Calm Before – Switch 3

This week I’ve been listening to Canberra rock outfit Switch 3’s first full length release, Calm Before. It’s a curious name, as there really isn’t a lot that’s calming about this album. It’s likely to endear them to the angry young kids out there, but it also made it not really my cup of tea.

These indie rockers from Canberra may not become my favourite band, but there’s still plenty to appreciate about in this recording. These lads play with such intensity, committing completely to their songs. That dedication is infectious, and it’s hard not to believe in what they’re doing. Evan Dorrian is a demon on drums, and his driving beats are the perfect complement to Maf Davis’ powerful vocals.

They may have their roots in punk, but their melodic sensibilities are likely to appeal to music lovers who don’t tend to enjoy bands of that genre. They’re a band who stays true to their artistic vision, even having a hand in producing the disc with ARIA award-winner Anton Haggop.

But there’s just not enough variety here for me. I started out enjoying the songs but the repetitive lyrics and melodies made them drag. There was little respite from the angst-ridden tunes, and not enough diversity within them to keep me engaged. Switch 3 are very good at what they do, both as individuals and a band, and I’m sure fans of the darker side of music are going to lap this up. But right now I feel their potential isn’t quite realised. Calm Before is a solid effort from a band that is only going to improve in time.

Image source: Switch 3 MySpace

Guy Sebastian Plays for Legacy

With his angelic voice and soulful grooves, Guy Sebastian shows are always worth seeing. But his latest tour promises to be something extra special.

This time around Guy’s paired up with the Australian Army band. And the military link doesn’t stop there. Proceeds from all the shows will go to Legacy, a charity which provides care to the families of deceased Australian serviceman.

Guy’s Army in Concert tour kicks off in Wagga Wagga tomorrow night. There are still some tickets available, so make sure you snap them up fast!

19, 20, and 21 September 2008 – Civic Theatre, Wagga Wagga
4 October 2008 – Concert Hall @ QPAC, South Bank
11 October 2008 – Festival Theatre, Adelaide
26 October 2008 – Civic Theatre, Newcastle
28 October 2008 – Canberra Theatre Centre
7 November 2008 – Hamer Hall @ The Arts Centre, Melbourne
13 November 2008 – The Hills Centre for the Performing Arts, Castle Hill
15 November 2008 – Wrest Point, Sandy Bay
22 November 2008 – Entertainment Centre, Darwin
29 November 2008 – Civic Theatre, South Townsville

Image source: Sunrise.seven @ Flickr

The Models Together Again

They’ve been out of sight for a few years, but The Models are making a comeback! The 1980s rock outfit featuring Sean Kelly and James Freud will reunite for some shows next week to celebrate their 30th anniversary.

Expect to hear big hits like “Out of Mind, Out of Sight,” “I Hear Motion,” and “Barbados” when they play Melbourne’s The Prince Bandroom on September 25 and Sydney’s The Gaelic Club on September 27.

It will be the band’s first shows since they played the Countdown Spectacular in 2006, and the first time they’ve done their own shows in eight years. There’s no word yet on whether these shows will be one ofs or whether there’s more to follow, but I’ll keep you posted! Until then here’s a clip for all you old fans, or the young ones who have no idea what I’m talking about!

Tina Arena Sings More Songs of Love and Loss

One of the world’s greatest voices singing some of the world’s most adored songs proved to be a winning combination for Aussie ex-pat Tina Arena, so she’s doing it all again with Songs of Love & Loss Volume 2.

The track listing this time around looks just as strong as the last, with highlights including Blondie’s “Call Me,” Split Enz’s “I Hope I Never,” Petula Clark’s “Downtown,” and a real surprise, Alice Cooper’s “Only Women Bleed!”

Once again Tina teamed up with the London Studio Orchestra led by famed conductor Simon Hale who had nothing but good things to say about the Aussie diva.

“She’s amazing … she is not intimidated by the live set up or the orchestra and rises to the challenge of having everything going to straight tape. Many artists would crumble in these conditions but Tina seems to shine. Nobody records like this anymore. This is how it should be done!” he gushed in a press statement.

Following her sell-out tour last December, Tina plans to return to Australia next March to showcase her latest release. Songs of Love & Loss Volume 2 will be in stores on November 15.

