Forte #578

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

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double page guide + map!

issue 578 // 23 JANUARY 2014 // next issue: 6 FEB

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A WORD FROM THE TEAM Well, I hope that everyone out there in Forteland survived the heat. It was bloody hot. This issue we have the UK’s very own Slamboree Soundsystem on the front cover, who will be playing at this year’s Rainbow Serpent Festival. Our Natalie Rogers had a very fun chat with the guys.

We have a very informative, very colourful twopage guide to Geelong’s Great Australian Beer Festival that is taking place on February 1st.

In only its second year, the festival has grown massively, now receiving full support from the city. Whilst the event title has the word ‘beer’ in it, the festival is in no way designed to be a massive piss up; moreover, it is a day to get out with family and friends and enjoy craft beer and maybe even learn a thing or two about beer, their is also a great line up of music, we spoke to Owl eyes during the week ahead of her performance there.

We also have interviews with The Jezabels, Pulled Apart by Horses, The Drones, Bliss n Eso, D.D Dumbo and a bunch more. We are very lucky to have access to such fantastic artists!

Dando took time out to chat with local artist Rach Brennan, and we also have two wonderful, locally-focused articles in Refining the Palette.

We hope everyone is enjoying and settling into 2014; we know we are only just starting to warm up!

See you next time!

Luke

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the HIGHLIGHTS

THE LATEST ON international & national news & tours The Highlights: Where for twenty-four years we’ve been living next door to Alice. Coming up you have… .........................................................................

Settle In With Pigeon Brisbane-based electro outfit Pigeon received a lot of love last year for their medley of Daft Punk. Performing six songs in nine minutes, the homage to the French producers is closing in on 350,000 YouTube views. They also get a lot of love for their own tunes, with Settle In (set for release tomorrow, January 24) being their latest slab of goodness. You may have already heard singles ‘Curtain Call’ and ‘Two Moon Love’. Boney – February 27. .........................................................................

Live Music vs Noise Complaints You may have read that the Victorian Government has proposed an “agent-of-change” planning principle to help combat the issue of noise complaints. Basically, under the principle the (blaringly obvious) rule would be that soundproofing responsibility would fall on the party who changes pre-existing conditions. Meaning, if someone was to move into an area with an already established live music venue, they would foot the bill. If a venue decided to start operating as a live music venue, they would be required to foot the bill. We’ll see… .........................................................................

India.Arie & Josh Stone Bluesfest not only boasts one helluva line-up, they also keep rolling out awesome sideshows. One to take note of is India.Arie and Josh Stone. Singer-songwriter, musician and producer India.Arie has been nominated for a massive 21 Grammys, for which she has won four.

Her latest album is Songversation. In 2012 Josh Stone released The Soul Sessions Vol. 2, the sequel to her mega 2004 debut. The Palais – April 17. .........................................................................

Elbow Settle on a Name Earlier this year Elbow frontman Guy Garvey told NME that the working title for the band’s sixth album was All At Once. Carry Her, Carry Me was then floated. Well, third time’s a charm and the album will be called The Take Off and Landing of Everything. The title is taken from one of the album’s tracks, a song “… born of our love for

Lou Reed Biography It’s little surprise that a “definitive” biography of Lou Reed is in the works. Titled Lou: A New York Life, the biography is being penned by Rolling Stone writer Will Hermes. Speaking to New York Times, Hermes said: “Reed loved the city deeply, based his adult life here, rooted much of his work here and was a huge figure in our cultural life. I think we have yet to fully measure the loss. He was one of the greatest artists of our generation.”

space rock, prog, Primal Scream and Spiritualized.” The album hits shelves early March. .........................................................................

Early Louis C.K. Film Gets Release Fans of Louis C.K. (and there are a lot of them) will be eager for next month to roll around with news that his directorial debut, 1998’s Tomorrow Night, will be uploaded on his website. The film made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival 15 years ago but failed to find a distributor. Crazy thought these days, particularly as the cast includes Steve Carell, Amy Poehler, Conan O’Brien, Wanda Sykes and JB Smoove. .........................................................................

Hold Steady Show Their Teeth New York’s Hold Steady will celebrate their tenth year as

The Entertaining Gang of Four Post-punk outfit Gang of Four have been around the block a few times. Originally active between 1977 and 1983, the band has lived a couple of lives since, most recently since 2004. Regarded as one of the most politically motivated bands of all time, the band’s debut, 1979’s Entertainment!, is considered one of those albums everyone should check out at least once. The Corner – March 19.

a band in style with the release of their first album in four years, Teeth Dreams. Guitarist Ted Kubler: “This is an exciting time for us. Making the new record has been a journey for the band, and the results exceeded even our own expectations. Can’t wait for people to hear it.” The album is set for release towards the end of March. .........................................................................

Rock N Ride to Your Door Those making their way to the BDO tomorrow will be able to raise a glass to Grinspoon good guy Phil Jamieson and Big Day Out CEO Adam Zammit among others as they finish up their Rock N Ride tour. The massive motorbike trek, which kicked off at the Gold Coast BDO, raises funds and awareness for National Youth Mental Health Foundation, headspace. Hit headspace.org.au for more on the organisation. And awesome work everyone!

New We Are Scientists Dates New York indie rock stars We Are Scientists had a bit of a setback in their laboratory and so have had to postpone their Aussie tour dates. The reason is because they’re putting the finishing touches on their as-yet untitled forthcoming album. Tickets currently held will be valid for the new dates. The Corner – May 28. The band hasn’t been out this way since 2008, so this little setback just helps build the excitement. .........................................................................

The Crimson ProjeKCt Reschedule Gosh darn it, it looks as though rescheduling dates is the cool new thing to do with news that The Crimson ProjeKCt has also played around with their tour diary.

At the time of writing no reason was given for the rescheduling of dates; however, current tickets remain

THE WORLD’S FESTIVAL

Billy Bragg

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Arrested Development

Neko Case

Muro

Femi Kuti

Thelma Plum

valid for the new shows. The Hi-Fi – June 26. The Crimson ProjeKCt is an offshoot of King Crimson. Check out their Facebook page for a tease of their forthcoming Live at Tokyo album. .........................................................................

The Book is Better…

Cinemablend.com recently announced their guide to books whose film adaptations are already completed, underway, or are heading in that direction. They are: The Giver; The Graveyard Book; Gone Girl; Divergent; The Maze Runner; A Most Wanted Man; Fallen; Serena; Vampire Academy; The Fault in Our Stars; In the Heart of the Sea; Far From the Madding Crowd; If I Stay; and Fifty Shades of Grey. .........................................................................

The Gambler Finds an Ace in Goodman John Goodman (whose role in Inside Llewyn Davis is receiving major kudos) is the latest named to be added to the modern version of The Gambler, the 1974 crime drama flick starring James Caan, Paul Sorvino and Lauren Hutton. The cast already includes Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Lange and Brie Larson (21 Jump Street). The original was based on screenwriter James Toback’s true-life traumas. .........................................................................

Cassette Adapter Bluetooth Once upon a time people would carry Discmans* in their cars and use cassette* adapters to listen to them through their car stereo. It’s true. Well, many of those cars are still in use and so ION Audio has come up with a Cassette Adapter Bluetooth. While hard-wired devices are already in use, this cassette contains a Bluetooth receiver. Now you can listen to all your favourite mp3 playlists in your pride and joy. (* Terms will not be explained.) .........................................................................

Wearable Technology on the Move Toronto-based company Kiwi is leading the way when it comes to worn gadgets. Weighing in at 28 grams, the thumb-sized ‘Move’ contains an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, barometer, thermometer and microphone. Inside it contains 2GB of storage, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It is also one of the first fully programmable wearables. Further information can be found through kiwiwearables.com. .........................................................................

The End of an Empire

Rainn Wilson’s New Project Rainn Wilson, best known as playing Dwight Schrute on The Office (or possibly as Fish Boy in House of 1000 Corpses; though his turn in Super is fantastic), will play an offensive detective in the new series, Backstrom. Bones producer Hart Hanson is behind the new series. Hopefully it will make its way to Australia, but that has never stopped anyone before … if you know what I mean. You can check out a preview online.

Out of the Jungal

to our subscribers. Terry Winter [series creator] has created one for the ages.” Another HBO favourite, True Blood, will also finish up following its seventh season. .........................................................................

Even More Kurt Vile Don’t forget that Kurt Vile & The Violators have added a second show, due to take place at The Corner on February 5. Vile, best known as being a former member of The War on Drugs, began his musical career writing lo-fi home recordings. Vile and co. released It’s a Big World Out There (And I Am Scared) last year. * Note: Dan Sultan (March 1) and Public Enemy (March 3) have also added second dates at The Corner. .........................................................................

Morello Rediscovers His Rock Side We all know how much Tom Morello shreds. Rage Against The Machine taught us that. His work with Bruce Springsteen shows us that. But under his solo musician guise The Nightwatchman, his work is more in the folk realm. Well, it seems performing with The Boss has awoken his sleeping rock beast, with Morello telling Billboard that he is making his first solo rock album. It is hard not to be excited about that. .........................................................................

Boardwalk Empire will call it quits this year following the conclusion of its fifth season – but that is not something I need to tell devout fans. President of programming at HBO Michael Lombardo: “It has been an incredible honor to bring this powerful and groundbreaking series

The Purge 2 Details Emerge The Purge was one of those films whose premise sounded interesting enough but whose end result disappointed. While speaking with US fan film fan

The lovely ladies of Jungal are stoked that their new album Leave My Head is ready for your hot little hands. The album, the follow-up to 2010’s This Crooked Track, was co-produced

by Fraser Montgomery, known for his work with Symbiosis, The Cat Empire, Bonjah and Nicky Bomba. And I tell ya, it is getting a lot of love from a lot of people. Last year they toured Canada for the fourth time. NSC – January 31.

Casey Affleck Takes on the Boston Strangler The interest many have in serial killers borders on obsession. And when it comes to the Boston Strangler, there is particular interest. Although attributed to Albert DeSalvo, parties have since suggested the murders were not committed by one person. Variety recently reported that Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) is set to direct a film about the notorious serial killer, with Casey Affleck set to both produce and star in the film.

publication Fangoria about another project, Zach Gilford suggested the film’s sequel could revolve around what happens during The Purge to those out in the city where security systems don’t exist – something that many argued would have made The Purge all the more interesting. .........................................................................

Night at the Museum 3 Expands Cast As you may know, more Ben Stiller museum mania is on the way in Night at the Museum 3. Set to join Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan are Ricky Gervais, Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) and Rebel Wilson. At this stage not much is known about the central plot, though what we do know is that it will take place in London’s British Museum. Wilson will play a night guard.

The Kite String Tangle Danny Harley of Brisbane outfit Pigeon is the man behind The Kite String Tangle, an experimental solo project launched in May of 2012. His breakout single ‘Given the Chance’, which is closing in on 800,000 plays on SoundCloud, helped him win the triple j Unearthed spot at the inaugural Falls Festival in Byron Bay. He will be joined on tour by Sydney beatmaker, Kilter. NSC – February 15.

FRI 24 JAN 2014

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THE

FORT-NIGHT

Thursday January 23rd

GEELONG RSL: Normie Rowe & The Original Playboys

BARWON CLUB HOTEL: John Patrick & The Keepers

BASEMENT LOUNGE & NIGHTCLUB: Nico Stojan, Leigh Boy + More

BEAVS BAR: Andy Foster Live

BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Retro Vinyl and live music from Noon, DJ from 8pm

BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Live and Local, $13 Pizza night EUREKA: Generik Thrift Shop Party! plus Simon One, Shorty J, Pinky, Max McKay, TVB, Aybakez, Michael Cameron Paul E, Rogers.

Free Entry before 11pm when using a guest list.

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

THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): TV Colours, The Stevens, Beats Disease

MARTIANS CAFE ( DEANS MARSH): The Latchikos CITY QUARTER BAR: live entertainment and DJ EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: DJ Brian & Jim Danza’s Retro Party from 9.30pm till Midnight RAINBOW SERPENT FESTIVAL: The Orb Live, James Zabiela, Michael Mayer, Freq Nasty and Many more THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Dear Ivy THE KAROVA LOUNGE (Ballarat): Bel Air TORQUAY HOTEL: Madhouse

Friday January 24th

HOME HOUSE: Upstairs, Rimmy (Cloudnine) vs Harry Mullins (Noizy Neighbours) and Katie Valentine till late Downstairs The best Hip Hop and RnB DJ AK

LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Good faces For Radio & DJs Mainroom and Terrace. Open from 6pm

THE MAX HOTEL: Frequency

BARWON HEADS HOTEL: King of the North

WHISPERS: DJ’s including from Matt Watkins, Slice n Dice, Lucille Croft, Frazr Adam, Jungle Jim, Butters, Courtney Mills, Zoolander, Who Killed Mickey, Joel Fletcher, Yatch Club DJs, Katt Nial

BIG DAY OUT (Flemington Racecourse): Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, Snoop Dogg, Major Lazor + Many More!!!!!

BASEMENT LOUNGE & NIGHTCLUB: Stir Fridays - Jump Street, Galtier, Tampa, Recluse BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Locals Night, Spinning Vinyl from 4pm BLACK HATT: Mr Hyde live from 9.30pm BEAVS BAR: Rosco Live Cuda Bar: Victoriana Gaye (7.30pm) DJ Dean Turnly (10pm) CITY QUARTER BAR: Friday Unwind with live music then DJ EDGE GEELONG: Live music RAINBOW SERPENT FESTIVAL: The Orb Live, James Zabiela, Michael Mayer, Freq Nasty and Many more!

THE KAROVA LOUNGE (Ballarat): Dallas Crane THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): Manny Fox & the exit Crowd THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: FigJam THE MAX HOTEL: Adventure Playground TORQUAY HOTEL: Jebediah OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Cam kettle

Saturday January 25th A DAY ON THE GREEN (The Hill Winery): Hunters and Collectors, You am I, Something for Kate, British India BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Pseudo Echo LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Live Band Stella & DJs Mainroom and Terrace. Open from 9pm CUDA BAR: The Disco Rockers feat. Time Neal (7.30pm) Yasumo (Love that Music DJ) 10pm BEAVS BAR: Steve Pianto Live

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THE LOFT (Warrnambool): The Go Set

OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Michelle Parsons

Sunday January 26th TORQUAY HOTEL: Absolutely 80s from 3pm. The Go Set from 9.30pm BLACK HATT: Andy Pobjoy live from 4pm CUDA BAR: Salty Dog Blues (9.30pm) BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Sunday Session on the deck from 2pm with Patrick Adams, Earl, Hurricane Edwards, Merv Da perv, Johnny El Pajaro, Kritt later Good Faces For Radio BASEMENT LOUNGE & NIGHTCLUB: Boogs V’s Tahl + Dylan Bauer, Dunks + more BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): SUNDAY SESH: Spining Vinyl from Noon, DJ RJ from 5pm THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE) : Vinyl Knights, Present, Australia Day Vinyl Party CITY QUARTER: Perfect Sunday Sesh EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Live jazz band Hot Club Swing 3pm – 6pm + from 7.30pmAcoustic Oz A Tribute night to the greats of Oz pop rock over 40 years.

HOME HOUSE: Upstairs, Nick Coleman (Suckmusic) Emma Storey (Motel) Matt Watkins (Billboard) till late and Downstairs Georgia Sinclair (Baroque TV personality) BEAVS BAR: Butters Live RAINBOW SERPENT FESTIVAL: The Orb Live, James Zabiela, Michael Mayer, Freq Nasty and Many moreEureka: Massive Australia Day Party featuring Will Sparks, Hey Sam, and Some Blond DJ, plus Simon One, Max McKay, Isaac Fryer, Matt Black, TVB, Shorty J. THEATRE ROYAL (Castlemaine): The Atomic Bombshells GEELONG RSL: One More George LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Student &

TLY CALENDAR & GIG GUIDE Industry Night (Free entry all night) w/ Live Band Snack Attack & DJs in the Mainroom and Terrace OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Australia Day Party (hottest 100 count down)

Monday January 27th BARWON CLUB HOTEL: $10 Parmis ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night RAINBOW SERPENT FESTIVAL: The Orb Live, James Zabiela, Michael Mayer, Freq Nasty and Many more

Tuesday January 28th ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13

Wednesday January 29th

NIGHTJAR MARKET: Torquay Common

BEAVS BAR: Steve Pianto Live

BEAVS BAR: Dave Anderson Live Main Room. Band Room: Jeff martin and Sarah McLeod (Superjesus)

BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Retro Vinyl and live music from Noon, DJ from 8pm

EUREKA: Apocalypto Sailor Hat Party! plus Simon One, Shorty J, Pinky, Max McKay, TVB, Aybakez, Michael Cameron Paul E, Rogers.

Free Entry before 11pm when using a guest list.

CITY QUARTER BAR: Live Entertainment and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Live Entertainment.

Friday January 31st

MARTIANS CAFE ( DEANS MARSH): C.J Lee

AT THE HEADS: Live music from 5pm till 7pm (Barwon Heads)

HOME HOUSE: The Luna National Tour Upstairs, JDG and Scotty Le Downstairs Best RnB Hip Hop with D Surrender

THE BARWON CLUB: Audemia, Altitude, Avacado THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE) : Agonhym BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Locals Night, Spinning Vinyl from 4pm BASEMENT LOUNGE & NIGHTCLUB: Stir Fridays - Eddie Example, TCK, Chook, Prick BLACK HATT: Blue Jam live from 9.30pm

EDGE: Live Music plus DJ THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Cam Bryce

LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Live band Stella & DJs Mainroom and Terrace. Open from 9pm OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Untapped Trio THE MAX HOTEL: Wooshka WHISPERS: DJ’s including from Matt Watkins, Slice n Dice, Lucille Croft, Frazer Adam, Jungle Jim, Butters, Courtney Mills, Zoolander, Who Killed Mickey, Joel Fletcher, Yatch Club DJs, Katt Nial

BEAVS BAR: Rosco Live THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Moon Patro

BEAVS BAR: Luke Biscan, Karaoke Open Mic

CITY QUARTER BAR: Friday Unwind from 5pm. Live with live entertainment and DJ

GEELONG RSL: Pot and Parmi Night $13

EDGE GEELONG: Live Music

THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE) : Open Mic

LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Live band Tackleberry & DJs Main Room and Terrace, open from 9pm

Thursday January 30th

THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE) : Palm Springs + Jimmy Tait

THE MAX HOTEL : Trojan

Sunday February 2nd BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Sunday Session on the deck from 2pm with Eddie Example, Yeh, Nah, Tampa, Jump Street, Bugg, Ken Eavil, later Test Pilot Molly BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): SUNDAY SESH: Spining Vinyl from Noon, DJ RJ from 5pm

Saturday February 1st

BLACK HATT: Bergman & The Balladeers live from 9.30pm

THE BARWON CLUB: Glitter Gang

CITY QUARTER: Perfect Sunday Sesh EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ

ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night

GREAT AUSTRALIAN BEER FESTIVAL: The Evening Cast, Kylie Auldist &The Glenroy Allstars, Owl Eyes, Tigertown, The Kite Machine, Kyle Taylor, Justin McGinley, James Sidebottom, Franky Walnut, Grim Fawkner, Spyndrift, Murdena. From 11am to 6.30pm at The Geelong Race Course.

