Reverb Magazine - Issue 54 by Reverb Magazine

central coast|hunter|north coast

FREE #054 Jan ’11

music, arts & culture monthly

ALL HANDS ON DECK WITH

bluejuice & philadelphia grand jury Iron Maiden The Decemberists Fly in for Soundwave to Kill the King

the Book Of Ships weighing anchor

Also inside: Tumbleweed + Chris Bailey + Arrested Development + ShiHad + alex grey

11:40-12:10 – THE MAD ONES

11:00-11:40 – RYAN & CATHERINE

11:20-11:50 – DUNDER FUNK

11:00-11:20 – SARAH & DANIEL

12:30-1:00 – OF THE RED SEA

12:10-12:30 – SMITH DAVIES

12:10-12:40 – ECHOES

11:50-12:10 – SARAH & DANIEL

1:20-1:50 – REIN ROOM

1:00-1:20 – SMITH DAVIES

1:00-1:30 – FUNK SODA

12:40-1:00 – WILLIAM JAMES

2:10-2:40 – HOPES

1:50-2:10 – AMY VEE

1:50-2:20 – STRANGERS WITH CANDY

1:30-1:50 – WILLIAM JAMES

3:00-3:30 – THE HAVELOCKS

2:40-3:00 – AMY VEE

2:50-3:10 – PHAT CONTROLLER

2:20-2:50 – HOLOGRAPHIC COCOON

3:50-4:20 – LITTLE BLAK DRESS

3:30-3:50 – ROCK N ROLL CIRCUS

3:30-4:00 – ONE-MIKE

3:10-3:30 – MATT SAXON

4:40-5:20 – FOREIGN OBJECTS

4:20-4:40 – ROCK N ROLL CIRCUS

4:20-4:50 – G-FRESH

4:00-4:20 – MATT SAXON

5:40-6:10 – THE KARMA COPS

5:20-5:40 – ROCK N ROLL CIRCUS

5:10-5:40 – URBAN FREEFLOW

4:50-5:10 – MATT SAXON

6:30-7:00 – I AM THE AGENT

6:10-6:30 – JAKE VS JUZZY

6:00-6:30 – COLLECTIVE CREW

5:40-6:00 – MATT SAXON

7:20-7:50 – THE CHESTNUTS

7:00-7:20 – JAKE VS JUZZY

6:50-7:30 – BLADES

6:30-6:50 – NOISE HERTZ

8:10-8:50 – THE PROTECTORS

7:50-8:10 – JAKE VS JUZZY

7:50-8:20 – CHIN CHEN

7:30-7:50 – NOISE HERTZ

9:20-9:40 – THE OWLS

8:50-9:10 – BEATNIK DJS

8:40-10:10 – TIMMY TRUMPET

8:20-8:40 – NOISE HERTZ

10:00-10:40 – THE HOLIDAYS

9:40-`10:00 – BEATNIK DJS

10:40-12:00 – CANYONS

10:10-10:40 – NOISE HERTZ

11:00-12:00 – THE SEABELLIES

10:40-11:00 – BEATNIK DJS

10:00-10:30 – SARAH OTTO

10:30-10:50 – JACK DAWSON

9:45-10:15 – THE PLAYTAPES

9:00-9:45 – HAWK BROOKLYN

10:50-11:20 – ACE OF HEARTS

11:20-11:40 – JACK DAWSON

10:45-11:15 – LIGHT NOISE

10:15-10:45 – D-ACTIV-8

11:40-12:10 – JAMES CHATBURN

12:10-12:30 – MALVINA PARADE

12:35-1:05 – THE SHIVERING INDIES

11:15-12:35 – D-ACTIV-8

12:30-1:00 – EMERSON

1:00-1:20 – MALVINA PARADE

1:25-1:55 – THE BIG EMPTY

1:05-1:25 – R.A.D. PROJECT

1:20-1:50 – POST PAINT

1:50-2:10 – MIXTAPE MEMOIRS

2:15-2:45 – THE EVENING SON

1:55-2:15 – R.A.D. PROJECT

2:10-2:40 – BERKLEY HILL

2:40-3:00 – MIXTAPE MEMOIRS

3:05-3:35 – THE BOOK OF SHIPS

2:45-3:05 – R.A.D. PROJECT

3:00-3:30 – BOWEN & THE LUCKY DUTCHMEN

3:30-3:50 – BEATNIK DJS

4:05-4:40 – BROADWAY MILE

3:45-4:05 – WASTED SOUND

3:50-4:20 – BIRDSANDBELLES

4:20-4:40 – BEATNIK DJS

5:10-5:40 – ROYAL CHANT

4:50-5:10 – WASTED SOUND

4:40-5:10 – NOVA & THE EXPERIENCE

5:10-5:30 – BEATNIK DJS

6:00-6:40 – SYDNEY GIRLS CHOIR

5:40-6:00 – WASTED SOUND

5:30-6:05 – KIRA PURU AND THE BRUISE

6:05-6:25 – SOUL SHAKEDOWN

7:00-7:30 – 1929INDIAN

6:40-7:00 – WASTED SOUND

6:25-7:00 – STICKY FINGERS

7:50-8:10 – SOUL SHAKEDOWN

8:30-9:30 – KATO

7:20-7:50 – RUBIX CUBA

8:50-9:10 – SOUL SHAKEDOWN

9:30-11:00 – HOOK N SLING

7:30-8:30 – DUBSTEP HOUR OF POWER

8:20-8:50 – MOJO JUJU AND THE SNAKE OIL MERCHANTS

9:50-10:10 – SOUL SHAKEDOWN

10:10-11:00 – BLUEJUICE

No. 54

Reverb Magazine is locally owned & published by The Lockup Garage. Printed by Spotpress, Marrickville: sales@spotpress.com.au

index

contents

News The Decemberists Bluejuice & Philadelphia Grand Jury Album reviews Gig guide Iron Maiden Alex Grey The Book of Ships Kamikazi Thunderkats Tumbleweed Arrested Development Shihad HEDpe Chris Bailey On the trail of Gwar Cartoon Talking shop Jasmin Tarasin Motoring Fashion Film reviews DVD reviews Live reviews Festival of the Sun review

10-15 16 19 20-21 22-24 26-27 28 29 30 30 31 31 32 32 33 33 34 34 35 36-37 38 39 40 41

editor’s letter

Credits

Welcome to 2011. Everyone here at Reverb hopes that you all managed to find some time to stop, grab a beverage, warm up the barbie, and spend some quality time with the family. For those of you who had a NYE festival experience, I hope you realise that this was just the start. BDO, Soundwave, Playground Weekender, Good Vibes, Laneway, Future Fest, Golden Plains and Bluesfest are ahead and the line-up for all are pretty amazing. Time to head to the gym to prepare for these all-day workouts. My final piece of advice, if you wish to be given respect, empathy, and understanding, it might be good to give it yourself. If you don’t you might find yourself homeless. Much love guys, Kevin

Editor

Senior Writers

Terrease McComb

Photographers

Editorial

Kevin Bull

Peter Douglas

Mandy Nolan

Kevin Bull

kevin@reverbstreetpress.com or 0410 295 360

Nick Milligan

Matt Petherbridge

Troy Constable

Mark Snelson

Sallie Maree Pritchard

Julie Lowe

Sales, Newcastle & Central Coast

Max Quinn

Kent Marcus

kevin@reverbstreetpress.com or 0410 295 360

8 reverb

magazine issue #054 — January 2011

Sub-Editor

Contacts

Amanda Bevan

Writers

Jessica Saxton

art director

Steve Bisset

Joe Swann

Cartoonist

Sales, North Coast

Cam Bennett

Kevin Bull

Michael Sykes

Tony Jenkins

stephen@reverbstreetpress.com or 0458 559 938

Josh Clements

Kirsty Visman

IT Manager

Emily Cones-Browne

Gig guide

Kieran Ferguson

Mick Daley

gigguide@reverbstreetpress.com.au

Adam Dorrington Sean Frazer

Production

Adelaide French

cam@reverbstreetpress.com.au

Matthew Glen Lucy Hearn

Postal address

Gerant Kenneth

PO Box 843, Woy Woy NSW 2256

David Long

The Frontier Touring Co., Max, FasterLouder and Reverb Magazine present

FIRST TIME EVER IN AUSTRALIA!

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

THURSDAY 24 MARCH NEWCASTLE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE ON SALE NOW frontiertouring.com

NEW ALBUM IN STORES NOW stonetemplepilots.com

news

Giveaways just email editorial@reverbstreetpress.com.au First come, first served

5 DVDs

Five copies of Rolling Stones, Ladies and Gentleman DVD

Five copies of Powderfinger, Sunsets on DVD

1 double V.I.P. pass 1 x double VIP pass to Playground Weekender at Wisemans Ferry, February 17-20.

2 double passes

2 double passes to Plutonic and G Love st the Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle, on Sunday, January 16.

january

Grand Junction Hotel 88 Church Street, Maitland 02 4933 5242 / MySpace / Facebook

Fri

Jordie Lane

Cash savage

Sat

and

Kira Puru and the Bruise

15 Fri

Puta Madre Brothers

ots d R e k o P Red Hot

Fri

Plus: sunday 3 The Family Clan and The horizonTalisTs Thursday 6 T h e W o o h o o r e v u e s u n d ay 9 T B a T h u r s d ay 13 T h e W i d o W B i r d s s u n d ay 16 T B a s a T u r d ay 2 2 G r av e ya r d T r a i n s u n day 23 T B a s u n day 3 0 J u Pi Te r m en aC e

10 reverb

magazine issue #054 — January 2011

news

TUMBLEWEED ROLLS AGAIN

stone temple pilots

stone temple pilots to TOUR australia FOR THE FIRST TIME

US-rockers Stone Temple Pilots often top many a wish list of bands punters would most like to see, and it gives Reverb great pleasure to be involved in bringing the band to Newcastle as part of their first ever tour of Australia and New Zealand in March next year. Stone Temple Pilots released their eponymously named sixth studio album in May of this year after nearly a decade-long recording hiatus, which included some time apart. The San Diego quartet reunited in 2008 and fans have been eagerly awaiting new material and a tour ever since, arguably none more so than the Australian and New Zealand public who have not previously had an opportunity to see the band live in concert — until now. Stone Temple Pilots play the Newcastle Entertainment Centre on Thursday, March 24.

Musical legends in Australia, Tumbleweed’s ‘stoner rock’ riffs inspired a whole generation of music lovers when they emerged in 90s from the seeds of the Proton Energy Pills and The Unheard. Originally signed to the revolutionary Australian independent label, Waterfront Records, it didn’t take long for Australia’s major labels to realise that a national treasure existed in the five-piece. Despite the band’s chequered history, featuring many ups and downs, including several band line-up changes, Tumbleweed has let bygones be bygones, and the original line up is once again on speaking terms — playing and writing together for the first time in almost fifteen years. Add to this a double CD recently reissued, The Waterfront Years, out now on Aztec Music. Tumbleweed plays the Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle on Friday, January 7; the Plantation Hotel in Coffs Harbour on Saturday, January 8; the Great Northern Hotel in Byron Bay on Sunday, January 9. tumbleweed

STING’S SYMPHONICITY

With so many international artists coming through Newcastle in the New Year, it is great to hear that room has been found for Sting’s ‘Symphonicity’ tour in the Hunter Valley. Following sold-out performances throughout North America and Europe, ‘Symphonicity’ finds Sting performing his greatest hits, re-imagined for symphonic arrangement, conducted by Maestro Steven Mercurio (Pavarotti, Bocelli). Sting, with the Sydney Symphony, will be performing at Hope Estate in the Hunter Valley on Saturday, February 5. kate gogarty

KATE GOGARTY’S CLEAR VIEW space invadas

SPACE INVADAS AT great northern hotel, NEWCASTLE

dj hero

LENNOX HEAD DJ COMP

The Lennox Point Hotel, a long time supporter of original indie and roots music, is now also opening its doors to the broader church of DJs and dance music. To kick off the DJ invasion, the Lennox in combination with Smirnoff, Skull Candy, Rock of Ages Tattoos and Reverb Magazine are launching the ‘Sounds of Summer’ competition to unearth some brilliant new DJ talent. Added to this excellent news, the eventual winner will also be rewarded with over $5000 worth of DJ gear, and a 12-month residency at the hotel to build their fan base to massive proportions. The competition will be held every Friday night from February 18, with the finals being held over two days at the end of April. All interested DJs are encouraged to hit the hotel’s web site at www.thelennox.com.au and to follow the links. Be quick as there are limited places, and the competition is expected to be red hot.

12 reverb

magazine issue #054 — January 2011

Katalyst and Steve Spacek, (aka Space Invadas) have been mixing bonafide Soul and laid back hip-hop since 2009. With two huge singles, and the release of their debut record Soul-Fi back in March 2010, the pair have created a futuristic sound all their own. Katalyst is an internationally acclaimed producer born and bred here in Australia and his solo efforts have all been ARIAnominated releases. The other side of the coin, Steve Spacek, has been likened to Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield and has worked with industry heavy-weights across the globe including J Dilla, Slum Village, Mos Def, Common and many more. Space Invadas will be performing at the Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle on Tuesday, January 25, 2011.

GUM BALL 2011 FIRST ARTISTS ANNOUNCED

The seventh annual Gum Ball Festival is beginning to stretch itself with the first announcement of artists being announced. The first artists confirmed are CW Stoneking and his Primitive Orchestra, The Bamboos, Jordie Lane, Eagle and the Worm, Chase The Sun, Claude Hay and Bowen and the Lucky Dutchmen. The Gum Ball is scheduled a little earlier this year — April 29-30, which is the weekend after the Easter holidays. Early-bird tickets are available now. Head to www.thegumball.com.au for more details.

One of Reverb’s favourite releases of last year was the Blurry EP by Kate Gogarty, and it is fantastic to see this Sydney songwriter finally come to Newcastle. When reviewed in Reverb, Mark Henderson said, “The opening track, ‘I Will be Waiting’, is a smooth, acoustic rock track and entails the entirety of Kate’s vocal range from the bluesy and moody, right through to the soaring and beautiful voice that she will certainly become known for.” Catch Kate Gogarty as she supports Nick Batterham at the Great Northern Hotel in Newcastle on Friday, January 14.

guitar virtuoso JOE ROBINSON announces EAST COAST tour

Joe Robinson, one of Australia’s most gifted young musicians, will amaze audiences up and down the coast with his brand new tour in January 2011. Having quickly entrenched himself as Australia’s newest guitar virtuoso, Robinson has been astounding sell-out crowds around the globe with his unique style and unbelievable technique. He is bringing it all home in January with his ‘Houdini’ tour. Despite his youth, Robinson has grabbed the attention of guitar masters the world over, including Les Paul, Steve Vai, Lee Ritenour, Brad Paisley and Tommy Emmanuel with his gifted playing. Joe Robinson will be performing at the Brewery in Byron Bay on Sunday, January 9; Sawtell RSL on Wednesday, January 12; the Glasshouse in Port Macquarie on Thursday, January 13; Manning Theatre in Taree on Saturday, January 15; Lizotte’s in New Lambton on Tuesday, January 18; Lizotte’s in Kincumber on Wednesday, January 19.

YOUR ANNUAL FAMILY VACATION

Some of us have fond memories, others — well, not so much, really. Whether your family is like the Osbournes, those Family Guy peeps, or, heaven forbid, the Mansons, we guarantee those vacations can’t have been half as much fun as the inaugural Annual Family Vacation Tour promises to be. Featuring Chase The Sun, Cass Eager and the Velvet Rope, and Claude Hay, it’s the very first time this particular family have been let out in public as a whole unit; and they’re excited. They’ll be visiting a raft of east coast hot spots over the summer, so kill three birds with one stone and catch up with the family as they roam the highways in their caravan. Just don’t feed them. The Annual Family Vacation Tour plays the Brewery in Byron Bay on Thursday, January 20; Shaw Bay Hotel in Ballina on Sunday, January 23; Wickham Park Hotel in Islington on Tuesday, January 25.

SECOND Line-up ANNOUCEMENT FOR PLAYGROUND WEEKENDER

The second line-up announcement for Playground Weekender has been delivered, and it will cause the Del Rio Riverside Resort at Wisemans Ferry to bulge at the seams. Those added to the event include Lamb, Tricky, The Beautiful Girls, Architecture in Helsinki, You Am I, Midnight Juggernauts, Mayer Hawthorne & County, Derrick Carter, Black Mountain , The Like and I Am Kloot. When they are added to Doves, De La Soul, Kate Nash, Caribou, Four Tet and Norman Jay MBE, it is a mighty package. Playground Weekender happens in Wisemans Ferry, February 17-20. For the full line-up, head to www.playgroundweekender.com.au.

news

dan mangan

VERY NICE, MR MANGAN solver

grace jones

solver rock north

Oz rockers Solver will be spending time north of their home town of Newcastle, dropping in for shows at Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie. 2010 was a busy year for the band, with their self-titled EP released in May, and the first of their US recordings being delivered in August with the ‘Too Young to Worry’ single. The single was recorded in Austin, Texas with US producer Chris “Frenchie” Smith (Jet, Dandy Warhols). “The great thing about these guys is that they really are a powerful three piece. I think they represent Australian rock beautifully,” enthused Smith. Solver will performing at the Port Macquarie Hotel on Thursday, January 27, and the Sawtell Hotel in Coffs Harbour on Friday, January 28.

BLUESFEST SHINES

eddie vedder

peArl jam’s eddie VEDDER SELLS OUT CIVIC THEATRE

Eddie Vedder is coming to Newcastle, and if you are hearing this news for the first time then you are out of luck cause his Civic Theatre gig on Wednesday, March 16, has sold out. It is safe to say that Newcastle is hot for Mr Vedder.

