Forte #602

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different studios to put out their own spin on similar themes, so a double dose of Robin Hood is nothing surprising. Yes, the folklore hero is getting another run – by both Sony Pictures and Disney.

According to Deadline, Disney has acquired a script from newcomer Brandon Barker called Nottingham & Hood.

And it sounds like it has a feel of Pirates of the Caribbean. Ah, the beauty of marketing.

This Thread Belongs to Luca Brasi

Money for Beer Brisbane’s DZ Deathrays are dedicated. Their Get Rich or Drunk Tryin’ tour has the duo on the road once again in support of their second album, Black Rat. Oh, make that their 2014 Best Heavy/Hard Rock ARIA-winning second album.

These will be some of their last shows in support of the release. What’s next?

Perhaps they’ll be rich. Perhaps they’ll be drunk. Perhaps they’ll be rich and drunk. NSC – February 27 & 28.

It’s Time to Boogie Pokey LaFarge, Justin Townes Earle, Rocket Science, Tony Joe White, The Bombay Royale, Los Chicos, Drunk Mums, Pony Face plays Nebraska, Davey Lane, The Peep Temple, Ali Barter, Cool Sounds, Fuckthefitzroy doomscene, Broads, Eatenbydogs and Fairmaiden is your first line-up for 2015’s Boogie

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Festival. A further nine acts are to be announced next year. And there you have it, nice and concise.

A Coulrophobia Nightmare The Stephen King adaptations continue, with It finally receiving the movie treatment.

How do you feel about that? There has been a miniseries made starring

Tim Curry as the evil clown Pennywise, but that was way back in 1990. True Detective helmer Cary Fukunaga has been confirmed as the director, while Dan Lin will produce. At the time of writing, prepping for the movie is to begin in March 2015.

We’re Men in Tights It’s nothing new for

Tasmania’s Luca Brasi will skip across the waters next year for a string of shows in March. They’ve done pretty well in 2014 I gotta say, so the lads will be hoping ’15 delivers just as big. If you have a spare few minutes, and if you are reading this you do, then check out ‘Benthos’.

It’s their new single, lifted from their second album By a Thread. NSC – March 14 & Wrangler Studios – March 15.

Dear Zachary to TV Ask those who have seen Dear Zachary what they think about the movie and there is a pretty strong chance they’ll well up on the spot. Well, the documentary film is now getting the TV miniseries

treatment, with creator Kurt Kuenne serving as a consultant and coexecutive. A search for a writer is underway. The news is sure to divide opinion, but with Kuenne involved fans will be hopeful the doco is done justice.

Testify, Testify!

It looks as though Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s cult 1990s comic book series Preacher is one step closer to the world of television. This is the End writers/directors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are behind a drama adaptation which has been picked up by AMC. Preacher revolves around Jesse Custer, a conflicted small town Texas Preacher, who merges with a creature that has escaped from heaven and develops the ability to control those around him.

A Cube of Gold With his roles in the Jump Street films and Ride Along (word has it that the studio is already figuring out a third instalment), Ice Cube is making gold out of everything he touches. You would think, then, that Rocky Mountain High is sure to do well also. Following a five-studio bidding

battle, Universal got the nod. King of the Hill scribes Alan Cohen and Alan Freedland, also responsible for Due Date, will pen the script.

Soundwave Returns Home Melbourne Soundwave ticket holders, you’re set to return to the festival’s original home of the RAS Showgrounds in 2015. AJ Maddah: “I am monumentally pleased to announce that [Soundwave 2015] is back to its original and still the best home RAS Melbourne Showgrounds.

I’d like to thank our friends at Flemington for hosting the last 2 years and their effort to make the venue available against heavy odds.”

Tech N9ne’s Chokehold Widely regarded as one of the most intriguing forces in rap, Tech N9ne (Aaron Dontez Yates) will make his return to Australia in 2015. This year saw the release of his fourteenth album, and fifth in his Collabos series, Strangeulation.

Tech has stated the influence of the album is his “strangulation” of the music industry. It features

several special guests, including Serj Tankian.

The Hi-Fi – March 6.

Going Home with Adam Cohen You may think the pressure of being the son of Leonard Cohen would be enough to make you step away from music, but Adam Cohen thrives on it. Heading out this way in the early part of next year, the songman will shine the light on

Laneway Unearths Milwaukee Banks Milwaukee Banks will be joining the Melbourne instalment of the Laneway Festival, courtesy of a triple j Unearthed win. Milwaukee Banks is the combination of Melbourne-based producer Edo Rafter and wordsmith Dyl Thomas.

Recently the duo teamed with Rat & Co on the track ‘Monitor’. Check out the festival’s full line-up at melbourne. lanewayfestival.com.

February 7 is the date.

Husky Strikes Gold Belated congratulations to Husky Gawenda, frontman for Husky, for taking out the 2014 Vanda and Young Songwriting Competition.

‘Saint Joan’ is the song that impressed the judges most, and made Husky and his band a little richer.

Congratulations also to triple j Unearthed Artist of the Year Meg Mac, who took out second place with her song ‘Roll Up Your Sleeves’. Christmas has come early.

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band’s catalogue is now seven album’s deep. The release marks their first for Capitol Records, and comes after releasing two live albums and an album of covers independently following an 18-year relationship with Geffen.

An Aussie & a Grammy It’s Groundhog Day… Again Tim Minchin is a talented dude. But will his talents be enough to turn the beloved Groundhog Day into a musical? It’s not his first crack at Broadway – he successfully adapted Roald Dahl’s Matilda. Speaking about his new project, Tim says: “Our version [also Danny Rubin and Matthew Warchus] of Groundhog Day is going to be both instantly recognisable, and utterly different.”

MICF Early Birds The Melbourne International Comedy Festival has announced its first line-up for 2015, with Rich Hall and Ruby Wax leading the way. Old favourites including Jason Byrne, Arj Barker, Stephen K Amos and Wil Anderson will also perform. Neil Hamburger, rising YouTube comedic star Miranda Sings, Dave Hughes, Adam Hills, Judith Lucy and Mike Wilmot are among the other names. Hit comedyfestival.com.au for the full line-up.

his latest release, We Go Home. The album is a collection of deeply personal songs written in two of his childhood homes. Caravan Music Club – March 13 & The Toff – March 14.

Sonic Highways Season 2 As well as having a reputation as being one of the nicest guys in rock and roll, Dave Grohl’s reputation as being one of the hardest-working is

on the rise. Checking in with Jon Stewart, Grohl suggested there could be a second series of his popular Sonic Highways.

Season one, as you know, saw the band travel to Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle and Washington, DC.

new albums are on the way, one dropping in April next year and the other lined up for release in 2016. Frontman Jim James has also begun writing his second solo album. At this stage we’re looking at 2016 for that one as well. Still, there’s stuff coming our way.

A Choice of Jackets

It’s a Counting Crows Wonderland

While it may seem like My Morning Jacket have remained quiet since the release of 2011’s Circuital, they have been anything but – at least when it comes to writing. Two

Out here as part of Bluesfest, soulful rockers Counting Crows have added a few smaller shows around the country. With the release of Somewhere Under Wonderland the

There are some Aussies hoping their names are called out when the 57th Grammy Awards roll around on February 8 – and there are no prizes for guessing what names are in the running. Sia and Iggy Azalea continue their music world dominance run, with each picking up four nominations.

Queensland-raised Keith Urban has also been nominated – he’s up for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Duo/Group.

If so, it would be their first since 2004’s selftitled effort.

Cosentino Reappears Illusionist Cosentino has reappeared with his new show, Twisted Reality.

Cosentino: “I’ve been working on my new live show Twisted Reality for over a year. It’s going to have even bigger stunts, crazier escapes and the best magic I’ve produced so far. I’m really proud of what we have created and I can’t wait to hit the road and perform it live for my fans across the country.”

Crown Casino – April 11.

Lisa, oh Lisa Back in September, songbird Lisa Mitchell released a new track titled ‘Wah Ha’. The single picked up a good amount of airplay, as you would probably expect, and soon enough Lisa provided an alternate version for the good people at Like a Version. She has also recently found some (more) love abroad. With new music in the air, Miss Mitchell is set to perform three special acoustic dates early next year. Howler – March 27.

Libertines Sign On As you may know, the Libertines recently reunited to play their first live shows in four years.

Earlier this month, the band then signed with Virgin EMI. The second piece of news is no doubt of most interest to fans, as it suggests new material is on its way. Scratch that, new material is on the way. If all goes smoothly, the band hopes to have a new album out next year.

Mastodon Make it a First While they’re not entirely unfamiliar with our shores, Mastodon has yet to headline Australia. Sure, there has been a festival appearance and a Slayer support, but their upcoming tour is all about them. The Atlanta-based heavyhitters won’t be here too long, however. Just enough time to play three shows around the country on the back of Once More Round the Sun – and then, poof !, they’ll be gone. Festival Hall – March 27.

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SON KITE

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

FEATURE STORY Written by Natalie Rogers

The picturesque city of Malmo, near the south-western tip of Sweden, is home to two of the world’s A-list electronica producers, Marcus Heriksson and Sebastian Mullaert. While the mainstream music scene in Sweden fed on the success of pop bands like ABBA, Roxette and Ace of Base, two young and talented – but uniquely different – musicians were about to meet and change the course of their lives (and the Swedish trance scene) forever.

“Sebastian and I have become a bit like a married couple in many ways,” Marcus admitted with a smile.

“We were so young when we met and very different.”

“I was classically trained when I was young,” Sebastian affirmed, “while Marcus listened to Kraftwerk.”

“I’d always loved dance music, but it wasn’t until my first time at a trance club that I absolutely fell in love and knew I wanted to become a DJ. It was back in ‘93 and I’d never seen anything like it,” Marcus explained.

“There was a big group of people gathered, transfixed by music I had never heard before. They were dancing their arses off !” Marcus laughed. “It looked like they were part of a ritual, and nobody cared who the DJ was – they were just deep in the moment. I started putting on parties and DJing myself after that night.”

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Malmo a dread-locked Sebastian had quit his job as a classical piano tutor after becoming inspired to make his own music and find a new sound. He was out on the hunt one night when he stumbled upon an underground party Marcus had organised.

“After meeting back in the mid-’90s we kept in touch and soon we realised we could combine what we were good at and make something new,” Marcus said, before adding, “I was already a DJ and Sebastian knew so much about the theory of music. Plus we both bonded over our love of dancing for hours!”

Soon Son Kite had taken off and the unlikely duo found themselves at home in trance clubs and festivals across Europe and the rest of the globe. “We first came to Australia 15 years ago to play the Earthcore Festival – it was like a dream,” Sebastian reminisced.

The millennium was a good time for trance music and Son Kite were on top of the world – but Marcus and Sebastian felt that the dance scene was evolving and so was their style. “After we released Colours in 2004, we felt there was a shift in the culture – house and techno was taking over the clubs. Sebastian and I are very influenced by what is happening around us – that’s why we started Minilogue.

“After our last album as Son Kite, Marcus and I lost some of our passion,” Sebastian continued.

“We were bored with the parties we were playing – focusing on other music was more exciting and inspiring.”

Playing their blend of progressive house and techno as Minilogue, Sebastian and Marcus experienced more success than they ever thought possible – but it wasn’t exactly what they signed up for, and soon underlying tensions, left unresolved for years, began to fester and grow into a much bigger beast.

“After years of working in the club scene I felt I’d lost myself in it. Everything was tied in with alcohol, how you look, your success, ego and the fame,” Marcus revealed candidly.

“I missed playing trance festivals where people get lost in the dance and let themselves go. It affected me a lot – I lost my passion even though I was playing all these big clubs in Europe with all the big-named DJs. We both felt unhappy and frustrated, then all the small quarrels we’d had over the years began to the surface again. Until last year when we went too far and really hurt each other.”

“We needed to take a break,” Sebastian agreed.

“We’d lost something and we didn’t know if we’d get it back. So we both decided to work on our solo projects.”

While we may have seen the last of Minilogue (though both guys’ attitude is ‘never say never’) this unfortunate turn of events lead Marcus and Sebastian back to basics and rekindled their friendship and romance with the ritual of all things trance.

“After only a month of silence between us, we started talking again,” Marcus said proudly. “I started to realise things I’d taken for granted over the last 15 years that Sebastian had always done. Suddenly it was like, ‘Oh, now I have to do this all by myself ?’

We started to have a whole new appreciation for each other.”

“We remembered our history and it helped us to forget all our silly games,” Sebastian added.

With a renewed sense of purpose and mutual respect, Marcus and Sebastian got to work on tracks that had fallen by the wayside during Minilogue’s reign. “I remember saying Minilogue is infected – let’s do a Son Kite album,” Marcus said happily.

Prisma, the first Son Kite album in 10 years, is out now. “It’s been such a long process – in fact we made the first track for the album in 2007! We’re so happy to finally have it out.”

“But we’re glad we waited to have something special to share with others,” Sebastian added.

Known for using all analogue equipment over digital, the seven tracks have a depth rarely seen in electronic music. “Analogue is alive, it’s present and in the moment, whereas digital is a dead replica of that sound,” Sebastian clarified.

“The use of digital allows a human mind to decide what should be in there and what shouldn’t be in there. Everyone knows when you go to a dance party the experience is much more than your ears or your brain – your whole body experiences it and that’s what we want. More than that I just think it sounds cool!” Sebastian grinned.

“This will be our fourth time at Rainbow Serpent Festival – we love it. People dancing for days and getting into the ritual of the dance, that’s what is most important to us,” Marcus said. “Being out in the open surrounded by nature and to be able to play for that kind of crowd is like a dream.”

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BLACKWOOD JACK Q&A

Warrnambool lads, Blackwood Jack, may have started out as a cover band way back, but after just releasing their new six-track EP, the band are surely onto bigger and better things. We had a chat with Daniel about the recording process and what they get up to in their hometown.

Hi guys, thanks so much for taking the time to chat to Forte. So you originally began the recording process for the EP back in April, how long did you record for and how and where did you record?

We took a weekend out at a secluded hall in Crossley (just south of Koroit). Having a mate who was willing to lend out his studio gear is definitely a plus. The six songs off the EP were tracked live in an arvo, then we spent that night and next morning adding overdubs/embellishments.

With most of the vocals kept from the live takes, and being on our own time meant we got to relax without keeping our eyes on the clock watching the benjamins tick over.

After having it in the can, things kinda got in the way and the mixing process got drawn out a little. It was mixed in conjunction with our pal Brenton Smith (God) at Smith Sound in Narringal and Adam Dempsey at Jack The Bear Studios has his mastering prowess all over it.

Your style is both unique and refreshing, how would you describe your sound and from where do you draw inspiration for your music?

I think we all have relatively different tastes in music, and with our contrasting personalities all bringing

something interesting to the table gives us a good dynamic to work with. But yeah, we’re just trying to be as original as possible and keeping ourselves on our toes with new material and the constant struggle of moving forward musically so nothing becomes stale.

It’s also good having a strong regional music scene, being able to be influenced by your mates bands as much as what is happening down in Melbourne.

All local Warrnambool boys, how do you spend your time when not playing gigs and recording?

2x tradies and 1x Drum Store manager. Nothing too mysterious about us.

Hobbies in the past have included skateboarding, but lack of skill prevented us from really taking it to the next level

How do you view the live-music scene in Warrnambool and regional Victoria as a whole, do you have some other bands from the region you look up to?

A lot stronger than some people think. All the local bands around here support each other well, and the crew that turn out to The Loft most weekends are top notch! Make sure you check out Red Eagle, The Infants, Kashmere Club, King Evil & The Alamo.

You’ve played a whole heap of shows and festivals all around the state, including Kennedys Creek, Arockalypse, Brunswick MF and even some shows in Queensland, what has been your favourite show to date and where do you enjoy performing most?

There’s been a few!

It occurred to me once when I was writing LORD$ that a lot of artists never make it in this industry, but if you don’t try how will you ever make it.

It’s probably a good thing you didn’t as you’re touring alongside Cypress Hill and Ice Cube, you must be pretty excited to be doing that so early in your career?

Haha yeah it’s nucking futs! I’ve just played the first two shows with Ice Cube and the aura he carries with him is so insane, I can’t wait to play with Cypress!

Are they both people you admire?

Most definitely, I used to listen to N.W.A. and Cypress every day through school. So it’s unreal playing with acts you grew up listening to.

I know you got your name from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, what is it you love about the show?

I just love the corniness of it. My favourite power ranger was Zack the black ranger, the biggest G of them all and when the movie came out I was so cut he wasn’t in it. I shed a tear for Zack.

Were there any other names you were deciding between that came from TV shows?

Not really, I thought about changing my name a couple times though but Ivan Ooze has stuck, even most my mates that know me as Ben call me Uzi. You released your debut a few months back, what’s the audience’s reaction been like to it performed live?

It’s been killer! I’ve had a really dope response from people coming up to me after shows and having a chat and giving some feedback – all my fans are the beez fuggin kneez.

For your upcoming shows can we expect more of the new stuff from your mixtape to be played?

Indeed you can, January 30 I’m performing at the Shebeen Bandroom and I’ll be doing a heap of new songs so come check it out!

Given that you’re playing at Beyond the Valley over New Year, do you -have any resolutions for 2015?

Cut down on smoking, Sprite and pray that I wake up alive on the 1st haha.

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

Thanks for talking to me FORTE, you nice :)

the final cut. Some songs were written as far back as 2004, others more recently.

Themes of identity, belonging, mortality, love and country occur in all my work. What’s different on this record is that I’ve got an historical narrative song, a parable drawn from totemic landscape, a gospel song and a song in a language that is no longer spoken.

What is familiar is that I also have the travelling song, the rousing rocker and the introspective ballad. Combined, it all makes – I hope – a meaningful encounter for the listener.

With around 30 years in the industry you have played a whole heap of shows and festivals, what has been your favourite show to date and where do you enjoy performing most?

I’m not one for favourites about anything. But here’s a few that come to mind; The Warumpi Band: The Roxy, Brisbane, 1987 – supporting Midnight Oil – we survived an extremely dangerous, overcrowded, condensation: dripping cauldron of rabid, sweating Oils fans. I think they liked us. And Broome Stomping Ground,1992 – we were incendiary ourselves that night.

Solo: “One of those tunes” duo show with Jim Moginie at Yours and Owls Club, Wollongong 2011 – our first show and there were less than a dozen witnesses, but we made fine art together. The Railway Club, Darwin and the Totem Theatre, Alice Springs, 2014 – solid, heartland audiences that restored me.

The reality is, I’m grateful to perform wherever an audience is – be it the Opera house or someone’s back yard - (I’ll qualify the latter with the proviso that they’ve paid to get in!)

What does 2015 hold for you, have you got many touring plans and what is your goal for the year?

I’d like to have a touring plan, but it’s a matter of what gigs come in that determines where I go. It’s a bit haphazard these days, though I usually look to do a run into northern Australia during the winter. I’d also like to get to Canada. There’s plenty of time, I’ll be riding this album – not to mention the back catalogue – for a while yet. The goal remains the same – to keep going.

Thanks again for chatting with us, is there anything else fans should know about Neil Murray?

Sarah Carroll (The Junes, Pirates of Beer and the

RELEASE: Blackwood Jack’s new EP out now, visit blackwoodjack.com on how to purchase your copy

Can’t beat a weekend at Kennedys Creek. Close to that would be the iconic Cherry Bar, and Queenscliff MF a while back was pretty sick!

What does 2015 hold for the band, have you got many touring plans and what is your goal for the year?

At this stage we want to get back in the studio as soon as possible and hopefully have a new single out early 2015.

Organising a Melbourne launch and subsequent shows

up the coast is on the cards, and try and garner some more good support shows. Might even get another EP out too.

Thanks again for chatting with us, is there anything else fans should know about Blackwood Jack?

Thanks for having us. Make sure you check out our new 8 Bit video clip for ‘Fall Apart’ taken off the EP. Gets pretty intense!

IVAN OOZE Q&A

Ivan Ooze may be the name of a bad arse villain in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but the name is also shared with a Melbourne rapper, though his friends know him as Ben Townsend.

We had a chat to Ivan about his upcoming show at Beyond the Valley and what he hopes to get out of the New Year.

Hi Ivan, thanks for taking the time out to chat with us, how are you and what are you up to at the moment?

Thanks for chatting to me! I’m great thanks! I’m currently at the airport thinking about what food I should eat when I get back to Melbourne.