THE KAROVA LOUNGE (Ballarat): Claim the Throne + many more

BASEMENT LOUNGE & NIGHTCLUB: Doorly, Silver Six + More

LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Student & Industry Night (Free entry all night)

BIRD ROCK CAFÉ: (Jan Juc): Live and Local, $13 Pizza night THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE) : Funny Rabbit (A one woman play by Biddy O’loughlin) THE MAX HOTEL: Parmi All Day All Night $12, InnQUIZitive Trivia from 7.30pm till 10.30pm, amazing prizes, call to book your team’s spot

THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE) : The Exit Crowd

w/ Live band Good Faces For Radio & DJs in the Mainroom and Terrace THE SPHINX HOTEL: Carvery from $17.00

Monday February 3rd ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night LORD NELSON HOTEL: /Parmi & Pot for $15 on presentation of student I.D THE SPHINX HOTEL: Meals for $11

Tuesday February 4th BARWON HEADS HOTEL: DJ Eddy GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13 THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE) : Trivia - Sponsered By Mountain Goat

Wednesday February 5th BEAVS BAR: Karaoke and Open Mic and Dave Anderson GEELONG RSL: Pot and Parmi Night $13

Thursday February 6th EUREKA: DJs Simon One, Shorty J, Pinky, Max McKay, TVB Aybakez Michael Cameron Roger E and more. Free Entry before 11pm when using a guest list

ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Live Jazz band + from 6pm Parmi Night 6 Great Parmis $20

BARWON CLUB HOTEL: The Bennies

OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Audrey Auld

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

GEELONG RSL: Jazz Cats

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

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Slamboree Soundsystem written by Natalie Rogers

As we speak, the UK’s own Slamboree Soundsystem is “loading up on banging tracks” to bring to this year’s Rainbow Serpent Festival. Kicking off this weekend in Lexton, the annual four-day event has a loyal cult following and has been touted as the best outdoor festival in the Southern Hemisphere. So it’s safe to say that the anticipation and excitement surrounding the affair is not lost on Slamboree’s head honcho.

“We can’t get there soon enough – please let me at it now!” cried producer/DJ/creative genius Mike Freear. Along with his partner in crime, the gorgeous vocalist Kathika Rabbit, Mike plans to bring their brand of musical mayhem to the people – and he wants all of you to get involved.

Mike describes the Slamboree experience as “a live band with a smorgasbord of circus performers, daredevils and entertainers” – their performances have a feeling of ‘anything goes’. “The whole ethos of Slamboree is to involve local performers and artists. We’ve found that it makes for something really special. We love to turn up to an event and get a feel for the audience. We take each gig as it comes and we tailor-make the set for each gig.”

Now, we’re not talking a new backdrop and the odd splash of paint here and there. For a recent gig at the UK’s iconic Boomtown Fair, Mike and co. custombuilt a giant steel contraption – complete with DJ booth – resembling something from out of this world.

When I pressed Mike for more details about what’s in store for us when Slamboree take to the stage this Saturday night, he chose to play his cards close to his chest: “We like to keep it under wraps, but you’re twisting my arm!

When&Where: Rainbow Serpent Festival - Jan 24-27

“I can tell you we’ve got the official rights to ‘Champion Sound’, which is a big bass tune from the nineties. It’s one of the original drum and bass tracks and we’ve done a glitch/hip hop/breaks remix of it.

During our set at Rainbow Serpent will be the first time we’ll play it live, so that’ll be quite a spectacular moment for us!”

Mike is a man of many talents – the entire Slamboree

experience is brought together by his synths, driving electronic beats and unlimited imagination. “I put it all together. I write and produce lots of music. Our typical sound is quirky remixes and crazy mashups,” Mike explained, “but with Slamboree it’s a very organic process, an ongoing swapping of ideas.

When we’re at home the whole band gets involved, and we’re like one big family now!”

So with only two of the collective able to make the journey to Rainbow 2014, Mike reiterated the importance of like-minded entertainers to become involved: “I hope people around the local area will get involved. With their help we could make our show go off and be something amazing!”

With the fun, games and music running non-stop (24hrs/day) for four days, you can be assured that Mike and Kathika Rabbit will have ample time to become fully immersed in the festival culture. “A lot of our friends are going to be there. We’re friends with [Melbourne-born musician] Dub FX – I can’t wait to see all his crew – and we know the guys from Zion Train. They put on a great show. Also, I think The Orb are there too, so we’ll just be catching up with mates all weekend really,” he laughed.

“The line-up is incredible – you guys have it going on. It’ll be like The Burning Man [a massive annual festival in the Nevada Desert, attended by tens of thousands] in Australia, won’t it?”

Since its humble inception in a secluded clearing in the Victorian countryside, the Rainbow Serpent Festival has grown into a celebration of music, arts, self-expression and freedom.

“We’re massively stoked to be a part of the Rainbow Serpent family! I want to soak up the unique festival atmosphere. We designed ourselves to be the perfect festival band and we just want to bring that to as many people as possible; get loose and have fun.

We hope to put on a full Slamboree extravaganza for you and unleash the beast!”

If spending the Australia Day weekend at Rainbow Serpent sounds like the ultimate to you, don’t procrastinate! At time of printing all online tickets have sold out, but you may be lucky enough to find some at local participating stores. Find out more at rainbowserpent.net.

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 Jezabels written by Natalie Rogers

“Are you familiar with the small fish in a big pond scenario? – well, when we first moved to the UK it was like we were small fish alongside thousands of other fish in a VERY big pond!” joked Sam Lockwood, The Jezabels’ guitarist and all-round nice guy. “It was very humbling, but at the same time just made us work harder.”

Originally based in Sydney, the indie-quartet moved to London on the back of their hugely successful debut album Prisoner (which earned them a whopping eight ARIA nominations and the Australian Music Prize in 2011). It seems their hard work didn’t go unnoticed, but Sam told me that being hand-picked to support two of the world’s biggest bands on their tours across the UK was a welcome surprise. “Touring with Depeche Mode and then The Pixies definitely turned a few heads our way. We’re very lucky, very fortunate, and we learnt so much. It was an amazing time. We really felt we had to win people over, and I think we did.”

Fresh from that career-changing experience, The Jezabels are back on home turf. After celebrating Christmas and New Year’s with family and friends, Sam and co. have descended upon their old haunt in Sydneytown to gear up for their run of shows as part of the Laneway Festival, and to prepare for the release of their sophomore album, The Brink (out January 31).

The Brink was brought to life with the help of longtime producer and good friend Lachlan Mitchell, known for his work on Prisoner and other bands, including The Whitlams, The Hard-Ons and Something with

When&Where: St Jermone's Laneway Festival, Melbourne - Feb 1 Numbers. “We’ve worked with Lachlan for years; he’s one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met,” Sam explained. “You know that cliché about someone having an amazing aura around them? Lachlan does.

He’s just a beautiful spirit – no bullshit. He just wants to have a good time. He’s a bit of a genius in that way because he doesn’t get caught up in the details; he just works through things and makes everything sound great, so he’s the perfect producer really.”

Sam said that exceeding the expectations set by

their first LP was always in the back of their minds, but not the driving force. “The western world is all about bettering what you’ve done before, so there was a mixture of feeling pressure and just trying to improve where we left off. That’s all we really aim for as musicians, and being back in the studio was fun and very exciting.

“We played a lot of the new tracks on the support tours – two songs that got a really good reaction every time were ‘Beat to Beat’ and ‘Time to Dance’. They

were written with playing live in mind, and it’s always a big relief when we play new songs to have people dig them immediately.

“We hope it will be the same at Laneway. We want to keep our sets really tight and make the shows the best they can be. It’s going to be fun because we have some old friends coming along with us. It’s going to be one big party. That’s the main principle of the band – to have fun and be the best live band we can be.”

Pulled Apart

by Horses written by Natalie Rogers

Pulled Apart by Horses, or PABH, are ringing in the new rear with style, according to their Facebook page. The guys recently posted the following: “Back in the studio spilling guts and smashing unlimited fresh coffee with a side order of cigs.”

As a fan, that’s music to my ears. I caught up with frontman Tom Hudson just days before to discuss the making of their third LP, their setlist for Soundwave 2014 and our mutual love for US posthardcore band Glassjaw.

“It’s been two years since the first time and the last time we were in Oz. It was absolutely awesome – we had a blast! And this year’s Soundwave line-up is even better than before. I’ve had a good look through the line-up and there are some bands playing that I haven’t even listened to for about ten years! I’m definitely keen to see Glassjaw. They were a big band for me when I was around sixteen or seventeen, so they’ll always have a special place in my heart.”

When&Where: Soundwave, Flemington Racecourse - February 28

Tom continued excitedly: “Also Rocket from the Crypt ... they’re going to be awesome! Their lead singer Speedo is a nutter! I saw his other band Hot Snakes play in Leeds and he’s an amazing character – he didn’t speak for the whole show. He had everything pre-recorded and he just mimed to it on stage, in between each song,” he laughed.

played a festival last year called Pukkelpop, and they played the same stage just before us and absolutely tore the place to bits! We were watching them thinking, ‘Oh shit! We have to follow them!?’ So I hope we don’t have to follow them at Soundwave. But we’re itching to get on stage. Last year we only played about three or four gigs, which is absolutely crazy for us because we’d normally play 200 gigs in 100 days!”

“There’s also a band called Trash Talk playing ... we know those guys from playing other festivals with them. They’re incredible – absolutely brutal though. We

Having garnered a reputation for explosive live shows since their inception in 2008, PABH are planning to make an impression on festival punters. “We’re probably

going to go a bit too over the top because we’ve been locked away for so long! James [lead guitar] and I will end up impaled on each other’s guitars in the first ten minutes I think!” Tom Joked. “But seriously, it’s exciting because we’re probably going to play a couple of new songs from our upcoming album.

“We’re working on it at the moment – I’m leaving in an hour or two and heading up to the studio.

We’re recording it in Leeds to be close to home – and we’re basically producing it ourselves, which is really cool.”

This time around Tom said they’re busy experimenting and trying out new sounds. “Our first album [selftitled, 2010] is really live and raw sounding, whereas the second one [Tough Love, 2012] has a big rocking studio sound. So with this one we’re trying to get a mix of the two. We’re recording everything to tape as well, so it has a warm old-school feel. We’re also using a load of vintage gear from the ’60s and ’70s.

Hopefully if all goes well we’ll be pumping it out soon and playing new tracks at Soundwave, so wait and see!”

The drones written by Tex Miller

One of the biggest local releases from last year was The Drones’ epic seventh studio release entitled I See Seaweed. Catching up with lead guitarist Dan Luscombe for a chat towards the end of last year, to be included in the top ten albums of 2013 list

by The Age was quite a humbling experience, as Dan relates.

“I just popped into my local café around the corner to get a takeaway coffee and I opened up The Age to see that our album was #2 between Daft Punk and Arcade Fire. So f*ck it, that’s OK I guess. It could be better, but I’m not complaining at all. Those albums were landmark albums this year and to be included in the top three is awesome!” Dan said.

On the back of the release of this album, The Drones completed not one but two laps of the country to promote it – a process which in 2013 seems quite normal to Dan. “It’s pretty normal for Australian acts to do two tours of an album and then leave it alone. It seems to be if you tour more than that, you seem to be exceeding your demand. People only have so much money to spend on entertainment, but the reception to the tracks at each gig has been phenomenal. It’s been a fun album to play live.”

The title track of the record, which also doubles as the album and setlist opener to every gig they played in 2013, to Dan is “one of the most energetic and fun tracks to play live EVER”.

“That tracks has just got a great buzz to it and it’s quite cinematic. It says welcome to the show and our gloomy full-on extravaganza at the same time,” Dan laughs.

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When&Where: The Big Day Out, Melbourne - Jan 24 Constantly touring as a band in the lead up to the writing and release of this album, taking time off before I See Seaweed had a positive effect on the tracks – and was a necessity for the sanity of each band member. “For about four or five years there we were constantly touring, and it was either take a break or wake up to find one band member murdered by the other one in the hotel room. We were seeing way too much of each other though. It really came to a point where we needed to step back.”

The songs on I See Seaweed are quite lengthy – some being up to ten minutes. As you would expect, that doesn’t do any favours to achieving commercial radio airplay, and the topic brings up one of Dan’s pet hates: “If you want airplay, you can’t give radio a nine-minute song because they’re not going to touch it. Except they’ll touch ‘Hotel California’ five times a day for some reason. I f*cking hate that song. I don’t ever want to hear that song as long as I live. I came to a morbid conclusion in the supermarket the

other day when I heard it. I thought. ‘I’m going to die and they are still going to be playing that song’. They’re going to be playing that song until the planet burns to ash.”

2013 was one of the biggest years in the band’s history, and alongside Arcade Fire and The Hives, they are playing at Big Day Out 2014 before taking a break to write the next record. “Big Day Out will be fun, and if an opportunity to collaborate with Snoop comes about, I’m not going to say no!”

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TALK OF THE TOWN! Talk of the Town: Where it ain’t easy livin’ like a gypsy. Coming up you have… .........................................................................

Be’lakor & Claim the Throne Melbourne and Perth will unite early next year in a metal union that will see Be’lakor and Claim the Throne enjoying a run of shows. Melodic death metal outfit Be’Lakor lend their name from the character ‘Be’lakor the Dark Master’ in the Warhammer Fantasy setting.

Together since 2004, the band has released three albums, their most recent being 2012’s Of Breath and Bone. They toured Europe on the back of its release.

In 2009 they were recognised by webzine Metal Storm, who named their 2009 album Stone’s Reach ‘Best Melodeath/Gothenburg Metal Album’ of the year. Claim the Throne formed in 2005 and was quick to build a solid reputation on the back of their live performances.

Clawing the chest of folk metal like an animal, the band coughed up their third album, Forged in Flame, in September 2013. The Karova, Ballarat – January 30. .........................................................................

Be Good Johnny McIntyre Adelaide songman Johnny McIntyre has performed in McLaren Vale, Tumby Bay, Port Lincoln, Esperance, Albany, Margaret River, Fremantle, Perth, Scarborough, Coral Bay, Exmouth, Broome and Kununurra in his music journey. Influenced by artists including Eddie Vedder, Wilco and Paul Kelly, McIntyre uses his poetic songwriting style to deliver complex social and political settings. He released his debut EP Fight the Fear in 2011, slowly but surely developing a passionate fan base which would help him score a spot on the 2012 Gorgeous Festival bill alongside Missy Higgins, Dan Sultan and Gossling. In 2012 he would also release another EP, Daisy Chains, and would also win ‘Best Emerging Contemporary Music Act’ at the Fowlers Live Music Awards. Be sure to check him out when he pays a visit to Babushka, Ballarat on January 24. .........................................................................

Havaianas Australia Day Thong Challenge Australia Day is this weekend – and Havaianas Australia Day Thong Challenge comes with it. The chances are you have probably heard about this event by now – some of you may have even taken part in previous years – but we’re giving it a run because it’s a whole lot of fun, plus it’s for a good cause. Hitting beaches nationwide, the sun-filled event features a host of activities and entertainment. The most popular event is the Havaianas Challenge itself, which pits state against state in its attempt to get the most people in the water at once – floating aboard giant inflatable Havaianas thongs, of course. Cottesloe took the honours last year, with 2093 filling the water. If you want to get involved, then take some time out and have a look at havaianasthongchallenge.com.au for all the details. It’s a great day out for a good cause. Last year over $55,000 was raised for the SLSC Nippers. .........................................................................

A Slice of Mother’s Cake FEATURE: Well, here is some cool news: funk, progressive and psychedelic fusers Mother’s Cake will be touring Australia for the first time next month.

Hailing from Austria, the band came together in 2008 when mates Jan Haußels, Yves Krismer and Benedikt Trenkwalder began jamming together. Unlike many jam sessions, however, this went somewhere, and in 2009 the trio dubbed themselves Mother’s Cake and went about their business. In 2010 the band took out top honours in the Austrian Local Heroes Band Contest. They would also take out second place in the European Local Heroes Finals – a massive effort considering more than one thousand bands entered.

It was around this time they caught the ear of Austrian producer Georg Gabler who signed the band to his label, GAB Music Productions. The result of their time

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together was 2012’s Creation’s Finest. Arguably the album’s finest track is ‘Soul Prison’ (featuring The Mars Volta’s Ikey Owens), which has racked up over 200,000 YouTube views. Last year the band spent time supporting Iggy and the Stooges, Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group and Tito & Tarantula and picking up the Austrian Newcomer Award. They also wrote music for the Henning Backhaus film, Local Heroes. The Karova, Ballarat – February 13 & Courthouse, Geelong – February 14 (AA). * Note: Creation’s Finest was recently released in Australia. .........................................................................

Did Someone Say Valentine’s Day? There are plenty of ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day, but none better than a night out at The Loft, Warrnambool with the lovely men of Humbug. Forgo the chocolates and teddy bear. Forgo the night out at a nice restaurant. Instead, head on down to Warrnambool’s finest for a Valentine’s night of hillbilly jungle punk rock.

And if you’re a single guy or gal, well, you may not be once the night is through. Humbug came together as a four-piece in 2012, although last year they trimmed a little fat and now perform as a three-piece. Hailing from Daylesford, the band has rocked their way through The Espy, Pony, The Tote, Yah Yah’s, Old Hepburn Hotel, The Loft, The Palais and The Karova alongside an arm’s length of names including Midnight Woolf, Intoxica, The Yard Apes, The Perfections, The Resignators, Freya Hollick, Cherrywood, Bish Bash Bosh, Tiller, Buck Jr, Kid Ory, The Razz, Gombo, The Timbers and Better Than the Wizard. .........................................................................

The Love of Lucie Thorne When it comes to her music, Melbourne singersongwriter Lucie Thorne has just about had every nice thing that could be said, said. So when she teamed up with American singer-songwriter Pieta Brown for the collaborative project Love Over Gold, there was much joy to be had. Speaking with The AU Review about the album, Lucie said: “We really didn’t have any idea what shape this whole thing would take when we first started. We knew we wanted to try and do something together; it started out as a musical correspondence, writing a couple of songs together over the internets – sending ideas back and forth across the wires. After I first went to Iowa, to spend a couple of days recording these songs together, it was then that it really started to present itself as a whole new thing and something that we should follow through on.” Lot 19, Castlemaine – February 1 & Pizza & Wine Club, Kyneton – February 20.

Apollo Bay Music Festival

The Kyneton Music Festival returns this year, bringing with it another line-up worth travelling for. At the time of writing details were scarce, but it does look as though Raised by Eagles will be there. Raised by Eagles is an alt-country, popfolk four-piece fronted by Melbourne songsmith Luke Owen Sinclair, who some readers may know from The Idle Hoes and the Tracy McNeil Band. The band came together last year when Luke secured the talents of Nick O’Mara, Luke Richardson and Johnny Gibson. They have since performed at some of Victoria’s premier live music venues. Speaking about the band, songbird Liz Stringer says: “Raised by Eagles’ songs are the kind you fall in love with at the first listen and then endlessly trawl bars and venues across Melbourne to be near again. This is no crush. This is a great, enduring romance.” The Kyneton Music Festival will take place from February 28 through March 2. Keep an eye on kynetonmusicfestival.com.au for updates.

