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20 / 04 / 2017 FREE
Performing at Negative Waves Festival @ The Barwon Club, Geelong – May 6.
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Have you tried the internet yet?
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How was everyone’s Easter? More importantly, how is your chocolate stash looking? I know myself I’ve still got a very healthy looking collection of hot x buns (my weakness). With this issue of Forté we braved the holidays and managed to put together this juicy issue for you, even though we were two days down during deadline. Ah, holidays! On the cover we’re excited to bring you Nashville Pussy, the rock legends who will be heading to Geelong for the first ever Negative Waves festival. Created by the team behind annual fave, River Rocks, it’s a welcome addition to Geelong’s festival circuit.
Publisher Furst Media Pty. Ltd. Editor-in-chief Amanda Sherring
amanda@fortemag.com.au @amanda_sherring
Advertising Josh Dowling
josh@fortemag.com.au
Well you should because we’re on it! www.fortemag.com.au
Fortégram Tag us @Forte_mag or #Fortemag to be featured!
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Contributors Anthony Morris, Alastair McGibbon, Amanda Sherring, Chris Lambie, Dr John Lamp, Natalie Rogers, Paul S Taylor, Tex Miller, Wylie Caird. 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. Forté accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions. Forté reserves the right to edit all articles and letters.
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talia@fortemag.com.au
Interns Megan McNeel, Lucy Rollason, Helena Metzke, Chelsea King
@kyoskcafe
Phone: (03) 5229 7969
Editorial Assistant Talia Rinaldo
artwork@fortemag.com.au
Amanda & the Forte Team
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Art Director Riley McDonald
Further in we chat with Liz Stringer, Sarah Blasko, one of the owners behind Uncle Donut, Hidden Intent, look at the upcoming Geelong After Dark event and so much more. Enjoy!
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Electric Lady Pop angel Jack River has put together a badass all female line-up for the inaugural Electric Lady. Alex Lahey, Ali Barter, Bec Sandridge, Gretta Ray, Jack River and more will hit both Sydney and Melbourne to celebrate women in Australian music. Tickets are on sale now via www.electriclady.world
REMI and Sampa The Great join forces for ‘Fire Sign’ 2017 tour Melbourne hip hop duo REMI are getting together with lauded Australian act Sampa The Great for a huge co-headline tour. The frequent collaborators will set off on a crosscountry jaunt, alternating set times each night before sharing the stage for a joint finale. They’ll hit 170 Russell on Friday June 16.
Dune Rats Announce Australian Tour It’s not even half way through the year and Dune Rats have already announced their second Australian tour for 2017. Following a European and a Canadian tour, Dune Rats will hit regional Australia for their ‘Fuck Yeah Ledge Yew’ tour. It’s all party no sleep for the boys as they play Ballarat, Geelong and Frankston this June.
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Hannah Gadsby Last Ever Stand-Up Show Beloved Please Like Me star Hannah Gadsby has announced that her Melbourne Comedy Festival shows will be her last ever. In her show ‘Nanette’, Gadsby comments on current politic matters such as the Safe Schools program the debate over the same sex referendum. Tickets are still available through the Comedy Festival website.
Melbourne Karaoke Festival
Splendour Sideshows
The city’s best karaoke stars are going head to head on Friday April 28 for Melbourne’s karaoke festival. The evening will see competitors of all genres take the stage in front of a panel of judges. Each category, solo, duets and groups, will take home $1,000 in cash prize, and bragging rights of course. This is a free event and not one to miss. First 400 attendees at 206 Bourke Street will also score a free beer.
If you weren’t so lucky to snag Splendour tickets before they sold out, you’ll still be able to catch your faves at a sideshow. Stormzy, Maggie Rogers, Asgeir, BANKS, LCD Soundsystem, Queens of The Stone Age, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Two Door Cinema Club, Bishop Briggs and many more are set to play shows in Melbourne this July. Keep an eye out!
Murlocs New Single and Tour Coastal favourites The Murlocs have released a new single and video for ‘Noble Soldier’. Lead singer Ambrose KennySmith stated that the garage rock track depicts the “everyday forgotten hero-turned-vagabond, chugging along for hope despite failure”. Be sure to catch The Murlocs at the Howler on May 5th before it sells out.
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Rick and Morty Party Following a new episode of Rick and Morty that mysteriously appeared online earlier this month, Melbourne is hosting a Rick and Morty Party at Supersmall Club on April 28th. Fans will unite to celebrate season three with appropriately named drinks such as wubalubadubdub slushies and a free photo booth. More details over at the Supersmall Club Facebook page.
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Nashville Pussy Making up for lost time – Written by Natalie Rogers
ore than twelve months on from the death of Motörhead’s legendary frontman Lemmy Kilmister, his life and legacy continues to be celebrated and cherished by his family and friends. “He has been a part of every incarnation of Nashville Pussy and was like a proud papa throughout,” guitarist Ruyter Suys smiles. “He was a mentor and a friend, and we feel like we’re carrying on the torch through our music - and we will carry it to the end.” Founded by husband and wife duo Blaine Cartwright and Rutyer Suys in Atlanta, Georgia, psychobilly rockers Nashville Pussy spent more than a decade (on and off ) touring with Motörhead, and both Cartwright and Suys say they hit it off with the muchloved musician almost immediately. “Oh gosh! We were on the road with him a lot,” Suys reminisces, “which was just unbelievable. The first time was unbelievable, the second time was unbelievable, and the third time was unbelievable. We had Lemmy’s blessing on every single one of our bass players, which is just unfathomable. We thought ‘Oh god, he loved the first one, he’s going to hate the second one’, but then he loved the second one, so ‘oh no! he’s going to hate the third one’ – but no, he loved the third one, so we were like ‘yay!’.”
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I’m totally fine with anyone comparing me to Angus Young, any day of the week!
Suys and Cartwright formed Nashville Pussy in 1996 and have been the only two constant band members. Californian bassist Bonnie Buitrago joined them in 2011, while their newest addition, drummer Ben Thomas, hit the road with them just last year. “Ben has already done two tours with us so far. Right now we’re on his third one across the US, so when we come to Australia next month it will be his fourth,” Suys explains, “but it will be his and Bonnie’s first time in Australia and New Zealand - so the rhythm section is incredibly excited. “We all want to do the traditional ‘hold the koala’ for a five seconds’ experience!” she laughs. “Bonnie has been sending me pictures of every last creature in Australia for weeks now. She says she wants to buy a baby Tasmanian devil, but I want to keep a koala and feed a wallaby. Every day I get a new video from her of some little critter we have to visit.” Suys admits it has been a while since Nashville Pussy’s last Aussie shows, but she is keen to make up for lost time. “From Hell to Texas [2009] must have been out, because that was made with our last bass player Karen - but whatever it is, this tour is definitely overdue and we officially apologise on behalf of rock ’n’ roll!” Ruyter Suys is a force to be reckoned with, both on and off the stage. She is known for her mesmerising guitar
solos and exuberant performance style. She cites Nancy Wilson and Wendy O. Williams as her two biggest influences, and was included in Elle magazine’s ‘12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists’ in 2009. “I’ve been playing guitar since I was about eight. I kind of got driven to it because of my hatred for the piano at the time,” she jokes. “My parents plonked me in front of a piano when I was three, and by the time I was seven-and-a- half, I was so sick of it that I locked myself in the bathroom and refused to come out when my music teacher came – so that marked my very last piano lesson. “My parents were like, ‘What are we going to do with you now?’ and I said ‘I think I want a bass’, so they rented me a bass for a short period of time but I didn’t like that,” Suys adds. “Then I just picked up my father’s guitar one day. I’d seen him play and listened to his repertoire my whole life, to the point where I thought he had written most of The Beatles’ or Simon & Garfunkel’s songs - I didn’t realise they were actually written by other people. I’d hear a song on the radio and I’d say, ‘Dad, they’re playing your song!’ and he’d say, ‘Actually that’s The Allman Brothers dear’,” she smiles, doing her best fatherly impression. “So I basically learnt all of my dad’s stuff and then jumped into my Zeppelin records right after that. Now in the last
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couple of years, I’ve actually got back to piano a little bit – I enjoy it again, but it took a while.” These days Suys showcases all her musical talents on their albums. “There are a couple of unique instruments on Up the Dosage [2014]. We actually included an organ intro and there are piano and mandolin on ‘Hooray for Cocaine, Hooray for Tennessee’. Any keyboards, mandolin or piano - that’s always me.” However Suys admits guitar was her first love and she is revered for her skills by critics and fellow musicians, and she is often compared to our own homegrown guitar god. “I’m totally fine with anyone comparing me to Angus Young, any day of the week! I’m still incredibly jealous of the fact that he’s what? Like sixty now? And he’s still running around in a pair of velvet shorts making the world pay $180 to watch his show - it’s fucking hilarious! He’s my hero.” Nashville Pussy are headlining the Negative Waves Festival in Geelong next month alongside the likes of Brant Bjork (USA), The Peep Tempel, Dwarves, Batpiss, Dr. Collosus, The Living Eyes, Holy Serpent, Killer Birds and many more.
When & Where: Negative Waves Festival @ The Barwon Club, Geelong – May 6.
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Sarah Blasko “Sometimes you can feel on top of the world, but sometimes the things that are actually the most joyous in life can be attached to a lot of pain, or you have ended up at an amazing experience but you have gone through a lot of heartache to get there.” LO CA L F E ATURE – PG. 20
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A Suitable Ali Barter
Holy Holy Get Colourful
A Suitable Girl is the debut album from Ali Barter, a “warts and all” release that follows a tidy number of EPs. The title borrows from the Vikram Seth book A Suitable Boy and features songwriting collaborations with Bertie Blackman (‘One Foot In’) and Adalita (‘Walk/Talk’). Having just kicked off a supporting tour, Ali has shows at Workers Club, Geelong on April 28 and The Karova, Ballarat on May 3.
Holy Holy has locked in a bunch of dates in support of their new album, Paint. As well as the brightly coloured words surrounding the album, it has inspired a collaborative project between the band and four painters who will create words to various songs. One artist, James Drinkwater, is also responsible for the album’s artwork. The Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex, Geelong – June 29.
Better Living with Grinspoon
↑↑ Vocal Ranges Festival
In September of 1997, triple j Unearthed winners Grinspoon released their debut album Guide to Better Living. The album reached a healthy #11 on the ARIA Albums Chart and enjoyed a 36-week run on the national charts. To celebrate 20 years of living, the band is heading out for a massive tour where they’ll play the album in its entirety. The Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex, Geelong – August 3.
Taking place in Kyneton next month, the Vocal Ranges Festival “celebrates the power and intimacy of the human Desecrator Take voice with a collection of workshops, concerts and singthe Plunge alongs”. Performers include Kavisha Mazzella, The Mae Trio, Jane Thompson, James Rigby, Joseph Bromley, Mal “We dodged a studio album for Webb & Kylie Morrigan, Kate Lawrence and Polly Christie. seven years, five international tours, countless Australian shows, The festival takes place from May 5-7, with further a record, a live album and a tape information through vocalrangesfestival.com. but the time has come for us to wreck your hearing with proper studio production… We can’t wait.” That is Desecrator frontman Riley Strong speaking about the band’s debut release, To the Gallows. The Loft, Warrnambool – April 26; The Eastern, Ballarat – April 27; and The Barwon Club, Geelong – April 28.
↑↑ Narana Rocks for Reconciliation Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre invites music lovers to come together and Rock for Reconciliation at this years’ Narana Unplugged III event to be held on Saturday June 3 from 12pm - 5pm at the Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre. In 2017, during National Reconciliation Week (running 27 May – 3 June), reflections are made on two significant anniversaries in Australia’s reconciliation journey – 50 years since the 1967 referendum, and 25 years since the historic Mabo decision. Narana Unplugged III features the talents of Benny Walker, Alice Skye, Nathan Seeckts, Rach Brennan, Lyndon Morgan and special guests The Deadly Dancers across Narana’s unique Boomerang stage, showcasing the diverse range of musical styles and support for local musicians. The all-ages event is part of Narana’s efforts to engage with the local community in new ways and is a focal point for community engagement and sharing Narana’s ethos of “Listening & Learning” to a wider audience. Tickets are just $20 available from Narana’s Retail Shop on sale from May 1 and will also be available on the day, with kids under 12 free. Visitors are encouraged to pack a picnic rug and some camping chairs and immerse themselves in the total Narana experience.
MDRN Love Walks on By It’s time to share a drink with MDRN Love, a Geelong five-piece that has just dropped their debut single, ‘Bring Me Down’. The band has made us wait since taking out the ‘Emerging Artist’ gong at 2014’s Queenscliff Music Festival, but things are moving ahead nicely. Barwon Club, Geelong – April 22; The Loft, Warrnambool – May 5; and Torquay Hotel, Torquay – May 20.
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This State We’re In
San Cisco are Waterlogged
Industry updates from Music Victoria
In support of their forthcoming album The Water, San Cisco will be packing extra towels for a whole lot of shows over the next couple of months. The Fremantle fab four will drop their new album on May 5, which according to singer Jordi Davieson is “a good snapshot of my life and headspace earlier this year”. The Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex, Geelong – June 9. Thelma Plum supports.
G’day party people, In recent news, Music Victoria’s latest program, Live Music Professionals, had its application closing date roll around on 31 March 2017. The entire office was thrilled with the number of applications received from independent promoters and live music venues across Victoria. “Sifting through the applications has been an exciting process. There are some great candidates for the program and I can’t wait to get through the selection process so we can truly get Live Music Professionals up and running,” says project manager, Sarah Deborre. Live Music Professionals will commence officially in early August but the lead-up will see all participants have dedicated time with the project manager in order to prepare for the coaching program. More info can be found at www.musicvictoria.com.au/ lmp. For anyone who missed out another round of the coaching program will open in early 2018.
The Diplomatic Client Liaison It makes sense that retro gems Client Liaison would christen their debut album Diplomatic Immunity. It was 1989’s Lethal Weapon 2 and Arjen Rudd who uttered the phrase, but there is no Riggs or Murtaugh here. The release of the album was part of a big 2016 for the lads, and they’ve been on the road in style. Tickets remain for their show at The Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex, Geelong on April 27. Note their April 28 show has sold out.
Music Vic are heading to The Workers Club Geelong on 20 April to host two workshops. The first one is Sound Advice - a workshop for all venues on how to get the best sound with leading people in their field giving their advice, which will lead in to how to apply for the Good Music Neighbours Grant. This session will run from 3.00pm - 4.00pm and it’s FREE to register. The second workshop is Music Victoria’s Grow Your Audience - social media, marketing and PR master-class, dealing will all things publicity and growing your business. With limited spaces, and a great topic, unfortunately all spots were snapped up! Keep an eye on the MV website for future professional development opportunities across regional Victoria.
Wolfmother with the Win Like any band, Wolfmother has had some ups and downs since their formation in 2000, but right now they’re sitting pretty in a big ‘up’. Last year they released their fourth album, Victorious, and spent a good chunk of 2016 touring the likes of North & South America, Europe, the UK and Scandinavia. Back on home soil, they have a date with The Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex, Geelong on May 19.
