Drum Media Sydney Issue #1104 by TheMusic.com.au

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THE DRUM MEDIA • 3

ADRIAN BOHM PRESENTS

STAR OF SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE AND THE MOVIE “HALF BAKED” WITH DAVE CHAPPELLE

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

WED 11 APR - THE VANGUARD

THE METRO

WED 25 APRIL

BOOK AT TICKETEK 132 849 TICKETEK.COM.AU OR SYDNEY COMEDY FESTIVAL 9020 6966 SYDNEYCOMEDYFEST.COM.AU ABPRESENTS.COM.AUABPRESENTS.COM.AU JIMBREUER.COM

MON 9 APR - THE FACTORY

FACTORYTHEATRE.COM.AU PH 02 9550 3666 OR TICKETEK.COM.AU PH 132 849 All tickets previously purchased for the Mon 9 Apr show at The Vanguard are valid for the new show at The Factory Theatre

TICKETS ON SALE NOW DEBUT RECORD EARLY IN THE MORNING OUT NOW “Sounds both fresh and as if they’ve been in your head forever…McMorrow’s debut deserves its success.” – Q Magazine “A captivating debut… An arresting journey from emotional trials to aural pleasure.” – Uncut JAMESVMCMORROW.COM

JIMBREUER.COM

ADRIAN BOHM PRESENTS

ENMORE THEATRE

26 & 27 APRIL TICKETEK.COM.AU 132 849 SYDNEYCOMEDYFEST.COM.AU 9020 6966

DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND SECOND SHOW ON SALE NOW! ABPRESENTS.COM.AU CHARLIEMURPHYCOMEDY.COM

I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE DVD AVAILABLE NOW AT ALL GOOD RETAILERS

2012 Australian Tour Edition of

SIMONE FELICE Former Felice Brothers and Duke & the King singer/songwriter – now solo singer/songwriter – presents his debut solo album. “This album is the one I’ve had buried away, somewhere in my weird heart.” - S I M O N E F E L I C E ‘Simone Felice has the poetic gifts and fearless aesthetic to rank among the all-time greats, from Cohen to Cave’ - THE TELEGRAPH

“The most promising purveyors of new-school country folk… so authentically vintage.” ROLLING STONE “Dawes are an incredible young band. Their singer, Taylor Goldsmith, is a brilliant songwriter… He and his brother Grifﬁn have one of those great familial harmony blends.” JACKSON BROWNE “Dawes are a really important band for us...amazing. It (‘Nothing Is Wrong’) is the future of rock ‘n’ roll and some of the best new musicianship in the world, in our humble opinion.” MARCUS MUMFORD (MUMFORD & SONS)

ON TOUR IN APRIL

TOURING SOON www.facebook.com/SimoneFeliceMusic s www.warnermusic.com.au

4 • THE DRUM MEDIA

April 3rd s The Enmore Theatre, Syd With My Morning Jacket April 4th s Palace Theatre, Melb With My Morning Jacket April 5th s Meeniyan Town Hall, Meeniyan With Justin Townes Earle April 6th s Boogie Festival, Tallarook, Vic April 7th & 9th s East Coast Blues And Roots Festival April 11th s Toff In Town, Melb (Headline Show, With Special Guest) TICKETS AVAILABLE AT LOVEPOLICE.COM.AU/TOURS

SPECIAL 2-CD EDITION also includes DAWES’ acclaimed debut ‘NORTH HILLS’. OUT NOW

THE DRUM MEDIA • 5

SNEAK A PEEK 25 FILMS REVEALED! Sydney Film Festival brings the city to life with screenings of over 150 films, red carpet galas, guests, talks and forums. You’ll find everything SYDNEY FILM from music docos in Sounds On Screen to hardcore FESTIVAL HUB @ horror in Freak Me Out, alongside the best of film LOWER TOWN HALL from across Australia and around the world. Grab a drink at the bar BUY A FLEXIPASS NOW and save big on ticket prices, then choose your own festival adventure when the full program is launched on 9 May. Share it with friends or keep it to yourself!

and see live music, ﬁlms, and DJs – FREE every night during the Festival.

RAMPART

WOODY ALLEN: A DOCUMENTARY

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

Gritty tale about a trigger-happy LA cop (Woody Harrelson) whose professional and personal lives spiral out of control after he is caught on tape beating a suspect.

This riveting look at the creative life of the multi-hyphenate ﬁlmmaker is packed with clips and interviews with a plethora of stars, his mother and, of course, the man himself.

A Sundance prize winner, this unforgettable feature-ﬁlm debut is set in a deﬁant bayou community cut off from the rest of the world, as icebergs melt and prehistoric creatures descend.

UNDER AFRICAN SKIES

THE LONELIEST PLANET

SOME GUY WHO KILLS PEOPLE

Paul Simon reunites with the South African musicians who collaborated on his 1986 megahit Graceland – and relives the controversy the album stirred upon release.

A young engaged couple’s idyll in the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia is interrupted by a momentary misstep that threatens to undo everything they believed about each other and themselves.

Kevin Corrigan is a suspect in a series of bizarre murders and Karen Black is his acid-tongued mum in this delightfully deranged treat marked by droll humour and juicy gore.

ONE FILM FESTIVAL 6–17 JUNE S F F. O R G . A U

6 • THE DRUM MEDIA

THE DRUM MEDIA • 7

th f e or ha m rperl hoy te

900 PRINCES HIGHWAY, TEMPE PH: 9559 6300 www.valvebar.com.au WED 4TH 7PM

HARDCORE NOIZE SHOW FEAT: “FLESH BORER INC” , “ERIK OF NORWAY” , “REV R.K.H.” , “NUMBSKULL”

R2R PRESENTS: THURS 5TH 7PM

FRI 6TH 2PM

THE INFAMOUS RAGZ 2 RICHEZ WITH SUPPORT FROM PRINCE OF THIEVES, KEEDA, MONCHICHI, J DWIGHT, THE UNTHINKABLES, DJ VICTOR LOPEZ, DJ COOKIE SWAZE, INTALEKZ AND MANY MORE

REACHOUT!RECORDS AND KNIFEWRENCH MUSIC PRESENTS:

HOLY HARDCORE 2012 HARDCORE FESTIVAL FEAT: “MARK MY WORDS” , “TAKEN BY FORCE” , “CLIPPED WINGS” , “UNPAID HOSTILITY” , “VICES” , “BREAK A LEG” , “DEADLY VISIONS” , “THE TAKEHOLD” , “SNAKE PIT” , “COLD YOUTH” AND MANY MORE

Doors open 7pm FREE ENTRY Dinner available

WITH

THE CASHMERE REVOLUTION

SAT 7TH 12PM

SUN 8TH 12PM

MIDI IN THE CITY & IN THE MIX SESSION FEAT: PRIZE, DROX&ILLBOT, AMBERSCAPE, SIMON MAN, TRINITY, MR VENGEANCE, GEORGE SADLIK/JUNKBEATS, OLIVER GURNEY, SIMON P, MCBEAN, ANDOSOUND AND MANY MORE

“ROUGH CHURCH” (-LA) ROCK SHOW WITH SUPPORT FORM: “BERKSHIRE HUNTING CLUB” , “CUERVO” , “GAS WYLDE BAND” , “DRYWELL”

COMING UP:

FOR MORE INFO CONTACT tia@theoxfordhotel.com.au or ph 02 8324 5200

Wed 11 April: Rock’n’Roll Show feat: “Hey Baby” , “Six Plane” , “Picture Perfect” ; Thu 12 April: Rock Show feat: “Factory Blak” , “Cade Tomo” , “Broken Riot” , “George Juliette” ; Fri 13 April: Hardcore Show feat: “Deathcage” , “Unknown To God” , “Thorax” , “Spoonfed” ; Sat 14 April: 1pm: Metal Show feat: “Trauma Victim” , “Wolfkhan” , “Festering Drippage” , “Whisky Smile” , “Alpha Degenerate” ; 8pm: Rock Show feat: “Hang Dai” , “400KW” , “The Dirty Earth” ; Sun 15 April: 12pm - 11pm SCORCHER FEST: 3 stages, 40 bands, one day - massive party!

For band bookings please email valvebar@gmail.com

LEVEL 1/134 OXFORD STREET DARLINGHURST 2011

Tues

TRIVIA WITH KEVIN

Wed

$500 PRIZE POOL

Thurs 5 Apr

OPEN MIC NIGHT

Fri 6 Apr

CLOSED GOOD FRIDAY

Sat 7 Apr

LIVE MUSIC

For Bookings

8 • THE DRUM MEDIA

Bistro open Lunch and Dinner !!

Weekly Jackpot 7.30pm

Open Mic Night 7.30pm

BYO Instruments (PA Provided) Rock up to play

7.30pm

james@thelaunchsquad.com.au | www.thelaunchsquad.com.au

F ROM T H E F RO N T WOM A N O F T H E Y E A H Y E A H Y E A H S AU S T RA L I A N P R E M I E R E - S Y D N E Y O N LY

MAJOR PARTNER

STRATEGIC PARTNERS

KAREN O

STOP THE VIRGENS C O - C R E AT E D B Y KA R E N O & K K B A R R E T T . M U S I C D I R E C T I O N B Y S A M S P I E G E L & N I C K Z I N N E R . D I R E C T E D B Y A DA M RA P P.

AN EPIC MUSIC THEATRE EVENT FEATURING OVER 50 ARTISTS ONSTAGE.

3 0 M AY – 3 J U N E O N LY. O P E RA T H E AT R E . SYDNEYOPERAHOUSE.COM/VIVIDLIVE PARTNER

MEDIA PARTNERS

INDUSTRY PARTNER

THE DRUM MEDIA • 9

WEDNESDAY 4 8.00PM FREE (FRONT BAR) THURSDAY 5 7.00PM $10.00(DOOR)

MUSO’S JAM STAND ALONE + BLACK LABEL + DEVINE ELECTRIC + THE HEAVIES

SATURDAY 7 8.00PM $10.00(PRE) $12.00(DOOR)

LANDER CONFIGURATIONS + JAREK (MELB) + SKIPPY’S BRAIN

THURSDAY 12 8.00PM $10.00(PRE) $12.00(DOOR)

STATE OF INTEGRITY (BRIS) + ABACINATION + JUSTICE FOR THE DAMNED

FRIDAY 13 7.00PM $15.00(DOOR)

DARKER HALF + METAL + SILENT KNIGHT (PERTH) + RAMPAGE

SATURDAY 14 8.00PM $12.00(PRE) $15.00(DOOR)

+ THUNDASTEEL

GENE VINCENT - A TRIBUTE TO THE WILDCAT! FEATURING SYDNEY’S PREMIER ROCKABILLY & ROOTS ARTISTS

COMING SOON:

ROLL OVER RACISM: feat. GAY PARIS & MANY MORE XIBALBA (USA) + WARBRAIN MINUS HOUSE ‘GOBOOKEM.COM’

CNR OF GEORGE + SWANSON ST

ERSKINEVILLE 3 DOORS FROM THE RAILWAY STATION

P 9565 1441 ROSEOFAUST@BIGPOND.COM

THU 5TH APR

FRI 13TH APR

LUCY DESOTO THE DELROYS PUBLIC HOLIDAY SPECIAL EVENT AND HER BAND

9PM

Playing the world’s best loved rockin’ boogie and blues grooves with an impressive set of original material in the oz rock tradition, showcasing a powerhouse rhythm section, electrifying guitar sounds and thrilling vocals. Lucy Desoto is no stranger to the BLUES for 25 years Lucy Desoto played in bands with the late great Rock’ n Roll Outlaw, Pete Wells, as well as Angry Anderson, Dave Tice, Mark Evans, to name a few of her fellow travellers and musicians.

Coming up slow and steady from the mean streets of Erskineville, the Delroys are purveyors of the boomingest sounds of classic Jamaican reggae and rocksteady. Lead by the local vocal and guitar work of Shoutie and Lunchbox legends Bernie Hayes and Ernie Garland the Delroys got da sound to get da people a movin and groovin. Tzight and tasty horns, a real deal bass player poached from the SSO, sssssmokin keys and a Spinal Tap type penchant for drummers, these boys know how to ﬁll a stage and work a room. 10 • THE DRUM MEDIA

NOW TUESDAY TO SATURDAY $

10-$15

STEAK & RIBS FROM 6PM

LEVEL 1 RESTAURANT ONLY

DJANGO DJANGO - DJANGO DJANGO -Q

METRONOMY - THE ENGLISH RIVIERA

-MOJO

CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG - STAGE WHISPER

SELAH SUE - SELAH SUE

“Proudly not signing short term pop acts” - Emmanuel de Buretel, Because Music

Because Music Mixtape THE DRUM MEDIA • 11

COOGEE SAT APRIL 21

TRIPLE SHOT OF ROCK

MICK SUN APRIL 22

THOMAS

+ SHELLEY SHORT + THE WINTER STATION

Tickets & info from www.coogeediggers.com.au

COOGEE DIGGERS 9665 4466 CORNER BYRON & CARR STREETS

$12 STEAK & ALE DEAL

TUE-FRI 12-3PM -/. 4/

&2)

45% 7%$ 4(5 &2)

RIOT HOUSE COMEDY TUESDAY’S

$5 PINTS

$5 PINTS @ 5PM -7PM

RIOT HOUSE COMEDY SLIDERS & CIDERS $15: 2 SLIDERS & BULMERS SCHOONERS GET SCHNIT FACED

$10 Chicken SCHNITZEL, $12 PARMI’S

DJ’S FROM 5PM

$5 SPIRITS, $10 COCKTAILS FROM 7PM

3!4

DJ’S FROM 10PM

$5 SPIRITS, $10 COCKTAILS FROM 9PM 12 • THE DRUM MEDIA

USE ME.

THE DRUM MEDIA • 13

GIVEAWAYS

THE SANDRINGHAM HOTEL 387 KING STREET NEWTOWN / 9557 1254 S YEAR WWW.SANDO.COM.AU BOOKINGSCONTACT SANDO@ATOMICDROP.COM.AU WWW.MYSPACE.COM/THESANDRINGHAMHOTEL

FREE BLITZ

Portland, Oregon’s experimental country/folk five-piece Blitzen Trapper take over the Oxford Art Factory Thursday night to showcase their latest album, last year’s American Goldwing, and favourites from their other five albums, and we have one double pass to give away so you can share in it.

$10 WED 4 APR MICHELE MADDEN (TOURETTES/MELDRUM) + BLACKIE (HARD-ONS/NUNCHUKKA SUPERFLY) + KEISH (EX HARD-ONS) + RAH (EX SANDO) $10

THU 5 APR

ADRIFT FOR DAYS + FUTILITY (ACT) + THE VEIL + L.I.N.T. FRI 6 APR

$10

NOT LIKE HORSE + KHAN OF K + RED BEE + MODERN MURDER SAT 7 APR

$12

BAYONETS FOR LEGS + THE HAVELOCKS + ANDY GOLLEDGE + MANNEQUINS + ANTHONY OUSBACK + BRADEN EVANS + JENNA MURPHY "I-94 BAR PRESENTS"

SUN 8 APR

$10

DOC NEESON BAND (VOICE OF THE ANGELS) + BLOW + DEBBIE

EVERY MON

“SANDO SKETCH CLUB”

EVERY TUES

“THE SONGWRITER SESSIONS”

COMING SOON WED 11 APR ---

MICHELE MADDEN

THU 12 APR ---

BONIC + JOHN VELLA + THE MAKEUP

FRI 13 APR --SAT 14 APR ---

78 SAAB *** WWW.MOSHTIX.COM.AU *** DEE MINOR AND THE DISCHORDS

SAT 5 MAY --SAT 19 MAY ---

STREET LEVEL BAR WED 4 APR ---

THE GO SET + HANDSOME YOUNG

STRANGERS

*** WWW.OZTIX.COM.AU ***

DALLAS FRASCA *** WWW.OZTIX.COM.AU *** PAUL COLLINS (USA) THE ROCKWELLS

+ $3 SCHOONERS OF SANDO LAGER

JOHNATHAN DEVOY+ SPECIAL GUESTS FRI 6 APR --- VIDEO JUKE BOX SAT 7 APR --- DAVE TICE AND MARK EVANS 4PM-7PM DJ KAKI 8PM-LATE SUN 8 APR --- LUCY DESOTO AND THE HANDSOME DEVILS MON 9 APR --- UNHERD OPEN MIC TUE 10 APR --- ADAM PRINGLE AND FRIENDS THU 5 APR ---

– FUNKY AS F#CK + TOOHEYS $6 NEW JUGS (7-8PM)

----------------DJ’S BISTRO----------------OPEN 7 DAYS SERVING GREAT PUB FOOD ALL NIGHT

14 • THE DRUM MEDIA

T H E D R U M M E D I A I S S U E 1 1 0 4 3 R D T U E S D AY A P R I L 2 0 1 2

DRUM MEDIA Giveaways – Check it out for free stuff and head to Facebook for more! 14 The Front Line hits hard with industry fact and conjecture, plus Backlash and Frontlash. 16 Foreword Line – the latest news on tours, releases and more. 18 The more things change for The Pogues, the more they stay the same. 24 It’s all about family and ganga for Ziggy Marley. 26 The passing of their drummer and friend, Steve Prestwich, has made Cold Chisel stronger. 27 Writing honestly comes easier with age for Blitzen Trapper. 28 Alabama 3 didn’t just write a song about the 2011 London Riots, they invited rioters in to the studio to contribute. 29 Speaking about the art of loneliness, James Vincent McMorrow unveils all. 30 Justin Townes Earle needs to make sure he’s got all the information he needs before writing a song about Australia. 30 The Specials reveal how much fun they now have onstage with the absence of original member, Jerry Dammers. 30 I don’t only play video games… I’ve got a real soccer game tonight says Bass Drum Of Death’s John Barrett. 32 It’s their 15th Anniversary as a band, and Dead Meadow definitely feel like they have a spiritual component. 32 New Found Glory is keeping pop/punk alive and don’t care what people think. 32 KRS-One chats about his own school of hip hop. 33 Sneaky Sound System’s new live show is not for the faint-hearted, with a pretty bangin’, in-your-face hour-and-a-bit of power. 33 The project Zappa Plays Zappa has rekindled Dweezil Zappa’s own love of guitar. 33 Yann Tiersen like many teenagers started out in a rock band. He discusses his move into cinematic rock. 34 New members and a new sound for The Fabulous Thunderbirds. 34 “There’s all sorts of controversy with the new Sublime,” says the last original member Eric Wilson. 34 “We have nothing whatsoever to do with what I call ‘happy metal’”, says Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth. 34 On The Record reviews new release albums and singles from DZ Deathrays, Yann Tiersen, OFWGKTA and more. 36

CREDITS

*** WWW.ZOMBIEDOGENTERTAINMENT.COM ***

SAT 21 APR ---

HEAD TO THE DRUM MEDIA FACEBOOK PAGE TO ENTER AND FIND MORE GIVEAWAYS

PUBLISHER Street Press Australia Pty Ltd GROUP MANAGING EDITOR Andrew Mast EDITOR Mark Neilsen ASSOCIATE EDITORS Michael Smith, Scott Fitzsimons FRONT ROW EDITOR Daniel Crichton-Rouse frontrow@drummedia.com.au CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Adam Curley CONTRIBUTORS Aarom Wilson, Adam Wilding, Alex Hardy, Amber McCormick, Anita Connors, Anthony Carew, Bethany Small, Brad Barrett, Brendan Crabb, Brent Balinski, Bryget Chrisfield, Celline Narinli, Chris Familton, Chris Maric, Craig Pearce, Cyclone, Dan Condon, Danielle O’Donohue, Dave Drayton, Fiona Cameron, Giselle Nguyen, Gloria Lewis, Guy Davis, Huwston, Ian Barr, Jake Millar, Jamelle Wells, James d’Apice, James Dawson, James McGalliard, Jessie Hunt, Justin Grey, Katie Benson, Kris Swales, Liz Galinovic, Liz Giuffre, Lucia Osborne-Crowley, Mark Hebblewhite, Matt O’Neill, Paul Smith, Paz, Pedro Manoy, Rip Nicholson, Rob Townsend, Robbie Lowe, Ross Clelland, Rod Hunt, Sarah Petchell, Sasha Perera, Sebastian Skeet, Sevana Ohandjanian, Shane O’Donohue, Steve Bell, Stuart Evans, Tim Finney, Tom Hawking, Troy Mutton PHOTOGRAPHERS Angela Padovan, Carine Thevenau, Chaz Webb, Cybele Malinowski, Josh Groom, Justin Malinowski, Kane Hibberd, Linda Heller-Salvador, Luke Eaton, Rod Hunt, Tony Mott ADVERTISING DEPT

themusic.com.au

Chris Maric gets local with hard rock and metal in The Heavy Shit. Sarah Petchell brings us local and international punk news in Wake The Dead. Tom Hawking sends us a snapshot of life in the Big Apple with New York Conversation. Robbie Lowe gives you a dose of music that makes him tick with Lowerider’s house, progressive and techno vibes. Viktor Krum asks you to Get It Together with the latest in hip hop. Dave Drayton gets Young & Restless with all ages goings on. Adam Curley muses on all things pop culture The Breakdown. Cyclone gives you urban and r’n’b news in OG Flavas. Michael Smith delivers some Blow with jazz and world music news. Go south as you enter Pedro Manoy’s Swamp Shack. Dan Condon features the world of blues and roots with Roots Down.

38 38 39 39 40 40 40 40 41 41 41

FRONT ROW This Week In Arts plans your upcoming calendar; James Mackay and Geraldine Hakewill discuss Sydney Theatre Company’s Les Liaisons Dangereuses; The Raid and Belvoir’s Every Breath are reviewed. 42 Cultural Cringe wraps up the week’s arts news and whispers; Sydney Chamber Opera artistic director Louis Garrick talks Philip Glass; Jane Bodie’s Still is reviewed; we take a look at the new MCA; RegionFree returns with more films available online. 43 Made You Look spends a night with Christian Marclay’s The Clock; Mia Hansen-Løve discusses her new film, Goodbye, First Love; the Sydney Film Festival announces its first films. 44

LIVE It’s all here: gig reviews, tour guide, what’s happening this week, charts, gig guide, random shit, Deez Nuts and more. Everything you need to know about Bluesfest with a map and timetable. Backstage and BTL – your guide to studios, recording, gear, courses and more. The Classies – need a singer/bassist/drummer/ any other service/product you can think of? Your answer is here. And on iflog.com.au.

45 52 57 60

sales@drummedia.com.au Brett Dayman, James Seeney, Andrew Lilley iflog.com.au

CLASSIFIEDS

ART DEPT artwork@drummedia.com.au Dave Harvey, Matt Davis, Kieryn Hyde COVER DESIGN Dave Harvey ACCOUNTS DEPT accounts@streetpress.com.au GIVEAWAYS/GIG GUIDE Justine Lynch THE DRIVERS Grant, David, Julian, Ray, Paul, Al, Mark PRINTING Rural Press (02) 4570 4444 DISTRIBUTION distro@drummedia.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions are $2.20 per week (Minimum of 12 weeks) – Send your details with payment to Subscriptions Dept, The Drum Media, PO Box 2440 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 (cheques/money orders to be made payable to Dharma Media Pty Ltd) ADDRESS Postal: PO Box 2440 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 Street: Level 1/142 Chalmers St Surry Hills NSW 2010 Phone (02) 9331 7077 Fax (02) 9331 2633 Email info@drummedia.com.au www.themusic.com.au The Drum Media is also available on iPad via the iTunes App Store

LEVEL 1, 354 BOURKE ST. SURRY HILLS ST PLEASURES

LIFE’S GREATE

AND MUSIC GREAT FOOD LIZOTTE’S SYDNEY O OF MARRYING TW

BUY NOW AT TUES 24 APRIL

SOSUEME 5TH BIRTHDAY

02 9984 9933 AWARDED BEST ENTERTAINMENT RESTAURANT IN SYDNEY

3 APR 4 APR

5 APR 11 APR

12 APR 13 APR 14 APR 19 APR 20 APR 21 APR

Alabama 3 Drum Media and Lizotte’s Present Live and Local The Date Brothers Drum Media and Lizotte’s Present Live and Local Chain Mike McClellan Vika and Linda Bull Think Rock n Food Trivia Jazz and Chilli Crab Night Daryl Braithwaite

LIVE: YESYOU, ELIZABETH ROSE, FURNACE & THE FUNDAMENTALS

DJS: ALISON WONDERLAND, SOSUEME, JOYRIDE PSEUDO ECHO

THUR 26 APRIL

PSEUDO ECHO + SPECIAL GUESTS

RICKI-LEE

WED 30 MAY

W O N N PE O

RICKI-LEE

'DO IT LIKE THAT' LIVE

LIZOTTE’S CENTRAL COAST 02 4368 2017 7 APR 8 APR

11 APR 12 APR 13 APR 15 APR 17 APR 19 APR 20 APR

Jazz and Chilli Crab Night Easter Sunday with Jon English Reverb and Lizotte’s Present Live and Local Annabelle Kay Vika and Linda Bull Chain Jon Gomm (UK Daryl Braithwaite) Mick Thomas

DOORS OPEN 6PM. FREE ENTRY ALL NIGHT. MEOW KAPOW

GHOSTS OF YORK, 1929INDIAN

DJ: F.R.I.E.N.D/S

SAT 7 APR

THE LEISURE BANDITS

SALOONS, KOOL THING

02 4956 2066

DJ: KRISTY LEE

AWARDED BEST ENTERTAINMENT RESTAURANT IN AUSTRALIA RAPIDS 3 APR

4 APR 5 APR 7 APR

11 APR 12 APR 13 APR 14 APR 15 APR

Calling all artists for Live and Locals! Contact events@lizottes.com.au Lizotte’s Sydney 629 Pittwater Rd Dee Why

Lizotte’s Central Coast Lot 3 Avoca Dr Kincumber

Lizotte’s Newcastle 31 Morehead St Lambton

w w w . l i z o t t e s . c o m . a u

THUR 5 APR

MEOW KAPOW

LIZOTTE’S NEWCASTLE

Keb Mo Bluesfest Sideshow Steve Earle Bluesfest Sideshow Jazz and Chilli Crab Night Easter Saturday Jon English Reverb and Lizotte’s Present Live and Local Vika and Linda Bull The Pigs and The Beez Chain Paul Greene

JAM PRESENTS

FRI 13 APR

RAPIDS

SEA LEGS, SEABOURNE

DJ: PHDJ

COMING UP MESSRS, TOM UGLY, ENOLA FALL, GREY GHOST, FIRE! SANTA ROSA, FIRE!, DEER REPUBLIC, SIETTA, POLAR NATION, THE WALKING WHO

UPSTAIRSBERESFORD.COM.AU OR 8313 5050 FOR GIG INFO HAPPY HOUR BEFORE 8PM FRI & SAT. DINNER & SNACKS AVAILABLE

PRIVATE BOOTH & VENUE BOOKINGS 8313 5000 THE DRUM MEDIA • 15

THE

FRONT LINE

FANS GRIEVE AFTER SHORT STACK SPLIT

Much loved pop/rock outfit Short Stack officially announced their split last week, prompting an outpouring of emotion from their dedicated fanbase. The chart-topping band emerged from Sydney’s MySpace-driven pop/punk scene of the last decade with a heavy reliance on social media interaction. From those social media roots the band generated a remarkably dedicated fanbase, particularly with teenagers. The band’s frontman Shaun Diviney posted on his personal page, “As you may be aware, Stack is no more. To everyone who has supported the band in any way, I cannot thank you enough.” He added that he is starting a new project, which will see him travel to America for a writing trip. Fans of the bands responded to the announcement with a remarkable outpouring of grief and emotion. Comments included; “you guys have been my life and have helped me so much and im so upset”. Another added: “Hi yeah, I’m actually crying because a) I live in Canada and now I feel stupid that I thought I would ever see you guys

ANNOUNCING THE INAUGURAL AMID POWER 50

The next edition of the Australasian Music Industry Directory [AMID] will profile the 50 most important people in Australian music today. The Directory (published by Street Press Australia, publishers of this magazine) features contact details and listings for all aspects of the music industry and is now expanding its editorial content. The next issue will see the inaugural AMID Power 50, a breakdown of the 50 people who most shape the Australian music industry today. The list will feature the top 50 powerbrokers from a variety of music industry fields: artists, management, media, booking agents, promoters, major and indie label personnel, publicity and promotions, awards and music body leaders, pub and club operators and maybe even some influential hangers-on. The Power 50 of 2012 has been put together via industry consultation and criteria that includes public profile, economic impact and career accomplishment amongst others. Purchase of the new AMID will come bundled with the iPad and print editions, while it will also be available in newsagencies. Submissions for AMID listings are now open by emailing amid@streetpress.com.au, while pre-orders are available at themusic.com.au/store.

EMI AIMS A&R ARM AT DANCE MUSIC

EMI Music have announced an international A&R and marketing network “dedicated to dance music”. Dubbed the EMI Dance Network, it aims to consolidate specialists in the genre from around the world to find, develop and market dance and electronic releases. The Network “will be completely focused on delivering results for artists in every major market, supporting them across all revenue streams through an efficient and globally integrated approach to this important genre”. Bart Cools, EMI Music’s Executive Vice President for marketing in Europe, will oversee the new structure. “There is so much great talent in dance and electronic music in this country,” said EMI’s Australasian Chairman, Mark Poston. “A core part of our A&R strategy is that EMI is a major force in dance music here – just as it is globally.”

HIGH COURT RULES AGAINST PPCA IN ‘1%’ CASE

The high court ruled against the PPCA’s challenge to the ’1% cap’, which they argue is undervaluing music, last week. The ongoing dispute between the PPCA [Phonographic Performance Company Of Australia] and commercial radio centres around a ‘cap’ that dictates the amount a broadcaster pays for a license to broadcast copyrighted material. This cap keeps the amount paid by radio to one percent of the broadcaster’s gross income. The PPCA have vowed to continue the fight against the “controversial” cap, writing in a statement, “The court ruled on a narrow constitutional point, but did not address the issue of whether the ‘cap’ is fair or just. We can see no good reason why commercial radio operators deserve ongoing protection from government – allowing them to avoid paying a fair rate for the music that is so essential to their business,” said PPCA’s CEO Dan Rosen. Commercial Radio Australia’s CEO, Joan Warner, told Your Daily SPA just that, “The commercial radio industry is very pleased with today’s decision.” Rosensaid their next move would be to appeal

INDUSTRY NEWS WITH SCOTT FITZSIMONS frontline@streetpress.com.au

live and b) what the hell kind of closure is this? It isn’t. Please just open up with us.” And if further evidence of their importance to fans were needed: “I knew this day would come, but I didn’t think it would be for a few more years. You guys meant so much too me for the past 3 years, you taught me so many things and made me a better person. You gave me a taste for music and I went to my very first concert because of you guys. I remember when I first met you guys on a street corner, I couldn’t speak because I was in shock, but you were all so nice, it was literally the best day of my life.” (All sic)

was the fans that made our amazing story possible and we wish to thank them all. Thank you, and goodnight.” The Melbourne ‘dirty denim’ four-piece shot to fame on the back of their debut album, Get Born, inescapable leading into the Christmas period of 2003, which was certified platinum eight times. Lead by the single, Are You Gonna Be My Girl?, the subsequent releases for Rollover DJ, Cold Hard Bitch, Look What You’ve Done and Get Me Out Of Here ensured it had a strong shelf-life into 2004. Their third album, Shaka Rock, could only manage a gold certification, which seemed miles away from their stratospheric original success. In recent years the band has only been semi-active, turning up to award ceremonies in parts and with members indulging in new projects.

RADIO WATCHDOG CONDEMNS KYLE SANDILANDS

to Members Of Parliament to change the Act which Rosen said there is no “economic, social or moral justification for”.

AUSTRALIA LEADS DIGITAL GROWTH

Australia has become the sixth biggest music market in the world – and dubbed the global leader in digital growth – in the annual report from the IFPI [International Federation of the Phonographic Industry], which provides an overview of global music trends. Globally digital track and album sales grew 19 percent to 3.7 billion tracks, with Australia’s 60 percent growth leading the way. The growth mirrors ARIA’s wholesale figures for 2011, released earlier this year, which differ slightly from the IFPI figures. Digital revenue grew eight percent in 2011 while physical revenue dropped 8.7 percent, the latter an improvement on 2010’s 13.8 percent drop. Performance rights grew 4.9 percent and synching was up 5.7 percent, boosting the industry. Overall, revenue dropped by three percent to $US16.6 billion – a slowing of the music “slump”. The United States are once again the world’s biggest music market, steady at $US4.37 billion in revenues. Japan is second with $US4.09 billion – a 7 percent drop. Further down the list Australia’s $US475 million in revenue means it has jumped Canada for sixth place, with their $US434 million.

THE GRATES CLAIM WEET-BIX STOLE SONG

The Grates may be considering legal action against WeetBix parent company Sanitarium over the use of a song. The Brisbane band’s song Aw Yeah features a number of similarities with a New Zealand television commercial for Weet-Bix, which premiered in 2010. In a tweet from the band, which has since been removed, they posted, “They asked us if they could record a version of this song for the ad. We said no. Can’t believe they did it anyway, jerks.” The band has not yet commented on the matter.

SOUTHERN BLUES FEST MOVE ‘DIDN’T WORK’

The Great Southern Blues Festival will return to its original home next year after moving to Batemans Bay proved unsuccessful. Last year’s event was cancelled and threw serious doubt over the festival’s future entirely. But an announcement last week indicated that the event will return to its original home of Narooma in October 2013. Former promoter Michael Chugg will be pulling out of his management role with the festival, handing the reins entirely to festival founder Neil Mumme. Chugg said, “Despite best intentions to grow this fabulous festival by moving away from Narooma, it was met with much resistance from loyal punters.” Mumme agreed that the move had failed. “For a variety of reasons the move away from Narooma in 2010 never worked,” he said. “Moving forward, we’re not concentrating on what went wrong, but rather working to get the festival up and away for 2013.”

JET ANNOUNCE THEIR SPLIT

Confirming what the industry long expected, Jet announced their split last week, ending their successful but polarising stint. The band offered the following statement via their Facebook: “After many successful years of writing, recording and touring we wish to announce our discontinuation as a group. From the many pubs, theatres, stadiums and festivals all across the world it

The fall-out from offensive comments made by Kyle Sandilands towards a female journalist (he called her a “fat slag” and made comments about her breasts and appearance) continues as the Australian Communications And Media Authority [ACMA] found that 2Day FM committed one breach on the morning the comments were made, 22 November 2011. The judgement found that his comments were “deeply derogatory and offensive”. As a result, the ACMA intends to slap a condition on 2Day FM, which will prohibit them broadcasting material that “offends generally-accepted standards of decency, demeans or is likely to demean women or girls, places undue emphasis on gender, uses overt sexual references in relation to a woman’s physical characteristics, and/or condones or incites violence against women”. Southern Cross, who continue to back Sandilands publicly, issued a statement that they were determined to appeal the condition, when/if it were applied. They said the station, “regrets the comments made by Mr Sandilands and has apologised both publicly and privately to the journalist.” They also pointed to the fact that Sandilands had offered an open letter to the media addressing the issue and that they’d “positively re-set The Kyle & Jackie O Show in 2012, implementing rigorous, comprehensive and unprecedented new systems and processes to ensure against issues of this nature in the future.”

ABC INKS GURRUMUL BOOK DEAL

Your Daily SPA revealed last week that ABC Books have signed a deal with Skinnyfish Music for the story behind the music and life of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. The deal with ABC Books – an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Australia – will see the publisher have world rights for a book, ebook and app. Robert Hillman will be the official biographer for the book, which hopes to illuminate the creative forces behind Gurrumul. The story of the blind indigenous singer has become one of the most endearing in the Australian music industry. Michael Hohnen, Creative Director of Skinnyfish Music and spokesman/musician for Gurrumul said, “Gurrumul is as excited about the book as we are and understands that it will compliment his music and be an important addition to bringing two cultures closer together.” Hillman, who has already started work on the book added, “I am delighted to have the opportunity to bring Gurrumul’s extraordinary story in all its warmth and intimacy to a broader public.” The book is scheduled for publication May 2013.

FRESHLY INKED

IMC have added three bands to their roster, Adelaide hip hop collective Full Totes Odds, Perth’s Split Seconds and Sydney’s Underlights. Fuse have signed on to be the distributors of World Music Network and their flagship series, Music Rough Guides. They also announced they’re now the distributors of independent Dutch

RECORD STORE DAY ROAD TRIP

In celebration of Record Store Day in 2012, Saturday 21 April, Inertia is searching for Sydney’s biggest music fans. Fifteen lucky fans will enjoy Record Store Day in style, with winners invited to bring a friend and travel in a special bus to Sydney’s finest indie music stores. On the journey, fans will be treated to free exclusives and the opportunity to hear some new albums ahead of release. With plenty of time to explore each of the stores, the day will end with drinks and pizza to debrief on the day that was. For the chance to be part of this Record Store Day experience, head to Inertia’s Facebook and answer: What’s your favourite indie music store and why? Other exciting happenings on Record Store Day include the biggest Glebe Record Fair yet, with heaps of new private sellers and dealers. Glebe Record Fair is now ten-years-old and is celebrating by coinciding with world record store day. It all takes place in Francis St Glebe (opposite Glebe markets), with earlybird entry from 9am, regular from 10am – 4pm. Other activities include exclusive releases locally from I Exist (limited edition 7”), The Flaming Lips have a special release, with talk of including the blood of guest contributors on a special picture disc, while other big name releases come form the likes of Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fleetwood Mac, Tegan & Sara, Mastodon and many, many more.

INDUSTRY MEMBERS SCORE GOVERNMENT GRANTS

The 15 recipients of grants through the Generate program for music industry entrepreneurs were announced in Sydney last week by Federal Minister for the arts Simon Crean. The program offers grants of up to $30,000 for business models involving Australian music, as well as mentoring and business development knowledge. The Australian Government is providing the funding and partnering with APRA|AMCOS and the Australian Music Industry Network for the program. The exact financial contributions for each recipient will be announced May. The 15 successful applicants are: Stephen Green – SGC Media, Fred (Feleti) Leone – Impossible Odds Records, Rosco Stewart – Synch My Track, Julia Wilson – Rice is Nice, Tim Byrne – KISS FM, Ajax McKerral – Nuttify, Jen Cloher – I Manage My Music, Nick Wallberg – Tram Sessions Inc, Tom Armstrong – Infusion, Claire Collins – Bossy Music, Craig May – Create Control, Glenn Dickie – Stage Mothers, Jai Al-Attas – ZAPPP, Larry Heath – AU Review and Marshall Cullen – Soundslikecafe.

VALE JIMMY LITTLE

National Treasure and pioneering Indigenous musician Jimmy Little has died, aged 75. James ‘Jimmy’ Oswald, born 1937, died during his sleep at his home in Dubbo Monday 2 April. The news was confirmed by the ‘authorised’ Jimmy Little Appreciation Group on Facebook. He is survived by daughter Frances Claire Peters-Little and his grandson James Henry Little. A pioneer for Indigenous musicians, his track Royal Telephone (1963) was the first song by an Indigenous performer to top the pop music charts. For his contribution to music and Aboriginals, he received a number of accolades including National Living Treasure, Order Of Australia, ARIA Hall of Fame and APRA’s Ted Albert award. Despite a kidney transplant in 2004, Little only retired from the music industry last year. Even after that he endeavoured to improve the living conditions of Indigenous Australians living in rural areas through the Jimmy Little Foundation.

FRONTLASH

BACKLASH

Answering the door to the pizza delivery driver in full undead make-up. Props to the driver too for taking everything in his stride merely asking, “Is everything okay?”

Damn you television networks for taking a couple of weeks off over Easter and having us wait that little bit longer for the next instalments of the various programs we love. The list just gets longer of reasons to hate upon the networks.

APRIL FOOLS

EASTER Four days off. Woot!

music 16 • THE DRUM MEDIA

labels Kindred Spirits and Rush Hour Recordings. Ex Spice Girl Mel B has signed a global deal with EMI, the label she signed with originally in 1994.

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NON-RATINGS PERIOD

EASTER Oh how we hate thee short deadlines due to public holidays.

THE DRUM MEDIA • 17

FOREWORD LINE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

TOUR NEWS Tickets for the Australian visit by Nicki Minaj, who performs at the Hordern Pavilion Wednesday 16 May, sold out in five minutes. As a consequence of the reformation of New Edition and a US reunion tour, the Australian tour dates for Bell Biv DeVoe & Ginuwine have had to be rescheduled to August. All tickets to the original May dates will be valid for the August performances. The new Sydney date is Wednesday 15 August at the Enmore Theatre. The playing times for the plethora of acts involved in the monster four-venue Hoodoo Gurus Dig It Up! Celebrations Sunday 22 April are now up on the website, so check in to see where you want to be as the day unfolds. The Pogues’ Bluesfest Sydney sideshow at the Hordern Pavilion has completely sold out. Her first show there Friday 1 June sold out, so Lanie Lane has added a second Metro Theatre show Saturday 2. Postponing to later in 2012 or early 2013, controversial ex-Joy Division member Peter Hook will not be touring in April. Metropolis Touring issued a statement blaming “production circumstance which were beyond their control”. Ticket refunds are being offered.

JAMES MORRISON

REDD KROSS

ONE OFF BLITZ

EMERGENCY!

Californian deities, Redd Kross, will perform their genre-defying classic, Born Innocent, and their Posh Boy EP as side shows to the inaugural Dig It Up! series of events this month. This will be their first visit to Australia since 1993. They’ll be rockin’ out at Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory on Tuesday 24 April, with supports Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys and Bloods. Tickets will go on sale this Thursday 5 April.

In a one-off special event, UK singer/songwriter James Morrison will play an intimate acoustic performance that will feature songs from the new album, The Awakening, as well as other favourites for his Sydney fans on Wednesday 18 April at The Basement. This will be Morrison’s first performance in Australia since 2007. Since then, Morrison has released two studio albums, toured the world extensively and collaborated with acclaimed artists Jason Mraz, Nelly Furtado and Jessie J.

TANGO SALOON

THREE TO TANGO

The Tango Saloon have released their longawaited third album, Shadows & Fog, on the new label Romero Records. They’ll be launching the new release live at The Factory Floor on Saturday 14 April. Supporting the band will be Miss Little and The Rescue Ship’s Brian Campeau.

Friday 13 July sees Cold Chisel join Soundgarden and Iggy Pop & The Stooges play Hyde Park in London on the first night of the Hard Rock Calling Festival, Chisel’s first northern hemisphere gig in nearly 30 years. Howl At The Moon have been invited to be the special opening guests of The Mark Lanegan Band when they play The Hi-Fi Friday 20 April. Friday 11 May sees the release of a career retrospective with two new songs, Souvenir: The Singles 2004-2012, from Kaiser Chiefs, who will be out here to play Groovin’ The Moo and a sideshow at The Hi-Fi Tuesday 15. Grammy-nominated American prog/electro house producer Morgan Page takes his latest single, Body Work (featuring the indie Canadian twins Tegan & Sara), Friday 11 May at the King Street Hotel Newcastle or Saturday 19 Soho in Sydney. Nearly four years after releasing their debut album, The Nearly Brothers – The Jackson Code’s Mark Snarski and friends – finally get to tour it in person, playing the Vanguard Wednesday night, Aiden Roberts their special guest. Ron S. Peno, fondly remembered Died Pretty frontman, brings his new band The Superstitions to the Vanguard to launch the vinyl edition of their album, Future Universe, Saturday night. Smitty & B. Goode have a new EP, We’ll Take It From Here, that they’re launching Friday night at the Lansdowne, with further shows including Sunday 16 April at the Botany View, and Friday 27 at World Bar Kings Cross. Phantoms and The Bride will be joining fellow Australian heavy hitters Deez Nuts on their national Fuck The World tour, which hauls up at the Annandale Saturday, where, during the all ages day session, they’ll also be joined by Pledge This and Renegade, while for the over 18s that evening, it’ll be Ghosts On Broadway. The headlining triumvirate then heads to the Oasis Youth Centre Wyong Monday 9 April, where The Take Hold and Last Chance join the party. Celebrating the fact that their song, Jimmy’s Treehouse, is getting airplay in the UK, The Stillsons are hitting the road on an east coast Jimmy’s Treehouse Tour, which kicks off Wednesday 11 April at Low 302. Australian dance floor commanders Yacht Club DJs bring the party to Wollongong UniBar Thursday 19 April, where they’re joined by Moonbase Commander, the Academy in Canberra Friday 20, The Standard Saturday 21 with The Fabergettes and the Cambridge in Newcastle Sunday 22 with The Guppies. Brisbane-based producer/musician Alex Ritchie AKA Argentina is coming to FBi Social at the Kings Cross Hotel Friday 20 April to launch his debut single, Chalk Outlines, from his forthcoming debut EP. Brandishing her new EP, Him, Central Coast songstress Sarah Humphreys hits the road with a string of dates that include opening for Daryl Braithwaite Friday 20 April at Lizotte’s Newcastle, and opening for Nick Rheinberger at Lizotte’s Kincumber Friday 11 May and Humph Hall Saturday 12, and opening for The Black Sorrows at Lizotte’s Dee Why Saturday 26. Melbourne singer/songwriter Hayden Calnin has been invited to open for Gossling on their Intentional Living tour, which will see them play the Basement Saturday 28 April and the Brass Monkey Sunday 29. The recent accidental headliners at The Cranberries’ Enmore Theatre show, Bonjah, return to Sydney as headliners in their own right again Saturday 19 May to play the Metro Lair, supported by Bowan and Lucky Dutchman & The Quixotics. 18 • THE DRUM MEDIA

THE MAPLE TRAIL THE DARKNESS

I BELIEVE IN A THING CALLED LOVE VAN SHE

HAPPY SHE’S BACK

Van She are back! And indeed back with a cosmictropo band, as they invite you to enjoy their second record, Idea Of Happiness, which is set to drop this July via Modular. The album was recorded, engineered and produced by the band themselves in Kings Cross, Sydney, and later mixed in Los Angeles with Tony Hoffer, the perfect man for the job, with a resume that includes work with Beck, Air, Phoenix and M83. And to celebrate, they’ll be taking their new single on tour across Australia. They’ll be hitting up the Beach Road Hotel on Wednesday 25 April. The album will be out on Friday 6 July.

British glam rock sensations, The Darkness, will be returning to Australia for their Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Tour of 2012. It’s been four years since The Darkness were last here, and fans will be graced with the original lineup. They’ll be playing at Newcastle Panthers on Saturday 5 May, UNSW Roundhouse in Sydney on Sunday 6 and the ANU Bar on Thursday 10. Special guests are yet to be announced, but tickets go on sale tomorrow, Wednesday 4 April at 9am.

CHURCH JAMS RETURN OF TZU

Australia’s genre-defying outfit, Tzu, are back with a new single and a string of shows. The band’s new single, Beginning Of The End, is out now and sees the band tackle current global issues head on, and is – to put it simply – about The End. To be one of the first the hear the new tunes Tzu has to offer, head along to one of their shows - they’ll be playing Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle on Thursday 17 May and Annandale Hotel on Friday 18.

