Author: Lauren Katulka

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Guy Sebastian Prepares for Wedding Day

We all know Guy Sebastian’s one of the nice guys. So it should come as no surprise to hear there wasn’t a stripper in sight when the soul star celebrated his bachelor party last weekend.

Guy shunned the traditional boozy night out for a spot of paintball with his family and friends in Adelaide.

Guy will marry his longtime love Jules Egan in Sydney tomorrow. The event promises to be a lavish affair, with Jules flanked by a whopping six bridesmaids! We can look forward to one of those women’s magazines releasing exclusive photos from the big day.

I hope the weather continues to be as glorious as it has been! Good luck Guy and Jules!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Hefty Fee For the Privilege of Joining New Ticketek Club

So today I bit the bullet and forked out $95 to join Ticketek’s new Privilege Club.

I must admit, with the price of concert tickets being what they are I wasn’t keen to shell out another hundred to join. But in recent times it’s become increasingly more difficult to nab the good concert tickets before the scalpers, so I figured I’d see how this serves me.

The $95 yearly fee promises plenty, but only time will tell whether it’s worthwhile. The lure of premium seats is especially enticing. I’ll also be keen to see whether the privilege club presales are better than your average Ticketek ones, and whether we’re treated better than fan club members.

I must say I’m not sure I’ll really use the waitlist, since my finger tends to be pretty much on the pulse when it comes to concert tickets anyway. But it is interesting to see which acts are rumored to be heading our way soon.

I’m not sure whether I’ll find value in the special packages either. The ones currently on sale don’t really do a lot for me, but you never know what will crop up in the next year.

The promise of news on extra tickets for sold out shows might be nice if I can’t secure them the first time around. Although if I still can’t get tickets this way, I might have to give up on the club I think!

The biggest sweetener though is the $50 Cellarmasters voucher Ticketek is offering for all new members joining before June 16. If this ends up being a waste of money at least I can drown my sorrows with some good grog!

Image source: Yvette de Wit @ Unsplash

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Summery New Release From The Herd

Aussie hip hop outfit The Herd are back with a brand new album. Summerland is the band’s fourth release and it’s already being called a “melodic opus.”

The tracks are full, with strings and horns sitting alongside throbbing guitars and bass lines. The varied tracks include the powerful “Kids Learn Quick,” the raucous “2020,” the impassioned “Time to Face the Truth” and the fun and funky “Zug Zug.”

Summerland will hit stores on May 24. Fans in Melbourne and Sydney are in for a real treat, with the band preparing to showcase the new album at some very special performances. See them on June 13 at the Hi Fi Bar and at The Factory on June 14. Tickets are available now from New World Artists.

Image source: The Herd press gallery

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Shannon Noll vs Wil Anderson

The bitter verbal sparring between Wil Anderson and Shannon Noll appears to be on again!

Wil Anderson’s always loved picking on Shannon, but when Wil made some jokes about Shannon’s late father things went a little bit too far. That’s when Shannon challenged Wil to a boxing match, which Wil politely declined.

Now this was two years ago, so you’d expect all parties would have moved on. But during Shannon’s appearance on 60 Minutes last Sunday night he called Wil “weak, another man’s bootstrap.”

Wil did his best to get Shannon on his MMM radio show on Monday. When those plans didn’t pan out, Wil challenged Shannon to put up or shut up.

“It was one little joke a long time ago and I did say sorry. Does he need to hit me? I’m happy for him to hit me – if it will stop him banging on,” Wil said.

As a regular viewer of The Glasshouse, I hardly think there was one little joke. But it all makes me wonder, will anyone hit anyone here? My money’s on Shannon if the pair end up stepping inside a ring!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Waiting No Problem For Lovestruck Lisa

It’s no secret that devout Christian Dean Geyer has been saving himself until marriage. But his fiance Lisa Origiliasso insists she’s not getting married just to get busy!

“We’re not rushing down the aisle – once people find out that we’re not getting married next week, just so whatever we want to happen can happen, they’ll realise we’re happy with this stage,” she told OK! magazine.

“It wasn’t a big deal for me [to wait], I love him for him.”

Awww that’s so sweet!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Augie March Prepare Album Number Four

We haven’t heard a lot from Augie March lately, but that’s all about to change. The Melbourne indie outfit is heading into the studio this month to record their highly anticipated fourth album.

