Author: Lauren Katulka

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

10 Aussie Artists To Discover

Australia has so many brilliant artists that do massive things everywhere. They’re packing out stadiums, their songs are all over radio, and they’re sitting pretty at the top of the charts. There’s nothing wrong with getting your weekly music dose from Video Hits, but if you stick to the mainstream a lot of great music will pass you by. Here I’ve selected ten of my favourite local musos for you to check out. You may not have heard of them before, but they’re making some of the coolest music around.

Claire Wyndham
Sydney’s Claire Wyndham is a brilliant singer/songwriter/guitarist/pianist. Her debut album Lazy Side of Crazy is packed with passionate melodic tunes which draw inspiration from the likes of Michelle Branch and Brooke Fraser. But Claire’s more than just a local secret. In January, Claire became the first Aussie to play America’s Rock Boat alongside Collective Soul, Josh Kelley, Sister Hazel and Tonic’s Emerson Hart, and she’s just returned from another successful US tour.
Websites: http://www.clairewyndham.com, http://www.myspace.com/clairewyndham
Must hear: “Lazy Side of Crazy”

You may have caught George Byrne supporting Tori Amos, Missy Higgins, or Lior. But it’s only a matter of time before this talented singer/songwriter/guitarist steps into the spotlight. With his mellow alt-country tunes, he reminds me a lot of Ryan Adams without the inconsistency.
Website: http://www.myspace.com/georgebyrne
Must hear: “On My Mind”

Sam Buckingham
I stumbled across Sam at Claire’s album launch, and what an impression she made. Her voice is super-sweet, and her lyrics delightfully quirky. Her music strays left of centre, blending jazz, pop, and soul. Think Frente, Feist, and The Cardigans.
Websites: http://www.sambuckingham.com/, http://www.myspace.com/sambuckinghammusic
Must hear: “Sweet Tooth”

Simon Bruce
Simon Bruce may be Australia’s answer to Bob Dylan. He takes his cues from classic artists, weaving fantastic lyrics around honest melodies. Simon’s worked with the likes of Tommy Emmanuel and Keith Urban, and is now mixing it with industry greats in Tennessee. Hopefully we’ll see him back in Oz soon!
Websites: http://www.simonbruce.com/, http://www.myspace.com/simonbruce
Must hear: “Too Late Now”

Kaya
They may have come close to taking out The X Factor, but Kaya still tend to fly under the radar. It’s probably not surprising considering the reality show’s rating, but it is unfortunate as these girls are the real deal. Their stunning harmonies are flawless, their lyrics are truly original, and they create a capella soundscapes that must be heard to be believed.
Website: http://www.myspace.com/thekayaladies
Must hear: “Move Me”

Kate Akhurst
Sydney teen Kate Akhurst takes her cues from modern piano goddesses Fiona Apple and Regina Spektor. Her tracks are pop laden and sweet without being too sugary. She’s currently based in Los Angeles, where her songs are creating plenty of buzz amongst record execs.
Websites: http://www.myspace.com/kateakhurst
Must hear: “Cause and Effect” – take a listen on her MySpace page!

Elana Stone Band
The Elana Stone Band blends the traditions of jazz, soul, and blues to create an oh-so-cool sound that will literally transport you. The quintet are regulars on the Sydney club circuit, but they’re clearly destined for bigger things. I just love Elana’s smoky, smouldering voice.
Website: http://www.myspace.com/elanastoneband
Must hear: “In The Dark”

Hitchcock’s Regret
I caught Hitchcock’s Regret for the first time as a support act several years ago. I can’t even remember who they supported, but I remember them. Unfortunately they still tend to be support acts rather than headliners – they’ve recently performed with Toni Collette and iOTA – they really deserve to shine in their own right. The Central Coast outfit deliver instantly accessible tunes filled with hooky melodies and great lyrics. And you can’t ask for more than that, can you?
Websites: http://www.hitchcocksregret.com, http://www.myspace.com/hitchcocksregret
Must hear: “She’s All That I Think About”

Orianthi
Orianthi’s more than just a pretty face. This stunner from Adelaide is a bona fide guitar prodigy who toured with Steve Vai when she was just 15. She’s also jammed with Carlos Santana. She stills calls Australia home, despite spending plenty of time touring in the US.
Websites: http://www.orianthi.com/, http://www.myspace.com/orianthi
Must Hear: “Now or Never”

The Kin
The Kin are Aussie brothers Isaac and Thorry Koren. Take a little of Coldplay’s atmospheric sounds, combine it with Jeff Buckley’s soaring vocals, and you’re somewhere in the ballpark. They grew up in Adelaide but left Oz for the bright lights of New York in 2001. They’re currently supporting the Pat McGee Band and Josh Kelley around the US, but they’ll be back in Australia for the Woodford Folk Festival at the end of the year.
Website: http://www.thekin.com, http://www.myspace.com/thekin
Must hear: “See”

But of course, our local bands are just the start of a whole world of musical discovery. Why not continue your journey by checking out some of the other bands featured on the blogs in our music channel today? Mike’s got a round-up of some of the bands you should discover and re-discover on Big Apple Music Scene, Jennifer’s got 10 albums that will add sunshine to your world at Hippie Sounds, Roberta steps out of the mainstream at Ear Sucker with 10 exciting indie bands, Dave’s got a roundup of 10 British bands you should discover before you die (or they do!) at Brit Music Scene, and Bruce continued the Brit love with five hot British downloads at Our Digital Music. That’s a lot of new music for your weekend!

