Today’s Blog Action Day, a day when bloggers all around the world are uniting to talk about one important issue: the environment.
We all care about it, but what’s it got to do with music? Plenty. Musicians all over the world are getting climate clever, putting on environmentally-friendly tours, and educating their fan bases about the importance of conservation.
“Doing ‘the right thing’ is what should be done anyway, and we have up till now not publicised our ongoing commitment to social and environmental responsibility,” explained the festival’s director, Peter Noble.
“However, I see the increasing importance of public awareness on all environmental issues and to lead by demonstration.”
There are so many cool things about the way the festival is run that most of us don’t even realise. All food stalls at the festival only use compostable plates and utensils. All plastic glasses and cardboard used at the festival is recycled and reused. The festival follows the policy “Aim for zero waste and ‘leave no trace,'” and organisers ensure the site is returned to its original state. Bluesfest also transfers waste to TiTree BioEnergy Facility, which in turn transforms the waste to clean energy.
The festival’s always been green, but it will amp up its environmental efforts when it moves into its new home at Belongil Fields next year.
“We will be installing wind and solar power, and we will have bio-diesel. We will strive to be the best and we will have the same motives through the whole festival.”
And of course, Bluesfest always has a killer line-up. Early-bird tickets are already on sale for the event, which runs from Thursday March 20 to Monday March 24.
We’re getting to the pointy end of Australian Idol. Our final seven appear calm, but the same can’t be said for the judges. I think the contestants all gave solid performances of songs released in the year of their birth, but it just didn’t seem to be enough to impress these tough critics.
Ben McKenzie was first in the firing line with his rendition of “Higher Ground.” Ben combined the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ attitude with Stevie Wonder’s soul, and it worked. However, it didn’t thrill Mark or Dicko, prompting Marcia to let fly with an explosive outburst. It’s a shame that this exchange ended up overshadowing a really good effort.
Marty Simpson brought a reggae vibe to Crowded House’s “Now We’re Getting Somewhere.” It was an interesting interpretation, and I’m still not sure whether I liked it. The verses definitely worked better than the chorus. But on the positives side, Marty looked very comfortable and managed to stay in time. I think this was probably his best performance.
All the judges panned Natalie Gauci’s rendition of “Endless Love.” I’m not sure whether my husband I were watching the same performance, because we thought it was brilliant. Maybe my Lionel Richie love makes me biased, but I’m not sure how this could have been any better.
Carl Riseley delivered his best performance of the season with George Benson’s “Turn Your Love Around.” It’s such a great song, and it suited him down to the ground. The vocals were still a little weak, and I agree that he does tend to just imitate the original artist. But ultimately, this was a lot of fun.
Matt Corby chose “Another Day in Paradise.” This is one of my least favourite songs, but he made it incredibly believable and touching. However, like Dicko I am starting to feel like he’s plateauing. He showed such diversity with “The Immigrant Song” and “Got to Get You Into My Life,” but his last few choices have been a bit samey.
Tarisai Vushe picked another of my favourite tracks, “I Knew You Were Waiting For Me.” I guess that’s what happens when we have so many 80s babies! I hated the slow start, but once it kicked into gear it was brilliant. Tarisai’s been boring me lately, so I was thrilled to see this joyous performance.
I agree with Kyle (for once) – on paper it sounded like Daniel Mifsud’s take on “Billie Jean” would be awesome. Instead it was a bit of a train wreck. He struggled to find the beat, and the song suffered for the lack of falsetto.
Daniel was probably the worst of the night, and given that he’s been in the bottom three for the last few weeks he’s my pick to go.
Airbourne are the latest Aussie success story planning to leave their homeland for the bright lights of America.
I’m sure we’ll miss them, but they’re landing some massive gigs so it’s easy to see why they’re leaving! At the end of the month they’ll join Korn for a show in Salt Lake City, play with Kid Rock in San Francisco.
Albury’s Groovin’ The Moo Festival may be the last we get to see Airbourne play here for a while. They’ll move to the US in early 2008 to coincide with the worldwide release of Runnin’ Wild.
Image source: Bill Shouldis @ Wikimedia Commons
I woke up this morning to find yet another piece of tabloid journalism about the Hillsong Church and their alleged involvement with Australian Idol. This article talks about how the church are threatening to sue Today Tonight over these allegations, made in three “exclusive” stories recently.
I realised I haven’t talked about these stories that have littered the media. I believed they’d probably die down just as quickly as they flared up. But unlike other years (because if you’ve followed Idol for as long as I have, these stories crop up every year), this seems to be the story that won’t go away. So I figured I’d weigh in on the subject.
