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issue 574 // 5 DECEMBER 2013 // next issue: 12 DEC

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ALICE IN CHAINS

A DAY TO REMEMBER ROB ZOMBIE MEGADETH MASTODON PLACEBO HIM AFI KORN ALTER BRIDGE TRIVIUM PENNYWISE JIMMY EAT WORLD DOWN DEVILDRIVER THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN GLASSJAW PANIC! AT THE DISCO EAGLES OF DEATH METAL LESS THAN JAKE MAYDAY PARADE ASKING ALEXANDRIA BIFFY CLYRO NEWSTED SEVENDUST ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT BARONESS SUICIDE SILENCE CLUTCH ALKALINE TRIO THE PORKERS (CROSSES) ZEBRAHEAD GOJIRA DESAPARECIDOS FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH SATYRICON AUGUST BURNS RED TESTAMENT ILL NIÑO LIVING COLOUR MUTEMATH BLACK VEIL BRIDES LETLIVE MOTIONLESS IN WHITE GWAR THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER MUSHROOMHEAD FINCH DREAM ON, DREAMER STIFF LITTLE FINGERS THY ART IS MURDER GRAVEYARD PULLED APART BY HORSES NANCY VANDAL BOWLING FOR SOUP TRASH TALK SKINDRED DIR EN GREY VOLBEAT AMON AMARTH TERROR WHITECHAPEL DEFILER TESSERACT DEEZ NUTS THE STORY SO FAR 10 YEARS INHEARTSWAKE BREATHE CAROLINA HARDCORE SUPERSTAR I CALL FIVES HACKTIVIST WALKING PAPERS OUR LAST NIGHT COLISEUM DEVIL YOU KNOW YOUR DEMISE SOIL HEAVEN’S BASEMENT THE BOSSHOSS NOSTALGHIA UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS REAL FRIENDS UPON A BURNING BODY

†††

...WITH MANY MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!

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A WORD FROM THE TEAM

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PUBLISHER...........................Anton Ballard general..............................enquiries@fortemag.com.au EDITOR/SALES MANAGER....Luke McNamara

Dear beloved readers, So, we all watched the ARIAs right? WTF is with people getting up and insisting they “honestly didn’t think they would win” and thus? Hadn’t written a speech? – Oh, so humble. It is Forte’s humble opinion that you can spare us with the “I am so humble and shocked that I won” routine and just accept the bloody award and be thankful that you won it. Also, regardless of any loopholes, or exact meanings of any terms, is Nick Cave (one of Australia’s largest-ever recording artists) really still eligible in the ‘Independent’ category? Some may argue over definition, but c’mon! really? And what is with the dude from The Potbelleez hair? And why didn’t Lorde do ‘Royals’? Aaaaaanyway! It is always a very fun night, and congratulations to all the very deserving winners. Almost every act that performed, won awards, sat and watched and walked the red carpet has contributed their time and energy to Forte Magazine at some point during the year, and they are all fantastic artists – and we all love the ARIAs! A special mention to Flume who smashed the night to pieces! – ‘Killing it kid!’ We will have a full ARIA wrap in next issue!

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the HIGHLIGHTS

THE LATEST ON international & national news & tours The Highlights: Where ebony and ivory live together in perfect harmony. Coming up you have… .........................................................................

Born of Osiris Look to Tomorrow Label-mates Born of Osiris and After the Burial have locked in a healthy run of dates early in 2014, including some all-ages shows for their younger fans. By the time they reach our shores both bands will have new albums out; Born of Osiris released Tomorrow We Die Alive back in August, while After the Burial’s newie Wolves Within is slated for a December release. Wrangler Studios – January 23 (AA) & The Espy – January 24. .........................................................................

Oh Yes, There Will be Blood 3 Inches of Blood is a heavy-hitting outfit from Canada. The band has been in business since 1999, and although they sport a very different line-up these days, their fusion of British heavy metal of the 1980s with a modern touch is as strong and fierce as it was in their beginnings. Last year they released album number five, Long Live Heavy Metal. The Evelyn – April 12. .........................................................................

Bluesfest Nominated for Pollstar Award Just in case the blurb title throws you a little, the toocool-for-school festival that is Bluesfest has been nominated for a Pollstar Award, grabbing a nomination in the International Music Festival of the Year category for the second year running. The 25th Pollstar Awards take place in February at the world-famous Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. It’s an honour just to be nominated; still, a win would be sweet. .........................................................................

The Return of Ellie Goulding Golden gal Ellie Goulding will return to Australia next year for a small run of shows. We’ve already have the privilege of Miss Goulding this year, but if this year’s tour was anything to go by, the love is sure to extend until next year. Spotted at a university talent contest, Goulding has since released two albums, her latest being 2012’s Halcyon. People are digging her song, ‘Mirror’. Festival Hall – May 31.

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Big Day Out Sideshows Okay, so you’re probably up to speed regarding the BDO sideshows, but everyone needs a friendly reminder occasionally. Arcade Fire will be taking in a sideshow at the Myer Music Bowl on January 22 – a massive reason to smile for their dedicated Aussie fans. Other sideshows include: Major Lazer and Flosstradamus at The Palace on January 21; Snoop Lion at The Palace on January 22; and Grouplove and CSS at The Hi-Fi on January 23.

Phoenix Face Bankruptcy French pop ensemble Phoenix has beefed up their 2014 Future Music Festival headlining spot with a couple of other dates around the country. The band released their latest album, Bankrupt!, back in April. The chances are many of you would have come across its singles ‘Entertainment’ and ‘Trying to be Cool’ at some point. The album is the follow-up to 2009’s hit, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Festival Hall – March 6. .........................................................................

Jon Hopkins Calls for Immunity Although the name Jon Hopkins may not ring a bell

Heavenly Sounds of Sarah Blasko The delightful Sarah Blasko has lined up a small number of Heavenly Sounds gigs for early in 2014. It’s familiar territory to Sarah, having kicked off the first run of HS shows in 2011 as part of her side project Seeker Lover Keeper. Setting up shop in cathedrals and churches, the songbird will perform songs from her four albums. They will also be her last shows for her 2012 album I Awake. St Michael’s Uniting Church – January 22.

for some readers, his standing in the music world is highly respected. He is a producer, film score composer and remixer who has enjoyed long-term musical relationships with Brian Eno and Coldplay. He has also released several solo albums including his latest, Immunity. It has been called his most “aggressively dance floor-focused” music to date (Mixmag). The Hi-Fi – December 12. .........................................................................

Stars Aligning for Selena Gomez Former Disney gal turned popette Selena Gomez is on her way to Australia next year. 2013 has been a year of growth for Gomez. Her debut solo album Stars Dance debuted at the #1 spot on the US Billboard

200, and she appeared in the Harmony Korine film Spring Breakers. She kicked off her Stars Dance world tour in August and will bring it to the Rod Laver Arena on February 8. .........................................................................

Deni Blues & Roots Festival Due to the success of last year’s event, the Deni Blues & Roots Festival will return to Deniliquin next year – and it’s bringing a selection of Bluesfest with it. John Mayer, Dr. John with his band The Nite Trippers, The Doobie Brothers, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Gary Clark, Elvis Costello, Boz Scaggs and Michael Franti and Spearhead are among the stellar line-up. Conargo Road – April 19 & 20.

Joe Robinson is Coming Home Since winning Australia’s Got Talent in 2008, guitarist Joe Robinson has spent a fair chunk of his time on the road. In fact, he has spent time just about everywhere including Europe, Japan, America and Canada. And no matter where he goes, he causes a stir. He has played with some of the best names in the game in some amazing places, yet he is still a bush kid at heart. NSC – January 10. .........................................................................

Australian on the Periphery There is plenty more metal coming your way in 2014. Periphery, who have been around the traps since 2005, has lined up a small number of shows for early next year. The band released album number two, Periphery II: This Time it’s Personal, last year. Adding a sweetener to the deal will be Washington outfit Animals as Leaders, described by Steve Vai as “the future of creative, heavy virtuoso guitar playing”. Billboard – February 2. .........................................................................

WOMADelaide 2014 Being the informed readers you are, you no doubt already know the line-up to next year’s WOMAD, but here we go anyway. The line-up includes Billy Bragg, Arrested Development, Emel Mathlouthi, Femi Kuti and the Positive Force, Neko Case, Ane Brun, Mikhael Paskalev, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Washington and The Brown Hornet. Botanic Park, Adelaide – March 7 through 10. Hit womadelaide. com.au for the full rundown. .........................................................................

Pokey LaFarge Heading Down Under Born Andrew Heissler, Pokey LaFarge is a throwback to American roots. He developed a taste for the blues in a local pizza joint and carved out an early living playing on sidewalks and streets. His repertoire consists of Americana, early jazz, ragtime and Appalachian folk among others, while his instrument collection includes guitar, kazoo, tenor banjo and guitjo. The Corner – March 12.

Lionel Richie & John Farnham The voices of Lionel Richie and John Farnham will share the same stage next year in a string of shows throughout March. The two singers and performers have a healthy respect for one another, so this tour should prove to be a real treat. Promoter Paul Dainty: “I am always thrilled when a superstar wants to tour. But when two legends agree to take their magic on the road – that’s truly an honour.” Rod Laver Arena – March 16.

Mission: Impossible 5

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A Taste of Mango Groove

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Australia is set for an afro-pop treat next year when South Africa’s Mango Groove returns for a run of shows. The colourful and infectious 11-piece outfit celebrates thirty years as a musical force next year, after John Leyden formed the group with Andy Craggs and Aaron “Big Voice Jack” Lerole in 1984. The band has had at least a dozen number one hits in South Africa. The Forum – February 23.

Two Thumbs Up for Face The Music

25 Years of Eyehategod To have been together for 25 years, and to have released just four albums, yet hold the sort of respect Eyehategod hold, is no easy feat. The sludge metal band formed out of New Orleans in 1988. While some readers may not immediately associate New Orleans with metal, there is actually a very strong scene there, and Eyehategod was one of the bands that led the charge in the late ’80s. The Hi-Fi – January 19.

Those lovely Melbourne lads Miami Horror have kept us waiting, but finally the touring dry spell is about to end with the band announcing a small run of shows to welcome their new single ‘Colours in the Sky’. It has been a couple of years since the band has headlined a tour. From reports, the newie, a taste of their forthcoming new album, is not what you would expect from the band. The Corner – February 14.

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Poor Tom Cruise; the guy just can’t catch a break. After embarking on four missions one could argue were impossible, his skills are being needed again. The fifth instalment of Mission: Impossible is eyeing a 2015 release. Given the success of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, which now stands as Cruise’s most profitable film to date, it’s little wonder Ethan Hunt has been called back to duty.

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Miami Horror Look Skyward

Victoria’s interest in music is as strong as it has ever been, if the recent Face The Music summit is anything to go by. Once again FTM reached capacity, with eager music minds soaking up a wealth of knowledge provided by musicians, managers, bands and industry representatives. The newly created music-makers workshop program was a massive hit. Be sure to bookmark facethemusic.org.au for future events. .........................................................................

Brody Dalle Goes Solo Brody Dalle, the former frontwoman of The Distillers and Spinnerette, is set to release her debut solo album in 2014. For the release Brody managed to persuade Shirley Manson, Nick Valensi (The Strokes) and Michael Shuman (QOTSA) to make appearances. Dalle released three albums with The Distillers before the band broke in 2006; with

The Ins and Outs of Sleep Parade It’s been a big year for Sleep Parade, and they’re finishing it off in fine style by performing a few shows where the light will shine on their sophomore release Inside/Out. Not only loved by fans who coughed up some coin to help fund their tour, the critics are also digging them. SF Media: “Inside/Out is an idiosyncratic collection of ultra catch alternative rock tracks. Catch and quirky, but still riveting and powerful.” The Corner – December 14.

Spinnerette she released a self-titled debut in 2009.

Louis London Dig Deep

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With their debut EP The Big Deep out now, Sydneysiders Louis London took to the road mid-November for a run of shows. Dave Ruby Howe (triple j) on their EP track ‘We’re Not Alone’: “Yeah, this is my favourite one yet from team Louis London. Doesn’t push too hard to be big, just gets there on the strength of the songwriting and those great melted guitars.” Revolver Upstairs – December 13.

Bob Dylan Goes Interactive Have you seen the interactive video clip for Bob Dylan’s ‘Like a Rolling Stone’? If not, you may want to hit up Bobdylan.com and check it out. The video is the first-ever for Dylan’s 1965 classic and allows for the viewer to flip through various channels, each featuring a host of people mouthing lyrics to the song. Dylan was recent bestowed France’s highest honour, the Legion of Honour.

FRI 6 DEC

REST

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The Regular Boys SAT 7 DEC

Cam Bryce FRI 13 DEC

Trojan Friday night drink promos 5.30 til 6.30 and 9 til 10.30 Saturday night Bulmers and Carlton Draught promos

SAT 14 DEC

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THE

FORT-NIGHTLY

CALENDAR & GIG GUIDE Thursday December 5th

BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Mic Night w/ Dave Dorman, Masters Of Dartness 8:30pm, Parmi Night $11.90 BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Live and Local, $13 Pizza night TORQUAY HOTEL: Dollarz n Dymez BEAVS BAR: Andy Foster (Live) THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): The Gin Club (10th Anniversary Tour) W/ Van Walker EUREKA: Seany B Beach Party plus Simon One, Shorty J, Pinky, Max McKay, Aybakez, Michael Cameron, Paul-E, Rogers and more CITY QUARTER BAR: 50% off Menu

THE MAX HOTEL : Trojan

CITY QUARTER: Perfect Sunday Sesh

OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Performance Night THE SPHINX HOTEL: Retro Ago-Go

Saturday December 7th THE BARWON CLUB: The Glitter Gang

BASEMENT LOUNGE & NIGHTCLUB: Steve Ward, Handsdown W/ Baby Googles, Duckfat BEAVS BAR: Steve Pianto (Live) BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Retro Vinyl and live music from Noon, DJ from 8pm

THE MAIN BAR (Ballarat): Pete Donohue: Free Entry ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night THE LOFT (WARRNAMBOOL): Jesica Skye

CITY QUARTER BAR: Live Entertainment and DJ

THE MAX HOTEL: $12 Parmi All Day All Night, Inquizitive Trivia from 7.30pm THE SPHINX HOTEL: Night from $13

Friday December 6th

AT THE HEADS: Live music from 5pm till 7pm (Barwon Heads) THE BARWON CLUB: Beer Fridge, Foot Soldier, No One’s Home, The Unpretier, Masons Way, FFC BASEMENT LOUNGE & NIGHTCLUB: Airwolf W/ D.M.T, James Moriarty, Nick Farago, Jump Street BAR PIZZA: Pat Bourke BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Locals Night, Spinning Vinyl from 4pm THE CARLTON HOTEL: Loretta Dawes BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Happy Hour 5- 7pm BEAVS BAR: Rosco (Live) BLACK HATT: Drink Promos from 5-7 Public Nuisance EASTERN STATION HOTEL: The Electric Sunkings NEWMARKET BENDIGO: Abreact w/ Scar the Surface THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): Lilith Lane THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: The Regular Boys CITY QUARTER BAR: Friday Unwind from 5pm. Live with live entertainment and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Thank Guinness It’s Friday EDGE GEELONG: Live entertainment plus DJ THE MAIN BAR (Ballarat): The Mondlarks Hammond B3 trio Debut Ep Launch KAROVA LOUNGE: New Bones LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Live band & DJs Main Room and Terrace, open from 9pm THE LOFT (WARRNAMBOOL)

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(CASTLEMAINE): Checkerboard 4pm FREE!

THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): Cash Savage & The Last Drinks W/ Eaten by Dogs

THE WOOL EXCHANGE ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX: Birds of Tokyo

(WARRNAMBOOL): Massive & The Hyperdrones & Lemonbait

THE CARLTON HOTEL: Kristy Wilson

ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Fig Jam HARVESTER MOON: Carus Thompson EDGE: Live entertainment plus DJ THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Cam Bryce TORQUAY HOTEL: Madhouse THE KAROVA LOUNGE: Bad News Toilet W/ The electric Sunkings MARTIANS CAFE: Lily & The Drum THE MAIN BAR (Ballarat): Mark With the Sea Duo: $10 Supported by: Anna Bilbrough HOME HOUSE: Upstairs: Nick Coleman (Suckmusic) Jane Daffy, Downstairs: Best RNB / Hip Hop DJ Kay Z LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Live Band & DJs Mainroom and Terrace. Open from 9pm SPHINX HOTEL: BEEGESS Tribute Show

EDGE GEELONG: Meet Geordie Shore’s Scotty T from 9 to 10pm plus DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Hot Club Swing + from 6pm Parmi Night 6 Great Parmis $20 GEELONG RSL: Royal Garden Jazz Band THE MAIN BAR (Ballarat): Jacob Boote & Laura Mead: $10 (6pm) LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Party with Geordie Shore’s Scotty T Appearing after 11pm Doors from 9 Entry $10 VIP, Student and Industry Cards active from 11pm OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: CYNDI BOSTE (album launch) W/ by Jeremy Edwards THE SPHINX HOTEL: Carvery from $17.00 BLACK HATT: Bergman and The Balladeers, Free Entry from 4pm

Monday December 9th

BARWON CLUB HOTEL: KYLESA (USA) Dead!, The Underhanded $35 + BF LEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night LORD NELSON HOTEL: / Parmi & Pot for $15 on presentation of student I.D THE SPHINX HOTEL: Meals for $11

Tuesday December 10th ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night

GEELONG RSL:Steak Night $13

THE GATEWAY HOTEL: The Chantoozies

THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): Trivia Sponsored By Mountain Goat

OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Michelle Parsons

THE SPHINX HOTEL: Meals for $11, Poker Night (free)

VANS WARPED TOUR (Birrarung Marr): The Offspring, Parkway Drive, Simple Plan, Millencolin, New Found Glory + Many more! THE REVERENCE HOTEL (Footscray): Zeptepi THE MAX HOTEL: 3 On The Tree WHISPERS: DJ’s including from Matt Watkins, Slice n Dice, Lucille Croft, Frazer Adam, Jungle Jim, Butters, Courtney Mills, Zoolander, Who Killed Mickey, Joel Fletcher, Yatch Club DJs, Katt Nial

Sunday December 8th

BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Sunday Session on the deck from 2pm with Le Chook, Ken Evil, Moluck, DJ Bum Trip, DJ Mike later Test Pilot Molly BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): SUNDAY SESH: Spining Vinyl from Noon, DJ RJ from 5pm THE BRIDGE HOTEL

Wednesday December 11th BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Trivia Night from 7:30pm

BEAVS BAR: Andy Forster, Karaoke, Open Mic BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Spinning cool vinyl and Mexican night from 4pm THE CARLTON HOTEL: Parmi & Pot $15 THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): Open Mic CITY QUARTER BAR: 50% off Menu THE LOFT (WARRNAMBOOL): Brady James ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Trivia Night. Great Prizes from 8pm GEELONG RSL: Parma & Pot Night $13 THE SPHINX HOTEL: Steak Night from $16, Poker Night ($10 buy in)

Thursday December 12th BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Open Mic Night w/ Dave Dorman, Masters of Dartness 8:30pm BEAVS BAR: Dave Anderson Live

& DJs Mainroom and Terrace. Open from 9pm THE CARLTON HOTEL: Famous Will BAR PIZZA: Peoples Poets BASEMENT LOUNGE & NIGHTCLUB: DJ Sunny, Malakai W/ Dylan Bauer, Luke Stein, Ben Williams

BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Live and Local, $13 Pizza night

BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Locals Night, Spinning Vinyl from 4pm

THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): Annie and Bern

THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Happy Hour 5-7pm

HARVESTER MOON: Dustin Tebbutt

BEAVS BAR: Hayden Scott Live

THE LOFT (WARRNAMBOOL): Salsa Dance & The Doctor Super Request EUREKA: Girls Audio for a Tights and Brights Party! plus Simon One, Shorty J, Pinky, Max McKay, Dawson, Vickers, Steve Toppa and more. Free Entry before 11pm ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night THE MAX HOTEL: Parmi All Day All Night $12, InnQUIZitive Trivia from 7.30pm till 10.30pm, amazing prizes, call to book your team’s spot THE SPHINX HOTEL: Schnitzel Night from $13

Friday December 13th BARWON CLUB HOTEL: The Nerve, King of The North, The Soulenikoes $15 + BF or $20 at Door. LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Live Band

BLACK HATT: Drink promos from 5pm till 7pm (free entry), Blue Jam Live CITY QUARTER BAR: Friday Unwind with live music then DJ EDGE GEELONG: Live music plus DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Thank Guinness It’s Friday PIPING HOT CHICKEN SHOP: Dead Pirates Society “Bad Santa”

Saturday December 14th BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Callas Drane plus Thieving Byrds, The Salvadors LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Live Band & DJs Mainroom and Terrace. Open from 9pm THE CARLTON HOTEL: Enquire Within BEAVS BAR: Steve Pianto Live BASEMENT LOUNGE & NIGHTCLUB: Tube & Berger W/ Others BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Retro Vinyl and live music from Noon, DJ from 8pm THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE) : Ron Rude COURTHOUSE ARTS: Pop Up Arts Market (with live acoustic music) 11am – 4pm CITY QUARTER BAR: live entertainment and DJ EDGE GEELONG: Live music and DJ

KAROVA LOUNGE: King Parrot

ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Regular Boys

THE LOFT (WARRNAMBOOL): Ten Thousand & Special Guests

HARVESTER MOON: Bree De Rome

THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Trojan

MARTIANS CAFE: The Mojo Corner

THE MAIN BAR (Ballarat): Paige Duggan: Free Entry

THE MAIN BAR (Ballarat): Kimba & Ryan plus guests: $12/$15

THE MAX HOTEL: Adventure Playground TORQUAY HOTEL: Live music in The Sports bar from 9.30pm OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Nat Alison THE SPHINX HOTEL: Marcus ‘Elvis’ Jackson

THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: James Carrigg TORQUAY HOTEL: Live music in The Sports bar from 9.30pm, RDZJB, Famous Will, Alister Turrill, Altitude HOME HOUSE: Milk Fed Agency INVADES Home House, Upstairs, Zac Depetao (Cloud

Nine, Tramp, TFU) vs Johnny Canik (Cloud Nine, Tramp) White (Karova, Tramp) vs Travlos (Tramp, TFU) Rimmy vs Madeleine (Cloud Nine, Tramp) Downstairs Best RnB Hip Hop DJ Crunk (Lab 22) THE SPHINX HOTEL: Fleetwood Mac Tribute, The Australian Eurythmics Show THE MAX HOTEL: Frequency OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Taylor Sheridan WHISPERS: DJ’s including from Matt Watkins, Slice n Dice, Lucille Croft, Frazr Adam, Jungle Jim, Butters, Courtney Mills, Zoolander, Who Killed Mickey, Joel Fletcher, Yatch Club DJs, Katt Nial

Sunday December 15th

BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Sunday Session on the deck from 2pm with le Chook, Ken Evil, Moluck, DJ Bum Trip, DJ Mike later Good Faces for Radio BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): SUNDAY SESH: Spining Vinyl from Noon, DJ RJ from 5pm COWRIE MAKRET TORQUEY: Zeptepi CITY QUARTER: Perfect Sunday Sesh THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): Checkerboard 4pm FREE! COURTHOUSE ARTS: Fresh Ink – Play readings from 4pm EDGE GEELONG: Geordie Shore’s Scotty T - Live music plus DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Des Camm + from 6pm Parmi Night 6 Great Parmis $20

GEELONG RSL: Peter Allen Allstars

BEAVS BAR: Dave Anderson, Karaoke and Open Mic

THE MAIN BAR (Ballarat): Owen Campbell

BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Spinning cool vinyl and Mexican night from 4pm

LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Student & Industry Night (Free entry all night) w/ Live band & DJs in the Mainroom and Terrace

THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): Open Mic THE CARLTON HOTEL: Parmi & Pot $15

BLACK HATT: Andy Pobjoy. Free Entry from 4pm

THE LOFT (WARRNAMBOOL): Mick Ferguson

SPHINX HOTEL: Carvery from $17.00

CITY QUARTER BAR: 50% off Menu

Monday December 16th

ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Trivia Night from 8.30pm till 10.30pm GEELONG RSL: Parma & Pot Night $13 THE SPHINX HOTEL: Steak Night from $16, Poker Night ($10 buy in)

BARWON CLUB HOTEL: $10 Parmis

ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night THE SPHINX HOTEL: 11 Meals for $11

Tuesday December 17th

Thursday December 19th

BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Open Mic Night w/ Dave Dorman, Masters of Dartness THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): White Ants w/ Rath

ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night

BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Live and Local, $13 Pizza night

GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13

THE MAIN BAR (Ballarat): The Slurrymen

THE SPHINX HOTEL: 11 Meals for $11, Poker Night (free)

Wednesday December 18th BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Trivia Night from 7:30pm

KAROVA LOUNGE: Eyes Wide Open ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night THE MAX HOTEL: Parmi All Day All Night $12, InnQUIZitive Trivia from 7.30pm till 10.30pm, amazing prizes, call to book your team’s spot THE SPHINX HOTEL: Schnitzel Night from $13

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hunters & collectors written by zach broadhurst

I think translates quite well to these bigger scale shows.” The tour will not only be a great chance for past fans to rekindle their love with the band, it will also be the very first time many fans will get to see them live. Their 1998 retirement, coupled with their tendency to play 18 and over shows at the time, means most Australians 30 and younger would have never witnessed a Hunters show. “I think that’s true for a lot of people, a lot of young kids,” says Seymour. “We often used to get approached about playing sort of underage shows and it kind of happened occasionally, but not often enough I think.” Luckily for those unaware of how a Hunters show goes, Seymour tries his best to describe one saying, “it’s difficult to define really; the music is really simple but it’s really intense. It’s interesting because a lot of people seem to associate us with hardcore rock ‘n’ roll, but a lot of it isn’t really like that at all. The drums and bass have an intensity, and it’s quite an unusual approach … and it has big brass. It’s symphonic. It’s a big wide open sound. “The band is going to go out and present the set that we were playing in 1998 essentially. It will be pretty much all the hits that we were known for and some of the other songs that were better known for back in the early ’80s when we hadn’t been played on the radio. It’s very rock, very rock ‘n’ roll, very powerful, brass in practically every song, and we are just hitting all the buttons, so people will get exactly what they expect.” This Hunters and Collectors tour also coincides with the release of their tribute album Crucible, which features some amazing Australian and international talent with covers by Paul Kelly, The Living End, Birds of Tokyo and Something for Kate, as well a duet by Eddie Vedder and Neil Finn – a list of names that blows Seymour away. “I think that’s what is really good about this album Crucible, the people who stepped up to do it really surprised me,” says Seymour. “I honestly thought it would never get off the ground, because I just thought young kids didn’t really know anything about us, but I’ve been proven wrong in spades really. It’s just a terrific tribute and to know that we did actually have that much influence on them was quite a good feeling. “I’m really impressed with it. I wasn’t sure if they could pull it off because Hunters made so many albums over a long period of time that the sound and the style of our music changed quiet dramatically from one record to the next. The fact that young artists were able to glean our sensibilities from all that stuff was quiet extraordinary really.”

It’s been 15 long years since the legendary Hunter and Collectors called it quits. They have teased us with some appearances, such as their set at Sound Relief in 2009 which had the 80,000 strong crowd singing along to some of their greatest hits, but finally Mark Seymour and the boys will be gathering for a Hunters and Collectors tour for the first time since 1998. “I think everyone is pretty excited about it. It’s going to be a big show; very powerful. I’m looking forward to it,” says Seymour ahead of their first

Day on the Green show in Geelong’s Hill Winery on the 25 th of January. Despite the band’s legendary status in Australia, Seymour reveals that there was some doubt the band could pull it off and make a comeback after so much time apart; however, their set at Sound Relief put his mind at ease. “I’ve always had a sort of vague feeling that the opportunity might present itself to tour together again,” says Seymour. “We never really planned for it, it just sort of evolved out of these one-off gigs we’ve done. I think the Sound Relief show was the catalyst really; that was such a big night and the band was so well received. “The band more or less retired in 1998, so it had been a very long time leading up to that show.

We weren’t actually sure we’d cut it as a band, so I think doing that show answered a lot of those questions.” While Hunters and Collectors playing outdoor festivals may be a foreign sight to fans more accustom to seeing them playing packed out pubs, Seymour feels the setting isn’t as alien to the band as many might think. “By the early ’90s, which is when the band really hit its straps, they were big crowds,” explains Seymour. “When you think ‘Pub Rock’ people sort of associate that with rooms about the size of the Corner Hotel, like 800 people at the most, but we were playing in West Sydney to two-three thousand people. We reached a point where we had a concert environment more than anything else, so the band developed an approach to performing which

For those of you hoping this Hunter and Collectors tour marks the rebirth of the band or results in a new album of fresh Hunters material, sadly that’s not the case. Seymour emphasises this brief reformation is just a mixture of good timing and the desire to give back to the fans who have made Hunters and Collectors what they are today. “It’s a combination of the album and consolidating our audience really, just for our own piece of mind more than anything else – getting to play for people who were there back in the day. “This will be it; this is the swan song. It’s a good way to do it to with the tribute record. I think we’ve left it long enough that I think we can do it with some degree of clarity, so this will be the only chance to see us.” When&Where: The Hill Winery, Geelong – January 25. Hunters and Collectors will also support Bruce Springsteen at this two Melbourne shows, February 15 & 16 at AAMI Park.

Staff and Management of the EMC Group Geelong strongly enforce a no-drug policy. Enjoy great music & drinks whilst staying drug-free.

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Airwolf Justin Erougian is Airwolf, multi-tasker extraordinaire. You will soon learn that he is a DJ, a producer and a photographer, though he says it better than us. So sit back and enjoy a little Q&A session with the man who does it all. Airwolf, thank you for taking the time out to have a quick chat with Forte ahead of your journey to Geelong! My pleasure! For those who are not familiar with you and what you do, can you please introduce yourself and tell us your craft? I am a DJ, producer, photographer and animal lover. I DJ/produce under the name Airwolf and take photos under the name Airwolf Paradise. I have been signed with Sweat It Out & [I am] now currently signed through Onelove recordings :) Airwolf Paradise is a photoblog of social party photography or any other photos I’ve been taking, whether it be in my personal life or anything cool I see. What’s been happening in your world for the last couple of months? I’ve got a pretty busy schedule lately working on finishing off a lot of music, which is so good to get done. Airwolf Paradise is under the knife at the moment getting a nice big facelift, and the site will be going in a new direction. Super, super excited for all of that to start – hopefully by this summer! I’m shooting more editorials and adding a new section on the site, focusing on the

behind the scenes of Australian musicians, artists, athletes or whoever seems interesting to me that I can share to the world. You were exposed to the musical elements at an early age. I read somewhere your father was also comfortable behind the decks. Take us back a bit and tell us what got you interested in deejaying and producing. The whole DJ thing has run in the family a bit. My uncle used to be a retro/Top 40 DJ around Melbourne and my dad still DJs to this day at weddings, birthdays etc. It started off for me when I just started learning how to mix retro vinyl with dad in the garage, until the turntables literally almost set on fire. So we had to get rid of those and that’s when I started to learn on CDJs and get into dance music. I took over whatever my dad was doing and did 16th birthdays, 21st’s, weddings and all that until I was old enough to start playing in clubs. The rest is history … until now! Your new single ‘Hanging On’ was recently released. I have it playing as we speak – it is funky. Tell us a bit about this song. I think it was written about almost two years ago now – there were some late nights and early mornings working on that. The idea came pretty quick though, like a lot of my stuff. I don’t like spending too much time on ideas of songs; I lose interest pretty quickly if nothing happens straight away. I was just sitting on it until a label was in love with it as much as I was to release it. How much of your time is spent in the lab and how much of your time is spent on the road? Way more time in the lab (bedroom, haha). But as of late I use my friend’s studio, so it’s much better getting out of the house to write music. I’m holding off from a lot of shows to concentrate on writing and work. I can’t wait to get back out on the road though! You, like most successful producer- DJs, have

When&Where: Basement Bar, Geelong – December 6 been clocking up the frequent flyer miles. Where are some of your favourite places and parties to play in Oz?

got in store for the crowd come December 6th?

Bowler Bar in Brisbane is where it’s at! Survivor in Melbourne and anything run by the Metric crew in Perth will always be a crazy party!

What are the plans for Airwolf for the next 12 months?

You’re coming to Geelong soon. Is this the first time? It’s been a while since I have been back in G town, but I’ve played a few times at Toast and National Hotel which were some pretty crazy times. You are playing the Basement Bar. What have you

I’ve got sooo much new music I’m dying to play out! So I’m super excited :D

Release a heap of new singles, put out some free tracks and remixes (’cause paying for music sucks, haha) and relaunch my website and run a few Airwolf Paradise parties! Anything else you would like to say/add to/for regional Victoria? Meet you at the bar ;)

Ill Niño written by Natalie Rogers

ATTENTION! The Ill Niño army will unite at Soundwave 2014 when the Latin-infused metal kings take to the stage. Last time they were here they left fans wanting more and, as frontman Christian Machado told Forte, they plan to deliver again. “Oh we’re definitely looking forward to playing to the Australian crowd again! We had a great time when we played Soundwave a couple of years back. Soundwave is probably the greatest festival in the metal/rock community right now. We can’t wait to get back in front of those loving Australian crowds and put on a better show than we did last time. “We had a pretty incredible spot on the timetable at Soundwave 2011. We played just before Slayer, and to have thousands of people cheering when our set was done was very gratifying. We owe it to the fans for sticking by us and for being so committed to coming out to shows and making it a good time.” Ill Niño are by no means an overnight success; from humble beginnings in their home town of New Jersey in the late nineties, Ill Niño have survived a name change, numerous line-up changes and are now six albums deep – and stronger than ever. “Ten years ago I couldn’t have predicted that we’d still be going, but we’re devoted to bringing music to our fans, to continue to put out music that is meaningful to them and to make people proud for sticking by us. This is our goal, and I hope that this is clear and evident through our music.”

Since Ill Niño were last on our shores they’ve released their sixth studio album (Epidemia, 2012) and embarked on a mammoth tour of the US, offering military personnel two-for-one tickets to all shows. “We always go out of our way to make any US personnel that come to our shows feel at home. We’ve found that some soldiers hold a very unique attachment to the music. These are people who are putting their lives at risk and who depend on music to be able to take them away from that state of mind. With so many servicemen and women coming back from overseas, it feels natural to do something special for them. That’s our way of paying respect. “Also, I can tell you that we’re already in talks about a new record. It’ll be following up from our pervious stuff in terms of the intensity and the positive message in the music. We want to try things that are risky in terms of the metal genre; we don’t want to be a band that does things just like everybody else. We’re a band that takes pride in our identity and the original approach that we have towards metal. We also have a new member, Oscar Santiago. He’s one of the founding fathers of Latin metal percussion and we can’t wait to tour and record with him.” Keep an eye out for updates on their new album – and Christian tells me to expect an announcement about Ill Niño Sidewaves very soon. When&Where: Soundwave 2014 @ Flemington Racecourse – February 28

RDGLDGRN written by Natalie Rogers

Fresh from the mean streets of DC, RDGLDGRN (pronounced Red Gold Green) is the trio that caught the eye of Dave Grohl – and they haven’t looked back since. Their sound is a unique blend of hip hop-infused punk with indie-rock and rap trimmings. Confused? Lucky for you Forte has enlisted the help of middle-man Gold to sort you out. “The area we grew up in explains why we’re the way that we are musically,” Gold explained. “We’re from a suburb of DC called Reston, and it’s extremely diverse. I can’t believe there aren’t more bands out there doing what we do! It’s just the natural way we make music. We all have different tastes; like Green just loves listening to Vampire Weekend, whereas I love listening to A Tribe Called Quest.” Formed only a little over two years ago, RDGLDGRN has been on a wild ride since their self-released tune ‘I Love Lamp’ went viral. Their self-titled debut album, released in September this year, features Foo Fighters’ frontman Dave Grohl on drums and new friend Pharrell Williams, who co-wrote, co-produced and lent his distinctive vocals to the track ‘Doing the Most’. “Honestly, the only thing I can think is that it’s a dream come true,” Gold admitted. “We’ve seen a ridiculous amount of success! I’m not saying that we don’t deserve it,” he laughed, “but I think there’s a huge amount of luck involved. We’re very grateful, very appreciative and we’re just trying to take it in because it doesn’t even feel real. The fact that we’re coming to Australia, a place we’ve all never been

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before, and people are waiting to see us – that’s more than I would ever expect!” RDGLDGRN are among the bunch of rag-tag punk, ska and hardcore bands that are currently in the country for the Vans Warped Tour, and Gold plans to enjoy it. “Our friends Tonight Alive and Kids in Glass Houses are playing. I also want to check out The Used and Simple Plan ... and The Offspring – I can’t believe I’ll be playing at a festival with them! Likewise with New Found Glory; they’re the definition of pop-punk and I would listen to them religiously in high school. But to be honest, I’m also excited to see the beautiful, familiar faces that have toured with us on the Vans Warped Tour in the States. These are the people that are going to make the Australian experience so much more. “I don’t think we’ll spend too much time crashing in our hotel room, that’s for sure! We brought our swimsuits and we’ll definitely be hitting the beaches. I have friends here and I want to go exploring. I want to see kangaroos and koalas, and I’d love to catch a Rugby match as well, but I don’t think it’s the season for that. The weather is beautiful, especially compared to the terrible weather we’ve been having at home! We just want to say thanks to all the Australians for their support, so if you’re at one of the shows don’t be shy, come say hi!” Check out the new video for ‘Power Ups’ on their Facebook page. Filmed in New York recently, it’s the perfect background to a track that brilliantly showcases Green’s songwriting ability and laid-back rap stylings.

When&Where: Vans Warped @ Birrarung Marr – December 7

TALK OF THE

TOWN!

Keepin' it Regional!

Chris Russles

The Electric SunKings

FRIDAYS

SATURDAYS

AIRWOLF

STEVE WARD HANDSDOWN

6/12

TUESDAY - SATURDAY 8PM - 3AM

159 MOORABOOL ST GEELONG

COMING UP : DCUP | TUBE & BERGER | KOLOMBO

Dustin Tebbutt

D.M.T | JAMES MORIARTY NICK FARAGO | JUMP STREET

13/12

DJ SUNNY | MALAKAI DYLAN BAUER | LUKE STEIN BEN WILLIAMS | JAMES MORIARTY

7/12

BABY GOGGLES | DUCKFAT

14/12

TUBE & BERGER

MEATSAUCE | TOKEN | DUNKS DUCKFAT | BABY GOGGLES | D.M.T FORTEMAG.COM.AU 19 DYLAN BAUER

TALK OF THE TOWN! Talk of the Town: Where you don’t have to put on the red light. Coming up you have… .........................................................................

