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28 days
ballarat // bendigo // geelong // surfcoast // warrnambool // werribee
shaun kirk
zucherro
issue 556 // 4 APRIL 2013 // next issue: 18 APR
EACH & EVERY SATURDAY LIVE ON THE
MAIN
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PARTY NIGHT
DJ SURRENDA
SATURDAY 6TH APRIL
SIMON-ONE // SHORTY J
THURSDAY 4 APRIL
RETRO + TOP 40
RESIDENT DJ'S TVB // SIMON-ONE // MCK // SHORTY J DAWSON // SOME DECKHEADS // VICKERS
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P L U P E TH
RESIDENT DJ'S DJ BRI BRI // MATT BLACK TVB // SIMON-ONE // MCK // SHORTY J DAWSON // SOME DECKHEADS // VICKERS
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A WORD FROM THE TEAM Dear Readers, Long weekend’s are a blessing and a curse, are they not? Last issue we were ecstatic with possibilities, energy, and the excitement of eggs. This issue we kick start with a pro-longed Monday-itis, a few more pimples than last issue, a lot less money, and a fair dose of pessimism about how we are going to drag ourselves through the next week. The term ‘Weekend Warriors’ always sounded ridiculous, but now the theory is sort of making sense. We do it to ourselves though, no? It’s a vicious cycle. If we could get ourselves as excited about weekdays as we do about the idea of a weekend, then the overdrawn depression of Monday-itis, that is turboboosted after a long weekend, probably wouldn’t find a home in us. So guys, if you’re reading this over a piece of bland Vegemite toast on your way to work, in your lunch break or even in between class, get excited about mid week because you’re finally making money not spending it. You’re brain is getting (a bit) of a work out. You’re contributing to the economy in some way, shape or form. And you don’t have a hangover... We hope. Now that you’re all super inspired about middle-of-the-week life, you can read about some really cool things coming up in your area over the next few weekends. I know, that’s mean isn’t it. Enjoy, Forte
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CONTRIBUTORS................... Anthony Morris, Adem Ali, Ben Schultz, Chris Cruz, Chris Lambie, Cyclone, Daniel Meagher, Lucas Skinner, Natalie Rogers, Nekita Roberts, Nina Bertok, Ophelia Symons, Paul S Taylor, Phil Hickey, Renee Abbott, Sam Eckhardt, Sam Fell, Stephanie Zevenbergen, Tex Miller, Wylie Caird, and Tony Montana PRINTED BY......................... RURAL PRESS PRINTING (VIC) BALLARAT 30-32 Grandlee Drive, Wendouree ADVERTISERS AND AGENTS ARE ADVISED THAT ALL ADVERTISING COPY IS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY UNDER THE TRADE PRACTICES ACT. ADVERTISEMENTS ARE PUBLISHED IN GOOD FAITH AND ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE CONTENT IS LEGITIMATE AND LAWFUL. ADVERTISERS AND OR AGENTS SUBMIT ADVERTISEMENTS AT THEIR OWN RISK. THE EDITOR AND CREATORS HOLD NO RESPONSIBILITY WHATSOEVER FOR THE CONTENT OF THE MAGAZINE IN THE CASE THAT IT MAY OFFEND. FORTE ACCEPTS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ERRORS OR OMISSIONS. FORTE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO EDIT ALL ARTICLES AND LETTERS.
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the HIGHLIGHTS
THE LATEST ON international & national news & tours The Highlights: What’s got you so jumpy? Why can’t you sit still? Coming up you have... .........................................................................
Ice Hockey 2013 This is a little different to the usual Forte fare but it is worth a mention. Australia, as some of you know, is hosting a series of Ice Hockey exhibition matches between Canada and the USA. The teams will be comprised of professionals from the North American leagues so you know you’re getting the best of the best. Venues will be transformed into a temporary House of Hockey with all the bells and whistles. Hisense Arena - June 14 & 15. .........................................................................
Brandon Boyd Solo Those waiting for another Incubus record may be waiting a while if Brandon Boyd’s interview with Rolling Stone is anything to go by. However, he does have a new solo album that is all but done. The asyet untitled album saw Boyd team up with longtime Incubus go-to guy Brendan O’Brien and will be the follow-up to 2010’s The Wild Trapeze. According to the interview it’s done and mastered so the wait shouldn’t be long. .........................................................................
Jimmy Fallon Next in Line It would appear that Jimmy Fallon, former Saturday Night Live funnyman and now much-loved host of Late Night, will take over from Jay Leno as host of The Tonight Show by 2014 (at the latest). The decision apparently came about after NBC decided to secure a long term younger demographic. It would take the show back to New York for the first time since Johnny Carson moved to Burbank, California in 1972. .........................................................................
Veronica Mars News As fans of Veronica Mars would know - and they’re some of the most dedicated fans out there - the TV show is getting a movie makeover. Creator Rob Thomas set up a Kickstarter page in an attempt to raise $2million. That figure was reached in half a day (in a thirty-day campaign) and continues to climb. There are a few spoilers out there which depending on how much you want to know can easily be found.
Transformers 4 The fourth instalment of the ‘look how shiny I am’ franchise that is Transformers will start shooting in Detroit after the Michigan Film Office announced that it had been approved for a film incentive by the state. A figure of over $81million is floated around for Michigan alone. Not a great deal has been revealed about the movie as yet but it looks as though some egotistical scientists and businessmen may do some silly stuff they later regret. .........................................................................
Nine Inch Nails Self Destruct If Nine Inch Nail fans don’t already know, the band has posted a full-length doco about their SelfDestruct tour online. The 75-minute film takes in their tour of 1994-1996 and features appearances from David Bowie and Marilyn Manson. Some may have seen it before but for those who haven’t it is no doubt worth a look. The band is also back in action but according to ringleader Trent Reznor there is no new material at this stage. .........................................................................
ATP Does Halloween Melbourne music lovers are in for a huge trick or treat when All Tomorrow’s Parties returns for a special Halloween instalment. So, what are we looking at? How about The Breeders for starters who will be playing their too cool album Last Splash in full as part of its 20 th anniversary. Jesus Lizard, Fuck Buttons, Sleep, Lighting Bold, the Scientists and Spinning rooms are among the other guests. Westgate Centre & Grand Star Reception - October 26. .........................................................................
Rihanna Set to Sparkle
Pink Floyd Preserved
Well, as we know Rihanna, the gal who has sold over 40 million albums and isn’t afraid to tweet bikini pics of herself, is on her way Down Under as part of her take no prisoners Diamonds world tour. I am told she also has over 27 million Twitter followers and is currently the top-selling digital artist. All that makes for someone who could probably afford many diamonds indeed. Rod Laver Arena - September 30.
Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon has been added to the National Recording Registry for long-term preservation at the Library of Congress. The album received the highest number of publication nominations for this year’s registry. The Bee Gee’s Saturday Night Fever, Simon and Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence and Chubby Checker’s ‘The Twist’ were also among this year’s 25 selected recordings.
Richie Sambora Guitar Up for Grabs
Amy Winehouse Immortalised
Do you want a nice new shiny Richie Sambora guitar in your lounge room or bedroom? It is sure to impress. The Bon Jovi guitarist has thrown down a challenge for fans to cover a track from his latest solo album and upload it online. The track is ‘Every Road Leads Home to You’. You have until April 19 to upload your version and any style goes. Hit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlpIqwj1L7Q for further information.
Last year word surfaced that artist Scott Eaton was put in charge of creating a statue of the late Amy Winehouse. Recently work-in-progress images were unveiled which are able to be viewed online at the artist’s website (scott-eaton.com). Writing on his website Eaton said: “The memorial is planned as a life-sized bronze to be installed on the first floor terrace of the Roundhouse in Camden.” The statue will be unveiled next year alongside a concert to commemorate what would have been Winehouse’s 31st birthday.
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Live Music $$$
The Stone Roses Doco Much joy filled the air when The Stone Roses announced a reunion and later this year a documentary chronicling the reunion will find its way to cinemas in the UK. Fear not Aussie fans as it is sure to be released as a DVD at some point. Titled Made of Stone, the doco is directed by Shane Meadows (This is England) and traces the reunion from the earliest point to their hometown gigs at Heaton Park.
The recent Victorian Live Music Census revealed that over one billion dollars is pumped into the Victorian economy by over 460 of Victoria’s live music venues. The census was carried out by Music Victoria, the City of Melbourne, NMIT and over 100 student volunteers. Other statistics included that, on average, 100,000 people will attend shows around Melbourne every Saturday night and that the city hosts over 60,000 gigs annually.
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My Chemical Romance Bow Out Last month, after a dozen years and four albums, My Chemical Romance decided to call it a day. A post on their website reads: “Being in this band for the past 12 years has been a true blessing. We’ve gotten to go places we never knew we would. We’ve been able to see and experience things we never imagined possible.... Thanks for all of your support and for being part of the adventure. ”
FRI 5 APRIL
The Regular Boys REST
AURA N
TS – BARS – ENTER TA I N M
ENT
SAT 6 APRIL
Tony D
FRI 12 APRIL
Trojan Friday night drink promos 5.30 til 6.30 and 9 til 10.30 Saturday night Bulmers and Carlton Dry promos
SAT 13 APRIL
James Carrigg
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MENU CHICKEN PARMIGIANAS TRADITIONAL $11.90 Chicken schnitzel topped with Napoli, ham & cheese
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Carbonara: bacon, onion & egg in a creamy Garlic sauce Bolognaise: rich tomato & Meatball sauce Meatballs: homemade meatballs in a Tomato sauce Calabrese: salami, capsicum, olives & chilli in a Napoli sauce Vegetarian: grilled vegetables in a Napoli sauce Seafood: prawns, calamari, scallops & fresh fish in a Napoli sauce Chicken: sundried tomato, spinach in a pesto sauce Lasagne Cannelloni: filled with spinach, roasted pumpkin and ricotta
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Album Out No�!
National Tou� 2013 WITH SPECIAL GUESTS JACKIE ONASSIS 12 APRIL * NORTHCOTE SOCIAL * MELBOURNE 26 APRIL * KAROVA LOUNGE * BALLARAT FOR TICKETS AND MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.SPITSYNDICATE.COM WWW.TWITTER.COM/SPITSYNDICATE * WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/SPITSYNDICATE
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THE
FORT-NIGHTLY CALENDAR & GIG GUIDE PIPING HOT CHICKEN SHOP: The Disco Rockers Trio with special guests, doors from 7.30pm, tickets $15 (Ocean Grove) SPHINX HOTEL: Double Vision performing live BRIDGE HOTEL: Livingstone Daisies featuring Van & Cal Walker, Liz Stringer and Michael Barclay plus St Jude Duo from 8.30pm (Castlemaine) YARRA HOTEL GEELONG: Revolution Friday with Sleep Parade, The Greeting Method, Motionless Me, DJ Indie Janglo BEAV’S BAR: Steve Pianto
Saturday April 6
endless boogie BAND
april 4 at the barwon club WHEN&WHERE
Thursday April 4
Friday April 5
ARARAT LIVE: Rory Ellis (Ararat) BARWON CLUB: Endless Boogie ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Drink promos & Giant Meat Raffle from 5pm till 8pm THE LORD NELSON: Live music Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays CITY QUARTER BAR: Unplugged featuring 30 acts over 6 heats during 10 weeks, major prizes to be won for competition entrants, every Thursday from 7pm till 10pm CLUB TITANIUM: Uni Night BLACK HATT: Tradies Night in the Bar from 5pm till 7pm, Open Mic from 7pm with acoustic, bands, solos & duets THE SPHINX HOTEL: Schnitzel Night from $13 THE MAX HOTEL: Parmi Night $12, InnQUIZitive Trivia from 7.30pm till 10.30pm, amazing prizes, call to book your team’s spot EUREKA HOTEL: RNB Thursday Party Night with DJ Surrenda, Simon One & Shorty J BEAV’S BAR: Dave Anderson
EDGE GEELONG: Andy Forster CITY QUARTER BAR: Tom & Tayla ODYSSEY TAVERN & BREWERY: Luke Pote GROVEDALE HOTEL: The Regular Boys BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Friday Carlton Draught Footy promos plus Between The Wars, Nathan Seeckts, Japan For & The Shadow League performing ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Thank Guinness It’s Friday BLACK HATT: Drink promos from 5pm till 7pm (free entry) Fistful of Steel performing live BAR PIZZA: DJ Merv & Drink Promos LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Live bands & DJs open from 5pm THE LORD NELSON: Live music Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays IRISH MURPHY’S: Live music every Friday & Saturday night AT THE HEADS: Live music from 5pm till 7pm (Barwon Heads) CLUB TITANIUM: FREE FRIDAY - RnB Relaunch - free entry, free drink on arrival
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EDGE GEELONG: Peter Chapman CITY QUARTER BAR: Jesse Reid YOUTH WEEK 2013: Check out www. youthcan.vic.gov.au for more information ODYSSEY TAVERN & BREWERY: James Sidebottom GROVEDALE HOTEL: Tony D THE LORD NELSON: Live music Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays IRISH MURPHY’S: Live music every Friday & Saturday night LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Live bands & DJs open from 9pm CLUB TITANIUM: Party Time with guest and local DJs YARRA HOTEL GEELONG: Pop Saturdays CHINESE WHISPERS: Coming up -Braauer, Timmy Trumpet, Andy Murphy, Heath Renata, Stevie Mink & more. Open till 5am EUREKA HOTEL: All Star Party playing Retro & Top 40 free before 11pm THE MAX HOTEL: Trojan performing live BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Glittergang BRIDGE HOTEL: The Snow Droppers with Little Bastard from 8.30pm, tickets $15 (Castlemaine) BEAV’S BAR: Butters
Sunday April 7 GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Ultimate Shout with Becky & Megsy, chance to win a $500 Lamby’s bar tab. Visit the Facebook page for more details EDGE GEELONG: Matt & Justin CITY QUARTER BAR: Craig Sayer YOUTH WEEK 2013: Check out www. youthcan.vic.gov.au for more information ODYSSEY TAVERN & BREWERY: Ben Dew BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Super Cider Sundays BRIDGE HOTEL: Itchy Scabs from 4pm
(Kid friendly event) (Castlemaine)
Monday April 8 YOUTH WEEK 2013: Check out www. youthcan.vic.gov.au for more information BARWON CLUB HOTEL: $10 Parmis ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night SPHINX HOTEL: 11 Meals for $11 LORD NELSON HOTEL: Steak/Parmi & Pot for $15 on presentation of student I.D
Tuesday April 9 YOUTH WEEK 2013: Check out www. youthcan.vic.gov.au for more information ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night THE SPHINX HOTEL: 11 Meals for $11, Poker Night (free) GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13
Wednesday April 10 YOUTH WEEK 2013: Check out www. youthcan.vic.gov.au for more information DIGGERS ARMS HOTEL: Wednesday Night Wheel from 7pm, cash & prizes up for grabs! ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Trivia Night from 8.30pm till 10.30pm THE SPHINX HOTEL: Steak Night from $16, Poker Night ($10 buy in) GEELONG RSL: Parma & Pot Night $13 BEAV’S BAR: Karaoke / Open Mic night with Dave Anderson
Thursday April 11 BEAV’S BAR: Shaun Kirk - The Wick Sessions National Release Tour YOUTH WEEK 2013: Check out www. youthcan.vic.gov.au for more information SLATE POOL LOUNGE: Slate Open Mic Night - Come and check out the local talent ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Drink promos & Giant Meat Raffle from 5pm till 8pm THE LORD NELSON: Live music Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays CITY QUARTER BAR: Unplugged featuring 30 acts over 6 heats during 10 weeks, major prizes to be won for competition entrants, every Thursday from 7pm till 10pm CLUB TITANIUM: Uni Night BLACK HATT: Tradies Night in the Bar from 5pm till 7pm, Open Mic from 7pm with acoustic, bands, solos & duets THE SPHINX HOTEL: Schnitzel Night from $13
shaun kirk
full tote odds
april 11 at beav's bar
april 12 at the basement
ATT: FORTE READERS! we want to know what your up to so you can be included in the fortnightly calendar! please send the details of your event to bec@fortemag.com.au please provide your gig info at least one week prior to the event to guarantee your inclusion in the calendar.
