Author: Lauren Katulka

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Teskey Brothers Announce WA Tour & Angus & Julia Stone Support

After wowing crowds with their soulful sound along the East Coast, The Teskey Brothers are set to do the same out West. On the back of the release of their sensational album Half Mile Harvest, The Teskey Brothers will play Wave Rock Festival, Blues at Bridgetown, and a string of headlining shows in Western Australia before heading across the ditch to support Angus and Julia Stone.

These guys are seriously amazing. I’m kicking myself that I didn’t catch them when they were in my part of the country a couple of months back. Don’t make the same mistake I did!

23 September 2017 – Wave Rock Festival, Hyden
2 November 2017 – St John’s Anglican Church, Fremantle Arts Festival, Fremantle
3 November 2017 – Ravenswood Tavern, Mandurah
4 November 2017 – Settlers Tavern, Margaret River
5 November 2017 – Clancy’s Fish Pub, Dunsborough
7 November 2017 – Perth Blues Club, Perth
9 November 2017 – Prince of Wales, Bunbury
10, 11 & 12 November 2017 – Blues at Bridgetown Festival, Bridgetown
15 December 2017 – Civic Theatre, Auckland (with Angus & Julia Stone)
16 December 2017 – St James Theatre, Wellington (with Angus & Julia Stone)
17 December 2017 – Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch (with Angus & Julia Stone)

Image used with permission from The Little Giant Agency

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Gareth Jay Releases Touching Single “Thoughts of You” For His Wife

Sydney singer-songwriter Gareth Jay does everything right with his emotional new single “Thoughts of You.”

If the track has you swooning, just think how his wife must feel. Gareth penned the song as a dedication to her better half and all she does for their family. It’s so special, with Gareth’s soulful voice crooning over a simple acoustic guitar arrangement.

“I’m a musician at night, and a stay at home dad during the day,” Gareth explained. “I’m not complaining, I love spending time at home with my children, but sometimes it’s overwhelming and pretty full on. My wife has done this all before, and she made it look so easy!”

More like this please!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Shag Rock Plays Local Shows Ahead of US Adventures

I’m not sure there’s an Aussier band name than Shag Rock. This Queensland band creates the kind of music you might expect from the Sunshine State. There’s a great beach rock feel to their stuff which helps cut through that lingering wintery gloom. You can hear those summery vibes coming through in the current single “Loosen Up,” lifted from Shag Rock’s current album Barefoot.

The band has developed a great sound under the mentorship of Powderfinger guitarist Ian Haug and they’ve been sharing it with music lovers along the East Coast.

See Shag Rock while you can guys. They’re jetting off to New York to perform at the Mondo Festival in early October, where no doubt they’ll catch the attention of the right people and these little pub gigs will become a thing of the past!

25 August 2017 – The Foundry, Brisbane
26 August 2017 – 38 Berwick, Brisbane (Under 18s)
1 September 2017 – Solbar, Sunshine Coast (FREE)
8 September 2017 – Miami Marketta, Gold Coast (All Ages FREE)
14 September 2017 – Oxford Art Factory Gallery Bar, Sydney
15 September 2017 – Smith’s Alternative, Canberra
14 October 2017 – Red Deer Music & Arts Festival, Brisbane

Image used with permission from Pompadour PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Sprung Makes Queensland Return

Sprung was massive when it launched in 2011, bringing Aussies the very best of local hip hop talent. During its dream run it brought fans big names like Hilltop Hoods, Drapht, Illy, Seth Sentry, and 360. Then four years ago, it disappeared from the festival calendar, leaving a space that no other event really managed to feel. But there’s good news for hip hop fans. Sprung is back for 2017, bigger and better than ever.

Organisers have pulled out all the stops for Sprung’s comeback year, with Illy, Allday, Tkay Maidza, A.B. Original, Pez, Spit Syndicate and stacks more set to take the stage this October.

“We have been waiting for the right time to bring Sprung back to the people, we hit the ceiling pretty quickly when it came to headlining artists so we needed to allow the community to evolve,” organisers explained. “We are now seeing artists that were once on at midday on our stages taking to the headline spots and a whole new wave of incredible artists that we can’t wait to showcase. We think 2017 is going to be an incredible year for Sprung and hip hop as a whole…rest assured we are back for the long run and have some tricks up our sleeve for the years to come.”

Sprung hits the Parkwood Outdoor Precinct in Queensland on October 28. Tickets go on sale from the Sprung festival website and Oztix on August 24.

The Sprung Festival is a strictly 18+ event. Sorry kids!