Lior On freeing his voice, his time in a musical and being immersed back into the album and touring ways Written by Talia Rinaldo
Gifted, powerful and gentle are often the words used to describe Lior, the Melbournebased independent Israeli-Australian writer, performer and entertainer. They also describe his most recent collaboration with acclaimed composer, pianist and polymath Paul Grabowsky, which sees the pair reinventing some of Lior’s most cherished songs. “Essentially, it’s just a reinterpretation and cross section of my catalogue of piano and voice. Because so much of what I do is guitar focused, we decided we’d get together and try and reinvent a lot of the songs on piano. I play a few songs on guitar, but most of it is Paul painting all the colours around me, and I have a chance to really just stand and deliver the lyrics,” Lior says. With his usual hints of Middle Eastern influences expressed in soaring falsettos and twisting melodies alongside his nimble guitar playing, Lior confesses that the collaboration of piano and his voice is not what one might expect from the show. “It’s actually quite the opposite,” he laughs, “the guitar is a really earthy instrument, particularly the acoustic guitar and it’s why I love it, because it’s very human, and imperfect. The piano is the grandest of all the instruments, and particularly with such a masterful player like Paul, he just gets so much colour from it that it’s actually really quite diverse what he does around my voice. “For me, it’s really lovely just to be able to stand and really connect with the lyric. I love playing guitar but when I’m not playing it, it really does free you up in a sense to be completely at one with the lyric and just be freer with your voice and how you deliver those lyrics, and know Paul was going to cover every inch of emotion with the piano the
See you in the moshpit!
↓↓ Member Moment: Bay City Events
A well-known Geelong/Bellarine local, and experts in unique events and venues, Bay City Events have been mastering the art of unique entertainment experiences for 20+ years throughout Australia. Specialising in events with a difference, the Bay City Events team work with the entertainment, music, tourism and event safety industries, delivering high-impact, high-yield events, including the legendary Blues Train, established in 1994. Visit www.baycityevents. com.au to check them out.
↓↓ Gig of the month: #3350 Street Party – Sat 29 April 2017, Karova Lounge, Ballarat
Karova Lounge is throwing a HUGE street party later this month, featuring a stellar line up: Peking Duk, Ivan Ooze, Bec Sandridge, Apes, Chapel, Dom Alessio, Kuchi Kopi, MIMI & Otious (AND still more to be announced). Support local music and head along to this huge Ballarat show.
Sarah, Shaun, Coops and the Music Vic crew
way he plays it.” Lior shot to the public’s attention following his 2005 debut album Autumn Flow, which became one of the most successful independent releases in Australian history, and to which he celebrated the 10-year anniversary with a massive tour in 2015. This tour marked the start of a hiatus of his own shows and the first of performing in a musical. “I kind of felt like it had been 10 years and five albums, I felt like maybe I need a break from the cycle of touring and then I got a phone call from the producers of the Australian production of Fiddler on the Roof,” he says. “I thought ‘why the hell not’, so I auditioned and I got a really good feeling from it. I’m really glad I did it and at the end of that I sort of felt really energised and reinvigorated to get back into what I do. “Everything about it kind of came together and felt really right but at the moment I’m now immersed back into the album and touring ways,” Lior says, who is currently working on completing and releasing a new album and extensive tour later this year.
When & Where: Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo – April 29
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Liz Stringer
Million Paws Walk
The hardest working person in Australian music
Seventeen locations across Victoria will take part in Million Paws Walk next month, a day out for our furry little four-legged friends. Money raised will go towards the care of more than 28,000 animals that enter shelters each year. The event takes place on Sunday, May 21, with locations at Ballarat, Bendigo, Castlemaine, Daylesford, Geelong, Shepparton and Warrnambool. Register now through millionpawswalk.com.au.
Written by Edward Acheson
Three Months with Tennyson King
Indigo Children Test the Waters
Rock and roll infused with earthy roots and blues and laced with psychedelic ear candy is how Canada’s Tennyson King likes to roll. He has been in our lovely country since January, enjoying a three-month, 40+ date tour. Things are winding up now but you still have the chance to see him at Aireys Pub, Aireys Inlet on April 22. If you’re in the area, he also hits Geelong’s Unwined Cellar Bar, tonight, April 20.
Warrnambool-bred band Indigo Children mostly spend their time in Melbourne these days, but their music magic remains. The four-piece consists of Edward and Henry Jacobs along with Tim Bayne and newest member, Brady Gunn. They blend ’60-style pop melodies with contemporary psych-rock elements, which you can check out on their debut EP, Creature of the Ocean. Music Man, Bendigo – May 6.
Lisa Hannigan’s Swim Strokes While in college, Lisa Hannigan met Damien Rice, appearing on his first two albums. She also toured with Rice throughout this period before returning to Dublin to pursue a solo career. She has since released three albums, including 2016’s At Swim. The album features a work from late Irish poet and playwright, Seamus Heaney. Memorial Hall, Anglesea – May 26. Lisa will also perform at Sydney’s Vivid LIVE.
Tiny Giants help celebrate Record Store Day Real Music Vinyl & CDs of Geelong will be celebrating Record Store Day Australia, now in its 10th year, with Ocean Grove outfit Tiny Giants performing live in-store on Saturday April 22 at 3:30pm. With lots of vinyl, great music and good company, there’s no place to discover music like a record store.
For some, playing music is a choice made later in life; the thrill of performance, the comradery of being in a band, or even the more far-fetched pursuit of riches all being part of the appeal. For Liz Stringer, however, music has been a central part of her being since a very early age. From growing up surrounded by a musically-minded family, to being rewarded prestigious scholarships, to that fateful day, aged 15 when she first picked up the guitar, her path to becoming a songwriter wasn’t just likely, it was inevitable. Originally from Melbourne, her career has seen her pack-up shop and traipse to all corners of the world in the quest for opportunity and inspiration. First it was Germany that beckoned, then it was the UK she called home, but as she explains, Australia will always be where her heart is. “I love playing in Victoria. All my family is in Melbourne, my oldest and best friends. The time I spend overseas allows me to have different territories and do what I do. But I love Australia.” A shoe-in for the title of ‘Hardest Working Person in Australian Music’, Stringer had herself one busy 2016. A year that saw the release of her fifth album All The Bridges, followed swiftly by an extensive tour that took her through Australia, North America and her new love, Canada. “I was in Canada when the
album was released and I’ve been on the road pretty much ever since.” The album itself was recorded in Portland, a city she remembers fondly. “I loved it,” she says of the Oregon city. “It was such an easy place to be. I had a really great time.” Now back on home soil, she’s getting ready to hit the road once more, playing a selection of regional shows throughout Victoria including one in Torquay, a prospect she’s quite excited about. “I’ve played Torquay before and it’s been really great, there’s always familiar faces in the crowd. There’s going to be a lovely vibe.” Speaking from her home in Melbourne, you can’t help but hear her down-to-earth nature and refreshingly frank attitude that shines through so prominently in her music. When asked what changes she has seen within Australian music in recent years, she replies in a comically deadpan way: “People buy fewer CDs”. Touché. After the successes of 2016, she is optimistic about a productive 2017, with her sights set firmly on more touring and the inception of album number six. “I’m in the throes of organising a lot of tours while I’m home and just beginning to organise recording my next album.” Her philosophy is a simple one: “Tour all this year, record and then release again next year. I have way more than one albums’ worth so I figure while I’m on a roll I should get it out.” We couldn’t agree more.
When & Where: Old Hepburn Hotel, Hepburn Springs – April 28; Northcote Social Club, Northcote – April 29 & Torquay Bowls Club, Torquay – April 30
RocKwiz Rocks Off
It’s time to brush up on your music trivia because the RocKwiz gang is heading out for another round of live You may have heard a familiar voice on Palace of the shows. Your lovely hosts will take you through all your King’s single ‘Black Cloud’. The track, one of the gems on favourite segments, including ‘Who Can It Be Now’, their second album Valles Marineris, features the soulful ‘Million Dollar Riff’, ‘The Furious Five’ and ‘Contestant voice of Mahalia Barnes. You may have also heard the Karaoke’. Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat – June 9; band has been busy touring the country, following some Eastbank Concert Hall, Shepparton – June 10; and time spent with Baby Animals on their anniversary tour. Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo – June 13. The tour is wrapping up with a show at Whalers, Warrnambool this Saturday, April 22.
In the Palace of the King
Orsome Welles to Rise Up All’s well with Orsome Welles. The Melbourne outfit will drop their new EP Rise in May before heading out on a tour. Frontman Michael Stowers: “For Rise, we took a different approach on how we wanted the end product to sound. We focused on pre-production, and we think it is evident in the sound being a lot more reflective of our live show.” The band will be part of The Loft’s (Warrnambool) Arockalypse festival in June.
The Mae Trio’s Second Coming Take Care Take Cover is the new album from The Mae Trio, a contemporary folk outfit with a twist. Their debut, 2013’s Housewarming, won the Folk Alliance Australia Youth Award and NFSA Folk Recording of the Year, so they have good form. The album features a number of guest artists, including The Stray Bird’s Maya de Vitry. Theatre Royal, Castlemaine – May 28. They will also take part in Kyneton’s Vocal Ranges Festival.
The Wildbloods Handle Adversity Rock and roll families, hey? Sometimes they roll a little more than rock, but The Wildbloods are well and truly in the rock camp. The story goes that frontman Johnny Wildblood began playing in bars and clubs as early as 2010, which inspired his brothers Jay, Juke and Justin to learn instruments of their own. Keep an eye out for their album All the Adversity, due for release next month. The Shamrock, Echuca – May 27.
↑↑ Pete Murray Drops a Single There is plenty of good news for fans of Pete Murray, with a new single, album and tour on the way. New single ‘Take Me Down’ is the lead single from forthcoming album Camacho (June 2). Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool – August 5; Eastbank Theatre, Shepparton – August 9; Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo – August 23; Regent Cinemas, Ballarat – August 24; and The Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex, Geelong – August 26.
Bass player
CL ASSIFIEDS Send your info to: enquiries@Fortémag.com.au For individual use only,
Bass player looking for experienced gigging original rock and roll band. influenced by Duff Mckagan, Paul Simonon and Ronnie lane. 0420420924
Guitarist and drummer looking for musicians to start high school band Influences include: Metallica, Black Sabbath, Nirvana, Violent Soho. Looking for 15-16 year old musicians (vocalist, lead guitarist, bassist) to play rock music. Covers and originals. For more info, please call Zac on 0410711446
not for commercial purposes.
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Drummer looking for band
Seeking Position with Band
Drummer available (Geelong area) for playing/Jamming.Covers or originals. Blues rock is my main style but I’m into lots of different music. Any age is okay, just as long as you can play. Contact Josh on 0430971319
On the lookout for more projects, styles such as indie rock/alternative rock or metalcore anything hard and indie folk. Hit me up I play guitar and drums. I want to play electric guitar in an indie band or drums in metal, rock or indie rock. But I’m up for anything, I also sing as well. If anything you see catches your eye text me or call Joel on 0414628813.
Ball arat Blog Written Glen Anderson
↑↑ Montaigne’s New Heights Although one must give some thanks to triple j Unearthed, it was always going to be that Jess Cerro, aka Montaigne, would be discovered by the musical world. Following the release of her 2014 EP Life of Montaigne, the Sydney-sider released her debut full-length release, Glorious Heights, last year. Plenty of nice things have been said about the album, and now you can look forward to some shows. The Karova, Ballarat – August 3.
↑↑ Death by Stereo Leave You Be With almost 20 years behind them, Death by Stereo has finely tuned their hardcore punk to absolute perfection. Last out here in 2014 as part of Hits & Pits, the band has been practising their Australian ways as they look to show off their latest EP, Just Like You’d Leave Us, We’ve Left You for Dead. Strike Anywhere’s Paul Barnett features on the track ‘They Feed Us Death’. The Eastern, Ballarat – May 5.
Daylight savings has ended and we have just had a massive downpour to wreak havoc in the streets of Ballarat. Locals don’t need a reason to go out and put a smile on their dial, and luckily there is plenty of talent on offer at local venues. Karova Lounge have Good Boy coming down from Brisbane on Saturday 22 April. Playing their alternative psychedelic surf punk sound and fresh from playing at Splendour In The Grass, the dynamic trio have got quite a schedule ahead of them this year and will be busy touring this great land of ours. Catch them with super talented Melbourne quartet Jarrow. Both of these acts are renowned for putting on barnstorming live shows and co-incidentally, are both releasing singles in early April. This looks like a brilliant way to fire your weekend up big time and it’s only $10 to get in. Down at The Eastern on Friday April 21, Sonny and The Sunsets are playing their beach pop songs that have a touch of goof-ball humour. The band have featured a revolving door line-up in
recent times, and for this brief visit to Australia, the band will include esteemed Melbourne locals Steph Hughes from The Boomgates and Mark Monnone from Mighty Duke & the Lords. Obviously a first class act here folks and an incredibly polished sound. I might even get along to this one and shake some action! If you haven’t had enough jumpin’ and jiving’ come Sunday the 23rd April, you can wander down to the Ballarat Jazz Club and see the Sugarfoot Ramblers who get rolling at around 1pm and play through the afternoon until 4pm. Matty Chap’s duo are on down at Irish Murphy’s from 3pm if jazz is not your thing. Remember possibly the best chicken parmi in town is served at this venue, so tuck into one if you end up here. Funny man Carl Barron is on his Drinking With A Fork tour and will appear at Her Majesty`s Theatre in Ballarat on April 24 & 25. Carl’s nonthreatening observational style of comedy appeals to everyone and his gentle, awkward, relaxed nature will have you in stitches in no time. The other event that is creeping up on us all is the Clunes Booktown Festival which is on over the weekend of May 6-7. Pencil this in to your diary. Plenty happening. Get amongst it!
Hail the All Seeing Hand Mongolian throat singing, intricate turntable skills and frantic drumming: if that doesn’t sound like a good night out, then there is no cure for you. New Zealand’s genre-smashing trio The All Seeing Hand is currently in Australia armed with their 2016 release, Sand to Glass. The album, the band’s fourth, was recorded with Wellington legend Vanya Vitelli. The Karova, Ballarat – April 26.
↑↑ Every Good Boy Deserves Jarrow
Kim Salmon Hits Ballarat
Queenslanders Good Boy and Melbourne quartet Jarrow have teamed up for a few shows in support of their new singles – Good Boy with ‘Braap’ and Jarrow with ‘Cody’. The singles will also be released as a split 7” for Record Store Day. The two bands became friendly after sharing a stage at the Grace Darling Hotel last year, so the tour is just the thing to test the strength of their bond. The Karova, Ballarat – April 22.
The Eastern in Ballarat has become a bit of a favourite stop-off for Kim Salmon, and those in the area can look forward to another round of songs and drinks on July 1 when he brings his ‘Power Pop Trio’ to town. Since buying his first guitar for $14 and teaching himself the songs ‘Black Night’ and ‘Tobacco Road’, the “Godfather of Grunge” has led the life of a dozen musicians. His latest release is My Script.