So you’ve just released ‘Trippin’’ from your upcoming mixtape, which you’ve said is about your mum thinking a career in music was a dream, has she changed her views at all now that you’re achieving pretty big things in the industry?

She sort of has, but at the same time opportunities like this aren’t around forever so I guess you just have to make the most of what you have and enjoy the ride. I think she has settled nicely into that idea.

Did you have a lot of people questioning your career choice as you went along?

A couple of people questioned what I was doing and suggested getting a ‘real’ job, but you gotta do what makes you happy, for me it’s music and performing.

Was there ever a point where you actually thought they were right and wanted to give up?

When & Where: Beyond the Valley, Phillip Island – December 30-January 1 & Shebeen Bandroom, Melbourne – January 30.

NEIL MURRAY Q&A

There are few musicians who share a love for Australia as much as Neil Murray does, and over the past 30 years in the industry he’s proved it – and then some. Also hailed as the “thinking woman’s crumpet” we had a chat to Neil about his new release and what inspired the album.

Hi Neil, thanks so much for taking the time to chat to Forte, how have you been and what are you up to at the minute?

I’m sifting through the constant, accumulating detritus that arrives daily onto my computer. Other than that I’m well, I guess.

Earlier this year you released your new album, Bring Thunder and Rain how has touring this one been going so far?

It’s always a thrill to perform new material. One feels a renewed vitality. Hopefully the audience makes a similar discovery. The songs are going over well. We all know CD sales are declining, just about finished according to some pundits- yet my crowd still buys them- at least the sales at gigs seem to prove that.

You have long been a singer/songwriter and storyteller of Australian classics both as a member of the Warumpi Band and in your solo career, what would you say was the main inspiration on this new album?

Black Cockatoos ( Wiran - the yellow tailed variety), other than that you have to consider individual songs. I demoed over 20 and they were culled to 11 that make 28 forte

Cartridge family) one of the loveliest ladies in the biz (you know her house is a shrine to Elvis!) says I’m “the thinking

woman’s crumpet”. How’s that for a byline? Now if I can just get the suit to fit!

When & Where: Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine – December 20 Release: Bring Thunder and Rain out now at all good retailers

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THE A MIT Y A FFLIC TION Boxing Day Slam Boxing Day is surely one of the greatest days of the year. It is a day where you can do anything without reprimand. Want to munch on a turkey leg as you watch the cricket while wearing nothing but Santa undies? Watch away. Want to steal your nephew’s new toy because, hell, he can’t use it properly anyway? Steal away. Over in Geelong, it’s all about their annual tradition, The Boxing Day Slam. Touch Me, I’m Sick is behind it all, and while they may be a little older, they still know how to have a good time – even though recovery may take a little longer these days. The Meanies, they’ll be there. Civil Civic, they’ll be there. Hell, there will be a buttload of bands there. The Barwon Club, Geelong – December 26.

Did Someone Say Beer?

On Saturday, January 24, Ballarat will raise a glass to the Ballarat Beer Festival.

Returning for its fourth year, the festival will welcome some of the region’s (and Australia’s) finest craft beers and ciders, as well as wines and gourmet food for good measure. This isn’t an event where the goal is to get drunk. This is an event where beer appreciation is on the menu. A bunch of cool zones will feature, including The Cider Orchard, a lush area where you can take in vintage themes as you enjoy a brew.

What kind of event would it be without music? Well, you have plenty, including Ash Grunwald, Way of the Eagle and The Delta Riggs. It all takes place at the Ballarat City Oval. Hit ballaratbeerfestival.com.au for all you need to know.

Harmonica Heaven If you are a harmonica player or lover of blues, this is one show you will not want to miss. Phil Wiggins is arguably America’s foremost blues harmonica virtuoso. Born in Washington, D.C. in 1954, Wiggins’ early musical development came through playing with and learning from blues musicians of the Washington area – names including Flora Molten, Mother Ester Mae Scott, Wilber “Chief ” Ellis, John Jackson, Archie Edwards and John Cephas. Wiggins would perform with John Cephas for over thirty years. His list of mentors is just as long. As for the rest of his story, it is best you hit up philwiggins.com. The Piping Hot Chicken Shop, Ocean Grove – March 25. He will be joined by Dom Turner. Book now!

“We haven’t been out on a regional tour for a while, so it’s kind of about time we give back to the fans who can’t make it to the capital city shows” pg.39-

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Desperate Times for The Oblivians Once upon a time The Oblivians were the kings of underground garage rock. Ask those who dig their tunes, and many will say they’re still the kings. Formed out of Tennessee, the band’s original run was between 1993 and 1998 and with their blues-infused garage punk they inspired a new wave of down ’n’ dirty garage bands. Since they separated in the late ‘90s, reunion shows have popped up here and there.

Now, however, things are going great guns, and the band will finally make their way to our shores next year. They haven’t been out this way before, so happy times are here at last. The Barwon Club, Geelong – March 9.

Desperation is their latest release.

Let’s Do the ’80s Is there anything as magnificent as ’80s music? I can think of maybe two things, three tops. Absolutely ’80s is a fluro-coloured ’80s get-together of some of Australia’s finest. It’s a place where you knock back drinks like the Cosmopolitan, Fuzzy Navel and Kamikaze. It’s a place where Pudding Pops are on the menu.

It’s a place called Wandin Valley. But most of all, it’s a place where names including Brian Mannix (Uncanny X-Men),

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Scott Carne (Kids in the Kitchen) and Dale Ryder (Boom Crash Opera) are kings once again.

Going as strong as they ever have, these three gents have a date lined up at the Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads on December 27. Head on down and share in some post-Christmas cheer.

The Wild Things of Ruth Moody Ruth Moody may be an Australian-born songbird, but she is also a two-time Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter from Winnipeg, Canada. Ruth built her name through The Wailin’ Jennys, an outfit she remains a member of. In 2010 she released her debut solo album The Garden. Its title track was the fourth most played song of 2010 on North American folk radio. 2013 saw its follow-up, These Wilder Things. The album, which features her popular cover of Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark, features appearances from Mark Knopfler, Jerry Douglas, Aoife O’Donovan, Mike McGoldrick and John McCusker. She is heading our way early next year.

Ararat Hotel Red Room, Ararat – February 25.

Christmas with Juan Alban After spending a chunk of his life as the singer and songwriter for Ballarat darlings Epicure, Juan

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took a shot at the solo world following the band’s break-up in 2010.

It’s not an entirely easy thing to do, but things are travelling just fine for Juan. We saw his debut EP, Too Long in Flight, released in 2011.

Next up was his debut full-length, Dr Pelican on Holiday! Work on the album begun shortly after the EP’s release, with the first taste dropping on October 2011. The album was released last year. Favourite sons don’t come much more loved than Juan, so a preChristmas gig is sure to be joyful news. The Karova, Ballarat – December 21.

Out in the Caravãna Sun Times are good for Caravãna Sun. Really good. For the third time the band enjoyed a stint in Europe this year, playing to open-air festival crowds in Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, France, Switzerland and Portugal. They also recently welcomed new member Ken Allars.

Not a band to take their foot off the pedal, their Under a Southern Sky tour continues the band’s good times on home soil.

Kicking off earlier this month, the tour will take in several festival stops along the way. As for their more intimate moments, they have a gig lined up at Torquay Hotel, Torquay on January 24. The band has been penning new material of late, so you will hear some new tunes.

You gotta love that.

NYE with Glitter Gang

A Trip to the ’70s On October 28, 1974, Skyhooks released their debut album, Living in the 70’s. The album, produced by Ross Wilson, spent a whopping 16 weeks at the top of the Australian album charts and became the highest-selling Australian release to that point. The album is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in Australian music. With cheekiness and brash, use of makeup long before Kiss and use of Australian themes, the band’s sound was a departure from the long-copied sounds of the US and UK. Here was a band distinctly Australian. Here was a band whose music was banned from Australian radio. Here was a band that shocked parents while becoming pin-ups for a generation. Lending his guitar to the album was Bob “Bongo” Starkie. In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Bob, along with Melbourne-based vocalist Laura Davidson, is giving the great Australian album another spin. Bob: “Over the years people have often requested Skyhooks tunes but the back of the matter was you really needed someone who could deliver a performance like Shirl. I have found that someone in Laura. She is wonderful to perform with and she can sing the hell out of these Hooks tunes.” The Sphinx Hotel, Geelong – February 13.

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New Year’s Eve always throws up a whole lotta good stuff, but one we like the look of is Glitter Gang at Geelong’s Sphinx Hotel. The story of Glitter Gang begins way back in 1990 when a bunch of guys playing in The Finkers decided to do a set of ’70s classics.

They may have aged a little since then, but they certainly haven’t grown up. Their setlist includes material from The Sweet, Dragon, David Bowie, AC/DC, John Paul Young, Blue Suede, Suzi Quatro, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Hush,

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On a Jakubi High There is no slowing down Jakubi. Whether they’re playing local dates or dates in the US and Canada, the five-piece feels the love of the whole room behind them. It wasn’t all that long ago when the band uploaded their first track to SoundCloud – around a year or so. Since then, the band has had reason to question whether their run hasn’t just been one long dream. For example, Perez Hilton, the celebrity gossip king, gave their track ‘Couch Potato’ a shout-out.

Given Hilton has close to six million Twitter followers, it’s safe to say a lot of new people are discovering their sounds. A two-month tour of the US was about as good as it gets, with the band selling out shows in Chicago and San Francisco.

For any band or artist to achieve such a thing is worthy of a thumbs-up, but for a band in their infancy it is something special. Further tours abroad is also on the cards, thanks to a deal with 7S Management in the US (home to American Authors and Dinosaur Jr.) – and Coda Agency (Disclosure, Robyn) for bookings in Europe. While they may love touring abroad, home is where their heart is.

Torquay Hotel, Torquay – December 29.

Bay City Rollers, Alvin Stardust and Skyhooks.

They sound the part.

They look the part. They will be joined by Glam City. How will the venue survive these two forces of glam?

The Long Days of Blue Heat What’s the point in rushing? A good 20 years have passed since Blue Heat recorded a studio album, but with One Day Too Long, a humble title if ever there was one, the drought has been broken. No excuses were made, with the band offering this: “Too much time had passed by …

We had this backlog of songs. It was about time too that we pulled our proverbial finger out and did it.” If nothing else the new album provides a nice little snapshot of the Warrnambool band’s 20+ year career, with the title track being part of the band’s repertoire for almost two decades. Recording in an improvised studio on a property in Nirranda, the album is rhythm ’n’ blues at its finest. Black Hatt, Geelong – January 10.

Greenstock 2015 On January 10, Greenman Rehearsal Studios in Ocean Grove will host its annual music festival. Unfortunately, at the time of writing artist details were unannounced. I know, you just can’t win these days. However, we have some details for you.

Doors will open at 11 a.m. Entry is a postChristmas/New Year bargain of $5. Families (two adults, up to four children – aged under 12) are $10. Bring your own drinks and chairs.

Raffles and stalls will also be part of the day. Come dressed in green and you could win some cool prizes. Greenman Studios is a purpose-built facility designed for everyone from the beginner to the professional. Keep an eye on greenmanrehearsalstu. wix.com for updates.

Bizarro Jaron Freeman-Kings at War It will be no slow start to the year for the Kingswood lads with the band mapping out an extensive tour to kick off the year of 2015.

They’ve become old pros

with this touring thing, with their 2014 tour taking in Splendour and Groovin the Moo as well as smaller venues. A date with The Falls will see out their big year, so ticket holders have that to look forward to.

Once again the run of dates will turn the speakers up loud to their debut album, Microscopic Wars. 4ZZZ’s Jae Salmon: “Microscopic Wars is best described as a schizophrenic mix of expertly crafted musical artefacts that will leave an indelible mark on your psyche.” Black Swan Hotel, Bendigo – March 12.

There’s No Basement in the Alamo Meet The Alamo, a band where the men are men.

Once upon a time, four rugged individuals met on the dusty crossroads in a place called middle of nowhere. There was Cobey Fletcher, a fearless songwriter; Derrick ‘Harmony’ Price, a bass slinger with a voice of gold; Tristan Piper, a drummer who can play anything with a set of sticks; and Luke Burns, a man whose guitar sings the blues. Together

Port Fairy Folk Festival Have you been keeping an eye on the line-up for 2015’s Port Fairy Folk Festival? Okay, here we go: Ajak Kwai, Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas, All Our Exes Live in Texas, Ami Williamson, Ash & Bloom, Bob & the Pins, Buffy Saint-Marie, Catherine Britt, Charlie Musselwhite, Chris Tamwoy, Chris White & Julie Matthews, Christine Anu, Fiona Boys & the Fortune, Frankie J Holden & Wilbur Wilde, Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys, Hat Fitz & Cara Robinson, Himmerland, Jan Preston’s Boogie Circus, Jeff Lang, Jo Jo Smith, Jodi Martin Band, John Butler Trio, Jordie Lane, Kamerunga, Kieran O’Connell & Shanakee, Lake Street Dive, Lamine Sonko & the African Intelligence, Lucy Wise Trio, Mark Seymour & the Undertow, Marlon Williams, Maru Tarang, Microwave Jenny, Perch Creek, Richard Thompson, Ruth Moody, Shane Howard, Sharon Shannon Band, Sinéad O’Connor, Sky Scraper Stan, Steve Poltz, Steve Smyth, Sweethearts, The Baker Suite, The Black Sorrows, The Chipolatas, The Company, The Davidsons, The Orbweavers, The Whitetop Mountaineers, The Yearlings, Tom Mason, Tracy McNeil & the GoodLife, Wagons, We Two Thieves and Zeptepi. After reading through that exhaustive line-up, chill out by browsing portfairyfolkfestival.com to see what else the festival is offering. Port Fairy – March 6-9.

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they swapped stories before deciding that by combining their skills they could create a unique breed of cowboy rock.

With their spontaneous energy, they’ll get rowdy with the fellas while they croon the ladies.

The Loft, Warrnambool – December 20 & December 24.

Bad News About Twinsy Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house… something, something.

Ah, who cares?! Skip whatever you’re doing and instead head down to The Karova in Ballarat.

And if you already had that planned, well, good.

Good for you. Twinsy and Bad News Toilet will be there to help the night before the big day a memorable one. Because if you don’t wake up on Christmas afternoon with a hangover, you have done Christmas wrong. Twinsy is the D-list supergroup comprised of Michael Belsar, Guy Chappell and Jack Craven. Bad News Toilet, meanwhile, would be Bryce Spratling.

Teaming them up may be something The Karova lives to regret, so come on down while the venue still stands.

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Hang on to Your Coathangers Like any good band, The Coathangers started a band in order to hang out and play parties.

They’re as infectious as an STD, carrying on the badassness of Patti Smith and The Runaways as they kick out their aggressive punk rock as if no one is listening. Except people are – lots of people, as the band recently supported Black Lips and enjoyed festival and headlining dates throughout 2014.

March of this year saw the release of their fourth album, Suck My Shirt.

Pitchfork: “Somehow, on an album called Suck My Shirt, the Coathangers manage to have it all.

It’s well-recorded, wellwritten, and teeming with both force and emotional depth.” The Barwon Club, Geelong – January 15.

Neil Murray Brings Stormy Weather The music journey for Neil Murray begins with one of Australia’s most iconic bands, the Warumpi Band. Across the course of three albums (Big Name, No Blankets, Go Bush and Too Much Humbug) and twenty years of performing, the band propelled

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Entering the foray at Forte this week is Suttons House of Music. Only not today. So that’s a Thursday for you...

Friday December 19 sees The Babushka Bar hosting Jessey Jackson – a one woman band from the surfcoast who plays dirty bluesy/country/folk/rock.

Entry: $10.

The Eastern has The Rye Catchers back for some never-fails-to-impress fantastic home grown rock’n’roll. Entry: TBC. The Karova Lounge has the Yacht Club DJs

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Summer of Beautiful Girls You will find few better ways to spend your summer than by soaking up the sunny sounds of The Beautiful Girls and their Summer Soundsystem tour.

Frontman Mat McHugh: “Music is something that really propels me creatively, but there’s something about the ocean that I can’t ever do without. I always get asked whether I was a musician that surfs or a surfer who plays music.

I don’t think I have an answer – they are both part of who I am and for me, there’s no better way to spend summer than being able to combine the two. Summer tours

Ulumbarra Theatre 2015 Bendigo’s Ulumbarra Theatre has been quick to find the goods for their launch next year. For those unfamiliar, Ulumbarra Theatre will rise from within the walls of the historic Sandhurst Gaol in central Bendigo. Its name is taken from the language of the Dja Dja Wurrung people and means gather together or meeting place. Lined up so far you have Michael Franti and Spearhead on April 1. Franti and co., who will be out this way for Bluesfest, will bring their blend of hip hop, funk, reggae, jazz, folk and rock to this unique setting. On April 16 you have another musical guest in Augie March. The band performed some comeback shows in Melbourne recently in support of new album Havens Dumb. What started out as a single gig soon turned into five. In 2015 the band spreads their wings further. Next up you have a change of pace with funnyman Rose Noble and his new show, Tangentleman, on April 20. On May 3 you have the Official Blues Brothers Revue, while on May 5 you have Drumstruck. For further information hit ulumbarratheatre.com.au. From the website: “Representing not only the use of the site as a community theatre for all to gather and enjoy the performances of local and international talent, the name reflects the original Indigenous use of the site as a lookout and meeting place.”

What’s On In The Rat: December 18 – January 1 Hello, Merry Xmas and bah humbag from me the Xmas Grinch, let’s get straight into what’s lined up until next year!

Thursday December 18 has Fusionite playing at Babushka Bar. The Eastern has open mic night on Thursdays for virgin performers wanting to try their luck on an open minded audience.

The Karova Lounge has Into Ruin playing.

Entry: $6.

The Main Bar’s website has ceased listings until 2015.

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Indigenous music into the mainstream through songs including ‘My Island Home’, ‘Blackfella Whitefella’ and ‘From the Bush’. Since 1989 Murray has enjoyed a solo career which has spawned more than 10 albums, his latest being Bring Thunder & Rain. It doesn’t stop there, however. Neil has also written a novel, Sing for me Countryman, and a poetry book, One Man Tribe, as well as a play, King for this Place. The Bridge, Castlemaine – December 20.

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Written by Daniel Lock

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finale on supported by the popular DZ Deathrays.

They both play Karova Lounge over two wild nights which are both already sold out. Tickets: (were) $18.

Suttons House of Music’s debut to this article consists of The Disco Rockers with FREE ENTRY. What a note to start on. Funk-soul-dub is their sound, so check it out now.

Saturday December 20 has The Eastern hosting Bob Log III and Made For Chickens By Robots.

So that’ll be a huge one

for all those that attend as Bob Log III always entertains and with the craziness of Made For Chickens By Robots they will complement each other particularly well.

Entry: $15.

The Karova Lounge have their 2nd night of seeing off the Yacht Club DJs supported by DZ Deathrays. Tickets: $18 (sold out).

Suttons House of Music will be hosting Ultrafox this night. Bringing their Jazz Manouche sound to Suttons. Free Entry.

Sunday December 21

will have The Eastern open for BJ Morriszonkle.

Free Entry.

And The Karova are opening to have, live on stage, The Dead Salesmen Duo with Juan Alban supporting. All veterans of the Ballarat music scene know these names, so it could be a good holiday eve night to start the celebrations. Entry: $10.

Tuesday December 23 has The Eastern's Xmas party with a bunch of local boys playing such as 23rd of Elvis, 80 Hundred and SWHAT. Entry: TBC. Wednesday December 24 has Karova open for Xmas eve with party rockers and DJs Twinsy and Bad News Toilet.

Tickets: $12.

Friday December 26 Karova open again for boxing day partying. This night will be crammed with classic originals from Them 9’s and The Rye Catchers. Entry: $10.

Saturday December 27 Karova have the Sex Face trio set to play with their sexy, Lonely Island faces on. Supporting them will be Mick Dog’s Bone Yard.

Entry: $10.

And finally for this year, Suttons House of Music are having a NYE party with Vonda Buoys And The Falsettos playing.

Tickets: $60 available from venue.

Well, until next year, sincerely, Daniel.

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in Australia have been a tradition of ours and they are, without a doubt, my favourite part of the year.”

Torquay Hotel, Torquay – January 16.

Rug Up With Russell Morris Russell Morris is heading back to Geelong again, but this time for the Music to a Tee event, an initiative of the Karingal Foundation with all profits contributing to the build of the fully inclusive Eastern Geelong Community Centre.

