Forte #597

ISSUE #597 ball ar at | bell arine | Bendigo | ca stlemaine | geelong | surf coa st | warrnambool |

16 /10 / 2 014

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earthcore “Don’t kid yourself. You will not be at work on the Monday!” pg.23

MELBOURNE MUSIC BANK pg.37

lanie lane

pg.24

husky

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carus thompson

pg.42

frank yamma

pg.50

ALSO FEATURING: AC/DSHE, Beatlemania, Manchester Orchestra, Liz Stringer, Andrew Dice Clay, Monuments + 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 #597 t h u r s d a y 1 6 OCTOBER 2 0 1 4

EARTHCORE

F REE B I E S!

pg.23

Ph: 03 5229 7969 PO Box 978 Geelong VIC 3220 fortemag.com.au

enquiries@fortemag.com.au

W I N!

Publisher

McNamara Publishing editor / DIRECTOR

Luke McNamara

luke@fortemag.com.au DEPUTY editor

Amanda Sherring

lanie lane

amanda@fortemag.com.au advertising

Abbey King

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pg.24

Art director

James Dulce

artwork@fortemag.com.au Scene photographer

Marianne Valitutti COVER photo

Ryan Cullinan contributors

husky pg.24

beatlemania pg.42

Win a double pass to see Lawrence Mooney's 'Stupid Liar' show at GPAC November 1!! carus thompson pg.42

frank yamma pg.50

To enter just email your name, and mobile number to luke@fortemag.com.au

Anthony Morris, Adem Ali, Alastair McGibbon, Amanda Sherring, Cameron Brogden, Chris Cruz, Chris Lambie, Daniel Lock, Daniel Waight, Jessica Alves, Dr John Lamp, Madelin Baldwin, Montana Agustin, Natalie Rogers, Paul S Taylor, Sue Rawkins, Tex Miller, Wylie Caird, Xavier Fenell, Zach Broadhurst, Tony Montana printed by

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

Earthcore or Bust Earthcore gets a bit of a workout in Forte. And here it is again, flexing its musical muscles. At the time of writing only a couple of hundred final release discount tickets were available.

By the time you set your smouldering eyes upon this blurb, there is sure to be less again. Seriously people, get to it. This music, lifestyle, culture and arts experience is something you are not going to want to miss.

Hit earthcore.com.au for all the juicy details.

On the Down Lowtide

Beyond the Valley With a line-up that includes Action Bronson (pictured), The Preatures, Willow Beats, Banoffee, Husky, Ball Park Music, Allday and Hermitude, you would have to be crazy not to at least take a closer look at the NY music treat that is Beyond the Valley. Taking place at Phillip Island from December 30 to January 1, BtV promises great music, great times and no hangovers. Well, maybe not the last one, but that’s in your hands, isn’t it?

Go The Go-Betweens, Go! You won’t come across too many Australian music discussions without The Go-Betweens being mentioned. Early next year the legendary and lovely Brisbane-bred band will release a retrospective collection titled G Stands for Go-Betweens. As well as featuring rare and unreleased demos, the box set, which pays attention to their early work, will also feature little goodies such as a silkscreen of their first promo poster for debut single ‘Lee Remick’.

Back in July, Melbourne dream-poppers Lowtide released their self-titled debut album. The album received plenty of love, which is always a nice thing. In support of the third single off the album, ‘Wedding Ring’, the band has announced a date at The Gasometer Hotel on November 7.

They also have a show supporting Screamfeeder at The Curtin this weekend, October 18.

You should have a listen to Wedding Ring if you haven’t already.

I Am Legend Remake Well, it’s remake time.

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Again. It wasn’t all that long ago that I Am Legend was released.

But the powers that be have decided that the film is in need of a remake. Given the flick made a killing, the news is unsurprising.

According to Deadline, Warner Bros. is “retrofitting” a script

by Gary Graham titled A Garden at the End of the World to kick-start the new I Am Legend franchise. Warner acquired the rights to A Garden… back in April.

Indiana 5 is Alive Indiana Jones 5: We’re Sorry for the Last One is apparently happening.

Like for real this time.

After several rumours and false starts, a Variety write-up on cinematographer Janusz Kaminsk revealed that Kaminsk’s “next project is the upcoming fifth Indiana Jones movie”.

There have been suggestions that the line was thrown in as a last thought, but that hasn’t stopped hopeful Indiana fans from getting excited. I guess we’ll see.

To the Underground In honour of its 45th anniversary, The Velvet Underground’s self-titled third album is getting the

reissue treatment. Set for release next month, the five-disc mega-reissue will feature three mixes of the album. Also included will be a disc of live recordings recorded at San Francisco’s The Matrix in November of 1969. You can also add to that a book with liner notes from Rolling Stone writer David Fricke.

Something Smells Rancid Album number eight from Rancid has all but arrived. Titled Honor is All We Know, the album was produced

by Bad Religion’s Brett Gurewtiz. From the presser: “It feels natural and organic, written without an agenda or bone to pick, rather the culmination of lives lived largely with a keen interest in the world and a sense of brotherhood.”

It is the second to be recorded under their current incarnation.

Simply Genius Early next year Australia is getting a visit from Seattle songman Mike Hadreas, better known in music town as Perfume Genius.

The reason for the visit is his third album Too Bright, a 33-minute burst of an album recorded with Adrian Utley of Portishead. PJ Harvey

collaborator John Parish appears on several tracks.

A good place to start with the album would be single ‘Queen’. The Corner – February 15, 2015.

My Fair Country Lady Having already locked in an appearance at CMC Rocks, country superstars Lady Antebellum thought they would make good use of their time in the sun by adding on a couple of shows. Formed out of Nashville in 2006, the trio made their debut on Jim Brickman’s ‘Never Alone’ before signing to Capitol Records. Their brandspanking new album is titled 747. Rod Laver Arena – March 17, 2015.

Where Am I Again?

You may have read that the series Lost may find its way back to our screens. In an interview with Digital Spy, executive producer and co-writer Carlton Cuse said: “Someone is going to come up with a way to tell another Lost story. I think it’s inevitable. I don’t know what it is or how it would work, but I can’t imagine something else won’t be done with the franchise.”

As we all know, money talks when it comes to things like this.

Rush Hour Heads to TV Cougar Town’s Bill Lawrence (also Scrubs and Spin City) and Mad Men’s Blake McCormick have been put in charge of penning a script for the TV version of the hit film Rush Hour. Like the movie (you would hope), the TV series will follow the exploits of a by-the-book Hong Kong police officer and a brash LAPD officer. Rush Hour follows other forthcoming bigscreen adaptations including Minority Report, Big and (gulp) Problem Child.

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Yellowcard Australia Bound

Dream a Little Dream Post-hardcore favourites Dream On, Dreamer are at it again with new single ‘Darkness Brought Me Here’. The track is the first taste of their forthcoming third release, due for release early 2015. Considering the attention their 2013 release Loveless received, the band has a lot to live up to. They’ve always been a band that enjoys a good challenge, however. Gasometer – November 22. * The band will perform both U18 and 18+ shows.

The End of Röyksopp Next month Röyksopp will release their final album, appropriately titled The Inevitable End. Reflecting on the move, Svein Berge says: “We feel like this is a goodbye to the traditional album format. In our consecutive run of albums, we have been able to say what we want to say and do what we want to do with the LP. We’re not going to stop making music, but the album format as such, this is the last thing from us.”

After a bit of a tease, Yellowcard has announced an Australian tour for 2015. And if you think you’re happy, you have nothing on the band: “We are so excited to announce that we will be touring Australia in July of 2015 in support of our new album Lift a Sail … We are pumped to be able to perform in Australia again, and to share the stage with Mayday Parade! Hope to see y’all there.” Margaret Court Arena – July 11, 2015.

Jamie to a T It has been a five-year wait but songman Jamie T has finally delivered his new album, Carry on the Grudge. The Londoner has remained pretty quiet since the release of his 2009 release Kings & Queens, including from the live circuit. According to an interview with triple j, Carry on the Grudge was inspired by Björk’s recent work and Weezer’s Pinkerton. Jamie hasn’t been here in almost six years. The Forum – January 24, 2015.

A Sneak Peek If you have Guardians of the Galaxy down on your shopping list, you will be pleased to know that it

is going to come with a sneak peek at Avengers 2. How much of a sneak peek you’ll be getting is something you will have to wait and see. What we do know about the second outing is that it features James Spader as Ultron, as well as Vision (Paul Bettany), Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Thomas) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen).

In the New Navy In support of their new single ‘Heaven’, Ulladullabred trio New Navy have just kicked off their inaugural national tour.

The tour caps off what has been a pretty big year for the band. From the band: “The Heaven tour will be a blast and it’ll be great to road-test songs from our new album once again …

Now we are so keen to have a party with our own fans! Bring on summer!”

NSC – November 13.

A Rare Turner of Events Fans of Frank Turner will shortly be able to get their hands on The Third Three Years, the third instalment in his compilation series.

As well as featuring demo, live and acoustic versions of his own songs, the release will also feature covers of Bruce Springsteen,

Queen, Tom Petty and Paul McCartney among others. The album is comprised of songs recorded since 2011 and you will be able to pick it up towards the end of next month.

Hugh & Hiddleston Hugh Laurie (that ‘House’ fella) and Tom Hiddleston (that ‘Loki’ fella) are combining their magnificent powers for a show based on John le Carre’s The Night Manager. Published in 1993, The Night Manager revolves around a former British soldier turned luxurious hotel night auditor. David Farr (Hanna, Spooks) will pen the adaptation, which is being developed in partnership with the BBC.

Lisa Mitchell Returns ‘I’m OK’ is one of the most common responses you will receive when you ask someone how they are. Even if they’re not feeling okay, it’s the response given. It is this that helped fuel ‘Wah Ha’, the new single from songbird Lisa Mitchell. The single is currently available for free download through SoundCloud – but be quick, as it’s only available at this bargain price for a short time. Lisa is set to release her third album at some stage in 2015.

The Might of Anvil Oh yeeeeaaaaaah!

Can you feel the earth tremble? Can you hear the lightning crack? Can you sense the danger in the air? Well, all that has to do with the tour of the ultimately Anvil.

Since the release of the 2008 doco The Story of Anvil, Canadian heavy metallers Anvil have found their powers have risen to the greatest of heights. Their new album is Hope in Hell. The Hi-Fi – November 7.

It’s a 3D Thriller Night Now that a legal dispute has been settled with Michael Jackson’s estate, the 14-minute Michael Jackson clip for ‘Thriller’ is getting a 3D makeover. The clip’s director, John Landis, is still working out specifics but hopes to release the video on Blu-ray (and perhaps even cinema screens). Unfortunately at the time of writing no further information was available.

Thriller is widely regarded as the greatest film clip of all time.

FRI 17 OCT REST

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Aaron Wales • Alanna & Alicia • Alawishus Jones & the Outright Lies • Alister Turrill • Andy Garlick • Bag ‘o’ Nails • Andy Phillips & the Cadillac Walk Archer & the Long Gone Daddies • Bellwethers • Bendigo Bank All-Star Blues Band • Benjamin James Caldwell • Benny Walker • Bert (aka Skip) Bill Barber • Birdhouse • Blue Eyes Cry • Blues Avenue • Blues Mountain • Brody Young • Carus Thompson • CASS • Checkerboard Chris Wilson Band • Claude Hay • Dale Lindrea • The Continental Blues Party • A Tribute to Cream • Damien Neil • Dave ‘Deltahead’ McDonald Dave Diprose • DIGG • Dirtbusters • DOROTHY-JANE Trio • Doc White & Si Compadre • Dreamboogie • Dukesy & the Hazzards • Emilee South Erica Hawkey • Eva McGowan • Genevieve Chadwick • Geoff Achison • Gorgeous Voices Choir • Hailey Calvert • Greg Dodd & The Hoodoo Men Hat Fitz & Cara Robinson • Hilary Blackshaw & the Afternoon Philosophers • Jamie Roberts • Jarrod Shaw • Jesse Morris • Jimmy Williams John Lingard • Jojo Smith • John-Luke Shelley & High Speed Steel • Jon & Bel • Josh Cashman • Josh Rawiri • Justin Yap Band • King Maxwell Lachy Doley Group • Lazy Eye • Lily & King • Louise Adams • Luke Watt • Magic 8 Balls • Marc Leon • Marisa Quigley Duo • Marta Pacek Messin’ ‘round • Mike Elrington • Milan Martin • The Mockbells • The Mixed Nuts • Mojo Corner • Monique Shelford • Noah Grosz • Oh Pep! Old Buzzard Medicine Show • One Up, Two Down & Dan Parsons • Oozin’ Blues • Owen Campbell • Pat Ward • Pete Cornelius Pete Gavin • Rattlin’ Bones Blackwood • Rhythm Kings • The Roosters • Salvador • Sarah Wilkinson • Sattwa Arising • Sherri Parry The Simon Wright Band • Siskin River • Sleepy West • Smoke Stack Rhino • Sons of May • Sons of the Blues • Soul Safari • The Sounds of Silent The Squeezebox Trio • Steve Angoorly • Stringybark McDowell • Sweet Baby James & Rob Eyers • Talisa Jobe • Taylor Project This Way North • Taylor Sheridan Band • Tim ‘Tonic’ Hulsman • Tony J King • T’Ree • Trevor Green • Tuena • Tully Sumner • Tyto Tyto Uke Joint Jumpers • uncle Bob & the Hoochie Couch Men • UPtown Groove • Urban Creatures • We The Radio • AND MORE

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TRIBUTE FEST Appetite for Destruction Credence Clearwater Recycled INXSIVE Rhiannon - A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac Shed Zeppelin Thunder Road - The songs of bruce springsteen To Hell & Back!

Meatloaf Tribute

ANNOUNCED SO FAR AC/DSHE

AMBER LAWRENCE

Broderick Smith

Cass Eager & the Velvet Rope Chris Wilson

Claude Hay

Dazzling Dan

Doug Bruce

Electric Mary

Eurogliders

Geoff Achison

Glitter Gang

James Blundell

Jason Singh (taxiride) Blues Mountain

Jimi Hocking JR Reyne

Lloyd Spiegel

Michael Stangel

Pevan & Sarah Phil Para

Pugsley Buzzard

Sweet Felicia & The Honeytones

The Black Sorrows

The Detonators

The wayne Jury 4 with Brian Fraser

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THE THURSDAY 16TH OCTOBER BARWON CLUB: The Dwarves, Batpiss, The Kremlings BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Trivia Night from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Live Music BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc) - Live and Local, $13 Pizza night EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night EUREKA: Thirsty Thursday with local resident DJ’S GEELONG SHOWGROUNDS: Royal Geelong Show GPAC: Let’s Get It On 8pm THE LOFT (Warrnambool): Steve Smyth LORD OF THE ISLES: Trivia in the courtyard MARTIANS CAFE: $25 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 17TH OCTOBER BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): Live Music BARWON CLUB: The Dead Love, The Soulenikoes, Formiles BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Happy Hour 5-7pm, Meat Raffle & Members Draw BEAVS BAR: Live Music BELMONT HOTEL: James Carrigg BENDED: Live music BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Happy Hour 5-7pm BLACK HATT: Phil Para Band THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTELMAINE): Greens Party Benefit ft Peter & The Wolves, Monique Kerr and Make-Shift CITY QUARTER BAR: Friday Unwind from 5pm. Live with live

f o r t nig h t l y c a l e nd a r entertainment and DJ THE EASTERN: Steve Smyth, Mick Dog’s Bone yard EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT AND CASTLE: Thank Guinness It’s Friday GEELONG SHOWGROUNDS: Royal Geelong Show GPAC: The Fleetwood Mac Experience 8pm THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Fully Loaded HOME HOUSE: Homehouse Fridays Party with DJs KAROVA LOUNGE (Ballarat): Kingswood, The Sinking Teeth LAMBYS: Good Faces for Radio THE LOFT (Warrnambool): Tequilla Mockingbyrd THE LORD NELSON: Happy Hour 5pm-7pm MAIN BAR (Ballarat): Women In Docs THE MAX: 3 Adventure Playground MUSICMAN MEGASTORE (Bendigo): Slow Chase ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Nick Deman PISTOL PETES: Brian Fraser UNWINED CELLAR BAR: The Hip Replacements

SATURDAY 18TH OCTOBER AIREY’S PUB (Aireys Inlet): Live Music APOLLO BAY HOTEL: Carus Thompson AVOCA: Avoca Cup BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): Trappist Afterland THE BARWON CLUB: The Brad Martin Project, Tiny Giants BEAVS BAR: Live Music BELMONT HOTEL: Matty Orchard BENDED: Oktoberfest BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Live Music and Happy Hour 5-7pm THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTELMAINE): The Reprobettes, Powerline Sneakers THE EASTERN: the Rye Catchers, John Chamberlain EDGE: Live Music and DJ EUREKA: Live DJS GEELONG

SHOWGROUNDS: Royal Geelong Show GPAC: Geelong Ballet Centre 12pm, 2.30pm GOMERS PAD: Holly J THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Thom HOMEHOUSE: Live DJs KAROVA LOUNGE (Ballarat): Godwolf, Gullivan, Horris Green LAMBYS: Stellar THE LOFT (Warrnambool): Slow Chase MARTIANS CAFE: Jessey Jackson THE MAX: Rocker MELBOURNE SHOWGROUNDS: Armageddon THE NEWMARKET (Bendigo): Live Bands ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Jimmy Graham, Luke Pote OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Matt Gurry PISTOL PETES: David Diprose TORQUAY HOTEL: Kingswood UNWINED CELLAR BAR: Sonic Groove WHISPERS: Coming up: DJ’s including Aston shuffle, Andy Murohy, Ruby Rose, John Dahlback, Slice n Dice, Jam Xpress, New World Sound, Jack n Jill, Mic Newman, Apocalypto, John Course, Zoolanda, Jebu, Jane Daffy, Butters, Generik, Tigerlily, Hey Sam, Katt Niall

SUNDAY 19TH OCTOBER BEAVS BAR: Mia Dyson BENDED: Oktoberfest BIRD ROCK CAFÉ (Jan Juc): Kids Eat Free 3:30-6:30, Steak and Parma Night, Happy Hour 5-6pm CITY QUARTER: Perfect Sunday Sesh Live music and DJ from 4pm CHERRY BAR: Lazy Sunday Afternoon ft Even, Chris Wilson DEAKIN (COSTA HALL): Andrew Dice Clay EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Live Jazz from 3-6pm and Parmi Night GEELONG RSL: $13 Carvery lunch GEELONG SHOWGROUNDS:

Royal Geelong Show THE HENDERSON FACTORY: CAT Splash - Coffee and Tea Expo LAMBYS: Tryst MELBOURNE SHOWGROUNDS: Armageddon ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Live music OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Pleasantville, Holly & Perry THE SPHINX HOTEL: Carvery from $17 WOLSELEY WINES (TORQUAY): Carus Thompson

MONDAY 20TH OCTOBER BARWON CLUB: $10 Parmis BENDED: Steak night ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Members Draw, over $3000 in prizes to be won!

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

TUESDAY 21ST OCTOBER BENDED: Parmi night BLACK HATT: Bachata Dance Classes ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13 KAROVA LOUNGE (Ballarat): Ball Park Music, Millions, Pluto Jonze PISTOL PETES: Open Mic Night

WEDNESDAY 22ND OCTOBER THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Master of Dartness and Poker from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Open Mic, Karaoke 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 (52 Garden St): No Lights No Lycra GEELONG RSL: Pot and Parmi Night $13 GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Spinning Wheel and a lot of Parmi’s from $14.50 LAMBYS: Geelong Cup After Party, Good Faces 4 Radio plus DJ PISTOL PETES: Food and Blues

THURSDAY 23RD OCTOBER THE BARWON CLUB: KROCKS The Band Heat One BEAVS BAR: Maddee Brown BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Live and Local, $13 Pizza night CAMPERDOWN: Camperdown Cruise Rockabilly Weekend EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night GPAC: Assassins 8pm THE LOFT (Warrnambool): Kingswood LORD OF THE ISLES: Trivia in the courtyard THE MAX HOTEL: $14 Parmi night, InnQUIZitive Trivia from 7.30pm till 10.30pm, amazing prizes, call to book your team’s spot MARTIANS CAFE: $25 International Night including drink ODYSSEY TAVERN AND BREWERY: Jazz n’ Blues PISTOL PETES: Blues n Soul Night

FRIDAY 24TH OCTOBER BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): Adam Roche BARWON CLUB: The Exploders, The Weapon is Sound, The Kinlock Troons BARWON HEADS HOTEL: The Beautiful Girls, Bobby Alu BEAVS BAR: The Kin BELMONT HOTEL: Zane Carroll BENDED: Live Music BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Happy Hour 5-7pm BLACK HATT: River Snake THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTELMAINE): Smudge, The Astros

CAMPERDOWN: Camperdown Cruise Rockabilly Weekend CITY QUARTER BAR: Friday Unwind from 5pm. Live with live entertainment and DJ EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT AND CASTLE: Thank Guinness It’s Friday EUREKA HOTEL: Live DJs GPAC: Assassins 8pm THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Figjam HOME HOUSE: Homehouse Fridays Party with DJs, Steve Camp, Simon One, Keith Evans & DJC LAMBYS: Test Pilot Molly LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (Warrnambool): The Beatles 50th Anniversary Tour Revisited 8pm THE LOFT (Warrnambool): Shadow League THE LORD NELSON: Happy Hour 5pm-7pm MAIN BAR (Ballarat): Into the Black THE MAX: 3 On the Tree NARANA ABORIGINAL CULTURAL CENTRE (Grovedale): Aboriginal Comedy Allstars Show 8.30pm ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: James Sidebottom OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): The Songstress Circle PISTOL PETES: Stringybark McDowell UNWINED CELLAR BAR: The Gems YAH YAHS: Kiss Hotter than Hell

SATURDAY 25TH OCTOBER BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): Ali Hughes with Ollie Newark BARWON CLUB: Stormtide BEAVS BAR: Live Music BELMONT HOTEL: Jesse Reid BENDED: Live Music BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Live Music, Happy Hour 5-7pm THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTELMAINE): Cyndi Boste CAMPERDOWN: Camperdown Cruise Rockabilly Weekend

CHERRY BAR: Kiss Hotter than Hell EDGE: Live Music and DJ GEELONG GAOL: Halloween Ball 7:30pm-11pm GOMERS PAD: Matt Watkins GPAC: Assassins 1pm 8pm THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Dear Ivy HOME HOUSE: Live DJs KENNEDYS CREEK MUSIC FESTIVAL LAMBYS: Stellar THE LOFT (Warrnambool): Sub Michalski Trio MARTIANS CAFE: AKoVA THE MAX: Rocker THE NEWMARKET (Bendigo): Live Bands ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Ben Dew OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Cam Kettle PISTOL PETES: Diddy Reyes & Electric Larry WHISPERS: Coming up: DJ’s including Aston shuffle, Andy Murohy, Ruby Rose, John Dahlback, Slice n Dice, Jam Xpress, New World Sound, Jack n Jill, Mic Newman, Apocalypto, John Course, Zoolanda, Jebu, Jane Daffy, Butters, Generik, Tigerlily, Hey Sam, Katt Niall

SUNDAY 26TH OCTOBER 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 CAMPERDOWN: Camperdown Cruise Rockabilly Weekend CITY QUARTER: Perfect Sunday Sesh Live music and DJ from 4pm EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Live Jazz from 3-6pm and Parmi Night GEELONG RSL: $13 Carvery lunch KAROVA LOUNGE (Ballarat): FREEZA Push Start Regional Finals KENNEDYS CREEK MUSIC FESTIVAL LAMBYS: Adam 12 ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY:

Steve Thew, San Rae OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Suzannah Espie and the Last Word THE SPHINX HOTEL: Carvery from $17

MONDAY 27TH OCTOBER 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: Oxygen College Student Concert 6.30pm LORD NELSON HOTEL: Parmi & Pot for $15 on presentation of student I.D THE SPHINX HOTEL: Meals for $11

TUESDAY 28TH OCTOBER BENDED: Parmi night BLACK HATT: Bachata Dance Classes THE CAPITAL (Bendigo): Celtic Legends 7.30pm ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13 PISTOL PETES: Open Mic Night

WEDNESDAY 29TH OCTOBER THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Master of Dartness and Poker from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Open Mic, Karaoke 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 (52 Garden St): No Lights No Lycra GEELONG RSL: Pot and Parmi Night $13 GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Spinning Wheel and a lot of Parmi’s from $14.50 GPAC: John Williamson - Honest People 8pm PISTOL PETES: Food and Blues

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EARTHCORE FEATURE STORY Written by Amanda Sherring Photos by James Gillot

Turning 21 is a huge milestone for people but for festivals it’s almost unheard of. Celebrating 21 years this year is Earthcore, Australia’s pioneering outdoor, music, arts, culture and lifestyle experience. Since their first event in 1993, atop a cleared mountain with a couple hundred people in attendance, the festival has grown into the thousands. Now a month away from this years show, the festival is coming up to the busiest time of year for the team and festival director/founder Spiro Boursine.

