SHAMZINE #7 by SHAMZINE

Probably Duhwin's only music mag www.shamzine.com Issue #7 April 2012 FREE

Requiem MC Brian Cullen LEAH FLANAGAN Jigsaw collective jasmine revolution Green Stone Garden SHAMZINE 1

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Editorial Contact us

By Steve-o Lees

Editorial: steveo@shamzine.com Hello Shamsters and welcome to 0407 267 724 the April issue of Shamzine. Advertising: nico@shamzine.com We’re entering the fourth month Gig guide: gigs@shamzine.com of 2012 and Darwin music has been hard at work bringing you www.shamzine.com show after show, week after facebook.com/shamzinent week with talent from around the community. Between the twitter.com/shamzinent Happy Yess and the Railway Club, original music has been Our mates entertaining audiences and giving the music enthusiasts their fix of live and local music. In this issue of Shamzine you will get to know the guys from Jasmine Revolution as they speak to Megan Spencer from Music NT about their debut EP and life in Jasmine Revolution. I spend the weekend with the Jigsaw Collective and review their “Live at the Lighthouse” album recorded at the 2011 Darwin Festival. And Liam and Lachlan hit you with a taste of hip hop after chatting to Requiem MC. The cover Jess from Faces in the Fire @ The Big Sleep 3, Happy Yess

It was the last-ever FitF gig, something we’re all still mourning, and it was easily the best they’ve ever played. Half the band are now continuing their stoner rock in King Bong.

Tear into the pages, eat a snack and enjoy April’s issue of Shamzine.

Go see some live music and keep your eye on the Darwin Music Scene Facebook group and Music NT Facebook page for daily updates about entertainment and events.

US MOB Steve “O” Lees is a young achiever, in so far as he achieves youth. His favourite colour is breakfast juice and his goal in life is to one day invent a hair style. Lachlan “Go” West puts the hard in hardcore rap, and derives his name from an ancient Babylonian proverb, which literally translates to “suggestively shaped vegetable”.

Jimmy “Phoenix” Reintjens once went by the pseudonymn “Lyon Mann”, a double entendre which he still prides himself on. Zac “Wicked” East derives humour from the discomfort of his fellow man. He’s Nico “Ol’ Cocksy” Liengme enjoys not a afraid to hold a man’s gaze and whiskey, although by whiskey he means frequently daydreams about cutlery. bourbon, a fact which attracts the ire of Wil “Foot” Burr started this here ‘zine, just about everybody alive today. but is currently believed to be residing near Betelgeuse Seven. Liam “Parry-Mills” Darksmith smites the dark. And by “smites” I mean “collates”. And by “dark” I mean “gig guide”. He assures us he has other uses too. We’ll see.

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take The next step local snooze a rant By Nico liengme Song of the Year Awards Music NT’s inaugural NT Song of the Year Awards are open now. That means you can enter your song to be judged in a range of categories, the most important being “awesome”. This is of course absolutely open to EVERYBODY, no matter what you play. Details can be found at ntsong.musicnt.com. Nominations close on May 18th with the awards being held as part of...

The return of Original Recipe music festival

Held June 15-17, 2012, Original Recipe is an annual music festival designed to celebrate Darwin’s awesomeness. A variety of gigs will be spread over the entire weekend at a variety of venues, so keep your eyes peeled for further details in Shamzine, or check out Music NT’s website at musicnt.com.au.

Henry Rollins is coming to town

Black Flag veteran and hardcore punk legend Henry Rollins will be in town as part of his “Long March” tour on April 29 at the Darwin Entertainment Centre. As you probably know, these days Rollins is predominantly a spoken word artist, and will no doubt be telling all kinds of tales of his travels around the world.

Shamstock is a thing

With Shamstock, we’re hoping to be able to pull off one of the single greatest day/nights of NT music & arts in recorded history. Featuring 30 bands ranging from folk, blues, hip hop, rock, electronic, punk, indie, reggae, and just about anything else you can think of. Plus market stalls, workshops, arts n’ crafts, visual arts, theatre, spoken word and poetry, food, drink and anything else you need to be entertained. More info will come soon, but in the mean time, get excited. This will be big!

