Forte #567 by Forte Mag

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the story so far

at soundwave 2014, tickets on sale SEP 5th!

ballarat // bendigo // geelong // surfcoast // warrnambool // werribee

issue 567 // 5 SEPTEMBER 2013 // next issue: 19 SEP

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CHOOSE WISELY. CHOOSE WORLDLY. CHOOSE DEAKIN.

Make Deakin your first preference. deakin.edu.au/choose FORTEMAG.COM.AU

A WORD FROM THE TEAM Hello out there! Well, Spring has been a welcome relief in the last couple of days. With the temperature and pollen count on the rise, we can crawl out of hibernation to embrace that large firey ball in the sky we call ‘The Sun’. Remember that thing in the sky? It creates warmth and the need to party. I am not sure if it’s due to the fact I am getting older, but this Winter felt particularly nasty, and having had more than one bout of the sniffles, I am well and truely ready for the warmer weather. Enter the Anglesea Music Festival - now in its third year, it is back and bigger than ever. All you have to do is glance at the front cover of this issue to see this years line up is as spectacular as ever. Brian Cadd, Sandi Thom, Dallas Frasca. We have watched as this festival has grown from its infancy, into a premier music event, and Forte Magazine is proud to have been there from the start. Also - Soundwave are at it again. I know it has grown to become excepted that their line ups are amongst the best in the World, but once again they raise the bar. Tickets go on sale September 5th, be sure to grab yours and be part of the madness. All in all, we are happy. The Sun is shining - for those of you who like lootball, its finals time, for those of you who don’t like looty - its almost over! For those of you who love festivals, music, having a good time and all things cool, Forte Magazine remains Regional Victoria’s number one place to catch the latest. Peace out!

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CONTRIBUTORS................... Anthony Morris, Adem Ali, Ben Schultz, Chris Cruz, Chris Lambie, Cyclone, Daniel Meagher, Lucas Skinner, Natalie Rogers, Nekita Roberts, Nina Bertok, Ophelia Symons, Paul S Taylor, Phil Hickey, Renee Abbott, Sam Eckhardt, Sam Fell, Stephanie Zevenbergen, Tex Miller, Wylie Caird, and Tony Montana PRINTED BY......................... RURAL PRESS PRINTING (VIC) BALLARAT 30-32 Grandlee Drive, Wendouree ADVERTISERS AND AGENTS ARE ADVISED THAT ALL ADVERTISING COPY IS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY UNDER THE TRADE PRACTICES ACT. ADVERTISEMENTS ARE PUBLISHED IN GOOD FAITH AND ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE CONTENT IS LEGITIMATE AND LAWFUL. ADVERTISERS AND OR AGENTS SUBMIT ADVERTISEMENTS AT THEIR OWN RISK. THE EDITOR AND CREATORS HOLD NO RESPONSIBILITY WHATSOEVER FOR THE CONTENT OF THE MAGAZINE IN THE CASE THAT IT MAY OFFEND. FORTE ACCEPTS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ERRORS OR OMISSIONS. FORTE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO EDIT ALL ARTICLES AND LETTERS.

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the HIGHLIGHTS

THE LATEST ON international & national news & tours

with one simple goal: to create righteous punk rock. Did they have the chops to back it up? If their independently released self-titled EP is anything to go by, then yes. Recorded with Dave Hammer (The Snowdroppers, Die! Die! Die!), the album features singles ‘Livin’ Tough’ and ‘Adolescent Oaths’; both of which have been killing it. The Old Bar – October 5. .........................................................................

The Handsome Family in the Wilderness A family that plays together stays together; certainly that is the case for alternative country cum Americana outfit The Handsome Family. The husband and wife duo is Brett Sparks (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Rennie Sparks (bass, banjo, vocals), and they got the family band rolling back in 1993. They released their debut Odessa in 1994 and their tenth, Wilderness, earlier this year. The Hi-Fi – October 12. .........................................................................

Paul Dempsey: Karaoke King

Loon Lake Loves Carolina Next month will see the release of Loon Lake’s debut album Gloamer, but to tie you over until then they have single ‘Carolina’ for ya. Made up of three brothers and a couple of mates, four-fifths of the band grew up in Tarrawingee just outside of Wangaratta. They found the fifth piece of the puzzle after moving to Melbourne. Carolina is about what would be a familiar story to many: the one that got away. Howler – October 11.

During May and June, Paul Dempsey was on the road with the beloved Something for Kate. What some readers may not know is that during “downtime” backstage, Dempsey recorded a different cover song. These included David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ and Queen’s ‘I Want to Break Free’. All this is leading towards his new EP Shotgun Karaoke (October 4) and a string of solo dates. The Hi-Fi – October 25. .........................................................................

Lachy Doley Group, Take 2

Soundwave 2014 Well, it’s time to break open the piggybank because the 2014 Soundwave line-up is a beaut. Green Day, Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Temple Pilots (with Chester Bennington), Alice in Chains, Rob Zombie, Placebo, Megadeth, AFI, Korn, DevilDriver, Biffy Clyro, Alter Bridge, Trivium, Newsted, Rocket from the Crypt, Asking Alexandria and Clutch gives you a small taste of what’s on offer. Flemington Racecourse – February 28.

The Highlights: Where everybody is in the house of love. Coming up you have… .........................................................................

Useless ID Showing Symptoms Formed out of Haifa, Israel in the mid-90s, Useless ID spent the first couple of years entrenched in the Israeli punk scene before trying their hand in the American market. The tour was a big success and would see the band branch out to Europe and Japan. Further international success followed when they recorded a split release with The Ataris. They released their latest, Symptoms, last year. Workers Club – November 12.

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The Cribs’ Perfect 10 As part of their world tour celebrating 10 years in the game, The Cribs have announced a small run of Aussie dates for next month. Formed by the Jarman brothers (Gary, Ryan & Ross), the band was propelled into the spotlight following the release of their third album, 2007’s Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever. Among their awards is NME’s Outstanding Contribution to Music. Ding Dong – October 26. .........................................................................

The Dangerous Born Lion In mid-2012, four Sydney mates came together

Whenever a keyboard player is needed, Lachy Doley tops the list. Referred to as the Jimi Hendrix of the Hammond Organ, Doley has worked his craft for acts including Powderfinger, Jimmy Barnes, Jimmy Little and The Beautiful Girls. With his band Lachy Doley Group, the keys great is releasing album number two, Singer Organ Soul. The album was recorded at the studio/house of Jimmy Barnes. Bar 303 – October 17. .........................................................................

Face the Music Tickets Tickets are currently on sale for Melbourne’s contemporary music conference, Face the Music. A heap of first-class industry reps will be on hand to cover topics including marketing and release strategies, artist management, booking gigs, recording techniques and cracking the international market. Face the Music is held across November 15 & 16 with further details available through facethemusic.org.au.

2014: Year of the Foo Those lovely gents that comprise The Foo Fighters have their new album written, and it’s due for release in 2014. Mr Grohl gave XFM the rundown: “Well, I’ll tell you, we have been in our studio writing and in the past few weeks we’ve written an album and we are going to make this album in a way that no-one’s ever done before and we’re pretty excited about it.” Perhaps an Aussie tour is not too far away also…

The Chivalrous Timbers

New Label for Cold Chisel

With a new line-up, a new sound and a new single, Adelaide alternative folk outfit The Timbers are feeling reborn. Kyle Vause and Joe Murphy joined the band at the beginning of the year and single ‘Gallantry’ marks the new direction the band is heading in. It follows a standout year which has seen the band perform at numerous festivals across Adelaide and Victoria. The Espy – October 22.

Over 35 years ago, Cold Chisel signed a recording contract with WEA, now known as Warner Music. Since then the band has sold more than six million albums. Recently the rights to all the band’s recordings reverted to the band, so the Chisel decided the best new option was to form their own label, Cold Chisel Music. They also shifted their distribution deal to the Universal Music Group.

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Darebin Music Festival 2013

To Be Sure, To Be Sures

Coming up towards the end of the month is the fantastic 2013 outing of the Darebin Music Feast. Taking place from September 18 through to September 29, the 2013 program will house over 150 events across 25 venues. Highlights include The Bain Marie, a 200-capacity music/ community/comedy-focused event and Street Feast, which will utilise less traditional spaces for roaming entertainment and pop-up interactions. Hit musicfeast.com.au for more. .........................................................................

The Screaming Jets Return It has been three years since The Screaming Jets have taken their place on a stage, and the chances are split beer, sweat and possibly even vomit still stain the stages they have played upon. But the boys are back. Frontman Dave Gleeson: “The Jets at full throttle, ripping up the stage with the intensity we absolutely thrive on. Strap in, we are about to let loose.” The Corner – November 9. *The band is also play the Queenscliff Music Festival.

The Night Hero Waste Time Getting Better is the new EP from four-piece indie-pop outfit Sures – and they’re keen as mustard to show you what it’s all about. Featuring the single ‘Waste’, the EP has been receiving some pretty warm buzz. It is the follow-up to their debut EP Stars and showcases a band that is maturing in their sound and approach to songwriting. Workers Club – September 12. .........................................................................

Jae Laffer Goes Solo While still in high school, Jae Laffer, along with mate Drew Wootton, got together to form what would become ARIA-winning outfit The Panics. It would seem Jae is bursting with inspiration and has decided to dip his toe in the solo pond. It doesn’t mean it is the end for The Panics; it just gives Laffer an outlet for excess material brewing in his head. When the Iron Glows Red is out this month.

An Evening with Kathy Griffin

Farewell Busby Marou

Not too long ago, Kathy Griffin announced that she would be swinging by Sydney as part of a Just for Laughs event at the Opera House. Also not too long ago, but a little after that announcement, the sharptongued comedian added a Melbourne date at The Palais on October 17. In An Evening with Kathy Griffin, audiences get to step behind the celebrity barricade to hear all sorts of juicy Hollywood stories.

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All Eyes on Owl Eyes

Well, what a year it has been for Melbourne’s hardcore heroes Dream On, Dreamer. The band has given Europe a red-hot go, they have toured nationally with A Day to Remember and The Devil Wears Prada, and they’ve recorded their sophomore album, Loveless. A truly band effort, Loveless was produced by guitarist Callan Orr and features artwork by vocalist Marcel Gadacz. The Hi-Fi – November 7 & Arrows on Swanston – November 8 (AA).

She was born Brooke Addamo, but we know her better as Owl Eyes. Many got familiar with Brooke through the sixth season of Australian Idol. In 2010 she released her debut EP Faces and also featured on Illy’s ‘It Can Wait’, a song which was voted #29 on the triple j Hottest 100 count. This year saw the release of her debut album, Nightswim. ‘Hurricane’ is its latest single. Northcote Social Club – October 16, 17 & 18.

Daniel Johns Does a 360

Lanie Lane Stripping Off

In an interview with Music Feeds mid-August, rapper 360 revealed that Daniel Johns would be featuring on his next album. Speaking about the collaboration [on track ‘Impossible’], 360 said: “It’s a f***in’ crazy track, it’s totally epic, and I don’t think people are gonna expect what it is, to be honest. It’s some serious shit, and when an old mate comes in he’s on the piano and he’s singing … His voice, you would never expect it to come out of his mouth.”

Lanie Lane has announced a wee number of shows for this month – her first live shows for the year. Following the release of her much-loved debut To The Horses, the singersongwriter was everywhere. So, at the end of 2012 she decided to take a well-earned breather. Once the shows wrap up, she’ll be returning to the studio to record a follow-up, so the shows may cough up some new material. The Toff – September 14.

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Tom Busby and Jeremy Marou, those two talented souls behind Busby Marou, have travelled the globe since the release of their self-titled debut a couple of years back. No doubt more worldly tours are in the mix with the lads set to release their new album, Farewell Fitzroy, next month. The album was recorded with Brad Jones (Justin Townes Earle) at his Nashville studio. The Corner – November 23.

Dream On, Dreamer; Dream On

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Ben Affleck is Batman

Oceano Make Their Debut

As has been widely reported, Ben Affleck is stepping into the shoes of Batman for the as yet untitled Batman-Superman movie. Henry Cavill, who played Superman in Man of Steel, will return to the role for the feature. Due for release mid-2015, other Man of Steel crew to put their names to the film include Amy Adams and Diane Lane. Director Zack Snyder is at the helm. Affleck becomes the eighth actor to play the Caped Crusader.

Australia continues to be high on the priority list for many metal bands, with Chicago deathcore outfit Oceano set to make their Aussie debut next month. Since forming in 2006, the band hasn’t had the smoothest run when it comes to settling on a line-up, but it hasn’t slowed down their output. Next month sees the release of their third album, Incisions. Bang – October 5 & Phoenix Youth Centre – October 6 (AA).

FRI 6 SEP

REST

AURA N

TS – BARS – ENTER TA I N M

ENT

The Regular Boys SAT 7 SEP

Peta Evans FRI 13 SEP

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

SAT 14 SEP

James Carrigg

GROVEDALE HOTEL 236-258 SURFCOAST HIGHWAY PHONE: (03) 5243 2814 | GROVEDALEHOTEL.COM.AU

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ROSS HANNAFORD

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DAVE GRANEY

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TICKETS AVAILABLE

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THE

FORT-NIGHTLY CALENDAR & GIG GUIDE Barnes with special guest Diesel CITY QUARTER BAR: Friday Unwind from 5pm. Live with live entertainment and DJ

Seth Sentry

Courthouse Arts: Geelong Fringe Festival The New Wilderness Opening. Live performance by Indian Red. FREE

THE LOFT: Kayla Dwyer EP Launch

ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Thank Guinness It’s Friday

OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Cam Kettle (70s-00’S Covers)

EDGE GEELONG: Live entertainment plus DJ

LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Live band & DJs Main Room and Terrace, open from 9pm THE LOFT (WARRNAMBOOL) : The Hidden Venure, Don Fernando & The Last Millionaire THE MAX HOTEL : 3 on the Tree OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Open Mic Night SPHINX: Retro Ago-Go

Thursday September 5th

LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (WARRNAMBOOL):

BAR PIZZA: Open Mic Night w/ Dave Dorman

THE KAROVA LOUNGE: Big Scary with Courtney Barnett

BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Hungry Kids of Hungary, Little Scout, Baptism of Uzi BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Open Mic Night w/ Dave Dorman, Masters Of Dartness 8:30pm

THEATRE ROYALE: Wandering Cloud

BEAVS BAR: Andy Forster Live BLACK HATT: Tradies Night in the Bar from 5pm till 7pm, Open Mic from 8pm with acoustic, bands, solos & duets

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

Friday September 6th AT THE HEADS: Live music from 5pm till 7pm (Barwon Heads)

BRIDGE HOTEL: Ashleigh Mannix+ Guests CITY QUARTER BAR: Unplugged Series Semi Final

BARKING DOG: Flashback Fridays with live band Juke Box Hero

COURTHOUSE ARTS: Geelong Fringe Festival: Creative Circle

BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Johnny Casino and the Secrets plus guests

ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night EUREKA HOTEL: Neon Glowstick Party feat. Max Mckay and Vickers plus many more

BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Happy Hour 5- 7pm

GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Bogan Bingo Its Bingo with Balls! From 7.30pm Free Entry GPAC: The Haunting of Daniel Gartrell

Saturday September 7th

THE WOOL EXCHANGE: Seth Sentry

Sunday September 8th BATESFORD HOTEL: Terry Fielding, 3-6.30 BRIDGE HOTEL: The Bellwether Band, Free COURTHOUSE ARTS: A Conversation in the Key Of... Ross Hannaford and Levi Anderson, $15 members, $25. EDGE GEELONG: Live entertainment plus DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Shandelle Cooke Quartet GEELONG RSL: Bob Pattie’s Chicago 5 GPAC: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Geordie Shore’s Gaz Beadle

BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Glittergang

OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: The Cartwheels

BARWON HEADS HOTEL:

SPHINX HOTEL: Carvery from $17.00 THE KAROVA LOUNGE: Yukon Blonde (CAN)

BRIDGE HOTEL: Beautiful Change and Alanna Eileen, $15 THE CAPITAL (Bendigo): CITY QUARTER BAR: Footy on The Big Screen CHINESE WHISPERS: Rob Pix, Torren Foot, Some Blonde DJ COURTHOUSE ARTS: Insomnia Cat Came To Stay, 6:30pm. The Unspoken Word is “Joe”, 8PM. ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Figjam EDGE: Live entertainment plus DJ GPAC: The Haunting of Daniel Gartrell, TWO SHOWS 1& 8pm The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Peta Evans HOME HOUSE: Upstairs: Orkestrated

BLACK HATT: Mr Hyde

THE KAROVA LOUNGE: Hungry Kids of Hungary with Little Scout LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Live Band & DJs Mainroom and Terrace. Open from 9pm

THE CAPITAL (Bendigo): Jimmy

THE MAX HOTEL: Trojan

BEAVS BAR: Butters Live

BEAVS BAR: Rosco Live Bridge Hotel: The Exit Crowd and D. D. Dumbo, $10

MARTIANS CAFE: Tim Tonic Hulsman

TORQUAY HOTEL: 2 Fat 2 Skate

GPAC: The Haunting of Daniel Gartrell, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: The Regular Boys THE KAROVA LOUNGE: Stonefield with Apes

@ The Wool Exchange, Saturday September 7th, Geelong.

LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE WARRNAMBOOL: Songs For A New World, The 39 Steps

Monday September 9th BARWON CLUB HOTEL: $10 Parmis ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night LORD NELSON HOTEL: Steak/Parmi & Pot for $15 on presentation of student I.D SPHINX HOTEL: 11 Meals for $11

Tuesday September 10th THE CAPITAL (Bendigo): Chet Baker: Like Someone in Love ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13 THE SPHINX HOTEL: 11 Meals for $11, Poker Night (free)

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Wednesday September 11th

THE CAPITAL (BENDIGO) : Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music CITY QUARTER BAR: Unplugged Series GRAND FINAL

BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Trivia Night from 7:30pm

ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night

BEAVS BAR: Karaoke, Open Mic and Andy Forster

EUREKA HOTEL: Snapback and Jersey Party featuring Pinky, Shorty J, Simon One plus more.

THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): Open Mic THE CAPITAL (BENDIGO): Harley Breen CITY QUARTER BAR: Industry Night ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Trivia Night – great prizes from 8.30pm till 10.30pm GEELONG RSL: Parma & Pot Night $13 GPAC: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie THE MAX HOTEL: $12 Steak Nights THE SPHINX HOTEL: Steak Night from $16, Poker Night ($10 buy in)

THE LOFT: Tarryn Hawker 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 THEATRE ROYALE: Bodyheat Australia THE SPHINX HOTEL: Schnitzel Night from $13

Friday September 13th AT THE HEADS: Live music from 5pm till 7pm (Barwon Heads)

Thursday September 12th

THE BARWON CLUB: Fourteen Nights at Sea W/ Bodies and The Coves BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Open Mic Night w/ Dave Dorman, Masters of Dartness 8:30pm BAR PIZZA : Open Mic Night w/ Dave Dorman BEAVS BAR: The Royal Jellies (Band Room), Dave Anderson (Main Bar) BLACK HATT: Tradies Night in the Bar from 5pm till 7pm, Open Mic from 8pm with acoustic, bands, solos & duets BRIDGE HOTEL: The Moonlight Flatters with guests, $10

BARKING DOG: Flashback Fridays with Live Band Juke Box Hero THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Happy Hour 5-7pm BEAVS BAR: Hayden Scott BLACK HATT: Drink promos from 5pm till 7pm (free entry) Live Band Detonators 9:30pm THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): Spermaids THE CAPITAL (BENDIGO) : Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music CITY QUARTER BAR: Friday Unwind with live music then DJ EDGE GEELONG: Live music plus DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Thank Guinness It’s Friday GPAC: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Trojan THE LOFT: Fourteen Nights at Sea W/ Canidae and Paarthurnax OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Boppin Bingo (Free Jukebox) THE MAX HOTEL: Adventure Playground

Sunday September 15th BATESFORD HOTEL: Tony Byrne, 3-6.30PM

BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): The Bellwether Band, Free

SPHINX: Retro Ago-Go

THE CAPITAL (Bendigo): Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music, Harley Breen

Saturday September 14th

EDGE GEELONG: Live music plus DJ

BEAVS BAR: Rosco Live

BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE) : The Dames, Jeff Williams, $10 THE CAPITAL (BENDIGO) : Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music CHINESE WHISPERS: Zoolanda, James Fava, Frazer Adnam and Lucille Croft CITY QUARTER BAR: live music and DJ Footy on The Big ScreenEDGE GEELONG: Live music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Live music with Regular Boys - 9.30 till midnight GATEWAY HOTEL: Knock Knock Comedy, 8pm, tix $25 GPAC: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Diesel: The Velvet Curtain tour THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: James Carrigg HOME HOUSE: Upstairs: Heath Renata Downstairs: Dj Surrender THE KAROVA LOUNGE: The Preatures with Chela and Dark Arts THE MAX HOTEL: Frequency

ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Des Cam Jazz Band GEELONG RSL: Moonee Valley Jazz Band GPAC: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Student & Industry Night (Free entry all night) w/ Live band & DJs in the Mainroom and Terrace OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Shaun Kirk SPHINX HOTEL: Carvery from $17.00

Monday September 16th BARWON CLUB HOTEL: $10 Parmis ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night LORD NELSON HOTEL: Steak/Parmi & Pot for $15 on presentation of student I.D SPHINX HOTEL: 11 Meals for $11

Tuesday September 17th

THE OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Gabe Atkinson

BRIDGE HOTEL: Trivia Night hosted by Lifon Uranus from 7.30pm, free event ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night

MARTIANS CAFE: Rory Ellis Duo with Andrew Toner

LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE

GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13

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THE FORTE VENUE GUIDE! THE BARKING DOG

chinese whispers

126 Pakington St. Geelong West

Cnr. Shorts Place. Geelong

50 Barwon Heads .................................... Rd. Belmont

bar pizza

Cunningham Pier, Geelong

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137 Pakington St. Geelong

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BARWON CLUB 509 Moorabool St. South Geelong

CITY QUARTER

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23 The Esplanade. Torquay

CLOUD 9

96 Pakington St. Geelong West

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Club TITANIUM

BARWON HEADS HOTEL

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1 Bridge Rd. Barwon Heads

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THE BASEMENT 159 159 Moorabool St. Geelong

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BEAVS BAR 77 Little Malop St. Geelong

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black hatt 54 Little Myers St. Geelong

GEELONG RSL

99 Ryrie St, Geelong

eastern station

81 Humffray St Nth. Ballarat

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THE EDGE

1/6-8 Eastern Beach Rd. Geelong

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GROWLERS ....................................

HOME HOUSE

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IRISH MURPHY'S 30 Aberdeen St. Geelong

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JACK AND JILL 247 Moorabool St. Geelong

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LAMBYS Cnr of Moorabool & Brougham St. Geelong

ELEPHANT AND CASTLE ....................................

2 Gheringhap St. Geelong

THE MAX hotel ....................................

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THE EUREKA

THE BLUESTONE

98 Little Malop St. Geelong

103 Marr St. Ballarat

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MRS. HYDE

THE gateway HOTEL

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Bridge hotel castlemaine

218-230 Princess Hwy. Corio

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THE GROVEDALE HOTEL

11 Malop St. Geelong

331 Mair St. Ballarat

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RUMORS SLATE Pool Lounge 50 Little Ryrie St. Geelong

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THE SPHINX 2 Thompson Rd. North Geelong

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TOAST 114 Moorabool St. Geelong

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TORQUAY HOTEL 36 Bell St. Torquay

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the wool exchange ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX 44 Corio St. Geelong

the unicorn

THE CARLTON HOTEL

The Gateway Hotel

21 Malop St. Geelong

218-230 Princess Hwy. Corio

236 Main Rd. Hepburn Springs

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Peter Lalor Hotel

611 Surfcoast Hwy. Mt Duneed

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odyssey

236-258 Surfcoast Hwy

21 Walker St. Castlemaine

15 James St. Geelong

5 James St. Geelong 40-42 Moorabool St. Geelong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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158 McKillop St. Geelong

OPIUM BAR

Old Hepburn Hotel

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127 Sturt St. Ballart

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the yarra hotel 120 Lydiard St. Ballarat

Fourteen Nights at Sea

@ The Barwon Club, Thursday September 12th, Geelong.

WARRNAMBOOL: Charmaine Wilson: Spirit Whisper SPHINX HOTEL: 11 Meals for $11, Poker Night (free)

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

BEAVS BAR: Karoke, Open Mic and Dave Anderson THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): Open Mic THE CAPITAL (BENDIGO): Songlines Aborginal Music Regional Tour CITY QUARTER BAR: Industry Night

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BAR PIZZA: Open Mic Night w/ Dave Dorman BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Murphy’s Law (USA) BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Open Mic Night w/ Dave Dorman, Masters of Dartness BEAV’S BAR: Cory Branan w/ Murdena and Nathan Seeckts BLACK HATT: Tradies Night in the Bar from 5pm till 7pm, Open Mic from 8pm with acoustic, bands, solos & duets CITY QUARTER BAR: Unplugged Series ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night

ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Trivia Night from 8.30pm till 10.30pm

GPAC: MM Stardust: The Story and Music of Natalie and Nat King Cole

GEELONG RSL: Parma & Pot Night $13 THE KAROVA LOUNGE: Cory Branan (US) THE LOFT: The Doctor THE MAX HOTEL: $12 Steak 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

SPHINX HOTEL: Steak Night from $16, Poker Night ($10 buy in) 18

Thursday September 19th

SPHINX HOTEL: Schnitzel Night from $13

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Brian Cadd By Cameron Brogden

Brian Cadd is a man who needs no introduction in this country. An ARIA Hall of Famer, Cadd has had an influence on not only the Australian music industry, but the world’s. Not only was he a successful solo artist, he was in successful bands like The Groop and Axiom, a songwriter for the likes of The Masters Apprentices, The Pointer Sisters and Little River Band, and producer of acts including Tina Arena and his former Axiom bandmate Glenn Shorrock. Not to mention his work on the soundtracks of such films as The Return of the Living Dead and Australian classics The Heartbreak Kid and Alvin Purple. I managed to get a hold of him between studio sessions to ask a few questions about his upcoming headlining slot at the Anglesea Music Festival. “It’s a new album that I’ve been doing with Glenn Shorrock,” a hoarse Cadd said when I asked what he was recording. “He and I are doing a new album which is going to coincide with a five-month tour we start in the first week of November. The album’s coming out right before the tour, and I’m going overseas on Saturday, so I’ve only got tomorrow and Friday to finish everything. We’ll make it alright, but it’s just been long days, long nights. But it’s very good, very exciting – another whole thing for us. We haven’t done any major touring or recording together for quite a number of years, so it’s been very exciting.” At 66, and with a career spanning over 45 years, to be headlining festivals, releasing new albums and then going on three-month tours must be tough. I asked Brian if there were any signs of stopping. “No, certainly not from my point of view. Maybe we’ll get to a point where audiences don’t want to see us anymore, or we get a bit old to be jumping up and down all the time. But right now, as far as I can see for the foreseeable future, I’m just going to keep on doing what I’m doing,” he explained. “I think it’s one of those things, as I said, it’s either the desire for them to see you on the one hand, and on the other hand if you still feel great about doing it, there can’t seem to be many reasons to stop.” I then asked if he had played at Anglesea before. “I haven’t played the Anglesea Festival before, but I started in my career, if you like, as a professional musician began in Anglesea,” he said. “Because when I first went professional, as it was called in those days, I joined a group called The Groop and they had a summer gig. Every

summer they’d play the Anglesea Lifesaving Club, so my first real major gig, which was for the whole of the summer, was to play at the lifesaving club. And that was my first real introduction to being in a professional, grown-up group. It was fantastic. So I have a very soft spot for Anglesea and the fact that, as you said, forty-five years later I’m back playing the festival. “It’s a closing of the circle, going back to where one begins,” he went on. “As an artist, I don’t know if you particularly reflect on that as you go through your career, but when you get on a bit and you’re able to stand and look back on it all those sort of things stand out. Those pivotal moments and things that occurred at the very beginning that put you on the path to wherever you are now – which in our case wasn’t a terribly predictable thing. “Nowadays it’s a much better drawn path, but in those days no-one knew how long a band would last or whether this was all just some crazy dream and it was going to stop in a few weeks or a few months. I remember when I did go professional, my father said to me, ‘I’ll give you a year, and if you haven’t done anything in a year, you can get a job in the public service and have a real career’. And fortunately stuff happened in that first year, and I didn’t have to.” And since that first year, it’s been a long career. His secret? “One of the tricks is to be able to do several different things. If you were a guitar player and you didn’t write, and you didn’t produce, and you didn’t do anything but sit around playing guitar, you might not have the longevity. But if you were able to also produce records or you were able to write songs… I think I’ve been pretty lucky over the years because I’ve been able to do all of the different things that I’ve done. Mind you, I started out as a piano player and I eventually learned how to do those things, and that gives you a much more varied career and certainly a lot more opportunities to do different things.” So, is there anything else he’d like to be able to do before he retires? “I’d love to have a great golf swing,” he joked. “But given that’s not strictly musical, no, not really. The one thing I haven’t done that I would enjoy to do, and it’s a difficult road to hoe, is I would like to do a musical. I’d like to write some music for a musical.” Brian had a bit of advice for up-and-coming musicians too. “You really have to try to be as true to yourself as you can be. I’m amazed, and I have been amazed all my career, when I see somebody who’s just starting out, and they’re really unusual and unique and they’re really doing something interesting. And then they get involved with management or producers or, more likely, record companies, and those external influences tend to make them change to what the market is.”

When&Where: Anglesea Music Festival – October 18-20

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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The Preatures By Natalie Rogers

Those Sydneysiders The Preatures have been all over the news lately for one thing or another, so last week I checked in with the band’s gentleman guitarist, Jack Moffitt, to get the inside scoop on their upcoming tour, his plans to take a bite out of the Big Apple, the concept behind the crazy new clip and to suss out how close we are to finally hearing their long-awaited LP. “We’ve been continually working on our album, but at the moment we’ve got all these amazing songs and new pieces coming out of the band – some really classic stuff,” Jack revealed. “That’s why I’m so looking forward to the upcoming shows – we’ve made a lot of headway in terms of our setlists for these gigs. “We’re trying to put in the most amount of effort while we still have the drive. By the time it gets to the end of the year we’ll just fall into a heap,” he joked. “But I can’t tell you exactly when, because I don’t even know! But I do know we’re looking to start recording in February, and we may be overseas for that. We also have plans to head over to the US and UK this year in October for about three weeks. We went over to L.A. about the same time two years ago and ever since we’ve been itching to get back out there – I’m personally really excited to see New York!” Back at home and The Preatures can do no wrong, with more than half of their scheduled shows completely sold out! “We’re really happy! It still hasn’t sunk in. We’ve spent all of today in rehearsals

– we have some amazing supports on this tour.” Appearing at all the Victorian shows is Melbourne’s electro princess, Chela. “She’ll team up with a guitar player, and together they’re a kind of wacky pop duo. They play the coolest songs. She’s really lovely and amazing to watch.” Another act that got Jack’s attention recently is American babes Haim, who they supported on their recent Australian tour. “Before I saw them I had zero expectations, but I loved their album. They’re antagonistic, but they’re also coy – but they’re also f*cking fantastic!” Jack laughed. “They’re so well connected as a band. It was huge for me, and I knew I was seeing something special.” The clip for their latest single, ‘Manic Baby’, is pretty darn special too; but Jack tells me it nearly didn’t happen. “We were toying with the idea of doing another clip but we didn’t have a lot of spare time, so we went to Andy Cassell, our manager. He told us about this crazy TV show called the Kenny Everett Video Show that he watched as a kid. There was a segment called the Hot Gossip Dancers, and they would come on and dance to the popular songs of the time. It was so cheesy, so tongue-in-cheek, that we thought it would make a great video. The dancers we got were amazing, and it was great to be able to feed off the energy. It was so much fun to make.” Check it out at thepreatures.com and get your tickets while you can – the only show not sold out is on Forte’s home turf!

Aurora Kurth

from this year, as last year 1200 people packed into the Forum Theatre to experience the prohibition era Speakeasy which founder Graham Coupland has spent countless hours trying to recreate.

By Tex Miller

One of the most unique theatrical experiences in the Australian scene today, the crowd at Gangsters’ Ball pulls out all stops on the night and rivals the costumes of the performers on stage. The character of Leila Leontine was devised after Aurora was asked to do a show with Casey Bennetto, who is critically acclaimed in the theatre world for his show Keating!

AT THE GANGSTER'S BALL If you’ve been reading Forte carefully over the past couple of months, you will know that Gangsters’ Ball is happening at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne, and that Pretty Things Peepshow (last issue’s cover story) will be there in full swing. Hosting the night as Master of Ceremonies will be Madame Leila Leontine, aka Aurora Kurth, who recently caught up with Forte ahead of her appearances on the tour in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Despite having to wait another hour for a train to finish her commute home, Aurora is excited about being involved with Gangsters’ Ball once again, and with another stellar line-up this year, it surely isn’t going to disappoint. “It is a pretty immersive experience, and is definitely by no means a sit down show. The whole venue is transformed to recreate the atmosphere of the ‘30s/‘40s Speakeasy, and you can get your hair and makeup done and photos taken in the photo booth. It’s an unforgettable night that is more beneficial if you bring a whole stack of your friends along with you,” Aurora said. With a variety of different entertainment on the night that differs throughout each of the states, you are sure to not be disappointed by Gangsters’ Ball, which has grown bigger and better throughout its short six-year history and is set to make its debut in America later in the year. Coming back to reprise her hosting role on the night, Aurora expects big things

When&Where: The Karova, Ballarat – September 14

“Casey wrote a character for me to play in a show at the Spiegeltent, and I really liked and connected with the character, and that was a few years ago now. I have kept her and morphed her into my own thing, but it’s great to get back into character every so often. Casey to work with is awesome – the man is a complete genius. I’m not the first one to say that, and every time I work with him it’s always a fantastic experience because I know I’m going to get to sing some awesome songs.” Aurora these days is most well-known for her emceeing roles throughout Australia, yet she has also found acclaim in singing and performing with her ‘50s-style Italian band Bella Ciao. Together for the past six years, the band plays Italian swing numbers and has played festivals, corporate functions and weddings around the country. The evolution of the Burlesque scene within Australia has expanded greatly over the past ten years – mostly due to Ali McGregor – and the future is very bright. Gangsters’ Ball is surely not to be missed, and if you haven’t got your tickets, get on it, because it’s nearly sold.

When&Where: The gangster's ball at the Forum – September 14

Regurgitator By Xavier Fennell

The ‘90s. What a time to be alive; Pokémon, analogue television – something called a floppy disk. More importantly, what a strange and wonderful time for Australian music, with many bands taking a satirical and comedic approach to their songwriting – a sort of sarcastic way of poking fun at the world around them. To them, music shouldn’t be taken seriously; simply enjoyed, laughed at. Australians were able to find a new love when Regurgitator, a young band from Brisbane, came about. With no restrictions on genre or theme, Regurgitator was welcomed by the nation for their amusing lyrics and lively onstage presence, achieving mainstream popularity after the release of their second studio album Unit (1997). Now with the ‘90s twenty years behind us, Regurgitator gives us the opportunity for nostalgic reminiscence and offer us a tasty new morsel in the form of their new album, Dirty Pop Fantasy. As one might have predicted, speaking with Quan Yeomans, lead singer and guitarist of Regurgitator, was nothing short of invigorating. Confident, articulate and satirical much like the music he helps create, Quan discussed the nostalgia surrounding Regurgitator and their journey into the current digital era. “Talking about music and records is a very abstract notion,” was his confident reply when I asked if we should discuss their upcoming release. “You really should just be able to listen to music and say, ‘well I like or it I don’t like it’, but people enjoy reading about music so I will say we only really had one idea and that was to jerk people around a lot genre wise, and really make people feel like they were listening

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to some strange multi-dimensional playlist kind of thing.” Part of Regurgitator’s success over the years comes with their inexplicable ability to write and perform hilariously fun songs; songs that give off a ‘who cares’ vibe and allow the listener to simply enjoy music whilst not worrying about taking life too seriously. “Essentially we don’t really try at all. It just sort of happens like that which I think is important. As soon as you start trying to do something, you’re not really doing it and that’s never really a good thing in creative industries or exploits. It’s really gotta come naturally or you should stop doing what you’re doing. I think that’s probably the reason why the band has kept going for as long as it has.” Nostalgia looms as Regurgitator head towards a 20 year milestone: “It still feels fun to get up on stage and make idiots out of ourselves and cause a ruckus.” For many, a Regurgitator show is a chance to relive the glory days; relive the songs that let you stumble through a harsh Australian summer without a care in the world. Personally, I completely missed the uprising and subsequent mainstream popularity of Regurgitator. I was just too damn young. Quan gave me his thoughts on the nostalgic phenomenon that surrounds the band. “It’s really interesting when you meet younger people [who] had just started listening to the band a record or two ago. I think it’s really great to have new people who are interested in what we do and then they go, ‘oh, this is what they did in the 90s, how weird. And this is why they got popular’. I can’t imagine it would make a lot of sense to people to listen to those records and try to understand the conservatives and environment of the time.”

When&Where: Theatre Royal, Castlemaine – September 27 & The Hi-Fi – September 28.

TALK OF THE

TOWN!

Keepin' it Regional!

chance waters

selina byrne

brendan gallagher

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TALK OF THE TOWN! Talk of the Town: Where one of these things is not like the other. Coming up you have… .........................................................................

Anglesea Music Festival Readers of Forte would have noticed a fair bit about the Anglesea Music Festival of late. The reason is simple: the festival is a cracker. Cop a load of this: Brain Cadd, Sandi Thom, Dallas Frasca, Damien Howard and The Ploughboys, The Shannon Bourne Trio, Bowie Jane, Jay Hoad, Cleveland Blues, The Little Stevies, The Glitter Gang, Oozin Blues, Sweethearts, Michael Waugh, Dan and Amy, The Dub Captains, Slim Dime and The Prairie Kings, Brooklyn Finest, Keshie, The Slide Show Brides, Cookie Baker, Grand Soul Audio, McAlpine’s Fusilier, The Arachnids, The Little Giants, Altitude, The Menagerie and Square One are set to perform. You want comedy? Well, Adam Rozenbachs and Simon Palomares will be there too. There is a whole lot of other goodies on offer so be sure to hit up angleseamusicfestival.com.au. AMF takes place across October 18, 19 & 20. .........................................................................

Not Quite Cherrywood Not quite country, not quite rockabilly, Cherrywood sits somewhere in between. Or could that be somewhere outside? Or even both? You can make up your mind when the band heads to Warrnambool a little later in the month. The Melbourne rabble rousers have had an interesting run. In recent times they sold out a 7” single pressing (‘Head to the Ground’), shared a stage with a tank full of mermaids in Perth and were threatened with violence to leave Tamworth. And that makes ‘em alright in my book. After making many friends (and perhaps a few enemies) the band is thrilled to welcome their debut, Book of Matches. The album was recorded with Matt Duffy (Graveyard Train, The Peep Tempel) during a bitter winter in an old guesthouse in the country. It was recorded in two days with little overdubs and a whole lotta swagger. The Loft – September 21. .........................................................................

