called the record “fucking insane”.

Oe, though, happens to be one of the upright guys in the Tokyo scene - he’s so down-to-earth, accessible and mild-mannered, it’s as if his own disposition is the complete antithesis of the music churned out from his wayward psyche.

“I’m really grateful that you’re interested in my album and label”, he demurred when first approached for this story, as if such attention or interest is a surprise to him.

Go figure.

Captain Funk made one very substantial mark in the dance music scene in the late 90s with the release of Bustin’ Loose on Sublime subsidiary Reel Musiq, which labeled him a leftfield big-beat artist sandwiched somewhere between British dance music purveyors Fatboy Slim and Si Begg (a.k.a. Buckfunk 3000/Noodles).

The DJ/producer has spent the subsequent decade reinventing his resonance.

On Songs of the Siren (2000), again through Sublime, Captain Funk inspected vocal-driven psychedelic jazz terrain courtesy of Canadian singer/songwriter Ron Sexsmith, Zoobombs vocalist Don Matsuo, and Raj Ramayya of Tokyobased folk-rock duo The Beautiful Losers.

Yet with Here and You (2002), he assembled a pop album fused with sneaky electronica that a more subversive label like Warp or Mille Plateaux might’ve been quite chuffed to release.

The following year he collaborated with Otomo Yoshihide’s New Jazz Quintet to produce the improvisation piece ONJQ + OE, and in 2004 he released Director’s Cut (as just plain OE), mixing and matching old skool vocoder riffs with some innovative studio tinkering.

“Captain Funk is my main solo project, and OE is kind of my alter ego; an experimental or more personal side,” he explained to me just over a year ago.

He lied.

This past May, Oe debunked that assessment by unleashing two Captain Funk albums at the same time, one more uptempo and the other a restrained dabbling in melodic, improvised electronica. It’s Captain Funk and OE squeezed in together.

This time he also stepped aside the traditional outlet of a record label like Sublime: both albums are available only from his embryonic website, dubbed Model Electronic (www. model-electronic.com).

“Sure - I’m very much a member of the MTV age. I was born in ‘69, so it’s natural,” says Oe.

By David Williams

BANGERS & MASH

BANGERS & MASH

CA PTA I N F U N K

“I’m Peril – I’ve been doing this stuff for twenty-five years, and don’t count me out”

“I’ve expanded my musical vocabulary and dimensions,” Oe recently admitted, by way of explanation.

“Also, I did some band gigs, so I became able to balance between experimental sounds, pop, and strictly dance, and I’m exploring the whole D.I.Y. dimension.”

With one album titled Heavy Metal (Oe calls that one a metaphor, rather than a literal homage; it’s nowhere near the territory of Slayer) and the other Heavy Mellow (likewise hardly placid), at times both the new records reflect a legacy of early ‘80s new romantic and electro bands, like Mute Records founder Daniel Miller in his alter ego as The Normal, crossed with ‘70s funk, and on into the classic disco/rock of Kiss, circa Dynasty (1979).

“Sure - I’m very much a member of the MTV age. I was born in ‘69, so it’s natural,” says Oe. “But this time I was careful not to be obsessed with that, and combined a more modern 2007 feeling. I’m not the kind of person who likes to indulge in nostalgia.”

Record label owner and DJ for revered Aussie urban act 1200 Techniques, DJ Peril spoke to me about the shortcomings of our country’s music scene, grooming new artists, and being King Of The Beats.

What’s on your plate at the moment? You’ve got your next single out from King Of The Beats. How’s it going? And how did the first single go?

I think everything’s going on track; just doing my thing, just having some fun with it. We had the first single, It’s About To Blow; did some things for radio, and introduced … the new guys coming through, called Suburban Intellect with Nate B and Surreal … The film clip for that was pretty fun too, and then we put out Rock Ya Baby with this soul singer from the States called Rahsaan Patterson – a bit more of a “neo” style of vibe, which is a bit different for Australian hip-hop, I suppose … Now, the new single is Give You What You Want, which is more of a posse cut; it’s got Motley from the UK, we’ve got Daz from Downsyde, we’ve got my new boy Knobby Bones from Perth, WA, and my boys Suburban Intellect – Surreal and Nate B on it, with myself supplying the beats. We’ve got more songs to come off the album – we’ll see what happens. But yeah – so far, so good.

I’m really glad to see that you didn’t go down the hiphop path of big-noting yourself, and really kept the title of your album really low-key.

Did you notice?

Yeah, King Of The Beats, mate! [Laughs] Well, that was more like, “I’m Peril – I’ve been doing this stuff for twenty-five years, and don’t count me out” – [it was] that sort of title to an album!

Did you feel like you were a bit out-of-the-loop, mate?

Nah, it was more like, you know, me doing this thing for a while … I wasn’t trying to actually say that I was the king of the beats! [Laughs] It was more like … it’s really hip-hop; when you do hip-hop, you sort of state things. It’s a very direct sort of a medium, you know what I mean? With the MCs and the rappers – people sort of speak their mind.

It was more of a statement that I’ve been here for a long time, check it out. I’m still here and doing my thing.

