Sinead O’Connell

San Cisco

SANS BLAND-DISCO

Imagine hanging out with three of your friends at high school one day, then in an exceptionally short period of time, not only starting up your own record company but also playing at Lollapalooza. Ironically, playing music professionally wasn’t something that SAN CISCO had in mind for when they ‘grew up’.

Josh Davieson (lead guitar, keys and vocals) says, ‘It just kind of happened. Me, Nick, and Scarlett had other things underway and ended up having to put it all on hold to focus on the band and touring.’ For example, Josh was studying graphic design – a talent he’s been able to continue in designing album covers and press images for the band.

Their decision to start up Island City Records, their independent record label, came as a surprise as well. It was Scarlett’s father Phil Stevens who co-founded Jarrah Records (The Waifs, John Butler Trio) that aided in their decision to go out on their own, for the sake of both convenience and investment. ‘We wanted to be independent in Australia, so we started up the record label. And now we just do it all ourselves – we distribute the music, we do our own publishing, all that stuff.’ However, in the United States they’re represented by Fat Possum Records (Black Keys, Spiritualized) as well as Columbia Records in the UK. This combination seems a sure thing for success, but also, Josh adds, ‘It’s just good business, being able to keep everybody happy.’

Of their recent US tour, Josh reflects, ‘It was awesome. We were away for a very long time though. A month all up, including a few shows with The Vaccines. But it was good because we met a lot more people, especially record label people. It was nice to put a face to the emails. They were all really excited.’ A month on the road seems like an easy task in comparison to the next couple of months ahead for the band, however. They’re already back in the UK (having just returned from the States), before coming home to launch their Australian tour with Millions and Chaos Chaos.

From Fremantle, Perth, they launched the band initially under the name King George. Why the shift to ‘San Cisco’? One can never be sure, including Davieson himself. ‘We had a whole bunch of ideas for a name but yeah, I dunno why we chose San Cisco,’ he laughs. ‘It’s got good panache.’ A fitting name for a band alike.

In retrospect, the overload of fame and attention has been quite a ride, Davieson admits. He comments, ‘There’s no separation between band and reality. The band is reality.’ Which in its own right seems a very just rationale for someone just 20 years old.

Finally, a fun fact for both our road and theirs; they love The Sopranos: ‘We get pretty involved.’

San Cisco are playing at Zierholz @ UC, Saturday June 8 at 8pm with Millions and Chaos Chaos. Tickets are $28.60 + bf through Ticketek.

Human Rights Arts & Film Festival

FILM FAIR

In its sixth year running, the HUMAN RIGHTS ARTS AND FILM FESTIVAL (HRAFF) are touring once again in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Perth, Brisbane and Alice Springs to exhibit a selection of contemporary cinema, music and fine art.

Festival Director Ella McNeill comments, ‘The program will engage with people in Canberra because it’s the perfect city for a festival like this. The city is full of people from just about everywhere, people interested in politics, development and foreign development. We’ve always had a successful run in Canberra and we’re really looking forward to seeing how everyone responds again this year with the selection. Also we have to thank the ANU for supporting us. It’s so great to have them on board.’

In each city a selection of three films are screened over three consecutive nights. This year, opening on Monday June 3 at the National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra is privileged to have on the menu In the Shadow of the Sun – ‘the debut feature by British filmmaker Harry Freeland, which looks at the harrowing reality of ritual Albino killings in Tanzania’ – as well as Sally El Hosaini’s My Brother the Devil – a ‘slick and energetic portrayal of migrant youth pushed to the fringe’ – and finally, on closing night Alias Ruby Blade ­– an ‘action-packed documentary [that] demonstrates the astonishing power of individuals to change the course of history.’

Curious regarding the selection criteria for the festival, I asked McNeill how it works and how they choose the final films. ‘To begin, we look at films that have been chosen for festivals like Tribeca and Cannes and see what gets good responses. Ultimately, though, it’s about us researching the films, doing a callout each year, getting screeners in and, finally, placing the most fitting for the program in the selection.’ She adds, ‘We take on tour a small, strong selection of the program, choosing films that are not only a great representation of the program but also films that might relate to particular cities.’

Pertaining to human rights in general, the possibility of contention regarding some of the films is a battle that the team is prepared to endure. However, McNeill elaborates, ‘When you put yourself out there talking about human rights, you can guarantee that people are more sensitive in receiving the work… Ultimately, we are a platform for the films, though; the films aren’t news stories and I think most people are generally aware of that. We take it upon ourselves to ensure we don’t let public opinion censor us; if there’s an issue that needs talking about we will talk about it.’ In this way, McNeill does justice to not only the festival but also the integrity of human rights issues on a global scale, selecting ‘its arts and film to engage and inform people on human rights issues.’

The Human Rights Arts and Film Festival is in Canberra from Mon-Wed June 3-5 at the National Film and Sound Archive. Tickets are $18 + bf through hraff.org.au.

The Temper Trap

TEMPER TEMPER

From the Qantas lounge at Adelaide airport, headed to Future Music Festival, Toby Dundas from THE TEMPER TRAP revealed the trials and tribulations of an ambitious band on the road, driven by curiosity and the woes of the world.

Band members Dougy Mandagi (vocals, guitar), Lorenzo Sillitto (guitar), Jonny Aherne (bass), Toby Dundas (drums) and recent keyboardist Joseph Greer, who bolstered the gang in 2008 after ‘triumphant circumstances’, fashion Temper Trap into a portrait of blossoming achievement. Driven to surprise international fame after the success of the song Sweet Disposition, their first album Conditions sold almost a million copies worldwide. The Melbourne boys then moved base temporarily from London to Los Angeles in order to record and produce their second album, The Temper Trap.

Living in East London is a feat in itself, not to mention the fact that when they first moved they lived in a tour bus, with no money and no ideas. Dundas said of the change to The City of Angels, ‘There was just a completely different energy.’ An energy that they harnessed to catapult their enthusiasm for the second record. A slight paused received his next meditation, ‘We miss the coffee a lot. It’s so hard to get good coffee – we were spoiled in Melbourne!’ He then went on to explain why the coffee is so good in Melbourne, with a loyal enthusiasm one can regard highly from an ex-patriot. He added that what they don’t miss is their own Australian accents. ‘It gets worse and worse every time we come home. It’s so bad!’

Like most bands, it was the moment they stood in front of their largest crowd that blew them away the most and confronted them with the reality of fame. ‘We were playing at this festival in Mexico, on the main stage, where we later found out there was about 35, 000 people. The audience was so intense and they knew every word to every song. It was incredible.’ It would be an amazing experience indeed, especially from the depths of a Melbourne garage, where the idea of success was more or less coined as, ‘Well, maybe we can do it…’ Toby laughs retrospectively.

When it comes to working together, he says, ‘We all collaborate equally. There’s no kind of ego and it makes for such a better outcome.’ This sentiment is obviously reflected in the writing, recording and producing prowess of The Temper Trap. For example, London’s Burning, written in the aftermath of the London riots, results from Mandagi grappling with the reality of what he witnessed and working together with the guys to express their opinions. Further, the genesis of their recurring theme of displacement sits heavy.

However, no man is an island and it really is a divine combination of lyrical genius and swarming vocals that add life to an already vibrantly pulsing musical heartbeat.

The Temper Trap are playing Groovin’ the Moo at University of Canberra on Sunday April 28. Tickets are $99.90+ bf via Ticketek.

Pete Murray

NOT SO BLUE, AFTER ALL

PETE MURRAY, the man we associate with waves, sand and lazy days in the summer, leaves us hanging no longer with his divinely emblematic new album, Blue Sky Blue: The Byron Sessions. Featuring the soulful Fantine, as well as favourites Bernard Fanning, Ash Grunwald, Scott Owen (The Living End), Busby Marou, Darren Middleton (Powderfinger) and Katie Noonan, the album is an unparalleled artistic composition on the Australian acoustic scene.

As the rain poured down on the other end of the line in Byron Bay, Murray hurriedly chowed down some brekkie and humbly apologised for the surrounding noise. He talked about his organic writing process and his ability to observe his constantly changing surroundings. ‘I just write about whatever is going on with me at that time. Things I’m feeling or thinking, or what I see happening around me.’

It was the humbleness of his words and the tone of his voice that validated this authenticity. Being signed to Sony at age 32, he admitted he was ‘enjoying being an independent artist’ but needed the income to support his other endeavours. Once a rugby man, then a natural medicine student, and now a musician, it is hard to imagine this modest man on the phone was actually Pete Murray, a man who’s sold millions of albums during the span of his lucrative musical career. (It is also noteworthy that his first three full-length albums reached number one on the Australian music charts.)

Blue Sky Blue, unlike some of his previous albums, like Feeler and See The Sun, seems more redemptive – as if the album itself is, like him, a veteran of overcoming adversity. The cause for redemption may be due to the fact he’s been lucky enough to spend the last several years in Byron, reading, writing, singing, surfing and making music. Alternatively, it is the result of a divorce with his ex-wife in 2009. In the aftermath of the breakup Murray has been subject to the stigma surrounding the relationship of the album to his ex.

However, one only need listen to the lyrics and hear the vibe of the album to realise there is quite a separation of man and his depressive alter-ego. Blue Sky Blue remains quite clear of the breakup void. In fact, it appears rather the opposite – uplifting and calming, retrospective and reconciled. The busy musician has been dashing around the country, back and forth to Byron, and overseas to LA for recording.

So, too, is he preparing for his biggest Australian tour yet, which saves little for spare time. Blue Sky Blue is a more serious testament to this man behind the guitar, with more electricity and contributors; the album has morphed into something quite unexpected. It champions love and love lost and gives light to those who, like him, may have been in the dark for a while.

Pete Murray will play a sold-out show with Nathan Kaye at The Abbey on Thursday April 11, 8pm. For those who missed out on tickets, you can grab a copy of Blue Sky Blue: The Byron Sessions out now through Sony.

Gold Panda, Elliott, Deaf Cat, CreamCrops, Kure, Mrxkxs, Bottle Brush, Aeon, E A V E S

@ Hippo Bar, Sunday March 10

Hippo Bar served as an unlikely venue for nurturing the lucid souls of the Gold Panda audience on Sunday night. It was a refreshing change from Trinity Bar, which has notably (and perhaps suitably) held monopoly over electronic music gigs over the last year. Having rearranged the interior décor in order to host the 100 or so guests, Hippo Bar promptly morphed from its usual New York jazz scene veneer into a spacious dance-accommodating arena, fit for all shapes and hipsters. Lit by streetlights and candles that reflected against the soothing red walls, the space gave off an inviting mahogany lure – an allure all too fitting with gin and tonics and cocktails alike.

The support acts flowed from one to the next seamlessly, adding consistency to an already fabulously textured event promoted by well-known Blahnket (a sure thing). Namely, however, it was CreamCrops that stood out for me during support. Perhaps it was the hype preparing for the nearing Gold Panda, or it was the conversation we had with the man behind the crops in Garema Place after his set, that made me a true believer. CreamCrops is a humble boy who was more than happy to be in Canberra amongst relative locals and, most importantly, to be supporting such talent.

If not just about the music, it was such this type of clientele that added to Gold Panda’s outstanding performance. Friends and foes lined the front row with the enthusiasm and awe of children alighting their first rollercoaster. It has been told thereafter from fans who got photos with Gold Panda after his set that his sweat-stained shirt served as just testament to the fire he wrought to fuel such a production.

An attendee commented that it was a ‘super chilled’ night and one would have to agree with that inspired sentiment, because in no other way can we describe the vibe that filled the room, alongside booze- and smoke-drenched clothes and breath. It was chilled, comfortable, a bit crazy at times (but still chilled, of course) and, most notably, fun. In our roundabout twenties, fun can sometimes seem uncool or unattainable – heaven forbid us pseudo-intellectual tragedies admit to having fun!

But it was, and all because of one man (and the supporting acts, of course) and his decks. Gold Panda, all the way from Essex, England, is known around the world as an authentic artist who plays live, proper, rather than just prodding and flashing an overpriced laptop. Some have said they felt as though they were with him in the recording room the day he first produced the songs. In other words, it was organic and passionate, like watching a machine work in its raw industrial state – churning out sounds and images flawlessly. The man, unlike so many electronic artists, painted the air like a canvas from his beat pad, harnessing every moment and not wasting a second to impress his foreign companions. His surprise new EP entitled Trust is a ‘swirling maelstrom of melancholic electronic experimentation’, which sees Gold Panda ‘exploring techno, off-kilter hip-hop and ambient influences to create a diverse and truly unique sound’. Too true, in retrospect, never was there such an opportunity to witness a truly unique sound unfold – a rare privilege.

It was both the destination and the music that served for a great night on Sunday March 10; a night that will remind us that Hippo Bar and Gold Panda, and all their animal friends, are willing escorts in the fight against retrograde electronic pretentions.

