Peter Krbavac

Waterford

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Though patience isn't a concept that often bothers the fast-livin' rock 'n' roll world, local beat combo WATERFORD have learnt its virtue. After releasing their debut LP Say OK at the end of 2011 and picking up a series of choice gigs in its wake, the band underwent its umpteenth line-up reshuffle last year after losing the latest in a Spinal Tap-esque succession of drummers (which, in the interests of full disclosure, includes your correspondent). But rather than rue a dip in momentum, frontman Glen Martin says it gave them a chance to pause and reflect.

‘[In the past year] we've been playing shows, writing a buttload of material, recording it and then sitting on it and waiting to see what assumes significance over time. The songs we're currently peddling are the ones that have proven themselves, as opposed to being songs that seemed really good immediately and then may not have the legs.’

To document these new songs and the new line-up – which has drummer Cam Burns and guitarist Andy Heaney joining Martin, bassist Pete Huet and guitarist Ian Wilkinson – Waterford have hatched a plan to record a live album at The Polish Club in Turner. ‘It's a backwards thing,’ Glen admits. ‘I really like the room and we've only ever headlined there to launch our record, so I like the idea of the Polish Club as a place where the band does something different and interesting. I was just trying to think of a reason to justify the venue.’

So how purist, then, will Waterford remain about the idea of a live album? ‘Kiss purist,’ Pete quips, referring to the US rockers' famously polished live album Alive!. ‘No overdubs except where they're needed.’ ‘I reserve the right to change anything and everything,’ adds Glen. ‘The ideal is we'll just use this as—’ ‘A gimmick,’ Pete interjects. ‘—as a foundation of something,’ Glen finishes, chuckling.

For a band that doesn't shy away from referencing their hometown in both lyrics and album art, recording a live album in Canberra seems, in its own small way, like a statement. Establishing a sense of place in its music is important to Waterford: particularly, Glen says, because not too many Australian bands do it. ‘Maybe it's the fact that if you acknowledge that your band is kind of personal and therefore has a place and has scale, that's not the ideal rock narrative,’ he theorises. ‘The ideal rock narrative is this band is a reflective thing. It's bigger. But bands never are. They get bigger audiences through a combination of luck and chops and whatever else. I think to not speak about your circumstances – in whatever way you feel comfortable – is kind of dishonest and just naff. Our Canberra-ness is an extension of that.’

Waterford record their live album Prior Works at The Polish White Eagle Club, Turner, on Friday May 10, supported by Grand Prismatic, Julia Johnson and Andy Star. $10/7 on the door.

Bored Nothing

SOMETHING FROM NOTHING

In the last year, BORED NOTHING's avenues for music distribution have become infinitely more professional. These days, there's a record label to worry about getting copies of the group's self-titled album out into the world, but before all that, the band's mastermind Fergus Miller was fond of leaving handmade CDs of his songs lying around in pubs and record stores, waiting to be discovered by unsuspecting punters. He rarely got any feedback from the people who had picked up his packages, which is how he preferred it anyway. ‘It wasn't necessarily all about the music,’ Fergus explains. ‘It was just as fun for me to be making things with my hands and thinking about how much I love finding shit like that myself. I’ve always collected zines and CD-Rs and tapes and stuff.’

Bored Nothing is the latest in a string of projects for the young Melbourne musician. His personal Bandcamp page charts his musical whims, from gentle folk tunes to drones and manipulated electronics to mangled voice-and-percussion jams under banners such as Splintered Oar, Mexico and Red Sludge. With Bored Nothing, he channels the scrappy melodicism of '90s indie rockers like Eric's Trip, Sebadoh and, with his whispered vocal layering, Elliott Smith. The album cribs the best tracks from a year's worth of home recordings, most of them made on a dusty old four-track cassette recorder with Fergus playing all the instruments.

Though Bored Nothing is undoubtedly his vision, Fergus is far from some exacting, perfectionist bandleader. When other players were required for live shows, he roped in his brother and a couple of friends and the group bashed away at approximations of the recorded tunes. ‘We still don't even own our own instruments and we certainly don't know what we are doing, so a lot of our early jams were just spent figuring out what we could actually play,’ Fergus remembers. ‘I don't know chords or anything so I’m not even sure if we play half the stuff from the recordings right.’ Besides, recreating the original songs would require far more than the four of them. ‘I tend to get a bit carried away with guitar when I'm recording, so we've ended up with a few songs that would necessitate at least four guitarists to pull off live,’ he says, ‘which isn't exactly practical…at the moment, anyway.’

And although Bored Nothing was born out of, well, boredom, and has evolved into a touring band with a record deal, Fergus is clear that all this activity will not change the essence of the project. ‘Not much has changed really,’ he points out. ‘It's not like I’ve suddenly got a job and sense of direction just because a few more people have heard my little recordings. Most of my time is still spent in very much the same way it's always been: watching sitcoms and drinking homebrew.’

Bored Nothing play at The Phoenix Bar on Saturday March 9 with Spunk Records labelmates Bearhug and Popstrangers. Doors open at 8pm and entry is free.

TOP FIVE ALBUMS OF 2012 Peter Krbavac

PETER KRBAVAC – CONTRIBUTOR

5. Boomgates – Double Natural [Bedroom Suck]

Fans who followed Boomgates over the three singles leading up to the release of Double Natural may have been slightly thrown by the band's debut LP. The scratchy guitars and propulsive drive of those early tunes has given way to an altogether more relaxed, breezy – and completely summer-appropriate – sound. The change is evident on the rerecording of album highlight Layman's Terms: where guitars once buzzed agitatedly, they now jangle and chime.

4. Lightships – Electric Cables [Geographic/Domino]

Quite unfairly, Electric Cables isn't a release that's going to grab too many headlines: 'Teenage Fanclub bassist makes solo album; sounds like Teenage Fanclub.' Perhaps Gerard Love's been at it for so long, at such a high standard, that the world simply takes him for granted. With Lightships, a wistful, autumnal atmosphere pervades, while the (slight) heft of the Fanclub's twin guitars is replaced by flutes, keys and glockenspiels. Silver & Gold and Sunlight to the Dawn in particular are shining examples of Love's gold-standard songwriting.

3. Summer Flake – S/T [Independent]

The solo project of Adelaide musician Steph Crase – a veteran of bands such as Batrider, Hit the Jackpot, No Through Road and a dozen others – displays her seemingly innate ability to punch out unreasonably catchy pop songs. Steeped in the guitar rock of the early '90s, tracks like Run Run Run and Walk the Plank see Crase firing off the kind of blazing leads that'd shake up famously lethargic Dinosaur Jr guitarist J Mascis. This is available as a free download online, so no excuses.

2. Hoodlum Shouts – Young Man Old Man [HellosQuare/Poison City Records]

Canberra punters knew Hoodlum Shouts had a promising bunch of new songs in their arsenal, so it's a pleasure to see the locals more-than-fulfil that promise with their debut LP. They tackle their country and its chequered past in a way few contemporaries do, while musically the album is driven by the superb guitar-work of Mike Caruana, coloured and warped by tremolo arms and wrangled feedback. Nowhere is the band's grasp of both tightly-coiled restraint and roaring power more apparent than on the record's centrepiece, the twin title tracks Old Man and Young Man.

1. Joe McKee – Burning Boy [Dot Dash/Remote Control]

Burning Boy nearly passed me by on its release. Far from immediate, it's a set of songs that really demand something of the listener and, as such, aren't necessarily built to compete with a chatty crowd during an opening slot on a Saturday night. A sparse affair centred around Joe McKee’s guitar and voice, for the most part the drama here isn't in the instruments, but in the melodies. Some songs move along at a sporadic pace, McKee wringing out booming chords and allowing them to linger and echo until they fade out. Others are bolstered by a string section, the swooning arrangement on Darling Hills sounding almost as if it was pulled directly from an old 78. An album of eerie, understated charm.

Mike Noga

A SPRINGSTEEN IN HIS STEP

If, with a temporary overseas relocation, tours at home and abroad and work beginning on two new albums, 2012 was a packed year for MIKE NOGA, then 2013 is looking busier still. The aforementioned albums will have to be released and toured, of course, and there's also the prospect of a less temporary relocation for the Melbourne musician.

When we speak, Mike reveals that The Drones have just polished off their new album, which will be the first order of business for the New Year. ‘It's being mixed as we speak,’ he reports enthusiastically. ‘We're all really excited about it. It should be out a little bit after ATP next year.’ This, coupled with a recent tour alongside Tex Perkins' Dark Horses, has delayed work on Noga's new solo set. ‘I've got my dear mate Paul Dempsey in the producer's seat for my new one and [now] it's all systems go,’ he says. The album promises to be a ‘more “grand” affair’ than the pared-back sound of last year's The Balladeer Hunter. ‘It's not necessarily a reaction to The Balladeer Hunter's stripped-back approach, more the natural feeling of wanting to do something different,’ Noga says. ‘Time to break out the glockenspiel and string section. It's my Born to Run era!’

Many of these new tunes were written during a six-month stint in London earlier in 2012. Though he has a base of contacts from his years touring through the country with The Drones, Noga does note that breaking into the UK gigging circuit meant basically starting from scratch. ‘It was incredibly refreshing, to be honest,’ he says. ‘I love Australia, but there's nothing like playing to new audiences to make you feel inspired again. People seemed to really dig it. I met some great folk at labels and it looks like I'm heading back early next year for a more permanent relocation. I'm 34 now, which is old in this biz. Time to go give it a crack, I say!’

All the more reason, then, to take advantage of Noga's upcoming Australian tour with long-time mate Ben Salter of The Gin Club, as it may be his last for a while. As befits the freewheeling nature of the tour – ‘Just an excuse to hang out, really’ – the pair will share the stage for most of the night, assisting on each other's songs and perfecting their comedy patter. ‘A musical love in? Certainly. But slightly more Derek and Clive than Simon and Garfunkel, if you catch my drift,’ he says. For his part, Noga promises to ‘chuck a tantrum if [Salter] doesn't let me sing something on Gas Guzzler. I'm a terrible guitarist though, so you'll find me, for the most part, 'helping' – ruining – his songs. You know his terrific solo album The Cat? Wait 'til you hear me solo all over that sucker.’

Mike Noga and Ben Salter bring their A Night on the Tiles tour to The Front Gallery and Café on Sunday December 9. Doors open at 7.30pm and entry is $15.

Punktuation Podcast

Feeline Lucky, Punk?

Like so many teenage punks bands before before it, Canberra's own PUNKTUATION PODCAST was born in a dusty suburban garage. The brainchild of housemates and local music enthusiasts Nick and Chris, the series aims to document and promote the local punk scene and the broader DIY music community. As Chris explains, Punktuation was, in part, forged because the pair believe punk music often goes underrepresented in the media. ‘I think it's inherent because it has an anti-mainstream attitude and ethic,’ he says. ‘In Canberra especially, there's so much metal and School of Music experimental stuff that the punk scene gets lost in the crowd at times. We want to help it keep a foothold and hopefully build upon it.’

From the first episode, Nick and Chris established an endearingly freewheeling style for the show, with conversation taking its course and Chris later burning the midnight oil to edit the chatter into a cohesive 40 minutes. While music discussion remains at its core, topics can range anywhere from current affairs, politics and culture to what guests had for dinner earlier. ‘Part of our inspiration came from verbal and comedy podcasts,’ Chris says. ‘We decided on a balance: some news and discussion of the scene and life in general and some music to showcase local talent and keep it interesting.’

So far, Punktuation has hosted members of local bands such as Yoko Oh No, Lamexcuse, Hoodlum Shouts and 4Dead, as well as the self-proclaimed King of the Capital, Dominic Death of The Fighting League and former BMA photographer John Hatfield. As Chris explains, the pair hunt out local personalities they know will provide ‘a good mix of war stories, educated opinions and interesting or funny things to say about their band and the scene. Jon from 4Dead was a highlight; he's a great talker and has so many great stories and insights into the ways of the world. With so much talent in Canberra right now, it's a pleasure to explore and get to know some of the enigmatic and charisma-laden people that make up the Canberra punk/DIY music scene.’

While Chris and Nick do dip into the history of the local punk scene, they see Punktuation as less of an archival project and more focused on there here and now. ‘Anyone who lives here knows the reputation for being a fairly un-happening place,’ Chris acknowledges. ‘We'd like to be part of the city evolving out of that, for people to think when they're organising a tour that it's a place worth coming to. Also, to be part of promoting the values that come from the better parts of the punk ethos: political awareness; tolerance; ethical issues. As well, we just want to see the bands that we like and are friends with succeed and to help where we can for them to achieve bigger and better things in the music world.’

Past Punktuation episodes, along with music news and reviews, are available at www.punktuation.me Punktuation's launch show, featuring Yoko Oh No, Revelers and Melbourne's The Euphoriacs, will be held at The Phoenix on Thursday September 13. Entry is free.

Limb

Out On A Limb

If Reset, the new contemporary percussion piece by local composer Austin Buckett, sounds chaotic, then that's all according to plan. ‘The irony of Reset is that although it may sound at times chaotic and capricious, the majority of the piece is precisely and metrically set out,’ says Yvonne Lam, the local musician who commissioned the piece and will, along with William Jackson, perform it next fortnight.

Both former School of Music students, Austin and Yvonne have long been active in the local music scene; Austin as the keys player in experimental rock outfit Kasha and free-jazz band Pollen Trio; Yvonne as the drummer in indie-pop trios Ah! Pandita and Biscuits, and post-rock band Mornings. Yvonne hopes that LIMB, the new music night at which Reset will premiere, can bridge the gap between audiences. ‘I guess a lot of [experimental music] is misunderstood or is construed as an intimidating high art,’ she acknowledges. ‘The drive behind Limb is to encourage the sorts of people who go and see Mornings and Kasha gigs to check out another area of the local music scene by removing the barriers of the elitist and stifling connotations of classical music.’

Yvonne explains Austin's initial vision for Reset was to make it detached and almost mechanical sounding. The piece incorporates field recordings Austin made at the LA International Airport and sees the performers follow multiple click tracks which slide in and out of time with each other. The result recalls, as Austin puts it, factory workers on a production line: ‘Overdriven and falling, regrouping then repeating. At times the workload bestowed upon them by the factory is almost impossible to keep up with and the system becomes dysfunctional, displaced. Other times the system works fine and workers are unified in what they are playing.’

To these ends, Reset incorporates some unorthodox methods – at one point calling on the players to go at their snare drums with sandpaper. ‘[It] creates this awesome white-noise effect, which is then amplified through a quadrophonic speaker set-up. The sonic effect is quite remarkable and is only something that can be experienced as a member of a live audience,’ Yvonne enthuses. ‘I don’t go out searching for new sounds, like the Mighty Boosh episode,’ Austin chuckles, ‘The sandpaper came about because I wanted some kind of grainy white noise textures crossing over each other. Many ideas don’t work, but the important thing is for me to just try it. Being too perfectionistic or idealistic results in nothing getting done and often a really stale product. All you have to do is listen to Wu-Tang Clan – RZA couldn’t have even been bothered to match the keys of half of his samples and it's still amazing.’

Limb goes down in the School of Music band room on Thursday August 16 from 8pm, featuring a performance of Reset along with other new music pieces and a set by Pollen Trio. $15 standard/$5 concession.

Tim Rogers

Soldiering On

As ever, TIM ROGERS’ time is at a premium. Our first attempt at a chat is scuttled when he's called on set – he's a television actor these days, doncha know? – and our second phone call comes before another night of filming in the middle of the MCG for a different project. ‘It's pretty cold out there in a flimsy suit every night,’ he laughs. ‘I'm doing that, shooting all night tonight, and then heading off on tour tomorrow morning. One would think that I should really just concentrate on the one thing.’

Regardless, these increasing non-musical commitments – be they theatrical, televisual, literary or otherwise – don't seem to be cutting into Rogers’ songwriting time. ‘I don't have a lot of hobbies, so there's no problem with that,’ he says. ‘At stages in the past I've gone in half-arsed doing songs; there was a good drum roll and I'd think, “Wow, great, it's a song,” and put it on a record. These days I demand a bit more out of myself, writing-wise. Really, when you're going from work to work to day job, that's good for not only kinetic thought but also creative thought.

‘If you're sitting at a desk, stroking your pathetic beard, trying to find a perfect allegory for a hangover, there's a possibility that you're going to regurgitate someone else's thought,’ Tim continues. ‘When you're constantly on the move and not giving yourself that luxury of being able to sit down for seven hours and ponder over a major-seventh chord, I actually think you get better stuff out of it. At the times I've had more time to sit down and contemplate what I'm writing, I've come up with less interesting stuff.’

Tim has just released Rogers Sings Rogerstein, his sixth album outside the You Am I umbrella and second under his own name, which has drawn comparisons to his superb country-tinged 1999 outing with The Twin Set, What Rhymes With Cars And Girls. ‘See, I don't see any country in this record at all,’ he quickly interjects. ‘If by “country” you mean real old country, fuckin' weird, oblique, desperate stuff – yeah. But what I've really tried to avoid over the past couple of years is
“guy with a guitar – Hey, let's get loaded. Miss my baby. I suck – chorus, out.” Maybe as an itinerant country artist who’s forced to play songs of the Weimar Republic in Berlin in 1928, sure. That kind of country, I'm there.’

For the accompanying tour, Tim has wrangled a band of old friends who’ll be rehearsing in earnest. ‘We've got precious little time to get it together but we're having a lot of fun. We're playing songs off those records very differently from the way they were recorded, because of the instrumentation and just 'cos we wanna push each other. We wanna be the baddest guys in town on that particular night and steal your girlfriend's bus pass and get outta there.’

Tim Rogers plays The Abbey on Saturday September 1, supported by Catherine Britt. Tickets are $35 by calling (02) 6230 2905 or via theabbey.com.au. Doors open at 7.30pm.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Raveonettes

At ANU Bar, Friday May 18

It's always a relief to round the corner of the ANU Bar on a show night and see punters spilling out across the decking. Of course it is a Friday night so there really is no excuse, and thankfully Canberra has done itself proud for The Brian Jonestown Massacre's first visit.

We aren't too long inside before, at the very civil hour of a-quarter-to-nine, Danish duo The Raveonettes emerge, flanked by a touring drummer. With their flashy light show, the 'nettes leave their US tour-mates in their wake in the performance stakes. Sune Rose Wagner's searing guitar work is sharper than his bandmate Sharin Foo's fringe: fuzzed out; treble-heavy; loud enough to dislodge fillings; equal parts Mary Chain's William Reid and The Cramps' Poison Ivy. While the pair still share vocal duties, Foo takes the lead on most of the new songs and makes a commanding frontwoman.

As the crew prepares for The Brian Jonestown Massacre's entrance, the side stage area looks like a Vox showroom from the '60s with all kinds of bizarrely-shaped six and 12-string artefacts sitting about on racks. When the group do arrive, they file onstage and get straight down to it with Stairway To The Best Party In The Universe from their latest LP, Aufheben. From there the band go about their business with minimal fuss. Any rubberneckers who've come along in hope of something kicking off will have left disappointed. As anyone with a passing interest in the band would know, their infamously unwieldy days are long gone and The Brian Jonestown Massacre are now a reliable live proposition, more likely to break the venue curfew with a marathon set than any bystanding sitars. Granted, a piece about a band who troupe onstage, stand fairly still and flawlessly run through a wide-ranging selection of their best songs doesn't exactly make for the most gripping reading, but on the ground the band never sound any less than riveting.

Tonight, ordinarily chatty frontman Anton Newcombe seems content to let his songs do the talking, though early on in the piece he does pause to wryly remark, “Did they just throw Tony Abbott out?” when a more 'refreshed' member of the audience is ejected. Later on he mumbles a brief, somewhat indecipherable diatribe into the microphone which ties in both the Kardashians and the electoral process. As with the banter, the jamming is kept to a minimum and, by the night's end, the band have powered through 21 songs.

With founding member and contributing songwriter Matt Hollywood and magnetic tambourine player Joel Gion both back in the fold, this eight-man, four – on one song five – guitarist incarnation could well prove to be the band's definitive line-up. Certainly, rendered through that wall of guitars, tonight's versions of early tunes like That Girl Suicide and Vacuum Boots sound streets ahead of their studio counterparts.

The band do allow themselves to stretch out on closing number Straight Up And Down, jamming out the track until it slowly morphs into a hybrid of Sympathy For The Devil and Hey Jude. The members depart the stage one by one, leaving Newcombe behind on the keyboards, conjuring up an unholy noise coda to the near-two-hour set. For a brief moment it appears an encore is on the cards but neither the audience nor Newcombe seems to commit. Perhaps he knows, like we do, that it'd be a tough ask to top what had gone before.

Best Coast

If the interviews leading up to the release of The Only Place were to be believed, Best Coast were really planning to push the boat out with this, their second album. There were eyebrow-raising comparisons to The Eagles and mentions of leaving the bored-and-heartbroken-slacker-stoner shtick behind. But despite some superficial differences, not too much has changed.

The slick production is the most notable switch up, lifting the veil of reverb on Bethany Cosentino's voice and pushing it even more to the fore. The lyrics, which rely less on Cosentino's fallback lazy/crazy rhymes, tread familiar second-album territory, dealing with newfound fame, its associated pitfalls, life on the road and the subsequent disconnection to life back home.

Perhaps because of the duo's lovelorn lyricism, Best Coast have long drawn comparisons to '60s girl groups. On The Only Place, the band lives up to those references: the influence of The Ronettes is clear on the slow waltz of No One Like You which, with its layered vocal harmonies, mines classic tearjerker territory. But while the songwriting on Best Coast's debut Crazy For You was admittedly basic, there was a sense of effortlessness in the way Cosentino and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno turned out their pop gems. Here, the tunes feel laboured.

It seems somewhat ironic then, considering how much Cosentino has complained about being bored in her songs, that The Only Place emerges as, well, kinda boring.

The Getaway Plan

The Best-Laid Plan

A year and a half on from their reunion, a handful of tours down and with a new album on the shelves, THE GETAWAY PLAN are well and truly back in the mind frame of a full-time, fully functioning band. “It felt natural and right from the get-go,” frontman Matthew Wright says. “We fell back into the rhythm really quickly and easily and things haven't stopped since then.”

As for what spurred the reformation, Matthew explains it was a case of – to paraphrase Joni Mitchell – not knowing what you've got 'til it's gone. “I got used to writing with the same people for so long that I kind of took it for granted and when I ventured off into other things [including side-project Young Heretics] I realised that element was missing,” he says. “It was the same with all the other guys, with the other projects that they were working on [Amity for guitarist Clint Ellis, Saskia for bassist Dave Anderson and Aaron Barnett]. It just ended up that this was everyone's be-all and end-all and we're all happy for it to be that way.”

The band's anthemic second album Requiem marks a huge leap forward for the Melbourne four-piece: all soaring vocals and triumphant guitar-work. “We would have released another record in between these two if we hadn't broken up, so it's almost like we skipped an album in a sense,” Matthew explains. “Rather than trying to create the album we would have written, we just did what we want to do now.”

With the record comes a stadium-worthy live show: a proper rock show, complete with giant LED screens, strobes, percussion jams and a (sampled) children's choir. “You see so many bands touring and putting on the same show every time,” Matthew says. “It gets kind of stale. You look overseas and there's all these bands doing amazing things on stage with incredible production and you come back here and everyone's kind of doing it half-arsed.” Indeed, bands who put on a bit of a show almost seem to be treated with suspicion. “I know what you mean,” Matthew agrees. “That's probably one of my most hated things about the industry to be honest, that people assume the worst of most artists. But we just enjoy doing what we're doing. I love putting on a show.”

After a to-be-announced support slot in July, The Getaway Plan intend to take their live show to the world and, down the track, potentially relocate. “That's the ultimate goal,” Matthew says. “I don't think we want to live there permanently, but I'd definitely like to live in the UK for a period of my life with the band.”

The Getaway Plan play Groovin the Moo alongside Public Enemy, Hilltop Hoods, Wavves, Digitalism, City and Colour, Parkway Drive and many more on Sunday May 13 at The Meadows, University of Canberra. Tickets are $99.90 available from Moshtix.

Public Enemy

Fear Of A Flavor'd Planet

“The kitchen is a mess.” It's a metaphor that Chuck D continues to return to over the course of our conversation. The frontman of legendary hip hop group PUBLIC ENEMY is right in the midst of finishing up two new records with the group: Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp, which will be released in June, and its follow-up, The Evil Empire of Everything, due out in September. “People are sitting in the dining room or in the living room or whatever and the kitchen is a mess. The kitchen is a storm, man,” he says, with a deep chuckle. “It's a disaster – and it's a good one too. Great smells are coming out of there and you can see what's forming to be complete, but it ain't complete now.”

As Chuck explains, the two records are gradually being assembled in studios across the country, the band's scattered membership communicating by phone, email and text. The albums will then be released on Public Enemy's own label, SLAMjamz. This mode of operation is a far cry from the group's early days recording their groundbreaking 1987 debut Yo! Bum Rush the Show, an album which married The Bomb Squad's abrasive, hard-edged production with Chuck D and Flavor Flav's righteously indignant rhyming and introduced the group to the world. “Back then, you had to get a purchase order to go into a studio – you just couldn't just go into a studio and record,” Chuck remembers. “A clock was always running. Then when you finally had [the album], it was actually a physical product that was out of your hands. It was usually out of your hands because retail, warehousing, shipping, manufacturing were all these elements that everybody else took care of and then told you what your percentage rate was going to be. From the studio to the end result you were totally dependent and being totally dependent on a structure like that really kept a lot of people out, so you were competing against a selected few.

“Today,” he continues, “the method of putting together a record and making it slide into the world, I'm not going to say it's no big deal, but the thing about it is something has to be unique about you – different than what the next band can do. I think that what Public Enemy did here is not so much about what's within, but really the technique of what we dared to do: releasing two albums two months from each other in the time when people flash through records, songs, albums so fast. We wanted to be able to slow down the listening.”

So are these two albums almost a reaction to modern listening habits? “Exactly,” Chuck affirms. “You're the first one that got it; it is a reaction to listening habits today. People's access is quicker, their tolerance is less and the time that they have to soak in anything is short. That's the reality and you adapt and adjust to it. The presentation [of the music] is an event, as much as what is within,” he reemphasises. “I didn't want to do anything ordinary.”

When it comes to subject matter for the twin LPs, Chuck is certainly not short of inspiration. “Somebody was talking to me earlier,” he says, “like, ‘Where are you guys coming from? What's up with you guys?’ and I'm like, ‘Well, it's not what's up with us, it's what's up with the world.’ That's the statement that I'm trying to make: ‘What's up with the world?’ Watch the throne, but who's going to catch the thrown?” Chuck says, referencing the collaborative LP Jay-Z and Kanye West released last year. “So there's a [song] title called Catch the Thrown – and thrown is T-H-R-O-W-N. It's not a direct attack [on Jay-Z and Kanye], it's a question. As we're watching the throne, who's going to catch The Thrown?” – the people that are, as Chuck puts it, “Thrown at, thrown under, thrown to the side, thrown down.

“It's that question: questioning the elite, which we've always been able to do,” he concludes. “Being able to bring a world conversation into the picture.”

The challenge now, Chuck says, is how Public Enemy incorporates this wealth of new material into its live shows. While the group is no heritage act dependent on rehashing past glories, as a music fan Chuck is more than aware of striking that delicate balance between the new stuff and the classics. “I wouldn't necessarily want to go and see The Rolling Stones if they didn't want to do Satisfaction and Brown Sugar and all those cuts,” he admits. “I'd be like, ‘I'm a fan, I bought the new album but I don't want to hear all of it.’ You don't want to leave [the new album] alone, you want to actually draw from it and fit it within your set so people say, ‘Wow, if they did want to do their whole album they would have smashed it just like they did.’ There's always got to be some nice shit up in there that you can do, but also know what brought you there.”

Public Enemy plays Groovin the Moo at The Meadows, University of Canberra on Sunday May 13 alongside Hilltop Hoods, City and Colour, Digitalism, Kimbra, Parkway Drive, Kaiser Chiefs, Wavves, 360 and many more. Tickets are $99.90 from Moshtix.

Super Best Friends

It’s funny, Johnny Barrington notes, that recent reviews in interstate press have touted SUPER BEST FRIENDS as some group of green newcomers. Local audiences know the truth.

“The big secret that Canberra’s privy to,” the band’s frontman smiles. “My 21st, 2005, was our first gig. It’s funny because we’ve just been added to the Groovin the Moo line-up which is actually my 28th birthday – so there you go, a good map of our history. We’ve managed to go from the Bateman’s Bay Community Centre to playing at a festival at UC.”

For Johnny, bassist Matt Roberts and drummer Adam Bridges, it’s been years of hard graft leading up to this point: the release of the band’s third EP Handshake and their first national headlining tour. Recorded in Melbourne with Paul “Woody” Annison – studio wizard to the likes of The Living End, Children Collide, Cabins and Black Cab – the new disc sees the trio ramping up the rock action whilst, seemingly, easing off on the political overtones that marked their earlier work.

“Maybe we’ve eased off on that stuff or maybe it’s more cryptic now,” Johnny considers. “For a long time we haven’t wanted to be a preachy band – maybe once upon a time we came across with an axe to grind but lately we’ve been more into observing stuff and satirising it. The other thing is you can’t escape being part of what you’re complaining about. As much as you can have a stab at people, big companies, governments or the way things are, particularly in Australia, and particularly in Canberra, we’re all pretty comfortable.

“You get older and you see the world differently,” he continues. “When you’re at uni, when you have more time to think, you probably have one way of thinking, ‘this is how things should work’. Then you start hanging around with people who aren’t necessarily your chosen select group of friends and you start to realise how the world is – and maybe you’re not right.”
So while they are prepared to have their ideas challenged, the members’ commitment to the band remains firm. Seven years in, there’s certainly no end in sight.

“There have been a few times when the band has come near to getting to the end of its tether,” Johnny admits. “When my old faithful blue van gave up the ghost and broke down in Wangaratta, we had to hire a car to get to Melbourne and I had to get trains and buses to drive this piece of shit back to Canberra to get a new alternator, only for it to stuff up again. There’ve been some pretty dramatic moments in terms of first world rock ‘n’ roll problems, but we’ve managed to keep it going.”

Super Best Friends launch Handshake on Thursday April 26 at the Transit Bar with The Fighting League and Shopgirl. Entry is $10. The band will also play Groovin the Moo at The Meadows, UC on Saturday May 13. Tickets are available through Moshtix.

Dead Meadow/Pink Mountaintops

@ ANU Bar, Wednesday April 4

“Thanks for the barrier,” Sam McBean deadpans, nodding towards the hulking metal structure running along the front of the stage. “It makes me feel safe.” It may have stopped many an eager fan from spilling onto their hero's guitar pedals but tonight, with the room full of blissed out, swaying punters, it seems a little incongruous.

On this tour, Pink Mountaintops’ main man McBean is supported by a cast of two. To his right stands Jules Ferrari, formerly of The Dolly Rocker Movement, keyboardist in the current incarnation of Songs and sometime member of The Black Ryder, who provides vocals, tambourine and occasional maracas. To his left, pineapple-haired Gregg Foreman, fleet-footed frontman of The Delta 72, guitarist in current Cat Power backing-band The Dirty Delta Blues Band and another in The Black Ryder's revolving membership, is hunched over a keyboard, hammering away.

There's very little in the way of 'performance', but the trio create a trance-inducing wall of noise. Backed by a drum machine which at times seems to bore directly into the listener's skull, McBean's fuzzed-out guitar mixes with Foreman's swampy, distorted keys and the frontman harmonises with Ferrari, their voices blending into one. Rendered as they are in trio format, the songs – particularly those from the band's most recent, string-heavy album Outside Love – are missing much of their studio instrumentation, but it's hardly an issue. In fact, they sound better tonight than they ever did on record. Towards the end of their set, they drop in a particularly affecting version of Closer to Heaven.

Dead Meadow's backline of Orange amplifiers has been looming over proceedings all night and once the Washington trio hit the stage, the low-end rumble immediately sets off the venue's full-length windows. The last time your correspondent saw tonight's headliners, they were playing back-to-back shows for the Victorian leg of All Tomorrow's Parties at Mount Buller. An early afternoon set on the first day was followed by a secret show the next, which saw clued-in attendees crowding into one of the resort's small bars, craning their necks for a glimpse of the band. While they were loud on the open-air main stage, Dead Meadow were positively deafening in the cramped confines of The Abom. Tonight the psych-rockers seem a little muted by comparison, more content to ride the groove than dig in with any ferocity.

It is a weeknight, so some of the audience begins to peel off after about half an hour of Dead Meadow's hypnotic sonic meanderings. It's a shame, for though the extended set tests even some of most dedicated Meadow-heads, the band really hits their stride towards the end of the 80-minute session – particularly as they stretch out closing number I Love You Too in perpetuity, or at least until someone behind the bar unsubtly begins bringing up the house lights. Frontman Jason Simon is in fine form, particularly on the Crazy Horse-esque What Needs Must Be where he absolutely nails the song's twin solos. During another extended jam, ever-resourceful bassist Steve Kille manages to finish off his beer mid-song, continuing to hammer-on the notes with his fretting hand whilst clutching a bottle in the other.

Full credit must go to Melbourne touring agency Heathen Skulls who, while so many others simply skip over the capital, continue to bring leftfield internationals through town. And going on the names which were being bandied about at the merch stand after the show, local audiences can look forward to some more choice shows throughout the year.

Super Best Friends

Written over the course of a year, recorded in a long weekend and then stashed in the vaults for another year, Super Best Friend's Handshake has been a long time coming. Cut in Melbourne with Children Collide, Living End and Young Revelry producer Paul 'Woody' Annison, it gives the local band the huge, speaker-rattling, hi-fi treatment their music has always demanded.

Matt Roberts' bass, the backbone of the band, takes the lead on most tracks and positively leaps out of the speakers, snarling and growling. Locking in with drummer Adam Bridges' snappy sticksmanship, it creates a rock solid foundation for Johnny Barrington's slash and burn axework. But while the Besties have always been a guitar band, synths take an increasingly prominent role on the EP – a marker for tunes to come, perhaps.

As usual, the band's lyrics find them spitting venom and railing against the ills of society. But while earlier songs were about as subtle as a sledgehammer, these new tracks read less like political diatribes, with more emphasis on snarky social observation and self-deprecation. The Bleachers has the band taking aim at Sydney's eastern beaches types and stand-out track, the disarmingly catchy No Logo is a Joke, deals with the fading anti-capitalist movement. Lyrically as well as musically, Handshake recalls the propulsive rock and black humour of Future of the Left and their forbears Mclusky.

A disc to match the ferocity of the band's live show.

Ball Park Music

Hitting It Out Of The Ball Park

It’s day two of tour and, calling from his bunk bed at The Great Northern in Byron Bay, BALL PARK MUSIC guitarist Dean Hanson has already settled into life on the road. “We started last night in Coolangatta and then drove down to Byron and got here at 3.30 in the morning,” he blearily reports. “Then we had to get up really early this morning to do the Like a Version for triple j” - which yielded a winning cover of The Flaming Lips’ Do You Realize??.

The six members of Ball Park Music first assembled while studying music performance at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane. “In our course they encouraged us to be as crazy as possible,” Dean remembers. “The more outrageous and crazy you were – and sometimes terrible-sounding – the better marks you got just for exploring that.” And considering all the members shared classes, band activities occasionally overlapped with course requirements. “We definitely used it to our advantage,” Dean says. “Once we’d found likeminded musicians, we did double up with our assessments and things, just because it’s good to have people who can accompany you for your exam pieces.”

Towards the end of 2011, the band released their debut Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs. A bubbling LP of infectious guitar pop, Dean explains it charts the band’s musical growth over the two years leading up to its release. “When we started out, we hardly knew each other personally so we couldn’t really get that balance and be on the same page,” Dean says. “Then you slowly explore your sound and come to grips with what sort of band you want to be and what you sound like. The idea for our first album was an album of stuff that we think best represents our journey. The later tracks on the album steer more towards the direction we want to go in the future.”

When it comes to influences however, Dean is unable to nail down any key names. “We have a fairly eclectic mix of favourite bands and musicians. [Dan and I] spent all our years as teenagers jamming our own music downstairs and not really paying attention to what other people were doing, so our influences are terrible. I think Sam, Daniel and I all used to share a pretty strong interest in nu-metal bands when we were back in our teens,” he chuckles. Perhaps there’s a hint as to Ball Park Music’s new direction there – with Limp Bizkit just in the country, the genre may well be due a revival. “Maybe,” he chuckles. “We all went to Soundwave and saw them and relived those days. It was good fun.”

Ball Park Music play the Transit Bar on Saturday March 31 with Nantes and Cub Scouts. Pre-sale tickets are sold out but a small number of door sales will be available on the night.

The Low Light Social

Early ‘90s London club night The Heavenly Social cast a wider shadow than its digs – the cramped basement of a city pub – would have suggested. The weekly event provided an opportunity for likeminded music obsessives, including a nascent Chemical Brothers, to hang out and share new tunes. Shoeb Ahmad of local label hellosQuare hopes to capture some of its essence with upcoming event THE LOW LIGHT SOCIAL.

“I’ve been listening to a lot of Andy Weatherall and thinking about The Heavenly Social and those ‘90s dance clubs,” he explains. “The name is a riff on that. Rather than using lights, we’ve got this idea of having lamps placed around the whole area. We’re encouraging people to bring cushions and rugs and it’s BYO, so you can just come and chill out.”

Shoeb says hellosQuare was originally planning to scale back its shows this year to focus on upcoming releases and family commitments, but when Jason Khan of Swiss experimental trio Tetras got in contact looking to organise a Canberra show, he couldn’t resist. “Jason, while doing all this minimal, experimental sound art, actually started off as a Los Angeles native playing in SST punk bands which is totally crazy,” Shoeb says. “And then Jeroen, who plays organ, is a Dutch guy who, for ten or 15 years, used to do sound for The Ex, who are my favourite punk band. They’ve done collaborations with Tortoise and Sonic Youth and toured with Fugazi.”

This sets us off on a tangent about punk musicians who have ended up playing and recording in the experimental music scene. “For me,” Shoeb says, “the craziest is Napalm Death. All three of those dudes – Nic Bullen, Justin Broadrick and Mick Harris – ended up making electronic music. The bassist, Nic, does art installations, the drummer, Mick, has made all this beautiful, dark industrial dub and obviously Justin went on to do Godflesh, then Jesu and Techno Animals with The Bug. That crossover’s strange, but I think that’s the nature of those dudes who wanted to do the most extreme thing possible in the first place, then just kept pushing themselves. Punk into experimental music is just the want or need to keep pushing yourself.”

Also making an appearance at The Low Light Social is Kangaroo Skull, a duo featuring My Disco guitarist Ben Andrews and drummer Rohan Rebeiro, playing only its third show. “Ben’s a friend on the label – the My Disco boys are in general – and I remember reading about what transpired to be Kangaroo Skull in a review of Camp-a-Low-Hum in New Zealand,” Shoeb says. “It’s a minimal beat kind of thing: pummelling noises; low bass, almost bass from sinewaves. It’s brutal and really awesome. I wanted something that would be pretty heavy, something that people might gravitate towards – ie. stuff by the dudes from My Disco – and those boys are always up for playing.”

The Low Light Social will be held at 15 Childers Street, Acton on Saturday January 14 from 6pm, featuring Tetras, Kangaroo Skull, Sanso-Xtro, Thomas William, Spartak, Danger Beach and Mornings DJs. Tickets are $30 from hellosquare.bandcamp.com .

The Fighting League

THOSE FIGHTING WORDS

Dominic Death, frontman of local band THE FIGHTING LEAGUE and self-proclaimed King of the Capital, is speaking via wire from the far north. While most would consider Queensland the country’s hotspot, Dom maintains his hometown is the true tropical capital. “I pretended to enjoy their cool weather,” he says of the Sunshine State, “but what they don’t know is that I hate them and poisoned all their crops, then reformed the 1994 NSW Blues team with an ACT branch – me and all the other members of The Fighting League – and beat the shit out of them in one of the greatest League matches of all time that went for three days and eight people died.”

For self-styled tropical punks The Fighting League, the third time’s a charm. Almost two years ago, the band was preparing to release their debut record. Instead, the recordings were shelved next to an unreleased EP. “For the first EP we wanted to release,” Dom says, “we went to [drummer] Alex’s to record it and got majorly wasted for three days and recorded what we thought was the greatest album of all time. Evidently it was not. The next time we tried to record we went up to Robin’s [aka TV Colours] school in Sydney and got majorly drunk and recorded over two straight days. That had potential but we didn’t put enough effort into it and then we just stopped caring.”

Luckily, the band – completed by bassist Joel and guitarists Carey and Andy – was introduced to Bruce Callaway, producer to the likes of Ed Kuepper and The Triffids. As well as having the engineering smarts, Bruce – a former member of The Saints – is also well-versed in dealing with the artistic temperament. “Meeting Bruce was the best thing that ever happened to our band, because not only is he a total pro, he also recorded us exactly the way we wanted and the best way for our sound,” Dom says. “We are not particularly picky about recording but we are very picky about our songwriting. Songwriting is what we care about most. We believe having true music is the most important thing and everything else comes next – and that includes being badasses on and off stage. When we recorded with a pro we knew he would do the best job for our sound. I don’t know about Chris Bailey, but The Fighting League and Bruce are like rice and curry.”

The result of this musical korma, if you will, is Tropical Paradise: 14 tracks taking in punk, new-wave, glam and garage rock influences. In an age of records saturated with reverb and tape hiss, the album’s crisp, classic ‘60s-style production stands out. “We have always wanted to record clean,” Dom notes, “not necessarily as a reaction to distortion stuff, but just simply because we have always thought our songs’ melodies, structures and energy were just too good to fuck around covering it up with all that crap microphone noise.”

The Fighting League launch Tropical Paradise at The Phoenix on Saturday December 17 with TV Colours, Assassins 88 and more. Entry is free. Tropical Paradise is available on 12” vinyl through Dream Damage and for download via thefightingleague.bandcamp.com .

Dick Diver

Much has been made of Dick Diver's 'Australian-ness', perhaps because it's still reasonably rare to find a band writing about this country using distinctly Australian cultural references. Until recently, it did seem that it was considered a bit naff for local musicians to write directly about their homeland.
It's a point that's hard to avoid with the Melbourne indie-pop band, whose lyrics mention Hills Hoists, Omo and Kerri-Anne and include memorable lines such as “Bird shit splats into a Southern Cross.” Canberra even receives a slightly unflattering nod in Interstate Forever, when a friend's decision to move back to the capital prompts the narrator to consider “the link between planned cities and Hitler.” Across the album, guitarists Rupert Edwards and McKay, bassist Al Monfort – who plays in The UV Race and Total Control – and drummer Steph Hughes – also of Boomgates – all share singing duties. The band wander around the suburbs, observing the glow of TVs through screen doors and scenes through shopfront windows and spend long afternoons in backyards and on river banks, baking in the sun.

The music establishes the languorous summer vibe: shuffling drum beats, loping basslines and wavering, occasionally trem-armed guitars. Album closer Head Back sees listeners off with an understated drum and bass groove, featuring dryly-delivered lines such as “There's no rules, be yourself, burn the flag” and culminates in call-and-response guitar leads and, finally, a harmonica solo. Lovely.

Pollen Trio

PERFECT POLLINATION

It’s fitting that just as spring kicks into gear, POLLEN TRIO have sprung back into action. The local group is preparing to release its first full-length Roll Slow on local label hellosQuare this month. The three-piece – pianist Austin Buckett, drummer Evan Dorrian and bassist Christopher Pound – began in 2008 as Austin Benjamin Trio, playing an experimental brand of jazz. However, they soon decided to take a more free-form musical tack and with a change in approach came a change of name.
 
Their first release as Pollen Trio was six track EP 230509, a heavily improvisation-based affair. Roll Slow again sees the trio forging into the great unknown. “For 230509 Austin just brought in some piano frameworks and melodic bits that we expanded on. This time ‘round we really went in unprepared though,” Evan says. “The energy in the trio was really good so within the first three months we booked time in the studio with the intention of just improvising for a day. In the end we did set up a couple of little frameworks that we played with towards the end of the session and one of those ended up on the album.”
 
As the group’s musical ideas are generally born out of extended jams, a bit of editing is sometimes required in the mixing stages. “I think with the kind of music we play the post-production stage is pretty important as it allows you to highlight the really good moments,” Evan explains. “It’s also a necessity because we had about three hours worth of material from the session and so we had to whittle it down to what we thought was the best 50 minutes.”
 
Upon listening to Roll Slow, the most immediate difference is the addition of trumpeter Miroslav Bukovsky, an ARIA award-winning musician and lecturer at the School of Music who has spent over 30 years playing in various groups. “Our bass player has been living in Cyprus for a year or so now and so Austin and I were just playing as a duo,” Evan says. “Miroslav happened to be around one day and we jammed and the energy was great, so we just kept going.” Evan says they soon realised the instrument could play a different role in the band. “In a jazz context you most often hear [the trumpet] soloing on top of a rhythm section,” Evan says. “But jazz isn’t really what we’re doing, so Miroslav plays like he’s part of a strange rhythm section, very texturally and also rhythmically. In fact he also plays percussion and uses a looper. So there’s a distinctive new timbre in the sound now, but I think our collective outlook is still the same.”

Launch Roll Slow on Thursday November 17 at The Loft upstairs at the Majura Medical Centre in Dickson, supported by Shoeb Ahmad. The album is available to pre-order through hellosquarerecordings.com .

BATRIDER

It seems that each chapter of BATRIDER’s career – ‘Career.’ Too gauche? ‘Journey’? Too drippy. ‘Lifespan’? No. Career, then – is punctuated by a record and a relocation. From their Wellington hometown, the band moved to Melbourne, on to London, then Adelaide and are now returning to Melbourne as they release a fourth album, Piles of Lies. The album features enough scuzzy guitars and snarled vocals to keep old fans happy, but on many tracks the trio takes a more restrained approach, playing around with subdued guitar textures and vocal harmonies. At a sprawling 16 tracks, the record covers as much sonic terrain as Batrider has covered actual terrain.

“I’m quite interested in what you gain and what you lose moving around, as opposed to people who stay in one place forever,” singer, songwriter and guitarist Sarah Chadwick says of the band’s travels. “I’m not sure which is better. My dad’s lived in the same little town in New Zealand for his whole life and he’s 75,” she continues. “I guess it just comes down to the person. I think it’s sad when you see people stuck in places and they don’t want to move because it’s too hard or the idea of it’s too overwhelming. That’s a shame, because in [the second] case they’d probably get quite a lot out of it.”

While Sarah says the members have never relocated specifically for Batrider, the band has always been a motivating factor in any shift. “When we moved from Wellington to Melbourne, we did it as a band but that was a move that all of us would have probably made independently anyway. It’s been good moving places with that as a purpose, rather than just moving and getting a job. Personally, I might have been too disorganised to do it for any other reason than the band.”

Indeed, Batrider has become something of an all-consuming passion for Sarah, who now stands as the band’s only remaining original member. “The older I get, it’s not like I start thinking I’d like to be a teacher or go back to uni,” she says. “I’m more and more happy doing it – and definitely for different reasons. When we started this band when we were 20, there were conversations hoping one day we’ll make lots of money and we’ll get famous and all that kind of carry on that you feel a bit embarrassed, a bit sad and a bit amused by when you’re a bit older. Even though the motivation for it has changed, I feel like it’s getting a bit more concentrated. More than then, I just want to do it because I really enjoy it and I don’t think I’m crap at it. If I had something else that I really wanted to do I wouldn’t [sacrifice] it for this band, but the band’s always been the most important thing.”

Batrider launches Piles of Lies at The Phoenix on Sunday August 21 with Per Purpose (Brisbane) and TV Colours. Doors open at 7pm, entry is $10.

SINGLE TWIN

Though Marcus Teague has only just released his first solo album, he has been operating as something of a lone creative force for years. For well over a decade, he was the frontman, driving force and the only constant member of Melbourne indie rock moodists Deloris, who split in 2008. For the last six years, Marcus has been working on a series of solo recordings, which were recently released under the SINGLE TWIN banner.

Marcus Teague, the album, is based around an acoustic guitar and a voice, occasionally augmented with strings, percussion and other instruments. “Even though it's about trying to set a mood with music, part of the project is to focus on the lyrics,” Marcus says. “I feel like lyrics are at least a signpost to what people are on about and if people aren't on about anything, or in my mind it doesn't suit the music that they're doing, then it really annoys me. That's not to say I don't like a dance song which is just someone yelling 'Shake your arse' over and over again. If that works for the song, that's great.”

This isn't an arrangement that will suit every listener, he concedes. “Especially with Deloris, I learnt that some people just don't listen to lyrics. You might have the best lyrics in the world … but if people listen to it and they go 'I don't like the beat, this song sucks’, there's not much you can do about it.”

While his last Canberra performance as part of the Peking Spring festival was a solo affair, this time around Marcus is presenting Single Twin in full technicolour five-piece glory. “When I say a five-piece, it's not like we're all bashing away at the same time,” he clarifies. “It's definitely not like a rock band or anything. It's hard not to sound pompous talking about this sort of stuff, but I guess I approach it like a soundtrack. There are key atmospheres that people are making behind the nuts and bolts of the acoustic song that I'm playing. We've only done one proper show, which was just before the album came out and that was one of my favourite shows ever, so hopefully we can continue that through NSW and the ACT.”