Groovin’ the Moo Gossip The word on the street is that Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros may be on the cards for the 2014 Groovin’ the Moo run. Now, I am not generally one for rumours, but the band is headed this way in April – around the time the festival tours our fine country. During an interview with the lovely folk over at Tone Deaf, drummer and backing singer Orpheo McCord had a bit to say: “So it’s not for a while but we’re getting all of that sorted out now. I love Australia. Me and Mark [Noseworthy] – one of the guitar players in the band – we’re both surfers so the last time we came to Australia was awesome because we got to get quite a bit of surfing in.” The band was last in Australia as guests of Mumford & Sons, endearing themselves further to our neck of the woods. Time will tell. Keep a keen eye on gtm. net.au for developments. .........................................................................

Lakeside Twilights The next instalment of the popular Lakeside Twilights is lined up for next month with Jon English, Ross Wilson, Russell Morris and Chantoozies set to perform. Those names would be familiar to many readers. Jon English came to Australia with his parents in 1961. We got to know him as Bobby Rivers in the 1990s television show All Together Now, but his stage credits are most impressive. He also has a music career stretching back to the 1970s. As the frontman for Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock, cats don’t come much cooler than Ross Wilson. Wilson has been in the game for almost 50 years – time

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he has also spent producing, including albums by the Skyhooks. He is a two-time ARIA Hall of Famer. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, everything that Russell Morris touched turned to gold. It was during this time that he had five Top 10 Australian singles including ‘The Real Thing’, arguably one of the best psychedelic songs of the 1960s. It was a smash in Australia and also reached the top of the charts in the US. He too is an ARIA Hall of Famer. The Chantoozies struck it big with their first single, 1986’s ‘Witch Queen’. The band featured four female singers and four male musicians, including David Reyne. Other hits included ‘He’s Gonna Step on You Again’, ‘Wanna Be Up’ and ‘Love the One You’re With’. Lake Wendouree Foreshore, Ballarat – October 12. .........................................................................

Great Ocean Road Heritage Centre With the local Council appointing an architect and interpretation specialists, work on the Great Ocean Road Heritage Centre will commence early 2014. The museum-quality Heritage Centre will be located in Lorne and will focus primarily on the role of returned soldiers and sailors that played a part in the Great Ocean Road’s construction. Lorne Ward Councillor Clive Goldsworthy: “The Great Ocean Road is one of the world’s most significant coastal drives and one of Australia’s most important destinations, but it is also Australia’s biggest war memorial and its construction is itself a great Australian story. Hosting this facility in Lorne is important for the local community as it highlights the local heritage, but it also will provide an economic boost for local businesses and encourage visitors to stop along length of the Road, supporting many other businesses in the region too.” More than eight million people visit the area each year. .........................................................................

Three Ladies Walk into a Bar Make a note of this one as it isn’t happening until November, but Mia Dyson, Liz Stringer and Jen Cloher are coming to town. Fuelled by a deep admiration of one another’s songs, the tour will see these three gorgeous voices sharing the same stage for the first time. Says Mia: “This is a once in a lifetime experience for me – touring with the finest songwriter-musicians who are also my best mates! I get to back them up while they sing and play their hearts out and they do the same for me. The road will not be tough and lonely on this tour.” Stringer adds: “Mia, Jen and I all met because of our songs and, although we’ve become good friends since, it’s great to be able to celebrate that original connection and mutual musical respect by touring the country and playing together.” Dyson’s The Moment, Stringer’s Warm in the Darkness and Cloher’s In Blood Memory are all out now. You won’t want to miss this rare opportunity. Ararat Hotel – November 13 & Beav’s Bar, Geelong – November 17. .........................................................................

The Cannanes Howl Back DIY pop icons The Cannanes have released their first album in over ten years, Howling at all Hours. The album follows an EP release in March. The band formed out of Sydney in the mid-1980s to release ten albums on labels all around the world. They have extensively toured the US, UK, Mexico, Japan and Europe, and have been immortalised in books and documentaries. Despite their first two albums – African Man’s Tomato (1988) and A Love Affair With Nature (1989) – being released on no label at all, the band’s profile grew rapidly and soon enough The Cannanes became the best-known unknown Aussie band internationally. Despite releasing their last album in 2002 (Trouble Seemed so Far Away), the band has been busy with side-projects and heavy gigging. They have also lost none of their touch. The Newmarket, Bendigo – September 20.

ballarat / bendigo / geelong / surfcoast / warrnambool / werribee Chopped Rod & Custom Hot Rods and music combine for a beefed-up festival of revs and decibels at the Chopped Rod & Custom three day event. For the unfamiliar, imagine Chopped as something akin to a 1950s/60s Hop Up. Those that swing by will be able to check out traditional style hot rods and custom cars alongside bobber and chopper motorcycles. We’re talking pre-1965 style custom cars. There will also be a field of dirt drags and cars plus the very cool Tiki Palace Bar where you can quench your thirst with a cocktail or a cold one. A revhead’s paradise aside, Custom will host some sweet tunes. America’s The Jade Idol will be bringing their feel good garage rock ‘n’ roll to town. Helping them out across the festival will be Graveyard Train, The Hard-Ons, Gay Paris, Pat Capocci, Twin Beasts (formerly The Toot Toot Toots), Mesa Cosa, Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk, Cherrywood, La Bastard, Sheriff, Levitating Churches, The Walk On By, Mightiest of Guns, Death Valley, Archer & the Long Daddies, Navaja Negra, Brett Andrew and Spirit Valley. You can also throw in the mix Wolfman Stu’s Mobile One Man Band Brigade featuring Made by Chickens for Robots, Bumface, Hank Haint and Pilko Papas Bin Rat. It all takes place in Newstead across October 4, 5 & 6. For further information make sure you take a look at chopped.com.au. .........................................................................

Introducing The Dames All-female pop-rock trio The Dames is the combined talents of Clare Moore on drums, songs and vocals; Kaye-Louise Patterson on keys, songs and vocals; and Rosie Westbrook on bass and backing vocals. And they’ve released their self-titled debut. All three have quite the musical resume. Clare Moore has recorded around 30 albums in her career with the Moodists as well as Dave Graney-fronted bands. She also plays with the Ukeladies and has been involved in writing and recording for film and TV. Kaye-Louise Patterson’s background includes altcountry pioneers Acuff’s Rose. She also released a solo album in 2006. Rosie Westbrook, meanwhile, is involved with composing film soundtracks. The album was mixed by UK post-punk bigwig, Barry Adamson. The Bridge, Castlemaine – September 14.

Long Holiday Greetings In 2011, three 90s Seattle grunge-rock enthusiasts decided to channel their love of that particular music into the female-driven post-grunge outfit Long Holiday. The result is their recently released debut album, …Greetings From. If you want an idea about the band, think Nirvana’s Bleach era, Soundgarden, Babes in Toyland and Helmet. Then imagine that getting a little modern makeover and you’re on the right track. Still need help? Track ‘Hate Potion No. 8’ is a good place to begin. Dave Ruby Howe of triple j says: “This sticks out above the crop of upcoming grunge groups. It’s got some nice, menacing snarl where others might be too slack to bother.” The Melbourne outfit is Gina Wessel, Andie Fitzpatrick and Marc Russo. The Barwon Club, Geelong – September 6.

Casey Tutungi Charity Gig Readers would know all too well the story of Casey Tutungi. Left a quadriplegic following a freak on-field accident, the former Geelong player’s story has touched many. Various events have since been staged to raise funds for Tutungi, who is expecting his first child in November. At the Geelong Football Club’s waterfront gala last month, Casey’s father, Chris, spoke, saying: “It’s fantastic. I know many of the players at Geelong know Casey but many don’t as well and to have them come and support him like this is just wonderful.” The support stretches beyond the football community with the music community getting on board for a massive fundraising gig. You Am I “All Stars”, Lisa Mitchell, Paul Dempsey, Regurgitator, The Bamboos, Adalita, Dan Sultan and the Yacht Club DJs will all come together for A Show for Casey. The show has been organised by Falls Festival promoter Simon Daly. Proceeds from the gig will go towards Tutungi’s treatment. Part of his treatment will include an intense threemonth stay in a specialised treatment centre in the US. Speaking with the Geelong Advertiser last month, Casey said: “These facilities over there are obviously pay-as-you-go. You have a real crack at it and benefit from it and the ones we’ve spoken to have all said it’s been worthwhile.” Simonds Stadium, Geelong – September 29. Tickets through Oztix and Ghanda stores.

The Resignators Flame On

Some Blonde DJ U18 Show

They don’t make music like they used to. Have you ever heard or caught yourself saying something like that? Well, if you ever need proof that music can still unite people of all ages, look no further than The Resignators. With a 40-year age gap between the oldest and youngest member of the group, the wild ones of ska bridge the generational gap like pros. The psychoska band has been around the traps for a few years now, with lead vocalist Francis Harrison, aka Captain Focus, forming the band in 2005. Today the band is a seven-piece ball of unbridled energy. Throw on a CD or check out a live show and what you get is a hard-driving mix of Jamaican backbeat rhythms and punk rock energy. They have recently toured Europe, the US and Canada where they have been showing off new EP Down in Flames. Get ready to get a little wild. The Bridge, Castlemaine – September 6.

The Pier Underage is doing their best to bring music to those not quite old enough to (legally) do any fun stuff, and coming up at the beginning of next month is the latest in their series. Lining up this time is Alicia Nicole Weir, aka Some Blonde DJ. While working as an assistant to the site manager of Future Entertainment, Weir discovered that she would rather be backstage as an artist rather than as a guest. Since playing her first show in St Kilda in 2010, Weir has taken her Some Blonde DJ alter ego to the stages of Future Music Festival, Summadayze and Ultraglow. Inspired by the sounds of Steve Aoki, Nervo and Fatboy Slim among others, this down to earth party lovin’ gal has become the Saturday night soundtrack to many heading out for a night on the town. The Pier, Geelong – October 2. Other guests include Mitch Loughnan, Rojdar and Steve Toppa.

Diesel Raises the Curtain 25 years in the music game, 13 albums, 35 singles, six ARIA awards, one million album sales; it’s been one hell of a journey for Diesel. Despite over two decades in the game, things took a massive step forward in the mid-2000s. Born Mark Denis Lizotte in Falls River, Massachusetts, Mark arrived in Australia with his family in 1971. We have come to know him through various guises including Johnny Diesel & the Injectors, but as Diesel he is perhaps best known. Following the release of a handful of albums, Diesel released Singled Out in 2004. The solo live recording would be the catalyst for Diesel hitting the road for a massive solo tour. It is a lifestyle that continues to this day. His Velvet Curtain tour continues with a date at Playhouse Theatre, GPAC on September 14. .........................................................................

In Control with British India Earlier in the year British India released their fourth album, Controller. The album debuted at #10 on the ARIA Chart, making it the band’s third album in a row to debut in the Top 10. Last month, for a feature for the Mushroom website, the band performed two tracks in acoustic mode: ‘I Can Make You Love Me’ and ‘Cutting Myself’. The latter is a previously unreleased track originally recorded for Controller. In his review of the album, Forte’s Tex Miller wrote: “Controller, the latest offering from British India, is nothing short of brilliant … With classic British India garage rock tones, as well as quieter and more adventurous instrumentation on other songs, Controller is one album of 2013 that you must check out.” Black Swan Hotel, Bendigo – September 7.

Flight 101: Money for Rope

Aimee Francis Playing the Game

Do you like Money for Rope? Do you love Money for Rope? Do you just want to see the arse-end of them as they board a flight to Europe? You see, after years of clocking up the miles around Australia, the band has their sights on Europe. But here is the thing – they need a little help. It ain’t cheap, so the band has taken to Pozible to help fund their trip. There are plenty of levels to choose from with the deadline set at September 15. Now, let’s get to other matters. The band has a gig lined up in Warrnambool a little later this month in support of their new single, the ‘60s garage-inspired ‘Nova Pilota’. Even better, the single is merely an entrée for their second album which is due for release next year. For those unfamiliar, the six-piece Melbourne outfit is one bad-ass band comprised of two drummers, two guitarists, one bassist and four singers. The Loft, Warrnambool – September 20.

Her debut single may be titled ‘Losers Game’, but things for rocker Aimee Francis certainly have more of a winning feel. Born with a passion for music, Francis was learning her way around a fretboard at the age of ten. She has supported Pat Benatar and Steel Panther, while her resume boasts venues from The Forum in Melbourne to L.A.’s Viper Room. She has also performed at South by South West. Her song ‘Control’ earned her a finalist spot in the International Songwriting Competition, and she also composed the theme song ‘Dreams’ for the Australian Equestrian’s 2012 London Olympics. As for ‘Losers Game’, the single is a raw guitar-driven rock-pop monster. Formerly a Melbourne gal, Aimee now calls Sydney home. Her tour includes four opening spots for Pink. All this puts Aimee in good stead to become Australia’s next rock queen. Music Man Megastore, Bendigo – September 27.

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Remember, Remember Apparently tying a piece of string around your finger can help memory recall, but to help prevent possible injuries, we will make it easier for you. Seth Sentry is hitting Geelong’s Wool Exchange on September 7 as part of his bumper Vacation Tour with Mantra and Grey Ghost. New York hardcore heavyweights Murphys Law make their Aussie debut shortly, tackling Geelong’s Barwon Club on September 19. The Lorne Festival of Performing Arts takes place from September 6 through September 8. Stonefield get all psychedelic at The Karova, Ballarat on September 6. Kayla Dwyer checks into The Loft, Warrnambool on September 7. Jimmy Barnes takes on the Bendigo Showgrounds on September 7. The Hidden Venture hit The Loft, Warrnambool on September 6. Candice McLeod hits The Loft, Warrnambool on September 19.

All in the Perch Creek Family

Fire, Blood & Beastwars

Two brothers, two sisters and a “stray” boyfriend make up The Perch Creek Family Jug Band, a Melburnian folk group set to embark on a big tour shortly with a bunch of family friends. So, what do we have here? According to their website: “The band specialise in chunky five-part vocal harmonies over instrumentation as diverse as the trombone, frailing banjo, washboard, double bass, overdriven blues harp, musical saw, tap dancing and a whole lot of other stuff including, of course, the jug.” Ah yes, the jug; Homer Simpson would be proud indeed. The band has become a staple of Australia’s festival scene, getting a run at the Woodford Folk Festival, Mullum Music Festival and The Tamworth Country Music Festival among others. ‘Big Things Calling’ is their new single. Theatre Royal, Castlemaine – October 11. With Fraser A. Gorman, Big Harvest & Bob Harrow.

New Zealand’s sludge metal four-piece Beastwars have announced a return to Australia this month. The band formed in 2007, raising their fists to a common goal: Obey the Riff. Gaining a solid reputation, the band was soon showcasing their skills alongside High on Fire, the Melvins, Helmet, Black Cobra and Fu Manchu among others. The band released their self-titled debut in 2011, gaining comparisons to acts including Mastodon, Soundgarden and Unsane. It was shortlisted for the Taite Music Prize. Earlier in the year they upped their game with the release of their second effort, Blood Becomes Fire. Inspired by eternal themes, the album tells the story of the end of time through the eyes of a traveller from another time. The Barwon Club, Geelong – September 29. A stellar support cast includes Kremlins, Agonhymn, The Underhanded and Flowers for Cops.

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TALK OF THE TOWN! Cosmo Jarvis on the Way

FOOD:

He is one of the guests of honour at Fat as Butter, but Cosmo Jarvis is giving a lot more love back to a country that has given him a lot of love by adding a tidy little string of shows to the tour itinerary. It’s a pretty quick turnaround with the singer-songwriter playing a string of shows in Australia late last year and early this year. Born Harrison Cosmo Krikoryan Jarvis, Cosmo was born in New Jersey but moved to Devon in the UK as a child. He released his first album in 2006 after leaving school to concentrate on music and film, but he really hit his stride with his 2011 album, Is the World Strange or Am I Strange?. The album features the song ‘Gay Pirate’, which found a lot of love – most notably from Stephen Fry and John Barrowman. Think Bigger followed last year. With a new album set for release in 2014, fans may just get a sneak peek at some new stuff. Anyone who has seen

him perform would attest to his effortless coolness on stage. Whatever stirs his music soul is what he goes with, meaning you’ll find yourself showered in hip hop one minute and punk the next. The Karova, Ballarat – October 18; The Bridge, Castlemaine – October 19; The Barwon Club, Geelong – October 20. *Note: his Geelong appearance is a matinee show. .........................................................................

Dan Sultan Keeps it Simple

Melbourne. He released his debut album, Homemade Biscuits, in 2006. Written with band member Scott Wilson, the album’s funding was helped by John Butler’s Seed program. In 2007 he would win ‘Single Release of the Year’ at the Deadly Awards for the track ‘Your Love is Like a Song’. 2009 was a big year, with the singer-songwriter releasing his second album, Get Out While You Can, as well as making his film debut in Melbourne International Film Festival winner, Bran Nue Dae. 2014 will not only see him warming up the crowd for The Boss, but it will also see the release of album number three. Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Of Monsters and Men, Tom Waits) is handing production duties. So, if you’re lucky you may just hear some new tunes. The Wool Exchange, Geelong – October 8 & Theatre Royal, Castlemaine – October 9. These shows should be absolute beauties.

Too Cool Alan Ladds Alan Ladd was an American actor and one of the biggest names in the 1940s and first half of the 1950s. He would become a break-out star in the Graham Greene film, This Gun for Hire. He is also the namesake of The Alan Ladds, a collective of “swinging, recklessly precise, woopwoop, honkytonk” players. Head on down to a show and you can expect fiddle, mandolin, pedal steel, double bass, flat top guitar and drums played with the same kind of grit their namesake brought to the silver screen. The Bridge, Castlemaine – September 13.

Songman Dan Sultan could be forgiven for having one eye on 2014 – you know, given he is supporting Bruce Springsteen and all – but there is still a fair chunk of 2013 to fill in and he will be doing so with a string of stripped-back performances. Dancing across genres to create what he has referred to as “county soul rock ‘n’ roll”, Sultan grew up in the inner suburbs of

Rattling ‘Em Magic Bones

Yukon Blonde Get Chatty

The Voice of Brian Kennedy

Melbourne’s Magic Bones are buzzing right now. This month the band made Vulture Magazine’s Top 5 Tracks of August. ‘Fire Song’ is the song getting the juices pumping, with the magazine calling it a “frenetic, insistent and fantastic burst of skuzzy energy, it’s pretty hard to ignore the undeniable oomph of this song.” MGMT, Arctic Monkeys, Cage the Elephant and The Polyphonic Spree also made the list, and that is some mighty fine company to be in. Admittedly, Magic Bones has been buzzworthy since the release of their double A-side single, ‘Once You Forget / On the Spot’. You can check out the clip for wham-bam single Once You Forget via YouTube. Around the traps since 2010, Magic Bones is a hot little fusion of 60s garage, 70s rock and 80s new wave punk. The Barwon Club, Geelong – September 14 & The Loft, Warrnambool – October 4.

Canada’s Yukon Blonde will be one of the very special guests of BIGSOUND 2013, but the good news for their fans Down Under is that the band has spread the love a little further by adding a couple of other dates including one in Ballarat. Formed in 2005, the band’s early days were under the moniker ‘Alphababy’. But some good advice from fellow Canadian Jon-Rae Fletcher, with whom the band toured in 2008, saw the band change their name. The other change was that in their early days the band was a quintet; these days the band is a trio that often tours with guest members. Last year fans were treated to their latest release, Tiger Talk. Paste Magazine: “Tiger Talk has the energy to give Yukon Blonde that final push it needs into the American spotlight. The tunes on the record are highly inspired.” The Karova, Ballarat – September 8.

As part of the fantastic Roo Twilights series, a little Celtic magic will play out when Irish songman Brian Kennedy snuggles up on stage with Imogen Brough. Surviving a childhood on the infamous Falls Road in West Belfast, Kennedy would harmonise with ambulances before busking on the streets of his hometown. Reflecting on those days on his website, Brian says: “I shouldn’t have become a singer really, given where and how my life started, but my voice had other plans and saved me in the end.” Born into a large Celtic family in Victoria, Imogen Brough managed to win the attention of all four judges following her blind audition on the second season of The Voice. She released her first EP, Counting Waves, last year. Anglesea Golf Club – September 15. *Apologies for the incorrect venue given in a recent issue.

