AHH !
ISSUE #592 ball ar at | bell arine | Bendigo | ca stlemaine | geelong | surf coa st | warrnambool |
07/ 0 8 / 2 014
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gangster's ball
The Great Gordo Gamsby “ I broke sixteen concrete bricks on my stomach, breaking my own World Record!” pg.18
RISE pg.31
nussy
pg.20
melb music bank
pg.34
the creases
pg.39
Áine Tyrrell
pg.39
ALSO FEATURING: Biffy Clyro, Marisa Quigley, Melissa Nikolic, New Christs, The Weapon is Sound, and heaps more!
10 0 % l o c a l ly o w n e d & o p e r at e d
Plus all the latest local entertainment news, music and movie reviews and all your favourite Forte columns!
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THE PRIZE 2 DAYS RECORDING AT SING SING FILM CLIP BY WILK LIVE GIGS PR ADVICE ALBUM ARTWORK 500 COPIES OF YOUR OWN CD SONG FEATURED IN A BANK OF MELBOURNE AD To win, submit an original piece of music that is inspired by Melbourne. Entries close September 7th, so get writing. To find out more visit bankofmelbourne.com.au/melbmusicbank, and join the conversation on twitter with #melbmusicbank. CREATED BY
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in this issue:
forte issue #592 t h u r s d a y 7 AU G UST 2 0 1 4
fort e F R EEBIES ! The Great Gordo Gamsby
Ph: 03 5229 7969 PO Box 978 Geelong VIC 3220 fortemag.com.au
pg.18
enquiries@fortemag.com.au Publisher
McNamara Publishing editor / DIRECTOR
Luke McNamara
luke@fortemag.com.au DEPUTY editor
Amanda Sherring advertising
Abbey King
abbey@fortemag.com.au
Lucas Barnes
lucas@fortemag.com.au Art director
James Dulce Scene photographer
Marianne Valitutti contributors
W IN!
nusy pg.20
Win a double pass to see ILLY at one of these 4 shows!
Melbourne music bank pg.34
La trobe Uni, Bendigo - September 9 Federation Uni, Ballarat - September 10 The Whalers Hotel, Warrnambool - Sep 11) Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads - Sep 12 the creases pg.39
ﾃ（ne Tyrrell pg.39
rise pg.31
To enter just email your name, and mobile number to luke@fortemag.com.au
Anthony Morris, Adem Ali, Alastair McGibbon, Amanda Sherring, Cameron Brogden, Cameron Urqhuart, Chris Cruz, Chris Lambie, Daniel Lock, Daniel Waight, Darlene Taylor, Dr John Lamp, Madelin Baldwin, Natalie Rogers, Oliver Friend, Paul S Taylor, Sue Rawkins, Tex Miller, Wylie Caird, Xavier Fenell, Zach Broadhurst, Tony Montana ART ASSISTANT
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FESTYLE FE USIC, ARTS AND LI M L A N O TI A RN TE 4 DAY IN A LEXTON, VICTORI JANUARY 23-26 •
STIVAL
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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
Elbow, You Know It has been a couple of years since Elbow were last on our shores. What have you been up to in that time? Elbow has spent that time on The Take Off and Landing of Everything, their sixth studio release. The band actually floated a couple of other names for the release before settling on the one we know. And that is the kind of trivial information we like to hand out sometimes. The Forum – October 28.
Tiptoe Through the Tulips Cool as Ice Rapper, actor and producer Ice Cube is heading our way at year’s end. You may know him from N.W.A. You may know him as Fudge from Higher Learning; though more likely as Capt. Dickson from the Jump Street movies. You may also know him as a solo artist who has just coughed up album number 10, Everythang’s Corrupt. It sounds cooler when he says it. The Forum – December 9.xxx
London Calling … Again Hey, London Grammar fans. I am sure you have heard the news that the band is set to make their way to our shores next year to make up for bailing on their Splendour gig and sideshows due to illness. I hope you have your tickets in a safe place – like the vegetable crisper – because purchased tickets will remain valid for the new show. And the new show is at Festival Hall on March 14.
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I would like you to meet Tomorrows Tulips. The pop experience meets esoteric interests brainchild of Alex Knost and Ford Archbold, two dudes born and bred in California, Tomorrows Tulips are keeping alive happy, crafty, underground rock music. Set to release album number three in September, this will be their second visit to our shores this year. The Tote – September 25.
Another 24 Hours When 24 star Kiefer Sutherland and director Jon Cassar took to Comic-Con in San Diego recently, it was
inevitable that talk would turn to the possibility of a 24 movie. Although not exactly giving a resounding answer, Cassar said “still potentially out there, so that’s good news” when questioned about the possibility. Though he did also say how vastly different the TV and film worlds are. So, yeah, I guess the upshot is it’s a possibility.
It’s Ken Jeong’s Fault Ken Jeong (Leslie Chow – Hangover) has landed the lead in a new project appropriately titled Ken Jeong Made Me Do It. The series, which revolves around 22-year-old Andy who rear-ends Jeong’s car, only for Jeong to take pity upon him and teach him the ways of being a man, is being written by Andy St. Clair (Arrested Development) and Paul O’Toole. Jeong is also currently filming Ride Along 2.
Ed at the Helm It looks as though Ed Helm may be making his way back to the small screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Helm is in negotiations to star in One Percent, a drama series about a farmer
struggling to keep his business afloat. Ed Harris and Hillary Swank are also in negotiations. One Percent is set to be directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, known for his work behind the lens of Babel and 21 Grams.
Jamie T’s Ongoing Grudge Jamie T has announced that his long-awaited new album Carry On the Grudge will be released late September/ early October. The album features his recent single ‘Don’t You Find’ – his first new tune in four years. According to press on the album, it is a big step forward: “the old influences of punk, folk and reggae are all still here, but reshaped into something new whilst still defiantly the work of Jamie T”.
Kele Okereke Shares a Trick Trick or treat? Well, a little of both if you’re a fan of Kele Okereke. The Bloc Party frontman has announced details of his second solo release, the follow-up to 2010’s The Boxer. The new release is titled Trick and is set for release in October. A statement on the album describes it as “standing at the crossroads of club
history, old-school soul and modern electronic R&B, with a distinctively British twist”.
Bedtime Stories with Jack White You may have heard that Jack White is beefing up his Third Man gig with Third Man Books. The first commercially available release is Language Lessons: Volume 1, a decent sized 321-page book of poetry and prose as well as two vinyl LPs of “jazz, psychedelic-punk, poetry, blues and pop” and five “frameable” poems. The book features words from Dale Ray Phillips, C.D. Wright and Adrian Matejka.
It’s Simply UBERfest Shining a light on some of the finest in independent talent, UBERfest is underway for another year. Performing bands include Euryale, Dead Villain Society, The Reason, The Unknown Artists, Madeleine Hunt, The High Collide, Slightly Left of Centre, Meredith, Ex Curia, Spectral Fires, Miracle Remedy, Shorty Mic, Legs XI and RDZJB. The Elephant & Wheelbarrow – August 10.
Tekken 7 Edges Closer Creator of the Tekken series, Katsuhiro Harada, says that fans can expect the latest in the series about the Mishima family to be released before the end of the year. Harada took to Twitter following the release of the latest trailer, engaging fans oneon-one in what can be expected. Meanwhile, the head of Epic Studios Japan, Taka Kawasaki, confirmed that a PC version of the game is happening.
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The Debut of Prong
Earthcore 2014 The year is flying, my friends, and pretty soon festival revellers will be digging out their best threads as they prepare for Earthcore. The festival takes place from November 27 through to December 1 at Pyalong and early bird tickets are available now. You can actually save yourself $60 by going the early bird way. For all the information you need be sure to hit up earthcore.com.au. * To help pump you up, keep September 12 free as John 00 Fleming will be busting out an eighthour DJ set at RMH The Venue.
Reading on a Sunny Day The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia gang have a lot of wisdom. Well, wisdom may be a stretch but let’s go with it. In January 2015 the fantastic five will release The 7 Secrets of Awakening the Highly Effective FourHour Giant, Today, a book detailing their tips on how to make the most successful you – today! How better to go about your New Year’s resolution than with life tips from the pros.
You Don’t Talk About… Fans of Chuck Palahniuk no doubt would have heard that a sequel to Fight Club (the book, sorry folks) is set for release in May 2015 in the form of a 10-issue comic book series. Fight Club 2 will take place alternately in the future and the past, picking up a decade after the original as it follows the protagonist, his wife, Marla, and their nine-year-old son. Palahniuk also revealed the teaser that Fight Club 2 will give readers an idea of Tyler Durden’s true origins.
Though they have been doing their thing since the mid-eighties, Prong has yet to be visitors to our shores. That will all change a little later in the year when the heavyhitters bring their new album Ruining Lives Down Under. Founded by Tommy Victor, the band’s original run took place between 1986 and 1997. Produced by Victor and Steve Evetts, Ruining Lives is their ninth studio release. The Hi-Fi – November 21.
Christmas with Russo & Jamieson Would you spend an intimate evening with a Bengal tiger? Would you play basketball with an axolotl? Then why would you spend Christmas with family when you can spend Christmas with Unwritten Law’s Steve Russo and Grinspoon’s Phil Jamieson? The lads are teaming up for an acoustic Christmas double-header where the only thing that will be more plentiful than the songs will be the eggnog. The Corner – December 19.
Another Chapter for Damien Leith Due to overwhelming success, good guy Damien
Leith has teed up a bunch of encore Without a Fight tour dates. The tour keeps the spotlight on 2013’s Chapter Seven, an acoustic folkpop release that gave a farewell handshake to his previous label Sony while saying hello to his new home at Social Family Records. Leith was crowned Australian Idol in 2006. Bennett’s Lane Jazz Club – September 5 & September 6.
Oh Well, Whatever, Never Mind It looks as though the much-talked about Kurt Cobain biopic is due to begin within the next year or so. Speaking with Ruben Nepales of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Courtney Love said: “I do have a say in it. So do Frances, and Krist and Dave (Grohl), for that matter, if it touches on Nirvana – and it will. I am leading the charge because it’s time to do this.” Will we finally find out who shot Kurt Cobain?
Time to Get Dirty Serving up a “righteous blast of rock and roll energy”, Sydney outfit The Dirty Earth is thrilled to welcome their debut album, Autonomic. Released at the beginning of May, the album is a heavy dose of ’70s-inspired
catchy, riffy rock led by the powerhouse that is Mandy Newton. The band has shared stage time with Buzzcocks, Rollins, Hard Ons, Tumbleweed, Def FX and Hawkwind. The Reverence – August 23.
Babaganoüj Call Your Bluff
The Invisible Joe Henry
Brisbane four-piece Babaganoüj are feeling the love these days. The band recently took out the Amplify competition, scoring some studio time with Magoo in the process. Says Magoo: “… Babaganoüj just seem to have the best consistency and show great development.” The Gasometer – August 16; The Catfish – August 17; and The Old Bar – August 18. The band’s new single is ‘Bluff ’. It is the followup to ‘Too Late for Love’.
Singer-songwriter and Grammy-winning producer Joe Henry is on his way to Australia in support of Invisible Hour, his latest work. The album is number 13 for the man described as a “literate purveyor of a kind of folk-imbued, smokily jazzified, contemporary ‘adult music’ that in a far better world would reside at the top of the pop charts (San Francisco Weekly).” Melbourne Recital Centre – September 12 & Meeniyan Town Hall – September 13.
Love is All Around We all know Perth is home to some of Australia’s finest talent, with one such band that is gaining momentum being fuzz rock trio The Love Junkies. They’re gearing up for their fifth national tour of the year in support of new single ‘Television’. The single is lifted from the band’s forthcoming sophomore album, Blowing on the Devil’s Strumpet. Ding Dong Lounge – September 12.
John Murry’s Califorlornia Born and raised in Mississippi, songman John Murry was a member of several bands throughout the early 2000s. However, his first outing as a solo artist was on an album in collaboration with Bob Frank. Following on from 2013’s acclaimed The Graceless Age, Murry is thrilled to welcome Califorlornia. The 10-track EP features a cover of Warren Zevon’s ‘Genius’. Spotted Mallard – August 22.
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THE MOLLY ROOM, FORTE & MARSHALL AMPS PRESENT
LEON HENDRIX IN AUSTRALIA FOR THE FIRST TIME This once in a lifetime show is not to be missed. Leon an established singer-songwriter in his own right, mixes his music with his versions of Jimi’s classics, including stories and insights into the songs only his closest relative could tell you. The band features special guest and Grammy Award™winning guitarist MICKI FREE
DON’T MISS JIMI HENDRIX BROTHER LIVE!
FRI 10 OCT GATEWAY HOTEL CORIO 1ST TICKETS RELEASED WWW.THEMOLLYROOM.COM.AU OR THE VENUE T
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T HE THURSDAY 7TH AUGUST BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Trivia Night from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Dave Anderson BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc) - Live and Local, $13 Pizza night COURTHOUSE ARTS: Freeza Battle of the Bands 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: Highway of Lost Hearts 8pm LORD OF THE ISLES: Trivia in the courtyard PISTOL PETE: The Reprobates ft Wayne Jury 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 ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: 6pm Jazz n’ Blues THE SPHINX HOTEL: Schnitzel Night from $13
FRIDAY 8TH AUGUST THE BARWON CLUB: Bound by Hound, Hollow Ground, Zuma THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Happy Hour 5-7pm, Meat Raffle & Members Draw BEAVS BAR: 2-Tone BENDED: Stone Trees BENDIGO: Bendigo Writers Festival BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Happy Hour 5-7pm BLACK HATT: Cor Ten THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTELMAINE): The New Christs, Don Fernando, Grindhouse 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 GASOMETER: Pretty City
fort n i g h t l y c a l e n d a r GPAC: Highway of Lost Hearts 8pm THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Trojan HOME HOUSE: Homehouse Fridays Party with DJs, Steve Camp, Simon One, Keith Evans & DJC LAMBYS: Good Face For Radio LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (WARNAMBOOL): Buddy Holly the Concert THE LOFT (Warrnambool): Shock Waves, Pro Tools, Silverkane THE LORD NELSON: Happy Hour 5pm-7pm MAIN BAR (Ballarat): Liz Stringer THE MAX: 3 on the Tree ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Luke Pote OLD CHURCH ON THE HILL (Bendigo): Healers of Hurt Tour, Dean Haitani, Marisa Quigley, Talisa Jobe OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Nicolas Ellerby PISTOL PETES: Dog Gone South UNWINED CELLAR BAR: Nigel Wearne WHEREVER (Bendigo): Allday, Remi, Dugong JR
SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST AIREY’S PUB (Aireys Inlet): Live Music BEAVS BAR: Steve Pianto BENDED: Enquire Within BENDIGO: Bendigo Writers Festival BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Live Music and Happy Hour 5-7pm CHERRY BAR: The New Christs, Don Fernando, Grindhouse THE COMMA (Castlemaine): Healers of Hurt Tour, Dean Haitani, Marisa Quigley, Talisa Jobe EDGE: Live Music and DJ GPAC: Highway of Lost Hearts 1pm & 8pm, Buddy Holly in Concert 8pm THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Geelong vs Freo live HOMEHOUSE: TWhite LAMBYS: Stellar LEISURETIME CENTRE: Battle for the
Bay Roller Derby comp LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (WARNAMBOOL): Moyne’s Got Talent MARTIANS CAFE: Aine Tyrell THE MAX: Frequency THE NEWMARKET (Bendigo): Live Bands ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Matt Thomas, Big In Sweden OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Cam Kettle PISTOL PETES: Andy Phillips, The Cadillac Walk UNWINED CELLAR BAR: Live Music 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 WOOL EXCHANGE: Russell Morris
SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): Healers of Hurt Tour, Dean Haitani, Marisa Quigley, Talisa Jobe BEAVS BAR: Remi BENDED: Acoustic Sunday sessions, Smack frog Trio BENDIGO: Bendigo Writers Festival BIRD ROCK CAFÉ (Jan Juc): Kids Eat Free 3:30-6:30, 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 GEELONG RSL: $13 Carvery lunch GOLD MINES HOTEL (Bendigo): Marc Leon LAMBYS: Adam 12 ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Luke Pote, Craig sayer, Ben Dew OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Sideshow Brides PISTOL PETES: Louis King, Vic Polyik THE SPHINX HOTEL:
Carvery from $17
MONDAY 11TH AUGUST BARWON CLUB: $10 Parmis BENDED: Steak night ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night 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
TUESDAY 12TH AUGUST BENDED: Parmi night BLACK HATT: Bachata Dance Classes ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13 GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Kids Eat Free GPAC: Barassi the Stage Show 8pm HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE (Ballarat): Bell Shakespeare’s Henry V 7.30pm PISTOL PETES: Open Mic Night
WEDNESDAY 13TH AUGUST BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): Tristen Bird, Courtney Robb 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 BLACK HATT: Cuban Salsa Dance Classes 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: Barassi the Stage Show 1pm & 8pm HER MAJESTY’S
THEATRE (Ballarat): Bell Shakespeare’s Henry V 11am KAROVA LOUNGE (BALLARAT): Peking Duk PISTOL PETES: Tex Miller & friends
THURSDAY 14TH AUGUST THE BARWON CLUB: King Buzzo, Blackie BEAVS BAR: Andy Forster BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Live and Local, $13 Pizza night EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night EUREKA: Thirsty Thursday GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Kids Eat Free HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE (Ballarat): Elvis to the max 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: The Reporbates ft Wayne Jury
FRIDAY 15TH AUGUST BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): Aleyce Simmonds THE BARWON CLUB: Strathmore, Del Lago, Brittle Bones, Gladstone THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Happy Hour 5-7, Meat Raffle & Members Draw BEAVS BAR: Hayden Scott BENDED: Dave Anderson BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Happy Hour 5-7pm BLACK HATT: Luke Biscan Band CITY QUARTER BAR: Friday Unwind from 5pm. Live with live
entertainment and DJ DEAKIN UNIVERSITY, WATERFRONT: Word for Word National Non-Fiction Festival EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT AND CASTLE: Thank Guinness It’s Friday EUREKA HOTEL: Live DJs THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Moon Patrol HOME HOUSE: Homehouse Fridays Party with DJs, Steve Camp, Simon One, Keith Evans & DJC LAMBYS: Test Pilot Molly THE LORD NELSON: Happy Hour 5pm-7pm THE MAX: Trojan ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Luke Pote OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Performance Night THE PALMS (Melbourne): Elvis to the max PISTOL PETES: Mr Black & Blues UNWINED CELLAR BAR: Dave Dorman, Chris Canning
SATURDAY 16TH AUGUST AIREY’S PUB (Aireys Inlet): Live Music BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): Dave Savage THE BARWON CLUB: Kansas City Fagots, The Mudge Bros, The Dipsticks BEAVS BAR: Jack Harmen BENDED: Patty Bourke BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Live Music, Happy Hour 5-7pm BLACK HATT: DJ Max ‘70s and ‘80s music DEAKIN UNIVERSITY, WATERFRONT: Word for Word National Non-Fiction Festival DING DONG LOUNGE: King Buzzo EDGE: Live Music and DJ THE GATEWAY HOTEL: A Taste of Tamworth, Carter & Carter, Paul Costa, Bob Corbett GEELONG RSL: Sweet Home Chicago, Blues Brothers Show Night THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: James Carrigg HOME HOUSE: Reeceflow, SJ Surrender
KAROVA LOUNGE (BALLARAT): Alison Wonderland LAMBYS: Stellar LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (WARNAMBOOL): Highway of Lost Hearts, Holiday Actors a Chorus Line MAIN BAR (Ballarat): Alannah & Alicia THE MAX: Trojan THE NEWMARKET (Bendigo): Live Bands ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Jim Jamz, Jessey Jackson OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Untapped THE PALMS (Melbourne): Elvis to the max PISTOL PETES: Gator Queen UNWINED CELLAR BAR: Big In Sweden 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
SUNDAY 17TH AUGUST 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 DEAKIN UNIVERSITY, WATERFRONT: Word for Word National Non-Fiction Festival EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Live Jazz from 3-6pm and Parmi Night GEELONG RSL: $13 Carvery lunch GPAC: Elvis to the max LAMBYS: Snack Attack ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Jamie Pye, Forever Son, Jim Jamz OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Alana & Alicia THE SPHINX HOTEL: Carvery from $17
MONDAY 18TH AUGUST THE BARWON CLUB: $10 Parmis BENDED: Steak night ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Members Draw, over $3000 in prizes to be won! GPAC: A Night at the Movies 7pm LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (WARNAMBOOL): Australian Ballet presents the Dancers Company Classical Triple Bill 7.30pm LORD NELSON HOTEL: Parmi & Pot for $15 on presentation of student I.D THE SPHINX HOTEL: Meals for $11
TUESDAY 19TH AUGUST BENDED: Parmi night BLACK HATT: Bachata Dance Classes CAPITAL THEATRE (Bendigo): Bell Shakespeare’s Henry V 7pm ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13 GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Kids Eat Free PISTOL PETES: Open Mic Night
WEDNESDAY 20TH AUGUST THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Master of Dartness and Poker from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Open Mic, Kareoke with Luke Biscan BENDED: Second chance & pub quiz BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Shit Trivia Mexican Night BLACK HATT: Cuban Salsa Dance Classes 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 PISTOL PETES: N.O.L.A Night, all things New Orleans and Louisiana
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The Great Gordo Gamsby FEATURE STORY Written by Natalie Rogers
Here’s one for you – How many bricks can one man have smashed on his stomach while lying on a bed of nails? For the answer we enlisted the help of the one and only Great Gordo Gamsby. “I broke sixteen concrete bricks on my stomach, breaking my own World Record!” Gordo replied proudly. “I broke that one on The Guinness World Record Show over in Milan. I actually just got back.” This seasoned strongman has been at the vanguard of the modern sideshow scene, not only here in Australia but internationally, for almost a decade. “I’ve been to 26 countries so far,” he smiled, leaving me with the distinct impression that Gordo has well and truly caught the travel bug. “It’s rare that I’m actually in Australia at this time of year. I usually follow the summer around and go to the Northern Hemisphere for our winter. This is the first winter I’ve had in quite a while.” So what could’ve enticed this man mountain to brave our frosty climate this time round? None other than the Gangsters’ Ball. Now in its seventh year, this unique event is billed as a swing-dancing, cabaret and vaudeville extravaganza! Gordo described his role in this spectacular as “creating a vibe where everyone feeds off each other – and to ensure everyone has the best time possible. I’m a showman, so I love putting on a performance and surprising the audience.” Not surprisingly, however, The Great Gordo is a master of suspense and clearly enjoyed remaining tight-lipped about exactly what he has in store. “I’ve got a lot of stuff in the works at the moment so I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to do just yet,“ he divulged mid-chuckle. “Put simply, I do extreme stunts – high impact and high energy. But I can say definitely expect chainsaws, swords and a lot of stunts. Quite possibly ones that no one has seen before.” I had to hand it to him – The Great Gordo Gamsby lived up to his name and kept his composure despite my efforts to uncover the truth for you, loyal Forte reader. His stoic behaviour led me to want to find out more about the man underneath the crazy makeup and costumes – be it the sword-swallowing strongman clad in leopard skin or the palefaced dark clown suspended mid-air by hooks – and the answer might surprise you. “I’ve had lots of jobs over the years – pizza delivery guy, manual labour jobs, and I even worked for the Department of Education for a while. I didn’t specifically choose it but it’s definitely the most fun way I can think of to live my life. I’ve definitely made some good life choices along the way!” From humble beginnings at Wauchope High (on the NSW Mid North Coast) the not-yet-great Gordo always knew he was a little different than the other kids. “I’m not sure when I had the realisation - I just always knew I was strong and I’ve always been a big guy!” While most high schools around the country offer the tantilising choice of either handball
or tee-ball as options when it comes time to picking a sport, the avant-garde folks at Wauchope High started a new program called Silver Circus, teaching kids all things circus related. As you’ll have guessed, Gordo’s strength and natural talent was apparent from day one and it wasn’t long before he was teaching the teachers. He was soon awarded a Sports and Arts grant from the council and as they say, the rest is history. Fast-forward to 2014 and Gordo is the proud holder of 10 (and counting) Guinness World Records. “One of my favourites is that I hold the record for the world’s strongest tongue!” he grinned. “I pulled a car that weighed 1056kg by a hook in my tongue.” Watch every cringeworthy moment here: youtube.com/watch?v=gn2pG2IkxY If you think that’s impressive, not only is Gordo’s tongue unbelievably strong, apparently it’s also nimble. “During one of my stunts I cut an apple out of my mouth with a chainsaw – I used the dexterity of my tongue to pull it off. It’s all about knowing exactly what’s happening and simply calculating the risks. “For sword-swallowing, I had to learn about anatomy – obviously to know where all my internal organs sit,” he added matterof-factly. “Of course, I do a lot of mediation because most of the time it hurts! It helps me to ride through the pain threshold.” Chatting one-on-one with the born entertainer I could hear the passion in his voice. Pain aside, Gordo assures me he wouldn’t have it any other way. “I love what I do, I absolutely love it! And I couldn’t do it if I didn’t. When I’m performing I’m so in the moment. I hope to share how much fun I’m having with everyone else at the Gangsters’ Ball. The sideshow world is pretty small in Australia so we all know each other. It will have a great party vibe and I might even pull out my three-piece suit!” Be there or be square. Tickets for the Gangsters’ Ball can be purchased from their website gangstersball. com.au. When&Where: Gangsters’ Ball, Forum Theatre - September 13
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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Biffy Clyro Written by Abbey King
Lucky us! Scottish rock legends Biffy Clyro are about to make their way back Down Under for the second time this year, following their impressive Soundwave performances. Bassist James Johnston expressed his excitement towards the September dates after having a ball on the Soundwave bill: “We’re the lucky ones,” he beamed. “It was incredible, it was just amazing fun. It was really nice to come back and play there with so many amazing bands! It was great to be a part of !”
