Inpress Issue 1247 by TheMusic.com.au

WEDNESDAY 13 GLEN HANSARD STRANGERS GOOD HEAVENS

N O W AVA I L A B L E O N I PA D • W E D N E S DAY 2 4 O C T O B E R 2 012 • I S S U E 12 47 • F R E E

GYPSY & THE CAT

CLARE BOWDITCH

CATHERINE TRAICOS MIKE PATTON

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And Introducing the Astonishing World of HAPPYLAND

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ISSUE 1247

W E D N E S D AY 2 4 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 2

Wed 24. 7pm - Pause Fest Meet Up Reignite the fire for Pause Fest 2012 screenings followed by drinks, chats, Pause visuals & ipad DJ's Fri 26. 10pm - Skip & Swing DROPFRAME - Kinetic EP Launch with Aaron Static | J Nitrous | Rick Dirk | Zayler Ft.Visual Mastery of ALT ESC DEL Sat 27. 10pm - Unstable Sounds DJ Hi-Shock, Death Blooms, Volta, N30CORT3X, Matt Radovich & Ranjit Nijjer - VJ's HENK.D and NINJA Mon 29. 6pm - The Vault This month’s discussion topic: How does technology affect your creative work? Tue 30. 7:30pm - Loopdeloop an animation challenge October theme: Future

THE GOOD CHINA INPRESS 18 Foreword Line brings you all the latest tour announcements 20 Moves and shakes with Industry News 22 Parkway Drive are some of the luckiest kids in Australia 24 Clare Bowditch couldn’t be happier 25 Wednesday 13 can write metal or punk songs 26 Once upon a time…with Glen Hansard 27 Catherine Traicos loves the blues 28 Wreck and ruin with Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson 29 Mike Patton packs an orchestra in his suitcase 30 Gypsy & The Cat are exhausted 32 Puro Instinct are getting their booze on 32 Good Heavens are a match made in… heaven 52 A happy Tara Simmons means less songs 52 The DIY priority is back for The Good China 52 Tim Richmond takes his sweet time 52 Talking to some Strangers 53 We put Jane Dust into a box 53 Revolver with a bullet 54 On The Record rates new releases from Paul Kelly and Godspeed You! Black Emperor

FRONT ROW 57 Check out what’s happening This Week In Arts 57 We chat to UK musical cabaret duo Bourgeois & Maurice ahead of the Harvest Festival

52 57 Campo C di director t K Kristof i t f Bl Blom llevels l about b t Before Your Very Eyes 58 We go Melbourne Festival review crazy 60 Pamela Rabe on new MTC show Elling 60 Benicio Del Toro talks about his character in Savages 60 Cultural Cringe focuses on Experimenta’s Speak To Me exhibition 60 Trailer Trash prepares for Halloween

BACK TO INPRESS 63 Gig Of The Week asks for Thurston Moore 63 Live:Reviews wins at the JIMAs 66 Sarah Petchell will Wake The Dead with her punk and hardcore talk 66 Heavy shit with Adamantium Wolf 66 Dan Condon blues and roots in Roots Down 66 Music from the other side with Fragmented Frequencies 67 The freshest in urban news with OG Flavas 67 Pop culture therapy with The Breakdown 67 Hip hop with Intelligible Flow 67 New currents with Dance Moves 68 The best Live gigs of the week 74 If you haven’t appeared in Fred Negro’s Pub, your mother probably still speaks to you 74 Jeff Jenkins gets down and local in Howzat! 76 Our Gig Guide fills your diary for the weekend 82 Find your new band and just about everything else in our classy Classifieds

GIVEAWAYS GALORE! BRUNSWICK

SATURDAY 27 October

TRACY MCNEIL & BAND Canadian singer songwriter Tracy McNeil plays her beautiful original tunes, with stellar band. 5pm

SATURDAY 27 OCTOBER

THE SHAMBELLES All-girl, rock and roll party band led by Jody Galvin (Tender Hearts); top players, loads of fun. 9pm

Head to the Inpress Facebook page for the chance to get your mitts on tickets to see Good Heavens at the Tote on Friday and Gypsy & The Cat at the Palace on the same night, and copies of the Marley documentary on DVD.

CREDITS EDITORIAL Group Managing Editor Andrew Mast Editor Shane O’Donohue music@inpress.com.au Assistant Editor Bryget Chrisfield Editorial Assistant Samson McDougall Arts Coordinator Cassandra Fumi frontrow@inpress.com.au Staff Writer Michael Smith

ADVERTISING sales@inpress.com.au National Sales & Marketing Director Leigh Treweek National Sales Manager – Print Nick Lynagh Account Manager Cat Clarke Account Manager Okan Husnu

DESIGN & LAYOUT

SUNDAY 28 OCTOBER

SHIVERING TIMBERS A rollicking ride of original and traditional acoustic folk, blues and country. 5pm

THE UNION HOTEL

BRUNSWICK 109 UNION ST, BRUNSWICK UHBBOOKINGS@YAHOO.COM.AU

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16 • To check out the mags online go to themusic.com.au/mags

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CONTRIBUTORS Senior Contributors Jeff Jenkins Overseas Contributors Tom Hawking (US), James McGalliard (UK), Sasha Perera (UK). Writers Nick Argyriou, The Boomeister, Aleksia Barron, Atticus Bastow, Steve Bell, Luke Carter, Dan Condon, Anthony Carew, Rebecca Cook, Kendal Coombs, Adam Curley, Cyclone, Guy Davis, Liza Dezfouli, Lizzie Dynon, Guido Farnell, Sam Fell, Bob Baker Fish, Warwick Goodman, Cameron Grace, Andrew Haug, Brendan Hitchens, Kate Kingsmill, Michael Magnusson, Baz McAlister,

Samson McDougall, Tony McMahon, , Luke Monks, Fred Negro, Mark Neilsen, Danielle O’Donohue, Matt O’Neill, James Parker, Josh Ramselaar, Paul Ransom, Antonios Sarhanis, Dylan Stewart, Izzy Tolhurst, Nic Toupee, Rob Townsend, Dominique Wall, Doug Wallen.

PHOTOGRAPHERS Senior Contributor Kane Hibberd Jesse Booher, Ricky Dowlan, Chrissie Francis, Jay Hynes, Lou Lou Nutt, Heidi Takla, Sam Wong.

INTERNS Jan Wisniewski

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FOREWORD LINE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

INPRESS PRESENTS

HANLON XMAS SHOWS After a multifaceted year that included the operating of an underground speakeasy/venue in a bookshop in Melbourne, living in a bread truck in Portland and brief jaunts playing his songs for audiences in Europe and America, Darren Hanlon will stop in a town near you this December to play his ritualistic Christmas shows. He’s playing Friday 21 December at Northcote Social Club.

MELODIE’S MEDITATIONS Following the ethereal and dream-like songs on her 2011 debut album Meditations On The Sun, Melodie Nelson has created something a little darker and synth-driven on To The Dollhouse. She will launch the album at the Grace Darling in Melbourne on Friday 23 November. To The Dollhouse is out Friday 2 November via Broken Stone/Inertia.

WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER

RED LEADER THE SUNSLEEPERS RETURN TO YOUTH ENTRY $8, 8.30PM

THURSDAY 25 OCTOBER

THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SKYWAYS ARE HIGHWAYS – EP LAUNCH CERES

ENTRY $10, 8.30PM $2.50 POTS, $5 VODKAS!

FRIDAY 26 OCTOBER

Gurrumul

PORT FAIRY FIRST ANNOUNCE Known as one of the great folk festivals of the world, the Port Fairy Folk Festival is proud to add to the rich tapestry of the Australian summer music season by revealing a snapshot of the 2013 lineup. So far the bill includes: Arlo Guthrie, Gurrumul, Kate Miller-Heidke, Ruthie Foster, Christine Anu, Eric Bogle, Finbar Furey, Glen Hansard, Chris Smither, Eugene Hideaway Bridges, Go Jane Go, John McCutcheon, Lisa Hannigan, The Popes, Tuba Skinny and many more. It happens over Labour Day long weekend (8–11 March). Further info and tickets at portfairyfolkfestival.com.

EP LAUNCH

DANCE IN COSFUME

THE BELLASTRADES MERCIANS – SINGLE LAUNCH

After the release of the first single, Dance In Costume, in July this year and shows around the country, The Fumes are still writing, demoing and recording what was at first to be an album, then an EP and now looking like becoming an album again. They are heading back out on the road in November for a short run of shows, mainly just for a hoot. They’ll play Saturday 24 November at the Espy Front Bar.

AIRCRAFTE LES GARCONS

ENTRY $10, 8.30PM

SATURDAY 27 OCTOBER

SINGLE LAUNCH

PLUDO MIDI WIDOW BRECIK MILANDRA

ENTRY $15 DOOR, $12 THRU MOSHTIX, 8.30PM

SUNDAY 28 OCTOBER

MATINEE SHOW

SLEEPY DREAMERS THE PEEKS SEAN M. WATSON BAREFOOT WANDERERS ENTRY $6, 1.30PM

EVENING SHOW

ESC SEA LEGS

FUTURE FATHERS EMRAH ISTREFI ENTRY $2, 8.30PM

MONDAY 29 OCTOBER

RESIDENCY – FINAL NIGHT

FRANCOLIN SCOTDRAKULA OFFICER PARROT

$2 ENTRY, 8.30PM $10 JUGS!

TUESDAY 30 OCTOBER

RESIDENCY – FINAL NIGHT

HOWARD KIRKIS

Ben Sollee

Dinosaur Jr

GOLDEN PLAINS GOES LARGE Forget the fanfare, the 2013 Golden Plains line-up is out and enormous. Joining the already-announced Cat Power are Dinosaur Jr, Tallest Man On Earth, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Purity Ring, Flume, Moodymann, The Mark Of Cain, Toro Y Moi, Wild Nothing, Psarantonis, Naysayer & Gilsun, Six Ft Hick, Mulatu Astatke, Julio Bashmore, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Client Liaison, Dick Diver, Keb Darge, Bushwalking, Opossom, Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk, Barry Dickins, No Zu, Zanzibar Chanel, Post Percy and Redd Kross will all play. Second round ballot open now.

CHANGING MINDS Kentucky cellist Ben Sollee returns this January as a duo with the hyper-versatile percussionist Jordon Ellis. When you think of the cello, you normally don’t think of it as a foot-tapping kind of instrument. But for the past decade, Sollee has been changing minds all over the world with his brand of soulful, indie-tinged folk. Thursday 10 January at the Northcote Social Club, Friday 11 at Meeniyan Town Hall and Saturday 12 at the Theatre Royal (Castlemaine).

INPRESS PRESENTS Lisa Miller

MILLER’S MISSES

It’s been a busy few months for Firewind ever since releasing their highly anticipated and heaviest album to date, Few Against Many. April 2013 will see Firewind land on Australian soil in support of the album. They play Thursday 25 April at the Corner Hotel. Early-bird tickets are available on Thursday 15 November through Moshtix.

Meet The Misses is Lisa Miller’s seventh solo album, reprising her own songs from her long-unavailable first two albums – Quiet Girl With A Credit Card from 1996 and As Far As A Life Goes from 1999. Miller has never been able to acquire the rights to those recordings and so this new album is not an attempt to recreate the old albums but rather to find a new way of looking at these songs. On the upcoming Meet The Misses Tour she’ll play Friday 9 November at Basement Discs, Friday 7 December at Northcote Social Club and Saturday 8 at Flying Saucer Club.

HURRICANE SUPPORT

SHIP SHAPE

House Vs Hurricane have now been invited to support punk-rock icons Alexisonfire on their final ever shows in Australia, plus they’ll play a couple of their own dates this spring/summer. They play Thursday 6 November at the Nash (Geelong), support Alexisonfire on Wednesday 12 December at Festival Hall and also play Big Day Out and Pyramid Rock.

The Good Ship are back on the road, showing off the third release from their second album O’ Exquisite Corpse. It’s been a frenetic year for the Brisbane eight-piece, who’ve supplemented their usual hectic schedule with BIGSOUND and Australasian World Music Expo showcases. They play a matinee show at the Toff In Town as part of AWME on Sunday 18 November with Breabach and Benny Walker.

WINDS OF FIRE

Tumbleweed

BRINGING ON THE WEED CherryFest, Sunday 25 November features 15 acts across two stages in AC/DC Lane and Cherry Bar, and this unique street party just got more rock, more party and more street with the addition of legendary Wollongong stoner rockers Tumbleweed who join the compelling yet bizarre line-up. Tickets are still available at cherrybar.com.au.

YOU BLINKED, YOU MISSED IT It has been eight long years but pop punk titans Blink-182 have finally announced their triumphant return to Australia. Unsurpisingly, their Sidney Myer Music Bowl show sold out in no time flat.

AMANITA SHIPS PIANO

ENTRY $2, 8PM $10 JUGS!

COMING UP TIX AVAILABLE THRU MOSHTIX: GHOST ORKID (MONDAYS IN NOVEMBER) BIG WORDS (TUESDAYS IN NOVEMBER) INDIAN RED – EX LOKI (NOV 1) OUR BEST LAID PLANS (NOV 2) SUB ATARI KNIVES – EP LAUNCH (NOV 9) HEAVEN THE AXE (NOV 10) MAUNDZ AND JAKE BIZ – DOUBLE ALBUM LAUNCH (NOV 17) OVER-REACTOR – SINGLE LAUNCH (NOV 29) “FEST-MAS” FT. POUR HABIT, ANCHORS AND MORE (DEC 1)

TAG ‘@THEWORKERSCLUB’ ON INSTAGRAM TO ENTER THE NOVEMBER GOLDEN TICKET COMP

FACEBOOK.COM/PAGES/THE-WORKERS-CLUB TWITTER.COM/THEWORKERSCLUB WED 24 OCT ‘F*CK THE RADIO PRESENTS’

SUN 28 OCT ‘TIMBER & STEEL PRESENTS’

FLASH FOREST SUB DAPPER

JACKSON MCLAREN PINKY BEECROFT (SOLO)

WILLOW BEATS THU 25 OCT

TESSA & THE TYPECAST

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD YOUTH THE FOX PARTY FRI 26 OCT

THEM SWOOPS

(TRIPLE TREAT TOUR)

JACK CARTY

TUESDAYS IN OCTOBER RESIDENCY MINING BOOM VALLEY GIRLS (TUE 16) BORED NOTHING (TUE 23) HOT PALMS (TUE 30) WED 31 OCT

FEAT. VIOLENT SOHO

SAT 27 OCT

THU 1 NOV

(SYD)

DIRT FARMER HAYLEY COUPER SUN 28 OCT (MATINEE SHOW) ‘TIMBER & STEEL’ PRESENTS’

CATHERINE TRAICOS

(ALBUM LAUNCH) ANNA SMYRK & THE APPETITES TRACY MCNEIL BAND

18 • For more news/announcements go to themusic.com.au/news

ELIZABETH ROSE

DUNE RATS

TARA SIMMONS PLUTO JONZE FRI 2 NOV

FRI 16 NOV

FRI 23 NOV

(ALBUM TOUR)

(SINGLE LAUNCH)

CHANCE WATERS

THE MAGIC BONES

FEAT. STEVE BALBI

SUN 4 NOV (MATINEE SHOW)

FRI 9 NOV

SAT 17 NOV

SAT 24 NOV

(WA)

(EP TOUR)

(THUNDAMENTALS)

‘TIMBER & STEEL’ PRESENTS

CLAUDE HAY

(NOISEWORKS) NICHOLAS ROY + MATTHEW

VOYAGER

(ALBUM LAUNCH – NSW)

ALARUM DIVINE ASCENSION

MON 5 NOV 2012

SAT 10 NOV

CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKEN WALK - (ALBUM LAUNCH) SKYSCRAPER STAN TUE IN NOVEMBER RESIDENCY KATE MARTIN (TUES IN NOV RESIDENCY) EDEN MULHOLLAND (6 NOV) RENEE CASSAR (13 NOV)

THE HELLO MORNING

CHARLIE HORSE (ALBUM LAUNCH) SUN 11 NOV 2012 (MATINEE SHOW) ‘TIMBER & STEEL PRESENTS’

EMMA WALL & THE URBAN FOLK

THE GRISWOLDS THE BELLIGERENTS SUN 18 NOV (MATINEE SHOW) ‘TIMBER & STEEL PRESENTS’

DAVIDSON BROTHERS

THE PRETTY LITTLES STRANGERS FROM NOW ON

TUKA

SUN 25 NOV 2012 (MATINEE SHOW)

ALL INDIA RADIO (ALBUM LAUNCH)

SUMMON THE BIRDS (ALBUM LAUNCH)

WED 21 NOV

WED 28 NOV

(USA)

(SINGLE TOUR – WA)

JOE PUG LITTLE BASTARD

RUBY BOOTS

WED 7 NOV

THU 15 NOV

THU 22 NOV

EVERY MONDAY!

(SINGLE LAUNCH)

(7’’ SINGLE LAUNCH)

(USA)

DJ FLETCH & HIP HOP HOOCHIES DJS (22 OCT)

TIN CAN RADIO

TIM GUY

ANIMAUX

THE ZEBRAS (DUO) LAURA ATTWOOD

(EP LAUNCH – BRIS)

THU 8 NOV ‘THE SONGWRITERS CIRCLE’

(SINGLE LAUNCH)

I OH YOU & CONVERSE PRESENTS (MELBOURNE CUP PUBLIC HOLIDAY EVE) ‘HALLOWEEN HOUSE OF HELL’

ARGENTINA TOKYO DENMARK SWEDEN

TIN SPARROW

SAT 3 NOV

NAKED BODIES

JOE PUG LITTLE BASTARD

LA NIGHTS

FOREWORD LINE THE POWER OF THREE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

INPRESS PRESENTS

In the lead-up to the Triple Treat Tour – featuring up-and-comers Argentina, Tokyo Denmark Sweden and Them Swoops – we grabbed each act to talk all things treats, triples and more.

UPS & DOWNS The 2013 Hits & Pits Touring Mini-Festival will take aim on Australia in March and April. The line-up will feature: Mad Caddies, Good Riddance, A Wilhelm Scream, Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Flatliners, Diesel Boy, One Dollar Short, Totally Unicorn, Paper Arms, Jamie Hay, Jen Buxton and more. It touches down on Good Friday 29 March at the Palace Theatre.

BITTERSWEET FALL After The Fall return triumphant with fourth album Bittersweet. The pop-rock quartet were one of the most successful acts to emerge from the ripe Central Coast punk rock scene in the mid-’00s. Check out the new jams and get sweaty with After The Fall on Friday 7 December at the Workers Club.

INPRESS PRESENTS

Bonnie Raitt

BLUESFEST SIDESHOWS BEGIN The first round of Bluesfest sideshows has arrived. Bonnie Raitt with special guest Mavis Staples will play the State Theatre on Wednesday 27 March; Roger Hodgson, co-founder and legendary voice of Supertramp, will play at the Palais Theatre on Thursday 28; and the incomparable Blind Boys Of Alabama will perform at Hamer Hall on Wednesday 3 April. Triple Treat Bands

CUP DAY KAOS BACK

You’ll be headlining in your respective hometowns – how will you show your tour mates a good time there? Amy Pes, Tokyo Denmark Sweden: We plan on taking the guys out for a nice meal at Porky’s, just down the road from our headline show at FBi Social. Pretty sure it’s kinda like a Hog’s Breath Cafe do. Our shout.

Ding Dong Lounge and PBS 106.7FM have joined forces for the third Cup Day Kaos. Tuesday 6 November from midday at Ding Dong catch Kingswood, Damn Terran, Bitter Sweet Kicks and New Gods, plus the race in the front bar with the Cup Day Kaos DJs. $5 (donation) on the door with a live broadcast from 1pm.

GET LOST

Alex Ritchie, Argentina: We have a game that we invented called ‘Who Dat Lipz?’ which involves CDs, lipstick and guessing, so I think we will have to play a few rounds of that. Dave McGann, Them Swoops: Firstly we’ve arranged a tour of the town’s historic fish and chip shops. Then we’ll head down to Geelong to take in the sights of the Ford production plant before stopping off in Kardinia Park to have a kick-to-kick with someone that used to know the legendary Bobby Davis. If we can’t fit all that in, we might just go down to Yah Yah’s after the show for drinks. The tour’s title suggests you’ll be bringing something special – how do you plan on treating the audience? AP: With some big TLC (and maybe a little light spanking). No, but honestly, we’re hoping to show off some new material, maybe throw in a sneaky cover, and if they’re lucky we may even let Tom out of his cage. AR: Sort of like a Mothers’ Day-type pampering. Flowers, chocolates and maybe even those foot spas from the ‘90s that everyone gave their mum at least once. DM: We’ll be bringing along a handful of handdrawn promo discs featuring a track from an upcoming EP and a few bedroom demos. This is quite the treat, as we haven’t released a single thing yet! Free to good homes, they’ll be. Favourite treat to have after a gig? AP: Porky’s. AR: A clean shirt. I’m what’s known in the biz as a ‘gig sweater’. DM: Duck three ways. There’s an emergency on tour and you have to dial triple zero – what’s happened? AP: Tom’s busted a move. AR: Piranhas. Definitely piranhas. A passive and amiable fish in the right circumstances, but sadly they just aren’t built for the road. DM: Tosh, our guitar/synth player couldn’t get a strawberry milkshake and he’s threatening to burn down a hospital. Is the third time really a charm? AP: Well, there are three of us, and we’re pretty charming. Sometimes. AR: Well actually, by my count, this will be the third time we have shared a stage with our mates Tokyo Denmark Sweden, and they are quite charming, so I would have to agree. DM: Yes, unless you are Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles. Describe in three words what we can expect when we see you on this tour. AP: Shit. Go. Down. AR: Who. Dat. Lipz.™ DM: Boys being boys. The Triple Treat Tour hits the Workers Club this Friday 26 October.

PRESENTED BY

Horrorwood Mannequins

HORROR SHOW Horrorwood Mannequins are headed here for Halloween to give you a fright on DV8 special Halloween night, Saturday 27 October, with Devoid Of All and Transience.

SPREADING THE HATE Thy Art Is Murder are hitting the road to launch new single Reign Of Darkness, the first track from forthcoming LP Hate. They play Gasometer Saturday 17 November (18+) and Sunday 18 at OLP (Ringwood, all-ages).

ICEHOUSE EXTRA SHOWS

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Primitive Man album and the 25th anniversary of the Man Of Colours album, Icehouse created a once-in-alifetime performance experience with the Primitive Colours Tour. Due to popular demand Icehouse have announced intimate encore performances on Sunday 13 January at Geelong Performing Arts Centre, plus Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 at Palms At Crown.

BROTHERS’ SINGLE The Davidson Brothers have released a brand new digital instrumental track, Transpacific, this month and celebrate with a spring tour. They play Thursday 15 November at Radcliffe’s (Echuca), Friday 16 at the Hotel Shamrock (Bendigo), Saturday 17 Harrietville Bluegrass Convention, Sunday 18 at the Workers Club and Saturday 24 at the Yinnar Hotel.

HIP HOP SMARTS Seattle duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis will be hitting our shores for the first time, proving that interesting and intelligent voices in hip hop can find an audience without label support. They play Saturday 16 Feburary at the Corner Hotel.

X-factor winner Reece Mastin must make his way from regional Victoria to a gig in Sydney in five days on only $50 for his Live & Lost Tour. He’ll also launch his new album, Beautiful Nightmare, on Thursday 6 December at Hisense Arena and Saturday 26 January at Geelong Arena.

OMAR’S COMIN’ British soul singer-songwriter and multi instrumentalist Omar is a classically-trained pianist, percussion player and trumpeter. The Englishman has a new album and will play Friday 9 November at the Prince Bandroom.

BATTLE STATIONS

EAST V WEST The VRDL Queen Bees take on Perth’s West Coast Evils in an east vs west blockbuster. Catch all the thrills and spills as these teams go head to head for the first time. It goes down on Saturday 3 November at Puckhandlers Stadium in Reservoir. Photo by Dave Arnold.

MXIN’ IT UP

MORE AND MORE PINK

Throughout both decades of their existence, MxPx have had a solid relationship with Australian fans who continue to return ready to sing-along to their anthemic punk rock tunes. They return Saturday 9 March at Forest Edge Festival (Neerim East) and Sunday 10 at the Corner Hotel.

Pink now has extra shows in town on Tuesday 16 & Wednesday 17 July. Live Nation has the tickets/details.

CHIP BRO?

QAWWLI MAESTRO

Hot Chip return to Australia and besides their appearances at Falls and Southbound festivals they’ll play some special East Coast headline shows. Joining Hot Chip for all shows will be World’s End Press. They’ll play Wednesday 9 January at the Palace.

Qawwli is a form of Sufi music whose roots stretch back more than seven centuries. On Sunday 11 November, the Arts Centre Forecourt hosts a concert by Asif Ali Khan, Pakistan’s leading exponent of qawwali. Free from 5.30pm.

GOOD KID KENDRICK Across his career Kendrick Lamar has amassed a large following and has already worked with Dr Dre, Game, Drake, Rick Ross, Talib Kweli and Busta Rhymes among many other artists. His major-label debut album good kid, m.A.A.d city is launched Thursday 13 December at the Prince Bandroom.

HARDWARE BIRTHDAY BASH The Hardware BoardRiders are celebrating their 21st birthday and on Friday 16 November are throwing a huge bash at Billboard. Hardware’s legendary old-skool performers CJ Bolland and Oliver Lieb will bring the party to the dancefloor. There will be plenty more on the night and tickets are $35 from moshtix.com.au.

Django Django

DJANGO BACK Django Django are back to see in the New Year at Falls and Southbound Festivals, also treating Australian fans to three very special headline shows, including Saturday 12 January at the Hi-Fi. Tickets from Thursday via Moshtix.

STRAIGHT EDGE MESSAGE

AWAKENING THE BEAST

Sarah Blasko will take album I Awake on the road with her and has invited an orchestra in each capital city to accompany her, rousing the beast inside her. Catch the show on Thursday 14 February at Hamer Hall with Orchestra Victoria. Tickets on sale from Friday.

VRDL

Earth Crisis empower those searching for a straight path. Two decades on, they continue to spread their message of human and animal liberation and drug-free living. Returning to our shores to support latest album Neutralize The Threat, they play the Corner Hotel Saturday 2 February. Gold Fields

ESPY NYE MADNESS

DECK THE HALLS

Battleships’ music blends indie-rock sensibilities with the aesthetics of post-Britpop, to create a sound entirely their own. Catch Battleships, Secondhand Heart, Ben Wright Smith & The Birthday Girls, and iamloveproof on Thursday 22 November in the Espy Front Bar.

A second round of bands have been added to the Espy’s NYE bill: Gold Fields, Dune Rats, Hunting Grounds, Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, The Murlocs, Regular John, Kingswood and more TBA. $60+BF via the venue.

The Hollies have been responsible for a remarkably varied and intriguing catalogue of music and are turning 50. They appeared on the BBC’s first Top Of The Pops on New Year’s Day 1964, along with The Stones, Dusty Springfield and The Beatles. Celebrating five decades of success, they visit Hamer Hall Saturday 9 February 2013.

GIBBERISH

OUT OF THE UNDERGROUND

LOOKS LIKE A PLANT

Stereosonic have announced that Strange Talk have been added to the already massive line-up. They’ve also announced the local artist line-up and it’s huge. Third release tickets are still available for $154.95 from ticketmaster.com.au/stereosonic. The event takes place on Saturday 1 December at the Showgrounds.

Ben Sims has spent his life exploring underground dance music. The man has honed his reputation as a tight, energetic mixer who weaves together his own distinctive blend of tough funk and hardgrooves, often using threedeck wizardry. He will play as part of Melbourne Music Week on Sunday 18 November at Where?House.

In March Zoophyte released successful new single Let You Go. With its soaring vocal, catchy melody and uplifting guitar dynamics, Let You Go garnered huge support from fans. Now they’re set to release album Somewhere Elsewhere and they’ll do it at Ding Dong on Saturday 8 December.

20 • For more news/announcements go to themusic.com.au/news

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

INPRESS PRESENTS

FOREWORD LINE

EVIL KNIEVEL Sydney rock and pop purveyors Knievel are travelling to Melbourne to celebrate the release of their new album Emerald City. The album is available now on CD and iTunes and the band are also pressing a very limited edition vinyl release. They’ll play Yah Yah’s on Saturday 3 November.

BEST BLEEDING KNEES

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

Supports have now been announced for Best Coast’s Australian Summer Tour. Warming the stage at the Hi-Fi on Wednesday 2 January will be none other than Gold Coast-born, fun-lovin pop-punk duo Bleeding Knees Club.

Liz Stringer

STRINGER JOINS LANE Liz Stringer will be the main support for Jordie Lane’s Fool For Love Tour. Stringer has just released her critically acclaimed fourth album Warm In The Darkness. Catch them on Friday 9 November at Barwon Heads Bowling Club, Saturday 17 at the Loft (Warrnambool), Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 at Queenscliff Music Festival, Thursday 29 and Friday 30 at Northcote Social Club, Saturday 1 December at Baby Black Café (Bacchus Marsh) and Sunday 2 at the Northcote Social Club (matinee).

WE ALL SCREAM Primal Scream return to Australia this summer armed with classics and brand new songs. Joining Primal Scream at their headline show will be local rock’n’roll evangelists Delta Riggs and Sand Pebbles. The show hits town on Friday 7 December at the Palace Theatre.

Chet Faker at the Jagermeister Independent Music Awards. Pic by Andrew Briscoe. Elvis Costello

COSTELLO ON THE GREEN Elvis Costello has some tasty treats in store for A Day On The Green and some special theatre performances. As well as playing a Spectacular Spinning Songbook show on Friday 25 at Palais Theatre, Elvis Costello & The Imposters will be joined by Sunnyboys, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Tex Perkins & the Dark Horses and Stephen Cummings in five hours of musical splendour at A Day On The Green, Saturday 26 January at Rochford Wines (Yarra Valley).

ON SKAFARI

Spencer P Jones & The Nothing Butts

Have you seen a Thorny Devil? What the fuck is that? No matter how weird the Thorny Devil, no creatures are more outrageous than The Bennies, Kujo Kings and Phat Meegz. These elusive creatures are going on Skafari and will be on display on Thursday 20 December at Revolver Upstairs.

ALL BUTT Spencer P Jones & The Nothing Butts take their debut self-titled album on the road for the first and last time. It’s a group made in rock’n’roll heaven: Spencer P Jones, James Baker, Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin. They’ll play Friday 21 December at the Thornbury Theatre with Harry Howard & The NDE and Bittersweet Kicks.

DEM BONES Melbourne’s Magic Bones present their second round of striking songs for 2012 featuring two new singles, Once You Forget and On The Spot. They’ll play Friday 9 November at the National Hotel (Geelong) and Friday 23 at the Workers Club.

A’COURT’S A-GAME Multi-award winning Canadian soul and roots singer-songwriter Charlie A’Court is ready to grace our shores on the eve of the release of his new album, Sun Is Gonna Shine. He plays Saturday 10 November at the Retreat Hotel.

Joe Pug

PUG IS THE DRUG Almost precisely two years since he first wowed Aussie audiences with his music, Joe Pug’s announced a fourth Australian trip. He plays Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 November at the Workers Club with guest Little Bastard.

AWME TALKS PROGRAM More music-industry heavyweights have been added to the fifth instalment of the Australasian Worldwide Music Expo (AWME), taking place from Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 November. Notable industry heavyweights added to the list of speakers are Matt McDonald, Showcase Director for CMJ Music Marathon, New York; Rhoda Roberts, Artistic Director of the highly anticipated Boomerang Festival and Head of Indigenous Programming for Sydney Opera House; as well as Erika Elliott, Artistic Director of New York’s celebrated SummerStage. For full program, tickets and details head to awme.com.au.

ENTER CHOW TOWN Big Day Out has always championed great artists and for 2013 they are embracing the art of creating great festival food. With renegade Porteno/Bodega boys Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz as the ‘Culinary Outlaw’ ambassadors for Chow Town, you can expect food that is music to your mouth. The event takes place Saturday 26 January Melbourne at Flemington Racecourse. Wilco

WILCO WILL COME This version of Wilco kickstarted their tenure with a double live album – 2005’s Kicking Television: Live In Chicago – and have since added four acclaimed studio albums to the tally but, more importantly, they’ve become a behemoth in the live realm. You can see this for yourself when they play Wednesday 27 March at Hamer Hall.

SICK AS Ebolagoldfish have scraped together their sanity to record a portion of their forthcoming album Prophet & Loss. They launch their latest single on Friday 4 January at Revolver.

Melbourne’s Chet Faker was the only artist to pick up more than one Jagermeister Independent Music Award last week, taking out both the Best Independent Single/EP for his Thinking In Textures release and Breakthrough Independent Artist. Sydney garage rockers Royal Headache had their acclaimed eponymous LP bestowed with the Best Independent Album, while The Jezabels picked up Best Independent Artist. 360’s Falling And Flying unsurprisingly stormed through the pack to take out the Best Independent Hip Hop Album award. DZ Deathrays also scored the top honours in their genre award taking out the Best Independent Hard Rock Or Punk Album. Elefant Traks won Best Independent Label, Hermitude picked up Best Dance/Electronica Album, Tom Piper made it two in a row when he picked up Best Independent Dance/Electronica or Club Single, Lanie Lane took out the Best Independent Blues And Roots Album, and Mike Nock Trio Plus claimed the Best Independent Jazz Album for Hear And Know. Newcomers Jess Ribeiro & The Bone Collectors scored their first ever Jagermeister Independent Music Award, their debut My Little River receiving Best Independent Country Album.

SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS NOMS

A HOOT The Owls have just added a Melbourne show to their Swamp Love EP Tour. They’ll play Thursday 6 December at the Espy. The EP is out Friday 9 November through Green Distribution.

CHET FAKER TOPS INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS

KRISTA’S DRAGONS We got our first taste of Krista Polvere in 2008 with her debut album Here Be Dragons. She got Ryan Adams to play guitar and sing backing vocals on the new album, Reservoir Drive, which she’ll launch at Ding Dong on Thursday 6 December.

MEMORY LANE The Glenn Miller Orchestra offer a concert spectacular that promises a journey down memory lane on the eve of Miller’s 75th anniversary. They will play the Arts Centre on Friday 9, Saturday 10 and Monday 19 November. Tickets available at artscentremelbourne.com.au.

Nominations for this year’s Screen Music Awards have been announced, with the nation’s best composers for the screen recognised in the APRApresented awards. Across the 12 categories, 61 composers are represented, and ABC’s The Slap has picked up three nominations. As a result Antony Partos is the composer with the most nominations, with the three for The Slap and one for Mabo. Dead Can Dance’s Lisa Gerrard has picked up a nomination for her work on feature film Burning Man, while Custard’s Dave McCormack appears again with collaborator Michael Lira for their work on television period drama Wild Boys in the category of Television Series Or Serial. The awards will take place on Monday 19 November at BMW Edge at Federation Square.

VENUE CANS LIVE MUSIC Geelong’s National Hotel, more commonly known as the Nash, will be ceasing live music as of Saturday 10 November. Event manager Al O’Neill said the decision was solely related to the structural issues and was not due to financial issues or lack of punter support. He said, “The venue is closing as the structural integrity of the foundations supporting the building has been compromised and the council has issued an order to the landlords to commence major works to investigate whether these foundations can be repaired.” He also admitted it was unclear if the pub will have to close indefinitely.

TROPSCORE PRIZE ANNOUNCED Budding film composers around Australia can begin to plan their most creative film scores with APRA Tropscore returning to Tropfest in 2013, and the added Tropscore Jr competition for musicians 15 years and under. Entrants to the adult Tropscore are asked to write the score to pre-made film The Exchange by Australian filmmaker Mike Bird. The Tropscore Jr competitors are asked to compose to a short film created by 2011’s Trop Jr winner Simeon Bain. There are no limits of musical genre and entrants can come from a variety of musical backgrounds.

PRESENTED BY For more news/announcements go to themusic.com.au/news • 21

As album four approaches, Parkway Drive and their frontman Winston McCall admit they’re some of the luckiest damn kids in Australia. He tells Scott Fitzsimons how they’ll make the most of it. Cover pic by Kane Hibberd. his is what happens when friends get lucky, and know they got lucky, rather than getting lucky and thinking they deserve it somehow.” So says Parkway Drive’s vocalist Winston McCall – ferocious when on stage, but utterly approachable while chatting in a Sydney pub, wearing shades against the sun in a look that is typical of his Byron Bay beginnings. He’s talking about the juggernaut that is Parkway Drive who, as they approach their fourth album, Atlas, have left a lasting mark on heavy music in this country

“T

is their context. They’ve become the defining band of a genre and an era that has seen many – if not most – of their contemporaries fall by the wayside. When the band formed, they were entering into an alternative scene that was just about to explode. Bands like themselves, I Killed The Prom Queen (who their first release was a split EP with), Carpathian and The Amity Affliction became regular high school war cries and, to an extent, veterans like Mindsnare and Toe To Toe found new audiences. But like all phases, the flame of the emo and the hardcore boom – the two groups of kids fuelling one another – began to flicker before the turn of the decade. All-ages shows started to dry up and mid-level bands stopped touring every second month. Parkway Drive were the exception to the fizzle; having opened the international channels early in the peace, they became the biggest success of that scene. They are the career that will write those years into heavy Australian music history. “It’s pretty weird,” McCall admits. “We do [take it on], but it’s always in a, ‘I can’t believe we’ve won awards, and that people come to the shows in the numbers

some of the more production-heavy tracks to the stage, McCall says things like “that song is a mission… but we can always come back and tour with an orchestra or something,” like it’s a real possibility. Safe to say, they’ve ‘made it’. “‘Made it’ happened years ago,” he clarifies. “There’s been so many points in this career that we were like, ‘This is it, this is as big as it’s going to get, enjoy this moment because this is amazing.’ We’ve said it at 300-people shows, we’ve said it when records came out, we’ve said it the first time we ever walked into a recording studio.

now is at the point of, ‘What else can we do?’” That mantra is evident in Atlas, a record that hasn’t so much reinvented the wheel for Parkway as it has built a bigger vehicle for them. They haven’t always been satisfied with their producer (Adam Dutkiewicz – too perfect on Killing With A Smile; Joe Barresi – too loose on Deep Blue), but with Matt Hyde, Atlas has found that middle ground and the band’s songwriting is continually creeping forward. “When it comes to writing, slowly we always push the envelope – a little bit, a little bit…” McCall explains. “It’s not a massive conscious thing about what people will think of it, it’s just between us. The understanding between us and the fans seems to work pretty well.”

of people coming, but what we can actually do with the band in regards to the band in making it something unique. The amount of touring we’re doing can slow down a little bit, but we want to make it worth it when people come to see us.” McCall adds, “There’s definitely some new music on this record that is bigger in a sonic sense, and in an emotional sense. I think we can do more visually to give more impact to the music than just us on stage, which I think has worked great for us up until this point in time. We really love doing it, and we don’t want to take away that element. But I’ve seen a lot of gigs in the last few years where I’m like, ‘Wow’. I think if you tie in extra elements – if your visual sense is stimulated as well as your hearing – it has a hell of a lot more impact, which is where we’re heading.”

Ther Th e e’ er e s mo more ree to thhiss sto tory ry

on the iPad

DRIVING OFF THE MAP Through it all you can’t say that Parkway haven’t

and have cemented themselves as one of the nation’s top musical exports. If one needed evidence, you’d only need look to this year’s platinum-selling Home Is For The Heartless tour documentary. It shows five friends travelling the world, often to places other bands wouldn’t dare visit, making the most of a moment that must have originally seemed fleeting but has now lasted the better part of a decade. Truth be told, Parkway Drive’s story isn’t all that remarkable. In 2002 five guys from Byron Bay indulge in riff-heavy metalcore during their spare time and people start to take to it like basketball shorts to a mosh. What is special

that they do,’ sort of way. We definitely are one of those bands who happened to be right place, right time, right sound. It’s a complete fluke in regards to all those chance factors. We do look back and think, ‘Man, if we had started six months later this wouldn’t be happening. If we had written songs that were a little bit different, this wouldn’t be happening.’ There was going to be clean singing on Killing With A Smile, but the bass player at the time screwed up. So it could have been completely different, we could have written a record that people went, ‘Urgh, clean singing’. So many things could have changed in the band’s trajectory that would have had us fall out of that arc of what sounds were in at the time.” The career decisions Parkway have made have always seemed to be the right ones, but things are, remarkably, still getting bigger. And shit, while talking about bringing

“It’s still just a big mindfuck, basically; we just go along with it. We’re really, really stoked to be doing what we’re doing and I’m sure we sound like ‘trying to please everyone’ wankers, but it really is [how we feel]. No one can predict this shit and we’re so stoked to be doing what we’re doing. We had so much fun recording this record and I’m really, really psyched to play it. Everything

made their own luck. Relentless touring and a non-stop work ethic has helped their cause no end throughout this first decade together, but that can’t last forever. Their live show is set to get a substantial facelift next time around as the band develop an Altas show that can be toured anywhere in the world. “We want to make the shows something bigger. And I don’t mean the amount

Because, in the end, “Kids react universally in a really positive way,” McCall beams. “The shows overseas are mind-blowing these days. It’s so insane to think that that reaction is happening overseas. I can still remember the first time we toured overseas, playing a show and there were like 1,200 people and we were like, ‘Holy crap, this is insane. I can’t believe so many people are going psycho’. The shows overseas are twice as big as that now, it’s ridiculous. And the kids are losing their shit.”

Despite their international adulation, Parkway remain an Australian band, and there’s a sense of ownership from those fans who moshed their way through gigs in that scene that launched the band in the last decade. It goes back to the sense of, ‘Parkway Drive is our success story’. “To have that [international response] in your head is really bizarre, and you forget how insane Australia actually is until you get back to Australia. There seems to be a hell of a lot of pride in that we are a local band, and we’re stoked on that as well.” WHO: Parkway Drive WHAT: Atlas (Resist) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 22 December, Festival Hall

HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA (…AND EUROPE) It’s a hard but true fact that Australia’s heavy scene just can’t support as much as we’d like it to and a band the size of Parkway (or The Amity Affliction these days) just has to go overseas to grow. According to McCall, networking is key. “I don’t think people realise how much networking, in the sense of touring with international bands, helps local bands. It would get us in contacts with labels who [we could work with] and vice versa.” Would you say that networking was the key to Parkway’s overseas success? “Absolutely, 100 percent. 100 percent. You’re talking about MySpace booming at the exact same time, but that also ties in because, like I said, the first international tours we had were because we did swaps with other bands because we made friends with them online or through Graz [Graham Nixon, manager and head of Resist Records] knowing someone at a label and saying, ‘Hey, do you guys wanna come over if we bring you over to Australia and do a tour with us, we’re doing OK. Then, do you wanna take us on some dates over there?’ And that’s how it happened. “That was literally the only way you could leave the country. And that still happens, you see bands coming over and swapping with Australian bands. The Amity Affliction, House Vs Hurricane… they all swap to help them out. And I think that is a fantastic thing – that’s the way the community works.”

GARY CLARK JR. NEW ALBUM

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TOURING SUMMER 2013 BIG DAY OUT & SIDE SHOWS

TUESDAY 22 JANUARY

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SHINY, HAPPY PERSON With a smile on her face, Clare Bowditch explains to Danielle O’Donohue how she has found happiness in the creativity of her work. couple of weeks ago, a woman came up to Melbourne singer Clare Bowditch on the street and, wearing a big grin, told her that she hated her. In fact, the woman said with glee that she and her friends took great delight in hating the affable songwriter.

But rather than back away slowly, Bowditch was rapt. She is getting used to, it after all. And to be fair, the woman wasn’t talking about Bowditch herself, but Rosanna - the character Bowditch plays on Australian drama Offspring. Like Bowditch, Rosanna is a musician and a mum and her role in season three of the Network Ten hit threw her in the path of young married singer Mick, played by Eddie Perfect. For a few weeks there, around the country, fans of the show were struggling with the internal dialogue of liking this warm creative woman, not dissimilar to Bowditch herself, but hating the homewrecker.

“I saw Eddie live actually,” Bowditch explains.“I went to Adelaide Cabaret Festival. I was getting some funny looks. That was the week it was all up in the air, whether Rosanna and Mick would get it on. It was quite uncomfortable. But Eddie’s festival show was great.” For the Melbourne musician acting was quite a big step out of her comfort zone. “I’m really pleased I did it. But I was very scared and it was very challenging. Because you’re talking about John Waters and Norman Gunston and Deborah Mailman and Asher Keddie, not just Eddie and Kat [Stewart, who plays Mick’s wife Billie], these amazingly talented, craftful actors. So yeah, I did have a mild panic when I realised they were serious. Eddie was very kind. He gave me lots of good coaching in the make-up mirror each morning.” While it was an unusual step for Bowditch, it was part of a concerted effort the singer/songwriter has been making over the last few years to build a sustainable career out of being an artist. Though the perception is often that successful Australian musicians are raking in the dough like the big earning US charttoppers, the reality is always quite different. So Bowditch has learnt to diversify, whether that be by acting, writing the occasional magazine article, or hosting an in-flight radio channel for Qantas. “I was always going to be a lifer,” Bowditch says of her decision to pursue music. “But before I didn’t know how to make a consistent living as an artist and that was really frustrating and heartbreaking. I knew that, as a band, we were making unusual, good music. I knew that it deserved a chance. My frustration was, ‘How do you let people know about it?’” Bowditch says a big part of unlocking that secret was learning that the closer your public persona is to the you your friends and family know, the more you’re able to find an audience, something that Offspring bears testament to. The song that Bowditch worked on with Perfect for the show, You Make Me Happy, has become Bowditch’s very first Top Forty hit. It’s also a great way to introduce her new album, The Winter I Chose Happiness. Though the album has all the trademark Bowditch features - the sharp, intelligent pop, Bowditch’s rich, warm voice - there’s a deep beauty here that suggests an artist finally finding the voice she wants the world to hear. Where last album, Modern Day Addiction, was Bowditch critiquing the world and all its flaws, The Winter I Chose Happiness is a much more personal journey.

There’s more to this story on the iPad “I think I needed to go through what I went through on Modern Day Addiction to be able to come to a place where it was actually important for me to have some peace, to find myself. We spend a lot of our lives trying to get other people to tell us we mean something, and there’s a certain point in our lives where it no longer matters what other people think and we ask ourselves, ‘What do I mean to myself? What do I say to myself last thing at night and first thing in the morning?’ There was a lot of blame on the last album. “These are songs that explore alchemy in a way. How can we transform whatever it is that we go through as human beings, which is suffering, into something that is inspiring, something that is heartfelt? Are we going to allow ourselves to do that when it’s so much more attractive sometimes to keep writing songs that allow me to feel comfortable where I’m at? This to me was a more radical choice than writing a traditional folk album.”