THE MAX HOTEL: Parmi Night $12, InnQUIZitive Trivia from 7.30pm till 10.30pm, amazing prizes, call to book your team’s spot plus HASHTAG Thursday with DJ Sammy EUREKA HOTEL: Silent Disco with 600 headsets playing House, Dance, RNB and Retro all night featuring DJ Bri Bri, Matt Black, TVB, Simon One & Shorty J
Friday April 12 EDGE GEELONG: Levi Anderson CITY QUARTER BAR: Andy Forster NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB: Spit Syndicate on the Sunday Gentlemen National Tour with support from Jackie Onassis (Melbourne) YOUTH WEEK 2013: Check out www. youthcan.vic.gov.au for more information ODYSSEY TAVERN & BREWERY: Sam Fletcher GROVEDALE HOTEL: Trojan BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Friday Carlton Draught Footy promos plus New Jack Rubys, Dukes of Deliciousness & Drifter performing YARRA HOTEL GEELONG: Granston Display, James Sidebottom Band & Guest DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Thank Guinness It’s Friday BLACK HATT: Drink promos from
5pm till 7pm (free entry) Fistful of Steel performing live BAR PIZZA: DJ Merv & Drink Promos LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Live bands & DJs open from 5pm THE LORD NELSON: Live music Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays IRISH MURPHY’S: Live music every Friday & Saturday night AT THE HEADS: Live music from 5pm till 7pm (Barwon Heads) CLUB TITANIUM: FREE FRIDAY - RnB Relaunch - free entry, free drink on arrival THE MAX HOTEL: 3 On A Tree performing live BASEMENT: Full Tote Odds (Geelong) SPHINX HOTEL: Fistful of Steel performing live BRIDGE HOTEL: Skyscraper Stan & Junk Horses from 8.30pm (Castlemaine) BEAV’S BAR: Steve Pianto
Saturday April 13 YARRA HOTEL GEELONG: Newton Faulkner with support from Morgan Joanel GPAC: Albare iTD on tour with Long Way. For tickets visit www.gpac.com.au, call 5225 1200 or can be purchased from the venue. BLACK HATT: Second Annual Tattoo Show $5 entry CENTRAL GEELONG FARMERS MARKET: Held the second Saturday of each month on Lt Malop St, Geelong EDGE GEELONG: Peter Chapman CITY QUARTER BAR: Jesse Reid YOUTH WEEK 2013: Check out www. youthcan.vic.gov.au for more information
ODYSSEY TAVERN & BREWERY: Both Sides GROVEDALE HOTEL: James Carrigg THE LORD NELSON: Live music Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays IRISH MURPHY’S: Live music every Friday & Saturday night LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Live bands & DJs open from 9pm CLUB TITANIUM: Party Time with guest and local DJs CHINESE WHISPERS: Coming up -Braauer, Timmy Trumpet, Andy Murphy, Heath Renata, Stevie Mink & more. Open till 5am EUREKA HOTEL: The Pulp performing live, free before 11pm HOME HOUSE NIGHTCLUB: Winter Pass Party with Nick James, Samuel James VS Shameless, DJ AK, DJ Halfcuts & DJ Surrenda THE MAX HOTEL: Trojan performing live BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Self is a Seed, Insygnia & The Soulenikos performing live KAROVA LOUNGE: Full Tote Odds (Ballarat) BRIDGE HOTEL: The Peep Temple with Guests from 8.30pm, tickets $12 (Castlemaine) BEAV’S BAR: Jesse Reid
youthcan.vic.gov.au for more information ODYSSEY TAVERN & BREWERY: Jimmy and The Mex BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Super Cider Sundays BRIDGE HOTEL: Itchy Scabs from 4pm (Kid friendly event) (Castlemaine)
Sunday April 14
DIGGERS ARMS HOTEL: Wednesday Night Wheel from 7pm, cash & prizes up for grabs! ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Trivia Night from 8.30pm till 10.30pm THE SPHINX HOTEL: Steak Night from $16, Poker Night ($10 buy in) GEELONG RSL: Parma & Pot Night $13 BEAV’S BAR: Open Mic night with Andy Forster
COMMUN NA FEINNE: Murdena performing live (Geelong) PIPING HOT CHICKEN SHOP: Roesy (Ocean Grove) EDGE GEELONG: Good Faces for Radio CITY QUARTER BAR: Levi Anderson YOUTH WEEK 2013: Check out www.
Monday April 15 BARWON CLUB HOTEL: $10 Parmis ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night SPHINX HOTEL: 11 Meals for $11 LORD NELSON HOTEL: Steak/Parmi & Pot for $15 on presentation of student I.D
Tuesday April 16 ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night THE SPHINX HOTEL: 11 Meals for $11, Poker Night (free) GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13 BRIDGE HOTEL: Trivia Night hosted by Lifon Uranus, from 7.30pm, free event (Castlemaine)
Wednesday April 17
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live review
Golden Plains and the Space Time Continuum by johnny galvatron
It started in 2013 but it veered crazily. The most crucial thing to understand about the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre, is that it exists in a tear in the space time continuum. This year I set out to find exactly where that tear began. Was it on the edge of the grounds? The “Welcome to Meredith” sign as you barrel into town? Does it start when you walk out your door? When the first beer froths over your hand? (it’s a boy!) I had to know. My girlfriend, let’s call her Megatron (everyone else does), runs the general store at Meredith and Golden Plains. It’s called Heaven 11. This means we get to enter the site the night before, set up, pick ideal camping real estate, and generally get in another night of debauchery. It’s a dreamlike experience, floating beneath the lights of the stage and the valley, alone, soundtracked by the trill of crickets. When all the Mars Bars and thongs and sunglasses and condoms had been properly shelved, we headed back into town for a pub meal, as is tradition. There are two pubs in Meredith, about eighty meters from each other. A bell jangled as we entered the first. ‘Be about an hour and a half wait on meals,’ the publican smiled weakly. ‘That’s cool’ I said, ‘We’ll wait.’ The publican seemed unsure. ‘It’s two hours.’ ‘What?’ ‘It’s three hours… four… five hours.’ ‘Five hours?’ ‘Nope, six hours.’ Me, Megatron, and our band of Heaven 11 volunteers backed uneasily out of the place. It was only eight o’clock the Friday before and already things were descending into madness. The rabbit hole loomed. Time was unsure of itself. The other pub greeted us with five different kinds of chicken parmigianas and a round of cold beers. That’s when I knew: the space time continuum starts somewhere between the first Meredith pub and the second. On the Friday night I fell asleep with my lonely tent pitched in a manure strafed field. Waking on the Saturday ten-thousand punters had invaded, spilling into every corner of the farm. Always a strangely surreal experience, even after so many years. I was boxed in. No chance of escape. And I wanted it no other way. Being located in a spacetime-anomaly the weather in Meredith fluctuates wildly. It’s not uncommon to experience torrential rains unwitnessed since the late Jurassic. Biting cold. This year, it was heat. Enormous heat. Palatial heat. Heat like the beginnings of the world. It didn’t drop below thirty, day or night, and the whole valley steamed - one stray joint away from ignition. Tents were erected, eskies iced, gin swirled, faces painted. Golden Plains 2013 had began and whatever adventures lay before us, we knew they would be recalled with the hazy, lens-flared glee of an awards ceremony, where things happened too swiftly to be properly remembered. If you’ve been to Meredith, you’ll understand what I mean. From the valley came the call of the sleazy, dirty, rock ‘n’ roll seventies: Money for Rope. ‘I believe we’ve started this Golden
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Plains somewhere around 1978, perhaps 79’, I said, and my compatriots nodded wisely. But we could not exodus to the stage. Not yet. If we were starting in the late seventies we’d need more beer. Opossum and Psarandonis (who resembles comic book maestro, Alan Moore) were unfortunate casualties to procuring and imbibing said beer. I had on a healthy buzz by the time I wove my way through tent city, heading for the amphitheatre. Then tent city abruptly falls away and I stand enraptured before the sloping, throbbing vista of the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre. Between the grand trees scattershot across the masses, Wild Nothing shoegaze. At this stage I knew we were in the present, and one must be careful in the present, for actions have equal and opposite reactions. I skirted the crowd, cautiously, who seemed disinterested with the band, who seemed as disinterested with their own Cut Copy/Strictly Ballroom soundtrack stylings. Maybe it was just too hot. Maybe the present is truly a wretched time to be. SCENE MISSING> I look around wildly, find myself eating fish ‘n’ chips on the grass, the sky bereft of light. ‘That was a particularly wild time flux,’ I say, and everyone agrees. Cat Power has claimed the headline spot of the evening but I’m not really sure what they’re trying to do. They begin tepidly, like a pot that just won’t boil. There’s a diehard throng on the barrier but the outer suburbs of punters flow in all directions, mingling in and out of the food markets. Dinosaur Jr are your typical old rockers festival set. I’m sure they were influential at the time but it’s lost on me. I imagined them as an uncannily talented Dad band, and once I did, enjoyed them thoroughly. Then the stars shift. I recognise this planisphere: the constellations of 1984 Australia. Client Liaison swagger on stage. There’s a theatre set consisting of a fax machine, fake ferns and a water cooler. I suspect the lead singer has raided Christopher Skase’s wardrobe of power suits. Later, when he gives a shoutout to the embattled businessman, my suspicions are confirmed. Client Liaison played the set of the festival. Smooth eighties pop, but more than just a tribute, more than a homage. Because there is indeed a theatricalness to CL. Behind the untapped caricature of Bicentennial Australia there’s an urgency, sometimes beautifully naive, sometimes supremely profound but eternally relevant. My God, is it fun. Head back to the campsite for supplies. High quantity of men wearing dresses this year. I contemplate if I need to wear a dress but quickly decide against it. My thing is capes, and capes are my thing. I don a Dracula cape and slink back into the evening. Silver ebbs through the Amphitheatre as Flume’s glittery electro assuages the hot night. ‘Ah!’ says my friend, Science. ‘We find ourselves in the future!’ And we clearly were. It wasn’t what one might call a rip-roaring set but Flume’s tight pop production is more than enough to whip the crowd into a Zionist orgy of dance. How we danced! And time spiralled forwards until the earth stopped spinning, the sun died out and darkness fell and fell and fell… I woke up in a tent hotter than Kenny Loggins. Desert weasels
had shat on my tongue. ‘I am hung ovveerr,’ I said in the voice of Brian Fantana. Beer quickly flowed into my system, gravely at first, increasing in smoothness as the sun imperceptibly slipped over Meredith. Today was the day of the wedding. Megatron, who’s a florist by day, wrapped the bouquets and prepared the rose petals. I readied the camera. The bride appeared beneath the arch on the crest of the hill, her groom already waiting, and a crowd a thousand strong cheered her onto matrimony. ‘Don’t put this in facebook,’ she laughs. ‘We’ve eloped and our parents don’t know!’ Another cheer. This seemed a strange combination of the 1950’s and the present, which I had not encountered before at Golden Plains. By the time I made it to the stage the afternoon was drunk and seemed to veer crazily in conflicting directions. Side effects of the space time continuum, I assured myself. The Mark of Cain flung us back to some medieval battleground of axe and sword. Unrelenting, is how I’d describe them. And they made no apologies. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion filled the valley like a soup of fuzzed guitars, leather pants and stylish lion roars. Ten thousand people nod their heads to the beat. SCENE MISSING> I find myself at Inspiration Point, a rocky dyke the overlooks the cloven folds of the land to the South, embroiled by a strange smoke. SCENE MISSING> Holy s#$t! Is that a ska band? It was. We were back in 1998. Now, if there was a music style that was furthest from the present, it would be ska. I knew it. Everyone there knew it. Maybe that’s why it went off tits. The Melbourne Ska Orchestra were a gem in a sea of gems. George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic had arrived via spaceship sometime when no one was looking. We were deep in the seventies again, albeit in the funky firmament of the period. An hour and a half into their funk odyssey I found myself with another handful of fish ‘n’ chips, which was strange because I was standing on the opposite side of the festival from the fish ‘n’ chip pavilion. And suddenly the night takes a wild turn. Images from Donnie Darko and Twin Peaks flash across the stage next to Naysayer and Gilsun. Pulsating electro. What the hell was going on? It seemed a mash up of ALL time periods. The space time continuum was collapsing, it had to be. How else could I suddenly find myself waking up in a tent in a empty field, skittled with rubbish? My campsite as lonely as when I’d set it up. After packing up the general store we floated sadly out the front gates, hair caked with dust, sweaty-crutched, and I felt a distinct shiver as we passed beneath the two pubs of Meredith. And I said, ‘Till’ December you magnificent temptress.’ To check out my adventure on video visit: https://vimeo. com/61622004 Or just search Johnny Galvatron Golden Plains on vimeo.com
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country including Rainbow Serpent, Bilyana Folk, Rhythm and Life and Apollo Bay to name just a few. It’s been a busy time for Ghost Orkid, but that said, the reception to the music, has been fantastic. “Although we don’t really have many recordings out there at the moment, we have had some great feedback. As a fairly new band, we enjoy being on the festival stage and hope to do a lot more of that into the future. Our following in the Melbourne music circuit has snowballed due to playing in various other projects. We are a fairly young band still and hopefully we can increase our profile and I think between our tight knit network of friends, we can really turn some heads internationally.,“ Nick said about the success of the band thus far. After that first 45-minute performance (which the majority of, was improvised) the writing process really began. More gigs were booked and the set times grew longer, which meant that more original songs structured arrangements had to be attended to. One of these songs, ‘Stones’ (as mentioned previously), evolved from this performance, which was supporting Geelong’s own Captain Groove at the Evelyn Hotel. At the time of composition, the song showcased the direction that the band was taking and although a little electronic, shows the rock elements with funk and groove sounds thrown into the mix as well. I know it probably sounds like it would be a bit muddled and a clash of sounds as you are reading this article, but it is well worth having a look at. Composing music in a very short space of time was hard for the band. Yet, when it came time to find a name for the band the decision was simple for Nick and oddly enough involved Nicholas Cage. Upon asking Nick about the band name and his favourite Nic Cage film of all time, the ‘Put the bunny back in the box’ performance from 1997’s Con Air, was hard to falter. “Ghost Orkid is a reference to his 2002 film Adaptation. Finding a band name is one of the hardest aspects of playing music with a group of people. I’ve seen many bands break up before they have even decided what to call it. We originally started with Ghost Orchid spelt the right way, but a lot of people would mispronounce it. The flower in the film was supposed to give psychedelic properties, in real life that isn’t exactly possible, but we hope to achieve the same sort of thing within our music.”
ghost orkid By Tex Miller
Bands all over the world have been drawing influence from one of the biggest rock acts of the last twenty years, the one, the only, Radiohead. It is with the release of their latest single entitled ‘Stones’, that heavy comparisons can be drawn between the two. Filmed in a local recording studio, from the hypnotic bass line to the live editing of effects on lead singer Matt’s vocals, there is something excitingly different about Ghost Orkid. The band had a massive 2012 with performances at the Evelyn hotel as well as the Apollo Bay Music Festival. Although the band isn’t earning the big bucks yet, it’s only a matter of time. Still holding down day jobs, I recently caught up with Nick Ohlson (bass player) after a hard days work, to find out what all the fuss is about.
