central coast|hunter|north coast
FREE #056 Mar ’11
music, arts & culture monthly
cut copy Searching for sonic Mecca
Pulled Apart By Horses DIY goes global
Jeff LindsAy In bed with Dexter
Lay i n g n e w fo u n dati o n s Also inside: the herd + Lanie lane + Twilight Singers + Iron and Wine + Sparkadia + illy
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No. 56
Reverb Magazine is locally owned & published by The Lockup Garage. Printed by Spotpress, Marrickville: sales@spotpress.com.au
index
contents
News Sparkadia Cut Copy Iron and Wine The Twilight Singers Stone Temple Pilots Album reviews Gig guide Ed Kuepper Pulled Apart By Horses Uriah Heep Oh Mercy Illy Talking shop The Herd Lanie Lane Fashion RawFM dance news Weird Al Yankovic Cartoon Live reviews Playground Weekender review Motoring Jeff Lindsay Film reviews DVD reviews Socials
8-15 16 17 18 19 20-21 22-23 24-26 27 28 29 30 31 32 32 33 34-35 36 37 37 38-39
Baby Animals
39 40 41 42 42-43 44
editor’s letter
Credits
When you step away from the metro and decide to live in a regional town, as we all have done, the survival of the local music industry and venues usually falls into the hands of a small ground of selfless supporters. Blind Melon, of NewFM, was one such man, and we are sad to report that this tireless supporter of local music has lost his battle with motor neurone disease. For a man who was already dealing with his own personal battles, to put them all aside and trumpet the local Newcastle musical talent, it gives you an idea of the strength of the man’s character. It is a great loss to the community, and I encourage everyone to place some local music on the player, raise your schooner, and salute Blind Melon. Much love guys, Kevin
Editor
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Kevin Bull
Peter Douglas
Matt Petherbridge
Tony Jenkins
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Nick Milligan
Sasha Petrova
Mark Snelson
Sallie Maree Pritchard
Sales, Newcastle & Central Coast
Stephanie McDonald
kevin@reverbstreetpress.com or 0410 295 360
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magazine issue #056 — March 2011
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CALVIN HARRIS DJ SET AT NEWCASTLE PANTHERS
Giveaways just email editorial@reverbstreetpress.com.au First come, first served
2 double passes
Win one of 2 double passes to see Stone Temple Pilots at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre on Thursday March 24 hugh cornwell
5 double passes
Win one of 5 double passes to see Hugh Cornwell at your choice of venue: Coolangatta Hotel, Sunday May 1; Sawtell RSL, Tuesday May 3; Cambridge Hotel, Wednesday May 4.
4 copies Four copies of Rage In Love on CD.
6 double passes
Win one of 6 double passes to see British India (that’s 1 x double pass per gig): Coolangatta Hotel, Friday April 15; Entrance Leagues, Thursday April 21; Port Macquarie Panthers, Friday April 22; Plantation Hotel, Coffs Harbour, Saturday April 23; Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay, Sunday April 24; Cambridge Hotel, Friday May 13.
STRANGLERS FRONT MAN hugh cornwell TOURS
One of the UK’s finest songwriting talents and accomplished live performers, former Stranglers front man Hugh Cornwell will be touring Australia in May this year. The show will feature two sets — the first will feature a collection of Stranglers hits and classic solo material, with the second featuring The Stranglers’ seminal debut album Rattus Norvegicus IV being performed in its entirety for the first time in Australia. Hugh enjoyed massive UK and European success with ten hit albums and 32 top 40 singles, etching himself into the UK’s musical psyche with songs such as ‘Peaches’, ‘No More Heroes’, ‘Golden Brown’, ‘Always the Sun’, ‘Grip’, ‘Nice N Sleazy’, ‘Duchess’ and ‘No Mercy’, all of which will be performed on this tour. Hugh Cornwell will be performing at the Coolangatta Hotel on Sunday May 1, and the Cambridge Hotel on Wednesday May 5.
Here’s some good news for Calvin Harris fans who might have been worried that they’d need to brave hordes of pimply Rhianna acolytes to catch the UK producerturned-DJ when he arrives in Australia as the pop starlet’s support DJ! Calvin’s doing his own show. Harris will take in a whole bunch of club gigs around the country, away from the Rhianna tour, giving fans plenty of chances to watch him do his thing behind the decks and promote the new Onelove Sonic Boombox compilation. Calvin Harris will be performing at Newcastle Panthers on Wednesday March 2.
ADALITA TOURS DEBUT SOLO ALBUM
With the release of her highly anticipated debut solo album just around the corner, Adalita announces a massive national tour. Adalita is a collection of ten songs that captures her at her most raw and unaffected. The music isn’t so much a radical departure from Magic Dirt as it is a distillation of everything that the band represents, with the layers of instrumentation stripped away, leaving only the bare bones of the songs themselves. Adalita will be performing at the Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay on Thursday March 24; Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle on Friday April 15; Lizotte’s, Lambton on Thursday June 2; Lizotte’s, Kincumber on Sunday June 5.
MARCH
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LIVE MUSIC L I V E S P O R T, G R E AT F O O D MAR 2
WED
Matt Graham
JESS L AMBIE
MAR 3
THU Bits & Pieces darwin deez
GROOVIN THE MOO 2011
The much-loved GTM recipe of bring together a tasty selection of the most memorable, talented and exciting national and international artists returns in May 2011. With a ticket price at just under $100, GTM is one of the most accessible and best value days on the calendar. This year’s lineup includes AC Slater, Architecture in Helsinki, Art vs. Science, The Aston Shuffle, Birds of Tokyo, Bliss n Eso, Cut Copy, Darwin Deez (USA), Datarock (NOR), Drapht, The Drums (USA), The Go! Team (UK), Gotye, Gyroscope, The Holidays, Horrorshow, House Of Pain (USA), The Jezabels, Nina Las Vegas (triple j), Sampology (AV/DJ Set), UNKLE live (UK), Washington, The Wombats (UK). Groovin The Moo 2011 will take over Maitland Showgrounds on Saturday May 7.
ozi bAtla
spend AN EVENING WITH OZI BATLA
Ozi Batla, the hip-hop troubadour, farewells his latest project with four intimate shows in March. A prolific recording and touring artist, his 2010 LP Wild Colonial landed nominations for an AIR Award and a SMAC (FBI Radio) Award; while the Sydney Morning Herald listed him as Best Hip-hop of 2010. On stage is where everything makes sense for Ozi Batla — years of prowling the groggy carpet between the turntables and the foldback have left him unshakably solid on the mic. This is the final chance to see him in solo mode in 2011. Ozi Batla will be performing at the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on Friday March 4.
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IT’S LOCAL M.A.D.E.NESS 2011
muscles
DISC-O BALL 2011 The Herd
A DECADE OF THE HERD
Celebrating 10 years since their debut, The Herd return to perform their first live shows in two years, as well as the first single from their fifth album, ‘Sum of it All’. The Herd are a culturally diverse expression of modern Australia, but they bring with them that grand Aussie tradition of storytellers ready and willing to question authority. If you’ve seen them live, you’ll also be familiar with their ability to laugh at themselves and bring the whole crowd together. Witness the heart of Elefant Traks live on the stage at the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on Thursday March 31.
LEARN GUITAR FROM DANIEL MARCH
Daniel March has made quite a name for himself around the traps of Newcastle, sharing stages with Aussie icons such as Ian Moss, Jon Stevens, James Morrison and Mal Eastick. March is now making himself available for guitar lessons and can be contacted at daniel_nicolas_march@hotmail. com and 0432 614 066.
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mag azine issue #056 — March 2011
This year the organisers of the Newcastle University O-Ball are keeping a few things under their hat. In fact, we are a couple of weeks out, and the full lineup is yet to be dropped. The students know, but they are sworn to secrecy. What we do know is that it is being held on Friday March 11 at the Newcastle Uni Bar on the Hill, and the artists announced so far are Bag Raiders, Evil Eddie, Muscles, Stonefield, Blades and 1929 Indian. The word is that there is a connection between the headliner and Good Vibes. Now that would be mad.
JASON WEBLEY PLAYS NEWCASTLE AND LISMORE
Described by the Seattle Times as ‘one of Seattle’s most talented musicians,’ Jason Webley is known for his huge gravelly voice and a battered porkpie hat that dances around his head as he stomps out the beat. His relentless touring schedule and legendary live performances have built him a loyal cult of followers across North America, Europe and beyond (he is especially loved in Siberia.) Jason Webley performs at the Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle on Sunday March 20, and the Gollan Hotel, Lismore on Thursday March 24.
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Bringing together all that is positive about being young, the Local MADEness festival has grown organically since last year’s event. Support from Nambucca and Bellingen councils through their ‘Drink? Don’t Sink’ programme, a grant from the NSW Better Futures programme through Bowraville’s Miimi Aboriginal Corporation, plus in-kind support from LB Rigging, Nambucca Temporary Fence Hire, Any Entertainment and Mid-Coast Printing has enabled the youth event to become bigger and better. Headlining will be King Tide, The Nomads and Morganics, with the full lineup being rounded out by A Little Province, Gusto, Bats vs Snakes, Shanteya, Five Dollar Billy, Never One Day, Jumbaal Dreamin’ Dancers, Jazz and Yogi. The Local MADEness festival will be held at the Bellingen Showgrounds on Saturday April 9.
TOTALLY AUTUMN FESTIVAL
After the amazing success of Summer Vibes Festival in January, the Totally Autumn Festival has been announced. The first lineup announcement features some of Australia’s greatest underground bands (and a few internationals too) including Eat Skull, My Disco, Slug Guts, Secrets, Holy Balm, Electric Jellyfish, TV Colours, Dead Farmers, The Holy Soul, Crab Smasher, Woollen Kits, Rites Wild, Bare Grillz, Rat King, Sleepwalks, Cock Safari and The Fighting League. The Totally Autumn Festival will be held at the Croatian Club, Islington on Saturday April 9.
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Duke Wilde
DUKE WILDE AT TATTS
It was an exciting 2010 for the Duke Wilde Band. Starting off with winning the CocaCola Battle of the Bands at Tamworth in January, they entered their song ‘Country Town’ in the Q Song Awards and were delighted to win Best Country Song. They were then signed to new label, Australian Institute of Country Music Records, in August and began recording their debut album with Nashville Musician Hall of Fame legend, Louie Shelton, on the Gold Coast. This album was completed and mastered in Nashville by Hank Williams. They then had the honour of playing on the main stage at the Gympie Muster in front of thousands, wowing them with their energy, musicianship and harmonies. The Duke Wilde Band will be performing at the Tattersalls Hotel, Lismore on Thursday March 3.
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CENTRAL COAST ROLLER GIRLS BAND NIGHT
NOTHING BEATS WORKING
2011 brings forth Beats Working’s second offering, the diverse and original Found The Sound, a release that strives to go beyond the boundaries of hip-hop, dabbling in everything from punk to soul, rock, electro and latin, with the operative word being: Eclectic. Representing the Mid North Coast of NSW (members from Coffs Harbour and Newcastle), the band have spent the better part of a year arguing, writing, travelling and creating the album they hope will be recognised as a true original. Beat’s Working takes Found The Sound on the road, performing Mary Gilhoolies, Lismore on Friday, March 25; the Brewery, Byron Bay on Friday April 8; the Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour on Saturday April 9; the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on Friday April 29.
Roller derby is taking over the world. Teams have sprouted up all over the globe and now there is a league on the central coast. Derby is a hardcore sport for chicks, complete with amazing costumes and ‘out there’ personalities (on wheels!). Derby is for any woman who wants to get in touch with her hard side, get out of her everyday routine, dress up and kick arse. The Central Coast Roller Girls are holding a band night to raise funds for the league, with the price of admission including bands, beer, wine and food. There will also be an auction where you bid for your very own roller girl drink bitch, for those who get a kick out of women in short skirts serving them beer. The Central Coast Roller Girls Band Night will be at the Ettalong Bowling Club on Friday March 4.
ROAR FESTIVAL 2011
frank zappa
IN A PETULANT FRENZY
The music of Frank Zappa can be humorous, challenging and genre-crossing, but it is never boring. The 10-piece Petulant Frenzy play an amazing tribute to the great man with many terrifying notes, extreme amusement, some booty shakin’ funk for the ladies, and maybe a poodle or two being thrown in for good measure. Lock up your vegetables cause the Frenzy will be performing at Lizotte’s Newcastle on Friday March 4.
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After a two year hiatus, ROAR is back in support of a young family preparing to head to Africa for missionary work. The family is committed to a period of seven to 10 years of service, and ROAR is the rallying cry to raise much needed funds to support them with their work. The bands who have donated their time are Revival Ashore, The City He Loved, When The World, Northie, Inflight Conversation, Chasing Ghosts, 3 Stripe Avenue, Taylor and the Makers, Adam Gilmour, Anabelle Kay and Seeing Verity. Roar 2011 will be held at the Kariong Community Baptist Grounds on Saturday March 5 between 1pm and 8pm. Entry is $15.
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coby grant
COBY GRANT BIDS FAREWELL
Pinned as Australia’s ‘Queen of Hearts’, acoustic/pop artist Coby Grant gears up for her last acoustic tour before jetting off to Europe and North America to record a new album. Grant recently returned from a world tour where she booked the entire seven country, 50 date tour herself on the back of one of her original songs being placed in a Coca Cola Scandinavian TV commercial, making her one of the hardest working folk singer-songwriters out there. Coby Grant performs at the Lennox Point Hotel on Sunday March 20, and the Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle on Thursday March 24.
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ROYAL CHANT TAKE OVER THE MACCA
The Royal Chat have just released ‘Ghosts’, the first single from their debut album, Raise Your Glass and Collapse, and are out to celebrate. To do this in style, they have decided to take over the Port Macquarie Hotel with a five week, Thursday night residency, and bring a bunch of friends along. Here’s the rundown on the Port Macquarie Hotel gigs: Thursday March 3, Royal Chant, Renny Field, Angie Swannell; Thursday March 10, Royal Chant, The Hard Ons, Tanned Donny; Thursday March 17, Royal Chant, Karen Anne, Ben Martin; Thursday Mach 24, Royal Chant, Grayson, Cutwing; Thursday March 31, Royal Chant, Morgan Evans, Dogga Can’t Fish. Royal Chant, with Lacey in support are also playing the CBD Hotel, Newcastle on Saturday March 19.
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FOUR ON THE FLOOR WITH BDYB AND DELTA RIGGS
What happens when you get two of the hottest up and coming blues/rock bands and put them together on a tour? It’s four on the floor, mind blowing grooves, sweat-filled dance floors and insane musicianship which leaves you waking up the next day wanting to drive to the next town to see the show again. Black Devil Yard Boss (BDYB) and The Delta Riggs are joining forces to make this a reality. Yes it will be edgy, yes it will be hairy and yes it will be rocking. The ‘Four On The Floor’ tour is going to be a soul-cleansing, arse-shaking, smile-making, audio love fest. Black Devil Yard Boss and The Delta Riggs will be performing at the Brewery, Byron Bay on Thursday March 31. king tide
KING TIDE to PLAY ETTALONG BEACH FESTIVAL
The Ettalong Beach Festival moves into year number two, and with over 4,000 people expected, Ettalong is in for something really special. The main street, Ocean Beach Road will be closed, filled with market stalls, and officially kicked off with a traditional Aboriginal welcome to country ceremony at 10am. This will be followed by an array of multicultural performers: Ganang Spirit Dancers, Indian and belly dancers, the central coast’s own bush tucker man — Jake Cassar, Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park, local singer/songwriters Sarah Humphreys, Charlie Crook and Little Adams. Headlining the event will be the Rock Steady and the reggae sounds of King Tide. Remember, this is a free event, and will be held on Sunday March 20 between 10am and 4pm.
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ROUND MOUNTAIN GIRLS ARE GUYS
The Round Mountain Girls are enigmatic. For a start, they are six blokes. If you ask each of them about the name you’ll get six very different answers. They look like a bluegrass band — there is a banjo, mandolin and fiddle — and some of their repertoire is definitely out of that bag. But there is also a drummer, and a pretty funky one at that. No self respecting bluegrass band has a drummer. You could call them a country band and they’re certainly loved at Tamworth but they don’t fit easily into any of the established moulds of that genre. However, they must be doing something right. Last year they played Bluesfest, Woodford, Tamworth and Caloundra festivals. Round Mountain Girls perform at the Tattersalls Hotel, Lismore on Thursday March 10; Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour on Friday March 11; Flame Tree Festival, Grafton Racecourse on Saturday March 26.
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LAMBTON PARK WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL 2011
LISMORE LIVES
the john steel singers
HERE’S JOHNNY
Two of Australia’s most promising acts, The John Steel Singers and Jonathan Boulet, have teamed up for the ‘Here’s Johnny’ tour, bringing along with them a few surprises. If you partake in the tour you will receive two free exclusive tracks from the acts. They will be doing a spin-off of each others’ songs, with Jonathan Boulet remixing the JSS forthcoming single ‘You’ve Got Nothing to be Proud of’ and the JSS recording a cover of ‘You’re an Animal’ by Boulet. John Steel Singers plus Jonathan Boulet plus 2 free exclusive songs equals awesome. John Steel Singers and Jonathan Boulet will be performing at the Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay on Wednesday March 8, and Newcastle University, Bar On The Hill on Thursday March 17.
Lismore rocks again. Yes, you heard right. The fertile heart of the northern rivers once again beats to the exciting sounds of emerging, young, touring and local, original music. Thanks to fantastic new management, and a very sexy refurbishment, the Tatts Hotel in Keen Street, Lismore, has stepped up to the plate as the latest venue to join the renaissance of live music in the northern rivers. “We are very excited about the new direction the Tatts has taken,” says manager Tara Luca. “The North Coast has so much talent but very few venues promoting original music, so it’s great that Lismore will now be back on the map as a place to play for touring artists as well as locals”. “We have all the ingredients for a great venue - a funky room with a decent stage, good sound and lighting and a vibe that suits the most intimate singer/songwriter as well as pumping hard rock acts.” So despair no longer Lismore, salvation is at hand. No more do you have to suffer second rate DJs and tired old cover bands. Thanks to the Tatts Hotel, you now have access to some of the hottest emerging artists both touring and local. Come be a part of the new wave of original live music that’s sweeping the north, and don’t miss the chance to see your next favourite band when they are rocking out in a full-on venue.
gypsy.cz
A GYPSY EXTRAVAGANZA
A cheeky combination of hip-hop, gypsy music, R&B, pop & many other influences, Gipsy.cz has been astounding people from Glastonbury to countries all over the world. Effervescent singer, rapper, composer and all-round entertainer Radoslav ‘Gipsy’ Banga, along with the experienced and famous Czech gypsy violinist and singer Vojta Lavicka, serve up this unique energy cocktail for your joy and pleasure… with more than just a little help from the young, traditionally schooled gypsy musicians, the Surmaj brothers. Gipsy.cz will be performing at the Byron Bay Community Centre on Thursday March 3, and Diggers Tavern, Bellingen on Saturday March 5.
