Sauce - Issue 50, 5-9-07 by David K Q Williams

On the street every second Wednesday

Issue #50 05/09/07 - 18/09/07 Made in Tasmania

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DANI EL JO H N S

Young, Hot, Modern, And Chill ROCK SALT

By David Williams

…some nights you get off and go “F*ck, possibly pushed it a bit too far in that bit!”

It’s hard work being as hot as Daniel Johns, which is strange for one of Australia’s coolest musical exports. Our very own young modern, David Williams, chatted to Silverchair’s laid back leading man about the upcoming tour and taking his cues for cool from James Brown… Hey Daniel, how’re you going? I’m good thanks, how are you? Yeah, I’m hot! You’re hot? Yeah, I’m hot. It’s hot down here! Sorry man, I thought you were, like, sexually hot. I was like, “Wow, such a big start!” [Laughs] [Laughs] Well, I’m flattered that that’s the first thing you’d think about me, thanks a lot! Look, you’re hot too, Daniel. We’re both hot. [Laughs] That’s cool; let’s start the interview by confirming we’re very hot. Yeah, we are. Look, if we don’t tell each other, who else is gonna do it, you know? There’s no room for humility anymore. Gotta get straight to the point. You’ve got to push your own barrow. [Laughs] No one else will! So where are you? I’m standing outside the Newcastle Entertainment Centre… we’re rehearsing, and we’re just about to go in and do some interviews with those guys, then we’re gonna rehearse until, I think, tonight… yeah. Just back to Newcastle yesterday from Europe. In terms of the whole tour, it’s like five minutes before you go on stage, isn’t it? Yeah, yeah. Definitely. So how’re you feeling all about it – are you pretty relaxed or nervous? What’s going through your mind? Nah, I’m chillin’ like Dylan… pretty relaxed. I feel really happy about the tour, really positive, really looking forward to it. It’s gonna be a long, nine week trip through Australia but we’re all, yeah, very much looking forward to it. We’ve just played quite a lot of our own shows in America and quite a lot of festivals and our own shows in Europe and England and… yeah… we just feel really well trained, confident, and happy to be doing it. Cool. To use a sporting analogy, you’ve gone through

the main rounds and are just about to head into the finals, I guess… Yeah, I’d say that. I’d say Australia would be the finals. But I dunno, “the finals” implies that after this it’s over; we’ve still got about three American tours after this and about two European tours [Laughs]… we’re not even half way through the last of this record, but… it definitely feels like it’s something important to be doing this tour and going all over Australia, yeah… and everyone feels really happy in both camps. I’m really excited to be doing it. [You’ve] almost forty Australian dates to come [and] you’re starting very consciously in your hometown of Newcastle – that was something you’d decided from the outset? We don’t do our own scheduling, someone else does it but… I think we do Newcastle and then Powderfinger’s hometown of Brisbane next but it’s uhm… I don’t know how conscious it was to start in Newcastle to tell you the truth – just ask our management – but it’s all… we look forward to playing all our shows, really. We don’t have a favourite place or anything; we just want to play everywhere. Everywhere’s equally important. If you have a bad show you feel as bad in Newcastle as you would in Brisbane. How do you prepare? What’s it like in the hour before you go on stage? What do you do in the last hour, the last half-hour, and the last five minutes? What goes on? We don’t really have a ritual or anything. We just listen to a lot of music and have a couple of drinks or whatever and just get ready. The only ritualistic thing we do is we always listen to James Brown just before we get on stage. Everything else – we just listen to a lot of electronic music and just dance. [Laughs] We just sit backstage and have a beer and dance and everyone just laughs and we hug a lot [Laughs]… nothing really major goes on. We don’t do lines of coke off a stripper’s back or anything! That was gonna be my next question! Yeah, I know… everyone thinks we do but we don’t. I don’t know what gives people that impression. I’ve asked that so many times, I’ve worn myself out on that one. Yeah, you get sick of it after a while…

So is there a particular James Brown song that you guys [listen to]? I don’t know what the name is, you’d have to ask Dan – it’s always because Ben’s doing his kind of, drum warm-up thing with his sticks and pads… It probably started around the time of Diorama. There was this one song where I did a particular exercise to and it just became a ritual, you know. If we don’t listen to James Brown before we go on stage we feel really unprepared [Laughs]. So I don’t know what it’s called – it’s generally, backstage we just listen to a lot of music and, if anything, we just try and keep our minds off playing. I don’t think about. I don’t try and prepare or sit there and you know, work myself up. It’s not like going out to play a game of football – we just listen to music and try and avoid thinking about playing before we get out on stage and then we focus on the task. Okay. Tell me about Europe please, and tell me about the States. How’d it all go? It went really great actually. We went over to America first and the first week was a bit fucked because within two days of being in LA I got laryngitis and we had to play on the Jay Leno Show and I was really sick, but after that first week things started to pick [up]. We played our first show in Portland… yeah, the response over in America at the moment’s been just really overwhelming and flattering and we’ve… enjoyed being over there again. We haven’t really been there since 2003 when we played two shows in New York for Diorama and two shows in LA or something, and that was pretty much all we did, touring-wise, and before all that we hadn’t really done anything except for the Neon Ballroom tour in ’99. So we haven’t really been to America that much in the last seven or eight years, and to go over there and Straight Lines is really taking off over there and people are really receptive and responsive… yeah, it just felt really great in America and people are responding predominantly to the Diorama stuff and the Young Modern stuff as opposed to the really early stuff which, to be honest, we kind of expected the audience to want nostalgia, but they’re really moving forward with us… and then we went to Europe; the record’s not even out in Europe, [so] that was a whole different experience as well. No-one’s even heard Straight Lines so we’re kind of playing it and used to starting with that song and everyone roars and responds, but in Europe it’s just another new song, so I think we’ve kind of been on both sides of the fence and we feel really, really good about it, and all the shows that we play we’re just getting better and better as a band and

the crowds are all really great, and it just feels like we’re prepared to do anything we need to do. We feel like we can make things up on the spot or we can just play the songs as we wish. [Laughs] It sounds like you’ve [found] a real freedom and that anything’s possible… that’s how it sounds to me. Well, yeah we… don’t really have a set way of doing anything, that’s for sure. We just go on stage and jam it out – that’s the kind of band I wanna be in and that’s the kind of band we wanna be, and I think a lot of the more recent stuff that I’ve written and the more recent records we’ve put out kind of lend themselves to that freedom… you know, there are some songs where, obviously you want… to play note for note because it’s like a composed piece of music, but there are other songs like Mind Reader or If You Keep Losing Sleep that we’ve never really played any of them the same way [Laughs]. Every night… we always try and push the boundaries, and some nights you get off stage and you go “That was the best show we’ve ever played!” and some nights you get off and go “Fuck, possibly pushed it a bit too far in that bit!” [Laughs] Cool… hey, that song, If You Keep Losing Sleep; you first started playing that in The Dissociatives – how did you end up with Ben and Chris agreeing to make that a Silverchair track? I’m always writing songs, and when I was touring with The Dissociatives I wrote If I Keep Losing Sleep and All Day because I wasn’t sleeping and there was a pattern forming, and as soon as I wrote them I played them to The Dissociatives guys and they wanted to play them live as part of the set; we only had the ten songs off The Dissociatives album to play and we needed some extra songs and I said, “I’ve got two new ones!” They were really into playing it and then when The Dissociatives got off the road I just started working on them more… finishing lyrics, making them more complete, I guess. Ben and Chris really didn’t agree. I just said, “This is the new album,” and played it to them and then we went in and recorded them! But they were… definitely aware that we’d played them with The Dissociatives – I like both versions, but the Silverchair version’s the most complete, yeah. To listen to the full interview, go to www.sauce.net.au Silverchair is currently touring nationwide. PAGE 3

ART OF F I G H T I N G

ROCK SALT

Runaways On A Hasty Retreat

By David Williams

It’s been a hard life for Art of Fighting’s Ollie Brown. For a start, he’s never been in a fight, and he’s just finished playing gigs in Paris. On retreat in Copenhagen, he took some time out from this itinerary of misfortune to chat with David Williams about the new album… and frogs.

Wow! What’s going on there? How come you’re over there? Various reasons; visiting people… just having a bit of a holiday after our gig in Paris, actually.

You sound really, really impressive; [like a] jetsetting, global, mega-band type - gigs in Paris; hanging out in Copenhagen… I can imagine how it might come across that way but it’s not really that glamorous in reality… [Laughs]

So I’ve gotta ask, what are you like in a fight? Have you ever been in one? Are you any good – are you a slapper, or a runner, or a kicker? I don’t really know because I’ve never been in one – Never been in a fight? No… maybe as a kid in school… Go back there; how were they? You know, I think they were just kind of rough and tumble kind of things, you know… So no “Art of Fighting” from back there – so where does the name come from? It comes from some obscure Japanese video game – that I’ve never actually played to be honest! I just saw it somewhere… it used to be the name of one of our songs and the classic thing that happens to bands is that… your first gig comes up and you don’t have a name for the

MUSICOZ AWARDS: ENTRIES EXTENDED Due to huge demand and an overwhelming number of entries, the Musicoz Awards have extended entries for the 2007 Musicoz Awards to Friday 14th September 2007!

actual band so you pick something out of thin air, so we [thought] we’ll just name ourselves after this song we’d been playing, you know.

…they were just kind of rough and tumble kind of things, you know? What happened with Runaways, or Runways, sorry – was that a quick grab name, or more of a considered title? It is actually Runaways, not Runways… and I don’t know where that came from – it was just one of the suggestions someone made and a lot of the songs on that record had to do with travel, and kind of leaving and wanting to get out of there… so it just kind of [fit] the songs and they went with it; also it was the only one we all kind of agreed with. I can’t remember what any of the other contenders are – they were pretty bad… [Laughs] And I guess life has imitated art… you have gotten out of here and runaway[ed] to Copenhagen… Uhm… yeah… in some tenses, yeah.

CONTENTS 3-20

Rock Salt

CD Reviews

16-17

Gig Guide

Gig Reviews

Rock Challenge

21-25

Bangers & Mash

Hip-Hop

Film

Spotlight

Street Fashion / Eyeball Kicks

crattray@sauce.net.au

Graphic Design Chris Titmus

ctitmus@sauce.net.au

Simon Hancock

shancock@sauce.net.au

Contributors: Ryan Farrington, Ian Murtagh, Felix Blackler, Nicole Calabria, Steve Tauschke, Clara Murray, Carole Whitehead, David Walker, Mathew Labedzki, Zackery Blackstone, Bethamy Nader, Patrick Duke,

Deadlines Sauce #51, 19th Sept - 2nd October DEADLINE: 14th September

Opinions expressed in Sauce are not necessarily those of the editor, publisher or staff. PAGE 4

Art of Fighting embarks on their nationwide “Mysteries” tour over September/October.

Budding Australian musicians need to get online to Musicoz and enter their tracks to be a part of the 7th annual Musicoz Awards. Artists who add their songs online will be judged by some of the music industry’s finest, including the major and independent record labels, booking agents, artist managers and record producers. Once tracks are uploaded to the site, artists and bands can get their friends and fans to vote online or SMS their favourite artists from one of the seventeen categories that include: pop, rock, alternative, metal/ hardcore, urban and acoustic/singer-songwriter. The Musicoz Awards are a haven for unsigned and independent artists, that provides successful entrants with endless opportunities and invaluable prizes to kick start their music career. www.musicoz.org

CD CASES TO BE MADE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company, is launching internationally a new range of catalogue albums by top artists in environmentally friendly packaging, known as Ecopac. It uses recycled and recyclable packaging materials. The midprice range includes titles by ABBA, Bon Jovi, David Bowie, Johnny Cash, Sheryl Crow, Marvin Gaye, The Cure, Melissa Etheridge, Johnny Hallyday, Jay-Z, Marilyn Manson, Santana, No Doubt and Paul Weller. The first releases will be available on August 27.

Our Own Youth Radio Station? To be a part of this, download and fill in the form giving us permission to use your music (www.sauce.net.au/saucefmpermissionform.pdf), and then post it to us with a CD of your best tunes.

Sauce FM is going online, soon to be streaming All music submitted must be an original composition, from www.sauce.net.au, and we need new music! made by the submitter, who must be a Tasmanian.

OUTTA SITE, MAN!

Journalist Chris Rattray

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

Tasmanian musicians, MCs and producers, would you like to help make a Tasmanian youth radio station, to be broadcast to the world?

Editor David Williams

twilson@sauce.net.au

That’s not to say we didn’t put as much effort into getting good takes on Second Storey, it’s more we realised the focus is on this record.

87.6Mhz WWW.

Sub Editor Tom Wilson

And Second Storey; I’ve read a comment I think, I’m not sure if you made it – I hope you made it – you wanted Runaways to be more “impulsive” than Second Storey… to what extent do you think it ended up like that? It definitely did, and it’s funny because the main thing with Runaways is it was definitely protracted and a lot more relaxed, so in some senses that’s not a situation that really brings about impulsive recording… but I think, given that we had more time to make the record and more time to get the original takes right we could really focus on the actual playing of us four together in one room as opposed to getting a take and then… like we did with Second Storey, we’d only get a couple of takes and then pick the best one and then spend aaaages in the studio layering it all up using various studio tricks to make it sound how we wanted, whereas with Runaways we wanted to make sure the playing was more at the front so we had to be a lot more impulsive as musicians and listen to each other a lot more and stuff like that.

Phone: 03 6331 0701 Advertising: advertising@sauce.net.au Editorial: editorial@sauce.net.au

david@sauce.net.au

UP! FESTIVAL CANCELLED Due to unforeseen circumstances, Frontier Touring regrets to inform that it has become necessary to reschedule the Up! Festival Tour for this September. All tickets are refundable at the original point of purchase. Michael Franti and Spearhead very much look forward to returning to Australia in 2008. News regarding upcoming Ben Lee headline tour dates will be announced shortly. Thanks to everyone who has dedicated their time to this exciting idea.

Hey what’s going on? Where are you hanging out? I’m in Copenhagen at the moment, actually.

Tell me about the gig in Paris; how did you get it, how did it go, how were the frogs? Being there was fantastic… how did it start… we got an email from – it translates as “Paris Summer Festival”… and we just got an email from them one day saying that they were putting on a stage, five nights of Australian bands as one of their interesting kind of things to do for a festival – they’d never done that before – I don’t think they’d had a week of Australian bands before… so they said they’d work in collaboration with the other Government in getting all the bands over there and that kind of thing, and we’re like, “Cool, yeah, sounds great!” It just went from there… they were an incredibly organised group of people and, when we went to the gig, very professional – it was really fun, yeah.

NEWS

.NET.AU

By the time you read this, the new SAUCE website should have been online for a few days now. You’ve undoubtedly made it your homepage, and check it hourly for updates to the new gig database, to hear audio and see video from your favourite local bands, or to browse the magazine archive. Understandably, you marvel at the site’s userfriendliness, clean layout, and professional design, while simultaneously wondering just how we managed to get it up as quickly as we did. You might not even be aware that there was a couple of days delay in its launch and probably aren’t fazed that the new host can handle all the bells and whistles you’re even now discovering on the site. In fact, you’re not even reading this, preferring instead to download mp3s to listen to as you dash off yet another email to some friend or other – “Hey, check out the SAUCE website, it’s actually pretty good!” And we promise, we will never tease you about your penis size, offer you Cialis or Levitra, or help you lose weight, fast… ever! All you need to know is that this is Stage One…

The 2nd Annual A to Z Of Tasmanian Original Music (2007)

PLEASE SEND US THE FOLLOWING: Band name: Genre: Influences: Location: Web/MySpace: Contact details (for publication) Contact details (for SAUCE use only) Members/roles: Bio (150 words max): Please also supply us with a pic of the To leave your mark and make yourselves band – 6cm x 4cm (300dpi jpeg) known to punters, promoters and venue owners, make sure you enter your band FIRST ENTRIES’ DEADLINE details for the second SAUCE A-to-Z of Artists & acts whose name starts Tasmanian Original Music, running in the with the letters A-to-K, the deadline next two editions. In addition to getting for submissions is 12th of September, your band listed in the public eye, you’ll 12pm. also be providing us with the means to get in contact with you for interviews, Email to: twilson@sauce.net.au reviews and a whole lot more.

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TECO MA

ROCK SALT

Security Scares And Home Brew – Have One For The Road By Tom Wilson Given that she was sitting in an airport after enduring nothing less than a full-on security scare, Amira Pyliotis – AKA Tecoma – was in the perfect position to chat to me about being called “post-trip hop” by the world’s most famous music magazine, her muchanticipated debut album Home Brew, and why she doesn’t wear the “solo artist” cap … not all the time, anyway. Where are you at the moment? In Canberra airport. We’re just… our flight was delayed for about three hours, so we’ve just got off the plane and got our stuff and [we’re] just sitting here with our gear!

Your manager was saying there was some kind of security thing – what was going on there? Basically, they emptied out the whole like… we were sitting in the airplane waiting to take off and then they just said that the whole terminal had to be emptied [Laughs]. And so everyone had to get out of all the planes and go through the… like someone had got through security and they had to go get everyone out of the terminal and search the whole terminal and shut down the shops and go through all the shops because someone had got through with something – I don’t know what it was – and then everyone had to wait for security to finish doing that, and then security went and x-rayed all the people and all our stuff again. So, yeah – that was that. It’s a scary world… Yeah… I wasn’t scared, you know. Stuff like that… maybe it was John Howard, like maybe there were some people who were gonna go up to Canberra and vote on that Senate Bill; maybe plan the whole thing… I’m just joking!

You’re releasing Home Brew in September… Yeah! …What sets the tracks on this release apart from, say, a track like Air To Me? I reckon, probably, Air To Me is the most produced track on the record and the other stuff is a lot more acoustic and less programming and a lot more relying on just more the story of the song, and some of the bloody awesome session musicians I’ve got playing on those tracks. You perform both solo and with an ensemble – ultimately, which do you prefer and why? I reckon there’s something… they’ve both got really good things about them. I mean, I’m just sitting here at the moment and we’ve got about… gosh… eighty kilos of gear… all these boxes and all these wires, you know, to pull this technological stuff off that we’re doing on this tour. And I think, on a level, that makes the music richer, playing with other people and having these other aspects; it’s just… you know, there’s so much time spent lugging shit around and… with the logistical plan there’s something

so beautiful and simple about just… like my first couple of tours solo, just putting the guitars in the car and just rolling up in a town and travelling around by yourself, you know, to all these new places… and having nothing [but] your guitar to define you and the fact that you’re there to sing your songs; there’s something that’s really immediate and fantastic about that, and kinda like there’s nothing to hide behind when you’re playing solo and also travelling solo’s kinda like… I think the relationship you form both with an audience and with the people that you meet… you know like, when you’re travelling with people you tend to stick in your group a bit more, but when you’re travelling by yourself… I don’t know, you meet more of the people, you get under the skin of a place… like I’ve had a few scary and crap experiences travelling around by myself, but I’ve had some amazing adventures… when you’re with a group also, it seems a bit… cushioned, for better and worse… Tecoma play Hobart’s Republic Bar on the 12th of September. Listen to the rest of Tecoma’s amazing adventures at www.sauce.net.au

So, Rolling Stone called you “post trip-hop” – what do you think they meant by this? I don’t know! Like, I know what trip-hop is, like Massive Attack and stuff like that, and so I guess “post” is what came after Massive Attack and… I don’t know, but I reckon that if Rolling Stone said it then it must be cool – that’s all right! I guess that’s a comment on the use of programs… the marriage [with] the acoustic thing…

I’ve had a few scary and crap experiences

Separating into different rooms, they each had their own private recording studio in miniature, working on tracks solo before bringing them together for the Evermore polish.

Evermore play Hobart’s Wrestpoint Entertainment Centre on the 21st of September, and Launceston’s Saloon on the 22nd.

T HE GUITAR EX P O 2007 Here’s your chance to win a Maton guitar - Yep that’s right!

S YDNEY CI T Y T R A S H

Get along to The Guitar Expo 2007 held in Devonport on Sunday 21st October and you’re in the draw.

As Trashy As It Gets By Tom Wilson

ROCK SALT

The writing and initial recording took place in the isolation of their Central Coast abode, an isolation the boys were not only used to, but actively encouraged.

“We’re the kind of band that is going to change with every record,” adds Jon. “We will always sound like us, but we’ll utilise our strengths as three writers.”

A lot of your music has a very cool kind of groove – what’s your favourite way to chill out? Yeah, well… gosh… definitely gotta be with my friends and if there’s music there somewhere, like at a festival – festivals are the best for me… the best way to chill out.