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The Loop 19
Sarah Blasko
On going solo and a record about the agony and ecstasy of life – Written by Alex Callan f you think you have a firm grasp on Sarah Blasko’s sound, you are probably wrong. First arriving on the scene in the early 2000’s, the esteemed songstress has pushed herself further with each album to create music out of her comfort zone, creating a unique sound and style for each of her acclaimed releases, from having an orchestra as her musical accompaniment on 2012’s I Awake, to going completely synth orientated on 2015’s Eternal Return. Now in the midst of recording her 6th studio album, Blasko is yet again experimenting with new sound-scapes. “It’s a bit hard to say how this new album will sound because it keeps morphing and things keep shifting around. Originally I wanted it to be quite a minimal and spacious record, and I think it’s getting fuller by the day. So I’m not too sure what it is at the moment, it’s just kind of weirdly uncategorised,” says the charismatic Sydney-based vocalist.
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Sometimes you can feel on top of the world, but sometimes the things that are actually the most joyous in life can be attached to a lot of pain, or you have ended up at an amazing experience but you have gone through a lot of heartache to get there.
“I always try and explain in a concise way what this record is about, but it’s not just about one thing. I guess this record is kind of somewhere between joy and sorrow and the connection between those emotions. Sometimes you can feel on top of the world, but sometimes the things that are actually the most joyous in life can be attached to a lot of pain, or you have ended up at an amazing experience but you have gone through a lot of heartache to get there. I guess that’s how I would describe it - it’s sort of the agony and ecstasy of life, and how they can work hand in hand. “It’s all kind of come out of this time last year; I did an Artist In Residence at the Campbelltown Art Centre for two weeks. All of these songs where written during that period. We were very productive during that time, and I really liked the stuff we came up with so I kept working on it,” she says. Although unsure of exactly what fans should expect of her upcoming release, Blasko revealed that her variety of music
over her previous albums has been a major influence for this release, blending many of her previous sounds together. “I’m working on string stuff at the moment but I guess I’m trying to find ways to do that differently from what I’ve done before. I’m a sucker for strings, I love strings and I love the process of recording strings. This time around, I am very interested in blending those two sounds,” Blasko explains. “I have still been writing a lot of music on keyboards, but it’s pretty bass and drums driven. It’s kind of a combination of elements of my last record, and some elements from I Awake. “I guess each record, I feel like I’m always looking for something that’s forward thinking, but at the same time, always on that same trajectory. There are some things that you have always loved, but with each album you want to link something new to the chain of what you have been doing to expand your horizons. Particularly when it’s your voice and it’s who you are, it’s really
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interesting to change the music around that, rather than always keeping it the same style.” Blasko will soon be taking her music around Australia on The Soloist Tour, being the first time for fans to see Blasko in her most intimate form - completely by her lonesome without the addition of a backing band. “I am terrified. I feel really excited but I am very nervous. I’m already dreaming about it. I often have pre-tour nightmares where you have a dream where you can’t get to the show,” she says, “So I have these dreams about me just not being able to get to my destination or that I’m two hours late and I can’t find anything.” “I feel it’s going to be a really big challenge for me doing this tour. That’s mainly why I wanted to do it - I wanted to have this challenge, and I have wanted to do it for a while so I figured there is no better time than now!”
When & Where: Theatre Royal, Castlemaine – May 25, GPAC, Geelong – May 26, Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne – June 15
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Local Feature 21
Left to right: Fatty Phew, Jeff Harwood, Tex Miller
The project connecting Geelong musicians to their town and music icons For several weeks now, the three emerging musicians have been working hard alongside their mentors in producing and recording a song about their home town. We spoke with the three lucky winners of the Connecting Song project on how they’ve found the mentor process so far and what we can expect from their song. Look out for their single, alongside the music video, at this year’s Geelong After Dark on Friday, May 5. ↓↓ Jeff Harwood partnered with mentor Adalita Can you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your music? My name is Jeff Harwood. I like to write folk/rock/pop songs that tell a story. What made you decide to enter the Connecting Song project? Writing a location-based song is something I thought suited my song-writing style. The free studio and filming time didn’t hurt, either. How have you found being mentored so far? The mentoring has been sick. Adalita has been great with giving advice, and it’s also just been fun to hang out with such a legend of Australian music. What advice has Adalita given to you so far? Adalita helped work out the final arrangement of the song before heading into the studio. She and I also mixed the song together, which was a great experience. She knows her stuff.
Has Connecting Song inspired you in your music career? If so what are your plans? Definitely. I have a number of unreleased songs that I plan to arrange into an album and record later this year. I’m also planning to get a band going and play some gigs (local musicians, hit me up!). What’s been the best thing for you about the mentoring song process? Working on the final mix with Adalita was fun. It was great to get an insight into the production process from someone with so much industry experience. How would you describe your song for the project in three words? Sun-drenched guitar pop
↓↓ Fatty Phew partnered with mentor Trem One What made you decide to enter the Connecting Song project? I thought it was a great opportunity to make a song about central Geelong.
How have you found being mentored so far? It has been amazing working with someone I have looked up to for so long and get an understanding of this process. What advice has Trem One given to you so far? Trem has been able to show me some tricks of the trade that he likes to use. There are certainly aspects that I’m willing to incorporate in the future. Has Connecting Song inspired you in your music career? If so what are you plans? It has inspired me to make more music again as I have taken significant time off from making music.
How would you describe your song for the project in three words? My social commentary.
↓↓ Tex Miller partnered with mentor Tim Neal Can you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your music? My name is Tex Miller and I live in Queenscliff. I play blues folk and am about to release my second EP. My influences include John Mayer, Ray Lamontagne and Bruce Springsteen.
What made you decide to enter the Connecting Song project? I thought that the opportunity to work alongside such luminaries in the Australian music scene was something not too pass up! How have you found being mentored so far? The mentor process has been absolutely fantastic. I feel that Tim Neal and I have written a brilliant crafted blues/ roots track. What advice has Tim Neal given to you so far? Tim has helped direct my future music plans and told me to continue to work at developing my own individual voice which I think can be heard from this new release.
Has Connecting Song inspired you in your music career? If so what are you plans? Ultimately, I’d love to take part in the Sounds Australia showcase at either SXSW or the Americana music festival in Nashville. I think the future is steeped in the rootsy singer/ songwriter thang. What’s been the best thing for you about the mentoring song process? Having the opportunity to develop as an artist and hang out with Tim Neal and create music that I’m proud of. How would you describe your song for the project in three words? Badarse Pirate Shanty.
Hidden Intent On living it up, a European tour and playing every show like it’s their last Written by Natalie Rogers
Wh e n C h r is M cE w e n, bass player and front man of Adelaide’s favourite thrash band, Hidden Intent, says they’re hell-bent on incorporating their different musical influences onto their forthcoming second album - you’d better believe it. “We’ve actually been working on a cheesy ballad for this one,” he smiles. “Because we’ve become known as a very technical band, people might think ‘Woah, this is a bit weird!’. It’s not quite Steel Panther but it’s got a little bit of them in there that’s for sure - there’s definitely a little bit of cheese.” This South Australian three-piece have a lot to smile about. Not only are they experimenting with new sounds, they’re currently living it up on tour with metal masters Desecrator, before heading off on a major (and maiden) voyage to Europe. “We’re definitely trying other things rather than just honing in on our thrash sound. We’re going for a bit of [Boston metal band] Isis, and a bit of Iron Maiden as well,” McEwen adds. “The tracks are starting to get a lot more varied, but we’ll finish them off before we hit the road again with Desecrator.” Hidden Intent and Melbourne four-piece, Desecrator, are in the middle of a 13-date tour that wraps up in WA next month. “We’re really pumped to be playing with those guys. They’re the biggest name in thrash metal in the country at the moment, so it’s a really exciting time for us.” Recently the guys inked a deal with one of the premier agencies in the US, Extreme Management Group. “We’ve signed with EMG who are based out of New York, and our manager is Matt ‘Youngy’ Young of King Parrot, which is pretty cool,” McEwen says. “It’s awesome to have someone like him who can steer us in the right direction overseas, but also
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within our own country. Youngy knows all the right people and he has all these contacts, so we’re just being his little gig monkeys at the moment!” Less than a week after they call time on their Australian gigs, the tenacious thrash trio will be winging their way halfway around the world to play club shows in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany and Poland - and they couldn’t be happier. “Not long after we signed with EMG, we were sent an email from a booking company saying they’ve got a European tour slot open, with a band called Lich King,” McEwen explains. “Apparently they specifically requested a threepiece metal band because their tour van only had three seats left in it! We thought, ‘It’s meant to be’. I mean, if that wasn’t a sign that we were meant to go to Europe then I don’t know what is,” he says, “I think it’s every band’s dream to go to Europe and after five or six years we’re finally able to do it.” In the meantime, McEwen says they plan to play every show like it’s their last. “We’re just going to make everyone eat shit every gig and just give it our all. We just wanna make every show as energetic as possible and try to be as good as Lich King!”
When & Where: The Loft, Warrnambool – April 26, The Eastern, Ballarat – April 27, The Barwon Club, Geelong – April 28 & Bendigo Hotel, Melbourne – April 29
SacredEdge Listening to Voices from the Edge Written by Lucy Rollason
SacredEdge is a festival that brings locals together and listens to voices from the edge through stories, songs and art - Indigenous, Refugees, Asylum Seekers - with sustainability and mental health themes as well. Back for its fourth year, the festival will be kicking off on Friday May 5 right through to Sunday May 7 and there will be loads of entertainment, displays of art, and opportunities to experience diversity. SacredEdge coordinator Kerrie Lingham will be bringing Indigenous, Refugee and LGBTIQ individuals together as a community, and giving the public the opportunity to hear their stories in all their glorious diversity. “In a world where fear of the other is common and even encouraged, this community festival offers a different narrative, as we listen to voices from the edge,” Lingham says. There will be plenty to see and do, with over thirty performers and presenters, and a whole lot of action. SacredEdge is a safe place for people to experience a diverse community, and take part in
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discussions about culture and gender with people who have a real connection. With an array of things to see, there are four key presenters that should not be missed over the weekend. Julie McCrossin is a comedian, journalist and LGBTI advocate who will be marching as a part of the Mardi Gras community, as well as Richard Frankland, a Gunditjmara man who will be featured as an Indigenous Australian artist and singer/songwriter. Other presenters include wellrespected representative of Australia’s Islamic community Nur Warsame who is now openly gay, and will be represented in the festival, and Bruce Pascoe, Indigenous writer of Dark Emu Black Seeds, a book recently released in Australia – among a long list of artists, presenters and musicians. The festival experience is designed to make you laugh, cry and feel inspired, so go along and get involved.
When & Where: Queenscliff Uniting Church – May 5 – 7 For more information tickets, presenters and performers visit: www.unitingqueenscliff.org.au or Sacrededgefestival Facebook Page.
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News 23
Desecrator VS Destruktor This issue Forté managed to get Glenn Lynch from death metal band Destruktor and Riley Strong from thrash band Desecrator to interview each other ahead of their gig at the Barwon Club at the end of the month alongside Hidden Intent, Blackhelm and Nemesium. Have at it boys... Glenn: Finally, after putting in the hard yards, you have a full length album available, which this tour of yours is supporting. What can we expect on this album? Riley: To The Gallows has been going really well for us so far which is a huge relief after waiting so long to record and release it. It’s definitely full of a lot of growth from our earlier and rawer thrash days but it still carries who we are and how fast we do what we do massively through it. Does have a ballad though... track four of course. Glenn: Riley, you are back in Geelong shortly after conquering numerous corners of the world! What are your thoughts and memories of your gigs in Geelong previously? You must’ve played here three or four times over the last seven years?! Riley: Mate we’ve always loved Geelong. From very early in Desecrator’s gigging career we always had it in the touring schedule. A lot of Melbourne bands avoid it or don’t understand how to make it work, but I think with a healthy respect of the local talent and good lineups of bands, there’s great potential in Geelong and always has been! Without blowing too much wind up them, our favourite memories always invoke Destruktor, even when we were a fresh band they would give us a go in Geelong and get right onto people to back us and we don’t forget that type of thing. Glenn: You got to play in Europe with legends Venom! Did you get to hang with Mantas? Riley: That tour was killer, those guys are some of the most humble human beings I have ever met! Really aware but unaffected by their status and ultra supportive of us as a band right from the start! A lot of friendships were formed during those 17 odd shows through many a calamity on and off stage but if I was to pick a moment that didn’t involve Jack Daniels it would be the night that Mantas started taking selfies in front of me while Desecrator were playing to post online, he thought he was hilarious down the front acting like the fans do to him! What a guy and what a band.
Glenn: You guys are on the up and up. Once this tour is done, what next? A worldwide tour with Metallica or something?? Riley: That’d be nice but nah they probably want to take The Datsuns back out on a St Anger reunion tour or something. We do have some overseas plans for later this year and we just signed a new management deal in Europe so they’re pretty keen to see how high we can jump for them but right now it’s all guns blazing around Australia to show some Metalhead’s what thrash sounds like again. Glenn: You guys are renowned for an entertaining, hard hitting set. Are you going play a couple of old classics for us fans from the earlier days, in particular 1800 Volts and Destroying Gods Work? I’ll do a deal with you and play a song you want us to play if you play them both. Don’t let me down Riley! Riley: I’ll trade you ‘1800 volts’ for ‘Forward We March’ any day! I know I’m winning in that arrangement plus I get to do my altered lyric version which is only relevant in Geelong whilst Nemesium guitarist Chris McEwin is in the room (you’ll just have to come see). We’re mainly bashing out the songs off the new record, but that in itself is a sight to behold as the songs have only gotten harder as we’ve gotten older!
Then we had Desecrator’s Riley take the lead with questions. Riley: Destruktor are veterans of the Australian scene but have been known to be quite recluse when it comes to live shows, what about this one drew you out? Glenn: Whilst we may lurk in the shadows, we like to keep on the edge of the scene. Considering we have not played in our hometown for two and a half years, and barely played a song from our last album here, the time was right and we were asked at the right time. Simply put, being overdue, and the offer to play with some good blokes I’ve known for sometime was enough to get us on the line up. Riley: You’ve got a few albums out on much respected American label Hells Headbangers but one more recent than the rest, care to tell us about it? Glenn: This album you speak of is OPPROBRIUM. Seven songs clocking in at just over half an hour. The perfect length for a band like us. If someone told me five years ago that we would have a nine minute song on any of our albums, I would’ve laughed or argued, but we did, and for many, has gone down as a favourite track of ours. Unfortunately it leave us in the position where the song is basically demanded to be played every time now, and it is not the easiest one for us to play. Riley: Destruktor have always been very staunch live partners in Geelong and had healthy support from the town. Over the years how have you felt about the sometimes criticised live scene? Glenn: Staunch indeed. I certainly wouldn’t say that we have had healthy support, and I still swear plenty of Geelong metal heads are only partially aware of us,
if at all. Gigs can be hit and miss in Geelong, but if the word gets out, and the line-up is strong, then it can be a very solid night indeed. Various factors affect the gigs here, but give it a shot, and you may be pleasantly surprised. Overall, I still think the music scene is quite strong down here, and you can still pull bigger crowds here than you may get at bigger cities. Riley: If your set was only one song long, which song would you pick? Glenn: Easy mate. It could only be Forever The Blood Shall Flow. It seems to be the most in demand song of ours, and being nine minutes long, is the obvious choice. I suggest those coming to check it out on YouTube if they want to get familiar with something from our set. Then they can then come in and be disappointed that every other song is shorter and sharper! Riley: What’s next for Destruktor? Surely the success of your trip to America needs a follow up? Glenn: The trip to The Sates was fucking bonza!! We’d love to return, but for now, we will wait and see. Playing at The Agora Theatre in Cleveland was like nothing else before or since. We have booked flights to go to Wellington in July, our second time there. We are coheadlining with New Zealand merchants of destruction Heresiarch for their debut album launch. Apart from that, we will be working on a follow up to Opprobrium. The new songs are really coming along, and as usual, no wimp out!! This will be a night of thrash, death and black metal not to be missed.