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At first, Bowditch says she resisted the idea of writing an album about happiness. But the theme was persistent, constantly asserting itself, just as addiction (Modern Day Addiction), lust (The Moon Looked On) and grief (What Was Left) had come to inform previous albums. And like with Modern Day Addiction, once Bowditch realised the idea couldn’t be shaken, she embraced her topic. “This album there’s a lot of research,” she explains. “The research never directly feeds into the album lyrics as such. It’s really just me exploring around the topic. It was really a personal challenge for me to step out of the story that I’d always told myself about needing to suffer to create art.” As part of her research, Bowditch listened to a lot of Dixieland jazz and there are definitely moments on the album that celebrate the style, but The Winter I Choose Happiness isn’t a retro record by any stretch. Second track, Thin Skin, even ventures into Arcade Fire territory. “I was looking into the kind of music that sounded obviously happy,” Bowditch says explaining the Dixieland connection. “I found it ironic that Dixieland music was made between two major world wars and out of that experience of war came this exuberant music.” A more surprising aspect of Bowditch’s research saw her study to become a life coach. “I thought, ‘What’s the most uncomfortable thing I can do? Oh, I’ll do life coach training.’ I found it really confronting. I did it while I had a back injury basically. I did it online while I was holed up in bed in April, May and June this year but I’m really glad I did it because it’s given me so many more tools to work with artists.” For Bowditch it’s a small step from finding happiness to passing on what she’s learnt to fellow creatives. So next up, after she takes these new songs out on the road for the first time, is her Creative Business Mentorships. Though she’s been mentoring young artists for a while now, Bowditch’s new skills have prompted her to take a more formal approach to passing on her knowledge. But first she has to answer the million dollar question; whether all this research and ruminating on the topic of happiness has really made Bowditch any happier? “I can’t even tell you how much happier I am.” WHO: Clare Bowditch WHAT: The Winter I Chose Happiness (Universal) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 26 October, Regal Ballroom; Sat 27, GPAC, Geelong

24 • For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews

ANOTHER DAY They said he’d never make a career of it, but more than 15 years on glam-punk’s chief ghoul scout Wednesday 13 is still digging graves. Brendan Crabb grabs a shovel. don’t know how or why and I’m not gonna question it because I love it,” vocalist Wednesday 13 (real name Joseph Poole) says when asked about his rapidly swelling Australian following. He was last seen Down Under in February/March for Soundwave. “It just blows my mind how the fan base has grown over the past couple of years. I came back in 2010 to do a couple of headline shows; they were my first shows in five years. I had no idea if my records were even available in Australia, or if people knew who I was anymore. The shows were packed and bigger than the ones I did five years ago when I was on Roadrunner, a major label,” he laughs.

“I

“It’s things like that which reassure me that I haven’t been wasting my time, and when people told me when I was growing up that what you’re doing is stupid and no one will ever want to be a part of that, or there’s no one out there who wants to hear what you’re singing about. I’ve proven people wrong with that and it’s become worldwide. I can go to Australia and just have this rabid fan base of kids that eat and breathe what I sing about. I think Australia right now is the most rabid audience that I have anywhere in the world that I’ve seen so far.”

and one of my favourite things I’ve recorded. Every day working on that record was a special time. I didn’t think it would ever happen again, so if that’s where it stays, then I’m okay with it. “I wish I could say that [it will be a shorter wait between albums] but I think it could be as long, or even longer, if it ever happens again. I think it might have been the spark that band has. I don’t want to say never, or [destroy] anybody’s hopes or dreams of it ever happening again. I don’t know the future; anything’s possible.” WHO: Wednesday 13 WHAT: Spook And Destroy (Riot) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 27 October, The Espy

The frontman attributes much of this success to maintaining a hectic recording and touring schedule. The sometime Murderdolls screamer (alongside partner-in-crime, Slipknot’s Joey Jordison) and solo performer recently unleashed the Spook And Destroy EP, and will release a proper follow-up to 2011’s Calling All Corpses next year. “It’s something I’ve done for a while and that a lot of people have asked about over the years; ‘why do you put out so many releases?’ I put out one release a year, whether it’s a full-length, an EP or something else. This EP is coming out in time for this tour; it’s just for this tour, to hold people over until we put a new release out in 2013. I’ve done this since 1996. I feel like I’ve put out stuff that I like and the fans seem to like it. As long as I’m putting out quality stuff I’m going to keep putting records out. All of my favourite bands did it back in the day; KISS and Alice Cooper, my favourite records of the ‘70s, those bands put out one record a year, sometimes two a year. That’s the work ethic and where I come from. It’s fun for me – I get bored easily. It’s busy, but it’s a fun busy. I’m having fun with it, not being on a label and being able to do what I want.” Wednesday has a well-established signature sound and horror movie-obsessed lyrical approach, though. Does he ever find it restricting that some fans don’t want him to operate outside of these parameters? “People say, ‘Oh, Wednesday 13 is the horror punk king’ or whatever. It’s not hard to be the king of something like that to me, because as far as that ‘genre’ goes there’s not a whole lot of competition,” he laughs. “Of course I got a lot of my ideas from people like Alice Cooper and I just kinda took it and put my own stamp on it over the years. I like to keep people guessing all the time. I think people expect me to do certain things and if I ever get into the situation where people expect me to do something, I won’t do it. I’m constantly trying to change stuff up. There’s no formula to follow with what I do. It’s a good spot to be in, because I can do whatever I want. I can write metal songs or punk songs. It’s just a big melting pot of all my favourite stuff.” It’s remarked that there’s a neat symmetry to him releasing a new LP in 2013. “Yeah, that was the whole plan,” he chuckles. “The reason we put this EP out was I didn’t want to release the full-length in 2012. For me, having the name Wednesday 13, to do an album in 2013, I don’t think that’s going to happen again anytime soon,” he laughs again. “I just thought I should take the opportunity and go with it. “We just finished recording the 2013 release and it’s awesome, man. I wish I could explain it, but I can’t fill you in on the details too much, because it’s a while before it comes out. The new record was really important. My plan was to make my best record ever for 2013. I didn’t know if I could pull it off. But we finished the record, I’ve been sitting on it for a week now and listening to the mixes, and feel like I’ve set out and accomplished my goal. I think I captured the best of what I do, and it’s all across the board. This record’s heavy, dark, fun; it’s nothing like the last record and I don’t think it’s anything like any of my records per se. But it has hints of everything I’ve done; I feel like I took the best of everything and made this ultimate record.” There won’t be any road-testing material from the next record here during the October Australian visit though, or over-emphasising Murderdolls either. “I don’t want to make it too much about that band with my solo stuff. There are a couple of songs that we do that we’ve played with the Murderdolls; that were also prior to Murderdolls a couple of my old band Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 songs. But I do try to steer away from playing the other stuff and stick with my solo stuff.” The vocalist also gives an update on Murderdolls’ status. Due to the much-vaunted new Slipknot record and Wednesday’s solo activities, an album’s arrival may be a similar wait to the eight-year gap between their debut and sophomore efforts. If one happens at all. “That’s definitely on the backburner and has been since early 2011 when we took our break. It’s just the way it is with the band. Initially we had hoped we could do it a little bit longer than we did, but looking back on it now, I’m just glad we got to do another record. Because that record was really great in my opinion

WHO’S ROLLIN’ TOUR 8 NOVEMBER 9 NOVEMBER

KAROVA LOUNGE, BALLARAT THE BENDED ELBOW, GEELONG

10 NOVEMBER DING DONG LOUNGE, MELBOURNE 15 NOVEMBER 16 NOVEMBER

STAR BAR, BENDIGO WHALERS HOTEL, WARRNAMBOOL

DEBUT ALBUM OUT NOW

FEATURING RAVEN & EVERGREEN

www.redcoatsmusic.com For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews • 25

PUTTING IT OUT THERE Glen Hansard talks to Anthony Carew about the non-linear narratives of song, the responsibilities of recording under his own name and having a musical made about a film that’s (loosely) based around his own experiences. n August of 2010, a 32-year-old man at a Swell Season show in Saratoga, California left his seat – and his gig-going companion – during the song When Your Mind’s Made Up, climbed the roof of the stage at the winery in which the band were performing, then leapt, plummeting 30 feet to his death, landing nearby Glen Hansard onstage. It was an event unprecedented and unimaginable, that shook the band to the core.

“It was absolutely against nature, even though it was, in some ways, a very natural thing that happened,” recounts Hansard, the 42-year-old Irishman behind The Frames and The Swell Season who, these days, has just started playing solo. “There was 4,000 people there having a good time, then, in an instant, the moment was completely changed by someone else’s act of real, true desperation

born from a very, very dark place. It was deeply, deeply disturbing; very, very violent, very intrusive, very sad, very tragic. We had to decide that night if we were going to cancel the tour or not, and it was actually Markéta [Irglová] who was just like: ‘You know what, that was his fucking decision; we’re the ones who have to be realistic, and get on with our lives.’ So, we continued touring, but it was difficult.” True to Irglová’s conviction, the band persisted, the spectre of the suicide slowly receding. “It made me care more about the gigs,” Hansard says. “It made me care more about everyone who was at them, onstage and in the crowd. We’re only here for a moment, and any one of those people could be dead in the next moment; all we have is that moment we’re in. It was quite life-affirming, though that sounds ironic. It made us all closer as a band, because we all had to take care of each other. Different members of the band and the crew, at different times, were falling into the darkness.” The incident came at the end of a particularly hard time for the band, which was chronicled in the 2011 documentary simply called The Swell Season. Hansard and Irglová had become media darlings with the success of Once, a micro-budget independent film in which a Czech immigrant in Ireland and a local busker start making music together, and fall in love. The film is one of cinema’s few honest portrayals of the creative process, gains an extra air of sweetness due to the fact that the two musicians were falling in love at the time, and is built around its songs. When one of those, Falling Slowly, won a Best Original Song Oscar, and Hansard and Irglová gave a humble and heartfelt acceptance speech, the world went crazy for them. With a million film projects thrown at him, Hansard chose one that was quite low-key. “Right after we won the Oscar, I remember meeting these filmmakers in New York, these young guys, and just saying, ‘Would it be interesting if you just followed us around for the next year or so?’” Hansard recalls. “It wound up being two years, of them just sort of documenting what happens when a person who’s been struggling for years and years has this moment. I was interested in what happens to a person’s psychology.” It is about that, in part, but it’s more about Hansard’s relationship with his parents; his father a hopeless drunk, his mother swelling with pride. And, mostly, it’s about Hansard and Irglová’s relationship, and how it slowly falls apart on the road, under the spotlight; the convivial Irishman and the taciturn Czech often disagreeing on how much they, post-success, owed the public. “It was a strange time, and that strange time was documented, and it exists,” Hansard says, admitting he’s “uncomfortable” when talking about it. “I haven’t really thought about it much. It’s neither difficult to me, nor is it pleasant.” The documentary has a moment of perfect foreshadowing therein that seems like masterful screenwriting, in which Hansard talks about how songs can prophesy the future; a ballad about a break-up coming during the middle of a happy relationship, then foretelling all that’s about to unfold. Which, then, happens in front of the cameras.

WED DEC 5 KAROVA LOUNGE BALLARAT THU DEC 6 RUBY’S LOUNGE BELGRAVE FRI DEC 7 CHERRY BAR MELBOURNE SAT DEC 8 NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB MELBOURNE

“Sometimes when you write a song it’s an act of intellect and an act of craft,” Hansard says, picking up on this philosophical instant. “Other times when you do it, it’s an act of inspiration, a meditation. And you find that those kind of songs are the ones that somehow chronicle your life, but not in a linear way. They chronicle your life in a non-linear way in that they speak of future, they speak of past, they speak of different worlds. When you allow yourself to open up, songs will speak quite clearly to you of things from your future.” Tapping into that meditative state is, for Hansard, the great elusive thing. Across six studio LPs fronting The Frames, and two more with The Swell Season, he’s found a hardening of his craft, a sense of accomplishment at odds with the rawness of his acoustic songs, which he first started writing as a street-busker in Dublin. “As you get older, there’s so much more craft that creeps into music, and that’s why many listeners think people get boring as they get older,” Hansard says. Thus, on his debut solo record, Rhythm And Repose, there’s an attempt to stay true to the “unlearned” qualities of music-making; of the purity of “singing your blues”. The album was made in New York whilst Hansard lived there for a year, away from both his bands; working with Thomas ‘Doveman’ Bartlett, and featuring contributions from folkie Sam Amidon and composer Nico Muhly. At 42, it marked the first time Hansard had ever performed and recorded under his own name. “There’s much more of a sense of responsibility,” he says, “you have to own it more. I care for it in a different way than I have before. In a band, there’s a notion of being able to share the glory and share the blame. Whereas, when you’re putting your own name on it, you have to take all that yourself.” The release of Rhythm And Repose coincided with the lucrative stage adaptation of Once winning eight Tony Awards, a sensation that dwarfed the film’s one Oscar win, and felt foreign and distant to Hansard. “We hated the idea,” Hansard says, when the musical is brought up. “Myself and Marketa hated the idea. John [Carney], the director of the film, was more open to it, but none of us really wanted it to happen. They were asking me to write songs, and I said ‘I don’t want to write songs, I don’t want anything to fuckin’ do with this’. “I went along to some rehearsals with Marketa, and then I went along on opening night, and I had the feeling [that] they’ve done a lot of work on this, they’ve taken it, it’s theirs now. Whatever it was in our lives, it belongs to them now. It was strange, and it was difficult to let it go. But we had gotten used to this thing called Once having a life of its own. It wasn’t such a stretch to look at it and see it go to a new place again. And, now I’ve seen it once, I’m more than happy to never see it again.” WHO: Glen Hansard WHAT: Rhythm And Repose (Spunk) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 8 to Monday 11 March, Port Fairy Folk Festival; Wednesday 20, Thursday 21 and Saturday 23, Melbourne Recital Centre; Friday 29, Bluesfest, Byron Bay

26 • For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews

LIFETIMES Catherine Traicos’s latest album, In Another Life, is based on poems she wrote a while back. In fact, as she tells Brendan Hitchens she “can hardly remember writing those poems…”

ydney-based singer-songwriter Catherine Traicos has an unusual backstory to her humble musical beginnings. A classically-trained pianist, self-taught guitarist and daughter of a national cricketer, she was destined for ambitious heights at an early age. Immigrating with her family to Western Australia from Zimbabwe in 1998 to escape political unrest, the adversities now seem a lifetime ago as she hits the road spruiking her new record, featuring some of her most personal songs to date. The youngest daughter of John Traicos, a cricketer who represented Zimbabwe at the highest level and played a vital bowling role in the country’s defeat of Australia at the 1983 World Cup, Traicos grew up surrounded by strong role models. Inspired to chase her dreams, she chose the arts. “It was a big part of my life,” she says of her family and their influence. With an artistry extending beyond music, following in the footsteps of her mother as a visual artist, her works have been publicly exhibited and she’s been the recipient of numerous awards including a finalist in the Heysen Prize. Her elder sister, Chloe, is a screenwriter and actress whose films have been shown at the Cannes Film Festival. “I grew up feeling I could do anything because Dad was a test cricketer and a lawyer and Mum was an artist and a teacher. That gave me a lot of freedom. I remember as a kid, everyone would say what they wanted to be when they grow up and I always said I wanted to be an artist.”

that’s good,” she says, referring to The Holy Sea, Forty Thousand Sisters and Marlon Winterbourne. The label’s web-manifesto boasts – “Beyond fads and charts, we release albums that will stand the test of time or at least speak intelligently and artistically about our time.” Traicos expands, “We put out music that we really think can do well and music that we really love.” In Another Life seems then a perfect fit. WHO: Catherine Traicos WHAT: In Another Life (An Ocean Awaits) WHEN & WHERE: Sunday 28 October, Workers Club

Exposed to classical music at a young age through piano lessons, Traicos later took up guitar, inspired by Elvis Presley and The Beatles. “I love folk music,” she says of her primary influences. “I’m a huge fan of Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie and I love the blues. I love some country, but I’m not a diehard country fan. I would consider Elvis country, but they don’t at the Country Music Hall Of Fame, which I recently visited,” she jokes. Often described as sounding like Gillian Welch and Lucinda Williams, at the core of Traicos’s music is an enthralling blend of alt.country, blues, roots and folk, which over the years has scored her a number of high profile international supports. Having shared the stage with Beth Orten, Simone Felice, Spiral Stairs and M. Ward, in May Traicos joined American folk/rock band The Mountain Goats on their sold-out Australian tour, for a series of shows she describes as amazing. “They’re such lovely guys. They’re really professional, they do their job well and they love doing it. It was so inspiring to see that,” she gleams, adopting a similar mindset for her American tour in September. This month Traicos will launch In Another Life, stepping back in solo mode and delivering an organic and personal record. “All of the songs came from poems I wrote a while ago and I stumbled across recently,” she says of the writing process. The album, based around real events, deals with the past, present and future over the course of eleven songs; delving into what was, is, and could have been. For a naturally shy person, it’s heart-on-thesleeve stuff. “The first one in the book was In Another Life,” she recalls of the discovery. “It was a really strange thing. I’m not a writing type of person. This was a point in my life when I was in a very lonely place and I must have really found an outlet in writing. I can hardly remember writing those poems and they’re all so neatly written and I’m not a neat writer, so it was really strange. It felt like I was looking at someone else’s work almost. So In Another Life works out really well because that was in another life of mine, just so different from now.” Taking a different approach to 2011’s Gloriosa, which was produced by ARIA award-winner Paul McKercher and recorded with a full band, Traicos approached Nick Huggins, an old friend who she previously collaborated with on her record of 2009, The Amazing. Huggins, a member of experimental rock band Touch Typist, possesses an eclectic and growing resume of production work including Oscar+Martin, Whitley, Kid Sam, Laura Imbruglia and Love Connection. Recorded at his pop-up Pocket Full Of Stones Studio, Traicos describes the process as natural and says Huggins’ affinity with percussion instruments gave the album a new dimension. “We wanted to make sounds that emulated loops and so we would make loops with acoustic instruments, things that we found, or beat along to the whole song in a loop manner. We used a broken turntable that still revolved and attached lots of things to it. It randomly hit different things, but would do it at an interesting pace.” Though instrumentation for the album was recorded with just Traicos and Huggins, for her brief national tour she will be joined live on stage by her band The Starry Nights; an all-star line up of sorts featuring guitarist Darren Nuttall (Tucker B’s, Machete Moon), bassist Kasper Kiely (Sketching Cato) and former Tucker B’s drummer Tim Day. Already receiving rave reviews, the album was referred to by one publication as “made for Sunday”. When asked if this is why she chose to book a Sunday afternoon matinee show for her Melbourne launch she laughs. “That was just a coincidence. We chose that show because it was a Timber & Steel show and they put on good folk shows,” she says of the local nu-folk promoters. “All the shows I’m playing on this tour are intimate venues,” she qualifies, with a sense of excitement. The album, her fourth, will be released through her own label An Ocean Awaits, a passion project she co-runs with manager Gawain Davies. “We’re a small label and only have three acts signed at the moment, but they’re all doing really well so

For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews • 27

THE GLITTER, THE GOLD AND THE RUIN Indisputably the King and Queen of Australian country music, Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson have returned with Wreck And Ruin, their first collaborative album since 2008’s ARIA number one Rattlin’ Bones. Chris Hayden is invited into their cozy world for some tea, to meet the kids and eventually a chat. t’s a chilly Wednesday night and sixty or seventy of Melbourne’s industry types are gathered in an infamous location named Rutherglen House, just off Flinders Lane in the CBD. The six-story building, reportedly Melbourne’s largest private residence, is home to enigmatic playboy Peter Janson, a man renowned as much for his illusiveness as his bizarre habits (see: driving around the city in a hearse). With staggering levels of taxidermy adorning the walls and a maze of corridors seemingly built to confuse, this 167-year-old converted warehouse is as opulent a location as could be conceived for the launch of the latest album from Australia’s country loving sweethearts Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson. As they hit the stage to the adoration of the entire room, though, all pretences are stripped away. Bantering and joking with each other just like a married couple should, the two showcase tunes taken from Wreck And Ruin – their second album together after the runaway success of 2008’s Rattlin’ Bones.

often do. “We don’t follow a process with the actual writing of a song though. It really is whatever it takes to get that song. Sometimes we’d start it together and finish it separately, start it separately and finish together or start and finish together. There was just no format or pattern. There never has been.”

Not ones to mess around when inspiration strikes, Chambers and Nicholson only started putting Wreck And Ruin together in March of this year. Packing up their guitars, banjos and six-month-old daughter Poet, they decamped to the picturesque Hunter Valley for a period of rest, relaxation and songwriting. This easy going nature is one of the crucial elements that have made these two such a successful partnership over the years – creatively and personally.

“I suppose with the previous album, Rattlin’ Bones, and even with this album we didn’t enjoy every moment of making it,” Chambers admits. “I guess like any normal married couple there were times when we were like ‘Alright, I don’t want to work with you anymore!’ out of frustration more than anything. We always knew that we would come back and revisit it though because we liked the creative side of the sound we came up with together, and what we brought out in each other musically.”

“We never really talked about making another album together but it just felt right at the time,” Chambers explains from the much less extravagant but no less comfortable surroundings of Mushroom Music’s Albert Park office. “We didn’t go up to Hunter for a particular amount of time or anything. We’d go up there for a weekend here and there and I think that area inspired us to get into writing mode. We thought we might go up there once or twice to write a song and see what happened, but it was almost like going there once opened this floodgate of songs.”

Once the lightning had been bottled and the differences put aside, it came time to put the songs of Wreck And Ruin on tape. For the recording process, Chambers and Nicholson went to great lengths to maintain the homespun quality of the songs they’d written. Long time collaborator and erstwhile brother Nash Chambers was brought in as producer as always; a crack team of musicians (including Steve Fearnley [drums], James Gillard [upright bass], Jeb Cardwell [banjo] and John Bedggood [fiddle]) were assembled and the troupe headed up to Foggy Mountain, east of Sydney, to lay it down. The recording process itself though, was by no means a formal affair.

“We’d spend a couple of days there and come home with three or four songs,” Nicholson continues, finishing one of Chambers’ sentences as the two so

28 • For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews

“I think sometimes we wish there was,” Chambers adds. “It’s funny because if we wanted to write a song next week, we might just sit down and nothing would come out. I wish we had more control over it but we don’t.” Chambers is echoing the sentiment of her one-time collaborator Paul Kelly here. The great man once said that if he knew how to write a song, he’d do it every day – and that same mysterious muse is at work here. Chambers and Nicholson’s greatest asset seems to be a kind of mutual understanding that their best work is done in collaboration with each other, even if, just like their marriage, times can sometimes get tough.

“We wanted it to sound like a gig – as if we’ve invited you into our lounge room to hear our gig from start to

finish,” Chambers says as Poet throws some chocolate biscuits around at her feet, possibly wrecking the carpet of the poor Mushroom employee’s office we’ve taken over. “Yeah, and to make that happen we totally gave the band free reign,” adds Nicholson. “We picked people that we knew really well and that understood the type of music we were trying to make. Half of producing an album is what you do before you start making the record. The people you pick and the personalities that you put in a room together. Obviously the work you do in the studio is important, but I actually think that what you do before you start making it really shapes it. These musicians were so good too, so we couldn’t really go wrong.” Arguably the most distinctive element of Chambers and Nicholson’s work together is the way that their distinctive voices work when used in harmony. When it came time to record the vocals on Wreck And Ruin, the duo went the John and June Carter Cash (or Springsteen and Van Zandt if you will) approach of singing into the same microphone. They would look directly at each other and concentrate on the deeper meanings within the lyrics they’d written. “It’s a great way to channel your focus; to not give yourself too many options or safety nets. Singing together makes it limited as to what you can fix and it’s a great way to put you in the moment. In modern studios you have so many options, and sometimes I’m not sure if

you gain as much as you lose,” Nicholson laments. “This record was really about going into a room and going for it. It’s like you’re all on a team together and if one guys stuffs up then everyone stuffs up.” Back at Rutherglen House, as the end of their set draws near, Chambers and Nicholson, singing into the one microphone as always, pause to thank everyone that helped put Wreck And Ruin together. They may give the impression that the whole thing – the success, the number one albums, the kids, the devoted fans – is something of a happy accident, but as they move into the haunting lament Troubled Mind (introduced by as “another lovely song about death”), it becomes clear that these two were brought together by some musically divine twist of fate. “I am not lonely, not the worrying kind,” they sing in perfect unison. That very well may be their secret. Who: Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson. What: Wreck And Ruin (Liberation) When & Where: Wednesday 24 October, Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool; Thursday 25, Geelong Performing Arts Centre; Friday 26 Regent Multiplex, Ballarat; Saturday 27, The Regent Theatre

THE ITALIAN JOB Pathologically restless, the man best known for fronting â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;90s metal favourites Faith No More, Mike Patton is about to bring his ambitious Mondo Cane and his battering Tomahawk projects down under. Christopher H James asks how he packs an orchestra into a suitcase. e may have been dubbed â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Pavarotti of Metalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; but, given our subjectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lengthy list of achievements, we should probably start calling Pavarotti â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the Mike Patton of Operaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Outside of the band that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best known for, Faith No More, he may not have scored too many platinum albums, but the labyrinthine body of work heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s established truly boggles the mind. In addition to being a permanent member of Tomahawk (the group you see pictured), FantĂ´mas and Mr. Bungle, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notched up collaborations with Dillinger Escape Plan, BjĂśrk, deviate hip hop producer Dan The Automator and avant-jazz musician John Zorn, whilst maintaining hobbies such as providing voices for video games, monster noises for movies and running his own label, Ipecac Recordings, since 1999.

His latest project Mondo Cane (pronounced â&#x20AC;&#x153;kah-nehâ&#x20AC;?) sees him breathing new life into â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;60s pop standards and obscurities from the land shaped like a boot, with the aid of a 40-piece orchestra, a choir and a 15-piece band. As a former Bologna resident and fluent Italian speaker it seems a natural enough fit, but surely it would require army style logistics to cart the supporting cast abroad. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yeees, in a word,â&#x20AC;&#x153; he concedes with a cackle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Basically so difficult that I had to record [the album] live and, sort of, re-touch it in the studio, if you will. This is not something I could afford to do; to bring into a studio and record that way. So I recorded some live shows that we did, thinking â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;If they turn out well, maybe Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll make a record out of it.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Turned out really well. So itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an unofficial live recording. I was trying to create the illusion that it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t live.â&#x20AC;?

But, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made my decision. This is what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve chosen and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m committed to it.â&#x20AC;? But has he made the right decisions? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yeah, so far,â&#x20AC;? he muses nonchalantly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Could change at momentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notice? Who knows? Who knows? Maybe when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m 60 Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll open up a kennel and start raising dogs.â&#x20AC;? WHO: Mike Pattonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mondo Cane and Tomahawk WHAT: Oddfellows/Mondo Cane (both Ipecac) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 November, Harvest Festival, Werribee Park (Mondo Cane); Friday 1 March, Soundwave Festival, Flemington Racecourse (Tomahawk)

Nonetheless, the full touring band will still be a feast for the eyes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about 25 people onstage,â&#x20AC;? he confirms. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A ten-piece band and twelve strings. I re-orchestrated everything; me and the guy that arranged the record, Daniele Luppi, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s amazing. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proved still to be very difficult, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much easier with 25. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many more keyboard players onstage, meaning thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a little bit heavier use of sampling and synthesized sounds. Basically what we had to decide was â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Do we need four trombones?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Nah, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sample that.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;know what I mean? The important thing I thought was the violins. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re using mostly violins for the string parts and to be honest those are the ones you hear the most, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the highest register and they translate the best in a live setting.â&#x20AC;? Unexpected perhaps, but this diversion into Italian pop accentuates his flamboyant onstage persona â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one that exudes machismo and masochism in equal quantities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; whilst making the most of majestic vocal talents. His speaking voice isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t that bad either. Never mind onstage presence, of all the people Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve interviewed, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the only one with genuine telephone presence; commanding, but still friendly with a kind of boyish excitement, possibly fuelled by heavy doses of Italyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest coffee â&#x20AC;&#x201C; caffeine being the only drug he consumes, or so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s claimed. The Mondo Cane album is not a one-off however; thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s another just around the corner. According to Patton itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Śhalf done already. I just have to put it in the assembly line and get it done. It basically was done by the same method the first one was done; a lot of tracks were recorded live, taken into the studio, chopped up, overdubbed, to try and create the illusion that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actually a studio record. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about the same number of tunes as the first one; ten or eleven. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basically about half of the repertoire that we play live.â&#x20AC;? Attendees of the upcoming Harvest Festival will get plentiful helpings of both records, he affirms. If thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still not enough Latin Patton for you â&#x20AC;&#x201C; pick up his collaboration with Belgian outfit Ictus Ensemble Laborintus II; a classical, Italian language work released earlier this year. I ask him if as he gets older heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be moving away from aggressive music towards comparatively sedate works. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not necessarily,â&#x20AC;? he counters. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just feel that I need to have a balance, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s part of the reason that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been doing some film soundtrack stuff [for The Place Beyond The Pines] for the last year and a half or so, and I then felt like it was time to go â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I gotta get Tomahawk.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; I felt that void in my life, yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;know what I mean? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like with FantĂ´mas, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I gotta do another FantĂ´mas record nowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. I go where I feel is appropriate at the moment. There are certain things that I do feel; Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to tour less, which means obviously maybe less band stuff? Yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;know, sometimes Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m home for a while and I feel like touring. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why I say I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more about with me not making a plan for myself. Just maintaining a balance and letting that take me where it does.â&#x20AC;? Speaking of Tomahawk, their new album Oddfellows is done. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today is our last day in the studio,â&#x20AC;? he explains. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not present. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing it there in Nashville. Via email and phone Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m approving mixes and whatnot.â&#x20AC;? I mention that Tomahawk have been announced to play next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Soundwave Festival, but he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t comment. It seems to be part of his interview technique that he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bite on open ended questions. Famously guarded about his private life, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an interview that feels somewhat like a game of tactical manoeuvres. Every time he responds you can almost sense he has a road map of where he wants the answer to go and how heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to get there. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been known to roast unsuspecting journos for breakfast, but fortunately I seem well prepared enough to be spared that treatment. What fuels his extraordinary work ethic? â&#x20AC;&#x153;If I knew what it was I probably wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be talking to you now,â&#x20AC;? he speculates. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d probably be at the fountain drinking from it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something that feels natural; it feels like something that I need to do. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a typical lifestyle that other people have. It allows me to make the decisions I have made. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been able to carve out a little place for myself personally where I have the time and the energy to do that and it means making some sacrifices, obviously, and it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make for the best personal life in the world, But, yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;know, you deal with the consequences. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just important for me to work.â&#x20AC;? You feel like youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made big sacrifices, I ask? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yeah, everybody does, in anything they do that they care about. You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do everything like the perfect human being. You have to say â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s my priority; whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to me?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; and that automatically eliminates other things. Maybe my social lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not so great. Maybe other thingsâ&#x20AC;Ś family stuff, maybe thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not so happening, like other people.

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For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews â&#x20AC;˘ 29

SOMETHING BLUE With a slew of hits on their debut record Gilgamesh, Gypsy & The Cat have returned with its follow-up The Late Blue, and Xavier Bacash admits to Troy Mutton its creation wasn’t as simple as he initially hoped. ’ve forgotten how taxing it can be. Yeah, I’m pretty unfit I think, I must not be eating right or something, ‘cause I’m just exhausted,” laughs a relaxed-sounding Xavier Bacash, getting back into the promo swing of things for his band with friend Lionel Towers, Gypsy & The Cat. Inpress gets him on the very last interview of a full day, and while his voice sounds tired, he’s pleasantly still up for it.

“I

Such is life for the (still very young) Melbourne duo, who burst onto the scene in 2010 with soaring pop hit Jona Vark and have hardly looked back since. They’re just about to embark on their first national tour in 2012, following a solid year of writing and recording which has now seen the release of the album they’re taking around the country, The Late Blue. It follows 2010’s Gilgamesh, containing

popular tracks like the abovementioned Jona Vark, plus other favourites like The Piper’s Song, Time To Wander and Running Romeo. The former three all scored a place in triple j’s Hottest 100 poll. As cliché as it is, the difficult second album situation couldn’t be more applicable to these guys, having such lofty heights to try and live up to as they do. Bacash wasn’t particularly worried though – to begin with. “Yeah well, initially I didn’t [feel any pressure], I was like, ‘this would be easy’, but then as time started to go on it was like, ‘We’ll just do what we do’, you know? We think people will like it, you know what I mean?” the singer and chief songwriter explains. “I mean, you sort of have that naïve feeling towards it, but during the process as time went on we started really experimenting more and more with sounds and our sound. We think it’s progressed a hell of a lot, so things were getting a bit weird and then I started to feel maybe a bit of pressure in the sense of, if people can understand this.” And at that point, Bacash came to the realisation that you just need to trust your fans to come with you, wherever the journey takes them. “I think we just hope we can keep the right portion of our fan base and build on that path,” he begins, before stating, “You know, I don’t care. This is our music, you know? It’s not really great when people only like one of your songs ‘cause it’s been on the radio. You really want fans to buy your records, not singles, that’s why we make music.” He needn’t be too concerned. While The Late Blue does travel down a few different paths to its predecessor – namely a few psychedelic and experimental areas – there’s still enough of the dreamy pop they’ve made a name for themselves with to keep most happy while themselves maturing. When it came to writing the record, Bacash found himself in a markedly different place to pre-Gilgamesh, that album’s genesis owing a lot to his recent break-up with a girlfriend. This time around sees him getting (a little) older, and with a heap of new experiences brought about from the duo’s newfound popularity. “Yeah, well there’s like a tiny bit of residual from that [break-up] still, but not much at all. It’s sort of more of a coming of age record in the sense we were sort of 19, 20 [years old] writing Gilgamesh. Now I’m 24 and have travelled the world and met lots of different people and experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. And so there was a lot to draw upon from all those experiences.” Indeed, Bacash has matured plenty over the past few years. “I think the record reflects that as well, it’s just more mature really. It feels a bit more… I don’t know, it was more introspective or something, like thought out. Definitely all the production and songwriting is crafted a lot more than the first record. So it feels a lot richer, in that sense of an experience to me, when I listen to the songs now.”

There’s more to this story on the iPad As any proud father should do, Bacash wants to show of this richer work to the public, and fans will be getting the chance to hear a lot of the new record in the flesh on this upcoming tour. It’s a challenge Bacash is looking forward to, with the duo planning to play basically all of The Late Blue, in its entirety. “So it will be all the new songs and a few of the older ones,” he announces. “At Splendour we played four new songs and now we’ll play all of them. So we’ll have to start rehearsing all the other ones. But we’re pretty up to scratch with the first four,” he laughs, detailing how the set’s going. “Well, we know there’s always going to be songs that we have to play by measure of their popularity. I think it’s going to be, like we’re going to have to play a lot of this new record, because it’s our new record and we want to promote it and we really love it. So I think it will be more about playing literally every song besides The Valleys Of Kashmir, which is just an instrumental that goes for like a minute-forty, so we probably won’t bother playing that. But we will play the other nine songs. So the set would go a bit longer this time. I think that’s sort of cool when bands play shows on the night and they might chuck one [random old song] in. Instead of making a set list for the whole thing [we’ll be] changing it up each night like, ‘We’ll play Human Desire tonight’ but the next night we’ll play Parallel Universe instead or something like that like that. “We’ll be playing Jona Vark obviously,” he adds with a wry chuckle. Bacash has enjoyed the chance to change some of the old faves around a little though, to try and get them in step with the new material, and in some cases add ideas that have only come up in retrospect. “We’ve made a few changes actually, on the old songs and how we play them, just to tie them into the other songs we play, you know, sonically. We kind of changed the structure up so it’s a bit fresher. You essentially, after a while, give up: like, ‘I wish I would have done this on this’.” With a new album comes a whole new cycle of touring, interviews, travel and general life as an international music act, making our interview one of the last times Bacash gets to chill at home for a chat about all such things. This fact isn’t lost on him. “Yeah, we’ll probably be touring until the end of next year, I’d say,” he laughs, “and probably longer, so it’s going to be the calm before the storm right now. Sitting on the couch having a phone interview is going to be something that won’t happen for a long time, I’m sure.” WHO: Gypsy & The Cat WHAT: The Late Blue (Alsatian/Universal) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 26 October, The Palace Theatre; Sunday 10 March, Future Music Festival, Flemington Racecourse

30 • For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews

PURE SOUNDS

CREATION THEORIES

Making their way to Australia for the first time, LA’s Puro Instinct are upkeeping the old analogue sound, but as Piper Kaplan explains to Anthony Carew, they’re not above embracing new technology in their edgy bedroom-produced music. y 17-year-old sister is buying me alcohol downtown!” laughs Piper Kaplan, the 24-year-old who splits Puro Instinct with her younger sibling, Skylar. They’re about to soundcheck for a show in downtown Los Angeles, the city in which the Kaplans grew up, and which their sound is intimately linked; both in their self-confessed “beachy melodies” and in their direct connection and similarity-of-sound to fellow LA-dwellers like Nite Jewel and Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti.

“M

The debut Puro Instinct LP, 2011’s Headbangers In Ecstasy, featured production by Haunted Graffiti’s Kenny Gilmore and guest Ariel Pink vox, and the band had previously worked with ex-APHG and current Nite Jewel dude Cole M. Greiff-Neill on the 2010 Puro Instinct EP (“he helped the vocals not sound like muggy shit,” Kaplan says). And, Kaplan even shares the same mentor with Ariel Pink: home-recording originator R. Stevie Moore. “I was so depressed, disastisfied with my life, and bored,” Kaplan recounts of the band’s beginnings. “I just thought ‘I need a creative outlet’. But I didn’t know how to approach that, because I don’t really play anything, and who wants to just be the singer? That’s just bullshit.” Kaplan had grown obsessed with Moore after hearing his songs on a mixtape she also cites Merrell Fankhauser and Martin Newell as two key influences, thereby staking her claim for hardcore music nerd-dom and, inspired by Pink’s urging, she semi-spontaneously flew across the country to DJ a show with R. Stevie Moore that she blagged her way into. Moore took her to his house, showed her his set-up, played her tapes, made new recordings in front of her eyes. “I saw how easy it was to put an idea you had, just that moment, onto cassette, where it’s there forever,” Kaplan says. “I came home, hit up my little sister, and said ‘let’s try this out’. It felt really good, and like the right thing to do, and has kept me out of trouble ever since we started. Well, it’s gotten me into trouble, too...”

32 • For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews

In hindsight it seems like a match made in heaven – Good Heavens, no less – but as Sarah Kelly relates to Steve Bell, not even she would have believed that she’d be in this band until it actually transpired. Kaplan had grown up wanting to be a singer; inspired by an early television diet of Beavis & Butthead, Madonna’s Truth Or Dare movie, Michelle Pfeiffer in The Fabulous Baker Boys, and Kylie Minogue (“I thought she was so hot, and I really wanted to be her”). Yet, after a failed talent show audition as a 10-year-old singing the Spice Girls’ Viva Forever (“It was so fucking humiliating”), Kaplan kept her dream a secret. “I was really repressed and felt like I had zero business doing anything on stage until I was like 20.” It was at 20 when Skylar was just 13 that the sisters began recording, in 2008, as Pearl Harbor. Their early sound summoned Fleetwood Mac’s coked-out era with a muggy, audio-cassette quality that Piper saw as being reminiscent of the nth-generation dubs of Eastern Bloc pop she listened to. Even on Headbangers In Ecstasy, that tape sheen is still there; though it’s a calling card the Kaplans hope to abandon. “There’s only so much you can do with the cassette sound; I love the warmth of it, but it’s limited,” Kaplan offers. “It’s important for the evolution of our sound to move more towards digital recording... I want to retain that dreamy aspect, but I want it to be a dream that people feel they can be a part of. Like an HD dream, as opposed to a VHS dream.” And with that, Skylar is back bearing liquor “she got tequila!” and Kaplan is left only to ponder an imminent trip to Australia; where the band will begin working on songs for their second album. Kaplan makes an off-hand reference to her “vision” for it, but won’t be pressed any further. “There is a vision...but to describe it any way that would actually do justice to the intention of it might be a little bit difficult for me. Plus, I’m blowing the surprise.” WHO: Puro Instinct WHAT: Headbangers In Ecstasy (Mexican Summer/Warner) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 26 October, Bermuda Float, Central Pier; Sunday 28 October, Toff In Town

arah Kelly, who’d been frontwoman and chief songwriter for acclaimed indie outfit theredsunband until they called it a day in 2009, had been writing steadily and seeking some different people to work with on a new project. When her record label Rice Is Nice suggested former Wolfmother drummer Myles Heskett as an option behind the kit it seemed an incongruous pairing but Kelly gave it a shot. Not long after – with the addition of bassist/keyboardist Chris Ross reuniting the original Wolfmother rhythm section, the team that had walked from their old band in 2008 citing “irreconcilable differences” – brand new outfit, Good Heavens, was born.

“Yeah I am, I’m really happy with everything,” Kelly gushes of the somewhat strange turn of events which culminated in her new band. “I’m happy with the record, and Chris and Myles are really lovely people. We just got back from a tour where we drove from Sydney to Adelaide and back, and it was really interesting doing that four days of travel to see how it would go – it was really relaxed, and they’re such laidback people. It’s going really good – it is an odd situation, but it seems to have worked. The union is one which from a distance seems rather incongruous, despite how well it’s come together – did Kelly have any reservations about teaming with such a famous pairing? “I think at the time because I was so obsessed with the idea of making the record it didn’t even occur to me to think about who they were or what their past was,” she laughs. “And because they came to the band separately it wasn’t like getting two-thirds of Wolfmother and trying to make my songs work – it didn’t happen that way. Unsurprisingly for such accomplished musicians, Heskett and Ross didn’t take long to leave their mark on the songs which Kelly had brought to the table. “I guess I would tell them what I was thinking, but I

was very open to their suggestions and them doing whatever they want. Because I feel basically that with musicians like those guys, who have a very strong sound, you can’t really tell them what to do – you either like what they do or you don’t work with them.” And it’s not like theredsunband were a completely ethereal concern – they had more than their fair share of upbeat, rock moments – but Kelly admits to enjoying this beefier rhythm section behind her, and is hopeful that Good Heavens proves to be an ongoing concern. “Yes, yes I love it,” she marvels. “I did want to make a really, really heavy record, but I do remember when I got the first mixes back and I was, like, ‘Fuck, it’s so heavy!’ Live it’s really good, because we tend to start off soft and then when those two drop in it’s massive. It’s quite a different experience for me, but it’s nice. “With theredsunband I would write the song and pretty much decide everything, all of the structure and the sound, on my own. But with these guys I’ll come up with an idea – a chord progression and a couple of words – and I’ll take it to them, and then we’ll just play it until things happen to it, like a proper sort of jam. Which is how they write and used to write with Wolfmother – it’s more of a collaboration. I really like it, and I think the types of songs which come out of the process are better, because they’re less personal in a way and not so confronting. It’s more about the sound and the flow of the music.” WHO: Good Heavens WHAT: Strange Dreams (Rice Is Nice) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 26 October, The Tote

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ISSUE 02

•

OCTOBER 2012

TAKES THE CHAIR

PAPER KITES TOUR DIARY, AEROSMITH’S TOM HAMILTON CHATS, TOMMY BOLIN TRIBUTE, : INSIDE FACE THE MUSIC, SONGWRITER’S CIRCLE, LATEST GEAR ROAD TESTED AND MORE!

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Australian Distributor Wholesale & Trade enquiries welcome [2]

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896 Woodville Rd, Villawood NSW PH (02) 9724 2022 FAX (02) 9724 2311 EMAIL pianos@gospelpianos.com WEBSITE: www.gospelpianos.com

MANNY’S TURNS 21

The first single, Keep My Cool, from Melbourne threepiece Aluka, was recorded in a stairwell one freezing August morning, the unusual location just one of many producer Nick Huggins chose in which to record the girls, such as a public swimming pool, a barn and a WWII bunker among others, utilising innovative mic’ing techniques.

DAVID JONES WORKSHOPS COLLARTS For those in Melbourne this week, David Jones is conducting a workshop at Collarts- The Australian College of The Arts – for secondary school students and musicians of all instruments and all levels Saturday 27 October. The awardwinning master drummer, who is Collarts’ Artist-in-residence, will present the workshop from 3 to 5pm, at Collarts, 55 Brady Street, South Melbourne. The workshop is free.

KOSMIC SOUND WINS WEB AWARD Perth’s Kosmic Sound is proud to have won a prestigious Australian Web Award in the category of Best Overall User Experience. Kosmic was the only music retail site to feature in the awards. Kosmic currently have super deals on Gibson, Epiphone, Mackie and Behringer gear. Go to www.kosmic.com.au for more information.

GUITAR FACTORY PARRAMATTA AMP DEALS Guitar Factory in Parramatta recently opened their new amp room and are celebrating with great deals on Vox amps, such as the VT20+ at just $189 and the AC15VR at $375. They’ve also slashed prices on Yamaha acoustics, keyboards and drums. New in store is the Yamaha P105B digital piano at $749. Go to www. guitarfactory.com.au for more information.

SUHR AT GUITAR BROTHERS Musicians looking for something different to the tried and true brands may want to check out the range of Suhr gear at Guitar Brothers in Brisbane. Suhr make a great range of guitrs, amps, pickups and pedals. Suhr users include Mark Knopfler, Mike Landau and respected fusion guy Scott Henderson. Go to www. guitarbrothers.com.au for more information.

WANNA BUY A RECORDING STUDIO? One of Sydney’s longest-running independent studios is up for sale. A fully operational recording studio based in the city’s south-west, 20 minutes from the CBD, it features a classic analogue desk, hard disc recording, low rent, long lease and parking. Easily operated as a co-operative, it’s a steal at around $73k, lock, stock and barrel. Call 0423 681 978 for details.

CREDITS Muso. Issue 2 - October 2012 Ph: 03 9421 4499 Fax: 03 9421 1011 584 Nicholson St Nth Fitzroy 3068 Website: www.themusic.com.au Editor and Advertising: Greg Phillips greg@streetpress.com.au Distribution enquiries: distribution@streetpress.com.au Layout & design: Matt Davis iPad edition: Dave Harvey Contributors: Reza Nasseri, Shannon Bourne, Baz Bardoe, Michael Smith, Marcel Yammouni, Joe Yammouni, Eamon Stewart, Mark Owen. Photographer: Kane Hibberd Published by Street Press Australia PTY LTD Printed by: Rural Press

Recorded over three sessions at Andrew McGee’s Empty Room Studios in Melbourne, when drummer James Baker was in Melbourne from Perth with his band The Painkillers, the eponymous album by Spencer P Jones & The Nothing Butts, featuring The Drones’ Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin, sees release Friday 9 November. Sydneysiders The Preatures recorded their second EP, Shaking Hands, at the LA studio, The Bank, owned by session drummer Joey Waronker (Beck, Elliott Smith, Jack White), with former Hives bass player, producer Tony Buchen (Tim Finn, John Butler Trio, Blue King Brown). The second album, To The Dollhouse, from Melodie Nelson, AKA Sydney musician Lia Tsamoglou, was recorded in Melbourne by Simon Grounds (Kes Band, Laura Jean) and mixed in Tasmania by Chris Townend (Daniel Johns, Augie March).

