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One Night for the Sunshine State

2011-02-07T17:38:00.001-08:00

Hey all. This blog is pretty much dead hey. Too much hard work.

Once you start getting referenced by Spoz in Rip It Up it just becomes too much to handle.

The reason I'm updating is that this weekend I'm organising this show.

Come out and support a good cause!

Also check out updates for my new project Divorcees by clicking here.

Gareth Liddiard - 'The Radicalisation of D' from Strange Tourist

2010-11-18T03:01:00.000-08:00

My iPhone broke, so I've been listening a lot to Triple J recently - and i'm depressed. Despite a couple of notable exceptions (John Steel Singers and kyu in particular) it's a pretty sad Oz Music Month. All carbon copies off previous years trends that seem to be recycled same old bullshit (Boy and Bear rehash english twee folk thing that's going around like pig flu, the only Adelaide band highlighted for Next Crop was The Salvadors for christ sake - all power to them). Art vs. Science are the missing link between the ape and the microkorg, it's so bad I secretly yearn for another Presets single.

This is hands down the best song off the best album of 2010, if you can find this song - download it. That's all.

A young boy busts his dad's Hills Hoist, using it as a swing
Kills a magpie in the backyard with a homemade ging
Steals chlorine from the neighbour's swimming pool
Puts it in a coffee jar and pours brake fluid in
Makes a pipe bomb using match heads, and it fizzles when he runs
Tries again using the powder from the shells of his
Old man's shotgun
It hisses like a feral cat he's seen,
slithers like the snake he killed
Leaves a scorch mark on the pavement,
And he's badly beaten for it
Finds a Playboy on the way to school,
Tries remembering his Mum
Throws rocks at a girl he likes, and he's sent
Home before lunch
Finds a King Kong doll beneath a bush,
Probably some rich kid's
But it roars ants when he shakes it,
So he drops it in a bin
Later on dinner time comes,
He puts tinned beans on white Tip Top
Halves it with his fingers,
Shares it with the dog
Jumps a cyclone fence to the sound
Of his old man fucking through the evening
Finds a severed kangaroo hind leg
Just laying in a clearing
There's a tendon or a tapeworm
That retracts after a kick
Finds a new stink that nearly makes him puke
When he pokes it with a stick
Meets a friend near there,
They go to see his house just down the road
The sister lets them in,
Then goes back upstairs in a bathrobe
He sees a Phillis have full of hair clippings,
In a bathroom, near a bra
They find some car keys,
Go outside and search a V8 car
And there's a Beta tape in a brown paper bag,
Hid under a seat,
Hit play on the VCR machine
And start to hear flute music
Now there's two girls on a farm somewhere,
Playing with a labrador
Which rolls onto its back, like it has
Been through this before and
It's the last time D hears flute music,
The last time he thinks about girls
He sneaks home about 10 o'clock
Gets inside using the dog door

Channel 7 gets the scoop again,
There's a man gone crazy
He stole an APC from the army base
And closed down half the city
D's been expelled from school and he's quite happy
Staying in bed
He keeps track of all the updates,
Surfing networks instead
This tank arrives at police HQ about 8am
It makes pancakes out of 5 or 6 patrol cars and then
Runs out of diesel near a Castrol service station
And there's a standoff
Then he's teargassed and
Not heard of again
D's father dies of cancer the next Christmas day
He's so hopped up on morphine that he
Can't get straight
He says "Be proud of me my boy,
Well I am finally off the fags
Since they caught me upstairs
Smoking on the helipad"
They cut the tumor off his liver
But he died without it
Seems like no one gets to choose
What they can't live without
It don't matter about money,
When there ain't no way around
You are living in a nightmare
You can't bribe your way out of

D finds a one room flat
That overlooks an underpass
He works part time as a labourer and it's ok
Though it's hard
Then some black kid steals his concession card
And beats him 'round the head
Next time D sees an army surplus store he steals a bayonet
Then one day the bus to work
Knocks down the kid that held him up
He dies laying in the street,
The driver don't make too much fuss
He smokes a ciggie with the cops,
The ambulance is running late
And something inside D finds all this very, very strange
Soon after that the work dries up
And D starts drinking hard
Starts drinking cheap cask wine with old black fellas
Living in the park
One has a tattoo of a swastika made with a candle,
Soap and spoons
Says he's half caste and that full bloods prefer
Petrol over goon
Says he was brought up on a mission,
Then became a Viet Vet
Ain't got a single tooth to chew
So D gives him a bayonet
He has white scars between his knuckles,
Or what's left of them and says
"See I'm white too,I just cannot drink inside the way you like to"

Five years later D meets Werner at the rifle range
Werner's granddad was SS,
So now he goes by the nickname
Werner the Jew Burner and young D become so tight
They start going bush in his Landcruiser,
Living on roos they shoot spotlighting
They get a year's lease on a duplex,
Werner finds D some work as
An unlicensed forklift driver in a fish market for cash
He's got pictures of Adolf Hitler,
Antique copies of Mein Kampf
But D thinks Hitler's obsolete
And Werner's practice too relaxed
But Werner finished high school
And studied engineering
D never did finish school
And Werner breaks the news that evening
The RAAF say they accept his application
To be trained to work on Hercules' 2000 miles away
He leaves tomorrow for NSW
And throws a party
Late that night
They get to drinking and they're talking
Then they argue then they fight
D comes to bleeding in his bedroom
Begging Werner not to go
But Werner's full weight's on his back now
And he's face down in a pillow

D wakes up late next afternoon,
But Werner is long gone
D goes to find his .22
But there ain't no shells at all
He finds 5 valiums in a Winfield pack
In a duffel bag in the hall
Then sits in front of the TV screen, washes it all down with a bottle

Cliff has a beautiful wife
He's insured for his life
It is autumn here in Brooklyn,
In obstetrics, labour pain
And though his roots here are in slavery
Cliff is dressed himself by slaves
Credits rise like you're collapsing, so bewilderingly fast
Seems the Cosbys of the world all go to bed 11 sharp
The rest of you have a choice of late night news
And more commercials
Yeah Just Do It, Have A Break, yes
Life Is Good,
Because You're Worthless
Maybe She Was Born With It,
And maybe you were too
Seems that one way or the other,
There is nothing you can do
You can only go as far as denying
You haven't come anywhere
Forget Charles Darwin's namesake
Is surrounded with black hair
You are depressed now but need only take this pill
To ban despair
If East Timor can't be middle class,
It can't really be there
You are driving the Jeep Cherokee,
Burning Arabs for fuel
But you are driving the Jeep Cherokee
And that's good enough for you
You are living among taxpayers
Who welcome brown folks with a moat
Conducting policy with the one free hand
While the other's round their throats
You are living in a land besieged
By what the world might think or know
But with its head so deep in Turkish sand
This can't really be so
You are living in a nightmare,
Let them Balkanize the East
No one says a word these days,
They turn the other cheek
You are living in a nightmare
You can't trust a ceasefire bid
And any wall they build around Gaza
Will be begging for a lid
You are living in a nightmare
You can't bribe a want of doubt
You are living in a nightmare
You can't bribe your way out of

But now we interrupt this broadcast
To bring you breaking news
There is a building in Manhattan
And it's burning.

Quiet Pop Smear

2010-10-26T21:53:00.000-07:00

Here's the thing. I'm a bit of an asshole. I'd like to think the lovable kind. The kind of guy who gets so obnoxiously drunk you know he's going to do or say something stupid and everyone will laugh and then sigh. That's our dear Ruteger. Well that's all good and well. But when it comes to people being protective of their bands it's not so much. It's like an unspoken rule (perhaps a fear) of criticism that really shits me the most about local music. If it's a turd, you can't cover it in cornflakes and honey and call it something else. Because we all have to take a bite eventually.

I had wise words once spoken to me by my high school mentor when I was studying for my teaching diploma once. I'd used a song by Midnight Oil that I loved to talk about social inequality in Australia and it had failed miserably. He said, "Don't give the bastards anything, they'll destroy everything you love." Perhaps that's true (and without any reasoning, worthless) but I like the idea of putting music under the microscope. I was the type of kid (read: loner) in high school that when I got that first Jebediah album was scouring the production details on the inlay of the CD for any further insight into the band; their personalities, their songwriting craft. I'm pretty sure my mum worried about me in those formative years of adolescence. She probably still does now.

There are a group of bands in Adelaide that align themselves under the "boutique" indie label called Quiet Pop, but who I like to refer to as "boredom-core". It's not knocking the people that have gotten involved in putting these group of bands on the same bill and venue every night (*ahem* Metro), that would be unfair. It's just that you really want to give them a Crowded House album (not the last two - ugh) and say "This good sir is what you need to sound like. Because right now you sound like a wet fart." Subtly can be a bad thing too as well guys, and unfortunately self-promotion requires some form of achievement to go with it.

So to all the older hamstrung lovers (Matt Reiner, Ambush Marketing and the Self Preservation Whatever), picking up guitars, dabbling in live art (Oh. Dear.) and thinking that they could positively get away with writing a song or two heed these words: find a thesaurus. Don't use that word "grope" in any other context other than a poor sexual advance. Try something else.

Our Husband (...back from self censorship)

2010-10-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

Wow. I haven't written anything in a real long time. Never got the old computer fixed, but I've also been spending a fair few weekends away touring with Dappled Cities and F!SR,F!

Although this is a little off topic, everyone should check out Melbourne's Love Connection. Great live band. Like a more organic version of Parades, and they actually look like they're having a good time. Don't go see Red Ink however, who have too much of a good time though basking in the glory of their own reflections in the mirror. Their pre gig warm frightens and fascinates me. I'm sure they'll be huge.

Spent a little bit of time with The Seabellies yesterday, and they're stand up gentlemen (and lady). Recounted silly stories, had a nice breakfast (thanks C-Duff) and got them hooked on Tim & Eric.

One song I haven't been able to take off repeat is 'Villages', a song from local duo Our Husband. Fronted by Nathaniel Morse (of Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire!) and Freya Amis (formerly of Bing Goes To Monaco), it's a sparse little track that has a surprisingly good production value given it's bedroom recording and a good hook. There are some pretty apparent cliff notes being used here (Grizzly Bear, Whitest Boy Alive) but it works well. The dynamic might be tested with future recordings (and the presence live of a full band) but it's definitely worth checking out.

Matt Banham is currently on his national solo tour of Self Destruction and apparently it's going very well. He'll be playing the Jade Monkey in the next month or so with locals Sarah Chadwick (of Batrider), Ellen Carey and Karl Melvin.

Dud Pills got into a little trouble on their last jaunt with Friends to Melbourne. Just goes to prove people from Melbourne have no fun.

City Riots are on tour with Smashing Pumpkins. Last we heard of them, Billy Corgan was double teaming Bindi Irwin to the sound of babies crying. Which would have been better viewing than this film clip again.

It's been a month or so since No Through Road unofficially went on ice. Gigs seem a lot less enjoyable now.

Night Hag are awesome. Check them out if you can... and I'm done for another month.

Our Husband - 'Villages' / JJJ Unearthed download

Todd Sibbin & The Opposite Ends 'Lies, Lies, Lies' Video

2010-09-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

Is there something I'm missing about this? This sounds like music you'd marry your sister to.

Like Leaves - Interview

2010-08-18T22:35:00.000-07:00

The guys from Like Leaves quite possibly have to be the warmest and most genuine local musos I've ever had the pleasure to meet. I don't say this lightly - I see a lot of people who often put up with the superficial front of paying lip service to them by bands. Many of these are people are only solely involved in the shameless self-promotion. Many of these people are assholes of the worst calibre. There ain't any sincerity, or passion - ya understand? Like Leaves deserve all the trimmings that come with success; but they're just that little bit too left of centre (supporting bands and individuals as diverse as Tame Impala and Damo Suzuki) for overall acceptance. Writing this now, I'm not sure if they'll ever be more than our little secret. But that's kinda awesome too. The psychedelic rock parallels to W&C are undeniable sonically, but LL haven't sold themselves down the river just yet.

One of those extraordinary gents to I spoke was Like Leaves' Ryan Manolakis about the future of the group, an M.I.A Mr. Wednesday album and some particularly insane multitasking.

Name: Ryan Manolakis

Role: drumwhore

Record out: Released- Mr. Wednesday ‘In The Garden Where Parties Grow’, The Mandala Project split EP w/ Full blood Commandos, Cookie Baker ‘Gala Day’, Spine ‘The Sound Before The Symbol’. Upcoming- Like Leaves debut full length is due around November/December and Mr. Wednesday’s second album ‘So Happy Yet So Out Of Breath’ will be digitally released before the year is out.

On repeat: The Beatles ‘Rain’, need I say more?

Anything else we should be into: I bought an electric blanket for my bed recently, no regrets.

Best song you’ve got: ‘Mercy Sound’. A Like Leaves song with Juliet on lead vocals, I love the way it goes from this minimal folk guitar tune and builds into this groove heavy chaotic psych jam. It is a very fun song to play on my part because of all the dynamic changes.

Ryan, you're known around town as a talented drummer who has played in a variety of experimental, post-rock and folk influenced outfits. Are you the first guy people go to in the phonebook? It's an impressive work load.

Drumming is something that I can never get enough of. I’m always looking for something different to do whether it’s a new drumming style/technique or playing for an act that is thriving to step out of the box. I teach drums 2 days a week and on the other 5 days I play music. I am first guy to go to in the phonebook? Yes, if I was Mitch Mitchell but I’m not.

You were a pivotal part of Mr. Wednesday (and the previous collective known as the Mandala Project). How did the creative process differ from that to your current band, Like Leaves?

All 3 bands have a completely different approach to the way they go about creating music. The Mandala Project was a band that would just completely improvise whenever we played together, so the nature of the music would come out according to the moods that we were in at the time. It was always exciting going to a Mandala gig because you would never know how it was going to fold out. I recall one gig where a member of the band did a percussion solo with an angle grinder on a steel stool frame. The whole front row the audience instantly cleared out because they were getting hit in the face by the sparks flying towards them.

Mr. Wednesday was (or is) a concept band that would create sounds according to the story they were telling. An example of the bands inspiration was Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’. So every note that was played was to enhance the mood that we were creating. Our lead singer Moon would write a lot poems, lyrics and scripts and would present them to the rest of the band and it would be up to the rest of the band to create the soundtrack. On some rare occasions the process was reversed.

Like Leaves has always been a process of sharing different musical ideas and working on them together as a band. On some occasions a member might have a whole arrangement prepared or the band would get together just to jam and sometimes ideas will form from those jams. Our tracks tend to have a set structure with areas to improvise within. To get back into the section will consist of either a member initiating a sound to mould into the next part or it’s the token wide-eyed musician’s nod.

Like Leaves brings together a collection of very like minded musicians. How did you all begin working together; and what was the aim?

I met Dan [Varricchio -vocalist/guitarist] 5 years ago at a Mr. Wednesday show and from there we started to jam together once every few months over 2 years. We then agreed that a 3rd member was evident and that’s when Pat [Saracino - vocalist/guitarist/bassist] came in and from there the musical ideas started to come out. The other 3 members of the band live under the same roof and Juliet [Hunter - violinist/vocalist] was usually home at the time of our practices as a 3 piece. There was one rehearsal where we were working on a song called ‘Falling For A Fleeting Moment’ and Dan felt that the track needed some female vocals and as they say the rest is history. Juliet joining was the band’s icing on the cake. From the beginning we all just wanted to do something musically that we hadn’t done before.

When is the debut Like Leaves album coming out? It seems like it's been forever.

Yes this is very true. The recording process has taken much longer than expected unfortunately with obstructions coming from all directions but now things are moving along nicely. The album will be mixed and mastered before the month is out and will be due to be released around October/November. I’m itching for people to hear it. It's sounding incredible already.

You've played with (and supported) a variety of artists. Who is in your personal opinion the most compelling and favourite band you've played with, and who would you like to work/play with in the future?

When Bjork was last in the country back in early 2008 Like Leaves supported her drummer Chris Corsano who played a solo show the night before the BDO. Chris is deemed as one of the best free-jazz/experimental drummers in the world and at the time I wasn’t very familiar with his work and just assumed that it was just going to be slugging drum fest. By the time his set was over every member of audience was completely in awe. Working with someone like Chris or a musician in a similar ball park would blow my mind. I guess I can dream the dream.

Like Leaves have a strong relationship with another Adelaide export, Wolf & Cub. Brothers in arms, or mutual appreciation of each others music?

Both. Our former bands (Artax Mission, Headress Of Neon Flames and Mr. Wednesday) had a lot of association with Wolf & Cub back in the earlier days. Also Dan, Pat and Juliet have been within Wolf & Cub’s circle of friends since the beginning. As for myself, I was a usual gig attendee who would get upset if I miss out on a show of theirs. When it comes down to it both Like Leaves and Wolf & Cub are inspired by similar music and that what brings the two bands together.

We were talking the other night about the future of intelligent music in the face of mediocrity. Do you think that more and more local bands try to 'dumb it down' to get that all important Transmission gig?

Yes definitely, the market for it is huge so therefore there are lots of opportunities for success. I know musician friends who have had little to no success with their ‘serious’ bands and then decide to start an indie/dance/electro project just for laughs and to be put on high rotation Triple J within weeks.

You gig around the traps all the time.Tell us about a local band that deserve more recognition than they're currently getting.

I would have to say Diplomat. They have been around for years and are still one of the hardest rocking bands in Adelaide. It shocks me they haven’t got more attention.

