Month: November 2010

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Cyndi Lauper Brings Blues Album to Oz

I’m just about jumping out of my skin with the news that Cyndi Lauper is heading back to our shores.

Cyndi’s one of those artists I’ve loved forever, but I’ve never managed to see her live. I’ve always dealt with the lacklustre reception of friends and family, but I’ve finally worn my husband down. He may be going under sufferance, but I know he’s going to have an incredible time.

Cyndi’s heading our way to promote her new album Memphis Blues, a collection of covers of songs from Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and other blues greats. It seems she just can’t wait to bring these bluesy classics to Oz.

“Australia is one of my favorite places and I am looking forward to visiting again in early 2011,” she said in a statement. “We always have a great time when we come to Australia.”

Tickets for the shows go on sale on November 25.

Singer Cyndi Lauper performs on ABC's Good Morning America in New York, June 23, 2010. REUTERS/Lily Bowers(UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT)


28 & 29 March 2011 – Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane
31 March & 1 April 2011 – State Theatre, Sydney
2 April 2011 – Entertainment Centre, Newcastle
5 April 2011 – Burswood Theatre, Perth
8 April 2011 – Palais Theatre, Melbourne
11 April 2011 – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Two Hours Traffic’s Liam Corcoran

It doesn’t seem like too long ago that Two Hours Traffic was winging their way around the country with Dead Letter Chorus, yet already the Canadian band is planning a return journey. I caught up with the band’s lead singer/guitarist Liam Corcoran to chat about the upcoming tour with The Jezabels, the album Territory, and spending time in Oz.

You’re touring Australia soon to support The Jezabels. Are you looking forward to those shows?
We are very much looking forward to the Australian tour supporting the Jezabels. I absolutely love their sound and they are very sweet people. Not to mention that the shows are selling out everywhere.

The Jezabels played with you recently in Canada too, so are you psyched to be hitting the road with them again?
We got to play six or seven shows with the Jezabels in North America and we were honored to have them play with us. I think our Canadian fans were blown away by the group and I can’t wait to see them perform on their home turf.

Have they promised to show you any of the sights?
I know that Sam from the Jezabels grew up around Byron Bay and he has promised us some surfing lessons. It’s probably going to be pretty ugly on our end, because we will be first-timers, but what the hell? You can’t pass up an offer like that.

You’re really successful in Canada, so what’s it like to step out of the spotlight a bit and become the support act?
Being a support act in a new country is kind of like starting all over again.  You are back playing for people who have never heard of you, and if you don’t give them something special they won’t even remember the name of your band by the time the headliner comes on. It can be scary but it keeps things fresh. It’s easy to get complacent when we play a successful tour in Canada so getting out into new areas is vital.

Continue reading “Q & A with Two Hours Traffic’s Liam Corcoran” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Verses Duet with Dan Sultan

The Verses are one of my favorite new acts from 2010, and I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Dan Sultan, so when I heard they’d teamed up for a single I knew it’d be good.

If the song “Running Away” sounds familiar it’s because you’ve heard it on The Verses debut album Seasons. I loved the original, but I think it works even better as a duet. The chemistry between Ella Hooper and Dan Sultan is only natural as they’ve been close mates for years.

“As soon as we met we knew we had a really strong musical chemistry and incredibly similar taste, so we’ve been plotting and planning, waiting for the right moment to do something together and ‘Running Away’ was one of Dan’s favorite songs of mine,” Ella explained. “The song really came to life when Dan started singing along one day when we were demo-ing it, so we turned it into a duet. He often jumps up at our gigs and sings and I was very proud and excited to sing backing vocals and a duet on his record. It’s
a fantastic feeling to sing with one of my best friends who also happens to be one of the country’s best talents!”

This new version of “Running Away” is available as a digital download from iTunes.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Dubmarine Back in Oz for “Depth of Sound” Tour

Brisbane dub-dancehall act Dubmarine have been making a big impact abroad with appearances at the Amsterdam Roots Festival, Trier Alstadfest in Germany, and the Afro Latio Festival in Belgium. After taking Europe by storm they’re back on home soil to promote their recently released debut album Depth of Sound.

It’s a pretty appropriate title, with the disc showing off the nine-piece band’s bass-driven roots, synth explosions, and lyrical magic from frontman D-Kazman.

After all those international festival appearances, you know that Dubmarine’s live act is going to be red hot. So make sure you catch them at one of the following shows before they’re seduced by more international travel!

