May 2008 – Page 5 – Sounds of Oz

Posted on 06/05/200819/04/2023 by Lauren Katulka

Gyroscope Tickets Sell Fast

There’s less than a week to go until Gyroscope embark on their Breed Obsession tour. But if you were hoping to grab some last minute tickets, you might need to think again.

Plenty of shows are already sold out, and others are selling fast. And these tickets are only going to get rarer now the band’s latest single “Australia” has hit radio.

It shows the band’s softer side, with acoustic guitars and intimately patriotic lyrics.

“This was a really fitting song for the album,” Daniel Sanders said in a press release. “It was essentially written about myself leaving England as a tot and coming to Australia, and then growing up here, appreciating it, and embracing our culture and heritage and falling in love with it all. I wanted to express it for my own sake. So I could rejoice in what I love about this country.”

Too right!

If you want to see the lads, there are still some tickets available for the all-ages gig at Sydney’s Metro on May 16, and the under-18s show at the Hi-Fi Bar & Ballroom in Melbourne on May 18.

Posted on 06/05/200819/04/2023 by Lauren Katulka

Kylie Awarded Top French Honour

We love her, the Brits love her, and it seems the French love Kylie too. They awarded our pop princess its highest cultural honour, the Order of Arts and Letters, in a ceremony in Paris yesterday.

France’s cultural minister Christine Albanel told Kylie she was a “Midas of the international music scene who turns everything she touches into gold.”

But it wasn’t just Kylie’s catchy tunes hotpants that impressed France. Ms Albanel also applauded the work she’s done in increasing the profile of breast cancer.

“I want to publicly salute the courage you showed by revealing publicly that you had breast cancer. Doctors now even go as far as saying there is a ‘Kylie effect’ that encourages young women to have regular checks,” she added.

Kylie’s proud parents Ron and Carol Minogue made the trip to France to support their daughter.

Kylie kicks off her European tour in Paris tonight.

Image source: Georges Biard @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on 05/05/200819/04/2023 by Lauren Katulka

Music Channel Brings You Sensational Songs

I promised it and the music channel delivered: plenty of must-hear songs for your iPod, MP3 player, or old-fashioned stereo! Here’s what my clever colleagues came up with.

Sammi at 52 Bands has outdone herself with four music videos from the likes of Ben Folds Five and Amy Winehouse.
Ana at Austin Sound Check has introduced me to Full Service and Built by Snow.
Devorah may cover the New York Music Scene, but she’s still digging Aussie outfit Architecture in Helsinki!
Duffy’s so hot right now, and Dave at Brit Music Scene tells us which song he thinks you must hear.
Jason at Christian Music Fan thinks we need to listen to a little Derek Webb and Tobymac.
Heather at Country Music Stop shows us Jewel’s Southern flavour.
Lara at Crooner Culture serves up one of my favourites: “Everything” by Michael Buble. That man makes me swoon!
Roberta at Ear Sucker likes to rock, whether it’s old school like Def Leppard or new school like Cradle of Filth.
Stacey at Hippie Sounds serves up some classic cuts from Paul McCartney and Crosby Stills and Nash.
I don’t know a whole lot about industrial music, but Derek at Industrial Addiction has steered me in the right direction with videos by Within Temptation and Mortiis.
Bryan at Jazz and Blues Lounge offers none other than Miles Davis andDave Brubeck. I agree – these songs should be in every music collection!
Dave shows us two videos that never got the attention they deserved at Killed by the Video Star.
Scott at Metal Martyr encourages us to take advantage of two free downloads!
Find your bliss with Shankar’s favourite songs at New Age Vibe.
After that you might want something a little more upbeat. Denise at News in Punk has just the thing.
I absolutely love “Falling Slowly,” and so does Bruce at Our Digital Music. Go listen to it at his blog!
Dexie at Pop Music Scene is listening to Flyleaf and Nelly, and she thinks you should too!
Something old and something new: Deb at She Plays Music recommends a little Patsy Cline and Fiona Apple.
Albert at Smells Like Alternative shows us a new spin on the old Pearl Jam classic “Corduroy.”
Bruce at The Rock Dose gives us a double dose of Dylan.
Our resident Rock Relic Chuck offers two videos from one of his favourite bands, The Fore.
Mike at Toronto Unplugged tells us we need to listen to two of Canada’s finest … and there’s no Nickelback or Celine Dion to be seen!

Image source: Dan Barrett @ Unsplash

Posted on 05/05/2008 by Lauren Katulka

Two Must Have Aussie Tracks

Here at the music channel we believe you can never have enough great songs. So today we’re playing good Samaritans and telling you the tunes you need on your MP3 player. Every blogger will talk about the two tracks they think you must own.

Personally, I’m in a bit of a romantic mood at the moment, so I figured I’d write about some of my favourite love songs.

The first is “Sew My Name” by Josh Pyke. I’ve always had a thing for cute guitar boys, so Josh ticks all those boxes. He’s pure mellow acoustic goodness. This is probably my favourite of his tracks because it’s just so sweetly romantic. It’s like a modern fairytale – beautiful but quirky and free of clichés.

For something different I figured I’d take a look at the flipside and dig up something a little older, and something by a great female singer. Renee Geyer was the obvious choice. Here she is with the delicious “Say I Love You.” It’s so bold and brassy and fun, with a beat that was just made for dancing. Don’t fight it – just do it!

Posted on 04/05/200819/04/2023 by Lauren Katulka

Kylie Admits US Failure, Focuses on European Tour

Kylie Minogue might be massive in Australia and Europe, but American audiences haven’t warmed to our pop princess.

