Forte #593

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ISSUE #593 ball ar at | bell arine | Bendigo | ca stlemaine | geelong | surf coa st | warrnambool |

21/08/2014

FREE!

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garY AND NATASHA PINTO “ When we first heard who was on the bill, we thought ‘Is it real!?’ ...it’s too good to be true.” pg.22

MIFF AT GPAC pg.33

Aurora Kurth

pg.24

Massive

pg.46

ash grunwald

pg.46

Rainbow Serpent

pg.54

ALSO FEATURING: Andrea Robertson, Briggs, Creo, Delta Riggs, Ella Hooper, Hope in Hell Paul Hogan, 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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in this issue:

forte issue #593 t h u r s d a y 2 1 AUGUST 2 0 1 4

Ph: 03 5229 7969

gary & Natasha PinTO

PO Box 978 Geelong VIC 3220

Massive pg.46

pg.22

ash grunwald pg.46

fortemag.com.au

enquiries@fortemag.com.au Publisher

McNamara Publishing editor / DIRECTOR

Luke McNamara

luke@fortemag.com.au DEPUTY editor

MIFF AT GPAC

Amanda Sherring advertising

pg.33

Abbey King

abbey@fortemag.com.au

Rainbow Serpent pg.54

Lucas Barnes

lucas@fortemag.com.au Art director

James Dulce Scene photographer

Marianne Valitutti contributors

Aurora Kurth pg.24

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Leaving Their Mark

Staring Down Antiskeptic Back in 2008 Melbourne’s Antiskeptic released the live album Goodbye Goodnight – Live at the Hi-Fi. They then took a breather before deciding to give things another crack in 2011. Well, it has been a wait but next month the band will release Stare Down the Ocean. It seems they had been missed, as the band raised a fair chunk of coin through a crowdfunding venture. The Evelyn – October 11.

The Destiny of Paul McCartney As reported by The New York Times, Paul McCartney has collaborated on the score of forthcoming first-person shooter game Destiny. The score was composed over a period of four years in New York, Los Angeles and at London’s Abbey Road Studios. McCartney has also contributed a theme song for the release, which features a whopping 120-piece ensemble. Reports indicate the theme song will be released as a single.

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2014 marks 30 years of The Mark of Cain – and that is one incredible effort for a band indeed.

Formed out of Adelaide in 1984 by brothers John and Kim Scott, the band’s first release was 1988’s ‘The Lords of Summer’. In support of single ‘Grey11’ (which features Henry Rollins in a short spoken word piece), the band will enjoy a run of shows on their first national tour since March last year. 170 Russell – October 31.

The Nature of Colors Steve Morse (Deep Purple), Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater), Neal Morse (Transatlantic), Dave LaRue ( Joe Satriani, Steve Vai) and pop singer-songwriter Casey McPherson are behind the prog rock supergroup Flying Colors. Back in 2012 the band released their self-titled debut; now, they are set to release album number two, Second Nature.

You can get your hands on it October 2.

Don Quixote Strikes Again The story of Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is one filled with more headaches

than a Nurofen ad. The trials and tribulations of the unfinished movie were actually documented in 2002’s Lost in La Mancha.

Now, funding has come through that will allow Gilliam another shot – except this time it will be, in part, a metacommentary on how difficult the task became.

Farewell, Joan Armatrading A career spanning 40 years and 18 studio albums is enough for songwoman Joan Armatrading, who will set out for one last tour before calling it a day.

Joan released her debut album, Whatever’s for Us, in 1972. In 1996 she received an Ivor Novello Award for ‘Outstanding Contemporary Song Collection’. She arguably remains best known for her hit 1983 song, ‘Drop the Pilot’. Recital Centre – December 8.

Kickboxer Reboot Is there a better movie than Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 1989 masterpiece Kickboxer?

Don’t even bother answering that; it’s a rhetorical question.

Anyway, as has become the thing to do, the film is getting a reboot. Dave Bautista (Guardians of the

Where is Bon Scott?

With a rock and roll name and a folk revival sound, The Bon Scotts are far from your typical band. Yes, you will find percussive clattering, cello, mandolin and accordion, but make no mistake – this band can get as boisterous as the best of them. ‘Somewhere’ is the band’s first single off their forthcoming album Modern Capitalism Gets Things Done, which is due for release next month. The B-East – August 29.

Galaxy) has previously been announced, but now Scott Adkins (The Bourne Ultimatum) and Tony Jaa (Ong-Bak) have been added to the cast.

Nick Drake Biography In death, sometimes artists can find wider notice than they did in life. Such is the case with Nick Drake. Set for release in November, Nick Drake: Remembered for a While is the first authorised biography of the songman. The book has been six years in the making and has been compiled and edited

by Nick’s sister, actress Gabrielle Drake. Nick Drake died in 1974 from an overdose of amitriptyline. He was 26.

Planes, Trains and Erie Ol’ Slowhand, Eric Clapton, will release a tour documentary in November. Titled Planes, Trains and Erie, the doco will cover the Far and Middle Eastern leg of Clapton’s 2014 tour. 13 live performances are included on the disc including the songs ‘Layla’, ‘I Shot the Sheriff ’ and ‘Crossroads’.

Also featured are interviews with Clapton and the band, as well as an insight into all the tough goings-on of a tour.

Rocking on the TV Ten-plus years after its release, the Jack Black comedy School of Rock is getting a TV show of its very own. The movie’s director, Richard

I Like Your Fringe The Melbourne Fringe Festival has announced its 2014 program. Now, with over 400 shows to take place across 150 venues throughout the near three-week extravaganza, I have no idea where to start. So we’ll just go with the date details and throw in the website and let you do the rest.

It all kicks off on September 17 and will run through until October 5.

And, you’re on your own from here. Hit melbournefringe. com.au for everything.

Linklater, will serve as the show’s executive producer, which will run with the same formula as the film. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, Nickelodeon has ordered 13 episodes. School of Rock is also being adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber for the stage.

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I Have a Confession A Not So Small Release The wait is finally over. Microscopic Wars, debut release from Aussie rockers Kingswood, is out now and we couldn’t be happier. The debut follows on from their 2012 EP release, Change of Heart, and a pretty impressive touring schedule. Over the past year the band have honed their craft through over 100 shows of high energy entertainment.

Microscopic Wars is out now through all good retailers and well worth forking out cash for.

All Hail the Kings They’re at it again, those King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard noise-makers. The band recently spent time in the US and Canada, taking in the Austin Psych Fest and Canadian Music Week among other gigs. Not ones to let an opportunity slip, the band squeezed in some recording time.

The Workers Club – September 17; Ding Dong – September 18; The Gasometer – September 19; and The Curtin Band Room – September 20.

The End of Laughter 63-year-old funny man Robin Williams passed away on Monday August 11 at his home in North Carolina. The actor best known for some of his roles in Dead Poets Society, Mrs Doubtfire, Aladin, Hook, Jumanji and Good Will Hunting and will always be remembered for making us laugh and inspiring children worldwide to let their imagination run free. In homage to the comedic genius we sign out with one of his quotes that induced many laughs worldwide. “You are in more dire need of a blowjob than any white man in history,” Robin Williams as Adrian Cronauer in Good Morning Vietnam (1987).

Melbourne’s Confession has announced a healthy run of shows in support of their third full-length release, Life and Death. The band has built up a healthy respect since forming in 2008, securing the talents of Ahren Stringer and Joel Birch of The Amity Affliction, Adrian Fitipaldes of Northlane and Karl Schubach of Misery Signals to give them a hand on their latest effort. Central Club – October 25 & Phoenix Youth Centre – October 26 (AA).

Gimme Some AWME The first acts for 2014’s Australasian Worldwide Music Expo have dropped and include Nahko and Medicine for the People, Digging Roots, Estère, Myele Manzanza, Hiatus Kaiyote, Ash Grunwald, Bart Willoughby, the Pierce Brothers, Ms Murphy, Bullhorn and Jimblah.

The seventh edition of the AWME takes place in Melbourne from November 13 through November 16. Hit awme. com.au for more.

An Aussie October There are a couple of albums coming your way in October from a couple of Australia’s

favourites. Punk rockers The Smith Street Band have tapped into their seemingly bottomless well of musical ideas for Throw Me in the River. It is the band’s third release in four years. Old friends Augie March, meanwhile, will release album number five, Havens Dumb. Put away a few dollars now.

On the Growl Given how much of a busy music lifestyle Cameron Avery leads, one has to wonder if he ever takes time away from the buzz of amplifiers.

Not only is he the lead singer of The Growl, but he also plays bass for Tame Impala and drums for POND. Now, he has decided to head out for a handful of shows in solo mode. Expect to hear new material from The Growl’s forthcoming newie along the way. The Workers Club – September 5.

Another Chapter of American Authors Brooklyn-based altrockers American Authors will swing by Australia next month for their second round of shows this year. The band paid a visit earlier in the year in support of their debut album Oh, What a Life, taking in the surrounds of Luna Park and playing to 300 happy fans. The band members met while

attending the Berklee College of Music in 2007.

The Prince Bandroom – September 20.

Debuting a Beat It is time to make Seattle’s Night Beats feel welcome, with the psychedelic/garage/ soul group set to make their Aussie debut next month. The band take their name from the Sam Cooke album Night Beat and since their formation has played some 20 countries with bands including The Zombies, The Black Angels and The Jesus and Mary Chain. The John Curtin Band Room – September 12. Sydney band The Laurels support.

Glory, Glory, Hallelujah Pop-punk favourites New Found Glory will release their new album on October 10. Titled Resurrection, the album is number eight for the Florida lads. Lead vocalist and guitarist Chad Gilbert: “This is the most prepared we’ve ever been … Writing as a band now has never felt so easy. We really came together with ideas. We’ve gone through a lot and figured a lot of things out. This album has been very cathartic for us.”

Looking for Some Quality Time The Broken Lizard comedy troupe (Super Troopers, Club Dread) has teamed up with TBS for a sitcom.

According to press, the series, titled Quality Time, will be about fictionalised versions of the Lizard group “as they struggle through various challenges of adult misery and child rearing and attempt to hang on to the idiotic freedom of their irresponsible pre-parental lives”. Stay patient, as the series is only in early development.

The Lonely Island of Apatow Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone – they of The Lonely Island, responsible for singles including ‘Dick in a Box’ and ‘I’m On a Boat’ – have teamed up with Judd Apatow – he of The 40-YearOld Virgin and Knocked Up – for a new untitled project. Little is known about the project other than it will be set in the world of music, which seems pretty obvious. You may also remember The Lonely Island crew from 2007’s Hot Rod.

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T HE THURSDAY 21ST AUGUST BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Trivia Night from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Levi Anderson BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc) - Live and Local, $13 Pizza night EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night THE ESPY: RISE launch tour EUREKA: Thirsty Thursday with local resident DJ’S GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Kids Eat Free 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 22ND AUGUST THE BARWON CLUB: Like Thieves, Lung, The Soulenikoes THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Happy Hour 5-7pm, Meat Raff le & Members Draw BEAVS BAR: 2-Tone BENDED: Rach & Drew BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Happy Hour 5-7pm BLACK HATT: Straight Shooters THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTELMAINE): Cuntz, Gentlemen, Orlando Furious 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

fortn i g h tl y c a l e n d a r THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Fully Loaded HOME HOUSE: Homehouse Fridays Party with DJs KAROVA LOUNGE (Ballarat): Jay Whalley LAMBYS: Live Music LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (WARNAMBOOL): Annie 7.30pm THE LOFT (Warrnambool): Twin Beasts, Cherrywood THE LORD NELSON: Happy Hour 5pm-7pm MAIN BAR (Ballarat): The Slurrymen MARTIANS CAFE: Rose Bygrave, Marcia Howard THE MAX: Trojan ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: James Sidebottom OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Livingstone Daisies PISTOL PETES: Geoff Achison UNWINED CELLAR BAR: Live Music WHEREVER (Bendigo): Oshan, Gambit

SATURDAY 23RD AUGUST AIREY’S PUB (Aireys Inlet): Live Music BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): Aimee Francis & Steve Saxxon THE BARWON CLUB: The Space Keys, Electric Sunkings, Odd BEAVS BAR: Steve Pianto BENDED: Dave Anderson BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Live Music and Happy Hour 5-7pm THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTELMAINE): Mikelangelo EDGE: Live Music and DJ EUREKA: MASSIVE ft Grant Smillie, Orkestrated, Tenzin, Simon One, Max McKay, Isaac Fryar, Shorty J THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Geelong vs Hawks live HOMEHOUSE: Travlos (Tramp) LAMBYS: Live Music THE LOFT (Warrnambool):

Jaju Choir THE MAX: 3 on a tree THE NEWMARKET (Bendigo): Live Bands ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Guy Perkins, Jim Jamz OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Gabe Atkinson PISTOL PETES: Alex Burns UNWINED CELLAR BAR: Live Music WHISPERS: Coming up: DJ’s including Aston shuff le, 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

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

TUESDAY 26TH 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 LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (WARNAMBOOL): Cloudburst screening 8pm PISTOL PETES: Open Mic Night

WEDNESDAY 27TH AUGUST THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Master of Dartness and Poker from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Open Mic, Karaoke and 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: Tex Miller & friends

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THE MAX: Entourage THE NEWMARKET (Bendigo): Live Bands ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Eric Stribley, Jessey Jackson OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Michelle Parsons OXYGEN COLLEGE: Open day 11am-3pm PISTOL PETES: Tristen Bird, Courtney Robb TORQUAY HOTEL: Ash Grunwald UNWINED CELLAR BAR: Live Music WHISPERS: Coming up: DJ’s including Aston shuff le, 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 31ST AUGUST BENDED: Sunday Sessions Live music from 3pm BIRD ROCK CAFÉ (Jan Juc): Kids Eat Free 3:30-6:30, Steak and Parma Night, Happy Hour 3:30-5:30 CITY QUARTER: Perfect Sunday Sesh Live music and DJ from 4pm EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Live Jazz from 3-6pm and Parmi Night FEDERATION UNVERSITY (Ballarat and Gippsland): Open day 10am-3pm GEELONG RSL: $13 Carvery lunch GPAC: Oh What a Night! 7.30pm LAMBYS: Live music LORNE: Festival of Performing Arts ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Jamie Pye, Bethany, Jim Jamz OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Safari Suits THE SPHINX HOTEL: Carvery from $17 WENDOUREE PERFORMING ARTS (Ballarat): Hoges One Night Only

MONDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER 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 LORD NELSON HOTEL: Parmi & Pot for $15 on presentation of student I.D THE SPHINX HOTEL: Meals for $11

TUESDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER 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 PISTOL PETES: Open Mic Night

WEDNESDAY 3RD SEPT THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Master of Dartness and Poker from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Open Mic, Kareoke BENDED: Second chance & pub quiz BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Shit Trivia Mexican Night BLACK HATT: Cuban Salsa Dance Classes CHERRY BAR: Smoke Stack Rhino, Jesse Valach, Blues Mountain, Dirty River Radio 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 GORDON GALLERY: Design Showcase from 5.30pm PISTOL PETES: N.O.L.A Night, all things New Orleans and Louisiana

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Saturday September 20th GPAC Drama Theatre, Geelong VIC TICKETS: 03 5225 1200 & WWW.GPAC.ORG.AU www.jamesreyne.com.au

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S O UL FES T

Gary and Natasha Pinto FEATURE STORY Written by Natalie Rogers

Move over Beyoncé and Jay Z, forget Sonny and Cher – we have our very own musical power couple in Melbourne’s Gary and Natasha Pinto. Odds are you’ll remember Gary as the fresh-faced one in the 90’s R&B group CDB, and own a copy of their platinum-selling cover of Earth Wind and Fire’s hit ‘Lets Groove’. Or in more recent times you may have caught a glimpse of him back-stage on the set of the X Factor in his role as vocal coach/ mentor; while Natasha has shared the stage with acts like Chris Brown and Rihanna, worked alongside Puffy Daddy’s posse and been hailed a ‘superstar’ by Jay Z’s crew.

Now the talented twosome have been added to the ridiculously smooth line-up set to soothe audiences around the country at Australia’s first neo-soul, jazz and hip-hop festival – Soulfest.

“We feel incredibly blessed to be part of the show – all these amazing artists coming to Australia. It’s going to fun!” Gary began when I sat down for a chat with the pair recently. “When we first heard who was on the bill, we thought ‘Is it real!?’” Natasha interjected excitedly. “It’s too good to be true.”

For those who haven’t heard, the good people behind Soulfest have outdone themselves and managed to put together the A-team - a who’s who of modern soul, hip-hop and jazz. International names include Maxwell, D’Angelo, Mos Def and Angie Stone, while artists such as Ngaiire, Nathaniel, DJ Trey and Miracle will be flying the flag for Australia at this first-time event.

“Where have you seen this quality of artists together anywhere?” agrees Gary, before revealing that he and his lovely wife are planning to impress when they take to the stage this spring.

“Our aim is to do the best that we can in everything that we do – whether it’s song writing for other people [Gary has written songs for Guy Sebastian, Christine Anu, Jimmy Barnes, Jade Mcrae and American soul singer Taylor Dane, among others] or performing our own music.”

“We’re putting together a set-list of our best songs – Gary will sing, I’ll do some of mine, and we’ll definitely do some together,” Natasha added.

“Natasha is such a gifted singer/songwriter,” praised Gary. “In New York they just love her – people in Puff Daddy’s camp and some of Jay Z’s guys have said she’ll be a superstar!

Natasha’s actually heading back to Philly to work with people who have written a lot of stuff for Musiq Soulchild and Angie Stone.

“In fact, my new EP [‘Into The Sun’] that I’m about to release has two of the songs written by Andrea Martin [who works regularly with Beyoncé and Mary J Blige]. She’s unbelievable - she wrote ‘I wish I Didn’t Miss You’ for Angie Stone.”

This couple are true Australian music royalty, reflected in their long list of fans and admirers. However, together they remain as humble as ever and I can almost feel Gary blushing when I ask about the birthday party he attended on Stevie

Wonder’s boat. “It’s God’s mercy – I feel that blessings have been upon my life.”

As he tells the story you can tell it’s a childhood dream come true. “I heard Stevie was having a 16th birthday for his daughter Sophia on his boat. Being asked to sing was an incredible honour.

“During the speeches he kept saying ‘Thanks Gary for coming, thank you Gary for performing, thank you Gary …’.

I was so embarrassed! And when it was time to sing and I realised I didn’t have any instrumental, I asked Stevie if he could play piano and he answered ’Yeah!

What will we play!?’ I couldn’t believe it - it was an amazing experience.”

Gary has experienced a lot in his 20 plus years in the industry, including a standing ‘O’ from Motown legend Smoky Robinson.

Taking it all in his stride, Gary seems like the perfect role model to young, up-and-coming artists who are just finding their feet.

“For the past few years I’ve been helping the artists prepare themselves for the live shows [of X Factor] and for life after the show too. I was just thinking about that this week - I see these young artists 15 or 16, all the way up to thirty years old and beyond, who are stepping into the industry for the first time. Each step is so important in their foundation. It’s a privilege to be able to help shape them and prepare them for life as a recording and touring artist.”

Natasha also works with burgeoning singer/songwriters at the newly opened Melbourne branch of the Australian Institute of Music. “2014 is the first year it’s been opened. There’s some really exceptional talent coming through. I told my students all about the Soulfest competition that was open to local artists - I can’t wait to get involved.”

In the meantime Natasha will be jetting off to the East Coast of the US to work on more new material with prominent producer/songwriter Carvin Haggins ( Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Estelle), but promises to release her single ‘Anywhere But Here’ before Soulfest rolls around in October.

“Our careers keep us apart from time to time but we want each other to succeed and music is a really great thing to share as a married couple.” Eat your heart out Chavril!

When&Where: Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne – October 19

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

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The Delta Riggs Written by Amanda Sherring

Moments before calling, The Delta Riggs frontman Elliot Hammond shared a sauna with Steve Kilbey, lead singer-songwriter and bass guitarist from The Church, where they talked about their upcoming performances at Queenscliff Music Festival later this year. If that wasn’t enough coincidence, whilst touring London the band hung out with Kilbey’s daughters, who formed a pop band called Say Lou Lou. It seems all signs are pointing towards The Delta Riggs’ performance at the festival in November. With the rigorous touring of the band, by the time QMF comes around they would have well and truly perfected their live set.

“Since we’ve been over in Europe playing every night we’ve definitely stepped it up a notch in terms of intensity and the urgency of the set. Because when you’re playing every night you can really hone it in,” he says.

That’s not to say their live performance isn’t already impressive, as Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page was impressed with the band when he saw them perform in London.

“He really liked a few different songs of ours and then we really got stuck in talking for about 20 minutes about English motoring – MGs versus jaguars. I’ve never owned either of those cars and only driven one, but I didn’t let on that I wasn’t as uninformed as him,” Elliot says.

“Jimmy was just a super nice guy.

It was like you were hanging out with your friend’s uncle or something like that. It didn’t feel like Jimmy Page. Like this dude was just having a beer and was really keen to have a chat, and it wasn’t like we were pestering or anything like that.”

While the band looks up to Led Zeppelin, Elliot has found a huge source of inspiration in South African band Die Antwoord, who inspires him far beyond just their unique musical abilities.

“People like Jay Z and Kanye have thousand dollar budgets and Die Antwoord probably have a quarter of that but they make the cheapest shit with their own hands and come off better,” he says. “It just goes to show that whatever you’ve got going on in your brain can be more powerful than

a whole bunch of money if you just know how to execute it properly.”

And The Delta Riggs certainly know how to execute on a budget, as most of their illustrations are done in-house by drummer Simon McConnell. They’re also ridiculously efficient at recording, as they knocked out Dipz Zebazios in just three days.

“So much of what we’re trying to catch is in the moment, like taking a photo. Sometimes you’ve got to take a photo and put it in Photoshop and edit it. I feel like once you do that it loses its natural ugliness that makes it beautiful,” Elliot says. “If you do it the way we do it you fully capture a moment, which is a huge part of what we’re about. Sometimes songs will take us longer to do than others, but we definitely have that punk ethos in that regard.”

