Month: June 2010

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Matt Corby Inks International Deals Ahead of Aussie Single Tour

Australian Idol graduate Matt Corby seems to be travelling just fine without winning the talent show title, thank you very much.

He’s just returned home after spending the past two months making industry connections and recording his sophomore EP. That disc will receive an international release through the Communion label run by Mumford and Sons’ Ben Lovett. It seems the pair has really hit it off as Matt will also support Mumford and Sons on their upcoming Sydney shows.

That’s not the only exciting news though. Matt also recently inked a worldwide publishing deal with the UK division of major record label BMG.

While all that’s very thrilling it seems his focus is on the home front for now. Ahead of the Mumford and Sons shows, Matt will take his original songs all around the country on a headlining national tour to promote his new single “My False.”

If you want to catch Matt live, these are the places to do it.

30 June 2010 – Brass Monkey, Cronulla
1 July 2010 – Raval, Sydney (SOLD OUT)
2 July 2010 – Heritage Hotel, Wollongong
3 July 2010 – Northern Star Hotel, Newcastle
4 July 2010 – Raval, Sydney
8 July 2010 – The Toff in Town, Melbourne
9 July 2010 – National Hotel, Geelong
10 July 2010 – Baby Black Café, Bacchus Marsh
15 July 2010 – The Troubadour, Brisbane
16 July 2010 – Bon Amici Cafe, Toowoomba
17 July 2010 – Hard Rock Café, Surfers Paradise
22 July 2010 – Settlers Tavern, Margaret River
23 July 2010 – Ellington Jazz Club, Perth
24 July 2010 – Norfolk Basement, Fremantle
3 August 2010 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney (supporting Mumford and Sons) (SOLD OUT)
4 August 2010 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney (supporting Mumford and Sons) (SOLD OUT)

Image used with permission from Shiny Entertainment

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Mark Sholtez

It’s no secret that I’ve been enamoured of late with the new singles from homegrown singer-songwriter Mark Sholtez. So it was a bit of a thrill to chat to the man himself today about recording his new album The Distance Between Two Truths, his songwriting process, and his brand new sound.


I saw you live several years ago when your music had more of a jazz flavour, but these days your sound has a mellow acoustic pop-rock feel. Has that been a natural evolution for you?
It really has. I’ve been thinking about this a fair bit, and I think ultimately it stems out of the fact that I wrote most of these tunes on the road and being in hotel rooms with acoustic guitars, and not really being anywhere near pianos. And then when it came time to record these tunes, at the heart of all the songwriting was just these really simply acoustic guitar vocal performances. So that’s at the heart of this new record.

It seems like a rather dramatic shift to an outsider considering this is only your second album. How have your fans reacted to the new direction your music has taken?
I just finished doing a little tour around the country, and I purposely played acoustically and kept it really simple. And I was really surprised that people are connecting to this new stuff really positively. And I think that it probably helped that I played the majority of this new album on that tour and as well I played about half of that first record, but in that acoustic format. You can really see that at the heart of both records is that same singer-songwriter, but it’s just dressed up slightly differently.

I believe you contacted producer Larry Klein to work on The Distance Between Two Truths because you were a fan of his work. Did he live up to your expectations?
He really did. I love Larry’s work on a few levels. One, he’s an amazing musician and he has a great attention to detail in arrangements, and he’s a really song-focused producer. And secondly, he seems to be able to reference all of these beautiful old records. With Madeleine Peyroux he references old Billie Holiday stuff. And then the singer-songwriter stuff he does, he manages to reference things like Neil Young and JJ Cale, but the album’s come out sounding contemporary. And that’s one of the things I wanted to do. I wanted to make something that felt like a classic singer-songwriter record but still was very much contemporary work, and Larry really delivered in that department I think.
Continue reading “Q & A with Mark Sholtez” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Peter Gabriel Headlines Cup Eve Concert in Melbourne

Peter Gabriel will headline a massive concert in Melbourne to celebrate the eve of the 150th anniversary of the Melbourne Cup. The line-up of classic international and Aussie acts gives us plenty to cheer about before the big race.

Peter Gabriel will join international tourists Chicago, America, and Peter Frampton, plus Aussie talents including Kate Ceberano, Daryl Braithwaite, Ross Wilson, and Deborah Conway.

I’m never a fan of those big stadium rock events, but the promise of Etihad Stadium being presented in “intimate mode” sounds pretty appealing.

