Forte #590

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ISSUE #590 ball ar at | bell arine | Bendigo | ca stlemaine | geelong | surf coa st | warrnambool |

10 / 07/ 2 014

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KING BUZZO

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t h e l a t e s t n a t i o n a l & INTERNATIONAL music & enterta inment ne w s

The Familiar Ree Nay

Soundwave Beefs Up Interesting news came to light last month when AJ Maddah took to Twitter to announce that Soundwave will be a two-day event in 2015. The festival will be held across the same weekend in Melbourne and Adelaide, followed

by Brisbane and Sydney the following weekend.

Maddah: “So half the bands play day 1. The other half play day 2. They criss-cross Saturday/ Sunday in each city.” Day passes and weekend passes will be available.

Beyond All Festival Hopes With the postponement of Big day Out for 2015, there’s a big hole in many festival lovers’ hearts.

But thankfully, there’s a new festival joining the ranks that will hopefully cut short your grieving.

Beyond the Valley is a two-day festival set in the lush surrounds of Phillip Island. The lineup will be announced in the coming month and tickets will follow soon after, and are rumoured to be considerably cheaper than their competitors. This could be the New Years camping experience you’ve been waiting for. Phillip Island Circuit, December 30 & 31 beyondthevalley.com.au

The Reliable Hilltop Hoods If you haven’t heard Hilltop Hoods’ new single ‘Won’t Let You Down’, then I don’t know what you are waiting for. Recorded in London earlier in the year, the track is the first taste of the band’s forthcoming new album, Walking Under Stars. And in case you are wondering what they have been up to over the past couple of years, you can find out through a series of mini-docs they have made in collaboration with Red Bull.

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Influenced by the likes of Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Dolly Parton, songbird Ree Nay began writing poetry and songs at the age of seven. Though she grew up in Darwin, which helps to inspire her songs of travelling, adventure and learning, she calls Melbourne home these days. Her new EP is Seen You Before. You can check out the title track by visiting her SoundCloud page. Whole Lotta Love – August 9.

Violent Soho’s Dummy Spit Following ten years in the game, things are really starting to happen for Violent Soho. Admittedly we’ve known about their goodness for some time, but in a fickle industry they continue to grow.

You see, the band’s third album, Hungry Ghost, is being released in the States through iconic punk label Side One Dummy (Gaslight Anthem, MxPx). The band has also sold out their 14date Australian tour.

The Thin Green Line It can be a pretty thankless world at times, but next month The Thin Green Line Foundation is

honouring the men and women who put their lives on the line every day in order to protect the planet.

Green Line Grooves for World Ranger Day will welcome Gotye, Tex Perkins and Nicky Bomba for a showcase of their most loved tunes, as well as the odd cover or two. Melbourne Town Hall – August 1.

Husky Turn Their Backs There has been a lot happen since 2012, but one thing that has not happened is a Husky tour. Fortunately that is all about to change, with the Melbourne band hitting the road this month. Not only will fans get to rediscover their gem of an album in Forever So, but they will also get to hear new material including single ‘I’m Not Coming Back’.

The band is also eyeing a new album before the year closes. NSC – July 18.

Green Light for Grimes Claire Boucher, better known as Grimes, struck gold with her third album, Visions. Among the accolades it received was the #2 spot on NME’s 50 Best Albums of 2012 list. We’ve waited a couple of years for new material and she has finally delivered with single

‘Go’. Originally written for Rihanna, the track was produced by Blood Diamonds. You can hear and download it for free through grimesmusic.com.

The Kings and the Queen

Heart of St Kilda Concert

Big Day Out On Hold

There is no slowing down the powerhouse that is Sharon King – not even cancer. Her diagnosis meant that album Give the People What They Want had to be put on hold (it was scheduled for release last year), but following an operation and on-going treatment, Sharon and the Dap-Kings dropped the album earlier in the year. Now they’re making their return to our shores. Town Hall, Meeniyan – September 17 & Town Hall, Melbourne – September 19.

Undoubtedly one of the coolest events on the music calendar is the Heart of St Kilda Concert. Now in its seventh year, the event brings live music and comedy together in support of the Sacred Heart Mission. With Brian Nankervis as your MC, guests include The Basics, Colleen Hewett, Vika & Linda Bull, Dick Diver, Ash Naylor, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Tim Rogers and many more. The Palais – August 13.

In a sad day for Australia’s festival scene, American company C3 has confirmed the Big Day Out will not go ahead in 2015. C3 is now the official owner of the BDO after AJ Maddah recently transferred his shares to the American company.

If there is any light to cling to, the company, which also runs Lollapalooza, said in a statement that they are proud of the Australian brand and that they “intend to bring back the festival in future years”.

Thanks for the memories.

Answering in the Positive Prog-rock icons Yes have released 21 albums over their time, but when they head to Australia shortly their focus will be on two of them – 1971’s Fragile and 1972’s Close to the Edge. Fragile, the band’s fourth album, became the band’s greatest commercial success at the time of its release. The album features the track ‘Roundabout’, one of the band’s most familiar tracks. The Palais – November 18.

A Seattle Songman We all know about Seattle’s rich music history, and while Damien Jurado’s name may not be as familiar as some from the city, his name is still held in high esteem. Jurado has been releasing music since the midnineties, his latest

release being Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son. The album is the third in a trilogy produced by Richard Swift (The Shins). NSC – September 19. This marks his first headlining tour Down Under.

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In the Studio with Haim

Sleeping with Caitlin Park After teasing us with singles ‘Hold Your Gaze’ and ‘Lemonade’, Sydney songstress Caitlin Park released her sophomore album, The Sleeper. The album has been finding a lot of love, including from Double J who made it one of their feature albums. Now comes the tour in its support. Bella Union – August 1. * If you purchase a ticket for the show you have the chance to score the album at a very special price.

In Bed with Dead Kennedys When the band was last here in 2011, they only took in part of the country. Now they’re heading back to make amends. One of the most influential and important bands of hardcore punk, Dead Kennedys remain as important today as they ever have. The Bedtime for Democracy tour is taken from the band’s 1986 album of the same name, an album which would become their last. 170 Russell – October 1.

Haim singer and guitarist Alana has revealed that she and her sisters have commenced work on their new album.

Speaking with BBC 6 Music at the Glastonbury Festival, she said: “This is the first time we’ve ever written on the road. We’re going home in a month to start recording. I promise record two won’t come in six years – it’ll come very soon.” Apparently the ladies are channelling their inner Kanye West for inspiration.

Finding the Right Beat It’s been over one year since we have heard anything new out of the Willow Beats camp but judging by its reception ‘Merewif ’ has well been worth the wait.

The uncle-niece duo of Narayana Johnson and Kalyani Mumtaz has been receiving glowing reviews from all corners for their latest track, which serves as a taste of their forthcoming album.

Check it out online now. Better yet, check it out in a live setting.

NSC – August 16.

Time to Feel Alive Britain and Australia will unite in a tour featuring

You Me at Six and Tonight Alive, and both parties are buzzing. You Me at Six: “Australia!

We cannot wait to come back this September. Our time Down Under with Paramore earlier on this year was unforgettable.

Hope to see as many of you at the shows as possible, and am looking forward to hitting the road with our friends in Tonight Alive.” The HiFi – September 9 (U18) and September 10 (18+).

Sounds of Britpop It’s a big year for Britpop, what with the 20-year anniversary of Blur’s Parklife and Oasis’ Definitely Maybe and all that. While nostalgia is at a high, the BBC announced that they will be releasing the three-disc set Britpop at the BBC this month. One CD will feature previously unreleased material recorded for Radio 1’s The Evening Session while the other two discs will feature a collection of Evening Sessioncurated Britpop singles.

There’s Something About Sheppard It’s hard to go a day without hearing Sheppard’s ‘Geronimo’.

The single has been everywhere and has brought the band a

whole new level of attention. Well, there is more to them than that.

‘Something’s Missing’ is the name of their latest single and they are keen to show it off. The Hi-Fi – August 1. * The band will perform an U18 show in the afternoon, followed by an 18+ gig at night.

Ryan Adams Wants Something Good Ryan Adams has released ‘Gimme Something Good’, the first taste of his forthcoming new album. Adams has kept busy since the release of 2011’s Ashes & Fire. Not only has he produced an EP for Fall Out Boy, but he also started a heavy metal side-project called Pornography with Make Out singer Leah Hennessy and singer-songwriter Johnny T. Yerington. His new album is looking at a September release.

It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me When Martin Scorsese and Boardwalk Empire’s Terence Winter team up for a television project, people are going to take notice. Well, a touch over a year ago their project, about a man attempting to keep his record label up and running in 1970s New York, picked up speed when Bobby Cannavale landed the lead.

Now added to the cast are Andrew Dice Clay, The Sopranos’ Robert Funaro and Copper’s Ato Essandoh. A pilot is currently in production.

Star Trekking Across the Universe During a podcast with Humans from Earth, Star Trek 3 director Roberto Orci revealed that the third film will return to the franchise’s roots, by seeing the crew finally begin their five-year mission into space. “…

So in this movie [Into Darkness] they are closer than they are to the original series characters that you have ever seen.

They have set off on their five-year mission. So their adventure is going to be in deep space.”

Seems a Little Daft Fans of Daft Punk have something to look forward to in 2015 with news that French subscription channel Canal Plus have commissioned BBC Worldwide Production France to create a one-hour doco about the electro duo. Given how elusive Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de HomemChristo are, it could be interesting to see what discoveries are made. The doco will chart the duo’s 20-year history.

The Netflix Has Been Cast Well, it looks like Netflix is finally heading to Australia. According to tech publication ZDNet, Village Roadshow head honcho Graham Burke indicated the service will be available next year.

There is still a way to go, however. Local content distribution agreements have to be reached, which is typical when tapping into any new market, but other than that things are looking pretty good. Let the bingewatching commence!

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THE THU 10 JULY BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Trivia Night from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Dave Anderson BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc) - Live and Local, $13 Pizza night THE BRIDGE HOTEL (Castlemaine) Beaten Bodies, Howl EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night EUREKA: Thirsty Thursday with local resident DJ’S GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Kids Eat Free GPAC: Gaslight 8pm, Tastes of central Geelong coffee crawl 9.30am, Little Bird 8pm, Rent 7.30pm KAROVA LOUNGE (BALLARAT): Remi, L-Fresh the Lion, WZRDKID, Mz Rizk (DJ) LORD OF THE ISLES: Trivia in the courtyard THE PIER GEELONG: Chingy, Julian Simonsz, Sherlok n Rubz with DJS NYD, Yas, Simon Evans PISTOL PETE: Andy Phillips & The Cadillac Walk Blues Band MARTIANS CAFE: $20 International Night including drink THE MAX HOTEL: $14 Parmi night, InnQUIZitive Trivia from 7.30pm till 10.30pm, amazing prizes, call to book your team’s spot THE MUSIC MAN (Bendigo): The Bennies, Jeff Rosenstock (USA), Hightime ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: 6pm Jazz n’ Blues THE SPHINX HOTEL: Schnitzel Night from $13

FRI 11 JULY THE BABUSHKA CAFE AND LOUNGE (Ballarat): Arkie T Williams and The Mudlarks THE BARWON CLUB: The Bennies, Jeff Rosenstock (USA), Hightime THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Happy Hour 5-7pm, Meat Raffle & Members Draw BEAVS BAR: Butters BENDED: Kristy Wilson BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Happy Hour 5-7pm BLACK HATT: Stangel, Dallimore, Kerwin and Berg THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTELMAINE): Chris

fortnig h tl y c alen d ar Wilson, Geoff Achison CITY QUARTER BAR: Friday Unwind from 5pm. Live with live entertainment and DJ EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT AND CASTLE: Thank Guinness It’s Friday THE GATEWAY HOTEL: The Angels GPAC: Gaslight 8pm, Little Bird 8pm, Rent 7.30pm THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Trojan HOME HOUSE: Homehouse Fridays Party with DJs, Steve Camp, Simon One, Keith Evans & DJC KAROVA LOUNGE (BALLARAT): Mason, Harlott, Trigger, Hybrid Nightmares LAMBYS: Live bands THE LOFT (Warrnambool): Sons of May THE LORD NELSON: Happy Hour 5pm-7pm THE MAX: 3 On The Tree ODYSSEY TAVERN AND BREWERY: Lukey Luke PISTOL PETES: Brian Fraser UNWINED CELLAR BAR: Cyndi Boste WHEREVER (Bendigo): Motez

SAT 12 JULY AIREY’S PUB (Aireys Inlet): Live Music THE BABUSHKA CAFE AND LOUNGE (Ballarat): Dolphy’s Albatross THE BARWON CLUB: Rock City Takeover, Rust Proof, Deadly Visions, Street War, South Paw, XuppercutX BEAVS BAR: Steve Pianto BENDED: Loretta Dawes BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Live Music and Happy Hour 5-7pm THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTELMAINE): Mick Daley’s Corporate Raiders, Rex Watts Railway Men CITY QUARTER: Live entertainment EDGE: Live Music and DJ GEELONG RSL: Rock Around the World, Dave Allen, Ronnie Soul GPAC: Gaslight 8pm, Tastes of central Geelong coffee crawl 9.30am, Little Bird 1pm & 8pm, Rent 7.30pm HOMEHOUSE: Upstairs: Shameless, TWhite Downstairs: Best RNB & hip hop with DJ Surrender, DJ JVP

THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Cam Bryce KAROVA LOUNGE (BALLARAT): Rick Moranis Overdrive, The Kremlings, Tsugnarly LAMBYS: Live bands LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (WARNAMBOOL): Dave Hughes THE LOFT (Warrnambool): Audemia MARTIANS CAFE: Dave Graney THE MAX: Frequency THE NEWMARKET (Bendigo): Live Bands ODYSSEY TAVERN AND BREWERY: Geoff Pink, Big in Sweden OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Matt Gurry PISTOL PETES: Gator Queen THE REVERENCE (Footscray): The Bennies, Jeff Rosenstock (USA), Hightime UNWINED CELLAR BAR: Open mic with Dave Dorman WHISPERS: Coming up: DJ’s including Aston shuffle, Andy Murohy, Ruby Rose, John Dahlback, Slice n Dice, Jam Xpress, New World Sound, Jack n Jill, Mic Newman, Apocalypto, John Course, Zoolanda, Jebu, Jane Daffy, Butters, Generik, Tigerlily, Hey Sam, Katt Niall

SUN 13 JULY 13TH BEACH GOLF CLUB (Barwon Heads): Jazz in July 1pm THE BARWON CLUB: Athenas Wake, Stormtide, Trigger, HN, Brutonomy, Toxicon, BTW from 1.30pm BENDED: Acoustic Sunday sessions, Smack frog Trio BIRD ROCK CAFÉ (Jan Juc): Kids Eat Free 3:306:30, Steak and Parma Night, Happy Hour 5-6pm CITY QUARTER: Perfect Sunday Sesh Live music and DJ from 4pm EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Live Jazz from 3-6pm and Parmi Night ETCH GALLERY & STUDIOS: Singing and songwriting workshop with Megan Donchi and Tristen Bird 5-7pm GEELONG RSL: $13 Carvery lunch GOLD MINES HOTEL (Bendigo): Marc Leon GPAC: Gaslight 2pm

KAROVA LOUNGE (BALLARAT): The Bennies, Jeff Rosenstock (USA), Hightime LAMBYS: Live bands ODYSSEY TAVERN AND BREWERY: SUNDAY O SUNS with Jamie Pye, Big In Sweden, Geoff Pink, Noel Read, Sam & Imy OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Lachlan Bryan and The Wildes, Dan Waters and The Weeping Willows THE SPHINX HOTEL: Carvery from $17

MON 14 JULY BARWON CLUB: $10 Parmis BENDED: Steak night ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night ETCH GALLERY & STUDIOS: Ukelele Group Lessons 6.30-8pm GEELONG RSL: Members Draw, over $3000 in prizes to be won!

LORD NELSON HOTEL: Parmi & Pot for $15 on presentation of student I.D THE SPHINX HOTEL: Meals for $11

TUE 15 JULY BENDED: Parmi night ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13 GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Kids Eat Free PISTOL PETES: Open Mic Night

WED 16 JULY THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Master of Dartness and Poker from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Open Mic, Karaoke and Dave Anderson BENDED: Second chance & pub quiz BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Shit Trivia Mexican Night ELEPHANT AND CASTLE: Trivia Night from 8pm. Have fun win prizes book a table GEELONG RSL: Pot and Parmi Night $13 GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Spinning Wheel and a lot of Parmi’s from $14.50 GPAC: Tastes of Central Geelong Food Discovery Tour 10am, Soweto Gospel Choir 7.30pm KAROVA LOUNGE (BALLARAT): The Beards PISTOL PETES: N.O.L.A Night, all things New Orleans and Louisiana

THU 17 JULY THE BABUSHKA CAFE AND LOUNGE (Ballarat): Ciaram Granger with Sasha BARWON HEADS HOTEL: The Beards, Frankie Wallnut BEAVS BAR: Band Room: Melody Pool, Marlon Williams Main Room: Andy Forster BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Live and Local, $13 Pizza night THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTELMAINE): The Peppercorn Queen, The Fat Lambs, Lousie Adams EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night EUREKA: Thirsty Thursday & Back to School Party with Nina las Vegas GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Kids Eat Free GPAC: Gaslight 8pm, Tastes of central Geelong coffee crawl 9.30am, The Magic Hour 11am & 7pm, Sounds of the Supremes 8pm HER MAJESTY’S BALLARAT: The Magic Flute 7.30pm THE KAROVA LOUNGE (BALLARAT): Circles, The Hazard Circular, Humality THE LOFT (WARNAMBOOL): Salsa and Latin Street Dance Classes LORD OF THE ISLES: Trivia in the courtyard THE MAX HOTEL: $14 Parmi night, InnQUIZitive Trivia from 7.30pm till 10.30pm, amazing prizes, call to book your team’s spot MARTIANS CAFE: $20 International Night including drink ODYSSEY TAVERN AND BREWERY: Jazz n’ Blues PISTOL PETE: Wayne Jury

FRI 18 JULY THE BABUSHKA CAFE AND LOUNGE (Ballarat): Lars Wallin and Glenn Musto THE BARWON CLUB: Blackwood Jack, Kashmere Club, Joe Joe Gardner, King Evil THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Happy Hour 5-7, Meat Raffle & Members Draw BEAVS BAR: Hayden Scott BENDED: Luke Biscan BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Happy Hour 5-7pm

BLACK HATT: Detonators THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTELMAINE): Stevenson’s Rocket, Paper Boat Armada CITY QUARTER BAR: Friday Unwind from 5pm. Live with live entertainment and DJ EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT AND CASTLE: Thank Guinness It’s Friday EUREKA HOTEL: Live DJs GPAC: Gaslight 8pm, Sun Rising - The Songs that made Memphis 8pm THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Moon Patrol HOME HOUSE: Homehouse Fridays Party with DJs, Steve Camp, Simon One, Keith Evans & DJC LAMBYS: Live bands THE LOFT (WARNAMBOOL): Ciaram Granger THE LORD NELSON: Happy Hour 5pm-7pm THE MAIN BAR (Ballarat): The Peppercorn Queen (aka Jackie Marshall), The Fat Lambs THE MAX: Trojan ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Nick Deman, Forever Son OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Munro Melano PISTOL PETES: Blue Eyes Cry UNWINED CELLAR BAR: The Bite WHEREVER (Bendigo): Just a Gent WOOL EXCHANGE: Dan Sultan

SAT 19 JULY AIREY’S PUB (Aireys Inlet): Live Music THE BARWON CLUB: Dan Waters, Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes, The Weeping Willows BEAVS BAR: Steve Pianto BENDED: Dave Anderson BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Live Music, Happy Hour 5-7pm THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTELMAINE): Tracy McNeil, The Good Life, Raised by Eagles CITY QUARTER: Live entertainment EDGE: Live Music and DJ GPAC: Gaslight 8pm, Tastes of central Geelong coffee crawl 9.30am THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: GWS v Geelong live

HOME HOUSE: Upstairs: Slapjack, Henry Fong, Reece Low, Jack Morrison Downstairs: Best RNB & hip hop with DJ Philly KAROVA LOUNGE (BALLARAT): 10 BIRTHDAY BASH, Yacht Club DJs, Neon Love, Bel Air, Them 9s, DJ Salinger LAMBYS: Live bands LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (WARNAMBOOL): Mozart’s the Magic Flute THE LOFT (WARNAMBOOL): The Space Keys, Electric Sunkings, Odd MARTIANS CAFE: Shaun Kirk THE MAX: Hey Charger THE NEWMARKET (Bendigo): Live Bands ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Eric Stribley, Jimmy Graham PIPING HOT CHICKEN SHOP: The Peppercorn Queen (aka Jackie Marshall), The Fat Lambs PISTOL PETES: 2 Dogs UNWINED CELLAR BAR: Chickweed Lane WHISPERS: Coming up: DJ’s including Aston shuffle, Andy Murohy, Ruby Rose, John Dahlback, Slice n Dice, Jam Xpress, New World Sound, Jack n Jill, Mic Newman, Apocalypto, John Course, Zoolanda, Jebu, Jane Daffy, Butters, Generik, Tigerlily, Hey Sam, Katt Niall

SUN 20 JULY THE BARWON CLUB: Live band in front bar BEAVS BAR: Jeff Lany, Alister Turrill BENDED: Acoustic Sunday sessions, Smack Frog Trio BIRD ROCK CAFÉ (Jan Juc): Kids Eat Free 3:30-6:30, Steak and Parma Night, Happy Hour 3:30-5:30 CITY QUARTER: Perfect Sunday Sesh Live music and DJ from 4pm EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Live Jazz from 3-6pm and Parmi Night ETCH GALLERY & STUDIOS: Singing and songwriting workshop with Megan Donchi and Tristen Bird 5-7pm GEELONG RSL: $13 Carvery lunch GOLD MINES HOTEL (Bendigo): Ewes, Brews, Stews & Blues noon-8pm LAMBYS: Live bands OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn

Springs): Monique Brumby, The Urban Folk ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: SUNDAY O SUNS with Eric Stribley, JimJamz, Lukey Luke, Geoff Pink THE SPHINX HOTEL: Carvery from $17

MON 21 JULY THE BARWON CLUB: $10 Parmis BENDED: Steak night ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night ETCH GALLERY & STUDIOS: Ukelele Group Lessons 6.30-8pm GEELONG RSL: Members Draw, over $3000 in prizes to be won!

LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (WARNAMBOOL): Pete the Sheep LORD NELSON HOTEL: Parmi & Pot for $15 on presentation of student I.D THE SPHINX HOTEL: Meals for $11

TUE 22 JULY BENDED: Parmi night ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13 GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Kids Eat Free LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (WARNAMBOOL): Pete the Sheep PISTOL PETES: Open Mic Night

WED 23 JULY THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Master of Dartness and Poker from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Where's Joss? Open Mic, Kareoke and Luke Biscan BENDED: Second chance & pub quiz BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Shit Trivia Mexican Night ELEPHANT AND CASTLE: Trivia Night from 8pm. Have fun win prizes book a table GEELONG RSL: Pot and Parmi Night $13 GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Spinning Wheel and a lot of Parmi’s from $14.50 GPAC: Tastes of Central Geelong Food Discovery Tour 10am, Eating Disorders Seminar 5.30pm LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (WARNAMBOOL): Belles of Broadway PISTOL PETES: N.O.L.A Night, all things New Orleans and Louisiana

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The Used FEATURE STORY Written by Natalie Rogers

“I’m more than happy to be doing an interview with such a cool, free magazine. It sounds like a human movement and I’d love to be of any help to you –­­­­­we should keep in touch.” Bert McCracken happily announced when he called us to chat about his band’s upcoming national tour with Taking Back Sunday, and their latest album Imaginary Enemy. However, talk quickly turned to his passion for free press, his admiration for the works of Dostoevsky, Noam Chomsky and Stephen King, and his burgeoning initiative for the first “anti business” record label.

