Sauce - Issue 80, 29-10-08 by David K Q Williams

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. ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008 . TASMANIA’S STREET PRESS Aston Shuffle

Lagwagon PLUS THE GO SET THE SCREAMING JETS ADAM COUSENS AND HEAPS MORE!

KE IC K R W IT O IN N 2 Y ED CDs OUR IT E C IO VE A N! R R Y TO

Flying high with

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. ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008

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. ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008

NEWS #80 - October 29 to November 11

Contents 4 5 7 9 10 11 12 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

News Bliss n Eso The Screaming Jets Lagwagon / The Go Set Aston Shuffle Akouo / The Woohoo Revue Sophie Koh / Percussion Junction Entertainment Guide Adam Cousens / Jay Fraser Epicure / The Getaway Plan Yuri & the Vostok / Scott Woodhouse Ikochi / Kobya CD Reviews Hot Mods Comedy Zzapped! Arts Street Fashion / Gig Reviews

Contact: Phone: Advertising: Editorial: Editor: Email: Sub -Editor: Email: Graphic Design: Email:

03 6331 0701 advertising@sauce.net.au editorial@sauce.net.au David Williams david@sauce.net.au Chris Rattray chris@sauce.net.au Simon Hancock simon@sauce.net.au

Opinions expressed in Sauce are not necessarily those of the Editor or staff. Sauce Publishing accepts no liability for the accuracy of advertisements.

Contributors David Walker, Jason Hoggett, Tiarne Double, Mike Wilcox, Clayton Macintosh, Laen Deakin, Jayson Morrison, Feathers Mulgoon, Michael Blake, James Young

Next Edition Sauce #81 - 12/11/08 to 25/11/08 Advertising Deadline: 07/11/08 @ 3pm Editorial Deadline: 06/11/08 @ 3pm

HOME GROWN ROOTS VOL 3 Adam Cousens, Nathan Wheldon & The Two Timers and Dhali Shroj will appear on the highly popular Home Grown Roots Vol 3 album, alongside such greats as John Butler, Paul Kelly, Ash Grunwald and Mia Dyson. The trio, selected by Foghorn records, will play one show in Hobart, and one show in Launceston. Catch the Home Grown Roots gigs: 0 October 29 @ Irish Murphyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (Launceston) 0 October 30 @ The Republic Bar Home Grown Roots Vol 3 is out now on Foghorn Records.

2008 ISC DEADLINE EXTENDED The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) has extended its submission deadline until December 1, 2008. ISC will continue to take online, mail-in, and MySpace entries until this date. All entries must be postmarked or uploaded online on or before December 1, 2008. So, if you have not already entered ISC and wish to do so, you still have time to enter. ISC gives away over $150,000 in cash and prizes to 62 winners in 20 categories. The Overall Grand Prize includes $25,000 (US) in cash - the largest cash Grand Prize of any songwriting competition in the world. ISC is open to all levels of amateur and professional songwriters throughout the world. For more information and an entry form, go to www.songwritingcompetition.com

Friday Knockoffs @ Lonnies 24/10/08

Didi, Jason and Clint.

Grant, Kristie and David.

Jason, Beau and Darren.

Linda and Peta-Maree.

Lucas, Trent, Hamish and Kate.

Toni and Shana.

SAT, OCT 8

The Darkest Winter - Devonport Style: progressive melodic black metal A very hyperactive five piece band from the north west coast, with strong influences from Opeth and Cradle Of Filth; their sound is very percussive driven, with very tight guitars and double kick. I had no idea how extremely brutal the vocals would be, as I had never heard the band before. But believe me... they are deep and powerful. Check out the song The 5th Season at their MySpace... http://www.myspace.com/thedarkestwinters

GRAB YOUR SAUCE STICKER FROM THE MIDDLE PAGES AND STICK IT ON YOUR CAR!! WIN 2 LATEST RELEASE CDs EVERY ISSUE! CHECK NEXT ISSUE TO SEE IF YOUR REGO NUMBER HAS BEEN SPOTTED BY ONE OF OUR STATEWIDE SPOTTERS!

. ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008

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“ e, …f*ck m

n we won a ARIA!…

HIP HOP - SYDNEY // BLISS N ESO

Awards the Rewards For Having Fun

”

was pretty surreal,” says Bliss regarding their recent ARIA win. “It was the third time we’d been nominated and probably the first time we felt o“It we had a chance of maybe getting it. We still knew that we were up against some pretty good competition… it was pretty, you know, up in the air, so we didn’t know what to expect, so when we heard the announcement it was a big rush. It was awesome.”

Did you have a speech prepared? Man, we didn’t really. We were kinda saying, leading up to the ARIAs, that we’d better think about something just in case we win it, and we were like, “We’ll talk about it later.” And finally, we’re sitting at the table, at the ARIAs, and I’m like, “Guys, we should figure this out in case we win.” We basically just jotted a few things on a napkin, but unfortunately the speech got cut on TV because they have to be quick and stuff… the other boys talked as well. Did you bump into young Gabrielle Cilmi at the after-party perhaps? We didn’t, actually. We bumped into a few other people. The party went a lot quicker this year as we won. As soon as we won, we were doing all the promo and media stuff out the back and that lasted awhile, and then it was basically over. It was good. It was cool seeing a bunch of people in the industry and, f*ck me, we won an ARIA! We ended up going to the Intercontinental, to the Universal party up there; kicked on. It was a good night. Why did you think you had a better chance this year than previous years? For a few reasons. One, we feel that this is probably our strongest album to date. Two, I’d say the previous

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two years, we just felt like it was obvious The [Hilltop] Hoods were going to get it. They were completely out of everyone else’s league at that point in terms of sales and popularity and stuff like that, and it was an industry voted award so it was pretty obvious, and everyone knew that. So, yeah, this year we felt like it was our strongest record and that, if it was gonna happen, it would happen with this one, so we were stoked. What makes Flying Colours the strongest album you’ve done? I think we’ve evolved quite a bit from the last record. I really am feeling that evolution at the moment of where that’s going. As we’ve kind of recorded over the years, we’ve learned different bits and pieces of knowledge in terms of production and also, just maturing as a normal human being, you start thinking about different things, and I guess that had an impact on where the lyrics were going and I think there’s definitely been an evolution, a bit of maturity building with the lyrics. So, I think, yeah, both sides of it – the lyrics and the production have both evolved a bit from the last record, and I think a lot of that was due to the way we recorded Flying Colours – it was a lot more thought out in terms of scheduling and all that kind of stuff, whereas the first two were recorded in

dribs and drabs, sporadically, all over the shop, which doesn’t help get that unified, succinct kind of feeling of an album, where all the tracks gel together as one, kind of thing, I understand that you recorded Flying Colours on three different continents – which continents where they and why did you do it like that? We didn’t really plan that bit… I’ll explain the way it was recorded. Last year, we took a trip over to the north west of the ‘States, we were doing a couple of shows with a group called Sandpeople and we had a show up in Canada. So we went and stayed with the Sandpeople, which is a collective of MC’s that live in Portland. We went and stayed in their house. They have a house with three levels, a studio on every level, two producers live there, and three MC’s, so it was just like this creative heaven. We went in there and met them and immediately responded to the way they were and it was just like, “Let’s play a track!” and it basically became the first track we recorded for Flying Colours. So we put down a couple with them, and then, later in the year, we got invited with MTV and Evermore and the Oak Tree Foundation out of South Africa; that’s basically how the whole Bullet in the Target track happened, with the Zulu choir and everything.

We had [about] three songs under our belt before we got stuck into the record. The plan with that was that we needed to get outside of our lives in Sydney, because we’ve all got individual lives and it’s just impossible to get focused and get everyone on the same page to work on something, so we decided to record outside of Sydney, we went down to Melbourne, and it was awesome. We had nothing to do but get up every day and go to this studio. We were basically in captivity in this little dark air-conditioned studio and it was awesome. We laid it down and could get creative. I think, one of the main reasons the album came out the way it did, was we weren’t really focused on having to make a hit, or feeling the pressure of people saying that you gotta make sure this record good, you’ve gotta out do the last one. We just got in there and just got back into having fun. I’m really happy we did that because the fun leads to the passion and that leads to making the best album you can. sDAVID WILLIAMS Get some fun: 0 November 15 @ The Batman Fawkner, Launceston 0 November 16 @ YouthARC, Hobart Listen to more at www.sauce.net.au

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ROCK - AUSTRALIA // THE SCREAMING JETS

Turbulent Times Forge a Better Jet

was a whole lot of little hurdles thrown in front of us, and we jumped over all of them, and here we stand with a new album at the same o“There time as AC/DC,” says Dave Gleeson, the clearly proud vocalist of The Screaming Jets, “The Living End have got a rock album out too, so that’s good. We’re in good company.”

The Jets have been quoted as saying they’re “the band that can’t be managed.” Are they really all that much trouble or what? “I think it’s just hard to get us all on the same page,” Dave says. “In coming up with a title for the album, I must have twenty full foolscap pages of titles for the album that were all rejected. It’s just one of those things. We agree on playing. We agree on what songs to do, but some things are just like pulling teeth. We’ve certainly had some shonky managers in the past, and we’ve had managers that have meant well but didn’t have the arsenal to do what they promised, so… the guy we’ve got now’s fantastic and hopefully the organisation will remain the same from now on.” However, the turbulence doesn’t extend just to managers. They lost a member, long-standing guitarist and backing vocalist, Grant Walmsley, eighteen months ago. Dave explains, “He ended up getting a job… in the time off we took between 2001 – 2004, he went and got himself a music business degree, or something of that nature, and then got a job teaching at TAFE so, [with] us starting to tour more and more heavily it was just kind of conflicting [with our] schedules. It could have been more painless than it was but, as things go, people get a bit ego-driven, and it ended up in the hands of lawyers, who earned lots of money from both us and him over the last eighteen months, but now it’s all squared away. He actually played on the album. There was nothing underhanded or dirty in the break up, so we left him on the album. We’ve now got a new guitarist who’s been with us for eighteen months.” How did they choose the new guitarist? “Well, it turned out he actually engineered the album. His name’s Scott Kingman, and he used to be in a band called Horsehead, who we toured fairly extensively with in the early to mid 90’s, so he engineered the record and he’s a fine guitar player so, when it all first went down, we asked him to fill in temporarily, but he loves playing with The Jets; The Jets are a great band to be on tour with so, yeah… we’ve been able to retain his services.” Dave’s enthusiasm is evident. Does he still get a lot out of the band these days? “Oh yeah. We definitely

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“…we might not have gotten the monetary pay-off… but we had a f*cking good time doin’ it…” aren’t one of those bands that are driven by a business machine,” he says. “It’s probably something that’s let us down in the past. We’re all about getting out there on the road and playing or, when we’re in the studio we have a great time as well, so… I mean, we might not have gotten the monetary pay-off or the accolades from the ARIAs or anything like that, but we had a f*cking good time doin’ it!” It seems they’re here for a good time, not a long time. Dave agrees, “Yeah, that’s right. And look, it has been… it’s become a very business-orientated industry and – I’m not for a second saying we don’t care about business and stuff – but when we started, mate, we were a bunch of blokes hangin’ out, you get on the drink, you meet chicks, party on all the time, it was just a – apart from the meeting chicks – we’ve all got

wives and girlfriends now, but it’s still a big party out there and, as long as we put in a show we’re proud of, then we can have a drink after it, you know? It’s all about the fun.” We wonder why they took a break from all that fun. “That was at the end of our association with our fifth manager, and that was a real bad one. It took a lot of wind out of our sails,” Dave recalls. “We ended up… in debt, [with] people chasing us for money, that we thought had all been paid by the previous manager, so he left us in a pretty bad way. We basically got a caretaker manager just to bring the plane in for landing, without going into a crash landing. So he did that, and I guess, there were unresolved issues from that that led to Grant not being in the band when that all came to a head five years later, y’know? Up to that

stage - we’d left Newcastle in 1989, 1990 - and kind of [had] just been livin’ on the roads up until 2001. So it was nice to have a break and go back and reinspire and reinvigorate ourselves. I was plumbing for two years, and there’s nothing like having your hands arm down someone else’s shithouse to make you think ‘I’m gonna get back on the road. This is no fun at all!’” sINTERVIEW BY DAVID WILLIAMS ARTICLE BY CHRIS RATTRAY

The Screaming Jets play the following dates: 0 November 21 @ Wrest Point Casino 0 November 22 @ Country Club Casino Their new album, Do Ya, is out now.