I’m astonished and disappointed by the sheer number of (sometimes great) bands which have been around for a while - sometimes years, played a few shows, and then broken up, without leaving behind so much as a demo or cheaply screened tshirt to be remembered by in a gradually-fading sense. My frustration at this must be vented. So, you’ve been in a band a while. A year, maybe more. You’ve been working hard in that time, it’s a solid slog. You’ve poured your heart into your songs, your wallet into your gear, and now you sit broke and despondent because you’re not getting anywhere. Playing music isn’t an easy hobby. It’s an even harder profession. But sometimes, we make some glaring omissions in our plans to conquer the world. And right now, I believe the chief among them is the complete and utter disregard which too many “up and coming” (and I use that phrase with the utmost disdain) bands give to the studio recording. Let’s say I’m a Sydney-based booking agent, arranging shows for an interstate/ international act to tour around the country. We’d love to put a show on in Darwin, that sounds great. I’ve heard good things about the town and the crowds, and our touring artists is very keen on the idea. We’ve spoken to some local promoters and there’s a couple of suitable acts who could support. One of these acts has a Sonicbids / ReverbNation / website with some promotional tracks, a readily available high-resolution logo, some sharp looking promo shots and a concise biography with career highlights and performance history.

The other band has an abandoned MySpace with a shitty live track or two. It’s pretty fucking clear from the outset who’s going to get the gig. You’re not impressing anyone with your complete lack of concern for how you’re perceived. You might put on a bitching live show, and maybe a few dozen of your mates will gush about how awesome you are. But to anyone who doesn’t have the resources, time or concern to see you live (which, believe it or not, is the vast majority of your potential fanbase), your band is just another name. Recording music in 2012 is easier than it has ever been. Sure, you could spend big on a bigname who can mix and master at $2000 per track. Or you could just dig around, talk to other local bands, find out your options. You might find that getting a 3-4 track promo/EP done for under a grand isn’t outside the realm of possibility. Share that cost amongst your bandmates and you’re only likely to putting down $2-300 each. You know how much music gear costs - your amp, guitar, kit. You know that’s NOTHING. Let me reiterate here: RECORD SOME FUCKING MUSIC. No music industry bigwigs are going to come to your gig at Happy Yess and be blown away. This isn’t 1990 Seattle, and it’s your responsibility to get your name out there. There are thousands of people out there who WOULD love your tunes (because hey, there’s no accounting for taste) but will NEVER see you live. You’ll be cheating yourself out of all sorts of opportunities, from festivals to touring support slots, because you couldn’t get 4 people on a room together with some microphones and an engineer.

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Leah Flanagan Nirvana nights by Lachlan west For this month’s issue I’ve step a little out of my comfort zone and reviewed the wonderfully soulful Leah Flanagan’s second release ‘Nirvana Nights’. This album consists of nine beautifully written songs that caress through a selection of genres including the warmth of jazz, layered with an earthy folk feel, glistened with Leah’s silky voice. My eyes were truly opened to the musicality, song writing and melodies which are Leah Flanagan’s ‘Nirvana Nights’. There is something almost magical about how she accomplishes this, as you find yourself humming and singing the chorus lines as if off in some kind of musical wonderland. And the production value! The warm double bass sits so well with the sultry trumpets, the drums in the background softly trudging the songs along, while the guitars complete the sound to create this diverse space that flows and adjusts accordingly to the mood of the song. The title track ‘Nirvana Nights’ is a upbeat song with a jazzy backbone, that makes you just want to leap out of your seat and sing along at the top of your lungs ‘closing hours are my least favourite hours,’ and bob your head along with a huge grin on your face, the whole track sounds so damn good!

Opener Goodbye starts with sorrowful keys, telling a story that almost brings a tear to the eye. The dynamics are fantastic, the soul of the band, the sound and Leah’s voice slowly lifting you up through to the chorus and softly back down again feeling all the emotions being played out before you. Innocent Hearts is another fine example of Leah’s song writing, captivating the listener by ever so slightly stretching the lyrics. Making you hang on every word until the punchy chorus kicks in with some very lovely guitar backing it up. And if you haven’t caught on by now, let me tell you that this album has such an enormous feel to it. The music captives and sinks you comfortably into this warm space, and lets you drift off, while being told enchanting stories along the way. The only break in your consciousness during the listening time will be when it finishes. And I could write all the adjectives in the world and still fail to truly capture Leah’s voice. You need to hear it (if you haven’t already) for yourself. I suggest that you do. You can most likely find Leah playing pretty much every week at various venues around town (The Railway club, Happy Yess, etc) or jump onto her website to find out the latest details or grab a copy of her album at www.leahflanagan.com.au

JIGSAW COLLECTIVE Live at the lighthouse by steve lees “Have you ever had to take another number? Or write another song about the thief? If you just don’t care that I have lost my soul, bringing out the jam might triple your score to find land with less of this next affliction that makes up this world hey big boy”? Darwin based soul; blues and jazz band Jigsaw Collective have released their latest 11 track live record “Live from the Lighthouse” recorded at the 2011 Darwin Festival. On my first listen to these fun, upbeat and smooth sounds I was quite fascinated with the quality of the mix and the arrangements of songs, after playing it over a weekend I was very drawn to the humble sounds and song writing that you can hear throughout the

whole record. With a cast of 7 and not shy to having guests on stage with them, or on the road, the Jigsaw Collective and special guests The Country Town Girls have really captured the atmosphere of those beautiful dry season nights in the city of Darwin on this live album. The Jigsaw Collective is one of the Northern Territories biggest entertainers and has grown their fan base at home and nationally with sold out shows and headlining tours since 2004. The Jigsaw Collective stars Jack Tinapple, Dan Davies, Kadek, Hobman, Kim Orchard, Dylan Bennett, Casey Nicholson and Matt Holt.