Compared to their last record Hex.Lover.Killer which was dark and moody, Dipz Zebazios is far more accessible, and as Elliot says, the kind of music you’d chuck on before a big Friday night out. Either way, their set at QMF is bound to go down a treat.

based off friends or people you know?

I love the challenge of creating new characters. Sometimes the costume comes first, sometimes it’s the voice or it might be someone I’ve met who’s left a strong impression on me and inspired me to base a persona around them.

A lot of people probably don’t realise how important the role of the MC is, why do you think it’s important?

The ball must be kept in the air. A show like the Gangsters’ Ball is a long event, there’s so much going on, so many performers and over a thousand people who’ve paid good money for their tickets and deserve to have the time of their lives! The MC has to set the scene, help people to know what’s going on, keep them laughing and energised. Also, no performer wants to come on stage to a bored and confused audience looking at them blankly! No way - the MC has to build the hype for each entertainer, keep the stage warm and the applause rapturous!!

You’ll be MCing at the Gangster’s Ball in a few months and that’s a show you’ve done before, what is it about the show that has you coming back?

There’s no other show like it in

Australia - The Gangsters’ Ball is a faithful recreation of a 1920’s speak-easy, every show features one of Australia’s best Swing Bands, Swing/Rock ‘n’ Roll DJ’s, The Gambling Den - with Poker, Roulette and Black Jack tables, Pin-up models, merchandise stalls, cocktail bars, vintage styling parlour, photo booth, PLUS over four hours on non stop entertainment featuring some of the biggest names in Cabaret, Comedy, Sideshow Vaudeville, Burlesque, Magic, and Illusion. It is epic!

What’s the general vibe like on the night?

The vibe is awesome - everyone dressed to the nine’s - colours, feathers, pinstripes, hats, boas, glitz and glamour. People look forward to the night all year - they arrive ebullient and ready to celebrate and indulge.

Thanks again for having the chat with us, is there anything you’d like to add before we finish up?

The Gangsters’ Ball has sold out for the past few years, so wrangle a group of friends, book your tickets and come for the ride with us

When&Where: Queenscliff Music Festival – November 28, 29 & 30

Aurora Kurth Q&A

Lacey corsets, body contortionists, circus tricks and top hats sounds like descriptions of scenes in a movie, but they’re a firm reality at the Gangsters’ Ball.

Forte had a chat to MC extraordinaire, Aurora Kurth, ahead of the event.

Hi Aurora, thanks for taking the time to chat to us.

How are you and what are you up to at the moment?

Great to be chatting with you, I’m feeling pretty good at the moment! I’ve just finished touring the country for a month with a killer show and now I’m back in chilly Melbourne getting ready for the Gangsters’ Ball. New costume.

New character. Good times! I’ll be unleashing Kitty Ka-Bang on the audience this year and I really can’t wait to see what she gets up to.

We saw you MC under a few different characters, like Hoxie Tucker the sassy Texan, how do you get into character before a show?

Does the costume play a key role in this?

Yes, once I put the costume on backstage, the character has arrived and that’s who I am for the rest of the night. Backstage at the Gangsters’ Ball is just as fun as being on stage - there’s some big personalities behind the curtain, although between the hair spray and the glitter it can be tricky to make out the faces, the conversations are animated and the tales are tall.

How do you actually create a character? Are they

When&Where: The Gangster’s Ball, Forum Theatre – September 13

Jason Whalley Written by Zach Broadhurst

It’s a setting we are not used to seeing him in, but Frenzal Rhomb frontman Jason Whalley will be taking the stage solo over the coming months armed with little more than an acoustic guitar and his famous wit.

“It’s fucking terrifying, but it’s one of those divingboard moments where you go ‘Oh god, I’m going to do it, I’m doing it! JUMP!’ explains Whalley. “I’ve always relied on having very talented people around me to do all the hard bits, so this is a very stripped-back version of it and it’s scary. I’ve done one show and it was kind of cool, so I’m going to do more – even if I have to go upstairs afterwards to the hotel room and cry myself to sleep after the shows, so be it.”

When you’re accustomed to taking the stage with a whole band, the thought of having to go up there alone can be a nerve-racking thought for even the most confident musicians, especially when it comes to the fear of stuffing up.

“Normally if there is a fuck up you always have someone to blame, but with this if you fuck up then you fuck up. You’ve got no one else,” says Whalley. “I guess it’s like public speaking. I suffer from nerves anyway with the band, even though we’ve done thousands of shows, so this is a bit of a personal challenge.”

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With new Frenzal Rhomb material still a little while away, Whalley reveals there are a few reasons behind wanting to get out there and take on the challenge of playing these shows.

“I just want to make heaps and heaps of money,” jokes Whalley. “It’s going to take a while before we record the next Frenzal record, so I feel like I need to give these songs another life in a way, just to keep them fresh for me and interesting, and I can work out the different ways of playing them and see what works and what doesn’t.”

This string of solo shows is going to be somewhat of an interactive experience for the audience, with Whalley planning to tell a few jokes and take some questions from the audience in his own version of a Q&A. “There will be plenty of Q’s but no A’s. You can ask as many questions as you want, but whether or not I’m going to answer them is a whole other thing,” laughs Whalley. “I have done shows a couple of times with my wife as a duo and it’s pretty interactive.

“All the rooms I’m playing are really small and it’s just me and

When&Where: The Karova, Ballarat – August 22 & The Old Bar, Melbourne – August 23

a few people, so I have to deal with hecklers on my own.”

For those fans hanging out for the next Frenzal Rhomb album the wait is growing shorter, with Whalley declaring the band will be

recording within the next year, while also revealing an exciting upcoming show.

“I’m not sure if it’s been announced yet, but we are doing a show with NOFX when they come out – and that’s in Darwin,” says Whalley. “But we are just trying to

concentrate on finishing the record.

I think we have been pencilled in for May of next year to go and record, so it always feels like a long way off. But we have more writing to do, and it will happen.”

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DENNY'S KTICHEN

paul hogan

“There is always something that helps young artists breakthrough, whether that’s somebody lending them some gear or recording time. For me it was recording time, and from there things seemed to snowball.” pg.31

“...we just want people to walk away and say, ‘Wow, that was a great place worth the refit and the staff are very friendly and what a great experience to be had’.” pg.36

“We had standing ovations, but more importantly no one goes home at interval.

So everyone stays for the second half, so that’s all you want. That and laughter.” pg.43

the best source for local music & entertainment news | ba ll a r at | bell a rine | Bendigo | ca stlem a ine | geelong | surf coa st | wa rrn a mbool

MIFF at GPAC 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.”

Fellow Bluejuician Stavros Yiannoukas chipped in: “It’s over. We’re going on a farewell tour. Maybe we might sneak in a festival show … There are a lot of chances to see us before the end of the year.” Their farewell single is titled ‘I’ll Go Crazy’ and was produced by Dann Hume. The album, meanwhile, is Retrospectable. Bluejuice formed in 2001. In 2007 they received the Australian Music Prize Red Bull Award for Outstanding Potential. They released their debut album Problems in 2007. The Barwon Club, Geelong – October 12.

Melbourne International Film Festival will be touring Regional Victoria for the first time in six years this September, showcasing Australian films with a string of weekend programs – including Kriv Stenders' Kill Me Three Times starring Simon Pegg. pg.33

The Rise of Hip Hop REMINDER: You may recall hearing the story of Melbourne-based photographer Michelle Grace Hunder who, a couple of years ago, began shooting portraits of Melbourne hip hop artists in order to strengthen her portrait work. With her book RISE now a reality, Michelle has rounded up a bunch of mates for a few shows around the country. Friends include Mantra, Briggs, Dylan Joel and Mistress of Ceremony (pictured), along with DJs Jaytee, Flagrant and Sensible J. The Karova, Ballarat – August 28.

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The Younger Hendrix Who is Leon Hendrix you may ask? He’s just Jimi Hendrix’s little bro that’s all, who just so happens to be doing his first Australian tour in a few months with a one-off show in Corio. In honour of his brothers memory, Leon is keeping the family legacy alive by sharing the Hendrix brand of music to Australian fans for the first time. Touring alongside Leon is Grammy Award winning guitarist Micki Free, who was famously discovered by Gene Simmons. Micki’s toured with the likes of KISS, The Rolling Stones and Santana and is now adding Leon’s band to his impressive list. When & Where: The Gateway Hotel, Corio - October 10

Metal Slam We’ve come to know Bendigo’s Music Man Megastore pretty well thanks to their Music Slam events (among their fine array of other gigs). Now they’re serving up a real treat for those that love their music a little heavier and a little louder. Metal Slam is coming your way in early September with hopes to make it a biannual event. And they’re certainly not doing things by halves, with over 30 bands set to perform across four days! Festivities kick off on Thursday, September 4 with The Creppter Children, Death

by Six, Valleys of Vermont, Headless, ChuggWagon and Morth. The Friday night welcomes I Am Duckeye, Toxicon, Path of Destruction, Feast of Crows, A Modern Death, At Seas End and Ergasia.

Saturday is the biggest of the lot with Dreadnaught (pictured), Audemia, Wounded Pig, The Hazard Circular, Eyes Wide Open, Chase the Ace, Temtris, King of England, Vendetta, Evilution, Sapphira’s Wall, Necron 99 and Epimetheus. If you have anything left in the tank, Sunday winds things up with Acid Nymphs, Abraxxas, The Weight of Silence, AtMostFear, Requiem, Flesh of the Earth, The Nuremberg Code, Daywaster and Everlock. Thursday and Friday night kick off at 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday doors open at 2 p.m. Entry is $10, except Saturday which will cost you only a few dollars more at $15.

Patrick James Walks the Line Originally from Port Macquarie, Patrick James moved to Sydney to carve out a career in music.

Described as a mix of Ryan Adams and James Taylor, 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 28 forte

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Louise. He also sold out a headlining tour last year.

On the release side of things, Patrick has released the EP Broken Lines in what has proven to be a busy spell for the lad. He recently premiered a clip for single ‘Message’ on Rolling Stone Australia and turned to Twitter for a little Q&A session. (The Q&A should be available to read online.) Broken Lines is his sophomore EP – All About to Change was his debut – and was produced by Wayne Connolly (You Am I, Josh Pyke). Among those who tipped their hats to the release was The AU Review’s Gemma Bastiani, who wrote: “Patrick James follows a well-established formula of instrumental builds and breaks, but has the remarkable ability to make it sound fresh.

Yes there are spectacular harmonies, yes there is a banjo, but purely describing Patrick James as an ‘indie folk artist’ doesn’t quite do him or his music justice.” Expect to hear James’ name a lot more in the future, and expect him to become a lot busier. Get in now. Beav’s Bar, Geelong – August 29.

First Annual Ferragosto Festival If you love your Italian food you’re going to love this. Presented by Apra Productions, the first annual Ferragosto Festival serves up four amazing Italian courses and five hours of live entertainment.

Ferragosto is an Italian and Sammarinese public holiday celebrated on August 15. Although technically running from August 15 through September 1, other than the national holiday on the 15th, it is left up to everyone else how they want to spend the period. As it marks the beginning of the summer holiday period, parts of Italy become virtual ghost towns due to people packing up and holidaying. Anywho, back to local celebrations.

Entertainment for the day will be Tony Pantano.

The Mondo Music Italian Merchandise Stall will also be coming from Melbourne. Bowl-a-Rama, Geelong – August 24.

Icehouse’s Platinum Series There remains a whole lot of love for the band that has given us such songs as ‘Electric Blue’, ‘Hey Little Girl’, ‘Crazy’, ‘Great Southern Land’, ‘My Obsession’ and ‘Man of Colours’. With their White Heat: 30 Hits compilation reaching Platinum status, Icehouse figured they would return the love by announcing a string of shows. Frontman Iva Davies: “Live is where we get to really know our fans better. The band members love mixing up the sizes of the venues and the performances

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No Lie, it’s NOFX It has been a long enough absence for NOFX. They have missed the punk spirit of Australia, and we have sure as hell missed them. So it’s happening, kids; the band is returning for another run of shows that will leave you hot, sweaty and possibly without pants. The band has been doing their thing for a long time.

Long enough that many of Forte’s fine, good-looking readers would not have been born at the time they first strapped on their guitars. The year was 1983 – the year that gave us Return of the Jedi. But there were no Ewoks in this band. There were just a bunch of dudes that liked a thing or two about punk music. This will be the first time Aussie fans will get to hear 2012’s Self Entitled album and 2013’s EP Stoke Extinguisher live. Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads – November 18.

Beyond Your Wildest Lineup Dreams With Action Bronson, Peking Duk and The Preatures already announced for the new boutique camping festival, Beyond the Valley, we’d pretty much signed away on our credit card for tickets. Now seeing the additions to the lineup, we’re counting down the days until New Years Eve comes around. Added to the three already released are AlunaGeorge, Bag Raiders (pictured), Bakermat, Ball Park Music, Banoffee, Basenji, Claptone, Collarbones, Cosmos Midnight, Dillion Francis, Fractures, Friend Within, GANZ, Golden Features, GoldLink, HUSKY, HWLS, Kant, Kaytranada, Klo, Lurch & Chief, Midnight Juggernaughts, MØ, PleasureKraft, POND, RÜFÜS, Sinjin Hawke, Sylvan Esso, Thomas Jack, Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Willow Beats and Yumi Zouma. The festival will be held from December 30 - January 1 at Phillip Island. For more information about tickets and camping visit their website beyondthevalley.com.au.

River Rocks 2014 Hey, come over here.

Listen up. River Rocks is back again.

And it is back for its seventh outing. Yep, lucky number seven.

Though to be fair, each event has had music lovers feeling pretty lucky. It is not happening until November but we just couldn’t wait to tell you. It’s exciting for us, and we have no doubt at all it will be just as exciting for you. Lining up this year you have Tumbleweed (pictured), Kim Salmon & the Surrealists, Hits, Warped, Clowns, Nunchukka Superfly, Powerline Sneakers, Batpiss, Sun God Replica, Blacklist, The Vee Bees, The Ruiner, Bodies, Bruce, The Dukes of Deliciousness, Grindhouse, La Bastard and Orb. From Melbourne to Morocco, you would be unlikely to find anyone who hasn’t heard of Tumbleweed. Okay, so that is probably a wee exaggeration, but there is little doubt that the sounds of these Wollongong lads have reached places far and wide. They have been kicking it around the traps since 1990, taking the odd break here and there, but still rocking with the enthusiasm of those half their age. The Barwon Club, Geelong is your venue. Saturday, November 15 is the date. Tickets are currently available through Oztix. River Rocks is presented by Mountain Goat, Forte, Music Workshop and The Barwon Club. so the Platinum Series gives us a chance to get around the country, play the songs everyone wants to sing along to and to throw in a few surprises.” Regent Theatre, Ballarat – September 5. Icehouse formed as Flowers in 1977. Davies remains the sole remaining founding member.

One Cool Cat If Dave Grohl can swap a pair of sticks for a guitar, By Jove anyone can. Born and raised in Melbourne, Cat Canteri found a music life as the singer-songwriter and drummer for The Stillsons.

The Stillsons formed in 2006 to find a warm place within the contemporary roots scene; their third album, Never Go Your

Way, was voted ‘Country Album of 2013’ in the Rhythms reader’s poll.

2014, however, became a year of change when Cat swapped the drums for a guitar. Throwing out a few invites, Cat was able to persuade a handful of Melbourne’s finest to help her, including Megan Bernard on guitar and vocals, Scott Zimmer (The Bastard Children) on drums, Daniel Hobson on bass and Justin Bernasconi (The Stillsons) on guitar.

Ararat Live – September 19 & Wolseley Wines, Torquay – October 19.

Disco Jive, Baby Quick bite: Sugar Fed Leopards is the band too hot to touch. They’ll keep you dancing all night long, and make your morning

one of fuzzy memories.

So who are they? They are Sugar Breath, Limona Squeeze, Carriemella Koala, Kitty Kat, Gum Powder Gray and Davide Dolce, and together they fit snugly in the sequinned space between disco and soul. The Bridge, Castlemaine – August 29.

Listen Like Thieves Having enjoyed a nice little run with Dead Letter Circus, Brisbane-based Like Thieves hit the road at the beginning of the month after polishing up their skills a little. And they had a little polishing to do, with the release of their sophomore EP, Autumn’s Twilight, last month. Even cooler, they’re welcoming a

Dancing with the Beautiful Girls Dancehall Days is the new album from The Beautiful Girls, and in its release one question needs to be asked: How does it compare to Wang Chung’s glorious ‘Dance Hall Days’? Time shall tell, boys and girls, time shall tell. Mat McHugh, one of the talented souls of The Beautiful Girls, has taken to PledgeMusic to help fund the new release. In recent times he has been releasing music under his own name; however, his new collection of songs brought out an old friend. Mat: “I started writing the next album with the intention of it being a Mat McHugh album but the songs started taking on a life and sound of their own. When I stood back from them I was able to see that I was being steered into a particular direction. They all sounded like ‘The Beautiful Girls’.

It’s hard to explain it but I know it when I hear it.

Spooky, dubby, digital dancehalltinged, rootsy, punky, reggae music mashed up with some mellow acoustic sea songs. It is in that light, and with great excitement, I would like to announce that we are about to start recording a new Beautiful Girls album.” The album is due early October. Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads – October 25.

There is still time to pledge, if that is your kind of thing. local band to open each date, with heavy riffers The Soulenikoes getting the honours in G-Town.

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

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Talk About Massive

The Mirth of Meredith Okay folks, straight to it. 2014’s Meredith Music Festival will deliver the most wonderful talents of The War on Drugs, Ty Segall, De La Soul, Mark Lanegan, Augie March, Cloud Nothings, The Lemonheads, Ghostface Killah (pictured), James Holden, Vakula, Sleep, The Skatalites, Mia Dyson, Painters and Dockers, the Hard-Ons, Phosphorescent, The Bombay Royale, Factory Floor, Tiny Ruins, The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra, Blank Realm, Misty Nights, Teeth & Tongue, Marlon Williams and local DJ, Dr Phil Smith. And don’t forget about those Meredith sideshows. They will be sure to follow. The next round of ballots will be issued Thursday, August 21. Supernatural Amphitheatre – December 12, 13 & 14.

In mid-2012 a new force in rock was unleashed on the world. The ground did tremor, the thunder did strike. And like a virus, it spread quickly.

The band was Massive, and within six months of their formation they were showcasing gigs in Los Angeles. With the bio description of a “volatile macho-rock engine fuelled on adrenaline, lager and a determination to party hard”, the band’s debut album was a shot in the arm of rock. It’s called Full Throttle, and for those yet to get their hands on it, thanks to a worldwide release it has now been released in a revamped edition featuring four bonus tracks.

Music Man Megastore, Bendigo – August 22; The Barwon Club, Geelong – August 30; The Sound Bar, Werribee – September 5; and The Loft, Warrnambool – September 6.

Cue the Violins

The Mane Event Three million Australians are living with depression or anxiety. It is a heartbreaking figure indeed. It is also something not always understood. We know the fine work beyondblue does in order to combat not only the fallacies around depression and anxiety, but in working to reduce their impact. Next month beyondblue teams up with Lions Club, Music Workshop, Forte and The Barwon Club for The Mane Event, a solid day and night of tunes where entertainment, education and fundraising get an equal billing. The inaugural event will welcome over 20 Australian acts who will perform across three stages. In awesome news, Painters and Dockers will perform at the event, marking their first Geelong performance in 20 years. Painters and Dockers formed out of Melbourne in 1982. The band’s third album, 1988’s Kiss My Art, spawned four singles – ‘Nude School’, ‘Die Yuppie Die’, ‘Love on Your Breath’ and ‘Safe Sex’. The first two achieved Top 50 success. Bob Log III, Mick Thomas and Nick Barker are also among those set to perform. All profits raised from the day will be donated to beyondblue.

The Mane Event takes place at The Barwon Club, Geelong on Saturday, October 11 from 12-midday to 1 a.m. Tickets are currently available through Oztix.

Get in early for this one.

Have you been wondering what that fella formerly of The Middle East has been up to? You know the one, Jordan Ireland.

Well, he has been baring his musical soul in Stolen Violin. As Stolen Violin, Jordan released his debut album Temperate Touch, Tropical Tears last year.

Jordan rounded up good friend Jake Core and Machine Gun Translations’ J Walker for the album, taking to an eight-track cassette in a suburban Melbourne shed for the release. Literati Co.’s Ryan Frazer: “… if you want to hear some simple, honest, Australian indie-folk, then go to your quiet place and give Stolen Violin a very good listen.” Stolen Violin will wind up his latest run of shows with a date at The Bridge, Castlemaine on August 24. A new album is expected in 2015, so new tunes aren’t out of the question.

Step Right Up Step right up to the greatest show on Earth. If you

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think circuses are daggy, then you had better think again. Born in 1978, Circus Oz is one of the coolest nights out you could have. From New York to South American rainforests, Madrid to outback Australia, this rock ’n’ roll circus has played out to countless people.

With a strong belief in tolerance, diversity and human kindness, Circus Oz has for many years engaged in issues associated with social justice and a good time for all, raising close to $400,000 in support of refugees and asylum seekers. And they do this while serving up an unforgettable night of breathtaking stunts, irreverent humour, cracking live music and an all human ensemble. GPAC, Geelong – September 4 through September 6.

It’s More Than a Game There are few things people will defend (or turn on) more vehemently than their footy team. It is a game where one invests so much emotion. It is a game where the highest of highs and lowest of lows can occur between the opening bounce and final siren. The Club is a satirical play by Australia’s master playwright David Williamson that examines the fortunes of an Australian rules football club over the course of a season. Inspired by the backroom dealings and antics of the Collingwood footy team, The Club was first staged by the Melbourne Theatre Company in 1977.

Locally it broke box office records, before touring Germany, the US and the UK. A film version was produced in 1980. The Club is heading Geelong way for an extensive run just in time for the finals.

GPAC – September 5 through September 20.

Safety Hazard Local guns The Hazard Circular stop by The Karova for a date filled with the heavy stuff on August 29. The band formed out of Ballarat in 2011

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through similar musical and lyrical genres. This like-minded beginning has forged a diverse metal sound that challenges both the progressive and atmospheric ear. Since stepping out into the world they have supported The Ocean, Frankenbok, Circles and King Parrot among others. Last year saw the release of their debut self-titled EP. Joining them at their Karova gig will be Whoretopsy and Earth Rot. Coming out of Melbourne, Whoretopsy plays a sickening brand of death metal. They have twice performed at Jakarta’s Hammersonic Festival.