Marcus is particularly looking forward to returning to The Street Theatre, which has become one of his favoured places to play. While he says the setting - pin-drop silence and the glare of the spotlight - is confronting, he relishes the challenge. “It's dead quiet between songs and it forces you to assess what you're doing on a stage with performing or with your music. It's like a job interview or something,” he chuckles. “I don't know about Deloris in the early days but I quite like that now. It's like a test. I'm looking forward to seeing how I deal with it.”

Single Twin plays The Street Theatre on Tuesday August 2 with Underlapper and From the South. Tickets are $20 or $15 concession from thestreet.org.au . Marcus Teague is out now through Remote Control.

Yuck - Yuck - [Fat Possum]

Surely we're due a '90s revival any day now. In fact, the proliferation of flannel around town might suggest it's already begun. Either way, when it does hit and the kids start trading in their synthesisers for Jazzmasters, London's Yuck are well poised to spearhead the revolt.

Borne from the holy trinity of Dinosaur Jr's You're Living All Over Me, Teenage Fanclub's Bandwagonesque and My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, Yuck began as guitarists Daniel Blumberg and Max Bloom: childhood friends who, in their mid-teens, formed and later defected from hotly-tipped British indie-popsters Cajun Dance Party.
Yuck's self-titled debut stands as a testament to the band's strong songwriting, as it was recorded on the most meagre of set-ups: a couple of mics into a Tascam Portastudio – which sell for under 200 bucks on ebay – and all of it mixed in Garageband. Of course, songs like The Wall and the Yo La Tengo-esque Georgia would sound great recorded through a hearing aid in a rusty milk pail. While the wonderfully daft lyrics of the latter – “tryin' to make it through the wall/you can see me if you're tall/looking over” – reveal little, they serve to support some infectious vocal melodies.
Though much of the album revels in walls of guitars that at turns buzz, snarl, squeal and swirl, almost an equal part is made up of more restrained, plaintive fare. From here, it'll be interesting to see where Yuck head next.

Scattered Order

SCATTERED YET STRONG

Formed in 1979 in the lounge room of a Surry Hills house, Sydney post-punk group SCATTERED ORDER began as sound engineer Mitch Jones, and musician Michael Tee. Shortly after forming the band, the pair, along with a few musician friends, founded the M Squared label. It was a fertile period for the Sydney music scene: charged with the spirit of punk rock and armed with the first wave of affordable home recording equipment. “Before then, the only alternative was to pay a fortune and go to a professional studio to get recorded,” Mitch confirms. “There was no in between: it was either that or record it onto a cassette player, but as soon as Tascam started bringing out multitracks, you had small studios starting to take off.”

While M Squared only lasted a few short years - “It ended with a lot of debts and we locked the place up and hid from the landlord,” Mitch laughs - Scattered Order endured. With Mitch remaining the sole constant member, the band has continued, in one form or another, for the best part of the last 30 years. The line-up has remained fluid, with members of X, Blackeyed Susans, Lime Spiders and The Johnnys drifting in and out of Scattered Order over that time.

In 2009, Mitch and Michael met up after 25 years to work on some reissue projects: Terrace Industry, a box set charting the brief history of M Squared and 41 Pardons, the first in a series compiling rare and unreleased recordings from the label. However, trawling through the label's archives inspired them to revive the Scattered Order name and recommence working together.

“A lot of the stuff I thought wouldn't stand up has stood up, which has been really nice,” Mitch says of M Squared's old recordings. “It brings back a lot of happy memories for all of us I think, because at that time we just couldn't give a fuck what we were doing, we were just doing it.” This attitude hasn't changed either, he adds. “I've realised that I'm never going to make money out of it so therefore I just have to
tailor what I do. I can't spend money I don't have, so I've just brought that kind of sensibility to the couldn't-give-a-fuck attitude,” he laughs. “I couldn't give a fuck but I still have to do it within a budget, which normally is zero - or pretty close to.”

And as Scattered Order enters its fourth decade, there's no end in sight. “I still enjoy playing this sort of music,” Mitch says. “I think the band's continually developing. I don't know where it's going to go but that's half the fun. I just keep trying to find people to play with, so I'll keep playing as Scattered Order. I've realised this is what I'm meant to be doing with my life.”

Scattered Order play The Phoenix on Wednesday May 11 for the Peking Spring Festival. Also playing are Cleptoclectics, Savages and Andrew Fedorovitch. Entry is free.

Adalita

SOLO MAGIC

Having spent nearly 20 years fronting Geelong noiseniks Magic Dirt, frontwoman ADALITA has stepped out on her own: on record, on stage and on the campaign trail talking to the press. “I usually do all the talking, even with Magic Dirt,” she laughs. “But I think there's a lot of responsibility to talk about a record... to try and get across the intentions and to look back and get some perspective on what you've done as an artist and then to talk about it in an objective sense. I find it difficult, but some days are better than others.”

Adalita credits Magic Dirt’s bassist Dean Turner - who passed away in 2009 after a long battle with cancer - with inspiring her to strike out on her own. “He was really encouraging of it,” she says. “I started writing songs for the record and I shared the demos with Dean. We would both sit down and have a listen to them all. Then we decided on how the record would sound, which was it would just be me: one vocal and one guitar. Minimal, [the] stripped back essence of the song is exactly what Dean and I planned and that's what we achieved.”

The role of ‘solo artist’ is still very much a new thing for the otherwise seasoned musician, as she only played her first solo show in March 2009. After a handful of low-key gigs and stint touring with Rockwiz Live, Adalita experienced something of a baptism by fire when she was requested as the Australian support for last year’s Blondie and The Pretenders double-header. A daunting prospect, one imagines.

“It was!” she exclaims. “Mick and Anthea Newton who got me on the tour and do A Day On The Green, really believed in me and were very supportive. I was like ‘I don't know about this... I just don't know if it's appropriate, if I should do it because it's just me! Do you know what you're getting here?’ I'm glad that they encouraged me to do it because I think others can sometimes see things in you that you can't.”

And good news for the fans – both old and new – who have been won over by Adalita, the record. It appears a follow up isn’t too far off. “I've started writing for the second record,” she says. “I feel like I'm full of songs and I've got to get them out, so I definitely feel like there's a second one and possibly a third one. See how we go from there.” As to how this next instalment will shape up, anything’s possible it seems. “I don't want to restrict myself to any format,” Adalita says. “It's the same kind of feeling that Magic Dirt had: we just did whatever we felt like. I'm that same person so I do the same thing too.”

Adalita is hitting up the Transit Bar on Thursday April 14 as part of her National Album Launch tour. Tickets are $18.20, through Moshtix!

Kim Salmon

SALMON SWIMMING UPSTREAM

“Everyone goes on about how wonderful it is that there’s so much music around, but it’s all so fuckin’ average,” spits KIM SALMON. Somewhere during our chat we’ve gotten sidetracked, but he’s on a roll and I’m certainly not going to stop him. If there’s anyone qualified to rail against modern music, then Kim Salmon – founder of hugely influential post-punks The Scientists; veteran of Beasts of Bourbon; leader of The Surrealists, The Business and SALMON; one half of Darling Downs, alongside with Ron Peno; half of Precious Jules; solo artist in his own right – is that man.

“I’m partially responsible for it,” he continues. “I was a big punk rocker and punk rockers are all about ‘anybody can do it.’ The thing is yeah, anyone can do it, but that doesn’t mean you can be average. You’ve still got to make it worthy. What’s happened, with all these wonderful things like the egalitarian nature of punk and the digital age, it’s enabled a whole lot of people to go out there and pollute the bloody place with rubbish. There’s all these really average people out there that are getting lauded ... and they’re wrecking it for people like me who give a shit. There, I’ve said it and I hope there’s a million angry blogs out there, ‘Who the fuck do you think you are?’” he laughs.

Rewind 20 minutes and we’re talking about his improv-based collaboration with Candlesnuffer at the upcoming Peking Spring Festival. The project came about when Kim was invited to perform at last year’s Melbourne Jazz Festival. “[Organiser] Shaun Baxter got in touch with me and made some suggestions about collaborating with various people,” Kim explains. “Most of them seemed a bit like indie rock to me and finally he suggested Dave (Brown, Candlesnuffer) and I thought ‘I like the idea of that.’ I just thought the idea of a few indie guitarists noodling away would be really boring – I’m putting myself in that category, you see.”

After exchanging CDs of each other’s music and having a jam, “just to see if it would work,” the partnership was forged. The pair have performed sporadically since, so it’s a coup Peking Spring has landed this performance. “Dave’s got his guitar that he sits on his lap: he’s got it rigged up so that all kinds of sounds can come out of it,” Kim explains. “He’s got an arsenal of mostly cooking gear by the look of it – bit of shaving gear there as well – that you can make a noise on the instrument with, but less probable sounds. I mostly work with a couple of little Sony cassette players and amp noise. And occasionally there’s a guitar in there.”

We just show up and play. There’s never been any plans at all. It’s really just salvaging a performance out of whatever happens.”

Kim Salmon and Candlesnuffer play at the ANU Bar on Thursday April 21 with MoHa! (Norway), Horatio Pollard (UK) and The Black Moth. Entry is $15. Doors open at 7pm.

Teddy Trouble - The Great Indoors - [Dream Damage]

For about four months at the end of last year, literally all I heard about was Teddy Trouble. Did I have their CD? What did I think of it? Wasn’t it just about the coolest thing I’d heard all year? Of course, like a complete numpty, I’d managed to miss the local band’s launch where every last copy of the ridiculously limited run EP was snapped up by eager punters. Lucky, then, that local label Dream Damage has advised they will be printing up another stack of copies soon, because The Great Indoors shouldn’t be allowed to slide silently by, under-appreciated.

From the moment the opening salvo bursts from the speakers – all bouncing bass, chiming 12-string guitar and peppy drum work – you know you’re onto a winner. Lead-off track Byths essentially sets the template for what’s to follow: busy basslines and guitars blending together over snappy rhythms while the oblique lyrics cover, at various points, growing up, the apocalypse and, memorably, fat skeletons - “You can tell he’s fat,” we’re told, “because of the way the skin hangs from his back.”

My rather scuffed and sorry looking copy of the disc will attest to just how much time it’s spent in and out of stereos and computer drives over the past few months. The Great Indoors goes up against anything else - from anywhere else – that was released last year.

The Falling Joys - Joy To The World

With contemporaries such as The Hummingbirds, Ratcat and Smudge back in operation, it seemed only a matter of time before Canberra’s own ‘90s janglepop legends THE FALLING JOYS would dust off the guitars. With the four members again living in and around the Canberra region, The Joys are reconvening to play their first show in 15 years at the National Museum of Australia’s By the Water concert series.

“You did feel like it was a scene,” frontwoman Suzie Higgie reflects on the halcyon days of early ‘90s Australian indie rock, when bands like The Clouds, alongside The Joys, were infiltrating the mainstream. “I suppose when any bands are starting off, you have comrades in other bands. There was an excitement and a swapping of ideas. I suppose looking back, one of the most common threads was that there were girls playing guitars a lot more – that was a prominent thing. Girls were getting a bit more active in bands around the town.”

The Falling Joys formed in Canberra in 1985, relocating to Sydney a few years later and releasing a string of singles and EPs leading up to 1991’s debut LP Wish List. The album housed certified alt-rock hit Lock It, which dominated the airwaves and charted in 1991’s Hottest Hundred list at number 20 – beating out the likes of Anarchy in the UK and Stairway to Heaven. The band hit the road, playing the first Big Day Out and touring with the likes of Blondie, Buzzcocks, Big Audio Dynamite, Divinyls, Midnight Oil, Dinosaur Jr and Sonic Youth. “All around that period we were quite involved with [Sonic Youth],” Suzie says. “Henry Rollins was around too. We all ended up going to Moore Park in Sydney... trying to teach them all to play cricket. It was hilarious to see their faces when you say ‘no, you don’t run around the field, you run back and forth.’ I remember Kim Gordon was the best batsperson in the team. And Henry Rollins got really serious,” she laughs.

Ultimately, it was this dogged touring that led the end of The Falling Joys. “It was ten years and we were getting a bit weary,” Suzie says. “We toured very heavily, very heavily,” she emphasises. “We’d been to America, we were all just a bit over it and I think we needed to stop.” However, with 15 years out to focus on families, studying and other pursuits, Suzie says the band is relishing the opportunity to get back together. “We don’t know what else we’re going to do [beyond this show],” she says. “We’re just going to play that by ear. The wonderful National Museum of Australia approached us because I think they’d heard whisperings that we were thinking about playing again. Being a Canberra band too, we’re all around a bit more and you forget how many fans you used to have – well, still have – who are still around.”

The Falling Joys will play the outdoor amphitheatre at the National Museum of Australia with Dan Kelly on Saturday February 26. Entry is free.

Hey Dad, can you pick me up from Josh’s, otherwise it’s like two buses

The Phoenix Saturday February 12 and Sunday February 13

When, at the end of the night, the venue decides to turf its stage carpeting – covered in beer, sweat, vomit, glass fragments, grime and the spillover from untold celebratory champagne bottles – into the hopper out back, you can be fairly sure you’ve been at a good show. Certainly, Canberra hasn’t seen much like it in quite some time, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. So we rewind about 30 hours to mid-afternoon Saturday when shaggy-haired Bo Greenwood, the third of 18 acts, settled himself onstage and the more sensible audience members fumbled about in their pockets for their ear plugs.

With a bass drum and tambourine at one foot, a snare at the other and a battered guitar in hand, Greenwood blasts through a set of raucous, grinding, primitive garage blues. The latest addition to his show is a WWII pilot’s helmet with inbuilt microphone still intact. Hooked up to the PA, the ancient mic adds a suitable raspiness to his vocals. Killing Birds follow, upping the volume but slowing the tempo. Since gaining a third member, the band has quickly moved beyond their early Nirvana-lite thrashing, settling into a shoegazery wash of guitars. The influences – Slowdive and, in particular, Smashing Pumpkins – are more than apparent, but when the band have songs as strong as their set opener it hardly seems to matter. Later in the evening, folk-tinged rockers Voss preview some new tunes from the brilliantly titled forthcoming LP R.I.P Goodtimes. Kasha also previews new album material, further exploring their electronic side. The public approves.

By now, the line outside the pub is snaking up East Row. Anticipation is building for Party Bus’ closing set and the duo don’t disappoint. Every aspect of the show is completely obnoxious. The music is ear-splittingly loud: like some cruel sensory deprivation experiment. Almost instantly, the dancefloor is awash with spilt pints as punters struggle to stay upright. The first of many champagne bottles is uncorked and sprayed over band and audience. Party Bus MC Shaun downs a litre of cordial between songs and spends the next few minutes on his hands and knees, throwing it back up. The term ‘pashtackle’ is coined as people rush the stage and make out with the group. Everyone has a time.

The next afternoon the Party Bus MC is back onstage, fronting Love Shy and looking distinctly subdued. Last time local audiences saw the band, he – and as a result the rest of Love Shy, most of their equipment and a good number of the audience – was covered in a slick of flour, eggs, milk and chocolate sauce. It was Shaun’s birthday and he decided to celebrate by ‘making a cake,’ as it were. There was no such spectacle today though: just ten or so bursts of furious hardcore punk, dispensed with in as many minutes.

Later, two-piece Crash the Curb hit the stage with a similarly precise and succinct set. The band has a clutch of new songs for the faithful, while drummer Grace now has vocal mic, trading yelps with guitarist Adam over the duo’s peppy, poppy punk songs. The songs fall into two categories: three chord chuggers and more intricate, melodic tunes built around crafty time changes and layers of looped guitars. Both are equally pleasing. Closing the festival is Assassins 88 and TV Colours. It’s a fitting end, as TV Colours’ The Kids Are All Grown Up has become something of an anthem for the summer. Day two ends in similarly chaotic fashion, with crowd surfers narrowly avoiding ceiling piping and the whole joint again liberally doused in champagne. I quietly wonder who’s going to clean all this up.

PETER KRBAVAC

Party Bus

WHEELS ON THE PARTY BUS

“What we should have done is carried the dictaphone around and said really short aphorisms,” says Shaun, one half of local duo PARTY BUS, towards the end of our chat. “‘Party Bus is all of the hopes and dreams you had as a seven year old being realised in reverse.’ ‘Party Bus is eating a bento box then going to Ali Babar afterwards and eating a kebab, just to eat more than a friend.’”

Sure enough, I catch the band in the midst of ‘Gluttony Sunday’: the band and entourage have just polished off bento boxes and are heading over for the aforementioned round of kebabs. Last time I saw Shaun was when Party Bus was playing the prime-time slot at last year’s Art School Ball. Shirtless, with ‘The Champ’ scrawled across his back in black marker, the man commanded the stage with the wired, nervous energy of a young Jilted John. Today, as we stand in front of the Juice fridge at IGA, he seems an entirely different person.

Party Bus was formed in 2007, while the pair were still in college. “I was sitting in my room and thought ‘man, maybe someone should play some really obnoxious music and it should be called Party Bus,’” Shaun explains. The genesis was a plastic ten dollar microphone from Dick Smith and a copy of Fruityloops 5: “Surely the greatest piece of software ever written – you can do anything with it,” Matt – the Flava Flav to Shaun’s Chuck D – enthuses. “It’s up to about version nine now, but I still use five,” Shaun adds.

The band cite “b-grade teenage coastal hardcore” as their main influence, singling out Eat Concrete, Droppin Bombs, Thinking Big and Bad Attitude in particular . A punk attitude via electronic means, then. Since those early bedroom beginnings, the band has made markedly little progress, though this isn’t something either member seems concerned with. They quickly established a sound, characterised by primitive electronics and frenetic beats, and have stuck with it steadfastly. “You know who told me I shouldn’t stick to one genre while doing a band?” Shaun says. “A dude who had dreadlocks who caught my bus. So yeah. Cut the dreads, Marley.”

When was the last time they wrote a song, I ask? “Years ago,” Matt says. “We already have the sweet selection of jams so we’ll just bust those out when our friends ask us,” Shaun adds. “There’s already 50-something tracks floating around, and they were all written in a six month period,” says Matt. “People overestimate the creative process and how important it is,” Shaun continues. “Really, you just need to go hard. That’s far more important. Captain Ahab have the extra guy in the band who doesn’t sing or do anything, he just goes hard. That’s probably what inspired the ethos. You’ve just got to be thatguy.”

Catch Party Bus live at the Hey Dad, can you pick me up from Josh’s, otherwise it’s like two buses festival held at the Phoenix over Saturday-Sunday February 12-13. Free entry!

Assassins 88 / TV Colours

SAFETY IN NUMBERS

The Official Neighbours Tour Centre on Flinders Street is crammed with alarmingly well-tanned French tourists. A diabolically ‘abstract’ ink-on-canvas rendering of Susan Kennedy hangs pride of place, quietly watching over proceedings. The keyboard’s lost a foot and with every keystroke it wobbles violently, threatening to spill over. Frankly, it’s difficult to concentrate on the task at hand, but I persevere. You see, freshly minted copies of the long-awaited TV COLOURS and ASSASSINS 88 split 7” have finally – finally – arrived in town and Canberra simply has to be told.

“Considering these songs were written and demoed a year ago, it has taken a pretty long time,” Assassins 88’s guitarist and bassist Lach agrees. “We were half aware that it would be a drawn out process with vinyl, maybe not as long as we thought it would it be.” “In theory it should have been out in September,” drummer Tim chimes in. “Vinyl is an unforgiving medium. If something goes wrong you literally have to start all over again, and that costs money and takes more time. Whatever the case, we’re all super psyched to have finished it.”

For Assassins 88’s part, their songs Beach People and Raising Phoenixreveal a new side of the group. Gone is the ultra blow-out production and breakneck bass ‘n’ drum thrashings of old and in their place peppy guitar-driven tunes. Meanwhile, the split marks the debut release for one man band TV Colours. TVC’s irresistibly catchy ode to social alienation and eternal slackerdom, The Kids Are All Grown Up, is included here, along with the evocatively titled Heavy Metal Sleeve Skies. The pairing of the two projects has proven so appropriate that, since the end of last year, the three musicians have begun playing as the one band. Lach, Tim and Robin, the man behind TV Colours, have formed a super group of sorts, playing tunes by Assassins 88, TV Colours and Lach’s solo project Danger Beach.

“Robin has been a friend of ours for a while and when we first heard his music we were instantly blown away by the catchiness and energy of it,” Lach enthuses. “It made me want to stop what I was doing and play TV Colours songs. As it turned out, Robin was a big fan of the [Assassins] tape as well so we decided on a split record between the two bands. Then we thought it would be fun to tour it together as the one band.” The two projects will, however, remain separate for writing and recording purposes. “Robin makes such great music by himself and as a fan I wouldn’t want to mess with that,” Lach says. “I think we will end up creating a new band with the three of us that is different from the two original projects.” “I guess we’re in a bit of a transitional period,” Tim concludes.

TV Colours and Assassins 88 will launch their split at The Phoenix on Sunday February 6, with The Fighting League and Teddy Trouble. Entry is free.

Crash The Curb

Since they emerged from the spare room and onto the stage a few short months ago, local duo CRASH THE CURB have been the talk of the town, winning over audiences with their spiky, guitar-heavy brand of pop and their endearingly ramshackle performances. With only a handful of gigs to their name, the duo were named ACT winners in the latest round of triple j’s Unearthed competition. This saw them flown to Perth to play alongside the likes of Ben Kweller, Xavier Rudd, Karnivool, Grinspoon, Children Collide and Paul Kelly at the One Movement for Music conference showcase gigs.

“We were just about to jam and then I got the call [from triple j] and I was kind of like ‘what?!’” guitarist Adam says, putting on an irritated voice. “I didn’t answer in the nicest way.” “He was like ‘oh yeah, we can play that gig I guess,” drummer Grace chimes in. “I was really shocked,” Adam continues. “I was on the phone for ages and then I told Grace and she had the proper reaction of screaming. Then we tried to jam afterwards and it was just so bad. We were so jittery.”

After a fortnight of intensive rehearsals the pair found themselves sleep deprived and blurry on the other side of the country. “The first day we got to Perth was the hugest day,” Grace says. “We were awake for 24 hours straight and there was a gig at the end of that. As we got there we had to go to the ABC – we were on the radio doing a scavenger hunt with two other bands. They’d hidden the room key for our hotels somewhere in Perth.”

While over there, Crash the Curb were afforded the full star treatment. “We had a driver, yes,” Adam laughs. “Though we didn’t really take them up on the offer because the hotel they put us in was within a two minute walk from everywhere we played,” Grace says pragmatically. “One of the drivers who took us to the airport was telling us that she’d driven Lady Gaga,” she adds. “We gave her a CD because she was going to drive Metallica in a couple of weeks so we thought she could play it while she’s driving around,” Adam jokes.

With that madness behind them, Crash the Curb are now preparing to finally launch their self-titled EP, as the original launch show was postponed when it clashed with the first day of the One Movement fest. But ever energetic, the band already has a full length record in the works. “That’s the thing I’m most excited about. Playing gigs is cool but I love recording and making a product,” Adam says. “I’ve got so many songs. There’s enough to choose from to make something pretty good. We could do another EP but we just want to establish it. EPs are about finding your sound and we’ve done that already.”

Crash the Curb launch their self-titled EP at Smiths Alternative Bookshop in Civic on Thursday December 9, supported by Cat Cat. Entry is free.

You Am I

After a week of Victorian shows, Andy Kent has just arrived back in Melbourne and is en route to a celebratory band lunch. With YOU AM I’s membership now split across Sydney and Melbourne, this is a rare opportunity for the old friends to catch up outside of a Tarago or dank backstage area. These days, the bassist explains, band operations ebb and flow, sliding in around other musical projects, jobs and families.

“In the ‘90s it was very intense because we’d do long tours here, in America and Europe and we’re just not doing those big American and European tours anymore, so that’s opened it up a bit,” Andy says. “No one wants to be a slave to it all, so I think it’s creatively, personally and generally pretty helpful to go away from the band and do other things. It energises you, gives you a bit of perspective and fuels you up with inspiration so when you do come together, you can bring new things to it rather than being the same four guys over and over again.”

Nevertheless, Andy, drummer Rusty Hopkinson, axe-slinger Davey Lane and frontman Tim Rogers are looking at a busy 12 months ahead, with tours of New Zealand, Europe and the US on the cards. As much as anything, these jaunts give You Am I an excuse to catch up with old touring buddies.

“Half of Seattle comes to our gigs when we play,” Andy says. “The Mudhoney dudes, the guys from Screaming Trees, all our old touring mates come and say hello and guys like Steve Turner from Mudhoney play with us. It’d be good to see the Soundgarden dudes. I’m not sure how approachable Chris [Cornell] is these days but the other guys – we do see them when we get over there.”

Indeed, You Am I have friends all over the country, including one-time producer Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth and comedians Janeane Garofalo and David Cross. “[Cross] is a huge fan and he always comes and hangs out,” Andy says. “We always look forward to getting back there. Some of our favourite people and parts of the world are in the US.”

Last month, You Am I released their ninth full length, a self-titled record. Compared to the slash and burn of 2006’s Convicts or the band’s early records, You Am I is a slow burner, more in line with 2008’s Dilettantes. Aus music ‘it girl’ Megan Washington even crops up for a quick turn at the mic.

Far from being another day at the office for these old hands, Andy says making a new record is always a challenge. “We aren’t a band that has a formula,” he says. “We don’t write songs that have to keep within the boundaries of who we are as a band. God bless AC/DC, they’re one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time, but they’re never going to write a fuckin’ psychedelic ballad or a country-tinged whatever. They’re never going to play a bludgeoning punk rock song. Some of those bands, the bigger they get, the more they get locked in to who they are and how they have to be.”

“I think we’ve been lucky enough that the songs that people know, there’s a range of them,” he continues. “There’s not one You Am I song: there’s your Berlin Chair but there’s also your Heavy Heart and your Damage, so I don’t think anyone expects us to head in one direction, they actually expect us to head in about three. So the challenge is to play what’s in front of you, to use a terrible football analogy.”

“The other thing with You Am I is we don’t ever look backwards,” Andy says, clearly on a roll. “We don’t sit down and debrief the last record before we move on to the next, we just look forward. Every year we get offered money and an opportunity to play the old records in their entirety. People want us to do it but [none of us are] interested in it at all. It’s always about looking forward. You can look back when you’re 75, but not when you’re in your thirties and making rock and roll.”

Not that Andy is completely averse to the idea of these ‘Don’t Look Back’-style shows, however.

“I went and saw Daydream Nation,” he says. “It was great, I loved it. I wonder whether it’s a fad or whether it does bore right into the diehard fans and the moment the band was seized by their fans. There is that point, maybe not even in record sales or mass popularity. I mean Sonic Youth, the Goo record was their biggest record but Daydream Nation is potentially the one that really locked them with people that understood them. I think The Damned are going to come out and do a record,” he mentions as an aside. “I’m into [the idea] but I don’t think I’m into it for You Am I right now. If it does happen it should be special and we should do it with the full compliment, make that gig sound as impressive as possible, whether it be Hourly Daily or Hi-Fi Way or whatever.”

“I can’t imagine we wouldn’t do it at some point because it could be fun. We might even do it with this new record next year which I think a lot of people who have the record and love it would really enjoy, because it’s about the now and not about the past.”

You Am I play The Maram in Wanniassa on Wednesday November 24 with Cabins and Hancock Basement. Tickets are $30 +bf through Moshtix. You Am I is out now through Other Tongues.

My Disco

Ben Andrews is holed up in his record label’s offices, in the middle of an eight hour block of interviews leading up to the release of MY DISCO’s third album Little Joy. “Just ask me about boxing instead,” the guitarist chuckles. “The US welterweight 147 pound division. I follow Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao and those sort of dudes.” Unfortunately for Ben it’d be a one-sided conversation, so it’s back to band matters.

My Disco have spent much of the last two years touring Europe and the US, though the first of these US trips was stymied by stolen passports and laptops. “You speak to enough bands and invariably the same stuff happens. You’ve either had your van broken into, your van break down, gear or personal items stolen,” Ben says. “I remember speaking to The Drones when we played London this year and we were just trading off ‘oh this happened to us, this happened to us.’ For us it just seems that everything bad that could possibly ever happen has happened, but on the last US and European tour everything went well so maybe our luck’s changing.”

Ben recalls a particularly memorable show on their last trip to France playing Sonic Lyon: a docked boat converted into a venue. “You play on the first floor, just under water level. It’s really fun and it means you can play at whatever volume because no one’s going to bother you on the ocean.”

As with the band’s last album Paradise, Little Joy was recorded in Chicago with Steve Albini at the “homely” Electrical Audio studios. “They’ve got the right personnel and the right attitude in there that makes any band feel really comfortable,” Ben says. “It’s like no other place in the world and it deserves its reputation and more – and so does [Albini].”

“A lot of engineers have got their own way on things – and he’s got his own way that he does stuff – but he’ll listen to whatever you have to say because essentially you’re employing him,” Ben says. “That’s a cool attitude. With a lot of engineers it’s their way or the highway. With him it’s just mutually understood that whatever you want can happen.”

With the recording completed, My Disco then selected Scott Horscroft – whose credits include The Panics, Sleepy Jackson, The Presets and Silverchair – to mix the album. Horscroft embellished the famously minimalist trio’s raw recordings, layering on reverb, delay and vocal overdubs. “We wanted a different approach from an outside perspective,” Ben says. “Some of the effects turned into instruments themselves. On the song With Age we tracked the vocals by utilising this analog reverb delay effect that turned into this vocal drone which acts as a whole other dense layer in the song, almost as if it was a synth line or another guitar line.”

“They’re a bit more expansive and in some ways lusher,” Ben says of the new songs. “It’s almost like a proper band,” he laughs.

My Disco play the ANU Bar on Wednesday November 24 with Hoodlum Shouts and Sparktak. Entry is $15/$10 for students.

Rafe Morris

From my experience interviewing bands, I’ve quickly learnt to brace myself for the worst when interviewing a muso in the morning. No matter what day of the week it is, it’s likely that they’ll be hungover, shitty, tired and covered in all manner of grime from last night. When RAFE MORRIS bounds into the café with clean clothes, a smile and what appears to be enthusiasm for our chat at 11 in the morning, though, I’m surprised to say the least. Suspicious may in fact be more accurate.

However, two minutes into our conversation and I’m already convinced that Rafe’s the nicest guy in the world. Having become popular for his penchant for singing quirky songs about strange subjects, ala Kimya Dawson or Darren Hanlon, Rafe makes cheerful music that’s guaranteed to make you grin despite yourself. However, Rafe claims he doesn’t write songs to be funny.

“In the past, my songs have always been written to be funny. I’m not sure if that’s changing, or if my humour has just become more subtle, but I now no longer just write songs to be funny, I just try to write good songs.”

It’s a method that seems to be working, with Rafe’s last show A Show to Make You Smile enjoying a sold out season, and his new production In Song and Story likely to be similarly popular.

For both shows, Rafe has teamed up with a group of likeminded musicians, forming Rafe and The Well Dressed. For In Song and Story, they’ve also enlisted the help of comedian Kale Bogdanovs to provide titillating entertainment between songs.

If that sounds unique and exciting to you, then Rafe can only agree. When I ask him to describe the show, he gazes off with a confused expression, before replying “you know what, I don’t know. It’s going to be a surprise for everybody to see what the show is. I still don’t know if it’s going to be a laughy-laughy laugh-laugh, or somewhat heavy!”

Even more exciting is the prospect of getting a hard copy of Rafe and The Well Dressed’s music to take home with you. The group will be releasing an EP of a live set they performed for the ArtSound radio show, Friday Night Live. The CD is (appropriately) called Live on Air, and manages to combine Rafe’s love of playing live with his desire to get some recorded material out there.

“I hate recording, I love gigs. This CD is a live CD, so that’s a way around the studio!” Rafe grins. When I ask him to tell me a bit about the songs, he laughs. “Do they have a theme? They’re all good!”

Sounds like the perfect theme to me, especially if his past work is anything to go by. With the prospect of cheeky lyrics, pop-tastic music and comedy to keep you entertained when the songs cease, this is one show you shouldn’t miss!

Catch Rafe and The Well Dressed, at the Street Theatre on Wednesday-Thursday November 3-4. Tickets are $25/$15 concession and are available direct from the Theatre.

Amaya Laucirica - Early Summer [Departed Sounds]

On the sleeve of this pre-release copy of Early Summer, Amaya Laucirica cuts a mysterious, intriguing figure: eyes obscured by her fringe, peering out from a crevice in the ghostly rockface at Hanging Rock in Victoria. And there’s a lesson here for others, which is never to skimp on artwork. When you’re up against such photoshopped atrocities as the latest Soundgarden record, a sharp cover like this is enough to set your disc apart from the deluge of hopefuls littering the office floor. Adelaide-via-Sydney-via-Melbourne singer and songwriter Amaya trades in country-inflected pop – alt-country, most would call it. While 2008 debut Sugar Lights was a relatively straight-down-the-line affair, with this, the second full-length, Amaya and band have created a darker, more melancholy atmosphere that engulfs the listener. Though the instrumentation itself is quite sparse, it all combines under Amaya’s harmonies to form a dense, slow-burning set of songs which gradually unfold in layers of shimmering keyboards and guitar chords that hang in the air, lingering. When Amaya stretches her syllables, there’s a touch of Hope Sandoval’s hushed delivery. At the other end of the spectrum, on the breezy Anywhere She Went, there are echoes of Jenny Lewis with a country twang. Of course these reference points only tell part of the story, as Amaya’s style is very much her own. One can only hope that Early Summer, excellent as it is, will alert people to this.

Disco Nap

The story of DISCO NAP: When Brisbane indie-rock supremos Iron On called it a day in 2008, guitarist and co-vocalist Ross Hope figured he might chuck the music dream altogether. “I didn’t really know if I wanted to keep writing music or if that was over for me,” he says. “When [the band] ended it was like the passing of something, like something had died and it was time to move on.”

While his former bandmates busied themselves with other projects – most notably co-vocalist Kate Cooper with An Horse – Ross took some time out, sinking his teeth into American Beauty writer Alan Ball’s HBO drama Six Feet Under. “It’s my favourite TV show ever,” Ross says. “I can’t think of any other TV show or movie that just so brutally captures the human condition.”

The dark drama stirred his muse and Ross began writing music again, “for myself, for fun.” Having accumulated a clutch of acoustic demos, Ross approached Brisbane producer Darek Mudge – who he knew via Darek’s axe-slinging in Screamfeeder and Intercooler – to help flesh out the tunes. Soon after, the pair adopted the name Disco Nap. “We decided to gradually work away at each song and determine what they were going to be along the way,” Ross explains. “[I was] excited to literally be able to turn a song into anything. Sometimes we’d record my vocals, take out the acoustic guitar and build the song from nothing. That was what happened with Surgical Dress: it almost turned into this weird, beat-y hip-hop thing – which we’ve gotten rid of – but it ended up as something I didn’t really expect.”

Disco Nap’s debut Running Red Lights became something of a Brisbane all-star affair, with Sekiden and Regurgitator keyboardist Seja Vogel, John Steel Singers trumpeter Scott Bromiley, Ed Kuepper and Gin Club cellist Jane Elliott and Screamfeeder drummer Dean Shwereb all contributing. “It was probably a teenage fantasy to play with Dean from Screamfeeder,” Ross says. “I’ve always loved his pop drumming. When I was a teenager I thought (1996 album) Kitten Licks was incredible – I still think it’s incredible!”

As well as Ross’ main musical touchstones – Elvis Costello, Ben Gibbard, Laura Veirs, Robert Smith – he explains there are a lot of electronic influences feeding into Disco Nap. “I went back through my partner’s CD collection and dug out all this ‘90s electronica, some of which was terrible and some of which was pretty awesome,” Ross says. “I realised I’d missed a lot of this stuff because I was so single-minded previously about the music I liked. I knew how to make a record that had massive guitars so I wanted to hear other ways of doing songs.”

And now we have the pleasure of hearing these others ways too, when Disco Nap play at The Front in Lyneham on Friday September 3, supported by Voss. Doors open at 8pm. Tix on the door.

Khancoban

'Never meet your heroes' goes the old saying. Andre Hooke, frontman of Melbourne indie-folksters KHANCOBAN, threw all that out the window when he wrangled the support for his musical hero, revered US singer-songwriter Vic Chestnutt, on the man's 2009 Australian tour. “It was completely daunting,” Andre recalls. “We went out for dinner the night before the first show and saw him from afar - I almost fell over I was so nervous. There was some cool moments when we just got to hang out backstage. Victoria Williams was touring with him, those two are old friends so just to hang out and be a part of that was awesome.”

Chestnutt even had some choice words of approval for his devotee. “He said in his southern-American accent “y'all real good” so that was really nice. Victoria Williams apparently said that I had a really nice voice but she wanted to know which language I was speaking,” he chuckles.

Khancoban was formed in 2004 by Andre and his wife, drummer Jemima, and over the years the pair have remained the core of the group. As such, Andre admits that it can be difficult to separate the band from the rest of their lives. “We do sometimes have to make a point not to talk about the band and just have 'us' time,” he says. “Unfortunately being together and playing music is only a tiny part of [being in the band]. It is our lives completely, but we're happy enough for it to be like that.”

In the next couple of years after forming, the pair picked up a couple of extra bandmates as well as a deal with Half a Cow Records, run by former Canberra boy Nic Dalton – a veteran of Sneeze, Godstar, The Lemonheads, Ratcat and The Hummingbirds. “Apparently Nic didn't really get [our demo] at first and put it aside as a 'maybe',” Andre says, “but came back to it and really loved it.”

The band released their self-titled debut and follow-up Limbs May Fall on Half a Cow, but are now working on a full-length for Melbourne label Departed Sounds. The five-piece are settling into a more relaxed recording process for release number three. “We're taking a year to record it here and there,” Andre says. “In the past we've gone into the studio and recorded things really quickly and this time we're purposely taking it really slowly.”

The band's trip to the US last year has undoubtedly informed the direction of the new material: during the trip, Andre pulled a Dylan-style betrayal of his folk roots and purchased an electric guitar. “I'd always played acoustic guitar up until that point,” Andre says. “Now I just play electric guitar live, so it was a bit of a watershed moment in some ways.”

Khancoban launch their new single This Block on Saturday September 4 at The Front Cafe and Gallery in Lyneham, with supports Ruby for Lucy and Nic Dalton. From 8pm, $6 entry.

I Exist - I: A Turn for the Worse [Common Bond Records]

When reviewing local product, there’s always a slight temptation to pull a “Margaret ‘n’ David” and gild the lily. Not that there’s currently any shortage of good music being made here, of course, but there is always the lurking possibility of being tyre-ironed in a darkened alley on the back of a less-than-glowing appraisal. One faces no such conundrum, however, when presented with I Exist’s debut. Because it is good. And I mean properly, world-class, good. It could have come from whatever global hotspot takes your fancy as readily as it came from Canberra’s south.

A Turn for the Worse sees the hardcore group further indulge their ever-present metal influence: from Sabbath’s mighty Volume 4 to the unholy rumble of Dorset doomsters Electric Wizard and California’s Sleep. This move is perfectly complemented by the introduction of Josh Nixon, Pod People guitarist and your Metalise correspondent, who adds his inimitable axework to proceedings. His smoky riffs permeate the record, particularly on the psych-flavoured guitar workout Hymn of the Hemplar.

While most tracks are blasted out and dispensed with in under two minutes, with the full length of a compact disc at their disposal I Exist have stretched their proverbial wings with album closer A-Bomb Blues. An epic in every sense of the word, it pits an apocalyptic tale of blasting into space, away from an expiring planet, against an unbridled nine-minute riff-fest complete with Hammond organ. Massive.

Teddy Trouble

“Ask us what our proudest achievement is,” bursts out Joel, bassist for local three-piece TEDDY TROUBLE. I concede, and he goes on to tell me about The Wall. But this is no bloated prog-rock opus: it’s a far more practical low-running wall the band built to protect their flood-prone practice space.

“We went to Magnet Mart and an old man helped us there,” guitarist Crispy, a man once described as Canberra’s Roger McGuinn, explains. “He didn’t seem to have a lot of confidence in us... he said ‘If it doesn’t work out boys, you could always just use the bricks and cement for something else.’ If anyone from Magnet Mart is reading this, I’d like to let them know that their help was appreciated and the wall was built.

“And it is a sturdy wall,” Joel adds. “It’s actually not really a wall,” drummer Michael interjects. “It’s like...” “A levee,” Crispy chimes in. “A dam,” Joel adds. “A reverse-moat?” I suggest. “An inverse-moat,” a hanger-on corrects. “We approach wall-building in a similar way to songwriting,” Crispy offers, before the group descends into laughter.

Formed in the summer of 2009, the story of Teddy Trouble is an age-old tale: mates jamming in the garage who, through no design or planning, manage to stumble onto something. You can draw your own comparisons – The Clean; The Fall, perhaps – but these only tell part of the story. In fact, press them on the subject of influences and they can’t seem to come up with any shared musical reference points. “We don’t really have any particular direction, but we’re influenced by things like Canberra locations, migrations and everyday biological manifestations.”

They’ve attracted the surf-rock tag, though beyond their lone “surf song” the band don’t seemed wholly convinced. “We never claimed it,” Joel protests. “Other people claimed it for us.” “The whole surf thing’s a good wave to ride at the moment,” Michael adds, smirking.

The band has stamped their impression on the local scene with a succession of infrequent, though rapturously-received gigs. “We approach every show like it’s our first and last,” Joel states. “And we’ve never played a bad show – that’s actually a fact.”

Beyond their shows, Teddy Trouble enthusiasts have had to subsist on a scant few minutes of live footage and a pair of unearthed demos. But with Crispy about to embark on a six-month overseas odyssey, the band has been spurred into action. They’re putting the finishing touches to a six-track EP, which they’ll launch at a farewell show before their hiatus.

“But Teddy Trouble has every intention of recording a full length album within the next decade,” Michael says. “We have a large back catalogue of unfinished material. A six month hiatus isn’t going to provide too much of a speed hump.”

Teddy Trouble launches their EP The Great Indoors with special guest Jonny Telafone at The Phoenix on Sunday August 15 from 6pm. Entry is free.

I Exist

When it comes to guitarists, locals I EXIST take an unfussed, ‘more the merrier’ approach. “Couldn’t have too many, mate,” songwriter and chief guitarist Aaron Osborne assures me. Quite. In fact, the band’s triumphant showing at Hardcore 2010 in Sydney last month saw no less than four axe-slingers onstage. “Really four was a bit silly, but it was ridiculously heavy and that’s what we were going for,” he says. “As we continue to write our next record together we will sort out different parts for all the guitars. So they’ll actually serve a purpose other than just looking cool.”

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here, as I Exist’s debut I: A Turn for the Worse is still no more than a couple of months old. Smashed out over a long weekend in Melbourne, the album was recorded and mixed by Jason PC of Blood Duster, who’s worked on his own group’s records as well as those of Pod People and Brutal Truth. While the six-piece remain grounded in hardcore, I sees the group further expand on their stoner, doom and sludge influences. The secret track, a ferocious reading of seminal ‘90s group Sleep’s Dragonaut, acknowledges this influence.

“We have moved on quite a bit from where we were with the seven-inch [last year’s Three Nails and a Book of Flaws],” Aaron says. “Where we are now and where we’re going is what I always wanted to do with this band from the beginning. It was just a matter of testing the water to see if people would actually be into it.”

He needn’t have worried. The LP has been received with open arms, garnering positive reviews from publications ranging from youth bible Blunt to Australian Guitar Magazine. “I had no idea people would be this into the band,” Aaron says. “It started out as an idea to just be the ‘heavy’ band we would all be in [as a side project alongside other bands]. Now it’s a real thing and the ball is rolling quite well with it.”

Currently living in Melbourne, Aaron explains his relocation hasn’t slowed the I Exist juggernaut. It’s merely forced the ever-gigging six-piece to be slightly more selective when it comes to bookings. “We’ll probably just end up sticking to bigger shows and tours from now on,” he says. “That decision would have been made regardless of the move. We gotta keep people wanting to see us,” he laughs. “Don’t wanna play every other day like we did at the start.”

They’ve certainly picked a winner for their album tour: playing alongside ludicrously-popular Melbourne-via-Perth band Extortion and Adelaide’s SXWZD. “I can’t wait to hang out with the guys from my band, let alone the others,” Aaron enthuses. “They are both killer bands – SXWZD have two drummers!”

I Exist, Extortion, SXWZD and 4Dead play the ANU Bar on Friday August 13 from 7pm. Tickets are $12 on the door. I: A Turn for the Worse is available on CD through Common Bond and as a limited edition 12” through Midnight Funeral from August 13.

Austin Buckett: Works for Piano and Strings

When local pianist and composer AUSTIN BUCKETT was moving house earlier this year, he found himself – much like Riders on the Storm’s dog without a bone – a man without a piano. Luckily though, the Alliance Française in Turner extended some of their famous European hospitality, so through March Austin found himself as the Alliance’s artist in residency. The man is now returning the favour with a show at the end of the month, premiering three of his new compositions.

Perhaps better known to local punters as the man hunched over the keyboard in experimental rockers Kasha, or leader of the now UK-based free-jazz unit Pollen Trio, Austin is also a research student doing honours at the ANU School of Music. As he explains, his solo compositions aren’t all that different from his band work.

“I think the material in Pollen Trio is particularly freeform compared to, say, Kasha, though there is always some sort of architecture or vision behind what we are going for,” he explains. “In my own music I suppose it is very similar, in the sense that it has this kind of architecture below the surface. It’s just that more often than not [the compositions are] played by people other than me and these different instruments and individuals accommodate different ideas.”

Indeed, on the night Austin will take somewhat of a back seat, as he’s roped in a group of top drawer local musicians to perform the pieces: Exhale for cello and piano, Stutter for string quartet and Sonata for Upright Piano. Between these pieces, combinations of local improvisers and jazz musicians will perform electro-acoustic interludes based around certain themes to link the compositions. The show will feature members of local bands such as Voss, Kasha, Pollen Trio, Silver Spine Trio and Spartak.

In terms of influences, Austin explains they remain much the same for all his musical ventures. “The music I write is mostly informed by all things that interest me including music by Morton Feldman, Radiohead, Arvo Part, Aphex Twin, The Necks, my approaches with Pollen Trio and Kasha etcetera. I love traditionally classical music such as Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart, Bach and so on, but I would like to think that the most classical thing about my music is the instrumentation – string quartet, my solo violin pieces.”

As such, Austin’s keen to attract a wider audience beyond the classical set. “It would be exciting to try to involve a different crowd who usually wouldn’t be exposed to these sorts of instruments but are still interested in new music,” he enthuses. “I really want my works to be directed to a broad audience and I don’t ever want it to have any type of exclusivity or prestige associated with it.”

Austin Buckett: Works for Piano and Strings will be performed from 8pm on Friday July 30 at the Alliance Française, McCaughey Street, Turner. Tickets are $10/$8 for AF members and bookings are recommended on 6247 5027.

The Soft Pack - The Soft pack [Pod/Inertia]

3.5 out of 5

I first encountered The Soft Pack through their loose association with Rick Froberg: he of San Diego’s finest Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes and now New York’s Obits. On the hunt for some similarly-charged garage rock to sub in for my increasingly worn copies of the Snakes’ three unimpeachable LPs, The Soft Pack’s debut proved a worthy addition to the collection.

That mini album - complete with bullet-riddled sleeve - was released under their previous, less marketing department-friendly moniker The Muslims, so here we have the first ‘Pack album proper. Lunkheadedly-titled opener C’mon is an energising statement of intent and sets the template for what’s to come: frantic floor tom ‘n’ snare drumming; bouncing basslines which utilise the full scale of the fretboard; slashing guitars topped with surf-inspired leads; and Matt Lamkin’s flat, though by no means charmless, vocals. The four-to-the-floor momentum of the album is only broken by the reverb-heavy wash of the doo-wop flavoured Mexico.

The Australian issue of the LP is also complemented by two bonus tracks which, far from being some cursory ‘added value’ tack-on, rival anything on the rest of the album. These noisy, ragged recordings pack a wallop and promise more great stuff from The Soft Pack down the line. But for the moment, their debut remains eminently enjoyable.

Anonymeye, 3ofmillions and Cat Cat

Since 2004, Brisbane musician Andrew Tuttle has been working as Anonymeye, splicing folk and country with electronica in his inimitable way. After six years of going it alone, however, he is reconsidering the nature of the musical project.

“I like the idea of Anonymeye not necessarily being me all the time,” he says. “Sometimes travelling solo is kind of isolating, it can be boring. But in other ways it's really exciting to travel everywhere and maybe not have the financial problems (that travelling with a band would involve).”

Andrew's travels have taken him all over, from New Zealand's famous Campus A Low Hum weekender to the ZXZW Festival in the Netherlands, playing alongside the Sun Ra Arkestra and Wire. Closer to home, Anonymeye has supported the likes of Animal Collective and more recently - and somewhat curiously - progressive metallers Isis.