Check them out at jigsawcollective.com or powerfunk.com, where you can buy this soulful record of jazz and blues by these local legends.

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Jasmine revolution By Megan Spencer / MusicNT.com.au

After returning from a ‘pilgrimage’ to Egypt in 2010, Darwin ‘transplant’ Alex Moraitis decided to start a revolution, just quietly… His timing was spot on. Although it was some months before political revolution would consume his family’s homeland, Tunisia had already begun the rolling civil resistance which would eventually engulf Egypt and oust President Hosni Mubarak. The revolution caused ripple effects across Arab countries, China and ultimately the movement now termed ‘The ‘Arab Spring’ which still makes headlines today. The people had spoken. And how. While Alex’s ‘revolution’ was far more more personal, it was nonetheless

transformative for this Perth ex-pat. He’d all but given up playing guitar and songwriting, two passions which had somehow fallen by the wayside. It was time for him to reclaim music. Hooking up with some like-minded folk – each who just happened to be wrestling with some kind of musical ‘exile’ of their own – the penny dropped. Time to form a band. Time to get inspired. And time to take part in the energetic and staunch original music community for which Darwin is known and loved, where ‘revolution’ is not only embraced, often it’s expected... How and when did the band form? Alex: I returned from a family pilgrimage through Egypt in Dec 2010 and with the inspiration with that trip plus the

positive influences from local musos Dave Garnham and Dave Spry at Nirvana open mic night, I decided to dust off the six string, pull out the old original music archives, and start playing my old originals again. After 2 years out of the music scene of Perth I loved the return of writing, playing and performing.

From there I went on a muso hunt in Feb 2011 and coincidently came in contact with the other band members. Having a beer at the Beachfront hotel I met Lachlan Parsons (bass) who was playing bass air guitar to the stereo, and keen to jam originals, then Stuart Higlett (lead) through a work mate then finally Callum Munro (drummer) via his mates who went the same parties. We started jamm’n and instantly connected and liked what we were re-creating.

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By April 2011 we formed Jasmine Revolution and held our first gig at a band launch party the week later

The million 4 question - please tell us about your band name... how you came to choose it and what it means exactly? Alex: Jasmine Revolution is the name given to the peaceful demonstration, or freedom of speech, which formed Egyptian democratic independence in the early months of 2011. With original music being freedom of speech, combined with a recent family pilgrimage to Egypt by Alex Moraitis, the name JASMINE REVOLUTION was appropriately formed. How would you describe your sound, and music influences? Alex: Our sound is unique. It’s energetic, progressive and dynamic Indie Rock with melodies, harmonies and killer open riff sections that take you to another universe. Radiohead and Smashing Pumpkins have always been a huge influence in creating the unique and sometimes haunting guitar progressions, with lyrical geniuses Counting Crows, You Am I and Butterfly Effect playing a part in appreciating the importance of creative lyrics and telling a story. What were the initial ambitions or ideas for the band, when you started ie why did you start the band?! Alex: Initially there was no expectations, we just wanted to jam originals. Everyone had had a few years off music and coincidently as we slowly met each other we had the same inspiration to return to not only playing music but writing and performing.

Recently you supported Husky in Darwin. The event sold out early - what was that gig like? The experience? Is it the biggest you’ve played so far in Darwin? Alex: Yeh it was super fun and a pleasure to support Husky and Green Stone Garden. Nook entertainment did a great job arranging it all. Nice bunch of guys and great music. The venue filled very early, the lighting was nice, vibe cool and alot of familiar faces.. We nailed a good set, received some good feedback and really enjoyed it up there.. We were even hit by a lightning strike which dropped power and lights to the venue for approx 10 seconds but we kept jamm’n and luckily the sound all kicked back in to a cheer from the audience – was epic!!