Local Dream Team! With the long awaited return of Summer upon us - ‘Them Local Thieves’, ‘Torrent This’ & ‘Sold Out Productions’ have lined up a string of shows throughout Victoria’s Surf Coast combining a collection of close friends all bursting with energetic live shows, Summer vibes & a hunger for partying. Saturday December 14 at Torquay Hotel sees RDZJB join forces with Altitude, Famous Will & Alister Turrill for an enormous night of local music focused on engrossing you in the epitome of balmy nights, live music and friends. This show also brings a special vibe with the launch of Famous Will’s Debut Single ‘My Scars’. [Tix $10 on the door]

White Summer Feeling Fuzzy ‘Chugg Fuzz’ is a new track being road-tested by White Summer, and they hope you dig it as much as you do ‘Head in the Sand’. You can check out Head in the Sand’s clip out online. White Summer is the latest band finding a lot of love from triple j Unearthed. Originally from Phillip Island, the now Melbourne-based blues rock trio has drawn comparisons to the likes of The Black Keys and Audioslave. Community-driven music blog Happy wrote: “There is a staggering guitar hook and a raw wondering bass line but above all there is ‘that’ chorus. It is seriously explosive, overwhelming, and just so purely rock ‘n’ roll that you want to scream along with Stanfield’s growl and smash a guitar against a wall.” Music trivia of the day: The band takes their name from a Led Zeppelin song; it’s hard to go wrong with that. The Barwon Club, Geelong – January 14.

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Audemia off to the BDO

Luke Legs in Solo Mode

We don’t play favourites at Forte, but we were mightily chuffed to see that Audemia scored a spot on the BDO bill thanks to the Headspace Competition. The Triple M team announced the band as their pick of the bunch on November 26. We had a chat with the band last month where they filled us in about the competition’s progress so far: “Well, as most people in Geelong have already heard, we are sitting at the top of the leader board Aus-wide to win a competition to play at next year’s Big Day Out. So far we have had an incredible response from the community and local organisations who are helping campaign for us, and for that we are very grateful.” I bet things are even better in their camp now! Congratulations to Audemia and all the bands that scored a big gig at the Big Day Out.

We know and love Luke Legs as the ringleader of Luke Legs and the Midnight Specials, an outfit that delivers four-part harmonies laced with a touch of west-coast alt-country. The band released their debut album Why Oh Why (My Caroline) in 2012 and saw the year out with a string of ripping shows. Their new single is ‘Twenty Dollar Counter Meal’, an ode to the classic pub meal high on salt and taste. Luke: “I wanted to write the kind of song which will make Australians living overseas really homesick, sad and hungry. And I also wanted it to be a piece of music that Australians can play to the world and say, ‘This is what a weeknight in Melbourne feels like’.” Away from his band duties, Luke does a mighty fine job in solo mode, and you’ll get to see it for yourself at The Barwon Club, Geelong on December 21.

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Be’lakor & Claim the Throne

Zeptepi Catch Their Breath

Melbourne and Perth will unite early next year in a metal union that will see Be’lakor and Claim the Throne enjoy a run of shows. Melodic death metal outfit Be’Lakor lend their name from the character ‘Be’lakor the Dark Master’ in the Warhammer Fantasy setting. Together since 2004, the band has released three albums, their most recent being 2012’s Of Breath and Bone. They toured Europe on the back of its release. In 2009 they were recognised by webzine Metal Storm, who named their 2009 album Stone’s Reach ‘Best Melodeath/Gothenburg Metal Album’ of the year. Claim the Throne formed in 2005 and was quick to build a solid reputation on the back of their live performances. Clawing into the chest of folk metal like an animal, the band coughed up their third album, Forged in Flame, in September. The Karova, Ballarat – January 30.

Fusing elements of post-punk acts like The Pogues and The Waterboys, Zeptepi (ancient Egyptian for ‘the beginning of time’; ‘the time of the Gods’) come at you like a high energy foot-stompin’ folk-rock freight train. Oh, and they do it all with the almighty power of the electric banjo. Singer and guitarist Phil Dean started the band in 2001. Although he came from a line of Cornish Master Mariners, the Englishborn songman decided that singing about sea life was preferable to living the sea life. To date this love of song has led to a string of albums, including their latest Coming up for Air. As well as Coming up for Air, as a bonus treat the band has a sweet little 7-track live EP out as well. Recorded at the Ladder Factory Studios in Oxfordshire on their August tour of the UK, the EP features a rendition of ‘Waltzing Matilda’. The Bridge, Castlemaine – December 6 & Cowrie Market, Torquay – December 15.

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Meredith’s a Real Wild Child Bendigo’s Meredith ‘Mez’ Whittle made more than a few people very happy when she returned to the music world. The classically trained singer, dancer and actor took a pretty lengthy time-out from performing, channelling her energies into family instead. She couldn’t have dreamt of a more perfect return to music with her single ‘Survive’ receiving a nomination at the Australian Independent Music Awards. Speaking to the Bendigo Advertiser last month, Mez spoke about the single: “A lot of people are identifying with the song. There’s a lot of people who like it and that’s great … The song was written about a particular episode in relation to some pretty horrible stuff that had gone down with a few friends of mine. So it’s in relation to bullying and being horrible to each other; it wasn’t very nice.” The Newmarket, Bendigo – December 14. Mez will be joined by Audemia.

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10 Years of The Gin Club

Mat McHugh is Looking for His Saviour Following ten years leading The Beautiful Girls Mat McHugh decided to call time-out on the band last year. However, it was a musical break-up eased by the knowledge he would continue to play music. Besides, it’s hard not to like a guy who offers up an album for free, even if he did break your heart a little by pulling the pin on a much-loved band. That is what happened last year when McHugh threw his album Love Come Save Me online for people to download. Within a couple of weeks over 25,000 copies had been downloaded. In an interview he gave with Creative Solutions Music Promotions, Mat spoke about why he offered the album for free: “I’ve avoided releasing any of my music through a record label. It’s all been independent and funded by myself. This time I felt like I just wanted to give for the sake of giving and share something that is very important to me and straight from the heart … We’re so conditioned in to putting monetary value on things that it almost seems unnatural to remove it. I thought it would be kind of nice to forget about that aspect of humanity for a while and just listen to some music.” Mat has had a busy life on the road this year, playing both local and international shows with his band The Seperatista Soundsystem. The Summer Come Save Me tour makes its way to Torquay Hotel, Torquay on February 7.

10 years together is as good a reason as any to celebrate, and that is exactly why The Gin Club will make their way around the country for a few shows next month. Once upon a time, at an open mic night at a Brisbane Irish pub, a bunch of regulars started playing together. Before they knew it The Gin Club said hello to the music world. Frontman Ben Salter: “We were all in varying states of disrepair at the time, and drinking a lot of gin. One day we did a gig and someone at [Brisbane venue] The Troubadour wrote ‘Tonight: The Gin Club’. It wasn’t a totally shit name and sounded a bit like ‘The Gun Club’, so it stuck.” To go along with the shows, the band is re-releasing their debut self-titled album. They’re also working on a new release which is due for release mid-2014, so there is still life in the band yet. The Bridge, Castlemaine – Tonight (December 5).

New Year on the Pier Whether you have given it much thought or not, New Year’s Eve is going to come around quicker than a guy who is particularly fast at running. (Yep, I suck at metaphors.) Arguably the biggest event taking place in Geelong is The Pier’s New Year on the Pier. Lining up this year you have Rob Pix, Stevie Mink, Acid Jacks and Benson, plus a host of local DJs. If his bio is to be believed, Rob Pix is the guy most likely to crash your party and drink your vodka. Fortunately, he makes amends though his tunes. If you get in before Christmas tickets will cost you $99; any later and you’re looking at $110. The price of the ticket includes 10 drinks (basic spirits, beer, wine and soft drinks) and finger food. 9 p.m. – 1 a.m. For tickets hit thepiergeelong.com.au. This is a hugely popular event and will sell out. New Year on the Pier will take care of your music, drink and food; you can take care of your resolution. Eh, you’ll only break it anyway.

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There’s No Slaying The Giants Established in 1981, and recording and touring since 1990, The Giants are well-deserved recipients of their “living, breathing Australian rock and roll institution” title (Paul Stewart, Melbourne Herald Sun). The blues-rock giant (yep, that was deliberate) is Stuart Wood on vocals, guitar and harmonica; Mark Greig on guitar; Tony Reynolds on bass; Stewart Elliot on guitar; and Robert Saad on drums. With over 30 years in the game they have worked up a pretty impressive resume, including tours of the USA, Europe and New Zealand, and the release of over a dozen albums. The band also made an announcement recently regarding a live DVD/CD. They are widely regarded as one of the world’s leading motorcycle lifestyle bands. Straight Shooters, Colac – December 14.

One-Man Power of Bob Log III

Earthless to Charm Again

Delta blues craftsman Bob Log III has endeared himself to Australia over the years. We like him, he likes us; it’s a beautiful thing really. Well, once again he is set to take his old archtop guitar, kick drum and foot cymbal on the road. FasterLouder’s Liam Tracey checked out Alabama Shakes at The Forum in January where Bob Log got things underway in his own way. Liam wrote: “Bob Log III’s guitar had a life of its own, while the mystery man’s job was to keep the growing room amused with requests to kiss the sound man and an invitation for any willing ladies to come and sit on his knee. With one last defiant fist raised to the sky, and a quick walk through the crowd of punters, Bob Log III proved an unexpected, albeit amusingly welcome start to the evening.” The Bridge, Castlemaine – December 20 & The Barwon Club, Geelong – December 26.

They say third time’s a charm, but it’s fair to say that the previous two occasions Earthless have visited our shores have been wondrous events. This third time is just going to keep the good times rolling. Hailing from San Diego, Earthless have been weaving their web of instrumental psychedelic rock since 2001. The band not too long ago released their third full-length album, From the Ages. Sputnik Music wrote: “Put simply, From the Ages is an exercise in taking the listener on a universal, musical journey, which is done in such a way as to make you hope that it will never end … If you choose to embark on Earthless’ latest trip around the universe, hold on to your heads, because it’s going to be a rather wild one.” To sweeten the deal the band has decided to bring along L.A. garage punksters and label-mates The Shrine for the ride. The Barwon Club, Geelong – December 30.

NYE @ Theatre Royal FEATURE: Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal brings a touch of the 1920s to New Year’s Eve with their Bootlegger’s Royal Ball. But for the perfect ball you need the perfect entertainment, and so the Theatre Royal is particularly chuffed to welcome Flap!. Flap! is a fiery collective that performs music inspired by 1920s jazz, gypsy brass, English folk and Trinidadian calypso. They formed during an informal jam at the Port Fairy Folk Festival back in 2007 and have since performed and danced on the stages of The Tarerer Festival, The Melbourne International Jazz Festival, The Melbourne International Comedy Festival, The Rainbow Serpent Festival, The Brunswick Music Festival, The Thredbo Jazz Festival and Falls Festival among others. This year they have added some serious mileage overseas, performing with The Cat Empire on a lengthy tour around Europe and the UK. A review by Vulture Magazine of a performance at Melbourne’s Corner Hotel last year read: “Trying to categorise the sound and style of Flap! is as ridiculous as trying to name all the shapes in a kaleidoscope … Whipping the crowd into a form of frenzy usually reserved for music far more implicitly aggressive, Flap! were the subject of a collective adoration at the hands of the Corner crowd on this Saturday night. The energy they created was unambiguously optimistic and joyful: there was no quarter given to the misanthrope here, not at this particular point in space and time.” Bookings through theatreroyal.info. .........................................................................

the record so far, but it might be out on vinyl. It will be worth the wait when it eventually comes out.” The band also recently made the top 20 in the People’s Choice category of the Australian Independent Music Awards. Congratulations guys; keep up the good work. Eastern Station Hotel, Ballarat – December 6 & The Karova, Ballarat – December 7. .........................................................................

Courthouse ARTS Step Into the Wild We’ve seen some fantastic events take place at Courthouse ARTS this year, but no matter how busy they may be they always have one eye cast on the future. Into the Wild is a new production from Zac Linford and Alexandra Macalister-Bills. Featuring “monologue, dialogue and share house disasters”, the two half-hour plays have come straight out of the Fresh INK writing program at Courthouse ARTS. This is where aspiring actors come in. A touring ensemble show is being put together for 2014 so Courthouse ARTS is doing the call out to actors between 18 and 26 who would like to get involved. Successful applicants will receive the opportunity to work on new plays with new writers; they will also travel to perform in Sydney. A workshop/ information session is lined up for December 10. Wear comfortable, loose fitting clothing. Hit courthouse.org.au for further information. .........................................................................

Grace Knight is Keeping it Cool

The two-piece configuration is more popular today than it has ever been, and fair enough. It’s hard tracking down like-minded people, so if you can find just the one that shares your vision, why not go for it. And so we get duos like Lily and the Drum spreading their tunes. Lily and the Drum made their debut at Adelaide’s Promethean Theatre in 2011. In a world where technology and gadgetry dominates our lives, the duo set out to compose their sound in a “contemporary retro” fashion; that is, doing away with computer backing tracks and vocal pitch correctors. Music, they believe, should be honest and real; as Lily says, “It’s about the undeniable quality and sound produced from humans using real instruments.” Nobody Just Like Me is the name of their debut. Martians Café, Deans Marsh – December 7.

English-born Grace Knight has a musical career that stretches back to the 1970s where she performed as a folk singer in cabaret clubs before relocating to Perth in 1977. Here she met guitarist and singer Bernie Lynch, with whom she formed Living Single. The band would later change their name to Eurogliders, an outfit bestknown for their 1984 single ‘Heaven (Must Be There)’. Eurogliders disbanded in 1989; however, music has remained in Knight’s soul. Now a jazz artist, the songwoman has performed for five Australian Prime Ministers, President Clinton of the United States, Princess Diana, and the Thai Royal Family. She has just released her latest album, Keep Cool Fool. Grace: “Inspired by the Mad Men TV series and the fifties and sixties in general, I recorded a collection of beautiful, naughty, sad and just damn groovy songs.” Civic Hall @ COPACC – December 6.

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The Electric SunKings’ Old School Ways

Lakeside Twilights Checks In

The name The Electric SunKings grows more familiar with each passing week. Combining elements of classic rock and psychedelic music, the band has been winning great favour with audiences throughout 2013. They have released two EPs, and according to an interview we had with the lads earlier in the year a full-length is in the works. Vocalist and guitarist Chris Barbetti told us: “Currently we are working on our debut album, unnamed at the moment, and it will hopefully be out this year … I don’t want to give too much away about

With a rich dose of Australian music, the latest Lakeside Twilights gig sets up shop this weekend. James Reyne, Mental as Anything, Black Sorrows and Vika & Linda are your guests of honour. The sister vocal duo of Vika and Linda Bull both tried their hand in various musical projects before forming their own band, The Honeymooners. Their big break would come in 1988 when Joe Camilleri brought the girls on board as backing singers for The Black Sorrows. They have been performing their own music since 1994. Feel free to bring along a camp chair

The Beats of Lily and the Drum

Pete Murray Adds Regional Dates That lovely chap Pete Murray has added a string of regional dates to his upcoming tour that takes a look back at his 2003 album, Feeler. It was a decade ago when the songman dropped his second album, watching it hit the #1 spot and eventually rack up 6X platinum in sales. Yep, there was a time you couldn’t walk past a storefront without hearing his tunes. The Capital, Bendigo – March 12; Ballarat Regent Multiplex – March 13;The Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex, Geelong – March 14.

and picnic rug to make things a little more comfortable. A large selection of food will also be made available. Lake Wendouree Foreshore, Ballarat – December 7. Gates open at 2 p.m. Vika & Linda kick things off at 3 p.m., while James Reyne closes things out from 7 p.m. Children under the age of 12 are free with a paying adult. .........................................................................

The Mondlarks EP Launch The Hammond organ came on the market in the mid1930s. Originally marketed as a less-expensive and more practical substitute for the pipe organ favoured by churches, the Hammond organ would become an instrument of jazz, blues and even rock. Fats Waller is recognised as being an early champion of organ jazz, followed by Wild Bill Davis and Jimmy Smith. Keeping the famous Hammond B3 Organ alive locally is The Mondlarks, a trio that specialises in soul jazz, Latin, contemporary pop and soul. Liam Kealy is the keysman, and in his words, “There is nothing that comes close to that pure sound of a B3.” Lending her vocals to the trio is Brigid ‘It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing’ Mckinnon, while rounding out the trio is drummer extraordinaire, Rohan Heddle. For the pure sounds of a bygone era, check into The Main Bar, Ballarat on December 6.

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TALK OF THE TOWN! Music and Storytelling Comes to Eastern Station Every Thursday at Ballarat’s Eastern Station Hotel is in2it, an evening of music and storytelling with a sprinkle of wisdom. Al Wunder, one of faces of in2it, has been involved with improvised musical theatre for some 30 years. The basic structure of the show is to have several known people performing on any given night, with room for visitors to join the crew on stage. Speaking with Tinderbox Radio, Al said: “I hope it becomes a fixture that goes for years and years and years … I’m just hoping that it really takes off and that it involves lots of musicians … My big hope is to get musicians to come and be part of the audience when they’re not performing.” The full 25-minute interview Al gave with Tinderbox can be listened to through soundcloud.com/amy-tinderbox. This sounds like a really interesting addition to the local music scene, so be sure to check it out. From 7.30 p.m. .........................................................................

Nothing Fake About Fake Forward Quick bite: Deep house, bass-heavy beats, bouncy shit and stripped back techno – and now you know a day (or night) in the life of Melbourne duo Nothing Fake. The duo started their life in fine fashion by being chosen to support Eats Everything in Sydney as their first show. You may also know them for their production work which includes remixes of Carl Cox and Roger Sanchez, or perhaps their debut single ‘Home Schooled’ is how you met the lads. Also the owners of Habitual Recordings, FF live and breathe what they do. Eureka, Geelong – December 24. .........................................................................

Surf Coast Christmas Appeal Quick bite: The Surf Coast Shire is calling on the generosity of people who are able to spare non-perishable food items for its Surf Coast Christmas Table appeal. Mayor, Cr Rose Hodge: “We know there are people in our own backyard who are doing it tough and there is no better time than the festive season for our community to pitch in and help … Small donations of non-perishable food can make a big difference. Collecting these donations is a small but important way Council can assist local food relief organisations that are experiencing increasing demand for their services.” Please make your donations to Council’s Torquay office before Friday, December 6. Thank you. .........................................................................

BallaRatCat Comedy BallaRatCat Comedy still has some laughs up its sleeve before the year is out. Coming up on December

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12 you have Lehmo, Gerard McCulloch, Tommy Dassalo and Demi Lardner. Lehmo has performed in the USA, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand, but you probably know him best from Before the Game or his gig on Triple M. He is also a Hawthorn tragic. Demi Lardner is one of the fresh faces of Australian comedy. She has certainly started her career on a high, having snared newcomer awards from Raw Comedy and Edinburgh’s So You Think You’re Funny. All BallaRatCat Comedy shows take place at The George, with further information available through ballaratcat.com.au. * Note: Tonight, December 5, you have Dave Thornton, Steele Saunders, Celia Pacquola and Michael Connell. .........................................................................

