Warp Magazine March 2011

The Holidays

W arp Warp

ISSUE 2 march 2011

Oh Mercy

Frenzal Rhomb

W arp Warp .2

VOL

MIXED BY

the go! team

Purple Sneakers DJs

LAUNCH PARTY! FEATURING:

ADUSK MEZ ALEX FELIX BILLY GREEN SAT APR 9 PLAN B $10 DOOR 11PM START

Ozi Batla Fri, March 21

Restaurant Cafe Bar Showcasing Hobart’s Open 7 Days till late.

Weekend Breakfast from 8am.

Metz on Sundays forget about Monday

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Wednesday night Uni Specials from 6pm.

Holly Throsby Fri, March 18

The Holidays Fri, April 8

Ozi Batla Fri, March 11 A Night To Remember Sat, March 12 Wahbash Avenue Sun, March 13 The Sign Tue, March 15 Huw Joseph Wed, March 16 4 Letter Fish Thu, March 17 Holly Throsby Fri, March 18 Sugartrain Sat, March 19 Zeptepi Sun, March 20 Southy Mon, March 21 Pot Belly Strings Tue, March 22 Kid Sam Wed, March 23 The Slight Return Thu, March 24 International Blues Conspiracy Tour Sat, March 26 The FIRMM (Big Blues Band) Sun, March 27 G B Balding Tue, March 29 Joe Piere & The Blackberries Wed, March 30 The Holidays Fri, April 8 Adalita Thu, April 21 Sampology's Super Visual Monster Mash Fri, April 29 Kate Vigo & the Underground Orchestra Sat, September 3

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NEWS | 6

contents | 7

NEWS DMC World Online DJ Championship DMC has just announced a new competition, The World Online DJ Championship. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just getting started, if you think you’ve got what it takes this is the perfect opportunity to be recognised. Competitors a required to upload a two minute video of themselves mixing, which will be broadcast on the web for online voting. For more info check out, www.dmcdjonline.com

John Legend announces sideshows Heading to the Byron Bay Blues Festival 2011 is the “man of R’n’B” John Legend.

He’s won a Grammy, worked with Kanye West, Lauren Hill and Andre 3000, and now offers up three Aussie side shows, two at The State Theatre Sydney April 24 and 25 and the third at The Palais in Melbourne on April 26. Tickets go on sale Feb15 at www.ticketmaster.com.au

Warp magazine Issue 2 March 2011

Somatica

-----------------------------------------EDITOR Nick Mason nick@warpmagazine.com.au -----------------------------------------LOCAL MUSIC Stuart Warren stuart@warpmagazine.com.au -----------------------------------------CLUB / ELECTRONIC Ainsley White ainsley@warpmagazine.com.au -----------------------------------------ART Alison McCrindle alison@warpmagazine.com.au -----------------------------------------DESIGN Miu Heath catspop@gmail.com -----------------------------------------ADVERTISING ads@warpmagazine.com.au -----------------------------------------GIG GUIDE Submit your events to gigs@warpmagazine.com.au -----------------------------------------NEWS Submit your press releases plus publicity images through to the appropriate editor for consideration.

-----------------------------------------www.warpmagazine.com.au ------------------------------------------

Somatica Music, Art & Culture Gathering 2011 will mark the sixth and final outdoor gathering. Over three nights, the festival aims to be an environmentally and socially conscious ‘autonomous zone’ with biodiesel power, composting toilets, recycled waste, recycled paper printing and reclaimed art and decor. This year’s fest features Monster Zoku Onsomi, Tetrameth, SunControlSpecies, Planet Jumper and Tassie’s own Pspiralife. It takes place over the Easter/Anzac day long weekend (April 22 – 25), more info: www.somatica.com.au

Seize the Night featuring Zac Slade and KSX Carpe Noctem presents Seize the Night at PlanB, with a night of progressive house, tech and trance, featuring Zac Slade and KSX (Syd) and supported by Shay, Mr B, DJ Squishy and Sammex. Seize it on Friday April 1 from 10pm, tickets $10 from Ruffcut Records or at the door for $15.

Red Bull Music Academy ALL SUBMISSIONS REMAIN THE PROPERTY OF WARP MAGAZINE. ALL CONTENT IS COPYRIGHT TO WARP MAGAZINE AND CANNOT BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR PART WITHOUT WRITTEN AUTHORISATION OF THE PUBLISHERS. WARP MAGAZINE makes no guarantees, warranties or representations of any kind, whether express or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the information provided. WARP MAGAZINE will not be liable for incorrect use of the information and will assume no responsibility for consequences that may result from the use of the information.

WARP MAGAZINE is not responsible of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on such information.

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Every year, 30 lucky applicants from around the planet are whisked up & taken away to an exotic location (usually) for 2 weeks of music lectures and workshops with some of the most pioneering music mavericks of old, and trailblazing sound rebels of the present, as part of the annual Red Bull Music Academy. This year will see successful applicants flown to Tokyo in October & November to chill with anyone from Brother ?uestlove, to Arthur Baker, Bernard Purdie to Flying Lotus. Applications are open to anyone with a strong yen for music and a desire to be involved in its evolution, and are available for download now, from http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com

Xavier Rudd announces April Hobart and Launceston shows.

Xavier Rudd will be visiting Tasmania early April for two solo performances.

Till date, Rudd has release 6 studio albums and 5 studio albums, his last one being Koonyum Sun in 2010. Apart from being a musician, Rudd is also an activist and was awarded PETA’s annual “World’s Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity” award for 2007.

Xavier Rudd has performed thousands of live shows. Rudd produces music that is a mixture reggae, funk, blues, folk, and roots music.

Xavier will be performing Friday, 1 April - Saloon, Launceston and Saturday, 2 April - Unibar, Hobart

APRA Professional Development Awards The 2011 APRA Professional Development Awards will change the life of eight emerging Australian songwriters and composers. Each winner will receive a prize package valued at over $25,000 - made up of cash, travel, education and recognition. Two additional awards are administered as part of the APRA Professional Development Award program: The Jessica Michalik Contemporary Music Endowment and the UTAS – Stephen Schwartz Songwriting Award. The list of past winners of this coveted bi-annual award includes Wally De Backer (Gotye), Laura Jean Englert and Paris Wells. This years list of finalists includes numerous Tasmanian artists and the winners will be announced on 14 March 2011 at a ceremony in Sydney.

Adalita: debut album, tour Rock musician Adalita has announced her first album and dates for a massive tour across the country. Best known for her role in the band Magic Dirt, Adalita has embarked on her solo career and her debut self titled album is set for release this year.

Lior has now cancelled two shows.

Friday, 18 March Country Club Resort, Prospect

For those who had already bought the tickets, refund is available from the points of purchase.

09 The Holidays 10 Hand of Mercy 12 Frenzal Rhomb

09

Washington’s debut album I believe you, Liar released only 6 months back and the next single to arrive from the album is Cement, a track that is currently being used by Dell Computers for their TV campaign.

16 The Fender Stratocaster

18

16 Chocolate Bedrock 17 Oh Mercy 18 Adalita

23

Megan Washington will bring her Tour of Laughter & Forgetting across Australia this April. Starting in Hobart on 27 April.

20 You’re an Arsehole 21 Dropkick Murphys 22 Live Reviews

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23 Purple Sneakers DJs 24 Club / Electronic 26 Aston Shuffle 30 Performing Arts

Joining Washington on tour will be Deep Sea Arcade and Lissie. Washington’s Tour of Laughter and Forgetting is Lissie’s first musical trip across Australia.

Wednesday, 27 April - Wrest Point Showroom, Hobart

32 Tommy Tiernan 33 Arts

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33

35 Andrew on Art 38 Album Reviews 42 Gig Guide

Frenzal Rhomb announce ‘Bird attack awareness’ shows Frenzal Rhomb have announced a tour with a difference. Their national tour is not about launching a release or celebrating an award- it’s about bird attack awareness.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Through their tour, where the band will be performing at venues which are bird attack hotspots, the four piece Jason Whalley, Lindsay McDougall, Tom Crease and Gordy Foreman attempt to spread awareness about the dangers of bird attacks.

Friday the 11th of March The Witching Tree, The Infected & Truckshow Saturday the 12th of March The Ray Guns, The Screaming Eagles & special guests

On their shows, Frenzal Rhomb will also be selling handmade Neapolitan ice cream container helmets.

Joining Adalita on tour will be Amaya Laucirica who will also be performing solo.

Propagandhi Australia tour

Melbourne based independent singer songwriter Lior had earlier announced a national “Lior by Request” tour, where the audience got the chance to select what he will play on the gig. In the 14 date tour,

08 The Go! Team

Washington’s Tour of Laughter & Forgetting

Sunday, 24 April - Brisbane Hotel, Hobart (2 shows)

Lior cancels Tas dates

08

Saturday, 19 March Wrest Point, Sandy Bay

From 24 March to 5 May, Adalita will travel through the country with shows in NSW, ACT, VIC, WA, QLD and will perform two shows in Tasmania.

Adalita will be performing Wednesday, 20 April at Irish Murphy’s, Launceston and Thursday, 21 April at The Republic Bar, Hobart

Issue 2 MARCH 2011

Thursday 17th of March ST PATS DAY KNEES UP The Blue Mosquitos / 9pm Saturday the 26th of March Alistair Kerr Quartet / 9.30pm

Canadian punk rock outfit, Propagandhi have announced a Hobart date for their Australia tour in May. 2011 marks the band’s 25 year in the music industry. Since their inception in 1986, the band have released 5 albums, their last one being Supporting Caste in 2009.

Through their tour across the country in May, Propagandhi will stop by Tasmania on Friday, 20 May at The Brisbane Hotel, Hobart

381 Elizabeth Street North Hobart 03 6231 2299

Thursday the 31st of March Alley Cat Cabaret starring The Town Bikes, Maurice, Ruby Rubberlegs, Tallulah, Ledasha and The Sin & Tonics / 8pm / $12 http://www.thetownbikes.com WATCH THIS SPACE IT"S GONNA BE FUN

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THE GO! TEAM ARE ARMED WITH ROLLING BLACKOUTS. The Go! Team releases their third studio album, Rolling Blackouts. Set to play a string of OZ shows, over the month of May, and featuring on the Groovin’ The Moo line-up, Ian Parton, founder of The Go! Team promises to go hard every night.

Grace Dalton caught up with Parton to discuss their latest release.

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t begins with what most musicians call, “The Enemy”, (often spoken with a slight Darth Vader embellishment), the select group of industry people who seemingly determine the divide between the mainstream and the independent music scene. The people who apparently tip the Top 30s, Top 40s, Top this and Top that-s. Yet, to this day, we are still trying to un-complicate what they have complicated. Ian Parton, founder and creator of lively, sample English band, The Go! Team, knows who I am talking about, and he knows them very well. So much so, in 2004 he formed his very own team, armed with a four track tape recorder, 80’s sampler and dynamite ideas, and took on the guys in pinstriped suits. “It was sort of born out of annoyance, with me, annoyance with ‘The Enemy’, and their fantasy of bands of boys with guitars.

But I certainly didn’t think we’d be around 7 years later,” he explains.

They are certainly still around. The Go! Team evidently evolved into a boiling pot of energy and vigour and 7 years

later came a fantastic collaboration of musical creatives who know exactly how to make noise. Joining Parton on The Go! Team journey are Ninja (vocals), Chi Fukami Taylor (drums), Sam Dook (banjo, guitars, drums) Jamie Bell (bass, noise effects, glockenspiel), Kaori Tsuchida (vocals, keyboards, guitars, recorders, glockenspiels). Using their instruments in a melodic array of musical layers and samples, The Go! Team have turned it up a notch with their latest release, Rolling Blackouts. This 13 track epic rollercoaster ride from beginning to end took an evolved melodic turn, and came out the other side powerful and refined.

“I wasn’t thinking, Oh, I need a brass band here, or 30 trumpet players would be cool there, I was really just a slave to the best melodies I had, I horded lots of stuff out of the chaos of ideas and things just kept emerging out of it.”

Contrary to what some reviewers have apparently been saying about Rolling Blackouts, this new record is deliciously

daring, and it seems to me Parton has accepted that there will always be good reviews and bad reviews. However, when I asked him about the evolution of The Go! Team sound, Parton was quick to admit he thinks this third album is a lot more ambitious than their predecessors, Thunder, Lightning, Strike and Proof of Youth; Ian admits, “This one is much more complicated, more lyrical, more melodic… most of the songs on this one I wouldn’t have been able to do 7 years ago, you know?” In fact, Rolling Blackouts, starts with a pretty spectacular bang. The twominute power play, “T.O.R.N.A.D.O”, is led by Ninja in a fantastic, ‘ear-gasmic’ introduction to the bold, brash and undoubtedly kick-ass record. Parton likens this first track to the opening of a film, “You know how Shaft is all about the opening? It’s actually a crap film, but you remember it by the opening… I love brass being used in a really mean, tough way, so I guess it just seemed like the natural thing for me, to put it first.”

“I was kinda trying to do something I’d wished somebody else would do.”

Adding another dimension to Go! Team’s sounds are the vocal collaborations which feature on Rolling Blackouts. First single off the record, Buy Nothing Day, which Parton describes as a, “girls-in-thegarage, West Coast, reverb drenched, pop song,” needed someone who could sing. Parton stumbled across Bethany Cosentino (from US indie band Best Coast, currently making their own waves throughout the world) via Myspace, a long,

long time ago, put the idea to her, and she was instantly attracted to the song; “It was a transatlantic operation which worked out really well; I knew I’d wanted her to be a part of it from the first time I heard her.” Cosentino’s beachy, coast vocals fold really well into the layers of the track and it’s obvious why Parton persisted to get her on board.

Being described as one of the festival bands, The Go! Team, have played their fair share of festivals around the world, including Glastonbury, Reading and SXSW. “At a festival, you’re always trying to blow away the band that played before you with sheer energy, basically you’re trying to keep people there, and stop them from going off to buy a hot dog, you know? It’s an opportunity to act like a magnet and pull people in.” However, Parton admits he actually prefers playing headlining club shows, “I love the chaos of a club show, the noise, the atmosphere…”

When The Go! Team hit our Aussie shores, Parton promises to go for it every single night, “We play every night like it’s our last night,” and true to her name, Parton expects Ninja to thrash it onstage. The Go! Team touring Australia on their ‘Rolling Blackouts’ tour: Playing The Zoo in Brisbane on Tuesday 3 May, Metro Theatre in Sydney on Wednesday 4 May and The Corner Hotel in Melbourne on Tuesday 10 May. Grace Dalton

WHAT: Rolling Blackouts is out now through Shock.

The Holidays - Ready to hook you up with a Palm Tree or two.

The Holidays - the perfect recipe for happiness add four parts Sydney sunny-siders, one part indie, one part pop, one part rock and a genuine amount of soul - and see the smiles unfold...

S

et to embark on their ‘Seven Million Mornings’ Tour, Sydney four piece The Holidays are about to take their ‘dreamy, palm tree jams on the road again’ (as described by their PR heads) in April. Simon Jones (Vocals, Guitar, Keys, Production and potential palm tree enthusiast) and I spend a moment discussing the analogy.

“I’m not really sure what that means!” (he says, laughing)... and I suggest that perhaps it was his creative team adding an interesting outlook on their music.

“Yeah, that is probably it!” to which he agrees.

Personally the band seems to be a lot more creative than they are willing to take credit for, with them listing People Under the Stairs, Radiohead, Ernest Ellis and Naps (sleep) as their major influences.

The Holidays were recently crowned winners of the prestigious Australian Music Prize Red Bull Award for the best debut album of 2010, ‘Get on it’. How does Simon feel about the energy drink sponsored prize?

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“Its an award hey, I like Red Bull, it gives you wings,” he says, with more laughter following.

From their birth in 2006 til present day, the number of shows under their belt is phenomenal. Playing in the same room as Jaime T, The View, Ben Kweller, The Wombats and Bluejuice; and with a string of festivals such as Homebake, Falls and St Jeromes Laneway behind them, the future looks more than bright, with something a lot stronger than shades necessary!

The sign on the dotted line moment with record label Liberation happened in 2008, with the release of their debut EP following not too long after that.

Whether it was just timing, or their ‘upbeat, energetic’ nature - the band quickly cemented themselves as an integral part of the Sydney scene - EP’s quickly sold at gigs, regular radio play both locally and in the US happened causing people to sit up and take notice with accolades flowing from Drum Media, Beat Mag, BMA Mag, The Brag,

The Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph and the Courier Mail just to name a few of the publications. Really I could write about what other people have written about for 1000’s of words but yeah, we all know how to use Wikipedia and Google!

Triple J have played an integral part, placing the band on its Feature Album roster in the final week of December 2010, leaving a sweet taste in the mouths of all of those attached to the Album, no doubt. Simon speaks highly of Triple J for a moment (a sentiment echoed by many of Australia’s artists) that places the station highly in the minds of both the established and up and coming musicians in our land.

The Holiday’s debut album ‘Post Paradise’ released in Australia in late 2010 and Japan in January 2011, has already received a number of rave reviews from both locally and Overseas, with Japan heavily praising our boys. Simon talks about how much the Japanese love the band, with the language barrier proving a minimal thing in the sense of fandom.

The Holidays are set to share the stages with Aussie wonders Cut Copy on their International tour cutting across the globe through Europe - sweeping through Glasgow, Ireland, Manchester, London, Norway, Copenhagen, Finland and Russia.

Cracking the elusive US shores has proved easy for our Sydney boys with shows locked in at the Aussie BBQ in New York, the Neon Gold Party in Brooklyn, New York, The Speakeasy in

Austin, Texas with the Local Natives to name just a few.

Avoiding any connections with April 1, the day of fools, ‘Seven Million Mornings’ kicks off on April 2 at the Oxford Art Factory Sydney with Ballarat’s Gold Fields.

A highlight of the ‘Seven Million Mornings’ Tour sees The Holidays fill Federation Square with their Indie, Pop-rock laden, soul sounds for a Free All Ages gig in early April. The possibilities for the band to be creative seem endless, so with palm trees on my mind pose the question of what people can expect to receive when they come to the gig, other than a head full of happy noise.

Free palm trees perhaps?

“Haha, maybe, I don’t know... I mean our music is all about the palm trees, ask our label! Maybe some ice cream as well you never know!”, Simon says vigorously continuing to laugh at our tangent of conversation.

Catch The Holidays as they continue to conquer the globe - leaving potentially a trail of palm trees, sunshine and smiles in their wake - the band, perhaps proving the perfect ambassadors for our beautiful, relaxed Australian lifestyle - more so than Lara Bingle or perhaps even Baz Luhrmann ever have - so much so that perhaps the Tourism department should throw some money there way.

Belle Tope

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Hand Of Mercy Hand Of Mercy are one of the major players of the Sydney hardcore scene. They will grace our shores once again in March, bringing their mosh-fuelled glory to Launceston on the 25th before heading down to Hobart to play an All-Ages show at the Brisbane on the 26th. Guitarist Adam Mclean had a chat with us about Pop Mosh, Mount Wellington and operating instruments under the influence.

You’ve already been to Tasmania once before, what are your thoughts on the state from an interstate bands point of view?

Playing in Tassie last time was wild, a lot better than expected. Besides playing, I remember driving up a Mount Wellington it was freezing but the view was beautiful.

You seem to have gained a distinctly new sound with The Fallout while still staying true to the sound of your previous releases. What are some of the elements that you have tried to bring in with the new record?

So one band guy said to the other…

So. You’re in a band. Congratulations.

You’re now one of millions and I have three words for you. Big. Fucking. Deal. (Gasp!

But we’re so unique and different!) Well look, your mum and your mates probably think your band is the single greatest thing since “Your name here”… You probably aren’t.

Cynical? Jaded even? Probably…Ok Definitely. But that doesn’t mean to say you can’t have fun, put on good shows, and, if you’re actually any good, expand your fan base beyond your parents, your girl/ boy/transgender friend and the homeless guy “Bob” who bin-dives out side your rehearsal room. (No he actually does.)

The one thing I’ve learned (because I’m so old and wise and stuff) Is if you don’t lock

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in with like-minded people from around this Island (and the big one) you’ll be stuck playing to empty rooms forever. You’ll probably never make a decent record or put your product out there, and I don’t care how “punx” you are, that gets fucking BORING. Now I did say product, I’m sure a lot of you picked up on that, because when it comes to selling yourself to a venue or promoter, that’s exactly what you are, a commodity, an investment, and also, a means to an end.

Don’t get me wrong, there ARE venues and promoters out there that give a shit, who can see both sides of a very run down and busted out fence we call the “Music Business”.

Trying to be a bit more melodic, there was only so far we could go with what we had going on with the first two EPs. We wanted to step it up and make an album you would want to listen to a bunch of times before you got bored of it.

What are some of the lesser-known bands from Sydney that Tasmanian fans of heavy music should be checking out?

Who are Hand Of Mercy’s biggest influences?

What is the next step for Hand Of Mercy?

The Ghost Inside, Parkway Drive, It Prevails, Sevendust And Bury Your Dead.

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never listened to Hand Of Mercy Before?

