Author: Lauren Katulka

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Aussie Musos Named on Gay and Lesbian List

Some of Australia’s top musicians have been recognised as some of the most influential members of the local gay and lesbian community. They are part of the Same Same 25, a list of iconic Australian gays and lesbians.

Darren Hayes made his name as one half of pop group Savage Garden. When the band dissolved in 2001, Darren set upon creating a more honest public persona. He came out in 2006, after marrying his partner Richard Cullen, and since then has spoken openly about his sexuality. He headlined the London Gay Pride event at Trafalgar Square in June.

iOTA began his career as a rock musician, but lately he’s better known for his gender-bending roles in musical theatre. He won a Helpmann award for his starring role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch this year, and will play Dr Frank N Furter in a 2008 production of The Rocky Horror Show.

“I never really ever thought of myself as a role model,” iOTA told Same Same. “Since hearing about this I’ve really sat and wondered why someone would see me as influential. Perhaps it’s because I’ve done good things? I’ve always thought that I was more of a bad influence than anything!”

You may not know his name, but I bet you’ve heard the music of David Page. He’s written pieces for the ABC, SBS, a range of short films, the Bangarra Dance Theatre, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney Olympics, and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games! With such an impressive résumé, you’d expect David to be a role model to many but he’s humble about his inclusion in the Same Same list.

“Well, you don’t usually think of being in that position when you’re just doing what you’re doing,” he told Same Same. “I love my work, I love what I do.”

Members of the public can visit the Same Same website to vote for their favourite members of the top 25.

Image source: Maggz Appleton @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Stars Perform for Idol Charities

Whether you’re an Idol fan or not, Friday night’s Australian Idol “Doin’ It For the Kids” concert should be worth watching.

Not only will the final six Idol finalists perform, we’ll also see performances from top entertainers The Rogue Traders, Darren Hayes, Katie Noonan, The Noll Brothers, and Vanessa Amorosi. Past Australian Idol graduates Damien Leith, Shannon Noll, and the Young Divas will also donate their time for this charity event.

Ronald McDonald House and Telstra Care Flight will share the night’s profits.

You can watch all the action from the comfort of your lounge room on Friday night. The two-hour special will air on Network Ten from 7.30 pm.

But if you want to get a little closer to the action, there’s still time to bid on some of the hottest seats around. If you’ve got a spare couple of thousand lying around, you could sit in the very chairs usually reserved for Dicko, Marcia, Mark, and Kyle. You can’t sit much closer to the stage than that! All proceeds raised by the auctions will also benefit the children’s charities. But be quick: these auctions close at 4 pm today.

Image source: Australian Idol website

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

M.I.A Helps Troubled Teens

Brit rapper M.I.A. took time out from her Australian tour to work with girls in a Sydney juvenile detention centre.

“[I was] asked if I’d go there to meet these teenagers in an all-girls juvenile detention centre and help them to make music … teach them. There were around 15 girls, aged from 13 to 20,” she told NME.

The Sri Lankan-born superstar donated her time to the Heaps Decent initiative, a program encouraging indigenous and disadvantaged young people to express themselves through music. Mad Decent and Modular plan to release the music recorded during the program.

“It was them beat-boxing and making noise,” M.I.A added. “We used the doors shutting in the prison; all the random noises they made to make the beat, and then we made sure that all the girls got a go rapping on it and stuff, and they just did their thing. It was really cool.”

Way to go M.I.A! It’s great to hear about a star that’s more interested in being a positive role model than the party-hard celebrity lifestyle.

Image source: RUDEWORKS @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Guy Sebastian Inspired By Stax Soul

It worked a treat for Human Nature, but will rediscovering his soul roots pay off for Guy Sebastian? Australia’s original Idol recently visited the legendary Ardent Studios in Memphis to record his soul covers album.

While Human Nature tackled the sweet harmonies of Motown, Guy Sebastian’s record will cover the grittier recordings of Stax. Think Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Jackie Wilson, and other legends.

Guy’s enlisted a top team of talent to help him capture Stax’s sexy sound. Founding member of Booker T and the MGs, Steve Cropper, produced the album while his former bandmate Donald “Duck” Dunn lent his bass-playing prowess.