As the distribution and logistics officer for both Beat and Brag magazines in Melbourne and Sydney respectively, as well as playing in a swag of different bands, the full time rock star lifestyle that many musicians dream of, hasn’t really kicked in. Having already had a crack at that before, Nick feels that having another avenue of income always benefits his personal creativity. “I have tried the full time musician lifestyle before, and as you can imagine it is incredibly hard to be self sufficient off just playing music. Being able to work a few hours during the week and then play music on the weekend and pour all of my creativity into my playing has a greater effect on all the different styles of music and bands I play in,” Nick says. With a meld of different styles and influencing coming into the band through each of the five members, it is hard to pin them into an exact genre. Described on their Facebook page as Progressive Cosmic Soul, their live show is full of endless possibilities and excessive energy that gets the crowd going in no time. As a new band that formed from an experimental 45-minute support slot, Ghost Orkid have played on festival bills around the
For music tragics like me, (that read the linear notes on every album in your collection), whilst doing the research for this interview, it hit me that Nick is the original fro for blues rockers Marshall and the Fro. Moving down to Melbourne, four years ago, Nick was immediately shown a different music scene to which he had become accustomed to from playing in Marshall and the Fro. With a whole stack of new musical genres at his disposal, it took a little bit of time for Nick to get his head around the scene. “I really loved touring around in Marshall and the Fro and stepping away for a little bit and going back to studying helped feed the urge to get out onto festival stages once again”. Nick said about the transformation period of his musical career. If you’re headed down to Apollo Bay, make sure you check out one of Melbourne’s freshest new exports in Ghost Orkid. One of the first festivals to give the band a performance opportunity, as expected, the boys can’t wait to get down there again to show their improvement and new music which has developed over the past twelve months. “What we really love about Apollo Bay is how they are showcasing the up and coming next wave of talent to enter the Australian music scene. Hopefully this year, we have a bigger crowd watching us and can show all of the hard work that we have put into the Ghost Orkid entity. I can’t wait!” When&Where: April 26 - 28 - Apollo Bay Music Festival, Apollo Bay
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Shaun Kirk By Cameron Brogden
How many multi-instrumentalist, blues and soul musicians have you seen live? If the answer is “none”, maybe you should get down to Beav’s Bar or the Old Hepburn Hotel this month and check out Shaun Kirk. Actually, even if the answer is “heaps”, you should still go check him out. Shaun managed to find some time to call me during the Western Australian leg of his national tour to talk about his upcoming shows. The first thing you notice when looking at his press release is the sheer number of shows on there. It’s close to forty. I was a little bit worried he’d burn himself out. “Never man!” He exclaimed when I asked him. “I never really do burn out. There’s probably little bits and pieces between the tour that get a bit hectic and it gets to my head a little bit, but I pretty much live on the road these days, so burning out isn’t really a factor for me.” Shaun has spent plenty of time in Geelong over the years.”I grew up in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and I often went down to the beaches down Torquay way and stuff, and passed through Geelong. And [I] have friends and family in the area, so I’m definitely not foreign to Geelong.” And he’s not a stranger to Beav’s either. “I haven’t played there in probably a good two or three years, so it’ll be interesting to get back and hopefully pack the joint out.” He said. But it’s Hepburn Springs that he’s most looking forward to on this leg of the tour. “That’s one of my favourite little venues in country
Victoria, Jason Dooley - to all the locals up there, it’s known as Dooley’s Hepburn Hotel - he’s the owner there, he’s a good friend of mine these days so I always enjoy getting up there and playing to all the fine folk. And it’ll be even better to be there to launch the CD.” He’s supported some pretty big names over the past couple of years, and it seems to keep him humble. “Definitely the biggest one I did was Joe Bonamassa at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne, which was three thousand people sitting in front of me while I played, so that was pretty cool. And his touring schedule is super hectic, worldwide. He literally has flown down to Melbourne that day after playing Sydney the night before, and they had to fly out the next morning to Hawaii to play a gig the next day. So he makes my touring schedule look absolutely piss-weak.” But this time, he’s the headline act, so I asked who he would have supporting him this time around. “For the Geelong show I’ve got a chick called Al Parkinson, who’s from Melbourne, she does this really cool little solo ukelele kind of thing, these really cool songs. We’re still scouting for a local Geelong support for that show as well, a young guy probably. There’s a whole lot of them, every show. I don’t actually have someone touring with me, so there’s a whole heap of them, but Al is definitely doing most of the Victorian shows with me.” Get down and see this unique artist perform, you won’t be disappointed. When&Where: April 11- Beav’s Bar, Geelong, April 12 - Old Hepburn Hotel, Hepburn Springs & April 19 - Babushka Lounge, Ballarat
Zucchero By Natalie Rogers
Zucchero is truly Italy’s homegrown hero – throughout his illustrious career he has sold over 40 million albums and won a plethora of awards, including two World Music Awards. He has shared the stage with superstars who’ve become friends, counting Bono and Sting as fans and joining ranks with the late great Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli by being awarded the title of “Commander Of Italy” in 2006 by the President of the Italian Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. “That’s something that doesn’t happen often for an Italian artist,” Zucchero humbly remarked when we chatted recently. “I never thought I would have so much success when I started out playing music as a young boy. I’ve played at Wembley Stadium and the Royal Albert Hall. I played in Cape Town South Africa for Mandela Day, performed at Woodstock 2, Live 8, and I’ve sung with my good friend Pavarotti. I’m living my dream of sharing my music with the world, and I’m looking forward to coming back to Australia.” All set to embark on a monumental tour that will see him playing to audiences of tens of thousands, starting in Tahiti then on to New Caledonia before playing only four shows in Australia, it’s no surprise tickets have been selling fast. “I’ll be joined on stage by seven very talented musicians. I plan to perform for almost two hours
Full Tote Odds FTO, welcome! Please introduce each member of the group to Forte’s readers.. We have Levelheaded, Slats & Eslev as the MC’s as well as Dj Hacksaw on the decks Names like Levelheaded and Slats will ring a few bells for people, from Train of Thought onward, how did this collective come into being? Train Of Thought was a close group of us from back in the day making hip hop music when there was only a few Oz Hip Hop acts circulating. It was a fun time for us because we were the minority in the music industry so we felt we were part of something special. Adelaide Hills is a special place for Australian hip hop, how is life in the Hills treating you at the minute? The Hills are alive and we are very proud to be a small part of the culture. Hip hop music was all we knew in high school and we are just stoked we have been able to maintain the passion up until now. Do you sometimes feel the Adelaide Hills tag leaves you in the shadow of groups like the Funkoars and HTH’s? Or do you feel these sorts of groups have paved the way for others from the area? Or, do you feel nothing in relation to your close location? We definitely would not call it a shadow. They paved the way for many Oz hip hop artists to come through and showcase their ability. In 2012 you guys released Place Your Bets which
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– I want to play many tracks from my new album (La Sesion Cubana 2012), plus all the hits from my previous albums. It will be a very special show. When I step out on stage I receive energy from the audience and it gets me going, I love to see people dancing, being happy – it’s the best job in the world. “ His latest album was recorded solely in Cuba, a place that’s very dear to his heart. “I love Cuban music, the culture and the people, and just before I began work on the album, I played a live show with fifteen Cuban musicians in Havana for 70 thousand people. After that I knew I wanted to do an album with these guys. It’s not traditional Cuban music,” Zucchero admitted, “it’s my music, played by Cuban musicians. It’s a lot of fun to play and I can’t wait to show everyone when I’m back in your beautiful country.” Last time Zucchero was in Australia in 2008, his highly successful tour was supported by Tina Arena. “I have fantastic memories of Australia, your wonderful musicians and singers. I was impressed by your landscape – it’s easy to be inspired by Australia. One day I would like to come back and make an album with Australian musicians and artists. I will be there soon, so in the meantime I send lots of love to everybody.” When&Where: April 12 - Palais Theatre, St Kilda
received critical acclaim from hip-hop fans on both sides of the fence. How did that success effect you and was it what you expected? The success exceeded any of our expectations. We wanted to show our skill lyrically as well as creating the funky soul vibes that we grew up listening to. There are a lot of arguments surrounding Oz hip hop at the moment. Where do you guys see yourselves as sitting in the current landscape? Or do you prefer not to get bogged down with the politics of labels? We def do not get involved. If you sit around worrying about politics and what everyone is doing it can affect your music. We just do what we want to do and hope people enjoy the music What was the inspiration behind the ‘Adrenaline’ clip? Just to do something different. We have been guilty of being conservative in the past with music videos and the sample we used was from the 60’s so the idea was a no brainer. Although we take the music seriously we wanted to show people that we don’t take ourselves too seriously. What was the process like leading up to the release of Place Your Bets? Was it a smooth process? Did it fall within the time frame you had hoped for? No the release was nearly 12 months overdue and due to the sheer weight of tracks it was hard for us to narrow it down to the record we release. We were glad we did wait though as all of us were 100% happy with the final product. What’s your take on the current state of Oz hip hop? Glass half full? Oz hip hop is in a good position as it has become more diverse and the sub-genres have emerged from the popularity of
When&Where: April 12 - Basement, Geelong & April 13 - Karova Lounge, Ballarat the culture. Everyone has their own opinion and there is enough good music to keep everyone happy!
high energy show with a very interactive set. We like to have fun on stage and hopefully the audience will get that vibe.
Who are some other emcees in this country you are feeling at the moment? Who would you like to work with? ATM Spit Syndicate are killing it, done work with Purpose and his new record is dope!
How do you guys roll on tour? Is it all empty bottles and waking up with the hat and kicks still on, face down? Haha. Times have changed now and we’ll hit it hard but with the 9-5 waiting at the end of the weekend we def have to behave to a certain degree. We do have rubbery arms but, haha.
Tell us about the tour, what can regional Vic expect when you roll into town? We provide a
TALK OF THE
TOWN!
Keepin' it Regional!
urban stalker
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self is a seed
yacht club djs
two sugars
“ Our sound could possibly be called folk rock, but we like to think our genre is Australian Southern Stomp, from ballads to jigs, we love just playing raw tunes.” - buddha in a chocolate box
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TALK OF THE TOWN! Talk of the Town: Anything you want, you got it. Coming up you have… .........................................................................
Bruce Mathiske, This is Your Life If you’re a guitarist the chances are you have heard of Bruce Mathiske. If you haven’t, well, you’re missing out. As Chuck Berry may say, he can play the guitar like ringing a bell. As Sublime may say, he can play the guitar like a mother f- riot. You get the picture. Growing up in Swan Hill, Mathiske began music lessons when he was seven years old. When he was about 15 or 16 he relocated to Bendigo to devote his time and years to classical guitar. Heavily influenced by Chet Atkins, the blossoming guitarist began blending techniques together and was soon dedicating marathon ten-hour days to his craft. He has toured North America, Japan and Europe where his playing has left audiences dumbfounded. His new album is My Life and as the title suggests his seventeenth release is autobiographical. Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool - April 19 & GPAC - April 20. .........................................................................
Australian Rock Your Socks Off I am going to introduce you to Australian Rock, a band of Aussie rock brothers who perform the cream of Aussie rock. You have Bob Spencer. Spencer spent stints in Skyhooks and The Angels. You have James Morley. Morley also spent time in The Angels, playing on their number one album, Beyond Salvation. You have Ian Hulme. Hulme is best known for slinging bass for The Choirboys. You have Peter Maslen. ‘Maz’, is best known for his days in Boom Crash Opera. And finally you have Alfi Rocker. Rocker has two decades in the game and is highly respected for his rock vocals. The band busts out the big hits of the big Aussie bands: AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, The Angels and more. If you love Aussie rock this is the band for you. The Yarra, Geelong - April 21. .........................................................................
Going Ainslie Will’s Way? Melbourne songbird Ainslie Wills has her debut album ready for you and it is brimming with all sorts of goodies. There are touches of jazz, spiky pop and soulfulness but most of all, there is plenty of heart. The title of the album, You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine, is a familiar line but it’s actually the film Hello, Dolly! from where Wills pinches it. Which, it has to be said, is a thousand times better than another Hello, Dolly! line: ‘And some giblets’. The recording of the album began in June 2011 where a soundproofed beach house in Blairgowrie became a recording studio. Bit by bit the album came together with the vocals added in January, 2012. The album is the follow up to 2010’s EP Somebody for Everyone and has, according to Wills, a bigger, more lush sound. The Vine, Bendigo - April 13. .........................................................................
Ali McGregor Strikes Gold Jill of all trades Ali McGregor brings her new show Alchemy to COPACC on May 25. Born in Melbourne, McGregor studied music at the Australian National University before studying further at Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music. She starred in productions including The Beggar’s Opera before being enticed back to Australia where she became one of the first Young Artists for Opera Australia. Among her other credentials in 2005 she created The Opera Burlesque in order to introduce the world of burlesque to a wider audience. In Alchemy she draws on all her influences to create a show of unique mash-ups. Think Salt-N-Pepa, Madonna and Kiss performed in the style of a 1940s Las Vegas jazz club siren. Further information is available through colacotway.vic.gov.au. .........................................................................
360 Allstars
Think theatre is lame? Think again buckaroo. 360 Allstars is a theatrical production boasting a cast of world champion athletes, world class dancers and awesome music. You can think of it as an urban circus. Instead of acrobats you have breakdancers. Instead of jugglers you have a basketball freestyler. Instead of a unicyclist you have a BMX flatlander. Performers include professional BMX flatland rider and world titlist Peter Sore who has spent years travelling the world. You also have ‘Basketball Man’, a New York native who has delivered over 4,000 shows and has the kind of skills that you can’t even pull off in video games. Providing music will be Gene Peterson, drummer extraordinaire, and one of the country’s leading musos. COPACC - April 19 and 20 & Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool - April 23. .........................................................................
FONY 2013 “They say I’m a drug addict, they say I’m a liar. They say I have bad hair, a controlling personality and secret piercings. One or two might be telling the truth. Everyone else is a ‘Fony’. Just like Gaga before me and Kylie before her and Madonna before her and Bowie before her and Jagger kind of about the same time as him, I have to reinvent myself. @ TotesBianca_91 must die. Again.” And it is with this that we are introduced to the world of Fony 2013, the first ensemble project from the incredibly talented folk at Geelong’s Courthouse ARTS. Written and directed by Ross Mueller and Georgina Capper and starring Jesse Bickerton, Didem Caia, Charlie McIntyre, Thomas Shears and CJ Sismaet, Fony 2013 takes you into the point where online and offline worlds collide. Fony 2013 opens May 30 with further details through courthouse.org.au.
We are proud to support an organisation that empowers young people with the necessary tools to lead productive, successful and fulfilling lives.” Great work Missy! Further information on The Smith Family can be found through thesmithfamily.com.au. .........................................................................
Gigs4Good Fundraiser Gigs4Good is a privately funded commercial entity whose aim is to turn music events into fundraisers for worthy causes. And that is pretty sweet. You get provided with some fine music and at the same time get the opportunity to help out a worthy cause. Gigs4Good was founded by Joanne Thompson, Jacki Ames and Marie Wilson. The name Marie Wilson will be familiar to some readers. She is a two-time ARIA nominee who has a reputation as being one of the country’s finest female singers. She is also performing at the next Gigs4Good show which takes place at The Barwon Club, Geelong on April 21. The event supports The Geelong Animal Welfare (GAWS), a not-for-profit organisation which cares for lost or unwanted animals in Geelong. Further information on Gigs4Good can be found through gigs4good.com. .........................................................................
Neighbourhood Youth in the Hood Sometimes it takes a while to find a band that clicks;
House Vs Hurricane Vs the World The only way things could get better for House Vs Hurricane is if they were to gain superpowers. But the year is early still so one never knows. So their good run goes like this: They recently signed with Equal Vision records, a NY-based independent record label. They also recently released a video for single favourite ’40 Deep’ from their 2012 album Crooked Teeth. And they’re set to head abroad shortly for a stack of shows around Europe and the UK with For the Fallen Dreams, Dream on, Dreamer and No Bragging Rights. All this follows on from a Big Day Out main stage appearance earlier this year. Once the band returns from their overseas adventures they will be embarking on an all-ages Aussie tour. Superpowers can wait. Courthouse, Geelong - April 25.
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Kate Miller-Heidke Goes Regional Songbird Kate Miller-Heidke recently announced a small handful of shows as part of the very cool Heavenly Sounds tour but that just wasn’t enough. Not for her or not for her fans. So, in her infinite kindness, she has announced a bumper crop of shows where regional fans are the big winners. Kate’s latest album is last year’s Nightflight but in between her solo albums she has kept herself busy, most notably with Fatty Gets a Stylist who released their self-titled effort in 2011. The Brisbane gal has come a long way since going solo in 2002 with highlights including a host of ARIA nominations and the International Songwriting Competition Grand Prize for single favourite ‘Caught in a Crowd’. Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool - June 16; GPAC - June 18; The Capital, Bendigo - June 22; Westside Performing Arts Centre, Shepparton - June 23. .........................................................................
Learning for Life FEATURE: We all know the fantastic work done by The Smith Family but one aspect some will be unaware of is their Learning for Life program. The education-orientated program supports children through their entire schooling and Geelong student Missy Henderson is a shining star of the program’s success. Missy joined the Learning for Life program in Year 11 when she was a student at Corio Bay Snr College and recently completed a Bachelor of Science from the University of Melbourne. She spoke at The Smith Family’s Graduation Ceremony in Melbourne (sponsored by the Medibank Community Fund) and is about to begin a new chapter as a research assistant at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Missy says: “It’s fantastic to be able to use the help I received from The Smith Family to give back to society and work in medical research. The Learning for Life program is fantastic and has given me so many amazing opportunities. I’m looking forward to the next exciting steps in my career and life.” Medibank’s Managing Director George Savvides adds: “Finishing Year 12 is a huge achievement and it is great to see these students moving on positively to their next chapters.
Chance Waters to Infinity and Beyond Late last year saw the release of Infinity, the sophomore album from Sydney hip hop wordsmith Chance Waters. Nearing the completion of the album he started favouring his birth name over the moniker he had previously adopted, Phatchance. Now, I am not saying a name chance is responsible for his success with the album - he is a talented dude, after all - but he certainly didn’t harm him any either. Two singles from the album, ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ (featuring Lillian Blue) and ‘Young & Dumb’ (featuring Bertie Blackman), both found themselves sitting pretty in triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2012. He is just about to kick off a bumper tour which will take in venues around the country including a couple of festival spots. The Karova, Ballarat - April 27.
Follow the Sun with Evermore Want to spend an evening with three charming brothers? Evermore kick off their Hero tour this month and for local fans there are a few dates you need to know: April 17 at Bendigo’s Star Bar, April 24 at The Karova, Ballarat and April 25 at Geelong’s Yarra Hotel. The tour is a chance for the New Zealand brothers to show off their new album, Follow the Sun. Speaking about the album on the band’s website, Jon, the eldest Hume brother, said: “I’d always had this idea to take a mobile studio to inspiring places around the world and record the results, so that’s exactly what we did. We went to LA, Buenos Aires, Paris, Jerusalem, Spain and Morocco. It was an amazing trip, so many experiences I’ll never forget.” The band released their debut album Dreams in 2004.
Magical Mama Kin WA Soulstress Mama Kin is now on the road in support of her new album, The Magician’s Daughter. The newie, the follow-up to her critically-acclaimed debut Beat and Holler, was recorded with producer Jan Skubiszewski (Jackson Jackson, Owl Eyes, The Cat Empire). The album has been met with favourable reviews with Rip It Up’s Sharni Honor declaring: “Daisies don’t just dance around this little muso on the cover art, they follow her around from time to time, soaking up all the sunshine she omits from her bare feet. Caressing your soul with each listen, this sexy release eases you into the twilight of balmy nights.” Now, what is not to love about that? Soul caressing meets sunshine sounds pretty sweet to me. The Loft, Warrnambool - April 12.
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ballarat / bendigo / geelong / surfcoast / warrnambool / werribee it is something about a particular moment where the stars align and it all makes sense. Such is the case for Melbourne’s Neighbourhood Youth. Following a decade or so in various formations, four mates came together in 2011 with a mission to deliver some of the best indie rock Melbourne has heard. The following year they released their first single, ‘Stone’, which was picked up by various radio stations and in the second half of the year they released their debut EP, Holiday. 2013 is shaping up as a ripper with the band set to tour the UK where they will take in the Great Escape Festival. They have some local shows to warm up with which will deliver new single, ‘My Friends’. The Barwon Club, Geelong - April 26. .........................................................................
Recover with The Soulenikoes
On the Road with Pez It has been a few years since Pez last embarked on a headlining tour but throughout April and May he will be making up for lost time. And appropriately enough the tour is dubbed Back in the Game after his most recent single, ‘The Game’. See what he did there? Such a way with words this man does have. The video for The Game was directed by Jeremy Koren, aka Grey Ghost. Jeremy gained attention through The Melodics before journeying out on his own path and the collaboration between Pez and Koren is an exciting tease as a sophomore album creeps ever closer. The single has done very nicely, taking in a Channel [V] Ripe Clip of the Week. That is not the only new song fans will get to hear at the shows with Pez taking the chance to road test some new material. The earthy hip hop favourite had this to say about the tour: “I’m excited to get back out amongst the fans and see how they respond to some of these new jams – both in a big festival setting and also the more intimate shows.” Adding further weight to the argument that Pez is one of the best-loved names in the hip hop circuit is that he will be supported by the all conquering 360 and the unstoppable Seth Sentry. The Yarra Hotel, Geelong - May 2. *Note: Pez is also part of the Groovin’ the Moo festival.
There is a lot of goodness that has gone into making The Soulenikoes. There are the homegrown influences of COG, Mammal, Karnivool and Dead Letter Circus. There are the international influences of Tool, Sigur Ros and Clutch. And then there are their own touches; slices of flowing melodies and delaydrenched guitar. Why, it’s enough for you to want to start a band. The band spent a chunk of 2012 under the wise tutelage of Lucius Borich (COG, Floating Me) as well as racking up a healthy number of shows and joining the Spinning Half artist management team. In 2013 they are showing off their hard work with single ‘Recovery’. The Yarra, Geelong - April 12; The Loft, Warrnambool - April 19; Music Man, Bendigo - May 2; The Bridge, Castlemaine - May 4; The Karova, Ballarat - May 9. .........................................................................