What are you doing with 1200 these days, and N’Fa? We’re not doing anything, no.

PAGE 26

Not doing anything? How about that! Gives you time to concentrate on your own stuff.

Yeah, I’m concentrating on my own stuff. I’ve got my little label, Street Elite Records … I’m working on Suburban Intellect’s album, and that’s sounding really good. We’ve got a couple of tracks … we’re probably halfway through that album. But, in actual fact, I’ve got my new boy Knowledge Bones, a guy from WA – his album’s about two months off.

So he’s actually coming … I’m picking him up from the airport today, and we’re going to go through a couple of his songs, just to make sure everything’s sounding good. Hopefully we’ll get something out by maybe September this year.

Did you decide to start Street Elite because there was a gap in the market? Or there was a need that wasn’t being met? What was your motivation behind it?

“A gap in the market” is an understatement, mate! I’ll tell you now! [Laughs] At the moment, I mean … majors really aren’t touching anything at the moment, hip-hop or RnB or urban.

It’s a bit sad, because I have to say, there are a lot of people … I’m not going to name names, that have actually spent big record company money and haven’t come through with the goods. And it’s put a bit of a whammy on people that are coming out. Like, you guys that actually are talented and have got the goods – when they go and try and get a record deal, it’s like, “Oh, we just put out blah-blah and so-and-so, and we’ve made nothing. So we’re not going to sign you now!”

So basically it comes to a stage where you have to be independent just to keep going, so that’s what I did. Even though I was one of the guys who actually did quite well … we were the first group in Australia to break out into the commercial market with urban music.

I just keep on keeping-on, you know what I mean? That was the whole reason I did Street Elite – because I wanted to call the shots. There’s no real hip-hop force in the big labels in Australia. There’s no such thing as a proper hip-hop A&R person in Australia yet. I think, yeah, there is one, and that’s at Universal. That’s the newest thing that’s happened, and they’re having a hard time there too. So there you go.

King Of The Beats is out now.

Andy Murphy

By Ashley Sambrooks

DIGITAL MUSIC CHARTS

BurnLounge heads downunder

ARIA (Digital Track Chart) 1. Girlfriend (Dirty Version) (Avril Lavigne) 2. Makes Me Wonder (Album Version) (Maroon 5) 3. Glamorous (Album Version) (Fergie)

DIGITAL MUSIC NEWS

Originally founded in 2004, BurnLounge is a company that offers a fully-functioning, legal, digital download store owned and operated by its users/subscribers.

At only twenty-three years of age, Andy Murphy is Melbourne’s young gun, and a rising star in Australia’s dance music scene with his own signature sound of house and electro. Andy brings it, and knows how to rock a party.

Born in Melbourne, with a mild obsession for music, Andy began DJing at the age of eighteen after discovering clubs and falling in love with house music.

His immense musical talent and taste for quality music meant that it was not long before Andy was playing exclusive gigs with residencies at Australia’s biggest nights, including Onelove (Australia’s best club night), where Andy plays weekly main room spots both in Melbourne and nationally.

BurnLounge markets itself as a social networking based digital music store that allows anyone to construct their own customized online retail store.

Through its multi-level pyramid like marketing scheme, users can potentially receive a revenue share from affiliates that they personally sign up to BurnLounge.

There has been much controversy surrounding the BurnLounge business model since it entered the digital download market. Some have speculated that the business model makes its major profits through sign-up and subscription fees as opposed to actual downloads.

BurnLounge have announced that they will be launching in Australia in mid July. The question is, will it work? Find out for yourself at: www.ozburnlounge.com

A New Found Frequency – A big shot manoeuvre The Melbourne based digital media group ‘New Found Frequency’ (NFF) have moved backwards and forwards in one very smart manoeuvre. The group are offering Australia’s very first on-the-spot CD duplication service.

With their newly constructed mobile recording studio, NFF provides touring artists with the opportunity to record live and instantly sell their performance right after the show.

DiskRevolt – Bridging the gap One of the newest and most talked about digital services to come out of SXSW this year was by a company called DiskRevolt. Like its name, DiskRevolt has ditched our oldest friend the CD for unique plastic download cards.

DiskRevolt provides physical solutions for digital delivery of media (audio & visual). For artists, DiscRevolt is a way to sell downloads through artist-specific download cards.

Artists upload songs to the DiscRevolt site and design artwork for a plastic download card. DiscRevolt prints the cards with a unique redemption code on the back, and artists then sell them to fans at live shows or through traditional retail outlets.

Telstra & Optus hook-up Optus have made an unexpected offer to co-operate with number one competitor Telstra in constructing a nation wide fibreoptic network. Fibre-optic will provide much faster upload and download facilities for Australian users. Once finalised, expect video and full album downloads to flourish.

Shock and IODA – Digital shake & bake

Andy also holds residencies at Lucky (Boutique), Birdhouse (Motel) and 161, as well as playing a string of regular sets around the country, with regular trips to Byron, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Indie giant Shock Records have agreed to a digital distribution deal with US based digital aggregator, IODA. The deal involves IODA having the exclusive right to digitally distribute and market hundreds of Shock’s Australian titles, including music from Cosmic Psychos, Frenzal Rhomb, Front End Loader, Mach Pelican, Melniks, Bodyjar, Nancy Vandal, Beanflipper, Sommerset, Superheist, Splatterheads, Hoss, Powder Monkeys, The Spazzys and many more.