The Used are a band that should need no introduction. For over a decade they’ve dominated their genre, earning themselves platinum and gold album status while amassing a cult like following of millions worldwide. Even those who aren’t fans of their music cannot deny their impact as pioneers of the emo-punk scene.

With those thoughts in mind I’ll freely admit I went into this interview with the preconception I’d be speaking to a “rock star”, and prepared myself for repercussions that go along with that. So to say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement.

Bert McCracken began by remarking : “I love the idea of free thought – that’s what the greatest minds have been about since the beginning of time, especially since the beginning of print and of the press. I’m passionate about that.”

Bert is the articulate front man/lyricist of The Used. He tells me he’s enjoying his new life as an

Australian citizen [although he doesn’t much care for our political system] and is revelling in the joys of fatherhood.

He is happy and grounded, but harbours an insatiable thirst for knowledge. He can often be found thumbing through hardbacks at the anarchist book shop in the leafy suburb of Rozelle, in Sydney’s inner-west. He confides that in books he found solace during darker times. “There are also a lot of courageous artists out there, living and dead.

Like Theodore Dostoevsky - I really love his five prominent novels, but ‘Crime and Punishment’ is one of my favourites. Stephen King took me from a really terrible place and reminded me that I love to read and learn, so he’s significant in my life.

“One man that inspires me is a professor at MIT. He teaches linguistics but he’s also an anarchist, revolutionary and an activist – his name is Noam Chomsky. He really influenced me on this record

[Imaginary Enemy]. I asked him to write an introduction to the three treatises or essays I wrote on the war on terrorism, the war on drugs and the war on poverty - he was nice enough to write me back and let me know that he didn’t have time,” Bert laughed.

“I remember when I got his email I felt like a little kid at a concert for the first time, you know? That feeling reminded me that what we do is so important.”

That got Bert thinking about the shows coming up with buddies, Taking Back Sunday. “When we’re on the road it’s like family out there. We’re really comfortable and we have the same kind of ideology.

These guys don’t believe in the idea of rock stars either, you know ? They don’t believe that people should be treated differently because of the things they’re fortunate enough to get to do. We’re all fans of music first, and that’s the key.

“There’s a quote I love and it says that there are two types of people in the world, those who believe there are two types of people in the world and those who don’t - and personally I don’t.”

Another undeniably influential figure in the band’s early and continuing success is Goldfinger front man/celebrated songwriter/producer John Feldmann. “He’s one of the hardest working men in music.” Bert and Feldmann’s bond was cemented when Feldmann opened up his home to the

previously troubled teen while producing their debut self titled album in 2002, and he has continued to work with them on all but one [Artwork 2009].

“His passion and integrity is so rare in this industry.

I trust him 100 per cent – we’re so tight, he’s like family. John helps to even out my sometimes overbearing and outspoken attitude, and he’s a musical genius. I hope to do a solo record with him one day and put it out on my own label.”

Imaginary Enemy was released through the band’s indie label Anger Music, in partnership with Hopeless Records, and now they have plans to take it up a level.

“We’ve been working on this idea for the first ever anti business record label within the music industry, we want to call it ‘GAS Union’. Although, we’re still in the beginning of the process and we know it’s going to be very tough to fight all the big money in music,” Bert concedes. “We believe that music should be free. We want to start a kind of hard-core music union. As Australians, [he said with a cheeky smile] we’re lucky and we’ve gotta stick together and maybe the rest of the world will rise up!”

When&Where: 170 Russel, Melbourne - August 25 & 26

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

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Musiq Soulchild Written by Natalie Rogers

In the late ’90s he owned the mike at the pubs and clubs of downtown Philly, PA. On any given night you could find him freestyling or beatboxing for local emcees, scatting at the jazz clubs or even singing a cappella on street corners. It was this unquenchable thirst to sing and perform that he says earned him his nickname – Musiq. “I later added Soulchild to pay homage to the musical greats I grew up listening to,” Musiq confided when he called in for a chat ahead of Soulfest this coming October.

Billed as Australia’s first annual neo-soul, jazz and hip hop festival, the Soulfest line-up includes some of the biggest local and international artists of those genres. For one fine day in spring at Victoria Park, Musiq Soulchild will be joined by Mos Def, Aloe Blacc, Angie Stone and Maxwell just to name a few.

“The way they’ve set the timetable up, people will have a chance to see as many acts as they like. To be able to see a handful of artists I love and respect all at once – that’s the kind of opportunity I wouldn’t wanna pass up.”

Add to that Musiq’s admission that he fell in love with Australia on his first and last visit back in 2012, coming back to travel with the Soulfest entourage seemed like a no-brainer. “The last time I was over in that part of the world I felt really good. There’s

a great energy there and I remember as I was leaving feeling like I can’t wait to come back. So here’s my opportunity!”

The eleven-time Grammy award nominee has made the most of opportunities during his career. If you’ve been paying attention you more than likely recognise him from print and TV ads for Coca-Cola, The Gap, Nike and McDonald’s. He also cameo’d in a couple of US sitcoms, and all while finding time to write a book, 143 – Love According to Musiq.

“Becoming an author was something that was unexpected.” Musiq paused before explaining: “It was an idea presented to me and I just went with it. I look at it like I’m already a creative writer. Being a songwriter, I’m automatically going to want to put words together in a way that’s going to entertain and maybe even inspire people – so look out for another book soon!” he promised with a smile.

Maybe Musiq’s next endeavour will be a guide on the how to stay out of the tabloids and scandal pages. “I think people put too many expectations on the concept of being a celebrity. They tend to forget that these people are

When&Where: Soulfest, Melbourne - October 19

human beings, and that’s not going to change because there are more people paying attention to them. They still have their lives to lead. They still need their humanity.

“That’s why I don’t pass judgement on people or what they do. I don’t like to say,‘Oh he shouldn’t be doing that, or she look crazy for saying dat!’” he chuckled. “I don’t understand why

people put so much emphasis on that. That’s one of the main reasons why I pretty much keep to myself – I want it to be about the music. Plus the fact that I’ve been working so hard I don’t have time to do anything. I’m just trying to keep up with myself and my daughter!”

In the meantime, catch the smooth sounds of Musiq Soulchild up close and personal at Soulfest – and just between you and me, Musiq

plans to bring the party! “Don’t get the wrong idea – we soul singers know how to party. If you see us on stage asking you to ‘make some noise’, we really mean make some noise! We’re not saying just snap your fingers,” he joked. “We’re all going to get on that stage and do our thing. Hopefully you’ll love it! We just want you to rock with us and have a good time.”

Darlia Q&A

Hi David, thanks for taking the time out and having a chat with Forte magazine!

Where in the world are you right now?

Right this second we are in Manchester, basking in the sunshine waiting to go to the 2000 Trees festival on Saturday.

How has the tour been going?

The tour has been going fantastically. It’s a new aspect of being in a band for us, in terms of unfamiliar crowds, playing early in the afternoon (as apposed to late at night), and in general meeting new people and becoming accustom to playing in different scenarios.

Thus far it’s been really insightful and enjoyable, and the fact we get to see bands that we wouldn’t normally get the chance to go watch is great. For example we saw the Libertines play Hyde Park a few days back.

You’ve been likened to Nirvana a bit, is that a pretty surreal comparison?

To be compared to Nirvana is first and foremost an extremely high accolade, as they are hugely inspirational for people our age and older. To be compared with them is of course surreal, but it won’t influence anything we do in the future, and it hasn’t influenced anything prior to today.

People have said that you and bands like Skaters and Royal Blood are part of a new music revolution. What are your thoughts on that?

Wonderful! In recent years whenever I’ve put the radio on it’s always been riddled with what seems to me as uninspiring music with no conviction or purpose.

To hear bands such as Royal Blood on the radio

representing the heavier side of music is a breath of fresh air. But we aren’t aware or don’t purposely act in a certain way to be part of this “revolution”, and I’m sure Skaters and Royal Blood don’t either.

Which I guess is what makes it genuine and real, and why many fans seem to be loving this new age of music so dearly.

‘Dear Diary’ has received significant airplay here in Australia, is it a pretty awesome feeling having another country on the other side of the world loving your music?

It’s astounding. To think that just a year ago we were cleaning corridors and toilets and now our song is being broadcast thousands of miles away is surreal. We’re extremely grateful for the support we receive, not just from Australia but England, Germany and elsewhere. It really makes what we are doing seem that much more powerful.

What’s been the response to your stuff in your hometown Blackpool, UK? We’ve had a number of supportive messages from the folk in sunny Blackpool, which is lovely. I wouldn’t say the support there has been greater than Manchester or elsewhere in the country. I think people are too busy riding the donkeys and roller

When&Where: Splendour Music Festival & Corner Hotel, Melbourne - July 26

coasters to notice a new band.

Have you played Australia before? Are you excited to be playing Splendour Music Festival?

We have never played Australia before. In fact, Nathan has never been on a plane before, so Australia is going to be interesting to say the least. We’re so excited to be playing

Splendour, as well as the shows with Skaters in Melbourne and Sydney. Australia has always been one of those places in the world that I would love to visit, but never knew how or when I would. Coincidentally I am off out to buy my very first suitcase to travel there this afternoon. The anticipation is destroying me.

Have you had any “strange” fans yet?

I hope everyone is strange, strange

Ace Ventura Q&A

It’s time to get a little more familiar with Yoni Oshrat, the man behind Ace Ventura.

The son of a famous Israeli composer and songwriter, Yoni discovered his musical path over fifteen years ago. Today he is one of Israel’s biggest electronic music exports.

Hey Ace Ventura, thanks for taking some time to have a chat with Forte. For those who aren’t familiar with who you are, can you briefly describe your style and what it is you do?

I have been producing psytrance since 1998, first under the name Children of the Doc and then PSYSEX, both with DJ Goblin and in the psychedelic full-on style. In 2005 I started a progressive psytrance solo project under the Ace Ventura name. Then in 2006 PSYSEX split and I’ve been doing Ace Ventura ever since, releasing music and performing live and DJ sets around the world.

What have you been up to lately and where are you right now?

I’m home in Israel, about to fly to play in France over the weekend. Lately I’ve been busy both in the studio and also doing a lot of bureaucracy stuff, as in one month I am relocating with my family to live in Switzerland.

What do you think of the Australian trance music scene? Do you have any favourites?

The Aussie psytrance scene has always stood out for originality and being different. In the ’90s I loved the Psy-Harmonics label, with great artists such as Nick 16 forte

Taylor, Shaolin Wooden Men and Psyko Disko. Really crazy stuff which pushed the envelope of psytrance. And since 10 years already, Zenon Records and Tim Larner (aka Sensient) have been giving us amazing sounds from so many artists, Australian or otherwise. This is definitely my favourite label since a long while.

As for the local party scene, well it’s a legend in its own right. I’ve been coming to Oz since 13 years or so and it’s always a kick-ass experience. Whether it’s indoor club gigs or the amazing bush and outback festies, you guys got it goin’ on.

You were responsible for the first progressive release for HOMmega Records.

Was that a pretty great achievement?

Yes it was, especially since I had a history with HOMmega and PSYSEX. The first New Order CD was a milestone for the label and also came in a time before the big boom of progressive trance, so I’m proud to say it had a part in its uprising.

Have you got another album in the works?

Lately I’ve been working on finishing my album. It’s only the second Ace Ventura album, not considering the Re:Boot remix album. It’s been a hard task to finish this one since I am constantly touring and got a family with two kids at

When&Where: Earthcore, Pyalong - Nov 27 to Dec 1

home, but I’m doing my best. Otherwise, I’m also working on new Easy Riders (my project with Rocky) tunes to be ready for Ozora Festival in August.

You’ve got a lot of projects on the go.

How do you find a balance between them?

Yep, I love collaborating with other people, especially with Rocky and Wouter/Zen Mechanics (with whom I have the Zentura project).

Finding the balance is just natural, and syncing with the timetable of

the partners. Works out pretty well really.

In your long history of touring you’ve been to some pretty amazing corners of the world.

Where has been your favourite place to play?

My first international gig was in 1999 so I’ve been around the block since then, in so many awesome gigs in festivals. It’s really hard to pinpoint. I love playing in so many countries, but I can name Switzerland, Israel, Japan and, of course, Australia.

You’ve also played some pretty huge parties and festivals. What’s been the highlight?

people make me feel at home.

You’ve already achieved so much, what have you got planned for the future?

I think the short term goals are to record the album and tour the UK in September. Oh and also not to get bitten by anything when in Australia, that what be great.

The obvious ones which come to mind are Ozora Festival in Hungary, Boom Festival in Portugal, Universo Paralello in Brazil. But there have been so many more. I had a great time in Maitreya, Earthcore and Winter Solstice in Cairns.

Have you played the Australian crowd before? Do we know how to party?

Oh yes I have, and you certainly know how to party. Probably some of the craziest up-for-it crowd in the globe. I think being isolated in your own continent, surrounded by oceans, you got your own mini-utopia, and it shows in the vibe of the people in festivals. It’s just positive all around.

Are you excited to be playing at Earthcore?

Yep, had a great time with my mates last year. Looking forward to the second round!

Liquid Soul, who you’ve done the side project Liquid Ace with, is also playing Earthcore. Are you excited to be playing the same festival?

Of course! I get to meet Capo in many places all over the planet and it’s always a treat. But he joins a big list of my favourite peeps who also are playing in this year’s edition, so good times ahead.

Before we finish up, is there anything you’d like to add?

Thanks for catching up with me. I’m psyched to come and party with you soon enough!

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steve saxton

Aireys Pub Comedy Night

the yearlings

“One gig we played in Mooroopna, we got paid in water. Not even chilled water, it was just stacks of water up against the side of the stage.” pg.19

“They were keen to have a night like that down there and give us a chance to perform and share some comedy with the local punters.” pg.20

“They just seemed to get really into playing the songs and I think you can hear the emotion throughout.” pg.37

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KING BUZZO “I just have to go out there and make it work. I’m all on my own”

Sting & Simon Holy guacamole! As far as A Day on the Green shows go, it doesn’t get much bigger than this. Actually, as far as any show goes, it doesn’t get much bigger than this. Thanks to Live Nation Global Touring, Sting and Paul Simon are heading to Australia with their On Stage Together tour. That’s right – Sting and Paul Simon, two of music’s most renowned artists. President of Global Touring and Chairman of Global Music, Live Nation Arthur Fogel: “We are thrilled to be bringing the tour to Australia and New Zealand.

The run in North America this year was an incredible success on all levels.

These two legendary talents delivered an unforgettable night of music.” Mt Duneed Estate (formerly The Hill Winery) – February 7. Tickets on sale July 7 at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster. * With special guest, Sarah Blasko.

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The Karova’s Big Day The Karova in Ballarat is one of the best regional live music venues you’re likely to come across and just around the corner it celebrates a milestone.

We’re talking its 10th anniversary. Yep, ten years of hosting international and local acts. Ten years of supporting backyard artists. Ten years of quenching the musical thirst of locals and travellers. It’s one hell of an effort indeed and most certainly worthy of a get-together. And showing just how cool they are, the venue is making it a family affair. Headlining the soiree will be the Yacht Club DJs (pictured). If there is anyone to entrust to start a party it would be this pair. Better still, the maestros of the mash-up have a date with Splendour so this will serve as the perfect warm-up. Not any old occasion could get Neon Love to reform, but sure enough this occasion has – such is the power of The Karova. Also performing will be Them 9’s, Bel Air and DJ Salinger. Lastly, keep an eye out for a special Karova scrapbook featuring photos and messages from staff, punters and touring acts that have played at the venue which is due for release in August. The Karova, Ballarat – July 19. You won’t want to miss out on this one.

The Beards Built by God REMINDER: When you have a beard, and you’re proud of said beard, you sure as hell do all you can to promote its awesomeness. That is why, once again, The Beards have been working their way around Australia. You just gotta do what a bearded man’s gotta do. Their new album is The Beard Album. The Karova, Ballarat – July 16; The Barwon Club, Geelong – July 17; and Theatre Royal, Castlemaine – July 19.

Sun Rising Written by Abbey King

“ A lot of tribute and cover bands of this [genre], you could come to expect pudgy, middle aged men dressed in badly fitting jumpsuits and wigs, putting on phoney American accents.

We’ve built our idea on a genuine passion and influence of this music. Particular attention has been paid to how the music was originally recorded and we present it this way. The music is tied together with amazing stories and anecdotes that relate to the music, the artists and Sam Phillips- the man who discovered it all. The show is presented in an energetic and passionate way, infectious to all who come!”

Sun Rising are a far cry from ‘just another cover band’.

Pianist and vocalist Damon Smith tells me how this exciting tribute to the age-defying Sun Records, also known as the birth place of rock and roll, came to be. For those unfamiliar, Sun Records is an American independent record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee by Sam Philips.

The label was responsible for discovering and first recording such influential musicians as Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash.

“Dave and I had been playing our original music together in bands for ages and we used to talk a lot about the music of Sun Records,” Smith says. “It made sense after a while

that we should work on a show that clearly and passionately depicted how incredible the artists and music from Sun are...or at least how much we love this era.”

Damon, together with David Cosma, consequently formed Sun Rising with rockabilly regulars Adam Coad (Drums), Adrian Whyte (Guitar) and Trent Mckenzie (Upright Bass). This Australian tribute to the legendary Memphis Sound of the 1950’s is critically acclaimed. They have recently played across four states to packed out venues.

“We played a Jerry Lee Lewis tribute night a few weeks ago and it was killer” he says. “We actually thought the stage was going to collapse at one point as the energy was just ridiculously full on! This year we have played across four states already and most of the shows

have been dynamite!”

Damon and David have both been to the actual Sun Records and Damon was lucky enough to record there and drink whiskey in the control room. Their show has been endorsed by the family of founder and director, Sam Phillips.

“The cold hard fact that can’t be ignored is that Elvis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Howlin’ Wolf, BB King and so many more, recorded and more importantly, debuted their careers at Sun!” beams Smith.

“Bringing our idea of this show to the stage and seeing the fans of the music dance and smile uncontrollably for the whole show is a real buzz, The music is clearly still so powerful after all these years and the energy we are able to muster up on stage while playing this music is actually quite mind boggling.”

When&Where: Geelong Performing Arts Centre - July 18 & Capital Theatre, Bendigo - July 19

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A Word with Nick Earls Widely regarded as one of Australia’s funniest writers, Nick Earls is heading to Geelong shortly. Nick immigrated to Australia from Northern Ireland in 1972. After completing a medical degree at the University of Queensland and working as a GP, Nick found writing to be more his style. It certainly agrees with him. Nick is the author of nineteen books, including several bestselling novels.

His accomplishments include a Betty Trask Award (Zigzag Street) and an Australian Comedy Award for Perfect Skin, the only novel nominated for such an award. His new novel, Analogue Men, tells the story of a father and husband struggling with moving into the digital age.

Nick will be appearing at the Newcomb Library on Tuesday, July 8 from 12.30 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. Tickets for this free event can be booked online through grlc.vic.gov.au/events.

Roll On with Pretty City Melbourne’s fuzz rockers Pretty City may have that cool slacker sound but their work ethic is anything but lazy. It wasn’t too long ago that they released ‘Piece of the Puzzle’, a single with touches of Smashing Pumpkins and New Order.

Now they have new single ‘Roll On’ for you. Its accompanying video clip premiered on The Ripe, who also had this to say: “Shoegrunge is the perfect way to describe what these guys are about, bringing a sound that evokes ’70s rock via Soundgarden, with moments of the bluesy guitar urgency of The White Stripes. It’s guitar music with a slightly coarser edge than much of the filtered psychedelia doing the rounds, and ‘Roll On’ is clearly shaped by the warm fuzz of bands like Cream et al.” The Loft, Warrnambool – August 1 & The Bridge, Castlemaine – August 2.

Rockets & Boats A couple of Bendigo’s finest in Stevenson’s Rocket and Paper Boat Armada will show off their goods in Castlemaine shortly. There are many “joke” bands out there but there are probably not too many that started out as a joke. It was New Year’s Eve in 2009 when Stevenson’s Rocket took shape. Four mates, who may or may not have been influenced by the ’ol giggle water, whipped out a beat-up Casio and an even more beat-up guitar in an attempt to imitate English rock giants Uriah Heep.

It seemed there was a little life left in the instruments because they kept going.

Formed out of Bendigo Senior Secondary College, Paper Boat Armada has been likened to bands including The Cure and The Smiths, though their influences range far wider. The Bridge, Castlemaine – July 18.

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Gator Queen Gator Queen are a snappy zydeco blues band hailing from Melbourne and beyond! ‘Queen’ Matilda Robertson on vocals and piano accordion, Ska Superstars Steve Phillips thumping those drums and Mike St Clair-Miller slappin’ the double bass and all the way from the USA Jason ‘Goody’ Goodman will be bringing that authentic sound alive at Pistol Pete’s in Geelong.

Saturday 12th July, just $10 entry. Don’t miss out!

I Killed the Prom Queen Adelaide’s metalcore heavyweights I Killed the Prom Queen has announced a beefy run of shows with American outfit The Ghost Inside.

Formed in 2000, the band performed their first gig at Reynella Youth Enterprise Centre in late 2001. A couple of albums followed before the band called timeout for a spell. Reformed in 2011, the band soon enough turned their focus to a new album. That came with this year’s Beloved.

Kill Your Stereo: “For a band so often imitated to varying quality, there’s something incredibly satisfying about hearing the real thing, new and confident, for the first time in years. Longtime fans can put worries aside – they nailed it.” The band has been making the most of things abroad of late so their return home is sure to be welcomed with open arms. The Karova, Ballarat – September 24.

No Longer for Sagamore Sam Cooper, Monty Hartnett, Chris Jennings, Sophia Lubczenco, Casey Hartnett are five lifelong friends who decided that making music together was a pretty good way to go about things. Formed in early 2013, Bellarine/ Surf Coast outfit Sagamore launched their self-titled debut album to a packed house at The Toff in December 2013. The release, which features members of Perch Creek Family Jug Band, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Eagle and the Worm, would introduce fans to their twang-tinged soulful pop. Not ones to waste time, the band is already eyeing their second EP, Longer, due for release before the year is out. As a way to hold you over until then, they have released its first single, ‘Feelings’. Say hello through facebook. com/sagamoreband.

Lazy Days with Jakubi Since they introduced themselves around a year ago, Melbourne’s Jakubi have not put a foot wrong.

With the recent release of latest single ‘Couch Potato’, the band has now struck gold four times, with their latest effort nearing 130,000 plays on

The Kite String Tangle

Illy Goes Regional With a Groovin’ the Moo run and an outing at triple j’s One Night Stand behind him and with a date at Splendour in the Grass ahead, Illy is looking towards some smaller venues later in the year. The run of dates pays particular attention to his 2013 album Cinematic, an effort recorded with M-Phazes and his first to debut in the Top 10. This is what Illy had to say to his fans via Facebook: “So as promised, here’s the 2nd round of tour dates for the Cinematic regional tour.

VICTORIA, you’re up. Been ages since I’ve played some of these spots so I’m psyched to get back!” La Trobe University, Bendigo – September 9; Federation University, Ballarat – September 10; The Whalers Hotel, Warrnambool – September 11; and Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads – September 12.