When & Where: The Barwon Club, Geelong – April 28
The Cactus Channel On Working With Ball Park Music’s Sam Cromack And Creating Music With Endless Possibilities Written by Holly Pereira
Melbourne’s The Cactus Channel have been pushing the boundaries of soul music since they first formed back in high school. After releasing two instrumental albums in 2015, the band collaborated with Nick Murphy (formerly Chet Faker) on a 7” single, signifying an exciting diversion into new musical territory. Now they present Do It For Nothing, an EP that features the unmistakable vocals of Ball Park Music’s Sam Cromack. “That was a self-centered Google that ended up yielding results that I wasn’t expecting,” laughs Lewis Coleman, the band’s guitarist and vocalist. “I saw Ball Park Music at The Corner Hotel a couple of years ago and was ecstatic afterwards. “For some reason I Googled our band name and Ball Park Music to see if they’d been mentioned anywhere. There was this interview with Sam where he listed artists he was listening to currently and we were one of them. We met up in Brisbane and we floated the idea of doing something together. I think he was keen to explore some other projects in the time he had before Ball Park Music started writing another album.” The title of the EP, a curious oxymoron, has had a lot of people inquiring about its meaning. “It has a few potential meanings,” says Coleman. “No one’s really paying each other to do it for starters. It also has a DIY connotation to it because that’s how some of it came about through rehearsing and recording.” The band were excited by the opportunity to go back in the studio and record, having spent some time focusing on other projects. “It’s been three and a half years since we put out the last album Wooden Boy,” says Coleman. “The stuff with Sam has given
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us an incentive to work on our own song based material; he was really helpful with structuring songs to make them cohesive. “We’re recording an album this year with songs that I’m singing. With collaborating, the turnaround can take a while sometimes depending on what you do, so it’s nice to be able to try and source internally. We really want to work with more female musicians too, there’s so many that we can think of that we’d like to work with.” The band have an unspoken dialogue with one another that Coleman admits may be intimidating to someone coming into the band. “We try and make
it as two-minded as possible with the collaborator. While we have found it easier to navigate things among ourselves it can still be chaotic. When it comes to working with a collaborator, listening to them is the only way it works.” As the band keeps evolving they’ve found more and more people discovering their music, along with a genre that can often sit outside the mainstream. “We think it’s great that there are people our age who are into it, or even just into the fact that we are doing something a little different. At the end of the day we want to make music where anything’s possible.”
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When & Where: The Cactus Channel will team up with Sam Cromack at Howler, Melbourne - May 25. Do It For Nothing is out on Friday April 21.
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Uncle Donut For the donut lovers of Geelong Written by Talia Rinaldo
↑↑ Make pasta like a pro Held on Thursday, April 27 from 6-8pm, the pasta making workshop at Little Green Corner gets your hands dirty. For $70 there will also be a dinner and wine included. Head to the website (www. littlegreencorner.com.au) to book your tickets. Little Green Corner is located at 42 Little Ryrie Street, Geelong.
Whether you spell it donut or doughnut, these little round works of art have fast been becoming a favourite of discerning foodies and donut lovers everywhere. With Melbourne having a never-ending amount of these iced, sugared and gourmet treats for some time, Geelong are now on board with Uncle Donut – a one-stop shop for doughy treats with familiar combinations and surprising twists. The new store is operated by the owners of popular Ocean Grove cafe Uncle Jack’s, and brings glazed, dusted, fried and filled hand-crafted donut varieties to town. Ben O’Halloran, who manages the business side of the glorious deep fried project, says the idea was sparked from people travelling all the way to Melbourne to get one of these delicious desserts. “We were just working in the kitchen at Uncle Jack’s last winter and Adrian [Augert, co-owner] was saying that his girlfriend wanted to go and get donuts that night, and we just kind of said ‘all the way to Melbourne just for a donut, surely there’s one in Geelong?’ We did a bit of research and turns out there wasn’t really anything so we thought it would
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be a great idea. People seem to love donuts so now they don’t have to go so far,” he says. Soon becoming a reality very quickly, the guys sought out the central location in Little Malop Street, previously a late night takeaway joint, and began renovations in December. The store opened late February, celebrating with 500 free donuts from midday which sold out within a couple of hours, and has since been providing Geelong with daily hand-dipped, indulgent treats, selling out more often than not. As for the menu, the flavours are set to change monthly, with the store currently operating its second menu for the year. “We’ll be changing the flavours every month so people will be excited for the change. There’s just so many different ideas you can have on a donut, so it won’t get a bit stale and boring because your product is always going to be changing.” First, we were blessed with flavours like Nutella, Strawberry Jam, Jaffa and the exotic Dulce de Leche, before the team stepped it up with their newest and most experimental menu this month. Reinventing classic flavours and desserts, they’ve now created a Rocky Road donut, Apple Pie Cheesecake to Lemon Meringue and even a Crème Brûlée donut. The creations don’t stop with the monthly menu though with limited creations for those special occasions and events. St Patrick’s day was celebrated with a mint green glaze, white choc pastry cream and Oreo crumbed donut, while the Easter Surprise sported a deep-fried ball of Frangelico custard, milk chocolate, hazelnut praline, topped with a kinder surprise. And we can thank two very dedicated souls for these amazing house-made delicacies, who begin early each morning to provide the freshest and most delicious donuts possible. “Adrian is a chef and we’ve got a full-time donut chef Rene Van Schie - him and Adrian look after the recipes and the new flavours,” O’Halloran says. “It’s about a four-hour process from the time that you make the dough, let it rise, fry them and then tops. So the guys get here at about 5am and the first batch is ready at about 10am. We thought you might be able to make the dough the day before and then the next day just fry it off, but it doesn’t work as well so it has to all be done that morning. They taste way better that way.”
With their changing flavours, special custom donuts and pre-orders, selling trendy merchandise, as well as teaming up with Blackman’s Brewery for Beer and Donut Wednesdays, Uncle Donut is the answer to our donut-filled prayers, with plans of donut deliveries as well. “We’re going to get into deliveries on Sunday where you can order online. You’ll be able to order throughout the week and you can have them delivered to your house or as a present, like how people get flowers. Instead, you can get donuts delivered to your girlfriend or for a birthday, and then we’ll be potentially moving into wholesale as well down the track. It’s a good start so hopefully it continues. People love donuts.”
When & where: 100 Little Malop St, Geelong, the venue is open Wednesday to Saturday from 10am until sold out. Phone: 5229 4929 Visit: Uncledonut.com.au
Meatstock The Music and Barbecue Festival to sink your teeth into Written by Chelsea King
↑↑ Schnitz now crumbing in Leopold Things are looking up for Leopold, with the grand opening of the extensions to the Gateway Plaza happening late last month. With the many additions to the complex also comes the opening of Schnitz, which has quickly become a firm favourite in Waurn Ponds and Westfield Geelong.
Meatstock is the festival of your dreams. Combining all things BBQ and music at the Melbourne Showgrounds this April, there will be a plethora of meat, barbecues, beards and barbers, butchers, bourbon and plenty of beer, accompanied by many great live acts and events. Here’s a brief guide to help you make the most of this pro-protein weekend. Eats It wouldn’t be a meat festival without the meat of course! Meatstock features some of the best food trucks going round. Burger lovers will be more than satisfied with Limp Brisket, Big Smoke BBQ and Burgers by Josh having stalls over the weekend. Other stalls include Red Gum BBQ, Jack the Ribber, and Fancy Hanks, among others. Essentially, it’s meat upon meat upon meat. Six String Brewing Company will also have a stall so you can follow up your feed with a beer. Live Bands
↑↑ Pako Raw now open in Geelong West PAKO RAW, a new industrial style restaurant specialising in craft beer, local wine and casual dining, is now open on Pakington Street in Geelong West. You can find it at 26 Pakington Street, Geelong West (next to King of the Castle). Pako Raw is open Tuesday to Friday, from 11.30am until late and Saturday to Sunday from 8am until late.
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What makes this food festival so unique is the great line-up of bands that perform over the weekend. With something to suit everyone’s taste, some of the acts include Royal Chant, Nighthawk, The Delta Riggs, The Tommyhawks, and Bullhorn.
Check out the Expo
Meaty Events
Alongside the food stalls, Meatstock will also hold an expo to bring you everything meat related. Some of the stalls will include Cut Throat Knives, BBX Spit Rotisseries, and Melbourne Hot Sauce. Additionally, there will be stalls to fulfil your meat needs that you didn’t even know existed - such as Cowboy Wood Chips and Chunks who have flavoured wood chips. Likewise, WITLOFT will have a stall of their beautifully crafted leather aprons.
The heavily anticipated Barbeque Wars will return to Meatstock this year with more than 26 teams from across Australia. While registrations are now closed, some of the finalists include Sons Of Hickory, Pits Perfect and Grilla Warfare. Categories consist of beef, lamb, pork, pork ribs, chicken and the new King of the Grill – where barbecue fanatics can now compete for the title of best Steak, Burger and Wings, sanctioned by America’s Steak Cook Off Association.. There will be an expert panel of judges to decide winners for each category, with over $10,000 worth of cash prizes. Similarly, there Barber Wars and the Butcher Wars will be returning to Meatstock this year.
Special Guests As if all of this wasn’t enough, there will be a series of guests over the weekend. The only female to ever place in the Sausage King competition, Chrissy ‘The Sausage Queen’ will be one of the many guests to feature at the event, along with Mike Patrick, who helped open Fancy Hanks BBQ Joint in 2013. Four times world barbecue champion Tuffy Stone and cook, author, TV host and a full time Hardcore Carnivore Jess Pryles will also be there. These two smokin’ barbecue experts will be running barbecue classes and demonstrations for both competitors and the public.
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Meat lovers go forth.
When & Where: Melbourne Showgrounds – April 22 – 23 You can buy tickets at the event or online prior. Visit: www.meatstock. com.au/melbourne for more info.
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The Otway Food and Fibre Showcase The Otway Food and Fibre Showcase is back for the second time as part of Eat Local Month, displaying the Otway’s best local produce, live music, market stalls, workshops and demonstrations. Forté chat to organiser Andrew Gray ahead of the event. Hi, thanks so much for chatting to Forte. Can you tell us a bit about the showcase? This is the second Otway Food and Fibre Showcase and is a major event in the Eat Local Month schedule. Feedback from last years event was – more more more! I’ve been involved in several local events and festivals on the Surf Coast and in the Otways over the years. Each time they seem to get bigger and more adventurous. These events are a chance for our coastal and hinterland communities to express our identity and connection to the landscape.
What’s the main idea behind the showcase? As many of the farmers in the Otways are value adding to their product and building one on one relationships with their community and customers, this event is a chance to support producers at the pointy end of their business. Bringing all of our Otway food and fibre producers together at one place allows us to celebrate their contribution to the local food and fibre system. We are showing the link between buying local and building a resilient regional communities. What kind of workshops can we expect to see at the event? We have over forty stalls committed to the event, showcasing local produce such as fruit, veggies, nuts, oils, spices, native plants, beer, wine, preserves, beef, pork, lamb, etc. We have a whole section dedicated to fibre (eight stalls) with wool crafts, fleece, yarns, sheering, wool classing, talks and presentations. This is all accompanied by the thigh slapping jigs of the Ciderhouse Stringband. There’s also a workshop schedule running all day including bee keeping, regenerative farming, poultry management, soil health assessments for garden and growing and cooking your own produce.
Tell us about how your passion for local produce began? I’ve spent many years working in environmental education including owning and running a business on the Surf Coast called Eco-Logic. I’ve also spent a lot of time working in environmental conservation via Coastcare and Landcare. My passion for sustainable local food and fibre systems has come from the realisation that most of our land is privately owned and farmed
and the simple fact that we all need to eat. Working in Landcare is the best of both worlds. My passions seem to always turn into a job, but that means I love my job! Has there been an unexpected highlight of your journey so far? The little gems often arise when talking with producers. Hearing what they value and what’s important to them. Things like how important family and community is, or how they have made links with
cooks and chefs who value locally sourced ingredients. The other highlight is growth, growth of the event, interest and support. How do you think things are changing and evolving in the local produce field? It’s just great to see people question where their food comes from and how it’s produced and making the connection between food, community, environment and personal health.
Dave O’Neil The comedian’s view on his job, keeping it fresh and his love for being on-screen Written by Talia Rinaldo
Abe Anderson Geelong’s own aspiring acoustic talent Written by Lucy Rollason
Abe Anderson has always aspired to be a professional musician and songwriter, a journey that even took him to television where he was featured on The Voice back in 2012, which Abe says was a truly surreal experience. “It was unreal. The most rewarding thing about it was being with like-minded musicians from different genres, and learning from them. It was like this melting pot of creativity, it’s kind of infectious, you get swept up in the entire process,” he says. Since then, he has done many live shows around Geelong and the Surf Coast region, playing regularly at Barwon Heads Restaurant, Mount Duneed State Winery, Edge, CQ and most recently at The Inn. Despite a strong passion for music, Abe had a late start to his music career, coining it to his schooling days. “Going to an all-boy’s school, it wasn’t the most glamorous thing being a singer, and a lot of the time people who liked music were ridiculed for what they were doing so I kind of waited until a little bit later on. I just needed to find the right time, but I’m glad it came along, for sure,” he says, “I went to university to study history and journalism, and
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I enjoyed both of those pursuits. I could definitely see myself working in either of those capacities, and I had the opportunity to, but I had the realisation that I can actually do what I love and be comfortable doing it. Life is too short to not give it a go and see what happens.” This May will see Abe supporting the acclaimed Melbourne folk duo the Pierce Brothers in Lorne for their free concert, assisting Abe in moving forward with his musical career. “I am an awesome fan of the Pierce Brothers, I think they’re great, and I jumped at the opportunity. It was a no-brainer really.” Between listening to Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ on the way to gigs, and having 50-year-old guys doing headstand and break-dancing at his performances, Abe has been toying with new sounds, recently covering Amy Shark’s ‘Adore’, putting his own individual spin on a track from a musician he respects. “I was hoping to go and see her in Melbourne recently, but my gigs got in the way. I just like the honesty of the song. She’s real, and she seems really cool. I like songs that are lyrically and that have a bit of depth, and that song is definitely representative of that. It’s one of those songs that grows on you, and you learn to appreciate it.”