KIDS AND CLUBS TOUR
Coming off the back of yet another successful headline tour of Europe/UK, everyone’s favourite hardcore/rap/party dudes Deez Nuts are heading out around Australia for the first time in 2011. Dubbed the ‘Kids and Clubs’ tour, it is modelled off the first ever headline tour the now infamous group embarked upon some three years ago off the back of their first EP. Deez Nuts, with Shinto Katana and Dream On, Dreamer perform at the Oasis Youth Centre, Wyong, on Sunday March 6.
2010 saw the inaugural Lambton Park Wine and Food Festival make its way to Newcastle, attracting dozens of quality stall holder and 6,000 visitors. This year, the two-day event will be your one-stop shop with over 50 exhibitors including a diverse group of gourmet food producers, boutique wineries, and superb local restaurants from Newcastle and the Hunter Valley. Artists performing will be Cafe To The Gate Of Salvation, Renny Field, Dan March, Ron E, Amy Vee, Leah, Jacob Pearson, Sarah McLennan, Zoe K and James Chatburn. The festival runs March 5-6 at Lambton Park, Newcastle. Entry is only $15 and includes a wine glass, a wine tasting, cooking demonstrations and entertainment. Tickets can be pre-purchased from www.wineandfoodfestival.com.au or at the gate on the day.
STORER SIBLINGS TOURING TOGETHER
From the Carters to the Cashes and the Chambers — and many others whose surname doesn’t begin with ‘C’ — it’s a roots music tradition to keep things in the family. While it’s been a long time coming, Greg Storer has finally, quietly joined his award-winning sister Sara in the singer/songwriter spotlight. Two of our finest musical storytellers just happen to be siblings, and on tour together coinciding with the release of their respective albums — Calling Me Home: The Best Of Sara Storer and Backwater, Greg’s debut. You can catch them live at the Bellingen Memorial Hall on Thursday March 3; Mullumbimby Civic Hall on Friday March 4; Lismore Workers Club on Saturday March 5; Yamba Bowling Club on Sunday March 6.
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TEAM HOLLY THROSBY
SEABELLIES: NEW SINGLE AND TOUR
house vs hurricane
HOUSE VS HURRICANE TO TOUR
This March will see Melbourne quintet House Vs Hurricane head out for their most ambitious headline trek yet, with support to come from hotly-tipped UK outfit Your Demise and Adelaide troupe Nazarite Vow. It’s been a hell of a ride since House Vs Hurricane unleashed their full-length debut, Perspectives, in March 2010. Successful headline tours, an appearance on the Come Together Festival and national stints with Enter Shikari, and as a part of the inaugural No Sleep Til Festival — as well as venturing to the UK and Europe for the first time — has seen House Vs Hurricane’s already prominent place in the Australian music scene grow from a healthy buzz into a deafening roar. This tour will be the band’s last before locking themselves away in the studio to work on Perspectives’ highly-anticipated follow up, so keep an eye out for studio updates in the coming months. House Vs Hurricane, with Your Demise and Nazarite Vow in support will be playing the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on Saturday March 26; the Oasis Youth Centre, Wyong on Sunday March 27; the YAC, Byron Bay on Thursday March 31.
With their sparkling pop single ‘Board the Apartment Up’ now on radio, Seabellies have decided to take their summer sound out on the road. ‘Board the Apartment Up’ is the final single to be taken from their debut album By Limbo Lake, and perfectly captures the spirit of the band’s much talked about live show: shiny brass, interloping guitar melodies and atmospheric vocals, all underpinned by a real groove. Seabellies will be showcasing brand new material, written at Bakery Studios during their recent monthlong Melbourne residency, before returning to the studio to commence work on their sophomore album. Seabellies will be performing at the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on Friday March 11; Beachcomber Hotel, Toukley on Saturday March 12; Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay on Saturday March 26.
FOR TODAY FOR GREAT NORTHERN hotel, NEWCASTLE
Since 2005, For Today have clawed and scraped their way into the spotlight, paying their dues on the US live circuit, and becoming widely known as one of modern metal’s most technically proficient bands. Fusing extensive and prestigious backgrounds in both hardcore and metal, they have stamped their name onto the hearts of fans from all across the globe, including Australia, after a tour in 2009. For Today, with For All Eternity in support, will perform at the Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle on Wednesday March 30.
the wildes
UNFORTUNATE WILDE ROSE
Following on from their stand-out performances at this year’s Tamworth Country Music Festival, The Wildes are hitting the road again, this time supporting their new Unfortunate Rose EP (produced by the band and Nashville’s Rob Feaster). Intelligent lyrics, extraordinary vocal croon and sharp wit have quickly established The Wildes as the must-see new country act, defying all expectations of the genre. From the murder ballad ‘Lily of the Fields’ to the deceptively uplifting title track, this new EP is the work of a truly unique Australian band — one that favours songs of life and death over dogs and utes. The Wildes will perform at the Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland on Sunday March 27; Brewery, Byron Bay on Thursday April 28; Gum Ball Festival, Belford, Hunter Valley on Saturday April 30.
In celebration of her fourth long-player, Holly Throsby heads out on her Team tour, the biggest tour that she and her band, The Hello Tigers, have embarked on since 2008. It takes them to all corners of Australia, with 21 shows throughout March, April and May. Following 2008’s internationally acclaimed A Loud Call, Team was recorded in a nineteenth century church in the NSW Southern Highlands with long-time collaborator, Tony Dupe. Set amidst teams of wooden instruments — cello, violin, upright bass, piano, pump organ and nylon string guitar - the album presents its own little universe of cascading songs: explorations of companionship, separation, and the natural world. In a live setting, Throsby and her band render these new songs beautifully and inventively, with Bree van Reyk on drums, accordion and broken tool kit percussion and Jens Birchall on cello, bass and mandolin. Holly Throsby will be performing at Lizotte’s, Lambton on Thursday Mach 3; Lizotte’s, Kincumber on Saturday March 5; Memorial Hall, Bellingen on Sunday May 1.
LIVE AND LOCAL AT LIZOTTE’S
There’s plenty of local music to be had at Lizotte’s this month. Lambton Lizotte’s: Wednesday March 9, Gilbert Whyte, DecembeR, The Firetree, Birdwire; Wednesday March 16, Claire Sheather, Marissa Saroca, Adam Honess Trio, Skyepoint; Wednesday March 30, Ashleigh Grace, Deni Hourihan, The Chestnuts, Mark Cashin & The Lil Hussys. Kincumber Lizotte’s: Wednesday March 9, Anabelle Kay; Wednesday March 16, Kelly Griffith, Hey Mia, Make-Shift, The My Tys.
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northcoast.tafensw.edu.au reverb magazine issue #056 — March 2011 15
spark adia
Leaving an Impression After experiencing great success with their debut album both here and overseas, Sparkadia almost folded when its members left to pursue other commitments. Front man (and now sole member), Alex Burnett, spoke to Matt Glen while on tour in the UK, about bringing the band back from the ashes, the new album The Great Impression, and what fans can expect from Sparkadia’s upcoming headline tour in Australia.
The Great Impression was almost called “The Great Depression”. What contributed to changing the album from perhaps having a darker feel? “The Great Depression” sounded pretty grim; after losing the guys in the band and going through a dark period it definitely could’ve gone that way. But I felt this record had a great sense of positivity and I wanted to make it more romantic or passionate, or dedicate it to a new era of being. Do you find it more liberating now that Sparkadia has become a one-man project? I really miss the other guys and playing music with them, but it felt good not to have the
extra pressure. I suppose with this record, these songs happened because I was on my own and I didn’t have a safety net to fall back on. It kind of evolved that way. And I think history has shown the same sort of pattern with bands like Nine Inch Nails (also a band with a sole songwriter). If the band did stick around, I think the record would have been great but in a very different way.
Your first album Postcards was more of a traditional ‘band’ album with your guitar/ bass/drums combination. Was it a conscious choice to move away from that for The Great Impression? Yeah. For Postcards we deliberately made it a live-sounding album and it was fantastic because of that. For this one I wanted to make more of a soundscape, and make each song like a movie in four minutes.
How are audiences in the UK receiving the new songs? Do you expect a similar reaction in Australia? I tend not to expect anything. I didn’t expect people to like ‘Talking like I’m Falling Down Stairs’ and that did really well. I’ve always loved ‘China’ but I didn’t think people would get that either. I’ve always wanted to write a pop record that was very unique and interesting as well. It’s a thrill for people to love it, because one of my aims was just to create an album that I loved. For people to be telling me on Facebook how much they love the album is great. I feel very lucky and privileged.
What can we expect from your headline show as opposed to when you supported Little Red here on your previous tour? That tour was great because we hadn’t played in so long, and our new songs were starting to take off over there. I’m looking forward to playing some different songs, a cover or two and something off our EP, as opposed to having a half hour to play. It’s really cold over here and my heater doesn’t work so I can’t wait to get back to a warmer climate. photo © Daniel Boud
You produced this album with help from Mark Tieku (Florence and the Machine). How did this collaboration come about and what did Mark bring to the album? I’d heard some of the songs Mark had done, so when I got to London I dropped him a message and asked him what he thought of my songs. He said he loved them, and that he wanted to make the record. I thought, ‘I’m doing something right’ (laughs). So we started recording ‘China’ (current single off the album) and it was a disaster. I guess because it was so bad, we knew whatever we recorded next would sound great (laughs).
you have avoided for a while, and who is always saying ‘let’s catch up’. When you actually do catch up you wonder why you didn’t see them earlier (laughs). There wasn’t much interest except from a guy at a record label in Australia, who thought it would be a great single, and he turned out to be right. That’s rock and roll for you.
‘Talking Like I’m Falling Down Stairs’ was #24 in the Triple J Hottest 100, so it’s obviously made an impact. But it nearly didn’t make the album, did it? That song for me was kind of like the friend
Sparkadia, with Operator Please and Alpine, will be performing at the Newcastle Uni, Bar on the Hill on Thursday, March 31, and the Coolangatta Hotel on Thursday, April 7. The Great Impression will be released March 18 through Ivy League Records.
ENROL TO VOTE. BE HEARD ON 26 MARCH. The State Election is on Saturday, 26 March 2011. To be heard, you must be correctly enrolled. If you’ve changed address, you will need to update your enrolment. Or if you’ve turned 18 or become an Australian citizen, you’ll need to enrol to vote for the first time. REmEmBER VOTIng IS COmpUlSORY.
To check your enrolment, update your address details or enrol, visit www.votensw.info or call 1300 135 736. For enquiries in languages other than English, call our interpreting service on 13 14 50. Hearing or speech impaired? Call us via the National Relay Service on 13 36 77.
YOUR VOTE IS YOUR VOICE. BE HEARD. Authorised by Colin Barry, Electoral Commissioner, Level 25, 201 Kent Street Sydney, NSW, 2000. 16 reverb
mag azine issue #056 — March 2011
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cut copy
In a small warehouse outside Melbourne, Australian quirk-pop band Cut Copy found themselves jamming and experimenting their way to sonic Mecca with new album Zonoscope. Matt Petherbridge spoke with drummer Mitchell Scott about all things Zonoscope and the moral dilemma of getting propositioned by Lady Gaga.
Project Zonoscope I’ve been watching the making of Zonoscope album documentaries on YouTube. The studio space where you recorded the album looks like a musician’s dream! We were so lucky to find that space. We were just looking for somewhere, a space, a warehouse, anywhere to make this record in our own environment. A dude that runs a recording studio in the country had taken over the lease of this enormous warehouse and just moved all his stuff in, but had huge extra rooms to rent out to people on a longterm basis — we were so lucky to find that space. For the first time in the band’s history, songs were constructed from jamming. What was that like? That was a conscious thing for us, to experiment and approach things as differently as possible to see what the results were. If you take yourself out of your standard way of working, interesting results can happen. The closing track ‘Sun God’, there’s almost
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three parts to it – that last epic part, that’s mainly Dan (Whitford, vocals/keyboards) — he did some crazy programming, which sounds like it was over a couple of late nights and came back with quite an epic edition. Current single ‘Take Me Over’ puts a different spin on that Tango-in-the-Nightera Fleetwood Mac feel. How did the song come about? Dan (Whitford, vocals/keyboards) started it off with an initial demo, that reference you mentioned is spot on, that’s the vibe we were going for. We wanted to add a bunch of things to that track, a heavy emphasis on percussion, that jungle fever sound. Ben H Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective) has worked with some amazing artists. Why did you choose him to mix the record? He’s got a crazy, creative background, mostly in hip-hop. He did a lot of stuff for P Diddy and for Bad Boy Records. He’s also worked
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with Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective and did the latest Deerhunter record, Halcyon Digest, which is fantastic; I can’t stop listening to that. We mixed it in his home studio in Atlanta; where a lot of nu-metal was recorded in the 90s, there were records on the walls from Korn and Limp Bizkit. It was pretty wild, but it was great for us. The album art for Zonoscope is very striking. How did you come across the image? Dan (Whitford, vocals/keyboards) used to be a graphic designer; the image was something he brought forward. It was really arresting, this weird coexistence of a natural and man-made world in some strange way that shouldn’t really exist together. It was very fortunate that we were able to get in touch with the wife of the artist (late Japanese photomontage artist Tsunehisa Kimura) to use it. He did the artwork for Midnight Oil’s Red Sails in the Sunset, which is an amazing thing. It’s nice to continue in the tradition of Australian bands using his work!
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Australians were gobsmacked when they heard you turned down an offer to support Lady Gaga on her world-conquering Monster Ball Tour. What happened exactly? That was a bit strange. We weren’t trying to be big noting ourselves, talking about who we’ve turned down. For us, the offer was something we felt we couldn’t commit to at all. It would have taken us longer to tour with her and do our new record, than we would ideally like anyway. While I’m sure it would have been good in a career sense, that’s not how we approach our music. Honestly, any whole year that you spend on tour, it might make your band a million more fans, but I think it would have really shortened the lifespan of Cut Copy. This is something we do because we want to do it, for fun. Taking it into a realm like that wouldn’t have boded well for us. Cut Copy will be performing at Groovin The Moo, Maitland on Saturday May 7. Zonoscope is out now through Modular.
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Iron & Wine
Wine & Women
photo by piper ferguson
Despite a hectic domestic life as a husband and father of five daughters, American songwriter-poet Sam Beam still finds the time and energy to sustain a successful music career under his nom de plume Iron & Wine. While some may have wilted under the pressing weight of family commitments, the bushy-bearded 36-year-old has thrived. Sam Beam spoke to Steve Tauschke about the release, this month, of his fourth indie-folk album Kiss Each Other Clean.
WITH SPECIAL GUEST JOELISTICS THE HERD RETURN FROM AN EXTENDED HIATUS FOR THEIR FIRST NEWCASTLE SHOW IN ALMOST TWO YEARS TO LAUNCH THEIR NEW SINGLE “THE SUM OF IT ALL” AS WELL AS MARKING THEIR 10TH YEAR OF EXISTENCE IN STYLE
THURSDAY 31 MARCH CAMBRIDGE HOTEL
“It’s definitely more of an effort to scrape out your time,” Beam says of his work-family balance. “You have to put the wall around that few hours of the day and say ‘I have to work here’, because there’s always something going on at home. But I treat it like a job and apply a certain amount of discipline to it.” Beam says Iron & Wine’s leap last year from underground darling at Sub Pop to Warner Bros signee has done little to alter his approach to songwriting. Right now he’s just elated to have his tunes circulating out there in the musical ether. “It means you can move on and not dwell on those (older) songs anymore.” “The next song is always the best song — the one you haven’t written is the one you’re most excited about.” Although Kiss Each Other Clean was recorded in Chicago w¡ith trusted producer Brian Deck (Gomez), much of the album was penned on the porch of the isolated homestead on the outskirts of Austin, Texas, where Beam and his wife are raising their brood. After much “fooling around with guitars and pianos and whatever”, Beam conjures melodies before wrapping lyrics around them. “I have trouble going the opposite way, starting with lyrics, because I figure if you’re just going to write words then you should write a poem,” he explains. “Songwriting is hard work but I enjoy it. You put as much work into it as you’re willing to and I’m willing to do a lot because I enjoy it. It’s like exercise, the harder you work the more rewarding it is.” Slow-burning opening track ‘Walking Far From Home’ was written on Iron & Wine’s previous Australian tour. “Lyrically it’s easy to start something when you’re so far from home,” says Beam. “But I would say most of the lyrics, by the time I was finished with them, were far removed from my personal experience.” “That’s how it works, it’s more about realising and shaping and editing than it is about your base inspiration.” With 2007’s The Shepherd’s Dog swayed by the stylistic melting pot of Tom Waits’ classic 1983 album Swordfishtrombones, described by Beam as a “fearless record”, the new album’s full band sound follows the lead of what he describes as 1960s and 70s “R&B signifiers”. “The R&B element gave it a focused pop feel. It’s more of an upbeat danceable thing with vocal arrangements rather than straight vocal harmonies.” “There are more horn sections in there and it’s slightly slicker and that structure includes a lot of economy. It has a lot of weird things going on like the last record but it’s definitely hemmed in a bit more.” Kiss Each Other Clean is out now on 4AD/ Remote Control.
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mag azine issue #056 — March 2011
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ph oto by sam ho ld en
twilight singers
Twilight Zone Five years since their last album, Powder Burns, the Twilight Singers return with another gem, Dynamite Steps. Sasha Petrova has a chat with frontman Greg Dulli about life, music and monkeys If you want some insight into the psyche of the Twilight Singers’ Greg Dulli, read Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. This revelation came about from a question about Dulli’s diverse career which has seen him delving into musical production, acting, singing for four bands (including the influential Afghan Whigs), and appearing in albums such as the Foo Fighters’ self-titled debut album and various tribute compilations. “I’m polygamous,” Dulli laughs. “Humans are like monkeys, you know? You’re swinging on one tree one day and another tree the other day.” During his musical career spanning 20 years, Dulli has shared his creative juice with many revered musicians, more notably Mark Lanegan (former member of Queens of the Stone Age) with whom he founded the Gutter Twins. Lanegan also contributes to the latest Twilight Singers album Dynamite Steps, along with Ani DiFranco, Joseph Arthur, Petra Haden and Nick McCabe. “I like different people’s points of view,” says Dulli. “One person’s life is not so interesting that they can’t learn tricks from others. A healthy exchange of ideas will put both people in a direction that neither would go alone.” It is perhaps this desire to draw inspiration from others which makes Dynamite Steps such a rich brew of colourful, melodic variations: dramatic, sorrowful and incredibly intelligent, but never static. As I listened, I imagined myself sitting in a dark, echoing theatre, watching an eerily beautiful musical, an image not lost on Dulli. “I have always been drawn to visual music; cinematic music; music that you can see and feel as well as hear.” “I think there’s a lot of ambience and a lot of different moods and movements happening throughout (Dynamite Steps). When I took it out for its first drive, I drove Find us on Facebook
through Laurel Canyon and up Mulholland Drive (in LA). It was the perfect complement.” But beyond the album’s visual quality, what is it actually about? The Twilight Singers’ last album Powder Burns had the word “confessional” thrown at it by various critics. Does Dynamite Steps hold any clues as to what was going on during Dulli’s long break between albums? “I think this album is more abstract. I’ve been asked if there’s an overarching theme. Perhaps, but I tend to allow that to go to the listener, rather than me telling you what it’s about. To be incredibly immodest, it’s just a product of my rather fertile imagination”. Not one to sit at home twiddling his thumbs, the last five years have been proof of Dulli’s polygamous tendencies. “Our last show with the Twilight Singers was in Brisbane in January, 2007. The rest of that year Mark Lanegan and I were writing the Gutter Twins record and in 2008 and 2009 we toured that record. Then in 2010 I wrote Dynamite Steps.” At the end of 2010, Dulli undertook his first solo tour, performing songs from the Afghan Whigs, Twilight Singers and Gutter Twins. “Yeah, I did Europe and the United States,” he says. “It was cool to sing songs that I hadn’t sung in a really long time. It was kind of an emotionally revealing experiment for me as a human being.” “I was doing songs from 20 years ago and I was also doing songs that were only two months old. To go from 20 years ago to 60 days ago was a fascinating juxtaposition for me. You don’t want to do it every day, but when it happens it’s quite refreshing, like jumping off a cliff into a cool lake.” Dynamite Steps is out now on Sub Pop through Inertia.