Ararat Live Ararat Live is a not-for-profit group that hosts original live music in venues around Ararat in Western Victoria. They have done some fantastic work over the years and recently notched up their 50th gig. But there is still a lot more to come. On July 17 you have Rose Wintergreen. An electro/folk artist from Melbourne, Wintergreen (pictured) had a breakout year in 2013, winning the Artist of the Year at the Australian Independent Music Awards (Dance/ Electronic category) and placing as a finalist for the prestigious Vanda and Young Songwriting Award. Aurora is her latest album and it features collaborations with some of Australia’s finest songwriters including Charles Jenkins, Angie Hart, Jen Cloher and Clare Bowditch. An entirely independent release, the album was funded through a successful crowdfunding campaign. Supporting Rose at the show will be Al Parkinson. Al made her debut at the Queenscliff Music Festival in 2012 and has since performed shows with the likes of David Ryan Harris, Ryan Keen, Jordie Lane and Liz Stringer. ‘Like This’ is her latest release. Also coming up at Ararat Live are Carus Thompson (July 26), Marlon Williams and Melody Pool (August 14), Cat Canteri and Justin Bernasconi (September 19) and The Acfields (October 9). (Photo: Jessie Warren) SoundCloud at the time of writing. According to the band, the song is the “story about a girl (Couch Potato), who in her father’s eye, has her head in the clouds. Her relaxed view on life makes her father frustrated, but life is all about having fun and doing things at your own pace.

She ain’t gon’ dwell on nothin’”. Blending elements of pop, indie-rock, jazz, reggae and even a touch of soul, the feel good track found so much attention that the band was forced to put it up for download two weeks early. Mynt Lounge, Werribee – August 1.

Listen Like Thieves Having enjoyed a nice little run with Dead Letter Circus, Brisbane-based Like Thieves will be using the rest of the month to polish their skills before heading out for a handful of shows

next month. And they have a little polishing to do, with the release of their sophomore EP, Autumn’s Twilight, later this month.

Even cooler, they’re welcoming a local band to open each date, with The Soulenikoes getting the honours in G-Town.

From the band: “A lot of acts travel the circuit and tend to leave out the local supports, or only allow one local a small set. We want to give these bands a bit of the limelight and hopefully our fans are turned on by them, and they might even bring some of their fans that don’t know us that well yet.” You gotta love that. The Barwon Club, Geelong – August 22.

band led by her partner (guitarist) Nathan Brett and band members, Cameron Smith (Drums) and Stuart Prendergast (Bass). Debut album, Sleepin’ Alone, released under label Black Market Music went to #1 on the Australian Blues and Roots Radio Air Charts for the months of June and July in 2013. Blue Eyes Cry also received two Chain Awards (Australian blues music award) in February 2014 for ‘Best New Talent’ and ‘Song of the Year’, (Sleepin’ Alone). Better yet, they’re playing Geelong, get your tickets now. Pistol Petes July 18 & Hotel Shamrock Bendigo - August 1.

No Need to Cry

The Road to Beaten Bodies

Blue Eyes Cry are an award winning Melbourne Blues band led by the incredible vocals of Iseula Hingano and backed by an amazing

Don’t let their name fool you: driven by multi-layered grooves and inspired by the human spirit, NSW outfit Beaten Bodies is a

With his debut EP set to drop in August, Danny Harley, the man behind indie-electro project The Kite String Tangle, is heading out on the road. And with a date at Splendour in the Grass, he is sure to be nicely warmed up. Danny launched The Kite String Tangle in 2012 and has been quick to find a loving audience.

Vessel is the title of his forthcoming debut. Perhaps you are one of the one million people who have given his track ‘Given the Chance’ a spin via his SoundCloud page.

If not, it may pay to check it out – one million people can’t be wrong. While you’re at it, check out his new single ‘Arcadia’. Harley: “Arcadia represents an unobtainable ideal that we all create in certain situations. In this case it focuses on a post-relationship situation where you want to go back to that comfortable space that the relationship represented, but things have changed and that place doesn’t exist anymore. It doesn’t stop us from striving for it even though it might be out of reach.” Harley has performed at SXSW and Coachella. The Karova, Ballarat – September 5.

fusion of jazz, soul, hip hop and electronica. (Side note: the band has lost gigs to booking agents who thought they were a hardcore band.)

Formed in 2012 for their bassist’s brother’s party, members found they enjoyed the company and decided to pursue things more seriously.

The band’s new release is The Royal Road. From the presser: “The Royal Road is a giant step forward for the band. With a sound soaked in lush harmony and their own brand of lilting groove, this collection of songs beautifully demonstrates the group’s forward motion and innovative approach to their craft.” The Bridge, Castlemaine – July 24.

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Ewes, Brews, Stews and Blues

Hey Kids, it’s The Bennies HEY YOU! Yes, you. The Bennies are here to help you make it through the end of the week with a couple of cracking shows, and they’re bringing along Jeff Rosenstock (Kudrow) for the ride. We know and love The Bennies as Melbourne’s “punk ska psychedelic doom metal punk rock” kings.

We know The Bennies as the band that loves to party. And we know The Bennies as the band that once drove a golf cart through Macca’s. I may have made up the last one but it doesn’t matter.

Mates since school, the band has made music their life. If they are not playing a gig they’re at a gig.

They’re heading abroad shortly for their first US tour so no doubt they are going to want to make a lasting impression on their fans here. Music Man Megastore, Bendigo – July 10 & The Barwon Club, Geelong – July 11. (Photo: Rachael Barrett)

BENDIGO

sTEVE SAXTON Written By Darlene Taylor

After the first incarnation of the band floundered due to the usual causes, Berlin Postmark formed afresh a couple of years ago with some success before breaking up for good last month. The rock band’s bespectacled lead singer/guitarist, Steve Saxton, whose past musical involvements include the groups Tomorrow Wendy and Texta, and being a triple j Unearthed solo artist, wasn’t convinced Berlin Postmark had run its course.

However, with the group’s final gig taking place a few days after we spoke, he was sad but matter-of-fact about its demise. “[The end of the band] means that I don’t get to hang out with my best mates every weekend anymore,” he said. “It means the end of a brand that we’d built. The disappointment in it is the fact that we’d just started to get somewhere, from my point of view,” he added.

The old hand, who was enchanted by a high school production of Godspell as a small boy before being seduced by a cassette of heavy metal songs as a teenager, shared some

Quick bite: A celebration of craft beer, local lamb and blues and roots is what Ewes, Brews, Stews and Blues is all about.

A showcase of Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival talent, and run as part of the Festival of Lamb, the day welcomes over 15 artists and a special southern American blues food menu. At the time of writing artist details had not been released, but if you hit up bendigobluesandroots. com.au you should be right. Goldmines Hotel, Bendigo – July 20.

Eyeing Off Sons of May On June 8, 2014, folk/ acoustic quartet Sons of May launched their first official single, ‘Up Before Your Eyes’, at The Evelyn in Melbourne. Reports from the gig say it was

classic happenings from Berlin Postmark’s short life. These events comprised over fifty gigs and include supporting The Whitlams, a video appearing on rage, a totally awesome gig at Aireys Inlet and an until now hush-hush audition for The X Factor after being asked to try out by the program’s producers.

“There’s the skeleton in the closet,” Saxton said about the group’s fleeting rendezvous with reality television, an experience that may or may not be equal to the appearance where there was no risk of dehydration.

“One gig we played in Mooroopna,” Saxton said, “we got paid in water. Not even chilled water, it was just stacks of water up against the side of the stage.”

After rekindling relationships that formed years ago (e.g. Saxton and drummer Mik Weir first met on a bus that was headed to an anti-HECS rally in Melbourne), the quartet came together easily and then progressed to a harder sound largely due to the influence of Weir. Nevertheless, according to Saxton recording proved to be more difficult.

“It’s a pretty obvious journey because we started out with a bunch of my solo songs, playing them as the four people that we

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one of the biggest Sunday crowds the venue has hosted. Despite it being their first official single, the band has been around the traps for a couple of years, playing a ton of shows around rural Victoria.

They will be releasing their self-titled debut in November. “Last night I was one of hundreds to experience the live version of Sons of May and they were irresistible. I won’t even try to pigeonhole their music because it’s unique … acoustic … raw and polished at the same time. It is also clear that these guys are humble and love what they do.” – Aireys Inlet Festival review. The Loft, Warrnambool – July 11.

Adelaide’s music scene is far more than just hip hop.

The electronic prouder has won favour for his remixes of some of RnB and pop’s biggest names, including Mark Morrison’s ‘Return of the Mack’, Justin Timberlake’s ‘I Like You’ and Frank Ocean’s ‘Thinking About You’.

He has also performed alongside the likes of Disclosure and Pete Tong on his way to becoming a club favourite. Now Motez is thrilled to welcome his debut single, ‘Own Up’. Your Music Radar’s Graham Porter: “This track puts Motez on the map and pushes the pin through the wall into next door.” Star Bar, Bendigo – July 11 & Eureka, Geelong – July 17.

Motez Has the Moves

All Night with Allday

Baghdad-born and honourary South Australian, Motez Obaidi, who works under Motez, is a man showing that

Do you know Allday? If not, you probably should.

Hailing from Blackwood (that would be the home of the Hilltop Hoods for those playing at home), Allday (Tom Gaynor) is part of Australia’s new era of hip hop. He began rapping at the age of ten, recorded his first track as a teenager and would build his case winning battle after battle in his hometown.

He soon caught the attention of triple j, before a move to Melbourne paid dividends. There he hooked up with producer C1, was unearthed by triple j and found a fan in 360.

In mid-2013 he released his debut EP, Loners Are Cool. Such was the hype surrounding him that the release debuted at #1 on the AIR Independent Album Chart. His debut album is Startup Cult. Star Bar, Bendigo – August 8.

are. We picked them up as a band really quickly because we all played together years ago … We all knew each other musically as well as personally.

“I got rid of the Strat and the Fender amp and bought a Les Paul and another amp that I thought suited that style. [We] went off on a bit of a tangent and we worked on more songs and we recorded an EP which took us a whole year of faffing about.”

Although the end of Berlin Postmark, which also featured Paul Van Emmerik on bass and Anthony Murphy on guitar, could have given Saxton the chance to have a break, the hard worker talked about the as yet unnamed group he’s forming.

“I’m going to be working like a cut cat to get this band going,” he said.

He’ll also be continuing his role as the boss of Rock in the Vines, an annual festival that has already showcased the likes of King of the North, Grim Fawkner and John Lingard, a Bendigonian who was waiting to see if he was going to make it through to the last rounds of The Voice at the time of writing.

Steve Saxton will be supporting Aimee Francis on 23 August 2014 at the Babushka Bar, Ballarat.

History Lessons with The Prehistorics Quick bite: Sydney outfit The Prehistorics is your one-way ticket to oldschool rock. The band has been around for over a decade now, during which time they have released three albums. Their latest is Playing With Fire. The band has been finding a lot

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of support abroad, chiefly from the European market.

In fact, Playing With Fire was released through French label Kill City Records. The Eastern, Ballarat – July 26.

The Light of Day REMINDER: Ocean Grove is set to host the local leg of a worldwide charity concert next month – the first version to take place in Australia. The Light of Day charity concert is staged in aid of Australian and US Parkinson’s charities.

Local performing artists include Marshall Okell, Chris Wilson, Rebecca Barnard, Nick Barker, Jackie Marshall, Tim Neal, Sarah Carroll, Sweet Felicia and the Bash Big Band. The Piping Hot Chicken Shop – July 19.

Bite Down on This REMINDER: A particularly shady pawnshop in Brunswick is where the story of punk rockers The Sinking Teeth begins.

More accurately, the flat above a particularly shady pawnshop in Brunswick is where the story begins.

Salt & Stiches is their new EP, the follow-up to 2013’s White Water. The Barwon Club, Geelong – July 25.

A Moment with Kristy Cox Regarded as the new voice in Australian bluegrass, Kristy Cox grew up in the hills of South Australia. The time between school and household chores was spent listening to music, a passion installed through her parents and grandparents.

Always supportive, her parents would drive her all across Australia in order to take her to a festival or talent show. Her parents’ support combined with her strong work ethic and obvious talent has paid off, signing a deal with the US and taking abroad to Europe, where she finds herself at the moment. Once she returns home, she will embark on a local tour in support of new album, Living for the Moment. Joining her will be Travis List, Australia’s premier male honky tonk artist. Goldmines Hotel, Bendigo – August 14.

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A Song for Kav Temperley 10 years ago Eskimo Joe released their sophomore album, A Song Is a City. With its heart in their home city, the album has been described by frontman Kav Temperley as “about me, my friends, the people I love, and Fremantle. It’s the stories that go on between us.

It’s similar to the people in every place all over the world. For me, that’s what I’m writing about. I’m definitely not writing about New York. I’m writing about Fremantle”. It also marked their debut album with Festival Mushroom Records, following their parting with Modular. Several songs from the album made an impact, perhaps most notably ‘From the Sea’ which came in at the #3 spot on triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2004. They would also perform ‘Older Than You’ at the 2004 ARIAs. It would seem that the special occasion has inspired Kav to take the album on the road for an extensive run of intimate solo shows. Kav: “10 years ago we wrote and released an album called A Song Is a City – it was a turning point for myself both personally and musically. I love it how the whole album works on just an acoustic guitar, and there are so many stories.” The Karova, Ballarat – August 2 & Beav’s Bar, Geelong – August 3. * Those who purchase a ticket to the show will receive an EP of cover songs recorded by Kav which inspired the band’s breakthrough album.

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July at Martians Café It’s colder than a well digger’s arse out there at the moment. Fortunately, Martians Café has three warm and wonderful gigs to see out July that are sure to put a little colour back in your cheeks. On July 12 you have Dave Graney. You know Dave; we all know Dave. The songman has been playing and releasing music for over 35 years through various guises, his latest release being Fearful Wiggins. On July 19 you have Forte regular Shaun Kirk. Since releasing his debut in 2010, Shaun has performed well over 400 shows and has earned such accolades as “one of the most explosive solo acts Australia has to offer”.

And on July 26 you have Roesy. The songman has taken to Pozible to raise funds for his new album Wolf Counsel, so see what you can do to help.

The Right Time for Andrea Robertson Geelong locals would know Andrea Robertson pretty well – they probably just don’t know it. Andrea and her friends have made Lt Malop Central their home since early last month, performing acoustic shows that showcase her new CD. This weekend the songbird takes in The Piping Hot Chicken Shop.

The Geelong-born singersongwriter, now based in Ocean Grove, has been playing music and writing songs since her early teens.

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Aireys Pub Comedy Night Written By Daniel Waight

Want to spend a long winter night having a bunch of laughs?

Well the Aireys Inlet Pub is hosting a free Open Mic Comedy Night on July 26. The event is a celebration of local comedy, with about a dozen amateur comedians from all over Victoria taking the stage for five or ten minutes each, while Canadian comedy star John Dore will be headlining.

The comedy night is the brainchild of Bellbrae’s own Tait Middleton, himself a budding stand-up comic. He says it’s all about giving ordinary people a chance to have a go at stand-up.

“Earlier this year a bunch of us local aspiring joke tellers decided to enter the Raw Comedy competition where we performed at GPAC to about 250 people. While we were there it was pretty apparent that there were a few people eager to get up on stage and have a crack at comedy but there was nowhere to really do it around the Geelong and Surf Coast area. One of the guys I performed with put on an open mic comedy night in Ocean Grove in April and it was a massive success.

Not to be outdone, I decided to contact the Aireys Pub. They were keen to have a night like that down there and give us a chance to perform and share some comedy with the local punters.”

Most of the performers are very new to the comedy scene,

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and some will be performing for the first time on the night. Tait is hoping for a big crowd to come along and support local comedy, something he thinks we should all do more.

“In my eyes we don’t really follow our own stand-up comics and we love to import them from every other country,” he says.

“In all honesty, I just want a night where the audience walks away and say to their friends and family that they watched some amateur comedians and it was great. You don’t have to spend $60 on a ticket to see a big name comedian every time you want to laugh. You can support homegrown talent. By all means go and pay to see the comedy greats, but don’t underestimate the average Joe on stage either. Some of our homegrown comedians may have the best jokes in the world but if they don’t have people to listen we won’t know.”

Tait is just beginning his own venture into stand-up comedy. The self-confessed “attention whore”, who says he was a closet comedian for years, has had a handful of gigs so far and has already experienced a range of audience reactions, including one dreaded performance in Footscray.

“I can honestly say I faced the dreaded ‘bomb’ that no upcoming comedian wants to face. That was the real reality of comedy for me. Straight after the gig I was pretty gutted. Looking back on it now it was just another experience. My [next] gig was at an open mic night in Ballarat and I decided no matter the audience I was going to perform it like I do when I’m practising, and it worked a hell of a lot better. I really enjoyed that gig.”

The night kicks off at 8.30 p.m. and Tait has just one message for the punters: “Come down, have a few pots and enjoy some free comedy. The audience is well and truly getting a great show.”

Where&When: Aireys Pub – July 26

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Along with her husband, David, she job-shares the position of music teacher at the local primary school in Barwon Heads. She has also released her debut album, It’s About Time.

With a soulful blues thread that flows throughout the album, It’s About Time features the talents of Chris Wilson and Sarah Carroll. The Piping Hot Chicken Shop – July 13.

Reece and the Wolf Ah, these young rock and roll heartthrobs. Reece Mastin won fans and stole hearts through his 2011 X-Factor journey, a journey which would see him take out top honours before releasing a double Platinum album. Three consecutive singles would also land in the ARIA Top 5. With a new album due later in the year, Reece is hitting the road for his first extensive run of shows since late 2012. Reece: “If you’ve never come to a show before, this is the one you’ve been waiting for. And if you thought the last show was good, we have the next level for you! We’re travelling to places we haven’t been in a while and I can’t wait to see everyone again. If you love your music live and loud, then the Wolf in the Woods shows will definitely have you rocking!” GPAC – September 18.

Bendigo Writers Festival A partnership between the City of Greater Bendigo council and La Trobe University, the Bendigo Writers Festival is a celebration of the written word. The full program was released last month, but if you haven’t had the chance to check it out (or if the news passed you by), we’re going to take a brief look here. Celebrating the careers of some of Australia’s most admired writers, highlights of the three-day event include opening night, where Blanche d’Alpuget, novelist and biographer of Bob Hawke, will give a talk about the influence of power. Another highlight is the Bendigo first appearance of the Australia Crime Writers Association.

Here to announce the Ned Kelly Awards shortlist, the ACWA will also launch the new novel from Michael Robotham. The festival, which takes place across August 8, 9 & 10, is in its third year in 2014. Hit bendigowritersfestival. com.au/Home for more.

A Caffeine Kick for Lachlan Bryan Black Coffee is the new pick-me-up album from altcountry singer-songwriter Lachlan Bryan. Recorded last year with The Wildes, the album is rich with elements of old-school country, rockabilly, folk balladry and gospel-tinged rockin’ soul. It has been doing pretty well, including snaring the ‘Best Alternative Country Album of the

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Year’ award at the CMA awards. Lachlan wrote the majority of the album while on a solo tour of the US in support of his solo album, Shadow of the Gun. According to his official page, Black Coffee is inspired by “run-down hotels, roadside diners, desert landscapes and cheap, supermarket six-packs”. Is that country enough for you? The Barwon Club, Geelong – July 19; Music Man Megastore, Bendigo – July 24; and The Bridge, Castlemaine – July 26.

With Dan Waters and The Weeping Willows.

Going Around in Circles When Melbourne’s Circles released their breakthrough EP The Compass in 2011, metal fans immediately crossed their fingers that a follow-up wouldn’t be too far away. The wait wasn’t all that long, with the band releasing Infinitas in 2013.

And it did not disappoint.

Among its supporters was The Metal Forge, who wrote: “So here’s what you need to know – this album is worth your time and money. The music is djenty and filled with melody and aggression, induces mad head banging, makes you scream out the lyrics and, overall, there’s a fantastic vibe. And here’s the cool part – I was late to write this review, and ended up going to their gig beforehand, and what you hear on the CD is EXACTLY what you get in their live show.” The Karova, Ballarat – July 17.

Origins of Hate Heathen Skulls and Metal Obsession are the ones to thank for the Origins of Hate tour. In the blue corner you have Melbourne’s Mason. Since releasing their self-titled debut in 2011, the band has toured and shared stages with Havok, Primate, Forbidden, Hobbs Angel of Death, Blood Duster, King Parrot and Elm Street among others. They entered the studio in 2012 to record their debut album Warhead, a release that features an appearance from Jeff Loomis (Nevermore).

In the red corner you have Harlott. A fellow Melbourne band, Harlott take their cues from the Bay Area thrash of the 1980s.

For lovers of the old-school, the Origins of Hate tour is something you aren’t going to want to pass up.

The Karova, Ballarat – July 11; Music Man, Bendigo – August 2; and The Barwon Club, Geelong – August 3.

Welcome to the Doll House Do you miss glam metal kings? Do you miss all the pyrotechnics, sexy dancing girls, confetti bombs, smoke, lasers, spandex and drum risers that came with it? If so, you are going to love Sisters Doll. Kick-started in 2010, the brotherly band put on a theatrical show full of the rock and sleaze of

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the Sunset Strip. As part of their Welcome to the Doll House tour, Sisters Doll is heading Bendigo way to remind everyone of a time when music was a little more dangerous. Joining them will be a killer crew including Path of Destruction, Necron 99 and Miss Stacy - V. Make sure you get there early to check out Stacy. The fourteen-year-old has a heart in the days of old, rocking out acoustic covers of Guns N’ Roses, Skid Row and Mötley Crüe among others.

Music Man Megastore, Bendigo – August 16.

The Yearlings’ Travel Guide Keeping the spark alive in a relationship after ten-plus years can be difficult. And in the world of music it’s no different. When it comes to Adelaide duo The Yearlings (Robyn Chalklen and Chris Parkinson), however, they’re doing just fine. Having returned with their fifth album, All the Wandering, the duo showcases a quiet evolution in sound. For an insight into the recording of the newie, head over to theyearlings.net. To whet your appetite, here is a snippet: “… We started hearing a horn section on some tunes and female vocals on others and what the songs really wanted was a fat groovy rhythm section.

These were not just folk songs to be sung as a duo, they demanded more.” The Main Bar, Ballarat – July 25 & Harvester Moon, Bellarine – July 26.

Maybe Tomorrow for Flyying Colours Quick bite: Last year saw the release of the debut EP from Melbourne psyche/ shoegazers Flyying Colours.

It wasn’t long before the buzz circling the band found an international market, with their film clips being posted on sites around the world. In March this year, the EP was released to the UK/Europe through Club ac30 and USA through Shelflife. ‘Not Today’ is their new single. Beav’s Bar, Geelong – July 27.

She Was a Fast Machine Do you want a little more to shake you all night long?

Palace of the King hits Gateway Hotel, Corio on July 11. Melody Pool has dates at Beav’s Bar, Geelong on July 17 and Uncle Tom’s, Kyneton on July 20.

Dan Sultan hits the Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex, Geelong on July 18. Jeff Lang takes on Beav’s Bar, Geelong on July 20.

Marcus Santoro has a date with The Pier, Geelong on July 26. Tracy McNeil and Raised by Eagles play The Bridge, Castlemaine on July 19. Ballarat’s Babushka hosts Arkie T Williams and The Mudlarks on July 11, Ciaram Granger on July 17 and Lars Wallin and Glenn Muston on July 18. Rick Moranis Overdrive takes on The Karova, Ballarat on July 12. And Red in Tooth play Bendigo’s Music Man Megastore on July 13.

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Australian Croatian Association

Batesford Hotel

Affectionately known as ‘The Dom’ to locals, the Croatian House was formed in Geelong in 1957 by the local Croatian community to create a place of comfort and celebration.

Value for money is the name of the game at the Croatian House. Pull up a seat in the Bistro and take a look at their menu.

The difficultly won’t be in finding something that catches the eye, it will be in deciding on what to get! If you don’t have a care in the world, put your feet up and relax a while;

Batesford Hotel caters for the most intimate to the most extravagant wedding.

They offer a wide range of packages including sit down, cocktail and rotisserie buffet style.