The lads from Kilmarnock have been enjoying a big summer of European festivals, namely headlining the infamous ‘T in The Park’ festival in native Scotland. This was the very first festival the boys played at some 15 years ago, very young and unsigned. “That’s the festival we’ve always used as a bit of a benchmark. You know it was our first festival we ever played! We’ve kind of slowly worked our way up from the smaller stages all the way up to the main stage. “It’s our national festival! It’s a really big deal over here so we feel really proud and really excited. I guess at the moment we’re still pretty nervous, but we can’t wait at the same time!” Way back when the young trio consisting of James on bass, Simon Neil on guitar/vocals and James’ twin Ben on drums began to write and rehearse songs together, James reminisces on an Aussie favourite who originally got them dreaming about the big time. “I don’t know how people view them back home, whether you think they’re cheesy or if they’re a national institution, but Silverchair were really important to us growing up. I think just because they were such young guys when they started, it’d make you think, ‘Oh, well maybe we could have a go at this’. That was quite inspiring.” The boys have come a long way since then and certainly made the big time, with six studio albums, countless world tours and some huge accolades including taking out ‘Best British Band’ at last year’s NME Awards, which James reveals was a pleasant shock. “I think it’s always a bit of a risk making a double album. I think you’re setting yourself up for
When&Where: The Palais – September 7
ridicule and you could make things pretty difficult for yourself, but I think we’ve received the support from the fans that we have and from people in the press. To get a nod from your peers and people in the industry, it’s really, really nice. “As you take steps forward, every time you try something new, it’s a little bit tricky, it can be a little difficult. I think having an extra couple of guys play with us live makes a bit of a difference. We’ve got Mike [Vennart – guitar] and Gambler [Richard Ingram
– guitar, piano] who used to play in a band called Oceansize. They’re really great friends of ours, old friends, but most importantly really great players. They were able to help us re-create some of those really great sounds that you hear on the album.” Don’t expect the festival circuit to weary these tour veterans. With over ten years of tour experience, James admits touring has become a way of life – a life they certainly love. “We’re gonna give every bit of energy and passion that
we have and we’ll play a bit of a sing-song for people to sing along to. We always like it when that happens and they can create some real atmosphere. In the end that’s all that’s really important – a band that really loves doing what they’re doing.” What will the boys be getting up to during their downtime this time around? James tells how they enjoyed a little excursion to ‘the water’ whilst in Queensland ahead of Soundwave earlier in the year, so I suggested testing the waters along the Great Ocean Road. Hire a surfboard? See how it goes? “We tried
Nussy
it before and we got fucking beat up. It was such an exhausting thing to do and I guess if you were good at it, it would be a bit easier. We found it so tough, a real challenge, but I’d love to give it a go again, definitely,” he laughed. “But, it’s such an amazing country. I think I would love to go into the centre of the country a little bit – we’ve obviously gone around the coast earlier this year. I guess there isn’t really much in the centre, but it would be nice to go for a drive.”
RELEASE: Nussy’s selftitled debut EP is out now.
Written by Amanda Sherring
Armed with brightly coloured lips, a blonde pixie crop, dresses Twiggy would kill for and the perfect synthladen pop tunes, Nussy is attacking the music industry head on. Though her life may seem perfect it hasn’t been without challenges. In 2012 her partner and footballer John McCarthy passed away. But it’s these challenges and pressures that have helped make her the musician and person that she is.
Her newest single, ‘Dizzy’, touches on these pressures but is also a message for people to stop focusing on the pressures and to enjoy the moment. “In a way it’s about my own pressures. People can sometimes have unrealistic expectations of artists and sometimes it’s hard to be taken seriously. But to be honest it’s more about people I noticed around me,” Nussy says. “This constant pressure to finish university, get a job, settle down – what does “settle down” even mean? It seemed to me like a lot of people are just going through the motions of what they think is expected of them and not being aware of how amazing each little moment in life can be.” To help pass the message along, Nussy is dressed up, sent spinning in circles and touched by almost a dozen hands. Produced by Jarred Osborn and Julian Lucas, the clip is a touch under four minutes of brightly coloured fun. “It was just like being a kid again and playing dress-ups,” Nussy says. “And so weird! I’m very ticklish so it was actually really hard for me to keep a straight face, but we got there,” she says. It’s clear from her snaps on social media, including a photo shoot for fashion blog ‘Street Style by Sarah’, that music isn’t Nussy’s only love. “I love fashion so it’s something I really love to have fun with. I’m quite a spontaneous person and think that sort of comes across in my style,” she says. As well as coming across clearly in what she wears, Nussy’s personality is just as clear in her performances, which she’s been fine-tuning for a few years now. “I’ve been performing for quite a few years 20 forte
now – singing backing vocals in other original bands and doing the covers circuit around Melbourne – and I just love performing. It’s so great to finally be playing my own music to people,” Nussy says. Few cities were lucky to see
her perform live, as she’s recently done a handful of shows to celebrate her new release. When asked what’s next for Nussy, she remained quite tight-lipped, but gave a cheeky teaser that she will be heading back to the studio.
So while she may be drip-feeding fans with quality releases, this isn’t some silly little dream for Nussy. She wants to make sure that she does it right. “A lot of people think it’s a cute little dream that artists have to go out and do this. It’s not. It’s hard work and we
wouldn’t be doing it if we didn’t absolutely love it,” she says. “I’m so lucky that my family and my friends are so supportive though. They are all behind me 100 per cent, which is such an amazing feeling!”
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“Over three days, the festival will see more than 60 presenters grace the stage, including best-selling author Tara Moss, The Guardian journalist Paul Daley and Classic FM breakfast presenter Emma Ayres.” pg.27
“It’s so important that we encourage and celebrate our local talent, and this is exactly what this project is all about,” said Hooper. “I got my big break after being discovered at a local fete in Violet Town. It led to free studio time to record and here I am today!” pg.34
“... when the suggestion came through to do a month of gigs we ran with it. Rather than just another week at Pistol Pete’s, we have turned it into a month festival that will no doubt develop into the future.” pg.36
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A Smyrk on Her Face Eccentric-pop is what Anna Smyrk and the Appetites are about. And they do it very well. Flashback to 2009 and the band took out honours in the Queenscliff Music Festival Foot-in-the-Door competition. In 2012, Anna and her musical team released their debut album, Belly of Winter. Business became a whole lot busier after that. Hauling around a second-hand Jim’s Cleaning trailer, the band won fans everywhere from Ararat to Maroochydore. Funding from Arts Victoria enabled the recording of a full-length debut. “Anna Smyrk’s songs have such a charm about them. There’s a graceful understanding of all that has gone before, coupled with a determination to express what she thinks and feels, in her own beautiful way” – Charles Jenkins. Beav’s Bar, Geelong – September 1.
“I’ve always loved music and I used to be a musician as a kid. I guess by a way it’s sort of still interconnected without me actually playing anything. ” pg.31
Riffing with Flaming Wrekage LAST MINUTE: Sydney metallers Flaming Wrekage have a date with Bendigo’s Music Man Megastore tonight, August 7. The band kicked off their Bring the Riff Back tour on July 10 in Baulkham Hills in support of their debut album Catharsis. If you feel like getting a little more familiar with the band, vocalist Dave Lupton recently spoke with Mandy Craig over at musicmayhemwithmandy.com about the album and tour.
All Night with Allday 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.
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Keep Warm with Liz Stringer
Tristen Bird & Courtney Robb
Described by the Herald Sun as “an old-fashioned, Springsteen-style storyteller with a soulful, mature voice”, Liz Stringer has established herself as one of Melbourne’s finest musicians. It has been a couple of years since Liz released Warm in the Darkness; however, its glow continues to be felt. The album showcases an evolving Stringer. While 2010’s Tides of Time was an intimate affair, Warm in the Darkness features a bigger sound, complete with horns and organs. In recent times Liz has been performing will an all-star cast in Vandemonian Legs (the cast includes Tim Rogers, Mick Thomas and Jeff Lang), but her upcoming shows are a chance to catch her at her solo best. Main Bar, Ballarat – August 8 & Cimarron B&B, Aireys Inlet – August 30.
A man that plays country/roots that live somewhere between Neil Young and Hank Williams is how Tristen Bird describes himself. A former Adelaidian, Bird moved to Melbourne to mix his debut album Horse to Water, a release that he describes as Act 1. Act 2 is Brushfire Moon. Drawing inspiration from Australia’s history and landscapes, his second effort was placed in the capable hands of Shane Nicholson (Kasey Chambers, Catherine Britt). With edges of folk, country and blues, Adelaide songbird Courtney Robb has been performing for several years. In 2010, she was chosen by triple j Unearthed to attend the Sydney Song Summit. Her latest release is In the Dark. For two voices of Australia, head along to Babushka, Ballarat on August 13.
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. Other guests include Lawrie Zion, Sue Woolfe, John Wolseley, Jenny Valentish and songbird Liz Stringer. The festival, which takes place this weekend across August 8, 9 & 10, is in its third year in 2014. Hit bendigowritersfestival. com.au for more.
A Thorn in Her Side The daughter of a poet father and a music-loving mother, Lucie Thorne grew up in Northern Tasmania. These days she is living across the waters. Flipping through her bio, it states how in her younger days she wanted to be Joni Mitchell. Years later, in a review of her 2011 album Black Across the Field, Readings Monthly compared Thorne to the Canadian songwoman. Her latest release is Bonfires in Silver City, though she did also record an album with Pieta Brown. For several years now Lucie has worked with drummer Hamish Stuart (Dog Trumpet), but until now the duo has never performed at The Bridge in Castlemaine. This changes when the pair set up shop at the venue on August 15. Special guest is Suzannah Espie. 24 forte
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In the Afterglow of CREO Since their formation in 2012, Sydney alt-rock four-piece CREO has earned their stripes supporting bands including British India, Gung Ho and Glass Towers. They have also become favourites of the press. Themusic. com.au’s Jessica Holton: “Their sound stood out as completely wild with tight production keeping them in check. CREO presented no mercy, fully immersing the crowd in their sound. They were apocalyptic, unapologetic, and multi-layered as a band.” Anywho, the band has just released new single ‘Afterglow’ and they reckon it sounds even better live. Playing the kind of tunes that will get stuck in your head for days on end, CREO takes on Bendigo’s Music Man Megastore on August 27. Afterglow is available for download through iTunes.
The Luck of Áine Tyrrell Born to an American actress/director and an Irish musician, Áine Tyrrell had a guitar in her hands as soon as she was able to hold one. As you could imagine, her household was a very musical one and by her teens she was performing with her father. By her early twenties she was performing solo. The singer-songwriter circle of Dublin soon became her second home and supports and collaborations with the likes of Damien Dempsey, Declan O’Rourke, Paddy Casey, Mundy, Roesy, Luka
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Queenscliff Music Festival The Queenscliff Music Festival has announced another round of acts for its bonza 2014 outing. To recap first, we already have The Bombay Royale, The Church. D.D Dumbo, Hiatus Kaiyote, The Jezabels, Kasey Chambers, Stonefield, The Waifs and Xavier Rudd; now, you can add soulful rocker Dan Sultan (pictured), WA’s blues and roots outfit Blue Shady, a trio of songbirds in Dyson Stringer Cloher, genre-benders The Delta Riggs, Gold Coast-based Tijuana Cartel, Adelaide rapper Tkay Maidza, Afro soulsters The Shaolin Afronauts and troubadour Steve Smyth to the mix. There is a lot of buzz around the festival this year, so much so that it has broken the record for early sales. A late winter announcement is to follow and will include acts from across the seas. Hit qmf. net.au for more. Bloom and Katell Keini followed. She has also travelled and busked her way through South America. These days she calls Australia home. Hers is an effortless blend of folk, Irish melodies and South American rhythms. Martians Café, Deans Marsh – August 9.
Blackie & the King Quick bite: Peter “Blackie” Black will join King Buzzo at Geelong’s Barwon Club on August 14 for what could well be one of the best local shows of the year. Blackie, who we know from the Hard-Ons, will be spruiking his latest album The Paintings on the Wall Say Gambler! Gambler!. As has become a common trend, Blackie took to crowdfunding site Pozible to raise some dosh for the release. The successful project means good news for all.
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Rainbow Serpent 2015 The 2015 edition of Rainbow Serpent Festival has wasted no time in giving music lovers something to look forward to next year with its first round announcement. Coming at you will be Beats Antique, Desert Dwellers, Christopher Lawrence, Audiomatic, Electric Universe, Marcel Dettmann, Lee Burridge, Petar Dundov, Vaishiyas, Laughing Buddha, Broken Toy, Pena, Ben Coda, Odjbox, The Floozies, Kukan Dub Lagan, James Copeland, Solid Snake, Symbolic, Treavor Moontribe and Amani. Festival Director Tim Harvey: “With five stages running almost continuously over four days there is plenty of choice for everyone attending. It’s a massive undertaking to program almost 180 hours of music but it’s also very rewarding when we discover new talented artists to present to the Rainbow faithful every year.” Lexton – January 23 through January 26.
The New Christs Say Their Prayers When it comes to The New Christs, there are some pretty interesting figures. Now, 30 years in the game for Rob Younger’s post-Radio Birdman gig is one thing, but what causes a pause for breath is that over one hundred players have spent time in the band across that time period. Wow! Another figure that will make fans a little happy is that June saw the release of their fifth album, Incantations. The crew at Dig It Up were among the fans, writing: “The release of the new album Incantations it seems The New Christs have finally found their voice: more melody, better riffs, stronger lyrics. It could also be argued that this is the best we have heard Rob sing in a long time. Perhaps the biggest change though has been in the sound. Recorded by Midnight Oil guitarist Jim Moginie and mixed by Wayne Connolly (the man responsible for the recent Sunnyboys demo mixes), Incantations sounds completely contemporary with numerous songs (‘Waves Form’, ‘It Means Everything’) coming across as real radio contenders.” The band has been doing their things on international shores lately but is ready to spend time with local family now. The Bridge, Castlemaine – August 8. They will be joined by Don Fernando.
Better Off Dead You have Dead. You have Pissbolt. You have DJ Morriszonkle. That’s three – count ’em, three – ripper acts set to perform for you. And it’s going to be a celebratory night at their little Castlemaine gig as one half of Dead, that would be Jem, is celebrating his day of birth. The other half of Dead is Jace. They formed in 2012 and are “a Voltron-like beast formed from stripped-to-thebone Karp and Melvins”. And that is just the kind of thing that has led to shows with so many, many folks, including Big Business, White Shit, Hammerhead, VAZ, Gay Witch Abortion, Monarch, Earthless, Black Cobra, Eagle Twin, Cough, Eternal Elysium, Carburetor Dung and Hard-Ons. The Bridge, Castlemaine – August 16. Make sure you bring down a slice of cake. The good stuff, not the cheap stuff.
Bendigoat Metal Fest 2014 This one isn’t taking place until November but it is one you will want plenty of time to clear your calendar for. Bendigoat Metal Fest is back for another year, serving up some of the best heavyhitters from Australia and New Zealand for a worthy cause. This year’s charity is Liver Disease. Your line-up is: Convent Guilt (pictured), Oath of Damnation, Bulletbelt, Lustration, Adamus Exul, Decrepit Soul, Catacombs, Feralian, Azreal, Order of Chaos, Sarfaust, Abraxxas, Amelus, Wounded Pig, Requiem, Pterodactyl, Path of Destruction, Chase the Ace and Morth. On and off since 1992, Melbourne-based black/death metal outfit Vahrzaw will also perform. Further information regarding the charity will be announced as the date draws closer. The Newmarket, Bendigo – November 1.
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One Night in Mildura You know how the triple j crew visited Mildura for their One Night Stand recently? Well, an awesome CD/DVD has now been released – but you probably knew that. If you take all the best bits from the night (okay, so they were all good bits but they had to choose some), that’s what you’re getting here. Included in the package is Illy’s ‘One for the City’ and ‘Cinematic’, Dan Sultan’s ‘Under Your Skin’ and ‘Love is Like a Song’, RÜFÜS’ ‘Desert Night’ and ‘Take Me’, Violent Soho’s ‘Covered in Chrome’
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and ‘Tinderbox’ and The Jungle Giants’ ‘She’s a Riot’ and ‘ Domesticated Man’ among others. Treats include Vance Joy joining Illy on ‘Riptide’ and Magic Dirt’s Raul Sánchez joining the Violent Soho gang. It’s so good you’ll want to share it with your neighbour. Unless they’re a douche.
To Infinity and Beyond REMi has been having a pretty good run of things. The Melbournebased lyricist picked up the triple j Unearthed Artist of the Year gong late last year while this year has seen the release of his debut album,
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Raw X Infinity. The album was released in June on his DIY label House of Beige (with distribution by UNFD) and features his Hottest 100 track ‘Sangria’. The Sydney Morning Herald: “Remi is progressive. There is no album out there quite like Raw X Infinity. This is the first full-length album Remi has produced that includes both Sensible J and Dutch on beats and production. Lyrically the album is beautifully complex – to truly understand where Remi’s mind is at will require more than a cursory listen.” Beav’s Bar, Geelong – August 10.