“I actually didn't go down that badly which was good of course, but kind of disappointing in some ways as well,” he chuckles of the Isis support. “I think their crowd is a fairly discerning crowd and the actual band were interested as well, but still it was definitely a fish out of water scenario. I had a think about making my set a bit heavier but then I thought, you know what, I'm going to go off even more country!”

Over his six year tenure as Anonymeye, Andrew has released two albums, a handful of EPs and split releases and featured on numerous compilations. His 2006 debut Anonymeye Hotel featured a strong thematic link throughout the music and the intricate packaging: a tribute of sorts to middle Australia and the faded glory of the roadside motels and diners that litter our highways.

“I think it's unfortunate that people look overseas, but also that when we do look overseas... we look too far overseas as well,” he muses. “I think that we, collectively as artists and people interested in the arts, don't really pay enough credence to what we do as a nation, but also to what our immediate neighbours are doing. There's great stuff coming out of New Zealand and South East Asia as well. I'm guilty, I've toured Europe twice and I went to New Zealand for the first time in January and I've still never been to Indonesia and Malaysia. Maybe as creators and people in general we want to explore the world but just take that big leap without maybe looking a bit closer.”

Following his upcoming Australian tour, Andrew will begin work on his third LP - the follow up to last year's well-received The Disambiguation of Anonymeye - in Melbourne with frequent Architecture in Helsinki collaborator and the man behind Qua, Cornel Wilczek.

“I'm thinking there's a few ways it could go,” he considers. “I'm kind of torn. I like the idea or recording two bodies of work: a really long 20, 30 minute drone piece and then maybe something more poppy.”

Anonymeye, 3ofmillions (Sydney) and Cat Cat play Street 2 at The Street Theatre on Friday July 9 from 7.30pm. Tickets are $15 or $10 concession.

Teenage Fanclub – Shadows [PEMA/Liberator Music]

4 out of 5

Against the backdrop of the early nineties alt-rock boom, Scotland’s Teenage Fanclub always seemed like a band slightly out of time. While contemporaries were wringing all kinds of abrasive tones out of their Fender Jaguars, The Fannies were marrying walls of overdriven guitars with three-part harmonies and covering The 1910 Fruitgum Co. with genuine affection, rather than nineties-style irony. From the beginning, the Glasgow four-piece always had the heart of a classicist pop band. Over the years, Teenage Fanclub has attracted constant comparison to Big Star - an influence they wear proudly on their sleeves - but it has to be said that the Glaswegians have frequently ‘out-Big Starred’ the seminal ‘70s band themselves. Since 2000’s fantastic Howdy, the group have hit upon a reliable formula, mixing the glistening power-pop of 1995’s Grand Prix with a hint of 1997’s folk-rock excursion Songs from Northern Britain. The shoegazery bluster of their beginnings may be gone, but what they’ve lost in volume they make up for in gold standard songwriting. On Shadows, the writing duties are, as ever, democratically assigned, with four tunes apiece from the group’s three songwriters Norman Blake, Gerard Love and Raymond McGinley. Love in particular is very much on form: his orchestral-backed contributions Sometimes I Don’t Need to Believe in Anything and Shock and Awe are as good as anything the band has ever done. Another reliably excellent LP of sun-drenched pop from grey Glasgow.

Batrider

BATRIDER aren’t a group that stay still for long. After forming in Wellington in 2002, the restless scuzz-rockers made the trip across the Tasman to settle in Melbourne and, three years ago, moved on to ol’ Blighty. While their two and a half years stationed in London allowed the band to tour Europe extensively without breaking the bank, frontwoman Sarah Mary Chadwick says that in her experience, the capital ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.

“The London music scene seems pretty bullshit really,” she opines. “Competitive is a good word: there’s a feel that everyone wants to be on the cover of the NME. Not much originality at all, heaps of matching outfits. We found it nearly impossible to meet bands that were even vaguely on the same page as us, not only in terms of sound but in terms of attitude towards what they were doing.”

The move to England also saw the band lose guitarist Julia McFarlane (now of The Twerps) and later drummer Tara Wilcox, leaving Sarah the only remaining original member. While she admits they came close to calling time on the group, Batrider has managed to endure, now boasting one-time manager Sam Featherstone on bass and Steph Crase (of Adelaide’s Birth Glow and No Through Road) on drums.

“Even though there’s been three other people in the band over the years, I don’t think they would argue with me if I said that such a massive part of myself has gone into this band,” Sarah says. “I ended up feeling pretty attached to [Batrider] in that way. I put more of myself into it in different ways than what the others did, so fuck you guys, I want to keep going,” Sarah says jokingly.

“It can be quite a tough thing when people leave your band,” she continues. “It generally doesn’t happen amicably, but I feel like we’ve come out the other end. I really like the band as it is now and I’m on good terms with the other three who’ve left.”

Now back in Australia and based in Adelaide, Batrider are gearing up for a tour to belatedly launch their second LP Why We Can’t Be Together, recorded with the four piece lineup and released last year. They’ll also be touting the Bag Wine Forever 12” EP (a grab bag of unreleased tracks new and old) and a sneaky live recording from their US tour which comes packaged with a neat little book. But for how much longer they’ll remain on colonial soil, following the tour, remains to be seen.

“I feel like I haven’t got my travelling done yet,” says Sarah. “I’d like to have a more permanent base when we travel because I’m a bit sick of selling all my shit and buying all different versions of the same thing – it’s getting annoying.”

Batrider play The Phoenix on Sunday May 23 with Pets With Pets and Teddy Trouble. Entry is free.

Serena Maneesh - No 2: Abyss in B Minor [4AD / Remote Control]

Presented in a standard issue 4AD sleeve complete with dark, murky visuals and clean typography, things bode well for Norwegian shoegazers Serena Maneesh’s second effort. The legendary British label has, after all, been home to the likes of Cocteau Twins, Lush and Pale Saints, all groups who’ve been slapped with the ‘gaze tag at one stage or another.

However, the most obvious reference point on No 2: Abyss in B Minor - which was, incidentally, recorded in a cave in Olso - is My Bloody Valentine. Melody for Jaana, a wall of woozy, distorted guitars over which some Norwegian dame does her best whispered Bilinda Butcher vocal, is vintage MBV, while Magdalena (Symphony #8) sounds like the long lost companion piece to Swallow, right down to the flute.

The influence of Kevin Shields hangs very heavily over this LP: when they aren’t mining Tremolo-era MBV, Serena Maneesh’s more electronic based excursions - all jacked-up beats, fuzz bass and ultra blown-out production - recall Primal Scream circa XTRMNTR, an album Shields also worked on.

But hell, the famously perfectionist Shields has been testing the patience of his fanbase since the release of 1991’s landmark LP Loveless. And, as we’re nearing two decades without a follow-up in sight, punters could do worse than to lend an ear to Abyss.

Seja - We Have Secrets But Nobody Cares [Rice is Nice]

Generally seen manning a rack of synthesizers and sharing lead vocal duties as part of Brisbane trio Sekiden, or more recently augmenting the line-up of venerable alt-rockers Regurgitator - not to mention freelancing for SPOD, Dave McCormack, The Mess Hall and Not From There’s Heinz Riegler - We Have Secrets... marks Seja Vogal’s first solo venture.

Unsurprisingly, the record is dominated by Seja’s collection of vintage synths, though in contrast to the fuzzed-out power pop of Sekiden and the similarly hyped-up steez of the ‘Gurg, it is, for the most part, a pretty downbeat affair. Seja’s languorous vocals, swathed in layer upon layer of overdubbed harmonies and mixed with gently fizzing and pulsing electronics, create an almost dreamlike state of semi-consciousness. The crisp, snapping beats on Framed You in Action and A Million Wheels hint at a hip-hop influence, while Through the Backstreets, built on a clapped-out drum loop, acoustic guitars and an insistent keyboard line, is an obvious stand out.

In truth the LP could have used a bit of judicious pruning as all this mid paced synth-pop balladry tends to blend together after a while - though you can probably forgive this slight indulgence as surely that is, after all, the very nature of a solo record.

While as not immediate as the rest of Seja’s back-catalogue, We Have Secrets... has an understated charm that reveals itself over repeated listens.

HellosQuare Recordings

The Fighting League

National Vintage Guitar and Amp Expo

The New Christs - Gloria [Impedance]

From the Basement (Eagle Rock/Shock)

The Twerps - Self Titled & Dick Diver - Arcs Up [Chapter Music]

From the embarrassment of riches on offer, Melbourne’s always adventurous Chapter Music label has selected a couple of the most talked about local groups for the first two instalments in their new EP series, which feature a seven inch single accompanied by a CD of extra tracks. The Twerps present a ragged take on the already none-too-polished Flying Nun blueprint, with former Batrider axeist Julia MacFarlane adding her splintered, highly melodic leads to proceedings. The whole thing drifts along in a haze of shimmering, reverb-heavy guitars and languid vocals, with irresistible pop pearlers Good Advice and Fly Away standing out as particular highlights. Superb.

By contrast, the highly-touted Dick Diver take a more studied, (marginally) more polished approach which isn’t as immediately engaging. The rhythm section - bassist Al Montfort (UV Race/Straightjacket Nation) and drummer Steph Hughs, (ex Children Collide/current Triple J presenter) - is tight, the beats snappy, the guitars are clean and spikey, vocals to the fore, the lyrics brought into focus. As with The Twerps, shafts of The Go-Betweens’ celebrated ‘striped sunlight sound’ filter down on Dick Diver, but there’s also a definite country vein running through Arcs Up. The quality on offer here is sure to drag suburban indie-pop hermits away from their collection of flexi-discs long enough to head down to the local record store for copies of these limited run sevens. You should, too.

Reg Mombasa

Lyrics Born

Tom Shimura’s vocal chords are certainly in demand. No sooner has the Californian MC, better known as LYRICS BORN, stepped out of a recording studio then he’s straight into a string of interviews. He’s a busy man and so has been putting the studio time to good use, working on his forthcoming LP As U Were while also recording voice-overs for Cartoon Network franchise You Are Here.

While between song skits on records are the bane of many a hip-hop head’s life, Lyrics Born explains these jocular interludes actually led to his television gig. “I got a call from my now producer out of the blue,” he remembers. “He was like ‘I’ve heard your records, I love the skits – you have a very distinctive voice so would you come in and give it a shot?’ Isn’t that something?” he marvels. “It’s funny how life is some times.”

“Believe it or not, it really helps my rapping,” he continues, speaking about his voice work. “The producers really make me aware of things I’m not aware of in my repertoire, it really helps me grow and improve. To me, it’s no different [to rapping] – it’s all vocal research.”

Lyrics Born has just completed his latest US tour, The Deadliest Catch with Charlie 2Na and Gift of Gab, and is now putting the finishing touches to his forthcoming LP – due in the first quarter of 2010. Originally slated for a 2009 release, he decided to take some long overdue and well-earned family time after he and his wife, singer Joyo Velarde, had a child.

“It’s funk for the future – that’s probably the best way I can describe it,” he says of As U Were. “It’s urban, alternative, it’s wild, it’s crazy, it’s conventional, it’s sane, y’know what I mean? It’s everything. With every album I really try to grow and progress.”

As well as established names such as Trackademicks, Sam Sparro, Lateef the Truthspeaker and Jake One, the new record will feature a host of up-and-coming talent. “They bring a fresh perspective... that burst of new energy that you have when you’re new to the gang,” he explains. “What I bring to the table is that seasoned refinement that you can only have when you’ve been doing this for ten years.”

A frequent visitor to our shores, Lyrics Born is again returning for The Falls Festival and is anticipating the chance to preview some of his new tunes for Australian audiences. “I just have such a love affair with the country and with the fans,” he gushes. “I keep getting asked back, y’know, and I can’t say no. I finally found a country that likes to party as much as I do!”

Lyrics Born will perform at The Falls Festival, held at Marion Bay, Tasmania and Lorne, Victoria, between Tuesday December 29 2009 and Friday January 1 2010. For lineup, further information and ticketing details, head to www.fallsfestival.com.au.

DVDevotee Old Crow Medicine Show Live at The Orange Peel and Tennessee Theatre

With their return to Australia imminent, it seems a good opportunity to give Old Crow Medicine Show's recent live DVD a spin. Young men playing old time music - a combination of bluegrass, roots, folk and blues; for convenience's sake, call it Americana - the Medicine Show have managed to garner surprisingly wide appeal, perhaps in part due to endorsements from Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings as well as elder statesmen like Merle Haggard. Eschewing any extra features, this bare bones release presents the group in their element - onstage and in full flight. Featured are 20 songs cribbed from two performances in December last year in the intimate confines of The Orange Peel, North Carolina and at the larger Tennessee Theatre. The shows are documented simply and effectively; lingering frames of the group onstage, capturing the interplay between members, occasionally interspersed with atmospheric shots of America's south. The Medicine Show maintain a blistering pace and, as evidenced by the torrent of sweat dripping down fiddle player Ketch Secor's instrument, clearly push themselves to their physical limits. A great deal of the set comprises the trad-arrs the band are famous for and you can't help but be swept along by the sheer propulsion of their frenetic readings. The audience reciprocates, as raucous and energetic as any rock crowd - particularly one punter that the camera often returns to, who looks like he's been caught mid-self-exorcism. The group, however, are at their best when they delve into their own, generally more restrained, catalogue. I Hear Them All, a co-write with David Rawlings that clearly bears his influence, is a particular highlight, as is the wistful Caroline and the ragged, slow-burning Tennessee Pusher. A rollicking testament to Old Crow Medicine Show's powerful live performances.

Jeff Martin

"I'm using the analogy of climbing K2," JEFF MARTIN says of The Armada's upcoming acoustic tour. "But I'm very confident that the three of us are going to pull it off. If we do, I would say collectively and individually it would be the most rewarding thing that we've done as artists in our careers."

The man certainly isn't exaggerating. Listening to him list the incredible amount of instruments the trio will be carting around the country for the 24-date trip, you can't help but pity the poor roadies who'll have to deal with it all. "Basically my guitar tech Kenny Watt is officially the world's hardest working guitar tech," Jeff agrees. "I think over the course of my career it's getting close to 38/39 different tunings. That's quite an accomplishment I guess, but it's a fucking nightmare for Ken," he laughs.

Following his 2006 solo LP and a couple of live records, The Armada once again sees Jeff heading a power trio after he disbanded his previous group The Tea Party in 2005. Originally a collaboration between Martin and Irish percussionist extraordinaire Wayne Sheehy (who's played with the likes of Robert Palmer and Ronnie Wood), The Armada has expanded to a three-piece for live shows with Perth multi-instrumentalist Jay Cortez (previously of The Sleepy Jackson and End of Fashion) filling out the sound. "I can guarantee you that Australia's never seen anything like this," Jeff says. "It's basically a combination of a live Dead Can Dance show meets Page and Plant Unleaded."

Though his work has always been informed by his love of Indian and Middle Eastern music, Jeff explains that The Armada's acoustic tour will heavily focus on the "world music aspect" of the band. This long held fascination began at a young age, when he heard an older cousin's copy of Sgt Pepper's... and was immediately struck by George Harrison's sitar-led track Within You Without You. "I don't know what your thoughts are, your personal philosophies on past lives, things like that," Jeff says, "but something went on with me and I knew I heard that before. Everything was familiar." From then onwards, the ten year old Jeff would travel from his hometown of Windsor, ON in Canada to Detroit every weekend to scour the city's record stores for any LPs which featured a sitar on the cover.

"When The Tea Party began and we started travelling, I started slowly picking up these instruments from different parts of the world," Jeff explains. "I instantly knew the scales, the tunings even, which is kind of inexplicable. I think that as far as rock and roll is concerned, the only way to move forward is using elements of world music," he concludes. "It's not just a case of following the trends now and rehashing something that happened in the '70s - enough of that, move forward."

Jeff Martin and The Armada play at the ANU Bar on Wednesday November 18. Tickets are available through Ticketek and Oztix.

The Boat That Rocked

On its release in ol' Blighty under its original name Pirate Radio, The Boat That Rocked copped quite a pasting in the UK press. But it really isn't the flotsam most would have you believe. The film is set in 1966, when rock 'n' roll was all but blacklisted from the BBC airwaves and the DJs of the day were forced to take to the high seas in order to spin the good stuff. In fact, it was on one such floating pirate radio station that a young John Peel first made his name in the UK. Admittedly, the plot is pretty thin: after 18 year old Carl (Tom Sturridge) is expelled from school, his mother sends him aboard the good ship Radio Rock, captained by his godfather Quentin (Bill Nighy), under the premise that a little bracing sea air will sort him out. Of course, this is merely a means of allowing hilarity to ensue, as it's the excellent cast - including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rhys Ifans (resplendent in a purple velvet suit), Nick Frost and Rhys Darby - who carry the film entirely. While the period soundtrack is uniformly excellent, featuring liberal helpings of Kinks, Who, Dusty and the choice inclusion of The Box Tops (featuring a pre-Big Star Alex Chilton), it would have been nice for the filmmakers to unearth some overlooked gems from the time and stretch the audience a little. Pleasingly, and somewhat surprisingly, given that with a two hours plus running time The Boat... is already overlong, the deleted scenes included are very worthwhile, often eclipsing those of the actual feature. Given the sheer amount of talent it features, The Boat That Rocked isn't quite the sum of its parts but, now Gilmore Girls reruns are off, I could think of far worse ways to wile away a slow weekend afternoon.

DVDevotee Ringo Starr and The Roundheads: Live (Soundstage / Liberator Music)

In a world of limitless Beatles-related ephemera, this would surely rank as one of the more dispensable artefacts - honestly, a set of bobble-head dolls or a pair of Yellow Submarine shoelaces would have been preferable.

Originally recorded in 2005, four years down the track it has obviously been decided that the world is now sufficiently prepared for this release. As one expects, the focus - right down to the Roundheads bassist sporting a Höfner 500/1 - is on Starr's time with the Fabs. Indeed, the set only cribs three tracks from Starr's post-1973 output - which seems to have been restricted almost exclusively to good natured twelve bar blues boogies. Even his recent tunes are steeped in the past; the title track from Starr's then latest studio LP Choose Love is built on a riff not dissimilar to Taxman, while the lyrics, with couplets like "The long and winding road is more than a song/ Tomorrow never knows what goes on," continue The Beatles' tradition of playful self-referencing. Elsewhere, for no particular reason, Starr's occasional bandmate Colin Hay of Men at Work fame emerges for a rendition of Who Can it Be Now?

The songs are, give or take an extended guitar solo, presented more or less exactly as they were on record, with any grit - such as that on the Marc Bolan-inspired Back Off Boogaloo - smoothed away. Starr, both hands seemingly frozen into a permanent peace sign, doesn't so much command the stage as bob about it and while the man - undoubtedly one of the most underestimated drummers in rock history - still looks at home behind a Ludwig four-piece, on the few occasions he does ascend the drum riser he's merely doubling the Roundheads' sticksman - a great shame.

Pleasant, certainly, but hardly essential.

Sex Pistols: There’ll Always Be an England

Filmed by long time Sex Pistols documenter Julien Temple, There'll Always Be an England captures the reunited band at the Brixton Academy in 2007, the 30th anniversary of their seminal LP Never Mind The Bollocks. The Pistols are in fine form: Paul Cook is the obvious standout, attacking his kit with the vim and vigour of a man a third of his age; sneaking in a few tasty leads, Steve Jones proves himself a dab hand on the guitbox, betraying his self-styled anti-guitar hero image; and with his gold waistcoat/black dress shirt combo and bouncy hair, bassist Glen Matlock looks like he'd be more suited backing Neil Diamond. But of course punk was never about the uniform, maaan. Though you wouldn't know it to look at the audience - a sea of mohawks, safety pins and PVC, all gurning for the camera. Even notoriously terse frontman John Lydon - who generally never misses an opportunity to mock their reunion - appears to be enjoying himself, though he cheekily performs most of the show in a fluoro PiL shirt. All this, however, is secondary to the 'extras' on the disc: The Knowledge - The Pistols Guide to London, an entertaining oral history of the band. It follows the members as they visit their old West End haunts, which more often than not are linked to an anecdote of Jones nicking some geezer's clobber. They also stop by a greasy spoon for lunch, whereupon Jones and Cook enthuse, at length, on double pie and mash. Jones' standing record? Eight in one day. Pies, that is. Meanwhile, Lydon surveys his beloved London from the back of an open top bus, becoming increasingly dismayed with "faceless, antisocial" modern architecture - the London Skywheel receives most of his vitriol - and ultimately, simply abusing bemused pedestrians. Brilliant.

Retro Rage

Now in its third decade, venerable ABC clip show Rage is taking a wistful glance back at its salad days, a bygone era of big hair, big snares drums and Big Audio Dynamite (sadly not included here). From the counter-culture video collage of Sonic Youth's Teen Age Riot to hyper-coloured cartoon world of De La Soul's Eye Know, via the Mary Chain, Bowie, The Specials (Jerry Dammers' truly awkward skanking is a particular highlight), Neneh Cherry's immortal Buffalo Stance and, err, Yazz, there's hardly a dud within. However, considering Rage launched as hip-hop was entering its golden age and beginning to infiltrate the mainstream, the selection on offer is somewhat light on 'rap,' as it was called back then. I also take issue with the Fine Young Cannibals quotient - Johnny Come Home over She Drives Me Crazy? Really? - but that's an argument for another day. Retro Rage is somewhat of a wasted opportunity though, as the videos are presented cold, one after another, without any context or commentary. The main attraction of Rage is that it spares us the zany 'youth' presenters that usually helm these programs, gurning and leering at the camera with their mad hair, and goes straight to The Talent. The artists program the selection and interject at will with anecdotes and history lessons - amongst a good deal of indecipherable slurring and cackling - providing fans with crucial insight into their heroes' influences. An introduction before each song here certainly wouldn't have gone astray. But while one may question the validity of these kinds of DVDs - and indeed Rage itself - in the Youtube age, consider this: who, after stumbling home, wants to huddle over your mate Phil's 9" x 7" netbook screen at four in the morning and expend what precious few brain cells remain trying to remember who sang The Riverboat Song? That's right.

The Spazzys

"I have to be on my toes," laughs Kat Spazzy. "I was going to have a glass of wine before (this), but then I thought 'Take it easy Kat!'" The usually forthright frontwoman of Melbourne punk rockers The Spazzys has to choose her words carefully as, after three years of legal wrangling with their former record label, there are issues of confidentiality and all kinds of indecipherable legalities to consider.

Last time we heard from the girls they'd returned from LA after polishing off sophomore LP Dumb is Forever with Charles Fisher - the man behind such Australian classics as Radios Appear and Mars Needs Guitars - and were gearing up for the Big Day Out. Then, as Kat explains, "everything just went to shit really."

Unhappy with their record label, The Spazzys were thrown into a length legal battle which essentially put the band on hold and left Dumb is Forever on a shelf gathering dust. "The main problem was we weren't okay with the way (the label) were managing us and they way they were dealing with us," Kat explains. "We thought it was really important to start afresh and emancipate ourselves from them. We were fighting for freedom."

"The record's changed a lot since we recorded it," she continues, "and I guess in some kind of weird ironic way we are lucky to have the record sitting there to go back to, make adjustments and get it perfect before we put it out. We're really looking forward to getting this record out. We still love it! I think it's a fantastic record and, you know what, to be sitting on a record for that long and still love it is a good sign."

And, thankfully, rock 'n' roll has once again prevailed, kicking 'the man' to the curb and returning its attention to giving those pesky jams a good stomping. Now footloose and label-free, Kat and the now decidedly independent Spazzys anticipate Dumb is Forever to be unearthed from the crypt all too soon.

"We've still got to finalise the dates but I'm thinking early next year," Kat says. "We might have something out late this year. We're starting to play some more shows again, we're doing the Blueprint festival here, some festivals over the summer, getting back into things. It's really great to be playing music again. For the last three years I was in a band but it was all just business. Even though it was the fight of our lives and we're so much stronger because of it, it's great to forget about that and just play music because that's what we were fighting for."

The Spazzys play the brand new Blueprint Festival in Ararat, Victoria, September 18 to 21, alongside Jebediah, The Panics, Blue King Brown, The Beautiful Girls, Tim Rogers and many, many more. For tickets and further information, visit www.blueprintfestival.com .

Jebediah

It's been a while since we've heard from Perth indie supremos JEBEDIAH; years, in fact. After their Tenth Anniversary Tour in mid-2005, the band essentially disappeared but for the odd show here and there. As bassist Vanessa Thornton explains though, Jebediah never intended to stay away for that long - it was simply a break that stretched on a little longer than expected.

"Kevin's wife was in Geneva and I was playing in End of Fashion at the time," Vanessa recalls. "We'd been touring non-stop for ten years. Jebs took priority over everything. We decided to take six months off so everyone could go and do what they wanted to do. There was never any doubt that we would get back together."

But it wasn't too long into the hiatus before those incorrigible Jebs fell back into music: singer and guitarist Kevin Mitchell adopted his Bob Evans moniker, while drummer Brett Mitchell filled in for The Fuzz and Vanessa joined Perth singer/songwriter Felicity Groom's backing band, The Black Black Smoke. The downtime also allowed members to go back to uni, as the band's burgeoning success in the mid-'90s had forced them to put their academic pursuits on hold. Vanessa is currently juggling a nutrition degree between band commitments.

"I spent two years in a forest picking fruit and whatnot," Vanessa explains. "Having so much time to think while I was doing that, I came to the decision that I would like to use my brain 'cause I had been doing my best to destroy my brain for the previous ten years."

In spite of this, she instantly perks up when talking about the band's 2007 comeback shows after a year and a half off the road. "Pure excitement!" she exclaims. "Obviously we were all feeling refreshed. We did a run up north in WA - we were thinking that the crowds might not be so discerning, they might just be quite drunk and ready to hear whatever band was playing. Once we got through half of the first song we were right."

Soon after, in early 2008, the band began recording sessions for their fifth album, taking the same relaxed approach that has become the band's new ethic. Vanessa expects the album to be done by the year's end, though nothing is certain. "We started it about a year ago and this is the first time we've gotten back in the studio, so that's an indication of our quite casual approach to the band at this point," Vanessa says. "We don't even know when we're going to have it finished - it's up to us. We don't have any obligation to do anything for anyone, but it seems to be working well for us at the moment. I'm thoroughly enjoying what we're doing!"

Jebediah play the brand new Blueprint Festival in Ararat, VIC from Friday September 18 to Monday September 21, alongside The Panics, Blue King Brown, The Beautiful Girls, Tim Rogers and many more. For tickets and further information, visit www.blueprintfestival.com.

The Lucksmiths

It's just past three on a Wednesday afternoon and as Little Ted and Jemima cavort across screens nationwide, the phone rings. With his young son safely positioned in front of the television, juice in hand, entranced by the successors to Noni and George, THE LUCKSMITHS' guitarist and chief songwriter Marty Donald has been able to snatch a few minutes away from his parental responsibilities.

Our chat is a bittersweet occasion as, with families and 'real' jobs taking priority, Melbourne's favourite indie-popsters have called time on their illustrious career. As Marty explains, rather than allowing The Lucksmiths to trail off indefinitely, they wanted to do the band that had consumed so much of their lives justice and have a proper send off.

"There are bands that seem to tread that sort of line," Marty muses. "I read an interview with The Bats the other day where they talked about how they do things very sporadically and everyone thinks they've broken up all the time. The Lucksmiths have been such a big part of our lives for 16 years - this way it puts a full stop on things and leaves the door open for whatever comes next."

Over their tenure, The Lucksmiths have amassed a hefty back-catalogue - 11 LPs plus countless EPs and singles - and toured the globe extensively, which has earned them the impressive reputation abroad where they're often mentioned in the same sentence as genre 'titans' Belle and Sebastian and The Field Mice. And throughout, they've always maintained a steadfastly independent ethos, of which Marty is very proud.

"Much as it would have been nice to make millions and own tennis courts, what little contact we did have with the 'industry' aspect of the music business is not something I wanted any more to do with than we had to," Marty says. "There are times when it would be nice to just concentrate on rehearsing and writing songs rather than having to book hire cars or design a shirt, but I really don't think we would have done it any other way."

Of the final Australian tour, Marty admits he's not quite sure what to expect. "We've just done a couple of weeks in Europe and those shows were quite emotional. Some shows were in cities that we've played in quite a bit like London and Stockholm, so that was a bit of a foretaste of it, but I imagine all those emotions and everything will be quite magnified for the Australian shows. A lot of these shows are in places that we've come to love. Tilley's is somewhere we've had some of our best shows over the years, we love playing there. So, one last hurrah!"

The Lucksmiths play their final Canberra show on Saturday August 22 at Tilley's, Lyneham with Darren Hanlon. Pre-sales sold out long ago, but a very limited number of standing room tickets will be released at 8pm on the night. For complete tour dates, head to www.thelucksmiths.com.au.

Stereophonics Decade in the Sun: Best of Stereophonics

I freely admit to having a soft spot for the earnest Welsh trad-rock of Stereophonics, something which has generally earned me only scorn and derision. Having notched up ten years in the biz, this collection reviews the audiovisual output of the band once known as Tragic Love Company, with a side of live clips in which Noel Gallagher, Ronnie Wood and The Who all crop up.

Stereophonics' 1997 debut Word Gets Around still stands as a fine LP, combining frontman Kelly Jones' observationalist lyrics detailing suicide, scandal, alcoholism and boredom in a small town with anthemic, meat-and-potatoes rock. The accompanying clips are largely forgettable though, and it's with album number two, 1999's Performance and Cocktails, that things get interesting visually. Inspired by Kelly's love of cinema, the videos from this period are excellent: beautifully shot homages to classics such as Apocalypse Now, The Italian Job, Easy Rider, The Blues Brothers and M*A*S*H.

From there it's mostly downhill as the band lose larrikin Tom Baker-alike drummer Stuart Cable and generally descend into mediocrity. Kelly's lyrics fall back on hackneyed rock clichés and the music follows. As do the videos, which more often than not feature the band performing in an anonymous sound studio with a million pounds' worth of lighting and a bunch of out-of-work models to distract from the sheer tedium of it all. Moviestar in particular is beyond awful and represents the nadir of the 'phonics canon. Generally speaking, video compilations are only going to interest the dedicated fan and, the run of Performance and Cocktails videos aside, Stereophonics have never produced particularly memorable videos. Overall, a cautionary tale of the ill effects of too much time spent in the sun.

Dappled Cities

It’s never easy being the new guy. Fortunately for Allan Kumpulianen, though DAPPLED CITIES may have formed in high school, inter-band relations are nothing like the quad hierarchy. “It seemed like I was bumping my way into their little niche, but they were very welcoming,” he says. “We haven’t really done much touring yet, which is when I get to know what they’re really like.”

Dappled Cities noted Allan’s talents while he was temping for Expatriate, so when original drummer Hugh Boyce opted out he was the obvious replacement. As Allan explains, he entered the fold at the perfect time: avoiding the $10-a-day, five-men-to-a-bedsit squalor of their New York months and jumping straight into the fertile period where embryonic songs began to take shape.

“Yeah, I missed out on the poverty stage,” he smiles. “We spent most of last year songwriting and arranging. We had four or five versions of each song ready to record. Everybody was pretty open to change so we tried as many different things as we could.”

Exuding a sense of confidence which imbues the record, Dappled Cities had a clear vision for Zounds which occasionally found them at loggerheads with co-producer Chris Cody (TV on the Radio).

“He’s pretty strong-willed and he’d been working hard for the last few years without a break,” Allan explains, “so he was kind of difficult to work with at some stages. We’re all happy with the end result and that’s the main thing. I think it’s standard practice for a good producer to be a little bit psycho at some point.” Thankfully though, there were no Spector-esque moments of lunacy. “There was no gun on the console,” laughs Allan.

In all, the recording and mixing process stretched out to over a year, this time allowing Dappled Cities to tweak and hone Zounds to their exacting standards. “It was a bit of a luxury to have the time because from the outset we had the idea that everything was going to be well thought out and organised to the finest degree. I think that really comes out on the record,” Allan says.

Singer/guitarist Dave Rennik has said both the band and Dangerbird Records had high expectations for Zounds. Allan maintains Dappled Cities didn’t feel any pressure from their US label, primarily because they had Beck’s frizzy-haired foil Justin Meldal-Johnsen as their A&R rep. “He was a really great guy to work with,” Allan says. “He just offered some ideas and steered us in a direction that he thought would be better, but he never forced anything.”

As for the tour, Dappled Cities are itching to hit the road as “it’s been a good couple of years since we’ve been touring.” Plus, Zounds is an album created to be played and appreciated live. “The idea was to carry it across to the live show,” Allan explains, “so we were conscious of that all through the recording.”

Augie March / Gareth Liddiard and Dan Luscombe

Unlikely stars, Victoria's Augie March have never been a band to take the well-trodden path, so it's perhaps oddly fitting that they choose arguably their commercial peak to announce an 'extended hiatus.' That old chestnut. But before they scurry off to their respective side projects, the five-piece have embarked on a retrospective tour to mark the end of this chapter.

On supporting duties are Gareth Liddiard and Dan Luscombe from The Drones. Rather than lurching and leering across the stage, tonight Liddiard is shackled to a stool with an acoustic on his knee. And while Luscombe occasionally rises from his seated position to strap on an electric and stomp on an overdrive pedal, it's all fairly polite and restrained - which is not exactly what you want from this pair. The faithful no doubt enjoy hearing a few favourites in a different context, but there really is no substitute for The Drones in full, electrified, flight. One for the fans.

By contrast, the headliners announce themselves with a dam-busting triple guitar onslaught; the opening track from their much-loved 2000 debut Sunset Studies, The Hole in Your Roof, is transformed into a fixture-rattling crescendo of noise. That first LP dominates the setlist tonight, though Augie March give all of their four albums a look-in, evidentially just as excited as their audience at the prospect of trawling through the back-catalogue. Eschewing singles in favour of dusting off obscurities, this is decidedly a show for the fans.

Three-piece horn section The Arnold Horns also join Augie March for a good deal of the set and lend the likes of Just Passing Through and There's Something at the Bottom of the Black Pool a muscular soul revue punch.

At the behest of one enthusiastic audience member in the front row, they even take a couple of minutes onstage to confirm correct chord progressions between themselves before ploughing through Century Son from their first release, 1998 EP Thanks for the Memes. Despite the band's insistence they can barely remember the song, it still sounds sharp. "I'm not sure if I'd have stuck around if all the songs sounded like that," jokes keyboardist/accordionist Keiran Box as the band exchange rolled eyes and chuckles at the folly of their youth.

For much of their 13 years Augie March were an unwieldy live proposition - which, it has to be said, was part of their charm. As they themselves admit, on any given night they'd either be 'off' or 'on.' Minor technical or human error would often rankle famously perfectionist frontman Glenn Richards, which in turn could derail a show entirely. Back in the day a bung chord or a bit of feedback would have caused the band to grind to a halt, but these days they simply shrug off such minor annoyances and soldier on.

Which is why it's a shame the band are taking a lengthy breather, as Augie March are certainly 'on' tonight. As they depart, they thank the crowd for the last 13 years. "Actually, we started coming here five years after we formed, so we should really only thank them for the last eight years," bassist Ed Ammendola chimes in. There's always one.

Chambers

If history has taught us nothing else, it's that from the chamber music of the 1700s to the raw, gritty beats of the 36 Chambers, chambers and music are a winning combination. To add further weight to the argument, I present bright young Sydney things, CHAMBERS.

Don't let those reference points lead you astray, though, as there's nary a viola nor a gravel pit in sight. Instead, the band's heart lies in that maligned and often misunderstood decade, the '80s. In Chambers, you can hear the dark, brooding atmosphere of Echo and the Bunnymen, the pulsing, shifting backbeat of Brian Eno and, in particular, the shimmering guitar wash that characterised many Creation Records' bands, chiefly often overlooked shoegazers Ride. "All of us are avid fans of music from that era and especially that scene. Most of [the music] was made before we were even a tadpole, but that just goes to show how great those bands were!" guitarist Sydney Weston enthuses. "They may not have been the highest selling bands, but they had longevity."

Around two years ago, after the bell rang for the last time and school was out forever, Sydney and classmates Thom Benjamin (bass) and Isaac Yeo (guitar/vocals) teamed up with Mat Gardner (drums) under the name Man Ray. After a quick rethink - "There were a few other bands around with names like Man Ray and we wanted to distinguish ourselves" - the four settled on their current moniker. "I guess it is a reference to the Chambers brothers from (Rob Reiner's 1986 film) Stand By Me. Those guys are tough," Sydney says.

From there, it was simply a matter of holing up in a jam room, bashing it out and letting their common influences dictate their musical direction. "We each knew what we liked and were influenced by individually but never really discussed a group sound, [we preferred] to just let it happen rather than force it," Sydney explains.

Selecting five of their best, Chambers decamped to Sydney's Big Jesus Burger studios - Australian indie rock's Hitsville, USA - at the end of last year and recorded debut EP A Slow Decay, an accomplished set presenting a band with a strong sonic vision and songwriting skills to match. Despite the tight timeframe - just four days to record and mix it all - Sydney explains everything basically fell into place.

"We had done quite a lot of recording prior to this EP, so we knew what to do, what not to do, and when to supply the tea to the man twiddling the knobs," he says. "We really wanted our EP to reflect our music the way it was - bare and beautiful. Chris (Townend, producer) was really great to work with, he got what we wanted straight away and did an amazing job. We went into the studio with the hopes that we could come away with something really special and different, and we did!"

Chambers play the ANU Bar on Saturday July 25. Get your ticket at the door and head to www.myspace.com/chambersband for a free download of A Slow Decay.

Have Heart

From the very beginning, Boston’s HAVE HEART always asserted the band would have a very limited lifespan. All the same, when they announced their dissolution at the beginning of the month, hardcore fans were left no less stunned at a disappointingly abrupt end for a band who, it was felt, were yet to reach their peak.

The future of Have Heart always seemed to be balanced on a knife edge, and when I spoke to vocalist Pat Flynn in Indianapolis, midway through their US tour with Polar Bear Club last month, he was understandably noncommittal about further plans. “I dunno…,” he considered, when asked about the possibility of a third full length. “I know we’re definitely going to write another EP, it’ll be out in the fall, but as far as another LP…” he trailed off. “We never even expected to write an LP, let alone a second LP.”

In fact, it seems the members (Pat, bassist Ryan Briggs and current guitarists Kei Yasui and Ryan Hudon, and drummer Vincent Conti) never expected much more from Have Heart than a couple of local Massachusetts shows as a diversion from their other bands of the time. Beginning in 2002 as straight-ahead youth crew band - “kinda like a Youth of Today covers band” - they quickly moved beyond these restricted parameters, before 2006’s much-lauded The Things We Carry, their debut LP, signalled their arrival.

The follow up, 2008’s Songs to Scream at the Sun, brought another musical departure for the band, mining a slower, heavier vein compared to the breakneck pace of Things... The album divided opinion, though ultimately seems to have won over far many more than it may have put off. All this is, of course, of no consequence to the group.

“We’ve been alienating people since we fucking started,” Pat laughs. “When we wrote The Things We Carry that really alienated the whole youth crew audience we’d built up. When we wrote our second record we wanted to play around and let other influences like Helmet, Far, Deftones through - stuff that we love outside of the traditional hardcore realm. That alienated people too. But whatever; it’s worked for us, we’ve kept ourselves happy and as far as I know, every tour we do has only gotten bigger and bigger. So we must be doing right in terms of people responding.”

Described by Pat as “a very short, abridged version of The Prodigal Son. About growing up, coming to life,” Songs to Scream at the Sun should prove a fitting swansong for Have Heart. They should be proud, bowing out on top and on their own terms. Not many bands can claim that.

On their final Australian tour, Have Heart will hit the Tuggeranong Youth Centre on Wednesday May 27, supported by Carpathian and locals Vera and I Exist. The show is all ages and tickets are available from Moshtix outlets and www.moshtix.com.au. Songs to Scream at the Sun is out on Bridge Nine via Stomp.

Hancock Basement

Once an omnipresent, err, presence in the Canberra music scene, indie-popsmiths HANCOCK BASEMENT have been laying low of late, punching clocks at Sydney’s esteemed BigJesusBurger studios. The first taste of the fruits of their labour will be the forthcoming Hey Kids/Don Juan 7” vinyl - yes, a proper record! So, where better to chat with Nick Craven, lead singer and guitarist, than amongst the cramped, dusty rows of crates in an undisclosed record store.

The afternoon gets off to a bad start when, much to my chagrin, Nick scores a dirt cheap copy of Kraftwerk’s Autobahn. As we scour the racks, he fills me in on the band’s movements since the launch of their debut EP in 2006. “We’ve really been pushing the interstate shows in Sydney and Melbourne. We made the Garage to V final in 2007, but more recently we won triple j Unearthed’s Trackside competition, which got us a fair bit of airplay. Our new single We Started Something’s been getting a bit of a push on triple j too. We’ve also learnt how to play our instruments properly,” he adds, “and have become far better songwriters.”

Indeed, listening to the joyous pop explosion Hey Kids, or the darker Don Juan on the flip, reveals a band brimming with new musical ideas and a bigger, fuller sound. Part of this can be attributed to their decision to add bass to the mix, after resolutely sticking to the two guitars ‘n’ drums format since their heady formative days in mid-2004. “It’s really beefed up the sound and broadened our musical scope,” Nick says.

Bassman Todd Gregory also provided the feline-themed artwork for their 7”. “Plus he’s a redhead, so that rounds out the band’s hair colour spectrum,” Nick chuckles, holding a dog-eared copy of Eno’s On Land aloft and looking across the aisle quizzically. “Only ten bucks - want it?” As avid fans of the history of popular music, committing their own tracks to wax is the realisation of a long-held dream for Hancock Basement (completed by drummer Tom Spira and multi-instrumentalist Nick Beresford-Wylie). “So many of our favourite bands have released stand-alone 7”s that become part of their history,” Nick says, while inspecting a copy of Buzzcocks classic Singles Going Steady compilation.

Nick’s fixation on those big glossy black circles began early, with Australian kids’ folkie Peter Combe. “My guess,” he ponders, “is that it was mid-late period Combe, - some would say his best era. I liked the interaction of the vinyl, hoisting this massive black disc onto a turntable and playing around with it. It was a real experience.”

Hancock Basement launch their 7” with The Inheritors at Transit Bar on Thursday May 28. Entry is free. Vote for the band in round one of the Uncharted comp - www.uncharted.com.au.

The Bar At Buena Vista

Written and Directed by Toby Gough, THE BAR AT BUENA VISTA pays homage to the famous quarter of Havana, which saw rise to such legends as the late Compay Segundo and Ruben Gonzalez. Premiering in Perth six years ago, the show has enjoyed sell-out tours around the world, bringing the vitality of Cuba’s rich, cigar-smoke infused musical history to the stage.

“The idea was to tell the story behind the social group Buena Vista - not the music phenomenon, but the bar,” explains Carlos Bustamante, the show’s touring translator. “This is a small bar that, back in the ‘40s and ‘50s, was gateway for so many young musicians and performers that 40, 50, 60 years later became internationally famous.”

The cast, comprising members of the four biggest shows out of Cuba, including The Buena Vista Social Club and the Afro Cuban All-Stars, is spearheaded by the unstoppable Reynaldo Creagh, who at 93 is considered Cuba’s last remaining living legend.

“He walks very slowly, and I said to him one time, ‘it’s good that you walk slowly now that you’re old because you’ll fall,’” Carlos says fondly. “He said ‘No Carlos, I walked very slowly when I was 15!’ He has this internal tempo, this way of being - he’s a very calm, relaxed guy. He gets this energy from work: he loves making music, and he loves making people happy.”

Musically, audiences can expect a handful of well-known standards but, pleasingly for any Cuban music aficionados, the show will introduce a raft of more obscure tracks. “The rest are traditional songs that were not international hits or anything like that, but are still beautiful songs,” Carlos explains. “The major element of The Bar is Cuban traditional dance,” Carlos continues. “There are only three or four guys in the world that can serve this style, and we have them at The Bar - we are very happy about that.”

The Bar at Buena Vista plays Canberra Theatre on Friday May 15 and Saturday May 16. Tickets from Canberra Ticketing.

THE STABS

WHAT: BLUES INFLECTED POST PUNK
WHERE: BAR 32
WHEN: THU MAY 7

Anyone who attended one of this year’s All Tomorrow’s Parties festivals would, at the behest of Nick Cave and his Bad Seeds, have been treated to a disgustingly early showing by Melbourne three-piece The Stabs. Their abrasive, menacing brand of dirty, blues-inflected post-punk was a rude awakening for the mountain folk at the Mt Buller event and, looking distinctly uncomfortable in the light of day, the band delivered a similarly pulverising set on day two at Sydney’s Cockatoo Island. Formed in 2003, The Stabs gained infamy early on after more than a couple of their shows disintegrated into onstage brawls, but these days they tend TO direct their anger more at their instruments. Between biffs, they have supported Mudhoney, Rowland S Howard, The Scientists and Lubricated Goat, and released one LP and three 7” singles. While their last Canberra show got shut down after noise complaints, this time around, in the more hardened-eared surrounds of Bar 32, The Stabs and fellow Melbourne noise merchants Deaf Wish will settle in for a full evening sonic delights.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Tomorrow’s Heroes Today

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Mick Harvey sounds like he could live quite happily never having to deal with a telephone again. In a couple of hours he’ll need to be on a plane to England for the next leg of NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS ‘ Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! tour. For now, however, Cave’s right hand man, who has followed him through high-school proto-punk band The Boys Next Door, seminal post-punk group The Birthday Party and now the Seeds, is contending with a packed interview schedule that is backing up by the minute.

Luckily, after enjoying a snatch of Harvey’s hold music, the quiet, friendly tones of the great man are emanating through the receiver. With only a precious few minutes at our disposal there’s little time to waste, so we leap straight onto the topic at hand - Australia’s inaugural All Tomorrow’s Parties festival. “That’s what everyone’s been talking to me about!” chuckles Mick.

Since reading UK music journal Select’s report on the very first, Mogwai-curated ATP festival back at the turn of the millennium, I, along with countless other Australian music nerds, dreamt of the day when we might experience such delights in our homeland. A laundry list of the indie rock elite - including, but not limited to, My Bloody Valentine, Portishead, Dirty Three, Sonic Youth, The Shins, Sleater Kinney, Dinosaur Jr., Mudhoney, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Slint, Stephen Malkmus, Mogwai, Tortoise, Shellac, Modest Mouse and, err, Matt Groening - have since donned their curator’s hats and now, not a moment too soon, Australians will be able to bask in the splendours of All Tomorrow’s Parties with Cave at Co. at the helm.

The Bad Seeds’ involvement in the festivus stemmed from their association with ATP head honcho Barry Hogan. “Actually, I think Barry tried to get the Bad Seeds to do one of the early events in England,” Mick recalls. “He’s an old friend of the band. He’s got a lot of Australian connections - his wife’s Australian - and he liked the idea of getting it going in Australia.”

“It’s quite a different set of events for us, as opposed to our own tour,” Mick says. “The scale of the ATP events is quite daunting… we’re a bit exhausted by it now but I’m sure it’ll be great when it’s happening,” he laughs wearily.

I imagine the Seeds are all thoroughly sick of talking about the event by this stage.  “Ahh, just sorting and sifting through it all, making decisions and to-ing and fro-ing,” Mick sighs. “It’s a lot more complicated than just doing another tour, obviously, but we knew it would be like that.”

But there’s absolutely no doubt their hard efforts will be worthwhile. The festival boasts the re-formed original line-up of classic Brisbane punk pioneers The Saints, Ed Kuepper’s other combo the Laughing Clowns, Washington psych-rockers Dead Meadow, Swans and Angels of Light mastermind M Gira, Cave and Harvey’s old bandmate Rowland S Howard and, perhaps most excitingly of all, the Bad Seeds’ Warren Ellis leading his group the Dirty Three through their masterwork Ocean Songs in its entirety. In fact, Cave sat in on piano the last time the Dirty Three performed that particular album.

So how did the Seeds settle on such an array of bands? I picture the group in a wood-panelled room, huddled King Arthur-style over a round table, reams of paper listing ‘80s post-punk bands from Ballarat and 89-year-old Appalachian folk singers spread about, arguing over each selection. The truth, however, seems far more prosaic.
“Everyone’s asked about the selection process and…,” Mick pauses, “I don’t know. People just suggest stuff and we’ve all thought about it and said yea or nay, really. The main bands we wanted to bring nationally were Spiritualized and Suicide. There are limitations on how many international acts you can bring in. Unfortunately Suicide were unable to do it, they had some personal stuff and couldn’t clear the time in January.”
“Lots of the midrange and smaller acts have just been thrown up by people,” he continues. “It’s nice if a couple of people know who they are. We work out if we’re all okay with them and bands get put on. We’ve gone for diversity so I think it would be fair to say that most people don’t know most of the acts - even the curators don’t, so it will be a voyage of discovery for us too. [The choices] are always based on a couple of people’s suggestions and discussions about how they’ll work with the rest of the line-up.”

Given the stellar bill on offer, were there any particular bands - other than Vega and Rev, of course - who the Seeds would have liked to host, but for whatever reason couldn’t?