Pledge This!, Empires And Endless Heights.

Our drummer Josh Zimmer is leaving the band, so there will be an announcement of our new drummer soon. We also just started writing a new album. We have a few people in mind to go to record overseas with and do a bit of touring overseas other than that we are just taking it how it comes.

Pop Mosh.

You gained a lot of new fans while also strengthening the love of old ones the last time you were here. How are you going to top your last effort in Tasmania this time?

We probably won’t get as pissed drunk before we play our instruments this time. (laughs)

At the high end of town it’s a very well maintained barrier, kind of like Berlin in the 50’s, but down here, at street level, there’s a little more give and take, you just have to know where to wield the pick axe.

For a long time in this town, we struggled for decent venues willing and able to put on live original music. But over time ,we now have a multitude of venues (they know who they are), doing over age and underage shows who are open to the fact that heavy original music of varying styles is just as, and sometimes more, profitable than two guys, an acoustic guitar and Bare Naked Ladies covers.

The root of the issue here is how much YOU want to be in your band, how much you want to put in and build something.

I’ve seen so many solid bands sit back and wait for something to happen only to wither and die on the vine, still waiting! From a promoters or venue perspective, we can’t help you until you help yourself.

Hand Of Mercy are touring Australia promoting their new LP “The Fallout” with support from One Vital Word.

Josh Challis

When & Where: March 25 – Launceston 18 + TAS (Venue TBA) March 26 – Brisbane Hotel AA TAS Tickets at the door

So, practice, be aware of your ability, can you hold your own on stage when compared to other bands on the scene? No matter what your style of music may be, the only way you’ll know is if you go out to shows and meet people, talk to people about their band and your band and see what, and who, is out there, and what they are doingand if they are willing to help you. Make it your mission to know who books shows and contact them with your demo or your (SOCIAL NETWORKING-my emphasis) site link.

But above all remember why you started your band, hopefully it was to play music with your friends, have some fun and wasn’t all about “making it”.

Because the thing is, if you work hard, enjoy what you do and help others enjoy it, you’re halfway there.

See you at Propagandhi.

M.

MUSIC | 12

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ah, so far we’ve got about eight songs, that everyone agree on. Yeah, we’ve written about a hundred songs, and most of those will end up in the bin. Which is really where they belong.”

I laugh and start to like the dude again.

“Shouldn’t build it up too much really, because if people think they’re shit, then they’ll wonder how fucking bad the ones that didn’t make it were...”

He’s on the money and the honesty is like a barely believable gulp of sweet and clear, country air. I tell him what he doubted himself for knowing, or knew with trepidation; that it’s the right attitude to have, for any damned band.

“Yea well, we definitely don’t want to be one of those bands who claim to have made two albums’ worth of songs at the same time, but they put out the first half, then they release the second half 6 months later, when really, if they were so great, then they would have gone on the first album.”

Frenzal Rhomb: Picking at the Frenzy

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hen I wake up with my contact lenses still stuck to my eyeballs, I always think for some damn reason, for just a damned moment, that my vision has been healed by magic or prayer, which I s’pose are the same things. That’ll just be the lingering alco-haze, and my vision doesn’t stay that seemingly perfect since there’s something about booze that clogs up my particular brand of contact lens with extra-viscous super-strength sleep goo. I had to do the interview at about 1:15pm, so I figured I had a good half hour to make use of.

Turns out, Jay Whalley, of the more or less infamous Punk band Frenzal Rhomb, is a punctual prick, and goddamn if he doesn’t call right on the damned dot. With some time to spare, but not more than a minute or two. I thought I could put some pants on before getting down to it, maybe even get a coffee and figure out where to take this thing. No such luck, but hell, preparation’s over-rated.

Like right now, I guess I was a little too outright with him, and the man drew a

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little back. Precisely what I was trying to not only avoid, but do the damned opposite of as I’m sick and tired of prissy, kempt and measured rock “stars” giving me nothing but a satchel of useless euphemisms and dismissive comments on everything that isn’t a beleaguered hype of their new project. What matters isn’t the product, because this is music, and that’s a damned art no matter who you are, just because it’s a world infected with swine and taint lickers, doesn’t mean we can give up on probing to the core of an artist; that’s where the juicy faults and humanities lie.

He asks me how I’ve been so far and I tell him. “Good grief... ha ha” is the tiptoeing-away reply, and when I probe him, he gives the down-the-line, almost gun-in-the-back affidavit of having spent his time writing and recording songs, then launches into the bone blood of the gestating new FR album.

“We usually tend to write about 150 songs for each album, of which about 20 are good, and about 10 of which we all agree on, and

That’s not a worry for these guys, with a good five years since their last go round, and I don’t think of his feelings on the matter, because I guess I’m tuned out of that bullshit wave of empathy or tact. Like loading half the chambers of a 6-shooter, I ask him if they’d noticed any anticipation for another album.

“There is some anticipation, among ourselves, and maybe about eighteen other people, ha haha... I guess it’s been kind of quiet and there hasn’t been anyone hounding us, so it’s been good and relaxing, just to write songs and record at our own pace. But, we thought maybe it’s time that we actually get out there again“ “So, was there anything you wanted to say this time around, coming off of 3 years in the stringent radio DJ system; was there another cause for the new album?”

“Money.”

He laughs again and I can feel the detached honesty teetering above bitter waters, or more likely, I’m hung-over, tired, hungry and projecting bullshit to make things seem more than mundane.

“But then we look at the songs and go, ‘Well maybe not.’ So, we have to be content with lots and lots of touring... We do enjoy playing shows, and, we pretty much enjoy each other’s company, so to facilitate that we realised that we do actually have to occasionally release something, to, at least in our own minds, make it worth while...

We did a run of early summer festivals, like the No Sleep Til fest, and that really enthused us...”

“Well, let’s talk about the radio huh?

You’re good and well done with working on the radio now are you?”

“I think so. I’ve been renting a little studio for a while now, because I just want to write songs really, for as long as I can afford to, and I’ll think about a job when, I HAVE to.

So, when that time comes, maybe I’ll start knocking on the door, come crawling back, with my tail firmly between my legs.”

Lay the facts out, and that’s no miserly dismissal as these guys have been doing this since they were about 20. When most of the young, egotistical and lazy kids that fall into music, they don’t get to keep going for 20 years like FR have, at whatever height you can verbalise. They haven’t given it up.

“No. Against all advice...”

“Well, I think that for most of your fans, they can’t speak about you without having a cheeky smile or a good laugh...”

“I think most of our fans can’t really speak in general...”

“Well, yea. I would say that it’s because FR have such a laconic and flippantly mischievous attitude or ‘sound’ to cut off that dawdling description... With that affectionate image, how do you consider yourself, as a ‘punk’ band within the current context?”

along with people regardless.”

“No? What about taking a dump?”

“Did working on the radio affect that at all, any claims of “Selling Out” (sort of)?”

“No, I get most of my song ideas walking my kid around the place. There’s a stadium near my house, for the ah, what are they called, the Newtown Jets. So sometimes my partner and I will go down there with the kid, maybe with a long-neck or some wine, otherwise I’ll just be by myself.”

“Uhm... Not to my face. If selling out is working for the ABC, then I guess. That’d be pretty low standards really.”

My focus is waning and I’m trying not to think of coffee cups dancing gaily around me, especially because I could give a shit about their aesthetic, and I don’t think I need one to feel better, I think I feel fine, but I want one. I can at least get up to slip on jeans while I ask Jay about song writing in a way I think he’ll appreciate “How many of your songs would you say came to you whilst you were rubbing one out or getting laid, as opposed to while you were fucked up on booze, pot or something else?”

I hop around and jam them on, maybe muffling my words so I have to repeat it and simplify the question for him again.

He lingers unapprovingly and it’s now awkward. We’re talking about sex, lord forbid.

“Probably none.”

I feel like ending the interview right now.

Lack of preparation was just the ‘Ignoratio elenchi’. It’s still that damned old shyness of bands depending too much on this process, like little boys that have to be on ‘best-behaviour’ to be allowed to go home early, or get extra candy and other child obsessions. FR just aren’t the same band they used to be, I suppose.

“Let’s talk about activism. You guys were involved with the Howard thing, and we all know about the Jackie-O comments, which were clearly justified, plus the glossed over conflict with JJJ before you were under their hammer. Is there any kind of activism in your day-to-day life?”

“Uhm, if there’s a worthwhile cause I’ll stay abreast of what’s going on, and if there’s any kind of relevant rally that I feel I should lend some support to, then I’ll try and get along.

As far as the albums go I guess this one has...a... couple of... political songs... I’m just trying to remember if those are among the hundred that are going down the toilet...

But when it comes down to it, our fans know who we are and what we’re about. I’m not going to get on stage and flail my arms, ‘hey everyone, I’m vegetarian and left-wing... blah blah’. People know.”

“You’re actually choosing not to push an agenda!”

“Well, it doesn’t seem to work. It’s more fun to just focus on finding common ground with people I think. “

or complete fabrication, because the majority of religiously incited terrorism occurs in the foreign country of those young men/women precisely because of the overbearing influence of the “modern/ Western” way of life.

“Any last comments on the plans of FR?” “Well, we’ll be headed down to Tasmania and also to Melbourne, for a small tour in March/April I think, and we should come back from that with the last few songs for the album.”

“And beyond that?”

It’s working well, so I rattle of a selfish invective things have to be really bad for people en masse to really do anything. It’s hard to care enough about the world or pressing issues when day to day life can be so easy going and nice.

“Then we will tour some more, as you do for a new album. Then we can finally break up, ha ha.”

“Yea, it’s funny, I read an article that said a major reason why there’s been no terrorist attack in Australia, is because the way of life just gets into them basically and they don’t want to do it anymore.”

“I don’t know, I always think it’s dying. But then we seem to book shows, and it goes on.”

“Aww, don’t say that, you’ve had such a good run. Can FR really even be killed? “

Jarred Keane

I mark this down mentally, because it seems like a dull misinterpretation

“I guess, we are and always have been a punk band, but after doing that punk & metal festival, I don’t really understand a lot of the music... These 18 year old kids with neck tattoos, and Christian... ah, Christian... lyrics, and bullshit, and apparently THAT’s punk music too. One guy tried to convert me or something because someone had told him I wanted to hear his spiel about Jesus, or whatever C.S Lewis, Narnia crap he was peddling. And he just wouldn’t believe me when I told him they were having him on.

I think he wanted to save me. He tried to follow me around and come with us to the studio when we wanted to record and I was just like, ‘You are completely barking up the wrong tree mate.’”

We start gelling on something here and I throw it together a bit more lucidly; Punk music takes itself way too damned seriously now, so where in the hell does that leave guys like FR? Can they even relate to angst-y, 15-yr-old suburban, overweight girls trapped inside the bodies of these dudes with bad facial hair & a fetish for hair gel in their 20s?

“We try to really; we get on with most people I think. But the bands we’re booked with tend to, back away slowly I guess...

You get the odd situation like with that Christian/Narnia guy, but we do tend to get

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Tickets from Granada Tavern, Ticketmaster 136 100 www.ticketmaster.com.au, www.oztix.com.au & Oztix Outlets $15 + bf / $18 on the door if available www.myspace.com/thousandneedlesinred

MUSIC | 17 IMAGE: Eden Meure

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Fender Stratocaster

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he Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as “Strat”, is a model of electric guitar designed

by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top horn for balance while standing. The Stratocaster has been used by many leading guitarists and can be heard on many historic recordings.

Along with the Gibson Les Paul, the Gibson SG and the Fender Telecaster, it is one of the most common and enduring models of electric guitar in the world.

The design of the Stratocaster has transcended the field of music to rank among the classic industrial designs of all time; examples have been exhibited at major museums around the world. So many big game players use the Fender Stratocaster which included classic heroes Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), modern day players like John Mayer, Jim Root (Slipknot) and Iron Maidens Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers who are touring our Australian shores this March.

(Pictured) In its original form, the Stratocaster was offered in a 2-color sunburst finish on a solid, deeply contoured ash body, a onepiece maple neck with 21 frets, black dot inlays, and Kluson machine heads, until 1956, when Fender started making bodies made from solid alder. There was also a set of available custom colours that wasn’t standardised until 1960. These custom colours were mostly automobile lacquer colours made by DuPont and could be had for an extra 5 percent cost.

The single-ply, 8-screw hole white pickguard was a unique concept that allowed all of the guitar’s electronic components — except the recessed jack plate — to be mounted on one easy-to-remove surface.

Subsequent Stratocaster designs (by both Fender and other imitating companies) may have improved upon the original in usability and sound, but vintage Fender models are still often worth large

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amounts of money, and many prefer the timbre of older models.

The Stratocaster has been widely copied; as a result, the term “Strat,” although a trademark of Fender Musical Instrument Corporation, is often used generically when referring to any guitar that has the same general features as the original, regardless of manufacturer.

The Stratocaster features three single coil pickups, with the output originally selected by a 3-way switch. Guitarists soon discovered that by jamming the switch in between the 1st and 2nd position, both the bridge and middle pickups could be selected, and similarly, the middle and neck pickups could be selected between the 2nd and 3rd position. This trick became widespread and Fender responded with the 5-way pickup selector (a standard feature since 1977) which allowed these tonal combinations and provided better switching stability; the “quacky” tone of the middle and bridge pickups, popularised by players such as Rory Gallagher, Mark Knopfler, Bob Dylan, Scott Thurston and Robert Cray, can be obtained by using the pickup selector into positions 2 and 4. The neck and middle pickups are each wired to a tone adjustment knob, incorporating a single, shared tone capacitor, whereas the bridge pickup, which is slanted towards the high strings for a more trebly sound, has no tone control for maximum brightness.

Stratocasters are extremely versatile guitars and stand up to the standards of yesterdays and today’s musician without missing a beat.

Red Hot Music stocks a massive range of Fender USA Deluxe, USA Standard, USA Special series guitars, as well as the Fender Mexican made series and the more affordable Fender Squier series guitars. Something for every player in the Fender range of guitars. For more info contact Red Hot Music: (03) 64 242286 or visit our website: www.redhotmusic.com.au Julian Palmer

Chocolate Bedrock Beneath the Surface Bobby Wylon, writer and snake charmer, gets to know Kristie and the boys from Chocolate Bedrock, getting into their minds and pants.

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hocolate Bedrock was initially a duo bringing life to the vision of rock-diva Miss Kristie Williams and blues guitarist Seymour Turnbull.

Teaming up with guitarist Nick Sullivan, they began to search for a rhythm section to manifest the dream sound. Now as a five piece the band has begun to take a life of its own, and the creative process continues to build momentum.

As they develop a repertoire of super sweet music, Chocolate Bedrock is gearing up to play bigger gigs and record their debut album.

Kristie’s voice has been compared to Florence Welsh (of Florence and the Machine) though she dislikes the comparison, preferring to draw inspiration from the great stage artists of yesteryear such as James brown, Janis Joplin and Tracy Chapman. As she puts it “You’d see James Brown singing and he’d be completely drenched in sweat... I don’t think you’re really performing if you’re not dripping after a show”.

Handpicked by Miss Williams, the two guitarists blend and craft their styles in a fresh and innovative way, forging a symbiosis between the vintage and modern. Nick Sullivan uses a range of effects to create psychedelic soundscapes which permeate the Bedrock tracks.

Drawing influences from artists such as Smashing Pumpkins, The Flaming Lips, and John Frusciante, his sonic wizardry adds subtlety and depth. Seymour delivers a variety of classic styles from driving blues licks reminiscent of Mike Bloomfield and Jimmy Page, to the country, rock’n’roll sounds of The Band and slide style of Ry Cooder.

Butting heads with the guitars is young blood bassist Brendan Schmidtke, a multi-instrumentalist who plays bass

like he shouldn’t. Drawing a unique style of intricate bass playing from the likes of Interpol, Sunny Day Real Estate and Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Brendan shuns the typical bass-note, background playing style and rubs shoulders with the guitarists, incorporating chords, melodies and harmonies into his playing.

Introduced to the band as a close friend of Brendan, Funky Drummer Joe Hoyle has years of experience with heavy rock groups and brings thumping beats to the mix. His enthusiasm and energy contrast the often laidback groove of the others, resulting in an occasionally dark and heavy texture, similar to the drum-driven tracks of Brand New and Karnivool which are high on his repeat list.

Chocolate Bedrock forges ahead with a simple mantra:

“to make music we would want to hear and put on a show which we would want to see.”

Music which devours so many styles inevitably winds up in an interesting clash.

It is the conflict and meshing which mixes a uniquely broad blend that will have something to appeal to anyone’s taste.

It seems they are endlessly developing more music, inspiring each other more and more, and it keeps getting better.

They will be playing gigs around the state in the coming months, their passion and dedication will, without a doubt drive them far. They will entertain you.

Bobby Wylon

Where & WHEN: Chocolate Bedrock are performing next at the Grand Poobah March 26.

The Grief of Oh Mercy Ahead of the release of Oh Mercy’s sophomore album Great Barrier Grief, due out 4 March, front man Alexander Gow chats about the journey the recording process took him on, living up to expectations and the ability to put your foot down.

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or most young people your maiden voyage overseas will usually comprise of an almost continuous party with friends you’ve made at hostels, punctuated by some photos in front of famous landmarks. While Alexander Gow did get to enjoy himself while he was in the States last year, there was always a bigger plan at work for the Oh Mercy front man. The ever-fickle album number two.

Starting out at the musical Mecca that is South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, Gow’s first trip out of Australia had the primary goal of getting Oh Mercy’s sophomore release Great Barrier Grief in the can. No easy task, especially considering that the band’s debut Privileged Woes was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2009, earning the band plaudits from people in some very high places.

“I assume it’s pretty natural for people to be conscience of past success when writing new material,” concedes Gow. “I was conscious of it, but I didn’t let it weigh down on me so I tried more to look at the positive that with all the hard work we did with Privileged Woes, it’s given us a platform. While I was writing these new

songs I was thinking that these new ones had this great platform which I’ve worked hard to gain.”

It seems Gow preferred the pressure of writing album number two. Putting an album together knowing that people were going to hear it was a welcome contrast to the work that went into Privileged Woes.

“I can’t really describe the feeling of writing that first record when you’re in a kind of limbo. We were working so hard on these songs and not even knowing if anyone would listen to them. It’s a really strange headspace.”

So it was with a clear mind that Gow went north from Texas to a room in Brooklyn, which he would call home for the next six weeks. Writing, refining and demoing songs for Great Barrier Grief, an album title that apparently came before any other ideas for the album had even been conceived.

“Great Barrier Grief has been floating around in my notebooks for a while.

I always knew it was going to make a good title for an album I just needed to write the album. You can kind of think of

this record as an excuse to use the title,” laughs Gow.

never had a problem voicing what I think,” laughs Gow.

From Brooklyn, Gow took the frameworks of what was to be Great Barrier Grief to L.A. and legendary producer Mitchell Froom, a man who’s producing CV boasts names such as Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney and Pearl Jam, as well as a little band called Crowded House, who’s first three albums were produced

by Froom.

“I may never have been good at kicking the football but I’ve never had a problem putting my foot down.”

“It was a thrill to work with Mitchell. I grew up listening to Crowded House and admiring them and admiring his work on their records so it was a great opportunity.

I consider myself pretty lucky.”

Anyone who talks to Gow will realise just how committed he is to his music. Talking to him about Great Barrier Grief reveals an understated passion for the songs he crafts, so it comes as no surprise that while he was honoured to be working with a producer of Froom’s calibre, in no way was Gow daunted by the idea.

“Mitchell is an incredibly lovely, lovely guy. There was never a point where I felt intimidated by him and I’ve kind of got very specific ideas about what I like and dislike about music so I never had a problem putting my foot down about decisions, although I never really had to with Mitchell,” admits Gow. “We saw eye to eye on most things.”

“There was never much conjecture anyway, but when there was I never had a problem with voicing it, I mean I’ve

Great Barrier Grief will inevitably bolster what started with Privileged Woes, Oh Mercy are arguably this country’s best contemporary songwriters. The lyrics that Gow produces have rightfully earned him and the band’s numerous comparisons to this country’s song writing legends and Great Barrier Grief will see his stocks soar again. The album is beautifully understated; the minimal style of instrumentation allows each song to be carried by some truly wonderful lyrics.

With Great Barrier Grief completed, Gow had one day left in L.A. when he received a phone call asking if he could offer a song for the He Will Have His Own Way compilation.

“We spent the last day rearranging, mixing and recording I Feel Possessed.

It was a really fun day and I’m so glad we got the call to do it. It’s the full circle, you know? Working with Mitchell on a song that was written by a band that I’ve loved for such a long time and Mitchell produced and played the keys on the original and here he was producing and playing the keyboard on my cover of it. It was a real thrill. It’s one of those moments I won’t forget.”

Lucas Thomas

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Adalita

“A few months ago it was kind of finished,” she said. “It’s kind of just the time it took to make the record.

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“The artwork took a fair while to get finalised and finished,” she says. “It’s always hard with the artwork. The rest of it was pretty good and flowed pretty well.