Morning Glory has been around the traps since the dissolution of Chocking Victim back in the late nineties and was originally formed as a solo project by Ezra Kire. Oh, and it’s not a reference to that Oasis song but a reference to how the band’s creative output kicks in shortly after sun-up. Ezra: “I was always writing songs in the morning, which is kind of a reflection of the attitude of the band and the sound … I feel like that has something to do with our overall outlook on life and music.” The Barwon Club, Geelong – September 24.
The Glory of it All
Vanished into Stiches
Morning Glory has some business to do in Australia. The business of rocking out like it is 2014. They’ll be doing their thing with The Bennies, that Melbourne punk ska psychedelic doom metal punk rock band we dig so much.
Vanished into Stiches is the fascinating new exhibition from Australian-born New Yorker Ruth Marshall. A fusion of her love for animals, art and science, Ruth has produced a collection of works
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representing endangered species through the medium of knitting. This is an exhibition years in the making, with Ruth spending years researching museum collections in order to transform scientific specimens into works of art. More than an exhibition, in Vanished into Stitches Ruth hopes to focus attention on the issue of species decline while also illustrating the intrinsic natural beauty of her subjects. National Wool Museum, Geelong – August 8 through December 7. Ruth has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from RMIT, Australia and a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture from Pratt institute, USA.
Dancing with Maria Forde Not everyone has written a song that is used in weddings. Sure, Sting has. Ronan Keating has. And so has Irish-Australian
Wasted on Strathmore Featuring past members of Responder, An Undying Day in Orbit and Seconds, Melbourne’s Strathmore is a throwback to the Aussie punk sounds of the 1990s (think Bodyjar, Knapsack and Samiam). The band walks the DIY road, releasing their self-produced debut EP Everything Tonight in 2011. Now they’re thrilled to welcome their feature-length debut, Time Well Wasted. According to the presser, the album takes an edgier and more considered turn than Everything Tonight. Gareth Leach, the band’s stickman, was behind the producing, recording and mixing of the vinyl release. He says: “We wanted the sound of the album to be natural and reflect how we sound live. We tried not to record too many takes, and I think we achieved that natural sound without compromising the fidelity of the music.” Vocalist Ant McCormick chimes in on the album’s lyrical content: “The songs are fairly biographical. It’s all about playing in bands, the people you meet and lose along the way and the reasons why after years of slugging it out, we all still play and love playing in bands. This is the inspiration for the title of the record too – we do what we do because it is what we are.” The Barwon Club, Geelong – August 15; The American Hotel, Echuca – August 16; and The Black Swan, Bendigo – September 6.
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Maria Forde. Straddling both sides of her heritage in her songwriting, Maria Forde’s first album, Will You Dance With Me?, also gave us the title track, a song which was originally written for a friend’s wedding but has since been used in weddings locally and abroad. She has released several albums since, her most recent being Little Black Rose. While her songs are rich with her heritage – ‘Waltzing Matilda, My Darling’, for example, is about the torn spirits of the immigrant to both their country of birth and their adopted land, Australia – her move to Trentham, Victoria has brought a touch of the bush to her work. Bendigo Folk Club, Bendigo – August 15.
Funny Business Quick bite: Comedy is back at Bendigo’s Golden Vine tomorrow night, August 8. Trusted with the task of tickling your ribs are Melbourne’s Simon Keck, Liam Ryan, Martin Dunlop and Laura Davis. All four had successful outings at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival so it’s a safe bet they’re gonna bring the laughs. They’re comedians, after all. It’s their job. All proceeds go to the Eaglehawk Hockey Club.
Believing in Aleyce Simmonds
Bluejuice, I Hardly Knew Ye It has been a long, warm and colourful ride we’ve shared with Bluejuice. But the ride has come to an end. Following 13 years together the Sydney group has decided that the end of the year will also see the end of the band. Fortunately, they’ll be leaving fans with a new single, a greatest hits compilation and a tour. Jake Stone: “It’s been 13 years, and we don’t want to be a shit band and we don’t want to hang on until you lose interest in us. So we’re releasing one new song, and we’re punching as hard as we ever did. It’s not the worst thing that’s ever going to happen. We’re not dead yet.” Their farewell single is titled ‘I’ll Go Crazy’ and was produced by Dann Hume. The album, meanwhile, is Retrospectable. The Barwon Club, Geelong – October 12.
Quick bite: Country singer-songwriter Aleyce Simmonds rose to prominence after taking out the 2005 Telstra Road to Tamworth competition. Her star power abroad is also rising with the songbird set to be a headlining artist at the YeeHaw UK Country Music Festival next month. Her latest album is Believe, for which she received a Female Artist of the Year nomination at the prestigious Country Music Awards of Australia. Babushka, Ballarat – August 15.
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Jay on My Shoulder
What’s On in the Surf Coast? Written By Daniel Waight
Hi there, guys! OK, so the dead of winter can be pretty boring, am I right? The nights are long, dark and cold – and the days aren’t much better. Sometimes all you want to do is tuck up at home beside the fire with a mug of hot chocolate and your favourite movie on DVD. But sometimes that’s not enough, and you want to get out and do some stuff to take your mind off the cold. Well fortunately for you, there are still plenty of things happening in the Surf Coast region to keep you entertained over the next couple of weeks. Saturday, August 9 ‘Time and Place’ Writing Workshop: Wybellena Drive, Aireys Inlet. 10.00 a.m. For all you creative types out there who want to improve your writing skills, there is a writing workshop coming to Aireys Inlet. Conducted by Graeme Kinross-Smith, an Honorary Fellow in Communication & Creative Arts at Deakin Uni, you’re sure to pick up plenty of useful writing tips. Sessions run from 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. at 34 Wybellena Drive, Aireys Inlet. Áine Tyrrell: Martians Café, Deans Marsh. 7.30 p.m. Irish singer-songwriter Áine Tyrrell has performed all around the world but is currently based here in Victoria. Her wonderfully lyrical songs are inspired by the Irish town atmosphere in which she grew up. She’s crowdfunding her debut album at the moment, so come and check her out at Martians to see some great Irish folk music. The Fromp: Torquay Hotel, Torquay. 8.00 p.m. The Fromp are a fun cover ’90s band with a repertoire featuring all your favourite hits from that era. They play Matchbox 20, R.E.M., Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Radiohead, Pearl Jam and so many others. Come and see them at the Torquay Hotel.
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Craig Sayer: Aireys Pub, Aireys Inlet 8.30 p.m. Craig Sayer has been playing gigs for many years and is well known in both the Melbourne and Adelaide cover scenes. Check out his acoustic cover show at the Aireys Pub. Saturday, August 16 Anglesea 24th One Act Play Festival: McMillan Street, Anglesea For those of you who like a bit of culture, Anglesea is hosting a one act play festival and competition. The plays are coming from established and up-and-coming playwrights, directors or community theatre groups. So come along on Saturday 16th or Sunday 17th of August to give these plays an audience. DJ Steve ‘Mix Master’ Miguel: Torquay Hotel. 8.00 p.m. Californian DJ Steve ‘Mix Master’ Miguel is a veteran turntablist known for his banging club mixes at his concert-like shows. Known in the industry as the ‘King of Mix’, he’s sure to turn the Torquay Hotel into the hottest club in the region. You won’t want to miss out on this show. Drew Chen: Aireys Pub. 8.30 p.m. Come along and check out the soulful sounds of Drew Chen at the Aireys Pub and a good mix of covers and quirky originals. Winter doesn’t seem quite so bad any more does it?! If you’re living on the Surf Coast, or even just planning on visiting, there’s plenty going on in the area to keep you happy. Contact the venues or check out their websites for more information. Stay warm, guys, and I’ll see you in two weeks’ time!
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Dwarves Standing Tall When punk legends the Dwarves announced an Australian in tour June, they only announced a wee three dates. Then something happened. Something that can probably be explained with a little research. But I don’t go in for that sort of thing. Anyway, they’re minor details in some big, happy news: the band now has a date in Geelong. That’s right, brothers and sisters, it’s on like Donkey Kong in heat. Their story begins in 1983 when an early incarnation of the band, then called Sexually Deprived Youth, performed at a high school pep rally. It was a performance which led to their expulsion. They then changed their name to Suburban Nightmare and released the EP Hard Day’s Nightmare. It was also around this time that their ‘Skull and Boners’ logo was designed. From there, well, it’s probably best to head across to their official page for their history. It’s an interesting read. As for the latest news in the band’s camp, their new album The Dwarves Invented Rock & Roll will hopefully be on the shelves by the time they reach our shores. However, ‘Trailer Trash’ is available for your listening pleasure right now. This show really should come with a warning, but it wouldn’t help. The Barwon Club, Geelong – October 16.
Space Invaders A “feverish, powerful, swirling dervish of wild rock and modern electro riffs” sums up The Space Keys to a T. Oh yeah, did I mention their use of sweet electro flute? That’s so good I am going to mention it again: sweet electro flute! Forte’s Natalie Rogers spent a little time with a couple of its members recently where they spoke about life in an unlikely band. “Being a part of The Space Keys is fantastic! It’s quite an unlikely group, but we’re all on the same page. We don’t have to talk, we just play and there’s a common thread running through our hearts and minds … There’s a real understanding of where each other’s heads are at.” Self-managed and self-funded, the band is heading to Geelong’s Barwon Club on August 23 for their album launch. Be there.
Patrick James Walks the Line Originally from Port Macquarie, Patrick James moved to Sydney to carve out a career in music. Busking became his trade when he first started out before his profile grew. Since those days, the songman has supported the likes of Boy & Bear, Pete Murray, Kina Grannis, Josh Pyke, The Paper Kites and Emma Louise. On the release side of things, Patrick released the EP Broken Lines last month in what proved to be a busy month for the lad. He also premiered a clip for single ‘Message’ on Rolling Stone Australia and turned to Twitter for a little Q&A session. By the time you read this the Q&A will be available to
read online. Broken Lines is his sophomore EP and was produced by Wayne Connolly (You Am I, Josh Pyke). Beav’s Bar, Geelong – August 29.
C’mon Feel the Noise Girls, rock your boys to a whole lot of other stuff heading your way. Leaving Adelaide behind, Shock Waves’ Nick and Pange headed for Melbourne with a dream in their hearts. The dream: guitar-driven rock and thumping rhythms. The four-piece will be at The Loft, Warrnambool on August 8. Russell Morris takes in the Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex, Geelong on August 9. Peking Duk will do their thang at The Karova in Ballarat on August 13, while Alison Wonderland has a date with the venue on August 16. Twins and Pocket Rocket have a date with Ballarat’s Element Nightclub on August 13. The Bellwethers take in The Bridge, Castlemaine on August 10. Alanna and Alicia take their folky, jazzy roots to The Main Bar, Ballarat on August 16. All-out rockers Massive hit The Newmarket, Bendigo on August 22. Ash Grunwald plays The Vine, Bendigo on August 21.
Push th’ Little Daisies Last year, Yuko Nishiyama was given the opportunity to mix her debut album with Rob Feaster (George Harrison, Johnny Cash, Joni Mitchell) in Nashville, TN, USA. The opportunity came after two solid years developing her music and refining her concepts. In order to help fund this incredible opportunity Yuko took to crowdfunding site Pozible
– she was successful. Her debut single is ‘Heart of Daisies’, a track which combines lashes of strings and driving harmonies. A busy gal, Yuko also recently teamed up with Melbourne-based music/art collaborative, friendships. That particular track is titled ‘Step Up’, and both can be heard online now. Yuko is one to keep an eye on and you can find out why when she makes The Karova in Ballarat her home on August 14.
Jason “Jay” Whalley, that lovely chap that fronts Frenzal Rhomb, is set for a solo show in Ballarat this month. For those that are familiar with his recent travels, skip to the end of this blurb for the gig date. For those unfamiliar, here’s a little story about a man named Jay. You see, he had a pig parasite removed from his brain. He picked it up while on a trip to South Africa. Not the kind of thing he expected, but after displaying some unsettling symptoms (as in a seizure) he was finally diagnosed. And the most troubling thing: he was required to lose one of his dreads. There was also that time he found himself in the middle of civil unrest in Bangkok. But you know what they say about punk rockers. I don’t, but I am sure there is something said about them. The Karova, Ballarat – August 22.
The Karova’s Website Makeover Quick bite: So, our friends over at The Karova decided their website lacked that zing and so they gave it the ol’ spit polish. Like the “plain” girl in a movie that takes off her glasses, the venue has shown is can scrub up pretty nicely. You will still find all the most awesome of awesome gigs. You will still come across the most awesome of awesome people. It’s just now their website is walking with the strut of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Hit karovalounge.com to check out their new look.
Hail Cisco Caesar Much has been written about open mic nights (including in this humble little mag) and just what can eventuate from them. One such success story is Cisco Caesar. The four-piece is the brainchild of Caesar Slattery and James Cisco, a couple of fellas who met at a Melbourne open mic night hosted by Jed Pickett. James grew up in Normal, Illinois, two hours south of Chicago. A chunk of his musical life was spent along Route 66 before he headed for Australia around a decade ago. Caesar is an Adelaide man and was the frontman for Pornland. A coming together of musical kindred spirits occurred that open mic night. With a mutual love of old soul music and vintage rock ’n’ roll, the two envisioned a soul rock outfit with a whole lotta swagger. Two brains are good, four is better, and so the lads rounded up and branded Jason Torrens and Jacob Cole. Jason is also the stickman for Bugdust, while Jacob has played with Sal Kimber and the Rollin’ Wheel. It’s an impressive sounding bio but it’s nothing compared to their sound. Catch them on their album launch tour at Old Hepburn Hotel, Hepburn Springs on September 14 and The Newmarket, Bendigo on November 15. “Get off your couch and come see these cats strut their own brand of vintage soul-rock and wail like nobody’s business” – Beat Magazine, February 2013.
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Geelong small Business Festival August 1-31 '14 The Geelong Small Business Festival was launched today by Mayor Darryn Lyons and Minister for Small Business Russell Northe at City Hall. In Geelong, small businesses account for up to 90 per cent of all businesses and the Festival is about celebrating this. Mayor Darryn Lyons said he was pleased the City supported the Geelong Small Business Festival which has become a major feature on the local business calendar. “This Festival has become a go to event for anyone starting out in new business locally,” said Mayor Lyons. “There are plenty of opportunities to learn new skills with more than 40 events to attend and the Festival provides a rare chance to network with like minded people.” In Geelong ABN
registrations rose from 882 at the start of the year to 1,049 at the end of April, that is a 19 per cent increase. Mayor Lyons said small business is clearly big business. “The Geelong Small Business Festival is Council’s way of easing the load of small business owners and operators and to help equip them with the tools to build a better business,” said Mayor Lyons. “The good news is the events are all run at a very low cost and some are even free making it easy for participants.” The Festival runs all of August and you can register via, www.enterprisegeelong.com.au/gsbf
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Vanished Into Stitches
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Word for Word: National Non-Fiction Festival Written by Amanda Sherring
For a long time now Geelong locals have become used to making the lengthy trip to Melbourne to seek inspiration from creative-based festivals. Now your myki needn’t suffer, as Deakin is hosting Australia’s largest festival showcasing non-fiction literature over three days from August 15 to August 17. The idea was initiated by Deakin University’s School of Communication and Creative Arts but has been made possible through a partnership with the City of Greater Geelong and Geelong Regional Library Corporation, with support from Regional Development Victoria. Over three days, the festival will see more than 60 presenters grace the stage, including best-selling author Tara Moss, The Guardian journalist Paul Daley and Classic FM breakfast presenter Emma Ayres. With so many sessions there’s bound to be something to inspire everyone, even those who cringe at the idea of nonfiction writing. While there are plenty of highlights there are a few that stand out to us as ones we want to nab front row seats to. Justin Heazlewood, also known as The Bedroom Philosopher, whose session is on the Sunday, is someone whose brain we’d like to pick. Aside from being a musician, Justin was a senior writer for Frankie magazine for five years, a contributor to The Big Issue and Zoo Weekly, and has just released his second book Funemployed. The session
discusses Justin’s new book, which takes a look into the life of artists in Australia through over 100 interviews with musicians Gotye, Tim Rogers and John Safran. Then there’s the ‘Extreme Adventures’ session with Andrew Lock and Jono Lineen. Andrew is Australia’s most accomplished high-altitude mountaineer and has climbed all fourteen “eight-thousanders”, while Jono completed the first solo 2700-kilometre trek through the Western and Central Himalayas. Also on Sunday, this session is one for the thrill seekers and is proof that non-fiction is far from boring. If neither of those takes your fancy, there are still sessions that cover the “death” of journalism, how women are portrayed in the media and more. For those who are a little bit more visual, an exhibition of political cartoons curated by Russ Radcliffe will be on display for the duration of the festival. Bookings are required for each session as tickets are numbered. For the full program or to book a session visit wordforwordfestival.com.au. When&Where: Deakin University Waterfront Campus – August 15, 16 & 17
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All photos by Michelle Grace Hunder
Mistress of Ceremony
Remi, Sensible J, Dutch
Jaytee w/ The Last Kinection
Dylan Joel
Grey Ghost & Mantra
R ISE LOCAL FEATURE STORY Written by Amanda Sherring
For Michelle Grace Hunder, a career in photography was something she’d never considered – until a gift from her husband inspired her passion of capturing moments. When she unwrapped the DSLR camera, what soon followed was a competitive photography competition between the couple and the realisation that Michelle was a natural. By chance Michelle found her niche photographing Australian hip hop singers, and has put together Rise, a 112-page photography book filled with 118 portraits of 182 artists to showcase the musicians and work she’s done in the industry.
“I’ve always loved music and I used to be a musician as a kid. I guess by a way it’s sort of still interconnected without me actually playing anything. I love surrounding myself around musicians who I find their talent just awe-inspiring. I started tagging along to gigs and I really enjoyed gig photography,” she said. While it’s hard to fault Michelle’s images, she wasn’t always so precise with her photography. When studying it in Year 9 she found that analogue cameras just weren’t for her, and a particular class project springs to mind when she looks back on her early introduction to photography. “I picked this basketball player and I thought I’d do him shirtless. I had this image in my head of a black and white classic night shot with him holding the basketball under his arm,” she says. “I had this vision but I was so focused on nailing
this shot that everything was completely out of focus. So the lighting was great and the mood was great but everything was completely blurry.” Clearly Michelle’s photography skills were there at an early age, but after several career changes weren’t truly harnessed until she began gig photography several years ago. Today, after having worked with such huge names, you’d think the most famous would also be her favourite ones. But the photos that she loves the most are the ones with an unusual story behind them. The shoot she did with the Thundamentals was one such moment. With a tight schedule playing Falls festival and touring, Michelle didn’t think she’d get the chance to meet up with them, but a lucky overnight stay in Melbourne meant she could. “It was about 10.30 at night and I went out to this
dodgy airport hotel they were staying in. I looked around, I work with natural light so that’s my thing, and it’s pitch black. There’s no light and there’s just this little hotel and nothing great about it at all,” she says. “I didn’t know if I could make anything work but we went for a little wander around and ended up finding another section of the hotel where they were doing some maintenance and they had all this plastic up the back of this really long narrow corridor with this weird lighting and it just looked so great.” Working as a photographer Michelle constantly finds herself surprised by the great shots that can come out of nothing and the unique ideas that are put forward by the artists themselves. While photographing Brad Strut, she found that nothing seemed to be working how she wanted it to be. That was when Brad suggested the photograph be taken of him eating gelato in front of a bright pink ice cream van. The resultant photo creates a surprising contrast for such a hardcore rapper, and is exactly why Michelle loves it. Portrait shots of artists may be one of Michelle’s main loves, but it all started around gig photography, which is an experience unlike any other and something she wouldn’t want to live without. “I had a moment recently where I was shooting a Bliss n Eso gig. I was on stage with I think Seth Sentry and I just had this moment of overwhelming honour
to be sharing the stage,” she says. “There’s 10,000 people there and to be able to share that space with an artist, for me, I find that a very sacred space. That’s the performer’s space and the fact that I’m allowed to share that is a very humbling experience, and you’re so blown away.” To most of us Michelle would be sharing the stage with a famous rapper, but a lot of the time they’re actually her good mates. During the course of her career she has landed friendships with many of our well-respected rappers. “I guess I don’t think of them like that because they’re just my mates,” she says. To help celebrate her photography book Michelle and a handfull of her mates, including Remi, Briggs, Mantra, Grey Ghost and various others, will tour Australia for a few select shows. “I feel awesome to be able to do a tour and take my friends along and be able to pay them. I’m so passionate about what they do and those artists in particular. In the past couple years they’ve been really good supporters and friends of mine, so it means that I’m giving back to them as well,” Michelle says. Michelle’s photo documentary book of the Australian hip hop scene can be pre-ordered on risemgh.com. When&Where: The Espy, Melbourne – August 21 & The Karova, Ballarat – August 28
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Book now visit www.13thbeach.net Dinner & Show $85 pp - 6:30 – 7:45pm arrival Show Only $40 + b/f pp - 8:40 pm arrival Tickets on the door if available on the night $44
Special guests Ukulele Carnivale on stage 8:45 pm, Tex Perkins & Charlie Owen on stage 9:45 pm. All profits from the evening will contribute to building the Acquired Brain Injury Club house as a part of the fully inclusive Eastern Geelong Community Centre. To find out more visit www.karingal.org.au/donate
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Melbourne Music Bank Written by Wylie Caird
Long nights and early mornings, cheap beer (and even cheaper food), beat-up cars carting banged-up gear, couch surfing, halfrehearsed songs, rooms filled with little more than roped-in family and friends, unreliable drummers and barely enough money at the end of the night to cover costs – the music world wouldn’t be the same without young, aspiring musicians scrapping for gigs. Still, with such a tough slog, why the hell would you do it? Because it’s music, man. And when it’s in you, you just gotta get it out. Created by the Bank of Melbourne, the Music Melbourne Bank is asking the question, ‘Will you be the next big name in music?’ Don’t let the bank thing dissuade you; it’s actually a pretty cool thing they’ve got going on.