What's up next for Like Leaves?

An album release before the year is out followed by some interstate touring. A possible 12” vinyl pressing and depending on how things go, some overseas travels (fingers crossed).

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Curse O The Black Dog?

2010-08-08T18:31:00.000-07:00

Staring at the computer screen, I feel like Charlie Kaufmann in Spike Jonze's movie 'Adaptation'. Constantly revising and turning over inane fragments of subject matter. Kinda depressing

I didn't go out and see any bands this weekend, I went to a party. People there were having a good time. It was fun. On the Sunday, I rearranged my sock drawer, got the feng shui in my bedroom right and attempted to suffocate myself with my new fabric softened sheets I got from target for a bargain lemme tell you what...

If you think I should write about a band, your best mates band, Hell even YOUR band (or in any instance, something you think that will pull me out of these mid winter blues), e-mail me.

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The Crying Game 'The Unguarded Moment' (Live)

2010-08-01T17:35:00.000-07:00

Came out so well I thought i'd share it with you all.

Credit to Spoz.

The Witch

2010-08-01T17:17:00.000-07:00

It becomes pretty easy to rag on the local talent after a while. It's a universal human trait that no one is spared from. Aristotle wrote of it in his collection of musings on the human condition in Politics. He wrote that "Periander advised Thrasybulus by cutting the tops of the tallest ears of corn, meaning that he must always put out of the way the citizens who overtop the rest.". Tall poppy syndrome or the politics of envy are apparent in Adelaide at least; and in no small part on this blog and others.

So how do we overcome the whipper-snipper of the gang mentality that pervades the local music scene? Can we look at music created by our peers objectively?

Last night I played with a relatively newish band called the Witch. Previously known as Diesel Witch, they hadn't been a band I was particularly interested in seeing. I'd been taken in by the word of mouth, that the band was a one trick pony. Garage surf rock. Apparently they'd changed the name after too many Johnny Diesel and the Injectors references.

When I did stop to watch them I found them to be pretty enjoyable. Granted one singer was better than the other, they played for about forty five minutes too long and they were a little sloppy (but who wasn't?) but they showed the best qualities in a relatively new band. They were legitimately playing a style of music that most bands only posture to. There was a naivety to it, they were doing something they quiet obviously loved and they made no allusions that it was something it wasn't.

Also they smoked out Spoz (and half the room) with their smoke machine; limiting photos and generally causing people to start hyperventilating - so that was pretty boss I guess.

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'Forbidden Purple City' / JJJ Unearthed download

The Witch support Van Cleef at The Crown and Anchor on Friday, August 27th.

Alpen: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Watch Paint Dry

2010-07-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

Alpen probably don't deserve to be hated. They're probably good, honest, hard-working; Generation Y uni grads who rock harder than they ever could remember before. They feel self-confidence like the refrain of a Stereophonics penned song long forgotten, they've worked the pub scene hard trying to make their little mark on the world.

But somewhere along the line, everything turns to musical beige. The guitar tones are muted - "Add another effects pedal!", the chorus of eager band mates cry. "How do we talk to people about our influences when where not even sure what we want to sound like?" - "The Mars Volta!" the band exclaims.

The riffs are watered down to the point of being bong water, but it's cool - we've got elements of psychedelica, that will stop the nay-sayers. While all is fair in love and self-promotion, Alpen remind me at best of those bands who rode the wave after a major band redefined rock and roll. For every Pink Floyd there were a dozen versions of Yes and Genesis. Nirvana and Pearl Jam; were aped, imitated and plagiarised into oblivion by hapless naive teenagers looking for solace in a cruel and unforgiving world. (There is irony in the previous statement.)

Alpen are a strange proposition, singer Chris Bateman's voice sounds oddly like Paul McCartney gargling curdled milk. The band, whilst having some okayish ideas, sound like they're being played on a record player at half speed, never quite gaining that momentum they so desperately crave.

It's interesting that Alpen would choose to list a myriad of 70's stoner rock as their influences, as they sound like a patchwork of different rehashed sketches and frustrations borne out of a difficult songwriting process.

At worst, they're a young version of a 'weekend warriors'; dads who come to rock out, drink beer and reclaim past glories. On the plus side if you like Stone Temple Pilots you're gonna love this.

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'Kissing Virgin Midnight' / JJJ Unearthed download

The self-titled 'Alpen' EP can be ordered online by clicking here.

Coerce 'Silver Tongued Life Licker' Video

2010-07-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

Here's a creepy little video for your Tuesday morning, the first single off Coerce's amazing debut 'Silver Tongued Life Licker'. Like something out of the surrealist vision of Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, a kid runs round a forest escaping a giant silver tongued creature. Mike Deslandes gets his pendulum on. Kinda reminds me of Tool for some reason (but in a good way). The clip was directed by Nima Nabili Rad & Daniel Principe (responsible for Delta's 'The Lines') with assistance from Aaron Schuppan (Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire!'s 'Little Cowboys, Bad Hombres' film clip).

Check it out.

Coerce support A Death In The Family with Daybreak on Saturday August 21st at The Arthouse in Melbourne.

Coerce's debut album 'Silver Tongued Life Licker' is out now on CD/Vinyl and iTunes through Capitalgames.

Collarbones - Interview

2010-07-26T03:32:00.000-07:00

Collarbones is the collaborative musical project of Travis Cook (Cyst Impaled) and Marcus Whale (also known for his experimental music work under the pseudonym Scissor Lock). Having met Travis a couple of years ago when I used to put on all ages gigs at Urtext, I was interested to find out that the online project he'd been working on for the last couple of years had recently come to fruition with some pretty compelling results.

Steph Hughes from Triple J had this to say about 'Beaman Park', "You guys can do no wrong right now. Captivating production. High-quality, sparse noise collages." She's not half wrong either.

I spoke to Travis about the trials and tribulations of collaborating over the Internet, their partnership with Two Bright Lakes and Pitchfork love.

Name: Travis Cook

Role: Laptop straddler, audiovisual slut, warlock

Record out: 'Beaman Park' single, followed by another single in the not too distant future. Our debut album 'Iconography' is due in April of 2011.

On repeat: 'Round and Round' by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti. Marcus was in Adelaide recently and we both couldn't rinse it out of our brains.

Anything else we should be into: The new Todd Solondz film, Life During Wartime. [I highly recommend this also! - Matt]

Best song you’ve got: We're both quite fond of 'Don Juan', the opener of our upcoming album. It was nicely collaborative and sounds surprisingly mammoth.

Tell us about the Collarbones project - fame and (hopefully later on) fortune have seemingly been thrust upon you in recent months, but you've been working with Marcus [Whale - collaborator] for a little while, isn't that right?

Collarbones is a suicide cult disguised as a "trans-state collaboration". We believe Planet Earth is about to be recycled and you must leave with us on the back of a comet to survive. We first started collaborating in late 2007, occasionally circulating songs over the Internet and independent radio. We played our first show in July 2009, supporting the Los Angeles post-rock band Signal Hill in Sydney.

Things really seemed to explode early this year, after unexpectedly receiving a Soundclash grant from the Australia Council for the Arts. It made Collarbones seem more legitimate to me. Shit got serious, as the kids say. Shit will only get more serious if you don't escape Earth on the back of a comet.

What is the creative process like, given that interstate long distance relationship you have? Can it be wrought with loneliness and despair?

The phrase "wrought with loneliness" makes it seem painful and emotional. We often spend our intermittent time in person connected to our computers. I suppose we have to be comfortable with technology being a huge part of what we do. It's inseparable. Advances in Internet speed have made sending files back and forth a lot easier. We tend to act like "creative consultants" for one another, altering things and suggesting things. The dynamic is quite strange, we've gotten to know each other very well via the inhuman medium of instant messaging.

You've recently received blog love from afar and at home, and have been brought to the attention of Remote Control imprint Two Bright Lakes (Otouto, Kid Sam, Seagull, Psuche). They plan to release your album early next year. Is it still surprising to see how far you've come in such a short space of time?

I'm still coming to terms with the fact that this is a "band". Even so, it does feel somewhat natural given that this is a product of the Internet. The blogging chain reaction that led to Pitchfork posting about us was hard for us to keep up with. We've been receiving steady radio play, which was just as unexpected.

We're both fans of the Two Bright Lakes roster and are excited to be working with them. I'm baffled and excited by it all, who knows what the future holds?

'Beaman Park' is the single that will lead off the record, how would you describe your own music best to people who hadn't heard glitch pop before? Who are some your favourite artists?

Collarbones is what it sounds like when you stick a second-hand Rihanna CD into your stereo and it skips every now and again. You're not sure whether you like it or not.

I have musical ADHD. It's difficult for me to not sound like a wanker answering questions like this. Experimentalists like Jon Rose sit alongside 90s chart pop in my iTunes. I listen to as much Yiddish music or high life as I do Toro y Moi or Memoryhouse. Genesis P-Orridge is a singular entity in music, s/he confuses, disgusts and inspires me in equal portions. I'm fascinated.

Listening to the early 'Waiting for Ghosts' EP, you sample Bjork's 'Vespertine' to the point that it's unrecognisable. If given the opportunity, which famous artist would you like to work with?

This question was the hardest to answer. If given the opportunity, I would work with unfathomable amounts of famous artists. I would ejaculate everywhere if I could work with Flying Lotus, Janelle Monae, Mark E. Smith, Gwen Stefani, Scott Walker or Bradford Cox.

There seems to be a dearth of computer aided musicians in Adelaide, you're very much an anomaly when put alongside many of the beer swilling rock and roll bands. Do you think that these producers are too self conscious to play live?

It's possible that a lot of the people who work profusely with computers in their music are too self-conscious to play live. That's not the case with us, I try to make a point of mocking myself. We dance to r&b once our live shows conclude. I flash people my nipples. It's the way to be.
Our music isn't particularly Adelaidian or even Australian sounding. Being internationally focused is inherent to being an "Internet collaboration", and I like it that way.

I do wish more Adelaide producers played live often, though. We can't solely subsist on DJ sets, guys.

Finally, are you working on presenting your music in a live format more often? I attempted to book a show for you guys (to no success, damn liquor licensing) but it fell through at the 11th hour.

We sure are! We're playing with Otouto in Sydney in August and have a number of surprising opportunities up our sleeve. An Australian tour is happening later in the year, and I'm looking forward to playing in Adelaide more often. Being split between two states is both a blessing and a curse when it comes to things like this.

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Collarbones - 'Beaman Park' / JJJ Unearthed download

Collarbones support Otouto at Melt Bar in Sydney on Friday, August 13th.

R.I.P The Waterslides

2010-07-24T10:19:00.001-07:00

So I guess this is old news slightly... but I don't think many people have heard it from the band themselves so I can dish the dirt.

The Waterslides. Pushing up the daisies. Won't be playing together anytime soon.

People who like rave caves and sounds and colours are pretty bummed out right about now. You can listen to some of the songs from their never to be released album 'Julie's Dumplings' by checking out their myspace here.

The Beards

2010-07-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

from How to Make a Joke: 5 steps wikiHow:

1. Be certain of this - a joke isn't a joke if it's not funny. When making your own up make sure to test it out on a friend or relative before going to other people with your joke. This can save you the grief of having the person just stare at you with a blank face.

"Listen guys, we've been writing jokes since we were at uni... we think we're pretty spot on now. Remember when we were a two piece called Average and we wrote that song about a grapefruit? Or monkeys going crazy in the supermarket? Those were some pretty funny times at Uni. We followed it through with the Dairy Brothers and while we had that giant milk carton as a mascot, the jokes wore a little thin after a while. So we need a new idea, something funny and irrelevant."

2. Listen to what others are saying that is funny. When you are just starting and trying to make your own joke, listen to a few others to get an idea about what yours is going to be. Don't just rip off the joke and tell it to someone else. They could already have heard it so they won't be as receptive to the joke.

"Beards are kinda funny right? Everyone loves making jokes about men's beards. Old men's beards, shitty beards, interesting beards, mums with beards, hell even how sad guys without beards are. If we get a little more serious about it, hype up the novelty a little bit more we might have a hit. Shit, we could even be on Rove! Let us now be known as... The Beards."

3. String a few things together. Some jokes involve a lot of irony, some are the basic "your momma" jokes. And some are the jokes that require a lot of talking.

"Hmm, few song title ideas guys... "If You're Dad Doesn't Have a Beard, You've Got Two Mums"... "A Wizard Needs a Beard"... "No Beard, No Good"... "It Only Takes a Fortnight"... Make sure the emphasis is only beards. You'll ruin it if you make it serious."

4. Keep it simple and short. Talking about one joke for about three minutes to explain will bore your audience. Remember that the best jokes aren't always the smartest jokes.

"Hmm. We might have a problem later down the track here guys. Some asshole called Matt Hayward might write a blog about us, implying sarcastically that a joke about a beard isn't funny! He has a beard, but it's got bits of blonde in it and kinda sucks. It's cool though, people who enjoy JOKES will like it. He just doesn't have a sense of humour anymore, ever since The Waterslides got popular."

5. Don't overdo a joke over and over always plan to tell a few jokes of your own then come back to one later.

"People come to shows to enjoy themselves. They wanna laugh, listen to the jokes and go home. You can't over do a beard joke, just like you can't over do a dick and fart joke. People will buy the CDs and come to the shows because they like to be a part of something and share something funny with people. They won't necessarily listen to us all the time, because lets face it, songs about beards tend to blur into one another after a while. But we'll be okay. Hayward will come round."

However the website does warn those preparing to tell a joke:

Jokes are only funny once. Don't repeat jokes, even if you think someone wasn't listening, as this can lessen their effect. Most likely, someone else will tell them what the joke was.

THEY'LL ALL COME ROUND EVENTUALLY.

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The Beards - 'If Your Dad Doesn’t Have A Beard, You’ve Got Two Mums' / JJJ Unearthed download

The Beards play Governor Hindmarsh for the World Beard Day (sheesh...obviously) on Saturday, September 4th.

Spine 'Lonely You' Video

2010-07-20T06:04:00.000-07:00

Spine are one of those delicate folk pop groups that have emerged from Adelaide in recent months that sound like dinner party music in a rich affluent suburb. To say that these three musicians aren't accomplished (or quite talented) in their playing would be unfair; after all they are classically trained. But they do bask in that mediocre territory littered by quite bigger MOR corpses of past and present, with Angus and Julia Stone and George being the main offenders.

Now - before you sharpen the knives, don't get me wrong. I don't mind nice music. I learnt to love Joanna Newsom based on an ex-girlfriend who once broke my CD player playing 'The Milk-Eyed Mender' endlessly on repeat. There is just a thin line that needs to be cautiously inspected between moving and bland, inoffensive singer-songwriter nonsense. Less doe-eyed poetic wonder, more self-effacing interesting pop. Megan Washington is an example of an artist who initially began her career with jazz and has now experimented with pop to greater success.

Only time will tell for the oddly named three piece. For now, the new single from their debut EP 'Sound Before the Symbol'.

Spine launch their debut EP 'Sound Before the Symbol' with Chris Pickering and Cookie Baker and Her Special Secret Spells at the Promethean (116 Grote Street, City) on Sunday July 25th. Doors early at 3pm.

Um...

2010-07-17T03:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys. I've been on holidays from work the last couple of weeks - so this hasn't been my boredom cure.

Had some good times, had some very silly times - seen some great bands.

The Nation Blue. Still fucking amazing.

Here are some amusing little annoying memes that i've been making. Only been defriended once!

Animal House

2010-07-07T05:55:00.000-07:00

Epic photo by Erick Watson

Tucked away in West Hindmarsh, a stones throw from the River Torrens; is a fairly nondescript warehouse. On a chilly Sunday night, people emerge from the shadows looking fairly eager to see what the final night of tour for the American bands Graf Orlock and Dangers with Coerce and Robotosaurus would have in store.

Animal House is our answer to Sydney's Maggotsville; a communal off the grid venue which sees vegan BBQ go hand in hand with some of the best of Australia's touring underground hardcore and experimental punk acts. The converted warehouse itself is a vibrant display of colour and creativity; the graffiti of the artists that reside at Animal House lends to its carefree and DIY aesthetic. The place is obviously invite only with a nod and a wink; but would never see any kind of violence other than the "positive masculine aggression" that goes with any hardcore circle pit.

Sex Wizard killed it. Featuring members of Jungle Fever, A Secret Death and Robotosaurus, SX\VZD outshone the ragged (and decidedly preachy) Dangers. Two drum kits, luchadore masks and repetitive stoner riffs big enough to tear down the mattresses insulating the building. Look forward to seeing these guys support Extortion on their national tour.

The overall feeling to Dangers set? Bittersweet. At the end of a long tour the band tore through its set at a breakneck pace, punctuated by overwrought and impassioned speeches by their lead singer Al Brown. I understand the sentiment and the message. Individualism, not giving a fuck, social justice etc. Preaching to the converted perhaps.

Does anyone ever feel the contradiction of hardcore bands preaching peace, love and understanding and then enabling their predominantly male audience members to go into a frenzy of pushing and shoving?

To answer the question, the guy who got my beer in his face which was kicked from my hand was not happy.

The throng of audience members pushed closer to see hometown heroes Coerce. A disappointing lack of a proper P.A the previous night at the German Club left me desperately hoping that they were deliver the goods on the night. Coerce delivered a blistering set highlighted by 'Dunamis', a track off their latest split with brothers in arms Robotosaurus. If their brand of post-hardcore wasn't for some, they definitely earnt some fans tonight. Or the kid pestering me about J-Bond's drumming I later crushed in the pandemonium that surrounded the Roboto set thought so.