Earth Rot will head across from Perth for the gig to showcase their new album Follow the Black Smoke.

Wombat Forestcare Benefit Quick bite: An afternoon of entertainment for a great cause is in store at the end of the month for those in the Hepburn Springs area. Hepburn Hotel 2014 Talent Quest winners Hallway Jam Band, The Brass Jungle, The Safari Suits and alt-country outfit Scurvy will team up for an afternoon of variety entertainment to support the protectors of the Wombat Forest. Old Hepburn Hotel, Hepburn Springs – August 31.

SWHAT, You Say Another night at Ballarat’s Karova will feature a local flavour with SWHAT fronting up on August 30. Drawing on musical influences such as Bad Brains and Hot Snakes, SWHAT takes great pride in their aggressive rockinfused punk. Towards the end of last year the band released their debut album Down in Tango Zulu, and its sounds reached Hampshire, UK DIY zine issuepunkzine.

They wrote: “This band sound wonderfully old school punk – I really can’t tell what a joy it is to be playing the songs for the umpteenth time.

I am reminded just how rewarding it is to be a zine ed, when I get treated to experience such talent.

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One day they might come to the UK, I will do my level best to go to as many of their shows as is humanly possible.” * Note: SWHAT also plays The Bridge, Castlemaine on September 13.

The Heroic Dune Rats They have already sold out one national tour this year and in doing so developed a taste for it. So, punksters Dune Rats have decided to head out for another round of shows. They do this for love of their fans. They do this because they dig playing music. And they probably do this because drinks taste better on the road. Oh yeah, they also have new single ‘Superman’ to show off. According to the band, the single is about “the deadset legends – the chicks and the fellas, the mad dog of every crew, those at every show, crowd surfing”. This is indeed a band for the people. The Barwon Club, Geelong – September 26. The band’s self-titled debut album is out now. It has been a big year for the lads, which also includes tours of the US, Europe and South Africa.

Even More Barnsey One of Australia’s greatest, Jimmy Barnes, is heading out for a lengthy tour to mark three decades in the solo game. As well as the tour, Barnsey has released the album 30/30 Anniversary, a compilation featuring fifteen of his biggest hits as collaborations with artists including Keith Urban, John Farnham, Bernard Fanning, Journey, Steven Van Zandt, Shihad, Tina Arena, Baby Animals and Jon Stevens. The man with ‘that’ voice has already lined up a date at Mt Duneed Estate (formerly The Hill), Geelong on November 15 as part of A Day on the Green. For that occasion he will be joined by The Living End, Baby Animals, Troy Cassar-Daley and Mahalia Barnes & The Soul Mates. However, further dates have been added including The Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool on November 14.

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SURF COA ST

The SPAT Written By Daniel Waight

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Playing gigs and recording music aren’t always the be-all and end-all for a band. Some musicians just want to muck around and have a bit of fun with their mates. Aireys Inlet band The SPAT has precisely this attitude. The band consists of two couples – lead guitarist Paul Plecic and his wife, Anna, on drums, and Sharon Caon on rhythm and vocals and her husband, Tony, on bass – who says none of them ever really set out to create a band. It just happened.

“We were at the pub one day at a party and said, ‘Let’s go back and have a bang on the drums and get some guitars – Anna, you can be our drummer’. She’d never drummed before.

So then she just started drumming and she could actually drum, so then that’s when we started the band. We’ve got the name SPAT – Sharon, Paul, Anna and Tony. It’s a bit of a pisstake on ABBA I suppose, because we’re two couples.”

While Paul has been playing in bands since he was a teenager, Tony says this is a first for the rest of them.

“Sharon has been musical most of her life, but has never really played in a band, while Tony and Anna are still very much newbies to the music scene.

So it’s never too late,” Tony says.

The SPAT is mainly a cover band, playing songs from a broad range of artists – from Iggy Pop to Foster the People and Cyndi Lauper. From being a regular garage band, they have gradually started to play the occasional gig at parties. Tony says he hopes they may build up to other kinds of gigs in the future, but it’s not a priority. “I hope we can just get over that shyness I suppose.”

But just playing at the occasional party has not diluted the rockstar experience, with one of their recent sets shut down by the police. “I think we started a bit late on that one,” Tony says. “The guy whose party it was kind of freaked out a bit, like ‘The cops are here, they’re going to fine me’. But we just started up again a couple of hours later, to finish off our set.”

As in any band, each of the four brings different strengths to the group, but they also share many similarities and work well together. “Paul loves to be loud with ‘face-shredding’ guitar solos and that sort of stuff,” Tony says. “Anna and I in the rhythm section – we just try to be solid I suppose. Sharon does a lot of the working out song structures and stuff.

“I think we’ve all got very similar music tastes. And I think when people bring different songs and different influences to a group, sometimes they don’t fly. But more often than not we’ll get a new song and go, ‘Wow, great, let’s do that’. So it’s collaborative.”

They are occasionally joined by locals Chris Brick and Dave Bourke on percussion and banjo and ukulele respectively. This just adds to the atmosphere of fun, which is all that SPAT is really looking for at the moment.

“You can have the shittiest day at work and then go and have a jam. It’s fantastic,” Tony says. “We just love the fun feeling of doing that. That’s really why we did it. We didn’t do it to play in public. We’re two couples just having fun.”

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QMF Gets an International Flavour Well, the Queenscliff Music Festival is already looking pretty good. Actually, it is looking most excellent – and that is just due to the awesome Aussie talent on offer. Now five international gems join the line-up. Compared to Bob Marley by the Huffington Post, Nahko and Medicine for the People (pictured) will do their thing. New Orleans outfit Hurray for the Riff Raff will be here as well.

Soulful country blues songbird Kristy Lee will be checking in from Alabama. Toronto trio Elliott Brood, yep, they’ll be coming. Finally, Hayward Williams will take in a show, with a little help from South Aussie duo The Yearlings. As you can see things are just getting better and better and better.

Make sure you get in before tickets increase on September 1. QMF takes place from November 28 through November 30.

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The Music Box, upstairs at Beneded, is inviting all local Bands, Performers, DJ’s and anyone interested in playing at, or putting on a special event or function. Get in touch with Justin the Bended events manager call 0408 892 287 or email secretagent@bended.com.au

To Have & To Hold 2013 was the year when things really came together for Melbourne’s indieinfluenced punk outfit Have/Hold. Sporting their most active, driven and focused line-up, the band played their first gig. They also released their debut 7” single ‘Song for Bill of the Trains/Dexamphetamine Blues’, which not only scored them healthy airplay but also landed them on Blunt Magazine’s ‘Top 20 Bands to Watch in 2014’ list. It would seem plenty of people were watching, as 2014 has seen the band venture interstate and land shows with the likes of La Dispute, Balance and Composure and Lemuria. At the end of last month the band finally coughed up the goods of their debut EP, Calm Your Blood. Check it out.

Music Man Megastore, Bendigo – August 29.

Whoa, it’s Mikelangelo He has appeared at major music and art festivals including Sziget Festival (Hungary), the Melbourne International Festival, Mona Foma, the Sydney Opera House concert hall and The Famous Spiegeltent at

the Edinburgh Festival (UK). He has led the shiny Mikelangelo and The Tin Star. He is one half of the glowing Mikelangelo and Saint Clare. He leads the dapper Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen.

He gets around, that Mikelangelo guy, but we love him for it. He has also released 11 independent albums and is currently working on number 12, a solo pop release about his adopted home of Melbourne. If that wasn’t enough, Mikelangelo, along with his Gentlemen, is filming a pilot for a TV series. The Bridge, Castlemaine – August 23.

What’s Up, Doc? Biddy O’Loughlin brings her acclaimed play Funny Rabbit to The Bridge, Castlemaine on August 28. Funny Rabbit is a ‘one-rabbit’ play about Bill, an existential pest who becomes a stand-up comedian. Bill isn’t your typical rabbit, however – unless your typical rabbit wears an AC/DC t-shirt, is pretty lax when it comes to swearing and has a black sense of humour. The idea for the play actually came when Biddy was performing stand-up at the Edinburgh Fringe years ago. When someone

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told her that she looked like a frightened rabbit in headlights, the seed for the play was planted. Let Biddy seduce you into the world of Bill like a rockstar seduces a groupie, leaving you to ponder whether there is more to the life of these fluffy little creatures than you first thought.

back!” La Trobe University, Bendigo – September 9; Federation University, Ballarat – September 10; The Whalers Hotel, Warrnambool – September 11; and Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads – September 12.

Loathing the Creation

The Festival of Slow Music kicks off in Ballarat shortly and if you are not familiar with it, we’re here to give you an idea. Artistic Director Adam Simmons created the festival as an opportunity for people to experience music of all genres in intimate spaces, as well as to learn a little more about those who create the music. Over twenty concerts will take place across the main festival weekend, including performances

by Alessandra Garosi, Paul Grabowsky, Tony Gould, Brian Ritchie and Hello Satellites. Simmons: “I want to create an annual festival where people can take time to listen and engage with the music and the artists, where new collaborations can grow, and where people will experience the ability that music has to refresh, inspire and astonish.” August 23 through August 31. There is so much more happening so make sure you hit up festivalofslowmusic.com.

Loathing the Creation is a hard-hitting tour that brings together Abolishment of Flesh (USA), Tortured, Carnal (NZ), Horrendous Disfigurement (NZ) and Bane of Bedlam. Hailing from the High Plains of West Texas, Abolishment of Flesh was formed in 2008

by Ramon Cazares. In 2012 the band released the EP Decimation and performed as part of the Brutal Alliance Tour. The band would once again headline the event in 2013, which by then had grown into a five-week tour. Also taking place in 2013 was the release of their sophomore album, Creation to Extinction. According to their Facebook page, Abolishment of Flesh is a “concept of how we as humans are our own enemies and will be the eventual cause of our own demise”. The Barwon Club, Geelong – September 20.

Paving the Way Attention All Music Lovers in Geelong!

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On August 29 celestial Australian folk artist Celia Pavey will release her longawaited EP, Bodies. The EP features collaborations with Tim Hart and Jake Stone. There is a chance you may be familiar with Celia thanks to The Voice.

If not, now is as good a time as any to acquaint yourself with the songbird. On the EP’s first single, ‘Red’, Celia says: “It was a really quick decision to include Red on the EP, but Eric really liked it and I suppose it’s a very honest song. I’m a very honest person so I like to write about real things that are happening in my life rather than make up stories. I write a lot about the people in my life. Most of my songs are about love or the habits people share.”

The EP also features a cover of the Bat for Lashes track ‘Laura’. Torquay Hotel, Torquay – September 14.

Illy Goes Regional With a Groovin’ the Moo run and an outing at triple j’s One Night Stand behind him this year, not to mention his date with Splendour in the Grass, Illy is looking towards some smaller venues to help see out the year. The run of dates pays particular attention to his 2013 album Cinematic, an effort recorded with M-Phazes and his first to debut in the Top 10. This is what Illy had to say to his fans via Facebook: “So as promised, here’s the 2nd round of tour dates for the Cinematic regional tour. VICTORIA, you’re up. Been ages since I’ve played some of these spots so I’m psyched to get

Festival of Slow Music

A Nice Warm Scarf Quick bite: The 2014 edition of the Scarf Festival wraps up in a couple of weeks so if you haven’t had the chance to make your way across to the National Wool Museum in Geelong I suggest you do so now. The theme for this year’s event has been ‘Divinely Wicked or Devilishly Good?’ Many of the amazing creations are available for purchase. The festival ends September 7.

The Right Brand Quick bite: Adam Brand has been tipping his hat to country for more than 15 years now, over which time he has released ten albums and even more singles. He is also known as one of the good guys; a down to earth fella. This is certainly backed up by the fact Brand won the public-voted CMC ‘Oz Artist of the Year’ award five years in a row. My Side of the Street is his latest release. Gateway Hotel, Corio – September 6.

Can I Have Another …Piece of chocolate cake?

No cake, but plenty more gigs. Residual are at Beav’s Bar, Geelong on August 28. Áine Tyrrell has a date with Harvester Moon, Bellarine on August 29. Liz Stringer has Cimarron B&B, Aireys Inlet in her sights on August 30. The Junes hit Lot 19, Castlemaine on August 30. The Kite String Tangle sets up shop at Star Bar, Bendigo on September 4.

Aimee Francis and Steve Saxton have a double date at Babushka, Ballarat on August 23 & August 24.

Livingstone Daisies check into the Old Hepburn Hotel, Hepburn Springs on August 22. Rose Bygrave and Marcia Howard team up for a gig at Martians Café, Deans Marsh on August 22.

Written by Tex Miller

When you sit down to think about it, there are so many classic songs about Melbourne. From Paul Kelly’s ‘From St Kilda to Kings Cross’ to ‘The Boy Who Lost His Jocks on Flinders Street Station’, it’s no wonder that 4.5 million people choose to call it home.

From the MCG to Federation Square, it is a very inspiring place, and the Bank of Melbourne is on the lookout for the next big thing courtesy of the Melbourne Music Bank. You may have read in the last issue about the competition – and I hope for your sake you are tuning up your guitar and starting to write because entries close on September 7.

In 1996, Ella Hooper (now a renowned Australian songstress and media personality) broke into the Australian music scene with her band Killing Heidi and the track ‘Kettle’ after winning triple j Unearthed. As the ambassador for this year’s competition, Hooper feels that this is a great opportunity for

unsigned bands to get their name out there.

“There is always something that helps young artists breakthrough, whether that’s somebody lending them some gear or recording time. For me it was recording time, and from there things seemed to snowball.”

At the time of writing ‘Kettle’, Hooper didn’t have any thoughts about where the song would eventually take the band.

Reflector, the debut album for the band, is seen as a classic Australian rock album that was released in 2000. “We knew that Kettle was a special song, yet we didn’t think that it would connect as much as it did. From there, things really took off and we got to work with Paul Kosky who has worked with Crowded House and Rage Against the Machine, which was an amazing experience.

We are lucky for that exposure opportunity, and it’s great to be given the opportunity to do the same for someone else.”

The prizes for taking out the Melbourne Music Bank this year are absolutely massive and include a few opportunities that you otherwise wouldn’t get.

“These days you are really

lucky to record in Sing Sing if you are signed to a major label or save up a lot of money. This just puts you right there. It’s a great experience to work in a big recording studio, it teaches you a lot.”

The rewards don’t stop there, though. You get a film clip by Wilk, live gigs, PR advice, album artwork and 500 copies

of your own CD, as well as your song featured in a Bank of Melbourne advert. With no age or genre limitations, what are you waiting for?

If you’re a local singersongwriter just starting out and you think that penning a tune about Melbourne sounds fairly easy, ‘then do it’ is the main advice that Hooper

imparts. “Even if you don’t win, you get to be heard by a pretty cool panel of industry judges.

It’s a great opportunity for exposure and to get your tunes heard by people that you otherwise wouldn’t get the opportunity to.”

With a debut solo album In Tongues on the way, I’m sure this isn’t the last we will hear of Ella

Hooper in 2014. Looking forward to all of the entries, the winner will be announced at a showcase concert at the Recital Centre on October 29.

Until then, get writing to be in it to win it!

Competition: Entries close September 7 visit bankofmelbourne.com. au/melbmusicbank to enter.

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MIFF at GPAC LOCAL FEATURE STORY Written by Anthony Morris

Simon Pegg in Kill Me Three Times

It’s been six long years since the Melbourne International Film Festival (or MIFF) hit the road and toured regional Victoria, but in 2014 MIFF is spreading its wings. With the Victorian State Government having stumped up some extra cash, this year sees the MIFF Premiere Showcase getting out and about showcasing Australian films with a string of weekend programs – including one at Geelong’s GPAC September 12th to 14th.

MIFF Artistic Director Michelle Carey says, “We have been very lucky to receive state funding to get MIFF back out in the regions. It’s a big endeavour to mount, and we are grateful to have the resources to do this. I think it’s a great thing for these quality new Australian films to be able to tour while still fresh off the world premiere, with filmmakers present where possible.”

The focus with the Premiere Showcase is on films that MIFF has invested in, launched, or both. Says Carey, “The Legend Maker, Cut Snake, My Mistress, Electric Boogaloo and Paper Planes all had their word premiere at MIFF this year and this will be the first time many of them screen anywhere in Australia after MIFF.” While they’re all Australian films, the line-up over the three days of the Premiere Showcase is an eclectic one. “They are all very different – we have a sexy ’70s-set thriller (Cut Snake), a high-octane rural-set action-comedy (Kill Me Three Times), an irreverent documentary on some very irreverent film business guys (Electric Boogaloo), a sexy coming of age drama (My Mistress) and a low-budget character chamber piece (Legend Maker), as well as a beautiful teen drama from last year (Galore). It’s a terrific opportunity to see new Australian films as a special event.”

While not all of those films are screening as part

of the Geelong sessions at GPAC, the line-up of films that are is pretty impressive. The Showcase begins Friday, 12 September at 7:30 p.m. with Cut Snake. Director Tony Ayres returns to the big screen with his first feature since The Home Song Stories, a psychologically powered crime-thriller loosely based on Brisbane’s Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub blaze.

The year is 1973, and in an attempt to put his troubles behind him Sparra Farrell (Alex Russell) has taken his fiancée, Paula ( Jessica De Gouw), and moved to a brand new city. But when the brutal Pommie (Sullivan Stapleton) hunts him down, Sparra realises unless he defeats his past he may not have any future. “[Blake] Ayshford has written a sensational script which has a nail-biting, page-turning quality and yet has something original to say about the nature of love,” says Tony Ayres. “I’ve been passionate about making Cut Snake for many years now. For me, it’s the combination of it being a thriller and a relationship drama which makes it so exciting.”

The first film for Saturday is The Legend Maker (4.30 p.m.). Professional forger Alan Figg (Tony Nikolakopoulos) operates in a shady world of doublecrosses and shifting alliances. His business is providing people with new documents to give them new identities, and it’s a lucrative one: whoever you are, so

long as you have the money Figg can change your life.

But he’s not getting any younger, and with “The Croat” (short for Croatian) demanding Figg work exclusively for him, his business model may no longer be viable.

Based on the real-life story of a Russian forger and set firmly in inner-city Melbourne – Brunswick to be exact, a suburb not exactly unfamiliar with organised crime both fictionalised (Underbelly) and real – director/screenwriter Ian Pringle has crafted a taut, engrossing true crime tale that combines real tension with a look into the mechanics of the criminal underworld.

That’s followed by My Mistress at 8 p.m., in which AFI award-winning actor Harrison Gilbertson (most recently seen in Tim Winton’s The Turning) stars alongside acclaimed French actress Emmanuelle Béart in an unconventional and provocative love story.

Charlie (Gilbertson) is a vulnerable teenage romantic; Maggie (Beart) is an S&M mistress. His infatuation with her starts out as something harmless but swiftly escalates into something much more dangerous as director Stephen Lance’s first feature becomes a surprising look at love misplaced. Working with writer Gerard Lee (Sweetie), cinematographer Geoffrey Simpson (Shine), Oscar-nominated editor Jill Bilcock (Mental) and Oscar-winning costumer Angus Strathie (Moulin Rouge!), Lance has created an impressively bold and visually captivating debut.

The Sunday sessions kick off at 1.30 p.m. with Paper Planes. Twelve-year-old Dylan (Ed Oxenbould) lives with his father in the outback. One day at school Dylan discovers he is great at making and flying paper planes. While attempting to refine and develop his

newly realised ability, Dylan finds himself caught up in the world of competitive paper-plane making, leading to new friendships, new rivalries and new realisations about his own family. A tale of friendship, family, and construction paper from writer/director Robert Connolly (Tim Winton’s The Turning, MIFF 13), Paper Planes features a cast of Australia’s finest, including Sam Worthington, Deborah Mailman, David Wenham, and first-timer Ed Oxenbould.

The final film of Sunday and the Premiere Showcase as a whole is the Australian premiere of Kill Me Three Times (5 p.m.). Following the mammoth success of Red Dog, writer director Kriv Stenders takes us to a West Australian surfing town where a charismatic hitman (Shaun of the Dead’s Simon Pegg, cleverly cast against type) acts as the spark that ignites murder, blackmail and revenge.

Having been hired by a wealthy gent (Callan Mulvey) to ‘take care’ of his wife (Alice Braga), this black-clad killer gets down to business only to discover there’s more than one person after her. Throw in a gambling addict (Sullivan Stapleton), a small-town Lady Macbeth (Teresa Palmer) and a corrupt cop (Bryan Brown), and you’ve got the makings of a saga with more twists than a broken waterslide.

Touring Victoria from August through to the end of September, the MIFF Premiere Showcase starts off in Mildura from the 29th to 31st August, followed

by Bendigo (5th to 7th of September), with Sorrento the final stop after Geelong (from the 19th to the 21st of September). For more information on the Geelong sessions, visit gpac.org.au/miff, or call GPAC on 5225 1200

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Denny’s Kitchen Written by Amanda Sherring

There’s barely a person in the world that doesn’t seek comfort in the cheesy aromatic goodness of a pizza fresh out of a wood-fired oven. This is all part of the ethos behind the new Italian joint Denny’s Kitchen, formerly Black Sheep Café.

Head chef and venue manager, Dwayne Bourke, has been whipping up quality dishes for the café for around 18 months and been one of the main driving forces behind the venue’s new refit. He could see that there was a bit of an identity crisis and that the iconic venue of the National Wool Museum had room for growth.

“Six months in, I approached the directors and shared my opinion of

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the identity crisis with the business.

They’ve always had quality product and service and fair foot traffic, but it wasn’t on people’s dining radar. I wanted something that disassociated us from Lambys but still connected us to the building,” Dwayne says.

Italian was quickly brought up in discussion and Denny’s Kitchen was born a few months later after a much needed refit and carefully chosen menu.

Still, with aged wooden beams, rough stone and the rustic charm the heritage listed building is known for, Denny’s Kitchen has added the warmth of the Italian culture that was lacking before.

