All good things must come to an end, and it’s almost time to bid Mia Dyson adieu as she returns to her adopted home in the United States. However, she’s not leaving without a proper goodbye.
Mia will play her final Australian show for some time at the Bulli Hotel this Friday, April 26. She’s also leave us with one more single, “Fill Yourself”, an upbeat bluesy number which will launch The Moment in the US.
“Fill Yourself has been a favourite of many people on the record and is the track turning heads in the US,” said Mia. “It is bittersweet to be heading back over there. I have absolutely loved being home, so much so that I extended my stay, but it’s time to continue this journey that The Moment has become.”
Legendary guitarist, songwriter, and producer Todd Rundgren will celebrate four decades of hits with a string of shows in Australia this winter.
As well as honouring his extensive back catalogue, Todd will also introduce fans to his latest work State, which will hit stores in May. This is Todd’s 24th solo album, and it proves he’s not fading away.
Todd’s assembled a stellar collection of musicians to join him on stage including keyboardist John Ferenzik (Jefferson Starship), guitarist Jesse Gree, drummer Prarie Prince (Jefferson Starship, The New Cars), and bassist Kasim Sultan (Blue Oyster Cult, Utopia). Enjoy a night of true musicianship at the following shows.
17 July 2013 – The Gov, Adelaide
19 July 2013 – Chelsea Heights Hotel, Chelsea Heights
20 July 2013 – Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree Hotel
21 July 2013 – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
23 July 2013 – Lizotte’s, Newcastle
25 July 2013 – Bridge Hotel, Balmain
26 July 2013 – Whitlam Theatre @ Revesby Workers, Revesby
27 July 2013 – Twin Towns Services Club, Tweed Heads
Image used with permission from Riot House Publicity
Australia has lost one of its most unique female voices with the passing of Chrissy Amphlett. The Divinyls frontwoman passed away in New York City following battles with breast cancer and multiple sclerosis. She was just 53 years old.
They broke the mould when they made Chrissy. As a young girl I remember being fascinated by her sexy schoolgirl outfits, fishnet stockings, and husky rasping voice. I couldn’t believe she could get away with singing “I Touch Myself”, and I still think “Boys in Town” is one of the greatest rock songs ever penned.
With her band The Divinyls she earned four top 10 albums locally and one in America. Funnily enough, that shocking “I Touch Myself” song was their biggest-selling single. It reached number one here and cracked the top 10 in the United States and Great Britain. Fittingly the band took their place in the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006.
Those facts are impressive, but it’s Chrissy’s sass that I’ll remember most. She was fierce, so different, so charismatic. She will be missed.
Sydney’s Luna Park will host Australia’s leading local hip-hop event Come Together Festival on June 8. Organisers have assembled an amazing line-up, featuring Drapht, Illy, The Herd, and Spit Syndicate, to celebrate the festival’s tenth anniversary.
While there’s a solid line-up of established hip-hop talent, it’s also a great opportunity to discover some fresh new talent including 21-year-old Adelaide rapper Allday, Sydney duo Jackie Onassis, and the exciting Crochet Crooks.
The all-ages event offers plenty of entertainment. The doors to the Big Top don’t open until 3:30 pm, but you’re best getting their early as your ticket includes free rides from 11:30 am. Tickets cost $60 and are on sale now from the Come Together website.
The thing I missed most about not being able to log in and update my blog was being unable to share great music with you. So I’m taking this opportunity while everything’s working to tell you about Daniel Champagne.
Daniel’s just a young whippersnapper at 23, but he’s got more musical intuition than many older performers. It’s little wonder really as Daniel picked up the guitar at five and began writing songs at 12. Barely in to his twenties he’s just released his second album The Gypsy Moon (Volume 1), a collection of what he calls road songs which hints at more to come.
“Making The Gypsy Moon … was a really long and drawn out process,” he explained. “I had all these songs with me for ages but no time off the road to do anything with them so they mostly just sat in the back seat gathering dust for a long time.”
Eventually he picked those songs up and took them to Pirate Studios on the south coast of New South Wales, Daniel’s original stomping ground, where he reunited with producer Dave Sparks, who collaborated on Daniel’s EPs and debut album. “Once I got back in the studio with Dave it just felt right and I knew it was going to work. It all fell out pretty quickly from there.”
The Gypsy Moon (Volume 1) features the single “Heart Like This”, which got me excited enough to talk about him in the first place. This is such a gorgeous track, the right combination of emotion and melody with beautiful guest vocals from Mikaela Atkins. The album’s out now, and Daniel’s currently touring it around the country. Here are all the places you can see him playing over the next few months.