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reverb magazine issue #056 — March 2011 19
stone temple pilots
Rebuilding the Temple Af ter a six-year hiatus and with a new record under their belts, Californian four-piece Stone Temple Pilots are finally making a long-awaited trip to Australia . Nick Milliga n spoke with guitarist Dea n DeLeo about the band’s comeback, being par t of a democracy and taking the kids on tour.
Where are you now? I’m in Lima, Peru. We’re on the road. We’ve just been through South America for the last two and a half weeks. It’s just lovely, man. Are you looking forward to coming to Australia? We still can’t fathom how we haven’t been down there yet, but it’s something we’re really looking forward to. What can we expect from your live shows? I have a little monkey I bring out on stage. I wrap him in plastic and beat him with a stick. Then I jump around stage with some dogs and chipmunks… (chuckles). You know, I don’t know what to expect when I go out on stage with these cats, man. Anything can happen. Before making your self-titled comeback record in 2010, did you have any clear
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magazine issue #056 — March 2011
ideas about what kind of album you wanted to make? I don’t know if we knew what kind of album we wanted to make. The concerted effort with every album is try and cover new terrain, sonically. We’ve got some more keyboards this time around. We tried to utilise our engineer, a guy called Bill Appleberry. He’s phenomenal. We utilised his expertise and wonderful talent, and he played the keyboards on there. But I think [for us] it’s just a concerted effort to not always do the same thing. For me, there’s a bit of a country thing going on in this record, which is terrain I’ve been wanting to step into for a long time. Does touring in 2010 and 2011 feel very different to touring in the early 90s? Absolutely. One of the reasons why we needed to take a rest from each other was because back in the early days of touring,
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we didn’t have the luxury of our own hotel rooms. Scott and I lived together. So we were shoulder-to-shoulder at home and on the tour bus. We were shoulder-to-shoulder in a hotel room and we were in a dressing room together. So we got tired of each other’s routine. Now it’s changed drastically. Now we have the luxury of having our families with us. The greatest thing for all of us now, which I can confidently say on behalf of the band, is having the kids out here with us. My son, when he was five, like ever other red-blooded young boy, went through a reptile phase. What an opportunity to take him through Florida to every alligator park and to go on a ride through the Everglades and see alligators, man. It’s wonderful to have the luxury of taking the kids out on the road and to see the world through their eyes at museums, aquariums and art galleries.
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Does the broad sound of Stone Temple Pilots derive from the band’s desire to explore ideas and not to dismiss anything as ‘not our sound’? You really have to check your ego at the door, man, because I could be playing a song that means the world to me. I’ll be thinking that I’ve really outdone myself. And then Scott might say, ‘I’m not really gettin’ that, man. I don’t really dig that.’ You just have to say, ‘OK, I respect that’, and you move on. It’s all about hearing one another out. Everything [on the new record] was pretty much brought in by Robert [DeLeo, bassist] and I, except for ‘Hazy Daze’, which was an amalgamation of something that Robert and I did. And of course Scott handles the lyrical department. Are there songs on the record that you’re the most proud of? ‘Dare If You Dare’ is a song I’ve been sitting
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stone temple pilots
on for a number of years. I really, really wanted that one off the table and rolling, so it was cathartic getting that one out. And I love how Robert expresses ‘Maver’. It’s a beautiful story. The first single, ‘Between the Lines’, has some classic Stone Temple Pilots elements: it’s rock and pop and there are lots of hooks. The whole backbeat, it’s 60s pop, man. It’s Paul Revere And The Raiders, The Animals, The Zombies. Musically, when I write a song, I know what I want it to be melodically. But Scott always, always, always knocks my melodies out of the water. Where he went with that verse, I was just loving it. It’s really kind of a love song, in its own way. What an interesting line, ‘You always were my favourite drug, even when we used to take drugs’. And we know Scott does like his hallucinogenics.
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The new record is very cohesive. Were you surprised when you all came back together and the collaboration still worked? I know one thing — we’re our own worst critics. We demand the most from ourselves and one another. This record had to reach a certain level [before] we would even release it. Let me tell you a little story: this is how I know my job is done. I go back home — I go back to South Jersey to the little town I grew up in. I have the luxury of renting a real nice car with a real nice stereo in it. I go pick up my friends like we used to do when we were teens, but instead of blaring Zeppelin and Yes records, I’m playing my new record. And when I feel that excitement, with the same people, in the same town on the same streets, I know I did something right. Does it feel like Stone Temple Pilots have
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a bright future? I hope so, man. I’d like to say yes. I don’t know what the future holds. If I did, I’d be a much wealthier man. I love being with Robert, Scott and Eric on a musical level and on a personal level. It’s a nice place to get my mind [into]. I love playing shows and recording music with these cats. I hope there’s a long future ahead of us. Will we hear a new record this year? We’re booked [to tour] right through to September. Unfortunately for me, my band is a democracy. If it was a dictatorship then I would say, ‘Absolutely we’ll do another record.’ But there’s three other cats that all have an equal say. I think everyone would be up for that though. That’s my feeling. Stone Temple Pilots play the Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Thursday, March 24.
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reverb magazine issue #056 — March 2011 21
album Reviews Feature albums
PJ Harvey
Let England Shake
Social Distortion
Island/universal
Hard Times and Nursery Rhyms
4.5/5
Epitaph Records/Shock Records
PJ Harvey has survived in a music world that rarely rewards those brave enough to continually challenge their listeners. Let England Shake is not only an affirmation of her ever-changing muse but an, at times, bitter indictment of her homeland and its political and social stature. The element of darkness that pervades most of Harvey’s work is at the forefront again, this time in a more literal sense — the title track begins by referring to England as being ‘weighted down with silent dead.’ Recorded with long time collaborators Mick Harvey and John Parish, Harvey’s evocative vocals bring a brooding intensity to an album that is musically more upbeat. What this work has in common with her past is paradoxically the fact that it doesn’t sound like any of her other albums. The woman that defies categorisation succeeds yet again. ~Paul Frost
Radiohead
The King Of Limbs XL/Remote Control
3.5/5
The King of Limbs marched like a gypsy to my ear, there was no mistaking the sound. Accessorised with hip-hop motifs and celestial break-beats, I was carried through dreams of Brazilian revolutionaries (most notably in ‘Little by Little’). As much as the album is true, I couldn’t shake the feeling I was too comfortable with its passage. Just as a prodigal lover might, ‘Morning Mr Magpie’ and ‘Lotus Flower’ caressed me into submission. ‘Give up the Ghost’ further concreted this gorgeous release and in fleeting moments Thom Yorke’s breath passed through me, making the album almost tangible. ~Terrease McComb
Cold War Kids Mine is Yours V2/COOP
4/5
Indie soul/punk quartet Cold War Kids are known for their soulful storytelling, which they stay true to in their third album Mine Is Yours. The rustic and melancholy blues of their previous albums has progressed to a sound immersed in reverb and delay, but Willett’s dramatic high voice continues to echo through the honest lyrics and raw instrumentals. Narrative songwriting based on experience is the album’s main driving force. The roaring ‘Sensitive Kid’ tells of infidelity, divorce, adolescence and what it means to grow up too fast. ‘Louder than Ever’ proves that syncopation almost always wins in the catchy-rhythm department. But it’s the combination of underground atmosphere and anthemic instrumentals that makes the Cold War Kids so addictive. ~Emily Cones-Browne
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magazine issue #056 — March 2011
4/5
Being completely unfamiliar with Social Distortion’s prolific earlier work, I came to their most recent album, Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes, with fresh ears. First formed in 1978, the band has seen all manner of talented players come and go, with front man Mike Ness, the only original member, disappearing for several stints in rehab during the 80s. With seven studio albums under their belts in over 30 years, Social Distortion has no doubt erred on the side of quality. Age has not dulled them and this album has all the vigour of youth, combined with the maturity of a seasoned band. Opening with ‘Road Zombie’, a punchy 2:12 instrumental that errs on the side of punk, the rest of the album is far more rock and roll, with Americana influences. Strangely enough, I heard a lot of Cold Chisel in these songs, along with The Black Crowes and Bruce Springsteen. Influences aside, this is a truly unique album with Social Distortion cornering the punk-country sound. Ness produced the album, fleshing out his own gritty timbre with soaring female harmonies. All in all, a cohesive album, with ‘Diamond In the Rough’ and ‘Bakersfield’ the stand out tracks. This is one killer record. ~Krissi Weiss
Ben ottewell
Shapes and Shadows Shock
3/5
If you were to chart the career of English rockers Gomez on a graph, you would see an alarming trend. After blowing the music world away with their debut, the Mercury Prize-winning Bring it On, the band has been steadily declining in popularity and record sales. It figures though. When you have a band that features three distinctly different vocalists and four undeniably talented songwriters things can easily get lost in the (78 Stone) shuffle. One third of that songwriter collaboration is Ben Ottewell (the one with the glasses and the gravelly falsetto). His debut solo effort is a delicately crafted album that attempts to add some cohesion and stability to the Gomez catalogue, although it struggles in much the same way Gomez has. Ottewell’s record is a collection of decent songs that are, overall, completely forgettable. Each acoustically-arranged song is intricate and comfortable when taken as a single entity (especially the darkly sweet ‘Chicago’), but when viewed as a whole album, Shapes and Shadows is simply that — a record that is all smoke and mirrors with very little substance. There’s no doubt Ottewell and Gomez themselves are good at what they do, but I keep finding myself wishing they would swing for the fences every now and then. ~Nick Mackey
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the human league
g love & plutonic
wall of sound/[Pias]
inertia
3/5
3.5/5
Credo
Their first album in a decade, The Human League’s Credo displays all the energy and punchy electronic sound of the synthpop veterans’ heyday (with their latter work doomed to compare unfavourably to their 1981 masterpiece Dare). Philip Oakey and his cohorts are no less passionate than they ever were. Unfortunately Credo is, on the whole, a shallow listening experience. Chord progressions, more often than not, are underdeveloped. Vocal motifs repeat ad nauseum. Lyrically, the album, and in particular the lead single ‘Night People’, feels like a series of sound bytes rather than a cohesive whole. Certain tracks break the mould, however — ‘Egomaniac’ and ‘Never Let Me Go’ are worth a spin, and if your only criterion is catchy music, Credo might hit the spot. ~Michael sykes
Dali’s Angels Nightswim Independent
4/5
In the past few years, the Central Coast has produced several up-and-coming indie rock bands, most notably Slow Down Honey, and Cabins. From the same patch of land comes Dali’s Angels with their debut album, Nightswim. Created locally by producer and former Teardrop Explodes/ Eurogliders bassist Roni Francois, and driven by the musical talent of singer/songwriter Luke Costelloe, Nightswim captures the songs and stories of life by the sea in an amalgam of small beach communities, combining them with indie rock in the vein of 80s pop-rockers Television or 90s brit-rockers Blur. The album is all-engrossing, with aspects of electro, funk and country creeping their way into the sound crafted by Francois, but the band seems most at home with songs such as ‘Pulse Goes Up’ and ‘Horror House’, displaying the attack that the band harnesses in their live shows. Despite this, the more lyrically driven songs display the true talents of Costelloe, with the vivid imagery and counter-culture intertextuality weaving throughout ballads such as ‘Either Way’ and their first single ‘Microscopes’. ~Jordan Watton
Gruff Rhys
Shampoo Hotel Pop Frenzy/Inertia
3.5/5
Welsh musician Gruff Rhys is best known for his role as front man of psychedelic rock group Super Furry Animals But with his latest album, Hotel Shampoo, Rhys pulls off his foray into independence with easily some of his best work. His soft Welsh burr lending a warm and mellow atmosphere to the stellar recording. As the title and artwork suggest, this album is much like the miniature shampoo bottles found in hotels — Rhys explores a variety of different musical flavours, from the smooth, sweet pop-rock track ‘Honey All Over’, to the jazz/groove hybrid ‘Sensations In The Dark’, making Hotel Shampoo a musical experience to suit music-lovers of all persuasions. ~Josh Clements
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Moonshine Lemonade
Whilst continuing to stay true to his individual style, G Love has collaborated with Aussie hip-hop artist Plutonic to create an eclectic album that explores eclectic concepts and experiences through a country folk-meetsrap-meets-acoustic album. The raw recordings evoke an assumption that both G Love and Plutonic have a common understanding about how to flaunt their blues and hip-hop wisdom — the first single ‘F**k it’ is the quintessential venting song that makes no apologies for its lyrical honesty. Their mash-ups of old-school hip-hop and blues are sometimes questionable and repetitive — Australian rap can be slightly monotonous (but at least consistent) at the best of times. Regardless of this, the album does overcome this impediment — maybe it’s G Love’s daydream ramblings or the nostalgia from his first emergence in the early 2000s. Either way, both G Love’s return and his Plutonic collaboration will provoke beneficial conversation about the individual style and exposition of G Love, Moonshine Lemonade and Australian hip-hop. ~Emily Cones-Browne
The Cave Singers No Witches Jagjaguwar
4/5
This is the third studio album for Seattle three-piece, The Cave Singers, and the first for label Jagjaguwar. Produced by Randall Dunn (Sun O), Boris, Black Mountain), this is The Cave Singers’ most rock-fuelled and dark album to date, reflecting their choice of producer. ‘Falls’ and ‘Outer Realm’ are drenched in heavy rhythms, sinister guitar and bluesy vocals. ‘Gifts & The Rafts’ and ‘Haller Lake’ are slightly lighter tracks but still have the driving, heavy energy that infuses this album. Quirk’s vocals are grave and gritty while the tribal drumming and persistent guitar keep the album moving forward. This is Sunday afternoon music (for the worse-for-wear) and despite its darkness, this album is void of the emptiness that heavy lyrics and clouded melodies can produce. The Cave Singers have found their own sound: No Witches transcends time and place and looks set to be revisited for years to come. ~Krissi Weiss
Asking Alexandria
Stand Up And Scream Sumerian Records
3.5/5
Think metal music, with deathcore and screamo vocals… and electro synthesisers! As crazy as it sounds, this unique combination works well. Each song changes tempo and structure so much that it’s hard to give an example of what it sounds like — think Finnish metal band Nightwish on steroids! However, don’t expect to be able to understand the lyrics. The vocals are grating and overpowering, making it difficult to make out actual words from the sounds. For die-hard metal-heads only! ~Ashleigh grey
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album Reviews album of the month
J Mascis
Tapes ’n tapes
the Streets
Ibid Records
Locked On/Warner
Several Shades Of Why
3.5/5
3/5
sub pop/inertia
Tao of the Dead
4/5
EMI
Outside
The music world is littered with tales of epic sophomore slumps but few have rendered a recent band as utterly forgettable as the oncehyped Tapes ’n Tapes. Like their former label-mate Clap Your Hands, Say Yeah!, T’nT released an engaging and quirky debut album (2005’s The Loon) that was followed up by a massive nose dive into indie obscurity. For Outside, T’nT returned to their roots and recorded in their hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, releasing the record on their own label, Ibid Records. This move has effectively allowed the band to return to their creative comfort level. Opener ‘Badaboom’ pulses and drives like a vintage Clap Your Hands track while the Latin rhythms and funky horns of ‘One in the World’, channels Contraera Vampire Weekend. If that sounds like a big jump, it is. There are 12 tracks on Outside and none of them sound even remotely similar. The record definitely feels like it was made by a band trying to find its feet. There are some hits and some definite misses, but T’nT clearly have talent to burn and there are enough shining moments on Outside to make it a step in the right direction. ~Nick Mackey
Jupiter Menace Jupiter Menace independent
3/5
Breaking away from their pub-rock persona as Powerage, with a new line-up and sonic approach, Maitland band Jupiter Menace has delivered a strong debut self-titled EP. Full of super-charged guitar solos and youthful enthusiasm, this slickly produced EP is a perfect mission statement for the young band. After cutting their teeth in front of hardened biker audiences and pub-rock crowds, Jupiter Menace have managed to harness that danger with interesting arrangements, stronger song writing and a defined sense of melody. ‘Break These Chains’ kicks things off with a stomping beat and big riffs and chorus, whilst ‘Can’t Stand Alone’ opens with soft picking and piercing lead breaks. ‘The Dawn Has Broken’ showcases vocalist/ guitarist Zac Crawford’s best performance, but the strength of Jupiter Menace is their great rhythm section arrangements. Benn Grimas’ bass lines are intricate and imaginative, snaking between the groovy, rock-driven beats of Ben Crawford. Highlights include the fast-paced guitar licks of ‘This Time We’ll Run’ and the slowbuilding ‘Tomorrow’s Fears’. Showcasing a more sophisticated musical palette than ever, Jupiter Menace will be a band to watch during 2011. ~Matt petherbridge
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Computers and Blues
Computers and Blues is the fifth and final album from generation-defining British rapper Mike Skinner (aka The Streets). Skinner pulls the pin on his 17-year career with an overall solid recording, with just a hint of fatigue. There are no stunners on this album, in the league of previous hits ‘Fit But You Know It’ or ‘Dry Your Eyes’, but there are a few tracks worth a spin on commercial and alternative radio. Most notable is ‘Without a Blink’, complete with synthesised riffs, an easily defined beat and a cheesy sing-along chorus. ‘Puzzled by People’ is another of The Streets’ raps to tackle social issues: “You can’t google the solution to people’s feelings”. However a lack of enthusiasm within the rhymes of Computers and Blues, especially in the tracks ‘Outside, Inside’ and ‘Soldiers’, gives an impression of musical boredom. Perhaps shutting up shop is best to preserve the good memories of an epic career. Computers and Blues is a fitting farewell to The Streets’ fans and the industry alike. ~Josh Clements
Sparkadia
The Great Impression Ivy League
3/5
In their sophomore release, The Great Impression, Sparkadia has followed up with another cracker. The band calls this album “smart pop”, which describes it well. Like their first album Postcards, though, there are hits and misses. The title track is a bit disappointing and weak, but the real standouts are the band’s upbeat, synth-laden songs like ‘Fingerprints’ and stellar track ‘China’. Although darker ballads like ‘Ghost’ are good, where the band really shines is with songs that make you want to shake it 80s style, headband and all. Even though the modern 80s movement is over, if a band will bring it back, it’s Sparkadia. ~Stephanie McDonald