As well as weekly club nights, Andy also features at some of Australia’s biggest dance music events. This includes Summerdayze, Mischief, Pacha, Two Tribes, New & Used, Together, Mischief, Full House and God’s Kitchen. This has lead to Andy supporting some of the worlds biggest DJs including Felix Da Housecat, Jacques Lu Cont, Sandy Riveria, Roger Sanchez, Carl Cox, MYNC Project, Sharam Jey, Michael Gray and DJ Sneak to name just a few.

“As the first Australian record company to market their music on their Internet and the first major indie to release mp3s online, Shock understands the importance of having a strong digital distribution partner. We are very excited about this new relationship and look forward to a great future,” said Kevin Arnold, IODA founder/CEO.

No matter where or when Andy is playing, he always pleases the crowd with an eclectic mix of house and electro, with a focus on the big room sound. If it’s a party you’re after, Andy’s your man.

Andy Murphy plays OneLove at Curly’s Bar in Hobart on the 15th of June.

The Orchard – Live music focus Global digital aggregator The Orchard continues to push into new business areas. Just recently, The orchard unveiled “Live at London” a concept that blends live performance, artist discovery, promotion and digital distribution. Live at London will showcase a number of up-and-coming bands, DJs and of course, Orchard-signed artists.

All performances will be recorded, packaged and digitally distributed across their massive network of online retailers. “This is only the first of a series of innovative venue partnerships that we hope will play a role in harnessing the immediacy of digital distribution to transform the relationship between performance artists and their fans,” said Greg Scholl, president and chief executive of the New York-based distributor.

iTunes (Top Songs) 1. Glamorous (Album Version) (Fergie) 2. Girlfriend (Dirty Version) (Avril Lavigne) 3. Makes Me Wonder (Album Version) (Maroon 5) iTunes (Top Albums) 1. On A Clear Night (Missy Higgins) 2. Call Me Irresponsible (Michael Buble’) 3. Soundboy Rock (Groove Armada) JB HI-FI (Track Chart) 1. Suddenly I See (KT Tunstall) 2. Girlfriend (Avril Lavigne) 3. Light Surrounding You (Evermore) JB HI-FI (Artist Chart) 1. Robbie Williams 2. Coldplay 3. Eskimo Joe BigPond (Top Selling Albums) 1. On A Clear Night (Missy Higgins) 2. Standing On The Outside (Songs Of Cold Chisel) 3. Call Me Irresponsible (Michael Buble’) Martian Music (Top Tracks) 1. Do As The Angels Do (Selena Cross) 2. I’m Not Lost (Selena Cross) 3. Krista’s Home (Selena Cross)

FREE MUSIC DOWNLOADS JB HI-FI (www.jbhifimusic.com.au) Joel Turner - All Night Long Triple J (www.abc.net.au/triplej/listen/mp3s.htm) Tim Armstrong - Into Action My Tracks (www.mytracks.com) The Silent Years - Someone To Keep Us Warm My Tracks (www.mytracks.com) Creede Williams - California iTunes (iTunes music store) The Electric Confectionaires - Late Night Shopping Spree Triple J (www.abc.net.au/triplej/listen/mp3s.htm) Dinosaur Jr - Almost Ready BigPond Music (www. bigpondmusic.com) Klaxons - Atlantis to Interzone

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Your next pride and joy?

A Datto 1500 ute with an FJ20!! [Laughs]. Actually, the Pulsar is for sale at the moment – feel free to contact me on 0427 846 880.

PAGE 27

SPOTLIGHT NEWS

STOMPIN TOURS HOME TO MELBOURNE

TERNION EXHIBITION FROM ACCESS ARTS LINK

After rave reviews and sell-out shows, Stompin is preparing to pack their bags, freight two large sea containers and a magnitude of Tasmanian hot contemporary dance work to Melbourne.

Three artists from the Access Arts Link Program are launching their work in a dynamic exhibition at the Arts Alive Art-space in Launceston this Thursday at 7pm.

Young dancers from Launceston will travel to Melbourne to remount Stompin’s smash hit from 2006, Home, with young dancers and community participants at the beautiful and significant heritage site of the Meat Market in North Melbourne in September 2007.

The Access Arts Link program is unique in Tasmania. It is an exciting amalgamation of artists from varied backgrounds, ages, (dis)Abilities and styles housed at the studio at the Inveresk cultural precinct. This program supports artists with disabilities to promote their work and develop professional opportunities. The Access Arts Link is supported by the Tasmanian Community Fund, Winifred Booth Estate, QVMAG and TAFE.

Arts House, a high profile program of cuttingedge contemporary art from across the globe, and Stompin are joining forces to present Stompin’s most innovative and dynamic work, Home, to Victorian audiences.