“This is when it really gets exciting,” Spiro says.

“The buzz on social media and around town is reaching astronomical levels as we count down to our trip to Ancient Future Past. This haze of chaos drives me to get the best out of all those involved and capitalise on months and months of hard work.”

Each year the lead up to this moment is much the same, the Earthcore team seek out the most innovative and beneficial ideas for their punters.

“When Earthcore started there was nothing else like it. It has been spoken about before

many times but I guess it helps put things into perspective. With each event and each year we have come up with ideas and concepts that from the outset seem way beyond our wildest imaginations but have delivered these crazy ideas and turned them into reality,” he says.

“Some of the artists we took a punt on have since become the biggest names in music. Some of the stages, events and shows are still talked about today as some of the best that have ever been. We’re not in this game for rewards but we can be happy in what we have achieved.”

And they certainly should be happy in what they’ve achieved, as there have been some surreal and memorable moments along the 21 years. When faced with the question Spiro looks on to an event that will probably never happen again.

“The most epic crazy moment of all time is when Infected Mushroom were playing the main floor at sunrise and there was a pause in their music. At the same time a lightning bolt came down from the sky and hit just behind where they were performing, priceless!” Spiro says.

While there’s been

amazing moments there have also been some hurdles, and Earthcore have managed to overcome every single one of them.

“It is impossible to combat every obstacle but with a solid team and foundation behind us, we roll with the punches and move on,” he says before quickly adding, “Giving up isn’t an option.”

This mindset keeps the festival at the top of their game, but a strong factor for their popularity is also their ability to continually evolve. Put simply the team are constantly looking for ways to make their audiences experiences the

best they could possibly be.

“Besides a few key details, Earthcore has always moved and changed. Not following trends but more so projecting new ideas and creating an experience that blows people’s minds through creativity and just the right amount of madness,” Spiro says.

“Take this year for example, alongside some of the biggest and most creative stage designs and musical programs on offer we have included an abundance of social experiences for people to take part in. Performers, presenters, markets, movies, the list goes on.

This is a fully interactive life experience which will hopefully excite the imagination and enjoyment from all those who attend.”

And of course it

wouldn’t be a successful festival without a perfectly tailored line up with acts that can more than deliver on the day. Highlights are the two headliners Hallucinogen and Shpongle, but there are a wealth of others worth sussing out, if not just to make the time spent finding them all worth it.

“The researching, planning, wheeling and dealing honestly feels like I’m trying to recruit for an NBA club or something along those lines. It’s all about getting the best players to help guide you to victory, which in our case is towards an amazing event,” he says.

“There is a reason that artists like Shpongle, Astrix, Boris Brejcha and others are the huge stars they are. They deliver

amazing shows that defy genres and turn the place on its head. We also give a huge backing for the new breed of producers and DJs whose passion will see them become the stars of the future. Quality acts that push boundaries and maintain professionalism and drive are the key.”

For those who have never been before the festival may seem like a daunting experience. On a large scale and over five days, it could seem like a bit too much to take on.

This may be true for any other festival, but Earthcore stands out from the norm.

As Spiro tells me, at Earthcore the punters actually look out for each other and many

often become friends. All that’s left of you really is to do your usual festival prep and enjoy the days when you get there.

“The festival experience is all about taking the time to be prepared and sharing the time with your mates, both new and old,” Spiro says. “Stay safe, let your hair down, party hard, we’ll still respect you in the morning.”

While it’s good to read up on the festival and prepare for the lead up, it’s wise to think of the aftermath too. There is such a thing as the festival hangover after all, but it is more than worth it.

“Don’t kid yourself.

You will not be at work on the Monday,” he says.

When&Where: Pyalong – November 27 – Dec 1

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Husky Written by Natalie Rogers

Try calling the average Joe on the street a logophile, and chances are you’ll get slapped.

Drop that baby around Husky Gawenda, and odds are you’ll make a friend. By definition logophiles are lovers of words; they can’t get enough. As the offspring of a well-respected Melbourne newsman and high school English teacher, genetically Husky is the perfect specimen. “Books, poetry and music were a big part of my upbringing … I think they’ve become part of my DNA.” Growing up in a household where his parents’ record collection got a regular workout (he lists The Beach Boys, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, George Harrison, Simon & Garfunkel and Leonard Cohen records as the family favourites, among others), it seems that his love of words put to music may have originated early in life.

“I never felt the pressure to be just like my old man, but he set a great example of someone who’s passionate about what they do, and that’s what I wanted to find. For me, I find that in music,” Husky affirmed.

Sure, the APRA award-winning songwriter may be genetically predisposed to literary success, but that doesn’t mean that he found writing his second album any easier. “It definitely doesn’t come easy, not for me

anyway,” Husky replied humbly.

“Our first album [Forever So, 2012] was difficult, but this experience proved to be just as hard, if not more so. Songs are hard to write,” he says simply, “so to arrive at a collection of tracks that work well together, you feel represent you and make you proud, that’s not easy.”

Undeniably a labour of love, 2014 sees the release of Ruckers Hill (out Oct 17 through Liberation). “We’re all looking forward to sharing the album. I’m really curious to see what people think and to gauge reactions to the different songs.

Of course I hope people dig it, but I’d be lying if I said we weren’t a little bit nervous!” he laughed.

Joining him in anticipation is the band’s new drummer Arron Light, after the departure of Luke Collins.

“Arron brings a lot to the band from the recording aspect, and when we play live as well. He’s been a wonderful addition to the band.” But fans will pleased to know that Husky has retained the family feeling, with his cousin Gideon Preiss returning on keyboard and Evan Tweedie back to play the bass.

The title track and album opener is affectionately named after a local

When&Where: The Bridge, Castlemaine – November 7, The Karova, Ballarat – November 8, Beyond the Valley – December 30-Jan 1 & Queenscliff Music Festival – November 28-30.

landmark where Husky would take a sweetheart to gaze upon the bright lights of Melbourne at night. Written to evoke memories and emotions, it’s a fitting introduction to the rest of the album.

‘Ruckers Hill’ is Husky at their finest, from the psychedelically unforgettable

‘Heartbeat’, to the keyboard-driven ‘Leaner Days’. But it was the sentiment behind the final track ‘Deep Sky River’ that intrigued me the most.

“It’s a song that I wrote for a friend who was going through a hard time. I was inspired after I’d been at Gideon’s house and he played

me Elvis’s Love Me Tender on vinyl,” Husky explained. “I fell in love with the simplicity of it and that’s what I wanted for this song, so that the lyrics and the story had a chance to stand out. It felt like a nice way to close out the album and say goodbye.”

Lanie Lane Written by Natalie Rogers

“I’m passionate about people’s freedom.

Freedom of speech, but freedom of the heart first and foremost.” Three years on from her stunning debut To the Horses, Lanie Lane’s conviction is stronger than ever. Night Shade (out through Ivy League, Oct 24) is the record she was destined to make – and she can’t wait for you to hear it.

“Night Shade was recorded almost a year ago now!” Lanie revealed, clearly excited to be chatting about her latest undertaking. “I’m feeling really positive that things are moving along with the release and that we’re heading out on the road soon.”

Her highly anticipated road-trip kicks off at the end of the month, starting at The Corner Hotel, followed by five dates across the country. “To start with we just want to see how things roll, but I’m definitely keen to play as much as possible.”

Joining her around Australia are loyal bandmates and buddies Belkner (whirlitzer, rhodes and backing vocals), Billie McCarthy (backing vocals), Aidan Roberts (guitar), Tim Keegan (electric bass) and Paul Derricott (drums and percussion). “We’re all really good mates and we back each other completely,” Lanie smiled.

“It will be great to have such good friends out on the road. I wouldn’t want to have a session band with me. These guys understand emotionally where

the songs have come from. When we play music together we’re all connected and those feelings come through.”

Adding to the intimacy of Night Shade is the role that Lanie’s partner/ musician Jez Mead took on as coproducer. Jez also played guitar and trumpet on the record, and Lanie acknowledges that his contribution was invaluable during the creative process.

“He was with me all the way,” she cooed.

Clearly theirs is a solid partnership.

These eleven tracks were written at her secluded country home in rural Victoria (a sanctuary, in juxtaposition to the nomadic life of the touring artist she has become) and highlight a young woman’s journey to find courage, truth and self-belief.

Inspired by the tranquil surrounds, but armed with a desire for someplace new, Lanie and her love pulled up stumps, guitars in hand, and moved up north not far from where the brunette beauty grew up on the Central Coast of NSW. “Forgotten Valley Studios is beautiful and it has a house attached called The Grove. We got all the band together and basically set up in the house and

“ When we play music together we’re all connected and those feelings come through.” recorded there. It was incredible – the listening booth and mixing desk is out the back of the studio,” Lanie explained.

“We would all listen and at the end of the day watch the sun go down, which was beautiful.

“I enjoyed everything about my album – the way we put it together, choosing the song order. It was really important for us to get that right, to give the album the feel of a real journey.”

A part of that journey was the resolve to push herself beyond her boundaries.

“I really challenged myself on this record with my guitar playing – I started using a wah pedal, too. I’ll enjoy doing something different at the live shows, but I better get practising – I’ve been a bit slack!” she giggled.

When&Where: The Corner – October 29

AC/DSHE Written by Natalie Rogers

Proof that good things come in small packages – meet Bonnie Scott, the pint-sized powerhouse and frontwoman of Melbourne’s most in-demand Acca Dacca tribute band.

Bonnie, aka Laura Davidson, is well-known in the live music scene, locally and nationally, thanks to her impressive set of lungs and rock chick attitude to boot.

“We play a lot of corporate bookings – they’re always interesting because sometimes people don’t know what to expect, but we always win them over in the end,” Laura said with a grin. “We do have our sceptics, but once we get into it, they love it!”

AC/DSHE was born over half a decade ago when Laura was asked to fill in for a weekend with the now defunct cover band Powerage (named for the 1978 AC/DC record). “They actually had a male singer until his voice blew out. I’d met Andrew Kahofer [rhythm guitarist formerly of Powerage, now AC/DSHE] through the friend of a friend,” Laura explained. “He just came out and asked me if I thought I could do a set of Acca Dacca and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll give that a crack for sure!’” she laughed.

Laura said that they changed the name soon after, and the rest is history. “Then we heard there was another AC/DC tribute band in the US with the same name [an all-girl line-up from San Francisco], but they don’t play in Australia – so just as long as 24 forte

we don’t tread on their toes by going overseas, it’s not going to be a problem.”

Would she ever consider taking the reins of an all-female outfit here at home?

“I’d love to do that!” Laura admitted.

“But that would take time and a whole lot of organisation – and unfortunately, time is something I don’t have much of these days … We usually play a show or two at The Espy in Melbourne every couple of months, and some of us play in other bands, so we spread ourselves around a little bit.”

As a sought-after vocalist, Laura divides her time between AC/DSHE and the Bob Starkie Band. “Bob Starkie was the guitarist in the Skyhooks. I’ve played with the Skyhooks’ original lineup (except for Red Symonds) a couple of times. When I’ve sung with Bob on other occasions, the rest of the band is made up of John Farnham’s live band, so the gigs go off !”

Bob Starkie and other members of the groundbreaking Skyhooks have been a huge influence on Laura (and no doubt the wider Australian music community) – the late, great Graeme ‘Shirley’ Strachan in particular. “I learnt a lot from just listening to him, and I grew

When&Where: Motor City Music Festival - March 7-9 2015

up with him, too.”

Laura seems to have rock ’n’ roll in her blood, so I was surprised to hear that jazz is the genre that’s close to her heart. “I love Sarah Vaughan – she’s probably one of my favourites – and Amy Winehouse is a huge influence on me. Yeah, she’s right up there in my top

three.” Rounding out that list: “Bon Scott of course – he’ll always be my favourite member of AC/DC, hands down!”

Much like their beloved namesake, AC/ DSHE have had their fair share of members, but with the current line-up of Laura on vox, Tony Goreski on lead guitar, Kevin Hunt on bass, Greg Aldridge on drums and, of

course, Andrew on rhythm guitar, AC/DSHE are gearing up for a busy summer!

Look up acdshe.australia on Facebook to find upcoming gigs and be sure to catch them in all their rocking glory at Geelong’s 2nd annual Motor City Music Festival in early 2015.

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AKOVA

TUMBLEWEED

LIZ STRINGER

"It’s all about planet and people for me. It’s about looking after the planet, looking after the people.

It’s what’s close to my heart at the moment" pg.30

"As far as the lyrics of the song go, it’s all about being a part of something bigger than yourself. We’re just one microscopic cog in a catastrophic plan!" pg.31

"It’s such a jam-packed end of the year and we get to play Kennedys Creek Music Festival and Queenscliff with the girls, which is awesome" pg.35

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

MELBOURNE MUSIC BANK pg.37

Home Sweet Home

Rainbow Serpent Festival

The Beautiful Girls

From the Rainbow Serpent Festival crew: “We’ve been working hard over the last few months crafting another four lush days of musical utopia that will please even the most discerning ears. We’re confident there’s something for everyone to get excited about and we still have so many more great names to bring you over the coming months.”

With that, let’s take a look at their second line-up. Are you ready? I will give you a sec…

Okay, you have Perfect Stranger, LOUD, Rinkadink, Talpa, Super Flu, Thugfucker, 16 Bit Lolitas, Son Kite, Gaudium, Pole Folder, Egbert, Sebastian Mullaert, Nobody Home, Kaya Project, Pragmatix, The Riddler and Stickybuds. Lexton – January 23-26.

REMINDER: In celebration of their new gem Dancehall

Days, The Beautiful Girls have been slowly making their way around the traps with their good tunes and vibes. The band took a spell at the end of 2012, with Mat McHugh spending time on solo material. While experimenting with tracks, McHugh thought they would sound better under The Beautiful Girls. So here we are.

Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads – October 25.

Welcome back, Perch Creek.

After spending the last few months trekking through Europe, Britain, North America and South Africa, Perch Creek (that would be The Perch Creek Family Jug Band) are back on familiar soil. It was a decent tour too, with the band performing at WOMAD (UK) and Edinburgh Fringe among other festivals. For those a little behind, Perch Creek combines five multi-instrumentalists and vocalists, four of whom happen to be siblings. Earlier this year the band released Jumping on the Highwire, the follow-up to their 2011 debut Tall Tales. Jumpin… was nominated for ‘Best Independent Country Album’ in the Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards. Far from being content, the band took a little time out while abroad to write material for their next release. Caught in the Mosh (May 2014): “The small space swelled in numbers by the time The Perch Creek Family Jug Band graced the stage, though a lot of patrons were still seated … Before Perch Creek had even left the stage the audience was calling for an encore. By this point everyone had finally stood and begun dancing around. Even some of the Woohoo Revue members were up the front releasing their energy.” Theatre Royal, Castlemaine – October 25.

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Coffee or Tea? Are you a coffee person or a tea person? Either way, there will be something for you at the CAT Splash Coffee and Tea Expo.

In conjunction with the Australian Speciality Coffee Association (ASCA), the expo is the first of its kind to take place in Geelong. From the presser: “See Victoria’s largest display of retro coffee machines. Watch leading baristas go head to head in the ASCA regional barista finals, compete in a public Latte Art Smackdown, attend master tea workshops and the Mad Hatter Tea Party, get lessons on how to make the perfect coffee at home or join the coffee, cheese and wine pairing taste explosion.”

The Henderson Factory, North Geelong – October 19.

Rascally Owen Rabbit Born in WA but musically emerging from Melbourne’s northern suburbs comes Owen Rabbit, a singer, multiinstrumentalist and producer. Have you heard his single ‘Police Car’? His debut single received a ton of great press, even finding love from US Blog All Things Go. Now he is back with new single ‘Violence and Degradation’, and by all accounts it’s a darker affair than his previous effort. From the presser: “Violence and Degradation is a darker and heavier song that explores the theme of childhood and addiction. Borrowing tone and mood from a wide range of genres including electronica and hip-hop, Violence and Degradation is a brave step from this unique and innovative artist.” Babushka Bar, Ballarat – November 14.

Everyone Gets a Trophy Music can be a great healer, not just for the listener but for the artist. The story behind aggressive pop-punks Trophy Eyes’ Everything Goes Away is bathed in heartache, loss and self-abuse. It’s also rich in resilience – and fighting the good fight has certainly paid off. At the beginning of the year the band was chosen by triple j Unearthed to kick off the day at Sydney’s Soundwave. Extensive airtime and YouTube love has followed. With their debut album Mend, Move On set for release at the end of the month, the band has lined up an extensive November tour.

The Yacht Club, Portland – November 22. Joining them at the all-ages gig will be Endless Heights, whose debut album was released this year.

Standing Guard “Earth-moving, heart28 forte

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wrenching, no-holdsbarred rock” is the name of the game for Brisbane’s Guards of May. And it is this approach to music that has seen the band share the stage with names including Grinspoon, Spiderbait, Dead Letter Circus, Sydonia, Helm and Like Thieves. The band is hoping to deliver their debut album in the first half of 2015, but to keep idle hands at bay the band has released single ‘Annotata’. From the presser: “Annotata features Guards of May’s signature soaring vocals and gigantic guitar sounds, but this new direction takes the listener through a genre journey, light to shade, heavy and soft and everything in between.”

Music Man Megastore, Bendigo – November 21.

This Mockingbyrd Does Sing It’s time to line up the drinks and get ready for the Jager Bomb-fuelled party-byrds that go by the name of Tequila Mockingbyrd. If you don’t have a ringing in your ears the morning after a gig and if you are not nursing a nasty hangover, then everyone has failed their job. You see, these ladies break out punch-in-theface rock and roll. The trio has only been in action since September 2012 but they have already left a trail of destruction behind them. The ladies recently took to Pozible to raise some bikkies for their debut EP. And it was mission success. So how does it sound? Head to The Loft, Warrnambool on October 17 to find out.

And buy the band a drink – those things ain’t cheap.

The Chase Is On The UK and Australia don’t always agree on things, but British frontman Adam Gresty and Australian drummer Emily Shaw, along with Alex Hingston, have found a bond through music. Adam and Emily met on a tequila-fuelled Elvis tribute night. They decided they liked each other and that music should be something they do. And so they do so under Slow Chase. They released their debut EP, The Blind Spot, in 2012 with assistance from Jonathan Burnside (Dan Sultan, The Living End), a working relationship that has continued with their new single ‘Exorcism’.

Music Man Megastore, Bendigo – October 17; The Loft, Warrnambool – October 18; and The Barwon Club, Geelong – November 14.

You’re the Star Bendigo’s Star Bar has a whole heap of goodies coming up for you, kicking off with Ego, Danny T, Tommy Franklin and Trumpdisco on October 24. Celebrate Halloween with Benson on October 31 as part of his Hot Mess national tour.

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Roll on November and the Aston Shuffle DJs take in the venue on November 7. November 13 will be Jackie Onassis’s chance to shine. GG Magree is next up on November 14. On November 21 you have DJ Generik as part of his The Weekend Aus tour. November 28 is a surprise act. The USA’s Falcons check in on December 5. KLP performs on December 12. Finally, Chiefs, Paces, Surecut Kids (DJ set) and Tom Piper team up for a December 19 bash.

The Moment for AKoVA Many musicians are able to pinpoint the moment they thought, ‘Yep, music is for me’. For AKoVA, that moment occurred on a car trip with his old man. “I’ve been playing music ever since I was a kid. One day I was driving with the old man when this song came on the radio that put me on my path right there and then. That song was Sunshine Superman by a guy called Donovan.”

The multi-instrumentalist does away with sequences, loops and pedals; instead he strives to get the most out of what he is able to hold at the time.

Much like his attitude towards life, his music just goes with the flow.

Martians Café, Deans Marsh – October 25.

Recreating Beatlemania You may have heard of a band called The Beatles.

They were pretty big once.

The Fabulous Beatles Boys is the premier Beatles band, and they’re heading back for a small number of shows for those who may have missed out the first time. 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of Beatlemania in Australia, a term coined in the sixties to describe the intense fan frenzy towards the band.

Arguably Beatlemania in Australia was more intense than anywhere else in the world. When Adelaide was originally left off the itinerary, some 80,000 signatures were collected. The tour was extended and the band was met by over 300,000 Adelaidians. GPAC, Geelong – October 31.

Not one Beatles fans will want to miss.

Going ’Round with Maddee Brown Quick bite: Like so many

of us, Maddee Brown’s early music experiences came from dabbling in piano and belting out songs in the bathroom.

Roll on her late teens, however, and the Bendigoraised singer-songwriter took to music more seriously. She then started doing the rounds – local coffee shops, busking, that sort of thing. Beav’s Bar, Geelong – October 23 & The Barwon Club, Geelong – October 30.

The Lone Wolf Returns Well, it has been a pretty busy year for songman Josh Pyke so he may as well see the rest of the year out on a similar note. Announcing the third and final string of shows for his Lone Wolf tour, Pyke has lined up a nice little chunk of local dates. It will mark a year-long pilgrimage for the popular singer-songwriter, which includes many soldout performances in February and March. All this, as you’re no doubt well aware, is in support of his third LP The Beginning and the End of Everything, an album the songman regards as his most personal to date. For whatever struggles a personal album may bring, it was certainly met with some warm reviews. Beat Magazine: “Put simply, The Beginning and the End of Everything captures Pyke’s signature gift for charming storytelling. Heightened choruses and beautiful instrumentation will take your ears on a whirlwind tour of the illuminating worlds created in every song.”

Before he begins his local adventures, Josh has some UK dates to tend to. Theatre Royal, Castlemaine – November 20; The Karova, Ballarat – November 21; The Barwon, Geelong – November 22; and The Loft, Warrnambool – November 23.

Rearranging Aston Shuffle Quick bite: It’s time

for an Aston Shuffle DJ tour. Having recently enjoyed a handful of live dates, their inner DJs are once again coming out to play. They’re calling the tour the Back & Forth tour, which you may know as the name of a single from their killer album, Photographs. The track features the talents of Elizabeth Rose. Star Bar, Bendigo – Nov 7; Element, Ballarat – Nov 8; and Shorts Place, Geelong – November 8.

Bendigo’s Got the Blues ‘Best yet’ gets thrown around a great deal in music circles … and we’re going to use it here.

And that’s because we reckon it is the best yet. No lie. The Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival has started to announce its line-up and we’re looking at something huge. Aussie blues legend Chris Wilson is one of the big names set to appear. He has been performing for 30 years and is one of the most respected in the blues game. Other acts include Hat Fitz & Cara Robinson, Owen Campbell, Green Mohair Suits, The Continental Blues Party, Archer & the Long Gone Daddies, Carus Thompson, Geoff Achison, Claude Hay, JoJo Smith, Genevieve Chadwick, Sweet Baby James & Rob Eyers, Lily and King and Peter Cornelius. BB&RMF Director Colin Thompson: “Not only do we have heaps of new acts performing this year but we also have some really exciting new events … What I’m really excited about is the final of the inaugural Lazenby Young Blues Guitarist Award, where one lucky muso will be taking home a Fender USA Standard Stratocaster in memory of our dear friend Phil Lazenby.” All in all some 100 artists will perform throughout several venues across November 6, 7, 8 & 9. A highlight is the family-friendly concert featuring 16 acts over two stages in the Bendigo Civic Gardens on Saturday, November 8. Hit bendigobluesandroots.com.au for everything else.

Chatting with Fiona Bevan Chances are you would have heard about Busby Marou’s giant upcoming tour.

I mean, we wrote about it – where have you been? Anyway, supporting the Bus’ will be Fiona Bevan, and we thought we would get to know her a little better.