The Go! Team
Rolling Blackouts Shock
4/5
The Go! Team’s music has always followed a rule of old-school samples mashed together to create frenzied noise, and album opener ‘TORNADO’ gives the impression that not much has changed. However the feel of the album soon changes from chaotic to melodic. Stand-out track ‘Buy Nothing Day’ features vocals from Bethany Cosentino from Best Coast, and has a joyous vibe that sticks in the listener’s head. The songs continue in this fashion, and are both catchy and satisfying. The album closes with ‘Back like 8 Track’, which returns to the previous Go! Team style and has rapping vocals, schoolyard chanting and boisterous horns, which are meshed to great effect. Rolling Blackouts signifies growth for The Go! Team and is a step in the right direction. ~Matthew Glen
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Melancholy without the sadness. Emotion without the noise. Dinosaur Jr front man J Mascis has reaffirmed that the beauty of great music lies not just in its execution, but in its depth of perception. A mostly acoustic album, Several Shades Of Why sounds a long way from the pioneering wall of sound that Mascis is so readily recognised for — but this allows the aural space necessary to infuse the album with the longing that is appropriate for its lyrical content. ‘Is It Done’ rolls along in its tale of loss and longing — a sharp guitar break mid-song severing the tension, while final song ‘What Happened’ is the perfect vehicle for Mascis’ yearning drawl, with bursts of fuzz guitar providing the necessary darkness. As the last outro fades you are left wanting more, and at a lean 40 minutes this album is a concise encapsulation of everything we love about Mascis — minus the noise. ~paul frost
Stone parade Stratosphere modular/Universal
3.5/5
Opting for the jugular this time, Sydney band Stone Parade has released their second album Stratosphere. The opening bass riff of first single/ opening track ‘Paranoia’ screams dirty sexy as rhythm section Mark Fouche and Billy Handley swing groove towards grunge with that bass riff and pounding drum beat, sliced open by harmonised whammy pedal lead breaks. Self-confessed guitar pedal addicts, guitarists Alex Qasabian and Kevin Fouche weave their magic with the use of interesting delays and reverbs — especially on the title track and the mysterious rhythmic sway of ‘6th Thunder: The Final Voyage’. Standout tracks including ‘Indian Wolves’ which blends haunting Aboriginal percussion and a didgeridoo with snaky bass lines and heavy breakdowns, and ‘Black Dove White Heart’ showcasing vocalist Greg Byrne’s intense falsetto across a droning organ and orchestral stabs. ‘Children of the Lost Empire’ opens with a whipper-snipping riff that jumps around the beat as it heads towards a dark, ominous ending. Produced by Stone Parade with the guidance of mixing legend Mark Needham (The Killers/Chris Isaak), Stratosphere is experimental and dynamic — proof that Stone Parade is a sleeping giant about to smash its way into the mainstream consciousness. ~Matt petherbridge
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...And You Will Know Us By The Trail OF Dead 4/5
Austin rockers …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead have created a genre-skipping two-part musical release peppered with crisp melodies, well-crafted and structured arrangements, sincere lyrics, plus a distinct nod to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. ‘Pure Radio Cosplay’ rips right in and reminds the listener that stripping back to a four-piece has not robbed the band of power or crunch. ‘Ebb Away’ explores some beautiful vocals entwined with laid back guitar chords, giving the album a nice pure atmosphere. ‘The Wasteland’ lends some hard spit-fire beats over lazy synth parts. According to lead singer Conrad Keely, this album was intended to be a continuous musical journey based on one song, so just hit play and soak up this polished trip into the galaxy. ~BRAD Cardis
The Waifs Temptation Jarrah/MGM
3.5/5
Like a fine wine, The Waifs are getting better with age. With Temptation, their sixth record and possibly their most cohesive vision yet, the band have crafted an impressive batch of songs, touched with enough melancholy to melt the hardest heart. Recorded in just 10 days in a Minneapolis basement, this album celebrates The Waifs much-loved three part harmonies, which inject huge vocal swells into the slow chug of ‘I Learn the Hardway’ and the gospel-tinged title track. The blues-inflected ‘Moses’ recalls a past era of scratched vinyl, while ‘Buffalo’ paves the way with palm-muted chords that meander beautifully into the plaintive ‘Just Like Me’. For those who haven’t paid attention to The Waifs since their break-out songs ‘London Still’ and ‘Lighthouse’, it’s definitely worth a listen, best enjoyed with a bottle of red over a candlelit dinner. ~Matt petherbridge
TWilight Singers Dynamite Steps Inertia
4/5
After five years, The Twilight Singers return with Dynamite Steps. The album has a fluid feel — like a creek streaming between rocks — with each song ebbing and flowing through the album, gaining fast currents and then settling into slower, easier ones. It kicks off with ‘The Last Night in Town’, with a theatrical beat. When vocalist Greg Dulli moves into the second track, ‘Be Invited’, his voice drops an octave when the brooding chorus acknowledges, “there’s something at work here.” The album gains volume and speed with ‘Waves’ and then rests with the introspective ‘Get Lucky’. It continues in the same vein with each song blending into a coherent structure. With voices from notable musicians such as Ani Di Franco, Joseph Arthur, Petra Haden, Nick McCabe and fellow Gutter Twin Mark Lanegan, Dynamite Steps is an album for anyone who loves good music. ~Sasha Petrova
reverb magazine issue #056 — March 2011 23
NEWCASTLE Don’t forget — Live & Local every Wednesday night 2 Mar
Rent
gig Guide Newcastle Tues, Mar 1
Sat, Mar 5
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland
Annandale Hotel, Sydney
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
Third Eye Blind + Rocket Summer
Forum, Sydney Mayday Parade + Breathe Carolina +
Luna Park Big Top, Sydney Dommin
4 Mar
Petulant Frenzy play Frank Zappa
5 Mar
The Café at the
Sum 41 + The Blackout + Veara + There For Tomorrow
UNSW Roundhouse, Sydney
11 Mar
Eugene Hideaway Bridges
17 Mar
Chain
The Storm Picturesque
Enmore Theatre, Sydney Queens of the Stone Age +
Fannys, Newcastle MC Kidd Kaos + Jaytee + Ules + Jace Cordell + D*Steady
Ash Grunwald - Show Day
24 Mar
Ed Kuepper
25 Mar
Gareth Liddiard
w/ Mark Dawson w/ Dan Kelly 26 Mar
Catherine Britt
2 Apr
Ross Wilson
3 Apr
McAlister Kemp
7 Apr
DIG
The Hard Ons
Kid Kenobi + Glovecats
Darren Hanlon
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Claude Hay
Oasis Youth Centre, Wyong
Gina Jeffreys Protege Concert
Lizotte’s, Lambton Holly Throsby
Dream On, Dreamer
Tues, Mar 8
Dragon Bones Jone and the Skeletones + The Hatty Fatners + Fishkicker
Beachcomber Hotel, Toukley Seabellies + The Cairos
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Kelly Griffith + Hey Mia + Make-Shift +
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
The My Tys
Lizotte’s, Lambton
What’s My Age Again 2
Cessnock Leagues Club Choirboys + Mark Cashin & Lil Hussys
Gateshead Indoor Sports World Pat Capocci (Newc Roller Derby)
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland
Claire Sheather + Marissa Saroca + Adam Honess Trio + Skyepoint
Thur, Mar 17 Bar On The Hill, Newcastle
Pugsley Buzzard
Metro Theatre, Sydney
John Steel Singers + Jonathan Boulet
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
The Hold Steady + Gun Street Girls
Newcastle Entertainment Cent
Doyalson RSL Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Sat, Mar 12
Deez Nuts + Shinto Katana +
Falling For Beloved Eddie Vedder
Relentless + The Hollow + Drown +
CMC Rocks The Hunter
Wed, Mar 16 Civic Theatre, Newcastle
Hideaway Bridges
Hope Estate, Hunter Valley
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Lizotte’s, Lambton Eugene
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Mat McHugh + Ashleigh Mannix
Ocean View Hotel, Dudley
Steve Edmonds
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Ray Man Three
Donavon Frankenreiter
Wed, Mar 9
Civic Theatre, Newcastle
Fri, Mar 4
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Billy Connolly
Weird Al Yankovic
Sendfire
Ozi Batla
Leftfield + Infusion + Kasey Taylor
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland
Os Mutantes + Best Coast
Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Carl Baron
The Oily Girls
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Of The Red Sea
Lily Tomlin
Mark Wilkinson + Jordan Millar
Hamilton Station Hotel, Newc
Lizotte’s, Lambton
The Evil Farmer + The Johnsies +
Ettalong Bowling Club Central Coast Roller Girls Band Night
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland
or visit lizottes.com.au
Only The Sea Slugs
Ray man Three
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Pugsley Buzzard
King Street Hotel, Newcastle
Thur, Mar 3
& Heath Cullen
phone (02) 4956 2066
Milestones
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
The Re-Mains
Taken By Force + Reality + Takedown
Civic Theatre, Newcastle
information,
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland
Calvin Harris
(The Waifs)
For bookings and
Mark Ronson and the Business Intl
The Loft, Newcastle
Bits and Pieces
Tony Joe White
Mat McHugh
Sticky Fingers
Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Sun, Mar 6
The Maine
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
1 May
Cafe of the Gate of Salvation
Newcastle Panthers
Hamilton Station Hotel, Newc
29-30 Apr Diesel
Seabellies + The Cairos
CBD Hotel, Newcastle
We The Kings + Never Shout Never +
Peter Rowan Bluegrass
David Ross MacDonald
Holly Throsby
The Robertson Brothers
17 Apr
28 Apr
Blades
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Rent
Gallipoli Legions Club
Doug Parkinson
Evil Eddie + Muscles + Stonefield +
Goodwill and Tom Piper
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Metro Theatre, Sydney
Jon Stevens
23 Apr
Bar On The Hill, Newcastle
Gina Jeffreys Protege Concert
16 Apr
(Bluesfest sideshow)
Fri, Mar 11 Uni Disc-O Ball w/ Bag Raiders +
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Cotton Keays and Morris
Michelle Shocked
Renee Geyer
Belle and Sebastian
Matt Graham + Jess Lambie
10 Apr
20 Apr
Chemical Brothers
King Street Hotel, Newcastle
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Band (USA)
Adam Gilmorur + Anabelle Kay +
Francesca
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Sydney Opera House
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland
Merewether Fats
Hamilton Station Hotel, Newc
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Sydney Entertainment Centre
Seeing Verity
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Calling All Cars
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
18 Mar
Avenue + Taylor and the Makers +
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Jews + Rein Room
Manning Bar, Sydney
The City He Loved + Northie + Inflight Conversation + 3 Stripe
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
(The Beautiful Girls)
ROAR 2011 w/ Revival Ashore +
Sun, Mar 13 Genevieve Chadwick & her Gypsy
The Robertson Brothers The Besnark Lakes
Kariong Community Baptist Grounds
Affliction + Asking Alexandria
The Robertson Brothers
Mat McHugh
Hope Estate, Hunter Valley
When The World + Chasing Ghosts +
10 Mar
13 Mar
Sons of Alamo + Lloyd Spiegel
Bring Me The Horizon + The Amity
Wed, Mar 2
Renée Geyer
Mat McHugh + Ashleigh Mannix
Lizotte’s, Lambton
CMC Rocks The Hunter
Gate of Salvation
12 Mar
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Cass Eager and the Velvet Rope
Wyndham Estate, Hunter Valley Chris Isaak
Ke$ha
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Every Avenue
Metro Theatre, Sydney
Holly Throsby
Illy + M-Phazes
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland
Murderdolls + Monster Magnet +
3 Mar
Bo Jenkins
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Claude Hay + Cass Eager
King Street Hotel, Newcastle Juggernauts DJs + Nina Las Vagas
Laycock Street theatre, Gosf Great Gig In The Sky: A Celebration Of Pink Floyd
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Lior
Lizotte’s, Lambton Petulant Frenzy play Frank Zappa
Newcastle Entertainment Cent
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Anabelle Kay
Lizotte’s, Lambton
The Phones
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
sleep parade
Gentlemen Sleep Parade
Hamilton Station Hotel, Newc
Gilbert Whyte + DecembeR + The Firetree + Birdwire
Inhale The Sea
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Manning Bar, Sydney Wavves + Magic Kids
Eugene Hideaway Bridges
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Metro Theatre, Sydney Belle and Sebastian
Thur, Mar 10
Renee Geyer
Metro Theatre, Sydney Swans + The Necks
Randwick Racecource, Sydney
Annandale Hotel, Sydney
Newcastle Leagues Club
Chemical Brothers + Dizzee Rascal +
Fri, Mar 18 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Long Island Sound
Doyalson RSL Choirboys + Mark Cashin & Lil Hussys
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Zoe K and her Shadow Katz
Great Northern Hotel, Newc Simplex + Blades + Reggae Got Soul
Hamilton Station Hotel, Newc White Circus + Sagacity + The Paradox Unseen
King Street Hotel, Newcastle
Pulled Apart By Horses +
The Presets + Ke$ha + Pendulum +
Regular John
Art vs Science + Professor Green +
Hard Dance Alliance
Mark Ronson & The Business Int. +
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Billy Connolly
Future Music Festival w/ The
Chain
MGMT + Pond
MGMT + Richie Hawtin + many more
Chain
Imelda May 24 reverb
magazine issue #056 — March 2011
Download Page
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gig Guide North Lizotte’s, Lambton Ash Grunwald
The Loft, Newcastle Another Broken String + Pedantics + Cumlungz + Juicyhead
Sat, Mar 19 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Nat Col and the Kings + The Lazys + The Nickson Wing + L.U.S.T.
CBD Hotel, Newcastle Royal Chant + Lacey
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland The Widowbirds
Hamilton Station Hotel, Newc Foreign Body + All In A Year + Scott Forbes
Hope Estate, Hunter Valley Neil Diamond
Great Northern Hotel, Newc The President Roots + Black Creek
Lizotte’s, Lambton Gareth Liddiard + Dan Kelly
Tues, Mar 1
Coorabell Hall, Byron Bay
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Diggers Tavern, Bellingen
Yasar Akpence Harem’de
The Waifs + Mama Kin
The Loft, Newcastle
Wear The Fox Hat
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
Wed, Mar 2
Alessandro + Eden’s March
Vanessa Lea & Road Train
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Belmont 16 Foot Leagues Club
LaLaLand, Byron Bay
Lionel Richie
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Kira Puru and the Bruise
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Little Province + Bat Vs Snakes Sara Storer + Greg Storer
Thur, Mar 3
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Dan Hannaford
MGMT + Pond
Bellingen Memorial Hall
Hamilton Station Hotel, Newc
Sara Storer + Greg Storer
Corotted + New Blood + Osmium Grid
King Street Hotel, Newcastle
Tony Harvey
Byron Bay Community Centre
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Leadfinger + The Tendons
Shane Miranda
LaLaLand, Byron Bay
Tommy’s Tavern, Lismore
Feenixpawl
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland
One 2 Many
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Cowboys
Angie Swannell
Jason Webley + Juke Baritone + The Men Who Drip With Germs
Tues, Mar 22 Lizotte’s, Lambton Crooked Still
Newcastle Entertainment Cent Usher + Trey Songz
Wed, Mar 23 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Sydney Girls Choir
Santana + Doobie Brothers
The Duke Wilde Band + Sista Burley
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Ballina RSL
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
Mullumbimby Civic Hall
Danielle Spencer
Lizotte’s, Lambton Ed Kuepper
Newcastle Entertainment Cent Stone Temple Pilots
Fri, Mar 25 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle One Mike
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Kira Puru and the Bruise
Perverse Cowgirl
SCU Unibar
For Today + For All Eternity Luka Bloom
Annie Piper Blues Band
Thur, Mar 31
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Bar On The Hill, Newcastle Uni
Ballina RSL
Sparkadia + Operator Please + Alpine
Neil Anderson
Port Macquarie Hotel The Hard Ons + Royal Chant +
The Herd + Joelistics
w/ Mark Dawson 30 Mar
Luka Bloom
31 Mar
McAlister Kemp
1 Apr
Ross Wilson
8 Apr
Mental As Anything
10 Apr
DIG
13 Apr
Peregrine
15 Apr
Shauna Jensen presents Aretha Franklin Experience
17 Apr
Jon Stevens
21 Apr
Gaynor Crawford presents Bobby Long
23-24 Apr Diesel 29 Apr
Jack Jones
30 Apr
James Morrison
For bookings and information, phone (02) 4368 2017 or visit lizottes.com.au
Rochelle Lees
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Red Ink + M Jack Bee
Glenn Massey
Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour Hekyl & Jive
Ed Kuepper
Tanned Donny
Robert Keith
Coolangatta Hotel
26 Mar
SCU Unibar
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland The Lucky Wonders
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Centurion Soldier
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Nano Stern Band
Sat, Mar 5
The Chestnuts
Danielle Spencer
Gollan Hotel, Lismore Mullumbimby Civic Hall
Dr Baz
Mark Cashin & The Lil Hussys +
Thur, Mar 10
Orville Brody
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Ashleigh Grace + Deni Hourihan +
24 Mar
Costa Rea
Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Crooked Still (USA)
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Bats Vs Snakes
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
McAlister Kemp Find us on Facebook
Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
23 Mar
Lanie Lane
The Little Cubas + Renny Fields
Bats and Battleships
Chain
Mullumbimby Civic Hall
Alf
I Am The Agent + Young Revelry +
Renée Geyer
18 Mar
John Steel Singers + Jonathan Boulet
Port Macquarie Hotel
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Wed, Mar 9 Stonefield
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Motorhead
Mon, Mar 7
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Sara Storer + Greg Storer
Big Top, Luna Park, Sydney
13 Mar
Renny Fields
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Sounds Of Summer DJ comp
Wed, Mar 30
Eugene Hideaway Bridges
RAW Comedy heats
Daniel Webber + Ryan Ryashton
Dan Parsons + Steve Grady
12 Mar
Byron Bay Ex Services Club
DJ Jordy + DJ Brown Sugar
Luka Bloom
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Crowning of King Krazy
Lennox Point Hotel
The Robertson Bros
Sara Storer + Greg Storer
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Lizotte’s, Lambton
11 Mar
Yamba Bowling Club
Ash Grunwald
LaLaLand, Byron Bay
(The Beautiful Girls)
Tacking Point Hotel
Coolangatta Hotel
Mon, Mar 29
Mat McHugh
Lucky Starr
Bounty Hunters
Nazarite Vow
Coby Grant + Zachary Lucky
Chris Fisher
Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour
House VS Hurricane + Your Demise +
10 Mar
Sawtell RSL
The Faze
Oasis Youth Centre, Wyong
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Kirk Lorange
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Star Attractions
Steve Edmonds
Thur, Mar 24
Discrow + Easy-P
One 2 Many
Sun, Mar 27
Ben Francis
Lennox Point Hotel
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Oh Mercy
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour LaLaLand, Byron Bay
Fri, Mar 4
Catherine Britt
Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton
Kent Hotel, Hamilton
Crooked Still
Josh Matheson
Tattersall’s Hotel, Lismore
Ed Kuepper
Ngariki
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Matt Buggy
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Holly Throsby
The Red Eyes
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Dan Parsons + Steve Grady
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
DJ Sammond
Hope Estate, Hunter Valley
The Wildes + Chris Altmann
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Out The Speaker
SCU Unibar
Santana
5 Mar
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Renny Field + Royal Chant +
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Lior
Sun, Mar 6
John White
Port Macquarie Hotel
Johnny and Hank Green’s Blues
Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga The Red Eyes
Gollan Hotel, Lismore
Sun, Mar 20
4 Mar
Strauss & Co
Sawtell RSL
Gipsy.cz
Aston Shuffle
Rhys Byron + Miles Jr
Lismore Workers Club
And Oh! + Easy-P
Alps + Little Lovers + Post Paint
Protegé Concert
Lennox Point Hotel
Imelda May
Bimbadgen Estate, Hunter
2-3 Mar Gina Jeffreys Workshop
