Month: August 2011

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Boy & Bear Tour “Moonfire”

It’s been a long time coming but Boy & Bear’s debut album Moonfire is finally in the shops. Yay! To celebrate the band are preparing to set out for a tour that will take them just about everywhere this November and December.

The band will happily play regional centers as well as the capitals, so there’s little excuse for missing them. However, I wouldn’t wait too long to buy your tickets. Their last tour sold out, and with the album getting everyone excited I’m predicting this one will do the same. Best get yours when they go on sale tomorrow to avoid tears!

2 November 2011 – Panthers, Newcastle
3 November 2011 – Uni Hall, Wollongong
5 November 2011 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
9 November 2011 – Kings Beach Tavern, Sunshine Coast
10 November 2011 – Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast
11 November 2011 – The Tivoli, Brisbane
16 November 2011 – Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide
18 November 2011 – Settler’s Tavern, Margaret River
19 November 2011 – The Astor, Perth
23 November 2011 – The Bended Elbow, Geelong
25 November 2011 – The Palace, Melbourne
26 November 2011 – Foreshore Festival, Canberra
2 December 2011 –  Wrest Point Casino, Hobart
3 December 2011 – Launceston Saloon, Launceston

Image used with permission from Select Touring

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Introducing the Lush Pop Stylings of Buckley Ward

I can’t help admiring musicians who do things without the backing of a major label, or in fact any label at all. When they make amazing music, it’s so much the better! Buckley Ward are the latest act to turn my head with their self-funded, self-recorded, and self-produced album So Pretend.

The title track has such a lush sound. Its melodies are really strong, but the sound doesn’t have that tired commercial feel of so much pop music. What a breath of fresh air. The album is their second, which makes me wonder why I haven’t heard of them before. Better late than never, right?

If you like what you hear you can catch Buckley Ward touring the East Coast next month.

9 September 2011 – Lightspace, Brisbane
10 September 2011 – FBi Social, Sydney
24 September 2011 – Yah Yahs, Melbourne

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jasmine Rae Faked It, & She’s Not the Only One!

And here I was thinking that country girls were made of sugar and spice, and all things nice. Jasmine Rae’s proving they can be just as bitchy as their big city counterparts with her naughty new single “I Faked It.” And according to some recent research, she’s not alone!

Jasmine’s single sees her fighting back after a nasty break-up with some frank home truths. It seems it’s a tale that could have been told by many country girls, as research commissioned to coincide with the single’s release says rural ladies are 10% more likely to fake it than city slickers! Two-thirds of country lasses say they’ve faked it in the past, and one in three say they do on a regular basis. What does that say about all the country men?

The single’s probably not going to win fans amongst the blokes, but I predict it could become a bit of a girl power anthem!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Paul Kelly Takes A to Z Abroad

After wowing Australian audiences with his A to Z shows, Paul Kelly’s preparing to do it all over again in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada.

Paul will play tunes from A to Z to support the international releases of The A to Z Recordings and his book How to Make Gravy. One hundred of his most beloved works will be performed acoustically in alphabetical order across four nights in the UK. It seems Americans will need to do a bit of travelling if they want the complete A to Z experience as he’s only stopping in each city for two nights. Fans can buy individual tickets or multi-night bundles.

Paul Kelly is one of Australia’s best kept secrets, and most acclaimed singer-songwriters. I really hope plenty of international readers get out to these shows to discover for themselves just how brilliant he is.

30 August – 2 September 2011 – Bush Hall, London
7 – 10 September 2011 – Sugar Club, Dublin
12 & 13 September 2011 – Schuba’s, Chicago
14 & 15 September 2011 – Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles
18 & 19 September 2011 – Electric Owl, Vancouver
23 & Sat 24 September 2011 – Dakota Tavern, Toronto
26 & Tues 27 September 2011 – Rockwood Music Hall, New York

Image source: Andrew Braithwaite @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Major Label Releases New Singles Batch

Major Label, General Pants Co.’s singles record label, is chugging along with three new releases this month.

This time around the innovative program introduces us to Sydney garage rockers The Faults and their tune “Quarter,” Melbourne punks Ross de Chene Hurricanes and their not so sweet single “Sugar, Honey,” and my pick, the retro electro beats of Melbourne’s City Calm Down with “Sense of Self.” These songs, and the releases from previous months, are all currently streaming at the General Pants Co. website. It takes a bit of practice to navigate the site without the annoying band bio bubbles appearing, but it’s worth the perseverance.

If you want to see your band’s tune alongside them, just take your demo into any General Pants Co. store and cross your fingers. The initiative has helped bands secure national tours, festival slots, and some major supports, so who knows where it could take you!

Image used with permission from Peer Group Media

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

John Butler & Mama Kin Record “Losing You” for The Kimberley Region

John Butler and his missus Mama Kin have teamed up for this gorgeous duet, “Losing You.” Sales of the digital release of the single will help the Broome Community No Gas campaign continue to fight the clearing of land at James Price Point in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.

The track was recorded in John’s Fremantle studio, while the clip sees the loved up couple sitting on the banks of the Hudson River. I always love an acoustic tune, and this one is up there with the best.

I always knew the preservation of the Kimberley region was a cause John Butler felt strongly about, but it wasn’t until I saw him live last year that it really hit home to me. Listening to him speak about this part of the world that he’s so passionate about, that is one of Australia’s last remaining paradises, is infectious. The power of his words hasn’t left me, so I’ll definitely be adding the track to my iTunes. You can too by clicking this link.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“GoodTimes” – Eagle and the Worm

GoodTimes is one of those albums that immediately raises your expectations. The title of this Eagle and the Worm album promises positivity, and for the most part it delivers.