“I just spoke to Adalita from Magic Dirt,” I said, a little smirk spreading across my face after my brush with Australian rock ‘n’ roll royalty.

“I wanted it out last year, but then Liberation came on board late last year and wanted to sign me, so we kind of had to wait until this year. But it’s been good.

I’m glad I waited ‘cos I kept wanting to put it out there, but I’m really glad I waited because there’s always a lot of fine tuning to do.”

ith my phone back in my pocket and my heart beat back to normal, I turned to a mate, busting to let him in on who’d been on the other end of the call.

He looked back at me, seemingly puzzled for a moment, then responded: “So many of my mates would be so jealous of you right now.”

Best known as the voice behind muchloved and long-lived outfit Magic Dirt, Adalita Srsen has emerged from the studio and is set to unleash her first solo album on the world.

A mainstay of the 90s and 00s Australian rock ‘n’ roll scene, Adalita is set to take off on a substantial national tour in support of the eponymous 10-track debut.

“I think it was 2008, you know, people were saying ‘you should maybe try to do some solo stuff’,” she said. “So I think it was in late-2008 I started writing some solo stuff with the album in mind.”

Some of the new material was being revealed to the audience during solo gigs in 2009, while the album was being refined and mixed during late-09 and into 2010 before being wrapped up during the second half of last year.

While finalising the artwork was a drawnout process, Adalita was adamant it would be done right – and that it would complement the album’s minimal feel.

“I just kind of wanted a booklet with very clean, simple photos and the lyrics,” she said. “I wanted a very simple but beautiful kind of presentation for everything. But it did take a while. It doesn’t look that way, I’m sure, but behind the scenes there’s a lot of tweaking, toing and froing.”

While the pared-back sound might signal a departure from Adalita’s Magic Dirt past, the new direction is something she’s more than satisfied with.

“It’s very minimal,” she said. “There’s no band, it’s just vocal and guitar and I guess it’s a bit confronting in that way.

“It’s not something you usually hear with a kind of fuzzed-out guitar. Usually you’d hear some backing to it... I think it can stand on its own with these particular songs.

“It’s very stripped back and restrained and there’s a lot of space around everything.

It’s got a kind of whimsical quality, I guess - a bit dreamy. There is a kind of underlying intenseness or moodiness or darkness to it. It’s not too pretty or flimsy, it’s pretty substantial, I think.”

Adalita shared production duties with fellow Magic Dirt founding member, the late Dean Turner, and enlisted JP Shilo and Amaya Laucirica for added strings and vocals during recording.

“I’m pretty happy,” she said. “It’s the way I wanted it to sound. I know Dean would have been proud and happy with the way it sounded, how it came out. It’s exactly what we talked about.”

“I’m really happy with the aesthetic of it.”

Sticking to her tried and true creative process was a vital component in making this album and gave Adalita confidence that she had made the best record possible.

“It’s always been part of it and I think that the overseeing of everything has always been part of it,” she said.

“I guess in that way the process can take a while because you want to make sure you are getting your message across as best as you can and the songs are the best they can be. The whole package has always been running over things with a fine-tooth comb.

“I’ve kind of always written the same way – just whatever comes out. I don’t really think about what I want to write about.

I just sit with the guitar and see what comes out at the time. I pull out a couple

of poems or some prose I’ve written... every now and then a whole song will just pop out with the lyrics intact.

“People say I sing about personal stuff, or it’s personal or it’s intimate... I guess I’ve always just written in that way. I don’t see it as a personal thing, but I’ve just always written that way... it’s an extension of my song-writing with Magic Dirt.

I just sit down with a bunch of riffs and lyrics and take it to the band. If it doesn’t work, leave it at home, if it works, put it on the record... it’s part of the same continuum for me.”

But despite this element of control and familiarity, Adalita confessed to feeling some nerves ahead of the March 4 release date and subsequent national tour.

“There’s always a bit of butterflies, but I’m pretty happy,” she said. “With Magic Dirt records there was always the same feeling. Once you’ve done a record you always look back and think this or that could have been better... that’s always the case. That’s an inescapable part of it for me.

“I think this solo thing is, I feel like I’m starting at square one, because I am singing on my own just with my guitar, it brings out every little thing with your voice and your playing.

“I’m not pitch perfect and I fuck up on my guitar, but... with the solo thing, I feel like, kind of really at square one and I have to really make sure I put on a good show and my confidence is building with it, but it’s hard and I’m very nervous.

just did the best show I could and sang the best I could and just played the shit out of my guitar. It’s always that same level of intensity of performance whatever shows we did.

“I feel less nervous now, but I need a few more shows under my belt.”

Before the shows, though, it’s time for rehearsals and more rehearsals – and maybe some leisure time with her feet up and the television on.

“I’m going into heavy rehearsals and once those rehearsals are done and the songs are drummed into me and into my extra musicians, then we can relax and just go out on the road. You do the work before you go out,” she said.

“What do I do (to relax)? I don’t do much.

I am kind of pretty addicted to work at the moment... but I’m a real TV junkie. I find TV really relaxing and almost a sedating thing. I do enjoy some really trashy TV.” Adalita’s national headline tour commences in Byron Bay on March 24 and takes in 16 dates across the country.

Her self-titled debut album is due on March 4 from Liberation Music.

Tasmanian fans need not worry that they’ll miss out on Adalita’s music. “I’m really happy to be going to Tassie,” Adalita said. “I really like going down there. We (Magic Dirt) had a few huge nights at the Republic Bar. It’s kind of like our home crowd in . We’ve got some awesome fans down there.”

“With Magic Dirt I always felt the same.

I always just got up and sweated it out and

Stu Warren

FRIDAY 08 APRIL

REPUBLIC BAR & CAFE 299 ELIZABETH ST, NORTH HOBART

TIX AVAIL FROM WWW.MOSHTIX.COM.AU PH: 1300 GET TIX OR FROM THE VENUE Warp

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You’re An Arsehole – Episode Two

The Cost of Living

You’re an arsehole because you pay through your arse just to stay alive.

Every cent hurts on the way through and then the insult of seeing FAT CATS faffing and flaking their way through your HARD-EARNED and HEAVILY TAXED fortnightly wage. You know that’s where your speeding fines go, the cops cynically REVENUE RAISING to stuff their pockets with your money, taken from you to deter you from creating situations in which people could die or lose and eye (you understand that the police don’t keep the money themselves, but it might mean they could get Mental As Anything to play ay the ball, and that shaves your face right off). This kind of punishment infuriates you – remember, you’re an arsehole – and hardens you to defy the law even further as revenge. “Not me!”, you protest. Yes, you, arsehole, very much you. Oh, you listen to HO-FM in the car because of the music, do you?

Hey, arsehole! How about those BLOODY BILLS?? Yeah?? How about jumpers and light switches? You think it’s hilarious

You’re

e

ol h e s r An A

that milk costs less per litre than water.

Hey, buy whatever you like, pay whatever it costs, walk out of the shop, and then have a laugh on your own time – arsehole.

Now they want to install water meters and they expect you to pay…for WATER???

But, it’s a BASIC HUMAN RIGHT. Yeah, it is, and you’re welcome to go find your own from somewhere in the sky and use however much you like - while you’re at it, why don’t you dig a hole in your garden and shit in it, arsehole.

You’re an arsehole because the government has never done anything for you. At least that’s what you think. You think this because you’re an arsehole.

The less they do for you, the more you seek to give them less, and why should you do anymore? “AAAOOOWWW….DOES IT COST TO BREATHE NOW, DOES IT??” you bellow in frustration at governing bodies. You bellow because you’re an arsehole. You’ve never had it so good.

You’re an arsehole.

Prince Dirt

brookfield

MARGATE

UPCOMING EVENTS

REGULAR EVENTS

Andy Sugarcane Collins Fri March 11 | 7:30pm Jan Preston w/ Michael Maass Sun Mar 13 Sweetwater Fri Mar 18 | 7:30pm The Southies Sat Mar 19 Grace Doubtless Sat Apr 2 | 8:00pm Phil Edgeley & Daniel Champagne Wed Apr 6 Keith Donnelly & Flossie Malavialle Fri Apr 8 The Chordwainers Sat Apr 9 | 7:30pm The Timbers Sun Apr 10 | 5:00pm Rose Burgess Trio Thur Apr 21 | 8:00pm

Open Mic Night 1st Friday of the month Folk Night 3rd Friday of the month both have a guest artist each month and are free Local Market Every Wednesday (10am - 3pm) Delicious Homestyle Meals Open 7 days 9am till 6pm Friday and Saturday nights and all events

1640 Channel Highway Margate Tasmania Ph: (03) 6267 2880

Going Out In Style With Dropkick Murphys’ Al BarR

great. But we’re definitely not teachers and we’re not preachers. The last thing we want, as music fans, is someone stuffing ideas down people’s throats. It’s more like we want to tell a story.”

As the lead singer for the Dropkick Murphys, Al Barr is looking forward to the release of the band’s seventh studio album Going Out In Style.

He also hates ‘fucking facebook’.

Loani Arman finds out why.

With a fiery refrain and a searing bagpipe riff, the opening track Hang ‘Em High leads the charge on Going Out In Style.

Rollicking tunes like the title track and The Hardest Mile chomp closely at its heels, as do some unexpected guest vocals by Bruce Springsteen on the Peg O’ My Heart.

Each of the 13 tracks would have no trouble finding a place in the band’s live set list.

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“We’re not perfect. We’re not performing to a track. It’s not Britney Spears up there, it’s not Christina Aguilera. You’re talking about a bunch of dudes that play music and try to do the best they can. It’s real. It’s live,” Barr says firmly, before lightening the mood with a Barry Whiteesque nod. “It’s live, baby.”

ounting down the days until their legendary St Patrick’s Day tour kicks off, the Dropkick Murphys are set to release their seventh studio album Going Out In Style, under their vanity label Born and Bred Records. The Boston based Irish punk folk rockers deliver yet another energetic outing, full of infectious anthems, foot stomping battle cries and a few lilting ballads, saturated with the rebellious and upbeat spirit that the band is famous for.

In essence, Going Out In Style is a concept album that tells the story of a fictional Irish immigrant, Cornelius Larkin.

Dropkick Murphys’ singer Al Barr says the idea was born when the band wrote the title track.

“Going Out In Style was like the first song the band wrote for this record and we realised that upon writing it, that there was this character in this song and we thought that it would be cool to have the thread of this guy’s life go through the record.”

The character was further developed by author Michael Patrick MacDonald, who wrote an obituary for Larkin which appears in the album’s liner notes.

“He’s an immigrant. He fought for this country before he was even made a

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citizen. He fought in the war in Korea,” Barr says. “Our rhythm guitarist - James Lynch - his grandfather went and fought in Korea, won a Purple Heart and came back and wasn’t made a citizen for 5 more years. You know, so there’s all kinds of our personal lives mixed in with this character as well.”

Though there was no set formula, the band found that working with an overriding character narrative came naturally. Where some tracks have kept Larkin in the forefront, others have him in the backburner.

“You’ve got songs like Broken Hymns which is obviously more a civil war era song. You know, a song that related to relatives who had gone through that same kind of thing – the union dying, people going back to Ireland - and that happened a lot in the civil war era. Then you have songs like Sunday Hardcore Matinee where it’s like [Cornelius’] grandchildren would’ve grown up in Boston, in the 80’s and would’ve definitely heard and been into punk rock, you know,” Barr says.

Though the album doesn’t shy away from the band’s seditious spirit, there’s lyrical and melodic buoyancy in this work that rescues it from being preachy.

“We’re not teachers. If somebody learns something off one of our records, that’s

In a surprising move, the Dropkick Murphys will release exclusive video content on their Facebook page in the lead up to the record’s release. A bonus track is also available for those who download the album on iTunes. Tapping into social media and download culture is a catch-22 for the band. By catering to a changing geography in the music industry, they’re also diminishing the chance for fans to appreciate the album in its entirety.

“We’ve kind of turned this whole idea of a record around and when it’s on ‘iTunes’ it becomes kind of sterile thing. People download a record, but do they ever really listen to it? They’re not looking at what the artist has really created. The cover, and the photos, and the lyrics and the credits, none of that, and it’s kind of depressing,” Barr reveals.

mean? And that’s a way for us to reach people, because that’s what they’re on.

They’re on this fucking facebook. I hate fucking facebook.”

Computers, generally, seem to command the kind of attention that Barr isn’t willing to give. In fact, he’s only recently begun using email, on a laptop his wife bought him.

“I was so proud in the cave,” he jokes.

“But they dragged this caveman out and threw a computer in his hands. I’m still in freakin’ dirty caveman clothes!”

Barr’s ‘caveman clothes’ and the band’s frustration at Facebook culture haven’t deterred them from licensing their music to other mediums. The song I’m Shipping Up To Boston (from their 2005 album The Warrior’s Code) was featured in the Martin Scorsese film The Departed, and also provided the backing track for an Australian Football League campaign.

That broad exposure may have won them new fans, but Barr doesn’t believe it’s enough to make them stick around.

“They’ve got to like more than that. I’ve definitely heard one song by a band I like and then gone ‘man the rest of this is crap’ and I’m not going to buy the record for that one song. It’s brought us new fans but I think those people have gotten into the band hopefully, and are with us not just for Shipping into Boston.”

With Going Out In Style, it’s fair to say that the Dropkick Murphys aren’t in any danger of losing fans. Not only is it their best work to date, but it’s also 45 minutes and 49 seconds of unrelenting fun, proving that these stalwarts of punk rock still have plenty more to offer.

Loani Arman

“I’m from the school that if a band puts a record together, I go buy it. I don’t download. You gotta kind of do what you gotta do these days, you know what I

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MUSIC | 23

Joe Cocker with George Thorogood Derwent Entertainment Centre Tuesday 15th February 2011

One Fine Day Fest With the sun blazing overhead and people busily going about their Saturday business in North Hobart, it felt a little bit too early to be disappearing inside The Republic Bar & Cafe for a dose of live music.

But there was no doubting that’s what I was there for as the unmistakable thump of a live drummer leapt out of the pub’s beer garden and into Elizabeth Street.

Talk about whetting the appetite for a jam-packed afternoon and evening of non-stop local and interstate acts!

With The Save on the courtyard stage, a couple of friends located, my first trip to the bar taken care of and the smell of delicious pizza delivered courtesy of the wood-fired oven in the corner, the afternoon was already shaping up as an assault on the senses.

Given the two-stage format employed for the second One Fine Day Fest, lag-time between sets was never going to be an issue and meant punters were guaranteed value for money. But, hell, with 13 acts on the bill and pre-sale tickets at $20, getting bang for your buck was never going to be a problem.

The Ray Guns were first up on the inside stage, delivering a high-energy set that had me bopping along ‘In Time’ and enjoying the fuzzier edge they bought to an afternoon that had started so smoothly with The Save’s lighter pop tones.

The crowd built gently but steadily during the afternoon as the local acts kept up the early pace. Sam Cole & The Mornings provided the perfect atmosphere for sipping cider in the beer garden before

WHERE: Performing at Plan B in Salamanca, supports Adusk, Mez, Alex Felix and Billy Green. $10 door

Oh Derwent Entertainment Centre, DEC - I remember why I haven’t visited you in about 11 years.

Republic Bar & Cafe Saturday 12 February, 2011

Agent Fontaine ratcheted things up again indoors.

By this stage I was starting to feel a little bit like a yoyo with the toing and froing from stage-to-stage, but with fairly seamless transition from one band to another, this was no bad thing and the summery vibe was in full force once The Adam Cousens Band stepped on stage in the beer garden and folks started to boogey.

Mainland acts Gossling and The Little Stevies acted as the perfect sundowners before New Saxons closed out the courtyard stage with a great set of power pop.

Event organiser, Dario Phillips, ran a tight ship all day, keeping things moving on time and playing troubleshooter whenever necessary. “I’m stoked,” he said.

“It was really good. One thing I liked about that outside stage was it sort of engulfed the whole place with that vibe.

(There was) high energy and high vibe all day and night.”

Phillips said there was great feedback from punters and players alike, something perhaps best illustrated by the busy night session including stand-out sets from the likes of Oh Mercy, The Boat People and Eagle & The Worm.

“As you’re running around you take in things as you go,” he said.

“All the interstaters were awesome and everyone got into them heaps.

“Gossling was really nice during the afternoon. A lot of people said she was

one of the highlights.

“New Saxons had people dancing in the beer garden and that continued into Ben Wells and the Middle Names kicking off inside for the night session.”

The crowd peaked at somewhere near 400 people, leaving it “squishy” inside by about 9pm.

“Eagle & the Worm had the whole eightpiece band down, with three horns and a huge sound.

“Oh Mercy and The Boat People capped off everything. People were singing to the tunes so that was really cool.”

One Fine Day Fest rounded out at “about 1-1.30am” with Acumen bringing in the electro to “keep the dancing going if people were keen”.

“I’ve just put in an application to put on One Fine Weekend as part of Amplified in August,” Phillips said. “That would be the next one carrying on from what I did last year with Amplified and this one last weekend.”

So, folks, it’s official. One Fine Day Fest will be back in one form or another, either later this winter or come February 2012.

Phillips has even started thinking about who he might invite to take part.

“I’m already thinking about ramping it up to another level!”

And that’s great news for everyone.

Stu Warren

As far as venues go, this one is tired.

It is old and worn out both in terms of construction and aesthetics and most disappointing is its staff. If I was forced into a corner and asked to select one word to describe the venue it would be ‘fucked’.

What can I write about George Thorogood.

Not much really because I spent most of his set outside in the foyer dealing with incompetent staff who basically shut down any opportunity for me to review that part of the gig.

George Thorogood sounded great from the foyer. The sound was amazing, but the crew was pretty massive.

From what my mother told me (!!!) their stage show was good.

Joe Cocker though - 9.15pm - if we isolate the stupid DEC staff members - was phenomenal. My parents must have fed me Joe’s vinyl as a child, as part of a staple breakfast because I knew every track - he hit us with a stunning, classic, best of Joe Cocker perfect set.

For an older man, his energy and performance on stage was strong captivating at times - the light hitting him perfectly placed amongst his band (they have a good crew of set designers I think) making him look a little angelic, a little timeless in our tired, old venue. A venue made awkwardly small due to draped curtains of red velvet over many sections - I think there would have been lucky to have been 1000-1500 people there.

When I have seen capacity gigs there that have blown my mind... something has happened now, where the venue has totally lost touch with not just Gen X and Y but those older generations too.

Belle Tope

Purple Sneakers DJs In the midst of a national tour, chief Purple Sneaker PhDJ takes time out to chat about the tour, the latest CD We Mix You Dance, and what to expect from a Purple Sneakers show.

A

s a general rule of thumb, good indie DJs are hard to come by. The task of mixing tracks from a genre with an ever changing tempo and BPM make for mixing songs a difficult task for most. That’s why most of them sound as they just stop one song and start another.

There is always an exception to a rule though and Purple Sneakers are exactly that.

Purple Sneakers have worked their way to the kind of resume that you would almost think unimaginable for DJs spinning the genre that they do. With the release of their second album We Mix You Dance Volume 2 and the accompanying national tour that the lads have embarked on, the Purple Sneakers keep going from strength to strength.

Purple Sneakers founder and genre bender PhDJ (His mother calls him Martin) returned from a stint of DJ-ing in London with the grand plan of starting a record label.

All he needed was the cash to do so.

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“I didn’t really know how to fund a record label, so I thought how about I just run parties to run this thing? Turns out I wasn’t so good at running a record label but I could throw a party,” laughs PhDJ. “The Purple Sneakers DJs came together as kind of the best DJs at Purple Sneakers clubs. The best of the bunch I guess.”

It seems that Purple Sneakers DJs are trying to build some kind of monopoly on this country’s music industry. Not only content with their own DJ profile, the lads run the immensely popular club nights of the same name in Sydney and Melbourne, they helped release Sparkadia’s debut album Postcards and PhDJ manages Philadelphia Grand Jury. It doesn’t sound like there are enough fingers to go in all the pies that the Purple Sneakers boys are cooking up.

“But the parties is what we do best. Party for a living. It’s not a bad way to earn a crust is it?” jokes PhDJ.

Earning that crust sees PhDJ and co. in the middle of a national tour, which stretches over two months and will see the boys visit every major city and regional centre in the country before they hit Hobart on 9 April, play the Warp launch party.

“It should be great fun. We don’t get down to Hobart a lot so it will be good to get down there and party.”

For those who are still sceptical about the credentials of the Purple Sneakers, beg, borrow, steal or preferably buy yourself a copy of We Mix You Dance. Two CDs of manic indie dance floor starters that will almost guarantee to get any party started.

While this may start sounding like an advertisement for the boys, anyone who has partied Purple Sneakers style will reiterate the sentiments.

“It was a lot of hard work; that album!

Getting all those tracks cleared, oh man.

You ask for heaps of tracks that you want from labels and then you gotta work out which ones are best for the mix ‘cause some are just like ‘Whoa, how the hell am I gonna mix that?’

