Forte # 623

ISSUE #623 ball ar at | bell arine | mars | Bendigo | ca stlemaine | geelong | surf coa st | warrnambool |

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LOVE LUDIE

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10 0 % l o c a l ly o w n e d & o p e r at e d available from 850+ outlets every fortnight

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ed's note

forte issue #623 thursday 15 october 2015

It’s such a conflicting feeling being less than two months out from summer. Part of me wants the warmer weather to come quicker, but then that would mean it’s Christmas, New Year’s and then the calendar has clocked over to another year.

behind Love Ludie candles putting her all into her business and there’s a bounty of band interviews with The Go Set, Yirrmal, Skipping Girl Vinegar, Jackson Firebird, Montaigne and more in this issue.

Though the New Year always comes with fresh ideas, revitalised minds and people giving things a go that they otherwise wouldn’t have. While 2016 isn’t here just yet, it may as well be as there are some great things on the horizon. Jessica Morris talks to the people behind the new creative venture, Kubu Studio, on page 44, I talked with local entrepeneur

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FREEBIES!

On a side note, I’ve been craving milkshakes and smoothies like nothing else before, if you’re feeling my pain head to our website and check out our list of some of the tastiest smoothies you need to be drinking right now. As in, put this copy of Forte under your arm, look up our website and get in the car so you can enjoy some sweet sugary, milky bliss!

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

enquiries@fortemag.com.au Publisher

Furst Media Pty Ltd DIRECTOR

Luke McNamara

Amanda & the Forte Team

luke@fortemag.com.au editor

tag us @fortemag_ or #fortemag to be featured!

Amanda Sherring

amanda@fortemag.com.au @amanda_sherring Art director

Riley McDonald

artwork@fortemag.com.au contributors

Win a double pass to go to NaranaFEST and see Archie Roach, Yirrmal, Fraser A Gorman and more on November 14 at the Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre.

@downthealleyeatery

Anthony Morris, Alastair McGibbon, Amanda Sherring, Andrew Pretorius, Cameron Brogden, Chris Cruz, Chris Lambie, Daniel Lock, Emily Hurst, Jessica Alves, Dr John Lamp, Kara Ready, Montana Agustin, Natalie Rogers, Paul S Taylor, Tex Miller, Wylie Caird, Xavier Fenell, Tony Montana, Jessica Morris, Jariah Travan printed by

SpotPress Printing.

To enter email your name, number and code word ‘Narana’ to amanda@fortemag.com.au. @odysseytavern @thesewingroomgeelong

@coin_banks

Advertisers and agents are advised that all advertising copy is their responsibility under the trade practices act. Advertisements are published in good faith and on the understanding that the content is legitimate and lawful. Advertisers and or agents submit advertisements at their own risk. ` The editor and creators hold no responsibility whatsoever for the content of the magazine in the case that it may offend. Forte accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions. Forte reserves the right to edit all articles and letters.

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KNOW

IN THE

t h e l a t e s t n a t i o n a l a n d INTERNATIONAL m u s i c & e n t e r t a i n m e n t n e w s

Paradise Pumps It

GOT Hits the Big Screen

Paradise Music Festival have today announced the second round of acts that will perform at their 2015 incarnation.

Completing the 2015 lineup will be Roland Tings, Flyying Colours, The Infants, Leisure Suite, Deer, Alta, Neighbourhood Youth, Misty Nights, Nutrition and IO. They join the already announced acts, which include My Disco, Lurch & Chief, Black Cab, Black Vanilla, Tired Lion, Kirkis, Cassius Select, The Harpoons, Smile, Dorsal Fins, Darts, Friendships, Totally Mild, Catlips, Oslow, Jaala, Null, Habits, Strict Face, Cale Sexton, Tiny Little Houses, Broadway Sounds, Andrei Eremin, 0.1, Marcus Whale, Amateur Dance, Good Morning, Asdasfr Bawd, Post Percy, The Completely Boys and Thomas Touché plus more to be announced. Paradise Music Festival 2015 goes down from Friday November 27 to Sunday November 29.

Soundwave Number 9 The ninth artist for Soundwave has officially been announced with Moose Blood being added to the line up. The Melbourne date is set for Australia Day (January 26) and the line up is now as follows: Moose Blood, Bring Me The Horizon, Refused, Bullet For My Valentine, Northlane, Dead Letter Circus, Lordi, Devil You Know and Failure. Early bird tickets are available from the website.

In the Moonlight Pull up a beanbag as Moonlight Cinema returns for their 20th season this December, showing advance screenings, new releases and cult favourites under

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the stars, all summer long. Doggie Nights will once again return to the program, giving film-loving pooches a treat.

Moonlight Cinema will take over the Central Lawn at the Royal Botanic Gardens from Thursday December 3 until Sunday March 27. Full program and more information will be available soon.

In an interview with IBNLive.com George R. R. Martin let it slip there will be a Game of Thrones movie, as for whether it will be a prequel, a side-story or something else is yet to be determined. Let’s hope it doesn’t take as long as that next book… “There will be a movie but I will not be involved. I have too much to do. That is something HBO and D.B. and David are dealing with. I have two more books to finish and I still have so much to do. The pressure is on. I am such a slow writer and the fans get upset that I don’t write faster.”

A Bit of Earthcore on the Side

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Flume Shows Us His Essentials Flume recently took to BBC Radio 1 to smash out his two hour essential mix as he took over the decks. The mix can still be found on www.bbc.co.uk and with rave reviews it’s worth getting those sweet sounds into your brain.

unlock your or nge A Seth Rogen Bar Mitzvah

Earthcore are well known as one of the pioneers for a music festival that gives an experience just as much as some great sounding tunes. If for some reason you can’t get your hands on a ticket, the official earthcore sideshows have just been announced. Pig and Dan are set to perform at the Royal Melbourne Hotel on November 20, the same venue will also play host to a massive night on November 27 with Sam Paganini, D.A.V.E The Drummer and Oskar Offermann and Infected Mushroom are set for three shows in Hobart, Byron Bay and Sydney. Tickets are on sale from the website.

Earthcore itself is set for November 26-30 in Pyalong, Victoria.

In what will be the most unusual and can’t-be-missed of all charity events, Seth Rogen is throwing James Franco a bar mitzvah. The two are long known to be good mates, and to sweeten the pot an actual rabbi is said to be in the mix as well as a performance from Miley Cyrus.

The Return of Matt Corby

Melbourne Music Week

It’s been a little while since we’ve heard anything from Matt Corby, and fans have had itchy feet for a little while on any new releases. Recently news broke that Matt is both producing new music and heading out on tour. The new track ‘Monday’ still holds the brooding, emotional lyrics of past Matt Corby tracks and layers his vocals over a steady, rhythmic beat. Bliss. Matt Corby plays The Forum Theatre in Melbourne on November 9.

Beyond New Year’s Aside from having a killer line up featuring the likes of JOY, Flight Facilities (recently nominated for an ARIA award), The Jungle Giants, Last Dinosaurs, Remi and a whole lot more the location is just as stunning. Set in the lovely rolling hills and lush greenery of Lardner Park it’s almost pretty enough to spend three days simply staring at it.

Nonetheless, tickets are still available for the New Year’s Eve festival. Get on it.

Lorde’s Killer There’s no doubt our little Lordey has grown up, and it’s all for the better. In her new collaboration with Disclosure, ‘Magnets’, brings us the sweet husky

Jamie XX Up In Melbourne

Back for its sixth year, jam-packed with over 100 events held across the city from Friday 13 November to Friday 20 November, Melbourne Music week is prying open basement doors, activating laneways, lighting up the silver screen and shaking up the dance floor of some of Melbourne’s most iconic music venues over eight dynamic days of programming. Last week, the flagship venue at the Former Royal Women’s Hospital in Carlton was unveiled. Artists performing at the venue will include Gypsy & The Cat, Monolake (Germany), Banoffee, Eric Duncan (USA) aka Dr Drunks, Public Opinion Six, PVT (10 year anniversary), Kenton Slash Demon (Denmark), The Harpoons, Cobblestone Jazz (Canada), DZ Deathrays and many more. Above ground will feature a beer garden, a food truck featuring weekday Lunch Box Sessions from 1-2pm, and a swarm of afternoon DJ sets from 5-8pm, featuring the likes of Rat & Co DJs, Edd Fisher, Jim Lawrie, Ella Thompson, Woodes, CC:Disco, a Saturday Roller Jam and Mz Rizk’s Block Party and many more.

Live Music Safari will open Melbourne’s Live music venues for a night of free gigs and parties with over 50 artists joining the bill and MMW’s Self Made series is also returning this year, with an eclectic mix of independently-produced events throughout the city. For more information on events around the city and to purchase tickets visit melbourne.vic.gov.au/mmw.

crooning we’ve come to love from the musician. But the entertainment really lies in the music clip, where Lorde gets hot and heavy with a married man and then ends up getting all killer on his arse. Hell. Yes. The Lego Serial News has recently broke that popular podcast series ‘Serial’ is set for a TV adaptation by Lego Movie directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord. Apparently, rather than a recreation of the shows events it will be more of a behind the scenes of its creation with the producers, reporters and hosts.

Falls Sideshows A-Plenty Missed out on a festival ticket this summer but want to see the big name bands? Secret Sounds has you covered.

Announced this morning are as follows: Bloc Party playing The Forum in Melbourne on January 5; Elliphant playing Howler in Melbourne on January 7; Børns playing Corner Hotel in Melbourne on January 5; Disclosure playing Festival Hall in Melbourne on January 6; Django Django playing 170 Russell on January 8; Halsey playing the Forum in Melbourne on January 6; Oh Wonder playing Northcote Social in Melbourne on January 7; Foals playing Festival Hall in Melbourne on January 7. Surely there’s someone in there you’re dying to see. Tickets are on sale now.

Alongside his appearance at Beyond The Valley, Jamie xx will perform a headline show in Melbourne early next year. The xx member will return to our shores following the release of his critically-lauded debut solo album, of which our reviewer stated, “There’s little to fault about In Colour. The musicality is so strong that the album could well evade the tendency for exceedingly trendy albums to date within two to three years of their release.” Catch him at The Forum on Sunday January 10. Tickets via Handsome.

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T H E

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THURSDAY OCTOBER 15TH ROYAL GEELONG SHOW BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Trivia Night from 7:30pm BEAVS BAR: Levi Anderson BIRD ROCK: Mexican Night; Mi Casa Su Casa, Taqueria and Tequila

DEAKIN PROJECT SPACE: Voicebox: Lost & Found Experimental Performance EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night EUREKA HOTEL: Eureka Thursdays with local DJs GOLD DIGGERS: Happy hour 5-6 LORD OF THE ISLES: Trivia in the courtyard MARTIANS CAFE: $25 International Night including drink MAX HOTEL: Parmi night, Trivia Night PISTOL PETES: Tex Miller & the Pollos Hermanos THE SPHINX HOTEL: Schnitzel Night from $13 ST JAMES: Live DJs

SUTTONS HOUSE OF MUSIC (Ballarat): AMPED Evening ULUMBARRA THEATRE (Warrnambool): Melbourne Symphony Orchestra WORKERS CLUB: Themed Trivia Thursday from 7pm

FRIDAY OCTOBER 16TH ROYAL GEELONG SHOW BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): David Grimson, Brodie Glen BARWON CLUB: KROCK’s The Band Heat 1 BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Happy Hour 5-7pm, Meat Raffle & Members Draw BEAVS BAR: Luke Biscan BELMONT HOTEL: Zane Carroll BIRD ROCK: It’s Friday B!tches BLACK HATT: Jakhama CITY QUARTER BAR: Friday Unwind from 5pm. Live with live entertainment and DJ DEAKIN PROJECT SPACE: Voicebox: Lost & Found Experimental Performance THE EASTERN: Going Swimming, Claws & Organs, Tropical Snakes EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT AND CASTLE: Thank Guinness It’s Friday EUREKA HOTEL: Live DJs GOLD DIGGERS: Happy hour 5-6 THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Good Faces For Radio HOME HOUSE: Homehouse Fridays Party with DJs KAROVA LOUNGE (Ballarat): Fiver Night THE LORD NELSON: Happy Hour 5pm-7pm MAX HOTEL: 3 on the Tree ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Live Music PISTOL PETES: The Wayne Jury 3 ST JAMES: Live DJs SUTTONS HOUSE OF MUSIC (Ballarat): Minnie Marks YAH YAHS: Pulp Fiction 21st Anniversary Celebration

SATURDAY OCTOBER 17TH ROYAL GEELONG SHOW BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): Jessey Jackson BARWON CLUB: The Mane Event ft The Badloves, The Stiffys, the Kite Machine and more BEAVS BAR: Jack Harman BELMONT HOTEL: Anthony Dellamatra CHERRY BAR: Pulp Fiction 21st Anniversary Celebration DEAKIN PROJECT SPACE: Voicebox: Lost & Found Experimental Performance EDGE: Live Music and DJ

EUREKA: $5 Night, 229 Invasion THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Dear Ivy HOME HOUSE: Keesh, Madeleine KAROVA LOUNGE (Ballarat): Tiny Little Houses MAX HOTEL: The Brixtons ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: 3rd Annual Oktoberfest OTWAY ESTATE: Otway Oktoberfest PISTOL PETE’S: Lonesome Heroes (Austin, Texas), Sean Patrick

SUTTONS HOUSE OF MUSIC (Ballarat): Temple of Tunes TORQUAY HOTEL: Pete Murray WORKERS CLUB: The Attics

SUNDAY OCTOBER 18TH ROYAL GEELONG SHOW BARWON CLUB: Test Pilot Molly BIRD ROCK: Sunday Sessions $9 Pizzas CITY QUARTER: Perfect Sunday Sesh Live music and DJ from 4pm EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Live Jazz from 3-6pm and Parmi Night GEELONG RSL: $13 Carvery lunch GPAC: Swan Lake GROVEDALE HOTEL: McRobin

ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: 3rd Annual Oktoberfest

ROYAL MEREDITH HOTEL: Zane Carroll THE SPHINX HOTEL: Carvery from $17 SUTTONS HOUSE OF MUSIC (Ballarat): Little Brass Band

MONDAY OCTOBER 19TH ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night CHERRY BAR: Cherry Jam Mondays GEELONG RSL: Members Draw, over $3000 in prizes to be won!

GOLD DIGGERS: $14 parmi and rump steak night

OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Parmi night THE SPHINX HOTEL: Meals for $11

TUESDAY OCTOBER 20TH BEAVS BAR: Cup Eve, Luke Biscan

ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13 GOLD DIGGERS: $14 parmi and rump steak night OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Parmi night

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 21ST THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Master of Dartness and Poker from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Open Mic, Karaoke, Dave Anderson BIRD ROCK: Drinks Specials, Ping Pong Challenge ELEPHANT AND CASTLE: Trivia Night from 8pm.

GEELONG CUP GEELONG (52 Garden St): No Lights No Lycra GEELONG RSL: Pot and Parmi Night $13 GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Trivia Night MAX HOTEL: Lukey’s Open Mic Night, $10 Burger night ODYSSEY TAVERN AND BREWERY: Live Music OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Roast night SPORTING GLOBE: Geelong Cup After Party

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THURSDAY OCTOBER 22ND BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): Kyle Taylor BEAVS BAR: Andy Forster BIRD ROCK: Mexican Night; Mi Casa Su Casa, Taqueria and Tequila

CAMPERDOWN CRUISE ROCKABILLY WEEKEND EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night EUREKA HOTEL: Eureka Thursdays with local DJs GOLD DIGGERS: Happy hour 5-6 GPAC: Monkey...Journey to the West LORD OF THE ISLES: Trivia in the courtyard MARTIANS CAFE: $25 International Night including drink MAX HOTEL: Parmi night, Trivia night ODYSSEY TAVERN AND BREWERY: Live Music PISTOL PETE’S: LIVE MUSIC THURSDAYS: Lounge Lizards THE SPHINX HOTEL: Schnitzel Night from $13

THEATRE ROYAL (Castlemaine): The Paper Kites, Patrick James WORKERS CLUB: Themed Trivia Thursday from 7pm

FRIDAY OCTOBER 23RD KUBU STUDIO LAUNCH PARTY: The Living Eyes, The Kremlings, The Underhanded 170 RUSSELL (Melbourne): The Paper Kites, Patrick James BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): The Gathering Tide BARWON CLUB: KROCK’s The Band Heat 2 BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Happy Hour 5-7pm, Meat Raffle & Members Draw BEAVS BAR: Luke Biscan BELMONT HOTEL: Dave Johns BIRD ROCK: It’s Friday B!tches BLACK HATT: Kay and the Blue Dogs

CAMPERDOWN CRUISE ROCKABILLY WEEKEND CITY QUARTER BAR: Friday Unwind from 5pm. Live with live entertainment and DJ THE EASTERN: Wildeornes Album Launch EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT AND CASTLE: Thank Guinness It’s Friday EUREKA HOTEL: $5 Night, Live DJS GOLD DIGGERS: Happy hour 5-6 GPAC: Monkey...Journey to the West THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Enquire Within, Fresh Talent HOME HOUSE: Homehouse Fridays Party with DJs THE LORD NELSON: Happy Hour 5pm-7pm MAX HOTEL: After Five ODYSSEY TAVERN AND BREWERY: Live Music PISTOL PETES: Sweet Felicia & the Honeytones REVOLVER LOUNGE (Prahran): Jordan Bailey SAINTS & SAILORS (Portarlington): Live Music

SUTTONS HOUSE OF MUSIC (Ballarat): Burke Brothers WHALERS HOTEL: San Cisco

SATURDAY OCTOBER 24TH BARWON CLUB: The Soul Nation Revue BEAVS BAR: Luke Biscan BELMONT HOTEL: Lach Cartledge BLACK HATT: Bricks, Past and Present CAMPERDOWN CRUISE ROCKABILLY WEEKEND THE EASTERN: Agent 37, The Suicide Tuesdays, Northwood, Chuck, The Orchies, The Shorts, The Revengers, Infernal Bliss, The Pizza Crusaders and more.

EDGE: Live Music and DJ

EUREKA: $5 Night, Katie Valentine GPAC: Monkey...Journey to the West THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: DJ Merv Mustard HOMEHOUSE: Keesh, Madeleine KENNEDYS CREEK MUSIC FESTIVAL MAX HOTEL: Frequency ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Live Music PISTOL PETE’S: House Wreckers SPHINX HOTEL: INXSIVE Tribute Show SUTTONS HOUSE OF MUSIC (Ballarat): The Furbelows WOOL EXCHANGE ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX: San Cisco WORKERS CLUB: The Paper Kites, Patrick James YAH YAHS: The Hunted Crows, Greenthief

SUNDAY OCTOBER 25TH BARWON CLUB: A Dedication to Chrissy Amphlett BIRD ROCK: Sunday Sessions $9 Pizzas CAMPERDOWN CRUISE ROCKABILLY WEEKEND CITY QUARTER: Perfect Sunday Sesh Live music and DJ from 4pm EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Live Jazz from 3-6pm and Parmi Night GEELONG RSL: $13 Carvery lunch THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: McRobin

KENNEDYS CREEK MUSIC FESTIVAL THE LORD NELSON: Sunday Funday Live Music ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Live Music THE SPHINX HOTEL: Carvery from $17 SUTTONS HOUSE OF MUSIC (Ballarat): Ari & Rhiannon

MONDAY OCTOBER 26TH BARWON CLUB: $10 Parmis CHERRY BAR: Cherry Jam Mondays ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Members Draw, over $3000 in prizes to be won!

GOLD DIGGERS: $14 parmi and rump steak night

OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Parmi night THE SPHINX HOTEL: Meals for $11

TUESDAY OCTOBER 27TH ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13 GOLD DIGGERS: $14 parmi and rump steak night

OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Parmi night

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28TH ARARAT HOTEL RED ROOM: The Go Set BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): Karaoke BARWON CLUB: Slaughterhouse THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Master of Dartness and Poker from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Open Mic, Karaoke, Luke Biscan BIRD ROCK: Drink Specials, Ping Pong Challenge ELEPHANT AND CASTLE: Trivia Night from 8pm. Have fun win prizes book a table GEELONG (52 Garden St): No Lights No Lycra GEELONG RSL: Pot and Parmi Night $13 GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Trivia GPAC: The Waifs MAX HOTEL: Lukey’s Open Mic Night, $10 Burger night

OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Roast night

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the go set Melbourne folk punks The Go Set have been heard to jokingly refer to themselves as “a drinking club with a musical problem” and that may be true, but they’re also one of the hardest working and enduring bands on the Australian independent music scene for the last decade.

JJ

Written by Natalie Rogers

“I think the best advice we’ve ever received is that if you choose to go down the path of being a touring band, it’s a lifestyle choice and you have to stay the course if you want to enjoy the fruits of your labour – there are no short cuts. There’s no X Factor or Idol for what we want to do, that’s for sure!” laughs vocalist Justin Keenan.

Keenan was in surprisingly high spirits considering he’d just barely stepped off a plane after playing a whirlwind tour of the US. “We just got back last night, so jet-lag would be an understatement,” he smiles. “But we travel a lot these days so we’ve got used to it and we’ve learned a few tricks – but you can never really avoid it.”

The Go Set were in the US to promote their seventh studio album Rolling Sound, which will be released October 16 through FOUR|FOUR Music. “It was so good to play a fresh set of songs –we played the title track, ‘Rolling Sound’, ‘Struggle and the Fight’ and our first single, ‘Bones’.”