While the focus has been on the fall of the giant Allans + Billy Hydes retail group crash, we shouldn’t forget that we still have some great independent instrument stores in Australia. Something of an institution, Manny’s at 161 St Georges Rd, North Fitzroy has come of age! Manny and Gail Gauci-Seddon and staff have been serving Melbourne’s musician community for 21 years and still have the passion for what they do. Manny is a seasoned guitar player himself and knows what musicians want and that’s a vital thing today, knowing your customers. Muso salutes Manny’s.

GIBSON SETTLES WITH US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE The Lacey Act is a conservation law introduced by the American Congress back in 1900, brought about to protect native flora and fauna. Recently the law was amended, with massive consequences for those guitar manufacturers using exotic timber imported from around the globe. In 2009 and again last year, Gibson guitars ran into trouble with US authorities when shipments of timber from India and Madagascar were claimed in armed raids by a SWAT team. After a long and gruelling period of legalities, Gibson finally decided to settle out of court. CEO, Henry Juszkiewicz commented, “We felt compelled to settle as the costs of proving our case at trial would have cost millions of dollars and taken a very long time to resolve. This allows us to get back to the business of making guitars. An important part of the settlement is that we are getting back the materials seized in a second armed raid on our factories and we have formal acknowledgement that we can continue to source rosewood and ebony fingerboards from India, as we have done for many decades.” “We feel that Gibson was inappropriately targeted, and a matter that could have been addressed with a simple contact with a caring human being representing the government. Instead, the Government used violent and hostile means with the full force of the US Government and several armed law enforcement agencies costing the tax payer millions of dollars and putting a job-creating US manufacturer at risk and at a competitive disadvantage. This shows the increasing trend on the part of government to criminalise rules and regulations and treat US businesses in the same way drug dealers are treated. This is wrong and it is unfair. I am committed to working hard to correct the inequity that the law allows and insure there is fairness, due process and the law is used for its intended purpose of stopping bad guys and stopping the very real deforestation of our planet”.

Sydney fivepiece Strangers recorded their album, Persona Non Grata, with Shihad drummer, producer Tom Larkin.

like the cut of Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies’ jib. I’m not quite sure what a jib is or how best it should be cut, but I feel the phrase perfectly summarises my approval of how Ben has approached the creation of his debut solo album, Diamond Days. A drummer in an internationally recognised band steps out from behind the kit. He has a collection of unfinished, unconnected ideas from which he forms songs. Good songs. Happy songs. Playing drums on the album is almost an afterthought as he is too busy having fun laying down guitar, keyboard and bass tracks. He downloads an app, uses it on the spot to write music in the studio for a track which closes his album. Ben makes up a name (Bento) to call the project as he doesn’t want it to appear as a solo album. It’s an ad hoc mentality which on this occasion has paid off. The result is a quality pop album. I’m betting that the public will agree with me. Even if it hadn’t worked though, I get the feeling that Ben would

Black Sabbath are currently back in the studio with producer Rick Rubin (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Slayer) working on the new album they began working on last year slated for release next year. Chicago cult punk heroes Alkaline Trio have begun recording at Blasting Room Studios in Fort Collins, Colorado, with long-time friend and producer Bill Stevenson (Descendents, Rise Against, Hot Water Music). The new album, Paradise And Lunch, from Ry Cooder, was recorded, mixed and mastered by Martin Pradler at Wireland Studios in Chatsworth, California, and Drive-By Studios in Hollywood, Cooder producing it himself. Former Comets On Fire member Ben Chasny recorded the latest album, Ascent, under his reconvened previous project banner, Six Organs of Admittance, at Louder Studios in California, coproducing with Tim Green. Sounding nothing like his former band TZU, Melbourne six-piece Texture Like Sun’s frontman Mark Pearl called on fellow former TZU member Pip Norman (Sparkadia, Ash Grunwald) to produce his new band’s self-titled debut EP, recorded over a year between Darwin and Melbourne’s Bounce County Studios. The EP was mixed by Dan Rejmer (Bjork, Foals, Paul Kelly).

Gear News AMBER TECHNOLOGY NABS JET CITY AMPS

Amber Technology today announced its appointment as the new exclusive Australian distributor for US-based tube guitar amp manufacturer Jet City Amplification. With the addition of Jet City Amplification, Amber Technology further expands its growing product portfolio of leading music technology brands. Founded in 2009, Jet City Amplification continues to expand its “design by Soldano” lineup of all-tube guitar amplifiers, featuring simple controls, cool cosmetics and sensible pricing. www.ambertech.com.au

AUDIO TECHNICA’S LP1240-USB Audio-Technica’s 50-year journey started in a Tokyo garage with a high-quality turntable cartridge, so the new LP1240-USB is something of a return to the company’s roots. Designed to deliver exceptional music reproduction even under the most demanding professional applications, the new turntable offers a host of high-performance features making it ideal for professional, mobile and club DJ use, and its sleek, gloss black design complements any home music system. Locally, the LP1240-USB is selling for around $690. www.audio-technica.com.au

WIN A $1395 STERLING BY MUSIC MAN RAY 35 To celebrate the success of the Sterling by Music Man and S.U.B. series of guitars and basses, CMC Music is giving away a Sterling by Music Man Ray 35 to one of the first 500 visitors to like their new Facebook page. www.facebook.com/cmcmusicoz

FINDING THE RHYTHM In the new book, Finding The Rhythm In Music ( JoJo Publishing $49.99), Melbourne author Marla Swift presents readers with a new simple and precise method of learning how to understand and perform musical rhythm, explaining how to feel rhythm and combine this with the reading of music, giving a deep, instinctual understanding.

have been happy with the enjoyment he got out of the writing and recording process. This is my point … during a sad time in our industry where a huge instrument retail chain can fall, and it’s easier for the liquidators (who have no synergy with music people) to just close down the operation rather than negotiate a deal with interested parties and save jobs, it’s comforting to know that artists like Ben are still out there, oblivious to everything else as he creates his art. As long as there are Bens around, and as long as there are fine instrument stores out there, staffed by musicians who are serving musicians like Ben, then I think it’s all going to be OK.

GREG PHILLIPS Muso Editor

BLUE MICROPHONES Blue Microphones, a leading innovator in microphone technology and design, announces “Free Fall 2012,” an in-store promotion at participating retailers through to November 30. During Free Fall 2012, customers who purchase a Bluebird, Baby Bottle or Reactor microphone instantly receive a free enCORE 100, 200 or 300 live mic. In addition, customers who purchase a Cactus or Kiwi microphone will receive a free Robbie mic preamplifier. www.bluemic.com/promotions

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From Silverchair to production chair, Ben Gillies sits comfortably with his new solo project, Bento. Greg Phillips reports.

istorically, drummers and bass players have copped a raw deal with regards to their perceived creative contribution to a band - after all they’re just the rhythm section aren’t they? A prime example is Silverchair, one of Australia’s most successful bands. While the trio of drummer Ben Gillies, bassist Chris Joannou and vocalist/guitarist Daniel Johns have achieved the unprecedented record of having all five of their albums reach number one on the charts, it’s generally been frontman Daniel Johns who has collected most of the accolades. Once drummer Gillies decided he was going out on a limb and recording his own album, it was always going to be interesting to finally hear Ben’s own musical voice. Funnily enough, Diamond Days, Ben’s new solo project is not such a giant leap from Young Modern, the musical statement Silverchair left us with and says as much about that band as it does about Bento. Diamond Days is essentially the threading together of a myriad musical ideas Ben had lying around in his head or documented on tape over the last decade or so. “I have always been a writer,” said Ben. “I wrote a lot in the early Silverchair days. When Dan

changed his writing approach, I was happy to take a step back. That was after Neon Ballroom and was a lot of years ago, over ten years. I mean a lot of those older ideas kind of fell away but I always logged ideas either on a four-track or on my phone or little Pro Tools sessions. There were some almost finished songs through to just a chorus idea or melody idea or just a set of chords. Working on the record, I did combine a lot of those. Sometimes it would just be me in a supermarket on aisle 12, and something would pop into my head. I’d put the dictaphone on and try not to look like I was too weird humming a tune in the middle of the supermarket.” Bento is the moniker Gillies came up with to work under in an attempt to sway people away from thinking this was totally a solo record. Ben’s partner in rhyme was Eric J Dubowsky (Faker, Art vs Science), as well as a bunch of mates that also includes Papa vs Pretty’s Thomas Rawle. Ben uses the Trent Reznor/ Nine Inch Nails association as an analogy of what he was aiming for in describing his role in the project: “I really wanted to have a band name rather than just be Ben Gillies … and the Space Cadets ... I dunno! I don’t personally like the perception of being a solo artist.” Releasing a solo project was never a burning ambition for Ben, rather something he thought he just might enjoy doing one day. “I think I have always wanted to get into the studio and have a really good chunk of time on my own and work on my own songs, without record company pressure, and just be really free. When Silverchair decided to go

WE KEPT PUTTING OFF THE VOCALS BECAUSE A LOT OF THE CHORUSES WERE WRITTEN BUT NOT FULL SONGS. I WAS NERVOUS ABOUT IT. AFTER A FEW DRINKS AT DINNER, I SAID THERE’S SOMETHING I HAVE TO GET OFF MY CHEST. I SAID I AM REALLY NERVOUS ABOUT SINGING.”

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on an indefinite haitus, or long break until we feel the time is right, in a way it was a blessing in disguise. It gave me the chance and enough time to finally have that opportunity. There have probably been times in the past where I have had time to do that but because Silverchair is such a massive and awesome thing, there’s a lot of energy you have to give to it. Sometimes the last thing I’d want to do is go back in the studio.”

The result of Ben’s studio time with his mates is a joyous, upbeat pop album, abounding with positivity. The Australian Football League liked the vibe of Gillies’ first single, title track Diamond Days, so much that it became an unofficial soundtrack to their finals broadcasts. Ben describes the album as a patchwork quilt of those fractured ideas he’s collected over time. It’s those incidental musical notions that combine to make this such a sonically absorbing and openly happy album, testament to the gratification Gillies obtained from making it. “The experience was liberating and exciting. I think I am just an optimistic kind of person. Dark songs are cool but obviously that wasn’t what I was feeling when I was writing this. I think diving into the unknown, the unchartered waters, I had that nervous excitement which comes from making music.”

Although Gillies is loath to portray Diamond Days as a solo album, he did write the material, had a stab at contributing parts on keyboards, guitar, bass, drums (of course!) and even utilised an iPhone app. “Give me an instrument and after a while I can make some kind of sound out of it,” he admits. “The last song on the album, the really trippy one called Naked Next to Me, it

came out of the Brian Eno app called Bloom. We were in the studio and I was consolidating all of those ideas I was telling you about and Josh asked me if I’d heard about the app. Between takes we were just chatting about music and he said, ‘dude, you are going to love this.’ I got it straightaway and began to muck around with it. I really love that instinctual reaction to a sound or song or instrument. I said plug

While Ben enjoyed the freedom of trying whatever musical whim entered his head, the vocal parts initially gave him quite a bit of grief. It was during a dinner with co producer Eric J Dubowsky that he aired his fears.

“You know what, I really think it was. Maybe we were suppressing it because of young teenage angst. It feels really natural to sit down and hum a tune that pops into your head, being open to it and letting it flow naturally. You know, I think most people can do it. If you sit down and start to go doo do doo do, you start humming shit and usually that’s the stuff that people love to hear because it resonates with everybody.”

“We kept putting off the vocals because a lot of the choruses were written but not full songs. I was nervous about it. After a few drinks at dinner, I said there’s something I have to get off my chest. I said I am really nervous about singing. I said, I know I can do it but I have never had that pressure and I just have to air it that I am nervous. The first song was Miss My Mind and it’s quite exposed and there isn’t a lot of band around it to cover mistakes. Anything

Being such an internationally successful band, Silverchair had the luxury of working with a number of high-profile producers including Kevin Shirley, Nick Launay and David Bottril. On their much-lauded fourth album, Diorama, they also employed the services of genius arranger Van Dyke Parks. For an artist breaking out with their first solo album, you’d assume that invaluable studio experience must have been of

like that sound. All of a sudden I want to buy Vox amps or some other brand. Once you open the door to that stuff, firstly you don’t want to shut the door but once you do it, that’s it, it’s open forever.”

’ Bento s

Portamento it in and hit record, we’re going to do a song right now. I fumbled around for five or ten minutes then we cut together that cool little intro part and a few other bits and pieces. Then on the spot, I put the drum track down. I put a really basic bass down and all it is is just an octave… me going dom, dom, dom and that’s all it is, the whole song, but it’s a good example of simplicity being all you need.”

Over his long and successful music career, Ben has accumulated a swag of music gear, some of which he dug out for the recording. “I’ve got a shitty old bass, a basic Gibson studio acoustic, and a bunch of drum kits. I have a couple of keyboards, a Wurly and a Rhodes. It’s funny because I have never been in the driver’s seat as much as I have with this. I can definitely see myself going crazy with buying cool new guitars, amps. That’s going to happen very soon or happening. I now have to think about guitar sounds, tones. In a band situation everyone has their role but with this I have had control of every facet of Bento. So whether it’s the guitar tone or the bass, I’m now having to go, OK I don’t like that or don’t

that is a challenge, if you can confront it then you can say you had a go and then if you conquer it, you gain some confidence. I felt that within that first day of recording, I got my confidence, then I could go in and enjoy the recording process rather than get sweaty palms. I didn’t want anyone in the studio apart from me and Eric but after I did half a dozen takes, it was just like I was performing.” Even with Silverchair, Gillies has never had a huge allegiance to any particular drum set-up, preferring to mix it up. Constants have been Pearl or Le Soprano drums, Sabian cymbals, Remo skins and Vater sticks. Le Soprano honoured Ben with the production of a Ben Gillies signature kit in the early 2000s. With Bento, it was again, however, a mix and match scenario.

“It was funny. I didn’t really use the kits I had used with Silverchair except for one. On some of the drum tracks I did at The Grove Studio, I used an original Premier 303 that I played on the recording of Tomorrow. It was just sitting at my house and was all shitty and dusty and even the skins on it were the same skins I had used on Tomorrow. So they were like 18 years old but still sound fantastic, so warm and old. I think a lot of engineers can get really caught up in making sure there are no buzzes. Particularly with rock music, once you get it all down on tape you don’t hear that stuff... you don’t hear the creaks. If you have a good sound engineer, I reckon once you get the sound right after about fifteen minutes, you are ready to go. That’s the approach I took and then once we got to BJB, I just enquired if there were any spare kits lying around, partly because I wanted a different sound and partly because I was late. They just had random kits sitting around. So I’d grab a bass from here, some toms from over there - it was a real mixed bag. It went with the nature of the album.” Bento offered Gillies the chance to release any pent-up musical ideas he may have been concealing over the years with Silverchair, I wondered if that also applied to drumming concepts? “Not really,” said Ben. “I’ve always had the freedom and said my two cents’ worth in Silverchair as far as songs go but I’ve always had the drumming freedom to pretty much do what I want ... except maybe with the albums that Dan had written, where he had a clear vision of what he wanted the drums to be. Even within that, he has been pretty open to how I interpret it. The drums came as a later thought with this though. Really it was about the tunes and the melodies.” It’s fascinating to see how the members of a band who started out with the angst of Frogstomp have, with each ensuing album, gradually displayed such a high regard for melody and pop structures. I wondered if that pop sensibility had always been there, even in the early Silverchair days?

great benefit. Gillies is more pragmatic in his summation of the Diorama recording experience.

“I guess I learned that it is very difficult to mix over a hundred tracks of audio! I love Diorama and I think it is one of our best records and I love that we did a lot of orchestration but it’s that classic thing that less is more. For me personally, within SIlverchair it works. I love to put horn sections and strings on stuff but I would just really scale it back. You don’t need an eightypiece orchestra. You could get twenty guys and make this amazing wall of sound. The recording process was pretty much how we’d done it in the past. You know, it’s band, some overdubs and orchestration, then vocals, so there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary that we hadn’t done before.” With regards to Bento’s Diamond Days, the studio process was much less formal than the massive productions that some of the Silverchair albums became. More energy was placed on the moment at the point of recording rather than afterwards in post-production. “In terms of shuffling stuff around and making it sound good, we kind of did that on the fly,” Ben admits. “We didn’t have a band to lay down a rhythm track and then overdub. Sometimes I played drums to a click track and there was nothing else. I had to imagine where everything else was going to go. Sometimes that didn’t work and we’d have to go in during the process and say, well this song needs a middle-eight now. Eric would set up the keyboard and I’d make something up on the fly. Sometimes that would work, sometimes not and we would cut that in and play some drums over that. I have been describing it to people as a patchwork quilt. We didn’t have a formula we worked to; it was always living in the moment, you know, what do we need right now?” With the album in the can and released this week, Ben’s focus now shifts to how he can reproduce this music live. He may jump behind the kit to satisfy the desire of some hardcore Silverchair fans he’ll find in the audience, but generally he’ll be Bento’s frontman. It’s a concept he’s still getting his head around when thinking about the instrumentation he’ll need on stage. “I reckon keys, bass, guitar, drums and, what am I missing? Oh yes... singing! A lot of it can be pulled off with keys’ sounds. All the tricky stuff is done on keys. It’s all achievable with a minimum band. Personally I am shitting myself that I have to get up and front a band. Like I said before though, once you confront those fears you can really go out and enjoy it. There still isn’t a band as such, just a lot of muso friends that I am going to get involved to play. The long-term plan is to have a stable of guys who are the band. If we go and do a record, it’s just a given that they’re the band.” www.wearebento.com

OTHER DRUMMERS WHO HAVE FAMOUSLY STEPPED OUT FRONT. DAVE GROHL Grohl has had so much success with his power rock outfit The Foo Fighters that it’s easy to forget he was behind the kit with the legendary Nirvana. Even in that band, with the focus always on Cobain, Grohl began to move towards the front, involved in writing and contributing lead vocals to the track, Marigold, originally released as a B-side to Heart Shaped Box). Grohl gladly returned to drum duties for supergroup project, Them Crooked Vultures alongside Josh Homme and Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones.

PHIL COLLINS Starting out as drummer in English progressive rock band Genesis, Collins later forged one of the most commercially successful solo careers in rock history. Before he had a massive worldwide solo hit with In The Air Tonight, he’d already stepped to the front of Genesis as vocalist when mercurial singer Peter Gabriel left the band. Due to the level of success Collins has achieved, he’s suffered from much derision from a newer generation of music fans. He hasn’t helped his cause by breaking out In The Air Tonight as a party piece every time he appears as a guest on stage. He also copped a fair bit of flack for both his divorce via fax in the late ‘80s and another legal case where he took two band members to court seeking $780,000 in royalties he claimed were overpaid fees.

RINGO STARR The most famous singing drummer of all time. Often referenced by other high-profile drummers as a musician who does not get anywhere near enough recognition for his playing skills, Ringo made several cameo appearances on Bealtes albums, usually with the tracks people love to hate, such as Octopus’s Garden and Yellow Submarine. It’s not surprising, with the childlike qualities of those songs, that Ringo later became the narrator of the children’s animated series, Thomas the Tank Engine. Starr released two solo albums in the same year The Beatles called it a day and had a number #4 single on the US charts with It Don’t Come Easy. More recently Ringo’s All Star band has performed regularly with lineups consisting of a who’s who of rock including Joe Walsh, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Dr John, Todd Rundgren, John Entwistle, Peter Frampton, Jack Bruce, Ian Hunter, Edgar Winter and even our own Colin Hay.

KRAM Formed in 1989, Spiderbait have always been the darlings of Australia’s alternative music scene, often featuring high on Triple J’s annual Hottest 100. While Kram has never really left the drum stool with the band, his lead vocals on tracks such as Calypso, Buy Me A Pony and Black Betty have resulted in the band achieving a great deal of chart success. Kram released his first solo album, Mixed Tape, to much acclaim too.

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TOURING WITH

The Paper Kites A snippet from the first three shows of The Paper Kites’ Young North Tour in October, with amazing supports Art Of Sleeping and Battleships.

feeling like you can’t move around without knocking a stand or a guitar over, but it’s necessary to create the experience from our latest record Young North.

DAY 1

Thursday 11 October – Heritage Hotel, Bulli NSW “Passengers travelling to Sydney on flight DJ859, your flight has been delayed one hour” – not an ideal start to the tour for Raz and myself, who were already running late for soundcheck. We’d both worked most of the day in Melbourne while the rest of the crew had caught an earlier flight to sort out the gear, the set up, lighting hire and the rest. We finally arrived in Sydney, swooped through to pick up our hire car, and fanged it down to Bulli for our first show of the tour at The Heritage Hotel. We arrived long after our soundcheck was over and the first band (Battleships) had already started. Luckily our TM/Sound Engineer, Brett was all over it. With only 25 minutes to change over, set up and check our extra instruments, it left me feeling extra thankful for our crew. We had a quick meal at the pub and went upstairs to get warmed up and ready for our show. Before long we were standing side of stage listening to our intro music, just before walking on. First show of the tour! Whoo! First show nerves were evident to me through the start of our set, but I felt like our preparation and rehearsing paid off. The best thing about touring with a sound engineer is that no matter what venue you turn up to, they’ll always get the best out of the system. It wasn’t the crème de la crème of systems, and the foldback wedges were pretty muddy, but all things considered, it was a great show!

The Bullians were pretty darn accommodating at The Heritage Hotel, and I was surprised to see a regional crowd so attentive during our set. The rowdy minority were bullied into silence by the attentive punters. One lady actually came up to me after the show, “What a lovely show,” she said, “your audience is pretty intense though! This girl suddenly told me to stop talking because she’d paid good money to be here and wanted to hear the songs! I guess she’s a big fan.” I suppose I should be flattered that people would feel so strongly about listening to what they paid to come and see. Although the ‘shhhhhing’ sounds weird through the quieter songs in the set, I appreciate the sentiment. Thanks ‘shhooshers’. Highlight: The friendly folk of Bulli/Sam’s shirtless impersonation of Michael Flatley.

I’ve found one of the hardest instruments to get a sweet tone from is definitely the banjo. I’m playing a Deering Good Time Special, which sounds awesome acoustically, but micing up a banjo is just ridiculous, and hard to get any foldback without the thing screaming feedback. So I installed a Fishman Rare Earth pickup, which sounds pretty cool yet hugely clanky in the mid range. The secret ingredient has been the LR Baggs direct inputs we’re using on this tour. There is the perfect number of variables without massive compression on the DI, which makes it so much easier for a good sound through front of house and in foldback. In fact, it’s the same deal for all of our acoustic instruments.

Friday 12 October – Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney NSW

At this point I’d like to make a note of our extensive instrument entourage on this tour. This is what it takes to tour with The Paper Kites: two six-string acoustics, a twelve-string, a resonator, banjo, mandolin, lap steel, bass guitar and two electric guitars; Josh’s drum gear and our four pedal boards. Of course we can’t forget Deb’s lighting gear and Brett’s general TM and sound gear. It gets ridiculous sometimes on stage,

We woke to the sound of heavy rain and booming thunder, which shook the whole hotel. The old girl is 120 years old, so she didn’t fair too well through the storm. There was

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Lowlight: Loadout in the rain the next morning.

DAY 2

water coming through the roof and the windows, all over the stairs and the lobby floor. It was no surprise to the staff, so I guess it must happen all the time. We managed to get everyone together to go to the Gong for brekky, which was cheap as! I paid $8 for my coffee and cooked breakfast. Heck yeah, love a bargain! We fought the storm wind on the drive to Sydney, listening to Grizzly Bear’s Shields and enjoying the folks around with inside out umbrellas. We stayed in a hotel just across from Victoria Park. Think ‘90s timber bunks slumber party, with no ventilation. We killed some time before heading off to Oxford St. The only parking in the area we could find was a secure paid parking joint… $82! I don’t understand how people afford to park like that in the city. Load in, set up and soundcheck was a dream. Unlike the night before, we had plenty of time, and a lot more room. It really makes a difference when the venue is organised, and the house guy is really cooperative and helpful. We had a chance to run through a bunch of songs together and make sure everything was sounding nice and cohesive. We ducked out to inhale some chicken burgers and legged it back to watch the amazing Battleships play to their home crowd. And what a crowd! An appropriate turnout for such a great band. They have such a big musical presence, and confidently deliver a unique brand of post-rock with character. The dudes are so talented and real nice too, which makes them a pleasure to tour with. I have to say one of the best parts of my night was watching Dan play drums from side stage – that guy is amazing to watch and listen too! While back in the green room later, we were surprised by the arrival of our great friends from Avalanche City, all the way from New Zealand just to see us play (they managed to squeeze in some shows while they were over too). While on the road in NZ with Avalanche City, we had a significant amount of Daves on tour; Dave Parker, Dave Baxter and myself. We developed an intricate and complicated chant, which only we could understand, “DAVE! DAVE! DAVE! DAVE! DAVE!”…etc. Thus formed our ‘Dave’ brotherhood forever, and that chant would be the very same chant that united us once again this very night. “DAVE! DAVE! DAVE! DAVE!” echoed through the Oxford Arts Factory as we jumped up and down, arm in arm, like the winning team of a grand final. Maybe you had to be there? Anyway, we later stood side of stage with the curtains drawn as the intro music started the set. I have to say this was the most nervous I’ve been before a show for a long time. We had discussed earlier the balance and percentage of time spent performing on stage to an audience, versus the days and days of rehearsing, travelling, organising, setting and packing up, finding hotels, places to eat and of course loading out. We worked out it’s about 6% of the whole shebang but it feels like 99% when you’re up there

and it’s all totally worth it! And it was worth it that night. The OAF was sold out, and the crowd was beautiful, responsive and attentive. We couldn’t have asked for more. The whole show was a bar-setter for us, and possibly the best show we’ve played as a band to date. I have to say the lowlight of the show was the load-out. As soon as the show finished, the DJ started spinning the doof, and the crowd totally switched out to a new scene. Within 20 minutes our crowd was out, and the Oxford St party crowd was in. Josh was propositioned, a drunken lad fell down some steps and someone opened the stage curtain and vomited next the foldback wedge. The OAF is awesome, but is also notoriously bad

DAY 3

Saturday 13 October – Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle NSW A glorious morning! (Not that we could tell from the cocoon of our room.) We had the morning off, so a few of us went out for some brekky with friends in Glebe. We bumped into the Art Of Sleeping dudes and hung out at the markets for a while. After few bargains all ‘round and some gelato, we headed back to the hotel, then hit the road up to Newcastle. Getting to Newcastle was not as exciting as we’d hoped. When we got to the venue, we were told that we couldn’t load in for another hour. Brett managed to work his magic (which is what we pay him for) and we were allowed to load through the front. However, this was only the start of the ‘Not allowed’ show of the tour. “Can we open the back doors?”, “Not allowed”. “Can we use the hazers?”, “Not allowed”, “Can we have a good time?”, “Not allowed”. This guy was running a tight ship. We ended up with a short soundcheck and a stage with huge booming subs underneath it. All I could hear was bass until the room filled up later on. We had dinner in the pub, which was already full of blokes letting off steam from a long week at work. The NRL was blaring and the pool tables were swarmed. It was an absolute sausage fest. We got our food and basically ate in silence, because we couldn’t hear each other over the volume of Biffo on the phone to Shano telling him to get the F*#@ down to the Cambo

SAM STARTED A SONG ON THE WRONG KEY AND I MISSED A CUE FOR THE LAP STEEL, ONLY TO COME IN ONE SECOND LATER AT EXTREME VOLUME” for the front entry load-out. The back doors are locked and alarmed so we had to push our way through the pandemonium, with all the gear, out the front and down a flight of stairs to the vans. (When I say we, I mean the other guys. I was minding the vans out the side, talking to my wife on the phone, good job gang). Highlight: Dan from Battleships. Lowlight: Load-out.

for a game of pool and a jug of Tooheys. Biffo’s girlfriend later dropped a glass of beer on my feet. The whole night was real fun, and Art Of Sleeping played an amazing set! We had more time and space to hang out with those guys, and realised that we’ll miss them when this whole tour is over. Sam started a song on the wrong key and I missed a cue for the lap steel, only to come in one second later at extreme volume. I really enjoyed playing our cover of Dreams. So it was a great night with really good people, and despite the hiccups we were able to laugh it off before a huge drive back to Sydney. We managed two and a half hours sleep until the lobby call to get to our flight back to Melbourne. Highlight: Spending the day in sunny Glebe. Lowlight: “Not allowed” at the Cambridge Hotel. www.thepaperkites.com.au

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Love them or loathe them, you’ve got to give American music legends Aerosmith credit for their longevity and amazing album sales stats. Greg Phillips spoke to bass player Tom Hamilton about Music From Another Dimension, their first studio album in a decade, due for release in November.

Fender Relic bass G&L Asat bass Ampeg B15 amp Gallien Kruger amps

blow one of those up and get a good sound.”

Music from another dimension

hey’ve always been considered America’s version of The Rolling Stones … Steve Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry, the Stateside Jagger and Richards. Aerosmith are in a rare group of recording artists who have sold over 150 million albums. The hits? Yeah, they’ve had a few… Sweet Emotion, Walk This Way, Dream On in their early days and later on, Love In An Elevator, Janie’s Got A Gun and Dude Looks Like A Lady. In Australia, they’ve never achieved the level of adoration they are used to at home and that’s probably one reason why they’ve only ever toured here once, but expectations are that album number 15 could bring them to our shores. Music From Another Dimension was a long time coming, partly due to extracurricular activities band members are involved with, and partly due to the difficulty of getting things done in a band with such strong personalities. The main issue delaying a start on the album was choice of producer. Once that was sorted, Hamilton tells Muso, the band was ready to roll tape. “I would say the bulk of the album was realised over the last two years. Some of the riffs have been around for many years. There were a couple of older songs, which were close to being finished, but everything was completely redone, redesigned and reimagined in the last year or two. It started with Jack [Douglas, producer] and I

think that some of these riffs were always going to be in limbo until we did work with Jack.” Much like The Stones, after four decades Aerosmith have to deal with that ever-present question of when they’ll call it a day. Although there’s no talk of quitting from the band’s camp, there is a sense of swansong about the new album in that musically it has a retrospective feel about it. “I think we just wanted something that had a strong connection to when we started but without trying to contrive an imitation of Toys In The Attic or Rocks. We have gained so much throughout our career by trying something outside of what we normally do. We have learned to just try things so I think there is a range of different material on the record and hopefully people like it and don’t jump all over us for not playing every song as fast and loud as we can possibly go.” On the album Hamilton mainly used a Fender Relic Jazz bass, as well as a G&L Asat through an Ampeg B15 amp, which is a different set-up he used on their recent American tour. “On stage I’m using Gallien Kruger amplifiers but for most of the set, I have been using my G&L Asat,” he says. “Last summer when we

were in the studio, their artist rep came over and dropped off this amazing Asat with an incredibly deep gold sparkle finish. He just said, ‘Here, do with it what you will!’ I tried it out and thought it was pretty interesting but the damn thing was as heavy as lead. Then we went out on the road and I brought it out with me and loved the sound of it, but it was so heavy! I got pissed off at it and only used it for a few songs. I told the company that I loved their bass but why did it have to be so damn heavy? So they made me one out of pine with that same finish and it’s beautiful and a joy

to play. Then they made me one out of ash and I channeled it, you know, dug a lot of the wood out of it and put a blue sparkle finish on it and that sounds great too. I have really been having a lot of fun playing them.” Hamilton is not a huge fan of effects, preferring to keep it fairly clean. “The only effects I really use are distortion but I have never been able to get the exact distortion sound I hear in my head. I have tried to do it with pedals. I think in the future, I’m going to pursue it, maybe trying some Marshall guitar amps. See if I can

The national Songwriters’ Circle tour kicks off in Sydney this week. Greg Phillips spoke to Steve Balbi, one of the Circle’s participants.

he Songwriters’ Circle is a concept which began in Canada and has since spread its wings across the globe. The Circle usually features three or four singer songwriters, who not only perform their songs to a live audience, but also dissect them, discussing how their songs are written, relating amusing anecdotes etc. This Australian tour features Canadian artist Matthew Barber, local guys Nicholas Roy, Asa Broomhall and former Noiseworks and Electric Hippies member Steve Balbi.

The Songwriters Circle Steve Balbi was unaware of The Songwriters’ Circle until he got a call from a couple of local promoters looking to launch the program here. Balbi was not short of work, being in the midst of recording a new Noiseworks album, rehearsing with that band for the Long Way To The Top tour, recording his own solo album, running his Ziggy stage show, and fronting ‘80s band MiSex... but the Circle gig intrigued him. “It seemed like a good thing to do,” he says. “It would be great for it to be an ongoing thing whereby people say, oh Songwriters’ Circle, four songwriters where we can go and listen to their guts. I’m not doing it to make a million bucks and go to the Bahamas, I’m doing it because it is the part of music which means the most to me.” Balbi is interested to hear what his fellow songwriters have to offer the audience on the tour but is fairly clear about his ideas on songwriting. “I’ve always thought that honesty is the best policy,” he reckons. “I like writing in metaphors, it’s nice to write in poetry but I think it’s best to just tell it like it is. I love affecting people. I like it that I can play a gig and make people cry. I love being able to tap into their emotions. Don’t be afraid to hurt somebody.”

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There are a million ways to tackle songwriting but one approach which Balbi has never subscribed to is the business method, whereby you write to a brief or treat songwriting as a day job. For Steve, it’s more a case of write when inspiration strikes and don’t force it. “There was an instance where I was asked to write a specific song based on rock’n’roll, fast cars and chicks and I thought the whole concept was ridiculous. I wrote the song in about five

minutes and it actually became successful and took an album to number one but I never meant to write that song. I come from a place where it’s a real gift to write a song, it’s quite precious.” For a musician who is playing an instrument and creating music on a daily basis, it’s easy to keep repeating musical ideas. Most writers develop comfort chords or habits which lead them down a similar musical path but Balbi doesn’t necessarily think it’s a disastrous practice.

“I think it is something you need to be aware of but not too bothered about. I think it’s OK but at the end of the day, it’s either going to move people or it’ s not. The chords may not matter, it could be a phrase or the melody or instrumentation. I think as writers, we all try to steer away from writing the same thing too many times. But comfort chords, yeah, the capo is good for that. Same chord, different key!” Another way Balbi prevents himself from repeating ideas is to put himself in different life situations, removing himself from any kind of comfort zone, a credo he brings to the stage too. “I hate being organised. I love the energy of being on the edge of anything. I hate being staid and in control. I think that is really boring so I will always put myself in dangerous situations. Whether it is something I say to an audience or something I give. I think the audience sometimes think, ‘Should you be saying that?’ It puts them in an uneasy place and it’s a place from which you can take them and make it OK.”

In forty years with the band, Hamilton doesn’t feel his playing style has changed much but has an interesting take on his band role. “I think I am a little more assertive with my playing and my writing but no, I think my role is what it has been and it’s interesting how my musical role is so similar to my band member role. As a musician, my musical role in the band is to be a liaison between the drums and the guitars, and my role as a band member is usually to be in between two personalities trying to claw away at each other. I try to make the guys understand each other a little better.” As bass player in a multi-million album selling band, Hamilton has racked up quite a few recognisable bass riffs, one of them, Sweet Emotion, was rated in the top 25 of all time in a recent web poll. But which bass lines does

One of Balbi’s most enjoyable methods of songwriting is in conjunction with another artist. It’s the exchange of ideas which appeals to him and it’s another reason why The Songwriters’ Circle held so much interest for him. The first time Balbi encountered collaborative joy was with fellow Noiseworks ad Electric Hippies member Justin Stanley. “Before Noiseworks there was an ad in the paper for a guy who wanted people to write songs with and I answered the ad and so did Justin,” recalls Steve. “We arrived at this guy’s place at the same time. It didn’t work out with him but Justin and I stuck together. With Justin it was effortless, there wasn’t any real verbal involved. I’d add a bit, he’d add a bit. He’s probably my soul brother in regard to music and collaboration. I don’t think I could find that with anyone else anywhere in the world.” Pushed for an example of songwriting perfection, Balbi offers two. “I break my life down to the simplest choices and the simplest route is always the greatest. I keep coming back to what I think the greatest song ever written and that’s Let It Be. What it says on many levels with its simplicity and the progression,

Hamilton consider to be among the best? “First of all, that’s a pretty amazing thing to hear. I mean I am aware that when people hear that bass line, they do know that it’s Sweet Emotion, which is interesting. As far as bass lines that I like, I was never one for getting the same bass line down as a record. First of all I didn’t have the patience. I didn’t have good enough equipment as a kid growing up to hear the bass well enough. I knew guys who would put their turntable on 78 to figure out the bass that way. I’ve always been one to learn the chords and then play something similar. I have always loved the bass part to Lady Madonna and a lot of Beatles’ songs, especially Rain and Paperback Writer. McCartney is so creative and uses such simple elements.” As to when the band might return to Australia, Hamilton is a little exasperated. “Jesus, I don’t know,” he said. “We’re so overdue. I think we’ve only been there once in our lives, It’s crazy! It’s insane, so make a loud enough noise down there and we’ll be there!” Music From Another Dimension is out November 6 www.aerosmith.com

it’s remarkable, just that line… Let It Be. Everybody’s life, every moment, every second, if you can embrace that phrase… it’s magic. On the other hand, I love the story of Like A Rolling Stone because that is my story. I remember hearing that song when I was about 12 years old and thinking what an amazing story and it ended up being my life. I think it’s amazing songwriting.” Balbi is looking forward to the uncertainty of the Songwriters’ Circle gigs and the surprises it will bring. I road test a couple of questions which may come from the floor on any given night. Song he’s most proud of? “What Do You Do When You Don’t Know What To Do? Nobody has heard it. It will be on my new solo album.” Easiest song he’s ever written? “Greedy People, which I wrote for Electric Hippies. We’d just walked out of the break up from Noiseworks. We left the accountant. I went home and wrote this sweet, melodic, jolly, pop song which was seamed with anger.” The Songwriters’ Circle begins in Sydney on October 25 and includes two shows at the Sydney Blues & Roots Festival. http://anoukpublicity.com

Best tip for home recordist?

One of the more intriguing panels at this year’s Face the Music conference will focus on music production. Panelists include Forrester Savell (Karnivool, The Butterfly Effect), Jimi Maroudas (Eskimo Joe, Bertie Blackman), Steven Schram (San Cisco, Shihad), and Gareth Parton (The Go! Team, The Breeders), pictured. Muso’s Greg Phillips puts questions to three of the four panellists and offers a sneak preview of the kind of information you may obtain by attending the session.

Perspective. Really hard one to get, really important to have a handle on. So take lots of little breaks, do some exercise, listen to other music, come back to your music fresh.

Tip for recording guitars?

Face The Music faces the producers

very mainland state in Australia now has it’s own annual music conference and each claims that their’s is the most vital. In its 5th year Victoria’s Face The Music has proved to be one of the more popular events of this kind. For all of those knowledge hungry folks out there intending to work in the music industry or wanting to learn something to further their music career, conferences like Face The Music are invaluable and I’d suggest, well worth the meager investment to attend. Taking place again at Melbourne’s fantastic Arts Centre complex and once again running in parallel with the Australian World Music Expo, the two day conference occurs on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 November. The two day event presented by The Push and Music Victoria features presentations, discussions, networking, live music, practical workshops, and the hottest tips and tools to give your music career the edge. This non-profit event is made possible by the contribution of a host of music industry professionals including high profile artists, booking agents, promoters, artist managers, music lawyers, record label directors, event managers, and publicists, generously sharing their time and experience.

GARETH PARTON

Where did you get your start?

I studied at SAE in London in the mid nineties and started working as a freelance assistant at loads of the top London studiosStrongroom, Townhouse, The Church.

Most memorable session ever at studio and why? Working with The Breeders- Kim Deal was my hero since her early Pixies days so exciting and daunting to work with her.

Session most proud of and why?

Working on the first couple of Foals singles was pretty special- there was a big industry buzz around them at the time and I had to make sure the hype was matched by some decent recordings.

What do you ask of an act when you begin a session?

That they are open to experimentation in the studioit’s not necessarily about recreating their live show...

Best tip for home recordist?

Buy a few bits of better quality gear, rather than lots of cheap stuff. Concentrate on capturing good performances rather than over editing.

Tip for recording guitars?

Play well! Get guitar tones right at source rather than over EQing in the mix. Guitar choice/pick up choice/ amp choice/ pedal choice/mic choice- all change the sound hugely- these days I’ll often record a direct signal from the guitar as well as the amp (I can then re-amp this signal later to add any missing timbres)

Tip for recording vocals?

Make sure the headphone mix is right- too loud and the vocalist will oversing. Having a great vocal mic, pre-amp and compressor always helps..

Biggest studio no-no for an artist?

This might sound a bit square but ... musicians getting wasted in the studio might seem fun at the time but 99% of the time gives crappy results.

What do you see the producer’s role as?

It depends on the band- more experienced musicians just need to know that they’re performances are being captured properly, less experienced ones need to be coached and given a helping hand. People management is a big part of it.

If you could work with any act in the world, who would it be? Sonic Youth- I’m a fan boy.

JIMI MAROUDAS Where did you get your start?

I have been playing music for as long as I can remember. Elvis was my first inspiration inspiring me to pick up the guitar at the age of 4. As far as music production goes, I got a 4 track recorder for my 16th birthday, 7 years later I landed an assisting gig at Sing Sing studios which was a massive turning point and a life changing experience.

Most memorable session ever at studio and why? This is so tough as there are so

many wonderful memories in the studio. One moment that I recall is being in Paul Kelly’s bungalow/recording studio at the back of his house. We were recording Paul and Troy Cassar-Daley singing a duet. So there we were, squeezed into the bungalow and Paul is nonchalantly leaning on a mattress that is resting against a wall. Hardly raising his head to the microphone, he proceeds to deliver a jaw dropping performance! I remember Nash Chambers (who was producing) and I looking at each other thinking this is just incredible!

Session most proud of and why?

When I was just starting out as a producer and engineer I received a call from The Living End to record and mix some b-sides for their forthcoming album release. I was super excited to be working with the guys and promised myself that I would work as hard as I possibly could to impress. We recorded 6 songs in 3 days and I mixed them all in 2 days. Throughout the recording session I could overhear the guys making flattering comments about how it was all sounding (bear in mind that they had just finished their album with Nick Launay who is absolutely incredible!). I just kept my head down and kept working. On our day off between recording and mixing their manager called asking if there were any rough mixes to listen to because the band couldn’t stop raving about how the session was going. An empty taxi was sent to my house and I popped the only cd with rough mixes into the backseat of the car to be taken straight to management. A month later, I receive a call from the band’s management saying “Just thought we’d let you know that we’re here mastering the album and the band loved what you did so much that a track you did has made the record! Congratulations” Six Months later I was back in the studio working on an exclusive recording with the guys the week that the album was officially released and went straight to #1. Home run!

The player and the parts are key here, but options always help. So having a number of different guitars and amps on hand is always great as you can really tailor the sound scape to fit the mood that you’re going after for any given moment. For amps, having a good sounding room can make massive difference too.

Tip for recording vocals?

Having the singer be absolutely comfortable and free from distraction is the most import thing here. I have recorded vocals in all sorts of different locations, environments and times of day, all in the attempt to have the singer feel most comfortable.

Biggest studio no-no for an artist? Going into a session not knowing what you want to get out of it. Clarity of vision and realistic expectations are really important.

What’s a benchmark album for you in regard to recording quality as opposed to quality of songs?

Quality of recording is always important and I go to great effort in continually pushing the sonic boundary. Ultimately I don’t really think about music in those terms, it either moves me emotionally or not.

If you could work with any act in the world, who would it be?

Are we bound by time? If any artist at

any time, working with Elvis on “American Trilogy’ (or “Wooden Heart”)

STEVEN SCHRAM

Where did you get your start?

Chris Thompson at Triple J was kind enough to let me tag along to Live At The Wireless recordings and broadcasts.

Most memorable session ever at studio and why?

Peggy Frew from Art of Fighting stopping mid vocal take to run off and deliver her baby.

Session most proud of and why? Nobody got stabbed during the making of the Ground Components album. Close, but we avoided bloodshed.

What do you ask of an act when you begin a session? To really listen to each others parts.

Best tip for home recordist?

Sounds good, is good.

Tip for recording guitars?

Small amps and well set up guitars. One microphone.

Tip for recording vocals?

Don’t stare at them when they are singing.

Biggest studio no-no for an artist? Being late.

What do you see the producer’s role as?

The bus driver with a load of screaming school kids all wanting to go somewhere different. Some of them have motion sickness and some are wanting you to teach them how to drive.

Do you think you have your own sonic style?

Yes, Rough around the edges. Heaps distorted and over compressed. www.facethemusic. org.au

[9]

have lives. If it’s not a brand new instrument, they come with a history and a life you are not really aware of. You know when you pick them up. Maybe it doesn’t even sound that good, it doesn’t really matter sometimes. It just feels right and you have a connection with them when you hold them. It allows you to do what you want to do with them and not get caught up in that equipment thing.

It’s been seven long years since The Wallflowers last release, Rebel, Sweetheart. Son of Bob, Jakob Dylan and his floral mates return with a brand new album Glad All Over and invite Clash and Big Audio Dynamite legend Mick Jones to assist on a couple of dub-flavoured tracks. Jakob called up local guitar slinger and Wallflowers fan Shannon Bourne to chat about it all.

Shannon: Yeah some of the old guitars with no real brand name can have a funky tone about them.

The seven year itch Shannon: Reboot The Mission is one of the Mick Jones tracks on the album which turned out great. What was it like working with Mick Jones? Jakob: Well, the band had recorded that song and we knew we were doing something in their territory. I just saw them recently and talked and said if there was anything we could ever do together, we would. We both wanted to. Anything to have the sensational Mick Jones join us. Shannon: What kind of guitars and tones did he bring to the table? Jakob: To tell you the truth, we sent him a file which is how people do things these days. I’d like to be able to tell you we stayed up all night in New York City or something but we sent him the tracks and he was generous enough to spend some time on them. I wish I could tell you what he did but I don’t think the equipment he used matters that much as he has such tremendous tone in his fingers. To me, it would sound like Mick Jones whatever equipment he used. Shannon: I have noticed quite a change in sound from Bringing Down The Horse to the latest album. Was that to do with having a different producer on

board as opposed to T Bone Burnett? Jakob: I don’t think so. I don’t think we were conscious of that. You know, things happen over time... bands evolve, people evolve, abilities change. I suppose it does sound a lot different to Bringing Down The Horse, I hope it does. I don’t think any of us would really know how to redo anything... that record or a different one. There’s a whole lot of factors which go into making a record. People’s interest in it or just something in the air at the time can’t be reproduced.