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PUNK - CALIFORNIA // LAGWAGON

What People Say When You’re in a Band

“…Every show you play it feels like the greatest thing and it feels like this amazing moment…” it’s gonna, that’s what’s important – it’s gonna change the world, man!” says Lagwagon’s Joey Cape on why their latest album, I Think My o“Well, Older Brother Used to Listen to Lagwagon, is going to change the world, as claimed by their promotional literature. “The most important thing

is that it’s most likely going to bring the partisan politics of the people here in America, together,” he continues, improbably. “It’s gonna bring all the mavericks and the Obama-lovers together.”

We wonder how the album will achieve this momentous feat. “Just the overall sound of unity, and just the fact that we’re such a household name here in America. [We’re] especially popular with the right-wing religious right…” Joey says, the sarcasm running deep. “Well, there’s always that context with interviews that go to print or email… Sarcasm doesn’t always work out, [but] we have no delusions of grandeur in our band, man. I mean, we just make music, y’know?” Sarcasm noted. It’s a very interesting title, nonetheless. It kind of says that you’re now old enough to be spanning generations. Joey begs to differ. “I don’t know that we really thought it through that much, but the honest truth is that it’s just a direct quote. It’s something that we’ve heard hundreds of times from people we meet. You know, a lot of people we meet when we’re on tour will ask us what band [we are] and we tell ‘em and they go, because they’ve heard of us – I guess people always feel that they have to say one of three things - they either say, ‘I’m a big fan!’ and they

know one of your songs, or they say, ‘Oh, I think my older brother used to listen to you in high school!’ or they say – and this is my favourite – ‘Yeah, uhm, I have that record that you guys made. What was that record called?’ And they name the title of your first record or your second record.” “But, you know, that’s part of the thing,” he continues. “If you’re in a band that isn’t really a household name, and hasn’t really gone mainstream, that’s the way it goes. I don’t take it personally or even care. We were making a t-shirt, and the t-shirt design was done and the bass player and I, who does all the graphic art stuff, were looking at it and I just said, ‘That’s our album cover! That’s it, it’s perfect!’ And we just sent it to the band and everybody liked it and that was that, y’know? That’s how all our album covers always go – they’re always riiight at the last minute.” We don’t think that Joey should be too insulted that they’re not a household name, especially in the ‘States

when there are surveys done of people and they’re asked things like, ‘Where is Australia?’ and they point to Europe. “I believe that’s most likely very true. It’s true of a lot of the world but we might hold the ring on that one, on ignorance,” Joey agrees, regretfully. “But, you know, the music - I would never have any delusions of grandeur to think that there’s any parallel with that kind of ignorance on that level, or people not knowing a small band. I mean, there’s so many bands, and if you get into music with the idea that your shows reflect anything on a mainstream level, then you’re gonna be disappointed. Every show you play it feels like the greatest thing and it feels like this amazing moment and everywhere you go in the world, there are a whole, whole lot of people who have no idea that it’s happening. So… that’s how it is being in a band. It’s only about that synergy, you know?” “The world, in general, doesn’t have much of a longterm memory. It’s much easier if you go through life knowing that, and not having any of those kind of

delusions. I don’t think it’s depressing at all. I honestly, really believe that we’re so fortunate to have been able to do what we’ve done. That title is just really, purely funny. It’s hard to come up with a title for a record or an artwork - it’s the hardest thing. Because, what one thing really represents of you at that moment, and collectively of five people who are very different… that’s a question that I don’t think any of us have really answered with any of our covers or titles. You just kind of find something that everybody doesn’t hate,” he laughs. sINTERVIEW BY DAVID WILLIAMS ARTICLE BY CHRIS RATTRAY

Listen to the band your older brother used to listen to! 0 November 23 @ The Republic Bar Listen to more at www.sauce.net.au

PUNK - AUSTRALIA // THE GO SET

Caution, Wind Thrown Together on NewAlbum sort of at a point right now when I don’t wait for the moment when someone from the media calls it credible. I used to rely on that a lot,” says o“I’m Justin Keenan of The Go Set’s recently released, fourth studio album, Rising. “Now, I just know. You know when you write a song whether it’s good or just a pile of shit. I think that, with this album, we’ve just simplified the whole process. Instead of spending a lot of time arranging things and adding lots and lots of instruments, we just tried to play it live and did it in a very similar way to our first album.” He barely pauses for breath as he continues…

“The problem The Go Set’s faced is that the live shows are really high energy and a lot of people come to see The Go Set for the live show. It’s very difficult when you’re a particularly energetic live band to replicate it on an album. So, we just thought what we’d just do is strip it right back and just play it, just play the songs. We were really lucky on this one because we had a US producer by the name of Jonathon Burnside, who’s in Melbourne now for a couple of years, he came in and worked on it in a production role and, yeah… it was awesome. I think it’s fair to say that he has a different approach to producing records to any of the Australian people that we’ve worked with. He throws caution to the wind and takes a lot of risks, really went with the vibe, and mixed it less ‘safely’.” “I think that there’s a tendency in Australia, because we have a smaller population, the music fraternity is essentially controlled by a couple of different sources of media only. There are so few media outlets that, to get national airplay, you really need to conform to a certain playlist. Bands and producers start making records that conform to the playlist. The thing I loved about working with Jonathon is he said, ‘F*ck it. Let’s make a great album within its own right, and if media accepts it or if radio accepts it, that’s great, and if they don’t, well that’s no different to where we were a year ago!’” Bands like Iron Maiden follow that philosophy, having just flown their own plane to Australia and toured the world. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I really think you have to cut your own path with making albums. It’s taken me a while to realise that,” agrees Justin. “The thing WWW.SAUCE.NET.AU

things at a rate of knots and have no idea of the trail of destruction that we leave behind. So the things that get a rise out of me are generally those sort of things… individualism, consumerism, and lack of respect for the environment and people’s issues.”

“…We consume things at a rate of knots and have no idea of the trail of destruction that we leave behind…” that I love now about being in The Go Set is that we really play the music that we feel passionate about, and that comes naturally, and we make records and carve our own path with the music that we’re making. It certainly feels that way, y’know?”

that’s all about them. They can literally go into a room and communicate virtually with anyone in the world but not be held accountable for any of their actions or the food that they consume, or the products they consume or the waste they leave behind.”

So what gets a “rise” out of Justin lately? “The thing that gets a rise out of me the most, I think, is environmental issues, and probably humanitarian issues. You know, the way the world has developed, where we’re so interconnected and we’re so able to talk to people so far, far away that we all talk over the top of each other. It’s become such an ‘I’ generation that kids, in particular, are being born into a society

“That sort of stuff is where the album title comes from. It basically comes from a line… I wrote a big poem that, funnily enough, didn’t go on the album - because it was a poem that was meant to be a song – and the poem was And From Within the Storm We Rise, and it’s just talking about how the overindulgent ‘I’ generation is getting fatter and fatter, and half the world’s starving and half the world’s on a diet, so to speak. We consume

Speaking of lack of respect for the environment, I’d read some of their tour diary from a recent European tour and there was a small story there where some of you guys were caught weeing off a bridge in Germany… Justin laughs. “Well, we had a fantastic show in Nuremberg. And the Germans don’t do things by halves. They look after their bands in such a way that it’s very different to rocking up to your local pub in Australia where they give you a carton of beer and want you to play. The Germans fill you full of any sort of grog you want, and they’re so good at making beer and spirits that, being Australia, being grogmonsters, you can’t help but overindulge, so we felt obliged to drink the rider. After a couple of nights we thought, it’s not humanly possible… We were going for a walk to go and get some more alcohol, funnily enough, and we got pulled over for having a little wee off this bridge, out of town a bit! The police said, ‘How much cash have you got on you?’ I had the gig money in my pocket, and we looked at each other and my heart raced. I was shitting myself. I said, ‘Ten euros!’ We pleaded ignorant and said that we couldn’t speak German. They let us off.” sCHRIS RATTRAY

Pay less than ten euros to see The Go Set: 0 November 6 @ The Brisbane Hotel Rising is out now. Listen to more at www.sauce.net.au . ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008

“

bout …It’s all a nting experime g what and seein happens…

”

DANCE - CANBERRA // ASTON SHUFFLE

Happy Accidents in the Dance

Ibiza to Italy, Aston Shuffle’s going places and sending dance temperatures into fever territory! Despite my gift for hyperbole, Vance gave oFrom me some time to find out what else the Shuffle were up to, while Mikah frantically caught up on housework in the background – “He’ll get his ass kicked if he doesn’t finish it!”

What’s going on in Shuffleworld right now? Lots and lots of DJ’ing, lots and lots of writing - it’s very busy for us at the moment. It’s pretty crazy. We’ve just got back from overseas a couple of weeks ago and we’ve already had like, twelve gigs or something ridiculous already. We had five gigs on the weekend. Within twenty-four hours of coming back we had five gigs… it was pretty full on. But we’re managing to stay healthy and sane… it’s pretty cool. So where had you come from? We went to Ibiza, the UK, Vienna, and Italy. It was about five weeks all up. We were keen to get back. We didn’t get to chill out at all, but when we got home we took a few days to get back on track, but yeah, it’s all going well now. To what extent do all these tours and dates blur into one, or do you find something new and unique about

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them each time? Well, this is the first time we’d been overseas… we’ve been DJ’ing pretty much every week for the last twelve weeks, so it does tend to blend all together – that’s not in a bad way, at all – every city’s different. We definitely get a unique vibe everywhere we go, y’know? We’re just exploring new places and getting the music out to the fans. Which place really resonated with you on your recent trip? I think we had the best time in Vienna and Italy. We played in Milan and the scenes over there were incredible. The kids were right into what we were playing, happy, smiling people ready to have a good time, and there was no chin-stroking or anything negative like that. It was such a warm, receptive crowd and we could feel the love just beaming off them. Outside of gigs we spent the most time in the UK…

we had a remix to do, but apart from that, we were just meeting up with people, hanging out and just absorbing as much of England as we possibly could. We’d definitely love to go back. As a young child growing up in Canberra, did you imagine that noodling around with electronic music could possibly take you anywhere? No, not really. It was a nice thought, but it was never more than just, “Oh wow, look at those people doing it. That’s a very cool job to have.” It was all very accidental and just gradually evolved. I don’t think anybody put their mind to it and thought “I want to do exactly this” and then suddenly that exactly happens, you know? It’s all about experimenting and seeing what happens and taking opportunities as they come… that’s definitely what’s got us to where we are today. That’s not to say that we don’t still experiment and keep dreaming.

I was listening to the Dance Wiv Me remix on your MySpace and – correct me if I’m wrong, but I noticed some Commodore 64 SID chip sounds. Am I way too geeky or is this an actual fact? Yeah. [Laughs] I’m fairly sure there isn’t. Unless one of the samples… is some kind of Commodore 64 sound. We didn’t have anything like that of our own, but I can see what you mean. That was the effect we were trying to go for, I think, yeah. That was the remix we had to do in England, so it was kind of interesting to work on the road, as it were. So yeah, that was all done overseas. sCHRIS RATTRAY Jump into Shuffleworld! 0 November 15 @ Syrup Listen to more at www.sauce.net.au

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THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY With Akouo, aka Mynse

ynse’s new project, under the vowel-heavy moniker, Akouo, Outwit the Muscle is due to hit the streets very soon. We caught up with Mynse to find out a bit more about the making of the album…

What was the most challenging thing about creating your new album? Well this album was meant to be out early ‘08, so I guess - setting reasonable deadlines and goals was the biggest challenge. It’s tough when you’re working on a project that involves a lot of other musicians/ artists. It means you have to work around what projects the other artists are working on.