After missing Graf Orlock (cigarettes were to be smoked in excess), Robotosaurus tore the place apart. Literally. Led by the intoxicated antics of frontman Isaac Rayson, the band played a selection of tracks from 'Manhater' and their latest split with Coerce. 'User' and 'End of the Line' capture Robotosaurus in excess, the nihilism and spirit of punk rock which should have been the template for others in full chaotic flight.

The set ended in destruction, of course. Slightly drunk and with unfulfilled promises of further excess in town I wisely head home. Animal House, you lived up to your reputation.

Thanks to No Patience for the good times.

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PVT

2010-06-30T21:51:00.000-07:00

PVT (formerly known as Pivot) are one of the truly enjoyable finds of last year and were a true highlight of the 2009 Laneway festival run, so much so that I was incredibly disappointed when they pulled out of their most recent Adelaide show at Rocket Bar.

Their latest single 'Window', off of their upcoming release 'Church With No Magic' has the potential to blow them up. Their previous album 'O Soundtrack My Heart' was an incredible dose of intricate pop electronica which made them so exciting to watch live. 'Window' features keyboardist / guitarist Richard Pike singing for the majority of the track; it's a menacing yet majestic song that really kicks into overdrive with a series of polyrhythms any kraut rock fan would enjoy. It's kinda like if Animal Collective and Battles playing a game of Russian roulette where everybody wins. Or robots fucking. Whatever turns you on the most.

And in three minutes and two seconds its all over. Incredible song from a terribly anticipated album.

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PVT 'Church With No Magic' comes out in August 2010.

We Grow Up 'Goodness Gracious' Video

2010-06-24T15:38:00.000-07:00

I got a facebook message from Walter Marsh late last night dropping me the link to folk-pop quartet We Grow Up's new video for their song Goodness Gracious. [full disclosure: Walter is IN We Grow Up, he's the young affable lead guitarist] The film clip is this, quirky zine store girl drops her doll off the back of her bike whilst riding in the forest. I can tell she's a quirky zine store girl because of her polka dot dress and the fact she's probably graceful enough to ride a bike in a forest after a night on the piss at Format however... I digress. She's faceless, but scary enough not to approach because she has a doll with her. The doll wanders through the forest, interspersed with shots of the band playing nonchalantly. Cut to a close up of lead singer Johnathan Mortimer, now there's a face a mother could love. All whimsy, tugging on yer heartstrings.

So the doll wanders along still and I'm trying hard to find the words to reply to Walter, who's waiting patiently on facebook chat for my response. He knows I'm a bit of a dick, but it's unfair to lie to him. It's not that I dislike the film clip; it's kinda like those promotional videos bands would do on Countdown instead of showing their film clip (giving the illusion of the band playing live on the show), it's just that nothing reeeally happens. Jon sings to the trees, everyone looks like they've been given morphine for breakfast and the film fades out and ends with the doll watching the band. Patiently. That's a little creepy I guess, a voyeur doll. Lacks a bit of plot. But all is forgiven. It's hardly the dross i've seen in the last couple of weeks.

What IS kinda great about the song (and a lot of what We Grow Up do) is the quality of the songwriting. We Grow Up comes across as all the golden parts of Crowded House, New Pornographers and a little bit of Sufjan Stevens. There's been thought placed into the harmony, the timing of the song. It bubbles along and never takes itself too seriously. Perhaps I've been listening to way too much of the Church lately, but so much music these days seems to be too consumed in its own woe and despair, it's nice to hear something so earnest. I'm sure these guys will continue to make quaint summery pop -- and there's nothing wrong with that.

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Home for the Def - Interview

2010-06-22T02:54:00.000-07:00

There isn't much more I can say about Nigel Koop, the enigmatic, endearing and rather strange local musician who goes under the name Home for the Def without giving it away. His live performances make him a local musical icon, from baiting audience members to some very confronting intimate solo performances. One recent gig, he decided to play a set in dedication to the children's TV show Pugwall. Other gigs, he has abused audience members, himself and one occasion disemboweled a child's teddy bear.

I spoke in length via phone text with Nigel about conspiracy theories, organised religion and his mobile payment plan.

Name: Nigel Koop

Role: Spiritual leader, Church of the Def

Record out: 'Comfortably Dumb' (due out July 2010)

On repeat: 'Cooler than Ekke' by Jack Parrow.

Anything else we should be into: Investigate Martin Bryant.

Best song you've got: 'How Are You Going?'

Nigel, I really don't know where to start. Perhaps with the big questions... what is the biggest lie perpetrated against the human race and what are some of your thoughts?

The biggest lie perpetrated on the human race might be the concept of individual religions. Not in any anti-God way per se, but that each of the gods are not all the same. I'd rather believe that Earth is actually just a leper colony for some advanced race elsewhere in the galaxy and we're all basically the retarded, barbaric offspring of this advanced species who more or less hid us in a closet out of embarrassment. This would explain why there's been lots of visits but not that much contact. We're kinda like their bedlam circus.

Do you think self-idolatry is the way to go? The cover of Opti-mystik has you naked, almost an unconscious homage to Christ of Leonardo Da Vinci's 'Vitrivan Man'. Was your faith shaken at an early age by false prophets, namely Robert Smith?

Not self-idolatry, self aware is probably a healthier state. Embrace all your chakras, as is shown on the Opti-Mystik cover. How can we hope for world peace without inner peace?

It's a very true statement Nigel, his Holiness the Dalai Lama once said "We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection." But then again he hates poofters. You've created such an extensive catalogue of music since you were younger, some of it frankly quite disturbing, some of it insightful and most of it quite depressing.

Please tell me about growing up in Seaton and what the Adelaide music scene was like in the late 90's. What were peoples initial reception to your music?

Seaton was really the average shithole of the average teen years. Truly nothing special. Luckily I had some awesome friends and an interest in art and music which let me create my own world instead of just accepting the one handed to me. Thankfully some time after surviving high school I managed to find an Adelaide music scene that made some sense to me, largely originating at the Interactive Art Gallery where there was a lot of creativity being thrown around and fun experimentation with art and music. The acceptance there was a nice validation though I'm sure I would've kept making music regardless, it wasn't really started for acceptance but for self entertainment.

Adelaide's always had a great scene, we're not really in the cool kids gang of the eastern states musically so folks seem a little less self conscious.

Some of your gigs have been the stuff of local folklore. One of my first gigs I ever played with you was the 'Livest' recording, where you spent what felt like 45 minutes tuning up, then proceeded to tell dirty limericks to a quite frankly rabid audience who were after blood. Is there a particularly story you'd care to elaborate on?

Ha ha, it'd feel weird re-telling past gigs myself. That's probably something audience members could do better. I try to keep each show fairly different and hopefully memorable. Sometimes planned, sometimes not. Whether it's a 20 minute speech against the theory of evolution in the middle of a song or gutting a large teddy bear with a filleting knife, I like to amuse myself and hopefully the audience too if I'm lucky.

I've still got loads of ideas for different gigs I wanna try so they'll hopefully continue to enter the world of folklore, hearsay and myth.

You're too modest. Okay then, well what was it like to work with Barry Cree (Spindickle), there was an insane character if ever I met one.

Working with Barry was great fun. He's a musical and comedy genius. It's a shame we can't work together anymore, the Bird Flu Flu album we recorded was a masterpiece.

Did you ever get a chance to work with the late Baterz?

No. The closest to that was lending him my bass guitar for some recordings.

Is there a particular artist in any form you'd like to work with next? Tell us about your next record.

I've got plans to do an album with guest vocals from a bunch of Adelaide folks, Ellen [Carey] from Fair Maiden and Sarah [Chadwick] from Batrider in particular would be awesome.

It sounds like a great idea. Finally, Stan Mahoney has recently written a series of reviews of your various albums in his new book. Thoughts on the author?

Stan's great. There's a spiritual kinship on several levels there. I guess there'd have to be an attempt to review everything like he has. He's a good friend as well. It's nice to have people you can speak utter shit with as well as have deep conversations with. Stan is a renaissance man.

Well Nigel, that comes to the end of the interview. How much did this phone text interview cost you ya think?

Nothing, I'm on a cap plan so I just get a shitload of texts under an umbrella price. I recommend 3 for customer service and satisfaction.

Thanks for the plug Nigel.

You can buy a copy of Stan Mahoney's book 'The Complete Home for the Def and Other Stories' by clicking here.

The Touch 'Shot' Video

2010-06-20T04:35:00.000-07:00

I hadn't seen this film clip before, but it's kinda like a dream come true in a way. Ever wanted to throw shit at Josh Moore, the self conscious fashionista/lead singer of The Touch? Now here's your chance. Close your eyes. Visualise your target. Yes, that's the one... the disaffected drunken poster boy come A-lister wannabe who looks like he's just chucked on last nights designer shirt. Now fling your shit at him.

Makes you feel a little better doesn't it?

This all seems to be a bit of good fun I suppose, but I feel like we're not in on the joke because a) I think the general consensus is that this music is atrocious and b) I don't think they'd ever allow this to happen in real life. Must suck to be sponsored by a clothing label.

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The Complete Home for the Def & Other Stories

2010-06-16T20:03:00.000-07:00

This Friday night will see the book launch of 'The Complete Home for the Def & Other Stories' by local DIY historian/publisher and man about town Stan Mahoney. '...Stories' is a selection of essays, articles and short stories about the local musician, amateur pornographer filmmaker and social deviant Nigel Koop (aka Home for the Def). HFTD, who was once described by former dB magazine editor Andrew P. Street as influential as Jandek, will appear on the written page in great detail as well as a detailed self-examination of the writer's hard road to ruin whilst running the popular Excitement Machine magazine back in 2007-8.

The launch party will feature cheap beers, snorkels, generic snack foods, hurt dancing and an audio-visual presentation courtesy of the infamous Home for the Def. The launch will also feature the art trio Not A Coven and DJ SEX PEST.

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'The Complete Home for the Def & Other Stories' will be launched on Friday, June 18th at the Format Zine Shop (15 Peel Street, Adelaide) from 6pm onwards.

Next week: an in depth interview with the man himself.... Nigel Koop.

YA BLEW IT!!!!

2010-06-14T01:24:00.000-07:00

Ya blew it.

Fake Tan - Interview

2010-06-14T00:14:00.000-07:00

It's always nice to see a new band come together. Youthful exuberance and the joys of getting together with friends and making music. Backyard parties and alleyway shows. Party music that's a little rough round the edges, but makes you wanna dance. Sometimes music gets way too serious anyways. Who are all these tortured artists anyways? On a Friday night what would you prefer doing, listening to some shut in sing songs about isolation and despair, or be out getting drunk and getting into trouble? I doubt Thom Yorke lives in a cellar waiting for the apocalypse to happen, but I'd rather be doing something else. Not that I get many invites to the Adelaide Club these days. Regardless, Fake Tan are a fun new band of young guys who enjoy listening and playing music to their friends and to whoever will listen.

I spoke to Ryan Kenny about mates, that trivial word 'scene' and breasts.

Name: Ryan Kenny

Role: Vocals, Guitar/Drums

Record out: Fake Tan Vol. 1

On repeat: Southern Comfort’s, ‘Hard to Have Fun’

Anything else we should be into: Kitchen’s Floor & Peak Twins

Best song you’ve got: I reckon they are all on par.

You guys have just started out. Tell us some trivial nonsense, about where you fine young gents met and what is the aim with Fake Tan?

We went to school together...and by year 12 we were beyond sick of everyone we knew so we just started partying solo in tom’s studio and playing songs. Then we realised some of the songs were alright and went from there. We haven’t got an aim but we just want to write songs that people enjoy.

I heard you guys on Radio Adelaide the other day and heard a rather playful little swipe at being asked if you were part of a 'scene'. What local bands do you admire then, if not perhaps Jimmy & The Mirrors?

Local bands we love are ones we are friends with like Bitch Prefect & Old Mate. We just used the example of Jimmy & the Mirrors to say what we are trying to avoid; over-done, over-budgeted, boring songs.

The two word band name seems to be a bit of a relevant thing with the other groups you hang around and play with (Bitch Prefect, Dud Pills, Old Mate). So you could say you were part of your own scene, even unwittingly? Thoughts?

The only reason people would think we are in a scene is because we are all friends. I’ve never noticed that two word thing, that’s kind of funny. But yeah I’m not sure what a scene even means to be honest. If it refers to playing music in bands and being friends with other bands...then I guess.

You guys love to party. Is what makes a good band actually having fun on stage? How do you translate that to your audiences?

It’s certainly what makes us an alright band. Our music is made to be enjoyed. We only just realised what we need to have to play a good show, if you were at the Exeter last week you’d know how much fun that was. I was having fun at least.

Tell us a bit about your upcoming recording on the excellently titled Dirty Burger Records.

It’s going to be way better than the first one that’s for sure, if not only for the big pair of tan-lined-breasts on the front cover.

Finally to people who are interested in having a good time, describe your music.

All of our songs have something to do with girls. If you said we were obsessed it’d be an understatement. It has a kind of summer sound I guess and all in all it’s meant to be fun.

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Fake Tan play with Scott and Charlene's Wedding and Fair Maiden on Saturday 26th June at the Metro Hotel.

Steering By Stars 'Closer' Video

2010-06-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

Steering By Stars - Closer from SteeringByStars on Vimeo.

Now this is an incredible film clip. The new album 'Cables' comes out next month, with an east coast tour with dates in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to follow.

City Riots 'She Never Wants To Dance' Video

2010-06-11T05:49:00.000-07:00

City Riots - "She Never Wants To Dance" [Official Video] from City Riots on Vimeo.

So the City Riots fly on a plane from Adelaide to America. They cross a bridge. It looks like Brooklyn, but it could be any major city. They walk around for a bit. Everyone looks kinda glum but serious. Sunglasses (aka Ricky Kradolfer) sings. Everyone looks serious. They must be pretty tired from all the walking around they do, because they catch the subway. Then they must have gotten off of the subway, because they go stand on a stoop and chill out and look what "indie" must be like. Everyone looks totally bummed out, like they forgot to pack their underwear in with all their leather jackets. Sunglasses might feel bad because he has to pronounce every syllable of every word he limply articulates.

They then get back on the subway again, this time with their guitars. They play their guitars, which must have been totally embarrassing at the time. At this time a small tumor develops in my temporal lobe, years later I will die on the toilet from this whilst reading Horse and Hound. They walk around a bit more, play live, walk around a bit more, walking, walking, fuck my life this sucks, walking, scenes intercut with crowds, non-descript buildings, the band playing live.

WHAT THE FUCK IS THE POINT OF THIS FILM CLIP.

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City Riots support musical offenders British India *surprise surprise* and a bunch of shows, somewhere, someplace. I'll be watching something decent instead.

Lets Burn The Record Industry

2010-06-06T21:16:00.000-07:00

(wait for it... the James Blundell joke is coming later)

from the Herald Sun website (http://www.heraldsun.com.au/):

Record labels end year on sour note

Ben Butler - Herald Sun May 31, 2010 12:01AM

AUSTRALIA'S music industry had an off-key 2009, with the local arms of all four major record companies taking hits to their bottom lines.

Three of the four - EMI Group (Australia), Warner Music Australia and Universal Music Australia - recorded losses while Sony Music Entertainment Australia saw its profit tumble by three quarters, company accounts filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission showed.

The industry has been under pressure, with sales and margins on compact discs under pressure as consumers switch to lower-cost digital downloads.

In accounts filed this month Universal revealed a $2.3 million loss for the 2009 calendar year, down from last year's $5.7 million profit and driven by a $10 million blow-out in the cost of sales.
Competitor Warner lost $5.9 million for 2009, down from a $1.1 million profit the previous calendar year, after sales plunged $14 million.

Warner's accounts, filed in January, also showed the company spent $1.5 million buying a controlling stake in artist management company Peppermint Blue Entertainment, which looks after artists including Rogue Traders and TV Rock.

EMI warned its future in Australia depended on the continued support of its debt-wracked British parent, which has run into additional trouble since local directors signed accounts on November 20.

The local arm of EMI, home to artists such as Operator Please and Keith Urban, recorded a $1.65 million loss, up from a $296,000 loss in 2008, after sales revenue plunged $29.7 million.

Director Matthew Evans said the company was balance-sheet insolvent.

"At year end (March 31, 2009) the group's current liabilities exceeded current assets by $45.5 million," Mr Evans said in his report.

But there were "reasonable grounds" to believe the company was a going concern because its parent tipped in an extra $21 million in funding on October 9, he said.

Sony and EMI's accounts are less up-to-date because their financial years end on March 31.

But Sony's accounts show it was the only major label in the black last year, recording a modest profit. Despite a $14 million surge in sales, Sony's profit fell from $7.2 million to $1.8 million due to increased distribution, sales, administration and "other" costs.

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Makes you wonder why they bother anymore eh? I have a plan to get myself onto the ARIA charts through using the Chart Fixer website. Do you think you would download this song and make me famous? I'm the next James Blundell. (and I don't need to live at my mothers house either...)

Life is cruel sometimes. Please make me famous.