At the Heads

With a website introduction which reads, “At the Heads is a one of a kind dining experience on the Surf Coast, offering unique views, a great menu and friendly staff”, we found having a little Q&A with the venue too irresistible an opportunity to pass up. So we spent a little time with Wedding and Corporate Event Co-ordinator Laura Hill and discovered it is as every bit as good as it sounds. Can you start by giving us a general overview of At the Heads? At the Heads is back to basics! Happy hour throughout the whole of winter and summer, the couches, the TV, beers on the deck, live music and an amazing, fresh, exciting new winter menu. People who love the iconic venue are finding even more reasons to make it their number one restaurant destination and functions venue. Enjoy a glass of wine and an antipasto plate on the deck, or a barista-made coffee and a decadent sweet on the couches. Diners can experience quality favourites like fish and chips or a parmigiana alongside such dishes as the seafood platter for two. Alongside our delicious winter menu, we have now introduced a Japanese-inspired menu to the Mulloway Room. This will be available June-August. The variety is as diverse as the clientele, which ranges from businessmen in suits to families that have just strolled in from the beach.

Fourteen Nights at Sea If you were to check the Band, ‘Fourteen Nights at Sea’s’ Facebook you will see this “Fourteen Nights At Sea. In a sinking vessel. No captain. No crew. Only a map of the stars and coordinates of the past. Celestial navigation. Longitude and latitude. Pull the anchor and head for the ocean floor. This pretty much sums it up, or does it?. On the back of the second Album, released in April, Great North, the Band is hitting up regional Victoria over the next 2 weeks. They are set to Play the Barwon Club on September 12th and the Loft Warrnambool on September 13th.

At the Heads boasts one of the best views of the Bellarine. Can you briefly describe the setting? At the Heads is truly the Bellarine Peninsula’s most picturesque seaside location. Situated on the Barwon Heads Jetty – home of the famous Sea Change series – at the water’s edge where the Barwon River meets the sea, just over an hour’s drive from the Melbourne CBD. Take us through the menu. What will people find to suit their tastes? At the Heads, a modern, contemporary menu showcases our impressive local produce from the surrounding regions. And being situated at the most prominent waterfront location available, our team is passionate about fresh and uncomplicated seafood. Our head chef has the experience and knowledge to cater to all individual tastes, and we are happy to adjusted menus to suit your ideas and taste. What is you ‘Must Try’ item? Tempura Spencer Gulf prawns with Thai watermelon salad Are you open for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Yes – breakfast on weekends only Would you say you are suitable for all styles and budgets if people are looking for somewhere to eat? Yes You guys also do functions. Are you suitable for all occasions and budgets? Yes. Why would you suggest At the Heads is the place to dine next time someone is looking to dine out? View, menu, staff, wine list, location. Anything else you would like to add – additional info, website, Facebook, phone, opening hours? Jetty Rd, Barwon Heads. Open 7 days a week. Facebook. com/attheheads. T: (03) 5254 1277; F: (03) 5254 3221. Attheheads.com.au.

What’s On in The Rat:

Thursday, September 5 – Wednesday, September 18 Alright now, for all you boppers out there in the big Rat, here is this fortnight’s rundown of music action. Thursday 5th of September sees Melbourne duo Big Scary playing at the Karova Lounge. Their soft melodic songs will be embracing the audience after support from the realist soft-rocker Courtney Barnett, who’ll tell it like it is with her melancholic humour-filled lyrics. Tickets $16.50. The 5th over at the Babushka Bar/Café will have the Singers of the Black Book four-man choir singing and chanting songs out of their antique song book. Entry TBA. Friday 6th Sep has the girls of Stonefield rocking the Karova Lounge with support from local boys the APES. Great start to the wondrous weekend! Tix $15. Over at Babushka Bar, Ashleigh Mannix will be playing her acoustic guitar to those that are in more of a sit-backand-toe-tap to the rhythm of the weekend mood. Entry $10. Saturday 7th of Sep will see Karova swinging for the third night in a row with the Hungry Kids of Hungary playing their awesome booty-shaking tunes. To warm into the swinging with a bit of sway, Little Scout will be supporting HKofH on this epic line-up of nights brought to you by Karova Lounge. Tix $20. Babushka’s 7th of September night will have Brett Franke on stage playing music from his Temple of Tunes. Sunday 8th of September and The Karova doesn’t want to quit. Yukon Blonde is set to take the stage and leave some good tunes ringing in your ears and set you ready for the working week ahead. Tix $12. Sunday also sees the Eastern Station Hotel enter play again. With their recent hosting of Vinegar Hill’s album launch (track it down and buy it now), they’re looking to further whet your musical appetite with a casual Sunday filled with blues, swamp rock and all music genres gutturally cool with Mick Trembath and special guest Andrew Fry. It’ll also be an awesome start to the week.

By Daniel Lock

After the line-up Karova has had above, they’re resting on their laurels with their gigs TBA until Saturday 14th. The attention now goes primarily to The Babushka Bar/ Café for live original music. Thursday 12th of Sep and Goldentone will be playing their soft guitar music and lulling the gang at Babushka Bar. Entry $5 Friday the 13th of September (a cautionary notice to avoid black cats, walking beneath ladders and stepping on cracks particularly on this day) and Mark Moldre and Jamie Hutchings will be playing their alternative/folk tunes for the audience at Babushka. Saturday the 14th of Sep, in the hope that none of you have fallen prey to bad luck the night before, Matt Glass will be playing his roots music at Babushka, closing off the casual week it’s been for the music scene at the venue. Saturday the 14th has Karova come out of its small music advertising respite with The Preatures set to rock out with their unique blend of post-modern rock‘n’roll. Supporting them will be Chela and Dark Arts. Tix $15. Then on Wednesday 18th of Sep, Cory Branan will be playing Karova with his musical storytelling songs. Tix $15 A gentle reminder that The Babushka Lounge/Café/ Gallery also usually hosts an open jam on Sundays. Details on the above gigs can be found via the following websites: The Babushka Lounge/Café/Gallery – evileye.com.au/ babushkalounge.com The Karova Lounge – karovalounge.com And so I leave you with another fortnight of fine-tune planning ahead in order to catch the best of your music tastes. Till you read me next time, bye.

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Seth Sentry by Tex Miller

Look around the Australian hip hop scene and it doesn’t take much to see that standing on top of it as the king is the one, the only, Mr Seth Sentry. We all know him from his tune ‘Dear Science’ which dropped a couple of years ago; currently he is out on the road touring his latest single entitled ‘Vacation’, and is to stop in at the Wool Exchange to shake things up this Saturday. With his carefree vibes and a tour bus that rivals ‘Doris’ out of the 2000 film Almost Famous, I recently got the opportunity to sit down with Seth to have a chat about his rise to the top. To most of us in Australia, we have heard the name and the music, yet earlier this year Seth broke into the American scene when he played at SXSW (South by Southwest). The opportunities that arose from playing each gig snowballed, and before he knew it he was the first Australian hip hop artist to play on the Jimmy Kimmel show. Looking back at the whole experience, it was a complete blur that still, months on, seems to surprise him. “We went to the US for a bit of a holiday and to lie low, and then we were extending our visas and spent a whole month over there. The vibe to all of the shows was fantastic and it was an insane time – most of it is still a blur to me. From the rap battle to then getting the opportunity to play on Jimmy Kimmel, it was awesome, and I am thankful for everything that happened. Hopefully next year can be just as big,” Seth said. The Vacation tour, which Seth is currently on the road for, takes in stops all around the country in both regional and major city centres. In many ways this is brilliant news because most of the big international bands that come to Australia only play Sydney or Melbourne and the smaller towns don’t really get a look in. In the past, Seth has played just the major centres; however, he wanted to change that mindset this time around. “When I’ve done tours in the past, it’s just been your usual capital city runs, and I really wanted

to get out and see a lot more of my fans this time around. If you don’t dedicate yourself to a regional tour then you kind of have to miss the smaller locations. This time around it is more of an old school kind of vibe, with the whole crew in a tour bus travelling around the country. It’s kind of your classic rock band scenario – yet we have flat screen TVs and an Xbox. It’s a modern day twist on how things used to be without the Tiny Dancer sing-alongs.” The Australian hip hop has over the past decade since Seth has been actively involved in it has expanded greatly due to the rise of technology and social media. Back in the day, it used to be a bit of a ‘boys club’, with a more underground kind of scene, but now it’s stronger than ever. “Back in the day it wasn’t a really accepted form of music and you used to cop a lot of shit from people. I’d never tell anyone I was a rapper because I’d get hounded for it because I was Australian and it didn’t make sense to them, but through commercial airplay and recognition in the ARIA charts everyone is aware of it and getting around it, which is always good. It’s funny because these days you get kids who only listen to Aussie hip hop and can’t stand any American stuff. That’s pretty bizarre to me.” Dear Science is one of Seth’s biggest tracks, and upon asking him about it he came clean with the truth behind how it came about. “I’ve been asked this a bunch of times and I cannot actually recall how it came about – I don’t know what that says about my state of mind. It was just verses and ramblings of a f**king lunatic about hoverboards and there was no beat to it. As it came closer to recording the album, I hit up Trials from the Funkoars and it all come together like that.” Be sure to head on down to the Wool Exchange to experience what will be remembered as one of the best gigs Geelong has seen this year.

When&Where: The Wool Exchange, Geelong – September 7

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DANDO’S: ICONS

Selina Byrne

by Brendan Dando

The blonde guitarist has also found another way to keep herself occupied during Match Girl’s hiatus, and that’s by joining her new proto-punk band, Jarred Belles. “Our lead singer Jac has been in successful punk bands before, so we are hoping to start playing around town soon. We’re just finalising drums and bass for when we play live.” Influenced by artists like David Bowie and New York Dolls, Jarred Belles is quite a contrast to Byrne’s work in Match Girl. “They’re quite different, but I’ve always liked playing acoustic stuff as well as electric, so it suits me to have both!” The love for writing music came at a young age when she played her father’s guitar, an instrument she still owns to this day. “I started playing guitar when I was in middle primary school and the teacher offered a group lesson at lunchtime. After that phase I just copied whatever I could by watching Countdown very closely!” she says with a laugh. From this point, music has influenced her life so much that she even names her pets after famous musicians. “My first dog was named Suzi in honour of Suzi Quatro. I have a 1975 framed autographed Rolling Stone cover of Suzi Quatro in my office now.”

Hypnotist by day, rock star by night; that’s just one of the many ways you can describe local rock chick Selina Byrne. Although originally a Melbourne girl, Byrne has spent the past 15 years living between the city and Geelong’s surf coast. “My work has always been in Melbourne, but all my leisure time is down the coast,” she explains. “It creates a great life balance.” Byrne is one half of Geelong rock outfit Match Girl, who were lucky enough to release their debut album a couple of weeks ago. As she says: “The band’s going really well which is great. We’re doing lots of gigs and our album is now available on iTunes.” However Match Girl will see a minor setback in September when they go on a brief hiatus, with fellow member Laura Loricco soon to become a mother. Byrne insists fans need not worry though. “I’m still writing new material in Match Girl and we hope to record our next set of songs in the next 6 months, so stay tuned!”

Music plays a great deal in helping Byrne balance her busy work schedule with pleasure; for not only is she a hypnotist, but also a psychologist and a clinical nutritionist. “Being in bands and writing music means I get to come home and use a completely different part of the brain. In saying that, I still consider both my music and work as a huge source of pleasure.” Despite what seems a frantic lifestyle, Byrne assures us she is nothing but happy with where her life is heading. “Our emotions tell you when you’re on the right track, and I’m pretty happy with how things are going. Balance is good, so I’m keen to let things evolve, since you never know what’s around the corner. I love that idea.” ‘LIKE’ Jarred Belles – facebook.com/ JarredBelles

Brendan

Gallagher AT OXYGEN COLLEGE Twenty years ago, Brendan Gallagher, amidst forming his band Karma County, who have since become an Australian staple, wrote a book about open tuning and slide guitar. Since that day this book has been utilised by some of the biggest names in music including David Bowie, Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Arlo Guthrie, Paul Weller and Chris Cheney to name just a few. Get excited, because for one night only Brendan is coming to share his tips and tricks with you at Oxygen College in a master class that will help release the shackles of playing your guitar in standard tuning. Beginning to play guitar in 1970, the motivation to pick up a slide came from his hero, Ry Cooder, who to this day remains a strong influence on his playing. As a distant relative of guitar legend Rory Gallagher, Brendan believes that picking up this style was through discovering the great players of the past. “I started playing guitar the week Jimi Hendrix died, and that’s why I am so fascinated with him. Learning in that period was a lot different because you had to go to public libraries and borrow records and pick it up by ear. Before the ABC News at 7 O’clock there used to be this TV show called GTK and they used to play fantastic clips of B.B. King and the like. One night there was Ry Cooder, and he was playing stuff off Paradise and Lunch [Ry’s 1974 album] mainly with his bottleneck slide. That was a real turning point for me, I think. From there, I discovered a lot of old delta bluesmen, most notably Elmore James and Rory Gallagher – my long distant cousin was quoted by Jimi Hendrix to be the greatest guitarist in the world!”

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By Tex Miller

With such a family heritage to the guitar, Brendan was unaware of the acclaim that would follow him with the release of his book, which initially was selfpublished and released before striking a publishing deal in London. The determination in self-managing the publication first off has allowed for the book to be tried and tested by some of the biggest names in the industry. It’s a tough game as Brendan relates, but in the end it’s all worth the hard yards. “Self-publishing the book was great, and I have always been pretty determined. If you get a few no’s, well it was kind of like, ‘well ‘f*ck you, I’ll go do it myself’. I’ve done a lot of playing and touring and been in many backstage areas over the last twenty years and chatted with many people. Being in the music business is all about making alliances and getting in and being around other people and looking for any opportunity that may come your way. “ If you are keen on your slide guitar, be sure to get down to Oxygen College to check out this master at work. Billed at an intermediate to advanced guitar level, the master class looks at both the Vestapol and Spanish tunings of the guitar and how to utilise them throughout your playing. With a new album entitled Wine Island, and a gig at the Barwon Heads Bowling Club on the 21st of September, be sure to catch Brendan whilst he is in this neck of the woods. When&Where: Oxygen College, Geelong – September 19 & barwon heads bowling club - september 21

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Screaming Vocalist wanted for metalcore 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 Wanted: Bass Player & Drummer. I’m a Singer/Songwriter, who has written/produced an album of original songs, looking to gig originals & covers. Influences include U2, INXS, Oasis, The Verve, Snow Patrol. Looking for easy going/reliable muso’s who know their craft. Call Phil 0421 901 530 www. zeffamusic.com 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 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 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 sensibility 1978 to the not-so-now style. Think of yourself as a patron of The Saints, Stiff Little Fingers, Radio Birdman, Buzzcocks,

The Smiths, Psychedelic Furs, Iggy & The Stooges, Wedding Present, Happy Mondays etc etc, then forget you have to be. The usual...car, equipment, attitude, mental state (in an OK kind of...) punctual, earplugs accepted. Be prepared to apply yourself. Let us know on 0409 567 043. Please leave your details and we will hear you - Confirmation code: AKA 1963 Geelong rock band looking for lead vocalist. We are a Geelong based original band looking for a lead vocalist, have a lot of experience and heaps of great original music waiting to be sung. Influences: pearl jam, chili peppers, foo fighters, nirvana, led zep, sound garden. Contact Ben 0432049231. Experienced Lead Guitarist Wanted. Top 40 Coverband. 70s 80s 90s and current. Based in Geelong. Must have commitment. Please Call Mark on 0438836469 or email at pudge_ gypsy33@hotmail.com Singer wanted for acoustic covers duo. Must like 90’s British bands and not into songs your “normal” covers bands play. Think Oasis, Morrissey & The Smiths, Libertines, Pulp, Blur, Verve, and similar Aussie & American groups. Nothing serious to start with but possible gigging if we sound great! Age no barrier and male / female encouraged to contact. Contact Liam: britpopcovers@gmail. com or 0430904407

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chance waters By Natalie Rogers

Last week I caught up with the always charming Sydney-based emcee, Chance Waters where he spoke candidly about life, his career, his dreams of becoming a mathematician and his secret crush. “I’m really excited about how things are going!” Chance began. “This year is looking really positive and I’ve had a heap of great opportunities open up, especially on the touring side of things. I’ve had a couple of personal setbacks, but I’m staying focused on getting my new album finished and making sure everything is perfect. I’m really excited about the new music I’ve been working on and road testing some of it live.” Teaming up with indie kids The Griswolds, Chance will be playing in the capital cities throughout September for the ‘More Than Just Friends Tour’. “They’re absolute legends!” Chance said of his co-headliners. “We played Big Day Out on the same stage in Sydney at the start of the year, but we were already on pretty good terms from the internet. We decided we should make a song together, which turned out really well and then thought maybe we should tour it, so here we are.” Since the release of his latest single ‘Looking for Something’, which features The Grates’ frontwoman Patience Hodgson, Chance has been champing at the bit to get on stage. “I really have more fun on stage than anywhere else. And then meeting everyone who’s connected with my music and getting to talk to people and see how they’re engaging with the music, I find that really inspiring.” Chance is the first to admit he’s come a long way since the early days as a member of now defunct hip hop group Natural Causes and his debut release Inkstains, when he was known as Phatchance. “I know I’ve definitely changed –

you can tell I’m the same artist when you listen to Inkstains, but I feel I’ve come leaps and bounds in the transitional period between that album and releasing Infinity. I feel like there was a steep learning curve, because I do so much of the music work myself, including mixing and tracking. I think I had a longer way to go to get things to where I could be more consistent than most artists and that it’s only been the past year or so that things have really come together. I’ve also grown a lot as a person during that time. Inkstains was a much younger record; it was angstier, and I was definitely still finding my niche creatively.” His new track, ‘Looking for Something’, is a flawless collaboration – something he’s become known for – and a testament to his skills as a songwriter. “I think it’s something I grew into, but which suits me a lot – it’s my main outlet and form of expression. I’m a big talker and very domineering in conversation and I love discussing ideas, so songwriting is kind of a self-indulgent monologue. I spend a lot of time thinking about things and it’s nice to have such an accessible vehicle for those ideas. But growing up I wanted to be many things; an astronaut, a lawyer, a mathematician, even a pirate!” he laughs. In between shows on the ‘More Than Just Friends Tour’, Chance will be taking the stage at some of the country’s biggest and best festivals, notably the Queenscliff Music Festival – and he’s chuffed. “I’m actually going for the whole festival as a punter which is something I don’t usually do. I’m super excited about seeing The Grates obviously and I’m hoping I can rope Patience into playing with us in our set! I’m a big Blue King Brown and The Basics fan,” Chance admitted. “Pez is always excellent and I love San Cisco (and probably have a bit of a crush on Scarlet), so I can’t wait to see them too! “I have a lot amazing things coming up – a new album early next year, new singles this year and some video clips. I’ve just released the video for ‘Looking for Something’ and I’m so happy with it – I think it’s the best thing I’ve done. I’m heading overseas next year for some writing trips which I’m really excited about too!”

