Author: Lauren Katulka

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Shea Fisher’s No Everyday Girl

Australia has an unlikely new star in the form of rodeo queen Shea Fisher. The 19-year-old looks to challenge popular opinions about country music with her debut album, Everyday Girl.

“I don’t write about cats or dogs dying or hay bales; I want to write songs about the things that matter to teenage girls,” she told The Daily Telegraph.

“I want to break some of the myths about country music, for it to be cool and appeal to a younger market as it does in America.”

For this, Shea travelled to Nashville, the heart of country music, to record her debut release.

While she hopes to hit the mainstream charts, there’s no denying that Shea is a country girl. The Queenslander is the daughter of bull riding champion Eddie Fisher. Shea grew up riding bulls, but has now swapped this extreme sport for barrel racing.

“It’s way too dangerous to combine bull racing and singing,” she joked.

Everyday Girl is released in Australia on Saturday.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Wolfmother’s Missing Grammy

Wolfmother may have won the hard rock Grammy in February, but the Sydney Morning Herald reported the band still hasn’t received the prestigious trophy.

As is the usual practice, the band posed with a dummy trophy on the night. Bands then receive their awards when they have been engraved.

No one’s sure quite what the hold-up is, but the hairy lads aren’t too concerned. They’re too busy preparing for Saturday’s Sydney Live Earth show.

The final details are still being ironed out, with organisers still unsure whether Wolfmother or Jack Johnson will precede headliners Crowded House. My vote’s for Wolfmother. While they may not be the most original band around, at least they’re an Australian one.

Image source: redbeardedwonder @ Flickr.com

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Something for Kate Release Double Greatest Hits

Something for Kate have had so many hits over their 10-year career, they needed two CDs for their new ‘best of’ album.

The Murmur Years, to be released on August 18, features a whopping 32 massive hits and a new track called “The Futurist.”

To celebrate the release, the indie trio will hit the road in September for a national tour. Kicking off in Melbourne, the tour will visit most Australian states. Tickets are on sale from July 5 at the usual outlets. See Something for Kate’s website for the complete list of tour dates.

If you can’t wait for the new album, Something for Kate have recorded some of their favorite tunes for an iTunes “Originals” session. This very special performance is available for download now.

Image source: Mark Turner @ Flickr.com

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Ben Lee’s Newie Ripe With Talent

Ben Lee‘s latest album, Ripe, is jam-packed with big-name talent.

Ben showed his affection for Good Charlotte in his smash hit “Catch My Disease.” On his sixth solo release, Undercover reports that the indie rocker gets a chance to appear with the punk outfit’s breakout star, Benji Madden.

Ben duets with pop darling Mandy Moore on the light-hearted 50s style “Birds and Bees.” The album also features appearances from Nickel Creek’s Sara Watkins, Chicago songbird Rachael Yamagata, and members of Rooney.

But the big names don’t stop there. John Alagia, famous for his work with John Mayer and Dave Matthews, has produced the star-studded affair.

Ripe will hit Australian and American stores on September 18.

Image source: Guido van Nispen @ Flickr.com

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Big Names Play Small Towns

Here’s one for the kids in the bush. Indie radio network Triple J will rock the Outback with a series of free outdoor concerts.

Chart toppers Missy Higgins and Something for Kate will perform alongside blues band Blue King Brown at the tour’s first show in Humpty Doo. Around 5,000 people call the Northern Territory community home.

Powderfinger, The Cat Empire and Grinspoon will then star in concerts in Karratha, Burnie and Innisfail.

Local artists will play alongside the headliners at these very special events.

The Triple J Goes AWOL concert series aims to bring some of Australia’s hottest artists to some of its most remote regions.

“We are bringing live music to places that don’t get a whole lot of live music,” said a Triple J spokesperson.

The Triple J Goes AWOL series kicks off on July 21. See the Triple J website for more details.

Image source: ABC website

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Global Tour for Midnight Juggernauts

Aussie electronic act the Midnight Juggernauts are poised for global domination.

Their hypnotic dance tracks have created a buzz in Australia, and press in Europe and Asia are taking notice, according to Undercover.