The Sleep Parade Marches On Revolution Fridays are big at The Yarra Hotel in Geelong. ‘B - I - G’ big. And doing the night proud this Friday (April 5) will be Sleep Parade, The Greeting Method and Motionless Me. Sleep Parade has been around a few years now and introduced us to their debut Things Can Always Change in 2008. In the five years that have followed the band has built an impressive musical resume. The band’s latest effort is single ‘Dancing with the Enemy’ which points to a new direction for the band. Speaking on their website they write: “As you get older and change, so do your musical tastes. So for us, paramount to the new album, was there to be a heavy emphasis on vocals, melodies and harmonies.” You can download it for free through sleepparade.net. .........................................................................
The Regional Roulette Tour (of Metal) Lovers of metal rejoice. The Regional Roulette tour is coming for you and its bursting at the seams with metal, metal, freakin’ metal. Who’s coming your way? Dreadnaught, Frankenbok, Heaven the Axe, Abreact and King Parrot, that’s who. In the world of Aussie metal, Dreadnaught has a highly-respected name. Over twenty years old, the band released their fulllength debut Body.Blood.Skin.Mind in 1996. What do you get when you take a few angry-looking dudes and put a bad-ass chick in front of them? You get Heaven the Axe. Abreact recently welcomed new frontman Mat Bartleson to the fold but remain as good as ever. The Karova, Ballarat - April 25; The Bridge, Castlemaine - April 26, The Newmarket - Bendigo May 31; Yahoo Bar, Shepparton - June 28.
Hitting the Beach with San Cisco The three lads and one lass that comprise San Cisco will head out on the road next month in support of their latest slice of goodness, ‘Beach’. The single is the third from their much loved debut full-length release. What do we need to know about the band? Well, they have spent a little time of late in the UK and US spreading their music joy. Although I can’t be sure of what was said you can bet things along the lines of ‘Wow, this band is cool’ and ‘Where is this band from? Australia? Cool, I am heading there to pick fruit and listen to their tunes’ were probably uttered at some stage. Locally they keep getting bigger and better by the day. The Karova, Ballarat - May 23.
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Martians Cafe Gigs There are a couple of Martians Cafe (Deans Marsh) gigs that readers may be interested in. First up you have Farquarharson performing on April 5. The genre hopping band is comprised of Stewart Guthrie (vocals & guitar), Kevin ‘Pastiche’ Demmon (vocals & guitar), Scott McCutcheon (percussion), Chris Canning (saxophone & harmonica) and Greg Southall (bass)
and they began their life through an impromptu jam session back in 2007. A week later you have Gallie on April 13. The Irish-born songman has performed all over the world and in 2012 was a both a semi-finalist in the prestigious International Songwriting Competition for his track ‘Change of Heart’ and finalist for his song ‘Easy’. Easy would receive an honourable mention. Two greats show, one great venue. .........................................................................
Blues & Roots Showcase FEATURE: The awesome team behind the Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival is at it again, this time with the stellar Blues & Roots Showcase and Family Day. Try this on for size: Shannon Bourne, Tully Sumner, Matt Dwyer, Jordan Allen, Old Buzzard Medicine Show, The Dirtbusters, Alawishus Jones, Birdhouse, Dennis Stantonio (aka: Dean Stanton) and Zac Camm & Muppets will all perform. An added treat will the Uke Joint Jumpers, arguably Bendigo’s hottest blues sensation at the moment. Shall we take a closer look at a couple of the performers? Guitarist and music handyman Shannon Bourne is widely considered one of Australia’s finest players. He has toured with names including Richard Thompson, Tony Joe White, Bob Brozman, Bob Margolin, John Butler and Jeff Lang and is considered an integral part of the roots movement. The Uke Joint Jumpers put the ukulele right where it should be: centre stage. You can find a couple of their videos on YouTube. There will be plenty of great music and even a special menu for the little ones so you can fill them up with great music and great food. Big Hill Vineyard - April 14. Music kicks off at midday. Adults - $10; Under 18s $5; Under 12s - free. .........................................................................
Hex, Transience & Series Quick bite: Warrnambool’s Hex will be joined by a couple of Melbourne bands in Transience and Series for a show at The Loft on April 27. With a handy assortment of pedals and hard-hitting rock riffs, Hex creates a sound bigger than their three-piece would suggest. At the beginning of 2012 they released their debut demo to positive feedback and have been making a solid impression outside their hometown. Transience, meanwhile, began as a kind-of experiment by several Melbourne bands. The Frankenstein band gives new meaning to the word prog-rock. .........................................................................
Anglesea Music Festival Applications Quick bite: The 2013 outing of the Anglesea Music Festival doesn’t take place until October but they are on the hunt for performers. There are various fields you can apply to including Performer, Busker and Grassroots. Volunteer, Food and Stall applications are also open. In 2013 the festival will celebrate its fourth outing and on Australia Day received a welldeserved ‘Community Event of the Year’ award from the Surf Coast Shire. If you’re keen to show your face around the festival then hit angleseamusicfestival. com.au and fill out some basic details. It’s as easy as A B C. .........................................................................
Queenscliff Music Festival Applications Quick bite: Performer applications for the 2013 Queenscliff Music Festival are also open and will be until May 3. All the guidelines you need to know can be found at qmf.net.au. The festival enters its 17th year in 2013 and will take place across November 22, 23 & 24. It is far too early for any line-up announcements at this point - that will happen in July - but considering 2012’s event hosted Missy Higgins, Lisa Mitchell and Something for Kate among others, you can bet your bottom dollar it will be another cracker in 2013. .........................................................................
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TALK OF THE TOWN!
live review
Share Some Cake with the Kransky Sisters Quick bite: Annie Lee, Christine Johnston and Carolyn Johns are the Kransky Sisters, siblings with more class than the Hilton sisters, more talent than the Minogue sisters and more everything than the Olsen twins. They have been delighting crowds for years and their new show Piece of Cake is just plain good for the heart and soul. With their assortment of instruments, Piece of Cake will see the sisters bake up (sorry) versions of ABBA, Pink Floyd, Beyonce and AC/DC. There will also be plenty of home stories thrown in for good measure. Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool - May 1. .........................................................................
Showing His Alex Legg Quick bite: Scottish-born songman Alex Legg is someone who falls within the storyteller mould. Engaging his audience with effortless charm, his songs are rich with pleasure and pain, taking in all of life’s highs and lows. Internationally he has worked with names including Albert Lee, Buddy Miller, Randy Crawford and Joe Cocker while locally he has worked with Renée Geyer, Andy Cowan and Richard Clapton. He’ll whisk you away with a song and bring you back with a story. Martians Café, Deans Marsh - April 20.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse By D.P. Ceratz
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Take a Hint Tickets still remain for Grinspoon’s show at Geelong’s Yarra Hotel on April 24. The tour supports their new album Black Rabbits. Kingswood and Emperors will be joining them so it is going to be one hell of a show. Released last year, Black Rabbits is the band’s seventh studio release. With its release the band showed that they still know how to churn out the kind of rock that has made them an Aussie favourite. .........................................................................
Best of the Rest The Karova, Ballarat: Yacht Club DJs (with StepPanther and Apes) - April 6 & Full Tote Odds (with Eloji & Citywide Krew) - April 13. Rumours Nightclub, Geelong: Contiez - April 6. The Pier, Geelong: Will Sparks - April 9. Beav’s Bar, Geelong: Shaun Kirk - April 11. Yarra Hotel, Geelong: Newton Faulkner - April 13. The Barwon Club, Geelong: Self Is A Seed - April 13. The Bridge, Castlemaine: The Snowdroppers (with Little Bastard) - April 6 & Peep Tempel - April 13. The Newmarket, Bendigo: Rabid Zulu (with Lowpoint) - April 19. Piping Hot Chicken Shop: Roesy - April 14.
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Cheers to Daniel Champagne Daniel Champagne is a name that is becoming more familiar by the day. The singer-songwriter and guitarist has now released a couple of EPs and a couple of full-length efforts including his latest, The Gypsy Moon (Volume 1). Daniel first picked up the guitar when he was five and an argument could be made that he has spent the better part of his life with it in his hands. At 12 he began writing his own songs and at the age of 18 left school and channeled all he had into music. Since leaving school he has spent a large portion of his time on the road both locally and abroad including the UK, North America, Europe and New Zealand. According to the songman his new album is “a collection of road songs”. Beav’s Bar, Geelong - May 2.
In a day and age where any dickhead with a hand full of tan bark and a blender can make the next dupstep hit, popular music is largely stale. Rewind 40+ years, honest music, made by honest instruments rained supreme. Neil Young & Crazy Horse at the Hill winery promised to deliver a classic event, a freewheeling orgy of timeless tunes, friends, families and good times, all to be enjoyed in the unseasonal autumn weather. In reality, the weather didn’t exactly come to the party. Arriving during Shane Howards support set we easily navigated the entrance, toilets and bar, to post up just in time to enjoy the 1982 Goanna classic “solid rock”, an everlasting Australian hit that was played with as much emotion and sincerity as the day it was written. The reefer smoke blanketed the crowd with a warm embrace ensuring a mellow vibe whilst the anticipation built for the main event. We were “living on borrowed time” as the cumulus started brewing overhead, another rain squall was eminent. With a very modest start, Crazy Horse began with “Love and Only Love” (1990) then moved into “Powderfinger” (1979) off the seminal Rust
Never Sleeps album. Neil’s sounded as youthful as ever, as he jammed with the band. The acoustic ‘Heart of Gold’ (1972) and ‘Walk like a giant’ (2012) taken from the latest psychedelic pill album were early highlights. As though in tune with the weather as the opening riff for the rarely played solo classic ‘Like a Hurricane’ (1975) was strum, the rain came down like the tears of a million elated Crazy Horse fans weeping in unison. Young fronted the weather like George Clooney in “the perfect storm” with a 6 his string axe as his vessel as he continued to shred solo after solo. Like hunting Neanderthals the 9500 strong crowd became primitive in the downpour as the band launched into ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ (1989), in which Neil played with a towel in hand to dry his guitar without missing a note. Finishing the encore with ‘Roll another number (for the road)’ (1975) the performance was over. The rain had eased and people made their way back to their cars. Overall the event ran flawlessly with minimal lines and waits for both bars and toilets with the rain adding to the experience rather than hindering what was a very memorable event.
down to business:
Urban Stalker By Rebecca McIntyre
There’s a new kid on the block – a very friendly, and very well dressed new kid. Urban Stalker is the latest independent fashion retailer to create a home in Geelong, and its been welcomed with open arms. We caught up with the Queen Urban Stalker, Lisa, as she was busily unpacking boxes full of the new seasons must-have items. Setting up shop in the reputably stylish Pakington Street, Urban Stalker is stocking all our favourite leading ladies’ brands - from Alice McCall to Jennifer Kate, Lulu Yasmin, Sass & Bide, Talulah, and loads more. Plus all your favourite men’s labels - Nicholas, Ben Sherman, New Era, We The People... we could go for days. They’re also swiftly cementing themselves as a favourite denim destination stocking Levi, Cheap Mondays, Ziggy, the full range of Nobody and much more. Lisa, who looks every bit the stylish shop owner you had in mind, laughed when asked about her journey into the world of retail - “I think I have retail running though my veins!” Lisa began her career in fashion retail as a stock girl at Just Jeans at only 14 years of age. Still too young to get on the shop floor and do what she desperately wanted to do (chat with customers) Lisa unpacked, hung, security tagged and steamed her way to front of house. Whilst it doesn’t sound too glamorous to most of us, Lisa couldn’t get enough of it. With customer service Lisa’s number one priority from day dot, she laughs “Well let’s be honest! I could talk all day under water!” After moving up the ranks of the retail fashion industry, learning the ropes both on the ground and behind the scenes, Lisa noticed a significant gap in the current local market and has set out to capitalise on it. Alas, Urban Stalker. With a lack of leading edge brands available in our region, especially for guys, Lisa has set up a
store that mixes both exclusivity and affordability, cutting edge and conservative, high-end and casual fashion. Diversity in style, and in price is important to Urban Stalker as the team understands that while we would always love an amazing pair of jeans worth $300, sometimes we just need a good, trendy pair of jeans worth $90. These guys cater for both. Targeting men between the ages of 18 to 35, and ladies from 18 to 40+, Urban Stalker also feels that it’s not just about stocking the best brands, but creating a really special experience for their customers. Lisa explains, “As much as there is work to be done, it’s really important to create that fun environment.” As the old saying goes, ‘in this day and age’ a web presence is essential. With the Urban Stalker Facebook page now up and running and in full force, customers can now check out new store arrivals, and also have access to the Urban Stalker pre-order function - helping secure yourself one of the special items before they even reach the shelf. And, with an exclusive approach to different items, only stocking a few of each and usually not re-ordering, you will want to get your mits on that special piece a-sap. Proving that they’re a step a head of the game, Urban Stalker understand that we’ve all had second thoughts on one shopping escapade or another. Too many times we leave stores, get home, and wish we had have purchased that dress for tonight’s event, or gotten that pair of jeans knowing there was only one of our size left. At Urban Stalker, if you get home and have that sort of fashion epiphany you can actually call the store and they will deliver the product to you at your home... within 4 hours! And if you’re unsure on a size they’ll bring a few for you to try on. “As long as you’re not the other side of Melbourne!” Lisa laughs. Now, that is what we call customer service ladies and gents. On the way out we received some tips from those in the know about what we all must have this season. For guys, a trucker style bomber jacket, an American prep style jacket by Academy, a pair of Ziggy jeans or three, and a New Era cap are all necessities. For the ladies, it’s all about fur and leather, matching some Sass & Bide leather jeans with some of Lisa’s independently sourced and exclusive costume jewellery, a Jennifer Kate clutch, boots, plus anything from Byron-based brand Talulah. All of which are available in store of course. Stalk them out for yourself on Facebook or head in and check out the new store at 352 Pakington Street, Newtown. They also have lovely phone manners - 52 222 013.
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food:
arts:
TWO SUGARS
A pressing deadline
Drawing on a wealth of experience cultured both locally and internationally, Two Sugar’s management have brought the aromas, textures and flavours of Italy to Highton without neglecting modern Australian dining. With a menu offering a variety of both savoury and sweet cuisine, Two Sugars Café and Pizza Bar is certain to please even the most discerning of diners.
The Geelong Gallery is currently inviting artists to submit entries for the 2013 Geelong acquisitive print awards. Artists have until 5.00pm on Friday 26 April to visit the Geelong Gallery website and submit their work for consideration.
Fully licensed, Two Sugars offers a vast wine list comprised exclusively of Italian wines complemented by a wide variety of local and international beers. Selected specifically to compliment Two Sugars expansive menu any selection is certain to be the perfect addition to your dining experience. After undergoing extensive renovations during 2012, Two Sugars now offers a rustic Italian ambience, reminiscent of Italy’s famous café culture, synchronising perfectly with a newly expanded menu. Imported directly from Naples, Two Sugars features a Valoriani Verace wood
Call for entries for the 2013 Geelong acquisitive print awards
fired pizza oven built on premises. A brand synonymous with reliability, consistency and quality that ensures only the very highest quality pizza is produced time and time again. Consummately professional and experienced wait staff offer only the highest level of service to ensure a warm and welcoming environment, guaranteeing that each visit will be not only an enjoyable but memorable experience for all patrons. With both friends and family, come to enjoy the hospitality of Highton’s newest Italian dining experience.
Now in its tenth year, this national biennial prize and exhibition showcases the best of contemporary Australian printmaking practice. Hundreds of entries from around Australia are anticipated with around 40 works by emerging and established printmakers being shortlisted for exhibition. Along with fostering the practice of Australian artists the 2013 Geelong acquisitive print awards assists with the development of the Geelong Gallery’s permanent collection through a range of acquisitions. The exhibition of shortlisted works will be held at the Geelong Gallery from 31 August to 24 November, from which acquisitions totaling $9,000 will be made including the Geelong acquisitive print award of $3,000 and the inaugural Ursula Hoff Institute award of $1,500. The introduction of the Ursula Hoff Institute award pays homage to the significant role of the print scholar Dr Ursula Hoff AO OBE (1909–2005) in the development of museum practice, and the collection of works on paper by Australian museums and galleries (as Keeper of Prints and Drawings at the National Gallery of Victoria for almost three decades, President of the Print Council of Australia from 1966–68, and judge of print prizes at Geelong Gallery in 1964 and 1968).
HayEswinkle girls enjoying a coffee at two sugars
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The 2013 Geelong acquisitive print awards is open to artists practising in recognised printmaking processes such as intaglio, relief, planographic and digital processes and does not extend to photographic prints. Artists’ books that incorporate printed elements are encouraged.