When&Where: the Queenscliff Music Festival - november 22-24

Cory Branan By Natalie Rogers

Born out of the Mississippi comes the charismatic crooner Cory Branan. On the back of his third LP, Mutt, he’s heading Down Under for the first time, starting with the sold-out Poison City Weekender before heading down the east coast for the Stunts & Guitars tour. “I’m coming over so green and wide-eyed – I have no idea what to expect,” Cory laughed. “I have some friends who’ve toured there and rattled off some suggestions, but I don’t have an itinerary. I’ll have a few days off, so I’m hoping to dig my heels in a bit while I’m there. I’m pretty stoked. I actually just found out I have family friends there, somewhere on the coast. I haven’t exactly pinned down where yet, but I’m looking forward to it.” Seriously, this guy just oozes cool; he’s the real deal who’s honed his craft through relentless touring, finding his unique voice on the road from Memphis to Nashville where he currently resides. He hangs out with, and tours alongside, cool dudes like The Gaslight Anthem, Chuck Ragan, Tim Barry and Ryan Cabrera, and shares a label with the great Justin Townes Earle and Lucero (Bloodshot Records). “I like having a label that wants to put out records fast, you know? I’ve got another record almost finished and that’ll be out in spring [our autumn] of next year, so that’s kinda nice. I hate waiting so long between records. The songs have been piling up for years and I just want to get out and play them.” As part of the Poison City Weekender, Cory will appear alongside some superb Australian acts such as Forte

Residual By Tex Miller

Playing their first ever gig together as a fourpiece a couple of weeks ago at the FReeZA Battle of the Bands heat at Courthouse ARTS, the acclaim that Residual has received as a result has been extremely positive, with big crowds at their shows in Melbourne, most notably of which at the Espy in St Kilda. Chances are you probably haven’t heard of Residual because they are fresh on the scene, playing their own unique brand of indie rock, yet their stage performance and charisma demands attention. Producing a sound somewhere between The Vaccines and Two Door Cinema Club, they are well worth getting around. At the time of talking to Sam Burtt, keyboardist, rhythm guitar and vocalist for the band, he was quite excited because he had just bought tickets to this year’s Falls Festival which features Vampire Weekend and The Wombats amongst a stack of others. Talking about the start of the band, it was inevitable that four lifelong mates would come together to start making music, after jamming since the end of primary school around ten years ago. Sam’s music tastes over the years have developed somewhat, yet The Beatles and Vampire Weekend never stray too far from the top of his stack of CDs. With a John Lennon poster beside him, Sam tells me without hesitation that he is a Beatles kid through and through. “I’m not one of those guys that is currently trying to track down the hottest new tunes. When I find an album that really grabs my attention, I play

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favourites The Smith Street Band, Blueline Medic, Luca Brasi and Lincoln le Fevre. The latter will be joining Cory on his solo shows, along with Newcastle singersongwriter Jen Buxton, who you can also catch at the Weekender. “I’ve heard Jen Buxton, and I’ve been a supporter of her music for a long time, but I’ve never met her. I’m not sure about the other artists that are playing, but I’m pretty stoked to meet ‘em.” When I quizzed Cory on his ‘go to’ records he answered in his typical drawl: “I’ve got some albums that I would definitely take to the fall-out bunker. A lot of the stuff that I listen to is old rural delta blues, and though I’m influenced by it, when I pick up my guitar I don’t sing much blues. It just feels almost sacred to me that music, so I don’t touch it too much, but it’s definitely the well I draw from.” When it comes to his shows, Cory loves crowd interaction. “I like a little bit of give and take. I think it comes from living in Memphis – I like it loose and close. When I played Germany the crowd was very stoic and silent. It freaked me out a little bit!” he joked. “Also, I don’t make setlists so I usually just play what’s on my mind first and then I open it up to the crowd, whatever they what to hear.” When&Where: The Karova, Ballarat – September 18; Beav’s Bar, Geelong – September 19; The Reverence – September 20; Baby Black Espresso Bar – September 23

it to death. Modern Vampires of the City by Vampire Weekend is one such recent release. From the songwriting to the diverse range of sounds throughout each of their albums, I can’t fault what they are doing at the moment.” With Andy [Rankin] on guitar, Josh [Carter] on bass, Nick [Cousins] on drums and Sam, the rise to fame for Residual has been steady over the past twelve months, with intensive writing sessions to acquire new material taking up the majority of band rehearsals. Sam has penned the majority of the band’s early work, and they are currently in the process of piecing together an EP, which will see the light of day (hopefully) by the end of the year. Although the band is trying to get as much exposure as possible, which means that they have to gig as much as possible in Melbourne, Geelong will always have a special place in the heart of the group. Influenced by the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Wombats and Matt Corby to name just a few, the recorded material from these guys is certain to be stellar. As the band play more shows and gain more experience on stage, the writing process is becoming a lot more collaborative. The recent FReeZA Battle of the Bands, which Residual were surprised to win given the amount of talent on show that night, shows quite simply that there is much life in our music scene. Sam believes that for the Geelong music scene to stay healthy, each individual needs to go out and support the local pubs and venues to ensure the future of the scene. As the winners of this heat, Residual is representing Geelong at the regional final in Warrnambool on October 4th, so head down if you can! Booked to play at New Year’s Revolution at Courthouse ARTS in February next year, and a big summer of gigs coming up, the name Residual will be everywhere soon enough – so as Molly would say, do yourself a favour.

When&Where: OneSixOne – September 12; Revolver – September 19; Lighthouse Theatre – October 4; The Espy – October 27 residual was the winner of the freeza battle of the bands heat at the courthouse arts.

Bob Dylan – Another Self Portrait: The Bootleg Series Vol. 10

WHAT'S NEW!?

No artist has released so many of their hits and rarities as Bob Dylan. With this, the tenth in his series of bootleg recordings, Dylan revisits 1969-71, one of his more controversial periods. Available now on Columbia. A

Babyshambles – Sequel To The Prequel Fresh off their first trip to Australia, Babyshambles are finally releasing their third album. Pete Doherty’s band has waited six years since 2007’s Shotter’s Nation to give us this one. Hopefully it’s worth the wait. Available now on Parlophone.

The Clash – Box Set B One of the biggest punk bands in

the world will release their five studio albums in a box set, with box art chosen by the band themselves. Available September 6 on Legacy.

Saves the Day – Self-titled New Jersey alt-rockers Saves the Day are releasing their eighth album. Rare as it is for a band to

wait eight albums to just put their name on it, I guess they finally ran out of titles. Available now on UNFD.

Eskimo Joe – Wastelands Fremantle’s favourite sons are back with their sixth full-length. Head to the end of the magazine to read my review of the album. Available September 20 on Dirt Diamonds.

Kelly Clarkson – Wrapped in Red Did you know Kelly Clarkson

has won a Grammy? Me either. Anyway, this is the former Idolwinner’s first Christmas album. Available October 25th on Sony.

The Lachy Doley Group – Singer Organ Soul You might not be familiar with the band’s work, but this is their second album. Lachy Doley was, of course, the keyboard player in Australia’s greatest band of all time, Powderfinger. Available independently at the album launch shows. B

TOO HEAVY TO HUG PAUL S TAYLOR chris cruz

September 17 sees the release of yet another highly anticipated new album, Saves the Day’s brand new self-titled album via Equal Vision Records. The emo pioneers (and by emo, I’m talking emotional rock in the vein of Weezer and Jimmy Eat World, NOT that screamo tween-wave garbage that people mistakenly call emo these days) are yet to announce tour dates, so stay tuned. Hopefully Australia gets a proper look in. The first single, ‘The Tide of Our Times’, is available to stream online now.

have nothing better to do. What’s more, it’s FREE ENTRY! By now you would have heard the first round of Soundwave 2014 announcements; Green Day, Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Temple Pilots (featuring Chester Bennington), AFI, Alice in Chains, Megadeth, Placebo, Rob Zombie, Alter Bridge, Korn, Letlive, Alkaline Trio, Rocket From The Crypt, Terror, Bowling For Soup and Trash Talk amongst others. Flemington Racecourse, February 28.

Former Against Me! bassist Andrew Seward has already surfaced with a brand new band called Human Parts. Their self-titled debut album is already out in Australia via local Second round label Poison City announcements have Records. No time been made for the wasted at all! Unlike upcoming Nevermind Against Me!... the Warp’d Tour Did anyone get to see mini festival show this year’s MTV Video at the Brunswick Music Awards? Not Hotel on December a single rock, punk, 7. The Ramshackle metal, alternative Army, Amphetish, or hardcore band One Girl Army, The anywhere in sight. Outfit, Chainsaw The entire show was Hookers (Perth) and dominated by tween Kodiak Throat join artists and rappers. an already huge Joy. Not. Credit where line-up that features credit is due, though; the likes of Fatty Lady Gaga always Esther (Tasmania), puts on an amazing Dixon Cider, performance. Maybe Hopes Abandoned, next year’s show Strawberry Fist will be a little more Cake, The Savages, balanced … But I The Resignators, won’t be holding my Bombs Are Falling and countless others. breath, especially if Justin Bieber has a It takes place from new record out. midday to 3am over two stages. Skate Tune in next issue, ramps, BBQs and kids, for more festival drink specials to news, coz it’s that boot! You’d be crazy time of year! to miss it – since it’s on the same day as the actual Vans Warped Tour stop in Melbourne and you’ll Recent Aussie tourists Touché Amour has their new record, Is Survived By, is out on September 24. It features lead single, ‘DNA’.

Year after year we sit together, you and I, and comb through the Soundwave line-up for the following year – hey, it’s like a tradition. And by the time you read this you’ll have also read the line-up. Prepared? Good, let us begin… Green Day? Like, what the heck? Aren’t they a pop band now? Billie Joe and Tre Cool and that other dude are one small step away from hosting a televised talent show, thus bringing them down to the level of f*cking Kyle Sandilands. Stone Temple Pilots with Chester “Papercut” Bennington at the helm? It’s like a blast from the past mixed with another blast from the past – and another blast from the past being Alice in Chains. Then there’s Placebo, the band that made it big with that one song associated with that actor who left Buffy and starred in a movie with some hot guy. Whenever I think of Placebo, I think of that band Nada Surf as well, for some reason, then their song ‘Popular’; then I remind myself I really should get into that band, but then I forget shortly later. Then there’s Alter Bridge, Nancy Vandal, Gwar, Five Finger Death Punch, Ill Nino, Terror, Testament, Clutch! – Blasts from the past and oddities. And that’s what it is: such an odd line-up. Avenged Sevenfold coheadlining kinda gives it that modern metal edge, but it’s not traditional metal. Sure there’s Trivium, Rob Zombie, Korn, Down, Newsted, DevilDriver, Baroness and the kick-arse Amon Amarth (oh I really hope they bring that boat), but there’s no sumo-sized metal headliner yet. Can’t wait until the next announcement to reveal what other oddities, blasts from the pasts,

and which sumo-sized metal headliner will join the list. In other news: Deals Death will release their new album Point Zero Solution on Friday, September 13. Kvelertak will be headlining their first Australian tour, and you can catch them at the Corner Hotel on Tuesday, September 17. Parkway Drive will play The Palace on Friday, September 20 (sold out) and Sunday, September 22. The all-ages show will be at the same venue on Saturday, September 21. Lamb of God and Meshuggah will double headline at Festival Hall on Sunday, September 22. Soilwork will be at Billboard on Friday, October 4. Korn will release their new album The Paradigm Shift on Friday, October 4. Bring Me The Horizon, Of Mice & Men and Crossfaith will kick out the jams for all ages at Festival Hall on Wednesday, October 9. The Devin Townsend Project will be at The Palace on Sunday, October 13. Every Time I Die will bring their unique brand of metalcore to The Corner Hotel on Sunday, October 20. The Enslaved show at The Hi-Fi has been moved to Friday, November 1. Nile will play the Corner Hotel on Saturday, November 16. The Vans Warped Tour will be held at a TBA venue in Melbourne on Saturday, December 7. Notable acts on board include The Offspring, Hatebreed and Parkway Drive. Soundwave 2014 will be held at Flemington Racecourse on Friday, February 28.

Blank Thankless Air By BLAIR HALL

It’s the notes he’s not playing. No no; it’s the notes that he’s not implying. He’s in it. He’s totally inside it, it’s unreal. But he’s so far in that he’s just out. Oh, he’s really come out the other side. He came out the other side before it even began. He was never in to begin with. It’s not even about being either in or out; he was just never there at all, ever. But man, he’s totally in the pocket. The pocket he’s in has a zip. He’s not getting out, not for anyone. It’s one of those double zips that has the option for a padlock, just like on luggage. But he’s not going anywhere; he never even left. The genius. I know, right? I mean, look at his use of form! What are you talking about? What use of form? Seriously, he has no form. But that’s the point; it’s a comment on form. There’s no form. That’s what it’s saying. The absence of form creates a totally new form. It’s the form he’s not playing. It’s the form that he’s leaving out. Not even. It’s the form he’s not invoking. Through the lack of form – that’s what makes it all up. He’s

so inside form. He totally gets form. Man, he’s so in tune with form. I mean, those pitches. He’s on third base. He’s the modern equivalent to a Japanese baseball star. He’s the original Japanese baseball star. He knows it. That’s so meta. He’s so meta. He’s the original meta-modernist. That’s what he wants you to think. That’s what he’s wanted us to think all along. He just knew, right from the first note. The first note, it just drops you right in the middle of the action. He’s seen a lot of action. I mean, he was there. He was doing it before it was cool. He was there and he was doing it before it was cool. It took us ten years to catch up. We needed to be influenced by it for it to make sense. We needed to be influenced by the people he influenced for it to make sense, overall. We needed to be touched by that sound world. Yet again, a commend on form. Open with section B; then move to section A. Genius. Genius. It’s a pity that he ruined Genesis after Peter Gabriel left. They totally suck as a pop band. They used to be so real. They used to be in it.

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THE INSIDE SPLINTERS

VMAs RE-CAP If you were unable to catch this year’s MTV VMAs then don’t fret; Splinters will tell you all about everything you missed which may have been important and, to be honest, not a lot of it was. Mmm-hmm, All Tea, ALL Shade... So, who were some of the winners this year? And more importantly, who do Splinters think SHOULD have taken home the selected awards below? We should also let it be known that a lot of our suggestions weren’t even nominated – quite criminally so. Let’s take a peek...

Best Pop Video:

Selena Gomez, Come and Get It Should have won: Girls Aloud, Something New

Artist to Watch:

Austin Mahone, What About Love Should have won: V V Brown, The Apple

Best Choreography:

Bruno Mars, Treasure Should have won: Madonna, Girl Gone Wild

THE VMA RESULTS ANALYSIS

It’s very clear who the real winner of the MTV VMAs was this year, and it wasn’t any of the artists taking home top billing for the evening. Lady Gaga (or Stefani Germanotta, the official listing on her birth certificate) stole the show with several moments of pop glory. The first was her electrifying ceremony opener; a stunning performance of current single ‘Applause’, dressed first off as a boxedin-nun. As if the opening costume wasn’t breathtaking enough, she then surprised us all by changing out of her nun’s habit on stage and into a very similar looking Just Dance-era outfit and wig. What followed was a Monster’s Ball throwback (yellow wig ahoy!) before the popstrel ended the performance dressed (er, well) in her Botticelli’s Venus get-up. Vocally, Gags was on point and managed to wipe the floor clean with everybody’s careers in a short four-minute and on-point performance. To top it all off, Gaga was caught on camera towards the end of the show sticking up for One Direction after they were booed by the crowd for winning Song of the Summer. “You guys deserve every single thing that you have accomplished in the past few years,” the singer proclaimed as she had a camera shone on her backstage. “I am going to leave the award show now because they are obviously trying to put you in the wrong light and it’s disgusting.” Gaga then made a beeline for the exit and left the awards ceremony, but not before giving fans a glimpse into the Gaga of old with a move so Divalicious it’s hard not to fall completely and madly in love with the Princess of Pop again after bearing witness to it. As she stood by her limousine, Gaga approached her driver and motioned to the door’s handle. He then proceeded to step forward and opened the car door for her! The look on her face as she motioned him is PRICELESS and, no surprises, this iconic moment in pop culture history has already erupted into an enormous meme online, with an endless array of animated GIFs uploaded displaying this act of Pop Star Realness in all of its glory. It’s official; Gaga is BACK folks – and she may just very well be better than ever.

HIT

MTV

OOH, AHH; LADY GAGA

LADY GAGA

‘Applause’ is a slowburner – and after that iconic video AND MTV VMA performance, we are here, ready and waiting for #ARTPOP.

MILEY CYRUS The twerker got up and left the MTV VMAs after the final award she was nominated for did not go to her. LEGEND.

ONE DIRECTION

Let’s not forget that another more popular BOY BAND once upon a time went by the name of THE BEATLES – and you all circle jerk over them decades later. Just Sit!!

Written by Adem with an E

Best Song of the Summer:

One Direction, Best Song Ever Video of the Year:

Justin Timberlake, Mirrors Should have won: Miley Cyrus, We Can’t Stop

Best Male Video:

So did MTV get it right this year? Er, how about we let you be the judge of that one.

SHE JUST BEIN’ MILEY Brand new Black artist Miley Cyrus shocked everyone in attendance at the VMAs as she twerked within an inch of her life; dancing with stuffed animals to her current radio smash ‘We Can’t Stop’. After some questionable gyration she was then joined by ‘Blurred Lines’ perv Robin Thicke as they duetted on the Disgusting Old Man’s incredibly rapey and misogynistic #1 single.

Best Female Video:

Now look, it’s a great performance but nothing in the VMAs history has been that iconic since – and probably never will. But points must go out to Miley and, begrudgingly, Thicke, for giving us one of the most talked about VMA performances in a long while. BANGERZ, the new Miley Cyrus album, is released worldwide on October the 4th.

Taylor Swift, I Knew You Were Trouble Should have won: Madonna, Girl Gone Wild

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JESSICA MAUBOY

New single ‘End of the Earth’ is more generic and bland than Home Brand skim-milk, with a sound that’s two-and-ahalf years too late and a chorus that has Britney Spears to thank for its existence. Terrible.

SHEPPARD’S ‘LET ME DOWN EASY’

Worst song of the year and possibly of all time. Why is this still played 78 times a day on the radio? What’s worse; the fact that these guys are from Australia or the fact that they’re doing so well with a truly horrific song?

JULIE BISHOP IN WAURN PONDS Julie Bishop was ESCORTED out of the Waurn Ponds shopping centre last week for campaigning without approval. Surely this is the most controversial excitement the area’s had in some time?

SHIT!

Should have won: Richard Simmons, Hair Do

What followed is possibly why everybody keeps talking about this performance: Miley gyrated her bootie against Thicke’s, er, Thick, for an extended period of time too – and much to the shock of all in the audience. Confrontational, a little wrong, and kinda rapey (just like Thicke himself!) but nonetheless a spectacle. Some are comparing it to Madonna’s triple lesbian fantasy performance with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera all those years ago.

Bruno Mars, Locked out of Heaven

Should have won: Either Gaga for ‘Applause’ or Miley for ‘We Can’t Stop’, although we’re quite happy with One Direction’s win as it really is a very good pop song!

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Diesel by zach broadhurst

With more than 25 years experience rocking Australian stages, Mark Lizotte (aka Diesel) – the ‘Journeyman of Australian music’ – is set to remind us all of his electrifying talents as he releases Let It Fly, his first studio album of original material since 2008.

Diesel has also announced additional dates to ‘The Velvet Curtain Tour’, as he brings his unique solo show to theatres around Australia. “With these solo shows it’s something very intimate and exposing. It really exposes what I do and how I play. It’s really the most in depth version you are going to get of me.

An album that undoubtedly has that familiar Diesel sound, you will also find influences that have slowly crept into his repertoire over the past few years. “I think it has got things that are really familiar about me that make you instantly go, ‘oh yeah, I remember that; that’s his sound, that’s what he does’,” explains Lizotte. “But then there are other things that are surprising that will make people think, ‘wow, I’ve never heard him sound like that before’. It’s a mixture of all of that. I think even the things that are surprising at first, after a couple of listens the DNA starts to seep through.”

“I really enjoy the solo thing, especially in these theatre venues because you can just walk on the stage and you can hear everything that’s happening with my instruments. There is no other din of noise I’m battling against; it’s just pure silence in between what the crowd does when they show their appreciation. You can really hear a pin drop, which is quite frighting at times.”