The Bluesfest organisers are simply outdoing themselves with this year’s line-up. We get the first announcement that Bob Dylan, BB King, Elvis Costello and Mavis Staples will be coming out — now the second announcement adds Jethro Tull, ZZ Top, John Legend and Grace Jones to our weeklong festivities. “The response to our first announcement has been astounding,” said festival director Peter Noble. “We’re most proud of the depth of the artist quality all the way through our first two announcements – which is why we often say our headliners might be the reason you buy a ticket to Bluesfest, but it’s everything else going down that makes you rave about it and keeps you coming back.” Bluesfest runs April 21-25 in Byron Bay. For the full line-up, head to www.bluesfest.com.au.

Heralded as a favourite among Canada’s new breed of independent musicians, Dan Mangan’s travels initially took him everywhere but home. Spending most of the last six years toting guitar and merch-sack, Dan experienced Vancouver as more of a resting place than roost. The Australian release of Nice, Nice, Very Nice comes in the wake of its release in Canada, which saw the goodnatured and unassuming songwriter skyrocket to critical acclaim. Dan Mangan is eager to hit the road in Australia again, and this time around, he’ll have a full band with him to help re-fold the road maps and bring out the gritty richness of the album. Success abroad hasn’t made him any less hungry — the guy’s got an appetite. Dan Mangan will be performing at the Buddah Bar in Byron Bay on Thursday, January 6 (supports Matt Corby and SpookyLand), and The Great Northern Hotel in Newcastle on Saturday, January 15 (supports Andy Bull and SpookyLand).

toni childs

FAITH, AND TONI CHILDS

After six wildly successful tours in less than three years, the unstoppable Toni Childs is back with another national tour to showcase those husky vocals. Childs’ latest national tour runs across NSW, performing tracks from her latest album, Keep the Faith, along with well-loved favourites and a special preview of her brilliant forthcoming album, Citizens of the Planet, due for release in 2011. Best known for her heavily R&B-influenced ‘Don’t Walk Away’, Childs hit the big time in 1988, when her critically acclaimed debut album Union went double platinum in Australia, selling 200,000 albums. Toni Childs will be performing at Yamba Bowling Club on Tuesday, January 4; Ballina RSL on Wednesday, January 5; Club Coffs on Friday, January 7; Port Macquarie Panthers on Saturday, January 8; Mullum Civic Hall on Sunday, January 9; Saraton Theatre in Grafton on Tuesday, January 11; Manning Entertainment Centre in Taree on Wednesday, January 12; Tambulaine Winery in the Hunter valley on Saturday, January 15. Find us on Facebook

seabellies

PREPARE FOR THE NEWest of BEGINNINGs

The New Beginnings festival line-up is all locked in, and apart from the national artists headlining the event, there are well over 50 local artists. From what we can see, this is the perfect chance to catch all those Newcastle, Central and North Coast bands you have been missing. New Beginnings will be happening out at Morisset showground, January 15-16. A two-day, two-night camping festival is perfect for the summer holidays. reverb magazine issue #054 — January 2011 13

news

CAMBODIAN SPACE PROJECT SETTLES ON NORTH COAST

Rising from the dusty highways of Cambodia, The Cambodian Space Project is not the Asian country’s bid to land a man on Mars, rather it’s a cross-culture rock band driven by an artistic vision to bridge cultures while exploring new musical frontiers. The CSP has performed in venues ranging from chic city clubs to rural villages, schools and orphanages, even an elephant’s 50th birthday party! Often playing a two-hour live set — expected by audiences in rural Cambodia — the CSP mixes 60s Cambodian rock with Khmer Surin dance grooves, hints of the blues with French gypsy accordion music, acid rock with reggae. The Cambodian Space Project performs at the Mullimbimby Civic Hall on Friday, January 21; Diggers in Bellingen on Saturday, January 22; Scott’s Head Bowling Club on Wednesday, January 26; Kempsey Show Ground on Thursday, January 27. cambodian space project

abbie cardwell

ABBIE CARDWELL GOES BARE BONES the big ol’ bus band

ABOARD THE BIG OL’ BUS

The Big Ol’ Bus Band is on a musical odyssey that will see them make their way to the far corners of Australia. With their double bass on the roof and four horns in the back seat, the ten musicians and two dancers make for a great musical ride with their highly infectious performance of swing, New Orleans and even a dash of burlesque. For the Central Coast, a show will be held on Friday, January 7, in the era-appropriate Avoca Heritage Theatre. With swing, burlesque and a charismatic big band on the agenda, it should be an event to remember.

THE DEVIL AND CHARLIE PARR

Charlie Parr’s love affair with Australian audiences continues this summer as the Duluth, Minnesota-based folk and bluesman returns for a month long national sojourn following the release of his most recent album, When The Devil Goes Blind. With a tale to tell and an encyclopaedic knowledge of the American folk tradition, Charlie Parr will knock you out with spirited performances at events including Falls Festival, Sunset Sounds, Southbound, and Melbourne’s Happy Mondays Rooftop gig series. Charlie Parr will also be performing at 33 on Hickory in Dorrigo on Thursday, January 20; Hub Music in Sawtell on Friday, January 21; and the Buddha Bar in Byron Bay on Saturday, January 22.

14 reverb

magazine issue #054 — January 2011

amanda palmer

AMANDA PALMER GOES DOWN UNDER

Provocative, irreverent, controversial, entertaining and artistic. Amanda Palmer continues to push the boundaries as the Queen of punk cabaret. Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under is her latest offering as a solo artist. A collection of live and studio tracks with an Antipodean theme, the album berates a lover for his love of vegemite and celebrates a lady’s nether regions with the new single ‘Map of Tasmania’. “This whole record is a love letter to Australia and New Zealand, “ Palmer says, flirting wildly with her southern neighbours. “I have a special relationship with the Australian people. It was the first continent where Dresden Dolls landed and it was Beatlemania. I have a huge resonance with the place and the people. Plus, I hate being cold,” she says. Amanda Palmer brings her special brand of humour to Australia with headline performances at the Great Northern Hotel in Newcastle on Sunday, January 30, and the Great Northern Hotel in Byron Bay on Thursday, February 10.

Enter the rootsy, rockabilly world of Abbie Cardwell and her leading men as they launch their new album The Bare Bones Session. Recorded live, with no editing or overdubbing, in a Melbourne studio and mixed in the USA by Nick Didia (Bruce Springsteen’s Engineer) this acclaimed album is receiving rave reviews. Abbie Cardwell launches her latest release at Rails in Byron Bay on Wednesday, January 5.

SUMMER VIBES festival votes FOR CIRCLE PIT

Newcastle’s inaugural Summer Vibes festival is a careful reconstruction of the idea of the summer festival. A cheap and relaxed alternative to the many huge and overpriced festivals taking place this summer, the second line-up announcement brings the day up to 25 bands, and the 11 additions to the line-up are pretty special. Making their first appearance in Newcastle will be Sydney’s Circle Pit, a band whose live performances have been much talked about but never locally witnessed. Also added are Absolute Boys, Per Purpose, Danger Beach, Cured Pink, Teen Ax, The Paul Kidney Experience, Love Parade, None Music, Cistern Corrupt and Unfit For Human Consumption. Summer Vibes kicks off on Sunday, January 16, at the Croation Club in Newcastle. Tickets are $25 can be purchased via Oztix.

cat power

CAT POWER returns FOR SUMMER tour

The inimitable Cat Power returns to our shores this January for her second successive summer drop-in. Over the years Cat Power has continued to visit Australia on a semi-permanent basis (usually in our summer) and has appeared in solo mode and trio mode, in pubs, dining rooms and theatres. The size of the shows have also built, and in recent times Cat Power has appeared on the main stage at the Pyramid and Days Like These Festivals as well as headlining sold-yout performances at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre, Brisbane’s Powerhouse and Tivoli Theatres, Melbourne’s Forum Theatre and Perth’s Astor Theatre, amongst many others. Cat Power returns this time showcasing material from her new album (currently in progress and largely recorded by Chan herself) as well as old favourites. Cat Power performs at the Coolangatta Hotel on Saturday, January 29, and the Sydney Opera House on Sunday, January 30.

news

SHAWS BAY HOTEL Ballina

JAN

Suicidal Tendencies

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES IN COOLANGATTA Suicidal Tendencies were never afraid of a little controversy. The godfathers of crossover thrash and creators of skate punk have dedicated their careers to delivering the middle finger salute to anyone who opposed their views (which included LA authorities who banned them from playing in the city for six years). Showcasing their

irrepressible blend of punk, thrash, funk and hardcore, Suicidal Tendencies are certainly true to their ‘no rules’ ideals. Mike Muir’s extreme sincerity and full-of-rage ravings have garnered an ST Army the world over. They’re also unbelievably influential - without Suicidal Tendencies you would not have the myriad of thrash

metal and vicious hard-core bands that permeate the modern musical landscape. Delivering the fast-paced, aggressive and raw sound they pioneered, Suicidal Tendencies will be getting Cyco when they play the Coolangatta Hotel on Thursday, May 12, and the Metro Theatre in Sydney on Saturday, May 14.

SANTANA’S GUITAR HEAVEN to touch down in the hunter

For forty years and as many albums, Santana has sold more than 90 million records, reached more than 100 million fans at concerts worldwide, and in March will be returning to Australia with the Guitar Heaven tour. Toting a style that defies definition, immediately recognisable, yet unlike any other - Santana’s fusion of latin rock, blues, soul and jazz comes in full swing on stage in a way that transcends time and the limits of genre typecasting. His latest effort, Guitar Heaven, is Santana’s 29th Billboard Top 200 charting release, 12th Top 10 album debut and third Top 10 debut in the past five years. Santana, with The Doobie Brothers in support, will be performing at Hope Estate, Hunter Valley on Saturday, March 26.

freestylers

FREESTYLers IN BYRON

After premiering their ‘Dex N Fx’ set across sold-out club shows in April last year, the Freestylers, aka Aston Harvey and Matt Cantor, are back this New Years, armed with more goodies in their bag than Santa on Christmas Eve. Bursting back into clubs and on to airwaves alike in early 2010 with their Past Present & Future EP, this chameleonlike duo have just dropped ‘Say Yes’, and in the process tip their hats to dubstep with rolling breakbeats and party basslines. Joining the Freestylers on party-starting duties will be Freq Nasty, father of the raggabreaks movement, who is also credited for merging the UK breakbeat and garage scenes in the 90s via seminal hits ‘Goose’ and ‘Amped’. Expect nothing less than bass-heavy goodness combining everything from dubstep and d’n’b to jungle, reggae and breakbeat. We can’t think of a better way to work off that Christmas turkey. Freestylers and Freq Nasty will be performing at the Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay on Thursday, January 6.

Find us on Facebook

santana

LONG TIME GONE FOR THE MCMENAMINS

The McMenamins are back with their widely anticipated follow up to In The Light. Long Time Gone is the third and most gracious album from this remarkably talented brother-sister duo. The pair create a unique fusion on alt-country, contemporary folk, pop and roots music, ranging from aching intimate soundscapes to foot tapping folk ‘n’ roll. The McMenamins perform at the Sawtell RSL on Thursday, January 6; the Northern Star Hotel in Hamilton on Saturday, January 8; the Bangalow Hotel on Friday, January 21.

LIVE & LOCAL AT LIZOTTE’S, PRESENTED BY REVERB

Plenty of local music to be had at Lizotte’s this month. Lambton Lizotte’s: Wednesday, January 5, Ron E Jones, Holly Clayton, Brooke Harvey, Amy Vee; Friday, January 7, Mark Wells; Wednesday January 12, Kieran Wicks, Rocwater, Stick Figure Opera, Bones, Jones & Skeletones; Tuesday, January 18, Joe Robinson; Wednesday, January 19, Rhys Zacher, Jessica Cain, James Thomson, Fergusson Elliot; Tuesday, January 25, Gail Page. Kincumber Lizotte’s: Wednesday, January 5, Claire Sheather, Michael Peter, Jethro Morris, Gilbert Whyte; Wednesday, January 12, Jesse O’Neill Hutchin, Chelsea Reed Trio, Peace and Plenty, Rhys Zacher; Wednesday, January 19, Joe Robinson; Thursday, January 27, Kim Cannan.

2 Jabaru 7 Dynamic Duo 9 Sabotage 14 Warwick 15 Ben from Brittle 16 One two many 21 Leeroy Fitz 23 Chase the sun 26 Occa rock 28 Glen Massey duo 30 Fat Albert FEB

4 Angry penguins Tradies hump day every Wednesday 4:30 to 6:30 *Bikini girls* *Free BBQ* *Happy hour prices*

Jackpot badge draw every Friday

THE SHAWS BAY HOTEL 2 BRIGHTON STREET, EAST BALLINA 103 River Street, Ballina P: 6686 2034 Phone 02 6686 2015 WWW.SHAWSBAYHOTEL.COM.AU reverb magazine issue #054 — January 2011 15

t h e d ece m b er i s t s

early on when I first moved to Portland, to the Pacific north west, having grown up in a land-locked state in Montana. Moving to Oregon was a bit of a revelation, being an hour from a pretty dramatic coastline. I think the ocean ended up figuring into the songs a lot early on. It does less these days, but it still finds its way. I think it’s a nice backdrop — particularly in ‘Down By The Water’. The ocean is a natural cul-de-sac, so any town that’s on the ocean is on a frontier, to a certain degree. So there’s a heightened drama to be found in those kind of towns. Did this musical direction, which seems influenced by country and Americana, help shape the lyrics? I don’t think it shaped the lyrics that much. It more spoke to the arrangements and the instrumentation. Lyrically, I think I’m doing the same thing I always do. It feels a little unchanged — it’s my voice. I think melodically I try some more country patterns — what my wife calls my “cowboy voice”.

FORCE OF NATURE Is it fair to say that The King Is Dead is a return to the more stripped-back, American sound of your previous band, Tarkio? Yeah, I guess that argument could be made. In my mind I feel like there’s little to divide the two. Tarkio and The Decemberists were both built on the same principal of a benevolent dictatorship, in which I was the supreme leader — for better or worse. So I think of the later Tarkio stuff fitting well with the earlier Decemberists stuff. Then I think I really pushed away from a lot of the sounds we were doing in Tarkio and in some respect I feel like this [album] is returning to that impulse, to a certain degree.

After the giant sound of The Hazards Of Love, do you feel you were naturally drawn to making a more refined record or was it a conscious challenge you set for yourself? Initially it was just a natural transition. I think I was just drawn to these songs. For one thing, I didn’t have to write to order, which is what I had to do with The Hazards Of Love. I had this story mapped out and I had to fill it in with songs. This was much more free form. I was just letting the songs come and picking the best and losing the worst. But once we got down to recording it, Tucker [Martine, producer] and I really wanted to make it a concise record and keep it under 45 minutes and as many songs under four minutes as possible.

16 reverb

magazine issue #054 — January 2011

Whenever there was a phrase or a handful of measures that absolutely didn’t need to be there, then we felt the freedom to lop them off — whittling down and making everything shorter and more economical, in its way. So that was a challenge.

So you were instinctively adding layers to every song? With The Decemberists, a lot of the music has been purposefully over the top. A lot of really cinematic gestures are being made on the records — a lot of that involved layering sound upon sound upon sound. With this [record] we’re trying to do that as little as possible. In writing too, I tend to go a little long. I might have a verse there that I really like, but the song should only be two verses and three choruses. That can be hard for me because I get attached to things, even though they don’t help the overall arc of the song. One of my faults as a songwriter is that I tend to write things a little long and then get too attached to them and I’m unwilling to cut things down. But on this one I made a lot more concessions. Will this new philosophy continue into your next album? I have no idea. I feel like after each record I have an inkling of an idea of potentially what the shape of the next record will be and this time ‘round I have no idea. There’s no songs — I’m glad for this record to live

After the ambitious, towering record that was 2008’s The Hazards Of Love, The Decemberists have returned with a stripped-back, country-tinged album that channels American acts like REM and Neil Young. Nick Milligan catches up with the Decemberists’ main man — singer, songwriter and guitarist, Colin Meloy.

on its own — it may not have a sibling for a long while. Is the album title a little nod to The Smiths’ record, The Queen Is Dead? Well… maybe. Yeah, I would say that that would be a good inference to make. There’s rumour and conjecture… I know, I know. It’s very mysterious. The lead single off the new album is ‘Down By The Water’. Water has been a recurring theme throughout the lyrics of The Decemberists. What role does water tend to play in your imagery? I think it ended up being a common image

Are there recurring themes in the lyrics on this album? Yeah, absolutely. I think a lot of the record is a meditation about the natural world, but particularly my surrounding natural world — the environment I found myself in while I was writing songs. My wife and I had just moved out of town, up into the woods just outside of Portland. That was a really eye-opening change for me. Not just being in the woods, but also being in a new place and trying to learn the patterns of the land. Not only that you don’t know what to expect being in a new place, but trying to figure out the best place for your garden plots and where the sun will hit them the most and the best. So I think of a lot of the record as being a meditation on the changing of the seasons and living in the natural world. You’ve mentioned in the past that REM have been a big influence on you — was it surreal to have their guitarist Peter Buck lending his expertise to The King Is Dead? Absolutely, absolutely. It’s the sort of thing I never thought I’d live long enough to be able to do. I really mean that. To me, people like Peter Buck, Robyn Hitchcock, Bob Mould — I’ve met them, but they continue to be demi-gods. I think what they’ve accomplished is so incredible — it’s a terrific honour and very surreal to have them play on your song. Was it easy to get Peter Buck to play on your record? He loves playing. For somebody who’s been doing it for so long, you have to look up to him for the amount of energy that he continues to have for music. I think he’s more than willing to play with people — he has no airs about that. I think he was sweetly flattered that I had written these songs that were kind of a paean to his own playing. Are there plans for The Decemberists to return to Australia? Yeah, I think we’ll be out there in August. No definitive plans, but that’s what we’re pencilling in right now. The King Is Dead is released on January 18, 2011, through Capitol/EMI.