This exhibition is the coming together of three diverse artistic styles of expression, each originating from their individual intuitive perceptions. The three works come together in the formulation of the quote by Robert Schumann, “The artist’s vocation is to create light in the human heart.”

Experience the talents of Luke George and Bec Reid in collaboration with a talented group of young dancers and some of Australia’s best artists to once again give audiences an innovative and dynamic opportunity to engage in contemporary dance.

Paul Challis’s work interprets the dynamics of the human journey in geometrical design with the soft, colourful connection of his artistic framework.

The University of Tasmania School of Architecture students’ large scale set, Ben Cisterne’s lighting and Luke Smile’s original sound composition will all be featured in a new context at the stunning Meat Market in Melbourne.

Café

Matt Viney has been described as a rising star, whose unique combinations of drawing, painting and three-dimensional artifacts are making his name in Launceston art circles.

He is a prolific artist and father to a motley cast of funky characters that roam through the best of all possible popsurrealist worlds.

Operation

by Carrie McLean

BACKSPACE THEATRE – 19/5/07

SPOTLIGHT REVIEWS

THE ANNEXE THEATRE, INVERESK - 1/5/07 In the quiet of The Absence Café, a nameless man and an anonymous woman sip caffeinated treats as they ponder their choices in life – choices borne of circumstances that have led them to this café, where their final choice will decide their ultimate fate.

To be or not to be? That is the question at stake here in the debut production from newly formed theatre company, Mudlark Theatre.

company Blood Policy, and was a highlight of the 2006 Next Wave Festival. Is Theatre recently hosted a run of the project at the Backspace Theatre, where it was met with similar acclaim for its powerful use of integrated technology to portray the hard-hitting subject matter.

Operation is performed by Sam Routledge, Martyn Coutts and Aaron Cuthbert, and utilises autopsy and crime scene investigation techniques to delve into relevant issues of our current political climate. The production uses puppetry, new

Mudlark began life as a Theatre in Education company, originally touring the excellent show, What is the Matter With Mary Jane? under the banner of Syzygy Theatreworks Inc. back in 2005. Café is firmly grounded in these early beginnings, as it has gone on to tour schools around the State as a catalyst to explore the delicate topics of depression and suicide.

media and technology to explore problems involving the

when revealing the histories of the Man and Woman, the sincerity of the cast and brief moments of levity provided by a cinematic backdrop kept it from being a total emo-fest.

However, it’s arguable whether the structure of the show allowed the audience to engage emotionally with the material as much as they could have.

It uses macro and micro puppetry, as well as an unnerving sound-scape to portray the story of a suspected terrorist.

Sam Routledge is a joint founder of the company Blood Policy, and also serves in the important role of key puppeteer and investigator in the piece. The sound in the background of is unsettling, as are the loud and intrusive sound effects of combat in a theatre of war.

Operation opens with a life-sized puppet laid out on a hospital stretcher. The figure lies limp and lifeless until its eyes open and a projection on the screen above momentarily gives the audience a chilling vision of his interrogator looming over him. This insight into the point-of-view from the body gives what is merely a piece of plastic a dimension of humanity.

McLean’s theatrically dense script plays out in a non-linear fashion via flashbacks to reveal why the Man and Woman (played by Travis Hennessey and Carrie McLean respectively) have ended up in the existential limbo of the café.

The third character, Annalies Crowe’s Waiter, endlessly tends to the Man and Woman’s thirst for self-revelation, as much as they threaten their self-preservation. She has her own story to tell as well, which perhaps was too much in an already complicated show.

As the life-sized dummy is cut open in a gruesome search for answers, the tale that is revealed with each slice of the interrogator’s scalpel is not so black-and white as the media would often have us believe the conflict it portrays is. Operation explores these issues in an intriguing manner, and it is left to the individuals in the audience to interpret the wordless explanation of one man’s involvement and contribution to the war on terror.

The stage is set with smaller tables in front of the hospital

Each character is immeasurably fatalistic, as each one grapples with who has the right to feel more down, more sad, more bitter, more depressed, more suicidal.

bed, each table bearing a map and illuminated by desklamps. The countries include the US, Africa, Australia and the Middle East, all of which seemingly play a significant part in this portrayal of global-political unrest. Perhaps living up to

Director, Jane Johnson, is to be congratulated at drawing out moments of light humour to provide much-needed relief during this bleakness and the cast worked extremely well together; their reactions to and with each other as organic as could be under the weight of the script.

The technical aspects of the show were very well integrated so as to seem seamless, and the inclusion of some acoustic musical numbers helped to accentuate the subject matter, more poetically, perhaps, than the script itself.

While depression and suicide remain taboo topics for many, Mudlark is to be commended for taking the initiative and providing a platform on which to begin a conversation.

And, as observed by the characters, it’s a conversation that provides the first step in healing. As long as Mudlark continues having worthwhile things to say you’d be well advised to listen. Let’s just hope that next time we get some more sugar and less bitter.

CHRIS RATTRAY

When: Thursday 24th May (opening 7pm) to Saturday 2nd June.

Where: Arts Alive Art-space, 178A Charles St Launceston.