Now it’s our turn to hear ‘Rolling Sound’ live, up-close and personal when The Go Set kick off a national tour this weekend. They’ll play some of the best music venues in the country, including The Loft in Warrnambool and the oneand-only Barwon Club in Geelong. Keenan says these places hold a special place in their hearts. As fate would have it, the Barwon Club is only a stone’s throw away from where ‘Rolling Sound’ came to life.

“We booked the Point Lonsdale Surf Club for two days, and we literally just carried all of our equipment in, set up and played the album from start to finish two or three times,” he explains. “That was about it – we captured it all ourselves.

“We wanted ‘Rolling Sound’ to have the essence of our first album [Sing a Song of Revolution, 2004] and although we’d like to think that our song writing, structures and arrangements are more advanced than they were in 2004, we really wanted to capture our sound as live as we could – so we literally just set up all the room mikes and just played! It was great.”

Keenan says the hands-on approach was exactly what they needed to produce an authentic Go Set album. “You see a

lot of bands play live and they can’t pull off what they did in the studio. Quite often those studio albums cost $100,000 plus, and everything’s auto-tuned and corrected – they cut and paste everything nowadays. We wanted to do a record in the old sense of the word, a ‘record’ of us playing live, and I think the result is really representative of The Go Set live show. We’re really happy that we were able to produce this record ourselves, given that the people in the band should know what the band should sound like best,” he grins. “One thing I’d say is that we’re definitely a lot more confident in our own ability to create and arrange.”

albums, there’s somebody willing to lend a helping hand. You get to know people personally, especially if you’ve been around for as long as us. There’s always somebody who knows somebody who can help you put a show together or get you a great tour manager – there’s a great sense of community.”

With their newfound confidence Keenan says that the time has come to release something special from the band, 10 years in the making. “Rolling Sound comes as a double disc, the album and a DVD.” The DVD is a documentary titled ‘These Are the Days’ which captures the highs and lows of The Go Set over the last decade.

“We want to spend time with the kids, friends and family because it’s been a pretty big year – and next year is going to be even bigger because we’re doing an around-the-world trip. We’re doing China, Europe, London, New York and across the US, and Canada.”

“We had cameras on the road with us the whole time. We had about 100 hours of footage but we condensed it down to about an hour and a half, and we put it all together ourselves,” he says.

Friends and family are number one on the agenda for The Go Set when their upcoming tour wraps up. “We’re taking a little break over December/January to enjoy the Australian summer – over the last couple of years we’ve been touring during that time. So this year we’re having a Go Set band family Christmas and New Year’s camping trip!” Keenan laughs.

The Go Set will continue to tour and live their dreams – and Keenan sums up their tenacity perfectly: “My favourite saying is, ‘They were an overnight success that occurred over 1000 nights’ – and that’s just so true for us.”

“It [‘These Are The Days’] documents the struggle of independent bands in Australia. It’s a country with a large geography, a small population and a relatively apathetic approach to independent music. It explains why a lot of Australian bands are going overseas – but more than that, it’s the story of The Go Set. Every band has a story, especially if they’ve been around a while.

“Each of us have had our own struggles, and as a band at one point we were astronomically in debt. We’ve had our gear stolen and tour vans have crashed. We’ve hit rock bottom in the past so it feels triumphant to have pushed through – you can watch the highs and lows, the twists and turns of it all. It’s a real rollercoaster ride.”

When & Where: Ararat Hotel Red Room, Ararat – October 28, The Loft, Warrnambool – October 30 The Barwon Club, Geelong – October 31

Perhaps the most important thing Keenan took away from creating ‘These Are the Days’ was the sense of mateship within the indie music scene. “Whether you’ve sold 100,000 or 50

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Nicky Crayson Trio JJ

Written by Tex Miller

The Mane Event Q&A

Nicky Crayson is one of the finest jazz

singers in the country. Taking influence from some of the greats including Billie Holiday and Betty Carter it’s helped Crayson develop a unique style to her performance. Throughout her stellar career she’s worked with many Pictured: the stiffys

luminaries and different ensembles and her upcoming performance at the Mildura JJ

Jazz Wine and Food festival over the last

health is fast approaching, and helping change

weekend in October sees her opening the

the conversation is The Mane Event organiser

festival with her trio comprising Jeremy

Jon Gilchrist (alongside co-organiser Tristan

Sawkins on guitar and Hugh Fraser on Bass.

Gall) who are doing so by starting a conversation

As we begin to chat, Crayson is full of energy and enthusiasm for her career and it’s easy to hear music is a deep passion of hers. It seems that one of the main philosophies she lives by is that you should be in the music business for the love of it and not for the prospect of making money.

and raising funds through a music festival.

“So much has been happening lately and before you rang I was enjoying some sunshine and doing some gardening. Last year we did the album with the Paul McNamara Trio and I’ve been “Tony came down and heard me, and there was a newspaper doing a series of soirees and did a gig with a classical quartet reporter there and he went on record saying I was one of the which was fantastic fun. It’s been really interesting collaborating greatest voices that he had heard. What a compliment!” she with all of these different musicians on project,” Crayson says. says. “He offered to fly me to New York and help me start As well as performing, Crayson has for many years been in performing internationally, but I love Australia and my life demand as a jazz singing teacher at Macquarie University, here too much so I had to decline his offer. We have still kept University of Newcastle and the Sydney Conservatorium. in contact all these years though and I went and had dinner As you would expect, to be able to learn from one of the with him and saw him perform the last time he came out.” best jazz singers in the country would be a dream come true and definitely set you on the path to big things.

With such a jam packed 2015, there doesn’t seem to be any signs of slowing down in the lead up to the New Year. 2016 will hopefully, fingers crossed, see the evolution of the Nicky Crayson Trio album featuring the current line-up.

From auditioning for a theatre show comprising of all Cole Porter songs at the age of 12, Crayson was unaware of the path her career would take her on – entering as a joke led “We’ve been talking about doing a record some time next to some pretty big opportunities. “I auditioned for that year; we just have to see how it fits into everyone’s schedules. show and didn’t really think anything of it. I got the lead It’ll be great to play at Mildura and it’ll be a great mix of role in that and got spotted by an agent that led to singing tunes in the set so come on down Forte!” she says. in other clubs around Sydney. Things just started to snowball from that point,” she says.

From there, Crayson got the break of a lifetime as she was singing downstairs in a club that the one and only Tony Bennett was playing in. Bennett came down and heard Crayson perform and gave her the offer of a lifetime.

Sal Kimber JJ

The time to shift the stigma around mental

When & Where: Mildura Jazz Food and Wine Festival, Mildura – October 30-November 2

Written by Tex Miller

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

I’m currently on my computer bombarding Facebook with The Mane Event poster and ticket link! We have the bands, the venue, the equipment and the volunteers all ready, so at the moment we are just in the promotion stage. All we need are people to come and enjoy it.

For those who don’t know, the Mane Event is all about raising awareness and funds for suicide prevention and mental health, how important is it to have the conversation about these things?

The conversation is definitely the most important thing.

Raising funds is obviously important too, but creating a day and a space where people feel comfortable talking about their issues is what we really hope to achieve. And what better way than through the power of music!

The event has run for a number of years too, do you think the conversation around suicide and mental health has improved?

As we have seen, the last few years a few high profile people have come out and admitted they have mental issues and depression – this has really helped. I think even 10 years ago, if an AFL player came out and said they were suffering depression, people would have just laughed and told him to eat a tablespoon of concrete! Today, we are definitely more accepting but we still have a lot of work to do.

Sal Kimber is busy mixing her new record

Shane O’Mara as we begin to chat about her at the Bendigo Blues and Roots festival to be held over the first weekend in November.

“We are right in the middle of mixing the record and it’s kind of hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel at the moment,” she says.

JJ

with the band about zombies, bass and The Simpsons, and new music too of course…

Hey guys, thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte, how are you and what are you up to at the moment?

Binge watching season 16 of The Simpsons. My wife wanted fairy floss last night, the only place that had it was Blockbuster… And here we are.

Recording in a mud brick shack out the back of O’Mara’s house in Yarraville sounds like the ideal recording location to make an album and, as Kimber reveals, it is quite a relaxing process which has allowed the recording to sound a lot more natural and vibrant in the finished product.

“We actually funnily enough, tracked the drums in the living room of Shane’s place, the rest we did in the studio. However, it is an awesome environment to work in with lots of drinking of cups of tea and laughing,” Kimber laughs. on the opening night (Friday November 6) Kimber is excited to get back and jump on stage as the last time was supporting Kasey Chambers a few years ago.

“It’s funny how albums sometimes become really objective “When I play with my band, it’s great to have five musicians and you seem to have a total theme you never had realised on stage and be able to create a huge soundscape as opposed until someone pointed it out,” she says. to when I do solo or duo shows. We are rehearsing for Bendigo “On this album, it seems to be all about light and fire and right now and it feels pretty fresh. I love playing at the Capital, the last album seemed to be about trains and the notion of it has such a great vibe and having the opportunity to present the new songs in that open space will be awesome,” she says. going on a voyage.”

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With new music out and in the midst of

their ‘The Final Words’ Tour, we had a chat

“We released the latest single ‘Stumble in the Dark’ in May and are looking forward to releasing the new album in early 2016. There is quite a different sound to this album that I think you will be able to hear when you listen to it. It’s very exciting at the moment, that’s for sure!”

Talking about their show at Bendigo in November, Kimber assures me that the band is set to play some new songs from the upcoming third album. Returning to the Capital Theatre

Given the event has run before, what can attendees expect at the festival?

The most amazing thing is the atmosphere you feel when you walk around. There is such an amazing comforting relaxed vibe, and then there’s the music! The front bar stage for cruisy acoustic acts, and the two main stages out the back running alternately, so there is always a band playing! Non stop music and a great safe atmosphere.

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

This festival couldn’t happen without the amazing support of the Barwon Club Hotel, and of course our sponsors; BMD, Wurth, Geelong Football Club, Geelong Connected Communities, G21, Up Creative, Narana, Wathaurong, SC Technologies, Swann Design, Nagle & Co., Sergi Cranes, Northern Exposure Art and Framing and Sold Out Productions.

Apart from all that, just come and enjoy!

When & Where: The Barwon Club, Geelong – October 17

You did recently tour alongside Yellowcard as well, was there any knowledge or tips shared between you both?

Not any explicit tips from them to us. However, it was certainly eye opening to see that has been at that level for quite a while do things. I rode next to Josh, their bassist, on the plane from Perth to Adelaide. We had a bit of gear talk on the flight, but that’s boring. No one gives a shit about bass.

upcoming appearance (with The Rollin’ Wheel)

The latest single ‘Stumble in the Dark’ is a blissful and beautiful four-minute effort and shows that the rest of the album is going to be stellar on the back of such a sweepingly astounding song. Beautiful melodies and the mix of piano and reverb-y electric guitar make this an easy song to listen to – despite the dark nature of the words. The new film clip that was just released is sensational as well. Recorded at a friend’s bush shack near Bells Beach, the imagery of the night sky with the stars shining is very picturesque and worth checking out.

The profits do go towards Headspace this year, how did you go about choosing the organisation to support?

Last year we raised $2,000 for BeyondBlue, a fantastic organisation who really work on mental health awareness. We have chosen Headspace Geelong this year, because the funds will go directly into our community. Headspace have clinics in Geelong, Corio and Drysdale with qualified GPs, psychologists, and counsellors. They run help lines and school programs and work a lot with indigenous communities. They also focus on the 12 to 25 age group, which we believe to be really important. Teaching the younger generation to recognise the signs of mental illness will be an incredible service to our future community.

born lion Q&A

Southern Lights with renowned producer

Talking about the lyrical themes that surround this new set of songs, it is the notion of not realising there is an underlying subject to the tracks that somewhat surprises Kimber.

What first sparked the idea to create the event?

Myself and Tristan (the other creator of the event) have personally suffered from depression and anxiety.

The true catalyst, however, was Tristan’s suicide attempt, and the lack of medical support before and after his attempt. We wanted to tell our stories and put a spotlight on mental health to give those people that were suffering in silence the strength to speak out, while the hospital system catches up.

The new album which is somewhat influenced by Florence and the Machine and their signature drum sound, will be an interesting listen, so head along to Bendigo Blues and Roots to hear the tunes first!

When & Where: Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival, Bendigo – November 5-8

So the new album’s out and receiving rave attention, how are you feeling post-release, glad it’s out?

Of course. A lot of hard work went into it. We’re keen to see how the songs translate in a live setting now they’re out there and people have a chance to get familiar with them. We’re really hoping that the people who come to the shows – if they know the songs – will feel more inclined to be a part of the show, rather than observing.

Given the style, it’s the perfect kind of tracks to perform live that we’re sure will be a tonne of fun on stage, how have rehearsals been going?

They’ve been great. We’ve been focusing a lot, again, on turning the show into a more inclusive experience for anyone who comes. We don’t want people to just watch, we want them to be a part of it.

We imagine things on stage with the shows will have the chance of getting quite wild, will you open the craziness with open arms or are you looking for a bit of a quite one?

We’re definitely open to it getting a bit wild. So far both John and Red have been given piggy back rides mid set…

Come grab a mic if you know the words… But if you’re a bit shit, and you outstay your welcome, I’ll let you know.

Hot tip for stage invaders: What’s your end game? Know that before you come up here. If you’re end game was to just get on stage, that’s awesome, that’s why I play bass, but the second you feel like you’ve been up here too long, get the fuck out of there. We’ve got shit to do up here.

We’re lovers of your clip for ‘Break the Curse’ too, how did that idea come about?

Honestly? We really wanted to put a good film clip out for Break The Curse. Plans fell through with our video director and we were sort of left in a bind.

Our label directed us to these people in The US who ended up making the clip for us fairly quickly.

Considering the horrible time we’d had leading up to the release of that clip, I was thrilled with the coverage it received and how people reacted to it.

How well do you think you’d fare in a zombie apocalypse?

Pretty well I think. The biggest problem people seem to face in all of the zombie movies I’ve seen is that it takes the characters far too long to recognize that it’s actually a zombie apocalypse going down. I’d be throwing down, following all the zombie movie tropes from the time I’d had my first suspicions about what was going on. Fuck waiting to establish that it’s zombies. Just assume it’s zombies and act accordingly.

‘Good Dogs Play Dead’ is another great clip, is that a bit of a reflection you’ve had after a big night out?

Probably in my younger days. But I’ve never found a bunch of dead bodies in my pool… I did, however, have a penchant for getting hammered with my friends and collecting all the “For Sale” signs around the neighbourhood I grew up in. I wish I could say that it was some type of statement we were making about gentrification or something, fact is, we were just idiots.

Thanks again for taking the time to chat to Forte, any last words of wisdom you’d like to share with our readers?

Play football. No one gives a shit if you’re in a band.

When & Where: Cherry Bar, Melbourne – October 9 & The Loft, Warrnambool – October 16

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t he b es t s o ur c e f o r l o c a l m usi c & e n t er t a i n m e n t n ews | b a l l a r a t | b e l l a r i n e | B e n d i g o | c a s t l e m a i n e | g e e l o n g | s u r f c o a s t | w a r r n a m b o o l

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It’s a call for all of us, you know,

for the young generation to rise up and be strong and stand strong,

be wise and look up and think way beyond the future.”

Yirrmal Pg.33

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Things Are Looking Up

To the Slaughter

Armed with their galactic soul breaks, Passerine kicked off a little tour recently in support of their new release, ‘Look Up’.

The Melbourne trio, comprised of Phoebe Dubar, Alex Gooding and Ben Murphy, three souls with diverse musical backgrounds, released their debut single ‘Ready to Begin’ in 2013. They would release their debut album the following year, rounding it out with performances alongside Tkay Maidza and Willow Beats at The Hills Are Alive, Bernard Fanning and Clare Bowditch at Live on the Lawn and as the support for disco legends Boney M’s sold-out Melbourne shows. Look Up is lifted from their forthcoming EP, The Morning After / The Night Before. The Black Swan, Bendigo – November 7.

It started as a rap battle between Joe Budden and Royce da 5’9”. From there a respect grew, and along with Crooked I and Joell Ortiz they appeared on Budden’s 2008 album Halfway House. The track, ‘Slaughterhouse’, became the group, and they would release a self-titled album independently in 2009.

The noise surrounding the outfit was enough to catch the ear of Eminem, who signed them to Shady Records and provided most of the production on the band’s second album, welcome to: OUR HOUSE. Eminem also appeared on the album, as did Cee Lo Green, Busta Rhymes and Skylar Grey. This tour will feature the skills of Crooked I and Ortiz. The Barwon Club, Geelong – October 28.

Being Jon Toogood

Being the sharp individuals that you are, you have probably heard all about the 2016 instalment of the Red Hot Summer Tour. The one and only Jimmy Barnes will headline the event, rocking out his greatest hits, while Noiseworks, The Angels, Mark Seymour & the Undertow and The Badloves will serve up a home-grown selection of their finest and favourites.

Barnes made his name as the frontman of Cold Chisel, whose reputation as a hard-drinking wild man became the stuff of legends. Following Chisel’s break-up, Barnes released his debut solo album, Bodyswerve, in 1984. In August, Best of the Soul Years was released, an album compiled from Soul Deep (2001), Soul Deeper… Songs from the Deep South (2000) and 2009’s The Rhythm and the Blues. Promoter Duane McDonald: “We always receive requests from audiences in regional areas to bring the tour through their town. This year we have expanded to take the Red Hot Summer Tour to new areas and new venues, which makes it the biggest run we have done for the tour to date. We can’t wait to get out on the road in 2016.” For ‘In the Loop’ readers, this means a show in Bendigo at the Bendigo Jockey Club on March 26.

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It’s a Red Hot Summer

ballarat bellarine Bendigo castlemaine

e best so u

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IN THE

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The Destiny of Chris Cavill Chris Cavill spent many years recording and touring with his backing band The Long Weekend before finding a second life with The Prospectors. While the roots-rock foundations remain, The Prospectors deliver an electric sound – something unfamiliar to the songman. A few years ago Cavill was feeling a little down and out and took some time off in order to rediscover his love of the game. His musical brothers in Dave Cafarella, Michael J. Maguire and Peter King helped no end.

The crew released their debut, Know Your Destiny, earlier in the year. According to its press, the album draws on “classic, earthy tones and explores themes like love and loss”. Martians Café, Deans Marsh – October 30.

A Glass of Lemonade In 1988, a couple of AC/DC and Metallica fans bonded over some tunes, and so they started a band. They called themselves Shihad, apparently because they heard the word ‘Jihad’ in the movie Dune and liked the sound of it. They messed up a little as they couldn’t spell it, but they were fifteen. Besides, rocking out is more important that education. Remember that, kids.

It’s worked out okay, with frontman Jon Toogood responsible for 25 charting singles and five number one albums. He is also the youngest Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, picking up the honour at the RIANZ New Zealand Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. Catch him solo and acoustic at Geelong’s Workers Club on November 20.

We’re Going to Gracetown With their sophomore album Gracetown travelling along nicely, San Cisco are off and running on a regional adventure.

The album, named after a small town in WA, saw the band once again team with Steve Schram. I guess this means that bass player Nick Gardner is feeling a little better these days.

You know the story: a guy and his mates are driving through a rough paddock, partaking in some pest control, when one reaches down to steady the gun and it goes off. I tell ya, if I had a dollar… Anyway, if you’re after some good-time indiepop tunes, you know what to do. Whalers Hotel, Warrnambool – October 23 & The Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex, Geelong – October 24.

Pleasure and Pain

Showing what ‘DIY’ is all about, Claude Hay is a fiercely independent artist whose blend of stomping traditional blues, hard rock and booty-shaking funk has won him no shortage of fans the world-over. He’s a man who builds his own gear: you have ‘Betty’, his double-necked guitar made from a kitchen benchtop and ‘Stella’, a ‘Cigar Box’ guitar that started life as a six-dollar baking tin. His latest album is I Love Hate You, recorded at his home studio. Last year he entered new territory, stepping out from his solo shadow and into the band light with Claude Hay & the Gentle Enemies. The Piping Hot Chicken Shop, Ocean Grove – October 31. Hay will also appear at the Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival.

As Clear as Day While spending most of his time gigging between Melbourne and Geelong, Jordan Bailey used what little downtime he had in-between gigs to record a second EP. Set for release a touch later in the month, Clear is the follow-up to Breaking the Distance. Originally from Queensland, Bailey played the saxophone before finding his true calling as a singer-songwriter. His Year 12 music teacher encouraged him to enter a competition to record an EP, and the young songman opened his heart and soul for what was a very personal release. Babushka Bar, Ballarat – October 29; Billyroy’s Blues Bar, Ironbark – October 31; and Big Hill Vineyard, Ravenswood – November 1.

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“What a life” were the words Chrissy Amphlett concluded a Facebook post with, revealing her battle with MS. The news came on the eve of a 2007 tour. Driven by the power of music and an unreal strength, she would perform every show with a fiery disposition. She would collapse once the applause had settled, but she owned the stage – such was her way. A breast cancer diagnosis would come three years later. On April 21, 2013, she passed away. Amphlett was born and bred in Geelong and formed the Divinyls after meeting Mark McEntee in 1980. The band would release five albums before splitting in 1996. In February, Amphlett Lane, off Little Bourke Street between Spring and Exhibition streets, was officially opened

by Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, following the collection of more than 7000 signatures. On Sunday, October 25, Chrissy’s birthday, Geelong’s Barwon Club will pay homage to the one and only. TV presenter and singer Angie Hilton, The Voice’s Michael Stangel, Dave Stevens and Grant Whiteside and Roger Pedretti of The Glitter Gang will form an all-star band, while Neanderthals of the Future and For Pluto serve as support. The show will also serve to support Multiple Sclerosis Limited. It should be a ripper.