Basically, bedrooms rockers are encouraged to shoot off an mp3 file of a song or piece of music inspired by Melbourne that they have created. From there, a public vote comes into things. 12 finalists will then be whittled down via the public vote, with four finalists chosen to perform in front of a judging panel of industry experts at the Melbourne Recital Centre. We’ll get to the prizes in a sec. Ella Hooper is your Melbourne Music Bank Ambassador. Only in her early thirties, Ella is already a veteran of the Australian music scene, and caught a similar big break the odd album and ARIA Award ago. You probably know her best for fronting Killing Heidi, the band that put Violet Town on the map. They cleaned up at the 2000 ARIA Awards, picking
up four gongs including ‘Best Group’ and ‘Album of the Year’. Since Killing Heidi disbanded in 2006, Ella has kept busy with The Verses, solo work (her debut solo album is In Tongues) and a stint on the revived Spicks and Specks. “It’s so important that we encourage and celebrate our local talent, and this is exactly what this project is all about,” said Hooper. “I got my big break after being discovered at a local fete in Violet Town. It led to free studio time to record and here I am today!” The judging panel, meanwhile, includes Cara Williams from Beat Magazine, Chelsea Wilson of PBS 106.7FM, Kirsten Siddle of the Melbourne Recital Centre and Jac Phillips, Head of Brand Marketing, Bank of Melbourne. Up for grabs is a prize bag filled
with pretty much everything one needs to take things to the next level, including two days of recording at Sing Sing Studios, a video clip by filmmaker Wilk, live gigs, album artwork and 500 CDs, PR and marketing advice and the chance to have their song used in a Bank of Melbourne advertising campaign. Composer Simon Watt, who won 2013’s inaugural event for his composition ‘A Melbourne Morning’, scored a cinema advertisement promoting children’s savings accounts. It was a challenge for Watt, who said, “I usually score longer projects so working with a 30-second format was a bit more exciting. It allowed me to experiment more.” The competition is open to all Victorian songwriters and musicians and has been designed for musicians to tap into Victoria’s, and arguably Australia’s, musical heart, Melbourne. Bank of Melbourne Chief Executive Scott Tanner: “Melbourne is undoubtedly Australia’s arts and culture capital. Bank of Melbourne is delighted to help celebrate and support local music talent with this exciting program.” Artists have until September 7 to submit their work. Further information can be found through bankofmelbourne.com.au/ melbmusicbank. Good luck.
The Sweet Delores Bellarine Peninsula based singer/ songwriter duo Narelle Jolley and Susan Russell (aka Sweet Delores) formed Ukulele Carnivale in mid 2013. Their signature harmonies and musicianship are a feature of their live performances which take you on a carnival ride of stories about cads, gamblers, circus folk, longing, lost love, country miles and musings of beauty and wonder. In a short time they have wowed audiences at the 2014 Melbourne Ukulele Festival and the 2013 Deniliquin Ukulele Festival and they have shared the bill with some of Australia’s finest including Shane Howard, Dog Trumpet, Chris Wilson, Sarah Carroll and the JVG Guitar Method just to name a few. Susan and Narelle’s music story is a remarkable one. From humble beginnings not that long ago they are now taking audiences on a magical ride and impressing some of the best in the industry. Don’t miss Ukulele Carnivale
performing with Tex Perkins and Charlie Owen on 15 August and Chris Wilson on 30 August. Their EP “Brightbird” launched in March 2014 is available at the gigs and is full of heartfelt songs in a country folk style stripped to the bare bones of ukulele and voice. “Narelle and Susan (Ukulele Carnivale) are a very special pair of women; the most beautiful music pours from them as easily as the ingenuous banter between them at shows. We’ve seen them hush crowded rooms and win over hard men and women.” Chris Wilson & Sarah Carroll For further information on Ukulele Carnivale visit www. facebook.com/ukuluelecarnivale or call Susan on 0448 370 871. When&Where: 13th Beach Golf Links, Barwon Heads - August 15 & Queenscliff Uniting Church Winter Warmer Concert Series - August 30
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What’s On in the 'RAT? Written By Daniel Lock
G’day live listeners (wherever you are), Dan here with a rundown of what’s to come at our leading live original music venues here in Rat Capital. The Eastern kick off with this month’s resident host of Open Mic Thursdays, with James Ramsay opening it up to the public with a little MCing and an amount of tune playing, before passing it on to whoever is up on the list next. Free entry. Then Friday nights at The Eastern, resident DJ Ram Daddy spins the decks and provides a spoonful of tunes to help the alcohol go down. Free entry. Friday, August 8 The Main Bar (Open Pantry/Deli/Grocery/ Café/Pizza Restaurant, 22-28 Main Road), Ballarat enter the foray this fortnight with Liz Stringer playing some folk/ soft rock tunes. Entry $15. Sunday, August 10 has The Babushka Bar specially opening their doors for the Healers of Hurt tour featuring Marisa Quigley, Dean Haitani and Talisa Jobe sharing stories of happiness, heartbreak, nurture and loss. Entry $10. Wednesday, August 13 The Babushka Bar is busy again with Tristen Bird and Courtney Robb stopping in to play their co-headlining inclusive tour which will be taking them around SA, VIC, NSW and ACT. Entry TBC. That night, The Karova Lounge also has a big night on with Peking Duk playing. Supporting them will be Yeo. Tickets $25. Thursday, August 14 has the
musical artist Yuko Nishiyama playing The Karova Lounge. Yuko’s single ‘Heart of Daisies’ grabbed the attention of radio and well-renowned musicians alike and she’s specially making the trip from Melbourne to brave the cold of Ballarat. With support from local artists Mark with the Sea and Josh Haire. Tickets $10.
T H E NIG H T V IBE Written by Tex Miller
Friday, August 15 at The Babushka Bar sees four-time Golden Guitar nominee Aleyce Simmonds playing some country acoustic music for the audience. Entry $10. The Eastern has local rock elitists 23rd of Elvis sharing the stage with younger poprockers The Vests. Both bands do what they do with attitude and have built up appreciation and respect from fellow musicians and live music lovers. In short: it’ll be a good night if you have ears and enjoy beers. Entry TBA. Saturday, August 16 The Eastern has hailing all the way from Perth Underground Hound playing with local boys Hipster Kill Team and 80 Hundred. Entry TBA. Karova at over … I mean, over at Karova, Alison Wonderland is back from the States and playing a DJ set. Tickets $20. The Main Bar has an AA meeting of sorts with Alanna & Alicia playing with their band members. Twins Basil, twins! Entry $10 Alright, that’s all I could dig out on the agenda for music news this round. In regards to my previous article, I’ve just been asking band members about their history getting gigs in Melbourne recently and hearing what they have to say. Nothing really to report yet but over the next few weeks I’ll be seeing a few bands that have made the change to the capital, or are at least about to. So keep reading and I’ll keep writing. Cheers!
Your favourite band has just announced that they are heading to Australia – and the vibe is building to what will definitely be the hottest gig of the year. The gig is a sell out in record time and there is an excitement that you have a ticket. That said, how much damage is that doing to your wallet? Over the years, the cost of concert tickets has obviously increased, but how far is too far? How much would you pay to be a part of a band’s only Australian show or tour for a couple of years, such as the Rolling Stones’ upcoming fiftieth anniversary at $250-$300 a ticket. Kicking off on the 13th of August, Bob Dylan (as you will all be aware) is touring Australia and is playing multiple shows in each city due to popular demand. Selling out in record time, these shows are definitely going to be a magical experience and well worth seeing.
Some people disagree, though, and think that he is past the prime years of Highway 61 Revisited or Blood on the Tracks, although his most recent release and 35th overall, Tempest, scored favourable reviews with press worldwide and was voted as Rolling Stone’s 4th greatest album for 2012. Recent setlists of consecutive nights at the one venue give an idea of the ultimate opportunity to see Bob Dylan. Throughout the hour-and-a-half to two-hours he is on stage, Dylan covers many classics from his extensive back catalogue. Does it sound as good as his prime years and previous tours though? At $100 a ticket, to just get to the back of the upstairs of the Palais Theatre in St Kilda, is it truly worth the hard-earned coin to have bragging rights about seeing the living legend? For the die-hard fans it goes without saying that
in fact yes, no matter where you are sitting, it is worth it. If the argument is about value for money, Bruce Springsteen’s run of concerts in Australia earlier in the year needs to be taken into consideration. For around the same amount of money, Springsteen played nearly double the concert length of Dylan, showing that age is no barrier to putting on a show. The names of the moment, however, such as Lorde and Ben Howard, are in a matter of speaking playing a shortened set for the same amount of money. It is a little bit disappointing that we wait months to see our favourite pop stars and they are only on stage for just over an hour. Big Day Out has folded for the meantime and aims to be back in 2016; however, there are still many festivals to choose from. There is a new festival at Phillip Island
over the New Year’s period in place of Pyramid Rock, and Falls and Meredith both sell out each year without fail. Which leads to the question of which one do you choose? Each boasting large headline acts, they have over the years built a unique experience to the festival punter. Yet, if an act pulls out of a headline spot like London Grammar or Two Door Cinema Club from Splendour in the Grass 2014, how does that affect the experience? Although there is a minority of people that go to festivals to see one or two bands, should the ticket prices (if still available) be lowered in price due to the late cancellation from such acts? If festivals are all about the experience to the music goer, then surely a free festival is able to offer an equal if not better experience than the high-paying tickets. One such example to great free music festivals is the Echuca Moama Winter Blues Festival. Over the course of three days, 50 acts take to the riverside town and play throughout venues in Echuca. All of the music is free and offers the best in Australian blues music. There is plenty of local awesome music out there that costs a considerable amount less than the big concert arenas. With big name acts such as Paul Simon and Sting coming to Geelong in the next few months, are big international stars really worth seeing? Is it better to support the Australian artists at local gigs such as Chet Faker and Dan Sultan, which were both sell outs over the past few months? The main question is where will your entertainment dollar go?
Vanished into Stitches Exhibition These are not your usual animal skins! Ruth Marshall, an Australian artist based in New York, has spent years researching museum collections and has transformed scientific specimens into beautiful works of art. Artist Ruth Marshall’s interest in animals, art and science has produced a stunning collection of works representing endangered species through the medium of knitting. Each of her hand knitted one-of-akind textiles is interpreted from individual animals researched from museums
and zoos around the world. By focusing our attention on the issue of species decline Ms Marshall also reminds us of the intrinsic natural beauty that inspired us to covet these creatures in the first place. Included in the exhibition is a series of Australian animals studied from specimens at the Melbourne Museum.
Ruth Marshall Biography Australian born Ruth Marshall has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,
Australia, and a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture from Pratt institute, USA. For fourteen years she worked as an exhibit sculptor at the Wildlife Conservation Society/Bronx Zoo. Her art has recently been exhibited at the Australian Consulate in New York City, Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Museum of Art & Design - New York City. Publications include: ‘Textiles: The Art of Mankind’, by Mary Schoeser / Thames & Hudson Vogue Knitting, Textiles: The Australian magazine for Textile Arts / September 2013 issue 111
When: Daily from 08 August 2014 to 07 December 2014 Next on: 08 August 2014, 10:00 AM - 04:00 AM Where: National Wool Museum, 26-32 Moorabool St, Geelong 3220
GSDM_11688
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as well as her own book ‘Vanished into Stitches’ Also the Bronx Council of the Arts BRIO award 2013. Recent projects of interest are the activist knitting kit, ‘KNOT Impossumble’, a fund raising endeavor for Victoria’s Leadbeater’s Possum. She currently resides in New York City, USA.
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forte 35
Pistol Pete’s food n blues Written by Tex Miller
International Blues Music Day has come and gone (August 2), yet there is no need to fret that you’ve missed out on the celebrations because at Pistol Pete’s Food n’ Blues, Blues Music Day stretches out for a whole month. Since opening in March, Pistol Pete’s has become a cult music venue in the Geelong music community. From the tantalising food of the Deep South comprising burgers, gumbo, cornbread and southern-fried chicken to name but just a few of the delicious dishes, if you haven’t experienced it yet there is no better chance than now. Hosting some of the country’s finest blues acts in Geoff Achison and Chris Wilson as well as many others, this is a tremendous celebration and well worth checking out.
Always a lover of blues music, it was in fact a local blues artist and a seminal Australian blues classic that ignited the love: 1992’s Short Cool Ones by Chris Wilson and Diesel. “That record is what initially got me into blues music – extensive play at home and in the car to the extent that four or five tracks are scratched. It’s just an honest album and both Chris and Diesel’s performances on each of the songs are great. The raw power and energy makes it the best Australian blues album. From there (as you do with blues music) I delved backwards and discovered people that I knew of briefly, but didn’t know the music. Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, all these great players and music is there to discover.” The idea for a month celebration of blues music was a natural progression from the August bookings already in place at the venue. “Most of the acts were already booked for the month, but when the suggestion came through to do a month of gigs we ran with it. Rather than just another week at Pistol Pete’s, we have turned it into a month festival that will no doubt develop into the future. The main goal of August is to inform people of what’s down here and giving them time to plan it in their calendars.” If you have taken a look at the local blues scene around Geelong, you will have noticed that with Pistol Pete’s opening up there has been a reignition and interest in blues music in Geelong. Apart from The Blues Train and the Sleepy Hollow Blues Club, there are no other outlets really around – until now. Having only been in operation for a few months, the signs are good for the future of local blues and Pistol Pete’s. “There are things that businesses always have come up against and that’s mainly weather and football. Overall though, it’s been great and there are still people discovering what we are doing. Everybody is leaving happy with what they are getting food and music-wise, so it will be interesting to see where it develops to next.” Having travelled to the US two times before, the food and music culture was an overall inspiration to the restaurant. With a new menu starting in the next week to cater for vegetarian and snack options, as well as some speciality dishes starting up as we come into summer, there isn’t a better time to experience the deep south of Lt. Malop Street than right now.
36 forte
Geoff Achison: AUG 22
Louis King & Vic Polyik: Aug 10
Mr Black & Blues: AUG 15
GATOR QUEEN: AUG 16
INFO: Blues Month, live music every night throughout August (open Tuesday to Saturday) - 93A Little Malop St, Geelong
FREE CLASSIFIEDS Send your info to editorial@fortemag.com.au Individual use only, not for commercial purposes Singer wanted for original band doing a
Circus Oz: But Wait, There’s More! Written by Amanda Sherring Photo by Rob Blackburn
As the call connects whoops and hollers echo through the phone and Mike Finch greets me with a friendly hello. These are the sounds of a typical day in the “office” at Circus Oz, and something that Mike has enjoyed for the past 17 years. “I’m just looking across the rehearsal room with giant inflatable tube dudes with acrobats jumping all around them and hanging off the ceiling,” he says. “Three minutes ago there was someone riding a unicycle with someone on their shoulders” My call happened to be just at the right time to catch the acrobats as they were midway through a technical run of their new show ‘But Wait, There’s More’ at their home base in Collingwood. The show, which is already midway through an Australian tour, touches on the idea of “infobesity”. Which is the overload of information and contemporary junk culture. “People have got too much and they want even more. They want more channels on their TV, more speed on their internet and more choices on what they see,” Mike says.
Making political statements is something that Circus Oz is known for, and one of the many aspects of their shows that make them unique. “The politics is partly about not pigeonholing people and partly about body policing. The media tells women that they’re supposed to look and behave a certain way to be successful or attractive,” Mike says. “Our show totally celebrates diversity so there’s tiny people in the show, the men are allowed to be graceful and the women are allowed to be funny and strong and it diverts a lot of things just at the performance level.” Aside from the politics, the show has everything you know and love about circus shows. With just the right mix of stunt-jumping acrobatics, cutting-edge juggling, virtuosic unicycling, elegant flying trapeze, cheeky impersonations and multiskilled human physical exuberance. “In terms of the scale of the show it’s a really big show, it spills out into the audience and off the stage and it’s got the high level danger. Nearly all of the performers are doing something in the show that’s
life threatening,” he says. Even with such a large show Circus Oz regularly tour overseas, with America, Canada, Europe and parts of Asia regularly stamped into their passports. But when asked if they were looking forward to performing in Geelong, Mike couldn’t be more pleased. The local council was actually one of the first to give Circus Oz a tent, which resulted in numerous successful shows and a newfound appreciation and respect for the town. “Geelong is great and such a good crowd. The GPAC is a really interesting performing arts centre as they’ve built a really strong community around it,” he says. “It’s a good vibe and we’re always happy to go back. It’s a really familiar environment and we’ve got old friends that work down there so it’s really good.” When&Where: The Playhouse Theatre, GPAC – September 4, 5 & 6
mix of retro styles - soul, funk, latin rock, gospel, R&B, groove based stuff. Over an album's worth of material already written, studio recordings, gigs etc. Looking for the right voice so drop us a line and we'll take it from there! ben@ bellemusique.com.au Experienced 22 y/o singer, songwriter, guitarist looking for
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 Heavy metal/death metal vocalist & lyricist looking to
join a band. Have original material ready to go. 0432959094 Wanted expirenced drummer to start a
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
ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE! CALL LUKE ON 0422 809 042
forte 37
Forte Columns
pulp Written by Alastair McGibbon
too heavy to hug
pop culture!
Written by Paul S Taylor
Written by Anthony Morris
It definitely looks like this year is shaping up to be one of the most important years in Australian heavy metal. Last fortnight we here at THTH discussed the super kick-arse news about the upcoming release of Metal Down Under: A History of Australian Heavy Metal on DVD, and now this issue we have even more super kick-arse news about another totally super f*ckin awesome release: The Encyclopedia of Australian Heavy Metal! But, like all unbelievably good things in life, there’s a catch. The catch with The Encyclopedia of Australian Heavy Metal is that at the time of writing this the project requires another $2,395 of crowdfunded dosh in less than a month to make the book Pozible (geddit? The project currently has $5,605 of its needed $8,000 target). The book will be a 400-page, hardcover behemoth and will attempt to capture every musician, every band and every release, “no matter how apparently inconsequential”, permanently between its covers. It’s going to be compiled by writer, radio broadcaster, long-term Aussie metal fan and all-round good guy Brian Giffin. Oh, and the full colour cover artwork will be by the God of acid-prog-metal himself, artist and Alchemist guitarist Roy Torkington. If you haven’t already pledged to make this monument of Aussie metal history a reality you can do so by using the internet and putting some words together in a search engine – I dunno, I ain’t your teacher and sure as hell ain’t going to teach you how to look things up on the computer.
Sometimes you get to be a success just by sticking around long enough. Josh Thomas’s first series of Please Like Me took a long time to make it on air – it was initially announced for 2012 but didn’t arrive until 2013 – and moved around a bit on the way (it’s the only show to date to be announced for the main ABC free-to-air channel which eventually debuted on ABC2 instead), and even then it wasn’t exactly what anyone would have called a smash hit, pulling in only average ratings on the digital-only network. But when new US cable network Pivot bought the show, suddenly the ABC was all on board, despite rumours that they’d tried to bury the show when Thomas had publicly come out as gay and made the lead character (based on him and straight in the pitch that the ABC had bought) gay. In fact, the ABC are so on board they’ve already announced how happy they are that there’s going to be a third series of Please Like Me, even though the second – of ten episodes, which is longer than any other local comedy series they’ve aired this year – hasn’t even gone to air yet. Basically, we can expect to see a lot of Please Like Me over the next year or so whether we like it or not, because it’s been bought and paid for by an overseas network so it’s bargain value local content for out ABC. But as all experienced shoppers know, it’s not a bargain if you don’t really want it, and with Please Like Me a lot – actually, pretty much everything – hinges on how much you like the comedy stylings of everyone’s favourite Optus spokesman and Celebrity Splash star Josh Thomas. Thomas has said elsewhere that when he first pitched the show he had little idea of how to put together a sitcom and took much of his inspiration from The Office (the UK version), and many of the scenes in Please Like Me do make a bit more sense if you look at the character of “Josh” as a kind of David Brent-style jerk … only there’s just as many (if not more) scenes where we’re clearly meant to sympathise with him as he struggles to find love and deal with parents who are more than happy to foist their own extremely complicated lives onto him. It kind of makes sense if you look at it as a show where we’re meant to side with the lead 100 per cent no matter what – clearly the star and writer of the show does, because it’s him – and therefore he can act like a dick or be hard done-by or lust after someone or, well, anything really without having to worry about constructing any kind of drama out of it because it’s all just stuff happening to a guy we’re on side with. But unless you’re a performer with a really, really strong sense of what you’re doing and where you want to go (i.e. Louis CK), just watching someone go through a bunch of stuff makes for very average television.