Image used with permission from Call & Response

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Temper Trap Set to Strip Down Sound for Melbourne Recital Centre Show

We’re used to hearing The Temper Trap with a big epic sound. But the Aussie expats will be stripping things back for a very special show at the Melbourne Recital Centre in November.

This very special show isn’t so much about turning the volume down as it is about presenting The Temper Trap’s music in a brand new way. The band hopes the show will bring fans closer to the heart of these songs and help them appreciate the music in a new light.

The Temper Trap plays Elisabeth Murdoch Hall in the Melbourne Recital Centre on November 24. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 am via the Melbourne Recital Centre website and the venue’s hotline, (03) 9699 3333. I don’t need to tell you they’re going to sell quickly!

Image used with permission from Little Old Me Publicity

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

CREO Makes a Big Impression With “Subtitles for X, Y, Z”

Sydney indie-rock band CREO has released an epic new single “Subtitles for X, Y, Z” in the lead-up to the release of the EP of the same name.

This is a cinematic piece of rock music, with an anthemic chorus and dramatic musicality. It plays with light and shade so beautifully, easing off the pedal now and again just to sweep you back up in the musical wave.

“We all go through the process where age and experience starts to skew the innocence and purity of our natural habits and emotions. I remember vividly the first time I fell in love or even lust, and it was a simple feeling, it just came over me, I didn’t think about the alternatives and possible scenarios, I just accepted the feeling for what it was. Nowadays, I battle with myself, to avoid certain feelings and thoughts because of past experiences,” explained the band’s singer Jorjee Haman. “‘Subtitles for X, Y, Z’ is all about getting out of your own head, fucking off agendas and accepting that those innocent quirks you try to hide need to be loved by yourself, first and foremost.”

“Subtitles for X, Y, Z” comes from the EP of the same name, which is scheduled for a September 8 release. Expect to hear a tour announcement to celebrate the EP’s launch really soon.

Image used with permission from Rare Finds

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Sarah King Impresses With “Back Home”

British-born Adelaide-based pop-jazz chanteuse Sarah King has won me over with her beautiful new single “Back Home.”

It’s the kind of song that stops you in your tracks because it’s so different from what other people are releasing. Her voice is just beautiful, angelic and ethereal.

“The single ‘Back Home’ is pretty special to me as I wrote it at a time where I was settling myself and my family into South Australia, our new home state,” Sarah explained in a press release. “I started exploring themes of home and what home means to different people, whether it’s a place, a person or something completely unique. It’s a song about what and where home can be, a story of longing, reminiscing, reflection, acceptance and gratitude.”

Sarah hopes “Back Home” can also help raise awareness for the thousands of women homeless in South Australia and the rest of the country. She performed the track at Umbrella Winter City Sounds last month to further the cause.

There’s more where that came from on Sarah’s self-titled EP. She’ll officially launch that at the Wheatsheaf Hotel in Thebarton on August 27.

Image used with permission from Against the Grain Publicity/Photo credit: Hannah Tunstill

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Paul Kelly Earns His First Number One Album

Paul Kelly is a true national treasure, so it’s amazing to realise this week he’s scored his very first number one album. Life is Fine, his 23rd studio album, has zoomed to the top of the charts on debut, unseating the Ed Sheeran’s heavyweight ÷.

Jen Cloher is another Aussie making her presence known with her new self-titled album. The follow-up to 2013’s In Blood Memory has debuted at number 5.

Sadly we don’t have any Aussie songs in the top 10 singles … or the top 20 … or the top 30. Come on Australia! Our artists are releasing some wonderful songs!

Anyway, here are this week’s top 10s.

Top 10 Albums
1. Life is Fine – Paul Kelly
2. ÷ – Ed Sheeran
3. Rainbow – Ke$ha
4. Moana – Soundtrack
5. Jen Cloher – Jen Cloher
6. DAMN. – Kendrick Lamar
7. Melodrama – Lorde
8. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2 – Soundtrack
9. Evolve – Imagine Dragons
10. X – Ed Sheeran

Top 10 Singles
1. “What About Us” – P!nk
2. “Glorious” – Macklemore feat. Skylar Grey
3. “Despacito” – Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber
4. “Thunder” – Imagine Dragons
5. “Feels” – Calvin Harris feat. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, & Big Sean
6. “Praying” – Ke$ha
7. “Strip That Down” – Liam Payne feat. Quavo
8. “Unforgettable” – French Montana feat. Swae Lee
9. “Wild Thoughts” – DJ Khaled feat. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller
10. “Body Like a Back Road” – Sam Hunt

Image used with permission from ARIA

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Ali Barter Teams With Gift Box To Help Homeless Women Access Sanitary Products

Periods are a pain, in more ways than one. I bitch and moan for the duration of mine, I have severe cramps, and so many hormones race through my body that I wonder how my husband stays with me. But my periods would be so much worse if I couldn’t afford the sanitary products that help me go out and put my best foot forward every month. Ali Barter agrees, so she’s teamed up with an exciting new start-up Gift Box.