“It’s not like house or electro house where it’s all the same beat. There’re so many difference tempos. If it’s like a hip hop compilation, it’s a bit easier ‘cause they have really similar BPMs but when your mixing bands and cutting and pasting

from different kinds of genres it’s hard to make it work a lot of the time. We made it work though, so that’s good!”

The issue that Purple Sneakers found the most with getting We Mix You Dance completed was jumping through the hoops held by the labels. Each different one had their own copyright standards, meaning that while the boys could use a whole song from one label, another would only let them use ten seconds of one of their tracks.

“In the end, there would have been like twenty songs which we would have loved to have had on the CD, but because of all these loopholes and conditions that the labels set out, it just wouldn’t have worked.”

PhDJ treats his Purple Sneakers sets a lot more seriously than you will find with most DJs. Seeing the boys live is not like seeing a regular DJ, who you’ll happily dance with your back to for the duration of the night. Most of the time, you can’t take your eyes off the Purple Sneakers boys, it’s more of a live show than a DJ set.

“Indie DJs- I hate that word cause it just kinda means shit DJs who don’t mix, they just crossfade between mid nineties Britpop. That’s not what we are at all. “ Lucas Thomas

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Club / Electronic | 24

Club / Electronic | 25

:: Somatica

:: DMC World Online DJ Championship DMC has just announced a new competition, The World Online DJ Championship. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just getting started, if you think you’ve got what it takes this is the perfect opportunity to be recognised. Competitors a required to upload a two minute video of themselves mixing, which will be broadcast on the web for online voting.

For more info check out, www.dmcdjonline.com :: John Legend announces sideshows

Heading to the Byron Bay Blues Festival 2011 is the “man of R’n’B” John Legend. He’s won a Grammy, worked with Kanye West, Lauren Hill and Andre 3000, and now offers up three Aussie side shows, two at The State Theatre Sydney April 24 and 25 and the third at The Palais in Melbourne on April 26.

Tickets go on sale Feb15 at www.ticketmaster.com.au

:: Doctor Syntax is back

Somatica Music, Art & Culture Gathering 2011 will mark the sixth and final outdoor gathering. Over three nights, the festival aims to be an environmentally and socially conscious ‘autonomous zone’ with biodiesel power, composting toilets, recycled waste, recycled paper printing and reclaimed art and decor. This year’s fest features Monster Zoku Onsomi, Tetrameth, SunControlSpecies, Planet Jumper and Tassie’s own Pspiralife. It takes place over the Easter/Anzac day long weekend (April 22 – 25), more info: www.somatica.com.au

The Dr Syntax in Sandy Bay has returned and is presenting a variety of local music nights. Friday nights Dr Syntax will present electro and indie club nights. With a range of DJs playing everything from pop, house, dnb, dubstep and retro. Saturday night is your karaoke night, so rock on up and join in on the fun. Stay tuned for more exciting upcoming nights at Doctor Syntax.

IMAGE: Ruvan Wijesooriya

Club and Electronic News

Nine years, three albums and a few great circles of the earth later, LCD Soundsystem has decided to move graciously to greener pastures, ending the act’s sovereignty as dance-punk flag bearers with a last hurrah at Madison Square Garden in April.

Online, the band has asked people who are coming to dress either in black or black and white and to come ready to have fun, “If it’s a funeral, let’s have the best funeral ever!”

And the gig has already sold out, but the band isn’t happy about the fact. So how could that be?

According to their site, the show sold out far quicker than expected. James Murphy from the band recently unleashed a well-deserved tirade of disdain against scalpers who are believed to be behind the speedy sales.

This IS happening...

:: Seize the Night featuring Zac Slade and KSX

Dance-punk mainstays LCD Soundsystem is calling it quits, presenting more evidence that goodbyes are never easy.

Carpe Noctem presents Seize the Night at PlanB, with a night of progressive house, tech and trance, featuring Zac Slade and KSX (Syd) and supported by Shay, Mr B, DJ Squishy and Sammex.

Seize it on Friday April 1 from 10pm, tickets $10 from Ruffcut Records or at the door for $15

He expected that if it were possible, it may sell out but might take 10 days. It was evidently far quicker than 10 days, and that scalpers were responsible when tickets popped up everywhere at already hideously inflated prices.

Concerned with fans might feel about this, producer/vocalist James Murphy protested, but found out the hard way that scalping is still perfectly legal and that nothing could be done about them.

With this bitter aftertaste already burning on the back of the band’s collective palate, plan b was conceived.

The Madison Square Garden show will contain brand new and never-beforeplayed material (despite being the band’s last show), which originally would have been the only chance to see this performed at all, and ever again.

So in a bid to combat their fans having to pay exorbitant fees to see them, they launched a counter offensive by doing four extra shows before the Madison Square Garden show at NYC’s Terminal 5.

LCD Soundsystem plays Terminal 5 in New York City March 28 - 31 and Madison Square Garden April 2 with support from Liquid Liquid. More info: www. lcdsoundsystem.com Sam Gregory

They bought in bulk, tripled the prices, and screwed everyone so that even friends and family couldn’t buy tickets.

Creamfields Australia 2011 After its launch into Australia last year, Creamfields Australia is back for Easter 2011 with the Totem Onelove crew (of Stereosonic Festival) bringing Deadmau5 together some of the world’s best acts.

Deadmau5 has been announced as headline act for Creamfields 2011, by Totem Onelove (Hardware Corp and Onelove Music Group), and he’s bringing it live, in a performance designed by the same producers of Daft Punk’s recent live show.

Energy FM is Australia’s dance music radio network broadcasting 24 hours a day on 87.8 FM in Hobart, Tasmania.

Find us in iTunes, Apple TV and a full range of mobile apps.

Suite 203, 86 Murray Street Hobart TAS 7000

03 6224 9622

www.energyfm.com.au

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Deadmau5 has been stunning audiences with his current live performance with light show and video projections.

Creamfields also features Martin Solveig (France), fidget-house producer Skrillex (US), psy-trance act Skazi, the Round

Table Knights, the mysterious Sandwell District, and Tim Green (London).

Creamfields will return with larger stages and epic production, with the first Cream event stadium show, ‘Planet Cream’, in Adelaide.

Brisbane will see a new, larger venue this year, the RNA Showgrounds and a new site configuration for Melbourne.

Ainsley white

WHEN & WHERE : Friday Apr 22 Planet Cream (Adelaide) - Adelaide Ent Centre (Indoor Stadium Show) Saturday Apr 23 Creamfields (Perth) - Claremont Showgrounds Monday Apr 25 Creamfields (Melbourne) - Melbourne Showgrounds Saturday Apr 30 Creamfields (Sydney) - Showring & Hordern Pavilion Sunday May 1 Creamfields (Brisbane) - RNA Showgrounds Tickets available from Moshtix and through Ruffcut Records

Symbiotic Harmony

Piping hot

Symbiotic Harmony is a free music and lifestyle festival held over three days in luscious Northern Tasmania.

Ministry of Sound’s man of the moment Tom Piper is stopping by Hobart this month to play at Hobart’s newest underground club, PlanB.

Symbiotic Harmony aims to create an environmentally sustainable festival, raising awareness and encouraging conscious thought about the way we live our lives in symbiosis with the earth.

At Jackey’s Marsh, the festival aims to be carbon neutral and zero waste and will be powered by biodiesel, with punters asked to bring their own plates, mugs and cutlery and minimise waste.

The festival is free entry and is being managed by a team of volunteers and artists who hope that each attendee will enrich the event with their own ideas and involvement in the symbiotic experience.

The event features three stages; a main stage featuring a Funktion 1 sound system and a diverse line up of DJs and producers from locals to interstate and international acts; a second stage for workshops and self expression; and a chill stage for relaxation.

Unity-inspired decor will be provided by

Club music is back, with a return to big open hats, bellowing beats and wobbly baselines, and the Clubbers Guide to 2011 hits them all hard.

This year’s Ministry of Sound special brings dance floor aficionados Goodwill together with Piper to surface some noisy and underground electro bangers.

You can find the Sydney-side hotshot’s original productions and remixes at the top of the ARIA charts or they can be heard reverberating through the record bags of Laidback Luke, Kissy Sell Out, Tiësto, David Guetta, Bart B More, Fake Blood, Drop The Lime, Riva Starr, Sidney Samson and other esteemed members of the global DJ elite.

Trying to pin Piper to a single genre is like telling Casanova to keep it in his pants.

Electro, House, Tech, Dubstep whatever; his preference is everything and more; an orgy of good vibrations that has seen his prolific output and supreme decksterity

the renowned and unique recycling artists RtypeL (Japan) and psychedelic VJing by DJ Lightsoulja (Melb).

One of the headliners of the festival is Zen Mechanics (Netherlands), with releases on Iboga and Neurobiotic records and collaborations with acts such as Ace Ventura and Mr. Peculiar, Zen Mechanics are an act not to be missed!

But that’s not all, there will also be an array of interstate artists including Terrafractyl (Melb), Uone (Melb), Child (Melb), Punkzonjunk (Melb), Suspekt (Cairns) and Suseri (Japan), with locals Pspiralife, Juxtapose and more.

Ainsley white

WHEN & WHERE: March 25 - March 27 Jackey’s Marsh, Northern Tasmania For directions, full line up and further info: http://on.fb.me/ symbioticharmony

demanded by the biggest brands in the biz – Ministry Of Sound, Mixmash, Sony Music & Dim Mak are just a few of the choice stables he’s worked for.

If peers on worldwide album compilations like the Fabriclive series aren’t smashing Tom’s tuneage, he’s going platinum sales with his own mix CDs, applying his midas touch to compilations that shift mega units without breaking a sweat.

Ainslee White

WHEN & WHERE: March 13 Tom Piper at PlanB with locals Kir,Lids and Adam Turner.

Tickets $20 pre sale www.greentix. com.au or from Ruffcut Records

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Club / Electronic | 26

Club / Electronic | 27 Genre

Progressive House Progressive House is a genre that has consistently dominated club charts worldwide.and bass and electro.

First surfacing in the early 1990‘s, proghouse draws from a fusion of trance, techno and electro to create a style where almost anything goes. Predominately features a 4/4 beat structure and tempo range of between 124 - 132bpm, both elements inherited from traditional House music. Prog-house variates from tradional house through the use of dubbier bass-lines, more subtle or minimal melodies and more complex layers of atmospheric sounds.

Some of Australia’s biggest dance exports are exponents of prog-house. TV Rock, Dirty South, TyDi and Hook ‘N’ Sling are all well respected producers and true to the genre, they all have their own distinct sounds. Internationally producers like Axwell, Sasha, Tiesto, Deadmau5 and Eric Prydz are all known for modern, big room progressive sounds.

aston shuffle

running through a few things here and there, I don’t want to give too many of our secrets away though.

Recently voted the numero uno DJs in the InTheMix Top 50 DJ Poll, Aston Shuffle’s Vance Musgrove takes a moment to catch up with Warp Magazine to fill us in on their new live shows and a new album in the making.

F

irstly, congratulations on Aston Shuffle taking the top slot in the InTheMix50 for 2011.

How did that feel?

Yeah, well, we wanted to do a live show but didn’t want it to just be us standing in front of laptops, so I guess that was the challenging part of it all.

Yeah it was great, we didn’t expect that at all, I actually had a bet with a friend that we wouldn’t even make it into the top 10, so now I owe her dinner. (laughs)

What do you love the most about doing it live compared with your DJ sets?

New Years Eve 2010 saw your live show debut at Shore Thing on Bondi Beach, how was that experience for you?

I honestly couldn’t have imagined a better place to debut our live show. The atmosphere was awesome. I don’t know if it showed but I was actually quite nervous.

It’s obviously a lot more involved than DJing.

We’re kind of going back to our roots in a sense. Mikah comes from a drumming background and I started piano when I was three so we’re really happy to be able to do it all live, but we still love DJing of course.

For the gear heads, tell us a bit more about the live rig you run, you’re tweaking synths and hammering drumtriggers...

I imagine there’d be a lot of preparation involved with getting it all ready to go, did you face many challenges?

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Well we have two laptops running, Mikah has this percussion pad that he uses and there’s a Korg MS-20 which I play that’s

Your tracks vary in flavour quite a lot but still have a really unique and distinct feel to them, is there a secret to that?

There’s not really a formula, I mean if we did have step 1, step 2 etc I guess that would make it easier but for us it just happens how it happens, it’s never the same.

You’ve got a baby coming out April 15, how are you feeling now that it’s all ready to drop?

Yes, it’s our first baby together (laughs).

We’re really happy with what we’ve done and can’t wait until it gets out there, we’ve been working on it for a while now; it will be great to see what people think of it.

You guys are also hosting the Friday Night Shuffle on triple J. It’s a great end to the week in my opinion, but how does that fit in with your schedule?

It’s an amazing opportunity for us to share music with people in another forum. In terms of the workload, that’s just something we have to balance, but the response has been really great and we’re really happy to be a part of the Triple J family.

Due to its evolving, experimental nature, progressive house has managed to survive in a market where many other genres have phased in and out of fashion.

If you would like to checkout some examples of prog-house then have a look at the following: Xpander a classic track released in 1999

by Sasha and Tassie native Andy Page was an international hit. For something more modern have a look at In The Air by TV Rock featuring Rudy. This one smashed club charts all around the world.

Thomas Williams

TV Rock’s tracks regularly get support from some of the biggest progressive house DJ’s in the world

Label DJ Profile

Label Review

Olli Wisdom aka Space Tribe

Space Tribe Music

Space Tribe (aka Olli Wisdom) has been a pioneer of psychedelic trance for over two decades and has become one of the most well known names in the psy-trance scene.

Epitomising the seriously psychedelic sounds of the global trance scene, Space Tribe Music has been releasing peak time dance floor tracks since 2004.

What does the future hold for the Aston Shuffle?

Well we can’t wait to see what people think of the album and really get their heads around what we’ve been working on for such a long time. Also doing some more live shows around the country. We’ve only done two so far so it’s something we’re really keen to get out there and show off- all this new music to people.

This month marks Space Tribe Music’s milestone tenth release, Space Tribe Continuum Vol 1, a freshly remastered double CD collection of Ollie Wisdom aka Space Tribe tracks from the period of 1993 – 2000.

The album also includes collaborative tracks between Space Tribe and Simon Posford, as well as Electric Universe.

Being a favourite at the former Syrup Nightclub (now PlanB), the burning question is... when will we see you there again?

We’re definitely coming back down, I can’t tell you exactly when but it will be in the next few months, we love playing there it’s definitely one of our favourite clubs. It’s the kind of place where you know you’re finishing soon but you don’t want to stop playing.

Given their success thus far, we can rest assured there will be much more to look forward to, as the lads from Canberra unleash their album Seventeen Past Midnight (April 15). Take their slamming live gigs to the masses. Keep your eyes peeled for the Hobart show Shuffle fans!

Sam Gregory

Globetrotting with his unique of style of full-fluoro outfits and mind-bending music has been his trademark for longer than a lot of us have been dancing.

He was instantly hooked on the scene, and stayed for two years DJing and producing, before moving on to India’s trance capital, Goa.

Wisdom has had a long history in the music scene, starting off in the early ‘80s with punk band The Unwanted and as vocalist in the theatrical goth-glam band The Specimen, as well as founding the famous London goth club, The Batcave.

Wisdom joined creative forces in 1993 with his brother Miki and fellow space cadet Richmond, to start Space Tribe clothing in Bali, specialising in fractal fluoro party gear which is now seen at parties around the world.

Wisdom spent years travelling in Asia, setting down roots in Thailand’s Koh Phangan, where he first encountered the electro-driven psychedelic dance parties on the beach.

Today, Wisdom continues to travel all over the world, playing live at parties and bringing joy to the thousands of dancers who know exactly why they are there.

Friday March 18 PlanB, doors open 10pm Fractangular returns for 2011 with Olli Wisdom hitting our shores for his first Tasmanian gig, supported by local heavyweights Idle Hands, JustInTime, Ham and Island Boy. Entry $15 on the door. More info: www. fractangularproductions Ainsley White

Although primarily setup to release Ollie Wisdom’s own material under his production moniker, Space Tribe, the label has also included several compilations and collaborative works between Space Tribe and fellow artists; GMS, Electric Universe, X-dream, Luke Psywalker, Menog and many more.

The most recent collaboration album has been the full length debut for Alien Jesus, Open your Eyes.

All albums on the label feature the driving psychedelic sound found at the middle of the night on outdoor dance floors across the globe. See www.spacetribe.com for more information.

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Club / Electronic | 28

Club / Electronic | 29

aria charts

Pioneer Enters Traktor Market with the DDJ-T1 4-Deck Controller

Chart key

<G> Gold 35000 units tw this week hp high position

<p> Platinum 70000 units ti times in * Bullet pErformer

Aria Top 10 Club Chart TW LW TI HP Title

Interview with DJ Licious DJ Licious is a resident DJ at Curly’s Nightclub, but she has a family history of musical talent stretching over three generations. DJ Licious is proudly part of it.

Miss DJ Licious comes from a solid background of DJs - her grandfather, mother and aunt have all been DJs on either radio or travelling as mobile DJs. She grew up supporting all their gigs and graduated to hosting her own radio show on Edge Radio 99.3FM (Booty Shakin Flavaz).

Opportunity knocked in 2008 when Pool on Liverpool asked if she would do a live DJ set. A friend showed her the ropes and from that day forward she has been making a name for herself, doing exactly what she loves; week in, week out.

Spinning mainly hip hop and R’n’B, her greatest influence is DJ Peril, drawing inspiration from his natural flow and song choices.

“I don’t copy his style but try to adapt aspects into my own,” she says.

Recently getting into mashups, she has been busy at home with Adobe Booth software, which allows her to cut up tracks, remix, and gives her freedom to explore music.

DJ Licious aims to experiment more on production, with the hope of one day releasing a CD of her own.

She has also been inspired by the works of DJ from Mars, saying “Wow - who would ever have thought to put those songs together? And their music is the type of music that makes you want to get up and dance!”

DJ Licious is looking towards a bright future in music having been recently signed to One Night Only; she is hoping

Is your ID safe?

Biometric scanners are being used throughout venues in Australia to flag ‘troublemakers’, but is fingerprinting all patrons the answer?

And can we trust the companies behind the profiling information?

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this will broaden her horizons with some national recognition.

She may have strange tastes in food admitting she enjoys vegemite, banana and cheese open-grill sandwiches, but she has solid taste in music.

Ainsley White

Artist

Company

1

1

9

1

ALL MY FRIENDS (Feat. Mr Wilson) (Vocal / Tommy Trash & Piper & Trash / Oliver Twizt / MyBack mix) Tom Piper

HUS/UMA

2

2

5

2

WHINE YA WAISTLINE (Bass Kleph / Dem Slackers / Mankinde / Two Fresh / Edu K mix)

Danny T Feat. Oh Snap!!

ONE/SME

3

3

6

3

HEY (NAH NEH NAH) (Alex Kenji / Wa Wa / Bombs Away / Niels Van Gough & Daniel Strauss mix)

Milk & Sugar vs.

Vaya Con Dios

CSR/UMA

4

6

5

4

STREET DANCER

Avicii

VIC/UMA

5

5

3

5

6

4

17 1

7

8

6

7

8

7

6

4

9

9

23 4

10

20

4

10

START AGAIN (Feat. Lovers Electric) (Club / The Aston Shuffle Hook N Sling / Dem Slackers mix) HELLO (Sidney Sampson / Michael Woods / Martin Solveig & Dada Life / Bassjackers mix) Dragonette

It’s one of those remixes I instantly like which is rare, it’s mad on a dance floor too!

B TW LW TI

Artist

Accred.* Company

NEW 1

HP Title BORN THIS WAY

Lady Gaga

<G>

The Black Eyed Peas

INR/UMA

Wynter Gordon

NEON/WAR

2

2

3

2

JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH

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1

12

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DIRTY TALK

David Guetta Feat. <P> Rihanna Martin Solveig Feat. <G> Dragonette Afrojack Feat. Eva <G> Simons

4

3

13

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WHO’S THAT CHICK

3) TAKE OVER CONTROL – AFROJACK – (Label: Spinnin)

5

4

14

3

HELLO

6

5

16

3

TAKE OVER CONTROL

7

7

19

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LIKE A G6

Far East Movement <P>3 Feat. Cataracs & Dev

INR/UMA

8

9

4

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SEEK BROMANCE (AVICII’S VOCAL EDIT)

Tim Berg

MOS/UMA

9

6

6

6

YOUNG BLOOD

The Naked And Famous

UMA

10

8

19

4

MIAMI 2 IBIZA

Swedish House Mafia <G>

VIR/EMI

4) CALIFORNIA LOVE - TUPAC (Label: Death Row)

A great classic old school track from Tupac, that brings back memories.

5) ALL OF THE LIGHTS - KANYE WEST (Lable: Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)

Walls were draped with thick black curtains adorned with giant space invaders while a diagonal corner stage radiated with LED curtains and a giant mirror ball.

Then it was time for the headliner, Opiuo, drumsticks in hand and bombarding the dance floor with his chunky sound, enthusiastically whacking his drum pads and also joined by a dancer part way through his set.

enhancing safety in reducing crime”.