If you haven’t kept abreast of the gossip rags, the story goes a little something like this. Current affairs program Today Tonight claim that four of the remaining Australian Idol finalists – Tarisai Vushe, Matt Corby, Ben McKenzie, and Daniel Mifsud – are members of the Hillsong church. They say this church has manipulated its congregation to vote for these four, and are therefore unfairly influencing the outcome of the show.
Hillsong denied any of the contestants are members of their church. It then came out that the quartet are members of the Assemblies of God churches, which includes Hillsong, and Shirelive. It was also revealed that past finalists Guy Sebastian, Paulini, and Dean Geyer were also members of the Assemblies of God.
Australia has so many brilliant artists that do massive things everywhere. They’re packing out stadiums, their songs are all over radio, and they’re sitting pretty at the top of the charts. There’s nothing wrong with getting your weekly music dose from Video Hits, but if you stick to the mainstream a lot of great music will pass you by. Here I’ve selected ten of my favourite local musos for you to check out. You may not have heard of them before, but they’re making some of the coolest music around.
Claire Wyndham Sydney’s Claire Wyndham is a brilliant singer/songwriter/guitarist/pianist. Her debut album Lazy Side of Crazy is packed with passionate melodic tunes which draw inspiration from the likes of Michelle Branch and Brooke Fraser. But Claire’s more than just a local secret. In January, Claire became the first Aussie to play America’s Rock Boat alongside Collective Soul, Josh Kelley, Sister Hazel and Tonic’s Emerson Hart, and she’s just returned from another successful US tour.
Websites: http://www.clairewyndham.com, http://www.myspace.com/clairewyndham
Must hear: “Lazy Side of Crazy”
You may have caught George Byrne supporting Tori Amos, Missy Higgins, or Lior. But it’s only a matter of time before this talented singer/songwriter/guitarist steps into the spotlight. With his mellow alt-country tunes, he reminds me a lot of Ryan Adams without the inconsistency.
Website: http://www.myspace.com/georgebyrne
Must hear: “On My Mind”
Sam Buckingham I stumbled across Sam at Claire’s album launch, and what an impression she made. Her voice is super-sweet, and her lyrics delightfully quirky. Her music strays left of centre, blending jazz, pop, and soul. Think Frente, Feist, and The Cardigans.
Websites: http://www.sambuckingham.com/, http://www.myspace.com/sambuckinghammusic
Must hear: “Sweet Tooth”
Simon Bruce Simon Bruce may be Australia’s answer to Bob Dylan. He takes his cues from classic artists, weaving fantastic lyrics around honest melodies. Simon’s worked with the likes of Tommy Emmanuel and Keith Urban, and is now mixing it with industry greats in Tennessee. Hopefully we’ll see him back in Oz soon!
Websites: http://www.simonbruce.com/, http://www.myspace.com/simonbruce
Must hear: “Too Late Now”
Kaya They may have come close to taking out The X Factor, but Kaya still tend to fly under the radar. It’s probably not surprising considering the reality show’s rating, but it is unfortunate as these girls are the real deal. Their stunning harmonies are flawless, their lyrics are truly original, and they create a capella soundscapes that must be heard to be believed.
Website: http://www.myspace.com/thekayaladies
Must hear: “Move Me”
Kate Akhurst
Sydney teen Kate Akhurst takes her cues from modern piano goddesses Fiona Apple and Regina Spektor. Her tracks are pop laden and sweet without being too sugary. She’s currently based in Los Angeles, where her songs are creating plenty of buzz amongst record execs.
Websites: http://www.myspace.com/kateakhurst
Must hear: “Cause and Effect” – take a listen on her MySpace page!
Elana Stone Band
The Elana Stone Band blends the traditions of jazz, soul, and blues to create an oh-so-cool sound that will literally transport you. The quintet are regulars on the Sydney club circuit, but they’re clearly destined for bigger things. I just love Elana’s smoky, smouldering voice.
Website: http://www.myspace.com/elanastoneband
Must hear: “In The Dark”
Hitchcock’s Regret
I caught Hitchcock’s Regret for the first time as a support act several years ago. I can’t even remember who they supported, but I remember them. Unfortunately they still tend to be support acts rather than headliners – they’ve recently performed with Toni Collette and iOTA – they really deserve to shine in their own right. The Central Coast outfit deliver instantly accessible tunes filled with hooky melodies and great lyrics. And you can’t ask for more than that, can you?
Websites: http://www.hitchcocksregret.com, http://www.myspace.com/hitchcocksregret
Must hear: “She’s All That I Think About”
Orianthi
Orianthi’s more than just a pretty face. This stunner from Adelaide is a bona fide guitar prodigy who toured with Steve Vai when she was just 15. She’s also jammed with Carlos Santana. She stills calls Australia home, despite spending plenty of time touring in the US.