Image source: Truque de Banana @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

MAX Honours Aussie Music

Forget Rocktober – at MAX October is all about Australian music.

The cable music channel will celebrate our homegrown talent with some fantastic local countdowns, exclusive concerts, and ARIA specials this month.

The celebrations kick off this weekend with Aussie videos from the 80s on Saturday arvo, then local hits from the 1990s on Sunday. We can expect to hear plenty of INXS, Cold Chisel, Paul Kelly, and Kylie.

Head to the MAX website for the all the details.

Image source: MAX website

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Kids Count At Nick Awards

Local and international musicians were honoured by their youngest fans at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in Sydney last night.

As I suspected yesterday, Zac Efron did take home two orange blimps. He was awarded the best movie star gong, and his movie High School Musical 2 was named “so hot right now.”

Pink was named the best international singer, Good Charlotte declared the best international band, and Fall Out Boy’s smash “Thx Fr Th Mmrs” won best song.

On the local front, Zac Efron’s co-hosts The Veronicas took home the “fave band” title. Lisa Origliasso’s main squeeze Dean Geyer was named “fave hottie.”

Continue reading “Kids Count At Nick Awards” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Big Day Out Sells Out

Tickets to this summer’s Big Day Out have proved to be some of the hottest in town.

20, 000 Sydney tickets were snapped up in just five minutes yesterday, setting a new Ticketmaster record. The other 25,000 tickets sold through the Big Day Out site didn’t last long either. The Gold Coast show proved equally popular, selling out just as quickly this morning.

But fear not, music fans. Final tickets will be available through a ballot system on the Big Day Out website. Every Thursday for the next ten weeks, lucky music fans will be chosen to buy a limited number of tickets. Head to The Big Day Out website for your chance to score the tickets.

Meanwhile, the Auckland, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth shows go on sale to the general public tomorrow. Good luck!

Image source: Summi @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Zac Efron’s Chilling in Sydney

He may be the biggest teen star in the world right now, but don’t expect to see a lot of Zac Efron while he’s in Australia.

The tweenage heartthrob, who’s here to co-host tonight’s Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards with The Veronicas, hopes to lay low in Sydney.

“I’ve been here more than most people I know, but I’ve never had the chance to just hang out,” he told a press conference yesterday.

“I just want to have fun this time. I’m not going to tell anyone what I’m doing, but it’s going to be hanging out and there’s going to be water close by.

“I always love going to Café Sydney for a giant seafood platter,” he added.

Last time he visited Oz, the High School Musical star was accompanied by his co-star and love interest Vanessa Hudgens. This time Zac’s travelling with his dad after the pair split in the wake of her nude photos scandal. But Zac remained tight-lipped on his failed love affair.

“I never talk about my private life,” he said.

Zac may come away from tomorrow’s awards with a couple of trophies of his own. His movie, High School Musical 2, is nominated for the “so hot right now” gong, and he’s nominated for “fave movie star.”

Image source: Toby Forage @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Tim Freedman Gets Last Word on "The Chaser"

Tim Freedman’s never struck me as having a great sense of humour. Sure he’s a brilliant songwriter and performer, but after seeing numerous Whitlams shows I’ve always thought he took himself a bit too seriously.

So I was surprised to read how well he took the news that Andrew Hansen lampooned him on last week’s episode of The Chaser’s War on Everything. For those of you who didn’t see it, I’ve attached the video below.

So now we’re all up to speed. This week, Tim detailed his feelings on The Chaser’s efforts on The Whitlam’s site.

“I love The Chaser,” he enthused. “Most of it is usually great. Sometimes there are parts that are a little lame. As I pressed play, I was hoping that the bit on me would fit into the latter category. The piece came on and I must say I really enjoyed it. ‘Who is this guy,? I’d buy his album,’ I thought. Hansen had my rather basic piano style down well, and the vowel sounds and melody were eerily similar to what I hear in my head.”

Continue reading “Tim Freedman Gets Last Word on "The Chaser"” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Kylie Named Q Idol, Earns Wrath of Musical Snobs

Aussie diva Kylie Minogue was named Q Idol at the Q Music Awards in London last night.

“Just don’t ask me what it means, but I’m very grateful and honored to be receiving this,” Kylie told the British crowd, who gave her a standing ovation.

She may have been the people’s choice, but her award didn’t impress everyone. Ex-Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown slammed Kylie’s music as “rubbish.”

“I don’t know what Kylie’s doing at a music awards to be honest. I don’t think she’s cute. I don’t think she’s good-looking,” he told BBC Radio.

“I’m sorry if it sounds like I’m putting her down, but there’s a lot of great minds out there making music and she’s not one of them.”