Great Australian Beer Festival Last year over 4000 people made their way through the gates for Geelong’s inaugural Great Australian Beer Festival. With numbers like those, it is little wonder the festival returns in 2014. You won’t find your typical brew here. Instead you will find over 150 craft beers and ciders. If you have ever caught yourself thinking, ‘You know what they should do? A so-and-so flavoured beer’, the chances are you will find it here. And if not, if you have the desire, you can craft it. At the GABF you will find more than a refreshing brew. You will also be treated to a day of gourmet food, music and cabaret. Owl Eyes, Kylie Auldist & the Glenroy Allstars, Tigertown, Murdena, The Evening Cast, The Kite Machine and Grim Fawkner will provide the tunes. The Great Australian Beer Festival takes place at the Geelong Racecourse on February 1. For everything you need to know hit gabfgeelong.com. au. .........................................................................

One Big Happy GigFest Quick bite: We’ll give this a bigger run in our last issue for the year (December 19), but for now we say a quick hello to Bendigo’s bi-annual GigFest which welcomes 2014 with a mighty bang across January 17, 18 & 19. Three themes will run over festivities: a Metal theme (January 17), a Rock theme (January 18) and a Roots theme (January 19). Severity, Hazard Circle, Subterranean Drilling Machine, Artilah, My Left Boot, Grindhouse, Colonel Vipers Whipstick Band, Lee Rosser & Tim O’Conner and The Mockbells are among those performing. Check out gigfest.com.au for more. .........................................................................

The City Quarter, Geelong Quick bite: With stunning views and tasty food it is little wonder The City Quarter is so popular. CQ Sundays are a real treat. With an extensive summer menu that

The Tide Has Turned for Arcane Saints Songs of Talisa Jobe Blues/roots/folk songwoman Talisa Jobe has a name that continues to build traction. Last year got the ball rolling, with gigs alongside Shannon Bourne and Mike Elrington and a Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival appearance introducing us to her strong appeal. This year she has taken things up a level, with a date at Echuca’s Riverboats Music Festival and the release of her debut self-titled EP. She also lent her talents to the Bendigo for Homeless Youth charity initiative, contributing the fundraiser track ‘Home’. “Capturing attention from the very outset with her impressively technical, harmonic hammering guitar style, Jobe wrings just about every last drop out of her guitar … It’s almost as if she has to sing, like she would explode if she didn’t.” – Simon J. Burns, Tone Deaf – Riverboats review. The Comma, Castlemaine – December 8. She will be joined by Marvin Lorne.

includes grazing options, as well as live music and DJ from 4 p.m., it’s a pretty perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon. Like many venues, CQ will host a little NYE soiree. Early bird tickets are $135 (until December 16) and the all-inclusive ticket includes basic spirits, beer, soft drink and canapés. You will also receive an after party priority pass to Lambys. .........................................................................

The Pilgrimage of Lilith Lane Quick bite: Melbourne songstress Lilith Lane has been a part of the music scene for so long she probably knows the layout of every music haunt better than her own house. She released her debut self-titled album in 2008, an album which had her switch effortlessly between guitar and piano. The largely piano-based Gold Diamond followed in 2010, and her third, Pilgrim, last year. Pilgrim was recorded in Sónica, Madrid and is promoted as “a mix of raucous garage blues, twisted spaghetti balladry and international flavour”. The Bridge, Castlemaine – December 6 & Baby Black, Bacchus Marsh – December 7.

Bendigo’s Newmarket Hotel has another massive show lined up for December 14. Leading the pack is Melbourne outfit Arcane Saints, a band making some pretty big waves locally and abroad. Singer-guitarist Michael John formed the band after relocating to Melbourne from New Zealand following a Pacific International Songwriting Competition win. Finding his crew proved a difficult task at times but soon enough things were sorted. They then released a song which caught the attention of Toby Wright (Alice in Chains, Korn, Metallica) who invited the group to his hometown of Nashville to record their debut album. It got even better from there. Toby was a close friend of Alice in Chains’ Layne Staley and he allowed the group to use a microphone once owned by the grunge legend during recording. Very cool, but more was to follow. While chilling at a Nashville bar the band had a fortuitous runin with Lynyrd Skynyrd pianist Peter Keys, who made an appearance on the album. The result is Turning the Tide, an album that fuses grunge, blues and metal with a pop sensibility. Joining them on the night will be Dear Stalker, Michale Yule and Chase the Ace. Left-of-centre grungepop specialists Dear Stalker returns to the venue that made them feel so welcome at the Queen of Noize show earlier in the year. Michael Yule is pretty familiar to the venue, having performed there on a couple of occasions in recent times. Finally, Chase the Ace is a Bendigo band racking up gigs left, right and centre.

The Edge, Geelong Quick bite: Located on Geelong’s waterfront, the north facing bar of The Edge gives a spectacular view of Corio Bay. The venue is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, while lovers of the nightlife can enjoy live music and DJs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. Coming up this weekend you have Geordie Shore’s Scotty D on December 8. A British reality show revolving around some lads and lasses from Newcastle, Geordie Shore has become a guilty pleasure for many. Scott will be sharing photos and drinks from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.

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Rob Pix By Natalie Rogers

AT new year on the pier!

All you need to know for The Pier’s New Years on the water front! Artists playing: Rob Pix, Stevie Mink, Acidjacks, Benson + local DJ’s Cost and inclusions: $99 before Xmas/ $110 After Xmas, so get in early!!! - that includes: 10 Drinks (Basic Spirits, Beer, Cider, wine, soft drink) + Finger food Date: New Years Eve 2013: 8pm - 1am What else? Get you tickets from OZTIX.COM.AU, Official priority entry into Lambys after party is included, Dress to Impress, no singlets, shorts or thongs.

That hard work got him noticed by the peeps behind Ministry of Sound and he was asked to spin on ‘Electro House Sessions’. Upon its release the mix won the number one spot on the iTunes dance chart, then went on to become number five on the overall album chart. Not bad for a relatively new kid on the block. Soon Rob’s popularity was gaining momentum and the rest of the country woke up to what local club kids already knew – that Rob Pix is one to watch. His first solo offering ‘Head Drop’ spent more than three months in the ARIA club chart, quickly followed by his second, ‘Gadunk’ that held out the opposition for twelve weeks in the top twenty. “I like to think I bring something a little bit different musically compared to a lot of other deejays. I do bring the noise but I do it in a quirky way. I like to mix up the tempo and slow it down and then speed it up again. Most deejays that I hear now don’t really take risks and I love taking risks, that’s the name of the game.” Rob’s new track ‘Champion Sound’ is set to go one step further debuting at number two on the ARIA club charts. This affirming result wasn’t a surprise to many people in the know, but Rob claims it came as a bit of a shock. “I honestly didn’t expect this track to do so well! I don’t know if the stars aligned or something, but I didn’t see it coming - so hopefully my next track goes to number one!” Rob laughed.

Sometimes you can be left scratching your head as to what to do on New Years Eve in Geelong. If that is you, look no further, you have the biggest party in the region right at your door step. Geelong’s iconic place to party, ‘The Pier’ comes to Life on Dec 31st, with a line up of some of Australia’s premier DJ’s lined up to help bring in the new year.

If you are are still scratching you head, I’ve enlisted the help of Melbourne’s deejay on the rise, the supremely charming Mr Rob Pix, to give you the low down. Rob is set to ring in the New Year at the breathtakingly beautiful and iconic venue that is The Pier in Geelong. He enjoyed it so much last year, he’s coming back to “bring the noise” once more. “It’s such an amazing venue! The Pier is definitely one of a kind - they don’t do gigs there very often, so it’s very special when they do,” Rob

“Really though I’ve just got to make sure I’m happy with what I’m doing and focus on that rather than chart positions, because if you focus on that too much, all the fun is removed and you don’t enjoy it - the music loses its soul. For me right now it’s all about focusing on new music - all original music. I just moved into a new studio, and I’ve got a few new tracks just about finished. Over summer there’s going to be a lot of gigs, but I want to work hard so I can break out of Australia and start touring internationally. I love playing to a home crowd, but I hope people connect with my music all over the world.”

explained. “I played there last year and it was an incredible night. I promise to bring the party - I’m going to rock it and play my best. Everyone will be there to have fun and party up and I don’t plan to disappoint.”

One thing is for sure, New Year’s Eve at The Pier will be the hottest ticket in town and Rob has made a pledge to spin a thumping soundtrack to welcome in 2014 and party into the wee hours of the morning. “I promise I’ll put on a show! I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel - its New Year’s Eve and I’ll bring the party … after all, sometimes sleep deprivation isn’t a bad thing!”

Rob has had a dream run since deciding to turn his love of music into a career: “My brother introduced me to dance music when I was pretty young and I always thought it was cool. I love deejay culture I’ve always been into it. So I worked really hard and everything started happening.”

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Mexican Graffiti When it comes to summer dining there is absolutely no doubt Mexican is the best option. Will it be nachos? Will it be ribs? Soft shell? Hard shell? Extra jalapeños? Hold the guacamole! Maybe we can all order and share a selection of things? The Mexican experience is one that is different and very exciting – and there is ALWAYS something fun for everyone. When it comes to the ultimate Mexican experience, Mexican Graffiti is the most family-fun restaurant south of the border. Conveniently nestled along Yarra Street, there is plenty of parking on the block for your convenience. Mexican Graffiti boasts a huge menu full of all your Mexican favourites, and in summer there are coronas with a wedge of lemon and margaritas to wet the whistle. Mexican Graffiti is perfect for intimate dining, or maybe a birthday party booked on a long table. It is the perfect venue for all occasions. The 170-seat restaurant has plenty of room; however, you will need to pre-book, especially on weekends and around holidays as it is one of Geelong’s most popular restaurants. There is a free function room upstairs that can seat up to 50 people, or you can book a birthday or Christmas breakup in the main area. There are kid and gluten-free menus, and if you are not feeling like Mexican, you can choose from various western options. Once you have finished your Mexican feast, make sure you leave plenty of room for the wide selection of delicious homemade desserts. There is a large selection of imported and local beers, a huge cocktail menu, worm tequila shots (shoot the worm) as well as frozen margaritas and daiquiris, and slushy flavours to keep the kids cool in the warmer months. Ask the staff about gift vouchers and cinema dine-out vouchers available for both gold class and standard cinemas. That way, you can park the car, have a great dinner, catch a movie and save money while you are at it! Mexican Graffiti is open 7 days a week lunch and dinner. 11.00 a.m. until late, you can dine in or take-away. There are also early bird specials, 11 a.m. – 6.30 p.m. So get your friends and family together and get down to Mexican Graffiti so you can let the friendly team spoil you on your next outing!

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INFO: 43 Yarra Street, Geelong 5222 2036 mexicangraffiti. com.au

The Sir Charles Darling Hotel Summertime, and the livin’ is easy … at least it is at the Sir Charles Darling Hotel. The warmer weather tends to be a little more motivating. While people are quite content to spend cold winter nights locked in their house with the heating turned up, these warmer days and nights can put a little more spring in the step and provide a great opportunity to catch up with friends and family. Of course, others may simply not enjoy slaving over a hot stove when the sun is peeling paint off the house. And so we say a thankful welcome to the Sir Charles Darling Hotel. The Sir Charles Darling is gearing up for the summer buzz by continuing to offer high quality pub meals at an affordable price. A new summer menu is now available. Seven days a week, from 11.30 a.m. to 5 p.m., you’ll be spoilt for choice with their $10, $12, $14 and $15 lunch special options. From Sunday to Thursday the venue’s speciality nights are a winner, with $12.50 steals including Steak Night, Chicken Breast Night and the always popular Chicken Parmy night. Their new $12.50 Sunday Roast of the Day (11.30 a.m. – 8.30 p.m.) is incredibly popular and bookings are encouraged. Hit up their website and you’ll be able to have a look at their lunch, dinner and speciality menus. A $10 lunch option includes Beer Battered Flathead served with chips and salad; at the top of the scale, but still a steal at $15, you will find a 300gm Porterhouse Steak with chips and salad. The main dinner menu (11.30 a.m. – 8.30 p.m.) includes a fantastic range of ‘Entrees’, ‘Snacks, Salads & Burgers’, ‘Old Favourites’, ‘Seafood’, ‘From the Pan’ and ‘Sir Charles Darling Famous Steaks’ as well as a children’s menu and desserts. There are those among us who love the game of cricket; and there are those among us cricket lovers who feel Test cricket is still the greatest form of the game. At the Sir Charles Darling you’ll find two massive 70-inch TVs inside the

bar area. If you’re looking for a little fresh air, their fantastic beer garden homes a 40-inch TV, meaning you’ll be able to soak up the game from the first ball to stumps. The Sir Charles Darling is happy to cater for function requests. The bar is segregated off for functions, providing an area encompassing half the bar and the beer garden for function guests only. Finger food is available and is homemade and generous in quantity. They even cater for gluten-free, vegetarian and other dietary requirements on request. You are welcome to organise live entertainment, although CDs or iPods are also available to be played. Please note that the hotel is licensed until 12 a.m. and guests are required to leave the hotel by 12.30 a.m. Hanging out in a venue’s beer garden is always a great choice at this time of year, and at the Sir Charles Darling you will find it hard to resist. You already know about the 40-inch TV, but you will also find umbrellas at the top of the beer garden to make life a little cooler. If you enjoy a punt, the venue now has outdoor TAB facilities. Although the Sir Charles Darling closes its doors for Christmas, it is open every other day across the festive season and New Year period. Feeling exhausted come Boxing Day? Feeling a little worse for wear New Year’s Day? Then come in and let the friendly team at the Sir Charles Darling take care of things. So, what makes Sir Charles Darling the best place to be this summer? “Great food and service – and the coldest beer in Geelong.” It’s hard to go wrong with that.

INFO: 38 Bellerine Street, Geelong Ph: 03 5222 1697 sircharlesdarling. com.au

Pub trivia bonus: Born in Nova Scotia, Sir Charles Henry Darling (1809-1870) was a military officer and governor who took up duty as governor of Victoria in 1863.

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Most recently, Konrad has been gigging alongside Melbourne blues musician Mr Black and Blues, and together with his knowledge and enthusiasm for percussion, will certainly produce one of the many highlights to come out of the forthcoming program. “Konrad is an inspiring rhythm section artist, teacher and communicator and it is an absolute delight to have him on again. The section of the concert that he orchestrated at Echuca was great fun and I can’t wait to see what he has in store for the upcoming one.

Photo by Georgina Capper

“For 25 years his strong groove and musicality has been the backbone for roots music in Australia and it is an absolute pleasure to welcome him to the team.” For those young readers of Forte who have been thinking about joining in on the fun, yet have been a little apprehensive, there hasn’t been a better time than now to pick up your axe and head down to the Potato Shed. I can guarantee that it will be the best two days of your summer holidays – and you are assured to make a new bunch of friends along the way. The tutors always form a section of the concert, performing alongside and jumping up on each other’s tracks. In 2014 the tutors will play a few more numbers and will get the participants involved, instead of the other way round, as Wayne explains. “One of the main aspects of the camp that I find enjoyment in is seeing the joy of the participants and the tutors interacting with each other. I think that in 2014 that is going to be a lot stronger than previous years, as the tutors play a few more tracks (six-ish) rather than one each. It will be fantastic to see the participants jumping up on the tutor’s songs for a bit of a change and will allow for them to develop greater music skills in learning a song in a small window of time.” As places are limited to 30, be sure to book your tickets now through the Blues Boot Camp website or the Potato Shed. See you there!

When&Where: WORKSHOPS: Jan 7 & 8 / LIVE PERFORMANCE: Jan 9 at The Potato Shed, Geelong

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Looking for a rock singer between the age 17-19. Main Influences are Green Day, Foo Fighters and Led Zeppelin. Band with Management and Label. Email and info at melodicmusic.com

Photo by Georgina Capper

Photo by Jesse Leaman

Vocalist Wanted. Experienced 25 y.o. guitarist looking for female vocalist to form acoustic duo to start playing cover gigs asap. Would also be interested in writing together music if partnership works well. Phone Curt 0412 166 393

Looking for a drummer, not afraid to experiment. Male/ female. Age 35++ ono. All original. English/Australian influences without the radio play. Original to the extent of punk/pop Lead Guitarist, Bass sensibility 1978 to the Player and Vocalist not-so-now style. Think are looking for an of yourself as a patron experienced drummer of The Saints, Stiff Little to complete a Geelong Fingers, Radio Birdman, based Blues/Rock outfit. Buzzcocks, The Smiths, Influences include : Jimi Psychedelic Furs, Iggy & Hendrix, Cream, The The Stooges, Wedding Doors, Pink Floyd, John Present, Happy Mondays Lee Hooker, Van Morrison, etc etc, then forget you Black Keys, Ash Grunwald, have to be. The usual... Stevie Ray Vaughan car, equipment, attitude, etc... Also have originals mental state (in an OK kind to develop together as of...) punctual, earplugs well. If interested contact accepted. Be prepared to - Craig: 0404 054 045 apply yourself. Let us know or email transform_pt@ on 0409 567 043. Please yahoo.com.au leave your details and we will hear you - Confirmation Screaming Vocalist wanted for metalcore code: AKA 1963

Blues Boot Camp is back in 2014! Together with a stellar set of tutors, this is set to be an educational experience for all. With 2014 tutors including Sarah Carroll, Chris Wilson, Tim Neal, Dave Steel, Sandy Brady and the facilitator Wayne Jury, there isn’t a better opportunity to get out of your bedroom, turn your amp up to eleven and rock out. Ahead of the next boot camp at the Potato Shed in Drysdale on the 7th and 8th of January 2014, I sat down with Wayne to have a chat about how he is inspiring loads of kids to get out and play in front of an audience.

Together with the tutors, the participants put on a full two forty-five minute set show complete with all of the production bells and whistles of a real gigging environment. Making his debut on the tutor team at the Echuca Blues Festival earlier this year, percussionist and drum teacher Konrad Park is back once again, and combined with a more hands-on experience this year, 2014’s Boot Camp is shaping up to be one of the best.

Guitarist & Keyboard Player Wanted for pop/rock originals band. Looking for experienced musicians who can also sing harmonies, are easygoing and reliable. Contact Phil 0421 901 530 www.zeffamusic.com

19yo Male singer looking for funk/ rock musicians: Want similar aged guys who like Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Beatles, and ANYTHING funky bass! i love ANY music prior to 1950s all the way back to classical and beyond! I also play trumpet, Contact Sam 0407 347 444

written by Tex Miller

One of the most majestic parts of Blues Boot Camp (as a previous participant) is being able to see both the development of the musician’s skills as well as new friendships being formed throughout the two days. After meeting at Blues Boot Camp many of the previous participants have gone on to form their own bands and started gigging around the region. Although there is the usual hustle and awkwardness between the majority of participants, soon enough everyone is showing each other a chord progression to a song – and the machine that is Blues Boot Camp really starts rolling.

band. Vocalist required between the ages of about 17 - 19. Live experience not necessary. Influences include Parkway Drive and August Burns Red. Email andyw14@live.com.au

30ish year old trumpet player, looking to form or play in jazz group. Ballarat area. Contact Mel 0435360076

Blues Boot Camp

Before we talk about the exciting additions to the 2014 line-up, I am quick to find out that the concept for Blues Boot Camp evolved from Wayne’s involvement with the Echuca Winter Blues Festival for a number of years as the director. “After the first year in my role at the festival, I approached the mayor of Echuca, Peter Williams, with the idea of inspiring the local kids of the region to get involved with the festival. It was an idea that grew organically and everything seemed to snowball from there. I got some of my fellow musicians and colleagues involved and we haven’t looked back since,” Wayne relates fondly as we sit in his rehearsal space at his house.