The month of January is closing in on its end, which means we’re all the more closer to the Apollo Bay Music Festival. Taking place from February 28 to March 2, the festival has really outdone itself this year. Surely you have been keeping an eye on things, but if not here is the line-up for you: Everlast, Kate Miller-Heidke, Shane Nicholson, Dallas Crane, Ngaiire, Hollie Smith, Melbourne Rhythm Project, Nick Barker, Yirrmal & Yolngu Boys, Tully on Tully, Davidson Brothers, Lester the Fierce, Five Mile Town, The Harlots, April Maze, Sex on Toast, Raised by Eagles, Kooyeh, The Imprints and Franky Walnut, aka the true-blue alter-ego of Keir Nuttall. Everlast is Erik Francis Schrody.

You may know Erik for his solo hit ‘What It’s Like’. You may know him for fronting House of Pain (‘Jump Around’ should ring a bell). And there is a strong chance you will know him for his Grammy-winning collaboration with Santana, ‘Put Your Lights On’. He has been releasing music for over twenty years, last year releasing The Life Acoustic, a strippedback collection of songs from previous albums.

You just know there is going to be a whole lot more announced but that’s not a bad start, ey?!

Ticket information and all the answers to your questions (festival related, of course) can be found through apollobaymusicfestival.com.

What’s On at Martians Café

Lloyd Spiegel Plays On

Quick bite: January has kicked off in fine style at Martians Café with Rosie Burgess and Carus Thompson already appearing. But things are just warming up. January 25 welcomes The Latchiko’s, a cool and quirky little ensemble credited as the originators of “Gyp-Hop” (Gaelic hip hop). Coming up next month you have C.J. Lee on February 1, Cyndi Boste with Josh Goddard on February 8, Red Whyte on February 15 and Jeff Lang on February 22.

Find out more about Martians Café through martianscafe.com.au.

Lloyd Spiegel has been performing for more than half his life – and he hasn’t even lived half his life yet! He has released eight albums, won a ton of awards and shared bills with Buddy Guy, Etta James and Ray Charles. As if that wasn’t enough, he has also been named in Australian Guitar Magazine’s list of the 50 Greatest Australian Guitar Players of All Time and for the past decade has been the premier endorsee for Cole Guitars. This guy can play – I mean, really play. The Piping Hot Chicken Shop – February 14.

Goin’ Off With The Go Set

Uncle Jed is Everyone’s Favourite

If you haven’t thrown on a little of The Go Set and trashed a hotel room, then you haven’t lived.

Well, maybe you have, but their music sure is infectious. (Oh, and I don’t condone trashing hotel rooms either. That is just not cool.) The band has been in business since 2002 over which time they have released six albums.

They have performed at the Falls Festival, Pyramid Rock, Queenscliff Music Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival, Apollo Bay and St Kilda Festival. They have shared stages with The Living End, The White Stripes, The Bouncing Souls, Flogging Molly and Weddings Parties Anything. They have toured the UK and Europe several times. They have racked up more kilometres than you can count on a thousand hands. And they have done it all with their hot, sweaty combination of folk instrumentation, distorted guitars and punk rock energy. The Loft, Warrnambool – January 25.

Brothers Danny and Shannon Stitt, along with their cousin, Laura, love their music.

Absolutely love it! They love it enough to have kept the music playing despite Danny and Shannon Stitt living in Sydney and Laura living in Coffs Harbour. Soon enough it all caught up, however, and so the brothers made the move to Coffs Harbour to make music life a little easier. In mid-2010 the trio released their self-titled debut album. They also caught the attention of triple j and toured the east coast several times. 2013 was the big one though, with the band taking the top prize in Australia’s Got Talent. If you didn’t follow their journey as it unfolded, there is this little thing called YouTube that will get you up to speed. Now performing anywhere up to a seven-piece, this little family band is sure to reach even greater heights in 2014. The Karova, Ballarat – February 7.

Kyneton Music Festival

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JoJo Smith Sees the Light Quick bite: New Zealand-born songwoman JoJo Smith is a performer at home in a range of genres including soul, funk, RnB, Latin, jazz and blues. Coming to Australia in 1975, she was quick to gain work as a session vocalist for radio and TV commercials. She also became a highly sought-after backing vocalist, touring with names including Marcia Hines, Renée Geyer, Glenn Shorrock, Jon English and Olivia Newton-John.

In December last year she released her latest album, Standing in the Lovelight. The Main Bar, Ballarat – January 31. .........................................................................

Audrey Auld’s Musical Heart Quick bite: Tasmanian-American singer-songwriter Audrey Auld has a heart steeped in country, Americana and folk. A fiercely independent artist, Auld’s songs have been heard on the Grand Old Opry and recorded

by Nashville stars. Those with a keen ear may have heard her songs on TV shows Justified, The Good Guys and Longmire. Her latest album is Tonk, an album inspired by her years in Nashville. The album has received some stellar reviews, but by all reports her music is even more gorgeous in a live setting. Old Hepburn Hotel, Hepburn Springs – February 2.

The Ausocalypse Is Here The Australia Day weekend will be serving up all sorts of music treats around the country – and Bendigo’s Music Man Megastore is doing its bit to tempt you through its doors with Ausocalypse. We’re talking three glorious days of music (January 24, 25 & 26).

That’s two more than one and one more than two! At the time of writing the talents of King Parrot, Bronson, Abreact, Audemia, Desecrator, Beyond the Oblivion, Decimatus, Harlott and Mannik had already been secured. But rest assured there is plenty more to be announced. Melbourne five-piece King Parrot are no strangers to Bendigo. They’re no strangers to the rest of the land either. Their brand of extreme music even found its way to Indonesia last year where the band performed six shows, including a date at the Obscene Extreme Festival in Jakarta. * Note: King Parrot also has gigs coming up at The Karova, Ballarat on February 8 and The Barwon Club, Geelong on February 9. .........................................................................

Simon Marks Starts Over Quick bite: In what must seem like a lifetime ago, but in reality is only a few years back, songman Simon Marks started from scratch. He purchased a new guitar, began writing new tunes, and was soon performing and recording. He has since returned to Canada to perform and has also spent time in Europe. From “upbeat tales of falling madly in love with a lesbian to the impassioned farewell to his grandmother”, Simon’s songs are as rich as they are diverse. He’ll throw in a little blues. He’ll throw in a little folk. He’ll throw in a little rock. And he’ll throw in a lot of heart. The Bridge, Echuca – January 25 & The Marong Family Hotel, Marong – January 26. .........................................................................

Festival of Sails Quick bite: As part of Australia Day celebrations, Geelong’s Festival of Sails will attract some 100,000 to the picturesque Waterfront for Victoria’s oldest ongoing sporting event. Not only will a huge number of yachts flock to the event (with some 4500 sailors in tow), but live music, roving entertainers, art and craft market stalls, gourmet food and a family-friendly kids’ zone will also feature. An added treat this year is the hosting of the Melges 24 World Championships. Juan Alban will be among the entertainment. Be sure to hit up festivalofsails.com.au for full details. .........................................................................

Cold Red Mute & Lace and Whiskey Many things can transpire in a darkened basement – some not suitable for print. However, in the case of brothers Christian and Josh Block, it was music. The sounds that came out from that basement may have appeared random (“vicious speed-freak rock/metal riffs, brooding stoner jams and dark country blues”), but the guys knew what they were doing. Relocating to

Jeff Martin Meets Sarah McLeod

Knights of the Stoner Party Table The Bennies are so close to kicking off their Knights Forever tour that you can hear the amps humming. The Bennies spent a little time in Asia of late and are feeling reenergised and re-invigorated. And that is good news for us. For what will be their second national tour in just six months, the band has put together a chunky little tour. Oh, they’ll also be dropping by Soundwave and Push Over as well. All this gigging is because, a) people dig them and b), their second album, Rainbows in Space, is going great guns. In fact, last year the album was voted #6 in triple j’s Short Fast Loud Top 40 Poll for 2013. But there is more in store on this Knights Forever tour than just The Bennies, with Apart From This joining them on the party run. Be sure to check out their album, In Gloom. The Loft, Warrnambool – February 1; The Karova, Ballarat – February 2; The Barwon Club, Geelong – February 6.

Melbourne, the lads took a little time to find the missing piece of the puzzle: Joey Inturrisi. The band: Cold Red Mute. Today they serve up a V8 muscle car blend of psychotropic punk, rock and metal. Reminiscent of the hard rock of the ’70s and ’80s, Lace and Whiskey are a throwback to the sounds of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Guns N’ Roses. They have performed at some of Melbourne’s premier venues and next month will release their debut EP, Method in the Madness.

The Newmarket, Bendigo – January 25. .........................................................................

A Blues Australia Day @ The Goldmines It is going to be a blues-fuelled Australia Day at

It’s your boy meets girl story, expect this time both boy and girl are exceptionally cool musicians. Jeff Martin and Sarah McLeod met in late 2012 and performed a one-off acoustic show together. We came to love Martin through his work fronting The Tea Party – a band that would tour Australia a dozen times. When the band parted ways in 2005, the love affair continued. Whether it’s as a solo artist, a member of The Armada or Jeff Martin 777, or the band that started it all, Martin has had a connection with Australia for some twenty years.

Then, of course, there is Sarah McLeod, the name-taking, ass-kicking chick of Superjesus and so much more. Anyway, it would seem that when an attraction is there, one time is never enough, and so the pair has teamed up for a few shows. The Man the Life Boats tour will feature both artists performing separate sets as well as taking to the stage together. McLeod: “There’s an exciting air of magic and healthy competition when we work together, trying to outdo each other drives us to bizarre new heights. Only the devil knows where this will lead.” Where this may lead is to a collaborative album (keep your fingers crossed if you’re keen for that). The Karova, Ballarat – January 31.

Bendigo’s Goldmines Hotel this Sunday, with Doc White, Mark Smith, The Old Buzzard Medicine Show and Juveniles in Chains among the guests of honour.

“Country Blues Played Like The Devil” is the line that sits next to Doc White. According to his website bio, “Doc was found abandoned in a house in Adelaide, South Australia, by African-American Mormon missionaries. Spirited back to the US in a steamer trunk and raised on a peculiar musical diet of pre-war acoustic blues and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Doc rejected the Lord in favour of the devil’s music.

He picked up a coveted 1935 D42 Martin guitar in a pawnshop.” How much truth you read into that is entirely up to you. Doc has been a devotee of this brand of music since seeing Johnny Cash perform in Adelaide back in 1969.

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TALK OF THE TOWN! You Can Feel it in the Bel Air Ballarat’s Bel Air is a young, talented band winning fans the world over. Don’t you just hate that?! The band has only been in business since the middle of last year, but their short life has already yielded big things. The dreamy indie outfit, who originally called themselves Death by Snu Snu, has already won favour with prestigious music blogs – and has even been played on Dutch radio! They also won the local FReeZA Push Start Battle of the Bands competition and will take to the stage of the Myer Music Bowl in March as part of the Push Start Grand Final.

Speaking with The Courier’s Dellaram Vreeland last year, guitarist Cam Swanson talked about the turning point: “Once we changed to Bel Air, heaps of people who weren’t our friends started to get into our music. It was like a fresh start so we put a lot of effort and thought into what we were doing.” The Karova, Ballarat – January 25. .........................................................................

The Solicitors You Want Now, I don’t personally know The Solicitors so I can’t speak for their legal prowess; however, they ain’t too shabby when it comes to music. There are four of them in the band – an Englishman, an Aussie, a Kiwi and a Yank, which sounds like the beginning of a joke more than a band. But yet here they are.

Them and their fast-paced, laconic power pop. They only formed last year, signing to local indie label Popboomerang and releasing their debut EP, Made to Measure. Earlier in the month they released ‘Help Me Forget’, which is a little slower paced compared to the band’s usual standards. Anywho, the band is winning some friends abroad, with Big Takeover Magazine recently giving the lads a very nice little write up. You can check that out, and keep up to date with all things The Solicitors, through their Facebook page. They have their debut long-player scheduled for March. .........................................................................

Adjust Your TV Colours Keen local punk fans will be thrilled to hear that TV Colours is heading to Castlemaine this weekend.

TV Colours, in case you’re not hip to be square, is Bobby Kill, a key figure in Canberra’s punk scene.

Kill started releasing material in the form of mp3s back in 2009 via the Dream Damage website. This would lead to a split 7-inch with Assassins 88, a band in which Kill also performed. Purple Skies, Toxic River is the name of his full-length debut – an album that took Kill six years to make before he was happy enough with the product. FasterLouder’s Annie

Torquay Common 4-10pm

Thursdays in January

, r a tj h ig N e th to in p Ste e f li te a r b le e c to l a iv st e f a 086,& Ĕ $57,67 0$5.(7 Ĕ )22'

www.nightjarfestival.com.au

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Toller: “Not only does each song, buried in squall but structured tightly around a central hook, function on its own, each adds to the broader narrative.” The Bridge, Castlemaine – January 25. .........................................................................

Chronolyth Find Sovereignty Brisbane’s melodic death/groove metallers Chronolyth are on their way to Bendigo to kick a little butt. Originally formed as Stigmartyr, the band changed its name and underwent a heavy line-up change before reaching that happy metal place. The band released their debut single, ‘Bitter Reflection’, towards the end of 2012, receiving attention from Sweden and Finland among other places. They then spent a healthy chunk of 2013 touring and working on their debut album, Sovereign. Chronolyth was also part of last year’s the ‘Ye Gods of Metal’ festival, arguably Brisbane’s finest metal touring party. Music Man Megastore, Bendigo – February 2 (all-ages show with Decimatus, Mannik, State of Unrest and Beneath the Waters) & The Karova, Ballarat – February 6. .........................................................................

Dragon City Derby Dolls Open Day Reckon you have what it takes to be a roller derby gal? Do you have a cool roller derby name picked out? Well, they’re looking for new talent – or Fresh Meat. Apart from being as cool as hell, roller derby is a great way to build your fitness and self-confidence.

The Fresh Meat Program is a 12-week course ($115) designed to get you started. Don’t know your hip whip from your j-block? It doesn’t matter. Don’t know how to skate? It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you’re willing to give it a go and put in a little hard work. An information and open day session is taking place at The Lair (Truscott Reserve, California Gully) on February 9. There will be a roller derby bout at 1 p.m. followed by an information session and fun skate. If this sounds like it could be your kind of thing, shoot an email through to dcddfreshmeat@ gmail.com. .........................................................................

The Holidays are Feeling It On February 21 Sydney indie-pop funsters The Holidays will release their sophomore album, Real Feel. Some may have already heard singles ‘Voices Drifting’ and ‘All Time High’ doing the rounds. The album is the follow-up to 2010’s Post Paradise, an album that was quick to make an impression and saw the band shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize.

Although missing out on the big one, they would

Pseudo Echo Want to Take You to…

It all started in 1982 when schoolmates Brian Canham and Pierre Gigliotti were joined by Tong Lugton. New wave was in the air, my friends, and bands like New Romantics, Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet ruled the roost.

Molly Meldrum spotted the band, Pseudo Echo, at a gig and aired them on the show Countdown. In 1984 they would release their debut album Autumnal Park, an album that peaked at #11 on the Kent Music Report, something we now know as the ARIA Charts.

The band would release a number of top 20 hits including ‘Listening’, ‘A Beat for You’, ‘Don’t Go’, ‘Love an Adventure’ and ‘Living in a Dream’, but ‘Funky Town’ is how they are most fondly remembered. A cover of the 1980 disco hit, the band’s version, released in 1986, spent seven weeks at the #1 spot. The Barwon Club, Geelong – January 25.

pick up the AMP’s Red Bull Award for Best Debut Album. Explaining the difficulties around making album number two, frontman Simon Jones said: “I had an idea for a sound that I couldn’t quite name or explain, a vague feeling, somewhere between love and loneliness, like a daydream where you can’t quite remember the content but the feelings you had remain. I guess that’s what this album is, trying to make real the intangible feelings of a few years of living.” The Karova, Ballarat – March 21. .........................................................................

Get On Down with Exit Crowd Quick bite: All it takes is a little reshuffling of your lineup and before you know it you’re a million miles from where you started. In 2010 a bunch of mates started jamming together, kicking out post-grunge tunes under the name Mountain Face. Roll on mid-2011, and the band said goodbye to one member and threw another behind the kit. Ska and funk then became the flavour for the band. This band knows how to have a good time and they know how to get a crowd involved.

The Bridge, Castlemaine – February 9.

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Jok ers The venue ‘Jokers’ has had a few names over the years and was formally known as The Criterion Hotel then it was Jokers On Ryrie, and now its - JOKERS. It was the first venue in Geelong to have a restaurant in the city centre.

Jokers is a a traditional venue with a an elegant modern flair, is centrally located in the heart of Geelong at 211 Ryrie Street. Jokers is convinenetly located within walking distance of the local shops, Market Square, Westfield, Geelong’s hospitals, local cinemas and a short stroll from the waterfront.

Jokers is well known for its fantastic food and friendly staff and our recently renovated venue offers a range of facilities to suit all. The family bistro offers a relaxed & welcoming atmosphere.

At Jokers the menu offers a wide range of seasonal dishes available to suit all tastes. All are reasonably priced, with lunch, dinner, kids and gluten free menus available meaning the menu caters for everyone. If it’s value you are after Jokers has a great value $14.50 lunch menu available 7 days a week, along with daily $10 lunch specials. Outside, the beer garden offers a relaxing environment where you can come and meet friends for a relaxing drink or enjoy a quiet outdoor dining experience.

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Offers & Deals Jokers offer a movie meal deal that includes your meal, drink and movie ticket for $35 or gold glass for $65. These are great gift ideas.

Thursday night is Parma Night with a selection of 10 different toppings to choose from, amazing value for $15.00.

All day Monday & Tuesday we have a coffee & cake deal for just $7.50 so why not try and fit in a cake & coffee after dinner?.

Venue Facilities include: TAB, Keno, Beer Garden, Bistro Open 7 Days, Lunch & Dinner, Pokies Jokers Members Club Join the Jokers rewards club and start enjoying the benefits. It’s FREE to join. With a Jokers Membership you will receive: Entry into members only promotions, members letters with special offers, a birthday offer and you can also earn points to redeem for food & beverages

INFO: 211 Ryrie St, Geelong / Ph: 03 5229 1104

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Martians Café written by wylie caird

Either Michael and his wife Liz, and Michael’s parents Janet and Brett Smartt, have never heard of the term business and family don’t mix, or they have and pay no mind to it. Either way, the result is perfect for us as they preside over cool little hangout, Martians Café. Located at the foothills of the Otway Ranges in Deans Marsh, Martians Café is a cruisey 20 minutes from Lorne and Colac and around 40 minutes from Geelong. It’s the kind of venue that makes you feel at home. And like that perfect album or memory, it will have you coming back time and time again.