SINEAD O'CONNELL

Tegan and Sara

IF BATMAN AND ROBIN WERE MUSICIANS, FEMALE AND TWINS

One can’t help but wonder, when it comes to TEGAN AND SARA Quin’s new album, Heartthrob, where the change from indie rock to punk was born. Having recently celebrated a landmark birthday, Tegan explains, ‘Well, we just turned 30, we’d done almost everything on our bucket list and thought we’d love to just go for something completely new. We wanted to go to see a lot of new countries, explore new places and meet new people. Also I wanted to get us more exposure, what we really wanted to know was how to get on pop radio,’ she laughs, somewhat reluctantly.

Tegan’s reflections on the difference between genres were insightful. ‘The last couple of records have been really guitar- and keyboard-heavy, so the pop direction wasn’t totally new to us; we were just leaning back on our guitar ability.’ Wanting to expand their fan base and grow in the industry, she stressed, was no mean feat confrontation-wise, having to reconcile their desires with new crowds and expectations that the album demanded. ‘Music is the only industry in the world where you really get penalised for being ambitious or successful,’ she observed.

However, relocating into the pop world is apparently more refreshing than we assume. ‘In the pop world everybody is really vocal and supportive and it’s because they know what they like. Shiny Toy Guns and Katy Perry even came out and told us they liked our new record. No one does that in the indie world, it’s so weird!’

Ironically but very reassuringly, fans have stuck with the twins despite their shift in persuasion. Tegan asserts that it’s because they made sure they started out with integrity. ‘Without it, you get lost and people can walk all over you.’ Then there were those in the new world who had never even heard of Tegan and Sara. ‘People were like, “Oh we just thought you guys were some new pop group on the scene.” They were like, “What? This is your seventh record? How old are you?” and I’m like “20?”,’ she laughs. ‘We’re like old haggard bitches. It’s liberating.’

Over the last six years they have been threading talents with various internationals, rearranging their bucket list to cover collaborations with musicians and artists outside their normal circle. This includes working with Tiësto, performing with him during the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in 2008 as well as featuring in his 2009 album Kaleidoscope. They also got together with David Guetta and Alesso last year for Guetta’s re-release album Nothing But The Beat 2.0, featuring in the song Every Chance We Get We Run.

With Heartthrob, unlike many of their previous albums, the girls worked together on lyrics and bridges, rather than having ‘Sara songs’ and ‘Tegan songs’. ‘There was value having both our voices and perspectives, literally, on the tracks. We realised if we joined forces, we’d be super heroes and do better for it.’ As twin sisters, they are in each other’s head’s more than they are in their own. Tegan says in relation to their personal lives and career, ‘I believe we have a deeper life because of the life we’ve chosen to live.’

Growing up, they took a chance on the music scene despite their hesitant parents – it wasn’t always on the cards for them. Tegan had a friend when she was very young who was privileged enough to travel the world. From that relationship developed a desperate desire for journeys. ‘We were poor and trashy and all I wanted was to be in a new space and a new life. I wasn’t really interested in anything else other than travel and music, so basically I just hitched music with my goal!’

She talked a thousand miles an hour, laughing and swearing at the moments and stories as they were recollected. With an outstanding humility she shared the enthusiasm she has for the new album and for Tegan and Sara’s amazing producers, hand-picked by the girls themselves – Greg Kurstin, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, and Mike Elizondo. ‘It’s our deepest, darkest… most romantic record. It’s so valuable; it has incredible weight to it.’

Just as we look forward to this record, Tegan and Sara are getting excited to be back in Australia, performing at Groovin’ the Moo this year. ‘We had so much fun last year. We didn’t expect such a big crowd; we couldn’t understand why everyone was going crazy for us. We were like, “What the hell is happening?” I guess we didn’t realise the impact of triple j. I just have this memory of people being so excited to see us and how thrilling it was. We kept saying to each other, “We’re rock stars here!” It was so exciting! I love Australia… I can’t wait!’ Her Calgary Canadian accent was just as adorable as the images of herself and Sara in press releases. They are tiny people with large voices; with personalities annotated by a great sense of humour and a vibrant attitude so relaxed it’s hard to imagine they’ve been international musicians for more than a decade. They’ve been described as ‘new wave’ and ‘synth pop’, the former tediously listed in their press releases, but at the end of the day it’s merely Tegan and Sara, and that’s enough.

Tegan and Sara will play Groovin’ the Moo on The Meadows at University of Canberra on Sunday April 28. Tickets are $99.90 + bf. For tickets, info and more, visit gtm.net.au.

Canberra Punk And Beyond

REVENGE OF THE PUNKS

The institution CANBERRA PUNK AND BEYOND dates back to the mid-‘70s and each year a collaborative effort is made between bands, producers and general punk lovers to champion the lure and depths of the punk genre. The result is an event, Renegades Revenge, held at ANU Bar, which sees men and women from all over the country share and indulge in a common passion – Canberra, between 1977 and 1992.

This year, Chris Shakallis, founder and organiser of the institution (and also member of original psych punk-rock-once-Canberra-now-Sydney band The Young Docteurs), channels the event to express the love for a genre and a city that supported punk in it’s ultimate heyday. ‘The scene back then was…healthy. We played three nights a week and managed to get a decent crowd. You can’t really get that kind of commitment now. We used to see about 16 bands a week! Without sounding too retrospective, it was a peak golden time for Australian music.’

Last year’s CPB event Rock Against Boredom Revisited was about ‘rekindling the vibe’, that is, advocating the style of punk that Canberra once offered; a vibe we can expect from this year’s gig. The genesis of the theme ‘renegades revenge’ came from ‘an outlaw spaghetti western scene meets psychedelic’ – an apt theme if one was showcasing, as Chris says, the ‘very diverse style of punk. From The Pistols to The Ramones to Siouxsie and The Banshees, it is a broad place from varying styles. Nowadays people associate punk with a few particular couple of branches – but I think it was, and still is, pretty diverse. The rulebook was never completely written. You could be individually creative and explore. Even bands like The Residents or Snake Finger who adopted the more avant-garde style, really they were just extending the boundaries.’

Also working on a collaborative book about the Canberra punk scene between ‘77 and ‘92, as well as recording a new album with the Young Docteurs, Shakallis’s intention is to ‘let the greater public know there was a wider, vital scene going on in Canberra that was quite unknown.’ Continuing on, Shakallis points out, ‘a lot of Canberra musicians that ended up in different cities in Australia or around the world had a huge influence on the music industry. In part, it’s about recapping, to inform people about the time and who played a role in it.’ In talking of revival, ‘Well…maybe in Asia or Russia…’ he decides.

Performances we can look forward to on the night include Young Docterus, Stand Alone, Capital Punishment, Little Mac & The Monster Men and, of course, Canberra’s best burlesque trio, The Velvet Vixens (would it be a proper punk show without them?). Not to mention a lightshow by Eyesaw Productions betted to thoroughly test one’s hand-eye coordination threshold.

Renegade’s Revenge is on at ANU Bar, Saturday March 9 at 8pm. $20 door. 

Willy Mason

WHERE THIS HUMAN EATS

When one moves back home in their late twenties, the implication is that something’s gone a little awry for said individual. For WILLY MASON, however, home meant being connected again, being able to write more and the chance to ‘re-root’ with his childhood community.

‘I started touring when I was 17 and then again in 2009. It was then that I made the decision to go back home and get off the road. There was too much time passing and I wanted to have the experience again of settling down.’ In this time he learned a lot. ‘I was a radio DJ for a while, I learned how to fish… but most of all I was learning how to work with people… every aspect of it, communicating and showing people that you care.’

A lot of inspiration and creative thought for his new album, Carry On, is based around this shift in his lifestyle. Two main reasons offer insight into why. ‘Firstly, going home gave me a lot more material. I was sick of writing about being on the road. Also because I had a sense of obligation with my second album and when I went home I wasn’t sure that I wanted to re-sign.’

On the topic of Carry On, it offers a new sound that Mason admits was a little intimidating initially. The infusion of dub and drum-boxes would make a musician’s brows furrow, especially if acoustics were their original niche. However, Mason’s sentimental response to the conundrum puts all qualms at bay.

‘Working with this new mechanical system changed everything. I was concerned at first that it would take the life out of the music, but then I realised that it was more like a heartbeat than a clock ticking.’ The process of recording took place in London in just ten days. ‘Once we had the band set [with] Sam, my brother, on acoustic drums, the four of us would play alongside the mechanical component quite easily.’

Alongside the evolving beat, there is a lyrical narrative that sadly mourns a lack of attention. ‘I feel like I’m the only one that can see the narrative in the album and see it as a kind of trilogy for previous albums,’ he laughs.

You can tell what kind of a guy and musician Mason is when he comes away from Dungog after playing Gentleman of the Road Festival; completely in love and drunk on the people and places he saw along the way. ‘I couldn’t believe how happy the town was. It brought so many people together, getting outside there day-to-day lives… It made me love what I do and see what music can really do for people.’

Carry On is out Monday December 3 on Fiction Records.

Elton John, Elisa Schmidt, Cello2Cello

@ Canberra Stadium, Wednesday November 14

There’s nothing like seeing a superstar in real life. A real superstar. The kind of superstar that came to exist in such a way that fans and critics had to coin a new word that would justify their genius and separate them from lesser gods.

To see Elton John emerge onto the stage in a blue sequined suit (with a jacket emblazoned ‘Fantastic’ on the back, probably because he is fantastic) is 100% on par with having a dream come true. At 65 years of age, he bellowed through two and a half hours of song and entertainment, hardly taking a breath, leaving his visionary pianist hands no respite and still finding time to have a laugh and a cry with the audience. He graciously offered us all the favourites – Rocket Man, Benny and the Jets, Crocodile Rock and Daniel – and after a standing ovation and desperate plea for an encore, finished the set with the unparalleled Your Song and the somewhat forgotten but nevertheless poignant Circle of Life.

As a celebratory tour that triumphs the 40-year anniversary of his international single Rocket Man, Sir Elton performed an incredible set alongside a quartet of female soul singers and the due Cello2Cello, who executed a few beautiful instrumental renditions from Nirvana, AC/DC and Michael Jackson in a prelude to the master. Of course, there was also his band of silver fox contemporaries featuring Davey Johnstone (lead guitar) and Nigel Olsen (drums) (who John made us aware has been playing beside him since 1969).

It should be mentioned, too, that those of us sulking in the audience, lamenting an absence from his previous tour with Billy Joel, were reprimanded in the form of having our expectations entirely superseded. The musical dexterity on stage was something of the unprecedented persuasion, to say the least. John’s show was practiced and efficient with fluid transitions through songs all night. The setup also included an immaculate sound system supported by two large video screens that allowed those in the grandstand a chance to witness more clearly the magician in action.

The faux pas of the evening are awarded to those who failed to sing along to Tiny Dancer on the bus back to Civic from the stadium. It’s no hard feat, let’s be honest. Clearly, all we wanted was to recreate Almost Famous and commemorate the extraordinary evening through anthem. On that note, too, I’ll admit that the audience wasn’t as enthused as one might expect at an Elton John concert. Maybe it was because it was late on a school night and the public servants were sleepy, but in my heart I felt like he was remembering audiences he once played for at Radio City Hall and pitied our capital in comparison. However, what the audience lacked in gumption they made up for in costume attire (slight exaggeration). Among the 12,000 man, woman and child audience, one could spot sequined jackets, multi-coloured tuxedos and different coloured spectacles.

Whether it was moving seats several times in order to get the best spot to dance, whether it was looking up at the incredibly clear evening sky, whether it was waiting for half an hour at the bar but not caring because you could still hear and see Elton just a few (hundred) metres away, it really did feel like the Rocket Man had descended from space for one night, just for us.

Nigel Wearne

FIRST AMONG EQUALS

He crafts guitars with his bare hands, he’s been writing lyrics for over 12 years and he is a schoolteacher by trade – NIGEL WEARNE is one of a new kind of musicians: an all-rounder. ‘I’m a gleaner – I collect ideas and tell stories through songwriting. I’ll write about anything that takes my fancy or interests me more than usual.’

His upcoming EP, Black Crow, features a collection of tracks that visualise Wearne’s journey over the last few years. In particular, as a sequel, almost, to the song Tracker from a previous album, Wearne celebrates Pelmulwy. ‘I was inspired after watching that show, The First Australians. It was the only recorded story in history where aboriginals waged war on Colonials. I began retelling his story, but it was like writing about a ghost; it was so hard to get any information about this lost hero.’ Wearne becomes sentimental on the subject. ‘The spirituality in aboriginal music, the way they speak… it’s so different to Anglo speech in music. The metaphors are so real.’

Creating somewhat of a new frontier in sound through his own custom-made guitars, Wearne told the story of how it all began. ‘When I was about 20 I decided I wanted to have a crack at making a guitar. I grew up on a farm making and breaking things and always using my hands. I guess I had an interest in it and I began chipping away.’