LaLaLand, Byron Bay
Sat, Mar 26 Choirboys + Mark Cashin & Lil Hussys
every Wednesday night
Goonellabah Tavern
Rhys Byron
The Shivering Indies + Matteo
Don’t forget — Live & Local
Gipsy.cz
LaLaLand, Byron Bay
The Chestnuts + DJ Mozzie +
CENTRAL COAST
Tattersall’s Hotel, Lismore Round Mountain Girls + The Barkers Vale Brothers
Mickey Avalon
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reverb magazine issue #056 — March 2011 25
gig Guide North (cont.) MARCH AT THE AUSSIE
Fri, Mar 11
Wed, Mar 16
Sun, Mar 20
Sat, Mar 26
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Late For Woodstock
FRIDAY 4 THE ONE 2 MANY BAND 8PM SATURDAY 5 CENTURION SOLDIER 7:30PM SUNDAY 6 OUT THE SPEAKER PRESENTS – HIP HOP FUNK DUB STEP & BREAKS + LIVE DJ’S – 4PM FRIDAY 11 LATE FOR WOODSTOCK – 8PM SATURDAY 12 MARK EASTON – 7:30PM SUNDAY 13 OUT THE SPEAKER PRESENTS – HIP HOP FUNK DUB STEP & BREAKS + LIVE DJ’S – 4PM FRIDAY 18 BROADFOOT – 8PM SATURDAY 19 THE GENERAL ELECTRYK DUO - 7:30PM SUNDAY 20 OUT THE SPEAKER PRESENTS – HIP HOP FUNK DUB STEP & BREAKS + LIVE DJ’S – 4PM FRIDAY 25 CLAY AND THE COBBLESTONES – 8PM SATURDAY 26 PAINTED CROWS – 7:30PM SUNDAY 27 OUT THE SPEAKER PRESENTS – HIP HOP FUNK DUB STEP & BREAKS + LIVE DJ’S – 4PM
Donavon Frankenreiter
Ballina RSL The Hard Word
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Unwritten Law
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
Greenlife Uncle Burnin’ Loves Sham Rock +
Little Fish
Ivory Tavern, Tweed Heads
M Jack Bee
Dog Trumpet
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Vanessa Lea & Road Train
Lennox Point Hotel Sounds Of Summer DJ comp
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Broadfoot
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Lennox Point Hotel
Clay Blyth
Coby Grant
Port Macquarie Hotel
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Royal Chant + Karen Anne +
Phil Edgley
Sawtell RSL
Ben Martin
SCU Unibar
Zues Baby
Port Macquarie Hotel
Dex De Rosa
Midday Kicks DJ
Tacking Point Hotel
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
8 Ball Aitken
Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour Los Garbo s & the Trashmen
SCU Unibar DJ Beat Dusta
Slipway Hotel, Ballina Leigh James
Matt Buggy
Fri, Mar 18
Tattersall’s Hotel, Lismore Lynchmada + Decimate + Hybridize
Ballina RSL Rochelle Lees
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Sat, Mar 12
One Eyed Kings
Yada Yada
Thur, Mar 24 Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Gollan Hotel, Lismore Mama Lala + Ned and the Poet’s Bed
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
The Sun Rose
Adalita + Amaya Laucirica (solo)
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
Dr Bob
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Lennox Point Hotel Anarchist Duck + CC The Cat
Pacific Hotel, Yamba Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour
SCU Unibar Cath Simes + DJ Max
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Round Mountain Girls
Bo Jenkins
Tattersall’s Hotel, Lismore
Painted Crows
Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga The Edge
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Push
Port Macquarie Hotel
Mum Says Rock
SCU Unibar
Mason Rack
Mescalito Blues Grayson + Cutwing + Royal Chant
Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Dave Strauss
Ivory Tavern, Tweed Heads
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Fat Albert
Port Macquarie Hotel
Fat Albert
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
Air & Space
Sounds Of Summer DJ comp
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Fossil Rock
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
LaLaLand, Byron Bay
Purple Sneakers DJs
Lennox Point Hotel
Dirty Laundry
Goonellabah Tavern
Roothie-ma-toothie
Fri, Mar 25 Australian Hotel, Ballina
Brian Watt
Tattersall’s Hotel, Lismore
Quick Fix
Sawtell RSL
The Eternal + Gust of Gravity +
Clay and the Cobblestones
Ballina RSL
Tanamera
8 Ball Aitken
Slipway Hotel, Ballina Mick McHugh
Push
Yamba Bowling Club
Bangalow Catholic Hall
The Ford Brothers
Tattersalls Hotel, Lismore The Hard Ons
Tommy’s Tavern, Lismore
Sat, Mar 19
Dev Sam
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay King Cannons + The Grains
Cabarita Beach Sports Club
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Richie Williams
Wooli Street Hall, Yamba
General Electryk
Bluesville Station
Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Ballina RSL
White Circus
Down Hoochie Brown
Super Cheeze
Sun, Mar 13
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Electric Dreams
Out The Speaker Lisa Hunt Quick Fix
Watussi + Tijuana Cartel Bomba + Driftwood Allies
Lennox Point Hotel Sounds Of Summer DJ comp
Mary Gilhoolies, Lismore
Lennox Point Hotel Bluesville Station
Beats Working
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Pacific Hotel, Yamba John Meyer + Good Ship
Sawtell RSL
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Goonellabah Tavern Smart Artists
Lennox Point Hotel
Mason Rack
Coolangatta Hotel SIX60
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
Finnian’s Irish Tavern, Port Macq
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
Gunshy
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Broadfoot
Port Macquarie Hotel
Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Jodie Belle
Tacking Point Hotel Dave Calandra
Bone Idle
SCU Unibar DJ
1st Avenue
Sawtell RSL
Samari
Katie Southwell
Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Tues, Mar 15
Angry Penguins
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Slim Pickins
Tattersall’s Hotel, Lismore
Coolangatta Hotel Donavon Frankenreiter
Aurora Jane
Chris Aronsten
Flame Tree Festival w/ Barrel House + Round Mountain Girls + Rob Imeson + Hussy Hicks + Pacha Mumma + Muma Lala
Great Northern Hotel, Byron Seabellies + Glass Towers
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Vanessa Lea & Road Train Zeus Baby One 2 Many
OceanView Hotel, Urunga Mason Rack
Pacific Hotel, Yamba Bloodpoets
Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour Street Beats & Rhythm Section
Sawtell RSL Mike Bateman
Slipway Hotel, Ballina Dean Jones
Tommy’s Tavern, Lismore Push
Yamba Bowling Club Bomba
Sun, Mar 27 Australian Hotel, Ballina Out The Speaker
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Nicky Bomba All Stars
Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour Sarah & the King Bees
Great Northern Hotel, Byron Die Die Die!
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Ben Francis
Ivory Tavern, Tweed Heads Blind Lemon
Lennox Point Hotel Wandering Eyes
Pacific Hotel, Yamba Tom (Bloodpoets)
Sawtell RSL Lisa Crouch
Tacking Point Hotel Grayson
The Fig, Port Macquarie One Eyed Kings
Thur, Mar 31 Ballina RSL The Big Gig (comedy) w/ Monty Franklin + Nick Penn
Brewery, Byron Bay Black Devil Yard Boss + The Delta Riggs
Pacific Hotel, Yamba Surf Report
Port Macquarie Hotel Royal Chant + Morgan Evans + Dogga Can’t Fish
SCU Unibar DJ Sammond
Slipway Hotel, Ballina Glenn Massey
Dan Parsons + Steve Grady
YAC, Byron Bay
The Gallery, Forster Israel Cannon
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Illy + M-Phazes
Grafton Racecourse
Tattersall’s Hotel, Lismore
Tommy’s Tavern, Lismore Rochelle Lees
Zebyah
Coolangatta Hotel
Lennox Point Hotel
Thora Zoo
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Mark Easton
Ballina RSL
Polaroid Frame
Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Port Macquarie Panthers
Illy + M-Phazes
Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Revolution
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Ivory Tavern, Tweed Heads
Aurora Jane
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Painted Crows
Ballina RSL
Wed, Mar 23
Australian Hotel, Ballina Broadfoot
Tim Stokes
mag azine issue #056 — March 2011
Pink Zinc
Coolangatta Hotel
Gollan Hotel, Lismore
Mason Rack
Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Matt Buggy
26 reverb
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
CBD Dub Project
Cabarita Beach Bar
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
103 River Street, Ballina Ph 02 6686 2015 www.theaussiehotel.com
Thur, Mar 17
Out The Speaker
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ed kuepper
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Lone Wolf Ed Kuepper claims he’s “difficult to work with”. But that hasn’t stopped him from founding the Saints and the Laughing Clowns, recording dozens of influential albums and recently joining the Bad Seeds — possibly the most important band of the past 20 years — as guitar-slinger. On the eve of a national tour with Laughing Clowns drummer Mark Dawson, he talks to Mick Daley about the artistic process that has brought him to this point and why he prefers to go it alone. “I take what I do fairly seriously,” says Kuepper. “I know that can be kind of a pain in the arse to people if they’re just trying to have a great time [but] hopefully I don’t wallow in too much artistic angst while I’m on stage. To be honest with you I haven’t [yet] sat around thinking this is a great place to be, artistically. I’ve never reached a point where I think ‘well that is so magnificent that I can never do better’.” Re-enlisting Mark Dawson is a typically lateral move from a loner who constantly shifts direction and personnel. The pair will be “re-imagining” two pivotal albums in Kuepper’s career, Electrical Storm and Today Wonder, on both of which Dawson collaborated. “I’m hoping that it really ignites,” says Kuepper. “We’re not looking at doing faithful notefor-note recreations.” “It’s probably fairly true that I’ve never played the same song the same way twice. Luckily Mark was up for these shows because he had a big input into these albums. We did a lot of touring in the early 90s in Europe and there were some really fantastic shows and hopefully we’ll recapture some of that.” Kuepper is particularly intrigued by the possibilities with Today Wonder, the record he says “enabled” his recent prolific recording period. “It made me reappraise the way that I was working. I had fallen into a certain pattern. The album that preceded [Today Wonder], Everybody’s Got To was a commercial record label production and Today Wonder was about as opposite to that as I could get.” Kuepper’s ability to reinvent himself has been crucial to his contemporary relevance, and his live act depends upon a similar dynamic, not to mention economic necessity. “One of the things with a band that’s quite Find us on Facebook
difficult to maintain is spontaneity. And the reality of working in the music business, unless you’re some kind of superstar, is it’s actually pretty tough and I can’t afford to keep a band on a retainer.” Kuepper’s relentless output and infallible integrity have not only kept him close to the heart of discerning music lovers, but also put him in the sights of Nick Cave, who has already head-hunted Warren Ellis of the Dirty Three and previously employed fellow former Saint, Chris Bailey, in the Bad Seeds. Kuepper is quietly enthused about his new role. “Some of those shows we did (in Europe in 2010) were great, certainly some of the biggest crowds that I’ve played to, and it’s hard to be convincing, because people are there for tons of different reasons.” “We’re talking about doing some recording later in the year, and touring. But it’s [ultimately] not my decision. Hopefully we’ll bring it to Australia.” Meanwhile he’s working on future releases, and maintaining his artistic trajectory. “I’ve been writing a fair bit but I’ve fallen into the trap of re-writing too much. I’ve got to get back into the spontaneity I was talking about earlier.” For Kuepper this seems contingent on the artistic vision that saw him go solo in the first place. “In a band, if you have a lot of people on stage the arrangements can be fairly intricate, so it’s quite interesting to take all that away and see what it is that makes these songs work.”
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Ed Kuepper will be performing Electrical Storm and Today Wonder over two sets at Lizotte’s Newcastle on Thursday, March 24, and Lizotte’s Kincumber on Saturday, March 26.
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reverb magazine issue #056 — March 2011 27
pulled apart by horses
With a debut album that made many Top Ten lists in 2010, Pulled Apart by Horses are bringing their renowned live show to Australia in March. Kevin Bull chatted to drummer Lee Vincent about marriage, tattoos and producing a prog concept album for the band’s second release. Am I right to believe that you were married three days ago? Yes you’re right. I’m living in domestic married bliss right now. How are you dealing with the impact of your music career on your private life? I just don’t look at [music] as work. It’s still relatively new and fun to us. We’re only a couple of weeks back from a year of touring so that obviously has a massive impact on your private life. If I went straight back out on tour, I’m not too sure how long the marriage would last. You’re coming to Australia for the Golden Plains festival (Meredith, Vic). Is this your first trip to Australia? It is, yes, and I’m very, very excited, to be honest with you. To be travelling all that way to come and play there, it’s above anything we thought this band would do. Have you managed to schedule in some free time so you can actually see Australia while you’re here? Hopefully. I mean that’s one of the down sides of touring really. You go to all these incredible places and you don’t really see anything apart from the inside of a venue. But with this being a shorter [trip] — I won’t call it a tour because it’s definitely not a tour, we’re only there for three dates — it would be silly not to take in some of the country. Your debut self-titled album has been out now for six months. Were you surprised by the positive reception it received? Yes [laughs], completely. We’ve always had a reputation because of our live show and that’s what we pride ourselves on — playing live, and the atmosphere we create. We were always confident in our songs [and] we really wanted to do a record that mirrored the energy of our live set, and somehow we did it. We’ve been pretty much stunned with the reception that the album has had. You just mentioned your live reputation. Going in to do the recording in a studio — was it difficult to capture that live sound? Obviously it’s completely different. You have to create an atmosphere and that’s something we have always been very good at. I think it’s just the chemistry between us. We recorded the bass and drums live together because we wanted that bottom end of the album to be really locked in. We didn’t use any click tracks and we did it very quickly, so even though we weren’t flailing around or chucking guitars at each other, we definitely got the energy levels up and that’s how the songs came out the way that they did, I think. Did you spend much time in the studio putting these songs down? No, it was like eight days [laughs]. We wanted it to be pretty spontaneous and we didn’t want to mull over it too much. It turned out that James (Kenosha), our producer, was recording another band and he actually had an eight day gap in the middle of this six
28 reverb
magazine issue #056 — March 2011
Pulled Apart and in Love month session with this other band. So it was cool that we actually had that pressure — “we have a job to do, it’s got to be done in this time” — it definitely added to the intensity of the album. So can you see yourself putting your fourth album together and spending nine months slaving over it? [laughs] We’re talking about doing a prog epic for the second one, like a full prog concept album, so that will probably take a year. I don’t think we would ever spend a lot of time [although] we’ll probably spend a bit more than eight days. I think if you are given too much time, being the type of band we are, you just end up fucking the thing too much and polishing it too much. It really doesn’t need that. Some bands need that, [but] I think it would ruin the essence of us. The industry is watching and listening. Now that you are in the middle of the storm, is it what you thought it would be?
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No, I don’t think I ever had any preconceived idea. I’ve been playing for years and years in a DIY sense, like booking tours yourself and travelling in a little van, so this band was never meant to be anything other than that. Obviously all these crazy things just started to happen, but I think it’s more in hindsight that you look at it. You’ve just got to take a moment and go, fucking hell, this is crazy. We’re very happy in a sense that we can turn on the radio and one of our songs is playing on daytime Radio One. Our band shouldn’t be on the radio during the daytime on Radio One. It feels like bands like Biffy Clyro and Gallows have blown open the doors and there are bands like us and Blood Red Shoes coming in behind them. It feels like we’re part of a movement as it were. In that sense it feels amazing. As far as how the band’s going, in a musical sense and how we play; the reputation we’ve created for ourselves, I think we’re all very proud of ourselves, in each other and the band.
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You’ve got a nice collection of tattoos. If you had to go under the knife, is there one that you are particularly protective of? [laughs] They’ve all got a special place in my heart really. Not many people realise this, I don’t think, but as knuckle tattoos I have “L O V E” on my right fingers, and on my left hand, on my wrist I have “No Room For Hate”. That’s definitely one that is really special for me, it’s something that could have hindered me so I decided not to let it. I actually just got my daughter’s initials tattooed on my face. I’ve gone into new realms really, there’s no going back now. I saw my dad at my wedding and he was like, “what the fuck have you done?”. The way my dad justifies my tattoos is: “well, a drummer should have tattoos”. Pulled Apart by Horses will be performing at the Annandale Hotel, Sydney, on Thursday, March 10, and the Golden Plains Festival in Meredith on Sunday, March 13.
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The Magician’s Birthday In a conversation on classic rock acts from the 70s, Uriah Heep rarely get the fair mention they deserve. Founding member and guitarist Mick Box speaks to Matt Petherbridge about the band’s wacky fans worldwide and their upcoming 40th anniversary tour. How does it feel to be celebrating the 40th anniversary of Uriah Heep? It’s absolutely fantastic, what can I say? Not many bands can say that they’ve been around for 40 years. It’s a real achievement and we’re very, very happy with that. Is it hard to be unable to celebrate this milestone with David Byron (vocals, 19691975) and Gary Thain (bass, 1972-1975) who have both passed away? Yeah, that’s a tough one. Every day, every time I go on stage I think of them. The great thing about this 40th anniversary is that it highlights the legacy that David and Gary both left behind as musicians and songwriters. Main songwriter/keyboardist Ken Hensley left the band after 1981’s Conquest. Did you have reservations about keeping Uriah Heep alive? If there’s only one blip in the 40 years, that would be it. I thought we lost our way (with Conquest) so I folded the band up. If I can be very truthful, I had a big weekend with couple of bottles of vodka in my apartment in London and went through a moment of self pity. On the Monday, I went into our office and we had lots of letters arriving by people saying, “Please don’t let Uriah Heep die”. In the end, I felt if I could keep Uriah Heep alive in the right way, by finding good musicians and continuing to make great songs in the template that we started off with in the 70s, that would be the way to go!
tour set lists may be? People like coming to the live arena and hearing the songs they know. That’s what the fans will want to hear. We might even revisit some older classics too. 1972’s Demons and Wizards is widely regarded as your seminal album. Did you have any crazy experiences with fans during this time? One of the first times we were in New York, we were at a record signing day and there weren’t many people. I felt like a kid in a candy shop browsing through all the music. I noticed some people following me, so I said to them, “I’m sorry, if you’ve come for the sign-up, I’ve just wandered off to look at some music. Would you like me to sign anything?” They just kept staring at me, standing around me in a circle. Finally, they opened up their bags and took all these books out and they asked me “Are you a druid?” They’d underlined passages in these books and they read them to me, which actually really related to a lot of our lyrics. They bloody convinced me that I was a druid! (laughs) Rumour has it that Uriah Heep will soon be returning to the studio. Can you confirm this? We’re going to record a new studio album. I think it will be a natural extension of our 2008 album Wake the Sleeper, but we’re thinking of taking a slightly more progressive direction, longer than the average four minute song.