Although Michael grew up in the seaside town of Lorne working in numerous hospitality businesses, his main background is in accounting where he spent seven years in Melbourne working in the field. Around 3 ½ years ago, Michael returned to the area with his wife, with the two welcoming their first child in September of 2010. His folks, 20-year residents of Deans Marsh, had always liked the idea of one day running Martians Café. So when the opportunity to buy the venue presented itself, Michael stepped away from crunching numbers and looked ahead to new possibilities.

Martians Café has been around in some form for around a decade. The building used to be the town garage before it was converted into the venue we know today. Michael believes – though he is not 100 per cent sure – that Deans Marsh used to host Music at the Hall once a month. Following its demise, Martians Café’s previous owners started putting on gigs. While Michael, his wife and his parents may have been tempted to unplug, the decision to keep the music playing was an easy one to make.

What is most impressive is that in their run there have only been four weeks where they haven’t provided tunes. Once a week, every week (barring a freak occasion), the venue will provide a gig, with the performer nominating their session of choice (Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday arvo). Archie Roach, Chris Wilson, Dan Sultan, Carus Thompson, Jeff Lang, Shane Howard and Rebecca Barnard have all graced the stage. In their almost 120 gigs, the venue has only had to chase for four of them – three being favourites they invited back. Due to its laid-back feel and limited capacity (100 gives a snug crowd), the musicians feel a warmth that may

be lacking in a pub or club show. Local support is strong, but a few extra faces never hurt.

If it is food you’re looking for, it’s hard to resist the flavours of Martians Café. Open breakfast, lunch and dinner, the venue is a hit with both locals and travellers. Homemade is the name of the game – and they come out winners every time. Their Otway Prime Beef Burger will leave you with a full stomach but still wanting more. Pies, sausage rolls, pasties, slices, cakes, dips … the list of homemade goodies goes on and on. They also provide vegetarian and vegan options, with gluten-free options available on most items.

In November last year they introduced their Pizza Menu which has proved a massive hit. Once again, pizzas are homemade, with hand-rolled dough and homemade Napoli cooked with the sort of love that

would make grandma proud. Their Theme Night Thursdays are proving to be very popular too. Each week diners are introduced to a new country (or region), with 4-5 different tapas being presented to represent the country’s cuisine – with a little Martians Café’s twist thrown in for good measure.

The café itself looks out upon the beautiful rolling hills, with wonderful views towards the ridge that separates the country from the coast. With a drink in hand, the beer garden boasts a spectacular view of the sunset. One of the keys to creating a venue you want people to return to is to make it feel like it could be a mate’s place they’re visiting.

Constructed out of an old garage, the ‘tin shed’, with its exposed beams and tin roof, has a laid-back country charm where the stress of the world is a million miles away.

Martians Café has a busy year planned. They are set to introduce a new dinner menu and update their current day and brekkie menu. They hope to have a provedore of local produce and health foods up and running by the end of the year and renovations to the back room and extension of the inside café are also on the to-do list.

Gigs coming up at Martians Café: The Latchiko’s – January 25; C.J. Lee – February 1; Cyndi Boste with Josh Goddard – February 8; Red Whyte – February 15; Jeff Lang – February 22; Tim Hulsman – March 1; Tom Richardson – March 15.

Come for the food, stay for the music, leave with a smile.

You can join the Martians Café mailing list by contacting liz@martianscafe.com.au.

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Will Sparks written by Natalie Rogers

Mr Will Sparks is a man of his word. Although he was handpicked to headline Sydney’s Australia Day celebrations at the Ivy, alongside best mate Joel Fletcher, he remains vehement that he’ll bring the ‘bounce’ when he hits the decks on the same day at Whispers in Geelong. “I’m sure I’ll make it – there are 24hrs in the day, you know?!” he explained good-naturedly (and after a quick glance at his schedule I realise he may need all of them).

“It doesn’t matter how many gigs I’ve played or how tired I get, when I jump up on stage I always feel a massive adrenalin rush and there’s nothing like it!

It’s a natural high, and it’s the best high!”

The latest entry in his ever-expanding tour diary sees the 20-year-old from Camberwell opening for Swedish EDM behemoth Avicii at his Sydney and Perth shows the very same week! “It’s incredible.

What an amazing opportunity this’ll be,” Will responded when I congratulated him on the news.

Clearly taking his sky-rocketing success in his stride, he comes across as relaxed and friendly while we chat about clubfloors around the world, his first musical love and the perks of being a headbanger.

To say that 2013 was a good year in the life of the down-to-earth producer/ DJ would be a gross understatement.

Rising from the virtual unknown, his breakthrough track ‘Ah Yeah’ landed at #3 on the Beatport charts, before taking out the top spot with a remix of the Stafford Brothers’ tune ‘Hello’.

Suddenly the world began to pay attention, and offers to play internationally came flooding in. In the last 12 months he completed a 35-date tour of the US – the fact that he’s still too young to be a patron at any of the clubs he played was a minor (get it?) detail.

As well as an invaluable networking experience, Will said he relished the anonymity and challenge of winning a crowd over. “I would constantly have people coming up to me after my set saying things like, ‘man, I didn’t even know who you were before tonight!’ and then they’d go on to really talk my tracks up. To me that’s the best compliment. I love it when people say they loved the music, because I love it soo much as well!”

On top of the North American tour, Will spent seven weeks gigging across the UK and Europe. “Overseas everyone is just drawn to the DJ. I love it when I catch someone that’s doing their own little moves to a song – each to their own!

It’s great when there’s an open space and everybody’s having a boogie. Here in Melbourne everyone does a similar move; they wiggle a bit and do the side to side thing then the hand flick – whatever you want to call it!” he laughed.

Next stop on Will’s race-around-the-world is Asia: “It’s going to be an incredible challenge, but I can’t wait to make some tunes while I’m on the road. I’m always making music for the moment. I love to focus on what’s happening here and now.”

In order to keep the creative spontaneity flowing, Will relies on the new ‘man’s best friend’ – his phone – to capture new ideas or sounds. “When I get an idea for a track, I’ll sing it into my phone; then once I’m at home I’ll work on a riff before putting it on to my computer. I can generally tell pretty quickly if something will work or not.”

Will has always felt a strong pull towards music of all genres – even dabbling in different bands until he could no longer ignore the call of the decks. “It’s strange, but the riffs I make now are similar to the riffs I used to make when I played in a band, in the way that they’re structured with the melodies. It’s similar because it’s still head-banging – and I was a massive head-banger!! I still listen to and play my old metal music, but when I started to make music on the computer everything just clicked for me.”

Despite becoming a high-flying international producer/DJ, Will still loves nothing more than a jam on his guitar: “I love to jam – it’s not like you can jam pushing buttons!”

So if you were stuck on a desert island, what instrument would you prefer – your guitar or decks? “My guitar for sure!

But honestly, if you had said my guitar or computer, I’d have to choose the computer.”

Showing no signs of slowing down, Will has big plans for 2014. He hopes to unleash a couple more singles before jetting off to break into the Asian market.

Will spoke excitedly about an original called ‘Catch’ (tipped for release on 3/2) and another track ‘Promiscuous’, with Dutch producer and friend, Laidback Luke.

As for talk of a long-awaited full-length LP, Will wanted to convey this message: “To everyone, I want to say thank you for your patience. It’s been a frustrating subject for me, but please keep enjoying the music.

2014 is going to be a great year!”

When&Where: Whispers, Geelong – January 26. He also plays the Good Life Festival & Future Music Festival

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Saturday 1st February, Geelong Racecourse

Owl Eyes written by zach broadhurst

2013 was certainly a busy year for Brooke Addamo. Performing under her stage name Owl Eyes, she released her first fulllength album, made two music videos, had multiple tours of Australia and played some of the biggest festivals in the country, including Falls Festival and Stereosonic.

“It has kind of set me up for this year,” says Addamo of her eventful 2013. “I’m going overseas and taking my music over there, so it’s been really good. Obviously I’ve still got a lot of work to do and I’m always learning, but it’s been good so far.”

Following her three EP releases since 2010, last year’s release of Nightswim was widely praised within the industry, but Addamo is glad there is not too much pressure hanging on her next album. “It was very nice to get great feedback for your first album, which sort of sets you up for your next one,” says Addamo. “If the feedback had of been any better I think I would have kind of struggled for my next release and had too much pressure.

“I really like taking it slow and going step by step and building a foundation and building a fan base. I’d much rather do it that way than have one single that blows up and you have all these expectations.”

While 2013 might be over, the summer of music festivals is in full swing for Owl Eyes, as Addamo looks forward to headlining February’s Great Australian Beer Festival at the Geelong racecourse. “I guess it will be more exciting headlining, [but] I don’t think it puts too much pressure on it,” says Addamo. “It [The Great Australian Beer Festival] sounds good. I haven’t had much time to look into it yet; I’ll probably do that

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the week prior or something, but it should be great. I haven’t played a show in Geelong for I can’t even remember, so it will be great to play a show there.”

Headlining festivals at just 23 seems like a quick rise for Addamo, but the young singer has been working hard for years now, ever since she was first exposed to the music industry on Australian Idol in 2008 – a period of her life that is a distant memory now. “It was such a long time ago.

I was 16 and now I’m 23, so I don’t really ever think about it,” says Addamo. “It was an experience, and I guess I learned from it. I learned what I didn’t want to be and I came out of it more determined to develop my artistry and be able to be more my own artist, rather than a puppet.”

Addamo has certainly done things her own way since – which has seen her develop a devoted fan base here in Australia – but it’s building a following overseas that is the big goal for 2014. “I guess I’m just focusing on writing music and working hard to get my live show ready for overseas,” says Addamo.

“Obviously that’s really important to me, to take my music out of Australia.

“I’ve been touring Australia for a few years now, and although I love touring Australia, it can get kind of boring after a while and you have to kind of set yourself new goals. So I’m playing South by South West, which is a music conference, and then playing shows around that, and also playing with Flight Facilities.”

When&Where: Great Australian Beer Festival @ Geelong Racecourse – February 1

HOW TO TASTE BEER

Today’s Tongue

Bitter Sour Salty

ENTERTAINMENT

Sweet

Main Stage:

Here are some basic steps for experiencing a craft beer.

1. Look at it.

you to see the colour and head retention.

Hold the glass in front of you and pay attention to its consistency, colour and the head on the beer.

3. Smell it.

80% of taste is delivered from smell. Don’t believe?

Hold your nose and taste something, then taste it again with your nose unplugged. You will notice a huge difference.

2. Swirl it.

Gently swirl your glass allowing the smells trapped in the beer to escape. Swirling also helps

The Evening Cast

4. Taste it!

nose. This action, called retro-olfaction, will be similar to your initial smell of the beer, but should be slightly different due to the temperature difference of the beer. At this point, notice the different tastes of the beer, including sweetness, bitterness, and acidity.

Take a small sip of the beer.

Swish the beer around in your mouth so all your tastebuds get their turn with it. Note the consistency of the beer in your mouth (called mouthfeel). With beer still in your mouth, breathe out through your

11:30am - 12:30pm

Kylie Auldist & The Glenroy Allstars 1:00pm - 2:00pm

GABF encourages you to savour thoughtfully and enjoy responsibly

Owl Eyes

2:30pm - 3:30pm

Tigertown

4:00pm - 5:00pm

Awards Presentations

5:00pm - 5:15pm

The Kite Machine

5:30pm - 6:30pm Stage 2:

Craft Beer + Photography =

B E E R t o g r a p h y We invite you to explore our BEERtography exhibition to view excellent photography depicting the meaning of craft beer to those behind the camera. Take time to visit one of the colourful artists displaying their craft around the festival and watch out for the quirky illustrator wanting to turn you into a cartoon character.

Graffiti Board

BEERtography winner announced on main stage 5:15pm.

Watch worldclass graffiti artists work through the day to bring a blank wall to life beaming of colour, vibrancy and meaning.

We thank Little Creatures for sponsoring this inaugural competition.

Craft Beer + Performing Arts =

B E E R

c a b a r e t

Take a break from sampling the nectar of the gods to discover Beer Cabaret.

An artisan utopia boasting a lively and cosmopolitan pulse where you are entertained by an enchanting selection of comedy, vaudeville and unique enactment. There is no fee to see only a broad mind to be.

Kyle Taylor

11:00am - 12:00pm

Justin McGinley

12:30pm - 1:00pm

James Sidebottom

1:30pm - 2:30pm

Franky Walnut

2:45pm - 3:15pm

Grim Fawkner

3:15pm - 4:00pm

Spyndrift

4:30pm - 5:30pm

Murdena

5:45pm - 6:30pm Beer Cabaret:

The guys are located next to stage 2.

Quirky live entertainment throughout the day. Visit tent to see the full list of comedy, cabaret and street performers.

Racetrack

E2 Bus Shuttle

Beer Cabaret

Stage

E3 22 23

24

Gate 2 Seminars

Cider Hall

(level 1)

21

31 32

TOKENS

29 30

V.I.P.

(level 1)

33

25

Odyssey Tavern

7 6

Tastes of the Re

5

27

gion

4

Public Carpark

28

8

3

2

1

5

Volum Bar

4

3

2 1

26 TOKENS

19

E1

6

TOKENS

Kids Zone

Cosgrove St.

7

(dry area)

8 9

10

Beertography Exhibition

Main Gate

11 12 13 14

15

16 17 18

ge Main Sta

Restricted Carpark

Breakwater

Taxi

Fowler St.

20

Main Entrance

Rd.

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BENDIGO:

ballarat:

Louise Adams

23rd January to what's on in the rat Thursday, Thursday, 6th February

by Darlene Taylor

written By Daniel Lock

With her strong voice and presence, neo-blues chanteuse Louise Adams made an impression as part of an all-female line-up at the Rifle Brigade Hotel during the Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival last November.

Good evening hotties and cool cats. With the weather reaching the 40s recently, what better way to spend the weekend than with a beer in one hand and a band on stage?! So here is the brief on what’s going on around The Rat, original music gig-wise.

The singer-songwriter, who lives just up the road in Castlemaine, has recently released a self-titled EP which was launched (with Bendigonians Jack Kennedy and the Jordan Allen Band playing in support) on 11 January. The copy of the EP in my possession was purchased during the festival.

There’s no better mellow atmosphere I can gauge than The Babushka Bar/Cafe/Lounge/Gallery.

With the lounge and stage situated at the front of the venue and a quaint sociable beer garden out the back it’s the perfect place to kick back and indulge in something refreshing while listening to original tunes. Coming up: Friday, January 24th – Johnny McIntyre. Entry $10; Sunday, January 26th – FREE jam night; Thursday, January 30th – Liam Tench. Entry TBC; Friday, January 31st – ALEK. Entry TBC; Saturday, February 1st – Man, Minx and Marina. Entry TBC; Sunday, February 2nd – FREE jam night; and Thursday, February 6th – David Grimson.

Adams has a voice that’s both ballsy and hip; like it belongs to an old-style blues singer who’s fond of Martha Wainwright. The quirkiness of Adams’s voice is evident in ‘Desert’, a sultry song about doing everything for someone who may or may not reciprocate.

She begins her EP with the seductively assertive This Thing. Arguably the most conventionally bluesy of the tracks on the EP, the song is essentially a resolute request for Adams’s bloke to get into the bedroom and do his thing (“I just want you to come here and be my man,” she croons).

At a time in the history of music when the presentation of female sexuality has to some extent been reduced to adolescent attention seeking, Adams offers an earthy sexiness that’s far more appealing than tools being licked or tongues being stuck out. It’s an adult’s sexuality, as opposed to a girl pretending to be grown up.

The EP’s second strongest effort, ‘The Shaker’, is another song about tempting a man, but this time via the means of dance and a wicked laugh; a sort of suspect siren call. The song builds up to what might be regarded as the Adams staple of finishing with fastness and fury, even when a song is mostly quite slow.

While Adams’s style isn’t always easy to categorise genre-wise, she’s at her least convincing performing what could be classified as pop music.

Although the song ‘Little Butterfly’ adds a diversity of lyrical content with its focus on someone who hasn’t come into themselves yet, rather than on sex and/or the confusion associated with intimate relationships: “Little butterfly hiding in your safe place; Before you come out and face the world; Little butterfly when will you become.”

It’s a catchy tune with a touch of reggae; however, it

A Touch of Beauty

lacks the forcefulness of some of the other tracks.

Perhaps it just needed some hooting and hollering, although it should be noted it’s good to have a bit of light and shade and a bit of difference.

Adams sounds more comfortable doing country music on ‘How Do I Know’ (“I feel lust for you, but how do I know that I will love you too”). Punctuated by the word “yep”, the song would be right at home at a hootenanny where folks square dance and dip their cowboy hats. Although it doesn’t give its singer any resolution as to whether its love interest shares her interest, it’s a fun tune that should get people up on their feet.

The song about her itinerant musician sibling, ‘Gypsy Brother’, also has a nice country feel.

As evidence of her musical eclecticism, Adams should’ve put in an appearance at one of Australia’s favourite celebrations of music, the Tamworth Country Music Festival, by the time this edition of Forte Magazine is in print.

Photo courtesy of the Geelong Advertiser

Diversitat Hair, Makeup & Beauty Courses Some people know early on what they want to do; others struggle to find their calling. It can be frustrating, but fortunately organisations like Diversitat are doing their bit to help put you on the right track.

Something you may know is that Diversitat Training is Geelong’s largest private training provider; something you may not know is just what a wide range of courses they offer. They also offer a broad range of courses for apprentices and trainees who are existing employees in the workforce.

Their Hairdressing, Makeup and Beauty Therapy courses have become the go-to options in Geelong for learning the trades. When you have some of Geelong’s most talented industry experts in charge, this comes as little surprise.

Diversitat offers training to hairdressing apprentices already in employ as well as to full-time students who are wanting to top up their skills before entering the workforce. Students who take on the Diversitat course are offered the opportunity to learn in a professional boutique environment. No one is left behind as care is taken to ensure each student receives individual attention.

Students also have access to The Pulse facilities where they can use the photographic studios to develop their session styling portfolio.

Beauty Therapy courses entail waxing, makeup, nail technology, spray tanning and eyelash extensions skills, all provided by industry renowned experts. Excursions to some of Victoria’s popular spas and salons are also included in the course. Part-time and full-time courses are offered, from six months to one year.

New to Diversitat in 2014 is the Diploma of Specialist Makeup. Specialising in theatre, catwalk, film and television, Diversitat Makeup is the only makeup course to offer accredited training in Napoleon Perdis makeup.

Students will have access to Live Pulse Television and Pulse Photographic and Media facilities, something no other makeup school in Victoria can offer. This is a full-time course offered three days per week for one year.

Diversitat has gained a strong reputation for producing quality hairdressers, makeup artists and beauty therapists due to delivering first-rate quality training. No shortcuts are taken and students just aren’t numbers to be ticked off a list. Each student is given more time in the studio on live models, ensuring both their practical skills and customer relations skills are at a top level. This is done before the

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student is assessed to make sure they have both the necessary skills and confidence.

Keeping up to date with current trends is all-important in the beauty trade, so students are made aware of what’s hot in the industry. Communication, too, is a key part of business and the team at Diversitat has developed solid relationships with employers. By speaking with employers and maintaining a good relationship, Diversitat is able to find out exactly what employers are looking for and pass that information on to their students.

