The Brag #425

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Jack Ladder with

The Earlybirds Doc Holiday Takes The Shotgun

ALWAYS FREE

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rock music news welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Nathan Jolly and Steph Harmon

He Said She Said WITH

SIMON NOLAN FROM LOON LAKE

I

listened to a lot of different stuff growing up, mostly my brother’s influences. Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Mötley Crüe, Ry Cooder and The Ozark Mountain Daredevils were some of the bands that use to get smashed in his car. When I started selecting my own music, bands like The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana and Rage Against The Machine all played big parts. I wouldn’t call our parents musos, but mum played a few chords on the guitar – and the old man played the bugle horribly. I have lots of favourite musicians, and it’s always changing. John Frusciante was definitely one of the major reasons I pursued guitar; I loved Blood Sugar Sex Majik growing up. The Beatles are a big influence – mum use to play a lot of their albums at home. These days The Strokes are a big influence on me to, and I love the guitarist from Dirty Projectors – he’s a great player, I’ll never be able to play like him. Amy Winehouse is also one of my favourites, it’s really sad that I’ll never get to see her. There are definitely some massive differences in tastes in the band, but generally we all like a lot of different stuff. I guess our drummer is a big hip hop head;

Architecture In Helsinki

EDITOR: Steph Harmon steph@thebrag.com 9552 6333 ARTS EDITOR & ASSOCIATE: Dee Jefferson dee@thebrag.com 9552 6333 STAFF WRITERS: Jonno Seidler, Caitlin Welsh NEWS: Nathan Jolly, Chris Honnery ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant GRAPHIC DESIGN: Alan Parry SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER: Tim Levy SNAP PHOTOGRAPHERS: Katrina Clarke, Cai Griffin, Ashley Mar, Daniel Munns, Vicky Nguyen, Thomas Peachy, Rosette Rouhanna COVER DESIGN: Sarah Bryant

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Simon Binns, Joshua Blackman, Liz Brown, Bridie Connellan, Ben Cooper, Oliver Downes, Alasdair Duncan, Max Easton, Tony Edwards, Christie Eliezer, Murray Engleheart, Max Easton, Mike Gee, Chris Honnery, Nathan Jolly, Alex Lindsay Jones, Peter Neathway, Hugh Robertson, Matt Roden, Romi Scodellaro, Rach Seneviratne, Luke Telford, Rick Warner Please send mail NOT ACCOUNTS direct to this address 8a Marlborough Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 ph - (02) 9552 6333 fax - (02) 9319 2227 EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Publisher, Editor or Staff of The Brag. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Stephen Forde : accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121 DEADLINES: Editorial Wednesday 12pm (no extensions) Art Work, Ad Bookings Thursday 12pm (no extensions) Ad Cancellations Tuesday 4pm Published by Cartrage P/L ACN 104026388 All content copyrighted to Cartrage 2003 DISTRIBUTION: Wanna get The Brag? Email distribution@furstmedia. com.au or phone 03 9428 3600. PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: www.spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204 Win a giveaway? Mail us a stamped and addressed envelope, and we’ll send your prize on over...

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I’d say that the music we make is garage pop, maybe in the vein of The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys – definitely not at their ability though. We’ve just released our debut EP, Not Just Friends. It has six tracks that you might like if you have a quick squiz at it. It was recorded at Sing Sing Studios and Woodstock Studios with an engineer named Andy Blythe. We’ve also just recorded some new songs for our next EP, which hopefully you’ll hear something from in October/November. At our live show you can expect a good time with lots of energy. Ten encores, also. The Australian music scene is very healthy; lots of great bands matching it with the international heavyweights. The best thing about Melbourne’s scene is that at any night of the week you can catch a live show from just about any genre. I’ve been to a few places around the world, and not many are like that. What: Not Just Friends EP launch Where: GoodGod Small Club When: Thursday August 18

HELSINKI REMIXED

Are you one of those people who turn up to parties, immediately ask where they keep the vinyl, and then start tearing up, beat-matching and doing other such tricks that you really shouldn’t do at someone else’s house on a vintage gramophone that their Nan left them? Well, instead of ruining copies of Rubber Soul, you should channel that ADHD energy into remixing Architecture In Helsinki’s new single ‘Escapee’. You’ll win a bunch of swag, and Modular will include your remix on a special newsletter mailout to a select international group of bloggers and DJs. Yikes! In further AiH news, they’re playing Thursday September 1 at The Metro Theatre.

PUBLISHERS: Adam Zammit & Rob Furst EDITOR IN CHIEF: Adam Zammit 9552 6333 adam@peergroupmedia.com

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he dances to every song like he’s hanging in the hood with his daaawwggs. And our singer loves country.

DRONES DVD

If you only go to one live DVD launch on October 29 at The Metro Theatre, make sure it’s for The Drones’ A Thousand Mistakes, the brand new digital video disc from the Melbourne band that brought you closer to death with their guitar tones and Australiana references alone. Adalita, the lass from Magic Dirt who’s embarked on her own solo project, will be playing support too, with her lovely, dreamy, raw-as-Joni solo material. The DVD is out September 16. Buy two!

PVT

STONEFEST LINEUP

Stonefest at the University of Canberra has been happening for 43 years. Now, we’re no historiologistophisers, but we’re pretty sure that 43 is almost all of the years that have ever happened. To celebrate this ridiculous feat of longevity, they’re having another festival, this time featuring Jebediah, The Grates, The Vines, Josh Pyke, Jonathan Boulet, Stonefield, Redcoats, The Aston Shuffle, Flight Facilities, Pez, Ball Park Music, Owl Eyes, Lanie Lane, Big Scary, The Snowdroppers, The Bedroom Philosopher and a whole bunch more. It happens across three stages on Saturday October 29.

HEAVY SONGS

Once I took a bunch of acid and everything was all serene and soon enough I was clomping along through the desert on a horse with no name (if you’re spending ages in the desert, at least name your horse, guys), and then I realised that the sky had changed colour and I was actually wading through the ocean with jeans on and everything got so heavy and the tide was dragging me down and everyone I had ever hurt flashed in front of my eyes and in that moment I realised I was dying and gave in to the enormity of it all and then everything went back to normal and I was in the desert again, feeding my horse sugarcubes. That’s what ‘Heavy’ the new song by Songs, sounds like. They play September 8 at the Popfrenzy Sessions at Tone, with Tiger Choir.

CHANGING LANES LINEUP

In keeping with their name, Changing Lanes Festival has announced its move from last year’s inaugural Newtown site to the lower end of Devonshire Street and its surrounding Surry Hills laneways and venues. Set for September 17, and billed as a “cultural wonderland featuring a melting pot of music, street art, fashion, photography and food”, they’ve curated quite the multi-faceted beast. There’s a bunch of awesome visual artists who’ll be showing their wares, but more importantly for you rock news readers, they’ve also secured pretty much all of our favourite local musos: PVT, The Vasco Era, Juggernaut DJs, Gareth Liddiard, The Snowdroppers, Lanie Lane, Papa vs Pretty, Bleeding Knees Club, Megastick Fanfare, Oscar + Martin, Bingethinkers and more. Find out what ‘and more’ means by hitting up their Facebook; tickets (that raise funds for FBi) are available now.

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rock music news

free stuff

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Nathan Jolly and Steph Harmon

five things WITH

TIMES NEW VIKING

OLI FROM THE FAULTS

Growing Up The Music You Make We both grew up in a quiet part of the We just released our single ‘Quarter’ on 1. 4. Inner West on boring suburban streets, and General Pants’ singles label, Major Label! needed something to occupy us. Playing music seemed like a good idea, plus we took MTV as proof it would help us with the ladies (not true). We’ve been playing together in some form for five years now. Inspirations Tom and I find common ground in 2. strange places: Ray Charles, The Strokes and Odd Future. We lost our shit when we went to the OFWGKTA show at the Opera House… swag. We started off playing Hendrix covers in Tom’s bedroom and graduated to garage rock – ie. Strokes, The White Stripes, The Black Keys – as we bought more and more louder guitar shit. Your Crew There’s just the two of us, and we’ve 3. know each other for our whole lives. We became proper mates when we decided to be pro BMXers... That dream died along with a good portion of skin and dignity. We have creepily similar musical tastes – blues, selected hip hop, garage rock, etc. The one big shitfight is that Tom likes Blue King Brown and John Butler, and I’m not a fan… at all.

Super pumped those guys took notice. We recorded our EP (which is available worldwide on the interwebz) at the infamous Glebe Hockey shed, and produced it with Darren Cross (Betty Airs, Gerling, E.L.F.). Smelt like sausages and man sweat down there. Our live shows are a balancing act between good playing semi-sober, and a wilder, drunken swagger.

5.

Music, Right Here, Right Now Best thing about the local scene is seeing bands that are just doing shit for themselves or with mates, instead of stressing about “the scene”. The vintagey garage rock kinda thing in Australia right now is rad – Betty Airs, The Ruminators, Ross de Chene Hurricanes, Velociraptor etc. I’ve always liked the free bandy goodness at OAF or a messy boogey at GoodGod (and some fried chicken). What: ‘Quarter’ is out now on Major Label With: The Bowers, Sleepy Hands, Polygraphia, Meow Kapow, Dirty Surfing Bastards and Conics Where: MUM @ The World Bar When: Friday August 19

THE BATS ARE BACK The Grates

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

Like your pop music with a little bit of a kick? A little bit of noise? A little bit of a font pun? In support of their latest release Dancer Enquired, the Columbus lo-fi legends Times New Viking are heading down to Australia, to bring their chaotic live show to Tone on Thursday August 25. It’s the trio’s first trip to our shores, and it’ll be a must-go gig for anyone who has Pavement, Dinosaur Jr. or Sonic Youth in their top ten. If that’s not selling it to you, just look up any of their live performances on YouTube, and turn your speakers way the hell up. BRAG have a double pass for you and an amigo up for grabs; all you have to do is tell us the name of the lady on keys.

THE BIG FREEZE

If you’re suffering from a case of the winter chills, what better way to soothe your frostbite and get your blood pumping than a punk-rock bonanza at The Annandale on Saturday August 20? The event is called The Big Freeze, and it will see some of Australia’s finest punk-rock acts of the last 20 years come together for one night of sheer rambunctious madness. Making appearances are Aussie legends The Celibate Rifles and The Meanies, along with some younger acts like Grand Fatal, the ever-sexy Hell City Glamours and the rascals of Los Capitanes. We’ve got five double passes for you to get your mosh on; just tell us the year The Celibate Rifles formed.

JACK LADDER @ BEACH ROAD HOTEL

New Zealand might have worse soap operas than Australia, but when it came to indie pop bands from the ‘80s, they had it sown up tighter than those dumb jeans you refuse to throw out. The Bats were one of the very best bands from that era – but forget all those past participles, because they are still one of the best, and you can see it for yourself at Notes in Newtown on October 15. They have a new record too, Free All The Monsters, which is due out in October.

If Dempsey is the tallest man in America, Jack Ladder is the tallest man in Australia – and you can stand in his shadow this Wednesday August 17 at the Beach Road Hotel, when he grabs his backing supergroup The Dreamlanders (which include Laurence Pike from PVT, Kirin J Callinan and Donny Benet), to perform songs from their recent and brilliant record Hurtsville. If you don’t want to go to this you are certainly doing it wrong. All of it. Wrong.

MR DEMPSEY

…TRAIL OF DEAD

Enjoy lengthy similes and mixed metaphors? Of course you do – that’s why you’re here. Well, so does Paul Dempsey (Something For Kate-frontman-slash-solo artist), and he will be flinging a bunch of them at you in his low, dulcet tones when he plays a solo show on November 3 at The Annandale Hotel. He lives in New York now, and is quite possibly the tallest man in America.

Possibly the best thing to happen at a University since you played that superglue-and-cotton-candy prank on the Dean: the outrageously epic ..And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead are playing Manning Bar at Sydney Uni on September 10, and forcing Further and Grant Fatal to perform songs for your benefit. Tickets are on sale already, so hurry!

Art vs Science

GRATE NEWS

Usually when a band is three albums in and their press releases say things like “peak” and “benchmark”, I roll my eyes, print off the email then shred it (I lead a fulfilling and happy life). But in the case of The Grates, it happens to be true. They sadly lost a member to the crippling illness of ‘becoming-a-chef-and-also-joining-Neil-Finn’s-new-band’, but then went to New York and came back dripping with cool. They play The Metro on November 12 as part of their ‘Summer’s Breath’ tour, and are bringing along fellow Brisbanites The Last Dinosaurs to share petrol costs and help man the CD player.

SADWAVE

Soundwave Revolution has been cancelled. There are rumours flying around all over the place as to why, but we hear it was because the gozleme vender pulled out, and what’s a festival without gozleme? Anyhoo, refunds are available and according to an official statement, “Many of the festival bands will still be coming to Australia in that time period and [will] team up to bring you some very special shows.” Stay tuned for those announcements!

REGULAR JOHN

What are you doing this Friday August 19? ...Auntie you say? …Deathbed you say? Well, bend that mess off and head to the Lansdowne with me to watch Regular John. It’s free entry, Whipped Cream Chargers and Kill City Creeps are also playing, and I’ll bring Jasmine, my friend with the Volleys and the fringe that laughed at your Tim Allen impersonation.

WOMAD EARTH STATION

Getting sick of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge and all of that? Then you should

get your plane-ride-cargo-shorts on and head down to Adelaide for three days (say, October 21-23?) for Womad Earth Station. There’ll be performances by Kronos Quartet, Toumani Diabte, Konono No. 1, The Tallest Man On Earth and more, with speakers including Roy Neel, Robyn Williams (note the ‘y’; don’t ask her about Flubber) and the inscrutable Cate Blanchett (try to scrut her, I dares ya). Tickets available from earthstationfestival.com.au

MAJOR RAISER @ VERGE

Major Raiser are hosting the opening night of this year’s Verge Arts Festival at Sydney Uni, and they’ve booked a bunch of great acts like Rapids, Only The Sea Slugs, Polar Knights, Boats Of Berlin and Louis London. It happens August 31 at the Verge Festival Tent at Sydney Uni. $10 USU members, $15 students and $20 the rest of you – and all profits will go to Major Raiser, a non-profit dedicated to bringing about social change through live music. (They host a bunch of events to raise funds for and awareness of a different cause each time. Nice guys, those ones!)

FESTIVAL OF THE SUN LINEUP

If you were planning to spend December 9 and 10 in the idyllic Port Macquarie Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park, lying on your belly in your finest sundress, reading Baudrillard and kicking your pretty little ankles in the soft Summer air, THINK AGAIN, SIR. Art vs Science, Ladyhawke, Dan Sultan, Hungry Kids of Hungary, Floatingme, The Snowdroppers, Guineafowl, The Delta Riggs and a bunch more bands have invited 3000 of their closest friends to celebrate the Summer for this year’s Festival Of The Sun. There’s a BYO policy, tickets go on sale on September 1 from 10am – and remember to pack your swimmers.

“Those that claim that they’re not showing off are drowning in denial”- ARCTIC MONKEYS 12 :: BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11

ATTENTION Performers and Production Crew Cover Your Artz celebrate their launch by bringing you a specialised Workshop

Sunday August 28 at Notes Live, 73-75 Enmore Rd Newtown. The Performance Workshop Featuring Speakers: Penny Weber (Former manager of True Live, The Grand Silent System and Lindsay Gravina. Creator of Cover Your Artz, Creative Industries/ Performing Arts Teacher and former Performing Arts graduate.) Keith Welsh (Manager of Icehouse and Dynamic music industry career including starting a publishing company, music trade magazines and being chairman of AMPAL) Taking your experiences as a musician and applying them to be a great stage performer. This workshop will aid you with stage techniques, engaging with an audience, nerve management techniques, creating a stage personality and how to take the audience on a journey.

Production Crew Workshop Featuring Speakers: Gregg Donovan (Award winning Tour manager of muse etc and Manager of Grinspoon, Airbourne and Maxi Priest.) And others to be announced. Making you the best you can be on the road. This workshop will discuss the skills needed as a tour manager, how to create all the right documentation, what experiences to expect on the road, how to best look after the many types of personalities, how to get the best out of your tour logistics and how to advance your career.

Early Bird Rate Ends August 19th - $110 incl. GST

Register at www.coveryourartz.com/workshops

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The Music Network

themusicnetwork.com

Industry Music News with Christie Eleizer

Lifelines Marrying: Former Rogue Traders members Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Cameron McGlinchey will tie the knot in Melbourne on December 3. Ill: Former Deep Purple keyboard maestro Jon Lord is fighting cancer. Ill: Gregg Allman cancelled his tour due to a persistant respiratory condition. Arrested: US rapper Big Boi, in Miami on the eve of his Oz tour, for allegedly possessing drugs including ecstasy. Niche Productions, who are bringing him to Australia, say the tour will be going ahead as planned. Sued: US rapper Lil Wayne, for US$15 million by Georgia production company Done Deal Enterprises, which claims that he stole his song ‘BedRock’ from a 2009 track of theirs. He has to face court on October 12. In Court: German car maker Audi agreed that it used a song similar to Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ to promote its new Audi A6 Avant. They settled quietly. Suing: An 86 year old singer and his asthmatic son want $2.9 million from Simon Cowell for forcing them to film scenes in Miami in 36°C heat, making them “too exhausted” when they auditioned for the US The X-Factor. Died: Marshall Grant, longtime member of Johnny Cash’s original backing band, The Tennessee Two, in Arkansas, aged 83. He was rehearsing for a concert to raise funds for the restoration of Cash’s boyhood home.

THREE MORE FROM GENERAL PANTS’ LABEL

General Pants’ singles label Major Label has signed three more acts. Sydney duo The Faults have a new single ‘Quarter’, Melbourne experimental electronica act City Calm Down have ‘Sense Of Smell’, and Melbourne punk duo Ross De Chene Hurricanes have ‘Sugar, Honey’. In the meantime, past signees Tessa and the Typecast step into the studio with producer Ricky Maymi (Brian Jonestown Massacre), and Guineafowl will be in New York in October.

JB HI-FI INTRODUCES MUSIC STREAMING SERVICE

JB Hi-Fi is launching its music streaming service ‘NOW’ before Christmas this year, which will allow users to stream their playlists to their Macs, PCs and mobiles for an unspecified fee. The chain’s CEO Terry Smart says NOW will start off with up to 8 million tracks from 100,000 artists, and analysts say it could generate

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$19 million in revenue for the chain. JB Hi-Fi is also said to be considering introducing a video streaming service using the Rovi CinemaNow platform, which will allow it to sell movie and music content, as well as advertising linked to the many electronic items that it sells. JB is clearly moving into the online space: its online sales currently represent only 1% of its sales (it is targeting revenue of $3.2 billion for this financial year), but those rose by 52% this year. Its site got 800,000 unique visits last month.

THE FIGHT TO SAVE UK INDIES

The music industry is moving to help 150 UK indie labels affected by the fire that destroyed Sony’s distribution center in North London during the riots. The warehouse contained physical stock for labels like Beggars Banquet (which lost its entire UK stock, as did Buzzin’ Fly and Strange Feeling), XL, Warp, Ninja Tunes, Matador, Rough Trade and 4AD. The subsequent loss of income and cash flow problems could push many smaller operators out of business. A campaign called LabelLove set up a website (cognitivedissonancerecords. com) through which fans can donate money; email labellovebenefit@gmail.com to find out about other ways to help out. Benefit concerts are also being planned. The Association of Independent Music appealed to global fans to buy online to help generate revenue at a time when the labels need it. Meantime, Sony’s centre has switched to a new control room and is using a temporary distribution partner to get records out – and Sony and Universal had to send their staff home. Liam Gallagher’s clothes store in Manchester went up in smoke, and The Kaiser Chiefs were among those who joined others in cleaning up their towns… (‘I Predict A Riot’, anyone?).

UK MUSIC BIZ LOSES £189M

The English music business slid 4.8% to £3.8 billion in 2010, down £189 million. In its Adding Up The UK Music Industry report, the UK’s music royalties body PRS For Music cited a number of reasons. Consumers cut down their spending as economic woes worsened, and CD sales fell by 7.9% to £1.24 billion due to consumers’ switch to digital, and the threat from piracy. But expectations that legal streaming and download services would save the industry proved wrong. Digital sales rose almost 20% to £316.5 million, but it’s slowed down by half. “Global digital revenues are not going to be the ‘$30 billion baby’ people talked about five years ago,” the report said. “Indeed they may stabilise at around $5 billion.” To add to the industry's woes, the UK government last week announced it was not going ahead with plans to force ISPs to block sites accused of illegal file sharing. And after ten years of growth, revenue from the live sector declined 8.8% to £1.48 billion, as nervous managers kept their bands off the road and superstar acts like Kings Of Leon and Rod Stewart played smaller venues. Fans spent 12% less on tickets to £844 million. The report said that 2011 figures would rise with Take That’s phenomenal tour (1.8 million tickets) and superstar shows by Rihanna, Westlife and Justin Bieber.

TOO MANY FESTIVALS IN UK

And in more bad news for the motherland, the UK festival market has become too crowded. According to The Observer, 34 were cancelled last year and 31 this year. Glastonbury chief Michael Eavis said it was partly economics, and partly that patrons felt they’d “seen it all before.” The problem is that less new stars are

being created, so the same old faces are being churned out on bills. Other promoters said that there’d be a move from relying on headliners to creating an overall “vibe” for their events.

TRAINING PROGRAM FOR FBI

FBi Radio has partnered with Community Media Training Organisation (CMTO) to find 12 young Sydneysiders who are great at telling stories, to take part in a 12 week radio training program. They are especially interested in communities underrepresented in the media. Successful applicants will work on FBi’s flagship one-hour storytelling show All The Best, and will be taught how to record, edit and produce short documentaries for radio. Visit fbiradio.com/ pages/atb-project. Applications close Sept 6.

BROWN AT MUSICNSW

Kirsty Brown, former editor of BRAG, takes over as Executive Officer of MusicNSW, as Eliza Sarlos takes maternity leave. She’s at kirsty@musicnsw.com. Meantime, don’t forget that applications for the association’s Indigenous Music Manager close on August 22. The part time role will lead MusicNSW’s indigenous career development program, Whichway; head to musicnsw.com.

LEON'S INSURANCE FRACAS

Kings Of Leon’s axing of their US tour may mean that insurance firm Lloyds, which backed the tour, could pay up to $15 million in claims for lost revenue from venues and promoters. Insurance sources say it could also prevent the band from playing big scale shows, as they’re now considered a risk.

POSSE.COM PRESENTS ‘MUSIC SOCIAL’

Fan-empowering website Posse.com is presenting an event called ‘Music Social’, to help artists anticipate trends and new technologies in digital marketing and learn how to harness the power of a crowd. It features international technology leaders including Lars Rasmussen (founder of Google Maps and currently the Director of Engineering at Facebook), Ernesto Soriano III (Product Manager, YouTube), Gavin Parry (Chair of the ARIA Digital Committee & Head of Digital at Sony Music) and Rebekah Campbell (founder of Posse). Music Social is being held at MTV headquarters on August 24, and will be hosted by ARIA CEO Dan Rosen. Campbell says, “The process of breaking an artist has changed a lot since I started managing bands ten years ago.”

THINGS WE HEAR * Just who was that second headliner whose inability to make it led to the demise of Soundwave Revolution? The finger was pointed to Limp Bizkit, although singer Fred Durst denied it and said it was Van Halen who pulled the plug – and we think Blink 182 and Queens of the Stone Age were considered. Anyway, while some acts are definitely still coming, Sisters of Mercy have bowed out. * The Virgin Mobile-sponsored live streaming of Splendour In The Grass more than doubled last year’s viewing numbers; it was watched by more than 46,000. * We hear there are three finalists being considered to be the next naming rights partners for Acer Arena. We should know

SPLENDOUR CALLS TO KEEP BYRON MUSIC ALIVE

Splendour In The Grass has urged punters to join the chorus against Byron Shire Council’s latest move. It wants to bring in an LEP amendment to limit to two a year those major music events who draw over 6000 patrons and run over two days. Splendour organisers say that not only would the amendment put its intended permanent home North Byron Parklands at risk, “but it would also stifle the local music scene and creative industries, as well as hampering economic activity and innovation in the Byron Shire.” Go to the festival’s website for a petition; submissions are due by 4pm on Thursday August 18.

MUSIC MATTERS LAUNCHES

The international educational campaign Music Matters has launched in Australia. It will bring together short animated films in collaboration with Eskimo Joe, Nick Cave, Oh Mercy, Graeme Connors and Dave Dobbyn, created with final year animators at the University of Technology, Sydney. More will be launched over the coming months. Music Matters will emphasise what music means for our culture, and the blood, sweat and tears that go into creating it. Explains Stu Macleod of Eskimo Joe, “It focuses on the value of music. They’re saying, ‘These artists have put their whole lives into their music, so do them a favour. Support their music, so they can keep creating it.’”

EMI ANNOUNCES ‘SHE CAN DJ’ FINALISTS

EMI have announced the top ten female DJ finalists of their ‘She Can DJ’ initiative. Six are from Sydney — Alison Wonderland, Amber Savage, Claire Morgan, Gabby, Helena and Minx. The grand final is being held on Wednesday September 14 at the Ivy.

JAY-Z LEADS HIP HOP EARNERS

Jay-Z topped US business magazine Forbes’ 'Hip Hop Cash King' list for the fourth time in five years, after making US$37 million in the past 12 months. The money came from his Blueprint 3 world tour, books and merchandise deals, and his ownership stakes in the 40/40 sports club and the New Jersey Nets team. Diddy came in a close second with $35 million, and Kanye West was third with $16 million. The rest of the Top 10 was Lil Wayne ($15m), Bryan “Birdman” Williams ($15m), Eminem ($14m), Snoop Dogg ($14m), Dr. Dre ($14m), Akon ($13m) and Ludacris ($12m).

by end of this month at the latest. * For their first single in eight years, Blink182 turned the tables on fans who have used their music online without permission. They searched YouTube for every instance of use, and made up clips from those fans’ videos. * America’s The X-Factor has increased its prize money to $5 million cash. * UK’s The Wanted, currently #1 in England and Ireland, are here for a promo tour next month. * The Sydney Opera House's Graphic Festival, co-curated by Jordan Verzar of Top Shelf, lost headliner US cult hero Robert Crumb after a Sydney newspaper described him as “a self confessed sex pervert”, and he feared for his safety.

BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 :: 15

Liam Finn

“A

mericans don’t say cunt. It doesn’t fly,” Liam Finn tells me, with the wry sagacity of a man who’s learned the hard way. Chatting to BRAG over a friendly midday beer at a Surry Hills pub, he’s spotted a friend from home across the room; after some near-unintelligible Kiwi pleasantries, the friend demands to know the truth of a story he’d heard, about Finn upsetting some US audiences when supporting Crowded House in New York. Unfazed by the RECORD light blinking up from the table, Finn obliges. “I’d already said a couple of things on stage that had gotten a weird response, so I said, ‘OK, I’m going to stop swearing because last night Mum told me I swore too much on stage.’ Everyone giggled and I was like, Oh, I got them! And I said, ‘Nah, she doesn’t care really – she’s a good cunt’. I didn’t realise they’d take it literally, but sure enough, they all went silent. ‘Oh no, it’s a high form of praise where I come from! She wouldn’t mind that I said that!’ And just… silence.” “I heard the exaggerated version – I heard people were walking out,” the friend presses slyly. “No, that wasn’t until my ending joke,” Finn ominously replies. “I felt like I’d really pissed them off. So I played a few more songs, and afterwards I said, ‘Thank you so much for listening, it’s an honour to be here in the beautiful Beacon Theatre. Beacon – almost rhymes with… cunt.’ I thought that was a good joke. And that’s when people booed me. There were some Kiwis up the front laughing though, and I just thought, ‘Well, that was for you.’ But yeah, way to piss off Dad’s fans...” From the light, familiar timbre of his voice to those unnervingly clear baby blues, Finn is, unmistakably, the son of Neil – but the Crowded House icon casts no long shadows over his family. At nearly 28, Liam has released over a decade’s worth of critically-acclaimed albums and EPs under various monikers; his brother Elroy is a drummer, aforementioned mum Sharon recently picked up the bass, and yeah,

The Veteran Up-And-Comer By Caitlin Welsh

“[My lineage] is part of my story, and I’d be interested in it too if I was writing about me. But no amount of nepotism is going to make good music or sustain a career.” Uncle Tim’s no slouch. While Liam admits that his heritage follows him around a bit – from having to cut short a teenaged visit to the Hustler store in LA when Split Enz on the radio proved too creepy a soundtrack for naughty shopping, to ‘Everything Is Good For You’ playing in the pub as we talk – it’s not something he’s actively trying to get away from. “I think the worst part is if [people] apologise for bringing it up,” he says. “It is something that haunts me, and is this constant thing, but that’s part of my story and I’d be interested in it too if I was writing about me. But hopefully, over time – and I’ve been releasing stuff for ten or twelve years now – the people that know me, know me,” he explains. “No amount of nepotism is going to make good music or sustain a career.” Finn has sustained his varied career on his own strengths since fronting acclaimed rockers Betchadupa as a teenager. In fact until this year, he hasn’t repeated himself once – from his slick first solo album I’ll Be Lightning in 2007, to recording and touring relentlessly with Eliza-Jane (EJ) Barnes, recording an album with Kiwi indie supergroup BARB (with Barnes and Connan Mockasin, among others), and working with Neil’s star-studded Seven Worlds Collide project. This approach – always starting anew, never following up – has meant he’s been able to avoid the Second Album Syndrome for longer than most. “That definitely was a part of the anxiety of what I was going to do [next],” he says of the traditional pressure on the sophomore release, “but I think it was more [that] constantly making first records is awesome, because you’re free to follow your gut completely, and you’re not answering to anybody.

“To me, being a solo artist is not very cool,” Finn continues. “There are cool ones, but the thing to me that makes them cool is that they are always changing and challenging themselves. Or maybe it’s the idea of a singer-songwriter that doesn’t sound cool to me. And I don’t see myself as that – I am a singer, and a songwriter, but the last thing I want to be is, ‘Here’s my acoustic guitar, and now I’m going into the studio to record some more songs about how I feel.’” Last year, though, Finn finally bit the bullet and started writing, chiefly at a tiny house in the beach community of Piha, outside Auckland – and the resulting album, FOMO (which stands for Fear Of Missing Out), is a richly textured patchwork of swaying 60s pop, rickety grunge and the sweet, airy melancholy that’s peculiar to creative people working alone in a beautiful place. “I really did want to start from scratch from the moment that I moved to the beach and stepped away from touring,” Finn explains. “Everything was new – there were new emotions and new things that I was experiencing – and that was what I wanted to write about. I didn’t want to write homesick songs, or songs about travelling – stuff that I touched on in Champagne In Seashells (2009’s collaborative LP with EJ Barnes) and BARB. I wanted it to be new, and to feel like something from that time and place.” While that mood brought out Finn’s gift for timeless-sounding melodies and classic pop atmosphere (cf: the shy school-dance shuffle of ‘Cold Feet’; the grinding glee of ‘Jump Your Bones’), it also turned unintentionally meta. “It became a huge mountain to climb, really,

and I got quite freaked out,” he admits. “I went, ‘Oh, I need to make a song today for fun, and it doesn’t have to be on the record, and no one will ever hear it. I’m just going to go in and fuck around and make something as wild as possible.’ And as soon as I did that I made a really grunty, distorted, industrial, noisy track, and that turned into ‘The Struggle’. [That came] out of my not wanting it on the record, and I thought it wouldn’t be – but something about finding fun in music again set me back on the right track,” Finn explains. “Lyrically I don’t think it had any significance until in hindsight, when it became obvious that [‘The Struggle’] is actually talking about the struggle to create and what that means, and whether it’s worth the shit you go through to get there.” There’s no self-pity here; Finn is more than aware of how well he’s done to maintain a decade-long career, and how much is still in front of him. “I’m glad that I started young, even if that may have been quite a strange thing to deal with,” he says firmly. “But when I look back on it, I think I was more serious and driven about music when I was 15 or 16 than I am now. I realise now that what matters is enjoying it… And now, with all that behind me, it tickles me that I’m still an up-and-comer. That I’m ‘Liam Finn, a new artist with a sophomore record.’ And I’m glad that I’m not this veteran,” he says, before drily correcting himself. “Well, I’m a veteran up-and-comer.” What: FOMO is out now through Liberation Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Friday August 26

“I etched the face of a stopwatch on the back of a raindrop and did a swap for the sand in an hourglass”- ARCTIC MONKEYS 16 :: BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11

LIVE MUSIC

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- Fri 19th -

JOYRIDE AND THE ACCIDENTS (WELCOME HOME SHOW), Weird Assembly, Preppie, SWAT, Josh Beagley

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UBER LINGUA SYDNEY RESIDENCY RELAUNCH - Sun 21st -

The Belly Off Belly Dancing spectacular

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BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 :: 17

Times New Viking Enquire Within By Greg Clennar

D

espite having recently cleaned up the production on their fifth LP Dancer Enquired, Columbus-born band Times New Viking are seen as one of the staple lo-fi acts of the last five years, churning out selfproduced, raucous, hairsplitting music since their first release in 2005. To drummer and vocalist Adam Elliot, the spirit of the genre is captured through a candid D.I.Y ethic; their

collaborative songwriting process involves all three band members, who promote a unique brand of gritty honesty and simplicity in their crafting of infectious pop. To them, the commitment to lo-fi is not a reaction against technological perfection, nor is it a means of camouflaging the songwriting; it’s simply pop music, churned up in a blender and spat out through a beaten-up cassette player. “We like

Across their first four full length releases, self-production and their inimitable use of a VHS recorder had always been the driving forces behind TNV’s scruffy, unkempt sound. But this time around, they recorded the album in a studio rather than on Elliot’s laptop in a basement, giving Dancer Enquired a slightly more polished shine. “This time we had good mics and we had a studio with someone setting up the mics and recording us, as opposed to us doing it ourselves. The VHS was actually barely used on this record [too]. It’s pretty much like taking a four-track cassette tape on steroids – it just kind of made it thicker and wider.” Still, it wasn’t exactly as if they’d walked into Abbey Road Studios to play with the latest in technological innovation. “It was an old, old studio that’s kind of been untouched. There’s no computers or anything; it was all interlock equipment… So it was only just barely different to us recording it ourselves.” Times New Viking’s new approach wasn’t a conscious attempt to distinguish the group from the current abundance of other noise/ lo-fi acts from the States, but rather more of a

test for themselves. After six years of playing together, Elliot explains that the band has never compromised the sound or the soul of Times New Viking. “We keep growing on our initial idea, but have always kept to the initial idea. We’re really proud to have stayed within ourselves. We’ve focussed on listening to ourselves and tried to keep out outside influences, and with that I think we just naturally evolved,” he says. “We’ve become better songwriters, and gained some confidence in our playing.” The band is headed to Sydney later this month on their debut Australian tour and, being true live show specialists whose rambunctious noise naturally lends itself to the performance, it will certainly not be a show to be missed. “We love playing live, that’s our favourite thing,” Elliot tells me. “I mean, if we weren’t able to play live I don’t think we would have kept going and progressing. Even though we have gotten better and tighter, we’re still on the brink of chaos every time we play. It’s really easy for us to capture the sounds on the album, ‘cos our records never really have anything other than what we play live. We just play a little louder and faster.” What: Dancer Enquired is out now through Merge With: Woollen Kits & Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys Where: Popfrenzy Sessions @ Tone When: Thursday August 25

Dream On Dreamer Eyes On The Prize By Birdie

M

elbourne six-piece Dream On Dreamer may have managed to climb to the top of the Australian hardcore heap in a mere two years, but frontman Marcel Gadacz claims his band still has a long way to go. They don’t plan on taking a minute’s breather until their final destination: Berlin, Germany. “It’s pretty important to me, because I was born in Germany,” he explains. Gadacz only came down under about four years ago. “I love Australia, I think it’s great here, and it’s been the perfect place for this band to happen. My goal was always to move to Australia and start a successful band and bring it back to Europe, and I think a band like this could do really well back at home. It’s also important for me to go back because my family is still over there, so it would be exciting to see them too.” Gadacz is also enthused about the venues in his homeland – especially in Berlin. “I remember I used to go and see Darkest Hour and Parkway Drive in some of the best venues in Germany; those guys played a big part in inspiring me to get my own band together!” Despite Gadacz’ insistence that there’s an Australian flavour to the hardcore act, Dream On Dreamer certainly have a bunch of international ties. Having been spotted and picked up by US management company Artery Foundation early in their career, they landed the opportunity of a lifetime when they got to record their debut full-length Heartbound in the States with Cameron Mizell (Memphis May Fire, Woe Is Me, I See Stars). “It doesn’t feel like things have come to us easily, though,” Gadacz clarifies. “If you’re spending all your time working your butt off,

time really flies and you feel like you deserve the rewards at the end. I don’t think there’s anything wrong in saying that. I think success is what happens if you really put your heart and soul [into it], and sacrifice your whole life if that’s what it takes. We’ve been working so hard as a band since day one, we always knew we couldn’t afford to have any fuck ups, and we were professional before we even had management. Once we got that, then that was our first chance to say, ‘Great, we’ve achieved a little goal here, let’s head for the next one.’ It never stops. We still rehearse twice a week. You can’t get left behind, which is very easy to do – you hear about it happening all the time.” While working with Mizell in the USA was an amazing opportunity and experience, the trip brought up some issues among the band members – but the singer tells me that the troubled period made Dream On Dreamer stronger in the long run. “It was a pretty stressful time, maybe things came to the surface because we were working so hard,” he says. “It was enjoyable too, when we got a bit of time off – the whole trip was far from a nightmare, don’t get me wrong! “The experience gave us some time to reflect on some things that have been going on with us personally. It’s not like we were fighting with one another, it was more that some personal stuff had been happening back home,” he explains. “Also, stuff from the past resurfaced; it made for a pretty rough time... It’s funny how some of the sadness that we went through made us so much stronger as a band, though. It’s stuff like that which influenced the light and dark shades of Heartbound.”

What: Heartbound is out now on Rise Records Where: Hot Damn @ The Exchange Hotel When: Thursday August 18

Batrider Sweet Little Lies By Krissi Weiss

C

ombining that distinctly Kiwi lo-fi pop sound with a grunge attitude, Batrider have been making their leftfield tunes for nearly nine years now, albeit with various lineups. Originating in Wellington, New Zealand, the band have settled into the church city of Adelaide, the birthplace of current drummer Stephanie Crase; the band decided to call the town home after some hectic touring and a depletion of funds. When we speak, frontwoman and core member Sarah Chadwick is philosophical about the number of changes the band has gone through since they formed in 2002; currently, Batrider consists of her, Crase, and bassist Sam Featherstone. “I think you can’t ever really settle on a lineup if you’re in a band that does a lot of things, you know?” she says. To Chadwick, it’s about compromise. “The more you wanna do as a band, the greater the commitment is for people to be involved in it. Like if you wanna do lots of travel, or you wanna spend all your money on it, or you want to forgo having proper jobs, I think all of those things make it virtually impossible to guarantee that you’ll have a lineup that is going to last forever.” Piles Of Lies is Batrider’s latest release, and I ask Chadwick about the recording process this time around; the band has a number of well-received albums and EPs under their belts already. “We recorded with a friend of ours, Kynan Lawlor, who’s from an Adelaide band that’s been around for a long time, Hit The Jackpot. We’ve recorded a few things with him before,” she explains. “We’ve been recording for nine years now, so we’ve tried different

[methods], but we’ve found a formula that we’re quite happy with: to record everything live and to kind of mix it all and track it [live] as much as possible, [to get it to] how we want it to sound in the end.” It sounds like the band retains a pretty high level of control over the recording process; as the record’s producer, did Lawlor have a heavy hand influencing song structures or anything like that? “He’d never ever tell us how a song should be arranged – I’d never work with someone like that, I don’t really see the point,” Chadwick says adamantly. “If you want that then I am of the opinion that, then that person should be in your band as opposed to an outsider that you get in. [But] there is definitely something special that he adds to the recording and the way he records it. Without producing [Piles Of Lies] so to speak, I reckon he definitely puts his own stamp on it.” This is Batrider’s first release on Melbournebased artist-run label Two Bright Lakes (Otouto, Seagull, Kid Sam, Collarbones, Oscar + Martin), and I ask Chadwick whether she has any expectations for its reception. “Not at all,” she says. “I reckon maybe when I was 21 or 22, every album we put out was like, ‘This is gonna be amazing, this is gonna be the biggest album’, but I think I’ve learnt that you can’t put much pressure on things.” What: Piles Of Lies is out now on Two Bright Lakes, through Remote Control Records Where: GoodGod Small Club When: Saturday August 20

“Fill in a circular hole with a peg that’s square but just don’t sit down cause’ I’ve moved your chair”- ARCTIC MONKEYS 18 :: BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11

Times New Viking photo by Jo McCaughey

keeping it really simple. We recorded [Dancer Enquired] really quickly, and can only play it as well as we can play,” Elliot explains. “I think we’re more into accidents than perfection. And we’re more into keeping going with ideas, and not dwelling on anything too long – making as much stuff as we possibly can.”

Gotye Man In The Mirror By Caitlin Welsh

T

he Gotye Gospel being spread to the world right now has it a little wrong. ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’, the surprise smash single from the Melbourne songwriter/producer’s third studio album Making Mirrors, is a great song; the clip’s clocked up over 1.3 million views on YouTube, and only about half of them are people hoping that Kimbra’s boobs might make a surprise appearance on the fifth viewing. But most of these new fans think of Gotye as a melancholy character, haunted by past lovers and their affronts – as do the ones brought on board by the similarly yearning ‘Hearts A Mess’, for that matter. While Wally de Backer does indeed have a knack for despondent, heartwrenching pop, in person the man himself has a lot more in common with the sparkling, earnest, irrepressible soul fanfare of ‘Learnalilgivinanlovin’. Chatting articulately (and at breakneck speed) about his recording process – unfurling five thoughtful personal revelations in the time it takes other musos to stutter something vague about big life changes – Gotye is a far cry from the naked anguish of his unexpected hit. And his grin when I mention the song’s success is priceless. “Yeah, it’s really gone gangbusters. It’s great! I was trending on Hype Machine!” he exclaims. “I think you can tell when it’s starting to get a little bit viral, and there’s an unfamiliar audience coming to it, when you see comments like ‘Total boner.’ Great,” he adds with a laugh. (And the very afternoon we speak, it comes out that Ashton Kutcher had tweeted the video to his 7.4 million followers. That can’t have hurt its cause.)

“I think you can tell when it’s starting to get a little bit viral, and there’s an unfamiliar audience coming to it, when you see comments like ‘Total boner’. Great.”

Blood came in at number eleven on the triple j Hottest 100 Australian Albums poll this year – only Tame Impala’s Innerspeaker was both newer and higher – proving what a passionate fanbase that album created for Gotye. He admits that ‘Somebody’ could be seen as forming a sort of companion or parallel to ‘Hearts A Mess’, even falling at a similar point in the tracklist. “I wonder if people will come to it and, if they see some of those parallels, whether they’ll take that as a negative – like the relationship thing [in the subject matter],” he muses. Still, the early notices from de Backer’s mates have been heartening. “The second I finally finished it I said, ‘Dudes, check it out. This is why I haven’t seen you for two years’. And they’ve come back saying, ‘I’m really loving this, Wally. I feel like you’ve made a record that clearly has a lot of parallels with your last album, and feels exactly like ‘what you do’, but it doesn’t feel like you’re repeating yourself’... That’s good to hear.” What: Making Mirrors is out August 19 through Eleven Where: Graphic Festival @ Sydney Opera House / graphic.sydneyoperahouse.com When: August 20 & 21 (sold out)

If you didn’t complete your Census form there’s still time.

De Backer wonders aloud if people may also have been drawn to ‘Somebody’ after being disappointed or confused by ‘Eyes Wide Open’, a song which he admits proved a little divisive on its release in October last year. Both the epic, gently propulsive mood and the hint of political comment seemed to diverge from what people expected from the five-years-in-the-making follow-up to 2006’s Like Drawing Blood. “I don’t think ‘Eyes Wide Open’ is that political a song,” de Backer shrugs. “But I guess if you start doing anything that’s even vaguely preachy, which I really wanted the song not to be – some people don’t respond to that stuff. And especially when it’s not hung off a specific issue… I’m just railing a bit about not having a sense of environmental concern, and when it’s a bit more general like that a lot of people go, ‘Get fucked, I don’t want to be preached to like that’. Whereas ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ is so specific, about the internal, almost schizophrenic feelings of sweet sorrow versus anger and bitterness in a relationship. And so many more people can relate to that.” Like Drawing Blood was, famously, named for the struggle de Backer faced trying to get it finished. “Making Mirrors” might not sound as difficult, perhaps, but he says putting this album together was actually harder sometimes. “There were times when I thought I couldn’t do it, it was just too depressing,” he admits. “More intense even than the last time. I was sitting in the mixing room sometimes, skin crawling, saying, ‘I fucking hate this music. What am I doing? I’ve spent so much time and money on this track, and it’s sounding shithouse.’” But it’s finally done, and on the back of five years of anticipation and five weeks of ‘Somebody’ blowing up, de Backer has sold out a first and then a second Animated Album Showcase at the Opera House, as part of this year’s Graphic Festival. “I really like animation, as you might have gathered from other videos I’ve done,” he says (take particular note of the clips for ‘Hearts A Mess’, and ‘Eyes Wide Open’, both starring eerie creatures on long, spidery legs). “I’m really excited about some of the animations that have been done for Graphic – [especially] for ‘State Of The Art’ and for ‘Bronte’. They’ll come out as available videos online at the same time; [they’re by] a couple of animators I’m really excited about… There’s film clips for almost every track on the record, which is luxurious but it’s been a lot of work. I’ve been really lucky that I had a bit more time and a budget to develop visuals for the live show.” De Backer’s very aware that despite being his third studio LP, many listeners will be treating Making Mirrors as if it’s a sophomore album. Like Drawing

Thank you to everyone around Australia who filled out their Census forms. We’ll start returning to your homes to collect paper forms on August 10, so please have your completed form ready. If you completed the eCensus for your whole household, we don’t need to return. It is compulsory, so please join the rest of Australia to shed some light on who we are – and light the way forward for your community. Fill out your form and wait for us to collect it, or complete your form online at census.gov.au If you didn’t receive a form, please call the Census Inquiry Service on 1300 338 776.

BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 :: 19

Pinback In Their Own Time By Denis Semchenko

F

or someone who creates such emotionally-charged music, Rob Crow certainly cuts a relaxed figure. The bearded mountain man may in fact be the most laidback international artist this writer has interviewed so far; during our chat, I imagine him just kicking back on the patio. “We’re just working on the new record, playing shows and planning to go over [to Australia],� he responds, when I ask what’s currently happening in the Pinback camp. “Fun times.�

Pinback’s last release Autumn Of The Seraphs came out way back in 2007. We’ve been waiting a long time for their follow-up, Information Retrieved, and I’m curious as to when it will be finished... “Finished? I don’t know. It’s never finished until it’s out,� Rob chuckles, unperturbed. “There are 30-40 songs; hopefully we’ll get 12-15 that are good enough. We’re always trying to make it sound better because when we started, we didn’t know what we were doing – which is what makes it ... interesting, in a lot of ways. I mean, we never purposely go for any kind of sound, it just comes out sounding the most natural way.� These days, the creative chemistry between Rob and his

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co-songwriter Zach Smith works on a practically telepathic level, and Rob won’t pin down any one particularly effective songwriting process. “It’s always different,� he says. “There’s no defining ethic to how we collaborate. I’d often do a beat and Zach would start playing his bass to it, and then we’ve got the song – or sometimes one of us would have an idea and send it to the other person to destroy.� Having sung lead on four tracks of fellow Californian band Team Sleep’s acclaimed album, Rob admits that the collaboration with the Deftones’ frontman Chino Moreno (who also fronts Team Sleep) was, to the best of his knowledge, a one-off. “There’s new Team Sleep material?� he deadpans. “Chino called me at the last minute – I was there [in the studio] working anyway on something else. I think Deftones are probably pretty busy with whatever they do...� I mention that the Team Sleep record generated quite a fanbase in Australia, and Rob is audibly surprised. “Ha! That’s funny – I didn’t think anyone anywhere paid attention to that record... I was working on a record with Zach Hill, their drummer, in Sacramento, and I was staying on his couch. He was working on a [Californian math/noise-rockers] Hella record in the morning, and we wrote songs in the evening. I was just sitting around when he went, ‘Hey, there’s this friend of mine, they have a bunch of songs they don’t have any vocals for – they’d be stoked if you just came up with something!’� Rob relates. “I did most of the vocals in his bedroom – six songs in a couple days – and then re-did them in the studio... I toured with them for a couple weeks, but that was pretty much my entire involvement.�

“Finished? I don’t know. It’s never finished until it’s out. We’re always trying to make it sound better because when we started, we didn’t know what we were doing – which is what makes it interesting, in a way...� So no Rob Crow on Team Sleep’s sophomore album, whenever that may eventuate? “Oh, it’s possible. I still talk to the guys. I got called up to do vocals on the last Deftones record but went, ‘Nah, it’s not really my kinda thing,’� he admits. “I like Captain Beefheart, The Shaggs, The Residents and stuff like that – but I don’t even know what Deftones sound like. In metal, I prefer more extreme stuff like Meshuggah and Melvins.� It’s a surprising admission of taste, considering Pinback’s considerably less extreme and highly melodic music. Judging from the band’s recent set lists, it looks like we’re in for an absolute treat when they play in Sydney on the weekend. “I like playing pretty much all my songs,� he says. “We’ve streamlined the way we do songs – even the songs that we were weird about playing, they now sound great to us. I’m very pleased about that. There’s also a whole digital component that we’ll hopefully bring with us.� And according to Rob, when they get on stage, Pinback “play forever�. “Lately, the set list we’ve been gravitating towards has way too many songs – it’s way too long, but it seems to flow the best. Usually, we play anywhere from an hour and 15 minutes to two hours 45 minutes, but we don’t want to be like, ‘Now here’s our next 20-minute song!’� he laughs. “We’re not forcing people to hang out – [we’ll play for] as long as they’re having a good time.� So considering those prolonged gigs, how does the singer keep his remarkable voice in shape? “I have been doing some exercises lately. I dunno – they work for me!� Rob says. “At soundchecks I do my highest notes as long as possible, and when I think I’m going to run out of breath, I bend it down to the lowest octave and keep it there for as long as I can – and then, when I think I’m about to pass out, I go back to the highest until my eyes eventually roll back in my head. I can do it for about a minute, and then I just break it all out when I’m onstage.� And, to paraphrase a Pinback song title, that’s how they breathe.

<3E /:0C; Âľ@/7< =< B63 6C;;7<5 E7@3Âś =CB <=E =< 23E >@=13AA 20 :: BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11

Where: Manning Bar, Sydney University When: Saturday August 20

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We The Kings The Kings Of The Castle By Max Easton

I

t’s easy to forget where you came from when you’re sitting on a high horse. So while it may be hard to reconcile the mammoth following of Floridian pop-punk giants We The Kings, you know deep down inside that that Blink 182 album hidden in a cupboard at your parents’ house once meant a hell of a lot to you – and yeah, that Offspring record meant something too, didn’t it? We The Kings are fast becoming this generation’s equivalent, and there’s no denying that their influence is reaching deep into the formative years of far more people than you could possibly imagine. Speaking to Travis Clark is an interesting experience. As frontman of such a well-loved yet critically ignored act, he’s comfortable, passionate and self-aware – but most of all, he’s unfazed by the critics. “A lot of it has come from people who didn’t like the band anyway, so it’s hard to take [the criticism] even remotely seriously,” he muses. “If you don’t like the band and you’re writing a review about the band, it’s not going to come out positive. I try not to focus on that… The only thing that matters to me are the fans that

come to the shows. They come up to me after and tell me it was the best time of their life, or it made their week, or month, or year – that’s all that matters to me,” he says. “I’m not ever going to write a song to make somebody write a good review about me. I could write a song that doesn’t make sense or uses different chord progressions than I’m used to for street credit if I wanted, but that’s selling out to me, and it’ll sound contrived and it won’t sound passionate. I’m going to continue to write songs that I like and that our fans like.” It’s not only the sheer volume of the We The Kings fanbase that’s impressive, but their ferocious loyalty to and passion for the music and the band. When asked whether the pressure from obsessive fandom could start to prove inhibitive, Clark admits only to a sense of duty. “I think the biggest statement behind that is the fact that I haven’t released the other songs [we write] that don’t sound anything like us – that’s the loyalty to the fans right there. I’m not going to release something that doesn’t sound like We The Kings; they wouldn’t be a fan of it, listening to it under [our name]. I choose songs that sound like [our past singles]. Those songs that were popular on our last two records were the songs I chose to keep on this record. It keeps a consistency with our band, and the pop-rock we’ve grown accustomed to – and we also get to grow with the band and our fans as they grow up.” In his acceptance of the youth of his fanbase, Clark acknowledges a degree of responsibility for the influence his band has on them. Interestingly, the teen angst amplified by acts of the past like Pearl Jam and Rage Against The Machine is nullified by We The Kings, who’ve been marketed not as outcasts, rebels or bad boys, but as fun-loving role models. “There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with this job – not that I’d call it a job, ‘cos it’s my fantasy, it’s my dream – but a lot of people will do anything I say. If I say ‘do something crazy,’ someone might hurt themselves, but if I say ‘do the right thing, be a good person’, a lot of people do the right thing and be good people. I have the ability to do my part and change the world through music, and it’s a really cool feeling to have that.”