“Well, there are a few that have come up in particular - actually there’s lots, probably - but My Bloody Valentine were mentioned. And a few other odd ones like Mary Margaret O’Hara, a few people like that where we discussed it and you have that problem of justifying it, where you have to pay someone but nobody knows them, and stuff becoming a bit of a juggle with who’s a drawcard and what the cost is. You weigh all that up and it becomes quite complicated for those poor people who are doing it.”

As to what we can expect from Cave and his Bad Seeds at their festival appearances, Mick is somewhat vague. “It will probably be related to what we’ve been playing more recently in America - I really can’t remember off the top of my head. Quite a few songs from the new album, but I think we’ll be getting back to quite a few older songs too.” Get excited.

All Tomorrow’s Parties strikes Mt Buller, Victoria on January 9 and 10, Brisbane on January 15 and Cockatoo Island, Sydney on January 17 and 18. For the full line-up and details, and to purchase tickets, head to www.atpfestival.com . Reissues of From Her to Eternity, The Firstborn is Dead, Kicking Against The Pricks and Your Funeral… My Trial will be available in March 2009.

Holly Throsby and The Hello Tigers @ ANU Bar, Thursday October 9

Holly Throsby is all too often unfairly lumped into the all-purpose female singer-songwriter basket of Higginses, Blaskos, Bowditches and Miller-Heidkes. It’s a lazy categorisation which doesn’t do anyone involved any favours. No slur on the aforementioned gals, but she’s streets ahead of any of them. Lyrically, Throsby tends to favour abstraction and evocative imagery over the more plain spoken, slice-of-life stylings of her contemporaries. Musically, she trades in spare, primarily guitar-driven folk-pop; on record augmented by the inventive and quirky arrangements of Tony Dupe, and on the live stage filled out by multi-instrumentalist wiz kids Jens Birchall and Bree Van Reyk, sharing an armful of instruments including accordion, cello, melodica, glockenspiel, as well as the standard drums ‘n’ bass between them. Overall, her songs, and her hushed, confessional delivery, have a resonance that draws you in.

So, wrenching my feet from the clutches of Bar 32’s unnervingly sticky, fluid-soaked carpet, I left the schizophrenic, 8-bit psych pop of Go Genre Everything behind, braved the unseasonably chilly winds and half-cut law students, and headed for our nation’s university.

Throsby is the kind of artist more suited to a ‘bohemian’ inner city pub, theatre shows, or a friend’s crowded lounge room, yet she still managed to create the same kind of intimate atmosphere in the cavernous, high school cafeteria setting of the ANU Bar. The crowd huddled close around the stage in pin-drop silence, craning their necks and straining their ears to catch every glimpse of and every anecdote from the softly-spoken singer.

As one would expect, the set was liberally sprinkled with tunes from A Loud Call, her third album. Like Under the Town before it, the new LP sees Throsby pushing further extremes – the pop songs are poppier, the sombre, atmospheric songs richer and more densely layered. Generally though, it is fair to say A Loud Call is her most accessible work to date, so it was no surprise that when I arrived inexcusably late on last minute reviewing duties, I was relegated to a position 20 odd rows back and spent most of the set admiring the crowns of Throsby and Birchall’s heads.

There were old favourites included too; Up With The Birds accompanied by some field recordings of native birds that hometown gal Van Reyk had made in Belconnen earlier that day; Things Between People providing a moment of reflection on relationships past. The slightly skewed but undeniably catchy Making a Fire, a somewhat unlikely pop hit, received a rousing reception – the audience indulging in the politest of shout-alongs, joining Van Reyk in the “NO!” that precedes the first chorus – as did recent radio favourites One of You For Me and Heart Divided. Towards the end of the set, Throsby announced that after three years they had finally settled on a name for her longtime backing band, introducing Birchall and Van Reyk by their formal title – The Hello Tigers. Say “Hello, Tiger”, in the cracked voice of the 60-something larrikin propping up the bar in your nearest RSL and you’ll get the idea.

Reminding us of her self-designed shirts, Holly bade everyone goodnight and stepped into the backstage gloom, only to re-emerge minutes later to man the merchandise desk, happily chatting with glowing punters. You wouldn’t catch Missy doing that…

The Lucksmiths - They should be so lucky

The Lucksmiths

In Death Cab for Cutie’s tour doco Drive Well, Sleep Carefully – possibly the tamest on-the-road film in rock history – frontman Ben Gibbard talks about living in “this state of arrested development that rock ‘n’ roll keeps you in as long as you do it.” It’s an existence Melbourne indie-pop institution THE LUCKSMITHS have known during their 15 year career, but in the last few years ‘real life’ has caught up with them, as family, interstate and overseas relocations and ‘proper’ jobs have taken precedence. Rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter Marty Donald may well be the busiest of the four; he has a young son consuming his energies and finished moving house the day before our chat. “I’m familiarising myself with a new kitchen,” he informs me. “It’s a little more rustic than the kitchens I’m used to.” Nevertheless, he has managed to navigate the new cookhouse and whip up some steaks before jumping on the blower. Despite these not-so-’little distractions’, The Lucksmiths still managed to steal away to Tasmania to cut their ninth studio album First Frost. While the three-and-a-half year gap between the new LP and their last, the critically acclaimed Warmer Corners, is a good while longer than we’ve come to expect from these prolific pop-maestros, Marty assures us that the wait has been worth it. “We’ve done a lot of records now and we didn’t want to hurry the next record just because it had been a while since the last one,” he says. “We wanted to make sure the songs were ready and we could do them justice.”

First Frost was born out of a number of “working bee” weekends at guitarist Louis Richter’s family holiday house. “I never know how tangible this kind of stuff is to an outside listener, rather than one of us,” Marty says, “but I hope something of that out-of-town vibe has found its way onto the record.”

As well as capturing that elusive out-of-town vibe, First Frost is the group’s most sonically expansive record to date – not surprising, given they have four songwriters contributing to the pool. The tracks are augmented with strings and brass, as well as a few things one would never have expected to hear on a Lucksmiths record. Distortion. Sustained distortion. Feedback, even. Close your eyes and for half a minute you’d swear it was ‘91 and someone had just slipped the new Chapterhouse 12 inch onto the turntable. “It’s true,” Marty laughs, “it’s probably the influence of Louis. His predilection for that sort of stuff and collection of guitar pedals was bound to have an influence at some point.”

“I’ve been playing rhythm guitar in The Lucksmiths for 15 years, proudly without using any pedals,” Marty continues. “But to recreate a couple of these songs live, I’ve had to borrow a couple of pedals off Louis, so I feel like I’ve become a legitimate ‘rock guitar player’,” he chuckles facetiously.

And, hearteningly, it seems that no matter how busy the various members’ lives may become, there’ll always be a free afternoon here and there for Lucksmithing. “Every time it seems like maybe (the band has) run its course, something great crops up,” Marty says. “Look, it’s a little more of a balancing act in terms of people’s lives and that’s just inevitable given our age – when you’re 19 it’s very easy to just be in a band and not worry about anything else, but less so 15 years later. I don’t think we’ve ever lost what made us good in the first place so we’ve got a while left in us.”

The Lucksmiths play a special two set show at Tilley’s on Saturday November 22. Tickets only available on the door. First Frost is out now through The Lost and Lonesome Recording Co.

Bliss N Eso - Still Flyin’

Bliss N Eso

2008 has been a vintage year for Sydney’s pre-eminent hip-hop crew BLISS N ESO . Flying Colours, the trio’s third album, has been met with acclaim from critics and fans alike, resulting in a top ten debut and an extended spell on the charts, leading it to becoming the highest-selling locally released hip-hop release of the past year. “It’s really our most evolved to date,” producer/MC Bliss says. “There’s a sample at the beginning, ‘Even though we’ve got two albums, this one feels like the beginning’. We thought that was a pretty honest quote to start the album with. It’s kind of like turning a new page.”

The LP germinated from a trip the trio took to the United States and Canada, during which they stayed with Portland hip-hop collective Sandpeople. “It was just this little creative Mecca where they lived, a three storey house with a studio on each level. Two producers and three MCs live there. That really kick-started the album, ‘cause we wanted a bit of a reboost, a re-energise of the creative spirit. Then we went to Africa and did the Bullet and a Target.”

While on the Make Poverty History tour, Hugh Evans – founder of youth charity organisation the Oaktree Foundation – told the trio about a Zulu choir who were touring Australia at the time. This sparked the idea for Bullet and a Target, one of the album’s stand out tracks. “We’d been sitting on this beat and I immediately connected the two,” Bliss explains. “We recorded the chorus of the song at Jimmy Barnes’ studio, funnily enough. We didn’t have a studio to put the whole 25 piece in, so he let us use his.”

With the chorus completed, the trio sat on the song until they travelled to South Africa to shoot an MTV documentary focusing on the work of the Oaktree Foundation in that country. “We wanted to go out there and be affected and let that inspire our rhymes,” Bliss explains. “We wrote the song in the little mud hut in the village where we were staying at about three in the morning. I’ve got some funny footage of Eso in his boxer shorts rhyming with this little mic plugged into a laptop. We’d just barely got it done, burnt to CD and bang – we were shooting the video with MTV and the choir in the hills of their village which was just amazing!”

Bliss n Eso then decamped to Melbourne and began intensive writing and recording sessions for the album, aiming to create a diverse yet cohesive body of work. “We didn’t go in there with any pressure. We got back to having fun with the music, which is how it all started. I think that was part of the reason the album came out the way it did, because we were just free spirited and being creative.”

Their appearance at Trackside later this month will have the distinction of being the final show on the Flying Colours tour. “For us it’s the finale!” Bliss says excitedly. “We’ve got a crew getting a bus from Albury and trekking in.” You’ll have to wait for the day to find out what they have in store to mark the occasion, but Bliss does reveal that “we’ve got some really good stuff off the new record that Canberra hasn’t seen. We’ve got a whole updated show now which is rockin’.”

Bliss n Eso play at Trackside on Saturday November 22, with The Living End, Cut Copy, Gyroscope and many more. Tickets are $79+bf via moshtix.com.au and all Moshtix outlets. Flying Colours is out through Illusive Sounds.

You Am I - Truly yours

You Am I

In the first salvo of promo for their new album Dilettantes, YOU AM I released a video in which awkward, bespectacled, logger-hated journalist Symon Parnell of Under Oath Magazine bumbled his way through an interview with the band, asking all the wrong questions, constantly referencing his own two-bit beat combo and completely ignoring the band’s fine new offering while heaping praise on their beatified mid-nineties LP Hourly, Daily. Your stereotypical Bitter Young Man of the Fanzine Press. The whole thing was, obviously, a parody; Parnell played by that jovial chap Timothy Adrian Rogers. And I guarantee that it made every ‘journalist’ in the land – who all seem to be You Am I fan boys, as if the two go hand-in-hand – panic slightly. No one wants to be that guy when conversing with Australian rock royalty.

However, talking to indomitable Rusty Hopkinson – the man in the big chair at Reverberation Records, and undoubtedly the finest Australian to ever take up twin lengths of hickory and beat ‘pon stretched animal skin – is, as always, a pleasure. Just as happy to discuss second-hand record hotspots as he is his band and their new LP; the man is, frankly, a living legend, and quashes every mean-spirited drummer joke in the book.
This round of interviews finds the band in a chirpy, jovial and altogether relaxed frame of mind, following the tense mood surrounding their last full length, the rollicking, spit ‘n’ thrash maelstrom that was Convicts. “There was a feeling of our back being against the wall,” Rusty admits of their last album. “There was all this tabloid journalism circulating, people thought we had split up and I suppose Convicts was a reaction to it. Kicking against the pricks I guess.”

Considering the more downbeat, sombre tone of the new LP – particularly in contrast to Convicts – many have commented that Dilettantes blurs the lines between You Am I and Tim Rogers’ solo outings. Rusty seems to confirm this: “[Dilettantes track] Wankers started out as a solo thing,” he mentions. “Tim wanted to do it as a lullaby. He was playing it in rehearsal one day and I started playing the big, glam-y drum beat.”
Parallels can be drawn between Dilettantes and the band’s proverbial millstone Hourly, Daily, both records an eclectic grab-bag of the band’s varied and always impeccable collective music taste. Dilettantes comes in at all angles: the self-referential Kinksian lark Davey’s Gone Green Again, the aforementioned glam stomp ‘n’ Carry On camp of Wankers, another Rogers heartbreaker in the string-swathed title track, and the epic finale The Piano Up the Tree.

And given the diverse nature of Dilettantes, it’s no surprise to hear that there weren’t any round table discussions or grand concepts floated when the band went in to put the album together – it was simply a matter of playing what felt right. “We actually talked about what we didn’t want to do,” Rusty explains. “We didn’t want to just fall back on what some would call our ‘default setting’ – windmills, Keith Moon drum fills and so on.”

Musically, we find the band subscribing to the ‘less is more’ policy, creating a more refined though no less powerful sound. Rusty explains it was about “trying to be sympathetic to the song. Not over-rehearsing, just banging a song out. But still keeping things considered.”

Make no mistake: Dilettantes is an outstanding LP, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with any release in the band’s oeuvre. “After eight albums we’ve still got our hair, and our relevance,” Rusty smiles. “I’d hate to think we’d ever try to look like the latest thing.”

You Am I will play at the ANU Bar on Thursday November 13 with Tame.

The Amity Affliction - Ties that bind

The Amity Affliction

Canberra is emblazoned in Joel Birch’s brain, though perhaps not for all the right reasons. “The last time we were there someone got their head shoved through a window and got the shit beaten out of them with poles,” he tells me. “An old guy at the shopping centre across the road from the venue,” he clarifies, lest he put off any prospective audience members when THE AMITY AFFLICTION pass through town again this month. “It was full on. We just bought our bread, salad and beer and we were on our way…” But with the Brisbane hardcore sextet’s debut album Severed Ties on the racks and sitting pretty at number 26 on the ARIA charts – after a year-and-a-half gestation period – the bloodshed will now hopefully be restricted to the LP’s artwork.

Joel, the band’s vocalist, admits that when the band recorded their breakthrough EP of last year, High Hopes, they consciously set out to make “as much of a metal core album as we could.” Conversely, with Severed Ties they had no such preconceived notions, simply writing what felt, well, right. “We never sat down as a band and said, ‘Alright, we want to write this kind of music now’ or ‘Let’s write something a bit poppier or a bit heavier’,” he says. “This time we’ve let ourselves write what comes naturally and I think it worked out a lot better.”

In a lyrical sense though, Severed Ties was a consciously planned affair, Joel saying that he “had some things that I wanted to deal with” – though he is loathe to elaborate. “I’ve dealt with them in a manner that a lot of the songs are still open, and that’s how I want to keep them,” he explains. “I don’t really want to tell people what they’re about, just so listeners can decipher them how they want to. I guess a lot of kids impart themselves in a lot of songs lyrically, so they can draw more meaning from it just for themselves. I’m happy with that situation. I had a certain theme I wanted to deal with and I’ve dealt with that – it’s been nice and cathartic for me.”

Lyrical inspiration seems to have come from far and wide, Joel remembering that he was “listening to shitloads of Ryan Adams”, and also Bridge Nine darlings Have Heart. “But I don’t really get so inspired lyrically by too many bands,” he adds. “I was reading a lot of Gabriel García Márquez right before we wrote our record – he’s my favourite author. That had a pretty large bearing on how I was trying to structure my lyrics.”

Severed Ties also features a stable of guest vocalists large enough to rival any hip-hop LP, with the likes of JJ Peters (Deez Nuts, I Killed the Prom Queen), Michael Crafter (IKTPQ, Carpathian, Confession), Matthew Wright (The Getaway Plan) and Helmet (The Daylight Curse) lending their lungs to proceedings.

To launch the album, the band have put together a tour featuring a troika of so-hot-right-now bands, House Vs Hurricane, Rex Banner and A Secret Death, who, fortuitously, happen to be good chums of Amity. “We just wanted to take mates on tour,” Joel says. “We’ve been wanting to take A Secret Death out for ages but we just weren’t in a position to do it. We’re not big by any means now, but we’re big enough to take them on the road and pay them enough to take a month off work. They’re my favourite Australian band, they have been for years, so I’m really psyched I get to go on tour with them. It should be a fun tour. I’m looking forward to it.”

The Severed Ties tour, featuring The Amity Affliction, A Secret Death, House vs Hurricane and Rex Banner hits the Tuggeranong Community Centre on Sunday October 19. All ages. Doors from 2pm, tickets through www.boomtown.oztix.com.au

Holly Throsby - Calling from a country phone

Sometimes, as the old adage goes, you have to put yourself out of your comfort zone. For HOLLY THROSBY , it meant bidding farewell to longtime producer Tony Dupé and the familiar confines of his Saddleback studio and leaving on a jet plane for the US, and the home of country music, Nashville, to record her third album A Loud Call. Now back home, Holly relays her adventures in the States while at the beach, taking her little Labrador for a swim.

The album was recorded by Mark Nevers. Both a member of and producer for alt-country legends Lambchop, he’s also worked with Calexico, Silver Jews, Andrew Bird and the ‘Prince’ himself, Will Oldham – who duets with Holly on Would You? “Tony, Aaron from Spunk Records and I all felt that it was a good time to do something different,” remembers Holly. “I was quite reluctant to not work with Tony because I love working with him, but I’ve recorded everything I’ve ever done with him. We were all fans of Mark Nevers’ work so he was really the only person we thought of.”

She says that, like Tony, Mark is an advocate of live recording. “He doesn’t like to do too many takes,” she confirms. “But Tony’s a lot more experimental and likes to f*ck around with stuff, whereas Marky has his studio worked out pretty well. It was really nice to have someone that was so interested in performance. A lot of people split the performance up into so many stages that you lose it a little, whereas these are very live performances.
However, Holly admits she missed working with Tony Dupé so much that she couldn’t resist bringing him in for a couple of arrangements. “He’s been almost an equal part to me,” she says. “He’s just a brilliant arranger, he has such interesting ideas. He’s very experimental and, I don’t mean to sound cheesy, but he’s a very emotional engineer and arranger.”

“I feel like for this record I finally started writing pop songs,” she continues. “Obviously I’m better known for writing sad songs, that’s kinda what my first two records were largely about. This record has a little bit more light in it.”

A Loud Callalso sees longtime drummer/multi-instrumentalist Bree Van Reyk garnering a couple of songwriting credits. Holly explains that until A Loud Call she had always written alone, “not that I prefer it that way, it’s just how I’ve always done things. This whole record was by far the most collaborative album I’ve done and it really opened my eyes to a lot of possibilities. Those songs just wouldn’t have existed if Bree hadn’t written those guitar parts – On The Wharf particularly.”

As with On the Town, Holly is in the midst of creating a companion comic book for A Loud Call, though on this tour she’ll be hawking a self-designed t-shirt. “I got halfway through this Loud Call comic and then I had to go overseas to do the Paul Kelly tour and I just literally ran out of steam. This tour, t-shirts.”

Along with the comic, another hallmark of a Holly Throsby tour, the band’s almost constant instrument swapping, also remains. “It’s become even more ridiculous,” says Holly. “I’d say twice as much ridiculousness as last time. I think we have 11 instruments between the three of us and I only play two, so Jens (Birchall, multi-instrumentalist) and Bree are very, very busy. We’re playing a lot of old songs that we don’t usually play and a bunch of new ones. I think it should be a fun night.”

But despite the instrumental load, Holly says the three have no plans to add any more players to the mix. “We don’t want to disturb our social equilibrium. We fit on one side of an aeroplane and three of us and all our gear fits perfectly in one Tarago, so we don’t mess it up. We’re all very close. It’s like a big working holiday for us, doing an Australian tour. Anyway, I’d better go,” Holly says. “My dog has met a Border Collie who has stolen her stick, so all hell’s going to break loose!”

Holly Throsby plays at the ANU Bar on Thursday October 9 with The Tallest Man on Earth (Sweden) and Cloud Control. Tickets from Ticketek. A Loud Call is out now through Spunk/EMI.

Gangbusters featuring MOTO / The Cherry Marines / The Fighting League @ Bar 32, Thursday September 4

It’s either extreme stupidly or an extreme self-belief that inspires someone to christen their album Raw Power after James Osterberg and co. released their seminal Bowie-produced set of the same name (arguably their definitive release, though that’s a debate for another time) coming up on two score years ago. Or perhaps just plain indifference. Whatever the case, a casual spin of MOTO’s (Masters of the Obvious, for those in the cheap seats) Raw Power reveals the disc worthy of the title, and the quality of music on show excuses the Chicago-based rockers of such impudence. At least half the tracks on the LP are stone-cold garage rock gems - undiscovered classics that, had they been released a few decades earlier, may well have been mentioned in the same breath as Teenage Kicks and I Will Dare.

MOTO is essentially a one man show, the outlet of Paul Caporino’s prolific songwriting talents. A Robert Pollard-esque figure, the man has a penchant for punk rock, cheap guitars and lo-fi recording equipment. And, judging by the band’s recorded output, an insatiable muse. Since Caporino originally formed MOTO at the start of the ‘80s in New Orleans, the group has seen 30 plus members pass through the ranks and has released around 20 cassette albums, the same number of seven inch records and half a dozen LPs. They could very easily have slipped under the radar of all but the most avid Australian rock enthusiasts, but luckily for all self-respecting music fans, Melbourne’s Aarght Records - more savvy than most - have taken it upon themselves to champion Caporino’s genius, flying the great man out and assembling an Australian incarnation of the group.

Locals The Fighting League opened proceedings and, now swollen to a six piece with a second guitarist, were as loose and raucous as ever. They veer from primitive, synth-driven new wave recalling Devo and the Human League to ramshackle folk-tinged garage rock, while their ‘theme song’ sounds like a demo from the Happy Monday’s Squirrel and G-Man… As always, their faithful following was on hand to jump about and assist on tambourine and backing vocal duties as required.

Genre-hopping misfits The Cherry Marines - fronted by local troubadour Nick Delatovic, who also splits his time between The Missing Lincolns, The Big Score and his own solo endeavours - continued the orgy of sound, their hypnotic, post-everything - punk, rock, pop, you name it - swirl proving as jarringly catchy as ever. The four attack their instruments with relish, creating some mind-melting crescendos, though all the while ensure their pop sensibilities are never entirely cast out the window. With their album, which has been waiting to be unleashed on unsuspecting ears for almost a year, due for release before the end of ‘08, the Marines are ones to keep an eye on.

“Ready, aim, fire!” This now familiar count-in announced the arrival of MOTO, and introduced almost every song in the band’s set thereafter. We Are The Rats - which I always picture soundtracking some imaginary mid-’60s biker gang film - kicked off their set as Caporino brought Canberra up to speed with almost three decades of rock and roll. With the rock solid rhythm section of Ally Spazzy of The Spazzys and Rigid of The Onyas - who, gear nerds will delight to hear, was rocking a vintage, and quite rare, Australian made Goldentone tube amp - holding down the backbeat, the trio powered through ready-made anthems like Gonna Get Drunk Tonight and I Hate My Fucking Job, both of which definitely resonated with the Thursday night crowd.

MOTO’s brilliance is in their simplicity: they combine the three core elements or rock - guitar, bass and drums, obviously - with glorious pop melodies and absolutely killer songs, something so many bands lack. In a genre where the same chord progressions crop up again and again, songs hinge on vocal melodies, of which MOTO have in abundance. Whether extolling the virtues of rock in 2-4-6-8 Rock ‘n’ Roll or going on about God-knows-what in Crystallize My Penis, it’s clear the man has an ear for a vocal hook.

As their set proper ended, it was clear the crowd weren’t going to let MOTO off that easily. Having exhausted all their rehearsed material, the band revisited a few tracks and, at the sound techs’ insistence, we were treated to three run throughs of Metal Man, which, as we later found out, was trumped by the five renditions of I Hate My Fucking Job at the Sydney gig. The aforementioned tune, Metal Man is, quite simply, one of the best songs I’ve heard in years, and I challenge anyone to give it a spin and not find themselves converted on the spot.
Once again Gangbusters delivered the proverbial goods, bringing rock and roll salvation to the so oft forsaken youth of Canberra. Hallelujah.

Ceremony / Slowburn / Losing Streak / Coldfront @ Tuggeranong Youth Centre, Saturday September 27

It has been too long since I’ve made the trek Southside for a show at the Tuggeranong Youth Centre. Once set in the middle of a generally deserted parking lot, Canberra’s growing economic prosperity has seen multi-story office blocks edge ever closer to the centre which, in the afternoon sun of an uncharacteristically summery late-September afternoon, cast a shadow over the little triangular-roofed building that’s hosted many a great show over the years. One of the few all ages venues left in Canberra, the venue’s seen somewhat a renaissance of late, with decent sized touring acts stopping off almost every other week. Big enough to hold a decent sized crowd, yet small enough to maintain the intimacy that’s crucial to punk shows, and with no stage, it’s the perfect venue for US hardcore band Ceremony.

As is the custom for any opening band, the crowd gathered in a reserved semicircle for locals Coldfront – the wall of folded arms not doing the band’s sterling set justice. Though they have only been playing for six months, the five-piece have already carved a solid live reputation for themselves. Powered by drummer Murph, whose style lends a ‘70s style punk backbeat to proceedings, the band trade in straight-up melodic hardcore – octave chords are the operative words here – played aggressively and precisely. Undoubtedly the most promising band to emerge within the local punk/hardcore scene in recent memory.

In contrast, Sydney’s Losing Streak were a chaotic, well-intentioned mess. Clearly influenced by the headliners, it’s unclear whether they’re a joke band or not band – which is neither here nor there – but they were entertaining enough for it not to matter. One memorable moment involved the vocalist tearing through one song while lying on the ground, spooning with three audience members.

Local favourites Slowburn followed, turning in one of their more ‘reserved’ sets of late – which is to say no one in the front row was punched – though your correspondent copped a stray mic to the ribs after it ricocheted off the floor during one of vocalist Sam’s more expressive moments. Driven by Aaron, one of the hardest hitting drummers in town, who in turn uses an extremely loud kit, Slowburn always test punters’ aural endurance even with just a vocal PA. Of late the band have adopted a heavier, more dense, layered sound – a far cry from their youth crew beginnings – which, in a live setting, often degenerates into an all-consuming wall of noise. Which is what you want. The only respite during their set came in the form of a well-pitched Jawbreaker cover.

It’s always heartening when international touring bands don’t give Canberra the wide berth that most do, and with the extra clout lent by the band signing with well respected Boston label Bridge 9 Records, the sense of excitement was palpable. However, with news filtering through that Ceremony’s guitarist had punched a hole through a borrowed quad box at last night’s show, local band members loaning the band gear tonight awaited their set with a degree of trepidation. Ceremony are famed for their violent, chaotic shows, so their concern was warranted. As soon as the band hit the ‘stage’, the floor was immediately cleared, the crowd backing up against the walls before kids started hurling themselves across the room. Frankly, it was a miracle all the gear survived unscathed. Vocalist Ross Farrar, microphone cord wrapped around his neck like a noose, crawled about the floor, wringing every last shriek from his likely shredded vocal chords as eager punters clambered on top of him, vying for a chance to yell into the mic. Guitarist Ryan Mattos – who, it must be said, with his long black hair, eyes encircled in make-up and black vest, looked suspiciously similar to AFI frontman Davey Havoc – was obviously in a better mood tonight, restricting his onstage antics to pulling some very glam rock shapes and mercifully sparing the speaker cabinets.

Inspired by the usual suspects (Black Flag, Minor Threat, Negative Approach et al), Ceremony champion hardcore in the old school sense – fast and furious – with nary a breakdown in sight. Songs are universally polished off in under two minutes, most in half that time. It’s simple, it’s angry and it’s exciting. They’re the kind of band that inspires devotion, so it’s no surprise to find that almost half the audience were from out of town – some even piling into a hire van and following the tour from Queensland. It’s a rare occurrence: people travelling to Canberra, not away from, for a show. It is also a poor reflection on Canberra audiences, who are apathetic at the best of times. It really shouldn’t be left up to the interstate faithful to fill out shows.
And then, all too soon, it was over. After roughly half an hour of thrashing about, Ceremony bid their farewells and downed tools, so at the very civil hour of 10 o’clock we made our way back to civilisation. All in all, an excellent way to spend one of the first proper spring evenings, and a fitting taster for another punk rock summer ahead.

Dukes of Windsor - Dukes Nukem

Dukes of Windsor

Less than a year ago DUKES OF WINDSOR stormed the gates of Clubland on their jet-black steed of rock and roll. The group’s ascent has been an accelerated one: formed in their namesake Melbourne suburb Windsor in 2005, they cut their debut album The Others in ‘06, conquered the dance charts with the TV Rock remix of that album’s title track in ‘07 and now, in ‘08, have just released their sophomore effort, Minus. Guitarist Oscar Dawson excuses himself from a band meeting to take my call and even down the phone line the sense of excitement is palpable.

The album was recorded during the almost 24-hour darkness of the Swedish winter. Says Oscar, “(It was) otherworldly… it was like we were in this weird Narnia kind of place,” he remembers. The new album was produced by Pelle Henriccson and Eskil Lövström, the team behind Swedish hardcore giants Refused’s seminal LP The Shape of Punk to Come.

While their debut long-player The Others was slammed down in the studio in a matter of days, the recording process for Minus was a much more protracted affair. “We spent a lot of time cutting things apart, chopping things around, moving things, listening and re-listening,” Oscar explains. “It wasn’t the sort of album where we were all just sitting in a room jamming it out. We were really quite precise with how we wanted the songs to sound. It can end up sounding like you’re being clinical,” he continues, “but I don’t think that’s the case. You’re composing everything and not leaving things to chance.”

The album sees the band expanding their sonic palette, or as Oscar puts it, “trying not to hedge our bets on the one style of song writing. We’re very comfortable with these four-on the-floor, up tempo, beaty kinda songs, but there are other songs on the album that are kind of slower and we were keen that they would be on the album.”

Fans will be able to experience the album first hand when the Dukes head to town for the second instalment of the Foreshore festival. While they’re first and foremost a rock band, the five-piece are dab hands at playing more dance-oriented events. “We’ve done shows where we’ve turned up to the venue and found, ‘oh, this is a total dance gig’,” he says, “but it’s nice that we’re able to move between these things. We did a tour with Sneaky Sound System recently which was very much a dance crowd, but then we did gigs with The Music a month ago who are much more a rock band, albeit with electronic influences. It’s always fun and exciting and a bit scary at the same time.”

Of course, we couldn’t finish our chat without touching on that remix. While the exposure it’s given the band is an undeniable positive, I ask if it has been somewhat of a millstone around the band’s neck. “It did define us a certain way, a way we didn’t really predict and a way that we’re not comfortable with because it’s not us,” Oscar says. “A lot of people seemed to think that thusly we were a DJ act, some sort of dance duo, when we were in fact a five-piece rock band. I mean, we got invited up to Queensland a couple of times last year to do DJ sets – we haven’t got the first idea how to DJ. We managed to hook in a friend who could and it was just the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever done, getting up there and pretending we know how to DJ. We’re lucky now that we can get out on the road and show people who we are. Being our own band really.”

Dukes of Windsor play alongside The Presets, PNAU, Nick Warren (UK), Above & Beyond and many more at Foreshore, Saturday November 29 in Commonwealth Place. Tickets $89.95 plus BF from Ticketek, Landspeed, Parliament and inthemix.com.au

The Nation Blue - This nations’s saving grace

The Nation Blue

It’s been far too long since Canberra audiences have been pummelled into submission by the uncompromising, snarling noise of Melbourne’s THE NATION BLUE . How long exactly? “That’s a good question…” muses guitarist and singer Tom. “It’s been a few years since we’ve been to Canberra. We’re long overdue for a return - we’re keen to get back!” And what better way for the trio to return than as the headliners of this year’s Megafauna fest, raising money for the Australian Cancer Research Foundation alongside 14 other local and interstate bands.

Last year saw the release of their third LP, the raw, stripped-back fury of Protest Songs, which was followed by the band’s first overseas tour, taking in Brazil, Japan and America. “It’s something that I’ve been working towards for ages,” says Tom. “The only thing I really ever wanted to do was to be able to have a chance to play overseas. Brazil was one of the most mental places I’ve been to. The first day we played to about five people, the following night we played to three thousand. We were the first band from Australia since Silverchair to go through Brazil. I think (audiences) are appreciative of anyone who can get over there and have the balls to go through some of the areas we went through.”

Of their shows in the country, one in particular, held in a San Salvador squat, stands out for Tom. “We were playing on tables and chairs,” he says, setting the scene. “All the local street kids came along. They were all heavily into martial arts and they were knocking each other out. I’ve never seen that degree of violence. It was intense. The power kept going out and they kept getting more and more rowdy, and every time the music would start - we were playing with grind and metal bands - they’d just destroy each other. It was like a nightmare!”

All this madness was only accentuated by the fact that they’d just come from Japan, famous for probably the most polite and well-behaved audiences in the world. “We went from Japan where we were ripping apart karaoke rooms, drunk in the streets and generally a cultural disgrace. The guy that toured us there had toured 28 Days and said that we were the worst band he’s ever toured, which was probably one of the worst insults I’ve ever received. That would probably amount to some sort of hate crime, we’re gonna have to write letters of apology to the Japanese consulate. But we went from there where we were kings of the castle to where we were pretty much just kidnap fodder.”

The group’s overseas exploits will likely feed into their next album, already halfway completed. “There’ll be the odd reference to it, but I think it’s more a musical thing. It’s more the constructions of the songs and some of the chords we use. Lyrically, Protest Songs was not so much a political album but it was a more ideological exercise, whereas this one’s far more personal. I can write critiques of political systems and ideologies but I can’t ignore the fact that at some points I’ve been pretty fucked to people and pretty shit as a human being. Basically it’s going to be a big list of the shit things I’ve done to people, so I’m sure it should be nice and depressing. We’re pretty bleak as a band so I think nothing will change there.”

The Nation Blue play alongside Cuthbert and the Night Walkers, Pod People, Casual Projects, Hancock Basement, Hytest,  Boon horse (ex-LOG), Super Best Friends, Cool Weapon and many for at Megafauna ‘08, Saturday October 11 at the ANU Bar. From 2pm, tickets on the door.

The Vandas - Burnin’ Up

The Vandas

In a music scene plagued with coolly detached hipsters prissing and preening against the far wall, Chris Altmann may just be the last bastion of inexhaustible, unquashable rock ‘n’ roll spirit and determination. The man’s been up since six am doing an honest day’s work – painting houses in East Brighton, Melbourne – and no sooner has he knocked off than he’s in the Triple R studios for an interview, which is where he remains, holding yet another pesky journo at bay. The reason for all this yappin’? Slow Burn, his band THE VANDAS ’ new LP.

True to its title, Slow Burn has been a good while in the making. “It’s been ages,” says Chris. “We had a fair break after the last EP – it was recorded here and there and wasn’t really a good representation of us. We felt a bit lost, I think, and we didn’t have a manager for about a year so things kind of got left.” But with ex-Canberra lad Dan Craddock steering the good ship Vanda, things are back in swing. A rockier affair than previous outings, recent stage-mates You Am I, The Drones, and the Beasts of Bourbon, as well as namesake Harry Vanda’s ol’ ‘60s beat combo, give you a fair idea of where The Vandas are coming from musically. And if the LP sounds a bit rough ‘n’ ready – and it does, gloriously so – that’s because the tracks were originally only intended as demos for the main event, rather than the final version. “We just ended up having a good day and really liked the takes, so we ended up going with that,” Chris explains. “There were no kinda nerves there because it was sort of done before we realised it.”

Slow Burn was recorded by good friend Joel Silbersher (GOD, Hoss, Tex Perkins), who was chosen because Chris says the band “knew he was really honest and harsh. We knew with him calling the shots we were gonna get something that was gonna be really potent and to the point. Bashed out live over a couple of days, it’s a raw, thrilling and, above all else, catchy collection of tunes. “We really wanted to have something that sounded like us, but hadn’t been all dolled up and ironed out, which happens with a lot of recordings these days. There’re a few mistakes in there but I think that sort of makes it good,” he chuckles. “That’s what I like in a record anyway – it sounds human rather than having everything layered and neatened up. This feels like we’ve really got to say what we wanna say – not really message-wise, but just musically. We got to make the type of thing we wanted to make, which, when it comes to ‘art’, that’s what you’re supposed to do.”

Like any Aussie rock band worth their salt, The Vandas pride themselves on their live performance. “It seems like successful bands these days just don’t seem to really tear it up onstage anymore,” Chris says ruefully. “I was watching this Otis Redding DVD and it’s just so different to see a performer who can get onstage and, without any gimmicks or anything like that, can just sing and really grab someone by the throat. These days everyone’s wearing their latest fashion haircuts and got their little gadgets… I sound like a cynical old man,” he chuckles self-mockingly.

“We wanna be able to have that sort of clout onstage as well, which I think we’re heading towards,” he continues. “People have been saying we’ve improved a lot again just recently, so that’s always encouraging to hear. There’s nothing better than playing in a band and just really thumping it out, y’know. When everyone’s really getting into it, there’s just nothing better than that!”

The Vandas play the Transit Bar on Thursday September 18 with The Guests and Black Creek. Free entry. Slow Burn is out now on Liberation.

Floriade Nightfest - Flower Power

Floriade Nightfest

If you thought Floriade was purely the domain of retirement village day trips and the occasional Morrissey fan stalking about, looking to nick a bunch of gladioli to stuff in the back pocket of their Levi’s, then you’re wrong. Dead wrong. Because with the announcement of FLORIADE’S NIGHTFEST entertainment program, this year it’ll be less posies and more The Posies; less roses and more Guns n’ Roses; less spring blossoms and more Gin Blossoms. Obviously none of the aforementioned bands will be playing – that’d be ludicrous – but if you’ll follow me through this ham-fisted analogy, what I’m trying to get at is that this year Floriade will feature live music, among many, many other new attractions. And all in the glow of stunning specialist lighting.

For five nights only, beginning Wednesday September 24, Floriade NightFest will welcome in spring in fine fashion, delivering discerning Canberra punters nights of entertainment, food, wine, film screenings and night markets. Set against a stunning landscape of glowing lanterns, twinkling fairy lights and floodlit flower beds in Commonwealth Park, Floriade NightFest will breathe new life into this well known and much loved event.
Celluloid connoisseurs will be rubbing their buttery, popcorn smeared mitts together in glee at the program of specially selected short films screening on a huge outdoor cinema screen – bigger than Canberra has ever seen before! There’ll be a selection of the best ever short films from Tropfest, a collection of the funniest short films from comedy fests around Australia, Melbourne International Animation Festival short films, shorts from Australia and around the world at the forefront of animation technology; Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom, celebrated as a theme night with big band music, ballroom dancers and an Aus film character costume competition,; and finally, the best in children’s features, shorts, animations, documentaries and even films produced by children.

Musically, the The Aron Lyon Trio will hold court every night except Saturday 27, soundtracking the evening with a varied musical selection to match each night’s theme, from traditional swing to contemporary jazz, as well as Latin, reggae, funk and rhythm and blues. Then on Saturday, the 20-piece Blamey St Big Band will pay homage to the big swing bands of yore, playing standards from Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Glenn Miller.
Gastronomically speaking, gourmet food and wine will be on offer in a selection of dining options: picnic hampers, a la carte dining, quick and easy food stalls, wine tastings and more, or even bring your own. Then wash it down with a drink or two under the stars at the outdoor NightFest Glow Bar.

Then there are the regular events, a feature of all five nights. Glamorous ‘Entertainment Tonight reporters’ will welcome you to Floriade NightFest, meeting and greeting on the red carpet. Look to the skies and you’ll see Strange Fruit, a choreographed performance conducted four metres above the ground atop flexible metal poles. It features glowing spheres, extraordinary characters and projected sound and images and is held after every film at Stage 88, with a grand finale planned too. If you’re not one for heights, take a ride on the Floriade Feetbus, a human powered disco bus where your drag queen crew will have you in stitches with their personalised tour of NightFest. Meanwhile, the kids will be entranced by Squirt, a water-activated sound installation. Armed with spray bottles, you can create a symphony of sound that has to be seen to be believed! All in all, a very tidy five days of entertainment.

Floriade NightFest runs from Wednesday September 24 to Sunday September 28 between 6 and 10.30pm.Tickets from www.ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100. For the full program and further info, head to www.floriadeaustralia.com , www.visitcanberra.com.au or phone 1300 727 655.

Epicure @ Transit Bar this Thursday September 4

A Picture Postcard
Epicure, Ballarat’s favourite gold-diggers, are beginning to reflect the feisty character of their gold rush-era forefathers. Back after three years, the group are returning to Canberra to promote their new album Postcards From A Ghost. Lyrical laureate and frontman Juan Alban admits that it’s got a bit more guts than its predecessors. “I think it’s our angriest record. The other albums might be sadder sounding compared with this, but there’s definitely a lot of anger in this one. I think it’s the most sinister and darkest think we’ve done.” The first single Snakes and Foxes reflects the more heavy guitar-laden sound, which will undoubtedly impress the punters when they take the Transit Bar this Thursday September 4.

END OF FASHION

WHAT: RETURN WITH A SECOND LP
WHERE: ANU BAR
WHEN: WED SEP 17

After their debut, Dennis Herring-produced (Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello) LP threw the band into the big leagues, End of Fashion frontman Justin Burford found himself adrift in New York. “I had been through quite an emotional upheaval, which was fueling my compulsion to write as much as it was fueling my insecurities.” He returned to Perth and the band embarked on a mission to make a follow-up that was more personal and more collaborative. Recorded with Magoo (Regurgitator, Midnight Oil, Powderfinger) and Andy Lawson (The Avenues), and polished off by mixing master Tim Palmer (U2, The Cure, Robert Plant), the LP saw original EOF drummer Mike Hobbs return to the fold, while Julian Hamilton of The Presets also swung by the studio to help write Dying For You. The Clash’s London Calling and Bowie’s Station To Station served as reference points, and while the band retains their pop nous, they’ve crafted an album more ‘brutal and angular’ than the last. “This album came from, for me, this really dark place,” Justin notes. “Yet it’s actually an uplifting, melodic, almost spiritual record for us. We’re really proud of it.” The band will unveil it at ANU Bar on Wednesday September 17 with The Seabellies and Harlequin League. Tickets from Ticketek. Book of Lies, boasting lead cut Fussy, is out September 27.

The Vines @ ANU Bar on Friday October 24

Fresh From The Vines
Following on from their incredible recent performances at this year’s Fuji Rock and Splendour in the Grass festivals, headline-grabbers of old The Vines are set to embark on their first full-length national album tour in over four years this October and November in support of their blasting new LP Melodia. Word on the street is that this LP is their best work since Highly Evolved, and with their first single He’s A Rocker scoring spectacular airplay on the wireless, and their second single Get Out’s release to coincide with the tour, the group are likely to please fans of old with their timely return to form. They’ll hit the ANU Bar on Friday October 24.

D’Opus and Roshambo release Million Dollar Bill video

Dollar Dollar Bills
Local gangsta posse and burgeoning darlings of triple j’s playlist, D’Opus and Roshambo have just released the video for their thriving and undoubtedly livest lead single Million Dollar Bill. Taken from their recently-released debut full-length The Switch, the video is exclusive to Myspace and takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the ‘grind’ of taking a tune from conception, to release, and to the masses, while paying homeage to friends and family along the way. Word on the street is that the video for their second single The Basement, featuring none other than local scallywags Hancock Basement, is also in the works. The video for Million Dollar Bill can be found at www.myspace.com/dopusroshambo .

Impact Comics 4th Birthday Sale

Making an Impact
Those fervent bookworms of Garema Place, Impact Comics, will be celebrating their fourth birthday on Saturday September 6. Four years! That’s 48 issues of Batman, over 100 issues of the Phantom and 208 ‘new comics Fridays.’ To celebrate, they’ll be holding a sale on the day with discounts on products store-wide. Get in quick to snap up some quality comic bargains!

The E.L.F. @ Transit Bar on Saturday October 25

The E.L.F.
Indie sensation The E.L.F. (aka solo monike Darren Cross of Gerling) has been busy in his studio of late, writing tunes for his latest EP while we’re all fast asleep. Set for release on Oaks Records in late September, Sunray in the Rave Cave is described by the E.L.F. as an “anthemic super party sing-along EP, for dance floors and party people throughout the universe”.  The LP’s first single Bounce Bounce Bounce is available from iTunes. To celebrate the release of Sunray in the Rave Cave, The E.L.F. will be burning up the dancefloor of the Transit Bar on Saturday October 25. Get stuck in!

Michael Franti tour new album All Rebel Rockers in Canberra this October

Rebel Rock
Michael Franti and his radical backers Spearhead will be returning to Canberra this October in support of their latest album All Rebel Rockers. Recorded in Kingston, Jamaica with reggae’s most prolific production team Sly & Robbie, the album sees the group experiment with dub, soul and rock infusions within Franti’s renowned hip-hop, funk and reggae foundations. Crowds can undoubtedly expect as well to bare witness to Franti’s notorious outspoken political commentary, blending his dexterity in the field of poetry, music, and composition into one complete ‘revolution with dancing’ extravaganza. Joining him will be special guests The Winnie Coopers and DJ Nick Toth.

Free Stuff

Giveaways are open to A.C.T. residents and residents of the surrounding N.S.W. region. Be sure to include your name, phone number and address. Most giveaways will need to be collected from the always tidy BMA office.

No funny stuff, just free stuff.  Send your answers to the editor and don’t stop believin’.

Hanging on the Telephone
You know those people who say mobile phones give you head cancer and Bamix your brain? Well that’s nothing compared to the shenanigans taking place in One Missed Call. It happens to one. Then another. And another. College students discover eerie voicemail messages on their cell phones. Each call comes from the near future. Each call has the chilling voice of the student during his or her last moments alive. And each call comes true. Absolute terror is One Missed Call away in this got-your-number thriller based on the hit Japanese thriller Chakushin Ari. Is there something that links the victims? Psych student Beth Raymond (Shannyn Sossamon) and detective Jack Andrews (Ed Burns) scramble for answers. And they’re working fast….cos that damn telephone is surely gonna ring. Soon. Very soon. We have ten copies of One Missed Call, out now through Warner Home Video, on offer. To grab one, tell us the creepiest, most inappropriate voicemail you’ve ever received.
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The Switch
“Wherefore art thou, Switch 3?” local music aficionados have been wondering. Well un-furrow those brows, Canberrans, ’cause the four have returned! After a year and a half of hard yakka, the band are readying themselves to release their debut LP Calm Before with a huge push into the emerging Chinese and Japanese markets. Recorded by ARIA winning producer Anton Hagop (Powderfinger, Missy Higgins, Will Smith, Silverchair) and mastered by Ted Jensen of Sterling Sound in New York (AFI, AC/DC, My Chemical Romance, Atreyu, Iron Maiden), Calm Before represents a shift towards a darker, harder, more introspective sound. But before they head east, Switch 3 will regroup in their hometown for a special one off show to preview the album in its entirety.  “Switch 3 is a Canberra band!” enthuses singer/guitarist Maf Davis. “No matter where we end up, or what path this journey takes, we owe a great debt of gratitude to the Canberra music scene and our fans here. This show is our way of saying thank you.” They play The Greenroom on Saturday September 13, with support from Fistful of Nothing and Zero Degrees and Falling. Presale tickets are $12 from www.greenroomcanberra.com . We have two double passes to their launch to giveaway. To win one, tell us three things you’d like to switch in your life.
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Somethin’ Fishy…
Fresh from a round of UK festivals and headline shows, strummin’, stompin’, howlin’ bluesman Ash Grunwald has triumphantly returned to home soil to launch the LP Fish out of Water, his most adventurous release yet. Collaborating with Countbounce of TZU, Ash’s scorching fretwork and powerhouse vocals are backed by beats and grooves, and the odd bit of junkyard percussion. With Fish Out Of Water he has truly let his hair down, pushed all the boundaries and let rip in a major way.  The result? A career highlight. To win a copy of the album, out now through Delta Groove/Shock Records, tell us about a situation when you’ve felt ‘out of water’. The man will launch the LP on Friday September 5 at the ANU Bar with Last Town Chorus. Doors from 8pm, tickets from www.ticketek.com and www.theatlasagency.com .
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Without a Trace
There is a killer on teh intahnetz. The more people who visit his website, the faster his victims die. Would you watch? Such rhetorical questions aside, this is exactly the premise of Untraceable, directed by Gregory Hoblit (Frequency, Fracture) and starring Hollywood veteran Diane Lane (Unfaithful, Under The Tuscan Sun) and rising star Colin Hanks (Orange Country, King Kong). A seemingly untraceable, tech-savvy internet predator invites citizens to ‘Kill With Me’ via his website – providing they can drag themselves away from icanhazcheesburger.com long enough. The killer streams the graphic murders live and the fate of his tormented captives is left in the hands of the public. Enter Special Agent Jennifer Marsh (Lane), on the front line of cyber crime with the FBI. Mining the same vein as Se7en and Silence of the Lambs, Untraceable is a nail-biting crime thriller that explores the dangers of the internet while questioning modern day morality.  To win a copy, thanks to Universal, send us your favourite lolcat.
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Clued In
Satisfyingly schizophrenic, Clue To Kalo’s third full-length Lily Perdida is ten voices in one, all of them a different branch of the same electric folk tree. Amongst the wash of keyboards, harpsichords, laptop bleeps, jangly guitar, mod ribbons of flute, and the voices of mastermind Mark Mitchell and duet partner Ellen Carey, ten musical perspectives on fictional character Lily Perdida are given, each song from the point of view of a different person in her life. Straight outta A-town (Adelaide), Clue To Kalo mastermind Mark Mitchell applies a lo-fi aesthetic to pristine computer-based production, layering melodies, elemental textures and multi-tracked vocals into gorgeous sonic concoctions. The live incarnation of CTK has played alongside Architecture In Helsinki, Four Tet, Manitoba, Death Cab For Cutie and Castiotone For The Painfully Alone, and recently completed a three month tour of United States and Japan. Inventive without being inaccessible, Clue To Kalo has established himself as a singular artist of extraordinary scope and depth. The LP is out September 6 through Popfrenzy. To win a copy, give us a clue as to how we’d find Kalo.
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Pyramid Rock Festival (Dec 29 ‘08 and Jan 1 ’09) lineup announced

Pyramid Songs
By the beard of Tutankhamun, the Pyramid Rock Festival have delivered another top notch bill that rivals the Nile in length! Between December 29 ‘08 and January 1 ’09, upwards of fifty bands will converge on Phillip Island, including Ohio blues kings The Black Keys, South Pacific soul monster Fat Freddy’s Drop, Aus electro kings Midnight Juggernauts, German dancefloor dons Digitalism plus The Living End, Morcheeba, Cut Copy, Karnivool, Gyroscope, The Teenagers, The herd, Dr. Dog, Birds of Tokyo, The Getaway Plan, Little Red, Salmonella Dub, The Black Seeds, PPP aka Platinum Pied Pipers, Muph & Plutonic, Mammal, Yo! Majesty, The Galvatrons and more to be announced soon. Prepare for three spectacular days of music, sea, surf and on-site camping, set on a private coastal property between picturesque Cape Woolamai and the festivals’ namesake Pyramid Rock. Tickets on sale September 4 from www.thepyramidrockfestival.com .