What: An Exhibition of three artists’ work – Charles Bushby, Matt Viney and Paul Challis.

current bias and expectations the Middle East is peppered with small tents and military styled weaponry. Australia lies at the fore of the stage, barren of any items, as it is slowly filled with the small pieces of furniture and micro-puppets that begin emerging from the wounds of the larger dummy.

The central puppet is a smaller incarnation of the life-sized dummy, which migrates to Australia, where he meets a Muslim woman and they tenderly fall in love. Watching this man with his wife and child, as he works tirelessly to provide for them in a menial job and foreign country, it is easy to feel empathy for the dark path he loses himself to. It seems he is motivated out of despair and a desire to protect those he loves as he is drawn into the conflict. Having seen this character with his family it’s hard to perceive him as merely the soldier and killer which he becomes.

As Routledge progresses in his search for answers, the more brutal his methods become and the deeper his knife delves, until in the end we are left with a broader question of who is really the terroriser and who is the victim. It seems even more possible that we’re all capable of such dark motivations

STATE CINEMA Whats’s On 375 Elizabeth St, North Hobart www.statecinema.com.au 6234 6318 The Italian

TMAGGOTS BOOK LAUNCH On Thursday June 7 at 6pm, the TMAGgots (gluttons for culture) are holding a book launch at the Rosny Storage Facility for the TMAG publication Collection, which showcases 250 items from the State collection.

Andy Muirhead and Adrian Franklin from the ABC show The Collectors will be speaking about collecting and examining mystery objects. Included in the $10 cover ($5 for TMAGgots members) are tours of the Rosny TMAG Storage Facility, drinks, a hot dish and a chance to win the book (RRP $75) for correctly guessing a mystery object.

Funds received on the night will contribute to a copy of Collection being donated to the Rosny College, Rosny TAFE and State Library Rosny arm. Please email tmaggots@tmag. tas.gov.au if you wish to attend, and let us know if you need help getting there as we are organising a carpool.

and actions in the search for what we deem “right”. Surely we are all driven by belief in our right to protect our family, to service our country, or to protect our own life and safety when faced with a threat of the unknown? Reaction to war is truly subjective to all those who experience it, just as the impact of this performance is subjective to each person who bares witness to it.

Coming Soon RUSSIA 2007 minutes

M

99

In Russia, every orphan longs for adoption. Vanya has other plans ... to find his mother at all costs.

In his feature directorial début, director Andrei Kravchuk addresses with intelligence and poignancy the urgent issue of illegal adoption in Russia, which has become a well-documented international crisis. The Italian (Italianetz) is based on the true story of a small Russian boy abandoned in an orphanage who goes in search of his birth mother. A childless, affluent couple from Italy comes to a provincial Russian children’s home to find a child for adoption. When the Italian couple singles out 6-year-old ragamuffin Vanya as their prospective choice, the other orphans give him a new nickname: The Italian. They envy Vanya, imagining that he is destined for a life of ease in sunny Italy. But plucky little Vanya has other plans.

Breach Now Showing USA 2007 M 110 minutes

in the theatre. Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the

Inspired by the true story of the greatest security breach in US history.

When Eric O’Neill (Ryan Phillippe), a young agentin-training, is promoted out of his low-level surveillance job and into the headquarters of the FBI, his dream of becoming a fully-fledged agent is on the verge of becoming a reality.

Even more impressive, O’Neill is selected to work for renowned operative Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper) within a new division protecting all classified FBI intelligence. His enthusiasm, however, quickly turns to anxiety as O’Neill is confronted with the true reason behind his unexpected promotion. Hanssen is the subject of a top-secret investigation; he is a suspected mole who has become extremely dangerous by the sheer global import of the information he is protecting.

Now engaged in a lethal game of spy-versus-spy, O’Neill finds himself fighting to bring down Hanssen before the treacherous double agent can destroy him, his family and the nation they are both sworn to serve.

audience as much as the play, which truly played with

Into Great Silence

Operation encourages its audience to think, as they attempt to interpret the simple, yet horrific tale it portrays. The imagery of the puppets and simple set, combined with the interesting and eerie sound-scape, is layered with meaning and depth. The journey is best enjoyed if the audience is willing to indulge the visual metaphor as those layers are stripped away to reveal a fresh angle on a very topical issue.

NICOLE CALABRIA

current “War on Terror,” with blood-chilling effectiveness.

an unfaltering heartbeat that recurs during the performance

While the show certainly leant towards the morose, particularly

PAGE 28

Operation is the first production from the new media

Charles Bushby describes his work as the duality of a dynamic synergy in varied tempos of tonal colour and rhythmic brilliance. From professional musician to expressionist artist, the opening of this exhibition will be enhanced by violin responses performed by Charles.

Love

by Patricia Cornelius THE ANNEXE THEATRE, INVERESK – 18-21 APRIL There was a silence at the end of the performance of CentrStage’s autumn offering of Love. And during Love, there were knuckles stark in the dim light, whitened by clenching, pallid, drawn faces and tension

the emotions of that night’s patrons.