Shannon: I noticed some dry, funky tones on the record with the piano and also some dub textures. Was that something you or your producer decided to go with?

lot of stuff we haven’t done, so we say, ‘let’s discuss that’. So if you hear something like Motown or funk or whatever, it’s because we haven’t done it before and realising there is still stuff to do. Shannon: Was it more you bringing stuff to the table or the band writing together from the ground up?

Jakob: No Jay [ Joyce] doesn’t work that way. He’s played guitar with us. He was on Bringing Down The Horse actually. He’s not that type of producer. He’s very much a part of this band when making records, he’s such a fine guitar player. We just mess around with stuff and discuss our favourite music and there’s a

Jakob: Yes it was very much that. I brought a few completed songs to the table which is how historically the band has done things. When we first started talking about getting back together, when we discussed it , everyone wanted to be more involved. One of the key things we were looking for was... would the record feel good? Shannon: When you write, do you gravitate to any particular guitar? I have seen you with a nice White Tele and a few different acoustics. Does the instrument indicate what you are going to do? Jakob: I have a lot of stuff and sometimes it is nice to see familiar things around. I’m not sentimental about them or materialistic, there are just things I like and when I turn around, they are still there. I used to collect that stuff and be more interested. Instruments

Jakob: The life that they lived before you got your hands on them, you know, they lived and breathed. You can pick up a massively expensive instrument that doesn’t feel like anything. Maybe it sat in the back of a closet for years and didn’t live. You know, someone may not know it but they might have Charles Manson’s guitar! Can you imagine the stories it wants to tell? Shannon: I wouldn’t want to! Jakob: You never know. It wouldn’t be lost on me. I think if you would hold that guitar, you would feel something.

The energy of the player would transfer into the wood. There’s something in that guitar wherever it is. Shannon: What were the factors which made you take a seven year break from the band? Jakob: Probably a lot of communication failures. Simply put, we never stopped. The strain was gaining on us. You know with me particularly, I had never had a break or played to people outside the group. When we weren’t working, I was writing records for us. It may have seemed like the band took time off but I didn’t take time off. I was trying to write songs. It was just necessary for everybody, we were all burnt out. The classic internal issues were goin’ on. We did the right thing. There’s no need to break up under those circumstances, you just stop doing it. You don’t have to give a statement or explain to anybody, you just go and do different things. If you want to do it again anytime, we can. I don’t think we thought it would be seven years. Glad All Over is out now through Sony Music. www.thewallflowers.com

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[10]

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Prairie didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t realise he wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t re-recording the original Marching Powder. He said heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been listening to it and I laughed saying itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a bit longer than that!â&#x20AC;?

As the first remastered and expanded solo albums of the late Tommy Bolin hit the streets, guitarist Greg Hampton talks to Michael Smith about a tribute album to Bolin, Great Gypsy Soul, that set the stage for the reissues.

Sharing production tasks between Hampton and Haynes was a natural â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the pair have worked together for years, and Hampton plays in a band, 9 Chambers, with Haynesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bass player in Govâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Mule, Jorgen Carlsson. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve known each other long enough that communication comes fairly naturally,â&#x20AC;? Hampton admits. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never laboured.â&#x20AC;?

lready touting a reputation as something of a prodigy, Tommy Bolin, born in Sioux City, Iowa, 1951, was already a 24-year-old veteran when he was tapped in by Deep Purple to replace founding guitarist Richie Blackmore in 1975. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d recently departed from The James Gang, where heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d replaced Joe Walsh, recording two albums with them

The Tommy Bolin legacy before splitting to cut his solo debut, Teaser, which featured contributions from a number of fusion players heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d worked with in the band he formed just three years before, Energy. Bolin wrote or co-wrote seven of the nine tracks on Deep Purpleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Come Taste The Band album, after which they decided to split, and headed out with his own band, recording a second album, Private Eyes, before unfortunately dying of a heroin overdose 3 December, 1976, after opening for Peter Frampton and Jeff Beck earlier that evening. Released in March this year, Great Gypsy Soul is a 2CD set credited to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bolin and Friendsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;; coproduced by guitarists Greg Hampton whose credits include albums for Alice Cooper and Lita Ford, Warren Haynes of Govâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Mule and the Allman Brothers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sonically,â&#x20AC;? Hampton suggests, â&#x20AC;&#x153;it sounds amazinglyâ&#x20AC;Ś I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say modern â&#x20AC;&#x201C; [but] itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very current sounding. Some of the playing is just breathtaking, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ridiculous; so ahead of its time. As well as Hamptonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own Hampton Hacienda Laboratory, recordings were done at a variety of

studios that suited the various guests, involved including Wyman Studios, The Steakhouse, Command Studios, Tarpan Studios, Carriage Hose, Echo Mountain Studios, Sunset Lodge Studios and Perdenales Studios, with additional production carried out by Fabrizio Grossi, who also mixed the album with Hampton, the results mastered by Pete Doel at Universal Mastering. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At the NAMM shows every year,â&#x20AC;? Hampton continues, â&#x20AC;&#x153;all

these cats come to LA or Orange County over that course of time in January, and we were very fortunate to get quite a few performances within that timeframe. In two nights we got Warren and Joe Bonamassa, Steve Morse and Myles Kennedy [Alter Bridge]. Brad Whitford [Aerosmith] we did back east in Carolina. Nels Clines [Wilco] did some amazing stuff with [Israeli jazz guitarist] Oz Noy on that Flying Fingers

track [Disc 2]. And the version without Nels and Oz on that outtake from Teaser is incredible, seventeen minutes with Porcaro playing all those drum parts.â&#x20AC;? Completing that second disc is a piece called Marching Bag, which is broken up into four movements with Prairie Prince playing Michael Narada Waldenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drumkit, â&#x20AC;&#x153;doing his best Narada imitation,â&#x20AC;? Hampton laughs in recollection, â&#x20AC;&#x153;on a twenty-eight minute version of Marching Powder [the version that was released on Teaser featuring Narada], which was taken from seven different takes, all different tempos and most of that drumming on there was just dodgy at best. We did that at Naradaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s studio outside San Francisco. He has this drumset that never moves â&#x20AC;&#x201C; he just did the new Jeff Beck record on it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always micâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d, sitting in the corner, this big double-bass kit, green sparkle, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got to be the best-sounding drumkit Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever heard in my life. But

The Teaser album was originally recorded at The Record Plant, Electric Lady and Trident Studios, Bolin producing with Lee Kiefer, apart from two tracks produced by Dennis MacKay, who also mixed the album at Trident Studios in London. Hampton produced, with Bolinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drummer brother, Johnnie, the other two CDs of alternate and outtakes included in The Ultimate Teaser, mixing them again at Hampton Hacienda Laboratory with Jeremy Mackenzie. Hamptonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approach to this record was simply â&#x20AC;&#x201C; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Trying to make it sound as good as I could. The drums, again, were

the biggest juggling act to get to sound good, but [Bolinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s] playing is just stellar â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that was the main thing. There was just so much stuff â&#x20AC;&#x201C; thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s some other jammy stuff thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gonna be released too. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d go up to the Hollywood Hills to this guyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s place that had a rehearsal studio with a lot of guys heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be touring with â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy was just incredible â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not multitracked, a lot of it. It is what it is â&#x20AC;&#x201C; source material. Some of it is quite good, some of itâ&#x20AC;Ś you know, not,â&#x20AC;? he laughs again. Overall though, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gonna be great for other people to discover.â&#x20AC;? As for Bolinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second and final album, Private Eyes, a lot of the original multitracks have been lost, but his death inevitably meant not nearly as much additional material was recorded so the reissue, when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s released, wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be quite as expansive as the Teaser triple-disc set. For these tracks, Hampton points out , he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use an amp at all for his solos on the recording, opting solely for DI. Both Great Gypsy Soul and The Ultimate Teaser are both out now on 429 Records through Universal. www.tbolin.com

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[12]

Behringer X32 Digital mixer

igital consoles have become popular with sound engineers over the last decade due to the abundant features and ease of operation. These consoles have been very expensive and out of reach for many, but Behringer is about to change that. The Behringer X32 is the new kid on the block and boasts jam-packed functions and features at a price point that will impress the most discerning buyer. Since acquiring sister companies Midas & Klark Teknik, technological ideas from those brands have been implemented into the X32’s preamps as well as the effects and EQ algorithms. What you’ll notice about this 32 channel, 40 input console is the neat layout, so even if you are a first time user you will get your head around it fairly quickly. The 25 mix buses, which includes eight DCA (Digitally Controlled Amplifier) groups with simultaneous group level control, come equipped with serious signal processing (dynamics, EQ and inserts), which can be configured quickly to meet the demands of virtually any gig, large or small.

REVIEWER: JOE YAMMOUNI INFO: WWW.GALACTICMUSIC.COM.AU

he H4N is the next generation of the widely popular Zoom H4, improving on the size of the display and adding a new 4-Channel capture mode.

As far as the X32’s use of motorised faders, Behringer decided to design and build the scribble screens and faders in-house, offering the features and functions of a much pricier console. Another handy feature is the dedicated view buttons for every section on the console surface, so you don’t have to go through multiple layers to access basic functions.

Another feature on the X32 is that the 32 channels of audio can connect from a computer via the USB/Firewire interface card slot on the rear panel. There are also two sets of 48 digital inputs on the desk itself. These use the AES50 ‘SuperMACí standard, an ultralow latency audio network hooked up with standard Cat 5 Ethernet cabling primarily intended for connecting Behringerís new S16 digital stage boxes. With up to three units per AES50 interface, a total of 96 sources and 48 returns are accessible from the console. The X32 straight out of the box lets you record your tracks straight into your DAW. You get compatibility with ProTools, Logic, Cubase and other ASIO or Core-Audio compatible DAWís.

On the top left section of the mixer, you have a dedicated channel strip section featuring 17 backlit buttons and 13 rotary controls with LED-collars right at your fingertips. This provides easy adjustment for each channel’s compressor, 4-band parametric EQ, gates and much more, all clearly functional and easy to set up.

Some other specs include: Midas-designed, fully programmable microphone preamps for audiophile sound quality,40-bit floating-point DSP features “unlimited” dynamic range with no internal overload and near-zero overall latency, 32 x 32 channel audio interface over FireWire and USB 2.0, with DAW remote control emulating HUI and Mackie Control, iPad app for professional remote operation available free of chargeóno host PC required, high-resolution 7” day-viewable colour TFT for easy viewing of workflow components and parameters, future firmware updates, including new FX ìPlug Insî, downloadable from behringer.com free of charge, USB type-A connector providing file storage and uncompressed stereo recordings plus show presets and system updates, Ultranet connectivity for Behringer’s P-16 Personal Monitoring System plus AES/EBU stereo digital output and MIDI, and networked remote control.

Below the channel strip is the 16 motorised input faders providing 32 high-end programmable mic preamps (switchable banks) as well as 6 balanced Line Ins and Outs on 1/4” TRS, 16 balanced XLR Outs, plus dual Phones and balanced Control Room outputs on both XLR and 1/4” TRS connectors. Scribble strips on each channel are backlit with dimmer functionality and let you change the colors and customise the labels. The scribble strips change with

Overall, I would’ve liked more time with the X32 but I was confident in using this desk after only a few hours of use. There is so much more this console can do and as far as a digital console costing goes, this one is a fraction of its competitors. This guy is going to turn a few heads. So clubs, houses of worship, school auditoriums or musos looking for a live/ recording console, it is definitely worth checking out. The X32 comes with a three-year warranty and is a definite mustsee at your authorised stockist. The game is about to change!

REVIEWER: REZA NASSERI INFO: WWW.DYNAMICMUSIC.COM.AU

the layer that youíre on and you can also route your inputs/outputs to create custom fader layers.

The X32 is armed with a wide selection of FX modules that you’d need. There are eight stereo or 16 mono effects which are fully assignable such as echo, delay, reverbs and even guitar cabinet emulators to name just a few. Guitar cab emulators are great when you either don’t have enough room on a stage for your Marshall 4x12 or the amp goes down before a show. The player can plug directly into the system via a DI, and off you go with a high-quality emulator, keeping the show going. Klark Teknik have delivered in this department, providing crisp quality and user-friendly effects which are extremely useful and dispenses with racks of out-board gear.

Zoom H4N Handy Recorder

Just looking at the unit I was impressed, with its solid build, perfectly positioned XY stereo mics, large on-screen display and simple to use interface. This unit is far more flexible than one might think, operating in three modes for stereo, 4-channel surround and multi-track record. The stereo mics can be adjusted at 90º or 120º, and a mid-side matrix decoder allows for extra spatial dimension during field capture. Two XLR inputs also take Hi-Z ¼” guitar leads so you can plug your guitar/ bass/drum machine straight in, and the addition of 24/48V phantom power means any type of mic is compatible with this unit.

The specs on paper are pretty impressive, with up to 24-bit 96 kHz WAV/320kbps MP3 recording, it records audio as well as a DAW. With 32-bit effects processing and up to 50 types of effects including guitar/bass amp sim, reverbs, delays, modulation, and compression, so every sound source has a suitable effects chain. All the information is stored on an SD storage card (the unit comes with a 2G card and can go up to 32G), and can be transferred to computer via USB. When using ‘Stamina Mode’ you get up to 11 hours of continuous recording and even Cubase LE 6 is bundled in, should you wish to edit further I tested the Zoom H4N in Stereo, 4-Channel and Multi-Track modes to see what it was capable of. I grabbed my acoustic, set it to stereo mode, threw on some headphones and played. All you have to do is adjust your headphone level, mic level, hit record and play, and you’re off recording a stereo track at 44.1 kHz/ 16 Bit WAV. The quality is nothing short of studio grade and the onboard mics sound amazing if you’re just singing along with an acoustic guitar. This function is perfectly suited to singer/songwriters

that want to capture spur of the moment. ideas You can even email your band mates the MP3s later. The onboard compressors and low cut were an amazing way of adjusting different environments, ensuring levels are balanced and clipping is absent in noisy places Activating the 4-Channel was a great way to add extra depth to your field recordings, sounding wonderful on pianos when paired with a couple of close condensers. You can even use it for capturing a simple drum kit by close miking the kick and snare while using the XYs overhead. Multi-Track mode was where this unit really shines, allowing a little demo to come together quickly. Plug in a drum machine, bass or guitar and use the onboard amp sims for convincing amp modeling to put together a killer demo in no time. The Zoom H4N is the ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of portable recording, with so many features making it relevant, for so many situations.

Godin Core Series HB Trans Red REVIEWER: GREG PHILLIPS INFO: WWW.DYNAMICMUSIC.COM.AU

here’s something to be said for a familyrun business, even if it’s grown way beyond that. The hard working ethos and passion for the product usually seems to underly the corporate facade and this is what I’ve found to be the case with Canada’s Godin guitar company. When I received a Godin Core HB model guitar for review, I knew to expect a certain level of craftsmanship and ingenuity. There are three models all up in the Core range including the EMG and P90 pickup models. The HB relates to the twin humbuckers featured on this model. My first emotion on sighting the guitar was delight. I wasn’t expecting such a hotrod looking, rock’n’roll instrument. The trans red coloured, single cutaway instrument with black scratch plate and tone control knobs is striking to the eye. The mahogany set neck, rosewood fingerboard and beautiful chambered solid mahogany body scream quality. A 3-way pick-up selector switch is in white rather than black for a bit of contrast. A shining Graphtech Resomax silver bridge adds to the aesthetic. The headstock features Godin chrome plated contemporary-type tuners and signature logo. The guitar is quite weighty in the hands without being back-breaking, and before playing a lick you know it’s going to ring out and sustain like a son of a gun. The 22 fret, 300mm radius fingerboard with a 629mm scale length allows for sleek fret runs without being super slippery and makes for a generous note bend. Due to the chambered construction it’s possible to output some bold, chunky chords and smooth semiacoustic jazz stylings, characteristics you’ll find in many Godins. However, switch the Nitro humbuckers to rock mode and fuzz away to your heart’s content. From fluid George Benson-like licks to Neil Young-style sustained distortion, this guitar had both genres sorted fabulously. Unlike some of the other innovative Godin models, this is more of a workhorse-like instrument, free of fuss. The Trans Red colour tone is mighty attractive, but you may favour the

equally stunning Denim Flame model in blue, the Lightburst or Sunburst options. Comparatively speaking, the Core series is up against your Epiphone SG or Les Paul models and may be a little more expensive. It all comes down to whether you want something a little different and a little more exotic than the bog-standard guitar everyone else owns. Godin guitars are designed and manufactured in Canada. A nice human touch to each Godin instrument is the quality assurance tag which hangs from every guitar depicting 12 check-off points from body/neck finish and electronic install to intonation set up, final inspection and packing, each initialled by a Godin employee in ink. A small detail but one which proves they care about the products they manufacture and more importantly about the musicians who buy their instruments.

[13]

DV Mark Triple 6

REVIEWER: MARK OWEN INFO: WWW.CMCMUSIC.COM.AU

V Mark is an Italian brand which has developed a devout group of followers from gear heads and guitarists to producers and engineers all over the world. And while their gear may have been sometimes placed in a corner with the Stratocaster-playing dad rockers, The Triple 6, or 666 for Slayer fans, is about to change this trend.

Channel one is the clean channel, and it’s a nice rounded warm vibe. It doesn’t really have any break up, even when you push the gain. That can be good or bad depending

[14]

Two AA batteries power the unit’s bright led display, three rotary knobs control parameters and access different pages, a single stomp switch activates effects, engages the tuner or works as a tap tempo and four cursor buttons change effects and allow you to make up a chain. Navigation is ‘child’s play’ and anything unknown is easily resolved in the manual. I began by testing this unit the same way as a stomp box, between my guitar and amp, setting a clean tone and running through the 30 presets. Straight off the bat the first preset, ‘RAT Drive’ gave me a great rock tone. Here, five effects were chained together, a noise gate, distortion pedal, parametric equalizer, graphic EQ and a delay. You can select up to 6 effects at once and chain them together in different configurations, but beware there is a DSP limit in play. What’s even better is that any alterations made to the effects when scrolling back and forth are remembered by the unit without having to save.

6 4

Distortions sounded thick and meaty, and thanks to the Zoom ZFX IV processor, tones don’t sound too harsh or ‘digital’. Standout distortions were the ‘Squeak’ (RAT) and ‘T Scream’ (Ibanez Tubescreamer) which both sounded similar to the real deal, but certain pedals like the ‘MetalWLRD’ (Metal Zone) really failed to hit the mark, having only one tone knob as opposed to four to shape your sound. Instead, for a metal distortion I chose the ‘Squeak’, threw in a noise gate and scooped some

REVIEWER: REZA NASSERI INFO: SALES@DADDARIO.COM.AU

The Mini Mofo pumps out 15 watts of Class-A tone, with two EL 84’s firing the power amp and three 12AX7’s in the pre. Four cascading gain stages give all the drive you could ever need with the included footswitch operating the Mofo gain. Middle, Bass, Treble and Presence make up the EQ section with the Master volume controlling overall volume in conjunction with the Stealth switch (stealthily positioned underneath the head) dipping the wattage. There are two separate tone shaping inputs for US and UK tones, a series effects loop (which requires a stereo insert cable), 8 and 16 ohm outputs for a range of different cabs, and it all comes built in a cool, see-through steel chassis. Plugged in, the difference between

Now, powerful processing gets even smaller in the form of the Zoom MS-50G Multi Stomp pedal, a multi-effects processor housed in a single stomp box. Small effects processors have been around for a while, but I haven’t come across any that contain 55 effects consisting of 8 amp models, 12 dynamics/ filter effects, 10 distortions, 2 clean effects (including an acoustic sim), 13 mod/ sfx and 10 delay/ reverbs.

Hayden Mini Mofo and 112 Cab

he Hayden Mini Mofo is a little freak of an amplifier, with more gain and grunt than most full-sized heads. There are a variety of voicing’s on tap from warm cleans to mild break-up, or classic ‘Plexi’ rock to full blown metal mayhem.

the two inputs is that the US seems to have a bigger rounder bass like an old Fender or Mesa, whereas the UK has a grittier midrange and chime like a Vox or Marshall Plexi. I started with my Strat plugged into the US input scanning through the clean tones. The cleanest sounds came by turning the Master all the way up and keeping the Mofo all they way down, then using the gain to delicately set the volume. This resulted in a very clean, pristine tone with a nice fat bottom and jangly presence. There’s no reverb with this amp, but the series FX loop would eat up some reverb or delay for this type of sound. Turning the Master down and increasing gain brought about a mild drive along the lines of a Fender Deluxe or Blues Junior, whereas going all out and using some Mofo resulted in a nice flabby Mesa-style lead tone.

fter having reviewed quite a number of different Walden guitars over the years, one thing always rings true, they’ve always been great value for money. Walden guitars are solid in construction and attractive in design, but more importantly always seem to play well and sound great too.

Six custom gold machineheads with satin black buttons aid tuning, and a Graphtech Fossalite nut and saddle cut to perfection, mimicking the tone of a vintage bone nut. Two glass fibre rails sit in the neck just before the headstock adding extra stability and extra tonal harmonics. The action is set low and string tension is loose, perfect for lead guitarists, beginners or players that are sick of shredding the callouses on stubborn strings, and the neck profile is shallow, smooth and makes for hours of comfortable, stress-free playing.

Amp modeling was okay too, (nothing close to Fractal Audio or Line 6) and it’d be possible to go to a gig and plug the pedal straight into the desk for a useable tone. However, I’d suggest this pedal is designed to plug straight into a guitar amp. The Marshall Plexi, Fender Deluxe and Vox emulations sounded good and the Diezel model came close in 4th place. The real standout effects for me (besides the distortions) were the funky auto-wah and voice box, incredibly simple and effective noise gate, superb reverbs and delays, and a great Univibe effect. Tracking on the harmony and pitch shifting devices is spot on also and will please players who like these types of effects. In summing up, the Zoom Multi Stomp MS-50G is a brilliant device and would make a handy addition to any guitarist’s pedal board. Who knows, next time your amp blows a fuse at a gig or rehearsal you might even find yourself plugging one straight into the PA.

REVIEWER: REZA NASSERI INFO: WWW.MUSICMERCH.COM.AU

A scalloped spruce X-brace sits under the top alongside carefully carved tone bars stabilising the soundboard and providing detailed clarity and an open voice for this instrument. North American Sitka spruce is the pick for the top and is renowned for its balanced voice and strong attack, adding extra detail and crisp overtones in the mix.

Over on the UK input it’s a different story, as this amp magically transforms into a classic rock machine, eating up every note from my Les Paul. The bass becomes more subtle and immediate, the mids more focussed, the treble barking like a Marshall and the presence extremely sensitive. I hit the stealth switch and pumped the master for a saturated, responsive tone. I love how this amp adjusts to your playing, and it’s possible to get all your tones from the guitar by adjusting pickups and rolling the volume up or down.

mids with a couple of EQs in order to get a really impressive tone.

Walden Natura G740CE Acoustic

The body on the Natura G740CE is something different, coming in a ‘Grand Auditorium’ design, where the body is wider at the lower bout and narrower at the upper bout, with a beautiful Venetian cutaway allowing easy access to higher frets. The materials are all solid wood, a hard Sitka spruce top, light mahogany back, neck and sides and dark rosewood bridge and fingerboard.

One thing that’s immediately obvious is how much tonal range is available with the four band EQ – it’s so wide and musical with a massive dynamic range. You can go from mid-scooped metal to honky vintage leads and everywhere in between. The bass is solid too, even with the Eminence equipped Hayden 1 by 12 cab. The presence was really overbearing to my ears, so I liked keeping the treble up and the presence low as sort of master cut for the highs.

The Hayden Mini Mofo head and cab work beautifully together, being made for guitarists seeking a wide range of tones for recording, gigging, or setting that one perfect tone and using your guitar for dynamics. For a little amp, the Hayden Mofo does a hell of a lot.

REVIEWER: REZA NASSERI INFO: WWW.DYNAMICMUSIC.COM.AU

hose mad scientists at the Zoom laboratories have done it yet again. For those in the know, these Japanese audio gurus have been leading the pack with their pint-sized handheld audio (and video) recorders for quite some time, also making a memorable stamp on the guitarists’ collective consciousness with their 505 and G series effects.

Channel two offers as much gain as you’ll ever need. I had the gain about halfway and was playing through every metal riff I’ve ever played. The amp puts are a really tight, distorted tone. It’s clear, crisp and you can really play some faster, intricate stuff without it being swallowed in saturation. That was the best thing about the amp for me, the fact that no matter how low I had my guitar tuned, the amp still put out a clear and powerful sound. Channel three is just a bigger, nastier version of channel two, and is marketed as the ‘Lead’ channel, which seems fairly redundant considering the footswitch has a solo function to boost the volume for lead breaks. So basically the amp sounds fantastic, and for a metal/hardcore/hard rock player looking for a versatile amp I think this is a great solution. It doesn’t have the muddy wash of the Mesa and it’s a tighter, less ‘fizzy’ amp than the Peaveys. My only qualm is that the amp navigation took a little getting used to. However, if you are patient enough to brush your long metal hair every night, you are most likely patient enough to play this amp.

Zoom MS-50G Multi Stomp

on personal taste. Importantly, it sounds great. A lot of amps made for ‘metal’ forget about clean, so its nice that this amp has the ability to really showcase DV Mark’s ability to create a really nice sounding tone.

This 120 Watt all valve 3 channel amp is based on the DV Mark Bad Boy, with the main change being a more aggressive gain and tone controls. It’s got a bunch of cool features like selfbiasing, loop assign, usual channel switch and a solo button. It has equalisation for each channel, presence and gain control, as well a volume.

Visually, the quality and colour of woods is quite attractive, a soft vanilla spruce top, golden brown mahogany back, sides and neck and a dark tan finish on the headstock. The rosette features a nice blend of abalone and pinstripe to match surrounding white plastic pinstripe bindings, and mini dot markers add a modern, minimalist vibe to the fretboard. Unplugged she sounds great, very evenly balanced without too much top or bottom end. There is

a nice sparkle of presence resulting from a combination of fresh strings and great construction making lighter picks and fingerstyle playing sound crisp and airy. Lead guitar playing is especially good with the lower action and light string tension, as it’s so desirable for bending strings, vibrato and hammerons and pull offs. Plugged in, the B-Band T-35 is a simple, clear and bright preamp, utilizing a piezo pickup under the bridge saddle to provide tones. It’s a very brilliant sounding guitar when plugged in that would sit beautifully at the top of a dense mix, ideal alongside a couple of electric guitars or perhaps capo’d to sound a bit like a mandolin. The Walden Natura G740CE is another quality choice in a saturated market of acoustics under $1000, its appeal lying in comfort, tone and ease of use. The pickup is very easy to operate, and it would be hard to get a poor tone out of it with its wide, musical 3-band EQ.

Product: Casio XW-G1

t’s not unfair to say that in the past, the name Casio hasn’t figured highly in discussions about must have, hi-tech music making gear. However, it’s clear the company is now intent on making a bit of a statement with its two new synths, the XW-P1 and the XW-G1. The former is very much a player’s instrument with a vast range of synth, organ and rhythm sounds, and handy features such as ‘hex’, which allow the layering of up to six sounds. However, the XW-G1 is a slightly different beast, aimed at what might be diplomatically termed the ‘DJ’ market. With its amazing new features, the XW-G1 will add some grunt and inspiration to the DJ and dance music setting.

keyboard. I also immediately noticed the nonslip area on the top right, which would be ideal for an iPod, or similar such device.

It’s essentially a sixoscillator synthesiser with the capacity to record phrases and samples. It looks great and two things initially struck me - how light it was and how ‘generous’ it is with 61 keys. These are weighted just a little so they’re much more fun to play than the usual ‘springy’ kind of synth

It has all the expected ins and outs on the back panel, but one handy feature is the option to run other devices through its processing engines. The XW-G1 is in essence a production workstation. It’s generally laid out in a functional manner, and features the sorts of capabilities that’ll appeal to DJs who want to take their performance up a notch – the preset sounds are very ‘club’ and there are plenty of rhythm kits and so forth. It’s probably not intended to be a standalone piece of kit and shouldn’t be judged as such. What it can do is provide a considerable presence to DJ and live electronic music performance, and its sequencing/sampling capability allows complex phrases to be stored and played with one key stroke.

REVIEWER: BAZ BARDOE INFO: WWW.SOUNDTECHNOLOGY.COM.AU

The main controls are divided into what are essentially three main areas. The left deals with the editability of tones, with four assignable knobs, and nine sliders. Three parameter program button options on the left allow the sliders to be used for different sound editing functions. It also doubles as the event editor for the sequencer function and is laid out in a way reminiscent of classic Roland kit synonymous with techno. I could speculate that Casio may have felt this was a kind of genre standard. The right-hand section deals with navigating around the preset sounds and user banks. It’s the middle that will interest the dance music fraternity greatly however. This area has the main volume knob as well as controls for the three main functions - performance mode, tone editing mode and the step sequencer. In performance mode the keyboard can be divided into four and there are 100 user and 100 preset tones, available plus the capacity to play prerecorded sequences and phrases. Tone editing allows the user to generate new tones, while the 16-step sequencer consists of nine note parts and four control parts. Five of these are for drums, one for bass, two for solo instruments and one for chords; however there’s still plenty of scope to create phrases for jamming, or augmenting a performance. Additionally, there’s the sampling capability, with up to 19 seconds per sample available. Used intelligently this is the kind of firepower that’ll make you look good.

W 10 8

The Kemper Profiling Amp is quite different from all of its so-called competitors, as it’s genuinely the first of its kind. The KPA allows you to capture (profile if you will) the sound of any amp and quicker than Usain Bolt runs a 100-metre sprint. This is a new and unparalleled approach to guitar tube amp sounds. You can profile all and any amps you have, with your favorite sounds and/or cabs. You can even swap profiles with others on the net. There are already a number of people with vintage amp collections who have shared their profiles. I’m already thinking about two of my mates’ amps I’d love to profile - Shannon Bourne’s Gretsch Amp and Vinny Mancuso’s (Freestate) Modified Mesa. Well I’m that guy (like most guitarists) that is too excited to read the manual and likes to get straight into a new piece of gear headfirst. Lucky there’s an array of presets. So with its multiple output options, I plugged into my studio setup and got going. I immediately found Plexi and JCM 800 profiles (two of my favorites in the Marshall range) that brought a smile to my face (good start KPA). In the past when using a Simulator/Emulator I’ve always found that where they were lacking was in the sound of the air that only a mic’d amp gives you. I love that I can profile an amp with a mic other than a 57 or a 421 and can now use some of my favorite ribbon mics . I found most of the preset profiles very usable. So much so, I got straight to work on replacing guitars I recorded on a Jimmy Cupples track I was producing. I found it easy to modify the profile, adding and

REVIEWER: EAMON STEWART INFO: WWW.JADEAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

The same can be said for its similarities in sound. To begin with, I ran the guitar through a Marshall valve amp and that classic rock sound we all know so well was clear and present. It’s important to remember that this model is in the sub $1000 price range and therefore equivalent to the Epiphone range of Les Pauls, and like the Americans, the sound is very close to the real thing.

The sound is rich and the guitar is really easy to play. When soloing with distortion, the sustain holds for days and coupled with a big muff pedal, the tone is irresistibly bold. The clean sound held its own too, but let’s face it, this guitar is in its element with the gain knobs turned up.

My only concern is with the tuning heads standing the test of time. This is an issue with all brands that have models within this price range, so it’s nothing new. If you really want to remedy the problem you can buy some standalone tuning heads. You might also consider this guitar’s bigger brother the ALS140F, if you’re serious about upgrading to a prolevel guitar with extra pickup grunt.

When you take a step back and look at the guitar, it’s hard to believe the price. It’s a really well-built guitar that sounds legit and the finished product is quite impressive. I must admit that I busted out “Sweet Child of Mine” and apart from my suspect playing, the tone was identical to the recording. You can definitely achieve the look and the sound with this model.

REVIEWER: MARK OWEN INFO: WWW.GOSPELPIANOS.COM

he Audya 4 is presented as a state-ofthe-art modern Expander and Arranger module; in simpler terms, it allows you to create accompaniments, backing tracks, and play along with them. Although you may be forgiven for thinking that this may be a very confusing and complicated device, you’d be mistaken. The interface is very user-friendly and allows you to navigate through the device quickly and with ease. And it’s a device that many players, arrangers and performers will find a very useful and valuable tool in their arsenal. Ketron have been around since the early ‘80s, are based in Italy, and have a rich history for audio interfaces, keyboards and PA systems. Since Ketron’s renowned MS60 / MS40 series was launched back in the early ‘90s, Ketron has been at the forefront of the industry and the Audya 4 is definitely consolidating that.

subtracting gain, highs, lows, mids, etc. The KPA even has a number of onboard effects Delay, Reverbs, Mods, etc, that are very easy to control My recording setup/ studio is in a residential area. Out of respect to my neighbours, I usually halt drum recordings at 6pm and guitar recordings no later than 9pm. The KPA comes in very handy for those late night sessions. Anyone who has recorded guitar knows the variables of mic placement on a speaker cone. Sometimes you come up with a killer sound in an unlikely way i.e. a room mic and a close mic and so on. It’s quite cool that I can take a snapshot of my recorded rig and use it at anytime. So you’re all getting the gist that I want one, right? Well you’d be correct. In fact I think you’re going to be seeing the KPA in a lot of recording studios in time. I think once you get over that it looks like a machine you’d see in an Intensive Care Unit and use your ears to judge, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Will it replace real amps in the future? Probably not, but I think they will co exist peacefully.

Ketron Audya 4 Advanced Music Station

The intonation was great from the word go. Every note was pitch perfect. This is due to the sturdiness of the neck and the whole guitar for that matter, which is really evident when you pick it up.

With this model, Tokai shows once again they’re the real deal and that’s no false boast. Check out the list of players who have slung a Tokai around their neck, not least the late Stevie Ray Vaughan and ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons. Since 1997 they’ve been producing Fender’s Japanese line which sees them really as the masters of the sub $1000 market these days.

REVIEWER: MARCEL YAMMOUNI INFO: WWW.INNOVATIVEMUSIC.COM.AU

e’ve all read the sensationalist claims of various guitar amp simulator/emulator manufacturers suggesting they have the upper hand with this new technology… some assert their products are even better than the real thing. Before going any further, I feel compelled to let you know I’ve always been a tube amp guy, with brands like Fender, Vox, Marshall, Mesa/ Boogie and even some of the more boutique brands like Ulbrick and Badcat being among my favorites. I love the purity of tone that a good quality valve amp provides and have been lucky enough to have heard and own quite a few in my time.

Tokai Lp Style ALS-48

laying this guitar was my first expedition into the world of Tokai. Although I’ve held down many conversations with friends in the past about the fabled Japanese brand, our paths have never actually crossed. The first thing that hits you is its striking resemblance to the American brand on which the model is clearly based. This model in particular (the LP STYLE ALS-48), is shaped like the Gibson Les Paul and in the Cherry Sunburst colour, the Jimmy Page look is certainly achieved.

Kemper Profiling AMP

The Audya 4 has over 560 in-built groove styles and 370 drum sequences, making it almost impossible not to find the right beat for your song, be it original or a cover. If for some reason you can’t find one, the device allows you to import you own drum samples and sequences; you can also start from scratch and create your own within the device. It has over 150 guitar patterns, allowing you to select a style, as well as the key and the chords or notes. It also includes a massive bank of bass guitar, ambient sounds and special effects, offering the user a total sonic experience. The device is made with both home studio and live situations in mind, with plenty of inbuilt effects including reverb, chorus, flanger and delay. It has two XLR inputs so you can have two vocals at any one time, with individual effects on either channel, MIDI in, into two through and 32 MIDI channels and two line inputs. You can play your guitar straight into the music station and use the in-built effects and play straight through the PA - no more lugging around a sequencer and amps or a pedal board.

This unit is such an impressive piece of kit, it’s impossible to even to talk about half of the abilities this gives the user. More features I haven’t mentioned include the Pro level multiplayer with up to six tracks simultaneously playing back, playlists, the ability to pre fader listen to your tracks, cross fades etc etc, input harmonisers and a state of the art vocaliser. Built with the working musician in mind, it’s easy to use and the 17 sliders allow fast and easy real-time control over effects and volumes. Although I have barely scratched the surface of this device, you can see why the Ketron Audya 4 is going to be the preferred arranger and sequencer for many performers. Do yourself a favour; get down to your local music store and spend some time with one - you won’t regret it. I’m off to delve further into this beast.

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TERRASPHERE P R OD U C T ION S

CH-CH-CH-CHANGES

Following a lengthy break and the return of members from around the world, the DIY priority is back for The Good China. Guitarist Ryan Mason teas with Stephanie Liew.

When Tara Simmons started what’s become her second album, she wasn’t sure it would even be a Tara Simmons album. She talks to Michael Smith about how it all turned around.

t began, in a sense, with her decision to work with producer Yanto Browning, who’s worked with Kate Miller-Heidke, Art Of Sleeping and The Jungle Giants, among others. Brisbane-based singer-songwriter Tara Simmons had reached a point in her career where, while justly proud of the music she’s created to date – two EPs and her 2009 debut album, Spilt Milk, that had established her trademark down-tempo sample-driven sound – it was time for changes. “I actually did my previous EP [2007’s All The Amendments] with him,” she recalls, relating the evolution of what became her second album, It’s Not Like We’re Trying To Move Mountains, “which was very, very uninvolved in ways. I basically wrote the EP really quickly, we went to a secret location, set up a recording rig and recorded over a weekend, and released that. For me, I wanted to work with him – and I’ve never even said this to him – but in a way it was a little bit of a test to see how we worked together and if it would be a good idea for me to do an album with him. And we worked together incredibly well; we really share a similar view of which way I should head and how I should sound. It’s really, really positive.”

There’s more to this story

on the iPad

That said, only a small part of the work the pair did together as co-writers would end up on the album. “Basically, I knew that I had to write some more upbeat music,” she explains. “I actually went through a stage there where I thought I would create a new band to do that, and I felt confused by the idea of taking Tara Simmons into a new kind of… genre, so some of those initial songs that I wrote with him were actually going to be a project we started together. But as we were starting to do that, Yanto came along and saw a couple of shows and saw that, it was almost like subconsciously, I was already implementing a lot of the

things I wanted to do in my own show. So he kind of took a step back and said, ‘I think you just need to do the Tara Simmons thing and do what you want to do.’” Over the next 12 months, the pair worked through a lot of Simmons’ ideas and gradually the new album took form. In the meantime, she was also reassessing how she wanted to present the new music live. “I’ve got a four-piece that I’m taking on the road with me and it’s a completely different band to the one I’ve normally worked with,” Simmons says. “When I started this project, as part of my vision for what this record would be, there were a couple of rules that were put in place; one was no glitch beats or samples, and no cellos, or no strings – I’d played cello and sung on quite a few of my songs – and we actually stuck to that. So what I now have is more a rock’n’roll band, I guess. I don’t know what else to call straight up-and-down drums and bass; I’m on keys, with a guitarist who also plays keys.” Upbeat the album may be, but as a songwriter who writes very much from the personal perspective, Simmons found herself in the least conducive position for the necessary spurring of creativity – in a happy relationship. So she looked at her past. “I had to get back into a headspace at times that wasn’t really all that great,” she admits, “and tap into stuff that does feel a little unresolved or open-ended for me, and write from there.” WHO: Tara Simmons WHAT: It’s Not Like We’re Trying To Move Mountains (Inertia) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 1 November, The Workers Club

PRESSURE DOWN Having a successful small business has allowed Tim Richmond the freedom to pursue music on his own terms. Though, as Anthony Carew discovers, he’ll take his sweet time about it.

ust reading the Tim Richmond bio might suggest he’s some Melbourne music scenester. His first self-titled 2008 LP featured Declan Kelly on drums; his latest, Dot, was recorded with Nick Huggins and features Kishore Ryan (of Kid Sam and Otouto) on drums. His newly-assembled live band features Ryan, Tim Harvey (Clare Bowditch), James Cecil (Super Melody, Architecture In Helsinki), and Mark Monnone (The Lucksmiths, Monnone Alone). Yet Richmond doesn’t seem himself as an insider, but an eternal outsider. “I feel like I’ve done this entirely in isolation,” says Richmond, of his part-time, slow-moving musical ‘career’. “I don’t feel like I’ve existed in a music community at all. I’ve been a cook and a chef, and recently a business owner. As much as I would’ve loved to have been this part of a local musical community, in a more public sphere, it hasn’t happened that way. I’ve done this in my own little world. It’s only now that I’ve made this album that I feel like I can engage in the music community.” Richmond’s distant backstory is, however, filled with rock’n’roll. As a 15-year-old, he formed his first band, a Sonic Youth-inspired alt.rock outfit he declines to name. “I was only 15, but I was always playing in bars,” he recalls. “I was gigging every weekend. Then I stopped when I was 18, and didn’t play for almost ten years.” After moving to Melbourne, Richmond spent his time working as a chef. Even though he kept writing songs, he just never performed them; and it was only when he, fortuitously, ended up as Kelly’s housemate that he was coaxed into making a record. After the release of his solo debut in 2008, Richmond again put his musical career on the backburner; instead throwing all his time and effort into establishing Long Play, the North Fitzroy bar he co-owns. Yet he persisted, still working away at songs that he’d been holding onto for years. “I’ve drawn on material I’ve written over a decade, essentially,” Richmond offers, of the jams collected on Dot. “You could say it’s a portrait of my 20s, my late-20s; my whole adult life, in a way. I’ve always spent part of my life chipping away at writing

52 • For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews

GET IT OUT he Good China’s new EP We Knew We Had To Leave is all about literal and figurative changes; the changing and moving on of people, places and times. It’s a brief musical summary of what the band have experienced – collectively and individually – in the last three years since they released their debut EP, Old Maps/New Roads. In support of their debut, the band crammed into two station wagons and drove around playing shows in towns as varied as Sydney, Canberra, Geelong and Numurkah. “I think we were a little bit exhausted at the end of that and ended up taking a little bit of time out,” says guitarist Ryan Mason. Their break turned out to be longer than any of them had anticipated. During that time, Mason explored Europe for three months and a few of his bandmates visited Japan. “We all scattered in different directions for a bit and then recharged, refreshed and came back together. The new EP is the end result of heading overseas and broadening our perspective on life and everything a little bit more, and getting a little bit older and wiser.” Considering the band are essentially the product of eight strangers from different backgrounds, music tastes and technical proficiencies answering an online ad, they’ve evolved into something much more meaningful. “I definitely think The Good China is a priority for all of us, “ Mason continues. “It’s something that we all come back to. It’s the thing that makes us all really close friends now. A lot of us have lived with each other; it’s been a really awesome journey to be able to not just be bandmates but to be really good mates. All of us would love to be able to be musicians, and that’s the goal for everyone in a way, to do something you love.” A useful thing about having so many members in the band is that inevitably each person will have other skills that can benefit the band as a whole. The Good China’s new EP was produced and mostly recorded and engineered by guitarist/vocalist Nick “Nicko” McMillan. He lugged his laptop, hard drive and other equipment around to lay tracks down in several band members’ houses. “It’s all got a very transient vibe to it that’s almost picked up in the

songs being all about change and moving around,” says Mason. “Being able to record everything at our own pace was really good as well. And it’s really expensive to record an eight-piece band if you’re in the studio all the time!” The wonderfully crafty music video for the EP’s title track – in which the song’s lyrics are represented through objects and strategically-placed writing – was also shot in McMillan and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist James ‘Jag’ Grech’s South Yarra abode. Grech, who works at Guerrilla Creative, filmed, produced and edited the video with help from drummer Adam Horne. In contrast to being set in familiar territory, the song itself is about the alienating feeling that you no longer belong in certain places that were once so familiar and comforting. “There’s the bars and clubs, even the suburbs and streets, all the sort of culture you experience in your early 20s and late teens,” Mason says. “Things move on and things change and that song is largely looking at a time that we remember fondly but it’s quite different to what it used to be.” The Good China launch We Knew We Had To Leave at Ding Dong Lounge this Saturday, and while the venue has transformed in appearance since the last time they played there, Mason is hoping its propensity for good times has remained the same. “It will be the first opportunity for any of our fans to get a copy of the EP; we’re not launching it officially until a few days afterwards, so we really wanna be able to let the people in Melbourne who have supported us for a really long time now get a first crack at it.” WHO: The Good China WHAT: We Knew That We Had To Leave (Independent) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 27 October, Ding Dong Lounge

STRANGER DANGER Although life on the road is one constant olfactory assault, Strangers vocalist Ben Britton and guitarist Ben Kinsela ‘fess up to Bryget Chrisfield that when everything clicks together onstage, you can’t beat the buzz.

songs, with the idea that one day – as has happened – I’d be able to record them properly with a good band.” Yet, as much as Huggins and Ryan colour the songs on Dot, there’s still a sense of their original isolation throughout: in its stark, arcing guitar lines, the simple plod of its drums, and in Richmond’s hesitant, gentle singing, which makes him sound unsure of every sentiment. “There’s definitely a sense of isolation in the songs,” says Richmond. “But in my 20s I was experiencing literal isolation: isolation in relationships, or not having relationships. In the songs, I address that in that poetic kind of way; you’re writing around that, not directly addressing that. I feel like it’s too personal too divulge the specific stories behind the songs.” Those songs, Richmond says, “are more like vignettes”; each “different in their own way”, each the product of a long, slow, patient “crafting process” in which Richmond slowly sculpts on his own. Previously, taking them out live, the songwriter “didn’t feel like [his] set was very entertaining”; but now, in front of a five-piece band of Melbourne allstars, the outsider is feeling a little less anxious. “With the first album, I probably would’ve only done eight sets live,” Richmond says. “It was really hard for me, because at the time I was putting pressure on myself to try and make a living out of playing live, which was pretty delusional. I’ve got a bar now, and a successful bar, and I’ve got a big, full band on stage with me. So now I feel very relaxed.” WHO: Tim Richmond WHAT: Dot (Lost & Lonesome) WHEN & WHERE: Sunday 28 October, Northcote Social Club

o see Strangers live and the Sydney quintet’s presence is established well before they hit the stage. “Oh, Barnsey,” the band’s frontman Ben Britton chuckles, referring to the life-size cardboard standup of lead guitarist Mark Barnes that travels everywhere with the band. It turns out two of these replication Barnseys have already gone missing. “One guy tried to steal one from Cherry,” Britton marvels. “Like, he just blatantly picked it up and started walking out with it and we had to run after him and grab it off him.” Another one went AWOL during the band’s recent Good Charlotte support slot at Sydney’s Luna Park. “Some 15-year-old girl’s got this lifesize cut-out of Mark and she’s gone, ‘I’m gonna take it home and put it in my room.’ And I’m like, ‘Poor parents’,” Britton sympathises. “To see that guy – all her teenage years growing up it’s just sitting in the corner, with his hand half down his pants. Ugh!” Barnes also imitates his 2D representation’s outfit of black shorts and Ugg boots as onstage attire – the sheepskin-lined footwear must reek! “They’re starting to get bad,” the singer concurs. As well as warming up Good Charlotte’s stages recently, Strangers have also been busy playing weekly residencies in both Sydney and Melbourne. That equals loads of time spent in the tour van. “Generally, we’ll leave Sydney on a Tuesday afternoon and then on Wednesday we’ll rehearse in South Melbourne at Deluxe Studios, the rehearsal space there, and then we bail from there in the late afternoon and just go straight to Cherry,” the band’s other Ben [Kinsela, guitarist] elaborates. All band members then pile back into a people-mover and drive north to Sydney for their Thursday night Lansdowne Hotel residency. “There’s five of us and you’ve got the gear, so we just bought a 12-seater about three months ago and we’ve done 34,000 ‘k’s so far,” the guitarist continues. “As a matter of fact, when we came here, on the way, we’re just like [sniffs], ‘It fuckin’ stinks in here, dude’,” Kinsela laughs. “We’ve accepted the fact that we’re never gonna be able to sell the van, that’s how bad it smells.”