With members from such notable bands as the Red Eyes and Counterfeit Gypsies, The Woohoo Revue has been perpetuating the celebration for months now. Their particular brand of wild Balkan melodies and big band swing has entertained Melbourne’s folk-hungry audiences, and they’re just one of the bands set to help ring in The Alley Cat’s first birthday in November. How did the band come to be? Three of us played together in a gypsy band called the Counterfeit Gypsies for years. We didn’t get down to Tasmania, but we toured regularly and recorded two albums with the group. Richard [Burns, trumpet] has also had a long stint in the Red Eyes. So basically our background is playing gypsy music, jazz and dub, as well as touring and recording a lot for the last few years. After three of us left the Counterfeit Gypsies, we wanted to keep playing together because the music we were making was great. We then enlisted three great musicians we knew from around town to help us put together the band. What’s been the lowest point during the history of the band and why? We held a Sunday afternoon residency for a couple of months when we started playing together. That ended up being a drag, because the tunes we play are way too energetic for a cruisy Sunday afternoon. Now we generally stick to the Friday and Saturday night shows. What’s been the highest point for the band and why? Performing at the High Vibes Festival in Melbourne was tops - my Dad was there and there was a big crowd. Often though, the high points are when you least expect them, when you do a small show and the music just flows in an un-forced way. What is the most challenging thing about being in this band? The difficulty of the tunes. Some of the music is so tricky and hair-raisingly fast to play, you can’t help but laugh at it all, but that’s one of the main reasons we love to play this music – because it is such a challenge… and the epic egos- have you seen Some Kind of Monster? What particular original track are you most proud WWW.SAUCE.NET.AU

Describe to me the journey you hope people will go on as they listen to the album? About five years ago, I used to hang out with some pretty cool people in a smoky attic, freestylin’ and just listening to some dope music, like 2Dogs, The Herd, Qbert, and a bunch of experimental, left field stuff. I kinda wanted to remake that moment, make something that I’d have wanted to listen to back then.

What were some of the things that influenced you (as in other literature, music, art, culture) during the making of the album? Mi goreng, rental eviction, red bull & vodka, red bitter, summer, business ownership, weight gain, weight loss, and green mint tea.

What particular track are you most proud of and why? I’d say This Crown featuring Azrael was the one I put the most amount of work into, and we were both really happy with how it turned out. We started the track on a different beat a year ago, but we switched it up for the album.

What other albums could this one be compared to? Well I always go out of my way to make sure I don’t bite anything else that’s out there, so I’d struggle to compare it with anything personally. But, my influences would be producers like Ant, Copperpot, Hitek, Cut Chemest, Numark, Pete Rock, JDilla, James Brown, and so on.

What was the lowest point during the making of the album for you, and why? At one point I was considering scrapping everything and starting fresh, I thought my style had changed too much and that the new joints wouldn’t blend well with the rest. But eventually I realized that some of my favourite albums have no continuity at all, so I figured I’d keep at it, and I’m definitely glad I did.

Under what conditions would this album best be experienced? Relaxation mode, backyard parties with cheap cask wine, cheap cigars, beer, and good mates.

What was the highest point during the making of the album for you, and why? Receiving the final acapellas and doing the last

SPOTLIGHT ON… The Woohoo Revue

scratches for the album, that was a special moment. That lasted a few moments until I realized I’d be spending the next few weeks going through the gruelling task of mixing the damn thing!

Outwit the Muscle will be available from all good record stores from: 0 November 8 http://www.myspace.com/akouo

of and why? We play traditional tunes, so it would be a stretch to say we play original music. Having said that, some of the tunes have taken on a life of their own and reflect our musical identities. For instance, in one of the songs we have found a way of relating traditional gypsy music to surf music and it’s the song that gets the biggest reaction from audiences at the moment. What are some of the things (as in other literature, music, art, culture) that influence the band’s output? Musically, Balkan brass bands and, to a smaller extent, swing era big bands.

Aesthetically, we are into old world circus imageryimages that show a sense of class and style, yet reflect the animal within. What other bands can your sound be compared to? Bands that play gypsy music with a modern touch, such as Hungarian band, Besho Drom or even Doch from Brisbane. There are also a few Tasmanian bands that have influenced us. When I came to Tassie years ago I was blown away by a band called Vodka Party and, of course, Zulya’s music. What are your goals for the band? We are in the middle of recording our first album, which we will tour in December. From there we want to be on the road as much as possible. Under what conditions should The Woohoo Revue best be enjoyed? At around midnight on a boozy Saturday night in a packed venue, through a big PA. The music we play is not for the faint hearted- it’s full on, raucous gypsy dance music. Shout “Woohoo!” on: 0 November 1 @ The Alley Cat . ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008

the most in the last year? Well, snapping my Achilles tendon in half whilst playing tennis during a recording session with my producer, J. Walker, earlier this year. That pretty much stopped me in my tracks. I couldn’t drive and was forced to sit on my arse and listen to music and be pretty housebound for a few months. It was good and bad. I’ve also had a few relationship ups and downs during the creation of this album and I guess that made me all shook up! 2. IN MY WORLD - What is the most important thing to you in your world? I think it’s my health, in particular sight and sound. If I didn’t have both of those things, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the things that I love most, which are music, art and travel.

TRACKBACK With Sophie Koh With her new album, All Shook Up, Sophie Koh’s moved on to more personal fare in her song writing. So how personal could we get? Track-bytrack, we grilled Sophie to get under the notes, the rhythms, and melodies, to the beating heart below the music. 1. ALL SHOOK UP - What’s gotten you all shook up

3. HE FOUND OUT - How did he find out and what happened? I guess this song is about being in a relationship that you are about to leave and being curious about other romantic interests. It’s about the guilt you have by keeping that secret and your partner finally finding out and how he deals with it - the picture of him sitting in the car, not knowing what to do at that moment when he finds out. 4. OBJECTS IN THIS MIRROR - Which objects look strangest when viewed in a mirror? Me, the morning after a big night. 5. SOMEBODY COME TO END THIS - Who do you

call on to help you end things? I used to get other people to help me end things but now I do it myself! 6. MILK SONG - What was it about the poem Milk Song that resonated with you? My friend wrote the lyrics when we were both sixteen. I was about to leave New Zealand and he gave me this poem as a present. He wrote this about a girl he knew, about how confused he was and how dark he felt. Looking back at it, it’s pretty amazing for a sixteenyear-old boy to write such poignant and adult words. That’s why I decided to revisit these words after all these years and put it into song. 7. GAN LAN SHU (OLIVE TREE) – Your parents would sing this at karaoke. What’s the most bizarre song you’ve ever sung at karaoke? [Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny] Yellow Polka Dot Bikini was always a favourite at home when I was young. Karaoke songs always have bad video clips but this song always had the worst video, hands down. A few years ago, I encountered a karaoke bar that had Nirvana’s Polly and Come as You Are on their song list. It was bizarre but refreshing. Karaoke had come a long way. 8. IS YOUR LOVE – What is it about happy songs that make them harder to write? I think when you’re happy, you don’t really say to yourself, “Hey, let’s write a song because I’m feeling really awesome today.” I tend to write sporadically and it seems most natural when you have a quiet moment, feeling reflective and a little isolated. There’s a fine

line between happy lyrics and corny lyrics. And if you can find that balance, you’ve got a hit! 9. SUPERSTAR – When was the last time you felt like a superstar and why? When I sang the national anthem on national television, in front of thousands of race-goers at the Caulfield racecourse. I felt like a superstar because everyone was dead quiet, off their seats, and the roaring cheer when I finished was pretty special. 10. THRENODY – Written while thinking about war and terrorism… what have you experienced of either? I went to East Timor for work soon after their riots and saw the devastation of the Timorese people. Luckily, I didn’t experience any acts of violence first-hand but the stories from the villagers still ring in my head. 11. ALL THE NIGHT – To what extent could London be a “home” to you? Hmm... I don’t think London will ever be a home to me. I’d rather live and play music in Germany or Hungary. London had its merits but paying three pounds for a coffee, that just isn’t right!

Have the pleasure of Sophie’s company: 0 November 1 @ The Republic Bar All Shook Up is out now.

TURN THE DIAL TO 11 With Benjamin Chinnock of Percussion Junction

They say brevity is the soul of wit. If that’s the case, Percussion Junction are likely to be a laugh riot, as much as they’re going to flatten you with their thumping beats as they head down to our shores in early November! 11 years ago… I was eighteen and back packing around South America getting chased by the police, fishing for Paraná’s and seeing the Amazon. 11 months ago… I was recording an album with The Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Billy Joel and wondering why it was taking so long. 11 weeks ago… Rocking Byron Bay with the band wearing red Speedo’s, eating schnitzel and smoking a pipe. 11 days ago… I was seeing Michael Franti play at the Enmore in Sydney hidden in the roof. 11 hours ago… Trying to convince one of the band members not to go back to his job as a travelling vacuum salesman. 11 minutes ago… I was getting off a plane from Laos after rescuing a band member from a moped gang. 11 years from now? I’ll be travelling the world, playing music and running Neddy’s Nuggets. Get per-con-cussion! 0 November 7 @ The Republic Bar 12

. ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008

WWW.SAUCE.NET.AU

. ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008

WWW.SAUCE.NET.AU

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE WEDNESDAY 29

SATURDAY 01

HOBART

The Alley Cat Bar Shanti Nomadic

The Alley Cat Bar Alley Cat’s First Birthday Bash: 8.30pm - $10 The Woohoo Revue + Mei Lai Swan + Nathan Wheldon & the Two Timers + Cabaret Acts

The Brisbane Hotel Home Brew Hip Hop Hotel SOHO Beats with Osbo Irish Murphy’s Amy Kendall+ Hayley Jones + Scenic Flights + Joanie’s Plastic Sunday The Metz Mid Week Metz (Uni Night) w/ DJ Stirlo: 8pm till late The New Sydney Hotel The Short Back and Sideshow: 8pm - $9 The Republic Bar Shagpile: 9pm LAUNCESTON The Hub Bar WAT Short Films Irish Murphy’s Ciaran van den Berg + Dhali Shroj + Nathan Wheldon & The Two Timers + Adam Cousens

Recording Mixing Mastering Production Bookings Essential

Call Dave Venter for a quote 0408 373 066 or email fatlipstudios@gmail.com Launceston Studio www.myspace.com/fatlipstudios

The Royal Oak Open Mic Night in the P/B THURSDAY 30 HOBART The Alley Cat Bar Lady Insane The Brisbane Hotel Powerchild + Whose is Bloody Who’s Irish Murphy’s Sam Cole + Chi Roh The Republic Bar Adam Cousens + Nathan Wheldon & The Two Timers + Dhali Shroj: 9pm - $5 Syrup Mesh w/ Adam Turner & guests: 10pm ‘til late LAUNCESTON Irish Murphy’s Sara & Hamish

160 Elphin Road L a u n c e s t o n TA S 7 2 5 0

Live music Woodfired pizzas Extensive bottleshop ph: 03 6331 1344 fax: 03 6331 2191 e: thenewsteadhotel@hotmail.com

The Royal Oak Mick Attard in the P/B FRIDAY 31 HOBART The Alley Cat Bar Halloween ‘Trick or Treat’ w/ The Bone Rattlers + The Military Police: 9.30pm - $5 The Brisbane Hotel Helloween Havoc w/ Myblackson + BumTuck + Lost Hope + Lady Insane + Cocktails & Dreams Brookfield Vineyard Halloween Night Dinner/ Show: $40 (incl. Dinner) Hotel SOHO Manhattan: 7pm The Republic Bar Halloween with The No No’s: 10pm - $3 Syrup Pickle vs Pitch Black Presents: Masif vs PHD – Hard Dance Extravaganza w/ Steve Hill (Masif) + Soul T (PHD) + Shad + G-Tek Boogie w/ Nick C & Stirlo: 10pm - $10 (after 10pm) LAUNCESTON The Commercial Hotel (The Mersh) DJ Skip The Hub Bar Younger Dryas + Za(c)k Slater: 8pm Irish Murphy’s Victor Charlie Charlie Lonnies Trick or Treat Halloween Party: No Cover if in fancy dress The Royal Oak Mei Lai Swan + Nathan Wheldon & The Two Timers: $8