When you look around at the local music scene at the moment, what do you see - your observations? And do you think it has changed over time? In what way? Alex: Yeh the past few years it seems original music is slowly developing in the right direction with more original bands and/or solo artists emerging out of their garages and onto the stage.. We have some great talent up here, and it seems it’s time for those muso’s to show Darwin what they have. The original music emerging in 2012 is a sign of things to come. Lachlan: The Biggest thing I have noticed since playing as a teenager in the Darwin in the late 1990’s to today is that there is a lot more opportunity for original bands. There has always been talent in Darwin but it’s because of venues like the Happy Yess and the Railway Club that original bands are becoming more successful. There has definitely been a growing audience for original music in the last couple of years and I think its only a matter of time before Mitchell St starts taking on these bands on a regular basis.

What do you like about playing music? And specifically about playing music in Jasmine Revolution? Alex: We all enjoy creating nice sounds and expressing ourselves. Playing music is an escape from normality and an energy that is hard to beat. All members of Jasmine Revolution are singer song writers, which is great as we are slowly developing our set list by songs and influences by all members. We love how we switch roles and instruments during our gigs, it’s great to be part of a band with excellent musicians and good guys. We openly discuss what’s working, what isn’t and enjoy sharing a few beers and parties. Lachlan: The main thing I enjoy about playing in Jasmine Revolution is playing music together every week…it NEVER gets boring. On the drive Jam’s I often find myself pondering ‘whether Cal can get through a song without breaking a drum stick or knocking over a cymbal. I also wonder if it is possible for Stuey to play a guitar solo without closing his eyes and pursing his lips together like he is playing an invisible flute’…that’s what makes this band so great! Callum: To me there is absolutely nothing better than spending an hour or two behind a drum kit, whether practising at home, or jamming/playing gigs with the fellas. I just love hitting things.

What have been some of your favourite gigs as ‘punters’ - and some of your favourite NT bands? Alex: We love BASS IN THE GRASS, especially as there is one stage so everyone’s energy is focused in the same area. Really enjoy everything involved with the Darwin and Seabreeze Festivals. Loved the Butterfly Effect when they played at the Ski Club. Dave Garnham has always been an inspiration from the start, his music is fantastic and other great local bands ‘Dave Spry and the Moral High Ground’, ‘Green Stone Garden’ and ‘SIETTA’ are creating great tunes. Lachlan: I really enjoyed seeing Regurgitator as a teenager at the ski club. TISM, Magic Dirt, and Tubleweed at Darwin High will always be memorable. Seeing Something For Kate at Humpty Doo was awesome and more recently playing with Husky and Green Stone Garden was a definite highlight! Callum: Seeing Tool live finally, after listening to them almost religiously for over a decade, was the ultimate gig for me. Some of my favourite local bands include Dave Spry and The Moral High Ground, Burrfoot, and more recently Green Stone Garden. What do you like about NT audiences? And about playing music in Darwin? Alex: The Darwin audiences are very appreciative of local music and in particular original music, there’s very little criticism which is nice, a credit to the openness of Darwin audiences. The people up here truly make it enjoyable to play and develop original music in Darwin.

What are some of the challenges? Alex: Sweating over power boards has had its interesting moments as has electrical storms cutting power half way through the gig. But these experiences make it more fun up here!! Darwin has a small population so this means less original music venues, making it a little more challenging to get a variety in where you play. No biggie, we enjoy rotating through the beautiful original venues we have in town – i.e. The Happy Yess, The Railway Club, Nirvana Bar & Restaurant. We are hoping more local bars and venues open themselves to original music and help us bands grow original music in Darwin. Callum: One of the challenges of being the drummer in such an energetic band, is not getting dehydrated by the Darwin heat and humidity.

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REQuiem MC

By Lachlan west & Liam darksmith Recently some of the SHAMZINE crew (Liam and Lachy) were lucky enough to catch up with the newly local Requiem MC, who after 3 years from his last killer album Grassroots Anarchy (reviewed in the last issue of SHAMZINE) has released his latest EP Digital Blues. He gave us the run down on what this latest instalment might hold. What can listeners expect from your new EP ‘Digital Blues’? Ah I guess they can expect a massive growth in the music, you know. I mean I was really happy with the last release (Grassroots Anarchy) but considering it was probably 3 years ago a lot’s changed since then. This is more of a grown man rap, you know what I mean? There was a few things on the last release that I wasn’t completely happy with though. So I wanted to just step it up in all aspects. So this is just an elevation of what I’ve been doing, same raw style that people are used too, but there’s a few other things like even the lead single were I’ve kinda stepped back a bit and reflected on a few good things as well.

Are we still going to get the same rawness from the first album but with a different twist? The EP is like a condensed version of everything I’m about. Its four tracks you’ve got everything on there, every track’s different. So the first single’s dropped and people are kinda jumping the gun to judge it on that and I think that’s fine, but every other track is completely different the first track ‘digital blues’ is a real aggressive track kinda just letting it all out about my opinion on the scene. ‘Love affair’ is a kicked back track in a positive way, ‘till death’ is one of those more political tracks. It’s more gritty and ‘world wide’s’ is another reflective kind of thing. So it’s got something for any one. You might like one track more than the other or you might like them all who knows.