Touring Tasmania very soon, Sydney City Trash’s fiddle player, Jim Bones, caught up with me to speak about such controversial matters as the band’s dislike of well-known country artists, as well as what they might be getting up to when they reach our island… What stage are you guys at with your forthcoming album, Convict Cuntry? We have written most of the material for the album – just a matter of a bit of spit and polish now.

Definitely. Far too many bands and musicians emulate the American style, particularly the American accent. This trend is probably most evident in the Australian country music scene. We should be singing with our own voices, about issues that are relevant to us, not trying to sound like the latest fad in Nashville and singing about Tuscaloosa bars that we have never been to.

What’s the difference between “country music” and “Cuntry music”? I’d say that for us cunt-ry music is country without all the posturing, right-wing politics, sentimentality, and general arse-licking that characterizes the country music genre both in Australia and in the States. We invented Cuntry music in response to what we saw as a bastardisation of country music and took our cues from outlaw country music singers like David Allan Coe, Waylon Jennings and Hank III. It’s Country with its balls and fuckin’ heart back.

SCT is clearly influenced by a broad range of styles and genres. How far do your influences spread, in terms of genre diversity? All of us have varying musical tastes. When I joined SCT I was playing in a black metal band called Punisher and was mostly listening to metal, although I’ve always loved Aussie bush music and outlaw country. Mitch, Pig and Paddy came from a more punk background and Gus was mostly into folk music and stuff

The three Hume brothers of Evermore have come a long way since the release of their debut album Dreams. With over three hundred live shows, an MTV Award, a NZ Music Award, the APRA Silver Scroll, five ARIA nominations, and a platinum record plaque on the wall of their home studio, it’s a far cry from their humble and rain-drenched beginnings in rural New Zealand, and it all culminates in their new album, Real Life.

Keeping true to their rural roots, they recorded in the oldest studio still operating in the US, Longview Farm. Artists such as Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith have all frozen their butts off there in the past.

special airplane…

Your most recent release featured contributions by Roaring Jack frontman Alastair Hulette, as well as John Schumann from Redgum. What was it like working with these guys? Alastair is a fuckin’ legend. We contacted him initially about doing a Roaring Jack cover – we wanted to make sure he was ok with us ripping off The Day The Boys Came Down, which is a classic song. It turned out that his Australian tour coincided with our recording sessions so we asked him if he wanted to co-sing the song with Mitch. I reckon he was dubious at first but once he heard our shit and hung out with us for a while he really got into SCT and was keen to do more songs with us. We had a week to learn eight songs, and I’ve gotta say that he has more energy than us combined – we’d jam for an hour and we would be pushing for a smoke-o and Alistair would just want to keep playing. In the end we got it nailed and we ended up doing a show of Roaring Jack numbers with him. That has to be one of my own personal highlights – it was a fuckin’ awesome to be Roaring Jack for a day. As far as John Schuman goes we didn’t work with him as such – we sent him a copy of the album before it was released, and said that if he had anything to say about it to let us know. He liked the songs so we asked him to write a foreword for the album, which he did. All of us are massive Redgum fans so it was cool to have John write something about us for the album. Maybe we will work with him on something for the new slab… We’ll see.

What happens when dreams become real life?

After two months in the warm environs of the Australian summer, they leapt into the freezing winter of inland Massachusetts, USA. Actually, the term “freezing” is an understatement – we’re talking temperatures of minus25 degrees and below.

Or maybe John Howard was getting on the plane and everyone thought, “Oh shit, there’s a threat to national security…” Yeah, maybe! Maybe! I don’t know that he’d be travelling with the hoi-polloi to be honest – he’d have his own

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EVERM ORE

From what I’ve read online, you’re a huge fan of Lee Kernaghan (sic). What is it about him that inspires you all so much? Well Mitch is the one with the problem with Lee so you’d best ask him. All I can say is that he is guilty of all the aforementioned crimes of singin’ like a Yank and dressing up like a fucking oil tycoon. He also did an ad for Macca’s at one stage. Wanker.

We are giving away this awesome lucky door prize: Maton M225 acoustic guitar worth $899.00. The 225 Series combines superior quality and playability. Featuring a solid spruce top, Queensland maple back and sides, the 225 is an astounding choice for any musician serious about tone. Go to www.guitarexpo.com.au for more details on the expo. Now taking entries in The Guitar Fight Club competition, big prizes up for grabs, details on web site, check it out and sign up online! Are you ready to fight!? All this and also featuring live performances from internationally recognized guitarist Brett Garsed, Melbourne guitar wizard James Ryan, Digitech/Roland demos with Dale Keating (21 Summers) and Line 6 Demos with international touring artist member Steve Mackey. See you there!

How would you describe SCT’s live show? You get drunk. We get drunker. We all have a fucking good time and go home with new and exciting ideas about how to bring down the state. And maybe off a few right-wing radio personalities while we’re at it (I’m looking at you Alan Jones.)

like the Pixies and Sonic Youth. Our newest recruit on the drums, Ozzie brings a strong Irish feel to SCT. It all influences what we do I s’pose. The sound of SCT is particularly unique. To what extent has this been a curse as well as a blessing? Have you found the band to be too left field for some people’s tastes? Well doing something different always has its drawbacks, as people find it hard to fit you into a category that they feel comfortable with. We weren’t sure how we’d be received at first but we tend to draw a pretty diverse crowd. Punks, ferals, metalheads and middle class mums all make up SCT fans. As far as our politics goes we have definitely felt the drawbacks. We can’t get a gig in Tamworth (half the band’s home town) because we upset the blue ribbon fuck-heads who own the pubs and book the shows. Airplay can be hard to come by too cause presenters don’t have the balls to play music that takes an oppositional stance to the status quo. I s’pose that’s what happens when you write songs about putting a bullet between the eyebrows of our Prime Minister. We aren’t going to change for anyone. What stands out about you guys is your focus on Australian subject matter. In other words, a deaf guy could tell you’re an Aussie band, and that seems rare in our music scene these days. Has this always been an objective for you guys?

… I s’pose that’s what happens when you write songs about putting a bullet between the eyebrows of our Prime Minister… You’re playing in Tassie this month. What experience have you had playing down here? We absolutely love coming to Tassie. Last time we were down on the Apple Isle I ended up on stage at some hippy festival in the bush singing Drunken Sailor to a few hundred unimpressed punters. Needless to say I had fun. For us it’s a holiday and a chance to get on the piss with all our Van Demonian, prawnheaded mates – and play to some of the most energetic crowds we have seen. Tassie – get fuckin’ ready cause we are gonna drink you dry … Sydney City Trash play Hobart’s Brisbane Hotel on the 15th of September.

GUITAR SHOWN IS NOT ACTUAL PRIZE

RED RI VA L

ROCK SALT

Hobart Three-Piece To Be Up All Night

By Carole Whitehead After they released their latest EP Up All Night a few months back, two things happened for Hobart three-piece Red Rival. Firstly, they were called “communist spies” in our magazine in a joke people took way too seriously, and they toured their arses off on both sides of Bass Strait. Brad Nowland laid down his bass for a moment to speak with Carole Whitehead ahead of some shows later this month. What have you been up to of late – yourself, and as a band? Well Carole, I’ve been busy doing a bit of traveling. Red Rival had been playing a lot following the launch of the Up All Night EP, and so we decided to take a few weeks off before we get stuck into it again for the summer.

How far have you come musically since your very first gig, and how did your first gig go? I’d say that right now, musically, we’re infinitely better than we were in April last year when we started. The first gig had a lot of enthusiasm, but we were still coming to grips with what we wanted to sound like, and what sort of songs we were going to focus on.

Your video seems to have disappeared from your Myspace page. What happened to it? What did it originally show? Carole, I hate computers. It’s supposed to be a clip of us tearing the place apart at the Rocket Room in Perth, but due to my technological ineptitude I can’t work out how to get the clip to work. In one of your blogs you have a notice that says not to take slippers on tour, as it’s a $250 fine. What happened? Inexplicably, our guitarist/singer/angel of death Mike took a pair of slippers on tour. I guess the man just likes to feel comfortable. Sadly, during the post-gig chaos in the hotel room, someone threw up into the slippers. We’re not sure if the person who threw up in them was trying to make a statement, or was just particularly bad at choosing the direction of his spray. Either way, the slippers didn’t last 24 hours on tour. The $250 fine is a reference to the amount of money per indiscretion the hotel proprietors threatened to fine us for our rockin’ ways.

meant I was a bit useless. The gig itself went really well though. The atmosphere was really enjoyable. Just being able to play at a gig like that is pretty special. The challenge with gigs like that is getting the gig in the first place, and then taking care of logistics. Once I’m on stage, I can relax, and it’s a lot of fun.

...the hotel proprietors threatened to fine us for our rockin’ ways.

How do you like the finished product of the EP? TSOMM have remixed your song Up All Night. How much do you like the remix? The EP was something we had to do. We needed to get something out there so that we could move on and focus on touring and just playing and writing. I’m glad we did the EP, though, and I think that Linc le Fevre did a bang-up job recording, producing and mixing the thing. The TSOMM remix is a ripper. I hope we get a chance to have more of our songs remixed. Maybe on the next album. Red Rival play Launceston’s Saloon on the 15th of September, and Hobart’s Brisbane Hotel on the 21st.

I noticed that you have a few upcoming shows in Melbourne, but they are as yet not announced where they’ll be. Can you give us a preview of where you hope to be playing? The Slaughterhouse 5 from Perth are touring in November, and we’re joining them for the Melbourne gigs. Early next year, we’ll be doing a few gigs with The 45s, who incidentally are also from Perth. I put the TBA next to all the dates on the MySpace as a bit of a reminder to myself to book the venues. And how do the Tasmanian audiences react to your shows? When has a crowd got into your music the most? Well Carole, the Tasmanian crowds react with a great deal of pride at the whole Tasmanian-ness of it all. At the EP launch in June, there were a few people in the front row that I’d never seen before who seemed to know the words to a few of the songs. The EP launch in general was a pretty good gig. Everything sounded great, I remembered how the songs went for once, and everyone there was really into it. How was the whole ‘Falls’ experience for you personally? Were you really nervous beforehand? How challenging was it? Falls was a bit stressful for me. I was nursing a broken jaw, which

HYDRA HEADS

THE BEASTS OF HOBART ROCK INVADE LAUNCESTON

The Scientists of Modern Music On the heels of their brand new EP, it’s clear as black and white that The Scientists of Modern Music are quickly cementing their reputation as one of Tasmania’s foremost bands. You’d better catch these guys as soon as you can because they’re sure to be lured by the fame, stardom, hookers, and cocaine that only music this good can bring. Enola Fall Self-styled indie ninjas, Enola Fall brings the rock component of the night to the fore. Already a presence on the international stage, they’ll be sure to win new friends with their formidable, intense live performance. Their use of nontraditional instruments such as mandolin, double bass and baritone guitar ensures they’ll leave a lasting impression on Lonnie listeners. Red Rival If you weren’t already invested in a big night, then Red Rival’s guaranteed to give you that extra kick to keep you up all night. This three-piece may be light on members, but they’re big on sound – a sound that is already capturing the attention of national and international radio and audiences alike. The Cityscape Riot Rounding off the lineup is electronica-pop two-piece, The Cityscape Riot. Formed in February this year, their combination of organic instrumentation and electronic stylings ensure that the path forged by TSOMM is becoming more frequently travelled – but they’re no mere imitation. Truly beastly and totally rock, Hydra Heads is not to be missed. The Saloon Bar, September 15 PAGE 7

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By Chris Rattray In the mercilessly hard-rocking world of indiefolk-pop-rock, none are more hard, nor so bed-wettingly merciless as Sam (J) Nicholson. What makes Sam harder than anyone in his field, aside from his masterful command of that six-stringed Weapon of Mass Distraction, the acoustic guitar, is that his grandfather was Jack Nicholson. This very fact alone gives Sam the extra initial he needs to make it in the mean fields of folk… So what can we expect from your new EP? It’s called Small Town Bankrobbers. There’s a picture of Kempton on the front. I guess there’s five songs involving stolen washing, cats, bank robbers stuck at traffic lights, blowing up letterboxes, and almost moving to Melbourne. It ain’t no concept album but, for some reason, the record deals with love and criminal activity in the small town that is Hobart. I’ve only dabbled in the former. How do you balance Uni life with that of the life of an itinerant minstrel? All my recent songs were written as a means of putting off assignments, so it’s working okay. I haven’t really done the itinerant minstrel thing yet, apart from a trip to Melbourne with Viva Computer. There was a MySpace-organised gig by a pop collective, Albert’s Basement, which took place under a tree on busy Lygon St. That was pretty much the most fun solo gig I’ve had; thirty people huddled in close to hear over the traffic. One guy handed out bits of percussion for everybody. Next year I’m looking to travel a bit further to China. I’d really like to check out what “pop” means in that part of the world.

…soft folk pop don’t hurt nobody unless they stray into adult contemporary territory and shatter people’s lives with cheap emotion… How is life getting strange for you in Hobart? It ain’t strange but it’s been a bit busy getting the EP done and getting ready for the indie pop event, Poptimism, at The Loft. There’ll be myself, Anthony Rochester, Andy Brazendale, and the Melbourne ex-pat, Joe Foley (AKA Extreme Wheeze). You should MySpace them ‘cos they’re all really original local pop of different colours and flavours. The night will double as my EP launch. In relation to your name, is it Samuel, Sampson, or Samantha - and what does the J stand for? I wish it were Sampson, or Samwise even, but it’s a little too late. My former girlfriend’s Mum told me, in a well-meaning way after a gig, [that] she liked the music but my name was kind of boring. Taking a leaf out of Samuel L. Jackson’s book I thought the pretentious solution was to add in the initial. My grandpa was Jack Nicholson, seriously. I might yet change my name to Robert Zimmerman. How did you come up with such a unique name for your band? I don’t have a band but I’d kinda like to. The opportunity to put drums on my EP and then get carried away with keys and getting in horns and strings means I really want to try something new live. Anneliese, who played viola on the record, played a gig with me a week ago at the Republic and the sound of her playing makes me like all my songs again. It worked well so we want to try that for a bit, perhaps both using looping pedals to make it more “Sonic the Hedgehog”... The thought of getting a really different collection of instruments together is inviting, especially a friend on French horn and, perhaps, organ and accordion [with] elements of electronica. If anyone’s interested I am too. PAGE 8

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107 Brisbane St. Launceston. www.lonniesniteclub.com www.myspace.com/lonniesniteclub info@lonniesniteclub.com (03) 6334 7889 Indie/Pop/Folk doyen, Josh Rouse, said in 2006, “I get tired of the kind of thing that I do. There are so many people doing it now. You go to an indie record stop, and there’s all this folk-pop that’s kind of light.” How do you feel about this? That’s a whiny thing to say. Surely, soft folk pop don’t hurt nobody unless they stray into adult contemporary territory and shatter people’s lives with cheap emotion. There is a feeling of if what you’re saying isn’t lyrically or musically slightly new then why not just listen to what’s already out there? I think the curse of the singer-songwriter is that you can just ignore that section of the music store thinking they just go, “here’s one about my recent breakup.” In reference to the song “Letterboxes” featured on your MySpace page, why is this town too small for blowing up letterboxes? I’ve never gotten to the bottom of the truth but I’ve been told my Dad may, or may not, have blown up letterboxes in his youth. It’s still a cold case but I stand by his story. It made me think about things that in a way I’d like to do but there’s an element of small town fear that you’d be found out ‘cos you’d accidentally do it to your Mums Niece’s old babysitter and word would get around. Sam Nicholson launches his new EP, Small Town Bankrobbers, at The Loft in Hobart on September 7 and will appear alongside Charles Du Cane in Burnie at The Stagedoor Café on September 22. http://myspace.com/samjnicholson

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TH E DRO NE S

The Story Of The Hate Mascot

By Chris Rattray

ROCK SALT

After touring Europe, you’d have to forgive The Drones’ Dan Luscombe for just wanting to settle down back in Melbourne with a nice, hot Lemsip to soothe his addled vocal chords. But it’s any wonder the band made it back at all, what with travelling around in a peanut-sized van with a tour manager as incompetent as the waiter from Fawlty Towers… So where are you? I’m just in Melbourne. I’m drinking Lemsip … a lot of Lemsip. I’ve got a cold! [Laughs] Oh, no … Yes … We just got back about two weeks ago from four months of touring in summer, and now my body’s not coping with this winter bullshit!

It’s a good idea. If there’s any band out there who’s thinking of doing a long tour, I can highly recommend bringing along someone that you loathe; give them some kind of task, but the most important thing is just making sure they’re there the whole time. Every band needs one! Every band needs a hate mascot! Yeah! [Laughs] They really do work!

Was that in Europe or America? That was in Europe, Scandinavia, and then England.

Gala Mill was made down here in Tassie. Why was that? What drew you to make an album here? Well, essentially … we played at the Falls Festival a couple of years ago, but not in this band; Gareth and I were playing with Dan Kelly and his band at the time. A whole bunch of us came down and spent a week just traveling around Tasmania. And Mike, obviously, is from Tasmania – the drummer. We all really love Tassie; there’s a real other-worldliness to it, I guess. It’s a spooky place. It’s a very pretty place. And Mike heard of this property out in Cranbrook. There was no recording studio there; it was a disused mill. So we just took everything down in a van, set up … I guess it was just a novelty, but it turned out to be a really great idea. It’s always a good idea if you can get some sort of seclusion when you’re making your record, you know? [You] make that the only thing that’s on your mind.

Beautiful! What sort of hijinks did you get up to over there? Oh, well … we got robbed! We got mugged … Mike, the drummer and I got mugged. What else? We traveled 26,000 kilometers by road in a van the size of a peanut! But we did have good shows, essentially. And we didn’t kill each other, which is the best bit.

And a lot of the songs on the album deal with Australian history, particularly things that occurred in Tasmania too, so it seemed kind of appropriate.

That’s handy. We still love each other, which is amazing.

Sort of the nexus of that historical focus, in a way? Yeah, exactly … If you really want to get deep into [the songs] – particularly those songs – I couldn’t think of a better environment, you know?

I was going to ask – how do you keep the friendships alive when cooped-up in a traveling peanut? Um … well, the trick is to have a detestable tour manager, which we did. We had a chap from the north of Spain, who drove us all around Europe … and insane. He couldn’t read a map! He’d never tour-managed before. He had strange ways; strange, infuriating ways. Can you give an example? Well, he’d just do things like forget to book ferry tickets and stuff, you know? We had to cancel a couple of shows, because he simply didn’t get us to them! [Laughs] He had one of those GPS devices … I don’t know what kind of setting he had on it, but it was taking us through these tiny villages, when we should have been on highways! And whenever he’d leave the band, we’d try to correct it, but it was all in Spanish – we couldn’t do it. Yeah, he was an odd guy – kind of dim. And we were stuck with him for four months. And because we had a common enemy, we all got along great! We’re going to take him on the next tour!

So you’re just about to start touring again – how are you preparing for this one? Are you going to find another hate mascot? Nah … [Laughs] We’re going to have to, you know, just get along! Luckily it’s not anywhere near as long as that tour – it’s just a quick whip-around the major cities. And then we’re off to America; America and Canada, for about a month and a half.

Seeing as the album was made here, how is the Hobart show going to be? Is it going to be a bit more special than your normal shows? [Laughs] We try to make every show a bit more special than the last one, and Hobart will be no exception. We’re going to be playing with some friends of ours – a band called Que …

We traveled 26,000 kilometers by road in a van the size of a peanut!

Yeah, and the Republic’s always really good and nice. They always look after us. We’ve had some great nights there. Last time we were there … we had a great night … so hopefully we can repeat it. We get pretty noisy in the Republic, though – that’s the only thing! Listen to The Drones get noisy at Hobart’s Republic Bar on October 6th. Listen to the full interview, where Dan Luscombe reveals the top three songs that scared him as a kid, at www.sauce.net.au

Uniting against a common enemy will bring people together.

JOS H RO US E

Sounding Good In The Video Age ROCK SALT

By Chris Rattray 70s nostalgia is alive and well in the Josh Rouse (it rhymes with mouse) camp, but for an era when quality was abundant, nostalgia’s treasures make up for any dreamy-eyed wistfulness. With the release of his new album, Country Mouse City House, Josh continues to buck the 21 st century paradigm of “if it looks good, it must be good,” as I found out… Where am I talking to you today? I’m in Brooklyn, New York.