Taking time out on this particular Wednesday arvo to sink a couple of jugs of liquid gold with Inpress at an old man’s pub in Fitzroy North, the pair certainly stand out in their muso threads. And it seems the constant gigging is paying off when both speak in animated tones about their band’s progress. “It’s a good feeling when it all clicks together,” Britton extols. “When the room kinda feels alive and the groove’s there and the melodies are soaring, and the guitars are loud as shit and the drums are loud as shit and the harmonies are all aligned…“ His bandmate interjects, “The whole band musically just gets together and it works. It’s the best feeling in the world... It’s just the chemistry. Honestly, that’s what it comes down to. I mean, when you get a bunch of guys together and you’re playing music, the chemistry just has to be there and, look – some nights it’s on, some nights it’s not. But some nights you get together and by the first note of the first song you just know it’s there and you just lock in and everyone’s in the same mindset and it just fuckin’ works.” “It’s a great buzz,” Britton agrees, “but there is a point where you go – if it’s not on, you make it on.” Kinsela assents –“You force it, yeah. We like that ‘cause it adds some danger to the show. You kinda almost want something to happen just to create that… If you wanna hear something perfect, you may as well just stay home and listen to the CD.” WHO: Strangers WHAT: Persona Non Grata (Permanent Records/Shock) WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday 24 October, Cherry Bar

DONE AND DUSTED From releasing a ’70’s tribute album to a space-themed odyssey, it’s hard to put Jane Dust into a box. Tony McMahon tries his best.

Admitted Francophile Tony McMahon gets the low-down from the frontman of indie pop three-piece Revolver, Ambroise Willaume, about finding a place in the international scene while continuously embracing change.

“P

eople have a hard time categorising me artistically,” says Jane Dust. This strikes Inpress as something of an understatement, roughly up there with ‘invading Poland was a bad idea’. Dust’s peculiar – and peculiarly likable – brand of symphonic pop has its latest airing with her new album, Space Odyssey: Part 1, as wildly interesting a record as has been released all year. What’s more, Dust’s band, The Giant Hoopoes, is something of a supergroup, boasting Stu Thomas, Clare Moore, Will Hindmarsh and Louisa Trewartha, and would be worth the price of admission, so to speak, for this fact alone. “Looking back on the albums I’ve made, it’s easy to see why,” Dust goes on, continuing to explain her eclecticism. “I mean, who makes a tribute album to 1970’s torch songs and then turns around and releases a space odyssey? Freaks like me, that’s who! None of my albums have fit neatly into the rock, punk, indie pop or country genres. I don’t fit into any subculture, but I do belong to a small group of musicians in Melbourne who are orbiting around their own planets, creating their own universes and bustin’ the hip-and-shoulder move on static life-forces that get in the way. Alley Oop, Go Go Sapien and Dave Graney are fellow space travellers. No muther can pin down freaks like us.” Sadly, the concept album is a rarer thing than it should be these days. In explaining what it was that attracted her to the idea, Dust makes it all sound so simple, kind of… “I like stories. The whole galaxy is open to me and the freedom to make a space-themed symphonic album was there so I grabbed it. Besides, 2012 is ripe for a space odyssey – the universe is contracting and expanding and disintegrating and spewing forth. Heaps of crazy shit is going down.” And talking of story, it seems that Dust’s new album definitely has one, even if it might be a little complicated. Apparently, it’s got something to do with the age-old dichotomy between vinyl and iPods. “Space Odyssey Part I comes in three suites – Earth, Mars and Venus – and charts the narrative of a group of space travellers searching for a galactic space

SMOKING GUNS

W menace. I like the idea of a variety of songs following a trajectory and being thematically and sequentially reliant on each other – like the opposite of iPods. This is part one of my space odyssey. The complete odyssey will be released on double vinyl in 2014 and nobody is gonna be able to shuffle up/mix up that baby. They will have to listen to the tracks one after the other on each album if they wanna remotely understand what I’m banging on about... which of course they do.” Concept albums in the past have been, well, over produced is a polite way to put it. But while Dust’s music does sound gorgeous and shiny, she maintains that there won’t be any dramas reproducing it at the Northcote Social Club for the launch. Providing, that is, you don’t consider decapitation in any way dramatic. “Casey Rice co-produced and engineered this record and made it sound as great as it does. I don’t know how he does it. He’ll be mixing at the launch so he’ll be doing what Casey Rice does best – creating Casey Rice magic. Paul Kidney Experience are supporting and are fellow space travellers. Who knows what those cats are gonna serve up? The Hoopoes and I have got the string quartet onboard – there will be nine of us onstage letting peeps into our world for a small period of time, but they’ll be lucky to leave the show with their heads still on their necks – we’ll see to that. That is, if our heads are still on our own necks by the end of the show and we can still use our eyes.” WHO: Jane Dust & The Giant Hoopoes WHAT: Space Odyssey: Part I (Independent) WHEN & WHERE: Sunday 28 October (2pm), Northcote Social Club

ith a dyed-in-the-wool Francophile such as this writer, there was never much chance he was not going to adore the new album, Let Go, from French pop three-piece Revolver. What’s surprising here, though, is the levels of sophistication and adventurousness this trio of young Parisians have brought to the follow-up to their phenomenally successful 2009 debut, Music For A While. Talking to singer/songwriter Ambroise Willaume, the band’s willingness to embrace change becomes the hot topic. Willaume is more than forthcoming, speaks better English than your correspondent, and does so in the coolest accent this side of Gerard Depardieu. “I think it’s what we do all the time – we’re a band who likes change,” Willaume enthuses. “When we went on tour with the first album, we discovered so many new things and had so many new experiences. When the first album came out, we had no idea about touring or being on stage, and we learned so much as a band and as people. We couldn’t do the same sort of record again because we were not the same people.” And this is not the only reason Let Go is a very different record to the band’s first. According to Willaume, it’s also a matter of influences, the producer and a desire to mix things up. “We kind of have more imagination on the second album. We wanted it to be a whole new canvas. When you’re playing, you’re also discovering new bands every night and listening to a lot of music when you’re not playing. So we now have a lot more ideas about colours and textures in music. We also gave more space to the producer. We wanted him to be more experimental and to explore.” As stated above, this writer is completely smitten by Let Go, and one of the things that’s most notable about the record is an enormous sense of life in the music. Interestingly, Willaume knows exactly what this scribe is talking about, even if the readers might not. “When we first went into the studio, it was really frightening,” he admits. “None of the songs

were finished and many of them died in there. On the other hand, though, the ones that did survive came to life in a really beautiful kind of way. We wanted to try and have some living sounds, like, literally sounds that are not the same through the songs.” This is Revolver’s first time visiting Australia, and Willaume’s attitude to exactly how lucky he is to be making a living as a musician is testament not just to the fact he’s a lovely young man, but more importantly, also speaks eloquently to the nature of the music his band makes. “I remember the first time I ever left France to do a support show,” he reminisces. “I was on a plane about to fly out to Denmark and I was 19 or 20 years old. I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m taking a plane to go and play the songs I wrote’. That was just amazing. And it’s important to keep this in mind. We are blessed to be able to take our music to the world. It’s even more special when it happens in a country you’ve never been to. I’ve never been to Australia, so it’s just incredible.” In closing, Inpress attempts to ask Willaume about the So Frenchy, So Chic In The Park show he’ll be playing at Werribee Mansion early next year, but it’s fair to say he hasn’t been briefed, so we move on to the Melbourne music scene in general. Inpress is confident in claiming that the Revolver boys will be seen at a lot of the city’s venues in 2013. “I’ve heard that Melbourne is a great music city, so we’ll definitely be checking that out. I’m very depressed about the Paris music scene lately, so it will be great to go somewhere with good music.” WHO: Revolver WHAT: Let Go (EMI) WHEN & WHERE: Sunday 20 January 2013, So Frenchy So Chic In The Park, Werribee Park Mansion

For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews • 53

SINGLED OUT WITH BRYGET CHRISFIELD

ON THE RECORD

THE MURLOCS Tee Pee Independent

Don’t Save Me Polydor UK/iTunes Sister acts are doing it for themselves. We’ve got Stonefield, LA have HAIM (three sisters plus a random, unrelated dude called Dash Hutton on drums). The only similarity however is that both sets of sisters grow their hair as long as it’ll go. HAIM are poptastic and there’s really interesting percussive elements throughout: as well as the regular, loud (bitch?)slaps, there are more subtle claps and cowbells on closer listen. HAIM sound like they live in John Hughes movies and singer Danielle Haim boasts a beautiful, natural tone and impressive diction.

LOWLAKES Cold Company Kunsthaus Records These dudes most definitely got their mitts on presale tickets for Radiohead (and, no, I didn’t read their influences on Facebook before I wrote this). Thomas Snowdon’s vocal sounds like he’s being choked, but these fragile tones are essential to the mood of this track. There’s metronomic percussion that doesn’t really surface until the arrangement’s second act, just before the instruments swirl around like an in-sink garbage disposal. Cold Company is moreish.

Album Title Goes Here

GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR

‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!

Mau5etrap/EMI Insert Adjective To Describe Joel Zimmerman’s Stale Album may be a better title for the Mau5’s latest ‘EDM’ offering. Forever outspoken, the Canadian producer’s choice of music, collaborations, style and substance isn’t just unfathomable and confusing, it’s like Zimmerman can’t be arsed.

Take Failbait, an awful attempt at hip hop which includes Cypress Hill, rappers last relevant when Home Alone was first released. Professional Griefers fares little better as Zimmerman attempts to marry hard rock and electronica with lyrics from My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way. The marriage fails, dismally – both filed for divorce.

HAIM

LIVE

DEADMAU5

This ditty wastes no time in utilising the mad skills of this band’s frontman, Ambrose Kenny-Smith (who also plays harp for King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard): his harmonica playing dances beside an immediately catchy, indolent riff that you can tell is coaxed from a sexy, vintage instrument. Kenny-Smith’s vocals escape his lips with a mixture of gentle persuasion and blatant self-awareness. Tee Pee is in no rush, like that adolescent hook-up from your annual Great Ocean Road caravan park holidays that took careful planning, but definitely paid dividends. Yet another coastal crew who smash the nail on the head even though they’ve barely closed their school textbooks.

There are bright moments, particularly when the Mau5 goes back into his hole and produces The Veldt, Fn Pig and Maths. All have a commercial bent and the familiar approach of euphoric hands-in-the-air and teenage dribbling, but they’re undeniably catchy. All tracks are superbly produced and mastered from Zimmerman, who is clearly a technical prodigy. But therein is the problem: there’s no soul, depth or meaning. But perhaps that is exactly what Zimmerman wants. Is Album Title Goes Here deliberately misleading and laded with obscurities? Maybe. After all, Zimmerman regularly preaches on the failures of electronic music and fires verbal missiles in the direction of DJs. Album Title Goes Here is banal and clichéd. Its basic techno, house, (terrible) hip hop and dubstep for the uneducated or those with little or no appreciation of electronic music. Not that the Mau5 will give a 5hit – he’ll be counting his dollar5 and watching his 5tock soar.

Constellation/Inertia That Godspeed You! Black Emperor announced two weeks ago that their decade-long recording hiatus was over came as something of a pleasant surprise. That ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! is not just a worthy addition to their oeuvre, but quite possibly its pinnacle, is almost inconceivable. Yet, somehow, the esoteric Canadian post-rock act that produced 2000’s genre-defining double-disc classic Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven have found a new level of intensity on a release that’s both their most focused and expansive. It helps that album number four sees their slow-buildthen-explode approach deployed with some of the most memorable melodies of their career. Opener Mladic, for example, is a typically labyrinthine exploration that threatens to take off several times before a circular seven-chord progression rains down the fires of hell threequarters of the way through. It’s truly momentous stuff from an ensemble for whom ‘epic’ has always seemed an inadequate descriptor. The dronescapes of Their Helicopters’ Sing provide brief respite from the fury, which arrives once more in the form of We Drift Like Worried Fire. Cut from the same vaguely sinister cloth as Mladic, it moves from desolation into triumph and back again, before Strung Like Lights Thee Printemps Erable drops its payload of paranoia and sends you back into the world.

GREEN DAY ¡UNO! Warner One fucking minute. That’s all it takes when pressing play on Green Day’s ninth studio album, ¡UNO!, to figure out they’ve somewhat returned to their former glory. 21st Century Breakdown, released in 2009, was a write-off, and while 2004’s American Idiot was a pretty decent album, the transformation the band embarked on because of it tainted their catchy hooks. ¡UNO!, the first record in a trilogy, takes off where 2000’s Warning ended, and is a sound for sore ears. Shortly after the album’s release, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong was admitted to a rehab facility after an on-stage breakdown at the iHeartRadio music festival in Las Vegas. If substance abuse gave birth to this awesome album, maybe Armstrong should keep on livin’ that rockstar lifestyle. That may be a selfish point of view, but 21st Century Breakdown was beyond awful. Maybe he was celebrating the band’s first decent album in ten years. The closest thing to 21st Century Breakdown on ¡UNO! is Kill The DJ, the first single taken from record. It doesn’t do any justice to the 11 tunes that it sits alongside. A more fitting lead single would have been Stay The Night; it encompasses the right blend of the band’s old sound without coming across like a boring, re-done knock off. Many fans had given up hope on these guys, but ¡UNO! is the light at the end of the Green Day rock opera tunnel. With any luck ¡DOS! and ¡TRE! will continue this trend and see the years between Warning and 21st Century Breakdown fade into a distant memory.

And anyway, whoever coined the ‘EDM’ term – electronic dance music – should be rounded up with their firmly head wedged in a Mau5 trap.

Like all good art, ‘Allelujah!... can be enjoyed as pure spectacle, or as a search for something deeper. While some may discover hope for the salvation of mankind’s consumption-driven malaise in the band’s post-apocalyptic vistas, others will be just as satisfied to close their eyes and let GY!BE’s perfect storm engulf them. And long may it continue to rage.

Stuart Evans

Kris Swales

PAUL KELLY

THE JIM JONES REVUE

THE SWORD

Gawd Aggie/Universal

PIAS/Liberator

Shock

It’s been a while between drinks for Australia’s most-loved singer-songwriter Paul Kelly – five years have passed since his last album, Golden Apples, was bestowed upon us – but, as usual, it’s been completely worth the wait. For Spring And Fall, Kelly decamped to rural Victoria with his trusted sidekick and nephew Dan Kelly and multi-instrumentalist (and co-producer) J. Walker (of Machine Translations fame), and emerged with a gentle, stripped-back collection of songs as immediate as it is timeless.

In And Out Of Harm’s Way, track six of the new Jim Jones Revue album, The Savage Heart, is one of the best rock songs you’ll hear all year. Even if the rest of the album consisted of a four year old playing a recorder, it would still be worth buying this album just for that one song.

Stoner rock has long been known for its striking symbolism of all things ‘otherworldly’, be it charred desert landscapes, gas-guzzling hot rods or in The Sword’s case, space and its surrounds. Musically borrowing from stoner rocks fore fathers, Kyuss, Monster Magnet and Fu Manchu and with a hint of classic Black Sabbath, The Sword’s fourth album Apocryphon is filled with more guitar riffs than there are references to the multiverse. Riding high off of the wave of recognition of their previous concept album Warp Riders, sonically this release is slightly more ‘polished’ while still managing to maintain the band’s rawness, and extra emphasis appears to have been put on capturing the perfect vocal take.

Daniel Cribb

AL PACINO! Sea Legs Independent You can immediately hear the Jinja Safari connection (singer Byron Knight is Pepa’s bro; bassist Cail Borg is Jacob from JS’s bro) and on their bio they sound a little bitter about having to branch off and find their Sea Legs after half of previous, double-brother outfit Modern Joy headed off on their Jinja Safari. There’s something about the guitar riff that makes me wanna Google Better by The Screaming Jets. Bit of a mistake there, ‘cause once one’s pressed play on that sucker, there’s no turning back. “’Cause I seen [grammar alert!!!] Al Pacino at the casino/He was drinking wine.” – nah, Pacino would be more likely to quaff Cognac. Methinks Byron Knight oughta steer clear of Magic Noodle in the future.

RUDIMENTAL FEAT. JOHN NEWMAN & ALEX CLARE Not Giving In Neon Records/Warner Rudimental’s Feel The Love went gangbusters and this new song’s chorus would make a fitting soundtrack for the next massive-budget Nike commercial. Not Giving In pretty much echoes the formula of the aforementioned track: it builds, strips back to accentuate the brass and then rockets back in for a final cacophonous sprint. There’s a lot of Cee-Lo Green about John Newman’s gospel chorus vocals (think Run by Gnarls Barkley) and that phat brass hook will take you there. Are they doing another Rocky movie? Not Giving In makes you feel like you could scale the 1,000 steps of Kokoda Memorial Walk two at a time.

54 • For more reviews go to themusic.com.au/reviews

Spring And Fall

Spring And Fall is ostensibly a song cycle of tracks about the blossoming and eventual demise of a relationship from the viewpoint of the two protagonists. It encapsulates the thrill of falling head over heels in love (New Found Year, When A Woman Loves A Man, the gorgeous For The Ages), the pledges of commitment (Gonna Be Good), the eventual plateau and gradual drift apart (Someone New, Time And Tide) plus the growing doubt leading to the eventual realisation that the relationship has died (Sometimes My Baby, Cold As Canada). It’s all finishes poignantly with the fallout and the differing schedules of grief and acceptance (I’m On Your Side, None Of Your Business Now, Little Aches And Pains). Of course, all of these songs are universal and could work equally well in isolation, but it works so perfectly as a narrative mainly because of Kelly’s long-held skill at adopting a woman’s point-of-view without it seeming in the slightest way smug or contrived. We see this cycle of change not through the eyes of unreliable narrators but as the differing viewpoints of two people briefly sharing their lives, and few others could tackle this audacious task so wonderfully. Unremittingly beautiful. Steve Bell

The Savage Heart

Menacing and intense in a way rock’n’roll hardly ever is anymore, In And Out Of Harm’s Way uses all the Jim Jones Revue elements in ways that push this song to a thrilling, heart-pounding conclusion. The piano’s ghostly chimes and the ghostly backing vocals have an 1850s feel that bleeds into a chaotic mess in the second half. Produced by Jim Sclavunos, this album has definitely taken on a more Grinderman-ish quality than last album, Burning Your House Down’s more bluesy influences, though the album starts off with more of the rumble and thump of recontextulised blues from before, and once again the piano is at the forefront, trading riffs with the wails of the electric guitars. But starting with Chain Gang there’s definitely a mood shift. The tone gets dark and the band members really start to let their demons take the reins. While Jim Jones Revue have always known how to inject some much-needed swagger into an old musical form, here they’re also throwing a whole serving of danger into the cauldron as well. What’s more, some of these songs are going to absolutely shred live, so hopefully it isn’t too long before the band are back playing shows here. We’ll definitely be down the front for Eagle Eye Ball. Danielle O’Donohue

Apocryphon

The Sword excel in long musical interludes, which is synonymous with the genre. The point of difference with The Sword is the band’s metal influences are more obvious, and cunningly disguised as slower mid-tempo stoner riffs. The albums title track is tucked away at the end of the album, starting off with a synth intro similar to The Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again, before a frantic guitar riff picks the song up and takes us on a bleak astral journey. Dying Earth has an intro that would be perfect in any badly produced ‘70s sci-fi flick, whilst Seven Sisters cuts straight to the point. The Sword’s Apocryphon is a ten-track barrage of pure stoner awesome, both lyrically and musically. However at times it is slightly tired sounding and in need of a few songs with some minor tempo changes to help the album flow more smoothly. Overall this is a great album to leave your normal existence and travel elsewhere for 45 minutes. James Dawson

URTHBOY

PAGEANTS

PINBACK

JOHN CALE

Elefant Traks/Inertia

Sensory Projects

Temporary Residence

Domino/EMI

From the outset, it’s clear that Smokey’s Haunt, the fourth solo album from The Herd’s MC Urthboy, is a record with a vision. “There’s some stories I can tell you,” says Urthboy in the chorus of the opening track (appropriately titled Stories), and that’s exactly what he proceeds to do, with astounding elegance.

Melbourne seem intent on churning out quality bands that revel in careless jangle and affected whimsy, and in the likes of Twerps’ hands it’s an easy sell. However, the cover of Pageants’ debut record Dark Before Blonde Dawn intimates we are in for a tropical-pop treat as bland as it is strangely attractive – pictures of the band on deckchairs and wearing Hawaiian shirts, tropical fruits and titles such as Coconut Ice and Relaxation. But it is a musical deception, steeped in a woozyyet-surreal outlook belying these languid jams thus making them a strange-yet-striking concoction.

Pinback’s fifth studio full-length album – their first in five years, teaser EPs notwithstanding – is a rare and special creature. It is the sort of record, much like Mogwai’s Mr Beast, that’s really good, but just not for any reason in particular.

In a musical wasteland of aging artists clamouring for credibility within the confines of the 21st century, there are few that wave the flag of relevancy. John Cale, at the tender age of 70, continues to craft songs that are at once adventurous and exciting, yet his albums can often be hard to access. On Shifty Adventures In Nookie Wood, though, the Velvet Underground co-founder for the most part concocts musical menageries that are playful, crude, flippant, esoteric and mischievous, all at once.

Smokey’s Haunt

Few MCs have as keen an eye for observing the landscape around them as Urthboy, and Smokey’s Haunt offers a multitude of insights. From his youthful remembrances in Knee Length Socks to the passionate politics of Empire Tags and then to the inner-city lament of The Big Sleep, Urthboy takes stock of the damages and delights of the country that inspires him. Cleopatra becomes so much more than an anti-pokies track when Urthboy steps inside the mind of a gambling addict and tells her story, aided by a terrifying beat that captures the tense, unrelenting atmosphere perfectly. Likewise, Hey Dianne is a beautiful study of a disintegrating relationship, flooding the festering paranoia hidden inside so many couples with clean light. Every collaborator is on top form, particularly the talented production team, consisting of Elgusto, Luke Dubs (both of Hermitude) and Countbounce (TZU). Jane Tyrrell lends her voice to the haunting Glimpses and her artistic talent to the album art, while the newest member of the Elefant Traks family, Jimblah, shines in his two appearances.

Dark Before Blonde Dawn

Opener Persian Fairy Floss’ jangly wistfulness underscores the instrumentation and is juxtaposed by Ben Pell’s weary and wasted vocal delivery, with amusingly barbed retorts like, “For every criminal act she puts a penny in a jar and says, ‘If you keep this up you’ll be as rich as fuck’.” In fact it’s Pell’s lyrics that are the lynchpin here, traversing the sardonic, the absurd and the heartbreaking with the slightest turn of phrase. Each tune holds its own, with the slowburn rock of Acidic Cruise (“Silence would be gold but there are hippies on the road playing hacky sack”), the sonic charm and lyrical unease of Pleasure Perched In The Parlour Palms (“Leisure lurks in the lush green grass/A sniper waits in a tree at the edge of the park”) and the wasted sojourn through Footprints In The Sand.

The finale, the hidden track Cold Front, is a wonder – a sudden musical sucker-punch, awash with delicious swagger. Urthboy is clearly not done surprising us with the depths of his talent, and in Smokey’s Haunt he has produced his most compelling work to date.

Dark Before Blonde Dawn is a great guitar pop album that floats on Pell’s literate absurdities and gossamer instrumentation, which juggles summertime sincerity and slacker ennui. The result is one of the most intriguing records of the year – and one of the best.

Aleksia Barron

Brendan Telford

Information Retrieved

This isn’t as negative a charge as it might seem. There’s no denying that Information Retrieved is an excellent album, easily as good as 2004’s Summer In Abaddon, and probably better than 2007’s Autumn Of The Seraphs. The problem is that in constructing something so consistent, Pinback have inadvertently released a record almost devoid of standout moments. The album kicks off with Proceed To Memory, which does a fine job of showcasing both Pinback’s distinct guitar tones and the unmistakable vocal strains of co-founder Rob Crow, sounding as deceptively smooth as ever. Curiously, Crow’s creative counterbalance, Armistead “Zach” Burwell Smith IV, seems to have stepped back from sharing main vocal duties, appearing quite happy to act as a back-up harmoniser/chorus vocalist for the majority of the record. Otherwise, it’s all par for the Pinback course – Drawstring recalls Boo, from 2001’s Blue Screen Life, with its oldtimey radio transmission interludes, and the restrained, piano-drenched Diminished is simply sublime, its lyrics particularly affecting if you’ve ever been depressed (“Should it be so hard/ to have a nice day?”). All in all, Crow and Smith have certainly delivered another beauty of a listen, all nuance and interplay and the road less travelled – but even now, literally at least six listens in, it’s still impossible to tell you why. Mitch Knox

Shifty Adventures In Nookie Wood

That’s not to say that ...Nookie Wood serves up anything overly original – the title track sips from the cup of Tom Waits’ trademark rambunctious whiskysoaked cabaret tropes, and there are flashes of the cynical, detached Cale that has made his pop music often hard to embrace. Yet despite all this, when tracks like the groove-laden and vocoder-drenched December Rains or the glacial, sonorous dreamscape of closer Sandman (Flying Dutchman) kicks in, there is an odd warmth inherent that is missing from many contemporary artists delving in the same field. Much of the instrumentation is steeped in skewed electronica, set at a glacial pace with syncopated shifts that usually serve to isolate the listener – yet Cale gets the formula right for the most part. While contemporaries shirk the musical spotlight (David Bowie), fluctuate in relevancy (Paul Weller) or stumble under the weight of their own importance (hi there Lou!), Cale seems intent on deconstructing his canon, leaving his legacy for the purists while he lives in the moment, and the world is much better for such an approach. Brendan Telford

For more reviews go to themusic.com.au/reviews • 55

e n r u o b l The Me dy Bo & o o t Tat po Art Ex

9–11 November 2012

Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre

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Actor and Director Bouli Lanners returns with a stunning big screen fairy tale that boasts some very modern twists! “A French Stand By Me. Not only are these boys funny, the backdrop to their adventures looks amazing.” The Herald Sun

Film Season > ACMI Cinemas Thursday 1 – Wednesday 14 November 2012 ACMI, Federation Square, Melbourne www.acmi.net.au/film

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THIS WEEK IN

ARTS

VOILÀ!

Human Effect

WEDNESDAY 24

FRIDAY 26

Human Effect – projection installation artist Yandell Walton has collaborated with an animator and software developer to map the contours of a Melbourne laneway. Flowering vines twine up pipes, moss and ferns spread across the walls, while vividly coloured butterflies alight on window ledges. Part of the Melbourne Festival, Lingham Lane, dusk to midnight, until Saturday 27 October. Contemporary Arts Space c3 Opening – the opening of the latest exhibition at the Abbotsford Convent, 7-8pm, until Sunday 11 November.

An Enemy Of The People – Schaubühne Berlin’s ultra-modern interpretation of Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People, in a world premiere season that is the result of a co-commission between Melbourne Festival and the Avignon Festival. This is politically and intellectually stimulating theatre that leaves you questioning. Directed by Thomas Ostermeier. Part of the Melbourne Festival, Arts Centre, 7.30pm, until Saturday 27 October Okidok: Slip Inside – Belgian clowning/acrobat duo Okidok are like two cartoon characters who compete to outdo each other. Part of Melbourne Festival, Festival Hub, 8pm.

THURSDAY 25

SATURDAY 27

The Master – a charismatic intellectual creates a faith-based organisation in an attempt to provide meaning to his life and becomes known as “The Master”. Directed and written by Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, PunchDrunk Love and Boogie Nights) Anderson will do a Q & A after the screening. Astor Theatre, 7pm. Death Watch – a new multichannel video work by artist Jessie Scott, focusing on the popular suburban Moonee Ponds supermaket that was sold and demolished in the mid-1990s. Lying dormant for over 15 years, it has become an under-used, open scar in the centre of the community. Screen Space, 6-8pm, until Saturday 16 November.

Melbourne Festival Closing Night – come and party down by the river as we celebrate the end of another Melbourne Festival. The event will take place at the festival hub, which has been serving up ice-cream doused in alcohol, fancy cocktails and post-show tucker for the past two weeks. Part of the Melbourne Festival, Foxtel Festival Hub, 10pm.

WEDNESDAY 31 The ABCs Of Death – the opening night of Monster Fest, a 2012 American anthology horror film produced by Ant Timpson and Tim League. It contains 26 different shorts, each by a different director and spanning 15 countries. It premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. Part of MonsterFest, Cinema Nova, 7pm.

Empire

Kristof Blom, artistic director of Belgian theatre group Campo, chats with Sarah Braybrooke about the disappearance of new show Before Your Very Eyes. A lot of kids like to play at being adults, but few do it as seriously as the eight children who make up the cast of Campo’s new production, Before Your Very Eyes.

Exploring themes like the loss of innocence, time’s inexorable passage and the abandonment of childhood dreams, the show pulls no punches thematically –

NEWS OF THE WEIRD Before their first-ever performance in the Southern Hemisphere for Harvest Festival, Sarah Braybrooke sits down with George Hayworth and Liv Morris, aka Bourgeois & Maurice, to find out how they caught the cabaret bug.

UPCOMING IN ARTS Empire – former Artistic Director of the STC, Wayne Harrision will work with choreographer John ‘Cha Cha’ O’Connell (Strictly Ballroom, Moulin Rouge) and designer Angus Strathie (Academy Award for

Moulin Rouge) to bring Empire to Australian audiences. It will feature performers like Moondog, Carrot Man, Polka Dot Woman, Rubbish Bag Lady and Lime Green Lady. Empire will open in Melbourne Thursday 14 March 2013.

“I might get a special catsuit made. Kylie likes a catsuit doesn’t, she?” George Heyworth, aka Georgeois Bourgeois, is pondering his first show in the southern hemisphere. He’s one half of British cabaret act Bourgeois & Maurice, along with

Liv Morris, aka Maurice Maurice. The duo are preparing to bring their satirical musical comedy to Harvest Festival after a year which has seen them perform all over, including stints in New York, Greece, Ireland, and Serbia.

despite featuring only actors aged eight to 14. Arising from Belgian art centre Campo’s collaboration with British-German collective Gob Squad, Before Your Very Eyes marks the third time one of their works has come to the Melbourne Festival, following 2004’s üBUNG and 2008’s Night Follows Day. All of the shows feature children performing for an adult audience. Putting kids on stage is nothing new in itself, but Campo’s complex pieces are a far cry from the stage-school Annies and Olivers that spring to mind when you hear the words ‘child actor’. Kristof Blom explains, “[In theatre], most of the time, when you have children on stage [the show] is also for children, and it has an educational frame around it. But this is a very different approach.” Blom praises the “natural vibe” that the kids – none of whom are professionals – bring to the performance. But there are complexities to working with minors too, he explains. “I think the biggest challenge working with children is that you automatically get charmed by their natural way of being and how they bring themselves to the stage. The moment that you start directing this and putting it in the structure of a play, kids end up not being natural anymore. They start to play the role of themselves instead of being themselves, and that’s the biggest trick of all, because then you lose the spontaneity.” Logistically, there are obstacles too. “You have to deal with the fact that children are children, and there’s a very limited concentration

span… You cannot say ‘let’s do an eight-hour rehearsal session’. That’s just impossible!” Blom laughs. “They have to have a nap, or time to play and fool around.” In a culture which is keenly vigilant about the exploitation or abuse of minors, the idea of listening to children talking about adult issues can be confronting. Blom says, “There are some sensitivities. For example in üBUNG, which means ‘practise’, there was a lot of explicit language. And what was really happening is that the children were practicing for later life on stage. So they were mimicking adult dialogues from a 40-year old’s birthday party... And there have been reactions to that of course, it depends from context to context. Sometimes it’s more sensitive in one country than another.” Spending nearly a decade making work about the passage of time has its poignant side. Blom sounds disbelieving when he says, “I [recently] bumped into one of the children that was involved in üBUNG, and they’re now at university!”. Work devised with child actors is intrinsically transient, but Blom doesn’t mourn its passing. “I really like [it]. It’s part of working in performing art – it’s not a painting or a film. Performance art disappears at a certain moment, and this piece actually disappears because [the performers] become too old.” Before your very eyes indeed. WHAT: Before Your Very Eyes

Obnoxious, witty and covered in sequins, Bourgeois & Maurice look like the lovechildren of Morticia Addams and Frank-NFurter; strutting and pouting their way through songs with names like Satanic Organic and Don’t Go to Art School. Onstage they wield lashings of irony and fake eyelashes as long as your arm, but it turns out that when they’re not being Bourgeois & Maurice, Heyworth and Morris are a pair of staggeringly fresh-faced and well-spoken individuals.

talking about stuff that’s happening now; we’re not a vintage act.”

In fact, becoming cabaret artists has taken them rather by surprise. Long-term friends who met whilst studying drama in London, five years ago the pair signed themselves up to perform at a Soho nightclub’s comedy night for a laugh. “We just wrote some songs, to entertain ourselves really,” Heyworth says. Their tentative forays into cabaret came at the right time, as the London scene blossomed. “We were really fortunate,” explains Heyworth. “We just kept getting offered more gigs and saying yes, and then suddenly…” “It became our job,” Morris concludes. At the start neither of them were cabaret aficionados – Morris admits that she had never even seen the eponymous Liza Minelli film until a year or two ago. “I definitely don’t think that our style of cabaret is particularly harking back to any 1930s Berlin-type ideal,” Heyworth ponders. “We’re

WHEN & WHERE: Today to Saturday 27 October, Melbourne Festival, Malthouse Theatre

With songs about conspiracy theories, tuition fees and the GFC, there’s a serious vein through their work which suggests they’re as interested in politics as they are in theatrics. “We’ve definitely become more political in our content over the last few years,” Morris confirms. “I think before we kind of shied way from being too obviously political; it was more like social commentary.“ It’s a change that she ascribes to an increasingly polarised political landscape, and to a media which provides ever more fertile ground for satire. “It sometimes feels like you open a paper and you’ve just been offered a load of song titles,” Heyworth elaborates before Morris gives an example of a song they wrote about the News Of The World phone hacking scandal. “The main lyric is actually a quote from [a journalist] in the inquiry. They were asking him; ‘What’s your justification for hacking into these phones?’ and he said, ‘Privacy is for paedos’. And we were like, ‘What?!’” They both look at each other and issue a cackle, and a flash of their mischievous on-stage characters appears for a moment. “We thought, ‘That has to be a song’,” Heyworth beams. WHO: Bourgeois & Maurice WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 10 November and Sunday 11 November, Harvest Festival, Werribee Park

To check out the mags online go to themusic.com.au/mags • 57

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M E L B O U R N E F E S T I VA L

REVIEWS ANDREW BIRD: FEVER YEAR FILM Andrew Bird’s a pretty strange, lonesome kind of guy. Fever Year, the Melbourne Festival film directed by Xan Aranda tracking his insane 165-date year of touring, shows the monkish creative solitude that seems to drive his work. His music dips into folk, jazz, bluegrass, classical and experimental, and he often reworks his songs live on stage, grinding a sea of loop pedals with odd-socked feet. He collaborates with musicians like Annie Clark (St Vincent) and Martin Dosh, but Bird clearly pulls the strings. And so it is with Fever Year. Bird commissioned the film and holds its rights, and it mostly seems like an autobiographical

PARADISE VISUAL ART The moment Antony Hegarty enters the space, the energy in the room shifts. Becoming more self-aware, we all focus harder on the works before us. Hegarty is serene and relaxed, wearing a tracksuit and shoulder bag, sporadically sipping water. When a photographer approaches, he presents a strong physical form but then requests for only his face to be captured. This overheard self-conscious act exposes a timidness and vulnerability within his persona. Hegarty tenderly hugs friends amongst his artworks in an excitable and genuine manner. The textured layers of Hegarty’s untitled artworks in Paradise are

At ACMI season finished

MICHAEL JAMES MANAIA THEATRE Michael James Manaia, by John Broughton, brought to Melbourne by Taki Rua Theatre Company is a much-loved New Zealand work, and for good reason. The story is of a returned Vietnam vet hailing from a family where post-traumatic stress is a legacy handed down from father to son. A man’s life is expressed with idiomatic flair in a text redolent with imagery, culture, history, pathos and humour. The writing is lyrical, big chunks of it in Maori, used to powerful effect. Ritualistic chants and poems, prayers and incantations, inherent to the work, build a sensual and intimate portrait of rural NZ in the ‘60s. This tale of siblings, war, culture and love is

Antony Hegarty is able to zoom in to the deeply personal and intimate – with both his music and visual art – allowing us to examine our greater world. For art to have this power is breathtaking, humbling and life affirming. Cassandra Fumi The Arts Centre Gallery One until Saturday 27 October

Your challenge – take one landfill staple (the ubiquitous white plastic bag) and work it into an otherwise minimal contemporary dance piece. Perhaps this wasn’t the start point for renowned choreographer Lucy Guerin’s latest work; but Weather certainly employs the ‘ugly disposable’ to great effect, using it to punctuate a piece that veers from architectural strictness to organic oomph. With its meteorological theme, Weather is in some ways predictable, in others apparently chaotic. Indeed, there is lovely interplay between precise unison and individual expression in this piece, as the six dancers interlock and separate, much as clouds do. However, despite the elemental motif, there is an intellectual

That British-born Bangladeshi dancer and choreographer Akram Khan received a standing ovation at the end of an exhaustive 80-minute solo work says something much more important than any critic could muster. Desh is, by turns, arcane and sweepingly powerful, bursting into visceral life after a slow start and culminating in sheer beauty. Somehow, Khan packs this conceptually dense work with characters, humour, intergenerational bickering and moments of almost overwhelming melancholy. Whilst on one level it plays the obvious culture clash card, beneath that it broods upon violence and the ever-present threat of inundation.

Simon Eales

accentuated in the frames that don’t press the works down, but rather give them space to move. The use of ink evokes the presence of the artist’s hand which brings a human element. The lighting in this exhibition is, as our photographer noted upon entry, very focused. It is discovered that Hegarty had a large influence on the aforementioned gallery lighting.

WEATHER DANCE

DESH DANCE

promo-film. Much is made of his ill health – he claims to have had only four healthy days all year – but there are no real “internal agonies” and no real ramifications, except perhaps for a steely relationship with his band members. Fever Year aims to provide a candid portrait of a virtuoso. Sure, Bird’s brilliant and eccentric, but there’s little explanation of where his verbose poetry and philosophical wit comes from; little exposition of his personal relationships (it seems that his portrayal as a misanthrope was unintentional); and sometimes I felt like I was watching Grand Designs. The concert footage is impressive, and there’s a delicacy to how the film evolves, but Bird’s still best when heard.

Khan’s marriage of westernand eastern dance vocabulary lurches from mime to exquisite, muscular detail. At times he is all power, at others a figure lost in the vastness of history, family and monsoonal deluge. That he keeps his energy and focus for the duration is praiseworthy in itself. Desh is also driven by brilliantly devised trickery, from Michael Hulls’ mesmeric lighting design to Jocelyn Pook’s sparse and lovely soundtrack and the simply dazzling animations of Londonbased Yeast Culture. Indeed, Desh contains one of the most elegantly executed live performer/video interactions you could wish to see. Paul Ransom At MTC: Sumner Theatre season finished.

58 • For more reviews go to themusic.com.au/reviews

presented in an intensely physical way by a remarkably charismatic actor, Te Kohe Tuhaka. There are a few problems with his generally compelling performance: direction by Nathaniel Lees of this overlong script doesn’t allow for silences or much relief in pacing - the performer is alternately raging or clowning; he’s wonderful to watch but, despite the emoting, isn’t given his full range. The earliest tragedy, in particular, doesn’t ring true. An powerful element, is the silent haka, a moment of real expression and a refreshing break from the wordiness of the rest of the production. The stage is beautifully bare and dominated at all times by Tuhaka. Liza Dezfouli Running at Fortyfivedownstairs until Sunday 28 October.

dryness about Weather that doesn’t quite resonate. While there is plenty of choreographic finery to enjoy, there are sequences that reek of an approach too strict and obscure for its own good. Maybe the minimal ethos is too much (pardon the pun). The work seriously under-utilises the power of effective lighting and you have to wonder why, given the obvious colour and mood opportunities of the title. Having said that, Guerin still delivers moments of excellently wrought dance magic. Oren Ambarchi’s glitch soundscape is also very evocative, creating a sense of brewing storm and overpowering, hypnotic menace. Whilst Weather underlines Guerin’s particular virtuosity, it’s rather like one of the days that promises rain but only delivers mosquitos. Paul Ransom At The Malthouse season finished.

AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE THEATRE This is the second year in a row Schaubühne Berlin has brought a modern adaption of Henrik Ibsen’s work to the Melbourne Festival. Thomas Ostermeier’s direction is again skilfully considered and gutsy. When the house lights come up in the Playhouse and a microphone is handed around the audience, Ostermeier takes a chance – who knows what the audience reaction will be… Silence? Fury? Outcry? The actors encourage us to voice our political opinion about the action onstage. This audience participation isn’t abrasive, but rather allows

those who feel compelled to talk to do so, without pressure. Jan Pappelbaum’s stage design is clever and very quickly changeable. The use of an animal onstage always injects an element of chance (in this case it’s a large dog) and the modern pop music in English gives the play instant universal appeal. At the play’s conclusion, Stefan Stern’s Dr Stockman stands facing us covered in paint that is pelted at him by other cast members who stand with the majority in the safe audience banks. Cassandra Fumi Running at Arts Centre Playhouse until Saturday 27 October. Performed in German with English subtitles.

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C U LT U R A L

CRINGE

WITH REBECCA COOK Several years ago I developed a strange problem. When I gazed at organic patterns – say, the way tar melted on a road or images of the way plants grow from seeds – I felt an overwhelming impulse to vomit. Too embarrassed to ask my own doctor, I begged my friend to ask a doctor (she had access to a plentiful supply – a hypochondriac’s fantasy) if I was a complete weirdo. She called me back with a diagnosis – I held my breath waiting for her say, ‘They said you should be locked up for such freakdom’ – but instead she said my symptoms pointed to synaesthesia. It’s when one sensory experience leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sense. There are way better forms of it than I have, for example: some synaesthetes think of colours when they hear music or associate words or numbers with colours or smells or tastes. For example, you might associate the number three with green or the word ‘Monday’ with red. Painter David Hockney reportedly sees colours as a response to music, while Vladimir Nabokov apparently saw colours when he heard words – I think there’s a joke in there around ‘blue’ novels. Other (reputed) famous synaesthetes include Tori Amos, Billy Joel, Eddie Van Halen, Pharrell Williams and Geoffrey Rush. It’s no surprise that David Walsh, owner and creator of MONA, is a synaesthete and he has devised a weekend-long musical event “to experience the saturating sensory euphoria of synaesthesia”. Walsh is shutting the doors of MONA to regular punters for the weekend of 3

TRAILER

and 4 November and issuing tickets to only 400 guests who can roam the museum at will and be seduced/ assaulted by colour, light and sound. Produced in collaboration with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, there will be 36 performances across the weekend throughout the museum from artists such as Kate Miller-Heidke, Michael Kieran Harvey, Peter Hill, Meow Meow, Brian Ritchie, Allison Bell, ANAM, Danny Healy, Ken Young and Marc Hannaford. This isn’t just a visual, aural feast, there is also literal feasting as the experience includes lunch and afternoon tea on both days and dinner on the Saturday night. Having been to MONA, the thought of Walsh attempting to create an even more sensory experience makes me fear – could he blow our minds? Even at $600 a pop, it sounds (in all sorts of colours) like a ripper event. Head to the MONA website to find out more. On the topic of rare experiences, as part of Experimenta’s Speak To Me exhibition currently showing at RMIT’s Storey Hall, local music legend Philip Brophy will perform Kissed, his live quadrophonic score to Andy Warhol’s silent film Kiss (1964). The 50-minute film features various couples of all of types of flavours kissing for three-and-a-half minutes each. It’s the first time the time work has been performed in Melbourne and according to the publicity: “Brophy’s pulsating acoustic drum recordings create a rhythmic dialogue with the film’s passionate kissing couples”. The show is on next Tuesday (30 October) at ACMI, see the ACMI website for details.

TRASH

WITH GUY DAVIS If one is to believe the crimson gush of praise coming out of the recent New York Comic Con (and why wouldn’t one believe it – those guys are scrupulously honest!), the upcoming Evil Dead remake isn’t quite the hell-spawned demon seed of a craven cash-in horror fans were anticipating at best, dreading at worst. In fact, the general consensus is that it looks, well, kinda cool. Simply titled Evil Dead – pedantic types and people who’ve watched Sam Raimi’s 1981 original way too many times (I’m in both categories!) will know that the actual title of ‘The Ultimate Experience In Gruelling Horror’ is The Evil Dead – it’s been dubbed “a new entry” rather than a remake or a reboot, which is actually pretty savvy marketing-speak from whoever coined the phrase. It allows the makers of this new incarnation to borrow as many of Raimi’s stylistic tricks as they like while updating or innovating anything they feel needs a polish. Clever. Having checked out a bootleg clip of the trailer some sneaky NYCC patron caught on their phone, I have to confess I’m pleased with how bloody balls-out director Fede Alvarez – apparently hand-picked by Raimi to helm this new movie – has gone. There were fears, after all, that he was planning on scaling back the scarlet in favour of spooky jump scares in the Paranormal Activity vein. But gleeful gruesomeness was a hallmark of the original and its sequel (although Evil Dead 2 is positively playful compared to its predecessor), and the moment some poor possessed-by-a-demon teen looked to be taking a rusty blade to their tongue I started counting down the days until this one arrived at my local multiplex. (I have problems, yes.) Look for this one around next February or March, kids.