Lead Guitarist with Vocal Ability wanted for a 70’s/80’s Cover Band. Age: 30 -35++. must be reliable. Gigs waiting. Contact Phil: 0410465634 or 0352758691

Jordan Riddle written by Brendan Dando

In most cases it takes not only talent to make a name for yourself in the music industry, particularly when first starting out, it’s also essential that an artist has the initiative to work for their success – a prime example of this being Geelong’s own Jordan Riddle. After writing, recording and mastering his own debut EP Beyond the Pines earlier this year, Riddle believes it’s brought nothing but positive results. “Despite the recording process in Mt Beauty being an amazing experience in itself, the EP has also led me to playing alongside legendary artists like Bob Evans,” he says proudly. “My single has also been played on K-Rock, I was a feature artist on Torrent This, and I’ve now signed to Spinning Half management!” The latter which he feels has opened many doors for his career. “I started with Spinning Half as a GASP (Geelong Artist Support Project) back in September, which gave me an understanding on what the industry was all about,” he explains. “Then after helping me organise my EP launch with Bob Evans, they’ve since introduced me to so many cool artists like Boy and Bear, and have helped me get gigs like supporting Dustin Tebbutt and headlining the Spin Cycle Acoustic Stage.” Not only all of this, Riddle also performed at this year’s Queenscliff Music Festival. “It was actually my first experience at QMF this year and I had the best time! I got to see so many great artists like Patrick James, Murdena, Alister Turrill and Thelma Plum!” He even had a bit of a starstruck moment with one of our country’s hottest exports. “I was leaving the VIP area and heading back into the grounds when I accidentally walked past and bumped shoulders with Wally De Backer (Gotye, The Basics), which I’ll admit kind of left me there standing in shock,” he says with a laugh. With all of these accolades already to his name it’s no wonder Riddle has quickly become one of Geelong’s most exciting new artists, although he insists he has no immediate plans to take over the world just yet. “I’m just going to keep doing what I am doing at the moment; I’m loving life and what is happening with my music. I mean, I never really expected any of this to ever happen since I simply wrote songs for myself and my friends in my room.”

When&Where: Harvester Moon – December 12 So, what are his plans for the near future? “Hopefully I’ll be writing some more songs and planning to record towards the end of the new year. I was also thinking about organising some small backyard gigs at my house for friends and family and just getting a bunch of different locals to come along to play and have a good time.” Here’s hoping for an invite. ‘LIKE’ – facebook.com/jordanriddlemusic

What’s On in The Rat:

BENDIGO:

Grim Fawkner

Thursday, December 5th to Thursday, December 12th

Billroys Blues Bar @ Goldmines Hotel – November 22 by Darlene Taylor

Grim Fawkner (known previously professionally and probably still known personally as Tané Emia-Moore) admitted during his set that folk rather than blues is his genre of choice; however, his captivating performance at Billroys Blues Bar indicated that he’s less about the location and its usual preferences and more about putting on a sterling show regardless of where he’s booked to play. This claim is made by someone who’s seen the acoustic artist perform at three different live music venues in Bendigo, including one that regularly puts on heavy metal bands. Fawkner, who says on his Facebook page that the change in moniker was a result of “name conflict issues”, took to the stage after a group of Christmas revellers had left. This departure was a welcome event for others in attendance, if not for the cash register as their presence had made it hard to make out Peter Gavin’s solo set as himself and his other set as an old blues stalwart from the American South, Alawishus Jones. Gavin/Jones gave it a cracking go musically speaking and kept up the entertaining observations before and after songs, but the author thinks his efforts deserve to be written about in more detail at another time, after he’s hopefully not been drowned out by talkative folk out for a night on the town.

was so exquisitely presented. ‘Always Someone Worse Off’ was a catchy and considered reminder that when things are tough, others are finding life even tougher. Perhaps it’s Fawkner’s hard work as a busker, travelling musician and competition entrant that’s given him a depth that belies his relative youth. He has an ability to connect that’s absent in some of the acts currently on the local scene, with a tentativeness about venturing beyond that scene perhaps one explanation for the lack of substance. It must be acknowledged that Fawkner’s a blowin from Tasmania and not a native Bendigonian. Regardless, he just might be the best thing going in the music scene at the moment, so we’ll claim him as our own.

By Daniel Lock Alright pistoleers and pioneers; here’s a rundown of what’s happening in the ’Rat from December 5th to the 12th. The Babushka Bar/Cafe/Gallery has taken away the award for most advertising on its dedicated website over the week; and that’s just with their usual calendar of events. Thursday, December 5 they have Buck Jr playing with Callum Darke which, I’m guessing with my brilliant powers of deduction, will be a duo and not the full band. They’re a blues and roots outfit from here, the ever popular rural city of Ballarat. So for some home-grown music get down to catch them. Friday, December 6 has The Babushka Bar hosting another popular local band, Month of Sundays. They’re also a blues and roots band who is cropping up more and more around the Ballarat live scene. The Main Bar also enters the fray on the Friday with The Mondlarks Hammond B3 Trio’s debut EP release. The Mondlarks distinctive sound comes from traditional music roots found throughout jazz and soul; also, any connoisseur of musical instruments will be impressed to see a Hammond organ taking the stage for an impressive show. Entry $12/$10 At The Eastern Station on the same Friday there’s a night of rock going on with local boys Vinegar Hill, The Electric SunKings and a Melbourne rock band named Triumph Over Logic. Vinegar Hill is a three-piece outfit with a sound akin to 90’s grunge combined with short powerful punk riffs. The Electric SunKings are

Dressed in black and possessing long dark hair, Fawkner, whose bohemian hipness didn’t stop him from telling a borderline tasteless joke, sang a number of his own songs including the intricate examination of a studious gal, ‘Arika Studies Anthropology’. Although at a previous gig he’d confirmed his stated commitment to folk by covering Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’, he moved towards soul music at this one with undertakings such as a version of a Sam Cooke classic. His ‘Sleepyhead’, with its repeated request for its subject to ‘wake up’, had an emotional tenderness that was appropriate for a work about a person teetering between life and death; the intimate surroundings of Billroys Blues Bar at the Goldmines Hotel felt like just the right kind of place to listen to something so sweet and heartfelt. Thank heavens the chatterers had long since gone, and even the deliciously kitsch bullhorns that help decorate the bar couldn’t distract attention away from a song that

Summer is upon us, so we at Forte thought we would take the opportunity to have a look at some of the traditions that places around the world celebrate during their summer.

Kupala is celebrated by Eastern and Western Slavs in Russia, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine and Finland. Scottish social anthropologist Sir James Frazer (18541941) claimed that the holiday was a pagan fertility rite that was later accepted by the Orthodox Christian calendar as a day honouring Sir John the Baptist. The combination of the longest day and the shortest night honour the elements of fire and water. Mostly celebrated by young people, fires are lit and bravery and faith is tested by leaping over the flames. While holding hands, a man and woman may make the leap together. If their hands part while making the leap, it foretells a separation; if they stay together, their love is eternal. Young women may also weave wildflower wreaths, setting them free on the water with candles. It is said that the path the wreath takes spells the young woman’s fate in love. More jovial activities including massive water fights also take place. Kupala Night will be celebrated on June 23, 2014.

Duanwu Festival – China Duanwu is a traditional and statutory Chinese holiday that is perhaps better known elsewhere as the Dragon Boat Festival. Although a number of theories exist about its origins, the best known relates to Qu Yuan (343-278 BC). According to

Saturday, December 7 sees Brett Franke playing his roots/rock solo music to the patrons of The Babushka Bar. Saturday at The Main Bar will see local act Mark with the Sea playing duo with a support set from Anna Bilbrough. Entry $10. Saturday over at The Karova Lounge has The Electric SunKings playing preliminary to party host and DJ, Bad News Toilet. With both band and DJ being a bunch of fun, this combination of music looks to be everything a good night out requires: drink, music, instruments, costumes, dancing and whatever else floats your boat. Tix $10. So that’s the weekly wrap of gigs and gags happening over early December days. To get previews of the music listed try either the triple j Unearthed website or ReverbNation. I can’t guarantee it’ll be there, but you can try. Also, for more on the venues and gig listings try their websites listed below: The Babushka Bar – evileye.com.au/ babushkalounge.com The Karova Lounge – karovalounge.com The Main Bar – themainbar.com.au

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Our World Kupala Night; Ivan Kupala Day – Slavic World

a psychedelic rock band that has had a recent makeover, losing their lead guitarist and replacing him with a keyboard/synth player. That’s not their only change; they’ve also gotten a new drummer behind the kit. It’ll be Melbourne rock band’s Triumph Over Logic (from my accounts) first trip to the Eastern Station to play a set. Being hosted by popular local rock group, I hope their introduction is made memorable by a packed house.

legend, following the capture of his country’s capital Qu Yuan committed ritual suicide by walking into the Miluo River. A greatly admired man, local people raced out on their boats in order to save him, or at the least retrieve his body. The festival now occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the traditional Chinese calendar. The three main activities for the festival are preparing and eating zongzi (rice dumpling or sticky rice dumplings), drinking realgar wine and, of course, the racing of dragon boats. Traditional activities include the “game” of making an egg stand at noon, the belief being that if you make the egg stand at exactly midday that your year will be blessed with good fortune. Duanwu was recognised as a public holiday by the People’s Republic of China for the first time in 2008. Duanwu Festival will be celebrated on June 2, 2014.

Bon Festival – Japan Obon, or just Bon, has been celebrated for over 500 years and is a Japanese Buddhist custom that honours one’s ancestral spirits. It is believed that each year during the Obon that the spirits of one’s ancestors return to the world to visit their relatives. It is the nation’s most important religious holiday and takes place on the 15 th day of the 7th lunar month. The Obon Festival originates from the story of Mokuren. Mokuren is considered Buddha’s second foremost disciple, and first in supernatural powers. Using his powers to make contact with his deceased mother, Mokuren discovered his mother had fallen prey to the realm of the hungry ghosts, a parallel world akin to limbo. Buddha suggested he pray to a group of monks, who were returning from a summer pilgrimage on the 15 th day of the

seventh lunar month. His prayers were answered and he danced a joyful dance on her release from the realm of the hungry ghosts. Lanterns are hung in the front of houses as a guide to the spirits. Graves are visited and food offerings are made to house altars. One of the most popular traditions is the release of toro nagashi (floating lanterns) into the ocean, rivers and lakes. These lanterns carry the spirits of one’s ancestors back to the afterlife. Purification ceremonies also take place. The Bon Odori dance is also a central part of celebrations. Bon Festival will take place from August 13 to August 15 in 2014.

Puck Fair – Ireland Puck Fair is Ireland’s oldest festival, with a 400 year history. It is celebrated in Killorglin, the heart of County Kerry. In Irish it is ‘Aonach an Phoic’, meaning ‘Fair of the He-Goat’. There are many legends which suggest the fair’s origin. One is that it is attributed to King James I granting legal status to the existing fair in Killorglin. Another links it to pre-Christian celebrations and the male goat ‘Puck’, a pagan symbol of fertility. Perhaps the most widely mentioned story is that of English Ironside Leader Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658). While the ‘Roundheads’ (a name given to supporters of Parliament during the English Civil War) were pillaging the countryside around Shanara and Kilgobnet, a herd of goats scampered away up the mountains, with the ‘HeGoat’ or ‘Puck’ breaking away and arriving in Cill Orglain (Killorglin). The goat’s arrival alerted the inhabitants of approaching danger and they were able to prepare for battle. To kick off celebrations, a goat is coaxed from the mountains and crowned ‘King Puck’ by the festival queen, Queen Puck, a young girl chosen from a local primary school. While Puck Fair has always been associated with the trading of animals (and remains so), festivities now hold centre stage with dancing, music and laughter filling the streets. Puck Fair is held across August 10, 11 & 12 every year.

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Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk written by Tex Miller

Over the past twelve months Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk has become one of the main players in the Australian blues scene and has recently been named on the already stellar line-up for Motor City Music Festival at the Geelong showgrounds over the Labour Day weekend next year. In the lead up to the festival, and chatting the week before Chris plays at Queenscliff Music Festival for the first time, after all the accolades and gigs it’s still a little surprising that his music is ‘that’ successful. It’s been a busy year for Chris thus far, which has seen many things occur including the line-up of his band changing, getting awarded the Golden Boot at Golden Plains Festival and the release of his second LP entitled Shakedown. Although the music career isn’t the fulltime job at the moment, it’s been a hell of a journey and he is loving every minute of it, as he relates. “This year has been really hectic and I’ve supported some of my biggest musical heroes. Someone said to me, ‘if you love what you’re doing, you don’t have to work a day in your life’. And I’m loving playing gigs at the moment.” Having shared the bill with the likes of Clairy Browne and the Bangin’ Rackettes, Gary Clark Jr. and Tony Joe White to name just a few, Chris must have tour stories longer than his arm. Getting the opportunity to support Tony was a surreal experience and a real ‘pinch yourself moment’. “I’ve been listening to Tony since I was kid and he was everything I thought he would be. He was a very polite southern gentleman who knew how to have a good time, that’s for sure.

“He can still deliver the line to a song and make every woman in the room melt. It was a great learning experience and something that I will never forget … It follows the old adage though of what goes on the road, stays on the road.” Although Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk has only taken off in the last twelve months or so, the idea for the band originated after a trip to the infamous crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi. “I had always played in country and rock bands, but never had played blues on stage before. It’s hard to sing like Muddy Waters because I am a skinny white guy, not a hefty black man. After going to Clarksdale I was so inspired, and after playing some gigs in juke joints I’ve never really looked back.” The live, raw and original sound to Chris’s music steps up to another level when he takes to the stage. The process between Shakedown and his selftitled debut changed quite a bit due to lyrical themes and writing for an album. “Every song on both my albums were recorded live and in a couple of takes. The recording location changed and the dynamics of the room allowed for a different kind of vibe to the record. That raunchy guitar sound of R.L. Burnside is something that really inspired me. Hearing those kind of guys live is just wow.” If you haven’t heard the buzz about Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk just yet, make sure you catch their highly energetic set at Motor City Music Festival. Their infectious grooves will have you on the dance floor in no time.

When&Where: Geelong Motor City Music Festival – Labour Day Weekend, 2014

The Electric SunKings written by Tex Miller

The Electric SunKings, for our Ballarat readers, will be a band name that you will be most familiar with; for the rest of the region, they are one of the most brightest talents to come out of the ’Rat since triple j unearthed Hunting Grounds a few years back. With a string of gigs throughout the summer as well as an album to be released in the first quarter of 2014, things are really coming together for the SunKings, as I find out from Chris ‘Barbz’ Barbetti, lead singer and guitarist from the group, as he caught up for a chat recently. “At the moment man we are working solidly on the album and we were hoping to get it out by the end of 2013, but things have been pushed back to January at least, which is a little deflating but it will make for a more enjoyable listen I’m sure! Most of us are quite used to working in the closed spaces and environment of the recording studio, and we are producing the record ourselves, which also helps with a lot of the overhead costs as well.” As a band working in 2013, one of the main aspects that Barbz feels is most important is to be able to maintain creative control over all aspects of the music. From promotion of a gig to booking a show and making sure that the record sounds both respectable and awesome at the same time, it is an important thing to consider whilst performing in the industry in this day and age.

exciting adventure, and whatever we choose to drip effects over will sound awesome. It’s great to maintain creative control of the recording process because we can take the music to whichever direction we desire. There’s no pressure from record labels and the finished product will be us and something that we can stand back from and be proud of.” Like most of the music scenes around Australia, being a part of the Ballarat scene has both its ups and downs. Having played the likes of Karova Lounge, Eastern Station and Babushka Bar, it’s fair to say that the SunKings are now veterans of their local scene. “We always seem to pull a good crowd and the sound that we are focusing in on is really working for us. People describe us as post-classic rock and roll, and I think that’s a fair comparison to make.” Influenced by the likes of The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, as well as modern psychedelic rockers Tame Impala, the live show of the SunKings pushes their name on paper to the next level. Although there aren’t too many details floating around about the release of the upcoming album, they have a triple j Unearthed account that has some tasty tunes to whet your appetite until its release.

“From the very start that is what this band has been about. Working in the studio is a spontaneous and

Being from Geelong, I hadn’t heard too much about the SunKings, but if old school rock and roll with a little bit of fuzz on the guitar is your thing, then you could do worse than check these guys out. You won’t be sorry. They will be touring on the back of the album in 2014, so keep an ear out.

Dustin Tebbutt

time. I was working through a lot of stuff and putting those songs together was my way of sorting it out, and somehow that rare emotion was captured.”

written by Natalie Rogers

Tebbutt has not only caught the ear of fellow musicians and industry insiders (he was recently nominated for a triple j Unearthed award) but The Breach is also attracting attention here and overseas from lovers of his pure sound. “At the end of the day I think everyone has these shared experiences in life. I just tried to be as honest as possible and I think that’s what people are attracted to.

Taken under the wing of one of Australia’s most respected bands, Boy & Bear, Melbourne’s Dustin Tebbutt is a name you’ll get used to hearing. Tebbutt, alongside Sydney’s Battleships, jumped aboard Boy & Bear’s Harlequin Dream tour bus and brought his beautiful haunting music to towns across the country. “It’s such an incredible opportunity, especially with that calibre of band. They’ve been the most supportive guys – always there to help and offer guidance. They have such a mature approach to the industry and I can see why they’re going so well. They work really hard.” No stranger to hard work himself, Tebbutt’s debut EP The Breach is almost an entirely solo effort. “In the past I’ve done a lot of collaboration and had other people involved quite heavily in the creative process. So for The Breach I really enjoyed having my own space and also my own timeframe to work with. To put it all together it takes something like eighteen months. It took a long time, but I’m getting more confident with trusting myself and backing myself.” Inspired by time spent on the other side of the world (Tebbutt recently returned to Melbourne after two years living, gigging and writing music in Sweden), The Breach comprises four intensely personal tracks exquisitely crafted in the vein of Tebbutt’s musical heroes Sigur Rós, Justin Vernon and Laura Veirs. “These songs are full of core emotions to me. The period of writing this music wasn’t the easiest

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When&Where: Eastern Station, Ballarat – December 6 & The Karova, Ballarat – December 7

“I don’t get overwhelmed that much, but the response since the release has been incredible! And to think that even six months ago I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to put any music out – I was seriously considering having a career change or a general direction change!” Lucky for us Tebbutt assures me that he has no plans now to stop or change what he’s doing – except maybe asking a few friends along to help. “I’ve been working with a few guys – a drummer, bass player and guitarist – and we’re looking at getting a band show together to go on the road. I love going it solo, but it’s quite difficult to translate this multi-layered textural recording to the stage, so that’s definitely in the pipeline. I’ve also got a few songs on the boil. They’re close to simmering; they’re coming along nicely!” he laughed. “In between shows this month I’m doing some more drum recording in the couple of days I have off; just to try and get some stuff across the line. And coming up in summer I’m doing the Lorne Falls Festival. I can also tell you that on the horizon I see another tour coming up early next year.” Do yourself a favour and catch Dustin Tebbutt while you can, and stay tuned to Forte for any further announcements.

when&where: Harvester Moon - December 12

The wonderful Sally Seltmann, formerly of Seeker Lover Keeper, has released a new single, ‘Billy’, ahead of a new album to be released February 28th. Apparently the new album will express “the full spectrum of human emotions”. Available now on Caroline Records.

