Author: Lauren Katulka

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Stevie Wonder Announces Aussie Visit

Soul music legend Stevie Wonder is heading to Australia for the first time since the 1980s!

The Grammy-award-winning megastar will bring his acclaimed band to capital cities around the country for some very special shows in October.

They’re set to be jam-packed with hits, thanks to his impressive back catalogue which includes “Signed Sealed Delivered (I’m Yours),” “I Just Called to Say I Love You,” “Higher Ground,” “Master Blaster,” “My Cherie Amore” and stacks more.

You can grab your tickets to see this living legend when they go on sale on 24 July. Here are the dates!

14 October 2008 – Burswood Dome, Perth
16 October 2008 – Adelaide Entertainment Centre
19 October 2008 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
22 October 2008 – Acer Arena, Sydney
25 October 2008 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre

Image source: Antonio Cruz @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

James Morrison, Renee Geyer, and More Play Jazz in the Vines

Great music, gourmet food, and green vibes come together at this year’s Jazz in the Vines. Experience it all at Tyrell’s Vineyard in the Hunter Valley on 25 October.

This year’s lineup brings together some Aussie music legends, and some of the hottest up and comers. Where else would you find James Morrison, Renee Geyer, and Glenn Shorrock sharing the bill with the brilliant Adam Miller, Force 10, and Lisa Hunt? These artists will perform on two stages, entertaining the crowds with non-stop music for seven hours!

After seven hours, you’re going to get hungry. Thankfully the festival also brings together some of the Hunter’s best food and wine. Acclaimed restaurants The Hunter Resort, The Mill, Redsalt, Esca, Elizabeth’s, and Majors Lane will be on hand with tasty treats, which you can wash down with wines from Drayton’s, Tamburlaine, Bimbadgen Estate, The Hunter Valley Wine Society, Peterson’s Champagne House, and of course, Tyrell’s.

This year the festival is going green with glass recycling, eco-friendly food packaging, and stacks more. And you can get into the environmentally friendly spirit by leaving the car at home! Rover Coaches will help visitors get there from Sydney, the Central Coast, and throughout the Hunter Valley. And if you don’t have to worry about driving, you can indulge in a few more glasses of that beautiful wine!

Aussie jazz legend James Morrison has played a few festivals in his time, yet he calls Jazz in the Vines “Australia’s premier outdoor jazz festival.” If it’s impressed him, you’re bound to have a good time! Check out the website for more details including ticket and transport information.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Angus and Julia Stone Tour the World

The coolest brother and sister duo around, Angus and Julia Stone, have just wrapped up their sold-out Australian tour, but don’t expect them to sit idly for too long. After a short break, the Sydney siblings are heading overseas to join the European summer festival circuit.

The Stones will kick off their European jaunt with an appearance at Ledbury’s Big Chill Festival on August 1. From there they’ll play festivals in Scotland, Holland, and Germany, and a very special gig at The Roundhouse in London.

Angus and Julia Stone have earned rave reviews in Europe for their album A Book Like This, so this tour should be huge for them. UNCUT described it as “A triumph of intimacy,” while MOJO said “The virtue’s in the detail.”

After The Stones conquer Europe they’ll head to the USA for their first ever shows in support of their American album release. Then it’s back to Europe for a full tour, because they head back here in December!

If you can’t wait quite that long for your Angus and Julia Stone fix, make sure you catch their recent performance at The Basement. It’ll screen on ABC 1 on Thursday July 31 at 11 pm.

Image source: Pn57 @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Melinda Schneider Duets with Paul Kelly

Melinda Schneider has a new fan in Aussie singer-songwriter Paul Kelly. Paul was so impressed with a demo version of one of Melinda’s new songs, he agreed to sing it on her latest album.

The unlikely duo met by chance in Coogee.

“I was snorkelling at Coogee Beach and got up and out of the water, and there was Paul Kelly sitting on a rock,” Melinda told The Sunday Telegraph.