Fiona is a Suffolk-born singer-songwriter whose love of music was fuelled by sing-alongs to black and white films and old musicals. From those joyous family times, Fiona perfected her craft on the London club circuit. She may have cowritten a track with Ed Sheeran for boy band juggernaut One Direction, but her talents truly shine on her debut album, Talk to Strangers. Fiona: “I love clever, interesting pop and I adore storytelling. It’s important to me that no words are wasted. I write about real things that have happened to me or my friends. I try to find the focus of a story and work from there. My writing process is really an attempt to understand who I am and how not to be walked over in the world – as a woman, as a shy person, as someone doing something different.” She describes the album as “pop in disguise”. The Bridge, Castlemaine – November 20; The Loft, Warrnambool – November 22; and Beav’s Bar, Geelong – November 23.

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The Claws Are Out Only good times can come if your band formed onstage at The Tote.

That is just a cold hard fact. Such is the case for drummer Nicholas Hart and guitarist-vocalist David Crowe, two dashing men who formed Claws & Organs. With the addition of Heather Thomas, the band’s mission to deliver hardhitting fuzzed-out tunes was complete. In 2013 the band recorded their debut EP, Nothing to Learn, live at the John Curtin Hotel.

Soon the band was being labelled the Australian Mudhoney. Their new release is I Am Scum and Nobody Should Love Me. The album was recorded in just two days and according to the presser has added a darker, shoegaze-inspired element. The Eastern, Ballarat – November 8.

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.

Lining up this year you have Tumbleweed, Kim Salmon & the Surrealists, Hits, Warped, Clowns,

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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. The Barwon Club, Geelong is your venue. Saturday, November 15 is the date.

Tickets are currently available through Oztix.

This is going to be so good you are going to want to bring a change of clothing.

Dr Martens Boots In 1998, Chanel Lucas and Roz Pappalardo formed folk rock (with a touch of country) duo Women in Docs out of Townsville. It was following a chance encounter with the Tiddas track ‘Inside My Kitchen’ on rage that inspired Lucas to pursue music: “It was a revelation for me to see three women singing harmonies, playing acoustic guitar and telling their stories through song. Right then and there I decided that I wanted to play acoustic guitar, focus on my vocals and write songs.” The story goes that following a few gigs, the host of a club they were playing at christened them with their name in reference to their footwear, Dr

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What’s On In The Rat? Written by Daniel Lock

Good morrow, schimmy schimmers and dirty dancers. Daniel here with a broadcast of upcoming B-rat events.

Thursday 16th of October, the quaint and comfortable Babushka Bar is the first cab off the ranks this round with the country singer Jess Holland (TBC) … but if social media is anything to go on it’s quite a secure looking “TBC”. So if it’s a bit of country sound you’re looking to hear, keep this in mind.

Friday 17th of October, Babushka are backing it up with Phil Haby Karaoke (TBC). So clear the throat with some whiskey and go exercise those vocals.

The Eastern enter here with Sydneysider Steve Smyth being supported by local boys Mick Dog’s Bone Yard.

Steve Smyth is an alternative/indie musician, and supported by swamp B-rat rockers it’ll prove to be an awesome night. Entry TBC. The Karova Lounge has

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Martens. The Main Bar, Ballarat – October 17.

It’s not class or ideology, colour creed or roots; the only thing that unites us is Doctor Martens boots, hey!

The Exploders in 3, 2, 1 Once upon a time The Exploders called Rove Live their home. But this is not a band that lives in the past, man. Oh no!

This is a band that has eyes for the future – a big, bright, music-filled future. Their latest, Orche.Stratos.Pheric, is helping them achieve that.

Album number three for the electric country and psychedelic rock and roll band follows the fatalistic life of a child prodigy named ‘Brave Achilles’.

Beat’s Krystal Maynard: “… It seems that the time and effort most bands put into their marketing plan, The Exploders relegate to writing fearless pop songs that encompass all that is good and true about music.” The Barwon Club, Geelong – October 24 & The Loft, Warrnambool – October 31.

At War with Kingswood Well, Kingswood’s on the road for an extensive run of shows in support of their debut album,

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Man O Portugal. The Man Portugal. The Man has proved to us once and for all that they really are ‘The Man’ in the best possible way by announcing a massive run of free dates around our great country. Yes, free! The Alaskanbred indie wonders will hit our shores at the end of the month and will stay in action until the end of November (at least), though further shows were to be announced at the time of writing. The band released their latest album, Evil Friends, last year. Their seventh full-length album, EF saw the band collaborate with producer Danger Mouse. Presented (and shouted) by Corona, the band has lined up a spot at Torquay Hotel, Torquay on November 28. People, it’s free!

Microscopic Wars. The album was recorded in Nashville’s Blackbird Studios with Vance Powell, known for his fine work at Jack Black’s Third Man Studios. Our own Alastair McGibbon reviewed the album recently: “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.” The Karova, Ballarat – October 17; Torquay Hotel, Torquay – October 18; and The Loft, Warrnambool – October 23.

Kingswood back again, with support from The Sinking Teeth. Tix $25.The Main Bar also has their first entry this fortnight with Women in Docs playing. They’re a five-member indie/folk band fronted by two women (assumably in DM’s unless the band name lies to us!?).

Anyway, attend and find out for yourself. Entry $10.

Saturday 18th of October sees Babushka Bar hosting the psychedelic band Trappist Afterland and their array of odd instruments and audio. If you’re into music noise with a bit of experimentation, Babushka hosting these boys could provide the solution. Entry TBC. The 18th also has legendary B-rat rockers The Rye Catchers releasing their latest EP to the masses at The Eastern. They’re set to rock the night out as they’ve done on many occasions in many different locations over the years, so gather a good crowd of crazy bunch Ballaratians that consist of friends, family and good music lovers alike. Entry TBC. The Karova Lounge is having Melbourne’s GodWolf play on this night.

Supported by local two-piece Horris Green and solo singer Gullivan. Tix $10.

Friday 24th October has Adam Roche, frontman of Romantasaurus, playing at The Babushka Bar. Once

A Smidgen of Smudge 1994 was a pretty fine year when it comes to album releases: Alice in Chains dropped Jar of Flies and Beck released Mellow Gold.

Jeff Buckley gave us Grace, Soundgarden Superunknown, Pearl Jam Vitalogy, Dinosaur Jr. Without a Sound, Stone Temple Pilots Purple, Sonic Youth Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star, Pavement Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain and Beastie Boys Ill Communication.

The list goes on and on. Locally, Sydney’s Smudge gave us Manilow.

Smudge, the brainchild of Tom Morgan (guitar, vocals), Alison Galloway (drums) and Paul

“Duncs” Duncan (bass), has been around since 1991. “Duncs” was later replaced by Adam Yee. The Bridge, Castlemaine – October 24.

Best in Show Quick Bite: Presented

by Skin of our Teeth Productions and Anglesea Performing Arts Inc., Best in Show is a collection of four award-winning oneact plays starring eight award-winning actors.

“Come on this theatrical journey as we explore the human condition, the canine condition, work, love, loss, sex, happiness, joy, sadness, and the whole shebang.”

Courthouse ARTS, Geelong – October 24 & October 25.

upon a time Adam was part of the infestation of B-rat, but somehow he got free of the hellmouth and is now a Melburnian. He sometimes journeys up to entertain us friends with tales of tall buildings and terrible election outcomes. Get to Babushka and see him because he’s a nice guy and a talented artist! Entry TBC. The Eastern has DJ Ram Daddy spinning decks and cashing cheques on the same night, so wander down there and enjoy the best of both worlds. The Main Bar hosts local band Into the Black on this night with special guest Liam Kealy from The Mondlarks and his Hammond B3 organ skills. Entry $10 Thursday 30th of October, The Karova Lounge is hosting Davey Lane on the promotion of his debut album Atonally Young. Tix $12.

Well this completes the multitude of B-rat events for the second half of October.

The Eastern is doing their open mic nights on Thursdays with the opening residency taken up this month by The Rye Catchers’ very own Earl Leonard.

Earl is always the entertainer on stage, whether he’s playing solo, fronting for The Rye Catchers or playing to the pint-sized with his Music for Kids acts.

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forte 29

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A K o V A Written by Daniel Waight

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Acoustic roots and world musician AKoVA is coming to the Surf Coast as part of his tour of Australia’s east coast. He’ll be playing gigs at the Torquay Hotel on October 24 and Martians Café in Deans Marsh on October 25. AKoVA says he’s excited about making his Surf Coast debut.

“I’m so looking forward to it. I haven’t been down there yet. We’ve done the east coast, west coast, but we haven’t been down the bottom yet, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

The Gold Coast product describes his music as ‘raw’ and ‘real’, and it’s exclusively acoustic. He plays as many as nine or ten instruments at any gig, including guitar, ukulele and djembe. He says his original songs contain subtle messages that speak to his concerns in life.

“It’s all about planet and people for me.

It’s about looking after the planet, looking after the people. It’s what’s close to my heart at the moment … It’s just life I guess and the spiritual journey I’m on at the moment.

I guess that makes you see things a little more clearly. It’s just the lack of common sense that’s around at the moment in all fields. It’s something that concerns me so I write about it, but I try not to get too heavy about it. I don’t like being told what to do or preaching or anything like that.

“What it is, I believe, people are just working way too hard. People aren’t having fun anymore. It’s all good to have a purpose and a cause but you can’t forget to have a beer and have a party as well.” ’60s Scottish folk icon Donovan is AKoVA’s greatest musical influence, and he thinks there are elements of Donovan in all the songs he writes.

“He was basically what started me playing music. I was going for a drive with the old man and the Donovan song ‘Sunshine Superman’ came on the radio and that was it for me. It was guitar shopping time. I went out and got an album of his and I’ve been hooked ever since. There’s a little bit of Donovan in all [my songs] I guess.”

And sticking to the acoustic sound can certainly have its benefits: “There was a gig we were doing down the coast and the most beautiful thing about it was the power went out,” he says. “Everything went dead quiet – all the fridges were quiet, there was nothing on bar a few candles on the tables. But I could still keep going and it was the most beautiful twenty minute set I’ve ever done. It was extraordinary.”

Surf Coast audiences can expect to hear music that suits the coastal atmosphere and culture. “We only do the coast, we haven’t gone inland at all,” he says. “The coast really, really suits it, it’s just got that sort of vibe. I sing a lot about surf as well, so it’s got a bit to do with the surf and the beach, so it works really well.

“I’d just love to see them [Surf Coast audiences]. It’s just something very unique – I’ve been told it’s been done before, but not the way I do it. So it’s going to be something different. And I look forward to that when I play at a new venue.” * Half the proceeds from AKoVA’s tour will be donated to the World Wildlife Federation.

WHEN&WHERE: Torquay Hotel – October 24 & Martians Café – October 25

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Nothing compares to Sinead

Just a Small Town Transformation

It has only been 13 short days since you’ve heard from the Port Fairy Folk Music Festival. But the team are just too excited to wait any longer to announce that Ireland’s beloved national treasure SINEAD O’CONNOR will be joining the growing line-up at the 2015 Port Fairy Folk Music Festival.

Sinead has sold millions of albums. Brazenly outspoken, she has become the most iconic Irish female artist of the past 30 years. Yet another reason why patrons should snap up their tickets now, whilst enjoying the sweet savings offered during the current round of tickets ‘The Snapper Release’.

And what will you do with those savings? You could ‘eat your dinner in a fancy restaurant’... ‘go out every night’... even ‘sleep all day’...

It is time to put five small towns on the map: Avoca, Dookie, Natimuk, Neerim South and Ouyen. After two years of planning and development, artistic leadership, creative consultation and community engagement, these five small, regional Victorian communities are revealing landmark art projects that have reshaped their community.

Projects include the transformation of a Dookie quarry into a performing arts space and Avoca’s inspiring Garden of Fire and Water that celebrates a shared Chinese and Australian heritage. Although several launch dates have already occurred, two remain – Natimuk on October 24 and Neerim South on October 31.

Join the Fight

For the greater part of October, November and December, those masked crusaders who go by the name of Slice N Dice will be on the road.

Perhaps they’re trying to earn brownie points for Christmas, who knows?

It doesn’t really matter as we’re the winners here.

Their partnership began casually enough, when they were prompted to put together some tracks – and throw masks on.

The novel idea worked, they ran with it, and here we are today. Black Swan Hotel, Bendigo – October 17; Gallery Night Club, Warrnambool – October 24; Mynt Lounge, Werribee – October 25; Eureka Hotel, Geelong – November 21; and Union Club, Colac – December 20.

I have a couple of very important dates for those in the Geelong area in support of the Feed Geelong Appeal.

The first is October 24.

Every year the Christ Church Community Meals program serves over 30,000 meals to those in need. On October 24 a special lunch will take place that will raise funds in order for Christ Church to continue their fantastic work. The second is October 31.

This is the date of the Seeing is Believing tour, which gives participants the opportunity to see first-hand the crisis so many food network centres are facing. There are other ways to get involved, so please visit feedgeelong.org.au. If everyone helps even a little, a big difference can be made. Thank you.

In the Shadows Quick bite: Craig Coburn

and Dave Brown are at the heart of Melbourne’s acoustic band with punk roots, Shadow League.

That doesn’t mean they don’t have friends. For their two-track release Trick With a Knife, the pair enlisted the help of some seven other players.

The majority of the recording was done at Craig’s house. The Loft, Warrnambool – October 24 & The Eastern, Ballarat – November 14.

Next of Kin REMINDER: It would be

hard to imagine too many people who haven’t heard of The Kin. If you haven’t, well, you’re about to go on a brief date with them.

The band is the talents of Australian-raised brothers Isaac (vocals, keys) and Thorald Koren (vocals, guitar, keys) along with the powerhouse USborn drummer known as ‘Shakerleg’. Head on down to Beav’s Bar, Geelong on October 24 for a little danger pop.

They Slice and Dice

Sinning with The Reprobettes First, a random Forte Word of the Day: Reprobate. 1 – An unprincipled person (often humorously or affectionately). 2 – (exp. in Calvinism) A sinner who is not of the elect and is predestined to damnation. Those folk sound bloody all right to me. Okay, so now I think it’s time to meet The Reprobettes, Melbourne’s all-girl garage growlers. ’60s garage rock with soul and surf influences is their sound, sinning is their specialty. They’ll play you some tunes then lift your wallet. They’ll make you feel special then steal your drink.

They’ll party all night with you then drive off in your car. The gals are hell on two legs, and they’ll have you coming back for more. The Bridge, Castlemaine – October 18.

Monte Know Who They Are From New Zealand to Sydney comes Monte, a blistering four-piece that combines walls

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It’s Raveolution, Baby You may have come across an interview we did with Shannon Moroney last issue about the upcoming Raveolution show in Geelong. It certainly sounds like a beauty. For those who may have missed it, and we forgive you, Raveolution is a techno-fuelled masquerade Halloween party. In its short time (this is only its third year) it is already proving to be quite the hot ticket in town and has recently upgraded premises from Basement159 to the Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex. Lining up you have Berlin’s Ray Kajioka (pictured), Pascal Kastel, Muska, Handsdown and Leighboy. The Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex, Geelong – October 31. “Behind a mask, you can be anyone or anything your heart or mind desires.”

Maldon Folk Festival REMINDER: Held annually

for more than four decades, the Maldon Folk Festival is a weekend of music, dance and theatre. International performers include Beth Patterson, Kristina Olsen, Fiona Ross, Colin O’Brien and The Stage Hogs, while local performers include The Woohoo Revue, The BordererS, Damien Howard, Janette Geri, Alanna & Alicia, The Capitalist Pigs and The Go Set. October 31 – November 3.

Kennedys Creek Music Festival REMINDER: If you haven’t been keeping tabs on the

Kennedys Creek Music Festival, here is what you missed: Drunk Mums (pictured), Dyson Stringer Cloher, The Exploders, Saint Jude, Pretty Littles, The Royal Artillery, Kashmere Club, Red Eagle, The Weapon is Sound, The Laughing Leaves, The Infants, Broken Hills Band, Sid O’Neil, Rough River, Kinloch Troons, King Evil, Kung Fu in Technicolour and Malee Songs. October 25 & 26. of sound and driving rhythms with melodic sensibilities. Comprised of players with roots in metal and hardcore, the band entered The Grove Studios on the Central Coast with producer Samuel K (Gatherer, Shihad, Bodyjar) and came out the other side with Who We Are. The release features the single ‘Reminiscence’, which frontman Brendon Peters spoke about recently: “The mindset you come to when you realise just how tired you are of caring and the stress of days past. Ultimately it’s a song about healing and moving past negative emotions.” Music Man Megastore, Bendigo – November 13.

You’re Simply the Rest Witchgrinder have an early Halloween date lined up at Your Break, Warrnambool on October 24. Jessey Jackson takes her blues/ folk/soul to Martians Café on October 18.

Led by Subb Michalski, the Subb Michalski Trio gets blue at The Loft, Warrnambool on October 25. The Karova in Ballarat hosts GodWolf on October 18 and Mr Davey Lane on October 30. Mia Dyson is at Beav’s Bar on October 19. The Bendigoat Metal Fest hits Bendigo’s Newmarket Hotel on November 1.

We’ll take a closer look at that one next issue.

Tumbleweed

Eastern the

Written by Natalie Rogers

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Bands Bar Beer Garden

“For a long time I’ve been trying to write lyrics that have summed up what I think about existence and reality. I believe Drop in the Ocean [the new single from 2013’s LP Sounds from the Other Side] is as close as I’ve come to it yet,” remarked Richie Lewis, perfectly articulating his thoughts during what can only be described as a harrowing time for all involved.

Since the unexpected death of Tumbleweed bass player and close friend Jason “Jay” Curley at his home on the 25th of August this year, Richie says everyone has felt a profound loss and they seriously contemplated calling it a day rather than continuing on without one of the band’s founding members.

“We did one show as a tribute to Jay and I’ve got to say it was really hard … really hard to get through,” his voice soft. The pain is still fresh. “But we met a couple of days after we found out that Jay had died and talked about what we were going to do. We had a few shows that were already locked in,” Richie explained. “We weren’t sure if we wanted to do them or not but in the end we thought it would be a good opportunity to have some closure for ourselves and also to give some closure to our friends and fans as well.”

Richie said that they had the idea almost immediately to release a song in his memory, and ‘Drop in the Ocean’ was the obvious choice. “As far as the lyrics of the song go, it’s all about being a part of something bigger than yourself.

We’re just one microscopic cog in a catastrophic plan!” he said

THURS - OPEN MIC FRI-SAT-SUN - LIVE MUSIC

poetically. “Writing this song was one of those moments of pure honesty. I find they happen so rarely because it’s hard to face our true feelings; we spend our life trying to cloud and obscure them.”

“One thing that has been on my mind a lot since Jay died is that life is short.

You’re on this planet for a finite amount of time and you’ve got the choice of how you’re going to spend your time and what you’re going to do with it,” Richie continued candidly, his voice growing stronger as he grew more passionate. “You can live it positively, consciously and make a change.”

With the resolve that something good should come from this tragedy, Tumbleweed chose to package their tribute to Jay with a clip to raise awareness of Sea Shepherd Australia. “Sea Shepherd do great work in our oceans, protecting and conserving it, and it’s not really for the future of the fishies in the sea,” he said with a smile. “It’s for the future of the planet, the future of humanity, you know ?” Watch the clip here: youtube. com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=IKy__ DQBTas “There’s a very delicate balance to life – you don’t have to walk around like you’re asleep! Speak up about things that you think are important and be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

You can make the world a better place!

“That’s what Jay would have wanted, for us to plug ahead. So that’s what we’re doing.”

Check out these inspirational Oz music

Phillip Island Jazz Festival Written by Montana Agustin

With the 10th Phillip Island Jazz Festival nearing in November, I caught up with Robin Blackman, organiser and musical director for the increasingly popular jazz festival.

Robin Blackman and the community of Phillip Island are gearing up for a huge festival, with more bands this year than ever before, as well as a few more added surprises to the program. Just one of the many things to look forward to is the gospel hour with Beverley Sheehan and the Creole Bells Revival Band that will kick off Sunday’s festivities. There’s also plenty of new groups to be seen this year, like the Ruby Page Sextet who will be kicking things off on the Friday, a really top group featuring a gentleman by the name of Joe Roberto on keyboard,

one of the best keyboard players in Australia.

Worth taking note of too, says Robin, are “the Simontologists, who have just returned from a tour of Germany, which is a fair indication of how good they are. They’ve only been around for a couple of years; kicking things off at the 2013 festival in Noosa, they are going gangbusters at the moment.”

Being the 10th birthday means there are some more things to look forward to – more bands for one, a wider range of styles than previous years, and the renaming of the resort restaurant to the ‘Gourlay Piano Bar’, which will see Bruce Gourlay, the pianist himself, play during the Saturday dinner and Sunday lunch services.

Jazz lovers are in for a real treat when the likes

of Geoff Power, one of Australia’s leading brass musicians, hits the stage throughout the festival with Mike Edwards, John Adams, Mark Elton and Ron Sandilands.

If you’re headed to the festival, another group to be on the lookout for is Ultrafox, a gypsy jazz band who are kicking goals in the genre at the moment.

The Phillip Island Jazz Festival also supports the local musical community by holding a presentation on the Saturday to recognise and support young, budding musicians.

Two students from the Newhaven College Music Department and the Wonthaggi Secondary College Music Department will be presented with an award as an aim to encourage the musical studies and interests in young people. The award will be presented

by Geoff Power, who is a mentor to all college big bands in NSW. “Geoff

legends at the River Rocks Festival on November 15. It could be your last chance, as after this date Richie says they’re planning to take time off to heal and reassess their future.

Before we hang up I asked Richie if he’d like to share a favourite memory of Jay. “I’ve got lots because we were friends for so many years, but sometimes the simplest ones can be the best – like just sitting quietly in our kombi van while driving over Sydney Harbour Bridge when we were younger, or some of the funny things he used to do … man, he did some incredibly funny things!” RIP Jay Curley.

THURS - FRI 5PM - MIDNIGHT SAT - SUN 3PM - MIDNIGHT

WHEN&WHERE: River Rocks @ The Barwon Club, Geelong – November 15

is a very outgoing and accommodating person who will take plenty of time to chat with them, give them encouragement and answer any questions they may have.”

After 10 years, Robin attributes the growing success and love for the festival to the commitment of the committee, as well as the sponsors who support the festival every year. He admits that “we’re a one stage festival, which means you really have to be spot on with the groups that you choose otherwise people will vote with their feet. Most of the groups who play are recognised Australiawide and play festivals Australia-wide too.

It’s been a long hard grind to get it to where it is now but we believe it’s one of the better festivals in Victoria.”

For a full lineup and other attractions, check out the new and interactive website phillipislandjazzfest. org.au which allows you to preview some tunes before you head along. Robin is also always up for a chat, so feel free to drop him a line to talk all things jazz and the Phillip Island Jazz Festival.

WHEN&WHERE: Ramada Resort, Phillip Island – November 21, 22 & 23

81 Humffray St Nth, Ballarat

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Spaulding Q&A

They are the band that goes bump in the night. They are Spaulding, a collective of horror punk and rock musicmakers. Come take a walk down the dark hallway as we get to know them a little better.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte. How are you and what are you up to right now?

Hi Amanda, I am doing quite well ... Busy at the moment working on the preparations for our string of upcoming shows – outfits, accommodation and alcohol all needs to be accounted for.

Your band has quite an interesting “mascot”. Where did Dr Spaulding come from?

No one is truly sure of exactly where Spaulding came from. We happened to come across him in an abandoned wool mill midst the corpses of his fallen woollen brethren.

Over time we have come to learn that our intergalactic overlord has come from the

deepest, darkest pits of an alternate universe, his home planet destroyed by his kind’s own malevolent gluttony and corruption.

It looks a lot like something you’d see in a horror movie. Are you a big horror fan?

One of the first films I ever remember seeing was A Nightmare on Elm Street: the scene where Heather Langenkamp’s character, Nancy, is being dragged around the walls, smearing blood behind her has served as one of my earliest childhood memories. Since then I have been a fan of the macabre, horror and things dark and campy.

You’ve got a show coming up in your hometown with Witchgrinder. Are you looking forward to supporting them?

Yeah definitely.