The 2013 take on Evil Dead will undoubtedly be preceded by a hefty marketing push, and there’s nothing necessarily wrong with hawking one’s wares, but there’s something appealing about an underdog that slowly, surely becomes part of the canon via word-of-mouth or what have you. I don’t think it stems from any misguided sense of exclusionary coolness – you know, liking the obscure old stuff rather than the crowd-pleasing new stuff – but more a feeling that that sense of discovery, and sharing it with like-minded types, is such a marvellous feeling. I’m long enough in my one remaining tooth that I recall being around when Raimi’s Evil Dead hit the video stores (granted, I was way too young to be watching an R-rated movie – not that that stopped me), and nothing beat the thrill of introducing new members to the fold. And that brings us to another ‘cabin in the woods’ kind of movie – The Cabin In The Woods, funnily enough. Despite marquee names like Joss Whedon and Chris Hemsworth (who admittedly collaborated on this before joining forces for The Avengers), this was never gonna be a mainstream blockbuster – knowing deconstructions of the horror genre, even those like this one that don’t skimp on Joe Bob Briggs’ three Bs (blood, breasts and beasts!) aren’t automatically gonna leap to the top of the box-office charts. But movies that combine wit, cleverness and depth with a genuine love of the genre and its trappings are always going to find loving homes. Now that it’s out on DVD and Blu-ray, I highly recommend you: a) find a place for it on your shelf and b) start spreading the news that this movie will rattle a horror buff’s cage in the most delightful way.

60 • To check out the mags online go to themusic.com.au/mags

THE BEAST

Benicio Del Toro makes short work of his character in Savages. He talks getting into the mind of a “worm” with Guy Davis. Benicio Del Toro is the kind of actor who can do a lot with a little - his Oscar-winning performance as principled but pragmatic cop Javier Rodriguez in Traffic is a good example - or a lot with, well, a lot - his mumbly, jittery turn as Fred Fenster in The Usual Suspects kinda put him on the map. And in Oliver Stone’s sunburnt film noir, Savages, Del Toro gets to do a bit of both. As Lado, the sadistic right-hand man to Salma Hayek’s drug-cartel baroness Elena, he’s out to make life miserable for California weed entrepreneurs Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson, their shared girlfriend Blake Lively and their shady DEA contact John Travolta. Whether he’s wiping Lively’s spit off his face with Lively’s own hair

or quietly intimidating Travolta by commandeering the man’s sandwich, Lado is a powerful presence. And Del Toro makes him vividly nasty without chewing the scenery. “You always live with that fear that you are going to go over the top and ham it up in a bad way – well, hamming it up in any way is probably not good for an actor – but you especially have that fear when you do a bigger-than-life character like this one,” he admits. “You have a good meter in the other actors, though – they either directly or indirectly kept me in check, and Oliver also kept me in check. But he also told me when I could go further. And there are a couple of things in there where they just happened right on the spot. Ideas

came up that weren’t necessarily scripted – that’s just collaboration. Oliver might have thrown ideas at me that I took and ran with, or another actor – like John Travolta in our scene together – may make a comment or suggestion that helps set the tempo.” In creating Lado, Del Toro made good use of Don Winslow’s novel to get an idea of the character’s background and motivations. “And there are many little stories that I know about or that I’ve read over the years that help make whatever happens in Savages believable,” he adds. “But I used my imagination on this thing a little bit more than on perhaps any other character.” The closest comparison he can make is to his loathsome Sin City character Jackie Boy, a corrupt cop who menaced women before coming to a nasty end. “Lado could be related to that guy, closer than any other character

Set in Norway, Elling follows two protagonists with mental health problems as they struggle to find their way in the world. At first glance you could be forgiven for thinking it sounds like heavy going. But as the show’s director, Pamela Rabe, explains, you would be wrong.“‘Norwegian’ and ‘comedy’ are two words that you don’t often see in the same sentence,” she laughs. “But yeah, it’s a Norwegian comedy.” The show has taken a circuitous journey to arrive in Melbourne, from its genesis as a series of Norwegian books through to an Oscar-nominated screen version and two stage adaptations. After staging the play in Sydney in 2009, Rabe has finally brought it to Melbourne as part of a season that she has co-programmed at the MTC.

ORDINARY LIVES Inn the MTC’s Elling, director Pamela Rabe uses mental illness as a platform to explore the anxieties of human individuals. She explains to Sarah Braybrooke that it is not ‘about’ mental illness at all.

Rabe outlines the story. “It’s about two unlikely friends who meet in a kind of extended mental health care facility as they’re both dealing with crises in their lives. One of them, the eponymous hero Elling, has arrived there as a man in his mid-40s, who has lived all of his life with his mother. [He’s had] certain issues – fear of going out, fear of answering the telephone, lots of things – but lived rather happily in a well-balanced world with his mum.” When his mother dies he ends up in the facility and meets Kjell, a 40-year-old sexand food-obsessed virgin. “They get put in a room together, and strike up a very unusual friendship,” says Rabe. Eventually the welfare system moves them to an apartment of their own, on the condition that they prove they can lead normal, independent lives. The rest of the play follows them trying to do just that against

I’ve done if I was going to draw a line connecting all of them. “They’re both bullies, they’re both greedy, they both stop at nothing... but at the end of the day the idea was to not give this guy any dignity. Me and Oliver saw eye to eye on that. We both wanted him to be a worm, and I think we accomplished that. “You know, there’s this scene with Salma where she slaps me and yells at me, and it creates this thing where it’s like, ‘Oh, maybe Lado’s not that bad.’ But you know that story about the woman who picks up a wounded snake, takes it home, feeds it and cares for it and then one day the snake bites her, right? The woman says, ‘What did you do that for? I brought you back from the dead, I took care of you,’ and the snake says ‘But you knew I was a snake.’” WHAT: Savages WHEN: In cinemas now

obstacles that Rabe says can sometimes seem insurmountable. Despite following eccentric characters who are going through a process of institutionalisation and rehabilitation, Rabe is firm that the play is not principally ‘about’ mental illness. “It’s a story about friendship,” she says. “It’s a comedy about the anxieties of living in a modern world and it’s also a story about finding your voice within all that and feeling like you belong… It’s about what it is to be human, and it’s a very affectionate, funny, and a little confronting at times look at that.” These are themes that Rabe thinks are universal. “Particularly in the world we live in now, where many of us feel trapped by our jobs and by the demands of family and society. [I think we’re] feeling more and more encroached upon by political correctness and taboos,” she says. It might cross cultural boundaries, but it has its Nordic charms too. Rabe mentions playwright Henrik Ibsen as a touchstone for the issues that Elling explores. “Some of the great stories of modern drama... have the same preoccupations about being an individual, trapped in a house of your own making,” she says. “Hedda Gabler and Nora in A Doll’s House seem to play with some of those same themes, so it’s not a surprise to me that it’s a story born in Norway.” WHAT: Elling WHEN & WHERE: Monday 29 October to Saturday 8 December, MTC: Sumner Theatre

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THURSTON MOORE THURSDAY, HAMER HALL One of the (many) strengths of Melbourne Festival is the ability to put together a varied and compelling music program, and this year is no exception to that rule. In Sonic Youth, Thurston Moore existed at the cutting edge of independent rock. Moore arrives at Hamer Hall this Thursday to reveal his new solo work acoustic and raw, surrounded by harp and violin. This is an opportunity to witness one of the most influential artists of our time and as an extra enticement, Kieran Ryan (one half of Kid Sam) will also perform.

FRONTLASH VOTE 1 LIVE MUSIC

If you love live music you should take voting in Saturday’s council elections very seriously. Music Victoria have grilled most candidates on their live music credentials: check out their responses at musicvictoria.com.au.

JOIN THE CLUB We weren’t surprised to hear it’s taken the dudes behind the Corner and the Northcote Social Club to create decent boozer in Sydney. The Newtown Social Club will start hosting bands next year.

SAVAGE LOVE Brit band Savages wowed our scribe at New York music conference CMJ last week. Now we’re hoping to see them out here ASAP.

BACKLASH CLOSE CALL

Geelong pub the Nash has been forced to close because of structural damage. Another we’ll miss is Thornbury’s the Prague, which has also announced its pulling up stumps.

PM ME What’s the Prime Minister done to Michelle Grattan (run over her dog? Nicked her milk from the Parliament fridge?) to get the Fairfax journalist so offside? Grattan’s refusal to acknowledge Gillard’s post-Abbott-spray poll-bounce is the latest in a string of kickings that crossed the line from the professional to the personal a long time ago.

SAVAGE HATE The Bamboos & Tim Rogers at Revolt House Vs Hurricane at Revolt pics by Andrew Briscoe

360 at Revolt

JÄGERMEISTER INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS REVOLT: 16/10/12

“Go independent music, go!” Host Dylan Lewis chants the night’s mantra as artists and industry types trickle into Revolt for the 2012 Jägermeister Independent Music Awards (previously known as the AIR awards). Guests are greeted with ginger-cider among many things (and who knew it tasted so good?) but most opt for the Jäger, including tonight’s host, who settles for shots onstage.

Now in its seventh year and known as the JIMAs, tonight is a celebration of Australian independent music. More than 450 members of the music industry judge the annual awards. Tim Levinson (aka Urthboy)’s impassioned opening speech pays homage to the indies before first performers Hermitude shake off the musings with a whirl. We dance vicariously through the front row hip hop dances (sigh) before Lanie Lane takes the night’s first gong for Best Independent Blues And Roots Album. Her subsequent performance, though initially riddled with sound issues, is charming. Rapper 360 causes a stir by denouncing his right to his award for Best Independent Hip Hop Album “as an artist on a label who receives funding from a major label”, before interestingly referencing the very un-hip hop independent act The Jezabels as more worthy of recognition. The ‘Bels don’t miss out, taking out one of the biggest awards of the night, Best Independent Artist, for the second year running, humbly accepting their award via video message.

Industry favourite Tim Rogers joins Lewis on stage for a hilarious impromptu chat, most notably about his quest to become part of Australia’s “B-list celebrities” to which Lewis solemnly offers a “welcome”. Rogers awards Jess Ribeiro & The Bone Collectors the award for Best Independent Country Album for their LP My Little River before the heavily bearded Chet Faker takes his first award for Breakthrough Independent Artist Of The Year. House Vs Hurricane pumps up the room and blasts onstage with a stellar heavy set – so much so that it’s hard to re-adjust to the monotone Henry Wagons. We soon get used to his dry sense of humour, especially when he accepts the award on behalf of the absent Mike Nock Trio for their win in the Best Independent Jazz Album Category. More missing winners as I Oh You label co-founder Johann Ponniah accepts the award on behalf of his act DZ Deathrays for Best Independent Hard Rock Or Punk Album before Paul Kelly arrives in a maroon suit and, much to everyone’s excitement, guitar in hand. His performance of new track I’m On Your Side is nothing short of sensational,

We’re not the first to dump all over Oliver Stone’s woeful Savages, but his latest piece of shite is the cinematic equivalent of your dad trying to impress you by dropping a few of your favourite bands into conversation and fucking up all their names.

reaffirming his status as one of the most loved Australian artists (or as Lewis says, “Good Adelaide stock”). One member of Royal Headache takes a leaf out of Lewis’s book and drinks from a bottle of Jäger onstage while his bandmate accepts their award for Best Independent Album. Opening act Hermitude come out on top to claim the prize for Best Independent Dance/ Electronica Album before label Elefant Traks win the newly introduced (and coveted) prize for Best Independent Australian Label, with Levinson declaring, “We’re an artist-run label,” to a round of cheers. However, tonight’s leading man and only double-award winner is Chet Faker, who takes his second award in the Best Independent Dance/Electronica Single category for his hit, Terms And Conditions. He declares that if he can write and record in his garage that “maybe music isn’t broken”, proving this with a powerful, stripped-down performance of I’m Into You that stills the room. A live performance from Tim Rogers and The Bamboos closes what’s been a night of solid, promising Australian artists, and an industry willing to embrace it. Madeleine O’Gorman

For more reviews go to themusic.com.au/reviews • 63

impressively with the solo Last Resort. The band sound good in full flight as well, particularly when Ed Fairlie’s trumpet provides some interesting counter-melody. Canary offer a solid set overall but at times it sounds as if they have too many musical ideas going on. Despite complaining about a long day and hangovers after their Brisbane show last night compounded by a plane ride this morning, all four members of The Fearless Vampire Killers look fresh as the Workers Club lights illuminate the stage. Frontman Seán Ainsworth is sharp in powder blue, lead guitarist Al Marx’s larger than life persona threatens to burst from the paisley shirt he wears unbuttoned to the chest, Justin Olsson on drums is fresh-faced and eager, while bassist Jacob McGuffie stands back and smiles warmly. The band‘s traditional rock set-up lends itself well to their brand of brash garage, but while their recorded output places them at the slick end of Melbourne’s lively garage scene, raucous live work shows The Fearless Vampire Killers at their best. They muscle through their songs, easily filling out the Workers’ relatively small bandroom. McGuffie’s considerable bass sound and Olsson’s frantic percussion underpin the genuine interplay between Marx and Ainsworth, while the rhythm player shreds his vocals over the top. Cuts from last year’s Batmania and early singles are littered throughout the set. Tell Me What You’re Trying To Say arrives mid-set before any lag can take place and The Monkey Song ensures a short but memorable encore. The many new tunes on display don’t deviate from the band’s existing formula but do match the quality of those that came before. The B-side cover of The Beatles’ White Album lament, Yer Blues, outdoes its A-side, Mexico. While the new single is an enjoyable romp through western pastiche, the band rip the fuck out of Yer Blues – losing a bit of Lennon’s original desperation but well and truly thrilling the audience. Perhaps the highlight of the set is another new one, Wastelands: a badass strut that makes full use of the band’s huge sound with some extra attitude. Tortoise @ Corner Hotel pic by Jesse Booher

TORTOISE, GRAILS, NEW WAR CORNER HOTEL: 13/10/12 New War are confusing. The lead singer prances around the stage with heavily, almost indecipherably reverbed vocals, there’s punishing keys and then also a relentless, almost austere, bass groove. They don’t make it easy for you and are vaguely reminiscent of PiL. The crowd stand bewildered, somewhat punished. There is genius here but also despair and everything in between. Grails come out and are instrumental puritans – something like The Grateful Dead trying to be Tortoise. These guys are a jam band in the classic San Francisco stoner sense: no less than three guitars at any one time (including pedal steel), killer drums and numerous instrumental meanderings that often involve electronics. By the time the band finish, the crowd has swelled and they get a rousing reception. And then we have Tortoise. With no acknowledgement towards the crowd, it’s a two-drum face-off at the front of the stage and they look, well, old. How long ago was the post-rock revolution anyway? Because we’re talking bald spots and wrinkles. The bass player looks like your drunken uncle who moved to Brisbane to drink beer and have BBQs in the sun, even John McEntire has a bald spot. But when they start playing we’re back in the late ‘90s, or anywhere through 2000. The hype may have passed them by, but man these guys know how to play. Most of the tunes come from their last album, 2009’s Beacons Of Ancestorship, an album characterised by creeping electronics and a reduction in marimba action, but they steal liberally from their entire oeuvre and the audience is appreciative.

In fact, everyone here has a friend (or friends) who missed out. Melbourne supergroup New Gods open to a swelling room, at times channeling a Twerps/ Real Estate vibe, but mostly serving their own taste of danceable alt.pop that’s instantly addictive. Made up of members from Little Red, Eagle & The Worm and Ground Components, the collaborative venture feels like a natural progression for the gang, marrying their sounds to produce one hell of a hooky setlist that’s well worthy of tonight’s hot support slot. In between bands, Massive Attack’s Teardrop pulsates behind a thick layer of chatter and buzz. After what feels like hours (but what is actually only 30 minutes) all four members of Alt-J arrive to a rapturous room and open with the aptly titled Intro, the perfect prelim of steady beats, haunting keys and lead singer Joe Newman’s mellow vocals. A sea of hands charge into the air and make the delta sign, the bands logo (derived from holding ‘alt’ and ‘j’ down on a Mac keyboard). Interlude I follows and a smile snakes across the faces of each member as the crowd hurtle every lyric into the air.

There is no distance, no gap that needs bridging between band and crowd, just an overall rapturous vibe from start to finish. Take it from this golden-ticketholder – if given the chance, this is one live act you cannot afford to miss.

Bob Baker Fish

WORKERS CLUB: 06/10/12

DING DONG LOUNGE: 20/10/12 Strangers with pleading eyes greet each punter headed for the entrance of Ding Dong and ask, “Do you know anyone wanting to sell their ticket?” No one does.

64 • For more reviews go to themusic.com.au/reviews

Jan Wisniewski

BILLY BRAGG MELBOURNE RECITAL CENTRE: 20/10/12 In the 48 hours that Billy Bragg has been in town, he’s packed a fair bit in. He’s done a Woody Guthrie celebration show for Melbourne Festival, a spontaneous early morning gig at Southern Cross Station for the National Union Of Workers, an instore performance and a one-hour live-to-air. That’s pretty impressive. The aforementioned NUW gig was incredible. Standing in the rain at eight in the morning, Bragg played Power In A Union and a version of Guthrie’s I Ain’t Got No Home – “a 70-year-old song that could have been written in the last five years,” for 600 union supporters. Whatever you think of the man or his music, he is certainly committed to the cause.

Touching on the previous night’s Billy Bragg Celebrates The Legacy Of Woody Guthrie show, Bragg performs another moving rendition of I Ain’t Got No Home, before heading back to more familiar Bragg territory. Crowd-pleasing versions of two of Bragg’s most famous solo records Sexuality and The Milkman Of Human Kindness – the latter of which is heart-warmingly announced with a story of the first time Bragg heard his own son playing the song on his guitar – leads to the interval (“a chance to have a piss and a beer”). You really get the impression that Billy Bragg is Father Of The Year potential, pretty much every year. Fifteen minutes and a premium house wine later, he’s back on for the second half of the show. The World Turned Upside Down sounds just as fresh as it did in ’85 and Must I Paint You A Picture, despite causing much vocal strain “almost to the point of passing out”, is probably the second-best song in his repertoire. The most moving part of the show, however, comes after a long commentary on the UK’s phone hacking scandal (awesomely putting Rupert Murdoch in the shit inside the hall named after his mother) and winds up with a version of Never Buy The Sun. A story about seeing The Clash in 1978 at their famous Rock Against Racism show is followed by cracking versions of relatively new song I Keep Faith and the glorious There Is Power In A Union. The set closer, however, is the finest moment of the show; a completely updated version of the song he calls his themesong, Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards. And it really is updated: “Things haven’t been this bad since Margaret Thatcher/So keep calm and carry on watching X-Factor/Switch off World Of Warcraft and start working for the great leap forwards” – GENIUS! He exits briefly only to return for the encore of Tank Park Salute, Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key (from the Billy Bragg & Wilco album Mermaid Avenue), Yarra Song (a song he dedicates to Melbourne) and finally A New England. Tonight is a treat – two-and-ahalf hours with the ever-charismatic and inspirational gent that is Billy Bragg? An Evening With… indeed. Wes Holland

For a band that’s played some of Europe’s best music festivals, the Leeds quartet are incredibly humble, continually thanking the crowd between playing tracks off their 2012 debut LP An Awesome Wave. It’s impossible not to dance to the rolling beats in Something Good, a folk/tribal/pop flow that creates a ripple across the room. Newman needn’t bother singing during Dissolve Me; the crowd does it for him, to which the band responds by swapping can-you-believe-howawesome-this-is looks. A surprise hip hop mash-up of Kylie Minogue’s Slow with Dr Dre’s sparkling keys from Still D.R.E (awesome) further proves their ability to genre-cross with ease, as does their own Fitzpleasure which, again, is met by a wild room. Newman attempts a breather with, “I’m sweating like a bitch!” but the crowd doesn’t budge, reserving the biggest applause for the standout Breezeblocks. They return for the inevitable encore, playing Tara to round up the night.

The beauty of Tortoise is that they’re here to play. There’s no fucking around, no pandering entertainment, just music. At various times they all take turns on pretty much every instrument, the highlight being every time McEntire moves from the drums to electronics/ keys. If you’re looking for a Tortoise barometer, this is it. His face says it all, from supreme ecstasy to searching indecision. The highlights both come from 2004’s It’s All Around You: the almost intolerably evangelical Crest, during which McEntire’s eyes roll around the back of his head, and the first track after the encore, the frenetic Salt The Skies. “It’s gonna get intense,” warns bassist Doug McCombs. He’s right. They may look somewhat ragged, but if you want a double-drum onslaught and consummate musicianship then look no further. No one comes close.

ALT-J, NEW GODS

All in all it’s an enjoyable and impressive performance. But it is always going to be when given the chance to see Al Marx slinking about the stage, knocking out effortless, gold-class riffs.

Tonight’s show is to be a special one. Billed ‘An Evening With Billy Bragg’, it begins just like every other show he’s done over his 25-plus years in the business – Bragg walking on stage alone, plugging in his guitar, and getting on with it. He opens with the instantly recognisable St Swithin’s Day, afterwards dedicating it to Elizabeth Murdoch “for letting us use her hall”. Billy Bragg has stage banter down pat like no one’s business. In between every couple of songs comes an accompanying monologue, and most are either hilarious or upliftingly political. The Price I Pay is followed by Bragg telling the audience how he used his Melbourne-made Jim Dyson guitar in self-defence at a recent Dutch show. Tomorrow’s Going To Be A Better Day (featuring “ironic whistle” solo) is revealed to be Bragg’s “anthem for the war against cynicism”.

Madeleine O’Gorman

THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS, CANARY Local outfit Canary are a strange choice for main support tonight. While their songs twist in and out of recognised genres, none of them seem to approach the unhinged rock of the headliners. Despite a few songs that fail to connect early on, the band deliver a varied set that keeps the early-comers happy. Songwriter Matthew Kenneally pulls off some introspective moments, most

Billy Bragg @ Melbourne Recital Centre pic by Lou Lou Nutt

inclusive dance parties. The bounce aficionado sticks a pair of tassels to her butt cheeks and makes them rotate in perfect unison. But when Freedia demonstrates her own bounce skills, she reigns supreme.

Big Freedia @ Hi-Fi pic by Jay Hynes

BIG FREEDIA, THEESATISFACTION HI-FI: 18/10/12 The queue outside Hi-Fi is almost as long as the one for Prince’s ill-fated end-of-tour party back in May. Luckily, a sidewalk artist decorates the pavement with zoo animals, using only water and a lewd-looking, oversized foam paintbrush. This keeps us entertained while we do the march of the penguins toward the door. It’s only just hit 9pm, but THEESatisfaction are in full flow as we descend the stairs for a closer look. Stasia Irons and Catherine Harris-White exhibit enviable groove as they bust out effortless synchronised moves (bring on THEESatisfaction’s Wii dance instructional!). Both rap with as much conviction as they croon, which equals a joyous live experience. They take turns on the venue’s temporary catwalk while serving up mellow tunes, which make us wish to be teleported poolside, gin and juice in one hand, vaporizer in the other. My companion dubs them “a Pitchfork Salt-NPepa”. The duo claps in unison to further emphasise the beat and Bitch proves a standout. At times these tunes beckon you into the boudoir. Irons and Harris-White tell us they “appreciate the love” before expertly dancing while brandishing full drinks. As

we wait for the pair to kick into another track, they disappear out the centre back curtain. Quite the exit. While we refuel, a hipster with a silver-glitter beard sashays by. Another notable look showcases an aqua parachute-material trackie that looks like it could’ve been stolen from the Kath & Kimderella wardrobe department. DJ MAFIA sure knows how to maintain the party vibe, and when MIA’s Paper Planes becomes Missy Elliott’s Get Ur Freak On, we’re primed for the main course. As the curtains open, it’s immediate bootay overload. Big Freedia sits on a throne, like the Queen Diva that she is, and her minions strike poses all around her. There are many saucy bitches onstage, presenting derrières and grinding to the beat. They’re ability levels and body shapes are a mixed bag, but these locally-sourced ‘dancers’ take direction from Big Freedia and her imported bounce master Heather Loop throughout. MAFIA is attentive on the ones and twos and beams from behind the console. Gin ‘N My System is an early highlight with Big Freedia leading the call and response, our part being: ”Somebody’s gonna be my victim!” Volunteers clamber up onstage – some invited, others desperate opportunists – and too right; it’s Azz Everywhere! Loop has tattooed seams up the backs of her legs with the words “Don’t” and “Care” inked behind her knees; a declaration befitting Big Freedia’s

The callout goes out for boys to grace the stage. One gent sporting dungarees is obviously a professional dancer. He bounces up and down in the splits with much enthusiasm, attracting Freedia’s attention, and Loop rewards him with a pair of stick-on azz tassels. Freedia directs her “Divas” into various groupings, poses and human pyramids. Some walk their feet up the stage walls for some handstand shakin’. One enthusiast wearing a pair of The Wau Wau Sisters’ underpants – with “Fuck” emblazoned on the front; “Yeah” on the back – has a black stream of mascara down her face for the show’s duration, none of her sistas coming to her aid. Big Freedia executes an unaccompanied rap while seated on the catwalk and when she incorporates, “Queen Diva, the dick eater all the way from New Orleans, Louisiana”, the crowd goes nuts. Closing with a number composed around the repeated phrase, “Big dick daddy,” Freedia stresses, “Please don’t knock it until you try it”. Freedia compliments a local jewellery designer called Leah whose ‘golden kangaroo balls’ bling the artist wears with pride this evening. Her love of our country runs deep (Big Freedia penned a song called Get Amongst It after her last tour). At the conclusion of her show, Freedia tells us she’s worked very hard to get where she is today (Queen Diva came out in 2003, after all) and “bloody deserves it”, before getting teary and deserting the catwalk. Bryget Chrisfield

THE OCEAN PARTY, PAGEANTS, HOT PALMS GASOMETER: 14/10/12 A trip upstairs at the Gasometer brings me to a small carpeted room with a mixing desk in the back corner and a seven-piece band crammed into the free space at the front. In the constant red glow of the Bandroom, Hot Palms take their time arranging themselves into a picturesque form that begs to be captured as music portraiture. Yet once the iPod is paused and

the live music begins the visuals cease to matter. In the absence of co-founder Emma Russack, Hot Palms play a (brief) set of affecting instrumentals. The music moves in slow passages; screaming theremin crescendos, percussion pitter-patters and rumbling bass, all following a constant drum beat and striking guitar sound. It is music to close your eyes to. Next up is Pageants. The guy that was mixing the sound picks up the bass and joins his bandmates. Again there are a fair few musicians standing in front of us, but none are wasted as they play a (brief) set of noisy slacker pop. What sets Pageants apart from other local bands who share a similar vibe is the bristling intensity they play with. Compared to other bands tonight, they play loud, and the commanding but sweet backing vocals provided by three members give the band an edge in the live setting. They play a couple of older tracks but it is the ones from their new LP Dark Before Blonde Dawn that really stand out. Like Hot Palms before them, they are on and off the stage in quick time, though they probably play to the biggest audience of the night. Hoping to successfully launch their new album Social Clubs, The Ocean Party is the last band on this Sunday night. They start with Sit On The Hill, which is a good indicator for the sound they will stick with for the rest of their (brief) set. It’s an easy indie-pop guitar jangle, backed with some understated keyboard work and rounded out with the melancholic Australian drawl of Lachlan Denton. The contemplative opener is probably the best track of the night. Other highlights include earlier singles from this year, On The Floor and In A Knot. The audience is quietly appreciative of the band’s work and Denton doesn’t seem too keen to push the agenda – only half-heartedly plugging the album with an unassuming dry wit. The room livens up a bit when a couple of the boys from Hot Palms arrive from the bar downstairs and get about moving enthusiastically while others feel more comfortable just to bob their heads and sway a bit. Despite this late rush of energy, The Ocean Party can’t be roused for ‘one more song’. A night of earnest music making is over without a big finale, which seems fitting really. Jan Wisniewski

For more reviews go to themusic.com.au/reviews • 65

ROOTS DOWN

ADAMANTIUM WOLF

WAKE THE DEAD

BLUES ‘N’ ROOTS WITH DAN CONDON ROOTS@INPRESS.COM.AU

THE HEAVY SHIT WITH LOCHLAN WATT

HARDCORE AND PUNK WITH SARAH PETCHELL

Taperjean Records, the US band are touring in support of last year’s Neutralize The Threat album, their seventh full-length serve of pioneering metalcore. Catch them on Sunday 2 February at the Corner Hotel. Melbourne’s House Vs Hurricane have scored the opening slot for the Australian instalments of Alexisonfire’s farewell tour. They’ll play on Wednesday 12 December at Festival Hall.

Blind Boys Of Alabama I am, of course, beside myself with the news that one of the greatest bands of all-time – George Clinton Parliament-Funkadelic – have just been announced to perform at next year’s Golden Plains festival just outside of Melbourne. If you’ve seen the band on their past couple of tours, it will become obvious that the legend of Parliament-Funkadelic and their songs looms larger than the sum of its parts. Don’t get me wrong, the band that now plays the songs (which varies in size, age and membership) is always excellent, but George Clinton himself isn’t what he used to be so don’t go expecting the same guy who made those classic funk tunes what they are. No idea if there will be sideshows yet and no idea how big a band he will bring – last time he promised 27 members but it ended up something closer to 15. However, I can promise that, if you free your mind, you arse will follow. I’m excited just thinking about it and it’s not for almost half a year! Cat Power is the only other artist announced for the festival thus far. Due to the deadline for this column, I’m not sure whether Pugsley Buzzard won his heat as a part of the Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society’s Blues Performer Of The Year competition last night (I’ll have more info on that next week), but I can tell you that he has a show coming up this very weekend! Not that this is particularly huge news – this guy works hard, plays a lot of shows and makes a lot of people really damn happy when he plays; he is an incredibly gifted musician and performer and there are few who can play rollicking boogie piano like this guy can. This Friday night he has a particularly exciting show happening at the Flying Saucer Club in Elsternwick. The Flying Saucer Speakeasy – as it is being dubbed – kicks off just after 8pm and you can grab tickets from $20+BF up to around $30 through the venue now, or try your luck on the night. Sideshows for Bluesfest have already started rolling out and a couple of the ones run by the Bluesfest touring crew have got me very excited. Firstly, the amazing Bonnie Raitt will be gracing us with her presence for a big show at the State Theatre, Wednesday 27 March 2013. If you’ve seen her perform before then you’ll know there’s an unspeakable allure to her live shows; sure, she is one hell of a guitarist and she has one of the greatest voices in blues music today, but there’s chemistry between her and her band, her and her guitar, and her and the songs that she plays that is just magic. As if Raitt herself isn’t enough, she will be supported on the night by none other than the completely magical Mavis Staples; one of the better soul and gospel singers doing the rounds today, who never fails to put on wonderful performances every damn time she hits a stage. Also announcing a Bluesfest sideshow last week was the incomparable Blind Boys Of Alabama; their uplifting live performances are the thing of legend and it’s hard not to walk away from seeing them without feeling completely overjoyed and inspired. Their rich voices and incredible arrangements of a diverse range of songs will sound just fantastic at the Hamer Hall when they play there on Wednesday 3 April and the deal is only sweetened with the news that female vocal group Sweet Honey In The Rock are going to be opening the show for these music legends. Finally, Melbourne is the only city who has had a Wilco show announced thus far. The band are here at Easter to play Bluesfest but have also indicated their intention to play Hamer Hall on Wednesday 27 March. As if this column hasn’t featured enough hyperbole yet; Wilco are probably the best live band in the world right now. Seriously. How’s that for a finish?

66 • For more opinion go to themusic.com.au/blog

Earth Crisis Atlas, the fourth album from Australian metal/ hardcore kings Parkway Drive, hits stores this Friday through Resist Records. Go out and buy it and let’s make sure this band gets to finally claim the number-one spot on the ARIA charts. The album’s second track, Old Ghosts/New Regrets, was put up for streaming on YouTube last week, and you can currently stream the whole record through the JB Hi-Fi online store. By the time you read this things may have already been announced, but Soundwave have revealed that there are two more acts to be added to the already mammoth festival. Savannah sludgecome-Nickelback lords Baroness are the most strongly rumoured contender. US hardcore group Punch will embark on their second trip to Australia to polish their year off. The entire 11-show tour is allages, thanks to One Brick Today, and you can catch them on Tuesday 20 November at the Place in Preston with Internal Rot, and on Friday 23 at the Phoenix Youth Centre with Outright and Shit Weather. The one and only Earth Crisis will return to Australia early next year to spread the vegan straight-edge gospel. Thanks to

Thy Art Is Murder will tour briefly throughout November and December in support of their newly launched second album, Hate, and they’ll be bringing their Sydney mates Resist The Thought along with them. Hate has kicked off with a bang – the release even debuted at number three on the American iTunes charts. Catch the groups at the Gasometer on Saturday 17 November. Jamie Hay, the former A Death In The Family frontman, will embark on a large national tour in January with fellow acoustic acts Austin Lucas (USA) and PJ Bond (USA). Catch them at the Reverence Hotel on Friday 4 January. The Between The Buried & Me (USA) and Animals As Leaders (USA) show in Melbourne on Friday 16 November has completely sold out. Tickets to Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane are still available – I wouldn’t sleep on it though. Progressive rock act The Kidney Thieves will perform in Brisbane one last time on Friday 2 November at the Hi-Fi, before they permanently follow through on their name change to Osaka Punch and relocate to the United Kingdom to chase the dream. Adamantium Wolf wishes them the best of luck! Brisbane’s melodic death metal legends Minus Life, who broke up in 2007, have announced that they have begun jamming again and plan to book some live appearances in the near future. It has been confirmed that bassist Kent Haines will not take part in the reunion.

FRAGMENTED FREQUENCIES OTHER MUSIC FROM THE OTHER SIDE WITH BOB BAKER FISH

The Mosquito Device When Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti suggested that music was the weapon, he wasn’t speaking literally. In his eyes it was the idea that was the weapon and music the vehicle. Yet it doesn’t have to be that way. Music can be a weapon in itself. Consider Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore going into battle with Wagner’s Ride Of The Valkyries blaring from his chopper in Apocalypse Now, or the coercive role music has played for those captured by the US war on terror, where songs such as the Sesame Street theme song or Decide’s Fuck Your God were played on endless rotation at high volumes, prompting madness, self-harm and suicide attempts. Last week a study published in the journal of neuroscience discovered that the most annoying sound to the human brain is a knife on a bottle, closely followed by a fork on glass and chalk on a blackboard. MRI scans of participants exposed to these sounds revealed that activity in the amygdala (the region of the brain responsible for producing emotions) increased in a direct relationship with the perceived unpleasantness of the sound. Americans have recognised this and the military and FBI have been using weaponised sound and music for years. In 1989 when Panama dictator General Noriega took refuge in the Holy See’s Panama Embassy, the Americans surrounded the perimeter and used incessant low flying helicopters and loud rock music by The Clash and Van Halen to compel him to leave. Then there was the Waco siege in which David Koresh and his followers were subjected to impossibly loud Mitch Miller Christmas carols and Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Were Made For Walking, which were combined with the sound of pigs being slaughtered.

In his book Sonic Warfare: Sound, Affect, And The Ecology Of Fear (MIT/ Footprint), Steve Goodman charts these and further examples of the US and Israeli military machines (sound bombs over the Gaza strip), fascinated by the notion of seemingly innocent songs recontextualised against their will. Goodman is well qualified to discuss this as he’s not only a lecturer at the University Of East London, but also the owner of Hyperdub Records (home to Burial), and he himself records dubstep as Kode9. He offers the Mosquito Device, which emits an unbearably high-pitched sound that can only be heard by teenagers, designed to repel them from train stations. It has now been repurposed by teenagers themselves, so they can receive secret phone calls and texts in class. While psychological operations get a few mentions, particularly the Urban Funk Campaign in Vietnam (Google it), Goodman’s main interest lies in low frequency audible or inaudible vibration and its ability to impose sonic dread. He ponders how these are used to attract or repel populations, and what comes into play for them to turn toxic. He’s interested in the politics of sound, picking out a bewildering and at times overwhelming array of ideas and examples from philosophy, the military machine, social engineering, psychoacoustics, the arts, music and film, to further his enquiry. It’s by no means a catalogue of sonic atrocities; though there are more than a few here, Goodman is keen to mine the interconnections between all the disparate philosophers, authors, artists and musicians, and it’s a long and winding but fascinating path. From the insidious use of earworms (the catchy tune that you can’t get out of your head) to the affective tonalities ingrained into the architecture of security, Goodman demonstrates the far reaching and often unintended consequences of sonic warfare, where technology, social movements, the military, law enforcement, viral marketing, sonic branding, muzak and music are all marking their territory on an overcrowded sonic battleground. And it’s loud as hell.

A Wilhelm Scream WHAT A WEEK! There have been so many excellent tour announcements over the last week that I don’t know how I’m going to fit them all into this week’s column. Another mini-fest, some ‘90s vegan metalcore, Christian pop punk and gay hardcore… There literally is something for everyone! To start with, the best news to hit my radar was that one of my all-time favourite bands, A Wilhelm Scream, will be FINALLY heading back to Australia as a part of the Hits & Pits Festival. Set to take aim on Australia over March and April 2013, the event features many local and international punk rock, ska punk, folk punk and acoustic acts spread across one afternoon and two stages. It features Mad Caddies, Good Riddance, A Wilhelm Scream, Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Flatliners, Diesel Boy, One Dollar Short, Jamie Hay, Jen Buxton, Paper Arms and Totally Unicorn. Early-bird tickets with no booking fee go on sale this Friday, with a general on-sale date of Friday 2 November. You can catch it when it hits the Palace on Friday 29 March. For the first time in more than two years, the highly influential Earth Crisis have announced that they will be heading back to Australia, bringing a Firestorm of their very own. For so many years, this band have ridden out numerous trends, staying true to their morals, ethics and message. They still continue to spread the message of human and animal liberation, and drug-free living while releasing classic album after classic album. This was proven with the release of Neutralize The Threat, the band’s eighth longplayer. Tickets for this tour go on sale this Friday, but you can catch the tour when it hits the Corner Hotel for an 18+ show on Saturday 2 February. While we’re on the topic of influential hardcore, this December will see Mike Muir and Suicidal Tendencies return to the country to kick off summer in a huge way. Joining them on this jaunt around the country will be SoCal punk stalwarts Unwritten Law and mental Finnish pranksters The Dudesons. This line-up is actually crazy! I have no idea what these shows are going to be like or what to expect from the crazy mixed line-up, but it should be an interesting evening no matter which way you look at it. Anyway, Saturday 15 December is the date that this tour will hit town, with tickets on sale now. The tour will be a part of the SRH Fest, and I don’t have many details for that at the moment but stay tuned. At the moment, all we know is that it will be happening “on the grass at the cirty’s famed Arts Centre Spire”. Also on the touring agenda for 2013 (well technically the first show is New Year’s Eve) is the return of homosexual hardcore band Limp Wrist for the first time since 2007. Having played extensively on a few continents as well as recording a second LP since their last tour, the band are back “to call out every hardcore freak, punk ass queen and genderbending crossdresser to come together for a night of in your face, queer hardcore punk that you’ll wish you could forget”. Sounds like a party to me. The perfect way to spend your New Year’s Eve will be at the Bendigo Hotel in Collingwood with Limp Wrist, Shit Weather, Infinite Void and Ratsak. Alternatively on Thursday 3 January, you can head to Liberty Social for an 18+ show with Limp Wrist, Deep Heat, Havittajat and Gentlemen. I spoke a couple of months ago about how UK ‘90s emo worship band Basement (I mean that description with much respect because they do it really well) are breaking up, after only two albums. Their second and final longplayer, Colourmeinkindness, is out now through Run For Cover Records with the digital version of the album selling for $5 through the band’s Bandcamp page. The album really is remarkable and takes their sound and style to the next logical level. As a person who lived through the ‘90s, it makes me really nostalgic. Anyway, definitely pick up the album and keep your eyes glued to YouTube for footage, as the band will play their final two (sold-out) shows in the UK next month.

DANCE MOVES

OG FLAVAS

INTELLIGIBLE FLOW

NEW CURRENTS WITH TIM FINNEY

URBAN AND R&B NEWS BY CYCLONE

HIP HOP NEWS & COMMENTARY WITH ALEKSIA BARRON

Lupe Fiasco

Funkystepz Last year I identified UK trio Funkystepz as one of two (erstwhile?) UK Funky acts likely to survive their parent genre’s inevitable decline. It’s fair to say that 2012 hath borne out this prediction, on both counts: UK Funky (circa 2008-09, almost the only thing happening in music that seriously warranted attention) has died faster and more catastrophically than I could have imagined, while Funkystepz have gone from strength to strength, growing bigger, bolder and better than any single dance outfit has any right to be in 2012. In fact, Funkystepz may lay claim to being one of a barest handful of truly modernist groups left in dance music. I don’t mean modernism in the sense of stealing ideas from Chicago’s footwork scene and appealing to earnest handwringers scouring FACT Magazine and The Quietus. Rather, modernism as typified by the great future-tilted dance scenes of the past 25 years: not just techno, but also early house, hardcore, jungle and two-step garage, not to mention rap and R&B. Funkystepz absorb from the tradition – rather than any specific sound – of these styles, offering a kind of futurism that is enthusiastic and overblown but unselfconscious; a vision of the future as the place where all the best parties are held. The basic Funkystepz sonic blueprint – stuttering syncopated beats and spiraling synth melodies weaving in and out of one another in dense, counterintuitive grooves – has radically expanded this year, not just with outré, aggressively pounding bangers such as Royal Rumble and Belter – tunes which have taken the group’s trademark disorienting syncopation to new levels of ridiculousness – but also with a series of remixes of rap and R&B tunes that move into a kind of jittery amphetamine-pop territory, preserving the original tunes’ vocals within a dense soundworld of ricochet effects and jittery rhythms. In this regard Funkystepz enjoy some of their most remarkable successes with some of contemporary pop’s most inane tunes: their remix of Rihanna’s Birthday Cake turns the singer’s “cake cake cake” refrain into a mindless cyborg demand over a restlessly mutating bed of groaning bass, sickly synth drones and clattering percussion; for Drake’s The Motto they push Drake up-register into a sniveling gargoyle over dubbed-out keyboard vamps and a panther crawl beat. Perhaps best of all is their new remix of 2 Chainz’s Birthday, which sounds like all their previous remixes playing simultaneously. You can choose to focus on Funkystepz’s different stylistic strands separately – earlier this year they offered a collection of their more pop-minded remixes out for free under the title Loveshy vs Miami Bass – but to my mind these strands sound best all mixed and fluxed up. A recent DJ mix for Da Movelt Nasty ties together these disparate threads into a glorious mess, rifling through about 30 tracks in as many minutes (which other contemporary producers could do this and maintain quality control?), ranging from the aforementioned apocalyptic 2 Chainz remix to the clubfooted stomp of Warrior, to two psychotic refixes of Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff tunes that posit a future fusion of Baltimore breaks and the UK’s jackin’ house scene. In its ruthless rifling through an endless succession of sonic shock tactics, it’s the most consistently exciting and startling DJ mix I’ve heard in living memory. This year, only British selector and sometime sonic compatriot DJ Q has explored similarly broadminded territory, with his ever-expanding garage revivalist sound. But Q has a broad range of tunes from different sub-genres (and even eras) to draw on. The most amazing aspect of Funkystepz’s show for Da Movelt Nasty – and 2012 output generally – is that it spews forth so many ideas, and inhabits so many styles and moods, and yet is undeniably and identifiably the work of single artist collective. In an era of so many barely differentiated producers offering up successive ever-so-slight twists on this past or that, it’s relieving to have one group who sound so indifferent to the past; they’re having way too much fun in the present.

Is socio-political rap back in vogue? It’s long permeated Australian hip hop – cue: The Herd – but today’s US culture is more hedonistic, the GFC and Occupy movement having little impact. This year London’s Plan B challenged the status quo with iLL Manors. Now Xzibit has dropped the hardcore Napalm, his first album since 2006’s Full Circle. Prompted by his travelling to Iraq, it’s far removed from Pimp My Ride. And Big Day Out regular Lupe Fiasco (AKA Wasalu Jaco) has unleashed Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt 1 (F&LII). Nas has company... Jaco, an authoritative, incisive and frequently brilliant lyricist, debuted in 2006 with Food & Liquor, executive produced by Jay-Z. He had a hit with the skateboardinspired Kick, Push. It’s an odd move for the Chi-towner to recycle an old concept for this ambitious comeback – a Part 2 is planned – but he’s never played the game. Indeed, Jaco has opted for all-black packaging for the album. There are not even any titles (spoiler alert: look under the CD tray). Jaco has often clashed with Atlantic Records, something his latest label bio acknowledges. The company delayed the release of 2011’s LASERS, with fans mounting a protest. Atlantic reportedly meddled in that album, accounting for its blatant commercialism – although the BoB-ish Words I Never Said, masterminded by Alex Da Kid and featuring Skylar Grey, showed Jaco to be as provocative as ever, dissing Obama. LASERS topped the US charts. On this fourth outing, Jaco, a Muslim, again confronts the contradictions of American democracy. A key influence is James Baldwin, the iconic gay AfricanAmerican writer who exiled himself to France. “I tried to find the great American experience and reflect on American phenomenon, American history, American mythology, American cultural movements...,” Jaco says in the press blurb.

Hip hop is guilty of misogyny. On the Audibles’ Vegas electro (and auto-tuned!) Bitch Bad, with John Legend sound-alike Poo Bear, Jaco considers how girls internalise degrading language. Bold, yes, but the MC risks coming off as patronising. “If he must target female ears, it’s not to seduce, [but] instead empower with the enlightening Bitch Bad,” his bio informs us. Would-be hip hop feminists may yet be more “enlightened” reading bell hooks’ sophisticated essays on the topic. However, Bitch Bad. is redeemed by Jaco’s choosing to open the album with his sister Ayesha’s spoken word poetry. Actions speaker louder... What ultimately derails F&LII is the soundtrack. It starts promisingly, with the dramatically propulsive Strange Fruition – helmed by Soundtrakk, who samples Percy Faith’s oldtime band music – only to lose traction midway. Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free), the lead single, is retro-nuevo boom bap, its backing a neat replay of Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s 1992 They Reminisce Over You (TROY). That Jaco selects obscure producers is admirable, but they’re limited. The MC tones down the electro-hop of LASERS, but he’s hardly avant, favouring sub-Kanye West beats – and swinging between generic soulful ‘90s hip hop and the contemporary synth-heavy incarnation. A radical rapper requires radical production. It’d be better if Jaco were to hook up with UNKLE’s James Lavelle and explore those alt-rock leanings. He comes close with Strange Fruition, the dark Put Em Up and epic Unforgivable Youth. Jaco enjoyed an Australian No. 1 in Battle Scars with Guy Sebastian. The song is included solely on international versions of F&LII. Otherwise the most high-profile guest here is the neo-soul Bilal on the wishy-washy How Dare You – nothing on Jaco’s earlier Jill Scott-led Daydreamin’. (There was meant to be a Jamiroquai cameo!) Of course, Jaco broke through after West, that post-backpacker and fellow nerd, and he’s invariably compared to him (he rapped on Touch The Sky). Jaco shares, too, West’s contradictions, being partial to Ferraris. Other ‘new Yeezys’ have fallen aside, Rhymefest taking up local politics in Chicago. Jaco is still a contender. He just might break free.