Last year, the inaugural Heavenly Sounds tour of churches and cathedrals came to life with sold-out shows across the country featuring Seeker Lover Keeper. This June, Heavenly Sounds returns and this time the intimate touring concept will be featuring Lisa Mitchell with her band and a choir, to celebrate the release of her brand new single, Spiritus. Folk duo, Georgia Fair, will be supporting. To be a part of this heavenly treat, head along to Christ Church Cathedral in Newcastle on Monday 4 June or St Stephen’s Uniting Church in Sydney on Thursday 7.

WHIP IT

Whiplash Festival is back for their IV Tour and have announced their first bunch of acts. Prepare yourself of a lineup of ear-crushing, fist-pumping and heavyas-fuck bands. Headlining this year, Denmark’s very own Mnemic, will be joined by Brazil’s Unearthly, Australia’s Dawn Heist, as well as Lynchmada, Devour The Martyr, Kalabasis, Kunvuk, Engage The Fall, Norse, Our Last Enemy and War Fiction, with more to be announced. Whiplash Festival will be roaring its way to The Sandringham Hotel in Sydney on Saturday 20 October, Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle on Friday 26, and ANU Bar in Canberra on Saturday 27.

HITTIN’ THE TOWNS

After 30 years and over 5000 live shows played to 25 million people across 50 countries, legendary Australian band, INXS, have announced a long awaited tour into the heart and soul of Australia’s coastal and regional centres. If you’re a nutter of a fan, or want to have a squiz at how these legends sound live, then get yourself to one of these shows. They’ll be playing at Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre on Wednesday 13 June, Campbelltown RSL on Friday 13 July and Penrith Panthers on Sunday 15.

The Maple Trail, the solo project of Sydneybased musician Aiden Roberts, will launch his stunning new album, Cable Mount Warning. To hear brand new material from Roberts, head along to The Vanguard in Sydney on Thursday 3 May. Special guests are yet to be announced.

ROYAL CHANT LISA MITCHELL

TZU

FOLLOW THE TRAIL

CHANTING KINGS

Following a bangin’ 2011, Royal Chant return with their new single, Hesitation Kills, which they’ll be launching at Oxford Art Factory Gallery Bar on Saturday 14 April with supports The Shake Up and Senza Sole. Free entry and DJs til late.

POUNDING GOATS

This July, the Underground Legion Tour hits the East of Australia for four shows only. This year will feature old school metal warriors, Goatwhore, in their first headlining shows in this country. Joining them will be Impiety – Singapore’s black/death metal legends, plus Tasmania’s dark and extreme force, Ruins. Special guest opening acts will be announced soon. For a thunderous evening of hard and heavy music, head over to The Sandringham Hotel on Friday 6 July.

TRAVELLING BLUES THE HARD-ONS

GETTING HARD

Originally hailing from Punchbowl, The Hard-Ons are a trio that formed in high school in the early ‘80s and stormed their way into Sydney’s underground live music scene. They’re releasing the long overdue remastered edition of Smell My Finger, part one of a five-part reissue series via Citadel Records. And with a reissue comes a bunch of tour dates! They’ll be playing at Annandale Hotel on Friday 1 June and The Great Northern on Saturday 2.

‘90S REVIVAL CONTINUES

US pop rock band, Hanson, will be heading to Australia for their Shout It Out World Tour 2012. The three brothers, Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson wooed teens in the ‘90s with their infectious MMMBop pop hits. Now, after a seven-year absence, they are back with a brand new album and tour. They’ll be playing Sydney’s The Hi Fi on Saturday 15 September.

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Australian blues artist, PJ O’Brien’s new album, Jefferson Blues, debuted at #1 on the Australian Blues and Roots Airplay Chart in February this year. The album features legendary Australian talents bass player Al Britton, drummer Jeff Cripps and Rob Woolf on keys. O’Brien will be taking the album out on the road in April/May, he’ll be playing at The Empire Hotel in Sydney on Saturday 21 April and a free show at Beaches in Thirroul on Saturday 26 May.

MEETING IN THE MIDDLE

Ben Wells & The Middle Names have toured extensively in the past year, clocking up over 10,000km, driving from town to town and supporting some great acts including Art vs Science, San Cisco, Little Red and more. They were also selected by triple j Unearthed to perform at Falls Festival Marion Bay in 2011. They will now be touring the East Coast of Australia along with Kate Martin. You can catch them at the Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle on Wednesday 16 May, GoodGod Small Club on Thursday 17, Yours & Owls in Wollongong on Friday 18 and The Phoenix in Canberra on Saturday 19.

THE DRUM MEDIA • 19

FOREWORD LINE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

PLAYING WITH TOYS

SIX60

SIX + 60 Inspired by the vibrant culture of soul, rock and bassheavy electronics, Six60 will be releasing their debut self-titled album, which is set to drop on Friday 20 April and will naturally be followed by an Australian tour. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve toured nationally to sold-out crowds for several years now, playing at consistently larger venues every cycle. This time round theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be playing at Sydneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Metro on Saturday 21 April.

In celebration of the release of his debut EP, Diamond Teeth, which is set to drop on Friday 13 April, Toy Boats will be performing in a small run of acoustic in-store performances. All shows are free and if you purchase the EP on the day in the store, you will receive a limited edition, hand-numbered, screenprinted Toy Boats poster. What more could you want? For Sydney, this coincides with Record Store Day, so head along to Resist Records at 4pm!

TRAVELLING FOR MYLES Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s David Myles is set to return to Australian shores in May for an extensive run of shows to further showcase his stunning album, Into The Sun. He will be hitting the road with local duo Camille and Stuie, who are also celebrating the release of their fourth album, Big Days & Little Years. This impressive bill will be making stops at The Pub in Tamworth on Friday 18 May (free entry), The Vault in Windsor on Thursday 24, The Clarendon Guesthouse in Katoomba on Friday 25, The Basement in Sydney on Saturday 26, The Brass Monkey in Cronulla on Friday 1 June, Lizotteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Kincumber on Saturday 2 and Lizotteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Newcastle on Sunday 3.

OVER REACTING DEEP SEA ARCADE

TOURING THE OUTLANDS Buzz band of the moment, Deep Sea Arcade, will be hitting the road this June in support of their newest release, Outlands. The record has gained much attention across the nation. The Deep Sea Arcade: Outlands Album Tour will see The Cairos and Woe & Flutter joining as supporting acts. See what all the fuss is about and dance to their â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;60sinfused indie-rock tunes at Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle on Friday 1 June, The Standard in Sydney on Saturday 2, Transit Bar in Canberra on Thursday 7 and Beach Hotel in Byron Bay on Friday 22.

Melbourneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death hop masters, Over-Reactor have emerged from the studio with a new single, Mouth Of The Ghetto. This first instalment is also the title of their forthcoming album, which is set to drop in May. You can grab the single exclusively from the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website at www.over-reactor.com, as well as the track fans can download the accompanying video.

SKA WEEKEND Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s celebrate the Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthday weekend by rocking out at the Ska Weekender Festival 2012. So keep Friday 8, Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 June free if you want to do a little rootinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and tootinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Jumping on the tour will be Dan Potthast, who is best known for his contribution to MU330. Also, for the second year running, crowd pleasers The Bennies will be packing up instruments for

all three stops on the festival weekender. The lineup also includes talent from Australia and NZ, God God Dammit Dammit, Son Of Dad, Phat Meegz, Roofdog, Give Or Take, Area-7 and many more. The festival will hit Sydneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Annandale Hotel on Sunday 10 June. Doors open at 3pm.

FUSE HAS BEEN LIT Natasha Stuart, who is probably best known for her work touring as a backing vocalist for Tina Arena, Ricki-Lee, Jessica Mauboy and many others, is releasing her first full-length album, Light This Fuse. This release combines her love of rock and funk with a good measure of soul thrown into the mix. Stuart will be launching her album at Sydneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new premier live music venue, Blue Beat in Double Bay on the eve of Anzac Day. Tickets are on sale now and everyone who pre-purchases a ticket online will receive a free copy of her album.

CHIRPING AWAY Singer/songwriter, Michael Peter, is known for entwining musical stories with an acoustic mix of folk, pop and rock, and has released his second album, Awake With Birds. Peter has also announced a string of shows and will be heading along to the National Folk Festival in Canberra on Thursday 5 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Monday 9 April, Tokio Hotel in Sydney on Wednesday 18, Lizotteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Kincumber on Sunday 22, The Old Manly Boatshed on Wednesday 2 May, Hamilton Station Hotel in Newcastle on Thursday 3.

TELL ME A STORY Reintroducing Storylines, a series of shows presented by CC Entertainment, in which the storytelling songs of the old that shaped and changed a generation are revisited by contemporary singer/ songwriters. This time, the incredible lineup of guest vocalists will include Jenny Morris, Steve Balbi, Simon Meli, Evelyn Duprai, Jeff Duff, Danielle Blakey, Jason Walker, Suzy Connolly, Natasha Stuart, Lachlan Doley, Nicky Kurta, Luke Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Shea and Sam Knock. Storylines A21 edition will be held at The Basement on Tuesday 29 May.

SUBHUMANS

DEMOLITION WAR

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time for the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;80s British punk rockers to hit our shores as Subhumans make their very first Australasian visit in a tour that features the 1981 lineup of Dick, Trotsky, Bruce and Phil. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be performing at The Sando in Newtown on Friday 14 September. Tickets to all show will go on sale on Friday 15 June via Oztix.

SILVERSTEIN

SILVER LINING

Silverstein will be returning to Oz this June to debut tracks off 2011â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s critically-acclaimed LP, Rescue, and the aptly-titled, Short Songs, to their Australian fans. Gold Coast pop punks Skyway will join Silverstein on tour as main supports with more special guests yet to be announced. Head along to one of their shows at Bar 32 in Canberra on Wednesday 13 June, Hot Damn in Sydney on Thursday 14 or Entrance Leagues Club in Bateau Bay on Friday 15.

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THE DRUM MEDIA • 21

FOREWORD LINE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

CATACLYSMIC Having had a killer 2011, playing alongside some of the biggest international and Australian acts around, Brisbane electronic band, Pigeon, are hitting the road again this coming April/ May with their Cataclysm Tour. The boys from Pigeon have also spent the last few months working on new material in the studio and are now ready to road test some of the new tunes before an audience. You can find Pigeon and their new tunes at Blush Nightclub in Gosford on Thursday 26 April, Yours & Owls in Wollongong on Friday 27, Upstairs Beresford in Sydney on Saturday 28 and Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle on Wednesday 2 May.

PIGEON

THE NOT SO UGLY TRUTH

Sydney-based electronic rock artist, Tom Ugly, has been announced as the finalist in two categories at this year’s International Songwriting Competition for the track, I Was Somebody Else, featuring Pez, and the yet to be released, Don’t Clone Me. The finalists will be judged by Tom Waits, Jeff Beck, Tori Amos and Ozzy Osbourne among many more, with the winners to be announced mid-April 2012. In addition to this, Tom Ugly has also been invited to perform at an exclusive, pop-up show at Sydney’s Apply Store on Thursday 12 April.

FAREWELL RALPH

In a career spanning over 45 years, the legendary English singer, storyteller, songwriter and guitar virtuoso, Ralph McTell, has amassed an impressive back catalogue of over 350 songs. McTell will be making his final farewell tour of Australia during April and May this year, truly the last chance for audiences to see the revered artist performing live. Bid farewell by heading along to the Southern Cross Club in Canberra on Thursday 26 April, Balmain Town Hall in Sydney on Friday 27, Joan

22 • THE DRUM MEDIA

Sutherland Performing Arts Centre in Penrith on Saturday 28, The Clarendon Guesthouse in Katoomba on Sunday 29, Balmain Town Hall in Sydney once more on Friday 4 and Byron Bay Community Centre on Sunday 6.

FROG SONG

‘Frog’ is the amalgamation of folk and progressive (prog) styles, and Frogfest is a seven-date progressive folk festival tour that will stampede through NSW during May and feature 12 bands including The Woohoo Revue, The Crooked Fiddle Band, Ben Hauptmann’s BOB and Brian Campeau. Frogfest will be hitting the towns of Canberra at The White Eagle Club on Friday 4 May, Katoomba at the Katoomba RSL on Saturday 5, the Central Coast at the Kantara House on Sunday 6, Cronulla at the Brass Monkey on Wednesday 9, Newcastle at The Cambridge on Friday 11 and Marrickville at Red Rattler on Saturday 12.

PINK GIG FOR FLOYD

The ninth annual The Great Gig In The Sky celebrates Pink Floyd and their seminal albums, The Wall,

Wish You Were Here and Dark Side Of The Moon. The show has sold out every year since 2003 and has a reputation for authenticity, virtuosity and stunning interpretations. This year, once again over two big nights, guest vocalists Steve Balbi, Mitchell Anderson, Krishna Jones, Carmel Mesiti and Robyn Loau will join the band under the creative direction of Joseph Calderazzo, promising to immerse you in these Floydian gems. You can experience this evening at The Basement on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 May.

KADE & CREW Kade MC will be launching his debut album, The Ruckman Record, on Friday 27 April, with his dynamic live band The Karneez featuring special guest DJ Skae. The launch night will also be topped off The Phonies, Anecdote, Deadbeat & Hazy and Common Ground, who will all be joining the bill for what will be a diverse collection of acclaimed live acts. This’ll be happening at The Sandringham Hotel.

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IN BRIEF Celebrating its tenth anniversary, Glebe Record Fair returns to Francis Street, Glebe, for one massive day only, Saturday 21 April. Celebrating their tenth anniversary, Mat McHugh & The Beautiful Girls have decided to give away their new album, Love Come Save Me, as a digital download from McHugh’s website, from this Wednesday. A deluxe version with three extra tracks is available for purchase with a dollar from each sale going to the Surfrider Foundation. Courtesy the launch of their latest range, Converse brought Mark Foster of LA band Foster The People, Kimbra and Canadian hip hop/electronic artist A-Trak together to cut a track titled Warrior, as their next Three Artists. One Song collaboration project, available as a free download from the Journeys website from Thursday. Meanwhile, Friday sees the release of a new live album, Bob Dylan At Budokan, and In Case You Didn’t Know, from Olly Murs. The new one from Counting Crowes, Underwater Sunshine (Of What We Did On Our Summer Vacation), is released Friday 13 April, which also see the release of the new album, Nightflight, from Kate Miller-Heidke. Monday 16 April sees the release of the second and instrumental album, Electric Horizon, from Nu-Disco pioneer Kris Menace, while Melbourne five-piece Buckley Ward release their second album, So Pretend, Friday 20 April. Screamfeeder bass player Kellie Lloyd releases her second solo album, Magnetic North, Tuesday 24 April. Deuce, former lead singer with US rap rockers Hollywood Undead, releases his debut album, Nine Lives, Friday 27 April, which also sees the release of the sixth album, Believe, from Celtic Woman, and the Pressure & Time Redux album from Californian hard rockers Rival Sons, while veteran southern Californian punk rockers Pennywise release their latest album, All Of Nothing, Saturday 28.

O UNTI PEN FRID L 3AM SATU AYS & RDAY S

LIVE 16 CROSS ST BAR DOUBLE BAY

GRILL TAPAS T APA THURSDAY 5 APRIL

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;BEST OFâ&#x20AC;? LIVE SET FOLLOWING A SOLD-OUT NATIONAL TOUR FRIDAY 6 APRIL CHECK YOUR HEAD

FEAT. TIMOMATIC SATURDAY 7 APRIL AC/DC HIGHWAY TO HELL

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BERTIE BLACKMAN MONDAY 9 APRIL 2PM RECOVERY SESSION

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THURSDAY 5 APRIL

JUBILATION

FEATURING JOY YATES & DAVE MACRAE

Special farewell show for Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading jazz and gospel vocal ensemble, heading off to tour NZ. Plus appearances by Joy Yates, Dave MacRae, Victor Rounds, Moses MacRae and more.

SATURDAY 7 APRIL

CRAIG CALHOUN

Born in the USA and growing up on funk and soul, Craig Calhoun deďŹ nes the sound of the authentic groove thang. After a massive night here in February Craig brings his â&#x20AC;&#x153;Party on the Dance Floorâ&#x20AC;? back to Blue Beat by popular demand with Greg CofďŹ n on keyboards, Dev Permana on drums and Junichi Shiomi on bass.

SONIC MAYHEM ORCHESTRA

MONDAY 9 APRIL AND EVERY MONDAY + LATE NIGHT JAM SESSION

Regular Monday night gig and late night jam session, with a spectacular 10-piece band, plus guest vocalists, followed by a free-wheeling jam session, every week. The Sonic Mayhem Orchestra is James Ryan (tenor, baritone, ďŹ&#x201A;ute), Aaron Michael (ďŹ&#x201A;ute, soprano, alto, tenor), Paul Cutlan (baritone, bass clarinet, clarinet), Martin Kay (alto, clarinet), Warwick Alder, Simon Ferenci and Dave Panichi (trumpets), Greg CofďŹ n (piano), James Hauptmann (drums), Andrew Atwill (bass). Special guest this week is DAN BARNETT on vocals and trombone

THURSDAY 12 APRIL

SAMBOSSA

Celebrating the passion, ďŹ re and grace of the music of Brazil. Timeless tracks by the giants of classic Brazilian song... Sergio Mendes, Ivan Lins, Toninho Horta, Joa Bosco, and the greatest of them all, Antonio Carlos Jobim, performed by Bahiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own Jeanne Bastos with a band led by Jason Bruer on sax and featuring Greg CofďŹ n on keyboards, Dev Permana on drums and Junichi Shiomi on bass.

SATURDAY 21 APRIL

EON BEATS

FEATURING EVELYN DUPRAI & LILY DIOR

The ďŹ nest in danceďŹ&#x201A;oor jazz, supersoulful vocals and futuristic heavyweight funk. Led by Rick Robertson (saxes, Directions in Groove), and featuring vocalists Evelyn Duprai and Lily Dior. Funky treats and tasty beats from an allstar crew, including Gerard Masters (keyboards), Phil Slater (trumpet), Jon Pease (guitar, vocals), Alex Hewetson (bass), Ian Mussington (drums), Jeremy Borthwick (trombone) and Aykho Ahkrif (percussion). International club sounds played live, by arguably the ďŹ nest aggregation of groove players and singers on the Sydney scene. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Brilliant, cool and funkiliciousâ&#x20AC;?.

TUESDAY 24 APRIL

NATASHA STUART

Album launch. Natasha is probably best known for her work touring as a backing vocalist for Tina Arena, Ricki-Lee, Jessica Mauboy, Richard Clapton and Delta Goodrem (to name a few) but she has also been working steadily on her own project and is now ready to release her ďŹ rst full length album, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Light This Fuseâ&#x20AC;?, a premium mix of rock and funk with a big heart of soul. As you would expect, Natasha has as stellar line up of musicians for this special night and is giving a free copy of her album to all those who pre-purchase their tickets on line. www.bluebeat.com.au

COMING SOON

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AMBRE HAMMOND & MARCELLO MAIO - THUR 26 DIG PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS... SCOTT, RICK, TIM AND ALEX FROM DIG - FRI 4 MAY FROM MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL, CHRIS POTTER (USA) WITH THE JAZZGROOVE MOTHERSHIP ORCHESTRA (MON 4 JUNE), SAMUEL YIRGA (SAT 9 JUNE) KITCHEN OPEN LATE FRIS AND SATS

DELICIOUS LATE NIGHT TAPAS THE DRUM MEDIA â&#x20AC;˘ 23

ROLLING BACK THE YEARS SOUTHERN CROSS-REFERENCE From their very first album The Pogues made a habit of having an Australian connection in the music, with each of their first three albums having one song with a distinct Aussie bent. According to “Spider” Stacy; “We’re imbued with Australian culture! It’s from watching Neighbours probably. It’s an ancestral fear on the Englishman’s part of Dennis Lillee.” It’s these first three albums from which the bulk of their current live set is taken, and the songs in question are: Song: The Battle Of Brisbane From: Red Roses For Me (1984) A jaunty instrumental number, the song references the running street battle which took place in November 1942 between US troops stationed in Brisbane for the WWII Pacific campaign and Aussie servicemen and civilians who were envious of their superior amenities and treatment (“They’re overpaid, they’re oversexed and they’re over here” was the catchcry of the day). By the time the violence was quelled one Australian was dead and hundreds from both sides injured. Song: And The Band Played Waltzing Matlida From: Rum, Sodomy & The Lash (1985) A cover of Eric Bogle’s famous account of a young Australian soldier who was wounded at the treacherous Gallipoli campaign during WW1. Worth a listen for Shane MacGowan’s pronunciation of Suvla Bay alone. Song: South Australia From: If I Should Fall From Grace With God (1988) A traditional sea shanty given the inimitable Pogues treatment (also known as Bound For South Australia). Passed down over the years in the great folk tradition, the song has been covered by many great artists and is more about the tyranny of distance and the voyagers themselves than the destination per se. going to Ireland, because it’s kind of in a way like Britain, but in another way absolutely nothing like it at all.” For now there are no plans afoot for new Pogues music, they’re completely content having fun with their current catalogue and taking this music to fans old and new around the globe.

IT’S BEEN MORE THAN TWO DECADES SINCE THE POGUES’ ONLY VISIT TO AUSTRALIAN SHORES, AND FOUNDING MEMBER PETER “SPIDER” STACY EXPLAINS TO STEVE BELL HOW THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME.

egendary London outfit The Pogues are a band at once defined by the decade in which they rose to prominence – their classic body of Celtic-flavoured punk was crafted in the ‘80s, and a product of that decade’s political and societal upheaval – but also one out of sync with that same era, for their unique music and persona was completely and utterly different to everything surrounding them at the time. The band were informed by the spirit of punk that had energised the London scene so brightly in the late-‘70s before burning out or mutating into other musical forms, but they married this manic energy to the ramshackle bonhomie of traditional Irish folk songs to make something completely distinctive and timeless, a music certainly rooted in geography but not mired to a particular epoch. It’s fitting that the band’s creative core – shambolic frontman and songwriter Shane MacGowan (already an identity in the London punk community before the band got off the ground) and tin whistle player Peter “Spider” Stacy – famously first met in the toilets at a Ramones gig in London, little knowing the long-term ramifications that this chance encounter would have on the rest of their lives.

folk tune] Poor Paddy On The Railway, just playing it really fast – he was essentially doing an ‘acoustic punk’ version of it, for want of a better expression. Whether or not that was something he’d had running through his head anyway or just something he did there and then on the spur of the moment I really don’t know, but we looked at each other and a sort of light bulb went off. It still took some time for that to coalesce and form and eventually form into The Pogues, that was 18 months before the first Pogues gig.

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“If you took the amount of time that was spent actually getting [the aesthetic] together it probably didn’t take that long at all. Shane and Jem [Finer – banjo] were knocking a few ideas around after the show we did as The New Republicans – the germ of the idea had remained, it never really went away. It was always going to turn up somewhere, because it worked so brilliantly – it was like a marriage made in heaven.”

It was a couple of years after witnessing that amazing proto-punk line-up before The Pogues played their first show – they played one infamous gig as The New Republicans, before changing their name to Pogue Mahone (Gaelic for “kiss my ass”) which eventually morphed into simply The Pogues – and in that intervening time their wedding of rock and folk came to stunning fruition.

When things took off for The Pogues it was with the force of a hurricane. Supports with The Clash lead to headline tours and their 1984 debut Red Roses For Me, and before long the band had made headway both in the UK and overseas. There was a definite political bent to their music – many songs concerned the trials and tribulations befalling the working class – but there was also a radical, hedonistic edge to both their many songs about drinking and their actual lifestyles that made everything they did so distinct. This reckless element that made the band so beloved as rogues to so many eventually proved their downfall, when just after the release of their fifth album Hell’s Ditch in 1990 MacGowan succumbed to alcoholism and drug addiction and was forced out of the band. The Pogues continued for a few more years – first with punk icon Joe Strummer out front, then with Stacy handling vocal duties – before finally calling it quits altogether in 1996.

“I honestly don’t know how conscious it was,” Stacey recalls of the embryonic Pogues sound. “Essentially what happened was that Shane and I were around at a friend’s house, and he picked up a guitar and started playing [Irish

“There was a lot of very intense touring, which is probably one of the reasons why we burned out the way that we did, or more accurately the way that Shane did, although he was far from the only one,” Stacy reflects. “But he personally

“And The Saints!” Stacy exclaims of that fateful evening. “The Saints were the first band on that night – an Australian connection! I love that band. It was The Saints and Talking Heads and the Ramones. It was great – Talking Heads in between The Saints and the Ramones! I felt sorry for them before I saw them, but once they started I knew they didn’t have anything to worry about – they were fucking great. And The Saints were fucking great, then the Ramones were stunning.”

24 • THE DRUM MEDIA

just found it too much – the amount of touring that we were doing was insane, and really not conducive to any longevity, or so it seemed at the time. I mean when Shane left the band went on for another few years, but when Shane left the real proper heart of The Pogues went with him. We sort of carried on, and it was The Pogues, but his songs are such a defining part of what the band is about that it’s very difficult to take one away from the other. Well it’s stupid even thinking about it, you couldn’t have The Pogues if you took Shane’s songs away, that goes without saying.” Eventually, in 2001 The Pogues – including MacGowan – reformed for a Christmas show, and since then have been playing sporadically, now branching out again into the overseas realms (their impending Australian trip will be their second, following their inaugural visit in 1989). Their music is still reaching new audiences – resonating as fully with new fans as it always has with the stalwarts – precisely due to its inherent timeless nature. “I think that’s got a lot to do with it, the whole idiom wasn’t really tied to any particular decade, or if it was it was the 1780s or something like that rather than the 1980s,” Stacy laughs. “Plus also the quality of the songs – with Shane’s songwriting plus a lot of the songs that we covered like The Band Played Waltzing Matilda and Dirty Old Town and those kind of songs – they are themselves kind of timeless songs, and played in that particular way they’re not specific to any era. There were a lot of bands from the ‘80s who clearly sounded like they were from the ‘80s, but we were something apart. And I think underpinning it all – the really crucial thing – is the strength of Shane’s songwriting. With all of those other things you could present a good body of work, but when you’ve got that added ingredient you’re on to a winner. And I can say that without blowing my own trumpet – he’s the one.” While The Pogues are often mistakenly taken for an Irish band because of MacGowan’s prominence and songwriting bent, most of them are Londoners – was it easy at the outset to embrace the music’s Celtic flavour? “Yeah, there’s something really appealing about the whole thing,” Stacy muses. “Plus you’ve got to bear in mind that growing up in London – especially near where I grew up in London – there are some very Irish areas, so it wasn’t something that I was unfamiliar with at all. But in a funny kind of way nothing prepares you for actually

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“Yeah, it actually relieves us of so many pressures – not having to worry about the legacy, not having to worry about living up to what we’ve done in the past,” Stacy considers. “It just wouldn’t work, a new Pogues album. You have to look at the songwriters and say that Shane as the main songwriter is not the same person that he was 27 years ago. He’s not going to be writing the same sort of songs, so you’d get something that might be a Pogues album in name and it mind sound kind of like The Pogues but it wouldn’t really be The Pogues. Unless you had that sort of continuity of creativity – like someone like Nick Cave as obvious example, or someone like Tom Waits , people who turn out consistently high quality, well-realised work, and they’re always looking to improve on what they’ve done before – with that continuity it’s a different story, but when you’ve had a break of 21 years since Hell’s Ditch came out, it’s just too long a time. “Plus, it doesn’t seem that we need new music to reach new audiences – a lot of the fans coming to the shows these days are very young, there’s no way that they were even thought of when we were around before. I guess we’ve always been popular in colleges and universities and stuff like that, given the strong sort of alcohol content in our songs – I think that possibly explains that in part. Going back to the late-‘90s before the first reunion tour I had the impression that we’d kind of been forgotten about almost, but you realise that just because you don’t see your name in the papers that often it doesn’t mean that people aren’t listening to you and digesting and absorbing what you’re doing. So you’re getting bands coming out that have shown [that we’ve been an] influence, and there’s obviously been this line of people that have been listening to us, it’s just moved down the line.” And finally, will Stacy be bringing any of the beer trays with him that he was so fond of whacking on his head as percussion back in the day? “Oh yeah, but it will probably be pizza trays!” he guffaws. “I don’t know what the story is in Australia, but it seems that in the rest of the world the beer tray is a thing of the past, or it’s become a valuable antique. If I’d realised that they would become this resource I might have treated them with some respect! No, I wouldn’t have actually...” WHO: The Pogues WHEN & WHERE: Sunday 8 April, Bluesfest, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm; Wednesday 11, Hordern Pavilion

THE DRUM MEDIA • 25

THE BEAT AND THE HEMP IT’S ALL ABOUT FAMILY AND GANGA FOR ZIGGY MARLEY – AND THAT’S WHAT HIS MOST RECENT RECORD, WILD AND FREE, IS ALL ABOUT, AS HE TELLS MICHAEL SMITH.

“

I THINK I’VE FOUND MY SOUND AND MY VOICE AND HOPEFULLY I’LL CONTINUE TO GROW AND FINE TUNE MYSELF AS A HUMAN BEING AND MY MUSIC.”

five-time Grammy Award-winning musician, actor, activist, humanitarian – David “Ziggy” Marley, the eldest son of the late reggae pioneer Bob, certainly wears a lot of hats (he’s also released a comic book, the self-explanatory Marijuanaman), which suggests that, at least in his case, the usual soporific effects of vast intakes of the devil’s weed haven’t manifested for him. Perhaps it’s genetic. Ziggy Marley is still very much a champion of the music his father brought to the international stage. And his latest and fourth solo album, Wild And Free, champions both the weed and the importance of the family. After all, there’s a song, Roads Less Travelled, about his father on there, another co-written with his own eldest son, Daniel, plus another welcoming his youngest son, Abraham Selassie Robert Nesta Marley, now 14 months, into the world. “Welcome To The World was written before [Abraham] was born and I was thinkin’ about bringin’ a new child into the world,” Marley explains, on the line from California – he splits his time between there, Florida and Jamaica. “That’s what I thought about sayin’ to him when he came that day – welcome to the world; I can give you love but I cannot promise that world is gonna be the greatest place you’ve ever been to, you know? “With Daniel, he’s twenty-one and he’s tryin’ to get into music and I was just sayin’, ‘Just come and do somethin’ with us on this new album,’ see if I can just give him a helpin’ hand in what he’s doin’, you know? Changes was actually written by me and Linda Perry, a producer/songwriter – she works with Christina Aguilera and Alicia Keyes – so we did that together sometime before and then when I did it for the record, my idea was that I needed something else to add to it and so Daniel came and did that little DJ rap thing in it.” As with pretty much anything with the name Marley attached to it, Wild And Free is as much about addressing issues as it is the music it contains and uppermost in terms of issues for Ziggy Marley, who is an advocate for the Freedom from Genetically Modified Organisms movement, is that of hemp. “I definitely wanted to address the issue of hemp and marijuana, so that was like the template that I started with, that I wanted to talk about this issue and that’s why the album is called Wild And Free. I wanted that to be the message that was out front. The environment and the earth, I mean this is where we get a lot of our inspiration from, nature. It seem like we keep on harpin’ on issues like this, it seems that even though governments and organisations, they talk about it too, but to me, it’s just talk – it’s not real because if it was real, hemp would be legal. This is why the focus of the album is a plant, because the plant can save the planet. The plant, it has an industrial use and so if people, if governments round the world were serious about the green – the so-called green revolution – instead of just usin’ it as a marketin’ ploy as a way to placate the people, then this plant would be on the forefront of that because we can do so much with it. So this is why I know it’s hypocrisy within the system. We just have to shout about it because we have no choice – what else we gonna do? We can’t just sit down… we’re not governments, we’re not leaders of the world. If we had the power to do something we would have done it. But the only power we have is our voice. “But songs just came as we went along and I had some songs that were sittin’ there that I hadn’t recorded, I hadn’t released, songs I’ve ten, eleven, twelve years ago, and it was like let me do a version of this song and get it out. “But a lot of the songs were written, like, in the year before I went into the studio. On this album I think I tried to focus on the songs and the songwritin’ so I spent a lot of time in the studio just by myself tryin’ to get the songs down in a more constructed way, so when I actually went to record the album with the band, the songs were already done. I didn’t have to, like, think about lyrics here – the songs were done and I wanted to put a lot of effort into the writin’ of the songs on this record, which I think lyrically is some of my best writing, you know.” Co-producing the record with Marley was legendary producer and musician Don Was, whose credits sprawl across artists as diverse as Bob Seger, Elton John, David Crosby and The B-52’s. “The idea of the record is to make real music,” Marley explains. “Don is a friend of mine and we work together for many years you know and he just… Don, for me, we can make the music be real and we can make the music be spiritual and music that will outlast fads and trends and so… I love workin’ with Don and he’s someone I’ll work with again and again because it’s about the spirit in the music. That’s what it’s about for me; it’s about makin’ music that… We’re tryin’ to reach somethin’ on a spiritual level, you know, and my experience with Don is that’s where his head is at too.” Marley, like his siblings, was always going to have a hard time making his mark in the music world considering the enormity, both musically and mythically, of the legacy lefty by his father. He kicked off his career featuring, with siblings Cedella, Stephen and Sharon Marley, on a track called Children Playing In The Streets, with their father Bob in 1979, but their debut album as Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers, 1985’s Play The Game Right, didn’t impress the hardcore reggae crowd with its obvious heavy pop leanings. In 2003, Marley finally stepped out of the group to release his debut solo album, Dragonfly, but it was his second, 2006’s Love Is My Religion, that finally consolidated his career, winning a Grammy for best reggae album. “I think I’ve found my sound and my voice and hopefully I’ll continue to grow and to fine tune, you know, myself as a human bein’ and my music – and that will be continually be evident on the music that I bring out in the future, that there is always a continual growth and never a stagnant state; it’s always growin’ and goin’ forward.” WHO: Ziggy Marley WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 5 and Saturday 7 April, Bluesfest, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm; Sunday 8, Metro Theatre

26 • THE DRUM MEDIA

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IN THE MOMENT THE TRAGIC PASSING OF DRUMMER STEVE PRESTWICH COULD HAVE SEEN THIS BAND OF BROTHERS, COLD CHISEL, PUT ON ICE PERMANENTLY. INSTEAD, AS VOCALIST JIMMY BARNES TELLS MICHAEL SMITH, WHILE THERE REALLY ARE NO PLANS, IT’S MADE CHISEL STRONGER.

hey were all, naturally, in shell shock as they gathered in Adelaide at the end of January last year to farewell their drummer, Steve Prestwich, who had died a fortnight before from a brain tumour. No one could have faulted any desire to let the band that had been so pivotal in their lives, Cold Chisel, slip away into history. “The album’s called No Plans, not just because of the song,” Barnes explains. “It was a sort of a recurring theme. We had no plans of getting together – full stop – and then the V8 Supercars came up in December 2009 and we got together and thought, ‘Yeah, this is fun – fast cars, fast women, rock’n’roll, they all go well together so why don’t we do this gig?’ So we got together and the minute we got into rehearsals we just really enjoyed playing together, but we had no plans of going forward with it. “We’d done the gig, 50,000 people plus – it went really well. I’ve got a studio in my house, so we went into the recording studio just to see what would come, whether we could put down some demos or write some songs or whatever, without any plans, you know? Then that went really well – we had some really great things happen there.

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“

WE’RE A BIT LIKE A SAUSAGE MACHINE... YOU SHOVE ALL THIS SHIT IN ONE END AND IT COMES OUT THE OTHER END SOUNDING LIKE COLD CHISEL.”

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“And then all plans were put on hold again when the rug was pulled out from underneath us when Steve died. We grieved for months and were angry and all that sort of stuff about losing our friends and finally we came to the point where we thought, ‘What can we learn that’s good from Steve’s passing?’ And it’s very difficult to find something good about losing a friend like that, but I guess the only thing we could see was he’d made us realise: this is one of our favourite people, one of our favourite musicians and we’re not going to see him again. And we’re all like that – we’re taking each other for granted a bit. There are people you enjoy playing with and people – you enjoy their company and their emotional support, you should spend time with them. So we decided we were going to get back together and finish off the project and spend more time with each other, playing, whether it’s for each other or the public – it doesn’t matter.” The next part of the story has already become part of Australian music history, with the band bringing in, at keyboardist Don Walker’s suggestion, Divinyls drummer Charley Drayton. “Steve’s are very difficult shoes to fill. Charley’s a totally different drummer to Steve, but in a lot of ways he’s very similar. But he’s brought something different to the band” to help finish the album. Then, at co-manager John O’Donnell’s suggestion, the band undertook the record-breaking Light The Nitro Tour that saw Cold Chisel play to more than 275,000 people across Australia from October to December last year. “When Don had the song written, No Plans,” Barnes continues, “literally written about… I think he was in peak hour traffic somewhere – hot, people beepin’ their horns and screamin’ and sweatin’ and there were people rushin’ down the street in suits with briefcases – and he glanced across and there’s a guy sittin’ in a corner with a brown paper bag with a bottle in it and a ciggie in his hand. Don thought, ‘This guy’s probably got more of the right idea than the rest of us – he’s jumped off the treadmill, taking his time doing his own thing,’ and that’s opening line of that song. So it made sense that should be the name of the album. And literally we don’t have plans in this band now. We’re just playing for the sake of playing and enjoying each other’s company and taking every day as it comes. If we feel like playing some more towards the end of the year we’ll do some more, if we don’t, we won’t.” For all the different directions the various members have taken in the intervening years, No Plans is unequivocally a Cold Chisel album. “It’s pretty rough, raucous and raw and all that sort of stuff – it’s good,” Barnes admits. “I’ve made jokes about this and it’s a bad analogy but we’re a bit like a bloody sausage machine, you know? You shove all this shit in one end and it comes out the other end sounding like Cold Chisel. It doesn’t matter what you put in one end – all the different players, all of our influences – when it comes out through the band it sounds like Cold Chisel.” For all the dubbing of Cold Chisel as archetypal Aussie pub rock, their musical palette has always embraced a diversity of styles, from straight-ahead rock’n’roll belters to ballads. “I think over the years we’ve honed that down and refined it a little. Although there are all those influences in the band, one of the things we’ve discovered and we’ve honed down is the fact that we like things raw; we like things honest. There’s something that appeals to us about not being perfect – having feel instead of ‘the perfect take’. If it’s got a great feel and it’s got a few bumps and warts on it, leave it, you know? That’s from the music we listen to, whether it’s soul music, blues music or early rock. “Really, from the first album, all we were trying to do was capture what we played on record, which was very difficult to do and [producer] Mark Opitz was someone who helped us develop that, but I don’t think we really, really got that at all until The Last Wave Of Summer. And I think this record is the next step again... “A great bunch of songs by Don again. The guy’s just bloody awesome. Once again I think he’s proved he’s the best songwriter in the country, bar none – I don’t care who you put up against him. He’s the best writer this country’s ever produced and I’ve been lucky enough to be his voice and I feel blessed to have that. Ian, myself and Steve, we brought our bits again to the table, but it’s predominantly Don and that stamp which is uniquely Cold Chisel definitely comes from Don’s songs.” WHO: Cold Chisel WHAT: No Plans (Warner) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 5 April, Bluesfest, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm; Wednesday 18, Hordern Pavilion

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THE DRUM MEDIA • 27

AMERICAN ORIGINALS AFTER MORE THAN A DECADE IN THE BUSINESS, BLITZEN TRAPPER FEEL THEY ARE FINALLY IN THE GROOVE. LEAD SINGER ERIC EARLEY EXPLAINS TO BRENDAN TELFORD HOW WRITING HONESTLY COMES EASIER WITH AGE.

ortland alt.country band Blitzen Trapper have been crisscrossing the globe for more than a decade, and in that time have amassed a plethora of accolades for their unabashed love for pastoral Americana circa 1970. Little has changed since the band – currently Eric Earley (guitar/harmonica/vocals/ keyboard), Erik Menteer (guitar/keyboard), Brian Adrian Koch (drums/vocals/harmonica), Michael VanPelt (bass) and Marty Marquis (guitar/keyboards/vocals/ melodica) – formed in 2000, yet subtle variations segue from that original blueprint to see the band fortifying a definitive sound with each stellar release. Their latest opus is 2011’s American Goldwing, their fourth release through Sub Pop, which sees Earley and the band delve into the past more than ever before. The frontman believes that the album is truly indicative of how he has grown as a songwriter. “I think I have been able to achieve a level of honesty in writing that I didn’t give much thought to when I started playing music,” he says. “These songs are all about something specific and are personal; I know what each song is about, that’s the type of songwriting that I like to do. I think that comes with time, being comfortable to write about yourself or those close to you – to give a voice to that and to be able to enjoy writing about these personal things.” When music begins to take on that personal nature though, it requires the level of reflection that, when events are dissected and put under the cold harsh light of hindsight, can be pretty damaging. Earley assuages that his personal reflection remains ultimately hopeful though. “This album is about where I grew up, people I knew, and there is always going to be that wistful notion of wondering what things would have been like if I had gone in a different direction, travelled out on a different street. But I think that is always the case with songwriting – you are writing about what you know. The difference this time around was I was being more literal and honest with myself about these experiences I had had. Some songs are about my childhood; some are about recent relationships and stuff like that. For me, I can’t really write these songs unless I know where I am coming from. I have to know what these things

28 • THE DRUM MEDIA

mean to me, something that is more apparent now than maybe it was before. These memories come from a very concrete place for me. So now the songs I end up writing are the ones that I care about, or truly know, otherwise I can’t really see the point of writing it.” This mirrors the genetic make-up of the lyrics also, which eschews the more narrative-driven pastiches for a more personal, exploratory tone. “A couple of songs are still driven by narrative – it is hard to break away from when that is what you are used to writing,” Earley states. “And I think I will always write songs like that, to an extent. I just think that if a song is too hard now, I’m not gonna write it! If it isn’t coming naturally it’s best to throw it away. I don’t wanna keep at songs that kinda lead me on, you know? There has to be a better way!” The album is named after a classic motorcycle and the musicality of American Goldwing seems to mirror this also, with the band proffering a more archetypal 1970s American rock sound. “That is all the kind of music I like to listen to, definitely, those 1970s American country albums, riff rock and stuff like that,” Earley muses. “I also wanted to keep things very simple, you know, drums, guitar, a little keyboard… I didn’t really want to experiment at all. This record to me is just natural. I wanted to create something that seemed natural to me.” Having held down the fort as a band for more than 12 years, with their debut self-titled album clocking up its tenth anniversary, it’s safe to say that Blitzen Trapper have entrenched themselves into their own mode of musical aesthetics and output, yet Earley explains that the winds, they are always a-changing – there is no fixed point and the path continues to veer off into weird and wonderful terrain. “I don’t think we ever had any desire or vision on what we wanted to be, ever, so we’re happy to continue letting the music take us along. My thing is that I tend to go from record to record, making music that reflects what I’m into at that given time. The stuff on American Goldwing is stuff I would like to listen to, so that element has never changed, but I never know what I’m going to be listening to or doing, so pinning down where I’m headed is never

going to happen. The one constant is playing, I’m always looking forward to getting back out there.” Once an album takes root, it is often understandable that the new material supersedes the importance of what came before, so much so that its relevance to the band become diluted, or even dissipates entirely. Earley stresses that although his mode of songwriting and outlook on the process may have altered, he will always embrace the band’s material, which is rich in history and meaning for the quintet. “I don’t think that could ever happen for me. For me, playing music is just as much for the audience as it is for us. We are giving something to them, something that they want, and holding some attitude about not wanting to offer that to your own fans would never happen for us. So I just like to play the songs that people want to hear, to be honest. I mean, I like playing what I wanna play, but it’s when you see people enjoying themselves that you start to actually enjoy yourself. The band has visited Australian shores numerous

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times in their history, yet there seems to be added fire in the belly when it comes to this particular tour. “The current record is a good one to play live, which is always a plus. It’s been two years since we have been down there, and we always seem to get great responses, which is always beneficial,” Earley laughs. “It’s all about having a good time, and the shows are great. Plus the fact that we are on such a great festival [Bluesfest] means there will be time to relax and take some other music in, which is always nice. A good way to spend a working holiday!” WHO: Blitzen Trapper WHAT: American Goldwing (Sub Pop) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 5 April, Oxford Art Factory; Saturday 7 and Monday 9, Bluesfest, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm

POLITICAL PARTY BEST KNOWN AS THE BAND BEHIND THE SOPRANOS’ THEME TUNE, ALABAMA 3 FUSE GENRES AS DIVERSE AS BLUES AND DUBSTEP. A COLLECTIVE THAT CAN SWELL TO 30 MEMBERS, THEY OPENED TO THE DOOR OF THEIR STUDIO TO RIOTING LONDONERS, WRITES NIC TOUPEE, TALKING TO VOCALIST ROB SPRAGG.

he fusion of rave, blues, country, folk and rock is a brave one and one not often attempted. In the mid- to late-’90s we had a handful of novelty-band attempts, resulting in tracks such as the painfully of-its-time CottonEyed Joe and the slightly more bearable Swamp Thing by The Grid. However, only one band to have successfully managed the balance comes to mind and that band is Alabama 3. A ropey collective of producers, DJs, clubbers, artists and free-thinking drop-ins, Alabama 3 cite that their success is partially due to their lack of structure and lack of rules. Added to that, band members have genuine talent and a passion for not only a wide range of musical styles but eclecticism itself – this is what they believe is at the heart of their longevity and continued popularity. Having formed the band with Jake Black at, allegedly, an acid-house party in suburban London in the early ‘90s, founding member and vocalist Rob Spragg – aka Larry Love – explains the ethos of Alabama 3. That is, when he’s not distracted by the group of young dubstep musicians he’s currently sharing a studio room with. “We have always mixed blues and techno together,” Spragg explains in a broad and somewhat party-ravaged rasping London accent. “We have played at Cambridge Folk Festival and then a club night straight afterwards – we were born and bred to be eclectic. Also, really, blues is the root of all music, so there’s no reason not to put it all together.” Alabama 3 not only play the alchemist with diverse musical styles (which may or may not be related to blues music, as per Spragg’s claim), but they’re also not afraid of dishing up a little politics with their dance music. The most recent Alabama 3 album, last year’s Shoplifting For Jesus, is no exception, taking pot shots at government, apathy and even social media in the song Facebook.con. With the recent UK riots and the rise of the Occupy and Anonymous movements, Spragg and co. have had a cornucopia of inspiration for political and social observation. And being London lads, it has all been happening on their proverbial – and perhaps literal – doorstep. “If you can’t disturb people, there’s no point to rock’n’roll,” Spragg suggests, sporting a cheeky smirk. “We recorded this album all the way through the riots in London. You know, a few people were, shall we say, ‘liberating’ trainers now and then, but a lot of people were just caught in the middle of the riots. We had quite a few kids coming off the streets, out of the riots, and into our studio.”

is the son of one of those responsible for the Great Train Robbery. That familiarity with the slightly ‘below-board’ may have contributed to their confidence when tracking down Chopper Read and asking to take a plaster cast mask for his own future death mask. “We hunted down Chopper, because we wanted to meet him and take a mould of his face. But he was really good, really obliging and nice. I was proud to meet him.” WHO: Alabama 3 WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday 3 April, Lizotte’s, Dee Why; Thursday 5 and Friday 6, Bluesfest, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm; Saturday 7, Manning Bar

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The band didn’t turf the kids out – they put them straight into the studio to lay down some vocals. “We’d get them rapping sixteen bars or so, each. Anyone off the street who wanted to come in and sing on our album, we’d grab them and include what they had to say. We believe in the power of communities,” he adds passionately. “That ethic is based on our politics; we’re very inclusive, and that belief in community gives us the capacity for some bloody good rock’n’roll.” Community isn’t just something that Alabama 3 support, it’s who they are as a band. “We started as a soundsystem posse twenty years ago,” Spragg recalls. “I used to do soundsystem techno DJ sets and that developed into something uniting blues and techno. I’ve always worked in a big posse and there can be twenty or thirty people around at any one time inputting to things. We can break ourselves down to Delta blues or build up to techno or dubstep because we have people in the Alabama 3 community who can play that.” Given the seemingly shambolic and evolving nature of Alabama 3, it seems almost miraculous that they’re still together. “We stay together because no one else will employ us and I ain’t digging no ditches,” Spragg laughs. “Alabama 3 members come and go. To quote a famous song, you can check out of Alabama 3 any time you like, but you can never leave. There’s a revolving door policy with the band and we encourage a wide variety of ‘extracurricular pursuits’.” Those extracurricular pursuits guarantee that any Alabama 3 recording session never falls short of skills and talent, even if it also injects a little schizophrenia to their musical identity. “We’re kind of… amusing ourselves in the songwriting process. What you might ultimately hear on our records is, say, a dubstep track. At the start it might have been a ballad and vice versa. We try to surround ourselves with bright young gunslingers – we help them, developing their sound, but it also suits our own agendas.” Spragg’s own input to the songwriting process often seems to involve extreme sleeplessness. “I’ll be up for three days at a time, and come up with daft lyrics.” Recently, they’ve been busy preparing for their Australian tour and playing benefit shows for the Occupy Movement. “I did a DJ slot at St Paul’s and we’re very much at home in that kind of environment. Wherever there’s resistance, Alabama 3 want to hang.” When it is gently pointed out to him that there isn’t a massive resistance movement in Australia, he reveals that he has already reached into the heart of Australian rebel culture. “Last time we were in Australia, we were hanging out with Chopper Read. He’s a good friend of Alabama 3’s. Australia, God bless it, the land of sunshine… but you have issues that need to be addressed, politically.” Read is by no means the first countercultural anti-hero they’ve been acquainted with: Nick Reynolds, a member of Alabama 3,

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THE DRUM MEDIA • 29

MEANT TO BE SHY IRISH TROUBADOUR JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW TALKS TO KATIE BENSON ABOUT THE ART OF LONELINESS.