Can you tell us about the new video you dropped called ‘Love Affair’? Yeah it’s a clip for my new track ‘Love Affair’. Shot in Melbourne over the summer just after New Year. Directed by a guy called Andrew Wood from Rockaway Creative, he did Illy’s video clips. I was looking for someone to do a clip and saw some good clips being made and obviously it had to fit into my budget, cause I’m not on any label, just doing my own thing. Once I found this guy he was willing to work with my for my budget, we got together and it was great you know. The track is all about my love for my home town, I guess it’s like a long distance relationship. Cause now I’ve got a second lover up in Darwin, and I just wanted reflect on all the stuff the song touches on like the coffee culture, the beer culture, the graffiti and the laneway culture so I really just tried to capture all that.

And maybe Darwin is starting to get a smidgen of that with the Woolworths alleyway (the graf wall), have you seen that? I see signs of the infamous hosier lane there a little bit. When I came to Darwin I was worried. I didn’t know anything about it, I was worried there wasn’t going to be much of a scene. But as soon as I saw the graf on that building and that lane I kind of got this good feeling I was like ‘well this place is all right you know, it’s gonna be ok we’ve got some graffiti, some writers up here which means we must have some MC’s which means it’s going to be all good’ so It was a good thing to see when I first got into town. So you’re doing this EP all off your own back? Yes 100%. There’s no money coming from anyone else. There’s no influence coming from anyone else. I’ve got a label called minimal aesthetics, and that’s me myself and I. I’m the publicist, I’m the CEO, I’m the number one artist, I’m the

manager, I’m the groupies, I’m doing this to get my music out there I’m not trying to market it to any particular thing, it’s just whatever I wanna make so this is just the way to do it.

So, where did you record the EP? The same place as before? Yep, I think once you’re on a good thing stick with it. I recorded the LP Grassroots Anarchy with Ciecmate from the Hired Goons, Broken Tooth entertainment, he’s got a studio in Collingwood, in Melbourne called Chess Sounds and Ciecmate is probably the best studio engineer in the country. I think even if your Hilltop Hoods or Drapht I think if they had the chance to record with him, like they get a great sound out of their release but honestly even if you had a major label budget I’d still go with him to record. Cause he just gets this sound. he just knows how to get the best sound out of his equipment, definitely made a choice of getting back with him and getting him to handle it. At least I knew that part was organised you know? Was it any different going in for a second time? Did you learn any new tricks or anything like that? Not really, I just said to him (Ceicmate) ‘just let me know if it sucks, I’m not looking for props, if I need to do this take five times I’ll do it, I wanna get this

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done as quick as I can to keep the budget down but if it takes a whole day to do something then I’m willing to spend the time in the studio cause I want this to be number one, as in the best thing it can be’ so he was good. He’d say a few things to me like ‘oh maybe the way you say that you can change it to say this’. He had a few different techniques for recording dubs and backups. There’s this one track ‘til death’ it’s a gritty track so he put my voice through this reverb. He’d say ‘you know I was thinking we could put it

down for some up and coming supports. If everyone can come down it’s gonna be a big when it happens just got to get the details organised.

through this on the mix do you reckon it’s a good one?’ And I was like ‘yeah! Shit yeah! Let’s do that!’ he had that studio experience that he could give to the project.

of Sono and Cnyic, Northbound, Belle, Deep all the guys that were in the loop movement. And even the other guys like Pott Street I haven’t meet them yet but hopefully they can come to a gig and we can connect. I wanna get to know everyone in the scene and what I want to happen more is get some of the other people. Like the b-boys and the writers and get everyone coming together as a whole. So everyone I’ve meet has been cool. It’s been a really good thing.

Is there any special guest’s that we should look out for? Yeah there’s two vocalists. A guy called Joshua Tavares, he’s an amazing soul singer. His brother Cisco Tavares, you might have heard him on a few of B’s records releases, he was on Mantra’s album. He’s been on a few dudes records. Do you have any plans to do a launch show in Darwin? Definitely, definitely going to be launch in the next few months, just locking it in now. But going get myself and whoever’s

How have you found Darwin’s hip hop scene? It’s great man. I didn’t know where to start and Sono and Cynic were launching their release so I thought yeah I go check out what this is all about, and from there I just meet everyone. Everone was at the gig, I made connections with the likes

So, have you found a difference in styles between the Darwin MC’s as opposed to the MC’s in Melbourne? Are the Darwin MC’s a bit more laid back and not as cut throat as the Melbourne MC’s? A little bit. Some of the Darwin MC’s are

more happy go lucky with their raps they are more about good times. Sometimes Melbourne MC’s are all about bitter fuck you up shit. but that’s cool gotta have a bit of everything don’t ya? I’m trying to bring that negativity to Darwin, that’s what my songs are all about (laughs).