In other news…
Neurosis will play The Corner Hotel TONIGHT – Thursday, August 7. Metal Down Under: A History of Australian Heavy Metal will be released on Friday, August 22. 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 not only play The Espy’s Gershwin Room but will also be available for signings and a meet and greet before the show 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. Prong will play The Hi-Fi on Friday, November 21. 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. If you have any news about local metal bands, shows or albums, let THTH know by emailing to tooheavytohug@ hotmail.com or get in touch via Twitter at @TooHeavyToHug 38 forte
Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves – it’s a new era of all things PULP. Cameron has moved on to greener pastures, so you’ll have to put up with a double dose of my ramblings from now on! Suckers. This week I’m delving into the dark and outright scary world of Arkham Asylum: Living Hell, written by the excellent Dan Slott (The Amazing SpiderMan, She-Hulk) and drawn by Ryan Sook (Seven Soldiers: Zatanna). Strap yourselves in; it’s gonna get spooky. Arkham Asylum: Living Hell is, as the name suggests, a fairly dark book. Arkham Asylum is by no means a nice place in any Batman story, but in Living Hell we’re treated to a look at just how nasty a place Gotham’s house of madness really is. Living Hell is told from the perspective of Warren White, known to the Gotham populace as “The Great White Shark”. White is a notorious white-collar criminal who aims to cheat the justice system and avoid a lengthy jail term for ripping off countless people. Unfortunately for White, his trick backfires spectacularly – after all, there’s a reason no one pleads insanity in Gotham City. Thrown into Arkham Asylum by a vengeful judge, White struggles to cope with his new home. Surrounded by psychosis and with an occult evil stalking Arkham’s halls, White’s grip on reality slowly loosens as he starts on the slippery slope towards being a fully-fledged Arkham inmate. Slott’s story has a distinct advantage in that at some stage 99 per cent of Batman’s rogues gallery has spent time in good ol’ Arkham Asylum. As a result, readers are treated to appearances from everyone from highprofile villains like The Joker and Two-Face, to lesser-known characters like Killer Croc and The Ventriloquist. Slott also introduces a number of villains for the first time. Some of Slott’s
Punk! Written by Christopher Cruz
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has recorded a new song, ‘No Pleasing a Woman’, with superstar DJ Avicii for the next Avicii album. Jon Bon Jovi (Bon Jovi), Serj Tankian (System of a Down) and Chris Martin (Coldplay) are amongst the other “rockers” contributing to the album. I use the term loosely, of course. Hipster pop/rock/punk types Four Year Strong have just dropped their brand new album Go Down in History via Pure Noise Records. Oooh, we all know by now that I love calling bands out for having terrible monikers (names, if you will!) so this issue I’ll shine my (admittedly somewhat mean-spirited) spotlight on the Melbourne scene. Ready? Here goes! Big Dip (no mention of chips or crackers), Barely Supervised (either you are or you aren’t), Brief Chemistry (the mind boggles), Searching in Silence (what are we, 13?), Notice of Eviction (did nobody tell them that Eviction Notice would sound waaay cooler?) and Stars of Addiction. Stars? Why not SCARS? Scars of Addiction is far edgier. Yikes! Emo godfathers (and I mean that in the ’90s alternative sense, not the cry-baby soundtrack-to-cutting sense) Weezer have a new record on the way! Finally! Everything Will Be Alright in the End
le monde entier By Madelin Baldwin lemondeentier.net
more interesting creations are Jane Doe, the serial killer that likes to literally take on the identity of her victims, and Humphry Dumpler, aka Humpty Dumpty, a seemingly benign man that likes to take things apart and put them back together again – even people. Part of the appeal of Living Hell is watching White struggle to deal with his incarceration. It might sound harsh, but it’s made very clear that White is a complete asshole – even The Joker calls him “the worst person I’ve ever met”, quipping that “I might kill people, but at least I don’t steal their kids’ college funds!” Slott does an excellent job of capturing the sheer madness that encapsulates Arkham, and Ryan Sook’s art perfectly complements the story’s dark tone. Sook’s artwork is reminiscent of Mike Mignola’s – in places, I was half expecting Hellboy to bust in and start fighting the occult horrors. White’s transformation – both in terms of psyche and physical appearance – is captured beautifully, and Sook portrays the villains as even more twisted and deranged than they usually appear. While Living Hell is technically a Batman book, it’s more of a horror story set in the Batman universe – the man himself only makes fleeting appearances towards the start and end of the book and the action focuses more on White and his ongoing trauma. It’s an excellently-crafted look at the comic universe’s most famous madhouse, and if you like your comics dark and deranged, Living Hell is definitely worth a look. drops on September 30 via Universal Music, preceded by single (and surefire smash hit) ‘Back to the Shack’. Sick Of It All will issue Last Act of Defiance on September 30. It’s their first new record since 2010’s Based On a True Story. Well, while we patiently await Soundwave news, let’s take a look at the line-up for this year’s Riot Fest, taking place in Chicago on September 12, 13 and 14. Rise Against, Pussy Riot, NOFX, Stiff Little Fingers, ALL, Samhain, Buzzcocks, Anti-Flag, Weezer, 7 Seconds, Mudhoney, Descendents, Bouncing Souls, Face to Face, Marky Ramone (and guests), Social Distortion, RX Bandits, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Yowsa! And those are just the interesting PUNK bands taking part (there are so many more of them – I just can’t devote my entire column to naming them!). The extended line-up also includes mainstream/nostalgia acts like The Cure, Wu-Tang Clan, Jane’s Addiction, The Flaming Lips, Cheap Trick and The Dandy Warhols. Geez Louise! Christian emo-turned-pop-rock outfit Anberlin may have officially split but their farewell record, Lowborn, has just been issued by Christian punk rock label Tooth & Nail (one-time home to the likes of MxPx, Slick Shoes, Ghoti Hook, Further Seems Forever and Stavesacre). Ahh, Slick Shoes. They never really took off over here, but were EASILY one of the best pop/punk bands of the ’90s and early ’00s. They were this close to crossing over to mainstream success. A reunion album and tour was on the cards at one stage but never eventuated. Boo-urns. Boo-urns indeed. Topnovil are headed back our way for a show at the Public Bar on Friday, August 15! Joining them on the night will be K-Mart Warriors, Strawberry Fist Cake and Bendigo lads The Revengers. Sick! More next time, kids! Stay cool!
Have you gone to a travel agent and had your dream itinerary made up for you just to have them finish with, “Oh, and your travel insurance is another $300!” Uh, what? What the hell do I need that for? That was me. And I refused to get it. Until one time I had a job in Paris and they required it so I begrudgingly bought a $20 AUD policy online and off I went. Then my camera was stolen and I went to make a claim, which took about two months back and forth with an online company who eventually refused my claim. There was also the time I bought a similar, ridiculously cheap online cover and my bags went missing on a flight from New York to London. Again, I spent weeks with the insurance company as the bags took over two weeks to return to me. I actually just never heard back from them, after having to post a few kilos of paperwork to Australia. So let me tell you why you need it, what it actually covers you for and how you can get it cheaper. There is a multitude of things covered by travel insurance but my number one thing I make sure of is the ‘Medical and Dental Cover’. A lot of policies will cover for unlimited medical, which is an absolute must, but will cap the emergency dental at $500. I know you’re thinking, as if I am going to need dental cover on my holiday in Europe! But falling over and chipping a tooth can lead to thousands of dollars in doctor and dentist fees. Another thing to look out for is your excess amount. If you have it at $0, you’ll pay a small premium now, but can make as many claims as you like when you’re away. If you want to save some money now, you can change it to $100. This will usually save you anywhere between $1 and $100 initially, but every claim you make while you’re away, you’ll pay the first $100 of that claim. Missing bags? $100. Doctor visit? $100. Make sure you evaluate what is going to be worth it for you. Your cancellation cover is a final big thing to make sure of. Cancellation covers you for all of your prepaid travel expenses like accommodation, flights, tours etc. You should make sure you cover yourself for the full amount of your trip. This will come into play when you have to cancel your trip due to “unforeseen circumstances” like death, illness or work commitments. Anything bar change of mind really. Other things that are covered are ‘Luggage and Travel Documents’ (stolen/ missing belongings, passport stolen), ‘Travel Delay’ (when your flight is delayed for a certain amount of time and the airline does not compensate for food, accommodation etc.) and ‘Money’ (if you are mugged). Bigger things that you should always check for, but are hopefully least likely to affect you, are disability, loss of income, hijacking and resumption of journey. This will cover you if you are travelling, have a death in the family, and then go back to continue travelling after the funeral. If will also cover if (heaven forbid) you pass away, and the huge costs of getting your body home would be covered and not left up to your family. So yes, you should buy it. My way of conquering the price and hassle is to buy an annual policy. You can choose to have it for 30-day journeys or 45-day journeys and it covers you for unlimited holidays under those day restraints year-round. It ends up being a lot cheaper than individual policies, and if you saw what the medical bills in the USA were like ($2000 for an X-ray), you’ll be jumping on the internet or visiting your travel agent for info now!
blues news Written by John (Dr John) Lamp Proudly pesented by The Sleepy Hollow Blues Club
Well, the Winter Blues Festival at Echuca has just passed by. It’s a very popular festival, not least because a), it’s north from Geelong, so there is some likelihood that it might be warmer than here and b), it’s free! Anyhow, once again I have missed out. I didn’t make it yet again, but this year I had a better excuse – the hospital staff didn’t think it was such a good idea… So, having singularly missed out on getting to Echuca, the mind turns to more positive things, such as what festivals are coming up next. But first, let’s review why getting to a festival is such a good idea. First, a disclaimer: the following is general advice, and may not apply to a specific festival, because it describes an activity which may not occur at that festival, or it is exaggerated for effect, or just completely wrong! The biggest advantage of any music festival is “concentration”. Now, by that, I don’t mean that you have to concentrate, rather that with a festival there is a huge amount of music, artists and related activities concentrated into one space at one time. That being the case, even the festivals you pay for are dramatically cheap when you divide the number of acts into the price of a ticket. There’s also less wear and tear on the bootleather because you set up on site, and wander from stage to stage. With such a concentration (see, said it again) of musicians, the odds of finding them in informal sessions is very high. The combination of musicians may never occur again, or they may be playing something unexpected … ‘Stairway to Heaven’ on a piano accordion… Of course, that memory could have had something to do with the concentration of alcohol in my bloodstream. Festivals come in all sizes, places, costs and dates. You can usually make at least one or two a year without trying. Some are one day, some cover the whole of Easter. Some charge, some don’t. Sizes range from modest, such as our own Bluestone, through to completely unbelievable. Summerfest in Milwaukee attracts over a million festival goers! Don’t believe me? Ask one of Matthew Flinders’ Sweethearts – they just played there! Blues festivals happen around the year, and around the country. You can usually find one in the right place at the right time, and now is the time to start looking for the summer festivals and booking in. So here’s a list of all the blues festivals which came to mind while writing this. Great Southern Blues Festival, Narooma, 3-5 October 2014 Boomerang Festival, on Byron Bay festival site, 4-6 October 2014 Sydney Blues & Roots Festival, 24-26 October 2014 Wangaratta Jazz and Blues Festival, 31 October – 3 November 2014 Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival, 6-9 November 2014 Blues at Bridgetown Blues Festival, 7-9 November 2014 Bluestone Blues Festival, 31 December 2014 – 1 January 2015 Bruthen Blues & Arts Festival, 13-15 February 2015 Australian Blues Music Festival, Goulburn, 12-15 February 2015 Blue Mountains Music Festival of Folk, Roots and Blues, 13-15 March 2015 Forth Valley Blues Festival, Tasmania, March 2015 Myrniong Music Festival, March 2015 Deni Blues and Roots Festival, Easter 2015 Byron Bay Blues Festival, 2-6 April 2015 West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots Festival, April 2015 Blues on Broadbeach Music Festival, 21-24 May 2015 Winter Blues Festival, Echuca, 24-26 July 2015
Áine Tyrrell Written by Amanda Sherring, Photo by Anna Lord
While some of us may look to an hourplus bus trip with groans and eye rolls, Áine is excited for her unusual take on the classic Australian road trip. Packed into an old white bus with only the basic necessities, and funded through a crowdfunding campaign, Áine plans to travel Australia whilst recording her debut album. Yes, you heard correctly. She plans to record her album ON THE BUS! “The plan for the bus has been quite sudden in response to one of life’s curveballs. I needed a more sustainable option for housing for my little ones and a bus was just the affordable adventure our little hearts needed,” Áine says. “I threw the idea of recording on the bus into the mix and it just grew little legs of its own – and here we are. Now I can’t wait for the adventure.” The decision to record on a bus wasn’t tricky enough for Áine, as she also decided to get there via a crowdfunding campaign with the hope to raise $15,000 for the full recording process. For those who get on board, they can join Áine in a number of unique rewards, including a surfing trip together, teaching/learning how to play the tin whistle, drinking green smoothies, and a handful of others. “Crowdfunding is a very powerful idea for any art form, but amazing for independent musicians. I decided crowdfunding was really a fit for me when
“ I threw the idea of recording on the bus into the mix and it just grew little legs of its own – and here we are.” audiences started asking for a CD,” she says. “For me, music is all about that connection when you are playing live. It’s a real privilege to be able to play for people and them somehow connect with what you are saying enough to want to take that home with them.” These ideas may sound quite unusual to most of us but they are just the norm for free-spirited Áine. She refers to herself as a bit of a gypsy, lives by the beach and is constantly finding inspiration whilst amidst nature surfing. “I am that crazy girl who has to paddle away from the pack, banging a rhythm
When&Where: Martians Café, Deans Marsh – August 9
on her surfboard ’cause I don’t want to lose that little bit of magic,” she says. It’s of no surprise then that Áine has opted for a place to record away from the confines of the typical studio room. “Recording in a stuffy studio is definitely not me. Finding somewhere I am completely comfortable enough to
find some magic, that is me,” she says. And when it comes to what will be recorded, it’s hard to know exactly what to expect. But with an Irish heritage, a traditional singer as a father, and a handful of collaborating musicians, we’re guessing it’s going to be pretty amazing regardless of where it’s recorded.
“I’m sure we can’t go wrong. We’ve got a guitar, a bus, a microphone, and this amazing country to explore,” Áine says. If you’d like to donate to Áine’s adventure, visit pozi.be/ ainetyrrell?ra=113379 before August 10 to get involved.
The Weapon is Sound Written by Tex Miller
Playing their first Victorian shows ever in October, The Weapon is Sound (TWIS) are very excited to be back out on the road again in support of their latest EP Direct Dub. With a gig at the Kennedys Creek Music Festival, I recently sat down with Dom Pearce, bass player from the band, to have a chat ahead of their east coast appearances.
“Mate, it’s been pretty busy of late in The Weapon is Sound! We haven’t really been playing too many gigs because we have all been working towards this EP. It’s taken a while to put together but we are very excited to have it out to the world. We recently played a show with Forte friends The Fire Alive, which was a really sweet show. It was the first show back in a while for us and by the end of the set we were really rocking. It’s great to be back in saddle once again playing shows,” Pearce said. Although you may not have heard of The Weapon is Sound (primarily due to the fact they’re from WA), the roots of their sound is in reggae and dub music. There may be no actual Pete Townshend windmills on stage on their upcoming tour, but the experience could come close to being matched due to their sound and visual guy. “If you’re tripping balls at our
next show, there is quite a distinct possibility that you may see Pete Townshend doing windmills. For those punters that are still tossing up about whether or not to come to Kennedys Creek, take some acid and come see our show. We definitely will not disappoint.” The latest EP from TWIS is a lot more refined and structured than the loose ‘jammy’ vibes of the upcoming Direct Dub. Chatting about the writing and recording process behind the first EP, Pearce believes that two years of constant gigging allowed for the process of recording to be quite quick. “We actually did all the tracking for these songs live and then went back for vocal and instrument overdubs. They also weren’t recorded to a click track, which is quite possibly the least traditional way to record dub music. We felt that as a band it was a lot easier to record it that way.” If you have been following The Weapon is Sound’s social media pursuits of late, you will no doubt be familiar with Ziggy, the band’s mascot and on-off roadie. “Oh yeah, he really is the backbone of
When&Where: Kennedys Creek Music Festival - October 26 to 27
the band. He drives the tour bus, sauté’s the mushrooms for when Jerome is cooking up a big breakfast. He’s a great listener, so if any of us have any troubles on tour we just turn to him. He really listens like nobody else and helps get us
into the zone for the gig,” Pearce jokes. Tayo Snowball, the frontman for the group, played at Kennedys Creek last year with Man the Clouds and will return to Kennedys’ and rock it with The Weapon is Sound. As you can imagine, everybody is excited about what the upcoming tour
has to offer: “This is our first trip over to the east coast with the band and I think it’s going to be very fun to branch out and play to a whole new audience. We always feel at home on a dusty outdoor stage in the bush, so bring it on!”
The Creases Written by Paul McBride
Last year, Brisbane’s Joe Agius and Jarrod Mahon decided to record a song and make a video one weekend as a bit of a laugh, doing it under the name of The Creases. Little did they know that legendary UK label Rough Trade would soon have the band in their sights, and things were about to get a lot more serious.
“In the beginning it was definitely not serious at all,” Agius says. “They found the song and video on a random blog and emailed us. The Creases was kind of like a fun, joke band we had on the side, and then after we released the single for Rough Trade, we got more serious with it and realised that we could do it for real. It was suddenly an opportunity for us to tour and do all the things we wanted to do. It’s definitely different to a normal band, where you can chip away at it for a year and figure out exactly what kind of band you are and gig a lot. But we were thrown in the deep end pretty quickly.” The link-up with the label led to a UK tour and now the young quartet has released their debut EP entitled Gradient. However, Agius is already looking forwards. “The EP has been a long time coming,” he says. “It’s a bit of a mix of stuff. There’s one
song that’s more like the first single, and there’s a really shoegazey kind of track, and some more post-punk kind of stuff. It’s a pretty big mix, but still all sort of in the same category. Mostly pretty similar to ‘Static Lines’. “We’re super-psyched for everyone to hear it. It’s taken ages for this EP to come out, so we just want to try and have a smaller gap between releases and move on to what will probably be an album. “We’ll start demoing for our new album next month and then record it later in the year. We’ve probably got half an album right now, but we haven’t actually started writing properly.” The sudden thrust into the spotlight has forced the band to adapt in other ways, with education and employment cast aside. “I deferred before actually dropping out of uni,” Agius says. “I don’t think I’ll be going back, hopefully. Aimon [Clark, bass] has quit work then got employed again, but we’ve quit a fair few things for the band. “It was hard in the beginning;
RELEASE: Gradient is out now.
my parents weren’t happy with me dropping out of uni to play in this band they hadn’t even heard yet, but I think they feel better about it now. I think once we started touring and they started seeing a good reaction and our music being played on the radio and stuff like
that, they definitely felt a lot better about us dropping out of uni and work.” With an appearance at Splendour in the bag, Agius is looking forward to a busy few months ahead for the band. “Playing Splendour was the highest goal I ever set with music,” he says. “I would always go and tell my friends that
next year we’d be on that triple j Unearthed spot or whatever. It’s really scary, but super fun. We’ve got a few more tours with other bands, which will be announced, and we’re writing and demoing for an album. We’ll probably be doing some of our own shows as well.” forte 39
Refining the Palette
Phantasm There’s a saying out there that two is always better than one, and this couldn’t apply more to the duo exhibition at Wonderwall Gallery by Soraya Mobayad and Katie Bishop. Both exhibitions feature highly detailed works from two talented local ladies - Katie lives in Torquay and Soraya in Geelong. Sorayas’ series ‘Phantasm’ uses images, loops, narratives and patterns often conjured up in dreams to give them a physical illusory form. “The works are fed by my fascination with the bizarre narratives conjured in my dreams and the disorientation we feel as we wake into the hypnopompic state,” Soraya says. “They are subjective representations of sleep and dreaming and the failure of memory to important, accurately recall this time.” details of our The negative space dreams. This is Soraya’s surrounding the marks debut exhibition - though and lines allows the it is shared with Katie works to exist within a and it has by no means suspended and tense void, been a rushed process. mimicking the experience With her wealth of of unease upon waking hands on experience into the hypnopompic and creative exposure it’s state and the inability to bound to go down a treat. grasp the remnants of the Soraya is a member of evasive, but seemingly the Geelong Illustrator’s
ART & AUSTRALIA COLLECTION 2003-2013
group, was previously on the Arts Advisory Panel at Courthouse ARTS, travelled to Japan to study art and has dedicated much of her time to being actively involved in the Geelong arts community. “I’ve been working towards this for some time and
it’s a surreal experience to have it come together. I’m really lucky to have the support of special people in my life who have energised me with their interest,” Soraya says. Where: Wonderwall
Gallery, Courthouse ARTS When:Until August 14
FILL THE VOID – 2014 Bethany Art House Film Festival Fill the Void tells the story of an Orthodox Hassidic family from Tel Aviv. Eighteen-year-old Shira is about to be married off to a promising young man - a dream come true. Their marriage is postponed when Shira’s elder sister, Esther, dies while giving birth. Shira’s Mother then proposes a match between Shira and the widower. Shira will have to choose between her heart’s wish and her family duty.