GOOD FEELINGS FREAKISHLY GOOD SONGWRITER, STUNNING GUITARIST, PERENNIAL AUSTRALIAN VISITOR AND UNRESERVEDLY CHARMING SHOWMAN JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE HAS JUST RELEASED HIS BEST RECORD YET AND TELLS DAN CONDON OF ALL HIS INTENTIONS GOING INTO ITS CREATION. othing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now is Justin Townes Earle’s fourth full-length record and, continuing in the tradition he’s set for himself, it’s yet again an improvement on the high standards he set with third record, Harlem River Blues. “Honestly, I feel great about it.” Earle sounds relaxed as he answers his phone in Nashville, Tennessee, a place he’s been spending a lot of time in of late. “I’m fortunate; I know a lot of people in the music industry who unfortunately have made records that they’re not very happy about, but so far I’m getting what I want when I make records, it’s working out pretty well for me so far.”

or James Vincent McMorrow, music has always been a solitary experience. From beginnings of self-taught guitar at school, the Irish singer has gone on to create a haunting debut that he wrote, recorded and played entirely by himself. The process took place over six months of isolation, where some days only one or two song lines would present themselves to McMorrow in the quiet. Released two years ago in Ireland, Early In The Morning spent over a year in the charts, peaking at 23 while his stripped-back cover of Steve Winwood’s Higher Love reached 21 in the UK and has over two million hits on YouTube. It’s been a big turnaround for the self-proclaimed introvert, but McMorrow attributes this success the result of passion and good old-fashioned hard work. “I always felt like if you put your head down and worked you’d at least have a chance at it, so I got frustrated with people who just wanted to talk about it. So that’s what started me working by myself... I had to teach myself all these other instruments and I had to learn how to record,” says McMorrow. “And it all just came from there. I never felt like I needed to add other musicians to the mix. I was just sitting in a house working by myself because I could.” Much has been made about the house by the Irish Sea where McMorrow recorded the album. Surrounded by the classics from modern American authors and an array of instruments, McMorrow explains his seaside sojourn was a happy accident that’s turned into a big part of the album’s mythology. “It could have been anywhere – on top of a mountain, downtown Brooklyn – it wasn’t that I needed to be at one with nature. I had no money at all; someone offered me a house so I took it. I needed to be there for a period of time because it takes me a while to write and record and I needed somewhere that was quiet, so the house was a complete blessing. The album is reflective of where it was recorded, so it was incredibly fortuitous and meant to be, but no, not thought out.” After wrapping recording, McMorrow released the album without a label in 2010. While it slowly gathered steam at home he was off touring the UK and the US. Months later he returned to find Early In The Morning had exploded in Ireland and the usually reserved musician was thrust into the spotlight. “When I came back to Ireland, people everywhere knew of the album and who I was. I’m actually quite quiet; I keep to myself, so it was quite jarring initially. It’s really surreal, but dream come true for me, because you always want to be acknowledged for what you do in your place of birth.” This success opened the doors to the European festival circuit, where McMorrow received a swag of glowing reviews. Though the loner counts wading through the Glastonbury crowd in his wellies as a total nightmare, performing to all the muddy faces a day later was more the stuff of dreams. “Going out amongst the crowd always kind of terrifies me, but in the shows themselves, that doesn’t affect me. It’s strange, I’m quite shy, but when I’m on stage a whole different aspect comes out. Music’s quite an introspective thing – you’re creating something that’s personal, but then you have to go and play that live. Well, unless you’re Enya. You make the record and then you want to try and connect that with people, I want it to be an experience that means something to them. Once you realise that’s part of it, you go to that place in your mind where it makes sense and you can do it and enjoy it rather than just get through it.” WHO: James Vincent McMorrow WHAT: Early In The Morning (Dew Process/Universal) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 6 and Saturday 7 April, Bluesfest, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm; Monday 9, Factory Theatre; Wednesday 11, The Vanguard 30 • THE DRUM MEDIA

The biggest difference between this and anything that has come before is that Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now was recorded completely live, a method of recording Earle has wanted to adopt for years. “I actually wanted to record Harlem River Blues live but the budget just wasn’t there to do it. It is actually a little bit more expensive to do. But this time, luckily the success that Harlem River Blues had afforded me a little bit bigger budget on this next record, so I was able to rent out the studio that I needed for the recording. That was the biggest part was finding the right place to do it and we found that in Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, North Carolina. It was great; it was a really great time… Although everybody was scared when I said I was gonna do it that way they let me do it and I think it worked out great.” Earle sounds like he was always going to make this record the exact way he wanted to. Even the way he approached writing his songs was informed by the fact this was how the sessions were going to go. No one need have worried. “I was pushing everybody from right after we started making Harlem River Blues, I told everybody that the next record was gonna be live. I set to writing the songs. I mean, I always write records to be records, I

never just randomly write songs. I usually write about twelve a year and they usually end up on a record. It was definitely something that I set out to do and I think we not only pulled it off, but I think everybody just had a really great time and got to do something that they’re not gonna forget for a long time. I’m sure every player who played on the record was very proud and talked about it in the bars when they got back home.” Stylistically, for this album, Earle looked to his love of 1960s Memphis soul music more than he ever had before. “I figured since I was planning on doing a live record it’d be cool to do a live record and kind of push it in a soul direction – not make a soul record, but just push it in a soul direction. What I was basing the sounds for this new record off of was what was happening in Memphis in the 1960s. It was definitely soul music – especially 1960s Memphis soul music – is something that has a very big part of my heart and it has always influenced me in major ways.” The studio had come recommended highly by some of Earle’s peers and the artist felt it was, overall, a location conducive to producing some good work.

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“It’s a studio I’ve been aware of for a while. I think it’s about five or six years old. A friend of mine, Malcolm Holcombe, had actually recorded there once and the Avett Brothers also recorded there and they spoke very highly of the place. I also like Asheville; it’s a good place to record a record. It’s a small mountain town, not a lot of trouble for the musicians to get into and you can keep it fairly quiet.” Those musicians were mainly familiar faces for Earle, artists that had played on previous records of his. “With the exception of the horn players and Paul Niehaus who played guitar. Paul played steel on a couple tracks on Harlem River Blues but definitely became a very important part of this new record. But everybody else had all played on my previous records. I like working with a tight crew that knows everybody and that works well together.” This upcoming visit will see his songs more musically embellished than ever before and Earle says it’s just the beginning. “I’ll be touring Australia with a guitar player and a bass player this time. Hopefully next year we can get a full band down to Australia.”

His audiences down here have grown exponentially since Earle’s first visit back in 2008 and he admits to beginning to understand Australia’s love of what many would call quintessentially American music. “I think a good example is, like, Bill Chambers, who is one of those old guys who is wily like a fox hunter or something,” he laughs, referencing to the great Australian guitarist, father of Kasey, leader of The Dead Ringer Band and, indeed, former fox hunter. “But one thing that he did he listened to and was obsessed about country music and I found that in Australia around his generation, there are a lot of men who grew up listening to really traditional country music and then they passed it along to their kids. A lot of people in Australia tell me their grandfather listened to Buck Owens when they were growing up – I knew there had to be a reason for it and it’s a very good reason for it. It’s been passed down very honestly. I think when you look at the culture in Australia, Australians remind me of Texans a lot. It’s a very similar backdrop.” Given location is such an enduring theme in his songs, can we expect an Australian song anytime soon? “I think that that’s something that’ll probably happen at some point,” he laughs. “I got a lot of songs about the south and songs about New York because I have a little more experience. I want to make sure I have all the information I need before I write an Australian song – I got a little more research to do.” WHO: Justin Townes Earle WHAT: Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now (Bloodshot/Inertia) WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday 4 April, Factory Theatre; Saturday 7 and Monday 9, Bluesfest, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm

SPECIAL DELIVERY WHEN THE SPECIALS REFORMED IN 2009 FOR A WORLD TOUR TO MARK THE SKA BAND’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY, BASSIST HORACE PANTER TELLS BRYGET CHRISFIELD THE ABSENCE OF ORIGINAL MEMBER, JERRY DAMMERS, WAS GLARINGLY OBVIOUS: “WE KNEW HE WASN’T ONSTAGE, THAT’S WHY WE WERE HAVING SO MUCH FUN.”

“O

h, God, they’ve made me listen to jazz funk for five minutes, it sent me to sleep,” The Specials bassist Horace Panter whines down the line from “the attic, which is kind of where I live, in my house in Coventry in England. Ask me some questions, wake me up!” he demands in a schoolmasterly fashion. So, what have you been up to over the last couple of days? “I visited my mother and decorated one of the walls in her living room and then… what did I do?” Panter ponders. “I went down to London today and visited Terry Hall [vocals] and John Bradbury [drummer] and it was the first time I’d met up with them this year. We were talking about what we’ll be doing over the summer, which involves a trip to the Antipodes I understand.” This scribe was fortunate enough to catch the band at Splendour In The Grass when they hit our shores for the very first time as part of their 30th Anniversary tour in 2009. After admitting that The Specials’ set was so earth-shattering that this scribe left the festival site straight afterwards, knowing that no band could possibly top them, Panter responds, “Right, yeah, that was our first show in Australia if I remember right. Bonkers hotel. Anyway, go on, ask me proper questions because you’ve only got fifteen minutes.” Alrighty, then! The list of female backing vocalists used on The Specials’ first two studio albums makes for an interesting read. Did you guys realise the fine array of talent you were tapping into at the time? “Well, um, yeah, I think we did a show with The Pretenders, and Elvis Costello, who produced the first Specials album [Specials], I think he brought [Chrissie Hynde] in for reasons that were perhaps a little carnal. But she definitely does sing on the record. And we first met Go-Go’s [who feature on second album, More Specials] when we were in Los Angeles in 1980 – they supported us

on this horrendous, four-night run at the Whisky A Go Go and then they later came over and played with us in England. So we kind of knew them and we wanted this sort of strange, girl chorus and they were in town, as they say. It was pretty serendipitous, I think.” In between these two longplayers, the band released their Too Much Too Young EP (under the moniker, The Special AKA). It reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart despite a lack of radio play due to the title track’s supposedly contentious lyrical content, which promotes contraception as a means of avoiding teen pregnancy. Were there times when band meetings were called to discuss whether the messages that were being conveyed through song were too risqué or, alternatively, not boundary-pushing enough? “No, no,” Panter insists, “because the doors had been blown off by punk rock and it was kinda of like, ‘Okay!’ You know? You wrote songs that had a message in their lyrics anyway – you had to almost [laughs]… It’s funny ‘cause I don’t know if we were that aware that we were making a grand socio-political statement. I think that was the sort of thing that political commentators and music journalists stuck on afterwards. It made perfect sense to write songs with the lyrical content we [chose]. I mean, some of us were a lot more political, with a capital ‘P’, than others, but I think we were all aware of injustice and, you know, all the disenfranchised youth and racism and that kind of stuff.” On whether The Specials were aware that the music they were composing during early rehearsals was important, Panter considers, “We knew it was really good – what, you mean back in 1970?” Affirmative. “I think it was an awful lot of fun, because it was exciting and it was a lot easier to pick up girls being in a pop group than it would be normally. So that was kind of interesting. But then I think, beginning of 1979, we did some recording and made this single [Gangsters] and then things started to happen and it was like, ‘Wow! Yes, this is what we all had an idea that it might be like only [success happened] a little faster.’ Yes, it was fabulous. I dunno, when I was twelve and I saw The Searchers on TV I thought, ‘Gosh, I want to be that,’ and so it was kind of a fulfilment if you like.” This current, reformed era of The Specials is sans founding member Jerry [Dammers, keyboard player/ primary songwriter]. When asked whether there were times shortly after the band reformed where Panter found himself looking around the stage in search of his former bandmate, the bass player quips, “No, no, we knew he

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wasn’t onstage, that’s why we were having so much fun.” He then immediately backpedals: “No, that was a nasty thing to say. No, we all had this big meeting – all seven of us – when we decided that it would be a really good idea to [reform] and Jerry was very demonstrative that he wanted it to be exactly the way it was way back then. And I then remembered why it was that I left in the first place and it was a real shame, because if we’d have just met and gone, ‘Hi, how are you?’ You know, ‘How’s the family? How’s it going? Shall we play some music?’ It would’ve been fine. But it wasn’t. And honestly, there isn’t a day goes by where I don’t think, ‘Jerry. Damn. What a shame.’ But it is the way it’s worked out, you know, six out of seven ain’t bad.” Now that Panter seems willing to travel the interview path less trodden, it’s time to return to the subject of how he decorated his mum’s wall. “I just painted it white.” No murals then? “No, no,” he laughs. “I’ve got back into painting again and I painted this really nice picture of a scarecrow and my mum really likes it. So I got a print of it for her and we put it on the wall, but in order to put it up on the wall we had to take down some other stuff and, when you take down paintings, if there’s a mark on the wall it’s like – so, okay, in order to do this I’m gonna have to paint the wall. You want to do one small thing and it ends up being a project. So I shall probably go there again next week and think, ‘Damn. Oh, the cornice looks really faded,’ you know? I’ll end up just redecorating the whole house.” WHO: The Specials WHEN & WHERE: Friday 6 April, Bluesfest, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm; Saturday 7, Enmore Theatre

Australian Tour SYDNEY

MELBOURNE

With support from THE RUMJACKS

With support from CASH SAVAGE & THE LAST DRINKS

The Manning Bar

The Prince Bandroom

Sydney University

29 Fitzroy St, St Kilda

Saturday 7th April 2012

Sunday 8th April 2012

(02) 9563 6000 Tickets available from www.manningbar.com

(03) 9536 1168 Tickets available from www.princebandroom.com.au

www.troubadour-music.com

presented by

www.coldchisel.com

THE DRUM MEDIA â&#x20AC;˘ 31

DEATH BY STEREO JOHN BARRETT FROM OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI’S BASS DRUM OF DEATH TAKES AN UNWELCOME BREAK FROM PLAYING THE VIDEO GAME FIFA TO CHAT TO CHRIS YATES FOR HIS BAND’S FIRST TRIP TO AUSTRALIA.

OLD GROWTH WASHINGTON DC PSYCH-ROCK LEGENDS DEAD MEADOW ARE APPROACHING THEIR 15TH ANNIVERSARY AS A BAND. AHEAD OF THEIR LATEST AUSTRALIAN TOUR, MATT O’NEILL SPEAKS WITH FRONTMAN JASON SIMON.

ason Simon stunned many when he embarked upon a solo career. Released in 2010, Simon’s self-titled debut album ran completely counter to expectations – a soulful, largely acoustic outing confounding anyone even vaguely familiar with his work as frontman and guitarist for Washington DC psych-rock institution Dead Meadow. It wasn’t just the album’s stylistic palette that surprised followers, either. It was how comfortable Simon sounded as a folksy singer/songwriter. “You know, doing that – playing just by myself with an acoustic guitar – actually made me a lot more comfortable as a singer and as a songwriter,” the frontman reflects. “I never sang at all before Dead Meadow. It’s really been a whole learning process over the past 13 years. Doing solo stuff really helped me get more comfortable with that. It all comes back to Dead Meadow in the end, anyway. Playing around with other stuff gives you a better idea of what Dead Meadow should do.”

“I

don’t only play video games,” he says almost defensively when there’s an involuntarily chuckle at his enthusiasm for the FIFA game. “I’ve got a real soccer game tonight at 7.30! I’ve been following soccer for a while and shit. I hadn’t really played soccer since I was twelve, but over the last year I’ve gotten more into it. Pretty much every time a game is on I try to watch it. Some of my friends have a city league team so I was like, ‘Ah whatever, I need to go fucking run around a little bit anyways with my fat ass,’ so yeah I started playing this year. It’s been awesome.” It’s not the only thing that has been awesome for Barrett over the past 12 months. Bass Drum Of Death has been breaking new ground with the momentum of a runaway freight train. This year at SXSW, despite it being the fourth year he has played, he says it really became something else. “It was really awesome this time,” he drawls with an uncharacteristic excitement seeping through his slacker nonchalance. “When we played last year the record had just been announced, so a lot of people still didn’t know who we were. We definitely played more shows this time than ever before. We played ten shows over four days, so it was hectic but it was fucking awesome. There’s time when I’ve played in the past when you can’t tell which shows are gonna be amazing and which shows you can’t believe you agreed to do, because there’s so much shit going on and everyone and their mom is having a showcase. We never felt like it wasn’t worth it at all this year, there was always people there to see us. It was fun – I’m still kinda hungover from it and it was over a week ago.” Bass Drum Of Death’s debut album, GB City, is out on Fat Possum Records, a label with a fine tradition of exposing messy garage rock to the wider world from its base in Barrett’s hometown. He says he didn’t really do a lot of campaigning to get it to happen and is very pleased that it all come together so naturally. “Well they put out my first record when I was doing a one-man band,” he explains, “so I’ve known those dudes for a while. Some of my best friends work there and I worked there for a while, so I’ve kept in touch. By the time I was finished the record I didn’t want to bother those guys with it, so I made plans for the record to come out on a smaller label that was based out of New York. When a couple of things popped up on the internet they [Fat Possum] asked to do it, so I let them hear it and they were like, ‘Oh fuck, let’s do it!’ which was fine with me and kind of what I wanted anyway. I didn’t wanna be like the kid down the street saying, ‘Hey sir! Please put my record out,’ so it was good it came about the way these things are supposed to happen.” While not looking forward to the long plane ride over, Barrett is stoked about his first trip to Australia and since they’re only going to be here for such a short time is planning on just keeping the good times rolling. “The whole flying thing is kind of a drag for me. But I’m looking forward to partying with you Australians. I’ve heard you’re pretty good at it.” WHO: Bass Drum Of Death WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 7 April, Kings Cross Hotel 32 • THE DRUM MEDIA

Dead Meadow have simply never been a band to be associated with such stripped-back ideals: their sound has always been absolutely massive. Since their 1998 formation, they’ve built a global reputation on their enduring affection for vast, ‘70s-influenced cascades of guitar noise and almost spiritual lyricism. John Peel was a fan and Andrew Stockdale actually reworked one of the band’s songs for Wolfmother’s second album. “We definitely had a clear idea of the sound we wanted to work with when we first started out,” Simon says. “You know, coming from Washington DC, we were very much a part of that punk rock tradition and we all just felt that something different had to happen – both within DC and elsewhere. I remember getting into Black Sabbath and bands like Sleep and having that realisation that you can do something really heavy and loud – but it doesn’t necessarily have to be aggressive.

A prime example of the band’s sense of scope can be found with their most recent release – 2010’s Three Kings. Dead Meadow’s only recorded output since 2008’s Old Growth album, Three Kings was part film, part album, part live performance and encompassed new recordings, psychedelic film footage and a live concert performance. In short; it was the kind of balls-out Zeppelin-esque creative project that punk rock was supposed to have killed off decades ago. “I think Dead Meadow definitely has a spiritual component. I hope it does – it’s something we strive for,” Simon muses. “I think with most art, when you’re making it, whether you’re aware of the ambition or not, you do kind of strive to lose yourself in it and become completely unselfconscious. When you’re playing your best or writing your best, you want to forget everything else around you – and, hopefully, that’s a kind of experience that gets carried over through to our audience. Dead Meadow have never been quite as single-minded as either their output or reputation would suggest. While respected and appreciated across the globe as purveyors of colossally heavy psychedelic rock, Dead Meadow’s catalogue has been attached to a multiplicity of diverse and disparate movements. “It’s funny, because while a lot of titles kind of have been slapped onto our name, those titles have kept on changing over the years,” Simon laughs. “When we first came out, we were supposedly the lighter end of the stoner-rock scene and now we’re apparently at the heavy end of the psychedelic scene. I don’t know. I feel like the names keep changing but I think that’s a good thing. While they can group us with like-minded bands, I do feel what we’re doing is pretty unique.” Such is the contradiction of Dead Meadow. The immediate impact of their music is both simple and timeless – but that music is informed by a complex myriad of eclectic musical traditions. Behind their wall-of-sound aesthetics, one can easily detect influences of Hindustani classical music, ‘60s folk rock and even strains of late-‘90s post-hardcore. “That’s actually something I think about every time we make a record,” the vocalist offers. “The only hard thing about keeping the band going is that I do feel there is this edge or this balancing act between stretching out and doing something completely different but also not

moving away completely from what Dead Meadow have proven to do very well. You know, with what we do, it’s loud, droney rock’n’roll and sometimes it’s hard to really explore too many directions with that. “I think that was the good thing about doing the solo stuff because it opened up a couple of different directions and kind of gave a new context to what we do in Dead Meadow… We do worry about repeating ourselves.” It’s a strange kink of contradiction that seems to runs throughout the band’s entire career – from their incongruous appearances on The Wire (series co-creator David Simon being Jason’s uncle) to their strangely cyclical career arc. Their forthcoming sixth studio album, for example, will feature original drummer Mark Laughlin (who re-joined the band in 2010 after an eightyear absence). As they approach nearly 15 years, Dead Meadow have actually returned to their original line-up. “Life is good. We’re putting songs together for this next record. We’ve already got a whole bunch of stuff recorded but, because we’ve got our own studio space, we’ve kind of been taking our time – leisurely doing this record,” Simon laughs. “It feels really special, though.” WHO: Dead Meadow WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday 4 April, ANU Bar, Canberra; Friday 6, The Hi-Fi

PIXIE DUST MUSIC AS POP/PUNK RETURNS TO THE TOP OF THE PILE, DAVE DRAYTON TALKS TO A MAN WHO’S NEVER LEFT IT, NEW FOUND GLORY GUITARIST STEVE KLEIN.

n 1999 a young Floridian five-piece took the burgeoning pop/punk scene by storm with their debut album, Nothing Gold Can Stay, a collection of upbeat shamelessly poppy songs about girls and teenage concerns. Contrary to the pessimistic message embedded in the album’s title, New Found Glory have stuck around and for their latest album, Radiosurgery, their seventh, they returned to their formative years for inspiration. An extensive tour in 2010 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the release of their self-titled second album, just before the writing for Radiosurgery began, no doubt helped fuel things. “For this record more than any other record I think we wanted to go back to the roots of our band, you know?” guitarist and lyricist Steve Klein confirms. “We wanted to re-realise what brought us into this; the music. We wanted to go back and listen to old Green Day records and old Rancid and The Ramones and stuff like that. “Before the scene was saturated with pop/punk bands there were a bunch of good bands that were putting out really good music that kind of shaped the way this genre went. So we wanted to go back to that day – that time – and listen to those records and have them inspire us to write new songs.” With cameos as their mosh-friendly alter egos, International Superheroes Of Hardcore, their day-job band soon developed a crunchier, riff-driven sound that has been reassessed as they looked back for this record. “I feel like a lot of other records – [2004’s] Catalyst especially and even Not Without A Fight [2009] – were very guitar riff orientated, very riff driven. Every record that we do is different and with this record we wanted to make it more vocal driven and have the melodies of the vocals be the catchy part. Still have the catchy guitars and stuff, but make it more subtle and pay more attention to making the songs more anthemic.” The return to the earlier, some would say more innocent, days of pop/punk by the band proved a success, with Radiosurgery delivering 11 tracks of non-stop hook-laden saccharine-sweet pop/punk and, like their debut, once

again cemented their place in the top echelons of the genre, which was – and remains – in the midst of a global revival. “I think there are definitely bands that we feel like are trying to keep pop/punk alive, you know?” says Klein, before recalling the exhaustive two-month tour of the States the band completed last year. “That was the whole purpose of our Pop Punk’s Not Dead Tour that we did in the States with The Wonder Years and Man Overboard and just tonnes of bands that we feel like are the new generation of pop/ punk bands that are keeping it alive and are actually doing it for the right reasons and not just because it’s a fad and because it’s the cool thing to do. Because that’s not why we got into it. We got into it because we love the music and we have fun and we want to be energetic live. “There’s a good, nice resurgence of pop/punk but I think the real bands are the bands that stay around. And the bands that are in it for the right reasons are the bands that stay around and the people who are in it for whatever, they die out after a little while.” . On the subject of New Found Glory’s successful longevity, Klein is at his most open – equal parts baffled, humbled and just plain stoked. “We’ve been lucky, I feel like every record that we do, every tour that we do we gain new fans and younger fans and I don’t know how we do it,” Klein says, genuine disbelief in his voice and the most earnest he has sounded all interview, before breaking into self-deprecating laughter. “We put pixie dust in our music or something; I don’t know. But it’s really awesome and we’re very grateful that all the generations we’ve been through – and we’ve been through a lot of generations of kids and fans have come and gone and people have grown up with our band and people are becoming fans now. So it’s cool and it’s a good feeling that our music has transcended and we’re still relevant after all this time and still – I feel – we still have more to give, which is exciting.” Just as the band returned to their roots musically, lyrically Radiosurgery – like those early albums – is thematically driven by relationships, familial and personal experiences. “Every record for us is kind of like a diary, it captures a time period. With this record Ian [Grushka, bass] just went through a really bad divorce and obviously if one of your best friends is going through a tough time, it’s going to affect you and affect the way you write. He came and stayed with me for a couple of weeks after it happened and just talking to him and going through things with him can affect you. “Every record we do is about either things that we go through or things our friends go through. I think that’s why

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people are so drawn to our band, because our music is so relatable. Our songs are real, you know? So with this record especially – and Ian going through a bad break up – it affected this record. I wouldn’t say all the songs are about that in particular, but every record that we do is about things that we all go through collectively.”

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As the genre they’ve dominated for so long once again gathers new disciples, the question must be asked, is pop/ punk a dirty word? “To us pop/punk was never a dirty word. People always called us a pop/punk band and we were like, ‘Oh, okay, cool.’ I think when fads come and go, people ride the wave and they’re the people who say those things. We never really pay attention; we just write the music that we enjoy without caring what anybody says or worrying about anybody judging. It got us this far! We’re trying to be a band, we’re trying to make relevant music and put on the best live show we can.” The band will be doing just that shortly, premiering Radiosurgery tracks live for Australian audiences and from what Klein says, we should be seeing them again sooner rather than later. “This record is still kind of new for us. We only just did our first tour of the States for it, so we’ve done one tour in the States and one tour in England and we’re about to do our first tour off this record in Australia, so we’re going to try and go to everywhere twice or three times for the next year or so.” WHO: New Found Glory WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 7 April, Big Top Luna Park

CONTINUING THE MUSIC DWEEZIL ZAPPA NEVER IMAGINED HIS DESIRE TO KEEP HIS FATHER’S MUSICAL LEGACY ALIVE WITH THE PROJECT ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA WOULD BECOME QUITE THE JUGGERNAUT IT’S BECOME. TURNS OUT, HE TELLS MICHAEL SMITH, IT’S REKINDLED HIS OWN LOVE OF GUITAR.

n 2006, Dweezil Zappa took to the road with a group of hot young musicians on a mission to present a cross-section of three decades’ worth of his late father Frank’s music. Zappa, who as a guitarist has released six albums of original material in his own right, wasn’t interested in playing “the hits”, such as they were, but to give audience an idea of the extraordinary depth and breadth of the older Zappa’s legacy. He dubbed the project Zappa Plays Zappa. The shows were so well received, Zappa Plays Zappa has not only continued to tour, presenting new parts of the almost mind-bogglingly vast catalogue – more than 60 albums released before he passed away in 1993 – but has released three albums, 2008’s Zappa Plays Zappa, 2010’s Return Of The Son Of…, and last year’s Live In The Moment. Dweezil’s labour of love has obviously taken on a life of its own. “The thing that’s interesting about the way it’s all turned out,” Zappa explains from his home in Hollywood, “is that, at a certain point in the nineties, I really kinda stopped playing guitar because rock guitar and particularly anybody that had any technical ability on guitar was sort of frowned upon here in the States. It became this whole simplistic approach and the grunge stuff sort of obliterated people’s ideas of having to practice. It was more about do you have the right flannel shirt, tattoos and piercings and looking the part. “So I just gradually came back to just playing guitar and one of the big focuses for me was I wanted to keep improving. I wanted to keep taking whatever I already had achieved on a level of skill to a whole other level and Frank’s music is the most challenging music out there. It really made a huge difference in my own abilities and I’m at the point now where I’m starting to get interested in writing and recording my own music again, so it’s really gonna be very different than it was prior to the Zappa Plays Zappa project, ‘cause I just have so much more to draw on, you know, technically, harmonically, all kinds of stuff.” The live albums Zappa Plays Zappa have released were never part of the original mission statement for the project either. “This is all stuff I didn’t intend to do to begin with,” he admits. “Setting out to do this, I didn’t view this as, ‘Okay, why don’t I record all of this band’s versions of the songs and put them in direct competition with Frank’s own?’ We were doing this to be the catalysts to get people interested in the original recordings. But somewhere along the line, what began to become noticeable was that the people that enjoyed seeing this band thought of this as a continuation of the music, not modernising it or anything like that, but because Frank’s music, in certain songs, have arrangements that are designed to sort of reinvent themselves every time they’re played live. So each time you play that song, it will be different, in perpetuity; only certain parts of it have to be played the same. “So, based on that criterion, a lot of people view what we’re doing as a chance for the music that they’re well familiar with to continue into the future with new versions, keeping it in the same family as the originals. So there became a demand for it because people would come to the shows over and over and they really wanted to have recordings of this band – and a lot of people were bootlegging it anyway!” WHO: Zappa Plays Zappa WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 7 April, Metro Theatre; Sunday 8, Panthers, Newcastle; Monday 9, Bluesfest, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm

JUDGEMENT DAY THE TEACHA KRS-ONE INTRODUCES RIP NICHOLSON TO HIS SCHOOL OF HIP HOP.

prah Winfrey visited down under, even Queen Elizabeth and her grandson Princes William walked our red carpets last year. Now we wait, firmly held in 2012, for the inaugural visit of hip hop’s leading protagonist, acting strictly for the cause and survival of a culture. KRS-One (born Lawrence Parker) is poised in San Francisco to board a boat and head for our golden shores. Afraid of flying, Parker has taken the month-long trip down under with an agenda to inject knowledge into our our hip hop culture with a “booster shot”. Following some stringent protocol to get him in session, Parker lets loose over 50 minutes with a booming authority over his words. Holding a genuine concern for the upkeep of his culture, Parker lays out an economic model for the survival of Australia’s hip hop scene in today’s new world, which he believes finds the balance of power shifted in favour of its forebearers and creative souls who maintain the culture’s equilibrium behind its commerce. Charting a takeover, Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone (KRS-One, yo) sets sail to arm us in readiness for the new world. “I’ve waited a long time for this. There is a couple of places I’m trying to go to over the next three years. And Australia is just one of them that I’ve been trying to get to for a many years,” admits Parker, who explains the trouble he had with promoters not understanding the goals of his touring plans and treating hip hop’s most active ambassador as an artist only. “There has always been challenges, so when I come to a place I don’t just want to come to the place, perform and leave. I don’t like flying into a country, flying over a country. Beyond that, go straight to the hotel from the airport and to the venue and to the hotel and to the airport and then say ‘Okay, I’ve been to Australia.’ That’s not my style at all, so I waited it out.” Since its inception over 30 years back, real hip hop has been held in the hands of a certain few originators, from Kool Herc to Afrika Bambaataa’s Zulu Nation and into the hands of the philosophical practitioner KRS-One, who has embodied the true elements of hip hop his whole career. Starting as a graf artist and homeless, in and out of shelters in The Bronx during hip hop’s burgeoning years, KRS-One and his Boogie Down Productions outfit invited sharp, young and militant-minded souls to develop new ways of thinking,

empowering them with the strength of knowledge. From their seminal 1987 debut Criminal Minded to 1989’s Stop The Violence Movement campaign following the murder of his DJ, Scott La Rock, to his staunch Malcolm X window pose on the cover of their follow-up, KRS-One has always taken the lead on strong-arming hip hop into a set of principles and way of life. Never shying from setting suckers straight, Parker has earned his highly-influential position as hip hop’s chief spokesman and as such has made it his endeavour to widen the acceptance of hip hop and all its encompassing elements and educate the next generation. “I’m coming to teach hip hop, straight up and down. When I mean hip hop, I mean the culture of hip hop – the breaking, MCing, the graffiti, beat-boxing, street fashion, language, knowledge and trade skills. Not just rap music, we’re bringing a full curriculum to Australia. There is knowledge in hip hop that Australia needs to know going into these next few years and I find it very important to get this survival knowledge out there; knowledge on how to take hip hop beyond the commercial level that’s coming out now. “So if we consider that hip hop is not a physical thing – and more a meta-physical principle – then we can learn to adapt to our environment and factually we can derive our philosophy from our surroundings. That’s what I plan to teach Australia too, the tool of mastering the magical uses of hip hop around you; how to really alter your reality with this technique in that sense. This takes the art beyond the entertainment value,” hints Parker. He is keen to address Australian universities for hip hop lectures and “offer them the official curriculum”. “That is our mission professionally – to organise hip hop for real for real in Australia while I’m there. And, hopefully stay there,” Parker states. “Teach hip hop to any nation, any country or any group of people like Australia, like China, or Japan and it’s going to take like three to five years to actually teach the course. And you can see results within the first year to two years. I won’t get into specifics, but you see real progress building in the first year or so and Australia deserves it. “There are some creative and brilliant minds coming up on the perimeter of Australia’s hip hop right now, but might become side-tracked by the commercial presentation of hip hop. And if it takes one of us to come forward, then I’m always down,” Parker states as he counts in the importance of hip hop’s forefathers. “When I say one of us, I mean Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster

Flash, Crazy Legs, Taki 183, Grandmaster Caz, Busy Bee and The Cold Crush [Brothers]. These are scholars on hip hop straight up and down. These are the people that created the actual culture and these are the ingredients, the secret knowledge to how hip hop was created and this is what Australia needs to know before I leave there.” But alas, it won’t be all war talk, the extra curriculum on the itinerary will find KRS-One practising what he is best known for. As his twentieth LP, 2012’s Just Like That, is ready to be added to the text book catalogue spanning over his 26-year career, his shows promise to incorporate the new work, the classics and some old fashioned throw downs with some of Australia’s premier MCs. “I’m looking for MCs. I’m the best in the world,” Parker calls out, who has indeed long been heralded as the best freestyle MC in the world. “So when I land, you better be on your A game Australia; I’m not playing. I’m not here to rap for half an hour and record a little video. You’re gonna get two two-hour sets, no doubt. Freestyles all day. I’m there to show Australia what hip hop is. This is judgement day right here. All them DJs that play wack, rap music that you’ callin’ hip hop – I’m callin’ them out! They better not show me their playlist or ask me to be on their radio show. If they keep playing that nonsense that we are so sick of hearing, you’re not gonna get much from KRSOne. You are gonna get a reprimanding, yes you are.” WHO: KRS-One WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 5 April, Enmore Theatre; Friday 13, Southern Cross Entertainment Centre, Canberra

NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED SYDNEY ELECTRO-SOUL-POPPERS SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM ARE CELEBRATING ALBUM NUMBER THREE AND ANGUS MCDONALD TELLS CYCLONE, WHILE THEY’RE AS PUMPED AS EVER, THERE’S A LOT GOING ON OUTSIDE THE GROUP AS WELL.

as Sneaky Sound System’s From Here To Anywhere 2011’s most underrated album? With its euphoric, melodic and soulful house songs (yes, songs), From Here To Anywhere would seem to provide a magic remedy to all of that monotonous trancey electro in the charts. Angus McDonald, preparing for Sneaky’s upcoming tour, is philosophical about its comparatively modest crossover fortunes (it did get to #11). “There’s so much stuff out there, isn’t there?” he sighs. “People have such short attention spans.” McDonald and charismatic singer and songwriting partner Connie Mitchell are plugging the album’s third single, Really Want To See You Again. They’ve shot another filmclip, albeit one less controversial than the one for cheeky first single, We Love. “It’s our ode to an early ‘90s dance video.” And the Sydney combo’s shows are going off. They’ve appeared at Mardi Gras and, oddly, the Australian Open Of Surfing. “We’ve got such a loyal, great fun fanbase out there,” McDonald extols. “You feel it when you’re out there playing live, that’s for sure.” It could all be worse. “Look at every guy in a rock band – think about them for a second,” he quips. “At least we get played on the radio and we get to keep touring relentlessly and get to play in clubs and all that kinda thing. Go and try to find a rock song on the radio!” Sneaky may yet be ahead of their time. As with their labelmates Azari & III, who’ve remixed Really Want To See You Again, they’re reformulating ‘80s techno and ‘90s dance just as classic (deep) house is making a resurgence in the underground. “I think you’ve just gotta be a little bit patient and stick to your guns and not keep chasing every trend, because if you do that you can go around in circles. We’ve got our own thing going on – and we certainly have no shortage of shows. Sure, we’re probably not selling multi-platinum albums like we used to do, but who is?” Sneaky Sound System has its origins in Sydney’s longstanding house club Sneaky Sundays. McDonald, a DJ, and MC Daimon Downey formed the group with Mitchell,

who they stumbled upon strumming a guitar in Hyde Park. The rock chick had fronted the ‘90s outfit Primary. In 2006 Sneaky presented an eponymous debut, led by I Love It, on their own label, a runaway hit, striking double-platinum – that won ARIAs. Sneaky consolidated with the charttopping 2 – home to Kansas City – a couple of years later. But Downey, chiefly involved in Sneaky’s live show, began to drift away. He’s now a visual artist in Bondi. “[We] don’t see him as much as we used to,” McDonald admits. Sneaky released From Here To Anywhere internationally last October. This year the duo, who’ve long joined elite European festivals like Glastonbury, will be touring solidly abroad on it – whetting American appetites with gigs during the Miami Winter Music Conference. Sneaky do have connections. McDonald met Kanye West on his first Australian tour – and Mitchell has lain down vocals for him, most famously on Flashing Lights. Sneaky supported the Chicago MC at his recent Big Day Out sideshows, McDonald wondering why ‘Ye didn’t think to have Mitchell guest with him on stage. “Look, where do you start with that guy?” McDonald asks laconically. “He’s a tripper. He’s just done his second fashion collection in Paris – I mean, he kinda cares about Kanye… He thinks about himself and what he wants. He’s got an incredibly busy schedule, he’s trying to conquer the world – fashion, music, you name it. So I don’t know. I think at their shows here when they were doing BDO they dropped one of our tracks and gave it a big shout-out, so there’s some love there. But whether he sits there and listens to the album from start to finish is another question.” Mitchell has had other overtures from MCs – not always welcome. Obie Trice invited her to the US, purportedly for a collab. “He just wanted her as his love interest,” McDonald rues. “In the end she went, ‘You know what? Maybe not.’”

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Both Sneaky members have diversified, even teaming with Dutch trance superstar Tiësto for I Will Be Here – something, McDonald admits, they initially “resisted”. Mitchell has hinted at a solo project. McDonald might potentially pursue production work (he nearly wrote material for Kylie). In fact, it was “always part of the plan” for Sneaky to moonlight, McDonald says. “Once we did this record, we felt like we both wanted to do some other things. But, at this stage of the game, we’ll keep doing it together. There’s a very natural draw between the two of us – we enjoy working together, we bounce off each

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other very well, we know how each other works… But I also think it’s very important for us to separate and go and do our own thing for a little bit, just to explore other ways of doing things and get inspired to do things a little bit different to Sneaky – because, unwittingly, we’ve developed such a unique sound. So I guess it’d be good to go and do something different. [Mitchell has] been working on a bunch of stuff and I have been, too – so who knows how that’s gonna turn out? And then, on the other side, we’re doing a whole bunch of collaborations with lots of big dance people, just to see where that goes.” Sneaky have cut two songs with cred Brit DJ Riton. Erick Morillo is sitting on a tune finished at his “mate” Craig David’s home studio in London. As for future Sneaky albums? “The reason we called the album From Here To Anywhere is that we don’t want it to be a bookend. We want to continue, just keep going. We wanna keep putting out singles – and singles beyond this – but there’s no plans to release albums in the immediate future. We wanna focus on our own stuff and then be putting out one-off things – ‘cause I just don’t think the market or the people or the kids or the clubs or anyone really gives too much of a stuff about albums these days [laughs].” Sneaky unveil a ‘mischievous’ new show this tour, promising to dip into their entire catalogue. “We’re really excited about it. We’ve got some dancers and all sorts of special things coming along with us this time. It’s gonna be a pretty bangin’, in-your-face hourand-a-bit of power. It’s not for the faint-hearted.” WHO: Sneaky Sound System WHAT: From Here To Anywhere (Modular/Universal) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 7 April, The Hi-Fi THE DRUM MEDIA • 33

SOUNDSCAPE ROCKER LIKE A LOT OF TEENAGERS, FRENCH COMPOSER YANN TIERSEN, BEST KNOWN FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SOUNDTRACK OF CULT FEATURE FILM, AMÉLIE, STARTED OUT IN A ROCK BAND. MICHAEL SMITH LOOKS AT HIS MOVE INTO CINEMATIC ROCK.

“I

grew up in the late eighties,” Yann Tiersen, calling from Minehead in the UK, having just come in from Ireland on part of a tour that has now stretched to almost three years, explains. “So it was post-punk and this is kind of my base and my culture. But then I discover repetitive American music and so I was excited by all that as well the German bands – it’s just part of my musical culture and so in a subconscious way it’s present in my albums of course.” A classically trained violinist, Tiersen “rebelled” when he was 13, smashing his violin, picking up a guitar and forming a band, which, it seems, was successful enough to at least allow him, when it broke up a few years later, to buy a cheap mixing desk. He set himself up a small recording studio where, surrounded by synths, samplers and drum machines, he started chasing the sounds he was hearing in his head. He came out with three albums’ worth of stuff and it was from one of those that, six years after its release in 1995, that film director Jean-Pierre Jeunet drew for the soundtrack of the 2001 film Amélie.

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Tiersen meanwhile had already begun to gain attention, at least in France, for his diverse, cinematic albums informed as they were by so many genres, beginning with 1998’s Le Phare, but the success of Amélie saw his skills as a screen composer called upon by were Wolfgang Becker for his 2003 tragicomedy, Good Bye Lenin! and 2008’s Tabarly. Tiersen’s duel career quickly became international and he’s been touring his own albums for more than a decade, as he is with his latest and seventh album, Skyline.

STILL FLYIN’

“In each album I like to try different things, just to keep everything alive. You know, you need to try new textures or new… not directions because I think you always do the same music – that’s not really true but what’s behind music, you’re personality… I think music is another language, which no question’s to be true to yourself so you’re the same, in a way, even if you’re changing. “The music is yours as long as it’s honest and true to what you are. But you have to find different ways to make it as exciting as it was the first time, so you discover new textures and new opportunities to have a bigger field in a way. To be true to what you are you need to change it a bit and find new honest direction and sounds; not to repeat yourself or to be like a fake, a piece of what you were, not what you are now.” So did Tiersen have an overall idea of what he wanted to achieve with this album? “Not really,” he admits. “In fact I had some tiny ideas already recorded – you know, like some guitars and stuff, repeating patterns of guitar – but actually we were on tour in the US and after we came back to Europe. Because we were touring for a really long time, in a way it was so exciting to be back in the studio and to be also in the tour mood in a way, it was just really easy to work on this album and make it really joyful. “Composing is really easy – I’m just in the studio and messing around with synths, guitars and sounds and see what happens [laughs]. I never have a proper idea of an album before the recording. I like to be surprised and to be lost sometimes and suddenly you can find your way and, okay, it’s a good direction – let’s go.” WHO: Yann Tiersen WHAT: Skyline (Anti/Epitaph/Warner) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 5 April, Metro Theatre; Saturday 7 & Sunday 8, Bluesfest, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm

Years passed until one day in 2009 Sublime bassist Eric Wilson, who at that stage was playing drums, found himself collaborating with 21-year-old “whiz kid” Rome Ramirez, an encounter that would jumpstart the dormant story of Sublime. “I was doing some songs with him [Rome] for his album,” Wilson begins. “He wanted to do a cover of a Sublime song and it sounded really good. Our manager Mike Brown had a band recording at the same studio and heard what we were doing. He had a chat to me and said, ‘Why don’t you put Sublime back together with Rome?’” he explains. “We called Bud [Gaugh, drums] and went up to Nevada and jammed with him and it started going. Rome is super, super talented and we were really fortunate to meet him. Even without us I’m sure he’d be doing really well right now.” But the reunion wasn’t that simple. A string of legal complications left the new line-up unable to perform or record anything under the name Sublime. Adding Ramirez’s name to their title left them free of hitches and able to tour and record. A lot had changed during the band’s break, but Wilson stands strong on his belief that Sublime With Rome is still Sublime. “There is all sorts of controversy about the new Sublime, so I thought naming the new album Yours Truly would be good because it’s what we are; Sublime. It’s very unfortunate that Brad passed away but, just like other bands, we’re going on. So it’s Yours Truly, Sublime,” Wilson says. 34 • THE DRUM MEDIA

“I just got lucky this time too. They’re all about the same age so they can relate to each other. In the past I might have switched one guy here, one guy there – this was pretty much switched ‘em all at once – so it’s a good hang; everybody gets along really well, not too much friction. I’m not one of those guys that stays away from my band – I hang around ‘em; I’m kinda like one of the boys, even though they’re quite a bit younger than me. As my good friend Rick Estrin [of Little Charlie & The Night Cats] says when asked if that keeps him young, ‘I don’t know about young, but it sure helps keeps me immature’,” at which Wilson again laughs heartily. Wilson famously lucked out in the first guitarist he hooked up with to form The Fabulous Thunderbirds back in 1974, one Jimmie Vaughan, older brother of the late Stevie Ray. While they may never have scaled the heights the younger Vaughan did, the band has always had a reputation for fiery and compelling performances, maintaining a solid bluecollar fanbase. A dozen albums and 20-odd members later – Vaughan moved on in 1989 – the Thunderbirds now comprise Wilson, brothers guitarist Johnny and drummer Jay Moeller, guitarist Mike Keller and bass player Randy Bermudes. However, the Thunderbirds aren’t strictly a blues band, as Wilson points out.