WWW.SAUCE.NET.AU

The Brisbane Hotel Hermitude + Horrorshow + DJ Dameza Brookfield Vineyard Relay for Life Concert w/ Dancers Delight, Hicks & Annie, Steve & Marjorie Gadd, Boonie & the Bad Boys, Melanie Gent: $10 / $8(conc) / $5 (children) Hotel SOHO TasPride Halloween Party w/ DJs: Dan Murphy, D2M, Tom & Kat + Miasma Tribal Dancers + Drags Aloud: 9pm - $30pre/$35door The Republic Bar Sophie Koh + Grand Salvo: 10pm - $12pre/$15door School House Gallery & Barn - Rosny Farm Clarence Aerosol/Stencil Art Festival 08: 11am-3pm Syrup Syrup Presents: Dirty F’king Dancing w/ DJs: Tristan, Gillie & Adam Turner Tackyland w/ DJs: Naughts, Rolly, Stirlo & Billy Bob: 10pm - $15 (after 10.30) Wrest Point Entertainment Centre Noiseworks in Concert

The Republic Bar Carl Rush: 9pm LAUNCESTON Irish Murphy’s Brief Illusion WEDNESDAY 05 HOBART The Alley Cat Bar Mangangi: 8pm – FREE The Brisbane Hotel The Bedroom Philosopher + Charles Du Cane: $8 Irish Murphy’s Little Miss Music Tasmania event Flesh and Blood tour – feat: Jay Fraser, Adam Cousens and Ally Mok (Duo) Hotel SOHO Beats with Macca Irish Murphy’s The Trolls + The Overview The Metz Mid Week Metz (Uni Night) w/ DJ Woodhouse: 8pm till late The Republic Bar The Tony Barbers: 9pm LAUNCESTON Irish Murphy’s Nathan Wheldon + Tim Hulsman The Royal Oak Jay Fraser & Adam Cousins: 9pm THURSDAY 06

LAUNCESTON

HOBART

The Commercial Hotel (The Mersh) DJ Rocks

The Alley Cat Bar British Battlegrounds + Sam Cole

Irish Murphy’s The Gary Gary’s

The Brisbane Hotel The Go Set + Cat Gut Mary + Ballpoint + The The Stutterers

The Hub Bar God Robot + Yuri & the Vostok + The Make Loves: 8pm The Royal Oak Andrew McSweeney + Ed Tuleja in the P/B SUNDAY 02 HOBART Brookfield Vineyard Mei Lai Swan plus others: 4pm - $10 Hotel SOHO Open Mic w/ Christian Andgetti & John Harwood: 9pm Irish Murphy’s Ethereal (String Quintet) The Metz Metz on Sundays, forget about Monday w/ DJ Camo: 5pm till late The Republic Bar Andrew McSweeny + Ed Tuleja: 9pm - $5 LAUNCESTON Irish Murphy’s Sara & Hamish + Ben Castles + Reflector MONDAY 03 HOBART Hotel SOHO Industrie Night w/ The Smashers: 10pm The Republic Bar Sam Cole + Patrick Berechree: 9pm LAUNCESTON Irish Murphy’s Ben Castles The Hub Bar Open Mic Night TUESDAY 04 HOBART The Alley Cat Bar Tasmanian Pride Festival ‘Drag Bingo’: 8pm - FREE Irish Murphy’s Australian Songwriters Association – Wax Lyrical feat: Jess Pattmore, Prairie Nischler, Josh Durno & Lana Chilcott

Irish Murphy’s Ally Mok (Duo) + Adam Cousens & Jay Fraser The Republic Bar The No No’s: 9pm - $3 Syrup Mesh w/ DJs: Adam Turner & guests LAUNCESTON Irish Murphy’s Tash & Caz The Royal Oak Mick Attard FRIDAY 07 HOBART The Alley Cat Bar The Yearlings + Oliver Mann + Snez The Brisbane Hotel The Roobs + The True Spunks + Bumtuck + Lost Hope + DJs Brookfield Vineyard Brookfield Idol w/ Dominic Francis, Gretel Templeton & Courtney Barnett: FREE

SATURDAY 08 HOBART The Alley Cat Bar DJs: The Drunken Doctor, DJ Quality, The Home Band: 9.30pm - $5 Courtney Barret + Gretel Templeton + Abbey Doggett: 8pm - FREE The Brisbane Hotel Reptilian Jukebox + Moe Grizzly + All Fires the Fire + L8 Night Krack-e-oke Hobart Regatta Grounds Tasmanian Beerfest feat: Bedroom Philosopher, Adam Cousens & Jay Fraser, Lakoda: FREE ENTRY Irish Murphy’s Katie & Ado + Entropy The Metz End of Exams Party w/ DJ Gillie: 8pm The Republic Bar Sugartrain: 10pm - $4 Syrup Dirty F’king Dancing w/ DJs: Tristan, Gillie & Corney Tackyland w/ DJs: Naughts, Rolly, Stirlo & Billy Bob: 10pm - $15 (after 10.30) The UniBar Augie March Wrest Point Entertainment Centre Jimmy Barnes in Concert LAUNCESTON The Commercial Hotel (The Mersh) Hard Drive Irish Murphy’s In Limbo The Royal Oak The Yearlings + Frankie: 9pm - $10 SUNDAY 09 HOBART Hotel SOHO Open Mic w/ Christian Andgetti & John Harwood: 9pm

Venue Guide

Irish Murphy’s Tea For Tilly Quartet

DEVONPORT

The Alley Cat Bar

The Warehouse

381 Elizabeth St 6231 2299

The Metz Metz on Sundays, forget about Monday w/ DJ Camo: 5pm till late

20 King Street

The Republic Bar Damien Gavin Project: 9pm - $10

Devonport 6424 7851

Wrest Point 410 Sandy Bay Road Sandy Bay

HOBART

6225 0112

Brookfield Vineyard

www.wrestpoint.com.au

1640 Channel Highway

LAUNCESTON

Margate 6267 2880

Irish Murphy’s Glenn Moorehouse + Brief Illusion + Long Way Home

Hotel SOHO

The Royal Oak Open Folk Group: 5pm

03 6224 9494

Commercial Hotel

www.hotelsoho.com.au

27 George Street Launceston

Batman Fawkner Inn 35 Cameron St 6331 7222

124 Davey Street

MONDAY 10 HOBART The Alley Cat Bar TasPride Quiz Night

03 63313868 Irish Murphy’s 21 Salamanca Place

Country Club

6223 1119

Country Club Ave Prospect

www.irishmurphys.com.au

6335 5777

Hotel SOHO Tom and Nick Wolfe: 9pm

Hotel SOHO Industrie Night w/ The Smashers

Irish Murphy’s Sambo + Dr Fink

The Republic Bar Quiz Night: 8.15pm

217 Sandy Bay Rd

Irish Murphy’s

6224 4444

211 Brisbane St 6331 4440

LAUNCESTON

www.themetz.com.au

www.irishmurphys.com.au

Syrup

James Hotel

1st Floor 39 Salamanca Place

122 York Street

6224 8249

6334 7231

Irish Murphy’s Martin O’Brien

Raincheck Lounge

The Newstead Hotel

392 -394 Elizabeth St. North

160 Elphin Rd 6331 1344

The Republic Bar Abbey Doggett + Courtney Barnett + Gretel Tempelton: 9pm

Hobart

The Republic Bar K-Oscillate + Percussion Junction: 10pm $12pre/$15door Syrup Break Even w/ Adam Turner & guests Boogie w/ DJs: Nick C & Stirlo: 10pm - $10 (after 10pm) LAUNCESTON The Commercial Hotel (The Mersh) DJ Skip

Irish Murphy’s Sara & Hamish TUESDAY 11

www.countryclubtasmania.com.au Metz On The Bay

HOBART

LAUNCESTON

The Hub

03 6234 5975

1 Tamar St Republic Bar

6334 9288

299 Elizabeth St 6234 6954

www.tamarbackpackers.com

Irish Murphy’s Victor Charlie Charlie

The Hub Bar Open Mic Night

www.republicbar.com

The Royal Oak LBC presents: Outloop Way Blues Band + Liquid Nails: (cover charge)

Irish Murphy’s Mick Attard + Dog Line

The Brisbane Hotel

14 Brisbane St 6331 5346

3 Brisbane St 6234 4920

myspace.com/leapinlimpout

The Royal Oak

thebrisbanehotelhobart@ gmail.com

. ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008

WWW.SAUCE.NET.AU

by Bob Dylan, The Windmills of My Mind by Alan & Marilyn Bergman & Michel Legrand, Personal Jesus by Johnny Cash, Three is the Magic Number by De La Soul to name a few. It is hard to say sometimes why a song impacts on me but it is often from hearing the song in a moment of time that is connected to something significant that is happening in my life. Music for me is so personal. That’s why I like it that when you write a song it means so many different things to so many different people. Which gig has had the biggest impact on you, as a punter, and that you’ve played, and why? Again it’s hard to name just one gig but playing at Risdon Prison to the female inmates was a buzzing gig. Someone even threw a chair at another prisoner while I was playing. But overall the women were really responsive and appreciative of us coming in there to entertain them. Opening the Falls Festival last year was also a real buzz. We thought there would be no one there to see our set because we were the first ones on. The beer tent also wasn’t open yet but we forgot that the sun comes up real early and the tents get real hot so everybody was up and about at 8am. When we started doing our sound check people started flooding towards the stage. It was big.

THE BIGGEST IMPACT… With Adam Cousens “I smashed my leg in a serious urbexing accident which focused me toward my ultimate dream of getting my music out there,” says Adam, completely failing to explain that urbexing is a contraction of ‘urban exploration’. “I’ve toured Europe, the UK, New Zealand and many parts of Australia playing my tunes. I sleep in my boots. I’ve supported Clair Bowditch, Tex Perkins and The Angels to name a few. When I hear music I see the notes, sounds are colours. There is always music in my head.” What album has had the biggest impact on you, both personally and as a musician, and why? I couldn’t name any one album. I am really picky about what I like. There is no one album I like all the songs on. There are lots of single songs from many different artists that have impacted on me. Mr Tambourine Man

THE FIRST AND LAST With Jay Fraser

What impact do you hope your music will have on people? I hope my music makes you feel like singing and when you’re singing there’s a smile on your face because, maybe, just for that instant, you realise that maybe everything’s not that bad and that there are some things in this world that are still happy and wholesome and that these things are worth fighting for and it is worth getting passionate and angry about injustice if the anger is used in a positive way. I want to uplift people, and above all bring hope. What’s an example of the impact you’ve made on people through your music? I’ve had a lot of people say that my music has helped them through a tough time. One person I know decided not to commit suicide because of a song I wrote. That’s an extreme example but basically I’m trying to offer a positive message when quite often the positive things in life are hard to see. Catch Adam as part of the Homegrown Roots festival 0 October 29 @ Irish Murphy’s (Launceston) 0 October 30 @ The Republic Bar 0 Flesh & Blood tour w/ Jay Fraser (see below for details) time I saw/heard Nirvana, Smells Like Teen Spirit. and the greatest impression it left on me was… Wow! What the f*ck? The last three tracks I listened to on my MP3 player were: 1. Time Jesum Transeuntum Et Non Riverentum - Nick Cave & The Dirty Three 2. Talk Show Host - Radiohead 3. Dead Man Running - Charles Du Cane Which track from that list holds any kind of significance for you and why? Track 1. A friend of mine introduced me to the Dirty Three a year or so ago, he has been a long time fan of the band and showed me a documentary that he had. In that documentary I recall Warren Ellis saying something like, ‘whatever you are doing, do it with all your heart - then you’ll probably be all right’. Actually, the last part sounds vaguely like something Bob Dylan said. Anyway, the violin in Time Jesum gives me goose bumps every time. Warren Ellis is the real deal. He’s really translating from the source in this track. The first mixtape I ever made had on it… Probably Lionel Richie. and I gave it to… It was probably meant for a girl, but I may have kept it for myself.