You can listen to Abe’s version of ‘Adore’ via his YouTube channel. When & Where: Supporting the Pierce Brothers @ The Lorne Hotel, Lorne – May 20
Being a comedian isn’t just your typical 9-5 job. Writing, directing and performing their own material, humorists are paid to make people laugh, and for Melbourne-based comedic Dave O’Neil, it’s the perfect job. “The best part? It’s all over within half an hour. As a job, it’s pretty good,” O’Neil laughs, “No but you get a real high from it, from performing and all the applause and laughter, it makes you feel happy and good.” Getting a thrill from the stage for more than 20 years, O’Neil has no trouble keeping his material fresh with his observational humour and genuine humility based on his own life. “You just have to keep doing it, and keep doing new jokes. I tend to talk about where I am at the moment. When I started out, I was in my 20s so I was talking about share-housing, going to McDonald’s and nightclubs. Now in my 50s, I talk about parenting, teenagers, relationships, education, school - all the stuff that is relevant to me now. My kids provide some good laughs. Teenagers are funny because they are all self-righteous,” he laughs. Along with his stand-up, writing several books, contributing to numerous sketch comedy shows and being a skilled radio broadcaster, O’Neil is most well-known for being on-screen. With a number of guest appearances on Spicks and Specks, to appearing on hit shows like Tractor Monkeys, Can of Worms and Good News Week, O’Neil expresses his love for television. “I always want to do more TV, it’s a matter of getting the right show and the right opportunity. I’ve just filmed a pilot based on my own life called ‘Dave’ which is about my life as a stand-up and as a dad together. It’s like a scripted sitcom type show,” he says.
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When & Where: Colac Showgrounds, Colac – April 30 (10am – 3pm)
“But that’s the sort of thing I’d love to do, more of that stuff. I’ve done a lot of appearing on panel shows like Spicks and Specks, so I’d love to do a more where you’re acting as yourself – it would be fun.” Recently performing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for the 16th time, O’Neil brought his fifth and best-selling book The Summer of ‘82 to life on stage for a hilarious hour of stand-up about the 10 weeks from when he finished his last exam in HSC to when he got his results, which he will also be bringing in part to his upcoming gig in Geelong. “It should be good! I’ll be headlining, Doug Chappel will be hosting, and Brad Oakes will be the support act so we will just be doing three separate acts of stand-up comedy,” he explains. “Brad’s got no kids or anything and he’s about my age, so he talks about a whole different perspective on life and about history. I will work off the crowd a bit, I’ll talk to the crowd, see what’s going on and see if there’s anything interesting there. It should be good fun.”
When & Where: Comedy Night at Geelong RSL, Geelong – April 29
Allday The charismatic lyricist on his international move, a new album and a national tour Written by Alex Callan
Tumbleweed and a new sort of vitality as a band Written by Talia Rinaldo
Despite the many ups and downs over their almost thirty-year career, musical legends and purveyors of ‘90s stoner rock Tumbleweed reunite this year in support of fellow Australian rockers and long-time friends Spiderbait, who are touring their third and most celebrated album Ivy and the Big Apples. “They’re wrapping up the Ivy and The Big Apples and they’re just trying to stay true to the time. When they were putting the album together, I was hanging out with Kram a lot, and was there enduring that whole writing process of that record, but as far as us getting involved in it, we sort of didn’t really think we were going to be playing again, we hadn’t had plans to play again ever really,” Tumbleweed’s vocalist Richie Lewis explains. “Then Kram contacted me and said he’d really like us to be a part of it and we thought ‘okay yeah it would be nice to catch up and see old friends’.” In the face of several line-up changes, disbanding in 2003 for six years, and suffering the sudden passing of bassist Jason (Jay) Curley in 2014, Tumbleweed still haven’t lost their rock and roll spirit or their love for the music. “Since Jay died, we did a last tour to wrap things up and have a bit of closure on things, but we didn’t want to go through the process of replacing a bass player so we just put it on hold and just got on with our lives,” Lewis says, “the idea of getting back together again now was to just support some friends. They did sort of persuade us, and so with that start to it, it’s kind of spawned some new sort of vitality in the band.
Adam Glynn It was Jurassic Park’s Ian Malcolm that inspired Adam Glynn to go solo Written by Josh Fergeus
If you’ve been around Australia’s metal scene for a while, you’ll almost certainly recognise the vocal chords of Adam Glynn. He’s previously contributed decibels to the likes of Frankenbok and Five Star Prison Cell, and he’s just released his debut solo album The Vogue of Ambition upon return from the traditional musician’s hiatus. “I focused those would-be energies that once belonged to my music solely upon myself,” Glynn says. “I adapted this ‘I’m the architect of my life’ mantra and I went into self-improvement/damage control mode. I didn’t want to end up as one of those derelict failed musicians hanging at the local scenester pub. I worked hard, saved money and paid off my debts. I got a better job, my own place, and focused more on my health. I got rid of that monkey on my back of being a jaded musician and all of a sudden music was awesome again.” The Vogue of Ambition is something a bit different. Twelve tracks, some comprising of soundscapes of layered vocals, others soundtrack-like instrumentals. “Imagine if Mike Patton, Gotye, Portishead, and the possessed
“It’s kind of like a drug, and you sort of give it up, and then you have one more practice and you’re back in. It’s hard to lay aside forever. Now we’re quite open to stuff and we’ll just see what happens.” Touring alongside Spiderbait back in 1995, the Wollongong band are most famous for supporting Nirvana in 1992, along with their classic second album Galactaphonic (1995). More than 20 years later, the album still enjoys a strong legacy with fans and music lovers alike. “For many of them [their fans], it was a period in many of our lives that was really special, the early mid ‘90s. And playing as a coming of age, it was like a golden age and people look back at that time fondly so it became a part of their soundtrack to their youth,” Lewis says. “For that, I’m grateful. We loved it, we put 100% into it. As an artist who is interested in creating, it’s sometimes a bit limiting to have to do your best of hits, but I still enjoy the songs and I’ve played in a few bands since, and never really had the same momentum or following, so it’s nice to get out and play in front of people who are passionate and love it.” With their Galactaphonic-era tracks making up a big portion of the band’s live show, Lewis says that fans can expect a few new tracks from the band at their upcoming shows. “The best way to explain it would be a mixture of the first two albums, and we’ll be doing a couple of surprises, songs we haven’t done before – ever,” he says, “it will be cool because we have to get Steve [drums] and Paul [guitar] to learn a couple of songs that they weren’t part of, so it will be great to hear them put their own feel and individuality into it and give it new life.”
When & Where: The Corner Hotel, Melbourne – April 28 & 29
ladies from The Evil Dead got together,” Glynn says. “Then they made an Indigenous, electronic, ambient, barbershop album full of contiki holiday soundtracks from hell. Well, this is that album.” Glynn says the soundscapes were inspired by Bjork and Patton’s solo vocal albums. “I feel like such a wanker making a solo album. But it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and cross off my bucket list. I can hear Jeff Goldblum’s character from Jurassic Park in my ear badgering me with that line ‘You were so caught up with the idea of if you could do this, but did you even stop to think if you should do this?’ ” When compared to Patton, Glynn has mixed feelings. “I would never be so arrogant or conceited as to consider myself as Australia’s answer to Mike Patton,” he says. “Patton has more talent and range in his little finger than I will ever have. But I’ve said this back even in the Frankenbok and Five Star Prison Cell days and I will say it again – there are worse things to be compared to. “It’s flattering, but there’s two sides to that coin. Sometimes, it’s done in a manner to insult me or have a dig at my so called ‘lack of originality.’ It doesn’t get to me at all – Patton was a huge influence on me growing up. I’m not going to deny that. He inspired me to be as versatile and as creative as I possibly could. His vocals on Faith No More’s Angel Dust and Mr Bungle’s debut album taught me that you can be a great vocalist, but it’s ideas that take you to the next level. All those rich layers and
“Over here it’s a big country and no one knows who I am, so I figured if I come over it might push me into something bigger. Maybe I’ll have a bit more hunger and want to push myself a bit harder. I feel like good artists move to different places and suck that culture in and then spew it out,” says Adelaide born songwriter Tom Gaynor. After establishing masses of fans and becoming the forefront of Australia’s rap scene, Gaynor, commonly known by his stage name of Allday, has made the move to America, now being based in L.A. for over two months and truly enjoying the cathartic experience of starting fresh. “It is kind of weird, but in another sense it’s not weird because it’s what I knew it would be like. It’s definitely still fun for me here though. I did a gig last week to maybe like a hundred people, but playing to people over here who know my songs and are getting really into it, it’s really cool and still super fun. It’s kind of fun starting over.” Gaynor first decided to make the international move after finishing the recording for his upcoming sophomore release Speeding. Gaynor describes Speeding as an exploration of new musical horizons for him as an artist, due to both the quality of equipment and precision put into the recording process. “We recorded Startup Cult [his debut album] in an open room in West Footscray that was a studio but not really - there was no real sound proofing at all. We did a little bit of mixing, like I might have changed a bass sound or something with Charlie, who is my engineer. But this time [with Speeding], we recorded properly. We went through a bunch of mics and changed mics to suit particular songs, which is all just part of making music. I mean that’s how you do it, but I had never really had that experience in the past.” Featuring the addition of collaborators Australian/South African hip-hop music producer Cam Bluff and Melbourne producer Mitch Graunke, Gaynor spent a lot of time in the studio shaping the album, ensuring all songs recorded were exactly how he wanted them. “We would take all the sounds and then just work with them. Sometimes we would do like 15 to 20 versions of a song that didn’t even make the album. It’s just mental trying to get everything all together there are so many different components,” he says.
I got rid of that monkey on my back of being a jaded musician and all of a sudden music was awesome again.
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“There are a lot of scraps from this album that could be made into other stuff. I’m always thinking about the ideas that I didn’t end up putting into the final product and different ways I finish them off - kind of like an extended directors cut that’ll most likely end up on YouTube one day.” Allday will be returning to Australia for his Speeding Tour, featuring his biggest headline shows to date. According to Gaynor, the excitement and nerves of the tour are blending together in preparation. “If they sell out or almost sell out, I’ll be pretty stoked because they are some pretty massive rooms so I am hoping that it goes well. It will be a cool tour. I played Festival Hall [Melbourne] a few years ago when I was supporting Lily Allen and I played a horrible gig, so I am hoping that maybe this time around I can have a good gig at Festival Hall - that’d be really nice!”
When & Where: Festival Hall, Melbourne - July 7 & Splendour in the Grass, Byron Bay – July 21-23 Release: Speeding - out April 21 via ONETWO.
the personification stuff he did was amazing. It blew my mind when I was 15. The voice can be an instrument too.” Although The Vogue of Ambition is a solo album, Glynn did have a little help from a guest artist, his cat Cornelius. “I was recording her meowing and then I was playing it back while looking at her face. She looked so puzzled and confused. I put some effects on it, played it again. She freaked out, knocked over and broke a vase and ran away. I figured if my cat hates it then I’m on the right path. “I recorded, produced and did everything myself. Even the artwork. I don’t have awesome musicians or amazing productions from DW Norton or Forrester Savell to hide behind anymore. But it was the most fun I’ve ever had recording. I really enjoyed and challenged myself on this album but not in a stressful way. I could do what I wanted and go at my own pace, experiment to find my sound and direction. Now that it’s done and finally out, it’s really exciting but scary at the same time. I’ve never felt so naked or exposed musically.”
Adam Glynn’s The Vogue of Ambition is out now independently.
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Jordan Rodrigues, chasing the dream
Dracula
Written by Amanda Sherring
Nelle Lee, the co-adaptor and love interest of Dracula Written by Alex Callan
After first been published in 1890, Bram Stoker’s Dracula has maintained significance for over a century to become one of gothic horrors most revelled pieces of literature ever. Now the harrowing yet beautiful tale has been re-imagined by Queensland’s shake & stir theatre company and has been horrifying audiences Australia-wide for the past five weeks since its premiere. According to Nelle Lee, one of the shows co-adaptors who also portrays Dracula’s love interest Mina, there was some initial difficulty adapting the novel whilst maintaining a dialogue that was coherent for a modern audience. “Something that was quite challenging but also very interesting to explore was trying to maintain the essence that Bram Stoker felt when he wrote it all of those years ago, and try to make it still as engaging and make it resonate with a modern audience,” Lee says. “When he [Stoker] wrote it back in 1890, it was quite shocking, it was all about a vampire coming into modern society and trying to sexualise all these women and try to change them into what he was. Obviously the shock of that and the way that it sits
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with a modern society now is extremely different, so it was pretty difficult to figure out where it sat with a modern audience while still keeping it faithful.” Lee also comments on the challenges faced by director Michael Futcher, and the extensive effort put in to re-create the gothic horror elements within the novel in a live setting. “It’s quite tricky and it’s not done very often, in particular by shows that tour around. That was a massive challenge when we started to produce the show,” she says. “Dracula is one of the most famous pieces of gothic literature ever and Bram Stoker was a genius when it came to creating atmosphere so that was immediately a main focus that we wanted to re-create. It was also a bit difficult because a lot
of it is written in letter format or journal entries, but he managed to create these scenes that were so atmospheric and really creepy and visceral just from using his words and he is asking the reader to use their imagination. “I think that what is most effective for us is the lighting and sound elements. Both of those components marry together so well in this show. The lighting and sound teams have both done a beautiful job, and then we have this epic set that embraces the gothic nature. “We really loved the challenge of putting on a thrilling, yet sexy show. We knew it was going to be difficult, but that was what attracted us to it.” When & Where: GPAC, Geelong – May 18 – 20. Tickets via gpac.org.au
When it comes to careers, a lot has changed for Jordan Rodrigues and his character Christian Reed in Dance Academy. Stepping slightly away from what they know, Reed has begun teaching and Rodrigues has made a crack for the music industry.
“In the film I actually don’t dance as much in the series and Christian has gone on to teaching,” Rodrigues says before adding, “I do a little bit of dancing”. “I’m in a different shape to the one I was in, in the series, but I’m also slightly envious because it would have been fun to dance a little bit more. But I do think I danced just the right amount of time in the movie...I don’t think any of us had been dancing consistently since the series, so hats off to them for making it work.” The same could be said for Rodrigues’ step into the music industry, having recently live streamed his backyard EP launch via socials and performed a gig of all originals at The Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles. “It was exactly how I imagined it would go,” he says. “I was quite nervous playing my original music in front of a crowd for the first time, but it went really well. I was over the moon with the
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response and just being on the stage and letting go for a bit.”
the guts to pitch it to Joanna Wermer without him,” he says.
Interestingly, music is a passion he also shares with fellow Dance Academy star Keiynan Lonsdale. After living together in Sydney filming the initial television series, the pair are now incredibly close, with Rodrigues confessing they can “call each other up about anything”.
Beyond music, Rodrigues is still following his passion for acting, having since starred in The Fosters, had an appearance on Hawaii Five-O and most recently wrapped up filming Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut of Lady Bird.
For Lonsdale, Rodrigues served as the motivation for him to step into his own solo career being the first person to ever hear him sing live. The musical bond and friendship soon took the duo to performing covers they released on YouTube. “When it comes to music [for us] it’s always about pushing the boundaries; writing, the sound, all that. He was actually the guy that told me I should pitch the first song I ever wrote to Dance Academy. And now that the movie is released it’s actually in the film and I probably wouldn’t have had
“It was a dream working with Greta, and also the cast. I don’t think I’ve worked with such seasoned actors before, so I’ve been learning a lot,” Rodrigues beams. “I was quite intimidated on set but I learnt a lot. It was nice to work with her so close and figure out tiny little details in the scene. Greta has such a good vibe on that set, it was very relaxed, very calm and a lot of fun.” With more acting roles surely in his future, it’s only fitting to take a look back to where it all began for the actor with Dance Academy’s newest film installment.