“To play any instrument in this band, you’ve gotta be just well-versed in a lot of different things. You can’t come in knowin’ one or two tricks, you gotta know a lot and that part of it is difficult to find at any age. So I’m very fortunate. I have worked hard, I’ve got a reputation and people never usually say no to me when I ask them to come in. Of course it’s an ideal gig – if you’re a musician in this band, I’m not just standin’ out there in the spotlight, everybody in this band is featured, everybody gets a piece of the action. “And you get to do everything you want musically as well. They’ve just proved it to me in here. We had a bunch of arrangements and they came in and really shone on this new stuff. It’s a lot more soul and R&B kinda stuff that we cut on this record and they just blew it right away, man. It was pretty impressive, even though I already knew ‘em, comin’ in here and steppin’ up to the plate like that. You ask ‘em to play any kind of music – you know of course we take pride in playing all the ‘cool’ genres of music, all the stuff that we’ve loved over the years, all the great blues and soul and rock’n’roll – it’s amazing, the maturity of these guys. They’re not kids of course, but it takes a long, long time to develop that confidence to be able to do whatever you’re called upon to do. When I wanted to push the envelope a little more this time, these guys were able to come in and do it.” WHO: The Fabulous Thunderbirds WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 5 and Friday 6 April, Bluesfest, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm; Saturday 7, Factory Theatre

WITH TRAD METAL WARRIORS ICED EARTH FINALLY HEADING TO AUSTRALIA MARK HEBBLEWHITE CHATS WITH THE BAND’S FOUNDER JON SCHAFFER TO DISCUSS POWER METAL AND MIND CONTROL.

SKA-PUNKERS SUBLIME WITH ROME WILL BE GRACING AUSTRALIA WITH THEIR PRESENCE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER THIS APRIL. BASSIST AND LAST ORIGINAL MEMBER, ERIC WILSON, GIVES DANIEL CRIBB AN INSIGHT INTO THE SUBLIME STORY.

“I

’ve known them all since they were kids actually,” Kim Wilson begins, explaining how the current line-up of Texan blues stalwarts The Fabulous Thunderbirds came together. He’s on the line from a recording studio in Annapolis, Maryland, between vocal sessions for the next Thunderbirds record (“I think I’m making the record of my life”). “They were just little kids – their mums used to bring them to my shows you know and I’ve just watched them develop over the years and turn into these really great players. I guess I just picked ‘em when they were ripe [laughs].

DYSTOPIAN DREAMS

WHAT WE ARE

ew bands have such an interesting back-story as Sublime With Rome – and even less have overcome the same amount of hurdles to prevail victorious. Forming in 1988 under the name Sublime, the three-piece ska-punk band from California reached succuss in only a few short years before having their dreams torn apart with the band put on indefinite hiatus by the sudden and untimely death of vocalist/ guitarist Brad Nowell in 1996 due to a drug overdose.

OF THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF THE FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS, ONLY SINGER AND HARMONICA PLAYER KIM WILSON REMAINS, BUT AS HE TELLS MICHAEL SMITH, HE’S STILL SURROUNDED BY THE BEST PLAYERS AROUND.

“W At the end of last year, Gaugh decided to part ways with Sublime With Rome to spend more time with his family, leaving Wilson the last man standing. “In a sense, yeah, I’m the only original member of Sublime, but Rome is an original member of Sublime With Rome,” Wilson laughs. “Of course I wish Bud was still playing with us, but I’ve got to deal with it... He has a son. I have a son too, but he’s 11. He just had a daughter too. He just wants to be home and able to raise them. Gaugh’s departure makes room for a drumming heavyweight. World-renowned super-drummer Josh Freese (The Vandals, Guns N’ Roses, A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails) is taking his place and will be making an appearance with the band in Australia this April after only a handful of shows with the band in March. “We haven’t played since [Gaugh left]. We’ve just taken a little bit of time off. I’ve always wanted to jam with Josh Freese. I’ve known him for years. This is a step in the right direction, I can’t wait. We’ve got practice in a couple of weeks. “I’m totally excited to get to Australia. I’ve never been there before,” he enthuses. “I’m looking forward to playing to all those fans down there that have been listening to us for all these years and haven’t seen us or heard us live.” WHO: Sublime With Rome WHAT: Yours Truly (Warner) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 6 April, Bluesfest, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Byron Bay; Saturday 7, UNSW Roundhouse

e have nothing whatsoever to do with what I call ‘happy metal,” says Iced Earth’s rhythm guitarist Jon Schaffer, referring to the legions of frilly-shirted European ‘power metal’ bands who endlessly prattle on about unicorns and write hooks that would make your average boy band blush. “Our lineage is back to Black Sabbath through Judas Priest and the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, in particular Iron Maiden. I was also personally influenced by a lot of great American bands – Kiss, Alice Cooper, Blue Oyster Cult. So no, we’re definitely not a Helloween ‘happy, happy’ German singalong type of band that people refer to when they talk about ‘power metal’.” Happy is certainly not a word one would use to describe the intense and outspoken Schaffer. This is a man who has seen hard times (he grew up homeless on the streets of Tampa, Florida) and has little faith that things are going to get any better. This worldview not only seeps into the muscular, almost thrashy riffs that drive the Iced Earth machine; they’re also evident in the band’s new album, Dystopia, which, as the name suggests explores a range of dystopian themes. But forget the imaginings of Aldous Huxley or George Orwell, Schaffer has his eye on the here and the now. “There’s an Anglo-American empire in this world – and unfortunately it includes your country as well. The United States was founded as an example to the world, based on the basic principles of property rights and human liberty, but it’s been turned into a tyrannical police state. We don’t have sovereignty anymore – we only have the illusion of sovereignty. “Everyone hates us and you know what – we probably deserve to be hated. These globalists have hijacked our country, stolen our money supply, stolen our sovereignty – it’s a nightmare scenario of the über elite, the financial oligarchy, the blue bloods of Europe taking over the world like they’ve always wanted to do. It’s time for the human race to wake the fuck up and to realise it’s not about

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religion, it’s not about race, it’s about whether people want to be free or slaves to criminal governments.” Schaffer’s (ahem) ‘strident’ views have often been characterised as ‘conservative’ but the man himself vehemently rejects this tag. Indeed with one exception he disdains all the Republican candidates vying to face Barack Obama in November. “Fuck Rick Santorum, fuck those other guys – they’re all establishment stooges,” spits Schaffer. “The only guy with any integrity is Ron Paul – he’s the only guy that understands that banks rule the world. He’s the only guy that understands we’re up against a corporate fascist dictatorship that is trying to get installed in the United Nations.” Schaffer may be disgusted with the state of world affairs but since recruiting new vocalist Stu Block he’s rediscovered his passion for making and playing music. “For a long while I was sick of Iced Earth, especially the business side of things and all the stuff people don’t hear about. But then I had a bit of an awakening and I fell back in love with Iced Earth again. I did something I’d never been able to do before – look back at everything I’d accomplished and realising how good it had been. Around the same time the world financial collapse happened and I realised that we’d have to really commit if we wanted to survive as a band. Matt Barlow [former singer] wasn’t ready to do that – he’s a cop and has a family – so he decided to step down. Then Stu came along and with him on board, Iced Earth is a group of guys ready to do what’s necessary. Dystopia is already one of my favourite Iced Earth records and this band is only going to get stronger. I’m really glad I persevered and didn’t give up.” WHO: Iced Earth WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 5 April, The Hi-Fi

THE BANDS THE INDUSTRY THE LOCALS THE ENCORES THE DJS THE GIGS THE PRODUCERS THE CLUBS THE REMIXES THE ARTISTS THE FESTIVALS THE GROUPIES THE ALBUMS THE TOURS THE FANS

LAUNCHING THIS THURSDAY

SINGLES/EPS WITH ROSS CLELLAND

CHILDREN COLLIDE

ON THE RECORD

Cherries (I’m On Your Side) Universal

As it comes at you in its insistent – bordering on repetitive – waves, you can just about see the lights sweeping across the crowd who are jumping up and down roughly in time and yelling the refrain roughly in tune. Children Collide make big anthems with what they refer to as a post-punk flavour, but that basically means it has lots of layers and the energy that makes it sound like they’re shouting, while remembering to keep something resembling a melody in there. There are worse things being called ‘pop music’ at the moment.

GARBAGE Blood For Poppies Stunvolume/Liberator

Beyond the voice, the presence, the slightly brogued howl of the magnificent Shirley Manson, the reborn Garbage still have a roar of guitars and other racket behind her that only three producers who know where ‘11’ is on the amps and the ability to make it more than merely noise have seemed able to do. There’s a vaguely rap cadence to her delivery, but conveyed with the joyous intent of a band happy to be back and doing it for more than the cheque or the nostalgia value. Really very splendidly wrought, as expected.

THE CACTUS CHANNEL Emmanuel Ciccolini/Budokan Hope Street Recordings

The just-out-of-high-school big band, who at the least suggest that some kids know their musical histories – a couple of offspring of Melbourne musicians of note might suggest there’s some nature and nurture of such knowledge in there too – and make a damn fine blurting instrumental funk noise on this hunka hunka burning 7” vinyl (yes, vinyl). Reference points would include The Meters and The Dap Kings/Menahan Street horde, or even Dexys before the fiddles took hold. The fact it sounds so easy is a delight. Tops.

MOSMAN ALDER Raisin Heart

Dew Process/Universal There’s a sometimes odd collision of influences in this that you’re not quite sure work or not, even after repeated listenings. That currently fashionable gallop which colours so much ‘new’ music on the radio mixes with a vocal of lugubrious depth which has some Stephin Merritt, or Jack Ladder, or Edwyn Collins doing Bowie (remember A Girl Like You?) to it. Then there are baroque layers of backing vocals and textures wandering through. End result: a big beautiful mess. With the ‘beautiful’ sometimes optional.

T-REK New Strange/No Wow Freakshow Disco/Rubber

The somewhat prolific Mr Rek – no less than 60 releases over the last five or so years – makes a somewhat focused effort for the world to work out what he’s on about. Found sound samples scrape up a loud but danceable guitars and buzzing synth noise that have fitted nicely when he was supporting LCD Soundsystem when they finally got here and kept the shirtless hordes awake on this year’s Big Day Out. No Wow adds just enough buzzy darkness to make you wonder where the album out next month may take him.

THE FLOORS You Got To Move Independent

Perth’s Dux brothers, whose pedigrees include being parts of fine collectives over there such as Kill Devil Hills and The Embers – and getting some individual bassist and guitarist WAMIs along with those garnered by those combos – together consort to make a noise of their own. It’s a nicely filthy bluesy grind, with said bass possibly being purloined from Lou Reed’s Street Hassle and a guitar slither owing something from when Kim Salmon lived over there. This is music to be sweated to. And that’s not often a bad thing.

COLD CHISEL No Plans

LOSTPROPHETS

Capitol/EMI

Sony

A + E is Graham Coxon shot out of a cannon: loud and brash, revelling in angsty noise. Yet as quickly as it soars, it lands flat. The record continues in Coxon’s solo style that, for the uninitiated, is essentially Blur circa 1997, with more fuzz and less melody. In his recently reignited day job as the Britpop band’s guitarist and occasional singer/songwriter, his passion for ‘90s slacker fuzz-pop had clearly been stifled, and the explosion witnessed on this record has great heart but lacks the all important, indescribable hooks that would have listeners glued to their speakers.

Once upon a time, Lostprophets were a rough-sounding band from Wales who were in the forefront of the whole ‘screamo band’ wave that started to creep into the mainstream consciousness in the early noughties. And with some corker albums under the belt early on, the band has somewhat mellowed and has turned their collective attention to the subtleties of music as opposed to the brashness evident on Fake Sound Of Progress and Start Something. Tracks used to be heavily dominated by guitar riffs; now the focus has turned to the overall song on the band’s new album, Weapons.

The record works best when it avoids dipping into synthetic instrumentation, like the syncopated drum machine on City Hall, which jars and overwhelms the subtle noodling going on during the bridge. Similarly, Coxon gives his voice a vocoder makeover on Meet+Drink+Pollinate that is embarrassingly amateur. By contrast the opener, Advice packs the best of Coxon’s guitar and vocal skills in under three minutes. The menacing aggression of The Truth is gripping, with Coxon’s vocals sounding miles away yet charismatically upfront. The real gem is Running For Your Life, switching between wails and a sardonic tone as he repeatedly says, “We don’t like your haircut or your attitude.”

Opener, Bring ‘Em Down, is an upbeat number that maintains all the components of their old sound, yet the guitars are down in the mix, and it is the layered vocal lines that are dominant. To paint this obvious change in the band’s musical direction in a negative light would be quite narrow-minded, as the band has much more of a pop feel to most of their material, like Better Off Dead and the pop ballad, Jesus Walks (You And Me). Yes, the band will have ostracised hardcore fans of old, yet it is the diversity in the band’s sound that is endearing overall. And who really wants to see aging rockers competing against the endless wave of younger bands flooding the scene? It seems you release a debut album and by the second album you’re deemed ‘old news’ and just plain old. Acoustic guitars get a run on Somedays, before the album closes with the sombre synth-infused Can’t Get Enough. Lostprophets have successfully crossed over from post hardcore to indie pop darlings - jump on board and enjoy the candy ride.

A+E

Warner From Barnesy’s opening guttural scream – “I’m standin’ in the sun/ Smokin’ a cigarette – noooo plans,” – launching both album and title track in no uncertain terms, to the poignant sound of the late Steve Prestwich, singing and drumming his only and, sadly, final contribution to the band’s legacy, I Got Things To Do, this is undeniably classic Cold Chisel – no doubt about it. All the elements are there – Don Walker’s stomping boogie piano counterpointing his more lyrical, limpid lines on tracks like All For You and Missing A Girl; Ian Moss solos scatterfire one minute, sinewy and lithe the next; that unmistakable bludgeoning Barnes voice matched by the worldweary romance of Moss’ voice and Phil Small holding it all down, locked into former Divinyls drummer Charley Drayton. Together they’re an undeniable force of nature. Are they adding anything new to the legacy in this, their first new collection of songs in 14 years? The answer has to be the old time will tell. You’re unlikely to hear anything much from No Plans on the radio any time soon, but there are certainly moments when a new song – HQ454 Monroe – sounds a little too much like an old song. There are hints, naturally, at post-Chisel influences here and there, as in the gospel/R&B approach to Dead And Laid To Rest, with some snaky, incendiary guitar work from Moss. What has always set Chisel apart is the fact that for all the rock angst inherent in Barnes’ delivery, they, or more specifically Don Walker, always wrote grown-up songs. Right from the beginning, Walker’s writing was remarkably mature and he remains on the top of his game, providing all but three songs for No Plans, Moss contributing a feisty Too Late, while Barnes the aforementioned Dead And Laid To Rest.

Coxon works best within simplicity; take for example his expert craftsmanship on Pete Doherty’s 2009 record, Grace/Wastelands. For the man who causes thousands of grown men to cry out his lyrics of “Oh my baby…” during Blur’s live renditions of Tender, this is a disappointing misstep that in its bare bones possessed great potential.

Weapons

James Dawson

Sevana Ohandjanian

Michael Smith

M. WARD

THE MARS VOLTA

ODD FUTURE

Spunk/Co-operative

Warner

Odd Future/RED/Sony

Portland’s Matthew Ward went from releasing a slew of amazing albums under his own name before hooking up a few years ago with one-time indie-film It Girl, Zooey Deschanel, to make a couple of much less compelling albums under the band name She & Him. While they may not have compared to the understated purity of his own records, it’s obviously opened his appeal up to a larger audience and it’s hard to fault him for it.

The Mars Volta have never made easy-listening records. They create dense, sonically surprising albums that are untethered to genre, living in their own confusing, lyrically ambiguous world. It’s been three years since the lacklustre Octahedron, and it seems time and rumination has seerved vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez well. Noctourniquet is vast, constantly revealing new intricacies with each listen, and for the first time, keeps the track lengths to an average five minutes, bar the annihilating sound orgasm of The Malkin Jewel. Zavala has even got the pining love song down pat with Lapochka, as he asks repeatedly, “How long must I wait? Til the mountains of Everest turn blue.”

The OF Tape Vol. 2 confirms every prejudice you have about OFWGKTA. You think it’s a group of youngsters assembled to fuel Tyler’s ego? His presence all over the record lends weight to your argument. You think Frank Ocean’s sweet crooning stands over and above all the messy skateboard raps of his colleagues? The evidence is here for you. Whether you’re a Wolf Gang lover or not, there are no surprises to be found on Volume 2. It’s more of the same.

A Wasteland Companion

Noctourniquet

He’s well back on track with A Wasteland Companion, and despite it featuring a massive cast of indie who’s who type people, it still comes across with the same authenticity as his previous solo records. The extended cast become apparent by the third track, Me And My Shadow, which smuggles in a chorus of singers for some oohs and ahhs, and bursts into a surprising guitar wail as a breakdown. Deschanel makes an unwelcome and annoyingly loud appearance on the chorus of the bar room piano romp, Sweetheart, confirming it’s not just indie-snobbery causing the dismay at this pairing. The tracks with stripped-back instrumentation always shine more of a light on Ward’s warble and distinct guitar style, and gives you a better chance to experience the song itself. There’s A Key and the album’s opener, Clean Slate, give real insights. Watch The Show is darker than usual and drenched in effects, which add more weight to the track’s more experimental nature. The recording sessions for the album were done in a bunch of different studios all over the world, and there is a very satisfying variety of sounds due to this fact. An ambitious record, not his best, but with enough gems to make it worthwhile. Chris Yates

36 • THE DRUM MEDIA

GRAHAM COXON

Bixler-Zavala’s voice is full of passion and ferocity, whether screeching on the earworm chorus of Dyslexicon or when drowned underwater on In Absentia. Musically the band are treading their own turf, that bizarre world of hot and cold, where in one song the voices may go from whispers to hollers and Rodriguez-Lopez leaps from the background to bring his shape-shifting guitar work to the forefront. All the while Bixler-Zavala sings of who knows what. Frankly no one ever really pays attention to the lyrics that seem to spew from him as if possessed; it’s his ability to evoke an array of feelings with the mere tone of his voice that draws the listener in time and time again, like on the thrilling Molochwalker.

The OF Tape Vol. 2

Real Bitch is textbook bad OFWGKTA. This clumsy, ugly search for a perfect mate is revealing only of the immaturity of Mellowhype and Taco. It’s tough to respect or look up to anyone who’d make a song as pathetic as this. That a couple of verses of Real Bitch conclude with the word “swag” is arch irony. On the other hand White is OFWGKTA at its best. Elusive – and hookless – it’s Frank Ocean championing the most interesting element of this world-beating crew: how these young men (and one young woman) somehow manage to combine wild ferocity with an utter lack of direction. “I’ll forget 23 like I forgot 17 and I’ll forget my first love,” laments Frank. “And what of my wild friends? And the times I’ve had with them? It’ll all fade to grey soon.” The Internet also makes a valuable contribution. And Mike G’s Forest Green is a star turn.

Noctourniquet isn’t the record that’s going to convert non-believers, but for Mars Volta fans it has the guts and heart to keep their mosh pits messy for a while to come.

If you look for the worst – atonal buzzy beats, anger, hatred, misogyny, the now irrelevant chants of “Free Earl!” – you’ll find it here. Look for a bunch of talented people at the vanguard of what’s new and exciting about music and you’ll find that too. This one is yours to love. Or not.

Sevana Ohandjanian

James d’Apice

themusic.com.au

highlights and holding back to create space where needed. On tracks like Dollar Chills and Debt Death, the drums become the pivotal instrument, creating much more than just a beat for the guitars. When the tunes are a bit more chilled out, it’s usually via the dark disco found on Play Dead Until You’re Dead, which sounds more like French electro maniacs Justice than a punk band. The songs are simple and not overthought, it’s the atmosphere and excitement of making live music that these guys are revelling in – and they’re doing it brilliantly.

ORBITAL

YANN TIERSEN

ACP/Liberator

Epitaph/Warner

Orbital are dance music’s original not-quite-superstars, a duo whose seven studio albums between 1991 and their 2004 split arguably constitutes a finer body of work than Underworld, The Chemical Brothers, et al. By the time of ‘04’s The Blue Album, the law of diminishing returns had set in, so for the Hartnoll brothers to not only unexpectedly emerge eight years later with Wonky but also recapture some of the magic of their mid-‘90s glory days is a very pleasant surprise indeed. Wonky feels not so much like a collection of songs as an event, One Big Moment easing into focus like a rising sun as spoken word mutterings shift left and right – and then comes the drop, with Orbital’s melodic quirkiness updated but fully intact. This is dancefloor magic for the discerning gurner, from the straightforward 4/4 beauty of Straight Sun to the selfexplanatory bomb Stringy Acid to the Zola Jesus-featuring anthem, New France. Longtime listeners may note the complex drum programming of earlier efforts is largely abandoned, but the panoramic Orbital synth sounds are as majestic as ever. And even the cursory nods to the present, such as the dubstep-influenced Distractions and Beelzedub and the portamento house of the title track, sound like the Hartnolls acknowledging dance music’s current status quo rather than following it. A bonus disc of classic tracks recorded live on 2010’s rapturously received tour here (including a 19-minute take on Impact that defies description) is a sure sign Orbital and their minders have confidence in Wonky, and so they should – it’s no Orbital 2/Brown Album or In Sides but easily their most cohesive full-length since 1999’s The Middle Of Nowhere.

Yann Tiersen’s new album is at once masterfully understated and highly emotive. His combination of ethereal – and at times haunting – vocals, harmonious guitar lines and a host of other unexpected instruments, creates an album that is evocative in the most impressive of ways. Opening track, Another Shore, moves from strange discordant guitar riffs to a heavy drum sequence and then towards a soft, slow ending section in the closing half of the song. Tiersen debuts his powerful, angelic vocals in I’m Gonna Live Anyhow, as he repeats the title line in a melodic vocal sequence that brings the record to life and gives it a calming forest feel. Exit 25 Block 20 serves as a bizarre interlude and is certainly one of the weaker moments of the record. The psychedelic undertones of the record are brought to the foreground in this track, which seems to detract from the overall tone of the piece.

Skyline

The steady, powerful feel of the album is reclaimed with Hesitation Wound, a song that boasts some of the most affective vocals the album has to offer. Album closer, Vanishing Point, provides a disjointed conclusion to the album. The record’s greatest strengths lie in the masterful musical cohesion, which lacks in this final song. While it is undoubtedly a powerful track, Vanishing Point is a weak, abrupt close to the album and appears pale in comparison to the songs that precede it. Overall, the album’s vocal and instrumental prowess as well as its courageous ability to push generic boundaries makes it a hugely successful work. Lucia Osborne-Crowley

FACT FILE

LIVE

Length: 13 tracks, 42 minutes Mood: Exciting, energised, explosive

DZ DEATHRAYS

DID YOU KNOW?

I Oh You/Liberation It’s only taken a couple of years really for Brisbane’s DZ Deathrays to go from devastating house parties to become hot property across the Western world. Performing live as a two-piece, it’s been necessary for the group to publicise the fact they are not playing along with a backing track – it seems like so much more is going on than just a couple of dudes on guitars and drums. While the energy and frenetic power of their live shows has obviously proven a little difficult to catch on record, their performance still shines through on their debut album. The guitars sound like a whole bunch of different instruments at once, with a myriad effects creating more layers of sound than should really be possible. On Teenage Kickstarts, the simple guitar line sounds like not one, but several synthesisers all at once. It would be heavy handed and cheesy if not for the subtle approach they’ve displayed. It’s about the only thing they do subtly however. Most of the tracks explode in a frenzy of punk rock excitement with punchy drums smashing through

This album reflects the last four years’ worth of hard work by the duo, Shane Parsons and Simon Ridley, after a busy schedule of VDnational tours. Recording international and took place at White Room Studios, along with Richard Pike (of PVT) and Neil Coombe.

Bloodstreams

Kris Swales

Chris Yates

Wonky

DZ Deathrays have toured nationally with the likes of Foo Fighters, Crystal Castles, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Laneway Festival, as well as Fucked Up and Dananananaykroyd. Their live shows have stretched well and truly across the globe and include performances at SXSW and The Great Escape. They have also played a number of shows with Band Of Skulls, Male Bonding and full tours of the UK with NYC punk band Cerebral Ballzy and the NME Radar tour. They were placed in NME magazine’s and Q magazine’s Top 10 Bands of The Great Escape list, while NME took their praise even further, labelling the band the fourth most exciting new act of 2012, with critical acclaim from Mark Ronson, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Huw Stephens of the BBC1.

ROMERO RECORDS PRESENTS

Romero Records is very pleased to announce its first two releases: The Tango Saloon’s third album Shadows & Fog and Darth Vegas’s second album Brainwashing For Dirty Minds.

Shadows & Fog ALBUM LAUNCH

The Factory Floor (105 Victoria Rd Marrickville)

Friday April 14 with Miss Little + Brian Campeau

www.romerorecords.com.au www.thetangosaloon.com www.darthvegas.com.au

The Tango Saloon Shadows & Fog

Darth Vegas Brainwashing For Dirty Minds

Shadows & Fog conjures images of figures lurking in the shadows, a midnight rendez-vous, a heist gone bad, betrayals and double-crosses. Featuring ten of Australia’s finest instrumentalists, plus special guest vocalist Elana Stone on first single Femme Fatale.

Brainwashing For Dirty Minds is an amazingly colourful concoction that could well be the soundtrack for a cult B-grade sci-fi/horror/porno film about an opium-addicted ghost falling in love with a nympho robot with four breasts, set against the backdrop of a war between a horde of vampire gypsies and surf-loving ninjas from outer space.

Available at: www.newmarketmusic.com, for download on iTunes, and at all good record stores.

themusic.com.au

THE DRUM MEDIA • 37

TIME HAS COME… Hard rock blues-infused band, Rival Sons, release their album, Pressure & Time, in Australian later this month. Recorded in 20 days to ensure rawness for both listener and band, the Californian band committed themselves to creating an experience that closely matched the attitude and excitement of one of their live performances. On the album you’ll hear a culmination of groove, soul, swagger and danger by which the Rival Sons live and breathe. Already released overseas it’s set to drop in Australia Friday 27 April.

SUPERHEROES Soundgarden have recorded their first new song in 15 years for the film, Marvel’s The Avengers, called Live To Rise. The track will also be included on Avengers Assemble, a 14-track compilation of music from and inspired by the film, due for release Sunday 20 May. And it doesn’t end there for Soundgarden fans, the band stating “We’ve been hard at work on our new album, which will come out this Fall [Australian Spring].When the opportunity arose to write an original song for Marvel’s The Avengers film came our way, we thought it would be a cool match…”

SWALLOW VENOM Melbourne-based alternative-metal outfit, Cave Of The Swallows, will be heading to Sydney to play at one of the cooler and heavier venues around town, Venom. You’ll be able to catch their intense rocking attitudes on Saturday 7 April. The three-piece will be touring in support of their debut EP, Dead Upon Your Feet. And, if you’re feeling a little curious as to what this band may sound like, you can download their EP for free on the band’s Facebook page.

METAL FUSION More free things! Some heavy rock punters may be familiar with the fifth edition of The Euphony Fusion heavy metal compilation series, which features a selection of 31 bands, of a wide variety of metal genres from across Australia and abroad. More than 1200 copies were recently handed out at metal Sidewaves across the country and that was supposed to be it. But due to high demand, Wilken Records have decided to make the compilation CD available as a free digital download for a limited time. So head over to www. welkinentertainment.com, enter your email and you will receive a link to download the entire thing.

PSYCHO PARROT

King Parrot have released their second video clip for their single, Psychotherapy And Valium, off their debut EP The Stench Of Hardcore Pub Trash. Once again, the band chose to work with Dan Farmer from Farmwalker Productions for the making of the clip, which captures the energy and intensity of the King Parrot live experience. A debut album is now in preparation and studio time officially booked, so you can expect a debut album before the end of the year. In the meantime, they’ll be playing at The Junction Hotel in Maitland Friday 25 May and The Basement in Canberra Saturday 26.

AWOKEN BY OPPORTUNITY

Awaken I Am guitarist, Dave Nankervis, has been picked up by Chicago’s rock/punk giants Mest. Nankervis impressed the guys during Mest’s Australian tour a few years back and was invited to stand in for their regular guitarist for their upcoming USA/Canada tour. Aside from sharing the stage with Mest, Nankervis will also be touring alongside Escape The Fate, Attack Attack! and The World Alive.

SMASHIN’ IT

Smashing Pumpkins will be releasing their next album, Oceania, through EMI, noting this album is part an overarching project, Teagarden By Kaleidyscope, which has been developing since September 2009. The album is set to drop Tuesday 19 June.

BEHIND BARS

The vocalist for Californian band Time Again, Daniel ‘Dart’ Richert, has reportedly been sentenced to two and a half years in prison. According to his bandmates, the conviction was due to ‘kidnapping’, though the specific circumstances have not been revealed by the band. Despite this significant hurdle in the pop punk band’s career, Richert remains “very insistent that Time Again would continue.”

BACK IN THE STUDIO

Minnesota’s Off With Their Heads notified their fans via Facebook that “For realzies though, we will be back out on the road all over the US after this record is finished, which is now officially being recorded in July. I can’t tell you who is recording it yet, but I wouldn’t be lying if I said his name rhymes with Swill Severson.” 38 • THE DRUM MEDIA

THE HEAVY SHIT

GOOD FRIDAY

A big edition this week – First draft was nearly 3000 words so less talk, more m’etal… The Underground Legions Tour is coming to town in July and will feature old school metal warriors, Goatwhore, on their first headlining tour here, with Singapore’s mighty Impiety and Tasmania’s dark and extreme force Ruins as support. Special guest opening acts will feature in each city. Check out Goatwhore’s brilliant new opus, Blood For The Master, too. Fabulous blackened death‘n’roll. The devastation will take place at The Sando on Thursday 5 July. Congrats to Our Last Enemy, whose new EP, Wolves Of Perigord, debuted at #2 in the iTunes Metal Chart last week! They will be playing The Stag on Friday 11 May. The hotly anticipated Itz All About The Riff album has been given another shot in the arm this week. Rick Rozz from Massacre (and before that he was in the mighty Death) has been writing and recording guitar tracks for the tribute album to Celtic Frost’s Dethroned Emperor. Snake has been in an ongoing cyber chat with Rick about everything from Rose Tattoo to discussing the upcoming and first Massacre album in over 20 years! The guy has put his blood and soul on the line for this album and it shows, with contributors from all over the metal world lining up to add their DNA to it. Hard work, that’s what gets shit done, not standing around with your hand out. I’ve heard the album’s opening track and what better opener is there than Let There Be Rock, eh!? If you haven’t yet, go get the new EP from Berserkerfox called New World Murder = tres bien merde. Melbourne’s Witchgrinder told me they are holding auditions for a new bass player. Interested? Hit ‘em up at info@witchgrinfer.com. Six Feet Under and Darkest Hour have been added to the Devildriver show at The Hi-Fi on Saturday 5 May. This a licensed all ages show, so bring the kiddies along to a night of true death metal courtesy of Mr Barnes and Co.

ALMOST THERE WEDNESDAY

Drummers and drum fans, get over to Canterbury Leagues Club tonight and witness a very cool clinic indeed. The great Kenny Aronoff will be in the house and you can catch the master for just 20 bucks. Kenny

The Sando brings the tempo back up tonight with Not Like Horse, Kahn Of K, the mighty Red Bee and Modern Murder in the house.

SIX FEET UNDER has played with The Smashing Pumpkins, Jon Bon Jovi, Elton John, Alice Cooper and a list literally ten lines long. He has been voted the #1 drummer in both the pop and rock categories by readers of Modern Drummer for the last five years too. It’s not always about who can blast the fastest. Dead Meadow have been spreading their psychedelic ideals for well over ten years now and tonight they will infect the ANU Bar in Canberra with that pungent stench of incense along with Canada’s Pink Mountaintops, the side project of Black Mountains main man Stephen McBean. Rounding out the event will be Silver Spine Arkestra.

PARTY THURSDAY After an eternity, they are finally here! Iced Earth will be bringing their metal masterpieces to The Hi-Fi tonight. AND the show has been changed to all ages, which means the next generation can come and get an earful of some of Mr Shaffer’s best riffs. Those awesome and very busy lads in Lord have the support honours. If the above is too much to handle and you’d rather rock out via a monster night of Aussie rock, then head to The Stag where Stand Alone, featuring ex-members of Rose Tattoo, Judge Mercy and Mortal Sin will be making their headline debut. More straight-up, foot-on-the-foldback, rock’n’roll will be provided by Black Label, Devine Electric and The Heavies. Prefer some unholy sludge, doom and psych instead? The Sando will host Canberra’s death/doom outfit, Futility, who will be launching their new album, The View From Here. Adding to the fuzz will be doomers Adrift For Days, the post punk BM of The Veil and stoners from the ‘Gong, Lint.

WAKE THE DEAD Adelaide’s Night Hag are set to release their brand new 7” next month. Titled, Confidence Man, it’s due to be released through Brisbane’s Monolith Records. This is a band that has embodied the DIY spirit since day one, and over a couple of extremely productive years as a band, have released quite a few records as well as done an extensive tour of South East Asia. Confidence Man continues their musical tradition, with the four-track release following on from their 2011 debut, Gilded Age. If you haven’t heard the frenetic metallic hardcore that is Night Hag, I recommend checking them out especially as they are set to hit a town near you soon. For example, on Saturday 28 April, the band plays The Roxbury Hotel in Glebe with At Dark, Valiant Jones, Fat Guy Wears Mystic Wolf Shirt and The Brave. On Sunday 29, there is an afternoon show at Blackwire Records with Spoonfed, Obat Batuk and Dark Horse. On Monday 30, Yours & Owls in Wollongong sees the band play with Rev Jesse Custer, Endeavours and more to be announced. Tuesday 1 May sees Night Hag move to Newcastle for a show at The Pharmacy with Tired Minds, Obat Batuk and more. Then finally on Wednesday 2, Bar 32 in Canberra sees the band play with Rev Jesse Custer, Venom Eyes, Wretch and Throat Of Dirt. Canada’s Silverstein are heading back out to Australia again this June for a run of shows that appear to be 18+ for the most part. The Canucks are heading out to one of their favourite countries on the back of their most recent album, Rescue (out now through Hopeless Records), and will be joined as they trek around the country by Gold Coast pop punk act Skyway. You can catch the tour on Wednesday 13 June when they play Bar 32 in Canberra, on Thursday 14 at Hot Damn in Sydney, and at The Entrance Leagues Club in Bateau Bay on Friday 15. Ticketing details are all available on the Facebook event page, with tickets going on sale at 9am Monday 9 April. Since the announcement that Toy Boats would be the newest addition to the Resist Records roster way back in around October last year, there has been quite a bit of anticipation for the Byron Bay singer/songwriter’s debut EP, Diamond Teeth. With the EP out on April 13, Toy Boats will be performing

METAL AND HARD ROCK WITH CHRIS MARIC

The Dead Meadow/Pink Mountaintops tour finds itself in The Hi-Fi Bar tonight and they’ve roped in The Laurels and Los Sundowners to play first.

SUPER SATURDAY

Venom have night three of your Jesus weekend covered with As Chaos Unfolds, Seconds Till The End, Cave Of Swallows and Melbourne’s Exist Within all playing live. Maiden have yet another live DVD too – this one is called El Vivo and it, along with the new album via Shock from I See Stars, will be up for grabs. So too will be the storming newies from Riot, namely Overkill, God Forbid and Wretched and Roadrunner have a new sampler too! Metal overload!! Serious Beak will be at the Lansdowne tonight. Playing stuff off their debut album, Huxwhukw, which I’m sure you need a speech impediment to pronounce. Their eccentric combo of progressive, psychedelic, polyrhythmic discordant vibes have drawn comparisons to everyone from Meshugga, Mastodon, The Mars Volta and King Crimson. They don’t often play live (prob too busy rehearsing), so definitely check them out. Joining in are Lo!, Fat Guy Wears Mystic Wolf Shirt and Killsong. Out in the flood ravaged town of Wagga Wagga, there is a bit of a relief show happening. The Wagga Massive Metal Mulisha FMX Flood Relief Show to be exact. It features some bloke called Angry Anderson who will be playing with the awesome Heaven The Axe. Justice Crew, Mind Over Matter, Mr Hill & Rahjconkas, Kong Fuzi and 4th Wall City are all taking turns too! The Wagga Massive collective led by Duggie Pinnock & JB Serong have organised the event to raise money and help the flood victims. All money raised on the day will be donated to the flood relief charity fund set up by WWCC. The local council has gotten on board, as has local BMX superstar Jake Condron and many, many more. Admission will be $10 for adults, $2 for kids, $20 for awesome community adults and $50 for superstar community heroes. heavy@drummedia.com.au

PUNK AND HARDCORE WITH SARAH PETCHELL

TOY BOATS a small run of acoustic instore appearances in a whole bunch of excellent record stores all around the country. So as well as a free show, if you purchase the EP at one of the instore shows, you will also receive a limited, hand-numbered, screen-printed Toy Boats poster. For Sydney, the show that is naturally at Resist Records and coincides nicely with Record Store Day festivities so head down to Resist on Saturday 21 April from 4pm for the show. While I’m talking about Record Store Day, the entire list of special edition releases for the day is available as a downloadable PDF or in a list on the Record Store Day website. There are quite a few releases that I’m excited about, including Anberlin’s first two albums, Never Take Friendship Personal and Blueprints For The Black Market, which are getting the vinyl treatment, Cursive’s Burst And Bloom on marbled vinyl, and the Mariachi El Bronx/The Bronx Split 12” on splatter vinyl. I know that Beatdisc records in Parramatta will be taking wishlist orders real soon for what their customers want them to get in, so head to your local record store and ask them what they can do for you, and stay tuned for more special on the day events and promotions. Terror has been cropping up a bit in hardcore news circles, and this week is no exception with the news that fans can get ready for a whole batch of new material. The band announced that they will be releasing a new album before the end of the year called Live By The Code. Reaper Records will be handling the release duties, which is a massive coup as there is as yet no word whether Century Media will be co-handling the release duties as they did

themusic.com.au

with 2010’s Keepers Of The Faith. Reaper Records are of course famous for handling the release of a number of hardcore records, including those from recent Australian vistors Backtrack and Trapped Under Ice, as well as releases from On, SOS, Down To Nothing and Madball. If you’re looking for something to do on Good Friday, there is a massive hardcore show taking place at The Valve Bar in Tempe. Ten bands for $15 sounds like pretty good value for me, and with a lineup that includes Mark My Words, Taken By Force, Unpaid Hostility, Vices, Break A Leg, Deadly Visions, Snakepit, The Takehold, Clipped Wings and Cold Youth, that’s a whole bunch of exceptional, up-andcoming hardcore bands on stage. Holy Hardcore (as it’s called) is 18+ and kicks of at 2pm. And just to cap off this week with a quick reminder that Bodyjar are playing a one-off show in Sydney this Thursday night at the Rock Lily at The Star Casino. It’s free, it’s the day before a public holiday and there are a bunch of kick-arse supports so make sure you get along. As the show is free, you need to get down there early to guarantee that you will get in. The Facebook event page says doors open 7pm. Besides, with My Echo and Firearms! supporting it will definitely be a good show. Firearms will also apparently be playing some new material, as this will be their comeback show after spending precisely one day in the studio recording their 14-track debut. Me, I’m just psyched to get the chance to sing along to some of Bodyjar’s greatest hits. wakethedead@drummedia.com.au

LOWERIDER

HOUSE, PROGRESSIVE AND TECHNO VIBES WITH ROBBIE LOWE

Feeling a little hazy for a Monday and I blame S.A.S.H. for this! Think I may have drunk a few too many mid-afternoon schooners. But there are no regrets. It was top evening had by all in the many pockets of the Abercrombie Hotel. After being totally spent, but content, from eating one of their trademark double cheeseburger meals, I played a b2b set with Ben Korbel upstairs in the Terrace. It’s the perfect environment for this type of Sunday afternoon shindig, and helped along with a very punchy little sound system thanks to Night Works Audio. Music, music and more music – I’m living and breathing it and that’s just the way I like it! There’s a load of deephouse floating around and here are a few cuts that have been on high rotation for me. First up is Shur-I-Kan’s latest offering, Like Rick Says. Maybe a little different to his usual work as the normal 4/4 kick has been ditched for a syncopated-style break-beat. This works for me, and also the old school vibe going on in this track. The clever use of keys and subtle chords through Like Rick Says makes it floaty and epic sounding, and when the vocal “never gonna give you up” kicks in, the hook is well sticking in. It is a gentle feel-good-type track that probably won’t have people jumping up and down like maniacs, but isprobably better served early in the morning on a Spice dancefloor or an outdoor setting. Go on, give it a try! This isn’t the first time I’ve been here big upping ShurI-Kan. Over the last half decade, Shur-I-Kan has turned in popular releases on labels like Dark Energy Records, Systematic and Freerange. He is also responsible for making one of my personal favourite deep techie numbers called Rising. Another gem is his remix of Robert Babicz’s Astor (Systematic). A feel-good tune to say the least that always leaves a positive mark on people’s heads when I’ve played it! An interesting fact about Shur-I-Kan is he’s a guru on the keyboard and has worked in several bands. And you can hear that talent with the music he writes today. There are good tunes, and then good tunes with that something extra, perhaps in the way chords and keys effortlessly blend together to create harmony. The deep-house trend continues this month. Check out a newie from Nick Harris called Hallucinations. It’s another quirky, fun, feel-good track that seems to keep close to the basic elements that make simple good

NEW YORK CONVERSATION

TALES FROM THE BIG APPLE WITH TOM HAWKING

Back in the early 2000s, there was a track called One Night In New York City by a producer called The Horrorist. The song catalogued a young ingenue coming into NYC from New Jersey to hit the town for the night, falling in with the wrong crowd and ending up having rampaging drug-fuelled sex with a really cute guy from NYU. Occasionally, a night comes along that makes you feel like a character in said song – not, we hasten to add, because it ends in an ecstasy-driven sex romp (more’s the pity), but because there are insanely strange nights that really don’t seem to happen anywhere else, for better or worse. Like last Friday night, for instance.

SHUR-I-KAN house, like a repetitive piano stabbing sound, hats, snare, kick and a killer bass line! But I will say that this track can get monotonous if you are not in the right mood. I was actually playing an older remix from Nick Harris last year named You Called (Kris Wadsworth). This would always get the party started. There are plenty of other bits to look out for in April. Hot off the press is a Johnny Fiasco’s re-rub of Soulstice’s Realistic (Om Records). This is deep, lush, warm house music at its best – you can’t really go wrong with Johnny on the job! Then there is a remix from Gorge getting around called Barum (Cj Jeff & Thodoris Triantafilou). Gorge has done a superb job turning this into a foot-shuffling track – you can also check him out playing at the Spice Cellar this weekend. Something more upfront is a new release worth checking from Claire Ripley & Zeitgeist, their new EP, No Requests. This comes with a few different techie weapons that will suit most moods gaining plenty of support from the likes of Terry Francis and Nathan Coles. Finally have a squiz at Nicole Moudaber’s Let Go… It’s a stomping piece of tech house that has been getting a good rinsing from me. lowerider@drummedia.com.au

It starts at the sort of free party that only happens in NYC: a thoroughly absurd launch do for some sort of social network – because, clearly, the world needs another social network. The party is in some giant Soho loft space that apparently doubles as the office for said network and would be a perfect set if anyone ever made a film about the excesses of the dot.com era – there are beanbags, two table tennis tables, much Apple hardware and a silly man printing T-shirts. We’re not sure what VC firm is funding this lunacy, but the party apparently cost $1m to stage – we’d believe it, considering that the number of catering staff outweighs the number of attendees, Tanlines are DJing and the amount of free booze isn’t so much generous as vaguely intimidating. Everything’s great, except: there’s no one here. The whole thing is too Nathan Barley for words. We last about an hour, most of which is spent speaking to Tanlines (both of whom are lovely) and giggling at the fact that the 50 or so people who have showed are all queuing to speak to two masked people whose “performance art thing” is to tell you what their first impression of you is. Um. From there it’s off to see Grimes, who despite her status as the most buzzworthy of buzzbands is pretty much the least interesting aspect of the evening. It’s not that she’s bad; it’s more that she’s sick and only plays for 40 minutes, breaking out precisely seven songs and then disappearing with no encore. The whole thing leaves, and so we decide to head for our final destination, which again you couldn’t really make up if you tried: it’s Liturgy playing in some sort of abandoned building in Brooklyn. The exact location will be revealed later (via Twitter, naturally), but for now there’s only this vaguely disconcerting advice: “Enter at own risk. Bring own flashlight.”

AGNRA R L | AGL | A IN IN F D F AN ND R L | G GRA A | FIN L A N I F D AN

TANLINES We hop on the L train and get off at Bedford Ave, the global epicentre of hipsterdom. Only, something’s wrong. As we get off the train, there are cops everywhere, herding everyone towards the eastern end of the platform. There are exits at both ends, and most of the crowd wants to go west towards Bedford Ave, but the cops aren’t letting anyone pass. And they look really, really freaked out. Which means that whatever’s happened, it’s bad. One cop catches NY Conversation’s eye, and steps in front of us. “Man, you don’t want to look.” We piece together the story from several white-faced witnesses. Two people started fighting on the platform – some people say that one tried to steal the other’s phone – and somehow, both fell onto the tracks. The guy who started the fight made it back up. The other guy didn’t. And the train came. And now he’s there, wedged into the two-inch gap between train and platform. Virtually cut in half. Dying. Up on the street, there are people everywhere, along with fire engines, helicopters, police cars and pretty much every other sort of official vehicle. The whole thing makes everything that’s gone before seem both frivolous and futile, but still, we check Twitter for the location of the disused building. It turns out to be the remains of defunct venue, Monster Island Basement. It’s a terrible idea, and by the time we arrive the cops have already shut the whole thing down. But the checking-Twitter idea also reveals what the city thinks of the situation at Bedford Ave, and it’s a pretty depressing picture. “Fuck you L train.” “Two idiots in a fight.” “No L train FML.” Three hours later, we hear the guy has died. The next morning, photofit posters go up all along the L train. The other participant in the fight is wanted for murder. As far as we know, he hasn’t been caught. It’s just one night in New York City. More at http://nyconversation.com!