Listen to Morris’ tunes from ARIA award winning albums Sharks Mouth and Van Diemen’s Land with the knowledge you’re doing a good dead for the community. When & Where: 13th beach Golf Links, Barwon Heads - January 9.

No Sorrows Here Also supporting the Music to a Tee event are Joe Camilleri & the Black Sorrows. They’re one of the best classic Australian blues rock bands going around, and with over 30 years experience, they know their stuff. Support a good cause the easiest, and best, way: listening to good tunes with good friends. When & Where: 13th beach Golf Links, Barwon Heads - January 23.

Mark Steiner’s Many Problems From the heart of Oslo’s underground music scene comes Mark Steiner & His Problems. His heart, it would seem, can also be found in many other places – New York, Paris, Berlin and Melbourne to name just a few.

His connection with Australia is greater than just playing gigs – in 2006 he contributed a track to a Rowland S. Howard tribute CD. His live musical guests,

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meanwhile, include Spencer P. Jones and Rosie Westbrook. Going back a while, in 1997, Mark started a band called Piker Ryan’s Folly.

A short life it was, with the band playing their final gig at the legendary CBGB in 2000. In 2001, the ex-New Yorker moved to Oslo. His latest release is Saudade. The Bridge, Castlemaine – January 8.

Into the Wild Comforts Dedicated to delivering their brand of country music to whoever will listen, the band will get the perfect chance early next year when they welcome their new album, Silver City Sorrow.

Recording took place in March of this year on the NSW central coast.

Bill Chambers was at the helm, steering the lads through an album which rides the dusty road through ballads, bawlers, brawlers and heartbreak.

Chambers couldn’t resist their sound, adding his own lines of lap steel, mandolin, banjo and harmonica along the way.

Babushka Bar, Ballarat - January 9, The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine - January 10 and Old Hepburn Hotel, Hepburn Springs - January 11.

Groovin the Moo There is not much we know about the Groovin the Moo festival other than it is going another round in 2015. That and it hits Bendigo on May 2.

So, other than it’s going another round and that it hits Bendigo on May 2, there isn’t much we know about the festival.

Oh, and the official lineup drops on January 28.

So other than it is going another round next year and that it hits Bendigo on May 2 and that the official line-up drops on January 28, there isn’t much we know about

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the festival. But that is a good enough start. It has been quite a thing watching the festival grow in stature each year, and with it entering its 11th year in 2015, it’s going to be interesting to see what treats they have in store.

Out on the Growl Californian rockers The Growlers are heading this way to soak up a little of Australia’s summer sun as they perform a batch of shows around the country. Perhaps calling them rockers doesn’t quite do them justice, as there are elements of psych, prog, surf and country in there as well.

Since 2008 the band has released four LPs, five EPs and a couple of singles – a pretty bloody good effort by anyone’s standards.

Their latest is Chinese Fountain. The album was created through a twoweek stretch at guitarist Matt Taylor’s home in Topanga, and at their manager’s house and Sea Horse Sound Studio. The Karova, Ballarat – January 15 & The Barwon, Geelong – January 16.

Middleton & Pearce While co-headlining tours are nothing new, every now and again you get one that stands out. Such is the case here with Darren Middleton and Guy Pearce. ExPowerfinger lovely Darren Middleton is enjoying a new chapter in his career, recently releasing his debut solo album Translations. Guy, meanwhile, is showing there is more to his trick bag than his fine acting, with his debut album Broken Bones recently leading to a couple of sold-out launch shows.

A full backing band will complement the songmen, who will also take turns in performing each other’s work. This could prove to be a good,

Beyond the Valley So, you already have one eye on Beyond the Valley? That’s cool, we would too if we had a ticket. If you’re a lucky ticket holder, these are some basics you need to know. Please bring appropriate ID and keep it close at all times. Gates open at 8 a.m. on both December 30 and December 31. No eftpos or credit is available, however ATMs are on site. For those camping, you will be allocated a camping spot by the festival’s friendly staff. There is a list of things that are banned. These include alcohol, glass, weapons, illegal drugs, fireworks, fire twirling devices, flares, professional recording devices, laser lights, studded clothing apparel, any other items considered illegal or dangerous, animals, surfboards and skateboards.

If you have doubts, they’re probably banned. Taking footage with your iPhone or a disposable camera is cool, but leave the professional gear at home. If you have prescriptive medicine that needs to be stored, you can make arrangements at the first aid tent. It’s a festival, craziness is going on, so you may lose something.

If so, there are lost and found locations. If you still have questions, check in on beyondthevalley.com.au. I am sure you already have. Finally, have a most bodacious time. fun musical adventure.

The Capital, Bendigo – January 31 & GPAC, Geelong – February 28.

When TSSB Got High The Smith Street Band has their mojo going at the moment. Recently selling out a run of shows in support of their new album Throw Me in the River, the band has decided the best thing to do is announce an early 2015 tour. The lads will perform over twenty dates as part of their Get High, See Everyone tour, playing every state and territory – including a nice selection of regional and all-ages

dates. Themusic.com.au: “Spin Throw Me in the River and prepare to have your faith in humanity restored, because when sounds of The Smith Street Band hit your ears you can’t help but smile.”

Music Man Megastore, Bendigo – January 28; The Barwon, Geelong – January 29; and The Karova, Ballarat – January 30.

We are Geelong Running until February 8 at the Geelong Gallery is a series of exhibitions celebrating the city and region. The fiveexhibition suite is titled We are Geelong. One

of the exhibitions will even allow visitors to view Mayor Darryn Lyons’ private collection.

Gallery Director Geoffrey Edwards: “Rarely in Australia do our government representatives bring colour and theatrical swagger to public life as Mayor Lyons does here in Geelong. Rarer still are the nation’s mayors who are serious collectors of modern and contemporary art as Darryn is shown to be in this new exhibition…” 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. * Note that the gallery will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Fox Nomadic Fish knows how to paint a picture: “Limitlessly creative and playful, The Opposite of Everything dances down a line between the beautiful and the absurd, transforming Freeman-Fox’s intricate violin compositions into an infectious party.” Others call them “Tom Waits playing the fiddle, backed up by the Mahavishnu Orchestra”. It is a picture you will get to experience soon enough with Canada’s Jaron Freeman-Fox & The Opposite of Everything making their way to Australia for the first time early next year. Not a band, it seems, to do things half-arsed, Jaron and his musical cohorts will play over 15 shows from Brisbane to Tasmania. The winner of three Canadian Folk Music Awards, the band is led by violinist and composer Jaron Freeman-Fox. Jaron has produced or played on over forty albums and toured the world extensively as a solo artist, band leader or collaborator.

Fusing his roots of fiddling with his study of Indian classical music and jazz, Jaron plays the fivestring violin of his late mentor, Oliver Schroer. The Opposite of Everything is comprised of New Orleans-style clarinettist John Williams, electro-pop klezmer accordionist Robbie Grunwald, jazz bassist Charles James and drummer Dan Stadnicki. Pizza & Wine Club, Kyneton – January 25 & Ararat Hotel Red Room, Ararat – January 28.

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NYE @ The Sporting Globe There are some people out there who never want the party to end. The music, the people, the drink, the cheer – like Depeche Mode, they just can’t get enough. So, when it comes to New Year’s Eve, these party people are out in force. It is the ultimate party. Fortunately The Sporting Globe in Geelong has a party heart. In fact, I reckon it is no exaggeration to say that no one in the world, and indeed the entire universe, gets into the spirit of NYE more than The Sporting Globe. Do you think they’re content with just one NYE countdown? I don’t think so – leave that for the commoners. The Sporting Globe is doing the countdown three times – count ’em, three times, which works out to be roughly three times the fun. Enjoy the first countdown at 10 p.m., thanks to our New Zealand friends. At 12 a.m., enjoy the Sydney countdown. With 40+ screens tuned into the Sydney fireworks, you’ll have the perfect view from wherever you’re standing. At 2 a.m., enjoy the Tokyo countdown. Take a seat in the Japanese lounge and receive a countdown Tokyo cocktail. Various ticket prices are available. For further information and to make your booking, hit up sportingglobe.com.au/nye.

JAKUBI Q&A The king of pop culture himself, Mr Perez Hilton, praised the band’s single ‘Couch Potato’ as so dope, “They’ve got a real laidback, positive vibe that’s infectious.” Factor in that the band have earned this praise after a whirlwind 18 months, they should easily be on your ‘Ones-to-Watch’ list. We had a chat to the band ahead of their summer tour and trip down to Torquay.

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

We’re great!! Currently in the tour van, we just started the first leg on our Life’s A Beach Tour. Loving the sun and pumped to be back out on the road.

Not too long ago you played your last Melbourne show for the year, how was it?

It was really amazing and a little overwhelming. We didn’t expect to sell out two shows in Melbourne so close to each other. Our fans are actually amazing.

You played for Tram Sessions as well, what was it like playing on public transport?

Haha, yeah it was surprisingly challenging to play music on the tram because every time the tram would stop we felt like were going to fall over. But seriously, it was really cool – it was fun to get on and have a bunch of randoms jam along with us.

And earlier in the year you went over to the USA and Canada, what was the response to your music over there?

The response in America was amazing, we weren’t sure what to expect when we left to go there but then turning up and selling out shows, meeting our fans and travelling around the country really blew our minds. It was definitely a dream come true.

So you must be happy with your Life’s A Beach tour and getting to visit so many beaches around Australia, are there any you’re particularly excited to get down to?

We’re really pumped about this tour. We’ve been hanging to get out on the road again after America. We’re also stoked to hit up some beach towns we’ve never been to. Byron Bay and Torquay are two places we’re particularly excited about. Going to be really sick to get out to those places, have a skate, play some shows and maybe try and learn to surf.

Do you think you’ll do any surfing at Bells Beach when you’re in Torquay?

We’re open to having someone try and teach us, we will probably need all the help we can get. We literally just found out that the scene at the end of Point Break wasn’t really shot at Bells Beach and it actually devastated us.

You’re set to play NYE On the Hill this summer as well, do you think you’ll have any time to actually sit back and take a break with the good weather?

Probably not, we have a pretty tight run. Though we always manage to squeeze in some chill time when we’re together.

You’ve already achieved so much in the industry for such a young band, do you still get those pinch-yourself moments?

Yes, definitely! I don’t think I’ll ever get used to people singing our words back to us. That’s always really surreal. We’re announcing our first US show for our next tour in a few days – the fact that we’re already going back to do our second national US tour is crazy to us.

To be honest everything in the last 12 months has been a bit of a ‘pinch yourself ’ moment.

Next up is the release of your debut EP, what sort of tracks can we expect from that release?

We decided to properly release the four tracks we put up online, when we first put those up they were just done in our bedroom. But now we’re in a place where we can do those songs justice and release them properly. We’re also working on our debut album which is going to take some time and didn’t want to make people wait any longer before being able to buy our music properly.

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

Thanks for having us. We appreciate the love and can’t wait to get to Torquay and party with you all.

When&Where: Torquay Hotel – December 29

BLUESTONE

By John (Dr John) Lamp

This year the Bluestone Festival presents a line up featuring some of Australia’s finest musicians.

The headliner is the legendary Geoff Achison & the Souldiggers, who will have everyone up and dancing to greet the New Year with a cheer.

The 19th Annual Bluestone Blues Festival is a two day celebration on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, brought to you by Geelong’s Sleepy Hollow Blues Club.

Each year since 1996, blues fans come together at Bluestone to have a great time, hear some fantastic blues music and welcome in the New Year with family and friends.

The name “Bluestone” came from the walls of the Inverleigh Hotel where the first Festival was held. Now at the Murgheboluc Public Reserve, they still have the local bluestone in the walls of the old hall which forms a backdrop to the Festival.

The Reserve is only 20 minutes from Geelong and only one hour from Melbourne, in the heart of Golden Plains. On-site camping is free for ticket holders, and all refreshments are available on the grounds so you can turn up, relax and welcome in the New Year with live blues music, great artists and a passionate crowd and stay the night without risking the drive home.

Geelong’s own blues master Brian Fraser will kick off the festivities followed by one of the most instantly recognised roots and blues artists in this part of the country, and a SHBC fave, is Geelong’s Stringybark McDowell, who is joined by Rusty Bonnet at this year’s Bluestone.

A familiar face at Sleepy Hollow, Geelong’s Brian Fraser is a widely respected acoustic blues artist Australia-wide. Over more than three decades, he’s slayed audiences and recorded solo albums as well as albums with his bands Turning Blue and Brian Fraser Trio, which took out Australian Blues Band of the Year in 2006.

Brian blends a full and punchy guitar sound with a melodic litany of steel-string picking, sliding and bending – and a powerfully mellow voice, with a raw edge. He opens proceedings at 6pm on Wednesday night at this year’s Bluestone.

Both are seasoned blues festival and venue acts and

will have the crowd humming with an earthy blues and roots sound highlighting some seriously good work on guitar and other strings, foot percussion, harp and a gravel-meets-fine-sand vocal combo – all delivered with massive doses of soul.

Greg Dodd & the Hoodoo Men consisting of some of Melbourne’s finest blues musicians follow on. Then Rod Paine & the Fulltime Lovers bring it on with some low down, dirty and smokin’ blues and Geoff Achison and the Souldiggers round out New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Day (Recovery Day) locals JJ & the Blue Dogs will keep the festival going with some fine party blues followed by Blue Eyes Cry, an award winning blues/funk band that performs the blues in a contemporary manner, fronted by the brilliant voice of Iseula Hingano.

Another past MBAS blues performer of the year winner graces the Bluestone stage on New Year’s Day – Sweet Felicia along with her band the Honeytones.

Sweet Felicia leads the trio playing bass and delivering a vocal style that ranges from smooth, mellow and touching to powerful and hard-edged.

She drives the band to swing hard and together they produce a swing, jump blues and real rhythm and blues sound and feel – reminiscent of the hot clubs of the ‘40s and ‘50s.

Headlining New Year’s Day line up is Chubby Rae and the Elevators. Chubby Rae (aka Marisa Quigley) grew up in the top end where she started performing in her 20s when she moved to Victoria and formed Chubby Rae and the Elevators with guitar maker Jim Dyson, which enabled her to truly find her musical feet – pumping out a raunchy and up-beat blend of rhythm and blues.

The Festival is licensed and fully catered (including much coffee for Recovery Day) and camping under the stars and shaded by trees is free to ticket holders.

Sit back, relax or get to your feet, dance, sing, whistle and yell. http://www.sleepyhollowbluesclub.org.au/pdf/ bluestone.pdf http://www.trybooking.com/GHXY Whatever you do…..Have a Great Bluestone!

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ROCK, BLUES, ROOTS, COUNTRY & TRIBUTES 40+ ACTS ON 5 STAGES, ACROSS 3 DAYS CRAFT BEER & CIDER HALL, FAMOUS FOOD TRUCKS, LOCAL WINES & FREE CARNIVAL RIDES! AC/DSHE – AMBER LAWRENCE – APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION GUNS & ROSES TRIBUTE – BLUES MOUNTAIN – BRODERICK SMITH – CANYON – CHRIS WILSON – CHRISTIE LAMB – CHUBBY RAE & THE ELEVATORS – CLAUDE HAY – CREEDENCE CLEARWATER RECYCLED – DEFRYME – DOUG BRUCE – ELECTRIC MARY – EUROGLIDERS – GEOFF ACHISON – GLITTER GANG – GWYN ASHTON – INXSIVE – JAMES BLUNDELL – JASON SINGH – JIMI HOCKING – JOHN MCNAMARA – JR REYNE – KAYLENS RAIN – LLOYD SPIEGEL – MCALISTER KEMP – MICHAEL STANGEL – MICK THOMAS & THE ROVING COMMISSION – PAINTERS & DOCKERS – PHIL PARA – PUGSLEY BUZZARD – RHIANNON FLEETWOOD MAC TRIBUTE – SAFARI MOTEL – SAMMY OWEN BLUES BAND – SHED ZEPPELIN – SPOONFUL – SWEET FELICIA & THE HONEYTONES – THE BLACK SORROWS – THE DETONATORS – TO HELL & BACK! MEATLOAF TRIBUTE – TRAVIS COLLINS – VIKA & LINDA – WALKIN’ THE LINE CASH & CARTER STORY – WAYNE JURY & BRIAN FRASER

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12668-PACE

FRIDAY 5:30PM - 12:30AM

SATURDAYS 12:00PM - 12:30AM SUNDAY 10:30AM - 9:00PM

We kick off with a huge night of Rock & Roots artists. While you’re rocking out, don’t forget to grab yourself a bite to eat from one of our famous food trucks and while your at it don’t forget to grab a frothy or crispy in our craft beer & cider hall between all of your favourite bands!

Don’t miss your chance to see the biggest and best line-up of tribute bands and Blues Artists in the country! Saturday features amazing tribute bands on the main stage that pay homage to Rock ’n’ Roll royalty including INXS, Guns & Roses and Fleetwood-Mac. While On the 4 other stages you will be able to chill out and be wowed by some incredible blues tunes.

136 100 Ticketmaster Agencies includes GPAC Geelong

Ticket Prices

Friday over 18s

$39.00pp

Saturday over 18s

$58.00pp

Sunday All ages

$52.00pp*

*Up to 3 children free per adult

Bring the whole family along for a massive day of fun and excitement on the final day showcasing contemporary Australian Artists, Live and Local acts and our new addition, Geelong’s largest country music program. FREE entry for kids with heaps of entertainment on offer. Then stick around as we wrap up the enormous weekend of music with a spectacular fireworks display!

MATES RATES!

Tickets are on sale now!

Pre-book through Ticketmaster and quote

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to receive 50% OFF your tickets.

Offer ends Feb 1 unless sold out prior. * This offer is strictly limited. Ticketmaster transaction and credit card fees may apply. Sunday Family Day – maximum 3 children per adult (all patrons including children must hold a ticket to the event). �50% off tickets available with codeword

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the AMITY AFFLICTION LOCAL FEATURE STORY Written by Amanda Sherring

When&Where: The Wool Exchange, Geelong – January 11.

“It’s been so long on the road and I’m glad to be back home,” Ahren Stringer reflects on landing back in sunny Australia after a hectic schedule of touring – the most recent of which was a long stint in Europe and the UK. “It was awesome. It was our second headline tour so it was really rewarding and the crowds were huge – pretty much every show sold out. It was just rad to be able to see how we’ve gone over there,” he says.

Not wanting to be stuck to the confines of their tour bus or the venues they performed at, the band took full advantage of their foreign surroundings. “We kind of got up early every morning when the bus stopped and ventured into whatever city we were in,” says Ahren.

“We went to heaps of places I hadn’t been to before, like Prague, Poland and Denmark and stuff like that, so it was good to see some new places.

“Prague was definitely up there.

Joel [Birch, vocals] and I love a good gamble. There were heaps of casinos and we just walked around

and went into different casinos all day. It was really fun, but we didn’t really know what we were betting because everything is in Czech Crown, so we were completely confused by the currency – 100 Euro was like 10,000 Czech Crown, or something like that, but it was fun.”

Given that the band are all good mates, spending so much time in the confines of the tour bus and being in the “depths of cabin fever” – as Ahren puts it – occurred without any repercussions. The only bad thing that could be sad to have come from the tour is a few dollars

lost at the casino. It’s great to experience a basically flawless tour, as the band had a tough slog in 2013.

When touring with the Architects for the Vans Warped Tour in the US, the band faced a “series of unfortunate events” when lead singer Joel Birch was hospitalised and drummer Ryan Burt had to be replaced after cutting his eye open with his drumstick. Though as Ahren puts it: “We got through it”.

Luckily it hasn’t been something the band have had to face since, and tours following have been a lot less stressful for the

four-piece band. “This time went perfectly, there were no mishaps or hospitalisations – it was very smooth sailing. I think we copped it all at once and we’ve got good karma from now on,” he says.

Just as the guys get comfortable back at home, enjoying Christmas and New Year’s Eve with family and friends, they’ll quickly get back on the road in the New Year to tour Australia in their The Weigh Downunder Tour. This time around the band is taken further from the capitals – and Geelong just so happens to make the list.

“We haven’t been out on a regional tour for a while, so it’s kind of about time we give back to the fans who can’t make it to the capital city shows,” Ahren says.

“But it’ll be lots of fun to kind of go back to the roots of touring and doing some smaller venues and stuff. So we’re definitely

looking forward to it.”