MOTO

WHAT: CHICAGO GARAGE ROCK ORIGINALS
WHERE: BAR 32
WHEN: THU SEP 4

For too long, the garage rock circuit has been plagued by pretenders and charlatans, so the folk at Aaarrrghtt!!! Records have seen fit to bring out one of the originals, MOTO, to give Australians a true display of raw power. Much like Guided by Voices, MOTO is essentially one man, Paul Caporino, with a four track, cheap gear and a compulsive songwriting urge, backed by a revolving door of miscreants. Birthed in New Orleans in the early ‘80s and more recently based in Chicago, MOTO has, over the years, hosted some thirty odd members, released 20 cassette albums, roughly the same amount of 7’’s and half a dozen LPs. Aaarrrrghtt! has compiled a 31 strong CD, Battle of the Band, collecting songs from all eras and formats as a handy introduction/overview to MOTO. It’s lo-fi and high-adrenaline! Paul will travel ‘round the country backed by members of The Spazzys and the Eddy Current Suppression Ring. But perhaps the final word should be left to The Chicago Reader’s Bob Mehr: “if Raw Power had been released in the late ‘70s it might now be ranked alongside the best of the Ramones or the Undertones. Raw Power is still gonna sound great in 20 years, when everybody’s forgotten about Interpol – it’s rock ‘n’ roll without a sell-by date.”

Dead Kings

BMA BAND PROFILE

Where did your band name come from?
PatrickXXX thought of it, because he’s a babe.

Group members:
Damo (vox and noise), Morgan (bass), Rohan (guitar), Paul (guitar), Mitch (drums).

Describe your sound:
Blatant 7 Angels 7 Plagues rip off.

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise?
The Good Life records back catalogue.

What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing?
People liking what we are doing.

What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far?
Booking our first out of Canberra show and getting ready to record at Complex Studios in Melbourne in January.

What are your plans for the future?
Tour tour tour! Play every show we can.

What makes you laugh?
Aaron from Slowburn —>

What pisses you off?
Under-18 shows that we put on with bands from interstate, and having no one turn up.

What’s your opinion of the local scene?
Getting better after a long stint of being really slow. New bands coming through like Coldfront, Psyus and …Like Foxes, and more established bands like 4Dead and Slowburn and Pod People killing it at every show. Make sure you check out Gasma, they have a new EP coming out soon, it will melt your brain, and Infinitum, ’cause they are very metal.

What are your upcoming gigs?
Thursday September 4 at Tuggeranong Youth Centre with Slowburn, Vices For Virtues (QLD) and …Like Foxes (All Ages!)

Wednesday September 10 at The Greenroom with Thy Art Is Murder and Gallows For Grace
Thursday September 11 at Tuggeranong Youth Centre with The Red Shore (All Ages!)
Thursday October 9 at Tuggeranong Youth Centre with Amity,

A Secret Death, Rex Banner and House VS Hurricane.

Contact info: www.myspace.com/deadkingsaus

THE MUDDY TURDS

WHAT: TASMANIAN ‘WEIRD’ BAND
WHERE: THE POT BELLY
WHEN: SAT SEP 13

Tasmanian ‘weird’  band The Muddy Turds return! A sonic collision of vox, drums, keyboards, and distorted muddy-bass, their music falls somewhere between Morphine, Zappa, The Black Keys, TISM  and Liam Lynch. Combining rock with comedy blues-punk slapstick, gigs often involve members hanging from the rafters, circus freak stunts, showering the audience with underpants and confetti during their song Dacks, and eating fruit from inside their own undergarments during their song Fruit Platter. Their keyboardist occasionally quits the band mid-set, but always comes crawling back. In their time they’ve undertaken five interstate tours, supported the likes of Butterfingers, 67 Special, The Bedroom Philosopher and The Go Set, as well as appearing at festivals such as The Falls Festival 05, 06 and 07, Rage At The Ranch Festival alongside TZU, Ash Grunwald and Parkway Drive, and the Hobart Fringe. Their recently-released LP I Don’t Think They’ve Given It Any Thought, Whatsoever, has scored some Triple J airplay, and will introduce it to Canberra audiences at The Pot Belly on Saturday September 13 with The Missing Lincolns and Mud Puppies. From 9pm, $5 entry.

Sound Travellers applications close Monday September 22 2008

Sound Travellers
In 2008, the first round of funding for Sound Travellers assisted 13 tours and over 60 artists to travel over 50,000 kilometres to every state and territory in Australia, showing the rest of the country the talent and creativity of our Australian artists. These artists have also been able to reach new audiences and reconnect with established audiences in venues ranging from the Darwin Entertainment Centre to the Blue Birdy in Byron Bay and many more in between. But the really exciting news is that applications for the second round of tour funding, commencing in 2009, are now available to download at www.soundtravellers.com.au . Funding is only available to artists from the genres of sound art/electronica, contemporary classical or improvised jazz. Applications close Monday September 22 2008.

Cog @ Lake Jindabyne Station Resort Saturday Aug 30

Slight Return
After spending a gruelling 12 months in the US last year writing and recording material that become the acclaimed LP Sharing Space, Aussie prog-rockers Cog returned home to embark on what’s seemingly a neverending tour. With Sharing Space debuting at number two on the Aria chart and picking up a nomination for triple j’s Aus Album of the Year, the trio are more popular then ever. After a barnstorming UC show a few months back, they’re back in the vicinity, playing the Lake Jindabyne Station Resort on August 30.

Dave Graney and Henry Wagons @ Transit Bar Saturday Sep 13

I’m Sorry Dave, I’m Afraid I can’t do That
We Wuz Curious is the latest long player from ex-Moodists man and national treasure Dave Graney and his drumming partner in crime Claire Moore. To celebrate the 20th album of his coloured career, our man is embarking on a solo tour across the nation, taking in variety of regional areas that are rarely graced with rock ‘n’ roll royalty. Joining him at the Canberra show on September 13 at The Transit Bar in Civic will be Henry Wagons from Melbourne band The Wagons.

Byron Bay Arts and Music Festival Returns Jan 7 - 9 2009

Byron Bay Arts and Music Festival Returns
Revived after a 12 year break, the Byron Bay Arts and Music Festival is back. With production starting at the beginning of this year, the original Byron Arts crew heeded the call to re-birth the historic festival with assistance from their like-minded friends at the Falls Arts and Music Festival. With plans scheduled for Byron to share to some of the big acts of The Falls Festival, the outlook is bright for it to be a top quality show. Dates are booked in for January 7 and 8 2009 in Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, and organisers have described the content expected for the festival as “a utopian environment of world-class music, comedy, writers’ workshops, yoga, drumming circles, interactive art installations, burlesque, and international cuisines.” So make the “mystical” journey north to Byron in 09.

SICKBOY

WHAT: PORT MACQUARIE FOLK-ROCKERS
WHERE: POT BELLY/PHOENIX
WHEN: AUG 29/30

After a fairly dormant July, Sickboy is gearing up for an awkward sprint around NSW and the ACT following the official August 9 release of their new EP, Water Never Waits. This three piece garage folk/punk outfit is setting out to prove that even cash-strapped bands driving a dying band-mobile from Port Macquarie are every bit as noteworthy as their city counterparts. To keep things lively, Sickboy will be putting on a variety of its musical masks and drawing on 10 years of original material, including songs from the anti-folk past of singer/guitarist Mark Spence. Of course, all this pent up energy must be let loose at some point, so they will amp things into a frenzy as well. They’ll be at the Pot Belly on Friday August 29 with the Hussy Hicks and Saturday August 30 at The Phoenix with Manilla Green. For more info, head to www.myspace.com/sickboy .

BODYROX

WHAT: ELECTRONICA/HOUSE DONS
WHERE: ACADEMY
WHEN: FRI AUG 22

Ivor Novello nominees Jon Pearn and Nick Bridges are two of the most talented and in-demand producers in the UK. Having both enjoyed huge success as solo producers and through previous partnerships, it is now both as Bodyrox, and through their own Juki Records imprint, that the pair are enjoying new-found success and scoring a vast new army of fans. Having produced the biggest electro record of the Miami WMC 2006, Yeah Yeah went on to be dubbed “the club anthem of 2006” with the help of sultry vocalist Luciana. Bodyrox will be touching down on the Academy floorboards this August, aided and abetted by local scallywags Fourthstate, Nick Smith and Alex McLeod. For a night of electronic jaffas, be sure to rock up and rock out. $15, $10 before midnight.

Meredith Music Festival @ Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre, Victoria Dec 12 - 14

What a Doll!
The 18th Meredith Music Festival will take place on the December 12, 13 and 14 this year at the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre, Victoria, Australia. Meredith is a pioneer of the modern music festival and after 18 years she is at the top of her game. One again, she’s upheld her reputation for snagging the most eclectic and intriguing acts the world has to offer. The line-up reads thus: Ten East, Holy Fuck, MGMT, Saul Williams, Tame Impala, Man Man. Mountain Goats, Beaches, The Bronx, Grand Salvo, Final Fantasy, Muscles, Little Red, Black Diamond Heavies, The Ruby Suns, Yacht Club DJs, Architecture in Helsinki, Regurgitator, The Datsuns, Combo la Revelacion and Adam Green, with a few more to come. For ticket details and everything else you need to know, jump on to www.mmf.com.au .

Partybus

BMA BAND PROFILE

Where did your band name come from?
Well, the band’s main theme is partying, however we believe in sustainable public transport and performance spaces. Why partycar when you can fit more people on a partyBUS?

Group members:
Parturno Culto (yeller of words), Partonymous (Windows Media Player operator/backup words), Nuclear Partycausto (OG loops and yells – now resides on the internet).
Describe your sound:
Loud beats and yelling/raging electro fury.

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise?
Black Flag, Aryan Disgrace, Drexciya, Dopplereffekt, Chronic Sick, Nig-Heist, Elecktroids, Zero Boys, James Stinson, Project X, Slapshot, the straight edge.

What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing?
Wow. Definitely having a girl who we had never seen before request that we play Suck My Dick again so she could dance to it. That was pretty odd.

What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far?
Getting paid after shows for our music I guess. It’s just stuff that we made on fruityloops to have fun with, so getting paid after shows was completely unexpected. We’d do it for free, but it is a nice surprise.

What are your plans for the future?
Basically we just wanna finally release something (next show we should have some EPs done up, real cheap), party hard and play more shows. We really just want have fun with it.

What makes you laugh?
That bit in the Brothers Karamazov where Aloysha goes up to Lise all like “Girl, you’re the shit. I’m gonna marry you and stuff”. And then she starts getting all up in his face, NIHIL THOUGHTS.

What pisses you off?
Too much blood in the caffeine stream.

What’s your opinion of the local scene?
Local scene rules at the moment, heaps of gigs across the board, heaps of sweet bands such as Baby Freeze, Hardluck, Slowburn, Andi and George Band etc. It’s also great to see that dudes are bringing down some sweet interstate and international bands and becoming more ambitious with the shows they put on. Only things that sucks is that someone failed to book Toxic Lipstick. Definitely a downer.

What are your upcoming gigs?
We’re playing Bar 32 on Thursday Auguest 28 with Slowburn, Coldfront and Stepping Stone. Good dudes, bands, backed hard. $5, come early, dance violently.

Contact info:
If you want us to ROCK YOUR PARTY, send a message to the partyspace and hope for a response. Or call 0410 704 667. Yeah.

Infusion @ ANU Bar Saturday Sep 13

Infusion Returneth
With their eagerly awaited new LP in the wings, two time Aria Award-winning group Infusion - regarded by many as the figureheads of Aussie electronic music on the international scene - are popping by to headline the InTheMix 50 Tour. Renowned for their explosive live sets, it’s little wonder that the band have supported the likes of N.E.R.D., Basement Jaxx, David Bowie (!) and New Order, as well as playing festivals such as Coachella, Glastonbury, Roskilde, Creamfields, Big Day Out and Splendour in the Grass. They’ll be at the ANU Bar on September 13. Tickets on sale from Landspeed, Stocks and inthemix.com.au .

Blue King Brown @ Stonefest Saturday October 31

Got ‘dem Blues
“Blue King Brown is my favorite band right now. They embody everything I love in music from Ozomatli, African bands, Tower of Power to Santana. They are the voice of the street and the band of the future!” - Carlos Santana. Can’t really get much higher accolades than that, can you? After spending most of this year recording their eagerly awaited new album, BKB will be back in town, playing Stonefest on October 31 at the UC. Tickets are on sale through Ticketek, Landspeed and UCU Print Shop.

Free Stuff

Giveaways are open to A.C.T. residents and residents of the surrounding N.S.W. region. Be sure to include your name, phone number and address. Most giveaways will need to be collected from the always tidy BMA office.

Git dooowwn - it’s a cheapskate shindig! Send yer answers to the editor and await further instructions.

That Boy Needs Therapy
By day an incredibly likable forensic expert for the Miami Police Department, by night a vigilante serial killer dispensing street justice to murderers who couldn’t otherwise be brought to task, Dexter (played by Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Michael C. Hall) returns for a second season. Here we see Dexter’s sanguinary overtime catching up with him: Sergeant Doakes’s suspicions are growing, his victims are escaping and treasure hunters discover Dexter’s underwater dumping ground for his victims. The media dubs the killer the “Bay Harbor Butcher” and the FBI Special Unit is bought in to catch said Butcher. The four disc set comes complete with interviews from all the key cast members and is cutely packaged in its own evidence bag that includes gloves,  crime scene tape and even a blood sample. To grab a copy of Dexter: The Complete Second Season, out now on Paramount, tell us when you’ve dispensed your own brand of retribution.
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Family Ties
Overseen by action heavyweight producer and director John Singleton (2 Fast, 2 Furious, Hustle & Flow, Boys N Da Hood and Four Brothers), Illegal Tender is an action packed tale where family honour literally becomes a matter of life or death. Born on the night his father was murdered, Wilson DeJesus Jnr grew up valuing the importance of family and, at the time of graduating, appeared to have it all; a devoted mother, adoring girlfriend and a promising future – far from the life his crime-figure father had lived. When the ghosts from his mother’s past come back to haunt his present, he is forced to defend his family. Thrilling from beginning to end, the final showdown boasts a fierce battle between family ties and blood feuds. To grab a copy of Illegal Tender, out now through Universal, tell us about when you’ve had to defend a family member’s honour.
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Born to be Wiieeeeeeiiiiillldd!
Further proof that he is indeed an all-rounder – a renaissance man, if you will – much loved comic Bill Bailey is the unlikely champion of endangered wildlife in the 10-part series Wild Thing I Love You. It follows the Black Books star and his team of experts on a mission to save some of the UK’s most vulnerable wildlife from human encroachment – but the team will only have a short time in which to solve the crisis. From critter-crossings to translocation, Bill and his team will stop at nothing to help Britain’s wildlife. Soon to touch down in Canberra as part of his Tinselworm infotainment extravaganza, we’ve got five copies of the three-disc Wild Thing series, out now on Shock, to give away. To win, tell us an amusing animal anecdote.
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X Marks The Spot
The sinister-sounding Project X doesn’t refer to any kind of secretive government-sanctioned cloning project – rather, it’s the banner under which three of hip-hop greatest are uniting. Kool Keith, Tim Dog and Marc Live, known as The Photographer, The Boss and The Rockstar respectively for this project, are teaming up to, in Keith’s own words, “resuscitate hip-hop and bring it back to its original state of dope lyrics and creative music.” Presented by Koky Prik records, headed by Canberra’s own Big Dave, Project X’s tour will be hitting The Venue in Erindale on Saturday September 6. To win a double pass, hit us with your favourite Kool Keith lyric.
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On Land
Presented by Arts Projects Australia, Compagnie Philippe Genty will bring their acclaimed latest work to The Playhouse between August 20 and 23. Conceived and directed by Philippe Genty, the master of theatrical fantasy and illusion, with his long-time collaborator and wife Mary Underwood, Lands End features a brilliant cast of multi-skilled performers who offer a breathtaking visual feast of theatrical illusion, dance and puppetry. Lands End is a poetic journey through a dreamlike landscape, following two characters – a man and a woman – on a surreal quest for an illusive, ephemeral goal. “Genty’s art can tug at the heart and refresh the spirit. Seeing is indeed believing” - The Australian. To win a double pass to a performance on either the 22nd or 23rd, tell us about a quest you’ve embarked upon. The Philippe Genty tour is supported by the French Embassy in Australia and Alliance Française. Bookings through Canberra Ticketing (02 6275 2700 or www.canberraticketing.com.au ).
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CANBERRA’S CREATIVES

WHAT: CANBERRA LIVING ARTISTS WEEK
WHERE: ALL OVER TOWN
WHEN: AUG 22 - 31

Canberra Living Artists Week (CLAW 08, August 22 to 31) is back with lots of free events for all you cultured types! Get to Manuka at 6pm on Friday August 22 for the big CLAW opening night: a triple-whammy of exhibitions in weird places, video art, music, drinks and nibbles. August 23 to 30 brings Cabin Fever: Art meets Big Brother, when performance artist Pablo Latona is locked in a shopfront in the Civic bus interchange for seven days. Watch him 24/7 via web-cam at www.cabinfever.com.au .  Find out whose art reigns supreme at State of Belonging, midday Saturday August 30 outside the Street Theatre in Childers Street. With overtones of the Iron Chef, two teams of artists battle it out in a three-hour rampage of art making and interpreting - with special guests Andrew Frost, writer and presenter of ABC 1’s The Art Life, Deborah Clark, Canberra Museum and Art Gallery visual arts curator, and a host of surprise commentators. There’s also a cracking closing party at M16 Art Space from 3pm on Sunday August 31. The list is literally as long as my arm, so for more events and to check out artist profiles, go to artsaroundcanberra.com.au/claw .

Dead Letter Circus @ The Greenroom Friday Sep 19

…And The Circus Returns to Town
Brisbane hard rockers and ‘berra favourites Dead Letter Circus have announced a whirlwind two week east coast run of dates, taking in The Greenroom on September 19. Formed in 2005, the hard-hittin’ foursome’s debut self-titled EP, showcasing their unique brand of alternative rock, quickly brought them national acclaim - the single Reaction receiving regular national airplay on triple j. They’ve also shared the stage with Aus-prog heavyweights Karnivool, The Butterfly Effect, and Cog. Tickets are on sale now from www.deadlettercircus.com .

DJ FILTER

WHAT: ADELAIDE DNB MYSTRO, PLAYING BREAKOUT LAB
WHERE: MERCURY BAR
WHEN: FRI AUG 29

Following the demise of Toast, Mercury Bar, in the Sydney building along Northbourne Avenue, has fast established itself as Canberra’s home of drum ‘n’ bass. The next episode, as Dre might say, takes on Friday August 29 when local crew Pure DJs present BreakOut Lab. Billed as a night of “soulful, jazzy drum ‘n’ bass,” there’ll also be a liberal smattering of dub, chill-out, break beat and tech house spun in the opening and closing hours of the event. Flying out from A-Town to headline the show is DJ Filter, one half of Adelaide’s Inbound Records who put on many a show around town and also run a dedicated DNB record store. Filling out the bill are Rolex, Tranvo, Briller and Crowley, ensuring a suitably large evening for all. Doors swing open 8pm, with a multitude of drink specials on offer and $5 cover charge between 10pm and 2am. For more info, set your coordinates to www.puredjs.com.au and blast off.

Van She @ ANU Bar Friday Sep 12

The She
Van She are hitting the road to support their debut album V which boasts new single Strangers, a tune which straddles indie and dance like prize bullfighter and hangs on for dear life. Renowned for their sizzling live shows, Van She’s aim for this tour is to “create a hybrid live/DJ tour that fashions a no-holds-barred party atmosphere,” with the band slipping many of their renowned remixes into their set. Supports include Lost Valentinoes, Mission Control and Knife Machine cutting it up on the decks. They’ll hit the ANU Bar on September 24. Tickets are available from Ticketek and www.inthemix.com.au .

Gangbusters - Ganging up

Gangbusters

“Too much of a good thing.” You’ve probably had this proverb tutted at you by a worrisome parent at some stage during your childhood, possibly when you were threatening to blow your pocket money on a volatile combination of whiz-fizz and five cent lollies. Your mum may have been right then, but there are some scenarios when it just simply doesn’t apply. The recent of promotion of GANGBUSTERS , Bar 32’s previously fortnightly live band night, to a weekly event is one. Warwick Smith, the man behind Birds Love Fighting and Gangbusters overlord gives us the skinny.

So firstly, what prompted the switch to weekly? “A combination of influences, one being that we’d like to remain consistent so that every week you know what you’re getting when you walk through Bar 32 on Thursday. And Canberra has heaps of bands - some quite well known, others unheard of but amazing!” he enthuses.

But what exactly does a Gangbusters hold in store? I could relay long, rambling and ultimately pointless tales of nights fuelled by Cooper’s Pale, cheap tomato ‘n’ cheese pizza and Flying Nun-influenced indie rock, but Warwick explains it all in a more concise, and hell, more informative and downright useful fashion. “For $5 you can expect to be up close and face-to-face on the dance floor with three or four local and interstate bands, plus an old-school indie disco following at midnight.” Neatly summarising what sets Gangbusters apart from yer average club night, Warwick says succinctly: “Rock ‘n’ roll. And a personal touch.”

In Gangbusters’ almost year-long tenure, the night has hosted many a memorable evening from every end of the musical spectrum; whether it was Canberra’s twee-pop fraternity emerging from their bedsits to jam Bar 32 to capacity for The Brunettes, or gloriously ragged and violent sets from the likes of Witch Hats, Hardluck and Dead Farmers. For Warwick, however, one-man party starter Tomás Ford’s recent appearance remains a highlight. “I would say Tomás Ford takes the cake for being one of the most entertaining dudes in the electro wave” he says. “He threw himself all over the audience, sang up on the bar and attempted to seduce many audience members multiple times during his set. The best moment was him running out onto the street and singing to the Mercury Bar crowd smoking outside, which to my amazement bought people inside to see what was going on - and they loved it!” It’s no surprise, then, to hear that Mr Ford will be back on October 2nd for another assault on the bar.

Also in the pipeline are appearances from the Australian incarnation of Detroit garage rockets MOTO - featuring members of the Spazzys and Eddy Current Suppression Ring – internationally acclaimed Melbourne popsters Crayon Fields and Wollongong post-punk band Ohana, launching their highly anticipated debut album - an LP set to be one of the most important and vital local releases of the year. There’s a whole bunch more, too, but you’ll have to head to the internet for that.

In terms of the future, Warwick’s plans are typically modest and pragmatic. “We’ll just see how far we can push the envelope. There’s a whole world of crap music out there and I hope that Canberra can make its way through all that – we’re not a one trick pony.”

For more information on the laundry list of upcoming shows, head to www.birdslovefighting.com or myspace.com/birdslovefighting .

REALIZED

WHAT: JAPANESE HARDCORE/CRUST PURVEYORS
WHERE: THE GREENROOM
WHEN: FRI AUG 15

And so the juggernaut rolls on… WeEmptyRooms and Broke Me Records, the loons behind such face-melting tours as Birushanah, Palm and Ryokuchi, are proud to announce that Japanese hardcore/crust fiends Realized will be visiting our shores this month. The band hail from the northern Japanese city of Sapporo. Based around famed venue Klub Counter Action, the Sapporo hardcore scene has been thriving since the mid ’80s, producing the likes of Face of Change, Spitfire and Knucklehead. While taking their cues from the traditions of hardcore and crust, Realized go beyond the usually limited structures of these genres - their arrangements are densely layered, precisely executed and frequently build towards epic crescendos. Despite possessing a brutal set of lungs, vocalist Fuji has a distinctly feminine, Iggy/Bowie-esque presence that provides an engaging focal point. Having cut their teeth with supports for the likes of The Locust and Insect Warfare, they’ll hit The Greenroom with Dad They Broke Me, Inappropriate Tough Guy Behaviour and Assassins on August 15. Be sure to pick up a limited-edish cassette of their long out-of-print second album, too. Hit www.myspace.com/weemptyrooms for more info.

THE CASHEWS

WHAT: LAUNCHING SMALL PONDS
WHERE: 13TH CANB SCOUT HALL, O’CONNOR
WHEN: SAT AUG 16

Despite their warm ‘n’ fuzzy presence in the Canberra music scene since 2004, The Cashews have only now finally recorded their first full length album. It was recorded old-school-style, around one microphone, live in a living room - capturing that distinctive and quirky Cashew essence. To launch it, they’ve planned a giant two-stage bonanza on Saturday August 16, also featuring The Big Score, Cam & Ry, Chanel Cole, Alice Cottee, Dubba Rukki, The Ellis Collective, Hashemoto, Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens, Margaret Helen King, Mr Fibby, Mutley Sniggers (by proxy), Ocean Moses, Sanjiva De Silva, Andy Walker (One Foot in the Gravy) and The Wedded Bliss, all performing a Cashews cover as well as some of their own tunes. All that, plus circus, tableaux, colouring in and the construction of a GIANT CASHEW PAPER MACHE STATUE! So for a veritable smorgasbord of the wonderful talent we have in this small pond - Canberra - come along to the Small Ponds album launch at the 13th Canberra Scout Hall, Macarthur Ave, O’Connor, presented by The Canberra Musicians Club. From 4pm to 10.30pm, $10/$5 entry.

Elf Tranzporter - Tranzport is Arranged

Elf Tranzporter

Elf Tranzporter. While the name may conjure up images of Shetland ponies towing miniature buggies, any Oz hip-hop head worth their salt will know better. ELF TRANZPORTER , or Marlon Porter to his accountant, was one of the founding members of one of Australia’s seminal underground hip-hop acts, MetaBass‘n’Breath. Since the group disbanded at the turn on the century, Elf has kept himself busy with a laundry list of musical projects, most notably as a member of both the infamous Combat Wombat and an off-shore member of the San Fran-based crew Heavyweight Dub Champion (in which he nestles alongside the likes of KRS ONE and Wu-Tang’s Killer Priest). In his downtime, Elf regularly conducts workshops, sharing his skills and passion for music tutoring disadvantaged and high-risk youth in primary schools, juvenile justice centres and community events, as well as refugee communities throughout Australia.

Somehow, the man managed to find time in his bustling schedule to release his debut solo album Ethereal Lotus Fleet in October last year. Though the idea of a solo release had been bouncing around in Elf’s head since MetaBass’s demise, other projects took precedence and the LP “came back into focus just a few years ago. I think it was February ’05 when I first recorded something for the album.

“The hard part wasn’t the material on it as much as the idea of putting a bunch of connected material out as a single work,” he continues. “There’s a conceptual thread that runs through that album, and I think that was the only reason to put out an album rather than just putting out a song whenever you do a song. Things have changed, there’re so many more options and albums are not as expected from performers unless there’s a conceptual thread that holds it together.”

The LP’s evocative title stems from the collaborators Elf has worked alongside. “‘Fleet’ conjures a floating alignment, and that’s basically what it is, rather than calling it a crew. Collaborators and allies sharing a vision.
“The word fleet definitely sums up my experience in Melbourne,” he continues. “When I moved here I was working with a few different crews like Red Eyes and True Live and the original Illzilla. It related to this vision I had of the lotus as a symbol of the human soul and of collective endeavour, because you’ve got many petals on one lotus. Basically, I saw a fleet of lotuses flying towards earth from some land, which I guess would be the creative landscape, coming into the earth’s atmosphere and sending down soundsystems to usher in the new dawn.

“In a lot of ways, the way this album’s held together is that I was mainly working with DJ Wasabi,” he explains, “but I was also working with Count Bounce, Mista Savona, Monkey Marc from Combat Wombat and Custom. It was fun bringing the same song from one producer to the other and having various inputs on it. I thought it worked really well, ‘cause these people got to work together through the vision that I was pushing.”

As for his Canberra appearance, the man explains he’s “coming with a little fleet; it involves DJ TakaCo, she’s just gotten into DJing and is doing a really fine job at just creating energy onstage and adding a lot of sonic textures; then there’s Jad and Bassman from Kahibaloo - Bassman’s been running with TZU on their last tour. …also two of the MCs from Culture Connect, Mista Monk, and Hopefully VJ will come down. It should be really fun, it should be a party. It’s just another kind of, what would you call it, a branch of a fleet…” We both rack our brains for the correct word. “We’ll both go on the naval dictionary on Google,” he laughs. “Unit? Sub-unit…

“It’s a pretty rockin’ incarnation of what I believe in with live performance,” he enthuses, returning to the main thrust of our conversation. “Make sure there’s a bit of exploration and spontaneity along with tight, intuitive, creative… laser beams,” he laughs, slightly sarcastically I think.

Elf Tranzporter headlines Heavyweight Invasion, a hip-hop, reggae and dancehall bonanza at the Transit Bar on Saturday August 9. The bill also features Chant Down Sound and Dizzy Dee (Melb), Tribe of Kings (USA) and Capital Dub Style DJs. From 8pm, free entry.

Mr Fibby

Mr Fibby

BMA BAND PROFILE

Where did your band name come from?
We are to be named from the one legged Viennese alcoholic and confidence trickster Dr Herge Trentino Fibbet

Group members:
Borracio (fabulous hair and cello), Seraphina (violin and taking Borracio from behind), Zavi (guitar and all of the rest), Not Important (mouth noises and being punched in the ear)

Describe your sound:
Baba Yaga’s baby shower being molested by Piazzolla’s chauffeur.

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise?
Gogol Bordello, Masada, Animaalia Vasarat, Mojo JuJu & The Snake Oil Merchants, Monsieur Camembert, Mikelangelo & The Black Sea Gentlemen, Mustafio, anyone who is spending much of their time travelling on mule drawn caravan drinking whiskey in full clown make up alone.

What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing?
We have play fun card game Bible Marathon in car from tour and discover that John the Baptists job was to be Baptist.

What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far?
We have very strange blonde girl make us feel very rock and roll when she hits me in ear during gig.

What are your plans for the future?
Play gigs, learn more broken English, find wives.

What makes you laugh?
The slapstick comedy – when in doubt just hit your head on something, the funny it does not stop, haha!

What pisses you off?
Crazy blonde ear punching bitches.

What’s your opinion of the local scene?
Too many gadjos but other than that local music scene is very dropping things as if they are too hot. Canberra is most definite off the hook for music and for theatre and for fun all of the time. People who are bored here are dumb.

What are your upcoming gigs?
We are to be appearing at The Merry Muse with wonderful Sydney magicians The Crooked Fiddle Band which be on this very Friday August 8, at most auspicious time of 8pm. You will come, you will dance, we will have great time!

And of course on Saturday August 16 we will be at the Cashews Album Launch with a bajillion of other of Canberra’s fine bands to celebrate our favourite nuts!

Contact info:
Not Important phone is 0422 977 315
myspace.com/mrfibby
mrfibby [at] gmail [dot] com

Free Stuff

Giveaways are open to A.C.T. residents and residents of the surrounding N.S.W. region. Be sure to include your name, phone number and address. Most giveaways will need to be collected from the always tidy BMA office.

It’s time to deck yourself out in your best hobo wares and score some stuff for free. Sling down an answer to the questions provided, and whip it off to the: editor and the Goddess of Freeness may shine upon you.

Robot Chicken Episode 1: The Taking of the Piss
Arguably the funniest of the recent Star Wars spoofs, Seth Green takes his beloved plasticised pop culture explosion that is skit-show Robot Chicken and goes far over into the dark side of The Force! The snappy sketch comedy aims its satirical X-Wing squadron squarely at Star Wars’ exhaust port, allowing you to enjoy the taste of Admiral Ackbar’s cereal, fear Jedi George Bush, and see Vader and Jar Jar reunited! Amazingly, this is approved by Lucasfilm, and after you see how firmly the boot is stuck in, you’ll ponder too.  Thanks to Madman, we have three copies to give away. To win, tell us your least favourite thing about the Star Wars franchise.
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Sesame Street: “Old School!”
Rappers and hip-hop artists in general love talking about “old school”; taking it back there, sounding like it, and so forth. But it doesn’t get more old school – in every glowing sense of the term – than Sesame Street; the early years. For almost four decades, Big Bird and his friends have taught children and their parents “how to get to Sesame Street”, picking up handy hints on letters, numbers, and friendship along the way. For the first time in the history of the series, fans can own a piece of pop culture with the release of rare and classic footage. We have three copies to give away thanks to Madman. For your chance to get really old school, tell us an embarrassing tale from your childhood.
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‘Avin’ it Large
Last June saw the release of a new mix CD from Bristol’s Outlaws on Love Recordings, the brilliantly titled It’s Not French, But It’s F*cking ‘Aving It. Jammed with 54 tracks, it’s a schizophrenic genre-mash of epic proportions, featuring everyone from Franz Ferdinand and The Cure to Cut La Rock and Fatboy Slim, Bondo De Role and Utah Saints to Harry Belafonte and The Supremes – plus the added bonus of Chemical Brothers obscurity Acid Children. A true Outlaws’ night out on the tiles. One of the star acts on the acclaimed Modular DJ Agency (run by super hip Modular Records) alongside Bang Gang and Van She Tech, 2008 will see the Outlaws playing residencies at Starfuckers in Sydney and Massive Attack’s club Tube in Bristol, plus a homecoming gig at the Glastonbury Festival. Remixes for The Presets, Tricky, Toecutter and Cassette Kids are already in the bag, original material is on the way, and rumour has it they’ll return to the airwaves, following their cult Friday night show on London’s Kiss FM. “So good they should be locked away for a very long time,” exclaimed Mixmag; “Somewhere between Soulwax and Coldcut,” mused IDJ; “A nigh-on perfect party album!” gushed The Sunday Telegraph. To win a copy and judge for yourself, tell us five tracks that would appear on your ultimate mix CD.
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Kitchen Nightmares USA: Series 1
We know by now that internationally acclaimed hot-head chef Ramsay hates dirty kitchens, and sloppy standards. We know he enjoys indulging in a litany of bad language to get his point across. With this, the American incarnation of his restaurant nip/tuck series, we discover something else; he hates Americans. Not exuding anywhere near the kind of patience for his British compatriots, Ramsay lets fly at a slew of hapless (and useless) Yanks in an attempt to drill into them solid restaurant standards and much needed business acumen. If you like Ramsay in shouty-sweary mode, or simply dislike the fine people of America, you’ll love this.  Thanks to Shock, we have five copies to giveaway. To win, tell us the worst restaurant you’ve been to.
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Gordon Ramsay Kitchen Nightmares Series 2
Rancid food, arrogant head chefs, and dangerously dirty kitchens… these are just some of the horrors that await celebrated chef Gordon Ramsay in Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares Series Two. Toned down from the American series, Ramsay still exudes the fire and phlegm the world has come to love him for, but in this series compliments it with a wry intelligence for the unfortunates of the UK. Here, Ramsay attempt to save eight restaurants from financial ruin. With his passion for food and infamous lack of patience with sloppy standards in the kitchen, he spares no one in his pursuit of restaurant excellence. We have five copies to give away, thanks to the beautiful folk at Shock. To win, tell us about a personal kitchen nightmare you’ve experienced.
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Gangbusters @ Bar 32 Every Thursday

Behold. Gangbusters, the lair of the rock and/or roll has now legitimately taken hold of every Thursday at Bar 32 from now until doomsday. For the coming months there’ll be a host of interstate bands, the occasional international act and a platoon of local headlines and supports! All including the likes of Variodivers, Margaret Helen King (pictured), The Cherry Marines, Hancock Basement, The Trivs, Stepping Stone, MOTO (Detroit), New Estate, Crayon Fields, Ohana and much, much more! The fun won’t end at midnight either, as the dance floor opens up for some indie and alternate/tive twirling, forever twirling - so stick about to party with the bands. Check out www.birdslovefighting.com for more.

Resist Records bringing Ceremony to Tuggeranong Youth Centre Saturday September 27

Ah, those incorrigible Resist Records cats are at it again, bringing the musical delights of the US to our lil’ ol’ town. Ceremony are a full scale musical riot spawned from the rotting corpse of Bay Area California hardcore, recalling the early days of hardcore when the genre was defined by pessimism, misery, and was a true haven for the downtrodden. Heralded by many as one of the best hardcore/punk bands to surface in the last decade, this September and October will see the group make their first trip to Australia in support of their brand new album Still, Nothing Moves You. They’ll play an all ages show at the Tuggeranong Youth Centre on Saturday September 27.

Kindred and Melodyssey @ The Greenroom Friday August 8

In my day, half a million hits on myspace meant something completely different than what it does today, but in my day penny-farthing’s were the main mode of transport for wealthy businessmen, pork traders, chimney sweeps and street urchins alike. Kindred have been getting a name for themselves since forming in late 2006, a fact that can be measured by the amount of ‘hits’ to a certain social networking website mentioned earlier, and the ever-larger crowds who attend their self-confessed hard rock with metal edged-shows. Exordium, their debut EP, has just been released and you’ll be able to test their genre definitions and discuss the merits of social networking at The Greenroom, this Friday August 8 along with Melodyssey.

Eva Popov @ Folkus Room Friday August 15

Having just taken out triple j’s Unearthed Fuse Music Competition, Melbourne songwriter Eva Popov is hitting the road to support Dirtbird on their album launch tour, and will be making her live debut in Canberra-town. Citing influences such as Feist, Leonard Cohen, Smog, Gillian Welch, Clare Bowditch, the Dirty Three and Joni Mitchell, the sparse beauty of Eva’s songs has won her acclaim far and wide. She’ll come prepared with her freshly-release debut LP Me the Sea & Stars - “a treasure chest of charming, melodic and mesmerising tunes.” triple j - to draw from, as well as a batch of fresh tunes up her sleeve. With Jamie-Leigh Basic rounding out the bill, it’ll be an evening of raw, moving and beautiful music. Catch them at the The Folkus Room (Serbian Club, Heard Street Mawson) on Friday August 15 from 8pm. $15/12 entry.

Homebake “Peace in the Park” @ The Domain, Sydney Saturday December 6

Homebake, everyone’s favourite home-fried festival, returns for 2008 to The Domain in Sydney on Saturday December 6 – this year with the theme “Peace In The Park.” Line-up wise, leading the old guard are Crowded House (pictured), Died Pretty and the Headless Chickens. If dance is your thing, there’s Sneaky Sound System, Cut Copy, PNAU, The Potbelleez, Bag Raiders and Infusion. More of a hip-hop head? Then cop Bliss n Eso, Snob Scrilla, Pegz and Drapht in ya grill. British India lead the youthful upstart charge, with The Getaway Plan, Sparkadia and Little Red close behind. Then there’s also Gabriella Cilmi, Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson, Karnivool, The Vines, You Am I, Bluejuice, Dash & Will and the sheers raw power of the Eddy Current Suppression Ring, plus more to be announced. Tickets from homebake.com.au or 1300 762 545, Ticketek outlets, Landspeed Records, fasterlouder.com.au and inthemix.com.au .

End of Fashion @ ANU Bar Wednesday September 17

Many years ago I lived in Perth. But you don’t see me bare-chested, swanking around the joint in lurid goldfish flares, invisible top hats and revolver wrist bands. In all fairness, you don’t see the sand-groping End of Fashion do that either, and all the poorer we are for it. What you will see in coming months is a flurry of activity from Justin Burford and co. For example, they have a new Magoo-produced album dropping in late September called Book of Lies. Having not heard it, I can only surmise there will be songs and vocals on it, possibly in the vein of that track of theirs a few years back that was heaps popular and got played on the radio all the time. Ah, those were the days. Word on the junket vine, however, is that the new songs are more angular, so you’d best bring scissors to their September 17 Canberra show at the ANU Bar, kids.

THE GALLANT

WHAT: BRISBANE INDIE UPSTARTS
WHERE: TRANSIT BAR
WHEN: THU JULY 24

Since emerging onto the Brisbane scene late 2006, the boys from The Gallant have found themselves growing as crowd favourites, having slogged through 100 plus shows in the last two years. In that time they’ve played alongside Birds of Tokyo, British India, Midnight Juggernauts and The Dirty Secrets, helping boost their national appeal. They’ll further embed themselves in the Australian consciousness with an East Coast tour to launch their self-titled debut EP. Seven months in the making, it was recorded with Alex Markwell (Bodyjar, Vanlustbader), creating an ‘electronically organic’ sound. It’s a brash and quixotic blend of subtle electro beats, jagged post-punk guitars and danceable hooks, creating a unique and accessible soundscape. Keep an ear to yer wireless for a taste of the EP, or pop down to the Transit Bar on Thursday July 24 and see it all live! Hell, even Myspace approves - “These four talented lads are making some of the most progressive and downright interesting rock songs we’ve heard in while” - so you positively have to go! And it’s free! Kapow!

13 LOCAL BANDS

WHAT: TASSIE RAINFOREST FUNDRAISER
WHERE: CORROBOREE PARK, AINSLIE
WHEN: SAT JULY 26

On Saturday July 26, 13 of Canberra’s finest will be teaming up in aid of… a shrubbery! Well to be fair, more than just a shrubbery - acres and acres of the stuff, along with trees, vines and general forest paraphernalia too. The Tassie Forest Fundraiser Spectacular will see the likes of The Andi and George Band, Winiata, The Mettes, Smitten, Dubba Rukki, The Crush, One Foot in the Gravy, Dhopec, Konrad Lenz and Friend, Sondra Paulson, The Big Score, Alice Cottee and Cam and Ry joining together for an afternoon and evening of winter fun in the park. They’ll be rasing money for the Huon Valley Environment Centre and Still Wild, Still Threatened, protecting the forests of Southern Tasmania. Aside from the music, you’ll be able to join in the frivolities of table tennis, ‘pin the balls on Garrett,’ Peter Garrett dance-off, and forest, wilderness and activist films in the hall. For kids there’ll be an art workshop, sandpit and, of course, Corroboree Park itself. It gets started at 12.30pm and will carry on ‘til late, with a BBQ lunch in the park, delicious dinner in the hall and licensed bar keeping the good cheer rolling. $10 unwaged, $20 waged.

Falls Festival ticket ballot available ’til Wednesday August 27

Fallin’
It’s with great pleasure that we note that The Falls Music & Arts Festival, who consistently deliver some of the best bills this country’s festival circuit sees - and, lest we forget, the people responsible for finally bringing Built to Spill out - is set to return for its sweet 16th in Lorne, Victoria and its 6th year at Marion Bay, Tasmania. To wet the whistle, jump aboard the fair ship intarnetz and sail over to www.fallsfestival.com where a freshly swabbed site awaits ye! As well as some nice graphics, you can become a subscriber so you’ll be kept in the loop about getting tickets to the festival and, of course, who’ll be playing. Being a subscriber also means you’ll be able to enter the ballot for 2008 tickets, a venture which ensures most of the tickets go straight to the hands of the biggest fans - Falls subscribers. The option to subscribe for the ticket ballot is available via the website until midnight on Wednesday August 27, so don’t delay for too long! The first line-up will be announced on August 13, so keep your ear to the ground.

The Bridge Between

BMA BAND PROFILE

Where did your band name come from?
When we were growing up in Brisbane in the late ’80s/early ’90s, there was a lot of terrible, electronic inspired, fake Milli Vanilli rubbish being played. As young inspired wannabe rock legends, we took it upon ourselves to provide a ‘musical bridge between’ lame, money driven pop and music that meant something and used real instruments – and it’s just followed us ever since.

Group members:
Gianni (vox, rhythm guitar), CC Hall (vox, lead guitar, harmonica), Shoey (drums, percussion and witty comments).

Describe your sound:
The blues meets country and decides on a walk, along the way bumps into folk, spins around and trips over some roots. Or in the more conventional manner - vocal harmonies, acoustic/electric guitars, slide and harmonica.

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise?
The ’60s right through to today. In short - broad, encompassing, not afraid of latex-inspired music but basically anything that means something, sounds great and can be bought on vinyl: BB King, Bob Marley, The Beatles, John Butler…

What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far?
It’s simply awesome playing our own songs and having people make the effort to come up and say how much fun they had listening.

What are your plans for the future?
Tour, record, tour, record, tour, record… that kind of thing. Oh, and buy another really cool old car.

What makes you laugh?
The ridiculous accents we take off and end up using most of the day on each other and the rest of the world.

What pisses you off?
Boring, closed minded punters. Oh… and warm beer.
What’s your opinion of the local scene?

The scene is getting better all the time. Of course more people coming to more original gigs would be better, but as far as venues supporting live music go, Canberra is pretty cool.
What are your upcoming gigs?
Sunday July 27 at Olim’s (a great supporter of original music)
Thursday July 31 at Transit Bar
Sunday August 17 at Olim’s
Sunday August 24 at The Yacht Club
Friday August 29 at The Soul Bar

Contact info:
Rachel our manager: 04125 98 138
managerthebridgebetween [at] hotmail [dot] com
www.thebridgebetween.com.au

Holly Throsby @ ANU Bar Thursday October 9

Who Ya Gonna Call?
The charming Holly Throsby has recently returned from Nashville - or Ca$hville, if you listen to too much Young Buck - with a new record in amongst her luggage. Recorded with engineer and producer Mark Nevers (Lambchop, Will Oldham), A Loud Call (out now on Spunk!) features guest performances by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and members of Lambchop and Silver Jews. She’s promptly shot off again though, this time to the UK to support Paul Kelly and Tim Rogers, but will be back before too long for her most extensive Australian tour ever. For this, she’ll be joined by her long time band Bree van Reyk and Jens Birchall, and between the three of them they’ll tackle 11 instruments, though obviously not all at once! Holly and co will stop by the ANU Bar on Thursday October 9. Tickets from Ticketek .

DRAPHT

WHAT: TRIPLE CD LAUNCH WITH MIND OVER MATTER & 360
WHERE: ANU BAR
WHEN: FRI JULY 25

At only 17, Drapht became a vital part of Perth’s premier hip-hop crew Syllabolix, alongside Obese Records’ own Layla and Dazastah (Downsyde). Since then he’s refined and consolidated his skills across two albums, Pale Rider and Who Am I, enjoying national airplay on triple j and critical acclaim in the process. He returns with his third LP Brothers Grimm, charged with passion and vigour, and produced by Trials with guest production by Plutonic Lab, M-Phazes and Simplex. Across the record, Drapht swings effortlessly between quirky and playful jams, gritty tracks, and sombre, reflective tones. Compared to such artists as Q-tip and Grand Puba, Drapht’s unique voice and original flow have set him apart from the Aus hip-hop pack while lyrically, he tackles such topics as politics, indigenous land-rights, sex and addiction. Well acquainted with the road, he’s headlined shows across the country, and supported the likes of Redman and Method Man, Rahzel, Z-Trip, Hilltop Hoods (and even guested on The Hard Road), Expansion Team (Dilated Peoples), Downsyde, Koolism and Resin Dogs, and recently played the Obese Records Block Party and Good Vibrations Festival. Cop an earful of Brothers Grimm when Drapht hits town this week.

CROOKED FIDDLE BAND

WHAT: GYPSY FOLK MEETS METAL
WHERE: THE MERRY MUSE
WHEN: FRI AUG 8

Originally formed two years ago around violinist Jess Randall - who had received an arts grant to record different interpretations of traditional tunes - The Crooked Fiddle Band went on to forge their own brand of no-holds-barred folk, which sees gypsy, bluegrass swampstompers, Appalachian laments, Celtic reels and metal collide. It’s been called psycho-Gypsy, Cossack acid, and just plain mad, and it’s incited moshing and barnburning around Australia from an audience as diverse as their influences. Completed by Gordon Wallace (guitar, bouzouki, mandolin), Mark Stevens (double bass, charango) and Joe Gould (percussion, drums), the Sydney-based group have become firm favourites of the live circuit, with incendiary showings at Peats Ridge Festival, The National Folk Festival, Newtown Festival and three sell-out shows at Sydney’s Vanguard among their performance highlights. Catch their singular and furiously-paced blend of traditional gypsy tunes and metal alongside local loons Mr Fibby on Friday August 8 at The Merry Muse, Polish White Eagle Club Turner. www.merrymuse.org.au .