28 November 2010 – Nambour Originals, Nambour
3 December 2010 – The Zoo, Brisbane
4 December 2010 – Subsonic Festival, Riverwood Downs
16 December 2010 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
28 December 2010 – 1 January 2011 – Woodford Folk Festival, Woodfordia
30 December 2010 – Oxford Street Party, Rockhampton

Image used with permission from Heapsaflash

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Mahogany Out of X Factor Race

After sitting through another excruciating X Factor elimination show I’m starting to rejoice that the season is winding down. This time around I didn’t even have the contestants singing for their lives to keep me entertained, just a couple of performances from guest artists that I didn’t really care about. Clearly the nation disagrees with me as Ke$ha charts like crazy, but I felt bored.

I was surprised to see Andrew Lawson named as the first person through to the grand final, but he’s been the Teflon kid all year so I probably shouldn’t have been. Altiyan’s reprieve was expected and well deserved, but sadly it left Sally and Mahogany awaiting the axe.

I had a feeling that Mahogany would get the boot after so many bottom two finishes, and sadly I was right. It’s hard to see anyone go at this point, but I really felt they were the stand-out last night, and on so many nights before. Hopefully we see these girls doing something outside this reality TV machine; they’re far too talented for us to never hear from them again!

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 30: (L-R) The cast of 'The X Factor' Guy Sebastian, Natalie Imbruglia, Ronan Keating and Kyle Sandilands pose during a media call on July 30, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mike Flokis/Getty Images)

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Until Then” – Gossling

Like so many other Australians, I recently sat home applauding Angus and Julia Stone as they took home award after award at the recent ARIAS for their sophomore effort Down the Way. Listening to Gossling’s new EP Until Then I wondered whether she’ll need as many long players under her belt before the awards start to flow.

The comparisons to Julia Stone are unavoidable; the artists sound uncannily similar with their breathy, ethereal voices. But Gossling brings more dynamics to her intimate tunes. She isn’t afraid to let that voice of hers soar, matching the lush instrumentals she favors. Her sound is big and full, with strings and pianos joining her voice as the songs reach emotional and musical crescendos.

While her sound is bigger, Gossling is careful to never lose the organic nature of her music with overproduction. Listening to the songs you get the sense that they could have been recorded during a jam session in someone’s living room. There’s that sense of immediacy and truth, as if the tunes were captured in one take.

The EP has just five tracks, mostly tales of love convincingly painted by the lyrics that never stoop to cliches. The epic “Oh Darling” may be one of the most beautiful and stirring songs I’ve heard all year. But I was thrilled to see her experiment a little in “I Was Young,” a tune which steers dangerously close to bluegrass in the rollicking choruses. I hope to see her play a little more with genres and sounds when the inevitable long player is released.

And it is inevitable, because Gossling is that good. We have a glut of talented female singer-songwriters in this country, but I expect to see her standing out from the pack in the coming years.

Image used with permission from Repertoire Publicity

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The X Factor Contestants Take on Chart Topppers

Tonight The X Factor finalists looked set to show some star quality with the theme of “chart toppers.” I must admit, I was a little nervous about this theme as so often my favourite tunes never win any popularity polls. However with Robin Gibb acting as guest mentor I hoped our final four could pull something worth watching out of the bag.

Andrew Lawson made all of my fears come true with his rendition of “Uptown Girl.” I love the Billy Joel version, but this felt more like that lacklustre Westlife take, with an added dose of awkward. It was totally cheesy and there was a real lack of dynamics or connection. You just can’t count on the dancers to win it for you.

I was pretty thrilled to see Mahogany was taking on one of my favourite guilty pleasures, Bryan Adam’s “Heaven.” Throw in a key change, those magnificent harmonies, and a stripped back performance free of those distracting dancers and pyrotechnics and you’ve got something magical. This is a classic example of the old adage “less is more.”

Sally Chatfield gave another strong performance this week with Pink’s “Just Like a Pill.” Vocally I can’t fault her but I’m starting to feel a gloss that undermines the connection to the songs. I couldn’t help casting my mind back to Nathan from Australian Idol a few years ago, the way he delivered it with such rawness and intensity. While she was high fiving the audience and fist pumping that message, that truth about the song was just a bit lost.