In an attempt to crack down on alcohol-fuelled violence, patrons are being subjected to an invasion of privacy that potentially lacks regulation and prevention of fraud and invasion of privacy.

Biometric scanners are already in use in some NSW venues. While signage claims that scanner use requires for individuals to be provided with the details of what will happen to their information, some venues are already advertising access to a shared list of “banned troublemakers.”

After Sydney recently came close to having midnight closures and lockouts enforced in bars, hotels and pubs by the Lord Mayor Clover Moore, the increasing use of biometric scanners in the community comes as a rather hollow attempt to reduce violence and what is deemed as “anti-social” behaviour.

Must we all be fingerprinted, scanned and

The first interstate act of the night was Kalya Scintilla playing a unique style of forest dubstep with elements of psytrance shining through and the eerie guest vocals of Alice Spacedoll on a couple of tracks.

VIR/EMI HUS/UMA MOS/UMA

Its just does Something to me I can’t quite explain

Biometric scanners are being used to flag ‘troublemakers’ in clubs and pubs by collecting and storing information about all patrons making use of a venue.

The scanner takes a photo, scans the ID, takes a fingerprint of the patron, and converts it into a PIN. This being what identifies the patron when scanned in the future. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that scanners from one particular company, ID Tect, input identities into a nationwide database, which are stored for 28 days and then deleted.

People flagged as troublemakers, however, can have identity stored indefinitely.

In the same article, criminologists from Deakin University were quoted as saying the scanners have slipped into use in Australia with “little public awareness, no policy consideration and questionable claims concerning their effectiveness in

Wobble and Breakbeat focused dance party blasts out Huon Quays

Huon Quays Feb 4 2011 Artists: Spoonbill, Opiuo, Kayla Schintilla & Alice Spacedoll

INR/UMA

I really love the thick, phat mad beat. It’s one of those ‘hits your heart n soul’ beats!

This is just a really feel good track with a great beat and great to dance to.

conjoined dancers.

He was up to his usual high standard of wobbliness, and for me was the standout act of the night.

HUS/UMA

MAKE MY DAY (Chris Fraser / Frew / Chardy Bashy vs. Napt SME. / Future Freakz mix) Afrojack Feat. Eva TAKE OVER CONTROL HUS/UMA Simmons THIS NEW STYLE (Tommy Trash / Prok & fRew & Chris Arnott ONE/SME Fitch Vocal / Dave Winnel mix) Feat. Rosie

Aria Top 10 Dance Chart

2) ELECTROMAN - BENNIE BENASSI FT. T.PAIN (JOHN DAHLBACK REMIX) (Label: Ultra Records)

Wobble Wedgie

Carpe Noctem’s debut event Wobble Wedgie transformed the cavernous Huon Quays with a little help from the One Nite Only crew.

Pioneer has announced the DDJ-T1, a dedicated TRAKTOR Pro DJ controller, offering DJs of all levels the same operability and functionality of a professional player and mixer setup along with excellent audio quality.

James Whitehead

C’MON (CATCH EM BY SURPRIZE) (JAKWOB Tiesto vs. Diplo LIB/UMA mix) Feat. Busta Rhymes

1) DREAMER - TUNE IN TOKYO (PHONATICS & UBERJAK’D REMIX) (label: Onelove)

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The Pioneer DDJ-T1 controller is designed for the next generation of home and serious/pro DJs who use digital music files everywhere they go. Combined with your laptop and the included TRAKTOR Pioneer DDJ-T1 Limited Edition DJ software, the controller offers DJs of all levels the same operability and functionality of a professional player and mixer setup along with excellent audio quality. The DDJ-T1 easily connects with a user’s laptop via USB for quick “plug-andplay” capability. For further convenience, the controller also comes with a computer dock that allows a laptop’s keyboard to slip directly under the controller, bringing the monitor closer to the DJ providing fast visuals of song information while mixing.

This unit is expected on our shores in March, with a suggested retail price of $1500 and in my opinion well worth checking out.

Full features and specifications can be found at their website: www.pioneerdj. com

DWN/UMA

Here are her top 5 tasty beats

1

Pioneer has long been at the pinnacle of DJ technology with the CDJ and DJM ranges being fitted in clubs the world over.

We have all been eagerly waiting to see when and how they would enter the midi controller market with software packages such as TRAKTOR becoming ever more popular.

Pioneer has now confirmed that the first offering will be the DDJ-T1 controller intended for use with TRAKTOR, and at first glance this unit certainly has the potential to become the new standard for controllers in clubs.

“We wanted to create a solution for DJs who love the look and feel of our professional rig but who need a ‘plugand-play’ solution for their electronic beats’’, said Pioneer USA’s senior marketing manager, David Arevalo.

“Use of the laptop computers for DJ performances continues to be prevalent and the demand for quality controllers combined with an instinctual software interface is growing.”

closely monitored in order to be safe and have fun? As we continue to over-regulate ourselves, our actions and each other, the risk of losing our ability to make responsible decisions and think logically seems to slip further away.

Hobart is yet to have biometric scanners implemented in pubs and clubs but if you’re heading to the mainland this may be something you will encounter. Will you stand for it when biometric scanners are introduced to Hobart?

Image: Antony Markovitch

Captain Ahab

Brisbane Hotel feb 19 2011

The night was anticipated to be hot, manly and sweaty. When I arrived at The Brisbane i could see the tell tale signs that something steamy was knocking on the door. Creepy kids in animal jumpsuits, techno fluro rave scenesters, psychedelia acid flashbacks are something i left behind 20 years ago, but i’m digging the vibe.

The night started with Gutter Parties, a one piece (this time) musical machine, creating loops that touch on Indian hashish parties that have been thrown into a New York underground tunnel system with the ever elusive gaters, smooth flows, easy going beats with sitar undertones, Aladdin (the film) was the back drop.

Casey van Reyk

Image: Antony Markovitch

Next up was local favourite Spoonbill (Melb) accompanied by keyboardist and two dancers.

At one stage Spoonbill ran from behind the drum machines and sequencers with a huge theatrical saw to separate the two

The crowd is lulled into false security for the Bankai explosion! Drums, Bass, Dub-Step, Breakcore, kung fu fighting VJ mastery and vocal discontent made up by Will Dayble a.k.a Bankai. He played half his set through a nintendo wii and ran through the crowd with a wireless device on his wrist manipulating the beats while joining the punters for a thrash about the dance floor.

Next up was the infamous Toecutter from NSW. I saw him as more of a stand up comedian karaoke porn star. His music while sometimes deafening and harsh was also fun and eclectic .

He played his remixes of the Footrot Flats theme song Slice Of Heaven and Aqua’s “Cum” on Barbie, which were stand out crowd favorites.

The mood is at a peak, 2 shots of Patron tequila (we are class tonight after all) and i’m ready for the much anticipated Captain Ahab, and the crowd are gagging for it! The show started up like an aerobics dance class, Jim (Dancer) starts stretching up before the big work out while Jonathan (Beats) infiltrates the room with some heavily looped breakcore.

It was refreshing to see an event so focused on this genre, and the live performances accompanying the interstate acts added an extra dimension of entertainment not usually seen at Hobart dance parties. I look forward to seeing what Carpe Noctem have in store for the future.

Antony Markovitch

Captain Ahab are all about the me and this is quite evident by the VJ backdrop, images of suggestive perversity surrounding themselves with images of themselves. Did he just say “I don’t have a dick”? Yep, he did.

Jim’s on stage pumping up the crowd, he’s clothes are gone apart from a pair of tightly wrapped budgie smugglers, then he’s off the stage rubbing the crowd up, dancing, crowd surfing, generally having an awesome time in his own world that the pair have made with the people of Hobart.

The crowds going nuts screaming out “Girl’s Gone Wild” and the man love and lady love is evident, men and women from all walks of life are getting their kit off all around me and the room is ecstatic , the music is fast, energetic and relentless.

For an act i’d never heard of before till 3 weeks ago this was a really fun night and will be keeping a keen eye on all the artists that played in the future.

Mervin Allan

Warp

Comedy | 30

comedy | 31

Stand up in the Lower House The Lower House comedy stage is tucked into a corner and the comedians, like airline stewards, direct the audience to relax and enjoy the intimate space.

The Lower House comedians on February 10 were introduced by MC, local comedian Gavin Baskerville.

Mick Lowenstein, long mane of black hair flowing, was the first act, galloping down the aisle faster than a contestant on Wheel of Fortune.

Lady of Burlesque Some of Tasmania’s finest burlesque performers will be treading the boards in a new production at Hobart’s Playhouse Theatre. Sarah Mashman sat down with local burlesque performer, Grace Cherry of Miss Kitty’s Meow to discuss her upcoming show.

The Beautiful and the Damned, produced

by Grace Cherry, envisions the darker and lighter sides of the genre with performers promising to ‘take it off’ and patrons warned to expect a whirl of nipple tassels.

After the brouhaha over Cher’s latest flick, Burlesque, the art of the Peel has gained momentum. Burlesque artist and teacher, Miss Grace Cherry with scarf loosely twisted around her throat, sips a cup of tea and relates the surge in emails requesting her skills as a teacher since the movie was released.

She has had a busy week, responding to the emails while conceiving, organising and executing her latest large scale burlesque production, The Beautiful and the Damned on May 27.

Cherry’s last major production, Hollywood Revealed featured headliners from Sydney and Brisbane and was performed at both the Palais Theatre in Franklin and sold out the Playhouse Theatre in Hobart. Her newest show pays homage to F Scott Fitzgerald and the period of the Bright Young Things who frittered away their youth in 1920’s London.

Cherry plans to showcase both the “light hearted, humorous and cheeky side of burlesque” along with something darker, “more exotic and erotic.”

Although previous shows have drawn interstate performers such as Sarina Del Fuego and Bella De Jac, Cherry has opted for a local line up, featuring a roll call of Tasmanian performers including her own troupe, Miss Kitty’s Meow, Ms Scarlett Jezebel, Lucy Sky Diamond, Lady Lola and two ex-pat performers, Miss Cleo La Tea and Kerry X of Melbourne.

Emceed by local comedian Kevin O’Flaherty and with a roving magician, ‘The Amazing Ashton,’ Cherry says that this show will be “more like coming home” as the performers have shared the stage previously and enjoy a common interest in theatre, dance and comedy.

Horrible Prettiness Bridget Bridge of Circus Horrificus takes time out between shows to tell Warp readers about her adventures in Europe and to caution those who might swallow sharp objects.

Circus Horrificus was founded by Bridget Bridge and performance partner Samora Squid in 2006, a duo renowned for their extreme slapstick and stunt-based physical-comedy skits.

With performances testing the endurance of their bodies and their audience’s stomachs, their sword swallowing, glass swimming and acrobatics complement their comic routines.

Bridge recalls a show, taking place in a tent which was inflated with hot air and would deflate rapidly if the door was opened during a show.

“This was difficult to get across to the audience, who wanted to let some cool air in from outside,” she said.

“I had to rescue Squid from the tent that was collapsing in on him while he was sword swallowing.”

Having performed with the majority of Hobart’s burlesque performers, Cherry is able to avoid subjecting performers to auditions and casting calls featured in A Chorus Line, and can instead approach individuals who she believes work well together. Divas who demand private dressing rooms do not make the cut.

In Cherry’s productions the dressing rooms are allocated on a time basis, performers who have a quick costume change necessitate a room close to the stage, and although she provides some refreshments in the Green room, there are no celebrity-style riders. The Wig rooms and vases of lilies that a singer of Cher’s stature commands do not fit with the backstage atmosphere at the Playhouse and a veto on brown m & m’s would leave confused girls picking chocolate out of the bin.

Cherry says that casting also “depends on the artist’s capacity to fill a large space and create acts that will be visually appealing.”

Cherry’s personal reward for months of unpaid overtime (burlesque does not pay handsome dividends) is escapism.

“Onstage,” she says, “I get to be the better, more confident version of myself and take my audience on a journey - be it a mood piece, a sexy strip tease or a theatrical group performance.”

One more pleasant memory was from the Comedy Festival when the duo shared a dressing room with Comedian Adam Hillls.

But it is the Arts Village at Marion Bay Falls Festival - where Circus Horrificus are regular fixtures - that rates highest on Bridge’s performance list as “nothing comes close to the Village chef, Ebenezer McCrindle’s cooking.”

Last year, Bridge and Squid travelled to Europe, performing in festivals and collaborating with other artists on a new show, Castle Street Circus.

As artists-in-residence in Latvia, they bedded down in part of a ruined 1730s castle and stayed in a house that had been the official lodgings of the town executioner.

To access the Kuldiga, the village they were staying in, they drove for three hours from Riga.

Cherry says that “although performing in a troupe is more work, the reward is having two great girls beside me.

Whenever it gets tough they crack me up and make sure we don’t take ourselves too seriously.”

Cherry remains true to form saying that a pot of tea is “never far from the dressing room” and a bottle of champagne is stashed backstage waiting for the final curtain. For Cherry, the work does not end when the show concludes; before she can pop the bubbly she must clean the stage, ensure that the backstage area is tidy and that all scenery is dismantled.

She gains satisfaction through the work saying “I have the privilege of being around intelligent, creative women who inspire me on a daily basis. I think that is a reward in itself and makes the stressful moments worthwhile.”

Sarah Mashman

Where: Playhouse Theatre, Hobart When: May 21st Tickets on sale January 21 $20 pp or $25 on the night available from official website www.beautifulanddamned.webs.com

“Through winding, pot-holed roads that I don’t believe have seen maintenance since the cold war,” Bridge remembers.

Lowenstein, who uses his body as much as his voice, delivered a routine that was lingering in its introduction but drew quick laughs as the audience relaxed.

The tousle-haired Suzy Cooper breathlessly related her fling with Tae Kwon Do in a verbal montage of her attempts to lay her martial art instructor.

Peter Escott then opened his set with a drinking game and finished with an ironic look at primary school safety messages.

ABC Mornings host “Ryk Goddard rounded out the first half with a monologue relating to his young children and the pains of explaining to them that ‘my willy is not a guitar.’”

This is Brolesque The Brolesque Cabaret is a racy mix of drag, striptease, comedy and music, time-travelling from post-WW1 Berlin to 21st century Hobart.

Hobart performer Emily Newton’s concept of the Brolesque was inspired by the Weimar Cabaret of Berlin, with a genderbending modernist twist.

It kicked off with Hobart comedian MC Sexy Carl (aka Matt Burton), like the weird uncle you avoid on holidays. Carl, replete in his tight undies, daggy shirt and fishing hat, segued awkwardly from act to act keeping the audience relaxed and ready to laugh.

Johnny Cigar kicked off the night leaving little to the imagination, with a reverse striptease and a cover of Cher’s Welcome to Burlesque, welcoming the patrons to ‘Brolesque.’

Tracey Cosgrove exploring her ‘male side,’ emerged in full drag complete with a flannie, ugg boots and rotund beer belly.

Topped off with a mullet full of blonde regrowth, Cosgrove dominated the stage.

Standing dead centre, she stepped up to the mike and delivered a reading from

‘renowned’ romance publishers, Milf and Boobs.

Lucy Sky Diamond and Scarlett Jezebel high stepped onto the stage to the opening strains of A Clockwork Orange which then merged with the Dresden Dolls’, Missed Me. Sporting black bowlers pulled down low and dark, long lashed eyes, their routine was intricately creepy with some cheeky elements thrown into the mix.

Special guest Rikki Day (US) serenaded the audience in a red gown and black bejewelled gloves. He crooned, he scatted, he enchanted.

A contemporary exploration of masculinity in the playground, the ‘Oh No Dancers’ were Emily Newton, Jonathan Reese Osborne and David O’Niele. They depicted three stereotypical schoolboys; the awkward nerd, the cool kid and the boring boy.

The residency culminated in two performances of Castle Street Circus which involves “a dozen eggs, an audience volunteer, fire and some scary acro-balance.”

The bar was busy during the break, as the audience refuelled for the second half which opened with a surprise comedian, David DeVito from New York, who took the stage and delivered a flurry of sharp one-liners.

There was a clear difference between the Tasmanian comedians who use their faces and entire bodies as part of their act whilst straight stand-up contrasted nicely and warmed the audience up for the final act.

Damien Callinan finished the night with mixture of blokey, bawdy humour, spot-on impersonations and a horse skit drew laughs from a thoroughly warmed audience, finishing with “the Moment when dance began.”

Through clever choreography and narrative, the schoolboys danced their way out of their perceived cliques, the nerd becoming cooler, the boring boy developing personality and the cool kid being brought back down to earth.

Callinan who has been touring around Australia performed a highly choreographed medley of Charleston, Sixties Go- Go dancing, MC Hammer, and Beyonce’s Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).

His encore was just as brilliant, grotesquely funny although it took liberties with the time which Callinan himself must have realised, delivering a quick, pre-prepared costumed set.

Hobart has a diverse range of comedians touring a small circuit, The Lower House Comedy night offers an evening of comic relief in Salamanca, an area rarely traversed by comedians.

Sarah Mashman

What: Lower House Comedy When: Tuesday March 10, 7pm Tickets are $12 and can be booked through www.trybooking.com

evening. Dancing to Mambo Number 5, Newton as Maurice was brilliant and the characterisation is on the mark.

All performers were welcomed back to the stage for a spontaneous rendition of Bakker’s I put a Dick in His Mouth.

Burlesque dancer, Lucy Sky Diamond, enclosed in black sequins was introduced by ‘Carl’ as “sexy sex on sex.” The tension in the room was palpable and found its release through laughter with an unexpected nod to the Marx Brothers at the end.

The Cabaret had all the elements of a traditional burlesque show, comedy, music, striptease and drag. However, the emphasis on masculinity and comedy produced a range of spot-on performances.

Muso- comedian David Bakker sang Put a Dick in a Man. He was joined by a bashful ‘Carl’ who was enticed onstage by Bakker.

There was a great vibe about the night with audience members staying back after the curtain call to dance in the quickly cleared audience space.

Local Hobart comedian Rose Kokkoris performed a tribute to Elvis Presley.

Dressed in drag as ‘Elvis the Pelvis,’ Kokkoris stuffed her face with donuts and thrusted her way around the stage.

Kokkoris stripped to A Little Less Conversation with a whole lot of pelvic action.

In a routine that was first performed as part of the MONA opening to Machine Gun Fellatio’s Pussytown, Emily Newton as ‘Maurice’ and Lucy Sky Diamond danced together in a ballroom waltz that quickly degenerated into farce.

The crotch-rubbing Maurice returned to the stage for the final performance of the

The next show is scheduled for May with the line- up and date still to be announced.

Keep an eye out for this show, you’ll be shocked, amazed and possibly repulsed but you won’t be able to look away.

Rachel Shea The next show is scheduled for May with the line- up and date still to be announced.

Keep an eye out for this show, you’ll be shocked, amazed and possibly repulsed but you won’t be able to look away.

Rachel Shea

Saturday the 12th of March Gun Ballads, Gutter Parties & Once Upon a Time in the West / $7 / 9.30pm Wed the 16th - Fri the 18th of March Comedy / ’Matt Burton isn’t so different to Henrys Cat After All’ / 8pm / $10 Friday the 18th of March The Sin & Tonics and Taberah

The local newspaper ran an article about Circus Horrificus, which they translated.

Saturday the 19th of March Perfect Match Cabaret: Fundraiser for Breeding in Captivity’ / 8pm / $10 Friday the 25th of March Electric Jellyfish,Transcription of Organ Music & Kind Winds

“There was some pretty hilarious stuff, including the description of Squid as a ‘Man-Orchestra.’ I think they were trying to say that he’s multi-talented.”

The recent Tasmanian Circus Festival has kick-started the duo into a full season of performance work in 2011, while Circus Horrificus and Friends Cabaret has resumed regular gigs at Hobart’s Brisbane Hotel on the first Thursday of every month.

Goddard’s teasing tone made it clear that revenge is already being planned for his son’s 21st birthday.

Saturday the 26th of March Snert (CD Launch), Ride the Tiger Friday 1st of April Enola Fall (CD Launch), Tiger Choir and Mangus Saturday the 2nd of April Mess O Reds Friday the 8th of April The Roobs, The Lucky Dips & Truckshow’

142 Liverpool St, Hobart | 03 6231 3363 thegrandpoobahbar@gmail.com www.facebook.com/thegrandpoobahbar

Saturday the 9th of April Huon Valley Environment Centre Fundraiser Friday the 15th and Saturday the 16th of April The Woohoo Revue

Sarah Mashman

Warp

Warp

Arts | 33 He is a wonderful, delightful, comic freak.

By his own admission Tiernan may very well be powered by the spotlight.

“As soon as the light comes on, stuff starts coming out of me.” Like some kind of solar powered talking machine he confesses that he doesn’t know what will happen before he goes on stage. He claims that, like a furry creature caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, he’s never sure which way he’ll jump or what he’ll do. He just reacts and lets it happen and then deals with the consequences later.

‘Tommy Tiernan: Go on.

Have a Craic!’