Love begins with two girls sharing a cell in a women’s prison for un-named crimes. One is classically butch, the other hyper, fragile and sweet. And they are in love. There is no pandering to the heterosexual community with glorified girllove. Here are two desperate, damaged people who need to be needed, need to need, and need to be loved.

The butch, Tania, was worn by actress Belinda Stephens who, though a beautiful woman herself, shuffled and mumbled and swore and swaggered so instinctively, that she translated her form without a nuance of caricature. Kerzlake as the delicate yet brittle Annie, swept through the role; a gamine performance of the young girl who grasps joy like a drug, and sells her body to hold on to love.

There was sex (gasp!), heaps of fucking swearing (yay!), selfabuse, lover abuse, abuse-abuse, and drugs, and violence – violence that Cheyne Mitchell, as the other lover, Lorenzo, produced as if on cue; because it is on cue, but so fucking convincingly it was mildly disturbing.

Every fucked-up member of the trio reminded us that our society ain’t so pretty, as each used a pretence of love to manipulate the other for their own ends.

This was a Love without the happy fairytale romance we lust after in the fantasy-land of film. This was a Love in all its brutal glory – needy, suspicious, jealous and asphyxiating.

Kudos to director, Daniel Lizotte, who confidently translated Cornelius’s gutsy, relentless play to the poor, stressed possums (AKA the audience) wide-eyed in their seats.

This was not a great night for a date, but it was a great night of courageous theatre.

Watch out for CentrStage’s next play, Noel Coward’s Hay Fever, to debut in July.

CLARA MURRAY

Now Showing GERMANY 2007 G 162 minutes The Grande Chartreuse, the house of the legendary Carthusian Order, sits high in the French Alps. Into Great Silence (Die Grosse Stille) will be the first film ever about life inside the monastery. Silence. Repetition. Rhythm. The film is an austere, next to silent meditation on monastic life in a very pure form. A film about awareness, absolute presence, and the life of men who devoted their lifetimes to god in the purest form. Come inside the beautiful 17th Century monastery amongst the Catholic Church’s strictest order, as they brew the “elixir of long life”, the herbal liqueur Chartreuse, and complete their daily routine in the calm silence. “Engrossing, entrancing, enlivening...Philip Groning brings us inside a world as mysterious and often as silent as the dark side of the moon.” – The New York Times

Half Nelson Now Showing USA 2007 MA15+ 106 minutes Dan (Ryan Gosling) is an eighth-grade history teacher in an inner-city school deep in the heart of Brooklyn. He eschews the provided curriculum in favour of off-the-cuff, but deeply heartfelt lectures about the importance of understanding history, rather than just memorizing it. He is torn between his desire to change the world and his increasingly desperate realization that he can’t, at least not in the grand, aweinspiring ways that he envisioned as a student. Half Nelson focuses on Dan and his relationship with Drey, a thirteen-year-old student who catches him smoking crack in the school bathrooms. They form a somewhat unlikely friendship that helps them both to balance the social forces that threaten to take over.

CRAI G W ELLI N GTO N

Comedy Maestro Shakes His Speare COMEDY

By Tom Wilson

It’s always interesting when an entertainer known for comedy branches off into a serious subject – an example being John Doyle (otherwise known as one half of Roy & H.G.) producing the TV series Changi. Another such example is Craig Wellington, who is briefly stepping out of the comedy clique to be involved in a stage production of one of Shakespeare’s least performed (and quite serious) works. He spoke to me about Troilus and Cressida.

You’re known as a comedian, but you’re also now involved with a stage production of a very serious Shakespeare play. Why did you decide to do it?

Well, my “involvement” is minimal, but I can tell you why I think it is a good idea to do it. I am the President of the Old Nick Company, the Company that produces the Uni Revue. I felt the company had not been doing as much diverse theatre as it could have been doing in the recent past, so, when elected president, I encouraged as much new theatre as possible. As a result, in the next twelve months, audiences will be able to see an array of different works. That includes Shakespeare’s rarely performed Troilus and Cressida, directed by the brilliant Robert Jarman. As well, they will be able to see a production of Bovel’s Who’s Afraid of the Working Class. There will also be an exciting new play by local playwright and director, David Lander called Mate, and a season of one-act plays, plus the hilarious musical Urinetown. That’s the line-up, and all of them will be on stage before next year’s Uni Revue in May 2008. So while I’m certainly involved, I’m not actually doing the Shakespeare play myself.

To what extent does this indicate a new direction for you – one which moves away from comedy?

I’ve been involved for many years in producing some amazing shows, not all of them strictly comedy. The interesting thing about Troilus and Cressida is that it is perceived as serious, and its messages certainly are serious, but it is also a comedy.

It’s got it all … love, sex, death, war, lechery – and plenty of humour. It is funny.

This is one of Shakespeare’s least-performed plays. Why do you think this is?

It was written in 1602 and not many people seem to have understood it. Perhaps because of all the things I mentioned – humour, war, death, love – it can’t be shoved in a pigeonhole as either a comedy or a tragedy. In fact, it wasn’t performed much at all after it was written in 1602 until the twentieth century … why? Well, we live in an age where people are disillusioned with politicians and the lies they tell, hypocrisy, constant clamoring about celebrity, tabloid TV and we are at war once again.

