Author: Lauren Katulka

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Smoky Dawson Dies

There’s sad news today with word that country legend Smoky Dawson has passed away. He was just weeks shy of his 95th birthday.

Smoky’s musical career spanned more than six decades. When he released his last album Homestead of My Dreams in 2005, he officially became the oldest recording artist in the world.

“While his music was tinged with country, he was also a great poet and a very creative man. He encompassed a great sense of Australiana,” his label manager Philip Mortlock told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“He spanned such an extraordinary period, it is such a great loss to lose a man like that. He often said to me, writing a song a day and keeping active was what kept him going.”

Smoky is survived by his 101-year-old wife Dot. He had a great innings, but it’s always a shame to lose a national treasure like Smoky. He will be missed.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Sophie and Benji Split, Tim and Ant Hook Up

Today’s news is all about make-ups and break-ups. On one hand, we’ve got word that Sophie Monk has split with her Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden.

Now we saw this one coming for a while, ever since Sophie returned to Australia solo in January. The Daily Telegraph later spotted her without her engagement ring, which started more rumours buzzing.

Sophie’s agent Yoon Kim put an end to the speculation today, issuing an official statement claiming “The decision was mutual and they remain amicable.” I guess it’s pretty easy to remain amicable when you’re on opposite sides of the world, right?

But things are happier for Tim Campbell and Anthony Callea, who’ve just admitted they’re together. The pair became close when they worked on a Perth production of Rent last year. They had both recently separated from their partners, and cried on each other’s shoulders.

“There was stuff written in the paper a while ago … and actually Anthony and I are a bit of an item at the moment,” Tim told Vega FM yesterday.

“The question was asked a while ago and we weren’t, but we have gotten to a point where we are very happy together.”

And it’s just in time for Valentine’s Day too! It’s too bad about Sophie and Benji, but at least some of our Aussie stars will have a loved-up day tomorrow!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

BeXta’s a V.I.P.

The world of DJing is a bit of a boys’ club, so I’m always happy to see an Aussie girl making waves. BeXta has been a big hitVIP Cover in the clubs for years, and she’s just released her hot new single “V.I.P.”

This sexy dance track has been described as “Kylie meets the Potbellyz.” It features Amii Jackson on vocals and production by ex-Pseudo Echo singer Brian Canham.

I know most us never bother with singles anymore, but this one offers real value. There’s six cool mixes, including the pop/electro radio version and some hot club remixes. If you were at the Big Day Out you might recognise the Soundgarden mix, as this was the opening track of her explosive set. And the ReRub mix is perfect for a chilled-out Sunday morning.

BeXta’s getting out there to support the release of “V.I.P.” with some dates all around the country. You can catch the queen of the Australian DJ scene at the following venues:

15 February 2008 – Sublime @ Home, Sydney
22 February 2008 – StarGarden @ Chasers, Melbourne
9 March 2008 – Future Music Festival, Melbourne
29 March 2008 – Family, Brisbane
4 April 2008 – Rise, Perth
18 April – King St Hotel, Newcastle

Image source: BeXta’s official website

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Carl Riseley Releases Debut Disc

Carl Riseley’s the latest graduate of the Australian Idol class of 2007 to make good. The swing king has quit the navy and signed a major record deal with Universal.

Carl’s debut album Your Imagination is due out in the next few months. It features cover versions of some of Carl’s favourite songs, including “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “The Letter.” The swinging version of “Waltzing Matilda” Carl performed on Australian Idol also appears on the CD.

“It’s a swing album with big band and strings, so it’s very classy,”Carl told The Sunday Telegraph. Sounds like it’ll be right up the alley of those fans that voted for Carl during the reality TV competition.

Your Imagination was produced by Australian Idol music man John Foreman, and features a special guest appearance by legendary jazz trumpeter James Morrison.

Image source: carlotteinaustralia @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

James Blunt Heads Back to Oz

British softie James Blunt is heading back to Australia in May to support his second album All the Lost Souls.

James was a big hit when he played here in 2006, selling out every single Australian show. This time the venues will be bigger, but fans can still expect to enjoy plenty of hits and James’ trademark English charm.

