Month: August 2008

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jason Mraz @ The Enmore, Sydney – 9 August 2008

Last night I headed to Newtown to catch Jason Mraz at The Enmore. The theatre was cleverly organized so all the fans could experience the concert their way. The seats in the floor section were cleared out to make way for those enthusiastic young girls who wanted to dance and sing along with their idol. Up in the dress circle the vibe was a lot more mellow, with seats allowing us older folks to properly relax to Mraz’s laidback grooves.

But before all that we were treated to a set from Melanie Horsnell. I’d heard her name before but never any of her music, so I was keen to see what she could do. I was impressed with her instantly accessible lyrics and rich country-tinged voice. Although, as seems to be a common complaint with me, I really could have done without the chatter in the room. Am I the only person who listens to support acts any more? The audience did seem to take a little more notice when she performed a breathtaking acoustic version of Bernard Fanning’s “Songbird,” but this focus was short lived. It’s a shame because she was really very good.

All the chatter was replaced with rapturous applause once Jason Mraz stepped out. He drew everyone in with his easy personality and warmth and didn’t let go. This was my third time seeing him live, but with the first with the full band set up. It’s something I wasn’t sure about as I tend to prefer acoustic sets, but in the end I needn’t have worried. The set was lush and varied. Some songs utilised all the instruments and they were richer for it, while for other songs he knew all they needed was an acoustic guitar.

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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Great Escape Is Off

Sydney’s Great Escape festival has been cancelled due to low ticket sales. But it’s not all bad news for music fans, as the planned sideshows will still go ahead.

“We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those people that have made the festival such a success in previous years. We’d also like to whole heartedly apologise to the bands, artists, agents, managers, suppliers, sponsors, media supporters and festival goers that have been let down by our decision. The decision to cancel has not been an easy one for the team behind the event,” event organisers said in a statement on The Great Escape website.

Sydneysiders can still catch some of the awesome bands like Ladytron, Supergrass, We Are Scientists, and The New Pornographers at gigs around the city. Ticket holders can get a refund from their place of purchase.

Image source: Musiclikedirt @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

My Olympic Games Soundtrack | Not an Amy Pearson Song in Sight

I am so excited about the Olympics. For the next two weeks I’m going to wear an indent in my couch, getting up early and staying up late enough to soak it all up. While my anticipation is at fever pitch, there’s one thing that has managed to sour my mood. It’s that damned “Ready to Fly” song by Amy Pearson.

I’m sure she’s a really sweet girl. Her voice is pretty enough. But really, does that inspire anyone to get out there and win gold? I’ve been thinking about all the songs I’d much rather hear on the Olympics ads, and so I figured I’d put together this post to get you all into the Olympic spirit.

Channel Seven, if you feel like adopting any of these tracks I’d be thrilled.

“We Can’t Be Beaten” – Rose Tattoo

See this is what an Olympics song should song like. Empassioned vocals, crunchy guitars, and a message to spur our athletes on.

“Better” – The Screaming Jets

I’m a Novacastrian, so this song has a place close to my heart. When the Newcastle Knights faced off with the Manly Sea Eagles in the 1997 rugby league grand final, this song was all over the radio willing our boys to bring home the trophy. Then when they did, we continued to play it. I absolutely love it.

“Holy Grail” – Hunters & Collectors

I don’t know whether Mark Seymour was thinking about gold medals when he wrote “Holy Grail,” but this song works so well as an Olympic anthem that I just don’t care!

“(Simply) The Best” – Tina Turner and Jimmy Barnes

Yes Tina did it first, but it was Jimmy Barnes’ trademark rasp that really made this song. True story: when I worked at K-Mart as a high school student the bosses used to play this track every morning to inspire us. I think it works a lot better in a sports context!

“Playing to Win” – Little River Band

If you can listen to this song without getting fired up you’re just not Australian. Farnsy originally recorded this track with Little River Band, but it’s just as strong as a solo song. It also gives us a good excuse to see that infamous mullet again!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Wolfmother Split Official

It shouldn’t come as any surprise considering reports earlier this week, but Wolfmother has called it a day. Bass/keyboard player Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett cited long-standing personal and musical differences as the reason for the split.

“Wolfmother toured the world virtually non-stop through 2006 and early 2007 on the back of their acclaimed self titled debut album,” reads a statement on the band’s website.

“Longstanding frictions within the group then led them to take an extended break during the second half of 2007 to consider their future.”

Apparently the time apart didn’t diffuse the situation any, and Chris made the decision to quit the band after last week’s Splendour in the Grass performance.

“Following that show Chris Ross decided to announce that he was leaving the band due to irreconcilable personal and musical differences,” the statement continued.

“Myles Heskett has also decided to leave the band rather than continuing as part of a changed lineup. The pair has been working together on songs for some time and they plan to focus their energies on that new project in the future.”

Andrew Stockdale plans to recruit new musicians before commencing work on another Wolfmother album. Hopefully the new kids will find him a little easier to work with!

Image source: Nick Helderman @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Angus and Julia Stone Seek World Domination

Angus and Julia Stone’s amazing debut album A Book Like This has just gone platinum in Australia! Far from an overnight sensation, this slow burning record has taken nearly a year to achieve the status.

Having won Australia’s hearts, this brother-sister folk outfit are enjoying the summer festival season in Europe. They’re playing major events in the Netherlands, Germany, and Scotland and earning rave reviews.

The quiet duo seem hell-bent on world domination, because their next stop with be the United States of America. They’ll release A Book Like This in September, and follow up on their promo tour with some more shows in November.

Look out world – Angus and Julia Stone are coming! Here are the current confirmed tour dates, but there are plenty more to come!