Midnight Memories – One Direction This is more of a warning than a plug: there is a new One Direction album out. Prepare yourself however you can. Available now on Columbia. B

Melbourne with help from Blood Duster’s Jason Fuller and mixed in South Carolina’s Jam Room. Available now on Resist Records.

Billy – Sally Seltmann

From Darkness – I Exist The Canberra sextet’s third album, From Darkness, was recorded in

There hasn’t been a singer with half the talent of Old Blue Eyes – and there probably never will be – which is why they’re releasing a special vinyl anniversary edition of one of his greatest albums, and the follow-up, Duets II, in one package. Available now on Capitol/Universal.

What Is… – Puscifer Finally an answer to the question ‘What is Puscifer?’ At least, that’s what I think we’re getting. What I do know is this is a DVD documentary, with an included CD soundtrack. Available now on Puscifer Entertainment.

Britney Jean – Britney Spears Britney Spears is still producing music, apparently. It’s ok – one of the tracks on this album was co-written by Sia Furler, so there’s at least one good track on here. Available now on RCA/Sony.

Duets 20th Anniversary – Frank Sinatra

Life is But a Dream – Beyonce Amazing how all these DVD specials come out just before Christmas… This particular documentary appeared on HBO earlier this year, and also contains a second disc of live performance. Available now on Parkwood Entertainment.

TOO HEAVY TO HUG PAUL S TAYLOR chris cruz

Wow, wow, wow. Hits & Pits 2013 exceeded every single one of my expectations. UK legends SNUFF were exceptional despite a poor mix, and Bad Astronaut were a slightly laid-back fit, but their Foo Fighters lite meets Muse sound went down pretty well. No Fun At All were absolutely amazing, as you would expect, and Boysetsfire were an unexpected treat. I’m not a fan of modern rock/screamo stuff, but I dug it big time. Great live show and tons of rockstar posturing from their singer. Black Flag started out with an instrumental intro that left more than a few people wondering if they were going to play without a singer before pintsized pocket rocket Ron Reyes came on out. Big voice and big energy from a cool little dude. I’m still team Henry, though! Still a little disappointed that The Ataris had to pull out and that no replacement was organised, but oh well. Bring on Hits & Pits 2014! Recent Aussie tourists The Real McKenzies have readied a batch of new songs for their next Fat Wreck Chords release and plan to hit the studio in February.

Joe Armstrong and songstress Norah Jones, featuring a collection of Everly Brothers covers. Open minded music fans will enjoy it, I’m sure. Personally, it’s not for me. Guess I’m not that open minded after all! In more awesome Fat Wreck Chords news, Masked Intruder have a Christmas 7” on the way, featuring an original track called Under The Mistletoe on the A-side and a rendition of Silent Night on the flip sidevery, very cool! Brissy punk faves The Unprettier have been added to the Nevermind The Warp’d Tour show at the Brunswick Hotel on December 7, with a Barwon Club sideshow to boot! Hells yeah! Be there or be a chump! Um, I Killed The Prom Queen have followed in the footsteps of Parkway Drive and inked a deal with Epitaph Records. Yes, the Epitaph that once gave us records by the likes of the Offspring and NOFX. Am I surprised? Sadly, no. They join a roster that now comprises mostly emo, tweenwave and metalcore artists. Hmmm...

A cool Facebook Bayside are still page to check alive and kicking, out if you like to with plans to release think outside the a new record via box is Queercore Hopeless in February International- it’s an 2014. They’ll follow it up with a UK tour with awesome place to check out queer punk none other than the and alternative bands mighty Alkaline Trio and bands with a gay in April. friendly approach or Foreverly is the title gay members. of a brand new studio More next week kidsalbum by Green Day frontman Billie I’m outta here!

Welcome to THTH, Forte’s premier source of all things heavy, hard, fast and metal.

of courage and belief in what they’ve done all of their career and will continue to do that keeps them on top of their As promised, here we go game. with numbers five and four of the always highly Next issue we’ll look at anticipated THTH Top 5 what came in at numbers of 2013… three and two. 5) Queens of the Stone Age – …Like Clockwork Although it’s not technically metal and it does feature Elton John’s piano magic on one track, QOTSA have thrown down an instant classic that is moody, colourful and intelligent, while being dark, depressing and full of a longing for life and feeling. Josh Homme’s vocals are pleading yet stern, menacing yet soft. The song structures are simple enough on the surface, but like all QOTSA tracks they’re more complex underneath. Tracks such as ‘If I Had a Tail’ and ‘Fairweather Friends’ are stand outs for their thrilling song structures while ‘I Appear Missing’ is Homme recounting his experience with death, and bearing his soul for all to see. 4) Satyricon – Satyricon This goes here because the consistent black metal masters have unleashed yet another solid, black metal masterpiece. This time they’ve gone back to the slow, brooding rumbles and yawning, bleak riffs while stamping their trademark all over the modern black metal scene. They’ve also reinvented themselves, somewhat, with the surprise package ‘Phoenix’, a black metal ballad. Love it or hate it, it shows that the band have come to that place where they can do anything and still have fans and critics talking about them. It’s that sort

In other news… Bam Margera, the man who earlier this year brought us the super important track ‘Bend My Dick to My Ass’ is back – but this time he’s plugging F*ckface Unstoppable featuring Dani Filth on ‘Sleepless’, which is a remix of ‘Sleepless’ from Cradle’s From the Cradle to Enslave EP, which is an Anathema cover. Nice. The Vans Warped Tour will be held at Birrarung Marr on Saturday, December 7. Notable acts on board include The Offspring, Hatebreed and Parkway Drive. Steel Panther and Buckcherry will play the Myer Music Bowl on Sunday, December 8. Mayhem and Watain will play The Hi-Fi on Friday, January 10. Periphery will be at Billboard on Sunday, February 2. Soundwave 2014 will be held at Flemington Racecourse on Friday, February 28. Start planning your trip to Europe to catch Avenged Sevenfold and Rob Zombie headline Download 2014, to be held on June 13. If you have any news about local metal bands, shows or albums, let THTH know by emailing to tooheavytohug@ hotmail.com or get in touch via Twitter at @ TooHeavyToHug Paul S Taylor

Blank Thankless Air By BLAIR HALL

Mira looked up at the elaborate network of pipes from where she lay underneath the 1994 Camry Vienta and she wondered; what part did they all play in making this thing move?; what fantastic liquid did they transport from one end to another and back again that generated all this momentum? Every car always seemed, to Mira at least, to have a face. Some looked cocky, others sad. Mostly Mira felt as though all cars were sad, being that they did only as their driver pleased and were doomed to eventually be cannibalised for the purpose of refurbishing younger cars of a similar stripe, or to simply be crushed to death and piled or buried. Mira wasn’t capable of realising that these were unusual thoughts to be having for a seven year-old girl. The 1994 Camry Vienta had Disney eyes - big, clear, beautifully bright- eyes that could not wait to drive. It never seemed to matter where it was going, only that it was a part of it all. It had a knowing look; a sense of purpose. The owners of this 1994 Camry Vienta, however, did not. Ever since things got worse, that people less and less appreciated who they were as people as opposed to interconnected data points, this car had been severely neglected. Credit to the car, this didn’t dull those big, clear and beautifully bright eyes. Not one bit. Mira had a sense of purpose too. Ever since her and her friends on Blumenschnoz Lane had convinced some of the kids on the tangential Goatfeel Street, two streets over, to make it look as though their parents were committing various acts of abuse, Mira and her gang of pre-teen ne’er-do-wells had been mostly preoccupied by the pursuit of heinous ways in which they could shame their parents.

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TEXTILE ART EXHIBITION by A Stitchin’ Nine

A group of 9 textile artists who, after an intensive course through the Embroiderers Guild of Victoria, now meet regularly doing workshops, sharing ideas, inspiring & challenging each other. The works include garments, felting, bags, wall hangings, framed pieces and 3D objects. Where: Bendigo Pottery. Midland Highway, Epsom, VIC 3551. WheN: Nov 1 – Dec 30. PHONE: 5448 4404. INFO: www.bendigopottery.com.au

12 x 12 PLAYS

One of the most popular events on last year’s calendar, the 12 x12s are back! Featuring the work of local writers and performers from across the region, these 12 original plays are each 12 minutes in duration and will be performed on the 12th day of the 12th month! Ranging from the poignant to the absurd, these fantastic short works are not to be missed. Where: Potato Shed, Peninsula Drive, Drysdale. WheN: Thu Dec 12. 7.30pm. PHONE: 5251 1998. INFO: Tickets can be purchased by credit card over the phone, or at any City of Greater Geelong Customer Service Centre.

NATIONAL THEATRE – 50 YEARS ON STAGE

8 in ’88 DISPLAY

Do you remember the fight to save the Bow Truss Building? Did you see the Queen when she visited Geelong in 1988? Do you know anyone who danced the night away with the Comedy Company’s Uncle Arthur at Geelong’s Venus Dance Club? The Geelong Heritage Centre is featuring eight stories from 1988 in a progressive display until the start of February 2014. On Now - Yarra Street Pier Fire In the small hours of Sunday 16 October 1988, fire destroyed the familiar and distinctive 80 year old cargo shed at the end of Yarra Street Pier. Find out what ulimately happened to the pier, and read the fascinating story of its earlier brush with fire when the clipper ship Lightning burnt in Corio Bay. Where: Geelong Heritage Centre. Top floor – National Wool Museum. 26-32 Moorabool Street, Geelong. WheN: Various dates through to Feb 7, 2014. PHONE: 5272 4970. EMAIL: heritage@geelongcity.vic.gov.au INFO: www.geelongaustralia.com.au/ heritage

Artist: Greg Deslatov. “The Princess Bride”

BALLARAT NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION

The Ballarat Camera Club Inc. presents this exhibition of entrants in the forty-fifth National Photographic Exhibition, which is approved by the Australian Photographic Society. The exhibition provides an opportunity to view the work of photographers from all over the country in a range of categories. Where: Art Gallery of Ballarat. 40 Lydiard Street North, Ballarat. WheN: Dec 7 – Jan 19, 2014. PHONE: 5320 5858. INFO: www.artgalleryofballarat.com.au

Please note this is a screening of a performance captured overseas and not a live performance. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the National Theatre of Great Britain presents National Theatre: 50 Years on Stage, bringing together the best British actors for a unique evening of unforgettable performances, broadcast live from London to cinemas around the world. A cast of 100 will perform live on stage in this once-in-a-lifetime event, directed by the National Theatre’s current Director Nicholas Hytner. Covering iconic productions from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead to The History Boys, from Guys and Dolls to London Road, this will be a thrilling evening of live performance and rare glimpses from the archive, bringing the history of the National Theatre to Ballarat. These brilliant productions are filmed live in the UK and shown in cinemas around the world. They are not-to-be-missed opportunities for all lovers of theatre to experience the best in live theatre from the UK without the inconvenience and expense of international flights. Where: The Minerva Space, Ballarat Mechanic’s Institute, 117 Sturt Street, Ballarat. WheN: Sun Dec 8. 6.30pm. PHONE: Box Office: 5333 5888. INFO: www.hermaj.com

POP UP ARTS AT THE COURTHOUSE

We are organising a very exciting artists market in December @ Courthouse ARTS!   If you have some handmade creative wares and you would like to host a stall please email your expression of interest to youtharts@courthouse.org.au Where: @CourthouseARTS (Cnr Little Malop and Gheringhap Streets, Geelong. WheN: Sat Dec 14. 10am-3pm. PHONE: 5224 2815. EMAIL: youtharts@courthouse.org.au INFO: www.courthouse.org.au

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GOLDEN PLAINS FARMERS’ MARKET The Golden Plains Farmers’ Market offers quality products and produce, fresh and direct from the farmers, winemakers and gourmet provedores of the region; meats, cheese, wine, vegetables, honey, flowers, plants, olives, artisan breads and much more. The first Golden Plains Farmers’ Market took place in Bannockburn in December 2009 with just 12 stall holders. Today, the award-winning market in Bannockburn has built-in power and over 45 regular stallholders visited by up to 1500 people each month. This month heralds both Christmas AND the Golden Plains Farmers’ Market 4th birthday - a double celebration.

Where: Milton Street, Bannockburn, VIC. WheN: Sat Dec 7. 9am1pm. PHONE: 5220 7245. EMAIL: farmersmarket@ gplains.vic.gov.au INFO: goldenplains.vic. gov.au

METROPOLIS CHRISTMAS SHOW The Metropolis Gallery Christmas Show is on right now with the focus on very affordable smaller prints, paintings and etchings, stunning art glass and unique designer jewellery. A large selection of quality paintings by indigenous artists is also available in association with major art centres including Papunya Tula Artists, and Tjala Arts, together with many painters and printmakers represented by Metropolis Gallery.

Where: Metropolis Gallery. 64 Ryrie Street, Geelong. WheN: Until Dec 24. PHONE: 5221 6505. INFO: metropolisgallery.com.au

arts news from around town – and beyond!

Pop Up Market written by Tex Miller

“The concept to have a pop up market at the Courthouse was an idea that I thought about around a month ago, and I’ve done a few solo exhibitions and creative collaborations before, but nothing in the form of a market before. I looked at a number of items that were lying around my house and thought ‘wouldn’t it be great to get rid of a few things before Christmas and earn some cash as an artist as well’. “The idea of having a creative garage sale was something that everyone has jumped on board with and the response from putting the word out on social media has simply been incredible. There has been a lot of interest from the community on how they can grab a stall at the market, and [we] are taking as many submissions as possible.”

Over the past few years, Courthouse ARTS has led the charge in revitalising the local arts scene in Geelong. Through their Conversation in the Key of… series we have learnt about the true rock star lifestyles of some of the best in the music industry including Shane Howard, Dave Graney and Chris Wilson to name but just a few. Through the Meraki Gallery space at the precinct as well, emerging artists have been able to display all their hard work to the general public, the most recent exhibition being Maria

Richardson’s ‘Be Here Now’. Marketing and Membership Co-ordinator Chelsea Hatherall has played a key part in the organisation for the past twelve months and is the guru of the local upcoming pop up market, to take place in the laneway at the side of the building on the 14th of December between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. I recently got the opportunity to sit down with Chelsea and find out a little about the event.

Alongside Chelsea, some of Geelong’s brightest artistic talents including Riley McDonald, Daniel Longo, Stacey Williams, Darren Wescombe and Mandy Richter will be on show in the laneway, and it is shaping up to be a fantastic event through the promotional advantages of social media. “Not only for artists is it the cheapest way to promote, but it gets the word out to a much larger audience in a quicker time frame; and the strongest form of marketing has always been word of mouth, so it’s taking that concept to the next level and turning it on its head,” Chelsea said.

shaping up to be one of the most exciting events in the early part of summertime. The local Geelong FReeZA committee are also jumping on board with some street art to colour up the alleyway and give it a little extra character. If you are reading this article and want to jump on the bandwagon, it isn’t too late, even though the event is to be held next Saturday. For more information or to apply for a free space at the event email: youtharts@courthouse.org.au With some acoustic laid-back tunes supplied courtesy of the FReeZA committee, summer’s here and what better way to start it than heading down to the first Geelong pop up market at Courthouse ARTS. This is sure to become a frequent event, so head down now to say you were there at the beginning.

Where: @CourthouseARTS (Cnr Little Malop and Gheringhap Streets, Geelong. WheN: Sat Dec 14. 10am-3pm. PHONE: 5224 2815. EMAIL: youtharts@ courthouse.org.au INFO: www.courthouse.org.au

Although there hasn’t been too much publicity for the event, as it is a ‘pop up’ market, it is

E&D summer edition COMING SOON!

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S P E A R S R E T U R N S : T H E S P L IN T E R S

‘BRITNEY JEAN’

wondering where exactly Britney was in all of that. A very pleasing EDM-pop moment that comes with quite the corker of a riff, but this could have been sung by anyone. Britney may not have the strongest voice in the world but we know that she can sing. That voice is nowhere to be heard on ‘It Should Be Easy’.

TIK TIK BOOM (feat. T.I.) And here is when things really turn to shit. This awfully produced, terribly written and underperformed slice of EDM-hip hop is so horrible in its execution that it makes Lady Gaga’s ‘Jewels & Drugs’ sound like Madonna’s ‘Vogue’. T.I.’s rap is also beyond a joke, proving once and for all that this song should just not even exist.

BODY ACHE

Written by Adem Ali Instead of churning out more children or relaxing by the pool with her beloved Starbucks, Britney Spears has gone and released her eighth studio album Britney Jean, a record created solely as a promotional tool for the popstrel’s upcoming two-year residency in Las Vegas. Doesn’t this story sound awfully familiar?

Britney Jean is undoubtedly good, but there are moments you find yourself wishing a little more thought had gone into it. Brilliantly, the record is only ten tracks in length, but of those ten tracks there are two completely inexcusable turkeys which do not belong, begging the question as to whether it’s time we scaled our album track-listings even further, taking it back to the old days when an album had no more than eight tracks. Look, that all said Britney Jean is not a disaster in the slightest. Let’s take a closer look at Spears’ latest effort…

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ALIEN A compelling way to open the record, this is Britney Jean’s only William Orbit production. Orbit has a way with voices and really turns Spears around vocally on this haunting cut, making me wonder why this is the super-producer’s only appearance here. ‘Alien’ is exactly the kind of mature-pop the 31-yearold should probably be making an entire album of – not a record chockfull of will.i.am-produced bangers. Orbit and Spears for 2016, please?

WORK BITCH Produced by Sebastian Ingrosso, this was the first single to be lifted off Britney Jean and is all kinds of bonkers. It may not have been the best way to launch this album era, but that doesn’t stop this from being a solid thumper of a clubchoon. Interesting factoid;

Spears co-wrote this number with five other people.

PERFUME The first Sia-penned song on Britney Jean may end up as the record’s best over time. Another Britney co-write, this is probably the only track of a ‘personal’ nature here, which is quite odd after Britney and her people made a strong point of assuring us it would be her most “personal record to date”. One amazing pop song full of depth does not a ‘most personal album’ make.

IT SHOULD BE EASY (feat. will.i.am) The Auto-Tune on this is thicker than a 12inch-cock and features will.i.am on what appears to be more of the song than Britney herself. In fact, you couldn’t be blamed for getting to the end of the track and

The first ‘banger’ on Britney Jean that presents itself as a sure-fire Number 1 smash, this needs to be the next single if Britney wants to salvage this era in time; a chorus whose production was MADE for local radio, with the kind of layers I had hoped to hear on most of the other tracks through the album. It is of some interest to note that David Guetta also had a hand at creating this gem.

PASSENGER This is lyrically the worst song Britney’s ever been given, which is no surprise seeing as it was co-written by Katy Perry. The irony of Britney – whose career has been under major-player control for over two decades – singing about never being a passenger in life, always in control

Never in my entire life as a music fan have I heard two people sound so incredibly uninterested in what they’re doing on a song as I have Britney and Jamie Lynn on ‘Chillin’ With You’. This is a migraine-inducing mid-tempo ballad that sees Britney team up with her younger sister for the most amazingfor-all-the-wrongreasons moment of her career. This is up there with ‘Email My Heart’ or that MTV VMA’s performance. Highly recommended if you feel you may get a laugh out of hearing two robots singing about hanging out with each other over a bassline ripped right out of a Backstreet Boys ballad from 1997.

DON’T CRY This mid-tempo ballad is a lot darker and easier to digest than the god-awful ‘Chillin’ With You’, also delivering bits where Britney (or a session singer, which is more likely – let’s be honest here!) WHISTLES OVER THE SONG.