Fans can expect to hear some of these classic soul covers when Guy performs acoustic shows around the country. He plays the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel in Adelaide tonight before visiting Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne.

Image source: DianeSunshineCoast @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Shock Horror! Ben McKenzie Gets Idol Boot!

As a writer I try my best to stay relatively unbiased. But I’ve got to tell you, I’m reeling from last night’s Australian Idol announcement. It was a verdict show that no one predicted, with competition favourites Matt Corby and Ben McKenzie standing in the bottom two. The thought that either of them would leave so early was unfathomable but, as we all know, one had to go. And that person was Ben McKenzie.

The cheerful teen took the news in his stride, insisting we haven’t seen the last of him.

“I’m so happy with where I’ve come, it’s been so amazing, it’s great, it’s so big,” he said. “It’s not over for me, I’m not done.”

Ben announced his plans to shoot a movie in January, a creative endeavour which will include some of his original songs.

I can’t help thinking Australian Idol will be a much poorer competition without Ben McKenzie. He was my favourite, pure and simple, and I looked forward to his performances every week. He was consistently good, and often he was absolutely magical.

Maybe I’m wrong though. Maybe Ben’s shock exit will reaffirm to the remaining finalists that no one is safe and they’ll deliver some amazing performances. Whatever happens, I’m really sorry to see Ben go and I’m appalled at the voting public that they let it happen.

I’ll miss you Ben!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Music Blog Spotlight: Blog Action Day

Today’s blog spotlight is a little different. Rather than singling out one blog, I’ve decided to tell you about all the great blogs from the b5 music channel taking part in Blog Action Day. My fellow bloggers have come up with some really great green posts, so make sure to check them out.

As you might expect, Jennifer at Hippie Sounds is serving up plenty of environmental news today. See her cool blog for the top 10 eco-friendly musos and a cool video of original greenie Joni Mitchell performing her environmental anthem, “Big Yellow Taxi.”

Speaking of green music videos, Deb’s got plenty of them at She Plays Music. From old tree huggers like Joan Baez and The Pretenders to the new kids Björk and The Cranberries, there’s lots of clips to watch here.

Bruce, who runs Our Digital Music and The Rock Dose, is doing more than just talking about the environment. He’s doing something about it. He’ll donate 100% of his blog revenue today to Greenpeace. So by visiting these great blogs right now you’re not just in for a great read, you’re helping the environment at the same time.

Image source: Brian Garrity @ Unsplash

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Bluesfest’s Green Efforts Awarded

Today’s Blog Action Day, a day when bloggers all around the world are uniting to talk about one important issue: the environment.

We all care about it, but what’s it got to do with music? Plenty. Musicians all over the world are getting climate clever, putting on environmentally-friendly tours, and educating their fan bases about the importance of conservation.

One of the best examples of this is the organisers of Byron Bay’s East Coast Blues and Roots Festival. This very cool event has just won a Greener Festival Award from the UK-based website, AGreenerFestival.com.

“Doing ‘the right thing’ is what should be done anyway, and we have up till now not publicised our ongoing commitment to social and environmental responsibility,” explained the festival’s director, Peter Noble.

“However, I see the increasing importance of public awareness on all environmental issues and to lead by demonstration.”

There are so many cool things about the way the festival is run that most of us don’t even realise. All food stalls at the festival only use compostable plates and utensils. All plastic glasses and cardboard used at the festival is recycled and reused. The festival follows the policy “Aim for zero waste and ‘leave no trace,'” and organisers ensure the site is returned to its original state. Bluesfest also transfers waste to TiTree BioEnergy Facility, which in turn transforms the waste to clean energy.

The festival’s always been green, but it will amp up its environmental efforts when it moves into its new home at Belongil Fields next year.

“We will be installing wind and solar power, and we will have bio-diesel. We will strive to be the best and we will have the same motives through the whole festival.”

And of course, Bluesfest always has a killer line-up. Early-bird tickets are already on sale for the event, which runs from Thursday March 20 to Monday March 24.