There’s not a lot of notice on this one; tickets go on sale tomorrow through Ticketmaster for the November 1 show.

LONDON - SEPTEMBER 21: ***EXCLUSIVE*** Musician Peter Gabriel performs live on stage at 'Peace One Day 2008' at the Royal Albert Hall on September 21, 2008 in London, England. Peace Day is an annual event celebrating a day of global ceasefire and non-violence. (Photo by Simone Joyner/Getty Images)

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

AC/DC and Empire of the Sun Win Big at APRA Awards

AC/DC and Empire of the Sun were the big winners at last night’s Australian Performing Rights Association (APRA) Awards.

Rock stalwarts Angus and Malcolm Young were named songwriters of the year, while their hit Rock ‘N Roll Train was named most played Aussie work overseas. Empire of the Sun bagged a double when “Walking on a Dream” was named dance work of the year and Nick Littlemore, Jonathan Sloan, and Luke Steele were named breakthrough songwriters of the year.

The APRA Awards celebrate Australia’s best songwriting talent. Click below for a full list of this year’s award winners and here to see how surprisingly accurate my predictions were! I faltered early, but definitely came home strong.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 21: Eskimo Joe pose with their award for Rock Work of the Year at the Australasian Performing Rights Association Music Awards at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre on June 21, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)


Continue reading “AC/DC and Empire of the Sun Win Big at APRA Awards” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Peter Hook Remembers Joy Division with Aussie Album Shows

Joy Division fans are in for a real treat this September. Founding member Peter Hook will perform the band’s debut album Unknown Pleasures in its entirety in three special shows.

The 1979 album kickstarted Joy Division’s prolific career. Tragically less than one year later the band’s lead singer Ian Curtis committed suicide. While Hook, Bernard Sumner, and Stephen Morris labored on, many feel the band was never the same.

Tickets go on sale on July 2 for the following shows.

LONDON - JUNE 18: Actor John Simm (L) stands next to Stephen Morris (C) and Peter Hook (R) of music group Joy Division as they poses with The Mojo Outstanding Contribution to Music at The MOJO Honours List Awards at The Brewery on June 18, 2007 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)


24 September 2010 – Palais Theatre, Melbourne
25 September 2010 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
27 September 2010 – Tivoli Theatre, Brisbane

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Crowded House Score Number One Aussie Album

Crowded House have zoomed into the ARIA charts with their new album Intriguer debuting at number one. The band are the lone local act in the top 10, so I’m glad to see them out in front.

The Aussie musos are just as sparse in the singles charts, but local act Yolanda Be Cool & DCup are doing great things with their hit “We No Speak Americano” sitting at number four.

Click below to see what other acts are making waves on the ARIA charts.

BYRON BAY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 04: Neil Finn of Crowded House performs on stage during Day 4 of Bluesfest 2010 at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm on April 4, 2010 in Byron Bay, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)


Continue reading “Crowded House Score Number One Aussie Album” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Bon Jovi Play Aussie Stadiums This December

It’s been a big day for concert announcements! When Bon Jovi visited Australia in 2008, it was their first real tour here in more than a decade. They swore then that they wouldn’t keep us waiting so long next time, and now they’re making good on their promise.

While their last shows took place in indoor arenas, this time around they’re playing massive outdoor stadiums. Personally I’m not a fan of these big, impersonal venues, so I think I’ll give The Circle tour a miss. They gave it everything last time around, and I’m happy with those memories.

If you missed out last time though, I wouldn’t do the same again. Bon Jovi put on one hell of a show, with more energy than musicians half their age. Tickets go on sale for the following shows on July 8.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 07: (L-R) Richie Sambora, David Bryan, Jon Bon Jovi and Tico Torres of Bon Jovi attend a photocall to open exhibition celebrating 25 years of Bon Jovi on June 7, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)


8 December 2010 – Subiaco, Perth
11 December 2010 – Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
14 December 2010 – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
17 December 2010 – Football Stadium, Sydney

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Eagles Announce Aussie Tour

One of my biggest concert regrets is missing The Eagles when they played their Farewell Tour in 2004. I was heading to the United States not long after, and decided that saving for my trip was more important than catching one of the world’s most enduring country-rock talents. My parents called me during the encore and let me listen to “Hotel California,” “Rocky Mountain Way” and “Desperado” and I realised just how wrong I was.