NEWCASTLE PANTHERS

FRIDAY 14 JANUARY SOUTHERN CROSS TEN, REVERB, FORTE AND TSUNAMI PRESENT:

PRESALE $25+bf DOOR $30+bf DOORS 8PM, STARTS 8:30PM, OVER 18’S ONLY

TIX FRIDAY 28 JANUARY

TIX

JIMMY BARNES & NOISEWORKS we are a

RESERVATIONS – 1800 800 840

SKYD VE COFFS HARBOUR

Find us on Facebook

outlet

NEWCASTLE PANTHERS Cnr King & Union Streets Newcastle West 2302 Tel 4926 6200 newcastle.panthers.com.au

reverb magazine issue #054 — January 2011 17

WEDNESDAYS

FREE LOCAL MUSIC THURSDAYS

LOCAL SOLO ARTIST NIGHT WEEKENDS

KARAOKE OUT FRONT, BANDS OUT BACK! AUSTRALIA DAY

THE MUDDY TURDS (TAS),

CHROME BISON, GENTLEMEN, TALL JENNY, ELEPHANT, + MANY MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!

Live It Up Karaoke

FRI SAT 9.30PM–2.30AM FRONT BAR

Monday Night Poker Tuesdays

7.30PM BEAUMONT STREET’S ONLY POOL COMPETITION

Happy Hour

THURS SUN 4-6PM $3.50 SCHOONERS

2-6 BEAUMONT ST OPEN 9.30AM-3AM DAILY

18 reverb

$20 BUY IN CASH PRIZES

magazine issue #054 — January 2011

02 4961 3852

EXCEPT SUN 10AM-MIDNIGHT

b l u ej u i ce & p h i l a d e l p h i a g ra n d j u r y

we’ll both have well-thought-out DJ names. And I don’t want to be sitting next to Jamie (Cibej, Bluejuice) either. I’ve heard stories about what he gets up to in the van and it’s not something I want to be a part of. Plus, he has long hair and I fear that I would mistake him for my wife and try and snuggle into him when I’m having my mid-afternoon nap.

Stav, Bluejuice, vocals What would be in the other band’s personal luggage? Probably exactly what we have in ours: beard maintenance kits and socks. Where do you sit on the bus, and why? Near a power point. I need power. What are the best ‘on the road’ games? The nerdier the better. Chess. Uno. Street Fighter on our mobiles. Mario Kart. Anything to stop us from looking out the window or having a conversation.

What music will the other guys bring on the trip? From what I can tell, Bluejuice are a pretty eclectic group of guys and none of them have any shame, so I think there will be a lot of diversity in their music choices in the van.

Who’s the designated driver? If our tour manager is not driving, then it’s Jerry (Craib, Bluejuice) all the way. Step away all others who dare approach.

How many pair of undies is the optimum number, and why? This question is a bit silly. The optimum number of undies is obviously one, because any more than that would just be uncomfortable. I’m sure everyone knows that already.

Who do you hope to be not sitting next to, and why? Jamie. His stony silence and persistence in reading 19th century literature intimidates me. What music will the other guys bring on the trip? Jake insists on bringing several hundred CDs every trip, and then playing one song from each of them. It’s so relaxing.

Simon Berchelman, Philadelphia Grand Jury, vocalist/guitarist What would be in the other band’s personal luggage? Jake Stone uses a lot of skin care products, we know that much.

How many pair of undies is the optimum number, and why? They start to disintegrate very quickly. We are a band who need securely fastened underwear, so once the elastic starts to go we donate them to animal shelters. Dogs appreciate the smell. Jake Stone, Bluejuice, vocals What would be in the other band’s personal luggage? Porcelain dolls. Where do you sit on the bus, and why? It varies, but I take the back seat as often as possible, and use it horizontally. Nobody seems to mind, as it means I’m not as likely to talk at them. What are the best ‘on the road’ games? We watch movies a lot. Motorcycle documentaries, splatter films and teenagelevel humour are all necessary on a long drive. Who’s the designated driver? Jerry is a Super Driving Android. Even if he’s driving the wrong way he’ll do it with such conviction that you begin to realise that the wrong way is actually the right way. Who do you hope to be not sitting next to, and why? James, if he’s in the state he was in last week in Coffs Harbour. He resembled a vomiting corpse. What music will the other guys bring on the trip? The other guys bring their iPods these days. But I refuse to play anything that wasn’t written by Steely Dan or The Doobie Brothers. How many pair of undies is the optimum number, and why? As many as you can possibly fit in a giant sack. I’d bring 40 or 50 pairs if I was allowed to. Joel Beeson, Philadelphia Grand Jury, bassist What would be in the other band’s personal luggage?

Find us on Facebook

What is the worst thing to leave behind? We bought 20 litres of fake theatrical blood from the auction house to use throughout the tour and I would be pretty upset if that got forgotten.

White-Lining

White-lining the east coast of Australia this January will be an inconspicuous white van, overloaded, under strain. Inside, Bluejuice, Philadelphia Grand Jury and Purple Sneakers DJs are killing time until that night’s next Sizzling 2011 gig takes hold of an unsuspecting regional community. Reverb speaks with the band to get their thoughts on life behind the windscreen. There are some things left unknown for a reason and the contents of Bluejuice’s personal luggage is one of those things. I think there would be something utterly disgusting in all of their bags, but particularly in James the drummer’s. You’ve always gotta be careful of the quiet ones. What is the worst thing to leave behind? There are only two lessons I learnt from Forrest Gump – the first was that the most important thing to make sure you pack is socks. There is nothing worse than reaching deep down into your bag at the start of the day and coming to the realisation that the only socks you have are the ones that you sweated in the night before. The other lesson I learnt from that movie is that war is kinda fun. Where do you sit on the bus, and why? The best seat in the van is definitely the front passenger seat. Besides controlling the actual vehicle, you are in control of everything in the van. Basically you’re in charge of the air conditioning and the stereo, so you can either be entirely self-indulgent or play a party DJ set that makes everyone love you. What are the best ‘on the road’ games? The last tour we were on, we had a lights guy come with us called Eamon and he was the

App King. He seemed to have a thousand new games to play on every leg of the tour and we ended up running his battery dry before the drive was over and his phone was essentially useless. He also promised to bring magnetic Connect 4, but he never did. Stav has promised to bring a big bag full of board games for the Sizzling tour, but I’m not getting myself excited yet because I’m still a bit hurt after all of Eamon’s lies. Who’s the designated driver? It used to always be me because I’m the only one that doesn’t drink, but we’ve been travelling with a nice young man named Ned (who moonlights as the keyboard player for Dappled Cities) who seems to enjoy driving us home after each show. It’s been good to be able to cut loose and have an orange juice and lemonade, rather than just an orange juice, after we’ve played. Who do you hope to be not sitting next to, and why? I think Berkfinger (Simon Berchelman, Philly Jay’s guitarist, vocalist) and I will both be happy to have some new people to talk to on this tour. Almost every drive descends into coming up with our DJ names. Which is quite pointless as we’ve got little to no skill as DJs, but if we ever do turn to the dark side,

Where do you sit on the bus, and why? Wherever they will have me, because I am annoying. What are the best ‘on the road’ games? Driving “Brail” is pretty fun. That’s when you sit the left wheel of the van on one of those lines on the highway that makes your car vibrate and make loud noises. Once you have this physical and audible guide you can rest your eyes, as seeing is no longer a big deal. You only then need to open your eyes when the vibration and noises stop, as this indicates that you need to reposition the left tyre back on the line. What music will the other guys bring on the trip? One of the conditions of the tour is that Bluejuice will travel and stay separate from us, so who cares? We are in the midst of a heavy band war and if any member of our group even catches a glimpse of one of them then it will be an all out smash up. How many pair of undies is the optimum number, and why? Well incontinence is no longer a problem for me so I would say one per day. Sizzling 2011, featuring Bluejuice, Philadelphia Grand Jury and Purple Sneakers DJs, will be at the Pacific Palm Hotel on Sunday January 2; Yamba Bowling Club on Monday January 3; Ballina RSL on Tuesday January 4; Coolangatta Hotel on Thursday January 6; Great Northern Hotel in Byron Bay on on Friday January 7; the Hoey Moey in Coffs Harbour on Saturday January 8; South West Rocks RSL on Sunday January 9; Port Macquarie Panthers on Tuesday January 11; Tilligerry RSL Sports Club on Wednesday January 12; Woodport Inn in Erina on Thursday January 13; Newcastle Panthers on Friday January 14.

reverb magazine issue #054 — January 2011 19

album Reviews Feature albums

Alter Bridge AB III

Lil Wayne

Roadrunner

I Am Not A Human Being

4.5/5

Cash Money Records/Universal

AB III, the third studio album from US rock band Alter Bridge, is a departure from the lighter tone and subject matter of their previous records. The themes of questioning faith and spirituality are shown in the first single ‘Isolation’ which features the instantly recognisable lead vocals and guitar solos that personified the hard rock styles of such bands as Creed and Shinedown. Myles Kennedy expresses within the song how “the agony of feeling isolated” and “the ability to love again” is a deep and progressive message. This momentum continues with ‘All Hope is Gone’ and ‘Wonderful Life’, a song about a man losing his wife. Mark Tremonti’s powerful and emotive vocals are showcased in the final track ‘Words Darker Than Their Wings’. Earlier fans of Alter Bridge will certainly be tested by this noticeably darker, yet melodic, concept album. Despite this, AB III, with its combination of smooth guitar bridging and ingenious lyrical timing, sets the band apart as altmetal/rock icons. ~Adam Dorrington

Smashing Pumpkins

Teargarden by Kaleidyscope: Vol. 2 – The Solstice Bare Martha’s Music/Rocket Science

4/5

Marking the second of 11 limited edition EPs that physically consolidate the free, downloadable 44-song concept album of Teargarden by Kaleidyscope for diehard fans, The Solstice Bare sees the Smashing Pumpkins hinting at the past but looking to the future, showcasing their famed gothic/ psychedelic trademark in a new and mesmerising way. ‘The Fellowship’ kicks off the EP in anthemic fashion with prominent synth arpeggios as front man Billy Corgan delivers a call to arms for Pumpkins fans of the future, “Are you with us/Or against us tonight?”. ‘Spangled’ is beautiful but too short, clocking in under 2.30 minutes, punctuated by harpsichord stabs and a free-flowing rhythm section as ‘Freak’ packs a punch with its fuzzladen blunt force trauma guitar riff as Corgan socio-politicises in a stream of consciousness influenced lyrical tirade. ‘Tom Tom’, the strongest Teargarden… release to date shines through with a punchy-as-clockwork beat, reverb-laden guitars and Beatlesque melodies. The Pumpkins have just completed a world tour with 2007/2008 live guitarist Jeff Schroeder and newest recruit, bassist Nicole Fiorentino. They have recently entered the studio to record what will become Teargarden… — Vol. 3. It’s going to get a lot more heavier and psychedelic from here, people. You have been warned. ~Matt Petherbridge

20 reverb

magazine issue #054 — January 2011

2.5/5

It’s safe to say that I’ve never been Weezy’s biggest fan. In my opinion, the enigmatic rapper’s largest contribution to Hip-Hop in the 21st century has been to its culture: Wayne’s bastardisation of the syllable, dedication to gratuitous sexual metaphor and commitment to the excessive consumption of cough syrup undoubtedly stand as his greatest legacies in the public realm. With this in mind, you’ll forgive my grimace when I say that Wayne hits all of his regular marks on eighth studio effort I Am Not A Human Being. Be it his jubilant crassness on the less-euphemistic-than-itshould-be ‘Gonhorrea’, or his gun-toting bravado on lead single ‘Right Above It’, … Human Being will either be lauded by enthusiasts as a welcome return to form, or (in this case) dismissed by its critics as an uninspired replica of older material. ~Max Quinn

twelve foot ninja Smoke Bomb Independent

3.5/5

You certainly can’t fault Twelve Foot Ninja for not trying anything different. While they could initially be written off as another standard alt-rock outfit, looking deeper into Smoke Bomb reveals some unconventional song structures and lyricism (the majority of lyrics are based on the “Ninja” of the band’s namesake). Sprinkled throughout the EP are synths and keys which sometimes clash with the de-tuned riffage that dominates the release, but reveals itself to be quite masterful on repeated listens. Standout track ‘Manufacture of Consent’ blends funk and jazz before turning around and becoming a rocking track. It will be interesting to see the songs reproduced live, and Twelve Foot Ninja might just be the band to fill the void left by Mammal. ~Matthew GLen

N.E.R.D.

M Jack Bee

interscope/universal

Vitamin

3/5

Nothing

N.E.R.D’s choice of album title suggests that its existence is inconsequential and its creation is of no importance- the word and title ‘nothing’ is a concept that describes the absence of anything at all. But if fans were to believe such a description, they would miss out on music typical of what Pharell has so genuinely sung to us previously (so don’t believe the facade). Most of the songs (including ‘Hypnotize U) aren’t skimpy with the bass; solid harmonised beats are put underneath Pharell’s quiet falsetto whispers. ‘Hot-n-Fun’ is sure to be one of the hits of the summer, with its bouncy synth-funk centred around catchy chants. N.E.R.D have always used pretty simple drum beats to their advantage. So yes, the album has a good standard. But it’s a faint reminder to long-time fans that the singer who once revolutionised the sound of hiphop might have lost his spark. ~Emily Cones-Browne

My Chemical Romance

Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys Reprise

3/5

After firing drummer Bob Briar and disbanding their alter-ego band The Black Parade, nobody could have picked how wacky and confusing My Chemical Romance would become on their latest album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. That’s not a backhanded compliment either, folks! First single ‘Na Na Na’ is chop-socky punk rocky at its finest. Despite vocalist Gerard Way’s assertions against another concept album after The Black Parade, Danger Days is thematically rich as MCR double as the cartoonish biker gang, The Fabulous Killjoys, fighting against the evil, megalomaniacal corporation Better Living Industries (BL/ind) for control of Battery City. For an album that was touted as a “return to punk rock” for MCR, the album is a weird mutation of jittery road trip summer love pop plus meat and potatoes punk rock, such as the uncontrollable ‘Party Poison’ and the Elvis Costello-esque banger ‘Vampire Money’. We’ve never heard MCR more melodic than now, as Gerard Way’s voice sounds stronger than ever on ‘The Only Hope For Me is You’ and the angular desert-garage RAWK of ‘Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back’. ‘Summertime’ is the most beautiful pop moment on the record, however, it really could have done without pilfering 70% of its sonic elements from The Smashing Pumpkins’ ‘1979’. Danger Days rises above its own imperfections as a strong album, it is sure to become a 2011 summer favourite. ~Matt Petherbridge

In Loops

Loops are a live device, an artifice used by soloists or even bands in want of extra muscle. M Jack Bee has used them as both a musical adjunct and a lyrical artifact. A recurring cycle of themes – loss, yearning, departure – against which the gentle tug of his sparkling looped guitars create a dirge-like counterpoint. Used as a soundtrack to a film by Byron Bay surf filmmaker Johnny Abegg, the lyrics in this case seem a little overwrought, the music insistent but not always compelling. Nonetheless, these snatches of angst and betrayal hint at greater turmoils to come. The melodies, fey and smouldering, likewise bespeak an unpredictable spiral – a live dynamic buried in a studio artifact - a good record, but with greater promise than premise. ~Mick Daley

Sola Rosa

Get It Together Way Up Records/Fuse Group

4/5

Auckland-based band, Sola Rosa boast a rich collection of funk, Latin, soul, hip-hop, electronica and jazz sounds - all elegantly entwined and cleverly captured throughout their fourth studio album, Get it Together. Sola Rosa use a full live band on Get it Together in the same vein as their previous album Moves On, yet deliver a more humanised sound than their earlier work. The band consistently produce new sounds on the record with the huge funk, Latin and hiphop influences flooding the collection of songs with uncontrollable head nodding beats and catchy tunes that have listener’s ears pricked at all times. The noticeably Spanish influenced number ‘Del Ray’ creates a laid back atmosphere filled with danceable funk rhythms. Trumpets, timbales and classical guitar solos evoke feelings of happy holidays and Mexican fiestas, all of which guarantees to put a smile on your face to fill the dance floor. ‘Love Alone’ features big hip-hop drums, cruised bass rhythms and ever so catchy and upbeat vocal lines which pumps a more mainstream ingredient into the album’s mix. Get it Together captures the best of Sola Rosa’s genre mish-mashing in one album and delivers some of their finest tracks. For lovers of warm and rich world music, this album will have you wanting more. ~Joe Swann

album Reviews album of the month

kanye west

Blackie

Mushroom

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

3.5/5

Rock-A-Fella/Universal

Cool Bananas

4.5/5

2.5/5

Daft Punk

Adalita

Walt Disney Records

4/5

Tron: Legacy

There are two things to understand before listening to the TRON: Legacy soundtrack. Firstly, this is by no means the next Daft Punk studio album. It is, and always will be, a film soundtrack that just happens to be made by Daft Punk. Secondly, it is Daft Punk, so of course it will be spectacular. For the diehard fans of the duo’s conventional style of recording, there is some good news. Two of the main tracks on the soundtrack contain every element of a customary Daft Punk track. The singles ‘Derezzed’ and ‘End of Line’ are complete with synthesised riffs and pulsating electronic beats that pick up right where they left off from 2005’s Human After All. Being a film score, it is apparent that not every track can be as spectacular as the hit singles we would love them to cram within this soundtrack. But for those who can appreciate a composition that excites the senses and creates appropriate atmosphere for the scene on screen, then Daft Punk are perfect for the composers role, creating electronic and orchestral masterpieces for every moment of excitement and theatrical tragedy throughout the movie. Although this has been constructed for a Disney film and not for the hoards of Daft Punk fanatics it manages to, at the very least, ensure the public that they still retain their incredible talents and will ignite much anticipation for a possible world tour or new album for themselves in the coming few years. ~Josh Clements

Adalita

Despite her predilection for female music icons such as Debbie Harry and Stevie Nicks, Magic Dirt alumni Adalita Srsen has a voice that is more often evocative of alt-crooners like Billy Corgan and Andy Hull. Her music is sparse and shoe-gazingly minimalistic, wringing every tonal and emotive drop from vocals and electric guitar alone (with the occasional encroachment of strings or piano tinklings to ice the proverbial cake). The album works as a cohesive whole, holding its own unique atmosphere for the duration — this is balmy night on the patio music. It’s the soundtrack to “How did I get here?” or the vitriolic letter you’ll wuss out of sending your ex. The primary setback of Adalita’s reservedly bold juxtaposition of a debut is the box it cements itself into. There is more room on the sonic spectrum for Adalita to visit in order to truly capture anyone’s attention for a whole 50 minutes. ~Michael Sykes