Amidst touring, recording and everything that comes with being in a much-loved metalcore/hardcore band, Ahren somehow finds time to run a clothing brand, One Love Apparel, with JJ from Deez Nuts as well as appearing in songs by friends, the most recent ‘Champagne Breakfast’ by Lady KC. Rapping from a bathtub surrounded by rubber duckies might be a bit of a change for Ahren, but with a laugh he simply brushes it off as a bit of fun with friends, not a possible career pursuit.

“Whenever I’m in New York Deez Nuts come and stay and we always get creative when we’re pissed and make our rap songs. It’s all just a bit of fun,” Ahren says.

Talking with Ahren and hearing Deez Nuts come up numerous times, the relationship with the band is unquestionable and, as

they’ll be supporting The Amity Affliction in their Australian tour, we’ll get to see the relationship first hand at the Geelong show.

Also expected from the tour is the chance to hear tracks from their fourth studio album, Let The Ocean Take Me ( June 2014), played live. The bands rise to fame has been a quick one, and singles ‘Pittsburgh’ and ‘Don’t Lean On Me’ peaked inside the top 40 of the Aria Charts.

As soon as they add a second show, it almost sells out just as quick as the first and they truly are one of those bands that will become harder and harder to get tickets to see.

Someone who may be lucky to get some tickets, and who the Amity Affliction are yet to meet, is our mayor Darryn Lyons.

“Maybe we’ll give him some free tickets to come along,” Ahren says with a smile.

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Steve Thew Q&A

Chances are you’ve seen Steve finger-picking his banjo guitar on the streets of Geelong or performing down at the Festival of Sails over the Australia day holiday. Recently we got the chance to sit down with the local musician about his brand new EP and his favourite spots to perform around Geelong, take note if you want to catch him in action!

Hi Steve, thanks for taking the time out to chat with Forte, how are you and what are you up to at the moment?

I’m flat out gigging at the moment with some great venues coming up. The Odyssey Tavern (Mt Duneed), Fridays After Work at Little Malop St Mall, The Sand Bar (Ocean Grove) and Ivari Café (St Leonards). I’m also writing new material, maybe some blues...

We saw you’ve just released your new EP, is it a good feeling being able to release some new music into the world?

Yes. It’s great to release the new EP OP Requests From Saltwater. This is my second release after the initial album, I Am What I Am (2012).

Come to think of it, I must organise an official launch for the new EP in the new year. I’d like to thank Ade Kelly from the Geelong Folk Music Club for his great artwork and designs for the cover.

What can listeners expect from the release?

The new release has 4 original songs. Three of mine and one together with my co-writer Rick Wilkinson. ‘Leaves’ was written for the 60th anniversary of The Festival Of Falling Leaves in May 2015. It was played on the radio stations up in

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the Snowy River Mountains and all over Southern NSW and Northern Victoria. ‘The Gold Diggers Plan’ I used to play at the Sovereign Hill Village up in Ballarat and it was written to commemorate the Gold Diggers. ‘Bellarine Wine’ I wrote the music and Rick wrote the lyrics.

It’s a story about a soldier going to war and remembering his girlfriend.

‘Nightshade’ is a blues guitar instrumental.

You’ve played around Geelong for quite a while now, what is it you love about the region?

Geelong offers everything to me. We have the sea, the river, the people, the flamboyant mayor. In my opinion, it’s the festival capital of Australia. I have been living here now for 15 years and can’t see myself living anywhere else.

For those who have seen you perform live they’d know you’re also a banjo player, what made you decide to first pick up the banjo?

My banjo is about 80 years old. It was given to me by a friend and at the time I was only playing guitar, keyboards and mouth harp. I

thought, ‘Well I really should learn how to play the banjo’. My style is essentially three finger picking in the style of Earle Scruggs.

And you wrote a song about Molly Meldrum too, what made you decide to pen that song?

The song ‘Hey Hey Molly Meldrum’ was written about two years ago and I decided then that nobody had written a song about him. I put the video and song on Youtube and twitter etc and he replied through his agent that he enjoyed the song and was quite chuffed somebody had written a song about his life. This song is always requested everywhere I play.

Given you’ve played at so many Geelong venues, do you have a favourite spot to play?

Yes definitely, I have a few. One favourite is in the Little Malop St Mall. I gig there about 2 times a week and the people there are so appreciative. Another is the Geelong International Festival Of Sails down on the Geelong foreshore (January 25-26, 2015). I have played down there for four years now on Australia day. The Elephant and Castle is also a great place to play.

Later in January you’ll be performing at the Waterfront for Australia Day, if you weren’t performing that day how would you be celebrating the holiday?

Probably playing a few tunes somewhere and then spending the rest of the day with my family.

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

My aim next year is for a possible tour around Victoria and New Zealand, and maybe another album – if I have time. My future gig dates can be seen on my website: www.stevethew.com.au and www. reverbnation.com/stevethew.

When&Where: Odyssey Tavern – December 21 & 28 & Steampacket Stage, Waterfront – January 25 & 26.

VON STACHE Q&A

Things have been a little bit quiet in the Von Stache world, but she’s back with a vengance and a whole new sound. The synthesizer will no longer make an appearance at live sets and instead Von Stache has opted for a sparkly Gibson Flying V, killer.

Hi Von Stache, thanks for taking time to chat with Forte, how are you and what are you up to at the moment?

I am great – currently enjoying my morning coffee surrounded by dogs.

We understand it’s been about a year since you’ve performed a gig or done much with your music, why the break?

I think I was just in a bit of a rut.

I decided that I didn’t want to play any of my old songs anymore, and I didn’t want to perform in the same

way (playing synthesizer) so I started writing a new live set. I had some pretty gnarly writers block – it took a while.

Though you are coming back and launching an EP at the Boxing Day Slam at the Barwon Club (December 26), are you nervous at all performing after the break?

Surprisingly, no. I used to get so nervous about sucking or making mistakes, now I couldn’t care less.

That’s what makes gigs awesome. I’m just excited to get back out there and start playing.

There are also a few changes, mainly that you’ve ditched synthesizer for a Gibson Flying V, what sparked the change?

I only started playing Synth when I started “Von Stache” because I thought it would fit the music better.

I never really felt comfortable playing it – guitar has always been my main instrument. One day I jammed with guitar and everything just fell in to place. I find it so much more fun to play, and it makes the live show that much more different to my recordings, which is what I wanted.

We have seen a picture of the guitar as well and it is a beauty! Was it love at first sight or did you take a while to choose the right one?

I had no intentions of buying a new guitar at all. I was in the music shop buying a cable or something and when I was at the register the guy working was like, ‘Don’t wanna buy a flying V as well do you?” He pointed it out and I thought, ‘That would be so ridiculous and awesome at the same time’. I gave it a quick silver sparkly Von Stache custom make over, and now it is my pointy, string-faced baby. That music shop guy deserves a raise, that’s got to be the best up-sell ever.

As you’ve changed your style up a bit from what fans will be used to, how will the rest of the EP sound?

I couldn’t say just yet, I haven’t finished it. At the moment it looks to have more guitars and less programming.

For your set at Boxing Day Slam do you plan on pulling out any of the older tracks or will it be all newies?

All new, nothing from my first EP. Party times!

What are you most looking forward to about getting back on stage and performing your music?

Meeting new people, discovering new venues and having cider on the rider.

You did take a little break off, which everyone deserves, but what can we expect from you in the future?

I’m in the process of trying to book as many gigs as I can. So lots more gigs, more singles and more film clips.

Thanks again for chatting with Forte, is there anything you’d like to add before we finish up?

Come party at The Boxing Day Slam, grab a free six-track demo and see a gazillion bands for cheap. It will be awesome.

When&Where: Boxing Day Slam @ Barwon Club December 26.

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FROC K IT

T H E NIG H T V IBE Written by Tex Miller / thenightvibe.com.au

The New Years Get-Up

Now it’s Christmas time, that means it’s a time to celebrate.

Amidst all of the presents, the turkey and spending time with family, one of the other main aspects to Christmas is listening to music. Now there are two fine lines you can go down: you can go your traditional Christmas songs like ‘Away in a Manger’ and ‘Silent Night’ OR you could check out many other fantastic moments over the years by John Lennon, Slade or even Michael Buble’s Christmas album that was released in 2011.

Written by Jessica Alves

Surely we haven’t just gone through another 12 months. It feels like it was just last week that I was traipsing around a property that belonged to a friend of a friend, slightly tipsy in celebration of the arrival of the new year. Fast forward to today, and we’re ready to do it all over again – only this time we’re going to do it in style.

Both options are show stoppers, put together for the purpose of making a statement and would probably be best suited to a fancier New Year’s party. Option number one is the slightly more casual and arguably more comfortable option, as it involves pants.

If you’re planing on having a few to drink, pants are always a good idea as you eliminate the risk of face-planting and simultaneously flashing everyone – but maybe that’s just something I worry about.

If you’re not as clumsy as I am, this outfit would also look great paired with a leather skirt or a pair of loose (nondenim) shorts.

I feel as if I would be betraying myself if I didn’t somehow include sequins in at least one of the outfit options and – considering we are lucky enough to be experiencing summer this time of year – it would probably be best to go for something sleeveless, particularly if you do decide to opt for the pant. Personally,

I find that sequinned dresses can be quite difficult to wear, not to mention their tremendously scratchy and uncomfortable nature.

This is why I thought it best to wear a not-so-fitted sequinned top instead. You keep the glamour and New-Year’s-esque nature of the sequins without sacrificing comfort.

Pair this outfit with a black shoe to keep everything streamlined, and add whatever accessories go best with the colour scheme you’re working with.

If you’re more of a glamorous, plunging neck-line/backless dress type of gal, why not go all out? Particularly if you’re headed somewhere with guaranteed seating and minimal coldness. If you’re wearing a statement silhouette, it’s sometimes best if you then don’t go for a colour that might be too bright or obnoxious, as it can take away from the elegance of the dress.

Wearing a nude heel with this kind of dress will elongate the leg and make your pins look like they belong to a Victoria’s Secret model, and who doesn’t want that? Keep the accessories simple, and opt for either gold or silver jewellery.

The less colour you’re wearing, the better. In saying that, a red lip would look absolutely killer with this outfit, however if you’re planing on having a midnight smooch, you may want to re-think your lip colour and do a nude lip instead. Better yet, stick to a non-glossy balm and wear a smokey eye or winged eyeliner instead.

No matter where you’re going

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Growing up in a diverse musical household, when it came time for Christmas there wasn’t a big deal on going all out with the decorations and trimmings for the one day of the year. I think that this led to discovering great songs and some that have really stood the test of time. With my mother in love with the ‘60s folk sounds of artists such as Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez, as well as Crosby Stills and Nash, one of the most listened to albums of my childhood was Mitchell’s 1971 classic Blue. This is where we begin the list of my top three Christmas songs.

to be this holiday season and no matter what you’re wearing, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a magnificent New Year’s.

Instagram @jessicazalves youtube.com/msbonvivants

From the opening notes of ‘River’, you are transported into this world of escapism that Mitchell talks about. In the time of relationships going wrong, most prominately with Graham Nash (from Crosby Stills and Nash fame), Mitchell entered the studio to begin work on Blue. Today, it’s seen as a classic album and has stood the test

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of time, with ‘River’ being one of the most covered Mitchell songs of her back catalogue alongside ‘Both Sides Now’ and ‘Big Yellow Taxi’. Writing songs for a generation, 40 years ago, I’m sure you have heard one of Mitchell’s tracks around.

The opening melody of ‘Jingle Bells’ combined with the lyric of “It’s coming on Christmas/they’re cutting down trees/they’re putting up reindeer and singing songs of joy and peace” is so powerful that I get shivers down my spine today, even though I have heard the song countless times. One of the greatest covers of the song is by none other than Angus Stone. Included on the No Man’s Woman Compiliation, which features men covering classic songs by women – an honourable mention goes to Dan Kelly doing ‘Nothing Compares 2 u’ on Ukulele – Stone uses his beautiful natural falsetto to create a sorrowful version of the track. Blissful and spine-tingling none the less and definitely worth jumping on Youtube to check out. #2 comes courtesy of the late, great legend of John Lennon.

‘Happy Xmas (War is Over)’ still gets played to this day. The beautiful and perfect lyricism of Lennon, speaks out to many class divides and it is one that I’m sure you could gather your friends around at a Christmas party and belt out. From the very familiar opening of John singing while playing acoustic guitar, the whole band and choir

join in to create a very moving moment in music. Co written

by Yoko Ono, produced by Phil Spector, with the choir made up of the Harlem Community Choir – comprising 30 children aged between four to twelve years old – this is a Christmas song that I think gets airplay in nearly every household around the world. Put it on and sing along, it’s sure to bring the Christmas cheer.

The final Christmas song on my list is the classic ‘How to Make Gravy’ by Paul Kelly. I’m sure this one has gotten a lot of wear in households around the country. Telling the story of a man inside jail, Joe writes a letter to his brother Dan telling him about the sadness he feels that he’s not going to be there for Christmas. Featuring the all star Paul Kelly band, including Peter Luscombe and Ash Naylor from Even fame and most recently Dan Sultan’s offsider, this is the ultimate Christmas song. The storytelling is absolutely spot on, the guitar riff – although simple – is one that captures the sadness of the song and completes the narrative that Kelly has written.

Also, the song has a recipe for gravy, how many other songs do you know like that?

If you haven’t heard ‘How To Make Gravy’ check it out. It’s a Christmas classic and staple of Kelly’s live set both in December and throughout the rest of the year. Merry Christmas Forte readers and a safe new year, here’s to more awesome tunes in 2015.

ALSO JOAN ARMATRADING - DECEMBER TOUR TOURING ANGELIQUE KIDJO : THE BEAT : BETH HART

PRESENTS

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CHARLES BRADLEY : DAVE ALVIN & PHIL ALVIN WITH THE GUILTY ONES : DAVID GRAY : DISPATCH : GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC : THE GIPSY KINGS FEATURING NICOLAS REYES & TONINO BALIARDO : JAKE SHIMABUKURO : KEB’ MO’ : MAVIS STAPLES : SERENA RYDER : TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE

2 TONE SKA LEGENDS

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“THTHE MOIS COSTNCFUERN I HAVE BEEN TO IN A LONG TIME ” MUSIC

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LINE-UP THE ORIGINALTH EIR R FO RN TU RE TH TOUR!

20 ANNIVERSARY

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The Great Australian Beer Festival: The Ideal Xmas Gift!

Victoria’s premier showcase of craft beers and ciders returns to the Geelong Racecourse on Saturday February 21 and tickets make a great gift idea this Xmas. Brewers and beer lovers from Australia and beyond make the annual pilgrimage to the city by the bay to join with locals and experience first-hand what makes the Great Australian Beer Festival the most loved and unique beer fest around.

Step into a beer lovers paradise, the country’s biggest alfresco beer and cider garden. Wander through pop-up bars to sample over 200 Australian and international brews, visit stalls and stroll alleyways to discover surprising happenings, music, art and irresistible entertainment around each turn. Learn from the free seminars, lose yourself to the sounds of worldly music, taste some homebrews and visit the Instagram booth.

The idea is to drink, eat, socialise and be merry with plenty of opportunity to kick back and taste incredible beers and ciders. Immerse yourself in the colour of this iconic summer fest.

MUSIC LINEUP The Great Australian Beer Festival’s music and entertainment lineup features genres of music the world over. From the rhythms of the Caribbean, bluegrass & country to indie folk, jazz, funk, soul, even a touch of Celtic rock.

Nicky Bomba and friends will perform from his vast repertoire with upbeat rhythms of the Caribbean, covering the Calypso, early reggae and ska styles.

The Pierce Brothers have exploded as one of Australia’s must see up and coming live acts, selling

out shows pretty much everywhere they go. This is an act to watch as street buzz surrounding the band is exploding.

Australia’s hottest bluegrassers, the Davidson Brothers are fast becoming well known on the world stage for their high powered pickin’, fine vocal harmonies and classic humour. Having toured the United States, Europe and nationally, their outstanding ability

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to entertain has seen the highly awarded brothers recently release their seventh studio album Wanderlust and continue to lead the way for the new acoustic wave on the Australian music scene.

The Pheasant Pluckers have been treating audiences to their own unique brand of home grown original alt country bluegrass for a while now. Call it what you like, the music is unmistakably Australian, high energy and fresher than ever. These guys will go down a treat at the fest!

Step into Spyndrift’s carousel of cabaret. This highly theatrical quirky quartet Spyndrift play an intoxicating range of musical styles from dub-ska to circus-cabaret.

Dynamic musical performance complete with eccentric characters in lavish costumery.

Kelly Auty has honed her voice and performance

style into a passionate, graceful and dynamic experience and her tribute to the likes of Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Janis Joplin, Linda Ronstadt to name a few will surely be a highlight on the cabaret stage.

Other entertainment on the day features, Moulin Beige Mad capped characters performing cabaret and vaudeville with reckless abandon, featuring numbers, outrageous satire and hilarious improvisations.

Geelong’s all girl big band, the Sweethearts, make an appearance playing their fusion of styles based around classic soul. Also appearing are The Go Set Trio, Cat Sanzaro and Duke D’Jour, a 13-piece ukulele, double bass, banjo, guitar, sax, washboard and percussion, kazoo, harmonica and jug experience! There are also comedy acts and roving performers who engage and delight.

The festival runs from 11am through to 7pm and has a direct shuttle bus service running from South Geelong railway station during the event.

Put aside any assumptions that Germany rules the world of beer festivals and head to Geelong’s iconic Great Australian Beer Festival for this annual craft beer must attend event. Tickets on sale now. For more information visit: www.gabf.com.au

When & Where: Motor City Music Festival, Geelong Showgrounds – March 6-8

ELECTRIC MARY Written by Tex Miller

Electric Mary has just returned from touring Europe and, as you’d expect, they have some stories from their travels. Speaking to Rusty Brown, lead vocalist from the band, the jet lag is still present as we chat but the band has hit the ground running with gigs in Frankston and Ding Dong Lounge over the weekend. “It feels like I’m still in the Paris time zone mate. We arrived back late on Tuesday night and we’ve done three gigs since then. Alex caught something whilst on the tour I think, he just came in to play last night then went straight home when we finished. I hope it’s not Ebola,” Brown says.

Over the past few months the band has toured through Ireland, England, Wales, Spain, Corsica and France and played many sold out shows in places that have now become a home away from home for the group. In the lead up to the tour, the band were ambushed in rehearsals by the Terminator, as Brown explains.

“It’s not even me exaggerating. He was hammered, he was huge and he had the leather jacket on. He was quite a good-looking bloke on one side on his face but on

the other side, he looked like he lost an eye and his faced was a little caved in. He was mouthing off to us because we were foreigners. They threw him out but before he left, he went to the utensils draw and started to throw teaspoons at us. It wasn’t like he stabbed us with a bowie knife, he threw spoons at us as we left the pub,” he says.

The Last Great Hope is the latest EP from the band and has been racking up near perfect scores from all media outlets around Europe. One of the main

highlights to recording this time around was the involvement of Lachy Doley, who has played with Powderfinger and recently played alongside The Rolling Stones.

“It was so good we had to mix it back into the record. It made us sound a lot different and we knew that we wouldn’t be able to replicate that on stage.

So the choice was to make it as good as we could.

You can still hear him

on the record – his heart soul and fingers were completely all over that. I hope when we do the next record we can get him back – he’s a fantastic guy.

My favourite band of all time is Deep Purple and when he started playing I actually thought we sounded a lot like them,” Brown says.

Having toured the world and released three albums and a stack of EPs, when I asked Brown about how he sees the success of the band, it all comes down to being happy in that space and time. “Along the way, I’ve had the opportunity to become friends with Steven Van Zandt. We were at an after party of one of Springsteen’s Australian shows and Steve was brought over to me with Bruce and said that I was a bloody good songwriter. When I woke up the next morning I thought, I am in the game. If that guy thinks we’re great and will spread the word, then great.”

In March next year, the band is going to be heading to Geelong for the first time ever. On the line-up for Motor City Music Festival, Brown can’t wait to take to the main stage. “We’ve heard great things about Motor City and it’ll be our first gig down there. Look out Geelong, Electric Mary are on the way and we’re going to bring our full show.”

“ ...he threw spoons at us as we left the pub!”

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BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE Written by Amanda Sherring

Buffy Sainte-Marie is one well-travelled woman. Straight out of college she toured her music alone, penned the song ‘Up Where We Belong’ and became one of the key faces in a generation of activists.

