Alisha Evans

The Arachnids

CATCH THE DANCING NON-INSECT

Spiderman might seem like the obvious choice of sci-fi character for THE ARACHNIDS but it is Dr Who that has won their adoration. This affinity for the British sci-fi show made their last Canberra gig go off because the venue manager’s also an avid fan. Lead singer Lachlan Wallace is more of an original ‘80s Dr Who fan but says the drummer Sam Oliver and the band’s sound guy are still current fans. This penchant for all things Tardis doesn’t stop the guys from creating their own brand of upbeat rock.

‘Rock is the main pillar of what we do, but I come from a funk background and there are tinges of metal as well,’ says Lachie. Their latest single Daydreaming puts a positive spin on breaking up, and it is this single that brings them back to Canberra on their Daydreaming tour. ‘We like our music to be upbeat and energetic so people get into the experience. Our aim is to try and get people’s bodies moving in time with their minds.’

The Arachnids formed two years ago when Lachie and Sam decided they wanted to work together again. The guys contacted bassist Poutama Hobman and guitarist Callum Stevens and the groove rock band began. ‘It doesn’t seem that long, which is a good thing; it’s a sign of keeping busy.’ Despite being fairly young when compared to the likes of some of their influences INXS, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Faith No More, the guys have big plans. After the Daydreaming tour they will head back to the studio to finish their second EP. ‘We hope to do a more extensive tour in June and towards the end of the year we’ll cook up some new jams, keep refining our sound and experiment.’ They’d also like to expand into the Kiwi market some day.

With each tour and gig, The Arachnids learn something new. ‘Each time, more pieces of the puzzle fall into place. With the Canberra gig, people should be expecting boisterous exuberance, to bring their dancing shoes and to expect the unexpected. It’s very important to us not to just tick all the boxes – we like to throw a few surprises in there.’

It’s not just about catchy tunes when it comes to songwriting for the band. ‘Cleverness in music doesn’t need to be shied away from. I find it difficult to find current music that I connect with because I need music to be emotionally and intellectually engaging. A lot of what is getting attention from the wider public is not catering for that market.’ He says there are a lot of promising things happening in music despite this mainstream trend. ‘With music so readily available now, the stuff that deserves to make it has more of a chance.’

The Arachnids hit The Phoenix Bar on Monday March 18, 8pm, with support acts Mind The Gap and The Skronks. Free entry.

Joelistics

JOEL’S GOAL

There’s a new wave of social consciousness rising and it’s not coming from the polished parquet floors or the sweeping marble steps of Parliament House. It is starting, like most things in this land of baked red soil, from the ground up.

JOELISTICS of TZU fame is one of the many players is this delicate house of cards.

It is a balance game of old vs new and traditional views vs new thinking.

It is a battle Joel Ma is fighting but guns and violence are not his weapons of choice.

He uses music and lyrics to share his message and finally the world is listening, not just Australia.

“[In Australia] there’s not a great deal of room for ethnic diversity in TV and music.” But the Melbourne based artist is more determined than discouraged to enjoy what he does and share this joy with fans and audiences. “It’s a twisted world out there but don’t let that stop you from having fun.”

Joel is backing up his recent solo tour of the Voyager album with another two month stint to promote his latest single and EP The Shining, which he assures me is nothing to do with the film of the same title. “It’s about being blinded by the big lights and all the temptations involved in city life,” he says.

It is an eclectic mix of songs including his latest single, remixes from Voyager, and some of his favourite Aussie acts including Diafrix, Rufus, and Ishu. Regular BMA’ers will recognise Ishu from Joel’s last gig at Transit Bar in August. The man is looking forward to returning to Transit, this time jamming with his good friends and fellow friendly ideologues hip-hop duo Diafrix.

“I love Canberra; I always have a genuinely good time,” he enthuses. “Canberra often gets left off the map when it comes to gigs but I want people to know it’s not a truck stop but an actual city worth visiting.

“This time round, Diafrix and I want to promote [social] awareness and the concept of people being open minded.”

Azmarino and Momo of Diafrix first met Joel in the diverse Melbourne suburb of Footscray where the ever-busy TZU member was running a hip-hop workshop. Joel’s desire to nurture the careers of others, combined with his ability to recognise talent when he sees it, led him to encourage the pair to take their music further.

“I want to help artists that don’t fit the typical music mould, so to speak,” he says. “For me, it’s really important that a more diverse range of voices are heard in Aussie hip-hop.”

The Running to Shine tour with Joelistics and Diafrix will hit the Transit Bar on Sunday March 11, doors 8pm. Tickets are $18 + bf and are available from www.moshtix.com.au or Landspeed Records in Civic.

Diafrix

HYPER HIP-HOP

Ever since their discovery, and subsequent support, from TZU’s Joelistics eight years ago, African-born now Melbourne-based hip-hop duo DIAFRIX have delighted and dazzled an increasing number of punters with their energetic live shows, and their instantly recognisable reggae/African sound.