An assortment of pots, pans and cooking utensils hang above rows of delicious baked goods in the glass

display at the entrance. Scrawled along the brick walls in Italian are the phrases ‘Good Friends, Good Food, Good Times’. While it’s cocky, it’s still a fine outline of the dining experience to be had at this venue.

This is heavily aided as Italian is a highly favoured cuisine amongst diners. Denny’s Kitchen has gone back to Italian as it should be, with a strong focus on “peasant style” meals.

“We’re focusing on the peasant style dishes where you sit around the table and have all the platters and plates down the centre and you can pick and choose from what you like,” Dwayne says.

“We’ve got lots of big tables here, which work well for that. And that’s kind of what Italian food lends itself to.”

Denny’s has all the Italian classic covered, Osso Buco made with with beef, arancini balls, risotto and what seems to be a favourite amongst diners, the wood-fired pizzas and crab linguine. It may seem like everyone makes wood-fired pizzas these days but Denny’s has a point of difference.

Their wood oven was imported from Naples, Italy and is known to be from the world leaders in pizza ovens.

Rather than focusing on overcomplicated lengthy procedures, Italian is about letting the ingredients and the quality produce shine through in each dish. Denny’s Kitchen has taken this on board with their produce sourced locally.

“We’re trying to get as much local stuff as we can to support the local industry. We’ve seen that

there are a lot of quality suppliers in the Geelong region and it’s nice to be able to have those to choose from and support,” he says.

It soon becomes clear that the team behind Denny’s has placed much thought into each aspect of their venue; from their new fitout to the tomatoes they get from suppliers, there’s nothing that’s done half-baked. With every little aspect of the venue it’s all been pieced together in order for the most enjoyable experience for you.

“We don’t want to be just a destination restaurant. And we just want people to walk away and say, ‘Wow, that was a great place worth the refit and the staff are very friendly and what a great experience to be had’,” Dwayne says.

Open: Open for Lunch 7 days, Wed to Sat for Dinner Where: National Wool Museum. Cnr Moorabool & Brougham Sts, Geelong Web: dennyskitchen.com.au

What’s On in the 'RAT? Written By Daniel Lock

A big hello this round to all you neutrino empathisers and super moon glimpsers. Dan here with what live music to get up and get footloose to, like the great hero Kevin Bacon.

The Karova gets in first this Friday, August 22, with Jay Whalley from Frenzal Rhomb playing an acoustic set.

Jay, who has taken the wind out of the sails of various infamous celebrities over the years (as one example, YouTube search ‘Jay from Frenzal Rhomb owns Kyle Sandilands and Jackie-O on Fox FM’), still plays in Frenzal Rhomb and has a great mind when it comes to shaking things up and standing his ground. I personally look forward to hearing what he has to say and sing by himself on stage. Tickets $15.

The Main Bar that evening has local act The Slurrymen playing to those who enjoy food and a show. For an example of their music, visit youtu. be/ZvfoiR_cKqM . Entry $10.

Saturday, August 23 starts off The Festival of Slow Music in Ballarat.

Organised by local music lovers and contributors Adam Simmons, Amie Sexton and former Ballarat resident Irene Crebbin, the festival promotes and encourages Ballarat’s artistic heritage through meetings of the various artistic genres that reside in this town. Details can be found at the website festivalofslowmusic.com.

As well as slow music, the night also brings rock music on Saturday 23/8. The Eastern has The Yard Apes playing their little apey asses off with the Mightiest of Guns and Pork Chop Party in tow. The Yard Apes are a big reason that I got into the music industry having followed them since their first gig in my best mate’s shed. Shifty, lead singer and guitarist, is currently in two bands – the other one will be mentioned later. Entry TBC. The same night, Aimee Francis and Steve Saxton play at Babushka Bar for

a FREE event. Aimee and Steve were so taken with their reception from the audience and the bar itself last time that this gig was declared almost on the night they debuted at Babushka.

Sunday, August 24 has a follow-up performance at Babushka by Aimee and Steve, so if you miss them Saturday you have a second chance at catching them and to get a well-received Sunday sesh in before the working week.

Thursday, August 28 The Karova Lounge is holding a book launch for RISE, a photo-documentary of hip hop in Australia. A group of artists are touring for the launch and who will be playing will be kept secret until the night. These artists consist of Remi, Mantra, Briggs, Dylan Joel, Jaytee and Flagrant. Tickets 18.

Thursday will also see The Main Bar collaborating with The Festival of Slow Music with an In2it artist collaboration and improvisation night. Tickets $10. Free for Festival of Slow Music ticket holders.

Friday, August 29 The Babushka Bar has Cal Darke playing guitar on stage with a special guest. Entry TBC. The same night the Karova Lounge has The Hazard Circular, Whoretopsy and Earth Rot playing metal, a little more metal, then, an encore of metal. Entry $10.

Saturday, August 30 has SWHAT playing at the Karova Lounge. Former members of The Turnarounds Chuck Turner and Sticky Howell got together and made a two-piece named SWHAT. Then, The Midnight Special (aka Shifty Dunbar) picked up the bass again and joined in too. So for some SWHAT ROCK get down and catch them in the act. Raw good music. Supported

by Spacejunk, Sarge & the Nuked and OD Tommy Dogs. Tickets $10.

The Main Bar will be hosting Jeff Lang this same night. So for some solo acoustic bliss get down and see this veteran in the act. Entry $20.

So concludes this summary of the main venues in live original music for the Ballarat region. I’ve been your host, Dan. Goodnight.

T H E NIG H T V IBE Written by Tex Miller

If you have been paying close attention to the music festival scene over the last month or so, you may have seen that there is a common thread running through the acts. This can be closely linked to the resurgence of the Americana music genre over the last year or so. For the uninitiated, Americana music is the combination of folk, country, blues and rock and roll music.

With such a wide selection of sounds and influences, the genre mixes both acoustic and electric instrumentation to create something that is fresh, original and organic.

When you immediately think of Americana artists, Mumford & Sons are most probably an act that will spring to mind due to their folky acoustic roots sound.

However (as I have recently discovered), there is a whole stack of other awesome artists out there waiting for you to discover. In the last month or so, a few new festivals have surfaced

on the musical landscape.

One such festival that is solely focused on Americana music in Australia is Out on the Weekend, which is set to take place on the 18th of October.

Featuring the likes of Johnny Fritz, Raised by Eagles, Emma Swift, Henry Wagons and Justin Townes Earle amongst a stack of others, this festival is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to talking about Americana music.

Taking inspiration from the title track of Neil Young’s 1972 classic Harvest, Out on the Weekend is sure to unearth some artists that you are bound to fall in love with.

The reason for mentioning the Neil Young record is that even forty-two years after its release it is still seen as a classic piece of Americana music and an influential album for upcoming country bands alike.

With many guest appearances on the album from the likes of Crosby, Stills and Nash, James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, the

album spent two weeks on top of the Billboard charts in the US and gave rise to the classic songs ‘Old Man’ and ‘Heart of Gold’.

Out on the Weekend is not the only festival tipping its hat to the Americana genre over the next couple of months. The latest announcement of the Queenscliff Music Festival sees New Orleans folk/blues rockers Hurray for the Riff Raff (pictured) make the journey down to Victoria for the first time, which is darn exciting.

Small Town Heroes is the latest release from the band and one that is making waves all around the global music scene. Rolling Stone, SPIN and NPR have all shortlisted this album as one of the best of 2014, so make sure you check this album out. The silky smooth vocals and stage presence of frontwoman Alynda Lee Segarra make Hurray for the Riff Raff a definite act to watch in the future and a MUST SEE at Queenscliff in November.

Another act worthy of mention on the latest QMF announcement is Hayward Williams, with The Yearlings from South Australia.

Combining a blissful country folk sound, Williams will be playing tracks off his new album The Reef which is set for release in November. So be sure to check that ripping set out as well.

The influence of the Americana genre on the Australian blues and roots/ country scene is quite important to this discussion as well. You may not immediately hear the influence to the music, yet there are quite a number of acts that have travelled to America and been swept up in the music scene. Well known Australian acts including Anne McCue and CW Stoneking are acts that come to mind. Although we may not have seen or heard from them in Australia in a while, they have been working away busily in Europe and the US, making stellar tunes.

Most recently, Melbourne’s own The Weeping Willows and Brooke Russell have made waves in the folk/Americana scene and are set to play at the AmericanaramA Festival in Nashville in mid-September.

Combining sweet vocal harmonies with soulful acoustic guitar, they create music that is both melancholy and striking beautiful at the same time.

If you’re looking for some Americana music, there are a couple of awesome radio shows you can check out. The Inside Sleeve on Radio National daily at 3 p.m. and Revelator on Double J, Monday nights at 8 p.m. will have you sorted. Over the next few issues in Forte, The Night Vibe will be gearing up to cover the AmericanaramA conference from Nashville, which takes place in September. ’Til then, stay tuned!

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Camorra Liqueurs restaurant feature Written by Abbey King

Sick of the same-old beer, wine and cider or those “tasty” vodka-mixers on your night out? Well, Gorge Camorra and Lee-anne Campigli of Cloud9 Bar on Pakington Street have spent the last number of years creating and perfecting Geelong’s first-ever line of liqueurs, labelled Camorra Liqueurs.

The inspiration behind making our own liqueurs started when we opened Cloud9 eight years ago and made our own vodka infusions,” Gorge says. “They were such a hit that guests were constantly wanting to buy bottles to take home.

After six years of product testing, perfecting the flavours, bottle design and most importantly saving the funds to create our own liqueurs, we finally have a finished product,” he says.

Gorge sure knows his stuff when it comes to beverages of the alcoholic variety, having competed in a number of impressive national and international bartending titles. “I have competed in cocktail competitions over the years, winning numerous national and state comps including Jagermeister, Agwa, Disaronno and G’Vine Gin competitions. I also represented Australia in the International Gin Connoisseur Program in Cognac France where I took out 3 rd place. And this year I competed in World Class, making the top 25,” he says.

Years of very careful planning and research has gone into the creation of these delicious treats which come in a stylish and unique butterf lyshaped 500ml bottle. The first five f lavours released by Camorra are Fruit Tingle, Tropical Mango, Raspberry and Pineapple. (Yum-yum) Bubblegum ... oh, and they have that f lavour, too!

“My favourite f lavour is Tropical Mango, which is a blend of equal parts mango, peach and orange. Just like a wet pussy shot,” Gorge says.

The brand is still very young and it is great to see a number of local businesses supporting these fantastic products. At the moment Camorra Liqueurs are available in a number of Geelong venues including Cloud9 Bar, The Bush Inn Hotel, Slate Bar, Opium Bar, The Bended and Carlton Hotel.

“We are currently negotiating with retail stores in Geelong and hoping more venues in Geelong will support our local product.

Nightclubs and bars in Melbourne’s CBD have been fantastic supporting us, and also Celebrations in Melbourne’s western suburbs.

We are constantly growing the list of retail stores and venues stocking our liqueurs,” Gorge says.

Come on Geelong and regional Victoria, let’s get behind this fantastic, delicious and very affordable beverage option. With a retail store cost of just $30-$33, Camorra Liqueurs could be that perfect gift, or that exciting opportunity for mixing those weekend drinks at home. The options are endless when it comes to serving the liqueurs, and as expected Gorge has a heap of mouth-watering cocktails that can be made using each of the f lavours.

“Our most popular way customers are drinking Camorra Liqueurs are with lemonade, soda or juices; however, recently we have found our Raspberry is also popular in beers and ciders and also a huge range of cocktails such as the raspberry lemon drop, clover club cocktail, piña coladas, mango manias and many more,” he says.

There is also plenty to look forward to with some new f lavours on the horizon. “We have an additional eight f lavours that will eventually come out including Creaming Soda, Peach, Orange and Blueberry to name a few,” Gorge says.

Check out their website for upcoming recipes and ideas, and do ask your local pubs, bars and clubs if they stock Camorra Liqueurs next time you’re out!

INFO: Cloud9 Bar 2/96 Pakington St Geelong West, Ph: Gorge 0407 626 474, Web: camorra.com.au

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Andrea Robertson Q&A

Independent Ocean Grove singer-songwriter Andrea Robertson has time on her hands. It’s About Time is her debut release, and one which dances from rocky, toe-tapping numbers to heart-warming ballads.

Ballarat Festival of Slow Music Written by Amanda Sherring

When was the last time you connected to the music that played on the radio or from your iPod? If you’re struggling to think of an answer, chances are you need to head down to the Festival of Slow Music to rectify it.

Held at multiple venues around Ballarat from August 23, there are a variety of events from artist talks to performances that will easily fix your problems connecting.

Artistic director, Adam Simmons, has brought the festival back for a second year in the hopes of it becoming an annual event to put on your calendar.

“I want to create an annual festival where people can take time to listen and engage with the music and the artists, where new collaborations can grow, and where people will

experience the ability that music has to refresh, inspire and astonish,” he says.

The festival has taken the idea from the Slow Food movement but has instead placed their focus on the sensation of hearing, as each event is entirely acoustic.

Inspired by the Portraits Concert Series at the Art Gallery of Ballarat, also curated by Adam, the festival highlights the Ballarat region’s artistic heritage and contemporary music and arts scene. Clearly Adam is a fan of celebrating what the region has, and has pieced together a nine-day festival to do so.

While the main events of the festival are held over the weekend there are still a number of events leading up to it. Through a series of open rehearsals during the week you can witness the final preparations of the festivals special projects.

Undoubtedly a highlight of the festival is Akathistos: The Machineries

of Ritual, a seven-hour immersive work that recreates the Akathistos Hymn. It was premiered at MONA FOMA last year, and so this encore performance is a rare chance for you to see unique event.

There are a handful of free events for those light on cash and still wanting to get involved.

Head down to the Morning Meditations for a soothing start to the day or get involved in The Big Om and lend your voice to an exciting group project.

So it’s time you make some space on your calendar to listen and engage with a diverse range of music and artists. If Adam asks anything of you, it’s that you go to at least one even you know nothing about. You never know, it may become the one you will never forget!

For tickets and more information visit www. festivalofslowmusic.com.

When & Where: Various locations, Ballarat – August 23-31

Hi Andrea, thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte.

How are you and what are you up to at the moment?

Firstly, thanks to Forte for taking some time to chat with me. At the moment it really feels as though I am stepping into a whole new phase with my music.

I’ve been singing/songwriting and playing music for a long time now but a few years ago I really had a sense that change was coming.

You’ve been playing music since you were a teenager. What first made you pick up an instrument and decide to be a performer?

I guess it all started for me with my parents wanting to give me (and my sisters) the opportunity to learn an instrument. We had an upright acoustic piano at home so that’s the instrument we learned – weekly lessons in classical piano were where it started for me. I’m sure financially it wasn’t always easy for mum and dad to put us through private music lessons, but they saw the value of it and definitely made sacrifices to ensure we had that opportunity.

I loved pretending I was the singer in a rock band singing along to records, making my own microphone out of a used toilet roll with some scrunched up aluminium foil in the end!

You also enjoy playing music with/to children. Why do you think

it’s important for young people to get involved with music?

With children the impact music can have may be more noticeable purely because they aren’t inhibited like adults. It’s like when you go into a pre-school and start singing/ playing the ‘Hokey Pokey’ or something and they just get into it right away – and wholeheartedly.

I love being able to share music with people just because of the joy it brings them, but for children in particular, as it’s often a very new experience for them and they don’t let their inhibitions get in the way.

I also like the fact that it’s showing them an alternative to just staring at a device or screen.

What can listeners expect to hear in your debut release?

The songs I chose to record on this album are a bit of a blend of genres which would just flow on from what I choose to listen to myself. But I think what comes through most is a soulful-blues sound, with the songs themselves being a reflection of personal experiences; they probably give people a bit of a glimpse at what makes me tick at times and my love for my family and my life here in Ocean Grove.

You’ve a show coming up at Saints & Sailors. What can punters look forward to in your set? Have you played that venue before?

No, I haven’t played at Saints & Sailors before and I’m very much looking forward to this gig. It’s a terrific venue that we have right here on the Bellarine in Portarlington.

I’ll have good friend and guitarist Ben Howlett joining me and drummer/husband David Robertson also playing. We’ll be doing songs off the CD, some new material I’ve written that audiences have responded well to and also the odd cover, just in case people want to be able to sing along with something at some point during the evening!

Thanks again for taking the time to chat with Forte. Is there anything you’d like to add before we finish up?

As you can see, I have trouble keeping things brief, so maybe I should just end it there! Thanks Forte – keep up the good work promoting local music with your magazine.

When&Where: Saints & Sailors, Portarlington – August 23; Café Maritana, Barwon Heads – August 28; and The Mall, Geelong – August 29

T r i - U M P H M u si c F e s t i va l St. Joseph’s, Sacred Heart, Clonard and Saint Ignatius Colleges are uniting on September the 5th, 2014 to make poverty history with the third Tri-UMPH Music Festival.

Tri-UMPH is back bigger than ever, with well known local bands such as Mascot Fall, I Know The Chief, Residual and Imogen Brough, along with many more DJ’s, bands, even including student and traditional East Timorese musical performances.

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Tri-UMPH, standing for Triennially United to Make Poverty History is the way in which Geelong Catholic secondary schools aim to make a difference. The successful music festivals in 2008 and 2011 are an example of just how much of an impact students can have on the lives of those living in developing countries.

In 2014, the schools will be raising funds for the towns of Baccua and Railaco in

East Timor. With a focus on training young teachers, as well as providing assistance to the Christian Brothers and and the Jesuit mission.

Each of the four schools have a lasting connection with the East Timorese communities, and all believe that the aim of raising $50,000 will make an incredible difference to the lives of these people who have suffered extreme poverty.

Whilst being an event to

support East Timor, the day will also allow the students to donate and purchase items from various charities such as Oxfam and Bali Smiles.

This entirely student organised event is an incredible example of the difference students can make toward making poverty history. The students hope that this event will inspire other schools to co-ordinate similar events to make a difference.

Paul Hogan

FREE CLASSIFIEDS Send your info to editorial@fortemag.com.au Individual use only, not for commercial purposes

Written by Amanda Sherring Singer wanted for original band doing a

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

A simple smile can work wonders. It can make someone’s day, soften the heart of the cruellest dictator and set your brain abuzz with endorphins. Paul Hogan is just one of the people making all these things possible in his stand-up show touring regional Australia. Put simply, Paul knows his work is done once every face in the crowd has a smile from cheek to cheek.

“We had standing ovations, but more importantly no one goes home at interval. So everyone stays for the second half, so that’s all you want. That and laughter,” he says.

“That’s what it’s really all about. It’s nice to surprise people a lot, too.”

Gaining a smile isn’t always the easiest thing to achieve, and while it may be tempting to exaggerate stories to garner a reaction, Paul has stuck to the truth in his show Hoges: One Night Only and has opted to select the weird and funny tales from his life to naturally provoke a smile.

“I’m not a joke teller. I don’t make anything up. Everything I say is just about true, because truth is funnier than fiction,” he says.

With such a successful career, you’d think it was something Paul had his heart set on from an early age, but he slipped into the career by chance after he was discovered working on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. He has since stumbled into each opportunity, and it’s his appreciation for each one that sets him apart from others in the spotlight.

Experienced 22 y/o singer, songwriter, guitarist looking for

“I had no interest in going into show business at all. I just stumbled into it at like age 30. And that’s given me a big advantage, not stressing about it or trying to be something growing up. To stumble into something and to find that you’re good at it is a nice surprise,” he says.

It’s easy to feel a tinge of envy looking at the long list of things he’s been involved in, and all without chasing it. But there’s a lesson to be learnt in his career, and that is that it’s important to find what you’re meant to do and embrace it.

“If you see a door with an opportunity, kick the door down, put your head in and see if that’s worth exploring,” he says.

One such opportunity for Paul was in fact the very tour that he is currently just over a month into.

“I sort of never planned this at all. Liam Murphy, the guy that wrote and produced Charlie & Boots, talked me into this; and I was doing nothing else so it didn’t

take much talking into. It sounded like fun so I did it. And that’s my rule; if it’s fun, I’ll do it,” Paul says.

The show will land in Ballarat on August 31, where a large part of Charlie & Boots was filmed, and then goes up to the tip, much like in the movie.

“Making that movie we travelled from South Australia to the northern tip and we’re sort of almost completing that journey. I enjoyed it then and I’m loving it now,” Paul says.

For a man who began his career from a chance sighting and almost instantly became an icon for the quintessential Aussie man he’s still maintained a level head, and seems almost the same as when we first saw him hit our TV screens in the early ’70s.

When&Where: Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool – August 30 & Wendouree Performing Arts, Ballarat – August 31

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

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We are coming close to completion of the

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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

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Forte Columns

pop culture!

Written by Anthony Morris

too heavy to hug

le monde entier

Written by Paul S Taylor

By Madelin Baldwin lemondeentier.net

By the time you read this all the Soundwave news might have broken.

At the time of writing this, the line-up was being drip-fed on Twitter at a rate of one band per day. Is it my job to know who The Interrupters, Patent Pending, Butcher Babies and Coldrain are? Of course it is, but I’m way too old for all four of those bands. Considering I like a bit of prog, perhaps it’ll be worth checking out Monuments’ sound ahead of their Soundwave appearance.

In shit news, on June 6 some dickhead in Canada killed three police officers and wounded two others, reportedly only a couple of hours after posting Megadeth’s ‘Hook in the Mouth’ lyrics on his Facebook page like some wankery kind of statement. Roughly a month prior to this crime he also posted lyrics to Dethklok’s ‘Castratikron’. Apart from having no idea, no sense of humour, and did I say no f*cking idea, we don’t need deranged losers linking our music to their f*cked up, insane, psychotic actions. The dickhead could face 75 years in prison for this; let’s hope he has to serve every single one of those years.

The Hottest Day

In Other News…

Dream Deceivers, the 1992 documentary about the Judas Priest suicide trail, has finally been released on DVD and digital download.

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 sold-out audiences.

Another show has been added at The Corner Hotel on Wednesday, October 1.

Flyying Colors, consisting of Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse and Mike Portnoy on drums amongst others, will release their new album, Second Nature, on Friday, October 3.

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

Skate punks Comeback Kid will play Central Club in Richmond on Saturday, October 18 and an AA gig at Phoenix Youth Centre in Footscray on Sunday, October 19.