Joan As Police Woman The Deep Field PIAS Records

4/5

Joan Wasser aka Joan As Police Woman aka Jeff Buckley’s ex-girlfriend is back and doing much the same thing as on her last album, 2008’s To Survive. The go-to girl for any uber-cool high art project (she has collaborated with Antony Hegarty and Rufus Wainwright among others), The Deep Field is littered with jazzy vignettes that sometime border on the cafecasualness of Norah Jones. But they remain safely in the alternative basket when she embodies the indie backbone of a saucy chanteuse - not unlike Cat Power. The Casio sound adds a funk element, while slick production enhances any jazzy feel best shown on ‘Kiss the Specifix’. A highlight is ‘The Magic’, an ode to a worryless future, which shows-off Wasser’s seamless lyricism. ~Adelaide French

Break Bread With The Mono Brows

There’s something apt about Kanye West sampling ‘21st Century Schizoid Man’ by King Crimson on his latest album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Clearly losing his mind in the public sphere, West has ditched the cold, cybernetics of previous album 808’s and Heartbreak to again, to tear a hole in the soul of himself and anyone in his way with swift lyrical rhythms backed by orchestral curves and body shaking beats. First single, ‘Power’ sees West rip himself apart behind tribal chanting and the aforementioned King Crimson sample, with some telling lyrics such as “I was the abomination of Obama’s nation/Well that’s a pretty dour way to start a conversation.” Despite West’s arsehole tendencies, his artistry on this record is remarkably redemptive as ‘Dark Fantasy’ is brooding but warm and euphoric, ‘Runaway’ is cathartic, recounting selfdestructive various scandals whilst ‘Lost in the World’ cut and pastes a heart wrenching Bon Iver (kidnapped by Auto Tune) into the same breath as legendary poet Gil Scott Heron. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy makes for an unnerving listening experience that goes for the listener’s jugular. Although the album has been hailed by critics as the best album of 2010, are the highest of accolades too often wasted on kings of controversy? West answers his critics best in ‘Monster’, “I’m living the future so the presence is my past/my presence is a present kiss my arse.” ~Matt Petherbridge

Wholly absent in Peter ‘Blackie’ Black’s debut album are the alternately frenetic and puerile leanings of his punk rock outfit, The Hard-Ons - allegedly Australia’s most commercially successful independent band. Despite his grand heritage, Break Bread with the Mono-Brows is a decidedly less ambitious effort from Blackie and in fact forsakes most elements of the sound he is associated with. Break Bread remains raw and dirty, despite being at turns heartfelt and even timid. Deviation shouldn’t be a concern for Blackie - he has a strong sense of melody and some of his compositions are enviable, but his debut is hurt by an inability to sift his strong work (‘Sent’) from his throwaways (‘Caring and Sharing’). The capability is evident, but without the guiding framework of his band, Mr. Black needlessly falls short of the mark. ~Michael Sykes

Urban Freeflow Urban Freeflow Independent

2.5/5

Newcastle MC triple threat Urban Freeflow have launched into the Ausralian hip-hop scene with their debut EP. Bringing a fresh and energetic sound, with a wide range of sound bites including a Newcastle news report - the album definitely stands out from the many hip-hop acts around. An interesting work but the tracks often fall into a repetitive lull; lyrically and musically. The album has feeling and motivation throughout; the Novocastrian trio have focused on rapping about media bias and social injustice. In this EP they’ve adopted long, story-like intros with narrative voice-overs and orchestral melodies over the backing beat. The result is establishes a lyrical social commentary and the melodies instil a layer of emotion not often associated with party hip-hop. ~Jessica saxton

LARGE RANGE OF CD/DVD IMPORT ORDERS AND HARD-TO-GET VINYL — NEW 180 GRAM T SHIRTS COLLECTIBLES TICKETS BOX SETS AND DELUXE EDITIONS ALL MUSIC & VISION BALLINA Ph 6686 8111.

Find us on Facebook

BYRON Ph 6685 7611. LISMORE Ph 6622 5399. Visit us online at allmusicandvision.com.au

“Get it now” reverb magazine issue #054 — January 2011 21

NEWCASTLE Don’t forget — Live & Local every Wednesday night

gig Guide Newcastle Sat, Jan 1 Buncha Funkers

4 Jan

Steve Poltz (USA)

7 Jan

Mark Wells

Lizotte’s, Kincumber

8 Jan

Jon English

Lizotte’s, Lambton

9 Jan

The Idea of North

Entrance Leagues Club The Beautiful Girls + The Chemist

Hordern Pavilion, Sydney

Annandale Hotel, Sydney Shout Out Louds + Seabellies

Sizzling Strings, feat. Bruce Matiske, Dave Hellens, and more.

18 Jan

Joe Robinson

22 Jan

Ian Moss

Benny Tee

28 Jan

Mon, Jan 3

Lizotte’s, Lambton

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland

The Loft, Newcastle

Metro Theatre, Sydney Mystery Jets + The Holiday

Oxford Art Factory, Sydney Born Ruffians

Tues, Jan 4

hello satellites

12 Feb

Vika & Linda Bull

13 Feb

Kieran Kane & David Francey

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle

Joe Robinson

Sat, Jan 8

Lizotte’s, Lambton Rhys Zacher + Jessica Cain + James Thomson + Ferguson Elliot

Tim Crossey + Run Squirrel Run +

Metro Theatre, Sydney Public Enemy + Ozi Batla

Switchblade Types

Lizotte’s, Kincumber The Idea Of North

Junip

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Bowen and the Lucky Dutchman

Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham

Rock trivia night

Lizotte’s, Lambton

Sleigh Bells

Bruce Matiske + Dave Hellens +

Wickham Park Hotel, Islington

Newcastle Panthers

Sun, Jan 9

Bluejuice + Philadelphia Grand Jury

Royal Exchange Hotel, Newc

Customs House, Newcastle Claude Von Stroke + Kato + B Catt +

26 Feb

Doug Parkinson

Mordechai + Stasis and the

Captain Kickarse & The Awesomes +

Monarch + Mark Maxwell + Dpre +

Understatement

Strangers With Candy + Melody Moon

Steve P

Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham

Claire Sheather + Michael Peter +

Unfit For Human Consumption +

Jethro Morris + Gilbert Whyte

The McNastys

Lizotte’s, Lambton

Hot Hot Heat The Woohoo Revue

information, phone (02) 4956 2066 or visit lizottes.com.au

Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham Dennis Boys Band + David Logan + The Horizontalists

Lizotte’s, Kincumber

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Avoca Beach Theatre The Big Ol Bus Band

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle 22 reverb

magazine issue #054 — January 2011

Ian Moss + James Chatburn

The Loft, Newcastle Creations + Prepared like a Bride + City In Crisis + Revival Ashore + In The Wake + No Mercy Marg

Sat, Jan 22 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Street Warriers

Great Northern Hotel, Newc

Graveyard Train Puta Madre Brothers + Mojo Juju

Lizotte’s, Lambton Ian Moss + James Chatburn

Bruise

Great Northern Hotel, Newc Dan Mangan + Andy Bull + SpookyLand Jason Collett

Wed, Jan 12 Becks Festival Bar, Sydney Jon Spencer Blues Explosion + Super Wild Horses

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Of The Red Sea

Great Northern Hotel, Newc Lizotte’s, Kincumber

Annandale Hotel, Sydney

Puta Madre Brothers

Lizotte’s, Kincumber

Cash Savage + Kira Puru & the

Metro Theatre, Sydney

Fri, Jan 7

Nat Col and the Kings

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland

Jason Collett + Zeus

Strange Talk

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle

Shpongle

Josh Pyke + Passenger The Rapture + Erol Alkan +

Fri, Jan 21

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle

Enmore Theatre, Sydney

Dan Sweeto

Cold War Kids

Mama Kin

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland

The Hollow

The Soft Pack

Factory Theatre, Sydney

Ian Moss + James Chatburn

Lizotte’s, Lambton

Sat, Jan 15 Coma Lies + Taken By Force +

The Idea Of North

The Loft, Newcastle

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland

For bookings and

The Book Club Boutique

The Loft, Newcastle

A Catt’s Revenge + Beatnik DJs +

Enmore Theatre, Sydney

Paul Greene

Greg Young + George Golla + The Johnstone Brothers

Blind Lemon

Thur, Jan 6 25 Feb

Lizotte’s, Kincumber Adalita

Brooke Harvey + Amy Vee

24 Feb

Nick Batterham + Kate Gogarty

King Street Hotel, Newcastle Kito + Goon + Matt Saxon + Surian

Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton

Future of the Left

Lizotte’s, Kincumber

Jordie Lane

Jon English + Jonahs Road

Annandale Hotel, Sydney

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle

Great Northern Hotel, Newc

Metro Theatre, Sydney

Wed, Jan 5

Thur, Jan 20

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland

Lizotte’s, Lambton

Hello Satellites

Fri, Jan 14 Cannons Mouth

Manning Bar, Sydney

Rick Price

View Factory, Newcastle adalita

Enmore Theatre, Sydney The National + The Middle East

Ron E Jones + Holly Clayton +

19 Feb

The Karma Cops + Greenthief

Lizotte’s, Kincumber

The Storm Picturesque

Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham

Lizotte’s, Kincumber

17-18 Feb Martha Wainwright

Wed, Jan 19

Buried In Verona + Widow The Sea +

The Forum, Sydney

James Morrison

Adalita

Woodport Inn, Erina

Heart Attack and Vine

Enmore Theatre, Sydney

Public Enemy

11 Feb

Doc Neeson

Bluejuice + Philadelphia Grand Jury

The McMenamins

Adam Harvey

The Lazys

Lizotte’s, Kincumber

Kevin Borich’s Party Boys +

celebration

5 Feb

Joe Robinson

Great Northern Hotel, Newc

Cardiff Panthers

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Damien Leith

Lizotte’s, Lambton

The Widowbirds

Mark Wells

Mal Eastick presents

3 Feb

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland

Jon English + Jonahs Road

Steve Poltz

Acoustic Trio

Tues, Jan 18

Lizotte’s, Kincumber

Josh Pyke + Passenger

Interpol + Bridezilla

Doc Neeson

Thur, Jan 13

Lizotte’s, Lambton

Sofiella Watt Band + Jesse Squire +

Lizotte’s, Lambton

23 Jan

N*E*R*D + Chromeo + Boys Noize + Tinie Tempah

Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham

Steve Poltz

The Family Clan + The Hotizontalists

14 Jan

Enmore Theatre, Sydney The National + The Middle East

Sun, Jan 2

Josh Pyke

Adalita (Magic Dirt)

Earthless

Seven Seas Hotel, Carrington

2 Jan

13 Jan

Tumbleweed + Dripping Honey +

Lizotte’s, Kincumber Bruce Matiske + Dave Hellens + Greg Young + George Golla + The Johnstone Brothers Bodacious Cowboys

Tambulaine Winery, Hunter Toni Childs

Sun, Jan 16 Croation Club, Islington

Jesse O’Neill Hutchin + Chelsea Reed +

Summer Vibes w/- Thee Oh Sees +

Peace and Plenty + Rhys Zacher

Straight Arrows + Kitchen’s Floor +

Lizotte’s, Lambton

Kirin J Callinan + Total Control + Alps +

Kieran Wicks + Stick Figure Opera +

Horse Macgyver + Bare Grillz +

Rocwater + Hatty Fatners

Stitched Vision + In the Dollhouse +

Tilligerry RSL Sports Club

Assassins 88 + Paul Heslin + Nugs +

Bluejuice + Philadelphia Grand Jury

Wests Leagues Club, Lambton Judy Collins + Chris Bailey

ben jorgensen

Lizotte’s, Lambton

Sun, Jan 23 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Ben Jorgensen

Lizotte’s, Lambton Doc Neeson

Mon, Jan 24 Enmore Theatre, Sydney Lupe Fiasco + Black Milk

Sprew Ya Guts Up + Polyfox and the Union of the Most Ghosts

Great Northern Hotel, Newc Plutonic and G Love Follow us on Twitter

gig Guide North

CENTRAL COAST

Tues, Jan 25

Sat, Jan 1

Wed, Jan 5

Sat, Jan 8

Great Northern Hotel, Newc

Bangalow Hotel

Ballina RSL

Australian Hotel, Ballina

Space Invadas

King Street Hotel, Newcastle Muscles

Lizotte’s, Lambton Gail Page

Wickham Park Hotel, Islington Chase The Sun + Claude Hay + Cass Eager & the Velvet Rope

Wed, Jan 26

The Percolators

Toni Childs

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Dirty Laundry Quick Fix

Lennox Point Hotel Painted Crows Mick Hart

Yamba Bowling Club Lucy McDaniel

Enmore Theatre, Sydney Grinderman

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Red Hot Poker Dots

Lizotte’s, Kincumber Kevin Bennett + The Flood

Lizotte’s, Lambton Mal Eastick

Metro Theatre, Sydney M.I.A. + Die Antwoord

Newcastle Panthers Jimmy Barnes + Noiseworks

Sydney Opera House Sufjan Stevens

Sat, Jan 29 Beachcomber Hotel, Toukley The Snowdroppers

Bimbadgen Estate, Hunter Valley Inxs + Train + The Baby Animals + Models

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle

Mista Savona

Mista Savona Luke Carra Project + Ant Beard

Harrington Hotel Mick Hart Vanessa Lea + Road Train

Lennox Point Hotel Nelson Bay Diggers Pacific Palms Hotel Bluejuice + Philadelphia Grand Jury

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour

14 Jan

Pacha Mamma

Goonellabah Tavern

Adalita (Magic Dirt)

Wear The Fox Hat

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Bluejuice + Philadelphia Grand Jury

LaLaLand, Byron Bay

Laurieton Hotel

Kaz James + Cassian

20-21 Jan Ian Moss

Ebb n Flow

Laurieton United Services Club

Lennox Point Hotel Stretch The Rhyme

Port Macquarie Hotel

Macksville Ex Services Club

Captain Kickarse & the Awesomes +

1927

28 Jan

Plantation Hotel, Coffs

Mark Spence

Tumbleweed + Dripping Honey

Port Macquarie Panthers

Amy Meredith

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour

Doc Neeson

A French Butler Called Smith

Federal Hotel, Bellingen

Port Macquarie Panthers

Mojo Bluesman

Toni Childs

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour

The McMenamins

Yamba Bowling Club

First Ave

Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga

Pixie Jenkins

Dylan Hammond

Kevin Bennett & The Flood

30 Jan

Nathan Foley

4 Feb

Adam Harvey

5 Feb

Damien Leith

Ben Francis

Treehouse, Byron Bay

Yamba Bowling Club

The Book Club Boutique

The Beautiful Girls + The Chemist

Mon, Jan 3

Sun, Jan 9

11 Feb

Vika & Linda Bull

Great Northern Hotel, Byron

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay

14 Feb

Valentine’s Day special

Flying Lotus + Hudson Mohawke +

LaLaLand, Byron Bay Carl Kennedy

Yamba Bowling Club Bluejuice + Philadelphia Grand Jury + Purple Sneakers DJ

w/ Violet Highway

King Tide

The Gaslamp Killer

Amy Meredith

Brewery, Byron Bay Joe Robinson

Fri, Jan 7

Federal Hotel, Bellingen

Australian Hotel, Ballina

Great Northern Hotel, Byron

Late For Woodstock

Ballina RSL Lisa Hunt

Bangalow Hotel Matt Buggy

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Baskery & Jungal

Club Coffs, Coffs Harbour Toni Childs

Federal Hotel, Bellingen Ebb n Flow

18 Feb

Rick Price

19 Feb

Vince Jones

25 Feb

Cotton Keays and Morris

27 Feb

Jenny Morris –

Josh Matheson Tumbleweed + Dripping Honey

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Rob Sawyer

Lennox Point Hotel Paul Applekamp

Mullum Civic Hall Toni Childs

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour Ben Francis

South West Rocks RSL Bluejuice + Philadelphia Grand Jury

Sunday lunch

Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bluejuice + Philadelphia Grand Jury

Sun, Jan 30

Cat Power

Gollan Hotel, Lismore

1927

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour

Acoustic Trio

Sticky Fingers Rapskallion +

The Backyard Balladeer

Federal Hotel, Bellingen

Bellingen Diggers Tavern Brewery, Byron Bay

Freestylers + Freq Nasty

Blonde Redhead

Sydney Opera House

Doc Neeson

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour

Sydney Opera House

Gian

13 Jan

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay

Primal Scream

Nathan Foley

The Idea of North

Mick McHugh

Metro Theatre, Sydney

Lizotte’s, Lambton

8 Jan

Great Northern Hotel, Byron

Nathan Foley

Amanda Palmer

Jon English

Sun, Jan 2

Lizotte’s, Lambton

Lizotte’s, Kincumber

7 Jan

Bluejuice + Philadelphia Grand Jury

Banduluzia

Great Northern Hotel, Newc

Abbie Cardwell

Coolangatta Hotel

Lizotte’s, Kincumber

Jupiter Menace

Josh Pyke

SpookyLand

The Black Keys + The Greenhornes

(HED)pe + Recoil V.O.R.