Spaulding’s first show was actually with those

guys here in Warrnambool, and we shared the stage with them a few months back in Melbourne. They are really great guys and shows with them are always a blast.

And then the next day you’ll have Creepshow Halloween Festival. That seems like a big gig to have the day after. Have you played that festival before?

It will be our first time playing Creepshow. We actually got asked to play a while back now, and then the Witchgrinder show popped up, and we definitely weren’t going to turn it down.

I imagine the morning after may be a bit rugged, but none of us have ever let sleep deprivation (or a hangover, for that matter) stop us from smashing the stage the day after ... It will be good practise for when we embark on a tour, I guess.

What can audience members expect from your sets?

Those that have seen us before know exactly what to expect ... Those that have not can expect a high energy show with a kick-ass punk

attitude. We always try to have a lot of fun with our shows and encourage our audiences to do the same.

You guys seem to make a lot of tongue in cheek jokes and references, especially with your EP titled Super Fun Good Value EP. Do you think it’s important to let your personalities shine through in what you do?

I think that is the most important thing anyone can do in anything. Spaulding is not a band that conforms to trends or jump on bandwagons. We do what we like and feel that our music and live shows prove that.

Now that you’ve got the EP out of the way, what’s next for Spaulding?

We are going to play this next run of shows then take a bit of time to write some new material and try and spread our plague to some towns that have not yet been graced with Spaulding’s presence.

WHEN&WHERE: Your Break, Warrnambool – October 24

forte 31

Dyson, Stringer, Cloher These three lovely ladies by all means need no introduction. With 11 albums and everything from ARIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to Aus Music Prize short listings and countless other accolades between them, all three have forged careers both in Australia and overseas to an ever growing audience.

Sharing one band theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll play songs from their critically acclaimed albums as well as songs from their recent collaboration, which truly is a celebration and admiration of each others music that shines through in their powerful and captivating live performance.

Ladies and Gents would you please give the warmest of welcomes to the icing on top VM V\Y [O )PY[OKH` JHRL +@:65 :;905.,9 *36/,9

The Exploders

The Pretty Littles

The Royal Artillery

The Weapon Is Sound

King Evil

Sid Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neil

The Broken Hills Band

Kinloch Troons

A little over 10 years ago these lads brought their Eclectic Country and 7Z`JOLKLSPJ 9VJR HUK 9VSS [V ;OL 5H[PVUHS /V[LS PU .LLSVUN MVY [OLPY Ă&#x201E; YZ[ L]LY gig. With an extremely aggressive live show and described as â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Beatles on Speedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; they went on to make 3 LPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and gain healthy national airplay in Australia as well as extensive touring which saw them crack the shores of [OL <: HUK <2 0[ÂťZ UV^ HUK K\L [V H ^PSK L_WSVZPVU ZVTL^OLYL PU [OL Orche. Stratos. Pheric we are very stoked to announce it has caused a great alignment in which will see them all once again grace the stage at this years KC!

The Royal Artillery are a heavy rocking blues band with well executed technique and style. The high-energy trio bring a big sound to the table with deeply H\[OLU[PJ )S\LZ N\P[HY IVSZ[LYLK I` OLH]` NYVV]LZ YLTPUPZJLU[ VM ÂťZ YPŃ&#x153; YVJR With an exciting sound and stimulating live show, The Royal Artillery have cemented themselves as a headline act in Brisbaneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rock scene and are forging a path nationally with national radio play and a start on the Festival circuit.

(M[LY `LHYZ VM WSH`PUN PU ]HYPV\Z V\[Ă&#x201E; [Z 2PUN ,]PS JVU]LYNLK VU LHJO V[OLY producing an assured and nuanced exploration of psychedelic, progressive and garage rock elements. After recent time spent in the studio, King Evil are excited to display a unique sound imbued with melodies to rot your distaste of the mainstream music landscape.

The Broken Hills Band consists of 4 top heavy blokes playing their unique blend of rock, blues and folk. Formed in 2013, they have been establishing themselves around the Melbourne pub scene quickly wooing chumps and gals alike. With the release of their debut EP coinciding with KC14 be sure to come down, have a boogie and stomp your feet like a Brontosaurus.

;OL 7YL[[` 3P[[SLZ OHWWPS` JYLKP[ [OLPY PUĂ&#x2026; \LUJLZ Z\JO HZ ;OL =HZJV ,YH )SHJR Rebel Motorcycle Club and The Mess Hall for their blend of rock, garage and indie tunes. The Littlez have turned their sites back to recordings, whilst getting on board some awesome shows with the likes of Vasco Era (at Hut 1HT ZPJR HZ *VZTPJ 7Z`JOVZ ;OL :TP[O :[YLL[ )HUK )HK +YLLTZ HUK British India.

Psychedelic dub maximalists from Perth, Western Australia. The Weapon 0Z :V\UK OH]L Q\Z[ YLSLHZLK +09,*; +<) VU ;OL *VTT\UP[` 9LJVYKZ 05+09,*; +<) K\L LHYS` ¸¯ZVTL VM [OL TVZ[ NLU\PUL ZV\UKPUN K\I [OL 7LY[O ZJLUL OHZ [V VŃ&#x153; LY š

Our one and only solo artist at this years Kennedys Creek. You may have seen this guy fronting a little known blues rock band, going by the name â&#x20AC;&#x153;THE =(:*6 ,9(š Thats right! Sid will be bringing all his swagger and story telling in the only way Sid knows. Wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to miss this one.

Hailing from Jan Juc, a sleepy town on the Victorian Coastline are the Kinloch ;YVVUZ ( WZ`JOLKLSPJ PUM\ZLK NHYHNL YVJR IHUK JVUZPZ[PUN VM Ă&#x201E; ]L TLTILYZ! Anthony Lacarruba, Hugh Warner, Tyler Slaven & Todd Cousins. The band have developed a strong sound and high energy live performance, drawing PUĂ&#x2026; \LUJLZ MYVT IHUKZ Z\JO HZ )14 )SHJR 3PWZ (SSHO 3HZ TVYL SVJHSS` King Gizzard & the Lizzard Wizzard who they recently supported on their 2014 Oddments tour.

Ticket includes entry and free camping. Once booked, tickets cannot be returned or exchanged. This is an all age family event.

Strictly NO GLASS inside the festival. BYO alcohol,chairs and camping accessories.

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Top 25 Boutique Aussie Music Festivals You Need To Attend.

Tone Deaf Drunk Mums After a hugely successful 2013, Cairns-turned-Melbourne music juggernauts and RPUNZ VM W\UR PUÅ \LUJLK W\I YVJR +Y\UR 4\TZ HYL IHJR ^P[O [OL YLSLHZL VM [OLPY highly anticipated new single, ‘Plastic’. The track is a perfect fusion of the band’s 70s jangle pop and Aussie rock stylings, heightened further by the anthemic, charged-your-arms-inthe-air chorus.

Their brand of Aussie garage/slacker rock, plus the lads’ wild, rowdy stage theatrics, has exposed the band to listeners far and wide.

Lets expose them to KC.

Saint Jude

Kashmere Club

Red Eagle

The Infants

Rough River

The Laughing Leaves

Kung-fu in Technicolour

Mallee Songs

It’s a group of voices, a mess of guitars and bar-room piano. Its pop and passion and all your favourite records. Southern rock and soul, gospel tinged JV\U[Y` ^OH[L]LY `V\ JHSS P[ :HPU[ 1\KL THRL T\ZPJ [V Ä NO[ [V HUK T\ZPJ [V cry to.

>P[O H TLU[HSP[` VM ¸.HYHNL )S\LZ +HUJPUN :OVLZ¹ 9LK ,HNSL HYL H ]PZJLYHS entity that provide anyone within earshot a soundtrack rich with distortion, groove and an undying love for Rock n’ Roll aesthetics. And now with their KLI\[ ZLSM [P[SLK HSI\T [OL ^VYK PZ Ä UHSS` ZWYLHKPUN

Rough River is the musical project of Kate Skinner, who released her debut LP earlier this year, recorded with Lucas Skinner. The LP taps the same emotional vein of Angel Olsen and Sharon Van Etten, the album quietly aching with tales of love gone by and a yearning for the natural world. The full-band incarnation draws on players from Mallee Songs and Jacob Mildren on bass, lending the live show a certain looseness and grit that underpins folk in the old sense of the word - not as a set of readable signs, but as an act of communion.

Coastal kids Kung-fu in Technicolour will come at you from the left, right and JLU[YL ^P[O [OLPY WZ`JOLKLSPJ QHTZ >P[O H JVSV\YM\S TP_[\YL VM PUÅ \LUJLZ ranging from Jimi Hendrix to the Fleet Foxes, these boys will allow you to experience the full ‘fa-jing’ of the senses.

This dynamic three-piece band has had a crazy year performing between regional Victoria and iconic Melbourne venues, whilst recording songs for a UL^ \W JVTPUN HSI\T MVSSV^PUN [OL Z\JJLZZ VM [OLPY SHZ[ LW ¸3VZ[ HUK :V\UK¹ >P[O ZPTPSHY ZV\UKZ [V )HUK VM :R\SSZ ;OL +VVYZ HUK PUÅ \LUJLZ Z\JO HZ Hendrix you understand why the Kashmere Club haven’t gone unnoticed.

-VY [OPZ 4LSIV\YUL MV\Y WPLJL Vќ RPS[LY PZ VU WVPU[ Somewhere between drag races and Sunday drives The Infants spew visceral vignettes and romantic recreations. Blaise Adamson (vocals/keys) skips from `LSWZ [V ^OPZWLYZ [LSSPUN Hќ LJ[PUN Å HZOI\SI TLTVYPLZ >OPSL PUZ[Y\TLU[HSS` [OL rest of The Infants, Chris and Anthony Morse (bass/guitar) and Jack Normoyle (drums), bend luxurious and persuasive into harrowing and heady. This is house of mirrors music.

3H\NO H[ `V\YZLSM 0[ ^PSS MYLL `V\ MVY H QV`V\Z M\SÄ SSLK SPML ;OL 3H\NOPUN 3LH]LZ are a group of baby boomers dedicated to get you to stop taking yourself so seriously. You can’t be sad while you laugh. You won’t feel pain when you SH\NO @V\ +6 MLLS IL[[LY HUK NL[ OLHS[O` ^OLU `V\ SH\NO Smile and laugh out loud. Have a listen to the happiness at this link.

Guaranteed to make people happy at KC14.

Mallee Songs began as the bedroom recording project of Michael Skinner.

Recording in improvised bursts and using whatever was on hand, Skinner collated twenty-odd tracks inspired by the freewheeling of Palace Music and the damaged Americana of Jackie-O Motherfucker. Mallee Songs, as a live band featuring Pascal Babare,James Allen and Gerard Smith, re-imagines these inward looking experiments as dynamic live songs, recalling the fuzzy outbursts of Galaxie 500 and Yo La Tengo.

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This year was a big year for Geelong, our new Mayor Darryn Lyons set to work, serious construction happened on the library and we got our first experience at Motor City Music Festival. A three-day festival made for the blues and rock lovers in Geelong, and the new fans of the genre.Back for its second year in Geelong, the festival has just announced their first line up. Featuring 40 acts over five stages and three big days, it looks to be a good one. This time around the festival has opted for a bit more representation from contemporary country artists, with more to be announced later this year.

Friday will host a few tribute bands on the night, with acts AC/DSHE and Electric Mary gracing the stage. Also playing the Friday is Broderick Smith, while he’s been a clerk, storeman, soldier, advertising copywriter, graphic artist and actor, he’s most well know for his time with the Adderley Smith Blues Band and country rock group The Dingoes. The rest of the night will see the Chris Wilson band, Claude Hay, Gwyn Ashton, Phil Para, Pugsley Buzzard and The Black Sorrows play live.

There’s something about Saturdays, and Saturday nights, that just scream rock ‘n’ roll.

Luckily MCMF has you sorted with a number of tribute bands playing the second day. Inxsive, Appetite for Destruction,

Photo by Gary Bradshaw

Motor City Music Festival Lineup

When&Where: Geelong Showgrounds – March 6, 7 & 8 , 2015

Credence Clearwater Recycled and Thunder Road will more than deliver.

Though let’s not forget about the blues acts, and how can you with who they’ve got on the line up? Cass Eager & The Velvet Rope, Sweet Felicia & The Honeytones, The Detonators, Lloyd Spiegel, Geoff Achison & Chris Wilson and Jimi Hocking’s Blues Machine with guests, are the names you need to remember.

And that just leaves Sunday, which has changed slightly from the last festival. They’ve enlisted the Glitter Gang, Wayne Jury 4 with Brian Fraser and Jesse Valach & Blue Mountain for a second round, but when they were such a hit last year, why not?

Australian record producer, singer, song writer and finalist on The Voice, Michael Stangel, will be making his way to Geelong on the Sunday, as well

as Jr Reyne, the Eurogliders and James Blundell. Jason Singh will also hit the stage, though you probably know him as the old front man for Taxiride.

Bringing in the rear, and his CMAA Golden Guitar Nominee country sounds with him, is Doug Bruce.

With the experience of the first festival under their belt, the team have delivered a great line up that’s only going to get better, as there is still more additions to be made. The word on the street says they’ll be some of the finest contemporary country singers in Australia, and a ticket to MCMF is small price to see such incredible acts.

Early bird tickets are now on sale and at 50 per cent off the gate price it’s worth getting in early for. Visit www. motorcitymusicfestival.com.au for tickets and more information.

Liz Stringer Written by Zach Broadhurst

Fresh from a tour of Germany, Liz Stringer is back in the country and instantly playing keys for friend and fellow musician Mia Dyson on her national tour, before playing her own solo tour around the country to promote her new live CD and DVD. Meet a very busy woman.

“It’s good to have work and I work full-time as a musician, so it’s important for me to always be doing stuff financially but also creatively,” explains Stringer.

“I’m on the road with Mia for a month, which is really good because it kind of re-energises me creatively.”

Later this month Liz will be releasing her first live album and DVD, the perfect way to segue from one period of her career to the next.

“We filmed a solo gig at the Yarra Hotel in Abbotsford back in May, so it’s a full DVD production and a live album, which is very exciting,” says Stringer.

“It’s all songs from my back catalogue. There are no new songs on there and they are all just stripped-back to their original form. It’s great and it’s a nice way to wrap this chapter.”

Despite releasing a number of albums before this, the live album has been a brand new experience for Liz, who found it had its confronting moments.

When&Where: The Bridge, Castlemaine – October 31, Saints & Silors – November 16 & GMF – November 29

“It feels really strange,” says Stringer. “The post-production stage was still pretty tricky, we spend a lot of time in the studio getting the mixes right, because even though it was only a voice and a guitar it’s more complicated than any of us had anticipated. Also, it was quiet confronting having to go in and work on songs that are completely live and solo because there is nowhere to hide.”

The addition of the DVD was an idea that grew over time, allowing both fans and those new to Liz’s music alike the opportunity to see what she is all about.

“I thought it would be great to have some content of my playing live, because that’s what I do, my main thing is playing live,” says Stringer. “I guess it’s a real instant introduction into what I’m about as a musician and it grew from doing one or two clips to deciding to film the whole gig.”

Along with her first live CD and

DVD Liz will soon be embarking on her first fully solo tour, beginning at the end of this month in Melbourne.

“It’s going to be total solo, except for maybe a couple of guests at a couple of shows,” says Stringer. “But the plan is to do it completely solo and basically play some of those songs from the album and play some new material … I’ve got a lot of new songs I want to give a run.”

Liz won’t be alone for the whole tour however, taking a few breaks along the way to play some festivals with good friends Mia Dyson and Jen Cloher.

“It’s such a jam-packed end of the year and we get to play Kennedys Creek Music Festival and Queenscliff with the girls, which is awesome,” says Stringer. “That’s a really fun band because there is so much going into it. There are three song writers and everyone are really amazing instrumentalists. It’s a real buzz playing with those girls.”

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Raveolution Q&A with Shannon Moroney If you’re going to celebrate Halloween in Australia, you may as well celebrate it the right way.

Raveolution is coming up at the end of the month, so we asked the team behind it to take off their masks and give us a treat.

Hi Shannon, thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte. How are you and what are you up to at the moment?

I’m well, thanks for having me. At the moment, basically working on our Euphorie Bezirk projects, as well as a lot of stuff we are doing with Funf Touring and Green Fetish Records from Melbourne.

For those who aren’t familiar with Raveolution, could you please give us a little rundown of the event?

Raveolution is our annual Halloween party, normally varying themes but with one common denominator – good quality techno and big rave vibes. This year is a masquerade/ formal attire laser-addled affair.

When did the idea first come about for Raveolution?

Raveolution was thought up a few years back by myself and my partner Eli while we were in Sydney deejaying in the ’Cross.

At the time I’d just gotten involved with the guys at Fake Chow and had the opportunity to jazz things up – and this is what we came up with.

As it’s a masquerade party and having a concealed identity usually frees people up a bit more, have you seen any crazy antics at past events?

It does, the anonymity

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definitely brings out the feeling of freeness and the ability for one to let go of inhibitions and collectively bring the floor to life.

What’s the most interesting mask you’ve seen?

There have been quite a few … there have been a lot of guys in drag which is always interesting.

What’s the vibe generally like on the night?

Very pure, which is what we push at all of our parties – a connection, in a sense, between the lighting, the music, vibration and the patrons … A far cry from your regular dance party.

This is your third time doing the event. What is it that you think has people coming back for more?

I guess the key is stepping up. The production, the artists and the overall general feel of the events is the key to a good quality rave. You want to be leaving with your jaw dropped, which is exactly our plan.

You’ve also changed venues from Basement 159 to the Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex.

What inspired the move?

Basically we just need a bigger space. Basement has always been good to us and has been great for everything we have done in the past, yet with a limited capacity we have looked elsewhere to cater for the size of party we want to do. Luckily for us we now have the Wool Exchange, which has a gorgeous heritage yet modern feel to it – a great opportunity for us to transform the place into an area-style party.

When & Where: Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex, Geelong – October 31

With the change of venue you’ve also upped the ante a little bit. How will this year be different from previous years?

As I said before, the décor and production of the event will be the biggest change, as well as the full Nexo system we are lucky enough to be using this year (the same rig as the Earthcore main floor in 2013).

You’re a known presence around Geelong. Tell us about some of the stuff you’ve done in the past.

In Geelong, we have Disco 2000 that we run yearly where we have hosted Germany’s Len Faki, Mike Callander and Katie Drover. Last year’s Raveolution had Droplex flown down from Hungary also.

In Melbourne we work hand in hand with the guys at Green Fetish Records on warehouse and club events, recently with Clouds from the UK, as well as working closely with Funf Touring on some bigscale projects with some of the biggest acts from around the world.

We hear there’s going to be

a few after parties. What crazy antics can be expected at them?

They’ll be quite hushhush for the moment. As we get closer to the date information will be available.

How did you go about selecting the musicians for the event? What did they have to encompass to make the cut?

The music program has been carefully curated with some of Australia’s most talented techno acts, and Berlin’s Ray Kajioka making

the trip down to round out.

Priority for us is for the night to flow perfectly – to build, plateau and build again.

What’s your advice for first-time punters?

Enter the space with an open mind and a warm heart and we will take care of the rest.

Thanks again for the chat.

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

For those coming, enjoy. And keep your eyes peeled for more massive events over summer.

MELBOURNE MUSIC BANK

Amidst counting votes, attending back-to-back meetings and a generally busy schedule, Simone Moss, Bank of Melbourne Digital Marketing Manager, found the time to chat to me about the Melbourne Music Bank Competition which she is overseeing this year.

“The competition is my baby this year, so we kind of looked at how it was run in its first year, and you always learn a lot from the first in terms of what worked and what didn’t, and I was so lucky that this project landed on my lap. So I’ve worked all the way along, and it’s been really great and such a fun project,” she says.

This time around, instead of focusing on composers they’ve opened up the competition – and the response has been incredible, with already thousands of votes coming in for the final twelve.

“There’s been an amazing amount of interest in it, so we’re really thrilled about how our Victorian musicians and the general public have supported it,” Simone says. “At the moment we’re just kind of working through with the artists to help them promote to their own networks and channels to get as many votes in as possible.”

The final 12 consists of Alex

Brittan, Under the Arch, Richard Cashion, Heloise, Davies West, Rick Steward, This Public Life, Selki, Boyeur, NY, The Lion and Matt Walters, with a thirteenth addition in wildcard Eilish Gilligan.

Eilish has been playing music her entire life, and ironically seeks inspiration from the competition’s ambassador Ella Hooper, as well as a handful of other artists. Simone is excited for the addition, and is now perfectly happy with the finalists.

“We’re so thrilled; it’s an amazing comment on the talent that exists in Victoria. We had hundreds of entries to listen to and it was a really difficult task to choose 12. I think the 12 that we have chosen, any one of them can win. There’s an amazing mix of music as well,” she says.

While Simone played a large role in selecting the final 13, the ultimate decision will be taken out of her hands.

Once the final four are selected, based

on votes from the public, they will perform at the Melbourne Recital Centre in front of a panel of judges.

The decision will be given to the panel, made up of representatives from the Melbourne Recital Centre, Beat Magazine, PBS and Wilk, as well as Ella and head of brand marketing at Bank of Melbourne, Jack Phillips.

“I’m really excited to see who gets down to the final four and of course the finale event, which is going to be held at the Melbourne Recital Centre in the salon, and that’s such a beautiful amazing space,” Simone says. “Just being able to perform there alone would be worth entering the competition.”

The ultimate winner will then take the first steps towards building a career in the industry. The winner will receive two days of recordings at Sing Sing Studios, a video clip by filmmaker Wilk, album artwork and 500 CDs, live gigs, PR and marketing advice, and their song used in a Bank of Melbourne advertising campaign, as well as a hot air balloon ride with Ella Hooper.

“We ran it by Ella and she’s more excited that anyone to go up in it, so she was thrilled to have that as

one of the prizes,” Simone says.

Ella’s enthusiasm has been evident from day one, and the decision behind selecting her as their ambassador has more than paid off.

“We thought it would be amazing to have an ambassador that is Victorian and that emerging artists would look up to and think what a fantastic career she’s had already, but not someone that’s at the end of their career,” she says.

“Ella was just a standout choice really. She’s a fantastic force, an amazing musician herself and an amazing media performer as well; she’s very loveable. So we’ve been really fortunate to have her on board.”

This competition run by the Bank of Melbourne almost seems too good to be true – many of you may be thinking, well what’s in it for them?

“We, as a brand, have very much play in the arts and cultural tiers of the city. We’re very involved with the NGV, we’re a major sponsor of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival and it’s nice to be involved in parts of our culture that people are passionate about,” Simone says.

“So music is one of those things that we love. We’ve got such a vibrant

LOCAL FEATURE Written

by Amanda Sherring

INFO: bankofmelbourne.com.au/melbmusicbank

music scene here in Victoria and we wanted to participate, to help an emerging artist get some recognition and throw a spotlight on some of the amazing talent we have here.”

And for Simone the reasoning doesn’t just stop there: like the finalists, she too has a great love for the most liveable city in the world.

“It’s just got so much to offer.

In terms of culture I don’t think, and I know this is a very biased and very Melburnian thing to

say, but I don’t think it gets better than this in Australia,” she says.

“We’ve got everything at our fingertips here and whatever you’re into, whether it’s food or music or arts and sport, there’s no mistake in the fact that we’ve been voted the most liveable city again, because it’s an amazing place to be.”

Voting has now been extended to October 19. For more information, and to vote, visit bankofmelbourne. com.au/melbmusicbank.

forte 37

Venus Flytrap re Geelong, Victoria Plaza 3,Market Square Shopping Cent u P: 03 5224 1455 / venusflytrap.com.a

Established in January 2006, Venus Flytrap is a locally owned and operated fashion boutique located in Geelong's own Market Square Shopping Centre.

Venus Flytrap stocks the latest in fashion jewellery, women's clothing, vintage dresses and a range of various other accessories.

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New to Venus Flytrap is their "Vintage Flytrap" range of dresses and tops from the 50's, 60's and 70's imported from Japan and America. These beautifully made vintage garments are one-off pieces that have been reworked or are still in it's original form.

Venus Flytrap also stocks an extensive range of fashion jewellery including a large collection of brands sourced locally from Australian designers.