In 2009, you released Celebration, a compilation featuring your greatest hits catalogue re-recorded. What was the band’s motivation to re-record your classics? I thought it would be good to show everyone we still had the same passion for music that we always have had. We recorded live in the studio; it was good because it showed the band working on one pulse.
The 40th Anniversary tour dates in Australia next March will mark the first time Uriah Heep has played here in over 25 years. Why has it taken so long for you to come back? Well… nobody asked us (laughs). It’s as simple as that, really. It’s only going to be a three date tour, a fly-in visit. But if we can make this a success, we might be able to do a longer run in the future.
Is the track listing of Celebration a good indication of what the 40th anniversary
Uriah Heep will perform at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney on Friday, April 1.
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reverb magazine maga zine issue #056 — March 2011 29
oh mercy
Alexander, you’ve been a busy man lately. Tell me about the new record. I suppose the first thing that blossomed was actually the title. I worked that out a couple of years ago and I liked it for a whole bunch of reasons: I like saying it, I like how it looks written down. We’re one of the daggiest bands in the country in that we adore puns, and it’s kind of a sweeping comment on relationships as well. Once I had that title, I needed to write some songs. I did that between touring [debut album] Privileged Woes and a little bit of stuff in America. We were bold enough to ask Mitchell Froom to produce the record for us, and we recorded it with him over about six weeks in Santa Monica. Did that aesthetic affect your songwriting? Do you write differently in Brooklyn than you would in Melbourne? I did write a few songs in America, but mostly I used time in pre-production for the songs that I’d written in Australia. I really wanted to lock down the best arrangements that we could for the songs that I’d already written. I wouldn’t say that being overseas affected the way that the songs were crafted, at least in the initial stages. It’s interesting you say that. I feel like the new record is more spacious than the previous one. There’s more room to breathe, so to speak. Is that fair to say? I think that’s the main point of difference between the two records we’ve made. People ask how I’ve evolved as a songwriter, and I can’t really answer that other than to say what you’ve said about
space, especially how simple all of the arrangements are on the new record. It’s much more spacious. That’s not to say that we decided to be simple – it was a very involved process. Is that something that Mitchell Froom had a hand in? Definitely. He loved all the 60s R&B stuff that I was listening to at the time. When he made a name for himself in the 80s, the opposite rules applied: lots of audio effects and as many musical tricks as you could jam into a song. That’s a sound that I’m fond of and a sound that the first record mimics in a lot of ways. Mitchell was really happy to shake that off, and it was a challenge we were both were ready to take on.
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Aussie pop darlings Oh Mercy are about to embark on a national headlining tour in support of their forthcoming sophomore album Great Barrier Grief. Recorded in Santa Monica with legendar y Crowded House producer Mitchell Froom, the album is a spacious sonic affair that demonstrates the band’s grow th and sophistication through considered, catchy arrangements. Singer and songwriter Alexander Gow spoke to Ma x Quinn prior to the album’s release.
I think my favourite song on the record is the second track, ‘Keith Street’. It’s the out-and-out catchiest song I’ve heard from Oh Mercy. How did that song come about? That song seems to divide people. I try not to read reviews, but sometimes they get forced upon me in one way or another and I’ve read a lot of people were confused by that song. I wrote it in the shower at an old girlfriend’s house. I jumped out and wrote the lyrics down, but I had a month-long battle with trying to find music to match the sentiment of the song. It’s melancholy and too proud to be sappy. I wanted it to sound driving and confident, and I think that’s what we achieved. Oh Mercy will be performing at the Northern Star Hotel, Newcastle, on Saturday, March 26. Great Barrier Grief is available March 4 through EMI.
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magazine issue #056 — March 2011
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The Chase Is On With Melbourne emcee Illy enjoying the ride on his breakthrough sophomore album The Chase, he still has one nagging commitment — homework. Kevin Bull catches up with Illy as he prepares to take the new album on the road.
You’re about to begin a big run of dates that will bring The Chase to both metro and regional communities. Are you prepared for the love that the new release has brought you? That’s an interesting question! Short of being torn limb from limb by crazed fans, I’m very much ready for the love! I worked hard to make the album, worked my arse off actually, so having people react the way they have is a huge deal for me. That said, I’m still working on prepping my liver for this tour. Is there a difference between the Illy fans at capital city gigs compared to regional gigs? Not really. Everyone is generally all good. I love playing to wild crowds, and the regional shows can definitely give the capitals a run for their money in terms of (the punters) losing their minds. I guess the main difference is: because they tend to be smaller crowds, you get more of a chance to actually hang out with people afterwards, which is always fun and something that you can tell people really appreciate. I can’t count the times I’ve been thanked just for going to a town to play, which is awesome, because I feel the same way for having the opportunity. For The Chase, you wrote all of the verses and hooks — it was very much a solo effort, in fact. Was it a conscious decision to take all this on? Not particularly. It was a decision borne out of my ball-breaking nature when it comes to music. I’m very much a perfectionist and very aware of what I want the track to do. It was the same with (first album) Long Story Short (2009, Obese), as far as the hooks with singers. I just like having that control over the songs and because I’m so attached to them, I’ve got a good idea of what works. That said, I work with incredible producers, M-Phazes and J-Skub, who are very much the same when it comes to the music aspect — they know where things need to go. Find us on Facebook
So it was maybe a subconscious decision. But I only became aware of the fact that it was a featureless album, verse-wise, towards the end of the album process. I have heard you describe The Chase as being a more solid release when compared to Long Story Short. What do you see as the next step forward for album number three? Not too sure at this point. I think we nailed the sound pretty much spot on with The Chase, so I wouldn’t want to change something I’m really happy with. Maybe mess with a bit more instrumentation; maybe try a more collaborative approach to some songs, if we can get the right artists involved; definitely have some MCs feature. There’s a lot of options and sounds that I’ll look into for number three, but don’t expect me to do any Bjork-style nut-job shit where the beats are made entirely of spoon sounds or anything, I don’t think it will stray too far from the sound I’ve got now. How close are you to finishing your law studies? Four months off. It’s currently 3:49am and I’m writing this in the break from finishing off an essay due this morning. I feel like a dickhead saying that. Once completed, does it mean more time spent on your music, and can we expect album number three before the end of 2011? Definitely. I’m in no rush to pursue a law career, I love where I’m at, at the moment, and yeah, you can’t really compare the life of a musician with that of a lawyer. I can’t imagine how much free time I’ll have once I’m done. But it will definitely be a luxury to be able to focus purely on music for an extended period of time - for the first time, really, since actually making progress in my music career, anyway. I am back in the studio next week but don’t want to put a timeframe on when I will have anything out.
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That said, I’m quick and like to work hard, and I will have a lot of time in the second half of the year, so who knows? I aim to have a song out by the end of the year. Beyond that, I can’t really call it. With M-Phazes joining you on The Chase tour, it must feel like the family road trip. Is that what it’s like with Obese Records? Yeah, it’s good fun being out on the road with Phazes. We’re part of a crew, and have been since either of us were Obese artists, so there is a fair bit of history there. I’ve got my drummer Cam Gilmour coming with us for this tour, which is a great addition to the tour party. As far as being signed to Obese, it’s been great. There’s a line in the last song off The Chase, “I remember wagging to visit, imagine me when the chance was given/to weave my own story into 4A Izzett’s” which is the address of the Obese store in Prahran. Obese was always a big deal for me growing up, those train rides into town are still memorable — feeling like being a part of something just by being in the store. To be an artist on the label was an opportunity I wasn’t going to pass up. A lot of history has been made at this label, so to be able to write my own chapter is an honour. Plus, I’ve had some good times with Obese artists, past and present. Finally, when you get down to basics, you’re a young Aussie guy who loves his hip-hop just like thousands of others in this country. Are you living the great Aussie hip-hop dream? Yeah, without a doubt. I get to make music for a living. I’m signed to the label I grew up looking up to; I’ve been in the hottest 100 countdown two years running, on the radio station all my mates grew up listening to; packed out the tent stage at Pyramid Rock last NYE when I was there as a punter in 06/07 and 07/08; I’m getting to tour, and people actually give a fuck about what I have to say and the music I make. I’ve got big plans for the next few years, but if it all stopped tomorrow, I’d know how lucky I am. Illy, with M-Phazes, with be performing at the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on Saturday, March 5; Beach Hotel, Byron Bay on Thursday, March 24; Coolangatta Hotel on Saturday, March 26.
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the herd
TALKING SHOP Profiling music industry professionals
Name Dale Harrison Who do you work for? Elefant Traks Current position title? Graphic designer How long have you been in this position? I’ve been involved with the label since around 2000 or so. The first artwork I did for Elefant Traks was In on the Deal by Explanetary. What are your main responsibilities? On the graphic design side it’s everything from album cover design to t-shirts, stickers, posters etc, down to invoice forms and mailing labels. How did you get involved in the music industry? Through designing flyers and posters for friends. Since then I’ve combined playing music and promoting with graphic design for a bunch of different labels and acts. Proudest moment? In regards to Elefant Traks - probably seeing Horrorshow go from being a newcomer on the label to being one of our most successful acts. Is there anyone you would really like to meet (living or dead)? I would have loved to have met Charles Mingus - apart from being one of the greats of jazz, he was a cat-lover as well. Best live show you’ve been to? Fugazi at the Wentworth Bar was amazing - raw and visceral. As for local hip hop, I always enjoyed TZU and Def Wish Cast. Favourite venue? Pretty much anywhere in Melbourne The Corner, The Prince Bandroom, The Hi-Fi Bar and even the smaller venues. Favourite musical instrument? My 1976 Rickenbacker 4001 - it’s been with me for 15 years and now that it’s finally had a proper set up it actually sounds as good as it looks. Best way to spend a Sunday morning? Watching Insiders and then Offsiders on the ABC. And then breakfast somewhere good. Simple pleasures. Any advice for people trying to break into the industry? Be prepared, but never satisfied, to work for nothing. 32 reverb
magazine issue #056 — March 2011
HERD MENTALITY Australia’s premier hip-hop team, The Herd, are celebrating 10 years since their debut album with their first live shows in two years. Kevin Bull caught up with Kenny Sabir (aka Traksewt) to discuss the changes that have occurred over the past decade and the team’s soon to be released fifth album. With the band celebrating 10 years since the release of your self-titled debut, what would you say is the benefit of being a decade older? We used to jump around on stage just for fun, but now it has a secret side purpose, which is a strict exercise regime to keep us fit. Post-30, a tour is like a bootcamp, except you get a rider too. And the negatives of ageing 10 years? Now that we’re big enough to get a decent rider, it’s hard work finishing it all. I guess that would have been easier 10 years ago. Also, we’ve grown our live show to the point that we get charged excess on flights now. We used to fit all our music gear in backpacks. Maybe in a couple of years we’ll finally get to use that Elefant Traks semitrailer — at the moment, Horrowshow have it booked out until next year. How has the music climate surrounding Australian hip-hop changed since your debut? Now we see hip-hop acts at the festivals when it was a struggle to get visibility in the live arena 10 years ago, unless we organised it ourselves. And with the growth of Australian hip-hop over the last 10 years, we’ve seen more producers making beats. This is a good thing for hip-hop as the busy competition has been pushing up the production quality. You can’t get away with the recording standards of 10 years ago.
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‘The Sum Of It All’, the first single from your latest album will be released later this year. Where are you at with the recording? Our three main producers have written 10 tracks each, so we have 30 tracks to cull down to 12, to 16. There’s a handful that are getting finalised, and about 20 of them are pretty structured and have rough vocal ideas recorded. We’re starting to get more critical with each other’s tracks and offering suggestions. Some tracks have had their themes restarted three or four times to get people on board, resulting in hundreds of bars of raps being thrown away. Likewise, the music has been rewritten and tweaked various times by various people — the beauty and horror of an eight-person band recording over 14 months. Did you approach the recording any differently to Summerland? We’ve never written so many tracks that are expected to be thrown away before. And we haven’t spent so long writing an album so sporadically. Getting a track progressed in this album has been like international diplomacy — without the spies — which involves getting all parties on-board, accepting criticism and constantly reworking ideas. This album has been conceived and recorded in Marrickville and it is the first album of ours where we have not done any
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recording excursion to Summerland Point (on the Central Coast), which has affected the overall tone of the album I believe. A change is as good as a holiday. Are you in the position to let us know the album title, and possibly some details regarding the songs that will be included? We haven’t had much of a conversation about the album title yet, as we’ve all been busy in our own set of songs. Topic-wise, it is quite a different album for The Herd. A common theme throughout the songs has been introspection and personal experiences. We’ve also covered a major event or two from the past six months but who knows what will make the album. This single tour is quite short, four dates in all. Is this being looked at as a warm-up for a much bigger tour once the album is released? Yes, the next tour is all about the album. It is being finalised for around mid-year and will cover more dates. These upcoming shows will be the first in two years. What are you feeling as you prepare for the first date at the Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle? The MCs have been looking at lyric websites to remember their lyrics. They are usually wrong, but at least it’s funny and it triggers the memory of the real lyrics. We’re juggling between rehearsing and finishing the new tracks. I’m excited to get back to playing for people, especially at the Cambridge where we had some memorable gigs in the early years. The Herd will be performing at the Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle on Thursday, March 31.
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lanie lane
Young, Sweet and Swinging With a sound derived from her grandparent’s era, Lanie Lane possesses the sweetness of an old time Southern belle, and the rawness of vintage rockabilly. With her debut single on the airwaves, Kevin Bull caught up with Lane to find out where she gets her swing. Listening to your music, you are definitely tapping into a by-gone era — blues, jazz, swing, rockabilly, and a voice that sits comfortably with them all. Where did this attraction come from? I would definitely say listening to the music my parents played as a child has had a big impact on me, musically. We listened to jazz, big bands, blues, rock n roll and motown. I used to go and listen to a few local big bands as a teenager and absolutely loved the whole swing vibe. I think that may have been when I realised I had a special connection to that era. My voice has evolved over all the years I have been writing and now it fits perfectly within the styles of music I love to write.
have been about 700 people every night swing and rock n roll dancing.
Rather than name-checking your influences from the originators of these genres, I am interested in what modern day musicians have influenced you. I guess it really must be everything I hear on the radio, or see live in venues and music my friends introduce to me. Probably even the music or bands I don’t like must influence me to some extent… to not write the way they do. When I was a teenager I really loved (and still adore) Jeff Buckley, PJ Harvey, Silverchair. Nowadays I love so many types of music! Jolie Holland is one of my faves at the moment and CW Stoneking of course! I don’t just like to listen to the kinds of genres I write in though. I listen to all kinds of music, Afro beat, classical, crazy electronic genres such as skwee and glitch-hop even.
‘What Do I Do’ was released as your debut single at the end of 2010, and has been a crowd favourite for a while now. Was selecting this as your first recording an obvious decision? At first I went for one of my more upbeat songs. I recorded it and nearly released it, but then decided I wanted to record in a different way. A way that sounded a bit more raw and edgy. I have learnt a lot about the way I like to record through these experiences. Sometimes you just have to go through different methods before you figure it all out. I think putting out something first showing this bluesy side sat better with me. It represented where I was at in my life at the time.
You recently performed at the Sydney Big Day Out (as the Triple J Unearthed winner) and the Sydney Festival - two very different audiences and experiences. From the stage, can you tell us what you saw and what you took away from these events. Both very different audiences, you are right. The Trocadero (Sydney Festival) was a beautiful mix of young and old. It was great to see everyone up and dancing like the old days because I love a good partner dance myself. It really was a spectacular sight from the stage. I think there would Find us on Facebook
Your styling has an appeal that is crossing over the generations. What do you see as the reason for this? I love that my music can cross over to various types of people, and [I love] seeing different generations enjoying it. It’s interesting for me to have that varied audience. There seems to be a massive appeal these days for younger generations to make or listen to music that references a time before their own. And of course the older generations love to see young people who are bringing back styles of music that they listened to originally!
LIVE AT THE STAG THIS MARCH FRIDAYS 04 MAR 11 MAR 18 MAR 25 MAR
FROM 7.30PM
DANIEL NICHOLAS SHAWN O’FRIEL PAUL NICKERSON DANIEL NICHOLAS
SATURDAYS 05 MAR RENNY FIELD 12 MAR ADAM MILLER 19 MAR AMY VEE 26 MAR BOB CORBETT SUNDAY ARVO BLUES IN THE BEER GARDEN 06 MAR THE LEAD BELLIES FROM 3PM
On the recording front, what are your plans for 2011? I have just finished recording my first album. It’s sounding really great and I’m so excited and proud. We recorded everything in two days and I had us all playing the songs live together in the studio, like the way they used to do it. It’s much better that way, I feel as we get to really connect as musicians and feel the song together. Lanie Lane will be performing at the Mullumbimby Civic Hall on Wednesday, March 9, and the Gum Ball Festival at Belford in the Hunter Valley, April 29-30.
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187 MAITLAND ROAD, MAYFIELD PH 02 4968 1205 WWW.THESTAG.COM.AU Download Issue
reverb magazine issue #056 — March 2011 33
fashion — photogr aphy by Kent Marcus
Photography by Kent Marcus Hair by Wade Ambler Make-up by Karl Wilde Modelling by Rebecca Frith Styling by Dell Lawerence
This page Jacket, vest and skirt from Rag and Bone
Facing page Top Left Pants, shirt and belt from Rag and Bone. Top Right Jacket from Rag and Bone, skirt from Before it Began. Bottom Right Dress from Rag and Bone, jacket from Before it Began. Bottom Left Shirt, pants and lycra from Before it Began.
Clothing available from Rag & Bone and Before It Began.
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mag azine issue #056 — March 2011
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fashion — photogr aphy by Kent Marcus
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
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reverb magazine issue #056 — March 2011 35
dance NewsDANCE NEWS
deadmau5
the presets
THE PRESETS RETURN
After reaching stratospheric heights with 2008’s Apocalypso, Kim Moyes and Julian Hamilton (collectively known as The Presets) are returning to the stage at this year’s Future Music Festival, in March. There are also whispers that the duo are completing the finishing touches on their next album. Get ready to rock in some epic ways. Future Music Festival will be taking over the Doomben Racecourse, Brisbane, on Saturday March 5, and the Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, on Saturday March 12.
MSTRKRFT SPEAK OUT
Y URSDA Y H T Y R AR EVE FEBRU THE HIVE 7 1 M O IN FR 5:30PM S T R A T S
E V I L S I FINAL
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esday n d e W y 17 & a d s r u h T a Fair in r E , e The Hiv
Canadian pioneers MSTRKRFT have come out and declared that electro has been hijacked by the likes of WILL.I.AM and the pop crowd (well one half of MSTRKRFT has, in the form of Jesse F Keeler). Hell, even Britney is releasing dub-step tracks these days, so maybe the boy has a point.