6 Jan

Dan Mangan + Matt Corby +

Enmore Theatre, Sydney

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland

Rails, Byron Bay

Buddha Bar, Byron Bay

Resist The Thought + Buried In Verona

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle

Steve Poltz

Sneaky Sound System

Lizotte’s, Kincumber

Mary Jane Kelly

2 Jan

Thur, Jan 6

Thur, Jan 27

No Trigger + Such Gold + Excitebike +

Sneaky Sound System

Stafford Brothers

Gentlemen + Tall Jenny + Elephant

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay

LaLaLand, Byron Bay

The Muddy Turds + Chrome Bison +

Fri, Jan 28

Great Northern Hotel, Byron

Amy Meredith

Pacific Hotel, Yamba

The Havelocks

Sufjan Stevens

Jack Derwin

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour

Hamilton Station Hotel, Newc

Kim Cannan

every Wednesday night

Bangalow Hotel

Shihad

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle

Sydney Opera House

Coolangatta Hotel Arrested Development

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour

Don’t forget — Live & Local

Lee Brothers

The Barons of Tang

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour DJ Special Ed + DJ AWOL

Tues, Jan 4

LaLaLand, Byron Bay

Ballina RSL

Lennox Point Hotel

Bluejuice + Philadelphia Grand Jury + Purple Sneakers DJ

Byron Bay Ex Services Club Austen Tayshus

Great Northern Hotel, Byron The Barons of Tang + Orkestra Del Sol

LaLaLand, Byron Bay Alan Braxe

Pacific Palms Recreation Club Amy Meredith

Yamba Bowling Club Toni Childs

For bookings and

Dangerous Dan + Black Angus

information,

Ghost Brothers

Port Macquarie Hotel Bowen and the Lucky Dutchman

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour Pacha Mamma

Sawtell RSL 1927

Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga Three Quarters Hazel

Yamba Bowling Club Shane St James

Jimeoin

Tues, Jan 11

phone (02) 4368 2017 or visit lizottes.com.au

Club Forster Jimeoin

Port Macquarie Panthers Bluejuice + Philadelphia Grand Jury

Saraton Theatre, Grafton Toni Childs

Yamba Golf Club Austen Tayshus

Find us on Facebook

reverb magazine issue #054 — January 2011 23

JANUARY

gig Guide North (cont.) Wed, Jan 12

Sat, Jan 15

Fri, Jan 21

Wed, Jan 26

Great Northern Hotel, Byron

Australian Hotel, Ballina

Great Northern Hotel, Byron

The Beautiful Girls + The Chemist

Manning EnterT. Centre, Taree

Friday 7 LATE FOR WOODSTOCK

Toni Childs

Friday 14 PUSH BAND

Sunday 16 OUT THE SPEAKERS DJs

Joe Robinson Jimeoin

Coastal Soul

Jimeoin Quick Fix

Sunday 23 OUT THE SPEAKERS DJs

Friday 28 CATH SIMES BAND

Saturday 29 DAN HANNAFORD DUO

Glasshouse, Port Macquarie

Neverland, Coolangatta

Joe Robinson

The Book Club Boutique

Lennox Point Hotel

Solver + Ungus Ungus Ungus + The One Eyed Kings

Port Macquarie Hotel

kora

The Giving Tree + From Willow

Surecut Kids

The Beautiful Girls + The Chemist

Cambodian Space Project

Manning Theatre, Taree

Kulcha Jam, Byron Bay

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour Perverse Cowgirl

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour The Twist Tops

Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga Empire

Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga Mecca

Twin Towns Services Club, Tweed Jimeoin

Tommy’s Tavern, Lismore Fossil Rock

Yamba Bowling Club

Fri, Jan 28

Mick Buckley

Yamba Bowling Club

The Little Stevies

Australian Hotel, Ballina

Ash Grunwald

Lotus Temple, Byron Bay Carmella Baynie Rob Mestric and the Spacemen

Tatts Hotel, Lismore

Cath Simes

Sun, Jan 16

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay

Ballina RSL

Coolangatta Hotel

Mooger Fooger

Kevin Borich’s Party Boys

Kora

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay

Symbals

Yamba Bowling Club

Federal Hotel, Bellingen

Floyd Vincent

Josh Matheson

Finnian’s Irish Tavern, Port Macq

Jimeoin

Yamba Golf Club

Greenhouse Tavern, Coffs

Ash Grunwald

One Eyed Kings

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour

Matt Dean and the Rhythm Sect

Fri, Jan 14

Stoneage Romeos

Lennox Point Hotel

Charlie Parr

The Campbell Family

Australian Hotel, Ballina Push

Ballina RSL Jimeoin

Purple Drippers

Australian Hotel, Ballina

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour

Red Bantoo

Buddha Bar, Byron Bay

The Ghost Brothers

Charlie Parr + Dan Hannaford

Coolangatta Hotel

Diggers, Bellingen

The Beautiful Girls + The Chemist

Cambodian Space Project

Federal Hotel, Bellingen

The Bellingenies

Luke Carra Project + Ant Beard

Glasshouse Theatre, Port Macq

Goonellabah Tavern

Judy Collins + Chris Bailey Fungi-Duo

LaLaLand, Byron Bay

Floyd Vincent

Wed, Jan 19 LaLaLand, Byron Bay

Lennox Point Hotel

Alex Wolfenden

Port Macquarie Panthers

The Ride

Nimbin Hotel

Yada Yada

Symbals

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour Geoff Turnbull

Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga Ash Grunwald

Thur, Jan 20 Brewery, Byron Bay Chase The Sun + Claude Hay +

Tatts Hotel, Lismore

Cass Eager and the Velvet Rope

Gollan Hotel, Lismore

Steve Poltz + Jo Dabron

Repentance Creek

Great Northern Hotel, Byron Stanton Warriors

LaLaLand, Byron Bay Grant Smillie

Port Macquarie Hotel Dean Carrol + From Willow + Super Florence Jam + Greenthief

Thirty Three on Hickory, Dorrigo

103 River Street, Ballina Phone 02 6686 2015

Charlie Parr + Jess Ribero and the Bone Collectors

Black Stars

Port Macquarie Hotel

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay

Lennox Point Hotel

Sat, Jan 22 Richie Williams

Bangalow Hotel

Greenhouse Tavern, Coffs

Caravana Sun

Mullimbimby Civic Hall

Thur, Jan 13

Loot & Plunder

Sunday 30 OUT THE SPEAKERS DJs

Lennox Point Hotel

Doug Lord and ‘Till the Cops Come’

Port Macquarie Hotel

Lisa Hunt

Fat Albert

Mick Daley + Dougal Binns & the Wino’s

Hub Music, Sawtell Charlie Parr

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour

Gollan Hotel, Lismore

Kempsey Show Ground

Josh Rawiri

Great Northern Hotel, Byron

Thur, Jan 27 Greenhouse Tavern, Coffs

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour

Mossy Rocks

Great Northern Hotel, Byron

Greenhouse Tavern, Coffs Razor and Harvey

Goonellabah Tavern

Joe Robinson

Federal Hotel, Bellingen Slim Jim and the Boney Hard Men

Colourfide

The Beautiful Girls

Cambodian Space Project

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Pink Zinc

Federal Hotel, Bellingen

Kora

Scott’s Head Bowling Club

The McMenamins

Finnian’s Irish Tavern, Port Macq

Jon English + Jonah’s Road

Saturday 22 RICHIE WILLIAMS DUO

Bangalow Hotel

The Feramones

South West Rocks Country Club

Port Macquarie Hotel

Friday 21 ADAM BROWN AND THE DIRTY CHANNEL

Bangalow Hotel Beach Hotel, Byron Bay

Gollan Hotel, Lismore

Saturday 15 MARK EASTON

Adam Brown + The Dirty Channel

General Elektryk

Sawtell RSL

Saturday 8 LEE BROTHERS Sunday 9 OUT THE SPEAKERS DJs

Mark Easton

Occa Rock

Lennox Point Hotel The Method

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour Mahalia Fox

Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga Josh Rawiri

Tommy’s Tavern, Lismore Pink Zinc

Yamba Bowling Club Lisa Hunt

Sun, Jan 23 Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Lisa Hunt

Lennox Point Hotel Nick Disbray

Shaw Bay Hotel, Ballina Chase The Sun + Claude Hay + Cass Eager and the Velvet Rope

Psycho Magnet Solver

Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga The Bounty Hunters

Sat, Jan 29 Australian Hotel, Ballina Dan Hannaford

Cassegrain Wines, Port Macq Jimmy Barnes + Noiseworks + Thirsty Merc

Coolangatta Hotel Cat Power

Federal Hotel, Bellingen Glenn Heath and the Deep Blue Sea

Finnian’s Irish Tavern, Port Macq Carra

Goonellabah Tavern Fossil Rock

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Quick Fix

Lennox Point Hotel The Re-Mains

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour The Twist Tops

Tommy’s Tavern, Lismore Rochelle Lees

Sun, Jan 30 Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Kingfisha

Tues, Jan 25

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour

Coolangatta Hotel

Lennox Point Hotel

Kevin Borich’s Party Boys

Mick Bateman Luke Yeaman

ash grunwald

24 reverb

magazine issue #054 — January 2011

Open Day January 29th, 11am - 3pm

373 ewingsDale rD, ByrOn Bay 2841

CRICOS: 00312F (NSW) 02047B (VIC) 02431E (WA) Find us on Facebook

reverb magazine issue #054 — January 2011 25

Maiden 26 reverb

magazine issue #054 — January 2011

iron maiden

As Iron Maiden prepare to return to Australia to headline this year’s Soundwave Festival, Sam Dunn caught up with the band to talk about their latest album, The Final Frontier, and why flying commercial airlines sucks. On the last tour you flew around the world on your own aeroplane, as documented in Flight 666 — what was that like? Steve Harris (bass) Being on a 757 Air Force One, it’s absolutely fantastic. I mean, obviously, long distances, it doesn’t matter whether you’re on a private plane or not, it’s still tiring and we all got sick, as everybody knows now — that was tough as well. It was really good going to different places, the fact that we could actually just go where we wanted to, when we wanted to, is absolutely amazing and once you’ve done that really it’s difficult to go back to flying commercial, I think. The Final Frontier feels more like a live performance than a studio album. Could you comment on that? Bruce Dickinson (vocals) For an album that’s got a lot of prog sort of influences on it, it’s very direct. It almost sounds like a jam going on. In fact, it’s not, but it sounds like that. I quite like that. It’s very different for us — a very different for a sort of vibe for Maiden. Harris It’s very live, yeah. We approached it to be very live and when we rehearsed the stuff before we went in for the recording, it felt really good that we could play these songs live. Did you approach the songwriting and the playing on this album differently to previous records? Adrian Smith (guitar) You could say, apart from the opening track, the second, third and maybe the fourth tracks are pretty straightforward, really. If you’re playing over the same stuff all the time, you tend to play the same, so on a couple of occasions, we’ve kind of shook things up a little bit, you know, playing over a 7/8 time or something, which we’ve never quite done before — it sort of inspires kind of different ideas. Dave Murray (guitar) I think with Steve, he’s always thinking, like, three or four instruments down the road, what’s going to be added. We had a free reign really to go in and try out what we wished. If you have an idea, part of an idea, for the song you can just pitch it in and it either works or it doesn’t. There’s a lot of freedom and a lot of expression on this album and I think it comes across. Tell us about the recording of the album. What was it like? Harris Well, it was actually really good because we went back to Compass Point Studios and we hadn’t been there since

1986. We did three albums there. It was just great, we really enjoyed it. There was a really good vibe in there. The song ‘Satellite 15… The Final Frontier’ sounds like a jam. Was it recorded live? Harris No, we actually did a different approach on that song, really different. I just said to the guys, I want to go in and try a few different ways of recording, a few different ideas and not necessarily record it all in one go. If you’re doing a heavy part with a really good sound, we’ll maybe do another heavy part and then kind of put it together afterwards. It was just a really different approach, but it worked fantastically and I think we’ll definitely try that approach again. It’s the first time we’ve really done it like that. ‘Satellite 15… The Final Frontier’ is quite different to anything you have released previously — where did the idea come from? Smith I’ve got a studio at home and sat down and wrote every day for a month, you know and that’s one of the things that came out. I don’t know where it came from it’s just very kind of a heavy probably a bit more, I don’t know, more modern. But certainly different to what we’ve done before. Harris Well, Adrian had the basic idea of the song, the intro stuff originally and then I just basically took it and put it together with the other part and wrote the lyrics and stuff and all that and put it all together. I’m not sure it’s what Adrian really anticipated originally, because when he heard it, he went oh wow, that’s not what I intended but it sounds, you know, really good anyway. I think it sets the scene really good though for the album, it’s kind of different, exciting, ominous and sci-fi all at the same time. The title could suggest this will be your final album… Harris Hopefully not, I mean, I definitely would like to make another album. I don’t know if the rest of the guys feel the same way, I think they do. It’s just a question of physically whether we can time-wise, because we’re going to be doing a long tour with this album and there’s other bits and pieces in the pipeline also, so we’ll see what happens, but I don’t see any reason why we can’t make another album.

1ST 3RD

Lucy McDaniel – families welcome Bluejuice – Philadelphia Grand Jury & Purple Sneakers DJs

4TH 6TH 7TH 8TH 9TH 12TH 13TH 14TH 15TH 16TH 21ST 22ND 28TH 29TH

Toni Childs Pixie Jenkins – families show Shane St.James – Hypnotist Beautiful Girls + The Chemist Yamba Country Music Club with: Double Trouble The Blues Brothers Revue Jimeoin The Ford Bro’s – families welcome Ash Grunwald Dustier Than Ever (in honour of Slim Dusty) Mick Buckley – families welcome Lisa Hunt The Ford Bro’s Los Garbos & the Trashmen

NORFOLK BISTRO ORDER OFF THE MENU OR TRY OUR GOURMET PIZZAS – FAMILIES & VISITORS MOST WELCOME.

Iron Maiden will perform at Soundwave on Saturday, February 26, at RNA Showgrounds, and Sunday, February 27, at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway. There will also be a headline sideshow on Thursday, February 24, at Sydney Entertainment Centre.

Voyage Find us on Facebook

JANUARY 2011

Yamba Bowling Club – 44 Wooli Street YAMBA 6646 2305 www.yambabowlingclub.com.au E - yambabowlingclub@tpg.com.au courtesy bus – norfolk bistro – a-la-carte restaurant dunes cafe – kid’s playground & playroom.

reverb magazine issue #054 — January 2011 27

a l e x g re y

central coast|hunter|north coast #053 Dec ‘10

music, arts & culture monthly

�SHARON� �JONES� �Deep within� �the soul� �LIGHTSPEED� �CHAMPION� �Life in living� �colour�

Colours without names

�GRACE� �WOODROOFE� �State of love� �and grace�

OL TO R + NEW AL SO INSIDE: �REGU RGITATO

TS S + THE FOREIGN OBJ EC FOU ND GLORY + THE HOLIDAY

alex grey h featu red ‘pray ing’, by our cover from last mont

Having Alex Grey’s artwork grace our December 2010 cover was enough to send any respectable Tool fan salivating. Cameron Bennett spoke to Grey about his beliefs, his artistic inspiration, and how music drives his live performances.

You used to lead the quiet life of an agnostic — what changed your mind? It was a troubled life of an atheist. Acid changed that, thirty-five years ago, and subsequently the confirmatory insights from mystics throughout the ages. Aldous Huxley points out in his book, Perennial Philosophy, that the core insight of all wisdom traditions have much in common. You worked for years in the anatomy department of a medical school. That must have affected the way you perceived death. My interest has always been the nature of consciousness and the body is the box that it comes in. While studying the human anatomy in the morgue I read Buddhist scripture about impermanence. Special meditations were recommended in Buddhaghosa’s Path of Purification that focused on dead and decaying bodies. The morgue offered the opportunity to perform those meditations and an unforgettable appreciation for the preciousness of life.

How does the capital-a Art world interpret your work, and does that matter to you? Visionary artists are reclaiming the most ancient and powerful motive for making art and reinstating the sacred function of art for humanity — the depiction and transmission of theophanies, God’s holy contact with the human imagination. It has nothing to do with “the marketplace” that obsesses most contemporary artists and the commercial gallery industry and museological plunderings that pile up the artefacts of crumbled empires and fragmented ancient civilisations. The museums are booty shacks of pirate nations who have desecrated holy sites the world over. Now it is time to build again the ‘temples of art’, re-sacralising human destiny. There’s little emphasis on teaching drawing in modern art schools (in Australia, anyway). Given that drawing is generally the most immediate and fundamental vocabulary in visual art, how does this change bode for future art students? Some of the greatest draftsmen are not going to art school. They are becoming tattoo artists, graffiti artists and comic book artists. Artists don’t have to draw realistically but they have to be able to convey ideas to effectively communicate visually. The discipline and training of drawing should not be neglected by serious artists. How did the progression to live performance come about? Is it a whole different approach, or a natural extension? I started drawing and painting as early as I can remember and began doing performance art in the early seventies. The Sacred Mirrors [Grey’s principal oeuvre] grew out of a performance that Allyson and I did in the mid-seventies called “Life Energy.” The purpose of the Sacred Mirrors has always been to offer viewers the ability to resonate with their own material and spiritual anatomy as a reflection on the nature of the self. Live painting performances started around 2003. I was invited first by Sound Tribe Sector 9 and then the Disco Biscuits to paint on stage with them on Broadway in New York City. It was an opportunity to good to refuse. You’ve toured and performed with several different groups. How do the different musical styles influence you when painting on-stage? Allyson and I have painted on stage with dozens and dozens of DJs and live musical groups. I often look for cues from the environment, the name and symbols associated with the group, like Shpongle’s icon. When I painted on stage with Infected Mushroom, I painted a mushroom. Sometime the artwork is simply an image that seems appropriate to the moment but not related to the music being played. Most performers have to leave their partners and families when touring. You’re able to tour and perform with your wife — what does that bring to your relationship? Loving. We get to share the highs and lows. My wife is my best friend. It wouldn’t be any fun to travel without her. Allyson is the most important influence in my work. She inspired the Sacred Mirrors and all of my works. She is a muse and a critic when I need it. Alex and Allyson Grey are touring Australia. See them at Rainbow Serpent festival in Beaufort, Victoria, January 21-23; a threeday workshop in Byron Bay, January 25-27; the Astor Theatre in Melbourne, January 29; and January 30 in Sydney, details TBA. Visit alexgrey.com for tickets and more info.