How is it there [in the] the City of Dreams? Yeah, it’s nice, actually! Weather’s pretty nice today, you know. All the tourists have left… well, a lot of people left during August so I have the city to myself. It’s nice, yeah. A bit like Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky! Well… yeah! How was it contributing a song to the soundtrack of Vanilla Sky? Well it was great, it was a lot of fun, I got to go to the premiere, you know, and see a bunch of movie stars. And… good! It exposed my music to more people. It’s been good. Yeah, that was really nice. And how did it feel hearing your music in that film while you watched it? It was pretty cool, because the first time I saw it I was actually in a movie theatre with Tom Cruise and yeah, everyone that was, like, in the movie was at the premiere, so… It felt pretty good! Yeah, I mean, you know, at that time I think I was like twenty… how old was I then? I was like twenty-eight years old, so, you know, and just kind of starting out in the music business. So you know, I thought it was a big deal. At the time. [Laughs] So you’ve got kind of used to that sort of thing now? Well, I don’t know, I mean I’m not going to premieres, you know, I mean, all the time. Every once in a while I get a song in a movie. But, yeah, I guess it’s kinda like anything, you get used to it you know? Yep. Just becomes part of the job. Well, Yeah. Josh, let’s go back into the past a couple of years, in 2006 you said in an interview, “I get tired of the kind of thing that I do, there’s so many people doing it. Now, you go to an Indie records shop and there’s all this folkpop that’s kind of light.” How do you feel in relation to that quote now? Ah well I think it still holds true, right? In what way? I mean it’s still pretty popular, you know? There’s a lot of people doing it, you know? I mean, in ’98 there was a few people doing it. I mean, I haven’t invented it or anything. And I remember when I started I got a lot of criticism for it, being PAGE 10

kind of mellooow, you know… And now… a lot of people [are] doing that kind of stuff, it’s just a bit more accepted. Which is great! I’m not trying to… that just happens sometimes within music, within cultures of music, and everyone kinda gets into that sort of thing and suddenly everyone’s releasing these kinda mellow folk-pop records… that are kind of, they have a dreamy atmosphere. I’m sure I won’t be the last. I guess it’s all a matter of context. Wouldn’t you agree? Well, yeah, exactly. Everyone’s kinda got their own… their own little thing. I think it’s great. Well, your little thing is your style, and your inspiration you draw from the 70s. But it’s 21st Century technology that has enabled you to sorta strike out on your own, via your independent label. How do you think you would have gone if you were actually in the 70s? I’d probably be buddies with David Geffen. So you’d be working the old school network? Well, that’s what it was, really. Well, you’re on a major label, doing, you know... If you were a good songwriter that’s the most important thing, I guess. I don’t think it was so much emphasis based on a kind of a style, or you know, marketing, the looks of the band… It was more about attitude. If it sounded good, it was good. You know what I’m saying? You can’t… I mean, the video age - that kinda went out the door. [Laughs] Definitely it was a different time, if you had the melodies, and songs, I think… you were gonna have a pretty good little fan base! Yep, well that’s an interesting insight, and it really keys into the “video killed the radio star” sort of comment made in the early 80s. To what extent do you agree with that? Well, it’s true! You know, I mean, there’s a funny story about Kris Kristofferson - the video age, it killed him, basically. It ruined well, you know at that point it ruined his career cause he was kinda overweight; kinda balding dude, you know. He wasn’t like, a real outgoing performer, but people just loved… his recordings! I think he made a video or appeared on some kind of awards show and it just really… hurt him! Well, that’s what they say. Perhaps if they’d handed out blindfolds at his gigs he would’ve lasted a little longer! [Laughs] Yeah, yeah. To listen to the full interview, go to www.sauce.net.au http://www.joshrouse.com/

It was more about attitude. If it sounded good, it was good…

Friday 11th JAN 2008 @ Saloon Bar (LTN) Saturday 12th JAN 2008 @The Loft (HBT)

THE LOFT upcoming GIGS 7 Sep 2007 7:00 PM APL TEXAS HOLDEM REGIONAL FINAL 7 Sep 2007 8:00 PM ANTHONY ROCHESTER GIG +SUPPORTS 8 Sep 2007 7:00 PM THE SHITKICKS EP LAUNCH (ALL/AGES) 28 Sep 2007 8:00 PM THE STILLSONS +SUPPORTS 30 Sep 2007 3:00 PM DEAD LETTER CIRCUS +SUPPORTS 5 Oct 2007 7:00 PM GRAND OPENING OF THE TEXAS HOLDEM CLUB 6 Oct 2007 8:00 PM NICK AND PAULS SMASH IT UP BIRTHDAY PARTY WEEKEND

venue HIRE 20 Oct 2007 7:00 PM PLOT THEATRE NIGHT OF NIGHTS 20 Oct 2007 8:00 PM T.U.B.S. VS DJ PHEXTA 31 Oct 2007 9:00 PM AMY’S 23RD BIRTHDAY PARTY 3 Nov 2007 8:00 PM THE BEDROOM PHILOSOPHER (18+) +LOCAL SUPPORTS 4 Nov 2007 2:00PM THE BEDROOM PHILOSOPHER (ALL/AGES) +SPECIAL GUESTS 9 Nov 2007 8:00 PM JUSTIN CARTER 23 Nov 2007 8:00 PM CARLOS AND CRISPYS BIRTHDAY SMASH IT UP PARTY

HIRE THE LOFT 4 FREE 4 18TH & 21ST BIRTHDAY PARTIES PAGE 11

Defending The Earth From Martian Killing Machines, One Album At A Time

Local Talent Time

By Dave Williams There’s no denying the power of the Australian Idol machine – or the fickle tastes of the Australian public. In the battle between the flavour savour and the afro, the Australian public voted some Guy as their Australian Idol back in 2003 - but it’s the Noll’s career that has taken off since that 2003 defeat. With a new album due for release and getting ready to tread Australian stages as Parson Nathaniel in a liveaction version of Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds, we found that it takes someone as down-to-earth as Shannon to deal with a stratospheric rise to fame…

Hey, how are you going Shannon? G’day mate, how are you going? Yeah, really good. How are you feeling about life at the moment? Yeah, mate! I’m anxious and excited, and all of that sort of thing at the same time. Yeah? Why’s that? Oh, I think, you know, you can never really tell what the Australian public’s gonna think of your work. So, you know, even though you can have faith in it and believe in it, it doesn’t really translate until you find out, you know?

touring network. Now that’s two names, or two terms I wouldn’t have thought to have in the same sentence, would be “Shannon Noll “and “organic”. I know! I know, me either! [Laughs] Well we’re trying to not make it like a polished, you know, shiny sort of album… or performance. We just try to get it in there and make it a bit rawer, so there’s not as much effects on it, and… not much production on it, and that sort of thing. So the music can sort of speak for itself.

Hmm… And you just got back from the States, didn’t you? Yeah, yeah I’ve been spendin’ a bit of time over there this year.

Cool. And you’re going around the country with War of the Worlds at the moment, aren’t you? Yeah, mate! We do that at the start of September, I’m really looking forward to it actually! It’ll be a bit of a challenge. But I’m looking forward to it just the same.

What have you been doing over there? Oh, I went over there for a six week writing trip at the start of the year, and then came back, cause I wrote forty-odd songs between here and the States, and then we chose the songs, and then went into the pre-production and then we went back over to record the album.

Did you get into the record when you were a kid? Mate, where I sorta grew up, we were lucky to have AM radios or things. So we didn’t get the opportunity to get a great deal of new releases or that sort of thing. But I remember the War of the Worlds original radio broadcast. I mean, I remember hearing about it. [Laughs]

And what about making contacts with labels and all those sorts of industry types over there and turning you into this huge star in the States. How are things going with that? [Laughs] Mate, at the moment you know, we’re just [making] Australia the priority, and it always will be, to try and make sure it works here, you know; If the opportunity come ‘round, I worked with some really good people. I worked with Richie Sambora and Richard Marks and some big names over there, so…

[Laughs] Time warped. No, you’re right, it was out in 1895 or something. So it was a while ago.

Wow! Yeah, so Richie and I wrote a song, and we put it on the album, and he came in to play guitar and that on it, so that was awesome - really nice of him. Don’t suppose you got to hang out with Heather Locklear at all did you? Yeah, no, I didn’t get to meet her. It’s funny the divorce [was] just going through when we [were] doing the writing. He wasn’t feeling very good about women at the time.

Yeah. Yeah, It was a big thing for me as a kid, yeah. But I was spun out when I saw the re-release on CD, and yeah, it’s great! Good on ya! Yeah, it should be really fun. Jeff Wayne, just a great guy to work with, and Justin Heyward and all that are involved again. Pink Floyd’s lighting guys are doing it so it should be a lotta fun! To hear the full interview, go to www.sauce.net.au Shannon can be seen all over Australia in Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds from September onwards, and his new album, Turn it Up, is released on September 15.

Yeah, yeah, unfair. But yeah, I mean, it’s just a matter of trying to make it work here, and having you know, trying to make it… successful here, and then we’ll worry about other stuff later on.

FEATURE

FA L L S F E S T I VAL

Calling all Tasmanian musos, it’s time to get up and show your musical prowess. Tassie is full of an array of musical genius hiding in the mountains, by the sea and in the cities…this is your opportunity to jump onstage and see your name up in lights at this year’s Falls Festival, Marion Bay. The organisers want you to perform at the event, alongside national and international superstars and gain some valuable experience at a rather big gig. If you would like the opportunity to deliver some fine original tunes to thousands of appreciative fans, The Falls Festival wants to hear from YOU.

The Falls Festival is currently calling for submissions from Tasmanian based acts for their chance to be included in this year’s exciting line-up, held over the 30th and 31st of December in Marion Bay, Tasmania. To be part of the selection process, send your contact details, bio and most recently recorded material by Sept 18th to The Falls Festival Tasmania Selections, C/O Copping Post Office, Copping, TAS 7174. If you made an unsuccessful submission last year, please re-apply. A shortlist of performers will be invited to be part of a live event in Hobart (Oct 4th) or Launceston (Oct 5th). Acts will be selected from these showcase events to perform at The Falls Festival’s spectacular Marion Bay. Those that are successful will join the already billed.... exceptional musical prowess of the Nashville-inhabitants KINGS OF LEON (USA); clever electro-pop-funk fusion duo GROOVE ARMADA (UK); prolific songwriter and storyteller

From A Shed To A Stage Near You By Dave Williams They say from little things, big things grow. No more does this hold true for WA-based duo, Gigantic, whose power-pop stylings are garnering them much-deserved international recognition. We caught up with the band at the start of something big; on the eve of their national tour… So whereabouts are you today? Oh, I am at the office, at work [Laughs] – day job time. And what has Gigantic been doing lately? Just really playing lots of shows, in support of our album here in Australia. And also, I guess, starting to let people overseas know about our album …

Our single will be released shortly in the US, and we’re going over for about five weeks worth of touring. Well, early next year I’m going – in September I’m actually going on a bit of a promotional tour, and having a holiday as well! [It’s] set up by a record label over there in Barcelona; we’re signed to a label called “Bip Bip” Records. How did that deal come about? We’ve been lucky enough, just over the last sort of few years, to have a song included on international – I guess – power-pop-type compilations, so we’ve sort of slowly built a little bit of a … I guess a reputation overseas, and in particular around Europe. And our subsequent EP, which was put out by our Australian label, Pop Boomerang Records, was sent out with a stack of copies to different people who they thought would like our music, and we got a good response from that. And from what we hear, it gets played all around the place.

What’s this next release say about you in terms of evolution, growth, as an artist? You know, have you got any better? Yeah! I hope so mate! The people I’ve written with on this writing trip that I went on eighteen months ago or something said that I’m a much better writer than I was. And the style, it’s a bit more rocky… a bit more guitar orientated, organic and sort of edgy. It’s a bit more of a live sort of sound, you know? We use more live players in the studio, and so it’s a bit more something that we can create on tour, because we’re such a live based

… you can never really tell what the Australian public’s gonna think of your work…

…it was sort of finished off, I guess, [in] various lounge rooms and living rooms… And so, when it came time for the album being finished, and recorded, we sent out a few copies to people who had expr expressed an interest, or people we thought might like the albu album. And we were lucky enough to have a couple of offers com come in from Spain, and we really liked the vibe we were gett getting from this label in Barcelona called Bip Bip, who we’d prev previously spoken to before. But we had knowledge of the labe label and so forth, and so far it’s going really well. The language factor’s been a bit of a barrier, because the A&R guy doesn’t speak English very well, and all the email will have to be translated [Laughs]. And most of the interviews so far have been done on email, so it’s hard to sort of know what people are asking sometimes in the translation process. But that’s made it quite fun and exciting for us, I think, to have our music come out in a place that … their first language really isn’t English. And even better still, we can’t wait to get over there and play some shows. We’re also going to play in Paris, Amsterdam and London, and Stockholm [it] looks like as well, and then we’re shooting across to the States for a stack of dates there, and then through to Tokyo! We’re really looking forward to that. It’s all huge, then! Yeah! I mean, we’ve never … other than New Zealand, we’ve never toured overseas. It’s something that we’re pretty excited about. But we’re also very excited about going back to Hobart, because we’ve only played there once before, and we had a great time. I think it’s the only place on the tour that we’re playing a couple of shows – we’re doing an all-ages show, as well as a licensed show, and we love playing those all-ages shows – they’re always a hell of lot of fun. The band – that is, at its core – [is] just two guys; you and your brother. How do you guys truly represent the name “Gigantic”?

PAGE 12

PAUL KELLY; the raucous renditions of dirt and grit, bluesyrock’n’soul trio BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB (USA); local electro-dance heroes MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS; the folk-swaggering, guitar-playing, harmonica-tootin’ goodness of Australian clan THE WAIFS; the dark-pop meanderings of GOTYE; Indie-Idaho melody-makers, the great BUILT TO SPILL (USA); intimately introverted genuine solo troubadour, Argentinean-Swede JOSE GONZALEZ (Sweden); the 6-strong Brighton-brigade of comic-like enthusiasm and pop-to-trot tunes, THE GO! TEAM (UK); hip hop maestros BLACKALICIOUS (USA); the long awaited return of edgyblues-rock sons, THE MESS HALL; mix-tape-mash-up extraordinaire, GIRL TALK (USA); Australian icon and provocative songwriter KEV CARMODY; frisky, countryblues lads, steeped in southern rock stylings, the WHISKEY GO GO’S; and rounding up the exciting array of artists is the ska legend and his band, NEVILLE STAPLE’S SPECIALS (UK)..

GIGANTIC

ROCK SALT

S H A NNO N N O LL

[Laughs] Yeah, that’s a good question! I think the recording process was kind of gigantic, in a sense. In putting together the album Gigantaphonic Sounds, we’re really quite lucky … well, we think we’re quite lucky, in that regard. We had three producers help us co-produce the album; one of those is Joel Quartermain – who plays for Eskimo Joe. The other one was Rodney Aravena, who plays in End of Fashion. And the third one was Andy … he plays in a band called The Avenues. So, it was all kind of recorded in a bit of a home studio recording environment. What started off in a shed at the back of where Rodney was living at the time, sharing a place with Kav from Eskimo Joe … then it was sort of finished off, I guess, [in] various lounge rooms and living rooms and so forth around WA. Gigantic play an all-ages show at Hobart’s Youth Arc and a licensed gig at the Republic Bar on the 7th of September. To listen to the full interview, go to www.sauce.net.au

E L E FA N T T R A K S, N E W W O R L D A R T I S T S & F B i P R E S E N T

THE THREE STRIKES TOUR:

URTHBOY FEATURING OZI BATLA & ELGUSTO

HERMITUDE THE TONGUE WITH NSW DMC CHAMP DJ SKOOB

HOBART

FRIDAY 19 OCTOBER Republic Bar Tickets available from venue (03) 6234 6954, Ruffneck Records (03) 6234 8600 & Tommy Gun Records (03) 6234 2039

more info see www.elefanttraks.com Urthboy The Signal CD and 2LP OUT NOW The Tongue Shock & Awe CD + 12" OUT LATE SEP Hermitude new EP CD + 12" OUT EARLY NOV ALL AVAILABLE AT SHOWS

GUNNERS

ARMS HOTEL ORIGINAL MUSIC NIGHTS

The New Ep from Dirty Harry and The Rockets

"Dirty Love" AVAILABLE FROM:

EP LAUNCH GIGS

Red Hot CD's - Devonport Aroma Records - Hobart Mojos Music - Launceston Wills Music - Launceston

September 8th

Available at all record stores through MGM/GREEN Distrubution in late September

September 15th

The James Hotel, Launceston

September 15th The Brisbane Hotel, Hobart (All Ages) W/ Sydney City Trash The Brisbane Hotel, Hobart (18+) W/ Sydney City Trash

Friday 14TH

September

SHOCK CORRIDOR

YURI & THE VOSTOK TOKYO GUN CLUB 9PM START $2 ENTRY

November 3rd The Surf Side, Scamander (18+)

23 Lawrence St Launceston 6331 3891

www.myspace.com/dirtyharryandtherockets www.harryandtherockets.com PAGE 13

200 7 TASMUSIC ROCK CHALLENGE IN REVIEW

North-West Heats SIROCCO’S - 21/8/07 – 22/8/07 With over two hundred bands and artists from over eighty high schools and colleges all competing for fifteen spots in the final at the Albert Hall in Launceston, this year’s TasMusic Rock Challenge has been the biggest ever. The regional heats for this year kicked off in Burnie and Hobart, with high schools on Tuesday the 21st and the Off The Rocks and College sections on Wednesday the 22nd of August, the Northern Heats at the Albert Hall on the 27th and 28th, and the winners progressing through to the final at the Albert Hall in Launceston on Thursday the 30th.

several minutes to fit a couple of songs in, the night was fast paced, but not giving much time for each band to settle in to life on stage.

South Heats High School + College

There were several noticeably talented bands for the age group, but there could only be one winner on the night. Coming out victorious were King’s Meadows band Your Damn Neighbours. They displayed quite a fine talent with their punkish rock, and the lead singer looked and acted quite the part of a real rock star.

The kids are where it’s at. So, being that time of year again, Australia’s longest running high school and college concert series, TasMusic’s Rock Challenge, this year featured seven concerts showcasing Tassie’s latest batch of music hopefuls.

All in all, the crowd seemed to love the night, and it was a good healthy way for them to get some entertainment.

CAROLE WHITEHEAD

This year’s north-west heats were held at Sirocco’s for the first time. Metal, emo, power-pop and punk were all on show from the ten bands showing their flavors in the high school heat. Over four hundred bouncing moshers were treated to what can only be described as an awesome display from Tassie’s next crop of budding wannabes, as they strutted their stuff on the big stage. As per usual, the quality of the new original music, and the artists performing it, seems to have improved again from last year’s event, with all giving 110%. With five of the ten bands achieving higher scores than last year’s winners, the judges definitely had the toughest gig in the house.

UTAS – 21/8/07 – 22/8/07

WINNERS

The aim and the ambition of the Rock Challenge – to recognise, and to proliferate, the emerging talent in Tasmania, and celebrate its youth’s achievements within contemporary music! Long in gestation, but exhilarating in its delivery, this event capped off a monolithic collaboration of schools, media and council, providing much sonic titillation for the eyes and ears of the assembled throng of Hobart Rock City. Previous TasMusic Rock Challenge events have involved over seventy bands and five thousand audience members, providing an exciting, educational, social and cultural event.

KS ROC OOK THE C OFF , NELL R E N WIN

Previous winners include such high-profile acts as The Scientists of Modern Music, Jordan Miller, Stroke of Ace, The Stoics, Unleash the Nugget and Stand Defiant, whom have gone on to evolve their material to interstate audiences and beyond. The Southern heats were held on Tuesday the 21st of August (high school), and Wednesday 22nd of August (college and Off The Rock) at the Uni Bar, Hobart – a fist-tastic plethora of exciting new acts playing a variety of genres. A great many people turned up to see the school representatives perform, and were not disappointed. The winners of the high school and college sections won a plethora of prizes, including a spot on the MS Fest bill – to be held early in 2008.

HENRY HORSEFALL & THE SPORTO ELITE t di assault, lt th After over th three hhours off an iintense audio the ttwo winners were announced. Runners-up were Rebellious Itch from Devonport High, who happen to have one of their creations, We’re Only Human, sitting pretty in the Top 10 of the JJJ Unearthed National charts. The winners, in what could be described as a major event in their hometown, were Faded Effekt from Mountain Heights School in Queenstown. I believe they had breakfast with the mayor on Wednesday morning! Wednesday saw the arrival of the older set from the Black Fingernails & Red Bull crew. First up on the night, five “softcores” graced the stage for the Off The Rocks section, with the winners being Get Funked from Don College. This trio delivered their own brand of acoustic rap, managing to generate a frenzy via the obligatory half-strip and amazingly hooky lyrics. Following a short break, the eight college bands took the stage by force. Emo and screamo were prime-o, with a dash of hardcore metal and a splash of punk-power-pop – it was all present. With around five hundred music lovers moshing madly, you could be forgiven for thinking you were at a major concert event. And make no mistake – you were. If this is the future of our Tassie music scene, hang on tight, ‘cause you’re in for one hell of a ride. Eight awesome bands gave us everything they had in their fifteen minutes of fame. Again the judges had their work cut out. In the end, there could only be two. Runners-up were Henry Horsefall & The Sporto Elite from Don College, and the winners were Death Of A Martyr from Hellyer college. It must be said that any of the bands or artists who performed on the night would have all been worthy of a spot in Launceston.

g school heats had a remarkably loud contingent The high of punters who wh came and supported their respective schools. The ni night featured a variety of rock, such as New Norfolk’s Pengu Penguins and Polar Bears, Hutchins school Direct Effekt, crowd ffavourites Effigy Lane of Taroona High and Margaret Spread of Clarence High, and Kingston High’s Split Embryos.