Wearne returned to talking of his day job, admitting that teaching has always been his passion, with music as a relief. ‘I find being out in the community as a teacher very important, and I always try and incorporate the music into my teaching.’ It was only a couple of years ago when his wife and he moved to Melbourne and things took a turn professionally. ‘The last two years have been crucial for my music profession. If it hadn’t have been for Melbourne I don’t know that I’d be where I’m at now. Before, it was just an uphill battle, what with distance between gigs and things.

‘My process is filled with ebbs and flows. Everybody has their own experiences in songwriting, but for me it’s something I’ve been chipping away at for a long time.’ His first album was more or less a folk-rock album and Black Crow is far more country-folk orientated, a persuasion that Wearne admits he feels more comfortable with. ‘People talk about songs coming from somewhere else – that may be so but I’ll admit I’m always concerned about my songs, but I’m not critical of them. It’s just about capturing a moment in time.’

Nigel Wearne will play at The Front Gallery and Café on Friday November 9 from 8pm with The Cast Iron Promises and The Wedded Bliss. Black Crow hits stores on Friday November 2.

TZU

THE TZU IS ON FIRE!

After a four-year sabbatical, TZU are back and continuing to thrive with the production of their fourth album, Millions of Moments. ‘We’ve found a new groove and we like it. There’s a real fire in TZU right now and I think we’re gonna stay that way.’

The new album is of the ‘concept’ persuasion and Joel aka Joelistics reassures, ‘We wanted to follow a very uncompromising artistic vision with this album and to just work within those limitations.’ The concept album is a collection of stories set throughout this nation’s vast landscape, differing in content just as much as tone. The narrative progression follows the adventures of Persepehone, who trials a drug called Chronos, sending her hurtling through time to inhabit the consciousness of an array of alluring folk. 'From a ghost story set in colonial times to an 18^th Century stalker, from an end-of-the-world apocalypse to a love on the brink of destruction, Millions of Moments taps into points in time and history that weave the tapestry of our very existence – and then some.’

Despite admitting that the band has changed dramatically in both sound and symptom, he remains avid in a belief of their strength. ‘We’re all different people and our tastes have changed – but we put art at the top of the list. We knew [Millions of Moments] might not have as much commercial appeal, but for us it was all about exploring, about pioneering a new sound in music.’

TZU formed in 1991 with a genesis sparked by ‘friendships rather than vision.’ Drawn together through lifestyle and music, they became a founding entity in the context of the emerging Australian hip hop scene. They are as close as they were way back when, still using constructive arguing to maintain a healthy production process. From a song lyric to whether or not Moonrise Kingdom was good enough, TZU keep it fresh in front of and behind the microphone. For TZU, everyone is a producer; Millions of Moments is collectively written and recorded, with Joelistics as the premier songwriter and Count Bounce the executive producer. Joel firmly believes that the whole ride together has been the highlight of their musical journey.

Millions of Moments is an original composition of colour and charisma, delving further into the electronic direction explored in their previous album, Computer Love. The track Beautiful (the aforementioned colonial ghost story) in particular is one of the most outstanding and creative, showcasing the array of new techniques acquired to produce this concept album; yearning lyrics contrasting seamlessly with hip hop beats and definitive dubstep-infused melodies.

TZU have indeed come a long way and this next chapter of their journey is as limitless as the last.

TZU will share their musical journey with Canberra at Transit Bar on Friday October 12, 8pm with special guests Sietta. Tickets are $23.50 + bf from Moshtix.

Iranian Film Festival: The Last Step

SICK OF HOLLYWOOD? ENTER: IROLLYWOOD

In its highly anticipated second year, the IRANIAN FILM FESTIVAL greets Australia once again in October. Spanning 25 days and five capital cities, the festival offers its audiences the opportunity to venture into the world of Iranian identities. Much like the cinematic movement of Nigeria (Nollywood), Iranian cinema is a growing industry across the globe that champions not only the talent of Iranian directors and actors but also acts as a hub for generating awareness around Iranian politics, religion and culture.

The goal of the festival, co-directed by Anne Démy-Geroe and Armin Miladi, is to provide us with a highly diverse range of films, particularly ‘recent or topical films that have won awards in the last year or are on the festival circuit.’ In this way, the films become outlets where Iranian voices are heard and ‘cultural understanding and tolerance’ may be appreciated. ‘This year, we hope to challenge our audience even further by introducing short films and documentaries to the programme. The shorts session truly embraces the concept of ‘global,’ featuring Iranian filmmakers from across the globe, including a number of our home-grown talents.’

Of the politics Armin says, ‘The films that are offered have already been checked and okayed by Iran so we don’t have to negotiate what necessarily can be shown or not shown.’ However, he admits that conflict may arise when they showcase an international film about Iran that disagrees with certain requirements of how the festival may depict the nation. Armin summed it up well, adding, ‘They can’t tell us what to do though, so it’s okay.’ Elusive as ‘they’ may be, it is encouraging.

Much like any national film festival, there is an option for everyone. For the independents there is Hunger, for the art-house folk there is Mourning. Also, Here Without Me is inclined to be a hit in our well-read city, it being a film based on Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, not to mention Facing Mirrors, the award-winning controversial feature exploring transgender.

With its inaugural year featuring a predominantly non-Iranian audience, this year will also most likely gain momentum from those of us in Canberra who take the opportunity to learn about a nation quite foreign and quite unexplored cinematically. In saying that, this event is not necessarily about the cinema itself. In many ways, it is about appreciating the men and women behind this inspiring industry whose prerogative does not stem from a wish to earn or be known, but to expose life and a nation in need of attention. For this reason, should it be your will, head to the National Film and Sound Archive and see for yourself.

The Iranian Film Festival will run from Thu-Sun October 11-14 at the National Film and Sound Archive. Tickets are $5/$9/$11 through the NFSA box office/reception or by calling (02) 6248 2000. See nfsa.gov.au for more information.

Pura Vida

The Pure Life

If you haven’t heard of the PURA VIDA Latin musical road show yet, expect to be well-versed in the art by the end of Canberra’s Floriade season this year. The spectacle is making its final appearance at Floriade 2012, after three consecutive years. Festival director and cultural stalwart Frank Madrid is determined to provide audiences with one last music extravaganza.

Madrid is a thorough believer in the substance and depth found in the population of Canberra’s youth. ‘The young people of Canberra are very intelligent and they recognise good music and good opportunities when they see them.’ However, there is a conundrum that interferes with the kindness in his sentiment; much of the wider community are not aware of the artists, their music or their intentions. The majority of the artists showcased are South American and their names are not as known here as they are in London, Paris and New York. Hence, Madrid is ‘keen to find an audience that will connect with the show on a level that it deserves.’

Many of the musicians are a collaboration of Chilean exiles that unite many a youthful audience through a common appreciation of different geographies. Thus, the program brought to us is formed from rare heights: Sistema Criolina, hailing all the way from Brasilia; Latin roots rocker Oscar Jimenez (of Watussi); Afro beats by NYASH!; Bandaluzia’s Nu Flamenco; the quirky explorations in Latin rock of Los Chavos and the infectious Soca; and reggae by Trinidadian Errol Renaud. On Sunday October 7, Canberra will delight in international acts: Francisca Valenzuela (Chile), sharing her sassy and confident take on indie pop reminiscent of Tori Amos; Latin funk outfit Gang of Brothers (Chile/Australia); the return of Sistema Criolina (Brazil) in a DJ set; Colombia’s Malalma, with their concoction of electronica with funk, salsa, hip hop and Afro-Colombian roots; and finally, Grammy-nominated Peruvian supergroup Novalima’s new-world blend of traditional Afro-Peruvian rhythms and melodies with the cutting edge grooves of dub reggae, chilled-out electronica and smooth Latin beats.

With this diverse array of acts, Madrid’s final statement rings all the more veritable: ‘The whole purpose of this event is to give Canberrans a damn good excuse to come to Commonwealth Park – bring friends and travel the world though music.’ He particularly advises that anyone and everyone should have a listen to Novalima and to track a single of theirs down – Tumbala on SoundCloud. He promises, ‘If people hear Tumbala they will understand what is coming and they’ll want nothing more than to see the music Pura Vida is offering.’

Pura Vida will showcase lively and engaging exotic sounds across three days throughout Floriade. Catch them at Stage 88 on Thursday September 27 & Saturday-Sunday October 6-7. For daily schedules and interstate shows visit: puravidafestival.com.au

Love

What is Love?

A film that took four years to make, on a budget of less than $200,000, has cleaned up on the 2012 film festival circuit. LOVE, directed by exceptionally capable writer, director and cinematographer William Eubank, explores the ultimate human construct – what it means to be human. ‘Much of LOVE is built on the idea of interpretation... [It’s] a spiritual science fiction element that will make audiences question setting and reality.’

A conversation with the lead actor Gunner Wright led to some behind the scene insights that justified the film’s excellence all the more. For example, with a narrative that necessitated a space ship set, Eubank, his brothers, friends and a few other helping hands spent six months crafting their own, better set on his parent’s farm. Wright adds fairly to the anecdote, ‘Getting the film finished was a feat of success.’ In terms of the abundance of accolades LOVE has received, Wright adds once more, ‘It’s really been the icing on the cake to this whole adventure.’

‘With film reviewers gravitating towards the tour,’ Wright says, ‘the reception has been humbling.’ He was almost lost for words as he spoke to me from his phone in Sydney, the city he’s so glad to be in for the first time, having never been to Australia.

While Eubank was building the space station, ‘there were vast periods of space and time between shooting.’ Wright said he managed to squeeze in some commercial work but had difficulty adapting back into character. However, he admits, ‘playing Lee Miller was amazing. He’s just a regular guy and it resonates so much with all of us… I mean what would any of us do in that situation?’ Wright refers to the situation his character Lieutenant Miller finds himself in, in space, learning he has lost all communication with Earth and won’t be returning home.

The cultivation of the film, too, is what makes it this interesting. Starting with the band Angels and Airwaves, Eubank was asked to direct a video accompaniment to the band’s release of their album, LOVE Part II, where, long story short, the video evolved into something far greater. ‘We just had a macro idea… and so we had to start detailing it.’ The group of friends and like-minded musicians who make up AVA includes frontman/guitarist Tom DeLonge (from Blink-182); guitarist David Kennedy (from Hazen Street and Box Car Racer); and bassist/keyboardist Matt Wachter (from 30 Seconds To Mars), who joined in 2007. In their words, the idea from the get-go was to ‘create an artistic spirit that departed significantly in style and scope from many of the musicians’ previous efforts.’ Ultimately what results is an unparalleled multi-sensory experience of aesthetics and sound.

Despite the mediations on screen regarding human connectivity LOVE’s point is as much poignant as it is ephemeral. You grasp the moral just as soon as it disappears deeper within the enigma of its final destination.

LOVE is showing from Thursday August 30 exclusively at Greater Union Manuka.

The Beautiful Girls

The Most Beautiful Girl In The Room

A young Mat McHugh of THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS was once living modestly in New York and India; busking, enjoying being young and wandering aimlessly. Having never been paid a cent in these years as a busker, Mat still maintains it is the ultimate rite of passage for musicians; the only real way one can understand the nature of their passion and the kind of rewards worth reaping. ‘Busking is a pure kind of practice. It’s not pretentious at all... you just explore.’ Eventually, the time came when his visa ran out and he headed on home to Australia with demos in mind and guitar in hand. It wasn’t long before he met his manager (a guy in the crowd at one of his gigs) and started playing open mic nights. All of these events seemed to align like the planets, leading to a persuasion that Mat would love and successfully champion for the following decade.

Mat’s ethos is reflected in his music; from the simple poetry of Morning Sun (‘a refreshing breeze in the musical climate of the time’ – triple j), to Learn Yourself, the founding music that cemented the essence of The Beautiful Girls. ‘[It’s] that sense of pure joy that can only be found in the simple things; friends being together, lighting bonfires and singing of life’s discoveries – its pains and its pleasures.’ Not withstanding gravitation towards themes of life’s electricity and exploration of the world, Mat connects with quite deeply with the world of reggae.

A topic that lingered during our conversation was that of the stigma surrounding the perceived ‘band’ that is The Beautiful Girls. Not many people know that it is in fact just Mat, with crewmembers he picks up along the way – friends and talented musicians – who fall in love with his idea and support the music he has created. The name itself was conceived in the early days as something of a joke amongst mates. It is therefore a very momentous occasion to finally have an album, Love Come Save Me, which credits the artist behind the ‘Girls.

According to Mat, a distinct benefit of being the sole decision-maker in The Beautiful Girls is to have been allowed the opportunity to nurture his burgeoning artistic vision: ‘It’s frustrating when you sit in a room and listen to how a song should be, but the democratic process gets in the way. I know who I am writing music for and what I want to write about. It’s like writing a script – there’s nothing radically different about composing music.’

Despite shifts and movements in the places that support Mat in his journey, he insists, ‘The Beautiful Girls remain on the Australian landscape right where they should: at dawn, the sand underfoot, shifting with the tides, forever changing colours as their own sun continues to rise, set and rise again.’

