Author: Lauren Katulka

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Vale Stevie Wright

Like so many music lovers, I was saddened to wake up to the news that Stevie Wright has passed away at age 68.

This isn’t one of those bolt from the blue deaths. Stevie’s been battling ill health for decades. But that doesn’t make the news of his passing any less tragic. I don’t know about you, but sometimes when a person seems to keep soldiering on despite ill health you almost start thinking that they’re made from stronger stuff than the rest of us, and that somehow they’re just going to keep on keeping on.

Stevie rose to fame as the frontman of The Easybeats in the 1960s. I’ve often marvelled at the way that songs like “Friday on my Mind” and “Sorry” still sound fresh as daisies despite all the years that have passed since their release. For me though, the name Stevie Wright will always be synonymous with the epic “Evie.” It was only on Boxing Day that I gave the DJ on the radio a thumbs up for playing parts 2 and 3, rather than just cutting it off at part 1 as so many do. It’s one of the best story songs of all time in my opinion, and that story deserves to be sold in its entirety.

RIP Stevie. I hope you’re up there rocking out with all of the greats who’ve gone before you. Thank you for the music.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Peter “Blackie” Black Plans a Song a Day for 2016

It’s that time of year when many of us are thinking about making New Year’s resolutions. Perhaps you’re planning on quitting smoking or taking more time to smell the roses. I can almost guarantee that whatever’s on your agenda, it’s not as ambitious as the New Year’s resolution of Sydney singer-songwriter Peter “Blackie” Black.

Blackie plans to release a new song every day from January 1 through to December 31 via his Bandcamp page.

“There’s actually a million reasons why I wanna do this but to try and put it in a nut shell… I’ve been playing music my whole life, its wonderful. It just gets more wonderful every single day so while I’m still able I… wanna go nuts!!” he said in a press release. Hard to argue with that!

Recording so many songs that sound great takes money, so Blackie is asking music lovers to subscribe to his Bandcamp page to help fund his efforts. The $9 monthly subscription fee is a fairly small price to pay for 30 or so new songs. They’ll also be available for free, if you just want to dip your toe into this crazy experiment and see what it’s all about!

Image used with permission from RiSH Publicity

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Lockhearts Champion Local Music with Old Mate’s Block Party Festival

When Soundwave was axed recently, there was some chatter that Australia’s live music scene was dead. The Lockhearts are having none of that, so they’re throwing a party, and they’d love people who still believe in the strength of the local music landscape to join in the fun.

The Lockhearts will headline Old Mate’s Block Party, a music festival celebrating the great music coming out of Sydney’s inner west, or an inner-westival if you will. They’ll be joined by Papa Pilko and the Binrats, The Dead Love, The Cherry Dolls, The Daphne Rawling Band, The Mountains, and heaps more.

“These artists have been handpicked by us,” The Lockhearts confirmed. “They’re not just our favourite local bands but some of our favourite bands full stop. Think of this festival as our mix tape we made you to show you our feelings and put it in your locker in our free period.”

Old Mate’s Block Party will take over the Factory Theatre in Marrickville on January 30. Tickets are available from the venue for just $20.

Image used with permission from The Lockhearts

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Barunga Festival Announces 2016 Line-Up

July might seem like an awfully long time away, but if 2015 has taught me anything it’s that the months are racing by at a rapid pace. Before your calendar gets too full, if you’re anywhere in the Territory, or just fancy a visit to this beautiful part of the country, you should lock in the 2016 Barunga Festival.

This year’s theme is “Celebrate Women, Celebrate Community Life,” so as you can imagine there’s a kick-ass lineup of women scheduled to play including Courtney Barnett, Jen Cloher, Justine Clarke, and indigenous act Wildflower. Gurrumul will also be there in solidarity with the ladies. And this is just the initial music line-up; you can expect plenty more superb acts to grace the Barunga Festival stage next year.

The 2016 Barunga Festival runs from July 10 to 12 at the Barunga community, approximately 70 kays south-east of Katherine. Tickets are on sale now from Moshtix.

Image used with permission from Revolutions per Minute

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Taylor Payne Releases Stellar Single “Outsider”

If you like Florence and the Machine, you’re going to love the Sunshine Coast’s own Taylor Payne.

With her debut single “Outsider,” this Queensland musician shows a similar knack for blending dark, moody lyrics with driving drum beats and toe-tapping melodies. Her voice also seems to have no limitations, twisting and turning up to those falsetto notes and back down again with ease.

Apparently Taylor’s set to play some local venues in 2016, so look out for those.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Sounds of Oz readers! I hope that like me you’re lucky enough to be spending the day with family, some good booze, and pork crackle. All the essentials. Thanks for allowing me to share my passion for all things on the Aussie music landscape with you for another year.