I must admit though, I wasn’t really sure when the opener “Summer Song” played out. Its name sounds upbeat and optimistic, but the tune while accomplished was also a bit more atmospheric and inaccessible than I’d imagined it. I could appreciate it as a standalone song, but it seemed like a really strange choice.

Thankfully things heated up with the second track, “Futureman.” Its summery feel, lazy slide guitar, and warm brass tones were exactly what I imagined when I saw the album’s title. “All I Know” continued that party vibe. It felt exactly like the sort of tune you might bust out after a few tequilas.

For me the disc took a turn for the worse with “Not Coming Home.” It really felt a bit too psychedelic for the rest of the recording. Perhaps it was intended to represent the point of the party where certain guests are dropping acid, but just as it’s hard to relate to someone else’s trip it was all a bit inaccessible for me.

“1 to the 4” brought the album back for me. It’s that perfect end of the party slow dance song, where after some liquid courage you finally find yourself in the arms of that person you’ve been eyeing all night.

GoodTimes is one of the most evocative albums I’ve heard in some time. Its tunes take me to places and evoke feelings, and that’s really a cool thing. But it’s sad that it kind of drifts off at the end. Perhaps that’s just representative of the way most parties turn out, but it seems a band should be able to sustain themselves on an album without resorting to fillers, particularly when it’s just ten tracks long.

Despite that though, I love this album’s organic, spontaneous feel. It was recorded in bedrooms and loungerooms, and that really shows. It’s a bit rough in places, but that makes it feel very honest.

I can imagine GoodTimes becoming my summer soundtrack. I don’t even like that season, but there’s an energy about this music that has me craving it.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Drones Touring Again for Live DVD

Mike Noga and Gareth Liddiard might be busy doing their solo things at the moment, but it won’t be too long until we see The Drones back in action. This beloved Aussie band will hit the road this October to support their live DVD, A Thousand Mistakes.

The DVD features an intimate live session of rarely played tunes from The Drones’ illustrious career, a full length show recorded at Melbourne’s East Brunswick Club in 2010, and a bonus disc of live footage captured around the world between 2005 and 2010. It’ll come packaged with a limited edition record for vinylphiles. Look for it all in stores on September 16.

The Drones will be joined on the shows by their upcoming shows by their friend, the fabulous Adalita. Tickets go on sale on August 11.

7 October 2011 – ANU Bar, Canberra
8 October 2011 – Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
14 October 2011 – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
21 October 2011 – The Bakery, Perth
22 October 2011 – The Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide
28 October 2011 – The Hi Fi, Brisbane
29 October 2011 – The Metro, Sydney

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Mary Poppins at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney

It’s a strange thing to sit in a venue and not feel part of the experience. Others around you are likely swept up in what’s presented, yet you feel a disconnect. It’s happened to me a few times at concerts, when the young girls squealed in raptures and I felt underwhelmed. And I felt it again when I saw Mary Poppins live on Friday night.

The moment it really hit home was somewhere in the middle of the extended, or drawn out, version of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” It seemed to go on and on and it seemed everyone in the theatre was singing that infernal chorus over and over again, clapping their hands in time. And I thought “Well this is all a bit silly, isn’t it?”

To be fair, I wasn’t a great fan of the Disney movie. I saw it as I saw many others of the vintage, but didn’t rewatch it tirelessly the way I did Bedknobs and Broomsticks. I decided to go see the stage production though as everyone had raved about it, and my parents and husband were keen. And besides, I had never met a musical I didn’t like. Famous last words.

Mary Poppins wasn’t all bad. Verity Hunt-Ballard had the presence and poise to pull off the role of the imposing but kind-hearted titular nanny. Phillip Quast’s Mr Banks had just the right amount of bluster. The children were quite lovely, not at all as cloying as child performers tend to be. I wasn’t entirely convinced by Matt Lee’s Bert, but boy that man can dance.

And as a spectacle, Mary Poppins certainly exceeded my expectations. I’ve never seen set design like it, with the Banks house folding up and down and every which way to take us into the rooms and up to its roof, with the lights of London twinkling all around. And no one could fail to be impressed as Mary Poppins flew off into the night. The only problem was, when she did it at the end of the first half I didn’t particularly want her to return.

Where Mary Poppins missed the mark for me was heart. I couldn’t help thinking back to seeing Hairspray a few weeks prior, and the way I felt so invested in it. It wasn’t as glittery, but it seemed to have more soul. At so many points in Mary Poppins I felt detached, uninspired, and frankly a bit bored. I just couldn’t get swept up in it all. Clearly I’m one of the few that feel this way. The countless Helpmann Awards, glowing reviews, and comments of my own family members tell a different story. I guess it just goes to show that you really can’t please all of the people all of the time.

Image source: Newtown Graffiti @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Teddy Stars in Cute Khancoban Clip

It seems like a few musical acts are embracing their inner children of late. After enjoying Bob Evans and Kirsty Akers’ puppet filled music video yesterday, I’ve discovered this toy-filled one from Khancoban.

The clip for “Cause and Chaos” sees a dejected teddy bear with some serious skateboarding skills attempting to become the band’s new synth player. Will his lack of opposable thumbs be a barrier? You’ll have to watch to find out!

The charming clip and equally gorgeous song come from Arches Over the Sun, the Melbourne quintet’s second album which hits stores next Friday. To celebrate the release Khancoban will play a launch show in Brisbane before getting around to some of the other states.

12 August 2011 – X&Y Bar, Brisbane
13 & 14 August 2011 – Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane
18 August 2011 – The Toff In Town, Melbourne
26 August 2011 – Petersham Bowls Club, Sydney
27 August 2011 – The Front, Canberra
3 September 2011 – Grace Emily, Adelaide