8 August 2008 – Belladrum Festival, Scotland
11 August 2008 – Liquid Rooms @ The Edge Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland
26 August 2008 – Roundhouse, London, Great Britain
29 August 2008 – Noorderzon Festival, Groningen, The Netherlands
30 August 2008 – Festival deBeschaving, Utrecht, The Netherlands
26 September 2008 – Reeperbahn Festival, Hamburg, Germany

Image source: pn57 @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Timbaland Takes Nessa Morgan on Tour

The chances of Timbaland playing Melbourne on August 22 as promised have just gotten a little stronger with word he’s booked soul star Nessa Morgan as a support act.

Timbaland’s Aussie dates were called into question when it was revealed he’s got a gig in Poland scheduled for the same day as the Melbourne show.

European promotion of the Polish show is still going ahead, but I think we’ve got the upper hand. Melbourne is one of 10 shows arranged for Australia and New Zealand, while the Polish gig is the only European date announced.

With the date of the double-booked show drawing ever closer I guess we’ll find out the mega-producer’s plans soon enough!

Image source: Newscom

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Reg Lindsay Takes Final Bow

Country music star Reg Lindsay passed away in Newcastle Hospital after a battle with pneumonia. He was 79.

Young whippersnappers might not be aware of Reg’s work, but his influence on the modern country music industry was unmistakable. He won three Golden Guitars and wrote more than 500 songs during his enduring career. He also starred in two television programs: The Reg Lindsay Country Hour and Reg Lindsay Country Homestead.

Reg enjoyed moderate success in the United States, and was the first Aussie to be honoured with a plaque on Nashville’s Walkway of Stars.

In recent years he’s been plagued with ill health. He suffered a cerebral haemorrhage at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 1994, then recovered only to suffer a heat attack. He had a triple bypass and seemed to be hanging in there until he contracted pneumonia.

Reg is best remembered for 1971 hit “Armstrong,” his tribute to the American astronauts and their historic moon landing.   May he rest in peace.

Image source: State Library of NSW/Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Will Wolfmother Call It Quits?

Is it all over for Wolfmother? Rumour has it that the band’s performance at Splendour in the Grass last weekend may have been their last, at least with the original line-up.

The rumours all stem from a rift between Andrew Stockdale and the band’s other founding members, Chris Ross and Myles Heskett.

“That was their last show. It is all over for Wolfmother,” an insider told Undercover News.

And they might be right. While manager John Watson stopped short of confirming the split, he hasn’t done a lot to extinguish the rumours.

“Unfortunately I can`t make any comment other than to say that as soon as the band has clear future plans they will issue a statement and we hope to be able to do that in the next week or two,” he told Undercover.

Word is that Andrew Stockdale will join two American players and continue to perform under the Wolfmother name. Considering the average punter doesn’t know who the other two guys are anyway, it’s probably not such a bad move!

Image source: NRT Photos @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

You Am I Are Dilettantes

One of Australia’s most revered rock outfits You Am I are back with a brand new album, Dilettantes. Of course this posesYou Am I the obvious question: what’s a dilettante?

According to wordsmith and lead singer, Tim Rogers, the obscure term is a rather fitting album title.

“The meaning of the term has a duality – either referring to folks who dabble in appreciation of arts or culture, or those who have a deep love for works, or performers,” he said in a statement.

“I first loved the word after hearing Duke Ellington use it to describe the members of his consistently brilliant bands. More often than not the people who have left the deepest impressions on me have been those who have delicately bashed my ears with their love of music, art, literature, and with no airs and graces, more peanuts and beer.”

You Am I’s eighth studio album sees the band collaborate with their long-term producer Greg Wales. This record was approached a little differently, with the band trying to second guess and explore the processes they’d usually rely on make an album.

EMI Music CEO John O’Donnell says the result is an album that “is open and more varied and filled with all colours of the You Am I rainbow. It’s a really great change-up after Convicts, neither better, now worse – just the perfect next step.”

Sounds exciting! You can get Dilettantes when it hits stores on September 13.

Image source: Mudcake Imagery @ Flickr 

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Veronica to Sue Over Nude Photos

I’ve deliberately stayed mum on the nude photographs that surfaced of one half of The Veronicas, Jess Origliasso this week. I figured before I weighed in I’d see how things panned out. Because let’s face it, for days we just had people up in arms about the fact that risqué photos existed. As far as I’m concerned, that’s not news.

What is news is that Jess has apparently decided to sue an ex-boyfriend over the matter.

If you haven’t been watching the news, the story goes a little something like this. Some nude photographs of Jess appeared on an American website called Fleshbot.com. The tabloids would like to tell us they’re pornographic photos, but considering there are no sexual acts involved that’s clearly not the case.

Warner Music confirmed one of the images was the feisty twin, but denied the other images were. At the end of the day it matters little. Clearly some photographs were taken in private, the girl’s been betrayed, and now the photos are in the public domain.

Some may argue it’s foolish for celebrities to run the risk of this kind of thing by posing for such photos, but these shots are three years old. I’m sure we’ve all done things when we were young we might not do today. And besides, these photos are hardly on a par with a Paris Hilton sex tape.

Jess hasn’t said anything about it, but her rumored lover Ruby Rose was happy to chat to The Daily Telegraph today.

“What has happened with those images is obviously completely illegal and there are lawyers getting involved,” she said.

“It’s just such an upsetting situation – there is a real tall poppy situation in Australia and both Jess and Lisa deserve more support, especially from their Australian fans.”

The Veronicas are due to return to the US next week to promote the release of their album Hook Me Up. I’ll bet they can’t wait to head back there and away from the grilling the press here are giving them!

Image source: Foraggio Fotographic @ Flickr