The selection panel includes the Director of the Geelong Gallery, Geoffrey Edwards, the Gallery’s Curator, Lisa Sullivan, and a guest judge. The judging process will take place in late May and the shortlist of works will be publicised from early July. The winning works and additional acquisitions from the 2013 Geelong acquisitive print awards will then be announced at the official opening on Friday 30 August. Since the re-establishment of the prize in 1996, over 50 works by contemporary Australian printmakers have been acquired into the Gallery’s permanent collection including the work of recent winners Bruce Latimer (2009) and Angela Cavalieri (2009) as well as prints by Tony Ameneiro, Rosalind Atkins, David Frazer, Rona Green, and eX de Medici, amongst others. The 2013 Geelong acquisitive print awards is sponsored by the Geelong Gallery Grasshoppers, an anonymous donor and the Ursula Hoff Institute (UHI). Online entries must be submitted by 5.00pm on Friday 26 April. Each artist will be required to pay an entry fee of $27.50. For complete details and to submit your entry, visit geelonggallery.org.au Text & image supplied by the Geelong Gallery
Bruce Latimer Hold up 2009 colour etching
Collection: Geelong Gallery Geelong acquisitive print awards (winner), 2011 Reproduced courtesy of the artist
BY POPULAR DEMAND
Buddha in a Chocolate Box you asked for it, we go it! Hey guys! Welcome to Forte Magazine! Thank you for taking the time to have an ‘e-chat’ with us. Please introduce the band members and give us a brief introduction to each? Feel free to include something we shouldn’t know! Buddha in a Chocolate Box are a 4-piece band but hot off the press! We are growing to a 5-piece in a new development. Adrian Calvano - pipes, guitars and keys. The founder of their stomp. His raw unique voice can rally and invoke the punters to drink and stomp. He lives the life of music and all it’s attachments! Matty Pitman - fiddle. The drive and quick draw of his bow has engulfed many pubs of this country. From bluegrass to classical, Matt and his fiddle creates their unique folk sound. Shane Baker - bearded bass. The Grug! His wooly and loose personally adds to the pocket punch of his bass delivery. His beard has been the figment of many a punters imaginations. Gav Kelly straight from the dens of Aussie rock n’ roll! One hell of a skin slapper who is challenging their bass player for rights of ‘the bearded one’. Grab his hard rock drumming background and sprinkle with some Irish fiddle dust you get the perfect stomp for their sound. The new 5th member currently unannounced! Jase Mulley former Still Trees guitarist has joined Buddha in a chocolate box on their stomping journey! Big news bringing big sound ! You guys are from Hamilton, how is the scene down there for bands? Is it much of a launching pad? What’s the lifestyle like? Growing up in Hamilton for all of us has been tough musically. Not many of our mates in Hamilton are into music and all our music mates have moved to the big smoke to pursue their music. Saying that, we love Hamilton! It’s quiet, supportive and where we belong. As for launching pads.......we have never looked. Buddha in a Chocolate Box, it’s a very unique name, do you have a great story behind it? There is two stories this question. You guys decide. Story 1 - Cat Stevens has an album called ‘Buddha and the Chocolate Box’. During this moment in Cat’s life he was choosing between finding his religion (Buddha) and the chocolate box (the life of music and all it’s attachments). We simply twisted that around to ‘Buddha in a Chocolate Box’, religion in the music! Story 2 Calvano and Baker were playing golf one day as good squires do. On a tricky par 3 a local pub called Calvano and asked, ‘What is the name of your band playing here next week?’ Calvano panicked and looked at his t-shirt which had a picture of Buddha on it. Knowing the pubs charge by the word when advertising in the local rag he fumbled and said ‘Buddha in a Chocolate Box’. End story. Which one you think is true? Bet you it’s not the one your thinking of. What style would you describe the band as having? Obviously folk is the main influence, the Ukulele appears to be a strong component of your sound? Well there is no ukulele in our band. Think what
your hearing is the drive of Mattys fiddle. Our sound could possibly be called folk rock, but we like to think our genre is Australian Southern Stomp, from ballads to jigs, we love just playing raw tunes. I’m watching the You tube video for ‘Pizzica Australiana’ and I must admit I couldn’t help but start bopping in my chair, its the sort of stuff they used to dance in the under deck of the Titanic, before it sunk of course - do you get people dancing at live shows? Pizzica Australiana is a song influenced from Calvano’s visits to his father’s home town Carpineto Romano, Italy. Watching people over there dance in a trance like state to different versions and adaptations of pizzicas and tarentellas he decided to try and but an Australian twist in it. One thing we have been blessed with is having very supportive fans that always bring their stomp to our gigs. especially down at port fairy! You guys seem to be very Folk based, are the inspirations for your songs usually story concepts? Thus far 80% of the songs are based on real inspirations that have been triggered through life events. The other 20% are story concepts picked up from a story, sound or a place. You guys filmed a video shoot in 2011 at the PFFF, one of Forte’s favourite festivals! That looks like alot of fun, how did that come about and how was filming it? Actually won that through a competition through triple j Unearthed. Our song ‘She feels like home’ debuted at #1 on the Unearthed charts just when they were having a film clip comp. In conjunction with ABC. Filming the clip was heaps of fun. But early starts during Port Fairy Folk Festival are rough! The morning of the shoot we were really dusty and just wanted to find a bed, we recall the directors and crew getting quite cranky with us. We thought the only why to fix this this was to duck into The Oak for a couple of lagers and get back on track. This is the opening scene for the clip. How does the average BIACB live show unfold, your sound is very encouraging of drinking your Ale or whisky down, I can imagine it would be great fun. Yeah it’s always great fun. Normally our gigs start off quiet at the start, that’s when we play our ‘listen’ songs. It’s funny sometimes watching crowd get on edge waiting for our stomping numbers to be played. Once we open our stomp up the crowd really gets into. There is nothing better closing every gig with a sweaty, slightly intoxicated, invoked crowd singing one of ours songs! Tell us about what releases you guys have out to date? Do you have any more in the works? In 2010 we released the Keep on keepin’ on EP. This year we are releasing the Where I Belong EP and The Clarence Cottage EP, and we can’t wait! If people want to find out more, where should look? First of all look in your local pub. If we are not there ask your publican to look us up. We would be grateful for this and if it worked out we would shout ya a beer!
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28 DAYS By Natalie Rogers
Finally Upstyledown is coming to your town! 28days are about to embark on a quest to tour their year-2000 record release Upstyledown. After thirteen years they are hitting the road and performing at venues right across the country. The showcase will feature the album from start to finish including crowd favourites and some the best Aussie rock anthems in modern memory ‘Say what!?’, ‘Rip it Up’ and ‘Sucker’ just to name a few. After tragedy put the brakes on halfway
through their first attempt, the ever-growing support for it to go ahead has reached fever pitch. I spoke to bassist Damo about the hype surrounding the dates: “Thirteen years ago when we finished recording this album we did a couple of shows - then Scotty, our drummer at the time, unfortunately passed away. So we put everything on hold - now it feels like thirteen years later it’s time we do it.” Damo recalled that the idea to finish the tour they started all those years ago, really came to fruition when their newest member expressed an interest: “It wasn’t until our drummer who’s
been with us for a few years, Dean Kerby [formally of Behind Crimson Eyes], mentioned that he’s a big fan of the album and said he’d love to play the album from start to finish. So we decided, why not - better late than never. “ Despite the wait, don’t be fooled into thinking Damo and the fellas have lost any of their spunk: “It’s in our DNA, deep in our psyche - as soon as we walk on stage it’s on! We only have one rule – no-one is allowed to drink spirits because it could get messy!” In preparation for those highly anticipated shows, after choosing the cities and venues Damo said that he and the guys thought long and hard about who they would pick as the support act. “We chose a guy called Evil Eddie, who you might know as the singer of Butterfingers [now defunct Aussie hip hop band]. In our opinion he was the creative genius behind them and he has branched out on his own now, and we thought he was a good match for us because we don’t really fit into the punk scene or the hip hop scene, and we thought he was kind of the same. We just want to make this tour fun, so we wanted someone really cool to support us.” While I had Damo on the phone there was no way I was going to let the opportunity pass me by to ask the question on every 28days fan’s lips - is there any truth to the long standing rumours about a new LP? “We’ve been working on it for a while; we recorded the drums over a year ago!” Damo laughed. “We like
to joke that this is our Chinese Democracy [the long awaited Gunners album], but at the moment that’s on the back burner for the next six months at least.” What! Why? “These are just the first run of shows; we plan on doing a whole national tour, playing all regional area -we hope to tour till the end of the year. But don’t hold your breath waiting to hear any new tracks at these shows, as Damo tells me they are meant to be purely a blast from the past. “No, no new songs on the set list just Upstyledown from start to finish, the way it was meant to be.” “We’re looking forward to the shows so much”, Damo explained. My favourite song to play on Upstyledown is Goodbye, but we haven’t played them for so long. They’re awesome - I like them all. For us it’s like playing a new album, only thirteen years after we recorded it!” Do yourself a favour and back catalogue this band - you’ll want to loosen your jeans, turn your hat sideways, crack a beer and sing till your voice is hoarse. When&Where: April 20 - The Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex, Geelong
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Indoors and Outdoors: A Vinegar Hill Review. By Daniel Lock
On Friday March 22, Vinegar Hill played at the Karova Lounge Ballarat. I’ve been mates with the lead singer for a long time and also digged their sound at Jam At The Dam in February this year, so I went along to catch their sound at an enclosed venue and hear what I couldn’t hear in the open air. The Karova Lounge had good attendance already for 10pm on a Friday night (anyone familiar with Karova will recognise that the place usually isn’t very full before 11:30pm) being moderately busy.
I’d be surprised if they hadn’t had everyone’s complete attention. The lead vocalist hit upon a unique blend of grunge and punk with the way he conducted his lyrical emphasis’. Hitting both low mid, through to high notes with strength and enthusiasm that I found akin to Iggy Pop’s vocal range. The sound played a lot different to an enclosed venue than an outside stage like at Jam At The Dam. I’d always had more of a treble driven punk sounding idea of them from the way the singer had described them to me before, and even after, I’d heard them play at Jam At The Dam; but being enclosed provided a palette of further colours to paint their genre with.
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The following day, after listening to the difference in sound that was made apparent between an outside stage and an enclosed venue I looked up their Facebook again (http://www.facebook.com/ VinegarHillBand) and listened to their recordings which are a blend of both sounds, the guitar and bass both share equal amount of time in the spotlight through the verses and the drums back everything up nicely. Friday March 22 they were the support act along with Cowgirl Caviar, for The Pony Men; to sum up Vinegar Hill individually though, they are a tight 3 piece outfit that will certainly be one to look out for in the future. I highly recommend catching them at whatever gig you may get too.
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When I entered, Cowgirl Caviar were almost finished their set, them being the first support act on for the night. Next in line were Vinegar Hill and after a quick changeover and a little warm-up they proceeded to play. The first thing I noticed was the fat bass sound playing the lead more-so than the guitar licks which gave me an immediate stoner rock impression of them (I listen to a lot of this music genre and have been to more than a few artists that play the like this year). When the guitar did predominate the bass, it did so with good distortion and classic chorus build up. The bass and the guitar, triaged with the drumming, produced quite a thick sound which quickly drew attention at The Karova Lounge and almost instantly people were already shuffling toward the stage (quite a mean feat for a support act to achieve at the Karova on a Friday night). When the lead singer/bass player opened up with his vocals
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FREE CLASSIFIEDS SEND YOUR INFO TO: editorial@fortemag.com.au or p.o. box 1388, geelong 3220 or fax 5229 0318 FOR INDIVIDUAL USE ONLY, NOT FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES. Looking for a rock singer between the age 17-19. Main Influences are Green Day, Foo Fighters and Led Zeppelin. Band with Management and Label. Email and info at melodicmusic.com Email and Info at melodicmusic.com Looking for a drummer, not afraid to experiment. Male/female. Age 35++ ono. All original. English/ Australian influences without the radio play. Original to the extent of punk/pop sensibility 1978 to the not-so-now style. Think of yourself as a patron of The
Saints, Stiff Little Fingers, Radio Birdman, Buzzcocks, The Smiths, Psychedelic Furs, Iggy & The Stooges, Wedding Present, Happy Mondays etc etc, then forget you have to be. The usual... car, equipment, attitude, mental state (in an OK kind of...) punctual, earplugs accepted. Be prepared to apply yourself. Let us know on 0409 567 043. Please leave your details and we will hear you - Confirmation code: AKA 1963 Geelong rock band looking for lead vocalist. We are a Geelong based original band looking for a lead vocalist,
have a lot of experience and heaps of great original music waiting to be sung. Influences: pearl jam, chili peppers, foo fighters, nirvana, led zep, sound garden. Contact Ben 0432049231. Experienced Lead Guitarist Wanted. Top 40 Coverband. 70s 80s 90s and current. Based in Geelong. Must have commitment. Please Call Mark on 0438836469 or email at pudge_ gypsy33@hotmail.com Singer wanted for acoustic covers duo. Must like 90’s British bands and not into songs your “normal” covers bands play. Think Oasis, Morrissey & The Smiths, Libertines, Pulp, Blur, Verve, and similar Aussie & American groups. Nothing serious to start with but possible gigging if we sound great! Age no barrier and male / female encouraged to contact. Contact Liam: britpopcovers@gmail. com or 0430904407 Band Members Wanted: Looking for band members between the ages of 16-19 years of age for pop group. Looking for bass guitar, electric guitar, vocals and synth player. If interested, please contact 0417575237. Hard Rock Covers Band with experienced, solid, bass player and drummer team requires guitarist with skill, awesome sound, and decent equipment. We have full rehearsal live room, pro gear, and all recording equipment. Project will involve gigging, recording, and working on original material as well as edgy covers. Age no barrier, but must be directable team player and have own transport.
Carlos: 0409493521 Wanted: Male Vocalist, Two Guitarists Lead/ Rythm,Keyboard,Drummer to form an Original Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Band,Kevin Phone 0352757689, Email linnums@ optusnet.com.au Vocalist Wanted: Rock/alternative band, currently consisting of guitar, bass, drums. In search of a clean vocalist preferably with experience. Influences: Tool, A Perfect Circle, Karnivool, 12 stones, Godsmack, etc. Contact Dean 0431067758 Singer For Rock Covers Band Needed. New project that will incorporate some originals. We have large acoustically enhanced rehearsal room inc. P.A and all recording equipment. Project will involve live gigs/shows, recording, and working on orginal material. Age no barrier, but must be team player with own equip and transport. Covering rock/ pop/grunge/hair-band/ glam. You will be working with experienced team. Carlos: 0409 493521 Photographer Wanted for band photos. Semniprofessional ok. Call Josh 0430971319 Wanted, 40+ y.o. Muso’s to form a fun Rock Band. Bass, Drummer, Lead Guitar, Keyboards or other welcome. To play Classic Rock from the 70’s onwards. Call or Text Nick on 0408359821. Geelong Vocalist Looking for guitarist, bass and drummer to form contemporary blues/ rock band. Experienced players required.Ph: Craig 0404054045 or email transform_pt@ yahoo.com.au
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I Know The Chief By Cameron Brogden
Werribee’s own, I Know The Chief are a fivepiece you may not have heard of yet. Born from the ashes of indie band Passport, their sound is heavily influenced by the likes of Two Door Cinema Club, Phoenix and Twinsy. I had a chance to talk to Ben Williams and Jesse Drummond over the phone earlier in the month about their plans. “We’ve never actually played in Geelong,” Ben confessed. They’re coming down here in April to support Sons of Rico.”It’s really good to get on board with those guys,” Ben says of the show. “Yeah, we’re really excited to hop on their tour which is really good.” It’s all starting to come together for the boys, they’ve got a record deal on the way with boutique label Fall Street Records, which is a part of the Love That Group, who also own Werribee’s Mynt Lounge and Geelong’s Chinese Whispers, amongst other interests. “We’re sort of in the works of sorting that out at the moment,” Ben explained. “It’s not absolutely finalised yet, we’re just in the works of doing all that.” Whilst the boys don’t have a record out at the moment, they promise something in the near future. “We’re actually in the midst of recording a single that we’re going to be launching hopefully about mid year.” Ben said. “We’re kind of going for more of a - how do I explain it -” Ben said, before passing it on to his bandmate.
Yacht Club DJs By Natalie Rogers
The Yacht Club DJs are sailing into town as part of their Mayhem tour that promises to leave your heart pounding and your head sore for days. Forte caught up with Gaz, one half of the dj duo, the night after his side-project indie band, Them 9’s, played at the Ding Dong in Melbourne. To say he was a little under the weather is a fair assessment. Me: “Hey Gaz, thanks for taking some time to have a chat with me for Forte Mag. How are you?” Gaz: “Hungover - I don’t even know where I am; Forte is in Geelong, right? Last time we were in Geelong, after the show I stole a plate of sandwiches from backstage and was running around telling people that I was paid by the city of Geelong to offer people sandwiches. I can’t really remember - it was all in fast forward, but I seem to remember the security guard telling me to put some clothes on. Apparently I’d been walking around for half an hour just in my boxer shorts. For some reason Geelong just does that to me – I’m never well behaved.” Surprisingly (or is it?), Geelong missed out this time round, but tickets for the Karova Lounge in their hometown of Ballarat are selling fast, and another show has been added in Melbourne (after the first date sold out completely). “We are so looking forward to these shows – it’s been a while,” Gaz added. “Since the Demons of Gymnastics days, we haven’t been out on a proper tour. It’s always exciting going out on the road – it’s a pretty
Self Is A Seed By Natalie Rogers
“We’re so hungry to get out and tour,” bassist Craig Aaron told Forte in a recent interview, ahead of the East-Coast tour to showcase their debut album Siren (out now through MGM). It kicks off in less then a week with their first show in Newcastle on April 10: “Next stop is Canberra, and onto Melbourne with Dead Letter Circus,” Craig added, “then down to Geelong it’s our first time in Geelong too, so we can’t wait!” It’s been a long time in the making for the rockin’ four-piece, who met and essentially wrote Siren while living in a Sydney share house. “It’s quite a funny story. The history of the band is that we all lived in a house together for four years - we pretty much wrote the entire album in various rooms of our scungy share house!” Craig joked. Produced by Aria award winner Anton Hagop, known for his work with Silverchair and Powderfinger, Siren in its entirety is a self-assured and memorable first offering from a band who had only previously released one EP (Gratis) and single (‘Thought You Would’) last year. “We’ve been working on these songs for a while,” Craig recalled. “We pretty much had them nutted out on stage, so they’d been tried and tested before we went in to record. Anton is particularly awesome – he’s really relaxed and he also lives really close to our house,” Craig laughed. “So when
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“Something more fun, a little more dance-y and upbeat,” Jesse explained. “Tropical pineapples,” he added after a moment. “That’s what we want it to come out like. Tropical pineapples.” Ben clarified. This seems to fit in with the band’s general sound quite well. “I’d say we’re going for a very jungle, kind of disco feel. Nice calypso, bright soundsm,” Ben said. The boys are sentimental at heart, when I asked which show was their best so far, Ben had this to say: “As corny as it is to say, it’s gotta be our first show. The one we played at the Evelyn, we actually supported Private Life. We had a massive crowd down on a Monday night, I think it was over 230 there on a Monday night. Yeah, we had a massive first show, and it was just great to get up on stage, and have so much energy, it was so fun really.” As for the future, they’ve got some pretty clear plans for the next few months. “We’ve got a residency at the Evelyn in May.” Ben said.”So we’re doing actually about five weeks every Wednesday night of May. That’ll be coming up, so that’ll be good for us to get those consecutive shows at get our name out in the city. But apart from that, obviously when we’ve got our single coming out, we’ll probably want to do a launch for that one, and kind of push that as hard as we can and see how it goes from there really.” So if you’re going to see Sons of Rico in Geelong in April, get in early to see the boys in action, otherwise, head to Brunswick’s Evelyn Hotel and see them every Wednesday night in May. When&Where: April 26 Yarra Hotel Geelong (Supporting Sons of Rico), Geelong
special time of year. They’re two awesome bands to be out on the road with - I love the hell out of Step–Panther and I’ve been obsessed with Apes since I found them on Triple J Unearthed.” “We’ll be playing our new mix tapes. The most recent one is called Find Me a Macchiato Pronto - hopefully people like it. We’ve chosen smaller venues for this tour; we want the shows to have a house-party feel to them, intimate and small. It’s more about the music this time. Guy and I spent the best part of last year making the mix tapes for these shows – there’s a lot of new music and some of our older stuff too.” With a record collection so vast and the ability to mix just about any music style into frenzy, I wondered if there is any genre off limits: “No, not really. We’ve just written an original album that we plan to start dribbling out through singles very soon. I was asked to describe what it sounded like the other day and I could only say ‘quirky dance music’, but it sort of encompasses everything and that’s the same with our mix tapes. We formulated the idea of Yacht Club so we could play every genre of music and have people party to it. So there’s absolutely nothing we won’t touch with Yacht Club. I mean it has to be… not shit. I think that’s important, but nothing is off limits as long as we can make it work or it makes one of us laugh at the other one - that’s pretty much the only rule.” Come out and support the local lads and see them break a rule or two.