Image source: Noah Buscher @ Unsplash 

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Is Seven Lucky For Australian Idol?

We’re getting to the pointy end of Australian Idol. Our final seven appear calm, but the same can’t be said for the judges. I think the contestants all gave solid performances of songs released in the year of their birth, but it just didn’t seem to be enough to impress these tough critics.

Ben McKenzie was first in the firing line with his rendition of “Higher Ground.” Ben combined the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ attitude with Stevie Wonder’s soul, and it worked. However, it didn’t thrill Mark or Dicko, prompting Marcia to let fly with an explosive outburst. It’s a shame that this exchange ended up overshadowing a really good effort.

Marty Simpson brought a reggae vibe to Crowded House’s “Now We’re Getting Somewhere.” It was an interesting interpretation, and I’m still not sure whether I liked it. The verses definitely worked better than the chorus. But on the positives side, Marty looked very comfortable and managed to stay in time. I think this was probably his best performance.

All the judges panned Natalie Gauci’s rendition of “Endless Love.” I’m not sure whether my husband I were watching the same performance, because we thought it was brilliant. Maybe my Lionel Richie love makes me biased, but I’m not sure how this could have been any better.

Carl Riseley delivered his best performance of the season with George Benson’s “Turn Your Love Around.” It’s such a great song, and it suited him down to the ground. The vocals were still a little weak, and I agree that he does tend to just imitate the original artist. But ultimately, this was a lot of fun.

Matt Corby chose “Another Day in Paradise.” This is one of my least favourite songs, but he made it incredibly believable and touching. However, like Dicko I am starting to feel like he’s plateauing. He showed such diversity with “The Immigrant Song” and “Got to Get You Into My Life,” but his last few choices have been a bit samey.

Tarisai Vushe picked another of my favourite tracks, “I Knew You Were Waiting For Me.” I guess that’s what happens when we have so many 80s babies! I hated the slow start, but once it kicked into gear it was brilliant. Tarisai’s been boring me lately, so I was thrilled to see this joyous performance. 

I agree with Kyle (for once) – on paper it sounded like Daniel Mifsud’s take on “Billie Jean” would be awesome. Instead it was a bit of a train wreck. He struggled to find the beat, and the song suffered for the lack of falsetto. 

Daniel was probably the worst of the night, and given that he’s been in the bottom three for the last few weeks he’s my pick to go.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Airbourne Take Flight to USA

Airbourne are the latest Aussie success story planning to leave their homeland for the bright lights of America.

I’m sure we’ll miss them, but they’re landing some massive gigs so it’s easy to see why they’re leaving! At the end of the month they’ll join Korn for a show in Salt Lake City, play with Kid Rock in San Francisco.

Albury’s Groovin’ The Moo Festival may be the last we get to see Airbourne play here for a while. They’ll move to the US in early 2008 to coincide with the worldwide release of Runnin’ Wild.

Image source: Bill Shouldis @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Are Churches Rigging Idol?

I woke up this morning to find yet another piece of tabloid journalism about the Hillsong Church and their allegedChurch involvement with Australian Idol. This article talks about how the church are threatening to sue Today Tonight over these allegations, made in three “exclusive” stories recently.

I realised I haven’t talked about these stories that have littered the media. I believed they’d probably die down just as quickly as they flared up. But unlike other years (because if you’ve followed Idol for as long as I have, these stories crop up every year), this seems to be the story that won’t go away. So I figured I’d weigh in on the subject.

If you haven’t kept abreast of the gossip rags, the story goes a little something like this. Current affairs program Today Tonight claim that four of the remaining Australian Idol finalists – Tarisai Vushe, Matt Corby, Ben McKenzie, and Daniel Mifsud – are members of the Hillsong church. They say this church has manipulated its congregation to vote for these four, and are therefore unfairly influencing the outcome of the show.

Hillsong denied any of the contestants are members of their church. It then came out that the quartet are members of the Assemblies of God churches, which includes Hillsong, and Shirelive. It was also revealed that past finalists Guy Sebastian, Paulini, and Dean Geyer were also members of the Assemblies of God.

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