Dylan Joel is about as driven and focused as they come. The Melbourne hip hop star not too long ago crossed the finish line on the massive 47-date tour he undertook with Seth Sentry and DJ Sizzle, and now he is enjoying a headlining run – his first solo tour. Authentic Lemonade, his debut album, is the reason for it all. Co-produced by Cam Bluff (Hilltop Hoods, Illy, Allday), the album features the track ‘Swing’, featuring Mantra and Bliss N Eso’s DJ Izm. Tim Coghill (Matt Corby) and NYC horn wiz Igmar Thomas (John Legend, Macy Gray) also make appearances. Authentic Lemonade is available for your hot little hands now. The Workers Club, Geelong – October 30.

IN THE LOOP

Port Fairy Folk Festival

Hey Little Sister

After Dark Submissions

From jamming in their back shed to playing show after show around the country, it has been a fist-pumping thrill ride for the brothers behind Sisters Doll. This is the band for those who long for the days when theatrics went hand-in-hand with big riffs. We’re talking about KISS, Motley Crue, Poison and Alice Cooper. They have the wild lipstick, high heels, hats, chains and spandex. They have the attitude. Most importantly, they have the music. Formed in 2010, they have performed at Whisky a Go Go, The Indie Entertainment Summit and the Hard Rock Café, while locally they have ticked off the usual suspects. Be sure to give Welcome to the Dollhouse a listen. The Barwon Club, Geelong – November 6.

Geelong’s “one night only” pop-up arts event, Geelong After Dark, returns in 2016 with the theme set as ‘AIR’. Expressions of interest are currently being sought, provided they meet a few guidelines. Performances/installations must be less than 15 minutes in duration. They are to be repeated 2-3 times throughout the night between 6p.m. and 10p.m. They must meet a budget of $300-$500. Note that installations may be considered for the full duration. Submissions must be received by Friday, October 30, with full details available through geelongafterdark.com.au. Geelong After Dark is a project of City of Greater Geelong, produced by the Arts and Culture Department in partnership with Diversitat.

Turtle Bend Music Festival

Happy 40th birthday, Port Fairy Folk Festival, I hope you enjoy your colonoscopy. Yep, it’s the big 4-0 for the festival next year – and celebrations are truly in order. It was back in 1977 when a group of friends – co-founder Jamie McKew had restarted the Geelong Folk Music Club at the time – cooked up their grand plan at Geelong’s Bush Inn Hotel.

Thanks to the success of their club nights and bush dances, the ‘Bullockies Balls’, the crew took a shot at the big time. The first three festivals took place in December, before switching to March. Some 10,000 acts and artists have appeared at the festival since. Port Fairy was chosen as that was the home of co-founder Jamie McKew’s grandmother. We have a way to go yet, but the festival has already revealed a few of the artists set to appear. The early birds include Ayleen O’Hanlon, Claymore, DakhaBrakha, Dave Arden, Eric Bogle, Fourplay, Grigoryan Brothers, John McCutcheon, Katie Noonan’s Vanguard, Lloyd Spiegel, Mànran, Mary Black, Moxie, Nicky Bomba’s Bustamento, Pierce Brothers, Ruby Boots, Sara Storer, Shellie Morris, Steve Poltz, Suzannah Espie, The Bushwhackers, The East Pointers, The Ugly Uncles, The Woohoo Revue, The Young’uns, Three Kings and Truckstop Honeymoon. Port Fairy – March 11-14. Tickets are on sale now. Further information is available through portfairyfolkfestival.com.

Lorne Film Festival

Family, friends and great live music in a fun and festive atmosphere is the aim of the Turtle Bend Music Festival, a little music festival with a big heart and soul. Teesdale is the host, while October 31 is the date. In 2007, a meeting took place to discuss the creation of a rotunda. Local architect Stewart Seaton was approached by local environmentalist Stephen Murphey to design the rotunda, which would serve as a meeting place for the Teesdale community. A five-year mission followed before the project, shaped in the likeness of an eastern-long necked turtle, was complete. The Kite Machine will headline the event, with fabulous support from Glitch, Joshua Dower, Et Cetera and Black Lilac.

That’s the Life

Let There Be Rock It has been ten long, dry, rock-less years since Dallas Crane last performed in Bendigo, but the drought is almost over with the band hitting the Golden Vine Hotel on October 30. Formed back in 1996, the band would rehearse what would become their debut album in a Port Melbourne oil shed. The album, 1998’s Lent, caught the ear of triple j’s Richard Kingsmill, who became an early champion of the band. The band lived life on the road for nearly 11 years before taking a breather, reuniting briefly when they were asked to support The Who. There has been talk of a new album for a little while now, with their official website spruiking that it is almost here. Stay patient, folks.

Kennedys Creek Music Festival

The finishing touches are being put to the Lorne Film Festival, with submissions closing tomorrow, October 16. The inaugural event took place in 2013, which received over 1000 submissions before 29 films were screened across the festival’s duration. Screenings, workshops and live screenplay readings will feature in 2015. From the crew: “Lorne Film 2015 will continue its aim of becoming a leading film festival and regional event in Victoria and beyond – attracting partners, filmmakers, industry professionals, local and international visitors, a digital community, party lovers and the Lorne community.” Lorne – November 12-15. Keep up to date through lornefilm.com.au.

The Colour Orange According to the postman, the positive psychological properties of the colour orange include physical comfort, food, warmth, security, sensuality, passion, abundance and fun. The negative, meanwhile, include deprivation, frustration, frivolity and immaturity. Take your pick of these things when OR/\NGE rolls into town. According to organisers, the multi-format collaboration aims to “create a total sensory experience”. Now, the thing is, it is a secret show, at a secret location. It’s happening in Geelong, and it is happening on October 25, but that is pretty much all I have for you. You can, however, check in on howorangeareyou.co to purchase tickets. With that, presumably, comes knowledge. Sweet knowledge.

HOW or nge ARE YOU?

The John Steel Singers, Money for Rope, Immigrant Union, East Brunswick All Girls Choir, The Harlots, Cove, Forever Sun, Brother James, Karl S. Williams, Crossfire Hurricane, Spiral Arm, Blackwood Jack, Sheriff, Rough River, TSUN, ORB and Mangelwurzel are the dear darlings that make up the Kennedys Creek Music Festival, which arrives a touch later in the month across October 24 & October 25. The boutique bluegrass festival is the kind of festival that can still run with the big dogs, but is far more chilled-out. The most important thing to remember is to wear your wristband at all times. Seriously, it is your magical pass to everything. Hit up facebook.com/kennedyscreekmusicfestival for more.

Jeez, it must be pretty okay living in Geelong. Next month we see the introduction of Streetlife, Geelong’s first laneway festival, and it’s looking like being a ripping new addition to the festival family. Giving you their time and their talent will be The Delta Riggs, Jinja Safari, Residual, Imogen Brough, Revolution, Levi Anderson, Jack Harman, Luke Biscan and Izzy Losi. That is a pretty fine local representation you have there. Sarah Howells, presenter of triple j’s ‘Roots n All’ program, will be spinning her magic as well. Plus, there will be plenty of food and drink to enjoy throughout the day. Downes Lane, Downes Place, John Street – November 14. Hit streetlifefestival.com.au for more. The festival is also seeking volunteers to help with different elements of the festivals operations and there are three different shift times to be worked. There are perks for giving your time such as entry into the festival, food and drink, a crew t-shirt and a certificate of recognition. Jump on the website to apply.

The Mane Event Taking place this Saturday, October 17, at Geelong’s Barwon Club, the Mane Event is a musical festival that aims to raise awareness of mental health issues. Headlined by The Badloves, The Mane Event also welcomes The Stiffys, The Heartache State, The Kite Machine, Alister Turrill and the Vagabond Brothers, Famous Will, The Louds, Bound by Hound, City at Midnight, Stodgewood, the Tim Hulsman Trio, Crowbait, Apparition and TATA. All profits will be donated to Government established National Youth Mental Health Foundation headspace, headspace.org.au. As always, check in on your friends and family from time to time. A simple question can do so much.

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Quic k bites

20 Years of Carus Thompson 2015 marks 20 years since Carus Thompson took his first musical steps as a then eighteen-year-old. The Perth circuit became his second home, with the singer-songwriter playing as many as five shows a week. He released his self-titled debut in 2000 and was soon warming up the stage for the likes of Jack Johnson, the John Butler Trio and The Waifs. Lorne Hotel, Lorne – November 1.

IN THE LOOP

Let the Music Flow

It’s Coming from the Attic Quick bite: Approximately 40km inland from Bass Strait you will find Colac. There, among the many fine people, you will find The Attics, a three-piece band whose fuzzy pop-rock plays out in the most delightful way. They used to be all about the grungy bedroom rock, but they’re a little more mature now.

Check out ‘We Broke the Sky’ to see what they’re about these days. The Workers Club, Geelong – October 17.

Kennedys Creek Music Festival The John Steel Singers, Money for Rope, Immigrant Union, East Brunswick All Girls Choir, The Harlots, Cove, Forever Sun, Brother James, Karl S. Williams, Crossfire Hurricane, Spiral Arm, Blackwood Jack, Sheriff, Rough River, TSUN, ORB and Mangelwurzel are the dear darlings that make up the Kennedys Creek Music Festival, October 24 & October 25.

Did you know that Australians love live music? It’s true! So let’s share in the inaugural Aus Music Festival – Warrnambool together. Go on, tell that person sitting across from you on the train. Share it with your favourite barista. Focusing on music and songs “made and played in Australia”, Aus Music Festival – Warrnambool will feature a series of ticketed concerts featuring local and visiting performers. Events include a backto-back special at The Loft, featuring The Go Set, Ramshackle Army and The Alamo on Friday, October 30 and The Settlement, Blackwood Jack and Centre & the South on October 31. Warrnambool – October 30 through November 1. Get the full details through ausmusicfestival.com.au.

High as a Kite

The Mane Event Geelong’s Mane Event is a musical festival that aims to raise awareness of mental health issues.

Headlined by The Badloves, The Mane Event also welcomes The Stiffys, The Heartache State, The Kite Machine, Alister Turrill and the Vagabond Brothers, Famous Will, The Louds, Bound by Hound, City at Midnight, Stodgewood, the Tim Hulsman Trio, Crowbait, Apparition and TATA. All profits will be donated to Government established National Youth Mental Health Foundation headspace, further reading of which can be found through headspace. org.au. The Barwon Club, Geelong – October 17.

And as always, check in on your friends and family from time to time. A simple question can do so much.

Through the Valley Set for release before the close of the month, Valleywood is the third album from Dan Parsons. Returning to the skills of Robin Waters, the songman drafted some amazing musos to help him with his newie, including Tracy McNeil, Jackie Marshall, Steve Grady, Chris Pickering, Alex O’Gorman (Big Smoke) and Daniel Watkins (One Up, Two Down, Buffalo Nickel). From his website: “On Valleywood, Parsons’ ability to connect as a solo performer has never been more apparent – a renewed love of that paradoxical quality music seems to have; allowing a single human being to sing to a room of strangers as if each of them were the only person there.” Old Hepburn Hotel, Hepburn Springs – October 25.

Things That Go with Porridge

Remember November 6, foxy men and ladies, because You Am I will be dropping a new album on that faithful date.

It is called Porridge & Hotsauce and it is their first since their 2010 self-titled release. To keep you company until then you have single ‘Good Advices’. Mr Tim Rogers: “Good Advices is about throwing away the script and clinging to your imagination as the only guide. We’ve trusted our wits so far, and if it got us here, this hopped up and rarin’ to go, our wits done good.” Eh, it’s a good start, but a tour would be even better. What’s that? They are doing a tour?! The Barwon, Geelong – October 29 & Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo – November 1.

New Venue Centra Opens in Geelong

Things are changing in the food scene in Geelong, and it’s all for the better. The newest venue to open is Centra, previously known as the Carrington Hotel, the newly renovated space has a rustic Italian menu and a modern ‘urban ruin’ design. Geelong’s only North-facing courtyard garden is also a feature of the venue, which catches the sun no matter what time of day it is. As the name suggests, Centra want to become the centre of all things wine, food and good times. 131 Yarra St, Geelong Let the good times roll with The Paper Kites, who are off and running on their first tour of the year. Their lateness to the touring game in 2015 is due to the fact they have been busy with album number two, twelvefour. For the curious, the album is called as such because it was written entirely between midnight and four in the morning – pretty good shift work, if you can get it. To bring you closer to the band, they worked with filmmaker Matthew Cox, who followed the band across the world to document the creative process.

The album is now available, so give it a listen before paying them a friendly visit. Theatre Royal, Castlemaine – October 22 & The Workers Club, Geelong – October 24.

THE IPHONE GUY'S TECH TIP OF THE WEEK

Simon Says...

Did you know?..

The iPhone Guy can test your battery to see if it needs replacing.

It’s not always the battery’s fault.

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If you have been perusing In the Loop, you would have come across a blurb on Warrnambool’s Aus Music Festival. We also want to make special mention of the half­day forum which will run as part of this fantastic event. Taking place on Saturday, October 31, the Aus Music Festival Forum features Patrick Donovan and Nick Cooper of Music Victoria, along with The Corner’s Tim Northeast, Andrew Mast (themusic.com. au), Wayne Slattery (King Parrot), Jarrod Hawker (The Loft), Justin Keenan (The Go Set) and our own Amanda Sherring.

The Lighthouse Theatre is your host. Reservations can be made through info@musicvictoria.com.au. Be quick.

I’m Very Ape

The Mighty Fighting Gigs Born Lion hits The Loft, Warrnambool tomorrow night, October 16. Pete Murray has a date with the Torquay Hotel, Torquay on October 17, while The Hunted Crows make Bendigo’s Music Man their home on October 17. Temple of Tunes will show their worth at Suttons House of Music, Ballarat on October 17. Mcrobin finishes his Grovedale Hotel residency with gigs on October 18 and 25. Four Lions swing by the Queens Arms Hotel, Bendigo on October 24. Nathan Seeckts takes in Saints & Sailors on November 27. Finally, due to unforeseen circumstances, Communications – the Marc Hunter Songbook showcase scheduled for October 31 at Suttons, Ballarat has been cancelled.

Aus Music Forum

Listen up, people, it is time to rock and roll all night and party every other day with Apes. They have their new single ‘Dimension’ for you, so if you have three minutes to spare I am sure they would appreciate it greatly if you were to check it out. They have also been working away at their debut full-length, though I don’t have any further information for you there. To help welcome the single, the band is hitting the road. But before they do that, they thought they would warm up by supporting The Darkness.

Major Tom’s, Kyneton – December 4; The Workers Club, Geelong – December 18; The Loft, Warrnambool – December 19; and The Karova, Ballarat – December 24.

BALLARAT Gotta be a Wild One

IN THE LOOP

The Incoming Tide

DATES OF NOTE

what’s on in Ballarat

JJ

The Buninyong Good Life Festival is coming up on October 25

JJ

The Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of Ballarat runs until November 13

JJ

The Pyrenees Winemakers AVOCA Cup is on October 17

JJ

Ballarat Regional Arts Trail is on October 17 & 18

Written by Emma Dallamora

Loads of fun stuff is happening this fortnight with some pretty great weather too. If there’s one gig you’re going to switch Netflix off and put your pants on for, it’s the Wolveschildren annual Halloween CREEPSHOW on the 31st. Head over to check out the po est morning moments... Reese’s Puffs or Cap’n Crunch anyone? Check them out at Tuck Truck Tuesday from 5-7pm while the Archibald is on, or head to their Facebook page for all the times and locations.

What happens when the two guitarists/vocalists from seminal Melbourne stoner doom band Downriver (who also both spent the ’90s playing grind and hardcore together in the Melbourne gig-machine W.A.R.) listen to a heap of duelling-guitar-NWOBHM, old school ’80s metal and dabble with the icy grasp of blasting old school black metal over a few beers and backyard bonfires? That is the question posed to us by the Wildeornes, which in turn gives away the answer to the question. To be fair, it’s something everyone should know. It’s the kind of black’n’bluesy stoner metal your parents warned you about. Keep an eye out for ( – ) Erosion of the Self. The Eastern, Ballarat – October 23.

A Band of Bleeding Hearts Influenced by the likes of ’90s folk/rock outfits such as Bright Eyes, Neutral Milk Hotel and Modest Mouse, Melbourne’s Tiny Little Houses began life as the bedroom musings of Caleb Karvountzis. These days Caleb is joined by Sean Mullins (guitar), Clancy Bond (drums) and Al Yamin (bass).

Back in June the band premiered their track ‘Easy’ on Consequence of Sound, a move which had some calling it among the year’s best releases. Not only did it pick up a solid amount of air play on triple j, but it also helped to land the band a spot at BIGSOUND. Now we have their debut EP, You Tore Out My Heart. Spend a night with them at The Karova, Ballarat on October 17.

Driven by the likes of Justin Sullivan (New Model Army), Mike Scott (The Waterboys), Peter Perrett (The Only Ones) and Kate Bush, Phil Dean formed Zeptepi in 2001 after being convicted of stealing a loaf of bread in his motherland and sent to Australia. Details there may be sketchy, but form Zeptepi he did. Recordings surfaced as early as 2002, before the band played their first show in late 2004. As can be the case, Dean began writing songs that didn’t fit the mould of Zeptep’s high energy foot-stomping folk-rock, but rather than shelf the ideas he started a new project, The Gathering Tide.

From a recent UK show review: “Some of you may remember Phil Dean from when he performed here in 2013 with his band Zeptepi. This time he was playing solo, but if anything he was all the better for it. His new songs really allow a powerful voice to be heard at its best, and his lyrics – sometimes dark and brutally honest – are offset by a cheerful and endearing onstage persona. Reminiscent at times of Justin Sullivan, the legendary New Model Army frontman, it never ceases to surprise how a solo performer can sometimes fill a room with their energy and sound.” Babushka, Ballarat – October 23.

It’s a Sutton Extravaganza We’ll give this a bigger run next issue, but for now we want to quickly bring your attention to next month’s Suttons Birthday Weekend Festival. Set to take place from November 12 through November 15, the birthday bash will welcome the likes of Paige Duggan, Ultrafox, Pugsley Buzzard, Patrick McCabe, Mark with the Sea, The Virginia Slims and Uptown Brown to Ballarat’s Suttons. More through suttonshouseofmusic.com.au.

Don’t forget that every 1st and 3rd Monday night of the month we have the awesome opportunity to twerk against strangers in a darkened room with No Lights No Lycra transforming the Victorian Railways Institute Hall on Lydiard Street into a real-life David Lynch experience. To make the most of this Melbourne craze finally transplanting to Ol’ B-town, make sure you drag a few friends with you to amp up the vibes and potentially practice some synchronised disco moves. Check them out on Facebook for details.

Divali 2015 is happening on the 24th, with India’s famous Festival of Lights being brought to life right here in Ballarat.

Loads of activities for the kiddies and a guaranteed delicious curry fix is among the many reasons to head to the event, but most excitingly is the Bollywood dance workshop, where you can bolster your repertoire for NLNL with some pretty amazing onscreen numbers.

The Ballarat Observatory is opening its gates on 31st for an amazing workshop in Astrophotography. If arty Instagram snaps are your thing, then come and learn to up the ante with some stellar tips and tricks. The folks there are so nice, you can even camp there overnight for free! Check FB for details and to book a place.

And finally, if you feel like a drink to counter the absolute MADNESS happening in Ballarat that is above-20s weather, check out the hip new laneway conversion that is Hop Temple. With tantalising phrases like ‘Taco Night’ and ‘SpitRoast’ rife on their Facebook page, it’s hardly a stretch to drag yourself down and add a few craft beers in the mix for a pretty awesome weekend. If you like drinking liquid, these guys have got you covered on all bases.

Pants on everyone!

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Written by Jessica Morris

JJ

NaranaFest: Yirrmal

Narana means “listening and learning”,and at this year’s NaranaFest, held by

the Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre, locals are able to do this by embracing the exquisite sounds of Indigenous music.Up and coming musician Yirrmal Marika is a headliner for the event, and he can’t wait to share his culture with locals.

“My music is about my culture, my land, my home and my people. And mostly just representing my culture,” he says.

In fact, Yirrmal penned his song ‘Young Blood’ about the musician after meeting him at a festival. “After my gig I came to Archie and I spoke to him about how did he become a young man, an Indigenous young man, and to become a strong role model. And show that positive leadership to younger generations,” he says.

Yirrmal is from the community of Yirrkala of North-East Arnhem Land. A relative of Australian icon Gurrumul, his father was also a dancer and singer for renowned band Yothu Yindi. Therefore, in many ways, just as his country is in his blood, so is music.

“Archie spoke to me – he inspired me by his words and he When I chatted with Yirrmal, he had just recently received said, ‘You’re a young man, and a young blood, and you’re a news that his brother had passed away. He explained that it is strong person and you are away from your home. You’re living down here, and you’re carrying your tribal voice with moments like these that make living away from home hard. many of the people back there looking up to you, because “Look, other than that with my education and music, I don’t you’ll be a leader way beyond the future.’” mind living in Geelong. But something that is more important to me – like my family – when my family member The weight of these words drives Yirrmal as he seeks to be a passes away, that’s the hardest thing. I really miss my home role model for his community. “It’s a call for all of us, you and I wanted to go back…but other than that it’s Australia. know, for the young generation to rise up and be strong and stand strong, be wise and look up and think way beyond the I love getting down to Melbourne.” future. Archie’s a great example for us, all of us,” he says.