Ouch! It seems like a case of musical elitism to me. Perhaps he needs to pop some “Locomotion” into his stereo and lighten up.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jacob Booted From Idol Stage

And then there were seven. After being a regular in the bottom three, it was no great surprise to bid farewell to Jacob Butler last night.

The Melbourne lad was gracious in defeat, displaying humility at odds to his often cocky and brash onstage persona.

“It’s one of those things, it’s a competition,” he told the Idol crowd last night.

“Everyone here is just so good it can go any way. I was here last week and I’m here again, so well I’m going home now.”

The biggest surprise on the night was that Central Coast lad Marty Simpson again escaped the bottom three. Many felt Marty’s number was up after Dicko begged Australia not to vote for him. I guess no one listens to Dicko; Daniel Mifsud and Carl Riseley earned fewer votes.

Next week the contestants can choose songs from the year of their birth. With so many young performers this year, expect plenty of music from the 80s!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

A Taste of Britain on Australian Idol

Last night the Australian Idol’s tackled the best of Britain. This new theme gave the Idols so many great songs to choose from, and they didn’t disappoint. That was especially true of Tarisai and Matt, who both earned touchdowns for their efforts.

Carl Riseley was first up, taking inspiration from Michael Bublé’s version of The Beatles’ hit “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Perhaps my being a Michael Bublé fan makes me feel a bit negatively towards Carl when he takes on this kind of challenge. He always just seems like the poor man’s version. His vocals are getting a lot better, but he still doesn’t seem to have the energy or charisma to pull this kind of thing off for me. 

Tarasai Vushe was next on the stage with the Queen epic “Somebody to Love.” When it first started I was a bit skeptical and craving a greater connection, but it seemed to amp up after the first chorus. From there it was amazing, but I’m not sure whether half an amazing song deserves a touchdown. Perhaps you had to be there, as everyone was standing on their feet for this effort.

I was also a bit nervous when I heard Ben McKenzie was tackling Oasis’ “Wonderwall.” Honestly, I’ve never liked this song. It’s so whiny, and it was released in my last year of high school so it always makes me think of that. Anyway, I really loved what Ben brought to it. I understand Dicko’s comment that it felt very Disney, but I think that’s why I enjoyed it so much. It was light, beautiful, and uplifting, and there’s nothing wrong with that. 

Marty Simpson’s performance will probably be remembered for the judges’ comments, rather than what he actually did. It’s a shame, because his cover of The Kooks’ “Naïve” was very cool. I think playing with a guitar last week marked a turning point for Marty, he’s seemed a lot more comfortable ever since. But Dicko has begged Australia not to vote for Marty. He says the competition’s not right for Marty, who agreed that he’d be happy enough to leave. Personally I’m torn. I think he is growing and learning, and he wasn’t the weakest performer last night. But then again, I’m a Coastie. I certainly wouldn’t mind him honing his craft and playing some local shows.   

Jacob Butler also decided to give The Beatles a whirl. His cover of “Let It Be” did show some vocal weaknesses, but it was also incredibly beautiful. I think every week he’s allowing us to see more of himself, and I’m really enjoying that journey. I also think he showed great bravery picking such a challenging song. It would have been so easy for him to cop out with more Oasis!

I loved what Daniel Mifsud did with The Police smash, “Message in a Bottle.” Daniel is another performer who’s really growing on Idol, becoming less imitative and pushing more boundaries. This was a really exciting arrangement which saved the song from flat lining.

After so many cool performances, I felt a bit sorry for Natalie Gauci. She sang well, as she always does, but Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” was not the song for her. I would have preferred her to have delved into the archives a bit and pulled out some Dusty Springfield, Lulu, or even some Annie Lennox. This performance just wasn’t believable at all. 

Matt Corby closed the show with yet another touchdown-winning performance. The competition’s golden boy chose The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony,” and built it beautifully. This kid really understands music, and it shows. It’s so hard to criticise him – I can only fault him on his choice of jacket!

It was another great show and another verdict that will go down to the wire. Based on last night’s performance, I’d pick Carl to go. But the controversy surrounding Marty’s performance may see him make an early exit. Then again, if last week has told us anything it’s that no one is safe! Make sure you tune in tonight to see which way it goes! 

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Drones Head Stateside

Aussie blues band The Drones are stepping up their efforts at world domination with a trip to North America at the end of the month.

They’ve just returned home after a lengthy stint in Europe, but already they’re itching to head abroad. They’ll tour North America with Seattle indie trio Band of Horses. The massive tour kicks off in Charlottesville, Virginia on October 30 and takes in much of the United States, Quebec, and Ontario.

The Drones are looking to promote their new four-track 7-inch record, the first in ATP Recordings Custom Made series. These recordings feature something old (in this case their rerecording of “Cockeyed Lowlife of the Highlands”), something new (a track called “I Don’t Ever Want to Change”), something borrowed (a cover of Charles Aznavour’s “I Drink”) and something blue (the very appropriate “Shark Fin Blues”).

Aussies can see off this beloved blues outfit at their remaining local gigs in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and country Victoria. Check The Drones website for all the local and U.S. dates!

Image source: R Serrano @ Flickr