Month: August 2010

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Guns N’ Roses Rock Out with KoRn

Guns N’ Roses have announced a couple of sideshows to complement their appearance at the V8 Supercar Championships in Sydney later this year. The band will headline shows in Townsville, Adelaide, and Perth this December alongside fellow countrymen KoRn.

“This is a very exciting tour for us,” said promoter Andrew McManus. “I saw Guns N’ Roses perform in Helsinki earlier this year and I’ve never seen a bigger crowd. It was a wild concert with over 60,000 fans going freakin’ berserk! They were really well behaved and were there purely to give the band as much energy back as the band gave them, which believe me was a ton full! I got goose bumps hearing the crowd leave the venue all as one singing ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’.”

This tour has been a long time coming, as the band haven’t played Oz since 2007. Personally I think things will never be the same without Slash, but I have no doubt fans will turn out to catch tracks like “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City,” and “ November Rain.”

Tickets for all shows go on sale at noon on September 7.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA. JUNE 9, 2010. Guns n' Roses frontman and co-founder Axl Rose (L) and lead guitarist DJ Ashba perform during a concert at Moscow s Olympiysky Sports Arena (Photo ITAR-TASS / Alexei Pantsikov) Photo via Newscom


1 December 2010 – Reid Park, Townsville
7 December 2010 – Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
11 December 2010 – Motorplex, Perth

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

City Riots Singer Held at Knifepoint

You’d assume that the post offices of Adelaide would be pretty safe places, but Ricky Kradolfer of City Riots has another tale to tell. The singer was recently held at knife point as he waited to mail posters for their upcoming September shows!

But Ricky survived and mailed the posters, so he’d probably be pretty grateful if you got out to the gigs. City Riots will headline shows around the country with The Chemist and play a few festivals as well.

The shows will give you a sneak peek at tracks from City Riots’ debut album, which they recorded recently in the States with legendary producer Bjorn Thorsrud (Smashing Pumpkins, Dandy Warhol, Billy Corgan).

Here are all the dates!

9 September 2010 – Big Sound, Brisbane
17 September 2010 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
18 September 2010 – Jive, Adelaide
24 September 2010 – Spectrum, Sydney
25 September 2010 – Coaster Festival, Gosford
20 November 2010 – Open Arms Festival, Coffs Harbour

Image used with permission from Shiny Entertainment/Jason Penney

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Anicca” – Greenthief

With a healthy dose of angst and experimentation comes Anicca, the new six-track EP from Greenthief.

Six tracks is ambitious for an EP, but Greenthief are a pretty ambitious band. They love to pair driving guitars and pounding drums with delicate piano and ethereal vocals. They’ve stuck a tune called “Prelude” in the middle of the disc. And you just never know where any song is going to end up.

That was perhaps the most confusing part of this CD for me. I felt I was being taken in one direction, and enjoying it, before the band sent the song to another place. At its worst this kind of treatment lacks focus, and at its best it’s groundbreaking. I admit that I’m still trying to decide.

There’s a lot to like here, especially the opening track “Plea for Sanctuary” with its crunchy guitar chords and hooky chorus, and the epic closer “Grain of Sand.” These tunes hint at the potential of this band. If this is what Greenthief are capable of, I want to hear more of it. They seem to be still experimenting with their sound now and finding their own identity away from their many influences, but this EP hints at real greatness.

Image source: iTunes

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Dan Webb

Singer-songwriter Dan Webb is preparing to load up the van and get out on the road to support his new EP Hyperspace Clearance. But before he does I caught up with Dan to chat about the tour, the EP, and his love of the keys.

You’re touring along the east coast next month. Are you looking forward to getting out on the road?
I’m not gonna lie – it’s been hard organising this tour, but I am really looking forward to playing these shows. Myband members have been on holiday overseas for a few months so I’ve used that time to develop some new songs. I’ve never performed outside Melbourne so it’s really exciting.

This tour is in support of your new EP Hyperspace Clearance. What can you tell me about it?
I really set out to prove a point on my first EP. It was quite heavy compared to this new one. Capitulation was all about showing people that you can play rock music without relying on guitar. Hyperspace Clearance is taking that same concept but taking it to a whole new level by experimenting with some other styles and genres. It’s an EP with a focused direction, tied together by the theme of travel.

You produced this EP yourself. Why was that important for you?
I wanted to head back to the same studio with the same team of people and see if we could make something that sounded completely different to my first EP. I like setting myself challenges. I had a clear idea of which instruments and microphones I wanted to use and so I wanted to have as much of a creative input as possible.

What’s it like being on the other side of the musical desk?
I have to say straight up that the whole project wouldn’t have been possible without my engineer Matt Voigt. He’s responsible for all of the mixing and he did a really great job. I might be able to give directions, make suggestions and requests but at the end of the day, I can’t make a good recording without a talented engineer.