IN CONCLUSION: Max Martin’s songwriting techniques are visibly missing from this record, replaced with the computerisedover-production of will.i.am instead. Much like Madonna’s MDNA, this is a super-rushed record. Clocking in at around forty-minutes and delivering ten tracks, this should be one of the greatest releases of the year but is instead a cold reminder of how much the music can suffer when it itself is treated as an afterthought. Britney Jean is by no means a bad record; it’s just a smidge disappointing when you consider that her last long player, 2011’s Femme Fatale, is probably her greatest full-length achievement to date.

FINAL GRADE:

7/10

Twitter’s @FakeToniaTodman takes us to church with this bonkers quote.

GAGA ON SNL

The best of the season yet?

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN

Speaking of television, this season is easily the greatest cast television show in a good 30 years.

SCHIZOPHONIC. ORG Schizophonic.org is a fantastic new website which publishes essay-length pieces on pop music and is created and written by Australian pop journos. Finally Aussie Pop Fans can rejoice!

MIDNIGHT MEMORIES

Still in shock over how much of a BOREFEST this album really is.

THE BRITNEY JEAN ARTWORK

So cute of Britney to not bother doing a new photo shoot for the album and just recycle unused shots from the Femme Fatale era.

DUCKFACE

It’s not cute and you look like shit – specifically talking to you Amanda Bynes, and you too Britney, because the duckface you’re pulling on the cover of Britney Jean only adds to the complete horror of the artwork.

SHIT!

In 2012 Madonna’s MDNA was released in order to promote the tour that would subsequently follow its release. The idea for the tour came months before the creation of the album. For the first time in Madonna’s career she had created a record purely as a promotional tool for a tour she wanted to embark on, rather than creating an

album first, spending actual time reforming it prior to release and then formulating a tour off the back of it.

TIL IT’S GONE

CHILLIN’ WITH YOU (feat. Jamie Lynn Spears)

“ You’re not a woman if you haven’t fingered yourself to a Stevie Nicks song. And you’re not an Australian woman if you haven’t fingered yourself to The Divinyls.”

HIT

track - by - track re v i ew

Written by Australia’s own Luciana alongside club music legend Richard Vission, this follows a very similar formula to that of Britney’s duet with will.i.am last year, ‘Scream & Shout’; the only difference between the two being that there appears to be no will.i.am vox anywhere on ‘Body Ache’. But – quite sadly – is also devoid of Britney’s iconic fake British accent. This is good, but we’ve heard it all before Britney.

“until now” is not lost – and this sounds exactly like the kind of song Perry probably eliminated from her Prism project. Decent enough, but a total hysterical yawn.

Annie and Bern written by Tex Miller

Annie and Bern are one of the newest duos making the rounds of the Victorian regional music circuit. What sets them aside from the rest of the duos out there though is the distinct British influence to their music that can be heard throughout their double single ‘If You’ and ‘Tiger, It’s You’. On the back of the release of this single and a gig at the Bridge Hotel on Thursday the 12th of December, I recently sat down to find out a little about the group. From a quick search of the internet, you can’t really find too much information about the group, and although this project is a very new concept, the story of Annie and Bern goes back quite a way, as Annie relates. “Bern and I first met around 12 years ago when I put an ad in a music magazine for members to form a band. Throughout the years we’ve played together in different outfits, and although members have come and gone, this is a new thing we’ve been trying out for about a year now.” Locking themselves away in a practice room, the debut performance of Annie and Bern is at the Bridge Hotel, with a central Victorian tour to follow with shows in Inglewood, Bendigo and Marong to name just a few. As you would expect, one of the main advantages to working in a duo is that the decision process of what to play in the set and where to tour is a lot easier. “Bernie and I are very likeminded and we have the same tastes, aims and goals to this particular band. Working together is very easy, and although it’s

Zeptepi Take the post-punk grit of The Pogues and The Waterboys and throw in a little Neil Young love for good measure and you get foot-stompin’ folk-rock outfit Zeptepi. With a heart in England and a home in Australia, we recently had a chat with singer-guitarist Phil Dean about the band he formed over ten years ago. Can you take us back to the beginning. How did the band come together back in 2001? I emigrated to Australia in 2001, and started recording under the Zeptepi name then. But it wasn’t until 2003 that I realised how much I was missing live performance and recruited some other musicians. The name Zeptepi means ‘new beginnings’ in Egyptian. Is there any significance in the name or is it just a cool word? Just a word I liked, no particular significance. So far I’ve only met three people who knew what it meant without looking it up! What is the band’s current formation, and has that evolved much over the years in terms of members? The line-up, in terms of both personnel and instruments, has been pretty fluid over the years. The current one is the best I’ve had by some distance, with Claire Johnstone (fiddle, vocals), CC Thornley (electric banjo), Patrick Lyons (bass) and Paul Angas (drums), all of whom are excellent musicians. Paul moves to Adelaide in the new year, so it’s all change again soon! CC is currently the longest serving; he’s been with me over three years now. You have released six albums and toured everywhere. Can you give us a brief overview of the band’s timeline?

fun being in a band and having that camaraderie, I think that the duo format is working really well for us now. I can’t tell you what the future will hold, but we are both committed and the upcoming tour is very exciting.” The fingerpicking guitar of Bern combined with the smooth vocals of Annie delivers a different vibe to the folk acoustic scene. ‘If You’, the lead debut and cheerfully melodic single, has a nearly jazzy-type progression to it, whilst the vocal theme drives the idea that if you put your mind to it you can achieve great things. Although the production may at times seem a bit simplistic, this works a great benefit to the track and allows for a more varied arrangement in the live format. The influences on the band include many ’60s and ’70s Brit groups like Gerry & the Pacemakers, The Kinks and The Beatles, to contemporary artists such as The Last Shadow Puppets, Pulp and Arctic Monkeys. Through talking to Annie, one of her favourite artists is Alex Turner; and he is one of her dream collaborations, as she relates. “AM, the new Arctic Monkeys record, is one of my favourites of the past twelve months. I like the intriguing themes and tunes of Alex’s song and would jump at any opportunity that came my way to work with him.” With the single release, Annie and Bern are off touring, first around the state, then hopefully nationally and overseas to Europe. Make sure you head down to the Bridge Hotel to have the opportunity to say that you saw them first.

When&Where: The Bridge, Castlemaine – December 12

Not sure how to keep 12 years brief! But there are two distinct eras: up until 2007 and the end of touring our second album, when we were using synths and electric guitars, and then a break, before returning with much more emphasis on the folk and acoustic side of things in 2008. We’ve played about 200 shows since 2008. You have been described as ‘folk rock’ among other wonderful titles. How would you define your style of music? Folk-rock is a nice easy generic term, and pretty accurate. Often we’re telling folk stories (some our own, some traditional, some a mix) with folk instruments, but in a rock context. That said, most of the band are actually jazz musicians, and we recorded the new album with Phil Threlfall, who is known for his hip hop credentials! But I’m not too fussed about defining it; that’s for other people to do. We just make Zeptepi music. What is the balance in your music; folk is essentially ‘storytelling’, and rock is to get you moving. Is it hard to balance the two? Never really thought about it to be honest. Storytelling is essentially a lyrical aspect, so I don’t think the two are by any means incompatible. Bands I love such as New Model Army, The Waterboys and Levellers all make the most of the power and dynamics of rock music while incorporating other elements to pull the music right out of the rock world and onto a different plain entirely, and that’s a very natural organic thing that happens for us too.

fully formed – it’s unusual for us to experiment much in the studio. Although financial contraints have a bearing on this too!

I know it’s hard to single out one or two places, but are there a couple of places on this run that are special to Zeptepi?

How do you find getting together to make music. What is your usual process when making a track and getting an album done?

You are currently touring regional Victoria, with over seven dates in Forte heartland. Is Zeptepi received well in these parts?

Usually I’ll come up with a song and we’ll play with it at rehearsals and see where it goes. CC will often throw a few ideas in to improve it, usually tinkering with my chord progressions. Invariably, by the time we get to record we’ll have been performing it live for a while so it’ll be

Very much so – we’ve played a lot of shows and festivals in regional Victoria over the last few years, so we’ve a lot of friends around the state now and we enjoy touring. And I think people really appreciate bands that make the effort to get off their arse and out of Melbourne.

A lot of venues on this run we’re actually playing for the first time, but we’ve done the Wheatsheaf in Adelaide a few times now, and I’m always a little over-whelmed with the reception we tend to get there.

When&Where: The Reverence – December 7; Cowrie Market, Torquay – December 15; Harvester Moon, Bellarine – January 4; Nightjar Markets, Torquay – January 30

What can punters expect from a Zeptepi live show? Energy, performance, beards, hats, Motorhead, sweat and a bloody good time!

Abreact written by Xavier Fennell

Currently halfway through their ‘Fear the Truth’ tour, hardcore-metal boys from Bendigo, Abreact, are powering through gigs like there’s no tomorrow, contributing along with many others to the growing strength and talent of Australia’s metal scene. While it’s arguable that the mainstream is never quick to accept music of such volume, deliberation and passion, it is clear that supporters and creators of metal have more than enough determination and love for their music to keep it alive. Abreact are no exception to this. With the release of their album Entities in December last year and a simple love for music, Abreact have been playing small country towns and big cities without hesitation. I caught up with guitarist Lee Chatterton to chat about anything and everything metal. Touring as a band is, more often than not, stressful; along with one or two problems arising to the misfortune of the band. Abreact’s tour, of course, started with one of these classic problems. “We were due to start the tour with a couple of shows in Perth but we had some issues with a promoter and miscommunication and the shows ended up being cancelled. We were still keen to go up there and do another show with some local bands but we had some resistance from their end. That’s alright though; we’re looking to head up there around March or April.” From an outsiders point of view (my point of view) it’s often easy to mistake lyrical and thematic content of hardcore-metal as all death destruction and negativity, when in reality the lyrics often follow a positive, self-

confidence and strength connotation. Abreact follows this attitude to the letter with their support of local bands and charities. “One of the main thing for us is playing with bands from the areas we’re touring, and in Port Pirie we did a gig for motocross rider Andy Hensel who became a paraplegic after an riding accident. That was a good thing to do we think, and there was freestyle motocross riders from all over Australia there doing their stuff which was cool.” While we were on the topic of touring, Lee made it pretty clear that whilst they have found some success in their music and have been able to play large cities and tour Australia, the band hasn’t forgotten where they came from and have a great admiration for the small country towns like Port Pirie that often go unnoticed. “Places like Port Pirie and Mildura are kinda out of the way so they don’t get some of the bigger bands going out their way for, I guess, some obvious reasons. But when you do play out there, the people are just like, ‘thank you so much’, like it’s kinda weird because people usually are like, ‘that was sick’, but in the smaller towns people are so genuinely appreciative of you being there. I grew up in a small town [Bendigo] and we don’t really get that many bands comin’ through, and while Melbourne is only an hour a half away, when you’re growin’ up you can’t really be going to Melbourne all the time” Once Abreact is done with the current tour, they’ll be knuckling down to record a new album as well a rumour of there being a split release with an international band. Details on that are pretty hush-hush at the moment, so don’t tell anyone.

When&Where: The Newmarket, Bendigo – December 6 & Gasometer Hotel, Melbourne – December 13

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FILM REVIEWS

by anthony morris

One Chance The trouble with telling the true story of Paul Potts (James Corden), the amateur opera singer who won Britain’s Got Talent, is that the whole point of the story is how it ends. But if you already know how it ends – why else would you be going to this, though there actually are some other reasons, which we’ll get to soon – then the end of the film is going to be a bit of a fizzer because, well, it’s about a guy who wins a talent contest. One Chance tackles that problem two ways: the first is to really, really hammer home just how rough his life had been up until the moment he went on Britain’s Got Talent, to really underline just what a triumph it was that he won. And it turns out that’s a really interesting approach to take, because – apart from the way it makes the title an (inadvertent?) joke, because this is a guy who gets loads of chances only to see them slip from his grasp – it makes this a surprisingly downbeat and bleak look at a guy who has talent and ability but never quite manages to make it all work for him.

Carrie The year is 1995, and Carrie’s mum Margaret (Julianne Moore) is crawling around at home freaking out over strange pains in her stomach. Her home diagnosis: cancer. What it actually is: she’s having a baby – what she then almost kills with a pair of scissors. Young Carrie White’s life is not off to a good start. Jump cut to today, and it’s no surprise that Carrie (Chloë Grace Moretz) is now a shy, introverted girl largely ignored by her fellow students – until she gets her period in the showers after gym class, goes crazy because she has no idea what’s going on (it seems lack of basic medical knowledge runs in the family) and so ends up pelted with tampons flung by the other girls as they chant “Plug it up! Plug it up!” as mean girl ringleader Chris (Portia Doubleday) records it on her phone. Gym teacher Ms. Desjardin (Judy Greer) is unhappy, but not as unhappy as Carrie once she realised her mother is going to have to be told about all this. Motherhood has hardly mellowed Margaret: she’s quick with a (usually bogus) Bible verse, even quicker to bring up the subject of sin, and not afraid to start banging her head against the wall to make a point that, well, it’s hard to know what her point is. But Carrie ends up locked in the “prayer closet”, which is exactly as much fun as it sounds.

Meanwhile, inanimate objects have started moving and shattering of their own accord around Carrie, who – thanks to a remarkably wellstocked school library packed with books on witchcraft, telekinesis and miracles – soon figures out what’s going on and starts to revel in her new power. But this is a remake of the original Carrie, not a re-imagining, so once prom is mentioned rest assured this ride is following the same old tracks. While director Kimberly Peirce (who made the far superior Boys Don’t Cry) moves things along efficiently enough to prevent the story from getting dull, she also removes most of the original’s quirky elements. The teen cast are entirely forgettable: nominal heroine Sue Snell (Gabriella Wilde) is now completely pointless, and with her sidelined this becomes just a straight battle between Carrie and her school foes. So the ending is less of a horror tale and more of a justified payback against school bullies, which – in a better film – would be kind of disturbing in its own right (psychic school shooting, anyone?)

His dad (Colm Meaney) is constantly trying to ship him off to the grim factory where he works (hey, it’s steady work); he gets accepted to opera school in Italy where a cute girl actually likes him, but he remains loyal to the gal back home (Alexandra Roach); and then fluffs an audition in front of Pavarotti and gets shipped home a loser. A job at Carphone Warehouse with his best friend (Mackenzie Crook) pays the bills, kind of, while his spirit slowly dies. And amateur performance gives him a chance to get back to doing what he loves, until an accident cuts that dream short once again. And so it goes… It’s really rare to see a film – especially one so clearly meant to be heartwarming as this one – that beats its lead down so consistently. It helps that comedian Corden is the kind of charming and likable guy you really want to succeed, so his constant defeats actually do feel like defeats and not, well, hints that maybe he should let his dreams die like everyone else around him seems to have. But we all know how it ends so it’s never too depressing … unless you, like most Australians, don’t really know how it ends, in which case this film’s other tactic for tackling with the problem of the known ending is a bit odd: basically once he signs up for the talent show we just get an extremely edited highlights package as the film races through what is, for UK viewers at least, known territory. It’s an oddly flat note to end the story on; otherwise, this is a film good enough to make doing a bit of homework beforehand worth considering.

Here it just means the good guys get to live while the evil ones get their face jammed through a car windshield.

- F i l m W rap Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa Who knew that Johnny Knoxville dressing up as an old man and stirring up trouble could be so much fun? Well, okay, it does sound like fun. But it’s really fun – and surprisingly sweet in parts for a film that involves a lot of corpse abuse and at least one attempt to mail a small child to another city.

How I Live Now

Austenland

When Daisy (Saoirse Ronan) is sent by her dad to live with relatives in the UK, she just sees it as one more example of his neglect. And maybe she has a point; judging by the news reports around her, Europe is teetering on the brink of some kind of conflict. She’s too busy being sullen and short with her cousins to notice, while they’re all too excited about having her stay in their rambling country house to let her bad mood wear them down.

To call Jane Hayes (Keri Russell) obsessed with Jane Austen is a bit of an understatement. Her obsession with Austen and her books has cost her relationships and all sense of reasonable home decoration. So when feeling down over life in general, what better way to cheer herself up than by booking a trip to Austenland, a theme park where the guests can step back in time to the Regency era and enjoy a genuine Jane Austen experience. Which, when she gets there and discovers she accidentally booked the lower-class package, involves a small room, a couple of not-quite-as-into-it fellow travellers, and being paired off with a guy who isn’t quite the man of her dreams. But the local stable hand (Bret McKenzie) seems nice in all the ways that the Mr Darcy-lite on offer (JJ Field) isn’t … perhaps going off book might be the path to finding true love here?

Gradually she starts to warm to them, especially her near-silent older cousin Joe (Danny McEvoy), who seems to spend all his time healing an injured falcon. But the younger kids – Isaac (Tom Holland), neighbour Eddie (George MacKay) and little girl Piper (Harley Bird) – constantly circle around her until eventually she gives in, joins in the nature-based fun, falls in love with Joe and sleeps with him just in time for war to break out. At first they think they can wait it out in the house; by the time they realise they can’t, it’s too late. Labour camps for some, death camps for others, random violence and corpses everywhere they turn, they all make a promise to try and make it back to the house where they were once so happy. But as Daisy and Piper try to make it back, what will they find there? This is stock standard young adult material right down to the illogical “war” that seems based more on creating dangers for the kids than a believable military conflict or social upheaval. But director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland) works overtime to (successfully) make the countryside seem idyllic, while Ronan is excellent as a totally believable and single-minded teenage girl. The horrors here aren’t unusually grim for this kind of story, but they are more graphic than you might expect: when main characters die their bodies are shown, and not all the traumas of war are physical. It’s the kind of film that gets under your skin; if you liked The Hunger Games, this is its grittier, more back-to-nature, more brutal cousin.

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This is pretty lightweight stuff, and you’ll get no deep insight in to Austen’s books (or her views on romance) here, but purely as a romcom this has a lot of quality com – and the rom stuff plays out pretty well too. Russell does a solid job of holding her own as someone best defined as “nice”, while Jennifer Coolidge steals scene after scene as a gleefully clueless but always enthusiastic fellow guest. Field is basically playing Darcy so nothing can go wrong there, McKenzie is always good for a laugh (a line flung at him about not being able to get work in The Hobbit is pure gold), and just when things seem to be settling into a rut Ricky Whittle turns up as a sea captain who just can’t keep his shirt on, and the whole thing steps up a notch into the absurd. At one point Hayes starts playing Nelly’s ‘Hot in Here’ on the piano; it’s just that kind of film.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire This is basically a do-over of the first film, only better. The love triangle works (well, now at least one of the guys seems worth it), the action is better staged, the behind-the-scenes drama is more interesting, and Jennifer Lawrence really comes into her own as the emotionally shattered but still sharp heroine.

Enough Said This slow-burning romance between Julia LouisDreyfus and James Gandolfini features two great comedic actors at the top of

their game – and a lot of great (without seeming forced) one-liners too.

Thor: The Dark World Thor’s back, his story makes no sense, but he gets his shirt off and some of the jokes aren’t too bad. Which, if you think about it, is pretty much all you can expect from a superhero/ fantasy mash-up these days. Oh, and the fights are okay as well.

Captain Phillips Tom Hanks is the captain of a cargo ship attacked by Somali pirates (who in some ways are the real stars of the story) in this gripping and thought-provoking procedural thriller by Paul Greengrass (director of the two best Bourne movies).