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of the work on the magazines back cover. To date, thirty-eight artists have been recipients of the award and twenty-four works of art have been acquired for the Collection, which represents not only a diversity of art practice but also cultural perspectives within Australian art today. WHERE: Art Gallery of Ballarat. 40 Lydiard Street North, Ballarat. WHEN: 16 August – 28 September. INFO: artgalleryofballarat. com.au Pictured: 2nd Law by Christian de Vietri. 2004.
SCARF FESTIVAL 2014 The theme for this year’s Scarf Festival is ‘divinely wicked or devilishly good?’ Hundreds of scarves are exhibited attracting entrants from some of Australia’s most well-known crafters and artists from around the world. Take home one of these amazing creations, as many scarves are available for purchase. Craft demonstrations held daily from 10am to 4pm during the course of the festival. Visitors can vote
for their favourite scarf for the People’s Choice Award. WHERE: National Wool Museum. 26 Moorabool Street, Geelong. WHEN: Until 7 September. INFO: geelongaustralia. com.au/nwm
SURF COAST SHIRE 2015 CALENDAR COMPETITION & EXHIBITION
WHERE: GPAC. 50 Little Malop Street, Geelong WHEN: Tuesday 19 August. INFO: www.gpac.org.au
WORDS IN WINTER Words in Winter is an annual literary and arts festival held in August each year in the Hepburn Shire and surrounding districts. Words in Winter is a celebration of words, stories and ideas in all their forms shared by locals and visiting presenters
Melting fridges, mysticism and microcosms are all in Art & Australia Collection 2003 - 2013. The collection includes a variety of innovative contemporary works of art including video, painting, sculpture, light installation, sound art and photography. The Art & Australia Contemporary Art Award was established by the respected art journal of the same name, to promote the work of artists from Australia and New Zealand. The award focuses on artists in the first five years of their practice, supporting them with a critical text discussing their practice and the illustration
through readings, poetry, theatre, music, talks, workshops, visiting authors, and exhibitions. In 2013 nine towns participated including Daylesford, Trentham,
Clunes, Newstead, Creswick, Castlemaine, Maryborough, Carisbrook and Dunolly. Each town creates their own unique program. Words in Winter was founded in 2002 by
David Hall and is now in its twelfth year. WHERE: Various venues
in Hepburn Shire and surrounding districts. WHEN: 1-31 August.
Local artists are invited to create their masterpiece and enter it in the Surf Coast Shire’s 2015 calendar competition. Once again this year the shire is calling on all artists who are living in the Surf Coast Shire or are ratepayers to submit ONE original artwork for the opportunity of inclusion in the 2015 council calendar. Thirteen original works will be reproduced, with the winning artists receiving a cash prize and acknowledgment on the calendar. Please note that there are a number of entry categories, • Open - all media will be accepted. • Installed Sculptural Work. • Youth. All entries, including the winners, will be on exhibition locally during September. A People’s Choice vote will occur during the exhibition period. Please REGISTER your details online by Tuesday 26 August. https://surfcoast.smartygrants. com.au/SCS2015CalendarCompetition For enquiries contact Julie Dyer (03) 5261 0645 or jdyer@surfcoast.vic.gov.au
THE BODY BEAUTIUL IN ANCIENT GREECE The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece is a visually stunning and thoughtprovoking exploration of the human condition seen through ancient Greek eyes; with a particular focus on the human form. For over 2,000 years the Greeks experimented with representing the human body in works that range from prehistoric abstract simplicity to the fullblown realism of the age of Alexander the Great.
Selected from the British Museum’s world-famous Greek and Roman collection, this major international touring exhibition will give audiences the rare opportunity to see over 100 historical works including the impressive Discobolus; an iconic marble statue of a discus thrower from the second century AD. WHERE: Bendigo
Art Gallery. 42 View Street, Bendigo. WHEN: Until 9
November.
INFO: www.
bendigoartgallery.com.au
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST Oscar Wilde’s brilliant and much-loved comedy of love, manners and mistaken identity has been delighting audiences for over 100 years. Set within the stifling conventions of Victorian England, two young bachelors have taken to bending the rules and the truth to add a dash of excitement to their lives. Jack invents a brother Ernest as an excuse to leave his dull country life behind so that he may pursue Gwendolen, the delectable daughter of the formidable Lady Bracknell. Across town Algernon decides to take the name Ernest, when visiting Jack’s young
ward Cecily. When each gentleman is forced to unwind his web of lies and reveal himself – being “earnest” takes on a whole new meaning! Grand dame of the Australian theatre Nancye Hayes brings the formidable and acidic Lady Bracknell to life alongside the elastic and hilarious Nathan O’Keefe as Algernon. WHERE: GPAC. 50 Little
Malop Street, Geelong. WHEN: 28-30 August.
INFO: www.gpac.org.au
Refining the Palette
Forte Illustration
Where does the magic happen? Do you have a studio? I’ve never had a studio. The places I’ve had usually just have a spare room, or some had a useable shed. I used a shipping container once for a summer in Bega NSW, but that’s another story.
Each issue for as long as we can muster, a local artist will be submitting an illustration or piece of art to Forte, free of charge, for publication. Turn over to see our latest submission from Pip Beggs!
Do you take requests for artists to be painted or do you pick which artists you would like to feature?
Painting the Blues Q&A with Lincoln McAlister
Not all of us can pick up an instrument and perform a perfect blues song or grab a paintbrush and capture that moment forever. Luckily for Lincoln McAlister, while he can’t perform the song he can sketch it out. We had a chat to Lincoln about his artistic ability and his love for the blues. Hey Lincoln, Thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte magazine, can you introduce yourself to our readers? Hello how’s it going? My name is Lincoln McAlister and I’m a painter living in Victoria, Australia.Originally from around Melbourne. Great thanks Lincoln! You’re currently doing a ‘paint the blues series’ which mixes, art and music (our two favourite things), how did this idea come about? Well I’ve loved the blues for a long time and drawn and painted for just as long. It was just a natural progression from painting life and everyday things to something I have a real interest for. I have little musical skills otherwise I would have maybe gone down that path. So I paint
about it instead. Though I do want to learn to play the fiddle one day. Are you a big blues fan, where did your love for blues develop? Massive blues fan. I grew up near Melbourne in the Dandenong Ranges. When I was younger I worked on a lot of the farms and nurseries in the region, kicking the dirt off my boots. A lot of blues musicians lives and songs were about starting out in fields and breaking out with the talent of a guitar or singing. I just developed an affinity for the music, history and culture - it spoke to me. Blues can be about hard times but it’s about good times too. There’s always something to reach for. Tell us about what inspires you. All the blues paintings I do have an original image as a reference, because obviously in this case I can’t paint from life. Some I paint I’ve heard or listened to their music, or read about their life and wanted to record it in some way. Others are just a striking image as a base. The paintings aren’t exact, and that’s ok, who wants a photocopy?
Pick up each issue of Forte Magazine to see each piece by a new artist each week!
I’m happy to take requests for particular artists. There are a lot of Australian artists I want to paint. As long as it’s interesting and has a story. I’ve had a completely different series in mind for some time now to do with early space exploration. Tell us about your painting process, what techniques do you use? I used to use an easel standing up but evolved to just using a drafting table flat at a slight angle. I paint flat, starting off with a sketch on the canvas in pencil just to get the details down. Then I bring out the feautures more with a darker pencil like a 3B, and then I start working with paint. For all the Blues fans out there who might be interested, how do they go about enquiring with you? They can contact Forte, or get the magazine. I have an ad in there with contact details or it’s online too. Or even through Bluethumb online gallery with the contact form, or in the phonebook. What is your favourite piece you have designed? A painting of Robert Johnson. He wasn’t a bluesman, more of a myth. Do you only do Blues, what if someone wants something different? I take commissions on any subject, depending what it is of course. But I can paint what I see. Is there anything else you would like to add? Thanks for talking to me Forte, and love the blues.
Nothing But Blue Skys Written by Amanda Sherring
It’s hard for most of us to turn a negative into a positive, but for Melissa Nikolic after dealing with a few health issues it gave her the chance to pursue her passions. “For a long time I’ve been drawing on the side and then all these other things kind of happened, and I just needed time out to do the things I enjoy,” she says. “I think I knew for a while that if I wanted to make a real go of it, my creative side, I’d have to get out of retail. Because it’s too demanding and you can’t do both.” Creating blackskyblue has possibly been the greatest decision for Melissa as her illustrations were quickly selected for the inaugural Ginsberg Markets and to feature at The Pickers Union at their pop-up stall. “I’m just doing what I love doing and if someone loves it then that’s great and if not that’s okay too. There’s always going to be people that don’t like it and that’s just the way the world is,” she says. Chances are you’ve seen her highly detailed imagined characters on a shelf at your local store, in your Instagram feed or as a paste up at Little
Creatures Brewery. Drawn using sharpies, fine liner and ink, the monochrome images stand out amongst todays art prints of geometric shapes and colours. As for where these creatures come from, Melissa pins most of their influence on her love for street art. “I’m influenced a lot by street art, and I’ve just always been drawn to that side of art,” she says. “The little characters are hard for me to explain. They just come out of my mind, I don’t think too hard when I’m drawing.” Aside from taking trips to Melbourne on her days off to check out the everchanging street art, Melissa seeks inspiration from fellow artists, whether they be a graffiti artist in a laneway or one of the members of the Geelong Illustrator’s group. “I always go to Hosier Lane, because every time you go there it’s always different and
has a good vibe. Often there are artists there who are actually doing their works,” she says. “The last time I was there I was actually chatting to a graffiti artist who was working on his piece there. I really just like that interaction as well. I usually just pick a street and see what I can find.” As for what the future holds for Melissa, it’s hard to know. Given that she lives by the motto of take every opportunity that arises, you’re bound to see her little critters popping up everywhere. “It’s good to just do it, not think about it and get it out there. And every little bit of exposure helps to build my confidence,” Melissa says. You can check out more of Melissa’s stuff on her Instagram (@blackskyblue) or on her website (blackskyblue.com).
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Refining the Palette
FORTE ILLUSTRATION #2
Bendigo Writers Festival Written by Ashley Tarleton
Do you dream of being a successful writer? Yeah, me too; only I’m doing something about it. As a second-year arts student at Deakin University, majoring in Journalism and Creative & Professional Writing, I am determined to immerse myself in as many invaluable opportunities I can find. I have never been the patient type, and as a result, have put myself forward for a number of volunteer writing and editing positions. As an intern at Bendigo Writers Festival, I am
working alongside the festival’s Artistic Director, Rosemary Sorensen, and together we are focusing on promoting the event. I just can’t wait to see what’s in store for me once the festival is underway. I’m especially excited to meet Jeff Sparrow, the editor of Overland journal, of which I am an avid reader. Jeff is outspoken, and passionate about community justice. He wrote a book about pornography and how it is controlled, and one of his panels is about women and power. That’s brave because
he’s joined on that panel by heavyweight women, such as social philosopher Leslie Cannold. It will be interesting to see how he handles it. Alaina Gougoulis is also going to be interesting to see. She’s the editorial coordinator at Text Publishing, so she knows how book publishing works and how the industry is adapting to the rapidly changing environment. Bill Garner’s on my list of must-sees, too. A playwright, historian and television writer, Bill’s new book is Born in a Tent, and is about
the history of camping in Australia. He reckons the world is divided into two kinds of people: those who love tents and those who hate them. He, of course, is a lover. I think it’s so important, especially for young writers, to know that the arts community is a close-knit group made up of especially supportive members. Most are exceptionally eager to help you – all you have to do is ask for it. The Bendigo Writers Festival takes place on August 8 to 10 in the heart of Bendigo’s View Street Arts Precinct. The program is made up of more than 50 sessions, to be conducted by especially accomplished writers, including Jackie French, Australian Children’s Laureate; Blanche d’Alpuget, Bob Hawke’s biographer (and wife); Les Murray, Australia’s pre-eminent poet; Kirstie Clements, a former Vogue editor, and many more, who are all ready and willing to share their expertise. Full program and booking information is now available online at the Bendigo Writers Festival website and from The Capital, 50 View Street, Bendigo, 3550. (03) 5434 6100.
PIP BEGGS Facebook.com/pippygeege.homewares Instagram: @pippygeege
Lorne Festival of Performing Arts Written by Daniel Waight
Culture will be on full display in the Surf Coast next month when the fourth annual Lorne Festival of Performing Arts kicks off. The event runs from August 29-31 and promises to be a weekend filled with a huge mixture of weird and wonderful performances for all ages. Festival Director Monique Harvey says the punters will see an eclectic assortment of shows and are sure to enjoy a great few days. “They get to see stuff that they wouldn’t normally have access to. And also, you get to see such a variety of performances in the one place, in a beautiful location – and [it’s] affordable. Rather than paying $40 to see each of these shows, you can buy a weekend pass and you get something like fifteen shows or more for something like five bucks each. “There’s some really brilliant performances and a real mix, so I just hope that people can come down and let their hair down, bring their families and friends and just have a blast.” The first of these festivals was held in 2011 as a means to attract greater crowds to the area in the winter period. But since then it has grown enormously and has become a fixture on the Lorne social calendar. “We kind of had a fairly conservative estimate of about 800 people that first year, which we reached, which was brilliant,” Monique says. “As a result of that we’ve been able to continue on and the festival has built each year to the point that we outgrew our main venue in the second year … It’s building every year, which is brilliant.” Headline acts for the festival include Mighty Duke & The Lords, Trash Test Dummies, The Little Stevies, Dan 42 forte
Walters Duo, Kate McLennan & Wes Snelling and many more. The performances are held in a number of local venues including the Cumberland Resort, the Grand Pacific Hotel, Cuda Bar, Lorne Theatre and various cafés and restaurants, while there are also a number of free street performances around the town. The main stage will be the Circus Oz Big Top, located at the Mantra Resort on the foreshore. Monique says the support from the Lorne community has been simply outstanding. “The shopkeepers really look after all the artists over the weekend and make them feel incredibly welcome. We have a huge volunteer crew that are all local. And also, the Friday night cabaret, which is the big opening event, so many locals come out for that night. They come out early and have a drink and party all night long. It’s a blast.” From musical performances to comedy shows, from burlesque acts to circus antics, from an erotic angle grinding display to a photographic storytelling exhibition, and even the guy who lifts car batteries with his nipples, there’s bound to be something to tickle everyone’s fancy. “That’s what we try to do,” says Monique. “We try and appeal to everyone.” For more information jump online and visit lovelornefestival.com, where you can purchase tickets and check out a rundown of everything that’s going on over the weekend. And Monique has one very, very simple message for anybody wanting to come along: “Just come and enjoy and have a brilliant weekend.” WHEN&WHERE: Lorne, August 29 – 31
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Earthcore Undoubtedly one of the biggest electronic and dance music festivals on the calendar, Earthcore is celebrating its 21st birthday in 2014. With the big event closing in, Forte caught up with main man Spiro Boursine to discover that Earthcore is far more than just a festival. Earthcore is rolling into its 21st year, having started in 1992 with around 200 attendees at its first event. Take us back to the start for a minute. How did the festival come about? Being young and youthful back then we decided one day to go Yeti hunting in the rainforests of Toolangi State Forest; however, instead of spotting the elusive creature a bizarre light come down upon us from the western sky kind of near the constellation of Orion. After about 30 minutes of lost time it dawned on us that we had to come back to this spot of illumination and bring our friends. Earthcore was born from this return (with our friends), and subsequent returns to the bush in hope of experiencing the wonderment we had experienced but can’t remember from that fateful night.
Q&A
Last year was the 20th anniversary and things went extremely well. How was last year’s event in terms of its execution. Did everything go as well as you hoped? Apart from the vast amounts of anxiety hoping people actually came everything went pretty smoothly, except the part where I was meant to DJ on the Sunday night. I piked out at the last minute and blamed the weather on this failure … the whether or not I could be bothered or not, that is. This year is no different, with a slew of international acts and crazy extras already announced. Tell us about 2014 and what you have in store already. If we told you we’d have to send the Men in Black to keep you quiet. The whole ‘5 stages over 5 days’ concept looks to be a rather large undertaking. How do you plan on keeping party-goers happy and enthused over a massive five day schedule? We once put on a seven day Earthcore back in 2000 and swore to ourselves “Never ever again” will we be insane enough to put on anything beyond three days. This five day attempt is a kind of balance between the “Never again” and the three day standard venture. A balance, so to speak; or perhaps a form of self-inflicted karmic thing to do to ourselves and to those attending.
Earthcore is more than just a music festival; it has an array of festivities to indulge the senses including arts and markets. Can you tell us about some of the different things on offer? Apart from the mindbending stages and one million DJs and artists performing, you can check out some of the new additions this year including the Fractured Reality Bent Art Gallery, The World’s Beyond speakers forum featuring some pretty leftfield topics, or perhaps a stroll over to the District 13 theme camp area or realign your chakras in the Lifestyle Zone that is literally going to be next level of next level. There’s so much on offer we can’t fit it all in this interview. This year you guys have announced Performance, which involves what looks to be a bunch of unique and crazy performers getting around and doing crazy things to blow people away. Tell us about the concept. Please refer to the above response about the Men in Black What has been the secret to your longevity?
Doc Neeson Tribute There have been many great frontmen throughout the years of Australian rock and roll. Few, however, came with more grit and rock menace than Doc Neeson. It only seems appropriate that Cherry Bar will play royal host to a tribute show for the late, great frontman. Rock… thy will be done. Hey Alton, thanks for taking the time to talk with Forte about the upcoming Doc Neeson Tribute at Cherry Bar. Obviously the passing of Doc is still fresh, particularly for fans. What role did Doc play in your life? Okay, so I’ll begin by just expressing exactly what Doc and The Angels mean to me and the other guys in the band. We come from what I believe to be a special time (’70s/’80s). You had Countdown on Sunday nights and rock was king. You had so many great Aussie bands at the time, but for me personally, The Angels stood apart. You had this raw energy that was so typically Aussie and up the front you had Doc, a madman with an amazing presence. He had this stare that would cut through you. To me, he was what a frontman should be. I don’t think we have frontmen like that anymore, who are commanding 44 forte
in every way. Without sounding too wanky, The Angels really were the soundtrack to my formative years. They were also the very first band I ever saw live as a 15-year-old. Tell us about the ‘one-off local band’. Is it comprised of Angels fanatics? The band for this gig came about as a group of mates that have played together since high school in 1990. We actually put together an Angels tribute show some 10 years ago. We played some great gigs here in Melbourne and interstate. When we heard of Doc’s passing, we thought we can’t let this just go by without doing something to honour Doc and to be part of something special. How did you find the members and establish the correct mix? Also, how has the rehearsal and preparation been so far? Rehearsals are coming along easier than expected. When we decided to do it, I thought ‘Oh shit, I can’t remember any of these songs’. But when we got together and starting jamming them, it really was like riding a bike. My hands just naturally knew where to go. And it was the same for the other guys. And as we as a band have played together for some 20 years, it really was just a case of blowing out the cobwebs. Is there a bit of pressure paying tribute to Doc, or is it just about getting
You guys started what is now such a popular form of festival in Australia; how have you managed to stay on top and keep people coming each year? We are insane. Insane people are impervious to things like being not popular or popular. If you were to describe the ‘philosophy’ behind your event, what would it be? Don’t kid yourself. You will not be at work on Monday. If there is one reason someone should try the Earthcore experience this year, what would you say that would be? Your next door neighbours are going, so why not go too? Last but not least, do you get to enjoy the festival yourself or is it all work for you? Considering it should all be sorted by the time I arrive (god willing) there’s plenty of time to enjoy oneself up to the point where something goes wrong :-) When&Where: Pyalong – November 27 through December 1
Q&A
together and having a beer and paying homage? Yes, the night for us is about getting together, having a beer and celebrating someone I believe to be the greatest Aussie frontman. But at the same time, there is a lot of pressure, cos if there’s one dude in that crowd who is as passionate about The Angels as we are, you want to do it right. You want to do it justice. You want that person to walk away at the end of the night saying “Fuck yeah dude!” It is not only a tribute to Doc, but also a fundraiser. Tell us more. Of course this night came about as a tribute to Doc and The Angels, but if we can pack that joint and raise as much money as we can for the Cancer Council, then we can walk away at the end of the night knowing that we actually did something special. It wasn’t just a group of mates jammin’ The Angels to a bunch of pissheads in a bar. It actually meant something. There are some other bands including the Black Aces playing on the night. Can you take us through how the night will unfold? The night’s gonna kick off with the Black Aces playing a set of their favourite Angels numbers and then we’re gonna do the same, with some special guests getting up to sing along. Who those special guests will be... well, I suggest you come along as it will not disappoint.