Image source: Sunrise.seven @ Flickr

Casey Donovan Attacked in Bar Brawl

Former Australian Idol winner Casey Donovan was allegedly assaulted at a Sydney bar on Sunday morning. The 20-year-old singer suffered lacerations to her face and a broken finger in the unprovoked attack.

“She was out with friends having a good time and on the dance floor when she was approached and hassled by these guys,” explained Casey’s stepfather Norm Axford.

“They were making comments about Idol and she told them not to bother her. The next thing one of them punched her twice in the face.”

Police and ambulance were called to the scene, and Casey was taken to the Prince of Wales Hospital for treatment.

What a scary thing. I wish her a speedy recovery!

Image source: Young Einstein @ Flickr

Jonny Taylor an Idol No More

Jonny Taylor became the first Australian Idol casualty tonight, getting the chop after week one. Jonny found himself in the bottom three with Sophie Paterson and Teale Jakubenko, but after the “sing for your life” round but didn’t earn enough votes to continue in the comp.

Before I go on I’d like to say how disappointed I was with the way the “sing for your life” concept was executed. How can one truly sing for their life when they’re restricted to the very same song that flopped the night before? I’d have much rather heard the Idols sing something they thought would compel the public to see they deserved to stay. Something new, an original perhaps, would have been much more appropriate.

I’m sorry to see Jonny go. I haven’t been very impressed with his performances to this point, but I feel he had a real depth and I was looking forward to seeing him grow in the comp. But someone’s got to go I suppose.

The most exciting part of the night for me was the news that next week our Idols will be mentored by none other than Cyndi Lauper. They’ll sing 80s hits, and I couldn’t be happier. One of my idols helping our contestants sing music from my favourite decade? Bring it on!

Tim Rogers and Pete Satchell Play for Mental Health

Aussie legends Tim Rogers (You Am I) and Pete Satchell (Dallas Crane) will head the line-up of a massive mental health charity gig in Melbourne.

Mad Hatters Night will take place at St Kilda’s Gershwin Room on October 9. Tim and Pete will join the Bipolar Bears, Heidi Everett, and the Melbourne Mass Gospel Choir for the show.

All funds raised will benefit The Music Network for Mental Health, a program which brings musicians with mental illness together for performances and songwriting workshops.

Tickets are just $15, or $8 for concessions, so if you’re in Victoria make sure you get along and support this awesome cause!

Image source: Irene Tong @ Flickr

Australian Idol Finals Begin!

The pointy end of Australian Idol kicked off tonight with the first finals show. Tonight was “Idol’s Idols” night, a wonderful theme which allowed the artists to play some tunes that really rev them.

First up was Wes Carr tackling U2’s “Beautiful Day.” On the whole this was another consistently solid performance. He fills a stage and really gets the crowd involved. The transition from piano to pure vocals jarred me, but I can understand what he was trying to do. Knowing that he’s got those piano chops, I’d love to see him just sit down and do his thing there soon.

Then we had crowd pleasing teen Tom Williams with Aerosmith’s “Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing.” I’m just not sure why young Tom continues to choose such big songs. They expose all his flaws and make me question how he landed in the finals in the first place. Oh that’s right: the teeny fangirl vote. I also think he needs to be really careful about choosing songs he can’t relate to on an emotional level.

Roshani Priddis followed with Joss Stone’s “Tell Me ‘Bout It.” It was a curious song choice for me, and I’m a little concerned that she might alienate viewers because of it. I’d heard it a couple of times, but there wasn’t so much in the song I could latch on to. Yet there was plenty to love about the way Roshani performed it. She’s got such personality, and an effortless way about her. I’d love to see more of her,

Teale Jakubenko took on Rick Price’s version of “Walk Away Renee,” and I’m sorry to say it was nowhere near his best performance. That song is so reliant on the falsetto, but they weren’t the only parts that tripped him up. Maybe it was nerves? I also felt that the emotion of the song was lacking. He does get points for admitting his Rick Price love publicly though!

Sophie Paterson followed with one of my favourite songs, “Mr Jones.” Isn’t it interesting … Sophie’s song also had some significant falsetto moments she couldn’t quite achieve either, but for her they just added character. This certainly wasn’t her best performance, but it was lovable all the same. Sophie’s a bit like chocolate: even when it’s bad it’s still pretty good.