This is your second EP. How do you think you’ve grown since the recording of the first one?
I feel like I’m developing as a songwriter and I’m becoming a bit more confident and adventurous when it comes to writing songs. I was able to take more risks on this EP as a result. I wanted to explore a few different styles and approaches this time round. I recorded clavinet on a track called “Weekends” for example; it’s only there for a few bars but it’s really funky!

Continue reading “Q & A with Dan Webb” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jinja Safari Launch Debut EP with Sydney and Melbourne Shows

Jinja Safari will launch their self-titled debut EP with two shows in Sydney and Melbourne this September.

Even before it hits shelves the recording has been named Indie Album of the Week in The Brag, and its single “Forest Eyes” is enjoying steady airplay on independent radio stations. Not bad for a duo that only met earlier this year!

See Jinja Safari at their EP launch shows, and the following festivals.

8 September 2010 – Big Sound, Brisbane
11 September 2010 – Valley Fiesta, Brisbane
18 September 2010 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
19 September 2010 – Changing Lanes, Sydney
23 September 2010 – Goodgod Small Club, Sydney
25 September 2010 – Coaster Festival, Gosford
30 December 2010 – Falls Festival, Lorne

Image used with permission from Other Tongues

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Skipping Girl Vinegar Get Wasted

Being as it’s a Saturday it seems only right to chat about Skipping Girl Vinegar and their new song “Wasted.”

Inspired by a big night out at Melbourne’s Corner Hotel, the track is deliciously organic with a drum kit found in a dumpster, rubbish bins, and roadside hard rubbish all providing percussion. It’s raucous and just the kind of song you want to play as you head out for your own Saturday evening.

The song is a sneak peek of what lies ahead for the band, a little taster of what to expect from the as-yet-untitled sophomore album which should hit stores early next year. Skipping Girl Vinegar can’t wait that long to get in front of their local fans though, so they’re heading out next month on their Drown It Out single tour.

3 September 2010 – Troubadour, Brisbane (with special guests Autumn Sun & The Lucky Wonders)
10 September 2010 – Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor
11 September 2010 – Funk N Grooves Festival, Hunter Valley
11 September 2010 – RAVAL, Sydney (with special guest Ruby for Lucy)
18 September 2010 – The Toff In Town, Melbourne (with special guests Hello Satellites & Young Werther)

Image used with permission from Heapsaflash

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Who’s Comin’ Along to Earthworker’s Tour?

After supporting Ash Grunwald around the traps in June, Earthworker, or Dean Carroll as he’s known to his mates, will set out on his own for the Who’s Comin’ Along tour.

The tour supports the single of the same name, which is the first cut from Earthworker’s debut album Seeds of Light, due to hit stores in January. The single’s release will be accompanied with a music video which sees Earthworker do his upbeat blues rock thing live, with just a hint of pirate. And don’t we all need more pirate in our lives?

If you do, make sure you get along to these shows next month. He’ll perform some with a four-piece band, and others solo and intimate, so you’ll never know quite what you’re going to get. I love an artist that keeps you guessing!

2 September 2010 – Hotel Maroochydore, Maroochydore
3 September 2010 – Coolum Beach Hotel, Coolum
5 September 2010 – Doing Dads Proud Festival, Sunshine Coast
11 September 2010 – The Chippo, Darwin
25 September 2010 – Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor

Image used with permission from AAA Entertainment

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Bullet For My Valentine Gets Aussie Tour Edition Album

To celebrate Bullet For My Valentine’s upcoming Aussie tour, Sony Music will release a special two CD tour edition of their latest album Fever.

The new release will feature previously unreleased acoustic songs and tracks from the Hand of Blood EP. The album art remains the same, so make sure you look out for the tour edition sticker.

The new version of Fever is available for pre-order now ahead of its  September 10 release.

Image used with permission from Sony Music Australia.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Re:enactment Spruik Single on East Coast Tour

Upbeat Brisbane electro rock act re:enactment are heading out on the road to promote their double A-side single “Talent for Retail,” which features the songs “Problematic” and “Nintendogs.” There’s even a bonus B-side “Don’t Even” and a live version of fan favourite “Steel Drums” to add value.

Honestly, with physical singles being on their last legs thanks to the introduction of digital downloads I’m thrilled to see a band offering so much in this format. If you are too, make sure you get out and show your support at re:enactment’s upcoming shows.

18 September 2010 – The Troubadour, Brisbane (with Hunz, Moon Jog and Toy Balloon)
23 September 2010 – The Old Bar, Melbourne (with Sleep Decade and Cast& Crew)
25 September 2010 – Pony, Melbourne (with Caught Ship, Tantrums and No Real Need)
30 September 2010 – Excelsior, Sydney (with World Champion, Lumiere and Solkyri)
1 October 2010 – World Bar, Sydney (with Paper Moon, Howl at the Moon, Convaire)

Image used with permission from Shiny Entertainment