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Hawks Of Alba - Interview

2010-06-06T06:49:00.000-07:00

When I first started going out to gigs one of the first bands I really latched onto (even if I only saw them twice) was Bad Girls of the Bible. There was still an air of mystique to rock and roll back then. BGOTB were visceral live, unrelentless and about as close as I was ever going to get to Shellac in this lifetime. It seemed like they were going to implode at any moment (which eventually was to be the case) but it was great to watch.

Maybe I'm getting too sentimental (something which Dan Pash would balk at I'm certain), but I've come to love the songwriting partnership between Sarah Masters and Aidan Moyse.

I spoke to Sarah about old times, moving to Scotland and how much we both love the 90's.

Name: Sarah Masters

Role: Vocals/Bass

Record out: We’re finishing off a CD at the moment – it will be a limited edition 3-track single...and is due to be available by the end of the year.

On repeat: Batcat – Mogwai (or anything on ‘The Hawk is Howling’)

Anything else we should be into: When I’m not eating, sleeping or playing music I’m playing roller derby. It’s nothing like Whip It... Adelaide Roller Derby!

Best song you’ve got: Time to Decide – it’s got a 90s feel, gang vocals, and things you don’t expect at the end.

You and Aidan both started out in the infamous local act Bad Girls of the Bible. I once remember reading a quite spiteful article in the local rag about there being a lack of support for you to try anything outside the band from your own band mates (re: the Australian idol audition). What made playing in BGOTB such a tumultuous affair, and were you happy to break free and explore new musical opportunities after it ended?

I don’t know what article that was...but, before BGOTB, I played solo, in a duo – Tired Children (with Aidan) [My bad! - Matt], and in an all-girl band Hello Minnesota!, so BGOTB wasn’t actually the start of it all...I was devastated when BGOTB ended. I’d put so much effort into the band and in the end I felt rejected. It wasn’t that there was a lack of support from my band mates, I just had no time to do my own thing. My problem was I felt like I was treated like a girl. I went to the Australian Idol audition for a couple of reasons. I wanted an unbiased opinion/feedback about my singing and I was curious about the whole process of ‘Australian Idol’ from a media background. I didn’t want to get on TV (I don’t even like having my photo taken)... I sang ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ and was told “Thanks, but no thanks.” I don’t think I had even watched a full episode of Australian Idol.

Starting my own band was just a natural progression – I had time to write my own songs after years of writers block – I guess it gave me something to write about.

You formed Running With Horses with Aidan and played some shows here in Adelaide briefly before moving overseas to Scotland for a couple of years. How would you describe the local scene in Glasgow? Comparable with Adelaide?

Glasgow has a similar population to Adelaide – the main difference is there are more young people, more venues, and more touring bands visiting Glasgow. All the good bands are signed to record labels in Glasgow, but the musicianship in general is a lot better in Adelaide. Like Adelaide, the music scene in Glasgow is very diverse.

What spurred the return to your hometown? I'm also interested to know how the dynamic is between Aidan and yourself as a married couple now and Hannah? [Fairlamb - guitarist]

Our visas were about to run out, Aidan was accepted in his preferred degree, and I think our families would have been upset if we had moved somewhere else. To be honest, I didn’t really want to come back – but I had no choice.

As for being married.. Aidan and I have always been best mates and being married hasn’t changed a thing. Hannah has been a perfect fit into our group – she knows what she likes and she’s honest. We’re all great mates. I think I could definitely be stuck in a tour van with both Hannah and Aidan – the question is, could they put up with me?

You garnered some impressive support from the BBC as well as playing T in the Park, did you ever look to writing music as a full time pursuit?

If writing music paid my rent and expenses of course I’d do it full time...I would also have to get faster at writing songs and stop procrastinating around the house. We were very lucky with the attention we received in the UK, but it all comes down to having more opportunities. We were one of 16 bands that won a spot on the T Break stage – and just lucky that we stuck out to Vic Galloway (BBC Radio One/Scotland) and his producer (Paul Carlin – Dananananakroyd) for him to play us on the radio.

When you came back to Adelaide you changed your name from Running with Horses to Hawks of Alba. Did you feel the need to reinvent yourselves a little bit?

It wasn’t about re-inventing...the name just didn’t fit anymore. People had expected to hear a cutesy pop band, and all the feedback we received in Scotland was that we sounded raw. We came back a different band, so we changed the name to something I felt was more appropriate and reflected our time in Glasgow.

The band are quite a tight little outfit that hark back to a somewhat golden age during the early to mid 90's when golden harmonies were swapped with fuzzed out rat pedals, there seems to be a familiarity to the subject matter. What's your favourite band from the era and how has it influenced your songwriting?

I’m still living in the 90s. Some of my favourite bands include: Sebadoh, Heatmiser, Nirvana, Blur, Weezer. I just write songs about real situations that most people can relate to – if it sounds like the 90s, it’s not intentional, I just like that sound...but if I had the ability to write music like Bjork, scream like Courtney Love, or write words like Jeff Tweedy – I would.

What’s the plan for the Hawks for the rest of the year? There was some talk of a split EP with The Sea Thieves at one point?

The plan is to get organised. Put out the 3 track single. Play some gigs – possibly interstate...and yes, eventually arrange a split 7" with the Sea Thieves.

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Hawks of Alba play with No Through Road, Batrider and Diplomat for the Flinders Medical Research Fundraiser at Jive on Friday, July 9th.

The White Race Must Stop Making Bad Music

2010-06-06T05:29:00.000-07:00

Why do we steal? I always find those anti piracy warnings before the beginning of DVDs annoying. Don't you know we've been stealing forever man?? I know plenty of horrible looking people who constantly steal the air I breathe. But seriously though, piracy - it's in our nature.

Someone should give me a medal for the amount of people I've turned onto Ween through copying.

Take the blues for example. The cries of an oppressed race of people that are now butchered by fifty year old white men at football clubs who like Eric Clapton (who was a racist by the way). Even our locals can't even copy the white mans corporate take on delta blues properly (I'm looking at you Amcats).

Probably the biggest abomination that white people have ever touched has been funk. White boy funk, how I wish thee and those who play it inoperable cancer.

I know some of you will disagree with me, particularly those purists who believe that hip-hop should never have been afflicted with the harsh guttural innotations of the Australian accent. However, there is exception to the rule with hip-hop. Not with funk.

Any young immature teen growing up is going to have a short, startling fascination with funk. However, that brief, shimmering mirage like an oasis in the desert should remain just that. Perhaps an embarrassing footnote to an otherwise illustrious musical appreciation.

There is no way you and your mates should bond over the Australian flag, beers and having fun in the 'summertime' and form this hideous bastardisation and disgrace towards music period.

Sure you're into peace, love and having a good time. The kid standing next to you're shouting your message at feels intimidated at first, and then just a little bit fucked off.

Poetikool Justice. I wish I could say I felt guilt in writing this, but you've been getting a free ride for too long. Mammal are not cool. Roots, reggae and hip-hop lite mixed in with a little social justice and hypermasculinity is NOT cool. Rap rock should not be a major influence to anyone without a serious mental deficiency. Hence why Limp Bizkit only play packed houses in Estonia now.

So this is what it comes down to, you and me Poetikool Justice. Leave David Byrne out of this, it's afrobeat and new wave and you are not worthy to lick the soles of his filth encrusted boots. Stop wearing basketball jerseys and shades at night. Don't frost the tips of your hair. Don't lecture me about peace, love and understanding and think that your over usage of the Aboriginal flag is going to close the gap between racial equality. This website is a good start, however.

Just for Gods sake, kill the Red Hot Chilli Peppers vibe and leave me be.

Lyla - Interview

2010-06-03T20:59:00.000-07:00

I must admit I doubt often openly doubt retro rock. There's a part of me that really reacts badly to the affected presence, the symetrically constructed sneer of the lead singer, the vintage tones of a les paul. Stop looking back in anger, I say. I'm more inclined to listen to Iggy in his heyday than his modern day counterparts (or even modern day Iggy himself, for that matter). In the paraphrased words of classic music critique and cause célèbre Lester Bangs, the past is bullshit. The present is where we should be.

Of course, none of what I've said in the previous paragraph makes sense, and it shouldn't for a reason. Musicians often wear their influences quite prominently on their sleeves for all to see. It's confidence in your fan worship. There's been one band around town that has exuded confidence since it's inception, and that's retro rockers Lyla. Led by Matt Minucci, the band has recently retaining the services of Pulling Strings Management (home of the Hilltop Hoods) and have a bright future ahead.

I spoke to guitarist Anthony Callisto about having impeccable style, classic influences and strange bearded fans who have the magic touch.

Name: Anthony Callisto

Role: Guitar

Record out: ‘It Ain’t Right’ single, recently independently released and the ‘Sitting in the Sun’ EP is set to be released around September.

On repeat: ‘Love Spreads’ by The Stone Roses.

Anything else we should be into: ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’ by Kasabian and ‘Smoking Gun’ by Lady of the Sunshine.

Best song you've got: ‘Get On’

Lyla are pretty straight forward balls to the wall fashionable rock band. How did you guys all meet and let me ask you, where do you all dress? I see you guys walking down the mall together and I feel like I dress as badly as the busker who plays the funky keyboard.

We met in high school and came together through our taste for good music and ridiculous humour – that’s what it was all about for us, and not much has changed. We’d hang together, so playing together seemed inevitable. We’d always get right into music and often argue over things like who made a better Beatle: John or Paul, or whether it would be a matter for the Stones. We would always recommend and swap music we'd discovered… and we still do. As for dress? We don’t play dress ups or anything, but we’ve always been into clothes and good gear.

So what's it like to be 'All Dressed Up and [getting] No Release?' My mind lives in the gutter, but it sounds like somebody didn't get laid one night.

Yeah, that song’s out of control. Matt wrote it, he reckons it’s about a time he walked into a bar and felt like he was being stared down. Otherwise a good enough reason to write a four-chord maniac… whatever it is, it’s great and means something different every time we play it. It’s one we’ll usually end the set with… you can’t really play anything else after that without feeling like your just… strumming.

One thing that strikes me about you guys is your lack of pretension when it comes to playing music. I don't think anybody else could convincingly say they are a fan of the Gallagher brothers. What brought you to wanting to create this type of music?

Influences. When we first began, we played, or mangled a lot of covers… The moment we started writing originals, we realised that if they weren’t at the sort of standard as the covers, then there would be no point. We’ve all got the same appreciation for the music we make, and it feels right. Though we mess around with loops and things like that, we always aim to keep it as organic as possible. We’ll always fall back on the rules of a good tune, if a song has got a good melody, a good feel, or good groove, then we’ll go with it.

Do you think playing in a rock band in such a small ol' town like Adelaide puts you up to unnecessary scrutiny? Who are some of the locals you think deserve to take your mantle in next years in Rip It Up Magazine's Hot 6?

Rock and roll bands have always been under scrutiny. We just play what we want to play, and in many ways ignore the bullshit. It’s that old saying of ‘authenticity over originality’. There are some good bands round our city, a lot of my picks have made the Hot 6 either this year or in the previous, but there are still many that haven’t. More recently, bands like The Honey Pies and Two Suns have impressed me. I’d love to see a couple of rock and roll bands step up for the Hot 6 mantle next year.

You've supported The Exploders, Hungry Kids of Hungary and about to support Cloud Control and Richard in Your Mind at Jive for their 'Bliss Release' album launch. Do you see yourself starting to tour interstate?

Definitely. We’re looking into it right now, as with the release of the ‘Sitting in the Sun’ EP, there will be an east-coast tour announcement. Our first tour, infact.

You've recently signed up with P.J Murton's Pulling Strings Management (home of the Hilltop Hoods). Explain how he found out about the band and what the game plan is now that you've got a company with guaranteed success behind you? P.J must be quite a character to work with.

P.J is definitely a character. He approached us after a gig we played at the Mercury Cinema late last year. We were standing outside afterwards, and along came this short guy, shaved head and a beard, who wanted to introduce himself. He was really interested in the band, and we ended up chatting and getting to know about him for the next few hours. He was eager to come down to a jam, hear some more tunes and chat some more. So we had him down to watch us practice a couple of times and it all just went from there. Most of it was just hanging out, talking about the band, while he talked about himself and what his ambitions are with music. Since then he’s become our manager, and we’re currently working together to organize the tour, in release of the ‘Sitting in the Sun’ EP.

What are your own plans for recording? Will we see a Matt Hills recorded Lyla album soon?

No plans for an album have been made yet, our focus at the moment is on the next EP release 'Sitting in the Sun', which we’re currently recording with Hillsy. Our last two recordings, the two singles ‘All Dressed Up and No Release’ and ‘It Ain’t Right’, were both done with Hillsy. We’ve even got our singer/guitarist Matt behind the desk this time, as we’re taking on a lot of self-producing. It's sounding great and we can’t wait to get it out.

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Lyla support Cloud Control with Richard in Your Mind on Saturday June 19th at Jive.

Coerce / Robotosaurus Split CD Launch Shows

2010-05-31T04:16:00.001-07:00

GO TO THIS. LOVE JOCK.

Steering By Stars - Interview

2010-05-30T21:13:00.000-07:00

If there's one band that's on the cusp of the 'next big thing' tag to break out of old Adelaide, it's Steering By Stars. The band, born out of an incestuous music scene that includes members of Lumonics, Mr. Wednesday, Like Leaves, Love Stereo and almost every other band that utilizes the delay pedal, has slowly been building up momentum since their early beginnings in late 2008. Many gigs later (including a superior set supporting Love Of Diagrams) and Steering By Stars are ready to come into the wider music lovers consciousness.

I spoke to Lachlan Wilson about the musical past lives, classical music and an undying love of vinyl over CD.

Name: Lachlan Wilson

Role: Keys/Vocals/Guitar

Record out: 'Cables' album (independently released in July 2010).

On repeat: Bauhaus 'Mask' and Gustuv Holst's 'The Planets'.

Anything else we should be into: It might seem ridiculous but I sat down recently and started to read plays. I haven't been able to see any performances for a while, and I love theatre, so I thought I might give it a go. It took me a while to get into the form but am really enjoying it now. Particularly the language of the Jacobean playwrights like John Webster. His plays 'The Duchess of Malfi' and 'The White Devil' paint a horrific picture of humanity and are thrilling.

Best song you’ve got: It's a new one, tentatively called 'Ink', I'm sure that name will change in a week or so!

I used to be very critical of your previous band (Love Stereo). I used to refer to it as the band with Gonzo for a singer. Have you taken on board what I said?

Though that is a bit harsh there maybe some truth to that. I don't know if I have been able to take on any of that advice as I wasn't the singer. I'm sure if it happens to me though, that you will be there to remind me.

Talk about the stylistic choice of the echo unit and some of your more modern influences?

Originally the band was to be instrumental. However, as time went by it felt as though something, for a lack of a better word - organic - could be added. We were all a little anxious about how vocals would change the songs. There was a fear that the lyrics/voice would take away the emotional investment that that each of us brought and had associated with the music. That probably sounds pretentious and indulgent, but it couldn't be further from the truth. We don't try to portray ourselves as tortured artists, and we are pretty anti-image. Music is its own reward, and for that reason we area bit delicate about the way we go about it. Initially the vocals were to be totally drenched in reverb and delay to act like a string section sweeping over the music. To a large extent that is still the idea for the vocal melodies now. It also had something to do with my lack of confidence in singing. I had never done it before, and was pretty comfortable with the idea that my instrument would sing for me. Slowly I have become more confident in my vocal capabilities and lyrics, and the reverb is being turned down little by little...

In regards to modern influences, its pretty tough to narrow down, we all have our preferences. The band HEALTH new album 'Get Colour' got us all pretty excited, and we have learnt a lot from listening to them. How they use feedback loops and dissonance to ultimately produce something melodic and evocative but steering away from the self indulgence of just violent noise is awesome.

When did you make a more conscious decision to focus on the band?

It had been in the back of each of our minds for a while. We have all been playing in bands, often together in some form or another, for six years. The timing was right and I think we were all in a similar head space. Most of the groups that we were in were dissolving for some reason or another, and we were all talking secondary role in the song writing. So with all the personal and pent up music ideas we all needed the outlet.

How did your previous endeavours (Mr. Wednesday, an early member of Lumonics) influence Steering By Stars sonically?

Mr. Wednesday were very particular on layering and how each instrument complimented the others in the 'space' of a song and not be muddy and pretentious. It was conducive to a full and grand sound, and we have tried to take something form that. It was also a really relaxed atmosphere to write music. Like eating an elephant, in small pieces, the songs were progressively built up with time to reflect and enjoy the process. That's not to say that going into the rehearsal room and thrashing something out isn't any better or not as fun. We do that too, its just nice to be able to do the opposite and reap the rewards of it.

Lumonics were similar, when I was in the band, in how they went about song writing. Lots of time and patience. I don't think we (steering by stars) are the most patient people, so the experience of learning to be has definitely paid off in our music. Lumonics had such a distinctive and strong rhythm section as well. Bass heavy and strong beats. I remember when we were writing 'beggars choices' and at the time it had a more disco feel, but it still had that powerful yet simple bass and drum rhythm. Attempting to get a memorable rhythm underlying the melodies is something that SBS focus's a lot on. Rather than just the standard piano and guitar intertwining melodies of post-rock that build for 10 minutes, we try to put a post-punk rhythm underneath and compact it.

If you could pull it off, what song do you wish you could reinterpret with Steering by Stars?

It's a tough one. 'Any Day Now' by Elbow. I remember seeing them play in Adelaide several years ago and opening the set with the song in complete darkness. Such a powerful and harrowing piece.