T

ommy Tiernan is my worst nightmare. As someone who teaches others about stand-up comedy I am constantly at pains to convince my students that they must write and rehearse their acts. They must never get on stage unprepared. I was therefore looking forward to hearing about how someone of Tommy Tiernan’s calibre with so much international success, prepares for a show. However, when I asked him what his new show “Designer Wino” will be about, his response was simple.

“I have no idea what the show is about...

I’m usually the last one to know.”

Tommy Tiernan is a rare breed.

A truly natural comedian, he can’t even remember when or why he started comedy, “I just have a compulsion to entertain,” he confides. Unlike many of his contemporaries he doesn’t spend hours writing his material. Instead he has the incredible ability to simply process the day-to-day world into humour intuitively.

He bottles it all up as he goes about his day and then lets it out in a torrent of passion and hilarity on stage. Lesser comics try this approach (often inspired by the likes of Tiernan) but are rarely successful. There’s a reason Tommy Tiernan is so successful.

This approach to comedy has got him into trouble on more than one occasion. He’s been accused of blasphemy and even anti-Semitism for some of his off-the-cuff remarks, but remains resolute that he is only ever ‘having a laugh’ and is often stunned that people take him so seriously.

Tiernan informed me that an Australian journalist recently took a joke he made about having to audition for parents as literal truth, going so far as to contact the adoption authorities in Ireland and then accusing him of lying about being adopted.

Despite sharing the ability to cause controversy, comparisons to compatriot Sinead O’Connor are quickly rejected.

“I wish I was that good looking.”

He suggests he would never get in trouble if he looked like her. “I’d just spend all day at home getting undressed.”

Tiernan’s reputation for trouble making is also at odds with his genuinely gentle and friendly demeanour. Chatting with him (even over the phone) is like having a beer with an old mate down at the pub.

Tiernan is definitely not just another Irish comedian. Apart from having the highestselling DVD sales in his homeland, the only act which has sold more tickets to

live performances in the Emerald Isle is U2. Tiernan is quick to point out that, whilst he might be coming second, Bono and Co. only put on one show when they come to town. He has to do his show five nights a week.

With such success in his home country the question is raised. Why does he need to tour? He confesses that besides comedy, his other great talent is spending money. He agrees it could be a super power, except that he thinks it would make for a “fairly crap superhero”. His purchases include motorbikes, boats, cars, and a child in Africa that he claims he has on a “rental agreement through World Vision”.

IMAGE: Juliet Acervantes

comedy | 32

Fortunately for us, this talent for spending sends him abroad. After touring the world, Tommy Tiernan is finally coming to Hobart, even though he has absolutely no idea where Hobart is. Perhaps Tourism Tasmania needs to start targeting Ireland.

Last year the Hobart Comedy Festival brought Tommy’s comedic cousin Eleanor Tiernan to town to perform and she wasn’t sure where Hobart was either. She had a great time though, and I’m sure she’ll put in a good word for us.

If you’re looking for side splitting laughs with one of the true ‘nice guys’ of comedy, you can be guaranteed a great night out if you go and see Tommy Tiernan’s show.

He may not know what ‘Designer Wino’ is about yet, but it’s bound be a very funny, engaging and unpredictable comic experience.

Gavin Baskerville

WHO: TOMMY TIERNAN – DESIGNER WINO When & WHERE: Monday, 4 April Wrest Point Entertainment Centre, Hobart Book at Wrest Point Service Centre 1300 795 257 www.wrestpoint.com.au/shows

DBR & DJ Scientific with Emeline Michel HAITI/MANHATTAN

All Festivaled out? Hold that thought because we’re not done yet. Dane Hunnerup caught up with Artistic Director of 10 Days on the Island to talk about what’s just around the corner . . .

I

t’s been one of the most heavily drenched summers in Tasmania in recorded history, not just in rainfall but also in festivals and cultural events. This can only be a good thing, record numbers at the Taste Festival, The Circus Festival, MS Fest, Soundscape and of course both MONA FOMA and Cygnet Folk Festival at capacity on the same weekend bodes well for the state of our cultural landscape.

But is all as rosy as it seems? Falls Festival didn’t sell out for the first time and last year’s Lumina season of winter events was punctuated with low numbers and cancellations.

Right when it seems we can sit back, breathe and feed our screaming credit cards, we have on our doorstep what many think of as our premium festival program. Occurring only every two years, 10 Days on the Island is just around the corner, running from the 25th of March to the 3rd of April. 10 Days is a festival with a distinct theme and a resonant purpose, as Tasmania’s only state-wide festival, it is a program that not only adds to our cultural landscape by bringing good times, it actively explores the identity of what it is to live and create in island cultures, ultimately reflecting back to us what

Warp

we think of the essence of our identity as an island state.

Does this sound like a lot of wank?

Perhaps it’s a little wordy, and you can shoot the messenger for that. At the core of it, this is a festival, and

with 232 free and ticketed events in 111 venues in 62 locations across the state, that’s a lot of stuff to choose from, and oh boy there are some real gems in the program to sink your teeth into.

I caught up with Elizabeth Walsh, Artistic Director of 10 Days as she wound her way around the curly bends of Cradle Mountain on her whirlwind launch tour of the state: Please tell us about the shape of 10 Days, how it’s evolved, what’s exciting this year and where the festival might go in the future.

When we started to research the possibility of presenting a whole state focused arts and culture festival, the feasibility study we undertook recommended that it should be spread around the state. Starting with 11 locations, now it’s up to 62 and that’s one of our great strengths. We’ve actually designed the program so that wherever you live, there are events within an hour of home.

One of the things that’s interesting about the program when you look beyond the urban centres is that many communities don’t have theatres, so we need to address what’s possible to present the events well in places where the pub might be the venue or the school gym or the church hall. It’s also informed the choices of the program to go beyond the theatres and the galleries. That’s the thing you want a festival to do – to offer different kinds of experiences.

In the major cities, you’ll find a program that is in the theatres which includes W!ld Rice’s Animal Farm from Singapore and The Chronicles of Long Kesh from Northern Ireland. There’s also a fantastic work called Power Plant in the botanical gardens – it’s an experience that’s intrinsically linked to the architecture of the garden. So it’s about working and exploring spaces wherever they may be.

What are some of the plum events you think would be of particular interest for Warp readers to consider for this festival?

We’ve got a series of events called Dance Hall. The idea is to present a touring program in nine locations around the state with what is truly global music. It will really get you up and dancing and it’s about the mix of cultures and form but in a contemporary world. From the

vanguard of pacific reggae music we’ve got O-shen coming down. There are also performances from Haitian/Americans DDR and DJ Scientific with some truly amazing violin.

In the visual arts program there’s a lot that crosses over between installation and art including music which some people call multi-media. We’re presenting an artist named Daniel Barrow who uses overhead projectors to do hand drawn animations who has just won some prestigious awards.

I noticed the mixed response to the Mercury vox pop yesterday with people not knowing about 10 Days yet. Have you found it harder to get traction with your marketing this year and where does 10 Days now sit within the glut of summer events in Tasmania.

I haven’t seen that edition of the paper yet so I can’t comment on that but I don’t think it’s been a difficulty. I question the word glut, I think it’s fantastic that there’s such a fantastic array of festivals, it’s absolutely fantastic, I think there’s a real excitement about the level of sophistication with what we’re able to sustain. It’s a different landscape to when I started working on the festival in 2000 that’s for sure.

I think we’re the flagship cultural event.

State-wide, it’s an international program that provides a platform for Tasmanian based artists to show their works and strut their stuff. But the more that goes on in the state absolutely the better.

The 10 Days on the Island Program is online now at http://www.tendaysontheisland.com/ Dane Hunnerup

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Arts | 34

Arts | 35

ON ART

attention. There’s a greater discussion implied about what’s beautiful and what’s ugly in there as well though, and I’d have to admit I find a lot more to celebrate in Tom O’Hern’s bat than I do in, say, tedious wilderness photography.

The presence of a massive image of a bat on a billboard on the corner of Goulbourn and Molle Streets, in the lower foothills of West Hobart, was probably the most enjoyable thing I saw when taking in a few art shows over the last week or so. The billboard in question, I have since found out, is a curated space, and the bat was created by one Tom O’Hern, who also had some images up in the window of the North Hobart Bett Gallery – the rather hideous Cockatoo and a bulging-eyed skeletal chap.

I like O’Hern’s work a lot, revelling as it does in obsessive-compulsive line drawing and the glory of just being grotesque. His monsters are engaging and fun, but the bat on the billboard really does it for me.

It seems to be a study of an actual bat, and I think even a Tasmanian one – which, if I know anything about Tasmanian bats, would be no more than a hand span in size if one were to ever actually encounter a shy, nocturnal beasty such as this. The idea of making such a huge image of something so small and bringing out it’s detail is celebration of this delicate creature, and it’s almost random appearance on a billboard makes it something that gets

I’m totally over Wilderness photography.

There could not be more clichéd Tasmanian art than close ups of beaded water on a fern next to a throbbing stream, and whilst it is rather delightful to encounter on a wander through the bush I have now, officially, seen enough pictures of it. Or rather, I have now seen enough Peter Dombrovskis imitations.

That bloke was a fine photographer who produced one of the iconic pieces of Tasmanian art work ever, Morning Mist, Rock Island Bend, Franklin River, 1979. You know it – it’s the craggy island with trees clinging to it in the middle of the river. You feel the chill of the air and the rocks seems brutally inhospitable – it’s the much-vaunted wilderness. Time itself is captured in the image – Dombrovskis has gotten up early enough to see this. The photo is composed, full of intent and craft, intent and craft that shows up how little the scores of slavish imitators have thought about their happy snaps of streams and man ferns ever since.

I’m still interested in images of wild Tasmania, but I need to see something different done with it. If all it does is aim to be something pretty that mediates the bush onto a containable postcard, it’s failing dismally. If an image is alive and bursting out, demanding the respect that nature must be handled with – just like Tom O’Hern’s bat – it’s successful.

ANDREW

Art WARP HAS CENTERED ITS ATTENTION AROUND TEN DAYS ON THE ISLAND VISUAL ART PROJECTS THIS MONTH, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF HARPER’S MONTHLY ART RANT AND A FEATURE REVIEW ON SHELL-A-VISION’S EXHIBITION AT NOURISH CAFÉ. THE GALLERY GUIDE IS A NEW ADDITION AND WILL BE HERE EVERY MONTH GIVING YOU THE LOW DOWN ON WHAT TO SEE AND DO AROUND THE STATE.

POWER PLANT Imagination takes flight in the gardens at night.

Power Plant is a full sensory installation that intends to give viewers an experience unlike any had before. For thirteen nights in Hobart one can stand with their feet firmly planted on common ground at the Royal Botanical Gardens. Yet while your feet may stand on common ground your mind will be invited to take its self on a wonderful surreal journey. Vast shadows move as if to dance while whirling machines and gramophones add to the sounds and colour that bring a magical almost haunting world to life.

NEWS

Ten Days on the Island Ten Days on the Island brings a multitude of visual art projects to Tasmania in the form of commissioned pieces, artists’ in residencies and exhibitions. To even begin encompassing on each individual event would be ridiculous in the time and tree consumption it would take and resulting in Warp Arts section being over paged.

So let’s just brush over the surface of this ‘spectacular’ program!

Personally I am super excited about the five star hit installation at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2009 Power Plant, but no need for me to harp on about this piece as it is already covered thanks Michelle (read on for Power Plant). Moving on from my initial excitement TEERS is a

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series of 5 ephemeral, large scale, site specific installations located across the Tamar Estuary and Esk River System, a large area when you Google map it.

Each artists has been commissioned to research, develop and assemble work that depicts our interaction with each site be it a paradise or place of use and abuse. Another major project that I’m sure a lot of Hobartians will make the effort to see is Craig Walsh’s Digital Odyssey, at night large scale projections will transform the surfaces of Sullivan’s Cove and Franklin Square into huge canvases; digital painting?! Walsh’s digital media is the connecting of virtual and real places in response to local stories and the Tasmanian landscape, a must see.

Heading to the ‘tropical north west’, as my dad dubs it, but more specifically the town of Burnie will feature works by three artists from each side of the Atlantic – Ireland and Newfoundland, Shorelines is an exhibition in the Burnie Regional Art Gallery and a site specific sound, moving image and found object installation on the boardwalk of West Beach. The project encompasses on natural forces of erosion, global warming and cooling, and the interaction of man and animalsounds interesting, time to visit Burnie?

Now I could be biased, in fact I definitely am being – Volcano Lover is on my list of must see’s. I have always enjoyed the work of Lucy Bleech and her energy and commitment as a sculpture teacher at the Hobart Art School. Her work will manifest within the walls of TMAG (Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart) and Highfield House (Stanley) as a multimedia installation investigating two communities who live with volcano’s; The Nut in Stanley, now extinct (phew) and one currently alive Yasur Volcano on Tanna

Island , Vanuatu.

This is art and science, compelling and repellent, see for yourself!

The arts program does not end yet there is a whole lot more to immerse yourself in but my article ends here. I suggest you check out the Ten days Guide here, visit tendaysontheisland.com or pick up a guide from participating outlets.

Alison McCrindle

Power Plant is coming to Hobart, after sell out shows in both the UK and Hong Kong, giving Tasmanians the chance to delve into a magical world that is set to tantalise the senses. A collaborative installation between visual and sound artists: Mark Anderson, Anne Bean, Jony Easterby, Kirsten Reynolds and Ulf Pedersen. It is produced by Simon Chatterton who works in creating arts, collaborative events and performance projects as site specific work, as well as visual theatre and outdoor performances. The Royal Botanical Gardens will feature itself in a nocturnal spectacular where the gardens bushes, beds and trees will proclaim their existence in a vivid setting. As day fades away, moving lights amid the darkness will give the gardens movement and life. The environment may swell within its own space as it delights the ears and eyes.

Shadows will dance with the rise and

fall of whistles and whirling machines inter-twining themselves amongst the flower beds.

‘Power Plant makes you look more closely. Its flashes of neon, shadowy projections and sudden bursts of firefly radiance make you peer all the more intently at what is already there.’ THE GUARDIAN - August 2009 Power Plant is set to be a magnificent and not to be missed event presented

by Ten Days on the Island and the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, running from the 26th of March to the 9th of April. The duration of this event is approximately one hour (no interval). An event where families can experience the Royal Botanical Gardens in ways never seen or heard before, with adult, concession and family tickets available. For information on session times and ticket prices head to www. tendaysontheisland.com , ‘Featured Events’ and take the Power Plant link. The gardens are morphed into a delight of light and sound, inspired by the natural environment; flowers colour, sound, light and shadows humble the gardens perfume in a setting mistakable for a dream, the environment takes centre stage.

Imagination takes flight in the gardens at night.

Michelle Gopal

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ARTS | 36

ARTS | 37

Shell-a-Vision An exhibition of recent paintings

by Michelle Gopal at Nourish Cafe 2-28th Feb.

I don’t find myself to be a writer of art but I have done it before and I am about to give it another shot. Sitting in Nourish Cafe I listen to Rob’s broken speech as he attempts to navigate through his new touch screen mobile phone (I have the same problem). 1940’s Jazz gently rolls on in the background making for a pleasant aura within the cafe as two people sit and discuss worthy sounding matters below Gopal’s painting Untitled Green, I wonder if they talk about green things or things green, do Gopal’s painterly figurative works influence diners topics of talk?

Across the room from me a face of which only half is visible while the other half is shaded black consistently stares at me with his one eye. I’m becoming so focused on his eye it’s as if he is playing that game of who can stare the longest without blinking, fine you win...eye, mine hurt. He has no name, another Untitled piece.

I get up and move to another chair in the cafe for a fresh perspective and put my back to the staring eye man. I was sitting below Naked Lady who looks to be vomiting or chewing her brown wisping hair. She looks something of a Picasso character in fact most of Gopal’s painting’s resemble a strong Picasso influence, from the very painterly brush stroke portraits to pink flesh naked lady (pertaining to Picasso’s pink period) to the more cubism oriented piece Young Picasso – wait a minute, well there you go she says it herself! She really has a soft spot for the Picasso, how sweet. Even Futurism bears presence in the Three Face Man with his over lapping head on head of blue gaunt and stunned appearance. I like him, I like him a lot so now there is a red dot.

Image: Antony Markovitch

Gopal’s artist statement informs me that her paintings are playing with notions of texture, mood and the colour green (as

Beer-Art and Films

Alphabetrix and Preachers came together in February to put on an afternoon, evening and morning of Beer, Art and Films. Beer from Preachers’ awesome collection, Art from the ABX crew and Films sourced by Jonny and Wideangle for the evening.

BAF opened on the afternoon of Friday the 4th of Feb. Along side Preachers usual bounty of beautiful beers and light meals and the backdrop painted the week before, ABX was on deck painting vinyls, empty spray cans and shirts throughout the evening and well into the night.

Patrons could look at what had been done already and ask for a copy or one similar but more to their taste. TOPSK was taking requests all night for his spray paint and marker characters where as Mr.Extol had his collection of stencils on hand for people to shuffle through and choose their favourite - meanwhile Martin Nester and Jonny Scholes made backgrounds, shot the Human Heads and kept everything organised. The painting continued on Saturday with Sid Cyanide also joining the painting crew in the sun.

if that wasn’t hard to pick, most of the paintings are green or contain green) while holding no disregard for other colours “green is within the theme” – Gopal’s words. Oh did I mention she tends to get be poetic with her wording and this is present in her statement.

She proceeds to claim that her paintings are paintings because they have paint on canvas and the images she renders hold no great importance to her but is more the act of play while painting that is important. She finds joy in colours “colours differ from one to another by nothing” – Gopal, then I get confused and begin to wonder, green is not blue that must be something. What is even more confusing is the next line in her artist statement “the possibilities to make an image from nothing”. I am stumped like the kind you find when walking amongst the wilderness on a bush track everything is so tranquil and at peace until you come across a massive stump that once was a giant tree, an Ent from Lord of the Rings... oh excuse me I just fell into the hole of confusion and questioning.

Maybe Gopal meant to lead me there.

Now that I think about it and look over the portrait paintings they are blank and kind of confused as if they have been misplaced within a canvas by the act of paint on brush.

On the other side of the lawn Aedan Howlett set up shop in his shack made from found bits and pieces. There he was painting a collection of spray cans he’d collected, using paint and ink he turned some into cigarette butts and others into colourful patterns later working mountains over the top with brushes.

Along side his live endeavours he was selling a collection of bits and pieces made by artists unable to make the show.

Doilies painted by Nicole O’Loughlin, tea pots and trays by Sid Cyanide along with a couple of more detailed records from Stu Dobell. Inside preachers ABX had filled the walls and shelves with work from past shows along side a heap of new stuff done in the weeks before BAF.

Let’s leave the hole or crater, crater sounds better more complementary in scale with confusion that the human mind can conjure up. On a whole Gopal’s talent is awesome be it Cubism, Surreal, Futurism or some stunned green person stuck to a canvas. She is worthy of acknowledgement and someone to keep a look out for future exhibitions in my opinion. A word of advice to the viewer be ready to follow her down the rabbit hole.

The shack was also the sign up point to get on the second series of ‘Human Heads Collector Cards’ cards - which are a series of cards being released series by series depicting people and their various comments at events where the stall is set up. The cards got a great response from the crowd who have since been seen trading and playing with the Hobart art scene collector cards. The stall where people got their photo taken was operating all night and the next day with what looks to be another set of 40 cards to be released in coming weeks.

Alison McCrindle

IMAGE by Martin Nester

For me the most enjoyable part was on Friday evening after everyone drank a couple of beers and had the chance to get a custom record made up for them.

At around 9pm, when the light was finally gone, I got up and announced a selection of films to quieten the mood.

The films were projected over the painted wall where a white section was rolled white. It was a fantastic scene - TOPSK and Mr.Extol madly pumping out vinyl after vinyl, the lawn strewn with people content with their beers intently watching the screen on a backdrop of painted mountains.

The short films were adored and prompted a regular round of laughter while the docos later on had people glued intently to the story for an hour and a half - which is no mean feat on a Friday night.

It was a great vibe at Preachers that night and i hope a chance to repeat the event arrives soon - it was a lot of fun to be a part of.

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WARP GALLERY GUIDE - MARCH

SOUTHERN

THE MIDDLE

146 ArtSpace Puso, Ritchie Ares Doña, 7th Mar -8th Apr. OPENING 5pm 10th Mar.

Jimmy’s Skate & St. The Dying Days of Summer Exhibtion, OPENING 4th Mar.

Art Mob Papunya Power 2011, 11th-27th Mar.

Masterpiece IXL Gallery Tasmanian Views and Scenes, Richard Maurovic until end of March.

Bett Gallery ROB O’CONNOR & TOM O’HERN, 9th Mar -5th Apr. OPENING 6pm 11th Mar.

Musuem of Old & New Art Monanism, 22nd Jan-7th Jul.

Carnegie Gallery The Stereoscopic, Billy Cowie, 11th Mar -10th Apr.

Red Wall Gallery Lachlan Jeffreys & Ali Gunn, OPENING 5pm 5th Mar.