Aussie hardcore rats Confession will play Central Club in Richmond on Saturday, October 25 and an AA gig at Phoenix Youth Centre in Footscray on Sunday, October 26.

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 44 forte

What would you like to read about when it’s cold and rainy outside and your heater takes three good hours at work to finally defrost your fingers? How about I tell you all about my hottest holiday – when clothes were not even optional, just a hindrance? And lying on the cold tiles on the balcony (yes, san clothes) was one of the only ways to keep a little cooler and be able to sleep.

Six years ago I lived in a tiny little town out of Venice called Spresiano for the summer. During the day, as with any Mediterranean city, the few shops in the village shut between 12-3 p.m. each day, and unlike the 60 per cent of European people who speak English as a second language, this town was filled with locals who rarely came into contact with anyone who didn’t speak Italian. I absolutely adored it, learning to buy my bus tickets in and out of Venice from the crazy lady at the news agency who taught me how to say ‘return’ and ‘one-way’, and the fresh market that came through every Thursday where you could buy fresh seafood and local meats. I lived here during June-August so the heat was extreme – I’m talking high of 40 at nighttime. I was also there during an intense heat-wave, which I certainly felt.

My normal day went something like this: Sleep in until around 10-11 a.m., make a fresh Italian coffee on the stove in the percolator, eat a yoghurt, and chuck the lightest possible clothes on to walk the 5-10 minutes to the supermarket. I went most days to buy things to eat for lunch, and to cook for dinner, and taught myself to make fresh pasta! (First attempt was not so great.

Note: remember to make strips much, much thinner or you’ll eat pasta rubber.)

Then after the supermarket venture, I came home and started drinking spritzs – don’t judge me, I was on holidays and I was taught from the man I was staying with! It’s the way of life, I swear.

(For those who don’t know, a spritz is Aperol and Prosecco, and your first one probably won’t be all that enjoyable, especially if you’re like me and don’t like orange-flavored things. But your second … well, that’s something else.)

As the afternoon sun heated up, and I lived upstairs in an apartment with no air con, there was no chance to do anything but either make the decision to trek into Venice and get the water taxi to Lido and lay on the beach, or stay at home and watch my houseguest’s huge collection of DVDs! The amount of LOST I watched that year... Plus, everyone is having a siesta, so even if you wanted to go out, everything is closed (by everything, I mean the three shops in the village).

In the afternoon, if it had cooled at all I went for walks around the cane fields to get some exercise, but mostly during that big heat-wave I just stayed in and attempted sunbaking – which was five minutes sun, 30 minutes cold shower, and repeat. The nights were terrible at times because it was SO hot and uncomfortable there was absolutely no respite. I literally used to lay outside on the balcony with just a pillow and try and get my body temperature down!

I stayed here because I was on my first-ever European holiday, was young and full of myself, and quickly ran out of money. A family friend took me in and let me stay with him, took me to a Duran Duran concert on the beach and gave me generally amazing hospitality. Not a bad way to run out of money at 18 and have to spend your time savings your pennies!

As far as Australian television goes, any way you slice it Working Dog is our number one success story. Santo Cilauro, Rob Sitch, Jane Kennedy, Tom Gleisner and (behind the scenes) Michael Hirsh have been making television for twenty years – longer if you count their work as part of The Late Show and The D-Generation – and they’ve been making a lot of different television at that, from the sitcom Frontline to the panel show The Panel to game show Thank God You’re Here, to lesser-known efforts like A River Somewhere, All Aussie Adventures, Pictures of You, Sam, Santo and Ed’s Cup Fever and Audrey’s Kitchen. Then there’s the movies (The Castle, The Dish, Any Questions For Ben), the books (The Jetlag series of fake travel guides, the Warwick Todd cricketing diaries) and the radio work – clearly they’ve been doing something right over the years.

Surprisingly, considering Frontline is probably their biggest claim to lasting TV fame, in recent years scripted comedy has been something of a weak spot for them: while Thank God You’re Here and The Panel were massive hits and their current news quiz show Have You Been Paying Attention is doing well (and is extremely funny), their last scripted show, the political satire The Hollowmen, took a surprisingly long time to find its feet, only really getting into its stride in the back half of its first (and to date, only) run.

Their first play, The Speechmaker, was another stab at political satire, this time looking at the US President and the War on Terror; again, it was a little flabby and unfocused. So feelings at the

Punk!

Written by Christopher Cruz

In pants-pissingly good news, (yes, people are THAT excited) San Francisco skate punk royalty NOFX are finally heading back our way for the first time in four years! Tuesday, November 18 sees the band annihilate Forte territory with a huge show at the Barwon Heads Hotel. Miss this and miss the hell OUT! Looks like Hopes Abandoned is no longer the smelly boys’ club it’s been for the past decade of on/off existence – their new drummer, Stiffy, is a girl!

Yellowcard are back with a brand new album! Featuring the first single ‘One Bedroom’, Lift a Sail is out now via Razor & Tie Records. Expect tour dates in support of it any time now.

Ballarat Ramonescore heroes The Savages have changed their name to the rather spiffy Agent 37! Their debut album, Reporting for Duty, is out now!

Go stalk their Facebook for more!

In extremely sad news for many (including Mork & Mindy-loving ’80s punks), actor Robin Williams lost his battle with depression last week. He was just 63.

Orange County pop-punk/ goth/metal/emo types Avenged Sevenfold will re-release their landmark breakthrough album Waking the Fallen this month with bonus demo tracks and a DVD. Pity they haven’t released anything even HALF as good since. I’m a huge fan of the album, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t know that I need the

news that they were working on yet another political satire – this time sending up Australian government’s fondness for announcing massive “nation-building” projects with dubious value to the community – were perhaps a little mixed.

Fortunately, my worries were, as usual, ill-founded: while Utopia (Wednesdays, 8.30 p.m. ABC1) definitely has touches of both Frontline and The Hollowmen about it, Working Dog have managed to put a fresh spin on endless meetings, meaningless political jargon and a whole lot of people working hard to produce very little indeed. Having a great cast doesn’t hurt either: aside from Sitch (who really is one of Australia’s great comedy actors) in what passes for the lead, there’s Celia Pacquola, Luke McGregor, Dave Lawson, Kitty Flanagan, Anthony “Lehmo” Lehmann and Toby Truslove all running around slowly murdering grand schemes with a thousand tiny cuts.

It does feel a little like a continuation of both The Hollowmen and Frontline (there are clearly certain kinds of characters Working Dog slot into their sitcoms), which means at times it’s hard not to wish they’d been able to figure out a way to fit all their political observations into the one sitcom instead of splitting it between this and The Hollowmen; having to start all over again with fresh actors does mean Utopia takes a little time to settle in and get going. But it’s smart and funny, and those two words don’t apply to anywhere near enough Australian comedy these days. extras! Head on over to the Hopeless Records website for more information.

US hipster pop-punks The Wonder Years are teaming up with local lads Anchors for an Australian tour.

September 4 at the Hi-Fi Bar, with special guests Strickland and The Playbook.

Either you’ll be there or you won’t!

Speaking of pop-punk, the hands down best pop-punk band on the face of the planet, New Found Glory, is back, back, BACK. Their brand new single ‘Selfless’ is a scorcher that their peers would give their left nuts to be able to replicate. Resurrection, their first new studio album since Radiosurgery over three years, hits stores on October 7 via new label, Hopeless Records.

Rad as f*** punk rockers The Briefs may have broken up half a decade ago but rumour has it that they’ll play a string of dates across Texas with punk veterans 7 Seconds. Woot!

So, no Australian Vans Warped Tour this year – sweet! Nobody wants to see a bunch of shit emo/screamo bands anyways! Even if there IS a token punk headliner thrown into the mix.

Weezer tour whispers are getting stronger. I’d actually like to see them rock a Soundwave stage, myself. Speaking of Soundwave, the first official act has been confirmed – Japanese screamopop punk outfit Coldrain. Erm, okay!

Not up to us, I guess! Stay tuned for further updates/disappointments.

Queensland punk/grunge combo The Unprettier, locals Hopes Abandoned and Melbourne’s The Murderballs are amongst the acts taking part in the Melbourne leg of the Up The Punx juggernaut. Date, line-up and venue info next issue.

Going to River Rocks this year?

Yeah, you are! Tumbleweed is playing!

That’s all the excuse you could need!

Kim Salmon & the Surrealists are on the bill, too. That’s a LOT of rock!

And just like that, we’re done – just like winter!

PULP

blues news

Written by Alastair McGibbon

Written by John (Dr John) Lamp

Who doesn’t love Deadpool?

It’s hard not to, really. Despite starting out as a blatant Marvel parody of DC’s Slade Wilson (aka Deathstroke), the ‘Merc with a Mouth’ has (arguably) gained a popularity beyond that of Deathstroke himself. Depending on the situation, Deadpool can be funny or utterly vicious – usually a satisfying combination of both. I’m a huge fan of Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn’s run on the current Deadpool series – having Deadpool re-kill zombified US presidents was just nuts! Naturally, I jumped at the chance to babble on about a particularly interesting take on good ol’ Wade Wilson – Cullen Bunn’s Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe.

Much like Snakes on a Plane, this is one of those stories that is summed up pretty well by its title.

In this rather disturbing look at the Marvel universe, Deadpool is captured by the X-Men and taken to a psychiatric facility for treatment.

Unfortunately for them, the head doctor is actually the supervillain Psycho-Man in disguise. PsychoMan (who is desperately in need of a new name) decides that he’s going to try to brainwash Wade into becoming his own personal super-soldier. Naturally, screwing with Deadpool’s already fractured psyche backfires and Deadpool sets out on his murderous rampage.

There’s two things about this comic that really appeal to me.

Firstly, seeing Deadpool take the Marvel universe on a roller-coaster ride to hell is both fascinating and disturbing – there’s nothing quite as confronting as seeing a homicidal, invincible maniac taking down your favourite heroes and villains with ease. It’s a shock to the system – and boy is it bloody. Secondly, Deadpool’s motivation for slaughtering is a typical Deadpool-y overreaction to a startling revelation. PsychoMan’s tinkering inside his head removes his trademark “other voices”, replacing them with a more sinister personality that confirms to Wade what he’d suspected for a long, long time – he and all the other Marvel heroes and villains are just characters in a comic book; puppets whose strings are pulled by malevolent beings for their amusement. While Deadpool has been breaking the fourth wall for years now, Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe and utterly smashes it into oblivion.

It’d be easy to dismiss the book as just a Grand Theft Auto-style rampage fantasy – and to an extent, that’s exactly what it is – but I like to see it as a character rebelling against his authors in the bloodiest way possible. It reminds me of an old Flash animation called Animator vs. Animation, where a stick figure wages war on his creator. The book gets fairly meta towards the end, too: Deadpool plunges into the multiverse, threatening the book’s writers and the reader before continuing his rampage throughout the multiverse.

Reading Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe is much like watching a train crash – it’s rather horrifying, but at the same time you just can’t look away. It’s the comic book equivalent of a disaster movie, with the destruction level amped up to a whole other level – and I freakin’ love it.

Literally no Marvel character is safe! So, if you like your comics disturbing, your heroes outmatched and your Deadpool’s murderous, this is definitely your book. Get on it!

Proudly pesented by The Sleepy Hollow Blues Club

Sometimes it feels like we’re stuck down here in the antipodes, miles from the action of the mainstream blues scene. But it’s not so! The 31st International Blues Challenge is on in January 2015, and it’s time to get ready!

The Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society has called for bands and individuals to nominate for our Victorian Blues Challenge. The aim of MBAS is to find the best possible blues band/artist(s) to represent the MBAS and Australia in Memphis Tennessee, USA at the International Blues Challenge (IBC) each year.

Previous entrants sponsored by the MBAS have included Rod Paine’s Fulltime Lovers, Andrea Marr Band, Dreamboogie, Sweet Felicia and the Honeytones, Collard Greens and Gravy and Fiona Boyes, all of whom have played down here. The 2015 International Blues Challenge will be the 31st year of blues musicians from around the world competing for cash, prizes and industry recognition.

This, the world’s largest gathering of blues acts, represents an international search by The Blues Foundation and its affiliated organisations for the blues band and solo/duo blues act ready to take their act to the international stage. In 2014, 255 acts from 40 states of the USA and 16 countries (and four continents) entered, filling the clubs up and down Beale Street for the quarter-finals and semi-finals and then the finals at the Orpheum Theater.

From those 255 acts, it came down to eight solo/duos and nine band finalists competing for the top prizes before an esteemed panel of judges.

There are prizes for three top bands, plus the Gibson Guitarist Prize (top guitarist among band finalists). For duo/solo entrants, there are prizes for the top two acts, plus the St. Blues Guitarist Prize (top guitarist among solo/duo finalists). There is also the Lee Oskar Harmonica Player Prize (top harmonica player among semifinalists) and the prize for the best selfproduced CD. Last year the winners came from the USA and Canada, and it’s about time we gave that a shake.

The IBC expects at least as many acts in 2015. The IBC is a judged ‘Battle of the Bands’ in which competitors take the stage and play a short set for a panel of judges. The acts are judged based on an established set of criteria, which can be found on the Blues Foundation website as below.

The MBAS will send only one act to participate in the ‘Band Category’.

The initial heats will be held in October on Monday 13th, Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th at the Royal Standard Hotel, 333 William Street, West Melbourne. The finals will be held on Sunday, October 19 at the GH Hotel, St Kilda. If you are entering make sure you have no other gigs on the days of the heats or finals.

The MBAS will pay for up to two musicians’ airfares and accommodation. The fundraising for this is largely done by a set of benefit gigs in and around Melbourne. Depending on the success of these gigs, the MBAS has the discretion to pay for additional airfares and accommodation.

PBS FM is the major supporter and provides substantial radio coverage for the whole event. Full details, conditions and entry forms are available on the MBAS website. mbas.org.au blues.org/international-blueschallenge/2015-internationalblues-challenge

Metal Down Under Q&A

For those that love their music heavy and loud, Metal Down Under is a shot of 100 per cent proof metal. Featuring over 40 exclusive interviews with some of the most interesting characters in the game, Metal Down Under takes us on the metal journey that has been happening in this country since the late 1970s. Here, we speak with writer and director Nick Calpakdjian.

Hi Nick, thanks for taking the time to chat with us.

How are you and what are you up to at the moment?

No problem. I’m doing well. Very happy to see Metal Down Under released after such a long time. I’m in Jakarta working on a number of film projects for a local production company here and enjoying the sunny weather! I’m guessing it’s freezing in Forte’s neck of the woods.

Firstly, what made you decide to create Metal Down Under?

I wanted to marry my love of music and film together and if possible make it as loud as possible. So a film about heavy metal seemed the obvious choice.

The history of Australian metal music hasn’t been told before. Why do you think that is?

I think it’s a huge, daunting job. And to be honest, I didn’t think it was going to be so big. I totally underestimated how long and strong the scene has been going and how many people’s lives have been affected by Australian heavy metal.

Have you uncovered anything interesting while filming/researching the documentary?

Part of what makes Metal Down Under a good film (in my unbiased opinion) is that it is full of interesting, passionate people that love playing, recording, listening to and dedicating their life to heavy metal. I am glad to have met all the people involved.

However, I have to single out Leigh ‘Lemmy’ Wilson. I think if Lemmy hadn’t bought himself a video camera back in the early ’80s there would be a huge hole in the early part of Australia’s metal history. His dedication to getting out and documenting our early metal bands like the Bengal Tigers, Nothing Sacred, Tyrus, Ion Drive and Renegade is of huge importance.

RELEASE: Metal Down Under is out now

What was a highlight for you during the filming process?

If I have to single one out I would say it was interviewing Dave Harrison from Allegiance. Given they were my first Australian metal band CD I ever acquired, I was really keen to meet them. It was a bugger Tony Campo was living in London and had to be interviewed by a friend of mine over there. But being able to spend the afternoon with Dave and hear his story and be inspired by what he and the band were trying to achieve was fantastic.

I imagine you’ve gotten pretty close to a number of metal bands.

What was it like working with them and seeing what they get up to?

It’s always great when you make a film over an extended period of time to be able to form ties with the people involved. It was great to be invited into their personal space – be it their home, studio, work place or in a bar.

I really enjoyed being in the studio with the guys from Ne Obliviscaris, on what I believe was the final day of tracking vocals for their new album.

Being involved in the creative arts, it’s always cool to see other people creating and how they go about it.

I also really enjoyed the vegetarian

BBQ that Matt Young cooked out the back of the Tote during his interview, too.

Why do you think it’s important that this release is created and shown to the Australian public?

I think Australians don’t celebrate their heritage enough and there is a strong history in our music scene in Australia, particularly in heavy and hard-rocking music. Some of our biggest exports have been heavy bands, so why not celebrate and put a spotlight on it?

What are you hoping people will learn or come away with from watching your documentary?

I hope people realise that we make really good music Down Under and that we are

not just making up the numbers on the international scene, we are in fact leading it in many genres. We’ve got bands that can match it with any from around the world, and I hope people watch this film and go out and see a band they had never heard of, buy their CD and really enjoy local homegrown Aussie metal.

Thanks again for taking the time to chat with us. Is there anything you’d like to add before we finish up?

Nope. Thanks for letting me have a ramble, and look out for the DVD in stores nationwide and online on the metaldownunder.com website.

Oxygen College Open Day Written by Phil Kearney

Oxygen College will open its doors to the public during their annual Open Day on Saturday, 30th August. Over the last 12 months Oxygen has continued to grow and is now offering courses in Music Performance, Electronic Music, Music Business, Sound Production, Photography, Video Production and Painting & Drawing. We sat down with College Director, Dominic Monea, to get an insight into the Open Day and what programs are on offer for 2015.

What can people expect when they come along to the Open Day? Dominic Monea: The main thing for us is that people can come along and get a really good understanding of the different courses available and what the facility has to offer. There will also be plenty of activities happening during the day, we will have live bands performing, recording studio demonstrations, photography shoots and artists doing some live painting and drawing.

The Oxygen staff will be available to chat with and show people around the College, and current students will also be available to share their experiences and achievements during their time at the College.

Basically it’s a really great opportunity for people who are interested in doing a course to come along and check things

out for themselves first hand.

What might be new for people who were at the open day last year?

It’s been a big 12 months for us.

Not only have we been able to offer new qualifications across all our main areas of study, we have also added two new wings to the College, in our photography department and our painting and drawing department.

The photography department has 3 fully equipped professional studios, 2 Mac labs running the latest in photography software, a colour managed printing lab, professional grade lenses and lighting equipment. There is also a gallery for the students to display their works and a student lounge.

Our art department was launched in April and already has had huge support from the public in terms of classes and enrollments. Whilst the facility is still growing, we are really proud of the professional staff and equipment that is already allowing the classes to succeed.

Oxygen College has made a pretty good name for itself in the music industry, is there anything new on that front?

We’re really excited about launching the Diploma of Music Business in 2015. The course is aimed at both musicians and non-musicians who have a passion for the music industry and during the course students will work on a number of projects based around artist and band management, marketing and branding of artists, events staging and promotion. We

have been working really hard to develop the program over the past 12 months and already there has been very strong interest, so we can’t wait to see it get started in 2015.

We’ll also be launching a new Artist Preparation Program which is a Certificate IV in Music aimed at musicians wishing to study part-time, a Certificate III in Electronic Music plus we have some exciting changes to our Artist Development Program and Audio courses that we will be launching at the Open Day. Being based in Geelong,

do you find that most of your students are local?

We do get a lot of students from here in Geelong, but our facility is so unique in what it has to offer, that we have found it attracts students from all over Victoria. We currently have students from Ballarat, Melbourne, Warnambool and as far as Western Victoria. I can even think of a couple of students who make a trip of over two hours every week just to come down and be a part of the College.

I think we’re lucky in that we are so central to Geelong

and literally down the road from Geelong Railway Station, so it makes it easier for those outside of Geelong to make the commute.

Is there a level of experience that people need to have in their field to apply for the courses?

Our courses have been carefully designed to cater for all ages and levels of ability.

We have Certificate programs aimed at students with little or no experience that have a keen interest in a subject as a hobby, all the way up to full time Advanced Diploma programs aimed at preparing students for

a career in their chosen field.

We have wonderful staff who have designed these courses to contain clear and concise pathways in the different areas of study. Staff are great at identifying the right course for prospective students to maximize their opportunities and potential to learn.

Oxygen College Open Day is on Saturday 30th August from 11:00am – 3:00pm, 22 Gordon Ave, Geelong West.

Register your attendance by visiting www.oxygencollege. com.au or call 1300 195 303 for more information.

forte 45

Hope In Hell Written by Natalie Rogers

Here at Forte Mag we love fresh music, and if Melbourne hardcore band Hope In Hell were any fresher they would fall off the vine! Although they’ve been gigging around the city for a little while now – with a new drummer in the mix and the release of their debut EP – things are heating up for Hope In Hell.

“Now that we’ve released this EP we’re doing everything we can to get it out there – any gig that comes up we’re happy to jump on it. We did our first all-ages gig yesterday; it wasn’t a great turn out,” laughed frontman Scott Curtis.

“But it was fun,” he added with a smile.

This band is full of firsts, so I wanted to know how it all began – and Scott was happy to oblige. “Oh, it’s kinda a cool story.

I’ve known Troy [Power, guitar] and Adam [Turcato, bass] through previous bands years ago. I was a guitarist and I’d played with them before, and Troy always mentioned to me that he had songs he was working on.

Unfortunately I was pretty young back then but whenever we jammed together it opened up a whole new world of music to me.

“I remembered they were so driven and into what they do. Then a few years passed and I found myself doing vocals in a band, and by

RELEASe: Hope in Hell's self-titled EP is out now

chance I happened to run into Adam – overseas, in Europe. He mentioned they’d started what would be Hope In Hell and they needed a vocalist.

“It all happened quite quickly from there, but our EP’s been in the recording process for ages.

We didn’t have a drummer for a long time so we hired a session drummer to record these tracks, who ended up being Simon [Mazzei], who’s now in the band.” And the

rest, as they say, is history.

Hope In Hell promote themselves as modern hardcore, but in reality Scott admits that they’re influenced by loads of diverse music. “Our EP has a lot of different styles on it. It’s such a good mix of songs – when we play live it always goes down really well. A bit of everything makes for a good live set I think.”