“I could write a song that doesn’t make sense or uses different chord progressions for street credit if I wanted to, but that’s selling out to me. I’m going to continue to write songs that I like and that our fans like.” In having such an easily influenced and devoted audience, We The Kings’ focus has become less about progression, and more about staying loyal – and, in a roundabout way, getting into people’s heads. “I’m a sucker for catchy hooks, and what’s called ‘pop’ music. I like when a song gets stuck in my head,” Clark admits. “I like to write a song that somebody can’t stop singing. It’s memorable, it’s catchy, so underneath that I just want to put out upbeat music that makes you want to get up – like going to the beach in summer.” And while their third album, Sunshine State Of Mind, may sound like more of the same on first listen, to Clark it represents a maturation of the band’s sound. “When we were writing in the early stages, they were just loud fast songs that didn’t make too much sense, but now they’re starting to develop and grow some structure. But we try to keep that original We The Kings sound,” he says. “Fans that fell in love with our first and then our second record are now being able to experience a whole new side of the band with this third record. [There are] a lot of guitars in it, the melodies are more simple, and the lyrical content is different from the other two records too.” As a pop-punk powerhouse, We The Kings’ legacy was never supposed to be a body of art, but a body of influence; and there’s no denying the impact they’re having. What: Sunshine State Of Mind is out now through Liberator With: You Me At Six Where: UNSW Roundhouse, lic A/A When: Sunday August 28 22 :: BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11

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arts frontline

free stuff email: freestuff@thebrag.com

arts, theatre and film news... what's goin' on around town and more...

five minutes HON BOEY OF BEEF KNUCKLES Knuckles! We took five minutes with Beef Knuckles co-founder Hon Boey, who will be presenting BK #5 at the upcoming Pot Luck session, as part of a mini zine fair. BAM! WHAT is Beef Knuckles? Beef Knuckles is a small zine that has short stories, comics and illustrations. We hand screen-print each cover which takes aaaaages. We’re up to #5 at the moment. We also make one-off zines as well. Our latest is The Ball Street Journal. WHO are behind Beef Knuckles, and what do you all ‘do’? We are just three guys: me, Rob Moran and Bryn Desmond-Jones; although there are quite a few Beef Knuckles affiliates around the country. I'm a designer, Robbie's a writer and Bryn's an illustrator/ animator. HOW’d you all meet? I met Robbie years ago while working at TV Hits and Girlfriend magazine and discovered we had a common love of basketball, the Ramones and Yeezy. Bryn and I became BFFs while living in Japan, lighting fireworks on the Yodogawa River and buying figurines of obscure Japanese comic characters. Bryn and Robbie now spend their hours together talking about music genres like Based.

T

here’s a new arts weekly in the hood; it’s part of FBi Social, and it’s called Pot Luck – and it’s shaking an angry, arty fist at music weeklies. Now imagine that fist is clutching a zine – and the zine is Beef

PITCHING COMP

This one’s for emerging filmmakers: Metro Screen are running the NSW instalment of The National Pitch competition, which is geared towards choosing one lucky Australian filmmaker to represent Oz at the 2011 MPA CICE Film Workshop in Beijing. Simply put the workshop is a chance for 14 emerging filmmakers from across the Asia-Pacific region to hobnob with industry pros in Beijing – compare notes on the art, technology and business of filmmaking, and maybe even come up with some co-production ideas… To throw your hat in the ring for the NSW round of the competition contact Craig Boreham by August 22: network@metroscreen.org.au or 9356 1818.

Jim Woodring's Frank

WHEN and WHY did you decide to create Beef Knuckles? I bought a Gocco screenprinter in 2008 and we thought making a zine would be a good way to use it. What’s in your latest issue? My favourite

FIFTIES FAIR

People dressed sharper, danced better, looked happier, and had whiter smiles in the ‘50s; they discovered the hand jive. The 16th annual Fifties Fair will rock-out at the iconic 1950s-era Rose Seidler House in Wahroonga this Sunday August 21, with live music from the Drey Rollan Band and Paulie Bignell, rockabilly dancers, a vintage car display, and a fashion parade judged by vintage style queen Candice DeVille. The house itself is well worth the train trip for design, art and furniture hounds, and anyone who drools when they hear Eames, Eero Saarinen or Josef Albers. The fair takes place from 10am-5pm, and a shuttle bus will operate between Turramurra station and Rose Seidler House for the duration of the event. More details at hht.net.au

STORY CLUB

Disappointing news for fans of legendary graphic artist Robert Crumb – he’s cancelled his trip to Australia following a savage editorial in The Daily Telegraph. Let’s not panic: he’s still out there in the world doing his thing, he just won’t be doing it on stage at Sydney Opera House this weekend. For a full refund or transfer into other GRAPHIC sessions call the Box Office on (02) 9250 7777. Undaunted, we’re looking forward to Gotye’s animated album preview, Jim Woodring’s ‘Please Stand By’ presentation, and Peter Kuper’s ‘Revolutions & Art’ presentation (Saturday August 20); and the Tekkon Kinkreet screening with a live soundtrack from Plaid (UK) and Fourplay. Sydneyoperahouse.com/ GRAPHIC

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What zines are you currently crushing on? Oh man, we LOOOOOOOVE Sam Hoh’s work. (deepfriedsam.com) She’s so super talented. In April I went overseas and on the the plane back I MET SNOOP DOGG and I still think SAM HOH IS THE MOST TALENTED PERSON I HAVE EVER MET. We also super love Koyama Press. They’re a small zine and comic publisher from the US. One time Bryn wrote a review of some of their stuff and Anne Koyama wrote back to us and sent us some free zines! I had a beer with Bryn two nights ago and he kept talking about Michael DeForge. He’s been talking about that dude for a while so I think he really likes him. [Ed: at this point in the interview, Hon turns the tables and asks a question. Try not to get confused.] Do you know Jin Lau? (jinhienlau.com) Oh man that guy is awesome! And he’s Malaysian-Chinese-Australian, like me! No – thanks for the tip. I just checked out his vimeo. ‘If Trees Could Speak’ might have broken my heart a little bit. What: Pot Luck - an arts-type weekly thang Where: FBi Social at Kings Cross Hotel When: Friday August 19 from 6pm More: fbiradio.com / ballstreetjournal.com.au beefknuckles.wordpress.com /

PINA

Described by Sight & Sound editor Nick James as ‘thrilling and revelatory’, Wim Wenders’ PINA uses 3D technology to place the audience on stage with, and amongst, the dancers of Pina Bausch’s Wuppertal dance troupe; elsewhere, he takes the dancers to her hometown, juxtaposing her choreography – by turns haunting, beautiful, raw and terrifying – against the urban landscape and surrounding countryside. PINA opens in cinemas on August 18, and thanks to Hopscotch we have a special pack up for grabs, including an in-season double pass to see PINA, an A1 movie poster and the PINA soundtrack. To get your hands on it, email freestuff@thebrag.com with your postal address and the name of one dance work by Pina Bausch.

© Thom Bransdon

VERGE ARTS FESTIVAL

Sydney Uni’s annual Verge Festival is coming up, presenting an opportunity to a) relive your glory days on campus, b) make up for the campus life you never had or c) experience the campus life you know you had, but can’t quite remember… We’ve got our eye on a couple of the comedy shows by two of USyd’s Project 52 crew: I Like Being Conscious by Cyrus Bezyan (2011 NSW RAW Comedy finalist), whose animalog.tumblr.com is rather wonderful; and Sometimes You Wish You Had Amnesia, by Carlo Ritchie. We’re also cautiously enthusiastic about Kanye the Musical. Verge Fest happens August 31 – September 9. vergeartsfestival.com

GRAPHIC: NO CRUMB

thing in the latest issue is Bryn’s how-to on how to draw Charlie Sheen.

Speaking of Project 52: if you haven’t checked out their Story Club nights yet, it’s probably not too late. Just sneak in the back during a really hilarious moment, and act like you’ve been going for years. This Wednesday August 17 they’re boasting their longest name and most awesome lineup yet (first part true; last part possibly hyperbolic, and unverified). I Think There’s Been Some Kind of Terrible Mistake features the storytelling talents of Dave Harmon, Zoe Norton Lodge, the aforementioned Carlo Ritchie, Eddie Sharp, Mark Sutton, Lachlan Williams, Susie Youssef, and host Ben Jenkins. The show starts at 7.30pm, make sure you get in early to get a seat, else you’ll be stuck up the back with the squeaky door and aching calves. Tickets are only $10! Half that if you have an Access Card!

LASER SKIRMISH!

Strike are celebrating the highly-anticipated launch of Battlefield 3 with the first ever Strike Laser Skirmish Shootout, with winners scoring money-can’t-buy tickets to the Sydney Battlefield 3 launch event, an Xbox 360, Razer Ferox Gaming Speakers, and heaps more cool shit. To qualify for the September 6 Grand Finale, march along to Strike in Chatswood,

RAH! COLLECTIVE

aMBUSH continue their support of emerging local artists with their upcoming exhibition of work by the Rah Collective, a two-year-old consortium of paper-based artists. The exhibition will feature work from collective members qwux, Luke Burcher, Jessica Minervini-Eringa, Kirst Ohh, Jess Cally, and Thom Bransdon; it will also feature work by a number of artists featured in their brand-new, self-produced book, Rah – including Terry Chisolm, Nick Boerma, Dan Gray, Kirbee Lawler and Chris Yee. The book features 42 hand-picked emerging Australia artists, with full page images and profiles – and will be on sale on the night, to the gentle sounds of Mr Belvedere and Star Jumps on the decks. Opens Thurs August 18 from 6pm at aMBUSH gallery, 4a James St, Waterloo.

Moore Park (Fox EQ) or Newcastle on Friday August 19 or Friday August 26 and kick serious arse with your team mumbers – the top 16 scoring teams will qualify as finalists. You have your orders – what are you waiting for ladies? strikebowlingbar.com.au/shootout

ON SALE!

In conjunction with their current exhibition On Sale! Shops and Shopping, the State Library of NSW are doing a series of weekly fashionrelated events: this Tuesday August 16, head along to hear Clare Press (Mrs Press) and Anna Plunkett (of Romance Was Born) talking about their adventures in the world of boutique fashion labels. It’s part of the Library’s regular ‘Tuesdays in the Galleries’ series, where you can rock up from 5pm for a drink at the Galleries Bar, with talks commencing at 6pm. The following Tuesday, August 23, there’s a free fashion swap meet at the Library, where you can bring up to six items of clothing you think

others might value more than you do. Arrive at 6pm for a 6.45pm swap, bookings essential through books@sl.nsw.gov.au

ROCKS PUP/FBI COMP

The Rocks Pop-Up Project and FBi Radio are teaming up to run a comp offering an ace opportunity for some lucky emerging designer/ creative-types: to set up your own shop in The Rocks, rent free! Two artists or collectives will be selected, and given a six-week residency in The Rocks, with promotion and a launch party– and of course the chance to sell your stuff and network with other creative types – thrown into the deal. Applicants must be 18 years or older, and able/willing to open up shop from Wed-Sun, 10am-7pm from September 19-October 30. For terms and conditions and the application forms, head to fbiradio.com and look under COMPS – but get cracking coz entries close August 21. therockspopup.tumblr.com

Five Minutes photo: Bryn Desmond-Jones and Hon Boey channel greatness.

WITH

COWBOYS & ALIENS Jon Favreau brings the big guns to the old west. By Martyn Palmer

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irector Jon Favreau was deep into another film when the words ‘Cowboys and Aliens’ – two classic film genres – first registered on his radar. The project, based on a graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, had been languishing in development for a couple of years when screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci (Transformers, Star Trek) gave it a new take. “They combined the two genres with enough irony and enough humour, but the humour was not based on the characters winking at the audience. In trying to make the Western relevant, a lot of times people would sort of joke through it or comment on the genre. With this we play the Western totally straight and all of the fun comes from combining the two disparate elements.” Favreau, along with Orci and Kurtzman – who are also producing the film – set about honing the story as a straight-down-the-line, action-packed drama that combines the classic Western with the alien invasion movie. The plot concerns The Stranger, who stumbles into the hardbitten town of Absolution wearing a metallic shackle on one wrist. He has no idea where he got it from, doesn’t know where he’s been and he can’t even remember his own name. The town is under the thumb of its main source of income, cattle rancher and former war hero Colonel Dolarhyde – who has a bone to pick with The Stranger. On the brink of a showdown, the town is attacked by alien marauders – and the former enemies have to unite against this new threat. Favreau was able to attract big guns to the project, with Daniel Craig playing The Stranger, and Harrison Ford the uncompromising Dolarhyde – a role that Favreau feels the screen icon was destined to play. “Because we’re so familiar with him now in heroic roles, people forget that at the beginning of his career he was more of a rogue – maybe a loveable rogue who ended up doing the right thing, but a rogue. And the thing is, with Cowboys and Aliens, you still love him even though he’s as bad as he is.” Ford and Craig are a dream pairing, says Favreau. “It’s about them going back and forth, like two Silverbacks vying for who is going to run things. And that’s one of the themes of the film – in the end they have to work together to overcome untenable odds.”

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A W AY

Craig is, of course, best known for playing the very British James Bond but he was was perfectly perfect perf ectly ly at home home in in the the Western genre, says his director. “I

Director Jon Favreau horses around with Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig just kept thinking of Steve McQueen and that was kind of mind blowing. Everybody said ‘he’s so British’ and ‘he’s so James Bond’ – and you do think of him like that, but he puts that cowboy hat on and boom! (snaps fingers) He’s The Stranger. You believe him totally in a Western setting. When we were casting we kept saying ‘this guy has lived a full life and yet doesn’t know his own past’ – and so you have to see that in his face.”

Olivia Wilde plays Ella, and Favreau was greatly impressed with the young actress’s horse-riding skills and her willingness to tackle her own stunts. “Olivia is very athletic and also an excellent rider. She competed when she was younger – I don’t know if she did jumps but she definitely had equestrian training. [She] was always game for everything. I think she was kind of competitive with the guys – she was like ‘let’s do it!’”

In the middle of the highly combustible mix, there’s the elusive and beguiling Ella, a woman who seems to know much more about The Stranger’s past – and how he came to get shackled – than he does. She also knows that the mysterious gunslinger is the only hope hope they they have have of surviving surviv sur viving ing against again ag ainst st overwhelming odds.

Legendary filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard serve as executive producers on Cowboys and Aliens and provided a wealth of knowledge that Favreau happily tapped into. “To have Steven and Ron there was a fantastic resource, especially during the development of the script,” scrip sc riptt,” he says. says sa ys. “Neither “N Neit either her were were around for the shooting because

they were off doing their own films but then to be able to bring them in during the editing was incredibly clarifying. We’re talking about two guys with so much experience, so many ideas, and to be able to talk things through with them was incredible.” Cowboys and Aliens was filmed in the rugged terrain of New Mexico – a perfect setting for the story but not the easiest location for the filmmakers. But there were plenty of nights when the cast and crew got together around the campfire at the end of a long, hard day, and kicked back. Favreau and Daniel Craig play the ukulele, and several others brought their guitars – and everyone else sang along. “Actually, “Ac Actua tually lly, itit started started star ted with with Daniel, Daniel Dan iel, who who was learning to play the ukulele.

WIN!

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We had a few parties and if they were during the day, they were at my house because I have kids and the pool, and if they were at night they were at Daniel’s house because he had the Mexican food and the tequila,” he laughs. “And on one of the first occasions we went to his house we busted out the ukuleles. I knew how to play a little bit and he had some songbooks, and Keith Carradine would be singing – it was great. I think Bob Orci had a guitar and some of the crew members had them too. So there was a time when there were about five ukuleles on set,” recalls Favreau. “Actually, as a wrap gift, I got Daniel an electric ukulele.” What: Cowboys and Aliens, Dir. Jon Favreau When: Opens August 18

GANGSTERS’ BALL DOUBLE-PASS!

he annual Gangsters’ Ball celebrates everything swing, cabaret and vaudeville, with a dash of circus burlesque on the side. For this year’s instalment, the Metro Theatre will be transformed into a wonderland; part gaming den, part dance hall, part cocktail lounge – and 100% playground for molls, flappers, gangsters and glamour-pusses. As usual, The Velvet Set will be bringing the sweet sounds of swing, with rock’n’roll and rockabilly support on the decks. This year’s Ball will be hosted by award-winning comedian and vaudevillian Asher Treleaven, who will do his best to manage a lineup that includes troublemaking burlesque babe Gypsy Wood, acclaimed acrobatics troupe This Side Up, master illusionist Cath Jamison, and aerials artist Melise Avion. The Gangsters’ Ball swings out of the corner on Saturday September 3 at the Metro Theatre. For all the details – and dress code inspiration – head to gangstersball.com.au

We have ONE double pass to Gangsters’ Ball up for grabs. To get your hands on it, email freestuff@thebrag.com with one other artist on the lineup. (NB: entry requires inspired costuming!)

BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 :: 25

BRAG ARTS SPECIAL

SPRING

DANCE

FESTIVAL

SYDNEYOPERAHOUSE.COM/SPRINGDANCE

AUGUST 23 – SEPTEMBER 4, 2011

S

ydney Opera House’s annual Spring Dance festival has quickly become a cultural institution, in a city hungry for modern dance. This year’s program is dedicated to the pioneering German choreographer Pina Bausch, with a lineup of brave and boundary-breaking local and international artists set to share their interpretation of Pina’s legacy. On the local front, Chunky Move and Ros Warby are presenting new works; from overseas, DV8 Physical Theatre (UK) premiere their searing new documentary-style dance-theatre production, Can We Talk About This, flamenco superstar Israel Galván will strut his stuff as only the Spanish can, les ballets C de la B (BEL) will tear up the stage with their internationally acclaimed tribute to Pina, Out Of Context, and Fevered Sleep (UK) will channel the magic of childhood play with The Forest. Below we’ve presented some highlights from the program; the full lineup can be found at sydneyoperahouse.com/springdance

LES BALLETS C DE LA B Out of Context – For Pina By Lucy Fokkema

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t’s 1984, and Alain Platel, a 28-year-old Belgian working with disabled children, has just seen a ballet by “the great phenomenon” Maurice Béjart, on the recommendation of a former teacher. Platel hates it, and they argue until the teacher throws Platel a dare: if you say you can do better, go and do better. Les ballets C de la B, founded on a joke in 1984, is now one of the world’s most influential dance theatre companies, with a reputation founded on sprawling physical dramas spiced with surrealism, psychology and slapstick, including one work that featured 14 dogs as performers. “It’s a little anecdote but I also realise that it triggered a lot of things for me,” says Platel. “It was the right condition for me to create work… but at that time it was still without big ambitions; we were making small things and showing them in smaller theatres.” 20 years later, C de la B (shorthand for the company’s cheekily grandiose official title ‘Les Ballets Contemporains de la Belgique’) is a highlight on the international touring circuit, and boasts such impressive alumni as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, whose Sutra was the star attraction at last year’s Spring Dance festival. At this year’s Spring Dance, Platel will present Out of Context – For Pina, which pays tribute to the style of late German choreographer Pina Bausch, known for her bleak wit and emotional honesty. Platel founded his company in Bausch’s dance theatre tradition, inspired by the haunting, powerful feelings captured in her work. “It’s a kind of present that I wanted to give to

her,” Platel explains. “We decided to make Out of Context before she died [in 2009, age 68] and we started rehearsals just after she died; it had such a big impact on me that I could not forget her for the month when we were working on this performance.” Like Bausch, Platel draws on his performers as people. “She installed a dialogue between herself and her dancers by asking questions about what they think, how they feel, how they perceive the world, what they don’t like, what they do. The answers that they gave to her, she used as information to make performances,” Platel explains. “For me, it’s extremely important because I am not a choreographer, in the proper sense of the word; I don’t have a dance background and I did not study choreography, so I am very reliant on the material that the dancers are willing to share with me.” Platel initially worked as a specialist teacher for children with disabilities, and this training influenced his choreography, which features dancers who ripple and contort their bodies, appearing to have no control over their limbs. With a focus on improvisation, he draws out the individual personalities of his performers, reflecting their identities through movement. “Improvisation offers a lot of freedom… it also instills a lot of confidence in performers, because you have to open up a lot, be very intimate, show emotion you were not intending to show.” Where: Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House When: August 30 – September 1

ROS WARBY Monumental By Lucy Fokkema

A

Australian choreographer Ros Warby flits, flaps and marches across the stage as she performs Monumental, morphing the larger-than-life archetypes of the swan princess and the soldier and shrinking them into what one critic called “creatures from some surreal ballet fantasy”. And she’s earnt rave reviews for it, from the New York Times to the Guardian.

Her ability to explode expectations of the dance form has made Warby one of Australia’s most idiosyncratic dance exports and unsurprisingly, this iconoclast often chooses to perform solo. “I love the simplicity and singularity of the solo dancer on stage,” she explains. “The poetics and poignancy… I love seeing, from the audience’s perspective, and as a performer,

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A Weekend of Film and Conversation

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In addition to its lineup of local and international performance works, Spring Dance also presents a weekend of films and conversation geared towards uncovering both the direct and indirect legacies of legendary German choreographer Pina Bausch. Over three sessions, each of which includes a film and a discussion panel, local choreographers such as Kate Champion (Force Majeure) and Shaun Parker rub shoulders with Alain Platel (les ballets C de la B) and Pina’s one-time collaborator, Lutz Förster; audiences will be able to brush up on their Bausch with the documentary Pina Bausch, watch her at work on one of her most audacious pieces, in Dancing Dreams, or dip into the life and work of one of her local exponents, Tanya Liedtke, in the award winning documentary A Life In Movement. We talked to co-curator Caroline Baum about the what and why of this program, Pina: A Celebration. What makes now the right time for a re-examination of Pina? CB: When she died suddenly [in 2009, age 68, five days after being diagnosed with cancer] there was too much emotion; a bit of time passing allows for distance and dust to settle and makes you realise that Pina is still an enduring force, a presence hovering not only over her company, who are still touring and performing her repertoire, but over so many other dancers and choreographers. Dominic Mercy, one of Pina’s long-term dancers, said, “What is particularly remarkable is her unique way of making you discover what there is within yourself.” How did Pina make her dancers part of her work? All Pina’s work starts with her asking her dancers questions. Simple but profound questions like ‘what does love mean to you?’ Then they go into an intense period of improvisation. Her dancers are never just her canvas, they are not just bodies she pushes into shapes, she asks her dancers to engage their brains and their hearts and their very identities in a process of investigation. It’s challenging and arduous but the results are always unique and surprising.

strange, bird-like creature flexes its arms, flounces its white tutu and flaps off stage after its winged shadow. The white swan returns as a prancing soldier, clicking his heels with a dancer’s precision, before making its final transformation into a black swan, all pecking head and clawing hands.

Perhaps Warby named her work ironically; “monumental” suggests authority and stability, but the solo piece evokes the profound fragility and exposure of the lone dancer. “I have posed threads and thematic ideas that suggest parallels between iconic figures, but that is not necessarily the point,” Warby warns. “[The soldier and swan] are vehicles to address the more complex layers of human experience. The vulnerabilities and strength, power and decline of the human life and experience. Love, loss, where we choose to position ourselves in systems and society… Perhaps having no judgement of what dance is can be is helpful.”

PINA:

the exposure of the most intricate detail of the dancer’s movement and performance potential.”

how ephemeral they are, how much you have an emotional relationship with those characters.”

In Monumental, as in many of her pieces, Warby collaborates with designer Margie Medlin and composer Helen Mountford. Medlin creates a setting from light and dark, filling the stage with projections of archival film of wheeling birds, overhead shots of Warby in her tutu and intense close-ups of her face.

The heart of this work, however, remains the solo dancer – at once ephemeral and monumental. “Ros has an incredible ability to be in the world of the music, the image and the live-ness of herself, in the one moment, which I find extraordinary,” says Medlin. “Her image of how the work will be in the end, and her ability to keep that alive and scintillating is her extraordinary performative quality.”

“We’re trying to set up possibilities for Ros to explore the relationship with different facets of her character on stage,” explains Medlin. “We play with ideas of scale and types of duality, whether they’re material, dramatic, sculptural;

Where: Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House When: September 3-4

What was Pina's influence on contemporary dance in Australia? Pina has had a great influence on people like Meryl Tankard [formerly a dancer with Pina's Tanztheater Wuppertal, who went on to direct the Australian Dance Theatre], giving her the experience and confidence to bring a style of dance theatre home. She also influenced the younger generation, like Kate Champion, Shaun Parker and the late Tanja Liedtke, in all sorts of ways: dancers who speak; improvisation as a core method; comedy colliding with violence; non-narrative but dramatic work; set designs that bring together the exterior, organic world and the inner, psychological world... Her legacy ripples on and on like a gorgeous, silent, powerful wave. Where: Playhouse, Sydney Opera House When: September 2-3

*TRANSACTION FEE $5 - $8.50 APPLIES TO ALL BOOKINGS, EXCEPT INSIDERS.

J U S T F O R L A U G H S AT SY D N E Y O P E R A H O U S E P R E S E N T S

HT G I N - $25 Y A 0 2 D Shows $ R y m U l p n T 0 o A 1 m S Fro 8pm & SAT 20 AUG

KAT DAVIDSON ABC Radio, “One of the funniest chicks in OZâ€?. DAVE JORY “Had me howling at an embarrassing level‌genuinely funnyâ€? Best Magazine. TOBY COLEMAN Mix of high brow and low brow, stupidity and the incredible. CHRIS WAINHOUSE

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a y Nig h t L ive, Th e st ar of S a tu rd In n e rs p a ce , s, T h e T h re e A m ig o & hi s de Fa th e r o f T h e B ri in y G li ck . im fa m ou s ch ar ac te r J

has audiences begging for mercy� Brisbane News.

MATT OKINE Can Of Worms, 2Day FM Comedy God. DAVE SMIEDT “So Very Funny� Joan Rivers.

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BRAD OAKES (VIC) 20 years in comedy and a producer of Melbourne Int Comedy Fest Shows. RAY BADRAN Footy Show – An up and coming star of comedy. BEN DARSOW (S.A) “unique and hilarious‌an original and entertaining ride to rememberâ€? The Messenger.

SAT 10 SEPT

TAHIR Thank God You’re Here, ‘Habib’ from Fat Pizza, The NRL Footy Show, Housos. BRUCE GRIFFITHS Astonishing one line genius, writer for Good News Week, Enough Rope, Jason Alexander ‘Seinfeld’. JAMES ROCHFORD – Crowd Favourite - Nova 969. FIONA O’LOUGHLIN “...has a gorgeous stage presence‌ a fearless,

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funny, extremely appealing show.� The Age. “Radioactively funny. 5/5�.

JEREMY KEAST – from the ABC hit show ‘I Rock’ STEVE PHILP !"## Tropfest MC 8 years running!!

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154 BROUGHAM ST, CNR WILLIAM ST, KINGS CROSS BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 :: 27

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold [FILM] Morgan Spurlock is POM Wonderful

By Joshua Blackman

Morgan Spurlock

O

fficially titled POM Wonderful presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Morgan Spurlock’s latest documentary is a deconstruction of product placement and advertising. Buzzwords like “brand integration” and “co-promotion” pop up on screen as Spurlock cold-calls dozens of companies in an effort to finance the movie we’re watching. Most of them decline – this is, after all, the man who savaged McDonalds in Super Size Me – but he eventually finds some willing benefactors. But has he sold out in the process? In his typical, Bear Grylls kind of way, Spurlock puts himself on the frontline. He’s the one pitching documentary collector cups to Sheetz – a regional gas station/ fast food chain in the United States – and acting as the front man of POM Wonderful commercials (POM invested $1 million for the above-thetitle credit) in his effort to make the Iron Man of documentaries. If Iron Man had more than 14 brand partners, why can’t he have the same? The resulting film is hilarious and self-reflexive (it’s a movie about the funding of itself), and just by its subject matter, something that couldn’t have been made 20 or 30 years ago. “I think the amount of advertising, the amount of places that you can get messages now, is very different. There are so many things competing,” Spurlock says, noting the competition between his film and other movies, cable TV, streaming, the internet and a thriving video game culture.

Part of what Spurlock’s film is doing is attempting to reclaim the place of smaller, more interesting

The film is struggling to reach its $10 million box-office benchmark (currently sitting at around $636,000 in the US), but will still end up being profitable. It’s this emphasis on the business side of the entertainment industry that proves especially pertinent when Spurlock chats with directors Quentin Tarantino, Peter Berg, J.J. Abrams and Brett Ratner. Tarantino is characteristically loquacious, Berg matterof-fact, while Abrams’ (Super 8, Star Trek) predictably extols the virtues of story and character. The real zinger comes from Brett Ratner (Rush Hour), who, when asked about product placement and artistic integrity exclaims: “Artistic integrity? Whatever!”