“I like to see the world and I’m kind of a lifetime learner,” Buffy says. “I kind of got into show business by accident but I knew that I wanted to travel.”

“When I got out of college I just tried my luck at singing in Greenwich Village, but actually I was on my way to go to India to continue my studies. I had a major in oriental philosophy, so even before I started singing I had a teachers degree and a degree in oriental philosophy – so I was determined that I was going to see this world and to be able to see it as a musician is a real treat.”

“I’ve gotten to experience the changes and ripening of the whole world and the people in it, so it’s really been nice,” she says.

Her passion to fight for what’s right hasn’t left her with her increasing fame, and she continues to fight against GMO pesticide and fracking. While the landscape for activism has changed since the days of her media blacklisting in the ‘70s, there are still many challenges when going up against big industries.

“In the ‘60s it was only me, everyone else was at the civil rights photo-ops, but I was all by myself in Indian country. Even today Indigenous people are such a small population that we tend to be going up against huge corporations with small numbers,” she says.

“So in some ways of course things have gotten better, but in others it’s still really a challenge when you’re a small group trying to make changes that involve corporate money, which is such a big factor in the world today.”

Surprisingly, despite her achievements in the music industry, her activism and her stint on Sesame Street, setting up a scholarship fund in the ‘60s (the Nihewan Foundation) and seeing the results from past recipients is something she looks back upon.

“I found out maybe ten years ago that two of the people who were scholarship recipients from my foundation had gone on to become the presidents of tribal colleges and one of them founded a tribal college,

“I’ve gotten to experience the changes and ripening of the whole world and the people in it, so it’s really been nice.” so that was kind of a big smile on my face that nothing can top,” she beams.

“It wasn’t even me, but it’s so nice that you can do a nice thing for somebody else and they’ll take it on and maximise it in ways that you could never have dreamed.”

While it doesn’t seem like much can top something like that, Buffy is looking forward to revisiting the vastness of Australia, with our unique wildlife (as she tells me of her many trips to the zoo) and music festival WOMADelaide.

“At world music festivals like WOMADelaide, they always have bigger ears than concert goers who just hear the same type of music all the time. So we get a big response even though our songs are different from one another,” Buffy says.

With a new album on the way, there’s bound to be a few surprises in the live set, and the album, as Buffy assures me.

When & Where: WOMADelaide, Botanic Park, Adelaide – March 6-9 Brunswick Music Festival - March 4

MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS Written by Amanda Sherring

New Year’s Eve is always a memorable night, but for Midnight Juggernauts their performance at Falls Festival a few years ago topped the list for an unusual reason. “I remember one year when we played in Tasmania at Falls Festival, it was halfway during our set there was a massive storm that came in and they had to shut down the stage,” Andy Szekeres [bass/vocals] says.

“Then we came back on and after 25 minutes they decided it was safe to start the festival again. You know there were 15,000 people waiting for the music to come back and obviously everyone was ecstatic because the music was on and the night wasn’t over. There was lightning and thunder everywhere and part of me was thinking, I hope I survive and don’t get struck by lightning.”

It’s safe to say the band survived the storm and continued on to celebrate their 10th Anniversary with a Melbourne show in November this year. “It was amazing – it’s kind of surreal and weird thinking that we have been playing for ten years,” he says.

“We had a lot of fun playing in our home town and we were so happy to see all these people who have come from our past and it literally felt like a birthday celebration, or it was more like a marriage 10th anniversary kind of celebration I think.”

Instead of celebrating just in the traditional sense, Midnight Juggernauts have come out with a new EP,

with all proceeds going towards the Aboriginal Benefits Foundation.

The contact came via drummer Daniel Stricker but it was something the band had been thinking of for a while.

“We had the idea that with our 10th anniversary, instead of just doing a traditional release and going down the normal path the idea of also donating to some charity that we all really believe in would be a good idea,” he says.

“So we’ve kind of met with those guys and it came together really easily. They were really into the idea of a cross collaboration between us and them. A lot of people have got behind the idea and we’ve had quite a few donations and it’s been really good for those guys.”

When & Where: Beyond the Valley, Phillip Island – December 30-January 1 Release: AERIALS EP out now

Redirecting EP profits to a charity is just one of the many new concepts created this year with a new experimental audio/visual electronic set AERIALS also added to their live shows.

“It was an interesting idea that we created just from having a really different perspective on life. We really brought it back to the visual idea of looking at things from an above or below perspective and how

interesting different elements look, whether it’s looking at landscapes or microscopic elements. It was such an interesting visual idea, that at times you couldn’t really tell what perspective you were looking at,” Andy says.

With a new electronic sound to match the new look, the next decade looks to be a series of firsts and constant development from the trio. And they’ll be bringing in 2015 through the best possible way: playing their new

music at the inaugural Beyond the Valley festival on Phillip Island. Let’s hope this time they’re blessed with better weather.

memory of telling his parents that he wanted to be a DJ. “It was a bit of a leap of faith! To imagine your kid having a career as a DJ was a bit out of the ordinary for my family – but I’m so lucky to have such a supportive family, and all my friends loved the music I was making.

“I will admit that my parents were worried it would all become too much, and there were times I wanted to give it all up. But I didn’t and that’s thanks to the support of my family and friends.”

Success may not be possible without support of family and friends – but Robbie says it’s also important to be careful who you work with. “I only started working with a management company [At Night Management alongside Throttle fan Avicii] in the past year or so. A lot of people seem to sign on the dotted line very quickly, but it was important to me to hold off for two or three years until I was sure these were the guys that I wanted to work with. So in 10 years’ time I’ll still be churning out

music and making waves in the industry.”

THROTTLE Written by Natalie Rogers

If there was a better time to catch up with EDM wonder kid Throttle than at Schoolies Week 2014, I’d like to hear it! We sat down with the Launchpad prodigy, AKA Robbie Bergin, who despite feeling a little dusty, has his feet firmly planted on the ground and his eye on the prize.

“You’ll just have to excuse my voice – I’m in Byron Bay for Schoolies,” he said, sounding a little gruff.

“Unfortunately I lost my voice on day one and I haven’t got it back yet. To tell you the truth, I’m pretty worn out already.”

“Good practice for the future,” I say. “You’ll be in for a lot of late nights in your chosen career.”

“Definitely!” he smiled. “I can’t wait to start touring.

I’m playing Future Summer ‘15 in February and March.

It’s my first big tour as Throttle really – although I did a few shows earlier this year supporting Avicii.”

The transition from school kid to sharing the stage with one of the biggest names in the industry was a smooth one for Robbie – he’s a professional at the ripe old age of 18. “I’ve been playing house parties for years but I’ve held off touring because I’ve been concentrating on finishing school all year. I simply didn’t have a lot of time, but also because I didn’t want to burn out in the local scene.”

Burnt out at 18? That’s a scary prospect. “I don’t mean physically burnt out,” he explained grinning. “It’s

a really saturated market at the moment down in Melbourne and it’s quite easy to burn yourself out or for people to lose interest in you very quickly, unless you have a tonne of music.”

Expanding his repertoire is number one on his agenda this summer. “I want most of my set to be my own content – that’s definitely the plan. I’m scheduled to play for an hour at Future and I want my own music to be the focus.”

Robbie says he remembers always wanting to make music and saving up for his first electric guitar when he was 10. From there he learned the piano and keyboard, and before long he noticed he had a flare for electronic music production.

He laughs at the

When & Where: Future Music Festival, Flemington Racecourse – March 8, 2015

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HERMITUDE Written by Natalie Rogers

The guys behind Hermitude, Luke Dubs and Elgusto, continue to make solitude sound cool thanks to their silky-smooth remix of Kite String Tangle’s latest single ‘Stone Cold’. But that’s not all they’ve been up to. I sat down with Elgusto recently to find out more about their upcoming LP and get the low-down on the chilled out pair’s plans for the summer.

“We’re so close to finishing the new record,” Elgusto announced proudly. We’re in that last section of the marathon – we’ve just gotta push forth and complete the beast.”

“It’s a really exciting time because the songs we’ve nurtured for so long are finally coming together. Instead of just being a bunch of ideas, they get their own personality and we can start to understand where they’re going to sit on the record and how it will sound as a finished product.”

This forthcoming release is the highly anticipated follow-up to their 2012 breakthrough album Hyperparadise. “On the back of that release we’ve had so many amazing opportunities – Luke and I have been so fortunate. We’ve definitely been enjoying the ride, that’s for sure. We’ve been around for a little while now and in that time we’ve seen changes in the scene, but to be a part of it all has been fantastic.”

Elgusto makes it clear that the building blocks of Hermitude’s success is their presence on the touring

circuit. “We’ve been pretty much touring non stop since Hyperparadise dropped – and a lot of those crazy, fun experiences are reflected in the tracks.”

Hermitude recently completed a whirl-wind tour of North America with good buddies Rufus.

All documented in an online tour diary, it feels as though you’re along for the ride as the guys play to sold-out venues, meet some incredible characters and discover some mouthwateringly good local food – all washed down with enough alcohol to make the whole trip seem like a beautiful dream.

“There’s definitely a bunch of songs influenced by our on-tour antics,” Elgusto laughed. “Though we realised that we needed some nice downtempo tunes and a couple

of songs you can put on when you’re driving or chilling at home. We think there’s a nice mix.”

For now we’ll have to take their word for it, as the guys plan to keep us sweating on it just a little longer.

“No, I can’t share the title just yet,” he says coyly. “But I can tell you that the plan is to drop the record in the first quarter of next year. It’s pretty exciting – Luke and I can’t wait!”

In the meantime you can get your Hermitude fix

when they take to the stage at Phillip Island’s biggest New Year’s Eve party, Beyond the Valley. “We’re super excited! Phillip Island is an amazing spot. The line-up is hectic – as soon as I saw who was playing I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be fun!’.

“Aluna George is definitely on the list to see. Danny Brown is going to be super fun! Kaytranada, All Day, Husky,Vance Joy is there, Banoffee, Bag Raiders and our mates from Rufus. When we finished up the US tour with

them, we were like, ‘See you guys at Beyond the Valley’ it’s going to be mad!”

When & Where: Beyond the Valley, Phillip Island December 29–January 1

25th Annual Boite Singers’ Festival One of the markers of the Boite’s annual Singers’ Festival in the beautiful spa town of Daylesford is the charming mix of new and familiar musicians and singers who populate the area for the second weekend in January. Twentyfive years ago, singer Fay White was a key driver behind the Boite organisers in setting up the first of these Festivals of Singing. In 2015 Fay returns to lead a workshop exploring some aspects of group singing that have come to light through her own project of Vocal Noshing!

Workshop based, the Singers’ Festival provides participants with opportunities to learn a wide range of songs and vocal styles from tutors who are all practising artists. The evening showcase concerts are open to the public as well as to weekend ticket holders.

In 2015 the Thursday night opening event will be a Georgian Supra, a meal punctuated by formal, sung toasts, led by Georgian ethnomusicologist Joseph Jordania. Appearing for the first time at the Singers’ Festival will be Colombian Singer and songwriter Rose Paez. When Rose struck her guiro, in a concert of Cumbia for the Timor-Leste community in mid2014, the entire room of listeners leapt to their feet, so compelling was her rhythm.

Another new face for the festival, songwriter John Flanagan, freshly returned from an award winning tour of Nashville in the States will pull together a pop choir. From new, six piece Jazz ensemble the Furbelows, come three singers; Kelsey, Lisa and Georgie. At the

25th Singers’ Festival they work as a trio, offering close harmonies and hot swing guitar playing. Darren Wicks, vocalist, jazz pianist, choral director, and voice teacher, will lead workshops for singers who are keen to develop their vocal technique.

Returning artists include Mutti Mutti man, Kutcha Edwards – who was an imposing presence at the festival in 2014 – Senegalese traditional performer and griot, Lamine Sonko, local songwriter and bassist, Liz Frencham and many more.

The grand, Victorian Daylesford Town Hall, is the Festival hub. A splendid space for singing, it will ring with voices throughout the weekend. Local church and community halls provide other workshop venues and in this 25th Celebration, the Silver Streak vintage train will host a moving feast of songs and scones. Mal Webb and the Furbelows Singers teaching and entertaining as you ride. If the inertia of an Australian Summer overwhelms, inserting a memorable weekend of singing in the middle is the perfect antidote.

On Thursday 8th of January a Supra will be held. A Supra is an important event in Georgian culture. It is an evening of toasting, singing, eating and celebrating.

The toasts celebrate the richest aspects of life – so often forgotten in our customer focused consumer world. The Tamada, (toastmaster) Joseph Jordania will invite those present to propose toasts, with a little warning of course.

Each toast is followed by an appropriate song. Some will be sung by Georgian song specialists Gorani and others by choirs present at the dinner, tickets are $60 and includes banquet and BYO drinks.

For more information visit www.boite.com.au.

Georgie Darvidis When & Where: Daylesford Town Hall, Daylesford - January 8-11

rave radio Q&A

If you’re not familiar with the dynamic electro duo that is Rave Radio, you’re about to, as they’ll be helping you bring in the New Year at Homehouse – chances are they’re going to get quite familiar with you too. We had a chat with the group fresh from two weeks of Schoolies shows, their warm-up for New Year’s.

Hello Guys, thanks for taking the time to chat to Forte Magazine, where abouts are you are now?

We are now back at the Gold Coast for Christmas – just returned from USA & Brazil tour.

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

We play very loud music and jump around for a living.

Last year, things took a step up for you guys on the back of Make It Rain, and now you’re rocking festivals and touring the country, that must be a great feeling.

Was this what you set out to do with your music?

Make It Rain is actually one of our first releases when we started the project. We have had a tonne of new music since then. We have always set out for the goal for everyone to want to hear our music and fall in love with it from their first listen.

You are coming off doing Stereosonic I believe? How was that for you guys in 2014, it must always be a big week or two?

Yeah Stereosonic combined with two weeks of

Schoolies shows was one hell of fortnight and defiantly has to be one of our funnest times of the year. The crowds are just up for it so much more.

If you were to define your style of music, beyond ‘electro’, how would you explain what people can expect from Rave Radio tracks?

At the moment we’re writing all sorts of tracks covering many different genres – lets just say 2015 is going to be a HUGE year on the music front for us.

The way in which we consume your genre of music has changed a lot over the last couple of years, what’s the best way to check out your tunes?

For us we have always found iTunes or Soundcloud to be the best platform to hear our music.

When & Where: Homehouse, Geelong – December 31

Does any thought go into where you guys play NYE, I imagine it’s an extra special night?

Always, it’s one of the biggest shows of the year so we always make sure we are bringing a brand new experience for our fans.

You have played all around Australia so how does Geelong compare when it comes to partying during sets?

I have to be completely honest here and say some of

our craziest shows have been at Home House, that place is always electric and up for the drop.

Do you guys like to let your hair down after shows?

Should punters be coming up to you with invites to the after party on NYE, or is it straight back to the hotel for shower and bed?

We are always down to party and love meeting new people every week, so don’t be shy come up and say hello

and who knows where the night will lead us.

Anything you would like to add?

Yes, we both love the Geelong Cats!

forte 51

52 forte

Forte Columns

le monde entier Written by Madelin Baldwin lemondeentier.net

I always thought that once you were pregnant, no travel insurance would cover you. Not just for anything baby related, but in general. I’m not quite sure where I even got that idea from (because hey, that sucks), but now that I am pregnant I have one of those nifty apps that tell you all sorts of things. Like if your baby is the size of a corn cob or a mango, when it’s ears start moving to the front of it’s head and whether or not you should go to the dentist (yes, is the answer of course). But it also has a little forum section where you can join and chat to other women at the same stage as you and ask all sorts of questions.

Late the other night when I couldn’t sleep (a corn cob sized baby laying on your bladder and all), I found one about travel insurance and clicked on it immediately to share all of my wisdom pearls about how you’re not covered and to get off that plane, go home, and stay as safe as you can. Well I was certainly surprised (and yes, sceptical) when I saw women sharing information about different companies who do in fact cover you while you’re pregnant and travelling, so I jumped online myself to have a look.

A lot of companies actually do cover you for most things – anything that happens to you that’s not pregnancy related is covered.

But also, unexpected pregnancy complications that arise while you’re away are also covered. Each company has different stages it will cover you until, for example my own insurer Covermore covers mums up to 26 weeks. This is generally around the time that you are recommended to stop flying internationally anyway. Some insurers will actually cover you until 32 weeks, and InsureandGo cover you until you’re full term!

Now, these covers all differ and it’s incredibly important to have a look around, read the super fine print and check if you need to pay any premiums to be covered.

Sometimes you’ll have to fill in medical forms and, depending on how far along you are, a doctor may need to provide a note as well.

It’s also really important to note that although a lot of these insurers state that they cover ‘unexpected medical complications’, like Toxaemia, Pre-eclampsia and Placenta Praevia – they will also more often than not state that they do not cover the costs of the birth and of the health of the newborn. It’s also important to check if you’re travelling by air, as to what the airlines rules are.

As if you’re travelling past their recommended date of pregnancy, you’re insurer can deny your claims as well.

If you’re unsure, make sure to call the provider and have them go through the fine details with you to avoid any complications or huge bills. Pregnancy shouldn’t stop you travelling, but always use your common sense!

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

Well, it’s getting towards the end of the year and you all know what that means – it’s festival time, and Xmas party time.

I know many of us kicked on at Queenscliff, but that’s only the taster.

As any blues follower knows, the Bluestone Festival is on the way, but enough of that here, there’s info on that elsewhere in Forte and on the Sleepy Hollow Blues Club website (just Google it!).

But, Xmas party time is definitely here. Just to make sure they don’t relax in any way, as well as the Bluestone Festival on the New Year, the SHBC is hosting an Xmas party on December 14 at Trades Hall.

Headliners, Miss Lizzy & The Night Owls, are a racy sextet with a sound that is sassy, soulful, corrupting and evocative of yesteryear.

Elizabeth “Miss Lizzy” McFarlane takes the lead vocals, with Cam “Fats” Fallaw on keys, Liam “Lightnin’” Hopkins on electric guitar, Jordan “Tom Tom” Scotney on drums, Glen “Nickname still pending” Impey on bass and Sean “Wailin’ Smithers” Vagg on saxophone.

Their developing style has picked up influences from James Brown, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Etta James, Aretha Franklin & The Rolling Stones. They list their interests as doing the Watusi, the Fly, the Twist, the Monkey, the Mess Around and the Boogaloo!

Miss Lizzy & The Night Owls should bring a lively finish to a year of excellent gigs at Sleepy Hollow.

But the summer holidays are not all fun for parents.

The Blues Boot Camp is an excellent outlet for your budding young “Geoffs” and “Chubbys” to get some diversion under the tutelage of some of the best blues artists we have on offer.

This will be the fifth year of the Blues Boot Camp, ably organised by internationally known Geelong bluesman Wayne Jury. The Camp is for students 12 – 25 years.

Through the Blues Boot Camp, participants will gain a basic understanding of the mechanics of blues and gospel forms of music as well as practical ways to apply this knowledge to modern forms of music.

It has been argued that the ‘blues form’ is the basis for all styles of contemporary western music – pop, rock, rap, hip-hop, jazz, soul and funk, their roots are traced back to West African Tribal music.

The communal, “call and response” influence of West African Tribal music is vast and significant and therefore worth understanding its application to contemporary music.

The tutors are some of Australia’s finest musicians: Sarah Carroll, Tim Neal, Michael Pollitt, Kelly Auty, Chris Wilson and Dave Robertson.

At the end of the Camp, the participants present a group performance where their newly honed skills are on display.

“There is nothing like watching someone who has worked their butt off for two days stand up on stage and give it their best, then there are the looks on their family and friends faces,” says organiser Wayne.

For more information and to register visit www.bluesbootcamp. waynejury.com.au

PULP

too heavy to hug

pop culture

Written by Alastair McGibbon

Written by Paul S Taylor

Written by Anthony Morris

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

Let’s wrap up the final Forte issue on 2014 by concluding THTH’s annual Top5 of 2014 countdown.

5: Triptykon – Melana Chasmata 4: Boris The Blade – The Human Hive 3: Primordial – Where Greater Men Have Fallen A Primordial album is more then a handful of songs – it’s a portal that sucks you right into the centre of a tale set in a nondescript Irish town. It’s the middle of the night in the pouring winter rain, the wet wooden buildings shining in the moonlight, mud underfoot, horses neighing, clopping and splashing in the background, your breath floating in front of you as you shiver with arms crossed in front of you. You walk into the pub to escape the elements, a fire cracks and pops in the back corner, men sit on stools with their wooden goblets of mead, some talking, some shouting, laughing, some threatening, all ready to be called to battle, called to save their families or called to celebrate a liberation or conquering.

