From the ashes of Gerling, RunHide, and other fallen Aussie acts comes Betty Airs. I caught up with the band’s frontman Darren Cross in the middle of their Aussie tour to chat about their forthcoming live shows, the new single “Juvenile,” and what’s coming next from this exciting new act.

It’s fairly early days for this band. For the uninitiated, how would you describe your sound?
’50s grunge. Melodic. Old and new. Like The Kinks on a 4-year bender.

The band is made up of musicians from some other notable Aussie acts like Gerling and The Vines. How did you all find one another?
Well I, who was in Gerling, started the band with Cris [Campano] and Zag [Michael Zagoridis], who were mutual mates and were in a tough band called RunHide. We used to drink at the same pub each week and started talking about doing some harmony based ’50s style music. At this stage it was just one guitar and drums and all three of us singing, Cris playing a mighty fine tambourine and sharing the lead vocals with myself. Pat [Matthews], who was the bass player in The Vines, was off his face at a Royal Headache gig and bailed me up saying he would love to play bass for Betty Airs. As I produced and recorded Betty Airs songs I usually played bass on the tracks as well, and we thought it would sound more traditional live with a bass, so we called Pat up. We like Pat.

Betty Airs is a pretty quirky name. Where did it come from?
It took us about 330 weird band names. Cristian and myself … well we’re gung ho about a “great, classic” name. We all agreed on Betty as a starter … like a female skater. Cris had just sent me 50 shit names as an SMS when I was touring solo as The E.L.F. I was at an airport waiting for a plane and in desperation I looked out the window, saw an aeroplane taking off and said out aloud “Betty Airs”. YEP. We all loved it.

You’ve just released your new single “Juvenile.” What is it about this song in particular that inspired you to release it?
It’s an immediate garage pop song with great hooks. Short and sweet. Good energy.

The song was used to launch Triple J’s new Unearthed Digital radio station. What does that sort of exposure mean to you?
It’s awesome. Triple J is a powerful force and we love and are very grateful that they play our music! We use the Triple J Unearthed platform for uploading our songs for free download to y’all sweet, fine people. It’s cool! The Digital Unearthed radio station is also great for giving new bands a go. Very encouraging!!!!

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Things are on the up for Myles Mayo. After earning critical acclaim with his self titled debut album last year, he’s preparing to release a new EP and head out on the road with Skipping Girl Vinegar. I caught up with the Adelaide muso recently to chat about his latest release, the upcoming tour, and what makes Radelaide such fertile musical ground.

You’re just about to release a new EP Leave the Party. What can you tell me about it?
It’s got five tracks. Leave the Party is the second single from my debut album that I released earlier in the year and the track has been re-mixed by Australian producer Paul McKercher (You Am I, Eskimo Joe, Hoodoo Gurus, Augie March, The Cruel Sea, Pete Murray). Also on the EP are two brand new recordings and several other cuts from the album.

Once an artist releases a full-length album they don’t often go back to recording EPs. What attracted you to going back to that short recording form?
It is mainly a promotional tool EP/single because I’m doing some touring in Oct/Nov 2011 and we wanted to release something for this period.

You’re heading out on the road with Skipping Girl Vinegar to promote both the EP and the debut album you released last year. Are you looking forward to that?
Yes, very much looking forward to playing up the east coast again. The new band have been really enjoying the live shows over the past six months or so.

It looks to be a pretty cruisy tour, with weekend shows and lots of time in between. What do you plan on doing in your downtime?
With these sorts of weekend hop style tours we all come back home to our respective day jobs, study, families etc. and get on with slowly trudging through this existence.

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Sydney’s Five Coffees are looking to take the country by storm with their funky debut EP Flatline. I caught up by the band’s resident sax man, keyboardist, composer and all round nice guy Dean Adams to chat about his band’s unique sound, their EP, and what comes next.

I’ve heard people refer to so many genres when talking to about your music. How would you describe your sound?

Predominately its jazz inspired hip hop. We have always been inspired by funk like James Brown and the Cat Empire too. 70s keyboard legend Don Blackman (Earth Wind and Fire, Parliament) last week called us funky! It was the ultimate compliment.

You all come from such different musical backgrounds. How did you find one another and form Five Coffees?
I met Guy whilst studying at the Conservatorium of Music. We recruited the rest of the band members from all areas of their lives. I used to play in a covers band with singer Ay La Garde and play weddings with bass player Dave Groves!