His guitar has led super-nice singer-songwriter, Jay Fraser, far and away and home again, and by the time you read this he and his guitar will have taken the stage with Adam Cousens on their statewide Flesh & Blood tour. But what musical skeletons are in his closet? The first album I ever bought was… On Every Street - Dire Straits. and I had to buy it because… I wanted to be an accountant, and accountants listened to Dire Straits. The last gig I went to was… Tom Cooney’s album launch last week at The Troubadour in Brisbane. and something I’ll never forget about it was… Apart from the sensational music? The guy with the Karate Kid headband and low riding jeans. [It] was all right until he bent down to talk to some people in front of us. Images etched into my mind that I could do without! The first music video I remember seeing was… I don’t remember the first clip. But I remember the first WWW.SAUCE.NET.AU

The last movie, book, or album that really affected me emotionally was… Into The Wild. and it really got me because… It stirred my sense of freedom and aspirations for an alternative lifestyle, a harmonious lifestyle with people and nature. Perhaps alternative in this context is reaching out for something natural, something human. It’s a powerful story! The first band I was in was called… we didn’t make it to the naming stage. and we’re not together anymore because… see previous. The last time I ever did something special to music, I was… dreaming. and I was with… Rolf Harris. He was crying. Jay plays the following dates with Adam Cousens on the Flesh & Blood tour: 0 October 31 @ Sea Life Centre, Bicheno 0 November 1 @ Crossroads Bar & Cafe, St Helens 0 November 5 @ Royal Oak, Launceston 0 November 6 @ Irish Murphy’s (Hobart) 0 November 8 @ Beerfest, Hobart Regatta Grounds http://www.rubbishnight.com . ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008

“…None of us really gives two shits about rugby…”

103 Elizabeth St Hobart 03 6231 5578

ROCK - MELBOURNE // THE GETAWAY PLAN

Rugged Rockers at Rugby World Cup

been able to get away by myself for about four and a half years since the band started – not even o“Iforhaven’t a holiday or anything!” exclaims The Getaway Plan’s drummer, Aaron Barnett, about the last time he

was able to take some time out from the band. “[It was] probably the last New Year’s we played. We played New Year’s Eve at Dreamworld. I stayed up there for a week with my girlfriend. That was my getaway in the last four and half years. It was a good one!”

If you were fleeing from something, as in a bank robbery, irate father or husband… what would be your preferred getaway vehicle? It’d probably be a helicopter! I haven’t been in one though. We live in airplanes and vans, so don’t really get time to go really adventurous and jump in a helicopter. I’m sure I’ll get there one day.

There’s a couple of bands playing for the pre-match entertainment, so we’re part of that. We weren’t too keen at first, but the other bands are cool and we’re getting paid well to do it, so we’re all keen to do it now. It should be interesting. I’ve never played rugby, ever. None of us really gives two shits about rugby. It should be cool, nonetheless.

What was the last plan that you made? To get a haircut! It hasn’t gone well at all. I’m hopeless at making plans so I’ve been cutting my hair for the last four and a half years, so I’m still planning on booking in and getting a nice chop. I’ll get around to it soon.

Did you ever play any sport or were you just the geeky muso type? No, a few of us did, I think. We all did, growing up. But then music just took over and we sort of steered away from it and became obsessed with music. I played everything – basketball, cricket, athletics, tennis, a bit of karate… everything.

The Shadows Tour – you haven’t actually started that, you’re just playing a pub gig or something like that? What’s the difference? Tonight’s just a local show, a festival kind of thing that’s been put on and we’ve just come up here to do that on the way to Adelaide, which is another festival, and then we go to Sydney for the Rugby World Cup. The Shadows Tour starts about a week and a half. This is just stuff in between to keep us busy, I suppose. What are you doing at the Rugby World Cup?

What’d you do in athletics and how good did you get at karate? Not too good there. I went to state and regional for athletics. I was pretty good there… just the running. I did the same level with basketball as well. I was a sprinter. Did any of this fitness training help you with your drumming? Were you able to beat things harder

and maintain stamina? All the fitness has gone out the window! Too many beers and cigarettes and not enough exercise. That’s life. Congratulations on getting a third single from your album, that’s pretty huge. Who came up with the idea for the video clip where you’re apparently escaping an apocalyptic Melbourne? That was a mixture between us, our manager, and the director we chose. All the ideas got put together and came out pretty well, and we’re pretty happy with it. It was a pretty full-on time. We had to do it over three nights from four in the afternoon to six in the morning, so it was pretty serious, but seeing Matthew try and run and swim was pretty funny. He was kind of unco, but it was good.

"Tasmania's own"

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DISCOUNTED STUDENT FARES University Student Semester Special $12.50 per sector * Hobart to Launceston $55.60 (Return) * Devonport to Launceston $39.10 (Return) *Conditions Apply

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Catch The Getaway Plan at The Soundscape Festival: 0 January 17 @ Hobart Regatta Grounds

ROCK - BALLARAT // EPICURE

New Direction is Urgently Violent

we definitely feel like it’s the best thing we’ve done and, I guess, there’s been certain things about o“Itheguess past records we haven’t been happy with,” admits Epicure vocalist, Juan Alban, about his band’s

previous efforts. For their new album, Postcards From a Ghost, he says, “From the very start of the whole process, including the song writing, we’ve been a lot tougher on ourselves to make sure we don’t do the same things we’ve done before and try and capture a bit more of the live energy that we have as well, so I would hope that it’s an improvement on what we’ve done before, because we’ve been a lot harder on ourselves.”

I’ve read a quote from you saying that it’s the most sinister and darkest thing you’ve done. Where does that come from? I guess I was just referring more to it lyrically. I don’t know if , musically, it’s any darker than anything we’ve done before but… it’s sort of hard to explain. I wanted a lot of the imagery to be violent and urgent and isolated, so I guess that’s why I say it’s a little more desperate and urgent-sounding to what we’ve done before. To me there’s a lot more tension and angst to it. Yeah. It’s the way we’ve been feeling for the last three years, so we’ve gotta put it somewhere. And the addition of Mick Hubbard, has that been a major change to the dynamic of the band? I think, definitely… our last guitarist had a country aesthetic to it, and so does Michael, but Michael’s got just a little more of a harder edge to his sound. Our last guitarist had a more ambient country sound. I think that suited the songs and I think that, coupled with that fact that we’ve set out to write songs that are more urgent and have more tension in them, I think Mick’s playing really complements [them]. He has a more edgy sound, a little less predictable, you know? I think he’s done some great solos on this record as well, which is a really hard thing to do. You guys have been playing for quite a while. You’ve built up quite a good following, especially here in Tasmania. I was just wondering how you think this is going to sit with your fans? It’s hard to say, to be honest. It’s fairly different from 18

. ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008

“…I really tried to almost scream the chorus…” the last thing we did. The last album was quite slow and gentle, and some people liked that and some people didn’t. With the last record, people either loved it or they hated it, so, with this one I think we’ve just tried to… there are some songs that could’ve been on the last album, but there’s a lot more variety in it. It’s hard to say. There’s so much variety, song-wise, on the record… it’s hard to predict, I guess. As a vocalist, have you tried to do anything different to what you’d done before? I really tried to push myself, tried not to fall into my comfort zone, so I didn’t just sing the middle of the road kind of stuff that’s very comfortable for me. I tried to really push my vocal where it was needed.

There’s a song, Loves Me Not, on there, which is about as rock as we’ve ever done, so I really tried to almost scream the chorus. Where there’s an acoustic song I tried to almost whisper it. But, you know, you can only work within your limitations, but I’ve definitely tried to push it both ways as well as just singing in the middle. sDAVID WILLIAMS Catch Epicure on: 0 November 21 @ The Republic Bar 0 November 22 @ The Batman Fawkner Listen to more at www.sauce.net.au

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As a youngster, Scott Woodhouse was into the punk and metal of bands like NOFX and Pennywise. But in 2001, he was introduced to Mr. Drum and Mr. Bass, and his descent into dance music nirvana began. A proponent of many dance styles, his latter focus has seen him exploring jackin’ Chicago and tech house… What residency have you had lately that’s really rocked your world and why? Well, to be honest I’ve been pretty quiet on that front over the past year due to problems with my ears – so I’ve kinda had to restrict myself to low key bar gigs rather than clubs. It sucks not to be able to smash out the big shows at Halo and Syrup for now, but I still want to be able to hear when I’m thirty. That said, summer’s coming up and Sunday afternoons outside at the Metz on a shit hot day are hard to beat. What is it about DJ’ing that gets you excited? Feeding off other DJ’s at a big party has always been a big part of the scene for me. If no one else is stepping up and rinsing it, the whole event just seems pointless. How do you go about sourcing the music you play? These days I source a lot of my tunes from blogs. What was the last musical find you had that gave you the biggest thrill? I’m still getting over Guns and Roses’ Get in the Ring from 1991. Who are some of the local DJs you look up to and why? Adam Turner owns it, period.

What are three random facts about you, aside from DJ’ing, that might be surprising to your fans/ followers? 1. I am gay. 2. I work a respectable day job. 3. I’m not really gay, just bi-curious.

WHAT’S THE STORY? With Josh and Themis From Yuri & The Vostok

392 - 394 Elizabeth St. North Hobart Ph: 03 6234 5975

DJ PROFILE: SCOTT WOODHOUSE

What’s the weirdest thing or request anyone’s ever asked of you in your capacity as a DJ? “Can I get two vodka Redbulls and a container of Pringles please?” Out of everything you’ve been doing lately, what’s been the most challenging and/or rewarding? To be honest, getting myself back in the clubs with my f*cked up ears. I’ve tried a lot of stuff like getting earplugs fitted and mixing in my headphones. It’s been f*cking frustrating. I hope to be back on deck this summer. What was the last album or track you heard that you can’t get out of your head and why? With the warm weather rolling in it’s hard to go past the happy tunes: Free Bea, Wickaman, Hometown Glory (High Contrast Mix), Adele and Loud and Dirty, Clipz are some feel good favourites off the top of my head. Where will you be playing next? There’s a heap of events coming up this summer at the Metz – that’s where I’ll be. Fingers crossed though I’ll be back at Halo too (with the monitor turned waaaay down).

Catch Scott Woodhouse next: 0 November 5 @ The Metz (Hobart)

Launceston-based cosmonauts of rock, Yuri & the Vostok, are set to leave the world a better place ahead of their inevitable break up sometime in the not too distant future. Before their brief reign of rock terror flames out like a satellite plunging through the Earth’s atmosphere, guitar/ keyboardist, Josh, and vox-man, Themis, shared some of their wisdom in this latest instalment of… what’s the story?