Love Come Save Me by Mat McHugh is out now through Die!Boredom Records. You can catch The Beautiful Girls when the trio drop into The Hellenic Club, Woden, on Thursday August 30 at 7.30pm. Tickets are $35 + bf via Oztix.

Chet Faker

Showers For The Soul

Where do artists do their best thinking? I’ve often pondered this following an episode of Bored To Death, where Jim Jarmusch cycles round and round in a New York loft, explaining that he does his best thinking doing just this – riding in a fixed motion in a confined space. Nick, aka CHET FAKER, introduces a practice that champions this concept: having a shower. ‘Someone told me recently that the sensation of having water running over your body stimulates a certain part of your brain. And it’s true. Ideas come during the least appropriate time and in very unexpected ways. For me it can be just as I go to bed. Then I have to get up and try and remember it to write it in my phone.’ He chuckles thoughtfully, ‘Same goes for when I just get up or when I’m in the car. I guess it’s just at a time when your brain switches off and your subconscious switches on.’

With an especially soft spot for his hometown Melbourne, Nick says that being born and raised in the city gives him bias in favour of gigs he plays in Australia. ‘The tour I did in April was the first real Australian tour I’d ever done. It’s cool to play in your own country. The best gigs are when the crowd is great and all your friends are there.’

Like many artists in the contemporary alternative scene, Faker is not one to compromise integrity with the traps of labelling. ‘Generally, I just leave the comments alone. It’s not like musicians really sit down and decide what type of music they’re going to play. Everywhere we look, music is blending and mixing together, definitely not just with my music anyway.’ Nevertheless, reviewers have branded Faker with all sorts of genres and adjectives, from ‘transient reggae’ to ‘post-dubstep,’ at which Nick laughs, ‘Transient reggae? That’s definitely new! I guess if I had to look at my music and put a term around it I’d say it’s new soul with a bit of electronica in there.’

New soul and electronica it certainly is. The music is soft and assured in a melting pot of ballads and synths. The kind of music you might hear at the Ku De Ta in Bali or in a dimly lit cocktail lounge in the Meatpacking District. Leave no feat unappreciated when discussing the composing competence of Faker though. The honesty and poetics of his lyrics, alongside a sultry voice, bless him with the capacity to hush a raucous crowd, if only to pull at the strings of their curiosity.

He is a warrior in this industry, one that will certainly prevail in a creative world that, as Faker puts it, ‘has no security in it.’ Come see and listen for yourself.

Chet Faker is playing at Trinity Bar on Friday August 17 as part of his ‘Cigarettes and Chocolate’ your with special guest Thrupence. Doors open at 8pm, $15 door before 10pm.

The Capital Jazz Project

Captial Jazz Project

“We want to be taken seriously as a city and we deserve to have this art form given the talent Canberra has to offer.” Caroline Stacey, the artistic director and CEO of Canberra’s famous Street Theatre, on the upcoming CAPITAL JAZZ PROJECT.

This is Canberra’s second year hosting the CPJ, an original festival that mixes artists and their jazz experience in such a way that, according to Stacey, “creates a forum which magnifies the range of ideas, interests and possibilities surrounding jazz.” Adding an educational component to the mix, the project harvests the necessary dialogue needed to connect people with jazz in the nation’s capital as well as showcasing the richness of the Australian jazz scene. “I think it absolutely embraces originality and uniqueness, not just in its approach but in its sound,” says Caroline. “We’ve developed a sophisticated jazz project in an ongoing way, keeping the focus and intensity that becomes a part of it.”

Their ally in this endeavour, the ANU School of Music, is as much on the doorstep of this new festival frontier as their colleagues at The Street Theatre. This bond ultimately becoming a fantastic opportunity and conduit for exposing jazz and the breadth of the talent offered.

Caroline commented on the perspectives that arise when you gauge the depth of this talent in the collection of musicians brought to the table. “It makes you reflect on things, like ‘Where is jazz as an art form in the here and now?’ and ‘What does it mean to make this music?’ Not only that. ‘What does it mean to make the music and be a part of it as a listener?’” This alludes to the importance of the dialogue Caroline had mentioned earlier, quite literally. What is the language we use to talk about jazz? What are the semantics and what it the psychology surrounding the way we describe jazz? This kind of rhetoric has been seemingly overlooked in the ‘experience’ of jazz in Canberra until now. Caroline and her team at The Street Theatre are determined, using the academic component as an invaluable aid, to “open up new ways of doing things for our listeners and practitioners.

“By coming along people are effectively participating, and in doing so, learning from the masters in exchange.”

Forums for music criticism and harnessing the resources of interested writers in Canberra – these are the things the Capital Jazz Project supports in order to give jazz the attention it deserves. In any medium, it seems, jazz should be written and talked about. “We should have a conversation about how we talk about jazz and how we write about it,” and if we do this people will have an opinion about how it is translated and received in our society.

As much as there is talk in this initiative, so too is there innovative action. Throughout the creative program there is a lot of “risk-taking.” As Caroline admits, it is “a very brave project. What the artists are doing, that, to me, is what is really brilliant about the program. There is depth but there are so many connections between the various elements being experimented with.”

I managed to grab an insight into the thoughts of two of the musicians participating in the CPJ – about the project, jazz and the ANU School of Music. Local Ben Hauptmann observed about the recent cutbacks, “Every jazz musician in the country knows what is happening to the School of Music, so hopefully the festival will bring more awareness to the issue in the wider community.”

Hauptmann, performing opening night, had a lovely sentiment up his sleeve regarding the art of jazz. “Being able to hear people’s personalities when they make music… studying jazz is as much about studying a style of music as it is about studying humans and the way they express themselves and communicate with one another. The great thing about jazz is the interaction that happens between the musicians and that the audience is a part of that experience, completely involved in what is happening on the stage, whether they realise it or not.”

Then there is Tim Willis. You can see him in the last gig in The Street’s Theatre Two but for now he’s touring France. On the CPJ, he says, “I am hoping that it will serve to bring new music to the Canberra jazz audience and help to strengthen the profile of the Street Theatre as a cultural centre.” On the theme of how jazz makes one feel, Willis says the inspiration for playing music “is definitely an organic feeling, a lot like the need to eat or drink. But developing the ability to satisfy those cravings takes time and perseverance.” Sharing this feeling and ability with his band The End, Willis remarks it is ultimately about “trust and understanding (musically speaking) between one another.”

Finally, from Willis; “I love [jazz] because I am able to express myself in a completely abstract medium. When I improvise it’s a sensation like no other; you feel completely alive and present and in the moment. There is a wonderful fleeting sense of clarity.” If the Capital Jazz Project has the capacity to offer any of us this fleeting sensation, then I say it is worthy of our fullest attention.

The Capital Jazz Project will showcase over 90 musicians in ten days, from the greats to the innovating unknown. Check http://thestreet.org.au/ for full program and ticketing details.

Fun Machine, Trendoid & Alphabet, The Brass Knuckle Brass Band, Vulpes Vulpes

 At The White Eagle Polish Club, Friday July 6

The White Eagle Polish Club in Turner has hosted quite a few Fun Machine gigs in the last year or so. Having not been to one in a while, there was something even more outstanding than usual in their performance on Friday night.

Dishevelled golden drapes framed the onslaught of talent that sequined the stage that evening. The roof sported various coloured Chinese lanterns, giving light to the hall, which gradually began to fill not just with friends and fans, but with, of course, the Polish Club’s famous Polish beers. (People will curse me for not remembering the name of said beer, I know.)

If you were one of the lucky ones who were invited to the gig on Facebook, you’ll know it was supported by the growing Canberra Musicians Club, and that it also had one of the most endearing descriptions for an event I’ve seen in a while. Addressed to ‘you’ and graced with an ‘al dente’ line-up, the menu was as follows: Vulpes Vulpes for the hors d’oeuvres, The Brass Knuckle Band as entrée, then of course Fun Machine for the main course. And dessert? Trendoid and Alphabet. Bon appetit, indeed, Fun Machine. All in all it was a charming ensemble of song and dance, each band accompanying one another effortlessly, fashioning a delicious feast of Canberra’s finest local musicians.

Bec Taylor, Chris Endrey and Ramsay Nuthall – aka Count Rackula, Dr Roktopus Rex and Eugene McHandsome (in which order, I profess, I’m actually not sure) – dressed as expected yet somehow still exceeded expectations. In short, their attire glittered and glowed alongside their warrior face paint, which seemed befitting for the launch of their latest single, Ready For The Fight. In one of their bios online you’ll find their chosen genre is ‘coloured tinfoil pop-punk that sticks like cellophane’. I can’t help but align that sentiment to the dress code of the evening. Visualising those words into costumes will suffice and probably better any description I can attempt to formulate.

Of course, I’m leaving out some of the newer additions to the band – and what incredible additions they are! With six kids on stage, it was just the sight one needs to see on a cold, wet Friday night when you’re down and out and need the pick-me-up you’ve heard Fun Machine can provide. I say that because if you haven’t heard of Fun Machine and you’ve been living in Canberra for more than a week, then I encourage thou to get out more.

Now I can’t decide whether the chant intro to Ready For The Fight is eerie or inspiring – either way, it’s damn catchy. The single itself is a redemptive anthem, especially when we trek towards the middle frontier of the song, which meets a beautiful piano crescendo with Taylor’s balletic voice, which succeeded in hypnotizing the crowd into an eclectic frenzy of excitement and, as I said, a bizarre feeling of deserved redemption.

In writing this I reflected on the first time I heard about Fun Machine. They were friends with my sister and she invited me to a gig of theirs in Sydney. I imagined a sunny day on the green, balloons somewhere perhaps, fairy floss too – just a lot of things ‘fun’ in the vicinity to which they would play. Although this image may not be spot on, fun is the ultimate vibe that defines them and their performances; the ultimate romance between a band and one single word.

MAY’S: The May Lane Street Art Project

Street Art On The Road

What you’re about to read seems only a microcosm of the ground-breaking exhibition of street art by leading Australian and international graffiti artists. Vibrant, dramatic and confronting, the May Lane work spans a range of street art styles, from New York style graffiti, spray paint and paste ups to stencils and sculpture. MAY'S: THE MAY LANE STREET ART PROJECT is a Bathurst Regional Art Gallery touring exhibition in partnership with May Lane Arts Association Inc. and is supported by Visions of Australia.

Tugi Balog, Director of the May Lane Arts Association Inc, has been documenting The May Lane Project since 2005 when he changed the face of street art history by turning the walls of his business in May Lane, St. Peter’s in Sydney, into an outdoor gallery space. “When I moved to this location – this factory – the lane was pretty trashed and wild and I found these guys who claimed the lane as their turf, painting everywhere. I knew they could probably come up with something more interesting or better. So I started to ask neighbours to give us the walls so people could paint freely.”

The exhibition is an exploration and an experience of the history and evolution of the Australian street art revolution. Held at the Belconnen Arts Centre, this exhibit pays particular homage to the May Lane Project itself. It forges a pathway between the movement and venues in order to create a dialogue surrounding street artists, street art and its position in contemporary culture. As well as the exhibition, we can all look forward to workshops and events held through a public program including an amazing Jam Session at Belconnen Skate Park on Saturday July 14.

For those of us not yet learned in the history of contemporary graffiti and street art, it dates back to the ‘60s, fashioned with the intention of depicting images of cultural importance to people of a particular region – the inner city – and their rituals and lifestyles. The works of famed street artists who left a legacy in this vain – Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kenny Scharf, plus Keith Haring – are celebrated throughout the exhibition, ultimately exposing that the fathers and sons of street art are valued independently for their visions in the movement.

With influences varying from surrealism to pop art, photorealism to manga comics and cartoons, the street art faction, like most influential artistic movements, has consequently become a global phenomenon. If you’ve travelled, even to Newtown in Sydney, you’ll know that street art exists everywhere. It’s leaked from the subway on W 47^th in New York to the tube in London and the Metro in Paris. Not to mention the liquored lanes of Tijuana and Sao Pãulo and then back onto one of Europe’s most prized facades, the Berlin Wall. Hence, the exhibition hosts works from Japan (Kenji Nakayama), Indonesia (Taring Padi Collective), USA (Chor Boogie) and Mexico (Peque). However, despite my transnational tangent, let’s not forget that an important element in this exhibition is its showcasing of works by Australian artists too.

But wait – there’s more! I was lucky enough to grab a chat with the lady behind the Belconnen Arts Centre since its inception in 2009: director Hannah Semler.

She mentioned that it is in fact the whole collection from the May Lane Project that’s making its way to Belconnen. “We’re going to try our best to showcase all of them. It’ll be a huge contrast to our current exhibition of Aboriginal artworks.”