At what stage of the night will we be hearing “No way, get fucked…” bellow out from the crowd? To answer your question on when you will be hearing the chants of “No way, get fucked, fuck off ”, I don’t think there is any question. What other way would there be to end the night? For those who are stuck in the uggs and trackies this winter, particularly where there might be a drive from regional areas involved, why should they get out to this event? For those who are stuck in their trackies and uggies, sitting by the heater watching the footy and wondering whether they should go out – fuck yeah, they should get off their arses and come down. Yes, to have a beer. Yes, to raise money for a worthy cause, but also to see what great Aussie rock ’n’ roll is all about and what it represents to our culture. We need to keep what Doc and so many others represented alive cos I think in the modern day a lot of people have forgotten. Yes Doc may be gone, but we can’t let his legacy and Aussie rock ’n’ roll be buried with him. Anything you would like to add? No way, get fucked, fuck off ! When&Where: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Saturday August 16
Inside Splinters
Written by Adem Ali
SNE AK Y SOUND SYSTEM LIVE @ The GH Hotel, Melbourne 26th July “ I’m so glad you came tonight Adem!” How on earth do you react when your favourite Aussie pop star thanks you for coming to their show? In an eight year obsession that is fast approaching ten, Sneaky Sound System’s Miss Connie has not only proven to be the most genuine, honest, loving and caring pop star I’ve ever had the pleasure of getting to know, she also fronts the greatest Australian club/pop group this current generation are likely to ever see. It’s hard to imagine the Australian music scene without Sneaky Sound System. Having formed in 2001, it wasn’t until 2006 when the group took on new vocalist Connie Mitchell to call their own. Aussie music advocates should remember Connie’s stint as the lead vocalist in rock outfit Primary through the 90’s and 2000’s, most notably for their massive single “Vicious”. And if you ever thought you’d heard her voice on Machine Gun Felatio material, then you were right, a band whom she adopted the alias ‘Feyonce’ for a rather brief moment in time. The discovery of Connie, as the band would tell me the last time we sat down for an interview, happened
in a Sydney park. Black Angus and then-member MC Double D were walking through when they – quite literally – bumped into Connie as she sat under a tree, strumming a guitar. The rest, as they say, is Iconic Pop Music History.
television show contestants earn Number 1 singles performing other peoples songs. There is something magnetic; magical even, about Miss Connie, and when she walks onto a stage you know you’re in for a night of a lifetime.
In the years since they unleashed their first, massive single with Connie, “I Love It”, Sneaky have released absolute career pinnacles with albums “2” and their most recent, “From Here To Anywhere”, which spawned what could very well be the greatest Australian single this side of the century, “Big”.
Performing a variety of their biggest hits (mostly in remix form), Sneaky pleased the crowd with bangers “I Love It”, “UFO”, “Friends”, “Pictures”, “We Love” (times two!) and, of course, “Big”, even treating us to bonza album tracks like “I Just Don’t Wanna Be Loved” and “I Need You So”. Even their legendary collaboration with Trance King Tiesto got some stagetime, much to the sheer delight of the Sneaky die-hards up the front.
On Saturday night, after a mammoth European and US tour, Sneaky Sound System returned to Melbourne to perform to a sold-out crowd at St Kilda’s Greyhound Hotel. The show was electric, moreso when taking Angus’ comment to me about their live shows into consideration; Connie has no idea what songs he’s going to play or what order things will be in; it is very much a spirit of the moment, club-infused pop show that makes most veterans (like, for example, Kylie Minogue) look like amateurs. Over a hustling, 70 minute set, Sneaky Sound System proved exactly why they are our greatest beacon of hope, particularly in a music climate where local
SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM Still our greatest export. Sorry ‘bout it Kylie.
MISS CONNIE Australia’s Queen of Pop?
BLACK ANGUS
I was lucky enough to chat with both Connie and Angus after the show, where they both assured me new music was coming (we’re predicting end of Q3/start of Q4, with hints of an album in the new year), that it had a distinctly Sneaky-vibe but was very much 90’s house inspired. Delightful news, particularly as we near the end of EDM’s overstayed welcome.
Australia’s King of Club?
or
After seeing the night out with the duo, we all decided to call it an evening and, in turn, were shown the door to the backstage exit. My incredible - albeit slightly surreal – night was just about to turn into a bonafide goldmine as I linked arms with my favourite Aussie pop star as we walked down the stairs, kiki’ing and laughing together the whole way outside of the club. It’s moments like this that certainly solidify just how much I love these two. Having them soundtrack large portions of my life helps as well; there is a Sneaky Sound System track for every occasion and emotion, and in the new year there’ll be even more. I wouldn’t exactly say I’m more excited about new Sneaky material than I am about getting new Madonna material, but I’m not not saying it either… “I’m so glad you came tonight Adem!” No Miss Connie. I’m so glad that you came tonight.
CHERYL COLE Debuting at #43 on the ARIA charts this week with her dire single “Crazy Stupid Love.”
THE VOICE Thank God that’s over!
ROBIN THICKE
“Did you see Alexander McQueen once threw a baked potato at Madonna’s head? I’m not saying she got her revenge, but I’m not not saying it either.”
Have you heard his new album “Paula”? Don’t worry, nobody has.
@TheRichardEric uncovers some gold on the late Alexander McQueen’s relationship with The Queen of Pop.
For more music news and reviews follow @AdemWithAnE on Twitter!
subscribe to the forte neWSletter! Get all the latest local entertainment news, interviews and heaps more delivered right to your inbox every week! Sign up at fortemag.com.au
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The New Christs Written by Natalie Rogers
“I like reading interviews where people come across as stuck-up fools. It’s entertaining, and I reckon some people may need to be total wankers to feel like they are livin’ the dream somehow. Whatever floats one’s boat, really.” Diplomatically observed, Dave Kettley, guitarist for legendary Aussie outfit The New Christs. “We have other things which force our minds to stay grounded in normal life – kids, jobs, rent and mortgages like everybody else. Though being a pain in the arse to people is unavoidable for some. They can’t help it, but where would we be without rock ’n’ roll egos?” (I’ll admit doing this job I’ve often pondered that exact question.) Now, if you think The New Christs couldn’t be any cooler, please read on. They’ve been reborn and are back touring the country in support of their fifth studio album, Incantations. Not only is it their first new music in over five years, they’ve chosen The Bridge Hotel in Castlemaine this Friday for the album’s official launch. Who knows, you may wind up sharing a beer with them at the end of the night, because take it from me, The New Christs are as clever and charismatic off-stage as they’re on it. “Above all, this band plays as honest as we can. If people turn up and like it, that’s great,” Dave remarked candidly.
The New Christs themselves will be the first to admit they’ve had a long and varied history. Perpetually fronted by the incomparable Rob Younger (also of Radio Birdman), this influential band has maintained a cult-like following throughout the last three decades. “I’m not sure it’s a key to success … we’re just persistent, maybe? Longevity probably depends on reality. Knowing how many shows you can do to make it work is important, rather than busting a gut, playing too often and burning yourself out. That ain’t good.” Rewind your mind back to 1983 and with a fresh line-up led by Younger, The New Christs raised eyebrows across the country, soon catching the eye of punk rock icon Iggy Pop who wasted no time asking them to join him on tour – and who could forget when Rob and a new crop of Christs reformed for a one-off Ramones gig in 1991. Enough reminiscing: in 2014 Dave and Rob are joined by long-time members Jim Dickson (bass) and Brent Williams (keyboards, guitar) alongside the freshly appointed drummer Paul Larsen Loughhead (the only new addition since 2006). From all accounts
it seems like the guys are on to a winning combination, but Dave was quick to remind me that life in the music business is anything but a sure thing. “Bands are never really harmonious. Don’t ever believe it if someone tells you that,” he warned me goodnaturedly. “However, there must be
a harmony or playing guitar on someone else’s track is a real treat.” The reformation of Chubby Rae (to some part) was to celebrate 20 years of The Blues Train. It’s great to see Chubby Rae back out on the road once again, after focusing on different projects for so long. And as Quigley relates, in 2014 duo shows make for easier touring. “Over the past three or four years we’ve done a few gigs, but it was the anniversary of the train that brought us back together. We’ve never really done long tedious tours over the years; the most we’ve done is four gigs in a weekend in Tassie. In 2014 touring is different because we aren’t carting the whole band around and there is a lot more duo shows. Jim flies down here, or I fly up to Northern NSW, and we do a few gigs. I feel a bit like a rock and roll star, flying interstate for a couple of gigs.” Taught to read at the age of eight years old, Quigley doesn’t recall music being a big part of her early childhood. The family record collection boasted the likes of Reg Lindsay, José Feliciano, Jimmy Small
and Elvis, yet it wasn’t until Quigley moved to Geelong and got into the local blues scene that she started her journey as a singer. “In terms of singing, I had been a big mimicker. It wasn’t until I met Jim and started Chubby Rae that I found my own voice. I grew so much as a musician throughout my time in the band. Madonna and Cyndi Lauper were big icons of my teenage years and from there I looked up to Bonnie Raitt and Etta James. There is so many out there.” One of the most influential artists on Quigley’s career is Tom Waits. The first album that she owned was the classic 1975 Nighthawks at the Diner, an album that is still an all-time favourite to this day. “Tom Waits is my greatest influence within songwriting. I love his lyricism and I think he is such a poet. I can’t get enough of his stuff. If I had the opportunity to sit down and pen a song or an album, I definitely wouldn’t be saying no!”
When&Where: The Bridge, Castlemaine – August 8
some kind of common connection which makes people see past the little things which may bug them. We’re all friends and do our best to get on with the job of being in a rock band. I’m sounding like a hippy aren’t I?” Dave joked before continuing to assess what has helped them stay together. “Mmm … we all have a love of washing clothes while on tour.
This is another thing I can put it down to. Oh, hang on, not Paul. He throws away t-shirts after every show so he doesn’t have to wash, so there goes that theory. Put it this way, I’m glad I’m not married to any of these guys…” Thankfully, what goes on tour stays on tour!
Marisa Quigley Written by Tex Miller
As the frontwoman of classic Australian blues band Chubby Rae and the Elevators, Marisa Quigley has over the past fifteen years developed into one of the most recognisable voices in the music scene. Described as “Possibly the blackest white woman since Janis Joplin”, it is her energetic stage presence and distinctive vocal style that leaves you wanting more. Quigley’s most recent project, however, is the Healers of Hurt songwriter tour, which combines the forces of Dean Haitani and Talisa Jobe to produce three very special shows that are set to hit regional Victoria this weekend.
“The concept for this show came from Albert Skipper, who is a great local Bendigo rootsy singer. Al was in charge of getting everything together; however, unfortunately some stuff came up and he was unable to make it all happen. He just wanted songs about feeling and heartbreak and raw emotion to be featured in this concert and I think we have quite a good mix of that in the show. The songwriter in the round is such a beautiful format. Going song for song and jumping on and singing
When&Where: The Old Church on the Hill, Bendigo – August 8 & The Comma, Castlemaine – August 9
Elvis To The Max Written by Tex Miller
August 16, 1977 is a day that will be etched into the world’s memory forever. Most prominently, because it is the day that Elvis Presley died. Max Pellicano like most people can recall exactly where they were when the news came out across the radio. “Actually, believe it or not, I was going for a job interview that day. I didn’t want the job and I wanted to keep playing in my band. My dad told me that I needed to get out of music and to get a real job because music wasn’t that fulfilling. I was on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco when I heard that Elvis had died at 42-years-old at Graceland. I was in shock for a while there and when I got home all the members in my band were calling me up.” If only Pellicano’s dad could see him now.
For the last fifteen years, Max Pellicano has been paying tribute to the legend of Elvis in his stage show Elvis To The Max, and over the next month and a half will tour all around the country spreading the good word about ‘the King’. For the first time in the history of the show there is an 18-piece orchestra, and speaking to Max on opening night he is excited about what is to come. “I’m always looking forward to coming on tour and this is going 46 forte
to be pretty cool. We’re going to have a string section with us this time so we are able to do the really big numbers like ‘My Way’ and ‘The Wonder of You’. It’s gonna sound really good, I can’t wait to get back out on the road once again.” Growing up in the era of The Ed Sullivan Show’s Beatles appearance, Pellicano was always destined to be in showbiz. His dad bought him a guitar at the age of 10 and Pellicano hasn’t looked back since. After graduating with a degree in performing arts and scoring a part in Bye Bye Birdie, the idea for Elvis To The Max came to fruition. “I went to Hawaii after finishing Bye Bye Birdie, and ended up staying for three years. I’ve taken the show since then all around the world and have been very privileged to do so. Elvis never performed outside the US and to play in Borneo and Australia and all these cool places is great.” With a recreation of the infamous ‘White Eagle’ costume (valued at 10k+, which was made by Bill Bellow’s team, Elvis’s personal tailor), Elvis To The Max is the real deal in giving audiences the closest experience to seeing ‘the King’ live. The show is split up into
When&Where: Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat – August 14; The Palms @ Crown – August 15 & 16; and GPAC – August 17
three sections showcasing the golden years of his illustrious career. Pellicano’s favourite to perform, however, is the ‘Aloha from Hawaii’ concert. “I like to wear the costumes from that era, and that period is when the
jumpsuits came into play. On the road I like to keep fit and in shape – and everybody knows that Elvis liked a bacon, banana and peanut butter sandwich. I diet all week so I can splurge on Sunday,” Pellicano laughs about life on the road and keeping healthy and in shape to
perform the two-hour extravaganza. Also a keen actor, you are likely to see Pellicano in some films in the year to come. In the meantime, head down to Ballarat, Melbourne or Geelong to experience ‘the King’ for yourself.
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FORTE
scenepix Photos by Marianne Valitutti
Home House
CQ
The Barwon Club
The Barwon Club
CQ
the max hotel's PHOTO OF THE WEEK ! *******
* contact the hotel to claim your prize!
The Max Hotel
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Edge
FORTE
scenepix Photos by Marianne Valitutti
Home House
Edge
Beav's Bar
Beav's Bar
Home House
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Lambys
FORTE
scenepix Photos by Marianne Valitutti
Slate Pool Lounge
Slate Pool Lounge
Lambys
Lambys
Lambys
Geelong RSL
Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex
Eureka
Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex
Eureka
Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex
Eureka
Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex
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Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex
Grovedale Hotel
Ballarat Victoria 23– 31 August Nourishing the soul with nine days of acoustic music performance, collaboration, enjoyment and discovery in unusual and intimate venues throughout the regional Victorian city of Ballarat.
festivalofslowmusic.com
Al Wunder ∞ Alessandra Garosi (Italy) ∞ Amie Brûlée ∞ Andrea Keeble ∞ Andrew Ogburn Besi Kuna ∞ Ballarat Arts Alive ∞ BCMA Choir ∞ Bowlines ∞ Brian Ritchie Ballarat Symphony Orchestra strings ∞ Ballarat Ukulele Kollective ∞ Carmen Chan Christine Tammer ∞ Daryl Eastcott ∞ Deborah Kayser ∞ Dure Dara ∞ Ernie Gruner Flora & Theo Carbo ∞ @^h__k^r = Hf[kZbg ∞ George Walpole ∞ Hello Satellites Imogen Manins ∞ Kurbist Gong Band ∞ Leah Scholes ∞ Nick Tsiavos Ensemble Paul Blizzard ∞ Paul Grabowsky ∞ Paul Simmons ∞ Phoebe Green ∞ Pugsley Buzzard Ren Walters ∞ Rod Waterman ∞ Sarah Curro ∞ Scott McConnachie ∞ Studio Art (BRACE) Tony Gould ∞ Warren Burt ∞ Wayne Parker ∞ Whitt (Spiderbait)
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Film Reviews
Films reviewed by Anthony Morris
Guardians of the Galaxy
These Final Hours It’s the end of the world and Perth is the last place to go. Most sensible people seem to have already killed themselves, leaving behind only the crazy, the murderous, the occasional small child, and James (Nathan Phillips). While he sure seems to have a connection with the woman he’s currently having a lot of sex with, he just can’t stay – he’s got a party to go to. But along the way he saves Rose (Angourie Rice) from a roving pack of predators and while he’s got better things to do he ends up promising to help her find her father before the world ends. Visually this is impressive and individual sequences have real impact, but even at under 90 minutes this runs out of steam before the big finish. Partly that’s because the end-of-the-world vision here is a pretty simplistic one: just about everyone goes nuts and gives into their worst impulses, while as heroes go James doesn’t have much going for him for most of the film’s length. It’s great to see local films tackling more high-concept ideas and there’s a lot here that works, but it really needed a bit more variety to make the crazed gangs, suicides and murder parties stand out.
Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie You already know if you’re going to see this or not – in fact, chances are you’ve already seen it because when I saw it the cinema was packed – but even though this is pretty much the definition of “reviewerproof ” there’s one thing I really have to point out: this film has stuff in it I have never seen in a film before. Forget your arthouse mindexpanding films: this is the most groundbreaking film of 2014. And no, I don’t mean the extended jokes about blind ninjas, or the fact that star Brendan O’Carroll also plays an “Asian” martial arts instructor (to be fair, the first line someone says to him is “you’re not Asian”). On the whole, this is an extremely broad but not completely unfunny tale of Mrs Brown trying to save her market stall from evil politicians backed by the even more evil Russian mob, but occasionally there are scenes where a cast member fluffs a line or cracks up laughing – you know, blooper reel material – only it’s kept in the film, everyone takes a moment to pull themselves together, and then the movie continues as if nothing had happened. It’s bizarre the first time you see it, and it’s bizarre every other time (especially as it feels a little like it’s put on for the cameras). Is it meant to give the film a “live” feel? Is it just because bloopers are often funnier than the scripted material (there’s plenty more bloopers over the end credits?). All I know is that I’ve never seen anything like it, and it’s pretty rare you can say that about any film these days. 52 forte
Once you figure out the formula behind Marvel’s current run of movies, it’s awfully hard to go back to enjoying them. In that sense then, Guardians of the Galaxy is just about the smartest move they could have made at this stage of the franchise. For one thing, it seems that many of the little niggling problems with a lot of recent Marvel products vanish once you place them on a more level playing field. On Earth, being a wisecracking hero who’s never in any real danger can seem a little smug and arrogant; in a galaxy full of tough guys, being quick with a quip is the only way Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) can stand out. Quill is a swashbuckling mercenary of a kind that’s been around as long as movies – *cough Han Solo cough*. The story involves a bunch of people racing around in circles trying to grab a magic item of almost unimaginable power – and that’s pretty much the plot of every recent Marvel movie. The cast is a team of badasses who initially are at odds with each other but right before the final battle (which involves fighting on a giant flying base
t h e wr a p Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Hercules
that’s crashing to Earth – you know, just like the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier) someone says “we’re family”; the same scene right down to the “we’re family” line was in Hercules. But within those limitations, director James Gunn works hard to make this a lot of fun. You can’t really go wrong with a soundtrack full of ’70s classics, and there’s even a mildly touching reason why Quill has a walkman packed with ye olde tracks. Gunn also fills the supporting cast with quality comedic performers: having Michael Rooker, Glenn Close, John C. Reilly and Peter Serafinowicz in your film is never a bad thing, even when they don’t have a whole lot to do. Unfortunately the bad guys
Lucy Philosophy and gun fights don’t really seem like a natural combination, but they’re one of the more successful team-ups in movie history. There’s been loads of existentialist hitmen and crooks all the way up to the lead in Drive; The Matrix was more than happy to ponder the nature of reality in between somersaulting shootouts; and now in Lucy Scarlett Johansson unravels the mysteries of evolution and time itself when she’s not fending off a Tawianese drug cartel. Why do these two tastes go great together? According to some martial arts, it’s just as important to train your mind as it is to train your body … so yeah, let’s go with that. Lucy ( Johansson) is a hardpartying student in Taipei when her new boyfriend handcuffs a mysterious briefcase to her wrist and pushes her into a hotel lobby to deliver it to a man he clearly doesn’t want to meet. And with good reason: when we’re introduced to Mr Jang (Old Boy’s Choi Min-sik), he’s having a minion wash the blood off his hands with bottled water. Meanwhile, Professor Norman (Morgan Freeman) is giving a
A Most Wanted Man Director Anton Corbijn didn’t set himself an easy task in adapting John le Carré’s 2008 novel. Le Carré’s work is notorious both for his dour look at the world of spying and his intricate, complex plots. So here Corbijn and scriptwriter Andrew Bovell have created a film in which every detail is vital. There are no dead patches here, no moments where you can safely duck out for a minute to check your phone. Every line of dialogue pushes the scene forward, every scene pushes the story forward,
don’t really get much to do either, but at least the actual “Guardians of the Galaxy” are the most likable Marvel heroes in ages. Zoe Saldana gives a surprisingly nuanced performance as Gamora; Dave Bautista as the seemingly one-dimensional revenge-driven thug Drax is a standout. Cyborg raccoon Rocket (the voice of Bradley Cooper) and sentient tree Groot (the voice of Vin Diesel, which seems like a joke as he only says “I’m Groot” but it turns out there are a lot of ways to say those two words) are a lot of fun as well. The result is little more than a fun but forgettable romp – but anything this much fun is well worth your time.
lecture in Paris on the nature of the human brain and how we only use around 10 per cent of our cerebral capacity, which seems a little off topic. But no! It turns out that Lucy’s meeting with Mr Jang goes better than she expected – in that he doesn’t kill her, but much worse than she might have hoped. He presses her into his service, sewing a packet of a new experiment drug into her stomach and sending her on her way to Europe as part of his distribution network. Only when she doesn’t let her handler get handsy, he knocks her down and kicks her around, the packet splits
inside her, and she gets a massive dose of a drug that promptly unlocks an ever-increasing amount of her brain’s potential. Cue various outlandish superpowers and an increasing detachment from humanity. This is pretty crazy stuff, but director Luc Besson is way more interested in throwing everything he’s interested in at the screen than taking any of this seriously, so it’s way more of a crazy roller-coaster ride than it is a serious attempt to ponder the ramifications of increased brain capacity (and we all know the whole “we only use 10 per cent of our brain” thing is bogus anyway – we only use a percentage of our brain at any one time because different parts of our brain are used for different things). The action is well-handled, the stunts are cool, the nature footage is … well, it’s nature footage in an action movie, and Johansson’s increasingly detached performance is a way more interesting (and believable) take on a superpowered being than the smirking jocks found in most Marvel movies. Best philosophy lecture of the year so far.
and if your attention wanders – or even if you assume you’re watching a more traditional kind of thriller, one where the fate of nations is at stake and gun battles and car chases eventually sort out who’s right from wrong – you’ll find yourself lost. When Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin) hauls himself out of the bay in the port city of Hamburg, he drops himself in trouble. Hamburg was where the 9/11 plotters put together their scheme and nobody – not the local authorities, not the German state, not the CIA – wants to let anything like that happen again. Günter Bachmann (Philip Seymour Hoffman, in his final role ) sees things a little differently. A rumpled, hard-drinking man haunted by a security failure in Beirut, he now runs a tiny top-secret counter-intelligence agency tasked with infiltrating the local Muslim community. His job is to work up the ladder – get a minor player on
side, then get them to help you get their boss on side, and so on – until the really big fish are in your grasp. Bachmann’s desk-bound rival in the security services, Intelligence chief Dieter Mohr (Rainer Bock), wants to haul Karpov in. Bachmann wants to keep him on the streets to see where he might lead – especially if he leads to another case he’s working on involving a shipping company that could be a vital terrorist money source. With this much plot to get through there’s not a lot of room for character moments. Bachmann himself might be in every scene but the moments that detail his character are few and far between: a bar fight, snapping at a colleague, his gradual warming ever-so-slightly towards the local CIA chief (Robin Wright). It’s a grim but compelling look at a dirty job in a very grubby world; the fact that it’s also the world we live in makes it all the more compelling.