Moving to Geelong in 2011, Yirrmal is a part of a leadership A voice for a new generation of Indigenous people, and a program lead by the Marrma’ Rom’ Two Worlds Foundation, which gives young men from North-East Arnhem land an young man full of passion for music that moves you, Yirrmal Marika is a special sort of performer. Not only does he education in Geelong. sing from a place of transparency, but he also lives out the “[What] the Marrma’ Rom’ Foundation means is ‘living in two words he writes. I wrapped up my time with him by asking worlds’ of non Indigenous and Indigenous. So we kind of about the role he believes music plays in reconciliation. build the bridge. Then back home, [we] be a good role model His answer left me speechless. for our people, and show them what we gain out of the western “Music is about how you can hear it or you can feel it in any world. And that’s the point of why I’m here,” he says. way. It’s all about heart, right? What it’s about, in my opinion, Just as Yirrmal lives between these two worlds, his music is when you see how many black kids there are, and how also encompasses the broad range of tones and techniques many white kids there are. If you count it, how are you going that cross cultural boundaries. to relate those kids to minor and major? [sic]” “My music is more singer-songwriter, acoustically hollow. I “Minor, is a heavier sound, and a major is a lighter sound, and was performing acoustically with the Yolngu Boys; that’s when you relate those black keys, white and black keys, they will my heritage, Yolngu. But they went back home and I’ll just make so much beautiful sound. I play with my soul, I play with do solo and just play a solo performance. And that’s my my heart and experience. I feel it, and I sing straight to the people genre. Singer-songwriter, acoustically, and singing language where the heart is, and music is such a beautiful thing to me.” and English. So it’s more like contemporary,” he says.

NaranaFest:

Yirrmal “ I play with my soul, I play with my heart and experience. I feel it, and I sing straight to the people where the heart is, and music is such a beautiful thing to me.”

Already sharing the beauty of his song ‘Deep Sea Blue’ with people all over Australia, Yirrmal is set to release his EP early next year. Working closely with mentors Neil Murray and Shane Howard, it is clear he has been inspired by their expertise in the process.

You can see Yirrmal at NaranaFest on Nov 14. Located at the Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre on the Surfcoast Highway, tickets are available at oztix.com.au.

“I’ve been working with them. Collaborating, writing songs – they were amazing. They motivated me with their ability, and I absolutely am honoured to work with them. It’s been a great, great journey you know, working with these unreal musicians and learning from them,” he says.

Along with his time at NaranaFest, Yirrmal is also headed to the AWME, and will bring his songs to Geelong for the StreetLife Laneways Festival in November. “It’s a great experience for me and I’ve been looking forward to getting out my EP. A lot of people, when I was travelling around and playing gigs, have been asking me for CD’s,” he says.

When & Where: NaranaFEST, Geelong – November 14

It is evident that Yirrmal’s love for his culture permeates his life, and as I asked him what it would be like to perform alongside Archie Roach at NaranaFest, he opened up about how he hopes to follow in Roach’s footsteps.

“He’s an absolute legend. Archie you know, he’s like a leader that many of us will look up to. He’s done a lot of things for Australia and for himself, and for his family, and you know, it’s a beautiful thing to look up to him,” he says.

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Geelong Cup After Party at The

Sporting Globe JJ

Race day is arguably one of the most exciting times of the year, and there are few things

in life that give the same exhilaration felt while watching the horses thunder down the track to the finish line. The Sporting Globe have been long term partners with the Geelong Racing Club, and so when it comes to a party on race day, they’ve got it well and truly covered.

“Race day marks the start of the spring/summer party season and it’s all about the occasion: a chance to wear your best suit or dress and cheer home a runner in the Cup,” Mark Thomas from the Sporting Globe says.

If you’re after the full race day experience, get on board with the Sporting Globe celebration at their marquee.

Your ticket includes a food and beverage package, entertainment from a renowned DJ and a free shuttle to continue the party back at the venue in town.

If you miss your chance at partying it up with The Sporting Globe at their live site and marquee, be sure to follow the party back to the venue itself to continue the celebrations whether you were at the races or not. As you sit in the recently renovated space and watch on as the race day goers spill out of

the shuttle buses and into the venue, it won’t be long before Geelong’s biggest race day after party begins.

“Not only do we have a fantastic beer garden and upstairs function room we have a recently renovated restaurant and kitchen. Our 50+ screens will keep your senses tingling as we broadcast live sport from around the world while our kitchen serves up some of the best pub food around, from signature wings to juicy flame grilled steaks,” Mark says.

The party officially kicks off at 5.30pm at the venue with one of Geelong’s best cover bands, Trojan, to fill your evening with quality tunes. Later in the evening a local DJ will hit the decks until late, and you can decide from there just how long your race day celebrations will go on for.

The Marquee on Race Day Located in the hub of the Sporting Globe Live Site this Marquee will be the place to be on William Hill Geelong Cup Day. Party the day away with awesome live entertainment and a birdseye view of the GT Fashions on the Field competition from the Beer Garden Package Includes: •• Racecourse Admission •• Racebook •• Racing action on TV screens in the Marquee •• TAB facilities close by •• Delicious grazing finge food menu •• Beverage package (beer, wine, cider, sparkling & soft drink) + cash bar for basic spirits •• Dedicated toilet area •• Pamper Area •• Live entertainment •• Official After Party at the The Sporting Globe •• Price: $140.00 per person

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When & Where: Free entry to after party at The Sporting Globe, Geelong – October 21 (from 5.30pm)

iNDUSTRY HUB

BEHIN D T HE SCEN ES Chat With The Pro Festival Director

Top Tip To succeed in the events management field or to be a good festival director, you need to be as equally skilled in management of people and logistics as you are passionate about the outcome of the event you are working on. It’s not a ‘Just because’ career option.

5 tips for bands applying to play at a festival with QMF Director Andrew Orvis 1. First

sentence of your bio is the most important. I may only read a few words, so you need to grab me from the start and make me read more.

2. YouTube

videos are awesome. A good YouTube lets me hear and see you.

3. Full

links. It’s really simple, but a full “http://www” link means I can click it and open straight away.

4. Make

sure your best song is the first one played. If you’ve got Soundcloud, or whatever online streaming page, make sure your best song is the first one played.

5. The

hardest question is…. how much $$ to quote. There really isn’t an easy answer.

Not too much that you won’t get the gig, but also don’t sell yourself short.

Festival Director Karren Stoneham What was your pathway to becoming the director of Anglesea Music Festival?

It has been an evolving journey. Music has always been a big part of my life. Today I am busy teaching at Anglesea primary school and Lorne-Aireys Inlet p-12 College.

Through teaching and my past-music background I looked for the next stepping stone. Anglesea Live was a concept I came up with to promote and develop up and coming musicians. It involved all ages, all styles and enable families as a whole to enjoy the music experience together. I followed my love of music, my instincts and worked hard which took many pathways to arrive as the director of the Anglesea Music Festival and it’s been a shared journey.

Do you work within a large team, what is the structure of the festival?

AMF is a not for profit event run by a group of community minded passionate volunteers who have been united by their love of music and community spirit. AMF Executive committee and AMF Working Committee are made up of a team of 10 dedicated and determined members that work diligently behind the scenes to make this event what it is.

Can you tell us what your average day working at the festival involves?

Multi-tasking varied duties would best describe my job description as I am responsible for organising and overseeing all aspects of the Anglesea Music Festival. I market, promote, grow, develop and embrace all that is needed to get this festival noticed and sustainable. More specifically the role involves; making site visits, maintaining partnerships (media, artists, community, sponsors etc), managing a budget, getting all necessary permits and making sure tickets sell well and the event runs smoothly and that is only really scratching the surface.

JOB DESCRIPTION

THE REAL DEAL

Festival Director

With

sean kirk

Job description What are some of the most important assets someone requires to successfully run a festival?

You have to be driven, passionate, a people person, have strong organisation skills, able to build relationships, outgoing, have good time management skills and a bit crazy.

What is the most challenging element of being a festival director?

A festival director is responsible for organising and overseeing all aspects of a festival, more specifically a festival director is responsible for:

∵∵Making sure the festival is a viable and popular idea with reasonable demand,

∵∵Making regular visits to the festival site in the months leading up to the event and overseeing logistical preparations for stage, tents, food etc.

Sponsorship is a critical and fundamental ingredient to support advertising, infrastructure and performers’ fees, but it’s a hard gig door knocking – I would consider this to be the most challenging aspect for the whole committee. It’s hard work but those businesses and individuals that come on board see the benefits of being part of this not-for-profit tax deductible event but we are forever trying to build this festival and need more sponsors to be part of the AMF.

∵∵Being the main liaison for

What are the things you love about your job?

working/volunteering for the festival whose duties include; marketing, ticketing, band booking, sponsorship and all other related activities,

The people and the music make this festival.

The music we feature is not genre specific which gives us a diverse line up. AMF is just not another music festival it’s a gathering of friendly music fans, talented performers, travellers, locals which transforms our community into a vibrant, buzzing, exciting town celebrating live music. We also love it when the festival gates open to everyone’s happy and excited faces!

What sort of study or personal development would you recommend someone undertake in order to become a successful festival director?

Get your feet wet and get amongst it, volunteer and work behind the scenes. Look for short courses to get a taste of what it involves.

Anglesea Music Festival, in partnership with Oxygen College, is giving eight individuals the opportunity to learn, develop and experience working behind the scenes. This could be your stepping stone into a new career pathway.

Never underestimate where volunteering or doing something you love can take you.

everyone involved in the festival,

∵∵Creating and running a festival budget, ∵∵Reporting to the festival committee/ board at regular intervals,

∵∵Obtaining all permits and

making sure all event activities comply with local regulations,

∵∵Overseeing and organising a team ∵∵Making sure the event goes

smoothly on the day/weekend,

∵∵Researching any and all avenues for potential growth of the event.

If you’re interested in studying to become a festival director or an event manager in music, Oxygen College are a music industry education specialist that offer courses in music business. The college are currently offering a Diploma in Music Business which covers multiple aspects of behind the scenes functions including event management, artist management, record label and publishing.

To find out more and to book, visit www.oxygencollege.com.au or call 1300 195 303.

Being one of Australia’s most prolific touring artists, what is the key difference between performing at festivals and in venues?

I guess the main difference is the crowds reaction time. At festivals they’re usually ready to go from the very first beat, whereas sometimes at venue shows you have to work them into it.

What sort of festivals have you performed at?

I’ve done a lot of the blues/folk and even some more rural country festivals across Australia, for instance; Bluesfest, Woodford Folk Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival, St Kilda Festival, Blues on Broadbeach, Gympie Muster, Nannup, Blues at Bridgetown...

How do you go about approaching festivals to get on the bill?

In the early days, I would scope out festivals that I wanted to play by looking at other people’s websites and social media, then add them to a database I had put together. The database had all the festival application deadlines and I would sometimes spend entire weeks dedicated solely to putting in festival applications.

These days I’m lucky enough to have an agent doing all that ground work for me while I focus on writing and performing.

What are some things that artists should be aware of if they are preparing to play their first festival?

Having some merchandise to sell at festivals is so important. I see festivals as almost a modern day radio play. Many people don’t listen to their radios to discover new music anymore, instead they head to festivals to find it. You’ve got to have something for them to buy at the end of your show so that they can reflect on your performance and build up hunger to head to one of your non-festival shows.

www.dontpokethebear.com.au

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CLASSIFIEDS Send your info to: editorial@fortemag.com.au.

For individual use only, not for commercial purposes.

Lead Vocalist Wanted for already established psych pop-rock band based in Geelong, wth over 12 months of gigging experience in Melbourne and Geelong. Female an advantage, but open to try anyone.

Hear live recordings at: zumamus`ic. bandcamp.com. Please contact us at: zumaofficial@gmail.com or 0432049239.

Bass Player Wanted for dynamic (gigging) blues rock three-piece. Contact 0430971319 for more info.

Bass Player Wanted Experienced Bass player required for established working covers band: think Blondie, Free, Cream, SRV, CCR, Fleetwood Mac, Garry Moore and popular ‘60s/on wood bands.

Own gear and transport a must. rehearsals at Ocean Grove. Call Ray on 0418512975 for more info.

Geelong rock band looking for lead vocalist We are an exciting original rock band based in Geelong. We have a full band with committed members who practice weekly. We have done many gigs and are experienced musicians who need a singer to complete our line-up. Influences: Pearl Jam, Vance Joy, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Silverchair, Rage Against The Machine, Nirvana, Foo Fighters.

Search Aprils Sky on sound cloud for demos.Contact Ben if interested 0432 049 231.

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MELBOURNE MUSIC WEEK

FORMER ROYAL WOMEN’S HOSPITAL HUB Written by James Di Fabrizio JJ

Melbourne Music Week are renowned for pushing the

boundaries. In 2015, the team have outdone themselves. The central locus and beating heart of the festival this year will be the abandoned basement of the Former Royal Women’s Hospital. Oozing with a rich history, the team have cleared away the cobwebs and cleaned up the crumbling walls of the space to create a new flagship venue for 2015. As Kate Hannaford of Moth Design reports, the eerie space once played host to opulent balls back in its prime of 1858. Now, the walls will once again be

“All that really remains of that bit of history is the parquetry normal materials in an interesting way to create the space. floor, which is slowly crumbling away,” says Hannaford. It’s And then us, but particularly the guys from Swell are working easy to imagine the area’s former grandeur, a relic of a time with a lot of artists to create interventions into the space that gone by. As time took its toll, the space took on a more are site specific to get people to move around and explore.” industrial aesthetic. It’s within this juxtaposition however, Melbourne is the live music capital of Australia. With so many that fertile ground for creativity was provided. “It looks like events happening, the crew at Melbourne Music Week are this vast, cavernous underground space but with this using the hub as a prime example of a venue that will go toeparquetry floor, which is slightly reminiscent of what it used to-toe with the best of them, without harming the planet. to be,” Hannaford says. “Down in other little rooms there’s generator rooms and pipes – all the underbelly of the “The problem with events is they’re often so unsustainable and hospital.” Hannaford is a realist, and – as beautiful or unique wasteful,” she says. “I feel with Melbourne Music Week always as Melbourne’s historical buildings are – knows that many [utilising] some empty, unused space, you can really focus on are knocked down to make way for newer developments. the space and can have a sustainable feeling to it. It sets the Just as the century-old Palace Theatre is set to be demolished example that you don’t have to be brand new, every time.” for a shopping mall, the Former Women’s Hospital will most If anything, reinvigorating an older space that has stemmed likely suffer a similar fate. Its upcoming reinvigoration for from a different era filled with a history of its own enriches the Melbourne Music Week may offer one last chance for curious experiences that will take place there. “People were born there, city dwellers to explore its mysterious interior. people’s mums worked there – people have got that memory “It will make people notice bits about the building that will of it,” says Hannaford. “It’s not a depressing scary space, although probably disappear once it finally gets knocked down and it is quite spooky downstairs.” Until its final closure, the Royal rebuilt,” she says. “So for us, it’s a dark space and we’re trying Women’s Hospital was the leading institution for women’s to keep it that way.” The dedication to repurposing the building health and innovation. On top of that, it has been the birthplace in its current state is also a commitment to a more of six generations of Melbournians and was the home to medical environmentally friendly event. For the first time, Melbourne breakthroughs such as the world’s first IVF quadruplets.

Music Week will offset all greenhouse gas emissions to be completely carbon neutral.

bursting with life, music and art when old and new worlds collide. “We’re trying to re-use elements that were there to recreate things,” says Hannaford. “We found a lot of fluro tubes, so we try to use them for lighting systems. We’re trying to use

Making the most of the space’s winding halls, narrow corridors and expansive breakout spaces is Melbourne Music Week’s premier event, Swell. Interactive, enigmatic and avant-garde, Swell reimagines what a live music experience can be through bringing together art and design for a immersive and visceral experience. The reinvigorated hub will play host to a hidden labyrinth of painstakingly designed spaces, creating a hazy fantasia that feels both familiar and strange at once.

“We’ve allocated Swell a series of small rooms and zones – exciting little snippets of space,” says Hannaford. “They work with a whole lot of different artists and musicians to create a journey that you can take through the space.” With a lineup of events as diverse and unusual the hub itself, curiosity will be rewarded for those who explore everything Melbourne Music Week has to offer. It’s astounding to consider the amount of life that once burst from the Women’s Hopsital – and this may come as a final chance to add your own story to its walls. “It’s good to give people a last opportunity to be in it a space and recognise the history of it before it does disappear,” she says. “Reinvent it.”

MELBOURNE MUSIC WEEK will take place from Friday November 13 until Friday November 20. The launch party, held at their new flagship venue, the Former Royal Women’s Hospital, will host a completely Melbourne lineup of Gypsy & The Cat, The Harpoons and Dorsal Fins. Visit the MMW website for more details.

Central Geelong Sidewalk Sales

The Central Geelong Sidewalk sales are on for another year on Tuesday November 3 and is set to be its largest to date, with over 200 businesses expected to take part in the shopping event. Before you pop the champagne on race day head into town and join in on the thousands of shoppers all taking advantage of the one-day-only deals.

JJ

Aside from bringing out a number of specials from local businesses, it also sees them trading on the sidewalks, adding some life and excitement to your shopping experience.

Local musician Imogen Brough is back again as this year’s ambassador alongside Andy Muir, a local teacher, model and musician.

With last year seeing more than 30,000 shoppers flock to town, it’s an exciting day both for the race itself and the opportunities it gives to local retailers. An event hub will be located in Little Malop St Central where ambassador Imogen Brough and the Sweethearts will perform, a ‘Pamper Zone’ will be set up offering free mini massages, facials and manicures and a ‘Garden Party’ area with a range of pop ups from popular local businesses will also be set up.

A trader hub will be located at the corner of Moorabool and Ryrie Streets offering further special offers and sale items as well as a selection of offerings from some of the eateries in the adjacent streets.

For those who aren’t heading up to Melbourne for the races, it’s a great way to stay entertained, support local businesses and, of course, save some money with the sales. For a full list of the businesses involved and locations visit the website (www.centralgeelong.com.au).

When & Where: Various locations in Geelong – November 3

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Last Dinosaurs JJ

Written by Amanda Sherring

As all good tribute bands will know, getting as close to the real deal is the best possible thing you can do. And when it comes to the closest Creedence Clearwater Revival performance, and general mannerisms on stage, Creedence Clearwater Recycled come pretty damn close, they were even tricky with publicity much like the original! We had a chat with Brett from the band ahead of their show at the Royal Meredith Hotel.

There was a time for most of us growing

JJ

up where The Strokes had some sort of impact on our lives. Listening to the crooning of Julian Casablancas as he matched the heavy guitar in ‘Reptilia’ gave its fair share of epiphanies to the young teens who sat in wonder. For Last Dinosaurs, The Strokes were the catalyst that started it all for the band.

Beyond being the inspiration for Last Dinosaurs, it’s been a point of reference for them over the years and something that’s helped in the re-entering of bassist Michael Sloane into the band.

“Stylistically we’ve stayed the same because he’s really in tune with our band,” singer-guitarist Sean Caskey says.

“We’ve grown up together since grade nine listening to The Strokes and that’s literally what got us into making music – the Strokes. So we’ve been into the same music for ages.”

From the music the band produces to the shots that accompany them, everything seems to be dipped in nostalgia with a touch of sweet summer remembrance. With the band’s sophomore release, the only pressure felt was to maintain that comfortable feeling in each of their tracks.

Creedence Clearwater Recycled Q&A

we just didn’t tour Australia. So it seemed like we weren’t doing much but we were doing heaps overseas,” Sean says.

“So it was really staying the same for us but we kind of forgot that we hadn’t played in Australia for so long. It was really really good to know that everyone was still around and they still cared. It was kind of dangerous how long we took, and I “Even now I’m still slightly worried because I don’t really pay think maybe we were right on the edge of taking too long.” attention to the internet and stuff like that so I don’t really Having played Splendour in the Grass earlier this year, with know what’s going on with us. I’m worried in that sense, but Sean’s only regret partying too hard in the lead up and playing the only way you can really know what’s going on is with a set hungover as a result, the band are more than ready to take tours. So I’m just hoping this tour sells out and we sell out the stage this summer at Beyond the Valley. After all, creating the Enmore and to me that’s a sign of success and that summer nostalgia is part of what they’re so adept at creating. something good is happening to you.”

“The pressure I felt was to do something cooler and better than the first album, because the first album to me was just like looking at old school photos,” he says.

Creedence Clearwater Revival are one of the biggest and most iconic rock and roll bands, what do you love about them?

The first time I heard CCR, the sound seemed to just jump out of the radio. The big melodic guitar breaks, huge whaling vocals: the songs weren’t quite the norm at the time, but there was something very familiar and endearing about them. They never came across as a band that was about themselves, it was all about the music.

And when did you decide to create Creedence Clearwater Recycled?

I had the idea for quite a while but I would say it all came together around 1988.

With Wellness now released and a series of sellout shows in June under their belt, it may seem like it all came out of thin air. Just what were the band up to in the years since they won our hearts with In a Million Years back in 2012?

“It’s weird because we actually did a lot of international touring,

thy art is murder

Were you apprehensive at all about recreating such an iconic and hard to replicate sound?