Well that about wraps it up for today is there anything else you’d like to add? Just go to requiemhiphop.com and

download ‘Digital Blues’ on March 1st and you can also download my back catalogue, and if you dig it then I’ve got physical copies you can cop. It’s all 100% strictly independent there’s no grab for fans. There’s no dub step remixes and I’m down with dub step too. But I’m not trying to jump on the latest Katy Perry bandwagon you can just cop my shit, and it’s what it is. And Thanks for the support. Anyone out there supporting it, SHAMZINE, Grind anyone who’s down to support I really appreciate it, cause that’s how it gets out there. A huge thank you from the SHAMZINE crew for the interview. For anyone wanting to buy any of Requiem’s previous material head to www.requiem.bigcartel.com.

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Green stone garden By Nico Liengme

Green Stone Garden are a band you’re likely to have heard of by now, and if not, you will soon, as they’re powering into 2012 with some big gigs on the cards and some spectacularly catchy, mellow tunes to groove along to. I caught up with singer and guitarist Mike Meston during the recording of their sampler demo late last year... “Green Stone Garden actually started a couple of years ago in Melbourne,” Mike tells me. “It was just an acoustic duet, essentially.” But upon arriving in Darwin, Mike decided to flesh out the band into an energetic live presence, but with each new band member bringing their own talents and style to the table, the band’s sound shifted and grew. “What we’re doing now though is completely different to that, the only thing that’s the same is some of the songs. But even the writing process has changed. Now we write the songs together.” The band themselves play a sweet kind of folksy indie rock, with the dense harmonic and vocal layers that brings to mind some of Radiohead’s quieter stuff.

“We went from being minimalist folk acoustic to being ‘anthemic rock’ somehow, which is what someone wrote recently,” though Mike doesn’t exactly see it that way “I wouldn’t say we’re that, exactly, but we do have a few ooh’s and aah’s.”

recorded result. “We’re trying to just get a few basic tracks down. Just to get the essence of what we do down, and define ourselves as a band. Figure out what we want to be.” And after that? “We’ll tour, around Australia for a while. We know lots of bands around Australia, and we’d love to play with many of them.” But they weren’t particularly committed to releasing anything to the public any time in the immediate future. “We don’t feel any kind of commercial need to release anything. We’re just doing it for the love of making music, for now. We’re not looking to get a record deal or anything like that. We just want to make good music and for people to come along for the ride”.

Mike sees the growth of the band to be a strictly positive thing. “I much prefer playing with a band. It can be hard to find the right people though. In Darwin, you can’t really be too picky. Not to say that the people I play with aren’t awesome. I’m really happy with the people we’ve got involved. We’re definitely still in the ‘evolution’ or ‘formation’ phase.” I asked Mike about the recording sessions they were undertaking at that time, and what the plans were for the

Mike also runs NOOK Event Management with Green Stone Garden drummer and singer James Gough, and together they’ve brought some high profile names to Darwin including Jeff Martin, Vasco Era, Husky and Bubsy Marou, as well as upcoming shows for Big Scary and Passenger (UK), with plenty more on the horizon. They sometimes support these shows, but more frequently look to the small but passionate Darwin scene for input. “The really special thing about a small place like this is that everyone comes together, the same crowd can attend all kinds of different shows.”

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SHAMZINE 13

Brian cullen

By Megan Spencer / MusicNT.com.au Darwin classical guitarist Brian Cullen talks about his solo CD and his musical journey over the years… Called Duality, it’s a bit of a landmark for this hard-working musician previously known for his work with “power-funk” big bands The NEO and Jigsaw Collective. He’s also been hailed as “one of Darwin’s leading classical guitarists” for his solo concerts, often inspired by “20th century South American composers.” A passionate guitarist and multiinstrumentalist, Brian has an Honours Degree in Music from Charles Darwin Univeristy – where he studied under the tutelage of guitar great Adrian Walter (now head of the Australian National University’s School of Music in Canberra) – and now teaches guitar at Darwin’s influential NT Music School. Brian is a hard-working and dedicated musician and somewhat enigmatic you could argue, given with his credentials, it’s difficult to find much about him on the ‘net – probably he’s too busy making music..! Quite possibly all that’s about to change. With the imminent release of Duality (“because it takes 2 hands to make music on the guitar. Also because the music is organised in pairs…” he explains of the title), Brian’s upcoming twin gigs got a guernsey in The Weekend Australian recently, catching the eye of writers in the national arts section. Not a bad way to start the New Year… In what might just be Brian Cullen‘s very first feature interview, this dedicated disciple of music, Zen and guitar, chats to Music NT.