ZZZ HGJHFORWKLQJ FRP DX :HVWÃ&#x20AC;HOG VKRS 0DORS 6W *HHORQJ 9,& #HGJHFORWKLQJ

forte 39

T H E NIG H T V IBE

FROC K IT

Written by Tex Miller / thenightvibe.com.au

Presentation is Everything

USA EDITION

Written by Jessica Alves

Whilst the weather has been warming up recently, so has the prospect of a new job.

Hiring season is most definitely here, and rivalry is in the air.

Considering how many young people are looking for a job over summer, you can expect the competition to be fierce.

But not to worry, I’ve got you covered on how to make a great impression on your potential new boss, should you manage to score that interview you’ve been hunting for.

In an interview, first impressions are everything.

When your potential employer sees you for the first time, you have already been judged as a person based on your appearance and clothing choices. If you’re dressed well, the big boss knows you’re taking this interview seriously and will go on to consider if your skill set is right for the job. If you rock up in trackies and a hoodie, don’t be surprised if your interview lasts no longer than a few minutes. The point is: if you are confident about your appearance, you will project the right professional image.

You do want to dress to impress, but please don’t get me wrong, a job interview is not the place for a racy fashion statement. Nobody wants to see a potential employee walk in to an interview wearing a plunging v-neck playsuit and stilettos.

But that doesn’t mean that we can’t have a little bit of fun with our interview attire. Try a little

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Part II bit of colour in your interview outfit with a cobalt blue colour-blocked shirt or a subtle rosy colour on the lips. It can help you stand out in amongst the sea of monochromatic suits.

You can never go wrong with a pencil skirt, but if you’re going for an office job, do try to stay away from leather pencil skirts as they can look a little dominatrix-ish in the office.

However, it doesn’t mean that you have to go boring. Try a while pencil skirt, or a pencil shirt with a mesh panel to add something a little extra.

In saying this, it’s always a really great idea to check the company policy and dress codes to gauge how you might like to style yourself for the day, but when in doubt, it’s better to overdress than underdress.

Makeup-wise, you want to go for what the beauty world might call a ‘no-makeup’ makeup look. It’s basically taking the idea of natural makeup, making sure to save your amazing winged eyeliner skills and crazy contouring for other days, and sticking with neutral eyes, very subtle blush and a nude or rosy lip.

We take the same kind of angle on hair: neat and well kept. Steer clear of Prom Queen curls or any fancy up-do’s. Keep it simple, and if all else fails, tie it back into a little bun and secure any stray hairs with bobby pins and a little hairspray. Don’t forget to give your nails a little bit of loving as well with a lick of polish. And remember, the more creative the role, the more creative you can be with your attire. Keep that in mind when you’re putting together your outfit.

An added bonus to dressing like a boss is, when you know you look good, your confidence is boosted, so

you automatically emit more confidence in your interviews.

So go in there with your head held high, you’ve totally got this, because in the words of Rihanna, “you can beat me, but you can’t beat my outfit”.

Instagram @jessicazalves youtube.com/msbonvivants

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve visited some of the biggest music cities in the US. Before I start to tell you of my adventures, it should be noted for the record that everything is bigger in Texas.

From the hospitality industry to gigs, I highly recommend that if you’re headed to the US to listen to and experience the scene, Austin is on your agenda.

Our first night in town started out as a memorable night and something that I’ll never forget as long as I live. Arriving in town on the Monday, we were headed off to El Mercado to watch the Bellarine’s own Sarah Carroll rip it up with local musician Bill Kirchen who is best known for being a part of the sixties group Commander Cody and His lost Planet Airman. With an all-star cast of musicians including George Wilson (Sarah’s son) on bass for a couple of tracks, it was a great night of laughter and music. Not to mention, quite possibly the best Mexican food in Austin!

The most impressive thing about this gig is that for a Monday night there was a minimum of 140 people there.

Coming from Geelong, it was quite a shock to me that there were so many people there for the start of the week.

That said, Austin is most often referred to as the ‘Live Music Capital of the World’, and with countless music

venues around town, there is always something to go see.

As most of the music starts at 6 p.m., it is easy enough to see three or four gigs a night. The venues might be at polar opposites of the city but a quick taxi ride with the fare shared between four or five people makes it quite an economical affair. Although I didn’t really know most of the musicians I was headed off to see, I was instantly in love with some new acts. Johnny Nicholas and David Grissom are two local players that spring to mind as I think about the awesome gigs. Both with killer rhythm sections, these guys are seasoned professionals playing residencies all around town.

Johnny Nicholas’s up-tempo cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue’ and David Grissom taking on The Allman Brothers’ classic ‘Jessica’ are definite highlights and worth YouTubing. The amount of music that has come from Austin is quite astounding also. From Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan to Gary Clark Jr. and new talent Shakey Graves, the idea of seeing the next big thing without even knowing it is quite high.

Although I don’t really like jazz music, the opportunity to go to the Continental Club and see Ephraim Owens and his band featuring Red Young, who plays with Eric Burdon and the Animals, was something that was quite surprising. Twisting the modern sounds of jazz, the musicianship of these three guys was simply breathtaking

and a ‘had to be there’ moment. The songs weren’t too drawn out but with so many elements to the music and the unpredictability of what was going to happen next, there was always something to keep me interested in the groove.

One of the optional day trips was to Fredericksburg, which is situated in the Texas Hill Country, and stopping in for lunch at Johnny Nicholas’s Hilltop Café. On the menu, the infamous chicken fried steak …

Why not, eh? It may be a while before I get back to America. In a fifties-style diner similar to the one in Happy Days, the walls are plastered with memorabilia and photos of all the stars that Johnny has had the opportunity to meet over the years. A young Eric Clapton is a surprising shot in the photo set.

Whilst I have been touring around the States, I have had my eye out for a left-handed guitar because it seems easier to get one given that the population of America is quite bigger than Australia. Walking into one of the preferred local stores I was surprised to see that Andy McKee was doing a guitar in-store performance and workshop. To this day, his claim to fame, ‘Drifting’, has racked up 50 million views on YouTube. To meet him in the flesh and have a quick chat was an awesome moment, I must admit.

There are so many other moments to write about and not enough space in this column. More tales from the road in the weeks to come! :)

Great Australian Beer Festival Q&A

founded GABF. Geelong has always needed a unique festival and there’s not many more unique than a craft beer and cider fest boasting a national photographic competition together with cabaret, comedy and great live music acts. We attract brewers from all over the country and our last fest drew people to town from every state and territory in Australia together with New Zealand – and believe it or not a lone Mexican made his way here to attend the event!

What’s been the effect to local wineries and breweries in the region from the festival?

The Great Australian Beer Festival has put the spotlight squarely on the region with brewers from all over the country lining up to attend.

The general awareness and acceptance of craft beer is growing strongly – more bars, restaurants and cafés are stocking a variety of beers and ciders. The festival is attended by all local brewers and we have set aside a section which showcases only local. Their support has been wonderful and very much appreciated.

What will the selection of beers and ciders be like on the day?

We will have over 200 beers and ciders from which to taste and they will include every available style of beer. We are also adding international beers to next year’s event together with creating a cider garden to showcase the growing number of cider makers emerging around Australia.

It must be pretty great to work at an event that involves beer.

SPECIALI

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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 Experienced 22 y/o singer, songwriter, guitarist looking for a drummer, bassist and lead guitarist to start up an original rock band based in Geelong.

Influences: QOTSA, Sublime & Dave Grohl. Contact Tom at: 0487067083 Heavy metal/death metal vocalist & lyricist

looking to join a band.

Have original material ready to go. 0432959094 Wanted expirenced drummer to start a metal/ death metal band. Must be dedicated, be able to play double bass very well and be able to perform original material. 0415676768 Looking for talented singers, male and female, who would like to collaborate and record on a project for submission to labels. We are coming close to completion of the 31 track demo and are looking for people who can sing (all styles) to contribute to certain tracks, please don’t hesitate to call for more information. Call Matt on 0468632012

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

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Take advantage of our early bird ticket offer.

Pre-purchase your ticket and save! While we are keeping the ticket price the same for 2015 there is an increase for those buying at the gate on the day. So don’t delay!

Get into the spirit of the fest and try a variety of beers. This is a great opportunity to try as many different styles of beers, so next time you’re going to a party and need a six pack you’ll buy with confidence – now being an expert.

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

Tickets to the festival make great presents whether for birthdays or for Christmas. We sold heaps recently for Father’s Day. Just book, print and give.

Visit gabf.com.au for more information.

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venue with plenty of grassed areas, plenty of shade and heaps of undercover areas should we need them.

The biggest changes will include adding a third stage and more colour to the event. The extra stage will feature comedy, cabaret and quirky acts that delight.

We’re also inviting people to come along in fancy dress. Dress up as your favourite superhero, Hawaiian theme – or even as Where’s Wally?. There will be a best sombrero and group award, with workplaces being challenged to have employees dress up and be in the running for the inaugural GABF ‘Best Dressed Org Award’ and $1000 first prize donated to a charity of their choice.

What’s your best piece of advice for firsttimers to the festival?

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COFFEE & TEA EXPO

FEATURING

also like to be engaged, and we believe adding fringe fest elements, both visual and performing arts, delivers an event that matches our audience’s expectation. We aim to engage all senses so the event is a whole lot more than tasting fresh crafted beer.

What other entertainment can we look forward to on the day?

I’m working on an eclectic range/variety of music for our next fest – add a bit of worldly music, some reggae/calypso, country bluegrass, indie, folk and maybe even a guest DJ … Stay tuned.

You’re back for your third year in 2015. How have things changed?

We’ve increased our footprint around the racecourse to cater for the influx of visitors this event attracts. Geelong Racecourse is an ideal

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What’s your favourite thing about the GABF? The type of audience we attract know how to really enjoy themselves.

The event attracts 50/50 male female ratio and whether they are beer nerds, converts, socials or aficionados they all have a great time.

My favourite thing about GABF is creating an event that engages our audience on multiple levels and all their senses.

Even if beer specifically isn’t your thing, there is still plenty going on – discover a world away from beer where craft beer culture takes a backseat to local gourmet foods, great music, vibrant cabaret, indie stalls and funky art.

This time around you’re including some comedians. What sparked the change?

Craft beer drinkers are switched on and appreciate quality. They

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When&Where: Geelong Racecourse - February 21 2015

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Is anything in life more perfectly matched than a cold beer on a hot day? Perhaps, but this is a marriage made in heaven. With the Great Australian Beer Festival returning on a summer’s day in 2015, we thought we would use it as an excuse to wet out lips a little as we discovered all we have to look forward to.

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

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

Never been busier! While planning is well underway for our third instalment of the Great Australian Beer Festival next Feb 21, Kieran, my business partner and festival co-director of GABF and I decided to take our craft beer festival concept on the road and have landed in Sydney. We’re on the verge of running the biggest craft beer event NSW has ever seen on the 25/26 of this month. The event is called Sip & Savour and we’ve taken over a massively refurbished railway shed called Carriageworks in the inner west suburbs. We’ve also arranged for Melbourne indie band Husky to perform as headline act. It’s a huge undertaking and we’re so pleased at the incredibly warm reception we’ve received.

There isn’t really anything like it in Geelong. Was that part of the reason why the event was created?

Geelong is on the verge of something very special and the city and whole region is primed for a very prosperous future. While beer festivals are popping up around the country it wasn’t the case when we

Regional Victoria’s largest display of retro coffee machines and original posters

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forte 41

RECREATING BeatlemaniA Q&A with Chris Frazer

What is there to write about The Beatles that hasn’t been written a million times before? It has me stumped. So instead let’s turn our musical ears to Chris Frazer, the man who is bringing Beatlemania back to town.

Firstly, how are you and what are you up to at the moment?

I am very well. I don’t think I have ever been so busy though. This year has been a tornado of everything Beatles and I’m enjoying everywhere we touchdown.

You’ve already toured the show to sold-out crowds. Does it feel good to come back to those who missed out the first time around?

Beatles fans are everywhere. We regularly meet fans who were there in the audience in 1964 or even in The Cavern at a school girl in ’62. We often see the same faces flying around the country to catch another of our shows. I see fans with as big an appetite today for the music and characters they love as ever. It is a privilege to be a Beatle Boy. Have you been to Geelong before? Is there anything you plan to do while down here?

I have played quite a few shows in Geelong over the years. I have some great friends there I’m looking forward to catching up with.

You’ve been into The Beatles for quite a while

now. What do they mean to you?

The Beatles are in my soul now. John is very much in my head. I think he’s my puppeteer.

In the show you play John. Are there any similarities between him and yourself ?

The closer I get to my next stage, the more John takes over. But I believe I’m a little John and Paul really. I could do with more George to settle my mind.

You also play Freddie Mercury in a Queen tribute band. Is it hard to swap between such different roles?

It is. So much so that I have left Freddie in the closet for some time now in order to give John his just desserts.

Are there ever moments where, in real life, you find yourself acting as John?

When the boys and I get together I think we each slip in and out of our Beatle characters. We have fun.

You all became a part of Beatles history when you recreated the 1964 show. Was that a pretty great achievement for you?

It was the most satisfying project I have ever been a part of. I have never

When&Where: Lighthouse Theatre – October 24 & The Playhouse Theatre @ GPAC – October 31

felt so close to my obsession.

In your shows have you ever had any fans come along that saw the original back in ’64? What are their thoughts of your tribute?

Hundreds in each city – everywhere! We have a great

relationship with our audience and encourage their guidance and feedback.

And what can audience members expect from the show?

The original concert from 50 years ago: same songs, costumes, instruments – a complete recreation. We then play a

second half of hits throughout their catalogue.

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

Very much looking forward to playing Geelong once again!

Brad Martin Project Q&A

Melbourne rock and roll veteran Brad Martin is behind the appropriately named Brad Martin Project. Described as “the love child of the Dirty Three and the Hendrix Experience after a real heavy night”, the band is an emotive ride down the rock and roll highway. We just couldn’t pass up the chance to chat with this love child.

Hi Brad, thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte. How are you and what are you up to at the moment?

Hey, I’m real well! Played Sydney last night and we’re currently en route to a ‘wedding’ of two legendary lady pals of mine in Bellingen!

How’s the tour been so far?

Hmm, searching for a non-generic response but to be truly honest it’s been unlike any other tour in my life due to the fact we’ve been playing all shows with my Indige bud Shaun Meehan from the WA community Wyndham.

You’ve played professionally as a musician for quite a while. What made you decide to create the Brad Martin Project?

Initially I created a band titled The Publican Band which was made up of a Canadian bass player, Spence, and an old friend from Joeys (Geelong), Liam Flanders on drums. At the time I owned and ran a little live music venue in Carlton, and

essentially the boys careers had to take priority ... Cutting a long story short, I was fed up with the bar and decided to sell to pursue playing live full time. As a result I needed to form a band of players who could tour (a lot) which led me to form a long list of amazing players who’d typically studied jazz and had the ability to drop it for a month or two and tour.

Your new release gets a lot of inspiration from the Kimberley.

What is it that you love about that part of Australia?

I’ve had this question a lot lately and I’ve now figured the best way to articulate my response after years of thought! The Kimberley is some of the most ‘untouched’ country within Oz. Every aspect of the place is so sophisticated and deep and yet so unexplained to white people …

The only way to properly understand how the place works is to learn from the Ballengarra people. You can’t just drive through the Kimberley, read the odd sign at a lookout and comprehend this country.

What has the response been to playing your new music live?

When&Where: The Barwon Club, Geelong – October 18

From this tour playing our Dirty Three/Hendrix-inspired tunes with an Indigenous poet on board, we’ve really found audiences to be levelled by what’s coming out! A dude in Broome cried and gave the band $150 for the performance! ( Just so we’re clear, he was sober.)

You’ve been doing a fair bit of work with Shaun Meehan. What has he brought to the Brad Martin Project?

The idea of playing with

Shaun or bringing him into the lineup was to showcase Indigenous/nonIndigenous rockin’ out together!

We understand he hasn’t seen much of the east coast. What has he thought of it so far?

He’s currently kipping in the back; perhaps he can answer this question on stage at the Barwon Club, Oct 18th!

Feel free to put him on the spot!

Is Indigenous music something you’ve always been passionate about and wanted to include in your music?

Nope, not always, but since the light bulb turned on a year or so ago I’m never turning back! There’s so much to learn from Indigenous music and musicians.

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

White guys invented the genre “desert rock”. I’m now co-writing a desert rock album with musicians who are actually born and bred in the desert! These guys are ‘desert rock’!

Carus Thompson Written by Abbey King

Acoustic legend Carus Thompson and his wife recently welcomed their second child to the world and it is safe to say their children have become the leading inspiration behind an exciting new chapter of music for him.

“About nine months ago I just started writing music, which I hadn’t done for a while. I’d just been focusing on being a dad and then obviously doing all of my touring and stuff,” says Carus. “Then basically we’ve ended up in this little place. It’s a little hard to play guitar at nights and we ended up doing this granny flat out the back for my mother-in-law. I ended up going out there in the evenings with a glass of red and started writing songs again, so I’m pretty excited about a new album next year and playing a lot of new songs on this tour now!” he beams.

Carus has enjoyed over a decade of touring his original, iconic acoustic tunes. Originally from Fremantle, Thompson made his charge on the Australian music scene alongside many other artists of the region including the John Butler Trio, eventually finding his current home within Victoria and settling with his young family and greatest inspiration.

“You can write about a song with family and make it ring true; if you haven’t had these experiences properly it’s very had to write about.

Good songs get close to the essential human spirit, so storytelling and songwriting is what I do – you’re 42 forte

trying to tell stories about human beings and everyday experiences.

“I think when you’re younger and you haven’t had kids, having a child is a really big thing. Most people in the world do it and if you’ve had that experience I think that there’s a whole bit of your storytelling you can’t tell because you haven’t experienced it yet,” says Thompson.

Untapping a new source for songwriting, Carus seems eager to get back out on the touring circuit and show the world his newfound inspiration. He takes a moment to reflect on other artists that he is now able to relate to on a whole new level.

“I’m a really big Bruce Springsteen fan and I love the way he tells sometimes very simple stories; unpretentious stories, just about working-class people or just people going about their lives.

If you tell those stories right there’s an intensity to it and I don’t think people have really taken that approach to songwriting within Australia so much, especially from my generation.

“With these songs I’m just writing more simple suburban stories of the Australian experience,” he says.

“I ended up going out there in the evenings with a glass of red and started writing songs again...”

Carus is embarking on a whole new set of shows, including a residency in his hometown of Freo, which he is very much looking forward to. “I’ve always prided myself on being able to ramp the crowd up and entertain and really try to bring a pub rock energy to my shows, whether it be acoustic or a small venue with everyone sitting down,” he laughs.

“I love that feeling when a gig finishes and you’ve played some slow songs, you’ve played some medium songs and you’ve played some rockers, and everyone’s on the dance floor and they’re a bit sweaty and they’ve had a few beers and you’ve had a genuine experience as a collective.”

When&Where: Wolseley Wines, Torquay – October 19 & The Piping Hot Chicken Shop, Ocean Grove – November 1

forte 43

New Found Glory

Forte Columns

too heavy to hug

le monde entier

Written by Paul S Taylor

By Madelin Baldwin lemondeentier.net

Welcome to THTH, Forte’s premier source of all things heavy, hard, fast and metal.

According to the internet it appears the early results are in: .5: The Gray Chapter is good, apparently. For the Slipknot haters who think they should have broken up after Paul Gray passed and/or after Joey Jordison left then the above news is sad, very sad news indeed.

Questions will always be asked about Slipknot, or known to the Slipknot haters as “Shitknot”: Are they really metal? They’re a pop band aren’t they?

Will they ever grow up and get rid of those gimmicky masks? God oh God why do they suck so hard? etc. etc. But I guess the real question is, do kids these days, not us old kids who grew up with Slipknot and now as adults write about Slipknot, even give a shit? It was fifteen years ago when Slipknot burst on to the scene, or were thrust by marketing departments into the mediasphere, and actually garnered some sort of response from the fans. It was fifteen years ago when the metal community would argue if Slipknot were any good. Today, we’ve all pretty much made our minds up about Slipknot: today, I like to think the kids probably have better things to do than argue over the quality or genre of some band that began in the late ’90s.

In other news…

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

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.

Slipknot will release their new album, .5: The Gray Chapter, on Tuesday, October 21.

Devin Townsend’s Melbourne guitar clinic takes place at St Kilda Town Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 22. Tickets via thumpmusic.com.au 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.

Ne Obliviscaris will release their new album Citadel on Friday November 7.

Ne Obliviscaris will release their new album, Citadel, on Friday, November 7. They also kick off their national Citadel tour in Melbourne at 170 Russell on Friday, November 21.

Machine Head will release their new album, Bloodstone & Diamonds, on Friday, November 7.

Hand of Mercy, Hellions and Void of Vision will play The Evelyn Hotel on Thursday, November 13. An all-ages show takes place at the Phoenix Youth Centre 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.

Trivium and In Flames will be at 170 Russell on Sunday, November 23.

Marduk with special guests Inquisition will tear the Northcote Social Club to shreds on Wednesday, January 14.

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

If you read my website or column you’d know by now how much I love France. I got the chance to live there a few years ago on and off working in a chateau, and I go back every time I head to Europe. I learnt the language for a few years (even though it’s a little rusty!) and like to spend my time imagining a simple life living in a French loft in Montmartre, buying my baguettes every day and riding my bike everywhere with my scarf flowing in the wind on my way to gallery exhibitions … But for now, I have to deal with the occasional holiday and now luckily we have a few great French cafés around Geelong!

I went along to the second French night that was held at the French Corner Café. It’s owned by a local couple who have worked in hospitality for years and finally decided to venture out on their own. I’ve grabbed the occasional coffee and baguette here before but was pretty excited about the prospect of a three-course meal with petits fours and live piano accordion!

We arrived at 6.30 p.m. – the French Corner Café is always decorated superbly with flags and traditional French mementos hanging all over the walls, from pictures to copper pots. It feels like a proper Parisian bistro you would find on any corner, complete with the flowerpots outside on the windowsills.

We are seated and it’s truly quaint, bustling with the surrounding tables, but still private enough to not feel forgotten or swamped.

The drinks list is brilliant, with a great combination of local and international wines at really reasonable prices. My partner orders a bottle of French red to himself (the benefits of having a pregnant girlfriend who can drive you home!).

The menu consists of: Entree: A stunning house-made charcuterie board, with veal and pine nut terrine, duck liver pate, assorted pickled vegetables, olives and a selection of cured meats, and my pick for the absolute best part of the board – the baked brie.

Nothing quite says indulgent like dipping a baguette into baked, hot, dripping French cheese! There is also a large assortment of breads and wafers, much more than even needed which is a nice change!

Main: A choice between chicken and lamb. The lamb is a shoulder slow-cooked with carrots and potatoes, and the chicken is set on a beautiful truffle puree with broccoli and snow peas.

Dessert: Wow! Out came a spectacular plate filled with homemade French delicacies – crème brûlée, macaroons, an Eiffel tower shaped biscuit, a triple choc and caramel tart, a fresh vanilla and berry tart, lemon sorbet, and lovely little friands. So so so delicious!

(And then some take-home macaroons, of course!). All of this with attentive waiters; David walking around chatting to everyone and taking photos of us wearing French chefs hats and berets and the piano accordion in the background!

It was an absolutely awesome night, and luckily it has been such a hit that they are running them at least once a month through summer – I have heard they’re already selling out, though!

44 forte

PUNK!

pop culture!

Written by Christopher Cruz

Ipswich punk/metal heroes Antichrists Anonymous totally blitzed Melbourne this past weekend. If you haven’t had the pleasure yet, please check out their Facebook page. Top bunch of blokes to boot!

This issue, no hanging crap on the hipsters, boy bands and acoustic guitar-playing busker types infiltrating the punk scene – I promise … mostly because this column is no place for them to begin with. Somebody ask Henry Rollins what he thinks of acoustic guitars. He’ll probably tell you they’re only good for smacking hippies with.

By the time you read this, Up the Punx! will be over for another year, so expect a full report next issue. These little DIY festivals are helping keep punk rock alive, so I hope you all have been making the effort to check them out. … And while you’re checking out these awesome bands and festivals, buy some merch.

Seriously! You want a cool shit to wear, right? It’s either that or wear those hideous Kmart or Cotton On t-shirts...