Diversitat is the best option when it comes to hairdressing, beauty therapy or makeup courses. Not only because students are given more individual attention than they may receive in other training courses, but because their teachers are constantly looking for ways to improve themselves as well.

Students recently had the opportunity to work with Lorna Evans, 2011’s Victorian Hairdresser of the Year, at a recent event. Lorna has been a salon owner for two decades and the knowledge she passed on to the students was invaluable.

If you have an interest in any of these fields, you would be hard-pressed to find a better training facility than Diversitat.

Not only will you learn skills recognised and respected by the industry, but you could be well on your way to finding your dream job.

It’s not just about a fancy certificate at Diversitat. It’s about building a future.

For further information on Diversitat’s hairdressing, beauty therapy and makeup courses, please visit diversitat.org. au.

The Karova Lounge nightclub is an original music venue with a large stage and sound system to boot.

Their usual weekend sets consist of a few bands starting around 9:30 p.m. and DJs to keep the party going after midnight. Coming up: Friday, January 24th – Dallas Crane and Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk. Entry $15; Saturday, January 25th – Bel Air, Embassy Talks and Bnash. Entry $6; Thursday, January 30th – Claim The Throne, The Hazard Circular, Hackxwhore and Order of Torment. Entry $10; Friday, January 31st – Jeff Martin (The Tea Party) and Sarah McLeod (The Superjesus).

Tickets $40; Saturday, February 1st – Wil Wagner (The Smith Street Band). Entry $10; and Sunday, February 2nd – The Bennies, Apart From This and The Savages. Entry TBC.

Now, I know this is unprofessional of me but I’ve never actually been to a gig at The Main Bar. I’ve tried to but other work has always gotten in the way. But I can tell you upon entering their front bar has a warm friendly atmosphere, their pizzas are good (I have had a meal though) and their line-ups have been impressive thus far. Coming up: Friday, January 24th – The Main Bar House Band featuring Pat Emery. Entry $10; Saturday, January 25th – The 3D’s; Sunday, January 26th – triple j Hottest 100 Party. Free Entry (12 p.m.); and Friday, January 31st – JoJo Smith. Entry $15.

And for those of you in the know already, Jam at the Dam is coming up again on Saturday, January 25th. For those of you not in the know, Jam at the Dam is a local music festival held out at Invermay that raises money for the local CFA. This year the setlist looks something like this... 12 p.m. Soultown DJs; 1 p.m. The Bronx Cheer; 2 p.m. Mick Dog’s Bone Yard; 3 p.m. The Electric SunKings; 4 p.m. Juan Alban; 5 p.m.

The Yard Apes; 6 p.m. Ballarat Ska Orchestra; 7 p.m. The Rye Catchers; 8 p.m. La Bastard; 9 p.m. Video Video; 10 p.m. APES. For more information on Jam at the Dam, hit up their Facebook page.

For more information on events held at other venues mentioned…

Babushka Bar/Cafe/Lounge/Gallery: evileye.com.au/babushkalounge.com The Karova Lounge: karovalounge.com The Main Bar: themainbar.com.au

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The Night Jar Festival Comes to Geelong!

The very sucessful Nightjar Festival, is pulling up its pegs and moving to Johnstone Park in Geelong to entertain you each Friday evening in February from 4pm – 10pm. Relax and enjoy with family and friends at the end of a working week. The ‘Nightjar In The City’, Geelong, is definitely a gig to look forward to, with new bands and attractions every Friday. Since its inception four years ago the Nightjar Festival has become an integral part of the Surf Coast’s social calendar. January in Torquay has never been the same since The Nightjar found its home on The Common attracting in excess of 8,500 patrons each night. With a stunning line-up of bands set for Geelong, fabulous high quality market stalls, delicious world cuisines, locally brewed beer and the gorgeous atmospheric venue of Johnstone Park, there is plenty to enjoy.

“Nightjar in the City” looks forward to supporting the community, and local artists and musicians.

With a superb line-up on the Moon Mother stage each Friday night, audiences will be more than impressed by the incredibly talented bands and artists and some of the most prominent rising talents in the country. Come and check out the likes of The Kite Machine with their fantastic blend of alternative funk and blues, and country folk troubadour Frazer Gorman’s soulful lyrical tunes and captivating performance. Geelong locals and Breakout Artist of the Year winner, Residual will impress with their tight indie rock set. Then there is the eclectic, punchy, songfest of toe tapping country, urban blues and folk rock that is Murdena. Groove to the ska, funk, reggae tunes and world beats wrapped up in a carousel of cabaret with Spyndrift. Get Rollicking with Pugwash’s pirate folk sea shanties, saucy songs, briny barnacled wooden-legged limericks, and rum soaked ramblin’ tales to have ya dreamin’ o’ the Seven Seas. Be swept away with Moonah, and have your heart filled with the amazing lyrical talent and enchanting voice of Justin Love. It goes without saying that there are more artists than we can due credit to here..with five bands each night, so we wont attempt to give it all away.

With over 90 stalls you can shop with local and

emerging quality designers, sampling food from all over the world or simply absorbing the magical atmosphere. As you leisurely wander around the festival you will be delighted by the art installations adorning the trees, and the beautiful lighting will show off Johnstone Park at its best. The park will be transformed each Friday night and will be a sensory delight for eyes, taste buds and your soul, so come and be enchanted. There will be children’s entertainment, faeries, face painting and story telling.

Entrance is a gold coin donation, to help with the running costs. Supported by The Greater City of Geelong and Central Geelong Marketing, we aim to wow the Geelong crowd and bring them a night to remember. This is a festival for the summer months to celebrate the arts and life itself, so come to the Nightjar in the City each Friday in February. We look forward to seeing you all there.

For more updates, check out the website http:// www.nightjarfestival.com.au/geelong/ , and the Facebook page “Nightjar Festival”

FREE CLASSIFIEDS SEND YOUR INFO TO: editorial@fortemag.com.au or p.o. box 1388, geelong 3220 or fax 5229 0318 INDIVIDUAL USE ONLY, NOT FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES.

Drummer Available - Geelong. 20 years + live experience to play in a working/ near working band. I have pro equipment & transport. Can play a range of styles from Rock, Blues, Jazz & Funk. Please contact Matt on 0404 543 416 or email - mattgroove@ gmail.com

Raised by Eagles written by Tex Miller

By the end of last year, Raised by Eagles’s selftitled debut album was making the top ten lists of albums of the year; an accolade that frontman Luke Sinclair never thought would be possible.

Featured on the line-up for the Kyneton Music Festival as well as Apollo Bay 2014, for those who haven’t heard of the band, they are one of the most exciting names in the Australian alt-country music scene at the moment. With many little projects on the go in 2014, I recently got the opportunity to catch up with Luke before they head out on the road to tour once again.

“The album has been making its way up the charts and we’ve been getting airplay on AirIt and AMRAP. We released it in July last year and the response to the music thus far has been amazing considering that we are still a really new band in the country music genre. I had no idea how successful this would be,” Sinclair said.

Since forming in late 2012, the concept of Raised

by Eagles was created as a means of giving Luke’s solo songs a full band feel. If you’ve listened to the record, you’ll know that they have definitely hit the mark with this one. “The majority of these tracks were just rattling around in my guitar case and I wanted to record them, so I assembled this band of fantastic players together and here we are about to head out playing shows again!” Sinclair says excitedly about the year ahead.

Drummer Wanted for original punk rock band around Ballarat.

Influences include NOFX, The Offspring, Millencolin and AC/ DC. If you enjoy jumping around and making noise - phone 0417566478

Influenced by the likes of Whiskeytown and the early recordings of American alt-country legends Wilco, if you are heading along to Apollo Bay or Kyneton be sure to check these guys out. In March, the band are playing some shows with Matt Walker – an opportunity that Sinclair is still to this day thrilled about, as Walker is one of his ultimate musical heroes.

With Luke Richardson on bass, Johnny Gibson behind the drum kit and Nick O’Mara (Shane’s cousin) on lead guitar, the sound that Raised by Eagles creates is a fresh and original twist on the country music genre. One of the most surprising factors of all the press after releasing the album is that the band is renowned for their energetic live show. “It’s pretty funny that everyone thinks that we are a great live band. I’ve always felt that if you don’t like the songs, you probably wouldn’t be into this band.

“We don’t really bring any Pete Townshend windmills to the table, and we’re not very flamboyant on stage. That said, the chemistry between us is what makes our live show and there is quite a brotherhood on stage. It can be fiery and really fantastic to watch at times,” Sinclair said.

The album, which was recorded and mixed by Steve Frasier at his Melbourne studio, is the launching for the next stage of the band’s career. Talking about the recording process, which included piecing the album together and several overdubs, Sinclair tells me that the band is nearly ready to lay down the second album.

Steve Frasier is definitely likely to be at the helm again, and the new disc is likely to be released in June or July this year – so keep an eye out.

When&Where: Kyneton Music Festival - Feb 28 to Mar 2 & Apollo Bay Music Festival - Feb 28 to Mar 2

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE! CALL LUKE ON 0422 809 042

Lead Guitarist with Vocal Ability wanted for a 70’s/80’s Cover Band. Age: 30 -35++. must be reliable.

Gigs waiting. Contact Phil: 0410465634 or 0352758691 Guitarist & Keyboard Player Wanted for pop/rock originals band. Looking for experienced musicians who can also sing harmonies, are easygoing and reliable. Contact Phil 0421 901 530 www. zeffamusic.com 30ish year old trumpet player, looking to form or play in jazz group.

Ballarat area. Contact Mel 0435360076 19yo Male singer looking for funk/ rock musicians: Want similar aged guys

who like Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Beatles, and ANYTHING funky bass! i love ANY music prior to 1950s all the way back to classical and beyond! I also play trumpet, Contact Sam 0407 347 444 Lead Guitarist, Bass Player and Vocalist are looking for an experienced drummer to complete a Geelong based Blues/ Rock outfit. Influences include : Jimi Hendrix, Cream, The Doors, Pink Floyd, John Lee Hooker, Van Morrison, Black Keys, Ash Grunwald, Stevie Ray Vaughan etc... Also have originals to develop together as well. If interested contact Craig: 0404 054 045 or email transform_pt@ yahoo.com.au 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 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

Applications now open.

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Bliss n Eso written by Cameron Brogden

One of Australia’s biggest hip hop acts is making a return to one of their biggest shows ever. Bliss n Eso played Big Day Out back in 2011. Now they’re back this year, playing every Big Day Out event except Adelaide, where they’ll be replaced by 360. I managed to catch up with Max MacKinnon, aka Eso, before Christmas to discuss Big Day Out and last year’s hugely successful album, Circus in the Sky. “It’s wonderful, you know?” he said of their fifth album’s success. “We’ve worked really hard on it. We don’t just kind of go into one studio, we like to spread it around in different atmospheres. So we started on several different locations around the world. And to put that puzzle together finally, and out to the people, it’s awesome. And to get the recognition it’s getting, we’re really stoked. We’re still young at heart. I remember when we were in high school and this was all just a dream. So we don’t take it for granted, and we’re extremely humbled by the whole thing.”

One of the highlights of that album was ‘Reservoir Dogs’, which featured 360, Pez and Drapht – three of the biggest acts in Australia today. I assumed it would have been a struggle to get so many busy guys in one place at one time, but Eso set me straight. “I’m friends with all those boys,” he said.

“We’ve partied hard and done our rounds killing the circuit around Australia. So it was just a matter of making sure they were all not busy. But everyone made the time and the effort. We didn’t really lay any ground rules. What you had to rap about, or the vibe,

we just set the boys the beat and let them do their thing. That’s what we really wanted; we didn’t want to change their styles or anything.”

And the boys are looking forward to hitting Big Day Out again. “We always are,” Eso said. “We love festivals. We love performing live full stop. It’s the thing that keeps us on our toes and keeps our wits sharp. A festival like Big Day Out is always huge. I remember when we played in, I think it was 2010, and I proposed to my now-wife on stage, and that was probably one of the biggest pinnacles of my life.

I’ve got a big picture of it in my living room.”

Pez is also on the line-up, so I asked if he’d be joining them for ‘Reservoir Dogs’. “I dunno; we’ve definitely got some tricks up our sleeve,” Eso said. “We’re gonna have some extra people jump up on stage with us and keep it interesting. It’s always good, like I said before, when we go on these festivals, the level that, Australian music in general but, hip hop is at, at the moment.

“Ten years ago you wouldn’t have seen all these hip hop artists/acts on the list at all these festivals. It’s pretty heavily rock-based, but now you look at the festivals and it’s like ‘this guy, this guy, this guy’. So slowly but surely we’ve made our dent in the industry.

It’s great to see people like Pez on the bill. We’ll be running amok backstage.”

When&Where: The Big Day Out, Melbourne - Jan 24

Marlon Hoffstadt written by Natalie Rogers

Life is full of defining moments – so to celebrate, German-born DJ/producer Marlon Hoffstadt’s first trip to Australia, he sat down with Forte to share some of his.

big things for this one!” Marlon revealed.

“I started deejaying about three years ago. I was at a club in Berlin on New Year’s Eve and I got talking to the DJ and I gave him a really, really rough remix I’d been working on – but I didn’t expect anything. Just as I walked onto the dance floor my track began to play, and as I looked around everyone started going nuts!” he laughed.

“So from that moment on I thought it would be a dream come true for me to play my own music at clubs – and I’ve been deejaying ever since. I’ve played all around Europe – Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Moscow – and last year I went to Colombia and Miami.”

The third offering on this quality EP is ‘Go Now’, a more pop-inspired house track. For this one Marlon teamed up with longtime friend, singer/producer HRRSN. “We’ve been working together making music for years now. He’s very talented.

Since realising his dream behind decks, Marlon has become an influential producer and established his own label, WellDone! Music. His most recent release is a slamming EP, The Goodie Goodies. “I wanted to start 2014 off big! This EP is a collaboration with three friends – we all work together on my label.”

Each track features Marlon and a different up-and-coming artist on his label. The first, ‘Keep a Dalla’, showcases his label’s newest recruit, Vienna native Alaev. “It was one of the first songs we made together. I like it because it has a strong, heavy beat. It’s been online for four or five days now and has entered the Beatport charts at #79. I’m really optimistic it will chart well.” This classic house track is also currently on rotation during the popular BBC One radio show, hosted by Irish DJ/TV presenter Annie Mac. Airtime during her show is highly coveted. “I’m hoping for

‘Watchin You’ is the title of the next tune, made with the help of techno/ house DJ Nicolai Toma, who also happens to be Marlon’s housemate.

“I’ve worked with some very cool producers and DJs. I’ve met so many amazing people and I’m very lucky.

An older track of mine, ‘Shake That’, is going to be rereleased on [renowned British DJ] Pete Tong’s label FFRR, which is a sub-label of Warner Music, so maybe soon I’ll be really famous!” Marlon joked. (As it happens, Pete Tong was just in Australia where he played for the lucky punters on the Australian Open before heading to Sydney.)

At only 19-years-old, Marlon has accomplished a lot, but tries not to take anything for granted. “I’d like to thank everyone that has helped me up to this point. I can’t wait to come to Australia and see as much as I can.”

Recently Marlon started posting a video series called ‘My P.O.V’ on his website (marlonhoffstadt.com) and on Facebook. “I’ve started recording myself on my travels.

I thought it would be fun to show everyone, and people back home, what I do on the road in different countries and continents. You can definitely expect me to post an Australian video; I’m really looking forward to playing these gigs!”

when&where: Basement (Fake Chow), Geelong - Feb 15

D.D Dumbo written by Tex Miller

Over the past couple of months, Oliver Perry, or D.D Dumbo as he’s better known, has become one of the biggest up-and-coming artists in the Australian music scene. Chances are you’ve probably heard his track ‘Tropical Oceans’ floating around on triple j – the bluesy guitar riffs that sound like they come directly off a Black Keys album are incredibly infectious. Catching up with Ollie after his late ring-in gig at Meredith Music Festival after Vance Joy pulled out at the last minute, the excitement is building, with 2014 looking to be the biggest year yet for D.D Dumbo.

recordings on the EP are actually up to two years old.

Included on the line-up for the Kyneton Music Festival (which takes place in February/March) after so much hard work going into the recording and production of the debut EP, it’s great to be finally reaping the rewards, as Ollie relates.

One of the main influences (surprisingly) on the D.D Dumbo sound is the late Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré, who came to prominence through his work with Ry Cooder. “I love the guitar sounds that Ali was able to create and liked how diverse his playing was. A lot of interviewers and other musicians say that ‘Tropical Oceans’ sounds a little like the Black Keys, but I wouldn’t classify them as a big influence on my music I don’t think. I do a lot of old blues stuff, so maybe it’s that.”

‘Riptide’ by Vance Joy will definitely achieve a top ten result in the triple j Hottest 100 countdown, so was having to fill in for the great man at Meredith a daunting experience? “It was a pretty daunting experience to be involved with Meredith but also really fantastic. I had a whole heap of Castlemaine friends there as well and them going crazy up the front made the experience truly unforgettable and the vibe just electric.”

Supporting the likes of Elizabeth Rose and Love Migrate towards the end of last year, with all of the commercial support ‘Tropical Oceans’ has been receiving, big things are expected from D.D Dumbo this year. Although I hadn’t really heard of his music before this point, this project has been a few years in the pipeline – and the

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“I used to live in Brunswick and decided to record the EP and didn’t really think anything about it. I put it up on the internet – and this was before I started to play live shows – and the reception to the tracks was really surprising. A few of the tracks, like Tropical Oceans, are actually recorded live with a loop pedal and the others are live band with bass and drums. It was a little difficult to translate them into the live setting at first, but the reception to each show has been fantastic recently and the crowds are getting bigger as more people hear the name.”

One of the most anticipated gigs of 2014 for D.D Dumbo is the Kyneton Music Festival, which takes place over the last weekend in February. As expected, Ollie is excited about the opportunity to be involved with the community festival. “That festival every year seems to keep growing, and although I’ve never actually been there before, it’s going to be awesome to get up and play alongside some well established acts.

I can’t wait.”

When&Where: The Workers Club – January 25 & the Kyneton Music Festival

A

I, Awake: Live at the Sydney Opera House – Sarah Blasko

c

d

Talk the Talk – The Angels The Angels’ second album with Dave “Gleeso” Gleeson as the frontman. Gleeso is the perfect fit to replace Doc Neeson, and I’m looking forward to this one. Available now on Albert Productions.

E

One of the country’s greats is releasing a ‘Best Of’ this month.

All the hits are there, including ‘Errol’, ‘Beautiful People’ and, of course, ‘Reckless’.

Available tomorrow on EMI.

I saw one of the shows on this tour, and I’m telling you now – this album is amazing. Sarah Blasko’s voice, backed up by the Sydney International Orchestra.

Available now on Dew Process. b

The Greatest Hits – Australian Crawl

The B-Sides – The Gaslight Anthem

Beloved – I Killed the Prom Queen

A

B

C

D

D

E

The granddaddies of Australian metalcore have reunited for this, their first album in six years.

This is the band’s third album.