After lamenting the lack of connection shown by other acts, Altiyan Childs delivered what I was after. “The Living Years” is one of those songs I have a deep personal connection to. I was released just after my grandfather’s death, and it really painted the picture of the relationship he had with my own dad. I wasn’t sure he could do it justice considering all of the meaning I have invested in it, but he did. Altiyan is starting to become the heart of the show, and honestly I think that’s more important than a pretty voice.
Continue reading “The X Factor Contestants Take on Chart Topppers” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Ruby Noir Funk and Soul Nights at Ruby’s Lounge

You don’t need to head to New Orleans to experience big brass sounds and the best soulful funk around. Ruby’s Lounge is bringing these feel-good sounds to Melbourne with their monthly big band nights.

Known as Ruby Noir, the evenings look to transport patrons back to the prohibition era with its underground speak-easies, all with a fun modern twist. It kicks off on November 20 with the 10-piece Lowdown Street Orchestra. DJ Paper will also spin vintage tunes in between the sets.

It sounds like a lot of fun, so don your best glad rags and check out the action!

Image source: Thilini Mahaliyana @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

How to Make Gravy? There’s an App for That

They say there’s an app for everything, so perhaps it was only a matter of time before Paul Kelly made one for his memoir How To Make Gravy.

The app for the iPhone and iPad brings Paul’s words and music to life in a cool interactive format. You can read the unabridged ebook, watch a little video introduction recorded by Paul himself, and hear extracts of six songs referred to in the memoir.

“The app is the format closest to my original conception of the book which is as much for the ears as the eyes,” Paul explained.

There are so many rubbish apps out there, but this sounds like something worth spending your $19.99 on. If you’ve got more cash to spare though, remember that Paul is about to start touring the country with his A to Z Recordings Live tour. These unique shows will see Paul performing his A to Z of songs in alphabetical order over four nights in each city.

Tickets are available in 4, 3, 2, and 1 night packages, and the more tickets you buy the more you’ll save. However with Melbourne shows selling out rapidly, folks there can only get 2-night packages until the 19th, and 1-night packages after that.

Here are all the dates!

Paul Kelly

30 November – 3 December 2010 – Powerhouse, Brisbane
8–11 December 2010 – Astor Theatre, Perth
20 –23 January 2011 – City Recital Hall, Angel Place, Sydney
27-30 January December 2011 – The Playhouse, Canberra
7-10 February 2011 – Theatre Royal, Hobart
16-19 February 2011 – Studio Theatre @ Darwin Entertainment Centre, Darwin
2-5 March 2011 – Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne
4-7 April 2011 – Space Theatre @ Festival Centre, Adelaide
13-16 April 2011 – Araluen Theatre, Alice Springs

Image source: Andrew Braithwaite @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with The Dead Love’s Clint Ossington

From the ashes of several Sydney underground acts comes The Dead Love, a band who’s already selling out shows a month after their inception. They’re currently touring around the country with MM9, but guitarist Clint Ossington still found time to talk about life on the road, in the studio, and how it all got started.

The Dead Love

You’ve only been together since April, but are already selling out local shows. Has that taken you by surprise?
We have all come from other bands that did OK in Sydney’s underground; that and being fortunate enough to have our first shows with great bands has been the formula in achieving it. We could all feel this was something special from our first jam and the reaction from people so far has been fantastic; sell out bills has been a huge bonus we’re thankful for.

How did the band come together?
Stevie K [singer/guitarist] had a few tunes he had been working on for a side project. He knew both Gene and I from around the traps and had seen us play. We were the first two on his list to contact. We all met up for a beer and a listen. One drink and a listen turned into many and we all agreed that night to get together and see what happens. The concept was simple: we all loved to drink and play rock music. That’s what we have been doing since and things have naturally moved fast.

I believe you’ve nearly finished recording your debut album. What can you tell me about it?
We are nine songs down but not 100% sure if we will drop an album or EP. We have our next two singles ready for release and they will be dropping early 2011 alongside the music videos. Everything we are releasing has been self recorded and produced. It’s cool to do things exactly the way we want them and on our own schedule.

You’re about to release your debut single “She Ate Me Alive.” Are you looking forward to unleashing that?
Absolutely we can’t wait to get the single out. Were really exciting to see how people react to what we are doing recorded.

You’re out on the road with MM9 supporting them on their New South Wales tour. Are you fans of their music?
We all have a huge respect for MM9 both personally and musically. They have to be one of the biggest sounding live acts in the country, things are going to get loose.
Continue reading “Q & A with The Dead Love’s Clint Ossington” →