Every song tells an epic tale and its context, its history and its future while inspiring singing along or fist pumping in the air to the beat and the strums of the guitars – depending on what the tale needs. Our poetic guide sings and calls above the music and steers us through the tale, sometimes showing, sometimes grabbing by the arm and dragging us – but always warm even in the middle of the winter rain.

For a long time Primordial have owned the underground folk-metal scene but with each album they have dug their way up towards the light provided by the morning sun.

2: Voices – London If you’ve never been to London but heard it’s a bit of a shit hole, and never understood why, then take a guided tour through the citys filthy ratholes infested with the sort of human scum that only through the eyes of former Akercocke member’s new group, Voices, will you see as beautiful and serene, naïve and chaotic.

Voices not only show us what our hero or anti-hero, depending on how you look at him, sees and does but they take us deep into his psyche – a place even more polluted and stained than the ancient buildings of the surrounding city. A place where anxiety and fear coexist between graffitied primal necessity and obligation for survival.

1: Solstafir – Otta The stars definitely aligned yet again for the Icelandic post-metal outfit when they wrote and recorded Otta, their fifth studio album. This is a deeply rich, colourful and textured outing full of soul, melancholy, hope and beauty delivered with a mix of crooning and rough singing, haunting and shimmering guitars, transcendently dark and lusciously light keys all nestled atop the pounding bass and drum lines.

This masterpiece is a testament to the breadth of pure emotion that can be conveyed with subtlety, grace, passion and intelligence then committed to tape where it all flows and floats and encapsulates the listener within it.

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

The only thing worse than Christmas television is... well, Christmas television. By which I mean that if it wasn’t bad enough that Pay TV scooped up all the quirky and not quite right shows from overseas that once made the non-ratings period the best TV time of the year and left free-to-air viewers with the hunks o’ junk currently clogging up our screens, the only new and original local programming we get at this time of year has to come with a big shiny Christmas bow around it.

Remember when we used to get a Spicks & Specks Christmas special?

Remember Spicks & Specks full stop? And what about ye olde Panel Christmas wrap? This Christmas night tradition appears seemingly at random whenever Ten forgets to lock the studio doors, so it may even be back this year to remind us exactly why they don’t do The Panel on a regular basis any more (short version: it’s radio with pictures, only the pictures are kind of boring and the radio side of things isn’t that crash hot either).

That just leaves the various Christmas Carol programs – Seven’s one is usually from Melbourne, Nine’s is from Sydney – with their tried and tested formula of crowdpleasing carols and z-grade celebrities desperately trying to keep their careers going. It’s a constant puzzle as to why the networks bother staging the Carol shows year after year: surely they could compile a ‘best-of ’ from the last decade and just run that? Especially as the Christmas festivities manage to mask the stench of sleaze and failure that would otherwise hang off many of the try-hard and failed cast members and make tuning in each year a true showbiz event instead of simply a series of plastic performances. The trouble with all these shows is that Christmas isn’t a holiday television can work with: it’s the one time of year when people really do feel like turning away from the set, and having it whining “look at me” in an attempt to keep viewers doesn’t look all that good. Every other art form has managed to use Christmas to good effect, from Christmas carols to Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to movies ranging from Miracle on 42nd Street to Bad Santa. But television just churns out sappy holiday specials and lame Christmas episodes of your favourite sitcoms and this year we’re not even getting much of that. Exactly why television can’t get a grip on Christmas is a bit of a puzzle.

Perhaps if Working Dog had sat down and put some serious effort into a Christmas show they’d have cracked the puzzle. Or at least put on a Christmas themed episode of Have You Been Paying Attention.

But more likely they knew what most of us already know: that whatever Christmas is about, television doesn’t really have much of a place there. If you’ve got your family and friends around, you’ll want to spent time with them – even if it’s just slumped on the couch staring at nothing; if you don’t, why would you want to watch something that reminded you of a holiday that’s not much fun alone?

So here’s the thing: as much as I try, I can never really escape Batman.

It’s definitely not easy – after all, he is arguably the most famous superhero around – but you’d think with the huge pile of content out there that I’d be able to stay away from Gotham’s first and foremost protector for a while, right? Well, it seems I can’t. As it stands, I can’t fully escape, but I can go a little off centre. That’s a bit better, surely? No? Well, I’m talking about it anyway.

I had the pleasure of visiting All Star Comics in Melbourne this week (congrats again on the Eisner award, guys!), and decided to try to track down some stories relating to the Robin of my childhood, Tim Drake. Tim has fascinated me as a character for a while now – hell, even Ra’s al Ghul respects him – and I’ve never felt like the New 52 has done anything noteworthy with the character. As a result, I figured I’d take a look at some of his Pre-Flashpoint adventures, and picked up Robin: The Big Leagues, written by Adam Beechen (Justice League Unlimited) and drawn by Freddie E. Williams (The Flash). The Big Leagues is a trade paperback of a bunch of issues of the standalone Robin series that ran from 1993 to 2009, and while this collection doesn’t feature a superengaging story, it’s still a good read.

Being a Robin trade, it’s inevitable that ol’ Batsy will show up and brood all over the place – and he does do a bit of that – but I was quite pleased with how Beechen handled Batman’s appearances. Batman shows up sporadically throughout the trade, and unlike a lot of his appearances these days, he actually acts like a human

being, supporting and encouraging Tim when he needs it, and being understanding of Tim’s need to balance his superheroic exploits with a normal life. As you would expect of a character like Batman, he has a tendency to take over any story he appears in, but Beechen was able to limit that influence while still showing off the best of the Batman/ Robin relationship.

The story itself is interesting, if not particularly noteworthy – a teleporting teenager called Dodge wants to join Robin in his mission to protect Gotham. Due to the kid’s inexperience, Robin refuses to train him, prompting Dodge to try to prove himself to the Teen Wonder by – wait for it – taking him down with the help of a team of metahuman criminals. Great logic, right? The story got a bit messy in places, but it was the interaction between Bruce and Tim that really made the story for me. The last few pages in particular stood out – after a particularly harrowing experience, Tim visits his father’s grave, and swears that he’ll fight on through the pain to protect the people he loves. To be honest, those pages are the best part of the book, because it’s a damn good summary of why this particular Robin has chosen to do what he does.

If you hadn’t picked it up by now, The Big Leagues is a bit “meh”. It’s not terrible by any means, but it’s not going to exactly jump out and grab you. It’s fairly standard superhero fare, topped off with a bit of Batfamily love. It’s not going to make any bestseller lists any time soon, but if you’re a Tim Drake fan it’s worth a read.

PUNK!

hair varieties!) so I’m gonna give you all the skinny on another killer festival coming up overseas: The Sweden Rock festival, taking place over two days in June. Def Leppard, Mötley Crue, Toto, Hammerfall, Judas Priest, Slash, D.A.D. (Disneyland After Dark), Nuclear Assault and Backyard Babies are heading up the bill, alongside Aussie favourites Airbourne and Electric Mary.

Hopes Abandoned will be announcing farewell shows for Melbourne and Geelong in the new year.

Wollongong punk rockers, Mangrove Jack, are heading to Indonesia for a run of shows in 2015!

Suburgatory, quite possibly the best thing to happen to television in a really, really long time, hasn’t been renewed for a fourth season as expected. Boo-urns. If you haven’t seen it, it’s kind of like the best bits of Daria, GCB and Mean Girls, all rolled into one.

Weird to think we won’t be getting a Big Day Out in 2015, no matter HOW epic Soundwave is shaping up to be.

How epic? Well, the second round of bands has been announced, and there’s a few interesting additions! Bayside, a personal favourite of mine, have made it, as have Fucked Up, Dragonforce, The Wonder Years, Evergreen Terrace and supergroup Killer Be Killed (I wonder if they know that their name should probably be Kill Or Be Killed).

I’m seriously over stupid band names.

Like fellow additions Lower Than Atlantis (really?) and The Devil Wears Prada.

And just like that, we’re done for another issue, Merry Christmas!

Written by Christopher Cruz

Holy moley, it’s Christmas already!

WTF? Where has the year gone?

So many fantastic albums and tours it’s hard to narrow it down, but Hits & Pits was pretty spectacular.

Unwritten Law, The Casualties and Face To Face on one bill? We’ll never see that again, literally. There won’t ever be another Hits & Pits (due to behind the scenes disputes).

Bummer! NOFX at the Barwon Heads Hotel last month was another definite highlight. No particular stand-out records for me this year, as everything seemed to sound like the same old, same old, but hey, you can’t have everything!

Rancid, Refused and the Dropkick Murphys are set to headline the next Punk Rock Bowling extravaganza in Las Vegas next year. Too much fun, even if it WASN’T in Las Vegas!

Just as much fun WITHOUT being in Las Vegas is the Groezrock festival in Belgium in May. The lineup so far is MENTAL, get this; Social Distortion, Refused, Bane, Lagwagon, Cancer Bats, Such Gold, Agnostic Front, Millencolin, Against Me, Comeback Kid, Teenage Bottlerocket, Atreyu, Trash Talk and Frenzal Rhomb! And that’s just for starters!

QLD grunge/funk/punk favourites The Unprettier recently spent some quality time in the studio, working on their forthcoming album.

Many punk rockers also appreciate metal (especially of the thrash and

forte 53

Refining the Palette

GEELONG’S COUP – BOOK NOW FOR NEXT YEAR!

GLOBE TO GLOBE - HAMLET

David Bowers

By William Shakespeare Geelong makes history when Shakespeare’s Globe arrives as part of their mammoth two-year global tour of Hamlet.

Written by Jessica Alves

There aren’t many people who can say that they’re an artist, and be talking about both visual art and musical art. Geelong grown David Bowers has been creating in both areas for over 20 years, beginning with his art/ surf label, Umgawa, which he founded in 1992.

“Umgawa probably was the starting point if I think about it,” David says, pondering a time when it all started. “I suppose that was really the first outlet for my own freedom of expression.”

Through this outlet, he caught the eye of the head of Mambo, Dare Jennings, from which a very fruitful relationship was born.

Inspired by the vibrant colours and designs of Mambo, he went on to begin a solo exhibition at his friend Mario’s cafe.

“My first shows at Mario’s were all my Mambo work,” David says, thankful of his experiences with Mambo.

The exhibition saw the

sale of every painting, which has continued to trend well into his current and tenth year in a row of exhibitions at Mario’s.

“Mario has always had a really good reputation for showing good art,” David says, expressing his appreciation. “To be asked back again every year is a bit of an honour.”

“After that exhibition and when I ran out of work to show,” David explains.

“I was struck with the challenge of filling the walls of the gallery with some art.” With colourful pop-art Andy Warhol style artworks, ranging through multiple different mediums, David finds his inspiration in everything.

“Last year I did an entire exhibition on road repairs. The year before that I did a whole lot of paintings of icy poles, but in the style of iconic images,” he says.

As well as his exhibitions at Mario’s, he has exhibited his work all over the world, across Europe, Asia and the USA. David is also artistically talented with music as well. Having played in a few bands; The Nubiles, Mr Universe and The Stone Cold Boners.

He is currently half way through a recording under an alter ego, Eugene Hamilton.

“I’ve been doing Eugene for a long, long time now.

He sort of came from The Stone Cold Boners.

I guess he’s a part of my personality, that loves dressing up and pretending

to be somebody else,” David says.

David describes Eugene Hamilton as “a camp cabaret fun character.”

In this release, we’ll hear covers of Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncè, Frank Sinatra and more, with a Eugene Hamilton twist that David says “turns the songs on their heads.”

If you ever happen to be on Brunswick street with a few hours to kill, Mario’s is open 7 days a week and is a convenient spot to find some great art, David Bowers included. Whether it’s his upcoming exhibitions or new music releases, David Bowers is striving for success in the most exciting and creative ways.

WHERE & WHEN: Manos

Cafe, Fitzroy – until 12 January.

and her relationship with an American soldier during the Vietnam War in the 1970s. In the midst of the darkness of war this unlikely romance blossoms giving birth to a child, however it is the ultimate sacrifice of a mother for her child that forms the central theme of this musical.

The story is timeless, the music is breath-taking, the journey is captivating.

BOOK TIX NOW FOR….

The helicopter will descend and the landing lights will blaze in Geelong in January 2015. Don’t miss!

MISS SAIGON

WHERE: GPAC. 50 Little Malop Street, Geelong.

From Footlight Productions, the company who most recently staged Les Miserables and My Fair Lady, comes their most extraordinary challenge yet - Miss Saigon.

WHEN: 23 January – 7 February.

Miss Saigon tells the tragic tale of a young Asian woman

54 forte

INFO: www.gpac.org.au

Marking the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, the London-based company has embarked on an unprecedented theatrical adventure, taking Hamlet to every country in the world, from village squares to national theatres, beaches to palaces. The cast of 12 will travel by boat, sleeper train, jeep, tall ship, bus and airplane across the seven continents – entering Australia from East Timor.

Hamlet was selected because it is considered the most all-encompassing of Shakespeare’s plays, exploring universal themes of love, grief, madness, revenge, friendship and death.

Shakespeare’s Globe is one of the greatest interpreters of Shakespeare. The production moves like the wind with a focus on language and storytelling.

Globe to Globe - Hamlet is told the way Shakespeare intended.

WHERE: Deakin’s Costa Hall. 1 Gheringhap Street,

Geelong.

WHEN: 28 & 29 May 2015 INFO: www.gpac.org.au

Show was hosted, for the first time, by Apollo Bay Arts Inc. Few changes have been made to the successful format of the show apart from a greater emphasis on encouraging entries from local artists.

38th APOLLO BAY ANNUAL SUMMER ART SHOW The Apollo Bay Annual Summer Art Show is all about showcasing the work of local and regional artists. Established and successfully managed for 33 years by the Apollo Bay & District Historical Society, the 34th Art

Both traditional and contemporary styles are featured. Mediums include: oil, acrylic, watercolour, pastel, charcoal, pencil and printmaking. All works are for sale.

WHERE: Catholic Church

Hall, Trafalgar Street, Apollo Bay.

‘CURSED’ ZOMBIE OUTBREAK Luanda the witch has cast a spell over Kryal Castle deeming all inhabitants to suffer from starvation. Yet those who fall, stay cold for only a short while, rise again with a hunger of flesh. Search the Castle and solve riddles to make the antidote. Stay clear of the cursed as they will infect any and all survivors who dwell too long.

The flesh is their favour so save your own skin. Are you brave enough?

WHEN: 26 December – 4

January.

Recommended ages 16 and up. Patrons 15 and under must bring a guardian.

INFO: www.apollobay.

WHERE: Kryal Castle. 121 Forbes Road, Leigh Creek.

com/arts

WHEN: 10 January.

INFO: www.kryalcastle.com.au

Talkin’ ‘Bout Geelong Maybe you’ve seen it around, maybe you haven’t, either way there’s a book all about Geelong on the shelves of your local bookstore. The book titled, Geelong: In Our Own Words, shares 32 different perspectives from prolific people connected to the Geelong community.

Featuring interviews with Guy Pearce, Sam Newman and Darryn Lyons - to name a few - it gives a new insight into the town from fresh eyes.

Refining the Palette

LYONS’ VIEW – the Mayor’s Choice

Kardinia International, Year 12 Beethoven is for Midnight, Henry Caldwell.

Coming Off Tops: Odyssey Film Festival Winners Written by Amanda Sherring

Choosing a winner for anything is hard, and that process isn’t made any easier when it comes to short films created by VCE students. What one film may lack in technique, it may more than make up for in the story line. Though regardless of how hard choosing a winner is, two were picked from this year’s films screened at the Odyssey Film Festival.

After three nights screening the 18 films to audiences in the Geelong region, the final two winners were announced on the last night at Village Cinemas in Geelong. The winner of audience favourite, as voted by the app created

by Chris McDermott, was The Cone Wars by Sam Olorenshaw.

Essentially the short film is an animated film about two orange traffic cones, the idea sparked by a typo into a Google search bar while researching other films. “I searched for images of The Clone Wars animated TV show – as the computer generated style of that show I quite like,” says Sam. “However I unintentionally typed The Cone Wars in Google instead, followed by Google asking me if I made a mistake. Just as I thought, ‘Yeah whoops’ I thought to myself for a moment, was it a mistake? I searched for some pictures of cartoony

cones, with hardly any results, so I knew that this wasn’t an idea done before.”

In a similar fashion Henry Caldwell – winner for best film for Beethoven is For Midnight – scoured his personal knowledge and other sources for what he loved about his favourite films. His search ended in his decision to move away from traditional story telling in films and to do so via Fellini, Tarkovsky and his own interests.

It’s an ambitious idea for a year 12 student, but it more than paid off.

“I wanted to try to do what my favourite filmmakers have done, which is to express something that only a film can express,” says Henry.

A few of the films that inspired Beethoven is For Midnight– and ones Henry loves in general – are Meshes of the Afternoon(1943), F is for Fake(1973) and Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors(1965).

With both holding such a passion for movies, Sam often enjoys watching Pixar films, it was only natural that they would enter the competition for its second year.

For many young and aspiring filmmakers one of the greatest moments is seeing your film up on the big screen, and while neither Sam or Henry are set on filmmaking as of yet as a career, Sam still got quite a buzz from having his film screened – or more accurately how the audience reacted.

“At first the entire cinema was quiet – with some whispers coming from people not knowing what to expect from it. Then one of the traffic cones started talking and people laughed a little,” says Sam. “Then as time went on the laughter became louder and louder and the credits rolled and there was a really loud applause. For those six minutes and 47 seconds, what I made on my little laptop made an entire cinema go ‘Awww’ in the sad scenes, and laugh and laugh for the rest. So as nice as the award is and the other prizes I got are, the best part about my animation being on the “big screen” and being a part of the

Odyssey Film Festival, was for those few minutes making so many people happy.”

An even greater thing gained from Odyssey is the experience itself: receiving recognition as a student for your work created during the tough years of VCE. “A short film festival for young people is a rare thing in Australia, and Odyssey is quite brilliant – especially since it’s only in its second year,” says Henry.

“There ought to be many more things like it, but there should also be more ways for young people (and older people) to watch good films. The revival of independent cinemas (the Pivotonian on Pakington Street is a very recent example, and I think the only one of its kind in Geelong) is a slow-moving but hopeful phenomenon, but it will take a lot more to overcome a widespread fear and mistrust of foreign language films.”

If you’d like your school to be involved, get in contact with your media studies teacher or the Odyssey Film Festival directly.

Works of art from the private collection of Cr Darryn Lyons, Mayor of the City of Greater Geelong, alongside his choice of works from the Gallery’s collection.

The selection reflects Lyons’ keen interest in popular culture and celebrity icons, as well as his passionate pride in his hometown of Geelong.

Includes works by celebrated international artists Andy Warhol, Peter Blake, Damien Hirst, Stuart Semple and Hayden Kays as well as iconic Gallery paintings

by Eugene von Guérard,

Dame Edna Everage Teapot. 1982.

Suzanne Forsyth.

Frederick McCubbin and Juan Davila.

WHERE: Geelong Gallery.

Little Malop Street, Geelong.

WHEN: 6 December – 8

February.

INFO: www.

geelonggallery.org.au

THE SEAGULL – Julie Stafford Julie Stafford will surprise, challenge, and excite her audience with her memoir, The Seagull An Unexpected Love Story and a collection of exceptional seagull art works. Julie is a well known author of the Taste of Life cookbook series that sold millions globally, and Point Lonsdale resident for more than 20 years.

She began her healing, after the death of husband, Bruce, in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Since her first visit in 2006, she’s returned to Croatia many times; travelling to Paris, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Greece,

Turkey and Portugal.

Combining acrylic paint and vibrant inks on canvas and paper, Julie’s seagull art works tell the story of a woman reborn into the exciting possibilities of her new life.

WHERE: Tussock

Upstairs Gallery. 89 Point Lonsdale Road, Point Lonsdale.

WHEN: 8 Dec – 4 Jan INFO: www.

tussockupstairs.com.au

THE SUMMER READ The Summer Read is back. It's the perfect time to pick up a book and read. It doesn’t matter if you’re at home or on holidays, you can take a book anywhere and enjoy some quality storytelling. Choose from a list of ten great books, written by Victorian authors or telling Victorian stories.

There’s crime, popular and literary fiction, non-fiction and memoir – something for everyone!