The Biggest Variety Of Comedy In Tassie! Stand up, Sketch, Physical, Musical Comedy, Burlesque, Sitcom. Next Show:

Wednesday 29th of October UPSTAIRS @ THE NEW SYDNEY, BATHURST ST $9 ENTRY - FACEBOOK GROUP: SHORT BACK AND SIDESHOW

Behind your band name? Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space and his shuttle was named the Vostok. About how the band got together? We met on an online dating agency. Josh had the online name “Hotlips21”, Themis was known as “the prowler”. We were also loosely affiliated with NAMBLA. About how you ended up in your role in the band? Josh: I wanted to be indie/alt as. Themis: I sing and dance because I’m a song and dance man. Of the last time you were in trouble with the law? Josh: I killed a girl. Just over there. I hit her with my car. If only I could go back. Themis: Some guy stole my bicycle. I broke his fingers. Now Tarantino is making a film about it. Of the last famous person you met? Themis: We met Scarlett Johansson after she sang Just Like Honey with the Jesus & Mary Chain. Josh actually ended up doing some guitar on her solo album. He hates it. Behind your most prized non-music related possession? Josh: Tight pants and the Rubik’s Cube, maybe boy love too. Just a lil’ bit. Themis: Guns, knives, anything you can hurt somebody with. Behind your most prized music-related possession? Themis: I don’t even like music, I just want to hurt people. Josh: Themis’ high powered rifle. I hate it. Of the first gig you ever played together? Themis: It was pretty average, no one got hurt. Josh: What he said, except I think I saw a child crying. We’ll be writing about your band in five years? Themis: Nothing, because we would have broken up by then. Five Years is my favourite David Bowie song. Josh: I’ll be dead then anyway. I hate it. Get in orbit with Yuri & the Vostok: 0 November 1 @ The Hub Bar

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. ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008

WORLD - MELBOURNE // KOBYA

Culture Kept Alive Through Song

THE SUITCASE Touring Travel Tips with Kota of IKOCHI

comes in many forms. From having the fortitude to run oCourage instead of fight, or standing your ground and saying “enough!” to

injustice. Sometimes that courage comes in action, and sometimes it comes in listening. Kobya came to Australia as a political refugee in 1996, fleeing apartheid in South Africa, and has since become a major force in bringing African rhythms and sounds to Australia. He shared a little about his life with me ahead of his Tasmanian appearances. there was an old man in a wheelchair who was inspired by my music to stand up to dance with his little granddaughter after being in his chair for ten years. His family were amazed and thanked me deeply. That was truly heart-warming! I understand you also run workshops in addition to being a performer. What can someone learn at your workshops? That everyone has a voice and can sing and dance. What’s been the greatest victory or breakthrough you’ve seen someone make at one of your workshops? To see a shy little boy who was a refugee in this country without a father open up to me and join in the singing, standing proud and tall in front of the group. Music breaks through all barriers. What’s the greatest tragedy - seeing a people oppressed or being dumped by a girl? Being experienced in both, I would say that being oppressed is definitely the greatest tragedy. Having been through two uprisings, the civil war in Mozambique and apartheid in South Africa to now also see the treatment of the Aboriginal and homeless people here in Australia. Having come to this country as a political refugee, where is your sense of “home”? Home is where my heart is, whether that be with my mother in Mozambique or my family here in Melbourne or with a stranger who opens their door to welcome me in.

“…I speak to myself through my songs…” You’ve come through some extremely trying experiences - how have you managed to continue smiling? By walking fast, hugging a tree and writing songs. You’ve been incredibly prolific over the years - to what do you attribute your output? Life is constantly rolling along and I am on the roller coaster. To me, every experience is a song What’s been your proudest achievement in the last couple of years? Working with the children of Hobson’s Bay this year to form a mass choir of over three hundred children was a real buzz What’s an example of a way in which your music has touched someone? I was performing at a private family celebration where

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To what extent do you keep your culture alive through your music? Every second, every minute, every hour of every day I am living my culture through my music. It is as vital to me as breathing. I speak to myself through my songs as there was no one in Australia who spoke my language when I arrived. Even now, there are very few. I am able to share my culture with people all around the world through my performances, workshops and recordings. It never dies. And how has Australian culture influenced you, if at all? Daily life here in Australia influences and contributes to my music through environmental and social issues, the Aboriginal people, working with other musicians and artists, my studies with VCA in Community Cultural Development and through my own children. What is the one message you hope people take from your music? To celebrate life!! sCHRIS RATTRAY

Celebrate life with Kobya: 0 November 14 @ Brookfield Vineyard

IKOCHI’s classy mix of punk, ska, rockabilly, jazz, traditional Japanese drumbeats, and Showaperiod (1950’s Japanese) lounge is about to land in Australia again as part of the TasPride festival. It’s a heady cocktail, sure to go down smooth and easy. As you consider that metaphor, IKOCHI’s bassman, Kota, gives us a glimpse into his carry on… Aside from your instruments, what are the three most essential items you make sure you bring with you on tour and why? Having to madly run out at the last moment to buy an Allen Key is always frustrating, though coming from another country we are always conscious about getting sick because of new environments or completely different weather - it will be freezing in Tokyo when we leave and hot in Australia, so number one item is a face mask to keep our throats moist and free of colds (A very Japanese item, you will see face masks everywhere in Tokyo during cold season, knowing this will make you look at Bond’s You Only Live Twice in a completely different light). Like the Allen Key, the other important items would have to be a hair dryer and an iron. Anyone who has seen Chikako’s hair on stage will understand these are items not to be lost. Which three albums or songs keep you going when on the road? Bob Marley’s Legend, Rancid’s Indestructible and Horror Pop’s Kiss Kiss Kill Kill. Where ‘s the next destination after you tour here and how do you think it will compare? We love coming back to Australia. It was our first overseas tour and we were blown away by the reception. Next though we are looking to go to the UK, USA, and Europe. It will be hard to compare, but I wonder how good the support system will be in other countries? Last year’s tour wouldn’t have been the success it was without the overwhelming support we received from local bands and people across Australia. As a double bass player, I always worry about my baby, and about it being damaged.

We love touring, and get excited about new places and crowds. It’s exciting to see how people who have grown up in different cultures and environments react to us. What’s the most extreme example of culture shock you’ve experienced on tour? In Japan, lots of audiences tend to listen quietly and thoroughly, but in Australia we were surprised that people start dancing and really get into it. It was great watching people who had never heard us play before start to dance, reacting differently to everyone around them. We loved it because it instantly told us how much they enjoyed our gig! We realised how much Australians love music and were enjoying it as much as they could. It was a really positive experience for us, it has effected our music, added a really positive, upbeat element. What do you most look forward to when you arrive home? Something is always happening in Tokyo, buildings going up or coming down, new clubs opening, old ones closing, new bands – it’s an amazing and inspirational place. I guess the best thing about returning home is noticing the differences, if they are small or huge changes to our everyday environments or the people around us, or if it’s simply the way we look at things. Who’s waiting for you there? Ha, we’d love to say our beautifully hot boyfriends or girlfriends, but unfortunately, all three of us are still looking... pretty sad, eh? So waiting for us are our friends and family and unfortunately, our bosses and day jobs... IKOCHI are looking forward to touring Australia in November and extremely excited about playing Hobart for the very first time, expect something very big, very smooth and very sexy…

Get some very big, smooth, and sexy IKOCHI into you: 0 November 14 @ The Brisbane Hotel

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CD REVIEWS METALLICA Death Magnetic

MINISTRY OF SOUND Clubber’s Guide Spring 2008

Metallica has gone through several styles of music with their albums from thrash, straight metal, hard rock; even incorporating their sound with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. St. Anger was a much-debated album and yes, I must agree with the majority that that was the band’s most dismal effort, but Death Magnetic sees rejuvenation within the band. The album opens with That Was Just Your Life, a fast tempo thrash piece that really tests whether the band can keep up with their Ride the Lightning days. It’s a great opener making you interested in hearing more.

Ministry of Sound’s Clubber’s Guides may not contain the most ground-breaking new tracks, but they are generally a step above most DJ mix CDs purely due to the quality of the DJs they have behind the ones and twos. The standout in this two CD pack for me was definitely the Groove Terminator disc. That’s not to say that the other disc, mixed by Raye Antonelli, is bad, it’s just hard for anyone to stand against the might of a DJ who has been on the A-list in Australia for over ten years!

Mixing and recording, by Greg Fidelman and Andrew Scheps, shows some satisfactory efforts, yet dreadful in some places, especially in the louder thrash songs like All Nightmare Long where a frizzy sound in the drums and loud vocals can ruin the music to an extent. Rick Rubin did an exceptional job with producing, saving the band from doing St. Anger Part Two. Apart from this minor engineering glitch, I still enjoy what this band has to offer. Regardless of whether you dislike this album or band, something makes you want to find out whether they can still produce the goods. Hetfield’s vocals are very similar to the Load days, and Hammet’s solos are back, but bass player, Trujillo is disappointingly very shallow in the mix and only evident in the quieter moments. Lars is nothing fantastic and sticks to his straightforward technique, which does the job. However, Metallica has taken a turn for the better and, in return, created a great album, which sees the veteran metal band excel. 8/10 DAVID WALKER

Disc One, mixed by Groove Terminator, is a mix of fun tracks that never really gets too hard, and reflects the popularity of electro at the moment with remixes of tracks by PNAU, Cut Copy, Hook & Sling, The Aston Shuffle & The Dukes Of Windsor. Disc two, mixed by Raye Antonelli, is slightly harder, with some really grinding basslines and more of a fidget feel, but doesn’t really depart from the Ministry formula of playing currently popular dance. It’s got tracks from artists like Fedde Le Grand, Benny Benassi, Boys Noise, Klaus Hill and Surkin. I might not be the biggest fan of Ministry of Sound mixes, but this one is pretty good. It’s a got a good cross-section of tracks and will really hit the spot for the fans. Great to chuck in the CD player and get ready for a big night out! 6/10 DJ GROTESQUE

EPICURE Postcards From A Ghost

PICO Morning Sun

The Church meets REM. With a touch of Alex Lloyd. Succinctly, that’s how I’d describe this album. And from those comparisons, you can infer that I like it, a lot. There are the jangling guitars that remind me of The Church. There is Juan Alban’s voice, which at times reminds me of REM’s Michael Stipe. And there are wonderful melodies and harmonies, which remind me of the work of Alex Lloyd. But this album, generally, is darker than Lloyd’s work. In fact, it’s the darkest music that I’ve heard Epicure make. It’s tough, at times, but overall it’s tense and compelling. But it’s also patient and confident, with great space in the music, which is what I like.

Whilst you may not have heard of Pico, as I hadn’t, he’s actually released four previous CDs, built up a following in the surfing community, and performed around the world, in South Africa, New Zealand, Japan, The United States and The United Kindom. This is a well-crafted album, full of wistful, reflective songs. It is in the vein of Jack Johnson, and has catchy hooks, as does Johnson. But, for me, it’s not different enough to really stand out. It’s the kind of singer-songwriter material best suited for commercial radio.

If the album title is not enough of a clue, the title of one of my favourite tracks, aptly named for the times we’re living in, Empire In Decline gives an indication that this album is serious stuff. As do tracks, Snakes And Foxes, Ghosts Under The Guillotine and Blood On My Hands. There’s even a touch of country. Longing, dark country, the type that you can also hear, at times, in the music of REM.

Pico has found, like Johnson, a home in the surf-music community. His first break (excuse the pun) came when asked to compose the soundtrack for Ripcurl video series, by noted surfer Derek Hynd. And now his album is released on Bombora, known for surf music. It will probably be a successful album, with commercial radio airplay, but it’s too ‘lite’ for me.

Fans of Epicure’s previous work, I believe, will find the band have taken a refreshing new direction, and those new to their work will be lucky enough to hear them for the first time when they are at their best. One of my favourite albums, at the moment.

There’s nothing particularly wrong with it, but there’s not a lot that will be making me put it on, again. Yes, the guitar of Midnight Oil’s Martin Rotsey is subtle, and is a feature of the album. And yes, Pico’s vocals are nice, but these days, with the huge amount of music that comes across my desk, I’m looking for more than just well put-together. I can see it being listened to on a Sunday afternoon, playing it loud while having a beer and taking it easy.

8/10 DAVID WILLIAMS

6/10 DAVID WILLIAMS

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. ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008

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. ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008

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STRUTH BE TOLD

COMEDY - AUSTRALIA // TAMING THE DEVIL

Better Than Going to Church

was born in a stable to loving parents Mary and step father Joseph (I never knew my real dad),” says the o“Iself-proclaimed ‘good looking one’, Chris Wainhouse, of the impending comedy show, Taming the Devil.