Scott believes that the variety in their music springs from the

eclectic tastes of the four-piece. “We’re all very much into a bit of everything.

You’ll see us at metal shows and at rock shows, punk, hardcore and everywhere in between. We’re not really locked into one fad. We’re pretty open.”

From there the conversation inevitably turns to the Melbourne live music scene.

“The heavy scene is kind of in fragments at the moment. There’s the big, heavy sort of digital-sounding stuff that’s going on and then there’s still the really grassroots

hardcore thing, I guess you could say. Then there’s a bit of a mix in the middle, which I think we fall into. The bills we’ve been playing go from metal to punk.

Check out their self-titled EP at hopeinhell.bandcamp.com and stay tuned for gig updates. NB music lovers – When googling, be aware that Hope In Hell is also the title of Canadian heavy metal band Anvil’s latest album!

to do whatever you feel like whenever you feel like. That’s how my music evolved, and it’s good to get back to that.”

Catch him now though because it won’t be long ‘til Grunwald is back in the States, with some big plans later in the year.

“I think the plan at this stage is to record an album in the US late in the year and then possibly get a nice motorhome that we can live in permanently and just live on the road basically,” says Grunwald.

Ash Grunwald Written by Zach Broadhurst

It wasn’t long ago that I chatted to Ash Grunwald about his plans to take his unique style of gritty blues to the US to see how well it would be received, but he has already begun to make quite a name for himself on foreign soil. Playing alongside good friend Xavier Rudd, Grunwald has wowed American audiences and even collected an award for ‘Best International Act’ from the LA Music Critic Awards.

“It was really great how Xavier hooked me up, and the similarities between our music were great,” says Grunwald. “The big difference between us is that my stuff is a lot bluesier, and I guess if there is any country it is good to be bluesy in it’s America.

One of the keys to Grunwald’s recent success in America is his uniqueness, with reviews from the US appreciating just how different he is from any other blues act in America at the moment.

“I’ve always wanted to do something different and that’s always been my focus,” says Grunwald.

“There is a lot of good stuff that comes out of Australia that’s unique. I think we shoot for that and try and find a point of difference, we don’t just copy each other. I think the whole one-man band thing, the way I do it, the fact that I am

Australian and speak in this accent … it’s a little bit different to what they are used to and I was surprised by the reaction and how into it they were.”

Perhaps the biggest of Grunwald’s achievements while in the US was signing with The Agency Group, one of the biggest booking agencies in America and a big step forwards in his American career.

“That’s the be-all and end-all of touring – having a good agent,” explains Grunwald. “I was selfmanaged for so many years and the reason I could do that is because I had good agents. Gigging is the main thing now in music and it’s always been the thing for me, so having a good agent in the US that can get you on those tours is just absolute gold.

So I’m over the moon about that.”

Fresh from his successful tour of the US, Grunwald is back in his home country and it’s straight back to work with a national tour during August and September – and he’s got a few new tricks for his Aussie fans.

‘I’ll be playing harmonica. I’ve taken that up and that’s been really fun,” says Grunwald. “But, just

When&Where: The Vine, Bendigo – August 21 & Torquay Hotel, Torquay – August 30

basically the show that I’m doing now in terms of how it’s set up and the gear I use is a little bit like what I used to do five or six years ago …

At the moment I’m just loving the organic kind of vibe and being able

Massive Q&A

Massive by name and massive by sound, this Melbourne four-piece deliver some of the ballsiest rock and roll you’re likely to come across. So we brought out the hard liquor in order to have a chat with Massive drummer and founding member, Jarrod Medwin.

Your debut album Full Throttle was released last month after a number of years touring. How does it feel to finally have that one out?

It was terrific to finally have the album released worldwide. It was out in Australia for approx. 12 months ahead of the international release, so it’s exciting to know that finally the rest of the world will finally get to hear it.

The album was one of the most anticipated rock albums of this year. How long was the recording process, where was it recorded and how did you decide on which songs made the cut?

I think we spent about 16 or so days in the studio.

It was a fairly straightforward process. We went in knowing exactly what we wanted and how we wanted the album to sound. Our producer Ricki Rae was totally on the same page and knew how to get the best performances out of us.

The album has received a number of fantastic reviews, and rightfully so. How have you liked the feedback and support thus far?

It’s really humbling to see so many great reviews of the album coming from all corners of the globe. There’s 46 forte

been a few that have called Full Throttle the best rock album of the year – the best debut since Appetite, best Aussie debut ever ... Eight outta Ten, Nine outta Ten, Ten outta Ten, album of the week, album of the month. Reviews have been plentiful and very kind in their praises.

Reading those kind of reviews and editorials, it’s crazy to think that the songs Brad [Marr, vocals/guitar] and myself wrote over one summer in my attic have been so well received by rock fans and critics alike, all around the world. It’s a nice feeling!

What has the feedback been like from your fans?

It’s brilliant when you see people in other parts of the country attend gigs who have seen you previously and they’re back, accompanied by a heap of new people who need to check out this band in the first person. That’s when, for us, we can become confident in the knowledge that we’re doing something right. Their mate has been banging on about Massive, telling people ‘You gotta come see this band.’

Massive regularly gets compared to other Aussie hard rock outfits such as Airbourne or classic acts such as AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses. Who would you say

WHEN&WHERE: The Barwon Club, Geelong – Aug 30; The Sound Bar, Werribee – Sep 5; The Loft, Warrnambool – Sep 6; The Espy, St Kilda – Sep 12 & Sep 19; and Whole Lotta Love Bar, East Brunswick – Oct 3

are the biggest influences on your music?

We wear our influences on our sleeve and aren’t afraid to show that. All the great hard rock acts of the ’70s and ’80s – Led Zep, GnR, Deep Purple, AC/DC and Aerosmith are all huge influences collectively. But individually we all have some very different music tastes and influences, and that has an impact on the way we play our instruments.

For a band that has only really been around for two years, how do you feel after having so much international attention in such a short amount of time – playing showcases in the US, having a feature in Hard Rock France and a huge UK tour with Buffalo Summer coming up?

It’s been a really crazy two years. I mean, Brad and myself went to high school together and have been playing music together since we were 15. But we

hadn’t even met Ben [Laguda, vocals/lead guitar] and Aidan [McGarrigle, backing vocals/bass] ’til a couple of years ago.

We have done a lot in a relatively short amount of time in Massive; that was the idea from the outset of this band. Just do it full on, no fucking around, no time to rest. The international attention is unreal. I just cannot wait to get over there and smash them live!

What does the band like most about touring?

We actually enjoy being on the road. As in literally on the road. A lot of bands fly to interstate gigs in Australia these days and there’s a certain freedom and growth within a band, especially a new band, that’s missed when you fly I think. Aside from that, it’s a hell of a lot cheaper to drive … and that is a real aspect of it that must be considered.

Playing venues in towns you’ve never played before and not having a clue what to expect is always very exciting too. We’re always keen

to explore ‘unchartered’ territory, as aside from wanting to spread the word about our band, we genuinely love the experience of more towns, more punters, more booze. Haha.

What can fans expect from this tour that is different to previous tours?

Fans everywhere can expect the kind of madness, mayhem, adrenaline and drunken good times that always come with a MASSIVE show. There’s no denying that we’ll be upping the ante with these forthcoming shows.

In the UK we’ll certainly be out to prove ourselves, particularly because of the build-up and the resultant expectation. Basically, we want to blow people’s heads off, give them gig experiences they won’t forget and reason to come back for more next time we pass through.

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MIFF PREMIERE SHOWCASE Hitting the road with new Australian films

OPENING NIGHT Cut Snake Bendigo: 7.30pm Friday 5 September Geelong: 7.30pm Friday 12 September A psychologically powered crime thriller set in ‘70s suburban Australia, starring Sullivan Stapleton.

“An unexpected and invigorating work, blessed with a brilliant central performance.” – The Age Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

Kill Me Three Times

Galore

Bendigo: 4pm Sunday 7 Sept

Bendigo: 1.30pm Sunday 7 Sept

Geelong: 5pm Sunday 14 Sept AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE

A loving tribute to the schlocky ‘80s movie house Cannon Films, from one of the most purely entertaining documentarians in the world today.

Fresh from its screening at the Berlin Film Festival, this is the tale of four teens navigating adolescent relationships as well as tragedy.

Following the mammoth success of Red Dog, director Kriv Stenders returns with this tale of murder, blackmail and revenge, starring Simon Pegg.

The Legend Maker

My Mistress

Bendigo: 4.30pm Saturday 6 Sept Geelong: 4.30pm Saturday 13 Sept

Bendigo: 8pm Saturday 6 Sept Geelong: 8pm Saturday 13 Sept

Inspired by a real-life Russian forger, The Legend Maker is a taut, engrossing story about the disposable, desperate underbelly of society.

An unconventional and provocative love story about a vulnerable teenage romantic and an S&M mistress, starring Emmanuelle Béart.

Paper Planes Geelong: 1.30pm Sunday 14 Sept

A magical new family-friendly film from director Robert Connolly, Paper Planes features Sam Worthington, Deborah Mailman and David Wenham.

Two weekends only!

Bendigo, 5–7 September Star Cinema, Eaglehawk Buy tickets: miff.com.au/premiereshowcase

Geelong, 12–14 September GPAC, Geelong Performing Arts Centre Buy tickets: gpac.org.au

BOOK NOW

MIFF.COM.AU/PREMIERESHOWCASE forte 47

Refining the Palette

The Circus is in Town

THE CLUB Rehearsals are in full swing for Geelong Rep’s next production, David Williamson’s The Club, directed by David Mackay. The Club isn’t just about football. It’s about the machinations behind the game, the personalities that make up an AFL outfit, and what happens when a new recruit arrives on the scene to shake things up. The Club follows the ‘adventures’

CIRCA, world-renowned for creating startling new ways to experience circus, is bringing their exquisite cabaret of the senses to Colac Otway Performing Arts & Cultural Centre on Saturday, September 6.

Wunderkammer is a sexy, funny and explosive cocktail of new circus and vaudeville where control, abandon, skill and humour, lyricism and anarchy, meld into profound beauty. Since 2006, Circa has toured to 28 countries across six continents and performed Wunderkammer in Berlin for an eight-month season before returning to their home city of Brisbane.

Circa combines seemingly impossible physical feats with a poetic sensibility; their vision of contemporary circus is a blending of bodies,

light, sound and skills – a full throttle celebration of the expressive possibilities of the human body at its extremes.

During a week-long residency at COPACC, sponsored by Cape Otway

Lightstation, Circa’s ensemble of seven will lead workshops, perform Wunderkammer, and four shows of their heartstopping 61 Circus Acts in 60 Minutes. Intrepid acrobats will battle the clock, bending, flying,

CRAFT CUBED 2014 This August, Craft Cubed returns, this time with a major focus at Fed Square as well as venues big and small across Melbourne & regional Victoria.

Craft Cubed is Craft’s annual festival of experimental, skilled and ideas-based craft and design. Featuring exhibitions, installations, open studios, workshops and events, Craft Cubed is a unique umbrella for practitioners and the public to engage with contemporary craft and

STUART CAMPBELL: The Essence Of You Stuart Campbell’s portraits record the actors, directors and writers of the cinema renaissance of the 1980s known as the Australian New Wave.

Campbell (1951-2009), who was born in Ballarat, studied at Swinburne Technical College in Melbourne where his love affair with photography began. In 1972 he moved to Sydney and studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art. After

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graduation Campbell played on stage with major theatre companies and appeared in a number of films including Caddie (1976) and Starstruck (1982), and on television in Cop Shop and Patrol Boat among others.

Campbell had modest success as an actor, but excelled as a photographer. In the early 1980s he began taking sensitive portfolio portraits for his friends.

These included actors such as Mel Gibson, Colin Friels and Judy Davis, and filmmakers Gillian Armstrong and

Peter Weir. Campbell stayed faithful to the sensuous darks and lights of black and white film, valuing the richness and honesty of the medium.

Other photographic projects included taking the notorious male centrefolds for Cleo and celebrity portraits for Vogue.

WHERE: Art Gallery

of Ballarat. 40 Lydiard Street North, Ballarat.

WHEN:

30 August – 12 October.

INFO: artgalleryofballarat.

com.au

PICTURED: Colin Farrell.

juggling and balancing in a fast and furious attempt to deliver 61 tricks in an hour.

Where:

Colac Otway Performing Arts & Cultural Centre WHEN:

Saturday, September 6 design. Encompassing a Victoria-wide program throughout August, this year Craft Cubed will orbit around core happenings at Fed Square.

WHERE: Download

the Festival program for venue listings and information.

WHEN: Until 31 August.

INFO: www.craft.org.au

of Geoff Haywood – the new-breed player who brings with him more than just a reputation for kicking goals. Set in the hurly-burly and political incorrectness of the ‘70s, The Club investigates the human condition within the context of our great game. Don’t miss it!

WHERE: Woodbin

Theatre. 15 Coronation Street, Geelong West.

WHEN: 5-20 September.

INFO: www.gpac.org.au

NEW WORK – ETCH STUDIOS Come embrace and enjoy the experience of ETCH studios artists’ newest and current work over a glass of wine. Grab the opportunity to meet each uniquely talented artist and discover their ways of processing ideas and how their work progresses from initial concept to finished work. Investigate their studio space and ask all those questions you’ve always wanted to ask but never had the opportunity.

WHERE: ETCH

Gallery and Studios.

FAULTY TOWERS - The Dining Experience The hugely popular Faulty Towers has become a must see event at the Vue Grand, performing up to ten shows at the hotel per year.

In place of the traditional stage, the actors perform amongst the tables, and even on top of the tables, and act as the hosts for the evening. While a script is used, a large part of the evening is improvised, bouncing ideas off the audience, who essentially become

CIRCUS OZ 2014 – But Wait…

There’s More

215 Moorabool Street, Geelong.

WHEN:

27 August – 6 September.

Opening Night: Fri 29 August, 6-8pm.

INFO:

etchgalleryandstudios. com a part of the show.

The evening involves a three course dinner, inclusive of local Bellarine beer and wines and an action packed show full of frivolity and laughter.

Amongst the utter mayhem and outlandish comedy it will be a pleasure to see how a true professional operates the hotel, just be sure not to mention the war!

WHERE:

The Vue Grand. 46 Hesse Street, Queenscliff.

WHEN: Friday 29 August.

INFO: vuegrand.com.au

Following an actionpacked national tour crossing Arnhem Land, a Sydney Big Top season, then a smash-hit international tour across America to Montreal, Circus Oz rockets into Geelong with their brand spanking new show But Wait…There’s More.

Cooked up in their custom-built secret circus laboratory in the heart of Collingwood, Melbourne, and performed within a spectacular largescale set inspired by an abandoned theatre in

tatters, But Wait…There’s More will be a punchy, exciting and funny vaudeville-inspired show for humans of all ages.

Audiences can expect an astonishing mix of stunt-jumping acrobatics, cutting-edge juggling, virtuosic unicycling, elegant trapeze flying, cheeky impersonations, ridiculous knockabout and multi-skilled human physical exuberance, all accompanied by an original, rocking eclectic live band.

WHERE: GPAC. 50 Little

Malop Street, Geelong.

WHEN: 4-6 September INFO: www.gpac.org.au

REVOLUTIONARY COMEDY Presented by Simon Rogers. Four of Australia’s sharpest comics together for one amazing night of political comedy!

• Laurence Mooney – Dirty Laundry Live • Paul McCarthy – Totally Full Frontal • Christine Basil – Melbourne Comedy Festival • Simon Rogers – Theatresports legend

WHERE: M.A.D.E.

102 Stawell Street South, Ballarat.

WHEN: Saturday

30 August. 7.30pm.

INFO: www.made.org

Refining the Palette

Forte Illustration 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 Akaysha!

Pick up each issue of Forte Magazine to see each piece by a new artist each week!

Queens of the Outback Written by Amanda Sherring

Dressing up in heels, fishnets and layering up on makeup can be annoying for girls, let alone guys, but the crew of Queens of the Outback have learnt to love it in their new drag show created by Simon Vowles. “It used to take us about two hours, because none of us were drag queens before this,” Simon says. “It’s quite hard, I don’t know how you girls do it all the time. That’s also been a fun experience for us, learning about all the makeup and all that.”

Learning the preshow routine might be a bit of fun but it’s nothing in comparison to the exhilaration felt once the show has finished.

“It’s tiring, but it’s one of those shows where once you’re on that stage you’re having so much fun, not just on stage with the audience. Most of it is a lot of audience participation and involvement, so you’re just having fun with the whole place and they’re having fun with you.

Then all of a sudden it’s finished. So it’s not one of those drainer shows. It’s just a lot of fun,” he says.

Having fun on stage is easy when you’ve got a stellar cast hand-picked

by Simon himself. And each crewmember can do more than just sing: there’s one of Australia’s best break-dancers, a pop princess and a stand-up comedian.

“Because I’ve been in the industry for so long I pretty much had a good idea of who I wanted to use in the show as well,” Simon says. “Especially with the drag queens, Justin Clausen and Leigh Barker, I don’t know anyone else in Australia who can really do what they do. One of them sings like Beyoncé and the other sings like Christina Aguilera.”

Simon places a lot of praise on his team, and it’s not surprising given the high energy show they’ve signed up for. Unlike many drag shows there is no lip-syncing and all of the mashed-up songs, made up from over 100 songs, are sung live.

The soundtrack covers tracks from Lady Gaga to John Denver, and aside from the live performances, it’s this strong focus on the music that makes Queens of the Outback unique.

“It’s not just a show.

It’s multi-dimensional in a way. We’re giving them two hours of

amazing live singing and harmonies and that’s what they love about it,” he says.

The show is currently in its sixth month, and you’d be hard-pressed to find an unhappy face on any of the audience members. A recent trip to Sexpo had this very effect and managed to surprise crowds that would have seen almost everything.

“The production guy at Sexpo said to us, ‘You know what the difference is when you get up on that stage? Everybody smiles’. And it’s true. It’s the whole fun aspect of drag queens; the colour and the crazy costumes. We haven’t come across one person when we’re touring around outback regional Australia that hasn’t liked it,” Simon says.

Given that there’s rarely been a displeased audience member, there’s really only one thing left to do.

“Get out your fishnets, get your heels out of the closet, get your feather boas happening, the biggest eyelashes you can find and come along and have some fun,” he says.

WHERE&WHEN:

The Sphinx Hotel, Geelong – August 22

Mighty Duke & The Lords Written by Tex Miller

Featuring members of some of the coolest rhythm sections in the Melbourne music scene today including Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Mojo Juju and Suitcase Royale, Mighty Duke & The Lords are giving you a reason to party with their non-stop infectious grooves. Luckily for all you Forte readers, the band is set to play at the Lorne Festival of Performing Arts which takes place over the 29-31 of August. At the time of talking to Glen Walton, lead singer and guitarist for the group, half of the band is over in Mexico playing gigs and getting some rays ahead of the upcoming run of shows.

“We have been whipping up a Calypso storm at the moment mate all around the country and the shows have been really positive and energetic.

We played a gig on a boat, which was probably our favourite so far. We can’t wait to whip out the boardshorts and jump on the trampolines down

there. Oh, and playing the gig will also be sweet as!”

If you’re reading this article and you haven’t heard of Mighty Duke & The Lords just yet, don’t stress. There are some fantastic clips of the band playing live, complete with the Nick Cave growl of Walton’s vocals. With sailing attire, Hawaiian leis and bottles of rum added for good measure, the high intensity of their live performance is what has been drawing the band acclaim all around town.

In November, they are set to release their self-titled debut album that will no doubt cement them as a must-see band of 2015.

“We recorded the album earlier this year and have most recently released a single ‘Duke It Out’. The album is very much like getting on a cruise ship and sailing away. We are interluding the songs with tropical scenes. It’s like getting on the P&O Fairline, dropping anchor in somewhere you’ve never been before. You’ve lost the itinerary and so you just let everything flow over you, with a couple of drinks and a coconut water thrown in for good measure.

“We can’t wait for it to come out and for the world to hear what we’ve been working on.”

With a full setup at Bamboo HQ (the preferred recording space

for the band), much facial hair was grown during the process, which Walton believes gives the tunes a positive edge.

“We all sort of looked like Tom Hanks at the end of Castaway and we each had our own ‘Wilson’. I think the music is really upbeat and everybody is going to love it.”

Surprisingly, if Walton and the Dukes could collaborate with anybody in the world, it would be the powerhouse vocal of Beyoncé Knowles.

“We are all Beyoncé fans in the band and I think our music would go really well together.

She likes hanging out in Brunswick and Bamboo HQ isn’t too far from there, so I’m sure we could get a collaboration going in no time. Hopefully there would be some rum-soaked tomfoolery alongside that, too!”

Crack out those Hawaiian shirts, ’cause Mighty Duke & The Lords are headed to town. Their highly energetic and take-noprisoners stage show is highly interactive, and Walton encourages popup horn sections. “If you see us busking in Lorne and you play a brass instrument, come down and jam along, we’re all for it. See ya there!”

WHERE&WHEN:

Lorne Festival of Performing Arts – August 29 through 31

an exhibtion of new works by

21 AUG TO 5 SEPT WONDERWALL GALLERY

cnr Lt Malop & Gheringhap st GEELONG

facebook /wwgallery forte 49

Refining the Palette

Vanished into Stitches Written by Amanda Sherring

At some point of our childhood many of us are taught how to knit. For Ruth Marshall her experience was much the same, though when her mother and aunt taught her how to knit they never would have guessed she’d go from knitting cardigans for her teddy bears to life-sized pelts of various animals for her exhibition Vanished into Stitches.

Though Ruth has experimented with various art forms after her Fine Art degree and Masters in Sculpture, she came back to her love of knitting after deserting it for a number of years.

“Looking back

through my art education I was able to see that I could utilise my skill in knitting for artworks. And also just rediscovering that love of knitting was really meaningful too,” Ruth says.

Her desertion could possibly be pinned on her move to New York; this August will mark 21 years of living in the big city, where she has spent plenty of time discovering a culture which she thought she’d be well-accustomed to.

“New York City is pretty much a place unto itself,” she says. “I’ve travelled quite extensively before I went to live in New York and I was surprised by the culture shock. It was the first time I’d been to America and I was just really

curious about America because it infiltrates our culture here so much.”