Music NT: How long have you been working on your new CD, and how did it come about? For about 6 months I have been building the repertoire and recording it at my friends home studio. ‘Duality’ is the title because I chose the music in pairs. Some pieces sound more complete to me when they are paired with something that adds contrast or an extra development to the pieces. A couple of the tracks I added on just because I like them. Where was it recorded? Any other details important for us to know about how it was made? It was recorded in a lounge room with a Pro-Tools set up. To cancel out room noise we put up some homemade carpet walls on stands – my friend is very creative! We used 4 microphones for most of the recordings, all Rode mics, 1 Valve, 1 large diaphragm condenser and to 2 live performance mics. What kind of music will be on it – how would you describe its sound? The majority of music I play on the album is classical repertoire but there

are also traditional songs from Japan. I also recorded one track with a Yamaha Guitalele which gives a brilliant rip-off sound of a lute only with less tuning fuss. Who would you say has had the biggest influence on your music? Do you have or have you had any particular mentors to peak of? And do you think mentors are important – given that you are a teacher yourself? Yes, I have had wonderful teachers; I count myself very lucky to live so remotely but to also have access to such brilliant minds: Adrian Walter, Stephan Bulmer, Bill Grose… Adrian is now the head of the music faculty at ANU, Bill is down in Canberra also and Stephan remains devoted to the Territory lecturing at CDU. Please tell us more about your teaching? I teach guitar for the NT Music School which is part of the government’s schools program so we are all qualified teachers who focus on several instruments and provide tuition in school time to government schools students. A very

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lucky position to have really.

What got you into guitar in the first place? When I was in Year 8 my old man use to have a record and CD collection (still does really!) and I found his Billy Joel Best of Hits CD and really got into listening to it after school. Then one day I came across his Led Zeppelin boxed set and oh my goodness! The world changed forever and I desperately wanted to play their music. I think the main thing was that I wanted to play more than simply look cool, I just wanted to play it, and play it to the CD. I still have a Zeppelin fetish really; I don’t think one ever gets over such things. You have an Honours Degree in music from CDU. What did you get from this study experience? I did my Honours year in 2005, my focus was on the guitar music of South America my degree comprised 2 solo concerts and 2 ensemble concerts of standard concert length (1hr 20 m). Some of the works I performed took months to develop and at least a month to memorise; Barrios’ “La Catedral” and Bellinati’ “Jongo” were some of the works most difficult. Overall I achieved an HD and gained the required 85%+ to go on to doctorate bypassing Masters Degree. I haven’t had the time start doctors yet but I haven’t had the motivation either; instead I have just been enjoying playing and teaching. At the end I had a I live CD I produced myself and created the album cover art for also.

What is your story behind becoming part of The NEO and Jigsaw? What part of your musicianship did it allow you to express? NEO was more life experience for me and I made great friendships whilst travelling around the country on a whim and a prayer; musically it wasn’t always challenging but it was fun a lot of the time. There were a few creative moments where the music became challenging and some studio recording sessions which let me know how little preparation time an artist can have in modern recording studios. But overall it was a treasured experience. Did you enjoy playing with both bands – and do you still get involved in gigs with them?

I was younger and different when I played with NEO and also with Jigsaw, and some of my relationships have lasted for a long time… I prefer to congratulate them on their successes [and] watch from the audience…

What made you decide to go out as a solo artist? I was always a soloist at heart because my sound is a soft and personal kind. What are some of the best live gigs you have ever played? In the NT and anywhere else? My Honours concerts were probably my favourites because all the work paid off and managing the events and making a profit at the end of the day was a wonderful experience for me. I also enjoyed playing support act gigs for big names visiting the NT like Barnsey, Ross Wilson and a like. Oh yes, the St Ives pub in Hobart really goes off too! Have you played much outside of the NT?

Some, mostly on NEO and Jigsaw tours but the occasional as a soloist. Because I have grown to love the NT I am not so concerned about ‘getting famous’ in the big world out there or greater Australia. This place is my home and I want to play to Territorians and teach them my love for guitar and music. And how did you come to be in the NT? I grew up in Gippsland (dairy capital of Aus) – always tell people that! It’s a cool place; my father got a job up here in 1995

and so we followed and the moment the airport doors opened I remember just being blown over by this incessant heat. For the first 7 years I absolutely hated it. But then my family left town and I had just joined NEO and it was fantastic, and now I love the weather. I guess ‘butterfly’ is the best metaphor to describe my time spent in Darwin (not very manly I realise, but apt…)

What’s been the most satisfying thing about producing your new album? Listening to how I sound to other people. On the guitar we have what is called ‘lap sound’, that is the sound the player hears; which is the sound of the guitar everybody hears but with the added vibrations through our own bodies.