HARLEQUIN North Heats Nor t -C College lle e ALBERT HALL – 28/08/07 ALBER There was a broad selection of different genres at this College Rock Challenge this year, making for an interesting night. The first category was “Off the Rock,” for those not quite “rock.” First to step on stage was the L.C. band, Libre. With bongoes as a main instrument used, it was certainly something different. Second up came the Scotch Oakburn duo, Zwei. They presented beautifully sung vocals combined with violin and keys. And last up for the same category was Younger Dryas, which brought their roots-type tunes into the mix, and did it with style. After a short interval, it was time for some rock. And it came in fast, with The Jerimiahs bringing along some very Jebediah-sounding vocals, and some very interesting dress sense. Next was Newstead’s Noumena, which brought to the stage well-structured alt. rock, and a great stage performance. Scotch’s End of Silence was up next, with their energetic display of metal. Then it was Launceston College’s A Call to Arms. Heavy rock and screamy vocals burst through the speakers and pummeled the audience’s ears. St Patrick’s College’s Fatal Fetish jumped onto stage.

DAVE SYKES

North Heats - High School ALBERT HALL – 27/08/07 It was a night for the teenagers as hundreds of high school kids – and their parents – packed into the Albert Hall for the High School Rock Challenge ‘07. To kick off the night came Riverside High’s band, Mother Trumpet. Next was Exeter’s As I Fall Through, and Prospect’s Chaotic Dilemma. Then it was time for Lilydale’s Harlequin closely followed by Brookes High’s Waking Gamora. And last before the break was Launceston Christian School’s Oh My Goodness Mary, which took us all to the interval in style. After half an hour or so, Scotch Oakburn’s Finest Hour graced the stage. Then it was King’s Meadow’s Your Damn Neighbours. After this, was the band who didn’t quite match their name – they were all fairly skinny – St. Mary’s 5 Fat Guys Who Rock. And to finish off the night were St Helen’s The Endza Mystery and Deloraine’s Vulgar. With so much enthusiasm and cheering when each school’s band walked onto stage, each band seemed to feel welcomed, and the nervous look on their faces seemed to fade away after the first song. With each band only having PAGE 14

The college nights were represented by a talented bunch of up-and-comers, who displayed remarkable plurality and variety of genre. The most experienced of local punters in attendance – most of whom dig chaotic rock – appreciated the variety of genres that this night presented. The night kicked off with the eventual winner of the acoustic Off the Rock category, Pheobe Duncan from Hobart College, who delighted with her stunning voice and big, big melody, commanding a lot of presence and respect from her audience. Being a singer/songwriter performing unaccompanied, this is certainly no easy task. The evening hosted many dance acts – the Go-Go-esque punk pop of The Frets ensured them a spot in third place, and the reggae-tinged musicianship of Donna and the Pool Cleaners and Zdenek of Friends School kept the crowd doing the two-step, the pogo, and the smurf. Eventual winners the Trolls scooped this category, to the thrills of their gathered contingent. The night was especially noteworthy once the metal bands had started, who flailed, mocked and tamed their local audience – one that regaled with awe and trepidation at the fury that unfolded before them on stage. Big riffs and angular hooks on bent guitars gave structure to a gulf of emotive sound that bordered on real chaos.

Theyy were to make it through to the final also. Unlucky not to make it through were the seasoned veterans Stroke of Ace, with flannies, sin singlets and big metal hair combining into a genius spectacle of sexy rock.

MOUMENA Th i musical i l style t yle l was very muchh their th i own – throwing th i Their glowsticks out of their socks and into the crowd while playing.

D Don’t’t worry guys – you may not have got through, but, in my mind, we are going to see you for a while yet, because you certainly have earned the keys to Hobart Rock City.

Then there was Newstead’s Shock Corridor, who I believe shocked the tiny MC lady with what could have been a little over-friendliness, and continued on to thrill the crowd with a lot of dancing and fun lyrics. Launceston College’s Projection of Aggression was a leather-clad, long-haired heavy metal band, which certainly got the crowd jumping. Last but not least was Scotch’s The Milkman of Human Kindness, who wrapped up the night with a gorgeous song dedicated to “someone special in the crowd.”

MARTIN BLACKWELL

CAROLE WHITEHEAD

NER, E WIN OR G E L COL RRID K CO SHOC

FINALS ALBERT HALL - 30/08/07 The Off the Rock section started first again on the night. With four competitors, it was a tough competition. But there was only to be one winner, and one runner-up. In second place was the band that everyone seemed to love, with their funky bongoes/drums, guitar and bass mix – Younger Dryas from Newstead. The top spot went to the talented young lady who caught the crowd, with well-written original songs coupled with her amazing voice – Rosny College’s Nell Cook. Next came the six rock bands from high schools all across the state. Taking the second place was Devonport High’s Rebellious Itch, who have been getting a fair bit of radio airplay, and it’s easy to see why. Great vocals, and perfectly played instruments – the whole show was a hit. And the sought-after first place went to the wonderful Your Damn Neighbours from Kings Meadows High. The lead singer’s performance was once again that of a true rock star, getting the crowd pumped and singing along to their awesome rock songs. After a break came the six bands in the college rock category. It seemed to be a fairly close contest, but, again, there could only be one number one. Second place went to Newstead College’s Noumena. The crowd went crazy for their Butterfly Effect-style rock. They were something aside from the usual, with flawless vocals. A superb set all-round. But the college numberone for the evening was a fairly quirky band, also from Newstead – Shock Corridoor.

After some time the winners were announced. Taking out the Off the Rock section was Younger Dryas, and in the rock section, Shock Corridor took out top spot. All in all, it was a great night out, and wonderful to see some up-and-coming talent.

HIG R D H SCH AMN O NEI O L GHB OUR S

But it was a highly enthralling six-piece act from Rosetta High named Vendetta, featuring a lovely and soaring young female vocalist, who made it through to the finals.

Bands responsible were Talus from Hobart College, Syrevilo from Friends, Undying Betrayal from Guilford Young College and the sensational Taberah from Elizabeth College, who accosted their audience into the literal boots of their metal wagon for an unchartered terror ride down Route 666.

So, onto the final in Launnie they went – with the winners from both the high school and college sections going on to grace the main stage at next year’s MS Fest in Launceston.

YOU

TABERAH

The dancing was great, the lyrics were all very original (if slightly abstract), and their sound and the manner with which theyy made it was excellent. The whole performance was fun, and well deserving of the win. CAROLE WHITEHEAD

GIG REVIEWS Batrider

Dukes Of Windsor

The Voyeurs

Brisbane Hotel – 25/8/07

Republic Bar – 24/8/07

James Hotel – 25/08/07

A variety of gigs on this night had me not sure where to go. Our esteemed editor got to pick, so I headed to The Brisbane. The night was launched by The Craves. I found their music OK, but it’s stuff I have heard many times before. I realise it was their first gig and they are young, but they have made the decision to come and play in a commercial situation, so you have to assume they think they are ready. I thought their playing was sloppy and predictable. I talked to a couple of friends there, and they thought I was being harsh. OK, but that is how I saw it. Sorry guys.

I had very little knowledge of the Dukes of Windsor apart from seeing their name appear a lot in music street press, but I have been a fan of the Voyeurs for years, and figured this would be the gig to head to on this night.

The night started on a bit of a disappointing note, as the Dukes of Windsor announced at the last minute they would not be playing, due to a loss of the singer Jack’s voice. But still, the night had to go on.

I think this was reinforced when the Bad Luck Charms hit the stage. A dynamic, original set that reminded me why I don’t like the JJJ/Pop Idol-sounding music that I had heard from the previous band, BLC really suit the Brisbane Hotel. It is the right size with the right PA to let them loose. It is such a shame that the band are breaking up, but I guess that is the nature of the beast. Batrider were next up. An enjoyable set, but I have to say that, after BLC, they seemed a little flat to me. I asked others around me whether they thought the same and got mixed results. Their style was similar to BLC; indie rock that has a punk attitude. I struggled a bit with the lead singer’s guitar work. I did enjoy their set though, and there was a large crowd along for the gig who were obviously having a good time. Overall, a very enjoyable night.

The Voyeurs kicked it off with their unusual combination of Eastern prog rock-meets-melodic metal. I’ve known from past experience that it doesn’t work for everyone – you either love it or hate it. Personally, I love it. But there can be no denying that these guys are very good musicians. I thought it was interesting that I didn’t see their normal technique of swapping instruments from song to song. I believe it has been a while since they have been on stage, but they have not suffered from it, giving a solid performance that impressed some friends of mine who had never heard of them (or were they just being nice to me?). Their crowd certainly seemed to appreciate the performance. The Dukes of Windsor surprised me in the style they delivered as a live band. I described it on the night as “Syrup played live”. That, to me, has both positive and negative connotations. I’m not a fan of the music style played at nightclubs. I like my music live. But these guys really nailed it – very tight bass and drums driving that nightclub-like beat. They certainly had the audience in that mode. Their feel was rock-based but highly oriented to the bottom-end sound. A very good performance, but not really my cup of tea.

SYRUP – 31/8/07

And that’s where our very own five-piece Launceston band, The Voyeurs, come in. With their snappy lyrics and their very own style of music – incorporating violin in to their whole act – they quickly livened everyone’s seemingly dampened spirits. They played a few songs from their debut EP, as well as some others thrown into the mix. When a band includes more than one music teacher, and a radio DJ, you know they know their music. And this showed in the performance, with all instruments being played to perfection. Although the vocals may have lacked a little stability, the songs were well put-together, really bringing out the most in the electric violin. By midway through the set they had people on the dancefloor. With a fairly short performance soon coming to an end, we all parted ways, disappointed about the Dukes, but pleased we saw one of own great Launceston bands play. With their very first album on the way, we are sure to be seeing a bit more from these guys. Go along and support our very own local talent. They’ll sure thank you for it, and you’ll have a great time!

KEVIN GLEESON

Bexta

CAROLE WHITEHEAD

The contingent that formed was intrigued about the return of this enchanting DJ. Syrup has become more selective than an exclusive brethren picnic when it comes to headline gigs on a weekend (pardon the comparison). But it was good to see that Bexta would still be guaranteed her right to unleash on the Hobart crowd. As we arrived, Smoky-Jo made his presence known, strutting the club while the support acts were throwing down heavy hard dance tracks. The rest of the crew relished corner positions – some only surviving through Space Invaders as we waited for Bexta’s next Mixological journey. Time flew by, as the gaps of air between some very excited people filled with even more people in fluoro. A tap on the shoulder from Smoky-Jo, and the moment had arrived. Disoriented by lights and sound, we soon found ourselves hovering in front of the only sane person left in the club. This just happened to be Bexta. Composed and not concerned by the panting masses in front of her, Bexta worked through a range of heavy tracks with deep punchy bass lines that had Miguel gyrating like a turkey and me shuddering in disgust at his disturbing frivolities. Pulling a worthy crowd for some deliverance, Bexta left us all a bit numb by the end of the night. The crew were satisfied and impressed at a range of styles that were mixed superbly in a blatant and heavy attempt to have us all jumping like fools. Smoky-Jo clapped twice drawing the night to a close as we wandered home without hearing, but a swag of good memories instead. FELIX BLACKLER

THE K I L L ER BI R D S

ROCK SALT

Killing Two Birds With One Debut

By Carole Whitehead

Described as a garage girl pop band with the warts ‘n’ all grunt of Motorhead, Bendigo’s The Killerbirds have recently been drinking the Cosmic Psychos under the table while flogging the guts out of their self-titled debut EP. They spoke to me before this rowdy rock circus hits Hobart’s Brisbane Hotel this month.

So what are the feelings of the band right at this time? What’s been going on of late, musically? The vibe in the band at the moment is great! We are having a blast getting to travel and spend a lot of time together, causing mayhem. Recently been touring with the Cosmic Psychos – that has been an interesting experience to say the least. They have been keeping us up way past our bedtime. So how was it growing up in, from what I’ve read, such a non-rock community? What drew you to it if it was never around? We all had different reasons; a couple of us come from musical families. I was just a dud that stumbled on a good thing. Well, we found each other at least – amongst the herd of rednecks and footy heads – so I suppose it wasn’t all bad. Why did you choose the band name “Killerbirds”? Because we like shootin’ ducks and native wildlife, and we thought it was pretty ironic seeing as though we kill birds and are cool chicks as well. Duh … No, not really …

Cosmic Psychos always put on a mighty show, except they drink all the beer and use all our make-up

Out of the bands you have played with so far, who has put on the best stage performance? And who do you think has been the best musically, live? Gee, that’s a tough one. We have been lucky enough to play with some amazing bands over the past year … Cosmic Psychos always put on a mighty show, except they drink all the beer and use all our make up. Musically, I’d say Kate Derago is a bit of an asset to the Australian music community – she’s from Bendigo just like us. We often get compared to her. From what I understand, you are a relatively new band, how do you feel about the upcoming gigs with the Cosmic Psychos? Are you excited? Yes, good and yes. I also noticed you have a show coming up in

Hobart. What kind of show do you plan to bring to Tasmania? Hard rock. That’s all we know. You have a four-track EP to your name already. Are you planning on bringing out an LP in the near future? How far have you come already since the EP was released? What’s an LP? As soon as someone gives us some money we will go back into the studio. What is your favourite track off the EP, and why?

Which one is the best to play live? We don’t actually sit down and listen to our own music, so it’s difficult to be objective. If I had to choose, probably Naughty is the New Nice, ‘cause it’s meaty-as. I noticed on your video clip that you get a fair few people to your shows. Where do the most numbers turn up at your shows? Adelaide folk are always very receptive – they love their live music action. We always have a great time

there. Most of the footage in that clip was taken in Adelaide. And when was your favourite moment at a show, either playing, or attending someone else’s show? When Prue went stacks-on the crowd in Adelaide, and knocked a guy out with her bass. The Killerbirds and the Cosmic Psychos go stacks-on Hobart’s Brisbane Hotel on the 29th of September. PAGE 15

GIG GUIDE 5th - 18th SEPTEMBER WEDNESDAY 5TH HOBART Curly’s Bar Mr Meaner Republic Bar & Café Black Coffee @ 9PM

LAUNCESTON

James Hotel Nat & Adam @ Front Bar Dirty Harry & The Rockets (CD Launch) + Novella @ Reality

Lark Distillery Pikelet + Anthony Rochester + Carl Higgs + Julian Teakle Republic Bar & Café Bridget Pross (Farewell Gig) @ 9PM Wrest Point Paul Kelly + Sally Seltmann

LAUNCESTON 39 Bar/Club Karnivool + Mammal

SAT 8/9

The Titz

THU 13/9

Thursday Night Originals Justin Heazlewood: The Bedroom Philosopher

FRI 14/9

Ben Castles

SAT 15/9

S&M

GREAT FOOD

OPEN MIC NIGHT The Last Wednesday Of Every Month

14 BRISBANE STREET, LTN 6331 5346

COLLECTOR’S CORNER CD’s & DVD’s New + Second hand

37 Wilson St Burnie 6431 6616

Royal Oak Ben Castles

SATURDAY 15TH BURNIE Stage Door the Café The Bedroom Philosopher @ 8:30PM

HOBART Brisbane Hotel Sydney City Trash + The No No’s + Dirty Harry and The Rockets – ALL AGES @ 3PM Sydney City Trash + Hairyman + The No No’s + Boarding Party + Dirty Harry and the Rockets (18+) @ 8PM

MONDAY 10TH LAUNCESTON

Lewisham Tavern Phil Manning

Irish Murphy’s Nathan Wheldon

Republic Bar & Café The Humans + Chiroh @ 10PM

TUESDAY 11TH HOBART

Syrup Jeff Drake (ACT) + Gillie + Adam Turner

Republic Bar & Café Gigantic + Ill Technique @ 10PM

Republic Bar & Café Train Wreck @ 9PM

LAUNCESTON Irish Murphy’s Ciaran Van den Berg

WEDNESDAY 12TH BURNIE Stage Door the Café Russell Jarvis + Debra Byrne @ 8:00PM

HOBART Curly’s Bar Detour

The Loft Poptimism – Andy Brazendale + Extreme Wheeze + Sam J Nicholson + Anthony Rochester

Republic Bar & Café Tecoma @ 9PM

Youth Arc Gigantic (ALL AGES)

Arts Alive Junk Rooms @ 8PM

LAUNCESTON

LAUNCESTON Irish Murphy’s Glenn Moorhouse + Nathan Wheldon & the Two Timers

Arts Alive Junk Rooms @ 8PM

THURSDAY 13TH BURNIE

Country Club Resort Paul Kelly + Sally Seltmann

Stage Door the Café Encore + Debra Byrne @ 8:00PM

Irish Murphy’s Well Strung James Hotel Tash & Cas @ Front Bar DJ PD @ Reality Lonnies Niteclub Fine Fashion Fridays – Mark J + G Rox

OPEN 7 DAYS

LAUNCESTON

HOBART Brisbane Hotel One Night Stand Republic Bar & Café Nevereleven + Hannah @ 9PM

LAUNCESTON Arts Alive Junk Rooms @ 8PM

Curly’s Bar Grotesque + D2M + JimK + Samex @ 10PM Halo Jewelz + 9th Insight + Master Kaos + LCK @ 11PM

James Hotel Amber Savage @ Reality Glenn Moorhouse @ Front Bar Lonnies Niteclub Recut + Jess + Colin + P.D Royal Oak S&M

Raincheck Lounge Live Acoustic Music @ 4PM Republic Bar & Café Merchants in Groove @ 9PM

LAUNCESTON Irish Murphy’s Glenn Moorhouse + Leigh Ratcliffe + DJ Joycie

MONDAY 17TH HOBART Republic Bar & Café Kenny Foreshaw @ 8:30PM

LAUNCESTON

Republic Bar & Café Organ Doctors @ 9PM

FRIDAY 14TH BURNIE

LAUNCESTON

Curly’s Bar Grotesque + D2M + JimK + Samex @ 10PM Fern Tree Community Centre Pikelet + Peter Escott + The Bad Luck Charms

HOBART Brisbane Hotel Bad Luck Charms (Last Gig) + Charles Du Cane + Distroy (7” Launch/Last Gig) + Special Students Curly’s Bar Ken Hell + DJ Nino Brown

Halo Will Styles (Triple J)

Halo Halo Drum n Bass Sessions – DJ Ritual + MC Slice (Syd)

Republic Bar & Café Sugartrain @ 10PM

Republic Bar & Café Simon Russell – Guilty as Charged @ 10PM

$7.50

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SUNDAY 16TH HOBART

Royal Oak The Bedroom Philosopher + Josh Earl @ 8:30PM

Brisbane Hotel Thy Plagues + Zero Degrees Freedom

RIVERVIEW HOTEL

104 George St, Launceston

Saloon Scientists Of Modern Music + Cityscape Riot + Red Rival + Enola Fall @ 9PM

TUESDAY 18TH HOBART

HOBART

We are the ONLY Radio Station servicing the entire East Coast and Fingal Valley of Tasmania!