Available February 14 on Epitaph.

F

This album contains ‘rare’ acoustic versions, a Rolling Stones cover and live tracks, all recorded between 2008 and 2011. I’m not sure I see the point of a b-side album in this day and age when most people don’t even buy whole CDs. Available January 31 on Mercury.

Wanderlust – Sophie Ellis-Bextor I know what you’re thinking, and I’m thinking it too: Sophie Ellis-Bextor apparently didn’t disappear after ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ (apparently she had five singles chart in Australia).

This is, apparently, her fifth album.

Available tomorrow on Polydor.

TOO HEAVY TO HUG PAUL S TAYLOR chris cruz

The Bouncing Souls/ Menzingers split 7” has been selling like hotcakes, so if you haven’t secured your copy yet, quit jerkin’ it and start shopping!

It contains two cuts from each band and is utterly essential for fans of either band.

Riddle me this: do acoustic guitars really have a place in punk rock? So many modern “punk” bands are using them and it’s kinda starting to grate on me. And no more indie rock in punk!

checked out the new records from Spiderbait and Tumbleweed, go get ’em from your nearest JB Hi-Fi – pronto!

Amazing efforts well worth your time and money! And while you’re there, pick up the re-issued HardOns albums!

Remember how awesome the last Hits & Pits festival was?

Of course you do – it was only two months ago! Anyways, the next one is already on the drawing board (and the first round of announcements may not be too far off). This time around there’ll be a few Aussie bands taking part, so it’s gonna be even more awesome this time around – especially for those bands!

Melbourne punk rock boys and girls Strawberry Fist Cake have some shows coming up in Forte territory this new year. Head on over to their Facebook or ReverbNation profiles for date and venue information. The band Nothing shits me also has a new album more than terrible band names, on the way! especially when they Frankston lads Public belong to terrible emo/screamo/ Liability and local metalcore bands! This thrash punks Hopes time around I present Abandoned are teaming up for a New to you: Plague Vendor, Stray From Zealand tour in 2014 The Path, The Color after the release of Morale, Tear Out their respective new The Heart, Chunk!

EPs. No, Captain Chunk!

Skid Row and Ugly and … NiT GriT. Yep, Kid Joe are touring! that’s how they write Never really got it – an odd mix of into Ugly Kid Joe, capital and lower case especially after that letters. Seriously?! It abysmal cover of also doesn’t help that Cats in the Cradle, these bands dress but Skid Row were like Guy Sebastian pretty damn awesome and Justice Crew. I back in the day. mean, do they get a Vocalist Sebastian group discount for Bach had an amazing shopping at Cotton set of pipes. Pity he On and Hot Topic? isn’t even in the band By the way, these anymore! The bands’ bands are also all cocks rock the Palace playing the next Theatre on April 25th. North American Vans Melbourne rockers Warped Tour. No word Dead City Ruins, who of a lie. opened the European And on THAT leg of the tour, are depressing note, I supporting. am OUTTA HERE for If you haven’t another issue!

In case you didn’t hear, Joey Jordison has left Slipknot. Shortly after the departure a statement was released suggesting he decided to leave. Then I saw a lead for an article stating Joey didn’t decide to leave. Intriguing…

you’re the douchiest douche whatever douched the douche dance,’ he snapped further. Sid listened some more.

‘Good, meet you there,’ Sid said, then hung up with a sigh. ‘Man, what a f*cking dick-douche.’

So, in a world first Forte exclusive, THTH will continue to dissect the goings-on behind the scenes in the Slipknot camp in the only way we know how – speculation.

This is THTH’s Holiday Joey Departs Slipknot Fanfic.

Sid sat on his motorbike out the front of the aged, rusted, sheet metal warehouse on the quiet outskirts of the city. A black Rolls Royce pulled up and Shawn stepped out.

It was followed by Craig’s lime green Mercedes, which was then followed

by Chris’s pink Datsun 200b, which was followed by the Sliptour Bus which Jim, Corey, Joey and Mick stepped out from.

Part II Sid stood in his dark Mes Moines weatherboard house, the heavy drapes pulled with only a shard of light between them illuminating the ramshackle abode. Atop the filthladen coffee table sat Transformers and Samurai Pizza Cat DVDs. The wall behind the TV was covered with images of Monte Conner. Some were black and white, some were colour, some were press images – but most were snaps from afar taken in public spaces. Above the photos written in red paint were the words: My Hero.

Sid looked at his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He called Corey.

‘Yo, Corey, my man, it’s Sid. What’s up?’ Sid listened. ‘Yep, yep, okay cool, shut up and listen.

Monte called me... ‘Oh he called you too? Yeah ... right, whatever. I think he needs us man. Let’s go see him.’ He listened to the voice on the other end of the line. ‘I don’t care if Joey is too busy with, what is it, the Murderdolls ... no? Well whatever, let’s get everyone to the Slipkwarters and we’ll take the Slipkopter or Slipkar to New York...’

Sid listened for a long time. ‘You’re a douche, Corey, you know that?’ he snapped with anger.

‘I know that. Everyone knows that. Even the f*ckin’ fans know that

‘We all know why we’re here,’ Sid began.

‘Yeah, to go film some shaky, obscure footage of f*ckin’ New York City, man, for my next arthouse slash metal DVD,’ Shawn said with a smile and crossed arms behind his black sunnies.

‘No, Shawn, not to shoot your stupid f*ckin’ angle shots of stupid shit. We’re going to NY to see Monte,’ Sid revealed.

The other seven men stood stunned, motionless.

‘That’s right. The man who dug us out of the shithole and showed us the world and made us heaps of money and, well, we might still live here but hey, now we’re rich and he needs our help,’ Sid pleaded.

The seven guys looked at each other then back to Sid. ‘This is such a shit idea, but I’m bored being in like fifty bands so let’s just get this over and done with,’ Joey said.

To be continued...

If you have any news about local metal bands, shows or albums, let THTH know by emailing to tooheavytohug@ hotmail.com or get in touch via Twitter at @ TooHeavyToHug

Blank Thankless Air

By BLAIR HALL

Pilot Episode Retrospective Feature Column: Or, some wankerish thoughts on Radiohead’s The King of Limbs that I should have censored and/or edited and/ or expected less of people in regards to all the references I make to other works and/or expected less in general.

Radiohead’s works have always had their inclinations rooted firmly in the abstract, but nevermore is this apparent than in their 2011 effort The King of Limbs, an amorphous creature birthed from a union between shuffling Afrobeat pulsations and the sublime transcendentalist tendencies of left-field electronic music.

Throughout The King of Limbs I found the pulses of Selway’s Afrobeat workouts being undermined by the sliding sample aesthetics that could be found on records by any of the Austrian (Editions) Mego crowd.

Meanwhile Autechre-style beat mangling/ modular grids evolve at a geometric rate and unfold into overwhelming collages of voices, samples of voices, samples and faithful contemporary rock ‘n’ roll instruments like the electric guitar or the piano. (Of special note is the highly musical performance of the Soundhack plug-in Morphfilter (soundhack. com/spectral-shapers) on the piano in ‘Codex’; the aural equivalent to assembling the sounds out of Lego blocks and then slowly forcing them into a warm bath.)

The King of Limbs showcases Radiohead’s virtuosic command of texture as orchestration, informing us that they’ve been using it all along but we’ve just been getting too hung up on Thom’s lyrics to pay all that much attention. Throughout the record Phil Selway shines, showcasing superb taste, restraint and a musicality that most

drummers aren’t willing to make sacrifices for. It’s impossible to determine who did what in terms of pretty much every other instrument on the record as Radiohead are known to rotate their instrumental roles on a preeminent idea basis, but it can be assured that the seductive acid-jazz (dare I say it – free-acid-jazz?!) tinged interplay between drums and bass on ‘Bloom’ is pure Colin/ Phil action.

‘Give up the Ghost’ has a lot in common for me with Jim O’Rourke’s masterpiece ‘Eureka’, from the album of the same name.

A few simple elements are stacked and melodies are presented to the listener, following which a tension is created through constant reiteration until eventually the track comes to a breaking point, at which moment reprocessed fragments are sent cascading off into the abyss, the unknown or whatever area the listener would like to think of as the place of rest for these departed samples.

This idea has surely been represented in numerous other fields of music and by no means falls short, but where O’Rourke had track length to emphasise this exercise and mesmerise the listener, Radiohead attempt to condense this notion and resultantly rush it, leaving the listener slightly underwhelmed like one would feel sitting through a taping of The Love for Three Oranges on SBS versus a legitimate staging.

This sentiment echoes throughout the entire record for me. It’s like a sugar high: short, sweet and ultimately we need a proper meal to provide sustenance. (OOIOO’s Gold & Green should suffice today...)

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BACK TO BACK THEATRE SUMMER SCHOOL

CHINESE NEW YEAR – Sovereign Hill WISH YOU WERE HERE: Postcards From Geelong

The display at the Victorian Archives Centre will feature close to 100 original and over 250 enlarged reproduction historical postcards of Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula and surrounding regions from the Geelong Heritage Centre’s archive collection. Postcards were also contributed by the Geelong Historical Society and Queenscliffe Maritime Museum. Back in the day people thought the postcard meant the end for the written word – in the same way that some people talk about SMS and Twitter today. Take a look at some of the weird and wonderful messages Geelongites and holiday makers sent family and friends in the 20th century. You will see the best views of Geelong, views that take in some of the most popular places for locals and visitors alike.

Sovereign Hill will be celebrating the Chinese community’s influence on Ballarat and the gold rush era by heralding in the Year of the Horse with Chinese New Year celebrations. There will be traditional dragon and lion parades, Thai Chi demonstrations, ribbon dancing and a traditional service held at Sovereign Hill Temple.

Where: Sovereign Hill, Bradshaw St, Ballarat.

WheN: Fri 31 Jan-Sun 9 Feb. 10am-5.30pm.

PHONE: 5337 1199.

IMAGE: Zhāocáijìnbǎo written as a single character is popular during Chinese New Year.

Where: Victorian Archives Centre, Public Record Office Victoria, 99 Shiel Street, North Melbourne.

WheN: To 28 Feb.

Spend the weekend with Back to Back Theatre for a series of workshops in theatre making, dance and theatre design with highly experienced artists in an intensive and supportive weekend workshop. From robot stories, staging fight scenes, sensory deprivation, scenographic architecture to THE RABBLE, Back to Back’s Summer School will leave you inspired and bubbling over with creative energy. Workshop leaders include Phillip Adams, Cake Industries, Emma Valente, Tamara Searle and more. Bookings are essential and close 22 February 2014. To book please download the registration form available from the website and return it by email or post to PO Box 1257, Geelong VIC 3220. For phone bookings and further information please contact Nikki Watson or call (03) 5221 2029.

Where: Back to Back Theatre, Old Courthouse Building, 60 Little Malop St. Geelong.

WheN: Sat 22 March & Sun 23 March.

INFO: www.backtobacktheatre.com

POP UP GALLERY – Geelong Botanic Gardens

Visitors will be amazed by the botanical drawings and be intrigued to talk to the artists who are inspired by the wonderful gardens. Beautiful cards and prints are available for sale.

Where: Botanic Gardens 1-49 Garden St, East Geelong.

WheN: Every Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun of every to 23 Feb. PHONE: 5272 4379.

Riley McDonald

GREAT AUSTRALIAN BEER FESTIVAL

The freshest addition to the Victorian festival calendar stands out by celebrating craft beer in its natural environment, bringing you perfectly paired live music acts and gourmet food to wash down your tenderly brewed artisan tipple. Brew fans can indulge in a delightful journey of sipping, sampling and tasting some, or all, of the 150 craft beers and ciders on offer. Plus there will be the region’s best gourmet food on offer and a variety of free seminars ranging from how to taste beer, matching it with cheeses through to everything you ever wanted to learn about home brewing. Tix on sale now.

Where: Geelong Racecourse. 99 Breakwater Road, Breakwater.

WheN: Sat 1 Feb. 11am-7pm.

INFO: www.gabfgeelong.com.au

Gail Willoughby – Bulldog

written by Amanda Sherring / art by riley mcdonald

Normally creating little critters that put our childhood scribbles to shame, this time around Geelong artist Riley McDonald has chosen to explore the age-old question of good vs. bad in his new exhibition, VERSUS. Riley had a chat to Forte about how it feels to exhibit his work and the artists who inspire him.

Describe your artwork.

I always find it hard to explain the ‘VERSUS’ series. They are a response to several concepts that arose and defined my life for short periods of time, ranging from battling to understand the definition of good and evil, to trying to represent sound in a visual medium.

Have you always been a creative person?

I remember drawing up endless little critters to keep me company through primary school. I do find it harder to stay in that creative flow as I get older, but it’s simply something I need to be aware of and take into account. I really started to take the idea of being an illustrator seriously in Year 12 studio arts. I loved the fact that there were no wrong answers Who are your inspirations?

Graphic novelists have a

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fantastic sense of drama and intimacy that I enjoy – like David M. or Theo Ellsworth.

But my inspiration comes less from emulating the styles of others and more just in taking things around me I like the look of. I think I drew a picture the other day inspired by an upturned chair.

Your artworks are quite cartoon-like; do you have any favourite television shows?

They look like cartoons because I never learned how to draw real things! But I do love Adventure Time, so that probably creeps its way into my drawings as well.

Do you have reoccurring characters in your pieces, and do they tell a story?

There are a few critters that appear every now and then when I’m in a particular mood.

It’s quite handy actually; they’re a great indicator of how I’m feeling when I can’t tell myself.

How does it feel having your artworks hang on the wall for everyone to see?

I’m usually fine with it by the time they’re ready for exhibition.

I’m no longer attached to them.

I’m just thinking, ‘Okay, I’ve poured as much as I needed to into these pictures, now

let’s see what everyone else gets out of it’. I’ve expressed myself. If people like them, that’s a really nice bonus.

How long did it take you to put your exhibition together?

About four months all up, but it was in no way a linear process. It would mean something different to me almost every couple of days, and the style would shift accordingly. They were originally only meant as a present for someone very dear to me.

You’ve also dabbled in a bit of sculpture/installation work; what do you prefer?

That was definitely different.

Being able to work so handson was a great experience, but being so inexperienced I had no clue what I was doing. I’d like to try it again some time, but spend more time planning the process.

What do you think of the current art scene in Geelong?

It’s pretty lively! There’s some bold bodies out there doing their part to make our humble city that little bit brighter and more interesting, and I’m grateful for that.

VERSUS is open now at the Creatures Canteen, Little Creatures Brewery – 221 Swanston St, South Geelong.

METROPOLIS SUMMER SALON SHOW Metropolis Gallery kicks off every New Year with an eclectic salon show and there are many artists represented in the mix, including Papunya Tula Artists, Tjala Arts and Tjanpi Desert Weavers, artists from the Utopia region and printmakers from the Torres Strait Islands. There is also a great selection of collectable edition prints alongside unique designer jewellery and exquisite art glass.

Where: Metropolis Gallery. 64 Ryrie Street, Geelong.

WheN: until 31 Jan. PHONE: 5221 6505.

INFO: www.metropolisgallery.com.au

arts news from around town – and beyond!

Almost, Maine.

It’s love, but not quite…

In memory of Mike Ellis

written By Sue Rawkins

A CALL TO OUR MARMY ARMY OF MARMALADEMAKERS AROUND AUSTRALIA - get ready for the 2014 event!

Where in Australia is the best marmalade made?

And who makes it?

Buninyong Marvellous Marmalade Fairs are held in the Buninyong Town Hall each year, early in February. Entries come from every State and expert CWA Judges select the winning entries to be sent to compete in the International Marmalade Awards in Cumbria, UK, in early March. Large crowds of interested entrants and supporters fill the Hall and, as a bonus, there is always a range of delectable marmalade for sale. Yum, yum!

Where: Buninyong Town Hall, Buninyong.

WheN: Sat 1 Feb. INFO: www.buninyong.vic.au/ marmalade

Written by John Cariani.

Directed by Kelly Clifford for Geelong Repertory Theatre Company.

In memory of Mike Ellis.

On a cold, clear, moonless night in the middle of winter, all is not quite what it seems in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine.

As the Northern Lights hover in the star-filled sky, the residents of Almost find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken.

But the bruises heal and the hearts mend – ALMOST – in this delightful cross between Thornton Wilder and The X-Files! This romantic comedy’s deceptive simplicity can be peeled back to reveal so many truths about human nature.

Almost, Maine is a series of nine amiably absurdist vignettes about love, with a touch of good-natured magic realism, but it’s Mr. Cariani’s obvious affection for the people of,

and life in, his home state that shines through most.

The play premiered at the Portland Stage Company in Portland, Maine in 2004 where it broke box office records and garnered critical acclaim. Its Off Broadway run in 2006 was brief (just one month) but it has proved popular in professional and non-professional theatre companies worldwide – with Geelong Repertory presenting the Victorian Premiere. It is now the most produced play in North American high schools, recently supplanting Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Almost, Maine is presented in memory of Mike Ellis, who was to be its Director and who devoted much time and energy to Geelong Repertory over almost thirty years.

Unfortunately Mike passed away suddenly in August 2013, and in his honour and because he loved the play so much, Geelong Repertory decided to keep it in its schedule.

The production team, led

by Director Kelly Clifford, is composed of a number

of Mike’s closest friends, and Geelong Repertory has dedicated this play, the first in its 2014 season, to Mike Ellis.

Kelly Clifford, the play’s Director says, “It has been a great honour and joy being able to direct Almost, Maine in the memory of Mike Ellis. The play is funny, absurd and sad all in a moment, taking the audience on an unexpected emotional ride filled with highs, lows and even a little bit of magic. A ticket to it would be a great Valentine’s Day present!”

About the Playwright: JOHN CARIANI John Cariani is an actor and a playwright. He has appeared on and Off Broadway, at regional theaters across the country, and in several films and television shows. He’s been nominated for a Tony Award. He’s done movies with Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Ed Asner.

Most people seem to know him from Law & Order, where he played Forensics Tech, Beck, from 2002-2007.

WHEN: February 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21 & 22 at 8pm February 9 & 16 at 2pm WHERE: Woodbin Theatre, 15 Coronation Street, Geelong West TIX FROM GPAC: 5225 1200 or gpac.org.au INFO: geelongrep.com PHONE: 5229 1130 Middle: Playwright – John Cariani Bottom: Simon Finch from the play Almost, Maine

proudly presents

Celebrating Cultural Diversity in Australia

9am-6pm Saturday 22nd February 2014

Pakington St, Geelong West

Food, Music & Dance

www.pakofesta.com.au Pako Festa is a project of Diversitat

Follow/Like PakoFestaGeelong FORTEMAG.COM.AU

37

tweet of the week

“ I just accidentally walked through a film set outside work and this bitch chased me for two blocks with a release form. I swear I better not end up on some shit TV show walking down the street humming Beyoncé’s ‘Partition’.”

the S P L I N T E R S b e s t of the re s t:

FC O IU NNT D AO WLN Back in December when we took you through the Top 20 Albums of 2013, you were promised we would revisit the records which were almost worthy of placement on the chart. So here it is: The First Unbroken Splinters Promise of 2014!

