Tom Milek is hitting the road to celebrate the release of his debut EP Love & Ambition.
If this charming track “Vicious Circles” is any indication, music lovers are in for a real treat with this disc. I love its organic feel, which sounds like the best of Ryan Adams with a bit of Whitley thrown in.
Tom Milek’s Love & Ambition tour kicks off in his hometown of Melbourne tomorrow and snakes around the country before wrapping up in the same city next month.
5 April 2012 – The Toff, Melbourne
12 April 2012 – Beavs Bar, Geelong
20 April 2012 – The Metro, Adelaide
21 April 2012 – The Loft, Warnambool
9 May 2012 – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
10 May 2012 – Sol Bar, Maroochydore
24 May 2012 – The Gov, Adelaide
25 May 2012 – Cornish Arms, Melbourne
Image used with permission from Footstomp Music
Classic ‘80s pub bands seem to be everywhere. Cold Chisel are back on the road, Icehouse are enjoying chart success with their latest greatest hits record, and now Dragon are preparing for a comeback.
Their brand new EP Chase the Sun, which has just hit stores, heralds a new start for the band. Its first single “21 (Heart of Gold)” sees the outfit back to its best, and there’s more where that came from.
They haven’t completely forgotten their past though. Next month Jeff Apter will release Chasing the Dragon, a biography which remembers the band’s late lead singer Marc Hunter.
Dragon will promote both the book and the EP when they play the following east coast shows over the coming months.
20 October 2011 – The Vanguard, Sydney
21 October 2011 – Canberra Casino, Canberra
22 October 2011 – Manly Boatshed, Sydney
10 November 2011 – Tempo Hotel, Brisbane
12 November 2011 – Lone Star Tavern, Gold Coast
19 November 2011 – Beaches, Wollongong
25 November 2011 – Brass Monkey, Cronulla
2 December 2011 – Lizotte’s, Newcastle
3 December 2011 – Lizotte’s, Kincumber
4 December 2011 – Lizotte’s, Dee Why
Image used with permission from SCG Media
Melbourne indie rockers Celadore will kick off their most extensive tour to date in Albury later this month. The three-month celebration will support the release of their The Bright and Blue EP, which hits stores and iTunes today.
The Bright and Blue is Celadore’s follow up to last year’s Distance is a Gun, and their second release through Popboomerang Records. It’s also the first produced by The Living End’s Chris Cheney, who has nothing but good things to say about the band. He commented that “they possess a sense of melody and a depth to their songwriting that’s beyond their years.”
Albury seems like a pretty strange place to start rocking, but it’s fitting for the string of dates which takes in regional centres and capital cities alike. Catch them before they make it big at the following shows.
21 October 2011 – Albion Hotel, Albury
22 October 2011 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
27 October 2011 – Ed Castle, Adelaide
28 October 2011 – EV’s Youth Centre, Croydon (All Ages)
29 October 2011 – The Sandbar, Mildura
4 November 2011 – Hotel Orient, Brisbane
5 November 2011 – The Hive, Brisbane (All Ages)
11 November 2011 – The Loxton Club, Loxton
12 November 2011 – National Hotel, Geelong
16 November 2011 – Rock Lily, Sydney
17 November 2011 – Phoenix Bar, Canberra
18 November 2011 – Yours & Owls, Wollongong
19 November 2011 – Pacific Hotel, Yamba
26 November 2011 – Revolver, Melbourne
3 December 2011 – Brisbane Hotel, Hobart
10 December 2011 – The Rails, Byron Bay
Image used with permission from Footstomp Records
Over the last four years Melbourne band The Ovals has built a steady following for their brand of psychedelic rock. That attention is only bound to intensify with the release of the band’s new EP Into The Eyes of Those Who Sleep.
The band is clearly comfortable in this genre; they create the kind of kaleidoscopic atmosphere that takes us back to the mid-60s. They understand about light and shade, they know how to build and song and move us just where they want us.
But I can’t help feeling like I’ve heard it all before, like I’m listening to a band that spent too much time listening to early Pink Floyd records. Perhaps I’m a bit biased as I always found those early Syd Barrett recordings lacking, but I hear the same aimlessness in The Ovals music. It’s almost as if they’re also trying to figure out exactly who they want to be, just like Pink Floyd were all those years ago.
And similarly, I can hear great potential there. In places there’s the magic that comes from four musicians that really know how to play. I can imagine that’s only heightened when the Melbourne act takes to the stage. Into The Eyes of Those Who Sleep is a good stepping stone for a band that could be something special.
The Ovals will launch their new EP at The Cherry Bar before taking it to the other East Coast capitals. You can see them at the following venues.
25 March 2011 – Cherry Bar, Melbourne
1 April 2011 – X&Y Bar, Brisbane
8 April 2011 – Oxford Arts Gallery, Sydney
Image used with permission from Show Off Services
Melbourne indie act Autumn Gray is preparing to release its new mini-EP Love Handles with a pair of launch shows.