SE V EN SE AS TO UR T H E VA N G U A R D A P R I L 13, 2 012 THE GREEN MOHAIR SUITS + SISTER JANE ~ T I CK E TS O N SA L E N OW ~

T H E VA N G U A R D.C O M . A U

MISS BURLESQUE AUSTRALIA GRAND FINAL Saturday 21st April | 7pm - Enmore Theatre 130 Enmore Road, Newtown SYD 2024 ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄ ΄

HE SEE T T S FIR ... R E EV

Mr.Boylesque Australia 5 contestants will battle it out for the Australian title

W W W. T H E G O O D S H I P. C O M . A U

For more information and tickets go to: missburlesquecompetition.com themusic.com.au

THE DRUM MEDIA • 39

GET IT TOGETHER Oh, The-Dream, how much do we love you? Let us count the ways… As part of a set recorded and chucked up online for Pitchfork’s +1 series, The-Dream had a little rant about a recent spate of artists “that sound like me”. A few years ago no one sounded like him, now there are three or four he reckons. Well, of course, this was taken as a fairly pointed comment about our other boyfriend, The Weeknd. (Or Abel himself. Whatever.) Two artists are upset with each other? Well, there’s nothing else for it but a bit of nice, half-hearted Twitter beef that ends with an equally half-hearted reconciliation. The Weeknd opened fire by comparing The-Dream to the Hamburglar. Scarily accurate. The-Dream replied with a barely intelligible stream of consciousness. “Like my father said. Say ur piece son if a man feel uncomfortable enough a cheat, and a liar will identify his self. Amen. Now I know 4 Sure.” Even better: “if you have a unknowing of a mans true will Use the Word as a tool to unveil the shadow of a enemy.” What are you even talking about, The-Dream? Anyway, before the English language exploded, TheDream ran out of steam: “Aint enough RandB too Beef. And its no fun ballin by yourself. Retore Order. I will not do what the RandB nigga before me did. I’m Dope…..” Well, our two R&B boyfriends nearly had an argument. We love moments like this. It reveals how shallow public braggadocio is. The moment Mr Nash was pulled up on his statement he got defensive and then, after having a cry, totally backed down. We’ve seen it before. We’ll see it again. #2012 Go home, cynics! It’s much more fun to hang around with the genuinely enthusiastic. I know smiling makes us look uncool (and that exclamation points are the last refuge of the semi-literate), but I reckon we’d all be living happier lives if we allowed ourselves to embrace our inner fanboy a little more often. KP Records knows what we’re talking about. Its recent flyer says it all: “Ice Cube! Canberra! Thursday 19 April!” You can get your tickets at Ticketek. Most charming, you can also get tickets “on the door if not sold out”. Ambitious stuff. The Entire KP Roster will be in support. The venue is the AIS Arena. If you can’t get excited about someone else getting excited then there’s something wrong with you. Let’s do it, team. Kerser is headlining a huge all ages show at The Metro on Saturday 12 May. Corral your younger siblings, buy

Since that time, too, melodic rock’n’roll has neither been a thing of intensity nor much interest to middle Australia. While pockets of garage and punk-related genres have thrived via the work of small venues and indie labels such as Sydney’s Waterfront Records and Melbourne’s Z-Man Records (and, of course, the bands and audiences), attempts to ‘break’ rock bands by major labels and managers have lacked inspiration. Without calling out specific bands, there have been a number of failed attempts to create ‘the next big Australian rock band’ since the mid-2000s. None have succeeded to meet the expectations labels and managers had of establishing “the next Grinspoon”, a band who could tour regional areas and cities, becoming a unifying cultural product awarded that elusive prize of being able to make a career out of touring. This happened enough times for that phrase – “the next Grinspoon” – to become both a common expectation and an ‘industry-insider’ joke circa 2007-10. There would be one eventually, we thought, but every young, by-numbers rock band with a forceful publicity push would get the same response. “The next Grinspoon?” we smirked. What’s happened since is a complex web of developments – both inside and outside the commercial aspects of being a band – that has led to the dissolving 40 • THE DRUM MEDIA

YOUNG & RESTLESS

ALL AGES WITH DAVE DRAYTON

Hey hey it’s April, which means the month of the Youth Week. Want to celebrate? Don’t know how? Enjoy dancing? I can answer all those rhetorical questions by telling you to head here: http://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=CjKHRj63pMQ&feature=youtu.be. It’s a YouTube video, obviously, with dance moves that you can learn. Why, you ask? So you can take part in the Youth Week Flash Mob at Martin Place (outside Channel 7 Studios) from 12:30pm Friday 13 April. Indent has been partnering with Sutherland Shire Youth Services to hold a series of youth music workshops at Engadine District Youth Services. The workshops focus on band basics and top tricks that you need to know to set you and your band up. This week focuses on how to get gigs, how to set up your own gigs up and everything you need to know about a live show, participants being taught how to set up a PA and what’s involved in a sound check. It happens tonight from 5:30pm.

THE-DREAM them tickets for their birthdays and enjoy an evening of peace and quiet. While you’re relaxing, they’ll be bopping to choice cuts from Kerser’s stunningly successful debut, The Nebulizer (Nebs, king of producers and guiding hand on that album, is probably our other other boyfriend if we’re allowed to have three). Also rocking a set on Saturday 12: Skeamo, The Havknots and Fortay among others. It’s not often a lineup like this graces The Metro’s stage. And it’s never all ages. Get your ticket-buying fingers ready, dudes. It’s purchasing time. We still leave the light on for Aesop Rock. Daylight was released at a time when a generation of rap fans were just forming their tastes. None Shall Pass is one of the best songs about aging ever made. Despite all the silliness, despite the odd linkup with Kimya Dawson, despite the gentle nauseous feeling you get when listening to his voice for an extended period of time, new Aes is worth celebrating. Skelethon, his first album since 2007, will be with us on Tuesday 10 July through Rhymesayers. Real quick: as if to confirm that Lil B is the oddest figure in pop culture and that none of us know how to categorise him properly, he’s giving a lecture at NYU in the coming weeks. Smart people will be learning things from him. Supposedly. getittogether@drummedia.com.au

BREAKDOWN In what would have come as a surprise to many, last week Melbourne band Jet announced their “discontinuation” as a band. The surprise wasn’t the split, but that the band still actively considered itself a unit: for all purposes, their 2010 support of Powderfinger on that group’s Farewell Tour acted also as a bigstage hurrah before their own disappearance, the tour appearing as a final wave to noughties rock’n’roll with The Vines in the second support slot. With rhythm section Chris Cester and Mark Wilson releasing an EP last year under the guise of Damndogs, it was pretty clear Jet’s members were moving on. In truth, however, by the release of Jet’s 2009 album, Shaka Rock, the ‘Aus rock revival’ to which they and The Vines will be indefinitely attached was being discussed in the past tense. It was well and truly over, with Shaka Rock’s radio singles existing as a mere echo of what had already been, their addition to mid-level commercial radio seeming a habit of programmers or the result of established industry relationships over any groundswell of excitement.

HIP HOP WITH VIKTOR KRUM

POP CULTURE THERAPY WITH ADAM CURLEY

JET of that expectation. It no longer seems a given that ‘Australian rock’n’roll’ the way it’s been known (or the way it’s been publicised) will find a saviour, a leader, a working-class hero or any other cultural protagonists described by rock’n’roll buzzwords. And that’s a very good thing. Because what’s happened is that Australian music is no longer defined by the stereotype from which the Aus-rock frontman (not woman) is almost always drawn: the anti-intellectual, hyper-‘masculine’ and hypersexual male. It might be easy to see Australian music is having unprecedented success in the US outside of that longestablished rock identity, with Gotye in the Billboard chart and Kimbra the talk of media following SXSW, and even to take the view that Australia is on the verge of an international pop explosion. However, it’s also too hard to ignore the ongoing disintegration of any kind of musical ‘monoculture’ and the current models of career bands, decreasingly based around or reliant on ‘waves’ or genres. There’s no doubting Jet and The Vines opened doors to foreign markets for other Australian acts, but even in their heyday there was a cringe element to their fame: is rock’n’roll all the world thinks we can do? Can’t we move on? More than ever, we have. Moreover, at home it’s become our own shame that the music industry has treated regional areas with contempt, presuming audiences would bite the next pub-rock band with a catchy hook to cross their paths, discounting for years their taste for other musics such as hip hop and dance genres. The possibility of a popular rock-related band remains, but it has nothing to do with what’s come before or assumptions about ‘mainstream audiences’. It has everything, however, to do with the creation of something Australia – and the rest of the world – hasn’t yet heard. breakdown@drummedia.com.au

You’ll have to excuse me momentarily while I reminisce. You see Taking Back Sunday and New Found Glory are playing the Luna Park Big Top this Saturday. Way back when, I had the time of my life watching NFG play an all ages show at the Roundhouse on the back of their Catalyst album, with Bagster! And shortly after lost the plot at an all ages show at the same venue featuring TBS circa-Louder Now. Point is, both bands are awesome live – and they’re playing on the same bill! – alongside This Time Next Year and The Maine, at an all ages show. Go! If you’re Wollongong-way then keep Thursday evening free as Gordon McIntyre, the frontman of Scottish indie act Ballboy, is doing a free, acoustic all ages set at IPAC from 9.45pm. Back on Youth Week, the National Talent Competition is now open. Running until Sunday 6 May, there are categories for film, photography, design, writing and music, with $50,000 worth of prizes up for grabs. We’ve lined up the industry judge for the RockIT music category, Channel V’s Billy Russell, to answer a few questions. Why did you want to be involved with National Youth Week? Before joining the Channel [V] team, I used to work with teenagers in schools. And there was something intangibly special – almost infectious – that came from

BILLY RUSSELL being around young people. They just have this energy and enthusiasm, so I almost saw the opportunity to be involved with National Youth Week as a way of tapping back into that. Plus, it’s a fantastic initiative. What does the Youth Week slogan, ‘Imagine. Create. Inspire.’ mean to you? I think it’s a call to action for Aussie kids to think big, and to put their ideas into motion. And by doing so, they can not only showcase their own talents, but also inspire others to do the same. As industry judge of the RockIT category, what are you going to be looking for in submissions? As a music fan, it’s kind of hard to put into words what grabs me. Some things I just like, others I don’t. But in the guise of a judge, I’ll be looking for originality, sheer talent and who best incorporates the ‘Make Yourself Heard’ theme without just blatantly ripping off a Midnight Oil song. Any tips for young musicians or bands who are thinking about entering the National Talent Competition? The reason I was drawn to the media side of the music industry is because I am utterly hopeless with an instrument in my hands. As such, it would be pretty rich of me to dish out advice for aspiring musicians. But from a competition point of view, I’d encourage all hopefuls to work hard on their submission. It’s a big opportunity, so don’t squander it. Head to www.youthweek.com for more info. allages@drummedia.com.au

OG FLAVAS If some media types initially dismissed Odd Future as a flash-in-the-pan, then they couldn’t have been more wrong. Tyler, The Creator’s motley crew of skater punks are, like the Wu-Tang Clan before them, representing a scene within a scene – or the alternative to the alternative. And they’re just getting started. Sure, their shows are shambolic, but OF keep surprising. Syd Tha Kyd, OF’s openly lesbian engineer, DJ and singer, lately presented a very lo-fi yet promising album with Matt Martians (The Jet Age Of Tomorrow) as The Internet. Purple Naked Ladies is experimental neo-soul with songs such as Cocaine (featuring Left Brain). Think: Erykah Badu bonding with Shabazz Palaces.

URBAN AND R&B NEWS BY CYCLONE

ODD FUTURE

Now OF themselves are back with the de facto ‘album’ The OF Tape Vol 2 – the lead single, Rella, trancey-but-not-trance hip hop with Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis and Tyler, accompanied by an outlandish video. Indeed, Madonna might learn from these homeboys. Forget about wearing hotpants and dubious drug references – morphing into a centaur is way more attention-grabbing. Bonkers!

Lots of hot urban music will air in April – and beyond. By time you read this, Nicki Minaj’s second, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, will finally be out. First single, Roman In Moscow ,faltered, but things have turned around for the flamboyant femcee with the Euro-pop Starships, produced by Lady GaGa cohort RedOne. Alas, Ms Minaj has roped in the thoroughly disagreeable Chris Brown for the followup, Right By My Side. That really is cray, cray, girlfriend.

TOFTV2, the sequel to 2008’s The Odd Future Tape, has the same subliminal feel – and minimalist ethos – as Tyler’s Goblin. Fans will be familiar with Mike G’s vaguely dubby Forest Green. The mixtape’s current single, NY (Ned Flander), courtesy of Hodgy and Tyler, sounds like an early Wu joint with its sinister Shaolin keys. OF soulster Frank Ocean – who bailed on the Future Music Festival, citing, in part, studio commitments – is all over TOFTV2 with collabs like Tyler’s cruisy Analog 2. This is OF’s counterpart to RZA’s blunted soul – and comparable to N*E*R*D at their most cult.

Tinie Tempah producer Labrinth is set to debut with Electronic Earth. He’s signed to Simon Cowell’s Syco Records, also home to that impressive retro soulstress Rebecca Ferguson. And, come May, London soulboy Plan B will return to his dark hip hop roots with iLL Manors. The dubsteppy title track (and single) is the MC’s response to the UK riots – and a critique of David Cameron’s divided Britain. Paul Epworth produced the song, which samples innovative German hip hopper Peter Fox’s Alles Neu. The album ties in with a film Plan B, a budding actor, wrote and directed himself.

TOFTV2’s weirdest track? It’s gotta be Hodgy’s grungy Snow White, again with Ocean. (Left Brain produced it.) Nevertheless, the album’s pinnacle is Ocean’s ultra spare – and solo – White. Imagine an illwave Stevie Wonder... There’s also a worthy song from The Internet, the psychedelic Ya Know. TOFTV2 ends with the aimless (well, it is ten minutes long!) OF posse-cut Oldie. Even the mysteriously banished Earl Sweatshirt raps. And the post-horrorcore collective haven’t toned down their more contentious aspects on TOFTV2. MellowHype’s Real Bitch with Taco is shamelessly misogynist – and, frankly, dumb. Incidentally, the dude on TOFTV2’s cover is Lucas Vercetti, Tyler’s bestie. He runs OF’s merch store, Golf Wang.

Lastly, listen out for new R&B diva Rita Ora, signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. Ora was born in Kosovo but grew up in the UK (her dad owns a pub!). A few years ago she guested on Craig David’s Where’s Your Love alongside rapper Tinchy Stryder. More recently? Ora sang on DJ Fresh’s UK #1 Hot Right Now, a drum ‘n’ bass banger. She’s debuting as a solo artist with How We Do (Party), which samples The Notorious BIG. And the fashionista fave has been cutting an album with input from Drake among others. (Tinie cameos on the Chase & Statushelmed RIP.) Oh, and Famous is already predictably ‘reporting’ that Hova’s missus Beyoncé is jealous of his latest protégée...

themusic.com.au

ogflavas@drummedia.com.au

ROOTS DOWN Exciting times abound for Melburnian singersongwriter, Lachlan Bryan. The artist, who first came to our attention as the frontman for The Wildes, has dropped his first solo record on Core Music/Sony Music Australia and is just about to head out to get some serious touring done in support of the release. It’s a pretty slick slice of country goodness and you can just tell that he has put a hell of a lot of effort into the songs that make up the record, something that becomes even more obvious once you head over to his website and read the track by track descriptions he has written for the songs. He plays Bluesfest over the Easter period and then heads down this way to support Steve Earle at his solo show at the Factory Theatre on Sunday 8 April. If you’re not going to be in town over the Easter break, then Bryan will be back around these parts in July alongside Harmony James, the two of them dropping by Lizotte’sKincumber on Friday 6 July, Lizotte’s Newcastle Saturday 7 and finally the Dee Why Lizotte’s on Sunday 8. Hailing from the south coast of New South Wales, Kim Churchill has quickly gained great acclaim all across the world for his wonderful songwriting and musicianship, both of which belie his mere 21 years. He has just inked a deal with the Australian branch of Canada’s Indica Records, through whom he will release his second full-length record, Detail Of Distance, next month. The young artist has spent a bunch of time out on the road in overseas territories over the past

GROWING TALLER! BLUES AND ROOTS WITH DAN CONDON

through Legacy Recordings/Sony Music, Nelson’s first record to do so. The gist of the record is a pretty simple one, Nelson gets together with a whole bunch of different musicians and does a bunch of classic tunes from across the history of pop music, including a few old Willie Nelson classics. The guests onboard are good ones (as you’d expect); Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard, Sheryl Crow, Snoop Dogg (together they do Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die, of course) and a bunch of tunes with his son Lukas Nelson, who pens one of the few new tracks on the release. It is coming out on Friday 11 May.

KIM CHURCHILL few years but can’t wait to get home to show off just how good he’s gotten with a series of shows in his home country in support of the record and the first single from it, Season’s Grind. He plays Bluesfest at the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm on Friday 6 April, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8, The Gum Ball Saturday 28, Brass Monkey, Cronulla Thursday 3 May, The Standard Friday 4, The Heritage Hotel, Bulli Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 and the Transit Bar Thursday 10. If you pre-purchase tickets for the club shows – which also feature Microwave Jenny and Benjalu – it’ll cost you $15 + bf, so hit up the venues for more information. There’s a new Willie Nelson record on its way – no great surprise really, he manages to pump them out at a fairly regular rate, particularly for a massive stoner like Willie – it’s called Heroes and it is coming out

Well, this is the final column before Bluesfest. Usually I’d feel some kind of obligation to tell you the hidden gems you can’t miss and what you should steer clear of etcetera. But frankly, if you haven’t been listening to me the past six months I’ve been crapping on about the festival then you’re hardly going to start now, right? All you really need to do is show up with an open mind, be sure to wander around and follow your ears rather than your schedule at least a couple of times, treat your fellow punters with respect and remember that you’re in some of the most beautiful country on the planet listening to some of the world’s greatest musical acts and try to appreciate that as best you can! And don’t push in front of me in the bus line. Best wishes, happy Easter and may the blues be with you always.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (US) – The Basement

ShawNuff Swing Band with John Redmond – Newtown Jets Leagues Club Tempe Caravana Sun – Great Northern, Newcastle

SATURDAY

Yuki Kumagai & John Mackie – Well Connected Café Leichhardt

DAVID BROMBERG

Luke Gallen – Lizotte’s Kincumber

SUNDAY

THURSDAY Six Degrees – 5pm Royal Easter Show Homebush

The Swinging Blades – Marrickville Golf Club

Inga Liljestrom – 505

Paul Sun Trio – Kirribilli Arts & Design Markets Milsons Point

James Ryan Sextet + Jackson Harrison Trio – 505

Zulya & The Children Of The Underground + Dereb The Ambassador – Camelot Lounge

London Klezmer Quartet – Camelot Lounge

Craig Scott with Brendan Clarke – Colbourne Ave Glebe

James Valentine presents a bluegrass special with James Daley – Golden Sheaf

Paul Sun Trio – Jazushi

Ernie Haase & Signature Sound – Newcastle Uni’s Great Hall

The Date Brothers – Lizotte’s Dee Why

Sonic Mayhem Orchestra + Dan Barnett – Blue Beat

Jubilation Jazz & Gospel Choir – Blue Beat

TUESDAY

Michael Griffin Quintet – Summer Hill Hotel

MONDAY

David Bromberg Quartet (US) – The Basement

Peter Bottaro Quartet – Lizotte’s Newcastle Caravana Sun – Rhythm Hut Gosford

Sandy Evans Sextet + Kristen Berardi/James Sherlock Duo – 505

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (US) – The Basement

FRIDAY

James Valentine Quartet + Brendan Gallagher – Golden Sheaf

Steve Hunter Band – 505

Paul Sun Trio – The ArtHouse

blow@drummedia.com.au

WEDNESDAY

THE SWAMP SHACK It’s not often we see both father and son playing separate shows at the same venue during the same week and each drawing a dedicated group of fans. This week at The Factory, as part of the Byron Bluesfest sideshows, alt country fans have the opportunity to see two celebrated members of the Earle family. Son Justin Townes Earle is joined by the Pat Capocci Band this Wednesday and dad Steve Earle plays there on Sunday. Steve, of course, is well known to Australian audiences, having toured here on numerous occasions over the past couple of decades, but son Justin is a relative newcomer having first toured here in 2008. Steve also plays Lizotte’s in Newcastle this coming Wednesday. The recent folk invasion of Sydney continues next week with the April Verch Band and Nathan Rogers & The Drybones playing Notes on Wednesday 11 April. Regarded as two of Canada’s leading folk roots artists, Verch and Rogers, along with their respective bands, have come together for an exciting double bill presenting some of the best in traditional and contemporary music. Verch not only sings and plays an exceptional fiddle but is a champion step dancer, not to mention a highly acclaimed songwriter. Nathan Rogers is one of the rising stars of the Canadian roots music scene, breaking musical boundaries and bringing fresh new sounds.

TUESDAY

Trombone Shorty plays the first of two big nights at The Basement with the Tuesday sold out but some tickets

Father-daughter jazz duo, Dick & Christa Hughes are bringing the ‘20s back to The Riverside Theatres Parramatta for the evening they’re calling 21st Century Blues. They will be unleashing their authentic jazz, blues and vaudeville personalities and songs, with a taste of the old and new in an evening where the duo will be joined by trombonist Grant Arther, the evening featuring songs from Hughes’ ARIA nominated album that goes by the same name, 21st Century Blues, and includes some gut-bucked blues and traditional Dixieland thrown in with some contemporary pop and classic rock, all played in a charming oldschool style. The 21st Century Blues evening with Dick and Christa Hughes will be held on Saturday 28 April.

CULTURAL FUSION JAZZ/WORLD WITH MICHAEL SMITH

One of America’s outstanding purveyors of the guitar, both acoustic and electric, multi-instrumentalist David Bromberg, whose credits include sessions with Dylan, Link Wray, Willie Nelson and countless more, brings his quartet to The Basement Monday 9 April

TUESDAY

RIVERSIDE BLUES

roots@drummedia.com.au

BLOW Congratulations to composer, violinist and author Jon Rose on winning the Australia Council Don Banks Music Award, the most valuable individual music award in the country, for his outstanding and continued contribution to Australian music.

Swedish folk troubadour, The Tallest Man On Earth – aka Kristian Matsson, has announced that he has completed work on a new album. This latest effort will be called There’s No Leaving Now, and will be out in June through Dead Oceans/Inertia. Since his 2008 release, Shallow Grave, Matsson has toured with the likes of Bon Iver on a US tour in that same year, and also became the subject of instant acclaim and adulation, with Pitchfork calling Matsson “a natural-born folksinger, earnest, clever and comforting… Like [Bob] Dylan, Matsson is so natural a songwriter that these tracks feel predetermined, tumbling out of his mouth with ease and grace that’s increasingly uncommon.”

ROCKABILLY/PSYCOBILLY/ALT.COUNTRY WITH PEDRO MANOY

ever Australian show, joined by Bridie King and her trio for a massive night of Louisiana-style music at Notes, while guitar maestro Kenny Wayne Sheperd unleashes at The Factory. On the local scene The Convicts serve time at Bells Hotel in Woolloomoloo from 5pm and Marshall O’Kell and Claude Hay play the Old Manly Boat Shed.

SATURDAY

JOHN HIATT still available for Wednesday. John Hiatt & The Combo have a much anticipated show at The Metro and Lucinda Williams plays the State Theatre.

WEDNESDAY The Beaches Blues Jam hosted by Illya Szwec takes over Beaches in Thirroul, while the Musos Club Jam Night is unstoppable at the Bald Faced Stag. There will be guitar pyrotechnics galore when Buddy Guy & Johnny Lang combine at the Enmore Theatre while Marshall O’Kell and Claude Hay team up at the Brass Monkey

THURSDAY The Byron Bay Bluesfest kicks off up north, but for those left behind there are plenty of Sydney sideshows to make up. Rosie Ledet & The Zydeco Playboys play their first

The Gosford Electric Blues Jam featuring Mama Jane & Friends has an early 2pm start at the Central Coast Hotel. Blue Venom play the Engadine Tavern and the Steve Edmonds Band rock the Bull & Bush Tavern at Baulkham Hills. Chris Turner & The Cave Men go ape at the Taverner’s Hill Hotel in Leichhardt, Tice & Evans keep on keeping on at the Sando from 4pm and there is more Bluesfest sideshow action at The Factory with The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Canned Heat.

SUNDAY Hard working Dr Don’s Double Dose play the Crossroads Hotel at Casula from 1pm with Don backing up solo at the Dee Why RSL from 6.30pm. Ross Ward is solo at the Kincumber Hotel from 2pm, the Mal Eastick Band play Towradgi Beach Hotel from 3pm and the Steve Edmonds Band travel to Beaches in Thirroul with a 5pm start. swampshack@drummedia.com.au

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Israeli superstar Idan Raichel and Malian guitar virtuoso Vieux Farka Toure have joined forces in a collaborative effort, The Toure-Raichel Collective, and released a debut album, The Tel Aviv Session (Fuse). Fusing African, Middle Eastern, Eastern European and other multicultural flavours, they’ve created an accessible global pop amalgam. The connection between the two musicians began long ago, Raichel a longtime fan of the legendary Ali Farka Toure, Vieux’s father as he explains: “I even used his sound as the muse for one of the songs on my first album.”

MIDDLE EASTERN MADNESS

It’s time again for the annual Middle Eastern Dance Festival! Now in its 23rd year, the festival incorporates centuries of Oriental dance and music crammed into three days and four fabulous nights. The opening night will see a bellydance fashion parade and champagne soiree at Amera’s Palace Bellydance Boutique and Studio. Friday night will host a Gala concert featuring Australia’s best dancers, Bellydance Mosaic in a beautiful work of art reaching back through the ages comprising of colourful fabric and haunting, addictive music. Saturday night is dance party night with Rockin’ The Casabeh, featuring The Arabian Stars band, Australia’s top dancers performing in cabaret, with live music and some surprises as the evening progresses. There’ll also be three days of bellydance workshops, which will offer styles as diverse as Turkish Kolbasti, Egyptian Shaabi and Persian Classical as well as sword balancing and finger-cymbal technique. The festival runs Thursday 3 through Sunday 6 May at the Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL and Amera’s Palace Studio in Marrickville.

AMERICANA CLASSICS

Neil Young & Crazy Horse will be releasing a very special album titled Americana on Friday 1 June, the first album from the collaboration in nearly nine years. The album is a collection of classic American folk songs, which in the past may have been referred to as ‘protest songs’, ‘murder ballads’ or campfire-type singalongs including popular folk tunes Tom Dooley and Oh Susannah, which were written in the 1800s, along with others like This Land Is Your Land and Get A Job, which were mid-20th Century classics. The album was produced by Young, John Hanlon and Mark Humphreys, and engineered by John Hanlon with John Hausmann and Jeff Pinn.

R.I.P. BLUEGRASS LEGEND

Country music great, Earl Scruggs, sadly passed away last Wednesday morning at the age of 88 due to natural causes. As a pioneering banjo player, Scruggs helped create what we hear as modern country music, his sound and style instantly recognisable, as he popularised the three-finger banjo-plucking style, which is now called ‘Scruggs style’. The legacy he helped build with bandleader Bill Munroe, guitarist Lester Flatt and the rest of the Blue Grass Boys was evident all around Nashville. “It’s not just bluegrass, it’s American music,” bluegrass fan turned country star Dierks Bentley has said. “There’s 17 or 18 year old kids turning on today’s country music and hearing that banjo and they have no idea where that came from. That sound has probably always been there for them and they don’t realise someone invented that three-finger roll style of playing. You hear it everywhere.” THE DRUM MEDIA • 41

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THIS WEEK IN

ARTS

TUESDAY 3 Jurassic Lounge – the final night of Jurassic Lounge’s summer season, featuring live art auction of the works created during the season; Noise Mechanics performing Claquettes, a musical journey created through live looping and dancing; live art from Shannon Cres; Kaldor Public Art Workshop: Lomography; ping pong and games; storytelling; jelly wrestling (as art?); karaoke; a treasure hunt; Silent Disco with Nick La Rosa; Dance Nation tournament; music from Raw City Rukus and Conics, and more. Australian Museum from 5:30pm.

WEDNESDAY 4 An Evening With John Cleese – Monty Python member and Fawlty Towers/A Fish Called Wanda star John Cleese pops on stage to offer Australian audiences “well-honed anecdotes, psychoanalytical tit-bits and unprovoked attacks on former colleagues, especially Michael Palin.” State Theatre, 8pm. Macbeth – the story of a man who happens upon three witches who predict he will soon be King. It’s a prophecy he distrusts but one that utterly seduces his wife. Peter Evans, Bell Shakespeare’s associate artistic director, fulfils a long-held ambition to collaborate with Dan Spielman in the title role and Kate Mulvany, who plays his highly erotic wife. Opening Night, 7:30pm. Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House until 12 May. Point Blank – John Boorman’s brutal crime drama is one of the finest films of its type. A gangster (Lee Marvin) is double-crossed by both his wife and his crime partner. Shoot and left for dead on Alcatraz Island only to have him turn up in LA a few years later, bent on revenge. Part of AGNSW’s Postcards from LA film series. Domain Theatre, 2pm and 7:15pm. Repeats 8 April, 2pm. The Story Of Mary Maclane By Herself – more than 100 years ago, The Story Of Mary MacLane set America aflame. A shocking confessional from a 19 year old girl who refused to succumb to the corset-bound prudery of her age, Mary’s scandalous memoir broke all the rules – and sold over 100,000 copies. Today, Ride On Theatre’s Bojana Novakovic (actor) and Tanya Goldberg (director) bring Mary’s writings to the stage in a bold and magical ‘monologue for two’ backed with original music composed and performed by You Am I frontman Tim Rogers. First Preview Night, 7pm. Opening Night 13 April. SBW Stables Theatre until 12 May.

THURSDAY 5 Les Liaisons Dangereuses – Unaware of the impending revolution that breathlessly awaits to devour the French aristocracy in all its decadence, the Marquise de Merteuil and Vicomte de Valmont plot an elaborate game of revenge, seduction, humiliation and cruelty. The sexual politics at work in this gripping drama are as relevant now as when Laclos wrote the novel in 1782 and when Christopher Hampton adapted it for the stage in 1985. Avoiding the lavish clichés often associated with the period, this new production directed by Griffin Theatre Company’s artistic director, Sam Strong, acid-washes a familiar story, stripping it back to its essential layers. Stars Pamela Rabe, Hugo Weaving and more. Opening Night, 8pm. Wharf 1, Sydney Theatre Company until 9 June. The Baker’s Dozen – group exhibition comprising the work of 13 Australian women, featuring large sculptures and installations amongst signature paintings and smaller studies presenting an intimate viewing experience. Artists include Vivienne Binns, Bonita Bub and Debra Dawes. Closing day. UTS Gallery. The Biggest Comedy Show On Earth – a show for those with a short attention span. Ten comics take to the 42 • THE DRUM MEDIA

stage for about 10 minutes each over two hours in a fast-paced showcase of non-stop laughs. Comedians on rotation include Merrick Watts, Sol Bernstein, Tommy Dean, Mel Buttle, Bruce Griffiths, Genevieve Fricker, Trevor Crook, The Birdmann, Chris Radburn, Dave Eastgate and Sacha Marx. Opening Night, 8:30pm. The Comedy Store, Moore Park until 21 April.

SATURDAY 7 Me And You An Everyone We Know – the story of Christine, a would-be artist who supports herself as a driver with a car service for the elderly in Los Angeles. She falls in love with Richard, a shoe salesman separated from his wife. As Richard and Christine fumble their way into a relationship, Richard’s two sons develop disturbing issues of their own. Written, directed and starring, Miranda July, it also stars John Hawkes. Part of AGNSW’s Postcards of LA film series. Domain Theatre, AGNSW, 2pm.

MONDAY 9 The Phantom Carriage – the past of the alcoholic David Holm is reconstructed in flashback through his recollections as he waits in a churchyard for Death’s wagon to bear him away. Directed by Victor Sjöström. Chauvel Cinémathèque at Chauvel Cinema, 6:30pm. Sketch Club – a weekly life drawing sketch club, with regular artists’ work displayed in the gallery. Begins with two-minute poses and extends to tenand 20-minute poses. Tap Gallery, 7pm.

ONGOING Archibald, Wynne, and Sulman Prizes 2012 – annual exhibition eagerly anticipated by artists and audiences alike; the Archibald, awarded to the best portrait painting, preferably of some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics, the Wynne, awarded to the best landscape painting of Australian scenery, or figure sculpture, and the Wynne, given to the best subject painting, genre painting or mural project in oil, acrylic, watercolour or mixed media. AGNSW until 3 June. The Clock – Christian Marclay’s groundbreaking 24-hour video work, The Clock, comprising several thousand short extracts from cinema history, each suggesting a particular time of day or referencing a specific moment, often through the appearance of a watch or clock-face. Marclay has stitched these extracts together to form a continuous visual sequence synchronised with the real time of your visit – if it is noon you’ll be watching a scene referencing noon. Plays for its full 24 hours on Thursdays. MCA until 3 June. Dragon – celebrating 2012 as the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, this exhibition showcases artworks that carry the dragon motif, either from the Gallery’s collection or on loan, encompassing bronzes, porcelains, textiles, paintings and calligraphy. AGNSW until 6 May. Every Breath – a family under some unknown threat hires a young security guard, Chris. He spends long hours, day and night by the pool, watching. One by one, in their private universes of plate glass and good food, each family member is drawn to Chris. A dangerous game of fantasy and privilege begins. Written and directed by Benedict Andrews. Stars John Howard, Shelly Lauman, Angie Milliken, Eloise Mignon and Dylan Young. Upstairs, Belvoir St Theatre until 29 April. The Great Lie Of The Western World – Cathode Ray Tube return with their third original work in as many years, this time with a snappy four-hander that challenges the essence of freedom. Fiona and Simon are living the daily grind, plodding through life with work and bills and hangovers. But when an old friend arrives to crash on their couch, their already shaky relationship is rocked to its very core. Wednesday to Saturday. Tap Gallery until 21 April.

TRUE LIAISONS JAMES MACKAY AND GERALDINE HAKEWILL TALK LOVE, LUST AND DANGEROUS LIAISONS – ON AND OFF STAGE – WITH DAVE DRAYTON. “Cruel Intentions, in high school,” says James Mackay, recalling his first interaction with the story of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, first an epistolary novel by Frenchman Choderlos de Laclos in 1782, and later adapted for stage, and in varying forms and guises for film. “Oh yeah,” concurs Geraldine Hakewill. The two will perform as the young Cécile de Volanges and her music teacher, Chevalier Danceny, in the Sydney Theatre Company’s production of the play, to be directed by Sam Strong. “Sarah Michelle Gellar making out with Selma Blair,” Mackay jokingly recalls of the viewing, “Which was awesome! Don’t get me wrong…” “Clearly he didn’t have any idea that it was related to Les Liaisons,” jokes Hakewill.

FILM

“The next time probably would have been at drama school, when we did the play in the third year, at WAAPA [Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts],” says Mackay. “Valmont and Tourvel,” says Hakewill, indicating each in their roles, “So, Hugo Weaving’s character and Justine Clarke’s character in this production.” “We weren’t together then,” says Mackay. That’s right, these two actors, romantically linked in real life, will portray two characters unsuccessfully chasing one another’s affections in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, as pro/antagonists Valmont and Merteuil (Pamela Rabe) use them as pawns in deviant games. “It’s quite remarkable actually,” Mackay says of the coincidence.

The Raid is absolutely hysterical, in the best sense of the term. Essentially two hours of kicking, punching, stabbing, shooting and pained screaming/moaning that should make even the most desensitised viewers cringe, it’s also the most virtuosic example of straight-up action filmmaking in many a moon. You’d have to go back to John Woo’s Hard-Boiled from 1992 to find the last benchmark nonstop-actioner, but even Woo’s bar-raising violence and balleticallystaged action set pieces practically vanish in comparison to this new Indonesian film from Irish ex-pat director Gareth Evans. The film hinges on a simple premise, possibly picked out of a hat; a SWAT team are called to

“And Sam [Strong, director], he had no idea that we were together and it was only after he’d put us in the show that someone said, ‘Oh you’ve cast Geri and James, that’s great,’ and he was like, ‘What do you mean Geri and James?’ And of course, our characters in the show are trying to get together,” Mackay explains. And while the love and lust felt offstage could well and truly serve to inform the longing of the characters on stage, both Mackay and Hakewill point out that that distinction – ‘informing’ rather than ‘becoming’ – is at the crux of all their work as actors. “That’s one of the dangers of doing something where your job is to be open emotionally and mentally, and spiritually, if you like, pretty much all the time,” Hakewill admits. “You

THEATRE

REVIEW

THE RAID

“We did the play at WAAPA, and then months later after we graduated we got together and then when the auditions for this came around we were given auditions for each of our respective characters, completely independently through our respective agents, through the casting director here and were cast in each of these roles on the back of the auditions.

take down a ruthless crime lord in a decrepit tenement building. That the narrative is so threadbare is no matter, though; what Evans and his athletic cast (and crew) offer is a string of action sequences so visceral that theatres would do well to equip themselves with cameras to record the dumb looks of shock on each audience member’s face. (My favourite wince-moment: the dude who gets thrown throat down on the jagged wood of a broken door-frame). Indeed, The Raid’s violence is something best experienced communally. It has the power to unite audiences in the collective gasps and nervous giggles it elicits. And its action scenes are also fluidly filmed and shockingly coherent, letting shots linger just long enough for the maximum bone-crunching impact. You may leave the theatre exhausted and depleted by the time the LOUD GUITARS blare over the end credits, but you can’t say you didn’t get your money’s worth. WHEN & WHERE: Screening in cinemas now IAN BARR

EVERY BREATH Upstairs, Belvoir St Theatre “When I was writing the play, I never thought about what it was about per se. I began with an image…” So says writer/director Benedict Andrews in his notes on Every Breath. This is sadly all too apparent; aesthetically appealing – an impressive if impractical and occasionally distracting floating black marble-looking floor above a shallow pool – some incredibly short opening exchanges and slow scene changes conjure dark, sinisterly suburban imagery, but little else. We get a sense of the characters – John Howard’s Leo, a revered writer; his lonely wife Lydia (Angie Milliken); their twins, the curiously incestuous and hyper-sexualised Oliver (Dylan Young) and Olivia (Eloise Mignon) – but are imparted only snapshots of their

want to have boundaries between your life and the rehearsal room, or set – your craft. You don’t want to be bringing in baggage all the time in order to get yourself to that emotional place. You’ve got to be able to play and be curious and create a performance from the script to serve the story, not to go through therapy.” “That’s often what can separate a good performance from a bad performance,” offers Mackay, “or a truthful, three-dimensional, multi-faceted performance from just a good ‘performance’. It’s performance versus an inhabited reality. But it’s always in the interest of the story, I think that’s always what has got to be served. “It’s not an indulgent thing, or personal therapy, or vanity. Ultimately it’s got to be Danceny on stage. It’s got to be Cecile. It’s not James and it can’t be, because you’re not in the world, you’re not in the same play as everyone else.” WHAT: Les Liaisons Dangereuses WHERE & WHEN: Sydney Theatre Thursday 5 April to Saturday 9 June

REVIEW interactions. It could, perhaps, build suspense (there is, after all, a looming threat of violence) were it not for the fact that, with half the characters’ time spent wordlessly having sex or stripping off, the audience is never given an opportunity to establish any relationship with them. That is reserved for Chris, a security guard (fumblingly rendered as hermaphroditic), assigned to watch over the family. The final monologues remove any lingering sense of the ‘thriller’ that was established through the earlier clipped segments of scenes. Appearing anticlimactic after a (too-clever-forits-own-good) Chekhovian challenge – Never put a loaded weapon on stage if no one is thinking about firing it – the closing sentiments solidify the feeling that the writing in Every Breath feels too heavy-handed, possessing an indelible authorial mark that restricts deeper meaning or deeper characters. The final quarter of the short work then feels like the storyboarding process for the masturbatory three-quarters that preceded it; it explains too much of its own thinking and of its own construction. Until Sunday 29 April DAVE DRAYTON

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C U LT U R A L

CRINGE

WITH JAMELLE WELLS Theatre producer John Frost has joined forces with the producer of the movie, Red Dog, Nelson Woss, to explore developing it into a musical. Frost has a history of developing new work for the musical stage, including Doctor Zhivago, which had its world premiere in Sydney last year, and An Officer And A Gentleman, which is in rehearsals ahead of its May premiere here. He was also one of the producers of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert – The Musical. Commercial radio station 2Day FM will fight an attempt to sanction it for a second time over host Kyle Sandilands. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has proposed new sanctions after his spray at journalist Alison Stephenson, who wrote a critical review of his A Night With The Stars television show. Sandilands went on air calling her a “fat slag” and threatening to “hunt her down”. ACMA found the comments breached the radio industry’s code of practice and wants a five-year ban on 2Day FM broadcasting content demeaning to women. With the Logie Awards coming up next week, the most disappointing thing about this year’s nominations is comedian Chris Lilley’s peers leaving him out of the “most outstanding” category for his latest series, Angry Boys. Nominations for the Gold Logie this year include The Project’s Carrie

REGION -

Bickmore. Other nominees for the awards, which will be handed out on 15 April, include Asher Keddie from Offspring. The creators of the Borat movie must be having a quiet chuckle to themselves. Kazakhstan has demanded an apology from Kuwait after a spoof national anthem from Borat was played at an awards ceremony. As Maria Dmitrienko stood on the podium to celebrate her winning performance at the Arab Shooting Championship in Kuwait, she had to listen to a song used in Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan instead of the Kazakh national anthem. The spoof song praises Kazakhstan for its superior potassium exports and having the cleanest prostitutes in the region. The film, made by comic Sacha Baron Cohen, portrayed the country as a socially and industrially backward nation. Tributes are still being written for music personality Vince Lovegrove, who recently died after rolling his Kombi van near Byron Bay. Lovegrove once managed The Divinyls, worked as Jimmy Barnes’ tour manager and was recognised for his AIDS awareness campaigning. The disease claimed both his wife and son and Lovegrove told their story in the award winning documentaries Suzi’s Story and A Kid Called Troy. Aboriginal actor Jack Charles is the subject of this year’s National Photographic Portrait Prize. Photographer Rod McNicol’s portrait won from 46 finalists whose work is on display at Canberra’s National Portrait Gallery until 20 May. Charles was the subject of a 2008 documentary, Bastardy, which followed him for seven years as he fought a heroin addiction. He’s been touring Australia with a one-man show, Jack Charles v The Crown, a response to Bastardy that shows how his life has moved on.

FREE

WITH IAN BARR The 1970s: a magical decade for wonderfully titled horror films: Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things, Let’s Scare Jessica To Death, and the Spanish gem, Who Can Kill A Child? (1976), recently released on region two (Europe) DVD via Eureka. Ballsy enough to open with an eight-minute montage of newsreel footage reporting on the children killed in various genocides throughout the 20th Century, writer/ director Narciso Ibáñez Serrador certainly wastes no time declaring his allegorical ambitions, but even if one finds those elements pretentious and/or exploitative, there’s no denying the film’s superior mood and sense of dread. Much of it stems from the almost documentary-like utilisation of location and physical environment, which puts it in the exalted company of The Shining, Carnival Of Souls and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In this case, it’s a deserted Spanish holiday island on which two English tourists gradually learn that the children have inexplicably killed the adult populace, and Serrador’s decision to let the bulk of the action take place in progressively gloomy-seeming broad daylight also brings to mind Ted Kotcheff’s Wake In Fright. Flagrant namedropping, yes, but anything to place this lost classic in the company it deserves. The disc features a fun interview with the cantankerous Serrador, hilariously candid in his disappointment at Anthony Hopkins turning down the lead role in favour of the allegedly lesser-able and difficult-to-work-with

no-name Lewis Fiander. Also released last year via the Criterion Collection (and playing as part of Chauvel’s Cinémathèque on Monday 9 April if ya can’t afford that edition) is the 1921 silent classic, The Phantom Carriage, from Victor Sjöström. Concerning the legend that the last person to die on New Year’s Eve is to don the Grim Reaper’s robe, sickle and carriage and do his dirty work by escorting the souls of the recently deceased, the film is most famous for its visual influence on fellow Swede Ingmar Bergman and his The Seventh Seal (and subsequently Bill & Ted). Bergman features on the DVD special features, excerpted from a TV interview discussing his predecessor, but the film has plenty to offer besides its historical value. It has an hallucinatory power that – as with the most enduring works of the silent era – makes most films from the invention of sync-sound onward seem like prosaic affronts to the medium. Jean-Pierre Gorin – filmmaker, scholar, obsessive devotee to the filmic space – is best known for his collaborations with Jean-Luc Godard during the latter’s radical (both politically and formally) Maoist period. The new DVD set, Three Popular Films by Jean-Pierre Gorin (released on Criterion’s sublabel Eclipse), as the title suggests, is notably more accessible than his work with Godard, although the films are only ‘popular’ in the French sense of the term (i.e. ‘of the people’). Hence his focus on the tightly-knit group; two six-year-

PUTTING GLASS ON STAGE AHEAD OF THE AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE OF PHILIP GLASS’ OPERA, IN THE PENAL COLONY, DAVE DRAYTON TALKS TO DIRECTOR IMARA SAVAGE AND SYDNEY CHAMBER OPERA ARTISTIC DIRECTOR LOUIS GARRICK.