The upcoming album ‘Cables’ is a pilgrimage through different textures and colour; light and shade. How do you begin to write a song? Talk about the collaborative effort between yourself and Rory O’Connor, Adrian Reveruzzi and Tom Smeets.

I remember an analysis of Chopin's music which described them as poems. The idea resonated with me in the way I think and write music. Its great that as a band we talk about our music as a journey and when we play live we really try to have a sense of continuity and flow.

It's difficult to describe writing our songs as they can come about in different ways. It often begins with something that I have written on the piano. Though that sounds like I write all the songs that's is defiantly not true; it is a very collaborative effort. From the initial piece on the piano it can take a very short or long journey to completion. It can stay as originally written, with its ebbs and flows, with each person bringing in there own bit to complete the picture. This happens rarely. Usually after a song has been brought in, it gets ripped to shreds, deconstructed and the reassembled. Tom and Adrian will take a bit of it and will start to work out the rhythmic part of the song, of which Rory and I will then layer our bits over the top. Songs rarely come of out of jams, we seem to lose ourselves and it becomes a blur.

We have a intimate dynamic that works, and I'm lucky to be playing music with my closest friends. We are relativity introverted, brooding and reflective group of people. This can be a double edge sword. Occasionally we have jams where it can be quite uncomfortable and lots of tension is simmering. Its a very empty feeling that lingers till we meet up again to rehearse. In a poor metaphor, we are a bit like the crew of a ship. I'm the navigator below deck, plotting out the rough course with a sense of slight paranoia. Tom is the helmsman taking the directions and giving them substance by steering. Adrian is up in the crows nest, removed from the general fray of activity, giving him a sense of perspective. He readily takes the wind out of our sails when the rest of us disappear up our arses with ridiculous ideas (I'm sure he has his own thoughts on this interview!). Him and Tom work together so that the course stays true. Rory is the sailor, the cogs and substance, assuming each of our roles more than aptly and when need be. He is also the most positive of us all and keeps us going.

You are still currently unsigned and plan to release your album initially on vinyl (with a link to a download website for mp3). What are your thoughts about some of the implications of distribution for the album and where you would like to see the band end up by the end of 2010.

It will be interesting to see how it all goes. It's taken quite a bit to get organized. CD's have become redundant, with people either purchasing the songs via itunes or illegally downloading them. There is now a greater emphasis (with these modern mediums) on the single in the fashion of the early 60's. Our music is orientated to be listened to in its totality. Vinyl is more likely to force you to have that linear experience, without skipping certain tracks. Similarly it is something that you can physically hold and associate, and I think that is a powerful thing. These factors combined with the digital download allow us to get the best of both worlds - accessibly to a larger audience and an easier distribution which is not afford to us by vinyl.

I'm not sure where we will be at by the end of 2010. We are heading interstate for the first time in July for some shows and hopefully we will be able to return before the year is through. I guess the plan is to get more coverage to a wider audience, and get the music out there. We also have a lot of new material, so hopefully we will start demoing these before the year is out.

You and I both play in a misaligned party band. Which band member really can’t hold their alcohol (and a tune)?

The last time that we played indicated that everybody in the band can hold their alcohol relativity well and a rough semblance of tune. Seasoned veterans. We're like Wild Turkey - not the latest thing, but the genuine thing.

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Steering By Stars 'Closer' / JJJ Unearthed download

Steering By Stars support Sydney's Parades at the Ed Castle on Saturday, 5th June.

Yeow.

2010-05-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

There won't be as many posts this week as I've gone and completely stuffed up my laptop.

If you like reading these posts and want to get involved you should start up your own blog.

THE POWER OF THE INTERNET.

10 points why hit the jackpot are just awesome

2010-05-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm not particularly in the mood to write a big huge long essay on any particular local or national touring band, so I think I might just write down 10 points why Hit the Jackpot rule.

10 points why hit the jackpot are just awesome

1. Originally a two piece, the pairing of Jess Thomas and Kynan Lawlor play driving lo-fi indie rock in the vein of Sonic Youth and Beat Happening. The also enjoy the Meat Puppets.

2. Band highlights include supporting Sonic Youth, Mountain Goats, Vivian Girls, Les Savy Fav, J. Mascis and Architecture in Helsinki.

3. Hit the Jackpot have released two albums, 'Clowns' and 'Soul Money Gang Vibe' as well as one self titled EP. Personal favourites include 'Cats and Dogs', 'Darryl Hannah', 'Eye' and 'The Football Team'.

4. The song title of 'Dead Tree' can be replaced by the name Ben Revi to create a humorous, albeit menacing theme tune.

5. Hit the Jackpot have had two previous/on hiatus members in Seb Calabretto and Scott O'Hara (also of True Radical Miracle, Lindsey Lowhand and Bitch Prefect). Seb lives in England now and used to be into a lot of dub, but now I'm not so sure. Scott commutes between Melbourne and Adelaide for gigs.

6. Hit the Jackpot's spiritual home is the Metro. Rocket Bar is a very horrible place to this band.

7. Kynan is involved in some kind of super science.

8. Hit the Jackpot would probably count their worst gig as the Adelaide stint at Big Day Out, but it totally wasn't their fault. The weather was decidedly awful that day.

9. Kynan has recorded bands such as the Avant Gardeners and the sadly missed Line Honours.

10. In their time have brought over (or at least helped out) bands such as Panel of Judges, Crayon Fields and Guy Blackman. Plus they're the only 'cool' Adelaide band on Blackman's Chapter Music label.

That's why they're tops. OK?

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Hit the Jackpot play with Royal Headache, Bed Wettin' Bad Boys and Terrible Truths on Thursday, 15th July at the Metro Hotel.

When The Music's Over

2010-05-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

Ugh. So I didn't make it to the Grenadiers show after all. Found myself nursing the almightiest of hangovers on Saturday for no particular reason (other than all the alcohol that was in my drinks last night). I think TTT dedicated their Heartbreak High song to me. So here's some things I did do instead.

Watched a Supernanny USA marathon (bad) and Freo kick the pants off of Sydney (good) before falling asleep again.
Thought I was being followed by a creepy man down Payneham Rd. Put it down to the fact I was listening to 'Suggestion' by Fugazi and still felt pretty lousy.
Watched the rest of Patton and Fargo, lamented the fact I didn't have any treats in the freezer.
Defrosted a steak.
Listened to some Danzig.
Had a dream I was in a ragtag outfit of American soldiers fighting the krauts in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II called the Nightcrawlers. That was pretty bad ass vivid due to the fact I've been reading a book on it.

And that brings us to the end of that little soiree. I'm sure it was a kick arse weekend, but I'm no fucking Spoz... lemme tell you. If you want photos, go to his blog.

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Grenadiers

2010-05-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

Bands used to have to work pretty hard fairly often to get some form of recognition. Hours of driving in the same car with the same smelly bandmates often living out of each others pockets for the duration of the tour. Promotion at the band's own expense. Shitty riders supporting unworthy assholes. These days with the advent of new technologies and online social networking it's a lot easier to get your gigs out there; which in turn makes it harder for the best to stand out. For every fourth or fifth Pimpin' Horus invite notification (the first and last time this local band will ever be mentioned in this blog) I get on Facebook, there's always one or two gigs that stand out.

This weekend sees local punk rock (emphasis on the rock) band Grenadiers take to the stage for the launch at Enigma of their debut album, 'Songs the Devil Taught Us'. After downloading it via the ol' iTunes (jewel cases are for suckers these days) I gotta say this is one self assured release. The band are straight out the gates with their opener 'Abandon Ship', that by the time we get to the closing refrains of 'Transmissions' I'm completely exhausted yet ready to start all over again.

Jesse Coulter (formerly of hardcore notables The Rivalry) has crafted a set of driving yet surprisingly melodic punk tunes that recall Queens of The Stone Age's 'Songs for the Deaf', Grand Fatal's 'Allies' and even classic Bad Religion. 'Old Uncle Scratch', an old Southern retelling of Beelzebub is an instant radio classic - the type of song that gives you hope that these guys are going to blow up really really soon.

I really look forward to seeing these guys thrashing it out live this weekend. I call front and centre mosh pit. Grenadiers launch 'Songs the Devil Taught Us' with support from Paper Arms, Melbourne's Anchors and Hightime this Saturday, 22nd May at Enigma Bar.

Grenadiers album 'Songs The Devil Taught Us' out now via Casadeldisco.

Grenadiers 'Old Uncle Scratch' / JJJ unearthed download

Straight To Video Reunion

2010-05-20T01:30:00.000-07:00

Apparently a former local band has decided to put their respective projects on hold and play a one off play reunion show. Straight to Video, who's personnel included Marcin Kobylecki (No Through Road), Ben Quici (Friends), Paul Sloan and Dexter Campos (No Through Road) could best be described as all the awesome parts of My Bloody Valentine, Comets On Fire and EVOL period Sonic Youth combined. The band, who back in their heyday supported Sarah Blasko, Further and the Tucker B's will be playing for one night only on Friday July 30th at the Hotel Metropolitan.

Supports are yet to be announced, but it's going to be one pretty crazy night let me tell you.

Dappled Cities

2010-05-19T20:22:00.000-07:00

My favourite band was a group from New Zealand called Split Enz. I loved the theatricality of the group, from it's early beginnings as a Genesis influenced art prog collective to it's later years as a cohesive new wave rock band. Tim Finn and Phil Judd (and later on Neil) would inspire a lot of other musicians as well, both in Crowded House and through various solo careers.

I once stalked Tim Finn at Adelaide Airport after a Finn Brothers gig, until he evaded me by running into the Qantas Club. Notoriously introverted off stage, he wasn't prepared for an overexcited nineteen year old male fan waving smelly old Split Enz memorabilia at him. Neil Finn was far more forgiving. It was idol acceptance 0, Loss of dignity 1. A valuable lesson was learnt that day.

Dappled Cities share a lot in common with the eccentricities of the Enz. The dramatic, almost vaudeville vocal team of David Rennick and Tim Derricourt, the quirky off kilter songwriting (a mix of epic progressive pop) and costuming make them a very entertaining tour de force. A Triple J favourite, Dapples took some time to craft their sound relentlessly touring America, returning to Oz with the ambitious masterstroke of their third album 'Zounds'. After touring on the Laneway Festival circuit with Echo and the Bunnymen, Black Lips and Dadelus among others, Dappled Cities now prepare their 'Winter Tour' for June 2010, with national support from the John Steel Singers, locals Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! and Melbourne's Outouto on selected dates. If you're at the Vic/Tasmanian gigs I suggest you check out Outouto, they play minimal pop in the vain of Deerhoof and are pretty rad.

Dappled Cities play Fowlers' Live on their 'Winter Tour' with support from the John Steel Singers and Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! on Thursday June 10th.

The Shiny Brights

2010-05-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

Cultural imperialism. It's as apparent in music today as Short Stack, a band my Year 8 students strangely all seem to love. Despite the trappings that it's all terribly lame (just don't call them emo Mr. Hayward!) the band play an American construct of pop punk genre. However these three effeminate males all hail from Budgewoi on the New South Wales' Central Coast, and not the semi affluent burbs of New Jersey.

So what is our cultural musical identity? Should we all be belting out drunken renditions of Cold Chisel while defending the beaches in some display of misguided patriotism? Or should it be more akin to the romanticised notion of our pastoral existence, ala` the Go-Betweens 'Cattle and Cane'?

Somehow I don't think it can be easily definable, nor would we want it to be so. It just so happens that we've borrowed a lot from our dear motherland England, as well as from post-war alliances forged in jazz music and nylon stockings from the United States.

Thanks to the national youth broadcaster, we still have a strong fascination with the UK invasion. The Shiny Brights are a local band by all accounts do as well. I first heard of this band through their song 'Electric Tigerland' and the inspired early efforts of their first manager, Emma. To be honest, there wasn't a place I could turn to get away from this band for a while. They spent big on promotion, and it seemed to be working. The EP launch show at the Gov I attended was one of the largest, most expensive local gigs I'd ever been to.

Then I listened to the music. I immediately felt like what an absent father who puts on a supportive smile for their child at dance class but really doesn't care must feel like. And their first single? Supported by Onitsuka Tiger, Tiger Beer and every other feline product placement you could think of, sounded at best like The Wombats. It was fairly derivative, something which this band has continued to struggle with critically.

Now I've met each of the guys individually and they're great people, so I can't fault them at that. They're ambitious and enthusiastic about playing their music live. But does throwing a lot of money at the Shiny Brights 'production' (and I don't just mean the studio time, but the image) necessarily make for great music? Would the band prefer to be popular with the standard Triple J rock crowd and settle for less rather than push themselves more?

I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I just hope they really get into Yeasayer next.

The new Shiny Brights EP 'Too Many Chiefs' is available independently.

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The Shiny Brights 'Electric Tigerland' / JJJ Unearthed download

Avant Gardeners

2010-05-17T17:33:00.001-07:00

Does Mick Jagger ever cringe when he looks in the mirror? Does age and relevance go hand in hand with rock stardom? Everyone I knew was secretly disappointed when they saw their doom and gloom heroes of the 80's Echo and The Bunnymen perform at this year's Laneway Festival. Even my mum would say there's just something not quite that right about a man pushing fifty wearing leather pants. We mock them playfully about their appearance but deep down there's a horrible realisation that our favourite bands just don't make the grade anymore.

Case in point: Crowded House. Daggy yet delightful, there was something fun about the band's kooky live performances and earnest songwriting chops. But I felt the pangs of consternation when ten years after the crowning swan song of their album 'Together Alone' and their farewell performance in front of up to 250,000 people on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, they were reuniting for a new album. Of course the death of Paul Hester affected everybody terribly, but early 2000's seemed to be in the grip of reunion fever. Everyone from Iggy and the Stooges to Rage Against The Machine seemed to be cashing in. At least the Pixies were able to be honest about it. We're poor and we need the money, they said, why shouldn't we be financially rewarded for our legacy?

But I digress. Ageism is probably still quite apparent in many a music fans heart, but it's hard to deny when there are an overwhelming amount of great musicians who make bad records. When talking about The Clash's impact on punk rock and indeed contemporary music as a whole, people tend to gloss over their final record 'Cut The Crap'. However there are many musicians who make great records later in their career. The Rick Rubin helmed Johnny Cash 'American Recordings' albums re instigated public admiration and interest in the elderly musician. The blues musician Seasick Steve wasn't 'discovered' until in his early 60's. Daniel Johnston, who is revered for his early work, still makes great music.

I like daggy old 'dad' bands. One locally I really like is the Avant Gardeners. Led by Sandy Cenin and a revolving cast of Adelaide's talented indie musicians (featuring former and current members of Les Goolies, The Moonies, Terrance Dicks, Hit The Jackpot and Roo Shooter) they are one massive wall of sound. Gigs can range from anywhere to up to ten people on stage, wailing on guitars; bashing at drums. It's a very impressive sight - but what's even better is the music. These cacophonous songs are filled with hooks; about growing old, a weary rallying call against settling down, having a family. But if the songs are as self defeatist as they are revelatory, because is there anything really wrong in growing old? In the extreme, it's funny to think of the Avant Gardeners as some musical equivalent of the TV show Grumpy Old Men.

But man do they still rock out when they get a chance. And when they do, they show up bands half their age.

R.I.P Sunsettler

2010-05-17T02:31:00.000-07:00

So it seems another Adelaide band has bitten the dust. Sunsettler, the four piece indie rock band consisting of Alexander Fewings, Callan Visser, David Wilke and Marguerita Marinos have called it a day. Featuring former members of Mona Lisa Overdrive and Lumonics, the band hit the rocks when members decided to follow that other great pursuit, travel.

With other members already preparing for future projects, you can send off Sunsettler in style as they support Tasmania's Tiger Choir with (now Melbournite) expat Zeal this Saturday 22nd of May at the Exeter Hotel (Rundle Street).

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Sunsettler 'Can't Account' / JJJ unearthed download

Lumonics

2010-05-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

Lumonics were only around for a short while (a little under a year?) but their memory continues to be a hard one to let go. There wasn't a particular band they passed the torch onto before their amicable separation (some might say Steering By Stars and Sunsettler, those people would probably be wrong) but current crop of shoegazing proponents still feel a little flat without them.

To celebrate what could have been, here's a link to the Lumonics demo in full, as recorded by Matt Hills.

UPDATE: The final Lumonics gig at the Ed Castle can be downloaded here. Thanks Elliot!

Underdale Facepalm - making your Monday afternoons just that little more bareable.

Weekend Wrap Up

2010-05-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to everyone who came out on Friday night to hang out while I played some tunes at the bar, it was nice to see lots of people out given the short notice and the heavy antibiotics.

I'll be DJing next at the Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! album launch at Rocket Bar on Friday 28th May. You can click here for more details.

But the next big social occasion for me will be taking my lovely girlfriend out this weekend to see the 'worst film ever made', Tommy Wiseau's masterpiece 'The Room'.

The Battery Kids

2010-05-16T02:54:00.000-07:00

Okay. So here it goes. The semi-negative review. The dark cloud with a silver lining. You want it to be like pulling a band aid off a scabby knee; quick and painless. But you need to be methodical, calculated in dissecting why you actually don't like a band. It's a little more difficult than being out at a gig getting pissed with your mates and having a bit of bravado to slag off the band from the shadows. But there is a certain enjoyment to it all isn't there? We like to see bands knocked off their pedestal (particularly if we don't believe they need to be up there in the first place).