Rancid finally have a new record on the way, and it’ll be interesting to see if Australia gets a look in when they tour the world to support it. Their absence from our shores is getting pretty ridiculous. Honour is All We Know drops October 27, just in time for Halloween.

XTRMST, the straight-edge hardcore band featuring Davey Havok and Jade Puget from AFI (I’m guessing the all-caps thing is

a thing with them) have announced that they’ll release their self-titled debut album through Dim Mak Records, the label set up by superstar DJ, Steve Aoki. Very, very interesting...

Culture Club, a pop group beloved by MANY punks, Goths and New Romantics, have reformed for a world tour.

Am I the only one excited about the release of New Found Glory’s album Resurrection? It’s a true return to form that will kick you in the face with its sheer awesomeness. Best. Pop-punk.

Band. Ever. Go get your copy NOW! ‘Lonely’ is the latest single to be released from Weezer’s brand new album Everything Will Be Alright in the End. It follows the lead single ‘The British Are Coming’. Do people even know that the record is out?

From a marketing and promotions viewpoint, I’d be a little worried!

Somebody please explain to me the appeal of Black Veil Brides. The band is going GANGBUSTERS in Europe at the moment, and to me, they just seem like a challenged (make of that what you will), watered-down Avenged Sevenfold.

Escape the Fate is another band that started to pique my interest at one point … then completely lost it by trying to turn themselves into Guns N’ Roses. Oy vey.

Last weekend’s Eat the West festival at the Dancing Dog in Footscray raised $1100 for the Lentil as Anything restaurant. Good job to all the bands that played, and of course the organisers!

Don’t forget, Nevermind the Warp’d tour is coming up – full reminder next issue! ’Til then, keep it real. Be yourself. That’s what punk is all about.

PULP

Superman are mostly in the background.

Identity Crisis is pretty much every superhero’s worst nightmare. Ralph Dibny has been a superhero for a long time; as Elongated Man, he’s been around since the ’60s, and has been a member of multiple Justice League teams. His relationship with his wife Sue is almost idyllic; in the soap opera-esque world of superhero relationships, it’s remarkably trouble-free. She goes out of her way to surprise him on his birthday, setting up mysteries for him to solve and constantly trying to outdo him. Then, one night, Ralph’s universe shatters into tiny pieces; he is out on patrol, and Sue is brutally murdered in their home. What follows is one hell of a murder mystery and one of the most emotional stories I’ve ever read.

Artist Rags Morales (Action Comics) perfectly supplements Meltzer’s emotional storytelling; Identity Crisis focuses on people and their relationships, and Morales is a master when it comes to portraying emotion. Some of the book’s most memorable scenes revolve around Sue’s funeral – it’s a massive affair, and Morales gifts readers with a huge splash page that features just about every hero in DC’s roster.

Perhaps the most memorable scene of all has Ralph struggling to compose himself and literally trying to hold himself together.

Identity Crisis does an excellent job of examining just what makes heroes tick, and the story is made all the more captivating when Sue’s murderer is finally revealed; it’s such a good twist that you wouldn’t even come close to guessing their identity until it’s right in front of you.

When DC includes “crisis” in the title of the book it’s usually because some kind of cosmic disaster (and continuity changes) is imminent. In this case, the crisis is much closer to home, and much more relatable. If you get the chance, definitely pick it up – there aren’t many books that can match this level of storytelling.

Written by Alastair McGibbon

So I figured that it was about time that I talked about Identity Crisis. I’ve had the book for a while now – I picked up an Absolute Edition pretty cheap – but I haven’t talked about it until now because quite frankly I didn’t know what to say about it. Now, I might be something of a DC fanboy, but even I will admit that their content has been really sub-par of late. Creative team changes and endless crossover arcs have kind of spoiled any gravitas their stories might have had – hell, the Green Lantern family might as well be one continuous crossover, considering you can’t go two issues without having another cosmic crisis happening. It’s a shame, really; Identity Crisis is absolutely proof that DC can craft amazing stories when they want to.

One of the things I really, really like about Identity Crisis is that it focuses on the little people of the DC Universe. When you think DC, you inevitably think the core members of the Justice League: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman et al. What you don’t consider are the minor characters; the bit players and the goofy one-dimensional villains still exist, just out of sight and out of mind.

The serie’s writer Brad Meltzer (Justice League of America) takes that concept and flips it on its head – Identity Crisis focuses on lesser-known characters like Elongated Man and the Atom, while major players like Batman and

Written by Anthony Morris

The Chaser are back! Well, some of them are back: their new show The Chaser’s Media Circus (Wednesday’s, ABC1, 8.30 p.m.) – which only started the night before this issue of Forte went to print, so it’s all press releases and speculation at the moment – doesn’t feature the full complement of the Chaser team.

As the press release put it: “Filmed in front of a live studio audience each week shortly before broadcast, The Chaser’s Media Circus sees a mix of journalists, comedians and members of the program’s team (including writer/ performers from The Checkout Ben Jenkins, Zoë Norton Lodge and Scott Abbot) dissect the week’s news and media through games like: Out of Order: Where teams have to organise news stories in the order they appeared in a TV news bulletin. Which is deemed most important – Syria’s civil war, the AFL results, or a neighbourly dispute over a garage roller door? Press Pack: Where a team member plays the part of a public figure at a press conference defending an embarrassing gaffe.

Or whatever Jacqui Lambie said that particular week. Evil Mastermind: A fun game for the whole family where you have to decide whether a quote about “evil” is by Tony Abbott or a cartoon super-villain.”

This all sound a little like the kind of things that work better as a gag in a press release rather than actual segments that drag on for minutes in a real live show, but at this stage you’re the ones who’ve (maybe) actually seen the show so perhaps it really did turn out to be a hilarious comedy triumph.

The bit that’s interesting about all this is that while Craig Reucassel is the host, Julian Morrow is the executive producer and Chas Licciardello is present in the role of “one man brains trust” – no big surprise there, as he’s seemed like the real driving force behind their examination of the media since the days of The Chaser’s War On Everything – that seems to be it for the involvement of the regular Chaser team.

Presumably the others are involved in some backroom capacity (though regular Chaser non-performing member Dominic Knight seems to have been busy doing a lot of side projects of late), but with the addition of a bunch of the performers from The Checkout to the Chaser’s “A” show it’s starting to look a little like the guys are planning to step back from the on-air side of things. Which should be interesting: clearly The Checkout has been a bit of a hit for them without the whole crew turning up on-air, and if this format works out perhaps they’ll be able to back off and segue into producing.

On the other hand, even twenty half-hour episodes of television might not be enough to support six guys out back plus the onair performers (Shaun Micallef does twenty episodes of Mad as Hell a year with a writing staff of half that): if The Chaser want to become a brand name, they might have to start really churning out the product.

blues news Written by John (Dr John) Lamp Proudly pesented by The Sleepy Hollow Blues Club

Many readers will know about the Brill Building on Broadway in Manhatta. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, it’s a 1931, 11storey building which has been amazingly significant in the USA music industry. Incidentally, for those with a QI sort of mind, it got its name from a haberdasher with a store on ground level. Must have been a good shop because he bought the building!

It’s almost impossible to list the talent who went through that building – Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Gerry Goffin, Carole King, iconic names that all of us have heard at one time. In 1962 there were 165 music businesses in the building. It was a hit factory.

Australia has its own version of this sort of enterprise – very much scaled down, but still producing amazing music and an icon in the Australian music scene. Albert Music may not be as big as the Brill Building, but the firm was around a good 40 years before the Brill kicked off. They started off selling musical instruments and expanded to publishing in 1902. They were also key in establishing APRA to collect royalties for performers, and Frank Albert was a founding member of the ABC Board.

Anyhow, returning to the music aspect of the business, their entry into the modern era probably came with The Easybeats in the early 1960s. The band was not only internationally successful, but had their own TV show – the first band to do so. Harry Vanda and George Young emerged from The Easybeats’ breakup and became stalwarts at Alberts, working with AC/DC, Lee Kernaghan, Richard Clapton, Mike Brady and a stack of others.

Now, where this is going is an introduction to Geelong’s own Wayne Jury, who has worked with Albert’s and which must have been an amazing experience, unique for a Geelong musician. As a musician, he’s opened for blues greats Robert Cray, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy and the great B.B. King and made his mark on dozens of great pubs and other venues with his soul-drenched voice, great songs and distinctive guitar style.

Wayne currently teaches singing and guitar in Geelong and has conducted vocal workshops and performances.

He is very well-regarded in the blues scene for organising the Blues Boot Camp locally and the Youth in Blues project with the Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society.

But Wayne is best known for his performing. He’s performed, toured and recorded with various groups including Sydney’s blues kings Ron and Jeff King (an acoustic blues trio), The Foreday Riders, Bridie King and her Boogie Kings, pianist Alison Penney and spent six years with young guitar prodigy Nathan Cavaleri. He then formed with his own seven-piece band Drybones, playing original songs alongside some classic soul, funk and blues.

If he’s new to you, or especially if he’s a favourite, then the next SHBC gig on the 26th of October is where you should be. Wayne will be playing in a quartet as the Wayne Jury Four, and it should be a great session.

Geelong has sensational local musicians playing at international standards – you should get out and support them. See you there!

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Refining the Palette

CENTRAL GOLDFIELDS SPRING FLING FESTIVAL

IMHOFF: A LIFE OF GRAIN AND PIXELS A retrospective exhibition of material drawn from fifty-six years of photography and twenty-six years of film production.

Robert Imhoff, who began his career in Australia in around 1970, is an advocate of versatility, working across the fields of both film production and photography. His photographic output across three decades encompasses portraits and advertising imagery executed both in black and white, and colour.

The subjects of Imhoff ’s

commissioned portraits are mostly notables in the Australian community: actors, celebrities, architects, sportspeople, businessmen, politicians and members of local government. He undertook assignments for a variety of international agencies and multinational companies, travelled extensively, and collaborated with numerous international practitioners based in Asia, the United States, Europe and England in particular.

WHERE: Art Gallery of

Ballarat. 40 Lydiard Street North, Ballarat.

WHEN: Until 7 Dec. INFO: www.

artgalleryofballarat.com.au

For the whole of October, the Central Goldfields will be buzzing with theatre, history, children’s activities, art, exhibitions, tours and markets. Maryborough and the surrounding towns of Dunolly, Talbot, Bealiba and Carisbrook are all hosting events of interest to residents and visitors alike.

Put together over 70 events over 31 days and we have the annual Spring Fling Festival when the district is at its prettiest – plentiful water, green paddocks, spring blossom and bright sunshine.

Aimed at the whole family, there will is a huge

range of free activities and entertainment on offer.

Spring Fling Festival is a great opportunity for visitors to explore the Central Goldfields with lots to do for people of all ages and interests. It’s also a chance for local people to have fun in their own backyard and see what is happening in the district.

WHERE: Various locations

around Maryborough.

WHEN: Until 31 October.

INFO: visitmaryborough.

com.au/announcements/ spring-fling-2014

RARE TRADES The new Rare Trades website is live! You can search for Rare Tradies by their trade medium, or by region. Connect to other rare tradespeople

or go on a road trip and discover the amazing hidden gems around the region. Check it out.

True Lies and Superfictions Deakin University’s Fine Art students are proud to present True Lies and Superfictions, collaborative exhibition from twelve aspiring artists. Please join us on Friday October 17th 6pm, at Deakin University Waterfront Project Space, Geelong, corner of Cunningham Street and Western Beach, for the exhibition opening night.

WHEN: 17-31 October.

Open House Geelong returns this year, giving you the chance to explore behind the scenes at some of Geelong’s iconic buildings. The event is a free and rare opportunity to discover historical, architectural, environmental and engineering gems right in your own backyard. First held in 2012 and run by volunteers who are proud of their city, Open House Geelong is back with even more places and interiors open to the public - some you may not have known

IN THE LYON’S DEN

SURFACES AND BEYOND

This year’s title and theme has used a word-play on Geelong’s current mayor’s name, but is a celebration of the diversity and vitality of Geelong and its surrounding region. Expect to see sculpture in a variety of mediums expressing this theme in a number of literal and lateral ways.

Mediums included in past years exhibitions have been: steel, timber, stone, glass, bronze, ceramic, mosaic, found objects, paper, textile and more.

Brisbane artist Shane Drinkwater explores the deconstruction of form and colour in his latest exhibition, Surfaces & Beyond.

Drinkwater’s meditative geometry of shape and tonal nuances create enigmatic imagery, reflecting both the natural landscape and the landscape of the mind

The exhibition is a presentation of solo and collaborative artworks from twelve of Deakin’s third year visual art students, with world renowned and celebrated lecturer Dr. Peter Hill guiding artists to this final body of work being presented here at the Geelong Waterfront Project Space.

Entry into the exhibition is free and runs until the Friday October 31st.

Open daily from 10am – 4pm WHERE: Deakin University Waterfront

Project Space, Geelong, corner of Cunningham Street and Western Beach.

Halloween Ball This years Halloween Balls in Geelong and Bendigo are shaping up spooktacularly! Chris Lacy and the team at OGTRI Pty Ltd, donate their time to fundraise for local Geelong based charities, community groups and medical research such as PAN Inc, The Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club and The Heart Foundation. They have hosted many successful fundraising events, both in Bendigo and Geelong, such as soccer matches, movie nights and Halloween Balls.

Their strong motivation for hosting such events comes from the untimely and tragic passing of their friend Luke Hercus. Luke was just 27 years of age when he passed due to a condition called Wolf Parkinson White syndrome, the sometimes fatal condition is characterised by attacks of rapid heart rate. The group hopes that these events will assist in keeping Luke’s memory alive, and at the same time help raise much needed funds for his chosen charity PAN Inc. As well as contributing to a fantastic cause, your ticket to the Halloween Ball includes drinks, finger food and live entertainment from Audemia in Geelong and Meredith with Special Guests in Bendigo. There are also a number of great prizes to be won for the best dressed on the night!

The Geelong Halloween Ball, will be held at the very spooky Old Geelong Goal this year on Saturday October 25, while the Bendigo Halloween Ball will be at the Shamrock Hotel, October 31.

GEELONG: Old Geelong Goal, Saturday October 25.

BENDIGO: Shamrock Hotel, Friday October 31.

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ASSASSINS Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book

by John Weidman.

Amidst the lurid debris of a traveling carnival, a proprietor invites nine would-be heroes to step up to the mark and hit a target in return for a glittering prize. As he hands out guns with a glib invitation, “c’mere and kill a president”, we are introduced to a collection of America’s most disturbing characters, from John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald. A killer black comedy, Assassins takes a provocative lens

to the dreams, distortions and delusions of nine infamous Americans.

Stephen Sondheim is the recipient of seven Tony Awards - his work as a composer lyricist over the past four decades has set the standard for contemporary music theatre. This production, directed by Tyran Parke and with cast of fifteen led

by Mark Dickinson and Nick Simpson-Deeks, was a sell-out when it debuted in Melbourne last year.

WHERE: GPAC. 50 Little

Malop Street, Geelong.

WHEN: 23-25 October.

INFO: www.gpac.org.au

OPEN HOUSE GEELONG

Geelong Sculptors inc. has been together since 2001. The group’s main aim is to encourage and promote sculpture in every medium and

sculptors at all levels.

This year the group also created a new promotional brochure which included around 30 members of its growing group.

WHERE: City Hall,

Gheringhap Street, Geelong.

WHEN: Until end

October.

INFO: contact Cinnamon

on 0400 436 308.

”I delve into the act of painting landscapes with a minimum repertoire of visual elements aiming for a maximum

existed. There are 17 locations on the program, two free buses to get you around them and lots of great stories to hear from guides on the places and the people who have been associated with them. The buildings reflect our rich past, celebrate our present and offer insights into the future of Geelong.

WHERE: Central Geelong.

WHEN: 25 October.

INFO: openhousegeelong.

org.au

visual intensity. The images are spontaneous, easy to view but full of visual and emotive information, letting the viewer respond with his/ her own perceptions.”

WHERE: Boom Gallery,

11 Rutland Street, Newtown, Geelong.

WHEN: Opens 10 October.

INFO: boomgallery.com.au

Refining the Palette

Aboriginal Comedy Allstars Show Written by Amanda Sherring

Celtic Legends Q&A

There’s a touch of Irish in all of us, or it seems to be that way in Australia at least. It’s because of this that we were delighted when we got the opportunity to have a chat with Sean and Jacintha, two fine folk behind the music and dance extravaganza Celtic Legends.

Thanks so much for taking time to chat with Forte.

Have you visited Australia before?

As a show this is our first time in Australia, however many of the cast have visited in the past and we even have two Australian dancers here who tour with us around the world!

How long have you been involved with the Celtic Legends and how far has it come since 2001?

Since 2001, Celtic Legends has grown to be one of the most well-known shows, particularly in Europe. It has toured in pretty much every continent around the world.

I joined as musical director in 2013. In that short time we’ve toured throughout

Europe, China, Azerbaijan and Tunisia.

What is the history behind Celtic dance and music and how popular does it remain in Ireland today?

Irish music is absolutely thriving in Ireland today. This can be seen at the All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil, which is a huge week-long event where thousands of musicians and music enthusiasts come to celebrate Irish music.

Same can be said for Irish dancing. Dancing competitions are held around the world and people compete from everywhere. Australia, in fact, has a thriving dancing community.

Many of the top dancers in the world now hail from Australia.

It’s fantastic to see youth taking such an interest in our heritage.

This is very evident in Celtic Legends where the average age of the cast is about 22!

Just how many people are behind the production and what kind of set does it involve?

The production in Australia has about 40 people involved, from the show creators, Alex and Eric, to our tech crew, Mike and Calum. Not to mention the 26 artists on stage!

Each morning our brave tech crew set off in the early hours and arrive to the venues several hours before the rest of us even wake up.

They tour with our stage dance floor, risers, set,

lights and sound! The work that goes in to a successful touring show before there is a single note played is hard to even imagine!

What do you enjoy most about touring the show and what have been some highlights?

No matter where we are the cast are like a family. Touring the show you make friends for life. We’ve even had a few marriages out of the show! We also get to see the world which is a huge privilege. We have yet to arrive at a town or city and not feel welcomed.

This is particularly evident in Australia.

Everyone has been so friendly and welcoming.

What can audiences expect from these shows and how do the core traditions of Irish music and dance translate to an international audience?

Irish music in its raw state is wild and passionate. We try to bring that across to the audience. Our show is fully live so it changes every night. When you come to see Celtic Legends you will see the energy that is pumping off the stage from the artists, whether that’s in a slow song or a rocking set of reels! It is an extremely accessible form of music and dance for an international audience – be prepared to be clapping and shouting from the get-go!

Is there much of a difference when performing in front of a home Irish audience

compared to one overseas?

The reaction from the audience overseas is probably more exhilarating, particularly when you know that a lot of the audience may not have seen Irish dancing or music before their reaction can be incredible. We did a festival in Carthage, Tunisia, last year where we were the first Irish dance show to ever perform there. 5000 people screamed for the entire show. It was incredible! Plus at home our mammy’s are in the audience, so we’re usually more nervous!

Is there anything in particular you would enjoy doing in Australia during your time here?

So far we’ve already all snorkelled and scubadived at the Great Barrier Reef, so that’s item one ticked off the list! A few of our cast have tried kangaroo, almost all of us have been sunburnt, and we’re just about figuring out all the Aussie slangs for good morning and hello that you have!

Hopefully we’ll get a chance to see a lot more while out here. Our bus driver is like a tour guide, so we haven’t missed anything yet!

WHEN&WHERE:

Eastbank Centre, Shepparton – October 27; The Capital, Bendigo – October 28; Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat – November 5; Deakin’s Costa Hall, Geelong – November 8; and Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool – Nov 9

Discovering something before it gets big is one of the most rewarding things in life and is often hard to truly come by. The Aboriginal Comedy Allstars Show is one of these things and we’ve been lucky enough to share it with you. It all started as a few shows between comedians and friends, Kevin Kropinyeri, Shiralee Hood, Matt Ford, Derek Nannup, Mia Stanford and Andrew Saunders, but soon the idea developed into a first for Australia.

“We did a couple of gigs together and we talked about it and they said, ‘Let’s do it Kev, let’s take Aboriginal comedy and raise the profile of it’. It’s never been done before, it’s fresh, it’s new and we’re all just really excited to be a part of it,” Kevin says.

Many of the comedians are on the cusp of becoming a household name, and this show could be just the thing to do it for them. Andrew Saunders has been likened to the Australian Chris Rock and has even shared the stage with Wil Anderson. After doing numerous shows as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Mia Stanford is onto a good thing. Though for Kevin, his career in the industry first started six years ago when he won the Deadly Funny competition at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

“I’ve always been a funny fella, even in times of my hardship, and I’ve always been the life of the party and making people laugh,” Kevin says.

“So when the opportunity of Deadly Funny came about, all my family and friends pretty much pushed me into the competition. I originally did it as a bit of a bucket list, to tick the box.”

“I didn’t expect to make a living off it or move into a career so that was just a bit of a thing that evolved. I now make a pretty good living out of it actually,” he says.

Kevin has since gone on to perform at the Sydney Opera House on the big stage, the opening night at the Melbourne Comedy Festival Gala and the Enmore Theatre in Sydney.

“I’ve done some amazing gigs that I’d just never thought I’d be a part of. Some of the stuff, I often pinch myself,” Kevin says.

“The most surreal thing I guess was when I got to perform at Christine Anu’s wedding a couple of years ago. It’s been an amazing ride. I still think the best of it is ahead of me.” And with the first allstars show set for Geelong in a weeks time, Kevin couldn’t be more right.

“We’re here to pull back the curtain and say, ‘Take a look at out take of living in Australia’. And Aboriginal comedy has been around for a lot of years. And this is all about showcasing the best black Aboriginal talent in this country,” Kevin says.

WHEN&WHERE: Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Grovedale – October 24. To book tickets call Jody on 5241 5700.

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Refining the Palette

Andrew Dice Clay Written by Abbey King

My first encounter with Andrew Dice Clay came one very hungover afternoon, when my housemates and I were in need of something to watch that wasn’t ‘too strenuous’. Our DVD collection was pretty light-on and we couldn’t possibly sit through Con Air again! We decided to have a look through the old VHS collection, when we came across one titled Brain Smasher…

A Love Story, with the threat of sounding dramatic, safe to say the next 90 minutes changed our lives as we knew it!

The film stars Dice Clay as Ed ‘Brain Smasher’ Malloy who gets caught up in a ‘a twisted web of lies, magic and kung fu’. The movie also stars Teri Hatcher as the supermodel love interest Samantha, who is on the run from a bunch of Chinese monks who insist they ‘are NOT ninjas’ when they are repeatedly falsely identified. Yes, it’s even better than it sounds!

The following weekend, we were

able to track a copy of The Adventures of Ford Fairlane which is arguably even better!

Ford Fairlane is a ‘rock and roll detective’, who also happens to drive a Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner and have a pet Koala, played by an oversized puppet. The film also features Pricilla Presley, Ed O’Neil and a perfect soundtrack!

With around 30 years in stand-up comedy, as well as his extensive television and film credits, Dice has had an impressive career and it by no means looks to be slowing down.

More recently the ‘Dice Man’, as he is commonly referred to, had a guest star role in the HBO series Entourage, playing himself as Drama’s costar in Entourage’s mini show Johnny’s Banana’s.

His first major drama role came as ‘Augie’ in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine putting on a critically acclaimed performance.

The Dice Man and his beautiful wife, ‘Mrs Clay’ are currently in

Australia for a number of standup shows around the country. His comedy has never been shy from controversy and has been banned from numerous TV and radio stations. In 1989 he was banned for life from MTV after reciting what he called his ‘Adult Nursery Rhymes’ at the Video Music Awards (eventually over turned in 2011) they are far too rude, even for me to repeat! He also stirred up a bit of mischief on the Channel Nine program The Morning Show earlier this year, when he was cut off during a satellite interview, after he made remarks like ‘I want to kangaroo fuck half these chicks across the country’.

Dice has released numerous comedy albums including Dice Rules, The Day The Laughter Died I & II and Face Down Ass Up. His podcast ‘Rollin’ with Dice a Wheels’ is also very popular amongst fans. He has performed in some of the most iconic venues in the world including Madison Square Gardens and up next is our very own Costa Hall!

Dice has just completed three shows in Melbourne and will be performing at Deakin’s Costa Hall this Sunday 19th October.