Horsell Common @ Transit Bar Friday August 29

To The Rescue!
Since the release of their debut album The Rescue, Horsell Common have made an impression all over Australia. Now they’re releasing the second single from the album, Sing the News, and, in celebration of this marvellous occasion, are tearing it up on a new national tour! Fusing slash ‘n’ burn guitars and a pummelling rhythm section with a pop sensibility, they veer away from yer average hamfisted three-piece flailing. Fans may gleefully recall seeing them earlier this year at The Greenroom, or late last year at Trackside, but this time around they’ll be visiting the Transit Bar on Friday August 29, infecting the crowds with their energy - and only their energy, mind. With plenty of sold out shows earlier this year, and free entry for the Transit gig, the place is sure to be packed so get there early!

LOCAL MUSOS

WHAT: MUSICAL MADNESS @ FILTHY’S
WHERE: FILTHY MCFADDEN’S, KINGSTON
WHEN: WEEKLY FROM JULY 29

Tuesdays are traditionally quiet nights and, damn it, thanks to the ABC’s new programming, we don’t even have The Bill anymore! Luckily, local acoustic duo The Bridge Between have taken it upon themselves to rectify this sorry state of affairs and are introducing a new music night, entitled Musical Madness @ Filthy’s. The night will have a strong focus on original and diverse music, a spot for walk ins and open mic each night, a regular spot for feature performers to build up a following, plus the pair will be on hand to help make the nights run smoothly, provide backing for soloists and to MC the event. Smashing the proverbial bottle of champagne against the proverbial hull on the proverbial maiden Musical Madness voyage on July 29 will be Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens, Johnny Huckle, If Angels were Architects, Friendly Yen and Pepper Jack. On August 5 The Bridge Between will be bashin’ it out alongside Friendly Yen, Bliss and Tim Maloney. From then onwards, expect Filthy McFadden’s to be reverberating with the sound of local music every Tuesday. For more info, or to get involved, email thebridgebetween [at] hotmail [dot] com .

Stonfest 08 - Line Up, tickets, mailing list, prizes and more

Stonefest Still Rolling, Gathering No Moss
A bedrock of the Canberra music scene, Stonefest 08 will see the festival celebrate a proud 40 year tradition. This year the Stonefest team have assembled a line-up that has certainly boulder-ed us over. Grinspoon will continue to guide us towards better living, alongside The Dandy Warhols, Faker, The Grates, Regurgitator, Alan Braxe, Bumblebeez, The Drones, Blue King Brown, Dexter, Kora, Spruce Lee, TZU, Fourthstate, Snobscrilla, Two Terrorble Tablists, Ashleigh Mannix. Held on Friday October 31 and Saturday November 1 – spanning two months! – at the University of Canberra, general admission earlybird tickets are on shale, sorry, sale ‘til Thursday July 31 for $62.80 plus BF from ticketek outlets and www.ticketek.com . Student tickets (UC/ANU/CIT) from the UCU Print Shop at $52.80 plus BF. Join the Stonefest mailing list by emailing stonefest [at] canberra [dot] edu [dot] au for the latest info and chances to score some cool prizes to get you in a celebratory mood. Hit www.stonefest.com.au for more info.

DJ RUSH

WHAT: RELEASING CALIFORNIA DREAMING PT. 2 MIXTAPE
WHERE: ONLINE
WHEN: RIGHT NOW

After landing an internship with DJ Skee (The Game’s DJ) and The House of Hype, a PR company in Hollywood, local spinner and BMA alumnus DJ Rush jetted off to Los Angeles, Californ-eye-ay. While in Hollywood, Rush experienced both extremes of the city; from living in the ‘burbs on $12 a day, surrounded by crack heads and shootings, to celebrity basketball games, Magic Johnson poker tournaments, The Game recording sessions and Grammy after parties in P. Diddy’s penthouse at the Roosevelt Hotel. However, the man LA dubbed “The Australian Sensation” has returned to home soil to release his latest mixtape, California Dreaming Part 2, following the well-received mixtapes California Dreaming and Spader Mixtape. The mixtape showcases Cali and ACT talent alike, featuring cuts from MC Young Murph and local lad Omar Musa, as well as an intro from the regulator himself, Warren G. “It’s different to a lot of other mixtapes coming out,” Rush says. “You’ll find a mix of R&B, soul, hip-hop and pop on there.” Sponsored by Boost Mobile, California Dreaming Part 2 is now available to download for free via www.myspace.com/djrushmusic . Hit it.

Kasey Chambers @ Royal Theatre Friday August 15

Dem Bones Dem Bones
Following the release of their ARIA number one Rattlin’ Bones LP, Kasey Chambers and husband Shane Nicholson are preparing to bring the record to the stage. The album’s received near universal acclaim, Rhythms Magazine stating “the songs are so strong, they sound like instant classics,” The Australian declaring “Rattlin’ Bones is simply the best album of her and Nicholson’s careers, and a roots album of global significance,” and Melbourne’s Sunday Herald Sun commenting “Rattlin’ Bones could yet prove to be the year’s best album…an essential in your CD collection.” As well as LP cuts, the pair - accompanied by a full band comprising Bill Chambers, John Watson, James Gillard, and Mark Collins - will dive into past hits from Kasey’s impressive back catalogue and treat fans to a special acoustic segment during the evening. They’ll be at the Royal Theatre on Friday August 15. Tickets on sale from Ticketek .

Euphonic and Kempsey @ Transit Bar Thursday August 21

Euphonic Euphoria
Sydney based rock group Euphonic seem to have appeared from nowhere, yet when their single YEAHNO hit 10,000 free downloads on iTunes last year, it became clear that they were a combo not to be ignored. During 2007 they were flat-out touring Australia on the back of three singles released during the year, two of which can now be found housed on their latest album Drowning for Daylight. This July, Euphonic will again take to the road to support the new release, which was produced by Magic Dirt bassist Dean Turner. Their original July 26 Transit Bar date has been changed to Thursday August 21, with local supports Kempsey.

Free Stuff

Giveaways are open to A.C.T. residents and residents of the surrounding N.S.W. region. Be sure to include your name, phone number and address. Most giveaways will need to be collected from the always tidy BMA office.

And so, in the immortal words of Anthony Kiedis, “Give it away, give it away, give it away now!” Yes, we’ve got a stack of free stuff that’s clogging up the office and simply has to go. So get typin’, send your answers to the editor then do a little dance and drink a little water.

Tin Tin Out
Composed from 14 hours of interviews, Tintin and I (Tintin Et Moi) is a documentary that delves into the mind of Georges Remi, better known as Hergé - creator of the tuft-haired boy reporter. In 1971, while he was still a student, actor and writer Numa Sadoul conducted an extensive interview with Hergé over several days. Over the course of the conversations, the usually reticent cartoonist points out how the allusions and the underlying psychology of Tintin were intimately related to the tensions of his private life. It’s a fascinating portrait of the man behind the masterpiece and provides rare insight into the characters and stories beloved by generations of readers. The DVD release is crammed with almost two hours of extras, including the I, Tintin (Moi, Tintin) documentary, The Secret of the Clear Line (Le Secret de la Ligne Claire) short, an interview with Michael Serres, a biography of Hergé, chronology of The Adventures of Tintin, diorama of the characters and a Hergé caricatures gallery. To win a copy, tell us your favourite Tintin book. And why, of course. Tintin and I is out now through Madman.
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Eureka!
Pete Murray is a big ol’ mass of talent, with his third album Summer at Eureka recently hitting number one on the charts, and so following in the path of his previous two albums Feeler and See the Sun. Naturally, he’s been spreading his talent around. After touring the dark corners of Europe and the UK, Pete is back with a vengeance and already adding additional dates for his Australian Eureka Tour as shows have sold out in a flash. Pete’s not been back in Australia for nigh on two years, so naturally we’re all gagging for the chance to see him again. Luckily he’s stopping by at the ANU Bar for a night of soulful crooning on Wednesday August 20. We’ve got five double passes for you devoted readers (and Pete fans) to win. To get your clutches on them, riddle me this; what is your best ‘eureka’ moment?
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Kingdom Come
In the vein of classics such as Karate Kid, The Forbidden Kingdom is a martial arts adventure based on the fabled warrior Monkey King. Shot on location in China, the films marks the historic first-ever onscreen pairing of martial arts superstars Jackie Chan and Jet Li and features the awe inspiring action choreography of Woo-Ping Yuen (The Matrix, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon). While hunting down bootleg kung-fu DVDs in a Chinatown pawnshop, Jason Tripitikas (Michael Angarano – 24, Will and Grace, Lords of Dogtown, Seabiscuit) makes an extraordinary discovery that sends him hurtling back in time to ancient China. There, Jason is charged with a monumental task: he must free the fabled warrior the Monkey King, who has been imprisoned by the powerful Jade Warlord. Jason is joined in his quest by wise kung fu master Lu Yan (Jackie Chan) and a band of misfit warriors including Silent Monk (Jet Li). But only by learning the true precepts of kung fun can Jason hope to succeed - and find a way to get back home. We’ve 20 double passes to dish out: to win one, perform a barrel roll and then email us. For more info, jump on to www.forbiddenkingdommovie.com . The Forbidden Kingdom screens at Hoyts from July 24.
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Spooky Stuff
The series concerning the MI5 dashes breathlessly into its sixth season, continuing its uncompromising storylines and character treatment; where any of your beloved could be the next to disappear. Growing mistrust between the British, American and Iranian Governments culminates in a series of high-risk operations at home, pushing the Section to its very limits. As Iran’s race to become a nuclear power impacts on British and American security, the distinction between friend and foe becomes ever more blurred. Harry and his team start to question exactly whose agenda they’re working to and who they can trust – both on and off the Grid. Meanwhile, the electric atmosphere between Adam and Ros comes to a head but things are complicated further by Adam’s ongoing and dangerous affair with a key asset inside the Iranian Embassy. Harry gains a new friend when he recruits old MI5 colleague Connie as desk officer. Clever, and with plenty of old-school tricks up her sleeve, she might just be able to fill the void left by Ruth’s departure. We have three copies to giveaway. To win one, tell us your favourite thing about Spooks. Spooks Season 6 is available from August 2 for $59.99.
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It Takes Two
Restoring passion to cooking, and outspoken humour to the world of food, the delightful Clarissa Dickson Wright and Jennifer Paterson return to their celebrated cooking series. The Two Fat Ladies roam Britain on their classic motorbike and sidecar, getting into all sorts of hilarious adventures as they find the best ingredients for their delicious recipes. In light of the tragic demise of Paterson in 1999 at the age of 71 from lung cancer, these DVDs serve as a poignant and warming testament of the much-loved work of her and her partner. We have five copies to giveaway. To win one, tell us your favourite winter food. Two Fat Ladies Series Three is available from August 2 for $24.99.
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There’s a bit of a Drapht, Isn’t There?
West Australian MC Drapht (real name Paul Ridge) released his debut album in 2003, and now, at only 25 years of age, has three albums out under the Obese Records banner - home of Hilltop Hoods and hot new things Spit Syndicate. The Perth lad teamed up with Adelaidian studio wiz Trials to create new release Brothers Grimm, a 15-track LP. Our own Simon Hobbs was suitably impressed, stating “with world-class Australian guest producers like Plutonic Lab, M-Phazes and Simplex, Brothers Grimm is worthy of recognition at the highest peak of Australian hip-hop.”

The first single from Brothers Grimm, Jimmy Recard (a reflection on what his life could have been like with a more interesting name) has already gained radio play and positive reactions from fans old and new. Thanks to Obese Record we’ve five copies for the sampling. To grab one, suggest a more interesting name for yourself. Drapht launches Brothers Grimm at the ANU on Friday July 25.
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Ash Grunwald and Last Town Chorus @ ANU Bar Friday September 5

There’s Something Fishy Here…
On his forthcoming album Fish Out Of Water, blues ‘n’ rootsman Ash Grunwald, one of Australia’s favourite sons, promises a few twists and turns that fans mightn’t have seen coming. For the record, the ‘locked one teamed up with respected beats master Countbounce from TZU, resulting in an exhilarating hybrid of musical styles which sees junkyard percussion, scorching riffs and Grunwald’s trademark deep and strong vocals infused with beats and grooves. Fans will already be familiar with his strong sense of musical adventure, and with Fish Out Of Water he has truly let his hair down and pushed all the boundaries. Currently hard at it on the UK gig and festival circuit, Ash’s tingling at the prospect of returning home to unveil his latest creation for the approval of the Australian public. The LP will hit stores on August 30 through Delta Groove/Shock Records, but tickets to his Friday September 5 show at the ANU with Last Town Chorus are on sale now through www.ticketek.com and www.theatlasagency.com .

The Boat People, mcArtney and The Dawn Collective @ Transit Bar Thursday August 14

A troika of young Australian independent artists - The Boat People, mcArtney and The Dawn Collective - will thunder into the Transit Bar on Thursday August 14. All three acts pride themselves on their independence and motivation to make their careers, without the use of slimy majors. You can read about The Boaties later on, so we’ll update you on the other two. Sydney’s mcArtney is riding high on a wave of LA radio airplay, following his win for best song on an Australian music sampler at MUSEXPO. Meanwhile, following three highly-regarded EPs, The Dawn Collective have just completed their full length album produced by Tim Whitten (The Panics, Gersey) and Tony Dupe (Holly Throsby, Jack Ladder). Now you’re up to speed, head down to the Transit. Free entry, you dogs!

The Chuffs

BMA Band Profile

Where did your band name come from?
From the black birds (spelt Choughs) that you see wondering around in groups of about 13 whilst scavenging and bullying other birds. They also shit on your head. Trust me - I know from experience.

Group members:
James Alderman - drums
Pat O’Connor - bass
Danny Roberts - lead guitar
Glenn Elliott - rhythm guitar and vox
Describe your sound:
1. Turn amplifiers up to 11.
2. Aim sticks at drums
3. Aim plectrums at bass and guitars.
4. Aim slobber and rock ‘n’ roll licence for bad diction at microphone.
5. GO!

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise?
QOTSA, Celibate Rifles, Van Halen, Kyuss, X (R.I.P Ian Rilen), Spinal Tap, Coopers Pale Ale, Carlton Draught and Jim Beam (he’s a pretty cool dude and makes us laugh).

What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst playing live?
I’d say when I was dry-retching/choking whilst singing. A bit of my hair had somehow gone down my throat. I was also playing guitar so I couldn’t pull it out. I could imagine someone in the audience seeing the look on my face and thinking “Wow, that guy’s fully sik.”

What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far?
Recording Flambe, our brand new EP. It sounds farkin’ awesome. And having it played on College Radio in the USA. Plus some of our achievements with the stacking of self-served food on plates at various bain maries around Canberra.

What are your plans for the future?
Getting off our behinds and taking The Chuffs to Melbourne and Sydney. And recording more songs.
What makes you laugh?
A deflated ego.

What pisses you off?
You. Us. Them. Everyone. Everything. We hate it all. We just hate. We Hate. Hate.

What’s your opinion of the local scene?
It’s great. Looking Glass, Penguin, Moh Van Wah, and Fistful of Nothing are some of our faves.

What are your upcoming gigs?
Friday July 18 at The Greenroom with Moh Van Wah and Using Three Words.

Contact info:
www.myspace.com/thechuffs - www.thechuffs.com

Susanna Carman @ Folkus Room Friday July 25

Oh Susanna
Originally from New York, now spending her time in Sydney and Brisbane, Susanna Carman’s last few years haven’t been what you would call easy or pain free. Her cousin was killed in the 9/11 Attacks, her husband died suddenly two years later, shortly after her stepson died because of a brain tumour and last year her father died. Susanna’s current album, Holy, mines that vein of experience with ten poignant, quirky unforgettable songs as she moves from grief and loss into bittersweet renewal and new love. “Carman’s attractively relaxed voice, which touches on some real pain, lets you feel it without histrionics, then finds an optimistic route out each time” - Bernard Zuel, Sydney Morning Herald. Susanna will be at the Folkus Room on July 25 at 7.30pm, and will be at a song writing workshop at Daramalan College on July 26 from 10am.

SPL

WHAT: DRUM & BASS FELON
WHERE: MERCURY BAR
WHEN: FR JULY 11

Within just a few years, Sam Pool - aka SPL - has become a widespread name in the world of forward-thinking drum and bass. With a musical background built upon years of work in the studio and behind the decks, SPL has realised his vision of futuristic sounds and delivered it to the world in the form of groundbreaking production and captivating DJ sets. In 2007, SPL went full-throttle with his hugely successful record label Lost Soul Recordings, delivering a slew of releases from today’s most talented DNB producers. To make 2008 even stronger, SPL is putting the finishing touches on his debut LP as well as launching Hollow Point Recordings with Roommate for a heavy new take on dubstep. While running two record labels, consistently touring the globe, and producing various styles of electronic music, SPL continues to deliver cutting edge beats to countless ears. SPL is at the Mercury bar with local loudness Dred Buick Chills, Centaspyke, Kilojulz, Miss Universe, Fourthstate and Twisted System on Friday July 11. $15 at the door.

Snowman and Baseball @ Transit Bar Saturday July 19

Frosty…
The hidden benefit of operating in Perth, outside the glare of the spotlight that beams on a handful of global media hubs, has allowed Snowman to secretly develop their own sense of logic, their own aural landscape, their own code of conduct and rules of engagement. Snowman began playing live in local shows in 2003 and have since gained a solid live reputation. They have played numerous times in their home town with touring bands along the likes of Wolfmother and Sons and Daughters. Their first album, self-titled Snowman was released in September 2006 to very positive reviews. Now comes their second, The Horse, The Rat and The Swan, released last month. Snowman will be appearing at the Transit Bar on July 19 with Baseball.

D’OPUS

WHAT: DURHAM CASTLE ARMS RESIDENCY
WHERE: THE DURHAM, KINGSTON
WHEN: FROM JULY 17

Insatiable cad that he is, local wax spinner D’Opus is adding the Durham Castle Arms in Kingston to his ever-growing list of parties to cold-rock. Just last weekend he, along with partner in crime Roshambo, launched the duo’s debut LP The Switch to a buzzing ANU crowd. The album’s been picking up praise left, right and centre, and with triple j flogging the living balls out of their lead-off single Million Dollar Bill - currently available for download from the JJJ website - the man’s schedule will be manic to say the least. Regarded as one of the Capital’s finest selectaz, you’ll be able to enjoy the man’s patented blend of funk, hip-hop and soul in the comfort of the Durham over the next couple o’ months. For more info on other performers playing the Arms, check page seven of the mag, whydontcha. Go on, you know you wanna….

Tracy Redhead @ Transit Bar on Sunday 13 July

I See Red
Over the past two years, Sydney Songstress Tracy Redhead has been busy crafting and refining the sounds of her soon-to-be-released debut album, Walking Home a Different way. The first single Where it fits is currently doing the rounds, receiving excellent exposure via the triple j website, where it’s nabbed over 6000 downloads. Tracy’s s honest songs will inspire and move you, telling tales of friendship, happiness and struggle. Her smooth delivery and infectious personality give her a unique sound and captivating presence. She is currently on tour with Spazzys and will be appearing at The Transit Bar on Sunday 13 July.

Dead Kitten Parade, Tomas Ford @ Gangbusters @ Bar 32 Thursday July 17

Birds. Yep, Birds.
If there’s something you missed in the last few weeks it was Laura Jean and Grand Salvo at The Front Gallery last Saturday night. The shows at The Front and presented by Birds Love Fighting are quickly becoming an icon worth stepping out into the cold for. Keep your eyes on the gig guides for those magic nights. Speaking of missing out, there’s nothing you’re going to miss out on at Bar 32 Gangbusters with much more frequent mixed bills of punk, hardcore, indie, psych, electro, art school acts of all sorts. Coming up is the said art talent of Dead Kitten Parade and the novelty electro of Tomas Ford on Thursday July 17, all more a mere $5, easy. www.birdslovefighting.com .

Cast your vote - 2008 Sony Inthemix50

Mixing it Up
The 2008 Sony Inthemix50 is what celebrates Australia’s favourite DJs, club nights, events and producers. Since 2002, the Inthemix50 has established itself as the barometer for who’s hot and who’s not in the dance world. 2003 to 2005 saw Kid Kenobi take out consecutive titles, before Ajax took the top spots in 06 and 07. Last year saw a record number of votes cast in the poll and with the chance to win an awesome home studio and Bluetooth stereo prize for wireless music streaming between Walkman, stereo and Notebook, worth $3,500, there’ll doubtlessly be a voting frenzy this year. Voting closes at midnight on Sunday August 3, with the results announced on August 20. Go to www.inthemix.com.au/50 to vote for your favourites.

ARC CINEMA

WHAT: A CELEBRATION OF CELLULOID
WHERE: NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE
WHEN: JULY ONWARDS

Cinophiles rejoice! Arc’s calendar for July and August has been released, featuring a line-up of films which continue the NFSA’s commitment to screening a diverse range of quality titles from Australia and the world. Highlights include new and restored prints of Albert Lamoisse’s Children’s classics The Red Balloon and White Mane, Kurosawa’s Yojimbo, George Lucas’ debut feature THX1138 and Wim Wender’s The American Friend. There will also be Canberra premieres of Brian de Palma’s new film on the Iraq War, Redacted, and Mexican director Carlos Reygadas’ Cannes and Sydney Film Festival award-winner Silent Night (Stellet Licht). Other highlights include the best in new Indigenous Australian filmmaking with the return of the Message Stick’s Touring Film Festival; special screenings as part of the Vivid National Festival of Photography; and, as part of the launch of the 2008 L’Oréal Paris AFI Awards Canberra screenings, the Canberra premiere screening of Not Quite Hollywood – a fresh look at “Ozploitation” cinema of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Pick up a copy of the calendar today or check out Arc’s website at www.nfsa.gov.au/arc to browse online or download as a pdf!

Free Stuff

Giveaways are open to A.C.T. residents and residents of the surrounding N.S.W. region. Be sure to include your name, phone number and address. Most giveaways will need to be collected from the always tidy BMA office.

No funny intros this week, just a whole load o’ free stuff. Send your answers to editor and keep watching the skies…

New Order, New DVD
You won’t find many music lovers unfamiliar with New Order – rising from the ashes of Joy Division after the tragic death singer Ian Curtis. In the face of adversity, and against all odds for a band who’d lost such a charismatic frontman, they went on to release eight seminal, era-defining albums. To achieve this status once, is an incredible feat, but to achieve it twice, which they did with the success of Joy Division and New Order, is truly remarkable. New Order: Live in Glasgow is a live DVD of the Carling Academy, Glasgow concert in October 2006. Filmed over two nights it features tracks and footage highlighting the band’s extraordinary career, as well as including a number of Joy Division songs. Also included is a bonus disc featuring never-seen-before footage from the band’s personal archive and live performances from throughout the ‘80s, show casing the band’s early Glastonbury performance through to their self-assured big tour concerts of later years. This DVD brings all these elements together for the first time, into one comprehensive package, and we are lucky enough to have five to giveaway.  To win one, tell us the origin of the name New Order.
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The Magic Number
The third series of the hit TV show Numb3rs is set to hit DVD on July 10, and thanks to Paramount Home Entertainment, you have the chance win one of five copies of season three. For those of you that aren’t up to speed on Numb3rs, it’s about FBI Agent Don Epps (Rob Morrow) and his mathematical genius brother Charlie (David Krumholtz). Charlie helps Don solve crimes for the FBI using technical mathematical techniques that no normal person can understand. The brothers often clash, mainly because Don’s instincts are different to what Charlie’s maths is saying, though Charlie is normally right. The show equally focuses on the relationships between Don, Charlie and their father Alan (Judd Hirsch), and the brothers ability to fight crime, most of which happens in the City of Angels, Los Angeles. For your chance to win Numb3rs series three on DVD, answer the following question - who plays the part of Agent Don Epps?

1. David Krumholtz
2. Rob Morrow
3. Judd Hirsch

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Unshaven
The Beards’ rather bristly musical mandate is simple; music about people with beards, for people with beards. With songs like No Beard, No Good and If Your Dad Doesn’t Have a Beard, You’ve Got Two Mums, you’ll find yourself joining the Beard Revolution! So adamant are the South Australian quartet that they’re even applying a “beard concession” to their forthcoming Greenroom show on Friday July 11 (“full beard only, no goatee or moustache discount”). To celebrate all things hairy, we have a prize pack comprising a double pass to their show and a copy of their latest album. To win, tell us about a hairy situation you found yourself in. The Beards will be joined by the O’Hooligans and Handsome Young Strangers. $8/$5 beard concession.
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Stars in their Eyes
Despite sounding like a star wars-esque video game, Star Assassin are actually a Melbourne based prog rock band that encompass all their emotion and energy into live shows.  This four piece have been playing together since they were wee lads of 15, and eight years on, Star Assassin have earned huge international appeal (possibly something to do with their infectious rock tunes and an incredibly attractive bassist) as well as forming a solid fan base here in aus.  The first single off Star Assassin’s forthcoming debut album is called ‘Hey Kid’, a catchy pop/rock tune sure to get your attention.  We’ve got 5 copies of their debut CD single to give away, thanks to Vemma Records.  To pick up a copy, tell us the most interesting way anyone has ever said “hey” to you.
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Following The Herd
Politically motivated Sydney band The Herd are coming to Canberra for one night only. After recently releasing their fourth album Summerland, which debuted at position seven on the ARIA charts, The Herd have launched their Summerland Tour; which kicks off on July 17 in Bunbury, before winding up in Adelaide on the 6th of September. The Herd’s enviable live reputation gets wilder, with an unpredictable eight-person dynamic and a backdrop of visuals decorating the stage. Accompanying them on the entire Summerland tour is the Last Kinection, a creative force of dope modern hip-hop and proud Aboriginal Culture. The Herd and Last Kinection will be in Canberra on Friday August 8 at the ANU Bar. This is your chance to win tickets to the show, simply by answering the question - What was the Herd song Scallops about?

1. Ordering food at a take-away
2. Potatoes
3. Fish
4. John Howard

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Cirque Du Soleil @ Grand Chapiteau (opposite National Library) Wednesday July 23

The Circus is in Town
Cirque Du Soleil have been astonishing, awing and sometimes frightening the world since forming in Quebec, Canada in 1984.  Their shows are generally sold-out affairs and always leave a lasting impression on the viewers.  After last year’s Varekai,  this year we’ll be treated to Dralion, a “fusion of ancient Chinese circus tradition and the avant-garde approach of Cirque du Soleil”. It all happens at the Grand Chapiteau (opposite the National Library) on the July 23. Bookings on 1300 130 300.

Even, The Spazzys and Tracy Redhead @ Tranist Bar Sunday July 13

…Doin’ it for Themselves
This month the dynamic girls of Oz rock will be getting out their guitars and ripping some riffs for us. On the July 13, Even, Aus power-pop royalty, will be joined by the femme-punkers The Spazzys, and the unique indie smoothness of Sydney girl Tracy Redhead, to perform at the Transit Bar. Even’s self-titled fifth album was recently been released internationally, while The Spazzys are touting LP number two Dumb is Forever and Tracy’s got her Walking Home A Different Way long-player, so there will be plenty of new music and old favourites. Entry is free.

Mathew Kenneally @ The Venue Wednesday July 16

Gaggin’ for it
Mathew Kenneally is one of Australia’s brightest young comedians. His career kicked off in Melbourne in 2006 when he appeared in Comedy Zone at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. At the 2007 Melbourne Fringe Festival, Mat performed his solo show Mathew Kenneally for Parliament? winning the award for Most Outstanding Comedy at the Fringe. In November he toured the show in Canberra, performing for an extended season of eight sold out shows. His comedy is satirical, topical and dark, all delivered with a smile. He focuses on the big issues concerning society, such as politics, terrorism and getting drunk and walking into inanimate objects. He’ll be at The Venue on July 16 at 8:30pm. Tix $10, bookings on 6296 3060.

Cut off Your Hands @ Transit bar Saturday July 26

Daft Hands
Kiwi band Cut off Your Hands are heading out on their Expectations Tour later this month, performing tracks from there highly-anticipated debut album You and I. They have recently had a lot of success in Australia and in the land of our Eastern neighbours, following their self-titled  Blue on Blue EPs. During 2008, Cut off Your Hands have been supported the Black Kids and Edwyn Collins, in between recording You and I in London with ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler. Cut off Your Hands will be playing at the Transit bar on Saturday July 26. Free entry.

TAO DRUMMERS

WHAT WADAIKO TROUPE
WHERE CANBERRA THEATRE
WHEN TUE JULY 22

Tao: this single Chinese character stands for “road” or “way”, perhaps a sign for the amount of touring demand and worldwide success and popularity for this wadaiko - traditional Japanese drumming, but you knew that - troupe. Founded in 1993, the 18 member group has been delivering performances worldwide since 2004. Boasting a different themed show each year, Tao embarked on extensive tours to Europe and the USA in 2005 and first found Australia in 2006. Now they’re back, with a 24 date tour everywhere (not just Melbourne and Sydney!) all over the country. These performers combine wadaiko drums with elaborate storylines, special effects and choreography to create an experience the likes of which haven’t been seen in Canberra since… well, since they were last here. Tao are incredibly unique drumming troupe who have managed to turn this traditional entertainment into a modern, innovative performance that has awed people everywhere, making them certainly one of the leading groups in the field.  Check them out at Canberra Theatre on the 22nd of July.

Melanie Horsnell @ Holy Grail in Kingston Thursday July 3

The Continuing Adventures of Melanie Horsnell
Charged by a recent tour of the US and Europe, Melanie Horsnell has returned home and will be bringing her delightful and insightful songs to a town near you. She certainly made an impression overseas: Europe adores her debut album The Adventures Of, which is a staple on French radio, while in the US she was invited to perform at the 2007 CMJ Music Marathon in New York. Performances are set to include new songs from Melanie’s upcoming second album release Complicated Sweetheart, as well as favourites from her heart-warming debut record. Joining Melanie on the Mary Mary tour will be the soulful guitarist George Rigatos, Cuthbert and the Nightwalkers’s Brendan Walsh on bass, and The Saints’ Iain Sheddon on drums. She’ll be at the Holy Grail in Kingston on Thursday July 3.

BUSHIDO & SLEEP PARADE

WHAT: MELB PROG-ROCK HEAVYWEIGHTS
WHERE: THE GREENROOM
WHEN: THU JULY 10

It’s been a pleasing year for local prog-rock enthusiasts, with some of the genre’s biggest names - including The Butterfly Effect, Dead Letter Circus and Cog – sweeping through town. And it’s a trend that only looks set to continue, with two of Melbourne’s premier genre exponents, Bushido and Sleep Parade, teaming up for an arse-quaking double bill. Sleep Parade have just dusted off three weeks on Cog’s Sharing Space tour, and before that, a national support for UK prog legends Porcupine Tree. Their debut LP Things Can Always Change wowed fans and critics alike, Beat Magazine stating “Sleep Parade have evolved into a heavyweight contender on the Australian prog-rock scene. A Flawless, world-class album.” Bushido too are primed, coming off east coast tours with Karnivool , Many Machines on Nine and Dead Letter Circus and pre-production for their debut album. Beat gives ‘em the thumbs up too, declaring them “one of our nation’s greatest live acts.” Presented by
ozprog.com, and rounded out by local purveyors of low-end riffage Escape Syndrome, this is a show not to be missed. Doors 8pm, $10 entry.

Rocket Science @ The Greenroom Saturday August 30

It’s Not Rocket Sci… Oh Wait, Yes it Is!
Eardrums are probably still ringing from Rocket Science’s early evening set at last year’s Stonefest, which saw the sun retreat from the sky in the face of such a blistering display of raw rock ‘n’ roll fury. So invest in earplugs now, people, as the quartet are bursting out of the garage with a fourth slab of tunes, pressed to disc and collected under the banner Different Like You for your listening pleasure. Recorded by the band themselves, the LP defiantly quashes any speculation that Rocket Science may have called it a day. It’s easily some of their best work, straddling genres and imbued with a sense of conviction that only true rock ‘n’ rollers can pass off. The band will be playing selections from the album, along with old favourites, on Saturday August 30 at The Greenroom, with special guests to be announced. Do join them.

Birds Love Fighting launch online zine

Birds, You Really Got Me Going
Ladies and gentlemen, children, and bored retirees, behold the new Birds Love Fighting online zine. Just when you thought we didn’t have enough hours in the day, we’ve proved you wrong by staying up all night long with a pot of tea, a good book and some scrappy CSS and have built for you a little internest (get it? Inter-nest?! HAHA). So now you don’t need to have Myspace or Facebook to know what’s going on! Amazing! See it at www.birdslovefighting.com ! The Front Gallery for the next month is a pocket of shows not to be missed. Laura Jean and Grand Salvo will be reclining on those Front couches playing some gorgeous tunes on Saturday July 5. Following this some awesome hip-hop and trip-hop with Subketch and Jonny Telafone laying it down on Tuesday July 8. Did someone say Gangbusters?! No? Oh well, here’s what’s on… Popolice genius is tagging along on tour with Little Pictures (NZ) so come along for some sweet ass pop and roll on Thursday July 3. The following Gangbusters sees something a bit wild with Tomas Ford in cahoots with Dead Kitten Parade flipping the switches on tape delays and reverb on Thursday July 19. This, of course, is all at Bar 32. Until next time, check out www.birdslovefighting.com for more info on shows.

PAUL GREENE

WHAT: MARRIED TO THE ROAD
WHERE: THE POT BELLY
WHEN: THU JUL 3

Phrases such as ‘road warrior’ get tossed in the direction of anyone who plays a couple of shows within a month, but Paul Greene is a troubadour who’s truly earned such a title. Not content with his already rigorous touring schedule, the man’s added even more dates to the diary, stopping by our fair Pot Belly on July 3. Greene’s latest LP Distance Over Time, which recently hit number one on the iTunes Blues & Roots Chart, displays his increasingly sharp songwriting nous, justifying the many critics who regard him as one of Australian music’s best-kept secrets. It also features his reinterpretations of The Waterboys’ classic The Whole Of The Moon (a “great version,” stated The Waterboys’ Mike Scott, before praising Greene for his amazing vocals), and Jeff Buckley’s Last Goodbye. Cutting a staunchly independent path, Greene’s sold nigh on 30,000 albums locally; played countless festivals, bar rooms and concert halls across Australia; won the approval of John Butler, The Waifs, Ani DiFranco and Ben Harper, who penned Diamonds On The Inside about him; and joined up with Midnight Oil’s Rob Hirst for the Hirst and Greene project. Now’s your chance to catch a genuine talent in an intimate setting, so don’t miss it!

Free Stuff

Giveaways are open to A.C.T. residents and residents of the surrounding N.S.W. region. Be sure to include your name, phone number and address. Most giveaways will need to be collected from the always tidy BMA office.

In the words of Muscles: “Wooo! Yeah! Wooo! Yeah!” Free stuff: we’ve got it, you want it, we’re gonna give it to you. Send you answers to the editor and we’ll see what we can do.

Great Southern Land
Australia: The Lucky Country, a sunburnt land, and now the name of the new Gyroscope tour and single. That’s right, the Gyros’ are hitting the highways and byways of our great nation and will be performing on Tuesday September 2 at the ANU Bar. If that’s not enough to pry you away from your heater, what would you say if I threw in a little bit of Shihad? That got your attention, didn’t it?  And finally, to really sweeten the deal, how about some local WA upstarts Sugar Army? C’mon people! We have two double-passes up for grabs to go and see this smorgasbord of rockin’ goodness. To win one, tell us what Australia means to you. For the rest of you, tickets are on sale now through Ticketek.
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Iiiii Waaaannnaaa beeeee, Anaaarchyyy!
Six vocalists, five infectiously-catchy songs, three producers, one act: Koshowko! Indie label Las Machinas has just unveiled the first showing from Australian electro-pop outfit Koshowko in the from of the Anarchy Monarchy EP. This tidy little six-tracker takes you on a journey from the extremely catchy It’s Time Now to the cheeky discorock anthem (Hu)mannequin to the retro electro-infused The Story to the dub influenced Whispers, which is infused by chilled out sax. The EP draws to a close with a hawt remix of The Story by Nicole Skeltys, she formally of electronic groups B(if)tek (who formed in good ol’ Canberra) and Artificial. Koshowko is the musical brainchild of Polish born Martin K, a philosopher turned music producer and a man with eclectic musical tastes, his EP case in point. To win a copy, tell us what you thin Koshoko means. The EP is also available via iTunes or www.myspace.com/koshowko .
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The Devil At Your Heels
Simultaneously warm, yet tragic, The Devil at Your Heels chronicles a period in the life of stuntman Ken Carter, with specific attention given to his controversial non-attempt to jump a rocket powered car over the St Lawrence River (a distance of one mile) in 1981. With serious publicity and financial backing placing heavy pressure on Carter, he plans and abandons the jump several times (much to the disdain of his financiers) before he is tricked into leaving town, allowing another driver, Kenny Powers, to take the jump in his place. The spectacular failure of the stunt and the consequential backlash is captured here in stark detail. Thanks to Shock, we have five copies of the DVD to win. For your chance to get involved, tell us the stupidest stunt you’ve pulled.
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Get Reel
The Madman Reelanime roadshow, showcasing Japan’s freshest and brightest anime, will roll into Dendy during July 3 to 16, and an exciting menagerie of animated delights await. Four films will front the fest; Appleseed Ex Machina, produced by master of the bullet ballet John Woo and based on the popular sci-fi Manga, Vexille, about a USA-driven special force unit bursting through Japan’s ultra magnetic shield in an attempt to investigate their robotic technology, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, a film that does exactly what it says on the tin, and brought to you by the same team behind Princess Mononoke and The Grave of the Fireflies, and finally, and perhaps most excitingly of all Batman: Gotham Knight, brought to you by six of Japan’s most revered directors and featuring villainous turns from lesser known nemesi Scarecrow, Killer Croc and Deadshot. To celebrate the roadshow’s arrival, Madman have given us a pack comprising Appleseed (original film), Laputa: Castle In The Sky and Death Note Vol. 1. To be in the running, tell us about an animated discussion you’ve had recently.
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Southern Parklife
2D cut ‘n’ paste animation enthusiasts and puerile schoolboy humorists alike will rejoice in the knowledge that the three-episode epic South Park: Imaginationland is coming to DVD this month. In this never-before-seen, completely uncensored director’s cut, the doors of the world’s imagination are thrown wide open and the boys of South Park are transported to a magical realm in their greatest odyssey ever. After terrorists launch an attack that unleashes all of mankind’s most evil characters imaginable, the government prepares to nuke Imaginationland to put an end to the chaos. Racing against time to prevent nuclear annihilation, the citizens of Imaginationland realise their only hope of salvation lies in the mind of the unlikeliest hero: Butters. To grab a copy, tell us about a heroic feat you carried out.
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Greene-ing Australia
Perennial touring man Paul Greene’s got a new LP out. Titled Distance Over Time, it showcases the man’s phenomenal songwriting skills and also proves him a deft hand at musical reinterperatation – covering The Waterboys’ classic The Whole Of The Moon and Jeff Buckley’s Last Goodbye. He’ll be at the Pot Belly in Belconnen on Thursday July 3 - more info on that on page 10 - and to wet the proverbial whistle, we’ve a couple of his LPs to give away. To win one, just tell us what tune you’d cover.
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The Black Sorrows @ Viking’s Club on Thursday June 26

Man of Constant Sorrow
Much-loved Australian rockers The Black Sorrows, led by the inimitable Joe Camilleri (former Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons frontman), are hitting the road after wrapping up the recording of their first DVD, Four Days In Sing Sing. The band booked Melbourne’s Sing Sing Studios, invited a few friends ‘round and blasted through a bunch of tunes, both old and new, that they love playing at gigs - all with minimal retakes and no overdubs. The release continues the Sorrow’s newfound momentum, following 2006’s Roarin Town LP which, with its intoxicating mix of joyous, uplifting music and heartbreaking songs about love gone wrong, recalls the Sorrows’ best work. They stop by the Viking’s Club on Thursday June 26, before making their way to the fabled Rooty Hill RSL and then onwards around the country. Head to www.theblacksorrows.com.au for more info. “No other Australian musician has had a career quite like Joe Camilleri. He’s like one of those fighters who, when you feel they are down for the count, suddenly jump to their feet and come back punching as though they have just stepped into the ring.” Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney.

MOH VAN WAH, ZERO DEGREES, BLACKLIST, LOUD SO CLEAR, DJs STUNAMI & CRANKEE

WHAT: INFECTION: ROCK VS DJS
WHERE: THE BASEMENT
WHEN: SAT JUNE 27

The history books are littered with tales of epic struggles. David vs Goliath, art vs commerce, Oasis vs Blur, bros vs hos… And so another epic battle will play itself out at The Basement this Friday, when a motley assortment of local bands and DJs will step up and duke it out - proverbially, of course - for musical supremacy. Old hands Moh Van Wah, who’ve hit the local gigging circuit again with a vengeance, will lend their psychedelic rock swirlings to proceedings. Likewise, Zero Degrees and Falling, will also emerge from the gloom of the rehearsal room to give the faithful a taste of their forthcoming CD. Big things are afoot, so we hear. Blacklist, who’ve generated an impressive local following after only a handful of shows, will be plying their classic hard rock sound on the night, while Loud so Clear round out the bill. On the DJ front, Stunami and Crankee will be manning the wheels of steel, giving as good as they get. Be at Infection to witness witness the sonic bloodbath that’s sure to ensue. From 8pm, $10 entry.

The Great Escape Festival @ Newington Armory, Sydney October 4 and 5

The Sweet Escape
The Great Escape festival returns over the NSW Labour Day Long Weekend on October 4 and 5. The line-up boasts a mouth-watering mix of local and international talent, including former Pixie Black Francis (USA), the Bright-Eyed Conor Oberst with his Mystic Valley Band (USA), Canadian indie supergroup The New Pornographers (Canada), those scamps Supergrass (UK), full-throttle rockers The Mess Hall, and shoegazing sisters theredsunband. Also on the bill is Yeasayer (USA), The Panics, British India, We are Scientists (USA), C.W. Stoneking, Ladytron (UK), Blue King Brown, Paul Kelly, The Galvatrons, Joan as Policewoman (USA), Lior, Pikelet, Yves Klein Blue, Jackson Jackson, Little Red, John Steel Singers, The Seabellies, The E.L.F., Firekites, Laura Jean, Cassette Kids, Wons Phreely, The Scientists of Modern Music, The Holidays, Whitley, Spod, Plug in City, with more to be announced. The setting is again the Newington Armory, Sydney. Built in 1897 and a former World War II naval armament, its 52 hectares of riverside, undulating hills, woodlands and ye olde buildings will ably accommodate the hoardes of punters and musicians flocking to the fest. Tickets go on sale Wednesday July 9 through Ticketek, Moshtix, www.fasterlouder.com.au and www.thegreatescape.net.au . Early bird tickets are a steal at $180 plus BF, including camping.

Darker Half, Anno Domini, Taliesin + Templestowe @ The Greenroom Saturday June 28

Do the Evilution
In super-fast heavy news, two of Sydney’s current crop of quality heavy metal acts are taking their metal to The Greenroom this Saturday June 28. Power-metallers Darker Half and death metal youngsters Anno Domini will be joined by ACT locals Taliesin and Templestowe for a quality night of melodic and brutal heavy metal! It all kicks off at 8pm, for a slim $10 entry. Loudly and proudly presented by Metal Evilution.

Canberra Writers Festival - Between the lines

A Writers Festival. It might conjure up images of jaded academics in tweed coats waving around coffee-stained manuscripts of their latest sci-fi novels, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Between the zine fairs, workshops, seminars, poetry slams and talks by best-selling authors including thriller writer Michael Robotham and speculative fiction author Garth Nix, THE CANBERRA WRITERS FESTIVAL really does, at the risk making it sound like some flaccid Baz Luhrmann compilation CD, offer something for everybody.

Picking up where the biennial Word Festival left off in 2003, the Canberra Writers Festival, organised by The ACT Writers Centre, has grown from a small, self-funded one day event at the National Library into the multi-day extravaganza it is today. “The bookings for this is year’s fest indicate that we may finally have hit the jackpot,” Anne-Maree Britton, director of the Writers Centre, says delightedly.

A welcome addition to this year’s festival will be the zine fair on June 21 - which will also include cartoons, graphics, badges, posters and related stuff - where over 20 self-publishing locals will be able to tout their wares. In this age of mobile phone video blogging and the like, it’s heartening to hear that there are still kids who are prepared to break out the foolscap, scissors and Clag and create something tangible from scratch. “I was blown away by the number of creators there were here and in Sydney,” she enthuses, “and the way they saw themselves as a community - swapping and also on-selling each others’ work. Just as the screen book technology cannot replace the comfort of curling up with a book in bed, I think there will always be a place for hand-made objects.

“These creators are far more than writers,” Anne-Maree continues. “I see this form of expression through self-publishing as an obvious reaction to an age in which multinationals and marketing departments control what is published and how long it stays on the shelves for.”

The Centre has had a long association with Canberra’s hip-hop community, hosting workshops and helping foster up-and-coming talent, and this year’s festival will see noted local MC Karuna (pictured above) host a workshop on June 20 from 9am. “This is a quick taste of what you can expect from our longer workshops,” Anne-Maree says. “Kids aged 12 to 18 will see how to lay down some beats, come up with some original rhymes and perform for their fellow students.

“Our most successful festival guest last year was the Canadian Baba Brinkman,” Anne-Maree notes, “who had reworked Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales into rap.” Miles Merrill, featured guest at the Turboslam, and MC Karuna are sure to elicit a similar response this year.

And of course, no local literary event would be complete without an ever-popular Turboslam. It’s basically a high-octane poetry slam, “where poets and rappers perform within a three minute time limit. It will showcase Canberra’s best slammers, as well as Sydney-based word hurler Miles Merrill.” It’ll run from 9pm on Friday June 20.

“My hopes - apart from my annual hopes for lots of people attending, the sun shining and events going smoothly - are that the professionalism of writers increases, ACT region writers are more competitive for the limited publication opportunities, and that writers also enjoy the social aspect and feel part of a supportive community.”

The Canberra Writers Festival runs from June 19 to 24 across multiple venues at Gorman House. For the program, including a full list of events, times and prices, jump onto www.actwriters.org.au or phone 6262 9191.

APRA Awards nominees announced

The Power of Song
The APRA Awards nominees have been revealed for another year, ahead the annual celebration of Australian songwriters, which will be held on Monday June 16 at the Sydney Hilton. Australia’s most prestigious peer-voted music award, the APRA Song of the Year has secured nominations for some of the nations biggest rock acts, along with one brilliant pop composer. Silverchair, Powderfinger, The John Butler Trio, Thirsty Merc and Sally Seltmann (aka New Buffalo, for her work on Fiest’s 1, 2, 3, 4) will go head-to-head for the hotly contested Song of the Year gong. Elsewhere, semi-ex-locals The Bumblebeez received a nomination for Urban Work of the Year for Dr Love. For a full list on nominees, jump on to www.apra.com.au .

Diesel:U:Music 2008 taking submissions

Diesel Power
Back in its eighth year, Diesel:U:Music 2008 is now launching a new international platform, providing greater opportunities for unsigned musicians to reach out to new audiences. Bedroom bangers can upload their tracks to www.diesel-u-music.com , and then Diesel will let fans and users tell us who is making the best music. A strong and vibrant community from around the world will; provide a real support network for musicians aimed at discovering and sustaining breaking artists; give artists with the opportunity to organise tours and gigs in some of the world’s best venues; offer information on how to establish a music career without getting overrun and more. Past winners include Mylo, We Are Scientists, Souvenir (a.k.a Tom Vek), Infadels, Duke Dumont and DJ Yoda.

Peter Farrar and Alex Masso @ The Front June 12 + 13

Travelogue
The Australia Council for the Arts, Ceres Solutions and established touring organisation Performing Lines have joined forces to announce the new music touring project Sound Travellers, a two year project to facilitate and promote the national touring of sound art/electronica, improvised jazz and contemporary classical music. This all results in a plethora of experimental and avant musicians passing through Canberra in the next few months, Sydney sax ‘n’ drums duo Peter Farrar and Alex Masso - highly regarded in both Sydney’s jazz and improvised music scenes - being the next in line. They’ll be playing at The Front Cafe and Gallery on June 12 as part of HellosQuare’s Weatherbox Series. This, the first of two nights, also sees locals Spartak performing improvisations and works from their upcoming album Tales From the Colony Room. From 8pm, $10 on the door.

theredsunband @ ANU Bar Wednesday June 25

In the Red
In late breaking news, shoegazing sisters theredsunband will be through town on Wednesday June 25 at the ANU Bar. After a mesmerising support slot for Liam Finn late last year, the gals will return to launch their second full-length The Shiralee. So if you’re partial to wistful vocals, guitars that are equal parts delicate and droning, and just generally good songwriting, head on down. Entry is only a tenner on the door.