[BOOKS] Making bestsellers seem easy. By Dee Jefferson

B

en Mezrich writes movies. Or rather, he writes best-selling books that get turned into movies – and even though you don’t recognise his name, you’ve probably seen one of them; perhaps you didn’t catch 21 (based on Mezrich’s Bringing Down The House) – the film about six MIT students-turned-card-sharks who took Vegas for millions – but you definitely saw The Social Network (based on The Accidental Billionaires). Both those films were produced by a team that includes Scott Rudin and Kevin Spacey – and the same team has just bought Mezrich’s latest release, Sex On The Moon. Expect to see it on screen by 2013. Mezrich's best-sellers are all based on incredible tales that are true, and which involve smart, cocksure young men who get in over their heads. “I guess it’s like this vicarious thrill for me, researching these stories and getting involved,” admits Mezrich – himself a Harvard graduate, magna cum laude. Sex On the Moon is the story of Thad Roberts, the 25-year-old NASA intern who pulled off one of the boldest heists in US history, by robbing several billion dollarsworth of ‘moon rocks’ from NASA’s highsecurity vaults.

Instead of lamenting this attitude, Spurlock remains pragmatic. “I think once you reach a certain level of budget, it becomes much more difficult to make a movie without having support. Especially once you reach a $100m movie. You’re not going to make a $100m movie in Hollywood with a studio that isn’t going to have some sort of brand partner involved.”

The research into Thad’s story took Mezrich inside NASA, through the FBI's case files, and deep into an intensive interview process with the key players. It sounds arduous on paper, but Mezrich makes it seem like a breeze – he tells me the research took 6-8 months, the writing 3-4 months. “Usually my books take around the same amount of time – I get really involved,” he says simply. Mezrich is a Social Studies graduate with a combined major in Economics, Philosophy and History, who always dreamed of being an author. “My first six books were thrillers – thrillers that nobody really read,” Mezrich laughs, “and then when I met the MIT kids who were hitting Vegas, that was my first true story. I kinda joined the team and started hanging out with them, and that became [Bringing Down the House].” Mezrich describes his style as ‘narrative nonfiction’. “I get all the information, I get all the documentation, and then I write it as if it’s sort of a movie – so it reads like a thriller. So everything in it is true, but there are definitely scenes where I’ve interviewed the people who were in it, but I don’t have the exact words that were said or anything like that. In the author’s note I make it very clear that there’s some recreated dialogue and stuff… But overall it’s a true story, and I stick to the chronology as much as I can.” Mezrich has come under a lot of fire for his breathless style, and unconventional approach to journalism (most notably from Gawker, The Observer and The New York Times), and is practised at defending his schtick. He's is not the first author to jazz up history – Tacitus and Herodotus are two notable examples from another era.

With Greatest Movie, despite superficially whoring himself out to brands, appearing on talk shows in a Nascar-esque branded suit, and sitting in a bath-tub with a pony (!), Spurlock comes out clean. Like Tina Fey on 30 Rock, he skirts the artistic minefield of product placement by acknowledging it with a knowing wink and smile. After watching the film, though, I’m feeling kind of thirsty for some 100% pomegranate juice. No idea why. What: POM Wonderful presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold When/where: Showing now at Dendy Newtown, Hoyts Paris and the Chauvel

“Thad had just got out of prison, and these mutual friends of his were fans of mine, and called me up and said, ‘You gotta hear this story.’ I had never heard it before, so I got on a plane and flew out there and met him and he was, like, this genius kid who had done something really stupid!”

At the end of the day, Mezrich says he sees himself as an entertainer. But he’s not planning a return to fiction any time soon, and the thrill of the true story still catches him by the throat. And now there are more to choose from than ever. “I’ve become kind of the guy everyone reaches out to – every time some college kid does something crazy,” he laughs.

Author Ben Mezrich

What: Sex On The Moon by Ben Mezrich When: Out now through Random House

A Quiet Night In Rangoon

[THEATRE] Reporting from the frontline By Simon Binns

“In a situation of conflict, often [journalists are] faced with [the question]: do I actually help out or do I report the story so that other people can find out and help in their own way?” says Pollock. “Also, the question is, ‘Is this any of my business?’” Set in Burma in 2007 on the eve of the Saffron Revolution (named for the colour of the robes that the monks who led these largely peaceful protests wore) Rangoon follows the story of Piper, a journalist who sets off to Burma for personal reasons but gets caught up in the conflict, and is forced to report on it.

Aileen Huynh plays Burmese teenager Kitty

I

n 1994 Kevin Carter won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for a photo he took of a starving girl in the Sudan being watched by a vulture. The photo elicited emotional responses all over the world, but the question that was most often asked was, “Why didn’t you help the girl?” One commentator took this to the extreme saying “The man adjusting his lens to take just the right frame of her suffering, might just as well 28 :: BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11

be a predator, another vulture on the scene.” Despite the artist plaudits, this moral conflict, which evidently plagued Carter himself, led to his tragic suicide later that year. It’s an extreme case, but part of a common ethical quandary for any foreign correspondent – and it’s this issue that Katie Pollock explores in her new play, A Quiet Night In Rangoon.

Pollock first became aware of the Burma story in 1992, when she was living and working as a journalist in Bangkok. “The 1988 protests had been quite recent and I lived with a bunch of other journalists. One of them in particular was very involved with Burmese refugees on the Thai/Burma border. She was an American freelance journalist and she made documentaries and she was very good at her job. She ended up being the original inspiration for the journalist character in this play.” This character stayed in Pollock’s mind and a decade-and-a-half later, during the Saffron Revolution, the idea for the play started forming. Despite the obvious political nature of putting on a show about the conflict in Burma, the play has another political message that is a bit closer to home for the Sydney theatre

community. “A lot of people have liked the play but have kind of gone, ‘It’s a bit tricky– how are you going to cast four Asian actors?’ There’s only one character who’s designated as ‘White Australia’, and a lot of people thought that was quite difficult,” Pollock explains. “It’s taken its time to find the right people who’ve gone, ‘Actually, this is very exciting’. And it is; you look around Sydney’s stages and you don’t see it so much.” It’s also exciting for the actors, who, as Pollock explains, get most of their work playing bit parts. “I was watching the DVD of Spirited… and one of our actors, Felino Dolloso, plays a cleaner in that show. I came back into rehearsal and said, ‘Felino, I saw you in that show playing a cleaner,’ and he said, ‘Yeah – cleaner, taxi driver, refugee…’ and they’re all nodding, ‘Yeah played that, played that.’ These are the roles for our Asian actors… so it’s nice to give these wonderful actors an opportunity to play real parts.” In the wake of the Arab Spring, and with London on fire, a story about reporting from conflict seems more than fitting. What: A Quiet Night In Rangoon by Katie Pollock When: August 18 – September 10 Where: New Theatre / 542 King St Newtown More: newtheatre.org.au/thespareroom

Ben Mezrich photo by Tracy Aiguier

Widespread competition is part of the reason for the proliferation of product placement in big-budget Hollywood. It’s also because of the tent-pole blockbuster mentality that seems to be crushing smaller independent films. “What they produced Star Wars for is not what they’re making movies for now; they’re making movies for 200plus million dollars today. That is a much larger value proposition of return on investment they have to make up for.”

films in a marketplace dominated by blockbusters – and if anyone can put a documentary that doesn’t feature penguins and isn’t narrated by Morgan Freeman up against the likes of Harry Potter and Captain America, it’s Spurlock.

Ben Mezrich

Arts Snap

Film & Theatre Reviews

At the heart of the arts Where you went last week.

Hits and misses on the silver screen and the bareboards around town.

Roxanne McDonald in Windmill Baby

The show may be in-between seasons, but the producers are doing all they can to ram down our throats the colossal phenomenon that is Glee. This 90-minute 3D documentary is cut from this year’s Glee Live! summer concert tour. The pacing is fast and it has a crowd-pleasing mix of feel-good fan stories, clips of backstage character in-jokes, and a “diverse” range of songs – from Britney’s skanky ‘I’m A Slave 4 U’ to Queen’s ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ and Barbara Streisand’s 'Don’t Rain on My Parade'. Amy Winehouse is probably flipping in her grave at the ‘Valerie’ rendition where the cast don colourful skirts and do an upbeat swing dance. This film not only reeks of merchandise, it is merchandise. In case diehard fans want to know what else they can purchase, one girl lists all her Glee paraphernalia, including board games, clothes and shoes, and friends she made from online Glee forums. She also has a Glee tattoo, and her cat, dog and car are named after the show’s characters. You’d think she was a freak, but then again she is a Gleek so, like GaGa’s Little Monsters, it’d be a letdown if the fans weren’t a little nuts. If, like me, when you watch Glee you fastforward the songs to get to the good bits (Jane Lynch playing the awesomeness that is Sue Sylvester) you’re going to be disappointed. Even though she features in the trailer, there’s no trace of the conniving saboteur. Also MIA is Mr Schuester, but there’s a cameo by commitment-phobic substitute teacher Holly Holliday (Gwyneth Paltrow). This choice is mystifying, as is the backstage banter between characters: main stars Finn, Quinn, Puck and Kurt don’t get a look in, while smaller characters Arty (Kevin McHale) and Brittany S. Piers (Heather Morris) are cracking jokes left, right and centre. Could this be because they’re the only actors who can improvise? Overall, it’s hard not to get caught up in the “embrace being different” and “I’m a loser and I’m okay” sentiments. The three main stories intertwined through the film follow a short-statured cheerleader, a girl with Asperger’s, and an out-and-proud gay boy. The moral of their stories is that Glee has helped them accept who they are and given them the confidence to shine… blah blah. It’s cheesy and very American, but the tales are engaging and you back these kids anyway. There’s nothing wrong with feeling good about yourself, right? Teen angst is so '90s. Emma Salkild ■ Theatre

WINDMILL BABY

Neighbourhood Watch phto by Brett Boardman

Until August 21 / Belvoir Downstairs One of my lecturers at university described Belvoir under Neil Armfield as a theatre that “reeked of humanity.” People were at the centre of every story, every production. It seemed an apt description and I think for many, there was a fear that under the artistic direction of Ralph Meyers, the theatre might move away from this legacy. If anyone was still worried, the current productions, upstairs and downstairs, well and truly put this fear to bed. Showing upstairs, Neighbourhood Watch is as perfect a tale of broad human experience as they come, whilst downstairs, Windmill Baby intricately explores the life of

PICS :: TL

jurassic lounge

Maymay (Roxanne McDonald) has returned to the pastoral station where she worked washing clothes many years ago. This one-woman show tells the story of the many personalities on the station, such as her husband, Malvern Star, the boss, his wife, and the real hero of the story, oneman, a fellow domestic who was born with a damaged arm and leg. As Maymay sifts through the memories, story after story comes out and the pain and happiness of long ago rises in her.

02:08:11 :: The Australian Museum :: 6 College St Sydney 93206000

David Milroy’s now classic text cleverly eschews the stereotypes of this story and creates an elaborate picture of the complex racial intersections of station life. McDonald is skilful in her depiction of the various characters and brings a genuine tenderness to the stage whilst delivering the comedy of the piece with equal expertise. Ruby Langton-Batty’s set makes Belvoir’s intimate downstairs theatre feel even smaller, bringing the action right up to the audience, as well as leaving us all with the red dust of the Kimberleys all over our shoes. An evocative piece of storytelling.

bams & ted

04:08:11 :: Bams And Ted ::84 William St Paddington

Henry Florence ■ Theatre

AND NO MORE SHALL WE PART Until September 3 / Griffin Theatre Co. Euthanasia. That’s the one word that Tom Holloway cleverly avoids in this tightly written two-hander. It’s a topic that, as a well-meaning lefty, I struggle to come to a clear conclusion on. It’s an issue that demands some serious public debate and this script goes some way to elucidating the complicated arguments on either side. Pam and Don are 56 and 61 respectively, and as far as we know have been married for a long time. The play begins with Pam sitting up in a single bed with Don by her side. As small talk gradually breaks down, it becomes apparent that Pam has made the decision to end her life. At first it would seem Don is ok with this, but as the play moves on, it becomes apparent that he is not – and so the debate rages between them.

bizarre bazaar

04:08:11 :: Bizarre Bazaar :: District01 / 74-76 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst Bizarrebazaar.info

Holloway has avoiding creating a didactic play, eschewing intellectual arguments of the rights of the individual in favour of a passionate battle between long-term partners, bringing to light the emotional reality of the situation, which sometimes gets lost in the public debate.

Arts Exposed What's in our diary...

Technically, the piece is difficult, with a lot of repetition, broken thoughts and unfinished sentences. This places a lot pressure on the two actors, Linda Cropper and Russell Kiefel who at times fail to rise to the occasion. At times, the production struggles for a sense of tenderness and it’s hard to buy that Pam and Don are, or ever have been, in love. I also felt that there was no real sense of Pam’s illness. She seemed too strong and healthy to be making the decision to end her life. Yet perhaps this was deliberate, and in spite of my problems with the play, it still had a strong impact on me and the rest of the audience. It certainly sparked a debate and I suspect that is what was hoped for. Henry Florence

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

PICS :: ELT

Released August 11

Indigenous Australians under white rule.

PICS :: TL

GLEE: 3D

BRAG & The Wall present

FEAST YOUR EYES Wednesday August 17 from 7-10pm The Wall @ World Bar

Lulu Photo by Kellie La Franchi

■ Film

To celebrate the launch of our food section, Brag Eats, The Wall are throwing us a tasty party that combines all the things we like best: music, artz and FOOD! Here’s how it works: we asked people we like to share one delish recipe with us, then we asked artists we like to illustrate the recipes, then we put everything together in a room with Camden and DJ Lee Tran Lam, food and booze. Expect recipes from Josh Pyke, Lev Dawg (The Dip), Alana Skyring (The Pyjama Club, ex The Grates), Spod, Jake Stone (Blue Juice), Donny Benet, We Buy Your Kids, Captain Franco, Elmo Keep and more! Art works by Tanya Cooper, Simon Greiner and Matt Roden. theworldbar.com / artonthewall.tumblr.com BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 :: 29

BRAG EATS

The Apothecary

APOTHECARY

In a rare example of good trumping evil, The World Bar launched its new nook bar The Apothecary last week – transforming what used to be a downbeat pokies den into a saloon-styled speakeasy, with a ye olde twist. Even better, they’ve refurbished a vintage gaming machine so that it now functions as a donation box for The Wayside Chapel – the local charity that has been loving the Cross since 1964. In terms of fit-out, there’s the kind of knick-knacks that the name implies, plus more red velvet curtains than a David Lynch film, an inspired cocktail list, and leather booth-benches to boot!

for a new Sydney bar; a team of industry professionals will then pick a winner, who will be given a week to supervise the creation of their dream bar, in a secret ‘yet-to-be-announced’ harbourside location. More at thepremise.com.au

HAUTE DOGS

No longer the purview of of nocturnal Kings Cross, the humble inner-city snag stand is getting a revamp courtesy of The Snag Stand, a new boutique food venture that sources its snags from Sydney’s finest artisan butchers

(including AC Butchery and Rodriguez Bros), and whips them up into delicious treats like the Backyarder (classic Aussie beef and tomato sausage on a rustic roll w/ creamy coleslaw, Coopers Ale BBQ sauce and cheddar cheese), and the Spicy Spanish Chorizo (grilled w/ semi sundried tomatoes, chipotle aioli, baby rocket and shredded Spanish goats cheese on a brioche roll). Prices range from $6.90 for an American Classic to $10.90 for a Wagyu Beef or Toulouse (Bangalow Pork). Find ‘em at Level 5 at Westfield Sydney (Pitt St Mall), or snagstand.com.au

THE WRECK

The kids from Ksubi have extended their line to include a bar in Bondi; it’s called The Wreck, and it opened last Wednesday in a flurry of surf-tinged fashion, salad and sliders. Cnr of Campbell Parade and Beach Road; we pointed you in the direction, now go find.

The Snag Stand

THE PREMISE

The Drambuie bar challenge is on again, for the second year – so start turning those daydreams into solid plans. Called ‘The Premise’, the competition invites applicants to submit a two-minute video that crystallises their ideas

Main photo: Bill & Toni's by Mikey Pozarik

News Bites

BRAG'S WEEKLY GUIDE TO FOOD

Affordable Eats Under $25 and BYO? Yes Please. By Bianca O’Neill

o you’re going on a date. You met the kid while navigating most of last weekend with margarita goggles, and you’re not sure if they’re a keeper – so you’re looking for somewhere inconspicuous, delicious and cheap, where you’ll be fed and watered well enough that even a bore will be bearable. Cue the BYO-friendly eats for under $25 pp. You could research on the Googs but it’s all too much effort, so take our advice: try one of these corkers for a guaranteed good feed.

S

If you’re just really Aussie and need some comfort food because the date you picked up is throwing you for a six, check out some ol’ school faves at Betty’s Soup Kitchen. We’re talking Parma, Shepherds Pie (from $12) and warming soups of course (from $8.50), and they all come with free damper – straight out of the oven – and the choice of an add-on salad bar, straight out of your Nanna’s fridge. Pickled onions! Cornichons! You can even get both of your dinners for less than $25 if you’re really tight.

If you’re looking for Japanese (don’t wear white – trust a constant victim of the falling-sushi-soybacksplash), check out Nakashima in The Rocks. Great, cheap and fresh bento boxes for around $16 including rice, sushi and salad, and a soft shell crab salad to die for that's priced at only $14 – plus it’s close to Circular Quay, for the trusty ‘I’m going to miss my ferry home’ line. And if you’re from the wes’side, then hit up Hikaru in Newtown for a quality Japanese fix, with dinner sets from $14.80, excellent Yakisoba (pan fried noodles) from $9.80, Korokke (potato and vegetable croquettes) at $4.80, and handy proximity to side alleys for the bathroom-phantom escape. Just say you got lost on the way back... Really lost.

But then again, if you’re that much of a tightarse on a date, chances are the person you’re picking up might just be thinking the same thing about you. So maybe you should go for the cleanskin after all…

If Italian's your thing, you can’t go past Bill & Toni’s in East Sydney for their epic serving sizes ($18 for a delicious Italian mama-sized main – we recommend the osso bucco), free salad, free bread, and free orange cordial. FREE! Also, try the ‘add a huge serving of pasta to my already huge main meal’ option – only an extra $6 for your choice of marinara, neapolitana and more. Plus, they’ll let you BYO whatever you want – including a longneck.

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Happy Hour

COCKTAILS

$10

Wed-Sun 4-6pm

We buy and sell used books

Corridor Fresh New Bar. FRESH COCKTAILS. SPIRITS. WINE. IMPORTED & LOCAL BEERS, LEAFY DECK. LIVE MUSIC. COMFY COUCHES. LUSCIOUS FOOD.

LAID BACK

Curl up with a book and a glass of wine Stop by for a cocktail and a dinner to share

Visit our website for event details starting in November.

413 Crown St Surry Hills 9318 1116

www.cafebookstore.com.au 30 :: BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11

stay classy DINNER 7 NIGHTS corridorbar.com.au. 153A King st. Newtown

Leichardt’s Bar Italia is an oldie but a goodie, with some seriously delicious pasta at seriously cheap prices, from $13.95 for a good sized serving of old school dishes like fettuccine tre amici (a stew of Italian sausage, veal, and chicken simmered in a tangy tomato sauce). Huge mains like traditional bistecca (steak) start at $21.95. Plus you won’t look out of place when you pick up your date in your souped-up Rexxie. Make sure you leave room for gelato – pistachio is not just a flavour, it’s an institution. Thinking of going east? Check out Spice I Am on Wentworth Street, Surry Hills, for another cheap haunt that doesn’t look down on the suspiciously beer-shaped brown paper bag accompanying you and your date. The Thai menu ranges from the prosaic (pork belly with Chinese broccoli) to the daring (such as the frequent addition of pork blood jelly, as in the guay jab soup, $7.90), and it's adventurous, tasty and presented all classy-like. We recommend the moo pa: spicy stir-fried pork belly with apple and pea eggplant ($17.90). If you’re tired of Thai, head to Chinatown for some killer Malaysian fare at Mamak on Goulburn St. The Tele calls it the best roti canai (stuffed roti bread) this side of the Indian Ocean ($5.50-$11.50), but we suggest the amazing satay ($9 for 1/2 dozen, or $16 for dozen.) They also do killer curries starting at just $14 – just remember to bring mints. But if you’re really looking to throw down the gauntlet and challenge halitosis to a duel, you can’t go past Flying Fajita Sisters: the burritos, enchiladas or quesadillas ($18.90) may not do wonders for your post-date-drop-off breath, but in some cases it may just save you an awkward non-kiss. Plus, these guys do the best selfassembled fajitas ($24.90) this side of Mexico. (Don’t pronounce it Me-hi-co; it’s not as cute as you think.)

GOOD DEAL MEALS Take A Bottle And Eat A Lot-tle

Nakashima Speciality: Soft shell crab salad and cheap bento boxes. Address: 7 Cambridge St, The Rocks Bookings: 9241 1364

Bill & Toni’s Speciality: Huge portions, free orange cordial, salad and bread... Not to mention the schnitzel/bolognaise combo. Address: 74 Stanley St, East Sydney Bookings: 9360 4702

Betty’s Soup Kitchen Speciality: Hearty and homely pie, soups and stews for a very reasonable price. Address: 84 Oxford St, Darlinghurst Bookings: 9360 9698

Hikaru Speciality: Try the yakisoba and korokke. Address: 134 King St, Newtown Bookings: 9516 5959

The Italian Bowl Speciality: Pasta pasta pasta, just like mama makes it! Address: 255 King St, Newtown Contact: 9516 0857

Bar Italia Speciality: They are serious about their coffee, and their gelato is delicious. Address: 171 Norton St, Leichardt Contact: 9560 9981

Flying Fajita Sisters Speciality: A huge range of tequila and a big menu of Mexican food, served quickly but prepared traditionally. Address: 65 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe Web: flyingfajitasistas.com.au Bookings: 9552 6522

Spice I Am Speciality: The Thai restaurant where Thai people go... Try the moo pa: spicy pork belly with apple and eggplant. Address: 90 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills Web: spiceiam.com Contact: 9280 0928

Mamak Speciality: The best Malay food in Sydney – with a huge variety of roti and roti canai. Address: 15 Goulburn St, Haymarket Web: mamak.com.au Contact: 9211 1668

BRAG EATS food review

THIRSTY?

Low 302 [SURRY HILLS]

Tucked away just off Oxford Street at the start of Crown, Low 302 is a stylish cocktail bar and restaurant that projects class without pretention – no small accomplishment in Surry Hills. The rich red velvet and exposedwood interior is comfortable and warm, with fun, kitsch crockery and glassware that adds personality, and perfect low lighting, making it easy to block out the surrounding patrons and focus on your company’s conversation; kind of ideal when compared to the often overstimulating and cramped small bars that have been popping up in the area of late. The food comes tapas style, with dishes sized to share between two to four. To begin, we chose the dry-chilli-crusted seared tuna ($14) and stuffed poblano peppers ($15), from the standard menu. The seared tuna was a rich, warm dish – a tamarind paste and light chilli/lime seasoning gave the meal weight and complexity, with a side-serving of daikon strings (a light radish sauerkraut-type garnish) balancing the richness of the tamarind with a clear, punchy freshness. The stuffed peppers had a bean and pulled-pork, tomatobased filling; a familiar Spanish/Mexican approach, without the strong chilli bite. The pork was offset by a creamy goat’s cheese, not overpowering in flavour but full in texture. Finally, tucked away in the centre of each pepper, is an unexpected sweet explosion of candied walnuts.

CARIBBEAN NEGRONI 13B / 13B BURTON ST, DARLINGHURST Ingredients: 30ml English Harbour 5yr rum 30ml Campari 30ml Cinzanno Rosso Method: build over only the best frozen ice Glass: rocks

Moving on to the larger, ‘mains’-style sharing plates, we ordered the chargrilled kingfish “al pastor” ($18), and the daily special of double-cooked pork belly ($18). The kingfish followed the same approach as the tuna, with a light ground-chilli seasoning and paste, and a fruity pineapple salsa that offered an acidic counterpoint. And the pork belly was something to behold. A large cut of pork topped with a thick layer of crackling, the meat underneath was moist and succulent – there

Garnish: lemon and orange twist Best drunk with: a Hoyo de Monterrey Robusto Cigar during: a poker night at the one and only 13b while wearing: a monocle and top hat and listening to: Ray Charles.

FEAST YOUR EYES

A RECIPE TEASER

THE GLEN STEFANI [RECIPE BY SPOD]

was no strong sauce or seasoning required with meat cooked this well, the pork wisely allowed to stand strong on its own. On the side were beans mixed with fennel, in keeping with the Spanish/Mexican fusion across the whole menu; a lighter side option than a standard mash, which was another wise call in what could easily have been a very heavy meal.

plenty of cinnamon, and the insides oozing out warm, chocolatey banana filling. The kitchen is open nice and late at Low 302, with a wellbalanced menu that’ll warm you in the winter months – but for those missing dinner and looking for a sweetness, I can’t recommend this final course enough… May as well down it with a cocktail, too. – Matthew Cowley

Feeling more than a little decadent thanks to our surroundings, we ordered the bananastuffed donut balls ($10) for desert, which came smothered in a thick melted dark chocolate. This dish is pure sin, in the best possible sense; the donut freshly fried with

Where: 302 Crown Street, Surry Hills Bar: Wed-Sat, 5pm-2pm; Sunday 6pm-2am Contact: 9368 1548 Web: low302.com.au

THE ITALIAN BOWL 255 King Street NEWTOWN

“To complete the snandwidge, place Prok in a soft human foreskin, floured and fried till crimpsy. Place Prik Prok in the scrint roll. Put an American flag on it and a painting of Wil Anderson shrugging at an image of Seinfeld shrugging. Sell it in a place with the word ‘Commons’ in it, put a hat on and charge $25 for the privilege of tasting my modern take on a classic snarb.” To find out how to make this dish, plus many other original treats from Sydney favourites like PVT, Josh Pyke, Lev Dawg, Donny Benet, webuyyourkids and more, get in early to FEAST YOUR EYES: a night of art, music and food presented by Brag Eats and The Wall. Yes, there will be snacks.

Wednesday August 17, from 7pm @ The World Bar, Kings Cross

free stuff

▼ THE ITALIAN BOWL! WIN!

email: freestuff@thebrag.com

W

hen you’re craving pasta, there’s nothing else that'll scratch that itch; it’s total comfort food, best administered with a glass of red wine. The Italian Bowl on King Street are known for doing it deliciously, affordably, and right in front of you – fresh to order! Whether your poison is pesto or primavera, bolognese or boscaiola, this is your pasta fix – and they also do a mean line in risottos, schnitties, salads and sides. But the piece de resistance (or however you say that in Italian) is the homemade tiramisu; spoonfuls of spongey, creamy mascarponey goodness. And it's BYO too!

We have a special Italian Bowl voucher up for grabs, for two mains and a shared dessert. To get your hands on it, tell us where bolognese comes from!

Come join us and enjoy absolutely fabulous fresh pasta, veal, chicken and sides ranging from $10. Call on 02 9516 0857 to place your take away order

Find The Italian Bowl at 255 King Street, Newtown BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 :: 31

Album Reviews What's been crossing our ears this week...

ALBUM OF THE WEEK JAY Z & KANYE WEST Watch The Throne Def Jam/Universal

Watch The Throne almost collapses under the weight of its self-mythologising, but once Jay and Ye stop talking about their status and start contributing to it, the results are electrifying.