When&wHERE:

Costa Hall – October 19

Lawrence Mooney Q&A

Remember that time you told your mum you brushed your teeth, or to your teacher that you did your homework, you swear you did, but left it at home? Truth is we’ve all lied, and Lawrence Mooney tells a few more in his new show Stupid Liar.

Hi Lawrence, thanks for taking the time out to chat to Forte. How are you and what are you up to at the moment?

I’ve just returned from three weeks overseas and the knock on effect sees me incredibly relaxed and enjoying performing. It’s so good to get away from all of our habitual stuff. You have to break the circuit occassionally.

When was the moment that you first realised comedy was how you wanted to spend your time?

Cracking a class up at secondary school and feeling that wave of laughter. Then watching the teacher smile and ask me to leave.

Have you ever questioned the choice? What would you be doing if you weren’t a comedian?

I have questioned the choice many times, but to quote Richard Gere in An Officer and a Gentlemen, “I got nowhere else to go”. I have always fancied working on cars, maybe that’s where I’d be if it wasn’t on the stage.

I imagine people would expect you to be funny and maintain your quick wit all the time. Do you ever get to switch off and relax?

I do switch off and sometimes I’m serious or stressed, but I am someone that loves to make fun and laugh myself so it’s an extension of my personality.

It’s been said that you’re at the top of your game, what do you 48 forte

think of that? Does it make you question your future at all?

I feel like I’m better than I’ve ever been which is a fabulous thing to feel. The future in showbiz is always threatening though, you stand on the edge and stare into a yawning abyss, that’s what keeps you working hard.

Throughout your career you’ve done a bit of writing, hosting and voice acting, is there anything you still want to tick off the bucket list?

I would love to get some big juicy acting parts under my belt. Acting is a passion, I trained as an actor, I love it.

Your show touches on the topic of lying, which we all do, what’s been the worst lie that you’ve been caught out on?

I’m an intellectual snob and I’ve lied about reading books that I haven’t read and it is a sickening feeling when the other person starts an excited and animated conversation about the book. Oh God, that’s a horrible lie to tell.

Do you think it’s okay to tell little white lies?

It’s ok to lie. Constant, unrelenting honesty is the domain of the idiot. It takes sensitivity, creativity and humanity to lie for the right purpose and occassion.

A lot of your jokes are delivered by your “cheeky grin”, is this how you got away with a lot of stuff growing up?

My super powers are being exposed. Yes smiling is a force field. It’s hard to hurt a smiling person.

And you are known for your jokes which at times cross the line, have you thought up anything specific for us Geelong locals?

I’ve always thought of Geelong as a place with it’s own sense of wry self-deprecation since seeing a sign outside Ray’s Outdoor, “Now is the winter of our discount tent.”

That’s some clever stuff.

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

Look forward to seeing you all at GPAC. You rock Geelong.

When&wHERE:

GPAC - November 1

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Frank Yamma Written by Natalie Rogers

For almost a decade Melbourne’s AWME (Australasian World Music Expo) has been showcasing the Southern Hemisphere’s finest talent, and this year is no different. A familiar face at the expo is singer/songwriter Frank Yamma. He returns this year to celebrate the release of his latest studio LP, Uncle (out now via Wantonk Musik). “I’ve played it [the expo] before and they’ve asked me back! I always enjoy it and I’ll be there again this November.”

Frank Yamma is a man with a strong sense of identity. Although his exceptional skills have taken him all over the world, this Pitjantjatjara man knows there is no place like home. “Australia is my home. My mob are from the heart of the country.” That’s where his spirit belongs.

I sat down with Yamma in the wake of his highly anticipated performance at Adelaide’s Semaphore Festival. As always he managed to draw a healthy crowd, with people flocking to hear his sonorous tones.

Playing to thousands in the city he’s called home for years is something he always looks forward to.

“It’s just another one of those great gigs I’m asked to play,” Yamma says, before excusing himself to answer his wife in Pitjantjatjara, just one of the five languages he speaks.

Yamma proudly follows in the footsteps of his late

father, musician Isaac Yamma, one of the pioneers in using traditional language mixed with English in Western-style music. “I grew up playing my father’s guitar. He’d say, ‘Son, don’t take that guitar too far away!’ But I’d always go wandering and end up sitting in front of the corner store, playing music for the people passing by,” Yamma laughed warmly.

“He had all the best instruments …

Sometimes I sit back and think what a trip I had with my dad!” he chuckled.

“Those childhood memories are the best, him teaching me guitar and listening to him sing.”

Frank Yamma has been releasing music in one form or another for years, but his career was re-invigorated with the release of 2010’s Countryman. His tales of love and loss and the importance of heritage and cultural legacy showed the courage of his convictions and strength of character.

We know that music can break down barriers, however even Yamma admits he was surprised when the offers came flooding in from around the world. “I’ve been able to travel all over the world … but Adelaide is good enough for me!” he added with a grin.

When&Where: AWME – November 13-16

It’s hard to ignore an international tour CV that includes playing Slovenia’s Festival Bled, The New Hebridean Festival in Scotland, Colours of Octavia in Czech Republic, London’s WOMAD Festival and the 2012 Cultural Olympiad – not to mention bringing down the house while opening for Joan Baez in Canada earlier this year.

Content with being home,

Yamma soon got to work on the follow-up to Countryman, calling on mentor and longtime collaborator David Bridie (Not Drowning, Waving). “He’s great. We’re really comfortable together. David produced Countryman, and I wanted to work with him again.

“Some of the songs on Uncle were written with David almost ten years ago,” Yamma said.

(Around the same time he and David won an AGSC Screen Music Award for the Best

Original Song composed for the TV series The Alice.) “So we had to polish them up before we got back in the studio. I have too many songs in my head!” Yamma joked, before saying that he’s busy practising for the AWME and for WOMEX 14, the world music expo held in Spain later this month. “I’m the first Australian asked to go in over five years! I’m very excited!”

Gaudi Q&A

Ahead of his performance at Earthcore we had a quick chat with Gaudi about his work with Bob Marley, the many locations he’s travelled and his constant evolution as a musician.

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

I am a music producer and solo artist based in London and started my career in 1981. I have over 240 music productions up to date, 13 solo album under my belt, eight movie soundtracks, 120 compilations featuring my tracks, five gold discs and 115 remixes for artists such as: Bob Marley, Simple Minds, Fatboy Slim, Trentemoller, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Shpongle, Scissor Sisters to name a few. Stylistically I am working with dub / reggae music and experimental electronica, with a hint of psychedelic flavour.

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

Lately in the studio I worked on collaborations with Michael rose, Lee Scratch Perry, Dennis Bovell, Michael Franti, The Orb, Beats Antique, I’ve recently remixed Deep Forest, Lamb, Banco De Gaia and Australian raising star Dub FX. On the front of “live activities” I am still on my world tour with my latest album In Between Times, that took me so far to: USA, Canada, India, England, Portugal, Hungary,

Hawaii, Scotland, Italy, Turkey, now I am in Russia for my gig tonight in Moscow.

You’ve changed genres quite a bit, do you think that your musical changes are a reflection of your personal development?

I find it quite restrictive to tag and and classify music in general, it creates mental barriers to my own creativity. I am a music lover, music in its totality, and when I compose a piece of music I feel the need to be 100% free to express myself, not thinking about a specific genre but more to concentrate on the flow. One of the main reasons I make music is because it makes me feel free, no boundaries, no genres, no restrictions of any kind, it is my form of expression; it is simply myself.

You’ve been in the industry, and in high demand, for a while now. What are your tricks to stay current?

I frankly never use tricks in music, I am just myself. Possibly, my longevity in the industry is that I am not associated just to a specific music genre. Some genres explode as a phenomenon, a momentum that defines a particular era, then it ends.

There is then a strong risk for the artist to end too, if associated to it.

What’s been the highlight from your

When&Where: Earthcore, Pyalong – November 27 – December 1

30 years in the industry?

Having the honour of remixing Bob Marley in 2003 and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in 2007.

In your long history of touring you’ve been to some pretty amazing corners of the world, where has been your favourite place to play?

At the Pyramid of Egypt in 2012, and at the Colosseum in Rome in 2004.

What do you think of the Australian crowd?

Do we know how to party?

OMG you guys know how to party!!! You like to exceed with pretty much everything possible, but in the same time you have an amazing ability to handle every kind of circumstance. You are the No.1 undisputed P.P.P (professional party people).

Are you excited to be playing at Earthcore?

I am extremely excited! I have been waiting

Bendigo Blues & Roots Festival Q&A with Colin Thompson

November is just around the corner and for Bendigo that means another round of blues and roots. The Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival visits us again in ’14, and we couldn’t be happier. So tune up those guitars and come jam with us as we chat with main man Colin Thompson.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte. How are you and what are you up to at the moment?

Tired but determined is my catchcry at this time of the year. Our committee and crew are all volunteers with full-time jobs and mostly have kids of various ages so we’re generally pretty tired to begin with. But we love the results of what we’re doing through this festival and we’re passionate about making it better each year and to keep demonstrating what a bunch of music lovers can do when they combine their efforts.

For those who don’t really know about festival organisation, could you give a brief rundown of your role and what you do?

I’m the founder and director (by default) of the not-for-profit incorporated association called Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival Inc. which is run and contributed to by a purely volunteer committee and crew. Through the festival’s brand we get to host showcase events throughout the year at 50 forte

various venues and give opportunities to local and visiting acts to play in front of receptive crowds who are accepting live music back into their lives in a big way (sorry to sound a bit religious there).

What is it that makes the Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival stand out?

People seem to have gotten it.

We’re not about putting a bunch of nationally or internationally known mainstream names in a paddock and charging you an arm and a leg to come and enjoy a massive booze-up. When the initiated see our logo on an event poster they know that, whether they’ve heard of the advertised act/s or not, they’re in for a quality show and they will make exciting musical discoveries.

They know they can connect with the artists and their music in a way they can’t in a paddock, or on a footy oval, or in a massive white tent that prevents you from enjoying the scenery of the immediate area during the show.

You’ve just released the line-up.

With some great artists featured throughout, are you looking forward to seeing anyone in particular?

I can honestly say I’m looking

When&Where: Bendigo - November 6-9.

forward to seeing and hearing absolutely every act on the bill that I can get to.

I’ve got a lot of logistical responsibilities over the weekend itself, so I can never get to all the shows I’d like to, but I love connecting with as many of the acts as possible and connecting with

as many punters as possible over the weekend and seeing all the venue operators being supported like they should all year round.

One of the aspects I enjoy most about the festival weekend is the amount of people who say to me off the cuff, ‘This is how it should be EVERY weekend!’ I agree every

for this moment for years. The last time I played Earthcore was seven years ago and I remember it being an amazing success.

I am so looking forward to interacting with that special crowd again!

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

Yes, lemme take this opportunity to invite you to listen to my latest album In Between Times.

time and politely remind them that it’s up to all of us to make it happen.

The festival happens across a number of different venues, but the most unusual is probably the tram. Where did you get the idea to have the tram as a venue?

I can’t take credit for the idea. It was our treasurer and co-founder of the festival, Julius Porlai, who came up with the idea, somewhat taking the lead of the very wellknown Blues Train, but taking it on a different track (pardon the pun).

Our mobile music vessel is a beautifully restored vintage tram and is well-suited to the vibe of the music we host. The daytime trams we run are particularly enjoyable for myself and others who just want to sit and listen to brilliantly delivered solo performances from incredibly talented artists in an intimate space while enjoying the views of our architecturally beautiful city and immaculately kept public gardens and park spaces as they slowly move by the window.

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

Thanks for taking an interest in our event and for supporting us on an ongoing basis. Forte has been a great supporter from day one and we appreciate the hell out of it. See you in November!

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Manchester Orchestra Written by Natalie Rogers / Photo by Andrew Thomas

Atlanta rockers Manchester Orchestra are bringing hope to our shores when they touch down next month – quite literally. “When we got back from our last tour we spent six weeks re-recording a version of our latest release Cope. Hope is a more stripped-down sounding album,” explained lead guitarist Robert McDowell. “We all love playing these songs different ways, and you’ll hear both versions when we play the Australian shows.”

The friendly five-piece, named for their love of the English city’s rich musical heritage (think Joy Division, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Oasis – the list goes on), also profess to love our cities, too. They’ve made the long-haul flight many times – as recently as last year – and Robert was more than happy to add weight to their claim. “I absolutely love everything about your country and everyone in the band does too,” he gushed. “We’re all beyond excited; it was a nobrainer when the offer came up to come back.

No matter what, we wanted to make it work.”

We’re glad they did, but it’s not like they haven’t been busy. Robert gladly filled me in on the recent DIY project. “We needed a little break after our third album [Simple Math, 2011]. We’d lost our studio, so we decided to completely gut a house near where

we lived and build our own studio.”

Manchester Orchestra is an indie band in the true sense of the word.

“We’re a very self-sufficient band.

We ship all our merch ourselves and organise meetings with our label. We needed a place for all things Manchester Orchestra. It took about eight months to build and I gotta tell you, having a project like that was very exciting for me personally – getting to draw out plans, build it and see it come to life. It was a dream come true!

“I always tell people that if I wasn’t a musician I’d want to be a carpenter.

I’ve come to terms that I can’t be a professional skateboarder. Just don’t have it in me,” Robert acknowledged with a smile. “And of course, smashing the place up helped me get a lot of aggression out!” he laughed.

Don’t be fooled by their softspoken American politeness: Manchester Orchestra are a bunch of jokers with finely-honed senses of humour. They’ve been welcomed guests on almost every comedy/ variety show in the US, including Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and David Letterman (four

When&Where: The Corner – November 13 & 14

times!) because of their ability to have a laugh at their own expense.

“To be honest, and I think most musicians would agree, the only way you can get through touring is by making your friends, bandmates and crew laugh. We all have similar senses

of humour and we all enjoy the same kind of comedy. So any chance we have to pretend to be funny in front of people we jump at!”

If you don’t believe him, tune in to their webisodes Magic Moments with Manchester Orchestra at themanchesterorchestra.com.

“Because of the music we play, people tend

Amani Friend Q&A

A graduate of the College of Santa Fe’s cutting-edge Contemporary Music Program, Amani Friend is serious about music. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t like to have a lot of fun with it, however. As one of the names gracing the Rainbow Serpent Festival bill, we hunted Amani down for a little yak.

For those who aren’t familiar with who you are, can you briefly describe your style and what it is you do?

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my life with your readers. I am an electronic music producer, composer, DJ and digital graphic artist hailing from Santa Fe, New Mexico, which is located in the high deserts of the southwest region of the United States. I have been making electronic music since the late ’80s and have been studying world music and western composition my entire life.

Thanks to my eclectic upbringing, my music always tends to weave many inspirations from around the world within cutting-edge electronic music styles.

I have several music different projects and also help run a digital music label called Desert Trax.

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

I am currently in the States wrapping up the summer festival season. This past year has been

a good one and I have performed at some amazing festivals like BOOM in Portugal, Shambhala and Eclipse in Canada, and countless others like Enchanted Forest and Lightning in a Bottle in the States. I was also fortunate last spring to spend seven weeks in a pimped-out tour bus as the opener for one of my favourite artists, Simon Posford from Shpongle.

I am looking forward to being in much warmer climates this winter like Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica and Mexico instead of the cold places we have found ourselves the past couple winters!

What do you think of the Australian electronic music scene?

Do you have any favourites?

I have always been impressed with the music coming from Australia. I am old friends with Ganga Giri from way back, and we did a remix for Deya Dova many years ago as well, both of which planted seeds down there for me. I have been following many artists closely the past few years and my favourites are Kalya Scintilla, Whitebear, Temple Step Project and Lubdub. It’s been a real

When&Where: Rainbow Serpent Festival – January 23-26 2015

pleasure working with these artists and collaborating on projects for our label Desert Trax, and for Merkaba Records as well. It seems the Australian music scene is really exploding and growing by leaps and bounds lately.

A lot of your music transports the listener to a different place. Do you think this is something that all music should encompass?

Music can shift your everyday normal attention and transport you to far off exotic and alien places. In high school I actually had

to believe that we’re very serious, uptight, angsty or angry … That couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Join in the fun when the laugh-riot rockers take the stage on their whirlwind east coast tour in November.

a passion for architecture as well as music, so I always have been inspired by the virtual places one can create with “sound architecture”. Music and sound possess a lot of power, and we should be mindful how we are using that power to affect the listener’s consciousness. If wielded correctly, we can create music and soundscapes that serve as a therapeutic medicine for the mind and the body.

Are you excited to be playing at Rainbow Serpent Festival?

Rainbow Serpent was the first Australian festival I heard of so many years ago and have been looking forward to playing at it for quite a while. It is legendary in the international scene for sure!

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

I just wanted to express my gratitude to Paul from Earth Freq for helping us coordinate this upcoming tour and to Becca Dakini for bringing us to the Eclipse Festival in 2012 and for being such a huge supporter of our music over the years.

We have a lot of DJ sets and music up on the Desert Dwellers SoundCloud page, so make sure to check that out. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a new Desert Dwellers album sometime in 2015.

You can follow us on our website desertdwellers.org … One Love!

Monuments Written by Natalie Rogers

All the way from merry old England, Monuments have been dubbed “brainy” metal musicians by the good folk at Soundwave Touring. Using instrumental gymnastics, they’ve left cynics speechless with their musical prowess and are a mustsee at Soundwave 2015.

Monuments may have started out as a side project for John Browne (Fellsilent) and John Travis (The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza), but with the release of their debut LP Gnosis (2012) they soon found a steadfast following within the progressive-metal scene. Now with the addition of ex-Periphery and Ever Forthright’s Chris Barretto on vocals and saxophone, Monuments are leaving sceptics in the dust.

“Chris is the best thing that’s happened to us as a band. He’s a great musician and his vocals are mindblowing!” Browne shouted over the noise of the busy backstage area he’s calling from. Monuments are in the middle of their most extensive tour to date – US, Europe, UK, then back to US before heading to Australia for the first time.

“We’ve never been to Australia before and I know we’re having some time off there, which is exciting because so far we haven’t had the opportunity to do anything touristy at the places we’ve been. I just wanna hug a koala bear,” Browne 52 forte

adds with a grin. “We can’t wait to sit back and chill in the sun – maybe have a smoke…

“We’ve been asking around and some friends have said that Soundwave is the biggest Australian festival, right? They also said that everyone is mental and crazy about music!”

Not sure whether to be offended or flattered, I reel it in by asking if they plan to play any sideshows on their days off. “I think we’ve got a few planned, but I’m not 100 per cent sure,” Browne’s voice trails off, as if he’s looking for approval to answer the question.

“I hope we are,” Browne divulges, rejoining the conversation. “We enjoyed playing the Download Festival this year in the UK [alongside Aerosmith, Avenged Sevenfold and Linkin Park].

That was a very, very big show but there’s something about playing those tiny little club shows, where everyone’s on top of each other, trying to climb on stage and sweating everywhere. Those intimate sets are pretty incredible.”

Browne says that their setlist planned for Soundwave will feature unique versions of songs from both Gnosis and Monuments’ 2014 release, The

When&Where: Soundwave 2015

Amanuensis. “The name comes from the film Cloud Atlas [the film was inspired by the 2004 novel of the same name by British author David Mitchell] – your readers should definitely see that film.”

Out of nowhere I hear him cheering someone and I wonder if I’m impinging

on a pre-gig tradition. “Sorry, we’re touring in Florida and it’s humid as hell at the moment – what was I saying? Oh yeah, we’ve been playing ‘Atlas’, ‘The Alchemist’ and ‘Samsara’ – they’ve all been going down a treat!

“But the song that everyone keeps asking us for is ‘I, the Destroyer’. We have a little

time to practise so we might even debut it at Soundwave, if you’re lucky!” Browne laughed. “I love hearing that people are so passionate about music, so please listen to our music. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it and we can all grab a beer!”

Music Reviews

PHOTO REVIEW

THE MANE EVENT

thirty acts three stages!

saturday 11 oct @ the barwon club, geelong Photos by lucinda goodwin

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Inside Splinters

Written by Adem Ali

INSIDE SPLINTERS PRESENTS :

CHEEK TO CHEEK Slaying the albums charts all around the world!

TAYLOR SWIFT Her new single is massive – and the album should be, too.

BANKS Speaking of new albums, this debut is possibly the biggest album release of 2014.

or

THE BACHELOR Thank God that’s over because we were truly sick of hearing y’all talk non-stop about it.

BIG BROTHER Fuck OFF.

KATY PERRY See above.

an evening with

Tina Arena Tina Arena has always been one of my all-time favourite artists. Over the last 30 years she’s soundtracked a number of important hallmark moments with her music. Too young to have been won over by her on Young Talent Time, my first exposure to Tina was through the release of her second single in 1990, the iconic ‘I Need Your Body’, whose video clip saw Arena dancing about what looked like Melbourne’s The Forum, almost bursting out of her tightly-fitted and booberiffic ensemble.

I watched the video clip in absolute awe, and not just because of the outfit. That voice slayed my entire childhood existence in four minutes flat and, from that moment on, to me, she would forever be known as Queena Arena. I remember begging my parents to take me to the local Brashs to buy the cassette single, a siren song I would repeat a few months later when her debut album Strong as Steel was released. Both cassettes would end up completely worn out, replaced only some years later when I would purchase the album on Compact Disc.

In the years that have followed, Tina continued to soundtrack moments I’ll never forget. I remember (HAR HAR) when ‘Sorrento Moon’ was released – coming off the back of the biggest single of its year, ‘Chains’, it was being played everywhere. I went to a high school disco that played it no less than SIX times during the

“Cheryl doesn’t care – pretty good summation of her solo career no?”

Splinters-fave @Ohanthonio speaks the truth after hearing Cheryl Cole’s lacklustre new single last week.

five hour event, and all six times everybody sang along to every single word. When ‘Symphony of Life’ was released I was sure she had crafted her finest, most exquisite single and album. Tina’s played an important part in my musical upbringing. Yet, amazingly, it was only last month, 2014, that I would see her live in concert for the very first time.

Walking into St Kilda’s iconic Palais Theatre, I was directed to my seat (nine rows FROM THE BLOODY FRONT) where I sat, near combustion, as I waited for Queena to grace the stage. Two bottles of Pepsi, one visit to the merch stand and two support acts later, The Arena Spectacular began.

Opening with ‘Let Me In’ and ‘Out of the Blue’ – two of my favourites from her brilliant 2013 album Reset – proved the perfect introduction to what would be a breathtaking show.

As Tina greeted us, we were then treated to the downright funk of brilliant Just Me singles ‘Soul Mate #9’ and ‘Dare You to Be Happy’, the latter which had people jumping out of their seats and dancing in the aisles.

Other big moments would follow.

I almost lost it hearing ‘Sorrento Moon’ live, but perhaps not as much as when I heard ‘Symphony of Life’ or ‘Never (Past Tense)’ in the flesh. Other pearls from Reset, like ‘Don’t Look Back’, ‘Only Lonely’ and ‘Reset All’, proved this last album to be her most accomplished, whereas classic hits like ‘Burn’ solidified why we bloody love this woman so much.

Now let me tell you about the encore. Never in my years as a pop music fan have I ever witnessed a more iconic, mind-blowing and life-altering encore as the one I would experience at Tina Arena’s Reset Tour. Allow me to explain.

First of all, Tina walked on stage and performed ‘Chains’. CHAINS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. This is not a song that is taken lightly, so hearing the woman herself perform it live before my

very eyes was about as close to a religious experience as you’re going to get in music. At this point I was a shaking mess, partly because of ‘Chains’, but also because I knew what was coming.

Tina hasn’t performed her iconic 1990 single ‘I Need Your Body’ since about 1991. Thanks to fan requests and Tina herself finally “making peace” with the song, there it was, the second number in the encore set. I honestly thought I was going to burst through the roof of The Palais how excited and delirious I was. Then, after all of the commotion of the first two tracks in the encore, the show-stopping

finale nearly left me for dead. Tina sang what is now easily my favourite of all her singles, 2013’s magnetic ‘You Set Fire to My Life’. People roared and screamed, everybody got up to dance, including Molly Meldrum and even Gary Sweet, who was sitting right behind me.

Two of the best moments in the show actually came from candid Tina-banter, rather than a performance. When she was about to introduce ‘I Need Your Body’, she mentioned it was from 1990, to which a fan in the audience attempted correcting her to 1989.