Geelong After Dark: Field of Beams Written by Talia Rinaldo
Above photo by Ferne Millen
Geelong After Dark returns this year, and with it comes the interactive music and technology experience, ‘Field of Beams’. Created by artists and business partners Glenn Schmidt and Ian Priddle (of Codeacious - a boutique software company), the duo have prepared a unique installation to reflect this year’s festival theme, ‘The Sound of Light’, which will see the city turn into a pop up night of the arts, transforming the streets, laneways and venues of Geelong’s CBD. Fast approaching the illuminating night, Priddle says Field of Beams is where individuals enter an invisible light field of infrared beams and move their bodies to control synthesisers, fat beats, and robotic lighting in real time, in turn creating their own 80s dance floor hits.
combining musical technology with game development technology, theatrical lighting systems, and virtual reality hardware. You [participants] will be standing in a literal field of beams, using light sensor controllers and you will be able to interact with sound objects in the room to affect the live musical composition with lighting to match. You’re controlling the lights as well as the musical composition.
“For this project we are combining a range of technologies that we’ve been working with and experimenting with to produce essentially an interactive art installation,” Priddle explains.
“Basically, you will be walking into a room that looks a lot like a nightclub, the music won’t be playing, but people will walk into a designated area and start building their own musical composition in 80s electronic.”
“We’re calling it ‘Field of Beams’ and what we’re doing is
Powered by custom software written specifically for the
event, the duo were inspired by their theatrical background, with Schmidt having a history in lighting design, and Priddle being a qualified audio engineer and have since been playing around with the technologies in their office. “Along with our backgrounds, the thing that really inspired us was actually the theme of the event this year being The Sound of Light. This is almost, almost, a very literal translation and interpretation of that theme,” he says. “We’re hoping that people should be able to play the room and almost DJ the room, and gather crowds essentially – that’s the goal.” This will be their second time participating in the annual event, which Priddle says
is a unique opportunity to showcase what Geelong’s artistic community can create and share in an open space. “It just seems really cool. We have done it before in a different way and through a different group in a previous year where we assisted with a magical theatre performance. We really just like showing off what Geelong can do, artistically, creatively, and technologically.”
When & Where: Geelong CBD - May 5 from 6.00pm to 10.00pm. Program highlights and event info at geelongafterdark.com.au
With surprises around every corner, the city will be overrun with edgy art, interactive performances, spoken word, projections, illuminations, live music, sound-scapes and exhibitions. The Field of Beams installation will be located at 113-115 Little Malop Street, in Market Square.
The Dark Mofo 2017 lineup is here Puttin’ on the Ritz is coming to Geelong and Bendigo Premiere theatre show ‘Puttin’ On The Ritz’ has been titled as a must see musical spectacular. The theatre show will feature music from Hollywood legends Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and George Gershwin. Hosted by the lovely Rob Mills, the show is set to entertain with its celebration of songs from the ‘Golden Age of Hollywood’. The show stops by Ulumbarra Theatre in Bendigo on September 5 and Costa Hall in Geelong on September 9.
Geelong After Dark returns for 2017 with theme, ‘The Sound of Light’ One of the highlights of the year for Geelong is the multi-disciplinary celebration of art, music and everything the CBD has to offer with the event Geelong After Dark. Set for Friday, May 5, the program is yet to be announced, but the theme for the year is ‘The Sound of Light’. Stay tuned to Forte for program announcements. Image by Ferne Millen Photography.
The barista in Geelong doing coffee cup art While from what we can tell it’s just a hobby and you don’t actually get one of these with your order (unless potentially if you ask really nicely), we’ve got serious respect for the barista jazzing up these coffee cups. Working from The Courtyard cafe at the back of the Inn, Jesse is the man you want making your coffees (whether he gives you an illustrated cup or just for his good coffee!).
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Street artist Baby Guerilla did a piece in North Geelong Melbourne street artist Baby Guerilla has just finished a commissioned piece of work in North Geelong, thanks to Harcourts Real Estate. The artwork features a young mother and her child along with a trail of suitcases behind her. The piece is painted on the side of the Harcourts Real Estate building at 127 Separation St, North Geelong.
Dark Mofo is an artistic exploration of the ritualistic, the sacred, the religious and an array of such concepts as humanity and nature, darkness and light, birth and death. Dark Mofo 2017 is packed with a diverse array of acts, including Mogwai, and Ulver. In addition to the musical, artists like Hermann Nitsch, Mike Parr and Chris Levine will be adding to the creative offerings of Dark Mofo. Dark Mofo takes place between Thursday July 8 and Wednesday July 21 in venues and spaces all across Hobart.
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Films reviewed by Anthony Morris
Reviews
↑↑ Land of Mine
↑↑ The Fate of the Furious
↑↑ Colossal
↑↑ Going in Style
↑↑ Their Finest
World War II might have finished (just), but there’s still a lot of cleaning up to do. After the Nazi occupation, the coast of Denmark had millions of mines buried under its beaches – and who better to dig them up than the men who helped bury them? Unfortunately thanks to the war most of those guys are dead and the POWs the Danes do have are barely more than boys woefully under-prepared to go out and dig up tonnes of high explosive. Beyond the obvious suspense – it’s safe to say not everyone who goes out to dig up the mines comes back – Danish film-maker Martin Zandvliet digs deep into the mindset of both the POWs and their captors. It’s gripping film-making, with an emotional punch that goes beyond the edge-of- the-seat tension to make this a film that’s hard to shake off once the credits roll.
There’s so much family in this latest instalment of the Fast and the Furious franchise that for once Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) can’t handle it - at all. While on his honeymoon in Cuba with Letty (Michelle Rodriguez, the only actress in the world who can seem comfortable kissing Vin Diesel) he’s approached by a mysterious woman (Charlize Theron), shown a video and next thing we know he’s betraying his family in the middle of a mission so top secret, it gets supercop Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) thrown in ultramax jail right across from arch enemy Ian Shaw (Jason Statham). Car-based carnage follows, though this instalment sees the franchise finally drifting into more traditional action territory, with the plot basically rivalling spymasters ordering their teams into a series of stunt sequences. It’s the first FF film in a while to not feel like a step up from the previous. Repeated hacking sequences reinforce the feel that finally we’re just covering old ground. That’s not to say this isn’t full of crazy sequences that are loads of fun to watch: if you like big stunt sequences, you will like this film. Relative newcomer Statham is the surprise winner here, with a number of strong action sequences that show off his talents and charisma: more of him please.
Forced to move back into her nowempty childhood home after her New York boyfriend Tim (Dan Stevens) throws her out for her boozy hardpartying ways, unemployed freelancer writer Gloria (Anne Hathaway) finds small-town life a real drag. Old schoolmate turned dive bar owner Oscar (Jason Sudeikis) welcomes her into his slightly seedy social circle, which provides her with both a nightlife and free drinks. But there’s a giant monster trashing Seoul, and it seems like – somehow – it has a connection to her. The monster is no metaphor (well, it is, but it’s also a very real monster trashing Seoul), and the straightforward way this treats its fantasy elements is a lot of fun. The depth lies in the performances: both Hathaway and Sudeikis make full use of the script’s subtleties to flesh out their flawed characters. Hathaway giving heart to someone who’s antics suggest deeper issues, while Sudeikis layers menace under the charm of a “nice guy”. Look beyond the genre trappings, which are workmanlike rather than blockbusterflashy (it’s no Godzilla) and this is at its core a small-scale film about bad relationships and the damage people – okay, men – do. It’s just that in this case, sometimes those people just happen to be thirty stories tall.
When his local bank is robbed while he’s in there being told that they’re about to throw him out of his house, retiree Joe (Michael Caine) puts two and two together and comes up with a way to make a couple of million dollars. It’s obviously too big a job for one man, so he lets his buddies Willie (Morgan Freeman) and Albert (Alan Arkin) in on the scheme. They’re sceptical… until it turns out the steel mill they all worked for is moving to China and taking their pensions with it. This too-gentle comedy only rarely taps into the anger towards the banks and corporate America of other recent bank robbery films like Hell or High Water, nor does it focus much at all on the somewhat obvious fact that this is a last hurrah for a group of men in the twilight of their lives. Instead it’s little more than a hang-out film where an extremely talented lead trio don’t have to do much more than sit around and be charming. The result isn’t exactly a bad film, but there’s only so far you can go coasting on the charisma of your leads. Everyone – the audience included – deserves better.
It’s the height of the Blitz in WWII London when advertising copywriter Catrin (Gemma Arterton) is tapped on the shoulder by scriptwriter Tom (Sam Claflin) for a potentially war-winning (but paid less than the chaps, obviously) job. Seems the War Office has decided a major film is needed to raise British morale, and for once a woman’s point of view should be considered. Sent to investigate twin sisters who took their drunken father’s boat to Dunkirk, Catrin finds a story – and in the crew that turns that story into a film, including charming old ham Ambrose (Bill Nighy), a family as well. An entertaining mix of lets-put-on-ashow teamwork, behind-the-scenes jokes about movie-making and a hefty slice of wartime romance – will Catrin’s marriage to a crippled artist (Jack Huston) survive her workplace bond with Tom? This is a film that lets us know it’s too smart for war movie clichés even as it revels in them. Thankfully this consistently funny film never gets too meta; while the old-timey movie production is often hilarious and the romance is solidly predictable, in the end both turn out to be surprisingly moving. Quality performances all round don’t hurt either; Nighy’s hammy actor performance never gets old.
The Film Wrap
Record Watch
Rhiannon Giddens, 2016 & 2017 Byron Bay Bluesfest star!
Raw:
Singles Simply Summed 01. Mac Demarco
Freedom Highway
On the Level
Freedom Highway, grammy award winning artists second solo album, pushing the frontiers of Americana, authentic southern bluesy, rootsy soul infused folk and bluegrass!
80’s / warp / dream
02. Mesa Cosa Matate
For fans of: Valerie June or Gillian Welch
High / speed / destruction
Available at Real Music Geelong
03. Tulalah Lungs Slow / strum / moan
www.pivotcinema.com.au
32 Reviews
Berlin Syndrome: An Australian tourist goes home with a cute guy in East Berlin, only to find he won’t let her leave in this so-so thriller from Cate (Somersault) Shortland.
Eagle Huntress
Land of Mine
Frantz
Met Opera - Rusalka
2016 | Sport/Adventure | 1h 41m
2015 | Drama/History | 1h 41m
2016 | Drama/History | 1h 53m
apr sat 22: 10.00am, wed 26: 11.00am
apr thu 20: 1.00pm, fri 21: 8.30pm, sat 22: 4.30pm, sun 23: 7.45pm, mon 24: 2.30pm, tue 25: 4.45pm, wed 26: 3.15pm, thu 27: 2.00pm, sat 29: 1.00pm, may mon 1: 11.00am, tue 2: 3.30pm, wed 3:11.00am
apr thu 20: 5.15pm, fri 21: 12.15pm, 6.30pm, sat 22: 6.30pm, sun 23: 3.30pm, mon 24: 8.30pm, tue 25: 2.45pm, 6.30pm, wed 26: 5.30pm, thu 27: 8.45pm, fri 28: 11.00am, sat 29: 5.00pm, sun 30: 9.00pm, may mon 1: 5.30pm, tue 2: 7.30pm, wed 3: 1.00pm
apr fri 21: 4.15pm, sat 22: 2.15pm, sun 23: 5.30pm, mon 24: 4.15pm, tue 25: 8.30pm, wed 26: 3.15pm, fri 28: 3.30pm, sun 30: 6.45pm, may tue 2: 1.00pm
Country Doctor
Jasper Jones Cnr. Moorabool & Verner St. South Geelong
When a French vegan veterinary student is doused with blood in a hazing ritual, she develops a taste for flesh… all kinds of flesh. This slow burn horror with a feminist slant leaves audiences with a lot of chew on.
2017 | Mystery/Drama film | 1h 45m
apr thu 20: 3.00pm, mon 24: 6.30pm, wed 26: 7.30pm, sat 29: 11.00am
A Street Cat named Bob 2016 | Biography | 1h 43m
apr fri 21: 2.15pm, sat 22: 8.30pm, mon 24: 12.30pm, sun 30: 11.00am
FORTÉ 662
The Salesman 2016 | Drama/Thriller | 2h 5m
apr sun 23: 1.15pm, tue 25: 12.30pm, sat 29: 9.00pm, may mon 1: 1.00pm, wed 3: 5.45pm
2016 | Drama/Comedy | 1h 42m
apr thu 27: 12.00pm, 4.00pm, fri 28: 1.15pm, 8.30pm, sat 29: 3.00pm, 7.00pm, sun 30: 1.00pm, 4.45pm, may mon 1: 3.30pm, 7.30pm, tue 2: 11.00am, 5.30pm, wed 3:3.15pm
Le Ride 2016 | Sport/Biography | 1h 30m
apr sun 30: 3.00pm
Supanova Comic Con and Gaming Expo Beginning in Sydney in 2002, Supanova now takes place in six cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast) and is Australia’s homegrown celebration of all things pop culture. With a slight name change this year to the Supanova Comic Con and Gaming Expo, it brings the event closer to what it has achieved over the past 15 years. Supanova is where fandom comes to life, celebrating the worlds of film and television, fantasy, comic books, anime, scifi, cartoons, books, gaming and collectables. There’s ‘cosplay’ (costume-role play), fan clubs, musical performances, creative
master classes, celebrity Q&As, wrestling, tournaments and competitions, and an expo full of shopping possibilities meaning there’s something for everyone, for every fan to have a blast! Getting there: Trains run from Southern Cross Station to the Showground roughly every 20-40 minutes, and the same goes for the trip back. You can also ride the Route 57 tram from Elizabeth/ Flinders Street to Epsom Road/ Sandown Road and walk the remaining 200 metres to the entrance. If you’re driving, enter via Gate 7 and be prepared for $10 for parking. How much? Tickets range from the $55 (prepurchased or $70 at the door) for a Supa-fan weekend pass that gets you access to the site over the weekend to individual day passes that are $32 prepurchased or $40 at the door. VIP tickets are also available and offer such perks as an invitation to the exclusive Supanova VIP Party on the Saturday night.
Who’s there: Bringing international (as well as national) stars to our shores, Supanova never ceases to have some of the finest actors, voice actors, comic writers and more at the event each year. This year sees the likes of David Boreanaz from Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Natalie Dormer from Game of Thrones, John Jarratt from Wolf Creek, Rebecca Breeds from The Originals and Pretty Little Liars, voice actor Vic Mignogna from Fullmetal Alchemist and Dragon Ball Z and many, many more. The Cosplay Competition: The Supanova Cosplay Competition has been going strong for 10 years now and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. The competition sees entrants dressed in their best renditions of characters from television, film, comics and more and judged based on six categories; best in show, best cosplay, best craftsmanship, best performance, best group and judges award.