28 reverb

magazine issue #054 — January 2011

the book of ships

Ships set sail

After relocating his music project, The Book Of Ships, to Melbourne, ex-Mousemoon member Calf has emerged with a new band and an astoundingly accomplished record called Dark Continent, Cold Century. Nick Milligan catches up with Calf to discuss The Book Of Ships voyage.

Find us on Facebook

How did you find the transition of moving to Melbourne from Newcastle, and finding a new band? In some ways it was quite tough, in other ways things sort of fell into my lap. I had joined two other bands within a month of moving down and tried to get my feelers out, but just as there are so many more players down here they’re all in just as many bands as folks anywhere. It took quite a while to get the line-up solidified and we did more than six months of rehearsal before playing our first shows in August. Now everything’s tight and we have a studio in the city where we’ll do most of the next record. Funnily enough, all of us but Murray (bass) had moved to Melbourne quite recently. Joe (kit) is from New York City, Ross (guitar) is from Cape Town via Perth and it looks as though we’ll be adding a new member in the new year from New Zealand. We’re looking at tours to those regions in the future.   Did you find the change of city inspiring musically? Have you been writing much new material since moving there? In a way I did find it inspiring. Mainly in that a bigger town affords more possibilities in terms of how you can define yourself as a valid artist, if that makes sense. It is easier to find a niche for yourself somewhere in the spectrum. Truth be told though, I don’t go see as many shows as I should and I tend to get more inspired by great records, which could as well be made by some geezer based in Dunedoo or something. The album is diverse, with noticeable shifts in direction and genre — what do you see as being the sonic threads that tie everything together? Sonically, I think the record can be broken into two halves — those more up-tempo

songs with layers and layers of guitars (and sometimes keys) where a bunch of guitars work in concert to produce a big rolling instrument. Then there’s the slower tracks which are more rarefied, epic perhaps and ’verbed-out. Then there’s one track that’s really of neither ilk and that probably should have been a B-side or something. Why did you choose Dark Continent, Cold Century as the title of the album? I seemed to be having this recurring theme in thoughts about enlightenment ideals of human society, perfectibility, all that stuff and how they had broken, and ideas about how those ideals, especially rationality, had possibly led to the carnage of the twentieth century and at the same time the monumental developments in the arts, in social mores, etc. “The Dark Continent” part comes from a book about the bloody and tempestuous nature of twentieth century Europe, though the expression, together with “Cold Century”, could refer to any continent in the twentieth century. For illustration, see the movie Wake in Fright or any of Cormac McCarthy’s work. Some of these songs have been around for a long time — had they evolved a lot from the point of writing them to the point of recording them? Most of them structurally and lyrically stayed the same from day one. I don’t usually persevere long on structures or re-write lyrics over and over. If it’s not working early on in the piece the song falls by the wayside. The evolution came in the form of the instrumentation and in having unlimited time in the studio and layering and layering, cutting a bit away and repeating the process. Lots was written in the studio. Lyrically, do you feel there are any

recurring themes on the record? How would you describe your approach to writing lyrics? The lyrics mostly revolve around thoughts of having neglected things and people, of loss, of hope in the face of loss, of questioning whether you have chosen the right option, of mutual exclusivity. Weaving through all this is the thought that we live in an age that is bunkum, that the enlightenment has failed. Therein lies the link to the album’s artwork and title. How has your time in Mousemoon informed the musical direction of your Book Of Ships project? I’m really not sure. I don’t feel it has in any obvious ways. Except that perhaps I initially reacted quite strongly against what Mousemoon came to be. We all arrived at that entity from quite different musical backgrounds and have gone on to similarly different new projects. I definitely learnt certain skills from the other guys who were much, much better singers and songwriters than me. I feel though that the main lessons were, firstly a business one — Mousemoon was like a great music-business apprenticeship, and, secondly, the invaluable nature of friendship and camaraderie within a band that makes it a family. What are your goals for The Book Of Ships for 2011? We’re going to take time out after January, write, work on the next record, lie low, possibly launch a side-project (or two), and hopefully tour the east coast early in the second half of 2011. The Book Of Ships perform at the New Beginnings festival at Morisset, January 15-16, and at the Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Newcastle on Friday, January 14,

reverb magazine issue #054 — January 2011 29

T h e Ka m i k a z i T h u n d er k at s — t u m b l e w ee d

Thunderkats Are Go Ska/punk sextet The Kamikazi Thunderkats have been exciting audiences on the north coast for the best part of four years. Having just released their debut EP, the band has been garnering increasing attention and radio airplay for their unique, upbeat upstroke. Max Quinn caught up with vocalist Callan Brunsdon, bassist Nick Fitzpatrick and trumpeter Rebecca Bradstock for a chat about bathing habits, and their new EP, Birthday Cake. Firstly, welcome, and congratulations on finally having Birthday Cake see the light of day. It’s been more than a year since you recorded and mixed it. What took so long? CB It took a long time, but I think it takes a long time for any unsigned band to get their first release out. We were figuring everything out as we went, and we were more or less relying on the fact that we’d need to get gigs to fund the record. NF It was definitely a learning curve for all of us.

I guess the advantage, then, is that you’ve had 12 months for those songs to gestate before they’re released. Have they changed since you recorded them? RB They’ve become a whole lot tighter. I joined the band at around the time we recorded, so all I’d learned were the ins and outs of those five songs. The difference now is that we’ve played them so often that we feel like we’ve mastered those songs in a live setting. NF We’ve also changed drummers since we

recorded. Brendan [Lees] brings a completely different feel to the band. Our trumpet player, Zac [Smeckel], joined the army for 12 months as well, but it looks like he’ll be back soon. CB It’s like he [Smeckel] was held hostage of his own accord until we brought the record out. And now he’s back! RB We really need somebody in the band who can pull a gun apart and put it back together in thirty seconds. It’s important he’s here for our security.

that everyone on the planet should take drugs and a lot of people may have taken it too seriously.” The Tumbleweed of 2010 is a different entity. Families and work are the priorities. All the members play in different bands and have developed vastly different styles, but respect the vitality of their original vision. “Musically, we had this great idea, but that idea changed and we got sick of it quickly. In our other bands we explore different styles of music, but Tumbleweed is Tumbleweed and we’re kind of genre-specific — we’re trying to write songs that fit into that category. It was a great chemistry that worked for us all, so we’re focusing on that.”

You guys are renowned for your fierce live set. How did you take the buoyancy you share on stage and make it work in a studio setting? NF This is something I was really worried about. Callan has such a dynamic stage presence and it’s a huge part of our live show. Basically what we attempted to do in the studio was recreate the live format so that it didn’t feel different. RB For us, it was really all about having fun with the recording. A bottle of port doesn’t go astray, either. NF We recorded the gang vocals on the last track, ‘Cheers’, at one in the morning on the final day of recording. It was finished during our self imposed “no pants hour”. Basically the rule was that for the entire hour, nobody was allowed to wear pants. CB We actually took “no pants hour” to the stage for a gig in Byron Bay a few months later… with mixed results. I wanted to ask you about Good City Records, the label whose logo you’ve printed on the back of Birthday Cake. I did a little bit of searching, and as far as I can tell, Good City Records isn’t exactly a legal enterprise. Tell me a little bit about that. CB Well… to cut a long story short, there’s an Aquabats song called ‘High Five City’. Our guitarist, Cameron, our producer, Angus, and I decided that if High Five City houses the best of everything, then Good City logically must house the goodest [sic] of everything. For example, Good City’s leading actor would be Dan Akroyd — he’s never done anything great, but he’s generally pretty good. Birthday Cake EP is available now

records, it was at a time in our life when we were trying psychedelics and pot for the first time and it all just melded into what created Tumbleweed.” The reformation has sparked the old chemistry and gleaned new material, but Curley is wary of diluting the pure strain of Tumbleweed rock and roll. “We originally reformed in 2009, so we’ve been a band as such for over a year now and it doesn’t take long for us to get bored rehearsing the same old set, so naturally we all start to write, we’ve probably churned out about ten new ideas, two of them we like, so we’re looking to get those two songs on the road as soon as possible, but we’re re-releasing all the old

A Summer Thing Tumbleweed is one of those leviathans of Australian rock that only occasionally lurch out from self-imposed obscurity — when they do it’s to massive acclaim and obsessive fan reaction. With a run of shows along the east coast over this damp summer, the Weed are responding to constant demand for them to reform. Lenny Curley, one of the three brothers who founded the Wollongong outfit and whose distinctive guitar created the Tumbleweed sound, is adamant that this is a rare outing. “You’ll only get a chance to see us once or twice at the most a year, it’s only a summer thing.” The tour will be fortified by the release of a double CD, The Waterfront Years, re-issuing every recording made prior to leaving the seminal Waterfront label. Though it’s hardly breezy summer 30 reverb

magazine issue #054 — January 2011

pop fodder, the Tumbleweed experience is tailor-made for steamy, rain-sodden festivals — their brawny psychedelic anthems earning them an early deal with Atlantic Records’ subsidiary Seed, and Nirvana supports back in the day when the raw, heavy swelter of grunge dominated the scene. Part of the magnetism of the band was the intelligence and musical integrity that ensured their transcendence of the ‘stoner rock’ tag — something that Curley insists was erroneous anyway. “We never considered ourselves stoner rock — it’s our own fault, our first single was called ‘Stoned’. That was more from our lyrics and the cartoon image, which was obviously kind of psychedelic and marijuana-influenced. That was a big finger up to the normality of modern life. We had this ridiculous idea

With 90s rock stalwarts Tumbleweed about to hit the road over summer, Mick Daley talked to founding guitarist Lenny Curley about reforming, reissues and the rarefied nature of a most visionary band. The Tumbleweed genre is a broad church, and takes in all manner of influences, which for Curley both defines and limits the band. “Tumbleweed does mix it up a lot but there’s a limit to what we can incorporate. There’s a lot of James Brown and soul music in the rhythms and the grooves of the music. “What we were doing wasn’t that original. We were mixing that Australian tradition with what was happening in Seattle, finding some middle ground between heavy metal and punk rock. That first Nirvana record really affected us — I can remember getting that first single when it came in to Waterfront

stuff, so we’re content to play that.” Though Curley cancelled a pre-tour rehearsal in favour of work commitments, he’s emphatic that the Tumbleweed vision will be kept intact — and that it will remain a summer thing — a rare release of the Tumbleweed experience. Tumbleweed will perform at the Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle, Friday, January 7; the Plantation Hotel in Coffs Harbour, Saturday, January 8; Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay on Sunday, January 9. Tumbleweed — The Waterfront Years 1991 - 1993 is out now through Aztec Music. Follow us on Twitter

arre s te d d e v e l o p m e n t — s h i h a d

Re-igniting the Fire Freedom of speech Hip-hop veterans Arrested Development are a band who require little introduction in the larger part of the Western world. Since their reformation in 1999, the band has toured extensively throughout the United States, Asia and Australia in support of several new studio albums. Band leader, MC Speech, speaks to Max Quinn in anticipation of the band’s Australian arrival. Firstly, Merry Christmas to you and yours. How are you spending the holidays? Same to you. Right now, we’re in Atlanta, Georgia, and we’re just taking it slowly before we head on over to Australia. We’re getting into the festive spirit — it’s much colder over here — but we’ll be doing what we usually do to celebrate. It seems like Australia has been a fairly fertile touring ground for you over the years. Why do you think that is? I think it’s the vibe of the people. They’re very open minded and think very progressively about and toward artists like Arrested Development. We’re pretty impressed with the way people live there, and it really reflects in the culture to us as foreigners coming over. I’m so ready for some hot weather, too! I’d like to ask you about hip-hop music. I know you have a fairly liberal opinion on what hip-hop is today and also about where it’s headed. Care to elaborate? Hip-hop to me is a very wide range of things — from African beats artists like Planet Patrol to artists like Soulja Boy and more or less everything in between. Over the years I’ve seen people try to label hip-hop in a number of different ways — gangsta hip-hop or real hip-hop or alternative hip-hop — in my opinion, it’s only done bad things to the overall movement because it’s divided and conquered artists. In that sense, do you feel that we’re saturated by the commercialised hip-hop agenda?

Find us on Facebook

Not only do I feel like that… it’s a fact! Hiphop music has suffered because it has engaged in holy matrimony with pop culture. The artists who fall in between the lines of ‘party music’ or music about materialism have been the artists who have received attention and promotion by the major labels and they’re subsequently the artists who have become synonymous with what hip-hop is on a worldwide basis. That has really hurt the overall art form. I think that those who love the art deeply are more than concerned with this trend, and we are trying to push the tide back toward the initial intent of hip-hop — to uncover positive ways to deal with negative realities. The world today is much smaller than it used to be as a result of things like conglomerations and mergers — a small group of people control information for the masses. Are you fighting an uphill battle? Valid question. I think that the average person across the world is fighting an uphill battle every day in the way that they receive information, even within their own communities. Because of technology, it’s harder for people even to reach their nextdoor neighbours. When it’s all said and done, though, I think that you die trying — even if you are fighting a losing battle. You keep moving forward doing what you believe to be true even if it doesn’t win. I sincerely hope that we do. Arrested Development will be performing at the Coolangatta Hotel on Wednesday, January 5.

After 22 years, Shihad are statesmen of the antipodean heavy rock scene, playing music which poetically blends heavy and hope like no other band. Kirsty Visman caught up with vocalist Jon Toogood to discuss the group’s eighth album, Ignite. When a band has been together with the same line-up for as long as you guys have, I think the obvious question is how do you do it? Well, we’ve become a family really. I’ve known these guys for longer now than I haven’t known them, so it pretty much makes us a band of brothers. Sure we have fights and get sick of each other but I think it’s the music that holds us together. Rock ‘n’ roll is cathartic. We’re always trying to come up with new ways to improve the set, so even though we’ve been around for a while, we’re still learning, and that seems to keep the demons at bay. You all seem to have such a great time on stage. Coming from the heavy rock world this isn’t really the norm. Do you ever have a laugh at other bands in the genre that take themselves so seriously? What, you mean WWF rock? (Laughs) Yeah, there are some pretty ‘hardcore’ macho dudes out there, but I was beaten up all through high school for being a ‘skinny faggot,’ so I would never be able to pull that shit off! Sure, we make some brutal music, but we also try to make sure it’s brutally honest and heavy in emotion as well. You last tour celebrated two of your most enduring albums, General Electric and Killjoy. What was it like revisiting those albums? It was such a blast! Going back to those albums meant going back to how they were recorded, my mindset and the way I used to play the guitar. It was the first time my fingers had bled in ages. I had to smash the guitar physically to get the right sound. Even re-listening to the songs I was like, ‘Wow, I was obviously trying to say this but I had to say it that way because that was the extent of my vocabulary back then’! Each time we make a record I just listen

to it, over and over and over again; I consume it like a greedy pig until I don’t want to hear it again. So, when we went back and had to re-listen to Killjoy and General Electric it was actually kind of exciting because I hadn’t heard a lot of those songs in ages! Would you say that this album was made more for yourselves, your potential new fans or your existing fan base? Ourselves! Unashamedly for ourselves! With any record we just need to know that we love it and if other people love it then that’s great but it’s not why we play. I love the music and that’s the only honest reason to be in this business. Ignite sounds to me more like a follow-on from Love is the New Hate than Beautiful Machine. Was it a conscious choice to return to a more heavy sound with this album? That’s interesting, but no, we didn’t set out to make anything in particular, there is probably a reason why it’s as heavy as it is. I fucked off to New Zealand with a laptop and a bass guitar because I was just so sick of guitar at that stage. I kicked around over there and played bass with a heap of bands like Shapeshifter and some other kiwi bands around Wellington and just messed around with the laptop and all of a sudden everyone around was just like, ‘Pick up the guitar bro!’ Then when I finally did play guitar again, I had my passion back for it and I was ready to write some rock songs. Are you excited about getting it on the road? Fuck yes! I still get that buzz. I just love watching the crowd bounce so for me, we in the band have a better view than the crowd. We get the see people reacting to our music and just cutting loose. I can’t wait to get out there and play! Ignite is out now through Roadrunner.

reverb magazine issue #054 — January 2011 31

h e d p e — C h r i s Ba i l e y

Hed of the Class

With studio album number eight under their collective belt, Huntington Beach noise merchants Hed PE have been around the block more than a couple of times. Stephen Bisset chatted to front man Jared Gomes on the eve on the band’s Australian tour about the new album, the problem with marketing, and the fans. Hi, Jared. What’s happening? It’s going all good man. I’m just at home right now getting ready to head out on a nine-date tour of the west coast before we head down to see you guys. So, right now I’m just putting my house in order. So, you guys must be pretty excited about coming back to Australia in the new year? Yeah, totally dude. It’s going to be great because last time we were down there you guys had so much love for us and the fact we’ll be there in summer is going to be even better because you guys have some awesome beaches. Is the band happy with the reception Truth Rising has been getting thus far? People are just loving it. I mean, I love all of the Hed PE albums but I’m just really stoked with the feedback we’ve been getting for this one. When you’re recording you always think it sounds great but, none of that counts for shit until the fans get a hold of it and tell you how it really is. I went through a stage in the late 90s where I basically forgot all about the fans. You just can’t do that, man. It’s all about the fans. How would you say Truth Rising differs from New World Orphans and previous studio efforts? This is by far the heaviest album that we’ve put out. It’s got some seriously shredding guitars and some really intense drumming. I’m just really proud of it. Who or what was influencing you during the writing and recording of the album? I don’t listen to any of that bullshit they play on radio or MTV. I really wouldn’t know what was going on out there right now — my influences for this record were much more in a retro punk vein with bands like Minor Threat, Suicidal Tendencies, The Sex Pistols, The Clash and more modern bands like System of a Down and Hatebreed. I know this is probably a near-impossible

32 reverb

magazine issue #054 — January 2011

question to answer, but what is your favourite track on the album right now and why? Dude, I really can’t pick just one track. Hed PE is in no way a purist band and we’re always blending styles. I’m really into the funk oriented songs on the album but I also think the more hardcore tracks are really rad too. It’s just almost impossible to pick a favourite. How would you say the industry has changed since you guys released your selftitled album back in ’97. The problem with my band is that the music industry likes a band that has the same sound because it’s easier to market and Hed PE has embraced hardcore, metal, hip hop, ska and reggae. That tends to fuck with the industry because they don’t know where to put us. I’d say it’s probably become even more of a business now which is a major problem because the people in the suits are not artists and they have no idea about music. I mean, I did my time on major labels and I have to say it absolutely sucked — they just didn’t get me. So, after four albums with Suburban Noise could you ever see Hed PE return to a major? Oh yeah I could totally see it because it can be really positive if you sign with the right person at the right label. I guess now days I’m not as wide-eyed as I was back in the 90s so if we were to look at signing with a major I guess now I’d know more what to look for and what to avoid. Although, I’m still really happy with Subnoize. What’s next for Jared Gomes and Hed PE? Well I’ve wanted to do a solo album for ages, so maybe after we come back from Australia I might see if I can find the time for that. Hed PE play the Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle on Sunday, January 30.