One of the main intriguing additions to Diesel’s sound is the elements of folk scattered across the album – with instruments such as fiddle, mandolin and banjo making appearances. “I’ve been using them in my live show quite a bit; things like the banjo and the mandolin. They are just instruments I have dabbled with over the years, but I’ve only really owned them the last couple of years. Believe it or not they are instruments I haven’t really got my hands on yet. “I guess having more of the folk thing was something that I wasn’t really conscious about going on this record. But the instruments just guided me into that area, because once you start using the sounds, it’s definitely a flavour that dictates, so I just went with it.”

For those of you also wanting to catch Diesel in full band mode you won’t have to wait long. Diesel’s almost year-round touring schedule means he will be back on the road with band in toe for his ‘Let It Fly’ tour in October and November. “As much as I love the whole going out there by myself thing, I think I enjoy it because I know that there is a band show somewhere on the horizon. I guess there are probably only two or three months a year I don’t tour, and that’s probably since before 1988, when we really started touring vigorously. I haven’t taken a whole year off ever. It’s what I do. The idea of not playing your instrument for a year just seems really weird to me. So whether you want his big band sound, or an intimate solo experience, Diesel has you covered this year.

When&Where: COPACC, Colac – September 13 & GPAC, Geelong – September 14. For his full run of dates please visit dieselmusic.com.au.

Davey Lane By Cameron Brogden

As the guitarist in one of Australia’s biggest bands, Davey Lane is one of the best-loved performers in the country. When he’s away from You Am I, Davey has no shortage of sideprojects, but this time he’s a solo act. His debut EP, The Good Borne of Bad Tymes, is out this week and the first single, ‘You’re The Cops, I’m The Crime’, has already achieved success and critical acclaim. To support the release of the EP, Davey Lane will be touring the country, playing three shows in this region as he travels between the major cities. I caught up with him briefly to discuss the tour. First up, I had to ask him about the new EP. “Well, I’d rather leave it up to others to figure out what it sounds like,” he said. “To me it just sounds like whatever’s rattling ‘round inside my head. I guess it’s psych-pop in places, not as much guitar as you’d probably expect from me. I’d like to think they’re accessible tunes, dressed up in sometimes weird ass clothes.” Being a Geelong boy myself, I had to ask when he was last in town. “I think it was with Tim Rogers earlier in the year; I play some bass in his solo band, and the other guys in the band are really good mates of mine so that’s always fun,” he recalled. “Before that it would have been with Charles Jenkins – both times at the Bended Elbow, which I hear no longer exists unfortunately. The Spinning Half folks who put shows on there always took real good care of us.” Davey was full of praise for the promoters and

venues on this tour. “Yeah, I love the Karova Lounge, and Shaun Adams is a legendary human. I did a solo show there last year some time. I was real hesitant about it as I didn’t think anyone would show up, but folks did show up and it was a fucking great night! I can’t wait to take the band there.” And having noticed just how many acts are making the trip down to Castlemaine lately, I had to ask if he knew what the draw was. “I dunno. Castlemaine, along with the Gippsland area around Meeniyan where Ian Bevington puts on shows, seem to be real communities of folk who appreciate music and art. Folks really listen and wanna absorb it all, and a show seems to be a real event there, not just a soundtrack to a boozy night out.” Having just come off a big tour with You Am I, I asked what he was up to at the moment. “Well, actually I’m on holiday at the moment,” Lane explained. “The first ever proper holiday I’ve ever had! – Though being away and not having a guitar around is driving me fuckin’ insane. I’m gagging to get back into it. Got lots of ideas I wanna get down.” Being the You Am I fan that I am, I had to ask about the Hi Fi Daily Double Tour, and the massive reception it got. “Obviously it’s a great position to be in. The last tour did as well as it did I think because, well, those records were so popular at the time and have dated so well. A lot of folks at those shows I’m sure maybe haven’t seen the band since those records came out, and probably not since I’ve been in the band.”

The Story So Far By Natalie Rogers

“I can’t wait to drink the James Squire beer One Fifty Lashes – I remember that it was really good. Oh, and I loved the beaches – can’t wait to go swimming,” replied Will Levy, guitarist for pop punk band The Story So Far, when I asked if he was looking forward to coming back to Australia as part of the Soundwave Festival. At least he has his priorities in order! “The line-up this year is so good. I’ll be sneaking out to watch AFI for sure, and I want to see Testament [thrash metal band formed in the 1980s] – they’re from the Bay Area as well.” More precisely, The Story So Far is from a small city in California called Walnut Creek that boasts some pretty impressive natives. Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett (drummer and guitarist respectively from a little band called Metallica) were both locals at one time. “I know Kirk Hammett shopped at the same Guitar Centre, which is the local music shop, as we did back in the day,” Will recalled. Model Christy Turlington was born in Walnut Creek, as were the members of fellow pop punk bands Set Your Goals and This Time Next Year. “They were all our neighbours at one point. There is definitely a good scene there, although it’s harder for us to check out the local bands these days because we’re never at home.” Before they roll into town with the Soundwave crew, The Story So Far are packing their bags once again and jetting off to the other side of the globe

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to promote their sophomore album What You Don’t See in Europe and the United Kingdom later this month. “We’ve had some time off lately which is cool and everybody is doing their own thing, but we’ve also have been practising, practising, practising! On tour we love to jam – we’re constantly writing riffs. Touring is exhausting, so sometimes you just have to say, ‘f*ck it, I’m just going to chill’, but sometimes I love to explore the city on my own, to get away and have an adventure.” Another recent adventure for The Story So Far (that was billed as the ‘Best Day Ever’) was the 2013 Vans Warped Tour in the US, which saw the band playing alongside some of their musical heroes. “I found it very easy to make friends on the tour – there was no real separation of bands. It really didn’t matter who was the bigger band – we all just hung out. If you wanna go smoke a bowl with somebody, you can smoke a bowl with somebody; if you wanna talk baseball, you can; if you wanna have a beer, sure I’ll have a beer with you. “It’s cool, and at the end of the day we’re all just hanging out because we have one thing in common: we all love to play music. We all have that going for us, so I say bring on Soundwave!” When&Where: Soundwave @ Flemington Racecourse – February 28

When&Where: Wool Exchange, Geelong – September 20; The Bridge, Castlemaine – September 21; The Karova, Ballarat – October 3

A SNAPSHOT OF BIFB -

The Ballarat International Foto Biennale, 17 Aug-15 Sept. story and photos by Sue Rawkins

Well done Ballarat! This 2013 Festival is a terrific idea and a great way to a) get to see amazing photographs; b) get to see beautiful historic buildings and their jaw-dropping interiors; and c) get to eat, drink, sit down, rest, relax, chat, play with the phone and still be able to do all of the above, all at the same time! Cleverly organised and curated, the BIFB has something for every artistic sensibility – from the wild and whacky – Young Ho Kang’s 99 Variations, to the insanely alien – Claudia Fahrenkemper’s Imago Insect Portraits [an ancestral gallery of the microcosm]. There is the Core Program – venues are indicated with a pink shutter icon – all contained within a small area of the CBD bounded by Mair, Lydiard St North, Sturt and Camp streets; taking in the Mining Exchange, Art Gallery, Trades Hall, Gallery B1, Mechanic’s Institute, Post Office Gallery, Town Hall and a little further afield in Dawson Street South, St Patrick’s Community Hall. As well as the exhibitions, there is also an extensive program of masterclasses and workshops within these venues. Then there is the Fringe Circuit – venues are indicated with a green shutter icon – in the CBD, Bridge Mall, Lake Wendouree, Redan, and Sovereign Hill. Hairdressing salons, opticians, cafés, bars, restaurants, hotels, shops and even verandahs are all participants, so you can have a hair-do, a meal or even get an eye test while taking in some amazing images. And all for free! There is a Special Event venue – indicated by an orange shutter icon – and this is at the Old Law Courts Building. This is the place for lectures and discussions about participants’ work. The BIFB is “the most exciting and engaging photographic event of it’s kind in Australia”, boasts the front cover of the incredibly comprehensive and informative Festival Program, available for a gold coin donation at most of the venues. The event attracts thousands of visitors; in 2011 a total of 63,400 visits were recorded at the core venues and 82% of the visitors came to Ballarat especially for the Festival. As did I. As time was short – I had only a few hours to spare, I stuck to most of the Core venues with just a couple of detours to the Fringe. It was a freezing cold, wet and wild day, so the attraction of only braving the elements for a few minutes at a

time between venues, was perfect. Starting at the B1 Gallery, I took in the beautiful, delicate photomontage images of Kara Rasmanis; crossing to Trades Hall my eye, mind and brain were challenged by the lenticular 3D images of Mark Ruff; on to the Art Gallery and the large portraits by Doc Ross, which I didn’t understand at first – well worth reading the artist’s statement about their work – then discovered these were all based on the 37 seconds the earth shook in Christchurch, NZ on 22 February 2011. Crossing wide streets and navigating the deep bluestone culverts slippery with sleet, I took a quick detour to a fringe venue – the George Hotel Laneway. This is an interesting café which is, yes, a laneway. Hung outside and open to the elements is work by Kristin Diemer, the subject being Lake Hindmarsh. (Her work is inside the café, too). Across Lydiard Street to the Mining Exchange, the main hub of the Festival. This incredible building with a main courtyard surrounded by smaller open cubicles is the perfect venue to display huge colour prints - the before-mentioned Young Ho Kang’s 99 Variations; black-and-white landscape essays by John Cato and large works printed onto fabric, Erika Diette’s Shrouds, hanging from the rafters and gently wafting in the breeze. There are many more works besides, and the opportunity to buy Festival merchandise, prints and books. In Sturt Street, I entered the Town Hall – an incredibly ornate Victorian building with marble plaques and huge chandeliers. Up the grand, winding staircase is the Head On Portrait Prize, regarded by the arts community and reviewers as the most critically important photographic portrait prize in the country. The winning picture is of a young African boy and his dog. The boy has a rare skin condition which is gradually closing up his facial orifices. It is a sad and heart-wrenching image that stays with you. On to the Mechanic’s Institute, which is like a weird version of Hogwarts. You get in the lift for Floor 3 and come out the back of the lift, but when you

walk back down the stairs you find you are only on floor 1-and-a-half! In the hallways and stairwells are works by many different photographers, but for me the ultimate experience was walking into the huge theatre, complete with stage, in which there were two exhibitions: Vikk Shayen’s Performanscape, and Claudia Fahrenkemper’s Imago Insect Portraits [an ancestral gallery of the microcosm]. The image of this enormous airy room, with these ethereal, strange images arranged in a semi-circle in the empty, echoing space, with a lone volunteer sitting at a desk, dwarfed by the size and scale of the architecture is an image that is burned into my retina, and is my personal snapshot of the BIFB. My final visit for the day was to the newly built M.A.D.E Museum at Eureka, to see Rebecca Hosking’s Resilience. Rebecca is from the Surf Coast and her exhibition was first launched on International Women’s Day in Torquay. “Hosting Rebecca Hosking’s

portraits of Women at M.A.D.E in our first year of operation fits well with our hopes to promote and share the many untold stories in our community. We know that many of these stories are about our women who are the fabric of healthy democracies,” says M.A.D.E director Jane Smith. This collection of stunning portraits is well worth a detour, but I protest about the fact they are attached to the walls with some sort of sticky-tack. Not a good look. Time was up, but there was still so much to see. It would be worth spending a leisurely weekend in and around Ballarat, taking in the tastes, sights and history of this region as well as appreciating, enjoying, disliking, being confronted by, confused by, entertained by, an outstanding body of work from some of the world’s finest photographers. Even in a short day, fuelled by coffee and cake, I saw enough to keep my interest and energy up and my enthusiasm fired. Don’t miss out.

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HOOP FUSION

jim pavlidis

IN THE MOOD

Hoop Fusion will show you how to use the iconic ‘60s plaything and provide a great deal of fun for all ages. Test your skills with the hula hoop – get those hips swingin’! Where: Little Malop Street, Central Geelong, VIC. WheN: Sept 4. 12-2pm.

To the delight of Hepcats, Lindy Hoppers and lovers of Swing Jazz, the brassy, all singing-all dancing-all-American 1940s musical revue, returns to Australia in celebration of its 20th season. In The Mood is much more than a concert and recreates defining moments with the hypnotic String of Pearls Big Band Orchestra, In The Mood Singers & Swing Dancers from New York, sizzling choreography (from Alex Sanchez - a veteran of 10 Broadway musicals), sassy costumes, and an authentic score of over fifty unforgettable hits such as Chattanooga Choo Choo, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B), Lili Marlene, and much more. Where: WCPA. 1220 Howitt Street, Wendouree, VIC 3355. WheN: Sept 14. PHONE: 5338 0980. EMAIL: wcpa@bgs.vic.edu.au. INFO: www.wcpa.com.au

2013 GEELONG ACQUISITIVE PRINT AWARDS Geelong Gallery announces that 45 works by 46 leading and emerging Australian artists have been shortlisted for the 2013 Geelong acquisitive print awards,  which showcase the best of contemporary Australian printmaking practice. Acquisitions totalling $9,000 will be made including: — the Geelong acquisitive print award of $3,000 — the inaugural Ursula Hoff Institute award of $1,500 Some of the shortlisted artists have printed on a range of unusual media that push the boundaries of traditional printmaking processes. In particular, artist Jillian Allan has printed her

Barwon Heads Introductory Theatre Workshop

Chris Croyden, a Melbourne based playwright, will be holding an Introductory Theatre Workshop at the Barwon Heads Community Arts Garden.   Christine is the director of Melbourne Writers’ Theatre and her plays have been staged in Melbourne,

linocut Flight of fancy (2013) on a feather while Andrew Hazewinkel has chosen to print on carborundum sandpaper for his screenprint Staring together at the stars #1 (2011). The selection panel for the 2013 Geelong acquisitive print awards includes Geoffrey Edwards (Director, Geelong Gallery) and Lisa Sullivan (Curator, Geelong Gallery) along with guest judge, Susi Muddiman (Director, Tweed River Art Gallery and NSW Representative of the Print Council of Australia). Where: Geelong Gallery. Little Malop Street, Geelong, VIC. WheN: Aug 31-Nov 24. PHONE: 5229 3645 INFO: www.geelonggallery.org.au

Sydney and Adelaide, and most recently off Broadway in New York. Christine has also been a part-time Barwon Heads resident for 25 years and intends to hold future workshops in Barwon Heads.   The workshop is for people interested in theatre and will begin with a discussion of character drama and each participant selecting a monologue with a view towards performance.

Numbers are limited to 10 participants. $30 adult.   Where: Barwon Heads Community Arts Garden, Geelong Road, Barwon Heads WheN: Sept 15. 2-4pm. PHONE: 0427 032 933 (Victoria Strachan). INFO: for more details contact Victoria Strachan on barwonheadsartscouncil@ live.com

DRIVING GEELONG

An engaging exhibition focussing on the key events on our roads in the last ten decades. Driving Geelong features never before seen archive images, rich oral histories and cutting edge interactive technology and has been designed to engage anybody who has ever driven on a road, registered a car or clicked on a seat belt. As well as providing displays on the big milestones of our motoring history (such as being the first in the world to introduce the compulsory wearing of seat belts), it will focus on the key roads for the Geelong region: the world famous Great Ocean Road, the Maltby Bypass, and the Western Highway and its vital connection for the social and economic benefits to North West Victoria. Where: National Wool Museum, 26-32 Moorabool Street, Geelong, VIC 3220. WheN: Sept 6-Nov 10. PHONE: 5272 4701 INFO: www.nwminfo@geelongcity.vic.gov.au pictured: 1931 Princes Highway West Section 1, house removing.

Charmaine Wilson - Spirit Whisperer

Meet The One: the most talented psychic in Australia. Her gift? Connecting the Spirit World with the living. Her calling? To bring people out of the darkness. Her passion? Helping those coping with grief. Her name? Charmaine Wilson. The Winner of Channel Seven’s Hit Series The One and Australian Psychic of the Year, Charmaine Wilson will give her audiences a chance to connect with those who have passed over in order to give messages of peace and love to the living. This remarkable medium is bringing her special gift back to GPAC . Where: GPAC. 50 Little Malop Street, Geelong, VIC WheN: Sept 11. PHONE: 5225 1200. INFO: www.gpac.org.au

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

The Geelong Lyric Theatre Society presents the premiere of one of the world’s greatest musicals Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, directed by Craig Irons and starring a standout cast of local performers. Based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera is considered by many to be the most successful musical of all time and is also the longest running show in Broadway history. The Phantom of the Opera opened in the West End in 1986 and on Broadway in 1988. It won the 1986 Olivier Award and the 1988 Tony Award for Best Musical. The Phantom of the Opera will be presented in the Playhouse Theatre GPAC for 8 performances only and is not to be missed. Where: GPAC. 50 Little Malop Street, Geelong, VIC WheN: Oct 4-12. PHONE: 5225 1200. INFO: www.gpac.org.au

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BENDIGO RENAULT FASHION WEEK

The aim is to showcase fashion in Bendigo and to support fashion designers and artisans practicing in the city and the region. This event continues to build the City’s brand as a unique fashion destination. Don’t miss style icon Linda Jackson unveil her latest creations at the Bendigo Art Gallery, the Take 2 designer

recycled and vintage fashion market, Moving Models and the Bendigo Traders Fashion Parade at Bendigo Town Hall. Selected inhouse discounts throughout the week. Where: Various locations around Bendigo. WheN: Aug 30-Sept 20. INFO: www.bendigofashionweek.com

arts news from around town – and beyond! PHOTO CoURTESY OF THE COURIER

Burke & Wills: The Expedition

Tell us the motivation for starting this up. Was there a perceived lack of comedy going on in Ballarat? My aim is to produce a whole lot of fun entertainment events in my hometown, and the motivation for the comedy nights was to add a causal entertainment option for Ballarat audiences! – Something to do after going out to some of the awesome new eateries in town, for example.

by Ashley Davies Don’t miss this premiere performance of new work composed by Ashley Davies. Burke & Wills: The Expedition, an exceptional multi-media project performed by Aria award winner Matt Walker, Queens Trust recipient Monique DiMattina and acclaimed musicians Rory Boast and Shane Reilly. With narration by Henry Wagons written by Australia’s foremost Burke & Wills Scholar David Phoenix. A visual montage of archival images and original artwork by Reg Mombassa is also a feature. Where: Courthouse Arts Theatre, 60 Little Malop Street, Geelong, VIC. WheN: Sept 4. 7.30-8.30pm. PHONE: 5224 2815. EMAIL: youtharts@courthouse.org.au INFO: www.courthouse.org.au

THE HEARTLANDS EXHIBITION

This exhibition showcases 40 entries by refugee artists who have arrived in Australia since 1970. It will include paintings, drawings, photography and mixed media works reflecting this years theme ‘I wish to see…’. The exhibition is presented by AMES and Multicultural Arts Victoria in partnership with Parks Victoria, VicHealth and the Victorian Multicultural Commission. Where: The Homestead at Werribee Park, VIC WheN: Sept 1-14. PHONE: 9188 3681. INFO: www.multiculturalarts.com.au

Can you tell us about the venue at ‘The George’? Why have you chosen it as the venue? The George has recently had a very awesome regeneration, and The Lounge (the big room out the back) is really well fitted out and has a great atmosphere. Just perfect for comedy. The event is running the first Friday of every month. Do you see it growing into a mainstay event for the area? I really hope so, yeah! I’m busy planning the nights for the rest of the year, and also working on getting some comedy and improvisation workshops going, so as to foster some local talent. I’d love to develop a comedy community in Ballarat! What kind of comedians are you looking to attract to the nights? Any big names in store? Yes. That is all … Hehe, sorry, I can’t release any names just yet. But, with close links to the Melbourne comedy scene, you can be assured I’ll be getting our headliners straight out of your TV and/or radio.