“Sydney Chamber Opera asked me if I wanted to do a chamber opera by Philip Glass. I thought, ‘Yeah, great, I want to do anything that Philip Glass is involved with.’” Before hearing the opera, reading the libretto, written by Rudolph Wurlitzer, or reading the Franz Kafka short story on which both are based, Imara Savage was certain she wanted to direct the Australian premiere production of In The Penal Colony. Which raises an interesting question; if Glass’ name alone was enough to pique the director’s interest, why has no opera from one of the most respected names in contemporary minimalist and classical music never before graced a Sydney stage? There is the seminal Einstein On The Beach, his operatic adaptation of David Henry Hwang’s play, The Sound Of A Voice, and still more, yet according to SCO artistic director Louis Garrick, none have graced Sydney stages. “Adelaide has had a Philip Glass opera, Melbourne has had a Philip Glass opera – it really surprises me. There’s a huge market for Philip Glass in Sydney. Opera Australia have a bit of a monopoly on the art form and they would never do something by Philip Glass,” Garrick hypothesises, and, he says, that suits SCO just fine. “Looking around the scene in Sydney we found that no one is really performing any chamber operas. It was pretty clear that there was no one else in the industry that was going to take on the challenge of starting a chamber opera company with contemporary work like this.” Now well into rehearsals for the production, Savage is relishing the opportunity. “We studied an opera unit at NIDA and

old identical twins in Poto And Cabengo, Samoan gangs in LA in My Crasy Life, and the model train enthusiasts of Routine Pleasures, alternately the most experimental and wittily entertaining of the three films. In the film, Gorin puts the work of both film critic Manny Farber (two of his oil paintings and his writings, especially his famous White Elephant vs Termite Art essay) and the aforementioned model train enthusiasts into an oblique dialectic. But one doesn’t have to be familiar with Farber’s ideas to be enthralled and delighted by Gorin’s slippery, digressive ruminations on the beauty of variations in a field of sameness, the fascination of the mundane and numerous other subjects that come to the viewer as they do its filmmaker. Fans of Errol Morris’ work owe it to themselves to investigate Gorin.

it was a form that I immediately fell in love with,” says Savage. While she has some assistant director credits to her name through work with Opera Australia, In The Penal Colony marks the first time she has taken the reins on an operatic production. “I’m really interested in other languages, I’m interested in classics texts, I’m interested in epic forms that can blow out into mythological or magical places, I’m interested in movement and dance and I’m interested in music, musicality and rhythm, and drama – and operas seem to have all of that.” While these interests have reared their head in Savage’s past directorial ventures – a guitar with Southern twang colouring the world she created for Sam Sheperd’s Fool For Love at Belvoir in 2010, or the rhythmically-driven production of The Brothers Size last year for Griffin – here they all come together in a terrifying work, performed intimately on stage by just two singers, one actor and a string quintet. Garrick, for one, shares Savage’s encompassing view of the form, and says it’s central to the way his company runs. “With SCO there’s emphasis on compelling theatre, as opposed a night at the opera which is all about the ‘event’ of going to the opera; spending big money, dressing up, it doesn’t matter what you see, it’ll probably be some kind of empty spectacle. That’s not how we view opera at all, the definition of ‘opera’ - the word just means ‘work’ - it’s a coming together of different art forms.” WHAT: In The Penal Colony WHERE & WHEN: The Parade Playhouse, NIDA, Saturday 7 April to Saturday 14

THEATRE

REVIEW

STILL Old 505 Theatre Jane Bodie, the playwright behind for This Year’s Ashes last year at Griffin, delivers eight monologues centred around sex and relationships in this unique production. A man recounts a failed sexual conquest; a frazzled woman tries to deny affection for an ex unexpectedly seen in a supermarket; a smarmy and successful suit turns up the charm in a bar as he approaches his pray with a disarming smile; a young man experiences the calamity of lust on a dance floor, every emotion, every thought, heightened by drugs. The common themes tie together the production, which features eight actors and five directors. Ben Wood and Luke McKenzie give stand-out performances, Wood as a man comically at odds with the male bravado he feels he must embody and McKenzie as Satan in a Sunday suit, handsome and dangerous. Lara Kerestes’ direction of the chaotically drug-charged On is brilliant, and Scarlet McGlynn’s direction of Order, coupled with a strong performance from Kellie Jones, heightens the neurotic tendencies of the monologue to great effect. The charm of this production lies in the familiarity of the situations Bodie captures. With a lone actor playing out almost-clichéd conversations the pauses left between lines allows the audience to fill the heavy silences with responses from their own experience, instilling in each of these monologues the potential for limitless, personal and individual connection. Season finished DAVE DRAYTON

SYDNEY GETS ITS MCA BACK

BROOK ANDREW AND CHRISTIAN MARCLAY ARE JUST TWO OF THE ACCLAIMED ARTISTS HELPING MAKE THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART’S REOPENING SOMETHING REMARKABLE. JAKE MILLAR PREVIEWS THE GALLERY’S NEW EXHIBITIONS AND SURROUNDINGS. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally here. Back in August 2010, the Museum of Contemporary Art closed its doors to undergo a $53 million redevelopment: new galleries were added, old ones removed, and then came shops and activity rooms and cafés. Now, some 18 months later, the MCA is back in business. It’s certainly bigger – with the building’s total size increased by nearly half – but it’s also, thankfully, a lot better. As the gallery’s director, Elizabeth Ann Macgregor, explained at a recent media preview, the concept behind the new gallery was all about creating a welcoming space. “The old entrance never really invited you in,” she suggested. “And we lacked the grandeur of the experience we now have.” Indeed, the new entrance could scarcely be more different from its predecessor. Gone is the pokey, narrow doorway that had more to do with cattle herding than culture, replaced instead with a big, bright entrance in concrete and glass that looks out across the harbour. The gallery’s total exhibition space has been increased by over 25 per cent thanks to the addition of three new galleries. Each of them is large and

open and, to be honest, not exactly jampacked with art. But nor should they be. They let visitors calmly navigate the area at their own pace, rather than confronting them with an intimidating wave of artworks. “It’s a snapshot of the last twenty years of collecting,” Macgregor said. “And there are some works that will surprise you.” There is also a new rooftop café and sculpture terrace, where each year an artist will be invited to create an artwork for display – it’s currently home to a piece by Hany Armanious, the Australian representative at last year’s Venice Biennale. Impressive as it is, it faces stiff competition in the visual stakes from some pretty extraordinary rooftop views of the harbour. As well as new gallery spaces, the MCA features a number of commissions from Australian artists, including a permanent work on the gallery’s façade by Brook Andrew, and a fascinating piece created by Melbourne artist Emily Floyd specifically for children with special needs. Helen Eager has also made a large wall painting – a jumble of orange triangles – that greets visitors as they walk through the harbourside entrance and ensures the striking new architecture doesn’t completely steal the show. So to the exhibitions. The MCA opens with Making Time, a major international exhibition of works by 11 artists that will take over the MCA’s top-floor galleries, as well as The Clock, an intriguing 24-hour video (shown every Thursday in its entirety) by Christian Marclay, who won best artist at last year’s Venice Biennale. There is also a performance art programme called Local Positioning Systems that features the work of six Australian artists and the UK collaborative Walker & Bromwich. Each will be on show until Sunday 3 June. Also on the cards is the 18th Biennale of Sydney, which will take place from 27 June until 16 September in a number of venues, including the MCA and Cockatoo Island, and an exhibition of Australian artist Ken Whisson’s paintings and drawings is also planned for September. WHAT: Museum Of Contemporary Art Australia. WHERE & WHEN: The Rocks, now THE DRUM MEDIA • 43

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MADE YOU

LOOK

WITH BETHANY SMALL Hey, check me out, just, like, sitting in the MCA library like “Whatever!” Right now it is the first day that it’s been open to the public in heaven knows how long (well, since Recorders closed, but even that was only a measly onefloor sitch so the length of deprivation really was totally depuis longtemps), taking a iPhone-charging break from sitting on a couch that, being short, gives me the advantage of being able to stretch my legs out on and watching The Clock. Oh MCA, let’s never be apart for so long again. And thank you for running a thing that goes for 24 hours; I can see where all my Thursday nights will be spent until April ends as I’m already super-attached to the bits I’m seeing for the second time. I’m a horrible completist in some ways, like, wanting to feel like I have given myself a chance to see all of the parts of a thing before I think about it as a whole, and while watching this guy the first time through is giving me all kinds of thoughts about temporality, charisma, metadiegesis and that sort of thing, I’m kind of trying to just let those ferment with their own bad selves in

my back-brain while I lounge and watch and compulsively tweet moments of pleasurable recognition and surprise firstly more as a matter of personal record than public edification and secondly, as far as extrinsic relevance goes, to prove I actually have been there, this sort of lifestyle as durational performance thing wherein the amount of time I am able and willing to dedicate to art becomes the primary luxury of my existence and entails a sort of monastic contemplative aspect. And I am already interested in The Clock in and of itself as an artwork per se and also as a phenomenon of engagement, the whos and hows of the way people deal with a super-fucking-complicated yet extremely sum-uppable thing like this, what the traffic patterns are, what the room feels like at different times of day, the etiquette that’ll develop around people’s physicality in the space. But, no phone = full panic, so here I sit in what feels like it might become a new regular workspace, staring out at a deeply impressive view, reading a book about Richard ‘What Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing?’ Hamilton with a fatuous grin.

GIVEAWAYS WIN A SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL FLEXIPASS The Sydney Film Festival has just released a sneak peak of 25 teaser films playing as part of this year’s festival (Wednesday 6 June to Sunday 17)by way of announcing flexipasses are now on sale, a flexipass being a batch of tickets of which four at a time can be used for a single session, so you can be kind to your friends and/or family. Of note is the Gael García Bernal-starring The Loneliest Planet, which follows a young engaged couple’s idyll in the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia. Interrupted by a momentary misstep, their actions threaten to undo everything they believed about each other and themselves. Thanks to Sydney Film Festival we’ve on ten-ticket flexipass to give away to one lucky winner. All you need to do is head to facebook.com/drummedia and enter via the Giveaways tab.

FOR THE LOVE OF LANGUAGE

FRENCH FILMMAKER MIA HANSEN-LØVE IS PREPARING TO SEE THE RELEASE OF HER THIRD FILM IN SIX YEARS, GOODBYE FIRST LOVE. SHE SPEAKS TO ANTHONY CAREW ABOUT HER SINGULAR VISION. Mia Hansen-Løve never went to film-school. The 31 year old filmmaker – already three features into an impressive career – doesn’t think it’s remarkable in and of itself, but being an artistic ‘outsider’ is something she identifies with. Hansen-Løve came to filmmaking via the influence of her love-interest, the film-critic-turned-auteur Olivier Assayas, making her debut with 2007’s All Is Forgiven after no time in an academy. This would be a meaningless biographical footnote if not for the fact that Hansen-Løve’s pictures move with an unconventional screenwriting rhythm that no one would ever teach, but is only her own. “I try not to think at all about how a story ‘should’ be told. I’ve always had a strong belief in the importance of thinking on your own,” says Hansen-Løve. “When I write, I try to find a way in the structure of all my films that reflects my own way of seeing things and my own experiences, not the established rules of scriptwriting... I have troubles with the way some young filmmakers write scripts; they just feel so conventional to me. Sometimes even in films I like very much. There’s something in the way that they write where I can tell they’re trying to apply the rules that they’ve been told about the

efficiencies of scriptwriting.” Her latest oddly-moving picture, Goodbye First Love, chronicles a young love affair over a period of years; intense teenage infatuation unfolding into a portrait of two kids turning into adults. It’s about “love and the impossibility of turning a page”, “the passing of time”, “[love] that starts so very young and doesn’t ever really go away”, and “how you become who you are”. The filmmaker talks about taking inspiration from ’60s acid-folkies the Incredible String Band and specifically their jam, First Girl I Loved. It’s telling, because music plays a key part in Hansen-Løve’s particular aesthetic. “I don’t work with composers, so I feel very free with my choices of music. I enjoy trying to find music that is both pertinent and to-the-point of the film, but also unexpected, and will give it a new colour. I enjoy creating my own language with the use of music. I love to not use music for a long stretch of the film – 20 minutes, 25 minutes – and then put in one song, one really important song that you will really listen to because it comes after this silence.” Her idiosyncratic use of pop songs was never more unexpected than at the end of her masterful Father Of My Children, a radically-bisected

drama inspired by the life of the late producer Humbert Balsan –in which Hansen-Løve flogged the musical ‘dead horse’ of Doris Day’s Que Sera Sera without irony. “I feel very sincere about music; I try not to care about what other people think, I try to just be honest to my own sensibility. My mother used to sing that to me as a child, because of Hitchock’s [The Man Who Knew

Too Much]. So I’ve always loved that song; Que Sera Sera has always moved me. I knew that some people would be shocked by the use of the song, like it was a bad selection, but it was so perfect for that ending: it’s a mother singing to her children about life going on.” WHAT: Goodbye First Love WHERE & WHEN: Screening in cinemas from Thursday 5 April

SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL 2012 REVEALS FIRST FILMS The 59th Sydney Film Festival, now under the leadership of festival director Nashen Moodley, has announced the first 25 films that will feature in its programme running Wednesday 6 June to Sunday 17. It includes 22 Australian premieres and ten documentaries, and comprises award-winning titles from Sundance, Rotterdam and Berlin. The films announced are features Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts Of The Southern Wild; Miguel Gomes’ Tabu; Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Neighbouring Sounds; Julia Loktev’s The Loneliest Planet; Oren Moverman’s Rampart; Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Once Upon A Time In Anatolia; Alexander Sokurov’s Faust; Keith Wright’s Harold’s Going Stiff; Ann Hui’s A Simple Life; Nikolaj Arcel’s A Royal Affair; Mohammad Rasoulof’s Goodbye; Christian Petzold’s Barbara; Oliver Hermanus’s Beauty; Phillipe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar, and Jack Perez’s Some Guy Who Kills People, while the documentaries include Ra’anan Alexandrowicz’s The Law In These Parts; Robert B Weide’s Woody Allen: A Documentary; Frederick Wiseman’s Crazy Horse; Joe Berlinger’s Under African Skies; Pietra Brettkelly’s Maori Boy Genius; Chris Kenneally’s Side By Side; Safinez Bousbia’s El Gusto; Bess Kargman’s First Position; Davy Chou’s Golden Slumbers, and Malik Bendjelloul’s Searching For Sugar Man. Head to sff.org.au for full details, and keep your eyes glued to these pages for more announcements.

3 PR AL 0 M EVIE L T AR W IC – 3 S KE TS APR $4 8*

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE DRAMA THEATRE 30 MARCH – 12 MAY SYDNEYOPERAHOUSE.COM 02 9250 7777 OPTUS UNDER 30 TICKETS FROM $33* * Seats limited. Transaction fee of up to $8.50 applies.

MACBETH BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE DIRECTOR PETER EVANS DESIGNER ANNA CORDINGLEY LIGHTING DESIGNER DAMIEN COOPER COMPOSER KELLY RYALL MOVEMENT/FIGHT DIRECTOR NIGEL POULTON DRAMATURG KATE MULVANY VOCAL COACH BILL PEPPER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR JOHN KACHOYAN WITH JASON CHONG, IVAN DONATO, KATIE-JEAN HARDING, ROBERT JAGO, COLIN MOODY, KATE MULVANY, GARETH REEVES, PAUL REICHSTEIN, LIZZIE SCHEBESTA, HAZEM SHAMMAS & DAN SPIELMAN

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44 • THE DRUM MEDIA

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TOUR GUIDE FEATURE TOUR

ZIGGY MARLEY

Ziggy Marley returns to Australia after a five-year absence. He’ll be featuring songs from his latest album, Wild And Free, as well as all the favourites from his three other solo albums and those of the Melody Makers. He brings his own soulful sound which blends blues, r’n’b and hip hop with roots reggae to The Metro on Sunday 8 April, following an appearance at Bluesfest.

DRUM PRESENTS

BRIAN SETZER @ ENMORE THEATRE PIC BY JOSH GROOM

BRIAN SETZER’S ROCKABILLY RIOT LANIE LANE ENMORE THEATRE 30/03/12

Lanie Lane’s spaghetti-billy style of country and rock was perfect from the first note. The now familiar tracks from her 2011 album, To The Horses, showcased her vocal range from sex kitten squeak to tigress growl, with Like Me Meaner and Bang Bang crowd favourites. The new track, written on the road with Aidan Roberts, seemed to walk nearer the rock line musically, but still had a quirk and a hook for Lane’s broad vowels to hang from. Throughout the set, her jazz-schooled band held things tight and let her scrawling tones captivate a packed Enmore. Brian Setzer’s Rockabilly Riot must have filled the room with every swing, rock’n’roll and rockabilly original and revivalist in Sydney, as there was no room to swing a cat, or his kitten. A mix of tributes and Stray Cats classics, there was Cash, Perkins, Lewis and a moving dedication to the recently departed Earl Scruggs. A veteran of the rockabilly scene, Setzer showed no signs of ageing with lyrics from ‘49 Mercury Blues capturing his ethos: “I’m too young to quit/ Too old to change”. His voice was as strong as ever and his strumming demonstrated a speed and dexterity usually seen only in metal bands. It was

all-out party time through Rumble In Brighton, Stray Cat Strut and Cry Baby, with feet on the piano, kneeslide solos, a quick yodel and the stand-up drums and trash can of Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom. During the extended wanderings of Fishnet Stockings the upright bass antics began. First a speed slap solo, then a behind the head Hendrix-style, sitting on top, climbing all over, lying down on the ground, all the while keeping a bad-arse baseline. Then came the second upright bass. Duelling basses, including the Deliverance riff, built into a face-off swap slap that looked crazy and sounded hot. Things were getting wild when Setzer himself walked out with a third upright bass. The jumping and jousting was unbelievable, creating a rock music moment in history for the lucky Enmore crowd. With a genuine reluctance to end the night, the lads stayed on stage to lead the crowd in a sing and clap along to the music playing as the house lights went on. As Setzer himself put it, “We may not be the best band in the world, but we’re sure as hell the best band on the block tonight!”

DEAD TO ME, COBRA SKULLS: Apr 3 Yours & Owls, Apr 4 Cambridge Hotel, Apr 5 Central Coast Hotel JOHN HIATT: Apr 3 The Metro TROMBONE SHORTY: Apr 3 & 4 The Basement Circular Quay BUDDY GUY: Apr 4 Enmore Theatre BLUESFEST: Apr 5 – 9 Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm BLITZEN TRAPPER: Apr 5 Oxford Art Factory GREAT BIG SEA: Apr 5 The Basement Circular Quay KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD: Apr 5 The Factory YANN TIERSEN: Apr 5 The Metro FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS: Apr 7 Factory Theatre ALABAMA 3: Apr 7 Manning Bar SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM: Apr 7 The Hi-Fi ZIGGY MARLEY: Apr 8 The Metro DAVID BROMBERG BAND: Apr 9 The Basement Circular Quay BLEEDING KNEES CLUB: Apr 11 Beach Road Hotel, Apr 12 Transit Bar, Apr 13 Oxford Art Factory, Apr 14 (day) The Factory Floor, Apr 14 (eve) The Patch SEASICK STEVE: Apr 12 The Metro THE BEARDS: Apr 18 Great Northern Newcastle, Apr 19 ANU Bar, Apr 20 Manning Bar JAY & SILENT BOB: Apr 20 & 23 Enmore Theatre PASSENGER: Apr 21 Factory Theatre LAST DINOSAURS: Apr 21 Oxford Art Factory, Apr 22 Transit Bar, Apr 29 Oxford Art Factory DIG IT UP!: Apr 22 Enmore Theatre, Notes Live, The Green Room, Sly Fox REDD KROSS: Apr 24 Oxford Art Factory SYDNEY COMEDY FESTIVAL: Apr 24 – May 12 various venues PIGEON: Apr 26 Blush Nightclub, Apr 27 Yours & Owls, Apr 28 Upstairs Beresford, May 2 Cambridge Hotel, May 11 Beach Hotel Byron THE GUM BALL: Apr 27 & 28 Dashville BIG SCARY: Apr 27 Oxford Art Factory GOSSLING: Apr 27 Clarendon Guesthouse; Apr 28 The Basement Circular Quay, Apr 29 Brass Monkey FU MANCHU: May 3 The Hi-Fi KIM CHURCHILL: May 3 Brass Monkey, May 4 The Standard, May 5 & 6 Heritage Hotel, May 11 Transit Bar MOUNT KIMBIE: May 4 The Hi-Fi BIC RUNGA: May 8 Lizotte’s Central Coast, May 9 Lizotte’s Newcastle, May 11 IPAC Gordon Theatre, May 12 City Recital Hall Angel Place ANDREW WK: May 10 The Standard THE MACCABEES: May 10 Metro Theatre PUBLIC ENEMY: May 11 The Metro GROOVIN’ THE MOO: May 12 Maitland Showground, May 13 University Of Canberra DEAD LETTER CIRCUS: May 23 The Patch, May 24 Zierholtz @ UC, May 25 The Hi-Fi, May 26 Entrance Leagues Club, May 27 Cambridge Hotel

Kristy Wandmaker

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TIM RIPPER OWENS: May 24 Cambridge Hotel, May 25 The Basement Canberra, May 26 The Hi-Fi, May 27 The Patch BOY & BEAR: May 30 State Theatre, May 31 Newcastle Uni, Jun 1 ANU Bar, Jun 2 Waves, Jun 17 Entrance Leagues Club YOUNG GUNS: May 31 The Hi-Fi COME TOGETHER: Jun 9 Big Top Luna Park

NATIONAL

GIN WIGMORE: Apr 3 The Vanguard THE NEARLY BROTHERS: Apr 4 & 5 The Vanguard BEN SALTER & JOE MCKEE: Apr 4 Yours & Owls, Apr 6 Front Gallery, Apr 7 Petersham Bowling Club JAREK: Apr 4 Phoenix Club, Apr 5 The Patch, Apr 7 Bald Faced Stag, Apr 8 Annandale Hotel CARAVANA SUN: Apr 5 The Rhythm Hut, Apr 6 Great Northern Hotel Newcastle, Apr 28 Beach Road Hotel DANGEROUS!: Apr 5 Gee Whiz, Apr 7 Northern Star Newcastle WOLF & CUB: Apr 5 Goodgod BAG RAIDERS: Apr 5 Australian Hotel, Apr 5 OneFiveOne, Apr 6 The Criterion Hunter Valley, Apr 13 Trinity Bar Canberra, Apr 15 The Ivy EMMA RUSSACK: Apr 6 Kings Cross Hotel, Apr 7 Chino’s, Apr 8 Yours & Owls RON S PENO & THE SUPERSTITIONS: Apr 7 The Vanguard DEEZ NUTS: Apr 7 Annandale Hotel, Apr 9 Oasis Youth Centre SERIOUS BEAK: Apr 7 Lansdowne Hotel SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM: Apr 7 The Hi-Fi TWISTED AFFECTION: Apr 11 Loft Youth Centre, Apr 12 Hot Damn, Apr 13 The Lair, Apr 14 Spectrum, Apr 18 ANU Bar GREENTHIEF: Apr 11 Cambridge Hotel, Apr 12 Yours & Owls, Apr 13 The Basement Canberra, Apr 14 The Square BLEEDING KNEES CLUB: Apr 11 Beach Road Hotel, Apr 12 Transit Bar, Apr 13 Oxford Art Factory, Apr 14 (day) The Factory Floor, Apr 14 (eve) The Patch BLUEJUICE: Apr 12 Waves, Apr 13 The Metro SET SAIL: Apr 12 Grand Junction Hotel JOHN BUTLER: Apr 12 Civic Theatre Newcastle, Apr 13 Canberra Theatre Centre, Apr 27 & 28 The Metro EMMY BRYCE, KATE VIGO: Apr 12 Clarendon Guesthouse, Apr 13 El Rocco’s N’FA JONES: Apr 12 Factory Floor, Apr 13 Cambridge Side Bar OCEANICS: Apr 12 Lansdowne Hotel, Apr 13 World Bar, Apr 14 Oxford Art Factory UNDERLIGHTS: Apr 12 Cambridge Sidebar, Apr 13 The Standard, Apr 14 Yours & Owls HIS MERRY MEN: Apr 13 Eastern Lounge, Apr 14 Macquarie Hotel, Apr 15 Lansdowne Hotel MINX: Apr 13 King Street Hotel TUMBLEWEED: Apr 13 Newcastle Leagues, Apr 14 Annandale Hotel MY DISCO: Apr 13 Goodgod SIDETRACKED FIASCO: Apr 13 Town Hall Hotel, Apr 21 Holy Grail, Apr 27 Dicey’s Irish Pub, Apr 29 Old Manly Boatshed THE DRUM MEDIA • 45

TOUR GUIDE THE GOOD SHIPS: Apr 13 The Vanguard THE MCCLYMONTS: Apr 13 Belmont 16ft Sailing Club, Apr 14 Castle Hill RSL BEARHUG: Apr 14 The Gate, May 4 Goodgod ALISON WONDERLAND: Apr 14 Trinity Bar Canberra, Apr 20 King St Newcastle GUTHRIE: Apr 14 Great Northern Hotel, Apr 15 The Junkyard, Apr 26 Valve Bar, Apr 27 Hotel Gearin, May 18 Old Canberra Inn, May 19 Phoenix Canberra CELADORE: Apr 14 Chino’s AYA LARKIN: Apr 15 Brass Monkey, Apr 18 The Vanguard, Apr 19 Clarendon Guesthouse, Apr 20 Old Manly Boatshed, Apr 21 Yours & Owls, Apr 27 Lizotte’s Newcastle, Apr 28 Lizotte’s Kincumber, Apr 29 Lizotte’s Dee Why PAUL GREENE: Apr 15 Lizotte’s Newcastle, Apr 19 Heritage Hotel, May 10 Front Gallery, May 12 Clarendon Guesthouse, May 18 The Factory, May 20 Brass Monkey DZ DEATHRAYS: Apr 18 Beach Road Hotel, Apr 19 The Patch, Apr 20 Oxford Art Factory, Apr 21 Transit Bar THE CITY SHAKE UP: Apr 18 Cambridge Hotel, Apr 21 St. James Hotel, Apr 22 Liverpool PCYC THE BEARDS: Apr 18 Great Northern Newcastle, Apr 19 ANU Bar, Apr 20 Manning Bar MICHAEL PETER*: Apr 18 Tokio Hotel, Apr 22 Lizotte’s Kincumber, May 2 Old Many Boatshed, May 3 Hamilton Station Hotel, May 4 Tea Gardens Hotel MICK THOMAS: Apr 18 The Front, Apr 19 Lizotte’s Newcastle, Apr 20 Lizotte’s Kincumber, Apr 21 Annandale Hotel, Apr 22 Coogee Diggers COLD CHISEL: Apr 18 Hordern Pavilion HOODLUM SHOUTS: Apr 19 Transit Bar, Apr 20 Blackwire Records, Apr 21 The Wall ELIXIR: Apr 19 Ravensthorpe Guesthouse & Restaurant, Apr 21 The Basement MOJO JUJU: Apr 19 Yours & Owls, Apr 21 Baroque Bar YACHT CLUB DJS: Apr 19 Wollongong Uni, Apr 20 Academy, Apr 21 The Standard TIN SPARROW: Apr 19 Goodgod, Apr 20 Yours & Owls POND: Apr 19 The Standard EPIDEMIC… OVER: Apr 19 Beach Road Hotel, Apr 20 The Wall THE TOOT TOOT TOOTS: Apr 19 The Junkyard, Apr 20 The Vanguard, Apr 21 Great Northern Newcastle, Apr 22 The Phoenix PASSENGER: Apr 21 Factory Theatre LAST DINOSAURS: Apr 21 Oxford Art Factory, Apr 22 Transit Bar, Apr 29 Oxford Art Factory PIGEON*: Apr 26 Blush Nightclub, Apr 27 Yours & Owls, Apr 28 Upstairs Beresford, May 2 Cambridge Hotel BIG SCARY: Apr 27 Oxford Art Factory GOSSLING: Apr 27 Clarendon Guesthouse; Apr 28 The Basement Circular Quay, Apr 29 Brass Monkey KIM CHURCHILL: May 3 Brass Monkey, May 4 The Standard, May 5 & 6 Heritage Hotel, May 11 Transit Bar DEAD LETTER CIRCUS: May 23 The Patch, May 24 Zierholtz @ UC, May 25 The Hi-Fi, May 26 Entrance Leagues Club, May 27 Cambridge Hotel BOY & BEAR: May 30 State Theatre, May 31 Newcastle Uni, Jun 1 ANU Bar, Jun 2 Waves, Jun 17 Entrance Leagues Club

INTERNATIONAL

DEAD TO ME, COBRA SKULLS: Apr 3 Yours & Owls, Apr 4 Cambridge Hotel, Apr 5 Central Coast Hotel MY MORNING JACKET: Apr 3 Enmore Theatre LUCINDA WILLIAMS: Apr 3 State Theatre JOHN FOGERTY: Apr 3 Sydney Entertainment Centre JOHN HIATT: Apr 3 The Metro TROMBONE SHORTY: Apr 3 & 4 The Basement Circular Quay JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE: Apr 4 Factory Theatre STEVE EARLE: Apr 4 Lizotte’s Newcastle, Apr 8 Factory Theatre, Apr 9 Concourse Chatswood BUDDY GUY: Apr 4 Enmore Theatre DEAD MEADOW: Apr 4 ANU Bar, Apr 6 The Hi-Fi BLITZEN TRAPPER: Apr 5 Oxford Art Factory GREAT BIG SEA: Apr 5 The Basement Circular Quay KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD: Apr 5 The Factory YANN TIERSEN: Apr 5 The Metro BRAIN SETZER’S ROCKABILLY RIOT: Apr 5 Newcastle Panthers MARTIN BUTTRICH: Apr 5 Civic Underground EARTH WIND & FIRE: Apr 5 Hordern Pavilion 46 • THE DRUM MEDIA

KRS-ONE: Apr 5 Enmore Theatre, Apr 13 Southern Cross Entertainment Centre ROSIE LEDET: Apr 5 Notes ICED EARTH: Apr 5 The Hi-Fi NEW FOUND GLORY: Apr 7 Big Top Luna Park SUBLIME WITH ROME: Apr 7 UNSW Roundhouse THE SPECIALS: Apr 7 Enmore Theatre ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA: Apr 7 Metro Theatre, Apr 8 Newcastle Panthers VEIL OF MAYA: Apr 7 SFX JACQUES GREENE: Apr 7 Oxford Art Factory FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS: Apr 7 Factory Theatre ALABAMA 3: Apr 7 Manning Bar BASS DRUM OF DEATH: Apr 7 FBi Social SEAL: Apr 8 Royal Theatre, Apr 19 Sydney Entertainment Centre ZIGGY MARLEY: Apr 8 The Metro DAVID BROMBERG BAND: Apr 9 The Basement Circular Quay STIMMING: Apr 9 Abercrombie Hotel TONY BENNETT: Apr 9, 11 & 12 Sydney Opera House JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW: Apr 9 Factory Theatre, Apr 11 The Vanguard SETH LAKEMAN: Apr 10 The Vanguard THE POGUES: Apr 11 Hordern Pavilion VUSI MAHLASELA: Apr 11 The Basement Circular Quay SEASICK STEVE: Apr 12 The Metro THE VERLAINES: Apr 12 Red Rattler, Apr 13 Spectrum MACEO PARKER: Apr 13 & 14 The Basement Circular Quay YES: Apr 13 State Theatre THE WEDDING PRESENT: Apr 13 Annandale Hotel ONE DIRECTION: Apr 13 Hordern Pavilion COSMIC GATE: Apr 14 The Metro PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT: Apr 14 Enmore Theatre AMON AMARTH: Apr 14 The Hi-Fi IN ELEMENT: Apr 14 The Basement Canberra, Apr 18 Hamilton Station Hotel, Apr 28 Venom SUPAFEST feat. P.DIDD Y, RICK ROSS, ICE CUBE and more: Apr 15 ANZ Stadium LIL JON: Apr 16 UC Refectory, Apr 27 Home LOU BARLOW: Apr 16 Annandale Hotel JON GOMM: Apr 17 Lizotte’s Kincumber, Apr 19 The Basement Circular Quay, Apr 26 Lizotte’s Newcastle AUGUST BURNS RED: Apr 19 Newcastle Panthers, Apr 20 The Metro MARK LANEGAN BAND: Apr 20 The Hi-Fi REDD KROSS*: Apr 24 Oxford Art Factory RALPH MCTELL: Apr 26 Southern Cross Canberra, Fri Apr 27 Balmain Town Hall, April 28 Joan Sutherland Penrith, April 29 Clarendon Guesthouse FU MANCHU: May 3 The Hi-Fi THE CHORDS: May 5 Note’s Live, May 6, Harbour Cruise BIC RUNGA: May 8 Lizotte’s Kincumber, May 9 Lizotte’s Newcastle, May 11 IPAC Gordon Theatre, May 12 City Recital Hall Angel Place ANDREW WK: May 10 The Standard THE MACCABEES: May 10 Metro Theatre PUBLIC ENEMY: May 11 The Metro CITY & COLOUR: May 14 & 15 Enmore Theatre TIM RIPPER OWENS: May 24 Cambridge Hotel, May 25 The Basement Canberra, May 26 The Hi-Fi, May 27 The Patch YOUNG GUNS: May 31 The Hi-Fi

FESTIVALS

BLUESFEST: Apr 5 – 9 Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm SHOREFEST: Apr 14 St Leonards Park DIG IT UP!: Apr 22 Enmore Theatre, Notes Live, The Green Room, Sly Fox THE GUM BALL: Apr 27 & 28 Dashville NEWTONS NATION: Apr 27 – 29 Mt Panorama GROOVIN’ THE MOO: May 12 Maitland Showground, May 13 University Of Canberra VIVID LIVE: May 25 – Jun 3 Sydney Opera House SKA WEEKENDER*: Jun 8 – 10 Annandale Hotel SNOWY MOUNTAINS OF MUSIC: Jun 8 – 11 Perisher Snowy Mountains DARLING HARBOUR JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVAL: Jun 9 – 11 Darling Harbour COME TOGETHER: Jun 9 Big Top Luna Park SYDNEY BLUES & ROOTS FESTIVAL: Oct 25 – 28 Windsor * indicates new or amended listing this week

ELBOW @ HORDERN PAVILION PIC BY JOSH GROOM

ELBOW, BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB HORDERN PAVILION 26/03/12

Apparently, you’re not allowed to write “love” 350 odd times and have it count as a review, which is a bugger really, because trying to describe the lusciousness of Elbow with the scant vocabulary that the English language affords us is tricky. Not so difficult with Bombay Bicycle Club. Whilst they appear to be fresh-faced and lovely lads who have proud mums waiting at home for them, they fell a little flat. Yes, it’s a big room when it’s halfempty on a Monday night and yes, they appeared to be giving it their all but, meh. It was all a bit scattered and disjointed and it did feel as though they were name-checking all the “correct” influences. In contrast, the wonder that is Elbow took to the stage and were immediately greeted by waves of love and respect from the enthusiastic audience whose ages appeared to range from 16 to 65. And it was mutual. Every member of the band grinned from ear to ear as they took up their instruments and the love-in got into full swing. How truly wonderful to hear a band that can fully realise the exquisite pain and bitterness of loss and longing as faithfully live as they do in the studio. A band who knows how important a properly constructed setlist – with ebb and flow, light and shade, old and new – is to the overall success of the night. A band that have gotten the closest to capturing joy on tape as anyone else ever has. And a frontman in Guy Garvey with charm and wit, who is just humble enough but knows what he has at his back when he introduces the sublime The Bones Of You by saying, “This one’s a good one” – and it’s only the second song in. We were treated to Grounds For Divorce and The Loneliness Of A Tower Crane Driver and delighted to hear newbies that are already classics like The Birds and The Night Will Always Win. With an encore that started with Starlings and finished with the audience singing more than decent harmonies to One Day Like This, a more uplifting Monday night is hard to come by. What a joyous noise. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Beck

YELAWOLF, BRIGGS, THE HAVKNOTZ METRO THEATRE 31/03/12

White boy rap can go both ways. If successfully executed it can be vitriolic, refreshing, socially intuitive and relevant, as seen in Atmosphere’s God Loves Ugly record or Eminem’s Marshall Mathers LP. Unfortunately however, more often that not, white boy rap is seen as the bane of hip hop’s foundation, being filled with forced vocals and sloppy rhymes as well as vacant and trivial lyricism. This contrived 21st century-oriented genre attempts to adopt the key concepts embodied in fundamental hip hop but cannot quite grasp such techniques efficaciously. Alabama-based prodigy of Shady Records, Yelawolf is a prime example of the perversity of whites spoiling the roots of rap music through a lack of understanding of the basis of the genre. As a galling amalgamation of Busta Rhymes, Eminem and Lil Wayne’s most potent weaknesses, Yelawolf ‘claims’ inspiration from OG ‘90s hip hop pioneers Mobb Deep and Eazy E, yet inevitably fails to possess the same intentions. Providing a promising start to the evening though was warm-up DJ Victor Lopez, who amped the crowd with ‘80s and ‘90s funk and hip hop classics from artists such as Dr Dre, Big L and Ice Cube. Shortly following was Aussie rap duo The Havknotz and later Briggs, who both delivered forgettable and cringe-worthy rhymes to the unenthused audience members. Pacing around the stage, The Havknots demonstrated a demise of ‘bad attitude’, however lacked conviction or confidence in their vocal delivery.

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Jumping onstage fashionably late, Yelawolf grasped a bottle of Jack Daniels and spat the uncomfortably syncopated rhymes of Daddy’s Lambo into the microphone against an overproduced instrumental, which was being consistently ‘scratched’ and wound back by the house DJ. The rapper delivered incomprehensible waffle, yelling tasteless ‘crowd hyping’ phrases in between his poorly constructed set. Flaunting his absurdly speedy rhymes, Trunk Muzik was a three-minute wimpy mash-up of inaudible lyrics, tacky chants and heavily-synthesised backings, with the speed of Yelawolf’s rhymes failing to compensate for the sub-par quality of the actual music. It became slowly more and more obvious that Yelawolf falls smack bang in the category of overly manufactured popular 21st century hip hop and r’n’b like artists such as Chris Brown, Trey Songz and Akon, with the crowd being uninspired by rare references to Wu Tang Clan and other significant shapers of the hip hop genre. Although in Growin’ Up In The Gutter Yelawolf tries to assert how ‘hood’ his life was before sudden wealth and success, adhering to a commonly ‘ghetto’ trend frequent in modern hip hop, the lyrics were laughable, as was this artist’s attitude to the music. Overall, the audience involvement was limited apart from an occasional intermittent comment about how much Yelawolf ‘fuckin’ love(s)” the audience. Ava Nirui

NICK LOWE, GERAINT WATKINS

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE CONCERT HALL 29/03/12 Those of you that got in early on the night would have been forgiven for thinking you had just stumbled into an RSL meat raffle, as Geraint Watkins, who also plays keys in the main act’s band, took to the stage. He knocked out a number of good and bad piano numbers, which included a reinterpretation of the Chuck Berry hit, Johnny B Goode. While Nick Lowe himself, who is comparatively less well known compared with many of the people he has collaborated with (the names Elvis Costello, Ry Cooder and Johnny Cash are just a few), he still has a distinct-sounding voice and after more than a million years performing in and out of the spotlight, he looked as fresh as ever with his thick black-rimmed glasses and the healthiest head of hair – albeit much whiter than it was a couple of decades ago. Between songs the audience were treated to his light-hearted sense of humour and his wry recounting of events from the ‘70s, such his first meeting with long-time drumming companion Bobby Irwin, who it is alleged used to sell stuff for ‘twelve dollars an ounce!’ if the urban retelling is true. Lowe also warned the audience that a number of new tracks from last year’s The Old Magic would be getting a run, however he would still perform some well-known numbers too. True to his word, Cruel To Be Kind, I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock’n’Roll) and (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding all got a run and received the most audience response, but it was the stripped-back versions of Heart and Lately I’ve Let Things Slide that demonstrated how good a word- and songsmith he is. While the target market was clearly the 40-plus age demographic, there were a few younger people in the audience. One actually fell asleep toward the end of the performance, yet managed somehow to continue clapping at the conclusion of every song, showing that Lowe and band were so powerful they managed also to reach people’s subconscious and trigger an involuntary reaction. It may be said that based on this performance itself, Lowe would find it difficult to translate to younger audiences, but his songs of love and loss have the classic appeal so few artists possess. Adam Wilding

some of the other new songs didn’t fare so well. Safe (In The Heat Of The Moment) was a dire funk-lite cliché and The Man Who Stole The Leopard dragged along interminably, while their cover of Grandmaster & Melle Mel’s White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It) only deserves a mention for how truly terrible it was.

Sunday 15 April

Frontman Simon Le Bon was in undeniably fine vocal form, still able to hit those high notes and though he worked the stage and crowd like a seasoned pro, his act was firmly in the mould of game show or pantomime host with double entendres, cheeky winks and some downright embarrassing dance moves that looked over-rehearsed and lacked any spontaneity. The between-song banter also sank to the level of repeatedly telling the audience how great Australia is and how their screams weren’t as loud as those in Melbourne. BALL PARK MUSIC @ FACTORY THEATRE PIC: MACLAY HERIOT

BALL PARK MUSIC, NANTES, CUB SCOUTS FACTORY THEATRE 30/03/12

Dubbed the 180º Tour, this gig featured three up and coming bands in a wild, energy-fuelled mini-festival. This night was conclusive evidence that no one – no one – parties like underage kids high on indie pop. Cub Scouts opened with their distinctive and adorable fuzz-pop sounds. They were disarming and still seemed a little shy despite the enormous throng of under-age punters swarming around their stage despite their early set. No tune could possibly match up to the enormous popularity of Evie – which, perhaps to the immense relief of certain female audience members, turns out to be about vocalist Tim Nelson’s dog. Lyrics like “Open your eyes and see the lies”, threepart harmonies (angsty shout to intense whisper, accordingly) and the potent combination of strange haircuts, attitude and Sonic Youth paraphernalia, Nantes are quickly becoming the bad-arse name in indie rock. The more you hear this band, the more you wonder exactly when they’re going to explode. They have a gift to give the indie music scene – badarsery and attitude. Ball Park Music – wow. Their tunes take one’s breath away, with huge indie rock instrumentals, layered neatly over these darkly honest, self-deprecating lyrics. The gorgeous vocals of Jennifer Boyce (who introduced a Leukaemia Fundraising opportunity by saying boldly, “So, I shaved my head.”), the cute, driving keys (and trombone) of Paul Furness, the chunky bass of Dean Hanson and the drums of his brother Daniel, and the guitar prowess of Brock Smith is a recipe for a ridiculously addictive sound. And then there’s frontman Sam Cromack. He looks to the entire world like a nice boy, the kind your grandmother might approve of. But when he announces songs about “having a good wank” or “murdering your ex-girlfriend” – and with a performance style that seems to borrow heavily from the choir conductor in The Vicar Of Dibley – you know that here is a guy whose lyrics will teach you more about living in this “sad rude future” than all your teachers put together. The band dropped a few new tracks, including Pot Of Gold, with its beautiful strings and vocal introduction, its shimmering cymbals and that trademark, selfdepreciating Ball Park Music wit in each lyric (“I used to be just like you/ I did the things I liked to do/ Now I do what I’m told”), which was a quick crowd favourite. They covered their entire debut album and closed with a high-energy rendition of It’s Nice To Be Alive, and it was impossible to control the surge of elation that the song brings, especially when the band dropped streamers and confetti from the rafters to finish. Jessie Hunt

DURAN DURAN, RADIO INK

SYDNEY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE 27/03/12 The Entertainment Centre had a reduced, curtainedoff capacity, no doubt due to the lack of a sellout, yet those in attendance compensated with deafening screams and applause all night. Up first were local duo Radio Ink, who are firmly in the commercial dance pop realm, mixing songs from the likes of Survivor, Bee Gees and Daft Punk into a pretty crass techno mix. They tried hard to generate some enthusiasm, but their cheesiness even left the aging Duran Duran fans cold. After a 30-minute delay, Duran Duran – with added percussionist/horn player and backup singer – arrived on stage to a cacophony of screaming middle-aged fans. You couldn’t fault the crowd’s enthusiasm, which saw the majority of the audience on their feet for the entire show, arms aloft, swaying and singing along like the starry-eyed teens they once were. The band set the template early with hit after hit interlaced with tracks from the recent album, All You Need Is Now. The title track was aired early and alongside Girl Panic! showed they can still write big, bold pop anthems. Unfortunately,

Starts Midday

the VALVE 900 Princess Highway, Tempe

The hits were what everyone was there for and at their best, songs like Notorious, The Reflex, Careless Memories, Ordinary World, The Wild Boys and Hungry Like The Wolf sounded as rightfully massive and iconic. After two hours on stage, the band returned for an encore of a disappointing Girls On Film that morphed into solos and band introductions and, bizarrely, a verse and chorus of Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Relax. Rio ended the night but felt like an anticlimax after all that came before. Duran Duran proved they are still an enjoyable, large-scale pop event and these days they appear to have accepted and obviously enjoy trading on their past successes.

(just down the road from King St Newtown)

Featuring on multiple stages the great independent sounds of:

Crossing Red Lines (SYDNEY)

Chris Familton

Love Hate Rebellion

BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB, MEGASTICK FANFARE

(Brisbane)

Blueberry Circuit Pocket of Stones

METRO THEATRE 29/03/12

The evening kicked off with Megastick Fanfare’s vocal exercises echoing through the smoke onstage. “Whoooooooop! Blooooooooo-woooop!” they went and the audience peered through the smoke and tried to work out exactly what Doctor Zoidberg impersonator was taking to the stage. But the warbling turned abruptly into an excited shout and suddenly there were shimmering cymbals and a jutting electric guitar and Megastick Fanfare were inducting us into their strange, ethereal domain. With their throbbing rhythms, their delicate, otherworldly synth sounds and their strange, looped lyrics, the band speak a new dialect of indie pop/rock and the sizeable crowd that Megastick Fanfare played to will be clamouring for more. An hour later, the Metro Theatre was completely gridlocked. Bombay Bicycle Club took to the stage with a self-effacing wave and just a little indie awkwardness, but once they tucked into the opening track, How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep, everything was all right. You see, Bombay Bicycle Club have a deft genius for creating music. Those magical vocal harmonies, those careful, almost subtle rhythms and their heartbreaking harmonies – the band create songs that are aesthetically blissful and then play them with a powerful, passionate honesty. Under a spotlight, frontman Jack Steadman delivered the beautiful Dust On The Ground. The tragic lyrical beauty of this track, combined with the strange electricity that this band produces in a live situation, made it such an intense, emotive moment. With a shout of “Who wants a hoedown?” Steadman took the audience through the band’s acoustic tracks, full to bursting with quaint guitar string-work and a particularly violent chair-drum solo. The crowd ate it up, dancing and singing along as loud as possible. No matter how many times you’ve heard Always Like This, no matter how many times you think you’ve appreciated its stirring vocals and jutting rhythms, you really haven’t heard it until you’ve heard it chanted back to a delighted-looking band by 500 indie youths. Under a canopy of friendly, twinkling globes, Bombay Bicycle Club presented to their audience their infinitely awesome sounds – sometimes delicate, sometimes powerful, sometimes heavily lyrical and sometimes heavily musical. The relatively short set left the audience still a little hungry for the Crouch End boys and hopefully they’ll be back again soon.

A Blank Canvas A Cold November Convicts Crowbird Rock (Brisbane) Defiant Sound Emma Roberts Empra Rock (Melbourne) Ninth Pillar Groovinator Nonne MC Halfwait Oscar and the HoshYO Hip Hop Rap Grouches (Newcastle) Portland Ice on Mercury Rock Roymackonkey Rock (Adelaide) (Darwin) Itchy Lighthouse Samurai Disco Metal Julius Lutero (Brisbane) (Perth) Schimmelbusch Just Matters Stone Monks (Melbourne) Storm in the Orphan KAATO age Karl Marks Sydney Girls Choir Lab 64 The Riff Emily Grove Twisted Affection (Perth) (Perth) Lunarsteps Verbal Mechanics Motionmotive

Jessie Hunt

Great value at $20 Tickets, program and band profiles online at Scorcher Festival website

www.scorcherfest.com.au or buy tickets at the door on the day BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB @ METRO THEATRE PIC: ANGELA PADOVAN.

themusic.com.au

THE DRUM MEDIA • 47

SOUNDS OF EMMA

SERIOUS PRONUNCIATION

Melbourne songwriter, Emma Russack, has released her debut album, Sounds Of Our City, and wants to showcase it to you this Friday. Drawing inspiration from her travels through South America, her music is bold, honest and elegant. Supporting Russack at this FBi social event are Rohin Jones, Jessica Says and Caitlin Park.

The Sydney-based quartet, Serious Beak, are hitting Australia’s three most populous cities, leaving the best for last, Sydney! Their unpronounceable tour, Huxwhukw And The Crooked Beak Of Heaven Tour will bring psychedelic and polyrhythmically discordant music to The Lansdowne Hotel this Saturday.

THE NEARLY MARK

KNIGHTS ON OVERTIME

After the demise of The Jackson Code, Mark Snarski decided he was done with bands and set out on a solo career. It took years of pleading but Mark Dawson finally agreed to produce his work and now we have him to thank for the release of The Nearly Brothers. This unique collaboration has finally hit the stage and you can catch them at Newtown’s Vanguard this Thursday and Wednesday.