I always like to share a Christmas song with you on December 25, but I was feeling like I’d already showed you all the best ones, until Rage played this last Saturday morning. I was a wee young thing in 1985, so I actually don’t remember The Incredible Penguins. Apparently this Aussie supergroup, featuring John Farnham, Angry Anderson, Jim Keays, Brian Mannix, Colin Hay, Bob Geldof (gee he loves a charity single doesn’t he?), and so many more superstars released this cover of “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” to raise funds for fairy penguin research. I just love listening to a version of this song that doesn’t have Yoko warbling all over it. The mullets are also incredible.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Jess & Matt” – Jess & Matt

While I’m an avid viewer of The X Factor, I don’t think I’ve ever bothered to listen to any of the winner’s albums. They typically have little more than the performances on the show recut, and while I’ve enjoyed those at the time, I’ve rarely been in a hurry to hear them again. But this year we had Jess & Matt, an act that is so special that when I was sent a streaming copy of their self-titled debut album, I couldn’t wait to hit play.

Yes, this largely follows the same formula of other post-X Factor releases. We get the act in a studio to recreate what they did in the show just in time for a Christmas release. But the creativity of Matt & Jess, and mentor Guy Sebastian, makes this a little more than just an album of covers. Anyone who’s seen the show will know how under Guy’s guidance, the duo put their stamp on classic songs like “Dancing in the Dark,” “Heart of Glass,” and “You’re the One That I Want,” as well as newer tracks like “Lay Me Down” and “Do You Remember.”

The visuals were significant component of those performances, whether it was watching elaborate staging from Square Division or simply the couple gazing into one another’s eyes. That’s gone when you listen to the album, but nothing can take away the way these two voices harmonise so beautifully. Separately they’re already exceptional, but together, sublime. When we first heard the single “Nothing Matters” my husband and I felt Jess & Matt deserved a better song, and it still stands out as the weakest track on this album. But to sweeten the deal there’s also exceptional covers of two songs not performed on the show “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight” and “Sister Golden Hair.”

Given that this is the post-X Factor release, it’s probably only going to reach the ears of those who only admired Jess & Matt on the show. But it deserves to be heard much more widely than that. I imagine everyone from the cool kids who listen to acoustic covers on Spotify to my parents really digging what Jess & Matt do. I urge you to take a chance on this album, because it’s much more than simply a snapshot of time spent on a reality TV show.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Byron Mark Shows He Can Do It All with “Piano Dance”

When I hit play on “Piano Dance,” I was struck by its grandeur. This sounds like the sort of thing a full flamenco band would play to accompany some gorgeous young dancers. But it’s actually the work of just one guy, Sydney multi-instrumentalist Byron Mark.

Apparently Byron’s been gigging and collaborating with people for years, but he decided it’s about time he released some music of his own. And so “Piano Dance” was born, a purely instrumental track featuring his handiwork on the piano, cajon, and dun-duns. It’s a really strong effort that is a real step up from most debut singles. More of this please!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

See Tom West Record Live Albums This January

Adelaide’s singer-songwriter extraordinaire Tom West is planning to record two live albums in January, and he wants you to be a part of it. He’ll play two shows – one in Adelaide and the other in Melbourne – and release the performances later in the year as an album called Golden Fleeces.

“I’ve felt for a while that shows are really the truest form of my music, and where I connect best with people,” he explained. “When the idea came up to do some live recording it seemed to make perfect sense. To be able to involve the girls and guys who have been coming out to my shows in the formation of this album is a dream.”

It makes a lot of sense to me. When I heard the single version of his song “Easy Love” I liked it, but when I watched this live video recorded in Toronto I got it completely. There’s just something about the spontaneous energy that comes from a live performance that makes a good musician truly great.

The shows will feature new material as well as some old favourites. If there’s anything you’d like to hear, make sure you email in your requests to hello@pokeintheeye.com.au.

Tom West will play his live album shows at the following venues. He understands people are strapped for cash post-Christmas, so tickets cost just $15 plus booking fee through Oztix.

28 January 2016 – The Grace Emily Hotel, Adelaide
31 January 2016 – The Workers Club, Melbourne

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“December” – Reigan

I always thought Reigan Derry was one of the more interesting acts on X Factor, but I felt she got pushed into a pop diva direction. While she pulled it off, it was in her quieter performances that I was really moved. It’s wonderful to hear her in that sort of introspective mode here with her new EP, December.

This isn’t the Christmas EP that you put on if you want a big family singalong. It’s delicate and introspective. It’s for the quiet moments of reflection that often come at this time of year, as we face saying goodbye to one year and hello to the possibilities of the next.

Reigan’s taken the bare bones of Christmas carols and traditional songs of worship and reinterpreted them beautifully, giving them new names and changing a word here or there to make them more modern. Her intimate take on “Amazing Grace,” simply called “Grace” is truly stunning. “We Three Kings” becomes “Star of Wonder,” a haunting, ethereal number. I must admit, I’m not familiar with the Lutheran carol “O Come O Come Emmanuel,” but the Middle Eastern vibe of her version, called “Rejoice,” is so musically interesting and moving. “Holly,” a version of “Deck the Halls,” is December’s lightest moment. It brings the celebratory feel that most of us associate with Christmas to the EP. With her strumming her acoustic guitar and friends lending their vocals to the chorus, it feels like a family jam at Reigan’s house.

December isn’t your traditional Christmas recording, but I think that’s a good thing. There are so many Christmas recordings delivered schmaltz and sentimentality if that’s what you want. This is a recording that showcases a real artist delivering so much more than predictable Christmas covers.