THE BREAKDOWN POP CULTURE THERAPY WITH ADAM CURLEY it’s also a pretty earnest take. It was a bit of fun but also a premeditated act when singer/guitarist Leroy Macqueen stripped to his undies, and then by some accounts to the nud (I tried to get a better view, believe me). And the already awesome set was better for it. Hunx & His Punx For the most part I’m embarrassed by how much I enjoy nudity at gigs. A band nudes up and I’m right there with them, no chance of breaking for the bar, even more likely to buy some merch when the set is done. This is a truth and it’s not one I admit readily. Not because I’m ashamed by sex thoughts about musicians. Everyone has those. We also have them about actors and writers and our cousins and each other, so it’s hardly odd or silly or anything that need be kept secret. And it’s only partially because it potentially makes me appear fickle in the eyes of other people who spend a significant portion of their time listening to and talking about music. But I know I’m no less likely to appreciate a band that keeps its pants on just because I melt for one that doesn’t. And I have nothing against ‘serious’ music, which is of course the scourge of a certain ‘scene’ that hangs around small inner-city clubs and online comment sections because heaven forbid anyone should care about their message and craft. It is possible to appreciate various approaches. I’m embarrassed because it’s been done to death. As a statement - artistic, political or otherwise it’s up there with swearing and playing electric guitars. It isn’t shocking. It isn’t original. In fact there’s probably nothing less original than a person displaying themselves the way they came out. Half the population has the ugly bits they have. What would ever make anyone think it was interesting? Yet I can’t deny the enjoyment I get out a pants-less show. The other week I caught The Gooch Palms, a duo from Newcastle who’ve been building a following the past couple of years with ratty guitar-and-drummachine garage rock. Their take on the sound is rough and filled with anti-clever humour (their new 7” is titled R U 4 Sirius, out through Anti Fade) but

The announcement that California’s Hunx & His Punx, led by former Gravy Train!!!! member Seth Bogart, will be finally touring Australia in January was made all the more thrilling by the knowledge that Bogart often de-dacks while playing his queer-angled punk ditties. Actually, Bogart nudes up all over the place, confirmed by the recent appearance of sethbogartisnaked.tumblr. com. I have better memories of The Slits’ set at Golden Plains in 2007 thanks to the two women who enacted the group’s Cut album cover and jumped around the stage and the audience covered only by mud. It doesn’t always appeal, and the reasons for this give some insight into why it usually does. I find men and women who resemble magazine models flashing at dance festivals more troubling than exciting, for instance. I was working behind the bar of a venue when the robust frontman of a hardcore band climbed onto the bar top in his undies and was subsequently stripped by an audience member. At first I thought it awesome until some research into the band showed that they didn’t stand for anything particularly progressive and neither did much of their audience, who had some sexist and homophobic things to say on the band’s social media. So why does it appeal? Because while nuding up has been done by many provided with a stage, it’s perhaps more relevant an act now than ever before when performed by those with liberal minds. Seeing a regular body type proudly presented in the flesh is just as significant for men in this age as it has been for women for many decades. When it comes to sexuality, the act can be one of reclaiming sexuality publicly on one’s own terms in a time when sexuality has become so heavily politicised. Or reclaiming the body from commerce or from victim blamers or religion. It can be simply to say, “This is me.” And of course it can be sexy as hell. breakdown@drummedia.com.au

Hunter: For The Record So, the Robert Hunter Cup weekend came and went, leaving a trail of smiles, hangovers and happy (if hazy) memories in its wake. I don’t think I would be alone in saying that it may have been the single best event to happen to Australian hip hop in recent memory. The sold-out gig at the Corner last Saturday night was an absolute marvel – there were great performances across the board from the likes of Mass MC, Koolism and Funkoars, and the night was capped off beautifully by the Syllabolix crew, who reminded us that they don’t get over here nearly often enough. We’ve seen Drapht out this way a few times in the last couple of years, true, but Layla and Optamus dropped some brilliant verses, and Dazastah was simply untouchable. The actual Robert Hunter Cup game on Sunday was excellent as well, even if the Western Warriors were robbed by the sneaky Eastside Kings. The Warriors were dominant early, thanks in large part to a Pavlich-esque first quarter from Mr Grevis, but the contest tightened in the second half, and the Kings ended up snatching a four-point victory. The atmosphere was brilliant and the commentary team (which included Suffa, Trials and Sesta) were positively inspired (especially once they realised they had no siren to signal the end of the first quarter, and had to resort to yelling, “STOP!” until the umpires heard them). It was a great day and a beautiful way to remember Hunter, who inspired so many young artists and was instrumental in building the network that has transformed hip hop from a local niche to a national phenomenon. The team behind the Robert Hunter Cup (Bias B, Dedlee, Heata and Stewbakka) is to be commended, and not just for pulling off the logistics of these big events. This weekend saw artists and fans fly in from all over the country, and people who had only ever previously connected on Twitter were able to meet face to face. Hopefully we’ll see even greater collaboration across state lines as a result of the Robert Hunter Cup. Of course, there’s one further must-attend Hunter-inspired event this month, and that’s the Melbourne screening of Hunter: For The Record, taking place at the ACMI this Saturday at 4pm. This documentary about the late, great Hunter very nearly didn’t get made – despite the hours of work that went into it and keen fan interest, it was rejected by both the ABC and SBS. However, it became one of the true crowdfunding success stories when the production company, Periscope Pictures, were able to raise the $20,000 they needed on Pozible in order to complete the film. The fruits of this long, difficult labour will finally be shown on screen this Saturday, and will be accompanied by a performance from DJ Defyre and a post-screening Q&A, where people from Bias B to the documentarians will be answering audience questions. Make sure that you don’t miss out – chances to see this film on the big screen will likely be few and far between. Tickets are available from acmi.net.au. Also happening this weekend is the long-awaited return of Spit Syndicate to a Melbourne stage. The Sydney MCs have been hard at work on their upcoming third album, Sunday Gentlemen, which is due out in 2013. The first taste of the record is the single Beauty In The Bricks, which features the soulful handiwork of Horrorshow’s Adit in the beat and shows promising development from MCs Nick Lupi and Jimmy Nice. These guys have been riding an upward trajectory for some time, so if you want to see what they’ve been working on, as well as hearing a few old favourites, make sure you catch them this Saturday 27 October at the Laundry Bar. Tickets are available from spitsyndicate.oztix.com.

For more opinion go to themusic.com.au/blog • 67

HOWARD YOU LIKE IT?

FACE THE MUSIC FOCUS

Howard are bringing you a month of music, mystery and mayhem during October. They are a five-piece whose music combines the likes of folk, psychedelia and gypsy. Every Tuesday the Evelyn will host them with a wide range of special guests and special friends. This Tuesday they play with Kirkis, Amanita and Ships Piano. It starts at 8pm with free entry. Aversions Crown

HARDCORE HALLOWEEN

Johann Ponniah

IT’S LESS THEN A MONTH UNTIL INDUSTRY CONFERENCE FACE THE MUSIC. PANELIST JOHANN PONNIAH EXPLAINS THE EVENT’S IMPORTANCE. Who are you and what do you do? Johann Ponniah – I founded and run I Oh You. Is this your first Face The Music? I went for a little bit a couple of years ago. Tell us about your previous FTM experience. It was great to see some people who have made amazing contributions to the Australian music industry talking to younger kids and giving them valuable advice. How does FTM compare to other industry conferences you’ve attended? It’s great – I’m really into it. I think they’ve often nailed the panels with a great mix and diversity of speakers who can all contribute something different while still being connected. Tell us about the panel you’re speaking on at this year’s FTM. It’s called Melbourne Music Industry Tastemakers And Innovators. From what I gather we’ll be meeting one-on-one with people in an intimate networking and mentoring session. It’s a session with some people who have all done pretty amazing things (and then me); the session will feature a variety of people who have all paved their own way through the Melbourne music industry in all different facets. I believe you have to apply in advance to attend, so check out the Face The Music website for all the details. In what ways do you think FTM can help young bands and those hoping to start a career in the music industry? Just putting on panels that respected people in the music industry are on and discussing issues with young people is a great thing! FTM gives kids a chance to ask questions and get up close and personal with those who have potentially already ticked a few boxes that they’re hoping to in the future. Any tips for how to get the most out of your time at FTM? ASK QUESTIONS YO! Face The Music takes place on Friday 16 November and Saturday 17 at the Arts Centre.

TIRED BUT INSPIRED

FReeZA Maribyrnong is hosting its second annual Hardcore Halloween, a bone-chilling all-ages event on Sunday at Phoenix Youth Centre. There will be no tricks, only treats with Aversions Crown heading the heavy hardcore band lineup which also features: Thorns, Brooklyn, Kontact, Atticus Told Me and Hard Reign.

HAWAIIAN SKIES After creating a wave of tropical storms with the release of their second album, The Hawaiian Islands are back for a crazy night of punk-drenched insomnia this Thursday at the Evelyn. Celebrating the launch of Skyways Are Highways’ debut EP Let Them Run Wild will also see Ceres join the stellar bill. Prepurchase tickets via Moshtix to receive a free copy of Skyways Are Highways’ EP. It kicks off at 8.30pm.

SPLITSVILLE The Bellastrades will be launching their debut EP this 26 october Friday at the Evelyn from 8.45pm. The band play fast-paced jangly rock but sometimes get a little introspective. The five-piece band Mercians will be launching their new single, Questions. They play a fusion of post-rock and uplifting grooves blended with haunting yet soulful vocal melodies. Supporting will be indie-pop rockers Les Garcons and the dulcet tones of the Jeff Buckley-esque Aircrafte.

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES Unique electro-pop duo Pludo are the brainchild of former A Sound Mind lead vocalist Anthony Kupinic and professional bucket player turned drummer Alex Cooper. Pludo have exploded on to the scene with their debut single Frenemies, which sees the guys tackle the growing unfashionable subject of bullying. With the single receiving early airplay they will be launching it with Midi Widow, Brecik and Milandra at the Evelyn this Saturday from 8.30pm.

NO LET DOWN There’s a new chapter in the love story between the Evelyn Hotel and pop crusaders Francolin. Coming off the launch of their critically acclaimed debut Won’t Let You Down Francolin bring old and new tunes, band members and friends to the Evelyn stage every Monday in October. Joining them this Monday will be Scotdrakula and Officer Parrot. The doors open at 8.30pm.

Join Sleepy Dreamers and their friends Sean M Watson, Dani Leever and The Peeks for a lovely afternoon full of folky tunes and fun this Sunday at the Evelyn. Their four-part harmonies, unrivaled drum sound and energetic stage presence will be a delight as the music enters the early evening. The gig kicks off at 1.30pm.

SHE IS HEAVY Join in on another great night filled with some killer Melbourne bands at the Tote this Saturday as the Fourth issue of Heavy is launched. Nothing Sacred will headline with A Million Dead Birds Laughing, Orpheus, Naberus and Involuntary Convulsion also to appear. The doors open at 8pm with free entry.

The Big Small are a three-piece roots band combining guitars, drums, banjo, bass, percussion, harp and threepart harmonies. Their style of music ranges from storybased folk songs to pulsating African blues instrumentals to ‘60s psychedelic pastiche, and everything in between. Catch Gareth Eunson and his Big Small when they play the Retreat front bar this Tuesday with free entry.

ALI E ROLLS ON It’s the second last show of fuzz songstress Ali E’s October residency in the Retreat Hotel’s front bar tonight (Wednesday 24 October). Described as bringing her own unique twist to the best of shoegaze, soul and alt.rock, Ali E will be joined by her band made up of a veritable super-group of Melbourne musos. She will be joined tonight by Ryan Nico (Tinsmoke) and next week by Amaya Laucirica. It is free entry and the music starts at 8.30pm.

UNDER THE BRIDGE With roots in a wide range of locations and a combined love of the ocean, Bridgewater bring together an interesting group of musicians with a setlist to match. The band call upon the influence of bands such as The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac and The Black Crowes. Catch them at the Retreat this Friday supported by the eclectic White Summer. It starts at 10pm with free entry.

Humbug

THE BRIDGE AT MIDNIGHT Expect a night of primal garage surfabilly psycho country rock’n’roll explosion as Melbourne-based Midnight Woolf rips off the roof of the Bridge Hotel in Castlemaine on Friday 9 November. They will be ably supported on the evening by the hillbilly jungle-punk Daylesford locals Humbug. It is $10 entry with the doors at 8.30pm.

68 • For more news/announcements go to themusic.com.au/news

THURSTON MOORE The first album I bought with my own money was… Alice Cooper – Killer The album I’m loving right now is… Big Nils – Sibling My favourite party album is… Lou Reed – Berlin My favourite comedown album is… Lisa Sluckdog – Drugs Are Nice The most surprising album in my collection is… Sylvia – Pillow Talk The first gig I ever attended was… Rick Wakeman The weirdest gig experience I’ve ever had… Stiv Bators masturbating with a vibrator on stage during a Dead Boys gig (he was the lead singer) (and he came). The coolest person I’ve ever met… Rowland S Howard If I could hang out in any time and place in history… 1972, St Marks Poetry Project, New York City If I wasn’t making music, I would be… Writing experimental sonnets in a house in Lisbon, Portugal. Thurston Moore plays Hamer Hall for the Melbourne Festival this Thursday 25 October.

DIRTY DOUBLE Melbourne’s corrosive rock four-piece Dirty F will be throwing life and limb into two shows in one night starting with the Cornish Arms and another glorious 2am show at Pony on Friday. They’ll be purging new songs yet to be released on their debut album due early next year. Both shows have free entry.

DESERT DWELLERS Little Desert are Roman Tucker (Rocket Science), Mick Beard (Sons Of Lee Marvin) and vocalist par excellence Esther Rivers; together they play their own brand of swirling blues psych rock. They are hosted by the Tote this Thursday. They are supported by the lush and beautiful charm of Bayou, the majestically voiced Nathan Hollywood in his last ever solo set and the orchestral guitar loop display of River Of Heaven.

KILLER TURKEYS Three-piece Wild Turkey play a hot mixture of surf, Oz rock and rockabilly. Their new album, titled Love That Kills, says it all. This isn’t about sweet and gushy love, it’s an insatiable burning desire that moves the bones. Tequila-drenched and inspired lyrics from the roots of rock’n’roll. They tear up the Retreat this Saturday at 10pm, followed by Doubleblack. Chelsea Drugstore and Stoney Joe play earlier from 4pm in the front bar.

THREE ON THE FLOOR The Floors are West Australian musicians who live to play and to create living sound. Beautiful, ugly, imperfect and yet flawless. They bring their brand new album to Melbourne and play the Retreat Hotel this Sunday. They are supported by the diverse and authentic sounds of Black River Rebellion from 7pm. Swamplands will appear early at 4pm in the front bar with two lubricated sets of banjo, guitar, double bass and hollering.

CALCIUM INTAKE

WARM SLUMBER The Sunsleepers are a Melbourne four-piece falling under the indie/pop genre. As musicians it is their hope that at some place, at some time, in some location their sound is in full flight. They play tonight (Wednesday) at the Evelyn with Red Leader and Return To Youth as part of their month-long residency. It starts at 8.30pm.

NOTORIOUS GARETH

LUCKY CHARM Julitha Ryan will be playing tunes from her recently released debut album The Lucky Girl at two shows in November at Yah Yah’s. The Silver Ray piano player’s grand debut album features her own big voice backed by an all-star cast of Melbourne’s most intuitive musicians playing a dramatic and idiosyncratic suite of songs specifically designed to be heard from start to finish. Don’t miss hearing her at 8pm Sunday 11 and Sunday 18 November live at Yah Yah’s.

TASTE TEST

Like a post-apocalyptic jukebox banging out a benzedrine beat, The Raves kick of the bedlam at the Tote tonight (Wednesday). Second-up is the lock-stocked blues damnation of The Groves before the debauched poly-rhythymic orchestra know as Disconcerto Vertigo head to the stage. The sly dogging funk blasting sounds of Milk will be the last to ring in your ears for the night. It starts at 8pm.

MUTINY AT THE BENDIGO Mutiny are celebrating their 21st year of playing folk punk for punk folk. The mandolins and accordion will come out of the road cases and whip-up a polka pogo at the Bendigo Hotel on Saturday 3 November. Joining the shindig will be Canberra’s The Bigots and local rockers Rise Of The Rat. Entry is $12 on the door.

Suburban Cocoon

CRASHED DREAMED VASILIADES Singer-songwriter Phillip Michael Vasiliades cuts loose his creative juices on this new album Crashed Dreamed Boomed. With his band Suburban Cocoon they explore classic rock, blues, electro funk and jazz. Catch Vasiliades as he launches his new album at the Retreat this Thursday, with a little help from the folk-pop of Bolte’s Blunder. The music starts at 9pm with free entry.

WHAT A PEARLER Jude Pearl is a Melbourne-based singer, songwriter and pianist on the verge of releasing her debut EP 3am. Her original funk/pop/R&B tunes will make you get up and boogie and her voice will shoot good vibes through you. Pearl makes her first appearance at Revolver this Thursday. The night kicks off with the delightful Al Parkinson, followed by the engaging Lauren Glezer. Catch three unique performers on the one night for $5 from 8.30pm.

SINGLE FOCUS

SPIT SYNDICATE – BEAUTY IN THE BRICKS What’s the song about? Nick Lupi, MC: Beauty In The Bricks is driven by a fear of remaining stagnant and falling into a routine of monotony – it’s about celebrating the chase of something brand new, something exciting.

ROCK AGAINST CANCER

LADYZ NIGHT

This Sunday at the Tote comes The Breast Gig In Town, a fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Network Australia. The generous bands appearing will be The Latonas, The Corsairs, Shoot The Sun and Ships Piano (acoustic set). The evening kicks off with a barbecue at 5pm. Entry is $12 or $10 with a student card. Every cent taken will be passed on to the Breast Cancer Network Australia.

Ladyz In Noyz founder Marlo De Lara has announced a Ladyz In Noyz Australia double disc compilation which will be released through US label Corpus Callosum. LIN Australia hosts a fundraiser show including artists from Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane, performing solo ambient, noise and experimental music. Acts appearing include Bonnie Mercer, X In O, Lancer, Bleach Boys, Military Position, Onion and DJ Fuck Pokeno.

SMASHING

HALLOWEEN AND VOODOCAIN

The Vaudeville Smash make a welcome return to the Espy on Saturday 10 November. The enigmatic, energetic and all-embracing Melbourne band that built their reputation on their wild live shows and unbridled sense of fun, teamed up with acclaimed producer John Castle (Washington, Bamboos) earlier this year to create their new single Best Night. More material will be recorded during the summer but for now, get your Vaudeville fix at the Espy in November with Mix Method and We The People.

Melbourne Fresh present Rock Horror, Halloween at Revolver this Saturday. As the celebration of their first year anniversary, Voodocain hit the stage with their high-energy rock show supported by some of Melbourne’s most awesome unsigned bands. Supported by Darcee Fox, Smoking Aces, Temple and Easy Please this night will be one of the best Halloween parties in Melbourne with door prizes for the best dressed. Tickets are $15+BF through Moshtix or $18 on the door.

Perth’s Blkout and Negative Reinforcement and Adelaide’s Starvation join forces with Sumeru and Reincarnation at the Gasometer this Saturday 27 October. Blkout have a new LP out, Point Of No Return, available through Resist Records. Negative Reinforcement and Startvation have a split 7’’ out soon through Life.Lair.Regret. Sumeru are ex-No Apologies playing stoner/doom tunes. Reincarnation will be there bringing a Cro-Mags vibe.

How long did it take to write/record? We like to take our time when it comes to writing/ recording/finishing songs – writing would have only taken a few months but the piecing together of the rest of the song, a little longer. About a year.

We’ll like this song if we like… Making yourself feel better about lack of aforementioned stability or career, through song. Do you play it differently live? Our music is brought to life in live form thanks to our incredible DJ/friend Joyride. Not enough acts can put that slash in there. Note: he’s a DJ first, friend second, though. Will you be launching it? Saturday 27 October at Laundry Bar – along with Dylan Joel and Jackie Onassis. For more info see: spitsyndicate.com

SKATE AND BUY Steve ‘Mongo’ Cohen has earned a repuation as one of Australia’s best/raddest poster and shirt designers, having created amazing stuff for just about every great Australian punk/garage/rock band, He works like a fiend. Dude doesn’t sleep but busts out mad shit. He is exhibitng his stuff at the Gasometer this Friday 26 October. Work will be for sale and bands that are better than yours will be playing, including Cut Sick (for the first time in a long time), The Onyas (who will be giving a lesson in livin’ for rejection), White Walls (laying claim to the throne of ‘94) and Concrete Life (who are ignoring all caution to surrender).

From Geelong’s melting pot of musical talent comes Atolls, the new project for King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard bassist, Lucas Skinner. Atolls’ sound is built on shifting layers of loops and fuzz, with lead breaks purling out of hissing feedback, like Dinosaur Jr, played through a torn speaker cone. Mumble/Water, recorded in the band’s home studio in Geelong, is the first taste of a debut EP due early 2013. Catch Atolls play with Sleep Decade at the Old Bar this Thursday and the National Hotel (Geelong) this Saturday.

BACK IN BLK

Is this track from a forthcoming/ existing release? It’s the lead single from our third album, Sunday Gentlemen, which we’re very keen to share with the world; it’s due for release early 2013.

What was inspiring you during the song’s writing and recording? Many of our friends settling down into long-term relationships and stable, serious careers – while we struggle with itchy feet and commitment issues.

CORAL ISLANDS

CARRY ON MASON

WHAT A GAS

MONEY WOES This year has been massive for local troubadour Fraser A Gorman, whose captivating live shows and contagious charisma has been gaining him quite a loyal following. Fraser A Gorman and his band Big Harvest recently headed back into the studio with producer Nick Huggins to record new single and live favourite, Last Four Dollars, along with B-side Blossom & Snow. Catch Fraser A Gorman & Big Harvest when they launch the new single at the Northcote Social Club this Saturday.

Held over three consecutive Sundays, the Gasworks Spring Music Festival features a variety of high quality free music, including Jen Cloher, experimentalpop duo The Twoks and Jenny Morris. Head to the gorgeous parklands of the Gasworks on Sunday 11 November to see The Twoks kick off the festival. It’s free and there is food provided.

FROM ALL ANGLES This Friday 23 Angles Of Attack play one of their biggest gigs of the year. They will be performing tracks off their upcoming EP, Neon Queen, and a bunch of other rocking tunes. This monstrous line-up brings hip hop cousins from across the pond, Mose & The FMLY, the dirty blues of The Smoking Aces and local rockers Ablaze to the Revolver stage. The doors open at 8.30pm.

SONS AND MORE Everything is more fun in October, especially when Sons Et Al are playing at The Toff in Town. There are new photos, a new video clip, and a remastered single, See Me Run. Joining them will be the savvy duo Kolors with their particular blend on nu-disco, and the moody trip hop practitioners Alta. The doors open at 8pm. Tickets are $12+BF through Mostix or $15 on the door.

PERSONAL TIGER

HONEY MARROW Get down and gritty tonight (Wednesday) at Revolver. The doors open at 7.30pm for a rock’n’roll soiree with three Melbourne-based bands: Honeybone, Cotangent and Craven Souls. It will be a great vibe combining Brit rock, blues-rock and some old school good time rock’n’roll. It’s all about having fun, good times and getting your rock on. Tickets are $5+BF or $7 on the door.

In addition to his upcoming performances supporting Mumford & Sons on their Australia Stopover Tour, and ahead of the release of his much anticipated third studio album Carry On, Willy Mason will play the Toff In Town tonight (Wednesday). The doors open at 8pm.

Melbourne sextet The Tiger & Me launch their second album The Drifter’s Dawn this Friday night at Revolt, Kensington. In 2012 they signed to ABC Music’s imprint label Four|Four (Tim Rogers, Boy In A Box), before collaborating with ARIA-nominated producer Steven Schram (Little Birdy, The Cat Empire, Little Red) to create their second full-length album.

HAPPY BUT TRUE The man with the orchestra of ghosts in his shadow, Delaney Davidson returns to Melbourne this November accompanied by fellow New Zealander and songsmith Marlon Williams. Williams provides the light while Davidson, with his harsher vocal styling and biting guitar, serves as the shade. Sad But True is the debut album from the duo and will be available during the tour. They play the Public Bar on Thursday 22 November, the Spotted Mallard on Friday 23 and the Old Bar on Saturday 24.

HURRY TO SURREY HILLS The Surrey Hills Festival is happening this Saturday at Prince Alfred Park. Melbourne troubadour Jordie Lane, indie-folk trio Valley Of Kings, soulful and ethereal singer-songwriter Jordan Leser, the spine tingling Charlie Gradon, the dreamy Bastian Fox Phelan, the unique stylings of Bity Booker, and the infectious oddball Johnson have all been added to the line-up. Fanny Lumsden & The Thrillseekers, The Green Mohair Suits, Tom Ugly and MUM DJs will all play at the after-party.

For more news/announcements go to themusic.com.au/news • 69

SINGLE FOCUS

MARY OF THE MOON – ALISON WILKES What’s the song about? Dan, vocals/guitar: Not knowing what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone. Is this track from a forthcoming/ existing release? It’s one of the singles from our double A-side which we have only just released.

WINTERS SONGS

FREE AGENCY

BJ Winters, your friendly neighbourhood three-piece balls-to-the-wall funk/rock outfit, have been playing shows, getting not-quite-butt-naked and enjoying fine craft beer in and around Melbourne for the last couple of years. Having supported the likes of Twelve Foot Ninja, Children Collide and British India, a Saturday night show becomes a funky party with groovy slap lines, weird and wonderful beats, otherwordly guitar sounds and some quirky covers. The upcoming show at Pony this Saturday 27 October will be a return to the beautifully trashy upstairs venue, possibly the final return before the closing of the venue later this year. Supports include blues rockers The Groves, indie popsters Les Carcons and five-piece Shabon.

Australia’s live dub pioneers Agency Dub Collective return to Bar Open this Saturday 27 October. Their music is steeped in classic tones and rhythms, yet is constantly pushing into unexplored sonic territories, awash with spacey sounds and ever-heretical lyrics. In an era rife with politically correct mediocrity, Agency Dub Collective have their collective shoulder to the wheel of heavyweight spaciousness. They blending cutting-edge live dub, reggae and hip hop with reverbs you’ll feel all the way down.

TAKE OUT THE TRASH Trash Fairys play industrial grunge harder, faster, better and stronger than anyone before them. Well, kind of. Some people compare them to the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Joy Division, Radiohead and Pixies… others compare them to fingernails down a chalk board, joy elimination, radio-static and actual Pixies, dying. Trash Fairys are stopping by Bar Open for a show tonight (Wednesday 24 October with pop punk newcomers High Tide. It’s free entry as usual.

How long did it take to write/record? This one came along fairly quick for a change… Everyone sort of just felt what they had to do and did it. We recorded it over two days at Birdland Studios in Prahran. What was inspiring you during the song’s writing and recording? Money. Quite possibly beer as well. We’ll like this song if we like… Listening to music. Do you play it differently live? Sometimes we play the wrong notes. Will you be launching it? Yes! Friday 26 October at Ding Dong Lounge with some great supports, Guests Of Ghosts and The Quivers. For more info see: maryofthemoon.com

NAKED ON TULLY Soaring vocals paired with full-band arrangements make Tully On Tully – led by the enchanting Natalie Foster – deliver songs that are peppered with thoughtful imagery and moody undertones. Tully On Tully are launching new single Naked at the John Curtin this Friday with THNKR and Sunk Junk with three more shows set for November.

DON’T MISS THE MIST Clare Moore slamming the drums, Stu Thomas pumping the bass, Stuart Perera blazing his left-handed Rickenbacker and Dave Graney chiming his electric 12-string. Dave Graney & The mistLY come from the clouds. Before they take a break from touring in support of You’ve Been In My Mind, they will play the Flying Saucer Club with The Dames On Friday 9 November.

DEMONS ON PARADE The Demon Parade have been laying low in their hometown as they put the finishing to their soon to be released second EP Chameleon. Clocking up plenty of love on Rage and radio airtime for their recent singles All The Cool Kids, including two months inside AMRAP’s AirIt top ten charts, make sure you catch them at Ding Dong on Friday 2 November along with The Messengers.

MOUNTAINEER DATES

ON STAND BY We’ll Stand By You is a community benefit for Berry St, which last year provided support to 6000 Victoria Police referrals for family violence. As part of Week Without Violence the event will to raise awareness in an engaging and uplifting way, with a community party atmosphere with fabulous music, entertainment and food. Hosted by the Lomond Hotel in East Brunswick this Sunday, the day will feature The Charlies, Brunswick Blues Shooters, Red Belly Black, Racheal Byrnes, Fadil Suna & Bart Willoughby and The Shambelles. Entry is $15 or $10 concession.

ROCK WITH LOBSTERS

The release of 2010’s EP Has Quiet Choruses saw Charles Baby support the likes of Josh Pyke, Tim Rogers, Architecture In Helsinki and tour Ireland and France. He’s played Queenscliff, Port Fairy Folk and Apollo Bay Music Festivals, and picked up a healthy following along the way. Charles Baby is launching new single A Happy Affair at the John Curtin Bandroom this Saturday, previewing material from the new record and favourites from the two previous EPs.

SUSTAINABLE FUN Come together to support CERES Environment Park at the inaugural Sup Brew? It’s a Garden Par-Tea Fundraiser. The outdoor affair will showcase the Melbourne acoustic talents of The Paper Street Soap Company, Davy Simony, Sophia Blackburn and Daniel Jenkin. In the vibrant beer garden at the Victoria Hotel you can enjoy $10 jugs all day, in addition to a raffle with prizes donated by local sustainable businesses. It starts at 2pm and is free.

THE BROWN ALBUM

THE ESPY WANTS YOU

Electronic genius Matthew Brown heads up an amazing bill of left of centre music at the Gasometer this Thursday 25 October. Much like the volcano, Krakatau starts with a foreboding warning and continues through explosive improv jams, haunting drones and climactic conclusions. Hessian Jailer is the continuing adventures of Jason Heller: new music, songs, dub, experimental, abstract, sound, reverb, electronic, etc. Satyrs are opening the evening. They are new and exciting.

If you’re in a new or upcoming local band with a decent following or a bunch of supportive mates, the Espy wants to hear from you. Open seven days a week with live music across all genres, the Espy is a proud supporter of young and fresh bands as well as well as hosting performances from some of the biggest names in music. If you think you have what it takes, go to espy.com.au and fill out the Get A Gig form and the Espy will be in touch.

This Saturday 27 October, upstaits at the Gasometer, catch doomy and gloomy sad sack hardcore punk from URNS; frenetic/hectic vox/guitar/bang thrash/ punk from Internal Rot; internal bleeding from Shit Weather; and high energy craziness from Gentlemen. Who said punk rock wasn’t fun?

70 • For more news/announcements go to themusic.com.au/news

Is this track from a forthcoming/ existing release? Yep. We’re not sure if it’ll be an EP or an LP, but it’ll be out early next year. How long did it take to write/record? We recorded a handful of tracks over a week.

DOUBLE THE FUN

What’s your favourite part of the song? The guitar tones ended up sounding pretty killer.

Doubleblack are doubling up this weekend with two big shows. This Saturday sees them headlining at the Retreat Hotel in a night of rocking mayhem with special guests Wild Turkey. On Sunday they will also appear at the Corner Hotel at Dead End – the Zombie Shuffle aftermath party which kicks off at 6pm.

Do you play it differently live? Only when we can’t afford to pay the string ensemble.

Formerly known as The Attention Seekers, Melbourne band Lock Stock’n Gypsies are a four-piece that display subtle influences from a vast range of artists and genres. This mixture of influences has produced a ‘90s grunge/indie pop fusion with melodious chants. Along with friends Miss Nicholls, Club Crain and Red Leader, they play Yah Yah’s on Thursday 25 October.

JOIN THE ARMY First The Ramshackle Army buggered off overseas to support Dropkick Murphys, then it’s CherryRock12, numerous jaunts to Sydney, Punkfest and Drunken Moon in Brisbane, and – horrors! – shows on the south side. “Really”, you probably wonder to yourself, “I can’t BELIEVE RSA haven’t played the Old Bar yet, since they are always drunk and incoherent there.” Incomprehensible. We know. Luckily, the legends at the Old Bar are letting The Ramshackle Army, Handsome Young Strangers, Sons Of Lee Marvin and Jimmy “Wonderdful Life” Stewart onstage this Friday. Entry is $10, doors at 8.30pm.

Plague Doctor are back and they have some brand new material. Joined by their country rock friends Dead River Deeps and garage soul group Children Overboard, they play Yah Yah’s this Friday 26 October. Entry is free.

URNS FOR THE WORSE

What’s the song about? Loneliness, drinking, drugs and quickies.

Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? We’ve been pumping the Arctic Monkeys, Battles and Alt-J lately, cruising for drum sounds. We had an awesome crew in the studio with us and Eric Dubowsky producing who chose Linear, where every inch of spare studio space is occupied by excellent vintage gear. Steve Smyth dropped in to the studio to say hi, fresh off the plane from London, and we had the amazing Stevie Blacke write and play some tidy strings for us. It was a big week.

CATCH THE PLAGUE

For fans of American bluegrass, old-time mountain music (and roots music lovers alike), Whitetop Mountaineers are a live act not to be missed. They play the Yinnar Community Hotel on Wednesday 31 October, Valencia Hall on Thursday 1 November, the Harvester Moon Cafe in Bellarine on Friday 2, the Caravan Music Club on Saturday 3, the Maldon Folk Festival on Sunday 4 and the Burinja Cafe in Upwey on Tuesday 6.

KIRA PURU & THE BRUISE – STEP INTO THE LIGHT

Lobster’s Rock Karaoke at the Gasometer is the new mid-week joint to drink, dance and belt out your favourite rock, pop, indie and punk hits. Singing rock karaoke makes you feel like the lead singer in an awesome band, but without the need to have any actual talent. Or maybe you’ll discover a talent for impersonating Jarvis Cocker – that’d be cool too. You’ll have hundreds of songs and artists to choose from, including but certainly not limited to: The Clash, The Cure, Green Day, Rage Against The Machine, Motorhead, Midnight Oil, Bauhaus, Sham 69, Elvis fuckin’ Presley and Siouxsie & The Banshees.

LOCK IT IN HAPPY BABY

SINGLE FOCUS

Will you be launching it? Yes. Thursday 25 October at the Toff In Town with Money For Rope and The Pretty Ladies, as well as the Queenscliff Music Festival on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 November. For more info see: facebook. com/kirapuruandthebruise

PLASTIC FANTASTIC If you haven’t seen Plastic Spaceman yet, you are missing out on one of the most powerful and explosive shows going around. The energy on stage is immense, and the blues/funk sound will have you grooving before you know it. They’re dropping back into Pony for a show this Friday 26 October with Queensland blues rockers Cleveland Blues, nine-piece psychoagogo Skyscraper Stan & The Commission Flats and REDX featuring members of the now defunct Joe Kings. It’s a balltearer and you wouldn’t wanna stay home watching Friends re-runs instead of this one.

GOLD NUGS Yo! The Nugs haven’t been to Melbs since they first started, like, forevz ago! So they are cruisin’ back down with the bubblegum prince himself, Bacon Cakes. so cruise out and party with them and some super-sick local yokels Ross De Chene Huricanes, and a couple of snotty Kiwi punk chicks who have come along for the ride, Autumn Splendour! It’s this Thursday night at the Gasometer upstairs and it’s only $5.

GRAND BLOW

A MURDER OF NIGELS Nigel Wearne launches his new album Black Crow on Sunday 11 November at The Thornbury Theatre. Combining good ol’ country twang, honky tonk, folk and honest storytelling, Wearne delivers dynamic and inspired performances that will rattle your emotions. Black Crow is a 12-song collection that showcases Wearne as one of Australia’s best emerging songwriters. Wearne appears with his band The Cast Iron Promises and is supported by Luke Watt. Doors open at 7.30pm.

Psych rockers The Grand Rapids have been blending ‘60s melodies with monsterous fuzz guitars for more than five years now. Their debut recordings out of the infamous Sing Sing studios are mixed and mastered and the Blow Up 7” single will be the first release. It’s out on local indie Smiley McSlidey, and the band launch it this Saturday 27 October at Yah Yah’s. Support on the night will be the haunting atmospherics of Fire Behaving As Air, the bliss-tinged melancholia of Lunaire and the psych folk spirit music of Trappist Afterland Band. Show starts at 9pm with free entry. Limited copies of the Blow Up 7” will be available for $10 on the night (CD single included).

GREAT EXPECTATIONS Thursday 25 October brings an emotional evening as the last We’ve Been Expecting You awaits us due to the closure of live iconic music venue, Pony. Going out with a bang, the night will be headlined by whiskey-soaked blues-rats The Velvets. Support comes from psych-bending outfit The Mind Flowers and local up-and-comer Luna Ghost.

FRIGHT NIGHT I Oh You and Inpress are joining forces for the epic Halloween House Of Hell show taking over both levels of the Workers Club on Wednesday 31 October. We’ve grabbed a few of the bands and DJs performing – Michael Richards from Violent Soho, Jake Doyle from Drunk Mums, Jasper and Airwolf – to find out what gives them the heebie-jeebies.

Who’s the scariest person in Australian rock? MR: Red Symons is freaking scary, man. Look at his old make-up, he’s copying Gene Simmons so poorly, and then the next thing you know, he gets to decide who’s embarrassing themselves the best on his own Hey Hey It’s Saturday segment! Then he fucks up on Who Wants To Be A Millionare? and goes on So You Think You Can Dance. Fuckin’ scary man! (Was almost a tie of both dudes from The Presets). J: Haha, I’d have to say Tim Minchin. He isn’t even a rock star and I like his work but he looks a bit scary sometimes. A: If Julia Gillard had a rock band… Julia Gilliard. JD: Tim Rogers, because he’s everywhere. Why should we spend Halloween night at the Workers Club with you lot? MR: You’re calling in sick the next day.

Drunk Mums

Violent Soho

Trick or treat? Michael Richards: Mate, all I wanna do is sit at home all day and play Playstation in my undies. Treat.

Airwolf: I’m not a scary movie kinda guy, more of an Ace Ventura or Home Alone type of dude.

Jasper: Treat for sure.

What Halloween outfit will you be rocking this year? MR: Naked-ass.

Airwolf: Treat! I love lollies. Jake Doyle: Kill. What’s your favourite scary movie? MR: I’m a big movie nerd so this changes all the time, but right now I’d say Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. It’s obviously not hell scary, though in some parts it really is, but it’s just friggen incredible. It’s one of the best movies of all time. Ohhhh… and Freaky Friday. Jasper: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (new version) and the reason why is of course Jessica Beil.

JD: A Serbian Film. Dare you to watch it.

J: Werewolf from Thriller. A: I’m thinking some sort of zombie schoolboy. JD: Have to come down and see. What scares the shit out of you? MR: My dick. It’s weird. J: Aliens. A: SPIDERS! They need to be wiped from earth! So scared of them that I have a can of Mortein in my room just in case one pops up.

72 • For more news/announcements go to themusic.com.au/news

VIOLENT IOWA Brisbane’s favourite sons Violent Soho have announced supports for their upcoming headline tour throughout November. The dates see the band taking on some of their favourite rooms across the country off the back of their soon to be released double A-side Tinderbox/Neighbour Neighbour, due out next month via I Oh You. The tour comes to the Tote on Saturday 17 November with Iowa supporting.

HEAD WEST As part of Footscray Community Arts Centre’s ongoing partnership with St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, Very West is a special initiative designed to support emerging musicians from Melbourne’s western suburbs. It offers unsigned and unknown artists and bands the opportunity to be heard by industry professionals, to play a special showcase event in front of fans and ultimately to perform on stage at St Jerome’s Laneway Festival Melbourne in February 2013. Head to the Footscray Arts website to apply for the program.

J: Because we know how to get in the “spirit“ of things. A: Gonna rock out with my cock out. JD: Because it may just be the party of the year. Derr. What have you got coming up after Halloween House Of Hell? MR: Same answer as first question, but we’re playing at the Tote on 17 November and have a new 45 out. FUCK JULIA GILLARD. J: I’ll be playing at the Ivory in Tasmania pretty soon after this event so if you’re in Tassie get down. A: I’ll be playing tunes at Survivor, Can’t Say, Falls Festival and a few shows around Aus, just check my Facebook, y’all. JD: Playing Monash Uni end of year party on 17 November.

GET NASTY WITH SPANKY Hailing from the London cabaret scene, Spanky returns for a special performance of his/her hit show Candice McQueen: Nasty!, accompanied by Robert Tripolino on guitar, piano and vocals. Spanky held a seven-year residency at London’s infamous Bistrotheque and has performed for three British Prime Ministers and had private bookings at the request of Elton John and Alexander McQueen. Catch the show Sunday 4 November at the Spiegeltent.

Together in story, together through music, The Key Of Sea.

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The Deserters

SEA STORIES The album is called Quay Of Sea. The latest single is called Vacant Sea. Deserters obviously like to go overboard when it comes to sea references. “I am certainly one for a play on words, that’s all it is, really,” singer Luke Thomas laughs. “[It’s] only pure coincidence that those titles both ended in sea.” This is Deserters’ second album, following their 2009 debut, Pale Morning. But Luke says it was more plain sailing than “the difficult second album”. “It was recorded over a long stretch of time, which is how we prefer to do it. It’s a labour of love because it’s not necessary for us to rush things. In the midst of it all, my first child was born, so I took a few months off to enjoy fatherhood.” When we first saw Luke, at the end of the ’90s, he was a member of Brisbane band Lavish. Fronted by his brother Nathan, Lavish signed to Festival and released an album called Polaroid. The new

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album reunites the Thomas brothers – they wrote one of the standout tracks, Stars Burn. “We haven’t written together for a very long time,” Luke says. “Life gets in the way and all that, but I’m sure we’ll do something together again. It’s in the blood.” Quay Of Sea (on Popboomerang Records) is filled with sparkling songs and vivid imagery. What’s Luke’s favourite line on the record? “It’s hard to choose something you’ve written yourself, but I do like the simplicity and visual imagery of my brother’s lyrics in the Stars Burn chorus: ‘The stars burn brighter in the rain, and the river runs deeper every day’.” Deserters launch Quay Of Sea at the Empress on Saturday.

HIP HIP The Deserters album features a song called Thirty. Luke Thomas sings about growing old, declaring, “Thirty’s just a number”. But it’s a very impressive number when it comes to record labels. Not many of ’em survive three decades. John Needham’s Citadel Records – which has been home to some remarkable bands, including Died Pretty, The Stems and The Lime Spiders – is doing a special 30th anniversary gig at the Caravan Club on Friday, with The Domnicks, Deniz Tek and Penny Ikinger.

HELLO MELBOURNE Sarah Humphreys has delivered one of 2012’s most delightful records. Hello (on ABC Music) had Howzat! thinking of Angie Hart and Georgia Fields. It’s cute, but not too cute; these are pop songs with depth. Sarah, from NSW’s Central Coast, wrote some of the songs with Paul Andrews, the singer from our favourite

Sydney band, Lazy Susan. They had never met when they collaborated – they hadn’t even spoken on the phone. Via email, they crafted four classic songs – Boy Ghost, Why Don’t We Just Stay Home, I Don’t Have To Try and Looking For A Face. “The great thing about writing songs via email – basically just sending bits of half-finished songs or lyrics to another person to see what they can make of them – is you take the pressure off,” Paul says. “There’s none of that ‘Oh, we’re sitting in a room together, what if we can’t come up with something?’ And you remove any feelings of being self-conscious.” Sarah and Paul finally met when he turned up to Sarah’s Sydney launch. Paul was already a huge fan. “At the risk of embarrassing Sarah, I think she’s truly an exceptional talent. She has one of the best voices I’ve ever heard and her songwriting abilities flabbergast me. But don’t take my word for it – my four-year-old, Daniel, says Sarah is ‘the greatest singer in the world’. Who am I to argue!” Sarah says Hello this week, playing Wesley Anne on Friday, and Pure Pop (5pm) and the Elwood Lounge on Saturday.

BARKER’S BENDER After being under a rock for nearly 20 years, Nick Barker & The Reptiles have released their first new music since the 1992 EP, Loose. The single, Bend Not Break, shows the Reptiles as they always wanted to be – a blistering bar band. “I wrote it about four months ago,” Nick tells Howzat! “Mushroom wanted me to write with Adam Eckersley, so I gave it to him and he wrote a few lyrics. Then I played it to the band and from the first minute it was great.” As for the reunion, Nick says, “There’s no grand plan… it just seems like a real resolution on what was a nutty, confusing, crazy portion of our youth.” If you caught The Reptiles at the Wheelers Hill Hotel earlier this year, you know they can still rock. They launch Bend Not Break at Cherry on Saturday, with special guest Dave “Larko” Larkin.