The Melbourne outfit have been capitalising on the hype with shows in London, Paris, Manchester, Barcelona, Beijing and Shanghai. The tour highlight will undoubtedly be an appearance at France’s Les Eurockeennes festival this weekend. The Midnight Juggernauts will take the stage alongside AIR, Arcade Fire and The Klaxons.

The band will release a new 12-inch, Road to Recovery, to coincide with the tour. They’ll be back on homegrown soil in August to celebrate the launch of their debut album, Dystopia.

Image source: Michael Spencer @ Flickr.com

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Kate Miller-Heidke Bursts Onto The Charts

Quirky songbird Kate Miller-Heidke has become the surprise success story of the year. Her first album, Little Eve, has just hit the ARIA charts with an impressive number 11 debut.

The album’s achievements have surprised Kate most of all. The classically-trained singer once described herself as “Alice in Wonderland who has drunk a little too much of the wrong potion.” Interesting, but not a typical recipe for commercial success.

To celebrate her newfound popularity, Kate is hitting the road. She’ll kick off her national tour on June 30 in Brisbane. Once she finishes her solo stint, Kate Miller-Heidke will join fellow indie “it” girl Missy Higgins on her regional Victorian dates. See Kate’s website for a complete list of tour dates.

Image source: Josh V-R @ Flickr.com

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

A Scary Homecoming

Aussie expats The Scare plan to return home for the release of their latest EP, Bats! Bats! Bats!

The punksters, who hail from Queensland, relocated to the United Kingdom in 2005 where they hoped to find a more receptive audience for their frenetic live shows. This local success story created a buzz through Europe after touring with We Are Scientists and Gallows. They’re also favorites of the festival circuit, where they have played alongside The White Stripes, Queens of the Stone Age, and Daft Punk.

The Scare will play shows at Sydney’s Candy’s Apartment and Melbourne’s Click Click nightclub in July. Bats! Bats! Bats! hit record store shelves on June 23, and will be followed up by the release of The Scare’s debut album Chivalry on September 1.

Image source: Safetypinheart @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Darren Hayes Releases Delicate New Disc

Darren Hayes is set to release his third solo record, This Delicate Thing We’ve Made, in August.

Darren stormed up the international charts as the frontman of power-pop duo Savage Garden. However, his solo career to date has been lacklustre.

Perhaps the new album will fare better, as industry insiders say the new disc features unique electronic pop arrangements, which perfectly showcase his angelic vocals.

Eager fans can make up their own minds and preview film clips for two album tracks, “Who Would Have Thought?” and “Step Into the Light,” at Darren’s official website.

Darren is expected to tour Australia in spring to support the release.

This Delicate Thing We’ve Made will be released in Australia on August 20 through Darren’s Powdered Sugar label.

Image source: Wikimedia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Silverchair and Powderfinger Rock Australia

The hottest bands in Australia, Silverchair and Powderfinger, are joining forces to present the tour of the year.

Powderfinger are riding high on the success of their latest release, Dream Days at the Hotel Existence. It hit the top spot in its first week in the charts, becoming the fastest selling album in Australia this year. Meanwhile, Silverchair’s double platinum newie Young Modern remains firmly in the top 20, 10 weeks after its release.

The Across the Great Divide tour kicks off in Silverchair’s hometown of Newcastle on August 29, followed by The Finger’s hometown of Brisbane. It will take in every Australian capital city and 14 regional centers, making this one of the biggest tours in Oz music history.

Playing small regional towns doesn’t phase the bands. They’ll take a customised tent on tour with them, allowing them to build a large venue in places too small for entertainment centres.

“Aside from our album launches, these will be our first shows for two-and-a-half years, and the first time we will return to a lot of the regional areas,” said Powderfinger frontman, Bernard Fanning. “We have been threatening to hit the rural places for ages and now we’re getting around to it we are grateful to have Silverchair with us to carry our gear!”

Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies couldn’t resist taking a jab at his co-headliners either.

“It’ll be great to get right around Australia after all this time and if the tickets don’t sell, we can always blame Powderfinger!” he joked.

Poor ticket sales are the last thing this tour has to worry about. Visa holders can obtain special presale tickets on July 2 through www.visaentertainment.com.au. The rest of us will have to wait until Monday July 9 to nab some of the hottest tickets around. Get in quick: this tour is sure to sell out. Check the tour website for ticket outlets and complete tour dates.

Image source: Across the Great Divide website