Irish Murphy’s Well Strung

James Hotel 3Sum @ Reality

Stage Door the Café The Jazz-Free Zone

98.5 Bicheno, Swansea, Triabunna and Orford

Arts Alive Junk Rooms @ 8PM

Royal Oak The Stoics + Tokyo Gun Club

Stage Door the Café Gaye Clarke – The Troubadour @ 7:30PM

100.3 Scamander up through the Fingal Valley to Campbell Town

LAUNCESTON

Irish Murphy’s Ben Castles

Sirocco’s Karnivool + Mammal

93.7 Pyengana to Beaumaris

Wrest Point Kate Miller-Heidke + Edward Guglielmino

Northern Club O’Keefe’s

SATURDAY 8TH BURNIE

On Tasmania’s Beautiful East Coast

Lonnies Niteclub Fine Fashion Fridays – Mark J + G Rox

Royal Oak Nick Warren

39 Bar/Club Karnivool + Mammal

The Stoics Tokyo Gun Club

Republic Bar & Café 4 Letter Fish @ 9PM

James Hotel Leigh Ratcliffe @ Front Bar DJ PD @ Reality

Star Hotel Sexy Lounge w/ Carl Fidler @ 5PM

Moorilla Scientists Of Modern Music (Electronic Sunset EP Launch) + Cityscape Riot + E.L.F

FRI 7/9

Raincheck Lounge Live Acoustic Music @ 4PM

Irish Murphy’s Murphy’s Law

Irish Murphy’s Leigh Ratcliffe

Curly’s Bar DJ Tranterco (Melb) + Resident DJs

Thursday Night Originals Nick Warren

SUNDAY 9TH HOBART

Gunners Arms Shock Corridor + Yuri & The Vostok + Tokyo Gun Club

Irish Murphy’s Nathan Wheldon + Ben Castles + S & M

Brisbane Hotel Turbo Deluxe + SuperKunts + Ego Amigo

THU 6/9

Saloon TV ROCK

Country Club Resort Kate Miller-Heidke + Edward Guglielmino

James Hotel Sgt Green @ Reality

HOBART

23 LAWRENCE ST. L’TON - 6331 3891

Royal Oak The Titz

Arts Alive Junk Rooms @ 8PM

39 Bar/Club Karnivool + Mammal (ALL AGES)

Stage Door the Café Rosalind Wilton @ 7:30PM

Lonnies Niteclub Keith + Jim + P.D + Boaz

LAUNCESTON

Arts Alive Junk Rooms @ 8PM

FRIDAY 7TH BURNIE

(One pot per pizza)

Arts Alive Junk Rooms @ 8PM

Irish Murphy’s Nathan Wheldon + The Stoics

HOBART

LAUNCESTON Irish Murphy’s Sgt Green

Stage Door the Café The Andy Farrell Trio @ 7:30PM

Pizza & Beer

The Loft The Shitkicks (EP Launch)

Arts Alive Junk Rooms @ 8PM

THURSDAY 6TH BURNIE

GUNNERS ARMS

Syrup Chris Fraser (ACT) + Gillie + Adam Turner

Irish Murphy’s Leigh Ratcliffe

Irish Murphy’s Sambo

WEDNESDAY 19TH HOBART Curly’s Bar Dr Fink Republic Bar & Café Gurithm + Dewayne Everett Smith @ 9PM

LAUNCESTON Irish Murphy’s Samuel Bester

BURNIE

Stage Door The Cafe 254 Mount St Upper Burnie 64322600

HOBART Curly’s Bar 112 Murray St 6234 5112 www.curlysbar.com.au Hotel SOHO

124 Davey St 6224 9494 Raincheck Lounge 392-394 Elizabeth Street 6234 5975 Republic Bar 299 Elizabeth Street 6234 6954 www.republicbar.com The Brisbane Hotel 3 Brisbane St 6234 4920 thebrisbanehotel@gmail.com Syrup 1st Floor 39 Salamanca Place 6224 8249

LAUNCESTON Lonnies Niteclub 107 Brisbane St Launceston 6334 7889 www.lonniesniteclub.com 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 Hub 1Tamar Street Launceston 6334 9288 39 Bar/Club 35 Cameron Street Launceston 6331 7222

FAIR TO MIDLAND Fables from a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times is True Scientists of Modern Music Electronic Sunset 8/10

9.5/10 To all those out there who read only the first couple of lines of this, this CD is the best this year.

The brand new seven-track EP from The Scientists of Modern Music is everything you would expect from this great Hobart band. Very electronic, most vocals are distorted and robot-like; but this certainly does not take away from the sound at all.

It’s hard to believe this is only the first LP from this five-piece band which defies all laws of genres from Dallas, Texas. With their one-of-a-kind rock/ alternative/heavy music, creating their very own sound. Think At The Drive In/The Mars Volta meets Flaw. Interesting, and with each listen, more and more incredible, as the band show off their vocalist, Darroh Sudderth’s, amazing range, probably most present in The Wife, The Kids, and the White Picket Fence.

To all those out there who read only the first couple of lines of this, this CD is the best this year. Each song is magnificent in its own way, but I personally loved the last song on the album, Orphan Anthem ‘86 for its diversity, with quiet piano floating on to become a strong song, with well written lyrics, and a unique way of structuring them, ending with soft piano, and what sounds like a guitar being plucked to give the sound of a harp.

Something For Kate The Murmur Years 8/10

Technology Illiterate is a very fast, catchy track with repeated vocals and great use of computer sounds. Also the awesome title song, Electronic Sunset, is a mostly purely musical track, which uses what sounds like an electric xylophone or something similar at around the middle of the song. Reach the point a minute from the end, and the vocals are then woven into the song.

I must also give a high mention to the first song, Dance of the Manatee, with its typical rock start that moves into a song with unsteady vocals, and quickly spoken lyrics.

Track two, Number One at the start has a sound somewhat like the early days of The Presets, and changes into a heavy electronic rock song at about the halfway mark. However, it still maintains the same distinctive Scientists sound for the duration.

The whole album is put together seamlessly, each song complementing the one before and after perfectly. Many instruments appear on this record, including a very Scottish sounding cello, and also beautiful piano pieces throughout various songs. Truly gifted musicians, this album brings together all that is great about music in general. This is an album for everyone out there who likes a good CD, even if you don’t like the genre.

The Easy remix, re-done by fellow electronic band, Electricramjet, appears in the last spot on the EP. It adds that little extra, different touch to the album. The whole EP is put together so perfectly, it’s very hard to actually pick a favourite song, as they are all brilliant in their own, different ways.

CAROLE WHITEHEAD

I recommend this EP highly and I look forward to seeing a full-length album from these amazing musicians in the near future.

KATE MILLER-HEIDKE Little Eve 6/10

CAROLE WHITEHEAD

For those of you who don’t own a Something For Kate CD, like me, I’m proud to announce the release of Something for Kate’s double album, The Murmur Years, a detailed documentation of their journey across the last decade. Already defined as one of Australia’s most unique, successful rock bands, this collection was assembled to illustrate to anyone, whether a diehard fan or virgin to the Kate experience, that they possess the ability essential to appeal to widespread audiences and that they have plenty more to show us. The band has handpicked thirty-three songs for the album, compiled from early EPs, studio albums, live favorites and covers, and also recording a brand new track titled The Futurist written especially for the release of this album. Singer, Paul Dempsey, uniquely delivers a nimble, velvety, back-of-throat voice, with low-key, moody but heartfelt lyrics; after a few aural screenings, the lyrics reveal themselves. Something for Kate’s superior feel for dynamics are shown throughout this album, and convey to us the emotional, yet still slightly warped ride, that is rock ‘n roll With a distinct range of sound eras throughout, the live performances definitely contribute to making this ride through history awesome, and it is easy to see through this collection why these guys have been big in Melbourne for over a decade now. If a band’s success can be predicted by the strength of an album, Something for Kate are bound to be rock stars for another decade! LISA HOWELL

MADBALL Infiltrate the System 7/10 New York hardcore outfit Madball must have something good going since they have been driving the hardcore genre since 1988. The roaring voice of vocalist Freddy Cricien, who helped form the band at the young age of twelve, has really matured over the years. The instrumental side of the band is a continuation of the sound Madball fans have come to like, keeping their distinct hardcore approach with long-time guitarist Mitt’s groove-chugging guitar riffs and Rigg Ross’s hard-hitting drumming giving all the songs an anthemic feel. The only downfall for some listeners is that there are no solos, just heavy guitar breakdowns. The band’s lyrical content over the entire fourteen tracks looks at street-life, world-views and taking action on law and justice. While most of the tracks are all worthy head-banging songs, I found myself repeating tracks Revolt and No Escape. Even though you’ve heard the sound in other bands you can’t surpass their powerful energy. With all the inspiration that has fuelled the band over their career they have definitely made an enormous contribution to the sounds of most modern-day metal/hardcore bands of today. Producer, Zeuss (who brought you Shadows Fall, Hatebreed, Throwdown etc.), has really pushed Madball’s sound to heavier territory.

Kate Miller-Heidke is one of Australia’s exciting new solo artists. Her debut album, Little Eve, combines her uniquely individual lyrics with amusingly uplifting melodies, creating a collection of intriguing theatrical musicality.

But after their 2003 release The Ownerz, DJ Premier and Guru branched off from Gangstarr, more towards their solo projects. For Guru this was the start of ‘Jazz Matazz’.

Each original song has a defined but diverse message, and is a combination of wit and meticulousness in her life. Also featured on her album are Kate’s band mates, who she has been playing with for three years, and their chemistry is unmistakable. For me, Kate’s music is best summed up as a reflective documentation of thoughts and feelings, with an amazingly quirky but compassionate lightheartedness. It is easy to see this girl has got a lot more to show us! LISA HOWELL

Last Of The Believers Paper Ships Under Burning Bridge 9/10

Not having heard of the Last of The Believers before I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when I heard they were meant to be along the punk line I got instantly excited! For all you punk fans who have virgin ears to this band, get the hell out to your local and get it - you’ll like it! The opening track, Dissent, wastes no time setting out the knives and forks ready for a big feast ahead. Musically speaking and coming from a string of punk bands myself, these songs are definitely written with the right frame of mind and hold true to the traditional “two minute punk song” ethos - endless lyrics about being strong, dealing with your missus and other assorted high rollin’ punk life issues, put forward with energetic and exciting guitar riffs and traits. And drums! Did I forget to mention all the drum playing and tracking on this album is an absolutely supreme example of punk style drumming - fast, tight, loud… INSANE! The cover art though doesn’t really portray a typical punk band’s outlook, probably more like some sort of Rod Stewart piece of crap and if you were in a CD store you’d probably look right past it.

This is an album that most people can relate to which confronts the ethics of fighting for expression of opinion and truth-telling honesty. Whether you like It comes down to wether you can handle the vicious sound of Madball. DAVID WALKER

MATTHEW LABEDZKI

This five-piece heralds from Launceston but, most likely thanks to founding member, Leonardo Martinez’s Mexican heritage, sound as though they come from somewhere a lot more exotic. With a very Spanish feel to the songs, the aptly titled track, Mexico, indicates exactly where these tunes may have originated. Rubby Dubby has a cheeky side to it, with fun and lighthearted lyrics. Definitely give this one a listen and you’ll have a bit of a laugh. Track three, A Little, is catchy and well written and is my favourite from the EP. The only downside is that the EP is so short. Maybe one more song on the disk would have added just that extra taste of what an upcoming album may bring. Other than that, all four tracks are well written, beautifully played, and they transport you to somewhere a lot sunnier than Tasmania. I’ve seen The Embers live and this album delivers just as a fantastic experience as their live shows. If you’ve yet to experience one of Launceston’s best bands, then you’d be well advised to pick up this EP. In the meantime I’ll be eagerly awaiting the release of a full album!

Hed Kandi The Mix 8/10

In 2005, Kate began her career as a lead opera vocalist, but soon found herself dreaming of advancing her solo career, releasing Circular Breathing in 2006. But it wasn’t until late ‘06 that Kate returned to the studio to commence work on her first full-length album.

All the lyrics are printed inside the sleeve alongside a trendy picture of the beach. The album credits, etc. are inconveniently hidden behind the actual disc itself, making it a bit hard to read them without it seeming like some sort of eye puzzle. All in all, the music rocks out hard and is very typical from the likes of Bad Religion, Sum 41, Pennywise, and Spankpaddle.

PAGE 18

Guru Jazz Matazz Vol.4 7/10 During the 90s, Gangstarr made a huge impact on indie-ground hip hop, with culture-moulding tracks like Full Clip and Check the Technique.

Unquestionably extraordinary in every sense of the word, Kate has definitely gone outside the box when producing these wacky songs and undoubtedly set a new standard for alternative music in Aussie.

The Embers have just released their first EP, and it’s certainly something different! With so many instruments and sounds through the recording, including a cowbell, saxophone, pan pipes and flute, as well as the usual, everyday instruments, it all makes for full-sounding tracks, keeping the listener interested as well as entertained.

CAROLE WHITEHEAD

Starting out in 2004 by releasing her first EP, Telegram, Kate demonstrated early promising signs, with the EP requiring six pressings in its first year, and achieved high rotation on Triple J for Space They Cannot Touch.

A pianist, true-to-life vocalist, and charismatic songwriter, Kate has definitely held her debut off long enough!

The Embers Self-titled EP 6.5/10

I haven’t heard the first three volumes but volume four still bares all that old school, traditional Guru style, as well as collaborations with an all-star cast including Blackalicious, Common, Damian Marley, Slum Village and a heap more. With so much good hip hop around these days, it’s not enough for an artist to rely solely on the success of their previous releases to pull sales on their new albums. There needs to be some sort of progression, which unfortunately is something this album lacks. I might get shot down for this, but I’ve heard Guru claim that he’s “versatile” on so many tracks/occasions, and I’m still yet to be convinced of this. His monotone voice and simple rhyme structures never seem to go any further than just that. That said, I enjoyed this release, although most of the beats are based around over-done funk and jazz melodies. The beats (all produced by Solar) are well constructed and creative, and match Guru’s style well.

Yes, Hed Kandi have another release of the finest cheese in the world. Swiss, Chedder, Jarlsberg, Blue Vein, Brei, Old English, Ricotta… you name it, it’s there. Every mainstream song that’s been released in the past six months is pretty much on this triple compilation CD. Yes, a big dig I know, but it’s exactly that. Hed Kandi is more based around the happy uplifting mixes that get the girls’ groove on, hence all the pastels and pictures of tarts on the front cover of the CD. The CD features some of the hottest tracks at the moment, such as Destination Calabria, The Creeps, Dare Me, Rain Down Love… the list goes on and on. There are forty-two tracks of uplifting house to either warm you up for a big night in the clubs or just to party. With big names such as Alex Guadino, Fedde Le Grand, Freemasons, Hoxton Whores, Martin Solveig, Dennis Christopher, Dave Spoon, and more, you can’t go wrong with the list of blistering tracks that smash out with groovy bass lines, uplifting vocals and every instrument under the sun backed up with a kick drum to fly throughout the mix. So if you’re after some of the biggest tracks out at the moment, similar to Ministry of Sound compilations but without the big electro influence, this is the CD for you. This is this winter’s pick of house music currently smashing the charts around the world. PATTY DUKE

RYAN FARRINGTON

Midnight Juggernauts Dystopia 8/10 With the wait finally over, many Midnight Juggernauts fans get to experience their latest album release, the sci-fi flavoured Dystopia. You would have heard many tracks played on multiple radio stations around Australia causing serious hype with their electronic pop sound. It has certainly been turning heads. Currently on tour, and having just recently played in Launceston, I was fortunate enough to watch the majority of their show. I was extremely impressed with their live show and the crowd that fed off some their great songs, enthusing them greatly. Highlight tracks would have to be Road to Recovery, Into the Galaxy, Scorpius and Shadows. The Juggernauts create a true sound of defiance with a great blend of guitar, drums, bass and synthesizers, demonstrating their ability to come up with a unique sound that lifts the chemicals in your brain up and down – proof of their skills as recording artists and live performers. As the album continues to grow on me, the live show sure did enhance my experience in reviewing these guys; with many of their shows selling out, it’s not surprising as to why! PATTY DUKE

Korn Untitled 5/10 Korn is one of those bands most people have heard of, and have, at sometime in their life, enjoyed one of their songs. Like myself, you can be sceptical of a band that is still going after all that time, since they were highly successful through the late-90s nu-metal era. Korn’s sound hasn’t overly changed. You can still distinguish that it is them, but without some of the original members – drummer David Silveria (in hiatus) and the departure of guitarist Brian (Head) Welch – there are missing components of the sound that were originally part of Korn. The tracks that will please Korn fans such as Evolution, Killing, and Hold On still maintain the early sound of the band. Korn have, with some songs, gone with a soft approach, like in the tracks Kiss and Do What They Say, showing an unusual approach for a band that has such a gritty heavy edge. When listening to the album, while there are songs that you like, there’s the underlying thought of having heard it all before in previous albums, making you wonder if there’s anything new. Korn have experimented more with the sound of this album, giving it a gothic presence by incorporating keyboards and different drummers’ styles. The album’s title sums up the overall sound of the album – you don’t really know what to call it. Korn’s eighth album release is a mixture of a couple of great songs – Evolution and Killing – with the rest being an undecided clutter. DAVID WALKER

KATE H AV N EV I K

How To Make A Stunning Debut – The Norway Way ROCK SALT

By Dave Williams Imagine, if you will, the musical equivalent of Bjork having dinner with Massive Attack after watching a James Bond movie, and you might be approaching the sonic gist of Norway’s Kate Havnevik. She spoke to me about working on the multi-instrumental tapestry that is her debut LP – Malankton – from deep in the heart of Scandinavia, and how a Melodica can be the life of a party. Whereabouts in the world are you today? I’m in Norway, actually … I’m in my home town, in my mum’s house! [Laughs] Lovely! Has your mum had much of an influence on your musical career? Well, maybe a little bit, because she is a musician, so … I grew up surrounded by music. She’s a flautist.

You play a number of different instruments. Who taught you to play those instruments, and how hard is the melodica to play? [Laughs] Well first of all, when I was a child, I played a little bit of piano, and then I played the flute for a number of years – that was kind of the school marching band and so on. And both my parents are flautists, so that was kind of an obvious choice.

How much of a community is there between contemporary music makers in Scandinavia? I know that you’ve performed at concerts opening for Sigur Ros, for instance. Yeah, I think it’s big … compared to the populations, I guess it’s a big community for it. It’s small, but it’s there, and there’s an interest for it, and support for each other. Here in Norway, there’s a lot of music going on. There’s new things all the time. And a lot of people are collaborating with each other – they’re involved in several different projects and so on. So I think it’s a pretty positive sort of development of that sort of music, really. Malankton is out now. To listen to the full interview, go to www.sauce.net.au

Then I played classical guitar for a number of years, and electric guitar, and a little bit of bass. I briefly played a little bit of harp, but not a lot! [Laughs] And the melodica is actually … if you can play piano, it’s very easy to play, because it’s basically a tiny little piano that you blow into, and press the notes. But it’s really fun to play, and it’s easy to bring around. So it’s a pretty cool instrument, and, surprisingly, there are classical symphonies where they use the melodica in some places. It sounds like a real “party instrument”, you know? Take your melodica around and have a few drinks … I know! [Laughs] I was in New York a few weeks ago, and I did a few gigs. I had my melodica with me, and on a few occasions, I pulled it out … I wasn’t playing a show or anything, but it was kind of suitable for the situation! And everybody started laughing, because it just looked funny! And were these really famous, A-list-type parties? No, not this time – this time it was more [made up of] people like me! [Laughs] On your record, Malankton … you play most of the instrument parts. Is that correct? Well, I don’t play all the strings of course, and things like that, but I did a lot of the arrangements for it.

I just sat down and started writing it myself. I really enjoyed it, because I really learned something. I don’t play any brass instruments or string instruments, so I did most of the arrangements for the album, and some of the production … and some of the instruments as well. That’s a very DIY-type approach. Is that because you wanted to do as much as you could? Or was there some other motivation – you couldn’t find people you wanted to do it for you, or with you? I think it was a little bit of both. It was kind of like I had to do it myself, because I was doing the album on my own label, and I had to do as much as I could myself. And it was fun to challenge myself; to do things I hadn’t done before, like the string arrangements and so on. I mean, I had a couple of other people who did some string arrangements for the album, and it was just that I needed … there was a lot more that I needed, so I just sat down and started writing it myself. I really enjoyed it, because I really learned something. How did you and Moby get together? Did you just send him an email? Ah, no! [Laughs] It was basically through his management. He was looking for singers and things like that, and I have worked with Royksopp, and they have the same management.

Contributors? Would you like to contribute to Sauce? either doing CD or gig reviews, photograhy ... or make a suggestion as to what you could contribute?

THE GO! TE A M

Overlap Overlords ROCK SALT

By Steve Tauschke When The Go Team debuted on the Big Day Out circuit a couple of years ago, band ringleader, Ian Parton, viewed the festival - as have many visiting musicians - as an extended vacation… We called it the Big Day Off because we’d have three days off then a gig then three days off,” laughs Parton, resting up at his English home in Brighton in preparation for a UK tour.