CHART WATCH A top ten debut for Delta Goodrem’s new single. Battle Scars GUY SEBASTIAN (number three) Wish You Were Here DELTA GOODREM (seven, debut) Rock Star REECE MASTIN (16) Boom Boom JUSTICE CREW (24) Guy Sebastian can’t end Pink’s reign. Armageddon GUY SEBASTIAN (number two, debut) Bless This Mess LISA MITCHELL (seven, debut) The Sapphires soundtrack (eight) Lonerism TAME IMPALA (12) Smokey’s Haunt URTHBOY (14, debut) The Rubens THE RUBENS (17) Leave Your Soul To Science SOMETHING FOR KATE (29) Museum BALL PARK MUSIC (33) Falling & Flying 360 (34) The Temper Trap THE TEMPER TRAP (35) All For You COLD CHISEL (36) Follow The Sun EVERMORE (40, debut)

HOWZAT! PLAYLIST Looking For A Face SARAH HUMPHREYS Bend Not Break NICK BARKER & THE REPTILES For My Help HAYDEN CALNIN Rare Bird CHARLES JENKINS And I’ll Sleep Tonight DESERTERS

TOUR GUIDE

PRESENTS

HOME BREW: Friday 26 October, Espy

LEE RANALDO: October 24 Hi-Fi OH MERCY: October 25 Hi-Fi THURSTON MOORE: October 25 Hamer Hall CLARE BOWDITCH: October 26 Regal Ballroon; 27 GPAC (Geelong) GYPSY & THE CAT: October 26 Palace ARGENTINA, TOKYO DENMARK SWEDEN, THEM SWOOPS: October 26 Workers Club CATHERINE TRAICOS: October 28 Workers Club BILLY BRAGG: October 30 Prince Bandroom

THIS WEEK INTERNATIONAL LEE RANALDO: October 24 Hi-Fi WILLY MASON: October 24 Toff In Town ELAINE PAIGE: October 24 Palais PRINCE ALLA: October 26 Espy HOME BREW: October 26 Espy EASY STAR ALL-STARS: October 26 Hi-Fi PURO INSTINCT: October 26 Bermuda Float WEDNESDAY 13: October 27 Esplanade SWANKY TUNES: October 27 Alumbra MARSHALL JEFFERSON: October 27 New Guernica MADLIB: October 28 Prince Bandroom BILLY BRAGG: October 30 Prince Bandroom

NATIONAL STRANGERS: October 24 Cherry Bar JOSH PYKE: October 24 Palais (Hepburn Springs); 25 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 26 Bended Elbow (Geelong); 27 Meeniyan Town Hall LITTLE SHADOW: October 25 Bendigo Hotel; 26 Reverence Hotel LAST DINOSAURS: October 25, 26 Corner Hotel OH MERCY: October 25 Hi-Fi HAYDEN CALNIN: October 25 Northcote Social Club; November 9 Pelly Bar (Frankston) GYPSY & THE CAT: October 26 Palace GOOD HEAVENS: October 26 Tote CLARE BOWDITCH: October 26 Regal Ballroom; 27 GPAC SARAH HUMPHREYS: October 26 Wesley Anne; 27 Pure Pop Records & Elwood Lounge DOMNICKS: October 26 Caravan Music Club ROBERT FORSTER: 26 October Thornbury Theatre; 27 Theatre Royal (Castlemaine); 28 Caravan Music Club ARGENTINA, TOKYO DENMARK SWEDEN, THEM SWOOPS: October 26 Workers Club THE TIGER & ME: October 27 Revolt; November 1 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 2 Barwon Club (Geelong) BLKOUT: October 27 Gasometer; 28 Collingwood Masonic Centre SPIT SYNDICATE: October 27 Laundry TIN SPARROW: October 27 Workers Club ANDREW MORRIS: October 27 Grace Darling THE GOOD CHINA: October 27 Ding Dong CATHERINE TRAICOS: October 28 Workers Club TIM RICHMOND: October 28 Northcote Social Club THE FLOORS: October 28 The Retreat

UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL THE BLACK KEYS: October 31 Sidney Myer Music Bowl JOHN WAITE: November 1 Palace AT THE GATES: November 2 Billboard JILL BARBER, RAY BEADLE: November 2 Bennetts Lane ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT: November 2 Prince GREGORY PORTER: November 3 Toff KELLY JOE PHELPS: November 3 Newport Substation; 5 Caravan Music Club THE DIXIE TICKLERS: November 3 Grace Darling CHERRY POPPIN’ DADDIES: November 5 Corner Hotel THE BLACK SEEDS: November 5 Espy DONNY BENÉT: November 8 Toff YOUSEF: November 9 Brown Alley OMAR: Novmber 9 Prince Bandroom TOUCHE AMORE: November 9 Reverence; 10 Phoenix Youth Centre THE GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA: November 9, 10, 19 Arts Centre

EMMYLOU HARRIS: November 10 Palais CHARLIE A’COURT: November 10 Retreat ASIF ALI KHAN: November 11Arts Centre GRIZZLY BEAR: November 12 Billboard MONDO CANE: November 12 Regent Theatre COLDPLAY: November 13 Etihad Stadium THE WAR ON DRUGS: November 13 Northcote Social Club DAVE DOBBYN: November 14 Corner Hotel THE PIERCES: November 14 Northcote Social Club RON POPE: November 15 Chapel Off Chapel ELECTRIC EMPIRE: November 15 Hi-Fi; 24, 25 Queenscliff Music Festival REFUSED: November 15 & 16 Palace BETWEEN THE BURIED & ME: November 16 Corner Hotel RADIOHEAD: November 16, 17 Rod Laver Arena D-NOX: November 16 New Guernica CJ BOLLAND & OLIVER LIEB: November 16 Billboard USELESS EATERS: November 16 Tote; 17 the Nash (Geelong) GREGORY PAGE: November 16 Caravan Music Club BOYZ II MEN: November 17 Costa Hall (Geelong); 18 Billboard OWL CITY: November 18 Corner Hotel (matinee under-18s, evening 18+) MIKE HUCKABY: November 18 Where?House YASMIN LEVY: November 18 Arts Centre SEUN KUTI: November 18 Hi-Fi ELTON JOHN: November 18 Rod Laver Arena BEN SIMS: November 18 Where?House BROTHER ALI, SEAN PRICE: November 21 Prince JOE PUG: November 21, 21 Workers Club DI’ANNOS BLAZE: November 22 Hi-Fi DELANEY DAVIDSON: November 22 Public Bar; 23 Spotter Mallard; 24 Old Bar COOLIES: November 23 Gasometer HOPSIN: November 23 Prince DARK FUNERAL: November 24 Corner Hotel KORA: November 24 Hi-Fi EYEHATEGOD: November 24 Billboard NICKELBACK: November 27, 28 Rod Laver Arena BIG D & THE KIDS TABLE: November 28 Barwon Club (Geelong); 29 Ding Dong Lounge IWRESTLEDABEARONCE: November 28 National Hotel (Geelong); 29 Corner Hotel; 30 TLC Bayswater SIMPLE MINDS, DEVO: November 29 Palais; December 1 Rochford Wines (Yarra Valley) WILL & THE PEOPLE: November 30 Whalers Hotel (Warrnambool); December 1 Workers Club THE SELECTER: November 30 Corner Hotel THE KNOCKS: December 1 Toff POUR HABITS: December 1 Evelyn; 2 Tote REEL BIG FISH, GOLDFINGER, ZEBRAHEAD: December 2 Palace COLOR ME BADD: December 2 Alumbra OMAR RODRIGUEZ LOPEZ: December 2 Corner Hotel BLONDIE: December 3 Sidney Myer Music Bowl THE PRETTY THINGS: December 4 Corner; 13, 14 Caravan Club JEFF MARTIN: December 5 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 6 Ruby’s Lounge (Belgrave); 7 Cherry Bar; 8 Northcote Social Club OMAR SOULEYMAN: December 5 Hi-Fi GRIMES: December 6, 7 Corner Hotel SPIRITUALIZED: December 6 Hi-Fi HOT SNAKES: December 7 Corner Hotel PRIMAL SCREAM: December 7 Palace TURBONEGRO: December 7 Hi-Fi MAYDAY PARADE: December 8 Billboard LAGWAGON: December 8 Bended Elbow (Geelong); 9, 10 Corner Hotel HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS: December 8 Bang; 9 Pelly Bar (Frankston) JENNIFER LOPEZ: December 11, 12 Rod Laver Arena

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HALLOWEEN HOUSE OF HELL (featuring Violent Soho, Dune Rats, Drunk Mums): October 31 Workers Club BASTARDFEST 2012 (featuring Astriaal, Disentomb, Extortion, Broozer): November 3 Espy VICTORIAN ROLLER DERBY LEAGUE: November 3 Puckhandlers Stadium, Reservoir THE BEARDS: November 3 Hi-Fi; 22 Karova Lounge (Ballarat) REDCOATS: November 8 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 9 Bended Elbow (Geelong; 10 Ding Dong Lounge; 15 Star Bar (Bendigo); Friday 16 Whalers Hotel (Warrnambool). BALL PARK MUSIC: November 22 Bended Elbow (Geelong); 23 Palace; December 29 Ding Dong Lounge (U18) CHERRYFEST (featuring Eyehategod, Omar Rodriguez Lopez Band): November 25 Cherry Bar JORDIE LANE: November 29, 30 and December 2 Northcote Social Club; December 1 Baby Black Café (Bacchus Marsh) EVIL EDDIE: November 30 Karova Lounge (Ballarat), December 1 Northcote Social Club; 6 National Hotel (Geelong) JEFF MARTIN: December 5 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 6 Ruby’s Lounge (Belgrave); 7 Cherry Bar; 8 Northcote Social Club PIGEON: December 14 Platform One EVAN DANDO & JULIANA HATFIELD: December 18, 19 Corner Hotel TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB: December 29 Festival Hall THE HIVES: January 6 Forum BEACH HOUSE: January 9 Forum GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR: February 15 Forum EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN: February 19 Palace PORT FAIRY FOLK FESTIVAL (featuring Arlo Guthrie, Gurrumul, Glen Hansard): March 8-11 Port Fairy

Lavender vs Rose Open Studio Lee Ranaldo, The Laurels The Hi-Fi Lewis McCallum, Condensed Milk, Slim Charles, Edd Fisher The Lounge Lobster’s Rock Karaoke The Gasometer Hotel Luke Howard Trio Paris Cat Jazz Club Magnusson & Wilson 303 Mandy Connell, Beth Cleary The Drunken Poet My Sons, Queen Anne’s Revenge, The Jealous Much Idgaff Bar and Venue Noel Fielding Athenaeum Theatre Open Mic, Brodie Brunswick Hotel Open Mic The Thornbury Local Rochywave Rochester Castle Hotel Shapeshifter Bennetts Lane Sinking Teeth, A Gazillion Angry Mexicans, Going Swimming Old Bar Songrider’s Club Baha Tacos Spidey, Heels On The Deck DJs, Johnny Rock Revolver Upstairs (early) Strangers, The Vagrants, The Pass Outs, Stacey Pussy Cherry Bar The Basics, Mustered Courage, Marissa & Jonathan Skovron Northcote Social Club The Braves, + Guests The Tote The Gypsy Curse The Standard Hotel The Original Wailers Trak Showroom The Sunsleepers, Red Leader, Return To Youth The Evelyn Trash Fairies, High Tide Bar Open

Citrus Jam, Salt Lake City, Sammy Owen Blues Band, Purple Tusks Bar Open Club Crain, Miss Nichols, Lock Stock n Gypsies, Red Leader Yah Yah’s Conductors, James Kane, Negative Magick, Nu Balance, Post Percy New Guernica Elephant, Indian Skies Great Britain Hotel For Our Hero, Summerset Avenue, + More Brown Alley Geek Pie Pony Late Show Hayden Calnin, I, A Man, Vance Joy Northcote Social Club James Collins, Tim Guy The Drunken Poet Jim Green Wesley Anne (Band Room) Josh Pyke, Jack Carty Karova Lounge, Ballarat Jude Pearl, Al Parkinson, Lauren Glezer & Her Band Revolver Upstairs Kasey Chambers, Shane Nicholson Geelong Performing Arts Centre Kira Puru & The Bruise, Money For Rope, The Pretty Littles The Toff In Town Last Dinosaurs, The Jungle Giants, Twinsy Corner Hotel Little Desert, Bayou, Nathan Hollywood, River of Snakes The Tote Little Shadow, On Sierra, Stockades, Foxtrot Bendigo Hotel Lopaka, Cancer Eyes, Tender Bones Reverence Hotel, Footscray

LEE RANALDO: Wednesday 24 October, Hi-Fi

BLUESFEST: (featuring Ben Harper, Iggy & The Stooges, Wilco): March 28-April 1, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Byron Bay FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL: (featuring The Stone Roses, The Prodigy, Steve Aoki): March 10 Flemington Racecourse BONNIE RAITT, MAVIS STAPLES: March 27 State Theatre ROGER HODGSON: March 28 Palais BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA: April 3 Hamer Hall

WED 24 Ali E, Ryan Nico & The Overlanders Retreat Hotel Brothers Grim & the Blue Murders, Rattlin’ Bones Blackwood, The Death Rattles Public Bar Cleveland Blues, Waco Social Club, Dark Fair, The Advocates The Espy, Lounge Bar Craven Souls, Contangent & Honeybone Revolver Upstairs

Dizzy’s Big Band Dizzy’s Jazz Club Elaine Page Palais Theatre Flash Forest, Sub Dapper, Yosemite Workers Club Harry Hookey, Dan Conway Veludo John Connors, Talking People At Night The Empress Josh Pyke The Palais, Hepburn Springs Kasey Chambers, Shane Nicholson Lighthouse Theare, Warrnambool

Unfurling, Jessica Isgro Trio Bebida Bar Willy Mason, + Special Guests The Toff In Town

THU 25 Adam Hills Comic’s Lounge Aircrafte, Lieutenant Jam, Trials of Resonance, + More Brunswick Hotel Alana Porter, James Gowans, Carly Scerri, The Winter Suns The Espy, Basement Atolls, Sleep Decade, Stu Mackenzie Old Bar

Matthew Brown, Krakatoa, Hessian Jailer, Satyrs The Gasometer Hotel Michael Plater & The Exit Keys, Tex & DL Duo Tago Mago Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zero’s, Willy Mason Rod Laver Arena Oh Mercy, Millions The Hi-Fi Prequel, Edd Fisher, Principal Blackman The Toff In Town (Carriage Room) Quince Jam, Brae Grimes, Tim Willis Wesley Anne Ruby Page The Commune

Simon Burke Trio 303 Spike The Artist, Sam Ludeman, Noah Earp The Empress Sun Lark The Thornbury Local Tantalum, The Androgyny, We Disappear, Cooper Street Exit The Espy, Lounge Bar Tessa & The Typecast, The Neighbourhood Youth, The Fox Party Workers Club The Cactus Chanel, Vince Peach, Pierre Baroni Cherry Bar The Hawaiian Islands, Skyways & Highways, Ceres The Evelyn The Nugs, Ross de Chene Hurricanes, Autumn Splendour, Bacon Cakes The Gasometer (Upstairs) The Putbacks Lommond Hotel The Velvets, The Mind Flowers, Luna Ghost Pony Thurston Moore Hamer Hall

FRI 26 @Peace, Team Dynamite, Louie Knuxx, + More The Espy, Lounge Bar 23 Angles of Attack, Mose & the Family, The Smoking Aces, Ablaze Revolver Upstairs Adam Hills Comic’s Lounge Alysia Manceau, The Ten In One, HOY, Cold Hands Warm Heart Grace Darling Hotel Bad Taste, The Kilniks, Copse, DJ Mynott Noise Bar Brian Mannix, Scott Carne, Dale Ryder Mentone Hotel Broni, Tim Humphries, Sarah Humphreys Wesley Anne (Band Room) Buck Jnr Glenlyon General Store Chop Squad, Rosencrantz, Porch Monkeys, Unicycle Inventors Brunswick Hotel City vs Country, Them Bruins, We Would Sleep, Lucy Arundel Cherry Bar Clampdown Rochester Castle Hotel Clare Bowditch Geelong Performing Arts Centre Clare Bowditch Regal Ballroom, Northcote Coerce, Little Shadow, Milhouse, The Union Pacific Reverence Hotel, Footscray Cut Sick, The Onyas, White Walls, Concrete Life The Gasometer Hotel Dan Bourke & Friends The Drunken Poet Day Of The Dead The Order Of Melbourne Dirty F, Throbulator Pony Late Show Divina Providencia, Amy Ganter Trio, Love & the Sqalours, Trio Agogo 303

Dub The Magic Dragon, Liquid Funk Orchestra Bar Open Easy Star All-Stars The Hi-Fi Eyal & The Skeleton Crew Edinburgh Castle Hotel Fanta Pants Yah Yah’s (Late) Flying Engine String Band Railway Hotel, North Fitzroy Gareth Eunson & The Big Small The Post Office Hotel Good Heavens, Low Tide, Sarah Mary Chadwick, Summer Flake The Tote Gypsy & the Cat Palace Theatre Hetty Kate & the 2020’s, Stella Angelico, The Switch, Barbara Blaze, The Kahuna Daddies The LuWow Forbidden Temple Home Brew, @Peace, Team Dynamite, Louie Knuxx, + More The Espy Front Bar Honky Tonk Boogie Band Highway 31 Hot Chelle Rae, Cher Lloyd, 5 Seconds of Summer Festival Hall Ian Bland Basement Discs Ildiko, + Guests The Thornbury Local James Reyne Hawthorn Hotel Jeremy Woolhouse’s Silverbeat, Voice Box Surrey Music Café Josh Pyke, Jack Carty Bended Elbow, Geelong Kasey Chambers, Shane Nicholson Regent Theatre Kingswood Karova Lounge, Ballarat Kira Puru & The Bruise, Money For Rope The Bridge Hotel Last Dinosaurs, The Jungle Giants, Twinsy Corner Hotel Lord, Elektrik Dynamite Newmarket Hotel, Bendigo Mannequin, Xtian Abode Level One Mary Of the Moon, + Special Guests Ding Dong Lounge Monte Diamonte, + Special Guests Prince Bandroom Open Mic St Andrews Hotel Phil Ross, Chris Mac, B-Boogie, Dean T, Johnny M, Jay-J, 5FT2 Co. & Fusion Nightclub at Crown Pioneers Of Good Science, Honey Badgers, The Summervilles The Empress Plague Doctor, Dead River Deeps, Children Overboard Yah Yah’s Plastic Spaceman, Cleveland Blues, Skyscraper Stan And The Commision Flats, Flats, Red X Pony Poprocks at the Toff The Toff In Town Prince Alla, Mista Savona, Ras Crucial, Jessi I, New City Dub The Espy, Gershwin Room

Pugsley Buzzard Flying Saucer Club Ramshackle Army, Handsome Young Strangers, Sons Of Lee Marvin, Jimmy Stewart Old Bar Robert Forster Thornbury Theatre Roots Of Redemption Cherry Bar, Arvo Show Steve Rachmad, Matt Radovich, + More Brown Alley

Bitter Sweet Kicks, Vice Grip Pussies, Mammoth Mammoth, Citizen The Espy Front Bar BJ Winters, The Groves, Shabon, Les Garcons Pony Black Night Crash Rochester Castle Hotel Blkout, Negative Reinforcement, Starvation, Sumeru, Reincarnation The Gasometer Hotel

BILLY BRAGG: Tuesday 30 October, Prince Bandroom

The Bellastrades, Mercians, Aircrafte, Les Garcons The Evelyn The Boys Wesley Anne (Front Bar) The Detonators Tago Mago The Domnicks, Deniz Tek, Penny Ikinger Caravan Music Club The Dukes of Deliciousness, Ironside Barwon Club The Smart, Pludo, Inc3do Ruby’s Lounge The Transatlantics, The Cactus Channel, The Putbacks, Chris Gill Northcote Social Club Them Swoops, Argentina, Tokyo Denmark Sweden Workers Club Tully On Tully, Thnkr, Sunk Junk John Curtin Hotel Vanguards Lommond Hotel When We Were Small, Walker, City of Sirens, + More Brentwood Secondary College Wooshie, Amin Payne, Flash Forest, + More Mercat Cross Hotel

SAT 27 Above Suspicion, Atlas, + More Courthouse Arts Centre, Geelong Acoustic Covers Bended Elbow, Geelong Adam Hills Comic’s Lounge Agency Dub Collective, Sub Detonator Bar Open Andee Frost The Toff In Town (Late) Andrew Morris, Sweet Jean, Zac Gunthorpe Grace Darling Hotel Andy White, Kavisha Mazzella Flying Saucer Club Artist Proof, Mel Calia The Empress (afternoon) Atolls The National Hotel, Geelong

Buried Feather, Baptism of Uzi, The Sun Blindness Old Bar Burlesque Halloween Spectacular The Palais, Hepburn Springs Chris Ng, J’Nett, Jimmy James, + More The Espy, Basement Cold Heart Lommond Hotel Dance For Autism The Order Of Melbourne Daryl Roberts St Andrews Hotel Deserters, Ashley Naylor, Van & Cal Walker The Empress Dirty Harriet & The Hangmen, Mr Sharp Pony Late Show EL-DE Tago Mago Empire, Driven to the Verge, Seconds Before Sunrise, Change Atlantics, In A Memory Brunswick Hotel Fraser A Gorman, Big Harvest, The Harpoons, The Bluebottles Northcote Social Club Grand Rapids, Fire Behaving As Air, Lunaire, Trappist Afterland Band Yah Yah’s Holliava, Sky Lion, Sounds Of Sirus, The Elliotts, Strathmore Corner Hotel Internal Rot, Urns, Shit Weather, Gentlemen The Gasometer (Upstairs) Jon English Frankston Arts Centre Josh Pyke, Jack Carty Meeniyan Hall Kasey Chambers, Shane Nicholson Regent Theatre Kurtis Gentle, Little May, Anthony Young Chandelier Room Leb / Sol The Hi-Fi Marshall Jefferson New Guernica Matty G, Dean T, Miss Sarah, Nova Co. & Fusion Nightclub at Crown Moonee Valley Drifters, Gabriella Forsell Highway 31

TOUR GUIDE ALEXISONFIRE: December 12 Festival Hall KENDRICK LAMAR: December 13 Prince REGINA SPEKTOR: December 14 Plenary SHIHAD: December 14 Espy JB SMOOVE: December 15 Thornbury Theatre EVAN DAND0, JULIANA HATFIELD: December 18 Corner Hotel MORRISSEY: December 19 Festival Hall THE DATSUNS: December 20, 21 The Espy LOST ANGELS: December 21 Hi-Fi COSMO JARVIS: December 29 Bridge Hotel (Castlemaine); January 3 Corner SHARON VAN ETTEN: December 30 Corner BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB: January 2 Festival Hall SBTRKT: January 2 Billboard BEST COAST: January 2 Hi-Fi WILLIS EARL BEAL: January 2 Northcote Social Club MAXIMO PARK: January 2 Corner FIRST AID KIT: January 2 Forum BLOOD RED SHOES: January 3 Hi-Fi 65DAYSOFSTATIC: January 4 Corner Hotel THE HIVES: January 6 Forum SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS: January 6 Summer Of Soul Festival; 8 Corner Hotel BEACH HOUSE: January 9 Forum HOT CHIP: Janurary 9 Palace BEN SOLLEE: January 10 Northcote Social Club; 11 Meeniyan Town Hall; 12 Theatre Royal (Castlemaine) PETER MURPHY: January 11 Corner MARDUK: January 11 Hi-Fi DJANGO DJANGO: January 12 Hi-Fi GARY JULES: January 12 Corner; 13 Trak Lounge NIGHTWISH: January 14 Palace DAVID BYRNE & ST VINCENT: January 14, 15 Hamer Hall WEEZER: January 16 Sidney Myer Music Bowl WOODS: January 18 National Hotel (Geelong); 19 Sugar Mountain Festival ALESTORM: January 18 Hi-Fi YANNI: January 19 Palais GARY CLARK JR: January 22 Corner Hotel THE KILLERS: January 22 Palace AGAINST ME!: January 22 Hi-Fi CRYSTAL CASTLES: January 22 Billboard BAND OF HORSES: January 23 Palais OFF!: January 23 Corner Hotel SLEIGH BELLS: January 23 Billboard JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD: January 23 Bridge Hotel (Castlemaine); 24 Corner Hotel ANIMAL COLLECTIVE: January 23 Palace BLOODY BEETROOTS: January 24 Palace ALABAMA SHAKES: January 24 Forum ELVIS COSTELLO: January 26 Rochford Wines RICHARD HAWLEY: January 29 Forum THEE OH SEES: January 31 Hi-Fi; February 6 Natonal Hotel (Geelong) AMANDA PALMER: February 1 Forum ABOVE & BEYOND: February 2 Hisense Arena EARTH CRISIS: February 2 Corner CELTIC THUNDER: February 7 Geelong Arena; 9 Hisence Arena GIN BLOSSOMS: February 7 Hi-Fi THE HOLLIES: February 9 Hamer Hall DIRTY BEACHES: February 10 Tote BARRY GIBB: February 12 Rod Laver Arena DAVID HASSELHOFF: February 14 Corner Hotel SWANS: February 15 Corner Hotel GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR: February 15 Forum MACKELMORE & RYAN LEWIS: February 16 Corner CLIFF RICHARD: February 15, 16, 18 Hamer Hall EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN: February 19 Palace DR FEELGOOD: February 20 Caravan Club; 21 Corner Hotel NORAH JONES: February 21 Plenary MY BLOODY VALENTINE: February 22 Palace BLINK 182: February 26 Sidney Myer Music Bowl LINKIN PARK: February 27 Rod Laver Arena ED SHEERAN: March 4, 5, 6 Festival Hall MXPX: March 9 Gorest Edge Festival (Neerim East); 10 Corner Hotel THE CIVIL WARS: March 12 St Michael’s Church BOB MOULD: March 13 Corner GLEN HANSARD: March 20, 21, 23 Recital Centre WILLIAM ELLIOTT WHITMORE: March 26 Corner WILCO: March 27 Hamer Hall BONNIE RAITT & MAVIS STAPLES: March 27 State Theatre ROGER HODGSON: March 28 Palais BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA: April 3 Hamer Hall

OH MERCY: Thursday 25 October, Hi-Fi

THE SCRIPT: April 6 Rod Laver Arena NEWTON FAULKNER: April 11 Prince; 14 Caravan Music Club FIREWIND: April 25 Corner PINK: July 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17 Rod Laver Arena

NATIONAL LISA MITCHELL: October 31 Athenaeum Theatre MAMA KIN: November 1 Northcote Social Club THE PAPER KITES: November 1 & 2 Corner Hotel; 3 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 4 Ding Dong (all-ages) TARA SIMMONS & PLUTO JONZE: November 1 Workers Club YUNG WARRIORS: November 1 The Loft (Warrnambool); 2 FReeZA (Portland); 16 First Floor; 17 National Hotel (Geelong); 29 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); December 7 Sand Bar (Mildura) THUNDAMENTALS: November 2 Basement 159; 3 Northcote Social Club THE SAINTS: November 2 Corner COSMIC PSYCHOS: November 2 Tote LOS MAS ALTOS: November 2 Espy THE DEMON PARADE: November 2 Ding Dong SUZANNAH ESPIE, LIZ STRINGER, CHRIS ALTMANN: November 2 Basement Discs, Caravan Club; 3 Thornbury Theatre; 4 Old Hepburn Hotel; 15 Red Room (Ararat) MOJO JUJU: November 2 Northcote Social Club; 3 Bridge Hotel (Castlemaine) THE DEMON PARADE: November 2 Ding Dong; 23 Espy; December 21 Can’t Say THE TOOT TOOT TOOTS: November 3 Ding Dong; 9 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 10 Bridge Hotel (Castlemaine); 16 Baha Tacos (Rye); 17 Beers By The Bay Festival (Mornington); 30 Barwon Heads Hotel; December 1 Apollo Bay Hotel; 8 Meredith; 22 the Loft (Warrnambool) CITY CALM DOWN: November 3 Libery Social ELIZABETH ROSE: November 3 Workers Club CHILDREN OF THE WAVE: November 3 Trades Hall PRINNIE STEVENS & MAHALIA BARNES: November 3 Palms At Crown; 21 Regent Theatre (Ballarat); 22 Lighthouse Theatre (Warrnambool) HENRY WAGONS: November 3 National Hotel (Geelong); 4 Theatre Royal (Castlemaine); 5 Thornbury Theatre THE BEARDS: November 3 Northcote Social Club; 22 Karova Lounge (Ballarat) BUTTERFLY BOUCHER: November 3 Empress; 25 Queenscliff Music Festival KNIEVEL: November 3 Yah Yah’s CLAUDE HAY: November 3 Blues Train; 4 Worker; 10 Bendigo Blues Feast; December 1 Blues Train; 2 Westernport Hotel (San Remo) HAND OF MERCY: November 4 Phoenix Youth Centre; 5 Plastic HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY: November 4 Northcote Social Club HORSELL COMMON: November 5 Plastic CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKEN WALK: November 5 Workers Club POLO CLUB: November 5 Ding Dong HOUSE VS HURRICANE: November 6 Nash DELTA GOODREM: November 7, 8 Hamer Hall ALUKA: November 7 Toff THE RUBENS: November 7 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 8 Star Bar (Bendigo) TINPAN ORANGE: November 7, 8 Northcote Social Club VOYAGER: November 8 Warrnambool (TBC); 9 Workers Club THE SIDETRACKED FIASCO: November 8 Revolver DAN SULTAN, LEAH FLANAGAN: November 8 Corner Hotel STEVE BALBI: November 8 Workers; 9 Spirit Bar (Traralgon); 10 Baby Black Cafe (Bacchus Marsh) REDCOATS: November 8 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 9 Bended Elbow (Geelong); 10 Ding Dong Lounge; 15 Star Bar (Bendigo); 16 Whalers Hotel (Warrnambool)

To check out the mags online go to themusic.com.au/mags • 77

Nick Barker and the Reptiles, Dave Larkin, DJ Mary Cherry Bar Nothing Sacred, A Million Dead Birds Laughing, Orpheus, Naberus The Tote Patriarchal Death Machine, Counter Attack, Degenerate, Aids Reverence Hotel, Footscray Pludo, Midi Widow, BRECIK, Milandra The Evelyn Pugsley Buzzard The Bridge (afternoon) Ramshackle Army Baha Tacos Rebecca Mendoza Dizzyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jazz Club Richie 1250 Yah Yahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (Late) Robert Forster Theatre Royal (Castlemaine) Rod Payne & Fulltime Lovers Elsternwick Hotel Saint Jude The Post Office Hotel Sons et al, Kolors, Alta The Toff In Town Sordid Ordeal, Hex, Delusions of Granduer, Diamonds Of Neptune 303 Spit Syndicate Laundry Bar Stoney Joe, Little Wing, The Quarry Mountain Dead Rats Public Bar Storkyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Band Cherry Bar, Arvo Show

The Bread Makers, Bruce Milne The LuWow Forbidden Temple The Good China, Francolin, Pretty Strangers, + More Ding Dong Lounge The Madhouse Barwon Club The Nudgels The Drunken Poet The Oubliette Abode Level One The Staffords, Invisible City Great Britain Hotel The Woohoo Revue, Lotek, The Black Jesus Experience, El Moth, + More Thornbury Theatre Tiaryn Wesley Anne (Front Bar) Tibetan Dixie, Stephen Magnusson, Michael Schiefel Uptown Jazz CafĂŠ Tin Sparrow, Dirt Farmer, Hayley Cooper Workers Club Tinsley Waterhouse Band Brunswick Hotel - Arvo Voodoocain, Darcee Fox, The Smoking Aces, Temple, Easy Please Revolver Upstairs Wednesday 13, + Special Guests The Espy, Gershwin Room

Zounds, Jess Locke, Alexander & Thom Reverence Hotel (afternoon)

SUN 28 Adam Hills Comicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lounge Alex Burns Trio The Drunken Poet, Arvo Show Andyblack, Haggis The Toff In Town (Carriage Room) Automating, Em Vecus Aquieu, Zac Keiller, X in O Bar Open Aversions Crown, Thorns, Brooklyn, Kontact, + More Phoenix Youth Centre Bakersfield Glee Club The Standard Hotel Bonnie Mercer, X in O, Lancer, Bleach Boys, Military Position, Onion, DJ Fuck Pokeno The Gasometer Hotel Cairo Club Orchestra Williamstown RSL Catherine Tracios, Anna Smyrk & The Appetites, Tracy Mcneil Band Workers Club, arvo show Charlies, Shambelles, Red Belly Black, + More Lommond Hotel Cherrywood, Rich Davies & The Devils Union, + More Old Bar

Chris Russellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chicken Walk, Dean Muller Cherry Bar, Arvo Show Eran James The Palais, Hepburn Springs ESC, Jules Sheldon, Knifeshop Yah Yahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Extortion, Rort, Negative Reinforcement, Starvation, Internal Rot, Trench Sisters Reverence Hotel, Footscray Giles Field, Grizzley Jim Lawrie, Matt & Adam, Kate Walker 303, Arvo Show Jack Carty, Jackson McLaren, Pinky Beecroft Workers Club Jane Dust, The Paul Kidney Experience Northcote Social Club, Arvo Show Jane MacArthur, Rusty Douglas, Benjamin Carter, Ashley Carmody The Empress John Flemming, Laura K Clark, Tim Woods Tonik Julitha Ryan Pure Pop Records Lindsay Field, Sam See, Glyn Mason Carringbush Hotel Madlib, J Rocc, + More Prince Bandroom Man Cub, Emptyness, Simplistic, 3 Mile Field, + More Brunswick Hotel

TULLY ON TULLY: Friday 26 October, John Curtin Hotel

Maricopa Wells, Initials, Secondhand Squad, Tim Hampshire, Nathan Seeckts Reverence Hotel (afternoon) Melting Pot Wesley Anne, arvo Men of Letters Thornbury Theatre Opa 303 Open Decks The Thornbury Local Puro Instinct, Super Wild Horses, Absolute Boys, No Pants DJs The Toff In Town Queen & Convict The Post Office Hotel Ramshakle Band, Smokinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Sam Blues Cargo Tago Mago

Robert Forster Caravan Music Club Roesy The Drunken Poet Roundhouse, The Warrains Baha Tacos Shanakee The Bay Hotel, Mornington Tara Spackman, Dru Chen Chandelier Room The Boogaloos, Highway 41 St Andrews Hotel The Cudgels Great Britain Hotel The Detonators Ferntree Gully Hotel The Floors The Retreat Hotel The Girls Who Sold The World Wesley Anne (Band Room)

The Latonas, The Corsairs, Shoot the Sun, Ships Piano The Tote The Sleepy Dreamers, The Peeks, Sean M Watson, Dani Leever The Evelyn The Snow Droppers, Drunk Mums, Burn In Hell, Double Black, Cherrywood Corner Hotel Tim Richmond, The Icypoles, Pinto Northcote Social Club Tubovas, The Riding Hood, The Minute Takers Cherry Bar Whiplash Festival The Hi-Fi

MON 29 Cherry Jam Cherry Bar Doc White, Broderick Smith St Andrewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hotel, Arvo Show Francolin, Scotdrakula, Officer Parrot The Evelyn Headspace, Dale Ryder Band, Bad Boys Batacuda The Espy, Lounge Bar Henry Manetta & The Trip, Adam Rudegeair Trio, NMIT Recitals 303 Lakes, Pop Singles, Liquid Handcuffs Northcote Social Club Screen Sect Bar Open The Weeping Willows Old Bar

Young Mavericks, the spinset, The Sunsleepers Vineyard

TUE 30 Billy Bragg, Jordie Lane Prince Bandroom Dan Krochmal, Sol, Fontaine, Speakeasy 303 Howard w Kirkis, Amanita, Ships Piano The Evelyn Howlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Steam Train, The Pretty Littles Northcote Social Club Human As Animals, The Mcqueens, Pourparlour The Toff In Town Irish Session Lommond Hotel Les Thomas, Alison Ferrier, Rich Davies Old Bar Make it Up Club Bar Open Mining Boom, Hot Palms Workers Club NMIT Recitals Brunswick Hotel Open Mic Wesley Anne (Band Room) Red X Cherry Bar Tom Fraser, Joel Stork, + More Grace Darling Hotel Zoophyte The Espy, Lounge Bar

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BAR OPEN Wednesday Trash Fairies, High Tide Thursday Citrus Jam, Salt Lake City, Sammy Owen Blues Band, Purple Tusks Friday Dub The Magic Dragon, Liquid Funk Orchestra Saturday Agency Dub Collective, Sub Detonator Sunday Automating, Em Vecus Aquieu, Zac Keiller, X in O Monday Screen Sect Tuesday Make it Up Club

BRUNSWICK HOTEL Wednesday Open Mic, Brodie Thursday Aircrafte, Lieutenant Jam, Trials of Resonance, + More Friday Chop Squad, Rosencrantz, Porch Monkeys, Unicycle Inventors

Saturday Empire, Driven to the Verge, Seconds Before Sunrise, Change Atlantics, In A Memory Sunday Man Cub, Emptyness, Simplistic, 3 Mile Field, + More Tuesday NMIT Recitals

CORNER HOTEL Thursday Last Dinosaurs, The Jungle Giants, Twinsy Friday Last Dinosaurs, The Jungle Giants, Twinsy Saturday Holliava, Sky Lion, Sounds of Sirus, The Elliotts, Strathmore Sunday The Snow Droppers, Drunk Mums, Burn In Hell, Double Black, Cherrywood

DRUNKEN POET Wednesday Mandy Connell, Beth Cleary Thursday James Collins, Tim Guy Friday Dan Bourke & Friends Saturday The Nudgels Sunday Alex Burns Trio (arvo) Sunday Roesy

EDINBURGH CASTLE HOTEL Friday Eyal & The Skeleton Crew

GRACE DARLING HOTEL Friday Alysia Manceau, The Ten In One, HOY, Cold Hands Warm Heart Saturday Andrew Morris, Sweet Jean, Zac Gunthorpe Tuesday Tom Fraser, Joel Stork, + More

NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB Wednesday The Basics, Mustered Courage, Marissa & Jonathan Skovron Thursday Hayden Calnin, I, A Man, Vance Joy Friday The Transatlantics, The Cactus Channel, The Putbacks, Chris Gill Saturday Fraser A Gorman, Big Harvest, The Harpoons, The Bluebottles Sunday Jane Dust, The Paul Kidney Experience (arvo) Sunday Tim Richmond, The Icypoles, Pinto

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Monday Lakes, Pop Singles, Liquid Handcuffs Tuesday Howlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Steam Train, The Pretty Littles

PALACE THEATRE Friday Gypsy & the Cat

PONY Thursday The Velvets, The Mind Flowers, Luna Ghost Friday Plastic Spaceman, Cleveland Blues, Skyscraper Stan And The Commision Flats, Flats, Red X Saturday BJ Winters, The Groves, Shabon, Les Garcons

PONY LATE SHOW Thursday Geek Pie Friday Dirty F, Throbulator Saturday Dirty Harriet & The Hangmen, Mr Sharp

PRINCE BANDROOM Friday Monte Diamonte, + Special Guests Sunday Madlib, J Rocc, + More

Tuesday Billy Bragg, Jordie Lane

PUBLIC BAR Wednesday Brothers Grim & the Blue Murders, Rattlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Bones Blackwood, The Death Rattles Saturday Stoney Joe, Little Wing, The Quarry Mountain Dead Rats

REVOLVER UPSTAIRS Wednesday Craven Souls, Contangent & Honeybone Thursday Jude Pearl, Al Parkinson, Lauren Glezer & Her Band Friday 23 Angles of Attack, Mose & the Family, The Smoking Aces, Ablaze Saturday Voodoocain, Darcee Fox, The Smoking Aces, Temple, Easy Please

ROCHESTER CASTLE HOTEL Wednesday Rochywave Friday Clampdown Saturday Black Night Crash

STANDARD HOTEL

Wednesday The Gypsy Curse Sunday Bakersfield Glee Club

THE BRIDGE Saturday Pugsley Buzzard (arvo)

THE EVELYN Wednesday The Sunsleepers, Red Leader, Return To Youth Thursday The Hawaiian Islands, Skyways & Highways, Ceres Friday The Bellastrades, Mercians, Aircrafte, Les Garcons Saturday Pludo, Midi Widow, BRECIK, Milandra Sunday The Sleepy Dreamers, The Peeks, Sean M Watson, Dani Leever Monday Francolin, Scotdrakula, Officer Parrot Tuesday Howard w Kirkis, Amanita, Ships Piano

THE HI-FI Wednesday Lee Ranaldo, The Laurels Thursday Oh Mercy, Millions Friday Easy Star All-Stars Saturday Leb / Sol

Sunday Whiplash Festival

Thursday Quince Jam, Brae Grimes, Tim Willis

THE TOFF IN TOWN Wednesday Willy Mason, + Special Guests Thursday Kira Puru & The Bruise, Money For Rope, The Pretty Littles Friday Poprocks at the Toff Saturday Sons et al, Kolors, Alta Sunday Puro Instinct, Super Wild Horses, Absolute Boys, No Pants DJs Tuesday Human As Animals, The Mcqueens, Pourparlour

THE TOTE Wednesday The Braves, + Guests Thursday Little Desert, Bayou, Nathan Hollywood, River of Snakes Friday Good Heavens, Low Tide, Sarah Mary Chadwick, Summer Flake Saturday Nothing Sacred, A Million Dead Birds Laughing, Orpheus, Naberus Sunday The Latonas, The Corsairs, Shoot the Sun, Ships Piano

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WORKERS CLUB Wednesday Flash Forest, Sub Dapper, Yosemite Thursday Tessa & The Typecast, The Neighbourhood Youth, The Fox Party Friday Them Swoops, Argentina, Tokyo Denmark Sweden Saturday Tin Sparrow, Dirt Farmer, Hayley Cooper Sunday Jack Carty, Jackson McLaren, Pinky Beecroft Tuesday Mining Boom, Hot Palms

YAH YAHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Thursday Club Crain, Miss Nichols, Lock Stock n Gypsies, Red Leader Friday Plague Doctor, Dead River Deeps, Children Overboard Saturday Grand Rapids, Fire Behaving As Air, Lunaire, Trappist Afterland Band Sunday ESC, Jules Sheldon, Knifeshop

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TOP INTERNATIONAL DRUMMER available. Great backing vocals, harmonica player and percussionist. Gigs, tours, recording. Private lessons/mentoring also available. www.reubenalexander.net iFlogID: 14261

GUITARIST 19 year old guitar player looking to form Rock N’ Roll band. Influences: Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, The Sex Pistols. I live in Sydney-Cronulla. Call tom on 0401722767. iFlogID: 13358

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

OTHER RemmosK returns to “The Wall” in full throttle electric mode with special guests Blow @ The Wall, The Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt, Sat 03-11-12 iFlogID: 19914

iFlogID: 13864

iFlogID: 13611

OTHER Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively from $299 including Hosting, Shopping Cart and 5 email addresses! Contact info@bizwebsites.com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au iFlogID: 15454

www.atomicbliss.com.au iFlogID: 20058

Isobel Galloway - acoustic soul/pop duo seeking percussionist for cover set, already gigging amy winehouse, tracy chapman. no full kit, cajon/shaker etc.

Seeking experienced lead & backing singers, bass, keyboard, sax & trumpet players for REGGAE band in Northern Beaches. Call Michael 0402 549 423 or email siczex@yahoo.com.au iFlogID: 18612

DRUMMER DRUMMER WANTED

iFlogID: 16661

Children & Adults

Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY- from $299 including UNLIMITED pages,

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willing & able to adapt to your event.

Easygoing, flexible entertainment.

LEARN GUITAR

MUSICIANS WANTED BANDS

Find us on soundcloud to listen, and email anthony320chmiel@hotmail.com

Dj available Dubstep to Drum&bass

iFlogID: 13368

iFlogID: 13827

QUALITY MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION

GUITAR LESSONS - Friendly professional teachers with great rates. For

D7 STUDIO MUSIC VID FROM $250. Live gig edits, multi angles, fr $125 a set, 1 live track $100. All shot in full HD. d7studio@iinet.net.au 0404716770 syd based

OPEN 7 DAYS

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

Drummer wanted for central coast band 18-35. Looking to tour. Influences - The Black Keys, Ash Grunwald, Jimi Hendrix, Eagles of Death Metal. Contact Kurt - 0403915430 or email - silletruk. music@live.com.au iFlogID: 20077

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

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

Tarot Card Readings by Karen. Over 30yrs Exp. “When you need to know” Always welcome new customers. www. tarotreadingsbykaren.com Parties and Private readings P: 0432 689 546. Evenings & weekends available. iFlogID: 19301

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 DRUMMER AND DRUM LESSONS Avaliable in Gladesville Teach all Levels, ages and experience.16 years experience. I studied at The Billy Hydes Drumcraft Academy and Obtained a Diploma in Drummig. $60/HR Mob: 0402663469 Michael iFlogID: 18762

iFlogID: 16936

GUITARIST 19 year old guitar player looking to form Rock N’ Roll band. Influences: Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, The Sex Pistols. I live in Sydney-Cronulla Call tom on 0401722767. iFlogID: 13407

SERVICES BEAUTY SERVICES 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 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

English & Media Studies Tutor available. Professional, quality and affordable service since 2000. (B.A. U.Q.) Enquiries are welcome. iFlogID: 19266

STAND-UP COMEDY WORKSHOP Have fun learning invaluable communication, presentation and humour skills from ARIA nominated Robert Grayson. 15 years experience. “Amazing! Fantastic! Liberating!” Jess Capolupo, Hot-Tomato FM. www.youstandup.com / Robert@youstandup.com / 0401 834 361. iFlogID: 19948

WANTED OTHER Looking for music that is fresh and original??? Check out www.thesecretcity.com.au iFlogID: 19736

RECEIVERS SALE!

TIME IS RUNNING OUT!

ALL STORES†

CLOSING DOWN! NEW REDUCTIONS!

50-70

OFF ALL STOCK! * ORIG. PRICE

*30% DISCOUNT ON ACOUSTIC PIANOS. % % % %

OFF ORIG. PRICE

ALL

OFF ORIG. PRICE

ALL

OFF ORIG. PRICE

ALL

OFF ORIG. PRICE

ALL

GUITARS ELECTRONIC AMPLIFIERS, BAND AND SHEET AND KEYBOARDS, PA EQUIPMENT, ORCHESTRAL MUSIC DRUMS DIGITAL PIANOS MIXING BOARDS INSTRUMENTS HUGE SELECTION! EVERYTHING MUST GO! NOTHING HELD BACK! 7 Ê

*/Ê6 - ]Ê -/ , , ÊUÊ "Ê +1 -ÊUÊ Ê- -Ê ÊUÊ "Ê, /1, -Ê",Ê 8 -ÊUÊ "Ê 1-/ /-Ê/"Ê*, ",Ê*1, - , - Ê 6 Ê7 Ê-1** -Ê -/ÊUÊ- / " ÊÊ 9Ê6 ,9ÊUÊ "Ê-* Ê", ,-ÊUÊ "Ê"/ ,Ê - "1 /Ê" ,-Ê

†Excludes Wagga, Shepparton, Monavale and Darwin franchises.

219 MAIR STREET, BALLARAT VIC 3350 (03) 5331 1266

113 HIGH STREET, BENDIGO VIC 3550 (03) 5444 5255

135 MAIN STREET, GREENSBOROUGH VIC 3088 (03) 9434 7041

101-107 & 159 WHITEHORSE ROAD, BLACKBURN VIC 3130 (03) 9695 0601

100 MT. ALEXANDER ROAD, FLEMINGTON VIC 3031 (03) 9695 0690

152 BOURKE STREET, MELBOURNE VIC 3000 (03) 9695 0560

7/20 SOMERTON ROAD, SOMERTON VIC 3062 (03) 9305 4477

56 COTHAM ROAD, KEW VIC 3101 (03) 9695 0580

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