When & Where: Melbourne Showgrounds, April 28-30 Visit: http://www. supanova.com.au/ for more information.
cd r e vi e w s
↑↑ Horris Green
↑↑ Mastodon
↑↑ Sarah Carroll & The Left Wing
The Dog Line
Emperor Of Sand
Star Parade
More Scared Of You Than You Are Of Me
Independent
Reprise Records
SugarRush Music
Pool House Records / Remote Control Records
Reviewed by Chelsea King
Reviewed by Paul S Taylor
Reviewed by Dr John Lamp
Reviewed by Chelsea King
Brendan O’Brien has returned to production duties on this album which comes with that amazing sound Mastodon had on Crack The Skye. I was hoping Emperor Of Sand would be the massive prog fest Crack The Skye was, but this isn’t the case. Closing track ‘Jaguar God’ is the prog stand out that builds from a slow, calm strum to an amazingly heavy climax. Rock-radio-bait ‘Show Yourself’ is catchy as all f*ck and the lyrics “you’re not as safe as far as I can tell, and I can tell” just make so much sense. ‘Sultan’s Curse’ is an amazing showcase of how this band puts songs together so brilliantly, and tracks ‘Ancient Kingdom’, ‘Andromeda’ and ‘Roots Remain’ are amazing for their own reasons. All of the vocals sound amazing, but Troy Sanders’ grey, smoky vocals are thicker, greyer and smokier as they rise up, spread out, and engulf. A lot of the tracks on the album end up taking a different direction than expected from the outset, and whilst that keeps the album unpredictable, it kinda feels like a lot of opportunities were missed. Then again, it’s Mastodon and we all know that these guys can create hundreds more killer tracks that we love.
If opera can be thought of as the musical version of a novel, then ballads are the short story. I have always admired the short story – neat, direct and self-contained. Alan Marshall vs Tolkein! Sarah Carroll is a great exponent of the ballad. The core of the Left Wing is Leigh Ivin (guitar and keys), George Wilson (bass and percussion) and Ronny Rindo (drums and percussion), with all of them contributing backing vocals. For me there are a number of special tracks on the new CD Star Parade. ‘Wives Know’ is a very forthright description of something that every husband has long suspected. I’ve already drawn the attention of a few car nut friends to ‘Heaven is my Holden with the Windows Down’. It brings back many 1960’s memories of the old EJ. The songs celebrate life and reminiscing, a lot of it to do with being on the road, a big part of a musician’s life. Sarah often includes a tongue in cheek track (I still haven’t gotten over ‘Vegetarian Truck Driving Man’) and ‘Star Parade’ has one. ‘Small Courtesy’ is the expression of all musicians’ angst, well all performers’ angst, when their performance is marred by carelessness in the stalls.
More Scared Of You Than You Are Of Me is an exploration into relationships, anxiety and nostalgia. Wil Wagner commands the lyrical narrative of The Smith Street Band’s fourth album in a manner that is more vulnerable and honest than ever before. Each of the twelve tracks showcases quintessential Smith Street lyrics, Wagner somehow managing to achieve the amalgamation of a dark and heavy, yet also cheeky verse. Featuring good friend Jess Locke, ‘Birthdays’ is one of the first singles off the record. This track describes an idealised relationship, Wagner imagining a girl that will ‘be the one’. This fantasy narrative has lighter tones, highlighted in lyrics such as “I don’t mean to put the pressure on, I got a few names for a daughter, can’t think of one for a son”. The silent hero of the album however is ‘Young Once’. Written during a hot summer afternoon by the pool, the track details it’s when we look back in retrospect that we realise the important moments. The song fades on the lyrics “we were happy once” into a nostalgic haze. The Smith Street Band are about to embark on their biggest tour yet and I can assure you that this is one not to miss.
The combination of blues and thrash theoretically shouldn’t be a good match but Ballarat duo Horris Green make it seem effortless on their new EP The Dog Line. The band has come a long way since their first EP, having since supported legends such as The Smith Street Band, Apes and Clowns. ‘Boy’, the third track on the EP, encapsulates the band’s unique sound. The track starts off with a soft walking bass line, typical of the blues genre. Lachlan Murphy’s crooning vocals then leads the song into a quintessential headbanging chorus. ‘Kind Enough To Wait’ is another track that’s hard not to nod along to. The repetition of lyrics such as “it’s not my problem” creates the sense of a great rock chorus that’s easy to sing along to. A forewarning; the music video to this song will make you want to buy a ticket to see the band live. The sounds on The Dog Line are mature and cleverly crafted. If Horris Green continue to write such good songs as these, they will only go far. The boys are taking this EP on the road, make sure you catch them at Melbourne, Warrnambool, Bendigo or Ballarat.
FORTÉ 662
↑↑ The Smith Street Band
Reviews 33
pop culture
pulp
blues news
too heavy to hug
SURFBEAT
Written by Anthony Morris
Written by Alastair McGibbon
Written by john (dr john) lamp
Written by Paul S. Taylor
By John Foss
I s i t all over for Marvel? That’s the tough question just about nobody is seriously asking: their movie franchises rumble onward with no sign of slowing, their future plans continue to stretch off far into the future, and their television department… actually yeah, there’s a bit of a problem there. Marvel’s latest series for Netflix, Iron Fist, didn’t so much splash as fall flat upon release, as many critics and fans gave the thumbs down to a series with a premise – white guy goes to Asia, learns martial arts, is better at it than any Asian – that was pretty iffy back when it first appeared in comic form in the 70s. A better series than Iron Fist probably could have won people over despite the dodgy premise, but with Iron Fist it seemed as if a tipping point was reached: while critics had been pointing out that Marvel’s Netflix series were kind of bloated and drawn-out since the first series of Daredevil (a result of Netflix’s streaming model, where quantity is valued over quality – the idea is to keep you watching, not get you to come back), with Iron Fist it was like everyone finally started shouting “get on with it”. Again, a better series could have survived this (arguably, both Jessica Jones and Luke Cage did), but the perfect storm of suck that was Iron Fist meant that barely a week after its arrival it was already dead and buried. Which is a problem for Marvel, as their business model both in movies and on television is built around creating a series of movies / TV series that audiences have to watch in order to get on board with the next one. When it works, it’s great: it funnels viewers from one show to the next without having to worry about coming up with all - new exciting ideas each time. But if one part of the system fails, then suddenly you’ve given audiences a jumpingoff point. If Iron Fist is no good, why bother with Marvel’s upcoming The Defenders, in which Iron Fist will play a large role? At least with their movies, Marvel has worked to broaden out their appeal of, switching between stand-alone-ish movies like Ant-Man and Doctor Strange with more core titles like Captain America: Civil War and the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok. But even then, it’s a tricky balancing act: this month’s Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 is probably safe, following up as it does a successful original, but at what stage do they start to tie it in tighter to the main Marvel Universe? And what if it turns out that what people like about it is the way it’s not all about Iron Man? Again, while they’re punching out two (or three, counting the latest Spider-Man) movies a year Marvel can afford to mix things up a little; if one stinks, there’s another one coming along that just might turn it around. But on television, they can’t afford another screw-up like Iron Fist: it’s a whole lot easier to change the channel than it is to walk out of a movie you’ve just paid big bucks to see.
34 COLUMNS
H e y gang, w e lc o m e back to another edition of Pulp! I hope you’ve all enjoyed the Easter break – I know I have, sleep ins are the best – and I hope you’re keen to jump back in like I am. Funnily enough, this sudden turn to bad weather (at the time of writing, I’m pretty sure it’s rained literally all day) has meant that I’ve really been able to dive into my “to-read” pile and wrap my head around some of the best stories I’ve read in ages. This time around, I’ve picked up a title by DC’s resident master of prose Grant Morrison and classic Batman tale: Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne. Our ol’ mate Grant is known for his love of non-linear stories and boy, is this one a doozy. After the events of the cataclysmic Final Crisis event, Bruce Wayne is missing, presumed dead, after being blasted with (typically lethal) Omega Beams by the intergalactic super-super villain Darkseid. However, Batman being, well, Batman, isn’t dead – instead, he was blasted backwards through time, and awakens – sans memory – in an eerily familiar cave in the Palaeolithic Era. Acting more on instinct than anything else, Bruce begins to fight his way through time, era by era – he adopts the persona of Brother Mordecai, a witch hunter in Colonial Gotham, fights Blackbeard in the age of pirates and investigates his own parents’ murder in an unnamed, Noir Gotham. All the while, his colleagues in the Justice League desperately track him through time, constantly one step behind, but determined to stop Batman from returning to the present lest Darkseid’s final revenge take place. Explaining it all in summary makes it sound so much clearer than it actually is. Grant Morrison is the kind of writer that’s attracted a vast collection of fans – long time readers will remember that my colleague and co-writer Cameron was one – but I have to say that even after all this time I’m still sort of on the fence. It could well be that I’m just an uncultured, literaturephobe (is that even a word?), but I often feel that I’ve missed something important once I’ve finished reading, or that large portions of the story have simply flown over my head. I suspect part of that is due to Morrison’s love of digging up old or super-obscure characters and reusing them – for example, one of his most well-known villains, Dr Simon Hurt, first appeared as a one-off, nameless psychologist literally decades ago. He’s not the kind of author that will let you take things at face value; he’ll quite frequently bury plot points under layers of metaphor and implications, which inevitably leads to multiple re-reads to fully appreciate the story. It’s a very psychological story – though perhaps not as much as its predecessor, Batman RIP (also written by Morrison) – and seems to be standard Morrison fare. Given that the book has twelve – twelve – artists, it’s safe to say that the art is pretty varied. Each era has its own art style, with some changing slightly part way through. Some styles work better than others – the Colonial art style is very off-putting, while the pirate-era art is great – but given the sheer number of people involved, I’m really not surprised that some styles appeal more. To be honest, I wouldn’t recommend any of Morrison’s work to a new comic reader. To be honest, I’d classify his work as the “hard mode” of comics; once you’re used to the medium, I say dive in, but until you’re at a certain level of knowledge and understanding, Morrison’s probably not the best writer to start with.
proudly presented by the sleepy hollow blues club Tomcat Playground is a new act on the blues scene, but if I was to mention Ali Penney and the Moneymakers, The Jacky Howellers and the Sound of KoKo, that would probably ring a few bells. The Playground has been formed using some of the east coast’s finest blues musicians from those bands. It is a four piece, consisting of guitarist Dave Blanken, bass player Mike Rix (both from the award winning Ali Penney & the Moneymakers), Dan Sullivan (The Jacky Howellers) and Greg Clark (Sound of Koko). The act announced itself with a knockout performance at the 2016 Sydney blues festival, showing the influences of such U.S greats as Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf and Freddie King. Delivering a high energy, swinging style of traditional blues reminiscent of an era of Saturday night Juke joints, back alley gambling haunts and jazz bars, the act delivers both an electrified and acoustic style of blues guitar and harmonica backed by a superb rhythm section, ensuring audiences consistently leave gigs sweating, smiling and wanting more. This followed with an appearance on the sell-out P&O “Blues Cruise.” The cruise was an amazing four days from Sydney up to Morton Island, off Brisbane, and back. The cruise featured jam sessions with their musicians, concerts in the Marquee, music quizzes and Q&As with the musicians. Tomcat Playground have a video taken on the cruise on their Facebook page – kill two birds with one stone: hear them, and get a feel for the cruise. Feedback from passengers (via social media, not P&O material) was incredibly positive. I don’t know about you, but I’m keeping an eye out for the next one. They have also secured a place at the upcoming “Blues on Broadbeach” 2017. “Blues at Broadbeach” is on at the Gold Coast from May 18 – 21, and is a free festival, so you’d better get sorted asap. There’s an amazing line-up – check it on www.bluesonbroadbeach.com. Currently Tomcat Playground is working on a CD, which is expected to be out at the end of April – perhaps in time for their Geelong gig. At the time of writing, they are trying to select a title. Some suggestions on their Facebook page include ‘You can’t kill Onion Grass’, ‘Pussy Pattin’, ‘Officer Dibble’s Blues’ and ‘On the Prowl.’ I think I’d vote for ‘On the Prowl.’ They deliver a high energy, swinging style of traditional blues reminiscent of an era of Saturday night Juke joints, back alley gambling haunts and jazz bars, Tomcat Playground are ensuring audiences consistently leave gigs sweating, smiling and wanting more. I like their reinvigorating a tradition of music with their own brand of flair, this act is not one to miss for the pure blues follower. These blokes are based in Sydney, so it’s not often that we will have this opportunity. It could be a long time before they head this far south (at least until winter is over) so don’t miss out. Tomcat Playground will be at Sleepy Hollow Blues Club, back of Trades Hall on April 23rd .
Welcome to THTH, Forte’s premier source of all things heavy, hard, fast and metal. If you have a spare fifteen bucks you want to put towards a proper good cause then look no further than Kingdom Of Kai, an Australian metal compilation CD out now. Renowned rock photographer Mick Goddard’s son, Kai Goddard, was born on May 27, 2008, with a hole in his heart and his liver on the outside of his body, and survived the one in four chance of making it. After his birth, Kai underwent four surgeries to put his liver back in his body and fix his heart. Many complications followed including a collapsed lung and his liver dislodged. All in all, this young boy spent his first 80 days of his life in hospital. Then, still in his first year of life, during his fifth operation, little Kai suffered a major heart attack, was placed on a blood pumping machine for 11 days and again survived. Kai still experiences constant health issues, requires round the clock care and attention, and undergoes numerous operations. Mick Goddard and guitarist Stu Marshall have put together Kingdom Of Kai, a compilation album where all tracks have been donated by Aussie metal bands (Lord, Taberah, Vanishing Point, Silent Knight Mason and many more), the artwork and design donated by All Things Rotten, and all of the proceeds of the sale of the compilation will contribute to the massive and mounting medical costs the Goddard family is facing. The compilation is now available from kingdomofkai.bigcartel.com and for only fifteen bucks (plus postage) you get some great local metal and you’re doing a fantastic thing by supporting young Kai (who will soon be nine) and his family. Heck, buy two, one for you and one for someone who wouldn’t buy it because they don’t know about Kai and they may not like metal, and bring them in to the world of metal. In other news Ayreon will release their new album The Source on Friday April 28. God Dethroned will release their new album The World Ablaze on Friday May 5. Hate will release their new album Tremendum on Friday May 5. Dead Letter Circus will release The Endless Mile, a collection of songs reimagined, on Friday May 12. Sydney black metal band Somnium Nox will release their debut album Terra Inanis on Monday May 15. Below will release their new album Upon A Pale Horse on Friday May 19. Dragonforce will release their new album Reaching Into Infinity on Friday May 19 and the band will play 170 Russell on Wednesday June 21. Devin Townsend Project will return to Oz and play Melbourne’s 170 Russell on Wednesday May 24 which is sold out, but a second show has been announced at the same venue for Tuesday May 23. Solstafir will release their new album Berdreyminn on Friday May 26. Winter’s Eve 2017 featuring Holy Serpent, El Colosso, Agonhymn, Merchant and many others will be at The Eastern in Ballarat on Saturday May 27. A portion of the door charge will be donated to the local soup bus. Sikth will release their new album The Future In Whose Eyes? on Friday June 2. Anathema will release their new album The Optimist on Friday June 9. Primordial will play Melbourne’s Max Watts on Friday July 7.