As you can imagine, since his last shows sold out these tickets probably won’t last. If you missed out last time, make sure it doesn’t happen again by nabbing yours when they go on sale at 9 am on Friday 15 February.

Fellas, if you forget Valentine’s Day a pair of these tickets could probably help smooth things over.

James Blunt will play the following Aussie venues.

2 May 2008 – Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
3 May 2008 – Entertainment Centre, Sydney
4 May 2008 – Royal Theatre, Canberra
6 May 2008 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
7 May 2008 – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide
9 May 2008 – Challenge Stadium, Perth

Image source: Dawn Ellner @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Music Blog Spotlight: Feature Post Catch-Up

Last week I wrote about the Aussie musicians I wouldn’t want to switch places with. Unfortunately, on the very same day b5media suffered some serious server glitches, and I didn’t get to see which other music bloggers joined me in sharing their views.

Now that everything seems to be running smoothly again, I thought I’d point you to their brilliantly bitchy posts.

  • It’s no surprise that Amy Winehouse makes the Brit Music Scene list. But the rest of the list may shock you!
  • Apparently Scott at Metal Martyr likes his brain cells, because there’s no way he wants to switch lives with Ozzy Osbourne.
  • Bruce at Our Digital Music brings us even more music tragics, including Courtney Love, Gary Glitter, and Wacko Jacko.
  • Gilan at The Beatles Invasion weighs in with some more stars, living and dead
  • Arjun at The Good Musician gives us some food for thought with the inclusion of Joseph Haydn, Sean Callery, and Ringo Starr.
  • And I’ll never think of Tom Cochrane the same way after reading Toronto Unplugged’s list!
Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Keith Urban Bags a Grammy

Keith Urban has brought home Australia’s only award at the Grammys today.

Keith won the gong for best male country vocal performance for his song “Stupid Boy.”

Keith’s no stranger to the Grammys. He won the same award in 2006 for his song “You’ll Think of Me.”

Keith faced stiff competition this year from multi-award winning artists Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw, and George Strait, and Dierks Bentley.

Congratulations Keith!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Aussies Head to SXSW

A strong Aussie contingent will play this year’s South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas in March.

We’ll send big names like Paul Kelly, Old Man River, The Vines, and Ash Grunwald along with some hot up-comers including Kate Bradley and The Goodbye Horses, The Chevelles, Justice Yeldham, Naked on the Vague, and Xno Barbequex.

They’ll play as part of the diverse line up which includes Billy Bragg, Hanson, Dolly Parton, and Daryl Hall of Hall and Oates fame.

South by Southwest is one of America’s largest music festivals, with 1, 400 performers played all around Austin every spring. It’s an industry-based event, so it’s a great chance for our local artists to make international connections.

Image source: James Cridland @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Celebrate Aussie Rock in WA

Some of Australia’s hardest rockers will hit Perth later this month for the Aussie Rock Celebration Concert.

Line-ups don’t come much better than this, with Rose Tattoo, The Screaming Jets, Noiseworks, and The Party Boys heading up the bill. But that’s not all, with former AC/DC members Dave and Marck Evans, Kevin Borich, Buzz Bidstrup (The Angels), Paul Christie (Mondo Rock), and Dave Tice (Buffalo) all slated to appear.

And it’s only fitting on such an occasion that a statue honoring the late AC/DC frontman Bon Scott will also be unveiled on the day.

The Aussie Rock Celebration Concert will hit Claremont Showgrounds on February 24. Tickets are available from Moshtix. Adult tickets are $77 while under 18s can go for the bargain price of just $25.

Image source: Aussie Rock website

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Casey Goes Bald

Good on Casey Donovan! While most female stars spend thousands painstakingly styling their hair, Casey’s preparing to shave hers off!

The former Australian Idol winner will go bald next month as part of the World’s Greatest Shave.

I’ve always thought the hair dying option was a bit of a cop-out, so I really admire Casey’s gutsy move. Apparently she was inspired to raise cash for The Leukemia Foundation because she has friends suffering the disease.

You can sponsor Casey through the World’s Greatest Shave icon on her MySpace page.