Amongst her 21 years overseas, Ruth worked at the Bronx Zoo for 14 years to further her passion of animal conservation and preservation. She developed a greater understanding of animal poaching, which her current exhibition Vanished into Stitches is about.

“The impact is not only on the animals, but people and the local community, so there’s a really long education process in understanding and the importance of zoos as well,” Ruth says.

After a wealth of study, hundreds of balls of wool, and nine years later, Ruth has created an exhibition that asks people to question what they believe to be right in the case of animal poaching.

Once people see the collection of knitted skins, including snow leopards, tigers and Leadbeater

possums, they each take a similar pathway as they realise they are in fact made from wool.

“Everybody sort of responds the same and I think there’s a very real, very fast journey that you go on when you see my work,” she says.

“The first reaction is there is no place for that – why is it here, and if the person chooses to come closer and investigate, then they quickly discover it’s not real and you see a real 180 degree change in people’s perception.”

Ruth has even had people react by crying to her exhibition, but this is all part of getting her message across. She just hopes that people come away caring about the issues these animals face; to share their story and then hopefully do something about it through donations or activism.

Amongst the collection Ruth has a strong passion for preserving Victoria’s national emblem, the Leadbeater possum.

She’s even created a knit your own pack that you can take home and where all proceeds go to preserving the iconic animal.

FORTE ILLUSTRATION #3

Akaysha oksurewhatever.com

WHERE&WHEN:

National Wool Museum – until December 7

Anglesea One Act Play Festival Review Anglesea Community Hall August 16 to 17, 2014

Make it happen.

Open Day Sunday 31 August Ballarat and Gippsland campuses, 10am-3pm Success is a personal journey that starts at our Open Day. So whatever success means to you, come along and discover how FedUni could help you make ‘it’ happen.

Learn to succeed | 1800 333 864

Federation.edu.au/Openday CRICOS Provider No. 00103D

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FED0509

Anglesea played host to its annual One Act Play Festival, over the weekend just gone, Saturday August 16 to 17. Held at the Anglesea Community Hall, theatre groups from all over the state attended and performed a number of short single act plays ranging from 20-45 minutes long. Participating companies included Ararat Theatre Company, Adelphi Payers, Pop Culture Theatre Inc, Here There and Everywhere Theatre Co, Torquay Theatre Troupe, The Mount Players, Dramatic Pause Theatre Company, Skin Of Our Teeth Productions and home team Anglsea Performing Arts.

Xan Coleman, the artistic director of Melbourne-based contemporary performance company A is for Atlas took over adjudicator duties. His creative career has seen him perform and direct all around the world, collecting a string of honours in the process. A great weekend was had by all - the hall proved to be the perfect setting for each of the plays, while the canteen was kept full of delicious goodies to keep everyone sustained for the two days!

First prize was awarded to ‘The Rain’, preformed by Anglesea Preforming Arts, written by Daniel Keene and co-directed and designed by Janine McKenzie and Iris Walshe-Howling. The play was staged

by Iris Walshe-Howling as Hanna, Philip Besancon as A Man, Janine McKenzie as A Woman and Maddie Field as A Girl and was about an old woman who bears witness to a time past and a families response to uncertainty and terror. Philip Besancon’s performance as A Man, won him Best Supporting Actor and the play also took out Best Visual Design.

A real highlight was the final performance of the festival, titled ‘Howling at the Moon’, performed by Skin Of Our Teeth Production’s Christine Davey and Mary Stuten and took home

second prize. Davey who also wrote and directed the piece, played an elderly dog, Sparkles who had lived a rather cushy life but had been left alone following the passing of its owner. Sparkles has a chance meeting with a younger, tougher pup in Rosie, played by Stuten.

The pair struck up an unlikely friendship and the play follows how they both grow and change.

It gets you thinking of the human condition and how our human lifestyle is relatable to the canine mentality. The piece

also won Best Original Play.

Best Male Actor for the festival went to Warwick Smith of the Adelphi Players for his portrayal as Father Coady, Mick Hawkins, Jack Kearns and Tex Rickard in ‘The Les Darcy Show’. Best Female actor went to Lina Libroaperto (pictured) of Anglesea Performing Arts for her impressive role as Tara in ‘Hotel’. The Adjudicator’s award went to ‘Couples’ by Here, There & Everywhere Theatre.

Written by Abbey King.

Photo by Mellissa Eliott

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Burnt and Broken Album Launch Tour

AUG 30 - THE LUWOW - MELBOURNE

SEPT 5 - SOOKI - BELGRAVE WONTHAGGI - THE CALEDONIAN - 26 OCT SEPT 6 - BAHA TACOS - RYE ADELAIDE - HOTEL METROPOLITAN - 1 NOV SEPT 14 - OLD HEPBURN HOTEL - HEPBURN SPRINGS BENDIGO - NEWMARKET HOTEL - 15 NOV SEPT 26 - PETERSHAM BOWLO - SYDNEY ELPHINSTONE - ELPHINSTONE HOTEL - 16 NOV SEPT 27 - THE FRONT - CANBERRA BYRON BAY - FRANKIE BROWN - 21 NOV OCT 24 - PAYNESVILLE WINE BAR - PAYNESVILLE BRISBANE - THE BEARDED LADY - 22 NOV OCT 25 - CENTRAL HOTEL - LAKES ENTRANCE SURFERS PARADISE - SWINGIN SAFARI - 23 NOV 52 forte

Inside Splinters

Written by Adem Ali

T he In side Sp l in t er s Beginner’s Guide t o

F L I G H T FA C I L I T I E S Aussie-bred Flight Facilities have been knocking about on an underground/commercial cusp since their debut in 2009. As a way of celebrating the past five years of exceptional releases, here is the Splinters Beginner’s Guide to the phenomenal Flight Facilities.

NICKY NIGHT TIME Van She’s Nicky Night Time has unleashed ‘Everybody Together’, his summer anthem in the making that’s already tearing radio playlists to shreds. Go Nicky!

E-VERSIONS The limited edition vinyl print of ‘E-Versions 2’ features an incredible, ready-for-Berghain club edit of Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ called ‘Magazine’ that is beyond off the chain.

DJ ZINC New single ‘Show Me’ is not only a massive, ’90s piano house stomper, it also features Sneaky Sound System and the prowess vocals of Miss Connie all over it. Maaaaajor club cut that’s just waiting for summer to start.

or

EDM We’re done! Go away!!

THIS IS HOW WE DO The new Katy Perry single sounds like around five of her other ones.

WAITING FOR NEW MATERIAL FROM FLIGHT FACILITIES It’s been a year since the incredible ‘Stand Still’ and we are incredibly impatient – new album now please, boys.

CRAVE YOU (Version 2) The first single from the already iconic Aussie duo was the truly beautiful ‘Crave You’, whose ‘second version’ tees up as the definitive mix. A thumping bassline matched with an undeniably gorgeous melody (those piano riffs are some of the most heart-wrenching yet amazing moments in music) all swirl together with simple, relatable ‘heartbreak on the dance floor’style lyrics. And that sax finale?

Goddammit, nobody does a sax finale quite like the Aussies do.

Best Block of Lyrics: “Let’s just stop and think before I lose face. Surely I can’t fall into a game of chase.

Around his little finger that boy has got me curled. I try to reach out but he’s in his own world. This boy’s got my head tied in knots with all his games; I simply want him more because he looks the other way.”

FOREIGN LANGUAGE (Flight Facilities Extended Mix) Disco-ripped right out of the Chic playbook, this is yet another tear-jerking dance floor monster with a chorus bigger than Ben Hur. The lyrics are perfect too, detailing the story of a lady after a man who seems to be – for lack of a better term – fucking her around on a royally-sized scale.

Take those tears to the dance floor gurl and let it all out. And yes, that sounds like a cowbell to us, too.

Best Block of Lyrics: “So I can’t let you go, and you won’t let me know. I can’t let you go, when you won’t say.”

WITH YOU (Flight Facilities Extended Mix) God almighty! The more recent the release, the more powerful they become. This deep house cut sets the scene as two potential lovers (with lovers of their own) can’t seem to pull themselves apart from each other. The bass comes right out of 1997 and is all the more powerful for it, whereas the heartbreaking lyrics further cements the idea that Flight Facilities are two of Australia’s most deep and exceptional songwriters.

Best Block of Lyrics: “Take a risk, well that’s all you keep on saying.

And the point that I’m relaying is it shouldn’t be like this. And you know, while I’m sitting here this evening, I just know I should be leaving but it’s too late for me to go.

And now a kiss. Well you planted that one on me, and granted it has thrown me and it’s futile to resist.

But don’t you see. If people see us here together we’ve thrown it all away.”

CLAIR DE LUNE This is where things get really heavy. Never has there been a sadder, dance floor-ready jam like the delicate ‘Clair De Lune’.

Featuring the vocal prowess of Christine Hoberg, this epic, neareight-minute monster takes all of your emotions, rips them to shreds, and makes you deal with the shreds, all whilst the single’s most beautiful melody harps into your ears. One of the most magical and poignant Australian releases since Sneaky Sound System’s ‘Big’.

The most bionic and ethereal production from the duo we’ve heard, this is the Splinters pick as their most inspired moment.

Best Block of Lyrics: “If I would know you, would you know me? Don’t go.

Tell me that the lights won’t change.

Tell me that you’ll feel the same. And we’ll stay here – forever. Don’t go, tell me that the lights won’t change. Tell me that it’ll stay the same. Where we go, Where we, Where we go.”

I DIDN’T BELIEVE (Extended Version) Back to the disco we go! Featuring Elizabeth Rose on vocals, this club pearler clocks in at five minutes and takes you on a hedonistic journey straight to the dance floor. The song sets the story for a woman who cannot quite believe something is happening between her and her future bae, whilst the track itself slips things back into Chic territory with some of the funkiest of funky-funk you will hear this side of Studio 54. Heavenly.

Best Block of Lyrics: “You’re the ghost in my arms. That never troubled me – until now. All the forces are at work now, as the town begins to sleep. I could cast my doubt and live on without – you never asked me why. I didn’t believe that something could really happen between us.”

STAND STILL The most recent single from our boys was one of Splinters’ favourite tracks of 2013. Taking a different road musically, it’s the lyrics in this absolute treasure which elevate it to the status of being a totally next level pop song.

Best Block of Lyrics: “Don’t be a fool, and play it too cool. So cool that you can’t see how much you mean to me.”

Creating some of the most incredibly formulated melodies, beats and lyrics, Flight Facilities are fast shaping up to become one of our most treasured exports – exports who in a matter of five years have begun to cement themselves as a serious musical force to be reckoned with. It’s quite the impressive feat to have your first six major single releases all be 10/10 kinda songs. Magic.

If you haven’t gotten into these wizards of sound then we urge you to do so immediately. There’s five years of sounds to catch up on and you won’t be left disappointed.

Five years of quality jams; here’s to the next five years of tears and boogie nights on the dance floor with these two masters of sound.

“Imagine if daytime TV discussed Transgender issues other than by saying ‘Wow, your life is so weird to us.’”

You know, @davnh has a bloody point doesn’t he.

For more music news and reviews follow @AdemWithAnE on Twitter!

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

@forte_mag

forte 53

Briggs Written by Natalie Rogers, Photo by Michelle Grace Hunder

My friends, we’re on the eve of what will arguably be the biggest and best allAustralian hip hop tour of 2014. In a nod to the exceptional work by Melbourne photo-journalist Michelle Grace Hunder, our country’s brightest lights have joined forces to celebrate the launch of her debut book release ‘RISE – A photodocumentary of Hip Hop in Aus’.

Michelle has been a much-loved fixture on the tour circuit and those in the know will tell you she can always be counted on to get that perfect shot. So it’s no surprise that so many artists agreed to “rise” to the occasion. One of the favourites in the lineup will surely be the lyrically gifted and larger than life small-town kid, Briggs.

“I’ve known Michelle pretty much all my life.

She was my sister’s best friend in high school,” began the soft-spoken rapper from country Victoria. “I’m looking forward to getting out on the road. I’ve crossed paths with everyone on the bill and we all know each other, but normally I’m very much a lone wolf. Outside of my Golden Era family [record label run by mates the Hilltop Hoods] I generally stick to myself.”

Briggs has never needed to schmooze or hustle to get noticed. With only a couple of EPs

under his belt, Briggs began making a name for himself at local gigs, soon catching the eye of (and opening for) interstate touring acts like Adelaide’s Funkoars and WA’s Drapht. However, it was the release of 2010’s The Blacklist that firmly cemented Briggs’ reputation as one to watch.

“I’ve had a pretty solid run off it [The Blacklist] for years now and I’ve somehow keep myself relevant. I can’t attribute that to anything but luck.”

Was it luck that won him the award for ‘Best New Talent’ at the NIMAs (National Indigenous Music Awards) recently? I think not, and during the course of our chat Briggs was incredibly forthcoming when asked about the importance of his heritage. “My identity is sure-fast and deeply rooted in everything that I do.

I grew up in a proud black family.”

Briggs said his recent performance of ‘The Children Came Back’ on triple j’s Like a Version NAIDOC week special with ARIA-winning Gurrumul Yunupingu was a personal tribute to one of his idols growing up.

“When I was growing up, Archie Roach’s music was such a focal point

for the stories of contemporary black Australia. His journey is really inspiring and he opened a lot of doors for black artists. That’s why I did the sequel to that track.

I wanted to take his song [‘They Took the Children Away’] and let him know what he means to me.

“What I didn’t expect is the impact it would have and I’ve been humbled by people’s response.

Honestly though, that’s the last thing I was thinking about when I was making the track. I was thinking, ‘Oh man, I hope this doesn’t suck!’”

Don’t miss the chance to catch this incredibly unique artist when he rolls into town as part of the Rise Launch Tour 2014. And to make this event even more exciting, it coincides with the release of Briggs’ highly anticipated second album, ShepLife.

“It’s a total coincidence that it’s happening at the same time – I have to thank the rap gods for that one!”

When&Where: The Karova, Ballarat – August 28

Creo Written by Tex Miller

With the release of their latest single ‘Afterglow’, Sydney indie rockers Creo are hitting the road once again to play a stack of shows. With fearsome drumming, malicious guitar tones and devious indie-pop hooks thrown in the mix for good measure, over the next few weeks Creo are touring all around the country in support of their latest single. Hold fire though folks, because they are not your average indie-pop rock band. Since forming in 2012, Creo has supported the likes of British India, Gung Ho and Glass Towers, which is quite a big deal for a band on the rise. In the leadup to the tour, I got the opportunity to catch up with Jorgee Hayman, lead singer and guitarist for the band.

It may have only been out a few weeks, however the support that Creo has been racking up for the track is pretty crazy and something that is still a little hard to comprehend for all the members.

“It’s been a really overwhelming response to the track, we knew it had some promise but we didn’t think things would end up snowballing this

much. It’s been really nice to see that everybody is digging the track after all the hard work that we’ve put in.”

Forming in 2012 through the dissolution of other projects, Creo has always felt like the right fit for Jorgee, Carlos, Alex and Daniel. After the release of their debut EP, the band has been working hard on the follow-up, and finally we get to hear it. “Since the beginning, it has been a natural progression to where we are as a band today. Our first EP sounded pretty green, a bit fresh, and now with Afterglow, I think we are really coming into our own and that’s something that we are extremely proud of.”

The recording process that the band takes has changed quite a bit in between putting the first and second EPs together. In the pursuit of a raw and original sound that feels a lot more fresh and original, Creo is aiming to push the boundaries when it comes to recording. “We are really in an exploration for the real Creo sound now I think.

Whether that be recording vocals in a naturally reverby room, to drums in a different way, we are taking a

When&Where: Music Man Megastore, Bendigo - August 27 & Old Bar, Melbourne - August 29

lot more risks these days and I think that has greater benefits to it.”

Like many musicians before him, one of the main influences on Jorgee’s songwriting is the legendary Bruce Springsteen. Having seen the Boss in concert a few times, Hayman relates that Springsteen is definitely

up the top of the list of collaborations.

“Just to be able to sit on a writing session with the man and to see how he conducts his band and goes about his business. He’s incredible. He doesn’t skip a beat when he’s in action and he’s by far the best performer that I have ever seen. If I had to give you my top Springsteen songs it’d definitely be

a tussle between ‘Thunder Road’, ‘Jungleland’ or ‘Born to Run’.

If tight indie guitar pop hooks is your thing, then look no further than heading out to see Creo when they hit Music Man in Bendigo on August 27 and Old Bar in Melbourne on August 29.

Rainbow Serpent Festival Q&A / Photo by Francesco Vicenzi

It may seem like Rainbow Serpent Festival is still a million miles away, but before you know it you’ll be packing up the car and making your way to Beaufort for four days of music, arts and lifestyle.

Hi Tim, thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte. How are you?

Really good thanks. The excitement is building at Rainbow HQ. This time of year is always lots of fun as we lock in amazing content for 2015.

For those who aren’t familiar with who you are, can you please give a brief description of what it is you do?

I have a few roles at Rainbow, one of which is being part of the team that books the music. I also manage all the marketing, promotion, social media, website etc. We have a heap of amazing people who make Rainbow the event that it is; I’m just fortunate to be the guy that gets to speak with you!

What first sparked the idea to create Rainbow Serpent Festival?

I think Frank and Felix (the two guys that started Rainbow) were already running other events, both indoors and outdoors. It seemed a natural progression to work on something together, and over a period of years Rainbow slowly started to take shape.

2015 is our 18th year, so it’s been a long journey from the small gathering in a secluded clearing to the four-day and five-stage sensory extravaganza 54 forte

we all get to experience these days.

Tickets to this year’s show sold out for the first time in the festival’s history.

That’s a pretty great achievement given so many festivals aren’t doing so well. What do you think it is about your festival that made this happen?

Yeah, we were really excited to finally hit capacity in 2014. We simply have an amazing community that has grown around our festival, so credit needs to be given to them for bringing such phenomenal energy each year and making our event so welcoming and unique. In that respect, we are really more of an extended family than promoters and patrons.

In the end it’s about offering a total experience that is part carnival, part concert, part arts festival and part spiritual retreat. Add thousands of awesome people into that mix and what’s not to love!

How do you think the festival has developed over its time?

Massively! It really is like we have developed from infancy into an adult over 18 years. Rainbow used to be a predominately single-genre music festival with a few market stalls and

When&Where: Beaufort – January 23 through January 26

a bit of decor. Today we’re honoured to be considered one of the top “alternative culture” festivals in the world. People travel from all over the globe to attend and experience world-class music across five stages, eye-popping installations, visual art and an extensive lifestyle program, too.

Are there any fans you’re aware of that have been to every festival?

Absolutely, I personally know a number of people that haven’t missed one festival – although they may have

slowed down a bit on the dance floor.

What’s your advice for first time punters?

Firstly, don’t miss the opening ceremony at dusk on the main stage on Saturday. It really sets the tone for the whole weekend and is a beautiful experience. Secondly, Rainbow is a marathon, not a sprint, so you are going to want to pace yourself.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing play at the festival?

Tough question, and I can only pick from who we have announced otherwise I’ll be revealing trade secrets. Personally,

Desert Dwellers will be a mindblowing experience; they write such deep, soulful, beautiful music.

Thanks again for having a chat with us. Is there anything you would like to add?

Thanks for having me Forte, it’s been a pleasure. I guess for those that have never been and would like to see what we’re all about, they should check our series of retrospective films on our YouTube channel. Other than that, it’s all on the website rainbowserpent.net.

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scenepix Photos by Marianne Valitutti

Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex

Grovedale Hotel

Edge

Edge Grovedale Hotel

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

* contact the hotel to claim your prize!

The Max Hotel

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FORTE

scenepix Photos by Marianne Valitutti

Bended CQ

Bended

Bended

Bended

CQ

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FORTE

scenepix Photos by Marianne Valitutti

Eureka Geelong RSL

Geelong RSL

Eureka

Eureka

Eureka

The Barwon Club

Home House

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Lambys

Slate Pool Lounge

Lambys

Lambys

Home House

Home House

Beav's Bar

Home House

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Film Reviews

Films reviewed by Anthony Morris

Predestination

Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Guardians of the Galaxy

It’s a rare film where even just mentioning the name of the short story it’s based on is a massive spoiler. But while Predestination is based on a classic science fiction short story, it’s also based on a short story that is (famously) nothing but a series of twists – and while this film version has more to offer than just that, those twists remain such a central part of the story that … let’s just say the less you know going in the better.

In an unnamed time, a faceless man tracks down a bomb hidden in the basement of a large building. He tries to stop it going off, but thanks to the intervention of someone – presumably the bomb’s planter – he only partially succeeds.

Horribly burnt, he manages to return to his own time, where medical technology is advanced enough to give him a whole new face (that of Ethan Hawke). It turns out he’s a professional time traveller, sent out by his boss (Noah Taylor) on missions to prevent crimes and mass killings – specifically those being committed by someone known only as “The Fizzle Bomber”. The bomber is building up to something big in the early ’70s and they can’t quite seem to get a lock on him; our hero is just about

Millions

the wr ap Guardians of the Galaxy Underneath the fun wrapping this is just another movie made to the Marvel formula: a band of misfits team up (and become “a family”) to battle a fairly generic badguy in a chase for a super-powered MacGuffin (here it’s another magic rock). They even have the big final battle in a huge base falling from the sky (again).

Lucy

burnt out (too much time travel is bad for your mental health), but he wants one last stab at the case.

So back to early ’70s New York he goes to work as a bartender – and that’s where he’s working when a customer (Sarah Snook) comes in with a very strange story to tell.

Writer/directors Michael and Peter Spierig (Daybreakers, Undead) skilfully tell their very complex story in a relatively straightforward manner, helped in large part by a pair of excellent performances from their two leads in roles that require a lot more from

Magic in the Moonlight

The Inbetweeners 2 After three television series and a movie, chances are you already have a pretty good idea whether you’re on board with The Inbetweeners’ take on teenage boys. So to break the shocking news up front: this is pretty much more of the same. Which actually is shocking news, because the last film made a bit of an effort to push the four leads – Will McKenzie (Simon Bird), Jay Cartwright ( James Buckley), Simon Cooper ( Joe Thomas) and Neil Sutherland (Blake Harrison) – at least some of the way towards adulthood.

