Jet drummer Chris Cester has announced his award-winning rock band are taking an indefinite break.
In a statement on the band’s MySpace page, he joked “We’ve all given ourselves 100% pay cuts, which means we are all fired.”
It seems years of relentless touring have taken their toll, with Chris adding that “We sat ourselves down and realised that with all the time we have spent away from home, Jet could finally use some down time.”
That down time is likely to give the band members the opportunity to work on solo projects and other musical endeavours. Nic Cester will be playing some solo sets, Cam Muncey is reportedly writing new material, and Mark Wilson and Chris Cester have recently done some production work for Japanese band Superfly.
Something tells me the lads won’t completely disappear from our radar any time soon.
November is Ausmusic Month on Triple J and the ABC’s jtv live! The radio station and their sister television program are serving up some great talent to celebrate.
Starting on Thursday November 1, the ABC will screen six massive local concerts. The fun will kick off with John Butler Trio’s performance in Melbourne’s Federation Square.
In the following weeks you can catch shows by Missy Higgins, Powderfinger, Grinspoon, and The Cat Empire.
The concerts will screen on ABC at 11.25 pm every Thursday in November. If you have digital television you can watch it at the more civilised time of 9.30 pm on Tuesdays.
Triple J has always been a big supporter of local music, but you can expect to hear even more of it in November.
The station will kick off the month with a massive party on the roof of their Sydney studio. Triple J listeners could win passes to enjoy a free Aussie BBQ and live performances by Clare Bowditch, Tim Rogers, and Gotye. Of course, if you don’t win you can always listen to the show on the radio.
Stay tuned to the ABC and Triple J next month for your Aussie music fix!
Nick Cave will be the toast of the ARIAs when he’s inducted into the Hall of Fame this Sunday, but it’s an honour he’d rather do without.
“I’m actually dreading it to be completely honest because I have to go to the ARIA Awards,” Cave said.
“That’s something I’ve been avoiding for 25 years because I think it’s so fucking tedious.”
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia’s Prince of Darkness is actually planning to escape after his induction and get a kebab!
So we won’t expect him at the after-party then? I seriously doubt it. When The Herald asked the Aussie ex-pat whether he was keen to catch up with his local contemporaries he sarcastically replied “Yes, I’m desperately excited, I’m extremely excited to hang out with Powderfinger.”
Ouch! If it’s going to be that much of a drudge Nick, it’s not too late to back out!
Ex-Bardot poppette Sophie Monk has bared all for a spicy new ad campaign. The advertisement for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) encourages people to become vegetarians.
I’m not quite sure whether the image of a naked Sophie on a bed of chilli peppers will persuade people to give up their steak, but it’s worth a shot. You can check out the sexy ad here.
Sophie practices what she preaches. She’s been a vegetarian since she was a teenager, and said the decision is good for her, and animals.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that going vegetarian has made me feel better not only physically but also because I learned about the suffering of animals who are raised and killed for food,” Monk said.
“I feel good knowing that I’m not contributing to that.”
Sophie’s fiancé, Good Charlotte’s Benji Madden is also a vegetarian, which must make it a lot easier at mealtimes!
Well here’s some unexpected touring news! Vanilla Ice only had one hit in Australia, and that was 17 years ago, but he’s not going to let that stop him visiting our fair shores.
He’ll play “Ice Ice Baby” of course, but don’t think that’s all you’ll hear. Word is that the Ice Man does mean cover versions of “Satisfaction” and “You Shook Me All Night Long.” A little AC/DC should go down a treat with his Aussie fans (they do exist, right?).
As you can imagine, he’s not exactly packing out entertainment centres these days. You can catch Vanilla Ice kicking off his Aussie tour at the King Street Hotel in Newcastle. From there he’ll visit Coffs Harbour, Wollongong, Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Airlie Beach, and Cairns. Am I the only person who thinks this tour may be a good excuse for a surfing holiday?
Kid Kenobi, MC ShureShock, and The Stafford Brothers will add some much-needed cred to the gigs.
The Divinyls appearance at this year’s Homebake won’t be a one-off. This seminal chick rock band plans to release a new album next year.
The Divinyls are responsible for radio staples like “Science Fiction,” “Pleasure and Pain,” “I Touch Myself” and “Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart.”
Founding members Chrissy Amphlett and Mark McEntee are working on some new songs with Pat Thrall and Charlie Drayton in the United States. Drayton plans to join the band on tour, along with guitarist Charlie Owen. They will apparently announce a bass player soon.
The Divinyls will play Homebake on December 8, The Enmore in Sydney on December 11, The Forum in Melbourne on December 15, and Adelaide’s Thebarton Theatre on December 20.
And then there were five. Last night we said goodbye to Australian Idol nice guy Daniel Mifsud.
“It’s been such an amazing time,” he said after the verdict. “I’ve learned so much.”
I don’t think anything last night came as a surprise to anyone. While Daniel started out as an early favourite, he’s been let down by some dodgy song choices. Not that making the top six is anything to sneeze at.
Natalie, Matt, and Carl all earned touchdowns for their awesome performances, so it makes sense that Marty and Tarisai joined Daniel in the bottom three.
I wonder whether the unique announcement technique, where all the Idols stood on the stage, was used to add some interest to the fairly predictable proceedings.