All of us were focused, and still are, about creating that sound. That is the real reason we continue to play.

How did the first gig go as the band?

At the time CCR music wasn’t being played on the radio, I don’t think there was an oldies station then. The audience just loved the sound and the timeless music. There was a lot of controversy about who we were and where we came from. We on the other hand knew that it was the beginning of a long journey.

Is a CCR gig just for die hard fans or for anyone who loves old school rock/country?

Yes it is for anyone. We have had people from 8 to 80 love this music.

You’ll soon be playing at the Royal Meredith Hotel, have you ever been to the venue, any memories?

No, I don’t think we have. We are really looking forward to the show.

Thanks again for taking the time to chat with Forte, do you have any last words of wisdom?

Keep On Chooglin.

When & Where: Beyond the Valley Festival, Lardner Park – December 29 – January 1

Written by Natalie Rogers

When & Where: Melbourne Cup Weekend at the Royal Hotel Meredith, Meredith - November 1

Aus Music Festival, Director Russ Goodear Written by Jessica Morris

A keystone of the event is the Aus Music Forum, held on Saturday morning. “This is really a wonderful chance for people who have some kind of understanding of the music industry, and for those who want to find out more about how to proceed through the music industry – this is a must.”

Perfect for up and coming musicians, established artists, teachers and music lovers, industry experts like The Corner’s Tim Northeast, ex singer-songwriter Leah Senior, and Forte’s own editor Amanda Sherring will be on hand to discuss the ins and outs of the biz. The forum features four sessions going for 2 ½ -3 hours each, with guitarists Robbie Bostock and Leah ‘Sonnyboy’ Morgan also leading a guitar master class.

2015 has been a defining year for Sydney’s most talked about hardcore band, Thy Art Is Murder.

They found success both at home and overseas with the release of their third studio album Holy

Drive. When we were starting out [circa 2006] they started picking up momentum. We watched them tour relentlessly, always putting on the best live show that they could, always investing in themselves. Parkway Drive made me believe that with hard work their level of success was achievable.”

War, but at the same time they’ve been forced to

Marsh is clearly a man on a mission: “I’m the band’s manager, defend their decision to release a graphic video and because we’re a DIY punk band playing death metal, we like to control everything,” he laughs. “We pick our own clip for the title track that depicts decapitation merchandise, we design our own artwork, book our own and torture. “We hoped it would get a reaction,” tours and choose our own supports – we do everything.”

tex perkins pictured

JJ

There is a plethora of music festivals

along the Great Ocean Road, and the Aus Music Festival in Warrnambool is the newest addition to line up. In its first year, the inaugural festival is run in association

“A lot of [up and coming] bands get mixed up. They kind of don’t have the experience. So this is a way for them to find out the way to promote my band, how I should market my band and how I should deal with the media. I encourage anyone who’s interested in music or pursuing a career, or is quietly professional in the industry, to come along. Music teachers, come along. It’s only $10, and it’s $5 for students.”

Aside from the legendary Lighthouse Theatre and The Loft, there will also be music playing in cafes and pubs all weekend.

The festival is designed to be more than your run of the mill event – it was made for the locals.

“We wanted to make this easy to engage the whole town, to give them ownership of this festival as it’s our first one,” Russ shares.

“There’s a list of probably 20 venues that we’ll have, ranging with Music Victoria for “people of all ages For their upcoming blink-and-you’ll-miss-it headline tour that from poster exhibitions to concerts, solo performances as who love all kinds of Australian music”. well as live music.”

“People make music for all sorts of reasons, but we come from kicks off in Perth this week, Marsh chose the supports wisely. a punk rock background,” he continues. “We’re into hardcore “The most important thing for us is that we’re on the road with “When you come to Warrnambool you will see a whole range Whether you’re a fan of jazz, electronic, old school tunes, and message-based music: music that people enjoy, and that friends. Marinos Katsanevas, the guitarist from Feed Her To [of music] from folk indie to blue grass, punk rock; all different gospel or simply want to learn how to make it in the biz, The Sharks, is our guitar tech most of the year,” he says. puts forward a message, is a powerful thing.” styles of music - even electronic and shoegaze. We believe that Goodear and the team have made sure there is something “Lochlan Watt from Colossvs has been a friend of mine for as it’s a great way to, first of all, showcase the new emerging to delight your ears at the Aus Music Festival. “The city will There’s no denying that the band, originally from Blacktown, has an exceptionally loyal fan base that continues to grow long as I’ve been involved in music,” he continues, “and I music,” festival director Russ Goodear says. “It’s really a be full of beautiful music for the weekend. There’ll be something for everyone,” he says. around the world. “I’m having meetings about booking the produced Aversions Crown’s record [Tyrant] that came out kaleidoscope. The whole of town will be full of music.” band into 2017 and that does my head in,” Marsh smiles. last year. We like what they do, even though a lot of our fans Featuring big names like the Germein Sisters, up and coming The Aus Music Festival Warrnambool is on 30 October “Things are going really well for us at the moment, but to survive might not get into that style of music. Feed Her To The Sharks talent like Melbourne locals Raised by Eagles and Australian to 1 November. For tickets and more information, visit is very 2000’s metal core with some electro. Colossvs is more music icons Archie Roach and Neil Murray taking to the ausmusicfestival.com.au. as a band these days you have to tour so that’s what we do.” of an underground metal hardcore band, and then Aversions Thy Art Is Murder just wrapped up a tour with buddies Crown – they’re the closest to us but they’ve got that spacey Tarerer Showcase of Indigenous music.

Parkway Drive in support of their new album Ire. “We got death metal element going on. We’re all friends, we always have “To have built into our program the wonderful Australian to bring super brutal death metal to the Parkway stage, which a good time and we can’t wait to play some heavy music.” music is just a real bonus. Having Archie Roach and Neil is fun. We played some FIFA on Xbox backstage and see Murray and the whole line up is wonderful,” he says. who the better video gamer is!” Marsh laughs. “We always There will also be a flashback to the best music of the past, with hang out while we’re on tour and catch waves together.”

When & Where: the Back To The Bay Concert on Saturday Night. In addition, When & Where: says guitarist and band manager Andy Marsh.

Marsh says that aside from his friendship with the Byron Bay five-piece, it’s their drive to succeed that unites both bands. “I’ve always really admired the work ethic of Parkway

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Corner Hotel, Melbourne – October 16

the legendary Motorvators have also come together for the event. “They’ve reformed and they’re a major attraction.

Particularly the locals who remember the days when they played, and they’ll be a real highlight for the festival,” Goodear says.

Various locations, Warrnambool, October 30 – November 1

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FROCK IT T o T he M ax

Written by Jessica Alves @jessicazalves

Written by Katherine Reynolds

@jessicazalves

www.katthewanderer.com | facebook/katthewanderer | @katthewanderer

youtube.com/msbonvivants

A F e w T h i n g s I Lo v e About Melbourne Maxi skirts have always been my go-to when the sun is out, particularly when I’m white enough to blind someone, and frankly, when I just can’t be bothered shaving my damn legs.

I do have to give them credit where due, maxi skirts are good for more than simply covering up pins that are comparable to the American werewolf of London. They also have the potential to look super badass.

Maxi’s are pretty much great to wear all year round, particularly if you’re an Australian or if you live somewhere that doesn’t drop below freezing temperature. Depending on what time of the year it is, in winter you can wear a maxi with a long sleeved top tucked in with a biker jacket over your shoulders, some heeled ankle boots on your toes and a dash of red on the lips — I like to keep the outfit pretty monochromatic, but take your own spin on things! You’re able to keep warm, whilst still looking absolutely killer.

Obviously, they’re also fantastic in the warmer months as well. I like to opt for a maxi with splits on the sides for a little extra ventilation so I don’t accidentally get sweaty and end up feeling like more of a mess than a goddess. I also love pairing a maxi with anything backless, be it a top, leotard or any other crazy ensembles you can think of.

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This could easily just be me, but I feel like anything with a deep-v is so much more wearable when it’s in the back of your outfit than when it’s in the front. I also like to opt for something slightly more conservative, and seeing as my back doesn’t have cleavage, I personally feel more comfortable showing off skin that way instead.

Pop on a pair of mules, sandals or heeled sandals, grab a light cardigan if it’s cold and a little clutch, and you’re ready for a working day in the office or a nice meal out.

If you want to switch this up for something daytime appropriate, swap the backless top for a plain old white t-shirt tucked in, pop your hair up in a messy bun and voila! The look has seamlessly gone from night to day in about five minutes of effort — 10 if your hair doesn’t cooperate.

The only thing I should mention in terms of fit — I’m speaking on behalf of all the short girls out there, holla five foot one — maxi skirts are meant to just graze your ankle. Hemlines that are too long will only make you look shorter, trust me, I’m speaking from experience. No biggie though, if it’s too long for you grab a mum, grandma or pal who can sew, or even go to a tailor and have them measure and alter your skirt to sit just at the right spot for your height.

Melbourne is a seriously cool, beautiful city, and one I have a serious crush on! Being only an hour away from Geelong, I’m awfully lucky to be so close to the Victorian capital.

It is incredibly easy to get to, and is patiently waiting to be explored by fellow Victorians, as well as eager visitors.

The city has a crazy amount to offer with it’s never ending supply of coffee hubs, hole in the wall bars, fashion forward shops, top of the range restaurants, and hidden rooftop escapes. It’s a very walkable city (you know how much I love to walk), which makes it even easier to navigate!

It’s home to beautiful parks, the Royal Botanic Gardens and some much loved golden beaches. I adore Melbourne so much: I could easily see myself living there. After all, it is the world’s most liveable city! To carry on with the love fest, I thought I’d share with you a few things that I love about Melbourne.

THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING GOING ON

Being a major city, Melbourne is like any other city in the world; there will always be something exciting going on. It’s unbelievably easy to keep yourself busy. Whether it’s going to a cultural event, attending a new pop up, seeing a theatre show, or even a hilarious comedy festival: Melbourne’s got you covered.

THE ALLEYS, LANES AND ARCADES TO EXPLORE

The Melbourne laneways are something I always get super excited to see. I love the buzz, the intricate rows of cafes and restaurants and the insane coffee culture. The street art and graffiti is also incredibly cool to look at and soak up. Degraves Street is somewhere I always love visiting, and is also an excellent place to stop and sneakily people watch.

THE FOOTBALL

Being a Victorian, it’s only natural that I’m slightly obsessed with our great game that is AFL, so heading to Melbourne to watch a game is an obvious one, isn’t it?

Melbourne is the unofficial sporting capital of Australia - and for good reason. The MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) can hold up to 100,000 people and can definitely make some noise. Getting the chance to watch an AFL game is definitely worth it (especially the popular ones like ANZAC Day, or the Grand Final), but the cricket can also hold its own, with crazy crowds turning up for the Boxing Day tests. If you’re hungry for more sport, be sure to be into Melbourne for the Australian Open.

BEING ABLE TO DISCOVER THE REST OF VICTORIA

Melbourne is a fantastic starting point for any trip in Australia, especially in Victoria. It gives you a lovely handful of options for places to visit once you’re done exploring the city. You could head to Yarra Valley Winery, for example, or head our way and visit Geelong and the Great Ocean Road - one of the world’s best coastal drives. You could even tick Phillip Island off your list, or maybe hit up the gorgeous town of Bright. I could go on!

The historic, yet modern city of Melbourne is one I can’t wait to discover more of now that I’m back living in Geelong. I hope this has inspired you to visit our neighbouring city too!

forte 41

Forte Columns

too heavy to hug Written by Paul S. Taylor

The Night Vibe Written by Tex Miller

Blues news Written by John (Dr John) Lamp

Punk!

Pulp

Pop Culture

Written by Christopher Cruz

Written by Alastair McGibbon

Written by Anthony Morris

So yes, the Brown Sound IS officially back in Sum 41! Awesome news. Good to see him on social media talking the band (and its plans) up. I’ll take all the reassurance I can get!

So, Soundwave. What’s the deal? Mid October, and the official line up (due on the first of September) still hasn’t been announced. Tool and Babymetal were implicated as “hold ups” who hadn’t yet been able to confirm their involvement, but the natives are getting restless. Tool have since been ruled out, and complete silence about Babymetal. Hmmmmm.

Facebook followers have been pretty vocal about their feelings concerning Soundwave 2016, and it seems a lot of people were completely put off the drip feed announcement of the first few bands: especially considering that those bands weren’t much cop. I’m sure metalheads are thrilled about Bullet For My Valentine, but where are the big bands, the ones that will have fans SHITTING themselves with excitement?

Disturbed are the most recently whispered about possibility, but again, are they big enough to carry a festival like Soundwave?

Certainly not. A reformed, original line up Guns ‘N’ Roses would have been a boon, but they too have been completely ruled out, as have Rage Against the Machine. Most other big names have already done Soundwave (in some cases, multiple times) so the next few weeks should be very interesting indeed. What am I personally expecting? Either a killer first round announcement with lots of surprises, or the complete cancellation of the event along the same lines of what happened with Soundwave Revolution a few years back. Hmmmmm...

So, from a punk rock perspective, who would you guys like to see killing a Soundwave stage? Rancid won’t do it, as we know, but there’s a BUTT-LOAD of bands that Australian audiences would love to see. Social Distortion have had their name connected to Soundwave before, but nothing materialised. And despite the fact that Unwritten Law and The Casualties tour quite often, I personally would LOVE to see them in a legit festival setting instead of the usual club shows we get to see them play...

I’d also love to see some local bands get a shot next year. Younger bands like Clowns or Batfoot, or older bands like Tumbleweed or the Meanies would be fantastic. The Living End would also make a killer headline act. We have so much talent in this country we could EASILY fill a festival bill with locals. Enough with the washed up bogan nostalgia acts, emo/screamo flashin-the-pans and repeat performers. For the love of God, won’t somebody listen?!

Looking for a fun read? There’s a hysterical punk rock satire site called The Hard Times that has to be seen (or read!) to be believed. Like it on Facebook to be kept in the loop about new stories- you’ll cack yourself !

Ah crap- we’re all outta time and space for another issue... Meet you all back here next time, kidz!!!

By now, I think my love for DC’s master of magic – and king of the bastards – John Constantine is pretty well documented.

His original series – the classic Hellblazer – might be dead and buried, but courtesy of the New 52 reboot, ol’ John is still kicking along, only this time he’s rubbing shoulders with the likes of the Justice League. It seems weird to think that in a way, he’s been there and done that before; while the Vertigo universe was still relatively separate to the main DC universe, the superheroes still existed in some fashion – Batman and Martian Manhunter (among others) made cameos alongside Constantine in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman Chronicles.

Since then, of course, the DC universe has undergone something of a rework – Flashpoint happened, and merged the three universes into the slightly messy conglomerate that was the New 52, which has since been sort-of-rebooted into the New 40-something. The main Constantine series finished up earlier this year, and is now titled Constantine: The Hellblazer, though the jury’s still out on the change up. That said, I’m getting a bit ahead of myself here – that series is only a few issues in, and you can be sure that I’ll get to that in good time!

The first volume of Constantine, The Spark and the Flame, is something of a magical take on Indiana Jones: it sees John racing against time to recover the pieces of a magical compass that can lead a mage to any magical artefact they desire, no matter how powerful. The Cult of the Cold Flame, a sinister cabal of magic users led by three of the most powerful mages in the world, seeks the compass to gain even more power. Constantine, frantically trying to maintain the magical balance, has to recover the compass before the cult can get their hands on it – or him.

As it stands, The Spark and the Flame isn’t too bad. It’s certainly not at the level of the classic Hellblazer stories, but I never expected it to be; Vertigo has always been a playground for DC’s best and brightest writers, and moving John from that dark and foreboding world into the suits-andspandex main DCU was always going to restrict the series in terms of plot. That’s not to put down Jeff Lemire’s writing, of course – he singlehandedly revived Green Arrow, don’t forget – but I think it’s fair to say that DC is yet to emulate Hellblazer’s success thus far. Despite DC splashing Lemire’s name over the book, Lemire was actually co-writing the book with Ray Fawkes, who you might know from Gotham

by Midnight. Renato Guedes’ art is really solid, too; the character designs are great, John looks as haggard as ever and John looks amazing as Shazam. Speaking of: while I understand that tie-ins are great for sales etc, but shoehorning a Trinity War tie-in into the middle of an ongoing story is never really going to work. While the events of the tie-in are cool – hell, John becomes Shazam – but it feels really out of place and kind of ruins the flow for me.

That’s more of an editorial issue than a creative one; it seems that DC didn’t really think it through, and probably would’ve been better off tacking it onto the end of the trade (rather than shoving it in the middle) or just omitting it completely.

Despite a few gripes, John Constantine’s New 52 debut is an entertaining – if slightly flawed – book. It’s a good introduction to the character, and sets him on his way to tearing the DCU a new one.

Considering that Shaun Micallef is basically a one-man comedy factory, it’s at least slightly strange to realise that The Ex-PM – his new sitcom, in which he plays the titular Ex-PM – is only his second ever sitcom. Seriously, the only name that even comes close to Micallef ’s output is Working Dog, and there’s five of them.

In a 20 year career he’s done three seasons of his own sketch show, three seasons of one news satire (Newstopia), five seasons of another news satire (Mad as Hell), hosted a game show for four seasons (Talkin’ ‘bout Your Generation), had his own tonight show (Micallef Tonight) and his own murder mystery series (Mr & Mrs Murder), plus a number of various one-off specials including a New Year’s Eve variety show and a travel special – and that’s just television. He’s also written three books, put out a comedy CD, was a breakfast radio host and has appeared in a number (well, two) plays. So it’s fairly clear that the man likes to keep busy. And yet, he’s only done the one previous sitcom, the largely ignored Welcher & Welcher.

At first glance, it’s perhaps not all that hard to see why: coming off the back of his success with three series of his ABC sketch show The Micallef Program, Welcher & Welcher is a bit of a mixed bag, with a lot of left-field moments that make it hard to get a grasp on exactly what kind of show it’s trying to be. Well, obviously it’s a sitcom set in a struggling legal firm where Micallef plays Quentin Welcher, AKA his usual vaguely buffoonish character, and Robyn Butler is his long-suffering partner and wife.

Though it’s not exactly a realistic look at legal troubles even with a steady stream of cases and law-related events taking place.

Making matters worse, there’s no laugh track, as was the style at the time and remains so to this day. Usually laugh tracks are seen as a negative, but this is a show with a lot of obvious gags (remember, it’s not exactly a realistic look at blah blah blah) and rather than a naturalistic style of talk there are often pauses for laughs after the jokes, which is a little jarring. None of these things are fatal flaws but they do take a little getting used to. Fortunately it’s totally worth the effort, as it’s one of the funniest Australian sitcoms of the last 15 years. But it’s a very Micallef-esque sitcom (one episode features the entire staff repeatedly marching up and down a stairwell; another has Micallef re-creating a famous scene from Charlie Chaplin’s 1925 film The Gold Rush), which back in 2003 was very much something of an acquired taste. A decade on and with repeated exposure to Micallef seems to have brought the nation around to his way of thinking. If you’ve never seen Welcher & Welcher tracking down the DVD (which is surprisingly still available considering it was released in 2012) is a very smart move indeed.

Proudly presented by the Sleepy Hollow Blues Club

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

Our paranoid Federal Government recently provided schools with “Radic– alisation Awareness Kits” which advised of a possible (and rather tenuous) link between the “alternative music scene” and violent extremism as well as ideological violence.

The booklet entitled ‘Preventing Violent Extremism And Radicalisation In Australia’ was circulated late September and contains a case study that details the, I dunno, “downfall”, if you will, of a teenage girl from a loving family family who never participated in any activism of any sort. The girl in the case study falls into the alternative music scene and culture, then probably smokes bucket bongs, screws around, gets some dreads (all that is not actually in the booklet), becomes involved in left-wing activism then goes to f*cking drop out of Uni, go live in some type of forest camp (a la Charles Manson Family maybe?) then protests loggers at some type of forest! All because she listened to Radiohead or The The or Ween or Tool or Regurgitator or f*cking Earth Crisis or Gojira!

So there you have it, don’t listen to “alternative music” (read: anything Fox FM doesn’t play) unless you want to wind up caring about your environment and doing something stupid in your 20s like protesting which, as the booklet also states, at the protest the girl is then arrested for trespass, damaging property (trees?), assault (trees, again?) and obstructing police, all of which are the most hostile examples ever of violent extremism and ideological violence, ever.

In other news:

Sydney technical progressive death metal act Diminish The Gods have just released their debut EP which you can find by searching for them on the internet. Check ‘em out because they’ll soon be touring the country.

TesseracT will play Max Watts in Melbourne on Friday October 16.

Abbath will be at Max Watt’s on Saturday October 17.

Spend an evening with Dave Lombardo at Allans Billy Hyde Melbourne on Tuesday October 20.

The Arbitrary Method will release their debut EP Augmentation on Friday October 23.

Devin Townsend Project and Periphery have sold out their Sunday October 25 show at 170 Russell.

Second and final show added is Monday October 26 at 170 Russell.

At The Gates will play The Corner on Friday October 30.

Teramaze will release their fifth album Her Halo on Friday October 30.

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

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Well kids, it’s about that time of year where we start pulling out the Christmas Tree and all trounce into the backyard for a big game of cricket on Boxing Day. But before all that happens, there is a little business of choosing what the best albums of the year for 2015 are. I know that this may seem like a silly thing to do given that it is only October and there are quite a few more album releases to follow in the next two months, however it’s probably extremely beneficial to get in early and pen them down so at Christmas time it isn’t a hard choice for when it really matters. In no particular order… here are my top albums of 2015.