Situated on the edge of the Moorabool River and framed by the blue stone bridge dating from 1859, the hotel’s Moorabool Reception Room and Garden offers

if you have places to be and people to see, their express lunch may be the way to go.

If you’re feeling lucky, the Pokies Lounge has thirty machines to choose from. With friendly and attentive staff, you’ll feel like a winner regardless.

Keep in mind that you can sign up as a member in the venue’s reward program.

The Croatian House has been offering functions of all sizes for 50 years. Whatever your budget, the Croatian House has you covered.

Thinking of a place to

hold an engagement or wedding? How about a birthday or work function? Guests can choose from a range of set menus to suit any budget. Have you got a special request? Have a chat to the crew to work something out.

Using only the freshest and best ingredients, your function will be a guaranteed winner.

The venue is fully licensed with a stage and dancefloor and fantastic music system, Bridal Wall is also avaliable. The room caters for up to whopping 350 guests so don’t be shy, get

in now and book that special date!

The Bistro is open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday from 12:00-2:00pm.

Thursday nights from 5:30pm-8:30pm and Friday nights from 5:00pm-9:00pm.

You can contact the venue through E: functions@ ahdgeelong.com.au or T: 52782596.

Location:

93-109 Separation Street, Bell Park Phone:

03 5278 2596 WEBSITE:

ahdgeelong.com.au

a romantic, boutique style location perfect for your ceremony and reception.

Award winning cuisine combined with their professional and experienced wedding planner ensures that no detail is overlooked and your special day is just the way you dreamed.

The Moorabool Room and Garden also caters to Garden

parties, Birthday Parties (18th & 21st Birthdays are not catered to), Anniversaries, Christenings, First Communion Celebrations, Funerals / Wakes and Corporate functions. This really is the perfect venue to hold your special event whatever that may be.

Please contact Tanya Bennett to book an appointment to find

out more about their packages and arrange a tour of the venue.

Location:

700 Ballarat Rd, Batesford Phone:

03 5276 1201 EMAIL:

tanya@batesfordhotel. com.au

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Book a package and celebrate your birthday with us for a free drink card on the night!

Call us to make a booking on 1300 GROVEDALE (1300 476 833)

Celebrate! ...at the Grovey 3 function rooms available

Bar tab facilities available

Finger-food Packages starting from $15 - available in the bar for small to mid-sized groups

All occasions Birthdays, Engagements, Weddings, Work celebrations, Farewells, Christmas parties

Set menu packages from $34 236-258 Surfcoast Highway, Grovedale Victoria 3216

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grovedalehotel.com.au

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The Barking Dog

Located on trendy Pakington Street, The Barking Dog has long been one of Geelong’s favourite drinking and dining haunts. The venue also prides itself on offering a unique venue to host your function. Whether it’s a birthday, corporate gig or engagement party, the venue has you covered.

All you have to do is fill out a form and leave the rest up to them – it’s that easy! Let’s take a closer look at their function rooms.

The ‘Front Bar’ accommodates 50-120 people. With full access to a private bar with eight beers on tap, priority use of the beer garden and plenty of seating, this particular room is perfect for those bigger celebrations. ‘The Bistro’

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area is suited to host sit-down large dinners, such as a 21st or 50th.

With a capacity of 50-80, the venue’s event coordinator will work with you to tailor a food and beverage package that suits your need and style.

Something a little different is their ‘Strasse Bar’ function area.

The team at the Dog has transformed the Kennel into this unique experience. While there is a strong focus on top quality food and craft beer selection, the Strasse Bar also offers a unique array of function ideas.

These packages include Murder Mystery Nights, Make Your Own Cocktail Master Class, The Strasse Trivia Experience and Consumer Appreciation Evenings.

Various food platters

Barwon Club Hotel

are available to suit all tastes. $30 platters include their 25-piece Sandwich Platter with an assortment of gourmet fillings and their Cheese Platter, which also comes with fruit and bread. For $35 you can try their Pizza Platter, which comes with a delicious serving of margarita, vegetarian and Barking Dog’s own.

Their $40 Bar Platter is your classic party pies, sausage rolls and dim sims platter, plus a few other goodies.

For those with a different taste, their $70 Deluxe Platter is a winner. Select four items from a menu that includes seared scallops with celeriac puree and crisp prosciutto and pork belly with apple sauce, fennel and

pea salad. Those with a sweet tooth are also catered for.

In terms of beverages, drinks can be paid for as bought or TABS can be set up. They also offer an all-inclusive option which offers beer, wine and soft drink for three hours at $35 per head.

Music-wise, the venue offers an iPod function. Musicians or jukebox can be organised.

Street parking is available. Fully licensed venue. For further information hit thebarkingdog.com.au.

Location:

126 Pakington St, Geelong West Phone:

03 5229 2889 website:

thebarkingdog.com.au

Situated just a stone’s throw from the ambience of the Barwon River; stands a venue with a special ambience of its very own.

The iconic Barwon Club Hotel has the atmosphere, function areas, facilities, attention to detail and most importantly the food and beverage options to make a roaring success of any function.

Outside The Barwon Club patrons can take advantage of the modern, relaxing ‘Barn’ function area that has become a real highlight for many over the past four years.

Featuring a bar of its own and opening onto an alfresco area, the Barn is the ideal place to host a daytime or evening function any time of the week and at any time of the year. Hosting 40 to 140 people; food and beverage packages can be discussed with the chef and manager to meet patrons’ every requirement and budget. From a gourmet barbecue with mates to an engagement party catered with delicious finger-food right, through to a fully catered sit-down meal, the Barn is the perfect setting.

Inside a second great function area option is available – with a special twist.

The Back Lounge can seat up to 120 people for functions and with a dance floor, stage and its own PA system, the Lounge transforms into a band room, allowing gigs hosting audiences of up to 300 people.

According to Greg Dodds owner of the Barwon Club both function areas offered something different.

“The Barn has a really fantastic party atmosphere because of the way it’s set up, with

the indoor/outdoor areas a wonderful advantage.

And the Back Lounge/ Band Room is a unique venue to host all kinds of gigs.”

For more information and to discuss your next function call The Barwon Club on 5221 4584.

Location:

509 Moorabool Street, South Geelong Phone:

5221 4584

Open Hours:

Monday – Saturday: 11.00am – Late, Sunday: 3.00pm - Late

Geelong Football Club

Simonds Stadium offers rooms for any occasion, from a formal inner sanctum “Brownlow Room Experience” for 20 up to a seated dinner for over 300. Even a multi-room event for over 1000 people. Boy, there really is no function too big or small for these guys!

It is easy to feel the aura of those that have passed through the ground especially in the older stands where real legends have stood and told their story.

Contrasted by the contemporary ‘Captain’s’ and ‘Alex Popescu’ rooms with floor to

ceiling windows and all modern facilities.

The Club can cater for the youngest birthday party through to 18th and 21st celebrations and beyond!

With its spectacular views, many couples have selected these rooms on their special day to Wed! The venue has an extensive Liquor Licence across the stadium and whether it be a live band for 500 people, a 80’s inspired Disco or the most sophisticated cocktail party Simonds Stadium has you covered! With easy access and parking for up to 500 cars Simonds is

the most accessible inner city function centre.

Renowned for the highest quality Food and Beverage, the club source locally where possible so their produce is the freshest and the menu’s cater for the most discerning palette.

With personable and professional events and function managers your event will be handled personally by one of their great team where they aim to deliver beyond your expectations!

Your options are endless with a Geelong Cats Function it truly is the place where they

The Carlton Hotel

can pretty much cater to anyones needs, even if you don’t support the Cats! New General Manager Chris Shine and his team are ready to work with you to help make your dream event a reality, as their desire is to deliver Hospitality the Geelong Way! Give them a call today to book in the event of your life.

Location:

Simonds Stadium, Kilgour St, Geelong Phone:

(03) 5225 2367 WEB:

clubcatsgeelong.com.au

Be spoiled for choice with your next function at The Carlton Hotel in Central Geelong!

The Carlton has three separate function spaces on offer and with no hire fee it's hard to look past this historic Geelong landmark!

The downstairs function room caters for up to 70 people. Perfect for smaller, private functions, it features a whimsical alcove with bench seating, a speaker system to plug in your own MP3 player or IPod and private bar. It is also is perfect for a private dinner or lunch meeting, catering

for up to 20 people for a sit-down meal.

The upstairs function room caters for 70 - 100 people. It has its own bar and you have the option of having a band, karaoke or DJ at your party. There is plenty of parking around the back and its inner-city location places it close to all other Nightclubs and Bars.

It is a highly suitable venue for Birthday’s including 18th celebrations, as well as engagements, anniversaries, corporate events and business meetings in Geelong,

and is able to offer a number of great conference packages.

The Carlton Hotel could be the perfect place for your wedding reception. They will take the stress out of planning your wedding, so you can relax and enjoy your special day. Their food and drink packages offer great value for money as well as being delicious!

Choose from a range of finger food packages, set menus and drink options.

If you are looking for the perfect venue for your next function, choose Geelong’s Carlton Hotel,

where you can enjoy one of Geelong’s best venues for a social or business gathering.

The Geelong function venue complements our other facilities which include a fine dining restaurant, bar and bistro.

To book a room, or to find out more contact them today, Phone: 5229 1954 Website: thecarltonhotel.com.au/ Location:

21 Malop Street Geelong Phone:

5229 1954

Open Hours:

thecarltonhotel.com.au

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The Cremorne Hotel

Situated at the river end of Pakington Street, The Cremorne Hotel has a well-deserved reputation for being one of Geelong’s best places to hold a function. Have you got a 21st coming up? Do you fancy throwing a cocktail party? It’s never too early to book a Christmas do.

Whatever the occasion and whatever your needs, the friendly team at The Cremorne Hotel has you covered.

‘The Lounge’ is located alongside the main bar and serves as the hotel’s main function area. The room holds around 150 people and provides the perfect area for a small or larger function. It boasts its own private bar and outdoor area, as well as

a projector and three televisions. The TVs are able to broadcast anything from personal photos to music clips. They’ll even throw on the game if you ask nicely.

‘The Bistro’ function room is located on the corner of Pakington Street and Russell Street and accommodates 70 people for a sit-down lunch or dinner. With a private bar and open fireplace, this room gives your occasion a little style.

Various platters are available, ranging from $30 to $70. At the lower end of the scale you have the Sandwich Platter and Cheese Platter.

The Sandwich Platter serves approximately eight people while the

Cheese Platter serves approximately six people.

At the upper end of the scale you have the Seafood Platter and the Tapas Platter. The Tapas Platter is a delicious serving of marinated goats cheese, mini bruschetta, lamb skewers with beetroot harissa, chicken skewers with pesto sauce, asparagus wrapped in pancetta with green salsa, prawn skewers with sweet chilli sauce, stuffed green olives, steak and chips, shaved prosciutto, vegetable frittata, smoked salmon on melba toast and Mexican prawn on melba toast.

In terms of beverages, drinks can be paid for as bought or TABS can

be set up. They also offer an all-inclusive option which offers beer, wine and soft drink for three hours at $35 per head.

Music-wise, you have the choice of a band or a DJ, iPod or their hotel music system which is updated with music twice a month.

Street parking is available. Fully licensed venue. For further information hit thecremornehotel. com.au.

Location:

336 Pakington Street, Newtown Phone:

03 5221 2702 WEBSITE:

thecremornehotel. com.au

Elephant and Castle

Boasting over 130 years of history, The Elephant and Castle feels like a home away from home. After one visit to this iconic Geelong venue, you will have discovered your new ‘local’. The warm and inviting atmosphere provides the perfect venue for groups of any size to come in, relax and have a good time on their next special occasion.

Welcoming sit down dinners to cocktail

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or canape events, the Elephant and Castle is renowned for providing patrons with a variety of choices to cater to their every whim, taking all the stress out of the often chaotic planning process.

With a large open bar, velvet-cushioned chairs and couches situated by beautiful red gum tables, this truly is the local pub experience at its most decadent.

If you are looking for a venue that guarantees

good food and the same high quality service then the Elephant and Castle is the place to be. Functions Manager, Mari-Carmen, says; “We are consistent in our service of food, being a local pub it is of the greatest of importance that we continue to be consistent in delivering great affordable food”. To host your next function at the Elephant and Castle, or to find out more

about the function packages available, contact the team on 5221 3707, for email enquires: enquiries@ elephantandcastle. com.au and to visit the website: elephantandcastle. com.au Location:

158 McKillop St, East Geelong Phone:

03 5221 3707

Open Hours:

11am-12am, 7 days

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Rock O’Cashel

The Rock O’Cashel is a revitalised function venue located in the heart of Geelong, previously known as the Old Tannin Bar, the newly renovated Rock O’Cashel offers an exciting space that is able to cater for every occasion from small, intimate parties of 20 up to large events for 110 guests. (18th and 21st Birthday’s excluded) Tucked away, in the historic Rock O’Cashel Lane, behind the heritage-listed façade of a three-storey building lies the Rock O’Cashel, an exclusive slick bar with the heart of a local pub. The open

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brickwork, lofty ceilings, and polished wooden floors are a nod to the rich history of the building, whilst the fresh renovations have brought the space into the new millennium.

Specialising in functions, the Rock O’Cashel is the perfect venue for your next event.

The venue offers a unique space for both private and corporate events, from everything to hen’s nights, engagements, birthdays, anniversaries and more! It offers a myriad of options and can cater to any budget or occasion. They support local businesses

Barzar Lounge

with their catering options but you are also welcome to cater yourself or use a caterer of your choosing.

Rock O’Cashel’s top priority is to ensure your special event is a success and they would love to tailor a package just for you!

The Rock’O Cashel has NO minimum spend and NO hire fee! Exclusive use of the venue includes their state of the art sound system, Ipod dock, exceptional bar and security staff, facilities for the entertainment of your choice, including a projector, dance floor and stage for your event free of charge!

When planning your next event in Geelong, the Rock O’Cashel is available to discuss how they can help make your night a success! All enquiries go straight to the Rock O’Cashel manager – ensuring a quick response. All functions booked before September receive a complimentary bottle of Veuve Clicquot!! Don’t miss out – book now!

Location:

2 Rock O'Cashel Lane, Geelong Phone:

03 5298 2488 website:

rockocashel.com.au

Looking for a classy inner-city venue for your next function?

Be sure to have a look at Barzar Lounge in Moorabool Street!

The venue caters for up to 80 guests in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere with all your entertainment needs catered for.

Barzar also has a number of delicious catering options, whether you opt for a seated meal or cocktail style platters there is a large selection of yummy options to choose from!

Barzar Lounge

caters for all types of functions including birthdays, engagements, anniversarys, corporate events and more!

There is plenty of off street parking close to the venue, with no hire cost and no minimum spend, get intouch with the friendly team today to organise your next event!

Location:

51 Moorabool Street, Geelong Phone:

03 5222 8242 WEB:

geelong.barzar.com.au

The Geelong Boat House

For a venue that will blow your guests away, why not jump aboard the Boat House for your next function, a 100-year-old fully renovated barge, right on beautiful Corio Bay. The owners behind this beaut of a venue are just as lovely as the view. Malcolm and Czes Ralton, who have been in the hospitality industry for 28 years, are bound to give you and your guests a night worth remembering.

The Boat House has a seated upstairs area,

perfect for looking over the bay whilst sipping on a cocktail, or maybe two.

Overall, the venue holds 60-80 seated guests and 130 for a cocktail party. There’s plenty of room for a band, with a PA system available if needed, and a bit of a dance if you’re up for it.

Malcolm and Czes are happy to transform their cosy venue into the function of your dreams, whether it’s for a wedding, corporate event or

birthday celebration.

If you thought the venue was already too good to be true, throw in some great food and wine and it pretty much is.

The Boat House specialise in seafood, however, there are other options available on the menu for those that aren’t into things from the sea.

There doesn’t seem to be a couple more dedicated than these two, as the only day they close is Christmas day. Where you pick

Buckley's Entertainment Centre

is up to you but we think The Boat House is a goodie.

Contact Malcolm for more information on 0427 319 019 for a competitive quote.

Location:

Western Foreshore Road, Western Beach, Geelong Phone:

03 5222 3624 (takeaway orders and bookings) EMAIL:

thegeelongboathouse@ aussiebb.com.au

There’s much more to Buckley’s than pokies, a good parmi, great cover bands and mega raffles with some serious prizes. They’ve also got a top-notch function room, perfect for your next 21st, sports presentation, wedding or whatever you feel like celebrating.

With a small conference room able to hold up to 50 people or a large function room fitting in 300, there’ll be no function too big or

too small that Buckley’s can’t cater for.

They’ve even got you sorted if you want to have a few celebratory drinks, with a courtesy bus availble for pick ups and drop offs. Talk about great service!

While there’s no questioning the available space, the facilities are just as satisfying.

Buckley’s offers modern built in projectors with drop down screens, iPod connections and free Wifi all at your disposal.

Included in the large function room is a dancefloor and a stage, however, musicians will need to provide their own equipment if you’re keen on having live music.

Catering is also available for an extra cost, with the choice of cocktail food to nibble on or a formal sit down dinner to fill your guests stomachs. Which one you pick is up to you, but we’re pretty sure you won’t regret either.

They’ve even got

plenty of parking too, so no need to worry about walking a mile or piling into cabs!

So if you want to take the stress out of organising a function, give Buckley’s a call, they’ve got more than you need ready to go.

Location:

54 Fellmongers Rd, Breakwater Phone:

03 5248 4866 WEB:

buckleys.com.au

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Geelong RSL

Grovedale Hotel

Possessing a strong community minded ethos, at it’s heart the Geelong RSL is the quintessential Aussie venue. Offering a very safe and clean setting the venue holds with it years of character and charm but with all the conveniences of modern day dining. Displaying their commitment to the local community and ensuring the continued success of return patrons the Geelong RSL showcases some of the best prices in town.

Their food is exquisite and the

Speaking with Joel Taylor from The Grovedale Hotel, it seems there is a lot on offer at this local gem.

“At the Grovedale Hotel we have four options for your function needs,” he tells.

“The Wisteria room can cater for up to 150 people either informal or formal occasions.

If you’re looking for a formal event for up to 220 we can transform our award winning Portofino’s Restaurant into your ideal function room. If you are looking to party the night away, our Tiger Bar can hold up to 160 people and is complete with dance floor, stage, nightclub lighting, private beer

atmosphere is fun making for the perfect all around event.

Holding functions for pretty much everything (sorry no 18th Birthdays) their team of experts are available to make your event the very best it can be.

Manager Chris Bennett and Head Chef / Function Manager David Harper agree at the Geelong RSL; “We are very competitively priced and are able to cater to your every need.” Testament to their popular reputation are the general activities

available at the venue including; the always popular bowls club, snooker club and golf club.

Furthermore welcoming various entrainment events onto the RSL stage gives the venue an edge of drama and surprise. If you are looking for a bit of casual entertainment on the weekend while enjoying one of the sumptuous meals off their renowned menu, keep an eye on their dfantastic monthly events on offer. Their ever changing monthly

lineup is sure to offer some great theatre and soulful tunes.

So when it comes to booking your next function check out the Geelong RSL with their great and friendly service, terrific shows, safe environment and of course their showstopping food.

Location:

50 Barwon Heads Rod, Belmont Phone:

03 5241 1766

Open Hours:

9.30am – 11.30pm / 12:30 Fri & Sat

garden and lounge area.”

Given so many fabulous options The Grovedale Hotel really can cater for everything; informal and formal, they’ve got you covered.

Aesthetically the venue is a sight to behold with a French provincial theme imbuing the Wisteria Function Room and Portofino’s Restaurant.

Whilst the Tiger Bar has a more relaxed feel for all styles of celebratory events, and the alfresco area has a casual dining feel for the smaller more intimate functions,” Joel beams. With some incredible feedback from patrons and party goers it’s not just Joel that sees how much this local gem has to offer,

“Our customers often remark about our large choice of options both for food and also rooms and styles. We offer a high quality of customer service that is well regarded by our customer base. Our function manager Peta Tanis and her team are ready and waiting to handle your function enquiry today.”

While the choice of food is impressive, the price of the venue is what really blows you away. As a function in the Tiger Bar, for groups 10+, are $15 each with a complimentary drink card. If your guests are partial to snacking, fingerfood menus start at $18 and a two or three course set menu

option is $34-39.50.

The Grovedale can also set you up with a suitable drinks or tab package if needed.

Joining the already impressive function rooms available will be a newly renovated terrace room available from October. This tranquil option will no doubt be everyones first choice come Summer, where you and up to 70 friends can enjoy those balmy nights.

Location:

236 Surfcoast Hwy Grovedale Phone:

03 52432814

Open Hours:

Venue 9am – 5am and Functions 7am – 1am

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The Max Hotel

Looking for an affordable function space with a friendly and relaxed atmosphere? Then look no further The Max, right in the heart of Geelong, has you covered!

The Max offers free room hire with no minimum bar spend and your choice of two completely separate levels! Both levels cater for all of types of functions, including 18th Birthdays which are subject to terms and conditions.

Level 2 can hold 60 to 160 guests and includes your own private bar, toilets, a stage, dance floor, a huge open balcony, professional lights,

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mirror ball and fantastic music system to dace the night away.

Level 3 holds 50 to 130 party-goers and includes a private bar, toilets, mood lighting, dance space and room for a DJ. For both room’s a Nightlife Music System can be hired at additional cost which boasts an impressive catalogue and is updated weekly with over 30,000 songs to choose from!

Live bands on Level Two will be required to bring their own equipment, however full DJ Set Up is available for hire from the venue.

Both bars are fully stocked with

Opium Bar

quality liquor and other favourites and the friendly staff can happily either set you up with a bar tab or otherwise guests are able to purchase drinks at bar prices.

For that special summer occasion, there is also a Beer Garden with selfcontained bar which holds 20 to 70 guests.

This venue is fully licensed, with hire available between 6pm to 12am. The Max’s amazing kitchen team offer an array of yummy cocktail-style patters of all of your party favourites from Yum-Cha to Pizza, to Sushi and Skewers!

There venue is close walking distance to all

Geelong Nightclubs and there’s tons of parking available! Oh and did we mention it’s FREE HIRE with NO minimum spend? Reserve your room today, before it books out!

The venue is located across the road from Deakin’s Waterfront Campus at 2 Gheringhap St Geelong. Phone (03) 5229 5504. Website www.maxhotelgeelong. com.au Location:

2 Gheringhap St Geelong Phone:

03 5229 5504

Open Hours:

maxhotelgeelong. com.au

From an 18th to an engagement, a corporate function to a hens party, Opium is one cosy cocktail bar that can cater to your every desire. A seasoned host for an endless variety of events its prime location on James Street, in the hub of Geelong’s night-life scene, makes Opium the perfect spot to celebrate with your guests.

The modern décor with an Asian influence, the great music,

friendly bar staff and security, ensure that the atmosphere at Opium is always inviting. Opium stocks a fantastic range of local and foreign beer, and the Opium team are willing to make a variety of exotic award winning cocktails to help you party in style.

Free function room hire and a no minimum spend policy are two of the many advantages of hosting your next event at Opium, making it a fitting location

for events with a tight budget. Opium holds up to 115 people and has a full DJ set up with iPod/ USB connections.

Owner of the venue, Paul Shakespeare says; “We have hosted over two hundred functions at Opium Bar and it’s all good news. Patrons appreciate our no-fuss approach to events, our quick responses to booking requests, our position in the CBD, and our ability to cater to the unique needs

of our clients”. When you’re looking for a relaxed vibe, friendly staff, and a stress-free approach for your event, contact Paul and the team at Opium.

Location:

15 James St, Geelong Phone:

0422 065 455

Open Hours:

4pm-3am, Thur – Sat. Available for Functions 7 days from midday

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Perrettis

Sporting Globe Bar & Grill

The proprietor and chef of Sandstone Café also helms Perrettis, so you know you’re in good hands. With its bright colours and extensive fit out, the venue is perfect for a night out with the better half or for catching up with family or friends. It has a modern contemporary design which catches the eye right away, while its use of timber and stone adds a very cool touch.