BallaRatCat Comedy “Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die” – Mel Brooks. If you’re in the mood for a few chuckles, BallaRatCat is for you. The brainchild of producer and comedy fan Beth Lamont, BallaRatCat serves up the best funny men and women Australia has to offer. We caught up with Beth recently to get the short and skinny. Hey Beth, thanks for taking the time to have a chat. Can you give us a brief background into what you describe as “Ballarat’s own comedy club”? BallaRatCat Comedy is a monthly stand-up comedy night, on the first Friday of every month, featuring some of Australia’s funniest comedians. It is locally produced and tailor-made for Ballarat. Is comedy a passion for you personally? How did putting together these events come about? Comedy has been a big part of my life for some time as part of my career in the entertainment

PULP.

POrPe!

>>>>>> By Cameron Urquhart & Alastair McGibbon

Cameron: Just over a year ago the long-running series The Amazing Spider-Man came to a close with issue #700 and the death of Peter Parker. Sort of. Actually, Peter’s brain was in Doc Ock’s body and Doc Ock’s brain was in Peter Parker’s body, so when Doc Ock’s body died of cancer it took Parker’s brain with it. Oh, and now Peter Parker is a ghost and following around Ock in his body and … yeah. Superior Spider-Man is part of Marvel’s NOW re-launch and when it first came out I thought, “My, what a spectacular amount of stupid. This really is an insult to the integrity of comics”. Recently I remembered that Spider-Man is the story of a teenager who gets bitten by a radioactive spider, and instead of dying swings around New York

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It’s often difficult to tell when a Golden Age is ending; are we just going through a slump, or have we really hit the skids? In the case of bigscreen animation, it’s time to call it: the current Golden Age – which is really the Pixar Age – is over. Purists will be quick to tell you that the upcoming Planes (a spin-off from Pixar’s two Cars films, which are generally considered to be the worst films Pixar has made) doesn’t have the Pixar brand name on it, only a “World of Cars” subheading. Otherwise it’s all Disney, the company that bought Pixar a few years back and probably isn’t all that responsible for the downward slide in the company’s quality ever since. Sure, it’s tempting to blame Disney for the drop in Pixar’s quality, but it’s just as obvious that Pixar’s rise was tied to a handful of quality directors who’ve since moved on – in the case of both Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) and Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, Wall-E), to live-action film making, with various levels of success. There might be better directors coming up, but with Pixar’s brand of animation taking years we’re looking at a pretty fallow stretch ahead even if the upcoming titles turn out to be winners. Not to mention Pixar taking a clear step towards splitting its production in to “quality” titles and “moneymakers”, with Brave the last of the former and Monsters University the most recent of the latter. To be fair, this isn’t exactly a recent development: Toy Story 2 was originally meant to be a directto-DVD cash-in until it was decided it was worth a shot in cinemas. But the Toy Story films were an

industry, and yes, as a passion. When I thought about returning to work (my kids are now 5 and 3), creating a new comedy room was a natural place to start.

aberration: a money-making series of sequels that also managed to be quality work. The previously mentioned Cars films and Monsters University have just felt like … well, sequels. As for the last quality title that really clicked, and that’s probably 2009’s Up, even that was kind of uneven – everyone remembers the amazingly sad opening sequence; the dogs flying planes at the end, not so much. Since then it’s been nothing but moneymakers; apart from Brave, and Brave was too uneven and flawed to hit the high notes that Pixar usually struck with ease. Probably the best Pixar film in recent years wasn’t even from Pixar: Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph had the energy and smarts of classic Pixar, but came out under the Disney label. There’d been talk that the plan with the Disney buy-out of Pixar was to give the Disney product the Pixar touch, but realistically it’s more likely that we’ll get more slightly better Disney efforts and a lot less quality Pixar material, at least in the immediate future. And while there are other animation studios out there doing good work, even their best efforts (there’s another How to Train Your Dragon film coming up soon, so fingers crossed there) lack the smarts – and the willingness to risk alienating the audience – of Pixar’s best work. Still, at least kids’ films are generally timeless, and Pixar’s best isn’t going to go away any time soon. It was fun while it lasted.

The upcoming event includes the likes of Justin Hamilton and Karl Chandler. Can you give us a background into the September 6th line-up? Our September line-up is so awesome … Justin Hamilton, Karl Chandler, Tegan Higginbotham and Daniel Connell are all extremely funny and a varied mix of styles – so we’re sure, whatever your comedy-taste, you’ll leave with a sore face. What can punters expect from the evening and why should they attend? A relaxed, casual night out with awesome food (doors open at 7pm, and you can eat and drink to your heart’s content before and during the show) and big laughs. There’s really nothing like seeing stand-up comedy live on stage. The atmosphere can’t be beat! Anything you would like to add? Just that everyone should check out our website: ballaratcat. com.au. Tickets are available online, and there’s heaps more info there as well.

in a skin-tight suit. That’s not to say I don’t think the current storyline is dumb. It is, but in general everything about superheroes is a bit ridiculous. So when I finally decided to check out Superior Spider-Man, penned by Dan Slott, what I found was an incredibly well-written narrative with strong characterisation, good humour and fun super heroics. Really that’s all you need. Slott understands Spider-Man as a character, just as he understands Dr. Otto Octavius, so when it comes to the odd hybrid that is the superior Spider-Man he nails both voices, and somehow makes one cohesive character. Alastair: Of late, my taste in comic books has been getting darker and more twisted. It started with the traditional noir grit of books like Mark Waid’s Daredevil and spiraled down into the creepy gorefest of Preacher and American Vampire. After wallowing around in their twisted mythologies for a while (I’ve finally finished Preacher, and it was excellent) I’ve stumbled across a gem in a fantastic Image title: Severed. Cameron dropped this one in my lap as a birthday present, and my god is it creepy! Written by Scott Snyder (Batman) and Scott Tuft (Swamp Thing), and with art by Attila Futaki (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), it’s a top-notch horror comic. Set in 1916, Severed follows 12year-old Jack Garron as he runs away from home to find his travelling musician father. Once on the road, he finds that the travelling life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be – especially when you’re being trailed by a creepy old man with razor-sharp teeth and a penchant for human flesh. What follows is one of the most nail-biting stories I’ve read in a long time, and the last few pages of the miniseries ranks among some of the most unsettling things I’ve ever seen. I’m in two minds about Severed; part of me would’ve liked to have seen more of Jack’s adventure, but at the same time I think that adding more to the story would’ve lessened its impact. Considering that Severed finished early last year, it seems unlikely that we’ll see more. That said, Severed is awesome – and a must-have for horror fans.

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Geelong and I foresee the same happening with us.” The concept of The New Wilderness exhibit grew through giving the small select group of artists lucky enough to participate the power to create an art piece, with the decline of the manufacturing industry acting as one of the main inspirations. With a trash and treasure fieldtrip to local recycling centres in the lead up to the exhibit opening, this is a fresh and innovative exhibition, which I personally am very intrigued to see how the brief is interpreted.

When&Where: Courthouse ARTS – September 6

The New Wilderness by Tex Miller

If you haven’t got down to the Geelong Fringe Festival at Courthouse ARTS, then you only have a couple of days left, so you better get to it! Starting with the Conversation in the Key of… with Stephen Cummings on Father’s Day, over the past few days there has been a large variety of different work which crosses a variety of different mediums, showcasing some of the finest artists from around the region. With seven

events all up and five over the weekend, there is no better time to get involved. One of the key features of the week is The New Wilderness installation, which officially opens tomorrow night. Amidst all of the chaos of organising artists and the different spaces around the building, I headed down to have a chat with Yasmin Mobayad and Kate Ellen, two of the participating artists within the project to find how this is hopefully (with a touch

Zoe Boyd, Illustrator Full Door Graphics Project Illustration Class Advanced Diploma of Graphic Design

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of luck) going to help extend connections with the already flourishing Geelong arts industry. Starting out speaking about the festival in general terms, Yasmin believes that although in its first year – through extensive support from Deakin University – while the concept is not groundbreakingly original, it has the ability to extend the word about the evergrowing arts scene. “The festival opens and closes with the Conversation in the Key of… concert series, and I think given the vast response from people over the past twelve months with each concert, it is going to be a cracking week with plenty of different things happening to keep everyone interested. Melbourne has a fringe festival, and within their first event there was a lot of attention surrounding it. There has been a bit of a gap in the arts industry of

“These open spaces becoming available means that there is the possibility to offer areas to emerging artists. When we went to the recycling centre, we got six boxes of books, a box-spring bed, a tree trunk and a wooden door to name just a few. There are a lot of materials coming together and we think that will be very beneficial to the diverse range of artists we have working on it. “There are photographers, painters, musicians and visual artists, so finding materials to play to everyone’s different strengths is great. It’s looking to be quite original and quirky, so come prepared with an open mind,” Yasmin and Kate said. It might be that time of year where the footy finals dominate your social calendar, yet there is plenty of talent within the local region showcased throughout the festival. You’d be crazy to miss this one guys! Kate and Yasmin also run a blog entitled DoubleSpeak (doublespeakblog.com), which will feature Fringe Festival and New Wilderness news and articles, so keep an eye out.

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FILM REVIEWS

by anthony morris RED 2 For a movie based almost entirely around how much fun it is to see old classy actors firing big guns, the first RED (short for Retired Extremely Dangerous) actually had a mildly interesting story going on. At least, it did in the early scenes where the retired CIA agent Frank Moses (Willis) had an awkward yet touching relationship with his pension handler Sarah (MaryLouise Parker). That film ended with them together; this starts with them shopping in Costco. She’s bored, he’s over-protective, Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich) pops up and he’s still crazy – and then his car explodes so obviously he’s dead. Right? Pretty soon Moses is single-handedly wiping out kill squads, only this time they’re led by the comparatively youthful Jack Horton (Neal McDonough). Seems Moses and Marvin (you don’t really think he’s dead, do you?) are being hunted because of their role in helping to smuggle a briefcase nuclear weapon into Moscow at the height of the Cold War. Now the world’s deadliest killers are being hired to take them down, including contract killer Han Cho-Bai (Lee Byung-hun) and old friend from MI6, Victoria (Helen Mirren). What comes next doesn’t make much sense, but it does have a load of name actors waving guns around, including David Thewlis as a terrorist known as “The Frog”, Catherine Zeta-Jones as a former Soviet spy (and former love of Moses’ life) and Anthony Hopkins as the briefcase nuke builder who’s spent the last thirty years in an asylum for the criminally insane. Multiple car chases and gun battles follow. The action here is good rather than great, which is a problem because this time around the action is really all this has going for it. None of the supporting roles are that memorable this time out and the regulars largely just go through the motions. Malkovich is still kind of fun though, and Mirren can do this stuff in her sleep. In contrast, Willis actually seems to be asleep for much of the time here. Turns out this is a joke that just isn’t as funny the second time around.

Paranoia It’s easy to forget that a big part of the reason why they don’t make mid-budget thrillers like they used to is because they often weren’t very good. In that at least, Paranoia is faithful to the tradition. It stars Australia’s own Liam Hemsworth as a would-be smartphone software star who flames out in a big, big way at his first big presentation to the big boss (Gary Oldman). But surprisingly, his boss is then impressed by the way our (now sacked) hero uses his corporate account to pay for a massive night on the town for his co-workers rather than embezzle the cash to help his sick father (Richard Dreyfuss). So naturally, the boss blackmails him into taking a job at the firm owned by his corporate rival (Harrison Ford) so he can worm his way into the heart of the company and steal their new prototype phone. Vague questions about the allure of corporate success and various slightly sinister surveillance schemes never quite congeal into anything compelling, while the big name cast largely spend their time confirming that big names don’t count for much in movies any more – even the chance to see Air Force One co-stars Ford and Oldman face off once again is just a reminder of how far they all seem to have fallen. On the plus side, things move briskly enough to ensure this never becomes boring, and the occasional quirky moment (often from the utterly superfluous Dreyfuss) keeps this from being a dead loss. But overall, these corporate tigers prove to be fairly toothless.

Kick Ass 2 Since the first film wrapped up in a blaze of exploding body parts, costumed hero Kick-Ass, aka high school loser Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has returned to patrolling the streets. But just like in the comic books, once a superhero becomes established it’s time to team up with other heroes. So when he discovers Justice Forever, a group led by Colonel Stars and Stripes (an underplaying Jim Carrey), it’s like all his Christmases have come at once – especially when he starts hooking up with Night-Bitch (Lindy Booth) in-between raiding triad gambling dens. Meanwhile, Hit-Girl, aka Mindy Macready (Chloë Grace Moretz), has troubles of her own. After initially helping Kick-Ass out in his war on crime – by shooting him in the chest to toughen him up (he’s wearing a bullet proof vest) – she’s caught sneaking out to fight crime and is served an ultimatum by her new dad: time to act like a regular teenager. Easier said than done when the world of bitchy teen cliques is all new to you and you’d much rather be out there kicking criminal ass. Meanwhile, the former Red Mist, aka Chris D’Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is fuming over the demise of his mob boss dad at the hands (and machines guns, and jet pack) of Kick-Ass. So when his mother dies in a tanning bed accident and he inherits the family wealth, all bets are off. His mother’s kinky sex fetish gear becomes his new supervillain costume, he hires himself a gang, gives them largely racist or offensive names (he’s calling himself ‘The Motherf**ker’), and hits the streets looking to stir up trouble. Director Jeff Wadlow doesn’t exactly fumble the big action sequences, but they never really take off, and the final all-in brawl is a distinct letdown. It’s hard to know whether to be impressed by the way this hits the exact same story beats as the first film while managing to move the characters forward (a little), or to be disappointed that there’s really nothing new on offer here. None of the bad taste and bad language was that shocking the first time around, and the try-hard action just makes it feel like a B-grade version of the kind of movies it’s making fun of. There’s no denying that the increasingly formulaic genre of superhero movies needs a serious satirical takedown: this just isn’t it.

Stoker

Jobs Steve Jobs was a guy that, if this movie is any guide, wasn’t really someone you’d have wanted to spend much time with. At all. Which turns out to be kind of a plus when it comes to making a biopic about his life – we’re so used to these things sugar-coating everything about their subject (remember The Iron Lady?) that seeing one where the lead is a bit of a tool to everyone around him is both refreshing and a sign that the guy must have been an even bigger tool in real life. Aside from a brief flash-forward to 2001 at the start to launch the iPod (which, let’s be honest, isn’t all that impressive today), our story begins in 1974 where Jobs (Ashton Kutcher) is a university dropout – but not one of those lazy drop-outs; he dropped out because he was too smart for school according to one of his former professors (James Woods), who then vanishes from the film, never to be seen again. Jobs, on the other hand, cheats on his girlfriend then takes a trip to India where he acts like your typical hippie. Upon his return he reveals his other side by getting a job at Atari, where he is such a tool no-one else will work with him despite his massive brain. Or at least, a brain big enough to latch onto his buddy Steve Wozniak (Josh Gad) and get him to do all the heavy lifting on a series of projects that eventually – with a big injection of money from an investor (Dermot Mulroney) – leads to the creation of the ground-breaking home computer, the Apple II. Now a success, Jobs promptly cuts most of his friends out when it comes time to hand out shares in Apple Computer, then dumps his girlfriend when she tells him she’s pregnant. Also, he angrily denies the baby is his. But hey, he’s really good at making sharp business deals. Kutcher is really good in this fairly uneven story (Jobs life is shoe-horned into your typical movie template of success-loss-success, so the story ends with his return to Apple in the late ‘90s), but it’s the kind of thing that will either send you out of the cinema looking for a good history of Apple Computers or a box set of That ‘70s Show.

The Best Offer: Geoffrey Rush is the world’s leading auctioneer. He’s also not above undervaluing the good stuff so his partnerin-crime (Donald Sutherland) can pick them up cheap, and his love life consists of secretly collecting paintings of beautiful women. But when a mysterious seller arrives on the scene – well, invites him to her mansion, as she never comes out of her room – he might come for the

antiques, but he stays for the strange feelings growing in his heart. Pain & Gain: When a bunch of not especially bright bodybuilders decide the quickest path to the top is kidnapping and extortion, the stage is set for a whole lot of criminal bungling in what is almost certainly Michael Bay’s best ever film (and it’s probably the best performance from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to date too).

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We’re the Millers: If you have to bring a campervan full of drugs across the USA-Mexico border, what better way to do it than with a fake family to make you seem innocent? It’s a decent scheme for a crime – maybe not so good a set-up for a comedy if the result here is any guide. Elysium: It’s the future and all the rich people have moved off-planet to a luxury space habitat called Elysium. Matt Damon

is not rich, which helps explain why the final hour of this film is one massive (and very well-done) series of action chases and shoot-outs as he tries to get what’s (not) his. Now You See Me: It’s magicians robbing banks – on stage – in this fast-paced film that’s keen to give off the illusion of being smart but never manages to back it up. Having a much better twist at the end wouldn’t have hurt either.

India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) has always been hypersensitive to the world around her, so when her father Richard (Dermot Mulroney) dies in a car accident on her eighteenth birthday she doesn’t exactly open up and let her feelings out. She’s hardly close to her mother, Evelyn (Nicole Kidman), which comes as no surprise; Evelyn is a brittle, self-centred woman jealous of the connection between her daughter and her husband. Luckily Richard’s never-before-mentioned brother Charlie (Matthew Goode) arrives after the funeral to announce he’s moving in to take care of them both. Charlie is charming – well, he’s charmed Evelyn, who’s lusting after him from the second he arrives – but there’s something a little bit wrong about him. India’s not glad about the new houseguest but she’s got other worries, such as the boys at school alternatively trying to chat her up her then turning nasty when she walks on by. Then her great aunt Gwendolyn (Jacki Weaver) arrives, and the mystery only deepens. Charlie and Evelyn aren’t glad to see her; Evelyn’s dislike she expected, but Charlie seems a real surprise. Maybe his European trip wasn’t entirely above board? And maybe India’s growing feelings towards him are a very bad idea indeed? Working from a script by Wentworth Miller (the Prison Break star), South Korean director Park Chan-wook (Old Boy, Thirst) presents us with a gothic landscape packed with dark symbolism. The focus isn’t so much on the mystery inside the crumbling, mistshrouded mansion as it is on the mystery inside India’s head. Wasikowska pretty much carries the entire film on her shoulders, and she’s completely convincing as a teen whose growing sexuality threatens to crack the shell she’s built up around her. The film’s big weak spot is the juggling act between the creepy family mystery and the world inside India’s head. A better film would have one reflect and build on the other – and this manages it for a while – but once the mystery becomes clear, the film starts to lose the energy that made it so enthralling early on. It’s still a creepy, compelling film – it’s just a little more traditional than it seems at first glance.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Here’s a little secret: author Cassandra Clare (who wrote the series of young adult novels this film is based on) started out her writing career working on Harry Potter fan fiction. So if you find you mind wandering at any stage of this trashy, shoddy, but still kind of fun film, ask yourself this: is red-haired heroine Clary Fray (Lily Collins) meant to be Hermione? Is brooding blonde Jace (Jamie Campbell Bower) a thinly disguised Draco Malfoy? Is glasses-wearing dork Simon (Robert Sheehan) really Harry Potter? And was Johann Sebastian Bach secretly covered in tattoos that gave him magic powers as part of his membership of a member of a hidden monster-fighting order? Well, at least we all know the answer to that one. Clary is just your average teenage girl obsessively drawing the same magic symbol over and over again and hanging out at poetry slams – until she goes into a goth nightclub and promptly sees Jace and a couple of his buddies murder a guy. Don’t worry though, Jace is a “Shadowhunter” – a demon hunter invisible to regular humans (“mundanes”) – so everything makes perfect sense and she hasn’t just had some kind of nervous breakdown. By seeing Jace at his day job, Clary has signalled to sinister monster forces that now’s the time to go around to her house and beat up her mum (Lena Headey). Mum figures out the best way to not tell them what they want to know is by putting herself into a coma, so by the time Clary gets home the place is a mess and there’s a strange dog in the living room that suddenly sprouts tentacles. Some demon fighting follows, along with a whole bunch of scenes that are just massive dumps of moderately interesting backstory: there’s a magic cup that’s gone missing, there’s an invisible magic school that’s not at all like Hogwarts, there’s a really evil guy out there (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). The City of Bones plays a surprisingly small role in the story, and none of that is important because the real focus here is whether Clary and Jace will get it on and break the heart of chump Simon. Fortunately there are just enough moments where the film seems to be in on the joke to keep the mocking laughter (as opposed to the gleeful kind) to a minimum. Lacking the solid storytelling of the Harry Potter series or the nutty intensity of Twilight, this is a stripped back pulp mishmash of a decade’s worth of supernatural teen clichés. If you’re over the whole supernatural teen thing, this will in no way change your mind; if you’re willing to give it one more shot … well, there is a very funny scene involving a demon trying to shut a smashed door that’s worth a look.