For the uninitiated, Autumn Gray is something like a mini folk army, with seven members contributing lush harmonies and rich musical melodies. Their music features everything from traditional instruments like flutes and pianos to more modern innovations like synthesizers and iPhones!
Autumn Gray’s new EP features “Love Handles,” from their previous album A Diary of a Falling Man, a live version of “Reason,” and “Address Book Blues” and “Moving Target,” two great songs left over from the last recording process. It hits stores on January 21.
Currently Autumn Gray are holed up in an old wool storage warehouse writing and recording their next album, but they’re escaping for a Melbourne launch at The Toff in Town on January 22, and a Sydney one at the Lewisham Livehouse on February 11.
Image used with permission from Positive Feedback
The world of side projects is a bit of a musical mixed bag; for every success there are many more dismal failures. Happily A Family of Strangers, the latest project for The Butterfly Effect front man Glenn Esmond, falls into the former category.
It’s too early to determine whether chart success will follow the band, but it should if their debut EP New Techniques for Beginners and Champions is any indication. This is a really strong collection of six tracks, songs that step away from The Butterfly Effect but not so far as to alienate the band’s strong fan base.
I find these tunes more accessible than those of the iconic Aussie hard rock outfit. There are some big gritty guitar chords and dark lyrics, but the focus on the melody helps the listener connect from the first spin.
Fans of The Butterfly Effect won’t be disappointed with rock anthems like “Don’t Forget (03.03.03)” and “Silly Love Songs,” but I find the tracks that are dramatically different from Glenn Esmond’s previous work a little more intriguing. “Here Without You” shows he is capable of producing a real radio-friendly ballad of love lost. A Family of Strangers exposes their soft underbelly again with “The Velvet Divorce (Follow).” But my favourite track is probably the closer “Farewell, Mr Hooper,” a wild rock sea shanty. It’s such a quirky tune, the kind of thing I imagine a crew of pillaging pirates might create if you handed them electric guitars.
It almost seems unfair to bands starting out to call New Techniques for Beginners and Champions a debut EP, because A Family of Strangers are so experienced and in control of their sound. They’re equally at home in the sunlight and the shadows, and they take us to both places in this recording. It’s a really accomplished first taste of a band I look forward to hearing a lot more from.
The Owls have hatched their new self titled EP, which was officially released today.
The disc features “Go, Let It Go,” which you may have heard on the radio. Even if you haven’t, you’re going to love the band’s silky melodies and dark, brooding bass lines.
To celebrate the release The Owls are played a couple of shows over the next few days, so if they’re near you make sure you check them out!
22 September 2010 – Beach Road Hotel, Bondi (with The Jezabels)
23 September 2010 – Gaelic Club, Surry Hills
25 September 2010 – The Lass O’Gowrie, Newcastle
Image used with permission from Positive Feedback
Split Seconds, the latest outfit for Perth singer-songwriter Sean Pollard, is preparing for the release of their debut EP with a swag of headlining gigs and festival appearances around their home state.
The EP was recorded in Perth with producers Steve Bond (The Panics, Snowman, The Bank Holidays) and Benjamin Golby, before Aussie expat Aaron Cupples (The Drones, Dan Kelly) added the finishing touches in London. It should get a release next year, but we get a taste of it with the debut single “Bed Down.”
If you’re not in Western Australia don’t worry. A national tour is in the works, so the rest of Australia will be able to see this exciting new band soon.
17 September 2010 – The Norfolk Basement, Fremantle (with Red Jezebel and Emperors)
18 September 2010 – Amplifier Bar, Perth (with Red Jezebel and Emperors)
25 & 26 September 2010 – Wave Rock Weekender Festival, Hyden
6 October 2010 – One Movement, WA Showcase @ Capitol, Perth
1-3 January 2011 – Southbound Festival, Busselton
Image used with permission from Shiny Entertainment
It’s impossible to dislike Sydney outfit Walking with Mirrors. With their debut EP Behind Closed Doors they deliver five tracks that easily find their way under your skin. They’re not so revolutionary on the surface, but there’s just something about them.
We’ve all heard this kind of melodic rock before, with its big chords and sing-along choruses. But the conviction behind these songs elevates them above the pack. Lead singer Ryan Burke is a big part of the key to this band’s success. He gives the songs their heart, the gut-wrenching emotion that makes you believe the lyrics, no matter how clichéd some of them might be. I also give props to lead guitarist Jackson Holt, whose blistering hand speed kick so many of the tunes up a notch.
Not that everything hits the mark. While the title track “Behind Closed Doors” is undeniably catchy, when Ryan sings about the pressures of cameras in your face it doesn’t ring true. Perhaps the band simply ascribes to the “fake it until you make it” theory, but it sounds a bit insincere on a debut EP.
But Walking with Mirrors have a great energy, and a natural music sensibility. They rock hard, but they never forget about taking the audience along for the ride. The five tracks are a little samey, but they also appear to have come from a place of real heartache. There’s a lot to like here, and that helps Behind Closed Doors overcome any shortcomings.
Image source: Walking with Mirrors MySpace page
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