Azmarino and Momo are the soulful yin to much of Aussie hip-hop’s raging, testosterone fuelled yang. Before they were Diafrix, the pair met in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray where they had both resettled from Africa. Quick to shake off the term ‘refugee’ in 2006, just two years after forming, they released their first album Concrete Jungle.

Azmarino, now 29, grew up around music and is thrilled he can travel the world doing what he loves. “Since we were young we’ve always listened to hip-hop, reggae and African music,” he says. “It’s wonderful to be able to combine the sounds we grew up with hip-hop and share it with the world.”

And share it with the world they have. Last year they played the iconic Glastonbury festival and country-hopped while they were there, introducing the UK and Europe to their sound. But Australia will always be their favourite place to gig, it seems. “Australians are easier to entertain and are always ready to party; they don’t care where you come from,” Azmarino enthuses. “The UK is full of talented MCs, they’re everywhere, so the vibe is a bit different.”

Diafrix was forged in the fires of a Joel Ma (Joelistics) hip-hop workshop running in Footscray at the time. It wasn’t long before the Aussie hip-hop pioneer was encouraging them to go pro. Azmarino says Joel has always been an advisor for their music and sees him as a “mentor and big brother. Joelistics was the first person to use us as a support act,” Azmarino says, gratitude filling his voice. “He believed in us a lot. He’s the person we will always go to because he’s a very wise man.”

Joel however, ever the humble soul, is quick to brush off any mentor badge and says he’s just a guy who wanted to help out some extremely talented mates. “It makes me feel awesome, but I’m no mentor. I just shared my knowledge about how to navigate the Australian music industry.”

The duo can lovingly argue about Joel’s Mother Hen status when Diafrix and Joelistics come together this month for their latest tour entitled Running to Shine (a hybrid name of their latest respective singles Running It and The Shining). Azmarino and Momo are no strangers to our humble capital city – they gig here often and have played at Parliament House with Bliss and Eso. “Canberra is a very nice city – it’s peaceful, there’s less rush and the air is very fresh,” Azmarino says.

It certainly is. Diafrix’s latest single Running It, with a tinge to early Lupe Fiasco, is about being young and always wanting to hold onto that youthful verve, Azmarino says. “We wanted to make a party song. We come from a dancing culture after all. We think it’s a lot of fun.”

Once again it sounds like Canberra audiences are in for a treat, with the intimate Transit Bar barely able to contain the duo’s energetic live performance. “It’s not just about lyrics – it’s a hyper hip-hop show with a lot of dancing songs.”

Check out Diafrix and Joelistics live at Transit Bar on Sunday March 11. Tickets cost $18 + bf and are available via Moshtix. Doors 8pm.

JOELISTICS

It seems JOELISTICS can’t get enough of Canberra and its hip-hop fans. He was here only a few months ago in May with Adelaide hip-hop quartet Lowrider, though this time he’s going solo on his Voyager tour. “The last gig at Transit Bar with Lowrider was banging and I’m looking forward to coming to Canberra and warming the cold nights,” he says.

The Melbourne-based artist has been practising hard for his first solo performances and is fired up about touring. “I’m super excited about going out and smashing stages around the country.”

Joel Ma, of TZU fame, has been working on material since the group decided to take a break two and half years back. Joel took time to travel parts of Asia and Europe and this has inspired his work. “I saw it as an opportunity to explore personal territory lyrically,” he explains. “I wrote these songs using themes of travel and identity.”

All of the music and lyrics on the album Voyager, released on Friday July 29, are written by Joel so he’s very attached to the work. “I feel really close to the beats, I’m a bit of a control freak that way,” he reveals. Joel describes the record as “post-20s, futuristic, personal, anecdotal, folk, electronic hip-hop.”

The MC is not only vocally talented but plays drums, guitar and piano and started out as the drummer in a punk band in year eight. The two genres may seem quite far apart but Joel disagrees. “I was attracted to political punk like The Dead Kennedys and heard an echo of that in artists like Public Enemy and De La Soul, in that they’d take a pop song and turn it on its head,” he says. “I related to the rhythm of rappers.”

Other musical influences came from his parents who he says have impeccable musical tastes. “They were really influential in my music taste.”

Joel says his music is rooted in hip-hop but he tries to reach into other territories as well. “I try and bring other music into what I make. I like a diverse sound and try and weave it into what I do. I’m definitely not a purist when it comes to hip-hop.”

Joel also wants people to not only have a good time at his gigs but to think as well. “I write lyrics which are meaningful and give people something to latch on to. I want the crowd to get down but be challenged as well. You have to keep it original and innovative.”

