Hilltop Hoods have maintained their grip on the ARIA album charts. For the second week the band’s latest offering Drinking from the Sun sits at the number one spot.

An Aussie release also rounds out the week’s top ten. 360’s fallen to number ten, from number six last week, with Falling & Flying. It’s a similar story on the singles charts where his track “Boys Like You,” the sole Aussie entry in the top ten, has dropped from number six to eight.

Click below for this week’s complete ARIA top ten charts.

Read the rest of this entry…

Fashion and music has always enjoyed a special relationship. Our favourite artists wear the best threads, many score the runway shows of leading designers, and some musicians even create their own collections. And if you’re Sydney singer-songwriter Morgan Joanel, you find your face on a T-shirt.

When she’s not creating music, Morgan maintains her fashion blog Mojomade. The T-shirt’s candid image is actually from one of the very first posts on that very blog. It was snapped on a humble Canon camera, yet now it graces a tee from designer store Zara. This isn’t just an Australian exclusive either; the T-shirts are available at Zara stores all over the world. Fashion fans across the globe might not know who Morgan is or what she does, but they’ll be wearing her face!

Global awareness may come yet though, as Morgan’s been busy in the studio. She’s also got a song writing trip to Los Angeles and New York in the works. But before all that she’ll play a few shows around her hometown to promote her current single “Devil’s in the Details.” Sydneysiders, you can catch this hot new talent at the following venues.

24 March 2012 – The Vanguard, Newtown (with Butterfly Boucher)
1 April 2012 – The Vault, Windsor (with Eilen Jewell)
24 April 2012 – Brass Monkey, Cronulla (with Blind River Running)
9 May 2012 – Notes, Newtown (with Tim Chaisson)
18 May 2012 – The Beresford, Surry Hills

Image used with permission from Revolutions per Minute

Kiama’s DaniElle DeLaite is a relative unknown here in Australia, but she’s burning up the American Billboard dance charts with her new single “Love Sex Goddess.”

“Love Sex Goddess” is the current number five breakout artist on the US chart, an honour which sees her placed with big names like Nicki Minaj and Paulina Rubio. However unlike these acts she doesn’t have the backing of a big record company. Instead DaniElle is going it along with her independent label Lizard E.D.

DaniElle honed her craft in Sydney’s nightclubs before heading to Paris with the promise of a dream licensing deal. When that fell through, DaniElle followed her brother to America. She was an instant hit in the clubs that nurtured Britney Spears, Katy Perry, and Lady GaGa, and with her current single’s success it seems her star is definitely on the up!

Image used with permission from DaniElle DeLaite

Many acts have tried, but finally one has toppled Adele, and it’s an Aussie. Hilltop Hoods have ended the current Queen of Soul’s reign with their new number one album, Drinking From The Sun.

It’s been a big week for local urban acts, with 360 also inching up the charts with his album Falling & Flying. It’s moved from number seven to number six. No doubt that performance has been helped along by the success of the single “Boys Like You,” which has dropped one spot to sit at number six on the singles charts.

And let’s not forget Sia’s contribution to Flo Rida’s single “Wild Ones.” Surely her stellar vocals have something to do with its current number three spot on the singles charts!

Click below to see the rest of this week’s ARIA top ten!

Read the rest of this entry…

The Pajama Club will play a very special show at Sydney’s Oxford Arts Factory on March 14.

Fans might notice that Alana Skyring is absent from the band photo. That’s because she’s decided to leave the music industry to pursue her dream of becoming one of New York’s best bakers.

Not to worry though, because Neil and Sharron Finn’s kids Liam and Elroy will take a break from their own musical careers to appear alongside their mum and dad at the show. It’s the same Pajama Club you love with an added dose of Finn-ness!

Tickets are available now from Moshtix.

Image used with permission from Two Fish Out of Water

I’ve been having a bit of a blue week. My husband’s away on a business trip, and my cat and I don’t quite fill our house. I found the pick me up I was looking for in the music of The Autumn Isles, a five-piece rock pop act from Perth.