Websites: http://www.orianthi.com/, http://www.myspace.com/orianthi
Must Hear: “Now or Never”
The Kin
The Kin are Aussie brothers Isaac and Thorry Koren. Take a little of Coldplay’s atmospheric sounds, combine it with Jeff Buckley’s soaring vocals, and you’re somewhere in the ballpark. They grew up in Adelaide but left Oz for the bright lights of New York in 2001. They’re currently supporting the Pat McGee Band and Josh Kelley around the US, but they’ll be back in Australia for the Woodford Folk Festival at the end of the year.
Website: http://www.thekin.com, http://www.myspace.com/thekin
Must hear: “See”
But of course, our local bands are just the start of a whole world of musical discovery. Why not continue your journey by checking out some of the other bands featured on the blogs in our music channel today? Mike’s got a round-up of some of the bands you should discover and re-discover on Big Apple Music Scene, Jennifer’s got 10 albums that will add sunshine to your world at Hippie Sounds, Roberta steps out of the mainstream at Ear Sucker with 10 exciting indie bands, Dave’s got a roundup of 10 British bands you should discover before you die (or they do!) at Brit Music Scene, and Bruce continued the Brit love with five hot British downloads at Our Digital Music. That’s a lot of new music for your weekend!
Forget Rocktober – at MAX October is all about Australian music.
The cable music channel will celebrate our homegrown talent with some fantastic local countdowns, exclusive concerts, and ARIA specials this month.
The celebrations kick off this weekend with Aussie videos from the 80s on Saturday arvo, then local hits from the 1990s on Sunday. We can expect to hear plenty of INXS, Cold Chisel, Paul Kelly, and Kylie.
Local and international musicians were honoured by their youngest fans at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in Sydney last night.
As I suspected yesterday, Zac Efron did take home two orange blimps. He was awarded the best movie star gong, and his movie High School Musical 2 was named “so hot right now.”
Pink was named the best international singer, Good Charlotte declared the best international band, and Fall Out Boy’s smash “Thx Fr Th Mmrs” won best song.
On the local front, Zac Efron’s co-hosts The Veronicas took home the “fave band” title. Lisa Origliasso’s main squeeze Dean Geyer was named “fave hottie.”
Tickets to this summer’s Big Day Out have proved to be some of the hottest in town.
20, 000 Sydney tickets were snapped up in just five minutes yesterday, setting a new Ticketmaster record. The other 25,000 tickets sold through the Big Day Out site didn’t last long either. The Gold Coast show proved equally popular, selling out just as quickly this morning.
But fear not, music fans. Final tickets will be available through a ballot system on the Big Day Out website. Every Thursday for the next ten weeks, lucky music fans will be chosen to buy a limited number of tickets. Head to The Big Day Out website for your chance to score the tickets.
Meanwhile, the Auckland, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth shows go on sale to the general public tomorrow. Good luck!
“I just want to have fun this time. I’m not going to tell anyone what I’m doing, but it’s going to be hanging out and there’s going to be water close by.
“I always love going to Café Sydney for a giant seafood platter,” he added.
Last time he visited Oz, the High School Musical star was accompanied by his co-star and love interest Vanessa Hudgens. This time Zac’s travelling with his dad after the pair split in the wake of her nude photos scandal. But Zac remained tight-lipped on his failed love affair.
“I never talk about my private life,” he said.
Zac may come away from tomorrow’s awards with a couple of trophies of his own. His movie, High School Musical 2, is nominated for the “so hot right now” gong, and he’s nominated for “fave movie star.”
Image source: Toby Forage @ Wikimedia Commons
Tim Freedman’s never struck me as having a great sense of humour. Sure he’s a brilliant songwriter and performer, but after seeing numerous Whitlams shows I’ve always thought he took himself a bit too seriously.
So I was surprised to read how well he took the news that Andrew Hansen lampooned him on last week’s episode of The Chaser’s War on Everything. For those of you who didn’t see it, I’ve attached the video below.
So now we’re all up to speed. This week, Tim detailed his feelings on The Chaser’s efforts on The Whitlam’s site.
“I love The Chaser,” he enthused. “Most of it is usually great. Sometimes there are parts that are a little lame. As I pressed play, I was hoping that the bit on me would fit into the latter category. The piece came on and I must say I really enjoyed it. ‘Who is this guy,? I’d buy his album,’ I thought. Hansen had my rather basic piano style down well, and the vowel sounds and melody were eerily similar to what I hear in my head.”