Many albums almost made the list (including Beyoncé’s stunning visual masterpiece, which you’ll have a track by track review of just in time for the next issue of Splinters), but these five were particular doorknockers. The genres which appear? Alt-rock, techno, pop, electronica and folk...

Written by Adem Ali

ARCADE FIRE – Reflektor Arcade Fire unleashed their best album yet with Reflektor, but it’s the title track and lead single – a truly inspiring slice of disco-rock that would have ripped the floors of Studio 54 apart given half the chance – which plays as the crowning moment on this record.

There’s rasta-pop to be heard on the very spacey ‘Flashbulb Eyes’, subdued disco in the synth-laden ‘Here Comes the Night Time’ and even more synths on the rock-infused six minutes of insanity that is ‘It’s Never Over (Oh Orpheus)’, which makes the band sound a tinge like very early INXS in places; never a bad thing.

Australian-bred, L.A.-based writer and Professional BeyoncéStan @mikewassmusic is here to snatch your TV fave’s wig.

MISS KITTIN – Calling from the Stars In 2013, nobody nailed the double-album concept better than French electro legend Miss Kittin. This, her third studio LP, is the hugely ambitious, and at times challenging, Calling from the Stars. Unlike other artists in 2013 who failed miserably when producing their two-disc electro monsters (The Knife, we are looking at you), Kittin (real name Caroline Hervé) brings a more upfront, underground, but primarily electropop set on disc one, whilst the second instalment plays more on the experimental electro, techno and minimal side of things.

This split between the two discs is important, as the second CD plays like a completely different record. You might need a strong level of patience to make it through this 100-minute feast, and some of the lyrics may be a little naff at times, but tracks like ‘Maneki Neko’ (named after the waving-hand-cat) or the corker ‘Bassline’ really do make it all worthwhile.

There’s even a big pop moment courtesy of the soaring ‘Afterlife’, another clear highlight. James Murphy’s (LCD Soundsystem) touch as co-producer is evident here as well, and is – hopefully – an indication of more collaborations like this between the two acts in the future.

For a record to not only span two discs, but to also deliver very long tracks (‘Supersymmetry’ – another gem – runs for ELEVEN MINUTES) that don’t piss you off or overstay their welcome was an almost unheard of feat in 2013. Arcade Fire nailed it though.

‘Hate or Glory’ continues that driving industrial sound, but it’s brilliantly mastered stuff like ‘Nameless’ and ‘Destinations’ that see Gesaffelstein excel. These may be the most quietlytoned tracks on here, but don’t be fooled into thinking they aren’t as menacing as ‘Pursuit’; these cuts travel along like some kind of excitable nightmarish horror movie.

NOBLESSE OBLIGE – Affair of the Heart Noblesse Oblige are a long-term favourite here at Splinters, so 2013’s Affair of the Heart was always going to be one of our more anticipated releases of the year. On Affair of the Heart, the duo, made up of French theatrical performer Valerie Renay and German producer Sebastian Lee Philipp, have mastered the blend between up-front electronic music and Weimer-fuelled cabaret, even more so than on their previous album, the multi-gifted Malady from 2010.

‘Burn’ is on another level to almost everything they’ve put their name to in the past (also proving to be the only song titled ‘Burn’ from 2013 worth listening to, let alone buying), whilst their eerie, menacing, downright scary and definitive cover of The Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’ gives new, horrifying life to this lyrically quite frightening song.

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KATE CEBERANO – Kensal Road Kate Ceberano is one of Australia’s greatest pop star legends and has been releasing flawless music since her debut Brave 25 years ago. During a Q&A Splinters recently attended with Kate earlier in 2013, she told us the story of Kensal Road’s creation and how the label just wanted her to release a covers collection rather than produce any original material.

Being the brave and resilient woman of pop that she is, Kate told them to shove it and went on to create this, one of the most honest records in her repertoire.

This is more folk-pop than anything else; exquisitely crafted songs that even have a touch of country throughout. It should also be mentioned that the chunky ‘How High’ may very well be the best song Kate’s recorded in years, and not just because it almost sounds like the Arctic Monkeys (particularly during that guitar solo and middle-8)! Bloody Amazing.

And that is the very last time we are going to talk about 2013! See you next issue, Beyoncé fans.

HIT

France’s Gesaffelstein makes more than just techno music – this is techno with such a strong industrial streak you’d be forgiven for thinking you were listening to early Combichrist. First single ‘Pursuit’ is the audio equivalent of being skull-fucked by Johnny Holmes in a Berlin nightclub (and enjoying it); being the kind of banger you’d expect to hear during a prolific moment in a movie either about drugs, club nightlife, murder, or all of the above.

There are murmurs we are getting a new album this year...

ADELE

Coming back to end careers with the long-awaited followup to 21, also this year...

SHAKIRA

NEW ALBUM IN MARCH, HRRRRNNNNNNKKKKK!!!

U2

Threatening us all with talk of a new album this year.

SHIT!

GESAFFELSTEIN – Aleph

MADONNA

BRANDON FLOWERS

Also threatening us with another album this year.

This would be okay if it were another Killers record, but it’s another solo effort.

Which means it will be shit.

LEA MICHELE

NEW ALBUM EXPECTED TO DROP ANY DAY NOW. HIDE YOUR KIDS.

Rach Brennan written by Brendan Dando

Geelong’s Rach Brennan is without a doubt one of our region’s most exciting up-and-coming artists.

With the recent announcement of playing next year’s Port Fairy Folk Festival, as well as winning both the Torrent This ‘Female Artist of the Year’ and the ‘Rick Merrigan Award’ for the Geelong Folk Club, it’s obvious that Brennan has plenty to be enthusiastic about.

“Words can’t describe how honoured I am to play Port Fairy!” she says enthusiastically. “It is such a wellknown festival, and with 60,000 people attending over the weekend it’s a great launching pad for my solo EP. I’m just praying that the EP goes well and that we have a great product to show the people that we meet there.”

Many may recognise Brennan as the frontwoman of local country/folk act Two Coloured Koi, which is something she believes will always be an important part of her resume. “The band is great as I learn so much from playing with such talented musicians,” she reveals. “I also get to play the piano and the piano accordion, which is another passion of mine that I am currently incorporating into my solo set. Two Coloured Koi’s music has so much drive and is so enjoyable. I love performing with some of my best friends.”

Not only are her best friends in the band, but also someone even more special to Miss Brennan – her partner, Andrew Silaev. “When you’re in a partnership with someone in a music sense, you need to have a strong connection, which we definitely have,” reveals Brennan with a smile. “Andrew understands me and

pushes me with my songwriting. I wouldn’t be where I am artistically today without him – he’s my biggest fan.”

Brennan also has a strong connection with Geelong rockers Altitude, seeing as her brother Liam is their lead vocalist. “Liam is one of my favourite songwriters and I look up to him musically in more ways than one,” says Brennan. “I often go to him with my songwriting dilemmas and show him my new material to get his feedback, as his opinion is very important to me.” Not only does her brother give her advice, but the Altitude frontman has been known to write some tracks for her in the past as well. “He sometimes writes songs and gives them to me if they’re more suited to my genre. I think we’ll always be writing and playing music together until we are old and grey. It’s one of the things that make us so close.”

After knocking out over 100 gigs in 2013, Brennan ensures 2014 will only get better for her and Andrew.

“We have so much planned with our EP on the way, Port Fairy Folk Festival and a tour to Adelaide with Kyle Taylor.” Even with all of this, Rach reveals the plan for an EP launch that everyone should keep an eye out for: “Since we play so many shows every weekend, we’ve decided to make our launch something different from the usual gig. We’re putting so much time and effort into it, so we hope that when the time comes people will come along and support us.”

When&Where: Port Fairy Folk Festival, Port Fairy - March 7-10

Blue Eyes Cry written by Tex Miller

If you’re a local blues aficionado, chances are you’ve heard of the Melbourne quintet Blue Eyes Cry. 2013 was no doubt the biggest year for the band – seeing the release of their debut LP Sleeping Alone as well as regular gigs on the legendary Blues Train – but 2014 is shaping up to be just as big. With plenty of touring booked in for the first half of the year as well as a spot at the inaugural Motor City Music Festival, which hits the Geelong Showgrounds over the Labour Day weekend, I recently got the opportunity to sit down with frontwoman Iseula Hingano ahead of their March gig to find out a little about the band.

“Last year was definitely a big year for us and we have learnt a lot from being out playing gigs on the road.

For the first half of this year we have a stack of shows planned, and that is the main focus for this year – to build up our live reputation off the back of the release of our album.”

Sleeping Alone, which was recorded within one day at Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne, was released in March 2013. By June, the album had hit number one on the blues charts, an accolade that Ise and the band thought would, maybe with a bit of luck, be achieved on the third or fourth album.

“We are really over the moon with how successful the album has been so far. It’s amazing to see how far it’s gone. It’s crazy that we got the charts with our first release. People love our music and I truly thought that this level of acclaim would only come after three or four albums. It really pushes us as a band though to make

sure that the next release is just as good.”

If you’ve heard Blue Eyes Cry, you’ll know that they are a modern blues band with a twist to their music. From the strong and emotional guitar lines of Nathan Brett, to the soulful vocals of Ise at the front of the band, to the ever-tight rhythm section of Stuart and Cameron, this is definitely a blues band on the rise, and one to keep your eyes on in the next couple of years.

Together with John Durr from Black Market Music, the band, after making a few demos, hit the studio to record the debut. “The initial plan was always to record the album live – and some of those songs are just the first take, which is pretty crazy that we seemed to nail it. For just two months we constantly rehearsed the full album in its entirety and then went into Sing Sing and banged it out.

“I think that from the start of the band, moving to Melbourne and knocking on doors has truly paid off for us in terms of starting our career. We knew no one and had to make a start somewhere, and you have to make things happen for yourself. You can’t wait for something to happen, because most times it won’t.”

The next local gig for Blue Eyes Cry is at Motor City – a gig that the band cannot wait for. “We haven’t played too much in the Geelong area. It’s a great line-up and we can’t wait to showcase some of our new material!”

When&Where: Motor City Music Festival, Geelong Showgrounds - March 7-9

The Bennies Psychedelic Reggae Ska Doom Metal Punk Rock from Hell – that sounds tougher than a punch in the face from Robocop, and it’s all we needed to persuade Melbourne musical explorers The Bennies to have a little Q&A session with us.

Please take us back to the beginning. How was it that The Bennies came into existence?

Four years ago there was a massive explosion at ‘The Hit Factory’. The news reported no survivors, but out of the smoke, The Bennies were born.

I tried to find it online but I couldn’t for the life of me; so I want to ask, where are you guys from and where are you now?

We are all from Melbourne, and currently live in Melbourne – the city of coffee and bass guitar.

Is the band today what it was when you started, or has in manifested into a new beast over the journey?

We’ve had a couple of line-up changes over the years but the battle cry has always been the same – play psychedelic reggae ska doom metal punk rock from hell, or get out!

It feels like every time you check a venue or a gig guide you will see The Bennies. Is touring hard something you enjoy? (I hope you enjoy it, because if you don’t you must be very sad!)

There is nothing more enjoyable for us to do as a band than play, so touring is something we love. We’re all huge fans of live music and beers, so touring is the perfect habitat for us to exist within.

You have recently released your second album, Rainbows in Space. Tell us about the album. How

was the process of making a record the second time around?

Rainbows in Space was an absolute blast to make. We did everything on our own terms, and the focus was to create an album that had the energy of our live shows.

We were blessed to have the insane Sam Johnson producing and mixing the album. His expertise really helped get our music to pump out the speakers.

How has feedback been so far?

So far so good! There have been a lot of requests for louder bass parts and more bass solos, so I guess we’ll have to look at that for the next recording.

You guys seem to have a dedicated/loyal fan base.

Is this something you have slowly built up over the years, or do you feel The Bennies strike a nerve with a particular sort of human?

I think the more you tour and the more you can put your band in front of different audiences, the more people will check out your tunes. We are constantly touring, and each time we re-visit a different state we see more and more people coming to have a good time!

You guys seem to be breaking through and at a stage where you’re stepping up a tier in terms of gigs and tours – for example, a spot at Soundwave and some international dates. Is there a feeling within the band that you are on the verge of really stepping it up, or is it still just a garage band mentality?

There’s a general feeling of excitement within the band for sure. We’re really proud of the new record and stoked other people are digging it too. But in terms of stepping it up, it’s always felt the same for us. We just wanna play the best we can and have the best time possible. We’re just lucky that lately there’s been more

When&Where: The Loft, Warrnambool – February 1; The Karova, Ballarat – February 2; The Barwon Club, Geelong – February 6 and more people coming to have a good time with us!

The ‘genre question’. Your much published Facebook genre definition is pretty stock standard, so I want more detail. How would you describe your sound – and are you really from hell?

I think the best way to describe our music is a ball of energy. That can be fast energy or chill energy. But it’s never half-arsed. So I guess our genre is called ‘ball of energy’. We’re not from Hell, but today is 42 degrees so it’s as hot as f*cken hell, that’s for sure!

You have a massive tour coming up – and you are

going right through Forte heartland. What do you have in store for the punters in regional Victoria?

We have an endless thirst for beers and a good attitude!! Let’s do this!

Anything you would like to add?

We couldn’t be more psyched to be touring with APART FROM THIS. They are one of the most mentally awesome bands around and everyone who sees them on this tour is gonna walk away a fan.

Thanks guys!

Thanks brother!

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FANTASTIC LOCAL JOB OPPORTUNITY WITH FORTE PUBLISHING! Forte Publishing is seeking an experienced media representative to join the sales team.

The role involves cross selling and bundling all Forte Publishing’s titles products. Those products include - Forte Magazine and Forte Online, E&D Magazine and The Geelong Times.

If you are seeking a unique and challenging job opportunity in the Geelong and surrounding regional area and can handle a fast paced and challenging media sales environment - this job might be for you!

• The applicant must have a minimum of 2 years proven successful media sales experience.

• Wage and bonus in accordance with experience.

• Taking applications now!

Please email application and resume or for further information in confidence to aballard@fortemag.com.au or call 03 5215 3700

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FILM REVIEWS

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Jack Ryan is back, and if you’re a little fuzzy on whom exactly Jack Ryan is, you’re hardly alone. First created by novelist Tom Clancy as the protagonist for his techno-thriller The Hunt for Red October, he’s been played by four actors in five films and been rebooted at least twice (three times if you count the changes made when Alec Baldwin was bumped from the second film to be replaced by Harrison Ford). Which kind of explains why this film takes so long to get started. Now, instead of being a Vietnam-era marine invalided out after a chopper crash, he’s an economics student who enlists after 9/11 who breaks his back after his helicopter is shot down in Afghanistan.

by anthony morris

In the novels he then becomes an investment banker and eventually marries a medical student; here, while struggling to learn to walk again, he meets medical student Cathy Muller (Keira Knightly) and is approached by shadowy CIA figure Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner) to work for him as an investment banker infiltrating Wall Street to find out where terrorists are getting their funding from. None of which has anything to do with this film’s actual story. That involves an evil Russian oligarch named Viktor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh, who also directs) and his dastardly scheme to destroy America’s economy, but as Ryan is the only one to have figured out that Cherevin has massive secret bank accounts, Ryan is the one sent by Harper to Cherevin’s Moscow office to try and figure out exactly what’s going on. Many extremely traditional scenes of spy antics follow.

If there’s nothing here that’s amazingly bad – some cornball lines of dialogue aside – there’s not much going on that’s all that good either. Car chases and sneaking around and a last minute dash to dispose of a bomb; they’re all here and they’re all just the same as they were in the last dozen movies you saw them in. That’s not to say this doesn’t do the job of being a passable spy thriller. It just doesn’t do a single thing more than that.

Inside Llewyn Davis

The Wolf of Wall Street Is it possible to have too much of a good time at the movies? Three hours of hedonism taken to hilarious and sickening extremes, Martin Scorsese’s latest epic presents the excesses of its drug-addled and money-grubbing characters as a waking nightmare where too much – especially when it comes to possessions, sex and money – is never enough.

Based on the real-life antics of relatively small-scale Wall Street swindler Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) during the late ’80s and much of the ’90s, the narrative here is actually fairly basic: junior stockbroker Belfort learns (from an amazingly seedy Matthew McConaughey in a one scene cameo that’s the most purely entertaining performance currently in cinemas) that Wall Street is where you put yourself – not your clients, because they are idiots – first. He then discovers the vast profits to be made from “penny stocks” (tiny stocks that are so cheap the brokers make 50% commission selling them), hires Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill) as his number two, and then parties hard both in the office and out of it for pretty much the rest of the film.

Told in Scorsese’s high energy style, a la Goodfellas, and with DiCaprio (who often talks directly to the audience when he’s not giving extended motivational speeches to his underlings) operating at maximum charisma, it’s a thrilling, numbing, relentless wave of pure cinema. There’s no real moral trajectory here, no moment where the guilty are punished for their sins; the indictment of their behaviour largely comes from sheer excess.

The year is 1961, and Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) is a folk singer living in New York’s Greenwich Village. Well, maybe not “lives”.

He’s currently couch-surfing, having just woken up on the spare bed of his older, richer friends the Gorfeins after a night that ended with him getting beat up in a back alley behind folk hub the Gaslight Cafe. Things do not get better: he accidentally lets the Gorfeins’ cat get out, then he gets locked out, then when he dumps his stuff at the apartment of fellow folk singers Jim (Justin Timberlake) and Jean (Carey Mulligan) he discovers that Jean is pregnant and very angry over the fact there’s a good chance it’s his. It’s not really all downhill from there, but it becomes obvious that Davis isn’t really getting anywhere in his private life or his career. His musical partner killed himself and his solo record isn’t selling – whatever he does to try and get himself out of this hole doesn’t really seem to be working.

The Coen brothers have created a fascinating look into a week or so in the life of a creative artist going nowhere slowly. The folk scene here is only lightly fictionalised – Davis is loosely based on Dave Van Ronk; there really was a husband-and-wife duo named Jim & Jean – and the re-creation of 1961 New York feels totally convincing in its shabby, run-down glory.

Davis is a guy who tries to do right most of the time but he can’t quite seem to connect with an audience, or even the people around him. There’s no big signal that he should give up, just like there’s no big sign he should keep at it. His only stroke of good luck is that he exists inside a movie as compelling as this one.

That this excess is also fun to watch is part of the point – Scorsese’s always known that evil’s real power is the power to seduce – and if you think that means he’s condoning their behaviour, that’s like saying the newspaper approves of murder when they report on a killing.

Grudge Match To get the screamingly obvious out of the way first: yes, Sylvester Stallone is playing Rocky in all but name (and brain damage) here, and yes, Robert De Niro is playing Jake LaMotta from Raging Bull right down to the dodgy nightclub act. It’s basically fan-fiction: what would happen if these two classic movie boxers met up?

Which is a horrible basis for a film even before you realise that the plot here – when a videogame version of having two boxers fight becomes a surprise hit, a promoter decides to stage the fight for real – is basically the same plot as the last Rocky film.