The Butler Over thirty years of service at the White House butler Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) saw eight Presidents come and go and the rise of a Civil Rights movement that would change

America. Which sounds a little serious, but fortunately his hard-drinking wife is played by Oprah Winfrey and the Presidents are played by a bunch of seemingly wildly inappropriate (yet usually spot on) actors: John Cusack as Nixon and Alan Rickman as Reagan, to name two.

About Time A dorky British Dork uses his family’s secret ability to travel back in time (just to earlier points in their own lives – no killing Hitler) to catch the woman of his dreams. It’s a Richard Curtis film, so the accent is on “quirky charm”, not “creepy time-stalking”.

Gravity George Clooney and Sandra Bullock are in space when Things Go Wrong. The result is one of the most thrilling (and tense) movies of recent years, and one that demands to be seen on the biggest screen you can find.

MUSIC REVIEWS liV e rev i e w

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club The Palace, Melbourne - November 15

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is a band that, believe it or not, has a striking number of similarities to the great golfer John Daly. On one hand you have the fierce and often unpredictable heavy rock riffs with crunch and effect of a stray Daly club in a fit of rage; and then the soft and gentle finesse of an emotional acoustic ballad, much like John the Wild Thing works on the green when he clinched the ’95 British open. Oh, and they both chain-smoke durries. We arrived as the support act Immigrant Union was finishing their set; the venue was already quite full. Headed by Brent DeBoer of Dandy Warhols fame they had a refreshing psych-folkcountry-rock sound with a striking originality of another great Melbourne indie band on the rise. As a band that cites their influences as Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Dandy Warhols and Oasis, BRMC have distanced themselves from their drug-addled, temper-tantrum-prone influences and have let their music do the talking. True to this sentiment, the gig began without any crowd acknowledgement.

A pleasant surprise from gigs of late was the distinct lack of phones illuminating the crowd. Maybe everyone has finally realised that those silhouetted photos suck, and without any backdrop stating the band’s name it could just a silhouette of your old man air shredding the solo to Stairway to Heaven on the garden rake in the blinding summer sun. The acoustic encore was a clear highlight. Peter and Robert gathered around a classic condenser mic and belted out Howl classics ‘Complicated Situation’ and ‘Shuffle your Feet’, with a haunting emotion of the acoustics lingering the musky air like the spirits of rock legends past. Leah returned behind the kit and signalled a rise in tempo as the ripped in to the punk classic ‘Whatever Happened to My Rock and Roll’ which led in to a newer jam ‘Sell It’ to cap off the night. D.P Ceratz

The trio ripped in to ‘Hate the Taste’ from their latest release Spectre at the Feast, quickly followed by ‘Beat the Devils Tattoo’ off the album with the same name. Rock and Roll and low-slung Gibson guitars were to be the flavour of the evening. Peter Hayes and Robert Levon Been, the two founding members, worked together seamlessly through the middle of the set which consisted of new material with splashes of brilliance from their five earlier albums. Seeing female Leah Shapiro beating the skins was also welcoming surprise; she didn’t miss a beat binding the band together nicely.

Gov’t Mule

Bombino

Shout!

Nomad

Mascot Provogue

Nonesuch Records

This double album set features the same songs – in rearranged running order – on both discs. The Mule provides instrumentation on each, but co-founding guitarist Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead) handballs vocal duties to eleven righteous guests for the bonus CD. Surprisingly there’s value in the risky two-toned nature of the package – I’m yet to decide which I prefer. The first cuts are a cohesive collection. Formed in 1994, Gov’t Mule deliver bluesy rock with psychedelic and reggae infusions. Disc #1 beckons the listener back to the ’70s where paisley met double denim and stadium rock ruled. ‘World Boss’ gets straight into it with full-throttle – some might say jarring – opening guitar. ‘Scared to Live’ features multi-instrumentalist Danny Louis’ funky keyboards over a tight reggae beat. Meanwhile, over at Disc #2 the songs get an alternative showing by the likes of Ben Harper, Toots Hibbert, Gary Moore and Dave Matthews. ‘Funny Little Tragedy’ was penned with Elvis Costello in mind and, in hearing his take on it, you’d think an early EC had written it himself. While Haynes does a fine job on his Sly Stone-inspired ‘Stoop So Low’, Dr. John absolutely makes it his own. Jim James (My Morning Jacket) was born after Pink Floyd’s peak but his vocals on ‘Captured’ perfectly capture the epic ode-to-love retro sound, with guitar going nuts on the fade-out. Out-doing Haynes at the mic, Grace Potter breathes ominous gold in to ‘Whisper in Your Soul’ and is my pick for best track across the set. Steve Winwood nails the final track in distinctive fashion. Producer Gordie Johnson puts a celebratory stamp on both versions, while the rhythm section proves their mettle. The appeal of classic lead breaks, vintage mics and soaring vocals is evident in the success of current stars like Joe Bonamassa. Timeless echoes of Free and The Guess Who are welcome.

When Dan Auerbach produces your album, you must prepare yourself that your disc is going to be in the top ten album lists of the year in December. It’s about that time and with the ARIA awards on Sunday, 2013 is quickly coming to a close. Every website that I read, lists this as a debut album to look out for and from the hypnotic guitar lines of the opening tune ‘Amidinine’, I think I have to agree. With handclaps and fuzzy guitar tones combined with organ, it’s easy to see that Dan Auerbach is focussing on his producing skills which saw him team up with Dr. John on his latest release Locked Down. Omara ‘Bombino’ Moctar, is a guitarist from the African country of Niger, and throughout this album it’s easy to hear those middle eastern and African influences coming in to each track. In similar ways, it’s easy to see some Ry Cooder and Ali Farke Toure. On the back of The Black Keys new album, I’d expect to see Bombino as the supporting act. Recorded in his Nashville, check this disc out. Rolling Stone magazine has given this four stars, and they are rarely wrong. If you like your electric blues with some a little more edgy, get this round your ears. Tex Miller

Chris Lambie

liVe review

Queenscliff Music Festival Queenscliff - 22-24 November 2013

It’s my absolute favourite time of year; better than Splendour, better than Big Day Out and better than Meredith or Golden Plains – it’s time for Queenscliff Music Festival. The unsung hero of Geelong and district’s local music festivals, QMF is in its sixteenth year. Considered a ‘family festival’, Queenscliff Music Festival is an all-ages event, and there is literally something for everyone – from Dorothy the Dinosaur to Spiderbait to Russell Morris, all bases were covered. And after so many years the promoters have got a fair handle on what they’re doing; while the teenagers go watch Pez at the Lighthouse Stage, the grown-ups can go see Baby et Lulu at the Hippos Stage. It makes going as an individual, instead of as a family, easy. There are no clashes worth mentioning: if you see someone on the bill that you’re dying to see, you will get to see them, without missing someone else – no matter how eclectic your tastes are. I saw Chance Waters, Russell Morris, The Screaming Jets and The Living End in one night, and only clashed on half of Russell Morris’ set. Considering just how stacked the line-up was for a smaller festival this was amazing. At a Big Day Out or Splendour in the Grass, you would be left choosing between acts, as each stage builds up through the day, from smallest act to biggest act. Queenscliff allows for a little variation, allowing all the big names a fair amount of space compared to the others. And it’s not just good for the punters. I managed to get a word with Lachy Doley (formerly of Powderfinger, now frontman for The Lachy Doley Group) between soldering his Hammond organ back together, and catch his set in the VIP tent. “The festival’s great,” he said. “I like

the choice of bands that the promoters have put on. I think they’ve really taken their time and really given it some thought and got a really diverse range, not just always the common ones that pop up everywhere. So on a whole I think it’s a bloody beautiful festival and I feel honoured to play alongside such awesome talents that are on display.” So who were the highlights in the star-studded line-up? Well, for starters, Lachy Doley’s personal brand of Single Organ Soul is fantastic, in what is probably the best post-Powderfinger act getting around (but please, please get back together soon). Thelma Plum is both amazing and adorable, with a little bit of awesome thrown in. The earnest, slightly awkward banter made her set just as much as her beautiful voice and stellar songs did. The Screaming Jets turn twenty-five next year, and they showed us just what they’ve learned and perfected in that time. Today’s rock bands could learn more than just a thing or two.

Chance Waters showed no sign of having turned up ten minutes before his set (except when he told the crowd, of course). Apparently there had been a mix-up with Tiger Airways and they ended up at Tullamarine instead of Avalon. But his set was polished, his band was phenomenal (ever seen a violinist jump to the beat of a hiphop song while playing?) and he got the crowd going early on Friday. Chance’s rendition of ‘The Power and the Passion’ was also a highlight of the next day’s Midnight Oil tribute show, although the less I say about the rest of it, the better. Pez proved that he hasn’t missed a step in his absence from the live scene; he’s every bit as good as he was in 2009, and he even snuck in a plug for his upcoming album. Spiderbait never put on a bad show, and even while playing stuff from the new album, the mosh pit never abated. A word of wisdom to parents though: if you feel the need to scream at people moshing near your kids, maybe your kids

are too small to be in the mosh pit. The best part of the entire weekend was, naturally, The Living End. Absolute veterans of the festival scene, Chris Cheney, Scott Owen and Andy Strachan put on a live show like no other. To hear four generations singing along to “the generation gap means the war is never won” is painfully ironic, but just proves how good these guys are. But the real star of the festival was, as always, the town itself. Queenscliff embraces the annual festival; every pub has live music all weekend, and so does more than a few cafés and restaurants. Buskers line the streets, preying on my natural instinct to empty my pockets in the general direction of good music. It’s like a smallscale fringe festival. And the local businesses thrive across the weekend; every shop has at least six or seven customers in it at a time, the pubs and cafés are overflowing, and when it’s warm, everyone has an ice cream from the Scandinavian Ice Cream Company (the best ice cream in Australia – I suggest you drive down to Queenscliff now and get some). The town also has a charm like few others and is an ideal place to spend any weekend, not just the festival. “It’s such a beautiful spot to come to,” Lachy Doley said when I asked him what he thought. “A beautiful coastal town.” Queenscliff Music Festival runs every year at the end of November. If you’ve never been you should make an effort to get down there because it’s a fantastic way to spend a weekend. Cameron Brogden

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Grog Watch Occasionally people will ask me, “Tony, you’re a man with fairly extensive experience in the world of getting stinking drunk – what booze should I give my loved one for Xmas?” And usually I call them a big fat liar because it’s only February and obviously they want to use my booze knowledge to go set up some kind of alcohol review website to score free samples from the liquor distributors; and then I laugh in their face because trust me, that kind of scam just doesn’t work. Well, okay, it’s worked a couple times, but only ever for beer, which is really weird as I don’t drink beer and pretty much the only booze-related advice I do give away for free is “don’t drink beer” so why you’d want to send me free beer is a bit of a mystery because … OH WAIT, NOW I GET IT: clearly they’re hoping that their beer will be the

PULP. >>>>>> By Cameron Urquhart & Alastair McGibbon

Alastair: Once again the year’s flown by and we’re heading towards that pit of inevitable credit card debt and over-filled stomachs: Christmas. That’s right, boys and girls – even Pulp is getting in on the festive season action! Christmas is one of those times of year that you really love as a child; everything is new and cool, and opening presents is easily the highlight of your year. However, as you get older the shine starts to wear off and you’re not having as much fun. That said, I think I’ve just become really, really cynical. Working in retail certainly doesn’t help, either; there are only so many times you can hear the same Christmas carols over and over before you snap and try to strangle a coworker with their company-provided Santa hat. Christmas has a way of sneaking in to just about everything – and the things we love best (comics and movies, duh!) certainly aren’t immune. For example, Batman and Christmas have the ability to blend together surprisingly well (more on Batman: Noel in a few weeks), but it doesn’t always hit the mark. Batman: Arkham Origins tried to use Christmas as a backdrop – and shoved it in our faces. We’re constantly reminded in dialogue that it’s Christmas Eve, and there are decorations and whatnot everywhere. Christmas (and the accompanying weather) was used as an attempt to explain away a complete lack of civilian life, but it doesn’t work and the game feels empty as a result. Overall, the game came across as a poor copy of Arkham City, but it’s not without charm. The vast majority of the voice acting hits the mark (though I’m not a fan of the new Joker) and the boss fights with Deathstroke and Firefly were great in different ways. Unfortunately, all the Christmas-related stuff is kind of superfluous – the game was really about Warner Bros. Montreal wanting to tell the story of Batman’s first encounter with the Joker and the whole thing could easily have happened on any night of the year. Why did they choose Christmas Eve? Probably because they thought it sounded cool. Origins had potential, but the Arkham franchise evidently needs to stay with original developers Rocksteady.

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beer that finally gets me drinking beer and once I start drinking their beer I won’t be able to shut up about how amazing it is because, well, for me to suddenly start drinking beer I think we all know it’d have to be a pretty amazing beer. But it never works because even free beer still tastes like beer. Also, while free beer actually looks pretty good when you’re at, say, some work-related Xmas function and they promised you “free drinks” but when you got there it turned out to just be free beer and wine which c’mon, barely even counts, no wonder I’m acting shitty for the rest of the night; when I’m at home and literally surrounded by quality booze that I’ve been stockpiling in case the government decides to triple the tax rate on spirits or some other bastard move – and seriously, look at the current mob, would you put something like that past them? – then free beer is just plain old beer. So my first piece of gift advice: don’t buy beer. “But Tony, what if they like beer?” Then what are you talking to me for then? More importantly though, is this: even if they love beer, beer almost always comes off as a shitty gift given by a cheapskate even if it’s some super-costly microbrew output that took you three months to track down and then you had to perform bizarre sexual acts on the brewer to get them to part with it. It’s like getting your sexual partner the world’s most expensive vacuum for Christmas: sometimes it really is the thought that counts. So then you’re going to be tempted to buy a bottle

On the other end of the scale, occasionally you’ll come across something that just works, regardless of how strange the concept might be. Tim Burton adds his own brand of weirdness to everything he touches – and The Nightmare Before Christmas is no exception. It’s not quite a fully-fledged Christmas film, and neither is it a Halloween film – it’s somewhere in between (and I know plenty of people that consider it a classic). While Christmas isn’t the focus of the film – I’d say it’s more about a skeleton man having an existential crisis – A Nightmare Before Christmas still manages to be a great alternative to your usual Christmas fare, complete with some catchy songs that you’ll be unable to get out of your head for days. While the stop-motion animation can be a bit dated at times, the story is solid, the characters are bizarre in a good way and the film’s devotees will likely have me killed if I badmouth it – which is a pretty good indication of just how much you can get into its weird and wonderful universe. Really, only Tim Burton could get away with having a villain made out of a hessian sack! In any case, just about anything would be less ridiculous than Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Jingle All the Way. Trust me, don’t go there.

of wine, because that stuff really does say “gift” even when it’s a nine dollar bottle you found in a dumpster out the back of McDonald’s. Do not give in to temptation. Wine is the kind of gift you give when you don’t give a shit what you’re giving, and if you’re giving something to a boozer then wine should be the last thing you reach for. Not only is it a weak-ass basic move – you might as well be saying to them ‘hey, heard you like that alcohol stuff … this is it, right?’ – but unless you’re willing to do some serious research in to wine chances are you’re going to get them something they don’t really want. Beer is beer (and also crap) so you can’t really go too far wrong once you’d decided to go wrong by giving it as a gift, but wine is a very complicated subject and unless you’re someone who knows more about it than the person you’re giving it to – and you’re not, otherwise you wouldn’t want my advice – you’re going to mess it up. So cross wine off your Christmas list. Obviously, that just leaves spirits – which is good news because you can’t really go too far wrong with spirits because spirits are awesome. If they drink a lot of spirits they’ll appreciate having some more around the house, and if they hardly ever drink spirits they’ll be glad to have a bottle handy when I come visiting. Also, pretty much everyone likes to have a drinks cabinet or trolley or back shed displaying a variety of spirits they never really drink because it makes them look classy and sophisticated and not just some old

soak who only ever drinks VB by the slabload. So, in short: spirits should be your preferred booze-related gift. But there is one trap for unwary players, which is that spirits – generally speaking – cost a bit more than the beer or wine you came to me planning to give. Everyone knows wine can cost a fortune, but unless you really know your stuff the stuff that costs a fortune just looks like the cheap stuff so you figure “why not buy the cheap stuff?” But with spirits even you, the booze newbie, can pretty much tell from even the briefest glance at the bottle shop shelves which is the okay stuff and which is the rebottled paint thinner. Here’s all you need to know: are you at a specialist bottle shop (i.e. a Duncan’s, Dan Murphy’s, etc)? If not, go to one. Is the (at least 700mls) bottle of spirits you’re considering under $30? If so, put it back – it will be crap. Is it bottled in Australia? If so, put it back – it will be crap. And that’s it! The bottle you’re holding will be decent enough to give to someone without serious embarrassment! You can spend more, of course – up to hundreds of dollars more if it’s whiskey – but that’s the bare minimum. And what is Christmas if not the season of the bare minimum. Tony “Feel free to drop my gifts off at the Forte office” Montana

POrPe! cultu By An th on

y M or ri s

Normally being able to do a few things really well is more than enough to base an entire television career on. So why all the long faces about Chris Lilley’s latest show Ja’mie: Private School Girl? After a decent start the ratings fell away; the critical response was mixed at best and it’s not like we’ve had to face a general onslaught of people saying “quiche” in regular conversation. And yet anyone’s who’s been following his career for any length of time would have recognised all the numerous elements that go in to making a Chris Lilley Joint: bad stage musicals, bitchy teenagers, annoying made-up slang, being offensive … well, more like “offensive”, as everyone knows Lilley isn’t really a racist homophobe, no matter how many times he plays one on television. Going by the general reaction, it seems the problem isn’t so much that Lilley is just repeating himself – he’s in television, repetition is his business – as it is he’s assuming the couple of years break between each of his series is enough to allow him to do exactly the same thing again and again. Ironically, it’s his success that’s made this impossible: if he was still flying largely under the radar as he did to some extent even after his success with We Can Be Heroes, he’d still be able to repeat himself like he did with Summer Heights High when he brought back Ja’mie and Mr G – both characters he’d pretty much completely explored in earlier appearances that most of the people who actually tuned into Summer Heights High hadn’t seen. But after Summer Heights High broke big that

particular ladder was pulled up behind him; maybe if he’d decided to make Angry Boys about his dodgy teen stunt addict character from Channel Seven sketch show Big Bite, Extreme Darren, he could have done more of the same and still seemed fresh. Instead he brought back the twins from We Can Be Heroes, only as foul-mouthed offensive teens – they were pretty much more of the same for viewers of Summer Heights High. As for his all new characters, they made no impact whatsoever. Remember there was a surfer? A horrible Japanese mother trying to turn her skateboarding son gay for promotional opportunities? The only one that made any kind of impact was S.mouse, in which Lilley wore blackface and sang songs about taking a crap on things (including, in the music video, a police car). Remember “dicktation” from Summer Heights High, where Jonah drew a dick and balls everywhere he went? Same thing (as were the twin’s “sneaky nuts” photos) – Lilley does love to try and bring his audience into his world of smutty insults. And with Jonah due back early next year – which really does feel like a massive misstep, as Jonah is the only character where Lilley told an actual story that connected with viewers (and which wrapped up in a way that any follow-up could only cheapen) – no doubt there’s be another round of “dick-tation” and “Puck you miss” sweeping the airwaves to promote. Maybe second time’s the charm; maybe doing the same thing one more time just might be one time too many.

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