It’s shaping up to be a doozy too. The band will work with American producer Joe Chiccarelli, who’s famous for his work with Frank Zappa, U2, Beck, The Shins, and The White Stripes. They’re also going to record it in Neil Finn’s Roundhead studio. Think he’ll pop in and collaborate with the boys?

The album should be released later this year.

Image source: Jeaneeem @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Beau Young’s Doing it for the Kids

We’re used to seeing Beau Young catching waves, but did you know he’s also an accomplished singer?

The former world surfing champ’s chilled-out songs wouldn’t be out of place on a Jack Johnson CD or the latest Xavier Rudd release. But unlike his contemporaries, Beau’s not content to just entertain the adults.

He’s recently joined forces with a toy company (eco-friendly of course) and released an album of kids songs. Wild Animalz contains tracks like “Hip Hippo,” “G-G-G Gorilla” and “Crocodile Fishin'”. It will be sold with a bonus wooden toy animal through Aussie toy stores.

If you’re sick of your little ones spinning The Wiggles this could definitely be worth checking out.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Andrea Bocelli Announces Aussie Tour

World-renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli is bringing his massive show to Australia.

Andrea will perform his classical repertoire backed by the acclaimed Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Esteemed soloists Paola Sanguinetti and Anna Bonitatibu will also join Andrea on the tour, and there are even more special guests to be announced.

But fans of Andrea’s pop numbers won’t be left out in the cold. He’s promising to perform some surprise duets during the show.

Andrea’s last Aussie tour sold out, so you don’t want to wait to get your tickets. There’s even more incentive too, as a portion of each ticket sold will benefit the Asia Pacific Business Coalition on AIDS.

Visa Entertainment is conducting a presale from May 19, while the rest of us have to wait until Monday May 26.

Here are the dates!

22 August 2008 – Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
24 August 2008 – Acer Arena, Sydney
27 August 2008 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
30 August 2008 – Burswood Dome, Perth

Image source: Dovywiarda @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Aussie Country Stars Head to Nashville

Plenty of Aussies will be flying the flag at the 2008 Country Music Festival in Nashville next month. Troy Cassar-Daley, Adam Harvey, Melinda Schneider, Steve Forde, and new kids Shea Fisher and Jasmine Rae will all head to America’s country music capital.

“There are a lot of younger people in country music now and I think it’s going to expand generations because we’re singing about everyday issues,” Shea told The Sunday Telegraph.

“We sing about things we’ve done in our lives. It’s really exciting in country music now because we can make the genre bigger.”

“No genres stay the same,” added Jasmine. “Everything crosses over … you’ve got rock, pop, country rock and country pop. People need to see that country is moving forward, just like any genre.”

The festival will put the Aussies in front of 200, 000 country music fans. Other artists on the bill include country music royalty Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, and Dwight Yoakam.

Image source: Adam J.W.C. @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Small Mercies Rock USA

Small Mercies made a big impression on Australia with their ARIA-nominated single “Innocent,” and they’re hoping for similar success in the United States.

The Brissie lads have played some high-profile gigs at legendary venues like Los Angeles’ House of Blues and Hollywood’s Roxy Theatre. They even made an appearance at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival.

But they’ll be home soon for a string of shows to promote the release of their debut album Beautiful Hum. You can grab a copy when it hits stores on 24 May, which should be just enough time for you to learn all the lyrics before the gigs.

Check when Small Mercies are hitting your town.

6 June 2008 – Cronulla Leagues Club
7 June 2008 – Revesby Workers Club
8 June 2008 – Panthers, Penrith
11 June 2008 – Town Hall, Horsham
12 June 2008 – Shoppingtown Hotel, Melbourne
13 June 2008 – Ferntree Gully Hotel
14 June 2008 – Chelsea Heights Hotel
15 June 2008 – Hallam Hotel
19 June 2008 – Dee Why RSL
20 June 2008 – Campbelltown RSL
21 June 2008 – Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide
25 June 2008 – Mingara Recreation Club, Tumbi Umbi
26 June 2008 – South Sydney Juniors, Redfern
27 June 2008 – Shellharbour Workers Club
28 June 2008 – Blacktown RSL
4 July 2008 – Southport RSL, Gold Coast
5 July 2008 – North Leagues and Services Club, Brisbane
6 July 2008 – Ipswich Civic Centre