26–28 April 2013 – Apollo Bay Festival, Apollo Bay
2 May 2013 – Beav’s Bar, Geelong
3 May 2013 – Caravan Club, Oakleigh
4 May 2013 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
10 May 2013 – The Loft, Warrnambool
11 May 2013 – Culburra Beach Festival, Culburra Beach
12 May 2013 – Bottlerocket, Nowra
15 May 2013 – Indi Bar, Perth
16 May 2013 – Mojo’s Bar, Perth
18 May 2013 – Singing Gallery, McLaren Vale
19 May 2013 – Semaphore Workers Club, Adelaide
23 May 2013 – Front Gallery, Canberra
24 May 2013 – Mudgee Brewery, Mudgee
25 May 2013 – Taste Cafe, Canowindra
26 May 2013 – Beyond Q, Canberra
30 May 2013 – Sol Bar, Maroochydore
31 May 2013 – Bangalow Bowling Club, Bangalow
14 June 2013 – Mumbulla School Hall, Bega
15 June 2013 – City Diggers Club, Wollongong
16 June 2013 – Brisbane Jazz Club, Brisbane
20 June 2013 – Townsville Folk Club, Townsville
If you’re in Victoria and looking for something to do this weekend, get yourself to the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum. From tomorrow, the museum will host a special exhibition celebrating the covers of Australia’s Rolling Stone magazine. This is the first time that the best covers from the last four decades have been on show in this country.
“The influence of Rolling Stone extends beyond music – this magazine has been the birthplace of some the greatest careers in photography, journalism, and design,” explained Kirsten Fitzpatrick, exhibition curator. “This exhibition chronicles the evolution of our cultural landscape and will trigger nostalgic memories of significant moments in the history of rock ‘n roll, and their associated personal memories for all that come to view it.”
The covers feature our own Michael Hutchence and Miranda Kerr as well as international megastars like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, and Blondie.
Entry is free, and the museum’s just 40 kays out of the Melbourne CBD. With a café on site, it sounds like a great little day trip to me! The exhibition will be on display at Yarra Ranges Regional Museum until July 7 before it heads to its next destination.
While we were on a tech-imposed hiatus Sounds of Oz was named one of the top 100 Music Blogs to follow by CouponAudit. Never heard of it? Me neither. And as it doesn’t seem to have any musical cred, you can take these results with a grain of salt. Still, I can’t recall being named in the top 100 anything before, so I’ll take my number 62 position. It’s a long list so I’ll keep it under the cut, but feel free to browse around. You might even find another cool blog to follow. Just make sure it doesn’t replace this one in your bookmarks, OK?
You might have noticed things have been a bit quiet over here at Sounds of Oz. Unfortunately I fell victim to some tech problems that I barely understand. It seems my IT working husband has righted the situation for now, although as it came from some hack attacks on a global scale problems may still occur. If you want to read more about what went on, you can do so here. And if you’d rather be spared the techspeak just know I’ve changed my password to something secure that I likely won’t remember, and I’m doing whatever I can to prevent further attacks. Fingers crossed we’re back in business for good. Now on to more music!
Did you know the legendary Bobby Womack is heading to our shores? After playing guitar for Sam Cooke and collaborating with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Sly & The Family Stone, Janis Joplin, and George Benson, Bobby’s announced his first headlining shows Down Under.
It’ll be a case of blink and you’ll miss him, but these shows have all the majesty you’d expect from someone of such class. Bobby and his thirteen-piece backup band will play Melbourne’s Hamer Hall on May 21 before heading to the Sydney Opera House as part of Vivid LIVE on May 24 and 25.
I listen to a lot of music. You probably do too. A lot of it’s good, but there’s not a lot that’s truly different. So I was thrilled to find something really unique in Sydney band Slumberhaze. Their name suggests they’re pretty sleepy, but there’s nothing drowsy about their music.
I love the intensity of their first single “Your Mind.” It’s got this relentless drive about it that marries beautifully with those dark, husky vocals. I love that Slumberhaze are generous enough to offer it as a free download through their Bandcamp page. I also love the ambition it springs from. The track is the first lifted from Slumberhaze’s debut EP. That recording, which will be released later this month, is the first in a trilogy of EPs.
Clearly this is a band that’s confident they’ll be sticking around for some time, and with good reason.
Image used with permission from Umbrella Artist Management
Legendary guitarist, songwriter, and producer 
While there’s a solid line-up of established hip-hop talent, it’s also a great opportunity to discover some fresh new talent including 21-year-old Adelaide rapper Allday, Sydney duo Jackie Onassis, and the exciting Crochet Crooks.
If you’re in Victoria and looking for something to do this weekend, get yourself to the 