RUSKO ANTI “BRO-STEP”
h, 23 Marc
AL
ina Fair r E , e iv , The H h c r a M y 31 Thursda
FIN D N A R G
The British-born scene of dub-step has splintered off into so many sub-genres that even founders of the sound have had enough. Rusko has slammed the new sound on British radio. “Bro-step is sort of my fault, but now I’ve started to hate it in a way,” Rusko told BBC1’s MistaJam on air. “I kind of took it there and now everyone else has taken it too far. I tried to put a bit more energy into it… I just tried to see if it would go there. Now I think it’s gone too far, it’s got too noisy for noisy’s sake… it’s lost a little bit of the feeling.” Well then.
derrick carter
fabric 56
The 56th instalment of the Fabric series comes from the Chicago pioneer Derrick Carter. A much-lauded hero of early 90s house music, Carter’s sound was branded ‘boompty boomp’ for its ability to get people moving. One of the forefathers of house music, Carter has since stuck steadfast to this style, often reworking and interpreting tracks to fit his own musical sensibility.
magazine issue #056 — March 2011
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Creamfields 2011 is here, with Deadmau5, Martin Solveig, Dutch house maestro Chuckie, trance master Simon Patterson, and get set for some bangin’ techno led by Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May playing as their collaborative group Hi Tek Soul under the 25 Years of Detroit banner. There’s so many more artists that we can’t fit here so head to www.creamfields.com.au for more info. Creamfields will be at the Hordern Pavilion/Showring, Sydney, on Saturday April 30, and RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane, on Sunday May 1.
REALITY TV STRIKES AGAIN
After abominations on X Factor, reality TV has attempted to reach out to the dance community once again with a Dutch DJ reality TV show. Information is sketchy (as it’s all in Flemish) but apparently it will pitch five female DJs against five of their male counterparts. Yes, they’ll share a house, yes, they’ll have challenges, yes, it probably will suck.
once in a blue luna
Longtime friends Bodzin and Romboy have been responsible for releasing some of the most unique tracks of the last five years. Together with their own long running imprints, Systematic Recordings and Herzblut Recordings, they have proven how to build a distinct label sound. Previously only available on vinyl and six years in the making, Luna compiles 16 tracks plus two brand new productions (‘Triton’ & ‘Oberon’).
DYSPHEMIC GIVES IT AWAY
rs erforme k. p e it r u ceboo ur favo t f o r y o Aw a rd s o n F a r o p p u our s u s t ic Show y ual Aco n n A w o a n d f o ll
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CREAMFIELDS LINE-UP ANNOUNCED
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Out of Melbourne, Dysphemic is mixing glitch hop and drum & bass, and giving it to you for free. Following on from last year’s, Hypnosis, the three tracker Androids is available as a gift for those who have supported him and his music from www.dysphemic.com.
RAW FM’s hottest tracks of the month
Milk & Sugar vs Vaya Con Dios — ‘Hey (Nah Neh Nah)’ Alexis Jordan — ‘Good Girl (Freemasons Remix)’ Russ Chimes — ‘Targa’ Sam La More — ‘Paradise’, Eric Prydz — ‘Niton (The Reason)’ Avicii — ‘Sweet Dreams (Avicii Swede Dreams Mix)’ Tinie Tempah feat. Kelly Rowland — ‘Invincible’ Jeremih feat. 50 Cent — ‘Down On Me’
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w e i r d a l ya n kov i c
Weird Al: Doing What he Loves Not many artists can be respected for their forays into the film, music and literature worlds. Unless of course, you are the satirical demigod genius Weird Al Yankovic. Matt Petherbridge had the chance to quiz Yankovic about all aspects of his creative brain, including his new children’s book, When I Grow Up. You’ve just released one of your dream projects, a children’s book called When I Grow Up, which has reached #4 on the New York Times bestsellers list. What is the story about? It’s about an eight-year-old kid named Billy, who is up for show-and-tell in his class and amuses all of his friends, telling them about the crazy, wild, imaginative things he wants to be when he grows up. It’s a rhyming picture book, it’s funny but it’s also very sweet and it has that underlying message that there is a world of possibility out there. What inspired you to write the book? My dad always used to say that the true definition of success is being able to do what you love to do for a living. I graduated from college with a degree in architecture, because I thought that was the responsible choice given my aptitude. But I was never all that happy in college and it was nice to know after I graduated I could change my mind. Has your daughter had a chance to read the book yet?
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She was the first person in the world to read it and by the time the book came out, she had it memorised. Now she reads it to me for my bedtime stories (laughs). I want to encourage my daughter to follow her dreams. The message of the book is that you don’t have to limit yourself to anything. The world has anxiously been waiting on your new album since the release of the Internet Leaks EP in 2009 (which will be included as part of the album). When will it be released? All the artwork is done, I’ve got 11 songs produced and mastered and it’s really just waiting for me to come up with a hit single (laughs). I can’t really give any kind of release date though. I’d prefer to keep it a secret, because with comedy, the less you know about it, the more impact it can have. Has the rapid nature of digital downloading changed your approach to creating and releasing new music? It’s a metamorphosis. Internet Leaks was a nice experiment because I’ve never before
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released anything digital only. It allowed me to be more topical than I had in the past and certainly that’s an option I have in the future. I think the industry is starting to tip towards being singles-driven, like it was back in the 50s and 60s. If it does, then it opens me up to being more topical and timely and maybe that will be a more viable option for me to start releasing songs as soon as I come up with them.
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What inspires your creative process when writing one of your trademark parodies? A lot of times it’s nothing more complicated than taking a hook from a popular current song and doing a pun on the title or the hook (‘White and Nerdy’) or doing a variation on the theme (‘Smells Like Nirvana’). Sometimes it’s reverse engineered though. I’ll have in mind a topic I want to talk about and then I’ll find a song that works well with that. I wanted to write a song about the upcoming Star Wars movie at the time (Episode 1: The Phantom Menace) and I used Don McLean’s ‘American Pie’ to make ‘The Saga Begins’. Sometimes I will do a song that would be the antithesis of the original song. I thought ‘Amish Paradise’ would be about as far away from Coolio’s ‘Gangsters Paradise’ as you could get. It basically boils down to doing something that I think is funny and hopefully people will share that opinion. Weird Al Yankovic is to perform at the Civic Theatre in Newcastle on Thursday, March 17.
reverb magazine issue #056 — March 2011 37
live Reviews local natives
INXS
amanda palmer
joe cocker
Metro Theatre, Sydney Thursday, February 10
Bimbadgen Estate, Hunter Valley Saturday, January 29
Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Sunday, January 30
Bimbadgen Estate, Hunter Valley Saturday, Februaru 12
local natives ©michelle ho
As the stage is plunged into darkness and intro music creeps out over dim blue lighting, there is a sense of sizzling anticipation. So when LA’s Local Natives step out for their debut headline show in Sydney, there is a deafening roar. The fivepiece begin the slow-building ‘World News’, with guitarist Taylor Rice leading on vocals before he is joined by keyboardist and percussionist Kelcey Ayer. Throughout the night, the vocals stay strong and pure, with echoes of the Fleet Foxes harmonies. It’s a relief to see the crowd responding so energetically, with hands in the air, singing along. Too often the most impressive indie bands gain the least attention in Australia and Local Natives deserve their organic Down Under following. Three songs in, the group performs its ingenious cover of Talking Heads’ ‘Warning Sign’. Before ‘Cubism Dream’ Ayer reveals that the song is about a girl leaving him to move to Sydney. The band then performs the rest of its stirring record, Gorilla Manor. Before the encore, the opening notes of their astonishing breakthrough single ‘Airplanes’ come over the speakers and the crowd hits an even higher peak in volume. After disappearing briefly, a very gracious Local Natives return to play ‘Who Knows, Who Cares’ and close with the brilliant ‘Sun Hands’. When it reaches the chanted middle section of the song, the crowd doesn’t hesitate to join in. Then everything erupts in a gyrating crescendo. It’s a memorable finish. Let’s hope when Local Natives return, they bring another record with them. ~nick milligan
HED (pe) Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Sunday, January 30
I’ve made many attempts, over the years, to see bands I loved when I was growing up, which turned out to be major disappointments, so I’m accustomed to lowering my expectations. After all, the whole nu-metal thing is totally uncool now, or so I’m told. But being the eternal optimist I wanted to be proven wrong. And prove me wrong they did. Hed(pe) were as ferocious as ever. The sheer volume, attitude and stinging lyrics cut through the crowd like a razor blade. They spat out songs off all their releases including some classics from their second album Broke. ‘Killing Time’ and ‘Bartender’ were highlights, as well as killer tracks ‘Work on This’ and ‘Raise Hell’. Mostly, I was impressed that this band, that for some was just a flash in the pan of mediocre mid-90s nu-metal, is still out there every night, getting kids excited about music and playing their hearts out. ~Linda Wales
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magazine issue #056 — March #045 — april 2010 2011
Joe Cocker ©Image Focus
Amanda Palmer ©Mark Snelson
INXS ©Kevin Bull
My last trip to the Hunter Valley, for Brian Wilson, was a mud bath. This time it was the heat that greeted me, and the sound of Models’ ‘Two Cabs to the Toucan’ coming over the hill. Despite the death of long-time band member James Freud, in November, singer Sean Kelly continued with the band’s reunion tour, honouring Freud’s legacy. Baby Animals, following Models in a stroll down the memory lane of Aus rock, were on fire. ‘Early Warning’, ‘Rush You’ and ‘Painless’ were welcomed enthusiastically by a crowd who were fans in the Animals’ heyday. Next was Train, who have experienced a resurgence since ‘Hey Soul Sister’ stormed the singles charts, and when the song’s ukulele strains drifted from the stage, and singer Patrick Monahan let loose with the first “Hey”, the crowd was sold. Train delivered an enticing performance and were a great primer for INXS. Dressed in suits, the INXS of 2011 opened with ‘Drum Opera’ from the recent Original Sin release, then launched into ‘Suicide Blonde’ and a night of nostalgia for the middle-aged crowd. Whatever misgivings INXS fans may have about JD Fortune, he is a class front-man. With eyes closed you can almost picture Hutchence back on stage. The old hits were all there: ‘Devil Inside’, ‘Original Sin, and ‘Just Keep Walking’. But even though the sold-out Hunter Valley crowd loved every minute of the near twohour performance, it was hard not to question the relevance of a band performing past glories rather than creating a new future. That said, nostalgia is a beautiful thing. ~Kevin Bull
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I first heard Amanda Palmer’s love letter to Australia, Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under, just a couple of days before this gig and my interest was truly piqued. Armed with a mere dilettante’s knowledge of Palmer’s solo output and that of her muchlauded cabaret punk band The Dresden Dolls, I was eager to find out what all the fuss was about. It turns out the fuss was warranted. Palmer walked on stage to much whooping and hollering from the sold-out crowd and lurched into a wall of sound — not bad considering it was just Palmer and a piano, with the occasional dash of ukulele. There is no doubt that Amanda Palmer is an artist that must be experienced live to fully ‘get it’ and this show was no exception. Her, at times, mournful caterwauling threatened to shake the venue to its foundations. But it was not all Joplin-esque screaming. Palmer’s emotionally honest vocals and playful exterior; her ability to fill the room with her presence, are testament to her ability as a live performer. If there was any criticism of the show it would be that, owing to the crowd size, the raised dance floor was chockers, leaving the punters who were on the lower level unable to see the action on the stage. However, thanks to an (eventually) awesome mix, the sound more than made up for this. ~Stephen Bissett
two door cinema club Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay Thursday, February 3
In theory, the formula for a successful indie band is simple: write a bunch of catchy pop songs, put on a frenetic live performance and charm the punters with your boyish good looks and cheeky foreign accent. What separates Two Door Cinema Club from every other blasé doppelganger on the face of the earth is that they execute this formula to a tee. Amid a sea of fawning young men and women in cardigans and Buddy Holly glasses, the boisterous Irish quartet did their very best to justify their rapid rise to indie fame with a tight, convincing performance. Unsurprisingly, their set keyed on the success of debut album Tourist History, and popular singles ‘Undercover Martyn’ and ‘I Can Talk’ were definite highlights (the former complete with an all-in crowd sing-along). Going in, I was a bit worried that the cliquey Byron Bay milieu would segregate the hipsters and the regular Joes in the audience, but the music unified the crowd, and by the end of the ‘…Martyn’ sing along, I felt every bit as hip as the guy in the beret down front. ~max quinn
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The late afternoon audience packed the vineyards to the brim for another spectacular showdown, as newly re-formed Australian country rock band, The Dingoes, kicked the day off, reassuring the punters that they can still rock it just as hard as they did in the 70s. The Dingoes were followed by an amazing Diesel performance before George Thorogood and the Destroyers took to the stage. Thorogood’s bluesy rock ‘n roll and badarse attitude made a great impression on the Novocastrian crowd. “Someone’s gotta get arrested tonight and I’d be happy to be that guy”, bragged Thorogood, before he jammed out a few well-known hits, such as ‘Bad to the Bone’, which had the crowd dancing around their rugs and belching the lyrics back to him from their wine-filled bellies. At last, Joe Cocker made his way to the stage, strutting a signature waltz as the backing band began to play. It appeared that a few vocal warm-ups wouldn’t have gone astray before the show, as his first couple of songs seemed to lack in volume and power, with the back-up singers looking to be doing most of the work. ‘Unchain My Heart’, ‘Up Where We Belong’ and ‘You Are So Beautiful’ saved Cocker’s set, sending a sigh of relief through the crowd as he nailed them, one after another, warm up complete. Just like his early days, yet sober and a little more humble, he doesn’t move much on stage but who could blame the guy, he’s in his late 60s and still rocking! Although the clouds opened up on more than one occasion on the night, ponchos and booze didn’t steer a single soul from enjoying this stellar line-up. ~Sean Frazer
The Re-Mains Lennox Point Hotel Saturday, January 29
The cliché goes that for every band that succeeds in the music industry, there are 100 that will never get their shot. Despite having missed the alt-country boom of the late 90s by a hair’s breadth, it is puzzling that The Re-Mains have never had that shot. Pure panache, they certainly deserved a heartier reception than was turned on by a disappointing crowd at The Lennox Point Hotel. Front man Mick Daley is Tex Perkins, with none of the latter’s brash arrogance, and his band’s patented rock/country interplay was in full force, with banjo and pedal steel guitar, the icing on the cake. Despite the unspectacular showing, the band turned in a gutsy, driven performance that showcased their versatility, musicianship and Daley’s fine songwriting chops. After the show, I invested in a CD, which hasn’t left my car stereo since. ~Max Quinn
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live Reviews gig of the month
floating me ©kevin bull
Martha wainwright Lizotte’s, New Lambton Thursday, February 17
Martha Wainwright ©Kevin Bull
It doesn’t require a broad musical knowledge to know that tonight’s intimate performance from the inimitable Martha Wainwright is going to be a concert to remember. Wainwright’s support is her very accomplished touring pianist, Thomas Bartlett, who is the voice of the group Doveman, and has performed with groups like Antony and The Johnsons, Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, The Frames, Bebel Gilberto, Arto Lindsay, The National, Grizzly Bear and Yoko Ono. He has a hushed vocal approach to his dreamy ballads, that is reminiscent of Sufjan Stevens in his quieter moments. Wainwright steps on to the stage, backed by Bartlett and her husband and double bass player Brad Albetta. The first 40 minutes of this captivating performance are songs from Wainwright’s Edith Piaf album, and she does the French chanteuse a world of justice. Although, of course, sung entirely in French, Wainwright gives wry explanations of each song before she performs them. She acknowledges that most of the songs are about prostitutes of various ages. The audience is then treated to a number of Wainwright’s original songs, beginning with the title track from her second record, I Know You’re Married But I’ve Got Feelings Too. Just before the encore, the PA goes haywire and has to be turned off. Rather than storm from the stage, Wainwright steps closer to the audience and without electronic amplification sings a haunting tribute to her late mother and iconic folk singer, Kate McGarrigle, with a cover of ‘Tell My Sister’. Before the encore, the PA is resurrected and Wainwright returns for two more songs, performed on her own with just a guitar. It is a spell-bending finale to an extremely memorable show. ~Nick Milligan
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Floating Me Beachcomber Hotel, Toukley Saturday, February 12
Travelling to Toukley to witness the fifth gig of new Australian band, Floating Me, expectations were high and I was not to be disappointed. The night began with another newbie — central coast band, Whole Baby Octopus, whose instrumental, droning rock was reminiscent of Explosions in the Sky and Pink Floyd’s ‘Careful with that Axe Eugene’: a band to keep a close eye on. Bringing the crunch to the Beachie, Shadowmill mixed melodic vocals with a jackboot kick to the stomach, delivering a performance that was tight and professional. Their loyal fan base, many of whom were present, thrust their fists skyward in approval. Then came the headliners – with Andrew Gillespie on vocals, Antony Brown on guitar and Tobias Messiter, keyboards, Floating Me are three parts Scarymother with a dash of Cog (Lucius Borich on drums) and Karnivool (Jon Stockman on bass): a line-up that can’t be faulted. Live, I was left speechless. Floating Me’s sound is a natural extension of Scarymother. Gillespie’s powerful and considered voice sweeps you up as it soars, with an Eddie Vedder-deepness to its tone. The rhythm section of Borich and Stockman was faultless, and provides the biggest change to the Scarymother sound. Both players are at the top of their game, lifting mid- 90s grunge into a progressive and intricate 21st century sound. Brown and Messiter were almost invisible in the face of these three powerhouses, but without their colour washes and deft touches, the Floating Me sound would not be complete. They fill the space that Borich and Stockman’s brutality leaves bare. With the band’s debut single ‘Sugar’, only recently released, it was gratifying to hear the title track of sole Scarymother album, 1994’s Tai Laeo, as the closer. With over 15 years separating this song and the new beast, the ease with which they sat together emphasised that this is not a new band with a new sound. It is a rebirth. That said, Floating Me are the best new (or reborn) Australian band I have heard in over a decade. If this is what they are delivering at gig number five, I predict they will be on the summer festival run next year, and on the main stages a few years later. ~kevin bull
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architecture in helsinki
cut/copy
midnight juggernaughts
kate nash
Playground Weekender Wisemans Ferry February 17-20
Only in Australia can a four-day festival be dubbed a ‘weekender’. Festivals aren’t just measured by the quality of the line-up, quite often other factors are equally, if not more, important than the headline acts. This is where Playground Weekender number five excelled, combining a stellar line up with spectacular location, great atmosphere, massive fancy dress party and perfect weather. You get out what you put in, in life and art, and Playground Weekender was no exception to the rule — it took me almost four hours to get from my car to the campsite. But what better way to leave the mundane world behind and enter into the magic of a festival, than with a half-hour boat trip from Wisemans Ferry, along the Hawkesbury River. The amazing line-up on the main stage made it hard to get away and see the supporting acts on the smaller stages. As Tim Rogers said halfway through the You Am I set, “we turned up to see Caribou playing, then we’re on, then Cut Copy and Tricky, that sounds like the sort of festival I want to go to”. Tricky created a memorable spectacle during his set on the Friday night, inviting
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about 50 people from the crowd (including myself) on to the stage, during ‘Black Steel’. But despite an amazing back catalogue, Tricky has always struggled to translate his studio sound into a live setting and his headline performance at the festival was a major let-down for everyone I spoke to. The festival highlight for me was not an individual band, but the atmosphere on the Saturday night — 10,000 people in fancy dress having a great time while dancing like mad things to Kool And The Gang. During the weekend’s king tides, the River Stage more than lived up to its name, with a substantial amount of water breaking over the banks of the Hawkesbury and along the front of the stage. I’m not sure what effect this had on the electronics but almost every band I saw at this stage had sound issues, which was a shame because it was the most picturesque stage on the site, with a view of the river and a grass embankment. The Hungry Kids of Hungary and Andy Bull were the stand out acts here, attracting large crowds despite the water inundation and competing acts on the main stage. ~Tim Boehm
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motoring
“The M1 targets a younger audience… and is the fastest and quickest BMW under $100,000”
One is the number Here’s a tough question for you, do you go for the HSV GTS with a few extras or, for a bit more dosh, the new BMW 1-Series M Coupé, aka M1 — as the pumped up hot rod is undoubtedly going to be called? It’s a toughie because the M1 offers giant-killing performance and handling at a much more affordable price than the BMW M3, for example. And like M3 of old — it’s a six pot. At a hundred bucks under $100 grand, the M1 should get your motor running with a healthy 250kW output but more importantly up to 500Nm of torque on ‘over-boost’. Don’t forget, we are talking German kilowatts and torques here, not Japanese or Australian which are often exaggerated. In comparison, the V8-powered M3 has 309kW but a mere 400Nm of torque and weighs more. Guess who we’d put our money on in a drag, and around corners for that matter. The M3 has a reputation for scalpel-like handling but the M1, being lighter, should be its equal, or possibly even better, particularly as it comes from the same factory as the M3 and presumably, is made by the same people. That would be the nutty box-heads at M GMBh who are noted for their love of fast cars. The M1’s power-train is a twin turbo, direct injection, 3.0-litre straight six lifted from the Z4 135IS sports car. Where the sports car gets a seven-speed double-clutch ‘manumatic’ transmission, the M1 will have a six-speed manual, or so BMW says. Stand
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by for the seven-speed a few months down the track. The engine is a genuine twin-turbo unit with two relatively small turbochargers which, because of their low inertia moment, are active even at low engine speeds, each providing three cylinders with compressed air. This results in spontaneous response. Maximum torque of 450Nm comes in at 1500rpm up to 4500rpm. It can be increased by another 50Nm in full throttle by means of an over-boost function. The engine’s efficiency is mainly due to direct injection which allows for high-precision fuel supply by means of piezo injectors placed centrally between the valves. In addition, efficient dynamics measures, such as brake energy regeneration and needs-based control of auxiliary units, ensure that the average fuel consumption on the EU test cycle is limited to 9.6 litres/100km. The six-speed transmission is newly developed and operated through a short gearshift lever. Drive goes to the rear wheels with numerous (switchable) electronic controls to help keep the car under control on the edge. M1 scores a variable M differential lock, a compound high-performance brake system and sports steering. It’s due to lob in Europe soon and is likely to arrive here before the end of the year though that could be problematic given the huge interest in the car and forward orders.