“Um, actually, No Mate, it was 1990. Okay?” BRILLIANT.

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The second? “Oh shit, somebody let a fly in! Has anybody got some mortein? Oh actually no, what about a fly swatter?

I bloody love those things.”

Moments like this, mixed with live performances of some of the most incredible music you’ll ever hear, is reason enough for me to ensure I never miss a Tina show ever again.

It may have taken me twenty-four years to see this majestic woman in concert, but it will not be that long before I see her again.

Written by Adem Ali. For more music news and reviews follow @ AdemWithAnE on Twitter!

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Film Reviews

Films reviewed by Anthony Morris

Whiplash Andrew (Miles Teller) is a nineteen-year-old who desperately wants to be the best jazz drummer in the world. He’s currently studying at a New York conservatory where he draws the attention of Fletcher ( J.K. Simmons), a much-admired teacher who wants Andrew to be the best jazz drummer in the world. So far so good, except that Andrew is an obsessive who pushes everything else out of his life in order to succeed in his chosen field, while Fletcher’s drill sergeant-like approach to teaching is based largely around verbal abuse and dodging thrown objects.

This remarkable film is a masterclass in tension, as an irresistible force meets an immovable object in scene after scene where the only thing being hammered harder than Andrew’s drums is his self-esteem. This film

A Walk Among the Tombstones The year is 1999 – yes, there are a lot of Y2K jokes here – and former NYPD officer Matt Scudder (Liam Neeson) is now an unlicensed private investigator. As he puts it, “sometimes I do favours for people, sometimes they give me gifts”. So when a man (Boyd Holbrook) from one of his AA meetings says his brother Kenny (Dan Stevens) wants his help, Matt goes along. It turns out Kenny is a big-time drug dealer (“trafficker” is how he prefers to be known) whose wife was recently kidnapped. Kenny paid the ransom; they sent her home in pieces. Now

Dracula Untold You might think that the subject of Dracula has pretty much been done to death (seriously, what more was there left to be said after Dracula 3000?). Yet the actual origin of Dracula has been sadly neglected over the years, with the sinister vampire just generally assumed to have either been born bad or become a vampire through sheer force of evil will. So while this origin story is pretty basic stuff, it still manages to seem surprisingly fresh – and there’s nothing wrong with a basic story so long as it’s told well.

Prince Vlad Tepes (Luke Evans) is the wise and just ruler of his Eastern European kingdom of

Force Majeure A Swedish family – Tomas (Johannes Kuhnke), Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli) and their two children – are on holiday in the Alps when an avalanche (supposedly a controlled one set off by the ski lodge to control the snow on the slopes) gets out of hand. Snow billows over the lodge where the family are watching; the husband panics and runs, leaving his wife and children behind. It turns out to be a false alarm, but when he returns his wife can’t forgive him, even though initially he laughs it off as nothing, and gradually cracks begin to show in their relationship.

Swedish director Ruben Östlund 60 forte

Kenny wants Scudder to find them and hand them over – alive.

Superficial similarities aside, there’s a lot more going on here than in the usual run of Neeson’s action films. For one thing, this is based on one of Lawrence Block’s Matt Scudder detective novels (it’s actually one of the middle ones, but the film brings things up to speed without a blip), so there’s a lot more depth to the characters – and a lot more development of the mystery – going on (even Scudder’s friendship with a computer savvy street kid named TJ – played

by Brian Bradley – doesn’t feel as corny as it could have).

The big strength of this film Transylvania – which is a problem, because as a vassal state of the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire, he’s basically a middle manager. So when future sultan Mehmed (Dominic Cooper) turns up demanding both his usual trunkful of silver and a thousand boys to serve in his army, Vlad (who had the same thing happen to him as a kid and clearly didn’t enjoy the experience) decides to fight back.

Usually his tiny kingdom wouldn’t stand a chance, but Vlad has a secret weapon: a monster (Charles Dance) living in nearby Broken Tooth Mountain that drinks blood, fears the sun, and will share his dreadful power – for a price.

The idea of Vlad discarding his humanity to save his kingdom is one that resonates in the age of an endless War on Terror, while his vampire superpowers are suitably effective yet horrific (despite the relatively bloodless M rating).

It’s hardly a blood-sucking classic, but as a solid take on a neglected side of the Dracula tale, this doesn’t suck.

has created an incisive and often grimly funny look at the faultlines in a relationship, where their love is often dwarfed by each other’s anger just as they themselves are dwarfed by the mountains all around. While this has been pitched as a “what would you do” story – would you save yourself at the expense of your loved ones? – the film itself is much more about the aftermath. Can love survive when a partner’s inner nature is put on show? Can someone continue to live their life when the very basis it’s built is revealed as a falsehood?

These are the questions that animate this film; they’re the kind of things that linger long after the credits roll.

above and beyond Scudder himself is the atmosphere; this is a dour film set on bleak streets where every day feels like a struggle, and it gives the already grim story (while the film is never exploitative, it’s still about women being cut up, and the gruesome nature of the crimes affects everyone in this film) a real sense of doom. The mystery isn’t much of a head-scratcher, but it doesn’t need to be: this is a film about characters and the sad world they inhabit, and it’s a gripping look at both.

This is Neeson’s best film in a while. It’d be a real shame if the poor US box office for it meant we didn’t get any further instalments in this series.

the wr ap Gone Girl poses a lot of thorny questions about art (just how important is hardship in developing talent?), the nature of teaching (do the ends justify the means when the student only seems to know what they’re getting into?) and the drive for success (should you try to perform after a car crash?). There are no firm answers here, but there are two brilliant performances in the lead roles – and a lot of rapid-fire drumming that will keep your heart hammering.

Whether you’re a fan of jazz drumming or can’t stand it, this is still one of the films of the year.

than it looks, and before long… well, it’s the usual haunted house/ possession stuff we’ve been seeing since the very first Paranormal Activity revived the genre.

It seems a little odd we’re getting this a month before Halloween, but the next Paranormal Activity movie has that more horrorfriendly timeslot sewn up and this isn’t really in the same league.

But it does have a few effective scares mixed in and the slow burn approach – plus the fact it’s about a young pregnant couple, which at least makes a slight change from the usual dim-witted teens – makes this, if not especially memorable, at least a decent delivery method for a bunch of chills.

Son of a Gun Locked up in a WA prison, JR (Brenton Thwaites) looks next in line for a whole lot of prison rape until his chess skills bring him to the attention of notorious armed robber Brendan (Ewan McGregor). Now part of the gang, he’s tasked with getting in touch with Brendan’s organised crime contacts once he gets out and helping put together an audacious breakout plan for the rest of the crew. But the world of organised crime isn’t one that works on trust, and JR soon finds himself in way over his head – especially once he draws the attention of a local crime bosses’ stripper trophy girlfriend (Alicia Vikander).

If the story of a young guy in over his head in a world of crime sounds a bit like Animal Kingdom, you’re not wrong: second time around though the holes in this kind of story are a lot more obvious, thanks in part to a fairly lifeless performance from Thwaites. When your central character is this passive it’s hard not to find your attention drifting, and McGregor’s Brendan ends up being a little too erratically drawn as the film struggles to balance out the threat he’s meant to symbolise with the fact he’s the only guy who seems halfway good at his job. There’s still a lot of stuff here that works: the early prison scenes are full of authentic menace, while the film’s central heist (stealing gold from a mine) is well thought-out and staged, with some gripping action sequences.

With some stronger character work this could have been a classic; as it stands, it’s a little too uneven to whole-heartedly praise.

The Equalizer Denzel Washington is your average home hardware warehouse employee – oh, apart from his insanely lethal murder kills, which he puts to good use when the local branch of the Russian mob decide to mess with those he loves.

Step Up: All In

Annabelle Remember the creepy doll from The Conjuring? Clearly Hollywood did: this spin-off starring her has hit cinemas before the official Conjuring sequel has. Presumably a movie based around a doll is a lot easier to knock out – especially when most of your story comes direct from the giant tome of horror movie stunts that Hollywood has locked in a crypt somewhere.

It is 1970 – The Conjuring was set in the early ’70s, remember? – and John (Ward Horton) has found the perfect gift for his pregnant wife Mia (Annabelle Wallis): a giant super-creepy doll. But at least when he bought it he was just showing poor taste: when a pair of Satanists (signalled by a news report on The Manson Family) break into their house and do a bunch of evil stuff that results in the doll getting evil blood on it, now Mia has the perfect excuse for getting rid of it. But throwing out a possessed doll is harder

The best-selling thriller brings its bitter take on marriage to the big screen – though unlike a lot of other mysteries, the struggle of a guy (Ben Affleck) to persuade everyone he didn’t kill his wife becomes more fun (and funnier) the longer it goes on.

The long-running dance franchise’s fifth instalment isn’t quite as silly as previous efforts, but the flat story is more than made up for by having a director who can actually film dance routines properly.

The Maze Runner Our hero wakes up trapped in the middle of a maze that’s death to anyone trapped in it after dark. He has no memory of his past, and if he (and the rest of the boys) can’t find a way out soon, they won’t have a future.

Boyhood Filmed over twelve years, like the title says – it’s about a boy growing up.

Surprisingly powerful and moving in its depiction of the rhythms of life and the way that time builds us up through childhood while tearing our parents (here played by Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette) down.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Turtles are back! And with Michael Bay involved, you know it’s going to be full of loud action, big explosions and Megan Fox. Nostalgia-plagued adults might be tempted, but no, this one’s firmly for (easily amused) kids.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

The Judge When sleazy big city lawyer Hank Palmer (Robert Downey, Jr.) takes time out from pissing on rival lawyers (in a toilet, of course) and snapping at his soon-to-bedivorced wife to answer his phone, he finds out his mother is dead.

Rushing back to his small-town home, he’s not exactly surprised to find his father and local judge Joseph (Robert Duvall) still treats him with distain. Still, all he has to do is hang out with his brothers, former would-be sports star (until a car crash involving Hank ended his career) Glen (Vincent D’Onofrio) and the somewhat special and movie-camera obsessed Dale ( Jeremy Strong) until the funeral’s over and then he can get back to his life. But then the next morning the judge’s car has a suspicious ding in the front bumper and a local dirtbag – who the judge once let off on a minor crime, after which said dirtbag

went off and killed his girlfriend – is found dead from a hit-and-run, and suddenly Hank has a very good reason to stick around.

This is a surprise-free, by the number trudge through any number of folky clichés, and while both Duvall and Downey are great actors, all they’re given here is the chance to do a lot of capital-A “acting” that never really adds up to much. The occasional decent plot twist or development (the case is a lot less black-and-white than it first seems) is balanced out by some frankly nutty developments (there’s an incest mystery subplot that’s largely played for laughs), and the two-hour plus running time seems blatantly padded out, like an airport novel sold by length rather than quality.

In recent years this kind of legal drama has largely been confined to television; after this outing, the small screen starts to look a whole lot better.

Ten years since the last Sin City movie, and not much has changed: the visuals look good, the hardboiled stories are so over-the-top they’re silly, and the whole thing just feels like a twelveyear-old’s idea of what tough guys and dames are like.

Jessica Alba, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Music Reviews

Siskin River

The Beautiful Girls

The Hours They Keep Australia’s Women In Docs and Sweden’s First Aid Kit prove the popularity of adventurous female acoustic pairings, and Siskin River - from Ramornie NSW -show the same promise.

Sibling harmonies have a special appeal. Shalane and Tullara Connors bring that innate interplay of voices and phrasing to this debut album. The unexpected comes at hearing such angelic voices deliver the dark and daring observations of these tracks.

First single ‘Up’ speaks on behalf of the dead \a man returns from the grave only to find a world of woes. Greed, corruption and a ravaged environment send him yearning back to the quiet of his resting place. As the tracks unfold, the lyrics are no less challenging. They observe on ‘Fickle Friends’ that these gmake fearless lovers, only because they know that there are many others h. The duo even manages to make ‘My Favourite Things’ (The Sound of Music) sound ominous in a manner that might be expected of Björk.

Grim fairytales abound with the rueful ‘Alice’ shifting rhythmic

DANCEHALL DAYS

gear mid-song and medieval carnival cautionary tale ‘Fairytale Harlots’ with accordion and dancing hand claps. ‘If I Was King’ marches up to the sing-along banquet table.

Guitars are perfectly sparse when required, a righteous backbone to sonic musings free of redundant flourishes.

Elsewhere, the licks are bluesy and beat-

driven. Folk crosses into the meandering territories of roots. Production duties were handled by ARIA award nominees Robin Mai and Nicky Bomba with a video to accompany ‘Up’ featuring animation by Clayton Jacobson (‘Kenny’). There’s every reason to expect these women to grace stages and studios long into the future.

Chris Lambie

Lauren Glezer

mixture of piano, guitar and strings.

Two songs into Lauren’s debut EP and you’re probably wondering why you haven’t heard her name or country/folk tunes.

Regardless of why you’re only hearing

her now, be thankful that you now know her name.

Title track ‘Searching for Tall’ does come across a little bit like one of those pop ballads you’d hear in the ‘90s, though don’t let the intro mislead you as this track delivers a incredibly raw and uplifting side of Lauren.

Listening to her debut there’s a great deal of intimacy that comes across, ‘Not the One’ is another clear example of this but isn’t the only instance. If you find yourself contemplating life and appreciating the smaller things in life, then Lauren’s EP should be on your list.

Amanda Sherring

a Beatles-esque pop vibe at others.

Kiernan Box’s piano is masterfully utilised in a number of tracks, providing the perfect backdrop to vocalist Glenn Richards’ frankly remarkable voice. If I had to pigeonhole their work, I’d say it’s probably best described as an

indie/soft rock hybrid – and Augie March works best playing piano-driven ballads, a la track nine, ‘Definitive History’.

Havens Dumb has been a while in the making – hell, it’s been six years since Watch Me Disappear, their last effort – and the effort is clear in both the intricacy of the songs and the sheer length of the album.

Just over an hour and 14 tracks later, I found myself almost overwhelmed (I feel like the band tried to pack too much content into their comeback effort) but considering how long it’s been in the making, I’m willing to let it slide. If you like your music laid-back, piano-driven and easy on the ears, this one’s for you.

Alastair McGibbon

SEARCHING FOR TALL Lauren Glezer simply has one of those voices.

A voice that makes you listen, is hard to come by but is so wonderful when you do. And if it weren’t for an illness Lauren got struck down with while travelling India, it’s unlikely you’d have come across it.

‘This Living’ is a gentle, soothing song that tells the tale of someone caught up in living life the way they think they should. Lauren’s vocals soar across a simple

Augie March HAVENS DUMB Augie March has been around for a fair while now.

They started off back in 1995 in Collingwood up in Melbourne, back when I was still mucking around with toy trucks and rolling around in sandpits.

They’ve been around for nearly 20 years – though they’ve been on hiatus since 2009 – and their experience shows in their work. Their songs are intricate, careful arranged pieces with lyrics that could double as poems. Their music can be hard to place, too; their songs have a subdued, almost plaintive sound at times and

NYXL Review provided by Music Workshop

Back in the dawn of time, caveman hit things with sticks and a bit down the track some weird dude invented instruments with strings.

These instruments were often played by people such as court jesters. Some people have been known to draw comparisons between a caveman and a court jester in Geelong’s own local music industry.

Geelong’s own caveman court jester Greg Bee lead singer and guitar wank master

from Grasshopper, who also happens to own a little music shop called Music Workshop, has recently discovered a new product.

This is a man who still plays the same songs he was playing in 1965, so it’s an odd turn of events that he would ever consider trying something new. Not only did he try these NYXL strings: he fell in love with them. You can often find him sitting outside on some lawn furniture talking to this pack of strings sharing his stories dating back to 1965, caressing the outer rim of the packet with affection and love.

Now for the sales bullshit ........Are you breaking a lot of strings? Are you going out of

As far as I’m concerned, there are some offbeat musical blends that work – electro swing, for example – and others that just don’t work and should never be spoken of again (I’m looking at you, Metallica and Lou Reed!).The Beautiful Girls’ latest effort, Dancehall Days, definitely falls into the former category.

The Beautiful Girls started out back in 2001 as a roots band, but Dancehall Days is anything but. It’s a fantastic dub (not to be confused with dubstep) album infused with a Daft Punk-style electronica beat that really gets the toes tapping. It’s the kind of music that takes a bit of getting used to, but once you get into the groove it’s really, really enjoyable.

You can easily hear the reggae roots of this kind of music, and the titular track is an awesome mash-up of reggae, dub and even a little

bit of rap. It’s really laid-back, funky stuff – it’s enough to get your head bobbing, but it’s not overwhelming.

It’s hard to find that sort of balance when you’re mixing electronica into tracks with strong brass sections; I find that it’s often either under-used or emphasised to the point of being excessive.

Missy Higgins

of short essays that stem from each track.

Missy Higgins is unlike many artists in that she possesses the ability to let her vocals completely carry a song. ‘Old Fitzroy’ is a clear example of this, and though there is slight

percussion and instrumentals, Higgins’ light and airy vocals become your main attention.

Her rendition of ‘Shark Fin Blues’ by The Drones is mesmerising. The bitterness of the original is lost with the addition of tasteful piano and slight guitar. ‘Back To The Wall’, ‘The Biggest Disappointment’ and ‘No Secrets’ are worth paying particular attention to.

Regardless of whether this album is a collection of original work or not, it’s pretty enough to hang on the wall.

Higgins’ voice is so beautiful and profoundly emotive that you can’t help but want to listen to it and only it.

Amanda Sherring

which is a true masterpiece and certainly worth taking a look at.

Opening track ‘Brightside’ features a mix of gritty and bluesy vocals, underneath a moody mellow guitar. Track three, ‘KSDB’ is an absolute stand out on the album and has

a real Nick Cave vibe about it, story telling through the music and lyrics. ‘Rita’s Song’, features a country sound and this plays host to poetic, and hypnotically melancholy lyrics.

From the sax, to the harmonica to the stunning female vocals on ‘Route 395’, Mode features such a vast variety of sounds that it’s hard to sum it up in only a few words, but any artist that can successfully mix the sax with minimalistic electronic sounds has my tick of approval.

This album deserves to be listened to and enjoyed. Hopefully we see even more from George Kalpa in the future.

Montana Agustin

OZ We may have waited a while for Missy Higgins’ third album to hit the shelves, but luckily there wasn’t too much of a wait to hear the sweet sounds of Higgin’s raw and husky vocals in her fourth release.

Her fourth studio album Oz, features 15 covers that are so Australian you can pretty much smell the ocean and snags on the BBQ. Missy has also released a book of the same name to accompany the album, with a collection

George Kalpa MODE Darkly seductive the debut album from George Kalpa, Mode, is smooth and complex.

It’s an album that takes you on a journey, as every track seems to have the power to change the mood you’re in. Throughout the album, George Kalpa takes you down dark city allies, across country fields and into saloons of an old black and white western film. Kalpa, already an award winning filmmaker, is now bringing his love of music and film together on this album with the film clip ‘Leave That Street’

PRO D U CT RE V I E W

tune far too often? Do you want to be heard more clearly? Well look no further. We think we have found a string that might just do what you’re looking for.

This sort of stuff might be outside your usual musical tastes, but it’s definitely worth listening to – I found myself getting into it more and more as I listened through the album.

If you like your music funky and a bit different, you’ll want to give this album a go.

Alastair McGibbon

Today we are having a look at the new NYXL strings by D’Addario.

What’s so special about the NYXL strings? To start, D’Addario has reengineered the wire that was

first used to build the Brooklyn Bridge, and you can’t get much stronger than that. Look closely and you will see that the bar code resembles the Manhattan skyline. Put it all together and you get the idea where the “NY” in NYXL came from, as they are manufactured right in New York.

D’Addario touts the NYXLs as being “the next generation” of high performance guitar strings.

According to the company, its strings “bend further” and “take greater abuse”, yet still remain in tune and playable. Plus, the NYXL strings can stay correctly tuned longer. Side by side, NYXL strings have superior stability when compared to the

usual nickel wounds.

Sonically Speaking, NYXL strings have greater magnetic permeability, which means they act dynamically with electric guitar pick-ups. The nickelplated string windings have magnetic properties that create a higher output, and even on cheaper electric guitars, they bring out a great clarity in the pickups. So if you are a little bit crazy and trapped in any era prior to the development of the ‘interwebs’, perhaps you should give these little bastards a try.

You never know, you could also end up on some lawn furniture caressing the new love of your life.

forte 61

Last Words

grog watch Written by Tony Montana

Going to see my accountant isn’t my idea of a good time, but I’m pretty sure it’s his. It’s not that he’s happy to see me so much, though he does always greet me with a vaguely shark-like smile, more that handling my tax return always seems to be the easiest thing he has to do in a day – and he has no intention of making it any harder on himself. Because I’ll be honest here: every time I go to the accountant I come out of there thinking, “if it’s that easy, why don’t I just do my own tax return?”

I don’t know how other accountants do it but all my guy seems to do is put a bunch of numbers into a computer program and watch as it does all the adding up. It’s not even like he has to know what goes where – the program lays it all out

for him and flashes a helpful red when things don’t make sense.

I guess the big thing you learn at accounting school is where to buy the software that does all the work for you: knowing my luck I’d end up buying the tax return equivalent of Angry Birds and it’s off to debtors prison I go. And yes, I know taxes are boring and you pick up Forte to read about entertainment, but if you haven’t realised the point of this column is to entertain you with the crap I go through then what comes next will no doubt be a huge surprise to you.

Look, the point is that I go to an accountant because the one time I tried to do my own tax return I screwed it up so badly that if I hadn’t realised I’d screwed it up and gone to an accountant I’d still be paying off the debt. The guy I go to is good enough to ensure I don’t have to pay any tax (it helps that I don’t actually make any money,

mind you); so long as he manages that, I’m happy to pay him.

So this year it turned out my guy had gone off to start his own company and the old company wouldn’t tell me where he’d gone.

Google solved that problem, and his new digs were pretty darn fancy. I got the same service from him as usual: remember how I said he always seems to view my arrival as a cue to sit back, relax and start sipping some expensive multi-umbrella’d cocktail? Same deal: as soon as he saw I had the phone-book-sized stack of printouts detailing the numerous tiny paychecks that add up to what I laughably call “my income”, he chilled the hell out and started talking, as he usually does, about what he did on his summer vacation: world travel, flying planes, racing cars, living the high life. Which I kinda like. If my accountant is smart enough to live that cushy

regional victoria's #1 music and entertainment magazine and online service!

62 forte

a life, then he’s probably smart enough to make sure the only person ripping me off is him. But this time he does have to do some work because starting out on his own means all my old tax return details are with the old firm, so he eventually starts putting numbers into the computer and saying stuff like “you did well last year”, which is news to me, and then eventually he says “well, according to this you owe $1600 in tax”. My head explodes.

I shall be blunt: I do not have that kind of money spare now. I do not have that kind of money spare across the course of an entire year.

This is not good news. I think he realises that from the look on my face. “Are there any more deductions we can make?” he says. I shake my head: ever since we found out that alcohol didn’t count as a workrelated expense, even though I write a column that’s technically all about alcohol, my deductions have been

somewhat less than impressive. “Is there anything…” I say, suddenly realising that I am literally trying to pull my hair out. I mean, I can’t afford this – and I don’t think they give bank loans to people with no money and even then I couldn’t pay off the bank loan and I still have to pay my accountant his insane fee which I only pay because he makes it so I don’t have to worry about this kind of thing so now I’m double screwed and staring at him like a crazy person is not somehow making $1600 magically appear on his desk.

I’m pretty sure he can tell I’m freaking out because now he’s not making eye contact with me and he keeps turning back to the computer and waving his hands over the keyboard like he’s typing, but he’s not really doing anything. “This is … not good,” I manage to say. He nods: he knows how little I make in a year, so I guess he knows exactly how “not good” this is. In fact, I think

he’s worried I’m going to grab one of the printouts from his desk and try to paper cut my head off because he moves his phone a bit closer so he can quickly call the nuthouse if I start to seriously wig out, and I’m all set to laugh at this because I really am totally wigging out when he says, “hmm, isn’t this fortnightly”, pushes a couple of buttons then says “oh wait, I added this bit up wrong, you owe nothing. Sorry about that.”

Tony “and I haven’t stopped drinking since” Montana

forte 63

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