If you have any news about local metal bands, shows or albums, let THTH know by emailing to tooheavytohug@ hotmail.com or get in touch via Twitter at @TooHeavyToHug
FORTÉ 662
1984 THE YEAR A ROCK BAND SPONSORED A SURF CONTEST 1984 was a big year in the world of surfing. It was a year when a group of younger surfers led by Tom Carroll, Martin Potter and Tom Curren started to shake down the old guard of Mark Richards, Cheyne Horan and Shaun Tomson. Surfboards were changing as modern three fin ‘thruster’ surfboards took over from single and twin fin surfboards. Down Torquay way, the Bells Beach Surfing Festival had a new sponsor and it wasn’t a car or beer company, it was a rock band and one of the countries biggest – Australian Crawl. For the previous five years Australian Crawl ruled the pubs and airwaves of Australia. Now they were the first band in the world to sponsor a surf contest… the longest running and most prestigious surfing contest in the world at Bells Beach. 1984 and Aussie Crawl were at the peak of their musical powers. The previous year, the four track EP Semantics dominated the Australian charts with hits ‘Reckless’ and ‘She Don’t Like That’. The band had just signed with Geffen Records in the USA and supported Duran Duran on their most recent tour of the UK. Easter 84 and the band headed down to Torquay to record a music clip and sit on the beach soaking up the sun while the world’s best surfers competed in the Rip Curl/Australian Crawl Surfing Festival. ‘The Boys Light Up’ was a hit for the band back in 1980. Easter Friday 1984 and the band spent the night in the Torquay Hotel shooting a new film clip for the song while local ‘youths’ ran amok outside trying to get into the pub to see the action. Police were called, blood was spilt… it made for a great film clip. Back at Bells times were a changing. Former world champs Rabbit Bartholomew and Shaun Tomson were knocked out early while young guns Tom Carroll and Tom Curren raced through their heats. James Reyne and other members of the band hung out on the hill watching the action while former world surfing legend Nat Young roamed the beach with two film crews capturing the action for his latest surfing documentary. Cheyne Horan rocked up to Bells Beach that year with a surfboard that looked like a teardrop. The board featured a fin designed by Ben Lexcen that copied the shape of the winged keel from Australia II that had won the America’s Cup yacht race the previous year. The surfers hit the waves by day and the tequila by night and on Easter Tuesday the final was held in small high tide waves with Tom Carroll narrowly losing to Cheyne Horan who literally flew down the small waves on his wing-keel surfboard. That night Aussie Crawl once again played at the event presentation night while the cameras rolled for the music clip and documentary and everyone went home with sore heads and ringing ears. Australian Crawl would sponsor the event again in 1985 and then disband the year after. A band sponsoring a surf contest… a few of us were lucky to see that!
FORTÉ 662
COLUMNS 35
#Fortéscenepix
barwon club
t h e in n
beav ’s bar
p ist o l p e t e ’ s
sl ate pool lounge
pis tol pete’s
b a r w on club
sl ate pool l ounge
the deck
the inn
piano bar
th e deck
piano bar
connect to people, places and events on socialpagesvip.com 36 Scenepix
FORTÉ 662
lamby’s
beav’s bar
b la c k ma n ’ s bar
bl ackm an’s bar
geelong hotel
lamby’s
geelong hotel
connect to people, places and events on socialpagesvip.com FORTÉ 662
Scenepix 37
The guide
THE LOFT (Warrnambool): Horris Green MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL ODYSSEY TAVERN AND BREWERY: John Henderson PISTOL PETES: Diddy Reyes 59 Rockers SUTTONS HOUSE OF MUSIC: Motor City Sounds UNO DANCECLUB: Running Touch WORKERS CLUB GEELONG: The Resignators & Los Kung Fu Monkeys, The Half Pints, Ska Bang YEMAYA FESTIVAL BENDIGO
T HUR S 20TH
SA T 22N D
AIREYS PUB: BABUSHKA LOUNGE: Tennyson King Words Out Loud BEAVS BAR: Dean McInnes APOLLO BAY HOTEL: Alfi Rockers Band CHERRY BAR: Fulton Street BABUSHKA LOUNGE: THE DECK: Uni Night Birahny Lawrence EDGE GEELONG: BARWON CLUB: MDRN Live Music and DJ Love, Gymnastics in EUREKA HOTEL: the 70s, Macka Heard Opening: The Festival & Ella Sweeny Thrift Shop Party” ft. JDG, BEAVS BAR: Dave Shameless, Fresh Kiwi, DJ Anderson Philly, Jacob Warren BELMONT HOTEL: GPAC: Mike McClellan Live Band MELBOURNE CHERRY BAR: Fluff, Grim INTERNATIONAL Rhythm, Redro Redriguez COMEDY FESTIVAL & His Inner Demons MUSIC MAN MEGASTORE: EDGE: Live Music and DJ Open Mic Night GEELONG RSL: Grasshoper PISTOL PETES: Americana (House band) Nights with Jojo Rainwater GROVEDALE HOTEL: PLAYHOUSE GEELONG: Max Rudd Kasey Chambers HOMEHOUSE: Shameless, UNWINED CELLAR DJ Chango, Holmes John BAR: Tennyson King IRISH MURPHY’S: WORKERS CLUB Andy Forster GEELONG: Music KAROVA LOUNGE: Vic Workshops Good Boy/Jarrow F R I 2 1ST MAJOR TOM’S KYNETON: Alexander Biggs BABUSHKA LOUNGE: MEATSTOCK FESTIVAL Tracey Hogue & Peter & Kristine MELBOURNE BARWON CLUB: Hills Hoist, INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL Vintage Crop, Mosaicz MUSIC MAN MEGASTORE: BEAVS BAR: Jeff Jordan Lazarus Mode BELMONT HOTEL: ODYSSEY TAVERN AND Live Band BREWERY: Ben Dew BLACK HATT: In Bed by 9 Prehistoric sounds THE BRIDGE grand opening (Castlemaine): PISTOL PETES: Electric Ben Wright Smith Blues Collective + The Big Blue QUEENSCLIFF CHERRY BAR: Chris BREWHOUSE: Kenny Miller Wilson, Lazarus Mode, Ragdoll (WA), Sonic Circus, THE SPHINX: Wooshka Cosmic Kahuna, Prince UNO DANCECLUB: Tribute, Tiny Dancer A-Tonez & Ember CITY QUARTER BAR: Live WORKERS CLUB entertainment and DJ GEELONG: Ben THE EASTERN: Sonny Wright Smith and the Sunsets SUN 23RD EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ BARWON CLUB: Five Buck Sundays!, This’s For Abbey GATEWAY GEELONG: Adam Brand BEAVS BAR: Luke Biscan GROVEDALE HOTEL: Della BELMONT HOTEL: Sunday Sessions GPAC: 100% Kylie Live In Concert CHERRY BAR: Steve HOME HOUSE: Homehouse Boyd’s Rum Reverie Fridays Party with Djs CITY QUARTER: Live music and DJ from 4pm IRISH MURPHY’S: Luke Biscan GROVEDALE HOTEL:
38 The Guide
Luke Biscan MEATSTOCK FESTIVAL MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL MUSIC MAN MEGASTORE: The Write Stuff ODYSSEY TAVERN AND BREWERY: Georgia Rogers PISTOL PETES: Sunday Soul Sessions Paul Slattery Soul Trio QUEENSCLIFF BREWHOUSE: Covered Ink Duo SUTTONS HOUSE OF MUSIC: Patrick McCabe UNO DANCECLUB: Mondae – Anzac Day Eve ft Ara Koufax
M ON 24T H BEAVS BAR: Luke Biscan CHERRY BAR: Cherry Jam Mondays, Brian El Dorado & the Tuesday People, Lake Minnetonka, The Hornstars LORNE HOTEL: Anzac Eve
TUE S 25 T H CHERRY BAR: Horris Green, The Black Alleys, Electric Mud GEELONG RSL: Anzac Day PISTOL PETES: Tex Miller
WE D 26T H THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Master of Dartness and Poker from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Open Mic, Karaoke, Luke Biscan CHERRY BAR: Ablaze, Rio & The Reservoir Dogs, Warbirds KAROVA LOUNGE: The All Seeing Hand THE LOFT (Warrnambool): Desecrator PISTOL PETES: Tony J King
THU RS 27 T H BABUSHKA LOUNGE: Kristen Mac BEAVS BAR: Andy Forster CHERRY BAR: Soul in the Basement, Beautiful Beasts THE DECK: Uni Night THE EASTERN: Desecrator EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ THE LOFT (Warrnambool): Benny Mayhem PISTOL PETES: Pistol Blues Roulette with Zevo Hiltz SUTTONS HOUSE OF MUSIC: The Price is Wrong WOOL EXCHANGE GEELONG: Client Liaison
FILM FESTIVAL Angus ft Sweet Felicia BLACK HATT: Bad QUEENSCLIFF Cat Rockers BREWHOUSE: Lukey Luke THE BRIDGE STRATEGEM BENDIGO (CASTLEMAINE): WINEMAKERS FESTIVAL The Jump Starters SUPANOVA CITY QUARTER BAR: SUTTONS HOUSE OF Friday Unwind from MUSIC: Vonda Bouys 5pm. Live with live & the Falsettos entertainment and DJ THE SPHINX HOTEL: CHERRY BAR: Chris Inxsive, Mr Meaner Wilson, Surfrockarama, The ULUMBARRA THEATRE Tarantinos, Los Tremoleros, (Bendigo): Lior & The Vibrajets, Black Bats Paul Grabowsky THE CORNER HOTEL: UNO DANCECLUB: Spiderbait, Tumbleweed Poolclvb THE EASTERN: Rumours by Fleetwood Mac S UN 3 0 T H EDGE GEELONG: BARWON CLUB: Five Live Music and DJ Buck Sundays!, Dean & Al GATEWAY HOTEL: (Good Faces 4 Radio) Absolutely 80s Tour BELMONT HOTEL: GROVEDALE HOTEL: Sunday Sessions Max Rudd BENDIGO QUEER HOME HOUSE: Homehouse FILM FESTIVAL Fridays Party with Djs CAPITAL THEATRE: IRISH MURPHY’S: Spooky Men’s Chorale Dean Cockerall CHERRY BAR: Spoonful, KOROIT IRISH FESTIVAL The Thoughts, Dan Brodie THE LOFT CITY QUARTER: Perfect (Warrnambool): Sunday Sesh Live music Wanderers and DJ from 4pm ODYSSEY TAVERN AND EDGE GEELONG: BREWERY: Jimjamz Live Music and DJ OLD CHURCH ON THE HILL GROVEDALE HOTEL: (Bendigo): Deer Prudence Dean Cockerell old hepburn KOROIT IRISH FESTIVAL hotel: Liz Stringer ODYSSEY TAVERN AND PISTOL PETES: BREWERY: Eric Stribley Jump Devils THE OTWAY FOOD & SUTTONS HOUSE OF FIBRE SHOWCASE MUSIC: Emma Pask PISTOL PETES: Disco WOOL EXCHANGE Rockers (Tim Neal, Jeff GEELONG: Client Liaison Raglus & Simon Dawe WORKERS CLUB QUEENSCLIFF GEELONG: Ali Barter BREWHOUSE: Blues Sunday Session: SAT 29TH Chris Wilson SUPANOVA AIREYS PUB: Live music: New Savages SUTTONS HOUSE OF MUSIC: Paige Duggan Duo APOLLO BAY HOTEL: Traffic Jam Torquay bowls club: Liz Stringer BARWON CLUB: Damnations Day, Kill M O N 1 S T MAY Death Radio, Resonance BEAVS BAR: Jeff Jordan CHERRY BAR: Cherry Jam Mondays BELMONT HOTEL: Live Band T UES 2 N D BENDIGO QUEER THE DECK: Lukey’s FILM FESTIVAL Open Mic Nights CHERRY BAR: Darcee MAX WATT’S Fox, Bad Moon Born, (MELBOURNE): Sudden State The Darkness THE CORNER HOTEL: PISTOL PETE’S: Tex Miller Spiderbait, Tumbleweed
EDGE: Live Music and DJ GEELONG RSL: Comedy Night GROVEDALE HOTEL: Dear Ivy HOMEHOUSE: Sunshine, Holmes John, DJ C Ram IRISH MURPHY’S: FRI 28T H David Anderson BABUSHKA LOUNGE: KAROVA LOUNGE: Rachel Martino & Peking Duk Stephen Russell BARWON CLUB: Desecrator, KOROIT IRISH FESTIVAL northcote social Destruktor, Hidden Intent, club: Liz Stringer Blackhelm, Nemesium BEAVS BAR: Luke Biscan ODYSSEY TAVERN AND BREWERY: BELMONT HOTEL: James Sidebottom Live Band PISTOL PETE’S: Josh BENDIGO QUEER
FORTÉ 662
WED 3 R D 170 RUSSELL: The Darkness THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Master of Dartness and Poker from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Open mic, karaoke, Luke Biscan THE BRIDGE HOTEL: Baby Blue KAROVA LOUNGE: Ali Barter PISTOL PETE’S: T.K. Reeves
EATING OUT MO ND AY ELEPHANT & CASTLE: GOLD DIGGERS: OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): THE SPORTING GLOBE:
$23 Steak & Drink night $10 Lunch Specials Frugal Foodies $20 menu Half Price Wings, Ribs & Pints
TUES D AY BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Pizza Night BIRD ROCK: Vegetarian Night ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $23 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13 GOLD DIGGERS: $15 Burger or Parmi IRISH MURPHY’S: $15 Parmi Night THE SPORTING GLOBE: $15.90 Angus Rump or $19.90 Porterhouse
WED NES D AY BIRD ROCK: GEELONG RSL: GOLD DIGGERS: IRISH MURPHY’S: OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): THE SPORTING GLOBE:
Steak Night, Drinks Specials Pot and Parmi Night $13 $25 Express Lunch $15 Burger Night Frugal Foodies $20 menu $14.90 MVP Parmas & $8.90 Pints + Jam Jars
T HUR S D AY BARWON HEADS HOTEL: BIRD ROCK: ELEPHANT & CASTLE: GOLD DIGGERS: IRISH MURPHY’S: OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): THE SPORTING GLOBE:
Parmi Night Mexican Night; $10 Margaritas $22 Seafood & Chips Night Happy hour 5-6 $20 Steak Night Frugal Foodies $20 menu $14.90 burgers, &15.90 Jugs
FR I D AY BAR 61 TORQUAY: BARWON HEADS HOTEL: BIRD ROCK: ELEPHANT AND CASTLE: GOLD DIGGERS: IRISH MURPHY’S: THE SPORTING GLOBE:
Burger & Beer Happy Hour 5 - 7 Steak Night Friday Night Vibes Thank Guinness It’s Friday! Happy hour 5 - 6 Happy Hour 5 - 7 Double Desserts - Buy 1, Get 1 Free
S AT UR D AY BAR 61 TORQUAY: Burger & Beer Happy Hour 5-7 BIRD ROCK: Friday Night Vibes THE SPORTING GLOBE: $20 Bud, Heineken 3 & Sparkling Buckets
S UND AY BIRD ROCK: GEELONG RSL: IRISH MURPHY’S: OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: THE SPORTING GLOBE:
Sunday Sessions: $12 Jugs & Pizzas $13 Carvery lunch $15 Fish & Chips Roast Rendezvous $10 Cocktails
TRIVIA BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Trivia Thursday Night from 7:30pm ELEPHANT AND CASTLE: Trivia Wednesday from 8pm GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Trivia Wednesday Night LORD OF THE ISLES: Trivia Thursday Night in the Courtyard MAX HOTEL: Trivia Thursday Night WORKERS CLUB: Themed Trivia Wednesday Night Irish Murphy’s Trivia Tuesday Nights, 7:30pm
FORTÉ 662
The Guide 39