MUSIC REVIEWS

Eskimo Joe

Horrorshow

The Stillsons

Avenged Sevenfold

Wastelands

King Amongst Many

Never Go Your Way

Hail to the King

Dirt Diamonds

Elefant Traks

Fuse / Mountain King Music

Warner

The cream of the Fremantle crop, Eskimo Joe’s back with their sixth album. It seems like only yesterday we were being assaulted with ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’ everywhere we went, but that was three albums ago. I was never sold entirely on this band, but I saw frontman Kav Temperley at Splendour in the Grass last year, and he was like a man possessed on stage; his stage presence and connection to the crowd are fantastic, so I guess you just have to see them live.

Sydney duo Horrorshow have been making waves in the hip hop world for a while now, forming the One Day crew with Spit Syndicate and Joyride back in 2008, and building their fan base from there. This is their third album with Urthboy’s Elefant Traks label, from an act who hasn’t failed to sell out a headline show. Horrorshow fans will be very happy with this latest effort; Solo and Adit have maintained their usual level of quality.

Having said that, this album is pretty good. Opening track, ‘Running Out of Needs’, seems to be a transition point between their rock sound into this newer, higher energy pop sound. ‘Not Alone’ is synth-heavy, very dancey, with a chorus you can sing along to – bound to be a live show favourite. Third track, ‘Got What You Need’, is probably a low point; it is very poppy, but with a slow melody. ‘Sad Song’ brings the quality back up. It sounds a bit like old Eskimo Joe again, but more than that, it just seems to be in a different direction to the rest of the album.

Throughout the entire album is a great, low-key vibe. There are no heavy beats, no high-speed raps and no samples out of nowhere. Most of the backing tracks seem to be piano/keyboard based; the vocals are clean (even if the lyrics aren’t always) and easy to understand. To be honest, it feels more like an RnB album in places, especially in ‘Nice Guys Finish Last’ (featuring Joyride), where there is a distinct vocal line.

Lyrics on The Stillsons’ third album suggest songwriters Justin Bernasconi and Cat Cateri had been deep in soul-searching mode. Between them, you hear stories and musings on the eternally puzzling nature of relationships as they try to make sense of loving, regret and the choices we make. With a whole range of roots influences in the mix, you can still taste the distinctly alt-country flavour at their heart. And like a classic country ode to cheatin’ lovers and empty pockets, Never Go Your Way leaves the listener content, consoled and sweetly bemused.

Avenged Sevenfold (A7X) were derided by hardcore metalheads yet celebrated by newer metal fans for their take on metal which separated them from the masses. They never gave a shit about anything except for doing what they wanted. Their previous albums, most notably their self-titled album, was a tug-of-war extravaganza of talents all boiling and bubbling in a cauldron of groovy, groovy goodness you could pretty much serve up at a bar and attract countless orders from the younger, less traditional metal fans.

Honestly, I’m on the fence about this one. Definitely get it if you’re an Eskimo Joe fan, otherwise check out the singles and decide for yourself. By Cameron Brogden

Every hip hop artist in Australia has a couple of slow, laidback tracks on their album, but Horrorshow seem to have made it the focus of the album right from the opening track ‘Human Era’. ‘Own Backyard’ is a high point; it features Jimblah and speaks of the plight of indigenous Australians. All in all, worth picking up. By Cameron Brogden

Guitarist Bernasconi and drummer Cateri share lead vocal duties, giving a nice textural balance to the dozen tracks. There are more of Cateri’s songs than on earlier albums, and three cowrites. Heading north to hole up in an idyllic studio/residence overlooking the Brisbane River seems to have worked a treat, focusing the laidback mood within a solid, assured sound. Early single release ‘Feel So Young’ opens with resolute, rapid fire drums in juxtaposition to the airy vocals and sleepy West Coast-style guitar. Confessed fans of 70s Americana and country rock, they clearly channel bands like America (harmonies on ‘Stay Awake’), Little Feat (the southern-fried groove of ‘Small Things’) and other iconic troubadours of the day. Yet the sense of this being a uniquely Australian expression is heard in the sense of space allowed throughout. Harmonies are subtle and effortless. The tempo dances from foot-stomping to reflective. Instrumentation is deceptively refined. Ben Franz (The Waifs, The Zydecats) provides sublime and perfectly placed pedal steel; bass player Edmondo Ammendola also contributed on production with studio host Sean Cook. A beautifully rounded collection of songs, embrace all the moods and listen to the album as a whole. By Chris Lambie

The Paper Kites States Sony Melbourne-based folksters The Paper Kites are back with their debut LP, States. On the back of their Woodland and Young North EPs, The Paper Kites have built quite the following through play on triple j, and a number of national tours as both headliner and in supporting roles. Opening track, ‘Malleable Beings’, is straight away the sound we expect from The Paper Kites; it’s ethereal, folky and just brings this feeling of being out among nature. Follow-up ‘St Clarity’ takes away from the soundscape with an acoustic guitar that plays throughout the track, adding more of a folk element, but ultimately degrading the quality of the track. ‘Living Colour’ is something altogether different; the keys at the beginning recall a pop ballad, but the focus soon shifts to Christina Lacy’s vocals. The vocal is amazing, and it’s a nice change for the band to give Lacy the lead, but musically it sounds … cheap. The Paper Kites are known for their soundscapes and their ability to take you away from where you are. This track does neither. ‘Gates’ is a stripped back folk song; it has a great sound, the harmonies between the two lead singers make it. ‘Young’ brings back the signature Paper Kites sound, and it’s about time really. But it’s gone again in the next track. All in all, not what I expected. It’s something different for the band, and I’m not sure it works. Probably not worth a buy. By Cameron Brogden

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

By Cameron Brogden

While there’s nothing necessarily wrong with Hail to the King – it’s a brilliant album – it’s just not what A7X have been about. Production on this album is classic, song structure is solid and tight, riffs are galore, drums rap along with the best of ‘em; everything is covered, regurgitated – classic metal has been Avenged Sevenfold-ised.

The band has grown as a unit – they’ve had to for one reason or another. They’re paying homage to everything that made them, them. They’re busting balls for respect, they’re more serious, and there’s no doubt it is a killer album that’ll please traditionalists and surprise fans.

Create/Control

Lead single, and the first track on the album, ‘Better Days’, is probably the closest; the chorus is pretty catchy, it has all the folk elements, but it’s just not quite there. There are tracks where they seem to be channelling the Beatles’ psychedelic years, the first glimpse of this is in the third track, ‘Two’. ‘Life is Hard’ can’t help but make me think of Christmas with its bells in the opening. There isn’t really a song on this album I’d call bad, but there isn’t anything I’d really call ‘good’ – except for ‘Better Days’. The album is just kind of … there. It exists. Buy the single, skip the album.

But shit has just got serious for A7X. Hail to the King is yet another departure for the band. It’s paint-by-numbers classic metal. They’re wearing their influences on their sleeves; nay, they (might have) tattooed all of their influences right on to their arms which are held high, thrusting fists along to ‘80s classics from bands like Iron Maiden, mainly.

A7X do the classic metal thing well. But A7X aren’t a classic metal band – never have been and never will be. Hail to the King isn’t a concept album. It’s a project album; the project outline to create a classic metal album, and the result is this album. With that comes a certain loss of humanity the band previously sweated out in buckets. There are a couple of ballad-esque tracks but no countryinspired tracks the band are famous for, and no ‘A Little Piece of Heaven’ epic narrative.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

There is no-one in this band called Edward Sharpe. It was a former stage name of the band’s leader Alex Ebert that the band just stuck with. If you think you don’t know these guys, you’re wrong. You’ve definitely heard ‘Home’. Their 2009 single received heavy airplay on triple j, as well as being used in a number of ad campaigns – not to mention the fact that I know at least two people who have had it as a ringtone for three years. Unfortunately, this album doesn’t have a track even half as grabby as ‘Home’ was.

Then came the band’s Nightmare, a departure that was mournful and a celebration of all that had preceded, and ended along with their uber talented drummer, The Rev. Up until that point, A7X were a bunch of guys who all played their respective instruments as if their lives depended on it – and all battled for glory. You want proof? Listen to tracks like ‘Critical Acclaim’ and ‘Almost Easy’. The production of those tracks, like the tracks themselves, were all over the place; everything was turned up and down, highlighted and backgrounded and reversed as the song progressed like a schizophrenic madman had taken control of your brain and sense of music. It was that f*cking brilliance and attitude that made A7X so derided and celebrated.

By Paul S Taylor

Bernard Fanning Departures (Deluxe) Dew Process The former frontman of Powderfinger has once again stepped away from his rock roots in his sophomore solo album, Departures. Gone this time are the folk sensibilities of his solo debut, Tea and Sympathy. Instead we have what could perhaps be best described as ‘adult contemporary’; that kind of generic sounding, inoffensive, not-quite-pop, not-quite-rock music that you hear playing in chain book shops and Starbucks. The few exceptions to this rule are the obvious future singles which have a certain level of rock to them, with strong guitar elements and heavy drumming.

Opening track ‘Tell Me How It Ends’ and second track ‘Limbo Stick’ encapsulate the rock elements, as does the lead single, ‘Battleships’. The slow vocals of ‘Grow Around You’ leave you wanting to listen to Powderfinger classics, but combines Bernard Fanning’s signature, beautiful vocal with instrumentals that I can only really liken to Rob Thomas’ solo work. Which is a shame, because with a basic acoustic guitar and drum backing, ‘Grow Around You’ could have been an amazing Powderfinger track. ‘Drake’, with its guitar hook again, has shades of Powderfinger, but just doesn’t quite reach the heights of ‘Like A Dog’, which it most closely resembles. All in all, it has its highpoints, but they’re not quite enough to carry the album. Buy the singles, or skip it all together and buy Odyssey Number Five. By Cameron Brogden

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grogwatch Hey, here’s something fun to do before voting this Saturday: let’s remind ourselves of all the things our government doesn’t control. There’s the economy – it’s global, run by multinational corporations, overseas investors, and bizarre fractal maths no-one understands. There are our borders – next time someone says “we’ll stop the boats”, just check out a map sometime; this place is huge and no-one wants to live out in the desert bits. Our health – are you kidding, people still die from the Black Death and the news is always running stories about some kid whose head just fell off for no reason. Our environment – think about all the things fifty years ago that we thought were okay but we now know are deadly, then think about how much new stuff we’ve invented that hasn’t even been around for fifty years yet, then go insane with fear. Even our schools – c’mon, they’re just warehouses to socialise and keep off the streets the raging hormone factories that are our offspring; does anyone remember anything useful from high school even a year later? But we have to pretend the government controls those things; after all, we as individuals sure don’t. If our kids are stupid and lazy, we can’t help that. If our brain explodes, we can’t help that. If someone really, really wants to sneak a boat full of advance DVD copies of season two of Girls into the country, we can’t help that. If one morning we wake up and realise it hasn’t rained for nine years and everyone has to move to New Zealand, we can’t help that. And if some guy in a big room in New York decides to close down the branch office where we work, we can’t help that. What we can do is choose between two parties whose leaders are crazy enough to say, “blame and reward me for things I have no control over whatsoever”. Society is a raging vortex of forces we barely understand and cannot conquer, and elections merely provide a brief and false semblance of control over our petty lives. Happy voting! Oh right, there’s still a thousand words worth of column to go. Look, if we remembered

that all politicians are basically people who think they know how to run our lives better than we do, then elections would simply be a chance to beat them up when they came around looking for votes. Fortunately (or not), there are two powerful forces at work to make us forget the essential sameness of all politicians: on one side of the coin, half the time when a politician gets into parliament they end up in opposition, where their incompetence and arrogance is disguised by the fact that they can’t actually do anything – apart from run around listening to people, which means that eventually they figure out how to say what we want to hear. So they lay on the sweet talk, and soon we’re starting to think maybe they aren’t as bad as regular politicians. On the coins’ other side, the party in power have been so busy enjoying the perks of power that they’ve forgotten all the caring, sharing stuff they learnt in opposition – their masks have slipped, revealing them as the unsightly politicians they really are. And because they’re politicians in power, they don’t really care about anything but hanging on to power – after all, power means you get to be on TV and meet important people and strut around the place telling regular people what to do. Suddenly the opposition looks good; the party in power looks bad. Better flip the coin and start all over again... I mean seriously, apart from the hairstyles and hair colours of their respective leaders, can you seriously spot any difference at all between the Federal leaders of our two major political parties? Of course not: they both stand for roughly the same things in roughly the same amounts, and if you’re hoping one of them will suddenly announce a plan to forcibly insert disco balls into every child’s head or a scheme to kill off everyone over the age of sixty-five then you’re out of luck, because as a nation pretty much all of us want roughly the same things. When was the last time someone around the barbie said we should nationalise the banks or invade New Zealand? Okay, someone who wasn’t me. So if we all think strong defence, working hospitals, caring for the sick and elderly and being tough on crime are important, while turning the outback in to a giant microwave oven and securing our economic

TOP5

– preferably one with a cover story like “Good girls gone bad: How jealousy stops him taking you for granted”. Good voters get neglected and ignored; if you want the politicians to come a running, become a vote slut.

future by exporting popcorn to the world isn’t, why do we bother having elections? I mean, while both sides have announced that they’ll “stop the boats”, pretty much all the experts agree that there’s only so much we can do in Australia, all that we can do is already being done, and “stop the boats” is the most ridiculous so-called “issue” ever anyway. So what kind of basis for choosing one party over the other is that anyway?

The real problem with elections is that they’re just not fair; while most of us might spend five minutes tops thinking about who we’re going to vote for, politicians spend years figuring out ways to divide and conquer us for their benefit. Don’t believe it? Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: “Sure, our tax / education / health / whatever policy clearly favours the rich – but you want to be rich one day, don’t you? And when you get rich, you’ll want a tax / education / health / whatever system that’s aimed at you, right? So really, if you vote against our policies, you’re only hurting yourself, aren’t you”?

Basically I’m saying that elections are one big scam, a smoke and mirrors show designed to present the illusion of choice while ensuring things stay pretty much the same. I’m also saying that’s a good thing; we should be glad we don’t have to make a real choice between two wildly different political parties, because if we did, and we happened to live in a safe seat where our vote basically counts for nothing, we might get a little angry that our voice wasn’t being heard and, y’know, burn down parliament and lynch everyone inside.

Actually, here’s a dumber example: when I was in year eleven at high school, my year complained that the year twelves had too much say in school council decisions that affected us. “Sure”, the principal said, “we could change it, but that’ll mean the year twelves have less say – and next year, you’ll be the year twelves”. So we did nothing, and next year ... well, about half my year had dropped out because it was a crap school.

Countries where elections mean real choice are countries that explode into chaos when the polls close: boring politicians save lives. And with the essential uselessness of our political system firmly established, it’s time to ask the one question that really does count: what’s in it for me? Considering the supposedly huge range of political viewpoints on offer, it’s a little surprising that every political candidate has the exact same answer: what’s in it for you is heaps of cool stuff – but only if you give me your vote. And after all, says our would be leaders, what else use is your vote?

The point is, politicians have plenty of ways to trick us into putting up with their lazy, incompetent schemes. What we need to do is get together as a community and rig this election. I’m not suggesting anything illegal. We should just all get together and reveal who we’re going to vote for. Once we know how the votes stack up, we can tell 10,000 people to change from Liberal to Labour, or 5000 to go from Labour to Liberal, or whatever it takes to make sure whoever wins our local seats does so by the tiniest margin possible.

It’s not like a shopper docket or anything; there’s no service stations saying “5 cents off petrol with every vote cast”. So g’wan, hand it over. Which sounds fair ... but wait a second: there’s obviously not enough cool stuff to go around. And who do we see time and time again being rushed to the head of the cool stuff queue? Marginal seats. And to become one you can’t just tick a box on your ballot that says ‘Marginal Seat’. In fact, politicians from all sides don’t want you to go marginal at all; they want you as a nice juicy safe seat they can ignore for the entire political cycle, secure in the knowledge that you’re a voting zombie who shuffles off to the polls arms outstretched and robotically mumbling the name of your chosen party “braaaiiiins” style.

That way, instead of some tired old hack sitting around doing nothing and being propped up by big-budget freebies handed out by the party leadership, we might get some MPs who know who their bosses are (FYI, that’s us) and know how to do what they’re told … Especially when they’re told to mow my front lawn.

If we want to make politics work for us in this election, the pathway is clear: we all have to forget about blindly supporting any one party. Why? Because whichever party you support is the wrong one for you. The party you don’t like will do more for you in an attempt to win you over than a party who knows it has your vote ever will. If you want to understand how politics really works, forget quality political analysis and grab a copy of Cleo

Tony “How do you spell ‘informal’?” Montana

FORTE'S

Tony Soprano The Sopranos

Omar Little

George Constanza Seinfeld

Vick Mackie

The Wire

OF ALL TIME: Male TV Characters!

1 Ari Gold Entourage

Each week we will be picking a topic, debating it in the office, and listing our Top 5. We will also be positing each Top 5 to our Facebook and invite your opinion as to what your Top 5 is!

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The Shield

Honourable Mention:

Homer J Simpson The Simpsons

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@LambysGeelong

JOIN US GRAND FINAL DAY FOR THE

Diggers Finals Brunch!

YRT & NI EMOC LIVE MUSIC & DJS ALL DAY FOOD :UNEM WEN RUO FUNCTIONS SECIOALFRESCO HC 0DINING 3 EXTENSIVE DRINKS OPEN 03 $ RLIST EDN U 7 DAYS DOOHRUOBHGIEN EURT A (03) 5222 2666T //N edgegeelong.com.au ARUATSER & BUP

enquiries@edgegeelong.com.au // 6–8 Eastern Beach Rd Edge Geelong //

RET R AUQ Y TIC

ENJOY A DELICIOUS BRUNCH BEFORE THE BIG GAME, OR STAY ALL DAY AND WATCH THE GAME ON OUR MULTIPLE BIG SCREENS | $10 P/P

DOOF YAD LLA

SJD & CISUM EVIL

GNINID OCSERFLA SYAD 7 NEPO

SNOITCNUF

TSIL SKNIRD EVISNETXE

ua.moc.gnoleegegde // 6662 2225 )30( dR hcaeB nretsaE 8– 6 // ua.moc.gnoleegegde @ seiriuqne gnoleeGraBegdE @

// gnoleeG egdE

@EdgeBarGeelong

WIN A GRAND FINAL DAY PARTY FOR YOU AND 19 OF YOUR FRIENDS, YOU’LL GET: PRIVATE COURTYARD AREA COMPLIMENTARY BEER & WINE COMPLIMENTARY BRUNCH PRIOR TO THE GAME FOOTY FOOD AT HALF TIME YOUR OWN PRIVATE BIG SCREEN & TAB FACILITIES DETAILS ON ENTRY AND CONDITIONS CAN BE FOUND AT THE DIGGERS ARMS HOTEL Winner drawn at The Diggers on Friday Nights Preliminary Grand Final (20th Sept)

SMRA SREGGID DLOG SMRASREGGIDDLOG@

(03) 5221 5441 | golddiggersarms.com.au manager@golddiggersarms.com.au 87 Skene Street, Newtown 3220 Hotel practices RSA and please gamble responsibly

ua.moc.gnoleegpuorgcme.www

FORTEMAG.COM.AU