But even with all those marks against it, Grudge Match turns out to be … well, not exactly good, but better than you may have expected. Partly that’s because the story plays to the actors’ strengths: Stallone is the more serious and mature of the two fighters as Henry “Razor” Sharp, a factory worker who retired before his rivalry with Billy “The Kid” McDonnen (De Niro) could be decided once and for all (they fought twice, each winning one bout).

With a clapped-out house, a crappy car and his now sickly former trainer (Alan Arkin) as his best friend, he’s in no position to say no when a shonky would-be boxing promoter, Dante Slate Jr (Kevin Hart) offers him $15,000 to do motion capture work for a video game. But when he turns up, McDonnen – also invited by Slate – arrives, they fight, someone puts the fight footage up on YouTube and biff bam pow, suddenly Slate reckons he can make money by getting them to fight for real.

Unlike Sharp, McDonnen doesn’t really need the money – he’s got a restaurant and a car dealership – but he loves the fame, and it’s a good way to get to know his estranged biological son and trainer BJ (Jon Bernthal), even if his mother (and former girlfriend of Razor), Sally (Kim Basinger), doesn’t want him hanging around. So yes, it’s by the numbers, but there are just enough smart and funny moments to keep it on just the right side of watchable.

Stallone does fine with a limited palette, while De Niro manages to find some depth in a character who’s all mouth. But be warned, there is a lot of shirtless old guy action here. Even for guys in good shape, that’s not a pleasant sight.

47 Ronin Our story begins in feudal Japan with the discovery of a half-breed child. Hang on a second – isn’t this the story of the 47 Ronin? Well, kind of: yes, this is about the classic and enduring Japanese tale of men devoted to honour above all, but being also a Hollywood blockbuster, it has monsters and magic and a love story because a tale that’s endured hundreds of years clearly isn’t enough to get bums on seats today.

So, to continue, Lord Asano (Min Tanaka), the ruler of the province, brings the child in to his family, where he grows up to be ace tracker Kai (Keanu Reeves). While as a half-breed he’s scorned by the samurai, the ruler’s daughter Mika (Kou Shibasaki) has fallen for him hard, though his lowly social standing means they can never be together. Meanwhile, a giant bull-monster is terrorising the land because Lord Kira (Tadanobu Asano), the ruler of the next kingdom over, is plotting a merger and has teamed up with witch Mizuki (Rinko Kikuchi) to magic-up his schemes. Which doesn’t really make sense, because once Kai defeats the brightly coloured demon the Shogun is free to come to the province for a tournament, which turns out to be what Kira and Mizuki wanted in the first place.

Meanwhile, Kia is even more loathed by the chief samurai Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), who tells him, “I’d rather have been killed by that beast than saved by a half-breed.” Harsh. It’s no spoiler to reveal that Kira’s evil scheme succeeds, leaving Oishi and the rest of the samurai rōnin (masterless samurai). This should be a point of great shame and loss for these guys; instead the film rushes through what should be the big emotional heart of the story so we can get to Kai fighting a giant troll-man on an island of sailing ships before they go get magic swords from a bunch of super-fast killer monks with half-bird faces.

This is a badly paced mess, but it’s still kind of entertaining: the magic stuff at least looks good (while being largely pointless), the noble samurai stuff carries some emotional weight (even if it’s largely ignored for most of the film) and Keanu gives a decent performance as a warrior as humourless and stoic as, well, everyone else in the film. You can’t really go wrong with samurais and monsters – though at times they really try to here.

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Her In a not-too-distant future Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) writes personalised letters for people who can’t put their feelings into words. At work he’s praised for his personal touch; at home he’s struggling after a divorce from Catherine (Rooney Mara). His hours are spent switching between melancholy soundtracks. He can’t make himself sign the divorce papers. His attempts to get back into the dating pool don’t go well. When he installs the brand new world’s first artificially intelligent operating system on his computer, he’s just looking for a way to get his life in order.

This new operating system has the voice of Scarlett Johansson, promptly names herself Samantha and goes to work organising his emails and hard drive with the light-hearted enthusiasm of a good friend helping him back on his feet.

Soon Theodore is leaning on her more and more; she’s eager to learn about the world she’s just arrived in. Gradually their friendship becomes something more.

The big problem in recent years with romantic dramas has been to find a way to keep the lovers apart when all the traditional obstacles (class, race, no pre-marital sex) have been abolished. So Spike Jonze’s film, which he scripts as well as directs, creates a brand new obstacle to romance: our hero falls deeply and passionately in love with a disembodied machine. And by shifting all the story’s early drama on to how they could possibly make this love work, it’s able to linger over the simple but deeply felt pleasure of watching two people (well, watching Phoenix; Johansson is only ever a voice) fall in love.

There are plenty of smaller pleasures here too: the future, with its high-waisted pants, quirky video games and funky buildings – the film is set in Los Angeles, but many of the location scenes were filmed in Shanghai – is a plausible world where individuals are even more connected (and isolated) by technology. As solid science fiction, and as a deeply moving love story, this is something special.

Anchorman 2: The

Legend Continues: Did you like the first Anchorman? Can you cope with a vague feeling that the joke has run its course in between laughing wildly at inspired scenes? Then this is the comedy for you!

August: Osage County:

In which a lot of big name actors (most notably Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts) get to do

a lot of capital-A acting in a film (based on a play that’s had an hour lopped out of it) about a family with a lot of secrets crawling into the light.

Saving Mr Banks: The

creator of Mary Poppins (Emma Thompson) has spent the last 20 years fending off offers from Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) to turn her novels into a film. Somehow this film makes her caving in to him and letting him

create a fairly forgettable film into a triumph of the human spirit. Why yes, this is a Disney film – why do you ask?

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug:

Slightly faster pacing and some decent action do make this a bit of an improvement over the first film. Basically, if you saw the first Hobbit film you’re probably going to want to know what happens next.

If you didn’t, this isn’t the place to start.

The Railway Man:

Colin Firth is a WWII veteran who manages to hide his PTSD (but not his love of trains) from Nicole Kidman until after they’re married.

Rather than flee, she tries to figure out a way to help him overcome his past as a POW slave of the Japanese – but will it involve slaying his demons in a literal way?

MUSIC REVIEWS

l i V e r evi e w

Busby Marou

Torquay Hotel – January 10

Josh Dance

Audemia

James Vincent McMorrow

I Think I Need A Personal Assistant

The One

Post Tropical

Independent Release

Independent Release

Believe Digital

If laidback simple acoustic music is your forte than look no further than local lad Josh Dance’s solo debut I Think I Need A Personal Assistant. Having played around the local scene for a few years now, Dance has created a strong following to his original tracks, the majority of which can be found on this album.

After considerable time working away in the practice room and then the recording studio, finally we are seeing the latest EP from Geelong rockers Audemia. Having played all around Victoria every weekend, chances are you might have seen them around the traps.

On the front cover of the EP, there is a little note saying that there was no auto tune used by the band on these recordings, and is 100% real musicians and singers, it’s refreshing that a band uses comedy from time to time to draw you in before you listen to the music.

If you saw James Vincent McMorrow at Falls Festival or one of his sideshows, you will definitely be aware of this fantastic release already; for all the rest, Post Tropical is the second album from McMorrow and is a blissful listen right from the opening track ‘Cavalier’. Featuring falsetto vocals similar to Thom Yorke from Radiohead and Bon Iver, it is quite a different release from his 2010 release, Early in the Morning.

Recorded at Bassment Sound in Geelong in October last year, the overall process was quite quick with the whole album from start to finish taking twelve hours to complete. A raw and original one-take approach to recording has allowed for the most intimate insight to Dance’s songs.

With spoken word tracks opening and closing the album offering some variety, this is an impressive debut.

On some tracks, Dance channels a gravely Tom Waits vibe which gives off a husky blues mood, that if you’ve seen him live suits his musical style.

Opening with the title track ‘The One’, if you are a hard rock enthusiast, and like your guitars heavy, then your going to be hooked on this disc from the very first moment. The vocals and guitar riffs remind me of legendary rockers Pearl Jam, who are one of the biggest influences on the band.

Jayne Martin provides backing vocals on half the album and the two voices blend well together. As Dance gets more acclaim, he’ll definitely need a personal assistant, pick this up whilst it’s still hip to.

With six tracks on the EP, this gives a broad snapshot of the career of Audemia thus far and the final two tracks being acoustic shows also the softer side of the band that can regularly be seen at Saints and Sailors in Portarlington. The band won the opportunity to play at Big Day Out in Melbourne this year and are no doubt set for big things in 2014. If you haven’t checked out Audemia yet, this disc is the perfect starting point.

Tex Miller

Tex Miller

The first release was a lot more acoustic and laid-back, and whilst there are similar sounding themes to this release, it is a lot more electronic as well. The haunting piano lines and delicate vocal melodies of ‘Red Dust’ remind me the most of the latest Bon Iver release.

For those who missed out on seeing James Vincent McMorrow a few weeks ago, don’t despair, as he has hinted that he will be back in the middle of the year. For the meantime, get your chops around this release as it is a strong early contender for album of the year.

Lovely instrumentation and delicate vocal melodies; this album definitely has the makings of a classic.

Heading down the coast in the height of summer to see one of Australia’s favourite acoustic duos on the back of their latest release Farewell Fitzroy was a great gig moment for 2014. When I interviewed Tom Busby before Christmas for this particular gig, he spoke up the talents of support act Ryan Keen; although at that moment, if I’m completely honest, I didn’t really pay any attention to who Keen was.

After seeing Keen absolutely rip up the stage of the Torquay Hotel, he is now definitely on my radar – and should be on yours too. Playing songs off his debut record Room for Light, the finger tapping and percussive guitar playing was extremely impressive. There were a lot of people there to see Keen, another surprising factor about this gig.

The highlight of his set was his instrumental interpretation of the Coldplay classic ‘Fix You’. Having supported the likes of Ed Sheeran and Leona Lewis, it’s only a matter of time before he is playing headline tours around the country.

When Busby Marou finally took to the stage the vibe was simply electric; everybody was there, and combined with the summertime vibes, you couldn’t wipe the smile of anyone’s face. Playing songs off both their albums, the highlight of the set was definitely the first single off the latest album, ‘Get You Out of Here’.

I think I speak for everyone when I say – Busby Marou, please come back to play another coastal show soon!

Tex Miller

Tex Miller

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Grog Watch So the big problem with hating the hot weather is that these days you’re just one of the crowd.

Seriously, when you get four 40 degree days in a row, you’re going to struggle to find anyone willing to give two thumbs up to having the local flora and fauna burst into flames. I mean, that’s not to say there aren’t those kind of people out there – they’re just idiots who should be ignored as they roam the streets with their shirts off going “check out me tatts mate”.

Okay, quick sidebar: am I the only one who actually thinks less of people who have their loved one’s name(s) tattooed on them? Yeah yeah sure, I know they’re just wanting to show respect and more power to them for that – it’s an admirable motive behind what they’re doing – but I always thought that writing something down, especially something on

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

Cameron: Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s run on Young Avengers came to an end the other week, and it was with great trepidation I read the final two issues.

You see, Gillen and McKelvie are perfect. They are perfect people who wrote and drew a perfect comic. I was worried that no matter the conclusion, I would be left feeling like the conclusion could never match everything that had come before. Thankfully Gillen and McKelvie are wizards and they magiced up some magic issues that magically kind of made everything even better.

Sexuality, relationships, friendships, existential crises – Young Avengers laid it all out on the table and pretty much nailed every topic. These final two issues saw the team getting together for (rather fittingly) an end of the year party; a celebration of everything they had achieved since they got together. Like every New Year’s party, people get maudlin, but they also manage to have a good time.

And that’s sort of what it feels like when you read the comic.

The Young Avengers had a fantastic run and it’s sad it’s coming to an end. You kind of feel like you didn’t have to go through the heartbreak of moving on, but you also wouldn’t trade in all those great experiences you had over the previous 15 issues. Thankfully Kate Bishop continues her story in the pages of Hawkeye and Loki is getting his own spin-off series Loki: Agent of Asgard. I’m sure every character will move on to great things in the coming year, but I can’t help feeling like 2013 Young Avengers was something they may never recapture.

Alastair: It looks like 2014 is going to be an interesting year for DC Comics. Injustice: Year Two has just kicked off, and despite the break, has remained as awesome as ever. After the recent release of solicits for the next few months, rumours are flying thick and fast on the internet about the fate of some of DC’s current titles – the general consensus seems to be that Talon is for the chopping block – a shame, really; it seemed to be performing relatively well.

Jeff Lemire’s run on Green Arrow just keeps getting better and better, too. The storyline has

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your arm, was a sign that you were worried you were going to forget it. So if you’ve had to write on your arm that you’ve got two kids, there’s at least some chance that people looking at you are thinking “geez buddy, if you can’t even remember you’ve got kids maybe lay off the hard stuff, okay?” And if you don’t want people to think that of you, here’s a suggestion: keep your shirt on. Even when its 44 degrees, a t-shirt isn’t going to make that much difference to how hot you feel because here’s a clue: you’re going to be feeling hot. And being hot? Not something people really like when it’s day after day of insane heat. Which, like I said, is a problem because I don’t like the heat – but I don’t even like the mild version of heat you’re supposed to like. A pleasant summer’s day with a temperature in the low 30s? Ugh. What is this crap?

So a lot of the time – well, a lot of the time before last week – I’ve been pretty happy with our low-level summer while making the occasional comment just to let people know that I’m barely tolerating even the mild weather we were currently having. Let me stop you right there, because I know what you’re thinking: Jesus H Hovercraft, who wants to spend even the briefest moment with a tool who complains about the weather? We can’t do anything about it, so shut up and suck it up. And look, I’m totally happy to take your complaint on board and follow your advice – just as soon as you take the exact same advice on topics like sport and politics and your stupid job and all the other

finally worked itself out and isn’t a complete mess.

Considering the bombshell that was dropped in the latest issue, I think things are only just heating up for GA. I recently picked up an excellent 2000AD trade – Day of Chaos, written by John Wagner and drawn primarily by Henry Flint and Ben Willsher. Day of Chaos is an absolutely huge storyline – it began in July of 2011 and didn’t finish for just under a year!

As far as I’m aware, it’s the longest-running 2000AD story to date – no mean feat, considering Judge Dredd has been dispensing justice since the ’70s.

Day of Chaos sees Mega-City One come under attack from a bioweapon wielded by Colonel Borisenko, a former inhabitant of East Meg 1 (the obliterated remnants of the Soviet Union). Borisenko unleashes the titular Chaos Bug – think the “rage virus” from 28 Days Later, except the victims are marginally less zombie-like. After that – well, you can probably guess what happens. Everything starts to collapse, and Judge Dredd is left to try to hold MegaCity One together.

Long story short, it’s an awesome read. Judge Dredd does what he does best – kicking ass – and it’s absolutely enthralling. Day of Chaos is part tragedy, part sci-fi epic and well and truly deserves a place on any Dredd fan’s bookshelf.

things in life that get you down and you can’t do a goddamn thing about. Because when you think about it – and you’ll have plenty of time to think about it when I’m droning in your ear about how much I hate this hot weather – there’s pretty much next to nothing in this life that you can control, and if you can’t even bitch and moan about them then what, my dear friend, is the point of drawing breath in the first place?

Everybody complains about things they have no power or influence over. At least when I crap on about the weather I know that the weather is something we have in common – unlike sports, politics, your crappy job, your… well, you get my point. And if you don’t you’ve thrown this copy of Forte away in disgust, so it’s a winwin situation anyway.

But when the weather cranks the heat up to infernolevels, everything changes. See, despite the impression I may have given off in the previous paragraph – or this column in general - I don’t actually go out of my way to bore the crap out of the people I speak to. Many of my closest friends are people who struggle with cold weather, and pretty much all of the rest at least seem to enjoy the usual summer activities – going to the beach, being outside, moving around, whatever – so when I turn up as a grumpy sod muttering darkly about the evils of “sun” and “warmth”, I’m actually standing out from the crowd. As pretty much anyone who doesn’t like summer will tend to do in Australia, what with the place being a freakin’ hell pit in summer.

No lie – there are people I know who also hate the hot weather. They’ve all either moved overseas already or are heading out of the country in the next week or two. And these are poor people! Our summers are just that bad. And they’ve been that bad for so long that they’ve driven out of the country all the former Australians who once upon a time provided some much needed anti-heat balance in our populations.

Basically, I’m a freak. Or, I was a freak until last week, when the constant insane weather drove pretty much everyone – well, everyone who knows how to dress themselves – over to my side of the boat. And not wanting to be a boring moron groaning away about the obvious, I had to shut it when it came to the subject of the weather. When those around me were all like “holy shit, my clothesline burst into flames as I was hanging the washing out”, all I could do was just stand there and look concerned. Your dog suddenly figured out how to inflate and fill your backyard wading pool so he could jump in and beat the heat? The best I could say was “hmmm”. And who wants to have a conversation with an idiot with nothing to say? It’s enough to make a man want to talk about sports.

Tony “How about that local sporting team, huh?”

Montana

POrPe! cultu

By An th on

y M or ri s

Here’s a grim statistic for you: depending on exactly when it is that you consider The Simpsons to have “jumped the shark”, we now have twice as many seasons of bad Simpsons compared to good Simpsons. Let’s be generous and say that the show started to seriously go downhill at the end of season eight; we’re now up to season 25. And season eight is being pretty generous, considering back in the day there was considered to be a notable decline in the show’s quality after season five. But again, let’s be generous: there were definitely a few seasons in there where there were a lot of great episodes – it was just than not every single episode was great in the way they had been a few years earlier. And then, by season ten it became the case that there were more dud episodes than good ones, and by season twelve they were all bad and… well, from there on it kind of becomes hard to tell.

Some people will tell you the series recovered somewhat and is now kind of fun if watched the right way; others won’t tell you anything because they stopped watching years ago.

In theory there must be a whole generation or more of kids out there for whom The Simpsons is just a strange, not really funny show that gets a lot more attention than it deserves, but you hardly ever hear anything from those people. Which isn’t that surprising, considering that The Simpsons is just a firmly average and fairly forgettable show to them.

For the rest of us, now that the “do you think

The Simpsons will ever get good again” has been firmly answered in the negative for now and the rest of time – I mean come on, even if they somehow found an all-new team of supertalented comedy writers the characters and situations have become so well-worn by now that there’s simply next to no comedy left to be wrung out from them – the question becomes “how will The Simpsons be remembered?”

Well, for some the question might be “will The Simpsons ever end?”, but it seems to be increasingly clear that the show is limping on rather than powering ahead, and if it makes 30 seasons that’ll be a surprise (and a good number to go out on). Because for a fair few of us a lot of our pop culture savvy is based around Simpsons quotes and references, and while the value of those references is going to fall off anyway – you don’t hear a lot of kids making Goodies or Get Smart jokes these days – there’s a big difference making references to a show seen as one of the alltime greats and a show largely remembered for sticking around way too long and being way too average for much of its length.

At least the constant and endless repeats by Channel Ten are keeping the show in front of viewers, and it’s the kind of show new viewers can grow into: first you laugh at the silly cartoons, then you laugh at the smart jokes. And if only a third of episodes have the really smart jokes… well, that’s still a better run than a lot of sitcoms out there.

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