Gangbusters @ Bar 32 with Jonny Telafone and The Cherry Marines Thursday June 19

Known Pleasures
Just like late ‘70s Manchester (yes, exactly like!), a depressing, cold, grey, bipolar Canberra inspires a motive for one hell of a night of the only Canberra house party to be held inside a city club. Bar 32 Gangbusters has promised to deliver you live, local, interstate and often distinctive bands that try to open your blurring vision into a world of tight pants and many plaid shirts. Join with us for the coming Gangbusters, on Thursday June 19, with a pre-Newcastle tour show for Jonny Telafone and The Cherry Marines. Then we’ll be swinging back to some great New Zealand pop with Little Pictures and that ex-zealander Popolice on Thursday July 3. Ya got a five dollar bill but your hands up! myspace.com/birdslovefighting .

The Dirty Secrets @ Transit Bar Thursday June 12 FREE ENTRY

Dishin’ the Dirt
Snappy Perth four-piece The Dirty Secrets are ducking through town for a cheeky Thursday night stand at the Transit Bar on June 12. With word that Five Feet of Snow, the opening track from their debut self-titled album has been added to nights on NOVA Sydney this week, it doesn’t look like these indie-rockers will be playing such intimate shows for much longer. Fresh off their Come Together appearance last weekend, come and see what all the fuss is about. Free entry, as always.

Gyroscope @ ANU Bar Tuesday September 2 and @ Station Resort, Jindabyne Wednesday September 3

Homelands
Once again, Canberra is ahead of the pack. Memories of the mighty Gyroscope and Shihad double-header at the ANU earlier this year still linger in the minds of many a punter, and they can get set to relive it all again this September. The rest of the country’s obviously cottoned on, and so the two bands will reunite for Gyroscope’s aptly-titled Australia Tour, promoting the single of the same name. WA upstarts Sugar Army will bring up the rear. They’ll hit the ANU Bar on Tuesday September 2. Tickets are $29 plus BF, on sale from Thursday June 26 through www.gyroscope.com.au and Ticketek or on 132 849. And if once won’t be enough, they’re also playing a crafty show on September 3 at the Station Resort, Jindabyne.

Unwritten Law @The Venue Saturday August 9

The Future is Unwritten
The ‘90s So-Cal punk influx continues, with word that Australian favourites Unwritten Law will be in town in August – the first show of the tour, no less. After releasing five records on five different major labels, the band have certainly proved their resilience, and their enduring popularity, over the past decade. And, who do y’think is supporting them? None other than So-Cal brothers in arms Sprung Monkey. Get (‘em) outta here, right? Well it’s true - believe it. Perth’s Elora Danan ‘round out the bill, which will hit The Venue on Saturday August 9 for an all ages show. Tickets are available through www.killrockstar.com.au and Moshtix outlets.

Flamingo Crash @ Transit Bar Thursday June 26

Crash ‘n’ Burn
Last seen passing through town with those wacky kids Operator Please, Melbourne’s Flamingo Crash are now returning in their own right to tout their debut LP Triangle Island. Described by Rave Magazine as a band with “one foot entrenched in the past (Wire, XTC, Talking Heads, The Ex) and another in some ethereal neverland,” the album is an intelligent take on indie rock, with electro beats, rock riffs and colourful pop grooves. Having played alongside the likes of The Go! Team, Maximo Park, Lily Allen, The Bravery, Love is All, The Presets, this time it’ll be Flamingo Crash’s turn to close the night. They’ll swing through town on Thursday June 26 for a free show at the Transit with The Jezebels, Lions at Your Door and The Vignettes.

Free Stuff

Giveaways are open to A.C.T. residents and residents of the surrounding N.S.W. region. Be sure to include your name, phone number and address. Most giveaways will need to be collected from the always tidy BMA office.

Oh yes, there’s a lot of it this issue, so not time to chatter on. Send your answers through to the editor and await further instructions.

California Here We Come
Salty tears of joy trickled down the cheeks of many a ‘90s So-Cal punk devotee when it was announced that Strung Out and No Use for a Name would be buddying up for the Strangers in the Outback Australian tour. With both bands based in California and signed to the ubiquitous Fat Wreck Chords, and both at the forefront of the ‘90s punk resurgence, it was only a matter of time before they joined forces to give the kids out in the sticks a shake up! This July they’ll be taking in as many cities as they can squeeze into one month, stopping by the ANU Bar on Sunday July 13. Individually, both bands’ last Canberra shows were a riot, so combined, the octave-chord-fuelled onslaught is enough to make one’s head swim. We’ve words from NUFAN later in this very issue, but to further add to the excitement, we’ve nabbed a cheeky double pass from the good folk at Blue Murder. If you want it, tell as an anecdote involving either band. For the rest of you, grab yer tickets via Ticketek or 132 849.
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Switching it Up
The anticipation has been mounting for some time now, and we’re pleased to announce that on June 28, Canberra hip-hop dons D’Opus & Roshambo will finally release their much-anticipated full length album The Switch through Shogun. Since dropping their celebrated EP The Question, which rippled through the national dials of triple j and community radio nation wide, D’Opus and Roshambo have dedicated themselves to producing a sound that would break Australian hip-hop convention. The Switch is an album that combines meticulous production and clarity of vision with a narration on the darker reality of Australian life, through a melodic mix of jazz, funk, old school hip-hip and drum ‘n’ bass rhythms. The boys are launching the album on July 5 at the ANU Bar, alongside Axe Aklins, Carts2Deadly and loads more, followed by the official afterparty at Transit from midnight. We’ve got a double pass to the launch to dish out to one dedicated local hip-hop head and, to get you in the right frame of mind, a shiny new copy of The Switch too. To nab ‘em, just tell us exactly what ‘roshambo’ means? Be creative, now.
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My War
Nominated for five Golden Globes, Charlie Wilson’s War unites Hollywood heavyweights Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour-Hoffman in a powerful drama/comedy that has been described by Rolling Stone as “Rude, crude and hilarious…” Set just before the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, and based on true events, the film tells the tale of the big-drinking, skirt-chasing Texan Congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks). A professional schmoozer enjoying the good life that his title carries, Wilson has an unexpected attack of conscience when long-time contributor Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts) educates him on the worsening situation in Afghanistan. Wilson helps secure a little more funding for the effort, and so begins a covert war designed at dinner parties and fought on a desert front in The Middle East. Directed by Mike Nicholls (The Birdcage) and scripted by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, A Few Good Men), Charlie Wilson’s War is fast-paced, incredibly funny and thoroughly entertaining - “The year’s funniest smart movie,” as Time Magazine put it. It’s just been pressed to Digital Versatile Disc, and we’ve got five gleaming platters to give away. To nab one, tell us what you did on the weekend.
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WWE Wrestlemania XXIV
The sweat-soaked muscle-bulging pop culture spectacle that is Wrestlemania returns for its staggering 24th instalment, and for the first in its history, it’s calling Orlando, Florida home. This year the main event sees pro boxer and Super Lightweight Champion Floyd Mayweather battle the man-mountain of the Big Show. Will it top Donald Trump shaving WWE boss Vince McMahon’s head last year? Thanks to those incorrigible Shock folk, we have fives copies to giveaway so you can find out. To win, tell us who the greatest wrestler of all time is and why?
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Vision of Division
With the aura that now surrounds them, it’s easy to forget that Joy Division were, and indeed still remain, an incredible band. Almost single-handedly laying down the blueprint for any band since who’s had the words ‘post’ and ‘punk’ used as descriptors, the Manchester four-piece created an intense and singular sound, reflecting the bleak, post-industrial squalor of their hometown in the late ‘70s. Following the band from their formation after the famous Sex Pistols show at the Lesser Free Trade Hall to their tragic conclusion, Grant Gee’s celebrated Joy Division documentary, simply titled Joy Division, has been hailed as the definitive documentary of this most important of bands. Pieced together from archival footage - including never-before-seen performance footage, personal photos and newly discovered audiotapes - and featuring unprecedented participation by all surviving band members, Joy Division examines the band’s story through a series of insightful interviews. It chronicles a time of great social and political change in England and relates the untold story of four men who transcended economic and cultural barriers to produce an enduring musical legacy. The DVD release also features over an hour of additional clips, interviews and outtakes from the documentary. Thanks to Madman, we’ve got five copies to give away. To win one, tell us Joy Division’s original name, and who suggested it.
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What to do…
A Prisoner’s Dilemma is the latest brainchild of Canberra’s absurdist theatre masters Bohemian Productions. They’ve based the performance around the idea of The Prisoner’s Dilemma, a central concept of game theory. It all sounds very complicated, but the troupe assures us it isn’t. “Game theory has been hugely influential in the sciences, in politics, in sociology, in economics over the last half century,” they say. “It’s unfortunate that the general public doesn’t have a greater knowledge of these concepts. We wanted to share some of that information.” Since it debuted at last year’s Multicultural Fringe Festival, the four have performed the piece in various theatres, schools, conferences and lecture halls, honing it as they went. “A Prisoner’s Dilemma uses various devices to allow the audience to control the action on stage and the course of the games, without leaving their seats - like a live-action arcade game. Our interactivity is based on electronic control devices, like adapted remote controls.” To grab a double-pass to this intriguing performance, running from June 17 to 21 at the Street Theatre, tell us about the last time you found yourself in a dilemma.
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ROSETTA

WHAT: PHILADELPHIAN EXPERIMENTAL METALLERS
WHERE: ANU BAR
WHEN: TUE JUNE 24

Philadelphian scene veterans Rosetta will make their first ever and entirely unexpected visit to Australian shores this month. The four-piece first rose to underground global fame in 2005 with the release of The Galilean Satellites, their impressive double-disc debut album. It showcased a mastery of massive, enveloping delicate and metallic sounds, a sound that journalists around the globe quickly classified as “the perfect soundtrack to space travel.” Inspired by the likes of Isis, Neurosis, Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky, as well as ambient artists and hip-hop in terms of their ever-present layer of sample manipulation, late 2007 saw the release of Wake/Lift. It marked a further full-length exploration into the musical representation of deep space, and a further refinement into their already extremely polished, yet raw and organic sonic mastery. Vocalist Mike Armine comments on his hopes for Australia: “We want the weather to be nice and the people to be friendly. That’s all. This is really just a bonafide vacation for us.” Rosetta play The ANU Bar on Tuesday June 24 with The Surrogate (Brisbane), 4Dead, and Slowburn.

7 PUNK BANDS

WHAT: PUNX IN THE VALLEY
WHERE: TUGGERANONG YOUTH CENTRE
WHEN: SUN JUNE 15

Canberra’s punk scene will experience something of a resurgence this weekend. Following Capital City Punkfest at The Basement on June 14, Punx in the Valley will serve up seven of Australia’s finest for all the ‘berra’s underage punks on Sunday June 15. Yoko Oh No, Outcome Unknown, newly formed Oi!-style punkers All in Brawl (featuring members of Johno and the Trannies and Eye-Gouge) and family punx (they’re all cousins, y’see) The Toxicmen comprise the local contingent. Making the trek from Wollongong will be Ruckus, playing hundred-mile-an-hour, old-school style punk, and The Throwaway Kids (ex. Darkest Day), trading in hardcore ska-punk that’ll blow your chops right off. Brisbane’s The Black Market, currently touting their brand of punk ska around the country, shall round out the bill. Seven bands, eight bucks, with food and drinks will be available at this real raw punk rock event. So get off your couches and come down to the valley - what else are you going to do on a Sunday, eh?

Jakob - Jakobian

“When we got together as JAKOB ,” explains Jeff Boyle, the band’s guitarist, “we started in an improvisational style, trying to remove ourselves from what was going on around our immediate scene at the time – all the bullshit four-minute rock music.” As a result, the three-piece from Napier in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, found themselves somewhat isolated. This was all back in 1998, a good few years before likeminded instrumental bands such as Mogwai or Explosions in the Sky had come to the fore.

“There wasn’t much of a scene,” Jeff remembers. “We found out about Mogwai a couple of years after we started. Morris, our bass player, went over to Roskilde in Denmark for a festival. Mogwai were playing and everyone was raving about them so he went and checked them out. He came back with their first album and I was like ‘they’re on our wavelength!’ It was really cool to know there’s other bands out there doing it.”

Forged by a mutual love of seminal New Zealand experimental rockers Bailterspace - “they’re a fucking amazing band, man,” he enthuses - childhood friends Jeff, Morris and drummer Jason have spent the last 10 years creating immense waves of noise, conjuring up mental images of Katsushika Hokusai’s woodblock print The Great Wave off Kanagawa. In that time they’ve moved away from their strictly improvisational beginnings and have “evolved into something that was a bit more settled,” cutting three LPs: 2001’s Subsets of Sets, 2003’s highly-regarded Cale: Drew and their most recent, Solace, released in 2006.

After a decade playing together, the band still call Napier home. Jeff says they’ve never been tempted to move to a more central locale. “We’re not a big rock band that’s expecting huge money and to live off music alone,” he explains. “We could have moved to another place years ago - we could do it now and probably live off it - but we’ve got families now. We’re pretty settled here; we go to Australia whenever we feel like it, we’ve been most of the way around the world and we’re about to take off on a big European tour with Isis, so I can’t see how that’s hindered us. It’s a worldwide community now, the internet has completely broken down that whole thing.”

Given their epic, expansive sound, I wonder if Jakob have ever felt limited as a three-piece, and whether they’ve ever toyed with the idea of recruiting additional members? “Definitely,” says Jeff . “It can kind of get frustrating sometimes, especially when you’re listening to other things and you start getting grander ideas than the sum of your parts, I suppose. Just before we recorded Solace, I went through a bit of a phase of going ‘we’ve gotta add someone else to progress,’ but we decided that it wasn’t going to happen, so the challenge was put down to actually jump forward with just the three instruments. I think we did it and that really gave me a whole new motivation,” he says proudly.

“In the end I fell in love with Solace. I kind of hated it as first ‘cause I was in that mode still, begrudging that it was just the three instruments, but what we were doing was pretty awesome,” he rightly states.
For now, Jakob again are preparing to pulverize unsuspecting Cog fans as the national support for their Sharing Space tour. “It was a bit like that when we did that last tour with them. You could definitely see a few people going ‘what the fuck is going on here?’ but the vast majority seemed to at least get it, if not dig it.”

Jakob play with Cog and Kora at the University of Canberra on Thursday May 29. Tickets are available through Ticketek.

VHS or Beta - Straight to Video

It’s all go backstage at the Ottobar in Baltimore, Maryland, where, for one night at least, the space has become the nerve centre for indie rockers VHS OR BETA . While the support act, Brooklyn’s Tigercity, slog it out onstage, the band has three interviews on the go simultaneously. “They’re all coming at us,” exclaims amiable drummer Mark Guidry, “but we’ve got some time before we go on, so happy to chat!”

Late last year, the Louisville, Kentucky quartet released their third LP Bring on the Comets and, with their homeland touring commitments now completed, they’ll be in the country in early June for this year’s Come Together festival. As one of only two internationals on the bill, talk inevitably turned to the Australian music scene, and Mark’s favourite Oz export. “The one that stands out that I’ve been in love with…” he pauses slightly sheepishly, “well okay, Men at Work I was big fan of a long time ago, but Cut Copy is definitely the one of today that stands out the most. We’re all really big fans of Cut Copy, we just got a hold of their new record two days ago. They’re great.

“We’re definitely past the bonding experience,” Mark laughs when reflecting on their forthcoming tour itinerary. “We’ve been playing together for ten-plus years. Granted, we still get on each other’s nerves occasionally, but we know how to deal with it. The only time we get into problems is when our situations aren’t ideal, and that’s usually because a club is not up to spec, but if the show’s good, people are there and the drive was somewhat short, we’re in good spirits for the most part.”

Mark recalls a show, just a few days prior, where the venue wasn’t ‘up to spec’, resulting in the band playing an impromptu acoustic set. “We still wanted to perform, so Craig suggested ‘why don’t we just do an acoustic set?’ He and Mike played and it turned out really, really cool, it was extremely exclusive as we’ve never done that before. So we made lemonade out of lemons.”

While the bands’ tunes are generally swathed in dense washs of synth and guitar, Mark puts the smooth transition to the stripped-back acoustic format down to the fact that “the songs on Bring on the Comets are all real ‘song-based.’ If you strip all the electric guitar and synths away, you can still sing along to it, and Craig wrote ‘em like that. When I see it from that view - ‘cause I didn’t play the drums behind them, I got out front and listened to them in the audience - it kind of blows my mind.”

All this follows, given that …Comets marks a return to a more live instrument-based, rock centric sound and, to some degree at least, harks back to the band’s noisey formative years when their sonic escapades were imbued by the likes of Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine. “I would say so,” agrees Mark. “I don’t think it was necessarily done on purpose. Those records are in our hearts and they always will be, so it just came naturally. When we wrote this record it was more like ‘let’s just write what comes first and what sounds best to us.’ I switched from playing strictly electronic drums, got a drum kit and played like I used to play. It is kind of like going back to where we were… like, this is where we should be, this what we have always loved and that’s just what we are. I think we’ve finally realised what our sound is, honestly.”

So Bring on the Comets is the definitive VHS or Beta record, thus far at least? “I feel it’s closer than ever,” Mark beams.

VHS or Beta play at the Come Together festival, Saturday June 7 and Sunday June 8 at The Big Top in Luna Park, Sydney. Tickets from Ticketek and Moshtix, check www.cometogether.com.au for further details.

Alice Cottee

BMA BAND PROFILE
Group members:
Often it’s just me solo (vocals, guitar). Sometimes I am lucky to be accompanied by my very talented friends, like these guys who feature on my EP: Luke Bartolomei (koto), Elyane DeFontenay (violin), Chris Pound (double & electric bass), Matty Sykes (drums), Grahame Thompson (cello)

Describe your sound:
Melodic and lyrically raw. It is literary - I tell stories, sometimes dark, always emotional. You could call it a mix of folk rock/roots.

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise?
Jazz, classical and world music - I sing along with Ella Fitzgerald, and listen to Jacqueline Du Pré (cello). Radiohead and Tool - there’s a string tribute album called Third Eye Open which I sing along to. Joni Mitchell, Jeff Buckley, PJ Harvey, Johnny Cash - a great storyteller. But mostly it’s relationships, love, life; my songwriting is cathartic.

What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing?
I was singing with friends in the Queanbeyan Park (you just know what’s coming); a lady at a nearby wedding came over and said very kindly that there was a man tossing off behind us in the rose bushes. I saw everything. Eeeeeeeew. We were questioned by police while drunk and underage. They caught the guy in the end - apparently a repeat offender.

What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far?
I guess it’s writing and recording my first EP Goodbye Winter …been wanting to do it for years.

What are your plans for the future?
Well I’m embarking on my first tour in a week, up the east coast. I’m playing solo and singing with the Andi and George Band… it’s gonna be sweet! I’m looking forward to travelling with those guys, they’ve become an important part of my life; they’re inspiring musicians who I love.

What makes you laugh?
Pretty much everything, except bad things - they’re awful. You can’t stop me once I get going, it’s how I maintain my abs of steel.

What pisses you off?
Greedy pretentious wankers, those who only think of themselves.

What’s your opinion of the local scene?
It’s rockin’ right now!! I’ve been playing in Canberra for 10 years, it was going off back in the day but there was a definite lull when quite a few live music venues shut down (e.g. The Gypsy Bar, Finnigans/Rockape). Now we have places like The Front Gallery and Café who support and nurture us poor alcoholic musicians.

What are your upcoming gigs?
The Goodbye Winter EP launch - 7:30pm, Thursday May 29 at The Front Café (Lyneham Shops), I’m supporting The Andi and George Band’s Sun and Moon double album launch. Then there’s the east coast tour in June/July - check my MySpace profile for dates (details below).

Contact info:
alice [dot] cottee [at] gmail [dot] com / www.myspace.com/alicecottee

Cog @ Uni of Canberra Thursday May 29

Two’s Right After One
A hearty congrats to hard-rockin’ Sydney three-piece Cog - in town at UC Refectory on Thursday May 29 – who recently debuted at number two on the ARIA charts. Sharing Space, the bands’ sophomore LP, has been receiving praise from all quarters since its release, so it’s nice to see that reflected in sales. The placement is a bit of a coup for the band’s label, Difrnt Music, too. Good sturf!

The Getaway Plan @ The Venue (Erindale) Thursday July 10

Guess Who’s Back, Back Again
Honestly, they might as well just buy a house here with the frequency they come through. That’s right, ever-popular rockers The Getaway Plan will be in town once again for what must be their fifth Canberra show in about half a year. Such commitment to the ‘berra doesn’t go unnoticed though, and we for one salute the lads. Joining them on their Where The City Meets The Sea jaunt will be New Zealand’s Goodnight Nurse and Melbournians Closure in Moscow. Almost every show on their last tour sold out, so you’d do well to get in early on this one. They’ll play licensed/all ages show at The Venue in Erindale on Thursday July 10. Tickets on sale from www.moshtix.com.au and all Moshtix Outlets.

Bit Bent youth community group @ Belconnen and Woden Youth Centres

Ooh, Ah, Just a Little Bit…
Bit Bent is a gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning youth community group held at U-Turn Youth Services (Belconnen Youth Centre) and Woden Youth Centres for ages 12 to 25. Volunteers contribute their time to facilitate the group every Monday at Uturn (6pm to 8pm) and Thursday at the Woden Youth Centre (5pm to 6.30pm). Providing a safe, comfortable, no pressure atmosphere, Bit Bent is the perfect place to express yourself in a positive, friendly and safe environment whilst sharing your experiences, hanging out and making new friends.

Bill Bailey @ Canberra Royal Theatre Saturday September 13

Bills, Bills, Bills…
Believe it. The man who uttered the immortal lines “Right now I’m eating scrambled eggs, with a comb, from a shoe!” is gracing our Royal Theatre later this year. Beloved Brit comedian Bill Bailey will be bringing his critically acclaimed Tinselworm show to Australia this September, stopping by Canberra-town on Saturday September 13. Best known in Australia as hapless bookstore attendant Manny in Black Books, the Billster is a man of many talents. As well as his television work, he has trodden the boards in straight acting roles, appeared in films including Saving Grace and Hot Fuzz, performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra and has branched out into radio and television presenting. Comedian, musician, actor and presenter, Bailey is the entire package. With its fusion of music and comedy, Tinselworm continues in the tradition of Bailey’s previous shows Bewilderness and Part Troll, and his drawn more gushing praise, The Scotsman summarising: “Bailey is an all-round entertainer whose appeal transcends age, gender or coolness quotient. He is, quite simply, brilliant.” Tickets through Ticketek.

Whitley @ ANU Bar Tuesday June 10

Feelin’ a Whole Lot Better
With anticipation reaching fever pitch, many a Canberra music enthusiast’s hopes were dashed when the word came through that Melbourne lad Whitley had taken ill and so would not be able to keep his May 13 ANU Bar engagement. Sunlight returned to the hearts of all, though, when it was revealed that, once he’d had a bit of a lie-down, the honey-voiced songsmith would be in town on Tuesday June 10, again at the ANU Bar and again with Seagull in support. Tickets for the May 13 show will be valid for the 10th, while those of you a bit slow on the uptake last time can grab tickets from the ANU Union, Landspeed and oztix.com.au . With his debut The Submarine pricking the ears of discerning listeners around the country, many of his shows have already sold out, so don’t hang about.

2008 OutInCanberra People’s Choice Awards voting open

Ya Gotta Choose!
The voting for the 2008 OutInCanberra People’s Choice Awards, in association with the AHA Awards for Excellence, is now open. You can cast your vote for your favourite Canberra dining venue and favourite bar/nightclub at www.outincanberra.com.au between now and Friday June 13. Every voter has the chance to win dinner and drinks at the winning venues, which will be announced on Monday June 16 at the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) Awards for Excellence at the Royal Theatre.

Official Resin Dogs After Party @ Transit Bar Friday June 5

Doggone It!
Picture a raging gig. You’ve just crawled from the front of a heaving crowd, dripping in sweat, and the last bars of the encore are still ringing in your ears… One question remains - “What now?” Well, when Resin Dogs play the ANU on Friday June 5, the Transit Bar has you covered. The official Resin Dogs after party will feature the two stalwarts of the Dogs, 2 Dogs, spinning their brand of funk, soul and hip-hop for your listening pleasure, providing an opportunity to party until you can party no more. Bring your Resin Dogs/2Dogs paraphernalia for coveted autographs and random scribblings to be put in the proverbial pool room. Transit Bar, good times.

King Curly @ The Folkus Room, The Serbian Cultural Centre and Club in Mawson Friday May 30

Feels Good to be the King
After being personally invited to support K. D. Lang on the opening night of her recent Australian tour, singular folk ensemble King Curly are heading out on the back of their latest album, The Fall and Rise of King Curly 1998-2008. After winning over many a local punter at the National Folk Festival last Easter, it’ll likely be a scrabble for tickets, so turn up early whydon’tcha. The group play The Folkus Room at The Serbian Cultural Centre and Club in Mawson on Friday May 30. For more info, dive onto www.kingcurly.com .

Sin City @ The Basement Friday May 30

The Deadly Sins
A friendly reminder that unhinged Melbourne rockers Sin City will be in town this Friday May 30. With tales of cymbals through skulls and a trails of smashed guitars in their wake, SC’s gigs are everything that’s good about this ol’ thang we call rock ‘n’ roll. Local purveyors of the hard stuff System Addict will be on hand, too, so it’s all set to be a big ‘un. Head to The Basement at 8pm if you know what’s good for you…

Pete Murray @ ANU Bar Wednesday August 20

Summer’s Here, Kids
With his Summer At Eureka LP all over the stores like a rash, Pete Murray has announced his return to town on Wednesday August 20 at the ANU Bar. Recorded by the man himself near his Byron Bay home, the album has a real homespun warmth to it. It’s also been announced that The Audreys will support the Petester on his national Eureka Tour, performing in a unique acoustic trio mode, using a combination of upright bass, banjo, harmonica, melodica, ukulele, electric and acoustic guitars. Also joining the tour will be exciting newcomer Gin Wigmore. Tickets from Ticketek.

NAB Songwriting Competition entries now open

Sing Song Sung
Local songsmiths take note: entries for the NAB Songwriting Competition are now open! Aspiring songwriters of all ages and skill levels are encouraged to submit their original songs, with the chance to have their song professionally produced and performed at a major live music event to conclude NAB’s 150 year commemorations in late 2008. The only requirement is that all of the entries need to broadly incorporate the theme “ideas, dreams and aspirations”. With the active support of leading songwriting organisations such as APRA and Mushroom Music, the NAB Songwriting Competition aims to engage with up-and-coming artists of all levels. For more information about the competition and details on how to enter, head to www.nab.com.au/songwriting .

SHORTER + SWEETER

WHAT THEATRE IN 10 MINUTE BURSTS
WHERE THE PLAYHOUSE
WHEN JUNE 3 TO 7

All you hyperactive theatre-goers take note: in keeping with the fast-paced rough ‘n’ tumble, hustle ‘n’ bustle, rattle ‘n’ hum of the modern world, you can now get your theatre fix fast. Shorter + Sweeter is a tasting box of some of the best new 10 minute plays from the highly successful Short + Sweet festivals, which runs annually in Sydney, Melbourne and Singapore. In fact, this Australian invention is the biggest short theatre festival on the planet. The night includes works by some of Australia’s best young, emerging and established writers, including Steven Hopley, Alex Broun, Mark Cleary and Christopher Johnson. The plays have been selected from more than 1,200 Australian and international entries and will each will be produced by a local creative team of Australian directors and actors. Every 10 minute play is self-contained and performed by a troupe of six versatile actors including Nicole Da Silva and Tom O’Sullivan. All in all, it’s a jam-packed evening of theatre that deals with life, love, loss and laughter. Shorter + Sweeter runs between June 3 and June 7 at The Playhouse. Tickets through Canberra Ticketing on 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au .

THE RIPE COLLECTIVE

WHAT DEBUT EXHIBITION
WHERE THE FRONT, LYNEHAM
WHEN THU JUNE 5, 6.30PM

The Ripe Collective’s first exhibition showcases their innovative and exciting creative approach to a sustainable arts practice, with the aim of engaging with the wider community through a commercial environment. The pragmatic approach taken by founding artists, Ant and Marcus, has focused on commercial outcomes and sustainability in art and design. The Ripe Collective’s unique approach places itself at the boundaries of the digital and the analogue. It merges design with both illustration and fine art techniques, achieving a new creative genre: Commercial Fine Art Design. Ant and Marcus describe their work as an attempt to achieve the ‘next level’: “Working as a collective allows ideas to develop in ways that would not be possible individually. The collective environment allows its members to complement each others’ strengths and weaknesses, merging ideas to achieve the best artistic outcomes”. To whet your proverbial whistle, mosey on over to www.theripecollective.com .

CANBERRA’S SOCIAL SET

WHAT HAHA BAR OPENING
WHERE 102 EMU BANK, BELCONNEN
WHEN FRI JUNE 6 ONWARDS

The Queen’s birthday long weekend marks the grand opening of the Haha bar, a tasteful addition to Belconnen’s bar and restaurant scene. Polished timber floors outline a cosy mezzanine lounge area, lit by soft pendant lights and furnished with slick ottomans. The minimalist lines of the dining area are elegantly offset by the fresh illustrations from Canberra based design studio Inklab. Meanwhile, wide picture windows overlooking Lake Ginninderra lead out to a deck where you can watch the sun slip away. It’s low-key without being divey, and hip without making you want to shoot yourself. During the day it provides a welcome sanctuary from the office, with a lunch menu that ranges from eye fillet with a shiraz jus, to versatile staples of pasta and risotto. Of an evening, Haha Bar’s casual sophistication is perfect for the corporate after-work crowd, but guest DJs and friendly servers will keep the vibe unbuttoned. Couples, small groups, working suits and bohemian creative types can lounge comfortably side by side. Patrons can make a meal of nibbling on the tapas dishes while imbibing the sweet mix of wine, beer, or a chocolate martini.

GRANT GEE’S JOY DIVISION DOCO

WHAT ARC SCREENING
WHERE NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE
WHEN SAT JUNE 7

Praised by critics and fans alike, and featuring unprecedented participation by all surviving members of the group, Grant Gee’s Joy Division documentary, simply titled Joy Division, is essential viewing for anyone with even a passing interest in the Manchester’s post-punk lords. On Saturday June 7, Arc Cinema, at the National Film and Sound Archive in Acton, will host the Canberra premiere of the film. Joy Division charts the rise and subsequent tragedy of this seminal band through a series of insightful interviews, never-before-seen performance footage, personal photos and newly discovered audiotapes. Sydney’s Time Out wasn’t backward in coming forward, declaring it “a damn near definitive documentary about the band whose time seems to have finally arrived in the wake of years of cultish fandom.” The picture chronicles a time of great social and political change in England and relates the untold story of four men who transcended economic and cultural barriers to produce an enduring musical legacy. The screening begins at 7.30pm, check out www.nfsa.afc.gov.au for more details.

Free Stuff

Giveaways are open to A.C.T. residents and residents of the surrounding N.S.W. region. Be sure to include your name, phone number and address. Most giveaways will need to be collected from the always tidy BMA office.

Oi, what’re you lookin’ at pal? You want some of this, eh? You want some, you slag? You do? Well in that case, simply send in your answer - or indeed answers to the editor , if you’re feeling greedy and we’ll see if we can accommodate you. Sorry about the misunderstanding earlier, I’ve just come from the gym…

Both Sides Now
Jekyll, the gripping new six-parter from the BBC, presents a contemporary take on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. With a script penned Steve Moffatt (Doctor Who, Coupling), the series’ twists and turns will keep you guessing until its chilling conclusion. Dr Tom Jackman (James Nesbitt; of Murphy’s Law, Bloody Sunday, Cold Feet) is trying to conceal a dark secret. The trouble is, at night when he is ready for sleep, he receives an unwanted visitor - his alter ego, the charming, playful and wilfully violent Mr Hyde. Determined to protect his family from Hyde, he searches for answers to his condition. But living a double-life is a tricky business, and Jackman struggles to remain focused on preventing Hyde from taking over. BMA’s own Luke McGrath took time out of his busy schedule to offer his endorsement, simply stating “Spellbinding.” Nick Delatovic, local troubadour, was similarly approving, saying the series “united the two halves of my personality in overwhelming approval!” To bear witness to this epic struggle, out now on DVD, tell us about your alter-ego.
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Howdy’r Like Them Apples?
Following the recent spate of ‘album concerts’, where an artist performs one of their full-lengths in its entirety, Paul Kelly - who’d long toyed with the same idea - has decided to get in on the action. But in typical Kelly style, the man has eschewed obvious candidates such as Gossip or Under The Sun and gone straight for his recent magnum opus, Stolen Apples. A risky proposition, to be sure, but one that has paid off. “[Stolen Apples] had a definite structure,” said Kelly of his choice, “and it seemed to be the right length.” The confidence in Stolen Apples was shown to be well placed, as the tour ran for 36 packed dates stretching across the continent, from the Kimberleys to Far North Queensland. When it was decided that a show should be captured for posterity, Toowoomba’s stately Empire Theatre was chosen. The result is the DVD Live Apples where, backed by his band the Boon Companions, featuring both the great Ashley Naylor - possibly the finest man to ever strum six thin lengths of wire strung across a length of wood - and the debonair Dan Kelly, Kelly presents the Stolen Apples LP in full, before wandering through the back-catalogue, pausing briefly to pay tribute to The Triffids via a duet with Sally Seltmann - aka New Buffalo - on Raining Pleasure. In all, the collection, err, collects 27 tracks. To get your filthy mitts on a copy, with thanks to the lovely EMI guys ‘n’ gals, tell us about when you stole something.
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Long Division
Hot on the heels of Anton Corbijn’s acclaimed Control and re-issues of Unknown Pleasures, Closer and Still, Grant Gee’s celebrated Joy Division documentary, simply titled Joy Division, will make its Canberra debut on Saturday June 7. Forever ahead of the game, The National Film and Sound Archive’s Arc Cinema program will present this powerful film which charts the rise and subsequent tragedy of this most extraordinary band. Featuring unprecedented participation by all surviving band members, Joy Division examines the band’s story through a series of insightful interviews, never-before-seen performance footage, personal photos and newly discovered audiotapes. Joy Division chronicles a time of great social and political change in England and relates the untold story of four men who transcended economic and cultural barriers to produce an enduring musical legacy. Sydney’s Time Out declared the film “a damn near definitive documentary about the band whose time seems to have finally arrived in the wake of years of cultish fandom.” Joy Division (M), screens at 7.30pm on Saturday June 7 at Arc Cinema, National Film and Sound Archive on McCoy Circuit, Acton. To win a double pass, name the notoriously unstable producer who presided over nearly all the band’s major releases. Check out www.nfsa.afc.gov.au/arc for more details.
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Teh Funneez
It’s an established fact that laughter is the best medicine, and yet I was still struck from the Medical Register after treating a patient with typhoid using a cassette of classic Benny Hill’s sketches. I ask you… But as the season of sniffily noses and sore throats bears down upon Canberra, so too does the 2008 Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow. A consortium of top line comedians from the fest will be on hand with enough zingers to keep the germs at bay. From the Big Prawn to the Big Merino and the Big Banana, the Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow has toured all the wonders of Australia and drawn one conclusion: big is definitely better. So expect a bigger line-up, bigger names and bigger laughs. The show hits the Canberra Theatre from 8pm on Friday June 13 and Saturday June 14, and tickets are charging out the Canberra Ticketing doorways with alarming speed. To grab a pair - ooh err, matron - for free, tell us what cracks you up.
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Hell City Glamours @ ANU Bar Friday May 30

Straight to Hell City
Perennial BMA favourites the Hell City Glamours (above) are back in town, dispensing their own brand of rock ‘n’ roll justice in a flurry of big hair, skintight jeans and Cuban heels. This visit, however, won’t see them at their usual haunt the Transit. Rather, they’ll be kicking out the jams, and anything else in the vicinity for that matter, at the ANU Bar on May 30 in support of former Skid Row mouthpiece Sebastian Bach – a man who’s leathery chest is now permanently emblazoned on my mind after two months of dealing with his latest set of promo pics. The Glamours are currently putting the finishing touches to their long-awaited debut LP which is due out July 5 through MGM. Stay tuned to www.hellcityglamours.com for news on the LP, and the accompanying launch tour, as it comes to hand.

New Grafton Primary video

It’s All Relative
Seemingly omnipresent Sydney party-starters Grafton Primary are stopping by for another skirmish on Canberra’s dance floors, this time striking the ANU Bar with the recently really-really-bloody-popular popsters Faker. Indeed, the Sydney electronica trio’s reworking of Faker’s This Heart Attack was, just quietly, a bit of smash, permeating the triple j airwaves like that bottle of spoiled orange juice did the BMA office just yesterday. The band recently released an electrifying video clip for their current single Relativity, directed by Daniel Jameison (Illegally Parked Vehicle). Apparently it took a good three months to perfect the animation for the vid, so keep yer peepers peeled for that lil’ nugget. Keep on top of it all at www.myspace.com/graftonprimary .

Joel Ozborn @ The Venue, Erindale Wednesday May 21

Laugh Shack, Baby. Laugh Shack
The latest instalment of Comedy ACT’s The Laugh Shack brings Joel Ozborn to town on Wednesday May 21 from 8.30pm at The Venue, Erindale. Fresh off a stint at this year’s Melbourne Comedy Festival, where his show Stand Out had the punters laughing heartily, Joel returns to Canberra for one night only. The man has busked in Sydney, toured through America supporting The Amazing Jonathan and regularly toured with Arj Barker and Akmal Saleh. Joining him are the local louts from Comedy ACT, including Jay Sullivan (Raw Comedy finalist ‘08), Tom Gibson (Green Faces winner ‘07), Nick Smith (Raw Comedy Canberra winner ‘08) with Geoff Setty (Raw Comedy Canberra winner) MCing the night. Yep, between them, the rag-tag Comedy ACT troupe have certainly seen their fair share of comedy comp spoils, and with their monthly shindigs at The Venue attracting some of the nation’s finest comedians, the lads remain dedicated to providing the Capital with a unique alternative.

Free Stuff

Giveaways are open to A.C.T. residents and residents of the surrounding N.S.W. region. Be sure to include your name, phone number and address. Most giveaways will need to be collected from the always tidy BMA office.

Free stuff. It’s stuff, and it’s free. If you want free stuff for free, send your answers through to the editor and… Ah, stuff it.

Gizusakiss, Love…
Ahead of their immanent departure Stateside, Kisschasy have released Too B or Not Too B, a b-sides and rarities collection comprising their first two out-of-print EPs, the United Paper People b-sides and three never before released tracks from the Hymns for the Nonbeliever sessions. On top of all of this, there’s a DVD featuring all of the band’s clips to date. It’s a veritable treasure trove of ‘chasy treats, I’m sure you will agree. So, to get you in the right mind frame for their May 27 show at the ANU Bar with The Donnas and The Getaway Plan, EMI have very kindly slung us a bunch of copies to hand out. To win one, send us another bad pun.
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Proceed with Caution
Lust, Caution, is the latest film from Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has just been released on DVD through Universal. It’s a startling erotic espionage thriller set in Shanghai during Japan’s WWII occupation of China, telling the tale of a Japanese government collaborator who begins an affair with his wife’s friend, Wang. It’s picked up a swag of awards, including multiple gongs at the Venice Film Festival, Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes and seven awards at the Golden Horse Film Awards. Our very own Mark Russell awarded it four stars upon release, noting “Once again, Lee works in that strange area that’s a little too slow for mainstream Hong Kong, and a little too out there for mainstream Hollywood.” He concluded thus: “Overall this is a very captivating and intense film.” To grab a copy and judge for yourself, tell us a cautionary tale.
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Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta
Inspired by a true story, American Gangster, starring Russel Crowe and Denzel Washington, highlights the complex relationship that exists between those who live above the law and those who live to uphold it. Set in the drug war of the 1970’s, Frank Lucas (Washington) embraces aggressive tactics to establish himself as the number one importer of heroin in the Harlem district of Manhattan, while Richie Roberts (Crowe) is the ‘good cop’ who leads the search to unearth the kingpin of the drug world. Directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, Hannibal), the film features an all-star support cast including Best Supporting Actress Oscar Nominee Ruby Dee, Cuba Gooding Jnr and of course Wu-Tang main man the RZA, the Razor. This epic crime thriller is out now on DVD through Universal as either a single disc or extensive two-disc collectors edition. To win a copy, tell us which character the RZA played.
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Phoned In
Dancefloor felons need never be with choons again, as the latest video remixes from the world’s top international DJs are now just a click away with the launch of 3 mobile’s new Ministry of Sound Mobile TV. Featuring clubland’s hottest artists, the 90 minute made-for-mobile show also contains clips, interviews and music news. MOS TV and music is part of a huge range of entertainment content available via Planet 3 or online at 3’s Music Store www.music.three.com.au - home to thousands of tunes, vids, free music samples, artist interviews, promotions and tones galore. And what better way to view MOS mobile TV than with the Nokia 6288, boasting a big 2” screen designed for 3’s mobile TV. It also has a 2 megapixel 8 x zoom camera, face-to-face video calling function plus access to Planet 3. To get yer mits on this awesome Nokia 6288 phone, courtesy of the good folks at 3 Mobile, just tell us the first track you’d grab from the online store.
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A SLEW OF GUESTS FROM THE CANBERRA INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL

WHAT FINALE CONCERT
WHERE STREET THEATRE
WHEN SUN MAY 18

The Canberra International Music Festival has decided to introduce Canberra to the joys of music marathons with their finale concert - at The Street Theatre this Sunday May 18 - stretching for a mammoth seven hours. The concert will be a mish-mash of guests from the entire festival program with string quartets alternated with multimedia and electronica. The idea is to expose us young ‘uns to traditional forms and introduce the old guard to more experimental types of music. It’s admirable and it might just work. However, most appealing for the music nuts and/or celebrity hounds will be the chance to pigeon-hole the musicians as they wander around the Street Theatre foyer in between sets, which guests are encouraged to do. My pick of the program will be the 1:30 to 3:30pm session, where you can catch Czech avant-garde violinist, singer and composer, Iva Bittova, and Rob Schwimmer, the world’s best Theremin player. The music marathon will be held in three two-hour sessions with half-hour breaks in between, starting at 11am and winding up around 6pm. For more info hit www.cimf.org.au .

KISSCHASY - Kissability

And so, in the immortal words of silver-mained songsmith Neil Diamond, “On the boats and on the planes, they’re coming to America. Got a dream to take them there, they’re coming to America.” Sure, the song may have originally told the optimistic story of the wave of immigrants seeking a new life in the US in the early 1900s, but the sentiment still holds for Balnarring, Victoria rock combo KISSCHASY . Y’see, after one final reel ‘round Australia, the band will depart on a lengthy American junket, spreading the good word to our Southern brothers and sisters.

But, unsatisfied with hearing all this from a press release, I decided to go straight to the source, break out the tin cans and string, and communicate directly with the band’s bassist Joel Vanderuit. When we spoke a few weeks back, the massive storms lashing Victoria had tempered and Joel was left with a not insubstantial cleaning job. “It’s been real, real knarly weather down here today,” he says. “We’ve got some trees over in the back yard and stuff’s just a mess at the moment.” Nevertheless, being the stoic professional that he is, Joel drags himself away from domestic duties and brings this writer up to speed on everything Kisschasy related.
We start with the biggest news first, that being the temporary relocation to America. “We’ll be on tour the whole time we’re there,” he explains, “just tyring to tour for as long as we possibly can and get a bit of a groundswell. We come in midway through their summer and just basically stay there while we still can tour and have enough money to keep going.”

Joel is typically pragmatic when considering his hopes as to what the US tour will achieve: “Basically to be able to sustain living and touring in the US and further than that; Europe and so on. So, to be able to continue the longevity of the band, to be able to keep touring, growing and progressing. We’re not looking for world domination, we’re not looking to be the biggest band in the world, we just want to have a good time and live well.”

This leads us to the band’s Skin and Bones Australian tour, which will not only serve as a farewell to their homeland but will also see the four revisiting some of their early material. “We’ll probably be overseas for the rest of the year,” Joel explains, “so we wanted to do a pretty big tour to kind of say ‘yep, we’ll be back but we’re gonna be gone for a little while.’ We’re trying to split the set up into quite old, almost at the start of our career songs, and then some from Hymns… as well, and everything in between.”

While some bands all but disown their early material, Joel says he’s happy with how Kisschasy’s early tunes have stood up a few years down the track. “As songs I think they’re great,” he says steadfastly. “It definitely takes a bit of work to remember how to play them to the standard of the ones we’ve been playing for the last two or three years. Darren forgot all the lyrics and we’re all missing tiny little parts.” Joel says that revisiting and relearning the old songs evoked fond memories of the early days of the band. “We all had to go back and listen to all the old stuff… so you get a little nostalgic and remember the first time you went on tour - and a couple of songs are about that old. It’s fun!

“You’ve gotta be proud of everything you’ve done,” he later adds. “From our first EP to [Hymns…], I’m not ashamed or embarrassed of any of it.”

Continuing the retrospective theme of the tour, the band have just released Too B or not Too B, a collection comprising their first two, now out-of-print LPs, the b-sides from their United Paper People singles and three outtakes from the Hymns… sessions, plus a DVD of all their clips to date. “It should be good,” Joel enthuses. “Old Kisschasy fans that already have the EPs can get it and still get a few songs that they would have never heard before, songs that we recorded for the album but didn’t quite fit in so we just ditched ‘em. We’ve never played them live, so it should be good for people to hear something different.”

Joel does admit that there was initially some uncertainty about the prospect of releasing a compilation only two LPs deep into their career. “There was definitely talk about that. We toyed with the idea of another DVD but we thought we didn’t really have enough footage for that. We toyed with the idea of another EP and trying to write a few songs for it but we didn’t really have time for that. It’s not like releasing a greatest hits record… we’re advertising it as a b-sides and rarities album. So it was debated as to whether or not it was premature. It’s not going to sell a million copies of anything, it’s just something to keep the juices flowing for the people back here for a little while. Hopefully releasing that album will keep our names in people’s heads and soon we can come back, start a new album and start the next chapter.”

But before the beginning of that fabled next chapter, we allow ourselves a few moments to reflect on the Hymns for the Nonbeliever LP, easily one of the finest pop records to see release last year. From the outset, Joel says the band were determined to make the album that became Hymns… a complete body of work, rather than merely a grab bag of songs the band had kicking about at the time. “It was pretty much the only thing we had in mind,” he reiterates. “That’s why when we say ‘b-sides’ for this other thing we’re releasing, they’re not b-sides in that they weren’t good enough for an album… They’re great songs on their own, but they just weren’t in keeping with the theme of the other tracks off Hymns for the Nonbeliever.”

Lyrically, Hymns… clearly displays the bands musical maturation over the past couple of years, with a far more cynical and jaded outlook than the happy-go-lucky do-doing and whoa-ohing of yesteryear. “There’re some negative comments towards pop culture, the scene in general - the music scene,” Joel agrees. “It even gets so far as Darren getting pretty into his animal rights and stuff like that. He writes all the lyrics, so he threw everything by us – he would never put anything out there that we didn’t totally agree with. It is scathing, but everything’s still pretty light-hearted at the root of it,” he explains.

The album’s also gone a long way to dispelling the common perception of Kisschasy as a ‘kids band.’ “For ages everyone just thought we were a kids band, and we kind of did too,” admits Joel. “Then we started seeing show numbers changing, we were selling much better with our overage crowd than we were with our underage crowd. We were wondering ‘what the hell’s going on here?’ I guess because the songs have still got a little bit sugar to them, they’re still kinda poppy, everyone always goes ‘oh yeah, kids band,’ but I’ve seen some of the drunkest people in my life at our shows – it’s ridiculous,” he laughs.

On a more serious note, Joel adds “If you don’t write to [a specific audience], to a specific genre that you’re supposed to be in, if you just write - and Darren writes pop songs - then it’s going appeal to…” he pauses.

“We’ve obviously got electric guitars with distortion, but if you just write pop songs then everyone has at least a chance to like it.” So, to horribly dismember the lyrics of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, “Take a chance, take a chance on Kisschasy.”

Kisschasy play at the ANU Bar on Tuesday May 27 with The Donnas (US) and The Getaway Plan. Tickets are on sale from Ticketek on 132 849.

WONS PHREELY, PHDJ (PURPLE SNEAKERS) & MANY MORE

WHAT LONDON CIRCUIT, A NEW INDIE NIGHT
WHERE PJ O’REILLY’S, CIVIC
WHEN THU MAY 15

Cooler than Carnaby St. More Beats than the Beatles. Bigger than Big Ben. Yes, on May 15, that sleepy ol’ stretch of road we call London Circuit is set for a shake up. Concieved in a bar late one night to the sounds of Bloc Party, the ‘berra’s brand spanking new club night London Circuit promises an eve of indie beats, disco treats and old school tunes. Commanding the decks will be PhDJ, the man behind both the Boundary Sounds label and Sydney’s massive indie club night Purple Sneakers. Samson, Terrorvision and Sydney’s John Oh will also be on hand with the tuneage. On the live front, heading the charge will be Sydney folk-pop troubadour Wons Phreely, with highly-touted locals The Magic Hands and The Trivs bringing up the rear. LS aims to be accessible to all, providing a comfortable environment to enjoy great music. There’s only one rule - NO FLUORO! Pre-sale tickets - available through london [dot] circuit [at] gmail [dot] com - are all but sold out, so get in early on the night and grab one on the door for $10 from 9pm. Head to www.myspace.com/londoncircuit for more info.The 15th of May will see London Circuit kick off it’s first night at PJ O’Reilly’s.