I like to think these days I tend to think twice before saying something off the cuff about a band. Songs are irritating things; a chord progression or a lyric that you scoff at first can suddenly grow on you. While that might not be the way I feel about The Battery Kids' music, I can definitely appreciate a band who tries harder than most to get their music heard.

The Battery Kids are a four piece 'alternative' rock act in the same way Grinspoon or Calling All Cars are an alternative rock act. They wouldn't be out of place on the Nova FM playlist, but that being said, they would probably also compliment some of the more mainstream summer festivals as well. They've been a mainstay of the Adelaide circuit for the past couple of years now, and they're about to release their brand new album 'We’re Just Hanging While the Rats All Gather and the Vultures Circle Over Head'.

Now here's the silver lining. Despite all the obvious Matthew Bellamy vocal tics and token 'goth' rock histrionics (Killing Joke they are not) there's some pretty memorable hooks here. Take 'Ancient Curse', the lead off single from the album. Despite the cliched My Chemical Romance aping content (the gameplan: monster squad unleashed metaphor for love gone wrong) there is a great pounding riff behind this that adds to the momentum of the song.

I think that although the band has always rested their laurels on a flimsy and to be quite frank camp PG rated horror theme, they do have the musical chops to do something more. Only time will tell if that's the case. The Battery Kids launch their debut album at Jive on Friday 11th June with The Killgirls.

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The Battery Kids album 'We’re Just Hanging While the Rats All Gather and the Vultures Circle Over Head' is available for $5 download by clicking here.

The Honey Pies

2010-05-14T00:11:00.000-07:00

When I used to play in Central Deli Band years ago we felt like we had brothers in arms in the likes of Lady Strangelove and Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! but none more so than Poly&The Statics.

Led by dual vocalist/guitarists Josh Phillips and Jon Marco, the band were complimented by Greg Beazley on drums and later addition of Tom McCarthy-Jones on bass. They were our drinking buddies, gear lending comrades and keen competition for gig supports.

I always remember the night we supported Gerling in 2006 and I'd given Josh my free pass to get in to the show. He arrived more than two hours late after having an 'episode' (read: bad trip) on the train into the city and was completely terrified. I introduced him to Darren Cross and he stood in awe of his teenage hero like a slurring, stoned deer in the headlights.

It was inevitable that Polys were to split, but sad regardless. What defined the Polys sound would eventually break them up; with Josh playing in the short lived Billy Bishop Goes To War and currently in Friends and Jon Marco forming the golden indie pop band The Honey Pies with Tom McCarthy-Jones, drummer Tony Marshall and Marcus Warnecke.

The Honey Pies have one foot solely planted in Liverpool's Cavern Club and the other in Burt Bacharach's bed room. There's a humor in Marco's songwriting that comes through in songs like 'Sex Wax' or his near-faithful solo rendition of the 'Cannibal: The Musical' songbook at last week's Nobody Wants To Play With Me #3.

With Triple J support for their track 'Fools In Love' and supports for Tim Rogers and Parades (Ed Castle / Saturday June 5th), you can download their complete EP 'Oh Hi We Didn't See You There, We're...' (The Honey Pies) in full on their myspace.

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The Honey Pies 'Fools In Love' / JJJ Unearthed download

Slaughterhouse Jive DJ set tomorrow night

2010-05-13T04:00:00.000-07:00

Hey all, bit of a shameless plug but i'll be DJing tomorrow night at the Hotel Metropolitan (46 Grote Street in the city). Fair Maiden (Ellen Carey, previously from Clue To Kalo) will be performing as a full band (with help from Liam Kenny and Joel Carey) with Shame Spiral and Old Mate (Pat Telfer from Bitch Prefect) in the band room, but i'll be in the theatre bar from 9pm.. playing tunes.

Here's some of the stuff i'm thinking about playing, if yer interested - come along!

Doobie Brothers * TTT * The Cars * Health * Ivy St. * Peter Gabriel * The Ponys * Robert Palmer * The Antlers * Bat for Lashes * Billy Bragg * The Cure * Bird Blobs * Black Lips * Bonnie Tyler * Bryan Ferry * Joy Division* Beyonce * Pere Ubu * Christopher Cross * David Bowie * Devestations * Nas * Heart * Fleetwood Mac * Dragon * Foreigner * Split Enz * Fucked Up * The Drums * Gang Of Four * Girls * Grizzly Bear * Guided By Voices* Witch Hats * King Crimson and many, many more...

Box Elder - Interview

2010-05-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

Box Elder are a relatively new band in Adelaide but seem to be on every gig poster I see; for a group only in its early stages they have an almost workmanlike dedication to playing gigs. I first saw them play at the Metro and was pleasantly surprised, it's almost Flying Nun era NZ jangle pop with elements of Yo La Tengo and early R.E.M throughout their set. I liked how each band member seemed in control the sound he was creating and how bold they were in their songwriting (even if feeble attempts at banter inbetween songs told otherwise).

I spoke to singer and guitarist Patrick Lockwood about new opportunities for the band, lousy gig advertising and being a hills kid.

Name: Patrick Lockwood

Role: Vocals / Guitar / Token Manager

Record out: Rewind the Fall (EP anticipated release July 2010)

On repeat: ‘All I Want’ by LCD Soundsystem

Anything else we should be into: Foals new album is great. Recorded in Sweden. Also my blog, Endless Era.

Best song you've got: 'Empty Castles'

You guys emerged from the Adelaide Hills about a year ago out of relative obscurity and have managed so far to maintain a mysterious nature to your performances. Tell us a bit about how you came together and what you guys set out to achieve with your music?

Ha! Yeah… We met cos of the music we liked and the fact that we came from the same place. Really we like to think of ourselves as a city band… even though we still practise at my place in Strath (Strathalbyn, Adelaide Hills). Tannon (Kew, Guitar) and I played all through high school, and then we found the others to form a band. We started just covering stuff, as most bands do I guess, and then wrote some songs to enter a uni band comp. There was no ‘founding vision’ really, things have just evolved over time based on our personalities.

You're called Box Elder, so I'd imagine Pavement is an obvious influence for you guys. What other bands do you feel inspired by sonically and what local bands do you enjoy currently?

It’s funny with Pavement, cos they’re a huge influence on me in so many ways, but not so much with the others. So even though Box Elder is that pavement song, to me the name’s evolved into something more in terms of the band and the sonics of things. But we’re (again quite obviously) influenced by post-punk, indie and shoegaze bands like Joy Division, Interpol, the Strokes, Deerhunter and Liars. There’s a huge pool of music that we draw from collectively between the five of us. It was kinda lucky when we wandered into the Adelaide scene that there were bands with similar influences, like Lumonics, Billy Bishop Goes To War and F!SR,F! We’re always excited by Steering By Stars work, but they seem to be playing the same night as us quite often…

Your band posters for your shows has always struck me as being different and unique. Who's idea was it to go after the various photographs and wooden displays to advertise your band? Was it a conscious decision to think outside of the square when it came to the image of the band?

Tannon’s girlfriend Steph has been the brains behind our poster and web design, and we’ve always been blown away with how she manages to represent our band. She’s got an eye for design, and has great ideas on how to catch people’s attention. We definitely want to create an aesthetic that suits the band and makes people intrigued. That’s been a big part of getting the EP ready for release, producing something that does the same thing as those posters. And it’s something that I wish there was more of in Adelaide, you know, ‘attractive’ posters rather than those City Riots ones that choke up every stobie pole in town. And the same goes for stage shows, although it’s harder to do things ‘outside the square’ given that there’s five of us cramped on a small stage!

'Microdots' is a heavily layered and quite well structured song that also contains an etheral dream-like quality to it. How does the creative process come together for the band? How long will you collectively work on a song for before you think it's been completed?

We’re lucky in that we’ve been able to write songs independently, and then develop them by jamming together. We have three guitarists so that layering becomes essential. Songs generally spur from an idea someone plays at practise and someone puts something on top. There are literally hours of jams recorded like that. Then it’s a matter of everyone remembering what they played the next week and adding whatever ideas people have during the week. I like to think it’s democratic like Sonic Youth, but there can be some fierce power struggles. It comes down to balancing ideas within a structure, and at the end of the day making it sound 'good'.

Being all relatively young guys just starting out playing original music, what do you find are some of the limitations of playing and getting your music out there in Adelaide and indeed nationally? Who do you look to as the template for what a 'successful' rock band should be?

I think the heart of it is split between playing shows and getting your recordings heard. Shows in Adelaide are limited by venues and crowds. The general nightlife of Adelaide isn’t there for live music, they’re there to get wasted to club music, and there’s only a small portion of people supporting the local scene. As such, the moment there’s two or more decent shows on in town, the numbers at your gig diminish drastically. With the venues, most want to attract the biggest crowd, so they give them what they want in DJ’s and booze. This seems to be the way Rocket and Ed Castle have gone. There’s still great venues there supporting live music like the Metro, Format and the Jade Monkey, but it’s tricky.

In terms of getting music ‘out’, the internet makes that worlds easier. We’ve got a blog and we maintain our myspace/facebook/last.fm stuff, and we’ve managed to get mentioned in other local blogs and street press, so the music is there for those that want it. Personally Triple J feels like a brick wall at the moment, so the best way to get national exposure to the kind of people that will care is through music blogs.

There’s always the dream of getting to a Radiohead style success, but realistically it’d be nice to be remembered if only in our local scene. For example, the Lumonics were a great band, and given their time together they were hugely ‘successful’ in my eyes, and over a year since they broke up I still regularly listen to their recordings. The only thing they did wrong was break up! On a larger scale, a band like deerhunter have it good, they’ve developed under their own terms and people have responded such that they’re highly respected by those who know them. They tour and record frequently, but also have time for individual side projects.

You share your name with an American punk band (the Box Elders) signed to the same label as Eddy Current Suppression Ring. Are you worried about the confusion? I'd imagine with your online presence you're bound to have some trouble.

I’m not sure what to make of this… It’s kinda the most awkward situation right now cos they have contacted us. The online thing was fine until our last.fm page was ‘auto-corrected’ to theirs, the ‘s’ in url’s generally makes a huge different. I mainly think they’re after us because they know ‘Box Elder’ is a much cooler name than ‘Box Elders’. I don’t think anyone could confuse the music of the two bands though. I’m just not sure if in the long run it’s worth holding onto given the complications. It breaks my heart that we might have to change our name for any reason other than our own terms… Part of me says ‘fuck em’, the other says ‘oh, don’t…’

What are the future plans for Box Elder? More time crafting songs in the studio?

We really want to put this EP ‘out’, and then we’re planning to record a full album. We’ve got plenty of songs floating round at various stages of development. After last year we pooled our gig money together to buy some recording gear and are pretty set doing stuff from home, so it’s a matter of everyone having time to lay new tracks down over a week or so. While we’re waiting on designs and stuff for the EP I’m working on a solo release that’ll be under the name Cool Jumper probably (far as I know there’s no US punk bands called that…)

Box Elder 'Microdots' / JJJ Unearthed download

Dan Kelly

2010-05-12T00:16:00.000-07:00

Dan Kelly is coming back to Adelaide and it's been way too long. The quirky songwriter with a knack for writing a great hook or two is currently touring the lead single off his latest album Dan Kelly's Dream (formerly The Decommissioner) and it's a doozy. It's called 'Bindi Irwin Apocalypse Jam' and it's as close as we're going to get to 21st Century version of 'Octopus's Garden'.

I have a feeling that in another life Dan Kelly would be my cool guitar wielding dad (he's probably not that much older than me). He would tell me stories from the road, the pains of being related to more famous and profilic people and share other wisdoms with me. Like Dappled Cities and Laura Imbruglia, there's an inventiveness and playfulness to Kelly's music that makes me really look forward to the new album. I really do wish we were related.

Here's to you dad.

Mr. Kelly has enlisted a great backing band to support him in Mr. Dave Williams and Mr. Kieran Box (from Augie March) and Mr. Indra Adams and Mr. Dallas Packard (from Ground Components). Supporting Dan Kelly's Dream Band on their national tour are recently Triple J Unearthed band The Eagle and The Worm, who sound like what I imagine Australia would have sounded like in 1971.

Dan Kelly's Dream Band play with The Eagle & The Worm and locals We Grow Up at Jive on Saturday June 5th.

Coerce - Interview

2010-05-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

A couple of years back I was playing in a fairly amateurish run of the mill indie band. We had some good ideas, but the guys were really too nice to each other to be challenged to write anything harder - something which is pretty much the death knell for any band. I got an e-mail from Mike, who had been playing in a band I really loved called Realist Few and managed local act Soft White Machine. We caught up for a few drinks at the Worldsend, and the rest was history.

Realist Few died and Coerce was born. Where Realist Few was a lot smoother around the edges, Coerce is a more uncompromising vision of hardcore, unrelenting guitar fretwork and venomous spite. To top it off, Mike is truly one of the most stand up gentlemen around town as well. We spoke about tone, Robotosaurus and a truly epic work schedule.

Name: Mike Deslandes

Role: Airwolf/Shaq

Record out: Silver Tounged Life Licker (on capitalgames/MGM)

On repeat: 'Before The Beginning' by The Empyrean

Anything else we should be into: Kazaam/Blue Chip, No Logo by Naomi Klein, Maxon OD820/Ibanez AD9 pedals and filmmaker Aaron Schuppan. Live it.

Best song you've got: 'Silver Tongued Life Licker'

You've built up quite a rabid and dedicated following in a short amount of time, not only due to your ferocious live shows but also your recorded work. Which do you prefer more, playing live or working in the studio? (MD runs Capital Sound Studios and the capitalgames label out of Adelaide CBD)

Definitely playing live - playing my gear, bathing in tone, performing etc is my world. Studio work for the band is largely how Coerce works and the starting from scratch and building songs in a studio sense is how I seem to work. Not my preferred method as I'm a plug in and play guy but the geographically nightmare of the band sees things go this way.

The bands most recent national tour opening for hard rock band Karnivool was the perfect introduction for you to a large number of new audiences. Was it a challenge to play with the same verve of a pub show in those larger venues?

Not really, I think if anything that tour reaffirmed that playing pub shows is exactly what we should be doing but at the same time we're comfortabe where ever - I think it's the punters that get uncomfortable, not us.

The shows were all massive and enjoyable, all our mates on the road were awesome and to be a part of something like that was great. Clearly the tour/band and fans are all a different world to Coerce and having us play to those crowds was hopefully an eye opener to some that music can be a stripped naked beast that exposes an ugly honesty amid an over dressed market. We had fun, we drank.

The band has built up a strong camaraderie with fellow local hardcore acts, in particular Robotosaurus. Tell us about the goodwill between both bands and the upcoming split EP you're both doing together.

Well Alex (Fimeri, Robotsaurus) and I have talked about doing this for about a year and like all things for both bands we just decided to make it happen, set a schedule and are getting the job done. Musically we're both different bands yet share a very similar ethos and approach to our music.

The split (to be released in June 2010) is 10 songs, all new unreleased material from both bands and a medium to share the directions of things to come i guess. This is also a great interim release before we both have new albums to release in 2011.

Again, the fact we share so much in and out of music yet have different people into each band, it allows this to expose each other to each others crowds in a community vibe.

Coerce recently completed a brief WA tour with Grim Fandango. Tell us about your favourite places to play and why.

Well The Prince Of Wales in Bunbury seems to win. I've always loved going there, the people love their music (and booze) and seem to love Coerce. It's pretty amazing going to regional Western Australia and people are screaming our songs back at us. Always a good time, always good friends.

The source material of 'Life Licker' seems like a very personal dissection of betrayal in a relationship/s. Is it cathartic to play those songs so that they are open to interpretation by the average punter?

Yeah, to play the songs is now just playing them, the writing etc was documenting what I had to at the time and yeah, it's really only a personal thing and I'm sure people will interperate things to their own lives and so on which is always the beauty of writing and digesting in any form!

You all come from a collective stock of strong punk and hardcore acts. How did your fellow bandmates impact on the recording of the record? Karl in particular, since he's the ugliest.

Well Karl is the type of guy to pick up a guitar, lose his keys and invent cold fusion by accident all in one swift toke of a spliff - so when it comes to music and his playing ability I don't ever have to worry. The other guys and together collectively do what's natural and things that are hard/weird to us are simply left unatended. We have no vision, we have no goals, not even kidding haha..

Name some of your gripes. Interviews?

Every interview I've ever done apart from this one. I mean come on, we're a shitty band that no one knows or cares about so maybe thats why I'll get asked a question and the interviewer thinks "hmm ok, I'll take this line from this answer and this from that, mix it with the words hardcore/refused and boom - magic! Now we have a story".

Everything I ever read or hear back makes me laugh in horror at how some people must think I am from the jumbled, missquoted mess that gets printed or aired...Lucky I don't take myself too seriously...

What's on the cards for the future? More touring to come?

Well for now it's the split focus - June release - Melb/Adelaide launches as Coerce/Robotosaurus/Graf Orlock & Dangers (capitalgames is releasing Dangers in June 10) from the USA - 'Silver Tongued Life Licker' film clip will surface in a couple of weeks - Some more touring through the year and also write a new record. Never a dull moment, just dull guys.

Coerce 'Silver Tongued Life Licker' is out now on CD and vinyl through capitalgames/MGM.

Adelaide City Council responds to Soundwave

2010-05-11T03:36:00.000-07:00

from RIP IT UP:

Adelaide City Council has responded to the claims made yesterday by Soundwave organisers that the festival would not be able to continue in Adelaide due to a changed fee structure for events in the parklands.