Sainthood Chris Bailey, founder and sole surviving member of The Saints, has progressed from punk poet through to rock icon and now folksinger. He explains to Mick Daley why such labels are worthless. The Saints came blazing out of Brisbane in 1974 and are largely credited as pioneers of the punk movement in Australia. As front man, and angry young rock poet, Chris Bailey’s notoriety was centered around the frenetic echoes of such punk classics as ‘I’m Stranded’. But as he prepares for an Australian theatre tour with acclaimed folksinger Judy Collins, whose work has been covered by the likes of Leonard Cohen and Rufus Wainwright, Bailey observes that such tags are meaningless in the greater context of music. “If you go to the extreme view of things we’re probably the two most unlikely artists to be on the same stage on the same night, but show-business puts you into a box, so you’re either a rock artist, a folk artist, a punk artist, or an R&B artist, but it’s all just music. I’ll quote Judy — ‘they’re just the tags that get attached to you in order to put you through the machine’. I think if you go into show business you accept that this is going to happen and, the only reason you keep doing this stuff is because you are bound to it through some inner demon.” At home in the Netherlands on a bitterly cold winter’s night, the gently spoken Bailey is trying to keep an overly affectionate cat at bay, muttering, “life without animals is pretty dull”, as he elaborates down the phone; “I’m glad that I’ve chosen to be a wandering minstrel. My life is easy compared to a guy who has to go out in the snow and dig roads, so if you can survive in show business it’s great, but it’s not a kind world, so there has to be something about it that’s more than just a job, because it does require a lot of your heart and soul. Without music the world is pretty grey and if you’ve got the ability to somehow capture the human spirit and put it into a tune, that’s a pretty big gift.” Such universal, human concerns do seem of the folk variety rather than the nihilism

and anger of The Saints, but Bailey’s orbit has entered stranger territories. “It’s been a really bizarre year for me. I started out doing an east coast tour with Ed Kuepper, and that was quite folky. I’ve got a solo album in the can which is ridiculously folky and I’ve also got a new Saints album, which is the antithesis of that.” He’s been touring Europe with French indie outfit Hash Burns, as well as playing with current Saints drummer Peter Wilkinson as part of Bailey’s current band, General Dog. “It’s kind of Celtic folk, but I can’t get away from rock and roll, so I still hear Chuck Berry. Also on the General Dog record I get to play bass which is something I’ve been wanting to do for years. Being the bass player is the sexiest job in a rock band — don’t let anyone tell you different.” Bailey hints that at least one of these incarnations will more than likely make its way to Australia in 2011. “Technically I’m not an Australian, but my whole life and career has been so entwined with Oz, that I may as well be. The touring and distance thing — when I was a kid it was difficult to get over here, now I’m a grown-up I’m finding it difficult getting back. But if you wanna be in showbiz, then you just have to be kicking against the pricks and we have a lot of sympathisers in the antipodes, so I think in the next year or so we might see the fruits of the past year’s labour.” Meanwhile he’s contemplating touring with the esteemed Judy Collins, and what artistic fruits it might bear. “We’re talking about doing a song together. Nothing’s confirmed as yet. We’ll slowly, slowly catch the monkey.” Chris Bailey and Judy Collins will be performing at Wests Leagues Club in Newcastle, on Wednesday, January 12; and the Glasshouse Theatre in Port Macquarie, Friday, January 14.

t h e r o a d t o g w ar

The Road to gwar When the No Sleep Til festival was announced many months back, one Newcastle man’s obsession with US band Gwar was realised. Five days and 4,000 kilometres later, Gerant Kenneth speaks about his efforts to get close to the band that has consumed him for 26 years. Throughout the past week I have been labelled as obsessed, crazy, foolish and, most offensively, as a stalker. The truth of the matter, as any person with the slightest insight into the universe of Gwar would know, is the journey I have taken over the past week shows nothing but the common behaviour of a dedicated bohab. Bohab: devout fan of the band Gwar. The past week has seen me drive solo from Newcastle to Melbourne, from Melbourne to Sydney, from Sydney to Brisbane and finally from Brisbane back home to Newcastle. That’s near 4,000 kilometres in roughly five days, just to see one band play three 40-minute sets at a festival full of bands I could care less about — crazy and foolish I may be. Contemplating why I would perform such a stunt deserves context, and I believe that context can be found in 1996 when a friend and I followed the reformed Sex Pistols for three shows down the east coast. The thing is, I had never contemplated the idea that I would get my chance to see the band perform live so when that opportunity arose, it had to be exploited. For 27 years now Gwar have been terrorising audiences with their Grand Guignol-style performances. Over the years their music

Find us on Facebook

has evolved from simple punk rock ditties to complex aggressive metal mayhem, but their tongue-in-cheek and black humoured approach to entertainment has always been the band’s modus operandi, and for 27 years the band has never stepped foot in Australia. In September 2010 it was announced that this injustice would be rectified as the band would be performing as part of the No Sleep Til festival touring Australia in December. Finally, after 16 years of consuming everything the band could throw at me, I would get my chance to see Gwar in their most brilliant latex flesh and, of course, this had to be exploited. Not satisfied by simply getting to see the band perform live, I was determined to get some time with Gwar one on one. After sixteen years of slavery to this band I had so many questions and damn it, if I’m spending this much time and energy following this circus half way around the country surely it wouldn’t be too much to ask for a quick Hell-O, handshake and a few words concerning their first Australian tour… would it? Back in ’96, bands toured as their own entity.

If the Sex Pistols wanted to reform they would do it on their own merit. These days everything is relegated to a festival and it breaks my balls. Back then it was simple to meet your favourite act. You simply hung around the back of the venue after the show and eventually you could pretty much count on someone from the band being bothered to come shoot the shit with the minions. Now with festivals you’re hoping to bump into your favourite band amongst thousands of other festival goers. The problem is, what if your favourite band wear masks that conceal their identity? I didn’t stand a chance. So, I went legit. I got myself an angle and

prepared myself to write about my journey and attempts to meet the unstoppable Gwar. I emailed the band, their publicist and promoters. I was embarking on a journey of epic proportions and without a doubt I would have a tale to tell on my eventual return, to meet the band would be the climax of both the story and my 16 years of dedication to the band. I was blinded with enthusiasm. Melbourne came and went without a meet. Then Sydney offered little more… when I finally arrived in Brisbane for the final show I received a message from Oderus Urungus himself: Today we will get a chance to sit down and talk some Gwar. As I stood in the rain waiting for my phone call I was thrilled to see the band perform one more time. With or without my meet, I was still ecstatic about finally seeing the band into which I had invested so much of my life… at the same time I was feeling like a cold and soggy bohab. And the phone call never came. Fortunately the shows were everything I had hoped for, and more. Unfortunately my questions remain unanswered… but I am not deterred. This isn’t over, Gwar!

reverb magazine issue #054 — January 2011 33

ja s m i n tara s i n

TALKING SHOP Profiling music industry professionals

Name Scott Mesiti For whom do you work? Festival of the Sun Current position title? Co-founder & programmer How long have you been in this position? Six years What are the main responsibilities of your position? Programming the artists, production, marketing, ticketing and anything else that needs doing. We’re a small team. How did you get involved in the music industry? Like most, I played in bands for years and years and converted to the business when I got sick of touring. Proudest moment? Getting through the first year was amazing… and then being able to do it again and again Best live show you’ve been to? The Chilli Peppers in ’92 at the Hordern. It changed my life and made me want to be in a band. Favourite venue? Sydney Metro — any band will work in that place. The sound is amazing and you can see the stage from anywhere. Favourite musical instrument? Bass. I’ve played for about 15 years. I should be much better than I am though. To whom should we be listening? Barrel House, Floating Me, The Foreign Objects and Rotating Leslie shameless, they’re all bands I work with. What would be on your ultimate rider? Prawns, oysters, ice cream, and beer. Best way to spend a Sunday morning? Not thinking about Monday… Any advice for people trying to break into the industry? Try a few things and get as much experience as possible. All aspects of the industry talk to each other so it’s good to have experience in as many fields as possible. 34 reverb

magazine issue #054 — January 2011

With a solid background of music videos, commercials & documentaries under behind her, Jasmin Tarasin gives birth to ‘Live’, an installation cradling intimacy. Featuring 20 of the world’s most emotionally connected performers such as Peaches, Feist, Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, Róisín Murphy, Clare Bowditch and Dan Kelly (just to name a few), ‘Live’ enables viewers to see live music through new eyes. Terrease McComb scoops Tarasin’s brain in search of inspirations regarding the video study.

Intimate Places Where did ‘Live’ start for you? ‘Live’ started with my life-long obsession with music and live music. I always try and go and see music, art and other types of art forms to feed back into my work. I went travelling a few years ago in Spain where I saw lots of flamenco and singing; they [the performers] talked about performing with spirit and performing with emotion. They have a word that describes it which is duende. It’s when you connect with your heart and your emotion and perform with spirit; you [in turn] connect to other people’s hearts and emotions and share a space. I thought that was really fascinating and based the whole concept of the exhibition on that. I made a list of all the performers that I thought performed with duende and wrote to them and asked them to be a part of this exhibition. I started to work with exhibition designer Bruce Ramus and we started to talk about the best way to convey these performances that I was wanting to capture, in a really kind of intimate but impactful way; taking away from what people get used to watching music videos. The body of works suggests a point-ofview type of experience, so that was an intentional move on your part? Yeah, what I’m wanting people to experience is a sense that you’re getting

that intimate one on one show with these people so you can share the experience with that person. One take, one set up, no kind of editing or sound or vision effects at all. And they’re very large scale [the images]. So you get an intense moment with those particular performers.

Was the study conducted with a specific audience in mind? Well, to be honest I made the exhibition so I could go to it myself [laughs]. The particular audience is anyone who loves amazing music and performance and also I suppose for each of the people who love a particular performer. Each of the artists will have their own fan base. It’s for live music fans, art fans… it’s quite broad. I am really excited for people that are into seeing particular types of people - I think it will be great to widen their musical scope. Given your catalogue of music videos and documentaries how did this experience differ for you? It was completely different because there was no narrative. With music videos you’re dealing with artist themselves and the record company, there’s a whole lot of ideas conceptually that you want to portray. ‘Live’ was quite a raw concept and what brought it to life are the performances themselves. You’re laying a canvas and

they fill it. Even though it’s my concept, it really is the artist that’s filling the gaps.

As a performer, being stripped of their theatrical devices would have taken a lot of courage. Did you have any experiences in the process that surprised you? Where you felt ‘duende’ in an overwhelming sense? Yeah I think Warren Ellis’s performance was amazing… I cried. Juliette Lewis was particularly amazing. Julian Hamilton from the Presets did a version of ‘All My People’ that was quite brave and a really wonderful experience. I find it extraordinary that people just walk into a room, stand in front of a white backdrop and go for it. I could never do that. How will the opening night play into the rest of the exhibition? The opening night will be quite an extraordinary experience because we’ve got Gareth Liddiard [The Drones], Kram [Spiderbait], Laura Jean and Sarah Blasko performing in the same fashion we recorded them in. A live feed from their performance will be projected on to all the screens of the exhibition which I think will be quite exceptional, you won’t see that on any other throughout the exhibition itself. ‘Live’ will be on display at Sydney’s Lower Town Hall, January 13-23. Follow us on Twitter

motoring

“ The thing just sits flat and hooks around curves like a big racing kart…”

Go Troppo in Trophee After a succession of hot fours through our sweaty hands over the past month or so, we ended our lucky run with one of the best — Renault’s Megane RS Trophee that sells for an accessible $46,990 plus on roads. The slightly de-specced Megane RS is $41,990. Unlike the previous Megane RS — the ugly but good hatchback with the bum that looked like a corgi with piles — this one’s a striking coupé that is arguably one of the better looking mainstream cars on the road right now. That’s a big call from a car company that has come out with some abominations in the past decade. They must have taken a new pill or changed their diet. The new RS is similar to the old one under the skin with some mods to the engine internals but carry-over centre-axis steering and helical diff’ on the front wheels to prevent torque steer. It’s similar in concept to what Ford uses in its front drive Focus RS against which the Megane RS can most readily be compared. Power comes from a 2.0-litre, twin scroll turbo petrol job kicking out 184kW/340Nm which is sufficient to accelerate the Renault from 0-100kph in the 6.0 second bracket. So, from that you can determine it’s not the quickest four pot around — that is until you point it into a series of tight corners. In this environment the RS is guaranteed to do two

Find us on Facebook

things; gladden your day, and, if you indulge too much, possibly make you crook in the guts. Motion sickness is a very real prospect as we found out after a lunch of fish and chips and a fizzy drink followed by a good old punt through the twisties — eeuuww, not good. After cleaning up (our face) we were right as rain for another crack at what turned out to be one of our favourite cars of 2010. This is Renault’s range topper here and is crammed with goodies to go fast and make your drive time easier. It has, for example, a clever multimedia connection box for all your gadgets as well as Bluetooth phone with audio streaming and a swag of luxury goodies. All that aside, the RS is about performance and in this regard it is not lacking one little bit. It is designed to engage you if there’s a single driver’s bone in your body. You won’t win a straight liner against a WRX, but get to some corners or rough road surface and it’s bye-bye. Is Megane RS as quick as the Focus RS? No, but not far off and the price is about $15K less. Very little would separate the Focus and the Megane on a tight track but the extra kilowattage and torque of the 100kg-heavier Focus would eventually tell. We reckon the Renault is a better looker than Focus especially from the rear with that big arcing back and mean styling that says “get

r e vi e wed

Renault Megane RS Trophee r e vi e wed by

Peter Douglas that into ya”. The side profile is just as intimidating and the front looks fairly tough, too — really surprising from Renault, as we have already said. It’s based on the new Megane chassis and has impeccable manners with nothing stupid like bump steer, rack rattle, plough understeer or oversteer. The thing just sits flat and hooks around curves like a big racing kart. It has monumental braking power from a set of Brembos and large-section 19-inch rubber that grips in the wet or dry. Megane RS feels like a race car with good manners and slightly more supple suspension. Obviously, Renault’s F1 involvement pays dividends with its road cars, none so much as this particular model. You simply don’t need 6.2-litres to go blisteringly fast. Coupled with that is the fact that the RS passes stringent Euro 5 emissions regulations, on 98-octane. No lightweight at 1393kg, Megane RS belies its beef to deliver a nimble and lithe feel that you can’t get enough of. The close ratio six-speed manual (only) is slick and accurate and the steering

is precise and well weighted. Megane RS Trophee costs more because of extra kit, like 19-inch alloys, hands free entry with card key, Recaro seats, audio upgrade, chrome exhaust outlet and dark grey body highlights and other stuff. You get the same drive from the slightly lesser model and keep $5K in your pocket. The 19s are optional on the standard car and that’s the way we’d go. If you like driving, like feeling “hard wired” to a car’s dynamics, then this is the car for you. It’s liveable, incredibly responsive, looks the biz and doesn’t cost too much. A “heaps better” prospect than a WRX or Evo which are like bums — everyone has one. It would be wonderful at track days and has plenty of cut through with women — unusual in such a sporty “boy toy”. Any down side? Well, the engine cut-out at 6400rpm is a bit premature — seven would be better — and we couldn’t see the speedo needle — big problem. It sounds excellent through the single large triangular outlet and really hammers over 4500rpm in the sweet spot. It scores a five star crash rating and has multiple airbags as well as switchable sports tuned stability control. Love the funky interior capped by a yellow faced tacho. Would have one in a blink, but certainly not in yellow — it’d be too much cop bait.

reverb magazine issue #054 — January 2011 35

fa s h i o n — p h o t o g ra p h y b y Ke n t Marc u s

36 reve rb

magazine issue #054 — January 2011

fa s h i o n — p h o t o g ra p h y b y Ke n t Marc u s

above shoes by Vans.