Machete

BMA Band Profile

Where did your band name come from?
A big fucking knife.

Group members:
Brendan - vocals (also a member of Futility, ex. Deviant Plan), Garth - guitar (ex. Soulcrusher, Gangrel, Kill City), Sam - bass (ex. Requiem), Darren - drums (ex. Soulcrusher, Reignblade, Nemesis, Midnight).

Describe your sound:
Flat out metal with thrash influences. We strive to keep it fast and heavy without playing music for just the sake of being fast and heavy. No one wins a prize for finishing the song first, except for Darren at gigs (bastard).

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise?
Fear Factory, Sepultura, Lamb of God, Slayer, porn and beer.

What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing?
We were playing with friends of ours System Addict and the PA guy (who it turns out wasn’t a PA guy) left the smoke machine on for ten minutes. We couldn’t see each other, let alone the crowd. It tastes like shit too.

What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far?
Getting paid to play and not spending it all on beer.

What are your plans for the future?
Recording a CD before we spend all our earnings on beer. We also have Kim from Sindablok joining us and he will be playing gigs with us soon.

What makes you laugh?
The suffering of others

What pisses you off?
Country music, people who play country music and people who like country music. Country music sucks balls.

What’s your opinion of the local scene?
It’s slowly picking, mainly because we’re back out there.

What are your upcoming gigs?
May 24 at The Basement with Herratik, System Addict and Tortured.

Contact Info:
Garth Powell – 0434204727 or garth [dot] powell [at] hotmail [dot] com
Myspace – www.myspace.com/machetemetal

Dead Farmers with Voss, The Cherry Marines and The Fighting League @ Bar 32 Thursday 22 May

Birds Have Risen
Woah! How about Plastic Palace Alice at Bar 32?! If you weren’t there, well, we aren’t about to delude you to the fact it’s the only thing worth complaining about missing, because on Thursday 22 May is a smashing night of rock ‘n’ roll that you can’t miss! Dead Farmers (Syd) are going to create mayhem with always impressive locals Voss, The Cherry Marines and The Fighting League, all for the marvelous price of $5. These boys love Canberra and good-hearted, shredding rock, with balls. And then a weird third ball that you should probably get checked. Stay tuned for the next brief edition of Birds Love Fighting news with word on Snowman, Dad They Broke Me, Tomas Ford, Spartak and ii. Goodness, I’ll have much more to discuss! Until then, visit myspace.com/birdslovefighting for more info on shows and Gangbusters.

Rosie Burgess @ Hippo Thursday May 22

Cracklin’ Rosie
Rosie Burgess, Melbourne-based singer/songwriter, has carved out a unique sound, infusing blues, roots and folk music into her own special blend, and subsequently wowing audiences all across Australia. Her raw and heartfelt lyrics, combined with her skilful rootsy guitar, harmonica and mandolin playing, make for a live experience not to be missed. Rosie recently received a ‘Vic Rocks’ grant from the Victorian Government which allowed her to embark on a national tour, and so you can catch the lady herself at the Hippo Bar (17 Garema Place, Canberra City) on Thursday May 22. Doors open at 8pm, entry is a slender $7. For more info on this promising young lass, head to her website at www.rosieburgess.com .

DARDANELLES, ANGELAS DISH, BRAINDEAD LOVERS

WHAT THE JD SET
WHERE THE VENUE
WHEN SUN JUNE 8

Ever since the early 1790s when Mozart got blasted and wrote La clemenza di Tito, music and the good stuff have always gone hand-in-hand. It’s no surprise, then, that Jack Daniel’s have taken matters into their own hands and introduced The JD Set. The premise is simple: fans vote for their favourite up-and-coming bands, the winners are picked, and they tour the country together. The JD Set will be staged four times this year, seeing 12 of the country’s brightest hopes hit the road before the year’s out. The three winners of The JD Set’s first round national tour have been announced; Central Coast pop-rockers Angelas Dish, touting their recently released debut album, War On Time; St Kilda’s Braindead Lovers, fuelled by classic British glam and punk of the ’70s, and fresh from supporting the Divinyls on their reunion tour late last year; and perennial Canberra favourites, Melbourne’s psychedelic indie upstarts Dardanelles who scored a final round nomination in the 2007 Australian Music Prize (The AMP) for their brilliant debut Mirror Mirror. Catch them at The Venue on Sunday June 8, tickets through Moshtix outlets and www.moshtix.com .

The Holy Sea @ The Pot Belly on Saturday May 31

My Home is the Sea
Eight years since the release of their critically lauded debut Blessed Unrest, The Holy Sea return with one of the most distinctive and heartfelt releases of 2008. From its pining pedal-steel opening to its final whispered words, A Beginner’s Guide to the Sea is an aching journey of love and loss, set amidst the ever present Australian landscape. Staggering from the suburbs of Perth to the backstreets of Melbourne, A Beginner’s Guide… is a powerful exploration of geographic and personal dislocation exploring the time-honoured themes of love, death and alcohol. Formed in 1999 around singer songwriter Henry F. Skerritt, The Holy Sea became a mainstay of the Perth music scene. Drawing from a wellspring of Australian influences such as The Triffids, The Go-Betweens and Nick Cave, The Holy Sea attracted a devoted following for their intelligent songwriting and passionate performances. To witness the band in full flight, with The Haunted Attics and Thickshake in support, head along to The Pot Belly on Saturday May 31.

HYJAK AND TORCHA

WHAT PLAYING THE OBESE RECORDS BLOCK PARTY
WHERE ANU BAR
WHEN FRI MAY 23

Hyjak and Torcha are two of Australia’s most respected and innovative MCs. A 15-year-old Hyjak first burst onto the scene in ’98, sneaking into a Bondi pub to enter, and win, his very first MC battle. Almost a decade later we find a mature songwriter and storyteller who still retains the happy-go-lucky attitude and witty freestyles that put him on the map. Torcha also has a rich history in Australian hip-hop as an original member of Sydney’s Et-nik Tribe. He’s a realist with untamed battle lyrics and great storytelling ability, bringing well-planned concepts and conscious balance to the group. Aided by veteran Australian DJ Bonez on the decks and production, they dropped their long-awaited and highly acclaimed LP Drastik Measures in 2004. And then silence. But worry not, as they boys are back in town as part of the Obese Records Block Party and, with their sophomore LP Frozen State due out this year on Obese, they’re bound to have a few sneaky previews up the sleeve to sate punters thirsty for new material.

Hell City Glamours @ ANU Bar Friday May 30

Straight to Hell City
Perennial BMA favourites the Hell City Glamours are back in town, dispensing their own brand of rock ‘n’ roll justice in a flurry of big hair, skintight jeans and Cuban heels. This visit, however, won’t see them at their usual haunt the Transit. Rather, they’ll be kicking out the jams, and anything else in the vicinity for that matter, at the ANU Bar on May 30 in support of former Skid Row mouthpiece Sebastian Bach – a man who’s leathery chest is now permanently emblazoned on my mind after two months of dealing with his latest set of promo pics. The Glamours are currently putting the finishing touches to their long-awaited debut LP which is due out July 5 through MGM. Stay tuned to www.hellcityglamours.com for news on the LP, and the accompanying launch tour, as it comes to hand.

Grafton Primary @ ANU Bar

It’s All Relative
Seemingly omnipresent Sydney party-starters Grafton Primary are stopping by for another skirmish on Canberra’s dance floors, this time striking the ANU Bar with the recently really-really-bloody-popular popsters Faker. Indeed, the Sydney electronica trio’s reworking of Faker’s This Heart Attack was, just quietly, a bit of smash, permeating the triple j airwaves like that bottle of spoiled orange juice did the BMA office just yesterday. The band recently released an electrifying video clip for their current single Relativity, directed by Daniel Jameison (Illegally Parked Vehicle). Apparently it took a good three months to perfect the animation for the vid, so keep yer peepers peeled for that lil’ nugget. Keep on top of it all at www.myspace.com/graftonprimary .

Nick Charles @ Saturday June 21 Folkus Room

The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get
Having been a performing, touring and recording artist for over 25 years, averaging 200 shows a year, Nick Charles is off on tour once again to promote his 5th album, Closer To Home. Closer To Home features a number of guest artists, and demonstrates soundly Nick’s progression from finger-picking-acoustic to ‘bluesier’ grooves. Nick won the Blues Performer of the Year away in Victoria, which saw him off to Memphis to compete in the International Blues Challenge. But he’s staying in Australia for a few months to grace us with his new album, and he’ll be in Canberra at the Folkus Room on Saturday June 21. More information is available from www.charlesguitar.com .

Bar 32 Gangbusters with Plastic Palace Alice, The Trivs and You Hang Up; No You Hang Up Thursday 22 May @ Bar 32

Everyone do the Finch Wave
Is it me, or did winter just arrive early this morning?! Get your stylin’ mittens on because it’s going to be cold outside Bar 32 the next few months, or you could just watch some freaking hot rock n roll inside! Pay attention as Thursday 8 May we got Melbournian indie pop deities Plastic Palace Alice gracing the stage of Bar 32 Gangbusters alongside locals The Trivs and You Hang Up; No You Hang Up. Plastic Palace Alice will be promoting their great new album The Great Depression. Then, Thursday 22 May shredding Sydney rock n rollers Dead Farmers pit it in with The Fighting League, Voss and The Cherry Marines for another loud Gangbusters. These boys love Canberra so come and make them feel welcome! Now we’ve promised you another Grass Stains at I Trip I Skip, and we’re working on it, but because someone’s mobile phone is switched off I can’t give you a date until next issue of BMA, but let us just say mid-may so keep your diaries clear and your fashion in peak condition as it will be happening some time then! Word is it will involve cake … mmm. Until next time, you can check www.myspace.com/birdslovefighting for more hints on how to stay cool, or warm, this fast approaching winter.

Free Stuff

Giveaways are open to A.C.T. residents and residents of the surrounding N.S.W. region. Be sure to include your name, phone number and address. Most giveaways will need to be collected from the always tidy BMA office.

In the immortal words of Miami bass bandits Tag Team, “Whoomp! There it is.” And there, indeed, it is; another selection of slamin’ free gear for your pleasure. Send your answers through to the editor and we won’t mention 95 South…

Raw Elements
DJs don’t come any bigger than Tiësto, and the Australian leg of his Elements of Life world tour has had eager punters frothing at the mouth for months. The May 3 Sydney show is long sold out, but tickets are still available for the May 4 Hordern Pavilion show through Ticketmaster on ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100. The man - voted the world’s #1 DJ in the influential DJ Mag Top 100 poll several times over - is known for his mind-melting live shows, which makes sense considering his track record; he’s played to a global audience of millions at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Athens, and holds the record for the second largest concert ever. To whet the proverbial whistle, Central Station have unleashed the Elements Of Life Copenhagen DVD, an epic double-disc affair which captures Tiësto in full live glory and includes a plethora of extras. To win a copy, tell us who holds the record for the world’s largest concert to date . For more info on the tour, DVD and all things Tiësto, make a beeline for www.centralstation.com.au .
send it in

The Majesty of Rock
Ah, yes, the funniest program since the Bluths decided that moving house was a good idea finally comes out on DVD. Having been royally shafted by the Prime network on TV, 30 Rock tells the story of a head writer of a sketch comedy show, Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), whose new boss Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) forces Lemon to hire off-the-rails actor Tracey Jordan (Tracey Morgan).

This is hysterical stuff and well worth owning, and those most nimble-fingered among you can do just that! To grab a copy, simply tell us in which show Fey was head writer.
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Gruesome Twosome
In a double bill to rival the two fivers the comprised my pay packet last week, The Paper Scissors and Bluejuice are teaming up for the Less Talk, More Problems travelling circus. The Pap Sciss, as we like to call ‘em, have just rocked the Essential festival in Sydney and will be in fine form, while Bluejuice are still buoyed by their number 11 placing in triple j’s Hottest 100, and recent supports for The Specials and Gotye. They’ll hit the Transit Bar for a free show on Friday May 16, followed by PhDJ and Purple Sneakers DJs. We’ve got three packs, each containing a copy of both groups’ recent LPs to dish out. To get your hands on one, just tell us who you’d like to go on tour with.
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Roll up and Shine
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese brings to the world the musical film spectacular Shine A Light, a personally-levelled look at the sensation that is The Rolling Stones. And what an idea for a film… The Stones are one of this biggest rock bands of all time and they were pioneers - or rebels, depending on your birth date - who shaped the road that rock music would take in years to come. Using a team of award-winning movie-makers, the Rolling Stones have come to share a look into the life of a real rockstar. We salute the release of Shine A Light, screening at Greater Union in Manuka from May 29, and we’ve got a stack of double passes to give away. Just answer me this: how do you roll?
send it in

SUPA PRODUCTIONS AND PAPERMOON

WHAT: PINK FLOYD’S THE WALL
WHERE: ANU ARTS CENTRE
WHEN: MAY 9 TO 24

Psych-rock fans and theatre buffs alike rejoice! Supa Productions, the team who brought The Who’s Tommy and The Full Monty to the ‘berra, will be bringing Pink Floyd’s epic The Wall to the live stage - the first time it’s been staged as a full musical in our fine town. Staged with full approval from the creator Roger Waters, it recounts a shocking night of the rock ‘n’ roll madness. The story is based on the central character, Pink, who suffers from an overbearing, overprotective mother, a father who he never met, a wife who deserts him and a self-destructive lifestyle. All of these are bricks in Pink’s ‘emotional Wall’ and eventually lead to a complete mental breakdown on the opening night of a world tour. To recreate the overblown majesty of the Floyd, a 12-piece rock band has been drafted in to soundtrack the eve. The show runs from 8pm between May 9 to 24 at the ANU Arts Centre, with 2pm matinees on May 17 and 24. Bookings on www.supaproductionsinc.com or 1300 737 363 Mon to Fri, and dinner and show packages available from Teatro Vivaldi on 6257 2718.

THE SILENTS

WHAT: PERTH GARAGE ROCKERS
WHERE: TRANSIT BAR
WHEN: THU MAY 1

If there’s anyone who knows a thing or two about top-notch guitar-based music, it’s the gents in the offices of Ivy League Records. With the likes of 78 Saab, The City Lights, The Mess Hall, The Buff Medways, Youth Group and The Vines - to name but a few - on the books, their endorsement certainly carries a certain weight. So, one can only assume that The Silents’ debut LP Things to Learn is a winner. Which it is. Following 2007’s critically acclaimed 23 EP, which yielded the triple j high rotation singles Nightcrawl and 23, the LP is “the sound of time spent in music, poetry, ideas and revelations juxtaposed with the bleak reality of day-to-day living.” Trading in garage rock with strong pop foundations and a dark psychedelic edge, the Perth quartet are fresh off the Essential Festivals in Melbourne and Sydney and ready to hit the Transit Bar on May 1 alongside Melbourne hot-shots The Galvatrons, who’ve generated a ridiculous amount of hype recently. And entry is, as always, free.

Dave Bishop and the Sinners

BMA Band Profile

Where did your band name come from?
I was given my name when I was born, didn’t really have a say in that one… The Sinners are a bunch of my close mates. I think the name was sort of relative to my surname… You know, Bishop? I can save them!

Group members:
Dave Bishop - guitar/vox. I wrote all the songs on the album, ex-frontman for Night Train/ Juggernaut 101, play in duo Detour in Canberra pubs and clubs. Dave Price - current drummer of Red Tram Blue, ex-Night Train and Ice Cream Headache. Top bloke. Anthony Price - guitarist from HEAPS of old Canberra and Goulbourn bands, Nocturnal Youth, Pawn. Parris MacLeod - keyboard player from HELL, producer of my new album, owner of Cloud Studios in Wyong, winner of Producer of the Year at the Chain Blues Awards ‘07/‘08, Keyboard Player of the Year 2007 for band Bluezone. Shaun Cullerton - double bass, bass player for various Central Coast bands including The Wooden. Also co-recorded and mastered the album. Dave O’Neil - fiddle/mandolin. Played with anyone and everyone in the Australian folk scene. Toured with Eric Bogle for ten years.

Describe your sound:
In one word: Organic. A cross between country music, folk and rock. All the songs are played on acoustic instruments on the album, except for a few Hammond Organ bits. The rest of the keys were done on a baby grand piano. It’s all fairly melodic but mostly showcases lyrics.

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise?
Pretty broad, but a lot of my inspiration comes from good Aussie songwriters like Paul Kelly, Eric Bogle and John Butler. Lyrically I think they’re brilliant. Also been having songwriting duals with Chris Canham and drawn a heap of inspiration from that. He comes over and shows me his new tunes and it’ll make me want to write something just as good.

What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing?
I’ve fallen off stage, been wrapped in leads, fallen into the drums, been spat at (by band mates), passed out, ‘accidentally’ elbowed bass player in the jaw… Take your pick.

What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far?
Cliché, but obviously becoming a Dad. That wins hands down EVERY time!

What are your plans for the future?
I’m hoping to play some folk festivals around Aus to coincide with some touring to promote the album. I’ve also been writing for the next album.

What pisses you off?
Commercial TV stations. I hate it when they put on stupid reality TV shows in place of good stuff like Scrubs or Secret Life… WANKERS!!

What’s your opinion of the local scene?
A lot has been done in lately to pump it up. 104 had Homegrown and Band of the Month for a while which showcased local artists and made the non-gig goers aware of original projects. The Greenroom is a godsend and more bands are realising that you don’t have to play The Gambler and Khe Sahn for hours in a pokie-filled room just to get a gig.

What are your upcoming gigs?
May 16 at The Greenroom from 8pm. Co CD launch- Chris Canham: The Gardener & the Flower/Dave Bishop: Above the Roof, with Adam Hole

Contact info: www.myspace.com/bishodave

FREE Comics from Impact Comics

Comical Stuff
One day each year - the first Saturday in May, which this year is 3rd May - comic shops all over the world join forces with publishers to offer FREE COMICS! Our own Impact Comics will be getting in on the act, flinging their doors open 9am and offering inky salvation to the hordes of Canberra. There will be 40 different comic titles on offer that have been especially printed for the day, including Hellboy, Superman, Iron Man, Hulk, Simpsons, Transformers, Manga and many, many more. There will be titles especially for the younger readers including Tint Titans (an all ages reinterpretation of the very popular Teen Titans), Owly (popular every year, about an Owl and his worm friend) and plenty more. There will be per person limits so the key is to bring as many friends as you can and pool your free comic gathering resources. We’ve got literally thousands of comics to give away, but they may run out so getting in early is the key! For more info check out www.freecomicbookday.com .

Claire Bowditch competition

Bowditch Support Line
Following her recent success with band, The Feeding Set, Claire Bowditch is setting off on an exciting solo experiment across Australia, in the form of the Winter Secrets Tour.  This closely follows the recent accomplishments with The Feeding Set, including shows at the Blues and Falls festivals, and alongside John Butler.  The most exciting aspect of Claire’s upcoming tour is the fact that she’s giving upcoming, experienced and in-experienced artists alike to perform with her at various shows; anyone can enter – any instrument, any genre, and any background.  Basically, you need to send in your take on Claire’s new single, Your Other Hand.  For your change to perform in the Winter Secrets Tour, check out www.clairebowditch.com/competitions for competition details.  And unfortunately, Claire won’t be visiting Canberra on tour, so be prepared for your own ‘real’ tour to Sydney, or the next closest city.  Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au .

Faker, Grafton Primary and Violent Soho @ ANU Bar Wed 28 May

The New, New Violence
Brisbane four-piece Violent Soho have had a violently busy calendar over the past couple of years, releasing an EP, playing as support for The Grates, Mess Hall, The Vasco Era and Grinspoon, and performing at the 2008 Laneway and the Devils’ Kitchen Festivals. It doesn’t look like the calendar is going to be quiet anytime soon, as Violent Soho are soon to release their debut album, We Don’t Belong Here, and are even sooner to support Faker on their This Heart Attack tour this May. Faker, Grafton Primary and Violent Soho will be playing at the ANU Bar on May 28. For more details, www.myspace.com/violentsoho .

WINNEBAGO DEAL

WHAT: THUNDEROUSLY MINIMALIST UK DUO
WHERE: THE GREENROOM
WHEN: THU MAY 8

Considering they’re only two guys from near Oxford in the UK, Winnebago Deal sure make one hell of a racket! The Bens (Ben Perrier on vox/guitar and Ben Thomas on drums) will hit our shores for the first time in support of their new CD/DVD release Flight Of The Raven through Amphead. Recorded by Seattle legend Jack Endino – who’s cut records with everyone from Mudhoney to Nirvana – the LP is “inspired by the crazy shit that takes place on tour. It’s about damaging yourself playing, staying up too late, drinking all day long… Going on tour is basically a death trip.” 15 tracks of tub-thumping, amp-quaking, guitar-grappling, larynx-shredding, lynx-licking mayhem it is, too. Aside from hundreds of shows alongside ‘80s Matchbox B-Line Disaster, Therapy?, High On Fire, The Dwarves, Brant Bjork and Nebula, it’s also worth noting that the pair backed ex-Queens of the Stone Age bassman Nick Oliveri in Mondo Generator for a time. Join their death trip this May in Australia.

Splendour in the Grass Tix available from 9am May 22nd

A Many Splendored Thing
Splendour in the Grass is back this August to bring us the best of Australian and international acts alike!  More artists are yet to be announced, but here’s the line-up so far – Devo, Wolfmother, Sigur Ros, The Living End, The Presets, Tricky, Vampire Weekend, Ben Lee, Cold War Kids, The Fratellis, The Wombats, Pnau, Laura Marling, The Vines, The Grates, Operator Please, Band of Horses, Van She, The Panics, Gyroscope, Mstrkrft, Lightspeed Champion, The Brown Birds from Windy Hill, Scribe, The Music and The Gin Club.  The Festival will take place in Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, on August 2nd and 3rd, with $2 from from each ticket sold towards the Byron Bay Hospital and the Wildlife Information and Rescue Service. Carbon neutral tickets are also available.  Tickets start from $199 are available from www.qjump.com.au only, from 9am May 22nd.  For further information, visit www.splendourinthegrass.com .

Muph and Plutonic - Stay Positive

I’m no more than half a minute into my conversation with Muph when the shrill blast of brass cuts through our idle discussion about the weather in our respective states. As it turns out, MUPH AND PLUTONIC are putting the finishing touches to the first cut from their forthcoming third LP. “Our first single’s getting mastered on Monday so that goes out probably next week,” he informs me. “We only found out we were going to release that about four days ago so that’s why we’re finishing it up today.

“We’ve got two days to come up with the title of it,” he continues. “We’re laying down the live horns for it now. The song’s about my passion for hip-hop, the way I feel about it and what it’s done for me. It’s a pretty straight-up hip-hop track with a soulful edge to it.”

And the single’s parent album isn’t too far away either. All going to plan, it should hit the racks in late July. “We’ve still got to finalise a lot of the tracks but we’ve only got about four that really need a lot of work,” Muph says. “We’re pretty close to finishing, we’ve got about ten tracks down so we’re just tightening things up a bit at the moment. We’re not too far away.”

As previously reported, the record will incorporate a good deal of live instrumentation alongside Plutonic Lab’s studio wizardry. “We’re combining sampling and a lot of live stuff, and moulding them together. But it’s still a pretty sample-heavy record - it’s chopped up a lot.” Details are still hush hush, but Muph reveals that Obese label boss Pegz has lent his vocal talents to proceedings, alongside guest axe-slingers, ivory-tinklers, and possibly even a mysterious harmonica player.

“It’s relatively diverse, but I guess it’s got more of a bouncy, upbeat vibe to it,” Muph reflects. “It’s not quite as dark as the last one. It’s a lot more positive and a little less cynical, but there’re still hints of cynicism in there.”

Muph’s somewhat oblique when discussing his altered perspective on life, saying only that he’s “made a lot of changes in the past year or so within my own life, so I guess my outlook has become a bit more positive and a lot more hopeful. I left work, so now I’m concentrating on music full time and I’ve made a few decisions which have thrown me in the deep end but I’m excited about that, so I guess that shines through lyrically on the record.”

But before the new LP is unleashed upon an unsuspecting nation, the pair will leap aboard the Obese Block Party convoy, which for the first time in its five year existence will take in the ACT. A block party veteran, Muph is only too happy to paint a picture for the uninitiated. “As soon as the night starts it’s pretty much act after act,” he explains. “It’s a pretty punchy night so you’re quite entertained the whole way through. A diverse line-up of acts punch through six tracks each and often there’s a little encore where all the artists get up and do a little thing. It’s just a great night, it’s like a party really,” he summarises.

“It’s going to seem like a really obvious thing to say,” Muph says when I ask him about the best aspect of being on the Obese imprint, “but pretty much the Block Parties. They’re definitely a highlight. Getting to travel around with a bunch of hooligans, having a few drinks and so forth…” he chuckles mischievously. “That’s definitely one of the biggest bonuses of being on the label.”

Muph and Plutonic play the Obese Records Block Pary at the ANU Bar on May 23, alongside the majority of the label’s roster. Tickets from www.oztix.com.au , ANU Union, Landspeed and Writer’s Block.

Birds Love Fighting - For The Birds

The more astute Canberra punter may have noticed the BIRDS LOVE FIGHTING banner emblazoned, with increasing frequency, on many a flyer over the past year. The loose collective comprises a motley assortment of housemates, bandmates and friends, led by Warwick Smith, the binding agent that holds the whole flan together. Kind of like flour, but more rock ‘n’ roll.

The seed for the BLF was planted when a friend asked Warwick to organise a show for ambient/electronic Alps of NSW. “I put on a show for Alps with a whole bunch of local acts and it went really well,” he recalls, “therefore I got hooked on organising shows. Through Alps came a whole bunch of other smaller acts which I put on at The Front, and that’s where it began. I didn’t know what I was doing, and I still don’t,” he laughs.

From there, with the aid of modern technology, the Birds Love Fighting empire has expanded slowly but surely. According to Warwick, it was simply a case of “starting out really small and just making friends on Myspace, dare I say it, and emailing people. We emailed bands that we liked and asked them to come to Canberra and suggested they booked shows in Sydney and elsewhere along the way so that they had a financial reason to come.” Although, as Warwick proudly points out, “we haven’t had a show when someone has lost money” – an impressive feat for any DIY promoter, let alone someone operating in the notoriously unpredictable Canberra scene.

As Warwick explains, Birds Love Fighting was “built up around the fairly regular Front gigs. Then due to noise complaints and random arseholes attending The Front gigs and ruining the night for everyone, we decided to move any of those weirder, crazy loud nights to Bar 32 where we had a connection with them due to DJing at Rev.” Gangbusters has since cultivated a formidable reputation, to the point where the eager youth of Canberra, up for an evening of cheap thrills and teenage kicks, will generally turn up regardless of who’s hacking away onstage. As our man Smith aptly puts it, it’s “a guaranteed best $5 you’ll spend all fortnight.”

“Let’s be honest,” he says. “Since Toast closed there hasn’t been anywhere to put on your crazy art school-vibe party. Not saying I’m trying to replicate something that was awesome in the past, but there’s nowhere else in Civic to have loud, crazy, obnoxious bands supported by fantastic local bands - and quiet stuff as well!” He’s not wrong. Since October, Gangbusters has hosted everyone from brain-rattling Melbourne post-punk fiends Witch Hats to cute-as-two-buttons New Zealand indie pop darlings The Brunettes, as well as a slew of Canberra’s finest. And of course, there’s always Civic’s standard assortment of human detritus to liven up any night. “At one or two Gangbusters we’ve had a few guys walk in, generally shirtless, and then randomly start MCing at particular points during people’s sets,” Warwick laughs.

For BLF’s next venture Grass Stains, Warwick has, in true style, sniffed out another out-of-the-way venue – local fashion emporium I Trip I Skip, nestling in the heart of swinging Braddon. “The next one’s in May and it’s a combination of fashions on the field and good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll music. I shouldn’t use the words ‘slice of Melbourne,’ should I?” he laughs.

And with the recent reopening of the second level of Bar 32, things are only - quite literally – looking up for this rag-tag crew, and in turn any punter in Canberra seeking something a little left of centre.

For more info, head to the BLF communications hub - www.myspace.com/birdslovefighting - or their legit (but more minimalist) website at www.birdslovefighting.com .

Free Stuff

Giveaways are open to A.C.T. residents and residents of the surrounding N.S.W. region. Be sure to include your name, phone number and address. Most giveaways will need to be collected from the always tidy BMA office.

Welcome, one and all, to another bustling installment of Free Stuff, this issue brought to you by our lovely work experience gal Ella. She’s a discerning lass, so you’ll need to be on your A-game if you wanna squeeze any of this gratis gear out of us. Send your answers to the editor and we’ll see if you’re up to par.

British Nobility
He’s back. Yes, that delightfully batty man Ross Noble has arrived home to greet fans with an Australian tour, following another sold out trip ‘round the UK. The man’s been even more prominent of late, becoming a favourite of many an Australian TV show, including Thank God You’re Here, Rove Live, and Spicks and Specks. In between small screen commitments, Noble’s a staple of comedy festivals worldwide, leaving a trail of burst sides in his wake. A perennial Canberra favourite, he’s just added a third date at the Canberra Theatre on April 28 to augment his May 2 and 3 gigs. Tickets are on sale now from Canberra Ticketing on 6275 2700 or www.canberraticketing.com.au but for the super-speedy amongst you, we’ve got a few double passes just waiting to nabbed. To win, simply tell us your favorite joke. And it better be good…
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Guess Who’s Back…
Never mind the cost of tickets to the Melbourne Comedy Festival – Jeff Green brings his hilarious new stand-up show straight into your living room! From the best selling author of The A-Z of Living Together, Jeff’s new DVD, Back from the Bewilderness is exactly what you’ll need to bare living with anyone. His 70 minute stand up show gives us all a special and valid insight into the more distinguished features of girlfriends, sex, learning to play the tuba and how to beat asthmatic children at ‘blow football.’ To get your hands on a copy of Jeff’s terrifically amusing DVD, just explain your favourite method of beating children… at games, that is.
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Dig For Fire
DIG, LAZARUS, DIG!!!, means one thing: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have done it again. ‘What have they done?’ you ask. Well, they’ve made another record to keep Nick Cave “on the straight and narrow.” After a brief detour with the sludgy punk of Grinderman, Cave is once again presiding over the Bad Seeds on their first LP since their epic 2004 outing Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus. It nabbed our album of the week last issue, in which our man Justin Hook ranked it alongside the very best of Cave’s oeuvre. If you’re after a copy of this, the group’s 14th album, just tell us the last thing you dug.
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All About the Benjamins
We’ve all done something we’ve come to regret to earn a fast buck. Such is the premise of new Australia film Cactus, written and directed by Jasmine Yuen Carrucan and starring Travis McMahon (Kokoda), David Lyons (Sea Patrol), Bryan Brown (Dirty Deeds) and Shane Jacobson (Kenny in Kenny). In order to gain some much needed cash, John Kelly (McMahon) accepts a job to kidnap and deliver professional gambler Eli Jones (Lyons) to his keepers in the Australian outback - no questions asked. The kidnapping is meticulously planned, but the road John chooses takes him on a dark journey where every choice has tragic consequences. Wanna know how it all ends? Well, luckily enough, we’ve a handful of tickets to dole out. Just tell us the dodgiest thing you’ve done for a quick cash injection.
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Blacksun Studios - Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun

We’ve all been there. The band is in the folks’ garage on a Saturday afternoon, powering through an incendiary rendition of Bulls on Parade. Johnno’s mounted Macca’s Peavy Rage and, fist raised aloft in triumph, prepares to bring it home with one final, blood-curdling scream. Suddenly, you’re interrupted mid jam-ousting by crazed pounding on the roller door. It swings open to reveal Ms Miggins from down the street, brandishing a gnarled fist in your face. Through a maelstrom of saliva and dentures, she raves on about how, in her day people, listened to ‘real music,’ and what you’re playing is ‘just noise,’ and she rues the day Australia got rid of conscription - a couple of years doing real work would teach you some respect.

As she storms off down the driveway, cabbage and Gin fumes trailing in her wake, you bask in the glow of being shut down by ‘the man.’ But realistically, you know you can’t keep rockin’ the ‘burbs forever. As Pete Shelly shrewdly pointed out all those years ago, Noise Annoys – if it didn’t, what’d be the point? – and after all, you do have to live with these people. This is when the heavens open, a blinding beam of light breaks through the clouds and the Fox brothers slowly come into view, cantering in on their snow white filly, armour radiating in the noonday sun.

Since November 2006, Ralph Fox has been operating the long-running Redsun Rehearsal Studios in Fyshwick (previously Sonic Sound Studios), taking over from previous owner Gordo. Late last year however, they found demand from Canberra’s fevered rock community was simply too great, and so Lance Fox, an industrial designer and head honcho of Grind FX industrial design firm, broke out the tool box and began work on Blacksun in Belconnen. “I didn’t expect it to do quite as well as it’s done,” Lance says of Redsun’s recent success. “Redsuns’ been there for so long and has provided such a good service to the bands for such a long time. It’s a service to support the music industry in Canberra. If you didn’t have that, where the fuck would all the bands be?”

Although Blacksun has only been open a mere couple of months, it’s already mirroring its sister studios’ success. “We’re already at sufficient capacity for me to be very, very pleased with the way it’s going. I don’t need it to be bigger than what it is.”

Walking into the freshly renovated Blacksun complex, it’s immediately clear this isn’t your average rough ‘n’ ready rehearsal space. One is immediately confronted with the lounge, complete with pool table, dart board, video jukebox and Lance’s guitar-themed artworks. From there, we wander down the main corridor, its walls bedecked with an impressive collection of six and four string oddities. “I hope as it starts to grow that people will bring in old guitars and other oddities,” Lance says, “so it will start to build up a bit of character based around the bands which isn’t graffiti or old band posters hung up, because that’s not what it’s about.

It’s creative. I want people to come out here and feel inspired. It seems traditional that a rehearsal space or any kind of place that has bands will have this huge collage of band posters, and that’s a bit of a cliché. [Blacksun is] a piece of art, it’s an active, working piece of art.

“It’s a space where you can let yourself go,” he continues. “We originally thought of this concept as a PMC, a private musicians’ club. A space where you can get away from out there,” he gesticulates to the world outside. “Everyone that comes through is so careful, so respectful,” Lance chuckles, “and I say ‘guys, it’s your space, make yourself at home.’”

Lance’s singular interior design sensibilities define the look of the studios. His pièce de résistance is a rehearsal room, done up to resemble a padded cell in a psychiatric hospital, that comes complete with straight-jacket, which will no doubt come in handy keeping unruly drummers in check.

More pertinently though, each of the four rooms is fitted out with a brand new PA. “I thought it was important to invest in good quality equipment that could stand the test of time, but also supply the quality of sound that you expect – the biggest issue, of course, with any band is… can you hear the PA and can you hear the vocals? All the bands have said ‘this is fantastic,’ because they can hear themselves.” And knowing the notoriously haphazard operating hours of most musicians, Blacksun’s hours are impressively flexible: they’re available at almost all hours, throwing open the doors at very un-rock ‘n’ roll hours in the morning and powering on ‘til the midnight hour seven days a week, with the option of booking a lockout too.

Just as our chat is winding up, Lance makes one final, important point. “I like the bands, I like the people,” he enthuses. “I want the people to know that I really enjoy their company and that they’re welcome. Being able to work with, and know, these people has been the best part of the whole thing, ‘cause people come and go with big smiles on their faces and if we can help make their lives a little bit easier then I feel really good about it, I feel like we’re providing a really good service.”

Free Stuff

Giveaways are open to A.C.T. residents and residents of the surrounding N.S.W. region. Be sure to include your name, phone number and address. Most giveaways will need to be collected from the always tidy BMA office.

So there I was, 3am on Monday morning, hunched over a typewriter, feasting on expired Easter Eggs and I thought “Sod it. We already give you free stuff, so I’m damned if I’m gonna bother writing some witty opening paragraph.” True story. Send your answers to the below questions to the editor and leave me be.

Haunt You Down
Haunted Attics are the very embodiment of the old axiom: great band, even greater guys. Since dropping their Lavans title in favour of a spookier moniker, the Attics’ tunes have followed suit, moving into darker territory. Stately Brit-pop, gothic alt-country and all-out rollicking rockers; they’re all on display throughout the band’s debut EP, which they’ll be launching at a free show at the Transit Bar on Thursday April 3 with Hancock Basement, From the South and Jonny Telafone. And as they are such swell guys, they’ve passed on five shrink-wrap fresh copies of their newly minted, self-titled EP - featuring office favourite Goddess of Love - to dole out. To grab one, riddle me this – who you gonna call?
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Everything’s Gone Green
From the twisted collection of craniums that brought us Smack The Pony comes BBC’s Green Wing. The series kicks off with Dr Caroline Todd (Black Books’ Tamsin Greig) careening through her first day on the job, acquainting herself with the assortment of mad characters who work on the ward. Lauded by The Guardian, who saw fit to proclaim “Channel 4’s hospitable sitcom is the most innovative since, well, The Office,” the series has also won the approval of the masses, picking up the Audience Award at the 2005 BAFTAs and becoming a cult favourite over in ol’ Blighty. Now it’s our turn, as Hopscotch have just given the first series the all clear. To win a copy, tell us about a particularly memorable first day of a new job.
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The White Whale
Whether fighting against his branding as a teetotaling vegan Jesus freak, pissing off Eminem, or licensing his music to anyone with two sticks to rub together, there’s no escaping the antics of Moby. After the meditative electronica of 2002’s 18 and the singer-songwriter moves of 2005’s Hotel, Moby returns to the dance floor with a vengeance on his new recently released album Last Night. Spanning hands-in-the-air, Smiley-faced rave anthems, cosmic Giorgio Moroder-styled Euro-disco, hip-hop both old school and underground, and downtempo end-of-the-night ambience, Last Night is a nod to Moby’s deep roots in the club scene, and an attempt to throw off his moody shackles. To grab a copy, tell us the significance of his track Thousand.
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Clubbed to Death
I’ve heard some real junk in my time, but The Gin Club’s LP of the same name is anything but. Junk - their third LP - sees the band spreading their musical wings across two CDs and 26 tracks, including a collaboration with You Am I’s Tim Rogers. Since 2003, the Brisbane-based collective have traded in trad folk and country with a hint of rock ‘n’ roll, topped off with glorious harmonies and heart-rending lyrics. Well experienced on the live circuit, having played with Midlake, Soundtrack of Our Lives, Iron and Wine, Laura Veirs, Lambchop, The Drones, and You Am I, and at both the Big Day Out festival and the St Jerome’s earlier this year, they’ll be bringing their nine member-strong, madly chaotic live incarnation to town. Joining them at The Greenroom on Friday April 11 are brooding countrified bluesmiths Mike Noga & The Gentlemen of Fortune, featuring members of The Drones and Dallas Crane. To win a double pass, tell us how you like your gin.
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Free Stuff

Giveaways are open to A.C.T. residents and residents of the surrounding N.S.W. region. Be sure to include your name, phone number and address. Most giveaways will need to be collected from the always tidy BMA office.

Very occasionally, when I’m surveying the grounds of my expansive property in Canberra’s north, puffing on a ludicrously oversized cigar, I get this slight pang of guilt, and for a moment I feel as though I should somehow give something back to a world I’ve taken so, so much from. Generally the moment will pass, and I’ll return to abusing my valet. Then my boss will remind that I’m contractually obliged to give something back, as part of this accursed ‘Free Stuff’ section. Bah! So, answer one of the questions, send it to the editor and for God’s sake keep it brief!

V. Exciting
Look, no need for any of my high-larious prattling to spruik the wares here. The line-up sells itself. The Smashing Pumpkins. Duran Duran. Queens of the Stone Age. The Jesus and Mary Chain. AIR. The Presets. Modest Mouse. Róisín Murphy. Cut Copy. CSS. Hot Hot Heat. The Rakes. Glass Candy. Plug in City. The Tough Alliance. A bunch more, too. Yes, the V Festival is back, and once again the selectas have outdone themselves. So how could you make this any more appealing? How about a pre-fest BBQ hosted by Coopers? Yes, the Coopers Exclusive V Festival BBQ pack will see you and a chum through the gates for free, plus a Guernsey to the shindig where you can have a sausage and a beer before you head out to brave the festival madness. The all important date is Saturday March 29, and the location: Sydney’s Centennial Park. To win this grand prize, just answer this simple question – can I kick it? send it in

Slight Return
Though their name may suggest otherwise, Weddings, Parties, Anything haven’t been all that desperate for gigs in a long while. In fact, until a 2005 charity event brought them out of retirement, they hadn’t played together since the late ‘90s. Then an offer to play the 2006 Queenscliff Festival seemed too good to refuse, cameras were rolling and we’re here today with the DVD A Long Time Between Drinks. Now, with the Riveresque/Donkey Serenade line-up of the band in place, The Weddos, one of Australia’s most adored live acts, are hopping back in the saddle for a ten year reunion tour. Naturally, they won’t be wasting their time in this stinktown (they’ll be at the Gaelic Club in Sydney on April 4 and 5 though), but three quick-typing locals will be able to get a taste of what we’re missing, as we have a few copies of A Long Time Between Drinks for the taking. To grab one, tell us your favourite wedding or party story. send it in

Yoowho!
If you’re in the market for a bit of good ol’ fashioned scissor-kicking, windmilling, Rickenbacker-shattering maximum RnB, then we’ve got just the tonic! From the brains behind the excellent Dylan doco No Direction Home, Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who charts the rise of those four floppy-fringed British mods in all as they conquered the known universe, putting the fear of God into the world’s hotel owners along the way. The film boasts exclusive never-before-seen interviews with Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and others, alongside rare and recently discovered concert footage and much more. The DVD also features companion film Amazing Journey: Six Quick Ones, which takes the viewer inside the mysteries that drive a rock band to the pinnacle of musical achievement and explores the unique musical brilliance of each band member. To grab a copy, describe your most Moon-esque moment of rockstar lunacy. send it in

TEMPLESTOWE & AEONS OF HORUS

WHAT METAL AT MACCHIATO
WHERE CAFE MACCHIATO
WHEN SAT MAR 29

Crushing riffage with your Frappuccino, sir? Apocalyptic rhythms to go with that Bruschetta, ma’am? Who’d have thought that the hallowed cloisters of East Row would once again reverberate to the glorious tones of metal. Well believe it, because Axis Works’ inaugural Metal at Macchiato will see local exponents of the genre Templestowe - who combine melodic and haunting guitar interplay derived melodic death metal behemoths At the Gates with the brutality of thrash metal and the powerful groove of Pantera - and progressive death-metallers Aeon Of Horus kicking out the jams in the heartland of the latte set. And like the best things in life, the evening’s free. Of course, the irony of live music at Café Macchiato - whose former owners were responsible for the noise complaints that shut down the Gypsy Bar - is not lost on anyone, but times change… So head to the corner of East Row and London Circuit on Saturday March 29, grab a quick refresher from The Bourbon Bar (open from 10pm ’til well after the gig) and trash like mad.

The Rational Academy - Fight Academy Songs

It’s always a pleasure to chat to someone as genuinely excited about music as Ben Thompson, one of the lynchpins of Brisbane’s THE RATIONAL ACADEMY . As he reels off a seemingly unending list of side-projects and, later in our chat, confesses his love of Sonic Youth “to a point where it’s probably embarrassing sometimes,” it’s clear he’s an unabashed music nerd - the best kind of person.

The Academy have released their debut LP, A Heart Against Your Own, which covers a good deal of musical ground across its seven tracks: from pastoral soundscapes, the domain of bubbling synths, humming electronics and gently insistent beats to shoegaze epics, where jagged guitar lines collide with squalls of screeching feedback - the ’90s guitar rock hangover that still seems to loom large over many bands in Brisbane. “It showcases how eclectic the band is in a way,” Ben says,
“because I think there are 13 people on the record.”

But from the very beginning, The Rational Academy have always been a diverse and challenging proposition. “We purposely recorded our first seven inch as this weird, cut-up, folk/noise thing,” Ben explains, “so everyone had been coming to shows thinking we were this Sleater Kinney rip off and then we put out a record and it sounded like Gastra Del Sol. No one knew what to make of it.” Throughout their four-year history, the Academy have always had a fluid line-up, revolving around the hub of Meredith McHugh and Ben. “It’s got to the point that the idea of the line-up constantly changing and revolving around Meredith and me is what the band is now,” Ben reflects.

“Everyone’s getting older,” he reasons. “There’s a great quote, ‘being in a band is a great way to spend your 20s.’ A lot of people get past that and don’t want to do it anymore. We’ve also always worked with people who have been in our favourite bands… with people that we didn’t want to drag away from their other band, because their other band might have been one of our favourite bands in the whole world. At first it was always depressing when you’d lose someone, but now it’s almost challenging and fun because everything changes so much.”

To mark A Heart’s release, Ben is treating us to a rare solo acoustic outing ahead of a full band tour later in the year. “It’s fun, we’ve been trying to figure out how to play solo versions of these songs just using one tuning.” He’s also quite keen to tackle some of Meredith’s songs in acoustic. “I wouldn’t mind doing a version of The Author. I’d have to see what she thought about it, she might just say ‘no, you’re not doing that.’ I hope she lets me, ’cause I think that’d be fun.”

Regardless, Ben’s looking to the solo shows with a great deal of excitement. “I think it’ll be really different, and The Front is really nice,” he enthuses. “Last time we played there, we’d just done a bunch of shows in Melbourne and we’d been sleeping on a warehouse floor and it was really nice turning up and doing this really laid-back, quiet show. Now whenever we do shows anywhere, we always book a show on the last day in a tiny little space. The best way to come down from big nights out is to play a little tiny show like that.”

Ben Thompson launches A Heart Against Your Own on Sunday March 30 at The Front with Spartak, launching their Ostpolitik set, and special guests Milenasong/Lappalie (Sydney/Berlin - Monika Enterprise). From 8pm, a thrifty $5 on the door.

Crooked Fiddle Band - Train in Vain

I count myself lucky to be talking to Sydney’s CROOKED FIDDLE BAND, not only because they’re lovely folk, but because they almost came to a sticky end on the morning of our chat. “We nearly got run over by a train today,” says double bassist Mark Stevens excitedly.

“There was a traffic jam and I pulled up over the train tracks and then the gate started coming down, it nearly took out the van. It was a narrow escape.” Hopefully there’ll be no more mishaps before they swing into town for the National Folk Festival this Easter weekend because, with their singular and furiously-paced blend of traditional gypsy tunes and metal, I can say with full confidence that they’re like no other act you’ll see over the weekend.

The band originally formed two years ago after violinist Jess Randall received an arts grant to record different interpretations of traditional tunes. Gordon Wallace (guitar, bouzouki, mandolin), Mark Stevens (double bass, charango) and Joe Gould (percussion, drums) were drafted in and their unique sounded started to take shape. “We started out only doing the folk kind of thing, and then when we established that we were all into metal as well. We thought ‘Okay, let’s try and incorporate that’ and it’s really become a big focus of our music now.

“The real die-hard metal enthusiasts in the band are definitely Gordon and Joe,” Mark says, “and they still listen to a lot of metal. I’ve kind of made it a thing of the past, my headbangin’ days are over. Although Dimebag Darrell, I still think about him…”

“We’re really looking forward to the National,” Mark enthuses, when talk turns to our beloved Folk Fest. “It’ll be our chance to really show everybody in Canberra, and a lot of the other locals from around there, Braidwood and so on, show off our stuff.” But the band’s connection with the National Folk Festival stretches far beyond their appearances as the Crooked Fiddles. “But both Jess and I have been going to the National since we were kids,” he remembers.

“Jess’ been to eight and I’ve been to seven or eight over the last nine years. It’s really been a big part of our adolescence.”

“What I really like about the National” he goes on, “are the workshops.”

Seeing Rob Long and Dave Hellens from the Lawnmowers doing workshops on flat-picking guitar, or Nikolai from Mosaic doing workshops on the most obscure instruments, I really get a kick out of that - I really take those memories home and wanna get into strange music and learn bizarre instruments.” Mark also informs me that the group will be organising a treasure hunt over the weekend of the festival, telling interested folk to “keep an eye out for the posters. We’re gonna start it outside the session bar at midday on Friday, and it’ll be happening Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The festival has very kindly donated an awesome prize and we’ll be giving away CDs and all sorts throughout.” While distant plans include a new EP and the possibility of heading overseas, for now the Crook Fid’s plans are to tour like it’s going out of fashion. “Touring’s always full of lots of cool adventures and we just really love hanging out with each other. We get a lot of work done and dream about taking over the world.”

The Crooked Fiddle Band play at various points during the National Folk Festival, Exhibition Park, between March 20 and 24. For full details and ticketing info, head to the National Folk Festival website .