The changes to the structure mean that events, including music festivals, will have to pay the same fees on set-up and pack-down days as they would on the event day itself. According to Soundwave, the ACC are also taking an increased percentage of each ticket sold for the festival.

Councillor Stephen Yarwood said the reason for the changes was to encourage event organisers to be more efficient on bump-in and bump-out days.

“If we provide a single fee there’s no incentive for people to do it quickly and in fact often they take days to do something they might only do in a day,” Mr Yarwood said. “So the fee structure’s designed to make it so that people move in quicker and move out quicker, which means that more people have access to the parklands over a longer period of time.

“Our fee structure’s also meant to reflect the full cost of using and rehabilitating the parklands. You can imagine that when thousands of people use certain areas of the parklands there’ll be cigarette butts, or rubbish, or damaged grass and council has to rehabilitate that. It’s about paying a fair price because obviously the rate payers shouldn’t have to fork out money to cover any rehabilitation that a private enterprise inflicts on the parklands.”

Mr Yarwood, the second-youngest councillor in the ACC and self-professed “big music fan”, insisted the changes were only in the preliminary stages of discussion and nothing has been implemented yet.

He was also quick to point out that the ACC will be engaging event organisers about the proposed changes and he would actively be seeking out a compromise to the situation with Soundwave.

“I'm not all for raising the fees to the point where (event organisers) don’t use them. I want the parklands to be used for these events. I want to bring people in so they can enjoy themselves. I'm a keen supporter of music and the arts so I'll be doing what I can to strike an acceptable balance.

“We’re actually doing more events and more music events like this in the parklands than have been done ever in the history of Adelaide. So to have this one thing and say that we’re not pro-music in the parklands would be silly.”

Organisers for Soundwave disagree, saying the increased fees will make it too expensive to run the event in its current location at Bonython Park.

“It just takes way too much money out of the bottom line of the festival to make it even remotely viable (and) with the amount of international acts we have, we have a pretty thin bottom line anyway. So any costs that come into the event of that magnitude we have to take very very seriously,” publicist Chris O’Brien said yesterday.

“We’ve queried if we can do it at the Showgrounds or things like that, and that’s obviously where the Big Day Out is and they have an exclusion zone in their contract.

“It’s early days but it’s not looking great at the moment.”

With the fee changes still yet to be implemented and negotiations set to take place between the two parties later this month, it seems that Soundwave are a little hasty in declaring “the end” of the Adelaide leg of the festival, as head organiser A.J. Maddah did yesterday.

However, with the fee changes affecting all events in the parklands, it remains to be seen whether other festivals will be hamstrung by the increased prices as well.

(thanks to Jimmy Bollard for RIU article)

Sacha Sewell, site manager for the Soundwave Festival, had this to say regarding the ACC's decision.

As the Site Manager for Soundwave Adelaide I am ultimately responsible for the Occupational Health Safety and Welfare of all persons on the Soundwave Site from bump in to showday and bump out. I would suggest to Councillor Yarwood the additional fees for the set up and pull down days are quite dangerous. We have 100’s of people working on site on the set up. Stage builders, riggers, bar staff, site crew, cleaners, audio and lighting tech’s, security etc. Why would council want to provide a incentive to reduce the build time for the show and compromise the safety of these people who are just doing their job? It takes a week to set up and pull down Soundwave at Bonython Park and we are already working huge hours. To reduce the build time for this will be dangerous.

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So the stalemate between Adelaide City Council and the festival organisers continues! Hopefully both parties can reach some sort of compromise in relation to the event so the kids won't miss out.

No More Soundwave for Adelaide?

2010-05-10T06:28:00.000-07:00

From the land of twitter...

Apparently Soundwave Festival organiser A.J Maddah has announced there won't be an Adelaide date for next year due to draconian additional hire fees being planned. In a slightly annoying list of twitter posts (who uses twitter to write a press release exactly anyways?), Mr. Maddah goes on to state that the Adelaide City Council would now "apply the same rent charges to each of the load-in, set-up and tear down days as charged for show day.

Adelaide City Council also want to take a % of each ticket you buy to Soundwave.

So with rent icreasing [increasing] x 1100%, charges per ticket & the fact rest of country is already subsidising Adelaide, this is the end of SW Adel [Soundwave Adelaide]."

Mr. Maddah goes on to weigh in on his opinion on the state of music in Adelaide in correspondence with a fellow tweeter. "Yep, and they wonder why people are abandoning Adelaide in droves and why S.A has rto run ads O.S begging for migrants (sic)".

Whilst probably not the most professional attitude for Mr. Maddah to have by quickly jumping on the Adelaide hatin' bandwagon, I know that many people will be pretty dismayed by the decision the Adelaide City Council has handed down for the popular festival.

An interesting question arises however. If Soundwave sold out quite quickly in Adelaide this year, and if by 'country' Mr. Maddah means the rest of the Soundwave tour, were numbers in actual fact down this year?

Also another issue that may have arisen is the problematic use of Bonython Park for social occasions and outdoor festivals. The rumour mill was abound last year that Octoberfest had been moved from the site due to antisocial behaviour. Was it just simply a case for the council of it being too loud and too disruptive?

I'm sure we'll be hearing more from both parties soon about the issue.

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Bieber Fever

2010-05-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Um... this is music news worthy. Right?

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Lesbians Who Look Like Justin Bieber

Tom Smeets

2010-05-09T01:28:00.000-07:00

Having stolen the video from Spoz, here is a definite highlight of last night's 'Nobody Wants To Play With Me 3'. Tom Smeets, the drummer from Steering By Stars, put on an amazingly surreal and hilarious piece I can only sum up as being pure excellence.

Ride Into The Sun

2010-05-08T20:32:00.000-07:00

I don't mind psychedelic rock but I take issue with people that take it too seriously. Honestly though, why aren't The Velvet Underground thought of as the best comedy rock band in the world? Songs about drug abuse, copping drugs from male prostitution, sexual deviancy and so forth. Lou Reed was about as close as Andy Warhol got to having a sense of humour.

Obviously i'm shit stirring a little bit. But there seems to be an over earnestness to playing in paisley that's a real turnoff. Something gets lost in the translation, where having fun playing fun music becomes too 'hard', which makes the difference between an enjoyable show and a headache inducing one. It's the difference between a Bitch Prefect and an Alpen show. Sounds cruel, but sometimes the truth hurts. There's not to say that there can't be a change for the better.

The slow burn of droning guitar provided by Ride Into The Sun is a good example of a band that is the better sum of its previous parts. Formed from the ashes of Kytes of Omar (too cheesy), Mona Lisa Overdrive (too samey), Empire Vagabond and Saint Huck (who?), Ride Into The Sun play straight up loud overdriven shoegaze rock. There's no pretension here, the band has a singular vision for what they want to be and what they want to sound like. While Hope Sandoval/Mazzy Star and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are the template here, given time I think these guys will definitely explore their sound a little more and come into their own.

Ride Into The Sun 'Chosen One' / JJJ Unearthed download

Nobody Wants To Play With Me #3

2010-05-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight marks the third installment of an interesting gig curated by the very lovely Sia Duff called Nobody Wants To Play With Me. Described as a 'carnival of soloists from all your favourite local bands', the night features musicians playing and reinterpreting their own original songs as well as a few well placed covers.

Playing tonight are Alana Jagt, Alexander Fewings (Sunsettler), Anthony Callisto (Lyla), David Williams (Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire!), Tom Smeets (Steering By Stars), Ringo Stalin (The Big Band), Freya Adele (Our Husband, pictured), Elliot 'Fauxbro' Raphael (Anti-Casper), Kirk Special, Jon Marco (The Honey Pies), Nigel Koop (Home for the Def but going under the dubious title Stiff & The Pants) as well as local producer Matt Hills in a rare solo outing.

Having played at a previous NWTPWM gig under the title of First Nations I really appreciated the great turnout these events had (even if I was a little rusty), and tonight's gig looks to be no different. It's a little unfortunate that it's on the same night as Batrider launch their latest album 'Why Can't We Be Together' at Format, however if you can make it between the two you won't regret it.

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Nobody Wants To Play With Me 3 is on tonight (Saturday) from 8:30pm at the Metro Hotel (46 Grote Street, Adelaide)

Uh...yeah.

2010-05-07T04:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry, but i'm way too stuffed recovering from surgery to write about 'bands' today. I'm currently watching a documentary on SBS about Hitler's bodyguard, or the plot to kill Hitler, or something. If you're reading this, you should probably be getting out of the house. And getting me some more custard. That shit is gooood.

The Nation Blue

2010-05-06T01:44:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the first time you got so excited about buying an album by a band that you became a little obsessive about it? Even better if it was an educated guess. My first was 'Sand On Seven', by now defunct Brisbane experimental rockers Not From There. 'Sich Offnen' was a two and a half minute burst of Australian grunge sung in completely in German by frontman Heinz Riegler. In the early days of the interwebs (when bands had websites, not myspace or facebook pages), I would almost religiously read the musings of Riegler and his compatriots from their tour 'blog'. After playing in Whyalla one Saturday night, they described the town as a 'rusted industrial shithole', something at the time I really admired (it might have had something to do with being constantly called a faggot by assholes blasting Millencolin from their cars for wearing an At the Drive-In t-shirt).

Years later in 2004 I living a very frugal existence in Melbourne on my girlfriend's couch. She could best be described as a bit of a Christian punk and we spent a lot of time watching some very bad bands at the Arthouse and Switch. The relationship was in constant flux between the heights of bliss and depths of despair that I really wasn't coping with at all. A lot of this sounds like equal parts psychological torture and teenage angst, and in part it was, but I'm getting to the point. I discovered Missing Link Records in Bourke Street and picked up the album 'Damnation' by The Nation Blue on a whim.

The Nation Blue have always been one of those bands for me that have perfectly captured the intensity of what punk and hardcore should be. Tom Lyngcoln screams like a brickie trying to encapsulate a feeling or emotion over the din of overdriven guitars. But the contrast between the loud and the quiet is what really gets me. The closest comparsion I can think of is a more lyrically obtuse Mark Seymour, mired by both its punk and art rock roots. At a gig at the Crown & Anchor Hotel supporting their previous release 'Protest Songs' two years ago, a drunken cougar attempted to chat up the band mid song. She got in the way of Lyngcoln's swinging guitar head stock, smashing her pint and proving a point. She didn't try to touch his guitar again.

There always seems to be rumours of TNB's departure from the live circuit. However they've just announced a tour with another underrated Australian band, A Death In The Family. It seems that unlike others, this tour *might* be the last time you can see them together live. But somehow i'm not worried, we'll still always have Paris (re: the cranker).

Look out for both bands, supported by locals Grenadiers at Jive on Friday July 16th.

Matt Banham - Interview

2010-05-05T00:50:00.000-07:00

If you think you've got it bad, you should listen to 'Self Destruct'; the latest album from Matt Banham. Stepping out from behind the No Through Road nom de plume, the album is stripped back to the bare basics. Gone are the rock histrionics and slacker confidence of previous band efforts 'Winner' and 'Too Much Of Not Enough'. Minimalist loops collide with sparse and austere guitar tracks. There are anthems on this record of a different kind on this record. Chorusless songs written with intent that seem dispirited and hollow, the writer sans band, resigned to failure. It packs more of an emotional wallop than most brash NTR fans of the live show are used to. And it's good.

I spoke to Matt Banham about his world weary views, eluding superstardom and the infamous Mamma Spaghetti twitter phemonemon.

Name: Matt Banham

Role: Singer/Guitarist

Record out: Self Destruct, independently released

On repeat: 'Halo' by Beyonce

Anything else we should be into: I pretty much spend all my 'bored time' playing Angry Birds on my iPhone. It's the best game i've ever played. I've passed all the levels now but still haven't become an honorary bird. But i'm getting so close!

Best song you've got: I'm pretty happy with how 'ttrr' turned out. I think it's my happiest song in years.

Matt, you and I are good friends. Is this correct? Do you remember when I used to write you abusive comments on the early No Through Road messageboard?

I have a vague memory of that. That board was pretty much just abuse and spam telling me I had a small dick. Sometimes it was one and the same. It's unfortunate that the company who made those boards for free died and it was lost forever.

You've dropped the No Through Road name for this record, however 'Self Destruct' reminds me alot of your first solo album 'Monkey On A Rock'. Is this a token comparsion do you think? Was dropping the name a conscious decision to do?

I can see the similarities. Pretty much all of the No Through Road albums have been 'solo' albums apart from Winner and TMONE. I guess I just thought this might make it better for people to know what to expect when they see a No Through Road show as apposed to a Matt Banham show. I'd like to think they are pretty different, but lets face it I still whinge in both. I'd been thinking about using my name for a while, it's grown on me, I used to think it was a pretty boring name.

Religion and women make up a lot of your subject material. How much of your past goes into your songs?

It's all in there, lots of its made up or exaggerated or changed completely though. But yeah, chicks and god feature heavily.

No Through Road have been such a staple of the local live scene for so many years now, you could be almost considered veterans. Or needing veterinarians, to put you to sleep. How do you guys maintain the creative spirit to keep going? It must be hard having Ianto, Marcin and Nick in the band. Dexter would be chillax tho.

I think we struggled a little with that when Steph left the band. She was a pretty big creative force in the band, not to say the others ain't but she really helped tie us altogether. It took a while and a few shit songs to find our feet again. I think it's working now, we are recording which i'm enjoying a lot, but I guess we will see when it's done. And yeah we have definitely been doing this for a long while now. It's still fun though and people still seem to like watching us. And that's all I ever do it for. And all the members drive me equally insane, but I love all their 'quirks'.

You play in a terrible cover band with me called The Crying Game and you have an Icehouse cover on your myspace. What's your favourite bogan song and why? Also, who is the ugliest member of The Crying Game?

Icehouse is pretty up there for me, are they bogan though? They are pretty darn good. I really like speaking the words of 'The Holy Grail' like i'm telling a story, cause that song LITERALLY tells a story ya know. So I guess it would be that.

And unfortunately due to Lachlan everyone else is the ugliest member of The Crying Game. Except Sammy Boy! He's my boy!

The film clip for 'Death Mocks Me In My Sleep' is quite disturbing and a definite change from your previous light hearted videoes. What's the story behind the song? Are we seeing an older and more contemplative Matt Banham?

Well the clip is entirely my brothers doing so I cant take any credit for that. It grossed me out at first but it's grown on me. I'm a wuss with dead bodies etc.

The song is about a suicide bomber. It's a story! A nice little story.

You've played with everything from the commercial (Clipsal 500 with Wolfmother, the Adelaide Entertainment Centre with Jet) to the lo-fi (Mt. Eerie, The Tallest Man On Earth). Can you recall a favourite show you've played or a story about much of an asshole Jack Ladder was?

Playing with my heroes like Phil Elverum (Mt. Eerie/The Microphones) etc are always highlights, especially when they turn out to be nice guys. One of my faves was with M.Ward and Lou Barlow back in about 2002 or something. I was so nervous cause I'd never met famous people before and Lou Barlow was a big influence on me as a younger man. When I met them and they were normal people it really surprised me. Made me well relaxed. We even emailed a few times after the show. Nowadays when we play with famous types I don’t have any desire to talk to them as I have realised that I really don’t have much to say to them other than 'so...ya like Coopers?' Which is actually what I said to Spiral Stairs once...

And Jack Ladder was nice. YOU were drunk!

Jack Ladder is a great guy I'm sure, I jest. Your label Low Transit Industries recently folded, leaving you to have to self release the album independently. Firstly how important is even having a label these days, and what have been some of the challenges you've had to face getting this record out to the people?

Labels are great and have helped me out heaps in the past, Unstable Ape and Low Transit both spent money on me and probably didn’t make much back so thats always amazed me. But now i'm not sure if it's better or worse to be on a label. Having to do all the promo stuff yourself is a bit of a pain but also kinda fun, doing it yourself is how I started and I always sorta assumed it would be like this again. Selling mp3s is awesome though. CDs are a waste of space, I have a million in a box in my room that will probably be in that box forever. The only reasons I can see for joining a label are 'prestige', publicity and maybe if someone wanted to put my stuff on vinyl. Which is a dream.

But with only having to send mp3s out to people all over the world, man its sooooo much easier than it was 8 years ago.

With Mamma Spaghetti, were you surprised how an old Italian stereotype on Twitter could be so popular? Will Tony ever learn from his mistakes??

I was pretty damn surprised about it and didn’t really realise just how popular it was until I revealed myself. Someone actually sent me a link to a radio podcast the other day of people talking about it. It's pretty damn funny hearing other people do impersonations of her.

And I don’t think Tony will ever learn... ROMA!

Has this interview been candid enough? I was going for a hard hitting Andrew Denton on Enough Rope style. I can mention I once saw a picture of you sitting on Santa's lap at the Box Hill RSL once if you like?

You did??

Matt Banham's album 'Self Destruct' is available for download here.

The Swiss

2010-05-04T02:46:00.000-07:00

The Swiss are one of those enduring success stories of the Adelaide music scene that have been undervalued in the past, mainly due to the fact they actually play live disco music. Isn't it amazing that people would rather waste time and money on some talentless asshole DJ playing someone else's songs when these guys spent most of 2008/9 playing the Crown & Sceptre?