It's fair to say that Watch The Throne amounts to the most anticipated release of 2011 – but don’t they just know it. So much of this album is given over to telling us how terrific its protagonists are, and throughout Jay and Ye attempt to insinuate themselves onto a roll call of cultural icons including Elvis, The Beatles, Michael Jordan, Nina Simone, Otis Redding, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Michael Jackson, Aristotle and Plato (?) – but the fact is that they're already a part of (most of) that pantheon, and every time they remind us of it, it sounds a little desperate... But aside from the occasional indulgence, they barely put a foot wrong on this record.

THE WAR ON DRUGS Slave Ambient Secretly Canadian After spending four years recording at various studios across the United States, including lead singer Adam Granduciel’s own Philadelphia home studio, The War On Drugs are back with their follow up to the acclaimed 2008 debut, Wagonwheel Blues. Short and sweet at only 47 minutes, Slave Ambient is perfect for a road trip; it transports you to a sprawling highway, flows seamlessly, and should really be listened to as a whole. Nostalgic-sounding tunes pour out of the speakers, enriched with harmonicas and a surprising sprinkling of synth. The disparate elements come together to create a sense of familiarity, in part because they borrow from the classic 80s soundscape – and in part because Granduciel’s vocals on ‘Brothers’ are a dead ringer for Dylan. The War On Drugs don’t shy away from experimentation; multiinstrumentalists Dave Hartley and Robbie Bennett and drummer Mike Zanghi often segue into long instrumentals mid-song. ‘The Animator’, ‘City Reprise #12’ and ‘Original Slave’ are entirely dedicated to lofty musical composition, and even the cover art represents a psychedelic soundwave, with silhouettes of mics and palm trees. Working as perfect book ends to the album, ‘Best Night’ and ‘Black Water Falls’ are both beautiful tracks. The sleepy opener especially displays unassuming lyrics and a sense of sonic confidence. This is a band I’d love to see live. The War On Drugs aren’t reinventing the wheel on this one, but they’ve created an impressive second LP. The perfect soundtrack to your winter wind-down. Danielle Le Toullec

Both MCs are in top form, and it’s exhilarating to hear the two most significant rappers of the past twenty years trading verses. Ye is his typical self – by turns lonely genius, hedonist and pantomime villain – and while Jay’s dramatic range isn’t so wide, it’s great to hear him back at the peak of his powers. But the best thing about Throne are easily the beats. The strength of the instrumentals – from The Neptunes, Q-Tip, Swizz Beatz, Pete Rock, RZA, Kanye and Jay, among many others – amplifies every statement and heightens every emotion, from the lovely ‘New Day’ to the massive club bangers of ‘Murder To Excellence’ and ‘Why I Love You’. It’s worth shelling out for the deluxe edition, too, with four extra songs that are just as good as the rest. Hugh Robertson

MOONFACE

ALKALINE TRIO

LO-FI-FNK

FRUIT BATS

Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I’d Hoped Jagjaguwar

Damnesia Heart & Skull / Epitaph

The Last Summer Popfrenzy Records

Tripper Sub Pop

You may remember Spencer Krug from his involvement with Wolf Parade, the Canadian indie group who seem to spawn side projects faster than the different strains of the influenza virus. Well, add another one to the list; Moonface is Krug’s solo project, which he concocts in his Montreal home between all the other things he manages to find time to do. After releasing a 20 minute EP using just marimba last year, his debut follow up long player – Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I’d Hoped – is built using music and effects generated from a double-manual organ, used in harmony with Krug’s Bowie-like vocals. And with only that he’s managed to concoct something of value that demonstrates enviable songwriting skills; Organ Music… uses layers upon layers of organ and straightforward drum patterns to build a series of somewhat eccentric yet personal musical narratives. As record opener ‘Return To The Violence Of The Ocean Floor’ builds towards its seven-minute climax, with Krug’s fingers rapidly spilling over the keys, you still don’t feel that the songs are drawn out, but rather highly deliberate and well-crafted. Contrasting moods are evident, with a sense of urgency underpinning the likes of ‘Whale Song’ – it feeling akin to some sort of unfolding future space emergency. Record highlight ‘Fast Peter’ starts out with a drum and bass-like beat, but develops into a melodic pop song that celebrates the fine boundary between love and foolishness. There is much to praise here, and one thing is clear; if Krug continues to put out solo records as strong as this one, there will be little outrage amongst those impatiently waiting new Wolf Parade material. Darragh Murray

Best Of compilations usually only signify one of two things: A) the band needs cash but hasn’t been able to piece together a decent song in years, or B) the band has left their former label and said label is seeking to squeeze the last of the money milk before the cash cow is gone forever… But in the case of Chicago punks Alkaline Trio, who’ve been on numerous labels over their fifteen year career and have had a continually decent output of music up until now, Damnesia seems more like a book-end of a period than the culmination of a career. With Damnesia, Alkaline Trio have selected a retrospective of hits and stripped them back to their acoustic minimum. Distortion has been replaced with the earnest resonance of acoustic guitars, and the format gives songwriter Matt Skiba’s honest lyrics and pop sensibility a chance to shine. Upbeat numbers like album opener ‘Calling All Skeletons’ and lead single ‘Clavicle’ are weighted by slower piano-led reworkings of ‘This Could Be Love’ and ‘The American Scream’. These all work well, but the album is somewhat let down by the two originals included, ‘Olde English 800’ and ‘I Remember A Rooftop’. They really don’t come close to the heights of the other cuts, especially the throw-away effort of ‘OE 800’, which is a love song about beer. But nearing the end of the record, the reimagining of ‘Private Eye’ and ‘Radio’ really manage to capture what this whole LP aims to do – give some old classics a new identity. For Alkaline Trio fans, Damnesia is a compilation of re-worked hits they know and love – and for the uninitiated, this could be a softer gateway sound that may lead to harder things.

As Lo-Fi-Fnk sing on ‘Shut The World Out’, “Everything looks the same from a distance”; at first glance, This Last Summer is your standard electro pop album, but after a few rounds it really starts to grow on you. Compared to Boylife, their 2006 debut on Moshi Moshi, the Swedish band have considerably developed both their sound and the depth of their lyrics. After a bit of a bumpy start, the title track ‘Last Summer’ perfectly captures the feeling of a summer passing you by too quickly; that sense of longing and restlessness, “Another one comes and another one goes”. ‘Boom’ brings rave electro into the mix, and the track would go down well in a club, but the catchy vocals are somewhat dampened by a sound reminiscent of a mosquito stuck in a jar… ‘Marchin’ In’ successfully picks it back up, with bongos and a killer hook. ‘Want U’ is definitely an album highlight. Unrequited love is a bummer at the best of times, but with a song like this, you have no excuses for staying down. “You could be all that you want to/But you can’t make someone want you/You try your best if you want to/But you can’t change your mind even if you’d like to”. The Last Summer closes with ‘Nu Generation’, a slower track that puts softer vocals to use, which perfectly rounds out the album. Another great record from one of Sweden’s new crop of electro pop outfits, who join the likes of Lykke Li and Robyn. Lo-Fi-Fnk are back with a slow burner that'll take a few listens before it really wins you over. Danielle Le Toullec

Rick Warner

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK REGURGITATOR SuperHappyFun TimesFriends Valve You may have heard Regurgitator saying a while ago that they planned to abandon the album format and would release music in a steady stream, which resulted in one excellent EP (Distractions), two more songs on their Bandcamp – and nothing else. Turns out, they need the whip-crack deadline of album production as motivation. SuperHappyFunTimesFriends is the result of that discovery. It also turns out that if pushed,

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Regurgitator turn punk. Songs like ‘Uncontactable’, ‘No Show’ and ‘Punk Mum’ are Regurgitator at their Ramones-iest, making this one of their rockier albums, with plenty of fast-paced and gleefully clever-dumb songbombs. But that’s not the only thing going on here; there are enough different tracks to please fans of all the various flavours of the Gurge. ‘Into The Night’ is more of that ’80s pop revivalism they were doing before it was cool, sounding like David Bowie’s lost contribution to the soundtrack of The Lost Boys, and ‘All Fake Everything’ is a hip hop meditation on celebrity and authenticity that also

happens to contain a Lennon-esque piano ballad. Only fans of their lasering, synth-heavy stuff may feel left out, with just a few 8-bit seconds of ‘Game Over Dude’ included as a kiss-off to those hoping for more songs that'd require Seja Vogel to join them live on keys. But they’ve got enough of those songs already, I guess. Here I was, resigned to never hearing a new album from these guys ever again, and suddenly I have one and I’m glad for it. Australian music would be lacking something vital if Regurgitator weren’t part of the conversation. (But Quan: a second solo album, man. Please.) Jody MacGregor

The preoccupations that Eric D. Johnson chews over on Fruit Bats’ fifth record are summed up pretty much perfectly on Tripper’s cover: a small band of antelope stand on a sun-dappled prairie, a dirt track disappearing over a low hill below a big sky, cumulus roiling gigantic away towards the horizon. It’s so striking that Sub Pop have been thoughtful enough to blow it up times five on the accompanying fold-out poster-cum-lyric-sheet – normally these things aren’t worth commenting on, but if ever an image said ‘freedom’, this is it. On 2009’s excellent The Ruminant Band, Johnson threw the emphasis of his one-time solo project onto the talents of Fruit Bats’ full band; with Tripper he’s wound it back a bit, biting off harder, richer, but lonelier fare. Unlike the invented mythology of fellow indie folksters Blitzen Trapper, or the meandering musings of Vetiver’s Andy Cabic (whose longtime producer Thom Monahan has done a stellar job here), Johnson spins rangy yarns of characters seeking a path into the wide blue yonder. ‘Tony The Tripper’ sets the score: life led on the fly and chance meetings with random sorts, over a simple propulsive riff and Johnson’s Robert Plant-ish cries. These ideas are also covered on ‘Heart Like An Orange’, or the organ-powered ditty ‘Dolly’, an equally organ-powered persona talking the title lass into hitting the road… The flip-side to giving free-rein to feet with a mind of their own – expulsion to the “fucked up world” – is charted in a surprisingly effective Bee Gees falsetto in ‘The Banishment Song’. But as he sings in late album highlight ‘Wild Honey’, “to own nobody / to owe nobody” is, for some, an end in itself. For Johnson freedom comes at a price, but it’s one that is ultimately worth paying. Much like this excellent record. Oliver Downes

OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week...

DUNGEN - Tio Bitar CHAIRLIFT - Does You Inspire You BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Nebraska

THE GRATES - Secret Rituals SNOWMAN - Absense

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gear guide A Beginner's Guide To...

Picking Your Format

I

n the modern world of music production, one of the most commonly debated topics is the merits of different recording formats. Does vinyl really sound different to CD or a digital file? Which one is right for my project? Can I record or mix my music differently, to make sure it sounds the best on each format? The answer is that format absolutely matters. There are so many opinionated “Vinyl vs CD” discussions out there (check out the 25 million Google hits on this), ranging from the philosophical to the absurd – but it comes down to simply paying attention to the technical aspects of

each format’s sound. Both mediums can and should sound incredible if the music is prepared in the right way, specific to the medium. The differences between a great sounding CD and great sounding vinyl often lie in the final stages in production. Vinyl is very much a physical medium, and there is little room for error in the mastering and manufacturing process. That distinctive and coveted vinyl sound is a result the limitations in its production – the literal cutting of the grooves – which generate a range of challenges, that have led to specific techniques being used in

WITH the mixing and mastering stages. For example, engineers have to be very careful with the amount of hi frequency content they use in a vinyl mix, and must also look out for out-of-phase low frequencies (mono/ stereo abnormalities). If these factors aren’t right, the needle on the record is prone to physically jump around in the groove and cause playback to skip. This is why people who are recording or mixing specifically to vinyl often run their low frequencies in mono. In terms of playback, the sound of vinyl depends very heavily on the mechanical aspects of the turntable’s cartridges, motors, styli, belts, amplification, etc. CDs and digital files at high resolution are a very true representation of the original mastering session, whereas vinyl has so many steps to go through before a successful “test pressing” is approved that the sound will always be changed in some way. Be aware of the quality of your vinyl, and the quality of your press. But regardless of the negatives, in a perfect situation a vinyl pressing can sound absolutely beautiful; just take all the above factors into consideration, and make it work for you. By Leon Zervos Senior Mastering (and ex-vinyl cutting) Engineer @ Studios 301, Alexandria www.studios301.com

*Guitar available 24/7 for duration of 12 week course.

Guitar

Bass

Vocal Tuition fees

½ hour $33.00

1 hour $66.00

At Eastern Suburbs Academy of Music we offer tailored lessons to suit the ability of all students. Our experienced musical training is designed to help you grow; to learn more about the language of music; to seek a higher level of expression through musical knowledge; and to gain new creative insights.

364 Oxford Street BONDI JUNCTION

Piano

P: 9369 3922 E: shop@intermusic.com.au

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COVER YOUR ARTZ A NEW PLATFORM what experiences to expect when touring, how to best look after the many types of personalities, how to get the best out of your tour logistics, and finally how to advance your career.

Providing a platform for touring artists and events across Australia, CoverYourArtz.com is a game-changing website, offering an online networking space for musicians, managers and music industry professionals. Distinguishing itself from similar music network websites, its main focus is on securing the right person for the job in a certain area, no matter whether it be a last minute sound engineer, a merch seller, a doorman or lighting staff. With an Australia-wide focus, the site allows the user to list their service, availability and fees. To celebrate the launch, we caught up with Cover Your Artz to look into the two up-skilling workshops they have coming up, which are aimed at performers and production staff.

Tell us what the Performance Workshop is all about? This workshop has been designed to take your own experiences as a musician and build on them with technique, insight and training, to help you become a great stage performer. Some of the techniques we look at are engaging with an audience, nerve management, creating a stage personality, and taking the audience on a journey. And the Production Workshop? This workshop is all about being on the road. We’ll be discussing the skills needed as a tour manager, how to get all the right documentation,

What are the workshops’ main methods for teaching? The workshops primarily set themselves apart from other courses by really giving you the opportunity to learn from the best, in specialised small classes. We’re offering hands on practical experience that only years on the road can teach you, in an environment in which participants can practice their skills with the experts – and network. Who are some of the in-house engineers and teachers running the courses? These specialised workshops will feature renowned industry experts including Gregg Donovan (manager of Grinspoon, Airbourne, Josh Pyke), Keith Welsh (Manager of Icehouse), Catherine Haridy (Manager of Eskimo Joe, Bob Evans, Jimi Maroudas) and Andy Walters (AJ Sound/FOH Shannon Noll).

What: Cover Your Artz’s Performance and Production Worskshops Where: Notes Live When: Sunday August 28 / early bird tix until August 19 are $110 More: coveryourartz.com/workshops / info@coveryourartz.com

gear reviews

Tips From The Top

we pit the old against the new

WITH

Jeremy Nothman

YAMAHA’S DX7 SYNTHESISER Love it or hate it, the DX7 (and its many derivatives) has proved to be one of the most idiosyncratic synthesisers of all time. One of the first widely available and affordable digital synths, it’s been used live and in the studio by U2, Toto and Queen, and virtually defined the sound of Depeche Mode. This powerful little synth dictated the tone of a large portion of mid-80s hit makers.

become known as FM synthesis – FM for Frequency Modulation. It was this flexibility that made the DX7 so popular; given the time and attention to detail in programming, the DX7’s FM system could create more sounds from the one unit than anything else on the market. The only problem is it took a lot of time to program, because the interface was such a bastard to operate on.

FM LIKE THE RADIO, RIGHT? NO.

IT WAS HARDER BACK THEN...

Due to its digital nature, the DX7 operated on what at the time was a unique synthesis architecture. Rather than using a filter section to ‘subtract’ from the raw tones (as found in a classic analogue arrangement), the DX7 used the interactions between six ‘stackable’ digital oscillators to create a wide and varied range of sounds. This type of synthesis has now commonly

THE CLASSIC

A small LED screen with yes/no options and one data slider were all that was offered up to operate the hundreds of parameters of the original DX7. Helpfully, the owner’s manual featured an operating grid in the back pages, on which you could write down the different parameters you'd changed should you exceed the possible 32 preset slots, or lose track of what you’d modified... ‘Headache’

ENGINEER @ BJB STUDIOS

does not even begin to describe how soul destroying this process could be.

...BUT YOU CAN RETRO-FIT NOW

Flash forward 25 years, and the DX7 still sounds as good as it ever did, albeit being very heavy for its size. Because the DX7 was amongst the first generation of synths to be fitted with MIDI ports – the modern standard – there are a number of updated computer applications that can be used to program the DX7 without the painfulness of using its builtin interface.

VS.

THE CHALLENGER

IT SOUNDS LIKE THE ORIGINAL?

Some of the FM8’s success can be attributed to the digital nature of the DX7; the difference between generating an FM sound on a microchip and on a computer doesn’t present the same ‘physics’-based problems you get when trying to emulate the electronic pulses of an analogue system. In terms of synthesis modelling, the FM8 starts where the DX7 stops. The six-oscillator FM architecture found in the DX7 has been painstakingly recreated for the FM8 – and you can use a classic MIDI connection to import patches from a DX7 into your computer and play them in the FM8.

NEW TRICKS FOR AN OLD DOG?

From there, the FM8 includes a number of tricks that were simply not possible on the original synthesiser – you can add effects into the mix at any stage of the synthesis chain, you can draw in waveforms, every parameter is click and control assignable and the amount of presets you can save into the device is limited only by the size of your hard drive. For sound design gurus, the FM8 is a rewarding and near endless playground. And the ability to run it as a plug-in through most standard recording programs is again a massive convenience. With just a Macbook and the FM8 plug-in, you’ll be able to record an unnervingly convincing recreation of Phil Collins greatest hits in next to no time at all.

PASS ME THE MANUAL...

A great deal of the FM8’s appeal lies in how it makes the once-troublesome interface of the DX7 a cakewalk – but all said and done,

Phase-interactions occur any time the same sound is coming from two different sources, or sounds from one object are being captured by two sources. When recording an instrument with more than one microphone, it’s important to check that the two signals are in phase with one another. On most mixing desks or recording software, there is a phase adjustment switch. When a signal is out of phase, you will hear that the lower mids are noticeably ‘thinner’. The sounds will also feel pushed to the outside of the stereo field, and the whole mix will sound flat and uncomfortable. This is because out of phase audio literally ‘leeches’ the energy out of the other signals.

NATIVE INSTRUMENTS’ FM8

Native Instruments’ FM8 is one of the first true success stories in modern attempts to digitally emulate the sounds of classic synthesisers like the DX7; it’s easier to use than the original, with a sound that is as near identical as you could hope for.

PHASE is the effect you get in a studio, when the same sound is played twice with one of the playbacks slightly delayed when compared to the original. It’s a tricky concept, but it can be useful to understand as both a creative effect and as a problem to watch out for when recording.

FM synthesis is still a complicated process. If you’re looking for a program to begin learning about synthesiser design, I probably wouldn’t recommend the FM8 as a starting point. But from a practical standpoint, the large preset bank included with the FM8 makes it easy for the uninitiated to skip quickly to a usable sound – which is great for beginners who just want to find a sound without getting under the hood. – Mark Crowley

In the case of recording a drum kit, every mic should be phase-checked against the overhead microphones, which in turn should be in phase with each other. That way, one sound gets recorded by all of the microphones at as close to the same time as possible. This will create a more solid low-end recording. Sometimes putting things out of phase can be used as an effect. Try putting one side of a reverb return out of phase with a recording... Great for when you want to really hear the effect of phase action! BJB Studios: 5/259 Riley Street, Surry Hills More: www.bjbstudios.com / (02) 9211 5434

www.studios301.com facebook.com/studios301 02 9698 5888 adam@studios301.com Steve Smart Mastering clients include: Washington, PNAU, You Am I, Empire of the Sun, Crowded House Mastering from $150 per song.

BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 :: 35

live reviews what we've been to see...

WU-TANG CLAN The Enmore Theatre Thursday August 4

Part of the magic of Wu-Tang has always been the sense of barely-restrained chaos. It’s why the samurai mythology suited them so well – the idea of nine fearsome assassins coming together, nine talented, strong individuals combining their powers to create the ultimate fighting machine. On their seminal 1993 debut, ...36 Chambers, each new verse followed hard on the end of the one before, ready to burst were it not for the restraining influence of RZA’s stripped-down production. It was lean, it was hungry, it was savage and it was brutal. Fast-forward nearly twenty years, and all in attendance at the Enmore got to see unrestrained chaos. The delicate balance of personalities and styles was thrown out by the absence of Method Man and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, leaving U-God and Inspektah Deck to fill in for two MCs who were always a class above them. It also meant we were relying on Ghostface and Raekwon to carry the show without the two most charismatic, flamboyant MCs in the group – which is difficult for them to do in their customary “hard as fuck” style. RZA stayed home too, although it’s unclear what impact he might have had. It wasn’t all the fault of those on stage, though. The sound system seemed to have difficulty balancing the ten mics on stage, and at times entire verses were delivered at half-volume, or the mics were at full volume while the music faded in and out. Wu-Tang knew it, too: both Raekwon and Ghostface stopped the show mid-song to complain loudly in the direction of the sound desk. Yet there were moments when it all came together; moments where we got glimpses of what might have been. GZA attacked his every verse with extraordinary energy, and when you could hear Rae and Ghost, they too were in top form; Rae’s verse on ‘Triumph’ became a capella when the backing track died completely, but he carried on regardless and absolutely killed it. But the revelation of the night was Young Dirty – Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s son. He didn’t get to rap much, but when he burst on stage halfway through the show, he lifted the energy of the entire crowd by 500%. He leapt around with a broad smile on his face, having such a great time that everyone responded immediately; a reminder that even when things aren’t going well, a broad smile and enthusiasm can often get you through.

Hugh Robertson

KAISER CHIEFS, PAPA VS PRETTY The Enmore Theatre Saturday August 6

From my birds-eye perspective, unhappily seated on the mezzanine for two acts that are unequivocally not sit-down bands, I’d say EMI did a pretty good job in signing the Sydney three-piece Papa Vs Pretty over a year ago. The way the young band carried songs like folksy ‘Heavy Harm’ and the stirring ‘Honey’, you’d think that they were playing to a festival – but as it was, not even Thomas Rawle’s fantastic stage presence was enough to get the stolid crowd to move. “Feel free to jump around and stuff. That’s what they do at shows,” he offered as a cheeky foreword to ‘Wrecking Ball’, but most of the moshing stayed steadfastly onstage. With hints of Radiohead and Muse, and the audacity and thick sound of such influences to boot, Papa Vs Pretty’s support show had all the makings of a stellar future headliner.

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Angry Mob’, when the football hooliganism and chant-driven brilliance of the band finally made The Enmore jump. Even after the incantations of “We like who we like, we ‘ate who we ‘ate” had fallen away, the energy level remained. Frontman Ricky Wilson was a fucking maniac, pogoing his way through a suitably riotous ‘I Predict A Riot’, and Nick ‘Peanut’ Baines on drums was an animal, smashing along to ‘Modern Way’ and ‘Ruby’. By the time the band hit on ‘Never Miss A Beat’, we’d instigated a revolution on the mezzanine, standing up in the front row for the entire call-and-response classic. Middleaged fogeys were shouting at each other to ‘sit the fuck down!’, and security came with a flashlight to restore order, but even before Wilson had demanded “You lot up the back, I want you standing up!”, there was no way we’d be doing anything else. While the set was not at all nuanced (unless you call big fat sound from start to finish subtle), no one really came expecting lighter-waving anthems. The newer songs were polished but aren’t yet widely appreciated, while the older classics still heave and hammer with life. As a sensational ‘Oh My God’ saw the night out, that cushioned square of leather behind me was a distant memory. Kaiser Chiefs are not a sit-down band.

David Seidler

NO USE FOR A NAME, THE OPTIONALS The Annandale Hotel Sunday August 7

“I think I’ve broken my finger. No one caught me!” grimaced a sweaty mosh-pit escapee, as he pushed his way through the crowd clutching his hand. While usually that kind of talk would draw anxious looks, tonight, with SoCal punkers No Use For A Name terrorising The Annandale, it only drew wry smiles. This was the last show of their ‘Sick Of Being At Home Tour’ tour, and despite the Sunday timeslot, there were enough punks around to still play a decent game of Band T-shirt Bingo. Tonight’s main support slot was filled by Sydney locals The Optionals. Having shared the stage with Pour Habit and SNFU in the last couple of years, they were hardly over-awed in the company of greats, and delivered a raucous set to a small but appreciative crowd. As a three-piece, their songs sometimes lacked a little width, but their energy was definitely enough for me to seek out their next show. ‘We’re So Scared’ from their latest EP was a standout, with Fugazi-esque causticity rattling around the room. As the Conan The Barbarian theme blasted through the P.A., No Use For A Name came onto the stage – which was crowded, cramped and perfect for a punk rock show. They blasted off with ‘On The Outside’, and the jostling front rows began their hour-long moshpit campaign. By their second song ‘Dumb Reminders’, someone had already clambered on stage, but instead of a fullflung dive they timidly splashed back into the crowd, as an overweight auntie might brave the backyard pool. Frontman Tony Sly saw the comedic side and took time to rate the divers as they sailed, some more happily than others.

Leeds lads Kaiser Chiefs burst onto the stage to some impressive lighting tricks and an explosive rendition of ‘Everyday I Love You Less And Less’, but my motivation to stand up from my seat was stymied by every second song – the set alternated between perennial favourites and material off their more eclectic newbie, The Future Is Medieval. Death circles, human towers and crowdsurfers were all primed but constantly placated by the jarring familiar-woo-hoo!/ recent-sorta-know-the-words? dynamic. Punctuated by exclamation and question marks in turn, the first half of the show transformed into something of an ellipses, as an expectant crowd milled around, waiting for the boisterous, fuck-off Kaiser Chiefs they had come to see.

In the early going, NUFAN treated the crowd to ‘Pre-Medicated Murder’, ‘Chasing Rainbows’ and the classic call-and-response opening of ‘The Answer Is Still No’: “Hey, what’s your name?” – “Fuck You! That’s my name!" Songs like crowd sing-a-long favourite ‘Straight From The Jacket’ showed the band that Sydney still loved them, and as payback we got absolutely blistering performances of ‘Invincible’ and ‘Justified Black Eye’. But as the band were ushered back on stage for the obligatory encore, things got a little strange. After tearing through ‘The Biggest Lie’, a weird, dreadlocked naked guy commandeered the microphone, demanding to know “Where are all the No Use fans at?” As the room of No Use fans stared confused, he bellowed again, wang in the wind – by which time the crowd and band were fiercely booing him off so that No Use could perform one last song: the amazing ‘Feeding The Fire’. After twenty or so years, No Use showed that there’s life in those old bones yet.

We remained tentatively seated until ‘The

Rick Warner

www.thecameraclub.com.au

photo by Jake McBride

PRESENTS

‘LET’S GET IT ON’ An international group photographic exhibition featuring Andrew Fawcett | Alex Roberts | Sven de Monoski | Dan Himbrechts & more ! " " # "

$ %&

Launch Party Thursday August 18th - 7pm. Upstairs @ The Beach Road Hotel. Bondi Beach.

BOOKINGS 1300 306 776 | mca-tix.com.au

New Theatre 542 King Street Newtown newtheatre.org.au

the

spare room

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Remedy

The Minor Chord The all-ages rant bought to you by Indent.net.au and Dominic O'Connor

More than The Cure since 1989 with Murray Engleheart

ALL-AGES GIG PICKS TUESDAY AUGUST 16 Owl City, New Empire Metro Theatre

FRIDAY AUGUST 19 Altiyan Childs, Syndicate Enmore Theatre

SATURDAY AUGUST 20 Rock For Cancer Fundraiser The Lucky Australian Tavern

years on the piano, she has now decided to jump on guitar – and her music is definitely worth checking out. Newcastle finalists The Guppies are a raucous punk-rock three-piece with some super catchy melodies. Get behind our local talent and have a listen to their tunes at triplejunearthed.com/artists

Alice Cooper

SOUNDWAVE INC.