Colville Gallery Jenny Topfer (26th Feb). Milan Milojevic (25th Mar)

Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery Volcano Lover, Lucy Bleach 18th Mar -3rd July. C20 -100 years of Australian art from the TMAG collection ends June.

Criterion Gallery Keepers and Kind, Mary Scott 24th Feb -19th Mar / New Works, James Newitt OPENING 5.30pm 24th Mar – 30th Apr. Despard Gallery Red, OPENING 6pm 4th - 29th Mar. New works, Adam Rish & Dale Richards OPENING 6pm 31st Mar - 26th Apr. Goulburn St Gallery Derek Smith & Terry O’malley, OPENING 6pm 11th-31st Mar.

Schoolhouse Gallery Pacific Reggae: Roots Beyond the Reef 18th Mar -14th Apr.

Salamanca Arts Centre SAC - Top Gallery Makeshift Tongue, Tim Paneretos 4th Mar -1st April, OPENING 6pm 4th Mar. SAC - Sidespace Gallery Scarred by the Darkness, James Barker 3rd-13th Mar. SAC - Long Gallery Dis-covery, 10 days on the island group show 25th Mar -1st May. Kelly’s Garden The Crossing, Julie Gough 25th Mar -1st May. The Wilderness Society Gallery Elephant in the Room, Matt Rousu 4th Mar -3rd April.

Inflight Curated Screenings every Friday night of March, see for more info www.inflightart. com.au Entrepot Gallery Comatose, Lewis Jarrett. My Life as Me, Karen McConnochie 28th Feb – 17th Mar.

Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery Artrage, ends 17th Apr. ArtStart, Game Heroes and their wonderful worlds, ends 13th Apr. Sawtooth ARI Inc. (Laun) Panoply, ARI’s Death By Kind (Melb), Inflight ARI (Hob), Sawtooth ARI (Laun), Six_a ARI (Hob), 12th Mar - 2nd April, OPENING 6pm 12th Mar. Three Windows Gallery Changing Southern Midlands Artists

NORTHERN TAS The Space Art Gallery City Dolls, Hannah Flowers, OPENING 6pm 16th Mar -29th.

Devonport Regional Gallery Ten Days on the Island, Main Gallery: Tales from Suburbia.

Little Gallery: Irretrievable light Brett Martin. 18th Mar-17th Apr. Burnie Regional Art Gallery Burnie Print Prize 2011, 19th Mar -8th May.

Ten Days on the Island Visual Arts Guide Power Plant 26 March – 9 April.

Botanical Gardens, Hobart

Burnie Print Prize 19 March – 8 May. Burnie Regional Art Gallery, Burnie

Changing Paradigms – From Extinction to Conservation 18 March – 3 April.

The Wilderness Gallery, Cradle Mountain

Craig Walsh Digital Odyssey 10 March – 3 April.

Franklin Square + Sullivans Cove, Hobart

Dis-covery 25 March – 1 May. The Long Gallery & Sidespace Gallery, Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart

Furnished 25 March – 4 April.

Mawson Place Waterside Pavilion Constitution Dock, Hobart

Flat Stack Fold 20 March – 3 April.

Design Centre Tasmania, Launceston

Dunalley Calico Museum 27 March – 18 April.

Dunalley Hall, Dunalley

In TEERS 20 March – 3 April.

Poatina, Fingal Valley, Hadspen, George Town, Greens Beach.

InBetween 31 March – 3 April.

King Island Main st.

Pacific Reggae – Roots Beyond the Reef 18 March – 14 April.

The Barn, Rosny

Puso 7 March – 8 April.

146 ArtSpace, Hobart

Reconstructing the Animal 18 March – 14 April.

Plimsoll Gallery, Hobart

Ringing the Changes 25 – 27 March.

Port Arthur Historic Site, Port Arthur

River Effects – the Waterways of Tasmania 11 March – 8 April.

Academy Gallery, Launceston

Shorelines 19 March – 8 May. Burnie Regional Art Gallery, Burnie

Space Antics 19 March – 8 May. Burnie Regional Art Gallery, Burnie

Stereoscopic 11 March – 10 April. Carnegie Gallery, Hobart

Tales From Suburbia 19 March – 17 April. Devonport Regional Art Gallery, Devonport

The Crossing 25 March – 1 May. Kelly’s Garden, Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart

Volcano Lover 12 March – 19 June. T asmanian Museum & Art Gallery, Hobart and Highfield House, Stanley.

Many, Many Nights on the island various dates in March-April.

Varios venues, check website

Ming Wong Life of Imitation 24 March – 24 April.

CAST, North Hobart

Mr Clevver 25 March – 3 April.

Meandering throughout the Derwent Valley.

Jonny Scholes

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REVIEWS | 38

REVIEWS | 39

ALBUM ReViEWS Wavves could possibly be the best thing to come out for the youth of the world since The Strokes’ ‘Is this it’. In terms of slacker rock and reckless abandon nothing in the last 10 years that comes close. This is California surf punk, slacker rock, fuzz pop, speed garage at its best and sticks a middle finger up to all those who are over 30.

‘King Of The Beach’ blasts through the speakers with such raw energy that you instantly want to run out of the house screaming ‘I feel alive!’ It’s quite amazing.

The opening lyrics say it all about the band and this album. “Let the sun burn my eyes,

Wavves King Of The Beach

let it burn my back!” On the track ‘Idiot’ he sings, “I’m not supposed to be a kid, I’d say I’m sorry but it wouldn’t mean shit.” So direct and yet so profound, that it resonates well after you’ve stopped dancing to it. On ‘Post Acid’, “Would you understand, that I’m just having fun with you?” continues the theme of just out to have fun and not doing anything serious in life.

The sloppy, fuzzed up jangly guitars add to the feeling of reckless abandon. The guitars are often so overdriven that you would assume it to be because the person playing it has no idea how to play it and furthermore

Listening to T.O.R.N.A.D.O., the opening track on the new Go! Team album with news of the impending natural disaster in North Queensland blaring out on television in the next room, I felt a little bit guilty.

doesn’t care, lending itself to a surfy, slacker rock sound that is unlike anything I’ve heard before.

This album is not only great in terms of audio production, but the songwriting is so good that you would think some Swedish team helped put it together.

The album has an innocent, childlike nature to it that rings so true to your own inner child to just take off and have fun that it’s easily everyone’s soundtrack for summer.

Should I be in such a care-free mood, under my headphones with a song with that title, while people seek shelter up north from a super-cyclone?

The Go! Team Rolling Blackouts

Johnny L’Rock

Too bad, because from the very beginning, Rolling Blackouts, is an irresistible listen and nothing less than you’d expect from this sixstrong mob from Brighton.

While you might never truly know what

you’ll get next on a Go! Team record, there’s a fair chance it’ll make you want to dance.

‘Apollo Throwdown’ and ‘Ready To Go Steady’ are brilliantly catchy pop songs with singalong choruses and chiming bells amidst a wonderfully fun-sounding cacophony of layered beats and many instruments.

When the horns kick in on ‘Bust Out Brigade’, I feel like I’m on the set of an ‘80s cop show and wish I could fill the role of an undoubtedly arse-kicking male lead.

Bring in the whistles, xylophones and something that sounds rather like an air-raid siren and you’re somewhere in the same post-code as this instrumental cracker.

Triple J listeners may already recognise the first single, Buy Nothing Day with Bethany Cosentino’s (Best Coast) sun-and-honey sounding vocal cameo. The single, along with every other track on the album, will be accompanied by a video. And all this will be accompanied by a national tour in 2011, so we’ll all know what Go! Team look like by the end of the year.

For now though, I’m just happy to know how they sound on Rolling Blackouts; chique lofi, infectious, fun and with depth- all in one.

This is definitely one to get hold of for a laidback late-summer groove.

Stu Warren

The Lovetones

Guineafowl

The Little Stevies

Joan as Policewoman

Iowa

Hugo Race

Lost

Hello Anxiety

Attention Shoppers

The Deep Field

Lose Yourself/ Reasons

Fatalists

The Lovetones have produced yet another gem of an album with their gentle psychedelic slow burner, Lost.

Lost is The Lovetones’ 5th studio album and though not straying far from the formula, it is a noticeably softer album than its predecessors, with dreamy and sleepy sequences that are beautiful and engaging.

The opening track City Meets The Stars is a standout and most upbeat with a some great pop hooks and psychedelic overtones complete with jangly guitars. Great Romance is another one that stood out for me with its country folk feel.

However it’s the album’s title track Lost that really makes it for me. Around 6 minutes long, sitting in the middle of the album, it swoops over gently with its dreamscape-y psychedelic sounds.

As it’s such a dreamy album, there’s the danger that much of the album can be missed on initial listens, but with repeated listens the gems really come out.

If you’re a fan of the 60s bands mentioned earlier then you will definitely be a fan of The Lovetones. Fans of contemporary bands will also certainly love this band and their latest album. So grab a copy, sit back, relax and get lost in this wonderful CD. Johnny L’Rock

It saddens me that we’ve only just received Sydneysiders, Guineafowl’s debut EP, Hello Anxiety. I’m told that patience is a virtue.

Hello Anxiety is a pure joy to listen to and I have never heard such warmth emanating from my headphones before. Some would call it shiny pop, but indeed it is this and much, much more.

In Our Circles invites us all to dance with some exciting guitar-work and tones and is a real treat which certainly delivers on its promises. Little Fingers meanwhile, is a fairground romp as Guineafowl the nice guy thanks his mama and papa. He is also ably assisted on backing vocals by bandmate and keyboardist, Imi Harper.

Previous single, Botanist is a fun romp much like many of The Drums’ hits but is less about the beach and more about dancing. Elsewhere, we get treated to layers of reverb and for the finale there is a demo of Mothr. This one is all theatrics and panto and is a little ditty based around some piano pop. Hello Anxiety is a gorgeous and varied EP full of really pleasant indie-tronica songs that are guaranteed excite and intrigue. In short, expect big things from those talented little fingers.

Natalie Salvo

It has been two years since The Little Stevies worked their way into our hearts with their acclaimed debut Love Your Band. The Melbournians have crafted a magnificent sophomore effort, the sugar-sweet Attention Shoppers.

On The Deep Field, Joan as Policewoman aka Joan Wasser has broken out from the introspective, angsty feel of her previous albums and embraced soul influences. The Deep Field is her fourth album as Joan as Policewoman.

Despite their name, new lo-fi grunge band Iowa actually hail from Melbourne. Iowa’s new four-track EP, Lose Yourself, is the follow-up to their Stay Solo EP, and offers a soundscape in which following the instruction of the title seems apt.

Attention Shoppers comes across as an album with a personal touch and it sounds genuine with an enormous heart. Song for song, it’s an endearing expedition, the band’s impressive, sentimental with a pillar of strength in the release.

Unfortunately, The Deep Field lacks the intensity of her 2008 release To Survive. In her attempt to write from a more universal point of view, she has sacrificed the confessional lyrics and stripped back arrangements that give Wasser her unique voice.

The title track opens the EP with a guitar-driven, mellow piece that perfectly sets the tone for what’s to come. The catchiest of the four tracks would certainly be ‘Gaps In Conversation’, which is the most radio-friendly number.

Opener Accidentally is a sincere, infectious exploration of budding romance that sets the tone for things to come. The gooey reassurance of Because I Have You All reintroduces a theme of unity, whilst No Button - arguably The Little Stevies’ best work to date – is an angst-ridden interlude, emerging as a masterpiece of maturity. On the whole, The Little Stevies’ effort here sounds bigger and bolder than their previous efforts. Attention Shoppers seems an apt enough title, the record pumping forth sharp melodic brilliance.

The Magic is a standout track. The cool organ creates a great groove with swirling guitars adding a moody element with Wasser in fine, soulful form. Flash is a hark back to Wasser’s previous work with a minimalist arrangement of guitars, piano and percussion with Wasser’s tormented vocals in full swing. This mood is short lived as the next track Run For Love kicks in with multilayered vocals and samples galore.

The Little Stevies have again emerged from the studio bearing a powerfully sentimental release. Dominated by a strict, folk-pop approach, the album won’t be remembered for its groundbreaking sense of adventure but will definitely be appreciated for the distinct effortlessness. Attention shoppers, indeed.

The rest of the album stays down the soul path with Wasser’s wailing dynamic vocals carrying the songs.

The Deep Field is more complex than it first appears and is worth a few listens to get a handle on the clever arrangements and subtle instrumentation, particularly the moody guitar work.

Throughout the four songs on the EP, incessant drumming with a heavy emphasis on the cymbals link and set a nice, firm backbone for the sound. The trio have been gigging around Melbourne to deservedly warm reviews but Iowa is the kind of band destined to remain on the underground scene more by virtue of their style and chosen genre than due to lack of talent or palatable songs.

Try this record out one of those days when you’re hidden behind dark glasses or on the Friday afternoon drive home from work where the world seems quietly marvellous. In any scenario, the four latest songs from Iowa are worth hunting down. Grab them wherever you can, and lose yourself.

Jennifer McIlreavy

The swirling hurricane sounds break open the ‘Fatalists’ like a lurking shadow that is closely following your every step, but not quite grabbing hold. Hugo’s voice ebbs and flows like breaking waves hitting the shore. As the album progresses, the song penetrates your being, squeezes your beating heart and just at the last minute before the blood is about to stop flowing, the voice lets go and the next song builds for a climax again.

The gothic blues of Slow Fry sounds like the blinding sun and sand blistering your skin that is unbearably hot. The listener follows Hugo’s voice to carry them home. The music beating down on them with the intensity of the hot desert. The whole album has these beautiful thematic sounds of the Wild West and late night desert soul music. Amidst all this, Coming Over evokes the feelings of isolation and loneliness.

‘Fatalists’ creates a sense of ambient darkness with the just a crack of light at the end. If you follow the voice and the music, you will arrive safely home.

This album is a strong achievement in Hugo’s long career.

His career is diverse and with every album you know the journey won’t end.

Mark Ireland

Lee Kindler

Nick Mason

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REVIEWS | 40

REVIEWS | 41

It’s been a long time between drinks for The Greenhornes. **** is their first fulllength studio release in over eight years.

It’s neither monstrously overdeveloped and complex, nor wildly adventurous and experimental. This is pure Greenhornes garage rock, and it still sounds like it was plucked straight from the 60s.

The Greenhornes ****

No matter how many times I cycle through these songs, I still can’t shake the feeling off that they’ve been adopted from the back catalogues of a bunch of other artists. This is interesting given there isn’t a single cover song in sight this time around. Don’t get me wrong, the band still make every one of

these songs their own, it’s just that there’s something eerily familiar about, well, just about every aspect of the record. ‘Better Off Without It’ is one of my favourite tracks on the album (I’m a Kinks fan).

Whilst there’s nothing groundbreaking offered up on this release, the fact that such assortments of all-star influences have been seamlessly assimilated into the one record is pretty impressive. Variety in the songwriting makes this a great record to sit down and listen to right through, and consistency in quality also greatly assists.

I’m a big fan of the guitar tones used across all of the tracks, and this really highlights

The Decemberists return with their sixthstudio album, The King Is Dead, which, unlike its predecessors boasts a commercial bull’seye which makes it their most accessible album in years.

the fantastic riffs which crop up pretty regularly – more so, on the dirtier rock tracks, which I particularly liked.

Considering the raw authenticity of Craig Fox’s vocal deliveries on previous albums, his contributions here are consistently a bit disappointing, but never to the point of ruining the songs. With such a solid instrumental backing, I suppose they just look weak in comparison. Regardless, The Greenhornes have crafted a solid record which plays like a 60’s psychedelic bluesrock retrospective. It’s sure to induce some nostalgia, if nothing else.

The Decemberists The King Is Dead

David Hennessy

The King Is Dead sees The Decemberists flourish with an exuberant Americana effort, drawing in blues and folk components in a record coloured by a willingness to explore basic genre music. The band channel every bit of their and aim for a direct approach.

The King Is Dead is inviting and its songs are impressively easy to become acquainted with.

It bears an endearing quality, wasting no time in revealing its splendours.

The record is propelled by a recurring country flavour that appears to fit the band like a glove. The King Is Dead is the result of a band unburdened by the weight of extravagant ideas, content to create enthused, fun music. But for the sleepy, Sunday-afternoon cut in Rise To Me and the stripped-back January Hymn, The Decemberists have come into this record all guns blazing, as emphatic as ever. Don’t Carry It All sets the scene perfectly, a sweet harmonica-laced stomper. Down By The Water is the most memorable of the bunch. The single bears a killer hook in one rich, compact gem unburdened by The Decemberists’ usual prose stratagem. In an apt enough revelation, guitarist Peter Buck guests on the track.

The King Is Dead is a back-to-basics, uncomplicated affair - a brave approach, given that the band’s previous ventures are beloved by fans worldwide. The Decemberists have taken a genuine creative risk, an admirable feat whichever way you slice it. The King Is Dead is a surprisingly uplifting affair. This is an album to slip in and out of with delightful ease, succeeding in inviting a comfortable return to its treasures time and again.

Nick Mason

Ghoul

The Strokes

Pearl Jam

The Death Set

The Naked & Famous

Fenech-Soler

Dunks

Under Cover Of Darkness

Live on Ten Legs

Michel Poiccard

Passive Me. Aggressive You

Fenech-Soler

Sydneysiders Ghoul create warm, rich electronic textures that touch on a myriad of genres in their debut mini-album – Dunks. There are moments of ambient experimentalism (‘Good Loops’ and ‘Dreambeat’), rhythmic electro-pop (‘The Slip’ and ‘3Mark’), indie pop/soul crooning (‘Facepaint) and glitch-pop (see ‘The Slip’).

The sparse beats and strummed guitar of Milkily gives way to the gentle groove and atmospherics of Dreambeat. The hushed vocals and skittering percussion of ‘Good Loops’ breaks into the atmospheric opening to ‘The Slip’.

The pop sensibilities of ‘3Mark’ give way to the sombre opening to ‘Ouija’.

Stylistically, Dunks is a bit all over the place – brimming with ideas and full of ingenuity. Though it genre hops, it feels cohesive and fresh. This is thanks to the vocals of Ivan Vizintin. On ‘Milkily’ and ‘Dreambeat’ Ivan’s vocals are rich and warm while on ‘Good Loops’ they’re hushed and intimate and on ‘The Slip’ and ‘3Mark’ they’re crisp and agile.

Ghoul add a good measure of maturity to their sound. Tracks like ‘Dreambeat’, ‘The Slip’ and ‘Good Loops’ build slowly adding textures leaving enough space to provide a sense of clarity and purpose.

Dunks is, quite simply, the type of debut release most bands can only dreaming of creating.

With their fourth album Angles (finally) just over the horizon, here is The Strokes’ Under Cover Of Darkness.

While not as mind blowing as previous first singles, Under Cover Of Darkness is just as overwhelmingly impressive.

Distinctive guitar melodies that could only have been written by the great Albert Hammond Jr., lively and energetic sticksmanship from Fabrizio Moretti, the characteristic baritone of Julian Casablancas and one hell of a rousing sing-a-long chorus.

This single sees The Strokes return to their primitive roots whilst still capitalising on their evolution. The song opens with minimalist melody and garage sound but as soon as the first chorus comes in, it is clear that the anthemic choruses that we got a taste of in the past may play a prominent role in the up and coming album.

Ironically, while we mourned the death of one of the most iconic rock bands of the last decade, another proved that they will stand the test of time and remain as one of the most relevant bands of our time - all in a week. An inspiring piece of music, Under Cover Of Darkness is a perfect indication of what no doubt will be the year of The Strokes.

Tom Grant

Pearl Jam have released hundreds of live albums as part of their ‘official bootleg’ series. Those aside, ‘Live on Ten Legs’ is the band’s seventh live release, the first being ‘Live on Two Legs’ (1998).

The album features a collection of recordings from various world tours between 2003 and 2010. The record opens with a Joe Strummer cover Arms Aloft, that shows Eddie Vedder and his troupe sounding the best they ever have, at the peak of their live performance career. What follows is a healthy mix of the band’s extensive back catalogue, from early songs like Jeremy, Porch and Alive from the debut record Ten, to new tracks The Fixer and Just Breathe from the group’s latest Backspacer. The sound is perfect, mixed by Brett Eliason, who has been engineering the band nearly as long as they have been playing.

The highlight, as it always is in a Pearl Jam set, is the B-side, with probably the best song they have ever written, Yellow Ledbetter, which ends the collection with its soulful guitar riffs and beautiful melodies. There simply is no better live band around than Pearl Jam, and ‘Live on Ten Legs’ proves it once again.

When I stuck ‘Michel Poiccard’ in my stereo, I realised that former founding member, late Beau Velasco’s presence is all over this album. Not only in older tracks, but he makes many appearances in the newer lyrical content. His passing seems to have inspired a period of more sombre songwriting from Johnny Siera and his collaborators, creating a vibe very different to Woldwide (2008).

Listening to this release is almost listening to two EPs shuffled together. Opener ‘Slap Slap Slap Pound Up Down Snap’ is a twisted, screechy electronic thrash-punk track, ‘Can You See Straight’ is an entirely different beast. The track’s personal lyrics really ground the song, and for the first time the vocals consist largely of actual singing.