When it comes to functions, one name that stands out is Geelong’s Sporting Globe Bar & Grill. With access to an exclusive room, stateof-the-art facilities and their function manager by your side, your special event becomes a breeze.

“We have a variety of versatile function rooms, catering for a range of events from casual birthdays to formal receptions, club presentations and corporate events,” says Marketing Manager Paige Beyer . “Ideally located in the centre of town on Ryrie St the venue is perfect for your next function. Our function manager will tailor your event to the desired style and budget. Our packages cater for sitdown dinner and cocktail events, with per head or per platter pricing. We also provide à la carte service for small groups.”

The Sporting Globe

Functions are Perrettis speciality, accommodating up to 60 people, the venue can cater for stand-up or sit-down events.

From wedding parties to birthdays, finger food to cocktails, the venue has you covered. The team is flexible and will do what they can to make things run as smoothly as possible. The only thing you will need to do is make a good toast.

But, they could probably do that too.

As you may have guessed from their name, Perrettis has an Italian touch.

Housemade pastas and pizzas is the name of the game and it is a game they play very well indeed. Good food is one thing but we all love a bargain, and at Perrettis you’re going to get just that. Eat up!

So, if you have a special

occasion coming up and you’re stressing about what to do, why not give Perrettis a bell. The friendly team is waiting for your call.

Location:

2/286 Torquay Road, Grovedale Phone:

5241 2226

Open Hours:

5pm- Late 7 Days

Bar & Grill realise that not every function is the same and so they offer three main function areas. ‘The Cocktail Bar’ is the largest of these, catering for up to 350 people (standing).

Decked out with a large private bar, dance floor and balcony overlooking Union Street, The Cocktail Bar is perfect for large numbers or those that enjoy a little more room. Other features to this room include state-of-the-art lighting, stage area, live music equipment and two projectors.

The ‘Beer Garden’ is suited for the more casual gathering. The expansive bar opens onto a wooden deck with outdoor seating and a retractable roof, while a 3.75m2 big screen, large gas heater, pool table and 6 x 40” screens allows guests to stay warm and keep an eye on the score. Lastly, the ‘Lounge Bar’ is perfect

for secluded gatherings.

Situated upstairs, its private bar and smoking balcony is perfect for an intimate dinner with family or friends. And with its 2 x 40” inch screens, the Lounge Bar can also double as a presentation area.

Once you have selected your room, why not take a look at their catering. Here we once again hand it over to Paige Beyer. “The Sporting Globe offers great catering options for your function with a range of cocktail style platters or set menu options for seated events. Platters start at $39ea and feature items from our much loved restaurant menu including buffalo wings, barramundi and chip boxes and desserts. Set menus of two-courses or three-courses can be organised with our function manager.”

Room selected: check.

Catering organised: check. What about them tunes? The Cocktail Bar features a stage that has hosted some firstclass talent and comes fully equipped with PA system, speakers and DJ decks. They also house a modern sound system with an extensive music library, or if you prefer you can connect your own mp3 player.

There you have it.

Everything you need to make your function a memorable one can be found at the Sporting Globe Bar & Grill, where their hard work means your enjoyment. Street parking is available.

Fully licensed venue. For further information hit sportingglobe.com.au.

Location:

175-177 Ryrie St Geelong VIC 3220 Phone:

03 5224 2600 website:

sportingglobe.com.au

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Sandstone Café

Welcome to Sandstone Café, a fresh and exciting slice of heaven. Step inside and you will notice a relaxed and bright café. The atmosphere hums along nicely while still being relaxed; you’ll feel right at home. If you prefer eating outdoors, their gorgeous courtyard is just as inviting. Nestled between sandstone columns are tables made from recycled red gum sleepers from South Geelong Railway Station.

If you have a function in mind, you will want

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to keep Sandstone Café in mind. The venue works with you in order to put the best possible function together – your needs are put first. A function in summer is going to be different to one in winter, and the team at Sandstone realise this. So don’t let the chills put you off because Sandstone will do what they can to make your event warm and cosy.

Let’s take a little look at their menu.

The venue has both a Café Menu and Dinner Menu, serving up treats

Slate Pool Lounge

so tasty you’ll have trouble deciding what to order. Start your day off on the right note with one of their delicious brekkie favourites. Their Friday and Saturday two-course and threecourse specials are a real winner too.Catering is also a specialty. For those special occasions, Sandstone Café can arrange a menu to suit all tastes and budgets. Simply check in on their website at sandstonecafe.com. au and shoot them an email. It’s all too easy.

Finally, the venue

has a fantastic selection of wines from the local region and beyond.

And if you enjoy a good coffee to finish off your meal, or simply need an early morning pickme-up, their Dimattina Coffee should hit the spot perfectly.

Location:

1/284 Torquay Road, Grovedale Phone:

5244 2343

Open Hours:

Sun-Thur 9am-4pm; Fri-Sat 9am-late

Are you looking for a function with a twist; a sense of something different and a sense of something truly cool?

Then welcome to Slate Pool Lounge. A stylish pool club boasting the finest tables and sleekest furnishings Slate is certainly a location that will have people talking.

With tables given the stamp of approval by owner and renowned local snooker champ Johl Younger, a game

of pool is always a great way to break the game and break the ice with your guests.

Much more than your average pool lounge though, Slate offers a relaxing atmosphere that invites patrons to chill out with a beverage and be blown away by their latest state-of-the-art sound system, stylishly furnished three levels, mezzanine level and their popular outdoor room.

Slate has thirteen large plasma screens showing music film clips as well as AFL matches.

Featuring free function room hire the team at Slate are dedicated to bringing their highest level of satisfaction to you and your partygoers.

Their motto; it’s all about the fun, laughter and entertainment.

During the week Slate plays host to a number of pool leagues for all skill levels with

great prizes available.

So if you want to evoke your inner hustler, show off your skills to a room full of family, friends or coworkers and of course have a whole lot of fun then contact Slate today about booking your next function.

Location:

50 Little Ryrie Street, Geelong Phone:

03 52 232 911

The Yearlings Written by Tex Miller

South Australian folk duo The Yearlings have just released their fifth album, a stunning release from the first track. The duo is set to tour around the country in support over the next month taking in shows in all major and regional centres of Australia. One half of the band, Chris Parkinson, sat down with Forte ahead of the tour to chat about the recording and release of the album, as well as what it’s like to hang out with Steve Earle. “We head straight up to Brissy and we have four or five gigs a week and travel for about a month, ending up in Adelaide. It’s going to be great fun,” Parkinson said.

All the Wandering, the latest release for the band, was quite a hectic time and although it started out as a relatively low-key duo record, it quickly developed into a full band record and employed the services of some great friends to lend a hand. “Robyn and I started the initial recordings in winter last year and laid down the whole record at our home studio My Sweet Mule. We started hearing all this extra instrumentation though and it quickly snowballed from there. They were no longer just quaint little folk tunes.

We decided to do it again with Mick Wordley, our producer friend, and are really happy with the end result.

We never thought that we would record the album twice though.”

Although Parkinson was happy with both of the recordings, the ability and opportunity to re-record the material has allowed for a punchier sounding record and understanding about the arrangements. “Having a whole heap of our friends come and

play on the record is really great.

They just seemed to get really into playing the songs and I think you can hear the emotion throughout.”

With a home studio operation, there is always the ability to lay down new ideas for tracks. My Sweet Mule, however, has also played host to the Soft Gold record, ‘Ukulele Queen of the Bellarine’ Sarah Carroll’s new project. Playing a few shows in South Australia, Carroll and Borrack stopped off to catch up with Parkinson and Chalklen and after a chance meeting the initial recordings were booked in. “Sarah and Marcel to start out with just sing so beautifully together. They were practising in our sunroom and I said to Robyn how great it would be to just record those songs. It was a natural process and you can hear the beauty in all of the arrangements.

Definitely worth checking out

Shaun Kirk Q&A

Readers of Forte would be well familiar with the name Shaun Kirk. With a knack for penning a catchy tune and with an enthusiasm that is infectious, his name continues to grow more familiar every day. Always on the go, we were thrilled he could spare a little time for us.

Hey Shaun, thanks for taking the time to have a chat to Forte! How are you?

Going great! Currently in the middle of a little songwriting retreat at King Island in the middle of the Bass Strait. Life’s good.

For those who don’t know you, describe your style of music.

One-man, blues, soul, a little bit of rock, a dash of country and a sprinkle of sugar.

Steer the Wheel is your newest release. What can listeners expect from that album?

I’m super happy with the album.

I think it’s the most versatile record I’ve put together so far. I recorded the base of the album with Jeff Lang’s rhythm section (Danny McKenna on drums and Grant Cummerford on bass) which really helped give my music a new flavour. There’s a soul track sung completely in falsetto, some deep songs about social issues, songs about the journey, a garage band style song, and of course a couple of little blues influenced numbers.

You’ve achieved a lot since your debut in 2010, with four records and over 400 hundred shows. Do you ever feel like you just want to take a break?

Not really. If anything I want to work even harder than I already have been, go new places, meet new people, be inspired and enjoy the ride.

What do you do to relax? If you get any downtime that is!

Hanging out with family and friends is always a good way to take my mind off things for a while.

Having a laugh with my girlfriend up in Sydney, causing trouble with my nephews and nieces in Melbourne, Canberra or Brisbane. I don’t mind a game of golf either ;) How did it feel when your debut release was awarded the ‘Best Debut Album’ at the 2010 VIC/ TAS Blues Music Awards?

Stoked! I don’t go out looking for accolades but when you receive them you’ve gotta be humble and grateful I think.

You’ve had a number of other awards and achievements on top of that. What’s been the highlight of your career so far in the industry?

Probably playing on one of the main stages at Bluesfest in Byron Bay earlier this year, or opening for Joe Bonamassa at the Palais Theatre in St Kilda a while back. Such amazing audiences and the kind of gigs I’d like to be doing more and more as my career progresses.

Those awards are a pretty good sign you’re doing well in the industry. But personally, how do you think you’ve developed as a musician from your debut in 2010?

A lot. I’m always looking to learn new things, try new things, find new sounds. As I do so many gigs and am always on the move I don’t get much time to sit down by myself and practise, so most of my practise/rehearsal is

Soft Gold if you haven’t already.”

Having recorded an album in New York and played at the New York Guitar Festival, the Yearlings have been able to hone and develop their show over each tour. I was sad to be informed, however, that Pete Townshend windmills would not be on show at the upcoming dates.

“Oh man! I wish I was that cool, that would be just awesome. We could take some muesli and a NutriBullet with us and just see what happens I guess.

“It will be great to get out and play these songs to our fans. The Harvester Moon show is a good little gig and it will be great to get up on stage with Sarah Carroll again. Come on down and hear the beauty in these songs for yourself.”

When&Where: Main Bar, Ballarat – July 25 & Harvester Moon, Bellarine – July 26

actually done on stage at gigs. I think that’s one of the best places to learn.

What would you be doing if music didn’t work out so well for you?

I wouldn’t mind being a professional skateboarder. They’ve got life pretty good I reckon.

You’ve got upcoming gigs at Saints & Sailors as well as Martians Café. Have you played them before? What’s the vibe like?

I’ve never played at Saints &Sailors before but I’m hearing good things.

I did play Martians a couple of times a few years back so it will be great to return and catch up with everyone. They’re both pretty small venues so I can imagine it will be pretty up close and personal, lots of crowd interaction. Almost like playing in someone’s living room is a vibe I like to try and create.

You’ve played at quite a few festivals now. How does playing those compare to an intimate gig like Martians Café?

Festivals are usually full of energy from the get-go. People are at them to see music and have a good time so you usually don’t need to rev them up too much before they start feeding you their energy, whereas intimate gigs tend to need more building – start off a little quieter and then build them to a big climax at the end of the set.

What have you got in the works for the rest of the year and beyond that?

Looks like I’ll be heading back to New Zealand in September to launch the new album to them all, and hoping to get to the US or Canada before the year is out. Other than that, I’ve got a few Australian festivals around the traps too and might finish the year off with another big tour around Aus. Thanks again for having a chat with us. Is there anything you’d like to add before we finish up?

Always follow your dreams … except those ones when you’re naked at school.

Oh yeah, and my new album is available through iTunes, my website, music retailers or at my shows :) When&Where: Saints & Sailors, Portarlington – July 18 & Martians Café, Deans Marsh – July 19 forte 37

38 forte

King Buzzo LOCAL FEATURE STORY Written by Paul McBride

Becoming involved in music as a high school friend and bandmate of Kurt Cobain before forming grunge/metal legends the Melvins, Buzz ‘King Buzzo’ Osborne has accomplished most things in music.

However, after a 31-year career involving over 30 albums of studio and live material, the singer-guitarist is still breaking new ground by going acoustic for the first time on new album, This Machine Kills Artists.

“It just seemed like the right thing to do, you know?” he says. “I’ve done a lot of albums in the past and a lot of other types of work in the past, but there’s no real reason other than that. I worked on it for a few months and I realised pretty quickly that I can do things fast, because I didn’t have anybody else working on the songs. So once I had them written, I was able to go in and record them, and I had a great time doing it. It was just another challenge and I was up for a challenge. I’ll take the blame, no problem [laughs].”

The 50-year-old is equally self-effacing, engaging and blunt, and was just as driven by what he wanted the new album to sound like as how he wanted to avoid it sounding like. A quote on his website reads: “I have no interest in sounding like a crappy version of James Taylor or a half-assed version of Woody Guthrie.”

“I just listened to most of what that stuff sounds like and just made sure I didn’t do it,” he says. “I think it’s mission accomplished in that department. I didn’t want to do some National Skyline type of thing at all. Lots of rock and rollers try to do that; they think it’s more legitimate or something, I don’t know. It’s weird. I could certainly

do all acoustic covers of Hank Williams songs if I wanted to, but that just doesn’t sound very interesting to me, you know? As much as I love Hank Williams, it’s not for me to do it. If I could figure out some other angle on it, maybe, but I’m not going to worry about that. I’m trying to be kind of a heavy metal version of Captain Beefheart.

“I’ve been calling it ‘molk’, which is metal-folk. How does that sound? M-O-L-K; I don’t know anyone else who is doing that. It’s an original concept. For all intents and purposes that’s the kind of area I’m working in. So nothing’s too direct, but I think if you listen to it, it can mean a lot to a lot of different people. I’m never that direct, never. I’m not going to lead you by the hand down the garden path.

It’s a walk people have to take on their own, you know?”

With more than 2000 shows under his belt, it would be safe to assume Osborne should take performing in his stride, even if the new format throws up some original challenges.

“I don’t have a band to hide behind on this,” he says.

“I just have to go out there and make it work. I’m all on my own; there’s no drums or anything except me and my acoustic. It’s very stripped-down, very minimalistic and

that’s kind of how I want it. I’m eight shows into this tour and I did about 17 or 18 shows before this. I’ve done the better part of 30 shows, but I’m still learning, you know? I’m figuring it all out as it’s brand new to me.

“By the time I get to Australia I’ll have more than 50 shows under my belt so I’ll be feeling pretty secure that I’ve seen it all by that point, but there really is nothing like playing live to get that experience and feeling that anything and everything could go right or wrong. There’s no substitute for that – none. Things can still go wrong, even songs that I’ve played for years.

You just never know. That’s all part of playing live.”

Osborne will bring his solo show to Australia for a ten-date tour in August, and while he’s not generally known for being a chatty performer, expect at least a bit of banter between songs.

“For now, I have been telling stupid stories and stuff like that,” he says. “It’s not normal singer-songwriter type stuff, it’s more irregular. I want to present this as serious but still vulnerable to some degree. I got to have some kind of communication with [the audience], but maybe as time goes on I won’t say a word. With most of the Melvins shows I don’t say a word. I just let the music do the talking and don’t worry about it too much.

Sometimes at Melvins shows I’ll talk about whatever the fancy takes me, but not a tremendous amount.

“I’m doing 70 minutes with not a lot of talking;

maybe five minutes talking out of 70 minutes. Sixtyfive minutes of music is enough for people to have to deal with [laughs]. Out of those 70 minutes, I’ll be doing about 50 per cent old Melvins material and 50 per cent new material, which is what I do normally anyway. It’s not a wild stretch, you know?”

The permanently busy Osborne confirms that despite his acoustic gigs taking centre stage for now, a return to blasting loud rock music isn’t far away. “[The Melvins] have a new album coming out in early October and we’re going to do some new shows in the US in mid-October, roughly. Nothing’s on the back burner at all; it’s very much in the foreground. I leave nothing to chance, you know? I’m very much about plans, all kinds of plans. I’ve worked my ass off to get to this point.”

Despite swapping his electric guitar for acoustic, Osborne laughs off the suggestion he might be mellowing with age.

“Listen to the album and you tell me,” he laughs. “It’s something else I can do, and that’s all it is. I’m a songwriter and that’s what I do. I make music. I do it for a living. I work on it as a craft. It’s all just part of the same thing, thank God.” When&Where: The Barwon Club, Geelong – August 14 & Ding Dong, Melbourne – August 15

forte 39

HAPPY DAYS FOR THE KAROVA! Written by Wylie Caird

Talk of the state of the live music scene can elicit a bit of a groan these days. Not because it continues to be a hot topic of debate, but because it has a stronger pulse than some would have you believe. It’s just sometimes we need to look to our regional cities.

With The Karova family set to celebrate their tenth birthday, we thought we would gatecrash their celebrations and share a drink (more likely a few) with the Ballarat favourite.

“A good friend of mine, Paddy O’Driscoll, wanted to open up a live music venue in Ballarat,” Shaun Adams, Music Programmer for the venue since it opened, told us. “He knew I was passionate about the local scene and got me on board to book the acts to play at the venue. I really didn’t know what I was doing for the first year or so but he obviously saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself.”

July 23, 2004 was the date the venue opened its doors to the public. It was a year in which Usher would have the highestselling album of the year. Music legend Ray Charles would pass away at the age of 73.

Jet would write their place in the annals of Australian rock by cleaning up at the ARIAs. Australian bands including Birds of Tokyo, The Audreys, Howling Bells and The Getaway Plan formed. It was also a year in which Soundwave made its festival debut, then known as Gravity Soundwave and run within with Gravity Games.

Locally, Ballarat had been travelling along at a decent pace. However, bigger dreams were envisioned. “Ballarat has always had a great live music scene. Before Karova there were a few places where acts could play, but there wasn’t a regular venue so a lot of the local acts had disbanded and the scene died down for a while. It was hard at the start to try and get in on the national touring circuit – most acts were just playing in Geelong – but we were lucky there was bubbling excitement around the start of a new live music venue and a birth of a new era for the scene.”

The birth of a new era is right. Not only has the venue played host to a seeming endless list of Australian and international talent including Okkervil River, Birds of Tokyo, 360, Ben Kweller, Girl Talk, Wolfmother, You Am I, The Jezabels, Boy & Bear, Something for Kate, Art vs. Science, Magic Dirt, Augie March and Architecture in Helsinki, but they have also championed backyard artists including Epicure, Yacht Club DJs, Hunting Grounds and Goldfields. Given how well we have got to know the locals, The Karova is a little like the record store clerk you get friendly with who turns you on to the good stuff out back.

All this begs the question: What is in the water at The Karova? After a pause for

thought, Shaun hits the nail on the head.

“It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly has kept Karova Lounge open and thriving for so long.

We have a very diverse audience, a thriving local music scene and touring acts genuinely like playing here … The key to our success at the end of the day is that the whole team – door staff, security, venue management – are passionate about live music and work really hard to create an environment that people want to keep coming back to.”

You can’t fake passion. And if you do, sooner or later you’re going to be caught out.

The locals love The Karova because it is like hanging out with family. They know the venue is putting on music not for the bucks but for the love of it. It is something that bands sense too. “Most definitely,” responds Shaun when we ask him whether having a good venue/ band relationship is important. “What we try and do is to think objectively about the fact that a band is coming all the way to Ballarat to play a show – it’s normally cold, wet, and we’re very appreciative to them for touring our parts. It’s an intimate venue; you’ll see security guards line up to purchase merch.

It’s not your typical atmosphere for a show.”

An article such as this would not be complete without a trip down memory lane, so we take the opportunity to ask Shaun about the craziest night he has witnessed.

“It would have to be Girl Talk. By the time he played he was one of the hottest acts in the world – the show sold out in four minutes or something stupid like that. He was out here for Laneway so in the middle of summer Ballarat turned on a nice 35 degrees day, which basically turned the venue into a sauna. I still don’t think I have felt that kind of heat again – people were drenched in sweat. 50 people on stage … his table breaks 10 mins into the show … a crazy night!”

With a look at the past, we now look to the future and what we can expect with their 10th birthday celebrations. On the line-up you have, fittingly, a local affair with Yacht Club DJs, Neon Love, Bel Air, Them 9’s and DJ Salinger. “Karova’s 10th birthday is a celebration of the local acts that have meant a lot to the venue over the past decade. Some acts unfortunately weren’t available, but we’ve got a great line-up of acts that were really popular with us and the punters and we’re also giving the opportunity to some of the newer acts to play. It’s as much about looking to the future as remembering our past.”

Also be on the lookout for a book to be released in late August. “It will be a scrapbook of types featuring photos and memories of acts that have toured, poster artwork from previous shows – a real snapshot of the past 10 years.”

We raise our glass to you.

BLUEJUICE

GIRL TALK

DRUNK MUMS

BIRDS OF TOKYO

WASHINGTON

When&Where: Karova Lounge – July 19

10 Years and still Rockin'!

Coming up at the Karova...

13/7

16/7

THE BENNIES

19/7

10TH BIRTHDAY!!!

THE BEARDS

40 forte

27/7

31/7

02/8

coolio

KING parrot

13/8

16/8

peking duk

kav teMperley (eskimo joe)

08/10

05/9

ball park music

alison wonderland

24/9

17/10

i killed the prom queen

the kite string tangle

kingswood

WHAT'S ON IN THE RAT?

FREE CLASSIFIEDS

Written by Daniel Lock

Send your info to editorial@fortemag.com.au Individual use only, not for commercial purposes Experienced 22 y/o singer, songwriter, guitarist looking for

Hello to all you lovely live music loyalists. Daniel here with what’s hot but not what’s not for the upcoming fortnight.

a drummer, bassist and lead guitarist to start up an original rock band based in Geelong. Influences: QOTSA, Sublime & Dave Grohl. Contact Tom at: 0487067083

Thursday, July 10 the Karova Lounge has REMi, L-Fresh The Lion, WZRDKID and Mz Rizk lined up on stage. REMi is currently on a national tour to promote the release of his upcoming album.

Supported by triple j, The Music, Acclaim and Niche. Tickets – $17.50.

Friday, July 11 the Babushka Bar has local talent Arkie T Williams and The Mudlarks playing. Entry – $8. The Karova Lounge has Mason, Harlott, Trigger and Hybrid Nightmares taking the stage.

Entry – $12.

Saturday, July 12 the Babushka Bar has Dolphy’s Albatross playing.

Entry – TBC. The Eastern is having a hip hop night with local artists Bogues, Elev8, Mr Ish, Krisdafari and DJ Bren set to spin some decks and rap some rhymes. Entry – TBC. The Karova Lounge has locals Rick Moranis Overdrive playing, supported by The Kremlings and Tsugnarly (who recently played a wicked gig at The Eastern). Entry – $10. The Main Bar enter this fortnight’s fray with Brooke Russell and The Mean Reds, supported by Ayleen O’Hanlon. Entry – $10.

Sunday, July 13 the Karova Lounge is open and has The Bennies, Jeff Rosenstock (USA) and Hightime playing live and loud. Entry – $12.