THE NEW FRENZY Check out and the new up and comers on the scene, Lite Feed Frenzy, as they release their first EP and video this Thursday. They smash The Annandale, The Gaelic and The Bald Faced week in and week out and now it’s only fair that The Lansdowne gets a taste. Supporting them with an acoustic set are Darkened Sea and Bonney Read, but if that isn’t enough, the band promise to get you laid… Only one way to find out.

CAVE IN The Melbourne-based alternative metal outfit, Cave Of the Swallows, have released their debut EP, and what else is there to do but to show it off? The three-piece are proud to perform songs from Dead Upon Your Feet, which is not only available for free download, but is also a whole different experience live. Catch them at Venom this Saturday.

HAVE YOU HEARD

THE MORNING DAWE

This band has often been referred as “best live band on the planet” and this Tuesday they are bringing the whole experience to Sydney’s Enmore Theatre. My Morning Jacket plan to storm and sway the place down, but not entirely on their own. The band has invited special guests, Dawes, to join in because Bluesfest just won’t satisfy all their needs from down under.

HOLD ME

The jangly indie-pop sounds of Polar Knights will take over The Red Rattler this Saturday. The band is releasing a new video for their song, Overtime, and joining in for the celebrations are Lion Island, The Keep Secrets and Snowale.

GOT YA COGEL It is shaping up to be one big year for the Sydney-based five-piece, Cogel. They have supported some big names in Australian music including Gotye, and have shared the stage with acclaimed local bands Winter People and Sleepyhands. With a new EP on the way, expected to drop in May, catch the rising stars this Thursday at FBi social, along with local supports, Valar and Mushu.

AT THE SANDO The inexhaustible Michele Madden makes Wednesday nights upstairs at the Sando her own throughout April, with special intimate acoustic shows. Best known as the front person of Tourettes and Meldrum, and the other half of Nick Oliveri’s Death Acoustic, for these shows she will be armed only with an acoustic guitar, a wicked smile and a bucket load of talent. Michele is sure to reveal undisclosed levels of pure performance intensity, energy and brilliance. Special guests this week are great mate Blackie (Hard-Ons/Nunchukka Superfly), Keish (ex Hard-Ons) and Rah (ex Sando).

Niche Productions’ Hold Tight! is a night of dubstep and future beats and, of course, this Saturday will be no different. This week they have announced a festivalsized bill featuring Jaques Greene, Africa Hitech, Mechinedrum, Dibiase and Albatross. These acts are coming from all over the world for this one night, and Oxford Art Factory is where the party’s at.

ROSIE PLAYBOYS

Renowned for her wild hip-shaking and driving dance grooves is Rosie Ledet and The Zydeco Playboys. Ledet is always moving with the times and incorporating elements of modern soul, funk and R&B, setting her apart in the primarily male-dominated Zydeco scene. Supporting her is Bridie King and her trio, so come and watch an amazing performance this Thursday at Notes.

THIS GLORY SUNDAY

New Found Glory continue their dominance in a genre they pioneered well over a decade ago. Their new album, Radiosurgery, pays homage to the bands that inspired them to pick up their instruments in the first place and in the same fashion, the band have invited selected bands who have played a vital role in the punk rock scene to accompany them. Taking Back Sunday and This Time Last Year will join the crew this Saturday at Sydney’s Big Top.

BEHIND THE SCENES

SHOES FILLED

The Fumes have announced a string of shows for April. Early 2011 saw drummer Joel Battersby step down from his position, so Jacob Mann has now stepped into his shoes to carry the band through. Just a few months out of a new single, the band will be playing a show this Thursday at the Great Northern in Newcastle with Bloody Kids, and Saturday at Mona Vale Hotel with Valley Floor.

JUSTIN FAVOURITE

When someone states that Australia is “my favourite place to tour on Earth without question,” how can we help but love them back? The young guitarwielding globetrotter, Justin Townes Earle, is coming all the way from the USA for the fifth time. Catch his charismatic performance with a touch of authenticity this Wednesday at The Factory Theatre.

FATHER SON

Zappa Plays Zappa is a great American tribute, performing Frank Zappa tunes from the ‘60s to ‘80s. The band is led by Zappa’s eldest son, Dweezil, and is joined by a group of young, handpicked multiinstrumentalists. The band debuted in 2006 and have travelled the world ever since,so watch it all unfold before you at the Metro Theatre this Saturday.

DELROYS HOLIDAY

The Delroys are bringing booming reggae tunes straight from the golden era of Jamaican music and ready to showcase at the Rose Of Australia Hotel. This public holiday eve special event is for the folk rock lovers who want to get a kickstart on their long weekend this Thursday.

JAREK Your music is…? Post-progressive ‘tree’-core Which acts inspired you to produce your own music and why? Artists that really commit to their vision, that disregard industry trends and avoid conformity. Over many years, artists including Mogwai, Tool, Jakob, The Dirty Three, Meshuggah and Devin Townsend are a few that have really shocked, surprised and confused me. What’s your wildest ambition for your music? We are in current negotiations to launch our latest album, Tree Of The Seas, at the Melbourne Aquarium. Following this we hope to be taking the album on an intergalactic space tour through the stratosphere in search of other lifeforms we can launch the album to. Why should we come and see you? We are touring to celebrate the release of Tree Of The Seas, which we are all very proud of. For anyone who enjoys something unusual, diverse and evocative, you should come and see Jarek. How do you find the local live scene? Sydney has proven a tough nut to crack on past experience, but it seems that there is a strong community of the post-rock/ progressive/experimental types, so we are all really excited and optimistic. What’s your greatest rock’n’roll moment? Our colourful guitarist, Brett Cusack, has an electro-rock outfit called Megalove. At one show we all watched him climb up onto a table for a guitar solo, before falling off and bringing the table and dozens of glasses crashing to the floor. Brett was immediately kicked off stage and received a life ban from the venue. For more info see: www.facebook.com/jarekmusic or www.jarek.bandcamp.com Next available at: We’ll be playing at The Phoenix Pub in Canberra on Wednesday 4 April, The Patch in Wollongong on Thursday 5, the Bald Faced Stag on Saturday 7 and The Annandale Hotel on Sunday 8. 48 • THE DRUM MEDIA

IF DEEZ NUTS FRONTMAN JJ PETERS ISN’T JUGGLING A HUNDRED THINGS AT ONCE, HE’S NOT HAPPY. DANIEL CRIBB FINDS OUT EXACTLY WHY HE CAN’T SIT STILL AND WHAT’S KEEPING HIM BUSY. “It’s a damn shame for the journalists that all these interviews are over the phone today not face-to-face, ‘cause I’m lookin’ good,” Deez Nuts vocalist JJ Peters’ Twitter reads the morning of his pre-tour interviews. “I didn’t actually think that anyone was going to read that,” Peters laughs, in response to the tweet being brought up. “I was actually curious to know if anyone would have seen that or not. I was thinking, ‘These people are going to go into the interviews thinking I’m some arrogant dickhead who’s checking himself out before the phone interview,” he laughs. While on stage Peters may come across that way, he’s actually a down to earth guy who just likes to have a good time with friends. “I’m hanging out at my house, watching my mates drink some gin. I’m partaking. I’m definitely partaking. It’s 3.30pm – it’d be rude of me not to have a drink,” he justifies. Then, “Maybe I should ease up on the drinking,” he laughs, realising he may incriminate himself. Drinking and hanging out with mates whilst taking phone interviews is a piece of cake for Peters, who is usually doing a lot more than that. With Deez Nuts constantly touring and recording and Peters running a clothing label in-between a few other musical endeavours, it’s surprising he has the time to catch up with friends. “I feel most at home these days on the road because I spend little time at my own home, in my own bed, so I kind of get bored when I’m at home. I enjoy it for the first couple of nights then I can’t wait to get back onto the road again and be in the thick of it, playing shows. “I don’t like to have too much idle time because I get bored. I always like to be busy with some kind of project. Whenever I’m home off tour I’m always doing something else because I like to

keep busy. I guess on top of that I’m getting on in my years. I’m getting pretty old and there’s only so long I can be running around yelling about pussies and dicks into a microphone before I start looking like an old pervert, so I’ve got to make the most of this time while I’ve got it.” Deez Nuts’ new DVD/CD package, titled Fuck The World, is a way of showing people what goes on behind the scenes and the not so family-friendly lyrics. “[Fans] don’t know my driving force for the band has always been an excuse to work with my friends and get my friends involved in whatever capacity I can. I just want people to see something more than just the ridiculous lines and ridiculous imagery that goes with the band. That stuff tends to stick with people rather than the content that isn’t ridiculous.” Never did he dream that Deez Nuts would become a full-time endeavour that would become a worldwide phenomenon. “I didn’t even look past the demo. That was as far as I thought that things would go. So everything that’s happened we appreciate,” he emphasises. “We’ll keep playing for as long as people keep listening and keep going to the shows. I think everything runs its course eventually and once that happens, I’ll go on to some other venture. I’ll always be grounded in music. Every band has to tie up eventually. I guess we’ll just see where the next couple of years take us and play it as it comes.” WHO: Deez Nuts WHAT: Fuck The World (UNFD) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 7 April, Annandale Hotel (U18 Day / 18+ Night); Monday 9, Oasis Youth Centre, Wyong

themusic.com.au

GOOD BODYARMS

Melbourne’s finest purveyors of melodic punk rock, Bodyjar, are performing at The Star’s Rock Lily this Thursday. This Good Friday eve event is not only free but also overloaded, with support from Firearms. This band is ready to play you some of their new music they hope you will love, after having hidden away recording their album. So come check it out.

UNICORN’S REVENGE

A regular weekend outing? We think not. Total Revenge will be unleashing havoc this Saturday at The Standard. They’ll be supported by Totally Unicorn and it will cost you a mere $12 + bf. Get on it!

HAUNT ME

Soundtracking your sandwiches this Wednesday is Guerre at FBi Social. Giving you bite-sized sets from great local acts from 1pm is one way to kick off your afternoon. He’s known to give you soundtracks that are sometimes haunting and sometimes party electronic, which have won him a loyal fanbase so far so jump on this bandwagon tomorrow.

CC BROTHERHOOD

Growing up in Germany, returning from the US and now residing in Australia is the multi-instrumentalist Craig ‘CC’ Calhoun. He has been “slappin’ da bass” in the faces of audiences across the world with his band The Brothers of Oz. CC has entertained the Sydney scene for years and is bringing it back to do it all over again this Saturday at Double Bay’s Blue Beat.

FOO TRIBUTE

Paying homage to arguably one of the greatest rock bands in the world today, The Australian Best Of Foo Fighters Show, to be performed by five-piece band Best Of Foo, will bring together equal measures of searing vocals, face-melting guitars and thundering drums to drive everyone wild. If you’re a Foo fan then get to the Supper Club this Sunday. Supporting the evening will be The Cashmere Revolution.

TERRASPHERE P R OD U C T IO N S

THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN ASSISTED BY THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE AUSTRALIA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS, ITS ARTS FUNDING AND ADVISORY BODY.

THE DRUM MEDIA • 49

stuff, which I have certainly been guilty of. Are there artists who inspired you to do that? Lakeman: It’s a culmination really, of growing up learning quite a lot of these stories and the old folk songs, going to a folk club that my parents ran. So I was quite aware of the old English folk songs, and Irish, and then playing around with them, rearranging them and deciding I could be inspired to write my own versions of modern folk songs. And melodically I found they were made a bit more interesting if you rewrote and reworded them. That was when I decided to start writing modern folk songs. I felt you could be inspired by people that exist today and by places that were important.

IT’S ALL ABOUT APPROACH

WE EAVESDROP ON CARUS THOMPSON’S CHAT TO UK’S SETH LAKEMAN ABOUT THE SUPERIOR DRINKING NATION OF MUSICIANS, MEAT PIES AND FOLK. THEY’LL BE HITTING THE ROAD FOR A DOUBLE HEADLINE TOUR THIS WEEK, KICKING OFF WITH A BLUESFEST APPEARANCE ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY BEFORE YOU CAN CATCH THEM AT THE VANGUARD ON TUESDAY 10 APRIL. Thompson: Where are you now and what are you doing? Lakeman: I am in Cambridge Junction Venue, on the outskirts of Cambridge itself, second night of a tour. Thompson: I remember doing that one with you, and a lot of drinking after the show. That was the gig where we played the night before Public Enemy, and we kept the bus in the parking lot for our night off and met Flavor Flav skulking around backstage – he bummed a ciggie off your brother! Lakeman: Yes, that’s right! Folkies meet rapper, and yeah there was quite a lot of drinking too… a disco load out… a club straight after the show. Thompson: The disco load out, we know that in Australia too – obviously an international phenomenon. That was my other question, who’re better drinkers, English or Australian musicians? Having toured with you I’d have to say English! Lakeman: I’d have to say the English are incredibly passionate about getting as drunk as they can in as small amount of time as possible. A lot of bands binge as soon as they get off

stage, if not before! We’re definitely post show. Thompson: So, a serious question. Your violin playing is incredibly powerful and dynamic. Violin is an instrument that would be pretty suckey if played too carefully. You however, you break bows and you really dig in. Where did you learn that? Are there artists you learned it from or is it part of English folk music? Lakeman: It’s not necessarily part of English folk music, it’s part of a style that I’ve accumulated from other players and other ways of approaching the instrument. Thompson: Y’know like the way you always say it’s better to play two notes than one – the double-stop thing; where did that come from? Is that your own thing? Lakeman: It’s kind of my own thing, because I write on violin. So, singular lines within a song aren’t as powerful as the double-stop thing. Because you’re almost making a full chord then. Thompson: With your writing, as someone who’s a big fan of your music, I really like the way you tell stories within a narrative as opposed to talking about your own life – the standard ‘my girlfriend left me’ singer/songwriter

Thompson: So how do you go with the traditional folkies? Like in Australia, Port Fairy is a classic example where you have the battle between the bearded, hat-wearing types with their chairs who sit down and really only dig traditional folk, and the newer generation of folk lovers who’re more inclusive. How do you go when you come up against the older, more conservative, less open folk lover? Lakeman: Well, for the purists I’d say I’m a fringe folk act. They’re not quite sure about me because I’m trying to break down barriers of what I would say is folk music. Our approach is more rocky and poppy, because I am breaking it down; there is a defensiveness to that. But I play Cambridge every couple of years, which is probably the equivalent of Port Fairy and whilst there is a tremble from the purists, ultimately it’s acoustic and it’s storytelling. Thompson: You guys are so technically good as acoustic musicians; it must be hard for them to not see that? Lakeman: It’s split really, there are a lot of people who love the traditionalised for the songs, and a lot who love them for the tunes. And they’re more technically-minded; we call them over here finger watchers. Sometimes you might play near a college that might have lots of up and coming folk musicians and you can see them studying what we’re doing. Thompson: You alluded before to learning Irish songs and English songs. I think for people who’re unfamiliar with folk music they’ll always thinks of Irish folk, especially when the fiddle is involved. Fiddle means Celtic most of the time to a lot of people… Would you say you’re more from the English tradition? I mean can you identify the differences between English, Scottish and Irish folk music? And English folk music you wouldn’t call that Celtic would you, it’s something else?

SATURDAY 21ST APRIL

OPEN: 10AM - 4PM 50 • THE DRUM MEDIA

EARLYBIRD: 9AM - 10AM themusic.com.au

Lakeman: No, you wouldn’t. The easiest way to describe it if you were thinking about it musically is that English music is straighter and stretched out, whereas Irish and Celtic music is pushed, and hence you get the lilt behind Irish tunes. The English tunes are not quite as immediate – a bit ‘twee’ some people say. Thompson: Right. A good description – ‘twee’. Lakeman: It’s all about approach really. Lakeman: Ok, now my turn. What’s the favourite song you’ve written over the past ten years of your career? Thompson: I think my favourite is one called Fifteen, because of the subject matter. It’s a song about a young man who was shot dead by Victorian police. I was really proud of the way I was able to tell the story, from the mother’s perspective, but with respect and sensitivity towards to the people involved, yet still getting across the sense of injustice and outrage in the story. Lakeman: Great song! So do you prefer playing solo or with other musicians. And why? Thompson: You know I call myself a folk musician as well. I don’t have the same knowledge of the genre as you do, or the ability to play it. But I come from the same place when it comes to storytelling. When I play solo, the approach and delivery is more folky, and when I play with the band it’s more rocky. So for me personally, the folk element and that connection – emotionally and intellectually with the listener – is more satisfying. Lakeman: How big is folk music in Australia? Thompson: It’s in a state of change, where the old guard – the purists that we talked about – are changing. And there’s a new, more inclusive crew coming, which means it’s getting bigger and bigger. Lakeman: Yeah, it’s interesting, because in Germany there’s a Celtic scene but not really a folk scene yet. So, it’s interesting to know that there are places for that music in Oz. Lakeman: So what’s next for you? Thompson: A new live album later in the year. I was going to move to the UK in May to harass you, but we just decided that it’s time to move back to Melbourne and get a place after the last six or eight months of being gypsies around Europe.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 4TH

AT ANU REFECTORY UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA WITH

SILVER SPIN ARKESTRA

DOORS: 8:00PM TICKETS ON THE DOOR!

FRIDAY APRIL 6TH AT THE HI FI BAR WITH

THE LAURELS AND LOS SUNDOWNERS DOORS: 8:00PM TICKETS FROM WWW.MOSHTIX.COM.AU

THE DRUM MEDIA • 51

52 • THE DRUM MEDIA

GRIFFIN THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS RIDE ON THEATRE’S

THE STORY OF MARY MACLANE BY HERSELF 4 APRIL-12 MAY TEXT BY BOJANA NOVAKOVIC

MUSIC BY TIM ROGERS

CALL 02 9361 3817 OR VISIT GRIFFINTHEATRE.COM.AU

THE DRUM MEDIA • 53

TUE 03 ADAM PRINGLE: Sandringham Hotel - Newtown JAMES VALENTINE SUPPER CLUB, JAMES DALEY: Golden Sheaf Hotel - Double Bay JAZZGROOVE feat, JAMES RYAN SEXTET, JACKSON HARRISON TRIO: 505 - Surry Hills JOHN FOGERTY: Sydney Entertainment Centre KINETIC METHOD: Opera Bar - Circular Quay LONDON KLEZMER QUARTET: Camelot Lounge - Marrickville MY MORNING JACKET, DAWES: Enmore Theatre - Enmore OMG!: Scruffy Murphys - Sydney PETER HEAD: Harbour View Hotel - The Rocks ROCKIN REBELS: Penrith RSL RUSSELL NEAL, Ben Osmo, SENANI, MASSIMO PRESTI: Dee Why RSL THEY CALL ME BRUCE: Maloneys Hotel - City WILDCATZ: 3 Wise Monkeys - Sydney

WED 04 BENIE SEGEDIN: Dee Why RSL BIG WAY OUT: 3 Wise Monkeys - Sydney BUDDY GUY, JONNY LANG: Enmore Theatre - Enmore CAROLYN WOODORTH, BRYAN FARLEY: Royal Hotel - Springwood CRESCENT COLLECTIVE, BEC SANDRIDGE, ALISON AVRON, REIN ROOM: Lizottes, Dee Why CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH: Hordern Pavilion DANIEL HOPKINS: Taren Point Hotel - Taren Point DARREN BENNETT, BLACK DIAMOND, PAUL MCGOWAN, BRENT MCGREGOR: Cat & Fiddle Hotel - Balmain DAVE WHITE DUO: Maloneys Hotel - City DEAD TO ME, COBRA SKULLS, LAMEXCUSE: Newcastle Leagues DECEMBER: Jack’s Bar & Grill - Erina DJ PAULY: Marlborough Hotel - Newtown FLESH BORER INC, ERIK OF NORWAY, REV R.K.H, NUMBSKULL: The Valve - Tempe GREG SITA, CHARMAINE BINGWA, KYLE DESSENT: Cookies Lounge and Bar - North Strathfield HELMUT UHLMANN, MISS GRAY, LIAM GALE, DAVID MOULDER, LITTLE BEARD: UTS Loft Bar, UTS - Broadway JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE: The Factory Theatre KEL-ANNE BRANDT: Belmont 16’s - Belmont KRISTY JAMES, TIM SHEUMACK, TRENT CRAWFORD, TIM ORGIAS: Lizottes Central Coast - Kincumber

54 • THE DRUM MEDIA

MARSHALL OKELL, CLAUDE HAY: Brass Monkey - Cronulla MICHELE MADDEN, BLACKIE, KEISH, RAH, THE ROCKWELLS: Sandringham Hotel - Newtown MILAN: Opera Bar - Circular Quay PETER HEAD: Harbour View Hotel - The Rocks REPLIKA: Scruffy Murphys - Sydney ROYAL HEADACHE, PALMS, BETTY AIRS: Beach Road Hotel - Bondi RUSSELL NEAL, SPIKE THOMSON, LUKE ROBINSON, GRANT WOLTER, ERIKA VISSER: Evening Star Hotel - Surry Hills SIMON SHAPIRO: Coogee Bay Hotel - Beach Bar SKYSCRAPER: Customs House Sydney STEVE EARLE: Lizotte’s Restaurant, Lambton STEVE HUNTER BAND: 505 - Surry Hills TAOS, JOHN CHESHER, GAVIN FITZGERALD, SENANI, SASHA & GEORGE: Coach & Horses Hotel - Randwick THE CHILL: The Orient Hotel, The Rocks THE HERD, THUNDAMENTALS, ALOTTA PRESHA, DANIEL MERRIWEATHER: UniBar - University of Wollongong THE LEVYMEN: Duke of Wellington Hotel - New Lambton THE NEARLY BROTHERS: The Vanguard - Newtown TIME MACHINE: Club Rivers - Riverwood TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE: The Basement - Circular Quay WOLF & THE GANG: Landsdowne Hotel - Darlinghurst

THU 05 1929INDIAN: Upstairs Beresford - Surry Hills A band, VIOLENCE IN ACTION, GODSWOUNDS: TWIN BATTERY, JUSGO MOSH: The Square - Haymarket ANDREW DENNISTON, LINDA WOOD, NICK DOMENICOS: Kogarah Hotel - Kogarah AUSTRALIAN PLAYED: Bull & Bush - Baulkham Hills BAG RAIDERS: Onefiveone - Wollongong BEN FINN: Northies Cronulla Htl- Sport Bar BETH GLEESON: Bar Petite - Newcastle BLACK DIAMOND HEARTS: Golden Sheaf Hotel - Double Bay BRIAN SETZER’S ROCKABILLY RIOT, LANIE LANE: Panthers Newcastle BUDDY SIOLO TRIO: Opera Bar - Circular Quay CAMBO, GEMMA: Observer Hotel - The Rocks CARA KAVANAGH DUO: O’Malleys Hotel - Kings Cross

CASTLECOMER: Kirribilli Hotel - Kirribilli COGEL, VALAR, MUSHU: Kings Cross Hotel - Kings Cross DAN LISSING, DAVE AGIUS: Crows Nest Htl DELROYS: Rose of Australia Hotel - Erskineville DJ CHEEKY, THE POD BROTHERS: Gymea Bay Hotel - Gymea EARTH WIND & FIRE: Hordern Pavilion - Moore Park FUNKSTAR: Scruffy Murphys - Sydney GARY JOHNS: PJ Gallaghers - Drummoyne GREAT BIG SEA: The Basement - Circular Quay HEATH BURDELL: Coogee Bay Hotel - Beach Bar HUE WILLIAMS: Lane Cove Club ICED EARTH, LORD: The Hi-Fi IGNITION: 3 Wise Monkeys - Sydney IGUANA: Mary Ellen Htl Merewether JAKE BENNETT, BORIS SLADAKOVIC, ALEXIS SELLIES: Narrabeen Sands - Narrabeen JAZZ AT THE SUPPER CLUB: Oxford Hotel JOHN SPILLANE: Clarendon Guest House - Katoomba JOYRIDE, HANSOM, Devola, KRISTY LEE, MAIA: Kit & Kaboodle - Kings Cross JUBILATION JAZZ AND GOSPEL CHOIR, JOY YATES, DAVE MACRAE: Blue Beat - Double Bay KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD, JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR: The Factory Theatre KISSTERIA: Bomaderry Hotel - Bomaderry KRS-ONE, DEF WISH CAST, ELLESQUIRE, BLAZE: Enmore Theatre - Enmore LILJESTROM: 505 - Surry Hills LIONEL ROBINSON, SAM JOOLE DUO: Dee Why RSL LUKE KOTERAS: Campbelltown Catholic Club-Club Lounge MALO, KLETUS CASADY, DIRTY DEZIRE: Lewisham Hotel - Lewisham MARSHALL OKELL, CLAUDE HAY: Old Manly Boatshed - Manly MARTIN BUTTRICH, TINI: Civic Hotel - Sydney MATT PRICE: Castle Hill RSL - Castle Hill MEOW KAPOW, CAMDEN, 1929INDIAN: Upstairs Beresford - Surry Hills METALLICA SHOW: Illawarra Yacht Club - Warrawong MICHAEL MCGLYNN: Greengate Hotel - Killara MONSIEUR MOON, BENNIE JAMES, JACKSON DYER: Brass Monkey - Cronulla MONTEZUMA: Orana Hotel - Blacksmiths MUNG, BROADWAY MILE, DIRTY EARTH: Annandale Hotel - Annandale

NATHAN KAYE: The Rails - Byron Bay NICKLEBACK SHOW: Ettamogah Hotel - Rouse Hill NIKKO CEREZA, ELECTRIC ELEMENTS CREW, LEANNE RUSSO, BLITZEN TRAPPER: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst OMG!: The Stag & Hunter Hotel - Mayfield PAUL SUN: Jazushi - Surry Hills PETER BOTTARO QUARTET: Lizotte’s Restaurant, Lambton PETER HEAD: Harbour View Hotel - The Rocks POP FICTION: Club Marconi - Bossley Park RAGZ 2 RICHEZ, PRINCE OF THIEVES, THE UNTHINKABLES: The Valve - Tempe ROB HENRY: Harbord Beach Hotel - Harbord ROSIE LEDET & THE ZYDECO PLAYBOYS, BRIDIE KING TRIO: Notes Live - Enmore SHANE FLEW, BRAD JOHNS: North Manly Bowling Club SHARON BOWMAN: Red Lion Hotel - Rozelle SIMON SHAPIRO: Marlborough Hotel - Newtown SKYSCRAPER: Customs House Sydney SONS OF MERCURY: Castle Hill Tavern - Castle Hill STEP PANTHER, DJ JEM, THE DALTONG GANGS LAST RAID: Unihall UOW - Wollongong THE CONVICTS: Bells Hotel - Woolloomooloo THE DATE BROTHERS, DANIEL WETLINGER: Lizottes, Dee Why THE FUMES, BLOODY KIDS: Great Northern Hotel - Newcastle THE NEARLY BROTHERS: The Vanguard - Newtown THE POT BELLEEZ: King Street Hotel - Newcastle THE WHITE BROTHERS: The Orient Hotel, The Rocks TOM TRELAWNY: Bankstown Hotel - Bankstown TWO STOMP: Hotel Jesmond - Jesmond WOLF & CUB: Good God Small Club - Sydney YANN TIERSON: Metro Theatre - Sydney ZULYA & THE CHILDREN OF THE UNDERGROUND: Camelot Lounge - Marrickville

FRI 06 ADAM AND THE TALENTS: Club Singleton - Singleton AM 2 PM: Seven Hills/ Toongabbie RSL BAG RAIDERS: Criterion Hotel - Sydney BIG SHOTS DEULLING PIANO SHOW: Club Five Dock - Five Dock BLACK MAGIC, MUTE OBLIVION, RIVALS & LC BEATS, SARAH CONNOR: El Rocco - Kings Cross

BRIDGE CITY JAZZ BAND: Club Ashfield CRAIG THOMMO: Coogee Bay Hotel - Beach Bar DAVID AGIUS: Panthers, Terrace Bar - Penrith DEAD MEADOW, PINK MOUNTAINTOPS: The Hi-Fi DJ GWIZARD: Mounties - Mt Pritchard DOUG PARKINSON: Clarendon Guest House - Katoomba DR ZOOM DUO: Cessnock Supporters Club EMMA RUSSACK, ROHIN JONES, JESSICA SAYS, CAITLIN PARK: FBI Social, Kings Cross Hotel FULL SWING QUARTET.: Lane Cove Country Club FUN PUPPET: East Leagues Club - Bondi Junction HEATH BURDELL: Northies Cronulla Htl- Sport Bar HIP NOT HOP: Stacks Bar - City HOOPLA FESTIVAL: Darling Harbour INTIMATE LOUNGE MUSIC: Fairfield RSL, Supper Club JIMMY BEAR: Tall Timbers Hotel - Ourimbah JOSH MCIVOR: Mean Fiddler Hotel - Rouse Hill KAIDENCE: Parramatta Leagues - Firehouse MACSON: Coogee Legions Club - Coogee MANDI JARRY, MARK TRA’: Castle Hill RSL - Castle Hill MARK MY WORDS, TAKEN BY FORCE, CLIPPED WINGS, UNPAID HOSTILITY, VICES, BREAK A LEG, DEADLY VISIONS, THE TAKEHOLD, SNAKE PIT: The Valve - Tempe MARSHALL: The Bangalow HotelByron Bay MATT JONES: Parramatta RSL - Parramatta MATT MCHUGH: The Great Northern- Byron Bay MATT PRICE: Hillside Hotel - Castle Hill MOONLIGHT DRIVE: Wallsend Diggers MUM DJS: The World Bar - Kings Cross NEXT BEST THING: Dundas Sports Club - Dundas NOT LIKE HORSE, KAHN OF K, RED BEE, MODERN MURDER: Sandringham Hotel - Newtown PARTY CENTRAL: Club Marconi - Bossley Park PAUL SUN TRIO: Dome Lounge- Arthouse Hotel PETER GELZINNIS: Toronto Royal Motor Yacht Club PICTURE BOOK - THE SIMPLY RED SHOW: Wentworthville Leagues RAPTURE: Club Rivers - Riverwood REBEL ROUSERS: Belmont 16’s - Belmont RYAN DALEY: Junction Hotel - Broken Hill SKYZ THE LIMIT: Penrith Gaels - Kingswood

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SOPHIE JOY MADISON: Chatswood RSL STEPPIN’ OUT: Kingswood Sports Club SURPRISE PARTY: Moorebank Sports Club - Moorebank THE COLT 44’S, PARTICLES, TIGER WIDOW, FLIGHT, UPSKIRTS, RADIO NATIONAL, BEEF JERKIES, THE BACHELOR PAD, LYALL MOLONEY: Annandale Hotel - Annandale THE LEVYMEN: Nelson Bay RSL THE ROCKER FELLERS: Charlestown Bowling Club THE STUKAS, GYPSYS GIFT, JOMO, COURAGE FOR CASPER: The Roxbury Hotel - Glebe TWO STOMP: Hotel Jesmond - Jesmond VANESSA BAKER, THE ELECTRIC ECCLECTIK: The Rails - Byron Bay ZOLTAN: Cronulla RSL - Cronulla

SAT 07 AFTER PARTY BAND: Nelson Bay RSL ALABAMA 3, THE RUMJACKS: Manning Bar, Sydney Uni - Camperdown AM 2 PM: Courthouse Hotel - Taylor Square ANDREW DENNISTON, RENEE JONAS, THE PUG, DON CHRISTOPHER: Terrey Hills Tavern - Terrey Hills AUSSIE FOO FIGHTERS SHOW: Colyton Hotel - St Marys BACK TO THE 80’S: Tracks, Epping Hotel - Epping BARRY LEEF BAND: Brass Monkey - Cronulla BASS DRUM OF DEATH, BANG BANG ROCK N ROLL, THE RUMINATERS: Kings Cross Hotel - Kings Cross BEATAUCUE: Soho - Potts Point BEATLE MAGIC: Katoomba RSL - Katoomba BIG SWING BAND, ROCK REVIVAL: Penrith RSL BLACK DIAMOND HEARTS: Crows Nest Htl BLACKLIST: Marlborough Hotel - Newtown BLEEDING KNEES CLUB, Dune Rats: The Brewery, Byron Bay BLUE MOON QUARTET: Fairfield RSL, Supper Club BLUE VENOM: Engadine Family Tavern BOB HENDERSON BAND: Tailors Htl Surry Hills BROKEN THOUGHT THEORY, HIGH NOON, MADAME WU, ELISE GRAHAM, 2ND OPINION, ELEMONT, RISBY, DJ COST, CAUSTIC: Lithgow Htl CAMBO: Sir Joseph Banks Hotel - Botany CANNED HEAT, THE FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS: The Factory Theatre CHRIS PATON, MANDI JARRY: Northies Cronulla Htl

CHRIS READ: The Mark Hotel - Newcastle CHRIS TURNER & THE CAVEMEN: Taverners Hill Htl Leichhardt CRAIG CALHOUN: Blue Beat - Double Bay DAN BEAZLEY: Windsor Castle Hotel - Newcastle DANIEL ARVIDSON: Charlestown Bowling Club DAVE JENSENS- THE RESTING TOUCHERS: Camperdown Bowling Club DAVID AGIUS: Castle Hill RSL - Castle Hill DEEZ NUTS, PHANTOMS, THE BRIDE: Annandale Hotel - Annandale DEREB THE AMBASSADOR: Camelot Lounge - Marrickville DES GIBSON: Lansvale Hotel - Lansvale DEXTER MOORE: Beauford Hotel - Mayfield DJ CHEEKY: Gymea Bay Hotel - Gymea DOUBLE BARREL: Crown on McCredie - Guildford DOUG PARKINSON: Clarendon Guest House - Katoomba ELECTRIC BLUES JAM: Central Coast Hotel - Gosford ENDLESS SUMMER BEACH PARTY: Towradgi Beach Hotel - Towradgi FLYING MARE: The Stag & Hunter Hotel - Mayfield GREG BRYNE: Harbord Beach Hotel - Harbord IVAN DRAGOSTINOV: Jacksons On George, George St Bar JACKS IN BLACK: Penrith Gaels - Kingswood JACQUES GREEN, AFRICA HITECH, MACHINE DRUM, DIBIASE, ALBATROSS: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst JEFF DUFF, CONFECTION: Opera Bar - Circular Quay JELLYBEAN JAM: Macarthur Tavern - Campbelltown JESS DUNBAR: Menu 33, Novotel - Rooty Hill JJ DUO: Manly Warringah Leagues Club JON ENGLISH: Lizotte’s Restaurant, Lambton KITTENS: Spectrum - Darlinghurst KOTADAMA: Port City Bowling Club LEIGH JAMES: The Bangalow Hotel- Byron Bay LOOSE BAZOOKA: Exchange Hotel - Newcastle LUKE GALLEN: Lizottes Central Coast - Kincumber MACSON: Kingswood Sports Club - Kingswood MARK TRAVERS: PJ Gallaghers - Drummoyne MARTYS PLACE: Miranda RSL MATCHBOX BAND: Campbelltown Catholic Club-Club Lounge MATT JONES: Windsor RSL MATT SEABERG: Huskission Hotel - Huskission MATT TOMS: The Belvedere Hotel - Sydney

MIAMI VICE, DJ DANTE RIVERA, DWIGHT ‘CHOCOLATE’ ESCOBAR: Shelbourne Hotel - Sydney MICHAEL STEWART, VALENTINO: Jacksons On George, Luna Lounge MOUNTAIN JAZZ TRIO: New Ivanhoe Hotel- Blackheath NEW FOUND GLORY, TAKING BACK SUNDAY, THIS TIME NEXT YEAR, THE MAINE: The Big Top, Luna Park NEXT BEST THING: Sutherland United Services Club - Sutherland PANORAMA: 3 Wise Monkeys - Sydney PARTY CENTRAL: R.G McGees - Richmond PARTY VIBE: Wentworth Leagues Club PETER GELZINNIS: Shoal Bay Resort and Spa PETER HEAD: Harbour View Hotel - The Rocks POLAR KNIGHTS, LION ISLAND, THE KEEP SECRETS, SNOWALE: Red Rattler - Marrickville PRIZE, DROX & ILLBOT, AMBERSCAPE, SIMON MAN, TRINITY, MR VENGEANCE: The Valve - Tempe RETRO GROOVE: Brighton RSL Brighton-Le-Sands ROB HENRY, ALEX CANNINGS: Observer Hotel - The Rocks RON S PENO & THE SUPERSTITIONS: The Vanguard - Newtown SAM & JAMIE BAND, DAVE MCMASTER: Mean Fiddler Hotel - Rouse Hill SCOTT DAVY: Bar Petite - Newcastle SEVERED DEMONS, GUNFACE: Victoria Hotel - Orange SFX feat., VEIL OF MAYA, The Storm Picturesque, STORIES: St James Hotel - Sydney SHARRON BOWMAN: Brewhouse - Marayong SINGLED OUT: The Orient Hotel, The Rocks SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM, THE ASHTON SHUFFLE: The Hi-Fi SOLID GOLDHOLLYWOOD: The Great NorthernByron Bay SPRING BREAK: Stacks Bar - City STEVE EDMONDS BAND: Bull & Bush - Baulkham Hills STEVE TONGE, BEN FINN DUO: Ettamogah Hotel - Rouse Hill STREETS OF OMAH: Belmore Hotel - Newcastle SUBLIME, MAT MCHUGH: UNSW Roundhouse - Kensington THE AUSTRALIAN PINK SHOW: Budgewoi Soccer Club

FREE POOL 6.00 - 10.00 TUES

TIGHT ASS TUESDAYS

$10 JUGS OF CASCADE PALE $10 BUFFALO WING BUCKETS 6PM – 10PM

SUN 8 APR

JOHNNY G & THE E TYPES ALL LIVE SPORT ON THE BIG SCREEN

DARLEY ST BISTRO OPEN DAILY 12.00 - 9.30PM SUNNY COURTYARD - WEEKLY SPECIALS - CHILDREN WELCOME BOOKINGS: PHONE 9517 1133

THE DRUM MEDIA • 55

THE BIG BANG: Club Forster THE DEEP: Parramatta Leagues - Firehouse THE FLEETWOOD MAC SHOW: Blacktown RSL Club - Blacktown THE FUMES, VALLEY FLOOR, BLOODY KIDS: Mona Vale Hotel - Mona Vale THE JACKS: Oatley Hotel THE JUNGLE KINGS: Belmont 16’s - Belmont THE LAMPLIGHTS: The Rails - Byron Bay THE LEISURE BANDITS, SALOONS, KOOL THING: Upstairs Beresford - Surry Hills THE LEVYMEN: Duke of Wellington Hotel - New Lambton THE LONELY BOYS: Mercantile Hotel - The Rocks THE PIRANHA BROTHERS: Royal Federal Hotel THE SPECIALS: Enmore Theatre - Enmore THUNDERSTRUCK-AC/ DC SHOW: Star City Pyrmont TIGER & THE ROGUES, SHEZBOT: The Roxbury Hotel - Glebe TOM T DUO: 3 Swallows Hotel - Bankstown TRILOGY: Coogee Bay Hotel - Beach Bar TWITCHO: Toukley RSL - Toukley TWO STOMP: Warners at the Bay TY: Sunnyside Tavern VANITY: Scruffy Murphys - Sydney VEIL OF MAYA: SFX - Space Nightclub VIAGRA FALLS: Orana Hotel - Blacksmiths WILDKATZ: East Leagues Club - Bondi Junction YUKI KUMAGAI & JOHN MACKIE: Wellco Café & Wine Bar - Leichhardt ZANE PENN DUO: Cessnock Supporters Club ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA: Metro Theatre - Sydney ZOLTAN: Revesby Workers - Revesby

56 • THE DRUM MEDIA

SUN 08 031 ROCK SHOW: Towradgi Beach Hotel - Towradgi AM 2 PM: Revesby Workers - Revesby ANDY BAYLOR’S CAJUN COMBO: Sydney Olympic Park ANTHONY HUGHES, MATT TOMS: Oatley Hotel ARMCHAIR TRAVELLERS DUO: Heathcote Hotel - Heathcote BEN FINN TRIO: Maloneys Hotel - Sydney BILL DUDLEY’S NEW ORLEANIANS: Technology Park Hotel, Alexandria BRITISH INDIA: The Great Northern- Byron Bay CRAIG THOMMO: Marlborough Hotel - Newtown DAN BEAZLEY: Royal Federal Hotel DAVID AGIUS: Collingwood Hotel - Liverpool DI BIRD, JOHN LEIGH CALDER: Hotel Clarendon, Surry Hills DR BAZ TENT: The Bangalow Hotel- Byron Bay FRANKY & JOHNNY: Belmont 16’s - Belmont FRANKY VALENTYN: Club Five Dock - Five Dock GIANLUCA TERRANOVA: Sydney Opera House HAWKMOTH, JAREK, SNIP SNAP DRAGON, SKIPPYS BRAINS: Annandale Hotel - Annandale HAYLEY SALES: Panthers North Richmond HORNET: Hotel Premier, Newcastle HP DUO: Bar Petite - Newcastle JAMES CHATBURN: Toronto Royal Motor Yacht Club JESSE: Campbelltown Catholic Club - Caf‚ Samba JOHN LARDER: Tall Timbers Hotel - Ourimbah JOHN VELLA: Bayview Tavern - Gladesville

GIG OF THE WEEK

BLUESFEST

Merely mentioning a fraction of Bluesfest’s line-up should give you an indication of its quality: Creedence’s John Fogerty, folk supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash, disco superstars Earth Wind & Fire, Celtic punks The Pogues, roots rockers John Butler Trio, ‘70s progressive rockers Yes, blues veteran Buddy Guy, James Brown collaborator Maceo Parker, American guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, blues and gospel singer Jonny Lang, father and son, and musicians both Steve Earle and Justin Townes Earle and many, many more. It all takes place at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm from Thursday 5 – Monday 9 April.

JON ENGLISH, JONAHS ROAD, BIC RUNGA: Lizottes Central Coast - Kincumber KING TIDE: Brass Monkey - Cronulla KYE BROWN: Fitzroy Hotel - Windsor LJ: Waverley Bowling Club LUCY DESOTO, THE HANSOM DEVILS: Sandringham Hotel - Newtown MARK BELTRAM, DAMON, HUE WILLIAMS: The Art Shack Café- Ettalong MARK HOPPER: Artichoke Gallery Café - Manly

MASS FT. SCOTT DAVY: Orana Hotel - Blacksmiths MATT JONES: Peachtree Hotel - Penrith MIKE HALLAMS HOT FIVE: Cronulla RSL - Cronulla MOONLIGHT DRIVE: Beach Hotel - Towradgi OUTLIER: Scruffy Murphys - Sydney PAUL SUN: Kirribilli Art & Design Markets PETE: Parramatta Leagues - Firehouse PETE HUNT: Collaroy Beach Hotel PETER HEAD TRIO: Harbour View Hotel - The Rocks

PINK CHEVYS: Campbelltown Catholic Club-Club Lounge PLEDGE THIS!, ANTAGONIST, DROPSAW, LO!, FIXTURES: Spectrum - Darlinghurst RATTLE & HUM-U2 SHOW: Sutton Forest Inn RENAE STONE: O’Malleys Hotel - Kings Cross ROB HENRY, MIKE BENNETT: Observer Hotel - The Rocks ROBBERS DOGS JAZZ BAND: Fortune of War

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ROSS WARD: Kincumber Hotel - Kincumber, Central Coast ROUGH CHURCH, BERKSHIRE HUNTING CLUB, CUERVO, GAS WYLDE BAND, DRYWELL: The Valve - Tempe SAM AND JAMIE, DAVE WHITE DUO: Northies Cronulla Htl SAMBAFROG: Lizotte’s Restaurant, Lambton SANDY RIVERA: The Hi-Fi

SEATTLE SOUND, FALLON BROTHERS: Mean Fiddler Hotel - Rouse Hill SHANE MACKENZIE: Cohibar - Darling Harbour STATELLITE V, CASH ONLY: Marrickville Bowling Club STEVE ARIE QUARTET: Sydney Rowers Club - Abbotsford STEVE EARLE, LACHLAN BRYAN: The Factory Theatre STEVE EDMONDS BAND: Beaches Hotel - Thirroul STIR CRAZY, GTS: Riverstone Sports Hotel - Riverstone SYDNEY BLUES SOCIETY, JOHNNY G & THE E-TYPES: Botany View Hotel - Newtown TANIA VULCAN, STACEY PULLEN, CLIVE HENRY: Greenwood Hotel - North Sydney THANDIWE PHOENIX, THE LAST RESORT: Opera Bar - Circular Quay THE DATE BROTHERS, DANIEL WETLINGER: Illawarra Jazz Club - Wollongong THE DEEP: Coogee Bay Hotel - Beach Bar THE FLOATING BRIDGES: The Rails - Byron Bay THE JUNGLE KINGS: The Mark Hotel - Newcastle THE LEVYMEN: Harrigans Irish Pub Hunter Valley THE POD BROTHERS: The Belvedere Hotel - Sydney THE SUBTERRANEANS, JAMES MULLER, BEN HAUPTMANN: Town Hall Hotel - Newtown THE WHITE BROS, MANDI JARRY: Ettamogah Hotel - Rouse Hill TOM T DUO: Gymea Bay Hotel - Gymea TORI DARKE: Penrith RSL TURNER & SIMMONS: Gladstone Hotel, Dulwich Hill

UNITY HALL JAZZ BAND: Unity Hall Hotel - Balmain ZANE PENN: Nelson Bay RSL ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA: Newcastle Panthers Newcastle West ZOLTAN: Harbord Beach Hotel - Harbord

MON 09 ANTON ZAMMIT: Campbelltown Catholic Club-Club Lounge BAG RAIDERS: La La Land, Byron Bay BERNIE, STEVE TONGE: Observer Hotel - The Rocks BLACK NOBLE, THE NINJA STARS: The Rails - Byron Bay CAM ATKINS TRIO: Roseville Memorial Club CRAIG MORRISON: The Entrance Sails Stage DAVID BROMBERG QUARTET: The Basement Circular Quay DEEZ NUTS, PHANTOMS, THE BRIDE: Oasis Youth Centre - Wyong JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW: The Factory Theatre SONIC MAYHEM ORCHESTRA, DAN BARNETT: Blue Beat - Double Bay STEVE EARLE: The Concourse, Chatswood STRIMMING, SIMON CALDWELL, JIMI POLAR, VOLTA, MARCOTIX, MSG, DYLAN GRIFFIN, KIMBA, DEFINED BY RHYTHM: Abercrombie Hotel - Chippendale THE STARLINERS: South’s Juniors TONY BENNETT: Sydney Opera House ZIGGY MARLEY: Metro Theatre - Sydney ZOLTAN: Mean Fiddler Hotel - Rouse Hill

BEHIND THE LINES UP TO HIS OLD TRICKS

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

WITH MICHAEL SMITH

JON GOMM GUITAR CLINIC

UK acoustic guitar phenomenon, Jon Gomm, will be presenting an intimate and very hands-on masterclass during his visit to Sydney – from 6.30-8pm Wednesday 18 April at Freedom Music in Caringbah. Tickets are $40 and places are strictly limited, so get onto Freedom Music direct by emailing info@freedommusic.com.au.