“In my late teens I got a carpentry apprenticeship but in my spare time I pursued my true passion, which was to become an illusionist, developing a few trademark tricks such as walking on water and healing blind people. I formed a gang called The Disciples and together we toured the Middle East. We experienced great success and sell out crowds until an Easter gig in Calvary went horribly wrong. Crucified by the critics we broke up and went our separate ways. I spent three days underground and then took up my second passion which was cloud surfing.”

What was the first joke you remember hearing that you still know to this day? If by “what was the first joke you remember hearing that you still know to this day” you mean “are you excited to be coming to Tasmania”… then no… I’m not.

I was first diagnosed with depression when I was sixteen. Clumsily, by a doctor who may as well have been doing a sudoku during the consultation. I went in to complain about not sleeping, which I had already self-diagnosed was caused by the medical anomalies of thinking too much and having complex sexual fantasies set in the speech and drama costume room. Next thing I know I’m being threatened with questions like “Have you ever felt sad?” and “Do you worry all the time?’ I said I had and did, but denied any suicidal thoughts. According to Super-ScientificChecklist-Beard that was enough to be charged with depression. I slumped in the musty beige seat, pale, acne annoyed and flat-haired as Dr Grumps sneezed out a prescription for antidepressants and reached for the pamphlet ‘Buck Up Dickhead.’ I remember wandering out into the small town main street as a marked man. “YOU HAVE DEPRESSION!” The filthy neon billboard loomed down from above. I stared at a girl in the distance walking away - a girl from my class. I was different now. Separated. An invisible grey shroud kept me encased in glass. I sighed and thought about my after school routine of frozen coke and CD shopping. The cold spring wind barged past my halfway legs. A reflection turned clockwise in my glasses as a car gruffed past. I was alone. I threw the tablets in the bin. I was cranky at Dr Pillock’s emotionally careless handling of my precious self and got Dr Reality to give me a second opinion. I probably didn’t have depression, but the thought that I could was enough to evoke all the symptoms. I wasn’t exactly high-fiving with schoolmates over this truth nugget, but quietly self-checking as I passed off this viscous circle with the lunchtime basketball. A decade later I would escort myself into my local G.P and ask to go on mood enhancing medication. After my relationship’s two-year anniversary was brutally marred by an inexplicably ferocious beating of the doldrums, I was treating it like a spiritual emergency. Something was clearly wrong. After ten years of writing my ups and downs off as ‘sensitive me’ I had to bite the carob bullet and admit that there was a distinctly alien presence behind my eyes. A black substance creeping through my veins. A first degree soul deficiency. This shit was chemical, and with my girlfriend weeping on her bed, oh-so fucking personal. (cue: Alien montage with Justin in pharmaceutically sponsored robot suit.) Nobody really wants to talk about mental illness, let’s face it. It scares everyone, and well it should. A broken leg is kind of cute and you can write your name on the cast. A broken mind is mysterious and bottomless and the thing of disturbing art and newspaper tragedies. We’re conditioned to hear the words ‘anti-depressants’ and assume the taker is some white eyed zombie pinned to the bed and talking backwards, or radiating twisted suicide frequencies and eying off your house as a site for a potential freak-out. Young people taking anti-depressants is very, very common. Despite repeated advertising campaigns, nobody’s very willing to name check mental illness with the same matter-of-factness as migraines or PMS. After three months I’m planning to go off mine (correctly, tapering dosage) as quite frankly I miss crying and am unnerved by the numbing of my ‘sad reflexes.’ But I find the more I talk about the whole thing, and the more people thank me for bringing it up, the more connected to the world I feel and along with laughter, acceptance is damn good medicine.

When was a time you laughed along at something but didn’t get the joke? I laughed when my father told me my grandmother died. I thought he was joking until I realised I was the only one laughing. What makes the time right for a show like Taming the Devil? If by that you mean “do you like mowing lawns?” then the answer is no. I hate mowing lawns. If God wanted us to have neat lawns he wouldn’t have made them out of grass. What is the show about anyway? To tell you the truth I don’t even know who else is in the show so I can’t answer that. How did it come about? Please read above response.

STRANGER THAN MICK-TION

It’s a weird thing, but I try not to admit to being a comedian. There’s something that happens when you say that you are. It just creates social problems. I usually make up anything these days just to avoid the questions/advice. Telling someone you’re a comedian usually results in two responses. a) Tell us a joke or b) I’ve got this brilliant joke you should do. I’m not sure why it should happen with the badge of “comedian”. I’m sure it doesn’t happen to heart surgeons…

I see on your Facebook that you’ve completed a lot of drug deals on Mafia Wars – to what extent does this either a) fulfil a fantasy or b) keep the streets safe from your desire to peddle drugs? Firstly it’s Mob Wars (Mafia Wars is something completely different). Mob Wars is what I do when I should be writing new material. These days I have the attention span of something that has a very small attention span. Also, you’ve quoted yourself as saying “Hey you… What the f*ck do you think you’re doing with that cat?” to your neighbour. What was happening there? Actually my neighbour was saying that to me. The neighbour’s cat had an unscheduled bowel movement on my doorstep so I taught it a lesson by shaving it. What’s the last thing that made you laugh, as if you’d struck comedy gold up your nose to the second knuckle? I’m not sure . . . but it definitely isn’t this question. How many knuckles can you get up your nose anyway, or what are you aiming for? Just two, but in order to do that I would need to trim my big toenail. Finally, what’s the most wrong combination of things you’ve ever encountered? Chocolate bars that are packed with peanuts. If I wanted something packed with peanuts . . . I’d buy a pack of peanuts! sCHRIS RATTRAY Get your devil tamed: 0 November 13 @ Devonport Convention Centre 0 November 14 @ Hilltop Granton, Hobart 0 November 15 @ Princess Theatre, Launceston

“…I laughed when my father told me my grandmother died…”

“Show us a triple bypass” or “I’ve got this aortic valve replacement technique you should use”. I usually make up jobs so people won’t ask for proof that I can do them. “What do you do?” “I’m an electro incubator conduit amalgamator…. Level 5.” “Oh.” It’s hard to come back from that one. Of course, I realise the longer I keep up the pretence of being an electro incubator blah blah whatever, the more likely it is that I will actually meet one. There’s an awkward conversation. “You’re an electro incubator conduit amalgamator as well? Do you use the crumblesnook method?” See? Then I’d have to feign a heart attack or something to avoid the conversation and then no doubt some genius would pipe in with their new aortic valve replacement technique and the whole thing becomes a farce. Perhaps I should take a more underground approach to comedy and be more of a comedy renegade, prowling the streets at night doing comedy undercover, like a ninja. Not that ninjas are renowned for their biting political satire. They’re more slapstick really. Throwing star to the face and, oh look he’s writhing in pain and walked into a door, oh how we laughed! It could work, frighten an unsuspecting group of innocent bystanders into being an unwilling audience by a display of deadly, yet playful martial arts moves and simply have a microphone built into one end of the nunchucks. “So, two samurai go into a sushi bar…” But it wouldn’t be that easy. Not only would there be “Tell us a joke” but also “Show us a stealthy infiltration of a high security government laboratory” or something. Or “Kill this man using a selection of highly specialised weaponry, but keep it light.” I’ve just created more problems for myself. Then inevitably someone is going to want to know the secret identity of the comedy ninja and that’s when they rip off my mask and go “…Aren’t you an electro incubator conduit amalgamator?” “Well, I’m only a level 5…” True story.

Justin performs as The Bedroom Philosopher (with Charles Du Cane): 0 November 5 @ The Brisbane Hotel WWW.SAUCE.NET.AU

Catch Mick Lowenstein in The Short Back and Sideshow: 0 October 29 @ The New Sydney (Hobart) . ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008

games, gadgets, and other digital distractions RPG – XBOX 360

Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise

“…The delight of this game is that you’re free to go at your own pace…”

COLLECTOR’S CORNER

LITTLEBIGPLANET NOT BIG ENOUGH A recent press release from Sony confirmed that those eagerly awaiting the release of this muchhyped platformer will have to hold on just a little bit longer. “During the review process prior to the release of LittleBigPlanet, it was brought to the attention of Sony Computer Entertainment that one of the background music tracks licensed from a record label for use in the game contains two expressions that can be found in the Qur’an. Immediate action was taken to recall and re-master LittleBigPlanet,” says Sony.

CDs & DVDs New + Second Hand

“This action has affected the release date of LittleBigPlanet, but Sony confirms that they are working towards achieving a 7th November launch date for LittleBigPlanet in Australia and New Zealand. FromStthe date of release 37 Wilson Burnie of the game, 03 consumers receive a copy of 6431will 6616 LittleBigPlanet with every PLAYSTATION 3

MIKE’S GADGETS Nike+ SportBand Thanks to a special sensor fitted into certain Nike shoes, this new wristband keeps runners updated on pace, distance, duration and calories burned via a small digital readout. After training, the session data can be transferred to a computer and tracked or even compared with other runners online at the Nike+ community. Cost - $80 Info - nikeplus.nike.com

Rare Ltd has successfully bashed Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise. They have created a younger, more comely sibling jam-packed with piñatas, customisation and new gizmos to make it a worthy number two. Professor Pester, along with his Ruffian goons, have one-track minds to spoil everyone’s piñata fun and has deleted all the Piñata Central database records, ruining parties around the world. You need to breed piñata better than Noah’s Ark to get those piñata back out there so people can enjoy bludgeoning papiermâché effigies to spill candy and make parties great. The gameplay is essentially the same as the original but with improvements and tweaks that make this a more enjoyable game than its predecessor. Helpful garden dweller Leafos’ in-game guidance now helps you to get the most out of your garden with hints and targets so it makes it simple for all ages to catch onto. The same eccentric and dysfunctional characters Seedos, Langston, Dastardos, Willy Builder and more make their appearance again to help or hinder your piñata acquisition. The delight of this game is that you’re free to go at your own pace, and there is plenty of freedom within the game to style your own unique garden and piñata. Once you attract a Pinata to your garden you maximise their happiness level, measured as candosity, and then send them off to parties around the world to get the stuffing bashed out of them before they are returned back to you. Like real toys when you beat them with a stick the piñata in this game crack open. Piñatas become full of happy piñata candy for their fellow piñata to munch on.

The ultimate goal is to improve and maintain your garden and ultimately to attract as many piñata breeds to discover the most rare piñata of them all. Utilise items such as seed packets, watering can and trick stick and shovel to create a piñata oasis. You can also buy accessories to pimp your piñata. New areas have been created called Pintarctic and Dessert Desert so you can cunningly lay baits to trap more exotic piñata and ship them away from their native habitat. This makes available new habitats to create in your garden with snow and sand.

photos of your piñata to other Xbox members to admire. For a fun game for those who enjoy bright colours, funky animals and have two green thumbsticks then Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise is a fun frolic through the tulips. sTIARNE DOUBLE

Husbandry is the backbone of gaining piñata. Once a tiny piñata egg has hatched it reveals the spoils of your genetics experiment with a tiny baby piñata. Colour variations and abnormalities superstar elements and make for a very bright menagerie in your garden. Multiplayer means you can share gameplay and explore gardens with a friend or relative either locally or online and brings a new social aspect to the game. The perfect mode for casual or first time gamers is the Just for Fun mode with enough startup chocolate coins (enough to give an army of elephants diabetes!) to create an ultimate garden. Also, there is online teamplay with up to four members, and also minigames you can play with piñata in between gardening. Another feature is the camera so you can show off by magically sending

0 LAST CHANCE GIVEAWAY! WE HAVE ONE COPY OF RACE DRIVER: GRID TO GIVE AWAY ON PS3!

. ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008

Robot Les Paul Studio Ltd Guitar Offering all the power and performance of Gibson’s classic Les Paul Studio electric guitar, this revolutionary new axe adds an automated tuning system that monitors and adjusts each string so guitarists never need to worry about playing out of tune. Cost - $4,499 Info - www.gibson.com

GAMEPLAY: 90%

0 Bigger and better show pony you can share. GRAPHICS: 85%

0 Flamboyant coloured characters and good creative sprite design. SOUND: 80%

0 Satisfying audio with choice of 5.1 stereo to get the most of your piñata popping sounds. PLAYABILITY: 80%

0 Fun garden simulator without crepe-y farm features. OVERALL: 84%

0 Fantastic game to keep players amused. VIVA PINATA: TROUBLE IN PARADISE IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR XBOX360.