Wednesday, July 16 sees the Karova Lounge bearding it up on humpday with The Beards set to bring about a beardly entertaining evening with beards aplenty and beerds … sorry, beers sold across the bar. Tickets – $25.

Thursday, July 17 the Babushka Bar has Ciaram Granger with Sasha playing for their audience. Entry – TBC. The Karova Lounge has Circles, The Hazard Circular and Humality playing (almost ALLround entertainment ... that was so bad it had to be used). Tickets – $18.

Friday, July 18 the Babushka Bar has Lars Wallin and Glenn Musto playing. Entry – TBC. The Main Bar has Jackie Marshall playing, supported by James O’Brien. Entry – $10.

Saturday, July 19 and the Karova is having their 10 birthday. A decade of live music brought to you originally by Patrick O’Driscoll (Paddy-O) and then, when bought by Gary Wilson, he continued with the great music and line-ups we get, with help from the staff and booking team of course. They’ve put together a line-up of local bands and DJs to celebrate. Booked to play are Yacht Club DJs, Neon Love, Bel Air, Them 9’s and DJ Salinger. Tickets – $17. Miss you, Paddy. th

And so that’s it for this fortnight’s line-up of what’s happening on

Heavy metal/death metal vocalist & lyricist looking to

join a band. Have original material ready to go. 0432959094 Wanted expirenced drummer to start a REMI

the Ballarat local live original music scene. Remember, the Babushka Bar host free jam sessions on Sundays and The Eastern host open mic nights on Thursdays, this month introduced by Dave Savage. The Eastern also has free live music from 3 p.m. on Sundays.

For further information and more up-to-date details check out their websites or Facebook at: The Babushka Bar/Lounge/Cafe/Gallery: evileye.com.au/babushkalounge.com The Eastern: facebook.com/easternballarat The Karova Lounge: karovalounge.com The Main Bar: themainbar.com.au Tickets to events hosted by The Karova Lounge can be bought from New Generation Clothing @ 26 Doveton St South, Ballarat.

metal/death metal band. Must be dedicated, be able to play double bass very well and be able to perform original material. 0415676768 Looking for talented singers, male and

female, who would like to collaborate and record on a project for submission to labels.

We are coming close to completion of the 31 track demo and are looking for people who can sing (all styles) to contribute to certain tracks, please don’t hesitate to call for more information. Call Matt on 0468632012 Drummer Available

- Geelong. 20 years + live experience to play in a working/ near working band. I have pro equipment

& transport. Can play a range of styles from Rock, Blues, Jazz & Funk. Please contact Matt on 0404 543 416 or email - mattgroove@ gmail.com Drummer Wanted

for original punk rock band around Ballarat. Influences include NOFX, The Offspring, Millencolin and AC/DC. If you enjoy jumping around and making noise phone 0417566478 Guitarist & Keyboard Player Wanted for

pop/rock originals band. Looking for experienced musicians who can also sing harmonies, are easygoing and reliable. Contact Phil 0421 901 530 www. zeffamusic.com 30ish year old trumpet player,

looking to form or play in jazz group.

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

similar aged guys who like Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Beatles, and ANYTHING funky bass! i love ANY music prior to 1950s all the way back to classical and beyond! I also play trumpet, Contact Sam 0407347444

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE! CALL LUKE ON 0422 809 042

forte 41

Perfect Tripod Written by Tex Miller

Tripod has over the past fifteen years become Australian comedy legends.

Known for their quick wit and ability to work with a myriad of people in whatever scenario, teaming up with Eddie Perfect the group is just one of the acts on the first announcement for Queenscliff Music Festival 2014. With such a stellar career and many different pursuits undertaken in their time as a comedy act, it’s hard to pinpoint where to start the interview with Gatesy.

To my surprise, Gatesy had done some research on me, so straight off the bat we found some common ground in being musicians. “I used to be a bluesman like you mate. When I started playing guitar, it was the ’80s. Late ’80s music, I don’t know whether you know, but it really sucked. I was the guitarist in the school and with a long mullet and falling short of wearing a hat like Stevie Ray Vaughan. It was pretty sad. God I love my blues though, there is so much passion and energy poured in the songs. It’s great.”

Meeting doing musical theatre in the suburbs in the late ’90s, things fell into place quickly for Tripod, who did what young people don’t do anymore. “We used to get gigs and sing anywhere. The intention was really never to

do comedy. We landed the gig on the triple j morning segment and started doing the ‘Song in an Hour’ which forced us to think of our feet. One in every three songs was great though. That was a great time in our lives – farmers would stop their tractors just to hear the song we would come up with. We did it long enough though. We had to be in to the station at 7 a.m. It was the early start that wrecked our week.”

Perfect Tripod has been doing shows together for the past six months. The origins of the new outfit came from performing cabaret shows at the Spiegeltent where at some point it was suggested that the group try singing the Paul Kelly classic ‘Meet Me in the Middle of the Air’, to which Kelly remarked it was a “stunning” cover version. From there, the Australian Songs show was born, which is what punters will get to see at the end of November.

“Originally we were hesitant to do a 75 minute a cappella show. We grew up in an environment of a cappella and it was always regarded as something that was really daggy.

When&Where: Queenscliff Music Festival - Novembe 27 to 30

We tried playing instruments, and Eddie is a great piano player, but we are too old and weary to be touring with instruments these days.”

Returning to play at Queenscliff, Gatesy can’t wait to take to the stage once again with this new show.

Having written and performed a stage musical with Megan Washington and Elena Stone called ‘Tripod vs. The Dragon’, I am told by Gatesy that their wardrobe selection could be picked from local op shops. “In that production we dressed as mythical woodland creatures. I was a dog, Yon was a cat and

Scott was a donkey. It might be a bit of fun to raid some op shops and bring something crazy to the stage.

“We can’t wait to return to Queenscliff. It has a great community vibe to it. See you there!”

Jackie Marshall Written by Tex Miller

Jackie Marshall, or the Peppercorn Queen as she is alternatively known, has experienced all aspects of the musician life. From composing music for Slovenian puppet theatre to rocking out on stage at the Chicken Shop in Ocean Grove, there are many facets and tales to tell from her illustrious career thus far. Having released two full-length albums under her name already, Marshall has just brought out a new EP, the subject matter of which was partially inspired by political activism.

A side project that was born out of a friendship with Lee Ivan from the cult country rock group The Remains, there are a lot of different flavours and sounds that have a broad appeal to them throughout each of the tracks on this release. “We decided to record a really bent country and rock and roll album, yet that seemed to take a lot more time than we had initially planned for, so we decided to put out an EP instead. It’s a lot of money to put out a full album and so we have saved some costs and some material for further releases.”

This latest project from Marshall was born out of playing a lot of shows alongside The Remains.

Ivan right from the beginning expressed interest in helping Marshall with the follow-up to 2010’s Ladies’ Luck which saw a collaboration form

between the two and quickly broke the mould of producer/artist. “The Peppercorn Queen and the Fat Lamb was a name that came naturally to us. Lee is based in Tamworth and his band there is called the Fat Lambs, and I was crowned the Peppercorn Queen at an outback country music festival. It’s fair enough to say that it got pretty wild out there, and I could relate the best tour story, but what goes on tour, stays on tour.”

Self-taught on the guitar and learning from Bob Dylan charts, it wasn’t long until Marshall became inspired by the likes of Jack Kérouac and Hunter S. Thompson. From listening to her discography, you are easily able to hear where these troubadour and travelling influences have come into play. “My nextdoor neighbour’s parents wanted their daughter to learn how to play guitar, but she didn’t give a rat’s arse about it. I ended up acquiring all these song charts and quickly learnt ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’. The lyrics to that song and a lot of Dylan’s work blew my mind. Picking up the guitar was like discovering the wardrobe in Narnia. It was the

When&Where: The Bridge, Castlemaine – July 17 , The Main Bar, Ballarat – July 18 & Piping Hot Chicken Shop, Ocean Grove - July 19

catalyst for my musical beginnings.”

Having travelled around a lot in her early years, Marshall found herself playing around political blockades and activism events in Slovenia, which led to composing the music for puppet shows. “The puppet show

was all about animals in a zoo and teaching children things like why the elephant drinks from the watering hole. The language barrier was difficult at first, but then I started to write a lot of catchy melodies.”

These experiences have given Marshall the ability to draft a children’s book of her

own about the different faces of the moon, and it may be a while before we see that take full shape.

In the meantime, head out to her regional shows to hear the new material and maybe even a Slovenian puppet song.

The Bennies Written by Natalie Rogers

“A thumbs-up with a smile and a beer goes a long way!” I couldn’t have said it any better myself, but that pearler was revealed in my recent interview with The Bennies’ magnetic and very wise frontman, Anty Horgan, when we were chatting about his band’s most recent trip to China. “We’ve been there once before and geographically it feels like the other side of Saturn, and culturally so different.

But it was the best two weeks of my life.”

“Most of the shows were packed and we’d have a really warm reception, and other nights we would play to only three businessmen and they’d be like, ‘what the fuck is going on here?!’

Those were the times we’d really work as a team and we’d create the fun ourselves. On one of those nights we got our hands on all these fireworks and by the end of the night we were all best friends! We didn’t know what they were saying and vice-versa but it didn’t matter – we’d just be hi-fiving and sculling beers!”

And with that he summed up the experience of The Bennies’ live show – unique, unpredictable but, most importantly, one hell of a good time. Anty has the gift of the gab (an essential quality of all the great frontmen) and he commands your full attention from the opening bars of songs like ‘Party Smashers’ (Rainbows 42 forte

in Space, 2013) or their ska’d-up version of The Clash’s ‘Bankrobber.’

It’s no wonder they’re in demand here, there and everywhere, with shows in every corner of the country over the next few months. “We’ve got heaps of stuff going on – shows across Victoria over the next month with the incredible Jeff Rosenstock [Bomb the Music Industry!] and the guys from Hightime. Then we’ve got a trip to Adelaide to play a festival that a friend of ours is starting to organise called Party Party Partay. It’s funny because we’re headlining it and we’ve got an album called the same thing! We’re thinking of suing him actually . . . nah, we love him!” Anty laughed. “Then we’ve got a weekend in Tassie with Luca Brasi and Clowns, and then we’ve got the Poison City Weekender, and I can’t wait for that.

“We were so lucky last year to be taken on by Poison City Records.

They’re a really supportive team always looking out for us and it gives you so much more confidence in what you’re doing. There’s a lot of ego and macho stuff especially with guys in bands, so when you’re meeting people for the first time

When&Where: Music Man Megastore, Bendigo – July 10; The Barwon Club, Geelong – July 11; and The Karova, Ballarat – July 13

it can be a little standoffish ’cause everyone’s got to prove that their band is better than yours or whatever.

But with these kinda gigs [the Weekender] you walk in hi-fiving and having a great old time.”

Anty promised not to have too good a time this year though, because the very next day they’re booked

to play a psytrance festival in Adelaide.

“Which is a little crazy, but to be honest it’s actually been a dream of mine to go to a bush doof – though I didn’t think I’d ever play one! We played it last year and got a pretty warm reception – better than I expected. I can imagine what effect distorted guitars might have on a fragile state of mind. It might be a bit

obtrusive, but we had such a mindblindingly good time. I think I’m still recovering from it!” he joked.

Still can’t get enough of The Bennies? You can see the guys at your local with NYC’s Morning Glory in September or in the big smoke with the seminal Dead Kennedys in October.

Forte Columns

blues news Written by John (Dr John) Lamp Proudly pesented

by The Sleepy Hollow Blues Club

too heavy to hug

pop culture!

Written by Paul S Taylor

Written by Anthony Morris

It’s only just gone winter but talk of music festivals early next year has really heated up. Much to the dismay of countless emos, teeny-boppers and try-hard hipsters, Big Day Out 2015 has been cancelled. But on the flipside, Soundwave 2015 will be run over two days. That’s right; that could mean either double the number of bands or double the allotted time for each slot. Since there are no real details yet we can just speculate.

AJ Maddah took to Twitter to explain that Adelaide’s and Melbourne’s Soundwave will be held over the same weekend but bands will play different days in either city, giving them time to play one city one day then the other city the other day. That’s smarts. There are already rumours that Soundwave has four headliners next year and that Fear Factory, Disturbed, Opeth, Lamb of God, Papa Roach, Anvil and Ne Obliviscaris could appear on the bill.

There’s space for a quick review: Mastodon – Once More Round the Sun

As you listen to it for the first time it’ll feel like you’ve heard it all before.

Once one of the most exciting bands in metal, Mastodon have, in the space of their last two albums, extinguished all promise of remaining the world’s pioneers of prog-sludge and instead opted for almost radio friendly songs of radio friendly lengths and radio friendly non-proggieness. It should really be called Once More Round the Hunter.

In other news…

Corrosion of Conformity will play The Reverence on Saturday, July 26.

Their new album IX is out now.

The Midyear Mayhem Tour featuring Buried in Verona, Antagonist A.D. and Stories will be held at the Phoenix Youth Centre, Melbourne for an allages show on Friday, July 25 and for a licensed show at the Evelyn Hotel on Saturday, July 26.

King Parrot will fly into Ding Dong on Friday, July 25, the Barwon Club on Saturday, July 26 and Karova Lounge on Sunday, July 27.

Neurosis will play The Corner Hotel on Thursday, August 7.

Anathema will be at The Corner Hotel on Saturday, August 23.

Opeth will release their new album Pale Communion on Tuesday, August 26.

DevilDriver and Whitechapel will be at 170 Russell on Sunday, September 7.

John Garcia will play The Espy’s Gershwin Room on Friday, September 12.

Cannibal Corpse will play 170 Russell on Friday, September 12.

Veruca Salt will play The Corner on Friday, September 26 and Tuesday, September 30 to soldout audiences. Another show has been added at The Corner Hotel on Wednesday, October 1.

Sepultura will be at 170 Russell on Friday, October 3.

Gorguts will play the Northcote Social Club on Friday, November 14.

Toxic Holocaust and Iron Reagan will be at The Reverence in Footscray on Sunday, November 16.

Primordial are slated to release their new album Where Greater Men Have Fallen on Friday, November 21.

Body Count will release their new album Manslaughter later this year.

The 2015 Melbourne Soundwave festival will be held on Saturday, February 21 and Sunday, February 22.

Whatever happened to Hamish & Andy? Obviously they’re still around; they have a prime-time television series on Channel Nine as you read this (so long as you’re reading this on a Tuesday night), which pretty much puts them in the very top tier of Australian comedians working on television – even The Chaser or Chris Lilley in his prime never managed to make the leap to commercial television, let alone had a long-running series of successful shows. And yet… what happened to them?

It wasn’t all that long ago that they both seemed at least halfway interested in trying new things with their careers: who remembers Real Stories, the fake news show they did? Or that when they first started turning up on Rove they were doing dumb stunts in public in the guise of fake sporting events (that close-walking thing)? When they branched out from being guest stars on Rove’s talk show to having their own specials on Ten, at the time the format – Hamish and Andy roam around meeting odd people and doing silly things – seemed fresh, even though it was basically their massively popular radio show only with pictures.

Then they moved to Nine, supposedly because there they’d be able to try new things (the money was also a factor), and they did: their first show (set in New York) was basically a tonight show with a few sketches thrown in and a sizeable role for co-writer (and fellow Rove segment host) Ryan Shelton. But it quickly became clear that both the public and Nine weren’t exactly happy with the format of the original Gap Year and so succeeding seasons ditched the tonight show angle (and Shelton), bringing the duo back to pretty much the exact same show they’d been making locally for Channel Ten: go somewhere new, do the same old stuff. And it works.

They’re a funny and likeable duo who can get a lot of laughs out of inserting themselves into local customs and then making fools of themselves. And it’s not like there’s no comedy between the pair of them either: Hamish is more of a prankster, Andy is his long-suffering friend, and there’s enough chemistry between the two of them that – you’d think – they could take their double act into more traditional comedy forms (a sitcom or a movie) and it would still work.

But they haven’t, and with each passing year and each new yet basically the same series of Gap Year it becomes less and less likely that they’ll be able to break out.

Sure, every time in the past where they’ve tried something new or different it hasn’t worked out; why should they keep banging their heads against a wall? But eventually the same old same old stops working, and unless they have a Plan B they’re going to be left with nowhere to go.

If nothing else, a hefty chunk of their appeal comes from the fact that they’re young guys messing about. Is wearing silly hats in foreign lands still going to draw a big crowd when they’re on the wrong side of forty?

A number of times I have spoken about “jam sessions” as a good thing, especially for players who are just starting out. It occurred to me that I haven’t really said anything about what a jam session is, what’s in it for a player or how to get into them.

If you’ve tried to find out what a jam is by looking in a dictionary, you most likely haven’t had much luck. Some definitions of jam do seem appropriate – “A crush or congestion of people or things in a limited space”, for example, especially when a jam gets going and the stage is packed.

Just try getting a drum kit, a double bass, keyboards and the usual leavening of guitarists and singers on a fourmetre wide stage!

Perseverance might find “to play in a jam session”, which sort of sends you back to where you started. So a quick search on jam session finds “An informal gathering of musicians to play improvised or unrehearsed music”, and now we’re cooking.

For any player, a jam session is a chance to stretch themselves. It is a challenge and a learning experience to go up against musicians you have never played with, who might be better or from a different genre

le monde entier than you, and see how you go. Occasionally a major musician might wander in for a jam.

The jams, especially if run by a club such as Sleepy Hollow, Geelong Folk or Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society, are friendly. They are more likely to be welcoming to new players and provide tips, new chord fingerings for the guitarists and new keys you haven’t dared or had the opportunity to try, than to expect you to be a fully seasoned player. Most of them started out in jams and know the feeling.

In the course of an item, you’ll experience banter between the players, get a nod to take a solo, debate about the key, time or pace.

This is the essence of a jam session. The payoff is when it all comes together and you bring the house down as you all meld into a timed and harmonious performance. It doesn’t happen every time, but when it does…

It’s not quite as anarchic as it sounds. Most venues have a jammeister, who tries to make sure everyone gets a fair go. Each group of players is usually limited to about three items only (unless they’re like Pink Floyd’s ‘Meddle’ which clocks in at 18 minutes!). The jammeister will set the order, and the jammeister may allow extra items in a set if the event is quiet.

Sleepy Hollow has a whiteboard where you can write yourself in for a set. There’s a nominated contact, and it’s polite to check whether, say, a crumhorn would be welcome. The jammeister usually knows some of the regulars and can help here.

Once you’re up on stage … “Everyone know ‘Crossroads’?” “Yep, can we do it in G, I forgot my other harp?” “G is cool.” “OK, this is the beat.” “Ian, count us in.” And you’re away…

It doesn’t have to be in a group. Occasionally a solo will get up and run with it.

Either way, it’s a great way to get started, improve your playing, or maybe even meet some people that you’ll end up playing with for a long time.

Punk!

Written by Christopher Cruz

Yeah, baby – another local focus this issue, coz... shut up.

From all reports, the Tasmanian Up The Punx! Festival held at the Brisbane Hotel in Hobart on June 21st was a huge success, so bring on the Melbourne show. Saturday, October 4, The Tote, Collingwood – mark it in your diaries NOW. You do not want to miss this. Hopefully there’ll be fewer perverts in the crowd this time, but THAT’S a story for another time!

Ballarat Ramonescore heroes The Savages are gearing up for the release of their new CD! Go to their Facebook page, chuck ’em a ‘like’, and keep up to date with all things Savage, including launch gig details!

And while you’re at it, if you haven’t already, check out the amazeballs Muscle Mary from Melbourne. Trashy, sleazy, queer punk rock – like a John Waters movie with instruments!

Don’t forget, next Thursday night (the 17th to be exact!) at The Reverence Hotel, Footscray, will be three (count ’em, THREE!) Geelong punk bands: Culzean (playing their last show), The Variants (playing their FIRST show) and Hopes Abandoned

(playing their same old crap!). Be there and support Forte territory bands!

The Bennies have scored the main support slot for the highly anticipated Dead Kennedys Australian tour. Huge!

Spiderbait (pictured) will play a SECOND Melbourne show at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, which is handy, seeing as the first show sold out. It’s like it’s 1995 all over again!

Sunday, August 31. Be there. Well, if you’re into Spiderbait and missed out on a ticket to the first show, duh.

Bottlecaps (featuring former members of Melbourne bands The Last Design and Wonder Lust) have a 7” single on the way. Pretty awesome news, and a pretty awesome format! Their recent show at The Rev with Cabin Fever, Hopes Abandoned and Postscript SLAYED. Tassie punk rock whippersnappers Fatty Esther have a new record on the way.

It’s called Teenage Wasteland and you can pre-order it NOW. Hit up their Facebook page. The band will also soon tour the UK with the legendary Killing Joke.

Ready to hear some more terrible band names? Believe it or not, these were all taken from ONE gig flyer.

Yes, an entire line-up of modern hardcore (read: rubbish) bands: Thesis, Punchdagger, Naive, Glass Fingers (Huw of Metcalfe) and Illusionist. Are they KIDDING with this crap? These are bands that look like they shop at Cotton On, have stupid haircuts, tacky tattoos and all sound the same. To call them hardcore is to disrespect bands like Black Flag and Minor Threat.

For shame, hipster morons. Blech.

And on THAT note, I’m outta here for another issue. Until next time, rug up against this disgusting winter cold and go see a punk rock show. An ACTUAL punk rock show. None of this indie rock hipster nonsense that seems to have infiltrated and desecrated our scene!

pulp Written by Cameron Urquhart and Alastair McGibbon

Written by Madelin Baldwin lemondeentier.net

Cameron: Scottish accents are relaxing. Werewolves are not relaxing.

Dog Soldiers is a werewolf movie set With the internet so readily in Scotland, and I wasn’t sure how to available, and so many websites feel about it. Jokes aside, I know exactly with different deals on flights, how I feel about this film: it’s goddamn accommodation, day trips etc., it can terrific. Much is made of horror be quite confusing. Is it really worth comedies, but I think the true gems are me doing a tour? Do I want to be horror films that just happen to be funny. on a bus with 48 other people in the Dog Soldiers is one of those films, sitting middle of a European summer? alongside An American Werewolf in To begin with, there are so many tour London and The Cabin in the Woods. companies out there that offer a huge A group of Scottish soldiers are variety of tour options that your ideas deployed on training maneuvers in of sitting next to hungover 18 year olds the Highlands while unbeknownst and listening to somebody drone on to them the Special Forces are in the about Roman Ruins is certainly not same area tracking a pack of vicious what you’re going to get – promise! lycanthropes. This is an idea that could My personal tip is to do a 50/50 come across as rather ludicrous, but balance. A tour is going to help you it’s played entirely straight and saved get the absolutely most out of your by excellent acting. Instead of relying country/countries of choice and on its unusual concept, the majority then you can spend the rest of the of the humor takes the form of the time going somewhere different, or characters’ interaction with each other. revisiting the bit you loved. Maybe Kevin McKidd is probably one of you thought you were going to love my favourite actors, having voiced Amsterdam – aren’t you glad you Jezz Torrent (the singer of Love Fist booked a tour that only spent two days in GTA: Vice City) as well as playing there when you realise that Berlin is Vorenus in HBO’s Rome, and seeing actually the place you really want to be! him be all action hero with his rad Some huge benefits of using a tour Scottish accent certainly makes for company to see parts of the world are: good viewing. The film also stars Game • Nine times out of 10, you will be of Thrones’ Cunningham (Davos paying less to do the tour than to do Seaworth) and Sean Pertwee of over a this by yourself, when you look at the million British TV shows and movies. daily breakdown costs, keep in mind The werewolves in this film are the included meals, transport around revealed fairly early, and while in the city, and between the countries, other films this may kill the tension, entrance fees, accommodation and Dog Soldiers manages to soldier on the benefit of having somebody who (hah!) despite it. Also helping it is a knows all the nooks and crannies. lack of CGI; while the werewolves • Guaranteed, you will see are obviously men in rubber suits, it something you did not think of doing makes the film appear less dated than yourself – and absolutely love it. Like some of its contemporaries. By virtue that old castle in Germany you did not of it being Scottish, it’s bleak and know existed, or the old war bunkers depressing, but Dog Soldiers is still a in Turkey where you can see the solid horror movie with great laughs. original soil from so many years ago!