You’re just about to release your debut EP Flatline. What can you tell me about it?
I wrote many of the tunes in 2008 after graduating from The Con. At the time, they were just eight-bar riffs. Now they are fully laid out, proper tunes with vocals and lyrics that amaze even me!

It’s got an unlikely title for music that’s supposed to engage and excite people. Why Flatline?
“Flatline” is the name of the final track on the EP. It best summarises what Five Coffees is all about: male and female disco/funk with sharp horn lines and a ripping sax solo.

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Elen Levon is causing quiet a stir with her sexy new single “Naughty.” I recently caught up with this talented Aussie teen to talk about the track, touring the country with Winterbeatz, and how she’s dealing with her new found fame.

You’ve enjoyed a lot of success quite fast and at such a young age. Who or what keeps you grounded?
I’m surrounded by an awesome team and family that keep me humble and grounded.

You’re about to release your single “Naughty” which is quite risqué. Did you have any concerns about that considering your age and how people may see you as a role model?
Everyone will have their own perspectives and beliefs on the video and I cannot control that! But my take on it, is a fun dance track that everyone can let go to.

You worked with Israel Cruz on that track, who’s also doing some great things in the Australian music industry. What was he like to work with?
Israel is an amazing talent and cool to work with.

You recently toured the country with some of R’n’B’s biggest names as part of Winterbeatz. What was it like to be a part of that?
It was an honor to be up there with big names like that! I just enjoyed being on the stage and entertaining.

I imagine a lot of the people attending would have been there to see some of the really big acts like Snoop Dogg and Taio Cruz. How did you win them over?
Hopefully with my performance and just having fun with the audience!

What did you learn about performing seeing guys like that at work?
They are all individually amazing artists in their own rights and they do an amazing job at their crafts.

You’re generating such buzz at the moment, it’d be a perfect time to release an album. Is that too far off?
Definitely working on an album and can’t wait to share songs that I have personally written.

You’ve been dubbed Australia’s answer to Britney Spears and Ciara. That’s what other people view you as, but what musician would you like to model your career on?
I would like to create timeless music that everyone connect with and enjoy. I would like to grasp all audiences.

A lot of people are talking about you having this worldwide appeal and crossing over to other markets. Do you think you’ll always call Australia home?
I will always call Australia home because this is where I started but I definitely see myself travelling and writing all over the world.

Do you have anything else in the pipeline that you can tell me about?
I’m just concentrating on my live performances and releasing more singles.

Image used with permission from Revolutions Per Minute

Sydney-based singer-songwriter Alanna Cherote has only just released her debut album Paper Flower, but she’s already threatening to take the world by storm. I caught up with her recently to take about the record, her North American touring plans, and what it was like to work with Ron Sexsmith.

You’ve just released your debut album Paper Flower. What can you tell me about it?

I wrote most of the Paper Flower album tracks before even looking to record the album. I always had very strong production ideas and vision about how it would all sound. I did most of the pre-production work on the songs with producer Nick Howard, and then recorded the album with Chris Vallejo at Linear Recording. It was such a wonderful studio to bring my songs to life – so much vintage gear. I was able to put my 60s/70s slant on the sound the way I had imagined.

It had an official launch at The Vanguard in Sydney on August 3, which is one of my favourite venues. What made you choose it for your big night?
The live show is about Intimacy and quirkiness, Rawness, being organic.

What do you love about being up on stage?
Bringing the songs to life, creating magical parts around the tunes, being in the company of such beautiful players in my band, and connecting with not only the audience but getting back in touch with that deep connection within myself. Sometimes it feels like an out of body experience.

When will fans around the rest of the country get a chance to see you live?
I’m touring Canada and the states in October/November and Australia throughout November/December/January.

Do you think we’d ever lose you to one of these international locations?
Distinctly possible! Based on touring and recording opportunities and connections in other countries.

Your current single “(Make Me Do) Anything You Want” is a cover of a song by Canadian band A Foot in Cold Water. What made you want to record it?
Discovering that band through the American producer I was working with in 2007 Lamar Lowder, and finding a connection with the song, I immediately thought I could create something quite special out of that song. I always had a thing for all the golden oldies. Turned out to be quite a good idea!

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Queensland band Grand Atlantic wowed us with their last album How We Survive, and they’re hoping to do it all again with their newie Constellations. I recently caught up with the band’s frontman Phil Usher to chat about the album, it’s unusual recording studio, and conquering the world.