While the Soundwave Revolution festival has sadly been cancelled – we knew it was too good to be true to have Van Halen with David Lee Roth playing in Parramatta – Soundwave Inc continues to roll forward with the launch of their 3Wise Records label. Their first act signed is Detroit pop punkers Fireworks, who released their sophomore slab, Gospel, on August 5. The 3Wise release will feature Australian-only bonus content, including the Bonfires EP and two bonus tracks. The label’s other signing is Zebrahead, whose newest album was also out on August 5.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Rock’s Mr Nice Guy, Alice Cooper – a man we admire enormously on any number of levels – is set to release Welcome 2 My Nightmare in October. Bob Ezrin, who produced the original effort, handles the controls as he did on the original; but really, why would the Coop want to set himself up for comparisons to a masterwork? Because we all know that’s all the reviews are going to talk about. You know, “It ain’t bad but it’s not as good as the first one…” So, what next? Pink Floyd doing Darker Side Of The Moon? Meatloaf’s More Bats Out Of Hell?

LONDON CALLING

This is a weird one – cool but not so surprising all at once: the song being used to herald the coming of the 2012 Olympics in London is The Clash’s ‘London Calling’. Given the events of last week, maybe they should be using Strummer and Co’s ‘London’s Burning’...

LONDON’S BURNING

The rioting in London – which even fans of the notorious Millwall football club railed against – has claimed a Sony warehouse, which was destroyed by fire. But that’s not the worst of it: the PIAS group, which distributes a shitload of indie stuff, had space in the building – and lost everything in the blaze. That’s a huge blow for labels like Banquet, Beggars, Domino, Drag City, Mute, Nuclear Blast, Rough Trade, Soul Jazz, Thrill Jockey and Touch And Go, among many, many others.

LARS ULRICH – ON TOUR

This is a hoot. When the latest global financial meltdown was being talked up in early August, the Sydney Morning Herald ran an online piece about the situation. One posting in response read simply and kinda cryptically: “short everything.” The poster? “Lars Ulrich – On Tour”.

METALLICA – ON TOUR

Metallica are winding back the clock to where it all began in the ‘80s, with four shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco in December. And while it’ll only cost an eighties-style $20 to get in, it’ll be interesting to see if anyone smashes up chairs at the shows and forces the band – just as they did in the ‘80s – to go on radio and plead with punters not to wreck the joint as it costs them a packet in repairs...

BOX SETS: GOOD

We’re big fans of boxed sets here at Remedy, and a coming Smiths’ effort looks set to be one of the biggest to date – although we’d argue the point that they don't deserve anything quite so grand. Rhino, the folks behind The Stooges’ recently reissued complete Funhouse box, are releasing The Smiths Complete Deluxe Collector’s Box Set. And it seems like it’ll be exactly that, with eight albums on both vinyl and CD, plus their 25 singles and more. Just 3000 copies are being produced, and it should be out in early October – but we reckon perhaps only by mail order.

TOTAL CONTROL

Total Control (Mikey Young from Eddy Current, two blokes from the UV Race and Straightjacket Nation) have an album out called Henge Beat. Think Wire, John Foxxera Ultravox and Devo.

UPS & DOWNS

Feel is proud to present the first ever CD (and digital) career overview of Sydneyvia-Brisbane act Ups & Downs: Out Of The Darkness – Sleepless, Singles & Other Stories.Often compared to The Church, R.E.M and the Los Angeles Paisley Underground scene of the early ‘80s, Ups & Downs produced some of the finest poprock songs of Australia’s original alternative era (1976 - 1989), including the indie-charttopping singles ‘The Perfect Crime’, ‘In the Shadows’ and ‘The Living Kind’. All these tracks – alongside all their other A-sides, select B-sides, the entire Sleepless mini-album, EP tracks, band favourites, and even unreleased tunes – have been collated on Out Of The Darkness, a 20-track single collection that also includes a full-colour 16-page booklet. To celebrate the release, all four original members of Ups & Downs have agreed to reunite once more with an album launch on September 10 at the Annandale, with Knievel and The Workers Bees. Out Of The Darkness will be released on CD and iTunes via Feel Presents/Fuse on August 19.

Altiyan Childs

OWL CITY

Our feature gig this week is international synth-poppers Owl City, who are bringing their melancholic dance-pop to The Metro on Tuesday August 16. Singer/songwriter Adam Young first broke through with the international hit ‘Fireflies’ – we’re sure you’ve heard it. Make sure you get down early for support act New Empire, too. They’ve just finished supporting Good Charlotte on their recent Australian tour, and have their second album Symmetry coming out in September.

ALTIYAN CHILDS

Altiyan Childs will be bringing his Live And No Lies tour to the Enmore Theatre this Friday August 19. For those of you not in the know, Childs won Australia’s first ever X Factor last year, and his first album reached Double Platinum status in less than a month. Quite an impressive achievement for a reality show winner! Childs’ current tour has been so successful that it’s already sold out, so you should grab hold of this rare chance to see him perform. He’ll be supported by Syndicate, another local heavyweight who have just released their own selftitled debut album.

UNEARTHED

After receiving nearly 700 entries, triple j Unearthed has finally whittled it down to six fantastic Unearthed High acts, who they will be featuring over the next two weeks. Finalists are in the running to have their track professionally recorded, as well as play a concert at their school with The Living End! The finalists this year include: The McQueens from Wesley College (VIC), Danika Smith from Alstonville High (NSW), Snakadaktal from Rudolf Steiner School (VIC), Albert Salt from Scotch College (VIC), The Guppies from Lambton High (NSW) and The Cactus Channel from Princes Hill Secondary (VIC). New South Wales finalist Danika Smith is a singersongwriter from the far north coast. After

ROCK FOR CANCER

Enjoy live music AND support a charity at the upcoming Rock For Cancer fundraiser, which is taking place at The Lucky Australian Tavern in St Marys this Saturday, August 20. Featuring 13 bands across eight hours of live music, this is good bang for your buck – and since it’s for such an important cause, you should bring as many mates as possible! It kicks off with Hands at 12pm, and the headliners Doctor Johnson will be finishing up the night with their sweatsoaked pop-punk energy.

WILL & THE INDIANS

This week we caught up with up-andcomers Will And The Indians, who recently supported both Children Collide and Little Red – and whose debut album, Wrong End Of Town, is out on October 1. Fronted by teenage charisma machine Will Thackeray, this band sounds like they’ve digested the recent new wave of British alternative rock (Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines, The Kooks) and mashed it up with the older influences of the 1960s (The Beatles, The Kinks). The result is a great sound, but also really well crafted songs. When asked how the band met, bass player Michael Watson told us an elaborate and convoluted story involving professional gymnastics, Division 1 soccer and hitchhiking around the east coast of Australia. When asked how they feel about the current all-ages scene around Sydney, the band spoke at length of ways they thought the scene could fix itself, from venues doing more promotion, to bands on the same lineup staying and watching each other. They also offered this advice on band competitions: “Don’t enter them unless you play metal.” Finally, when asked how they fit in touring as part of their lives, Watson complained to his fellow band mates, drummer Matin Gounai and guitarist Kabir Bhalla, about his hectic lifestyle, to which they offered him no sympathy, giving him a heartening call to arms: “You’re in a band, quit your job”. Watch out for Wrong End of Town on October 1.

ON THE TURNTABLE On the Remedy turntable is The Small Faces’ 1968 classic, Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake. To think that people got all excited about The Beatles doing Sgt Pepper the year before, when this was about to hit just a year later! OK, so it’s not as sonically-miles-ahead as The Beatles’ effort, but it had Steve Marriott, that voice, and at times that filthy guitar sound, in among all that glorious and very very English pop. Enough to make anyone smile. Also spinning is Blue Cheer’s Vincebus Eruptum which is at the other end of the scale entirely to The Small Faces, and neck-deep in gloriously low-brow neanderthal rockness.

TOUR AND INDUSTRY NEWS The Tombstone Ramblers (featuring members of The Dunhill Blues, Milkmaids and The Dolly Rocker Movement) are at The Botany View Hotel on August 21 at 6pm. Joining them are Italy’s Johnnie Selfish & The Worried Men Band. Owl City

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Send pics, listings and any info to minorchords@thebrag.com

snap sn ap up all night out all week . . .

grouplove

It’s called: Propaganda

It sounds like: A global indie party! Who’s playing? Belakiss (live acoustic set), DJs Urby, Mush and Chappers Sell it to us: Belakiss (UK) join us fresh from Fuji Rock for a live acoustic set. For years, the British music scene has been dominated by the twin, yet opposing, forces of indie and electro; but these four friends are old souls – their music harks back to the bohemian clubs of ‘60s London, free from the modern-day shackles of backing tracks and gimmicks. Belakiss also contains Ringo Starr’s granddaughter and Tony Meehan’s son. The bit we’ll remember in the AM: An amazing live set by a great band and the best in new and classic indie rock n’ roll. For hazier parts of the night check out photos at facebook.com/PropagandaSydney Crowd specs: Loads of indie mofos having a good run at our $4.50 VB/ vodka and $12 teapot student drink specials (just show your student card at the door). Wallet damage: $5 after 10pm, free for students Where: The World Bar / 24 Bayswater Road, Kings Cross When: Thursday August 18

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propaganda

kaiser chiefs

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03:08:11 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 93323711

snowball

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06:08:11 :: Enmore Theatre :: 118-132 Enmore Road, Newtown 9550 3666

adalita

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04:08:11 :: Manning Bar :: @ Sydney Uni, City Rd Chippendale 95636107

the mars volta

:: Enmore Theatre :: 118-132 Enmore Road, Newtown 9550 3666

:: NIKI BODLE :: KATRINA CLARKE S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) :: THOMAS PEACHY OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER NS MUN IEL DAN ASHLEY MAR :: :: JAY COLLIER :: CAI GRIFFIN ::

kele

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30:07:11 :: Annandale Hotel :: 17 Parramatta Rd Annandale 95501078

03:08:11 :: The Metro Theatre :: 624 George St City 95503666 BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 :: 39

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03:08:11 :: Manning Bar :: @ Sydney Uni City Rd Chippendale 95636107

roscoe james irwin

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up all night out all week . . .

06:08:11 :: Tone:: 16 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills 9267 6440

It sounds like: Like a glorious ‘60s pop record, mixed with an overly sentimental ‘70s folk record. Who’s playing? Roscoe James Irwin, Chloe Tully Sell it to us: Roscoe James Irwin, know mostly for his work with The Cat Empire and The Bamboos, and guest appearances with artists like Belle + Sebastian, Washington and Paul Kelly, brings us a record that is surprisingly simple and beautiful – equal parts Sundance Kid and Heartbreak Kid. Prepare for a euphoric night of indie pop/folk. The bit we’ll remember in the AM: The moment where Roscoe knocks out a hipster at the bar for saying the gig was “chill”. Crowd specs: People who wear glasses, people who have trouble merging onto freeways, people who knock things over accidentally, and music lovers. Wallet damage: $15 on the door / $10 (+bf) online When: Thursday August 18. Dinner from 6.30pm, music starts at 8-ish.

felix reibl 05:08:11

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The Exchange Hotel :: 34-44 Oxford st, Darlinghurst 93601375

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:: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford st, Darlinghurst 93323711

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bang bang rock n roll

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Where: The Vanguard / 42 King St. Newtown

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party profile

It’s called: Roscoe James Irwin – The Hunting Road Tour

05:08:11 :: The Gaelic Theatre :: 64 Devonshire St Surry Hills 92111687

:: NIKI BODLE :: KATRINA CLARKE S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) :: THOMAS PEACHY OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER NS MUN ASHLEY MAR :: DANIEL :: JAY COLLIER :: CAI GRIFFIN ::

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Calling ts all artisand e iv L r fo Locals! Contact: es. ott events@liz com.au

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Rock Trivia feat.

18 Live band Jaywalker

Mathews 19 Wendy AUG

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& Matt Walker

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21 Ian Moss

Lizotte’s presents 24 Live & Local AUG 25 Kevin Borich AUG Vika & Linda Bull AUG

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Nick Kingsw 18 & Gerard Masters k Smith AUG Broderic alker W t at 19 & M AUG y Mathews 20 Wend Youngblood Hart AUG Alvin 21 with Paul Greene s presents AUG Lizotte’ 24 Live & Local erett AUG Jake Ev y 25 & Kirst Akers AUG 6 Kevin Borich AUG

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Lizotte’s Sydney 629 Pittwater Rd Dee Why

Lizotte’s Central Coast Lot 3 Avoca Dr Kincumber

Lizotte’s Newcastle 31 Morehead St Lambton

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g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

pick of the week

Pinback

MONDAY AUGUST 15 ROCK & POP

Matt Jones The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8.30pm

JAZZ

Greg Coffin Trio 505 Club, Surry Hills $10 8.30pm Jim Gannon Dee Why RSL Club free 6.30pm

COUNTRY

Maxine Kauter, James Edgar Francis Notes Live, Enmore 8pm

TUESDAY AUGUST 16 ROCK & POP

SATURDAY AUGUST 20

Manning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown

Pinback (USA)

Lisa Toyer, Giorgio Rimi and vintage Holden at Fifties Fair 2008, Photograph © Jody Pachniuk

$43 (+ bf) 8pm

Sweet 16

FIFTIES FAIR at at

eidler Rose S e Hous

FRE E SHU TTL E BUS SER VIC E FRO M TUR RAM URR A STATIO N

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Adam Pringle and Friends, Funky as F#ck Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Arabesk Notes Live, Enmore 8pm Boats of Berlin, Holland, Autumn For Kings Brass Monkey, Cronulla $12.25 (presale) 7pm The Great Songbooks Week 2 – Patti Smith: Circle Pit, DS, Unity Floors, Sex Tape, Jon Hunter, Sonia Z, Car Road Ching-A-Lings free 7pm Kevin Bloody Wilson, Jenny Talia Notes Live, Enmore $58.10$82.65 (dinner & show) 7pm The Listening Room - Open Mic The Vault, Windsor free 7pm Owl City (USA), New Empire, Breanne Duren Metro Theatre, Sydney $61 (+ bf) 8pm Rob Henry The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8.30pm Shane Flew Dee Why RSL Club free 6.30pm Sons of Mercury Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 10pm Steve Tonge O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 9.30pm Strip!, feat ex BNO from Scruffy’s Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills free 8pm They Call Me Bruce Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free 9.30pm

David Agius Summer Hill Hotel free 7.30pm Jack Ladder and the Dreamlanders, The Earlybirds, Doc Holiday Takes The Shotgun Beach Road Hotel, Bondi free 8pm Jager Uprising: Ingrid Oram, Tiger & the Rogues, Spectacles, Oyama Annandale Hotel $8 7.30pm Jamie Lindsay Northies, Cronulla free 6pm Kym Campbell Dee Why RSL Club free 6.30pm Mike Bennett The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 9.30pm Near The Saint, Mung, Cuervo, The Fires Valve Bar, Tempe 7pm No Art Low 302, Darlinghurst free 8pm Postcards O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 9.30pm The Study: Papa Pilko & The Binrats, Golden Fear, Special Guest The Gaelic Club, Surry Hills free 7pm The Tom & Dave Show Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill free 6pm The Vasco Era, Fearless Vampire Killers Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $15 (+ bf) 8pm Violet Drive Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 11pm

505 Club, Surry Hills $8-$10 8.30pm Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 8pm The World In The Basement: Rosie Henshaw, Errol Renaud’s Caribbean Soul, Fatback4way The Basement, Circular Quay $20 8.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

The Songwriter Sessions Upstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 7.30pm

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 17 ROCK & POP

The Amazing Rhythm Aces (USA), Brent Parlane The Basement, Circular Quay $55 9pm Andy Mammers Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free 9.30pm Bernie Hayes Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Bob Log III (USA) Brass Monkey, Cronulla $17.85 8pm Damian Enemark, Lena Wilson, Hot Spoke, Elle Kennard Tone, Surry Hills 7pm Danny Ross, Jordan Leser, Silver Cinder Upstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown 8pm

Owl City

JAZZ

Jazzgroove: Edoardo Santori, Mike Nock Trio

–5pm S u n d a y 21 August 10am TI CK ET S AT TH E GATE W W W .H HT.N ET.A U

L iv e M u s ic B AN D TH E D R EY R O LL AN & PA U LI E B IG N EL L

HISTORIC HOUSES TRUST

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

JAZZ

Carl Orr Band 505 Club, Surry Hills $10–$15 8.30pm Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 8pm Yuki Kumagai, John Mackie, Tony Burkys, Richard Booth Bondi Pavilion free 1.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

The Smith Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 7.30pm

THURSDAY AUGUST 18 ROCK & POP

Anatta, Corpus, The Needs, Dead Johny Valve Bar, Tempe 7pm Andy Mammers Dee Why Hotel 8pm Anthems Of Oz The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 9pm AUM: Domekyo / Gonzalez, Scattered Order, Untergang Von Menschen, Broadcasting Transmitter, DJs Octopus Pi, Laprat$, Double Good Tone, Surry Hills $10 8pm Blackbird Hum Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 7.30pm Chris Connolly Guildford Leagues Club free 10pm Excellent Robot, Bloods, Lyyar, The Silver Drops FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel $10 8pm Happy Hate Me Nots, Money For Rope, The Optionals,

Buzzard Upstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $15 8pm Hawk Brooklyn, Karl Cristoph, Braves Excelsior Hotel, Glebe free 7.30pm Hot Damn Sleep Over: Dream On Dreamer, The Bride, One Vital Word, Hands Like Houses Q Bar $12-$15 8pm Jonathon Devoy and special guests Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm The Kill Devil Hills, The Floors (WA), The Maladies Annandale Hotel $15 (+ bf) 8pm Kirk Burgess Sackville Hotel, Balmain free 7pm Loon Lake, Betty Airs, March Of The Real Fly Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $10 (+ bf) 8pm Mandi Jarry Edinburugh Castle, Sydney 7pm Matt Jones O’Malleys Hotel, Kings Cross 9.30pm Mickey Pye Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm Nicky Kurta Green Park Hotel, Darlinghurst 7pm OMG Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 11pm Roscoe James Irwin, Chloe Tully The Vanguard, Newtown 8pm Steve Tonge Observer Hotel, The Rocks 9.30pm TAFE Band Competition NSW State Final: Jupiter Menace Dee Why RSL Club free 6pm

Ted Nash Toxteth Hotel, Glebe free 8pm Wendy Matthews Brass Monkey, Cronulla $39.80 (+ bf) 7pm

JAZZ

Adrian Cunningham 505 Club, Surry Hills $10 (member)-$15 8.30pm Lionel Robinson Dee Why RSL Club free 6.30pm Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 8pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Jace Everett (USA), Kirsty Lee Akers The Basement, Circular Quay $37.75 7.30pm James Parrino The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown free 8.30pm

FRIDAY AUGUST 19 ROCK & POP

2days Hits Rooty Hill RSL Club free 8pm Anatta, Hivemind Lewisham Hotel $10 8pm Armchair Travellers Duo Club Rivers, Riverwood free 8.30pm Bang Shang a Lang Club Cronulla 8pm The Beards, Gay Paris, The Rockets Annandale Hotel $12 (+ bf) 8pm Big Way Out The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown free 10.30pm

The Blindfolds The Roxbury Hotel, Glebe $10 9pm Blonde 182 Customs House Bar, Sydney free 7pm Bob Log III (USA) The Vanguard, Newtown $15 (+ bf)–$50 (w/ dinner) 6.30pm Brokentoys, Tranzphat Excelsior Hotel, Glebe free 7.30pm Cafe Carnivale: Chris Gudu (Zimbabwe) Eastside Arts, Paddington$10 (child)–$28 8.15pm Daniel Merriweather, Fantine Beach Road Hotel, Bondi free 8pm Dead Letter Circus, Closure in Moscow, Wolves Manning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown $20 (student)–$30 8pm Dream On Dreamer, The Bride, Hands Like Houses Campbelltown PCYC, Minto all ages 6pm Elevate Australian Hotel & Brewery, Rouse Hill free 8.30pm Erebus Enthroned, Crowned, Sanguinary Misanthropia Valve Bar, Tempe 7pm The Fabulous Rhythm Cats Club Five Dock, Five Dock RSL free 8pm Fantine Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm For Our Hero, Remission Theory The Lair, Metro Theatre, Sydney $15 (+ bf) 8pm Ghoul The Wharf, Sydney Theatre Company free 10pm Groin Gravy, Crescendo Blue, Slam dance Heathcote Hotel free 8.30pm

wed

Hobo Bordeaux The Mac, Surry Hills 8pm Hue Williams Elanora Hotel free 9pm James Robinson Richmond Inn free 8pm Johnny G & the E-Types The Vault, Windsor 8pm Joyride and the Accidents, Weird Assembly, Preppie, Swat Tone, Surry Hills $10 7.30pm Kim Salmon, The Nice Folk Upstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $20-$25 8pm Killer: My Future Lies, Uncorrected St James Hotel, Sydney 8pm

TUESDAYS!

17 Aug

ROCK-STEIN MUSIC & MOVIE TRIVIA

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

thu

18 Aug

WED 16 AUG

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

Killers Show Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 10.30pm Last Night: Bird Automatic, Toucan, Nantes DJs, Randall Stagg, PhDJ, Paolo Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $15 8pm Live & No Lies: Altiyan Childs Enmore Theatre $44.80 licensed all ages 8pm Louis London, The Creepers, Money For Rope Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Mediacted Youth, Sex In Mexico, Through A Glass Darkly

RIOT HOUSE COMEDY WEDNESDAY’S THE STUDY feat

PAPA PILKO & THE BINRATS

FREE ENTRY

golden fear - rowena + luke morton

fri

19 Aug (5:00PM - 8:00PM)

(9:15PM - 1:00AM)

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

SATURDAY AFTERNOON (4:30PM - 7:30PM)

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

sat

20 Aug

Bob Log III

sun

SATURDAY NIGHT

21 Aug

SUNDAY NIGHT

THU 17 AUG

(8:30PM - 12:00AM)

WITH YOUR HOST RONNIE SIMMONS

FRI 18 AUG

$5 MILLERS $5 JIM BEAM $10 JIM BEAM BLACKS

PURPLE SNEAKERS PRESENT LAST NIGHT

BIRD AUTOMATIC

(LIVE) NANTES + TOUCAN + RANDALL STAGG + PAOLO DESTROY ALL LINES PRESENT

SAT 19

AUG

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

CROSSROADS

NOWHERE BALANCE & COMPOSURE + FIRES OF WACO + LIFE & LIMB

SUN

NORSE

20 AUG

KATABASIS + SYKO SAPIAN + KUNVUK v

21/08 UNEARTHLY 23/08 ROCK-STEIN TRIVIA 24/08 THE STUDY/RIOT HOUSE COMEDY 25/08 CROSSROADS 26/08 PS/LAST NIGHT 27/08 ELECTRIC ZOO 28/08 BABY ROLL 01/09 CROSSROADS--FINALS 10/09 NORTHERN SOUL 17/09CHANGING LANES FESTIVAL

COMING SOON BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 :: 43

g g guide g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Tony Williams Guildford Leagues Club free 10pm Valar, Forests, Young Romantics, Sosueme DJs Oxford Art Factory $10 8pm Wendy Matthews Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $48-$103 (dinner & show) 7pm

Jesus Jones

JAZZ

Town Hall Hotel, Newtown free 9pm Nativesoul Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 7.30pm Nothing People (USA), Naked On The Vague, Mondo Phase Band, Woollen Kits Dirty Shirlows $12 (+ bf) 8pm The Ocean, The Sky, Pledge This!, Construct, Enthrone Caringbah Bizzo’s 8pm Olsen, The Walking Who Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills 5pm Regular John, Whipped Cream Chargers, Kill City Creeps Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 8pm Retro Groove Kurnell Recreation Club free 8pm Rick Box Brass Monkey, Cronulla 8pm Rob Henry Duo Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm Ross Wilson Taren Point Hotel-Motel $20 (member)–$25 8pm Slowhand - A Tribute to Eric

Clapton & Cream: Bernie Segedin, Floyd Vincent, Darlo Bortolin, Lloyd G, Garry Fredericks, Clare O’Meara The Basement, Circular Quay $28 9pm Sonny (Singapore) Orange Grove Hotel, Leichhardt free 8pm Stick Figure Opera, Riad al Musiqa, Sam Joole The Eastern Lounge, Chatswood $18 8pm Storylines: Songlines Choir Notes Live, Enmore $43.90$68.35 (dinner & show) 7pm Super Wild Horses, Straight Arrows, The Gooch Palms Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $12 8pm Synthetic Breed, Ignite the Ibex, Anno Domini, Hell Itself, The Eradication Live at the Wall, Leichhardt $15 8pm Take 2 Freeway Hotel, Artarmon free 7pm Tery Serio’s Ministry of Truth Rose of Australia Hotel, Erskineville 9pm

Dereb The Ambassador 505 Club, Surry Hills $15 (member)-$20 8.30pm SIMA: Mara! The Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, Chippendale $10 (member)-$20 8.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Jace Everett (USA), Kirsty Lee Akers Rooty Hill RSL Club $35 8pm Jesse James The Belvedere Hotel free 7pm

COUNTRY

Graeme Connors Penrith Panthers, Evans Theatre $32 7.30pm

SATURDAY AUGUST 20 ROCK & POP

Alpha Degenerate, Sending Artax, Alaska, Terrorential, Past is Practice, Above City Skies, A Growing Ambition, Roses From Ruins, Picture This, Truth or Tradgedy Lewisham Hotel $10 2pm Alter Ego Kareela Golf & Social Club free 8pm

Andy & The Cruisers Guildford Leagues Club free 8.30pm Batrider, Per Purpose, Mere Women Goodgod Small Club, Sydney 8pm The Big Freeze: The Celibate Rifles, The Meanies, The Snowdroppers, Hell City Glamours, Jackson Firebird, Grand Fatal, Money For Rope, Hytest, Chinese Burns Unit Annandale Hotel $30 (+ bf) 2pm Bliss Bombs Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 10.30pm The Blues Pirates Bald Rock Hotel, Rozelle free 7.30pm Bno Rockshow Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill free 9.30pm Bones Atlas, Burning Blue Sky, Vulpes, Calculations, Chris Nero Valve Bar, Tempe 6pm Bob Log III (USA) The Vanguard, Newtown $15 (+ bf)-$50 (dinner & show) 6.30pm Brad Johns Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm Brass Knuckle Band, Rocksteady Excelsior Hotel, Glebe free 7.30pm Broderick Smith, Matt Walker Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $28-$70 (dinner & show) 8pm Cardboard Cutouts Club Five Dock, Five Dock RSL free 8pm Dave White Band Cronulla RSL free 7pm Dream On Dreamer, The Bride, Hands Like Houses