Alastair: So it seems that despite • You don’t have to follow them helping to make some awesome comic around. Most tour companies will book movies, David S. Goyer’s a bit of a have two days in each city, the douche. In a recent panel interview for first being an orientation day and the Scriptnotes, Mr Goyer decided to the second being completely your proclaim that, a: anyone who’d heard own to do whatever you like. of Martian Manhunter was likely a • Your tour leader can jump to virgin (so mature) and, b: She-Hulk the front of queues to get your was merely an extension of a male tickets – huge plus when you’re power fantasy and was a character that standing in 40+ degrees to see Hagia existed solely for the Hulk to have sex Sophia and the line is 100m long! with. Apparently he decided to gloss • There are tours that go to places over the rather important point that you can’t go by yourself, or can be She-Hulk (aka Jennifer Walters) is difficult to access – like crossing actually ol’ Hulky’s cousin. So, yeah, the border into North Korea with doubt that’s ever gonna happen.

On the Go, sailing for four days Douchebag commentary aside, around the coast of Italy with Charles Soule’s current run on SheIntrepid, or visiting a Michelin star Hulk (pictured) is a breath of fresh restaurant in France with Topdeck! air in my pull list. I’d been looking for Having been a huge advocate of something new for a while and after independent travel, in my field of hearing good things from various work I have come to appreciate tour sources, I decided to pick up the five companies and what they can offer. issues that are out at the moment.

Some companies have a max of 12 She-Hulk sees Jen give her people for those of you who like a small opportunistic bosses the flick and strike group size, some have age restrictions if out on her own as a lawyer. As it happens, you want to be with people of the same the series reads more like a legal drama age bracket, and almost all of them will that just happens to feature superheroes, have different trip styles, from ‘active’ rather than a full-blown superhero epic. hiking trips up Mount Everest to Really, that’s what makes up most of ‘comfort’ 5 star luxury accommodation its charm: rather than distracting you on the Cambodian coastline. with splash pages of titanic battles, Or you can even do what my you get to see more of Jen’s trademark mum and her friends did this year wit, charm and legal badassery. The and got a trip tailored for them. It first issue sees Jen take on Tony Stark’s cost not much more than what they rather intimidating legal department would have normally paid for the in sticking up for the little guy – in standard itinerary, but they had a this case, the widow of a former Stark private guide to hike to the Great employee swindled by Stark Industries.

Wall of China with, who even went Despite some rather iffy art, Sheall the way to Shanghai with them Hulk has quickly become one of after the tour was finished, just to my new favourites. If you’re looking make sure they got their safely – even for a series that’s smart, funny and when he was no longer being paid! doesn’t pull its punches, pick this one Money can’t buy that kind of trip. up. You definitely won’t regret it! forte 43

Refining the Palette

LITTLE BIRD

Paul Capsis Written by Amanda Sherring

With a wealth of cabaret, theatre, musical and performance skills under his belt, not to mention a bucketload of modesty, Paul Capsis is clearly one talented guy. After performing in shows such as The Rocky Horror Show and The Lost Echo and acting in Carlotta and The Boy Castaways, this week he’ll be bringing his newest show, Little Bird, to GPAC in Geelong.

Written by multi-award winning playwright Nicki Bloom, and with music

BELLARINE LIGHTHOUSE FILMS WINTER PROGRAM The third annual Bellarine Lighthouse Films Winter Program promises a highly entertaining and thought provoking cinematic journey where nothing is as it seems. You’ll fall in love, take a road trip through midnorth-west America, attend an Orthodox Jewish wedding, travel through time and get divorced. All this in one weekend.

44 forte

created by Cameron Goodall and Quentin Grant, Little Bird is a tale of grief and homecoming that will leave you wanting more. It follows the journey and transformation of Wren, a young boy who makes his way to the big city from his parents’ isolated cottage. Wren lives in a fairy tale world that Paul describes as a “dark macabre kind of fairy tale rock concert”.

“I really liked Nicki’s idea in terms of the heart of the subject, which was basically a piece about transition, transforming, self-acceptance and connection to family,” Paul says. “It’s not a new idea necessarily but it’s the way it’s been done and put together that’s very unique, because the songs have been

Over the last weekend in July, the historic Queenscliff Town Hall will shine a spotlight on five fine art films over three days along with special guests and plenty of opportunities to socialise and talk films with a glass of wine and gourmet food offerings. Enjoy a wonderful start to the weekend with the Opening Night Gala on Friday 25th July 7-8.30pm with special guests and leading film critics

written specifically for the show.”

Paul admits that even with his experience, Little Bird still manages to challenge the talented performer.

“It’s a show that really pushes me and challenges me, and it’s not like my other cabaret shows. It’s not like a typical show that I would do,” he says.

Clearly he’s managing, as the show has already performed to rave reviews in Adelaide, with The Guardian heralding Paul as the “master of song and story” and the Gay News Network as “larger than life”. While we may read up on reviews before seeing a show, Paul steers clear from them and instead directs his focus unwaveringly and passionately to the show at hand.

“I’m only interested in hearing from the audience on what they have to say about it or my director or my cocreators. I don’t read good or bad. That’s just something I don’t really want to engage with,” he says. “Overall my job is to perform and that’s what I do. That’s my job.”

It’s clearly this professionalism and dedication to his career that has garnered Paul special attention from Little Bird writer Nicki Bloom. In an act that never happens, Little Bird was actually written with Paul Capsis specifically in mind.

“It’s a great honour to have something written for you that is unique and new. And it’s really rare for something like that to happen,” Paul says.

While Paul may dream of one day travelling to Paris, Berlin or revisiting New York, he’s excited to be making the trip from the windy cold weather of Sydney to Geelong.

“I’m very excited. I’ve never performed in Geelong, so it’s a new thing for me that I’m definitely looking forward to. I’m thrilled that [GPAC] is putting on a new work that’s literally just been born and giving it a nice go outside of the city it was made,” he says.

“I think that says a lot about Geelong and the people who run the theatre there.

It’s obviously full of brave and encouraging people.

I hope people embrace it and enjoy it and go with the story and the song.”

and writers, Debbie Enker & Tom Ryan “in conversation”; combined with a delicious light supper of local wine & cheese.

WHERE: Queenscliff

Town Hall. 50 Learmonth Street, Queenscliff

WHEN: 25-27 July INFO: bellarinelight

housefilms.com.au

WHERE: Waurn Ponds Library

INSPIRARE: LUCCIO + LUCCIO A fresh look at the art of Marco and Debra Luccio who continue to draw inspiration from one other, resulting in strong mutual influences on their individual art practices. Inspirare means ‘to breathe in’ and it’s the two-way interaction of ideas and technique that lead to the concept of this joint exhibition of contemporary, classic

and rare works.

Inspirare will feature international cityscapes, landscapes, bodies, portraits and dancers across a variety of mediums including monotypes, assemblages, drypoints, etchings, paintings and drawings, with many works shortlisted for major awards and edition prints held in major collections such as the National Gallery

WHERE: Geelong Gallery. Little

Malop Street, Geelong

WHEN: Thursday 31 July

WHEN: Until 7 September

INFO: www.gric.vic.gov.au

INFO: www.geelonggallery.org.au

WHERE: Metropolis

Gallery. 64 Ryrie Street, Geelong

WHEN: Until 19 July INFO: metropolis

gallery.com.au

PHONE: 5221 6505

WHERE: ETCH Gallery.

215 Moorabool Street, Geelong WHEN: Until 29 July INFO: etchgalleryandstudios.com

THE SURF COAST ART & DESIGN MARKET

Prints, paintings and photographs from the collection inspired by the darker side of the animal kingdom. Includes works

by Stephen Bush, Rona Green, Rew Hanks, Maria Kozic, Brett Whiteley and Deborah Williams.

of Australia and several New York collections.

This is a group exhibition of contemporary drawings

by Leonie Allan, Bianca Brant, Peter Dawson, Meghan Griffiths, Rachel Kirby, Robyn Mackay, Susan Rice-Bellman and Eiichi Tosaki. Come feast your senses and support local emerging artists.

The Playhouse Theatre, GPAC – July 10, 11 & 12

BEASTLY

Marco Luccio Bridge & The Boat

DRAW

When & Where:

BOOK LAUNCH WITH CATRIONA ROWNTREE Join Catriona Rowntree to launch Now We’re Talking; Health for Mature Women. The book - coauthored by laughter expert Phillipa Challis - helps readers to make the most of what can be the best years of their life. All ticket proceeds will be donated to the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation to fund ongoing research into an early detection test for this insidious disease that claims the life of one woman every 10 hours in Australia.

Debra Luccio Light & Shade

The Surf Coast Art & Design Market is an annual indoor Winter market The market provides an opportunity for local Victorian artists and designers to showcase their quality work.

At the same time it provides local people with an opportunity to peruse or shop in a relaxed & inviting atmosphere at a time on our regional calendar when

there are few other markets or events.

The market will also include live music to be enjoyed from the comfort of the lounge area in front of an open fire. The bar will be open for hot and cold drinks and light lunches. We aim to support both emerging and established local artists and designers by

providing them with an opportunity to display their quality work in an upmarket environment.

Stallholders include high quality artwork, sculptures, photography, handmade home wares, jewellery, clothing, children’s products and much more, with an emphasis on unique wares from our local region.

WHERE: The Sands

Resort. 2 Sands Boulevard, Torquay WHEN: 13 July.

9.30am-3.30pm INFO: coastalevent

management.com

forte 45

Inside Splinters

MARINA & THE DIAMONDS Album number three is on its way...

COURTNEY LOVE Playing a classic Hole set at Melbourne’s Festy Hall on Madonna’s birthday this year. Bonkers!

BENDELACREME AUSTRALIAN TOUR The beloved Drag Race contestant is touring our gorgeous nation with equally as loved Drag Race star Detox in October. We’ll see you there!

or

MUTYA KEISHA SIOBHAN What is going ON girls?

Are you MKS, are you Sugababes, or are you Officially Over?!?! What a MESS.

THE DEATH OF THE BIG DAY OUT Although it is expected to return in 2016, the iconic BDO won’t be happening in 2015. See you all at Rainbow Serpent then?

THE D.W.V. SPLIT It’s still really bringing us down.

Written by Adem Ali

THE SPLINTERS TRACK-BY-TRACK REVIEW OF LANA DEL REY’S “ULTRAVIOLENCE” Love, loss, anger and betrayal are just some of the harrowing, movie-ready topics underneath the folds of Lana Del Rey’s return to music in 2014. Having only been on the market for a few weeks now, Ultraviolence has already topped the charts across the globe, debuting at Number 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart upon its release and sweeping the US by storm.

Del Rey’s ambitious 2012 long-player, Born to Die, was an exquisite introduction into Lana’s unashamed obsession with bad boys, the girls that love them, and, of course, post-war Americana. 2014’s effort doesn’t veer far from these topics, although lyrically, this is the deepest Del Rey has ever gone, even penning a song about her time as a bona fide member of a cult.

Let’s “have a gander”, shall we?

CRUEL WORLD The greatest choice for an album opener this side of 2014, ‘Cruel World’ is an epic, powerhouse of a grunge-meets-classic-rock ballad, one that places Del Rey immediately into heroin chic territory. There are flashes of Courtney Love throughout Ultraviolence, but it’s the instant influence of people like Marianne Faithfull that shines through.

In fact, it is Faithfull who Lana seems most enamoured with on this record. “Got your bible and your gun. You love to party, and have fun. I love your women, and all of your heroin,” she sings, all before menacingly adding, “And I’m so happy, Now That You’re Gone.” An exceptional way to kick off proceedings.

ULTRAVIOLENCE

“When singers at concerts hold out the microphone for the audience to sing, it’s like what am I, your maid?”

The always hysterical @ meganamram raises a bloody valid point.

Making reference to The Crystals’ 1962 hit single ‘He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)’, Del Rey uses this particular vehicle to sing, mostly, of domestic violence blues, but also as a glimpse into her own run as a member of a cult. This is the track that begins Lana’s newfound obsession with the fully-realised middle-8. “I love you the first time, I love you the last time, yo soy la princesa, comprende mis white lines, ’cause I’m your jazz singer, and you’re my cult leader, I love you forever.” The track in itself

has seen Lana called out as being everything from pro-domestic violence to an appropriator of cultlike activities. But there’s something a lot deeper to be discovered within this song, something many seem to have missed.

SHADES OF COOL Mix the soprano vocals of Lana Del Rey with the electrifying guitar solo work of producer and Black Keys’ member Dan Auerbach, and what do you have? Near perfection.

Stay away from the video, though, because that’s a little bit naff really.

BROOKLYN BABY This has just been announced as the next single to be taken from Ultraviolence and THANK GOD for it. The most commercially viable moment on here, ‘Brooklyn Baby’ is a bit like the more sincere and thoughtful younger sister of 2012’s ‘Radio’, eclipsing any of the truly big pop moments from Born to Die. Lyrically, Del Rey keeps things focused and cute, all whilst placing her tongue firmly in cheek.

“Well my boyfriend’s in a band,” she sings, “he plays guitar while I sing Lou Reed. I’ve got feathers in my hair; I get high on hydroponic weed.” Quite amazingly, in just under six minutes Lana Del Rey’s ‘Brooklyn Baby’ makes beat poetry sound like the greatest activity in the world. The ‘most valuable player’ on all of Ultraviolence.

WEST COAST Single Number One shifts from moody rock to slow, shoegazing swing, proving itself to be yet another highlight from Del Rey in 2014. Auerbach’s production stands out on this monster too, rollicking away in fine, Auerbach form and throwing in elements of Lana’s beloved hip hop. The first and only hip hop inspired moment to be found here.

SAD GIRL In case you were unaware, Del Rey can be one sad girl, especially when her main squeeze has a “Bonnie on the side”. The chorus makes up for a disappointing central motif, but only just. It’s not until the incredibly whimsical middle-8 that things really start to stand out. That being said, this is strictly ‘album track’ material.

PRETTY WHEN YOU CRY

FUCKED MY WAY

Continuing Del Rey’s bae upset, ‘Pretty When You Cry’ is all about Lana’s drug addicted boyfriend who would rather get high than sleep with his lady. A return to that beloved heroin chic sound.

UP TO THE TOP

MONEY POWER GLORY Acts like Lamb, Portishead and Massive Attack aren’t really the kind of parallels you would make with Del Rey, but in the instance of ‘Money Power Glory’, she’s never sounded more like them. Her big, operatic scenery is still there but the electronics play as much of a part in this wonderful creation as the truly stunning vocal delivery.

Singing of a bitter divorce, Lana proclaims she wants every shred of her ex partner’s Money, Power and Glory. “I wanna take you for all that you got. Hallelujah. I’m gonna take them for all that they’ve got.”

The second best song on Ultraviolence, Del Rey sings viscously of a fellow woman in pop.

Who is she singing about? Can we guess? Regardless of the gossip a song like this will encourage, this is one of the most powerful and genius moments in Lana’s discography. “I need you baby like I breathe you baby, I need you baby, More! More! More! More!”

Radio might not want to play it, but ‘Fucked My Way Up to the Top’ would be Splinters’ choice for next single, no question.

A proper, piano-led tearjerker. Another highlight.

The Verdict: Make no mistake – this album is darker than most in the market today and, for a pop star of Lana’s calibre, it’s a surprise to hear what is essentially an entire album full of ballads. Lana’s particular blend of depression is certainly an acquired taste, but the sheer beauty of her songwriting and delicate production on Ultraviolence makes her an acquired taste worth spending your money on.

THE OTHER WOMAN

The Final Score:

OLD MONEY

Closing the album with a cover of the Nina Simone classic, Del Rey

FORTE IS NOW ON INSTAGRAM! Follow us and keep up with all the latest Forte news and goodies!

46 forte

delicately sings the story of two women – a wife and a mistress, and the one man they both love. Tragic and heartbreaking, Lana’s distant vocal almost excels Simone’s own 1959 version.

@forte_mag

9.5/10

Allday Written by Natalie Rogers

It seems like his incredibly loyal and ever-expanding fan base wants Allday, every day – and then some. Tens of thousands of followers bombard his multiple social media accounts habitually to get their daily dose of the art school dropout from the Adelaide Hills. You can’t buy that kind of publicity, so it was kinda nice to hear he wanted to chat with Forte again -– this time about his debut album, aiding and abetting an escapee and falling off the wagon.

At the time of the interview Startup Cult, Allday’s first LP, was just days away from its official release, and although the few who’d heard it were forthcoming with praise (including Yours Truly), the quietly-spoken 24-year-old replied with his usual comical, yet self-deprecating manner: “Well thank you, I’m glad you like it. We’re in the period of me finishing it and it going out, so whenever someone who’s heard it says they like it, even if they’re lying, I’m very happy to hear that.

“It’s nice to talk to you again now the album’s done.

When we last spoke I was definitely in the depths of album stress. It took about a year to do and it was a huge growing up experience for me. I learnt a lot about me as a control freak and a perfectionist,” he laughed.

Soon we got to chatting about his favourite tracks on Startup Cult (‘Wasting Time’ and ‘Taking Hold’,

for the record) when suddenly I hear a muffled conversation and what sounds like a car door close. After a few moments Allday’s back on the line. “Sorry, I was saying goodbye to my friend. He’s come over from Adelaide. He wasn’t supposed to come over yet, but I think he kissed someone in front of his girlfriend so he had to leave Adelaide. He’s escaping!”

That remark exemplifies Allday’s mass appeal – he could be your mate.

Even British songbird Lily Allen wants Allday in her entourage. She handpicked him to open her Splendour in the Grass sideshows later this month.

As you can imagine with Allday’s transparent attitude, he found it a challenge to keep the news under wraps.

“Finding out was really exciting – I’m pretty psyched about it. The news came through a little while ago. Though I couldn’t tell anyone which I hated, it was also kinda fun. I can’t wait for these shows. They’re going to be amazing.”

Until then Allday plans to relax and enjoy the fruits of his labour after enduring a bout of sobriety during the making of Startup Cult. “I quickly realised if I’m recording or writing and I’m all messed up at all time I wouldn’t be able

to perfect things and I’d just be wasting everyone’s time. Some people can get away with being high all the time but I can’t, and I just have to accept that,” he added stoically. “So now I’m not partying mega hard or anything, but I’m enjoying myself.

“Although,” Allday continued, “I’ve always had trouble with enjoying things when they happen. Everyone tells me I had a great year, but I’m never really happy ’cause I’ve always got my eye on the next thing. I still feel very ambitious because no one expected me to be able to make a living off rap – never thought I’d be releasing albums or anything.

Rap was just kind of a hobby of mine, but my family and friends have always been really supportive and it feels good that now they can say ‘oh this guy’s my cousin’ that they heard on triple j or whatever. Yep, it’s all about keeping the cousins proud!” he joked.

Watch this space for the biggest and boldest tour announcement for Allday coming soon. “After Splendour I’m going to do my own national tour. I’m going to do some ambitious-sized venues and try to lock down some quality supports and kick up the production value to take it to the next level.”

When&Where: Splendour in the Grass & Festival Hall – July 24 (Lily Allen support)

The Angels Written by Tex Miller

The Angels need no introduction. At the forefront of the Australian music scene for the past 40 years, the band is currently on the road to celebrate. A couple of weeks ago, I got the opportunity to sit down with John Brewster, rhythm guitarist for the band, to chat about their illustrious history and how touring around has changed over the years. As you would expect, being a band for so long there has been quite a few highs and lows throughout their time together, most recently the sad passing of Doc Neeson. Yet Brewster feels that this touring lineup is up there with some of the best incarnations they’ve had over the years.

“It’s quite astounding to think we are celebrating 40 years. Rick (my brother), Doc and I started the band in 1974 and although there has been some line-up changes over the years, it’s in a really healthy state at the moment. It’s quite unbelievable, we are selling out venues and we’ve loved it. From the moment Dave Gleeson joined the band, we’ve done two new albums and we’ve got all creative again. Doc didn’t want to go into the studio and that was very frustrating, so having Dave around has been fantastic. This period is one of the happiest times the band has ever known.”

Talk the Talk is the Angels’ twenty-second studio release and the second in the last two years. The catalyst behind the band’s increased productivity has been through the inclusion of Dave Gleeson, who is now fronting the band, and

Brewster feels that this latest release is one of the band’s greatest achievements in recent years.

“Rick and I have always produced the Angels albums and what I love about Talk the Talk is that everybody has been involved with this creative process. It was very much an evolving album. We went into the album with just sketches of songs and came out with one of the best albums we’ve ever made. In a sense it’s like a return to the old days where you have five people that really want to be there, pulling together to make a team. It may sound corny but it’s a great working environment to be in at the moment.”

Over the years The Angels have etched themselves into the Australian landscape and have shared the stage with many bands. Sharing just the tip of the iceberg, Brewster reminisces fondly: “Supporting David Bowie on his first tour in 1978 (we were handpicked) was pretty memorable and something that I will never forget.

Playing countless shows with AC/ DC with both Bon Scott and Brian Johnson was also great fun. It’s been a great career thus far and I think we will be celebrating 50 years in 2024. There’s

When&Where: Gateway Hotel, Corio – July 11

no signs of stopping yet and it’s still as fun as it was back in 1974.”

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the band, two box-sets have been released showcasing 40 live

and 40 studio tracks – the ultimate collection for the true fan in all of us. Playing at the Gateway Hotel on July 11, Brewster cannot wait to get back to Geelong and on stage again. Having played many gigs in Geelong

before, it is a homecoming of sorts for one of Australia’s finest rock acts.

Expect to hear all your favourites that have become the soundtrack to our lives over the years.

The Exploders Written by Zach Broadhurst

It’s been far from a quiet couple of years for the members of The Exploders, but various projects and living in different states has meant a two-year break from playing with each other – a break that will soon end at this year’s Kennedys Creek Music Festival.

“We released our last album Orche.Stratros.

Pheric a few years ago and we played gigs in September of 2012, but we haven’t done anything since then, so it will be good to get back together,” says bassist Paul Doery. “They [the festival] have been asking us to play for years. We haven’t really been able to the last few times for various reasons, but this year we could so we jumped at the opportunity. It’s the kind of vibe that will suit us.

It’s a small festival out in the country and a lot of the people from the area are into us. They used to come to our gigs when we played in Warrnambool and Geelong, so it should be a good show.”

With their two-year absence The Exploders are a prime example of just how hard it can be to keep a band together, even when you’re all making great music – especially when you all have other projects on the go.

“Basically we all just have other stuff going on and because two of the guys live in WA we really had to string a few shows together to make it worth our while,” explains Doery.

“Also, we ended up not having a booking agent

or a manager anymore and we had to organise all the stuff ourselves, which makes it a bit tougher, too.

“The thing that people don’t consider, and you always hear people say ‘we don’t know why you’re not bigger or more popular’, but there is a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t really consider. As well as being good you’ve got to be surrounded with people who know what they are doing and really believe in you and have a lot of things go your way.”

For now the band is back together and whether it is a one-off or the beginning or more regular shows is still up in the air. But for Doery it’s just exciting to be back playing with some great mates.

“We are all good mates and we get along really well,” says Doery.

“Obviously with the other guys from WA we don’t get to see each other very often, so it’s exciting. We’ll just do this and see how it goes and just assess from there, but it would be good to get back together and play shows a bit more regularly instead of two years apart, so hopefully that can happen.”