James Bay – Chaos and the Calm: If I’m completely honest with you, it’s a bit strange to see that James Bay has gone from selling out the Northcote Social Club to returning to Australia to play at Festival Hall in January. However, the success of his main single ‘Hold Back The River’ is no surprise, given earlier on in the year it was getting quite a thrashing on commercial radio.

Recorded in Nashville with Jacquire King (Kings of Leon and Dan Sultan), Chaos and the Calm is brimming with instant pop classics. There is a lot of crossover from his past three EPs to the album and rerecording these tracks allows for a groovier and funkier kind of feel. It’s the complete package as an album from start to finish.

Jamie XX – In Colour: As the majority of you will be well aware, Jamie XX, one third of American indie pop superstars The XX, released his debut record In Colour in May 2015. Throughout the 45 minute electro journey, this album weaves its way through many different soundscapes and is just stunning. Featuring collaborations from Romy (lead vocalist of the XX), Oliver Sim and Young Thug, just to name a few, this album is just blissful electronica of the finest order. In a time where listeners are more and more often cherry picking singles off iTunes, it seems to be the journey of an album is lost in the digital world, however In Colour proves the opposite. The production is slick and the transitions between each track is flawless.

Little May – For the Company: Released last Friday was the debut album for Sydney pop folk trio Little May. Having warmed hearts throughout Australia and the world over the past two years, the band has gone from playing small pubs to big festival bills. With over three million Spotify streams in the last 12 months, the band is building to become one of the most talked about bands of 2015. Having produced the For The Company with Aaron Dessner from The National in a converted nineteenth century church in New York, the album follows on with their signature sound and can be likened to the Seeker Lover Keeper album from a few years ago.

Playing at the Falls Festival over New Years, we are sure to hear the new album in the live set sometime in 2016. Definitely check out this blissful and relaxing album.

Foals – What Went Down: Probably taking the cake for my album of 2015 is none other than What Went Down by British rockers Foals. From the first time I played the title track on iTunes, I knew I was in for something special. There are plenty of luscious rock guitar lines at play here and moments to be able to rock out and groove away to. What’s more, it’ll be amazing to see the band live over the New Years period playing all your favourites. Such an electrifying live act and a great fourth record that showcases them as one of the biggest bands around at the moment.

This month, we have an unusual opportunity to hear two Australian notables from the blues scene playing together here in Geelong.

Wayne’s initiation into the world of music began in Geelong supporting Australia’s finest touring bands (AC/DC, Ayres Rock, Little River band, Buffalo, Cold Chisel, Dragon, Hush,TMG, etc.)

Moving to Melbourne to join a ‘Glam Rock’ cover band was not a brilliant idea.

Living in boarding houses and being robbed at knifepoint told him maybe Melbourne was not the right place to be right now.

Travelling to Sydney regularly to perform helped him meet up with like-minded musicians and after an altercation with his band (at 18, no place to stay and with $8 in his pocket) he took his bag off the bus and planted himself in Sydney.

When Wayne Jury returned to live in hometown Geelong, life suddenly got a lot simpler. After 30 years based in Sydney doing the big city hustle, more time to write and play guitar afforded him an avenue to express the troubles and emotions he’d been holding on to for years.

Wayne has a commitment to keeping the music going. Like many musicians, he teaches and passes on his craft, but he has taken that a step further with the Blues Boot Camps he runs regularly on the Bellerine, with MBAS and at Echuca.

Apart from teaching, singing and facilitating Blues Boot Camps, he now performs solo and with The Wayne Jury Three, at festivals, locally and around Australia, and plays in a duo with Rory Millar (harmonica). Occasionally he ventures back to Sydney to perform with Drybones and pianist Alison Penney. He also plays regularly with Kelly Auty.

The first time I saw Kelly was at Port Fairy Folk Festival when she was doing her women in music show where she traces music and fashion, describing the lives of women singers and embellishing it with their music. Truly memorable.

Kelly’s earliest memories are of growing up on the Ord River Research Station in the Kimberley Ranges, singing around a campfire, walking in the red dirt under a huge starlit sky and of music always flowing from the stereo speakers in her home.

Kelly Auty delivers a dynamic set of blues, gospel, R’n’B, soul, rock, country, French Chanson and jazz to delight fans.

She leaves audiences wanting more as she sings favourites from such greats as Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Bonnie Raitt, Eartha Kitt, Edith Piaf, Peggy Lee, Janis Joplin, Etta James, Eva Cassidy and Aretha Franklin.

Kelly has sung supports for Janis Ian, The Drifters, Jose Feliciano and The Platters and many festivals throughout Australia.

Kelly has produced 8 independent CDs. 2013 saw the launch of her latest offering of original songs “Falling For You”.

She’s a dynamo, recognised as a great vocalist and inspiring performer she delivers outstanding shows in her distinctive style. Together they’ll be amazing! Fun and fabulous, one not to miss.

Catch them at the Sleepy Hollow Blues Club, October 25th – just Google it!

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KU dio KUBU Studio Launch

Bringing a fresh wave of diversity and

is launching on October 23 with plenty of music, life and colour. Embedded with the studio’s Indonesian heritage, it brings together the richness of different cultures in an exciting launch party.

“We have Alice Ivy, The Living Eyes, and loads of other bands too,” says Marketing and Communications Manager Oscar Ronan.

“We have pop up shops, a tropical safari, we’re going to have a live video feed from Indonesia and artists. I believe they will also be doing an exhibition on the night in KUBU which will be great!”

If the name KUBU (That’s Koo-Boo) sounds familiar, that’s probably because you have walked past the gallery before. Previously located on Little Malop Street, it was closed when the lease ran out. Now with the return of KUBU, it is bigger and even more vibrant than before.

“It just revived recently. We’ve got this great space on Bayley Street, it’s just around the corner from the Mill Market and the train station…so we’re coming together. There’s a whole big team of us now to create KUBU two, I suppose!”

Designed to be an “all inclusive place” for teens and young adults in the region, it works on the premise that creativity crosses cultural and personal differences.

KUBU is inviting the public to join them in this journey as they feature the artwork of Indonesian artists Ryan Ady Putra and Okta Samid at the launch.

W r itte n b y J e ssica M o r r is

Stu

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creativity to Geelong, the KUBU Studio

“So we’re looking at people of all different racial and ethnic backgrounds, we’re looking at LGBTI people, we’re looking at impoverished people, we’re looking at people with disabilities, we’re looking everywhere… for all different sectors of society. We’re really behind that space for people to express themselves or to have a good time.”

The KUBU Studio already has many projects in the works, including fashion shows, panels, art exhibitions and film nights. A key aspect of this will be the launch of their Undertones Project in the coming months.

“The Undertones Project is again going to looking at different sectors of community, and bringing community engagement representing those kind of unheard voices,” he says.

Different forums and events will be held for the project, allowing often under represented people to express themselves creatively and learn more about social issues. It will culminate in an exhibition that will bring the community together.

“Art can be a fantastic medium through which one can express themselves. And that doesn’t need to be good art, I think that’s a misconception about good and bad art,” shares Ronan.

“For me personally, I think creativity cultivates expression just because it allows people to get all their tangled up feelings out onto a page. Sometimes it looks terrible, and sometimes it looks great.

But the point is that it allows that medium.”

“I think what’s fresh about us, is that we’re bringing a space that’s for almost that underground culture of people who are not necessarily included in social circles. Or they’re different pertaining to their diversity from the white, heterosexual, straight, whatever,” shares Ronan.

The KUBU Studio launches on October 23, with doors opening at 5.30pm.

Located at 14 Bayley St, Geelong, it is open to the public and tickets are available at kubulaunch eventbrite.com.

Black Diva Power

Written by Natalie Rogers

Victoriana Gaye Q&A How are you feeling now that it’s unleashed into the world?

It sways between feeling very small like a bottom feeder, groping around the ocean while the sharks are eating everything up above. Then there is this delusional feeling that, the world is going to go ‘Hey, yeah they kick arse’.

The performances in Black Diva Power are a force to be reckoned with. British-born singer-songwriter Ruth RogersWright leads both productions which showcase the music of ground-breaking artists Nina Simone and Billie Holiday.

“The theme of both those plays is empowerment through your art, no matter where you came from in life,” RogersWright says passionately, “and their legacy lives on today.

How many artists from today will still be remembered in 50 or 60 years time?”

You’re always a band with incredible illustrations to accompany your work, which we’re guessing Jeff is responsible for most, how did the idea for the EP art come about?

It came from an illustration Rags did for a poster when we were in Scotland. I wanted him to do it again but, you know, you can’t repeat the magic that is the magic of art. So I locked him in the studio until he could summon up a better image than the original. ‘Starvation is good for the imagination,’ they say.

To bring the music of Billie Holiday back to life, Rogers-Wright is joined on stage by a three piece band. “We have a fantastic musical director Mark Fitzgibbon, who is a legendary pianist and musician.” He is accompanied by Martin Holoubek on bass and drummer Scott Bates. “I’m so lucky to perform alongside such wonderful musicians. Previously we’ve done the show with just a solo pianist and me tapping away to keep in time!” she laughs. “They really help me a lot.”

Although Rogers-Wright first came to prominence as a singersongwriter in the mid ‘80s as part of the new British Jazz movement, she is also an accomplished poet. “I incorporate some of my own poetry in this part of the show, and I do an original song about her [Holiday] as well.”

To prepare for the role she delved into Holiday’s life and discovered an incredibly strong and resilient woman. “Look at Billie Holiday’s story - she was raped as a young girl and she ended up getting sent to a reform school because if it! The guy who did this to her got three months in jail - how ridiculous! Most people only think of her as a tragic figure who ended up as a drug addict. Unfortunately when we see these clips of her, they’re late in her life when she was very thin and strung out on heroin. But in this show we’re actually looking at her through the music she wrote and the fact that she was a sassy woman who did her own thing. She made her own path and she carved her own sound. Nobody helped her do that – she created her own image.”

Written by the acclaimed playwright Neil Cole, the story of Nina Simone focuses on her music between 1958 and 1965, and her friendship with Lorraine Hansberry, a playwright and black activist.

“She was an award-winning writer and she was the first black woman to have a play produced on Broadway [A Raisin In The Sun]. She encouraged Nina to use her music to further the black power movement. Hansberry is played by Zuleika Khan -she is a really amazing actress,” she says.

Rogers-Wright emulates Simone’s attitude and sound by drawing on memories of watching her musical icon perform live five times before her death in 2003. “At one show we were 44 forte

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Long before even hearing Victoriana Gaye’s

music and the band’s imagery is enough to win you over, then as soon as the first note hits the air, you’ll be signing your soul away to them in no time. After just releasing sitting only six feet away from her, and she was marvellous!

If she didn’t like the people sitting in the front row, she’d sort them out by telling them to leave – ‘Get out!’ she’d yell,” Rogers-Wright laughs. “I have never seen anybody perform like that. It’s like she would transform as she felt the music.

She had a very risky style of performing but she was so very generous on stage too, and I think that’s why Nina Simone had such magical powers to touch lives - and I hope we bring a little bit of that to the show.

“I try to show that any poison that’s in our lives can be turned into a great victory,” Rogers-Wright continues. “I see these ladies like the phoenix, rising from the ashes.”

Three musicians, two legends, one night - don’t miss it.

When & Where: The Capital, Bendigo – October 24 & GPAC, Geelong – November 2

their EP, Victoriana Gaye are a band who don’t follow the trends other band’s may fall over, instead they’re making them.

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

We’re using all our strength wrestling the great tiger that is Indie music. Just when we think we have a hold on the beast he jumps up with a mighty pounce and you have to be ready for more of a struggle then you ever planned. We’re covered in bandages or…

So the new EP is out, congratulations, how long has this one been in the works for?

We started writing before we went to Europe last year. Some of the songs were just little melodies running around in in the back of our heads, others arrived to us like, ‘Boom’ all complete and ready to walk out the door. We road tested a few of the tracks on the French who have fabulous ears and great wine. Ah the memories….

The clip to ‘60 Foot Lady’ is just as incredible, as you’re creating your music do you often have the imagery going through your mind as well?

Yeah we do. That song in particular was asking to be animated. Being image makers it’s impossible to separate these mediums. Of course they are glued strongly together with our inner souls. Imagery also runs through our conjoined heads while we are playing live. Trippy!

Do you prefer to be very hands on in each aspect from art to music of being in a band?

Yep, Yep Yep. Though we are planning to hire young very, good looking musicians to fill in for us on some of the lighter duties like playing live and photoshoots.

You’re set for a busy month or so ahead with gigs, do you prepare in any way for such a rigorous tour?

We pack a picnic and piss off. Then we remember the things we forgot when we reach the point of no return – which is the transcendental Newel Highway.

Thanks again for chatting with Forte Magazine, are there any last words of wisdom you’d like to share with our readers?

If you buy our album and come to our gigs you will be, most certainly, overcome with an abundance of love and serenity for an eternity

When & Where: The Cuda Bar, Lorne – October 16, The Retreat, Melbourne – October 29 and Suttons House of Music, Ballarat – November 5.

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Refining the Palette

Comedy 4 Karma:

Celia Pacquola

PHAKE: an Exhibition by Tanzy Vickers JJ We all have our ideas of how and what makeup should look like on someone. We’re too easy to judge when it comes to appearance, but Geelong born and bred make-up artist and photographer Tanzy Vickers is set to challenge everything you thought you knew about how appearance should be...

How did you first get into make-up artistry and photography?

I first got into photography when I was 12. I was down at the waterfront and came across the bollards with the Ferris Wheel behind them and thought that it would be an interesting photo, so I decided to just play around with my mum’s camera and that’s where it all started. I was then given a DSLR camera for Christmas that year, where I began taking photography a lot more seriously. I shot my first wedding just after I turned 15, and then another one a month later. I was never interested in make up until I was 14-15. Well, I wore it, I just never really cared how it looked or thought of it as art. When I was around 14 I began playing around with different colours and would do little photoshoots. Looking back at them now make me cringe, but I guess we all have to start somewhere!

Written by Amanda Sherring

JJ For over a year now Celia Pacquola has played the pant-suit clad, office worker Nat on ABC’s hit show Utopia. While comedy and acting isn’t a first for Celia, her career in the show is, and it’s something that she can’t help but pretend is real as she briskly walks through Melbourne, briefcase in hand, on her lunch break from recording.

“You just can’t not. You’re in a little blazer and you look like you’ve got things to do, people to talk to and meetings to have,” she says with a laugh.

“What was funny is that we filmed it in the city in the business end so when we’d have lunch breaks from filming going into the real world dressed like I was, they would have thought I was one of them. I could fit in with real people wearing my lanyard and my little pant suit strutting up and down Collins Street.”

In more familiar territory, Celia will soon perform at the Comedy 4 Karma event at the Daylesford Town Hall to raise money for the Daylesford Dharma School. Celia is well-known for her perfectly framed one-liners and personal musings, all of which are carefully crafted by her months in advance. But that preparation behind each show is something Celia is slowly trying to change.

“I’m trying to be a bit looser and include more audience interaction, but I find that really terrifying as I like knowing what to do,” she says.

“The not knowing is not something that’s enjoyable for me, I don’t go, ‘Oh I can’t wait to see what happens’ – I just find it really terrifying. So it always comes back to writing. I always have some kind of safety net where I know where it’s going to end but in the middle I can play a bit.”

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Celia’s thirst to know what was going to happen next soon lead her to many years of seeing a psychic – the topic of her last show. Interestingly enough her “addiction” all started with her first trip to America with her mother.

Is having full control of how your concept is perceived (through the make up itself to the photography) something that is really important to you?

If it is a project of my own, then definitely. But I also love helping others with their projects and helping them be perceived correctly. I want to work in runway shows, so I’m practising a lot on getting concepts perceived correctly, but quickly.

She was 19 in San Francisco and, one thing lead to another, she was soon sitting in a room with a psychic who told her she was cursed – Celia soon found that America is rife with You’ve got an exhibition coming up at Courthouse Youth scammers. 10 years later and a show resulted from the Arts, can you tell our readers about the concept behind it? reoccurring visits.

At first, I was hesitant about the exhibition – my family “It always made me feel better because it was someone who had to talk me into it. It was about six weeks after I’d looked like they’d know, telling me that everything was began my makeup course when I won the competition going to be fine. Whether or not they’re talking bullshit it and Courthouse Youth Arts contacted me about having just feels nice to hear someone say that, and I don’t believe an exhibition. I didn’t think I’d have enough work and I never thought I’d ever be able to do anything like this. I’ll me so I can’t say that to myself,” she says. be showcasing my street photography, my older photos “I haven’t been in years now because that’s what the show is from when I first began taking photos, and my more recent about – a palm reader told me something I didn’t like and work when I was meeting new people and turning them that sent me on a real journey of examining what I was doing into art and capturing it. There’s also behind the scenes and what really believe about all this stuff. So I’m clean!” polaroids to go with some of my recent photoshoots.

While there’s no one telling Celia what to expect in life anymore, there’s no questioning that her show alongside ‘Fake’ is a word that can be thrown around in association Tony Martin, Sammy J & Randy, and MC Tina Del Twist with makeup wearers, what are your thoughts on the possibilities and use of makeup day-to-day? is going to be a night full of laughs. Guaranteed.

I think some people consider makeup wearers to be fake because of the amount some people wear, but personally, I love it – it’s an art. You can change the structure of your face, your eye shape, lip shape; everything. I prefer the more creative and out there side of it, though. The everyday make up and glamour make up doesn’t interest me all that much. I love turning people into art and creating looks you wouldn’t see everyday.

When & Where: Comedy 4 Karma, Daylesford Town Hall – October 16

You’ve been described as a ‘trendsetter’, what makeup trends are you currently loving?

A trendsetter?! Oh wow, that’s awesome. I’m really into brows and heavy contouring. I’m a big brow enthusiast and I loooove cheekbones. I’m known for my brows. I’m currently really loving all of Kylie Jenner’s looks. I mix up my everyday look with Kylie Jenner and the ‘90s.

What can viewers expect in ‘Phake’?

A reflection of my personality. I’m quite energetic, alternative and over the top. I go to the extreme when it comes to make up. I lose track of time and I get so lost in it.

What’s been your favourite process of putting it all together?

Definitely meeting all the new people. I’ve gained so much confidence and have already come so far with my make up skills. There’s a piece in the show with this girl who looks almost identical to me, and I used to joke about meeting up with her, doing our make up the same whilst also wearing the same clothes and taking a photo together, and hey, now we have!

Thanks again for taking the time to chat with Forte, are there any last words of wisdom you’d like to share with our readers?

I’d just say to never doubt yourself or your abilities, and never give up. A year ago, I was failing VCE and was worried that I’d go nowhere, but now I’m a qualified make up artist and have my own solo exhibition coming up! It was a risk choosing not to finish school, but I’m glad I decided not to. I wouldn’t be where I am today.

When & Where: PHAKE opens at Courthouse Youth Arts on Wednesday, October 21 @ 7pm and runs until November 18

Guy Pearce and the

Gateways Short Film Contest

Refining the Palette ≈≈ Use Your Senses In a new innovative work by emerging artists, the theme of abandonment will be explored through a fusion of audio, visual and sensory experiences. Held at the Deakin University Project Space on October 15 – 17 (with performances at 7pm and 8.30pm) tickets are a mere $10 to support the blossoming talents of young artists in Geelong.

≈≈ Welcome to the Jungle If you’ve been thinking of the leafy things in life lately, make sure you head down to Geelong’s newest florist and print shop, The Jungle Room. Owned by local florist and artist, Courtney Ward, it’s the store form of her creative talents merged together. The new store is officially open at 50 Malop St, Geelong.

≈≈ Festival Seeking Artists

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The Gateways Film Festival of Amazing

Shorts, or the GAFFAS as it’s more commonly known, have officially been launched by Gateways Support Services with famous Geelong actor, Guy Pearce, generously putting his support behind the initiative.

The contest isn’t just for those who are well-skilled in the art of film making, it can also be a chance for those who may be picking up the camera for the first time.

“Over the years we have met many amazing people with stories of courage, humour, determination, self-belief, joy and friendship. This is a chance for their stories to be told and I can’t wait to see them up on the big screen,” Gateways Support Services CEO, Rosemary Malone says.

The GAFFAS essentially highlights the positive contributions “There are some great cash prizes for the winning films, so I that people with disabilities make to their families and the encourage you to grab your camera and take up the community. Guy Pearce, most famously known for his roles challenge.” on Memento and Iron Man 3, strongly encourages local film All it takes really is to have a passion for film and the desire makers to enter the competition. to share an untold story that showcases the achievements “I’m very excited about the launch of GAFFAS!” Pearce says. of those with a disability in the community. Entries close “This is a real chance for budding film makers to express their on November 6 with first prize winning $1000 and second talents through a short film, showing us the many facets of prize $500. life for people with disabilities. It’s an opportunity to To enter or to find out more information visit the celebrate diversity as well as perhaps highlight some of the website (gateways.com.au). hurdles faced in everyday life. Films can be fun, moody, educational, inspirational – anything you want really. So get your cameras rolling and let’s see what you’ve got.”

While StreetLife Festival is Geelong’s inaugural laneways festival, it’s also doing its bit for the arts community. At the festival there will be live street artists, the chance to display your work as well as an arts competition with two themes to enter: ‘Lee Lin Chin Affair’ and ‘StreetLife – What it means to you’. Entries close November 6, contact Michael for more information (info@ streetlifefestival.com.au). ≈≈ Extravaganza Geelong The finest local produce, boutique beer and wine will all be in the one place when Extravaganza Geelong hits Deakin Waterfront on October 17. This is the third time the event has run in Geelong and is set to take locals’ tastebuds on journey.