Masonic Hall, Blacktown all ages 6pm Fabba Engadine RSL & Citizens Club free 8.30pm Fifth Fiction, Escape Syndrome, Red Bee, Revertigo Valve Bar, Tempe 12pm Fisher King Brass Monkey, Cronulla 8pm Funpuppet Peachtree Hotel, Penrith free 9pm Geoff Davies Heathcote Hotel free 8pm Graphic - An Animated Album Preview: Gotye Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House $49-$79 9pm sold out The Great Escape: Richard Clapton State Theatre, Sydney $89 8pm Hue Williams St George Tavern, Rockdale free 9pm I Know Leopard Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm The Jacks Caringbah Bizzo’s 8pm Jesus Jones (UK), The Wonder Stuff (UK), Clouds Enmore Theatre $65.60 (+ bf) 7.30pm Justin Grounds Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 7.30pm KAMI Blacktown RSL Club free 10pm Karen Beckett Workers Blacktown $7.50 (member)–$10.50 8pm Kim Salmon, The Holy Soul Upstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $20-$25 8pm Lloyd Spiegel Camelot, Marrickville $15 8.30pm

Mat McHugh, Ashleigh Mannix Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $20 (+ bf) 8pm Nowhere: Balance & Composure, Fires of Waco, Ben Lucid, Heart Attack, Life And Limb Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $15–$20 8.30pm Pimmon, Afxjim, Anonymeye, Brain Drain The Gate @ Pablo’s, Epping $12-18 7.30pm Pinback (USA) Manning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown $47.95 8pm Rock for Cancer Fundraiser: Hands, Wishing Fiction, Sugar Sun, Hiding from the Gallows, Killing Lennon, SkulDugory, The Reprize, Forget The Stereo, No Further Questions, Mung, Missing Tam, Tiger Temple The Lucky Australian, North St Marys $10 licensed all ages 12pm Ross Wilson Wentworthville Leagues Club 8pm The Ruminaters Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm Seek the Silence Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 8pm Seekae, The Laurels, Laurence Pike Metro Theatre, Sydney $20 (+ bf) 8pm SFX: Buried in Verona, City Lights Fade St James Hotel, Sydney 8pm Sharron Bowman Engadine RSL & Citizens Club free 8pm Sound Stream Brighton RSL Club, BrightonLe-Sands free 8pm

TUESDAY 16TH AUGUST

FRIDAY 19TH AUGUST

THURSDAY 25TH AUGUST

FRIDAY 26TH AUGUST

SUNDAY 28TH AUGUST

WEDNESDAY 31TH AUGUST

44 :: BRAG :: 425 : 15:08:11

coming soon Thur 1/9 The Lucky Wonders CD launch + Leroy Lee Fri 2/09 Fred Smith Album launch Sat 3/9 The Frocks present – TEEZ ME! Fri 9/09 Otis Redding 70th Birthday Celebration w/ Johnny G & The E Types Sat 10/09 Little Scout + Convaire + Parades DJ’s Tues 13/09 TDP Talent Training Programs Concert Thur 15/09 Beauty & the Beast Maxine Kauter & James Edgar Francis Perform the songs of Disney Fri 16/09 Arabesk Sat 17/09 The Trews (Canada) Sun 18/09 Margot Smith Tribute Thur 22/09 Indie Redux with Bhagavad Guitars Sat 24/09 King Tide + Dog Trumpet Tues 27/09 Luna Tart (US) Wed 28/09 & Thur 29/09 Baecastuff present Mutiny Music Fri 30/09 Glenn Richards & Dan Luscombe + Mike Noga Sat 1/10 Aerial Maps CD Launch

BOATS OF BERLIN + Holland + Autumn For Kings

WEDNESDAY 17TH AUGUST

BOB LOG III + A*rock Newman

THURSDAY 18TH AUGUST

WENDY MATTHEWS + Ash Carroll

FRIDAY 19TH AUGUST

ROCK BOX SATURDAY 20TH AUGUST

FISHERKING

+ Bang Bang Boss Kelly + Patrick James SUNDAY 21ST AUGUST

JACE EVERETT (USA)

+ Holland + Autumn For Kings

Wednesday 24th August Alvin Youngblood Hart Thursday 25 August Craig Woodward Friday 26 August King Tide Saturday 27 August Andy Bull Wednesday 31 August Jeff Martin Thursday 1 September Jeff Martin Friday 2 September Owl Eyes Saturday 3 September A Tribute to Bob Dylan Sunday 4 September Bonjah Wednesday 7 September Hayley Warner Thursday 8 September ElvisThe Hillbilly Cat Show Friday 9 September Ian Moss Saturday 10 September Ian Moss Sunday 11 September Max Wednesday 14 September Alloway Thursday 15 September The Trews Friday 16 September The Flood Saturday 17 September Johnny G & The E Types Sunday 18 September Spangled Mistress Wednesday 21 September Kappa Oie Friday 23 September Classic Rock Show Saturday 24 September Spy Vs Spy Sunday 25 September The Ghali Groove Band Thursday 29 September Glenn Richards Saturday 1 October The Trews Sunday 2 October GANGgajang Tuesday 4 October The Temptations Thursday 6 October Jack Ladder Friday 7 October Dusty- The Concert Saturday 8 October Jeff Duff & Friends Sunday 9 October Sarah McLeod Thursday 13 October The Trews Friday 14 October SuperHeavyWeights

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Southland Jannali Inn free 8pm Stormcellar Riverside Inn, Airds 8pm Super Wild Horses Repressed Records, Newtown free 6pm Tice & Evans, DJ Kaki Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 4pm The Tiger and Me, Peregrine, Evan & the Brace The Basement, Circular Quay 9.30pm Whipped Cream Chargers, March Of The Real Fly, Caitlin Park, The Glimmer Kings Cross Hotel, Darlinghurst $10 8pm The Wizz Cats Club Merrylands free 8.30pm

JAZZ

Organic Food Markets: Paul Sun Trio Riverside Girls High School, Gladesville free 9.30am Roger Manins, James Muller Quartet 505 Club, Surry Hills $20–$25 8.30pm SIMA: The Vampires The Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, Chippendale $10 (member)–$20 8.30pm Yuki Kumagai, John Mackie Hernandez Café Restaurant, Darlinghurst free 7.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Tom Trelawny The Belvedere Hotel 9pm

Hotel, Newtown 4pm Zoltan Harbord Beach Hotel free 6.30pm

Dream On Dreamer

JAZZ

Wayne Pierce and the Big Hitters The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown free 10.30pm

SUNDAY AUGUST 21 ROCK & POP

7DealySins Band Comp Heat 3: Above City Skies, Cross My Heart, Suburban Lies, Incendia Throne, Days Gone By, Regrets After All, With Skies Below Lucky Australia Tavern, St Marys all ages $10 Ace Brighton RSL Club, Brighton-Le-Sands free 7pm Balance & Composure Resist Records, Newtown free all ages 12pm Bhagavad Guitars, David Lane & Friends Annandale Hotel $10 (+

bf) 7pm Bright Young Things, Come Back to Earth Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Col Finley The Vault, Windsor free 2.30pm Darker Half, Osmium Grid, New Blood, Kunvuk, The Seer, Synthetic Breed Valve Bar, Tempe 1pm The Double Agents Club Five Dock, Five Dock RSL free 4pm Drive: Peter Northcote Bridge Hotel, Rozelle $10 3pm Ghostwood Low 302, Darlinghurst free 8pm Graphic - An Animated Album Preview: Gotye Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House $49–$79 9.45pm Graphic - Silent Comics: Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band The Studio, Sydney Opera

House $29 (conc)–$54 5pm Hue Williams Grange Hotel, Wyoming free 1.30pm Ian Moss Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $50–$108 (dinner & show) 12pm Jeremy Edwards and the Dust Radio Band Petersham Bowling Club $7 5pm Loudfest 2011: Dream On Dreamer, Buried in Verona, Sienna Skies, Resist the Thought, In Hearts Wake, Northlane, Endless Heights, Stories, Hearts Like Wolves Annandale Hotel $23.50 all ages 11.00am Nic Jeffries The Basement, Circular Quay $12 (conc)–$20 6pm PJ O’Brien Band Bald Rock Hotel, Balmain 6pm Ray Beadle Band Heathcote Hotel free 3pm The Slowdowns Downstairs, Sandringham

Blues Sunday: Mark Hopper Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 3pm Charisma St Marys Cathedral, Sydney $10-$30 3pm Freddie Mack Cronulla RSL free 12.30pm Lawrence Baker The Belvedere Hotel free 5pm The Peter Head Trio Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 4pm The Subterraneans Town Hall Hotel, Newtown

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Jace Everett (USA), Kirsty Lee Akers Brass Monkey, Cronulla $35.70 6.30pm Klezmer Spring: Zohar’s Nigun Riverside Theatres, Parramatta $22 (member)–$28 3.30pm Shane ManKenzie Cohibar free 5pm

COUNTRY

Balmain Goes Bush Country In The Heart Of The City: Doug McIntyre Cat & Fiddle Hotel, Balmain free 3pm Hunter & Suzy Owens Band Marrickville Bowling and Recreation Club $10 4.30pm

COOGE E SUN OCT 9

MICK SOLO THOMAS + SHACKLETON + VAN WALKER & LIZ STRINGER – ONLY SYDNEY SHOW!

FRI OCT 14

JEFF MARTIN 777 Band Bookings

info@codeone.net.au - www.codeone.net.au

Tickets & info from www.coogeediggers.com.au

COOGEE DIGGERS 9665 4466 CORNER BYRON & CARR STREETS

USE ME.

BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 :: 45

gig picks up all night out all week...

The Vasco Era

TUESDAY AUGUST 16

Gotye

Owl City (USA), New Empire, Breanne Duren Metro Theatre, Sydney $61 (+ bf) 8pmÂ

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 17 The Vasco Era, Fearless Vampire Killers Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $15 (+ bf) 8pmÂ

THURSDAY AUGUST 18 AUM: Domekyo / Gonzalez, Scattered Order, Untergang Von Menschen, Broadcasting Transmitter, DJs Octopus Pi, Laprat$, Double Good Tone, Surry Hills $10 8pm Dream On Dreamer, The Bride, One Vital Word, Hands Like Houses Hot Damn @ Q Bar $12$15 8pm Loon Lake, Betty Airs, March Of The Real Fly Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $10 (+ bf) 8pm

FRIDAY AUGUST 19 Daniel Merriweather, Fantine Movement @ Beach Road Hotel, Bondi free 8pm

Dead Letter Circus, Closure in Moscow, Wolves Manning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown $20 (student)–$30 8pm Last Night: Bird Automatic, Toucan, Nantes DJs, Randall Stagg, PhDJ, Paolo Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $15 8pm Nothing People (USA), Naked On The Vague, Mondo Phase Band, Woollen Kits Dirty Shirlows $12 (+ bf) 8pm

Regular John, Whipped Cream Chargers, Kill City Creeps Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 8pm Super Wild Horses, Straight Arrows, The Gooch Palms Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $12 8pm

SATURDAY AUGUST 20 Batrider, Per Purpose, Mere Women Goodgod Small Club, Sydney 8pm  Graphic - An Animated Album Preview: Gotye Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House $49–$79 9pm sold out Jesus Jones (UK), The Wonder Stuff (UK), Clouds Enmore Theatre $65.60 (+ bf) 7.30pm Mat McHugh, Ashleigh Mannix Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $20 (+ bf) 8pmÂ

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SUNDAY AUGUST 21 Ghostwood Low 302, Darlinghurst free 8pm Dead Letter Circus

BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture

brag beats

inside: club guide + club snaps + columns & more...

Phrase Meet Him In Babylon

BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 :: 47

dance music news

free stuff

club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Honnery

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

Q&A

WITH LE E, TOM AND VIC FROM

ASTRAL PEOPLE

hat Is Astral People? We thought up Astral People when we W realised that Australia was lacking an agency of artists that produce and push the sounds that we really dig. When artists like James Blake, and on the local scene Seekae, brought these sounds (guess you could call it futurebeat, eh?) into the national consciousness, we thought Australia might just be ready for the artists we’re currently managing. Many Australian acts are limited to fame only in Australia; we want take our acts and our sounds to an international stage. ho are you inspired by? [Lee]: Kid A by Radiohead changed my W musical spectrum completely, and inspired me to get into acts like DJ Shadow, which in turn led me to the album that would change my life – Donuts by J Dilla – which started an obsession for the Stones Throw label. Now being able to deal with Peanut Butter Wolf and the Stones Throw crew on a daily basis, I still need to pinch myself sometimes. [Vic]: All Eyez On Me by Tupac was the first album I ever bought; it began a snowball effect, which would have me indulging in west coast hip hop for years to come. Like Lee,

a real passion for music; there are no other motives for us other than working with artists that we all truly love. hich artists do you represent? With some of our acts signed to W international labels (Dro Carey to Ramp

Radiohead’s Kid A and OK Computer were huge influences on me growing up as well – and currently, artists like Pearson Sound, Burial and Kode9 are ruling my iTunes. [Tom]: On the music side, Fela Kuti, DJ Quik, Arthur Russell, Prince and Dam-Funk – and movies like Fast Times At Ridgemont High, The Holy Mountain, E.T., Stroszek, The Endless Summer II and Do The Right Thing. ow did you all get involved in this? Tom and Lee actually met on a forum a few H years ago, and became mates after realising they shared a massive love for a lot of similar music. Tom invited Vic to join our project not too long ago; he shared the same views about trying to do something different and exciting. It’s so refreshing to be dealing with guys who have

Recordings, Jonti to Stones Throw, and Wintercoats to Cascine), a lot of exciting things are going to be happening very soon. Collarbones’ album dropped earlier this year, and it was Album of the Week on over ten local radio stations. Jonti and Wintercoats will be dropping their debut releases very soon through Mistletone. Albatross, Bon Chat, Bon Rat and Hugo Frederick all have exciting releases coming out before the end of the year too. And we’re also very proud to be representing two of the most talented DJs that Sydney has seen in some time: Mike Who and Preacha. Who: Jonti, Bon Chat, Bon Rat, Wintercoats, Dro Carey, Albatross, Mike Who, Preacha, Wedding Ring Fingers Where: Astral People launch party @ Tone, Surry Hills When: Saturday August 27

SHE CAN DJ FINAL

EMI Music Australia and She Can DJ have unveiled their Top 10 female DJ finalists in their competition, after an intensive selection process by industry professionals. The top ten features Sydney’s own Alison Wonderland, Amber Savage, Gabby, Minx, Helena and Claire Morgan, along with interstate femmes Leah Mencel, Rachel Andrews and Sarah Robertson, each vying for a top prize which includes a global recording contract with EMI Music and a trip to attend this year’s closing parties in Ibiza. The final is set to take place on Wednesday September 14 at The Ivy in Sydney, and will also be televised on Channel [V]. Guests are to include She Can DJ international ambassador Sarah Main direct from Pacha Ibiza, who will play on the night along with the ten finalists and other special guests to be announced soon. Tickets are currently available online.

Justice... And Nan?

FAITHLESS ON FILM

If you missed Faithless’ final Australian show at Good Vibes this year, you’d be understandably disappointed – you’ll never get to see them live again. But wait! Look here! Turns out they filmed their final ever concert in Europe, and the footage apparently had fans in Europe dancing in the aisles of their local cinema when it screened. And now you have the chance to start a mini-rave in yours! Hoyts are showing the film Faithless: Passing The Baton on August 18, 19, 20 and 21 in a few select cinemas, and have given us five double passes to send out… For a chance at one, send us the name of Faithless’ lead singer.

KATALYST’S DEEP IMPRESSIONS

Katalyst will release his first LP since his 2007 album What’s Happening next month, called Deep Impressions. Though BRAG readers will be familiar with ‘Deep Impressions’ as a local brand associated with electronic music and underground club culture (page 49), Katalyst’s album will offer a contrasting take on ‘deepness’ by experimenting with soul, hip hop, funk, jazz and reggae influences. Katalyst says, “Writing music for me is a continual process, so when it came time to put the third Katalyst album together I looked at the songs I had written and recorded for the new release. As a body of work it was clear that many styles of music have made a deep impression on me as a producer. Hence the name of my album.” The LP includes collaborations with Los Angeles hip-hop artist Bootie Brown (of The Pharcyde), Sydney’s own Kween G (KillaQueenz), Mr Clean and upcoming North Carolina MC Coin Locker Kid.

The Herd

NEW JUSTICE ALBUM

…and about bloody time too! French outfit Justice, comprised of Xavier de Rosnay and Gaspard Augé, have finally announced details of the follow up to their hugely-successful † debut from way back in 2007. It is now confirmed that the pair’s sophomore effort, Audio, Video, Disco, will hit shelves on October 25, and will purportedly showcase ‘70s prog and rock ‘n roll influences. The album was recorded in their new custom-built studio in Paris, and consists entirely of self-played instrumentation, with no samples. Guest contributors include Diamond Nights‘ Morgan Phalen, Midnight Juggernauts‘ Vincenzi Vendett – there’s your Aussie connection – and UK pop singer Ali Love, who guests on the album’s first single, ‘Civilization’.

SALT N PEPA TOUR

25 years in the biz and still representing with gusto, iconic American hip hop act Salt-NPepa are heading our way for a show at the Enmore Theatre on Thursday November 24. The multi Grammy Award winners (and the first female rappers to win the award) dominated dance floors and airwaves across the globe during the 80s and 90s, with tracks that became international hip hop anthems including ‘Shoop’, ‘Let’s Talk About Sex’, ‘Whatta Man’, ‘Gitty Up’ and ‘Push It’. They’ll be supported in their Sydney show by the finalist from Australia’s Got Talent, Timomatic.

RADIOHEAD REMIX ALBUM Radiohead have announced the release of TKOL RMX 1234567, a 2xCD and digital set

compiling all officially commissioned remixes of tracks from their most recent album, The King Of Limbs. Throughout the English summer – ie the dreary Sydney winter – Radiohead have been issuing a new 12-inch every fortnight, featuring remixes by producers who are currently “exciting and inspiring” them. At the end of the series, on October 10, TKOL RMX 1234567 will be released as a via XL Recordings. Among the artists who’ve contributed King Of Limbs remixes are Caribou, Lone, Pearson Sound, Four Tet, Shed, Illum Sphere, Anstam, SBTRKT, Jamie xx, Blawan and Modeselektor, who are themselves gearing up to release their new album Monkeytown, which features a guest appearance from a certain Thom Yorke on the track ‘Shipwreck’.

THE HERD: FUTURE SHADE

Sydney’s The Herd are gearing up to release their fifth album, Future Shade, in a few weeks on Elefant Traks. Heralded as “the most complete realisation of the band’s vision, and their most carefully produced record to date”, the release of Future Shade will be complemented by a national run of dates that includes a performance at The Metro Theatre in their hometown on Saturday September 17. The Herd will be supported on their forthcoming tour by the soul duo Sietta, who’ve been the subject of considerable hype surrounding the release of their debut LP, The Seventh Passenger, which came out on Elefant Traks in late July.

“And where I’ve been my shadow will follow me / So I know where I’ve been from where I’ve got to go” - PHRASE 48 :: BRAG :: 425 : 15:08:11

PRESENTED BY ELEFANT TRAKS, NEW WORLD ARTISTS, TRIPLE J AND STREET PRESS AUSTRALIA

FUTURE SHADE TOUR 2011

SAT 17 SEPTEMBER

METRO THEATRE WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

and ELLESQUIRE TICKETS ON SALE FROM FROM THEHERD.OZTIX.COM.AU

Oztix phonecharge 1300 762 545, www.oztix.com.au, Oztix outlets and Ticketek www.ticketek.com.au or phonecharge 132 849 & all Ticketek outlets. TICKETS PURCHASED FROM THEHERD.OZTIX.COM.AU GET A FREE DOWNLOAD OF ‘SPIN CYCLE’ FROM THE ALBUM FUTURE SHADE

THE HERD – FUTURE SHADE feat. THE SUM OF IT ALL and SIGNS OF LIFE RELEASED AUGUST 26 ON ELEFANT TRAKS through INERTIA

PRE-ORDER FROM THESE INDEPENDENT STORES AND RECEIVE AN EXCLUSIVE OVERSIZE HERD LOGO STICKER (WHILE STOCKS LAST)

Abicus (Cooks Hill), Cronulla Newsagents, Fish Records (Balmain, Newtown), G.B. Records (Broken Hill), HUM (Newtown) Landspeed (Canberra), Leading Edge Taree, Malibu Music (Ulladulla), Phoenix Music (Potts Point), Redback Music (Wollongong), Red Eye Records (Sydney) Sandy’s Music (Dee Why) So Music (Newtown) BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 :: 49

dance music news

free stuff

club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Honnery

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

five things

Murat Kilic

WITH TOM BRERETON Growing Up I grew up in a very musical 1. household. As a child, my father was in a blues band, and his music taste and passion definitely had a big effect on my love for music and the music scene. Inspiratons My household was a constant flow 2. of great music, with sounds coming from Herbie Hancock, Bob Dylan, Sly And The Family Stone and James Brown. As soon as my age permitted, clubs and house music started calling, and really took a hold on me. At the age of 18 I moved to Ibiza, where I spent five outrageous seasons; I was in my element with all of the world’s best DJs on every night of the week. People like Steve Lawler, John Digweed, Carl Cox and Sven Vath became a weekly occurrence. These days I find my inspirations from guys like Maya Jane Coles, Tale Of Us, Soul Clap and Wolf + Lamb. Their deep sounds and rolling beats are what you’ll find me playing and enjoying these days. Your Crew I’ll be going back to back with Amy 3. Fairweather in a few of my upcoming gigs, which I couldn’t be more happy

Elzhi

JAMIE JONES FABRIC, BOAT PARTY

The next instalment in the Fabric canon, Fabric 59, arrives at the end of the month via EMI, and it comes courtesy of the Australia-bound Jamie Jones, who’s playing Pulse Radio’s forthcoming AGWA cruise in November. The mix is purportedly “about having fun with music and never being serious”, a description that seems justified considering the tracklist comprises Felix Da Housecat’s classic cut ‘Madame Hollywood’ and Cajmere feat. Jamie Principle’s ‘God Sent (‘10)’. Unsurprisingly, Jones’ Fabric mix contains a healthy sprinkling of tracks from the Hot Creations label he runs with Lee Foss, as well as from the Crosstown Rebels and Visionquest imprints with whom he enjoys close ties. There are a couple of curveballs too, such as the Holy Ghost remix of Panthers and, perhaps most intriguingly, some classic UK cold wave from Veronica Vasicka’s Minimal Wave label. Tickets for the Boat Party ft. Jamie Jones are available online.

about. We both have a very similar style and passion for all things deep that have a solid groove. Expect some amazing sounds and energy coming your way in coming months. The Music You Make I’m working on a few tracks at the 4. moment, which could be put in the ‘deep house and disco’ box. I’ve teamed up with Nacho Volsser, and we’re working on a few tracks at the moment. We’re both feeling really good about where they’re heading, and are very excited about the end result. So watch this space. Music, Right Here, Right Now For me, it’s all about the deep house 5. and I think there are some really great local artists and promoters pushing the boundaries and stamping their music on Sydney. The production coming from labels like Crosstown Rebels, Hot Natured and Visionquest is of such high quality and frequency that all our record boxes are regularly updated with amazing weaponry. Who: Tom Brereton & Amy Fairweather With: Murat Kilic, Robbie Lowe, Joey Tupaea, Pash Mann and Matt Weir Where: Infused @ Kings Cross Hotel When: Friday August 19

SMIRNOFF NIGHTLIFE EXCHANGE PROJECT

Last year Smirnoff Vodka asked the Australian public to vote on the best elements of our nightlife as part of a global campaign called The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project, and this year the concept returns with many more countries involved: 50, up from last year’s 14. It’s a cultural exchange type of thing, whereby each country packages up what makes their local nightlife the best and sends it to another. Following in the hefty footsteps of Dan Single in 2010, Ministry Of Sound DJ Anna Lunoe is the 2011 ambassador for The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project in Australia. You can get involved in the project by visiting the Facebook

INFUSED

Do you like deep house and techno? Do you like Fridays? Do you like freebies? The people behind Cube and Kontrast have joined together for ‘Infused’, and are holding the launch party this Friday August 19 on Level Four of Kings Cross Hotel. The lineup features heavyweights like Murat Kilic, Robbie Lowe, Joey Tupaea, Pash Mann, Tom Brereton & Amy Fairweather and Matt Weir, and we have some sweet double pass action to give to one lucky BRAGger... Just send us a haiku about how much you like Fridays. page at Facebook.com/SmirnoffAustralia, where you’re encouraged to share your nightlife ideas.

SUBTONIC @ GOODGOD

With the lineup for the annual Subsonic Music Festival set for release within the next week or so, the Subsonic Music crew are throwing a locals night at GoodGod Small Club this Saturday August 20. Expect a quality exploration of minimal, house and techno sounds from the likes of Yokoo (who has recently returned from a European tour), Subsonic’s own Dylan Griffin and Marcotix, the underrated Will Allan and DJ dilettante Chris Honnery among others... Entry is a mere $5 before midnight, with the onus very much on the party – which looks set to be a real good ‘un.

Chikubi-Chan

NICOLAS JAAR BLUEWAVE EDITS

Current ‘it boy’ Nicolas Jaar, one of the most hyped figures in clubland over the past year, has just released a series of re-edits on the Wolf + Lamb label under the title ‘Nico’s Bluewave Edits’. The opening track is a quirky pitched-down rework of Missy Elliott’s ‘Work It’, ahead of Jaar’s interpretation of The Blow’s ‘Hey Boy’ and a radical soulful version of Mike & The Censations’ ‘Theres Nothing I Can Do’. Have a hunt for the vinyl online before all copies sell out – although you’ll probably have better luck if you try to procure the EP digitally.

MC ELZHI @ TONE

Detroit MC Elzhi will make his Sydney debut at Tone nightclub on Sunday September 11. Elzhi’s initial break came when he guested on ‘Come And Get It’, a stand out song from Jay Dee’s (J Dilla) debut album, Welcome 2 Detroit. The widespread praise for the track led to Elzhi joining the group Slum Village in 2002, with whom he recorded three acclaimed albums; Trinity, Detroit Deli and Slum Village. After leaving Slum Village following acrimony with the group’s Barak Records label, Elzhi released his eagerly anticipated mixtape, Elmatic, an homage to Nas’ widely praised debut Illmatic, which is available online through Elzhi’s official website. Elzhi will be supported by DJs Ology and Frenzie, with the night hosted by Koolism’s Hau.

SOSUEME DJS

The Sosueme DJs will spin at Oxford Art Factory this Friday August 19 as part of their This Is How We Do It tour – but they won’t be alone. They’ll be joined by renowned local impresarios Nina Las Vegas, Starjumps and Hobophonics. Beforehand you also have the opportunity to catch Valar launching their EP in the very same venue with support from fellow bands Forests and Young Romantics – a happy start to the evening, if you feel like contrasting your DJs with some live tunes.

DIRTYLOUD @ LAUNDRY

Brazil’s Dirtyloud headline Chinese Laundry this Friday August 19. One of the more successful electronic acts to emerge in 2010, Dirtyloud have dominated the Beatport Charts over the past year and hence cemented their position as populist purveyors of electro house. Of late, they’ve forayed into dubstep, and are purportedly now branching out into drum ‘n bass too. As the press release declares, “Is there anything these guys can’t do?”

THE RETURN OF UBER LINGUA

Self-described “global bass & post-planetary beats specialists” party crew Uber Lingua are set to return this weekend, hitting Tone nightclub on Saturday August 20 with a non-stop global collision of DJs, VJs, instrumentalists, dancers & multi-lingual MCs, running from 10pm til 5am. DJs Mashy P, Cinco Cinco Cinco, Gonzo The Mad Peruvian, Prince Nod and Colombian Tropicante will all be spinning, while Sista Shar, Gypsy Rose and Lisa Jane will explore Afro-Latin, Gypsy-swing and future-dancehall sounds. Furthermore, Bulgarian extreme Violin performer Veren Grigorov, mysterious Japanese fem vocalist Chikubi-Chan, Uragayan MC Alice, German rapper Nick Knowledge and French verbalist Double KO will give the night a distinctly antipodean – not to mention carnival – atmosphere. Entry is a mere $15, or $10 before 10pm.