So, suddenly, hundreds of years after it was written, Troilus and Cressida has emerged as relevant and important. It is a wonderful example, among many, of Shakespeare’s a genius.

Being as under-performed as it is, many people won’t be familiar with this play. Give us a synopsis of the plot.

It is halfway through the Trojan War and everyone is sick to death of it. Imagine the movie Troy with real balls and brain as well. In fact, don’t imagine that movie; it’ll hurt your brain cells.

What do you see as the play’s strengths?

Sex, war, love, death … They’re pretty massive and universal themes to tackle. I think it will strike audiences at their heart and move them. I hope it will also, as good theatre should, make audiences think on the play long after seeing it.

In what ways do you see this play being relevant to today’s audiences?

We live in a country allied to other countries and lies have led us all to war. Our heroes are famous. Our leaders are under scrutiny and we as a culture clamor for beauty, love, fame or infamy, as well as sex … Troilus and Cressida examines all of that. It was written hundreds of years ago and takes place in a setting thousands of years ago, yet still, somehow, it is entirely about us as human beings today, right here, right now.

You’ve written your own plays in the past. Were these comedic? And how many of them have been performed?

I’ve written a few bits, all comic or absurd, and all have had at least one season. I currently have several scripts in development or at about second draft stage. It will be interesting to see where they end up. Most of the works I have written have been designed to be performed by me or by me and other performers I already know. I have of late, however, started writing more scripts which any cast or group of actors – as long as they’re appropriate to the roles – will be able to take a part in … mainly so I can earn some royalties!

I’ve read online that you “received your first rejection letter before the age of ten”. Who were you writing to?

What did they reject? And why did they reject you?

I desperately wanted a fishing rod when I was six. I asked Father Christmas, but on Christmas Day there wasn’t a fishing rod under the Christmas tree; there was a letter from Father Christmas explaining that I was too young and had to wait until I was ten for a fishing rod. Nice. That is probably why I am not a fisherman but a producer and a writer.

Troilus and Cressida runs at the Peacock Theatre from the 21st to the 30th of June.

It’s got it all … love, sex, death, war, lechery – and plenty of humour.

Horrorscopes THE PSYCHO PSYCHIC SCREWS WITH YOUR LIFE

Aries Less porn, more study. No, Natalie Portman would never go out with someone like you despite that trick you can do with the hose, Vaseline, and a pair of scissors.

Taurus Taurus Make sure nobody notices when you go into the toilet with that dirty magazine because today there’s a very high chance you’ll be caught.

Gemini Gemini Today you’re finally going to realise that you sold your soul to the devil for less than you thought it was worth. More drugs!

Cancer Cancer It’s a mellow kind of day today, but as usual you’re too busy talking to your dealer on your mobile phone to care.

Leo You shouldn’t have let that nightclub random tie you up.

Now all your stuff’s missing and there’s an itch in your butt that you can’t quite reach and you don’t know where your guinea pig’s gone.

Virgo Don’t look now, but you have a stalker. Whoever it is, it certainly explains why you’ve been finding small marsupials nailed to your door every alternate Tuesday morning. Way to go, Virgo!

Libra They say the scales of justice are fair and impartial, but the fact that you were really named after a brand of tampons has been gnawing at the back of your mind for several weeks now.

Scorpio Your plans proceed apace!

However, there’s a good chance you’ll slip at entirely the wrong moment, disfiguring yourself permanently with a welding torch. We can only hope.

Sagittarius That decision you made to be a temple prostitute to help you through Uni was possibly several thousand years too late, but no matter. You’d do it because you like the taste anyway.

Capricorn Capricorn Better schedule that HIV test soon. You lost count of how many people you’ve slept with sometime in the 80’s. And that was in kindergarten.

Aquarius Trail-blazing Aquarius has only the wind in your hair and the sun in your eyes for the next decade.

This bout of schizophrenia is just as well, because every day is an adventure when you’re scratching out your autobiography in the corner of a dank cell with your fingernails.

Pisces It’s appropriate your symbol involves fish, Pisces, because, like fish, your memory has a life of no more than thirteen seconds.

This means that wherever you go, whatever you do, or whoever you’re with, it’s always a new and exciting journey!

PAGE 29

Street Fashion

Cobblestones

By Ian Murtagh Tomato sauce. It works with mostly everything, doesn’t it?

I can see that you’re nodding your head. Tomato sauce is something that needs to be a staple in the diet of the Tasmanian artist. I’m addicted to chasing the scene, born with an innate, almost desperate impulse to find every shred of anything new in my town; anything with the faint flicker of originality or the vibrant stain of creative, torturous, heavenly angst. This means I rarely listen to the radio, and I don’t often buy albums, especially if they are heavily promoted. Most of what I hear other people listening to makes me feel cheated, a little ripped off and I sometimes find myself cynically ogling the world, wondering how on earth we let it get this bad. Tasmanian artists need tomato sauce because it’s a universal garnish that most everyone loves, not to mention a handy alternative to pasta sauce in a pinch. You probably have no idea what I’m talking about, and the person that started me thinking about tomato sauce in the first place is still confused. Allow me to embellish.