You’re releasing your new album Constellations next month. What can you tell me about the album?
The album is a collection of 11 new songs that were written over the past year.  We actually had about 20 written that we were working on and slowly whittled them down to about 14 which then made it to the recording stage. We have a couple of others that need finishing at some stage which we’ll use for bonus tracks or B-sides. We traveled to Seacliff in New Zealand for the recording sessions.  The recording process was like nothing we have experienced before.  It was amazing to be able to be away from all distractions and concentrate on making music for a couple of weeks.

I believe you recorded it in an abandoned psychiatric hospital. How did that bizarre location come about?
We were talking to a few producers and we really liked the feedback Dale Cotton came back with after hearing the demos. He’s really into the idea of recording in unusual locations and suggested the old asylum. It had been converted into a backpackers and we decided to hire out the whole site to make the record. It gave us the opportunity to stay on site and concentrate on the recording in a way we haven’t been able to do before.  The Asylum is located in a little seaside town called Seacliff just outside of Dunedin with rolling hills, sea breezes and not much else.

I believe you saw and heard some really crazy things during the recording process. Can you tell me a little about that?
There were a lot of things that happened while we there that made an impression. We heard some strange voices on a few takes through our headphones when we had the doors to the old stable building open during a session. On another day we saw a heavy-duty microphone stand move as if it had been knocked by someone. Three of us saw it and no one was within a few metres of the stand. It moved at least a foot from side to side and was definitely locked into position. Mat says he heard his drums being played in the middle of the night and we also had a fire restart itself as well. It was quite a spooky environment, especially as we had done a bit of reading about the site before we arrived. Unfortunately many people passed away on the site during a huge fire, so it has quite a sad history. It felt good to be able to go there and do something positive in a place that has such a heavy past.

Did that experience make your reevaluate your position on ghosts or otherworldly phenomena?
I guess it’s different for all of us. We were pretty well focused on making the album, so it was an interesting aspect of our time there, although there wasn’t really time for chasing ghosts. I think we are all definitely open to the concept of weird stuff happening and there were certainly some unexplained things that we saw. I guess in the end, everyone has their own take on the reasons behind them.

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Natalie Gauci took out the Australian Idol competition way back in 2007, burning brightly during the competition but seemingly fading from view almost as quickly. With a new EP under her belt and an upcoming tour Natalie’s ready to emerge from the shadows and win over Australia all over again. I caught up with Natalie recently to chat about her time on the talent quest, her new music, and the Aussie shows to come.

Most music fans would remember you from Australian Idol in 2007. A lot of time has passed since then and now. Why’s it taken so long for us to hear your original material?
Yes I have been under the radar for a few years and I’m now ready to pop out my shell.  I’ve been working hard on writing and recording my music and also finding the right home for it and that takes time. After Idol I had to find my true identity. Idol gave me the platform to now achieve what I’ve always wanted to achieve which is to record and write my own music and travel with it all over the world. It also gave the confidence to be who I am today.

How do you look back on your time with the show?
I look back and cry because I get so emotional. I forget how amazing it was, how many people were so supportive of me and my performances and how I gave it my all, I gave it everything I had. It reminds me of where I came from and what is important to me, not just with music but with my family and friends and my fans.

You got a lot of criticism when your Idol single and album were released because they didn’t match the chart success of the winners that came before. How did you deal with that?
It doesn’t bother me at all. Times change and record sales were just getting worse overall. Critics can say what they like really but it doesn’t affect me. I just make sure I do the best I can with what I’ve got.

Part of your prize was a record deal with Sony, yet you left them before releasing anything other than the prerequisite Winner’s Journey album. Why did you feel the label wasn’t the right fit for you?
I had been wanting to release “Best of Me” ever since I won Idol. I wrote it after the Winner’s Journey tour and always dreamed of recorded it with my soul band. The direction I was heading in didn’t feel right. My instinct was telling me to do what was in my heart and “Best of Me” was in my heart at that time.

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Nine Sons of Dan are generating some major buzz with a brand new single “She’s So Fine” and a critically acclaimed EP under their belt. The Gold Coast act have just kicked off an Aussie tour, so I figured it was about time that I caught up with drummer Morgan “Flakey” Blake to chat about working with Paramore’s Justin York, life on the road, and their big plans for the future.

You’ve just released your new single “She’s So Fine.” What can you tell me about the song?
“She’s So Fine” was written as an underdog story; the geeky guy in love with the mega babe! We wrote some poppier things for our EP and this was one of our favourite ones!