As an ex-Sydney girl, Hannah is familiar with the inner west and the demographics that make their way onto the walls like Mr Balog’s. “It gives us an opportunity to get in contact with the young and the old to inspire them to realise, and take seriously, work that is good work and give them the opportunity to discern it. The exhibition in its own right is this primary objective. As it runs for five-and-a-half weeks, we are also giving the opportunity for local street artists to have a go and showcase their own things.”

The word graffiti comes from the Italian, ‘to inscribe’. I can’t help but notice that this sentiment is all too profound when reflecting on the nature of street artists’ intentions. Of course that’s what this is: an inscription – a dedication, an impression, a message. Like a sign that points you in a certain direction, in many ways that’s what street art is really about; pointing out a particular culture’s perfections and imperfections. Unfortunately, in contemporary society the word graffiti is often negatively stigmatised, to say the least. However as we actively build on the history of graffiti, the practice itself becomes so much more than what we know it as. It’s clearly an art. Art that can take years for one to be versed in. It also reflects multitudes of attitudes that pass us by in our everyday disciplines; greed, ambition, politics, power and love. And, of course, the odd cartoon that makes us laugh. There are many reasons I know I feel privileged to live in the nation’s capital, especially due to its “constantly astounding, incredibly prolific arts community” as former BMA editor Julia Winterflood put it. This exhibition is yet another opportunity to learn more, understand more and see more in Canberra.

MAY’S: The May Lane Street Art Project runs Friday July 6 – Saturday August 11 at Belconnen Arts Centre. The exhibition is open Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm and entry is free. Talented local artists will be artists-in-residence alongside a survey of the artworks created at May Lane in St Peters, Sydney.

Ruby Boots

Inspiring Nothing Burgundy

I chatted on the phone with Bex the founder and frontwoman of emerging nu-folk band RUBY BOOTS the other day as she strolled through the streets of Perth watching “a punch-up between two bogans about to happen.” Avoiding the chaos, she began explaining her opinion about the semantics surrounding genres for emerging bands. Like many, Ruby Boots rejects the notion of genres and their often confined limitations in the industry. Bex however admitted, “It’s cliché to say. No, we didn’t start out thinking we were of a particular label but it’s just how it happens. Quite organically. First it started off with me and the instrumentation involved. But with the way my voice sounds—which by the way is not something I can conjure up (it’s got a country twang)—it all evolved into a sound that happened naturally.”

Ruby Boots are the image of resurgence in the exceptionality that is trad-roots. Blurring norms with chain-gang chants, bluesy acoustics, honky-tonk piano and western swing chimes, not to mention the accompaniment of folk-pop and ‘alt-country’. Their line-up comprises of slide guitar, rhythm guitar, banjo, violin, bass, drums, keys and a voice ‘with the emotion and power of five decades all bottled up in two’.

With influences like The Waifs, Dolly Parton, Stevie Nicks and Bob Dylan it’s no wonder their voice—although somewhat familiar a sound—is a perfect arrangement of Joan Baez meets Laura Marling. Wise Up is definitely a favourite of mine. It’s the kind of acoustic splendor that you crave on a Sunday morning as you sit with your coffee and enjoy the new day with attempted warmth. Quite unexpectedly they are a combined source of energy, giving listeners strength through sound. The coming year is promising for Bex. She heads to America for five weeks following the commencement of her Australian tour in May, lingering in Memphis and Nashville with producers while featuring at the American Music Association Festival and Conference. Does she sport spare time? “For me spare time is just time being filled up with something else… like working on a CD.” What’s better than spending your time devoted to something you’re overwhelmingly passionate about?

For her and the rest of the team, “song writing to recording and drawing inspiration is a process permanently varied, constantly forming in different ways.” She described it as being “kind of like building a story.” I think of Ruby Boots with that same sentiment in mind now. They too are building their own story, a great one at that, an incredible read that no one should miss out on.

Ruby Boots walk all over Transit Bar Thursday May 24, 8pm, with locals The Wedded Bliss and The Ellis Collective supporting. Tickets are $9 + bf through Moshtix and the show kicks off at 5pm.

Roger Woodward

Beauty Will Save The World

Roger Woodward, world class classical pianist, on describing the frame of mind one reaches to play a century old composition in front of the world’s most seasoned critics: “Musicians train themselves from the earliest years to clear their mind of extraneous thoughts before they sing or perform as they quietly focus on centering themselves into the other world of music. The physics of this self-induced state of inner calm ignites when combined with the chemistry of a live audience, resulting in a unique sharing experience that is capable of taking the participants on an inspirational musical journey.”

Woodward has endless things to say of music and existence and the ethereal in-between. The topic of his craft he equates to a timeless romance between man and instrument. “A deep sense of loyalty is as important to the great works of art as to an instrument because these entities are not abstract but living things that resonate deeply within our being. Love of one’s instrument is as important as a compassionate view of the world and the careful nurturing of a responsible attitude to one’s fellow beings. However, this same feeling also embraces a daily routine. Practice because you want to and not because you have to. I practice every day because I would otherwise die without the life-giving essence the immortal works of art confide…  I believe Dostoyevsky was absolutely right when he reminded us ‘beauty will save the world’. As I look up into the vast starry expanse from which I came I wonder at the miracle that I can carry the melodies of Bach, Mozart, Chopin and Debussy inside me.”

It was the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, in particular, the Great Mass in B minor and St Matthew Passion that inspired Woodward’s career in classical music. “Different stages of creative growth spring to mind but a primal experience was hearing Bach organ works at the age of seven, after which there was no looking back.”

We spoke of his routine and from where the inspiration for unparalleled dedication emerges. “It’s hard to define exactly what takes place inside one’s soul except that is a place where I hear music resonating… A sense of flow guides the droplets of sound into eddies, swirling streams or torrents as the river flows… As the great pianist Arthur Rubinstein once remarked, ‘It took me a lifetime to master a handful of pieces’, and he was right.”

Woodward’s words ultimately speak for themselves, as does his sound, which in many respects are mere translations of these very thoughts. I leave you with one last insight from the master: “When I make music it is the only time my soul can soar or find the celestial repose it seeks. When I make music I feel completely free to journey beyond known worlds.”­

Roger Woodward will appear one night only at Canberra Theatre Centre, Thursday June 7, 7:30pm. Tickets are $29-$69. Call (02) 6275 2700 or visit www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au

John Butler

Bush Minstrel

Having just woken up at 7am (his time), over a broken phone connection, sitting in an airport bound for Kalgoorlie, JOHN BUTLER spoke of how one of his favourite gigs was just the other day, jamming with friends on a small stage to a very intimate atmosphere. He offered that quiet sensitivity creates, even between strangers, a sense of friendly familiarity. It’s when you speak to artists like these that you know there is something all together outstanding about them.

The trio are known famously as one of Australia’s best roots and jam bands, Butler himself known all too well in the domestic arena with his long fingernails violently strumming out some of the most intricate manoeuvres man may perform. The image accompanies that of him on stage, on a stool perhaps, eyes closed at intervals, falling in love with the peace of each moment residing there, doing what he loves best.

Despite clearly being exhausted, he enthusiastically chatted with me about his career in the music industry and described his niche for making music. “For me personally, my process is very mysterious. I don’t really understand it. Mainly the music comes first, and then the melody and rhythm come afterwards” So too is his lyrical journey off the beaten track some. “Lyrically… well that ride is really interesting. I may write a song three or four times before it feels like it’s natural. Sometimes I just mumble or talk gibberish as I’m playing. Then it evolves and I start to know what it is I’m speaking about.”

With a slight American accent he spoke passionately of his friends and of his somewhat demanding, but worthwhile career, never once wavering in a quite obviously sound positive nature. In spare time he can’t get enough of just hanging out with mates in the shed at his home. “We make things. Like knives and crafts!” He laughed. So too does he value with high esteem being with his family at the beach or at home. “Although music is my life, we always make it work so that everyone gets the best of both worlds.”

Post touring he’s heading off around Northern and North Western Australia. Through the Kimberly and somewhere in nowhere land he hopes to find some solace for the latter part of 2012.

Only starting to walk this particular path at the age of 21, Butler admitted that he felt like a late bloomer in this vast and travelled land of music. “I was in a band in ‘94 or ‘95, we were called Vitamin and we’d just hang out and experiment with sound and instruments. That’s when I knew I wanted to make music my deal.” Now more than a decade later he is certainly a seasoned traveller, having succeeded for years in new territory and surpassing many a voortrekker before him.

John Butler, playing solo and intimate, with support from Mama Kin, will play The Canberra Theatre Centre on Friday April 13. Tickets cost $50.50 and are available from the venue’s website.

The Cranberries

Back From The Dead

1989 was an eventful year. One particularly important event however stands out concerning the general psyche and rehabilitation of post-Cold War Europe. I think we all know what I’m referring to. The formation of the band ‘The Cranberry Saw Us’ – that is… THE CRANBERRIES. “It was a wacky guy that lived around the corner from us that coined ‘The Cranberry Saw Us’. We don’t know how he came up with it, but eventually everyone just started calling us The Cranberries!”

They formed as a few keen kids – Noel Hogan (guitar), Mike Hogan (bass) and Fergal Lawler (drums and percussion) plus lone vocalist, guitarist and pianist Dolores O’Riordan – from the West of Ireland.

With a combination of melodic jangle from post-Smiths guitar pop, trance worthy textures and Celtic tones, it is no wonder the successes of their ‘93 debut album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? and the ‘94 follow up No Need To Argue sold millions. By ‘96 with the addition of distorted guitars to a sonic palette they began socially critiquing in lyricism. Despite causing some controversy, they released another successful album in ’99 – Bury The Hatchet.

The reunion began at Dolores’ son’s confirmation in 2009. They were all together in the same room again after almost six years, when, after a few pints, they started to entertain the idea of ceasing their mutually agreed hiatus. Finally it was Mike who made it a priority: “Why don’t we do it? We aren’t getting any younger!”

Noel then gave me some background on their old friend and former producer, Stephen Street. He told them upfront that he wanted “to capture the way we used to be”, to “get back to what we were doing in the early days”. Noel commented, “Dolores and I are the primary songwriters, and I had been working on my own, writing with other people getting ideas for songs that I thought would work with her voice.” He assures that despite having “drifted from the roots as time went on” himself and Dolores had been collaborating for a while prior to the reunion so by the time the tour started they had already written 17 new songs, all derived from their original rock persuasion.

On that note we said farewell. I wished them the best of luck for their upcoming shows in Auckland, and assured I was looking forward to seeing them when they play in Sydney. But is it enough, to merely say hello and goodbye to a band that has played such a huge role in your heritage and your musical orientation? Maybe it’s because St Patrick’s Day just passed or because Mary Black’s Song For Ireland is playing on my iTunes, but I guess what I’m trying to say is, The Cranberries are an outstanding band sporting more than just a fleeting reunion tour. They are timeless, transcending and most of all fecking talented.

The Cranberries’ new album Roses came out on Friday February 24 and is available from all good record stores.

Big Scary

Like Wildfire

Melburnians Tom Iansek and Jo Syme of BIG SCARY are the dynamic duo everyone’s been talking about of late. Upfront the band likes everyone to know they are not, in fact, big and scary. Regardless however, I think it best for everyone to know that in a similar vein, they are overwhelmingly talented (big) and spreading like wild fire both at home and abroad (scary).

They’ve toured with The Vasco Era and Florence and the Machine – just to name a few – and are now yet again on to even bigger things. “Vasco was the time of our lives, it was our first proper national tour. Three years later we still all hang out, they are three of the funniest, most genuine friends.” Of supporting, Jo also admitted “being a support band is the best – you don’t have to worry about anything. You just get to chill and have fun and see great shows!”

The duo started back in school, having stumbled upon one another as likeminded musicians. Soon enough Tom rocked up on Jo’s doorstep one day with a guitar in hand, eager-eyed and ready for their exceptionally bright future. From there their music developed groove and melodic undercurrents, familiar ‘90s mod tones, “fuzzed out” garage rock and pastoral instrumentals – all permeated with an effortless sensitivity granting them sound reception. Although critiqued as ‘minimalist pop music’ it maintains that element of vital dexterity that proves less can almost always be more. Jo warned that their music is not necessarily consistent, they experiment a lot, and they hardly ever sport the same sound twice. This theory is all too evident for example in the sounds of Summer with its unparalleled piano intro.

If you stumble across any of their bios you’ll repeatedly find the comment “they have an endless fascination with the natural world”. So, naturally, I wondered where that ethos stemmed from. Some reviews alluded to their September 2009 album which was born out of the horrific weather that year. Though once the question was pitched, Jo waited a second and replied timidly, “We recycle?” I reassured her I wasn’t out to find their flaws and we laughed. She relaxed and thought about it a little longer. Once decided on the clarity of the question I could hear her get comfortable with the content she was describing. “Like right now, we’re down pretty southeast, there is howling winds and relentless rain, all of which accompanied by an amazing view of this enormous, glassy lake. In that way, the natural world, as a concept, it’s pretty incredible.”