Do you have a particular ‘philosophy’ or approach to being a musician, making music? Is it difficult to make music your career, specially also living in such a remote place as Darwin? It is difficult but it must be in context. I tell my students this too – sacrifice – to achieve the sound you want you have to (most importantly) spend the time practicing the sound and you must also work to improve yourself generally as a full human being. There is no use trying to play to audience without being a full person. I guess it is like how the Samurai train in Autumn for the coming winter in preparation of a poor harvest; they think about how to train, how to improve how to achieve something, rather than simply trying really hard to achieve a goal only to fall short in the last week before Spring.

What ambitions do you have for it, and do you have gigs/a tour planned? I would like to sell the CD, I would like my students, friends & family and fellow Territorians to hear it. Some air time on radio would be a great thing. But most importantly I would like my children to hear it when I am old, rambling on about Samurai and drooling on myself. What’s the best piece of music advice you’ve ever been given? “PLAY IT LOUD, OK?!” – From Good Morning Vietnam. Just kidding. Hmmm, probably to present something worth presenting to an audience, you have to move them and behave in a way that is going to develop their experience in the concert to a more emotional expression of music’s purpose. (That wasn’t given to me in those exact words of course but that’s roughly it.)

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April gigs Sun 1st Happy Yess Markets (first Sunday of every month) @ DVAA, Woods St | 2 – 6pm

Sun 15th Darwin Symphony Orchestra @ Brown’s Mart Theatre | 10am | $15/$10

First Sunday Blues @ PINT Club, Marrara | 2-6pm

Wed 18th

The Beez @ Bogarts | 7pm | $30 ($90 premium)

Thurs 19th

Tue 3rd

Wed 4th

The Beez @ Bogarts | 7pm | $30 ($90 premium)

Thurs 5th

John Butler Trio @ Ski Club | 8pm | $56

Leah Flanagan & Friends @ Railway Club | 7pm | FREE Comedy & Karaoke @ Happy Yess | 7pm | FREE The Beez @ Bogarts | 7pm | $30 ($90 premium)

Fri 6th

Ned & Friends + more @ Happy Yess | All-ages | 7pm | $5

Sat 7th

Bob Log III @ Railway Club | 7:30pm | $32.15 Rock Against Racism @ The Rock (Doctor’s Gully) | 5pm | $5/$10

Erica Owns The Sky, Emma Rowe and Room 105 @ Happy Yess | 7pm | $10

Thurs 12th

Happy Yess Lecture Series | 7pm | FREE

Fri 13th

Tony Bradford @ Casuarina Library | 12pm | FREE Lou Brewster @ City Library | 12:30pm | FREE

The Big Gig w/ Emma Louise, Abbey Rose, Ned & Friends @ Museum & Art Gallery | all-ages | 2-8pm | FREE FEMA, Fragmenta, Aborted Jesus Milkshake + more @ Happy Yess | 6:30 all-ages | 10pm 18+ | $5/$10

Sat 14th

P-Town Pool Party @ Palmerston Pool | All-ages | FREE Michael Kieran Harvey @ Darwin Entertainment Centre | 8pm | $45/$35 Reggae Fever @ Happy Yess | 10pm | $10

Big Scary @ Railway Club | 7:30pm | $25.50 Big Scary @ Railway Club | 7:30pm | $25.50

Open Mic/Jam Night @ Happy Yess | 9pm | FREE

Fri 20th

Tracey Bunn @ Casuarina Library | 12pm | FREE Anna Bousted @ City Library | 12:30pm | FREE

MEGABASS @ Happy Yess | All-ages 7pm, 18+ 10pm | $5/$7

Sat 21st

Jasmine Revolution EP launch w/ Dave Spry & Anna Boustead @ Railway Club | 8pm | $10

Jake Payne (USA) @ Happy Yess | 9:30pm | $10

Thurs 26th

Cardboard Art Night @ Happy Yess | 7pm

Fri 27th

Aaron Wales (VIC) @ Happy Yess | 8pm | $10

Sat 28th

Dave Garnham & The Reasons to Live single launch @ Railway Club | 7:30pm | $15 The Groupie Funkers @ Happy Yess | 9pm | $10

Mental as Anything w/ Sex in the Desert, Unbroken Expanse, The Bloody Mary’s and The Hiri Girls @ Darwin Trailer Boat Club | 5pm | $45/60

Sun 29th

Henry Rollins - The Long March @ Darwin Entertainment Centre | 8pm | $49

Passenger (UK) @ Railway Club | 6pm | $30

REGULAR GIGS