I believe you worked with Paramore guitarist Justin York on the track, which is such a massive coup. How did that come about?
The boys at LooseStones Studios, where the EP was tracked, work overseas quite often, and knew Justin from working at studios with him. They asked him if he would like to play some guitar on our tracks, and he digged them so he agreed! So stoked!

What was he like to work with?
Well unfortunately he had to do his parts over in the States. We couldn’t meet up and collaborate or anything like that. But by the sounds of things he is pretty cool guy! His playing was really tasteful and helped out the whole band. Jay got to hang with him when he went over to US earlier this year and said he was a champ.

You were lucky enough to have one of the finest women in Oz, Miss Universe Australia Jesinta Campbell in the song’s music video. How did that happen?
Well we won a competition last year. One of the prizes was a film clip. And the production company (ROAM) that did the clip knew her from a while back.

They brainstormed ideas for the clip and wanted a pretty attractive girl to play the lead character. They said they were aiming for someone pretty special, but when we met up with them and they pulled out the latest issue of FHM with Jesinta on the front, with a big grin on their faces, we were like no way freaking way! We thought it would be like a super pretty girl but definitely did not expect Jesinta to appear!

You’re going to tour this single all over the country in the coming months. That’s a long time to be on the road. How do you keep things fresh with such a long touring stretch?
Things like that just never seem long or boring to us. We haven’t been to most of the places on this tour before, so I think we will be amped enough to forget how long we drive or how long we wait or whatever. It’s all good to us! We are stoked just to be playing. Plus we will be surfing in between, partying, watching other gigs. It’s a pretty refreshing life!
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The William Street Strikers are on the up with their debut album set to launch soon and an extensive Aussie tour lined up to promote it. I caught up with the band’s lead singer Andrew Matters before the madness begins to talk about the new release, the upcoming tour, and that quirky name.

Your band’s got a really interesting name. How did that come about?
We got our name for a few reasons. Firstly, we just wanted a name that would last the test of time and not date. We also wanted a name that could mean something or nothing, the reason being so we could release a number of albums under its banner and grow artistically without the name impeding that process by meaning something too genre specific. Then we also wanted a name with a bit of grunt and “urban decay cool” to it, which I think the name has. And finally, two of us live on William Street and we thought “OK, we live on William Street, we jam in the shed, so the William Street … ummmnnnn hey strikers!? Yeah , right on! Let’s go with that. I’d like to say we’re left wing socialists with an egalitarian ethos championing the rights of the down trodden but not just yet.

How would you describe your music for the uninitiated?
Our music is essentially designed to work in a live setting, to deal with the Australian pub punter who, in our experience, has a short attention span and demands to be entertained. So we are straight to the point without much excess. We road test our songs in this arena and if we go out and play a song and people jump up and down and clap then it makes the cut.

You’ve just finished recording your debut album. What can you tell me about it?
Our album has been a watershed moment for us. We have been working towards it for three years, and with hindsight it seems like in logical steps but in reality it came about because of someone else’s faith in us and their willingness to fund it. Having not to worry about financing it ourselves allowed us to really focus on the art of making music, as trite as that sounds it is a truism I think, to just worry about the essence of what music is all about.
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The Fearless Vampire Killers have currently left the stakes at home and packed up their touring van for shows in Victoria and New South Wales. I recently caught up with band’s lead guitarist Al Marx to chat about his band’s unusual moniker, their new single “For You and Me,” and the album to come.

I love your band’s name. It’s got to be one of the most creative in the music industry at present. Where did it come from?
Honestly, we stole it. It was a bit of a throwaway title to begin with, but I think we’ve all grown to love it. The only real aim at the time was to have an obscenely long name to dwarf others on bills.

You weren’t worried about the wrath of a thousand young Twilight fans at all?
It might get a little bumpy, but we maintain it’s just a phase.

I’m sure most people won’t forget your band’s name in a hurry, but can you describe your sound for the uninitiated?
The closest we can get is bluesy-western-surf-rock.

You’re touring your home state at present, and you’ll end up in Sydney in July. How are the shows going?
We haven’t had so much fun since the ice-cream mountain.  That was a happy day.

I hear that your last Melbourne show generated some major buzz. What is it that makes your live shows so special?
Our live show has always been our focus. If we’re in a good mood you’ll have a good time.  If you have a bad time it was the sound guy.
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