Other than the natural world, Big Scary enjoy cooking and eating good food, going to gigs and watching a lot of TV. An ideal life, I say. It’s that kind of quiet simplicity that brings forth substance in a person, which was the impression I got when talking to Jo and certainly the vibe present when listening to their music.

Catch Big Scary live at Groovin The Moo at The Meadows, University of Canberra on Sunday May 13. Tickets cost $99.60 + bf and are available through Moshtix.

The Great Australian Bite Sized Circus

LITTLE PLEASURES

If you’ve ever had a chat to circus folk you’ll know it can be some of the most interesting conversation you may ever have. I began to understand this just the other day when talking to Eve, one of the four main cast members of THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN BITE SIZED CIRCUS. A circus group founded in our very own Canberra with the ethos that everyone should be able to go to the circus and share in the talent, mystic and general eclecticism that can be found when one ventures into carnival grounds. 

The shows are affordable with profits sometimes even still being returned to primary schools who host them on tour. Plus, with such a tight-knit cast, this road show spectacular must be the most charming event going around the east coast!

With degrees in performing arts and theatre, notions of movement and balance gained through dance are well spoken of and stories from Vietnam, USA and New Zealand are often frequent. What must it be like standing in front of different crowds day after day, and in new cities, exhaling at the end of a show with the animation and thrill of your performance washing over the audience? I was itching to ask her, that along with the inevitable ‘when did you decide to run away with the circus?’ She assures me, it is indeed the moments when she looks out at the audience, in particular the children, and is reminded of why she loves getting up in the morning to be a part of this. Harvesting wonder and fostering imagination of such a scale certainly has that element of je ne sais quoi.

Among other things, Eve works the trapeze and hula hoops as well as acting as the often eerie porcelain ballerina that you find in a child’s jewellery box. Her days are spent setting up the tents (a day’s works in the least), heartily preparing for shows and spending a few hours in strength conditioning before entering the arena. At times two or three shows a day are demanded of Eve and her fellow friends, with little respite before packing up and traveling on to the next town.

Then we talked more of the people you meet in this life. “Circus characters are pretty quirky, they do crazy things.” Emphasis on the crazy, she laughs. “Normal people don’t spend their time at uni on a trapeze… it’s a great life, just a lot more work I think.” So we learn the stigma associated with the circus is often too true, but Eve reminds us “you’re always moving, and there is romance involved in travelling. Travelling in a circus will always be a little bit magic.”

It is romantic, it is chaotic and it is colourful. Aren’t we altogether looking for a little bit of this in our lives? If you think you’re not, I trust Eve and her crew to prove one can never in fact get enough of it.

The Great Australian Bite Sized Circus are performing at the Kingsford Smith School oval in Belconnen on Thursday March 2. For more info and tickets visit www.bitesizedcircus.com .

Sister Jane

Going for Broke

Sister Jane, that coincidentally lovely combination of Sister Ray and Sweet Jane (Velvet Underground) are one of a few exceptionally talented ambassadors for BROKEN STONE RECORDS. A fantastic label that champions an ethos of self-production, where resources are collected and processed at the hands of the bands themselves. “It’s a very DIY production but there is such a natural community between us all.” In this way Broken Stone Records promotes an entirely new experience for upcoming artists and allows, nay, provides the opportunity to explore a musical ground where they experiment and learn on. Bravo Broken Stone Records! All this logistics talk is not necessarily the theme for the bands in the label though – Caitlin Park, Magnetic Heads, The Maple Trail – as frontman Dave of Sister Jane says, “At the end of the day it’s about making interesting music that people want to hear. We love just being able to get out there whatever way we can.”

Of going on tour the band speak of being in some kind of road movie. There are arguments and fights and kisses and make-ups as well as doting on their favourite city Melbourne. “Whenever we go to Melbourne we have an amazing time, we’re always meeting likeminded people.” Not to mention the sharing of band members from Belles Will Ring. To the common man this would appear an exceptional feat indeed, for Sister Jane though, ‘tis too easy. With the chaos of joint calendars, shows and tours, the band still maintains there is only a bright side to their arrangement. “There is such a great energy between the bands. We all feed off each other and what we are doing in the best way.”

During our conversation one of their hilarious quirks stood out from the rest: the comparing of any album they hear to Neil Young’s On the Beach. “It’s just true rock and roll, without sounding too wanky. The comments started off pretty seriously, but now we just do it as a joke like… ‘yeah, that a good solo but it’s nothing really compared to On the Beach’,” he laughs. As a devout Neil Young fan I couldn’t have agreed more. Otherwise they refer to blues, hard rock, girly rock and a bit of this and that from the ‘80s and ‘90s when composing their own sound.

For them it’s not just how you write a song it’s also how you produce it. That’s where Broken Stone Records come in. “We are always looking at older techniques and using aged equipment mixed with current technology.” With this dialogue we got to talking about particular sounds from LPs. “Sometimes we just sit for hours listening to LPs and EPs, scrutinising every echo, every string and husky intonation from a voice.” So, it’s pretty obvious isn’t it? While organising gigs and relentlessly researching production techniques, this young band are successfully navigating their way through a minefield of nu folk entertainment and rising high above the norm.

Sister Jane will play live at The Street Theatre on Friday February 17 as part of the Broken Stone Records Showcase. Tickets are $10 and are available from the venue’s website.

Salmonella Dub

ONE DUB

Cake. That is the word SALMONELLA DUB would use to describe their essence as a group. “Extreme chocolate with King Island cream and vanilla bean ice cream served by a hot waitress at a beach side café overlooking a beautiful sunset.” Enough said? You’d think so, but there is so much more to this group of original dubsters.

It’s been nearly 20 years for Salmonella Dub, sharing with the world their craft of this elite trade. They have conquered crowds from here to Europe, earning a role as one of the most disarming and captivating live acts in the world. It all began in Christchurch for this Kiwi collective where their original music scene was thriving. When they started they were loyal members of the reggae, dub, hip-hop persuasion, a trend that fitted with their “groove based philosophy”. Soon they ventured into their own progression of drum and bass, “which we dived into quite happily. It’s all an enjoyable journey of discovery.” They played at parties and friends’ venues and everyone mixed it up by jamming in each others’ bands. It’s hard to believe that once upon a time “we were juvenile delinquents waiting for the weekend.” Now one of the headliners at Peats Ridge Festival and Pyramid Rock Festival for New Year’s Eve, at heart they are still those teenage chillers who, in between chaos, just love a good surf, fish, beer and lyric.

Despite having played all over the joint, there are never any favourites. “Everywhere is friggin’ amazing, people have been awesome and we have really enjoyed every place we have played.” It’s clear they love their audiences as much as they do each other and the music. “Our audiences are awesome; there is an ambience that exists between us that locks us into some kind of crazy trance together.”

Salmonella Dub could have taken a big hit when they lost Tiki Taane a few years ago, but channelled the focus instead into their sound to create more dub and electronic elements. However, their main feats are still the seismic bass and drumming of Dave Deakins who takes on the vocals now too. Combined with guitarist Andrew Penman and multi-instrumentalist Pete Wood, the group leads audiences into a dark forest of relentless funk, dub detonations, house and even horns. They frequent lulls in the middle of their progressions as well, allowing a surge in their finale tracks for a lil’ dance floor thriller. Ultimately they are an incredible synthesis of textured liquid dub with exotic drops of reggae. Their live act offers an ephemeral image, a feeling of being on beach; standing alone with Pacific grooves filling the space around you. It’s raga, its dancehall, it’s classic reggae instrumentals, jungle, soul croon and hip-hop electronica, fusing to hook an infectious beat that can bring an audience up, and help bring them back down.

Catch Salmonella Dub live at the Summer Rhythm Festival, held at Goolabri Resort between Friday-Sunday December 9-11. Tickets cost $65.30-$102 (+ bf) and are available through Oztix.

Dubmarine

MELLOW DUBMARINE

Having an awfully busy past 12 months, there still remains no end in sight for legendary reggae-dub fusion outfit DUBMARINE. Just returned from their hit tour in Europe with shows in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and the Czech Republic, the group only have one weekend off from here until January. Reassuring though that time taken off is a luxury they intend to skip for the sanctity of their studio. With the new year however comes a new hope for some them time, they laugh. Coined as “Australia’s high-powered, high energy dub and dancehall sub bass vessel”, Dubmarine were nominated for a Deadly award in the Best Band of 2010 category and a Q Song award.

It’s no surprise then that their latest album Depth of Sound reminds us of their many gems in a vast collection of hidden treasures. Depth of Sound brings forth the group’s staple bass-driven foundations, trombone and synth explosions as well as their soulful trip-hop combinations. The EP is compromised of three studio and three live tracks and is an imaginative experimental collaboration contrasting up-beat hip-hop bass with velvety reggae vibes. The tracks also feature classic dub and dancehall with sentimental emphasis on their riddims – the drum and bass components of the melody. Using their twin trombone blasts and lead vocal gymnastics of Indigenous rockstar and Darumbal man D-Kazman, who captains their team, they harvest the “sound and fury of electronic music live, in all of its bass crunching, rhythm pounding, hip shaking fiendish glory. All played by musicians, all real.” Emphasis on the real.

When it comes to influences they say it’s mostly just “where they’ve come from musically. From gypsy swing bands, to New Orleans second line brass bands, some of the guys have reggae backgrounds, others electronic backgrounds, or some simply favour the basic drums, bass and dub.” Basically they are a fantastic melting pot of genres, admitting that there are even some unashamed Michael Jackson fans in the crew. “We’re a bunch of mixed bags, but I mean you can find good music in every genre and it’s healthy for musicians to experiment and mix. People are seriously mixing their music these days!”

They’ve coloured in the map of the world travelling in recent years and ultimately they conclude, “anywhere where there’s a new crowd and a good exchange with a crowd is a place we love.” In fact it is the travel itself that makes touring for them not just their career but their lifestyle. “No travelling musician makes any money these days,” they laugh, “so it’s places like Cairns, Alice and New Caledonia” that remind them it’s the little things that mean the most. “It’s the moments when you’re touring, like when you’re bleary-eyed, walking around Newtown, drinkin’ some kind of juice that gets you thinking about music and its ability to connect as a common language for people everywhere.”

If you’ve ever been to one of their shows or have read reviews, you’ll know that their reception sits high above any normal standard. Mostly you’ll find descriptions in awe of the feeling and atmosphere that is created when they perform. As though a vibe itself has manifested amongst the audience, contributing and connecting to the rhythms and flow of their music. In response to this they preach that their ultimate aim is to merely entertain. “People just want to see your band and have a good time, so we’re keen to give them what they want. We know what we like as musicians and we like to represent that… it’s about genuinely respecting the audience and their wish to have a good time.”

Dubmarine believe in adhering to the dogma of strict musical integrity which bonds them to the audiences, but as always what it comes down to is the satisfaction of having a bunch of talented people “getting up there, nailing it and being generous to their audience.” Anything on a CD is just a glimpse of the full capacity of Dubmarine; their music is the kind that fits best on stage, especially when necessitating the aesthetics of their productions which involve two trombonists, two percussionists, guitars, synths and attractive vocalists. It’s the kind of music that translates a fluid energy, and when given the opportunity their frontman transcends verses and evolves it all into exotic Jamaican hip-hop movements.

This Brisbane tribe is made up of some serious original roots; D-Kazman (rhymes and melody), Cat Walker (vocals), Joel Alexander (keyboards/vocals), Paul Donehue (percussion/samples), Jeremie Nagabbo (guitar/vocals), Wayne Katz (drums), Nick Torpy (trombone) and Mikael Strand (trombone). Together they guide listeners into a progressive groove of rhythmic tones and grind elements signposting the ultimate sound that defines Dubmarine.

Their album explores many territories of genre beyond the norm, including crunk, ambient and minimal, orchestrating a full and vibrant sonic soundscape. Sound the Alarm – a signature tagline for them – is definitely a warning to be heard; these are not beats for the fainthearted.

It is impossible to synthesise the music with a description like, say, Billy Mystic meets The Cat Empire, because they are the best deal – a colourful and delicious blend of all our favourite fruits. They act as a conduit for the booming trip-hop scene in Brisbane and in greater Australia.

They’re always keen to meet people they’ve never met before, so if you happen to see them, go and say hi; they’re the type of crew that won’t say bye.

Catch Dubmarine live at the Summer Rhythm Festival, held at Goolabri Resort between Friday-Sunday December 9-11. Tickets cost $65.30-$102 (+ bf) and are available through Oztix.

Lior

Lior Attar, known simply as the artist LIOR, was born in Israel before moving to Sydney with his family at the age of ten. By the age of 12 he was thoroughly immersed in the study of classical guitar as well as writing and composing his own songs. As a result, his soulful arrangements are infused with tones collected from his Middle Eastern Jewish heritage that accompany a vast vocal range. Piercing eyes and an Israeli complexion compliment a voice that guides listeners into an understanding of the simpler, more peaceful side of acoustic harmonizing.