Photography by Justin Lees Styling and direction by Cal Lynch & Justin Lees Modelling by Cheeks and Balls Malone Clothing by Rad, 5/185 Darby Street, Cooks Hill

Photography & styling by Kent Marcus Hair by Larissa Filewood Make-up by Karl Henrickson Modelling by April Carrasco Assistance by Dell Lawrence, Levi Gardner & Brad Hoffman Dive assistance by Daniel Atkins Clothing by Rag and Bone 37 Darby Street, Cooks Hill Phone 02 4927 1000 All dresses $71

Find us on Facebook

reverb magazine issue #054 — January 2011 37

Film Reviews

Failing to deliver r e vi e wed

The Tourist r e vi e wed by

Mark Snelson r ated

2/5 stars On the face of it, The Tourist has everything going for it — a romantic crime thriller with two of the hottest Hollywood stars in the lead, an Oscar-winning director at the helm and penned by an Oscar-winning screenwriter. All this, plus the proceedings set amongst the grandeur of Venice… Unfortunately, it has very little in the way of romance and not a lot going on in the way of thrills either. Elise (Angelina Jolie) is the partner of wanted man, Alexander Pearce. Pearce is

responsible for stealing a couple of billion dollars from a ruthless gangster and also owes millions in tax to the UK government. This has both the police and the mobsters on his trail, but with Pearce in hiding they have their sights on Elise. In order to shake their trail, she tries to throw them off by having them believe a random tourist she sits next to on the train is Pearce, but is really a holidaying American maths teacher named Frank (Johnny Depp). Frank falls for her and pretty soon ends up in the middle of her caper,

running from the authorities and dodging the bad guy’s bullets. Jolie has been outstanding in action films like Salt, but is severely underutilised here, spending most of her time pouting around in fancy gowns and Depp seems to be sleepwalking through the role with no chemistry to speak of between them. On the plus side, Paul Bettany is excellent as the frustrated agent on their tails and the cinematography is quite beautiful. One of the biggest problems with The Tourist is the lack of suspense

and action. If you are going to have a crime caper set in Venice then you really need a high speed boat chase through its narrow and twisting channels, but in The Tourist, they have opted to go for the most boring boat chase in the history of cinema. The Tourist is heavily inspired by the likes of North by Northwest and To Catch a Thief but does not come close to reaching the heights of these classics. Instead it is a rather disappointing movie that promises more than it can deliver.

ago, was considered to be the world’s leading video game developer. When Sam receives a pager message from his father’s old video game arcade he finds himself sucked into a parallel digital world known as The Grid, where Kevin has been since his disappearance and has had no means of returning to the real world. Sam reunites with his father and they battle through a vicious cyber world that is controlled by Clu, a ruthless leader who will stop at

nothing to prevent their escape. There is no need to go on about the acting here, no one is going to win an Oscar and Bridges is just rehashing his The Dude character from The Big Lebowski, albeit a little more high tech. It is really all about the exhilarating action and stunning special effects which Tron Legacy delivers by the bucket load, with a pumping soundtrack from Daft Punk. If your cinema has the 3D option, then you

must spend the extra dollars, as it takes the medium to a whole new level allowing the audience to totally immerse themselves in this digital world. Even though there is some fairly wooden acting and a lack of depth to the storyline, one needs to remember that this is a PG-rated Disney flick and Tron Legacy has enough eye candy and thrilling action sequences for it to rise above its shortcomings.

Return to The Grid r e vi e wed

Tron Legacy r e vi e wed by

Mark Snelson r ated

3.5/5 stars

The original Tron, released in 1982, was a groundbreaking film that pushed the limited technology in digital animation to its absolute limits. It was to be Disney’s answer to Star Wars but unfortunately did not fare too well at the box office. So it is somewhat surprising to see a sequel 28 years later. But it is quite the ride, especially in 3D. Sam is the son of Kevin Flynn who, before mysteriously disappearing 20 years

38 reve rb

magazine issue #054 — January 2011

DVD Reviews

DVD Marathon

great scott

Graphic Action

r e vi e wed

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World r e vi e wed by

Sallie Pritchard

Film and comic books represent a world of possibilities for telling stories visually and it’s little wonder they inspire one another regularly. 2010 was another interesting year for the comic book movie and these are some of the year’s biggest — sorted from most-to-least awesome.

r ated

4/5 stars They say every Hollywood film is a romantic comedy. No matter the genre, at the end of the day it’s about the union of two people. Director Edgar Wright has taken this idea to heart. Shaun of the Dead is a zombie romantic comedy, or zom-rom-com, Hot Fuzz is a buddy cop romantic comedy (bud-co-rom-com) and now he brings us Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, a video game comic book slacker romantic comedy (suggestions welcome on how to shorten that one). Scott Pilgrim’s precious little life is turned upside when he meets the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers. Literally. She rollerskates through people’s minds, or the subspace highway for those in the know. But she also has a rather interesting dating history, and now Scott will have to face it in a series of battles to the death if he wants to win Ramona’s heart forever. From the awesomeness ratings of the main characters, to the video game references, to the fight scenes — it’s obvious that Wright has captured the essence of the graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O’Malley. It’s very much grounded in the slacker genre, perfectly made for a generation who grew up on Super Mario Brothers. It also has the Edgar Wright touches — comic dialogue, visual gags, television references, and the hip-hop montage that has become his stylistic trademark. And the 8-bit version of the Universal logo. That’s not to say there aren’t flaws; is Michael Cera playing Scott Pilgrim or George Michael Bluth again? And why does

Kick-Ass (dir. Matthew Vaughn) A bunch of vigilantes fighting crime may not be an original idea, but Vaughn’s take on this dark anti-Superhero graphic novel is deceptively brilliant. Costumes tailormade for wearing at Halloween parties, references to the comic book world, cardancing to Gnarls Barkley, and a 13 year old girl calling a scary bunch of drug dealers the c-word. This film really does have it all! Red (dir. Robert Schwentke) Warren Ellis’s tale of former black-ops agents targeted by their old organisation for a more permanent retirement is brilliantly brought to the screen by some of the best actors of the last 30 years. And with Dame Mirren shooting the shit out of FBI agents whilst wearing a white gown and combat boots, how can it go wrong?

someone as boring as Ramona have so many ex’s obsessed with her? And it has also become a trademark of Wright’s films that you can see where the finish line should have been, which is usually ten minutes before the actual finish line. But that’s not to say you should let these flaws stop you

from enjoying the film, because it’s a whole lot of fun, and some of the music was written by resident cool guy, Beck. It’s no Hot Fuzz, but it’s one of the best movies of 2010. Extras include out-takes, feature commentary and technical commentary (not previewed).

Exit stage left r e vi e wed

Sunsets Farewell Tour r e vi e wed by

Kevin Bull r ated

2.5/5 stars

Back in November, the sun set on a little Aussie band named Powderfinger, and the video cameras went along on their farewell tour to give you all the perfect Christmas present to give to basically anyone. This double DVD pack contains a 19-song set recorded a numerous cities throughout the tour, plus a pretty special documentary. Taking away the emotion of seeing the band perform their last song, when viewed simply as a live concert DVD, I was left underwhelmed. My biggest complaint goes to the editing which felt frantic, and eventually disconnects the viewer from the performance. Footage taken from the crowd, blurry images and jerky camera movement might add an arty first-person perspective, but it certainly did not make me feel a connection. The large semicircular video backdrop was seen too Find us on Facebook

infrequently, in fact the footage looks quite different to the Newcastle show I saw where the video screen was such a feature. As for positives, the three-song set done on the small ‘secret’ stage was wonderful. Here, the frantic editing worked much better with the band members closer together. ‘Thrilloilogy’ was a highlight, as it was when they performed in Newcastle on Wednesday, September 1, 2010, and the tears that were shed during and following the performance of their last song, ‘These Days’, confirmed that a special moment in Australian music had occurred. The doco though is quite enlightening. When drummer John Coghill remarks that he couldn’t imagine playing in the band for another 20 years, and guitarist Ian Haug says, “I’d like to feel surprised again,” you know this is the right time to say goodbye.

Iron Man 2 (dir. Jon Favreau) Tony Stark has no super powers other than his intellect, resourcefulness and utter disdain for being ordered around. This is his second outing and while it’s not a patch on the first one, it’s a fascinating insight into the high visibility of national security — something the US military deals with daily. It also has Robert Downey, Jr. No further explanation of its awesomeness required. Scott Pilgrim vs The World (dir. Edgar Wright) That a story of a no-hoper obsessed with video games who’s forced to battle his girlfriend’s ex’s appeared unadaptable now seems silly, since Wright made it seem so easy. Get indie royalty to write some music, add video game sound effects and an RPG structure, get Michael Cera to grow his hair and it’s done. Not Edgar Wright’s finest hour, but certainly Scott Pilgrim’s. Jonah Hex (dir. Jimmy Hayward) Exploding steam trains? Check. Prostitute girlfriend with sass aplenty? Check. Grumpy anti-hero who shoots first and asks questions later? Check. Some weapon far advanced for its time? Check. We all know how well the technology thing worked for Wild, Wild West. But maybe the director didn’t. Shame on you, Josh Brolin— you’re better than this. You’re not, Megan Fox. Sallie Pritchard

reverb magazine issue #054 — January 2011 39

live Reviews mullum festival Mullumbimby November 25-28

We are packed in the Mullum Civic Hall to see Gyan. There’s a woman breastfeeding up the front, there’s children playing peeka-boo behind the curtains at the back of the hall and there are serious music lovers in hushed awe. Outside, street performers create a six person pyramid to a chanting crowd, friends gather cross-legged on the lawn eating pizza, and the double decker hippy bus drops off another load of happy festival goers at the RSL to pack the room for Mojo Juju and the Snake Oil Merchants (who turn out to be a writhing hot festival highlight). This is the Mullum Music Festival — a four-day musical explosion that crosses genres and demographics. There’s the children, the teenagers, the twenty somethings, the thirties, the forties… even the baby boomers are there. The big news is that Washington is unwell and can’t make it, but that doesn’t really matter when you’ve Kaki King — the five foot four unassuming rock goddess making ears bleed and Christa Hughes, taking to the stage with her dad. Marvelling at Hughes’s ability to sing like a black woman from the 30s, I close my eyes and get goosebumps. However, it’s not just her voice it’s also seeing Hughes with her father, Dick Hughes — the funny, amazing octogenarian who still knows how to belt out his jazz. There’s trumpets, and saxophones, spontaneous jam sessions late night at the pub, quiet gigs, noisy gigs, dancing gigs, silly gigs and kids gigs. There’s talking in the festival bar and hundreds of bodies walking the streets, throwing change at buskers and catching up with people they either saw last week or haven’t seen in over a decade. This was the third Mullum Music Festival. It is a small grassroots event that presents over 80 performances over four days. Mullum Music Festival has really hit her straps. The festival has a life and a spirit of its own. Sit back and watch her go. ~Mandy nolan

linkin park Newcastle Entertainment Centre Saturday, December 4

gig of the month

let the band know. With straight-forward staging and lighting (no lasers or moving stages here), the band gave as good as they received, and in doing so gave the A Thousand Suns songs a thoroughly good Linkin Park live kicking. ~Kevin Bull

Muse Acer Arena, Sydney Saturday, December 9

u2 ©kevin bull

It’s very close to one of those Spinal Tap moments, “I want three towers, one for each of us to stand on, I want them to go up and down, and spin around, and lights to shoot out of them. And I want them 30-feet high.” Muse have reached a high point in what can be delivered visually in an arena, and yet it has been executed marvellously. Beginning with the opening cut from The Resistance, ‘Uprising’, this 18-song set could have quite easily been all show, no substance, but under all the Christmas wrapping is a tightly sprung three-piece that deliver an enormous sound. While focusing on The Resistance, the setlist did cover the back catalogue evenly, with early cuts such as ‘Sunburn’ and ‘Citizen Erased’ being warmly welcomed, especially with the latter’s dedication to Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange. Visually, it was all about those columns. When the columns rose to leave Matt Bellamy three metres in the air, and about two metres from the lights in the top, he literally glowed. I remember seeing this in the ’80s at a Genesis concert. Their lighting rig lowered to be sitting above the artists — very powerful visually. Muse is the same principle. So, where to now for the band whose lightshow I was telling everyone about, until I went to U2? Muse? U2? ~Kevin Bull

Bon Jovi Sydney Football Stadium Friday, December 17

A relatively small crowd was out tonight to witness Linkin Park’s latest effort, A Thousand Suns, in a live setting. Small in numbers they may have been, but nothing short in voice and support. With the early noughties fan now aged by a decade, the predominately late 20s crowd pushed hard towards the stage as ‘The Requiem’ announced the band’s arrival. We were then straight into the first taste from A Thousand Suns, ‘Wretches and Kings’, whose tribal thump sat at ease with the live Linkin Park. The latest album was featured prominently, with 12 of its 15 cuts being performed, but it was when the band delved back to Hybrid Theory and Meteora that the fist-pumping faithful were 18 again. ‘Papercut’, ‘Numb’ and ‘Breaking the Habit’, these are the reason that most are here tonight, and they

40 reverb

magazine issue #054 — January 2011

As my partner said when asked what she thought of the show, “Well, he’s a very sexy man.” Jon, you’re killing me… and I’m sure you sung a bit tonight as well. Over the past month, Sydney has experienced a clash of the titans. Metallica, Eagles, Muse and U2 have all delivered their version of the arena/stadium production, and now it was Bon Jovi’s turn to convert the Sydney Football Stadium into their playground for the night. In front of a more conventional “big stage, even bigger video screen” stadium setup, Bon Jovi began their 24 song set with a track from 1988’s New

U2 ANZ Stadium, Sydney Monday, December 13

I admit that when I initially walked in to ANZ Stadium and caught sight of ‘the claw’, my mouth dropped. This four-legged alien of a stage is awe inspiring, and provided a light and sound show that blew all the other stadium contenders away. The only thing I can compare it to is the Rolling Stones’ Voodoo Lounge stage in the mid-90s with its fire breathing snake. Entering the arena to the unreleased ‘Return of the Stingray Guitar’, the four band members paraded and jostled with each other under house lights, before the stage lights hit, and we launch into ‘Beautiful Day’. The 24-song set stretched all the way back to the first song off their first album Boy, ‘I Will Follow’, and ‘Scarlet’ from 1981’s October , a song that had not been played live in a concert setting until 18-days prior in New Zealand. All That You Leave Behind was plundered, as was No Line on the Horizon, and with songs like ‘Elevation’, ‘Get on Your Boots’ and ‘In a Little While’, why not. The Pop, Zooropa and Rattle and Hum albums were missed altogether. Bono is a consummate performer and Jersey, ‘Blood on Blood’, causing the feverish faithful to rise to their feet and stay standing for the next two hours. The night covered the band’s whole career, and did not focus on their latest 2009 release, The Circle, something I am sure the thousands in attendance appreciated. The biggest roar came when the classics came out — ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’, ‘It’s My Life’, ‘Lay Your Hands On Me’ and ‘Keep The Faith’ were expected, the fists in the air, the middle aged punter in full voice — this is why they paid the $$$. There were nice touches with ‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead’ merging into the Stones’ ‘Start Me Up’, and ‘Bad Medicine’ closing with Bob Seger’s ‘Old Time Rock and Roll’, and the final, double shot of ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ and ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ was more than the respectable Bon Jovi fan could take. ~Kevin Bull

Matt Corby View Factory, Newcastle Saturday, December 11

Promoting his sophomore EP, Transition to Colour, Matt Corby’s obvious talent is one that transcends far beyond his 19 years or experience. His angelically lingering

showman. Those who were close enough to connect visually with the man were sold by what they saw. Those a little further back already knew it anyway, and were happy with the light and sound. All the band members in fact delivered an uplifting and engaging performance, due in equal part to the quality of the music, and the quality of the staging. It was a show where singling out highlights is hard. Whenever The Joshua Tree was hit, the crowd noticeably lifted, and the encores of ‘One’, ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’, ‘Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me’ and ‘With or Without You’ simply soared. The size and design of the staging had the effect of encompassing a large number of the stadium punters, even if they weren’t under its mighty legs. A little further back, and it took on the persona of a pulsating insect that had transplanted itself within the walls of the stadium — it glowed with radiant colours and produced the most wonderful sound. All that witnessed this were amazed. ~kevin bull falsetto voice proved competent in captivating the full-house audience at the View Factory. Corby’s long, dishevelled hair and baggy indie clothing, together with his poetic and obscure musical explorations, exhibited the appeal of the starving artist that was following a musical path less travelled (and perhaps more enticing than the one he was being lead down by commercial talent scout, Australian Idol). Combined with the dim lighting of the lanterns and the abstract artworks that adorn the venue’s walls, his performance was an intimate one . Strings hummed and acoustic guitars picked their way through the heartfelt song ‘Letters’, while the gentle patter of drums advanced the songs throughout the gig. Obviously influenced by the music of genius Jeff Buckley, both Corby’s music and aesthetic suggested that the deceased artist was his main inspiration, he performed one of Buckley’s most famous songs ‘Lover You Should Have Come Over’. Although Corby pulled it off effortlessly, sometimes the similarities seemed too purposely forced, his silence and minimal conversation between songs seemed slightly too contrived and ostentatious. Regardless of this, his voice is not one that should go unheard. ~emily cones-browne

Festival of the Sun Review

british india

FESTIVAL OF THE SUN Port Macquarie December 10-11

Xavier Rudd

Dallas Frasca

From the moment I walked in to Festival of the Sun and saw Grinspoon’s Phil Jamieson walking through the crowd as a fellow punter, I knew it was going to be a great festival. The atmosphere on Friday, the first night, was awesome — people everywhere were superkeen to get loose, watch some bands and have a good time. Regurgitator owned the night, playing a solid hour-and-half long set with all the favourites. These guys really know how to get the crowd going.

Saturday morning came around, and well, let’s just say everyone was taking it fairly easy. However, a few punters still managed to see the first band of the day, The Foreign Objects, who played a good set. The day passed quickly with lots of good tunes being enjoyed under ideal weather, though as soon as Calling All Cars took the stage things really picked up. British India kept the ball rolling and didn’t let anyone down. Keeping the energy up they played an, as

always, awesome set. The headliner, Xavier Rudd, was, I must say, not in the best line-up spot. Rudd was as good as ever, though the crowd was thirsty for more hard rock, but still polite enough to kick back and enjoy the show. I’d recommend Festival of the Sun to anyone — it’s a great weekend filled with good bands and friendly people in a very relaxed and cool environment. In fact, I think I’ll make it a yearly tradition. ~David Long

GET $8 TickETS* EvERY MONDaY.

ONLY FOR STUDENTS

studentmondays.com.au

Pick up your keyring membership card at the box office.

Buy $8 Monday tickets using a keyring membership card at the box office or online. Only valid for single admission with a student card. Not valid public holidays. Standard online booking fees &

surcharges for Vmax/ 3D apply. Not valid for Gold Class or in conjunction with any other offer. Cinebuzz points can be earned. See studentmondays.com.au for full terms and conditions. Expires 31.03.2011 Find us on Facebook

reverb magazine issue #054 — January 2011 41

44 reverb

magazine issue #054 — January 2011