≈≈ Funny Business in Geelong

SHOW US YOUR or nge

Jimmy Carr will return to Australian shores early next year. A TV regular on the likes of 10 O’Clock Live, 8 Out of 10 Cats and Big Fat Quiz, Carr will bring his Funny Business tour Down Under, on which he’s currently performed over 200 dates around the United Kingdom. Over the course of his stand-up career he’s scored the British Comedy Award for ‘Best Live Stand-Up Tour’ and a Perrier Award nomination. When & Where: Costa Hall, Geelong – January 29

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Love Ludie

Written by Amanda Sherring

Love Ludie creator, Jenna Hutchison and I meet on a perfect candle making day. The wind is hot, the kind felt at the peak of summer but it’s only spring. If anything, the 34 degree temperature is almost too hot for candles.

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“On a usual day I’d have to have the heater cranking, so a day like this is prime candle making time,” she says.

Since launching in 2013, originally knowing nothing about candle creation, Jenna has managed to fine tune her candle making skills, right down to the environment to get the best end product.

Her love poured into the project as a mostly one-woman show has resulted in her candles being lit in homes throughout Australia, in Florida, Miami and most recently Scandinavia.

Jenna has also recently signed a contract with Quicksilver to stock her candles and she’s set to become a household name, quite literally, all across the country.

While scent has always been a strong interest of Jenna’s, candle making wasn’t something she initially pursued. After studying commercial building design at RMIT, Jenna worked at an architectural firm in Melbourne. Personal events caused her to leave her role and she soon found herself working as an allrounder at Mossman after running into a friend who worked at the brand. She soon left the role after an epiphany on the road, bumper

to bumper with hundreds of other workers making the same journey.

“The drive to Melbourne just killed me. I was at RMIT and then CATC Design school, so I was driving back and forth for about six years and one day in the car I just realised I’d had enough of this: waking up at 5am and getting home at 8 or 9pm and spending several hours on the road.

I can’t do this anymore,” she says.

“Now when I go to Melbourne I love it and I’ll spend a whole day there but then I’ll be like, ‘Right, let’s go back to Torquay’.”

Jenna entered the candle industry on a high when her partner’s friend requested her to make candles for her wedding held at the Vue De Monde in Melbourne – after she’d only been making candles for a month.

Now close to two years later, Jenna has 10 different scents in the collection, ranging from Choc Chip Cookie Dough to Coconut & Lemongrass. Scent is of great importance to her, and she’s aware of the possibilities fragrances play in creating memories.

“I burn so many candles in the house that you really begin to link fragrances to specific moments,” she says.

For Jenna it’s the earthy scents, of beach mist and eucalyptus trees, that trigger memories of her childhood.

While scent helps reignite these images, the name ‘Love Ludie’ itself is taken from her younger years, as Ludie was in fact the name of Jenna’s imaginary friend as a child.

“I get a lot of people thinking that it’s my name or my middle name.

It’s one of the things that I think is quite special about the brand too, it’s not just ‘Jenna’s candles’, it’s love from my imagination,” she says.

“I found my rough proofs a couple of weeks ago of all the lettering and all the colours and you don’t realise how much work you’d done to get to this point until you come across those.”

From here Jenna hopes to continue on the brand’s natural progression and to potentially return in part to her skills of architecture in future collections.

A range of earthier scents are also to be released in the next year.

“I was actually talking with my boyfriend on the beach about this and he asked, ‘So when did Ludie stop?’ I can’t even remember, I think I was six. I had two sisters – an older and a younger sister – and I think I was quite independent as a kid. I’d go outside and play with Ludie and we’d build cubby houses and little pasta necklaces.”

It’s the personal touches that make all the difference, and Jenna gives the assurance that each candle is hand mixed and poured by her and the type and watercolour design on the label of each candle is also hand made and created to suit each fragrance.

Love Ludie can be found at Peach Boutique in Geelong or online at www. loveludie.com. Alternatively you can admire some pretty pictures over on their instagram (@loveludie).

“I’m still making them at home using my mum’s Tupperware and making a mess in the studio,” she laughs.

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Montaigne Q&A JJ

Triple j may have unearthed Montaigne

into the world, but everything she’s done has been a result of her pure determination to succeed and passion for what she does.

Not afraid to be thrown around or share all of herself to her fans, we had a chat with Montaigne about new music and the industry.

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

I am very well! As we speak I am sitting in Tony Buchen’s studio at Studios 301 working on songs for the album.

So the ‘Clip My Wings’ tour is a few days in, how is it all going?

Pretty well! My voice wasn’t at 100% health for those first two shows so they definitely weren’t my best but it is now back and I am very excited for the next round.

The clip of the same name is also out and it’s a bit of an unusual one where you’re thrown around a little bit. What was the process like of filming that one?

It was long and physically arduous, but rewarding! I

Boy & Bear

Boy and Bear have become a familiar face in the touring scene. It’s their shtick and they do it well. So well that they took on 170 live shows from November 2013 to December 2014, a touring schedule that fine-tuned their performance skills and created many lifelong memories.

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“You have no idea, there are some things that can’t be unseen,” drummer Tim Hart adds with a laugh.

“Obviously on the bus you’re in close quarters and on a van you’re in even closer quarters. We’ve been in the band now for six years and I’m pretty happy that we’re still together and we haven’t killed each other yet.”

Understandably the band became completely comfortable on stage, and it came at just the right time to prepare them for when they stepped into the studio to create their third album, Limit of Love – live to tape with almost no overdubs or editing.

Lonesome Heroes Q&A Drawn to Australia for our kangaroos and tales of the music scene, the Austin, Texas natives Lonesome Heroes have finally hit our shores and are set to play Pistol Pete’s in no time.

JJ

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

We are bouncing down the highway on the other side of the road in a borrowed Pregio van with no windows trying to make our way to Newcastle for a gig. The van is full to the ceiling with borrowed gear, suitcases, and sleeping bags. Everyday has been an adventure in Australia and I have loved every second of it.

So you had your first show in Australia not too long ago, how was it? What are your thoughts on the Aussie crowd?

We were greeted with hugs at our first show here and that has been the case for every show. All the musos are so friendly and stoked to play with us. I heard people were open and enthusiastic here, but I had to see it first hand to believe it. Overall I have been amazed with how much attention the crowds give bands here and they rarely talk during a performance, or sit there staring at their phones which has become more and more of a problem in the States.

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felt like I was in an action movie which was cool, but at the time I had no core strength so it was difficult to pull off some shots. I had to use almost pure mental fortitude in order to get through that 12 hour day. But it was fun! Everyone kept up a positive spirit which made it easy for me to persevere.

The song and clip touches quite a bit on freedom and control, how freeing have you found your pathway to becoming a musician?

Well, I’m not sure if it’s necessarily the actions directed towards becoming a professional singer-songwriter that have led to me being “freed”, which I’m going to define as being an autonomous human being, but rather whatever else happens in my life and relationships. Music has always been a place I feel “free” because it’s emotionally limitless and non-judgemental, but that doesn’t stop other things in my life exerting their force on me. Me becoming autonomous has been a process not totally disparate from music, but not necessarily interwoven with it either.

Coming to fame through digital channels is pretty common these days and it often means so much of you is shared online, how much of yourself are you happy to share with fans on social media and in your music?

I’m pretty happy to share a lot of me. I don’t have a

great amount to be ashamed of, or that I feel I should be ashamed of (I’m sure people would express their disagreement with that but um I don’t care).

We saw that you were possibly going to go down the path of becoming a soccer player, when was the moment where you decided to pursue music?

When I realised that it was actually possible to pursue music! Unearthed high opened me up to the world I’m in now and it took about a year and a half for me to decide absolutely that being in the music industry was my lot in life.

And your mum actually managed you to begin with, how was that dynamic? Was it ever hard to work out the line between ‘mum’ and ‘manager’?

Oh man the line was never worked out. We tried to get other managers almost as soon as I finished high school because it was too difficult for me to function creatively or independently.

Thanks again for taking the time to chat with us, are there any last words of wisdom you’d like to share with our readers?

Don’t be unnecessarily mean or judgemental or negative – can’t deal with people like that. Everyone should be doing their best to make this world a better one.

When & Where: Northcote Social Club, Melbourne – November 6

Written by Amanda Sherring

“It’s hard to let go of yourself and let that go onto a record as well,” he says.

and we’d never done that before and, to be honest, it’s been a really good fit,” Tim says.

“I love those raw moments because listening to records growing up like Simon & Garfunkel and The Rolling Stones, you hear the imperfections and you go back and you keep rewinding and listening to those moments because it’s cool.

“When you get into doing a film clip you can either be really controlling as an artist or step back and say, ‘Let’s see where these guys want to go with it’ – and we took that approach.

I think they always knew what was happening but we didn’t ask too many questions and just went along with it.”

“It was nerve wracking at the time when we first started the record and when I listen to it now, and maybe this is through rose coloured glasses, it sounds better to me than the first two records. Especially in terms of how it feels and the way it fits together. I think when you’re editing things and making them perfectly in tune or in time you lose that humanity to it and you lose that excitement.”

With a change of the recording process also came a change in the accompanying music clips released by the band.

Produced by Oh Yeah Wow, the clip for ‘Walk the Wire’ is a whacky, CGI-filled several minutes that offers a view of the band fans have never seen before.

“It’s piss-take really and light hearted and I think that’s what drew us to the concept when they pitched it to us. We wanted to do something different and be a bit more light hearted

The lightness and fun seen in the clip is echoed throughout the new album, marking a point of change for the band’s progression in the industry. It’s been a great year of firsts for the band, and while the first time for everything is more than welcome, Tim mentions briefly that he would like to continue on the same path for the next album.

Release: Limit of Love is out now at all good retailers When & Where: Festival Hall, Melbourne – January 23

Your tour is titled ‘Austin, Texas to Australia’ what made our country your destination of choice?

I have always been a traveller and travelling is an essential part of writing and music for me. I had this longing to come here since the first time I read about kangaroos and saw a picture of such a far away place when I was a kid. I can’t explain where this feeling comes from, but I have always known that I would come here – but no idea when or how. I made friends with an expat Aussie songwriter in Austin named Acey Monaro and she kept filling my head with talk about how great the music scene is over here and tales of wild places and wild people. Eventually I convinced her to help book us a tour over here and we quickly connected with a Festival of Cosmic Americana music called Dashville Skyline and everything just seemed to fall into place (with a tonne of hard work by Acey obviously). I feel so lucky to get to come here to play music, because there is no better way to meet people and end up on crazy adventures.

so many people have written to me to tell me how much they like it and that makes all the bouncing around in vans and sleeping on stranger’s couches worth it.

Your new album, Can’t Stand Still, is a new sound naturally with a new line up for the band. How have fans responded to the new music and the change?

I was so nervous the first few tours after Landry and I split, but all of our friends and fans on the road were so supportive. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my bandmates and all those people telling us to keep it up. Our sound quickly drifted from the more downtempo shoe gaze country of the past to an up tempo rock ‘n’ roll feel. Right away people responded by dancing and we began to feed off that energy. It took a year of touring and another six months in the studio to bring the sound to life, but the work was worth it because we have had some unbelievable press about the record and

Thanks again for taking the time to chat with us, are there any last words of wisdom you’d like to share with our readers?

I would say keep supporting local music at the pubs and small venues. As soon as that dies the local music scene suffers and we end up with too many bands that look and sound the same. This has slowly been happening in the US and people over here have told me its happening in Australia. I have seen such a supportive local music scene so far and I hope it only continues to grow.

You have got that real Americana sound, are you looking forward to representing that all through Australia?

It’s funny because I have never really used the term Americana to describe our music because I never could figure out exactly what the term meant. As soon as we got here a few bands introduced us as an “authentic American band” and it finally clicked. \ We are not really one genre or sound, but a mix of all our favourite parts of American music. It’s almost like I had to see Americana from an outsiders perspective to understand what it is. I can say we really are proud to represent our music and our hometown of Austin over here. I am not an overly patriotic American, but am always proud to tell people that we are from Austin, Texas where the most musos in the world gather.

When & Where: Pistol Pete’s, Geelong – October 17

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skipping girl vinegar

JJ

The sheer power of showcasing

at Melbourne’s roots festival the AWME (Australasian Worldwide Music Expo) is phenomenal. This year the three day event returns to Melbourne in November, bringing together up and coming musicians like Mojo Juju and Ngaiire, with industry professionals from all over the world.

Point Lonsdale based Skipping Girl Vinegar headline the opening night, and they are stoked for their return to the Playhouse Theatre.

Written by Jessica Morris

“It’s really about the kind of release of moving away from the city, going through a challenging thing, and for healing from the environment we were in and around – travelling through that journey and out the other side into recovery,” he says.

“I think most of it’s really about a celebration of life,” he shares.

“We’ve sort of had a lot of feedback from people saying that it’s a very well articulated album in their own journey and has been very helpful for them – that’s kind of what powerful art is.”

Giving a shout out to the crew at Geelong’s Andrew Love Cancer Centre, “The nurses there are remarkable. We are actually very fortunate for the amazing teams of people that live around us.” Mark’s personal circumstances aren’t the only unique facet of the album recorded in Point Lonsdale.

Jackson Firebird

JJ Jackson

Firebird are back with their

highly anticipated second record, Shake The Breakdown. Guitarist and vocalist Brendan Harvey (or ‘Harvs’ as he is better known) is basking in the sunshine on Williamstown Beach as we begin to chat about the new release. Composed of two best mates from Mildura in northwestern Victoria, Jackson

Firebird are responsible for one of the year’s “It’s an amazing opportunity to go back into the room and “We would go around the town into these weird little to be part of the AWME which is a really remarkable event,” abandoned halls and places and record vocals with the natural gutsiest blues rock records. After such a long reverbs playing around, so you can kind of hear the sound of time in limbo between recording, mastering vocalist Mark Lang says. the ocean behind it. There’s this authenticity that happens to “All these great agents and people from all around the world a record when you have a sense of place to it,” he says. and doing publicity, Harvey can’t wait for local come in there, so to be able to showcase this new album audiences to taste the fruits of their hard labour.

“The album is really written about that little town, and about and this new performance in that environment, should be the side of the coast, which, to me, is the best side of the “It’s great to finally have the album out mate, it’s felt like a really special.” coast,” he adds. “I write a lot of my lyrics riding my bike long time coming for us,” he says.

With this show, the band promises an “immersive along the sea wall down there.” experience” filled with moving projections. As it is their “It’s not out in Australia just yet, and it seems to be going last set of the year with the full band, it seems only poetic As Skipping Girl Vinegar headline opening night of AWME, absolutely bananas in Europe at the moment, so that’s good. they have their sights set on re entering the US market early that it’s in their hometown.

We can’t wait to have the record out here and be able to play next year, and they have some smart advice for attendees. as many shows to as many people as possible.”

“I mean, Melbourne’s our hometown, and it appears that we only “If you have the opportunity, while you’re playing at this Ever since their humble inception, Jackson Firebird have play at the Playhouse Theatre in Melbourne,” Mark laughs. event, to actually go see other artists and network… it kind been known for their rowdy, party-oriented live shows. “[We’re] making it a very special and immersive event that of opens up the doors,” he says.

Harvey and drummer Dale Hudak dropped their debut you can’t really do in pubs and things like that, so it’s a great single, ‘Bottle Bin’, just a few years back, and they certainly way to round up a year in Melbourne for sure!” weren’t expecting all of the accolades that have come their In what has been a huge year for the indie-rock outfit, the way in the ensuing years. last time Skipping Girl Vinegar were at the Playhouse Theatre “We were stoked we didn’t get glassed at our first gig at the was for the launch of their latest album The Great Wave.

The AWME is on from November 12-14 at the local pub to tell you the honest truth mate, all because we Created entirely along the coast, the album has special Arts Centre Melbourne, Max Watts, Shebeen, were focusing on playing original blues and we didn’t play significance for Mark, whose wife was diagnosed with The Toff, Ding Dong and Lounge. Tickets a Barnsey cover,” Harvey says.

Ovarian cancer at the time.

Written by Tex Miller

“If you didn’t get the shit beaten out of you it was a good night. People like to hear songs they know, but we liked to push the boundaries of what we are doing since day one. It was a good way to cut our teeth playing in those venues and we are incredibly thankful for all of the opportunities that have come our way since.”

Going from the local boozer to the music conference circus that is South By Southwest, the band have certainly evolved a lot in the past couple of years. Their debut LP, Cock Rockin’, is essential listening for any fan of modern Australian blues rock. But full of charisma and high-energy rock songs, Harvey believes Shake The Breakdown is a step up.

“On the first album we recorded to just say we had a CD that we could sell to people if we were ever to play a gig,” he says.

“We really knuckled down this time and focused in on writing lyrics that mattered as opposed to ‘Yeah’ and ‘Alright’ which is what the first record mainly consisted of.”

Those who’ve experienced Jackson Firebird live will be familiar with the fairly simplistic percussion device that gives the band their unique edge. Talking about the origins of it, Harvey reveals it came from a campfire sing-along.

“It’s just a recycling bin for your empty cans and I’m sure that every venue and household around Australia has one,” he says.

“We took it into the jam space and it just seemed so natural right from the beginning. We carry about three-to-four bins with us on the road in case Dale happens to go through one. We’ve got an insider guy at the Mildura tip that saves the bins for us, but the newer batches of bins don’t last as long that’s for sure.”

When & Where: Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival, Bendigo – November 5-8

available at awme.com.au.

Melbourne Music Bank Winner: Jade Alice

Australian Movie and Comic Expo

Written by Tex Miller JJ Jade Alice is officially on top of the world. Combining her electro pop sound with acoustic troubadour notions from heroes such as Joni Mitchell, Alice is the 2015 winner of the Melbourne Music Bank competition. It’s 3pm in the afternoon as we chat however Alice is still in shock as we begin to chat about what she has been lucky enough to pull off in the last 24 hours.

“Thank you so much for those kind words, my head is definitely not in my head at the moment,” Alice reveals with a friendly giggle.

“It’s still sinking in, I woke up this morning and checked my phone and I had all these text messages with congratulations.

I had to pinch myself to check that I wasn’t dreaming. I must admit, I am struggling to articulate English words into a full sentence now; it’s quite overwhelming.”

The sound of Alice’s music is quite awe inspiring. Equal parts uplifting and energetic, this brand of electro folk pop is something that will definitely warm your heart in no time.

‘Kickdrum’ is the song that Alice was fortunate enough to win the competition with and it is quite simply sensational.

Comprising sounds from inspiration Kimbra, there are many elements to indulge in and it is no secret that Alice is definitely a star on the rise. Talking about the background to the song, like some other classic tracks throughout history, this one came through a dream.

“I woke up from a dream and I had this instant idea for a melody. “It was quite daunting to be completely honest with you. I The song is really about this feeling of happiness, and just this had the opportunity of performing at Hisense Arena yet effervescent feeling and I hope to reach out to other people the Arts Centre has this magical feel to it and it was so with my music when they hear it. It’s got a good upbeat tempo surreal. I will never forget it,” she says. and it was a really natural song to write,” she says.

There are many different tunes on Alice’s Soundcloud page, The final of the Melbourne Music Bank was held in the State with all of this support behind her, the question should now Theatre next to Hamer Hall and, as you would imagine, be asked, what will Jade Alice do with all that recording playing in that sort of venue would be incredibly daunting time at Sing Sing? The answer is that she will look to re-record for the young artists on show. To date, it is the biggest crowd ‘Kickdrum’ and maybe a follow up single or two which will that Jade Alice has ever played to, and it was quite possibly eventually comprise the makings of an EP. With dreams of the best moment of her career thus far. heading over to the states or Europe to play at either From looking at all of the photos circulating on social media, Glastonbury or Lollapalooza, definitely keep your ears tuned the Melbourne Music Bank final (much like last year’s) into the music of Jade Alice because this lady with her electro definitely delivered a massive night of the hottest acts around folk sound, is definitely destined to go places. at the moment that are bound to do big things.

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JJ

The Australian Movie and Comic Expo (AMC,

formerly known as Armageddon Australia) returns to the Melbourne Showgrounds this October. Featuring an incredible line-up of local and international celebrities, fans will be treated to special displays featuring memorable movie props, live entertainment, activations and activities for all ages to enjoy.

2015 marks a major anniversary for a number of renowned TV shows and films. AMC honors Back to the Future celebrating 30 years, Get Smart celebrating 50 years and The Flash celebrating its 75 year milestone, with multiple stars from each of these beloved shows and films making guest appearances.

This year’s star line-up of guests include: JJ

Bernie Kopell – The Love Boat and Get Smart (Get Smart celebrates 50 years in 2015);

JJ

Claudia Wells – Back to the Future (Back to the Future celebrates 30 years in 2015);

JJ

John Wesley Shipp – The Flash and Dawsons Creek (The Flash celebrates 75 years in 2015);

JJ

Lou Diamond Phillips – La Bamba, Young Guns, Stargate Universe;

JJ

Jemma Redgrave – Dr Who;

JJ

Rick Cosnett – The Vampire Diaries and The Flash;

JJ

Maggie Roswell – Voice of Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy, Ms. Hoover and others in 28 seasons of the Simpsons;

JJ

Hal Rayle – Voice of Miss Piggy and Gonzo for

the Muppet Monsters, the voice of the Tin Man for the Land of Oz (animated), as well as a host of characters for Back to the Future, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman, Superman, 101 Dalmatians and more; Other guests including stars from Supernatural, Dr Who, Teen Wolf and Continuum, as well as celebrities from the comic world.