There’re a few strange electronic bleeps and bloops at the start of ‘Chew It Like a Gun Gum’ that made me think of Animal Collective –a comparison I never expected to make.

The classic spazz-punk songs are also fantastic. Final track ‘Is It The End Again?’ channels The Smiths perfectly.

This is a brilliant bunch of songs. Half of them will only appeal to a niche market. I have a feeling the overall product will be a bit too jarring for most.

Five-piece The Naked & Famous are hard to define, considering they have performed alternative rock, industrial, electropop and even shoegaze genres at various times. This impressive debut, entitled ‘Passive Me. Aggressive You’ is layered, deep and varied. A mix of male and female vocals is used to great effect.

The first song on the album ‘All of This’ is not too poppy but is upbeat and subdued at the same time. Using two singers at once, the band have created some of the best harmonies on this song and album. ‘The Sun’ is another sombre affair in contrast to many more positive sounding tunes. ‘Eyes’ is an album highlight, as is the ethereal ‘Jilted Lovers’.

One of the best songs on the album, ‘Girls Like You’ is saved for last and is one of the few that only uses male vocals.

‘Girls Like You’ is the longest song but doesn’t sound like a drag.

Probably the only bad add is ‘The Source’, which is really an interlude masquerading as a song. It really is 48 seconds of nothing but “tones” on a piano. Luckily this is the only detractor from an otherwise admirable and extremely enjoyable debut from the promising New Zealanders.

David Hennessy

Luke Carlino

UK based Fenech-Soler comprises Ben Duffy, Ross Duffy, Daniel Soler and Harry Benton Diggens. Though you may not have heard these names, Ben Duffy lent his voice as a guest vocalist on Groove Armada’s 2010 Paper Romance.

If you liked that song, you’ll love this feature debut. They have channelled their indie electro-rave energies inherent to Paper Romance into 10 dance floor anthems that take you for a journey through time and space, and all without ever leaving the dance floor.

Fenech-Soler’s LP starts with Battlefields, which could very well be the futuristic score to a fictional film. Lies, their 2010 single release is hands up in the air, lose yourself in the moment fun, with Fenech-Soler’s trademark wall of synth coming into play. Other highlights include Golden Sun, with its funky horn sample; Stop & Stare, which is an epic soundscape of galactic delight; and Stone Bridge, which starts off as a slow ballad, before transcending into an electronic sound storm.

The whole album is great, and Duffy’s falsettic vocal delivery really complements the rapture of the music. If you’re into your indie electro rock, with a side of synth, then Fenech Soler, and their self titled debut is definitely for you.

Alexander Crowden Michael Clohesy

John Ward

W arp Warp .2 VOL Warp

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LAUNCH PARTY!

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GIg guide | 42

GIg guide | 43

GIG GUIDE / Hobart Date

Venue Acts / Start Time

MARCH Monday 14th Irish Murphy’s Nick Balcombe The Republic Bar Quiz Night @ 8:15pm Hotel SOHO Joel Everade @ 8pm Brookfield Vineyard Jan Preston @ 3pm Birdcage Bar Bill Whitton + Randal Muir Tuesday 15th Irish Murphy’s TSPN - Hayley Simpson, Chris Rushworth, James Munday, Madelyn Munday The Republic Bar The Sign @ 9pm Wednesday 16th The Republic Bar The Huw Joseph Experience @ 9pm Hotel SOHO Jeremy Matchim @ 8pm The Grand Poobah Matt Burton isn’t so different to Henrys Cat After All @ 8pm The Henry Jones Art Hotel Randal Muir Thursday 17th The Brisbane Hotel The Witching Tree + The Dumps + fected The Republic Bar 4 Letter Fish @ 9pm The Alley Cat ST PATS DAY KNEES UP

‘The Blue Mosquitos’ @ 9pm The Grand Poobah Matt Burton isn’t so different to Henrys Cat After All @ 8pm

Queen’s Head Café Bar Mopoke The Henry Jones Art Hotel Randal Muir Friday 18th The Brisbane Hotel Gareth Liddiard (The Drones) + Dan Kelly The Republic Bar Holly Throsby + Anthony Rochester + Billy Whims @ 9:30pm

Wrest Point Hotel Casino Lior with String Quartet Brookfield Vineyard Folk Night The Grand Poobah Matt Burton isn’t so different to Henrys Cat After All @ 8pm The Grand Poobah The Sin and Tonics + Taberah

Queen’s Head Café Bar Black Coffee

Syrup Boogie - Nick C

Shoreline Hotel Geoff Bland Embers Bar & Grill The In Crowd Uni Bar Raw Comedy Festival Heats Saturday 19th The Brisbane Hotel ALL AGES - Midnight Ablaze + Taberah + Myocardium + All Those In Favour The Brisbane Hotel 18+ - M.O.T.O (usa) + The Roobs + Once Upon A Time In The West + the Ray Guns The Republic Bar Sugartrain @ 10pm

Derwent Entertainment Centre The Wiggles @ 4pm Brookfield Vineyard Emily Smart (Southies)

PlanB Frequency presents Marlo + Locals

Simon Lovell, Gtek, Finch The Grand Poobah Perfect Match Cabaret:

Fundraiser for Breeding in Captivity Danger Academy, The Diamonds of Burlesque,

DJ Lou Lou, Carman Falk, Sara Cooper, Rose Ottavi, Rosa Mastroiriani and thecast of Breeding in Captivity.

Followed by Chocolate Bedrock.

Wrest Point Hotel Casino Lior with String Quartet

Queen’s Head Café Bar Fire & Ice The Henry Jones Art Hotel Randal Muir @ 7pm

Syrup Tackyland - Nick C Sunday 20th Irish Murphy’s Ivories at Irish The Republic Bar Zeptepi @ 9pm Hotel SOHO Sessions with John & Nick @ 8pm

Derwent Entertainment Centre The Wiggles @ 10.30am & 2.30pm The New Sydney Hotel Billy Whitton & Swinging Hepcats @ 6pm

Queen’s Head Café Bar Black Coffee @ 6:30pm Monday 21st Irish Murphy’s Oberon Carter, Andrew Marshall, Za Pinner The Republic Bar Southy @ 9pm

Wrest Point Hotel Casino Tim Minchin Vs. The TSO @ 9pm Hotel SOHO Fun Under Covers @ 9pm Birdcage Bar Bill Whitton + Randal Muir @ 9pm Tuesday 22nd Irish Murphy’s Katie DeLaCruz, Ash Colls, Crystal Campbell The Republic Bar Pot Belly Strings @ 9pm Wednesday 23rd The Republic Bar Kid Mac @ 9pm Hotel SOHO The Wolfe Brothers unplugged @ 8pm

Date

Venue Acts / Start Time

The Henry Jones Art Hotel Randal Muir @ 7pm Thursday 24th The Brisbane Hotel The Go Set + Atilla The Stockbroker (UK) +

Josh Pringle The Republic Bar Slight Return + The Bleeding Rose (Melb) @

9pm The Henry Jones Art Hotel Randal Muir @ 7pm Friday 25th The Brisbane Hotel The Good Ship (QLD) + Chocolate Bedrock

Wrest Point Hotel Casino Weird Al Yankovic @ 8pm

Parliament House Lawns Ashley MacIsaac with Quinn Bachand @ 6:15pm

PlanB Trev, Lids, Adam turner, Gillie The Grand Poobah Electric Jellyfish + Transcription of Organ Music + Kind Winds

Syrup Boogie - Nick C @ 9pm Hobart City Hall Ten Days on the Island DBR & DJ Scientific with Emeline Michel

@ 9:30pm

Shoreline Hotel Geoff Bland @ 6pm Embers Bar & Grill The In Crowd @ 5:30pm

Queen’s Head Café Bar Lively Up @ 9:30pm

Port Arthur Historical Site Ten Days on the Island Ringing the Changes, Strange Fruit @ 2:30pm Saturday 26th The Brisbane Hotel ALL AGES - Hand Of Mercy (NSW) + Dream On

Dreamer (VIC) + Surrender + Depths The Brisbane Hotel 18+ - A Million Dead Birds Laughing (vic) + Lacerta + NowyourefuckeD + Styre The Brisbane Hotel Brand New Second Hand “Romance” with DJ BTC + Astraia Saga + DJ Warhol The Republic Bar International Blues Conspiracy: Johnny Rawls

(USA) + Satoshi Sanda (Japan) @10pm

Wrest Point Hotel Casino Lee Kernaghan

PlanB DJ Squish, Lids, Bec She Bounce, Billy Green

Dr Syntax Jordan Millar The Alley Cat Alistair Kerr Quartet @ 9:30pm The Grand Poobah Snert (CD Launch) + Tiger Choir + Mangus Richmond Town Hall Ten Days on the Island Ashley MacIsaac with Quinn Bachand @ 7pm Hobart City Hall Ten Days on the Island - O-shen @ 9pm

Queen’s Head Café Bar The Pumpkinheads @ 9:30pm The Henry Jones Art Hotel Randal Muir @ 7pm

Port Arthur Historical Site Ten Days on the Island - Ringing the Changes,

Strange Fruit @12pm & 2:30pm

Syrup Tackyland - Nick C @ 9pm Sunday 27th Irish Murphy’s Ben Lawless Quartet, Tane Emia-Moore The Republic Bar The FIRMM @ 9pm Hotel SOHO Sessions with John & Nick @ 8pm Brookfield Vineyard Quiz Night The New Sydney Hotel Billy Whitton & Swinging Hepcats @ 6pm Uni Bar Raw Comedy Festival Heats @ 1pm

Port Arthur Historical Site Ten Days on the Island - Ringing the Changes,

Strange Fruit @ 12pm & 2:30pm Monday 28th Irish Murphy’s Trumps, Rod Fritz The Republic Bar Quiz Night @ 8:15pm Hotel SOHO Tom & Nick @ 9pm Birdcage Bar Bill Whitton + Randal Muir @ 9pm Triabunna Hall Ten Days on the Island - Catriona McKay & Chris Stout @ 7:15pm Tuesday 29th Irish Murphy’s Wingit, Dave McEldowney The Republic Bar G. B. Balding (Finger Pickin’ Blues) @ 8:30pm Campbell Town Memorial Hall Ten Days on the Island - Ashley MacIsaac with

Quinn Bachand @ 7pm

Wesley Hall Ten Days on the Island - New Zealand String

Quartet with Richard Nunns @ 6pm Wednesday 30th The Republic Bar Joe Piere & The Blackberries @ 9pm The Henry Jones Art Hotel Randal Muir @ 7pm Thursday 31st The Republic Bar Blood Poets @ 9pm The Alley Cat ‘The Town Bikes’, ‘Maurice’ and other acts to

be announced @ 8pm

Queen’s Head Café Bar Jesters Vine @ 8:30pm The Henry Jones Art Hotel Randal Muir @ 7pm

/ HOBART Continues

/ Launceston

Date

Date

Venue Acts / Start Time

Venue Acts / Start Time

APRIL

MARCH

Friday 1st The Brisbane Hotel Scorcher Fest - Allan Giuseppe Badalassi +

DIRT + Outlaw + Randomorder + Samuel Cole

& The Mornings + Sara Jane + Sploosh + The

Deep End + The Little Cubas + Wil Key (plus

special guests to be announced) Brookfield Vineyard Open Mic (Fiona CD Launch) Granada Tavern Thousand Needles in Red

St David’s Cathedral Hobart Ten Days on the Island - En Chordais @ 7:30pm Home Hill Winery Faerd @ 6pm MONA Ten Days on the Island - Live Music for Silent

Films - Mike Cooper (Italy) @ 3pm & 6pm Hobart City Hall Ten Days on the Island - Mim Suleiman & Trio Rafiki Jazz @ 9:30pm Saturday 2nd The Brisbane Hotel The Amenta (nsw) + Ruins + Ouroboros +

Solar Thorn

Wrest Point Hotel Casino Ten Days on the Island and TSO Present: The Black Arm Band Hidden Republic The Grand Poobah Mess O Reds Hobart City Hall Ten Days on the Island - En Chordais @ 9:30pm Oatlands Uniting Church Faerd @ 6pm MONA Ten Days on the Island - Live Music for Silent

Films - Mike Cooper (Italy) @ 3pm & 5pm Sunday 3rd Irish Murphy’s Ivories at Irish Hotel SOHO Sessions with John & Nick @ 8pm Hobart City Hall Ten Days on the Island - Errol Renaud & Caribbean Soul @ 9:30pm The Esplanade (Huonville) Ten Days on the Island - Faerd @ 11am Monday 4th Irish Murphy’s ASA

Wrest Point Hotel Casino Tommy Tiernan Hotel SOHO Wolfe Brothers @ 9pm Tuesday 5th Irish Murphy’s TSPN Wednesday 6th Brookfield Vineyard Phil Edgeley & Daniel Champagne Hotel SOHO Joel Everade @ 8pm Thursday 7th Wrest Point Hotel Casino Eric Bibb with Ruthie Foster + Staffan Astner + The Blackbirds Friday 8th The Republic The Holidays + Gold Fields @ 10pm Brookfield Vineyard Keith Donnelly & Flossie Malavialle The Brisbane Hotel DAMAGE w/ - Face the Fiasco + Cashman +

Wolf Pack + Bears + Dj Peta Rabbit & Friends +

Damo The Grand Poobah The Roobs + The Lucky Dips + Truckshow Saturday 9th Wrest Point Hotel Casino John Waters - Looking Through a Glass Onion

@ 8pm Brookfield Vineyard The Chordwainers The Brisbane Hotel ALL AGES - CC Rocks No1 10 bands from Claremont College including Crusador +

Kramer Janes + Black City Rats + Inferior The Brisbane Hotel Late Night Krackieoke w

DJ THEJOKEWASOVERAMONTHAGO! The Grand Poobah Huon Valley Environment Centre Fundraiser Adventure Bay Hall Keith Donnelly & Flossie Malavialle @ 8pm Sunday 10th Irish Murphy’s Tane Emia-Moore, Brad Harbeck Hotel SOHO Sessions with John & Nick @ 8pm Brookfield Vineyard The Timbers @ 5pm Monday 11th Irish Murphy’s Radio Silence, Andi, Nick Balcombe Hotel SOHO Joel & Jake @ 9pm Tuesday 12th Irish Murphy’s Ray Martians, Fringe Dwellers Wednesday 13th Hotel SOHO

Jeremy Matchim @ 8pm Friday 15th Wrest Point Hotel Casino Charmaine Wilson Spirit Whispers Brookfield Vineyard 2 1/2 Days in Margate Piano Marathon The Brisbane Hotel James Parry CD LAUNCH The Grand Poobah The Woohoo Revue Saturday 16th Brookfield Vineyard 2 1/2 Days in Margate Piano Marathon Continues The Brisbane Hotel Over Reactor (vic) The Grand Poobah The Woohoo Revue Sunday 17th Irish Murphy’s Ivories at Irish Hotel SOHO Sessions with John & Nick @ 8pm Brookfield Vineyard 2 1/2 Days in Margate Piano Marathon Continues

Friday 18th Country Club Resort Lior with String Quartet Saturday 19th The Hub Holly Throsby with Hello Tigers Bridport Hotel M.o.t.o. + The Roobs + The Ray Guns Sunday 20th Fresh on Charles JAZZ @ 3pm Friday 25th Jackeys Marsh Symbiotic Harmony The Royal Oak Your Damn Neighbors

Whitemark Hall Ten Days on the Island Catriona McKay & Chris Stout @ 7:15pm Saturday 26th Jackeys Marsh Symbiotic Harmony Tamar River Cruise Your Blues Away Joe Pirere and the Blackberries + Greg Frith Albert Hall Convention Centre Ten Days on the Island - DBR & DJ Scientific

with Emeline Michel @ 8:30pm

Palais Theatre Ten Days on the Island - O-shen @ 8pm Wednesday 30th Rowella Hall Ten Days on the Island - Ashley Macisaac with

Quinn Bachand @ 7pm

St John’s Church New Zealand String Quartet with Richard Nunns @ 6pm Thursday 31st Christ Church Ten Days on the Island - En Chrodais @ 6pm Ninth Island Vineyard Ten Days on the Island - Faerd @ 10pm APRIL Friday 1st Hotel New York The Bloodpoets

Portland Memorial Hall Ten Days on the Island - Errol Renaud & Caribbean Soul @ 8:30pm Launceston Saloon Xavier Rudd @ 9pm Saturday 2nd Latrobe Memorial Hall Ten Days on the Island - Ashley Macisaac with

Quinn Bachand @ 7pm Ross Town Hall Ten Days on the Island - Errol Renaud & Caribbean Soul @ 8:30pm Sunday 3rd Fresh on Charles JAZZ @ 3pm Friday 8th Country Club Resort John Waters - Looking through a Glass Onion Sunday 10th Fresh on Charles JAZZ @ 3pm Tuesday 12th Country Club Resort Charmaine Wilson Spirit Whispers Sunday 17th Fresh on Charles JAZZ @ 3pm

/ NORTHWEST Date

Venue Acts / Start Time

MARCH Thursday 17th Maginty’s St Pats Day Entertainment - Doctor Rocktors, Brett Colledge + others Friday 18th Maginty’s Darren Loyd The Central, Devonport Two Piece

Spurs Saloon, Devonport The Dirty Love (Album Launch)

Devonport RSL Club Edwin Aliphon Grey Nomads Saturday 19th Maginty’s The Pure Blondes Tigers

Forth Recreation Ground the 14th Annual Forth Valley Blues Festival

Spurs Saloon, Devonport Selecta River Arms, Ulverstone Threez a Crowd Sunday 20th Hillwood Strawberry Farm Jesse & Jase @ 12pm The Alex, Devonport Threez a Crowd Thursday 24th Maginty’s Jazz w/ The Viktor Zappner Swingtet + special

guest Kelly Ottaway Friday 25th Spurs Saloon, Devonport Deligma EP Launch w/ Chiroh + Box Monster The Central, Devonport The Unit

Devonport RSL Club Maurice Hardy @ 8pm Saturday 26th Maginty’s Midnight River Arms, Ulverstone Two Piece

Spurs Saloon, Devonport Dr Fink Sunday 27th The Alex, Devonport Ben Tome Thursday 31st Maginty’s Jazz w/ The Viktor Zappner Swingtet APRIL Friday 1st Gunns Plains Hall Jazz w/ The Viktor Zappner Swingtet @ 7pm Sunday 3rd Burnie Arts Theatre Ten Days on the Island - Mim Suleiman & Trio Rafiki Jazz @ 8pm

139 Sandy Bay Rd Sandy Bay TAS 7005 03 6223 6258 Warp info@reallive.com.au

FRIDAY NIGHT: Indie night

SATURDAY NIGHT: Karaoke night

The Dr Syntax has returned and is presenting a variety of brilliant newly established music nights.

Entry is free.

Friday night, the Dr Syntax is presenting Electro and Indie club night DJs - which will fill your night with beats, pop, mash-ups, house, dnb and dubstep. Fresh disco chutzpah for Hobart!

Stay tuned to WARP magazine for our upcoming grand launch party.

Come along and show your support for one of Hobart's newest and happening live original music venues.

Warp

Thursday to Saturday March 10th Joel everard, House witH a Heater March 11th Joel everard, dr.Fink March 12th MicHeal clennett,

Pirates oF tHe cover scene March 17th Joel everard, aussie Made March 18th Brett collidge, selecta March 19th: JoHn Harwood, tHe sMasHers March 24th: Joel everard, ray Martians March 25th: Joel everard, tHe wolFe BrotHers March 26th MicHeal clennett, Pirates oF tHe cover scene March 31st Joel everard, House witH a Heater April 1st Brett collidge, selector April 2nd tHe sMasHers

The best of Hobart’s cover bands every week

Massive entertainment line up Hobart

Highland Pipe Band from

12pm

Tony Brennan & The Ray Martians from 6pm

The

Colemans

The

Blue

2pm

Mosquitoes from 3.45pm

Joel

Australian

from

Everard from 9pm

Made from

11pm

Loads of giveaways and prizes to be won!

Full menu available all day. Breakfast from 7am to 10.30am.

Lunch and dinner all day from 10.30am.

Karaoke at Irish Murphy’s

March 13 ray Blizzard, dan henneSSy March 14 radio Silence, Patrick Berechree, nick BalcomBe March 15 taSmanian SongwriterS and ProducerS night

March 20 Ivories at Irish March 21 oBeron carter,

damon Bird, zane Pinner March 22 katie delacruz, aSh collS, lil valentine March 27 Ben lawleSS Quartet, tanÉ emia-moore March 28 trumPS, rod fritz March 29 wingit, dave mceldowney

april 3 Ivories at Irish april 4 auStralian SongwriterS aSSociation april 5 taSmanian SongwriterS & ProducerS night

Every Wednesday night from 9pm 10 heats with Grand Final on the 27th of April with weekly prize giveaways

FREE WiFi

available every day till late

HOBART | 21 Salamanca Place

Serving great mealS for lunch & dinner everyday!

6223 1119 | www.irishmurphys.com.au