Her newie X topped the Aussie, Greek, and Taiwanese charts, and cracked the top ten in the UK, and Switzerland. But in the United States the record sold a measly 6000 copies, and limped into the Billboard charts at number 139. With appearances on The Today Show, Dancing with the Stars, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and The Late Late Show to support it, X simply should have done better.

Kylie knows when to quit, and she’s ruled out further efforts in the American market.

“I gave it my best shot. I won’t try again,” she told Britain’s Daily Mail.

And seriously, why would she? She’s got a European tour to think about. Fans there have spent more than half a million dollars on tickets.

Kylie’s first tour since her breast cancer diagnosis will kick off in Paris on Tuesday, before taking in Greece, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Luxembourg, Russia, Latvia, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

All those enthusiastic European fans should make her American flop a little easier to swallow. If you want to be amongst them, see when Kylie’s visiting you.

6 May 2008 – Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris
7 May 2008 – Sportpaleis, Antwerp
9 May 2008 – Schleyer-Halle, Stuttgart
10 May 2008 – Festhalle, Frankfurt
12 May 2008 – O2 Arena, Prague
14 May 2008 – Stadthalle, Vienna
15 May 2008 – Sports Arena, Budapest
17 May 2008 – Cotroceni Stadium, Bucharest
18 May 2008 – Lokomotiv Stadium, Sofia
20 May 2008 – Kurucesme Arena, Istanbul
22 May 2008 – Terra Vibe, Athens
25 May 2008 – Hallenstadion, Zurich
27 May 2008 – Cologne Arena, Cologne
29 May 2008 – Olympiahalle, Munich
30 May 2008 – Geneva Arena, Geneva
1 June 2008 – Halle Tony Garnier, Lyon
3 May 2008 – Palacio de Deportes, Madrid
5 June 2008 – Rockhal, Luxembourg
7 June 2008 – Colorline Arena, Hamburg
8 June 2008 – Forum, Copenhagen
10 June 2008 – Spektrum, Oslo
11 June 2008 – Globe, Stockholm
13 June 2008 – Hartwell Arena, Helsinki
16 June 2008 – Olimpiiski, Moscow
18 June 2008 – New Arena, St Petersburg
20 June 2008 – Riga Arena, Riga
22 June 2008 – Velodrom, Berlin
23 June 2008 – Ahoy, Rotterdam
26, 27, 29, and 30 June 2008 – Odyssey Arena, Belfast
5, 6, 8 and 9 July 2008 – Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow
11, 12, 14, 15, 17 and 18 July 2008 – Evening News Arena, Manchester
20, 21, 23 and 24 July 2008 – Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle
26, 27, 29 and 30 July, and 1, 2 and 4 August 2008 – O2 Arena, London

Image source: Sunrise.seven @ Flickr

Posted on 03/05/200819/04/2023 by Lauren Katulka

New Book Celebrates Aussie Icon Jimmy Barnes

Aussie rock legend Jimmy Barnes is about to tell all in an insightful new book, Icons of Australian Music: Jimmy Barnes. It’s part of a series of coffee table books that are sure to be hits with local music enthusiasts.

I remember revelling in Jimmy’s colourful life when Toby Creswell released the very cool biography Too Much Ain’t Enough in the 90s. But this is the first chance we’ve had to hear the whole story straight from the horse’s mouth.

This autobiography promises to lift the lid on the wild days of Cold Chisel, Jimmy’s battle with addiction, his recent heart surgery, his charity work, and his love for his family and his music.

Jimmy’s friends Michael Gudinski, Don Walker, Ian Moss, and Mark “Diesel” Lizotte have also contributed their words to this memoir.

With press clippings, exclusive photos, hand written lyrics and stacks more it sounds like this will be a must for Aussie music fans. Icons of Australian Music: Jimmy Barnes is released on 7 May, but you can take a sneak peek now at Jimmy’s website.

Image source: DianeSunshineCoast @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on 02/05/200819/04/2023 by Lauren Katulka

Hall of Fame Details Announced

Five more musical icons will enter the ARIA Hall of Fame on July 1, and you could be there. For the first time ever, a limited number of tickets will be available to the general public.

There’s no word yet on the inductees who will join previously honored stars like AC/DC, Cold Chisel, the Bee Gees and Nick Cave.

The ceremony will be held at Melbourne Town Hall. Rockwiz’s brilliant Julia Zemiro will host the awards, so they should be stacks of fun.

If you’d like to be there you can grab a ticket from Ticketek on May 12.

Posted on 01/05/200819/04/2023 by Lauren Katulka

"The Fall and Rise of King Curly 1998-2008" – King Curly

I’ve been doing a lot of travelling this week. I only need one thing for my journeys up and down the highway: good music. Thankfully I recently received King Curly’s newie, The Fall and Rise of King Curly 1998-2008, and it’s taken up permanent residence in my car stereo.

It’s the perfect album for travelling really. It’s the kind of recording that needs your attention. It’s not the sort of music you’d put on at home when you were busy, because you’d miss the nuances that make it so rich.

King Curly’s tunes are eclectic, with lashings of country, soul, jazz, and old school rock and roll. They’re fleshed out with sublime harmonies, and a rich blend of instruments. A casual listener might think the songs sound pretty, and they’d be right.

But the casual listener probably wouldn’t catch the lyrics, which would be a real shame. They’re quirky, darkly funny, and absolutely fantastic. I love the rollicking zombie tune, “I’m Coming Back (In a Revenge Song),” and the strangely sweet love song “I Wish I Was a Girl.”

The Fall and Rise of King Curly 1998-2008 is a best of recording, documenting their best songs from the last 10 years. It provides a great introduction to this brilliant band that somehow has managed to fly underneath the radar. Long may they reign!

Image source: supplied by promoter