HOBO BLUESMAN SEASICK STEVE TOOK A FEW MOMENTS TO TELL DAN CONDON ABOUT THE PROCESS BEHIND GETTING THE SONGS TOGETHER AND ON TAPE FOR HIS FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM, YOU CAN’T TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS, A DIY AFFAIR WITH JUST A LITTLE HELP FROM SOME FAMOUS STRANGERS.

NEIL’S NOT IMPRESSED

Neil Young recently gave the whole MP3 generation of music delivery a serve on MTV News: “I’m finding that I have a little bit of trouble with the quality of the sound of music today. I don’t like it. It just makes me angry. Not the quality of the music, but we’re in the 21st century and we have the worst sound that we’ve ever had. It’s worse than a 78 [rpm record]. Where are our geniuses? What happened? If you’re an artist and you created something and you knew the master was 100 per cent great, but the consumer got five per cent, would you be feeling good? I like to point that out to artists. That’s why people listen to music differently today. It’s all about the bottom and the beat driving everything, and that’s because in the resolution of the music, there’s nothing else you can really hear. The warmth and the depth at the high end is gone.” Due for release June 1, the new album, Americana, from Neil Young & Crazy Horse, was recorded and engineered at Audio Casa Blanca studio by John Hanlon, who co-produced the album with Young and Mark Humphreys.

ZIGGY TURNS 40

It was June 1972 – the sixth to be exact – when RCA originally released the album that would make David Bowie an international phenomenon, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. Recorded at London’s Trident Studios, 40 years on, the inevitable deluxe reissue is due to see release Friday 1 June, and original Trident mastering engineer Ray Staff, who had mastered the original album for vinyl back in ’72, was called in to remaster the album at London’s Air Studios, the album available in several formats including a 5.1 mix and high resolution audio on DVD, which will also feature previously unreleased 5.1 and stereo bonus 2003 Ken Scott mixes of Moonage Daydream (instrumental), The Supermen, Velvet Goldmine and Sweet Head. Ray Staff, by the way, is also building quite the impressive reputation for surround sound mastering, having worked on recordings for the late Gary Moore, deep Purple, UB40 and Alice Cooper among others.

SOUND BYTES

t’s hard to imagine an artist more casual about the creative process than Seasick Steve, and his no-fuss approach has remained the same throughout his career. “I didn’t never have no game plan,” he laughs when asked how he had intended approaching making a new record. “People have been telling me that it’s different and maybe I hear that now, through other people. I did the record the same, me and this guy Dan [Magnusson], who plays the drums, we just go and sit around and try a song and if it sounds pretty good we put it on the tape recorder, just cut it really quick like that, you know? There’s not a lot of fooling around or thinking about it too much. The main thing we got to figure out is how to stop each song, me and him just go crazy and we don’t know how to end the song, that’s the big challenge for the ones with drums anyway. Then he leaves and I sit around and do these kind of more quieter ones...” There’s a very slight step away from the grimy hobo blues of his past records, a firmer embrace of country music in a balladeering sense. Once again, Steve says he just did what seemed right. “I don’t know which ones make it sound different. I didn’t have no record company when I made this record, I got away from the Warner Brothers or Atlantic or whatever it was. So I was just kinda sitting around and I didn’t have anyone calling me or anything, it was pretty easygoing.”

Marvin Caesar and Curt Knoppel originally created Aphex Systems in 1975, where both men were responsible for inventing the hugely successful Aural Exciter. In 2011, the company was bought by DWV Entertainment, had its name shortened to Aphex and relocated to Burbank, California. First, we’ll be having a look at the new Aphex Punch Factory, a studio quality optical compressor for guitar and bass that houses expensive rack-mounted circuitry in a stomp box.

Louisiana singer/songwriter, Dylan LeBlanc, recorded half of his new album, Cast The Same Old Shadow, at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, then finished it in New Orleans.

So what is a compressor you ask? More specifically, what is an optical compressor? A compressor is an effect that limits the dynamic range of a signal or reduces the difference between loud and soft so you get a more even sound. An optical compressor translates an audio signal to light source (LED light) and utilises a photocell to read the amount of light signal. This means that an optical compressor will automatically adjust to your playing style.

Look Around The Corner, the first full collaborative album for producer/musician Quantic, aka Will Holland, and singer/songwriter Alice Russell, was recorded at Quantic’s Sonido del Valle studio in his adopted home city of Cali, Colombia. Playing everything himself, Sydney-born Gold Coast-based blues rocker Mark Easton recorded, produced and mixed his new album, Grind, at his Plastic Donut Studios, with Rob McMullan then mastering it. Dave Hammer (The Jezabels, Chicks Who Love Guns) recorded and produced the debut EP, The Dreaming, of Newcastle five-piece 1929Indian. Melbourne four-piece Howl At The Moon tracked their debut album, Squalls, over five days at Soundpark Studios in Northcote with engineer/producer Myles Mumford, with Steven Schram then mixing the album, which was mastered by Jack The Bear. Sydney four-piece, Tin Sparrow, recorded their forthcoming as yet untitled EP over four days with producer Liam Judson (Belles Will Ring, Cloud Control). btl@drummedia.com.au

“It’s about as relaxed as it gets because I make it in my house! When I get tired, I go and take a nap. But we sit around and have a couple bottles of wine and just take it easy.” As someone who has done his fair share of music production and audio engineering in the past, he was more than confident setting up a home studio with plenty of beautiful vintage gear – including an old Neve console and a 2” Studer tape machine – and taking care of business himself. “I think it’s real important,” he says of the specific equipment he used on the record. “It’s not just the sound, but it’s just how everything is so mechanical, big knobs and everything. I need to be able to feel what I’m doing. “I don’t know how people do stuff on a computer. I guess I could learn someday but I probably won’t. But I know it sounds good and that’s how we’ve always done everything so I just can’t imagine no other way. These things, man, the reason they sound good is because they sound good. Then the computer things they copy them. They tell me you can get a lot of this old equipment but it’s on a computer now.” But there’s no begrudging of modern technology here; Seasick Steve absolutely understands why it is so prevalent. “There’s not much [vintage gear] around anymore and people don’t want to use tape because it’s cumbersome. All these people who learnt how to record in the past fifteen, twenty years, they learnt how to do all this digital stuff. I know they’re very clever at it, but for me it’s a little late in the game to start something new.” When asked if he could see himself going into a more traditional recording studio, Steve says the closest he’ll come will be taking a trip to a friend’s house. “I don’t see it, not for my own records, because I’ve got my own equipment and I like being at home. Although I just went and recorded a couple of songs with Jack White out in Nashville. He has a studio

at his home too and it felt pretty nice being there. We recorded two songs there, that was good.” One thing Steve definitely wanted on certain parts of this record was a bit more lower end. Obvious choice of instrument in this instance is a bass guitar. But who do you get to play it? “I was sitting around thinking, ‘Maybe we should get a bass on one of these songs.’ That’s how it started. But I don’t know no bass players. Dan was like ‘Man, what about the guy who was in Led Zeppelin? How do we go about doing that?’” Getting John Paul Jones to play on your record seems a lofty goal, but sure enough it turned out the legendary bassist was a fan and was more than happy to lay down some tracks. “Sure enough by hook or crook I left a message with someone who called him and asked if he wanted to play and he said, ‘yep,’” Steve says, adding nonchalantly, “He sure is good, boy. Whoo-ee!” You Can’t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks is out now through PIAS/Liberator. Seasick Steve is playing Bluesfest on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 April and The Metro on Thursday 12.

APHEX PUNCH FACTORY

John Lydon took this year’s model of Public Image Limited out to Steve Winwood’s barn studio in the English Cotswolds to record their new album, This Is PiL, pretty much live and improvised.

Frankfurt-based thrash metal band, Tankard, are currently in a studio in Buchen/Odenwald coproducing their next album with Michael Mainx (Onkelz, der W, Disbelief, D-A-D).

Easygoing is actually a laughable term when explaining how Seasick Steve made this record.

The Aphex Punch Factory is a great pedal that improves tone and helps your guitar or bass really shine in a mix, as well as out-performing standard stomp box compressors I’ve tried in the past. This pedal has all the glory of an expensive rack-mounted studio compressor housed in a portable little box.

For more information: www.galacticmusic.com.au

The Punch Factory features a very basic control layout consisting of Input, Ratio and Output. There is a standard guitar input and output jack as well as an XLR output that could harness phantom power from a mixing desk, perfect for live gigs. I tested the Punch Factory with an acoustic guitar and an electric bass going from a desk to a powered speaker. First I used it with my acoustic, then EQ’d a decent tone (pedal bypassed) and strummed for a bit. I tested the pedal with a low ratio (amount of compression) and used the input and output to match the bypass level to listen out for any inconsistencies in tone and was pleased that the Punch Factory sounded almost exactly the same but a touch brighter. Increasing the input level and ratio squashed the signal even further enhancing sustain and harmonics but at the same time inducing a little bit of feedback, so you need to be careful not to drive it too hard at gigs. Next up was my bass guitar. Now any bass player or sound engineer knows how dynamic a bass can be so compression is our friend here, and for me I use lots to ensure there’s a nice warm rumble constantly in the mix. Again, I started off the same way EQ’ing a direct tone and later adding compression. The Punch factory sounded even better with the bass and I ran the input and drove the compression so hard the walls were shaking (I can’t wait to try this pedal at a gig)!

AER POCKET TOOLS

AER describe themselves as the ‘Acoustic People’, a company dedicated to providing musicians with the finest quality acoustic reproduction tools since 1992 and now aiming to dazzle once again with their new range of Pocket Tools. The three Pocket Tools examined were the Dual Para EQ, Colourizer and Dual Mix, and each unit was tested going into a self-powered speaker. The first pedal, the Dual Para EQ, houses two independent parametric equalisers, each with level, bandwidth and frequency controls. There are also two frequency-range knobs on each EQ that places the range between either 90Hz to 1.6kHz, or 680Hz to 11kHz. I started by bypassing the pedal and getting the best acoustic tone I could, then played for a bit before I turned the unit on. This made an already good tone sound fantastic. Both equalisers were very smooth and it was evident that only the finest components had been sourced in constructing this unit. You could go from a tight scoop to a wide scoop by increasing the bandwidth, and a wide crossover between frequency ranges one and two made for a very ‘musical’ application. Up next was the Colourizer, an acoustic or mic preamp that employs an enhancer and equaliser in the signal chain. The preamp adds a fuller tone, the enhancer brings out harmonics, and the EQ either cuts or boosts frequencies. There’s also an XLR output on the back and a unique 24v phantom power switch capable of powering condenser mics. I tested the Colourizer with a Shure Beta 58 microphone and a Line 6 acoustic guitar. First off, my voice sounded notably thicker just by plugging into the preamp. Switching on the enhancer and leaving the controls flat added a hint of sparkle, and turning up the tone balance and intensity

themusic.com.au

APHEX PUNCH FACTORY added more crisp detail, and I used the Equalizer to add in more low mids for extra punch. The results on the acoustic were just as pleasing. The enhancer really helped the strings cut when playing fingerstyle and the equaliser sounded great by adding some tight bass at around 90Hz. The last unit, the Dual Mix, was by far the best of the lot. First, you can plug either a mic or line input into channel one or two, set the gain and high or low EQ. There’s also an EFX processor that adds either two types of reverb, a delay and a doubling effect over both channels. The real corker however, is the aux in, which takes in an RCA or minijack (1/8”) input and adds it into the mix with a separate control. Finally, a real world solution for musicians bringing backing tracks to gigs without a whole bundle of DIs onstage or requiring the sound guy to provide house music. The AER Pocket Tools really are a bunch of problemsolving tools, and the Dual Mix has so many applications outside the realm of live acoustic performance almost any musician could benefit from one. For more information: www.promusicaustralia.com Reza Nasseri THE DRUM MEDIA • 57

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REPAIRS GUITAR REPAIRS AND SETUPS

Fingerstyle guitar, open tunings, slide, flat picking, improvisation,rock, country, blues, folk, celtic styles, music theory, arranging, ear training, singing, banjo and mandolin. www.acousticfingerpicking.com PHONE JOHN: 0431953178 iFlogID: 17757

Learn The Drums - Have fun and discover your rhythm.I’ve created a step by step program for you on learning how to play the drums, go to www.chrismccaig.com/learn-the-drums iFlogID: 14503

SWEETLEAF REHEARSAL STUDIO MTDRUITT open 7 days, 3 rooms, aircon, food & beverages, Flat lug, Parking, PA & Lighting Hire Call - 9832-8890 iFlogID: 17546

iFlogID: 13943

PHOTOGRAPHY

DRUM TUITION. Drum Tuition in Stanmore with a Billy Hyde trained Teacher. Dip Ed, Dip Drums. All levels and all styles taught. Beginners Welcome!. Call Lee 0403307796. www.lee-carey.com iFlogID: 17906

GUITAR TUITION

Music publicity. Do you want to get noticed? Affordable exposure for your band by someone that actually cares! www.perfectlywrite.com.au Drop me a line! iFlogID: 15737

PA / AUDIO / ENGINEERING

DRUM LESSONS Learn to play all styles with drummer/musician of 20+ years experience. Beginners welcome! Josh 0439470651 Paddington iFlogID: 17900

GET ‘EM TO THE GIG

iFlogID: 17084

DRUM LESSONS Drum lesson available I play jazz, rock, pop, funk, flamenco, soul, fusion, singer songwriter v been playing professionally in sydney for the last 10 years with a variety of bands. Im currently playing with Bluejuice, The Subterraneans, Steve Hunter Band, Rescue Ships, Bandaluzia, Joe Fabro Group . Will structure lessons to each individual PH 0414097025 iFlogID: 17999

iFlogID: 16690

RECORDING AN ALBUM IS SIMPLE! We’ll help write the songs, provide the musos, then produce, mix & master a full Radio Release quality album & THEN HELP YOU SELL IT! studio@ musicentourage.com www.musicentourage.com iFlogID: 17745

THE BUTLER MASTERING...

FILM & STAGE

2 channel.footswitchable.great fat tone. reverb/saturation etc.USA made.VGC.$350. Ph.0428744963. Cooroy iFlogID: 13019

COLOUR BACKGR

COMPLETE PA AND LIGHTING 6000w FOH, 4 sends F/B, 4 wedges + drumfillMi xer,Rack,Effects,EQ’s,Par Cans with truss, All roadcased ready to rock. $16,000 Loudnlive Sound Systems 0417 268850 iFlogID: 17809

SALES & MARKETING

Get Involved in all stages of short film creation for free. Each candidate will attend an interview to get selected into the group (Equipment training- No previous experience needed). Call: 0439590185 iFlogID: 17575

iFlogID: 13500

AFFORDABLE SYDNEY PRODUCER

PA EQUIPMENT

People needed to send eMails offering a new music Book for sale. Must have own computer - payment by commission via Paypal. Contact Bill on (02) 9807-3137 or eMail: nadipa1@ yahoo.com.au iFlogID: 13289

iFlogID: 13500

RECORDING STUDIOS

CD MANUFACTURING:Acme is Australias best price CD manufacturer. 500 CD package = $765.05: 1000 CD package = $1320.00 Short run also available.www.AcmeMusic.com. au KevinW@AcmeMusic.com.au iFlogID: 13117

ENTERTAINMENT

ADD COLOUR TO YOUR HEADING

Godin electric/acoustic mandolin. Excellent condition. Adjustable bridge. Plus gig bag. $500. Contact 0420366134. iFlogID: 17960

DUPLICATION/ MASTERING

RECORDING MADE EASY !!

SUPER BOLD HEADING 13500

International and Aussie musicians birthdates posters and calenders. I’m currently after the birthdates of S Wrights Hard Road Band members. www.davesbirthdatecalendars.com.au iFlogID: 17781

>>>>-GUITAR-LESSONS-<<<< Beginners-to-Advanced. Learn the Jimi-Hendrix Led-Zeppelin Level of guitar playing, or just strum chords to sing songs. 1xFREE lesson-appraisal Beginners you are most welcome. Acoustic-Electric-Classical Guitar all styles. 0405-044-513. iFlogID: 17936 Guitar lessons! Affordable quick and easy. Electric and acoustic all genres. You come to me or I come to you. Call Andrew 0452 190 969 iFlogID: 17990

Drum Tuition.Professional all round live/studio drummer with 28 yrs experience.All styles and topics covered.Beginners to Advanced levels welcome.Please call Mitch for rates/times available m.0418267852 e.mitch@mitchfarmer.com iFlogID: 17528

PIANO: BLUES, ROOTS & POPULAR

GUITAR LESSONS

Northern beaches area. Ex cabaret, session, studio singer, music producer. Toured with Shirley Bassey and Perry Como. Totally experienced. Free assessment. Beginners and all ages. Peter Flanagan 9905 8742, 0414860118 iFlogID: 16861

DRUMMER, LESSONS Drum Lessons avaliable in Gladesville Teach all Levels,ages & experience.16 years experience. I studied at The Billy Hydes Drumcraft ,Obtained Dipolma in Drummming Mob: 0402 663 469 Michael iFlogID: 17025

5 STRING BANJO TUITION Up-Picking (Pete Seeger Style) and 3 Finger Picking (Scruggs Style). tel. John 0431953178 iFlogID: 17753

With experienced and fully qualified tutor. Who has 20 years of studio and live performance. Most styles including Rock, Pop and Jazz. Learn to play your favourite songs, practical theory, improvisation, proper technique, etc. etc. Beginners to advanced are welcome. In the convenience of your own home. Good results guaranteed. Phone Oles on 0407413143 or email olesguitarlessons@yahoo.com iFlogID: 18045

Specialised tuition from Don Hopkins, 2nd place win, International Blues Challenge, Memphis, 2012. Improvisation, piano technique, theory. Songwriting skills. Individual sessions. Beginners to advanced. Get to where you want to be. Spaces available now. 0425201870 donhopkins@me.com iFlogID: 17606

PICKS AND STICKS STUDIO. Private Guitar lessons from an experienced teacher. All levels, All ages, All styles. Improvising, Theory, Song Writing, Technique Seven Hills, Sydney. Call Dave 0410 963 972 or email davemormul@hotmail.com iFlogID: 16948

For a limited time. Free online and print classifieds Book now, visit iflog.com.au

Music tuition, classical / flamenco guitar, celtic harp, theory & harmony, arranging. 9am - 9pm, 7 days. Parramatta area. $40 hr, $30 half hr. Mature & patient. Harps for hire. Ph: 02 98905578 iFlogID: 15158

PRO DRUMMER SEEKS BAND

PARAMOUNT GUITAR TUITION. Learn to play the guitar. Or learn to compose &/ or improvise on guitar. Most importantly, learn at your own pace, no pressure! Classical & other styles. 0402 630 243 www.pgtonline.net pgtonline@hotmail.com Parramatta area iFlogID: 15320

SINGING LESSONS THAT >>ROCK<<

FREE RECORDING Audio students seeking bands to record & mix in a professional studio. Located in Sydney CBD. Must be able to play to a click track. Text 0433442255 iFlogID: 16983 Music video production, live event filming, EPK’s, pro photography and more. Great rates for indi artists. Call Paul on 0412 222 111 or email paul@ popfilms.com.au or visit www.popfilms.com.au iFlogID: 17273

MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTIONS

Your voice has the ability to sing at the Audioslave/Muse/Aretha/ Yeah-Yeah-Yeahs level because of Design. Increase your range-sing with effortless power- learn to sing the right technique. Microphone technique, recording techniques, songwriting Newtown 0405-044-513 iFlogID: 17938

SINGING LESSONS Voice science is out there to help improve your singing quickly. One on one lessons in hi tech multi award winning studio with fully qualified singing and performance expert. First assessment FREE. Beginners and professionals. I will help you find your voice. www.avic.com.au studio - 9588 2184 mob - 0414 453 066 Stephen Baker MRA iFlogID: 16954

SINGING LESSONS

Professional & affordable photo & video productions,industry experienced team. Make your stunning looking,1080p HD music video,enjoy the process. Check us out on web or contact Dave 0280185520 info@musicvideoproductions.com.au Yours, creative MVP Team iFlogID: 17768

SLIDE GUITAR TUITION

MUSICIANS AVAILABLE

Musician/Guitarist seeking fame. I play blues and have a good ear for melody and improvisation. Im looking for likeminded people who want to start touring. Go to peterbuckley.me iFlogID: 18014

BASSPLAYER/BV-SINGER SEEKS-TO-FORMOR-JOIN ROCK/POWERPOP/ALT BAND. P-bass/ pick player. Experienced song/music writer. Enjoy simple songs in vein of The Vines, Weezer, Best Coast, Band Of Horses, Alkaline Trio. Based in Hornsby. See-my-ad-on-Gumtree-for-more-info. txt045-104-2869 iFlogID: 18008 Electric & upright bass. Good gear. Comfortable in most styles. Experience performing live and in the studio. Check out my website if you wanna hear more. http://www.wix.com/steelechabau/ steelechabau iFlogID: 16159 Professional Bass Player available for session work, gigs, functions, tours, casual or permanent work. Flexible rates. Pro gear, pro attitude, extra reliable and easy going.Check my site for more info. www.marcosgil.info iFlogID: 17909

for students having problems with pitch, placement and breathing. tel. John 0431953178 iFlogID: 17755

VOCAL TUITION AND COACHING In vocal trouble? Want to sing in tune? Bella Musica’s Foundation Technique Course is now open for new pupils. The course covers basic vocal technique and will personally guide you to your goals, amateur or professional. Vocal Coach Meera Belle is an experienced artist and teacher working across all genres from opera to contemporary. Visit www.meerabelle.com to see what singers say about her teaching. Phone 0406 512 162. iFlogID: 17958 Wanted left handed electric guitar teacher Parramatta area, Contact John at... rodt1114@ yahoo.com iFlogID: 16308

VIDEO / PRODUCTION D7 STUDIO MUSIC VID FROM $250 music vid $250. Live gig edits, multi angles, fr $125 a set, 1 live track $100. All shot in full HD. d7studio@iinet. net.au 0404716770 iFlogID: 13368 Independant Music Producer available for Singers and Songwriters. Have you got a song in your head? Real guitars, bass,drums, piano plus much more Greg 0425 210 742 iFlogID: 17100 Kontrol Productions is a highly professional production company that specializes in the production of music video’s. We ensure that our products are of the highest industry standards. For enquiries www.kontrolproductions.com iFlogID: 13827

Professional drummer/percussionist/vibraphonist available for performances/recording. Toured with international acts such as Dianna Krall, David Campbell and Patrizio Buanne. Have huge range of instruments including vibraphone. More info at www.davekemp.info iFlogID: 17317

18 year old guitar player looking to form Rock N’ Roll band. Influences: Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, New York Dolls. Preferably in South. Call Tom on 0401722767. iFlogID: 13358

VOCAL TUITION

VocalHub - Sing like no one is listening! Singing lessons for vocal technique and care, audition tips and repertoire in a encouraging and supportive environment. Visit: http://www.vocalhub. com.au iFlogID: 17102

Professional Sydney drummer with 20yrs experience seeks like minded originals band/musos to collaborate with. Professionally trained by some of Australias best drummers including Lucius Borich(COG) and Chris Brien. I have Professional gear and my own studio. Looking to join/create something unique, mainly influenced by progressive and heavy rock/metal bands such as TOOL, Mastodon, Helmet, Porcupine Tree, Soundgarden, Faith No More, Melvins, Meshuggah, COG, Karnivool. PROFESSIONAL BANDS/ MUSOS ONLY. Contact Scott 0400800875 iFlogID: 18043

MUSIC VIDEOS offer a great way to gain exposure. Immersion Imagery has worked with a variety or artists and strives to offer quality & creative Music Videos. Visit www.immersionimagery.com email info@immersionimagery.com iFlogID: 13825

BASS PLAYER

All styles from Duane Allman and Ben Harper to Blind Willie Johnson and Son House. www. acousticfingerpicking.com tel. John 0431953178 iFlogID: 17759

GUITARIST ELECTRIC / ACOUSTIC

GUITARIST

20 something bass player to start band and jam- with view to originals. Inner West area. Midnight Oil, Joy Division, Ben Harper. hartley_jd@ hotmail.com iFlogID: 17785

Singing lessons in a positive environment with a highly experienced and professional singer/songwriter. Lessons tailored to suit individual needs. Also beginners guitar. www.realvoice.net.au for more details. Inner West, Rosanna 0431 157 622. iFlogID: 18004

Drummer requires cover band &/or the setup of a cover band. Simple popular dance songs, etc. Muso’s who catch on quick needed. Regular work the aim, with favourable outcomes. Phone 0403 063 922 or text Drew - experienced drummer. iFlogID: 17772

DJ Dj available Dubstep to Drum&bass willing & able to adapt to your event. Low hourly rates. Everything negotiable. Easygoing, flexible entertainment. Call for a quote today. KN!VZ Entertainment Group Ph:0415680575 iFlogID: 16661

DJ AVAILABLE DJ for all occasions - Parties, Formals, Weddings. House, Electro, Dance, Hardstyle, Dubstep, R’n’B and Hip Hop. Latest Pioneers equipment and great Lighting Effects. Call Jake’DJ Splice’ 0423255668 or inbox - www.facebook.com/#!/ pages/Dj-Splice iFlogID: 17801

DRUMMER A1 PRO DRUMMER AVAILABLE for freelance gigs, tours etc. Extensive touring experience, gret time/tempo/groove, great drum gear and pro attitude. Sydney based but will travel. More info, ph 0419760940. www.mikehague.com iFlogID: 13230 Experienced Soul / Reggae / R’N’B / Blues / Funk / Rock drummer (36yo) available for work preferably in Northern Beaches. Call Michael 0402 549 423 iFlogID: 17324 Professional mature-age Drummer/Vocals/ reads/back acts/shows - all styles including jazz - available for casual work. phone:(02) 9807-3137 eMail: nadipa1@yahoo. com.au iFlogID: 13285 Professional mature-age Drummer/Vocals/ reads/back acts/shows - all styles including jazz - available for casual work. phone:(02) 9807-3137 Mob:0413-931-897 eMail: nadipa1@yahoo.com.au iFlogID: 17160

SYDNEY DRUMMER Sydney Session Drummer, 26-yo, Available for new projects with established Professional Bands, many styles covered SMS or VoiceMail 0425820547 - matt iFlogID: 17869 TOP INTERNATIONAL DRUMMER available. Great backing vocals, harmonica player and percussionist. Gigs, tours, recording. Private lessons/mentoring also available. www.reubenalexander.net iFlogID: 14261

OTHER We are a friendly jazz band playing music to any style for romantic situations, weddings, anniversaries, small cozy clubs - very affordable. contact Chris 0419 272 196 ventura@yayabings.com.au iFlogID: 15177

SINGER FEMALE SINGER Dedicated and devoted singer looking looking to join an originals or cover band. Ability to sing various styles, jazz, blues and rock. I have my own transport. Influences Funk, Soul and Rock. Call Julie on 0419606657 iFlogID: 17871

MUSICIANS WANTED BANDS A FREE RECORDING FOR YOUR BAND Semi professional band required for small studio production. Original material only! Artist will receive EP at end of production. All expressions of interest to be emailed to miserabletrumpetstudios@gmail.com iFlogID: 18026 Accomplished Rhythm Guitarist required for dedicated originals band based in Western Sydney.Must be a competent acoustic and electric player with great gear and tone. Age 24-35. Scotty 0408 289 384 iFlogID: 18024

ATTENTION ALL CHICK ROCKERS Auditions for bass players, drummers, guitarists. If you love L7, Hole, Bikini Kill, Magic Dirt, Steel Panther, heavy hard fast rock ‘n’ roll this is the band for you. Looking to tour with well-known USA band at end of year. Serious musicians only. Please call Mel 0401 017 275. iFlogID: 17577

BLACK METAL GUITARIST WANTED Fatigue, new Sydney Black/Thrash Metal band need a tight, fast guitarist. Songs written and demoed, visit soundcloud. com/totalfatigue to listen. Influences include Absu, Melechesh, Blut Aus Nord, Deathspell Omega. Interested parties email nightmare_screams@hotmail.com. iFlogID: 17940 CANBERRA Band Members Wanted. Drums, Bass, Vocals for hard rock originals. Please send emais to stuntmoose@gmail.com for info and demo. iFlogID: 17712 Central coast band seeking a drummer for a four piece hard rock band needs to be over 18 and needs own gear for more information contact rhyseaquilina@gmail.com iFlogID: 16510

DOWNING, TIPTON, HILL, TRAVIS wanted. musicians interested in a one-off tribute to JUDAS PRIEST. need 2 x guitarists (established guitar duos would be preferable but open to all guitarists), bass player and drummer. 1hr setlist already laid out. painkiller included. date for show not set but probably in July. email me at dmin741@gmail.com iFlogID: 17904

Electric and acoustic lead guitarist wanted for a Sydney original folk/rock band. Must be able to sing backing vocals. Wanted for album recording in May and live gigs. Touring in July. Contact Kate - 0433 376 485 iFlogID: 17917

HELLO I’m looking for a versatile creative musician or two, a Jack or Jill of a few trades as it were, with vocals and harmonies to form a blues & roots, county, folk partnership based in the Inner West. Middle aged +. Mark. 0412277383. Call me. Let’s see what happens. Perhaps you’re a virtuoso on one instrument alone; that would probably be okay too :) if you can harmonise. iFlogID: 17974

KEYBOARD PLAYER WITH STRONG BV Stone Dogs, a well known Northern Beaches based rock covers band unfortunately need to replace their extremely talented keyboard player who has had to leave for health reasons. We are looking for someone with the ability to play styles from the Doors to Deep Purple, INXS to AC/ DC (yes we know there is no keyboard in AC/ DC) and who has strong backing vocals. If you can play some rhythm guitar too then what are you doing reading these ads?! And you need to have a fun yet professional attitude to music. If that’s you (come on don’t be too modest), drop us a line at band@stonedogs.com.au with your phone number and some information about your experience, equipment, availability and perhaps a link to anything online we can look at. We look forward to hearing from you soon! iFlogID: 18012

KEYBOARDS AND/OR GUITARIST Established, creative bass/ drums seeking guitar/ keys for a new jazz project. If you’re a composer/ collaborator with an ear for something different, you aren’t afraid to push boundaries, you’re ambitious, pro-active and musically sensitive. We like listening to Metheny, Hancock, Zawinul etc, and are interested in exploring original music. If it’s important we are both over 50 and we have the enthusiasm of youth. Our locale is around North Ryde/ Brooklyn but will travel of course. Please contact Harry 0410032121 and I can fill you in with more details. iFlogID: 17919 Mature rhythm guitarist and keyboard player needed for classic rock band .Floyd,AC/ DC,Purple,Quo,Kiss,Van Halen.Macarthur area. Contact Will 0419614313 iFlogID: 17987 Pro singer wanted for established 5 piece band Newcastle band Newcastle area. Covers , originals hard rock,blues,pop,rocknroll exp band gigged with Angels,paid gigs booked Peter 4984 4731 iFlogID: 17882 Professional Bass Player wanted for Inner West Alternative Rock Band’s Album Launch. Must be: Aged 25-35, available during the day,professional approach, fast learner. The right person will be paid. iFlogID: 17962 Professional Drummer wanted for Inner West Alternative Rock band. Required for album launch early June. Must be: Aged 25-35, available days, reliable, professional gear. Fast learner, positive attitude...Paid accordingly iFlogID: 17956

TURBOWITCH seeking drummer, bassist, second guitarist & vocalist PSYCHEDELIC OLD SCHOOL DOOM METAL inf by Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Wolfmother, Quest For Fire, Witch + many more. age 21-26. Sydney central based. contact: turbowitchaus@gmail.com iFlogID: 17985 Untalented Libertines/BlocParty/SexPistols inspired singer/songwriter/guitarist seeks bandmates who are also inspired by these bands, willing to practice, prefer making originals rather than covers & who are easygoing. Inner West/ Sydney, How bout it? iFlogID: 13790 young guitar player looking to start metal, punk band. influences include metallica, ozzy, black sabbath megadeth, trivium, bullet, anthrax, slayer slipknot and many many more.email space1996@hotmail.com if interested iFlogID: 17027

BASS PLAYER

BASS PLAYER - NORTHERN BEACHES

Do you live on Sydney’s Northern Beaches? We are looking for a bass player interested in joining a mature age rock band. Recently formed, we focus on rock classics from the 1970’s through to the present day. Please call Jon on - 0409 994 420 iFlogID: 17863 Bass Player for 1/2 rock covers, 1/2 ac/dc show. we have awesome Bon, Angus & Phil looking for the others. or just to play covers till malcolm turns up. our studio’s in sutherland shire.call or txt Mick 0420 317537 or micko@ y7mail.com iFlogID: 17894 Bass Player wanted for Lure Distortion Playing Originals ages 18-25 Own transport and Gear Influences include White Stripes, Raconteurs, Smashing PumpkinsNirvana Looking to Gig Located on Northern Beaches Contact Chris at cs_bowyer@hotmail.com iFlogID: 17677

BASSIST needed for experimental DUB project. New genre and sound being created. Require OPEN minded, politically raged Bassist. Asian Dub Foundation influence. www.soundcloud.com/yesterdays-cub (preview Demo) contact: lion_of_tomorrow@hotmail.com iFlogID: 17446 Established Sydney band need Bass Player ASAP. Tours booked, new EP recorded. Looking for good attitude, own gear & transport, keen to tour. Age 20-30. Please contact Sash on 0409579688 anytime iFlogID: 17057 Inner west band looking for M/F 30-50Y/O who is versatile and creative. Our influences are 60’s rock, Brit rock/pop, Oz rock and American Indie. Own transport and kit essential. iFlogID: 17995 Mature player required west/southwest to play jazz based blues. Think Robben Ford/Jeff Beck/ SRV. Must be competent and have great gear. Don’t call if you can’t cut it. call 0425 267881 iFlogID: 17688 METAL BASS PLAYER NEEDED FOR SOON TO BE WORKING SOUTH-SYDNEY BAND!! MUST BE EXPERIENCED AND DEDICATED, NO TIME WASTERS INFLUENCES INCLUDE LAMB OF GOD, METALLICA, SEPULTURA, SLIPKNOT, CALL MATT 0401728868 iFlogID: 17487

DRUMMER aggressive solid drummer needed for band. have material written and demos recorded. rehearse in the wollonong area, keen to gig asap. age/sex/skill level not important. contact 0403508102 for demos iFlogID: 14021 band playing original material seeks drummer. influences - replacements, pixies, prince, wu tang. write to neilyoungponyclub@gmail.com iFlogID: 17902 CENTRAL/COAST. ROCK/COVERS/ORIGINAL/ BAND.require DRUMMER TO JAM REGULY, PLAY LIVE IN THE LONG TERM, MUST BE MOTIVATED.& KEEN TO PLAY . Email. DETAILS ABOUT YOURSELF TO. grantgupwell@bigpond.com YOU WILL BE CONTACTED iFlogID: 17839

BON JOVI THE SHOW

Bon Jovi The Show requires a guitarist that believes he is Richie Sambora. Desired Guitarist MUST be fluent in blues, slide, shred, acoustic guitar, and be a strong singer, most importantly a BON JOVI FAN. If this sounds like you please call Brett 0408 285 440. Must have own transport,”No time wasters’. Check us out @ bonjovitheshow.com. au or Facebook. iFlogID: 17532

We are a well established Sydney based coverband, playing most styles of modern & classic pop,funk & rock. Average of 3-5 paid gigs a month. We required a experienced guitarist with vocal abilities. You will require your own transport & equipment, and must be available most weekends. Aged between 18 - 35 yrs. Please send your details, including a photo to brotherbooth@ gmail.com iFlogID: 17887 Female guitarist/backup singer required for accompaniment of a lead singer for an upcoming performance at a food and wine festival in Sydney’s inner west. iFlogID: 17717 GUITARIST AND BASS PLAYER WANTED.Guitarist and Bass player required. Penrith Area .Mature Age.Regular social rehearsals. Music style ranging from 60’s pop to Swing Blues. 043 279 0076 iFlogID: 17569 guitarist for 1/2 rock covers, 1/2 ac/dc show. we have awesome Bon, Angus & Phil looking for the others. our studio’s in sutherland shire.call or txt Mick 0420 317537 or micko@y7mail.com iFlogID: 17896 Inner west band are looking for a M/F 30/50Y/O rythm/lead who’s versatile and creative. Our influences, 60’s rock, Brit pop/rock, Oz rock and American indie. Own tranceport and kit essential. iFlogID: 17997

THE ALICE COOPER SHOW

experienced energetic drummer wanted for sydney 3 piece. age 20-30. influences: ramones, queen, nirvana, brian-jonestown-massacre, beatles etc.100% commitment needed as we wanna get proper busy. call dee 0431317613 iFlogID: 17876

GRUNGE BLUES NOISE Singer/Guitarist needs a Drummer and Bassist to start a new band. Grungy 90s Blues Noise Mudhoney Melvins Dead Weather. Call Nat 0406727076 Inner Sydney Based. iFlogID: 17826 Lycanthia seek Heavy Metal double kick drummer for gigs and recording, must have gear and transport. Please contact lycanthia@hotmail.com iFlogID: 18016

SOLID PUNK ROCK DRUMMER WANTED If you like Pennywise, Suicidal Tendancies and Frenzal Rhomb you’ll have a blast playing with us! Rehearsal at Keynote Studio Homebush. Call Jay anytime on 0411-759-862. Now f@*k off c¥*t! iFlogID: 17948 Sydney based melodic metal band seek experienced drummer to complete line up. Own kit and transport essential. For more information or to express interest please contact Rachel 0402722010. iFlogID: 17372 Yo Fuckers! Royal Ace needs a new drummer, were an established rock band wanting you to come bang shit. Check us out and shoot us a message facebook.com/royalaceband PEACE! iFlogID: 17858

GUITARIST 18 year old guitar player looking for another guitar player. Influences: GN’R, Aerosmith, Zeppelin, New York Dolls. Preferrably someone in the south (Shire). Call Tom on 0401722767 iFlogID: 13407

Versatile guitarist to play rythm and lead in working band playing swing, blues and rnr. Some jazz knowledge favoured. vatm.com.au iFlogID: 17942

KEYBOARD COVERBAND NEEDS KEYBOARDIST We are a well established Sydney based coverband, playing most styles of modern & classic pop,funk & rock. Average of 3-5 paid gigs a month. We required a experienced Keyboardist. You will require your own transport & equipment, and must be available most weekends. Aged between 18 - 35 yrs. Please send your details, including a photo to brotherbooth@gmail.com iFlogID: 17889 Keyboard player required for working band playing swing, blues and r’n’r. Jazz experience favoured. vatm.com.au iFlogID: 17944

KEYBOARD PLAYER WANTED Alternative rock band with it’s own recording studio from the northern beaches is looking for a keyboard player. Having your own gear ie sampler/keyboard and the ability to play bass/guitar would be an advantage but not necessary. Contact: firebrandproductions@hotmail.com iFlogID: 17789

KEYBOARD PLAYER Keyboard player experienced preferably with vocals wanted for established gospel band, band rehearsing on Saturdays Liverpool Sydney, styles, funk,rock,smooth jazz,must have a passion to serve the Lord iFlogID: 17776 Sydney based Funk band who plays originals and covers seeks a keyboardist. Needs good gear and own transport. Contact rhyseaquilina@ gmail.com. iFlogID: 17281

SINGER Attractive Female Backing Vocalist Wanted for a pop-rock Band/Show with Album on iTunes. Paid performances. A professional, reliable Singer, melodic voice required. Phone Geoff at Extraordinary Entertainment: 99691179 (Mosman). iFlogID: 17787

CLASSIC ROCK SINGER WANTED Classic rock singer wanted for working covers band, paid gigs waiting, call 0423 964 164. iFlogID: 17680

CLASSIC ROCK SINGER WANTED Singer wanted for our cover band. Our current female singer will be leaving us soon. We are looking to replace her by either a mature male or a female singer . We play classic rock numbers from any era as long as it makes our audience sing and dance. We are all mature musicians who want to have fun playing rock and only plan to do a couple of gigs a month . We rehearse once a week in Alexandria. iFlogID: 18002

OTHER EARPLUGS FOR MUSICIANS Protect your hearing with custom moulded earplugs designed to reduce the level of sound without adversely affecting the frequency response of the music. Choose between 10,15 and 25dB attenuation. Fitted by professional audiologist, by appointment only. Ph 9387 3599 iFlogID: 15216

FREELANCE STYLIST Looking for a new Image ? Promo Videos or Photos being taken ? Organise a consult to give your band or solo act the edge 0419618209 stylistextraordinaire@ live.com.au iFlogID: 18010

The Cleftomaniacs (pun intended!), the enthusiastic 25-member a cappella choir who brought you the most recent Sydney A Cappella Festival, invite new members, especially those lovely tenor & bass blokes. Eclectic repertoire from Sting to gospel to classical polyphony and we love to gig! Rehearsals school term Thursday evenings in Waterloo. Contact Catherine 02 9388 7010 / 0414 517 010 / flittie@iinet.net.au iFlogID: 17690

GOSPEL SINGERS WANTED for non-denominational music ministry to record triple-CD in Perth. World-class, passionate and devotional vocalists sought. View www.THE001Music.com for details. Jesus is KIng! Reverend Eslam. God Bless You! iFlogID: 13088

GOSPEL SINGERS Gospel singers experienced, to do lead vocals & harmonies for established gospel band based in south west sydney, styles include blues,R/ nb,rock,funk,contemporary, must be commited christian,willing to rehearse, & have a passion to serve the Lord. Email llabnes@hotmail.com iFlogID: 17550 Great Vocalist Needed for Alt/Prog Rock band. Band has lots of playing/touring experience and needs YOU to fill the void. Lots of material ready to go. Contact Ayden 0421633283 iFlogID: 17993

NEEDS A GUITARIST! fast learner, 30 songs. shows start May 26th. singing ability a must. own gear/ transport. no time wasters 0421274718 or ozalicecoopershow@gmail.com iFlogID: 17698

Experienced drummer with a commitment to practice and regular rehearsals required for Melbourne-based alternative rock band. Influences QOTSA, Foo Fighters, Nirvana… www.myspace.com/mollydredd 0411 372 469 iFlogID: 16936

CAN YOU SING?!!

COVERBAND NEEDS GUITARIST

PSYCHROCK BAND SEEKS DRUMMER

Burn Antares - Psychedelic-rock band with Manager, Promoter and Label looking for a new fulltime drummer. for more info call 0405442443 or email burnantares@gmail.com iFlogID: 18041

Energetic and charismatic singer wanted to front a newly founded hard rock band with a groove. Must have easy access to Bondi 2-3 times a week. Preferred age:18-26. Call Jonno0412362425. iFlogID: 17483

Melodic Rock Vocalist wanted by dedicated originals band based in Western Sydney. Join a pro level band with studio, pro gear and songs with great hooks. Scotty 0408 289 384 iFlogID: 18022

Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY - from $299 including Hosting and email addresses! Contact info@bizwebsites.com.au or see www. bizwebsites.com.au. iFlogID: 15454 Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY- from $399 including UNLIMITED pages, Hosting and 5xemail addresses and much more! Contact info@ bizwebsites.com.au or see www.bizwebsites. com.au. iFlogID: 13862

GOOD WITH YOUR HANDS? Good with your hands? Private massage job available $50/hr no experience necessary (sorry no dudes) anyway send your number and maybe a photo to partyfun@live.com iFlogID: 16750 If you want to use DRUGS, that’s your business If you want to STOP, we can help. Narcotics Anonymous 9519 6200 www.na.org.au iFlogID: 16217 Need to promote your restaurant, club and make it the place to go? Contact us now, because providing good entertainment is a personal skill. Chris 0419 272 196 ventura@yayabings.com.au iFlogID: 15175 What happens when you start paying attention? When you become an active member and start participating in this elusive thing we call life. WWW.WHATISTHEHAPS.COM iFlogID: 17980

TUITION MUSIC PRODUCTION COURSE 6 WKS.

Pro Singer wanted for an established 5 piece band Newcastle area.Hardrock,blues,pop,rocknroll covers and originals exp band gigged with Angels 2 booking agents,paid gigs Peter 4984 4731 iFlogID: 17366 Pro singer wanted for established 5 piece band Newcastle band. covers and originals. Hardrock,blues.pop,rocknroll. Exp band gigged with Angels 2 booking agents paid gigs booked. Peter 4984 4731 iFlogID: 17692 Singer wanted for Sydney based alt rock band. To hear demos and for more info contact Rob on 0421851708 or Chris on 0410010134. iFlogID: 17856

SINGER WANTED FOR SYDNEY GRUNGE BAND. Less than 24 years old please. influences: Silverchair, Nirvana, AIC, Sabbath etc Contact Daniel on 0403 885 433 for more info and demos. iFlogID: 13145

SERVICES

A practical guide to computer based recording with the bulk of the course being hands on with no more than 2 students per work station. The course is software neutral. The software and platform take a secondary role to the concepts that are being taught. Six 3 hour lessons over six Saturdays @ $660. Students are able to use the teaching resources anytime during the six weeks course for free. Contact Zen Studios 02-9550-3977. www.zenstudios.com.au iFlogID: 17970

SCHOOL OF ROCK ZEN STUDIOS

BEAUTY SERVICES CUSTOM MADE MUSICIAN PLUGS Musician Plugs come in four different filter choices to reduce the volume of loud music to a safer level. They will not distort the tonality of the music, rather simply reduce the volume ‘equally’ across all tones. Fitted by a qualified hearing professional we have a number of locations throughout Sydney as well as in the CBD. To make an appointment call 9223 0225. iFlogID: 17016

Fully Qualified & 8yrs Experience, Thai Massage $49/hr or Sensual Balinese Aroma $69/hr. In/Out calls, Male/Female Welcome. www.takecaremassage.com.au - By Anson 0433646338 iFlogID: 17428

GRAPHIC DESIGN FULL COLOUR BAND GIG POSTERS @ AMAZING PRICES 100 A4 full colour on Gloss = $40 100 A3 full colour on Plain = $50 100 A3 full colour on Gloss = $80 100 SRA3(32 x 45cm) full colour on Gloss = $80 WWW.BLACKSTAR.COM.AU iFlogID: 16754

School of Rock teaches students from primary school to high school, from anywhere in Sydney with any level of musical talent. School of Rock helps students form a suitable band based on each of their musical likes and level of experience. Classes run every day of the week (Weekdays: 4.30pm – 6.00pm, Saturday/Sunday: 8.30am – 10.00am) at $320/per term (including all teacher fees, room and instrument rental). Each term includes a free recording session @ Zen Studios and a live show at The Valve Hotel in Tempe. Contact Ash 0450406-201. www.schoolofrockinnerwest. com.au iFlogID: 17972

SINGING, BASS, GUITAR, DRUMS

Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY from $299 including Hosting and email addresses! Contact info@bizwebsites.com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au. iFlogID: 15450 Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY- from $399 including UNLIMITED pages, Logos, Hosting and 5xemail addresses and much more! Contact info@bizwebsites.com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au iFlogID: 13864 Limited Edition mens tees and hoodies with a sense of humour. All hand-screened and numbered. monstrositystore.com iFlogID: 13611

For a limited time. Free online and print classifieds Book now, visit iflog.com.au

The School of Rock offers tuition in singing, bass guitar, electric guitar, drums and song writing techniques. Our instructors have years of experience showing young musicians how to play and take that talent onto the stage. For more information visit our website at www.schoolofrockinnerwest.com.au or www.zenstudios.com. au. Ph: 9550 3977 iFlogID: 17764

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