These guys have actually been kicking around the last six years, but it seems the east coast is a bit slow to catch on to their psychedelic charms. Their sound takes me back to Woodstock with its lush harmonies and big chords. It’s the sort of music my Dad would probably dig, yet it somehow feels fresh.

I’m particularly partial to “Sun Soaked Horizon” from their debut album Kaleidoscopes. It sounds like a pretty apt name for a disc from such a trippy band. Does it float your boat?

Image used with permission from The Autumn Isles

You might remember thousands of music fans marching through Melbourne last February for the SLAM rally, an initiative designed to Save Live Australian Music. The protest hit out at the Victorian government and its policies which linked live music to violence. Now the event is going national.

To show your support head to the SLAM Rally website and see which venues in your local areas are hosting shows. Make sure you tell your friends about the event you’re going to see and spread the word on Facebook or other social networking spaces to drum up support. With the upcoming closure of East Brunswick Club we should all be thinking about how we can protect our local venues and keep live music alive in our communities.

Will you be attending a SLAM Rally event?

Image source: SLAM Rally website

Melbourne community radio station PBS 106.7FM is showcasing local music with its annual Drive Live event.

From February 6 to 10, local acts will take over the station’s drive time shift. Three acts will play each day, with up and comers Graveyard Train, Stella Angelico, and Howl at the Moon already slated to appear.

You could listen to it from the comfort of your car, or if you’re a PBS member you could see the bands in the flesh. You can RSVP from tomorrow, so make sure you keep an eye on the PBS website to find out how.

The website also comes in handy if you’re not local as you can stream the Drive Live broadcasts from your computer anywhere in the world. So there’s no excuse for missing out on the fun!

Image used with permission from Show Off Recordings

I’ve watched with bemusement the media beat-up of The Wiggles since I posted about Greg Page’s return. When I heard the news I was excited, and while I wondered about Sam’s fate it was secondary to being thrilled Greg was back.

It’s unusual for anyone childless in their 30s to care about the fate of a children’s group, but my earliest experiences with the Wiggles came when my little sister Madelyn was young. She’s 20 this year, so she grew up as the Wiggles came of age. That’s a lot of history, and while I’m sure he performed admirably Sam always felt like the new kid for our family.

I’m the first to admit that The Wiggles haven’t sparkled under the glare of the media spotlight over the last few days. They’ve appeared awkward and bewildered by the backlash. I guess they should have expected it, but I think everyone’s been a bit quick to point fingers at the band.

While they’re a beloved part of our culture, we seem to be forgetting that The Wiggles is a business. I’d love if any business paid me a salary reported to be $200, 000 a year. Yes it’s a drop in the ocean compared to the company’s net worth, but it’s still a generous pay packet. I’d also love if any company paid me $60, 000 as it showed me the door.

Circumstances in business change all the time. Any of us could find ourselves out of work tomorrow, and we’d probably feel lucky to have Sam Moran’s financial cushion. Mums and Dads might argue that Sam put his heart and soul into his job, but so does that friendly girl at the local grocery store.

Australia might have loved Sam, but I think they need to remember The Wiggles began with Anthony, Murray, Jeff, and Greg. They built that business up from nothing, and they deserve to reap the benefits. Admittedly Greg sold out his share when he first departed, but the other blokes deserve to take a large chunk from the genius they created. The Wiggles might not have been as kind to Sam as mums and dads would like, but as far as I can tell they’ve been nothing but professional.

Image source: Led2life @ Wikipedia Commons

The ABC is helping us celebrate Australia Day with some homegrown musical talent.

The main channel’s getting in early with the Australia Celebrates 2012 concert. The show features performances from INXS, The Potbelleez, Spiderbait, Sneaky Sound System, and Katie Noonan back with her Captains. See it on ABC on January 25 at 8:30 pm.

Then the following night make sure you tune in to ABC2. The channel will play Triple Js tribute to Nick Cave, which will see local artists like Dan Sultan, Adalita, Lisa Mitchell, Bertie Blackman, and Kram taking on Nick Cave classics. Now that sounds like it’s worth staying up for! If you’ve got work the next morning you may want to set your DVR for 9:30 pm on January 26.

Image source: Nick Bradsworth @ Stock.xchng