Casting Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Hercules? Best casting move of the year. Shame the film he’s in doesn’t quite live up to his awesomeness. The hook here is pretty much the opposite of all the recent run of sword and sandal movies: while our story begins with the traditional bunch of myths and legends around Hercules, son of Zeus, the reality is a bit more prosaic: Hercules is just the frontman for a travelling band of mercenaries – sadly never referred to as Herc and his Mercs – who together manage to accomplish all the amazing, war-winning feats that are attributed to him alone. They’re the usual collection of clichés – the feisty warrior woman, the guy who lets his weapons do the talking – with Rufus Sewell as the money-focused manager and Ian McShane as the grizzled vet who gets visions from the Gods (so he’ll know exactly when he’s going to die) the standouts. When they’re hired by a local king (John Hurt) to tackle a bunch of rebels pillaging the countryside, they see it as their big chance to score big and retire; unsurprisingly, the job quickly turns out to be more complicated than they’d expected. Director Brett Ratner does his usual workmanlike job here, though at least the various large-scale battles are tackled with more attention to actual military tactics than usual (no “lets just have two armies charge each other” here). But the script isn’t really epic enough – which is the point of the first two-thirds or so, which are all about establishing Hercules as merely a skilful warrior – so that when things finally do step up a notch towards the end it just doesn’t feel as “big” as it should, even if it does involve an awful lot of one-man destruction. It’s still entertaining enough, and Johnson is one of the rare Hollywood performers who is actually convincing as a demi-god; it’s just not the epic is should have been.
It’s ten years after the last film and the Apes have established a colony in the forest outside San Francisco and are starting to think humanity has died out. So when they encounter a small group of gun-toting humans on their turf, the stage is set for a clash of civilisations.
Deliver Us From Evil In which Eric Bana plays a Noo Yawk cop who doesn’t believe in Gawd until he’s faced with a string of demonic possessions that really should have been a lot creepier. Still, Bana’s good and the creepy stuff occasionally works … just not when it involves a haunted piano.
Sex Tape Like anyone would care – or even notice – if a suburban couple’s sex tape somehow leaked. Also, how easy would it be to delete it if you somehow had sent it to everyone’s iPad? Short answer: very. This really needed to be a lot funnier if it didn’t want people asking those questions.
Calvary Brendan Gleeson is an Irish parish priest who’s just been told he’s going to be shot in a week. Considering the fairly grim state of life in his village, it’s not surprising that he doesn’t seem surprised.
Jersey Boys Clint Eastwood’s version of the popular jukebox musical downplays the songs of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and foregrounds the story of the guys in the band – which is pretty much exactly the wrong approach for this material.
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.
Rio 2
And So It Goes Oren (Michael Douglas) is an acid-tongued real estate agent living in a tiny lakeside apartment packed with his old furniture while he tries every trick in the book to sell the mansion he’d shared with his now deceased wife. Leah (Diane Keaton) is a ditzy nightclub singer living in the apartment next door who’s still struggling to get over her husband’s death. When Oren’s son drops off his pre-teen daughter on his way to prison (don’t worry, he didn’t kill anyone), Leah and the rest of the apartments’ residents’ ears prick up: could this grumpy old man have a heart after all? Director Rob Reiner avoids drama, comedy, and anything else that could possibly raise the audience’s heartrate in this exceedingly gentle look at old folk wandering around, resulting in something that feels more like being wrapped in a big warm blanket for 90 minutes. Douglas and Keaton can do this stuff in their sleep and really deserve better, but at least against such a bland backdrop their charisma gets plenty of chances to shine. When the only memorable thing about a film is the cornball faces Reiner pulls while appearing as Leah’s pianist, you may prefer to take a nap yourself.
The birds are back, only this time they’re having family trouble and developers want to cut down the Amazon rainforest … and the whole thing just washes over you like a warm, easily forgettable bath.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 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.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Music Reviews
P R O DUC T R E V IE W :
Vessel
w h at ' s n e w ?
The Kite String Tangle
Off the back of the hype of the single ‘Given The Chance’, we have one of the most anticipated EPs of the year. ‘Given The Chance’ amassed over a million Soundcloud plays, and took out #19 in last year’s Hottest 100. Available tomorrow on Warner.
They Want My Soul Spoon
Texas rockers, Spoon, are back with their eighth album, the follow-up to 2010’s Transference. It is the first time that the band have worked with outside producers, Joe Chiccarelli, who has worked with Morrissey and My Morning Jacket, and Dave Fridmann, who has worked with The Flaming Lips and MGMT. Available now on Loma Vista.
Guardians of the Galaxy OST Various Artists
Land of Pleasure Sticky Fingers
If that isn’t a sentence loaded with euphemism, I don’t know what is. The Sydneysiders have returned with their signature reggae-rock sound. Contains the singles ‘Just For You’ and ‘Gold Snafu’. Available now on MGM.
Self Titled Angus and Julia Stone
Somehow when you get these two together, they are more than the sum of two parts. After their less successful solo efforts, the siblings have returned to the format that made them household names. Available now on EMI.
I don’t usually include soundtracks, but I’m really excited for this one. This is a two-disc set, the first disc, subtitled “Awesome Mix Volume 1” lives up to the title. It features Bowie, The Jackson Five, and naturally, Blue Swede with ‘Hooked On A Feeling’. The second disc contains the film’s score. Available Tomorrow on Hollywood.
Walking Under Stars Hilltop Hoods
I just saw these guys at Splendour, and I’m still coming down from their performance. The Godfathers of Aussie hip hop, Adelaide’s Hilltop Hoods are back with their seventh studio album, and judging from what we’ve seen so far, they’re still at the top of their game. Available tomorrow on Golden Era.
Sticky Fingers Land of Pleasure Sticky Fingers & Sureshaker
With a title like Land of Pleasure, you’d expect the sophomore release from Sticky Fingers to be nothing less than 12 tracks of pure babymaking bliss. And as soon as the reggae skank beat of ‘Land of Pleasure’ drops, you know that’s exactly what it is. Following up from a successful debut release can be a bit hard, but with a few Sticky Fingers classics thrown in – ‘Land of Pleasure’, ‘Dreamland’ and ‘Razerhead’ – there’s a few tracks to keep the die-hard fans happy. However, this time around the band has used synth more, which is distinct throughout most of their tracks, most notably in ‘Feast Your Eyes’. They’ve even touched on ’90s rave with their track ‘Just For You’, though they’ve made it work by centring it around a pretty amazing riff. Throw in a few of the album
The Slash Signature Vermillion Les Paul Review provided by Music Workshop
The Slash Signature Vermillion Les Paul blends timeless specs with Slashapproved features and details, all dressed in a luscious new finish from Gibson USA: Vermillion. This rich, deep-red transparent finish in handsprayed nitrocellulose lacquer perfectly exhibits the guitar’s Grade-AAA flamed maple top, while letting the tonewood breathe to enhance an equally rich, deep, resonant tone. Commemorative details include a Slash graphic on the headstock, echoed in a silkscreen on the included black Gibson USA hardshell case. Add a pair of Seymour Duncan Slash Signature humbucking pickups, a TonePros Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece, and top it all off with unparalleled Gibson build quality, and the Slash Signature Vermillion Les Paul is a stunner that plays and sounds as good as it looks. The Slash Signature humbuckers are made in the image of the hallowed Gibson PAF humbuckers of the late 1950s, with genuine Alnico II magnets, but with Slash’s preference of a few extra
turns of wire for a richer, throatier tone in the neck position and plenty of crunch and wail in the bridge. They are wired in the traditional four-knob control complement with three-way selector switch, and use vintage-style “orange drop” tone capacitors on the tone pots. Treated with Gibson’s traditional weight relief to increase playing comfort and enhance resonance, you get a select mahogany back, plus a solid, glued-in, quarter-sawn mahogany neck. The neck is carved in the fast ‘60s SlimTaper profile that Slash prefers, and topped with a Grade-A rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium-jumbo frets and traditional trapezoid inlays. With a retail price of $5,299.00, it is available at Music Workshop for $3,999.00. We also have the Gibson LP Slash Rosso Corsa at the same price, while stocks last.
Startup Cult Indepdendent/Label
It’s not everyday that someone drops out of art school to pursue music, and then actually succeeds. Allday seems to have done this with ease, and his debut release Startup Cult is possibly one of the most anticipated releases of 2014. In his debut, Allday has come out with a fresh new style and one that steps away from the traditional home grown Aussie hip hop that he grew up listening to. If you listen carefully, more similarities can be tied with Drake rather than any of his Australian counterparts. ‘Got It’ serves as a great introduction to the album,
Cooking with Caustic
Jonathan Boulet
From Mercury to Pluto
Popfrenzy Records
From Mercury to Pluto, the latest release from Cooking with Caustic, has by far the coolest intro to an album this year. DJ turntable breakbeats, brass sections and freestylin’ hip hop lyrics are all present within the short opening track. Hailing from the Blue Mountains, Cooking with Caustic combine reggae and down-tempo electro grooves with hip hop-influenced lyrics. The result is a mish mash of dub, reggae, funk-influenced grooves that make for one hell of an electric stage show. The main single from this album is ‘About to Fly’ which features slick and silky smooth brass lines and talks about childhood memories of growing up in Australia and doing the things you love because you
only live once. It has the potential to become a national hit and has quickly found its way to my iTunes most played songlist. One of the other impressive sections to this song is a wattlebird call that is sampled throughout that was recorded in Caustic’s Blue Mountains garden. It takes a few listens to tune your ear to hear it, yet those subtle little sounds are what makes me appreciate this album a lot more. With so many interesting instruments and textures featured throughout the hour of music on this debut album, Cooking with Caustic is bound for big things. If Australian hip hop is your jam, check out this beauty today. Tex Miller
I’ve always been a fan of Jonathan Boulet, and in fact his debut album was the first album I ever reviewed for Forte magazine. Right from the beginning of his career he has always pushed the boundaries in terms of production and trying to get the strangest or quirkest sounding elements to the recording. It’s 2014 and he’s back with Gubba, his third album. After a year in Germany without his band and without a real gameplan, we are now hearing the results. Opening with ‘Don’t Call Me Champ’, a thirty-second interlude into the album, we are able to hear that it is a lot more ballsy and headstrong on the guitar than ever before. I think that this crunchier guitar sound works for Boulet due to the high commercial success of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. It’s a little bit psychedelic and ’60s feel
to the tunes, but still allows you to get around the simplistic instrumentation and arrangements. ‘Fuddy Duddy’ sounds like a tripped-out outtake from Ball Park Music’s latest album, and ‘Strut King’ features dirty low-down guitar. To some people’s ears, it will take a bit of time to adjust to this new direction and sound given that his previous releases were a little more radio friendly. If you like Queens of the Stone Age with some garage-punk tempos then this album will be right up your alley. It will be interesting to see how Boulet plays these tracks live and whether they are easily achieved due to the sparse instrumentation. Tex Miller
Humans as Animals
Guerre
Nussy
Ex Nihilo
Nussy
Yes Please Records
Indepdendent
Eukaria
Ex Nihilo, the debut album from Canadian-born, Sydneybased Guerre (aka Lavurn Lee), is an electronic journey that was recorded over the course of a year in Lee’s basement. With production help from Marcus Whale, the sounds on this album are quite atmospheric and at times ambient. In Latin, Ex Nihilo means ‘Out of Nothing’ and describes the journey that Lee has been on to create this stunning set of electro vibes. A varied palette of all things electro, if you like Chet Faker’s electronic samples and stylings, chances are you will dig what Guerre is doing. The beat structures that ring out through all of these tracks are quite addictive and suck you in like a brilliant novel. ‘Deatheat’ is the lead single off this album
Nussy, aka Dani Smarrelli, has managed to channel a few bad experiences into a pretty decent debut EP, and boy are we glad she has. Her synthinfused pop tracks match her Twiggy-meets-La Roux style, and make her the perfect modern day pop package. ‘Intro’ sets the EP up for the electronic synth backing that ‘Dizzy’ is grounded on. Paired with light drumming, which picks up just before things get boring, ‘Dizzy’ is bound to get regular airplay and is a song pop lovers have been missing out on. ‘Prowling’ picks things up a bit and serves as Nussy’s “dance floor” anthem of the EP. When pop songs of today are pumped out at rapid speed with not much thought into the content but only the sales,
Indepdendent
and features electronic, somewhat African drum beats to it. Eerie synth lines are also present in a track that Lee feels is very emotional, and you can hear that through the arrangement of the instrumentation. Both stunning and lush, the vocal samples throughout this album add a different flavour to the tracks. My favourite is definitely ‘Croon’, and I have no hesitation in recommending this album to my friends. Local electronica that is definitely able to put a smile on your face and forget about the cold winter months. Tex Miller
it’s simple, clean cut and gives a fresh opening to an even fresher sound. It’s this laidback, melodic beat that really has you convinced that this is a new youthful sound for hip hop in Australia, and one that will hopefully mark a change in the industry. Paired with harsh lyrics, seen in ‘Right Now’ and ‘Fuckin’, it comes as a surprise when delivered from Allday’s sugary sweet voice. As exciting and new as Allday’s sound is, when the 15 tracks are played consecutively it could get a bit monotonous, but luckily ‘God Starve the Queen’ and ‘Cult’ pick things up a bit and add a new element to the young rappers sound. Regardless it’s hard not to appreciate the relatable lyrics of those youthful years we all experience, or are in the midst of. Anything that references cookies and Destiny’s Child is all right in our books. Amanda Sherring
Gubba
Obese Records
must haves, including the summerkissed track ‘Gold Snafu’ that makes you dream of jumping from your house into the pool, as well as the “ballad” ‘Liquorlip Loaded Gun’, and you’ve got yourself some guaranteed sales. But it’s where things are slowed down they stay true to their style, and when Dylan Frost’s vocals come to the forefront the tracks really shine. ‘Rum Rage’ is this track, and though a bit on the slower side has you wishing the boys were performing it just for you. Hands down Land of Pleasure is worthy to follow on from their flawless debut release, and we can’t wait for the next release of the boys’ sweet tunes. Amanda Sherring
Allday
it’s always refreshing to see a song with depth. For Nussy, ‘The Other Side’ is this song and then some. It serves as a tribute to ex-partner and footballer John McCarthy, who died in 2012. With the delicate guitar strumming and synth injected at just the right moments, ‘The Other Side’ becomes a pop tune that pulls at the heartstrings. For someone new to the industry, Nussy has managed to create the perfect brand and has done a stellar job of introducing it to the world via her debut release. Amanda Sherring
Eukaria, the latest EP from Melbourne stoner/ rock/soul band Humans as Animals, is to put it in a couple of words an interesting listen. Opening with ‘Left Me Behind’, jazzy electric guitar fills my headphones and the lush acoustic guitar chord progressions are an interesting take for a band that is acclaimed as stoner rock. It’s an interesting and subdued opening to the EP. ‘Her Name’ is the lead single off this EP and is a track that I could hear The Jungle Giants covering for triple j Like a Version. Screaming indie-pop guitar lines, I think that seeing ‘Her Name’ performed live would definitely be a spectacle in seeing local live music in 2014.
From reading stoner rock in this review, you may be thinking of many different things before listening to the music. It’s a little more soulful and bluesy than tripped-out. Lead guitar lines in ‘Hang On’ sound like they have been ripped directly from a David Gilmour outtake on a Pink Floyd record. The rhythm section is tight holding the grooves together. This disc is definitely up the top of the list for Melbourne release of the year. Check out this blissful soul/bluesy disc today. Tex Miller forte 53
Music Reviews
PHOTO REVIEW
KYLE TAYLOR saints AND sailors, portarlington - july 26 with support from Jack Wright & Rach Brennan Photos by Lucinda Goowdin
Last Words
grog watch Written by Tony Montana
Like most wankers, I went to university – and like most universityeducated wankers, I studied Arts. That’s not because Arts is the most useless degree; far from it, as all university degrees and education in general is completely useless, so you might as well spend your time on the one that gives you the most time to do bugger all. I studied Arts because not only did I like to read, but I liked to read the kind of crap wanker books you study doing an Arts degree. Fortunately, I eventually realised the great truth of all art: if it’s boring, it ain’t no damn good. Doesn’t matter what it is, doesn’t matter what reading (or listening, or watching) it is supposed to do for you: if it’s boring, it – and sing along with me here, everybody – ain’t no damn good. Which is why I’m here
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today to let you know of the existence of what is without a doubt the best book ever written by anyone about anything: Steven Wells’ one and only novel, Tits-Out Teenage Terror Totty. “But Tony,” you say, “that’s pretty high praise right there and sure, that title does seem to suggest a book that isn’t messing about, but surely it’s not going to be better than the countless other trash classics you’ve mentioned here over the years? How could it top the barely literate vigilante novel Gannon: Blood for Breakfast? The balls-out Cold War insanity of TNT: The Beast? All those countless mental survivalist novels you banged on about here up to and including the amazingly hateful and anti-semitic tract The Turner Diaries, aka the book that inspired the Oklahoma City bombing? Sorry, but you’re going to have to cough up some pretty serious evidence before we believe that this book – awesomely titled as it is – is better than Richard Allen’s classic tale of urban alienation and headbutting
strangers, Skinhead Escapes.” You make a good point. Fortunately for me, this entire novel is full of better points – points it repeatedly rams through the readers forehead while shouting things like “RESULT!” and “FACT!” and “OFFICIAL!” because not only is this book – a book that proudly says on the front cover “Fucking Brilliant – Irvine Welsh” (yeah, he’s the guy who wrote Trainspotting) and on the back “A bigger body-count than The Bible – Official!” – jam-packed with insane violence that’s so amazingly over the top that it’s pretty much impossible to read more than three or four pages at a time without feeling physically ill, but after said violence there’s often a nice little summing-up of the carnage like “respect” or “sorted” or various swearwords. But what’s it all about, Alfie? Ahh, that’s where it gets good… Unlike your average pulp-violence novel that has to occasionally slow down to set the scene or pause to establish a character before ramping
up the thuggery, this just keeps on ranting on through a pretty much endless series of scenes of insane violence – often involving perverted Tory police, dirty hippies and sleazy music industry types being violently killed over and over again – without bothering with most of the boring stuff that slows your regular novels down. The plot involves a bunch of sexy mutant super terrorists getting a bunch of cool weapons and using them to kill pretty much everyone who’s crap, often through the use of black magic, while various evil forces pop up then get blown up then get stuck in a time warp so they can get killed a billion more times – and then God turns up, only he’s a complete nuttah, and a bunch of space aliens driven violently insane by punk music head towards Earth to blow it up for not worshipping the lead singer of punk legends The Exploited, and there’s a bunch of sex robots and heaps of hippies get run over with giant supernatural combine
harvesters … and by the time you get to the line “this IS the future – a neverending summer of HATE!” (only “hate!” is printed about ten times bigger than all the other words on the page and gets a line all to itself ) all this seems pretty much normal. Oh, and everyone is on drugs all the time. And it opens with Lady Di being reanimated as some kind of chainsaw-wielding killer robot monster thing who promptly gets blown up after butchering a bunch of paparazzi, only to be immediately brought back to life again so the British public can cry themselves silly over her tragic demise yet again – and again, as she’s promptly killed off over and over in a variety of increasingly complicated and upsetting ways. Basically the whole thing is an excuse for Wells – a one-time music writer for NME back when it was interesting – to hate on stuff he hates, which is great because mostly he hates things that are rubbish including pretentious no-fun music
and super-serious vegetarians, and who doesn’t want to see them get blown up? The bad news is, not only is this Wells’ only novel, but it’s been out of print since 1999. And since Wells’ death this already expensive collector’s item has pretty much become worth its weight in gold. Which sucks, but not as much as you might think because even at the current super-inflated internet prices it’s totally worth every cent – FACT! Tony “Where’s my seat on that bog-staggeringly crap ABC First Tuesday Book Club show?” Montana
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