Well with $10 grand in the bank (thanks to the Fuse Festival Explode! competition) and a prize spot on the Great Escape festival in the UK, things are starting to change for the eclectic three piece. Spending the latter half of 2009 on the Parklife circuit as Luke Steele's backing band (glamming up as that little known ARIA award winning band Empire Of The Sun) and supporting Ladyhawke under their own moniker, The Swiss have become a hardened live touring act unto their own.

With their 'Bubble Bath' EP out now through Modular and a European tour on the way, Giorgio Moroder will need to start prepping his lawyers for this group. At the moment, they seem unstoppable.

The Swiss 'Bubble Bath' EP is out now through Modular.

20th Century Graduates - Interview

2010-05-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

I'm having my wisdom teeth pulled out this Thursday and I gotta be honest with you, I ain't looking forward to it. It's good that I won't have all my pearly whites with me soon however, because if I manage to catch the 20th Century Graduates sugar rush again, I might need to invest in dentures.

Or perhaps even insulin.

20th Century Graduates write infectious twee pop in the vain of Los Campesinos!, Belle & Sebastian and *erm* Lisa Mitchell. I spoke to guitarist Alex Ciaravolo about the bands recent success, democratic band relationships and Third Eye Blind.

Name: Alex Ciaravolo

Role: Guitar

Record out: Parking Inspectors Are People Too EP (to be released late 2010)

On repeat: 'Here's Looking At You Kid' by the Gaslight Anthem

Anything else we should be into: Pirated software. Retail is for suckers!

Best song you've got: 'Parking Inspectors Are People Too'

Alex! 20th Century Graduates are doing quite well at the moment, with a well received gig at the Big Day Out this year and upcoming supports for Spoon and The Coronas. What's the secret to your success so far?

Yeah we've had a good run lately with the support shows and landing a spot on the Big Day Out lineup. Like all aspects of life, there's an element of chance that comes into things and there's no doubt that we have been fortunate. But in my opinion the bottom line in music is quality, so as a band you need to hone your craft and spend lots of time writing and rewriting your songs. It doesn't hurt to have a secret weapon up your sleeve and for us that's our singer/songwriter/drummer Jeremy. He manages to throw together parts for seven band members and have them all fit together without it sounding like a big mess. It amazes and delights me every time.

You used to share vocal duties in shoegaze outfit Lumonics. Tell us about the change of pace and your role in songwriting in the band?

Musically it is quite a change-up for me. I went from being a bass playing co-frontman to all purpose guitarist and backup singer. I had a much larger songwriting role in Lumonics as that was a completely democratic, equal share type of band. 20th Century Graduates is a group that has been put together piece by piece by our (reluctant) leader Jeremy Lake. While we all contribute with suggestions on arrangements and so-forth, ultimately the songs come from his head and we usually look to him for a final decision on them. I throw in a guitar solo here and there which keeps me entertained, haha.

20th Century Graduates seem to be rather incestuous with a number of other local bands (The Keepsakes, The Honey Pies, The British Robots). Is there a bit of a pop revival going on at the moment? How did you guys all meet up?

For a while we've felt like we're playing a style that not many other bands are. I guess every band likes to think of themselves as unique but it's probably better to let outsiders be the judge of that. Keepsakes are an obvious comparison because we share two members with them, but apart from that I think we're quite different. They're a minimalist three-piece act who can pull off a great show with little more than a half-hour rehearsal, whereas 20CG are a seven-piece behemoth with all the bells and whistles who need all the practice time we can get to allow things to run smoothly. As for a pop revival? I think there’ll always be pop music around, like it or not. Luckily the term “pop” is so broad that you can play whatever the hell you want!

You're currently in the process of recording your EP 'Parking Inspectors Are People Too' with Matt Hills at Hillside Studios. How does working in the studio compliment your arrangements?

Well like all bands recording for the first time, there is a lot to learn. Most of us have been involved in other recording projects but studio dynamic is a tough thing to master no matter how much experience you have. In this particular scenario, we basically had everything mapped out in terms of arrangement. It was just a matter of getting it all down to tape (hard drive actually, haha) and deciding on what kind of sounds, tones and recording techniques we preferred. The recording and mastering side of the EP is actually all complete. Artwork and release is a different matter, but we’re working on it!

With a great run of shows already in the past year supporting the likes of Cloud Control and Miami Horror. What are your plans for the rest of the year? Taking the band on the road?

We’re looking to release our first single ‘Keeping Up With The Joneses’ with a launch party in July, and follow that up with the EP’s release a little later in the year. On the back of that we’re hoping to go interstate and bring our music to a national audience. As a live sound engineer I’ve seen lots of bands from the eastern states play in Adelaide to an audience consisting of myself and the bar staff. I wouldn’t want this to be the case with 20th Century Graduates so some careful planning will hopefully see us making a successful go of it. Also on the cards later in the year is some more recording. New material is slowly being integrated into our setlist so perhaps 2011 will see the release of the first 20th Century Graduates LP.

You all graduated school after the year 2000. Were there any songs from growing up in the 90's you loved that could be considered pretty daggy now? It was a turbulent time.

Oh boy, well I’m a big nineties kid and probably most of what I loved could be considered a bit lame by today’s harsh standards. Pearl Jam is probably a good example of that. They were my favourite band for quite a long time, and although their last few albums haven’t quite packed the same punch I’m not ashamed to have them in my music library. Sorry to be blindingly obvious but my other 90’s obsession is Nirvana, a band that needs neither introduction nor explanation. They were just a fantastic band. Enough said. One last thing: I really liked Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind. Forget Eminem, the guy from TEB is the best white rapper around.

20th Century Graduates - 'Keeping Up With The Joneses' / JJJ Unearthed download

Sincerely, Grizzly

2010-05-02T05:22:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting little deal that came through my inbox today...

Hey guys,

We are deciding to try and make this friday night at the Metro as massive as possible, so in an attempt to get you all out there, we are putting on a guaranteed 5 jugs of beer for you, FREE.

However, if we get more than about 50 people at our set, we'll put on another 5 jugs of beer. So if you don't like free beer, I guess we won't see you, but if you do, and you want to see Sincerely, Grizzly and Steering By Stars play for free at a good venue in town, then come along.

Hope to see you all there, it would mean a lot,

Sincerely, Grizzly.

Forget overpriced vegan soup and BYO booze at so-called punk rock alleyway shows, this sounds pretty good.

Sincerely, Grizzly - 'Two-Face' / JJJ Unearthed download

The Salvadors

2010-05-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Salvadors have made a bit of noise on the radio with their new single Atacama Disco and it's hard not to see why. Superbly produced at BJB studios in Sydney and full of warm slide guitar and drums, it's a nice little slice of modern Australiana; perfect for those token long summers spent playing backyard cricket and knocking back some cold ones cooking snags on the barbie.

Originally I struggled with singer/songwriter Tom Opie's gushing use of whimsy and nostalgia in his lyrics. When they were known as Bakewell Street, it used to irk me a little when he'd sing about a "Collingwood girl" or the local teenage mum down at the shopping centre 'Westfield' with dreams of escaping her inner city suburban life. The easy comparisons to Kings of Leon loomed dangerously close in my mind.

The Salvadors songs work when the subject material isn't so specific. Opie and band do sometimes inhibit that MOR genre like The Panics and Josh Pyke, however with 'Disco' they've proven that even they can appeal to the cold heartless cynic in me.

The Salvadors 'Mispent Youth' EP is out now through Green Media.

The Salvadors - 'Atacama Disco' / JJJ Unearthed download

TTT (Tic Toc Tokyo)

2010-04-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

Somewhere during their first two EP's and their latest offering, TTT picked up a copy of Talking Heads 'Remain In Light'. It's not a drastic stylistic detour from the brash Gang Of Four/This Heat call and response vocals and chainsaw basslines, but the white boy afro rhythms tend to colour the music a little more, providing new opportunities for the band.

Straight outta Melbourne, I first heard of this band a couple of years ago when they first released their 'Artifacts' EP. There's a lot to like about how TTT use space within the songs on the new record. There are pros and cons to the album, sometimes they use simple ideas well (Animal is vintage David Byrne, Hinterlands does sound like a 'Seventeen Seconds' b-side, The River sounds like early kraut rock Hunters and Collectors) and sometimes they don't (Compass Point sounds like it should have been the soundtrack to a mid-90's Heartbreak High love scene). Still, it's nice to see a band still playing post-punk and doing it well.

TTT launch 'Lands' at Rocket Bar (142 Hindley Street) on Friday 21st May.

Friends - Interview

2010-04-29T05:57:00.000-07:00

Friends are one of the better bands to have surfaced in Adelaide in the last six or so months. From the ashes of previous bands Antony of The Future, Billy Bishop Goes To War and Tyger, Tyger (*shudder*), and named after the hit TV show (Ross & Rachel, Chandler & Monica, Larry & Balky...) these drinking buddies turned bandmates tow a thin line between the loose Australian garage punk swing of the Birthday Party and the Scientists and the pummeling noise rock template of many American bands on the Touch and Go record staple. I spoke to vocalist and guitarist Ben Quici briefly about getting drunk, shitty gigs and the splendor that is David Yow.

Name: Ben Quici

Role: Guitar/Vocals

Record out: Debut album to be released June 13, Independent

On repeat: 'Exit Everything' by Roland S Howard (watch this for proof)

Anything else we should be into: The Big Lebowski (favourite movie of all time) VB Raw (favourite beer of all time)

Best song you’ve got: 'Skip Town'

You’ve always been the support man in a lot of great local acts (Straight to Video, Antony Of The Future) and now it’s your turn to be up the front. What’s it like to finally be steering the ship?

It's really fuckin' good and surprisingly easier than playing bass. I had a great time playing in S2V and AOTF but have always been itching to do something like I'm doing now with FRIENDS. Josh and I used to have late night drunken conversations like "we should start a band man", but I thought it would never happen until Josh said one night, "My mates Kenny and Mannix are keen as all hell!" So after a few jams I realised, Holy Shit! This is a fuckin' gang!

There was an infamous gig earlier this year at the Touch party at the Edinburgh Castle that ended after only four or five songs. Is it hard to tow the line between playing a visceral show with bands that you often don’t particularly like, or just saying fuck it?

I like saying fuck it. One of the reasons I wanted to start a band like this was to say FUCK YOU to pretty much all the bands that were playing the touch party (apart from The Keepsakes). The problem was we had to sit there for five hours drinking and watching these 'bands' waiting for our set. So understandably by the time we played, we'd had a skin-full. Especially Josh! I think we played 3 whole songs until Josh dived into the drum kit after abusing the crowd and shoving a photographer in the face. That kinda ended the show. But fuck it was fun.

Josh Phillips (guitarist and co-partner in crime) has recently relocated up to Sydney for work. How do you think this will affect the outlook of the band? I saw you play the other night in support of Die! Die! Die! and you seemed to work well as a three piece.

He's definitely still a member of the band but we're just gonna play local shows as a three piece because it still works for most of the songs. But he'll come back for bigger shows and join us when we go interstate. We miss him and his cooking big time.

There are some classic influences in abundance all over your new work. How much of your song writing is influenced by the man mountain that is David Yow? (The Jesus Lizard, Qui)

The Jesus Lizard are definately one of my favourite bands and after seeing David Yow perform, I realised, this is what going to see a band is all about. I like to try and take his 'what will happen next?' element as an influence in our live shows. Except for the nudity!

Your new album was recorded in a whirlwind effort. Was the home recording process a comfortable one?

Yeah it was good fun. We did it with our good mate Scott Cogan at his house. He recorded our first demos and knows us better than anyone else, also because we practiced every week for the last year in the room across from his bedroom. We did it all live in one room. Then over dubbed the vocals. We only had 2 days to do it but ended up with 10 tracks, 2 of which we wrote new while recording. It was good to have a deadline though. We were just putting it off for weeks and weeks until Josh announced that he was moving to Sydney, so we just decided we gotta do it now! Needless to say we went through a stupid amount of booze to get us over the line. We're really happy with the way it turned out.

What are your plans for the future? Do you see Friends being a long term project?

Apart from playing some shows interstate soon, we just wanna work on new songs and continue recording. Oh and I'm not moving to Melbourne.

Friends - 'Skip Town' / JJJ Unearthed download

Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire!

2010-04-29T00:55:00.000-07:00

Let me make this clear before we start, I manage this band. They've just released their debut album 'Sea Priest' via Dot Dash / Remote Control to some pretty outstanding reviews (two of which you can read here and here).

So obviously when I plug the fact that the film clip for their latest single 'Little Cowboys, Bad Hombres' has made Rage's Indie Clip of the Week there's bound to be a conflict of interest right?

Never! Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! are something special. The band are currently about to head off on a short national tour in support of their debut before supporting the fantastic Dappled Cities right across Australia. Check them out if you can!

You can see the television debut of F!SRF!'s new single 'Little Cowboys, Bad Hombres' on Rage on ABC1 this Friday from 12:05am and again on Saturday morning at 8:00am!

Format

2010-04-28T06:48:00.000-07:00

I hate clubs. It's something that's taken me an awful long time to realise. When I first moved up to the city Hindley Street was antithetical to the social void of my youth, early Saturday mornings spent watching Recovery - trying to find what little money I had saved up to try and see bands in the big ol' city.

It never happened. Occasionally we'd luck out and a Grinspoon or a Superjesus would head our way, but you'd have to do battle with the drunken thuggery only a regional football team out on the turps could produce.

Once I helped a very tired (and thankful) Powderfinger load out of their show. I was thirteen. I had snuck in that night, only to be kicked our before the encore. The day did not come for me as Bernard had promised, but I was hooked.

An early highlight was seeing Gerling support Spiderbait at the height of both bands popularity at the Westlands Hotel, a notorious bikie pub off the main avenue that streaks through the western suburbs of Whyalla. It was art rock and it seemed anyone could do it - all you needed was a backpack and a shitty keyboard.

When I moved up to Adelaide for university I made the decision to abandon the bar stool for the dress code while a DJ attempted frantically to save my life.

It was probably youthful exuberance and naivety on my part to think someone holding down full time work to maintain that lifestyle without burning the candle at both ends. What seemed fun soon seemed pretty lousy. How could partying all the time suck?

Format Collective & Zine Shop (15 Peel Street) is one of those collaborative efforts that I seem to be spending more and more time at lately. The people that the venue are bums like me who like good times, good bands and (by and large) decent art, yet aren't socially retarded. Whilst sometimes you're never going to escape pretension (or the occasional wrong choice of a plus one night), at least there's someplace where someone knows your name and there's a cheap beer in a leaking fridge.

The place has already had some strong shows for the Fringe season, as well as some standout one-offs (Dick Diver, Bitch Prefect and Fake Tan). Look out for the next show via Facebook.

Clarity Records

2010-04-27T02:27:00.000-07:00

One day last month Big Star Records, for many an Adelaide institution and one of the last final bastions of independent music retailers quietly closed its doors on Rundle Street. It was disconcerting to see a once popular chain of stores go under, leaving many music lovers without a place to source out the more harder to find vinyl or CD. But lets face it - with the advent of digital downloads and technology, it was only a matter of time.

Cue Clarity Records, with a brand new store at 60 Pultney Street and a more accessible DIY attitude. Simple and effective - and stocked with your favourite international, national and local hardcore/punk and indie releases as well as a pretty neat book and merch selection.

Clarity are also after band stock! Whether you're a local band or creative type looking for somewhere to sell your latest EP, zine, merch or crafts, or just to palm off some second hand CD's for some nice cash...not a bad little store indeed.

Clarity Records are having a launch show for their store at Enigma Bar this Saturday May 1st with Stolen Youth, Craterface, Hightime and Weightless.

Scul Hazzards

2010-04-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

Last time Scul Hazzards played in Adelaide almost two years ago it was in the claustrophobic surrounds of the Exeter front bar. Although it wasn't the most comfortable of surrounds (for band and punter alike) it suited the music perfectly; nasty and oppressive. Steven Smith, Tiffany Milne and Leigh Fischer recreated that atmosphere in support of their latest full length 'Landlord' at the Metro late Sunday night. Equal parts Albini and former Brisbanites On/Oxx, the thunderous low end and mechanical timing of Milne and Fischer barely contained the agonised howls of Smith.

In support of Scul Hazzards were Bronze Chariot, who have grown significantly from their early days with former member Micheal Elijah. With the inclusion of Matt Barlow (Thunderclaw) and Mark Draper (ex-Swords, The Burning Sea) on guitar and bass respectively; it's clear to see that the Chariot are attempting to progress from their earlier post-metal leanings. A lot more Mick Turner, a little less Neurosis and this will be perfect.

Cortez opened the night, and through rose tinted glasses these guys definitely showed themselves to be a tight unit. Whilst it's not something I might be into these days, I did enjoy the indulgence of remembering a time when I would listen to Mark of Cain's 'This Is This' endlessly on repeat. Good stuff, but I look forward a possible less is more approach.

Scul Hazzards new album 'Landlord' is out now through Tenzenmen.

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2010-04-26T06:41:00.001-07:00

Hey. I decided to start up my blog again after the demise of 'Pissant Backwater Hick Town' (named after the infamous spat by Adelaide United coach Aurelio Vidmar). Due to a particularly nasty phonecall I received by a representative of a commercial radio network I was forced to abandon the idea of any sort of legitimate critique of the local industry.

I thought instead i'd keep it fairly apolitical and just write about quality local bands from South Australia doing good things, as well as some great bands coming through town that deserve some further recognition.

Hate mail is always welcomed, and understandably ignored.