Month: January 2009

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Frontier Touring Company is Australia’s Best

Frontier Touring Company has been named the number one local promoter of 2008 by Pollstar. Michael Gudinski’s baby also fared well in the world market, taking out number 15.

And it’s not hard to see why. Last year Frontier Touring brought us tours from The Police, Kylie Minogue, Billy Joel, and Snow Patrol. Even with the economic downturn, they’ve managed to firm up 2009 tours from Leonard Cohen, Ryan Adams, Fall Out Boy, Kings of Leon, and The Veronicas.

“It may be doom and gloom at the moment with the global economy but up until September 2008 Frontier was having a pretty amazing run. We ended 2008 well, but it could have been phenomenal before the economy went toe up,” Mr Gudinski said in a statement.

“The industry is inevitably set to go through some tough times, but I still believe that people are prepared to pay the money to go and see top quality entertainment. They may not go to as many shows as they used to, but with the right artist, and the right ticket price, there will always be a place for quality live entertainment in people’s budgets.”

I completely agree with him! The economy may have gone belly up but I’ve still got tickets for six shows so far this year! What about you? Has the financial crisis forced you to scale back, or are you still seeing as many concerts as ever before?

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jessica Mauboy Burns Up the Charts

Jessica Mauboy’s second solo single “Burn” has proven its slow burn appeal, landing at the top spot on the ARIA singles charts this week. With the single debuting eight weeks ago, I’ll bet Jess wondered if she’d ever score that number one!

It’s been a much more meteoric rise for Natalie Bassingthwaighte, who’s rocketed into ninth position with “Someday Soon.” What an awesome effort for its first week in the charts!

AC/DC continue their dominance, outperforming all other Aussie albums with the five-times platinum Black Ice. It’s sitting at number four after thirteen weeks in the charts.

The massive Aussie soundtrack from the even bigger series Packed to the Rafters sits at number eight. Featuring acts like Ben Lee, Josh Pyke, and Gabriella Cilmi it’s little wonder people are buying this one in droves. It sounds like ideal Australia Day barbie music to me!

David Campbell rounds out the top 10 with one of my favourite albums at the moment, Good Lovin’. This is the sixties soul cover album’s highest chart position to date!

Here’s this week’s complete top ten!

Australian Top 10 Singles

  1. “Burn” – Jessica Mauboy
  2. “Poker Face” – Lady GaGa
  3. “Let It Rock” – Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne
  4. “Get Shaky” – The Ian Carey Project
  5. “Use Somebody” – Kings of Leon
  6. “You Found Me” – The Fray
  7. “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” – Beyonce
  8. “Circus” – Britney Spears
  9. “Someday Soon” – Natalie Bassingthwaighte
  10. “Live Your Life” – T.I. feat. Rihanna

Australian Top 10 Albums

  1. Only by the Night – Kings of Leon
  2. Funhouse – P!nk
  3. Twilight – Soundtrack
  4. Black Ice – AC/DC
  5. The Fame – Lady GaGa
  6. Circus – Britney Spears
  7. Dark Horse – Nickelback
  8. Packed to the Rafters – Soundtrack
  9. I Am … Sasha Fierce – Beyonce
  10. Good Lovin’ – David Campbell
Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Soul Icon Syl Johnson To Tour Oz

I’m sure most Syl Johnson fans thought the soul legend would never grace our shores. But funnily enough, at the age of 72, he’s decided to make his first trip Down Under next month.

For those of you who don’t know about Syl, let me clue you in. He played with blues icons Howlin’ Wolf, Junior Wells, and Magic Sam before launching his solo career. His breakthrough hit was “Take Me To The River,” a song which has since been covered by Al Green and Talking Heads.

These days kids might be more familiar with Syl’s work through the samples used by Wu-Tang Clan, Get Boys, Cypress Hill, and dare I say it, MC Hammer.

Right now there’s only two places around the country you can see this living legend. He’ll play Melbourne’s Corner Hotel on February 14 and Perth’s  Charles Hotel on February 21. Hopefully more shows will be added for those of us in other states!