The past few weeks has seen the sampledriven six-piece slightly busier, promoting their recently released second album Proof Of Life with appearances at Spanish festivals and a special recording for the BBC’s Radio One program. Dates in China have also been on their collective calendar. “Live music doesn’t really exist in China yet, it’s a real novelty,” says Parton who handles drums, guitar and harmonica duties. “There’s only one venue where we played in Shanghai, it’s a nightclub, not really a venue, but it went stupidly well! People were stage-diving and getting on each other’s shoulders.” I suppose the Beastie Boys introduced the concept of sampling in hip hop to a mass audience... where did it all start for you? “Yeah, that was the kind of golden era of sampling, where the rules were still pretty loose. Public Enemy did that as well, they had songs that hold a bunch of ideas, not just one which is what a lot of hip hop is these days, with dodgy singing over the chorus. I like songs with three choruses in them, things that hold your

attention by taking three left turns. I’m also a great believer in melody and catchiness so it’s not just a wank-off self-indulgent thing. It’s a personal combination of all my favourite things and I didn’t want to lose sight of that.” As The Go Team’s leader, did you give up a certain amount of control this time, on Proof Of Youth? “The songs are pretty much locked down in terms of melody and structure and stuff like that. And everyone’s better on their instruments than I am so I’d be stupid not to harness everyone’s skills … But I guess I’m the one with the obsession with sampling, who looks on eBay and through old documentaries and hundreds of old records for that three second sample and things.

I’m also a great believer in melody and catchiness so it’s not just a wank-off self-indulgent thing… So what is it about sampling that appeals? “I always approached samples as a technology where I can cut n’ paste and juxtapose things, you know, contrasts - all my favourite things. I’ve always been interested in how wildly different things can work together in some way, that there is some common ground between a soaring violin and a freak-out noisy guitar thing and trumpets in a blaxploitation film and gang double Dutch vocals. I’m interested in the overlaps between sounds.”

So things evolve and we go into a space in Brighton where half the band live and we go in there every day – no producer, just us lot.

You must have messed around a lot with a four-track when you were younger? “Oh yeah, I had an Amstrad four-track, that was super crap and real home entertainment bollocks but I’m kind of superstitious about getting rid of it.

I think the new album has moved on a fair amount from the first record, it sounds more live.”

I like that kind of stuff. I even had an old karaoke machine which I suppose was like a primitive four-track because you’d

Proof Of Youth is out through Shock. The Go Team play the Falls Festival later this year.

BANGERS & MASH

He’s Got More Records Than Charlie Sheen!

By Carole Whitehead A DJ with the most important asset any artist (and any person) can have – a sense of humour – Chris Fraser is putting on his cape and wearing his underpants on the outside as he flies down to Syrup (faster than a speeding bullet). Revered for having “more records to his name than Robert Downey Jnr and Charlie Sheen combined,” he spoke to me about moving to Sydney, and the progression of his career that, in his eyes, is a little scary … What have you been up to in the last couple of weeks, both musically and other? Been gearing up for the release of my first mix CD, Raw, which comes out on the 8th of September. That’s pretty much been consuming most of my waking hours (and some of my sleeping ones too!). It’s a release for the RawFM radio network I do music programming for. I’ve also just finished off a new single called Whiplash that’ll be coming out in the US on System Recordings. Plus I’ve also been putting a few remixes to bed, one of which is of the Freeform Five tune Strangest Things, which should be out in the next few months.

I listen back to some of my early records, and the change is almost scary!

On your MySpace it mentions that you will be moving from your hometown Canberra, to Sydney in ‘07. Has that happened yet? If not, when do you move? It sure has. I moved to Sydney about three months ago to take up the marketing role at Central Station Records. So far I’ve been loving it! It was tough to decide to leave Canberra after twenty years and so many good times, but I finally decided to make the change. I still go back there to play at least once a month. And why are you moving? Will you be leaving a lot behind? I felt like I needed some new challenges, plus the opportunity with the label was simply too good to pass up. Leaving Canberra was sad as it’s been such a great place to live and work, but it’s not really that far from Sydney, so it’s all good.

IVAN GOUGH

Whether you’re talking about DJing or producing, Ivan Gough is not only one of Australia’s accomplished dance music exports, he’s also one of its first. A true “fair dinkum” electronic music pioneer, his rare talent in the studio has conjured a career that many artists only dream of, while his notorious skills in the booth have rocked dancefloors across the globe – from Ibiza to New York, and everywhere in between. Over the years Ivan’s records have made it into the playlists of the worlds best DJs like old school legends Sasha and Paul Oakenfold, and the more recent class of top DJs like Roger Sanchez, Eric Morillo and Axwell.

As TV Rock with Grant Smillie, Ivan has had a string of No. 1 dance tracks on the ARIA club chart, but it was their smash hit Flaunt It that broke all the records. The duo garnished two ARIAs for the track, selling more than 140,000 copies and going double platinum, as well as holding the record for the longest running Australian track in the ARIA top 10 ever.

GRANT SMILLIE

I also saw that you have labeled yourself as “emo”. Are you into the emo culture, or are you referring to your work? [Laughs] You know how most people take the piss in their MySpace genre descriptions? That’s all I was doing. I could have gone for “Chinese Traditional” or “Irish Folk”, but I must have been feeling melancholy that day and went for “emo” instead. I play a fairly broad range of sounds – funked-up tech and electro, fidget-style house, indie electro and whatever else takes my fancy.

In a year that can only be described as stellar, Grant, alongside Ivan Gough, sent their TV Rock studio project through the roof. Their debut single Flaunt It feat Seany B broke all records, achieving double platinum sales (160,000 units) and screamed to the No. 1 position on the ARIA charts; picking up two ARIA gongs for highest selling single and best dance record respectively. TV Rock also released Sunshine City – their debut album – to much acclaim. The Others – a collaboration with Dukes of Windsor – spent twelve weeks at No. 1 on the dance charts and was a Top 10 single on the Australian pop charts.

Where do you like to play the most? And where do audiences get out and dance to your sets the most? I’ve had great sets all over the place lately. One place that really stands out was a club called Asta in Auckland. The crowd are just so enthusiastic and open-minded that it’s really refreshing. Plus the fact that they’ve got a Jager machine in the DJ box helps. I played at Family in Brisbane on the weekend and that was a blast. I also play quite regularly at Chinese Laundry in Sydney, and that’s always a killer night.

PAGE 20

TV ROCK

Ivan’s records have also been getting regular plays on Pete Tong’s influential Radio 1 show The Essential Selection in the UK, with one of his TV Rock remixes (with Grant Smillie) getting the coveted “essential new tune” in August 2006. He also has more releases (and remixes) to his name than any other Australian, with dozens of records and CDs featuring Ivan’s producing prowess.

Your name is Chris Fraser, but you’re also known as Chris Fresh. How confusing does this get? Which name do you use more? I actually stopped using the Chris Fresh name about seven years ago! It still comes back to haunt me sometimes, though.

Was it hard work to get to where you are now? How much have you grown, both musically and personally since the early days? It’s been a lot of work, and doesn’t really show any signs of letting up! I don’t think you ever stop learning and growing,

I’ve used a mid-80s Atari computer too which does the job, really basic but quite stable and very user friendly. I did my very first demos on that, I used it to trigger the samples. And an Akai sampler which I used on Thunder, Lightning, Strike.” What did a Mercury Music Prize nomination in 2005 for that album mean to you? “Obviously amazing, you know. We were doing pretty well before that but it kind of put us on the map for a few people. For me, it felt like a victory for the idea of lo-fi and the idea of home-made recordings because it was an album made in the kitchen using about five shitty microphones! And we were going head-to-head with major label albums.”

I’ve got songs at home that have evolved from various sources, you know, melodies I’ve sung into my phone or samples from four-track tapes I have scattered around.

CH RI S F RA S E R

Who are the artists who inspired you to become a DJ in the first place? Probably early stuff like Bomb The Bass, Inner City, Coldcut and even early italo house was what brought it on for me. Then the early Sasha mixtapes came along and blew everyone away. I’d always been into Depeche Mode, New Order etc, so house was an obvious choice.

make a tape then record over it yourself and then add stuff onto it.

Regularly heard on Pete Tong’s Essential selection, the TV Rock-ers have recently collaborated with Dave Spoon, MYNC, Richard Dinsdale and Dirty South with a string of new releases slated for 2007. The duo have also achieved seven No. 1 ARIA club chart positions for their remixes and have remixed the likes of Groove Armada, Armand Van Helden, Supermode, Fedde Le Grand, Josh Wink and Meck to name but a few. The TV Rock boys also recently closed the Australian MTV Music awards playing alongside Fergie, Silverchair and Pink. and I hope it stays that way. I think I’ve grown a lot in musical terms as a producer and DJ over the years. I listen back to some of my early records, and the change is almost scary! In production terms, you always keep progressing, and even DJ-wise there’s so much new stuff out there to keep things interesting.

I’ve been so busy with interstate gigs and work at the label that I haven’t gotten out-and-about much in Sydney yet! Generally, though, I hope to be getting more original stuff done, and keeping the remixes coming. I’m also looking to start collaborating with some mates in the studio at some point, but otherwise, I say, “more of the same!”

What are you planning for the future? What would you like to be doing in two years? Hopefully finding a bit more time to explore my new home.

Chris Fraser plays Syrup in Hobart on the 8th of September.

Grant hosts Overdrive on the Nova network nationally, alongside Vicious Vinyl boss and friend John Course. It is the most listened to dance show in Australia. He has mixed the last three Onelove CDs alongside Carl Kennedy, Kaz James (Bodyrockers) and The Freemasons, selling over 100,000 units in the process. Grant has a new compilation series out in September 2007 TV Rock plays Launceston’s Saloon on the 8th of September.

JUNI O R S EN I O R

BANGERS & MASH

“I Told You … Don’t Call Me Junior!”

By Dave Williams

Half a world away, in Copenhagen, Junior from Junior Senior told me about the perils of being too short in school ... and that his songs really aren’t as happy as people might think ... So whereabouts are you today? I am in Copenhagen. And that’s home for you, huh? Yeah … this is my home. [Laughs] Did you guys have the nicknames of “Junior” and “Senior” before you got together and started making music? How did the name come about? Well, I was always not the tallest guy in school … “Jesper” is a very common name, so I was always, like, “Junior”, or “Small, Little Jesper” … something like that. So yeah, I actually have the nickname in real life, also.

And what about “Senior”? Was that just to go with the “Junior” part? Or is there some history to that? [Laughs] No history! Just a big fat lie! [Laughs] Well, lies can be fun, as long as they’re just made to have fun! [Laughs] OK! Yeah, it was just … We kind of just wanted... It was very kind of... No indie bands kind of, you know, I don’t like the word “concept”, but I guess it was kind of what we were thinking of when we, like, started the band a long time ago. You know, there was nobody like, in kind of the alternative thing. Kind of more weird names, and kind of conceptual ideas. Well that was the beginning of it, to tell you a little part of the story. Hey, so I bet you’re hoping that Can I Get, Get, Get is going to be like Move Your Feet? Mmm... I don’t know. I mean, I hope it will be, you know, people will like it? And hear it getting some airplay. So I mean, that’s good. We just hope for the best, I mean, ... Your Feet was such a big hit, especially in the UK, and I don’t think you know, it’s going to, you know, it’s stupid to think, well not stupid, but you know, just unrealistic to kind of hope that it will as big a hit, you know, you have to be kind of lucky, and timing, and all that kind of stuff. But I mean, sure, I mean, we really like it!

...I would never really call our music happy... Cool. And what are the different roles the you and your partner take in producing the music? Who does what, and at what stage do things happen? I mean, I guess I’m kinda... the main songwriter. So kind of just, you know, when we did the last one we kind of, I guess we kind of started lots of, you know, demos. And when I kind of felt we were in a state that they were kind of listen-able, I just played them to get out what to do with them, and you know, when we had like a little batch of songs, we kind of felt that it’s right, and we kind of felt that we’re moving in the right direction. We had some slower songs, even, because we were really scared of, in the beginning, like, slow songs. But we felt we wanted to do something that was kind of more funky, I guess, and kind of more, I don’t know, soulful, maybe? … But your music on the whole is really, generally, Hello, Happy Rap, Dance, Dance, Dance. And they’re all pretty happy sort of tunes. Yeah, yeah. I guess on the surface anyway. [Laughs] The song, Happy Rap is kind of, I was just really annoyed about all the kind of aggressive rap music. But I mean, to all music there is some happiness, and some sadness. And I think that’s also in our music, even though it’s very kind of outgoing, I guess, and it’s kind of, yeah, it is upbeat. I guess, compared to a lot of new music, which is really, it’s kind of you know, the whole kind of image, and the kind of sound they make is kind of more... dark, and supposedly, depressive. I don’t want you thinking those kind of terms. I think also, our music is very rhythmic, and it’s got funky guitars and claps, and shouting. Happy shouting. It seems that way anyway. I would never really call it happy, but I would say more outgoing, maybe. I don’t know if that’s the right word. Okay. No, I think outgoing is a good word. So if you look a little deeper into the songs you think that they get a little tougher, grittier. You think? Yeah, exactly. It’s a lot to do with kind of how a band presents themselves, and I guess when you see like, the artwork, or a music video from an emo band or something, you know they actually have got like a really pop like song, you know, it’s just kind of the whole the way it’s presented. And the way the music is produced makes it like really, makes it sound depressing. Even though it’s totally just a pop song. I don’t think it’s totally just happy music. I don’t really see it that way. But of course there is some happiness in there! To listen to the full Junior Senior interview, go to www. sauce.net.au

PAGE 21

A MBER S AVA GE

Deep, Dark and Demented Beats BANGERS & MASH

By Isis Stuckenschmidt The Queen of Hard Dance, DJ Amber Savage is set to return to Launceston, and this time she’s going to show how even her mellow side is still just a bit savage…… Fasten your dancing shoes because Australia’s hottest female DJ, Amber Savage, is back to rock your Saturday night! Savage will take over The James Hotel on September 15 as she brings her beats to Launceston once again. The twenty-six year-old from Sydney’s north shore is set to create one big party. Savage is one of the fastest rising stars on Australia’s trance-hard dance scene and has been dubbed the country’s “Queen of Hard Dance”. But her upcoming gig at The James Hotel will see a more subdued side to Savage. Nevertheless, Savage said punters could expect a night of “deep, dark and demented beats.”

Savage burst on to the dance scene as a nineteenyear old in 2000 and has spent the last seven years establishing her credentials through constant club gigs around Sydney. ‘‘I don’t know if I decided to do it (DJ) as a career but I really liked the concept of DJing through records and when I get my head into something I go out and buy all the equipment to give it a go,’’ she said. Savage said before she knew it, she had given up all her other “day jobs” to become a full-time DJ. ‘‘It was sort of natural progression and I still love doing it.’’

It was sort of natural progression and I still love doing it… Best known for her tough music style and vibrant personality, Amber tours Australia regularly and headlines the biggest clubs and events around the country. ‘‘I became a permanent resident at Sublime at Home in Sydney a few years ago where I am still a resident,’’ she said. ‘‘Although I have had a few residencies in Sydney, Sublime is really the hub that we all love to play at.’’ Born in England, having grown up in Adelaide and now based in Sydney, Savage said that although she regularly

toured the country, she would one day like to try her skills overseas. ‘‘I’d like to tour overseas but because we’re so far away from Europe people don’t usually like to spend money on us to go and do gigs over there,’’ she said. ‘‘If you live anywhere in Europe it’s easy because for them - it’s like us flying from Sydney to Queensland - but to fly a DJ all the way over there is costly and I can understand that. New Zealand and Asia seems a little bit easier for us so I’ll try and focus on that market for the moment.’’ Amber focuses her Savage talents at The James Hotel, September 15. http://www.myspace.com/djambersavage

S A NDER K LEI N EN BE R G

The Alpha And Omega Renaissance BANGERS & MASH

By Dave Williams Sander Kleinenberg mixes it up as a full-time Dad and full-on DJ. On the line from the dance party capital of the world, I caught up with him to chat about his new Renaissance compilation CD, and balancing home life and night life… Hey Sander, how are you? Hey David, yeah, very good. You sound like you’re at home? Well, I’m in Ibiza, and I have been for a while during the week with my family. Yeah, enjoying some time off. It’s all good.

How is it being a DJ in the whole club scene with a family? I don’t want to get into the whole private life thing, but I know, being a journo in the music industry, it’s hard to cope with the whole nightlife type thing. Well, I’m not gonna lie – working nights is not always handy when combined with the regular routine of being a Dad… you know, every downside has its upside… when I’m home I’m really home. I don’t have a nine-to-five. There’s relatively a lot of freedom in my job so, apart from the two, three gigs a week and the odd tour here and there, I think the balance is okay. You know, it is definitely different from other people out there and you have to… you do have to have some sort of routine – you need to be in balance; you can’t get drunk every day. But I think that applies to every Dad, I guess. It’s a change, definitely.

to be a little bit steered away from the hype and sort of the… happening records because a mix review loses its value as soon as you cram it full of music that’s made for clubs, you know? There’s a big difference between what you listen to in your home environment or behind your computer or in your car than what you would listen to… in a club. So, you know, there is definitely a difference but the intentions are obviously trying to reflect… where you are musically at, sort of, and you wanna be taken on some kind of journey, so there’s always a… beginning and end, slowly building towards some sort of crescendo, at least. That’s how I view them and how I look at them. When I come from concepts, I try to be… I do take care of my artwork; I want it to look nice and have that extra added value that definitely comes out of the music… making it as good as I can get it.

How did the connection between yourself and the Renaissance label develop? Well, they do compilations, don’t they! I’ve come from a place where, musically, I’ve had a lot in common with the other DJs that were featured in other Renaissance compilations… we started the relationship and they give me the wonderful freedom to work under my own terms and with my own ideas; they give me a lot of creative freedom both from the point of view of artwork to actually choosing the music and all that. They’re a great, great bunch of people to work with. What was your approach to this Renaissance – this is Sander Kleinenberg Renaissance production? Was there an artistic concept you took when you decided to do this or did it develop as you went along? Well, a mix review is a mix review, and I think the ninety, ninetyfive percent of what a mix review [entails] is getting amazing, or hopefully relevant music… put them on a disk and try to make sense of it all. It kind of, hopefully, reflects what’s current at the moment – takes this moment in time and gives some kind of [meaning to it]… Would you say this is a good representation of what you play in the clubs or is it a little bit different to what you’re mainly playing? I think mix reviews are always… your aim is to have it reflect what you do in general, but you also want mix reviews to be fairly timeless and you also want mix reviews PAGE 22

When you’re deciding on the track selection and the order of the tracks, do you give a texture rating to each track and then you sort of look at it in terms of building from say a one up to a five and back down to a one, and back to a five; end with a one, or end with a five… That’s a fair [description] of what you would do… you start collecting. You start going like, “Okay, this could be the beginning of a CD…” you know what I mean? You slowly come up with a selection – out of a hundred tracks there’s about four five sections of where I could place them and that’s sort of how I go along. I have a beginning and an end… To listen to the full interview, go to www.sauce.net.au. http://www.sanderkleinenberg.com/

BANGERS & MASH

JEFF DRAKE

Bringing You Tomorrow’s Chart-Toppers Today By Dave Williams

A man who clearly knows how to use an advantage, Jeff Drake’s role within Ministry Of Sound is proving very useful for staying on the cutting edge of electronic music – foreseeing the next dancefloor bombs and bringing them to crowds at the renowned Chinese Laundry and Moulin Rouge before most DJs have even heard of them. He told me where he saw dance music heading … So what are you working on? I work for Ministry Of Sound, so I’m at the office. And what do you do there? I’m the label manager for Hustle … So basically I look after all our domestic and international single releases, and all the vinyl. Basically working with the local artists, and international stuff that’s been licensed into Australia … so that’s kind of neat. So what sort of music do you play? Do you call yourself a particular kind of DJ? Or do you go across all the genres? I seldom label myself, because I don’t think I strictly play one style ever – it really just depends on the situation … My record box is full of all the tunes that I’m in love with, and I’ll just try and play the right records at the right time for the right gig. So if I feel like I should go house here, and that’s what the crowd wants, then I’ll go as house-y as I can. If the crowd want to play really dirty, then I’ll go that way. But if I kind of had to describe it now, I think there’s a bit of a ghetto influence. It’s a bit gritty … it’s really funky, but it’s also a bit edgy, if that makes sense? It’s all party and dancefloor stuff, but it’s got a bit of an edge that’ll probably catch my ear. I don’t strictly play stuff off the label! [Laughs] You’re coming down to play at Syrup. What could possibly be some of the first tracks that you might play? That’s a good question. It really depends on what the person before me plays – I’ll watch what they play, and see what the crowd’s reacting to. But if I had to guess, it’d probably be something sort of [like] Switch – that kind of glitch-ier house sound. That’s usually a good place to start from, because a lot of guys are playing that sound – so you can make a strong statement – and it sounds a lot different to classy house music, or the big-room electro house. It sounds quite different to that. So you can really announced your arrival with some records in that style. And then, from there, you can kind of go anywhere. So if all’s going to plan, I’ll probably start in that area. And where did you play last weekend? Good question … I played at Chinese Laundry and Moulin Rouge, both in Sydney. Funnily enough, they’re my two favourite gigs – they’re definitely my two favourite clubs in Sydney, and two of my favourite gigs in the country. So Laundry’s just … musically, you can get away with absolute murder, you know? The crazier the records that you play, the crazier the crowd gets, so it’s just so refreshing to be in that situation. And Moulin Rouge is like a real late-night venue. It’s very heads-down clubby, and you just lock into a groove … it’s the same deal – you can play records you probably couldn’t play anywhere else, you know? Before that, I’ve been in Perth, Brisbane … tomorrow night I’m in Canberra. So I’ve been traveling a lot lately. What are your experiences of playing in Tasmania before? None! I’ve got to talk to all my mates who’ve played in Canberra … I mean, played in Hobart, and ask them what worked for them, and what the crowd’s like. I’ve heard nothing but really good things about Syrup, so I’m pretty pumped about it. Everyone tells me that that’s the gig to have in Canberra … in Hobart. Why do I keep saying Canberra?