With children the age of five and seven, other than gigging and vibing the “weird and interesting stuff” of his hometown Melbourne, Lior lends his spare time to them, to music, writing and touring. Of being on tour he loves “the fusion of travel and music. Performing accelerates the travel experience because you’re moving around and having a wonderful time.”

In his upcoming tour Lior is encouraging fans to pre-request songs for him to cover, a fun feat that is said to be quite a crowd pleaser. You can request songs on his website lior.com.au or on his facebook page. Covers such as Up on the Roof by Carole King and even Bon Jovi’s Living On a Prayer have been winning crowds over left, right and centre stage. However, his aim to genuinely engage with the audience does not only take the form of song, it is the stories that accompany them which are equally entertaining. In fact, his tales are being requested as much as the covers. His music reflects this gift of storytelling, which is obvious when you listen and truly indulge in what he brings to the song – warm, rich and charismatic imagery.

According to Lior, “to be a good songwriter, you have to be partially obsessive with writing… The challenge is finding inspiration. You can go five whole days and not be able to write a word, or sit for 15 minutes and write an amazing song. Being a songwriter changes your whole notion of what being productive means, good songwriters understand that. Time spent actively seeking inspiration, listening to music or getting knowledge for yourself is still part of the process and it takes time.” Ironically the most incongruous of moments inspire this seasoned musician. His songwriting depends on bursts of responses to creative stimuli as much as it does on ‘musical methodology’. Perhaps that is his secret to his talent, finding beauty where it might not normally be found.

Lior will be gracing the stage at The Street Theatre on Thursday October 22, with The Blue Ruins supporting. Tickets are available through thestreet.org.au for $42 presale, or else $47 at the door.

Cloud Control

Masters of the Wind

Despite a struggle with phone numbers, a bad connection and time differences, chatting to Cloud Control really just felt like chatting to good friends overseas. Friends you haven’t talked to in a while who just wanted to let you know about something funny that was happening in the room. Our conversation began with them describing the awful hotel they were hitched up in – “it’s so bad, there’s like frost on the inside of the window, and the wallpaper is peeling off…” they laughed over loudspeaker. It was early in the morning and while bombarded with phone interviews the band were still up for a chat and particularly up for exploiting their fellow musician Jeremy who was caught up in some kind of a bathroom kafuffle. All I know is there was laughter, some shouts of “don’t write that!” a lot of “sorry, what were we saying?” followed by more commentary to make sure no one was left out of any goings on in their dingy dwelling somewhere in the Netherlands. 

Cloud Control have tamed the circus that is the festival track during the summer after performing at Falls Festival and Laneway. Yet by no means do they consider themselves famous or worthy, even still getting surprised when their shows sell out at home and abroad. However, with their Ivy League seal of approval and their track record having any say in it, there should be no surprise at all – the band have been nominated for every award from the ARIAs to the J Award, taking out Best Album, Best Live Act and Best Video at the SMAC (Sydney Music Arts and Culture) awards and cleaning up at the AIR awards.

Fame has brought them across seas to the foreign unknown where they often miss their hometown the Blue Mountains. Being as much a family as a band though, they get through. When asked what they loved most about being on tour, frontman Alister Wright responded, “We love each other.” Quickly followed was a mumble, “not in a weird way or anything…”. Of their favourite gigs one that springs to mind was one they performed in Amsterdam, in the beginning when it all began. “We’d never been to Amsterdam before, the room was full, and people were crowd surfing! It was so incredible.” He adds, “Spending time on the road away from the people you love can be really hard. But it’s so worth it when you perform in front of a crowd and you realise there are people who actually like your music!”

And what fine music it is! Their debut album Bliss Release has enough force to bring peace to the galaxy. The harmonies featured throughout are some of the best going around the nu folk scene. A tangible bass line and the quasi-African rhythms that accompany the melodies augment a fresh sound that rises above the noise of mass folk-pop artists. The startlingly well-blended voices of Wright and Heidi Lenffer are disarming to say the least, harvesting an organic, pastoral, summery vibe throughout. Reviews consistently set the band apart from their contemporaries on the opinion that it is their vocal adrenalin – a blend of The Mamas and the Papas and Fleetwood Mac – which produces charming three and four part harmonies to swoon and sigh over, alongside the coos and woos of Death Cloud and Just for Now.

A whirlpool of crashing guitars and ethereal vocals set against the amicable rhythm bring insight into how the title of the album premeditates the listener’s encounter with bliss. A triumph of the folk psychedelia you might find in The Byrds as well as the lulling harmonies of the Fleet Foxes. The result? A cool ascent into the clouds themselves where control may be in fact long gone.

Meditation Song #2 (Why, Oh Why) is like a pregnant flame that bursts into life, while This Is What I Said has been tagged as the best track in the pack, with its David Byrne-esque verses and haunting chorus. In addition, keyboardist Heidi Lenffer’s vocals in the closing of Beast Of Love offer colour and safety to the ordered chaos of their orchestrations. Then, there’s Gold Canary. Undeservingly cast aside some after drowning in attention upon release, it transcends criticism with a revival of tribal intonations and pure, creative integrity. There have been comments suggesting they maintain safety in the current trend approved formula, however when you listen closely enough it is clear there is no method or automatic rhythm to Cloud Control’s madness.

So, what on earth do they do in their spare time? “We watch lots of TV shows... a lot of 30 Rock, have you seen it? It’s so good! And also X-Files!” If you’re wondering whether the music featured in the latter show is of any inspiration to them… it is. They expressed so with pride. When it comes to songwriting it’s a matter of “sharing ideas, which can be really interesting because we all have such different ideas and opinions about things.” Every song is different, and the conception of each song comes from a unique source, one that they all hold with great sentimentality.

Cloud Control are definitely “soul collectors” of some kind, a sure fire hazard. And “There’s nothin’ in the water”, well maybe not in ours, but surely there’s somethin’ in theirs, because they are too fine a breed to be cast among us minions.

Cloud Control will be crooning to audiences at the Mission To Launch Festival on New Year’s Eve, Saturday December 31, at Weston Park. Gates open at 3pm, and tickets are available through Ticketek from $110.

Funkoars

FUNKING OARSOME

Adelaide’s born and raised The Funkoars are not only enthusiastic about sci-fi, sneaking into gigs when you’re young and experimenting with frank lyricism; they are an undeniably sincere group of talented artists whose critique of life around them has rightfully entitled them to the label of Australian hip-hop veterans.

Despite headlining a string of sold out shows and blowing away the festival circuit, the ‘Oars (MCs Trials, Sesta and Hons with DJ Reflux) are taken with Canberra’s very own Transit Bar. The intimate venue has proven one of their favourite gigs yet; that and the bellowing Canberra crowd which boasts a cult of Australian hip-hop support.

When it comes to negative criticism regarding their lyrics the group shrug and comment, “The biggest problem that people have with the lyrics is that if they have a problem, it’s their problem.” Mostly The ‘Oars are just glad people are tuning into their tunes! And amen to that!

On the same note of their satirical lyrical brilliance, Trials admits their writing process is sometimes a bit of a hot mess. “It’s complete madness; we take our notes to the studio and write stupid songs about stuff, completely ambiguous stuff with bizarre and different interpretations.”

When the group hangs out, other than watching random YouTube videos, they let the producers at the Golden Era label teach them some life lessons. “They know us and nurture us, they’ve taught us how to put tunes down as well as teaching us to be responsible human beings.” They could not speak more highly of those talented three. “Working with Hilltop Hoods and the crowd was even more fun this time round.” Whether or not they all agree on common thoughts, they can all agree on the absurdity of say, the word ‘quickening’– and yes that was how the title of their latest album The Quickening, which comes out Friday September 16, was conceived.

Trials admits in his youth the hip-hop scene was not at all his niche; it wasn’t until the early ‘90s that the connection was tied. Since then he and the group have come a long way, cultivating a truly unique sound that is an awesome combination of the talents of all four ‘Oars. The first single from The Quickening, Where I Am features filthy guitars, rowdy drums and a bass line that has been described as illegitimate by the boys themselves, but still is as crucial to the track as DJ Reflux’s turntable is to their history.

This fourth album brings the signature ‘Oars sound to new heights and allows them to continue to boast their veteran passion for the Australian hip-hop genre.

Some advice – lock up your daughters and hide anything breakable, but keep your eyes and ears open because The Funkoars are fierce and they want to be heard!

The Funkoars will be hitting up Canberra on Saturday September 24, to play Zierholz at the UC. Tickets are through uclive.com.au, for $29.65.

Boy And Bear

BOYS, BANJOS, BEARS

I interviewed Dave Hosking from Boy And Bear on my birthday and his advice for entering my 20s was both hilariously honest and a reflection of what an awesome, down to earth guy he really is –“Be irresponsible. Make a lot of bad choices, because you’re so young and that’s what you’re supposed to do. Before you get to 24 and become paranoid of getting old like me!”

Working with producer Joe Chiccarelli (My Morning Jacket, The Shins, The Strokes) was a huge eye opener for the band. “It’s important to be constantly learning and Joe is an amazing engineer. At times even when they’ll pitch for something that you’re not keen on, ultimately you know what you’re getting yourself into and it’s always worth it.”

The boys got to writing Moonfire all last year, at home and abroad, finally winding up recording in far away Nashville. After a non-stop schedule the band are looking forward to winding down at the end of the year.

Frontman Hosking is the primary songwriter of the band, constructing the bones of the songs, to which the rest come together and rearrange, change or keep. “It is this type of writing process that brings the songs to life,” says Hosking. Drawn with influences from Neil Young and Bob Dylan, a lot of the craft that came out of the ‘60s and ‘70s are their inspiration as well as contemporaries Mumford & Sons and Fleet Foxes. “I’ve always had one foot in music like Arcade Fire, Dear Hunter and The National and the other in a different place.” Ultimately it’s the artists who offer them common inspiration, “from a lyrical perspective I really just like colloquial expressions, and not music that shows off.”

Boy and Bear struggled with labels this time around, hoping to avoid the ‘nu folk’ tag as well as trying to balance an inevitable seat in similar genres. Dave gets concerned that bios and the press restrict taste and don’t allow them to just be. “Obviously no matter what, a bunch of guys singing harmonies with a banjo puts you in a box. The imagery is there,” he laughs. However Moonfire comes from a place where Hosking is sure they can’t be type casted. Willing himself not to listen to his favourite music while writing, it paid off. “I feel more content with this album, it’s born more out of the depths of myself.”

The banjo that graciously features throughout Moonfire renders it a majestic accompaniment to an otherwise already flawless album, as well as the dreamy vocals of Hosking that charm and lull all listeners into a blissful state of harmony alongside Killian Gavin (vocals/guitars), Tim Hart (drums/vocals/guitars), Jake Tarasenko (vocals/bass) and Jon Hart (vocals/keys/mandolin) who complete the vibe. Growing quickly from an unearthed gem to a handsome harvest of sound, what is left to say? They are a band of beautiful boys with a tremendous ‘tude and exceptional talent.

Boy and Bear are playing Foreshore Festival on Saturday November 26. Third release tickets are $119.95 + bf, and are available through foreshorefestival.com.au .

Josh Pyke

SONGBIRDS AND SUCCESS

“If the only path is the path with heart then I lucked into a good head start.” Josh Pyke certainly did. These lyrics from track Good Head Start on his new album Only Sparrows, which comes out Friday August 19, are a poignant reminder of how accurate Pyke’s musical intuition truly is. 

The album name is paraphrased from Clovis’ Sons, a haunting melody in itself. This perspective check becomes a recurring theme throughout Only Sparrows, reflecting Josh’s renewed enthusiasm in songwriting and life in general. His lyrical genius is inspired, creative and honest, drawing charisma from all corners of the arts.

Akin to the likes of Elliot Smith and Nick Drake, Josh laughs, “I’m flattered to be compared with such talent! Even though both dudes topped themselves.” For him, The Shins and Augie March were significant influences in his songwriting career, as he took solace in the knowledge that “you can have interesting lyrics in the indie-pop genre!”

Something that would be conventional for other bands became quite a daunting task for Josh. Normally having a “tight reign” on the music production of his works, this time he chose to relinquish some of that control. “It was a huge letting go for me, and very confronting at times.” Although a skeptic at first, Josh triumphed over adversity with his intention of “adding something unique and interesting to every track”. Songs such as Love Lies, which features a harp accompaniment, prove how Josh can navigate around words and chords as easily as he breaths and smiles behind that wise ginger beard.

After his year long sabbatical Josh wrote some of the last songs when idle in New York for a few weeks, tying together the last strings of his streams of consciousness.  The pace of the album is slightly slower, rendering it all the more poetic. His soulful lyricism and melancholy voice (all the more familiar with the echo of his accent) evoke a definitive shift from his previous records. Although somewhat more morbid, with symbols of ghosts and mortality, Josh reassures “it’s more in relation to the notion of legacy, and how much we have to live for. Which is so relevant to me now, becoming a father.” It was in the evolution of the album, that the collection of songs became a bit darker and which suited the enhanced tone and texture of the album.