And for fans that have patiently

“ Seeing as we haven’t played in two years we are pretty keen and we are going to put on a pretty high energy show!” waited for the next Exploders show Doery has given some insight into what you can expect at their upcoming gig saying, “Seeing as we haven’t played in two years we are pretty keen and we are going to put on a pretty high energy show! We’ll play a bunch of songs off the first album that people are probably more familiar with and then ones off the most recent album, and then sneak in a few songs off the second album as well.”

When&Where: Kennedys Creek Music Festival - October 25 to 26

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FORTE

s c enepi x Photos by Marianne Valitutti

Home House

Geelong RSL

Home House

Home House

Beav's Bar

48 forte

Geelong RSL

The Barwon Club

the max hotel's PHOTO OF THE WEEK ! *******

* contact the hotel to claim your prize!

Slate Pool Lounge

Slate Pool Lounge

The Barwon Club

The Barwon Club

The Barwon Club

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FORTE

scenepix Photos by Marianne Valitutti

Bended

Eureka

Bended

Eureka

Bended

Lambys

Edge

Edge

Edge

50 forte

CQ

Lambys

Edge

Lambys

CQ

ALBUM LAUNCH - JULY SUN 6TH: OLD HEPBURN HOTEL, HEPBURN SPRINGS, 4-7 pm SUN 20TH: BEAV'S BAR, GEELONG W/ ALISTER TURRELL - AUG SAT 30TH: THE MAIN BAR, BALLARAT

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Film Reviews

Films reviewed by Anthony Morris

Jersey Boys Clint Eastwood takes on the popular jukebox musical looking at the career of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and largely wrestles it to a draw. The reviews have generally been mixed here, and it’s not hard to see why as director Eastwood decided to make this a film about people who happened to be musicians rather than make a straight-up musical.

Unfortunately, Valli ( John Lloyd Young) and his buddies just aren’t all that interesting – at least, not as we see them here – and much of the result here feels like a watereddown version of GoodFellas (the actual real-life Joe Pesci is even a character here).

Sure, they grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in ’50s New Jersey and band member Tommy DeVito (Vincent Piazza) worked for a local mobster named Gyp Rosetti (Christopher Walken), but it’s all petty thefts and minor break-ins while the band tours a bunch of thinly-sketched dives trying to make it big. Even when things do start to take off the film never really does, despite Eastwood showing

t h e wrap 22 Jump Street A comedy sequel that’s (almost) as funny as the first one? This you’ve got to see.

They probably don’t need to make a third, though: these bromance jokes are pretty much run into the ground.

Blended Adam Sandler makes movies like he’s got something better to be doing. So while he has some good chemistry here with Drew Barrymore, this vague updating of The Brady Bunch is a bit of a mess in a lot of bad ways.

How to Train Your Dragon 2

a sure hand with a bunch of touches that should liven things up – most of the band members narrate at least part of their lives direct to camera, for one.

This never really delves deeply enough into the sordid stuff to give it any spark; Tommy racks up massive debts but we never see how, while one mildly naughty

party is meant to symbolise all the wild goings-on that (presumably) took place on tour. Having the real-life Valli involved in the production may have had something to do with the watereddown approach to the band’s dark side, though the eventual break-up does provide a flicker of interest as all the bad blood finally surfaces.

While it’s often the smart choice to downplay the songs when adapting a musical for the big screen – much of the appeal of a stage musical is seeing a live performance, which is something the movies can’t replicate – here there’s nothing really left to make up for the loss. Even the songs themselves, while impressive

enough, are fairly generic love songs impressively performed; the film can’t tie them into milestones in the guys’ lives and it doesn’t even try. It’s entertaining but hardly memorable.

Investing in a Greatest Hits collection would probably be a more satisfying result.

The story isn’t as strong the second time around but there’s a lot of gorgeous animation on offer here (the flying sequences are great) and there’s enough action to keep all but the pickiest viewers in their seats.

The Rover Guy Pearce drives around a grim future outback while Robert Pattinson keeps screwing up in this super-serious reworking of Mad Max only with less car chases. Turns out the car chases were the best bit of Mad Max – who knew?

Edge of Tomorrow Kill, die (thanks to alien timetravel juice) repeat: this future war movie is, despite its grim premise, surprisingly funny in parts. Guess it must be seeing Tom Cruise die over and over.

Fault in our Stars

Rio 2

Calvary

It wasn’t quite Angry Birds the Movie – no matter how hard it seemed the first one was trying – but clearly the first Rio did well enough somewhere for a sequel to get the green light.

This is one of those kids movies that seems decent enough while it’s taking place in front of you, but as soon as all the bright colours stop swirling around you realise there’s basically nothing there. The story is straight out of the kids movie sequel handbook as the cast of the first film head off into the Amazon so they can be reunited with their long-lost relatives, only some evil loggers are about to trash the relatives’ home … and there’s no suspense or drama in any of this, but it does involve a bunch of birds playing a soccer match which is kind of fun to watch. There are some passable jokes scattered throughout – many of which come from Jemaine Clement as the somehow still alive bad guy cockatoo from the first film.

This has a massive all-star cast – Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, will.i.am, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, Jamie Foxx, Andy Garcia, Rita Moreno, Bruno Mars and Kristin Chenoweth – almost all of who fail to make any real impression whatsoever.

It’s the kind of film designed for parents to safely take their kids to then sit in the back row playing with their phones the whole time; even if you’re a big animation fan, this isn’t something to have on your must-see list.

When a parishioner tells Father James Lavelle (Brendan Gleeson) that in one week he’s going to shoot him dead, Lavelle is surprisingly calm about the whole thing. Then again, while he might be a good priest – that’s why the mystery killer chose him, as to his way of thinking killing a bad one wouldn’t really help make his point about the evil-tothe-core nature of the Catholic Church – but in this small windswept Irish village where adultery, wife-beating, poverty and drug use are rife, nobody has much love for a good priest.

Writer/director John Michael McDonagh’s excellent follow-up to The Guard isn’t all gloom (it’s actually very funny at times), but despite a comedian-heavy cast (including Chris O’Dowd, Dylan Moran, Aidan Gillen and Kelly Reilly as Lavelle’s suicidesurviving daughter – seems he came to the priesthood late in life) and loads of sharp dialogue it’s often fairly bleak viewing.

With Ireland’s financial troubles and the Catholic Church’s endless scandals hanging heavy over the rocky landscape, Lavelle’s basic decency is constantly pitted against people who care little for him and even less for what he stands for. He takes on the sins of others and tries to make things right as best he can; then again, he does also shoot up a pub.

Clearly even a good priest has his limits. Gleeson’s first-rate performance makes watching this particular one reach deep into compelling viewing.

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Transformers: Age of Extinction Yes this is stupid, even by the standards of Hollywood blockbusters. It’s not just the onscreen visuals that are driven by the need to make things explode; more than once director Michael Bay seems to use something blowing up as a way to distract audiences from the way one scene doesn’t seem to connect in any real way with the next. Still, there’s kind of a story here: Cade Yeager (Wahlberg) is an inventor who lives on a farm covered in American flags. He invents robots, which is kind of like someone in 2014 making a paper plane and calling themselves an aircraft designer because, hello, giant robots just destroyed Chicago five years ago. But then he and his comedy relief sidekick Lucas (T.J. Miller) find a truck

Belle & Sebastian It’s the depths of World War II and in a French alpine village the locals have two enemies to face: the German occupiers trying to stop refugees being smuggled over the mountains into Switzerland and

parked in an old cinema and because nobody knows how it got there they get to keep it. Surprise! The truck is totally Optimus Prime, only now the CIA’s elite “Graveyard Wind” unit is hunting down and killing Autobots because some sinister guy at the CIA (Kelsey Grammer) has done a deal with an alien bounty hunter and there’s also a Steve Jobs-like tech magnate (Stanley Tucci) melting down Autobots to create “Transformium” so this means everything in the movie explodes for the next two hours.

Because Bay directs every single scene at the exact same level of goodnatured but earnest stupidity, the film as a whole just feels like someone revving a motorbike at full throttle for one hundred and sixty minutes.

Not that Bay doesn’t try to make some moments stand out: there’s a bizarre scene early on when a seemingly major character dies a horrible death and

then we get repeated shots of the mangled corpse just so we know that this time the stakes have been raised. Just kidding: no one else dies in this film and the entire rest of the story is filled with the usual impossible escapes, up to and including the humans repeatedly being thrown around like rag dolls by the good Transformers.

This is probably decent value for money if you like explosions and don’t mind a kind of sour taste as pretty much everyone here turns out to be a nasty, unpleasant jerk. Even Optimus Prime spends most of the film surprisingly pissed off at pretty much everything (but mostly humans), going so far to say at one point “I have pledged never to kill humans but when I find out who is behind this they are going to die”. Sounds like bad news for Michael Bay.

“the Beast”, a giant wild dog killing the farmers’ sheep. But when sixyear-old Sebastian (Félix Bossuet) discovers that the dog isn’t the real culprit behind the sheep killings, he must protect his new friend (now named Belle) from hunters, German soldiers, and his own grandfather.

This film is loosely based on the much-loved French children’s novel, which was later turned into a successful television series (though neither of them featured Nazis), and for the most part it’s a fun romp that takes full advantage of some gorgeously stunning Alpine scenery to tell a warm-hearted shaggy dog

story. It’s aimed firmly at kids: adults might find Belle’s transformation from grey-furred monster to a snow-white hound straight out of a shampoo commercial hilarious. And the way these Nazis reverse the usual stereotype – here the officers are decent while their men are the ones going well beyond their orders to be as evil as possible – is a little unusual. But as the story of a boy and his dog having adventures on a mountain, this has an unmistakable, irresistible charm.

If you think the kids you’re planning to take along can handle the subtitles, it’s a mountain well worth visiting.

Cancer teens fall in love and the tears flow like rain. It’s not exactly subtle, but if you’re after a weepy this will definitely find a way to make you cry.

Maleficent Sadly Angelia Jolie – playing the evil Queen from Sleeping Beauty – doesn’t get enough opportunities to be really, really evil here.

But even arch and snark Jolie is pretty entertaining.

The Trip to Italy Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are back on another foodie tour, spending their days bouncing impressions off of each other. As movies go it’s pretty slight, but there are some amazingly funny moments here.

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum in 22 Jump Street

Music Reviews

BADBADNOTGOOD III Innovative Leisure

BADBADNOTGOOD are your new favourite band that you’ve never heard of. Originally from Canada BBNG, as they are more commonly known, have released their third studio album in four years. The first album to feature solely original compositions, this set of tracks is quite an interesting listen straight from the beginning. The band are obviously quite accomplished jazz musicians and mix in electronic and hip hop break beats to add something a little different to the mix.

A different sound to the record has admittedly taken a little while to get my head around, but there are sections to this album that I could hear as the backing track to a dinner party. Like most jazz albums, the tracks on this

release are quite lengthy, the longest ‘Kaleidoscope’ clocking in at just over seven minutes. On the majority of this album, it seems that the electronic groove is set up and then the jazz improvisation and instrument solos kick in.

There are a lot of different textures throughout this release, however the extended instrumental solos could probably have been cut just a little.

The Lion Self titled EP Independent

The Lion won’t be a band that you’ve heard of before, and that’s because they are still yet to break into the fold of the music industry. But boy are they a band you should get to know.

With no previous exposure to The Lion, it was hard to know what to expect. But as soon as the unsettling post rock sounds of ‘Brace for the Fall’ began, I was hooked.

The Lion sounds similar to Karnivool or Incubus and that may also be due to those bands If obscure jazz/electronic records are your thing, then this is right up your alley. It will be interesting to see what BBNG produce next but for the meantime, indulge into those sultry saxophone lines of ‘Kaleidoscope’.

Tex Miller

First Aid Kit Stay Gold Sony Music

After signing their first record contract in 2008, sister duo Johanna and Klara have proved with their third release that they’ve got what it takes to stick around.

Stay Gold is filled with chiming vocals in the sweet folk/country tunes that we’ve fallen in love with.

The 10-tracks are so infectiously happy that you’ll be seeing little furry creatures frolicking through green pastures in no time.

The album echoes sentiments of fighting the good fight and living with no regrets and makes you wonder if it’s an album of confessions. Opening number

w h at ' s new ?

Sing Elvis Presley

Woooo, Elvis is releasing albums from beyooond the graaaave … This one is a compilation of Elvis’ covers of his contemporaries. So if you’ve ever wanted to hear Elvis sing Bob Dylan or Creedence Clearwater Revival, this album is for you.

Available now on Sony.

Fishing

Startup Cult Allday

Shy Glow

Melburnian (by way of Adelaide) rapper Allday has been generating buzz for a while now, and finally his debut album has dropped.

Available now on OneTwo.

Create Control Ltd

20th Anniversary Reissues Something for Kate

It’s been twenty years since Leave Your Soul to Science dropped, and perennial favourites Something for Kate are reissuing all their albums. Worth picking up if you don’t already own them.

Available now on EMI.

The Legacy Collection: The Lion King Walt Disney Records

Confession time: The Lion King is my favourite movie of all time, so when I saw this was being released, I had to include it. This two-disc set not only contains the songs we all know and love, but also the previously unreleased film score. Available now on Walt Disney Records.

1000 Forms of Fear Sia

When it comes to songwriting, Sia might be Australia’s most successful recent export.

And honestly, who doesn’t love the lead single from this album, ‘Chandelier’.

Available now on Inertia.

Here’s to You And I The McClymonts

Australian country heavyweights, the McClymont sisters are back with their third album. The sisters have won two ARIAs and eight Golden Guitars, so if you like country you should probably check this one out.

Available now on Island.

Islander Violence & Destruction Victory Records

You know those scenes in the movies where some badass guy is driving a hotted up car, arm out the window with the music pumping? Well Islander’s new album Violence & Destruction would be the soundtrack to that scene.

Islander are relatively new to the nu-metal and alternative scenes, but they’ve already been making waves with big names touting them as the “ones to watch”.

While this may be a “heavier” album there are moments where Mikey Carvajal’s vocals are surprisingly soft, like in ‘The Sadness of Graves’, and you get caught in a moment of awe. But these moments are fleeting and Mikey quickly reverts back, leaving you wanting more of the serene moments.

PRODUC T RE V IE W:

Behringer ULTRALINK ULM100USB Wireless Microphone Review provided

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With hectic guitar and a steady drum beat ‘Cold Speak’ is a standout of the album, though it does follow the tried and tested formula for alternative rock songs.

But there’s nothing wrong with that when it’s a surefire hit.

One of the great things is that while Violence & Destruction starts off with a few heavier, and albeit very similar tracks, they prove their versatility in softer songs like ‘Kingdom’ and ‘New Wave’ which show Mikeys’ vocal range. Then there’s standouts ‘Criminals’ and ‘Pains’ that jump to the other range of the spectrum, where the power behind Mikey’s vocal and the thrashing instrumentation are features.

By no surprise the title track is a standout of the album and is a great way to finish off a really intense, destructive yet surprisingly soothing 12-track release.

Amanda Sherring

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The ULM100USB is a wireless, hand-held digital microphone

It’s pretty exciting that finally in 2014 we’re able to get our ears around Shy Glow, the debut album from Sydney duo Fishing. It’s been a couple of years in the making, but trust me on this one, it’s been well worth the wait. Having seen the group play once in Geelong, back in 2010 supporting The John Steel Singers at the Nash, I was immediately entranced with the luscious electro beats that were being thrown down. From the very first moment of this debut record, heavily

Blind Bet Cookin’ On 3 Burners Independent

Lance Ferguson is most well known for his work with the Melbourne soul/funk outfit The Bamboos. However, during his busy schedule he has found time to somehow put together a side project album, and get the majority of the Melbourne music scene to sing along on it. Blind Bet by Cookin’ on 3 Burners, (by far the coolest band name I’ve heard in recent times) is a cracking set of tracks.

Opening with ‘Skeletor’, the track shows the musicianship of the band that Ferguson has put together, Jake Mason on

with a 2.4 GHz receiver dongle that conveniently connects to any ULTRALINK compatible BEHRINGER mixer and active loudspeaker. Additionally it adds a digital audio recording input, when connected to an USB port on PC/ Mac computers, and allows direct voice recordings for video, podcasts and much more. The receiver draws its power directly from the USB port and when disconnected, automatically powers down the microphone to preserve transmitter battery life.

Top-quality sound travels through the dynamic hand-held mic’s built-in

being amongst their inspirations.

Just like its predecessor ‘Cruise’ holds a menacing vibe but allows the drums to take centre stage for a bit longer than you’d normally allow. This is an instrumental track that may not be for everyone, but gives you a break from the mundane lyrics that fill so much of todays hits. There are points where the balance and layering of each instrument is questionable, and it seems they may have wanted to throw a little bit too much in the mix. Less is more after all. But this is something that is easily made up for in ‘Mission’ and ‘Simplify’ with their perfect instrumental balance.

Getting lost in The Lion is an

easy fete, and before you know it the EP will be going for its third play. This release mightn’t be for everyone, but it’s a surprisingly good EP to chill out to.

Amanda Sherring

‘Silver Lining’ is a clear example of this, with just the right amount of upbeat folk that should start off every album. ‘Master Pretender’ and ‘Stay Gold’ are also notable songs that have us convinced First Aid Kid will be around for a long while yet.

Though the album isn’t all cutesy animals and warm summer days, and there are also a few slow numbers, ‘Cedar Line’, ‘Fleeting One’ and ‘A Long Time Ago’, thrown in to pull on the heartstrings.

One thing that’s clearly just as strong as ever is the Söderberg sisters’ ability to tell a story. Come their third release they’ve managed to reach a level of consistency that was unseen in previous releases.

‘Waitress Song’ and ‘Heaven

Knows’ are worth a listen.

From start to finish Stay Gold has few flaws, and is an album that cements their place in the folk/country scene. Whether you like folk music or not, this is undeniably one of the top releases of the year.

Amanda Sherring

produced samples and beats are at the front of the mix of each song.

Although to some people it may seem a bit overdone, the more you listen to the record and delve into the hypnotic beats of each track, you will eventually become hooked if you weren’t on the first listen. If you haven’t heard of Fishing just yet and you love Bonobo, Jamie XX or James Blake, you should check these local lads out. It’s smooth easy-going electronica that could easily serve as the perfect come down record. The album as a whole is a silky smooth and impressive debut; highlight tracks include ‘Swimmer’, ‘Pacific Ocean’ and ‘Racer’.

No doubt Fishing will be touring

on the back of this record and their music is the perfect compliment to a night out. Check them out when they’re in your neck of the woods and be sure to pick up Shy Glow today. Tex Miller

organ and Ivan Khatchoyan on drums. The album then moves into ‘Flat on my Back’ which features the vocals of Australian music legend Tex Perkins.

From there, the band has called in some pretty special guests to sing some of their songs. They include Daniel Meriweather, Harry Angus from the Cat Empire and Kylie Auldist from the Bamboos. Not venturing too far away from what The Bamboos do, Blind Bet is an album full of slick soul and funk grooves that are sure to get your party started.

Drum breaks, Hammond hooks and cool horn arrangements, this album will definitely have you up and dancing.

My favourite track on this release would have to be ‘Losin’

Streak’ which shows a different side to Harry Angus’ vocal range, as he channels some of the classic jazz and soul crooners of the day. Who knows whether this side project album is a one off or not, hopefully for our sake, there is more tunes to come.

Tex Miller

transmitter, which works anywhere in the world in the license-free 2.4 GHz range. Digital encryption ensures the signal gets through in all its pristine, high-definition quality, without the random artifacts that often plague other wireless systems. Users can enjoy 8 hours of performance time from a pair of inexpensive AA alkaline batteries, which are available virtually

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Pricing and Availability: The BEHRINGER ULTRALINK ULM100USB Wireless Microphone is now available at Music Workshop Geelong for $159.99. RRP $219.99 forte 53

Forte Columns

grog watch Written by Tony Montana

If you’d asked me a week ago if workplace staff meetings were the worst thing ever, I would have just shrugged and said “uh, maybe”, because until a week ago I’d never been to a single solitary one. Hey, I’m a skilled contractor: I do my job, I chat to my boss, I’m friendly with the office staff, everybody’s happy.

Only now someone new had bought my workplace and they wanted to get everyone in the same place at the same time to find out… stuff. About us. So yeah, freaking out, especially as the new owners had fired my boss so I basically knew no one else at this meeting. And even worse, while most of my co-workers I was (in theory) neutral or mildly positive towards, I knew this one guy was going to be there that I really did not like.

Fortunately, the previous boss had kind of hated him too and had seriously scaled down his work, but the old boss had never quite managed to get rid of him and now, with the slate wiped clean, I figured he was going to be going flat out to make an impression. Was I surprised when I got there ten minutes early to find he was already there? Was I surprised that when he had to be the first one to leave he basically stood in the door saying “are we done here?” over and over as if to lock us into committing to saying nothing once he left? Was I surprised that … well, let me start from the beginning.

The meeting was nothing special really: the new owners had big dreams which they hinted at but we all ignored. They asked us what the company’s strengths were and we all basically said that they were – but then they wanted us to go around the table and each say who we were and what we did. This guy went first and

did not stop; listing all the awesomely popular things he’d done in the distant past before jumping directly to all the things he wanted to do in the future, which was everything that anyone had ever done in this line of work.

And I mean everything – he basically wanted to set up a television station providing twenty-four hour coverage of everything he’d ever dreamed of doing with his life. He wanted to rename the company after himself !

Well, he wanted to call it “Nerd” because he thought he was a nerd and we were all nerds like him, right? And before anyone could say anything he was off again talking about how he’d basically made a public statement that he was giving up the area of work he’d been employed to do six months ago and then for some reason he’d stopped getting a lot of work here so now he wanted to go back to doing what he’d been doing here because this place was his “spiritual home” and his major source of income for the last six

years. Now, I don’t want to say he was lying, but this guy has been working for a (separate) big, governmentbacked organisation for a number of years. If he was making more money doing part-time work here than he was from doing front-of-house stuff for them, well… yeah, he was lying.

And it just kept getting better.

He kept asking if anyone had any painkillers for his headache, and then when someone said they had some Panamax he said “great! What’s that?” He kept dropping hints about how shitty the last six months had been for him (I later found out he’d split from his girlfriend. Guys, when you say you’ve been “literally in hell”, someone you love better have died, because a relationship break-up, while sucky, is only just sucky. Things can get worse). Then while spitting out even more ideas for jobs they could create so that he could get paid to do them he said something that I was interested in doing, so I said “I’ll

fight you for it” – at which stage he said “I’ll WRESTLE you for it!” and made some kind of half-arsed comedy lunge at me. I just looked away – at this stage other people were talking amongst themselves, because, why not? He kept on going though, only he was probably starting to get a little desperate after he suggested yet another new area we could move into and we all said “yeah, that’s just like what [Project Bumbag] is already doing, that’s working out great” and he said “what’s [Project Bumbag]?” because why would he know what our biggest current success was even though he’d spent the last half hour telling us that our biggest strength was our staff and [Project Bumbag] is our highest profile staff project.

Somewhere in all there he started talking about my job and how he thought I was doing a great job but the one thing that I’ve been focusing on in doing my job was something he doesn’t give a shit about but he

likes how I do my job because it’s me doing my job. So at least I know he knows what I do! Oh wait, this guy isn’t my boss and can’t get me fired and I just spent two and a half hours in a room full of people I would have liked to speak to being stuck listening to him frantically trying to gloss over the fact that unlike everyone else in the room he does nothing here that someone else isn’t doing better. If only someone would give him a television network just about himself ! Good luck with that.

Tony “Names have been changed to protect the innocent” Montana

Music Reviews

Luke Legs

PHOTO REVIEW

TIM HUL SM A N Photos by Lucinda Goodwin

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BEAV'S BAR, GEELONG FRIDAY 4 JULY, 2014

Famous Will

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