Visit one of Geelong Regional Library Corporation’s 16 branches

or two mobile libraries to browse and borrow the books and discuss your favourites. Recommend another great read and you’ll be in the running to win up to 50 Victorian books.

WHERE: Geelong

Regional Library branches.

WHEN: Until 15 February.

INFO: www.gric.vic.gov.au

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SIT-KA co.

Written by Amanda Sherring

Having a health scare can often mean the end of a career and life as you’ve come to know it, but for Stacey Hunter, she managed to turn it into the beginning of the business she’s always dreamed of.

“

"The job just got bigger than I was. I was leaving at 4am to get to the airport to fly to Perth, doing backto-back showings all day, catching the red eye home, getting back to Geelong for a few hours sleep then back up the highway to Melbourne,” Stacey says.

“It was full on, but I loved it and leaving was the hardest decision I had to make. Within two weeks of getting out my health dramatically improved, so I knew it was the best thing to do.”

After leaving her job in April, Stacey has since created SIT-KA co, a home wares label that turns fashion trends into stylish cushions, furniture and interiors. Launching the business mere days before I sat down to chat with Stacey, she was still in a blur of excitement at the support she’s received.

“It feels like it’s been a long journey that’s all sort of happened very quickly. The day I launched, trying to put the photo up on Instagram, my hand was shaking that much,” she says.

While it seems like it’s been a quick process, Stacey has been very careful in each step she’s taken for the business – ensuring that every element is at the highest quality. With an eye for design from years working at a national fashion wholesaler, Stacey has personally screen printed the design onto each cushion after months of perfecting the print.

As a shopper Stacey had been looking for quality black and white interiors for a long time, and this was the ethos behind the colour palette of her first range.

She felt that SIT-KA co’s designs could easily slot into anyone’s house, no matter what colour your couch is.

“I’ve pretty much put myself onto cotton – so hopefully everyone likes it. Not everyone is going to, but that’s okay,” Stacey says.

And Stacey’s attention to detail stems much further than the type of stitch, colour combination on her products or the choice to use organic cotton. SITKA co will have a limited online presence and will be stocked in a select few stores across the Geelong region.

The stores have been carefully selected and are shops she visits on a regular basis. The reason for her limited

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online store is that she wants to lessen the online shopping trend and encourage people to take part in the shopping experience.

“I don’t just want people behind a computer to click away and have it on their doorstep the next day,” she says.

“I still want people to walk into the store and experience what they have on offer.”

One such store is Goose in East Geelong, the first stockist for SIT-KA co and a spot that Stacey shares a lot of love for. “Goose has been going for 19 years and I don’t know another home wares store in Geelong that’s that successful,” Stacey says.

At this stage the SIT-KA co range contains a copper ladder, made by Stacey, and monochrome cushions with a trademark pop of copper in the zip. There are plans to expand with a copper side table and light in the works and furniture set for early next year.

While Stacey can’t divulge the designs of the furniture, she assures me they will be true to her style with the addition of some colour and all made from Australian materials – partially put together by her.

“I’m designing everything and I’m even learning how to weld over Christmas,” she adds with a laugh.

“I would like every element, even the cushions and the ladder, to be made by me – though I don’t sew the

cushions together. So that’s why I’m trying to learn everything I can.”

In leaving her job at a national fashion wholesaler, the past nine months have been a huge adjustment.

She’s gone from wearing stilettos at work to Nike’s covered in paint while cutting copper – the changes are huge but each and every one has paid off, and it looks like there’s only more room for SIT-KA co to grow.

If you’d like more information visit the website (www.sit-ka.com.au), or head to Goose in East Geelong (91 Garden St) to purchase some of the SIT-KA co range.

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Inside Splinters

Written by Adem Ali

INSIDE SPLINTERS

PRESENTS

TOP 75 songs & TOP 30 ALBUMS OF 2014 It’s that time of year where I sit you all down to discuss THE best songs and albums of 2014. Great news for fans of Lana Del Rey, G.R.L. and Lady Gaga – not so much for fans of Sam Smith, Cheryl ‘Cole’ or the Frozen Soundtrack, all of which do not make even a single appearance on either list.

Enjoy the year that was…

Did Splinters get it right? Of course! Now watch as we nail the Albums of 2014 list – every single record on this list was worthy of the top spot at one point.

But Lana ‘Banana’ Del Rey proved to be unstoppable when compared to the rest on offer.

G.R.L. ‘Ugly Heart’ Perhaps the most upsetting song of the year victory of all time lies with the story behind G.R.L., whose run as one of the more exciting new acts came to a fairly devastating halt when member Simone Battle took her own life this past September, leaving the group as a quartet. Simone’s upsetting story cannot eclipse the beauty of this majestic pop song however, which is above and beyond the greatest pop single from a girl group since Girls Aloud’s ‘Something New’ from 2012. ‘Ugly Heart’ really resonated with the local buying market as well, peaking at #2 on the ARIA singles charts as well as going Top 5 in New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland and Sweden, with it almost scraping into the UK Top 10 as well. This song is a massive hit of monstrous proportions that has already cemented a legacy. Where G.R.L. go next is anybody’s guess, though with a new single entitled ‘Lighthouse’ expected to drop any day now, we’re gonna take that wild guess and proclaim that where they’ve going next sounds like Ballad Territory. Rest in Peace Simone Battle.

But what about the other 74 songs of importance? Let’s cut right to the chase shall we.

03. TORI AMOS ‘Wedding Day’

50. BANKS ‘Beggin For Thread’

04. GIORGIO MORODER ‘74 Is The New 24’

51. PURPLE CRUSH x RAJA x JOSH PEACE ‘Shock and Awe (Josh Peace’s Party Mix)’

05. TAYLOR SWIFT ‘Out of the Woods’

52. MARIAH CAREY ‘Meteorite’

06. THE VERONICAS ‘You Ruin Me’

53. RAJA ‘Zubi Zubi Zubi’

07. DJ ZINC feat. SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM ‘Show Me’

54. IGGY AZALEA ft. CHARLI XCX ‘Fancy’

08. LADY GAGA ‘Venus (Dazedmadonna Extended Mix)’

56. JESSIE WARE ‘Tough Love’

09. ROISIN MURPHY ‘Non Credere’ 10. LADY GAGA ‘Lush Life’ 11. TINASHE ‘Wildfire’ 12. LADY STARLIGHT ‘Operation 2’ 13. KATE MILLER-HEIDKE ‘Sing To Me’ 14. BANKS ‘This Is What It Feels Like’ 15. MARINA & THE DIAMONDS ‘Froot’ 16. TOVE LO ‘Not Made For This World’ 17. PEKING DUCK ft. NICOLE MILLAR ‘High’ 18. KATY B ‘Crying For No Reason’ 19. MEGAN WASHINGTON ‘Get Happy’ 20. MARYANNE ‘Under Your Cool’ 21. MICHAEL JACKSON ‘Love Never Felt So Good’ 22. NICKY NIGHT TIME ‘Everybody Together’ 23. TEN WALLS ‘Mongol’ 24. LANA DEL REY ‘West Coast’ 25. CLIENT LIAISON ‘Feed The Rhythm’ 26. SONS ET AL ‘Day By Day’ 27. TOVE LO ‘Habits (Stay High)’ 28. NICKI MINAJ ‘Anaconda’

APRIL & ANDY Parks & Recreation’s best couple are better than basically everything and everyone ever.

MADONNA’S ‘REBEL HEART’

#01.

02. KATE MILLER-HEIDKE ‘O Vertigo!’

2015 It’s going to be one of the biggest years we’ve seen in pop, guaranteed.

55. FLIGHT FACILITIES ‘Down To Earth’ 57. LADY STARLIGHT ‘Operation 1’ 58. NICKI MINAJ ‘Looking Ass’ 59. TAYLOR SWIFT ‘Wildest Dreams’ 60. KIMBRA ‘’90s Music’ 61. TONI BRAXTON & BABYFACE ‘Hurt You’ 62. LANA DEL REY ‘Cruel World’ 63. LADY GAGA ‘G.U.Y.’ 64. HELENA PAPARIZOU ‘4 Another 1’ 65. ROISIN MURPHY ‘Pensiero Stupendo’ 66. FLIGHT FACILITIES ‘Apollo’ 67. HELENA PAPARIZOU ‘Save Me (This Is An SOS)’ 68. IAMAMIWHOAMI ‘Ripple’ 69. ADAM BEYER ‘Valium & LFO’s’ 70. ONE DIRECTION ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ 71. HENRY SAIZ ‘Anubis’ 72. AZEALIA BANKS ‘Chasing Time’ 73. JI NILSSON ‘Heartbreakfree’ 74. DUBSPEEKA ‘Noise’ 75. ADAM BEYER ‘Teach Me’

#01.

LANA DEL REY Ultraviolence Lana Del Rey’s continued fascination with a post-war America (and the men that occupied it) was darker than ever before on Ultraviolence, a major departure in sound to her first two releases Born To Die and Paradise. Offering virtually no ‘immediate’ pop/radio style hits bar the ultra-cool first single ‘West Coast’, Lana sang tales of fucking her way up to the top, and a man whose heroin she thoroughly enjoys. A delicately produced record with darker trimmings than any other album in 2014; and one listen to magnetic album opener ‘Cruel World’ solidifies such claims. Unquestionably the album of the year.

Here’s the remaining 29; if you’ve never heard of them, think of these as the newest additions to your iTunes library, or THE perfect stocking fillers for your loved ones.

Aside from the fact there seems to be no middle-8 to be heard anywhere on this recently leaked demo, this Avicii collaboration is actually pretty damn good and fills us with hope for MADGE2015.

or

2014 BYE FELICIA!

02. TINASHE Aquarius

MID-SEASON BREAKS

03. KATE MILLER-HEIDKE O Vertigo!

04. LADY GAGA & TONY BENNETT Cheek To Cheek

We want more American Horror Story and we don’t want to wait until January thanks.

05. BANKS Goddess 06. ROISIN MURPHY Mi Senti 07. TAYLOR SWIFT 1989 08. FLIGHT FACILITIES Down To Earth 09. KATY B Little Red

SAM SMITH

10. TORI AMOS Unrepentant Geraldines 11. TONI BRAXTON & BABYFACE Love, Marriage & Divorce 12. JESSIE WARE Tough Love 13. CLIENT LIAISON EP

Absolutely not topping any of our lists this year. Sorry ‘bout it!

14. MEGAN WASHINGTON There There 15. TOVO LO Queen of the Clubs 16. PRINCE ART OFFICIAL AGE 17. KIMBRA The Golden Echo 18. THE VERONICAS The Veronicas 19. IAMAMIWHOAMI Blue Blue 20. PURPLE CRUSH Iconoclassic 21. NICKI MINAJ The Pink Print 22. LA ROUX Trouble In Paradise

29. RUPAUL ‘Sissy That Walk’

23. RUPAUL Born Naked

30. PETER WILSON ‘Love Is On The Line (Pete Hammond Return to Central Station Mix)’

24. ROYKSOPP The Inevitable End 25. FKA TWIGS LP1

31. TAYLOR SWIFT ‘Style’

26. IGGY AZALEA The New Classic

32. LORDE ‘Yellow Flicker Beat’

27. BASEMENT JAXX Junto

33. KYLIE MINOGUE ‘Crystallize’

28. MARIANNE FAITHFULL Give My Love To London

34. SURGEON ‘Fixed Action Pattern’

29. MICHAEL JACKSON Xscape

35. THE VERONICAS ‘Line Of Fire’

30. AZEALIA BANKS Broke With Expensive Taste

36. LADY GAGA ‘Partynauseous’ 37. GENERIK ft. NICKY VAN SHE ‘The Weekend’ 38. JUSTICE CREW ‘Que Sera’

And there it is; the year that was 2014!

39. KYLIE MINOGUE ‘Wait’ 40. PURPLE CRUSH ‘So B It’ 41. DU TONC ‘I’m On Fire’ 42. MICHELLE WILLIAMS feat.

BEYONCE & KELLY ROWLAND ‘Say Yes’ 43. TINASHE ‘Far Side of the Moon’ 44. KYLIE MINOGUE ‘Glow’ 45. ONE DIRECTION ‘Fireproof’ 46. FLIGHT FACILITIES ‘Merimbula’ 47. JESSICA LANGE ‘Life On Mars’ 48. LADY GAGA ‘Bang Bang’ 49. LARSE & SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM ‘This Feeling’ 60 forte

“If you ask me directly how I feel about you, I will always be honest with you. If you don’t ask me I will be honest with you as well.”

The forever Iconic @StayPressed last week. Merry Christmas everybody!

Splinters would like to wish you all a very merry and safe Christmas, with a most bonza-spectacular New Year. May 2015 bring you all the love, luck and joy you so richly deserve – and thanks for reading Splinters and Forte year after year!

WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT AND CANNOT WAIT TO CONTINUE SERVING YOU QUALITY POP MUSIC STORIES IN 2015! xoxo @AdemWithAnE.

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AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND TOUR 2015

FRANK TURNER THE SLEEPING SOULS

presented by

&

Photos by Marianne Valitut ti

SUNDAY 12TH APRIL

T CORNER U O D L O SHOTEL MELBOURNE - CORNERHOTEL.COM

**EXTRA SHOW** WEDNESDAY 15TH APRIL

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CORNER HOTEL MELBOURNE - CORNERHOTEL.COM

THURSDAY 16TH APRIL

BARWON CLUB

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GEELONG - OZTIX.COM.AU

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kwp!CPR12483

Film Reviews

Films reviewed by Anthony Morris

the wrap Exodus: Gods and Kings:

Horrible Bosses 2

St Vincent We’re all grown-ups here; we all know how movie trailers work.

They’re designed to take a fulllength feature film and turn it into a 90 second commercial for how awesome the full length version is.

The trouble with that comes when in telling you how awesome the full length version is, they forget to mention major elements of the full length version. Sadly, if you’ve seen the trailer for St Vincent and thought to yourself, ‘Awesome, a Bill Murray movie where he’s just letting his hair down and being funny for once’, you’ve only gotten half the story. Still, that half is accurate: Murray plays Vincent, a grumpy drunk who spends his bountiful free time in bars, down the track or with a pregnant Russian stripper and hooker (Naomi Watts). Then after a night that ended with him drunkenly crashing his car into his own fence,

The Water Diviner The big surprise in Russell Crowe’s otherwise firmly unsurprising directorial debut, is that for a film about Gallipoli this turns out to be a film that really is about Gallipoli. That is, apart from a few opening scenes and a brief flashback or two, this is a film set entirely in Turkey, with a story that’s as much about the situation in Turkey in the wake of the fall of the Ottoman Empire as it is about a grieving Australian looking for the bodies of his dead sons.

Victorian farmer Joshua Connor

he’s woken by clumsy movers knocking a branch off his tree and figures it’s the perfect opportunity to blame all the damage on them.

Moving in next door is newly single and extremely harried Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) and her son Oliver ( Jaeden Lieberher), starting a new life after splitting from her cheating husband. She now has to work; with Oliver being targeted by bullies (and also only being eight) he needs someone to babysit him; Vincent needs the cash due to growing threats from his loan shark (Terrence Howard).

So far so good, but while they’re having dodgy adventures in bars and down the track and Vincent is scaring the heck out of Oliver’s bullies, there are warning signs that things are not quite as cynical as they seem. Could Vincent be hiding a heart of gold? Could a small child be the one to teach him to love again? Could the way his teacher at his Catholic school only

seems to teach about saints have some connection with the movie’s title? It’s not that the sentimental turn this takes – and it is a pretty sharp turn – is bad in and of itself, but it’s very much by-the-number stuff designed to leave audiences feeling good rather than actually telling an interesting story about the characters as presented.

There’s a few too many convenient coincidences in the latter half as well – especially regarding Vincent’s money troubles. The film as a whole, they’re set up to be this big dramatic part of the story, only to evaporate in order to get to the feelgood stuff. Murray is as charming as hell, as usual, and everyone else does a good job of being exasperated with him while still having a soft spot in their hearts for him, but the “heart-warming” ending this serves up doesn’t feel anywhere near close to being earned.

(Crowe) is a lot better at finding water on his property than he is at keeping his sons alive: all three went off to Gallipoli and died on the same day. With no reason to keep the farm going, he heads off to Turkey to find his sons’ bodies and bring them home, only to discover that British bureaucracy is standing firmly in his way. But the landlady (Olga Kurylenko) at the hotel where he’s staying – herself widowed by the war, though she does have a son who quickly takes a shine to Connor so we all know where this is leading – has a few tips for him and soon he’s storming

the beaches to use his divining skills to locate the bodies. But when under the watchful eye of both the Australian commander ( Jai Courtney) and the Turkish representative Major Hasan (Yilmaz Erdogan) he only find two bodies, he starts to wonder: could one of his sons be alive? And with the situation in Turkey steadily getting worse, thanks to a Greek invasion, is there any possible way of finding him if he is?

This is largely solid, unspectacular stuff that goes for the emotions in all the expected ways and relying – as you might expect from an actor-turned-director – more on the performances to carry it than the visuals, though visually it’s more than serviceable. Crowe’s character fades a little into the background as the story progresses and the focus shifts to Hasan’s fight for his country, where an excellent performance from Erdogan makes this side of things one the film could have done with even more of. While Connor’s story does have some interesting touches around the edges (Connor’s ability to find water seems to extend to having psychic powers at a few points), it’s largely predictable and lacking in real drama. Hasan’s story is one we haven’t seen before, and for that alone Crowe deserves a thumbs up.

The best – well, maybe not “best” – but most satisfying scene in Horrible Bosses 2 is when Jamie Foxx’s character Motherf**ker Jones informs our three heroes that they’re no longer nice guys in a tight corner – they’re criminals.

Of course they are: in the first film Nick ( Jason Bateman), Kurt ( Jason Sudeikis) and Dale (Charlie Day) wanted to murder their bosses because those bosses were so horrible they couldn’t see another way out, and now when they find their new business over a barrel thanks to the sneaky manoeuvrings of corporate bigwig Bert Hanson (Christoph Waltz), their big plan to save the day is to kidnap Bert’s smarmy son Rex (Chris Pine).

These are not the thought processes of law-abiding citizens.

For a movie that’s clearly just an excuse for at least two of the three leads to riff away like crazy, there is a fair amount of story going on here, and while a comparison to the dumb criminal classics of Elmore Leonard would be ranking this much too high, it does occasionally feel a tiny bit more like one of his

Paddington Adapting the much-loved Paddington Bear stories into a feature film is the kind of idea that’s both inevitable and yet really something to get excited about.

Paddington is a fairly low-key character, and they don’t really thrive in a cinema environment. Yet so long as you’re willing to loosen your grip on the Paddington of the books, there’s a lot to enjoy here... even if it does at times feel a lot closer to a generic kids adventure film than the source material.

After an introduction designed to give Paddington (a CGI creation voiced by Ben Whishaw) a reason to leave his home of Peru and visit London, he ends up alone at Paddington Station.

His expectations of British

novels than you might expect. But only occasionally: for the most part this is a film where Day and Sudeikis not so much banter as talk at each other non-stop. So much so that even characters in the film are asking them to give it a rest.

Technically it suits their characters (Dale being the nervous one while Kurt is constantly and cheerfully up for anything) but the result is a movie that leans far too much on the idea that these two guys talking and talking and talking will eventually get a laugh somewhere in there. Not that this doesn’t have the occasional decent joke: bringing back both Jennifer Aniston’s and Kevin Spacey’s characters from the first film gets laughs without being too overdone, while Pine has a nice line in charming bastardry working for him here.

But while this is rarely unfunny, the funny stuff is stretched pretty thin throughout the film, making it a comedy that moves along nicely enough without ever really providing any big laughs. If there was a twenty minute edit, it’d be a classic. At this length you’ll find yourself checking your phone way too often. hospitality (largely formed by a family encounter with an explorer back in the 1920s) is not exactly jibing with the current-day world.

There the Brown family – Mr (Hugh Bonneville), Mrs (Sally Hawkins), Judy (Madeleine Harris) and Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) find him and offer – reluctantly in Mr Brown’s case – to give him a home for the night so he can continue his search for the explorer he’s come to visit.

As is so often the way in these films, the Brown family seem to be missing that special something that would bring them together as a family: could a wacky slapstick bear be that special someone?