Image source: Masahiro Sumori @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Missy Higgins Ready to Lap America Again

Missy Higgins move to the United States seems to be paying big dividends.

She’s preparing to tour around the country again with stops at iconic venues like the House of Blues, The Orpheum Theatre, and The Fillmore.

Missy’s single “Where I Stood” has sold a credible 150, 000 units stateside. The song has also been featured on primetime television shows like Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, The Hills, Lipstick Jungle, and One Tree Hill.

Here is Missy Higgins latest batch of United States dates.

19 February 2009 – House Of Blues, Houston
20 February 2009 – Antone’s, Austin
21 February 2009 –  House Of Blues, Dallas
24 February 2009 – The State Theatre, Tampa
25 February 2009 – Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale
26 February 2009 – House Of Blues, Orlando
27 February 2009 – Center Stage, Atlanta
28 February 2009 – The Handlebar, Greenville
2 March 2009 – 9:30 Club, Washington
3 March 2009 – Rams Head On Stage, Annapolis
5 March 2009 – Theatre Of The Living Arts, Philadelphia
6 March 2009 – Terminal 5, New York
7 March 2009 – House Of Blues, Boston
8 March 2009 – Revolution Hall, Troy
10 March 2009 – House Of Blues, Cleveland
11 March 2009 – Royal Oak Music Theatre, Detroit
13 March 2009 – Vic Theatre, Chicago
14 March 2009 – Pabst Theater, Milwaukee
15 March 2009 – First Avenue, Minneapolis
17 March 2009 – Slowdown, Omaha
18 March 2009 – Beaumont Club, Kansas City
20 March 2009 – Rialto Theatre, Tucson
21 March 2009 – Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles
23 March 2009 – The Fillmore, San Francisco

Image source: Missy Higgins downloads page

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Living End Release Rarities Disc, Plan European Tour

If you’re finally planning on buying The Living End’s White Noise you might want to wait a few months longer. In March the band plan to release their award-winning album with a bonus disc of rarities and demos.

The lads are currently touring as part of the Big Day Out before playing their own shows around Europe. If you happen to live there you can catch this amazing Aussie three-piece at the following venues in April.

18 April 2009 – Groezrock, Meerhout
19 April 20099 – Waterfront, Norwich
21 April 2009 – Club Academy, Manchester
22 April 2009 – Koko, London
23 Apr 2009 – Nouveau Casino, France
24 Apr 2009 – Melkweg, Amsterdam
25 Apr 2009 – Luxor, Cologne
26 Apr 2009 – Postbahnhof, Berlin

Image source: Newscom

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Baby Animals Still Rocking

It looks like the Baby Animals might be back together for good. After a 15 year break, the band got back together last year to record the acoustic best of, Il Grande Silenzio. Now it seems a third studio album, the first since 1993’s Shaved and Dangerous, might not be too far off.

“I think that a relevant quote for the story of my life would be ‘Time Flies’,” lead singer Suze DeMarchi said in a statement. “It’s been a year since we did our last shows and a year that proved to be really creative but also a reminder of how geography affects everything!! Dave and I have been plowing ahead with work on new songs.”

We can expect to hear the new songs when the Baby Animals hit the road in April. Here are all the dates.

5 April 2009 – The Gov, Adelaide
7 & 8 April 2009 – Prince of Wales, Melbourne
9 April 2009 – Shoppingtown Hotel, Doncaster
11 April 2009 – Chelsea Heights Hotel, Melbourne
12 April 2009 – Hallam Hotel, Melbourne
15 April 2009 – Waves, Wollongong
17 April 2009 – Revesby Workers
18 April 2009 – Doyalson RSL, Wyong
19 April 2009 – Rooty Hill RSL
21 April 2009 – The Metro, Sydney
23 April 2009 – Caloundra RSL, Sunshine Coast
24 April 2009 – Mansfield Tavern, Brisbane
25 April 2009 – Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast

To get you in the mood here’s a little “Early Warning”!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Natalie Bassingthwaighte’s "1000 Stars" Shine Brightly

After two hit singles, I’m hanging out to hear the rest of Natalie Bassingthwaighte’s debut solo album 1000 Stars. The good news is that I don’t have to wait too much longer, with the album scheduled to hit stores next month.