DEE 28 What do you do for dollars?

Exhibition designer

SANDRA 31 What do you do for dollars?

Shop owner to be. I’m about to open “Charlie bucket”, a children’s clothing store in Hobart.

What’s on your pod right now?

Jack Johnson, it’s my baby’s cd.

Tell us about the coolest item of clothing you bought recently?

Totally these shoes, I haven’t taken them off. I found them for $4 at that op shop on Goulburn street.

What’s your hottest op-shopping tip?

Go to all of them, all the time

AMELIA 22

occasions you’ve bitten your lip and exchanged, however begrudgingly, the invigorating sanctuary of your living

What do you do for dollars?

Nada, I say thanks Johnny!

room for the more volatile everything else that lives outside of your living room), and about halfway through the show

What’s on your pod right now?

Midnight Jugganauts, Justice, Mos Def

What’s on your pod right now?

Paulo Natini

You’ve gone along to see a band (this is one of those

you feel like going out for a smoke. Or going to the bar.

Or you just plain leave. There’s a reason for that, and it’s tomato sauce, or rather, the lack thereof. There’s no

Tell us about the coolest item of clothing you bought recently?

At the moment I’m really liking this green skirt.

Tell us about the coolest item of clothing you bought recently?

The hoodie I’m sporting by Claude Mause, go the leather hood.

garnish. Verse, chorus, verse, chorus – you might get a bridge, but more than likely it has no point being there and doesn’t move the song to any places it couldn’t go without it. And don’t get me started on useless, far-too-long prechoruses. Oi!

What’s your hottest op-shopping tip?

I don’t have one. You need lots of time to opshop which I don’t have

What’s your hottest op-shopping tip?

Persistence is the key.

As a creator, the songwriter literally forges something from nothing, which is a privilege that should be approached with reverence and wonder. Perhaps even a little dread. If you’re going to bother doing it at all, spend time finishing the job properly. Play the song at home, over and over.

Ask your friends (I’m talking about the ones who’s musical tastes are aligned with yours) what they think of it, and ask them specifically to tell you truthfully what’s not working for them. Other musicians are great at this. Spend time experimenting (the act of trying different things or playing with unfamiliar ideas). Record it and listen to it yourself.

Do you personally need to hear that repetition in the song three times? Or even twice? Welcome the thought of making changes to your song and letting other people help perfect it. Remember the one single most important aspect that often gets overlooked; if you’re writing songs to perform for other people, they are the ones who have to suffer the consequences of listening to you do it.

I get this awful chorus stuck in my head that a local guy penned, and when I say it’s awful, I mean it’s bloody terrible; one of those ones written around one phrase or one word that wasn’t good enough to use in a chorus anyway. Lazy, dumbed-down songwriting for stupid people.

It’s tacky, and I don’t want to hear it. I disagree completely

CHELSEA 16

KITTY 24

JONO 20

with people who say, “don’t be afraid to write a crap song.”

If you’re an artist, I demand that you stop bludgeoning me with uncreative, second rate, amateurish, bargain-bin

What do you do for dollars?

Parents, parents, parents.

What do you do for dollars?

I’m a performance manager

What do you do for dollars?

I’m a Uni student, so no dollar making.

What’s on your pod right now?

Fiona Apple, I always love some Michael Jackson and a bit of Ben Harper.

What’s on your pod right now?

Hmmm, I’ve been going back to a bit of Basement Jaxx and Beastie Boys lately.

What’s on your pod right now?

The Cars, The Klaxons, Bang Gang & Simian Mobile Disco.

Tell us about the coolest item of clothing you bought recently?

My high waisted denim skirt I bought the other day. Oh, and my mum’s old belt, which I’m wear-

Tell us about the coolest item of clothing you bought recently?

I bought a cute ‘Rodeo Show’ dress in Sydney recently. It’s grey with big black buttons on it.

Tell us about the coolest item of clothing you bought recently?

My brand spankin’ new American Apparel green fluoro tee from the rhino.

What’s your hottest op-shopping tip?

I find it’s best to hit the markets. You get all the cool stuff really cheap. Evandale market and Rozelle markets in Sydney, they’re the best ones I’ve ever been to.

What’s your hottest op-shopping tip?

For parties, we go a lot, so lots of retro shit.

bullshit. Take some pride in your work.

Tomato sauce is that riff at the start that arrested your

ing today.

What’s your hottest op-shopping tip?

I can never find anything good, I love looking but nothing ever seems to catch my eye.

attention. It’s that bridge that comes in halfway through the second chorus that wasn’t what you were expecting.

It’s that glorious outro that hammers the ball home. It’s the smattering of original ideas over already accepted and proven techniques. It’s the flare that makes your songs better than anybody else’s. It’s the quality to your music that will make people come back to hear it again, or press rewind on the stereo. And don’t be afraid to get a little epic, yeah?

However, tomato sauce is a garnish. We still should be able to see plenty of plate underneath it all.

Next time …

PAGE 30