When&Where: April 6 Karova Lounge, Ballarat
we were ready to record, he simply said ‘why don’t I come over tonight?’ It was amazing how everything aligned so easily.” Although once the guys were in the studio things went smoothly, it seems that it was not always the case: “Siren was written about the band, which is why we chose it for the title track. We went through a stage where we weren’t focusing on it – we’d lost a drummer, and everything was up in the air for six months, so lyrically that song is important to us.” Other standouts on the LP are ‘At the Moment’ – “that was the hardest one to write, but I’m really glad we have a big cheesy rock ending for the album to go out on” - and R.I.F.D - “It’s a great one live. We have a nice scream along with the crowd. Altogether it’s been amazing - the feedback we’ve received has exceeded our expectations.” If you like in-your-face, unabashed rock with the volume turned up, you’ll love Self Is A Seed: “It’s just rock music played nice and nasty - we just get up there and make a ruckus!”
When&Where: April 13 Barwon Club, Geelong
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There are alot of hilarious and truly whacky things going on in the world. Through the limitless exposure created by social media, the average Joe now has front row seats to the madness, all thanks to Youtube and other info-sharing media. This section of Forte has been dedicated to keeping you up to date with all the things (weird, wonderful or otherwise), going on online.
Youtube Vids of the Issue
forte funny facts! • It is impossible for any human, without some sort of deformity, to lick their Elbow. (stop trying to lick your elbow) • A woodpecker wraps its tongue around its brain before going on a pecking spree to protect its brain from the vibrations. • A duck’s ‘quack’ doesn’t echo, and to this day no one knows why. • If it wasn’t for the mucus that lines our stomach, your stomach would eat itself, literally. • Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people Caped Crusader!
Fish Attacks Man
Man Cleaning the Cobra Pit
When nature strikes back! This Fish bit off more than it could chew when it over excitedly latches on to the arm of a Man trying to feed it some bread. The hysterical screams of the girlfriend filming make this one truly entertaining.
This dude is highly impressed with the cobra taming skills of another man cleaning a cobra pit. You just have to watch it to understand really... It’s a good laugh.
SCORE: 8.5/10
SCORE: 7/10
This unsuspecting man thinks he is going to entertain his friends by doing a good old fashioned puddle jump. What he doesn’t realise is what lies beneath isn’t your average puddle. It’s up there on the funny meter.
JUST SEARCH: ‘man cleaning cobra pit’
SCORE: 8/10
JUST SEARCH: ‘fish attacks man’
My friend almost drowns at Family Dollar
JUST SEARCH: ‘man jumps in puddle’
I know this was a few weeks ago but none the less, this is awesome. A man in the British City of Bradford, dressed as Batman, handed a man over to police suspected of shoplifting. The pork belly Batman apparently walked into the Police station lobby and declared “I’ve got this one for you” before vanishing into the night air. I think Geelong needs a Batman, to help out with the police shortage on a Saturday night in town.
TOO HEAVY TO HUG PAUL S TAYLOR chris cruz
YOLO
Ms Mr - Hurricane
This animation is hilarious. A piss take on the average ‘Ozzie Sheila’ hitting the Clubs on a Saturday night. This may make some of you ladies squirm in your seats as you think “is this about me”, don’t despair - its just for laughs.
This one is not so much the weird or whacked out, just an awesome clip from an awesome band.
SCORE: 8.5/10
SCORE: 9/10 JUST SEARCH: ‘Ms Mr - Hurricane’
JUST SEARCH: ‘YOLO’
Blank Thankless Air Blair Hall
Over the stones, under the sod. Two men were standing at work wearing dayglow vests that read “Air Show Tarmac” on the back. Flaunting their “cool”, I proposed to them the notion that their Air Show was weeks ago. The only thing about the tarmac that is interesting is the possibility that the mafia used their connections with the union and timed the assassination of figures from a rival family, subsequently hiding the bodies in the cement. Naturally, they told me to go eat a dick. I didn’t oblige the men, but instead stressed to them that acts of cannibalism are frowned upon in this western society of ours and they are in dire need of a swift blow to the head that alters their perception of reality. Security promptly ushered them out of sight before I could finish my discourse on how to place yourself in precisely the right context for eating another human being. Every possible topic I could handle in this piece is contrived. I even stooped so low as to peruse the online content of the Geelong Advertiser. A writer friend of mine expressed his dismay that a poet friend writes as much poetry about writing poetry as he does write poetry free from the burden of post-modern self-involvement. On the website of the Geelong Advertiser, I felt as though I found as much material on becoming a contributor to the Geelong Advertiser and activities relating to setting up a mock Geelong Advertiser in your own home where you write, edit, delegate tasks to a staff of (cat?) journalists and administrators and sell advertising space as much as I did find content which would be loosely deemed “Journalism”. This of course is assuming that the majority of the readership here consists of what culture describes as “Cat Ladies”.
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If you need a hand explaining this, don’t hesitate to request one. We are of course talking about a severed hand and not assistance. It is my duty to know the source of the hand and your duty to accept the gift graciously and do best at storing it for longevity. Whose hand it is I cannot for certain confirm. I have contrived a revolutionary idea which will be the securing of my legacy in this town and the path I take to my limitless fortune. I will be opening the worlds first Spank Bank Branch in which clients will be sought to deposit feelings of amorousness into accounts for the purpose of investment, gaining interest and stabilising the overall economy of hotness. The highly personal and intangible nature of the psychic photograph will be made whole with a device that interprets brain waves and materialises that momentary sliver of the brains chemical impulse which culminates as the memory of arousal and transports it out of the mind, making it whole as a 3x5 still of the subject of said arousal memory. The science behind it is startlingly fresh and hip. I first became aware of it while browsing the publication “Scientific American” and read the story of a young scientist who was so consumed by his work that he could think of nothing else, so that at the end of the day he would find that he had not remembered the face of any stranger that he encountered in his brief sojourn into the wider world. His spank bank was perilously empty. Most regrettably, the young scientist found that after having developed the device he was thereafter only able to remember the faces of those he printed and died handless, alone and confused as to whether he had ever had a family at home waiting the entire time and they were just not spank bank material enough for him to recall.
Rumours about the forthcoming Vans Warped Tour have been coming thick and fast, and the news is not all good. While its beyond awesome that NOFX and Rancid are two of the big names being bandied about, kids on message boards seem to be clamouring for emo and metalcore bands. Among bands in high demand by Aussie kids are Asking Alexandria, Story Of The Year, All Shall Perish, A Day To Remember, August Burns Red and The Devil Wears Prada. Erm, do these kids know ANYTHING about the Vans Warped Tour? Or punk rock in GENERAL? I hope to God organisers ignore these message board twits and stick to booking punk rock bands. I suppose we’ll see for ourselves when first round announcements come to light... The Mongoloids have a new record on the way, awesomely titled Mongo Life. Fans of Mental, Justice, etc, prepare to shit yourself! Dropkick Murphys have been receiving threats of violence from Australian skinheads in the lead up to their forthcoming tour after an incident at a show in New York City in which bass player Ken Casey shoved a skinhead for giving a neo nazi salute during the bands cover of the Acca Dacca favourite, TNT. Yikes! My Chemical Romance have split! After twelve years and four albums, the band has decided to go out while they’re still on top. Absolutely NOTHING to do with their last sleeping pill of a record at ALL. Five bucks says they’ll pull a Fall Out Boy and be
back before they’re missed. 90’s stalwarts Face To Face are gearing up for a huge US tour with special guests Teenage Bottlerocket. Who totally need to bring their asses back here. Stat! The Ron Reyes fronted incarnation of Black Flag have announced a HUGE run of club and festival dates across Europe and America this winter (their summer). Here’s hoping Australia gets a look in for the BDO. Unless the Warped Tour snaps them up... Just putting it out there... This years’ Amnesia Rock Fest in Quebec is going to be a scorcher, featuring one of the strongest, most punk line-ups I’ve seen for a really long time. Social Distortion, Rise Against, The Offspring, Rancid, Lagwagon, Anthrax, Pennywise, Bad Brains, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Millencolin, Flag (Keith Moriss fronted Black Flag), Screeching Weasel, Less Than Jake, Fucked Up, the Menzingers, Transplants, Polar Bear Club, 7 Seconds, Subhumans and many, many more. Lets just hope we get something HALF this good down here sometime! I don’t know how many more hints I can drop. More than a year after promising a new EP and lots of live shows, still NOTHING from Cali pop-punk maestros Slick Shoes. Totes disappointment! Brissy punk rockers The Unprettier (ex Sucker Punch) are heading our way for shows mid-April. Stalk their Facebook profile for date/venue details! Until next time kids, go easy on those Easter Eggs- they may contain traces of cockroach!
Still Remains have taken to Kickstarter to get their third album off the ground. As with most music Kickstarter projects, the more you donate the more extra stuff you get on top of the album in return, including T-shirts and shit. Record companies are still searching for a new profitable business model in this electronic, garage band, Pirate Bay, YouTube, Facebook, self promotion and self distribution age and it has now become somewhat obvious (to me, thanks to Still Remains) what record companies need to do to survive. Record Labels need to move from signing bands to investing in bands. It’s that simple. Record labels have a habit of wanting to make money off bands. The problem with that is that music trends are cyclic yet unpredictable. For example; Behind Crimson Eyes were signed to Roadrunner in the mid to late 00’s when the whole punk/ hardcore/screamo thing was in fashion and after the trend passed BCE were no longer on Roadrunner. Still Remains were on Roadrunner Records for their first two albums and then they broke up. Now the band are back together but at the time of writing it seems the guys aren’t going back/weren’t asked to return to RR. When record labels focus on music trends, they sometimes get it wrong. When record labels only sign a small amount of artists, their risk of financial loss increases. But record labels don’t have enough cash to sign heaps of artists. If a record label wants to survive and stay relevant, it needs to do this: Invest
in bands who are using Kickstarter, for example, to get their albums off the ground. Say, invest a large percentage that’s less than fifty percent, put in place an agreement with the band where the investor will receive a portion of the album sales (digital and physical) in return. If a band receives about thirty five percent funding from a record label then that means a big financial boost for the band and a prearranged return from label. What makes this new business model even better for record companies is they don’t need to spend as much on an album as they would have if it were their own signed act. That means they can spread more money around to a lot more bands which means the chance of a high return is greater. To stay relevant, the record label – now called record investor – just needs to get their logo on the album with a cheesy line like “Proudly invested in by Insert Record Label’s Logo Here” and that will 1) signify the importance of the label’s belief in the band and 2) give the album weight because it’s backed by a well known label. Both of those points will help the album sell which obviously means more of a return for the label and the band which then means the label can then invest in more bands and on it goes. If you have any news about local metal bands, shows or albums, OR IF YOU WANT TO HIRE ME TO WORK FOR YOUR RECORD LABEL let THTH know by emailing to tooheavytohug@ hotmail.com or get in touch via Twitter at @ TooHeavyToHug
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Bobby Alu By Tex Miller
Having just finished a Western Australia tour with his solo project Bobby Alu, things are starting to heat up for Charles Wall. Better known as front man for psychedelic blues and roots band Oka. Sitting in the departure lounge waiting to head over to the Bali Spirit festival (which Oka is headlining), I got a chance to chat with Charles ahead of his appearance in both band and solo mode at the Apollo Bay Music Festival in a few weekend’s time. Touring the single for the upcoming album entitled Take It Slow, (which is set for release in September) through reinventing the live show, Charles was surprised by the reaction from fans and punters alike. “It was an amazing tour, and fantastic to get out and play these songs in the live setting. We’ve brought a Polynesian drumming technique called log drumming into the show and although we are all playing different instruments throughout the set, bringing in this additional percussion to the songs has really given them a different edge and extra element,” Charles said. The third ever gig for Charles’ solo project was the infamous Byron Bay Bluesfest, in which he got the chance to play alongside music legends Bob Dylan and BB King and rightly so, reminiscing about the experience he was a little nervous to say the least. “That was a real turning point for us and a definitive moment when we just started the band, we didn’t have that much material under our belts and the festival was keen to have us, we got up there and did
Cal Young By Tex Miller
If you have your finger on the pulse of the indie surf rock scene, you will have heard the name Watson and Watson. Originating from the Surf Coast, the band triumphed through the early stages of the 2011 Deakin University Battle of the Bands and got the opportunity to play at the Gershwin Room at the Esplanade Hotel in St Kilda (most notable for the location of RockWiz). I recently sat down with Cal Young, lead singer and guitarist for the band to have a chat. With a career as a working musician at the moment, times seem to be hectic, and with illness limiting the amount that Cal can sing, he hopes to be back to normal as soon as possible. “I’ve just got a bit of a throat infection at the moment, which isn’t ideal, so I am unable to sing as much as I would like. Unfortunately that meant, that I was incapable of performing at Unplugged at CQ on the Waterfront but apart from that I have been really well and things have been literally crazy with three to four gigs a week and really living up the lifestyle as a working musician.” Continuing to work with Watson and Watson after a busy summer period, the band has most recently played at Deakin’s O Week festivities and although that was a great opportunity to get further exposure, through different band members taking time off to travel abroad, things have slowed for the moment. “Liam’s been in Japan and has most recently moved up to Melbourne but we’re still
akmal By Natalie Rogers
Funny man Akmal Saleh is back on the road this month to bring his unique brand of laughs to the always unmissable Melbourne Comedy Festival, before heading to the Geelong Performing Arts Centre with AKMAL LIVE. In a surprisingly candid interview Akmal opened up about his yearnings to become a rock star, his unconventional methods for creating comedy and a project very close to his heart. “You know comedians secretly want to be musicians,” Akmal revealed when I told him I usually only interview musos, “and musicians secretly want to be comedians, apparently. I have a lot of leanings but no talent and I’ve heard you need the leanings and the talent. So I have many leanings but I am very light on the talent.” So, this being my first chance to explore the mind of a comic, I had to ask how his creative process works: “I’m extremely lazy - that’s one thing you should know about me,” Akmal began in a serious tone. “I sleep a lot and I don’t know how I get by - somehow the comedy gods help me. I don’t really do the thing that other comics do - that is come up with a show title or a theme and call it a new show. It’s deceptive, because most of the time they just use the same jokes! With me it’s never systematic, there’s never a theme - it’s always ongoing. It’s a continuous process of dropping old material gradually and replacing it with new stuff. It’s a natural evolution – it just takes care of itself somehow, I don’t know how.”
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our thing and we were just in awe of the talent that was playing. The organisers were so impressed by our sound and show that we were invited back last year, our dressing room was next to Ziggy Marley’s, which was quite surreal and we’re still buzzing off that experience even now,” Charles reminisces about the opportunity of a lifetime. Working with renowned blues and roots producer, Paulie B (who is well known for his work with The Beautiful Girls and George) it is through a long time friendship that this latest collaboration has formed. “Paulie and I have been friends for a long time and when I first started out in the music industry, he was a key player that I really looked up to. I think he’s the best roots producer in Australia at the moment and he’s really humble and so underground at the same time, we’re doing our album with him at the moment. He’s just got a great vibe and is a good musician and a killer player. It’s really awesome to have his input within the band and I feel honoured that I get to play music with him after looking up to him for so long.” Bobby Alu (as well as Oka) is set to converge on Apollo Bay for the annual festival, which takes place over the last weekend in April. Having performed last year, one of the main things about the festival is the beauty of the town itself. “I love playing Apollo Bay, it’s such a community orientated festival and everyone gets involved and there is always good bands on. For me, to be able to showcase Bobby Alu is fantastic, and I hope that everyone comes down and checks it out!”