Comic and voice over artists remain a huge drawcard for many expo fans, with husband and wife duo Hal Rayle and Maggie Roswell (The Simpsons), Melbourne’s own Tristan Jones (current artist on Mad Max Fury Road) and Australian Dean Rankine (Simpson Comics) making appearances.

Melburnian’s will also have the opportunity to view iconic film props, with Back to the Future’s own Dolorean car and the 1966 Batmobile on display.

Other attractions include the ever popular Cosplay competition (this year expanded to include not only anime, but all genre costumes), live performances from some of Australia’s best emerging artists, a Lazer Tag arena and an impressive LEGO ‘Brickvention’ constructed for the weekend.

Enjoy the full sensory experience as you revel in the sights, sounds and smells of the movie and comic world. For the full list of talent at this year’s AMC Expo, visit www.amcexpo. com.au/guests/

When & Where: Melbourne Showgrounds, Melbourne - October 17-18

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Royal Geelong Show 2015 JJ

Carnival rides, fairy floss, petting zoos, is

there anything better? The Royal Geelong Show is the biggest four day show in country Victoria.

People come from all walks of life; growers of produce and animals, creators of craft, artists, musicians, entertainers and many more come to the show to meet, show and share ideas.

It’s a chance not only for those responsible for some of the best produce, craft and creators in the region to come and showcase their wares, it’s also a chance to compete in a series of competitions. At the Royal Geelong Show there are over 40 competitions available to enter in the areas of beef and dairy cattle, dogs, fleece, poultry, craft and needlework, woodchopping and more.

When & Where: Geelong Showgrounds, Geelong – October 15-18

Also featured at the show will be Harry’s Farmyard, the whip cracking show, the Royal Australian Air Force’s aerobatic display team, the Roulettes, Moto X, monster trucks, carnival rides and games and more.

Across the four days there’ll even be musical entertainment from local and national acts, performing at the show this year will be; Bill Gray, Safari Motel, Peter Chapman, Alister Turrill, Sarah Carroll, Canyon and Michael Stangel.

No matter what plans you’ve got for the weekend, cancel them, as this is one annual event you’ll want to be at, whether it’s to enjoy in some late night carnival rides or to pat some four-legged friends with family.

The whole family can enjoy in the always popular Racing Pigs display where the pigs seemingly fly through the air as they race to the finish line. There’ll also be free face painting, roving puppets, comedy acts and other free entertainment the kids can be preoccupied with.

Something for the keen fishers comes with the Australian Travelling Fishing Show which appears at the show for the first time this year. The 21m tank plays host to the interactive fishing show which gives a great insight into how the lure works.

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BARWON CLUB

BARWON CLUB

CAPTAIN

CAPTAIN

HOME HOUSE

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HOME HOUSE

BEAVS BAR

BEAVS BAR

EUREKA

EUREKA

PISTOL PETES

PISTOL PETES

SLATE POOL LOUNGE

SLATE POOL LOUNGE

THE MAX HOTEL

THE MAX HOTEL

THERE THERE

WORKERS CLUB

THE JUKE

THE JUKE

THE MAX HOTEL

WORKERS CLUB

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Film and Music Reviews

t he wr a p

Films reviewed by Anthony Morris

films Sicario:

FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) leads a raid to rescue hostages only to find a Cartel stash house where the only thing stashed are bodies. An utterly compelling vision of the war on drugs as a militarised version of hell, this is the kind of gripping, queasy film that puts your head in a vice and won’t let you turn away.

The Visit:

Legend

The Walk

Miss You Already

Black Mass

In London during the Swinging ‘60s, the Kray brothers were the public face of crime, but there was tension in the ranks. Slick charmer Reggie (Tom Hardy) wanted to take their protection racket legit, while his somewhat mentally unbalanced twin Ronnie (Hardy again) wanted to stay true to their violent gangster roots.

In 2008, director James Marsh’s documentary Man on Wire thrillingly re-created French highwire walker Philippe Petit’s greatest feat: walking between the tops of New York’s then brand-new Twin Towers in 1974. Now with The Walk, director Robert Zemeckis’ re-creates it all over again, with less charm, a more muddled sense of drama, but – and this is pretty much the point of the exercise – a whole lot of vertigo-inducing camerawork during the high-wire work.

Milly (Toni Collette) and Jess (Drew Barrymore) are inseparable best friends – so why does the opening scene feature Jess giving birth on her own? Has her husband Jago (Paddy Considine) met a grim fate on an oil rig? Has Milly succumbed to her long-running battle with cancer? The fact that these are options should give you a pretty good idea of this film’s “smiling through the tears” tone, as the two best friends support and infuriate each other through a range of life’s crisis.

Johnny Depp takes on one of his increasingly rare serious roles here as Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger. While seeing him play a light-eyed repeat killer is thrilling – Bulger may have run most of Boston’s organised crime, but this film is only interested in the moments where he murdered people – the meat of this film lies in his relationship with FBI agent John Connolly ( Joel Edgerton).

The grit and glamour of ‘60s London is wellrecreated and the story never drags, but the lack of substance to the constantly self-promoting Krays’ brief crime careers – they were mostly just dodgy club owners and standover merchants – leaves this struggling to be more than just a traditional gangster yarn.

The decision to focus on Reggie’s wife Frances Shea (Emily Browning ) is odd – she was mostly sidelined from their antics – and seeing the Krays through her eyes adds little, especially as Hardy is far and away the best thing about this film. Constantly verging on parody (Ronnie’s crazy eyes are amazing) but never less than menacing , he creates a brilliantly compelling double act. It’s perhaps more in love with the allure of the gangster life than it should be, but that love gives the story its shine – and Hardy’s powerhouse performance is enough to make this worthwhile all on his own.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt wheels out a dodgy accent as Petit, but his enthusiasm is infectious as he rushes headlong into what he calls his “coup”, which is fortunate as the rest of the cast is forgettable at best. Likewise, the heist-like planning his team puts together to get themselves and their gear to the top of the towers is workmanlike rather than edge-of-the-seat stuff, but that’s more than made up for by Zemeckis’ skill at putting 3D to good use when it comes to making sure we know it’s a long way down.

If you’re even remotely afraid of heights, stay well away from this. It may be in part a (thankfully subdued) salute to the Twin Towers themselves, but it feels like what Zemeckis is really admiring is gravity itself.

For a no-holds-barred weepie, this at least largely avoids being too soft-focus: the many unpleasantries of cancer treatment are clearly displayed, while Jess and Jago’s struggles to fall pregnant are equally rigorous. Jess herself is basically saint-like while Milly is an edgier piece of work, but Collette and Barrymore have great chemistry together and make the friendship believable even when logic would suggest their different lifestyles would have pulled them apart years ago.

There’s next to no suspense here – without that opening scene there’d be none at all – but that’s not what this is about: you’re here to see best friends struggle through tough times, and it delivers in spades.

Whitey already had a tight-knit relationship with authority – his brother Bill (Benedict Cumberbatch) was a state senator – and while the crime code was death to snitches, Whitey realised that talking to the FBI about his Mafia rivals could work out well. With the FBI sheltering him he soon rose to the top while Connolly became a star, and as for the murders, well, there’s always a downside.

This does a solid job with good material, but it’s a largely traditional gangster epic. The psychological bonds between cop and crook aren’t really explored in depth despite a fun performance from Edgerton as the glad-handing Connolly. In parts that’s because Whitey barely comes off as human here – he’s more a shark in human form, a horror-movie monster stalking the streets – and this only really comes to life when he’s taking it.

Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan eschews his trademark shock twists (mostly) in this horror comedy, focusing instead on slow-burn tension and a quartet of solid performances. It’s a one gimmick film but it’s a great one.

The Martian:

Stranded on Mars when his comrades are forced to cut their mission short, astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is four years away from rescue in a base meant to last three months. Science!

The Intern:

There’s zero drama in this workplace drama; what you’re paying to see is two people becoming friends, and it almost works thanks to extremely charming performances from both Robert DeNiro (an old guy making himself useful as an intern) and Anne Hathaway (the ultracompetent boss who finds his wisdom increasingly useful).

CD’s

JOY.

Little May

Atreyu

Voltaire Twins

Boy & Bear

ODE

FOR THE COMPANY

LONG LIVE

MILKY WAVES

LIMIT OF LOVE

Independent Reviewed by Amanda Sherring

Dew Process/Universal Music Reviewed by Amanda Sherring

Spinefarm/Caroline Australia Reviewed by Alexander Lightfoot

OORAGNAK Records Reviewed by Alexander Lightfoot

Universal Music Australia Reviewed by Amanda Sherring

Haven’t heard of JOY? Time to rectify that, as single by single she’s slowly taking over the music world – at least it certainly feels that way. Ode is the creation of 17-year-old producer JOY, aka Olivia McCarthy, after she locked herself away for a week in May consuming lots of coffee and doughnuts and making this incredible release.

Entirely made by her. Self-produced bliss. All at 17, feel unaccomplished yet?

From the album artwork down to the very last song that plays, Little May’s debut album is perfect. There isn’t any other word that accurately describes it; it’s soft, emotive and seems to sift through the air. ‘Sold’ is a highlight for its harmonising and slow building nature, it’s the kind of track that plays in the background as you’re slowly reaching your destination, making a realisation or awakening in some shape or form.

Atreyu have been in the scene for a while, there’s no denying that, and it really show through in their newest release, Long Live. It’s an audiol punch to the throat, with plenty of guitar riffs, breaks and thought out lyrical content to listen to.

As soon as ‘I’m Awake’ kicks in you’re taken on a journey to some, synth-laden, ‘80s, sci-fi dream.

It’s such a distinctive sound and one that just simply isn’t captured quite the way Voltaire Twins have. ‘Goodnight, Spirit’ is a highlight on the album, with a slight tribal beat but still heavy on the synth it’s a song you can’t help but groove a little in your seat too.

This time around Boy & Bear changed things up a bit and recorded live to tape, with limited overdubs and editing. It’s daring, nervewracking and well worth it. Boy & Bear are easily one of the most loved live bands, and it’s surprising they didn’t make the decision to record this way sooner.

‘About Us’ is the main track of hers that you’ll know, with her soothing vocals paired over a smooth beat and layer upon layer of synth stylings. She’s arisen from an industry where every second act seems to be a producer but she’s got a point of difference: her voice is hands down incredible. ‘Crazy For You’ is a bit more tribal sounding, slowed down until the beat drops in.

What becomes clear is JOY has perfected her timing, she knows when things should happen, for how long and ends them within the millisecond that they should. That and her voice sounds like the vocal equivalent of drinking Captain Morgan, so smooth!

‘Oh My My’ is much darker than past tracks and has that brooding quality to it. ‘Chemicals’ is a sombre, beautifully poetic tale, where the band takes you by the hand and leads you to the depths of their emotion – and surprisingly yours as well.

It’s a favourite for mine as it’s slower, and simplistic in it’s beauty. Less is more, and lyrically this is one that can’t be faulted. ‘Sinks’ vocally is a beautiful track and ‘Remind Me’ crashes into the album with a heavier arrangement and manic-tinged vocals. Overall it’s an album of soaring highs, of faultless lyrics and one that lays your emotions right on the table.

Even with a recent three-year break the band have managed to come through it with their sound relatively unaffected. Though, the lack of change could also be a sign of the band not moving with the times. It is great, however, to see a band stick so devotedly and honestly to their origins, something that is often the first thing to get thrown by the wayside in new bands.

The undeniable highlight is ‘Live to Labor’, the timing is perfect and each element couldn’t be placed any better. ‘I Would Kill/Lie/Die (For You)’ is a bit of a cringe-worthy start with the vocals just not hitting the mark. ‘Revival’ is a great halfway point where things slow down, it almost has the same effect as white bread or water in between wine/beer tastings. For die hard fans this is another Atreyu album you’ll want to be proudly displaying on your shelf, but for those who have come to love the direction heavy metal has since taken, purchase with caution.

As each song progresses in the album, so does their sound. It’s almost like you’re getting a history of the band’s development as they’ve gone through their career, but this is an album, and while the band have developed this is just who they are and what they do. All of a sudden things take a bit of a slow turn with ‘Glass Tooth’, ‘Modern Gore’ and ‘Slow Down’.

Regardless of the peaks and troughs of this album, it’s realistic no matter what angle you look at it.

The album takes you on a journey, and well really, that’s the best thing an album can do.

There’s still the charm of before, but there’s a little bit more light-hearted fun that’s thrown in as well. ‘Walk the Line’ is probably the best example of this, but even in ‘Where’d You Go’ and ‘Man Alone’, there’s a happier go lucky feel that underpins the instrumentals – though not always the lyrical content.

The tracks are catchy, with a bit more of a country twang in the odd track here and there – something the band occasionally slip in.

‘Breakdown Slow’ is a great example of this one, and just generally a great emotive track on the album. ‘A Thousand Faces’ is perhaps my favourite release on the album, it’s excitable, raw and there’s even a bit of synth in there – it’s got it all. It’s an actual that’s more the ticked all the boxes of where the band should be on their third release. Here’s to the fourth.

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Back home on Earth, the boffins at NASA soon enough realise that Watney is alive, and set about trying to establish communications and figure out just how in hell they are going to rescue him. These scenes work the human spirit angle, aiming for the inspiration of just how smart humans can be. What they lack a little in is tension. While reading the book, the reader was often in the dark as to how Watney was going back on Mars during these moments, while in the movie we never really leave him long enough to be in doubt.

It also leads to the most “movie” moment where a character literally says the words, “As long as nothing else goes wrong” before cutting back to Watney at a moment where you absolutely know something is about to go wrong. It robbed the movie of what should have been a shocking moment to the audience.

‘THE MARTIAN’ REVIEW INNOVATIVE, EXCITING & DAMN ENTERTAINING. Written by Mitch Grinter.

For those unfamiliar with the synopsis of The Martian, it’s a simple one to sum up. On a manned mission to Mars, the Ares crew are struck by a much larger than expected storm. During their attempt to leave the planet, astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is struck by debris and knocked into the darkness. His comms dead, and their one chance of leaving the planet about to tip, the captain makes the tough decision to leave him behind. Unbeknownst to the world, Mark is still alive. And now alone. On Mars. As he puts it, he has to figure how to “science the shit” out of his situation and stay alive long enough for a rescue mission.

The film, based off a novel written

by Andy Weir, wastes no time in setting the events in place. Precious few minutes are spent with the crew going about their work before disaster strikes. There’s an old adage in film, “Don’t tell me, show me”.

That can be applied two ways to this movie: For one thing, the crew all have great chemistry, but no time is wasted on explaining who is who and how long they’ve been together.

We feel that and we see that, but we are respected enough not to have to be told that. From the moment Mark is alone on Mars, however, the

THE TOP 5 DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT THE MOVIE INDUSTRY We all love a good documentary, with everyone having their favourite topic. For me, you can’t beat a documentary on the movie industry. From movie star turmoil, to failed projects, if it revolves around the world’s most glamorous industry, I’ll gladly watch it. Today’s list is going to focus on documentaries devoted to specific films, genres or fandoms: 5. Comic Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope Rather than focus on a specific fandom, Morgan Spurlock chooses to instead cover the biggest meeting of fandoms ever put together; Comic-Con. Shifting away from the big studios and celebrities, the documentary focuses on some of the smaller people of Comic-Con. From Holly, an aspiring costumemaker hoping to win Comic-Con’s biggest costume event, to James, a man hoping to propose to his girlfriend in the middle of Kevin Smith’s panel. Whilst it might sound mundane, Spurlock manages to tell these (and many more) stories in an extremely engaging way.

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4. Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!

In the ‘70s and ‘80s, Australian cinema received a monumental push that made it the most popular it’s ever been. The cause? A slew of B-grade movies, dubbed “Ozploitation” films. Combining footage from these B-grade classics with interviews from the men behind the scenes, director Mark Hartley manages to craft an incredibly fun and entertaining documentary that will having you chanting “Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi” long before the credits roll.

3.Jodorowsky’s Dune Alejandro Jodorowsky is one of the most revered cult film directors of all time. His directorial debut, El Topo, was one of the films to kick-start the midnight movie phenomenon.

In the ‘80s, Jodorowsky was given the chance to adapt Frank Herbet’s classic book Dune. This documentary details the pre-production of that film and it’s inevitable failure before the cameras even rolled. Anchoring this film down is Jodorowsky, who has such a passion and energy

about him that you inevitably get swept up in his stories. Combine that with the infinite amounts of information available on the failed project and you get a great way to spend 90 minutes.

2.I Am Divine Whilst not technically about a specific film or genre (although John Water’s films are essentially their own genre), I felt the need to include this one. I Am Divine is a simultaneously heartbreaking and heart-warming tale, documenting the life of Glenn Milstead, better known as drag performer Divine.

Featuring interviews with all of those closest to Glenn, this documentary tells his story in an amazing way – never pulling any punches, but always having a sense of humour. It transports you into Divine’s world, and by the end you feel as though he was your best friend. I Am Divine is not just one of my favourite documentaries or movies, it’s simply one of my all-time favourite documentaries, period.

reverse kicks into gear. It’s a credit to Damon that he remains so engaging despite the vast majority of his dialogue being explanatory about his actions. The book consists largely of Watney’s diary, which the movie cleverly substitutes for a video log for a more cinematic approach. It’s an example of a great adaptation from page to screen. Less successful are scenes where the actors are typing emails and reading them out aloud as they type. It half makes sense when the message is being sent on behalf of a group, but makes no sense at all when it’s just Watney on his own.

Written by Joel Male.

1. American Movie American Movie details Mark Borchardt’s attempts to make his masterpiece film, Coven. Haven’t heard of it? Borchardt is essentially the Ed Wood of the 21st century; a man with an incredible passion for film who just can’t translate that passion into a decent film. American Movie, although covering the makings of Coven, is also a snapshot of a man’s life. A fascinating man who has put everything on hold to pursue his dream, but just doesn’t have the resources or talent to deliver.

In one scene we see him tirelessly editing his film in a public facility, all whilst his children sleep on the floor. Then we see him getting upset about having his credit card cut off, only to be overjoyed to discover a new one 30 seconds later in the mail.

Overflowing with realism, American Movie is a once-in-a-lifetime film that is indescribably fascinating. If you’re to see no other film on this list, I implore you to check out this one.

What is undeniably brilliant from start to finish is the cinematography.

Never before has a lifeless planet looked so beautiful. Ridley Scott’s camerawork languishes over sweeping vistas of rock, dust and storms, allowing us to feel as isolated as our hero. As you would expect from the director of Gladiator, when it comes time to show the ugly side of survival, Ridley doesn’t flinch. An early self-surgery isn’t for the squeamish viewer, and the film is all the better for it. We see Watney’s teeth get dirty, we see his dramatic weight loss, we see his bruises, and we feel his pain.

None of this would matter if we didn’t get a great performance from our lead, and in this case Damon knocks it out of the park. He shows the full range of emotion one might expect when isolated on a lonely planet. This is a character who is cocky, a genius, but also facing the greatest challenge any one man might have faced. Damon changes gear brilliantly in a layered performance that can be talked about in the same terms of his best performances.

It’s certainly one of the most wide-ranged of his recent years.

The Martian is essentially an oldschool film with modern equipment.

It’s a survivor story mixed in with sci-fi, with a heavy focus on the “sci”.

It also manages to be incredibly entertaining while being harrowing.

It’s a lengthy movie clocking in at a little over two hours, but it breezes with a forward momentum that makes the time fly by. It’s not a perfect movie by any means, but it’s not too far away from being great, either. If it makes one mistake, it shows things to work for Mark a little too easily. A 45-day drive in a rover passes by as if it were a five minute drive to the shops, but knowing Ridley Scott, I would think a director’s cut with an extra 20 minutes wouldn’t be out of the question. All that said, I can’t think of many demographics who wouldn’t enjoy this film. It’s moviemaking at its most basic. Innovative, exciting, and damn entertaining.

13 USELESS FACTS ABOUT SUPER MARIO BROS. 1. In the US, footage of the game first appeared in the movie The Wizard, which was used as an advertisement for the game’s eventual release.

2. The game was released in Japan almost three years before it was released in Australia.

3. The only enemy from the original Super Mario Bros to not appear in this game was Firebar.

4. More than 30 new enemies were debuted in Super Mario Bros 3.

5. It also introduces six new power-ups, the Super Leaf, the Frog Suit, the Tanooki Suit, the P-Wing, Goomba’s Shoe and the Hammer Suit.

6. If a chain chomp is allowed to tug on its chain 49 times, it will actually break free.

7. To turn a Muncher into a block, simply hit it with a Raccoon Mario tail attack.

8. World 4 is actually shaped like a Koopa Troopa.

9. The save feature didn’t exist until it was re-released on the Super Mario All Stars compilation for the SNES. 10. This is more of a glitch than a fact, but if you defeat Bowser with a hammer whilst he’s mid-air, he’ll actually fly off screen and never return.

11. There was a possibility for a PC version of Mario 3 to be released, with a developer creating a demo version.

However, Nintendo declined to greenlight the project since they had no desire to release their games on any platform other than their own.

12. The Tower in World 5 is the only stage a player can re-enter after it’s been completed.

13. One of the images on the game’s back cover shows a level that doesn’t exist.

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