…Sometimes it’s worth changing your scenery or balance … About the same size, I think. [Laughs] It’s probably because I’m going there tomorrow – I’ve got it on the brain! Everything I’ve heard about Syrup is that it’s mad, so I’m really looking forward to it. I’m going to bring a lot of the really new Ministry stuff. So if people want to hear stuff that’s going to be on next year’s Ministry compilation, I’ve got all that stuff with me. So there’ll be a lot of new music – a lot of records that, come three months’ time, will be really big. Hopefully I’ll be able to road-test a few of those. I think you’ll find it’s very similar to Moulin Rouge and Chinese Laundry, in that you’ll be able to do whatever you want, and the crowd will be up for it. Well that’s one thing I’ve noticed about smaller towns [and] smaller cities – they’re not so spoiled for choice, like in Sydney or in Melbourne, so people are a lot … like, more willing to go with you. It’s not like they go to a different club every single week, you know? So they’re much more engaged when they hear something different. So I’m sure that the stuff that I play is fresh to their ears, you know what I mean? I’m never going to take it seriously, and I’m never going to be that guy that’s trying to educate the crowd – it’s more about playing records that are big party records, [and are] just a little bit different. You’ve done a six-hour set before – where was that? And how long are you looking to play for in Hobart? Or will you just see where it goes? I’ll play as long as they’ll let me play, you know what I mean? I’m a bit greedy when it comes to DJing. Once it gets harder, they really don’t want to stop. Others keep playing until the club closes – like, five o’clock, six o’clock. In fact, if there’s still people there, I’ll still want to keep playing … As far as, like, long sets, the good thing there is; once you lock into a groove, I just like to stay in it, and then you can just drift off to the left, and drift back to the center. You can play so many more different records, and so many records that are really deep in your crate, that you probably wouldn’t get to play if you were playing for two hours. So [I couldn’t tell you] how long I’m playing down there, because I don’t know. But the longer, the better. You’re in a pretty unique position, being both a working DJ as well as being right in the middle of Ministry Of Sound and Hustle. To gauge it, where’s dance music heading at the moment? What are the trends that you’re seeing in the scene right now? I think the trends are away from just being … I mean, the whole electro house thing has been really big, and it was a good breath of fresh air into dance music when it was at the point where it was ready for a change. I think that sound … those influences have spread across most of the genres now – they’ve crossed over from being strictly nightclub things to now being radio things, and that sound is probably at the point where it’s … not run its course, but it’s settled into a really nice place, and it’s doing its thing. And now, we’re probably looking to see where things are going to go next, you know what I mean? There’s lots of … all the minimal stuff’s been a really big underground thing. Slightly progressive sounds have been coming back for a while. You know, I think crowds are not so much interested in … I think the purist thing of doing one thing is gone. I think, now, good records are going to stand out, whether they’re vocal records, whether they’re electronica, whether they’re breaks. That’s kind of been the more recent trend up here. You can get away with playing a lot of different styles, and if you want to go deep, you can. You’ve got Kid Kenobi playing house … you’ve got Amber Savage playing house … So coming from breaks and trance to house, they’re just doing anything now. Yeah, exactly. Like, trance guys are playing house. Sublime has gone from being strictly trance to … now they do electro and stuff at the beginning of the night. I think that cross-pollination of styles is just going to keep evolving. And that’s great for me, because now, if I sign a great breaks record, I can play it in the middle of a house set, and crowds are just totally cool with it. So, you know, I’m happy with that. Jeff Drake plays Syrup in Hobart on the 15th of September. To listen to the full interview, go to www.sauce.net.au

PAGE 23

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Urthboy, Hermitude & the Tongue

G Love - Solo Tour

19th October @ Republic Bar

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Jewelz & 9th Insight Vents & Funkoars 15th September @ Halo

PAGE 24

13th October @ Republic Bar

@ BRISBANE HOTEL 4PM - 7:30PM + FUNKOARS + HEADS OF STATE $15 ON DOOR

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THE SCIENTISTS

OF MODERN MUSIC ELECTRONIC SUNSET EP LAUNCH Feat. E.L.F.(Gerling) The Cityscape Riot Followed by an after party at Curly’s feat. DJ Tranterco from Melbournes streetparty collective!

SEPTEMBER 7

MOORILLA FROM 8:30PM Show and Bus tickets available

from Ruffcut Records

With only just a handful of releases, Australian DJ and producer, Hook n Sling (Anthony Maniscalco) has cemented himself in the up-and-coming producer elite. It was Vegas Heat in early 2006 that made people sit up and listen to this new energy on the scene. Smashed by James Zabiela, it also received multiple airplays on Radio 1, Kiss FM and Triple J Australia wide. Earning strong acclaim for his production style, Hook n Sling’s release He Doesn’t Love You, heralded the distilled sound that is uniquely his. Firmly in the boxes of Deepdish, Fontaine and Coburn, this remix for high profile Australian rock queen Sarah McLeod, was snapped up for release in October 2006 by Renaissance. Since its release, He Doesn’t Love You, has become an ARIA Club Chart No. 1, going on to top sales charts internationally.

Warriors, Tonite Only, SubSource and Kid Kenobi. These will support an ever-growing group of compilation appearances including Renaissance – The Sound of Ibiza, three tunes on the Ministry Of Sound Annual 2007 and more recently, three appearances on the Ministry Of Sound Clubber’s Guide to 2007. Hook N Sling plays Hobart’s Halo on the 22nd of September.

39 BAR/CLUB RENO’S FEATURES

BANGERS & MASH

HOOK N SLING

Hook n Sling’s talent behind the decks alongside his energetic production style have helped Anthony step up and play extensively throughout Australia/New Zealand and perform two UK tours, always a crowd favourite.

Late 2006 was a busy time for Anthony. His five forthcoming tracks, all due for release in the next few months, include new original work and remix collaborations with Who Made Who, Stanton

A PICTURE TELLS A THOUSAND WORDS

PITCHBLACK BIRTHDAY NUMBER ONE

PitchBlack celebrates its first birthday in style, with two of the dance scene’s biggest acts set to rumble the Halo walls this September! Introducing to Hobart for the first time, “9th Insight” [Master Kaos + LCK] (Melb), who, having played main stage at practically every Pharmacy party in the last few years, are leading the way with their inventive and intelligent style and sound, incorporating hard trance, techno, breaks, hip hop and scratching (using a QFO!) into their unique sets. Also gracing us with her presence will be Bass Station resident “Jewelz” (Melb), whose signature dark ‘n’ dirty trance sound has seen her play some of the biggest parties in Australia, including Two Tribes, Summadayze, Slinky, Godskitchen, Pharmacy and Earthcore! Time to turn off the lights and crank up the sounds, for what should be one of the parties of the year! Bring your party hats, black is back! Jewelz (Melb) Every now and then a DJ will come along that brings something extra special to the dancefloor. Whether it be through razor-sharp mixing skills, an impeccably woven web of sounds or a deeply intimate connection with the dancefloor that borders on the spiritual, there are some DJs out there that propel the experience of hearing music to a whole new level. As a DJ, Jewelz is all this and more. Jewelz brings something to the craft of DJing that transcends the simple practice of beat mixing. From her signature dark ‘n’ dirty trance sound, to the filthiest acid basslines, toughest form of progressive and the crunchiest brand of techno, Jewelz seamlessly combines them all to produce pleasurably wicked floor-shaking soundscapes, inspiring even the most po-faced of punters into a blissed-out state of shuffling hysteria. No surprise that she is now regarded as one of Australia’s leading DJs, coming in at no.27 (no.6 overall in Victoria) in ITM’s prestigious Top 50 poll this year. An essential addition to any line-up, Jewelz regularly plays the biggest events in Australia, including Two Tribes, Summadayze, Slinky, Godskitchen, Pharmacy and Earthcore. Her versatile playing style has seen her support DJs as diverse as Carl Cox, Satoshi Tommie, Paul Oakenfold, Scot Project, Infected Mushroom and Dutch tech trance wunderkind Marzz, among many others. 9th Insight (Melb) The creative talent of Master Kaos and LCK joined forces to create the 9th Insight in 2003. They will blow the minds of all who witness their wizardry, creating a path for newcomers to recognize and pursue a new edge on DJing, incorporating hard trance, techno, breaks, hip hop and scratching. They are dedicated to taking DJing to a level never seen before in the dance scene. Infecting people with their innovation, and with a busy schedule through the year, not only the 9th insight, but all of us as a whole, will have a different look at what we define as DJing as the 9th Insight storms ahead towards something new. Having played alongside such talent as Carl Cox, ASYS, Cosmic Gate, Yoji Biomehanika, Fred Baker, Proteus, Scot Project, Uberdruck, Thilo & Evanti, Derb, Walt, Showtek, Organ Donors, Steve Hill, Alex Kid, D - 10, Kamui, K90, Alex Szahala, RX, Energy Dai, Thomas P. Heckmann, Thomas Schumacher to name a few, 9th Insight have proved they have what it takes to play with the world’s best. PitchBlack, Saturday September 15 @ Halo PAGE 25

1 9 1 C H A R L E S S T R E E T L AU N C E S TO N

WEB: www.saloon.com.au PH:

03 6331 7355 FAX: 03 6331 2414 EMAIL: hotel@saloon.com.au

SATURDAY 8 SEP

TV ROCK BYO and now LICENSED! 254 Mount St Upper Burnie 7320 Give us $5 for live music unless otherwise stated

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 6

Jazz Club '07 The Andy Farrell Trio 7:30PM

SATURDAY 15 SEP

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 7

HYDRA HEADS

Rosalind Wilton 7:30PM

THE SCIENTISTS OF

MODERN MUSIC ENOLA FALL

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 8

Gaye Clarke

RED RIVAL

The Troubadour 7:30PM

THE CITYSCAPE RIOT

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 12

Debra Byrne SATURDAY 22 SEP

EVERMORE

Russell Jarvis' 50th Birthday Bash 8:00PM $25

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 13

Debra Byrne Encore 8:00PM $25

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 14

The Jazz-Free Zone SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

Justin Heazlewood SATURDAY 6 OCT

The Bedroom Philosopher is Back, 7.30PM $10

stagedoor@keypoint.com.au PAGE 26

THE VENTS

HIP-HOP

Pumping Hard Killers By Tom Wilson If the infamous psychologist Sigmund Frued was alive today, he’d probably have a field day explaining the traits and quirks of the hip-hop word. Luckily, he’s not, so Adelaide MC and recent signing to Obese, Vents, can rest easy. He spoke to me about being Hard To Kill.

One of the shows you’re playing in Tasmania is an all-ages one, and I was just wondering, in your experience, how is playing to an underage crowd different to playing licensed gigs - how are they different in terms of how they respond to the music? I don’t think I’ve ever done an all-ages gig! I think the only one I kind of did was The ‘Hoods launch – The Hard Road launch, that was an all-ages crowd but I wasn’t out for long. I guess they’re not drunk… I think maybe the younger people have a little bit more enthusiasm or something, you know. They just haven’t been to as many gigs ‘n that… so… I dunno. I don’t discriminate playing to younger people. You’re heading down here and playing with some locals – Mynse and Heads of State – what experience have you had performing with these artists and how do you think they’ll compliment your set from a stylistic point-of-view? Honestly, I haven’t heard these artists but… I’ve heard good things about Tasmania and hip-hop and I know the crowds are a bit crazy there, you know, when we did Bloc Party there and that, so… yeah, I’m real keen to check it out, move a few heads and that; have fun! Hard To Kill has been out for around a month now, is that right? Yep! Killer title, by the way – I thought it was a Steven Seagal movie [Laughs]… [Laughs] …Now that you’ve got a little distance from it, how have your feelings about it changed – like, what do you see as its strengths and do you perhaps see any weaknesses you’d like to [improve on] on your next album? This is… Okay… Maybe we made this album with a little bit of idealism that we could make, you know, a really hardcore record and it could be successful… and I think it was always gonna be a limited audience, regardless of how much airplay we got n’ that, because it’s not very dancey kinda music, and… yeah, I think that’s definitely its weakness, but its weakness is also its strength, on the plus side – you know we didn’t have things like that in mind when we were making the album, we were just, you know, whatever music we liked to make, so it’s gonna be harder the next

time around if we’re gonna make a similar album; you know, trying not to water it down a little bit until we sell a few more records… yeah. It has only been out for a month and it’s tough on the first album… you have to establish a fan-base first and I that takes a little bit longer than a month, in my experience, here. Yeah, sure… so what’s the best bit of feedback you’ve got regarding the album – you know, something a punter’s told you, or another Aussie hip-hop artist? The feedback is, you know… because we don’t make any money! – the feedback is what it’s all about, man! And, you know, I’ve had some people say things… you know, some of the nicest things anyone’s ever said to me like, “It’s the best Australian hip-hop they’ve ever heard,” and, you know, “It’s a classic,” and stuff so, I mean that’s, sort of… it’s the nicest thing anybody’s ever said to me, you know? 99% of the feedback I’ve got has been positive… I’ve been really, really happy with the response to it, definitely.

… maybe he’d say I wanna have sex with my mother …

And, just for fun, what’s been the worst bit of feedback – what’s something someone’s said that was so far off the mark that they didn’t get it, at all? There was a… I think it was a dance music site and this guy was wailing on it pretty hard and he was saying that it sort of sounded like the soundtrack to a bunch of sweaty men taking their shirts off in the gym, pumping iron and… [Laughs] Yeah! And, I dunno if I should take that as a compliment or not… I think the dude had… you now, it sounds like he has some sort of repressed homoerotic things going on in his head, man… I think, if he was gay, that would be a massive compliment! [Laughs] I think Freud would have something to say about that! [Laughs] So what do you reckon Freud would say about an Australian hip-hop artist whose first album is called Hard To Kill? Oh geez… uhm, what would Freud say – I dunno, maybe he’d say I wanna have sex with my mother and… gee, what else… yeah. That’s sort of the extent of it, I dunno… To listen to Tom go deeper into The Vents, go to www.sauce.net.au

NI NO BRO WN

An Award In One Hand, And Decks In The Other HIP-HOP

By Chris Rattray

He’s coming down, in leaps and bounds – straight to your town, ready to get down, it’s Nino Brown! Wow, that was lame. Moving right on, the man who thinks turntable-ism is an art form and has a habit for proving it is heading southward with Ken Hell, having just won a second Urban Music Award. He told me how he lets loose.

At what point does partying all the time as a job just become a job? Well, you’re absolutely right. Don’t get me wrong – I love what I do. But when I’m out at a club DJing ... for the most time, it is serious business, and I am there to do a job. But I’m an entertainer, you know? But I’m not getting drunk; I’m not carrying on – I’m there to do a job, and do the best job I can and make everyone have a good time. So how much more do you let loose when you get a chance to not have to be “that guy”, who’s giving everyone else a good time? I like to let loose, but I don’t always do it at a nightclub, because that’s where I’m always working. So it’s like, if you were a lawyer, you wouldn’t want to go and let loose in the courtroom. So how do you let loose? Man, I like to have a few drinks and party with my friends, you know? Go to bars and restaurants and all that kind of stuff. Just living the good life, you know? I’m just a regular dude, and I do the DJ thing ... that’s how I make a living, you know? So now that you’ve won this award for the second time in a row, let’s look back on your life – what are some of the pivotal experiences you had growing up that make you the hip-hop artist you are today? Just a real passion for the music I think is what does it, you know? I’ve always done it because I love the music, not for anything else. I see a lot of DJs these days get on because they see people like myself doing big things, and they want to do those things, rather than ... if you’re just loving your music, and loving the art-form of DJing and turntable-ism, then things are going to happen. You feel good at it; you put the effort in. The more work you put in, the more it’s going to reward you back. That kind of thing. Like, ten years ago, if you’d asked me, “do you think you’ll ever do this and this and this,” I would have said “No, I’m happy just doing my couple of gigs, and doing what I do.” So what would be the one track, or one artist, that really inspired you to follow this passion? Well I’m a huge fan of Snoop Dogg. The first concert I ever DJ’d was for Snoop Dogg in 1998, and that was a bit of a turning point – like, “Wow, this could be really big!” I’d just come second that year at the DMC, so I was pretty excited about that. And I was just kind of like, “Wow, I’d like to do this forever”. So I really put my mind to it.

In your press kit, you mention that “there are turntablists, and those who rock parties and clubs.” I think we touched on that a little bit earlier, but what do you see as the difference between the two? Well you’ve got some party DJs who don’t really mix. They just put on songs – they’re like a human jukebox, you know? And then you’ve got some turntablists who are phenomenal at doing five-minute demonstration shows, but they’re not really great at doing parties. I think my niche is kind of incorporating the two, and making it an exciting show and an event, rather than just being a DJ.

I see a lot of DJs these days get on because they see people like myself doing big things, and they want to do those things … What sort of things can we look forward to seeing at your live shows, or hearing? Well at the show we’re going to be doing in Hobart, there’s going to be myself and Ken Hell – we’re promoting his new single Truck which is out on Blazin Records. It’s just going to be a very interactive hip-hop experience, with me DJing. There’s going to be a lot of chanting and singing along with the crowd. And then, Ken Hell is going to be performing some of his remixes of some of the major songs that people know and love, and also he’s going to be performing the single Truck, which has done huge on radio around Australia ... He’s got a cover of Fergie’s Fergilicious; his alter-ego, Take It Easy Heezy, has got a version of that called Wogalicious, which he’ll be performing. It’s kind of like a pisstake ... it’s pretty amusing and very clever. Nino Brown plays Curly’s Bar in Hobart on the 14th of September with Ken Hell. To listen to the full interview, go to www.sauce.net.au

PAGE 27

JAPANESE

MADMAN GOES BOATING TALES FROM EARTHSEA

CULTURE

There’s a huge history behind this debut from Hayao Miyazaki’s son, Goro – he had never touched animation before this movie, and his pioneering parent was very publicly opposed to his involvement in making it.

SCHLOCK

With his debut feature, the son has followed on the coattails of the dad’s recent inclination to look outside Japan for literary inspiration. Back in 2004, Hayao tweaked Diana Wynne Jones’ novel Howl’s Moving Castle, and Goro, in turn, has opted to adapt a book by prolific American fantasy scribe Ursula K. Le Guin.

A BATHING APE Never heard of A Bathing Ape? To shame! A Bathing Ape is a label – no, not a subversive hip-hop record label or the moniker of a new rapper, but the diminutive underground clothing line often referred to as just plain “Bape”. It’s over a decade old, Japanese in origin, and based around their retail outlet in the hip shopping-mecca that is Harajuku. It’s not the easiest place to find. It’s suitably underground, and bears no shop signage other than “Nowhere Ltd.” Indeed. Kick-started in 1993 by Tomoaki Nagao (now better known as Nigo), Bape focuses on cool urban street wear, skater-style clothes, and self-gratuitously fashioned Bape camouflage wear – all emblazoned with a Planet of the Apes style logo, which was an intentional reference point by the label’s owner. It’s the ultimate badge-of-honor for tag-toting Japanese hipsters. Bape clothing is also exceedingly expensive, and tends to be as rare as hen’s teeth – people have been known to queue for hours outside their shop in Harajuku, in the hope of acquiring a limited edition t-shirt, often costing well over $100. There’s also a limitation on how much you can buy. Yet, in spite of some hugely forbidding price tags and quota shopping, Bape has spread and multiplied, much like

If you’re at all familiar with the Earthsea tomes, the story here concerns the character Ged in his later years as a wandering wizard. There’s also a schizophrenic boy named Arren (voiced by Junichi Okada, from

INFOCUS

The festival has illustrious roots, creating history twenty-four years ago when it was founded as the first of its kind to have been organised by a local government in Australia. The event offers $10,000 in prize money for best film – a hefty incentive for any aspiring filmmaker. The top one hundred films are chosen out of over seven-hundred entries, and the best films are shown during the run of the festival. There was a variety of film genres explored by the festival, giving a kaleidoscopic view into the range of stories and film formats produced by Australian filmmakers. From short films Sweet & Sour, a colourful 2-D cartoon about a dog struggling with loneliness and the fear of being eaten, to a rotoscope-animated documentary about prostitution in the heart of St Kilda. Some of the films seemed to be at a lower standard in both quality and production values, but the atmosphere of the audience and the cosy setting of the venue buoyed up these black sheep in the group. One of the highlights of the festival was the short film Car Pool, starring Kerry Armstrong and Tom Cushing as a mother and son, in a hilarious story of puberty, young love and the uniquely humiliating relationship shared between a parent and their child. This story is yet another example of why we should never let our parents dictate or have any involvement in our love-lives. Ever.