“No one likes a puzzle too easy to solve.” That may the beauty about Josh Pyke – he is a strikingly beautiful enigma continuing to grace and awe us with his enduring depth and talent.

Only Sparrows is out now through Ivy League. Josh will be playing Stonefest on Saturday October 29. Pre-sale tickets are on sale now from frontiertouring.com or general on sale from Friday August 19 through Ticketek.

THE PANICS

Rain on the Humming Wire is the latest, most resplendent album from Western Australian band THE PANICS. Their fourth album, which came out Friday July 29, is a soulful composition of the band’s time away from home and how their lonely hunter hearts dealt with oceans of separation. “Underneath the elegant pop-rock tracks are modern hymns for a generation, anthems of rash joy and quiet heartbreak.”

The title of the album comes from the track Creatures which was written one of those times when frontman and songwriter Jae Laffer found himself thinking of his childhood, of love stories and of his hometown. Ultimately all tracks link up with a retrospective angle that harp back to their youth, says Laffer. “The title was always with us from the beginning.” And certainly there is no more a poetic title that resonates all too poignantly throughout the entirety of an album.

Each song depicts a new chapter in the story of their lives creating a recurring nostalgic theme in their work. Written in Salford, England and recorded in Woodstock, New York, all five members of the band – Jae (vocals, piano, guitar), Drew Wootton (guitar), Myles Wootton (drums), Paul Otway (bass, vocals) and Jules Douglas (keyboards, guitar, vocals) tell heart-warming stories of their travels, particularly of when they spent a month isolated in the woods in upstate New York. “You take this simple life you have, then you uproot and go overseas, and you go through all these amazing experiences. You have your relationships tested, people fall in and out of love… It’s a mad kind of ride, but the fun bit is trying to put it into words and make something beautiful out of wherever you are at the time.”

Since their last album Cruel Guards Laffer indulges in the idiosyncrasies of minor experiences in his songwriting. For him, sometimes the best lyricism is merely odes to “a feeling, an overheard conversation or whatever is tugging at the heartstrings.” Laffer started playing piano at the age of five, a talent and passion of his that has transcended time. The band tells of a fond memory in New York when everyone was gathered around Jae as he played a vintage piano in a handsome, sun-drenched timber room. Such memories are the life force of The Panics’ sweeping lyrical anthems. The first track Majesty “with its rolling thunder timpani and jangling, jingoistic guitars” is a testament to that which Jae decrees.

The band is journeying to Splendour in the Grass to awe their fans once more following with some later year tour dates around the country. If there were a line to describe the sweetness, the fortitude for dedication to poetic composure and musical harmonising of The Panics it would surely be Rain on the Humming Wire. Laffer says “it’s not hard in this band to learn” and in the same vein it is not hard in this album to love.

Rain on the Humming Wire was released on Friday July 29. It’s available now through all good record stores.

JAZZ, BLUES AND JUJU

Despite many reviews and critics placing MOJO JUJU on par with leads from the jazz age, she humbly denies any such acquaintances. Instead she honours the heroics of the blues era and admits that what she’s attempting to create is a derivative of that same frontier. When I asked her if she really thinks we are on the front of a new jazz age, she lyrically and articulately provided her opinion. “Blues is now simply reinterpreted. It’s being done in a contemporary fashion, taking the essence of jazz and blues, not necessarily in a purist sense, and generating the atmosphere that people love the most.  It’s about wanting to create something that moves people.”

Although now embarking on a solo music project, an entity that draws inspiration from film noir and Latin American Pachuco culture of the ‘30s and ‘40s, Juju talked briefly and fondly of the festival experience with her Merchant friends who are basically family. Performing at Woodford and Bluesfest with the Snake Oil Merchants taught her “a lot about how to collaborate, compromise and trust other people with your creations”.  For her the “songwriting and creative process…happens alone. Songwriting is such an intimate process, so to hand it over to others to scrutinise can be daunting”.

The singer-songwriter grew up on jazz as a kid, saying she rediscovered her roots and her jazz soul after straying from it in her teens. “For me, jazz is what speaks to me more than anything else.” So coupled with a passion for Twin Peaks and Harlem in 1934, Juju’s craft in the genre is certainly well refined.

The album name, A Horse Named Regret, tells an incredible tale about a man who bets his life savings on a horse named Regret, only to win, and then lose it all to the vultures of life’s enigma. In the end, the only thing he is left with is the story of how he won a fortune on a horse named Regret. Juju’s aptness for heartbreaking honesty and lyrical prowess would place her comfortably in the company of vocalists like Billie Holiday, Etta James and Bessie Smith. So too could she hold her own at a poker table with eccentrics like Cab Calloway and Jay Hawkins. A testimony to her incredible charisma and fortitude for jazz music is only too recognisable in her incredible songs. Expect a gin house cavalcade that will tell romantic stories with morals, that have nothing to do with virtue, about lost and confused souls and indifferent lovers.

A Horse Named Regret has been hailed as “A fine and soulful album full of drama, vocal precision and musical variety”, which is what we have all come to learn is the characteristic mystery of Mojo Juju.

Mojo Juju will be causing many a swoon on Thursday July 28, when she plays Transit Bar. Tickets are $13.10 through Moshtix.

David Hicks

David Hicks in conversation with Donna Mulhearn

Sydney Writers Festival, Sunday May 22

On Sunday May 22 at the Sydney Writers’ Festival, after an intense hour in conversation with Donna Mulhearn, David Hicks awed an audience of 900, receiving him a well-deserved standing ovation.

This was his first public appearance since the publication of his memoir, in fact since his detention in Guantanamo Bay. Mulhearn, a pacifist best known for her plight in Iraq acting as a human shield, guided him with ease through what wasn’t an easy task. Despite her mispronunciation of the prison’s location as ‘Guantamano’ she navigated the sensitive topics respectfully. The audience, as sombre as they come, also offered Hicks their undivided attention and empathy, which encouraged Hicks in what wasn’t an easy task for him either.

Mulhearn commenced the conversation comically by saying she was about to ask the question at the forefront of everybody’s mind: was it true that he had been invited by Channel 7 to appear in Dancing With the Stars? Yes, he said, it was true. Generally throughout however, the vibe was fuelled with raw emotion - shame, rage, pity and pathos.

Hicks mentioned at the beginning that during the years of being kept incommunicado he lost the ability to articulate his thoughts properly, resulting in anxiety and stress – this being a major factor as to why he hasn’t appeared publicly since his release. Describing his detention lightly, he only briefly referred to being “punched”, “kicked” and “spat on”, whilst skirting around painful descriptions of seeing holes in fellow detainees’ legs from electrocution and hearing the haunting screams of others being tortured. He spoke almost always in a monotone, but managed to humbly admit he was “annoyed” by the way the press had bought into the lies and distortions created about him. In truth, Hicks has never been convicted by a legitimate court for breaking any U.S. or Australian laws. Also, he never received any compensation, explanation or apology from either government. The press too received his memoir with almost total silence.

Ultimately Hicks states, “There is a strong call for justice, humanity and for our brothers and sister elsewhere.” He passionately described the sufferings of the people of Kosovo as they were told to him during his time in the KLA, also reminding us that people are still being killed in Kashmir. “This shouldn’t be about me,” Hicks said in a poignant plea for recognition on a national frontier. “This is about something that happened to an Australian citizen.”

The Writers’ Festival was fuelled by lovely weather, contentious topics, and crowded café’s, however the highlight was surely that after eight and half years the public was privileged enough to see David Hicks finally able to just talk. I can't advocate enough the injustice of his incarceration and the absurd inhumanity he was subjected to. Get involved. Get the truth. Read the book - Guantanamo. Find out more at www.thejusticecampaign.org .

Wagons

ON THE BAND WAGON

Catching up with Henry Wagons was probably the coolest thing I got to do all autumn. Wagons, the lead of WAGONS, is playfully charismatic, laid back and in sneaky possession of a well crafted sense of humour. Everyone should be happy to know that Canberra boasts his favourite hot chips (in Australia!) too. “I think it’s somewhere in the mall, from Kingsley’s. Post-2am however, Chicken Gourmet. Mmm.”

His overwhelming talent comes part in parcel with what inspires him most - food. Indeed when I asked him what it was that gave him the enthusiasm and passion to write and create music he wasted no time in exclaiming, “Food!” It provides him the “energy and nourishment” needed to be a musician. Plus for each and every town the music brings him to, there is always some new cuisine he is keen to try. If you end up in Melbourne one cold day, Wagons recommends moseying to Hells Kitchen to indulge in his drummer’s famous soup. “It’s the best in the city!”

Their new album Rumble, Shake and Tumble channels the unique mysticism of the Wild West through Henry’s ragged vocals and the band’s seasoned ensemble.

Lyrical filtering of their influences, from early “Rod Stewart's fanclub” to “Cormac McCarthy’s final chapters” (specifically The Border Trilogy), is executed beautifully throughout. Wagons may be a sultry synthesis of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds together with the growl and aggression of Tex Perkins and of course the winning lyricism of Johnny Cash, which lulls even the faint hearted into a dark abyss. The seeds of the band’s imagination stem from “Elvis Presley and Tom Jones across to outlaw acts like Willie Nelson,” he says. Such love for Willie Nelson resonates memorably in their tribute song; “sometimes I listen to Elvis, sometimes I listen to Cash, sometimes I listen to Waylon, but it all leads back to the one and only…Willie Nelson!” My personal favourite is Marylou, a bluesy homage to the southern girl that haunts many a folksy musician.

They have blown away hipster ‘burbs like the Bowery in NYC and whipped audiences into frenzies in Vancouver, however Wagons says it was “trips up to the North West of America,” that offered the loveliest memories. It reminded him of his hometown Melbourne with a “vibrant music scene and vibrant enthusiastic people.” Added to his list of favourite tours were a festival in Ho Chi Minh City (where he was able to “absolutely OD” on his favourite food) and a short stint in Quindanning WA, a true gem in his eyes. Ultimately, of the opportunity to visit new places and perform in front of new crowds Wagons says, “this might sound cheesy, but there’s something really romantic about it.”

Wagons will be blowing minds left, right and centre on Thursday June 23, at Transit Bar. Tickets are $10 through Moshtix, and doors open at 8pm sharp!

Bar At Buena Vista

HAVANA NIGHTS

On a blissful night in Havana, smoking Cuban cigars and drinking some of the world’s finest rum, an idea was born for international award-winning theatre creator/writer/director, Toby Gough. Despite having worked with musical legends like Pavarotti and Bono, Gough admitted it is undoubtedly the cast of THE BAR AT BUENA VISTA, his latest production, which has influenced and inspired him the most. Working with these incredibly talented grandfathers of Cuban music is like “walking with giants” he says. “You learn the secrets from the original masters.”

This remarkable tribute pays homage to the unique vitality of downtown Havana with heated salsa and rhythms of exotic jazz infused with Cuban folk music. The celebrated cast is lead by the majestic vocals of Reynaldo Creagh, the 94-year-old singer who is one of Cuba’s last remaining legends, alongside 86-year-old Maracaibo, the “multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire,” and 85-year-old piano master, Maestro “Hands of Gold” Rubalcaba from the acclaimed Afro-Cuban All Stars.

From satirising Madonna’s adoption scandal in Malawi, to being smuggled into Sarajevo through a sewer tunnel, Toby Gough has literally “risked his life for art,” says ABC radio host Richard Fidler. Gough declares, “The arts gives people a lifeline...it gives people a voice for expressing who they are.”

For him, theatre and the arts send a “message for people who have dreams, not to give up hope, and to never believe that the flowers of your life have passed you by.” It’s about “celebrating in the moment” and “descarga” – an expression of the inner self through improvisation. As such, he maintains that The Bar at Buena Vista, as well as being a source of passion and romance, is also about the history and the intoxicating people and culture of Cuba.

His other Cuban shows include Lady Salsa, Hemingway’s Havana, Havana Rumba! and Miami Libre. As well as works such as Mercy Madonna of Malawi, The African Julius Caesar, and Dr.Livingstone I presume?, which toured East and Central Africa. At the Edinburgh Festival, he directs a world music theatre venue, The World at St.Georges West, in collaboration with Brian Cox and Peter Gabriel, which won the Spirit Of The Festival award in 2008. Gough once traced his father’s ancestry to merchant seaman off the coast of Malacca. Now, in the same vain he coins himself as “following in that tradition, of pursuing beauty on the high seas.”

Indeed his productions serve as a testament to the many beautiful shores that he’s happened upon.

At The Bar at Buena Vista, we’re expected to smile, laugh and dance to sensational Cuban beats, but most of all we’re expected to have a glorious night with new and old friends at a local bar in Havana.

The Bar at Buena Vista is showing at The Canberra Theatre on Friday June 10 and Saturday June 11. Tickets and pricing information are available through www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au .