There’s so much to like about Luke Dickens. He chose the perfect song in Joe Cocker’s “Feelin’ Alright,” something the crowd could groove to and one that showcased that trademark rasp. He seemed more comfortable than I’ve seen him, and it was a joy to watch. A really solid effort, and the exciting thing is that he’s only going to improve.

As far as I saw, Brooke Addamo  gave the performance of the night to that point with her rendition of “These Words.” It was joyous and pure, with plenty of attitude and such a pure voice. It wasn’t good enough for Kyle though, and I felt for her as he tore her down. Was he watching the same performance I was at home? I don’t know what more she could have done, and it’s especially cruel considering he was one of the two men who pushed her into up tempo numbers in the first place.

You can take the boy out of the boy band, but can you take the boy band out of the boy? That’s the question I found myself asking as Thanh Bui put his spin on Maroon 5’s “This Love.” I feel like you could have handed his arrangement to the Backstreet Boys and they’d have a hit with it. But it just didn’t work here. I think it’s important to show diversity, but I think he could have picked an up tempo song that showcased his voice better. I couldn’t watch it without imagining pretty boys performing cheesy dance moves behind him.

I’m not really into the dance floor R’n’B stuff, but I take my hat off to Madam Parker. Her version of Ne-Yo’s “Closer” was killer. Up until now I’ve felt like she was in cruise control, but she smashed this one out of the park. She could easily have a hit in the clubs with this one right now. To do that in week one makes me pretty excited to see what comes next!

Jonny Taylor paid tribute to his idols, Pearl Jam, with “Betterman.” Like Dicko, I’m fairly attached to this song too. It’s really hard when you’ve got this compressed format, but this didn’t build right for me. The song should start on two in terms of volume and build from there. But there wasn’t really a build, and I felt he never got to the emotional grit that Eddie Vedder has when he’s starting on two. This song is packed with emotion, and a husky rasp doesn’t necessarily equal that. Having said that, Jonny’s got a whole load of potential so I really hope he sticks around long enough for us to see it.

Chrislyn Hamilton was always going to bring out a little bit of soul, and she did it with Aretha Franklin’s “Think.” There was certainly nothing you could fault about this performance. Vocally it was superb. She performed the pants off it. But was I the only one a little bit disappointed that she gave us the same song she did in her audition?

Mark Spano closed the show with an awesome rendition of INXS’s smash “Never Tear Us Apart.” This guy has the whole package. His voice is sensational. He performs to the nth degree. I also find him super sexy. What a great way to close the show!

What a stellar night! It really makes it difficult to anticipate who’ll be leaving us. I’d love to say Tom will get the chop, but never underestimate the power of young girls with mobile phones. Teale may just be on shaky ground.

AC/DC Announce American Shows

AC/DC has announced the first dates for their widely anticipated Black Ice World Tour. The tour, which will play major stadiums all over the world, all kicks off in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Now we’ve only got North American dates so far, but AC/DC fans around the rest of the world can breathe easy. Shows in South America, Europe, Asia, and of course Australia, are in the pipeline. I hear there’ll even be a few more US gigs.

Tickets for these dates will go on sale on September 20 through Ticketmaster and the AC/DC official website. Without further ado, here are the dates!

28 October 2008 – Wachovia Arena, Wilkes-Barre, PA
30 October 2008 – Allstate Arena, Chicago, IL
3 November 2008 – Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
5 November 2008 – Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
7 November 2008 – Rogers Centre , Toronto, ONT
9 November 2008 – TD Banknorth Garden , Boston, MA
12 and 13 November 2008 – Madison Square Garden , New York, NY
15 November 2008 – Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
17 November 2008 – Wachovia Center , Philadelphia, PA
19 November 2008 – IZOD Center, East Rutherford, NJ
21 November 2008 – Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH
23 November 2008 – Xcel Energy Center, Minneapolis, MN
25 November 2008 – Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
28 November 2008 – General Motors Place, Vancouver, BC
29 November 2008 – Key Arena, Seattle, WA
30 November 30 – Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WA
2 December 2008 – ORACLE Arena, Oakland, CA
6 December 2008 – The Forum, Los Angeles, CA
10 December 2008 – US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
12 December 2008 – AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
14 December 2008 – Toyota Center, Houston, TX
16 December 2008 – Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
18 December 2008 – Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC

Image source: Newscom