Release: Take It Slow, released September 2013 When&Where: April 26 - 28 - Apollo Bay Music Festival, Apollo Bay
practising and jamming none the less. It’s become a little bit harder to keep it together as a band but we’re still playing music and having as much fun as we can,” Cal says. As a wedding entertainer, Cal has honed his performing skills and through a wide range of influences and song selection, he has become one of the most sought out within the region. Playing songs from some of the biggest names in the Australian scene including the likes of Boy and Bear, Husky, The Temper Trap and Birds of Tokyo, the process of choosing a set list can admittedly be a little hard. “I choose songs that I enjoy playing live and throw in a couple of crowd pleasers as well. I think everybody tries to steer away from ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis but it gets the crowd moving and singing along always, so I always tend to put it in my set at some point or another. “ Cal’s musical hero is front man for Birds of Tokyo and Karnivool, Ian Kenny. Having seen the man perform live a few times, it is his adaptability into different musical genres that gives him the god like status in Cal’s eyes. “The way in which Ian Kenny sings in two very different bands is interesting. He is flawless live and is most probably the main influence on my singing. Every note that he sings is with the same amount of passion and drive as in every song.” Be sure to check out Cal Young before he hits the big time and is sharing the stage with Ian Kenny. When&Where: April 19 - Odyssey Tavern & Brewery, Mt Duneed
“I change my act around all the time,” Akmal continued “and make every night different - my method is a constant trial and error. On a good night I’ll try my weakest stuff, because if it doesn’t work then it’s never going to - well that’s just my theory,” he laughed. Life on the road isn’t all fun and games I learnt, as Akmal recounted a story of mistaken identity while on tour. “I thought I had a fairly distinctive head and that people couldn’t mistake me for anyone else, but apparently not - I’ve been mistaken for everybody!” he laughed. “I’ve signed an autograph as Carl Barron! I had a guy come up to me at Brisbane airport and say [in his signature bogan voice] ‘Ah, Carl Barron sign us an autograph - my wife loves you mate’, and I said ‘mate, I’m not Carl Barron’. He just looked at me and in a really serious voice said ‘just f*cking sign it’, so I did. I’ve definitely had a lot of funny moments like that.” Distinctive head or not, Akmal is a very talented man. He has conquered radio, film and T.V, published a memoir (Life of Akmal 2012), and most recently turned his hand to documentary film making. Akmal returned to Egypt six months after the revolution to chronicle the events that led to millions of Egyptians (most of them under the age of thirty) deciding to risk their lives in order to protest against decades of oppression and a brutal regime. “It won best film at the Bryon Bay Film Festival. I can tell you it’s the one thing I’ve done in my career I’m most proud of,” Akmal replied honestly. However, to all the Akmal fans out there, never fear - he has no plans to quit the comedy circuit anytime soon. “I can’t imagine what life would be like without having that excitement of travelling and doing live shows – it’s what I live for. I love the challenge and it’s something I will always want to do.”
When&Where: April 18 - Geelong Performing Arts Centre, Geelong
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tweet of the week
THE SPLINTERS
POP-QUIZ
“ The more I see Cheryl Cole’s tattoo, the more I think she said to the ‘artist’: What I want is to look like my back is rotting, can you do that?” @oneofthosefaces is not a fan of Cheryl’s latest inkwork.
HIT OR SHIT!
Written by Adem with an E
2. In 2005 Madonna opened her World Tour by emerging out of an enormous discoball. What was the name of that tour?
4. In 1978 Australia’s own Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta starred in the mega-popular musical “Grease.” But 1982 saw which blonde-bombshell of the screen star in the ill-fated sequel, ‘Grease 2’? 5. True of False; The original line-up of the Sugababes consisted of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Heidi Range. 6. In 1967 Sam & Dave made the rock-ballad ‘When Something Is Wrong With My Baby’ a global hit. The song, written by Isaac Hayes & David Porter, was covered by two Australian artists in 1991 and went on to become a massive single for them both as well. Who were the two Aussie Male artists that shacked up for this classic duet? 7. In the year 2000 a brand new television program called ‘Popstars’ debuted on Australian television. The series ran for three years in Australia as ‘Popstars’ – what was the name of the girlband formed for the first season? 8. Can you also name the pop group formed on the second series? 9. Can you also name the Male Solo artist who won the third season? We’ll give you a hint; his Wikipedia page claims he now works as a vacuum cleaner salesman at Harvey Norman.
12. The ABC network produced an all-Australian drama based on the rise of Melbourne Youth Radio station Hitz FM in the late 1990’s. The drama starred Nadine Garner and Prison Break’s Dominic Purcell; but what was the television series called?
I was born on June 5, 1972 in Sydney. A keen arts student, I got my big break in 1989 playing the role of Toni Windsor on television. After a number of years winning over Australian’s hearts and TV sets, I ditched the role of Windsor to focus on my music career. In 1992 my debut single reached the Top 10 on the Australian Singles Chart, and my follow up single in 1993 did just as well, notching me my second Top 10 hit within the first 12 months of my music career. In 1994 I returned to television; a stint on Home & Away, but in 1995 I moved to Los Angeles and would not return to Australia until my return to television in 2003 hosting ‘Australia’s Funniest Home Videos.’
13. M edoner, Gags, Rhenna, Merrier Care and Adole are characters from which YouTube Parody show?
In 2008, I was a contestant on Dancing With The Stars and was a Top 5 finalist.
14. Lizzy Grant recorded an album of indie-pop songs before she became a worldwide pop phenomenon under a new alias. What now household name did Lizzy change her name to?
15. Richard E Grant, Elton John, Jennifer Saunders and Bob Geldof starred together in which 1990’s music-based movie? 16. Before her run as a solo star of the club scene, Zoe Badwi was in which Australian girl group? 17. That very same girl group recorded a cover of ‘I’m So Excited’ with which former Big Brother contestant? 18. What is Lady Gaga’s real name? 19. A bs, Sean, Rich, Scott and J are members of which recently reformed ‘lad band’?
I am...
nadine coyle
NADINE COYLE The Queen of all things Good.
SARAH HARDING Still a rock-n-roll raver at heart.
DANNII MINOGUE Rumours of a return to music in 2013 are being whispered about town...
RITA ORA This basic bitch has got to go.
PEOPLE COOKING ON TELEVISION Why don’t they all just watch RuPaul’s Drag Race instead?
SHIT!
3. In 2003 Channel 10 aired its very first season of the reality music competition Australian Idol. Who was the competition winner of the very first grand prize?
11. Influential youth radio station Hitz FM emerged on Melbourne’s airwaves in what year during the 1990’s?
20. Who am I?
HIT
1. Many years before they took over the UK and Americas as The Saturdays, band-members Rochelle and Frankie were aligned with another pop group who even had their own Children’s television show. For their first album they were called “S Club Juniors”, but for their second release they had a slight name change. What was it?
10. Many years later, Channel 10 tried to recreate the popularity of ‘Popstars’ with a television show pushing an all-new Australian girl group. The show – much like the actual pop group involved – was axed early on in its run and only made it to two singles, but who was the former pop star and Television actress that hosted the ill-fated program?
CHERYL’S NEW TATTOO AND NOW THE ANSWERS – NO CHEATING!!
Poor love.
1. S Club 8 2. The Confessions Tour 3. Guy Sebastian 4. Michelle Pheifer 5. False. That was the second line-up; the original Sugababes were Mutya, Keisha and Siobhan 6. Jimmy Barnes & John Farnham 7. Bardot 8. Scandal’us 9. Scott Cain 10. Natalie Bassingthwaighte 11. 1992 12. Raw FM 13. The Nekci Menij Show 14. Lana Del Rey 15. SpiceWorld 16. Sirens 17. Sara-Marie 18. Stephanie Germanotta 19. 5IVE 20. Toni Pearen.
Sick of ‘pop’ quizzes that spend more time discussing Ancient Rome and politics rather than actual pop music? Well never fear – the Splinters Pop Quiz is here! 20 brain-busting questions revolving around pop music and popular culture history. Some of the most memorable (and some of the most forgettable) moments feature in this line-up but can you identify the correct answers for all 20 of our puzzles – AND without peeking at the answers? Let’s find out...
rita ora
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beav's bar
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black hatt
cq
cq
grovedale hotel
black hatt
eureka
eureka
grovedale hotel
black hatt
eureka
eureka
grovedale hotel
lambys
lambys
the barwon club
the barwon club
lambys
lambys
the max
the max
home house
home house
home house
home house
the max
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the yarra hotel
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the yarra hotel
the yarra hotel
the yarra hotel
irish murphys
geelong rsl
irish murphys
geelong rsl
the wool exchange
elephant and castle
elephant and castle
the wool exchange
the wool exchange
the wool exchange
edge
slate lounge
edge
slate lounge
toast
toast
toast
toast
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FILM REVIEWS
written by anthony morris
G.I. Joe: Retaliation No-one came out of the cinema confusing G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra with a good film, but it made enough money – and just as importantly, had a toy company demanding movie tie-ins behind it – to ensure a sequel would eventually make it to cinemas. So the surprising news here is that the sequel is actually a step up on the original, thanks in large part to throwing most of the story overboard in favour of what people want to see in a toy movie: lots and lots of action. All you need to know from the first film is that evil master of disguise Zartan is impersonating the President of the United States (Jonathan Pryce) and he’s decided to wipe out the Joes, including our leads Duke (Channing Tatum), Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson) Flint (D.J. Cotrona) and Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki). After an attack which not everyone survives, Roadblock leads the remaining Joes on a mission of revenge, eventually connecting up with original “Joe” General Joe Colton (a sleepwalking Bruce Willis) and his kitchen full of guns. Meanwhile the forces of evil have got their act together, busting Cobra Commander out of his mineshaft prison (bonus points for defeating the warden, played with fun energy by Walton Goggins) so he can put in place a scheme to do whatever it is evil guys do when they want to let the world know they’re really evil. Oh, and ninjas Storm Shadow (Lee Byung-hun) and Snake Eyes (Ray Park) – who turn out to both be students of the same blind master (the RZA) get to do a lot of ninja stuff, including a fairly crazy ten minute fight on the side of various mountains. Johnson once again proves to be better than the film he’s in, but even with everyone else struggling to act (apart from Pryce, who’s having loads of fun hamming it up) the action comes fast and furious enough to keep things more than watchable. Just don’t stop to think too hard about exactly why everything is exploding and you’ll be fine.
The Croods It’s caveman times - which doesn’t mean it’s a great time to be a caveman, as the opening of The Croods makes abundantly clear. In fact, all the local cave families are dead – killed by the abundance of dangers that have caused the Crood family to live by the motto “never not be afraid”. Father Grug (the voice of Nicolas Cage) enforces the rules; daughter Eep (Emma Stone) dreams of not having to run back to the cave the second there’s a loud noise or it starts to get dark. It’s on one of her nocturnal ventures outside the cave that she meets Guy (Ryan Renyolds), a somewhat more evolved homo sapiens – for one thing, he has fire, which Eep finds pretty impressive. But he also has bad news: the world as they know it is coming to an end, with earthquakes and floods and lava and a whole lot of other bad stuff, and if they stay where they are they’ll die. Grug takes some convincing, but when the ground opens up under their feet he, Eep and the rest of the family – wife Ugga (Catherine Keener), feral baby Sandy (Randy Thom), dim-witted son Thunk (Clark Duke), and loathed mother-in-law (Cloris Leachman) – go on a wild and crazy journey across strange new lands. This latest effort from DreamWorks Animation continues their solid efforts to be not quite as good as Disney / Pixar while still being entertaining enough for younger audiences. There’s a lot of okay action sequences here, especially early on, and most of the increasingly fantastic animals – we’re talking flying turtles, tiny elephants, a pair of cute rodents who share the same tail and what looks like a giant sabre-toothed kitten – are fun to look at. The character stuff is also reasonably well handled, even if the cavemen’s intelligence varies depending on the jokes. But things get increasingly sappy towards the feelgood ending, with the last half hour or so being almost laugh-free as Grug realises his little girl is growing up and so on. If you’re in charge of kids, you could certainly do worse; if you’re not, Cage and Stone aren’t exactly hard to find in better films.
The Host News flash: Aliens have invaded Earth – don’t ask how the alien invasion got started considering the aliens are tiny little whisps that give their host bodies glowing eyes – and there’s only a tiny pocket of human resistance remaining, most notably Melanie (Saoirse Ronan). Our story begins with her throwing herself off a balcony rather than be taken alive, and with good reason: once an alien has control of your body it has access to all your memories, including, in Melanie’s case, the location of her little brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury) and boyfriend Jared (Max Irons). But as it turns out, despite Melanie’s body getting one of the really old and experienced aliens – who wants to be called “Wanderer” – it’s no match for Melanie, at which stage we get about fifteen minutes worth of Ronan having to look blank while she hears her own voice in her head and you might start to think that perhaps this film isn’t really all that good. Wanderer coughs up a bunch of details about Melanie to the alien police, known as Seekers (led by Diane Kruger), but Melanie manages to persuade Wanderer not to give away their location, then tricks her into driving her body out into the desert where the few remaining humans (led by William Hurt) are living in a giant cave that’s also a farm. Turns out the humans don’t trust their alien-possessed friend, but pretty soon they do trust the alien (now nicknamed Wanda), and while none of this makes much sense at all on a logical level it’s hard to deny that all this has been skilfully crafted to really pack a punch on a teen emotional level. Actually, if this had been a better film – the dialogue is clunky, the acting ham-fisted, the story barely makes sense and there’s next to no real drama or tension – it probably would have been worse, because everything we think of as being necessary to make a “good” film would only have been a distraction from the real point of The Host: to generate feelings in its target audience. So if you want a movie about how important family is and how you’d fight incredible odds to get back to your loved ones and how hard it is to be alone in the world and what it’s like when one guy likes you for your body and another likes you for your mind and hey, maybe you’d better kiss both of them, then this is so totally the film for you.
Hyde Park on Hudson The year is 1939, and war clouds hang heavy over Europe. The leadership of Great Britain, knowing they can’t stand against Nazi Germany alone, has sent the newly installed King George VI (Samuel West) and Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Coleman) on the first ever tour of the USA by a British ruler in the hopes of drumming up support. Meanwhile, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Bill Murray) seems to be spending most of his time hanging around his summer house – Hyde Park on the Hudson – dodging his maybelesbian wife (Olivia Williams) while having various affairs, including one with his distant cousin Margaret Suckley (Laura Linney). Will the meeting between the uptight royals – yes, this is the same king as the one in The King’s Speech – and the far more relaxed and confident President result in a new bond between the two nations, or will everything fall into an embarrassing heap? What initially seems like an odd choice for an historical drama – though seeing FDR being pleasured by his distant cousin in the front seat of his special hands-only car is certainly memorable – quickly settles down into an oddly misguided attempt to tap into the King’s Speech market for revealing high class historical figures as having feet of clay that they then will overcome to defeat the Nazis. What little drama there is here (will the King get Roosevelt’s support and figure out how to win over the American people? Will Margaret realise Roosevelt is too much of a man for just one woman?) is rarely engaging, and the performances are either too constrained by the script or just too low-wattage to make up for it. Murray is, unsurprisingly, the real strong point here, and he manages to make the paternal relationship that develops between Roosevelt and the King into something with real heart. Shame the rest of this forgettable, meandering film can’t equal it.
Rust and Bone Alain (Matthias Schoenaerts) and his young son, Sam (Armand Verdure) are scrounging their way across France, heading south to stay with Alain’s sister Anna (Corinne Masiero). She’s not that much better off than they are – her main food source is expired goods from her supermarket job – but at least it’s a place to stay, and with his extensive boxing experience Alain soon finds work as a security guard and nightclub bouncer. It’s while bouncing that he meets Stephanie (Marion Cotillard), who he takes home after she gets into a fight at the club. Her partner is waiting at home, which doesn’t prevent Alain from bluntly hitting on her, or her from using his presence to insult her partner. Stephanie works at the local water park as a killer whale trainer; when a public show goes wrong and leaves her legless, Alain is the one she (eventually) turns to, and a relationship of sorts blooms. Surrounded by pity, she’s attracted to his forthright approach to her and life; he, on the other hand, finds her attractive and is happy to sleep with her on request. It’s an odd relationship, and the story has its fair share of moments that verge on the cheesy: Alain gets extra cash via bare-knuckle fighting, and the time when Stephanie motivates him to get up and win simply by locking eyes with him wouldn’t be out of place in a Rocky film. But both leads manage to find something heartfelt and real in their characters’ search for connection, and as events develop it’s increasingly easy to overlook the story’s clichés as the relationship between them deepens. It’s a sappy romance that manages to get to the core of how real romance (which is often sappy) feels; that’s not something that comes along that often.
FILM W RAP Jack the Giant Slayer: This surprisingly fun and wellmade fairy tale film is the rare example of something that really is “fun for all ages”. That is to say, it’s funny and the action is cool. Oz the Great and Powerful: On the other hand, this disappointment is little more than a bunch of brightly coloured screen-savers with
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James Franco standing in front waving his arms around. A Good Day to Die Hard: Taken simply as another incoherent action film, this has plenty of big explosions and moderately competent action set-pieces. As a Die Hard film, it’s a characterless, humourless mess. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone: Steve Carrell as
a self-important Vegas magician should be funnier than this, but Jim Carrey as his Chris Angelesque rival is never not funny. 21 and Over: In which a trio of 21 year old guys do a bunch of things that make this feel like a bad remake of The Hangover. Oh wait, it’s written and directed by the guys who wrote The Hangover. Mystery solved.