As it turns out though, that Farewell Tour wasn’t their last goodbye to Oz. Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Glenn Frey, and Timothy B. Schmit are in their 60s now, but they’re promising us three solid hours of hits when they return to our shores in December.

Rest assured, I won’t make the same mistake I did in 2004. There’s no way I’m missing one of these shows. I’ll be hunched over my computer along with thousands of fans when tickets go on sale on June 28.

NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 12: (L-R) Musician Timothy B. Schmit, Glenn Frey, Don Henley and Joe Walsh of The Eagles perform on stage during the 42nd Annual CMA Awards at the Sommet Center on November 12, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images)


2 December 2010 – Entertainment Centre, Sydney
6 December 2010 – ACER Arena, Sydney
10 December 2010 – NIB Stadium, Perth
13 December 2010 – Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
17 & 18 December 2010 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Cut Copy Complete Third Album in Melbourne

Cut Copy are teasing us with news that they’ve just completed album number three, but we’ll need to wait until next year to hear it.

Cut Copy announced the news on their MySpace page commenting “as we imagine what hell freezing over feels like and winter descends on our makeshift warehouse studio on the outskirts of Melbourne, we’re pleased to announce that the recording for Cut//Copy album three is now complete! We’ll be mixing it with Ben Allen as soon as we finish the shows below.”

The Melbourne act will release the yet-to-be-named disc in January 2011. Those aforementioned shows will see Cut Copy play in Asia, Europe, and the United States before heading home for Parklife. Here are all the dates!

PERTH, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 01: Dan Whitford of the band Cut Copy performs on stage during the Big Day Out 2009 at the Claremont Showgrounds on February 1, 2009 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Images)


10 July 2010 – Bengkel Club, Jakarta
16 July 2010 – Super Bock Super Rock, Lisbon
17 July 2010 – Benicassium Festival,  Valencia
18 July 2010 – Lovebox festival, London
20 July 2010 – Button Factory, Dublin
22 July 2010 – Paradiso, Amsterdam (with French Horn Rebellion)
24 July 2010 – Orange PrePay Party @ H20 Beach, Mamaia (with Mika)
25 July 2010 – Palladium, Warsaw (with French Horn Rebellion)
27 July 2010 – Tavastia, Helsinki (with French Horn Rebellion)
29 July 2010 – Emmabodafestivalen, Emmaboda
30 July 2010 – Train, Arrhus
21 July 2010 – Rockafeller, Oslo
7 August 2010 – Lollapalooza, Chicago
25 September 2010 – Parklife @ Gold Coast Parklands, Gold Coast
26 September 2010 – Parklife @ Wellington Square, Perth
2 October 2010 – Parklife @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
3 October 2010 – Parklife @ Kippax Lake/Moore Park, Sydney
4 October 2010 – Parklife @ Botanic Park, Adelaide

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Mousetrap Heart” – Thirsty Merc

When Thirsty Merc burst onto the scene in 2003, I thought they were one of the most original local acts I’d heard in some time. But when they followed up their debut EP and self titled LP with a lackluster sophomore effort, Slideshows, I began to wonder whether we’d already seen their best.

It’s been three years since the release of Slideshows, and as I listened to their newie Mousetrap Heart today it seems the time away from the spotlight was a smart decision.

From the opening title track, this disc feels like the fresh Thirsty Merc of old. It’s got deep grooves and the quirky lyrics that endeared them to me all those years ago. This first single is a standout, but thankfully it’s not the only one. “Tommy and Krista” is a classic story song, with beautifully painted characters and a smile-inducing melody. “Bettie Page,” a nod to the vintage pinup model sees the boys rock out. It’s a welcome change of pace in this album of radio-friendly pop rock.

As any Thirsty Merc fan knows, the accessible nature of their music isn’t a criticism. Here Thirsty Merc have built on the promise they showed all those years ago; that originality is still there but it’s been given a bit of spit and polish by Los Angeles-based producer Matt Wallace. It’s not surprising to know he worked on Maroon 5’s Songs About Jane, as many of these songs would have sat nicely on that recording. There are a few missteps; “All My Life” is musically brilliant but contains lyrics so generic it’s hard to believe Thirsty Merc penned them, and the final two tracks seem sleepy and aimless. But no album is perfect. Thankfully though, with Mousetrap Heart, Thirsty Merc has come awfully close.

Mousetrap Heart hits all Aussie music stores today.

Image source: Thirsty Merc website