SideWinder X6 Keyboard Designed with gamers in mind, this is the world’s first QWERTY keyboard with a detachable keypad that attaches to either the left or right side. In addition to programmable keys to match your individual style, the keyboard can be customised for different types of games. Dualcolour backlit keys help set the mood for those all-night sessions. Cost - $149.95 Info - www.microsoft.com.au iRecord Pro This smart box of tricks takes the stress out of transferring music and videos to iPods, PSPs and other portable media gadgets. Plug in anything from old turntables and cassette decks to VCRs, DVD players, even PayTV and it records the signal directly to your trusty media device with the press of a button. Cost - $339 Info - www.iRecord.net.au

BY MIKE WILCOX

Email zzapped@sauce.net.au and tell us what your favourite game of all time is! One email will be chosen at random TO WIN, so get writing now! ENTRIES CLOSE SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9

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ARTS ARTS - HOBART // KIRSTY QUARRELL

Loneliness Explored in Exhibition artist, Kirsty Quarrell, is holding an exhibition of artwork that explores the use of modern images of advertising in a traditional style. oHobart Kirsty says her exhibition, entitled All the Lonely People refers “to the sadness and solitary feeling which is evoked from each portrait. I think the

lone image of a person, where the viewer is left to create their own back story is very appealing, letting their own perspective shape the narrative.” In what situations do you feel lonely? I’ll just use a cliché and say more lonesome surrounded by people than on my own. Not because I don’t enjoy the company of others, just because I’m a bit of a dag. Painting can be a lonely pursuit – to what extent do you have to be someone who enjoys being alone, but not lonely? I like my own company so painting is a good pursuit for me. Working solo isn’t for everyone. You need to be happy with your own thoughts and able to be critical of your work and stay focused. Music helps. What were some of the steps that led you towards producing this exhibition? It took a lot of not so gentle nudging from people, then a friend, Phoebe Melia, who is currently studying Arts Administration at TAFE asked to curate an exhibition of my work for her individual project, and it went from there. Both myself, and Phoebe, found it a lot more complicated than we first anticipated but worth it. Who has influenced your work the most and how? I take a lot of inspiration from artists whose work is very different to mine. I like artists like Shepard Fairey and Banksy, a lot of graffiti artists. I also like artists who do very dark work like Mark Ryden and Ron English. Any work that makes a big impression is enough to get me thinking of new pieces that I’d like to do. An art teacher once said to me, in relation to the

FLIP TOP HEART @ The Backspace Theatre, October 11 Anyone who may have stumbled into the Backspace Theatre on Saturday the 11th of October may have been forgiven for pondering the nature of the evening’s events owing to the half cabaret themed, half indie theatre styled layout of the night’s venue. However, for the well informed these familiar surroundings were simply verification that the Tasmanian Theatre Company’s annual Flip Top Heart festival was again upon them. Now in its seventh year, the Hobart held grand finale of Flip Top Heart looked set to give the audience a blend of dance, theatre and multimedia styled entertainment for the whole family. The night kicked off with the host enticing and engaging the audience in near frenzy as he simultaneously introduced and greased up the judging panel. Add to this the obligatory in-joke for performer’s friends and family and the threat of WWW.SAUCE.NET.AU

meaning of artworks, that paintings are just paint on a board – how do you respond to that? I think that’s a great way to put it, one of the things I have the most trouble with is putting a meaning to a painting, I’d much rather leave it to someone else to decide what it means to them. To what extent is your work just paint on a board? It’s definitely just paint on a board. Hopefully it’s been slapped on the right way, and turns into something that speaks for itself. What is it about people that interests you the most, such that you are interested in painting them? I can’t think of anything more interesting than people, we’re a mad bunch and it’s fun to try and capture that, it’s a subject I’ll never get bored with. What impact do you hope this particular exhibition has on people? My main hope is that the paintings are enjoyed. It’s a difficult thing to put work out into the world. It’s a bit like sending your kids out on their first day of school you hope people like them, that they do well, and hope no one calls you to come and take them home. sCHRIS RATTRAY All the Lonely People runs from: 0 October 30 – November 6 @ The Moonah Arts Centre

audience participation; the crowd were ready for some good old-fashioned amateur theatre at its best, and the performers didn’t disappoint. The night’s grand prize went to the brilliantly twisted Motherly Love starring a heroin addicted doting mother and her comically oversized son whose puppy dog facial gestures made the piece an audience favourite. Other highlights of the night included What is Love by young guns James and Oliver, School Yard Love which blended circus arts with an effective shadow screen and a multimedia section for celluloid buffs that included two stunning short films. Still, this reviewer’s favourite piece was the seductively raunchy Madam Goulash who, although pipped at the post for prize money, showed exactly what a German burlesque performer could get up to with a balloon and knitting needle. In short, while Flip Top Heart may not be a slick styled wiz-bang production, it gave the audience what they wanted - a flipping awesome evening. JAYSON MORRISON . ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008

STREET FASHION

Name? Jodie Age? 28 What’s your favourite band? U2 What radio station do you listen to most? 7LA What do you look at most, TV or Computer screen? TV What web site do you go to most? Internet Banking How much did your outfit, today, cost? Under $100 What’s a fashion trend that’s going out of style? Mullet

Name? Tamika Age? 31 What’s your favourite band? Nickleback What radio station do you listen to most? Don’t have a radio What do you look at most, TV or Computer screen? TV What web site do you go to most? eBay How much did your outfit, today, cost? $250 What’s a fashion trend that’s going out of style? Women’s pointy toed shoes

Name? Georgia Age? 24 What’s your favourite band? Queen What radio station do you listen to most? I Don’t What do you look at most, TV or Computer screen? TV What web site do you go to most? Facebook How much did your outfit, today, cost? $100 What’s a fashion trend that’s going out of style? Fluro

Name? Eddy Age? 18 What’s your favourite band? Butterfingers What radio station do you listen to most? LC-FM What do you look at most, TV or Computer screen? TV What web site do you go to most? Gamehouse. com.au How much did your outfit, today, cost? $200 What’s a fashion trend that’s going out of style? Polka-dots

GIG REVIEWS RONANRONAN @ The Alley Cat Bar, October 22

PIG DESTROYER @ The Brisbane Hotel, October 23

ROCKET SCIENCE + THE DRONES @ The Republic Bar, October 17

EJECTER + THE OVERVIEW + HANNAH @ Irish Murphy’s (Hobart), October 22

It’s sobering to think how medication for kids with ADHD may be robbing us of future entertainers. When you see a one-man orchestra like RonanRonan it’s easy after a few tunes to forget there’s only one person up there who not only plays all those instruments but coordinates them into the sound usually produced by a group.

When I heard that grindcore giants Pig Destroyer were embarking on a nationwide tour of Australia, and were gracing the stage of the Brisbane Hotel, naturally I was overjoyed. Pig Destroyer has long been held a major influence on the international grind scene, and so drew a decent-sized crowd of devoted grind followers.

Rocket Science’s supporting set, I think, can be summed up by a few awards.

Greenhouse gigs are always good. This one was incredible. Irish was pretty full from the get-go, the crowd full of fans as well as a large number of punters who’d unknowingly stumbled on one of the best gigs of the year. I missed Abbey Doggett, but if her past form is anything to go on she was most likely great.

But as the repetition of his stage name suggests, this rotund little French boy-man with fuzzy lamb-chop facial hair looped the loops and the audience was there to watch every step of his patchwork pieces take form and fly away. He played anything that wasn’t nailed down -- audience included. Starting with a groove, he quickly built on the rhythm, snatch-grabbing sounds from the toys at his fingertips. One moment RonanRonan plucking the banjo, uke or guitar with deviant charm, squeezing the accordion and then thumping a crude base made from garbage bin a broomstick and some twine.

After the intense opening acts of the supports, including hardcore act Ghost and the Storm Outside and local black metal staple Ruins, Pig Destroyer took the stage to the cheers of the eager and pit-ready crowd. Hailing from Virginia, Pig Destroyer is made up of vocalist J. R. Hayes, renowned grind guitarist Scott Hull, (of Agoraphobic Nosebleed and Japanese Torture Comedy Hour fame) drummer Brian Harvey and Blake Harrison, who helms the sampling desk, handling the eerie background noises and pre-recorded spoken monologues that play through and between songs.

Brandishing a trumpet he declared “I don play ze trrrumpet!” looped that and then recorded a succession of smooth riffs that dovetailed sweetly. A whole track came from just a bottle of beer, the hiss-pop opening, changing tones after each gulp and ended with a resounding burp. Every track was seemingly spontaneous with sound effects added from the colourful toys and gadgets littering the Alley Cat stage. I only wish I could understand his words – from the looks on the Frenchies’ faces his lyrics were sweet, funny and profound too. FEATHERS MULLGOON

. ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008

The brutal, sludgy chord progressions and relentless snare blasts provoked a welcome reaction from the crowd, providing the perfect setting for the music: between the death-influenced, politically-motivated grind onslaught and the often pornographic sampled monologues between songs, there was rarely a dull moment. At one point, true to their sometimes political message, the singer allowed a crowd member on stage for a barely intelligible rant about conservation and the forest blockade. For many grind diehards, this show was a rare opportunity to experience one of grindcore’s most internationally respected acts, and with this longawaited show, Pig Destroyer has certainly lived up to the hype. JAMES YOUNG

They are: Best Dressed (for their guitarist. Leopard skin never looked so good), Most Aggressive Theremin Playing (occasionally just screaming at the thing), Most Focussed Organ Playing (sometimes his nose must have been touching the keys), and Best Muttonchops (bass). Mid-set, ‘You sound like shit!’ was countered (by the drummer) with ‘Yeah, but we look fucking great!’ He wasn’t just the most quick-witted member, either. It was his great drumming that held the act together. They didn’t actually sound shit, showing flashes of brilliance (and crowd-invasion) in what felt like a very bass-driven set (the guitar top end getting lost in a slightly murky mix). The Drones were – as ever – very, very good, and very, very loud. You get the impression, instrumentally, that these guys are barely trying. The crunchy bass and dirty whining guitars fit together so well that it feels almost lazy, but when you toss the vocals of frontman Gareth into the mix – fraught and thoughtful – you get something pretty damn good. The crowd were well pleased by the night. Sharkfin Blues was probably the best of the set – Gareth particularly manic, and well supported by the band – but the encore felt a bit lame. You could tell they’d put quite a lot into their set, and we probably should have just let them go home to bed. MICHAEL BLAKE

Ejecter frontman, Jonno Coleman, was in good voice, and rocked the shit out his acoustic over enthusiastic bass and sweet lead guitar that went ‘Skreee! Widdly widdly!’ The Overview opened with a brief piano-driven track that moved into straight-up guitar rock, and although requests for the removal of James Mackey’s (who was channelling Rob Thomas) pants were ignored, their set was tough and well received. Props to Steve for the use of the EBow. After Al Roach had been found, and Chris Coleman had ducked off to the loo, Hannah were ready. The venue was packed by this point, so I’ve got to say I admire their choice of opener. An almost acapella version of What a Wonderful World was a slice of unorthodox genius. This team-effort beginning set the scene for the remainder of the set, where they completely levelled us. Roachy was a ball of sweating energy behind the kit, interacting brilliantly with Seth’s tight basswork. The ever-smiling, diminutive Chris was on fire; hysterical and hyperactive and strong and pretty much everything a great frontman should be. I was absolutely flattened by this gig. It was the best live performance I’ve seen in years. I’ll be looking out for their next gig, and you should too. MICHAEL BLAKE WWW.SAUCE.NET.AU

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. ISSUE 80 . OCT 29 - NOV 11 2008