“To be true there’s been nights where I didn’t believe / So I sat in my room, praying lookin’ up from my knees” - PHRASE 50 :: BRAG :: 425 : 15:08:11

BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 :: 51

Phrase Trusting In Babylon By Nils Hay

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t’s an anxious time for Phrase. The Melbourne-based hip hop artist has finally completed his third full-length, Babylon, and while he’s clearly happy with it, he’s not sure how his fanbase will react. It’s certainly a different beast from 2009’s Clockwork; for starters, there’s barely a sample to be found. “It wasn’t that I just went ‘That’s it! I’m never using samples again!’” he explains. “On Clockwork there was a lot of live instrumentation played over the samples, but I did feel like I was quite restricted. You can’t just go and change the chords in a section if you want it to go somewhere else emotively.” For Phrase, the catalyst was Clockwork’s fourth track ‘Spaceship’, which featured all live instrumentation. “I thought, ‘Why am I getting locked into making music that was in somebody else’s head, just sampling that and putting a spin on it, when I’m capable of writing my own?’”

But it’s not like he’s gone it alone entirely; Phrase has enlisted a number of guests on Babylon, including You Am I’s Davey Lane, Sparkadia’s Alex Burnett, Jimmy Barnes and

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www.uberlingua.com 52 :: BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11

Phrase’s wife, Jade McRae. Notably though, none with a background in rap or hip hop. Rather than turn to his usual crew, Phrase looked to the radio for help. “All those guys were dudes that I’ve heard on triple j and just gone, ‘This guy’s awesome – I’d love to do a song with him.’ I reached out to them, wrote a personal note, sent them the song.” But it’s his closest collaborator, Jade, that Phrase is most grateful to. While better known for her pop music and television career, McRae is a Conservatorium-trained musician, whose multitude of skills can be heard all over the album. “A lot of times I’d come up with chords on the guitar or a riff and she’d jump on the keys and come up with the keys part and chart the strings,” Phrase explains. She sings through the album, too. “I count myself pretty lucky,” he continues. “A lot of people spend their days apart from their partner – in the morning they go off to work, go their separate ways – but I get to spend a bunch of time with Jade, doing something that we both love doing.” Being a fellow musician, McRae is also able to empathise with the lifestyle; for instance, she remained supportive when, a week after their wedding, Phrase took off to Bali to work on lyrics. “Leading up to the wedding I hadn’t done any work on the record, because I had my head in that headspace. I said to Jade, ‘Look, once the wedding’s over, I need to go for at least a week or two by myself to delve into my own headspace, and get some lyric-writing done.’” For those readers in a relationship, put that proposition to your partner and see how they react… “She was cool with it,” he says. “I think if I’d come back with nothing, she probably would’ve been pretty pissed off that I’d just been surfing and drinking – but I came back with a bunch done, so it was all good.”

“I thought, ‘Why am I getting locked into making music that was in somebody else’s head, just sampling that and putting a spin on it, when I’m capable of creating my own?” Once the songs were written, the album needed a producer – and while long-time collaborator J-Skub was top of the list, the scheduling didn’t want to work. Phrase’s label Universal were as keen to get the record out as he was, so they put him in touch with Tony Buchen, who’s worked with Tim Finn, Wim, John Butler Trio, Blue King Brown and Washington. Although his hip hop resume was a little lighter, Buchan had plenty of experience working with live instrumentation, and more than a few contacts up his sleeve. He managed to land Beck’s drummer Joey Waronker for the record, and importantly brought a fresh perspective; Phrase’s last two records were put together by the same team. “He brought a different outlook and inspired me again,” Phrase explains. “It was a good move.” With a new producer, a different sound and no guest rappers, Phrase’s thoughts inevitably turned to the fans and how they would react. “It got to the point where my manager was saying, ‘Hey, maybe you should do a posse cut that’s more hip hop orientated, get a bunch of the hip hop guys on there...’” But Phrase stuck to his guns. “I don’t know what to say there. I definitely think that it will alienate some people – some will love it, some will hate it.” He’s also the first to point out that if the public response isn’t up to scratch, his label won’t be happy – but that’s just another thing that he had to come to terms with. “More than ever, I feel that the record was something that I had to do for myself,” he explains. It’s a line often heard from musicians, but with his 30th birthday looming, Phrase made it to this point earlier than most. “I just wanted it to be what I wanted it to be; not worry about whether it was going to fit into this category or whether the radio was going to like it or the hip hop guys were going to accept it.” With the album dropping last week, and a big national tour set for October, Phrase is happy to just sit back and let nature take its course. “I know that, for myself, I feel happier with music at the moment than I ever have before. I’ve just got to trust in that.” What: Babylon is out now through Universal

Deep Impressions Underground Dance And Electronica with Chris Honnery

Soul Sedation Soul, Dub, Hip Hop & Bottom-heavy Beats with Tony Edwards

Robag Wruhme

Soul Sedation goes live every Wednesday night on Bondi FM (88.0 or bondifm.com.au). Tune in 10pm 'til midnight to hear a deep and soulful selection of the tunes covered here, and plenty more that I don't have room for.

W

A

nd finally, the prosaic winter clubbing ennui has been well and truly shattered! The lineup for Resident Advisor’s much-anticipated tenth birthday bash – ‘RA X’ – has been revealed; well, the majority of it has, anyway. The highly touted Germanic producer Robag Wruhme, Tigersushi head honcho Joakim and local favourite Simon Caldwell will each take to the decks along with a mystery headliner at the Civic Hotel on Saturday September 17. Robag, one-half of the now defunct Wighnomy Brothers, has enjoyed a splendidly productive year so far, crafting the serene album Thora Vukk on DJ Koze’s Pampa imprint, and also releasing the Wuppdeckmischmampflow compilation on Kompakt, which features cuts from WhoMadeWho, Kollektiv Turmstrasse, Four Tet and Voom Voom and remains a serious contender for mix of the year a solid eight months into 2011. With absolutely no concerns about gilding the lily, Resident Advisor are adamant there will be an additional international headliner performing on the night who more than holds his or her own alongside Robag and Joakim. As they proclaimed on their official website, “It’s the sixth event in our 10th anniversary celebrations [they are holding ten parties in different cities around the world to celebrate turning ten] and with Loco Dice, DJ Harvey and Michael Mayer as former headliners [in other cities], you can be assured that we have someone pretty special set to appear on the night.” One piece of advice I can offer is not to wait until the final headliner is announced to buy a ticket – this will sell out. $30 presale tickets are currently available online. Detroit producer Omar-S will release his first full-length ‘proper’ album since 2005’s excellent effort Just Ask The Lonely via his own FXHE label on August 15. And if the title is anything to go by, it will be a cracker. Entitled It Can Be Done, But Only I Can Do It – modesty has never really been Omar’s caper – the album will collate brand new material alongside a number of previously released tracks such as ‘Here’s Your Trance, Now Dance’, which was originally released under Omar’s Alex O. Smith alias, and ‘Over To You’, a new version of the 2005 cut ‘U’, which you can hear alongside an array of other luscious Omar-S cuts on his excellent Fabric 45 mix. I’d highly recommend that compilation, which is comprised entirely of Omar-S’ own productions, to anyone unfamiliar with the chap, as it collects a

LOOKING DEEPER SATURDAY AUGUST 20 Subsonic Locals GoodGod Small Club

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 10 Disconnected ft Lucy The Civic Underground

Kontrast ft Funk D’void Venue TBA

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17

Resident Advisor X ft Robag Wruhme, Joakim & Simon Caldwell The Civic Underground number of hard-to-find vinyl exclusives along with some of the better-known tracks from the Omar-S catalogue – which will expand in a month’s time with the release of the new album. Just promise me you won’t be put off by the shit album cover. (There really is no other way to put it – check it out online and you’ll see I ain’t lying, brother.) Swedish ambient techno producer Axel Willner, aka The Field, will release his third LP, Looping State Of Mind, on Kompakt in October. Renowned by aficionados for his remixes of Battles and Thom Yorke, Wilner has previously completed a pair of accomplished LPs: the aptly named debut LP From Here We Go Sublime and its follow-up, Yesterday & Today, which moved away from the splintered shoegaze techno sounds of its predecessor towards krautrock influences and even a cover of the Korgis ‘classic’ – using the term loosely – ‘Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime’. Details as to the exact sonic direction and mood of Looping State Of Mind are sparse, though apparently the album contains double bass and pianoled flourishes. In a short statement, Wilner divulged: “Some of the ideas stretching back to the debut are still there. But we’ve just made a real attempt to grow the sound.” Way to say something without saying anything, Axel.

elcome to a heavily reggaeinfluenced edition of Soul Sedation. Maybe it’s this balmy winter weather we’ve been basking in that’s bringing on the sunshine vibes, or maybe it’s the summer sound trickling down from the northern hemisphere; either way, this column is amped for some spring reggae events that aren’t too far over the horizon now – and Queensland is where it’s at. Case in point: Reggaetown goes down in Cairns on Saturday September 10 with a massive lineup that includes Kingston legends Third World, PNG’s O-shen, and a swathe of Kiwi acts like Tiki Taane, The Black Seeds and King Kapisi, plus Jah Mason, Nicky Bomba, Bonjah, Microwave Jenny, Taylor & The Makers, Tony Q, Pacificaland, Reggae Bliss, Jah Boy and Jagrizza. That could well be a spiritual day or a messy party, depending on which way you approach it. And Island Vibe is into its sixth year, with an excellent three-day festival that takes place only seconds from the beach on Stradbroke Island, off southern QLD. They’re boasting a lineup of Chali 2na, Blue King Brown, Opiuo (who truly smashed up the place last year), Dubmarine, Grace Barbe from the Seychelles, Bobby Alu, Impossible Odds, Bertha Control Reunion, Selecta Ras George, DJ Katch (Resin Dogs) and DJ Dakini. It goes down from October 28-30, and it sells out every year, so jump online now and sort yourself some tickets. UK reggae historian David Rodigan has released a new retrospective entitled David Rodigan’s Dubwize Shower. It brings vintage Jamaican sounds together with the new spectrum of modern dub and reggae from across the globe, including names like Alborosie and Da Grynch. That one’s out through BBE records. Soul Jazz have released The Studio One Story, a documentary focused on Studio One and its founder, pivotal Jamaican music figure Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd (who sadly left the Earth roughly two years after his series of interviews for this doco). An incredible number of household names in dub and reggae came out of Studio One: Marley, Burning Spear, Sugar Minott, and The Skatalites all recorded there, among other great names who’ve stamped their place in history. The story of Sir Coxsone and Studio One is also, as the filmmakers claim, “the true story of reggae music and its Jamaican roots told from the inside”. The release comes out as a DVD, CD and book. New music in from the US: an Easy Star records release from Hawaiian band The Green. The Love & Affection EP is a short little selection of sweet soul and traditional reggae for those with an ear for that classic kind of sound. ‘Got Me In Love’ is my pick of the bunch. We shift to disco and early house, and anyone into those variants will want to know

ON THE ROAD SATURDAY AUGUST 27

Big Boi, Theophilus London The Enmore Theatre

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11 Elzhi Tone

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17 The Herd, Sietta The Metro Theatre

Public Opinion Afro Orchestra Oxford Art Factory

about this comp from Mr Peabody Records: Real Sound Of Chicago And Beyond – a great way to snap up lots of great music that was previously only released on vinyl. You’ll hear from acts like Premonition, Billy Hinton, Lonnie Givens and Cold T. As an aside, the music on the release ain’t all from Chicago; the compilers seem to have taken the view that if it’s good, get it on there. That one’s out now through BBE. Katalyst has pre-empted the release of his third album with an hour-long mixtape – head to his soundcloud to download it now. The new record, Deep Impressions, is due for release September 16. Media reports that Big Boi of Outkast was locked up for drug offences last week have prompted this statement from the promoter of his Aussie tour, Niche Productions: “We can confirm at this stage things are 100% going ahead as scheduled and Big Boi is looking forward to performing in Australia for all his fans for the upcoming tour.” It’s on. He’s supported by US emcee Theophilus London and Sydney’s Thundamentals on Saturday August 27. To local gig news, former Slum Village rapper Elzhi will be coming through town to rock the mic. His collaborations with Jay Dee, Wajeed, DJ House Shoes and Nick Speed have been celebrated by the underground hip hop community over the years. That one goes down Sunday September 11 at Tone. And bass heads should get down to GoodGod this Friday for a wide-ranging selection of new ‘bass music’, taking in dubstep, garage, house, techno and everything in between. Your selectors Moriarty, Preacha, Max Gosford and Victim are all on the wheels from 11pm.

Opiuo

Axel Willner, aka The Field

Deep Impressions: electronica manifesto and occasional club brand. Contact through deep.impressions@yahoo.com.

Send stuff for this column to tonyedwards001@gmail.com by 6pm Wednesdays. All pics to art@thebrag.com BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 :: 53

club guide send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

club pick of the week 50 Cent

FRIDAY AUGUST 19

Sydney Entertainment Centre, Darling Harbour

Winterbeatz 50 Cent (USA), Lil' Kim (USA), Mario (USA), Fabolous (USA) $99-$139 7pm MONDAY AUGUST 15

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 17

Scubar. Sydney Crab Racing 7pm World Bar, Kings Cross Mondays Pipemix, 16 Tacos free 8pm

TUESDAY AUGUST 16 Establishment. Sydney Rumba Motel DJ Willie Sabor and Friends 6pm Scubar, Sydney Backpacker Karaoke 8pm The Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross Coyote Tuesdays free 8pm Vault Nightclub, Scruffy Murphys Frat House free 11pm World Bar, Kings Cross Pop Panic Conrad Greenleaf free 8pm

Bank Hotel, Newtown Girls’ Night DJ Sandi Hotrod free Beach Palace Hotel, Coogee Palace Uni Night DJs free The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown Student Nights DJ Moussa free Scubar, Sydney Schoonerversity 3pm World Bar, Kings Cross Feast Your Eyes @ The Wall Camden (live), Lee Tran Lam free 8pm

THURSDAY AUGUST 18 Arthouse Hotel, Sydney Mojito Central Latin Mafia DJs free 7pm

Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Drop Mr Thing, Sam Perry, Bentley, Mike Who The Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney Tenzin, Cadell, Zannon, DJ K-Note free 8pm Home Nightlcub, Darling Harbour I Heart Unipackers Ivy, Sydney Ivy Live 5pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Retail Therapy Q Bar, Darlinghurst Hot Damn Sleep Over Dream On Dreamer, The Bride, One Vital Word, Hands Like Houses $12-$15 8pm Scubar, Sydney $5 Everything Thursdays DJs World Bar, Kings Cross Propaganda Belakiss (live), Urby, Mush, CHappers free$5 9pm

FRIDAY AUGUST 19 Arthouse Hotel, Sydney RnB Superclub $20 9.30pm Bank Hotel, Newtown Friendly Fridays DJs James Tobin + Frenzie The Bank Nightclub, Kings Cross Addiction 9pm Blue Hotel – Water Bar, Woolloomooloo Fridays Shine The Groove Academy (live) feat. Sarah J. Hyland free Campbelltown RSL Justice Crew $40 7pm Candys Apartment, Kings Cross Liquid Sky 8pm Cargo Bar Good Fridays Ember, Bangers n’ Mash, Kid Crookes, Docey Doe 5pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney Dirtyloud (BRA), Philly Blunt (WA), Hydrulix, Autoclaws, Victims, lasttoleave $15-$20 10pm Civic Underground, Sydney Volar 10pm Cohibar DJ Jeddy Rowland & DJ Mike Silver free Cronulla RSL DJ Michael Stewart free 8pm The Gaelic Club, Surry Hills Last Night Bird Automatic (live), Toucan, Nantes DJs, Randall Stagg, PhDJ, Paolo $15 8pm Goodgod Small Club Low Motion Moriarty, Preacha, Max Gosford, Victim $10 11pm The Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney DJ Cadell 5pm Home Nightclub Sublime Hotel Chambers, Sydney Jump Jive & Wail Limpin’ Jimmy & the Swingin’ Kitten free 9pm Hugo’s Lounge Rat Pack Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Falcona Fridays Falcona Agency DJs The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown Resident DJ’s free Nevada Lounge, Exchange Hotel, Darlinghurst DJ Hayden free 6pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Sosoume DJs, Ninalasvegas, Starjumps, F.R.I.E.N.D.S. DJs, Valar, Forests $10 8pm Phoenix Bar, Exchange Hotel, Darlinghurst Wolfden Wolfden DJs $10 9pm Q Bar, Darlinghurst The Hellfire Club DJ Jay, Sveta, Tokolshe $25 9pm Scubar, Sydney Jagermeister Fridays DJs 7pm Space, Sydney Zaia Savvy, Edo, D’Kutz, Em-Tee, Ming, Ace, Flipz, DJ Sefu, MC Suga Shane, Arbee, Suae, Pulsar, Askitz, Jinkang vs Tezzr vs Rhe3, MC D 9.45pm Sydney Entertainment Centre, Darling Harbour Winterbeatz 50 Cent (USA), Lil Kim (USA), Mario (USA), Fabolous (USA) $99-$139 7pm Tone, Surry Hills Joyride and the Accidents, Weird Assembly, Preppie, Swat $10 7.30pm Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross Eve J Smoove, C-Bu, Six Fingers, Lyrics, MC DeeKay Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills Olsen vs LC 8pm

Vault Nightclub, Scruffy Murphys DJs 11pm The Watershed Hotel Bring on the Weekend! DJ Matty Roberts free World Bar, Kings Cross MUM $15 10pm

SATURDAY AUGUST 20 Arthouse Hotel, Sydney Armageddon Ultrabeat, DJ Alex K, Sunset Bros, DJ Rata, DJ Aga, Teflon, DJ Rath, Nick Hoodz 9.30pm Bank Hotel, Newtown DJs Jack McCord + Dale Stephen free Blue Hotel – Water Bar, Woolloomooloo Saturday Night Deluxe DJ Damien Goundrie free The Burdekin – Dug Out, Darlinghurst Minimal Sydney Nic Scali, Linda Jenssen, Shepz, Tall Timba $5-$10 1am Candys Apartment Big Guns MooWho, Disco Volante, Sherlock Bones, Zomg! Kittens!, Dirty Cutlery, Karma Coma, Chickflick, Stalker 8pm Cargo Bar Saturdays Chinese Laundry, Sydney Oh Snap! (USA), Tom Piper, Night Dimension, Eatyourself, Matttt, Allan Humphreys, Dildz, Nick Mcmartin, Samrai, Murray lake, DJ Say whut? $15-$25 9pm Kings Cross Hotel, Sydney In Fused Murat Kilic, Robbie Lowe, Joey Tupaea, Tom Brereton & Amy Fairweather, Matt Weir $20 10pm Cohibar Yellow Sox Indy Night DJ Brynstar & Mudrockets free The Empire Hotel, Potts Point The Empire free 9pm Establishment, Sydney Sienna G-Wizard, Troy-T, DJ Def Rok, Eko, Lilo 9pm Goldfish Ben Morris & Venuto faet. Michelle Martinez, Johnny Gleeson, Tom Kelly free-$20 8pm Goodgod Small Club Subtonic Jimi Polar, Chris Honnery, YokoO, Shepz, Will Allan, Dylan Griffin, Marcotix $5-$10 10.30pm Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour Homemade Saturdays $20$25 9pm Ivy, Sydney Pure Ivy Saturdays Moto Blanco, Cadell, Ember, Liam Sampras Jackson’s On George Ultimate Party Venue DJ Michael Stewart free Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Kitty Kitty Bang Bang Miss

“I’m tired of living these sh*t conditions / that put me in corners and tight positions” - PHRASE 54 :: BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11

T, Gabby, Cassette, Alison Wonderland 8pm The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown Resident DJ’s free Marrickville Bowling Club Mad Racket Stephen Allkins, Simon Caldwell, Ken Cloud, Zootie $20 10pm Nevada Lounge, Exchange Hotel, Darlinghurst DJ Hayden free 6pm Scubar, Sydney Every Saturday DJs 3pm Space, Sydney Masif Saturdays Toneshifterz, Bloweapon, Steve Hill, Suae, Pulsar, Nik Fish, Amber Savage, Arbee, Hardforze, Peewee, Matrix, Xdream, Cadell, Charlie Brown, Tony Shock, VLN, Mike Hyper, Tezzr, Joey V 10pm Star Bar, Sydney Secret Saturdays Tone, Surry Hills Uber Lingua Relaunch Mashy P, Cinco Cinco Cinco, Gonzo the mad Peruvian, Prince Nod, Colombian Tropicante $10-$15 9pm Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills Red Bull Thre3style DJ Contest Samplology free 6pm Vault Nightclub, Scruffy Murphys DJs 11pm Vegas Lounge, Darlinghurst DJs 11pm The Watershed Hotel Watershed Presents… Skybar free World Bar, Kings Cross Wham! $15-$20 9pm

SUNDAY AUGUST 21 Bank Hotel, Newtown DJ Kitty Glitter free The Bank Nightclub, Kings Cross The Sunday Club free 9pm Cargo Bar Stick It In 3pm Fakeclub, Kings Cross Spice Joey Tupaea, Carlos Zarate, Sam Roberts, Dean Mcoll & Fazzolari, Robbie Corduke & Jake Hough $20 4am Hugo’s Lounge, Kings Cross Sneaky Sundays 8pm Jackson’s On George Aphrodisiac Residents DJ’s free Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Easy Sundays DJs Stu Turner, NAD, Mr Belvedere, Murray Lake, Pat Ward 6pm Scubar, Sydney Sundays at Scubar 3pm The Watershed Hotel Afternoon DJ’s DJ Brynstar free World Bar, Kings Cross Deepend free 6pm

SOSUEME DJS

club picks up all night out all week...

THURSDAY AUGUST 18

FRIDAY AUGUST 19

Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Drop Mr Thing, Sam Perry, Bentley, Mike Who

Cargo Bar Good Fridays Ember, Bangers n’ Mash, Kid Crookes, Docey Doe 5pm

Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Retail Therapy Nad, Mr Belvedere, Kristy Lee 8pm

Chinese Laundry, Sydney Dirtyloud (BRA), Philly Blunt (WA), Hydrulix, Autoclaws, Victims, lasttoleave $15-$20 10pm Dirty Loud

Kings Cross Hotel, Sydney Infused Murat Kilic, Robbie Lowe, Joey Tupaea, Tom Brereton & Amy Fairweather, Matt Weir $20 10pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Sosoume DJs, Ninalasvegas, Starjumps, F.R.I.E.N.D.S. DJs, Valar, Forests $10 (+bf) 8pm

SATURDAY AUGUST 20 Marrickville Bowling Club Mad Racket Stephen Allkins, Simon Caldwell, Ken Cloud, Zootie $20 10pm Tone, Surry Hills Uber Lingua Relaunch Mashy P, Cinco Cinco Cinco, Gonzo the mad Peruvian, Prince Nod, Colombian Tropicante $10$15 9pm

SUNDAY AUGUST 21 Fakeclub, Kings Cross Spice Joey Tupaea, Carlos Zarate, Sam Roberts, Dean Mcoll & Fazzolari, Robbie Corduke & Jake Hough $20 4am World Bar, Kings Cross Deepend free 6pm

Dirt Farmers No Art Ghostwood Unity Floors Rayon Moon Chopper and the Honeyboy James Domeyko

302 Crown Street Darlinghurst 02 9368 1548 Wednesday through to Saturday from 5pm to 2am Sunday 6pm to 2am

BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 :: 55

snap sn ap

the abercrombie

PICS :: CG

up all night out all week . . .

eat pray vogue

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06:08:11 :: Abercrombie Hotel :: 100 Broadway Ultimo 92113486

strike

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06:08:11 :: The Gaelic Theatre :: 64 Devonshire St Surry Hills 92111687

06:08:11 :: Strike Bowling :: 22 The Promenade Sydney 9276 7100

It’s called: SOSUEME DJs ‘This Is How We Do It’ Tour It sounds like: An amorphous gaggle of sound , light and moving limbs. Who’s playing? SOSUEME DJS, Nina Las Vegas, Valar (live), F.R.I.E.N.D/S DJs, Forests (live), Young Roma ntics (live) Hobophonics, Starjumps. Three songs you’ll hear on the night: 2Pac – ‘California’; Arrested Development – ‘People Everyday’; House Of Pain – ‘Jump Around’. And one you definitely won’t: Hot Pink Delore an – ‘Let’s Go’. Sell it to us: SOSUEME DJs, the revered and renowned party collective, have been redefining the dancescape, bringi ng it together in a way that makes Captain Planet and the Power Range rs look like amateurs. This ultimate party threesome are storming their way around the country on their first headline tour this August and are dropping by OAF for their hometown show this Friday! The bit we’ll remember in the AM: the mome nt the earth shifted off its axis due to extreme dance moves and simult aneous sing-a-longs. Crowd specs: Able and willing dance enthu siasts. Wallet damage: $10 presale through Mosh tix Where: Oxford Art Factory

wu-tang clan

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party profile

sosueme djs

05:08:11 :: Enmore Theatre :: 118-132 Enmore Road, Newtown 9550 3666

the exchange hotel

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When: Friday August 19

propaganda

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05:08:11 :: The Exchange Hotel :: 34-44 Oxford st, Darlinghurst 93601375

04:08:11 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700 56 :: BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11

:: NIKI BODLE :: KATRINA CLARKE S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER NS :: THOMAS PEACHY MUN IEL DAN :: MAR LEY ASH :: :: JAY COLLIER :: CAI GRIFFIN

CASH PRIZES TEAM SHIRTS

DRINK SPECIALS REGISTER NOW AT STRIKEBOWLINGBAR.COM.AU/SOCIAL-LEAGUE

FIND US ON

BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 :: 57

snap

bungalow 8

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up all night out all week . . .

mum

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06:08:11 :: Bungalow 8 :: 8 The Promenade, King Street Wharf 92994440

05:08:11 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700

It’s called: Chinese Laundry Fridays It sounds like: Dubstep and electro together in one night of epic tunes Who’s spinning? Dirtyloud (BRAZIL), DJ Philly locals Hydraulix, Autoclaws, Victims and Lastto Blunt (PERTH) and leave. Two songs you’ll hear on the night: Spenc er & Hill – ‘Dance (Dirtyloud Remix)’; Dada Life – ‘Unleash the F**in Dada (Dirtyloud remix).’ And one you definitely won’t: Eiffle 65 – ‘Blue’ . Sell it to us: This is your chance to say you witnessed Dirtyloud on their very first tour of Australia. These guys are going to be absolute stars and you might not get the chance to see them in an intimate environment again.

hot damn

PICS :: KC

04:08:11 :: Spectrum :: 34 Oxford St Darlinghurst 93316245

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: That the sound system in Chinese Laundry blew your ears off with some of the best music you've heard this year Crowd specs: 18+ but otherwise anyone and anything goes! Wallet damage: $15 before 11pm / $20 after Where: Chinese Laundry When: Friday August 19

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yelle

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chinese laundry 06:08:11 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford st, Darlinghurst 93323711 58 :: BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11

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party profile

chinese laundry fridays

06:08:11 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex Street Sydney 82959958 :: NIKI BODLE :: KATRINA CLARKE S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) :: THOMAS PEACHY OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER NS MUN IEL ASHLEY MAR :: DAN :: JAY COLLIER :: CAI GRIFFIN ::

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