Still, away from comparisons with anime’s uncontested international contemporary success story, and examined in the softer hue of what it actually is – an outstanding debut, and a rousing animation romp in its own right – Tales from Earthsea augurs well in terms of setting sail toward Goro’s very own signature style, Miyazaki moniker or not. ANDREZ BERGEN

Babe clothing has been flaunted by the Beastie Boys and James Lavelle (of Mo’Wax fame), and Time Asia dubbed Nigo “Japan’s king of cool,” in a feature story penned back in 2004. Nigo moonlights as a co-owner and chief designer for Pharrell Williams’ Billionaire Boys Club line, which shares premises (upstairs) with Bape in Harajuku, and two years ago Nigo joined Williams in opening the baptismal Bape store in New York. There are now Bape hair salons, cafes, galleries and boutiques in Japan, Hong Kong, London and Taiwan. So much for underground.

DVD REVIEWS

The Rose of Baziz was a charming, original fable narrated by Hugo Weaving, about a king with allergies to plants and a rose that grows in his barren kingdom. The story was given a classic feel using black and white still photographs instead of moving image, but the striking rhythm of the script was slightly impaired by the low standard of some of the pantomime-inspired visuals.

RUNNING WITH SCISSORS If I had to describe Running With Scissors in one word, it would be very ‘quirky’. Get the rage on the page women!

The romance Summer Breeze, about an English couple who meet on a river bank for a perfect day of bonding and bliss was another standout, with believable performances from its two leads. The film was selffinanced by Perth-based Producer David Le May and Austrian Filmmaker Kim Strobl, and had an ad-libbed, fresh feeling that enlivened the decidedly stale theme of young love. The festival also hosted a segment called “Sound Kilda”, showcasing a number of Australia’s most vibrant musical videos. Those featured were nominated for the SoundKILDA music video competition. The winning music videos In Front of Me by TZU, Explain by Sarah Blasko and the Audience Choice Heart’s a Mess by Gotye, all used animation to effectively enhance the catchy tunes. The St Kilda Film festival is an entertaining cultural event, and those who missed out can join in next year to appreciate another round of Australian talent.

focuses age of comes mother

It’s based on the book Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs, and is a semia u t o b i o g ra p h i c a l a c c o u n t o f B u r r o u g h s ’ childhood. It on the years of Augusten’s life from the thirteen when his parents’ relationship to a tumultuous crisis point, and his seeks the help of a psychiatrist, Dr Finch.

Brian Cox plays the eccentric 70s psychiatrist with the weirdest family on the block, who has a very bizarre way of ‘treating’ his patients. He hands out medication like lollies, administers electro-shock therapy in his home, and recommends he meets with his clients for five hours a day, every day. Soon after his parents split, Augusten

Films shown at the festival are also eligible for nomination in the Inside Film awards - the people’s choice awards for Australian Films. Scoring for this year’s IF awards closes midnight the 14th of September, and can be rated by registering at www.ifawards.com before the deadline. NICOLE CALABRIA

A CHORUS LINE

I make no bones about my lack of knowledge when it comes to dance. In fact most modern dance leaves me feeling confused and frustrated. Add to that the fact that the 80s were a period in my life that I spent many years trying to forget, and you have some pretty solid reasons why this film shouldn’t appeal to me. A Chorus Line is the DVD release of the 1986 film by Richard Attenborough which is based on the Broadway musical of the same name. It features a cast of almost complete unknowns, and Michael Douglas in the typically grouchy and intense role of Zach the director/ choreographer.

PAGE 28

The problems for Goro are the comparisons with dad, in particular Hayao’s very distinctive visual and philosophical panache. On an altruistic level, Miyazaki senior, like Shakespeare, also understands that any good yarn needs its comic intervention, yet in his son’s work the lack of humor hangs heavy.

the ape civilization in the original series of movies and spin-off TV series in the 1960s and ‘70s. One reason? It’s perceived as just so darned cool.

St Kilda Film Festival The St Kilda Film Festival took its repertoire on the road and set up shop across the country last in July, stopping at Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and its home town of Melbourne. It made its way to Hobart’s State Cinema on July 13th and 14th, where it was met by packed audiences, ready and eager to embrace the eclectic range of Australian films.

the pop group V6), a scarred farm-girl called Therru (newcomer Aoi Teshima), the androgynous villain Cobb (a sinister performance by Yuko Tanaka), and the typical tools of the Western fantasy genre such as a magical sword, latent powers, soul-searching, grappling with (inner) demons, and redemption.

is unexpectedly dumped at Dr Finch’s house to live and fend for himself while his mother works out her life. It is with sadness that we see Augusten’s realisation that there is no one he can go to for help, he is completely at the mercy of adults who have pretty much lost all sense of reality, and he’s going to have to make his own way with this mad bunch. There’s a lot of laughs in this bizarre movie, and lots of ‘what the heck’s?’ but the overall heavy feeling that develops centres around the impact on all of this on Augusten’s young life. Annette Benning does a great job of playing the flighty and annoying mother, who we see transform from highlystrung wife, to drugged out, slurring patient, to surreal, laid back lesbian poet. Alec Baldwin has a relatively small role, and is pretty boring as Augusten’s defeated, apathetic alcoholic father. Joseph Cross does a great job as the young Augusten, despite being seven years older than the character! My favourite character is Dr Finch’s wife Agnes (Jill Clayburgh), who eats dog biscuits from the bag while watching the same old black and white movie over and over again. She is actually the most sensible person in the film. My second-favourite character is Hope Finch, played brilliantly by Gwyneth Paltrow. This is a must see! ELOISE GURR The film covers the audition process for a group of dancers from initial cattle call to final cut, with a secondary storyline involving Zach’s ex partner Cassie, another dancer, returning to the stage. Through the auditions we get to know these dancers and their respective histories through either monologues or songs, and the whole thing moves along swiftly, carried by numerous dance numbers. And it is these dance numbers that this show is all about. These are truly phenomenal dance pieces, which while somewhat dated in their choreography, are still as impressive today as they were twenty-one years ago. They are interestingly shot and lit, but most importantly they are tight! Even the most disinterested viewer would struggle not to be impressed by the sharpness and incredible flexibility of these dancers. By the grand finale the dancing has reached its absolute pinnacle and you feel as if you have gone through the same ordeal as the characters. This film will certainly not be for everyone. It is long and occasionally tedious as well as being very dated and predictable. But the choreography combined with some stunning performers makes it hard to look away from. DAVID QUINN

I S T HE AT R E

One Woman, One Hour, One Decision

Reccomendations

By Chris Rattray Eleven years ago, a woman named Jenny shut herself away in her room for the first time. Drug-addled and desperate, she was faced with a life-and-death choice, made popular when Hamlet first uttered those inimitable words – to be or not to be? This month, Mudlark Theatre’s production of Junk Rooms, written and directed by Stephanie Briarwood, revisits Jenny, shut away in that room, on the verge of that decision. To be or not to be – that’s not a question I asked actor, Jane Binning (JB) and Associate Producer, Stuart Loone (SL)… but here are some questions I did ask…

THREE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES RECOMMENDED BY IS THEATRE

How did Junk Rooms come about? JB - The play came from [the writer], Steph and I can’t really tell you about her inspiration - that’s up to her. But the first production came from two performing artists who really wanted to tell an original story and work in an industry that they were passionate about. Steph and I decided to remount Junk Rooms eleven years later because we wanted to work together and we felt that Junk Rooms was still a relevant story that had plenty of room for further exploration. Plus we both really love the play.

and face up to who she is and what she could be. If you want to know what all that means you’ll have to come along and watch the play!

I have certainly used diversion to ignore personal pain… What experiences or associations inform your performance in this play? JB - Well I’ve never shot up smack before if that’s what you’re asking! But I have certainly used diversion to ignore personal pain, like my character Jenny. I have felt trapped and alone and desperate because life hasn’t always worked out how I imagined. I have also connected with a great inner strength. Although Jenny’s experiences are not mine the play has such a strong sense of truth about it that I have found it quite easy to make real connections to that truth. Tell us a bit about your character, Jenny… JB - I love Jenny. Steph and I both really love her. She is a very bright, funny, sensitive woman with a huge imagination and a deep inner strength. She has learnt to use humour to dance around her deeper, more painful memories and thoughts. Ultimately, she has to make a life and death choice

Cosmos Inc and Is Theatre are giving local, individual community members an opportunity to support the tour through donations to the 2nd Echo Ensemble.

How do you think theatre can benefit people… and how can people benefit theatre? SL - Big question… theatre is food for the soul. It challenges and entertains in a way that is unique and it’s a great way to tell a story because it comes in all different forms – there’s such a massive range of theatre experiences an audience can have. It gives them an intimate, immediate look into the stories of people - stories that you wouldn’t come across otherwise. People can benefit theatre by turning up and being open to being challenged. There’s no theatre without an audience.

Send a cheque or money order made out to Cosmos Inc to: Cosmos Inc c/o 56 New Town Rd. New Town 7008

Get your soul fed! Junk Rooms runs in Launceston at the Arts Alive Space in Charles Street, Launceston September 5-8, 12-15 and Hobart’s Backspace Theatre September 20-22. Performances commence at 8pm all nights. Adult: $20, Concession: $15 Bookings: 0400 429 436

Ultimately uplifting, this explicit, courageous and poetic one-woman-show is the intimate story of Jenny Brotten’s painful and disturbing drug addiction.

“The invitation came as a wonderful surprise. It’s a vital next stage in the Ensemble’s development and an opportunity to put a Tassie performance group on the national map” says Lea Brady, Cosmos Inc Program Manager. Donations from $10 to $500 are tax deductible and welcome. All proceeds go directly to the 2nd Echo Ensemble.

The creation of Josh Lowe and Cindy Foster, Masque explores the theme of masks and hidden personas with the incredible energy that only a youth company could muster.

Some of the images in the pieces were very evocative but the lack of crispness in aspects of the choreography distracted. The songs chosen also seemed at times to have only the most tenuous of link to the themes explored. This is a company that has enormous potential and I feel that with more experience and some kind of narrative structure they will be capable of good work in the future DAVID QUINN

A Fundraiser For The Launceston General Hospital Art Collection

SPOTLIGHT

THE ACTION OF THE PLAYWRIGHT: A PRACTICAL PLAY WRITING WORKSHOP WITH TOM HOLLOWAY. Tom Holloway, Tassie playwright now based in Melbourne, is in Tasmania for the season of his celebrated play Beyond The Neck. The Australian Script Centre is partnering with Tasmania Performs and Tom to bring you this exciting workshop. Work with Tom using exercises learnt from his Royal Court experience, discuss the writing process of his latest play and learn practical writing skills. Tom was born, and grew up, in Tasmania. In 2007 Tom’s play Beyond The Neck – inspired by interviews with those affected by the 1996 Port Arthur massacre – was one of ten plays out of four hundred entries chosen to be part of The Royal Court Theatre’s International Young Playwright’s Festival in London. This led to him signing with celebrated London theatre agent Mel Kenyon. With the support of The Australia Council for the Arts the play will be produced in Tasmania this September.

JUNK ROOMS Many theatre-goers would remember Junk Rooms from its first Tasmanian production eleven years ago: a product of Briarwood and Binning’s Ripe Theatre. Since then the script has had productions in Melbourne, Sydney and Cairns.

Carefully crafted to balance its sobering subject matter with moments of humour, the production re-unites its original collaborators in a “special edition” production:

Also in 2007 he has been one of four male artists involved in the development of the cabaret Only The Lonely, confronting the challenges of male suicide in Australia, supported by Arts Victoria, and a major inspiration for Love My Black Dog. His play Her Name Tattooed on His Fist, Looking Really F%$#King Shit is currently short-listed for the Griffin Theatre Company’s national playwriting award. When: Saturday 1st of September 11am – 3.30pm Where: the meeting room, Salamanca Arts Centre Hobart Cost: Australian Script Centre members FREE / $5 non members Bookings: Places are limited so book your place by Wed 29th August. Call Essie on 03 6223 4675 or email admin@ozscript.org

Interested In Putting Your Mark On An Icon? It starts off well enough, with what appears to be the set-up for a narrative that will run through the show, in which characters are defined and relationships established. However these beginnings do not pay off and the following numbers become a series of unrelated thematic explorations in dance and song, sometimes both concurrently. As such I found myself getting confused very quickly and sadly losing interest in proceedings.

The Launceston General Hospital has a wonderful art collection and is fortunate to have visual art contributing to the healing environment. Since 2005 the Launceston General Hospital Visual Arts Committee has organised an exhibition to raise funds to conserve the extensive art collection.

Entries The exhibition is open to all two dimensional artworks: paintings, drawings, printmaking, tapestry / textiles and photography Artwork size limit: Please no artwork larger than 100cm x 100cm Artwork must be ready to be hung, with wires & instructions attached

In 2007 the theme of the annual fund raising exhibition will be The Art of Play. This theme relates to child’s play or adult play or the things that have come to represent the meaning and symbology of playfulness for each artist.

Gala exhibition opening Friday 19 October 2007 from 7 – 9.30pm Entry Free

Artworks will be donated to the hospital and all proceeds received from auction of the works at the exhibition opening will contribute towards the conservation of the Launceston General Hospital Art Collection. Exhibition artists will be forwarded a complimentary ticket to the gala exhibition opening.

“The writing constantly draws you in, and its humour was surprising that I lost count of how many times the audience laughed out loud. This positive shooting gallery of emotions has you enthralled as it turns itself over revealing surprises and breaking assumptions.” – Review from Cairns Post, 2002

C OC A - C OL A DESIGN COM P ET IT ION

TH E ART OF P LAY:

The Art of Play exhibition is intended to visually represent the benefits of play for the health and well-being of adults and children.

“The show is courageous, warm and poetic – not the sort of words you’d use to describe a junkie”, said writer/director, Stephanie Briarwood. “But Jenny is spiraling downwards, and on the plummet, she inspects her own life with frank honesty.”

TO MAKE A DONATION:

Expressions of Interest Please e-mail expressions of interest in entering The Art of Play exhibition to Kathryn Rossiter at kathryn.rossiter@dhhs.tas.gov.au by 4 September 2007 Telephone enquiries to LGH Visual Arts Committee Chairman Malcom Bywaters on mobile 0411 093 334 Artwork Delivery Artwork must be delivered by 4 October 2007 to CEO’s Office, Level 3, Launceston General Hospital

SPOTLIGHT

Masque, the first production by new performance company, Drill, is an eclectic combination of numerous dance numbers, multiple styles and some beautiful singing.

The ensemble is made up of performers both with and without disabilities, supported through Hobart’s Cosmos Inc and Is Theatre.

Why should people switch off the telly and come see Junk Rooms? SL - It’s a story that you don’t see on television. You’re in the same room as Jenny. She’s pouring out her story in front of you – flesh and blood, right there – not trapped in a little box in a corner being viewed by millions. There’s hopefully going to be real electricity between the character and the audience; that’s what live theatre’s about – engaging with people directly. Every performance is unique and can’t be replicated. Theatre’s also really social – you get to get go with friends, go for a drink, then watch a show and talk about it all afterwards. I can’t really see people doing that with Sea Patrol. Looking at the telly guide, it’s a choice between RPA, Motorway Patrol: Westside Speeder, animated Mr Bean or Junk Rooms.

Masque - By Drill

That is not to say it is wrong or flawed or any less valid, simply that it is an acquired taste.

Tasmania’s only integrated performance group, the 2 nd Echo Ensemble, is looking forward to touring to the national Awakenings Festival in October.

“I worked with Cosmos Inc to create the 2nd Echo Ensemble, and then Is Theatre came on board. The invitation to perform at the Awakenings Festival is recognition of the beautiful, high quality work of the ensemble, and also a great opportunity to perform in a national context – gaining exposure and networks so the ensemble can continue to tour and grow” says Director Finegan Kruckemeyer.

THEATRE REV I EW Modern contemporary dance is the “emo” of the arts world. This may seem to be an inflammatory statement, but I do not use those words lightly. Like the “emo” sub-culture, modern dance is emotionally driven, visually distinctive and sadly completely incomprehensible to many of us outside of that world.

Stephanie Briarwood as writer and director, Jane Binning as actor and Darren Willmott as technical director.

2 ND ECHO ENSEMBLE

The group were invited to perform at the national Awakenings Festival last year when the Festival Producer saw their work (If I Jumped, I’d Fly) directed by Finegan Kruckemeyer at the Arts Action’s Amalgamation Festival last year.

How does this incarnation of the script differ from its first performance? JB - The play, in terms of theme and structure, has grown enormously. When we put it on in ‘96, it was a brand new work. It hadn’t had a reading or a workshop or anything; it was raw. Since then it’s had dramaturgical work and has had several productions by different companies around Australia. For Steph and I to get the chance to revisit the script eleven years after we first put it on has been a real opportunity. In a way, we’ve both been acting as dramaturges and the script has evolved even further. In what ways has your performance mutated from the original productions? JB - I’ve grown a fair bit myself in the last eleven years. The first time I played Jenny, I was very much focussed on her addiction and the fact she was a junkie. This time around I’ve really got to know the woman behind all that and the portrayal is stronger and deeper as a result.

SPOTLIGHT

JUNK RO O M S

Coca-Cola and Nando’s have teamed up to give one lucky person the ultimate creative opportunity to design their own iconic 385ml limited edition Coca-Cola glass bottle.

The winning entrant will see their design come to life when it is printed onto a plastic film and then shrunk onto the limited edition bottles which will be sold at Nando’s restaurants across Australia. Guaranteed to make the design-inclined go weak at the knees, anyone between the ages of twelve and thirty years of age is eligible to submit a design, with entries closing on 30 September 2007. The brief is simple. Give us your take on ‘Happiness’ or ‘Optimism’. It’s up to you how you interpret what that means, keeping in mind that the judges are on the look out for the most original and visually impactful representation of either ‘Happiness’ or ‘Optimism’. Speaking of judges, the panel includes Nando’s and Coca-Cola representatives; Colin Wood - managing editor of DG Network; Jason Ross – Executive Creative Director of advertising agency Clemenger Harvie Edge (CHE) and Cathie Glassby – artist/illustrator. With a judging panel like this

one, the design entries are going to have to be of a very high calibre to impress, according to Nando’s National Marketing Manager, Justin Monaghan. “Coca-Cola is a globally recognised icon and this is the chance for someone to have their design appear on one of the biggest brands in the world – it really is the opportunity of a lifetime for someone trying to make a name for themselves in the design or visual arts field,” he said. Along with having your design featured on the limited edition Coca-Cola bottle, the winning entrant will also win some great loot, including a twelve month individual subscription to DG Design Network magazine, one year’s supply of Nando’s, $1000 worth of Apple merchandise and a framed sample of their winning bottle. The five runners up will receive a year’s supply of Nando’s, twelve-month subscription to DG Design Network magazine and Apple merchandise to the value of $500. So, do you know someone with a bit of design flair looking to share their creativity with the rest of the country? If so, this is an opportunity too good to miss.

Got Some News To Share?

Like your work to be published?

Email details to news@sauce.net.au

Submit artwork to toons@sauce.net.au

Cartoons? PAGE 29

Street Fashion

CLAIR 23

SOCKS 16

JASON 18

SARAH 17

Favourite Band / Artist:

Favourite Favou urite Band / Artist:

Favourite Favo ourite Band / Artist:

Evergreen Terrace

Rise Against

Annotations Annot tations of an Autopsy

Deep p Purple

The Last Thing You Ate:

KFC Twister

Silverside Sandwich

Homemade Pies

Is coffee counted?

Fave Shoe Brand:

Converse

Etnies

Dunlop Volleys

Op Shop Shoes

What was your first ever car:

Crystler Galant ‘75

Toyota Cressida

I have a motorbike. Kawasaki KLR 250

Still waiting…

What question would you put on the Australian

What question would you put on the Australian Citizenship Test:

What question would you put on the Australian

Citizenship Test:

What question would you put on the Australian Citizenship Test:

Why is the sky blue?

Why are you moving to Australia?

What Beer is Made in Tassie?

Don’t know!

PAGE 30

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