Gift Box is the brainchild of Aussie actress and entrepreneur Saskia Hamplele, who you may remember as Georgia Brooks on Neighbours. Her company is the world’s first one-for-one organic tampon brand. Whenever customers buy tampons through Gift Box, the organisation donates the same amount to the estimated 46,000 homeless women in Australia that struggle to access sanitary care through its partnerships with Share the Dignity, The Period Projects, and Essentials for Women.

So where does Ali Barter come in? She’s teamed up with Saskia to create a collaborative tea towel, featuring a design from illustrator and tattoo artist Lily Gloria, which you can find at her upcoming One Foot In shows. Money raised by the tea towel’s sales will benefit Gift Box.

“We all get our damn periods so I love that if I buy a box of tampons from Gift Box Organic, it means someone more in need than me gets one too. It’s important that all women have access to sanitary care, and tampons are, for many, non-negotiable,” Ali said.

“The mission of Gift Box has really been driven by a sisterhood of ‘women supporting women’, so to join forces with Ali Barter’s powerful voice has been very exciting,” added Saskia. “Ali’s generous contribution will not only provide many more homeless women with tampons, it also adds to the conversation of women’s lack of access to sanitary products and will help reach a wider audience for this commonly overlooked issue.”

You can see Ali and get the tea towel at the following shows. And if you’re not getting along to the gigs, you can still help out through the Gift Box website.

25 August 2017 – Workers Club, Geelong
1 September 2017 – Theatre Royal, Castlemaine
2 September 2017 – Republic Bar, Hobart
8 September 2017 – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
9 September 2017 – Fat Controller, Adelaide
15 September 2017 – Player’s Bar, Mandurah
16 September 2017 – Rosemount Hotel, Perth
22 September 2017 – The Northern, Byron Bay
23 September 2017 – The Courier-Mail Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, Brisbane
28 September 2017 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
29 September 2017 – The Small Ballroom, Newcastle
30 September 2017 – Stuart Park, Wollongong
1 October 2017 – Transit Bar, Canberra

Image used with permission from Inertia Music

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Glenn Shorrock @ Ettalong Diggers, Ettalong Beach – 11 August 2017

When Lizotte’s closed its doors at Kincumber, I was worried I might need to travel to Sydney or Newcastle to see great live music. However, a handful of other venues have stepped up and filled the void. I don’t feel quite as pampered heading out to Ettalong Diggers. The meals are fairly standard pub fare (although improving with a new chef!) and the wine list isn’t quite as refined. The auditorium doesn’t have the Cubby House’s ambience either. However, Ettalong Diggers is doing enough to attract performers like Glenn Shorrock, which gives it a big tick in my book.

One thing I do admire about Ettalong Diggers is the commitment it shows to the artists it books regularly. The local musos who slog it out in the main bistro area, competing for attention with meals, boisterous conversation, and footy on the big screen. Rather than looking elsewhere for a support act, organisers chose local favourite Shane Edwards. He’s far from a household name but the oldies who frequent the club love him, whether he’s playing a relatively modern song like Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You” or tackling an operating classic like “Nessun Dorma.” He seems to do it all effortlessly, even while flirting with clearly besotted senior citizens!

With the crowd well and truly warmed up, it was Glenn Shorrock’s turn to hit the stage. The man is a true living legend who’s brought us some of Australia’s most beloved songs during his time in The Twilights, Axiom, and of course Little River Band. His set touched on hits from all those years in the business. If you were waiting for a “loo break” song you weren’t going to find it. There were no lulls here; just a whole lot of singalong fun.

So many years in the business seem to have taken a toll on Glenn. He sat down for much of the set, resting his legs for those numbers that called for a dance break. The years might have wearied his body, but his voice is still on point. Supported by an excellent band, you couldn’t hope for the show to sound better. The enthusiastic Ettalong crowd were in raptures, singing along to every song and clapping and cheering as it finished, only to eagerly await the next one. When Glenn was saying his goodbyes we were having none of it, and so he obliged with an unexpected finale, The Beatles’ “Carry That Weight.”

I looked around the auditorium as we filed out and saw so many smiling faces. What Glenn does isn’t particularly flashy, but he does it so well.

Image source: Stephen Katulka