Here we quickly discover that Will’s university career is fizzling (his snooty, twattish ways are even less popular there than they were at high school); Jay’s dream girl Lucy (Tamla Kari) has become a nightmare; Neil is still astoundingly stupid; and Simon – think of a UK version of American Pie’s Stifler, only even cruder and more delusional – is spending his gap year in Australia, which according to him is some kind of sexual paradise where he’s basically been crowned king. As this is a distinct improvement over the lives they’re living in the UK, they decide to pay 60 forte

him a visit “Down Under”, which somewhat surprisingly is painted in strokes somewhat less broad than many of our local comedies. In fact, most of the “satire” is directed at backpacking, as Will and company – having discovered Simon is full of it and is literally working in a toilet – head to Byron Bay to hang out with Will’s potential love interest, Katie (Emily Berrington).

While much of the comedy here can safely be described as “crude” – it’s a film where a character is chased down a water slide by a turd, and when he hits bottom he decides to turn around (not a good idea) – the four leads are a finely honed comedy team at this stage and the balance between idiots saying and doing stupid things and losers mocking them for doing stupid things means this is able to have its crude cake and eat it … not that you’d want to, what with the endless jokes about various bodily fluids.

Subtle it ain’t, and the lack of decent female characters (which the first film made a real effort towards) is a bit of a backwards step, but overall the series is still going strong. The original TV series is still the high point; that’s definitely the place to start if you’re new to the boys.

These days Woody Allen’s strikerate is down to around one in three. The trouble is picking which one is going to be the one worth checking out, as on the surface pretty much all Allen’s recent films sound equally likely to be a hit. Midnight in Paris, about a writer who travels back in time to the Paris of the 1920s, turned out to be a charming romp; Allen’s next film, To Rome with Love, was about various relationships in Rome, and was… not so great.

The Expendables 3 The last two Expendables were about a bunch of over-the-hill mercenaries taking down a bad guy by blowing a lot of stuff up. So let’s be honest here: if you’ve seen the first two, you’ve pretty much seen this one. Some things are slightly different – much less Bruce

them than it initially might seem.

Time travel stories often struggle to add up to more than a collection of twists even when they’re telling a superficially emotional tale, and while this does better than most for much of its running time – again, Snook does an excellent job

here – it does start to falter a little towards the end as the twists and turns mount.

As time travel tales go, this certainly gives you a lot to think about; it’s definitely not one where you can afford to let your mind wander.

So coming off Blue Jasmine, his most interesting film in years, it’s tempting to cut Allen a bit of slack with Magic in the Moonlight: after that film’s heavy look at a woman’s decline, why shouldn’t he have a little fun? Unfortunately there’s only a little fun – and little of anything else – on offer in this extremely slight concoction.

The year is 1928, and Stanley (Colin Firth) is the most renowned stage magician (as the “Chinese” magician Wei Ling Soo) of the age.

He’s also a grumpy sod who takes great pleasure in debunking psychics

and spiritualists, so when the closest thing he has to a friend (Simon McBurney, with an amazingly bad haircut) tells him about a medium (Emma Stone) currently raking in the cash from a family friend in the south of France, he’s on the case.

Supposedly this medium’s act is so impressive no one’s been able to figure out how she’s doing it; despite his confidence, it soon turns out that he’s as stumped as all the rest.

This is prime “meet-cute” material – he’s a man of science, she’s a woman who makes a living waving her hands about while talking about “vibrations”; obviously they’re going to fall in love – but at least Allen takes a stab at adding another layer to it with some discussion about whether people should face the harsh facts about reality if all it does is make them grouchy and sour. Trouble is, even this is pretty wet; Allen sides (slightly) with the illusions, which will come as zero surprise to anyone who’s noticed they’re watching a rom-com.

At least Firth and Stone are fun together, even if their romance seems pretty unlikely. Maybe Allen will have better luck next time.

Willis, much more Wesley Snipes and Harrison Ford – but it’s really more of the same slurred dialogue, bulging muscles, Eastern European locations and planes flying around …

So many shots of people on planes.

The one thing that actually is different here is Mel Gibson as evil arms dealer Conrad Stonebanks.

Gibson, unlike every single other human being in this film, can act. So his one big scene, where Stonebanks talks about how he started the Expendables with Barney Ross (Stallone) and how Ross’ morality is a joke because they’re mercenaries and mercenaries kill people for money which is pretty darn amoral if you think about it, is the one scene in this film that really works.

Meanwhile: explosions, which is what you’re here for. And the first couple of action sequences are pretty good. But then for some bizarre reason – well, presumably the reason is “you guys are getting too old for this” – Ross fires all the original Expendables (you know,

the guys you came here to see) and replaces them with a bunch of young no-name guys who can use computers and in one case is also a woman. They’ve been handpicked by deadly killer expert Kelsey Grammer, so you know they’re good. Wait, no – I mean to say so you know the original old guys are going to come out of retirement to save everyone else’s arse while mumbling some stuff about “family”.

There are some laughs when Antonio Banderas turns up as a motor-mouth wannabe Expendable; there are less laughs when Arnold Schwarzenegger says “get to da choppa!” twice. The whole series of Expendables movies has been a parody of ’80s action excess – not exactly a genre that was played straight-faced the first time around – so it’s hard to complain about it being a collection of bad one-liners and unimaginative action. But at least those original films were trying not to be average; this wears it with pride.

Scarlett Johansson is forced to become a drug mule, develops superpowers, kicks everyone’s ass. Plus there’s loads of wildlife footage and questions about biochemistry and how the human brain operates. Best superhero movie of the year.

A Very Wanted Man Philip Seymour Hoffman’s final starring role is a reminder of just how good he was at humanising unlikable types – and in this complex spy-thriller based on a John le Carré novel, pretty much everyone is somewhat unlikable.

Mrs. Brown’s Boys D’Movie Are you a fan of the show?

Then you’ll probably enjoy this slightly bigger version of it. And if you’re not a fan… yeah, you can safely give this one a very wide berth.

And So It Goes Michael Douglas is grumpy, Diane Keaton is ditsy, you can predict the ending from the opening scene, and the whole thing goes down as smoothly and as tastelessly as a bowl of mush. Even your elderly relatives might find this one too bland.

Hercules Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is basically perfect casting as the legendary demi-god. It’s just a shame the rest of this solid but uninspired sword-andsandals saga isn’t as dead-on.

Begin Again Keira Knightley is a singersongwriter who ends up recording her latest album all across New York after her boyfriend dumps her.

So you’d better be a big fan of slightly serious songs in a quirky setting for this one.

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.

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.

Music Reviews

w h at ' s n e w ?

The Golden Echo Kimbra

The follow-up to 2011’s Vows, possibly that year’s best pop release, is finally here. The Kiwi songstress’ latest effort contains tracks influenced by ’70s R&B, ’90s pop and Prince. Available now on Warner.

Max Relax Millions

Brisbane popsters Millions have finally released their debut album. Much anticipated by the triple j crowd, this one promises to be a hit. Available now on Inertia.

Microscopic Wars Kingswood

I’m a little biased here – Kingswood is one of my favourite bands. Pure, unadulterated rock and roll music is what we can expect from their debut full-length.

Available tomorrow on Universal.

Maximum Overload DragonForce

Metal legends DragonForce are back with their sixth studio album, bound to be filled with epic, guitar-riff driven metal.

Available tomorrow on 3 Wise Records/Sony.

My Everything Ariana Grande

The incredibly popularright-now pop star, Ariana Grande, is back with her latest album. Featuring the hit single ‘Problem’, recorded with Australia’s own Iggy Azalea. Available tomorrow on Universal.

Be Impressive

JUNGLE

The Griswolds

Jungle

It seems like they’ve been around forever, but The Griswolds are only just now releasing their first LP. The Sydney indie popsters are picking up momentum in the US, and this album will only help them to make waves.

Available now on Chugg Music.

Tim Hulsman Dead Man’s Garden Only Blues Music

Tim Hulsman grew up in a close-knit community where he learnt to play homegrown music. Rather than an introduction via 12-bar blues and Dylan his musical experience and expression was restricted to Christian tunes.

Like many treading the altfolk path, the lapsed Jehovah’s Witness turned a defiant early ear towards the dreaded world of ‘rock and/or roll’. A reflective soul with stories to tell was bound to slide across to blues and roots eventually, and that’s where the Geelong musician’s third solo album shines.

It opens – after a quietly ominous overture – with Lead Belly’s ‘Goodnight Irene’.

Hulsman shares credit for the arrangement with Kelly Joe Phelps. The much-covered classic sounds as though it could’ve been written last week; Hulsman making it his own without a hint of tryhard pretence. He takes the listener along a thoughtful acoustic ramble, the pleasantly soporific effect neither safe

nor dull. Love songs are warmed by the accompanying vocals of partner Nina Grant. ‘You Are a Mountain’ features her light and sparse piano notes to balance Hulsman’s vocals.

Here he croons deep and mellow to high and earnest, as effortlessly as Gordon Lightfoot or Jimmy Little.

Hulsman sings of the love for his woman and child and takes a good hard look at himself through the years. ‘Yours Finally’: ‘Well I’m breaking all the rules I set myself ’; ‘Silly Old Me’: ‘I thought I could change the world … Silly old me’.

Leaving the wistful mood behind, he brings it home with the rolling, stomping, sliding ‘Road Song’.

He’s journeyed from the straight and narrow to the broad church of roots music that suits him very well.

Chris Lambie

Various Artists triple j’s One Night Stand ABC

For those who missed out on going to the One Night Stand in Mildura, listening to the live CD is like taking a stab to the guts. Once you get past your initial wave of disappointment for realising what you’ve missed, the album actually creates a really great feel for what the atmosphere was like on the night.

With a handful of tracks from Illy, RÜFÜS, Dan Sultan, Violent Soho and Jungle Giants, including a special track with Illy and Vance Joy, there’s just enough from each artist to get into their set.

Violent Soho’s ‘Covered in Chrome’ was bound to end up amongst the 17 tracks and would have been criminal if it wasn’t. By the time the chorus kicks in with “Hell fuck yeah”, singer Luke Boerdam steps aside and all you can hear is the roar

XL

In a music scene that seems so overrun with alternative indie bands, we’ve forgotten the beauty in the soulful funk tunes discovered decades ago. Thanks to the mysterious duo known as J and T, who form the band Jungle, they’ve reintroduced the genre and added a new sound to today’s airwaves.

Chances are while you mightn’t know what the duo look like as they’re often hidden amongst an entourage in press shots, you would have heard their tracks ‘Platoon’ and ‘The

Heat’. There are a few other tracks worth discovering, mainly ‘Time’ and ‘Crumbler’, but it seems that most of the tracks worth hearing have already been picked out by radio DJs. The synthesised horns of ‘Busy Earnin’’ are the perfect addition to package it as the standout track of the album. The lyrics are simple, but that allows you to fully lose yourself in the soulful beats.

For fans of Quentin Tarantino films and their soulful-tinged soundtracks, Jungle’s album is easily something you’d hear as a backdrop to a bloody fight scene. But for those that aren’t, the album can get a little repetitive and is best listened to in small bursts.

As much as I hate to admit, in the case of Jungle there is such a thing as too much soul.

Amanda Sherring

Time Well Wasted Wisk and Key Records

While my musical tastes constantly shift and change, there are a few artists and genres that I find myself coming back to. I keep coming back to high-energy, distortion-fuelled rock acts, like the Foo Fighters, Airbourne and Guns N’ Roses. Strathmore definitely fit that mould, and their debut album Time Well Wasted is absolutely bursting with energy.

The opening track, ‘Hometowns’, sounds like the lovechild of Dave Grohl and Tom Delonge – the punkish guitar tones mix perfectly with the hard rock energy in a

Hilltop Hoods

Anberlin

Walking Under Stars

Lowborn

Universal Music Australia

Tooth & Nail Records

Hill…Top…! Hill…Top…!

This will be what the entire hip hop community will be chanting for the new Hilltop Hoods album – an album, for all those who listened intently to the lyrical hints in their last album Drinking from the Sun, knew was coming.

This album isn’t just new; it’s an extension of Drinking from the Sun, which only makes it even more spectacular. Walking Under Stars is storytelling through hip hop at its absolute finest. You kind of feel like you’re a part of this club and you’ve found this gem of a secret that no one else knows about, and that’s no accident. Hilltop Hoods have delivered an album riddled with perfect contradictions; back to basics nostalgic hip hop, yet precisely complex and creative.

It’s mature and innovative, yet comfortably familiar.

You’re forced, in a Hilltop

Anberlin have been around for quite a while now: since forming in 2002, they’ve put out six albums, two EPs and have toured the world multiple times.

They’ve also completely flown under my radar until now, which is a damn shame as Lowborn is their seventh and final album.

When a band breaks up, it’s usually a sudden, unexpected implosion, but with Anberlin it’s clearly been a well thought-out process and a case of going out on top. Lowborn makes for a great swansong; while its songs have a melancholic tinge, there’s also energy galore – track four, ‘Velvet Covered Brick’, is like a punch to the face. It’s alt-rock at its finest, really; every song is meticulously crafted, and the boys from Florida have taken great steps to ensure that their final album is memorable.

Even the most low-key songs

Hoods kind of way, to feel something through not only the lyrics but the mix of sounds coming at you: old school hip hop hand-clapping to twangs from lands and stories so far from Adelaide, then back to the true Aussie hip hop sound of our storytellers, the Hilltop Hoods. It’s not all so serious, though. They still deliver the fun and cheek that we all love, even featuring a song about Bill Cosby’s sweater.

Clearly an album created to tell a story and respect hip hop roots, whilst having the cojones to push the boundaries and bend the rules.

Certified!

Montana Agustin

Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens

Kingswood

Cold World

If there’s one thing Kingswood does well, it’s good ol’ fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. Their debut album, Microscopic Wars, is no exception. The 13-track LP takes their signature brand of fuzzy rock and takes it to next level.

There’s no middle ground; from start to finish you’re hit with thudding, high energy rock.

Even the more mellow tracks like the ballad-like ‘Eye of the Storm’ builds from a piano-driven melody to a satisfying bass-heavy conclusion. While there is an obvious overlying Kingswood flair, here and there you can catch a glimpse of the band’s influences. (In one run-through I caught snatches of Queens of the Stone Age, Wolfmother and a haunting vocal track reminiscent of Ozzy Osbourne.)

Vocalist Fergus Linacre is at his peak here – every track is handled perfectly, regardless of energy and tone. He can blast out a rock anthem with

Listening to Cold World, the latest release from Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens, is like jumping in a time machine and heading back to the golden age of soul music.

In the last six years, since the band recorded the previous album, they have played some of the biggest music festivals around. From Bonnaroo to the Monterey Jazz festival, Monteral Pop to the Ottawa Blues festival, the constant performing and life on the road played a crucial role in the sound of this record.

Produced by Gabriel Roth, who is most well known for his work with Bosco Mann, Cold World is a varied look at soul and r ‘n’ b music of the ‘60s. This can be attributed to the extensive age bracket of the band. From 17- 82

way that makes my hair stand on end.

That’s not to say that they can’t pull off more subdued tracks, though – parts of track 10, ‘Wasted’, could almost pass as soft-rock track a la Powderfinger.

Strathmore strikes me as a band that would be a blast to see live – their tracks are best played loud, and when in full swing hit you like a punch to the face.

While the album does betray its debut nature here and there – the vocals are a bit sketchy on one or two tracks, but will no doubt improve over time – Time Well Wasted is still a really solid album. Every single one of the tracks fully showcases Strathmore’s talents, and there isn’t a single track that lets the album down.

I’m really excited to see what Strathmore come up with next; I’ve got a gut feeling that these lads are on the way to producing some seriously awesome music.

Alastair McGibbon

build to an awesome crescendo – ‘Birds of Prey’ builds from a quiet, synth-driven melody to a soaring, arena-rock climax that would be amazing to see live. As a whole, the album is really solid – there isn’t a single song that I would class as inferior.

The final track, ‘Harbinger’, is like a synth-driven lullaby; Anberlin’s final farewell is atmospheric, melancholic and emotionally charged. The band has done their best to make the album stand out, and it certainly does. What more could you want from a farewell?

Excellently constructed, emotional and intense tracks make for one hell of an album, well worth a spot in your collection.

Alastair McGibbon

Microscopic Wars Dew Process

Shock Records

from the audience. The Jungle Giants’ bubbly tune ‘She’s a Riot’ is another highlight, and the twangy guitar has you up on your feet in no time.

Given that it’s live there are a few slips of the vocals here and there, but it’s proof that the artists were by no means lip-syncing.

And we’re all human, after all.

Put simply, triple j’s CD/DVD release of the event is the perfect thing for punters to reminisce to, or for those who weren’t so lucky live vicariously through those on the album. Do you remember that time Vance Joy sung with Illy?

Hell yeah, I was there! If only…

Amanda Sherring

Strathmore

years old, the band is led by Brother Cliff Driver who has worked with everyone from Sam Cooke to Solomon Burke and Little Willie John.

There are many different flavours to discover on this disc and with such an experienced backing band, this album is sure to get you up and grooving.

‘Heaven is Mine’ and ‘Bound For The Promised Land’ are my favourite tracks, emulating the sound of The Staple Singers and Curtis Mayfield. The band is surely set to tour Australia in the next twelve months or so, and they are sure to bring the good summer time vibes along with them. Check out Cold World and get lost in their soulful grooves today.

Tex Miller

the best of them, but can drop into a soulful croon just as easily. Guitarist Alex Laska provides a fantastic fuzz-heavy guitar track a la Josh Homme and co., dropping into the occasional blistering solo. Kingswood’s rhythm section – bassist Mango Hunter and drummer Justin Debrincat – are absolutely stellar, giving every track (even the aforementioned mellow tracks) a toe-tapping beat.

Microscopic Wars is one of those rare rock albums that truly shines from start to finish, with the band combining a wide range of styles and sounds into a set of songs that make for one hell of a debut album. I expected big things from these boys, and they certainly delivered.

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Music Reviews

PHOTO REVIEW

JORDAN RIDDLE sold out single launch Saturday 2 aug 2014 at beav's bar with support from olly friend Photos by Lucinda Goowdin

Last Words

grog watch Written by Tony Montana

So, the first time my home phoneline went dead I was a little pissed off. Not that I get a lot of people calling me on the home phone – it’s almost 100 per cent telemarketers and people trying to sell raffle tickets these days (or even worse, people who want me to sell raffle tickets for them – what kind of charityhiring method is calling up random strangers? Aren’t they worried I’m just going to run off with the cash? Maybe I should ask them instead of hanging up) – but my home phone is the pipe through which the internet comes, and once you get past a certain state of drunkenness where concentrating on the television gets too hard there’s nothing better than just randomly watching YouTube clips until you pass out. So basically, I need my internet, especially on weekends. Guess when

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my home phone went dead? Friday after lunch, just late enough into the day that the “next day” repair wasn’t going to be until Monday night.

Now, I’m a pretty nice guy in general, and I’m not an idiot: I know that large corporations work by making sure the people that deal with the general public are never the people who bear any of the responsibility for what’s gone wrong. So when, over the next three days, I spent around an hour on the (mobile) phone trying to find out what Telstra was doing to fix my (home) phone, I didn’t yell or shout at the people who were completely and utterly useless. I did, however, discover new depths of sarcasm I didn’t think possible. It’s kind of pointless reprinting any of our little chats here, because you really need to hear me saying lines like “that’d be great” and “thanks so much” to get a proper idea of just how much contempt and eye-rolling I was squeezing into each syllable.

Remember how I said “the first time”

way back at the top of this column?

That’s because, two weeks after they “fixed” it the first time, my home phoneline died again. On a Friday afternoon. Having put emergency (and expensive) measures in place after Telstra’s last screwing of me, I was slightly less worried, and merely spent the weekend drinking even more to make up for the lack of bandwidth. But come the Monday evening – aka the first deadline they’d given me to have the phoneline back in operation – and still with no phone, I called them back.

First thing: they used the word “outage” a lot, so I’m guessing it’s a technical term that means “hey, not really our fault, it’s a systemic problem so don’t expect individual treatment”.

Second thing: when I pointed out through gritted teeth that I was currently without internet – and didn’t seem to be getting it back for at least three more days and that was if they didn’t decide to bump the repair deadline out even further as they

already seemed to have done – the helpful Telstra person said “no worries, just go to a Telstra store, buy a wireless dongle, keep the receipt and we’ll reimburse you”. Sounds good to me, so the next day I went off to do that exact same thing, and it wasn’t until I was about to purchase the $99 gizmo that I thought “hang on a second – what proof do I have that they’re going to give me my money back for this thing?” So I asked the sales assistant: she couldn’t help. I called Telstra: they were – irony of ironies – having trouble with the phoneline. Could I call back? Oh, you bet I could.

So I called back that night with all the paperwork handy. I called the billing department: after seven minutes I got through to someone, and after another five minutes giving her all the details she said “oh, you need the billing department”. “Aren’t you the billing department?” “No, this is tech support.” “But I called billing … Look, I can see the number on my

phone.” “I’m sorry, I’ll have to put you through to billing.” Which she did.

After a five minute wait I had someone new on the phone. I told them the same stuff I’d told the first person, they said “that’s fine, putting you through to billing to sort that out”, and I was back on hold. Do you know what it’s like to have the Telstra hold music stuck in your head? Because I do. This time the billing person didn’t need to take my details again so I figured we were making progress right up until the point where he said I had to go back to tech support.

Remember that sarcasm I’d been using earlier? It’s not really all the more effective when you shout it. But back to tech support I went, only this time the guy said he couldn’t hear me due to a fault on the line so he’d call me back after I gave him my mobile number, making it three separate times I’d handed it out to people at Telstra.

Then he called back, only when I picked up no one was there so I had to call

him back and I got a brand new guy who, once I’d explained everything to him, sent me back to billing. Who then sent me back to tech support. I was now up to around fifty minutes on the phone to Telstra, with zero answers to any of my questions – but wait! This time the person at tech support figured out I wasn’t calling to report a problem with my line, so when they passed me back to billing, billing actually gave me an answer: I wasn’t getting shit out of Telstra. THE END. Tony “that’s one hour I won’t see again” Montana

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