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BMW 1-Series M Coupé r e vi e wed by
Peter Douglas
Apparently, the local allocation is a scant 100 units. They won’t last long. It’s a handsome beast — the ultimate expression of the rather ungainly-looking 1-Series which is fairly ugly in hatchback form but quite a good looker in the coupé. As the top dog 1-Series, the M1 scores a swag of over-the-top equipment including huge wheels and tyres, in-your-face wheel arch flares, sundry air scoops and aero aids. Aerodynamics are optimised and include innovative air curtains at the front end. They move in-flowing air into two ducts by means of openings in the outer section of the front apron. These openings are designed so that the air flows along the inside of the front apron in a closed duct to the wheel arches, where it is discharged through a very narrow opening at high speed, just passing the outer wheel flanks. The escaping air stream covers the side of the front wheels like a curtain, thereby reducing aerodynamically unfavourable turbulence around the wheel arches. The M1 targets a younger audience for BMW performance models and is the fastest
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and quickest BMW under $100 grand. Like all M cars, BMW leverages its motor sport involvement for chassis set-up on the M1 — it means firm, sharp, athletic, responsive — not too many compromises. M1 puts away a 0-100kph sprint in 4.9 seconds and reaches the 200kph mark in 17.3 seconds. All this while registering impressive fuel and emissions figures rated at 9.6 litres per 100 kilometres. It’s a four-seater with an exclusively designed interior using high-quality materials and an M-specific cockpit. Designed to handle a wide range of applications from day-to-day commuting through to track-day ‘racing’, the M1 can be customised simply by ticking the options box at your local BMW dealer. This will undoubtedly bump up the price significantly but on the other side of the coin, some of the optional goodies are difficult to pass up. Bi-xenon headlamps are standard with the twin circular headlights characteristic of the brand. Colours are Alpine White non-metallic, Sapphire Black metallic and the exclusive Valencia Orange metallic, pictured. Standard wheels are 19-inch M light alloys in Y-spoke design. Weight is 1,495kg — more than 100kg lighter than the M3. Dynamic responses are selectable by the driver and can be saved as favourites. We get to drive one in a couple of months — letchaknow?
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j e f f l i n d s ay
Blood lines Actor Michael C Hall can’t take all the credit for making the world’s favourite serial killer, Dexter Morgan, a household name. While many Dexter fans first discovered the charming but creepy title character played by Hall on the popular television series, the Miami police’s forensic blood splatter analyst and ruthless vigilante was the dastardly creation of Jeff Lindsay. Nick Milligan spoke to the American author ahead of his return visit to Australia.
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he complex character of Dexter Morgan was first imagined in Jeff Lindsay’s Darkly Dreaming Dexter in 2004. Four more Dexter novels followed, including last year’s Dexter Is Delicious. The books have inspired the hugely popular television series, which just aired its fifth season, but the programme has had original storylines since the second series. Lindsay admits it was a little nerve-wracking to put his character in the hands of a faceless team of writers. “I was even nervous turning it over to Michael Hall at first, because I didn’t think he could do it. I was really wrong about that,” Lindsay says. “Now I’m happy having it in his hands. But every season there are new writers and I don’t know what they’re going to do. I just know at some point in every season I’m going to go, ‘Oh no!’. I love the show, don’t get me wrong. But there are things you have to do, because it’s TV, that I would never in a million years do in the book.” Indeed, major characters that have been killed in the show are still alive and well in Lindsay’s parallel universe. But the author has accepted that the Dexter Morgan on television is on a different path to the Dexter of his wry, twisted novels. “I’m pretty much detached [from the show], especially this season because the head writer left,” Lindsay explains. “I speak occasionally to one of the executive producers and I usually visit the set at least once every season, but I didn’t
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do that this year.” In last year’s Dexter Is Delicious, the title character finds himself in the visceral, confronting world of cannibalism. Some grim research was required. “You know, it will turn your stomach, but it’s really easy,” Lindsay says. “Go on the internet and start googling and you’ll find cannibal chat rooms and you’ll find recipes for cooking human being. Everything you want. It’s way too easy to find.” So cannibalism is going on out there? “Oh yeah, there’s no question about it. Absolutely,” confirms the author. Dexter Morgan, as always, adheres to the law during his day job with the Miami police, but at night time kills other serial killers with cold precision. Lindsay shares Dexter’s dislike for forensic procedure. “I don’t really go into [forensics] too much,” he says. “I know enough of it to keep it real and honest and I have a lot of friends who do it for a living, so I if I’m stuck I can call them. But to be honest with you, it’s not what I’m interested in writing about. There are people who can do that much better than I ever could. There’s a friend of mine, Lisa Black — she’s a wonderful writer, but her day job is forensics. She could write about mass spectrometers all day long [but] after ten minutes my jaw starts to ache.” Lindsay is contracted to write one new Dexter book each year. He starts the process with a clear idea of where he is going. “I really need to have a beginning, a middle and an
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end,” he says. “I need to know what that last scene is going to be like and what the book is about. I work my butt off to do a really solid, long outline before I start writing but at a certain point I get impatient. Because of that, there’s a point in every single book where I’ve painted myself into a corner.” That said, Dexter Is Delicious was completed in just three months. Lindsay’s wife, author Hilary Hemingway, has the right DNA to help with those painted-in corners, as niece of great American novelist Ernest Hemmingway. “I go back and say those magic words, ‘Help me, Hilary’,” says Lindsay. “My wife is extremely good with structure.” Sometimes even Dexter has a say in the direction of the book. “I think to myself, ‘I’m inhabiting [Dexter]’. But once or twice, he’s inhabited me. In the second book, Dearly Devoted, he took over for a while and did the proposal scene. It happens when someone’s finger is severed and Dexter takes a ring off the finger. Rita finds it in his pants and thinks it’s an engagement ring. I was sitting there as the scene unfolded, thinking, ‘Where is this coming from? I wasn’t going to do that!’.” The Dexter books continue to take place in the humid climate of Miami. Lindsay no longer lives there, but he did grow up in the Florida city. “Nothing else ever occurred to
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me,” says Lindsay. “I just started writing: ‘In Miami one day…’. It’s where I’m from: I have a special relationship with the place. Sometimes it’s a love-hate relationship. But I don’t know where else I could put the story.” Setting the Dexter series in Miami is also inspired by fiction that Lindsay read when he was young. “My mother loved to read mysteries and there’s a writer called John D MacDonald, who is kind of the father of all Florida crime writing,” Lindsay explains. MacDonald penned the 1957 novel The Executioners, which was adapted for the screen as Cape Fear. “I read a lot of those [books] when I was a kid and what I really wanted to do was to write that kind of series: a reluctant hero who solves crimes because he has to. My first book, Tropical Depression [in 1994], was like that. I’ve continued on with Dexter.” It’s one thing to love reading, but why the career choice? “It’s storytelling. I found out early on that it impresses girls, so I stuck with it.” Jeff Lindsay returns to Australia in March. He will appear at the Constant Reader Bookshop, Crows Nest, on Tuesday, March 8; Shearer’s Bookshop, Leichardt, on Tuesday, March 8; and the CBD Hotel, Sydney, on Wednesday, March 9. Go to www.hachette.com.au for more info. Dexter Is Delicious is out now through Hachette.
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Film Reviews
DVD Marathon
Love & loss
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4.5/5 stars Rabbit Hole is an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David LindsayAbaire and one of the most powerful dramas to reach the big screen in a long time. Directed by John Mitchell Cameron (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Rabbit Hole follows the lives of Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart) eight months after losing their four-year-old son Danny to a tragic accident outside their home, in which he was hit by a car driven by local teenager, Jason (Miles Teller), while chasing his dog out on to the street. Both parents are dealing with their loss and grief in different ways, with Becca living in a world of denial and Howie clutching to every memory of Danny that he has. Becca’s sister unexpectedly announces that
she is pregnant which brings raw emotions boiling back to the surface. As the void between Howie and Becca widens, Becca stalks and then befriends Jason, the boy responsible for Danny’s death. This is an interesting relationship which seems to help both deal with their feelings about the tragedy. Howie continues to show up at support groups for parents whose children have died (even after Becca refuses to attend) where he meets the recently separated Gaby (Sandra Oh) and they start smoking pot in the car park before each meeting, to numb the pain. The direction here from Cameron is pitch-perfect — more understated than his previous works — devoid of cheesy
flashbacks and over-the-top emotion. It is a raw and powerful approach that really hits a nerve. Kidman and Eckhart put in amazing performances, with Kidman returning to form in what may be a career best, as she embodies a once successful and vibrant woman, torn apart by personal tragedy. The supporting cast is also brilliant, especially Dianne Wiest as Becca’s mother. Rabbit Hole is by no means a feel-good date movie but as an emotional character-driven drama, this is as good as it gets. It is a deep and harrowing exploration of loss that is not without lighter moments of humour and hope. If you go into this movie with the right frame of mind and a box of tissues you will be rewarded with what promises to be one of the best dramas we’ll see this year.
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2.5/5 stars Yet another action thriller about an American caught up in a conspiracy way over his head in a famous European city, Unknown is somewhere between The Bourne Identity and Frantic. Liam Neeson plays biochemist Dr Martin Harris who is travelling to Berlin with his wife Elizabeth (January Jones) to attend an eco-summit in which he is a guest speaker. On arrival at their hotel, Harris discovers he has left his briefcase at the airport. He exhorts a cab driver to speed but they slide off a bridge in icy conditions and into the river below. This accident puts Harris into 42
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a coma for four days, followed by a severe case of amnesia. When he returns to his hotel, another man (Aidan Quinn) has stepped into his shoes, a man his wife claims is Dr Martin Harris. Baffled and disoriented, Harris enlists a private detective and former Stasi agent (Bruno Ganz) and tracks down Gina (Diane Kruger), the cabbie who saved him from drowning, in a desperate search for answers. His mission to prove his identity is not helped by a couple of determined, stone-faced assassins on his trail. Despite a formulaic script, the acting lifts
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this film above the B-grade, with Neeson putting in a commanding performance, despite a nagging feeling that he walked off the set of Taken and straight into this film. Diane Kruger as his sidekick also plays a solid role. The subdued tones of a Berlin winter are wonderfully captured by cinematographer Flavio Martínez Labiano, as are some tight action sequences including an impressive car chase. Unknown gets a low score for originality, despite its title, but it is still an entertaining ride if you are prepared to swallow its shortcomings.
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Cinéma Vérité?
No matter what the film or the subject, both documentaries and dramas are a study in character motivation with an awareness that the way you present a story affects the viewer’s perception of the characters on-screen. What we see between the two are different stylistic techniques for engaging the viewer. But is this necessarily the case? Films like this month’s I’m Still Here and television series like Parks and Recreation are two perfect examples of the employment of the documentary as an aesthetic, visual style or set of conventions as opposed to a separate branch of film. The stylistic elements of a documentary are: the use of handheld camerawork; an unobstructed view into a subject’s life (making the film all the more powerful when the view is obstructed); and a confessional style in which the subjects directly address the camera and express their feelings. This is substituted or combined with ‘talking heads’: close-ups of subjects or experts in a field giving their opinions to an off-screen interviewer. I’m Still Here is a documentary that reads more like a drama, with the cast playing exaggerated versions of themselves. The documentary aesthetic here creates tension by forcing the viewer to question whether the film’s premise is actually true. In television series likes Parks and Recreation we see the documentary aesthetic applied to a fictional premise and set of characters or subjects. The makers of this series are exploring the effectiveness of cinéma vérité style, in engaging the viewer. Do we identify with characters more if we perceive them as real people? Do we need the film’s visual style to let us do this, or is the key well-written characters and subtle, credible performances from the actors? The answer is that viewers need both. Call it cinéma vérité, call it ‘mockumentary’, call it what you will, but this employment of the documentary aesthetic is starting to become a popular device for identification with fictional characters. Now let’s all go and watch This Is Spinal Tap. ~Sallie Pritchard
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DVD Reviews
Back to the office Too Legit to Quit r e vi e wed
Parks and Recreation – Series 2
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Sallie Pritchard
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
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Anyone who has ever worked in public service knows that bureaucracy is at times the highest form of comedy and its stock in trade are the real characters that have no idea how hilarious they are. Parks and Recreation, a documentarystyle sitcom about the behind-the-scenes dealings of the Pawnee, Indiana, Parks and Recreation office, knows this all too well. The first series followed departmental head, Leslie Knope (Poehler), in her mission to turn an abandoned residential block into a park with the help of local resident Ann Perkins (Jones). If the first series was reminiscent of Star Wars: A New Hope then the follow-up is more The Empire Strikes Back: more
sophisticated and topical, with stronger character development. The premise and the style has been seen before in series like The Office, Yes Minister and The Hollow Men, but this show’s strength lies in the credibility and even lovability of its characters. Programmes like The Office excel at portraying the worst kinds of office behaviour, but Parks and Recreation is about the kind of people you’re more likely to be working with right now; they drive you crazy sometimes, but at the end of the day you know they’re passionate about their work and it makes them impossible to truly dislike. They’re the people you’re
more likely to have a drink with after work than bitch about endlessly to your friends. Highlights include Leslie’s contribution to a Telethon for diabetes awareness that keeps her awake for two days straight and her rendition of ‘Parents just don’t Understand’, which will surely become the definitive version of the classic Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince song. With directors like Freaks and Geeks’ Paul Feig on board, and with a plot involving the same-sex marriage of two penguins earning the series a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Individual Episode, it seems that everyone is starting to realise Parks and Recreation is a great place to work.
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still performing In 2008 Joaquin Phoenix declared his retirement from acting to make a hip-hop record. His brother-in-law, director Casey Affleck, planned to make a film about Phoenix’s transition from Hollywood actor to rapper: a fairly straightforward premise for a documentary. Or it would be if it weren’t for the constant odour of rat in the room. Did Phoenix really quit acting? Why hip-hop? And why now? Are we, the viewers, being conned? In the film Phoenix says, “it’s like I’m stuck in this self-imposed prison of characterisation, Find us on Facebook
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4/5
you know?” He questions how he came to be thought of as an emotional, intense and complicated young man, stating, “I don’t want to play the character of Joaquin Phoenix any more.” The next question is well, what character does he want to play? Phoenix’s attempted transition from actor to rapper is littered with dramatic outbursts, hookers, cocaine, paranoia, and perceived betrayal from his closest friends, perfectly demonstrating the cinematic cliches of a drug-addled musician. Phoenix is a moody protagonist to say the
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least, ordering friends to make snow angels one minute and bursting into tears the next (the latter after his awkward appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman). Combs is perfect as the big-shot producer holding the key to the hopeful star’s success and in a cameo Ben Stiller plays, well, Ben Stiller. But turned up to eleven. One aspiring Hollywood commentator in the film says, “he should have stayed being Joaquin Phoenix”. This line more than any other betrays the film’s real purpose: exposing the public’s perception of celebrities, reality, and our need for actors to be ‘in character’ while performing both on and off the set. While Phoenix has been accused of being too serious in the past, he may, after this film, never be taken seriously again.
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3.5/5 Jeff Skilling, a former Enron executive, is quoted as saying, “money is the only thing that motivates people”. In this world, money equals status and power, hence the perception that those with the most money must be the smartest. But what about those for whom money is simply a means of survival? And what happens when those smart guys with all the money lose it? This riveting documentary, re-released in February this year by Dendy, is about the rise and spectacular fall of Enron, once the seventh biggest company in America. Executives effectively gambled with the company’s stocks, losing Enron millions of dollars and its employees, their pension and retirement funds. Through interviews with the authors of the book on which the film is based and former Enron staff, as well as access to confidential documents and Senate committee reports, the film gives an insight into how the company, which once made billions of dollars, took just 24 days to lose it all. The film exposes a system, used by Enron executives, known as mark-to-market accounting, in which a company’s future profits are calculated as if they are current profits, making deals look like company gains when they could just as easily be losses, and some of them were spectacular losses. The inner workings of a corporation may not seem all that interesting to those who aren’t business-minded and at times the film assumes the viewer is familiar with the way companies operate financially, so the more technical aspects of the story can get confusing. But the story of Enron’s downfall is still fascinating because as co-author Bethany McLean says, “it’s a Greek tragedy”. The film traverses the dramas and scandals of those notorious 24 days, but it is most importantly a character study of the men whose misuse of power and wealth brought the company to its knees. For business students, the story of Enron is the ultimate cautionary tale about the dangers of organisations acting in an unethical and socially irresponsible manner. For anyone who likes a juicy story, it’s a tale of how rich, greedy men got what they deserved. The tragedy is that thousands of people had to lose what they deserved in the process.
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reverb mag azine issue #056 — march 2011
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