Next week the Idols will celebrate the ARIAs by singing homegrown hits. It’s a nice broad theme that should result in some fantastic performances. If Marty doesn’t break out some John Butler Trio I’ll be shocked and amazed.
The record label was formed to help “project the dreams and aspirations of Aboriginal people around Australia,” said label co-founder Stephen Ridgeway.
“Urban Aboriginals and Aboriginals from the bush have the same settings as Afro-Americans, dealing with drug problems, violence, bad health, poor living standards, living in ghettos,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald.
The indigenous hip-hop scene draws on the traditional Aboriginal values of community and sharing through storytelling.
“It’s the same thing we were doing thousands of years ago, but in the modern interpretation,” explained Alice Springs’ J-Dash-P. “Our stories are passed down, whether it’s song and dance or storytelling or music and hip-hop.”
The advent of Redfern Records should encourage more indigenous youths to get involved in music. According to Matt Noffs, who operates the youth urban music initiative Hiphoperations, this can only be a good thing.
“When these young guys and girls, black or white, get up and belt out a rap, you can be sure they’re feeling empowered and ready to live another day with strength,” he said.
The Idols have faced harsh criticism over their song choices in recent weeks, so it must have been a relief to hand the control over to the judges. At least for half the night. Last night our Australian Idols sang a song picked by the judges, and another of their own choice. It proved to be a winning combination, with three touchdowns and some stellar performances.
Tarisai Vushe was first to perform Marcia’s choice of “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love.” It should have been a perfect song for her, and I suppose it was, but I still feel a wall between Tarisai and the audience when she performs. It felt a bit pageanty and fake to me, although I did enjoy seeing a lighter side of her. It was only a matter of time before Tarisai brought out some Whitney, and she did so with “I Believe in You and Me.” Vocally this was superb, and I felt like she connected with this one a lot more. Having said that though, Tarisai seems interchangeable with so many other diva singers. There’s nothing new here, and I’m getting a bit bored with it.
Marty Simpson had a stellar night. I really think he just keeps getting better and better. He clearly relished the opportunity to sing reggae, first with Marcia’s choice of “No Woman No Cry,” and then with his own selection, “Last Kiss.” The second song was my favourite, and in my opinion it was worth a touchdown. But we all know if you don’t do big notes and deliver a big performance, you don’t get those. Marty’s really not a “performer,” but when you have your guitar I don’t think you really need to be. I’d much rather watch someone with their instrument than see someone dancing around a stage.
In my opinion, Daniel Mifsud was the weakest link last night. While Mark chose a beautiful song in Sting’s “Fragile,” I think it also let him down. He delivered it beautifully, but it was a bit boring. “From The Sea” was a great song choice, but not for Daniel to deliver. Sadly it exposed all his vocal weaknesses, and his strong physical presence wasn’t enough to save it. I cringed every time he aimed for the falsetto.
Wasn’t Carl Riseley the surprise package? It’s almost as if now that Ben McKenzie has gone, he’s realised how wide-open this competition is. He’s definitely playing to win, and that’s exciting to watch. I was prepared to laugh all the way through “It’s Not Unusual” but I actually found myself enjoying it! It was a well-deserved touchdown. I can’t say that I liked “Jealous Guy” as much, but I think that was mostly because I hated the arrangement. Vocally he was strong though, and he sang it with real conviction. Carl’s come such a long way from the vocally weak, stiff trumpet player we first encountered.
Matt Corby showed his courage, taking on Mark’s challenge of “Music of the Night.” I have really conflicting thoughts about this performance. On the negative side, I thought it had a lot of vocal flaws. He has such a lovely lower register, but when he switched to the higher notes in his “natural” voice they were really jarring. It was almost like he was singing in two completely different voices, and that didn’t work at all. However, I really appreciate him taking this on. It was a massive risk, and while I don’t think it paid off completely it was great that he challenged himself. Still, I don’t think that makes it worth a touchdown. But this was only one song on a night where the Idols had two chances. His cover of “Transatlantacism” was brilliant, and made up for any weaknesses he showed earlier. I must admit, I’m an old fogie and I’d never heard the song but Matt performed it with so much conviction I didn’t need it to be familiar. Great stuff.
I had mixed feelings about Natalie Gauci last night. She took a song I love, “Nothing Compares 2 U,” and ruined it in my opinion. It felt overblown and like just another diva number rather than the quirky heartfelt tune it is. But everyone else loved it, so what do I know. Then she took “Umbrella,” a song I despise with a burning fiery passion, and made it brilliant. It was another well-deserved touchdown and a great way to end the show.
Based on all that, I’m picking Daniel to go. Then again, I’ve been doing that for weeks and it still hasn’t happened. And no one thought Ben would leave last week, but he did. At this point, anything could happen.
The Heave have won a national band competition, and are receiving airplay on Triple J, all before they’ve even left high school.
But the rocking trio from Sydney Grammar are in no rush to hit the big time.
“First we have our HSC next year: getting a good mark will come first,” drummer Ned Green told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“Next year will be pretty heavy with the HSC, and rock music isn’t so viable. You have to be in the top five percent … you can’t make money off CDs any more,” added bassist Hugh Kluger said.