Goddess: An Australian musical about a lonely housewife who becomes an online sensation after she starts putting on regular singing performances on her streaming webcam. It’s not quite as bad as that sounds. Side Effects: What may be Steven Soderbergh’s final big screen film starts out as a bleak look at the over-medication of human behaviour before
morphing into something a little less preachy and more engaging. Blinder: A plodding and emotionally misjudged look at a group of country AFL players whose lives were changed forever by a sex scandal, this has a lot of fairly average Aussie Rules footage, a story that’s sixty percent flashback when we already know how that turns out, and asks us to cheer on
the redemption of a group of men entangled in a sex crime. So maybe give it a miss. Silver Lining Playbook: A film of two halves, the first is a fairly decent clear-eyed look at the upheaval caused by the return of a family’s bipolar son (Bradley Cooper) while the second is a traditional Hollywood feelgood tale about winning love by winning a dance contest.
MUSIC REVIEWS
POrPe!
Nantes BeingsBeing the walking dead
cultu By An th on
y M orr is
game of thrones
A little fact not fully realised in Australia is that pay TV shows in America have no regulation of content whatsoever. They can show pretty much anything they like – you know, not including illegal acts and so on – without having to pass before any kind of censorship board. Put another way, the goings-on in your average episode of the awesome series Spartacus are so hardcore when it comes to sex and violence (of the face-slicing off variety), there’s no way said episode could be shown in American cinemas. The same cannot be said for Pay TV here: a recent episode of the HBO series Girls (shown in Australia on Showtime) was censored to remove scenes showing the clean-up after a sex act. Not that this got much coverage out here, because pretty much everyone watching Girls is downloading it from the US where the scene aired uncut. Oddly – or not, depending on how cynical you are – this noholds barred approach doesn’t extend to the story-telling on offer. When The Sopranos aired in the late 90s, the idea of just following around a Mafia boss while he lived his life – no cat-and-mouse with the cops, no heists or guns blazing power-plays – really was a step forward in television storytelling. In contrast, current HBO big gun Game of Thrones is, for all it’s magnificent scenery and wonderful costuming, basically one big soap opera. Not all HBO series have been character studies – The Wire is an obvious example of a show that took a firm “big picture” view – but until Game of Thrones all the network’s hit shows
PULP. >>>>>> By Cameron Urquhart & Alastair McGibbon
Alastair: Hey everyone! Cameron realised last week that we’ve been a bit distracted by comics, so he’s going to be reviewing some good old fashioned VHS stuff in the column and online. I, on the other hand, refuse to stop talking about comics, and doubt I ever will. This week saw the end of an era for DC’s Vertigo imprint – classic series Hellblazer (featuring everyone’s favourite Brit occultist, John Constantine) finished its run, and was resurrected as a new DC title Constantine. While longtime fans of Hellblazer (like Cameron) are still a bit iffy when it comes to Constantine’s new incarnation, I found it to be a great introduction to a character that I’d never really encountered before. Constantine’s disregard for human life (seriously, he’s a real bastard) and snarky personality make for a winning combination. I’d only previously encountered Constantine in the forgettable 2005 movie (to the extent I can’t recall the plot) and a brief appearance in The Sandman Chronicles. The launch of the new DC title was accompanied by a sale on Hellblazer comics – perfect for new readers like myself – so I dived right in. Ten issues later, I’m hooked. While I tend to avoid the horror genre, I’ve found Constantine’s dark world to be absolutely fascinating. I might be late to the party, but I’m certainly enjoying myself. I’ve been straying away from my usual comic titles lately and checking out some classic stuff that I’d never considered before, so keep an eye on our Tumblr for my thoughts. Cameron: What is there to say about Maniac Cop that you haven’t already heard? Probably lots. Outside of myself I’ve never actually heard many people talk about the super-fantastic Bruce Campbell cult classic. This Bruce Campbell film is a film that stars Bruce Campbell. I like Bruce Campbell. If you’ve seen The Evil Dead trilogy, or the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, you’ll know that he is actually the coolest man to ever appear on screen. Now, prepare yourself for
have either been an examination of its characters or a look at wider real-world issues. These shows haven’t died out yet: both Breaking Bad (character drama) and Mad Men (how sexist / racist was our recent past, huh?) fit the mould. But they’re getting on and the future is clearly The Walking Dead, the zombie-fighting series that rates amazingly well despite cardboard characters and leaden plotting because hey, zombies! And so it is with Game of Thrones, a series that never delves deeper into an established character when it can come up with three new ones. At first fans claimed that it was a fantasy dramatisation of medieval England’s War of the Roses, with a focus on the blood and muck that traditional fantasy skims over: as the series’ fantasy trapping become more plain (the War of the Roses didn’t feature ice-powered zombies, or dragons, or evil spirits) it’s increasingly clear that, for all its surface polish, it’s a show with not much going on beneath the surface. People are scheming when they’re not having sex? No-one can trust anyone? It’s a sweeping saga that has no end in sight – literally in this case, as author George R R Martin is in his mid-60s and getting slower with each passing novel in the series, not to mention there’s at least two more left to go? We’re talking about a soap opera. A fun, bloodsplattered, well-written, gorgeous to look at soap opera. And there’s a reason soap operas get no respect.
this bombshell, but Maniac Cop is about a cop who is a maniac. This 1988 William Lustig classic focuses on a terrified New York City. A killer stalks the streets in the guise of a police officer, and the public no longer trusts its protectors. The cops need a swift resolution to the case, and caught up in this whole affair is Bruce Campbell (have I mentioned he’s in this yet?) an unfortunate scapegoat in a department cover up. Also appearing is Richard Roundtree (Shaft himself) and Tom Atkins (Night of the Creeps) Look, I could elaborate on the plot or inform you of other great actors involved, but that’s not what is important. What’s important is this: Bruce Campbell has the largest chin in Hollywood, and somehow maniac cop (Robert Z’Dar) has one that is twice as big. These two chins face off and it’s amazing. This film terrified me as a child and now I hang a poster of it proudly in my home. It is so cool, you don’t even know. But you should. Also, let me point out that neither of us thinks Constantine was a good film, and we spent last week defending Ben Affleck as Daredevil!
MGM Sydney four-piece alternative rock outfit Nantes are here with their debut LP, Beings Being, and it’s definitely something else. With their opening track, ‘Alice’, Nantes answer that age-old question: What would Metallica sound like if we replaced all the awesome guitar riffs with creepy keyboards? You’ve never asked that question? Must just be me. Anyway, the answer is: supremely creepy. The strong bass is there, the heavy d rums and deep voice and general feel of a Metallica song is there, just without the payoff in the guitars. And they don’t stop answering the questions there, immediately following is ‘Avid’, which shows us just what it would sound like if Birds of Tokyo were headed up by Ian Curtis of Joy Division. Nantes have a particularly singular sound, there isn’t anything else out there at the moment that sounds like them. ‘Drones’ features the synths and vocals that we’ve come to expect from them, and is probably the best known single from the album. Another single, ‘Unsatisfy’ was quite popular, and with good reason, it’s probably the best song on the album. It brings together all the aspects of the bands style and brings them together in the most unique way. Nantes aren’t for everyone, I wasn’t into them until I saw them live myself. Buy the album, even if you have to see them live first. BY CAMERON BROGDEN
Emma Louise Emma Louise vs Head vs Heart MGM In the interest of full disclosure, I feel I have to tell you this: Emma Louise could read out her shopping list, and I would tell you it’s fantastic. Having said that, Emma Louise vs Head vs Heart was not quite what I expected. Her 2011 EP, Full Hearts and Empty Rooms, was brilliant, her YouTube channel is full of these amazing acoustic tracks, and her live show is breathtaking. I guess I was just expecting studio versions of the songs on YouTube. Instead we get a keyboard and drum-machine heavy indie electro-pop album reminiscent of her two big singles, ‘Jungle’ and ‘Boy’, the latter of which is on this album, and is a highlight. Emma’s lyrics are fantastic, she can capture a feeling perfectly. Her vocals are uniquely beautiful, breathy and enchanting all at once. ‘Stainache’ is more of a stripped back song, almost limited to Emma’s voice and a piano, and it works perfectly. The opener, ‘17 Hours’ shows a lot of promise for the album, focussing heavily on the vocals, one would almost think it was the album I wanted. Other highlights include ‘Atlas Eyes’ and ‘Freedom’. ‘Pontoon’ makes me glad this wasn’t that album I expected, as it sounds little like the song I wore out the “replay” button on YouTube on. All in all, worth buying. A good debut LP, but make sure you check out her YouTube channel to see the other side of Emma Louise, and what could have been. BY CAMERON BROGDEN
Spit SyNdicate Sunday Gentlemen Obese Another member of the forever-growing Australian hiphop scene, Spit Syndicate are back with their latest release, Sunday Gentlemen, and it’s a worthy addition to the mix. Ranked at #169 in the Hottest 100 of 2012 (Coincidentally, 169 is 13 squared, and there are 13 tracks on this album. Spooky.), ‘Beauty in the Bricks’ is the best-known track from this album, with good reason. A catchy chorus, a relatable story and quality beats, it’s one of the highlights on the album. Also worthy of a mention is ‘Amazing’, the opening track. Another member of the hip-hop tradition of tracks talking about the lifestyle, and in true Australian style it’s all about the struggle and the fun along the way. No talk of shooting anyone, no bling bling, none of the American hip-hop style, Australian hip-hop has taken the style and made it something else. ‘Kill That Noise’ shows a more socio-political direction, a commentary on not having to understand the system to know there’s something wrong with it. This album features work from the likes of Drapht, Kai, Sarah Corry and Illy, who only add to the quality that the Spit Syndicate boys bring on their own. And it has to be said the album art is some of the best I’ve seen in a while. Worth a buy, you’ll have it on repeat like I have this past week. BY CAMERON BROGDEN
Tripod Men of Substance If you haven’t heard of Tripod, you have managed to avoid the majority of Australian media, as they’ve been everywhere. They got their start on Hey, Hey It’s Saturday, they were regulars on Rove Live and Skithouse and they’re darlings of triple j, just to mention a few places they’ve been. They’re also Comedy Festival regulars, and that’s where this album comes from, their Men of Substance Tour. The album explores growing up, being a father and just simply living with middle age, or as the boys put it: “adult themes”. It opens with ‘Adult Contemporary’, a track about finding comfort in the soft tones of adult contemporary and moving away from rock music as you get too old to go to rock gigs. ‘DILF’ covers the qualities that makes a good dad, as well as a great husband and what women are really looking for. ‘Triangle of Happiness’ is... odd. It starts out being about the perfect distance between home, work and the shops, but degenerates into an argument between the boys about keyboard solos. The album is quickly saved by ‘Gay Bar’, which is a father telling his children how he met their mother at a gay bar. Basically, if you’re already a Tripod fan, then you’ll absolutely love it. If you’re like me, and you think that they can be clever sometimes, but you don’t quite get it, this probably won’t change your mind. Give it a listen anyway, there is some quality on here, among the rest. If you don’t like Tripod, nothing will change here. If you haven’t heard of them...You probably wouldn’t like it anyway. BY CAMERON BROGDEN
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grogwatch Okay, so at the time of writing this I haven’t had a drink – an alcoholic drink that is – in four weeks and it’s really starting to give me the shits. As regular readers of this column know, I like a drink; as extremely long-term readers of this column know, the only thing that keeps me away from the drink is an annoyingly persistent medical problem that I haven’t had in, oh, coming onto three years now. So yeah, it’s back. I won’t go into too many details because some of you might be eating, but let’s just say I have somehow managed to tear a very sensitive part of my anatomy and according to expert medical opinion there’s nothing I can do about it but sit and wait. Only not so much with the sitting, if you get my drift. It seems that one of the big causes of this kind of problem – and don’t start looking smug, because it seems there is a whole range of possible causes of this problems, including and I am not making this up “farting too hard” and I so wish someone had taken a photo of my face when my doctor put this forward as an explanation because whatever face I was pulling must have been a classic. Oh right, causes: dehydration is on the list, and as we all know getting stuck into the hooch is a great way to dry your body out (all that urine has to come from somewhere, right?), so in the interests of getting better as quickly as possible, for the time being the booze stays on the shelf. Only in this case I’m starting to think the cure is worse than the disease because like I said, it’s been four weeks and I’m starting to get just a little pissed off with the whole situation. For starters, this whole injury is bullshit: normally when you hurt yourself you go “right, let’s not use that body part until it gets better”, but in this case I can’t exactly stop using my arse for all matter
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of useful things so IT DOESN’T GET BETTER. Or it does for a while, and then it gets worse, seemingly for no reason whatsoever – there’ll be days when I’m getting better every day and it’s like “okay, I can deal with this because I can see the end is in sight” and then I’ll actually BE better and it’ll be all like “phew, thank God that’s over, last time I had this it dragged on for months” and then there’ll be a twinge out of nowhere related to nothing at all and then suddenly for the next three or four days it comes back and gets worse and worse until I’m right back where I started from. And there’s no way to know what caused it so there’s nothing I can do about it! I mean, there’s various things I do as soon as it starts – hello, consuming massive amounts of fibre, goodbye exchanging flirty glances with the checkout chick at my local supermarket – but it’s impossible to know if they’re making any difference because like I said, it gets better and worse seemingly at random no matter what I do. “So why not go to the doctor, it’s their JOB to know how to fix these kinds of things” you shout out from the back of the hall. Well, duh, my noisy friend: rest assured my doctor has bought a new house - okay, painted his old house… maybe just bought a painting of his house… that one of his kids did - with the money I’ve spent on doctors’ visits about this problem. Okay, I went twice, and both times the doctor (two different doctors) said the exact same thing: you just got to wait it out. They won’t operate ‘cause that’s a big deal, they can’t do anything else because it’s a tricky area: you got to wait it out. Yeah, but it’s not fun waiting it out because – look, when you cut yourself or have an open sore or that kind of thing you can bandage it up and usually then it stops hurting. This never stops hurting. Okay, it does on the days when it feels like you’re actually getting better, but there are loads of days when that just isn’t happening and you’re just constantly being reminded that you have a medical issue that,
with every passing second, is not improving. It’s not even all that painful most of the time – but when it is painful, Jesus Christ is it painful – but having that constant reminder that “nope, you’re not getting better, this thing is not going away any time soon” is really [expletive deleted] depressing after a while. Which is where the booze comes in, because I wonder: is my current situation depressing because every day I don’t get better means another day where I’m not drinking, or is it depressing because I’m a sad sack at the best of times and I’m just not medicating my grumpiness with booze? Obviously getting back on the booze solves the problem either way, but if the real reason for my current down-at-the-mouth-itis is because I’ve, you know, got a medical problem that’s taking ages to heal, and if getting back on the grog could make it take longer to heal (did I mention the last time this happened I was pretty much at the high water mark of my booze consumption? Well, I was and it did, and considering the way it would often get worse with a hangover I kinda figure the booze has to take the blame at least in part), then getting back on the booze could conceivably make my sour mood extend off into the distant future. So I’ve decided to focus on fixing one problem at a time, and feeling pissed-off has been bumped to number two on the list. If there’s been an up side to all this – and there really hasn’t – it’s been that I’ve now had confirmed that booze is a good thing. No duh, but wait: how many times in recent years have you read an article or seen a review of a book written by someone who gave up the grog and now loves their new (grog-free or cut back, it makes no real difference) life? It’s a firm niche out there: you go on about how you loved a drop of plonk in your younger days but now that you’re getting older / getting worried looks from your friends / getting tired of waking up in a dumpster, it’s time to take some time off from the booze and see how that works out. Cue the usual concerns: will I be able to have fun with my friends? Will I have a social life at all? How will I cope with stress? Will people think I’m no-fun or a freak? And of course, it all works out for the best, as they realise they don’t need booze to have fun and being sober makes stress easier to deal with and all their friends are understanding and so on and so forth. Guess what? The only way these stories actually work is if your boozing is the biggest
problem in your life. The. Biggest. Problem. Otherwise, why are you giving it up when you clearly have other issues that booze is helping you deal with? I mean, how bad can the stress in your life be if drinking to avoid stress is a bigger issue than the actual stress? To draw a wild and crazy comparison, these “I gave up booze and look how great my life is now you guys!” stories are the equivalent of someone with diabetes giving up chocolate: sure, it’s bad for you but not everyone is like you, pass me that tub of choc-mint ice cream it’s party time over here so stop trying to harsh my buzz, maaaan. I could go on about how the newspapers that usually run these “I gave up booze and now my life is amazeballs with a side serve of awesome sauce” stories also always seem to have big two page ads for bottle shops, but what does that prove? That they have a conflicted approach to alcohol? Hey buddy, join the club, the line starts way back over there: personally, my experiences over the last four weeks have taught me that my particular story runs more along the lines of “oh booze, I miss you so much, when will we be together again, this separation is tearing me apart, all night all I do is lie on the floor dreaming of you and wondering how long it will be before you’re in my arms again, you know you love me xoxo Gossip Girl”. Actually, I really should write this up as a romance novel: “They were two souls in the one body, until to save one the other was forced to find a new life alone. Now the survivor wonders: without their soulmate, is it really worth going on? Or is there a way that somehow, when all this is over, they can be together again? Especially if there’s a sale on at Dan Murphy’s? [‘I Can’t Live, If Living Is Without You’ starts playing]. Starring Ryan Gosling as The Drunk and Emma Stone as a bottle of Absolut 100.” Hell, I’d pay to see that – just as long as I could bring my own cushion to the cinema. Tony “owwwww” Montana
QUESTION:
Do you think Social Media has been a good or bad thing for music?
Ben and Jesse
Craig Aaron
David Di Cristoforo
Grant Byrne
Blair Hall
(Band members of I know the Chief)
(Self is a Seed)
(Lead singer The Engagement)
“Yes, it connects you with your fan base”
“It’s a good thing becasue it’s free publicity for musicians.”
(THE BOSS, at Odyssey Tavern)
(Forte writer, member of the universal)
“It makes everyone an artist”
“Yes & No, it gives great “It does about as much as well as poor artists for music as porn does more exposure!!” for wife hunting”
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