That kind of gentle story isn’t enough to hang a movie on these days, even with Paddington’s big comedy sequences like flooding the bathroom by mistake, so a subplot about a sinister museum staffer (Nicole Kidman, having a lot of fun hamming it up) looking to stuff Paddington is thrown into the mix, and if you’re even remotely a Paddington purist all this might be starting to sound like a nightmare.

Fortunately the film manages to do a decent job of capturing the bear’s gentle yet bearish nature and while there are action sequences they’re often very Wallace and Grommit in tone, which is not a bad thing.

Perhaps more importantly, it’s actually funny right the way through: it has its flaws, but as far as fun for the whole family goes this is more fun than most.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day A kid’s family goes through a lot of bad stuff in one terrible day.

It’s short, it’s entertaining, it’s a decent alternative to actually spending time with your kids during the holidays.

Nightcrawler Jake Gyllenhaal is the creepiest man alive as an unblinking freelance cameraman grabbing overnight accident footage for breakfast TV in LA. This is a good thriller, but he gives a great performance as the moral vacuum at the heart of it.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay pt 1 As you might expect from a movie made out of the front half of a novel, this is a bit short on action – but Jennifer Lawrence’s performance in the lead role remains strong, the some interesting ideas are here even without the action to back them up.

Fat Pizza vs Housos Even by Housos standards this is pretty below par, but if you like people shouting a lot and running around while they do it you might get something out of this.

Lets Be Cops This manages to wring the maximum possible laughs out of the idea of two kind of dumb guys pretending to be police officers, which is an idea just funny enough to stretch out to movie length.

Interstellar It’s the future and Earth is falling apart. Luckily there’s space, which is full of food and water and… uh, maybe not.

Still, our heroes blast off into it to find somewhere new to live.

Basically, this looks gorgeous, but doesn’t really hold up either as science lecture or heartwarming human tale.

Dec 18, 7:30pm / Dec 19, 9:00pm / Dec 20, 6:30pm / Dec 21, 4:00pm & 8:30pm / Dec 23, 9:00pm

Tickets: $10 concession $12 adult

Rock The Casbah

Licensed Candy Bar

Nightcrawler

Dec 20, 9:00pm / Dec 21, 12:00pm Dec 22, 7:00pm / Dec 24, 4:00pm The Tale Of Princess Kaguya Dec 21, 2:00pm / Dec 21, 6:00pm / Dec 22, 4:30pm / Dec 23, 6:00pm Two Days One Night Dec 19, 7:00pm / Dec 20, 4:30pm / Dec 24, 6:30pm

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Director Ridley Scott’s Biblical epic suffers from an inability to decide whether it wants to be about big archetypical events or a tale told at a human level.

Christian Bale’s Moses makes little impact: Joel Edgerton’s Ramses is a forgettable notquite bad guy. The plagues and parting of the Red Sea are impressive enough, but are given a possible scientific explanation (as are Moses’ visions), which somehow make them less awe-inspiring. This is a story that’s lasted thousands of years, Exodus: Gods and Kings will leave you wondering how.

More movie times and info available online pivotcinema.com.au The Ukranian Community Hall, 57 Pakington St, Geelong West

Music Reviews

Forte ’s Top 5 Albums of 2014 - F R O M A R O U N D T H E O F F I C E! -

Abbey Media/Sales

1 Royal

Blood Self-titled

2 Jack White - Lazaretto 3 Ice Age - You’re Nothing 4 Ásgeir - In the Silence 5 Julian Casablancas & the Voidz - Tyranny

Amanda Editor

1 Band of

Skulls Himalayan

2 Angus & Julia Stone - Self-titled

Ceres SELFISH PRICK Hobbledehoy Records

Alternative-punk-rock Melbourne band, Ceres, released a surprise EP in mid-November, titled Selfish Prick, after the first track was released with the same name.

The self professed ‘uncool’ bands sound has a very familiar quality to it, the kind of music that makes you feel nostalgic – regardless of whether you listen to them for the hundredth time, or the first.

‘Selfish Prick’, opens with a guitar riff, reminiscent to something you might hear on Blink182’s ‘Take Off Your Pants and Jacket’. The vocals are messy and raw, but very upfront and relatable. It’s definitely a song to add to your breakup playlist.

‘Woodwork’ starts off with a reasonably predictable guitar riff, that is until the vocals kick in. The lead vocalist does very well at belting out the lyrics, letting his vocals flow naturally, just feeling the song for what it is. It’s a quality that’s difficult

3 Banks - Goddess 4 The Grates - Dream Team 5 Little May - Self-titled

Liz Stringer LIVE AT THE YARRA CD/DVD (Ind)

James Designer

1 Ásgeir

- In the Silence

2 Todd Terje - It’s Album Time 3 Chet Faker - Built on Glass 4 Flight Facilities - Down to Earth 5 Pharrell Williams -GIRL

From her first forays into public performance, Liz Stringer displayed the signs of a true artist.

In the league of Joni Mitchell and Deborah Conway, recent live shows – both solo and with Dyson Stringer Cloher – have confirmed this to be so. It’s hard to know where to applaud first; her voice is variably silken, souring and dusky and her guitar, measured where appropriate, can break out into ornate urgency.

Her songs are rich in memorable

to find in a lot of artists, so a nonpretentious vocalist who is not only aware of his vocal imperfections, but embraces them, is something I can definitely appreciate.

When it came to ‘Collarbone’, I was pleasantly surprised by the banjo sounding riff and soft vocals I was greeted with. It was undoubtedly different to the first two songs, but I liked the City And Colour quality they brought to the table, proving that they’re not restricted to one select niche.

‘Will You Feel It When I Leave You’ was unquestionably the most surprising track. The glitchy vocals really add something to the EP that I’m not sure I can put into words.

Yet again proving that Ceres is not limited to one strict style of music, all the while maintaining that same familiar sound.

Cere’s EP Selfish Prick is definitely one for the feels, very heartbreak heavy to say the least, and definitely one I can see being played on repeat.

By Jessica Alves

melody and compelling emotion, with a canny balance of sonic space between the elements.

The set list, taken from Stringer’s four studio albums, delivers both the hearty and hypnotic. And with accompanying DVD evidence, you realise that what you hear on disc is exactly what you get in person. Her even, understated persona also allows for passionate delivery along the way. Poignant lyrics provide the vulnerable listener an excuse for a ‘good cry’.

She celebrates the ordinary, the real, the painful and the joyous.

Filmed in front of an intimate gathering in May at The Yarra Hotel (Abbotsford, Melbourne) two sets were condensed to 10 songs from previous studio recordings. Such is the quality of sound (engineering and recording by Nigel Swifte with Tom Stroder), Stringer might just as well save on studio fees and record the next album live too. Standout tracks: ‘Drawn To You’, ‘In Anybody’s Language’ and the oh-somoving ode to a friend ‘Lady Luck’.

By Chris Lambie

The Violent Soho Supports: Ceres & Redspencer The Barwon Club, Geelong.

November 29

On the night of the Barwon Club Violent Soho show, I was bubbling over with both excitement and nervousness. Violent Soho had been a band I liked for a while, but I’d never seen them play live before. I’d had friends

The Smashing Pumpkins MONUMENTS TO AN ELEGY Martha’s Music/Cooking Vinyl Records

The ‘90s are back in a big way – and it’s not just an abundance of Dr. Martens and crop-tops that are signaling the revival. Iconic grungegods, The Smashing Pumpkins, have delivered their new album Monuments To An Elegy, and with it, take us back to the sounds that rendered this era timeless.

Frontman Billy Corgan has been hyping the release for a while – stating it’s “epic in a way that is indescribable” – and he’s recruited some big names in music to get it done. Featuring drumming from Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee and mastering from Howie Weinberg, the end result is an unexpected return to form.

The opener, ‘Tiberius’, contrasts heavy guitar and crashing

SBTRKT WONDER WHERE WE LAND Young Turks/Remote Control Records

Over the new years period, many acts are converging on Australia for Falls Festival. SBTRKT is one of the electro acts on the bill and he will be playing tunes on his second album entitled Wonder Where We

report stories of being collected in the crowd and going home with bruises, sprained ankles and more.

To warm up for the show, they played Rage Against The Machine’s ‘Killing In The Name’. Unsurprisingly, the crowd there absolutely lost it, which is when I knew things were about to get intense.

Their supporting act Ceres absolutely killed it. It was the first time I’d ever listened to the band, but their music was right up my alley.

With their alternative-punk-rock sound, paired with very honest lyrics and a familiar sounding melody, I felt I’d been listening to them for years.

percussion against whimsical piano interludes for a promising start.

This tone continues with songs like ‘Run2me’ and ‘Dorian’, bringing effective hooks and rhythms for a pop appeal. A highlight is the lead single, ‘Being Beige’, which reveals an emotion in Corgan’s expression that hasn’t been heard in years.

The sheering guitars and layered instrumentals perfectly balance the melancholy of the harmonies to produce a stellar tune.

Monuments To An Elegy revels in electro-tinged love songs and high-pitched synths that are guaranteed to transport you to the days of The Smashing Pumpkins’ classics. The familiarity – born from hypnotic riffs and the characteristic whine – carries throughout the album, but does so with enough variation in tempo and tone (coming from the rockers like ‘Antihero’) to be dynamic and fresh. This release proves time hasn’t weathered Corgan’s genius and the ‘90s are truly back in vogue.

By Emily Hirst

Land. The journey of the full album and story has somewhat been lost over the years as bands are looking to release just singles and EPs. But with this album, that philosophy and journey of the new album is back. With little short tunes spread throughout the album, it is an easy listen coming in at just under 44 minutes.

The best song on the album I think, after listening to it for a week or so, is the tune featuring Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend.

‘New Dorp, New York’, which has a smooth electro beat under it. If your headed along to Falls or his sideshow, you’re lucky. This album is all class and one of my favourites of the year. Christmas stocking filler indeed!

By Tex Miller

Finally, it was time for the main event. The moment Violent Soho walked on stage the flood gates opened and everyone rushed up to the makeshift barrier, pushing me into the centre front of the crowd. They played ‘Neighbour Neighbour’, ‘My Generation’, ‘Fur Eyes’ and ‘Jesus Stole My Girlfriend’, amongst other noteworthy songs. Despite being elbowed in the face and having had somebody’s teeth in the top of my head at some stage, the entire show was energy packed and surpassed my expectations in terms of both quality of their performance, intensity and, above all, enjoyment.

By Jessica Alves

forte 69

Last Words

grog watch Written by Tony Montana

Holidays are the Wonderbra of good times: they promise so much and deliver so damn little. You spend the entire year slaving your guts out at school, or work, with only the dim and distant hope of a holiday featuring an itinerary only slightly less active than the one currently enjoyed by the mouldering corpse of Winston Churchill to keep you going, and then you wake up after the one-two punch of the seedy consumer orgy that is Christmas and the six-hour sacrifice of liver cells to uncaring pagan gods in the vain hope that the New Year won’t quite be the soul-destroying parade of petty insults and pointless battles that the old one turned out to be, AKA New Year’s Eve, and suddenly you find yourself lying on a couch somewhere with a hand down the front of your pants and you’re just plain bored sh*tless. Holiday boredom is a major problem, and unlike office or school

boredom, it’s hard to shake the feeling that it’s your own fault. That’s why I’m proud in a half-arsed sort of way to present part one of the ultra-classy cutout-and-keep TONY MONTANA’S GUIDE TO GUARANTEED HOLIDAY FUN (title does not constitute a guarantee).

STEP ONE: WHY DOING NOTHING IS A BAD IDEA. Okay, I’ll be honest here – doing nothing is pretty well the only thing any sane person wants to do with their precious holiday hours. Unfortunately, for every sane person there are always just enough insane ones close by to make their life a living hell. For example, as I write this, my moronic neighbour is watching Blackhawk Down with the volume turned up full bore. And he’s not watching the whole movie either: he’s just watching the shoot-outs, over and over and over again. This is both incredibly annoying and seriously creepy, and if I was performing my preferred holiday pastime – lying on my bed trying to make the pictures on my wall fall off by psychic power alone

– this attempt by him to warn the entire street of the fate that awaits them if they flaunt council water restrictions by taking an over-long shower would drive me seriously bugf**k. And while we all admire and respect laziness in ourselves, in others it just gives us the sh*ts – which means that whenever someone sees you sprawled on the floor like you’ve just been belted over the head with an axe handle, they feel compelled to either abuse you, start doing things around you (like vacuuming, dusting, or digging your grave) to make it impossible to continue your corpse-like lifestyle, or they come up with bizarre and pointless pseudo tasks that you need to do right NOW, you lazy bastard. It’s impossible to do nothing, therefore it’s important to get busy doing something you want to do – otherwise you’ll be forced to get busy doing something someone else wants you to do, and it’ll probably involve pulling weeds.

STEP TWO: WHY DOING SOMETHING IS A BAD IDEA. Theme parks are crap, okay? No point

trying to argue or whine your way around it with stories about the time Aunt Myrtle got laid at TunaWorld – they’re sh*thouse ways to spend your time. Problem is, this time of year is pretty much the theme park of holidays: everything’s kinda watered down, little kids are running around everywhere like idiots, and even the grown-up stuff is all (shudder) ‘family orientated’, which just means it’s sh*thouse for all ages. Don’t believe me that every possible form of socially approved holiday activity sucks harder than a black hole working the streets of St Kilda? Then you’d better stop reading now because I’m only going to get grumpier.

BEACHES: IT’S NOT JUST A CRAPPY BETTE MIDLER MOVIE. It’s a crappy way to spend a day as well! Sure, lying around on what is really just a baking hot form of gravel (now extra tiny to fit into those hard to reach bodily crevices!), sounds like fun if you’ve recently had an operation to remove your entire brain, but even hard-core Toolies have to admit that

there’s never enough sexy examples of your preferred gender around and waaaaaay too many fatsos jiggling by in dental floss. Swimming is okay until you realise that generations of fish have taken a crap in the water that’s going in your ears, and as for getting a tan – is it that important for you to look like an old handbag before you die?

IF TELEVISION IS THE DRUG OF A NATION, IT’S DEFINITELY TIME FOR A STRONGER PRESCRIPTION. The non-ratings period is the time for crap – but what happened to the good crap? Where are the shows about gun-toting nutbags doling out street justice to criminals and terrorists? The rubbish sitcoms that you can just lie back and let wash over you like a bath filled with asprin?

Why won’t the networks bring back the only decent reality show of the last 200 years, Cheaters?

WHY WATCH SPORT ON TV WHEN YOU CAN JUST TAKE OUT AN AD IN THE PAPER

AND LET EVERYONE KNOW YOU’RE AN IDIOT? Summer sport means two thing: cricket or tennis.

These activities are to entertainment what Tony Abbott is to charisma.

Don’t bother watching them now – you’ll have plenty of time when they’re all that’s showing on your TV in Hell.

NEXT ISSUE: I start complaining about my relatives. Unless I had a crap New Year’s Eve, then I’ll be complaining about that. Merry Christmas!

Film Reviews

The Best and Worst Movies of 2014 Written by Anthony Morris

Movies: Hollywood keeps on churning them out whether you want to watch them or not. Fortunately, across the length of a year they occasionally manage to get something right – in fact sometimes they manage to get entire categories right – which is why at least some of the entries in this year’s best (and worst) list are for genres rather than individual films. So this year must have been a bumper one if entire genres are getting the thumbs up, right? Well, just hang on a second there…

Good directors: All is Lost, Grand Budapest Hotel, Boyhood, Charlie’s Country, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Wolf of Wall Street: It shouldn’t be a surprise when creators with a proven track record come up with winners, but these six were high water marks. Some were from routinely excellent directors like The Coen Brothers (Davis), Martin Scorsese (Wolf ) and Wes Anderson (Hotel). Others came from those with long but occasionally uneven careers like Richard Linklater (Boyhood) and Rolf de Heer (Country). And while All is Lost was only J.C. Chandor’s second film (following on from the gripping Margin Call), it was such a big leap forward (plus advance word on his next film, A Most Violent Year is extremely positive) that he already deserves a place in this esteemed collection.

Horror: Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, The Babadook: These horror films couldn’t have come from more different places – the first was the latest in a long-running Hollywood franchise, the second was a crowd-funded Australian independent – but they both did an excellent job of being creepy as hell.

Terrorists: Non-Stop, A Most Wanted Man, Night Moves: These three films took very different approaches to terrorism – the first was a slick Liam Neeson thriller, the second a moody spy drama based on a John LeCarre novel, the third a slow-paced look at a small group of US eco-terrorists slowly corroded by their crime – but the end result was a class film in each case.

Vengeance: The Equalizer, John Wick, A Walk Among The Tombstones: You just can’t beat an unstoppable killing machine. Wait, I mean you can’t beat an unstoppable killing machine when it comes to entertainment.

Indie Films: In a World, Happy Christmas, Obvious Child, We Are The Best: Sometimes bigger isn’t better on the big screen, and these small-

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scale character-based films served up plenty of high-value entertainment.

Scarlett Johansson: Lucy, Under the Skin, Captain America: The Winter Soldier: It was a very big year for one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, even if only one of these films was an actual Hollywood production. And while Under the Skin scored major arthouse plaudits for Johansson’s work as a serial-killing alien, for mine the silly but extremely fun superhero-esque Lucy was the surprise smash of the three.

Comedy: 22 Jump Street, Bad Neighbours, What We Do In The Shadows, The Trip to Italy: An extremely varied bunch of comedies stood out this year, from mainstream blockbusters to a New Zealand vampire mockumentary, with the return of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as impersonation-obsessed versions of themselves perhaps the year’s laughgetting highlight.

Science Fiction: Edge of Tomorrow, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Often science fiction blockbusters just use science as an excuse to have bigger guns. These films actually had some smarts behind all the explosions.

Great Performances: Whiplash, Nightcrawler: These were both great movies in general, but really strong performances in both (and the kind of creepy, nasty performances than don’t usually get nominated for Oscars either) really lifted them above and beyond.

And the best film of 2014 is… 12 Years a Slave: This grim look at the harsh realities of slavery pulled a sum total of no punches whatsoever.

Excellent performances across the board and an unflinching look at the horrors of history that linger to this day made this easily the most unforgettable film of the year.

But just in case you were thinking 2014 was the dawn of some kind of new golden age of cinema, rest assured the stench of utter rubbish continued to billow out of cinemas at a steady rate.

Especially cinemas screening the following, for which it was a very bad year…

Franchises: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Robocop, Wolf Creek 2, Muppets Most Wanted, Spider Man 2: Rise of Electro, Transformers 4, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For: A successful movie series is one where the quality keeps people coming back. These films did pretty much the opposite.

Heartwarming: Wish I Was Here, The Judge, This Is Where I Leave You, Hector and the Search for Happiness: Here’s a tip, if you’re looking

for meaning in your life, a movie about the importance of family is probably not the best place to start.

Star Power: Grace of Monaco, Transcendence: Just because your movie features a big star – Nicole Kidman in Grace, Johnny Depp in Transcendence – doesn’t mean you can fall asleep at the wheel as far as everything else goes.

Adam Sandler: Blended, Men, Women & Children: Sandler might not be for everyone, but usually he’s good at what he does do: not this year.

Whether he was being silly or serious, America’s favourite dad was nothing but a drag.

Sex Comedies: Sex Tape, The Other Woman: We’ve had a decade or more where raunchy R-rated comedies have provided big laughs. That run ended in 2014.

TV power: A Million Ways to Die in the West, Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie: Seth MacFarlaine’s movie career might have taken off with the success of Ted, but his follow-up felt a lot more like his aimless, hit-and-miss TV series Family Guy. And while Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie wasn’t all bad, it did feature the actors cracking up and fluffing their lines as part of the actual movie, which was… weird.

Horror: I, Frankenstein, Tusk: One attempted to turn a classic movie monster into an action fantasy hero, the other was a meandering anecdote lifted from a Kevin Smith podcast. Neither were worth a moment of your time.

Australian films: The Little Death, Son of a Gun, Fat Pizza vs Housos: Every single year Australia serves up a string of duds, mostly because it takes a lot of duds for a film industry to make anything good. That doesn’t mean we should have to watch them though.

WTF was going on with these ones: Winter’s Tale, Labor Day, Need for Speed: Occasionally Hollywood serves up a film that should have been at the very least coherent, and yet… isn’t. These three train wrecks seemed like they had a lot of promise going on, yet left audiences staggering going out.

And the worst film of 2014 is… Last Vegas: An old-people take on The Hangover was never going to be all that classy, but this stinker was a complete nightmare from start to finish. There is such a thing as dying with dignity; the jokes here were just shovelled into a mass grave.

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