He says the innovation is happening across the Australian hip-hop scene and it’s stronger than ever before. “It’s no longer the industry joke,” he explains. “Ten years ago we were banging down people’s doors to take us seriously.”

Joelistics hits Canberra on Thursday August 18, playing at Transit Bar with two of his favourite Melbourne acts Ishu and Polo Club. Tickets are $12 + bf and are available through Moshtix.

FloatingMe

COME FLOAT WITH ME

With band members from acts such as Scarymother, Cog and Karnivool, FLOATINGME is a band like no other. Drummer Lucius Borich says FLOATINGME is different to the bands that they have come from and sounds like nothing they’ve done before. “The songs are all as original as a fingerprint or snowflake.”

Lucius believes that another point of difference is the baritone voice of singer Andrew Gillespie. “It’s nice to hear that type of sound in progressive rock,” he says.

FLOATINGME started out with friends Lucius and Andrew arranging songs, and it evolved into a band. “We created something we liked to hear and had fun with and over time this manifested into a band,” says Lucius. “It was a very organic process. It’s nice to have no real pressure so we could have fun making music.”

The five band members have been working together for the last two and a half years but Lucius says they’ve only officially been FLOATINGME since the self-titled debut album was released on Friday April 15. He says they had 10 or 11 songs ready to be mixed before the band had a name.

The band’s name is a lyric in the track Spirals. Lucius was listening to their songs trying to come up with a name, and decided FLOATINGME had to be the one. “It sat right with me and where I’m at in my life right now. The name made sense and is a lot closer to home than something we just made up.”

Lucius compares their music to life, in that it changes from one minute to the next. “It’s like, one minute you’re going for a stroll in the park, the next you’re driving a V8. The music has more crescendos and build-ups and it’s these fantastic elements that give it more drama and depth.

“You can equate this to your own emotions - you have periods of elated excitement where you’re full of joy, and then all of a sudden you’re fearful or angry, and not long after you’re peaceful and serene.”

Lucius also thinks the fast paced aggressive tone of current music is a reflection on how fast paced modern life has become. He says people need to make the most of their lives and be creative even if it’s in a small way. “Every day I wake up is an opportunity to create and use the magic of the day to be creative. In FLOATINGME the best thing is knowing we have a group of people that love to create and make music.”

Lucius hopes people who go to their Canberra gig will walk away feeling great. “We hope to see loads of lovely Canberra faces shaking their booties and having a good time.”

FLOATINGME will be awing audiences at ANU Bar on Friday July 8. Tickets are through Ticketek for $18.90 a pop.

EnTrance

TRANCE LIKE DANCE

To experience dance as you’ve never seen it before head to EnTRANCE.

The production by Yumi Umiumare incorporates Butoh dance, theatre and visual art into an emotional journey. Butoh was developed in post war Japan by Tatsumi Hijikata and expresses intense emotions through slow, controlled, and sometimes distorted movements.

Yumi started classical ballet at the age of nine but was introduced to Butoh at university.

“When I saw Butoh for the first time my mind was blown away. I was so impressed to see dancers doing exactly the opposite of what classical ballet teachers had told us to do.”

She says Butoh is her favourite style of dance because it is so versatile and can be mixed with anything. Butoh Cabaret is also up there on her list.

Yumi says EnTranceis autobiographical and revisits all the different dance influences she has worked with. She wants people to enjoy the visual poetry of EnTrance and not think too deeply about it. “I would like the audience not to analyse it too much but, to breathe with it.”

Yumi says she is able to share her unusual abstract and dream like world through her performances. The solo piece may also elicit some introspection from the audience, she says.

“People can also have their forgotten memories and unknown emotions provoked, which we tend to suppress in our modern haste way of living,” Yumi explains. “Sometimes, people have a dream after seeing my show and have their own interpretation about it. My piece is working in people’s subconscious, maybe.”

Other responses she has received from audiences include making them cry or feel deeply moved, even the occasional laughter.

Yumi was born in Japan in 1965 and moved to Melbourne in 1993 after performing at the Melbourne International Festival in 1991. The 46-year-old wanted a change from her life in Tokyo and loves her new country.

She says touring Australia feels like an international tour and Yumi enjoys seeing all the different cities. Yumi feels lucky to be a professional dancer that tours, because it means she can visit so many countries including, Slovenia, Croatia, Fiji and Indonesia. “I love to visit exotic countries through my work.”

Being surrounded by visual artists in her brother and mother means Yumi also likes to dabble in the art form, saying she is also a good cartoonist.

EnTrancehas been nominated for three Green Room awards, Melbourne’s Arts awards, and the performing artist is thrilled with the recognition.

The performance has also been describes as “an impassioned and beautiful piece,” by The Australian.

EnTrance will be showing at The Street Theatre from Thursday June 30 to Saturday July 2. Tickets are from $25, and are available through www.thestreet.org.au .