“Alive” and “Someday Soon” have given us just a taste of the new CD, which promises to be a diverse disc.

“Sometimes I want to rock out, sometimes I want to be acoustic and emotive and sometimes I want to be as camp as I can be. This album is as eclectic as I am,” Nat explained.

Natalie worked alongside some of the world’s best songwriters, including Paul Barry (Cher, Tina Turner), Steve Anderson (Kylie Minogue), Jimmy Harry (Pink, Britney Spears) to create her solo release.

“This is the first time I’ve been able to fully express myself creatively. I’ve had so many amazing experiences in my career. I’ve been punky with the Rogue Traders and more sophisticated as a TV host and I’ve played characters on stage and TV and had so many costumes and outfits. This album allowed me to strip back all that and just be the real me. It is the sum of all those things in my life so far “said Nat.

She embraces her passion for musical theatre with “Catch Me If You Can,” camps and vamps it up with “Supersensual,” and speaks from the heart with “In His Eyes,” a song she wrote for her grandmother.

“My grandad passed away and ever since then my Nan doesn’t know how to exist without him,” Natalie admitted.

It sounds like 1000 Stars will take us on one hell of a journey when it’s released on February 21.

Image source: Foraggio Fotographic @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Frente Back in Action for Fringe Festival

Frente exploded onto the music scene in the early 90s with impossibly infectious tunes like “Ordinary Angels” and “Acidentally Kelly Street.” Then after just two albums, it was over.

Or so we thought. Angie Hart and Simon Austin will reunite as Frente for the Adelaide Fringe Festival next month.

If you want to enjoy a trip down memory lane make sure you head to The Garden of Earthly Delights in Rundle Park on February 20 and 21. Who knows whether this will be your last chance to bop along to these songs?

For the rest of us who can’t get to the shows, here’s the colourful clip for “Accidentally Kelly Street.”

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Brian Mannix Brings Back Countdown

We’ve had the tribute concerts, now comes the parody of one of Australia’s most beloved music programs, Countdown.

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Countdown is the brainchild of Uncanny X-Men singer and Countdown regular Brian Mannix. He’s enlisted Michael Veitch to play host Molly Meldrum, and original voice-over guy Gavin Wood to reprise his role.

“I was watching another show and it seemed to me that a lot of shows were playing popular songs and doing dress-ups,” Brian told Undercover News. “I thought if you are going to do a show like that you might as well do Countdown. I thought well Molly is pretty funny, so I will get someone who is funny to rip-off Molly. That would be funny. It just evolved from there.”

The show will hit Melbourne’s Crown Casino later this month. Preview shows will be on January 20 and 21, before the official opening on January 22. It runs until February 1.

Image source: Crown Casino

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Wendy Matthews Plays Free Australia Day Show

Ring in Australia Day with a free concert by one of our favorite entertainers. Wendy Matthews will perform on the steps of Canberra’s Parliament House for nix. Around 30, 000 proud Aussies are expected to attend the January 26 show.

Expect to hear songs from Wendy’s new album She, a celebration of songs by strong female performers like Chrissie Hynde, Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, and Aretha Franklin.

“These artists and songs meant a lot to me growing up,” explained Wendy. “They were strong women who used their personal suffering to create songs of such depth and beauty.”

If you can’t get to Canberra to see Wendy’s Australia Day show you can catch her at the following venues this month.

14 January 2009 – Friends Restaurant, Perth
15 January 2009 – Café Bouvard, Mandurah
16 January 2009 – Charles Hotel, Perth
17 January 2009 – Mundaring Weir Beer Garden, Perth
18 January 2009 – Bridgetown Hotel

Image source: Wendy Matthews image gallery