The pair got to chatting, so Melinda decided to send Paul a copy of her song “Still Here.” He loved it so much, they decided to record it together at his Melbourne home.

“I love his vocals on it,” she gushed. “The intimacy of it is really beautiful on that track.”

Melinda will launch her latest album, Be Yourself, at Sydney’s City Tattersalls Club on Thursday. It will hit stores on 5 July.

Image sources: Melinda Schneider MySpace and RattyPussFACE @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Disturbed Ready to Rock Oz

Metal fans have something to celebrate with news that Disturbed are heading to Australia for a massive tour.

Disturbed have reached heights most bands of their genre can only dream of, selling in excess of ten million albums worldwide. That success has only continued with the release of their fourth album, Indestructible, which recently reached number one on the Aussie and American charts.

Disturbed will play shows with the acclaimed P.O.D., Alter Bridge, and Behind Crimson Eyes. Fans are going to snap these tickets up, so make sure you get yours when they go on sale on 10 July. This monster metal lineup will play the following shows:

29 August 2008 – Metro City, Perth
31 August 2008 – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide
2 August 2008 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre
3 September 2008 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
4 September 2008 – Newcastle Entertainment Centre
6 September 2008 – Festival Hall, Melbourne

Image source: Razvan Orendovici @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Big Names and Blues at Aussie Wineries

Winter weather tends to make me a little stir-crazy. I love the cold, but my concert calendar always looks a little threadbare. But with the announcement of the first Day of the Green concert of the year, I’m reminded that summer isn’t too far away.

The season kicks off with a massive double bill: John Mellencamp (I believe he’s dropped the Cougar again) and Sheryl Crow. This is the sort of show where you will literally know every song, and have a mighty fine time singing along.

If you don’t live near one of the wineries, you can probably catch the show at your local ent cent. The indoor gigs have the added bonus of Aussie troubadour Shane Nicholson, but they will lose out on atmosphere. If there’s any way you can get yourself to one of the Day on the Green events, I strongly advise it.

Tickets go on sale on Monday 7 July for the following shows:

15 November 2008 – Sandalford Wines, Swan Valley
19 November 2008 – Adelaide Entertainment Centre
21 November 2008 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
22 November 2008 – Rochford’s Eyton Winery, Yarra Valley
25 November 2008 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre
28 November 2008 – Acer Arena, Sydney
29 November 2008 – Bimbadgen Estate, Hunter Valley

If November seems a little far away, why not consider heading to the Hunter Valley for the annual Bimbadgen Blues Festival? The amazing line-up brings you Australia’s finest blues musicians including Josh Pyke, Chain, Dallas Frasca and her Gentleman, Mojo Webb, Paul Greene, and heaps more.

Two stages will keep the entertainment coming thick and fast. You can also indulge in a gourmet picnic hamper from the award winning Esca restaurant, not to mention all that lovely Bimbadgen wine! Tickets are priced at $55, which isn’t bad value at all for six hours of fantastic music.

“What better way to kick off spring, and our festival season, than to relax with a selection of Bimbadgen reds and whites while enjoying the sounds of the blues?” asks Bimbadgen Estate General Manager John Quirk. What better way indeed!

Bimbadgen Blues is on at Bimbadgen Estate on Saturday 6 September. Check the website for further details and tickets.

Image source: Symbiosis @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

You Need to Hear Alanna Cherote

If you love the earnest songwriting and warm, passionate vocals of girls like Sheryl Crow, Lucinda Williams, Bic Runga, and Brandi Carlisle, you’re going to love Alanna Cherote.

She’s a world away from the manufactured artists and overnight sensations that dominate the charts, and that’s just how she likes it.

Alanna’s spent her time away from the spotlight, playing acoustic shows and writing music while travelling through Germany, France, Denmark, Scotland, England, Croatia, Malta, Morocco, and many more exotic locales.

Her travels have inspired the songs you’ll find on her debut EP, Universal Need. It’s released on July 24, the very same night she’ll play The Gaelic Club in Sydney. If you needed another reason to get on down and support this promising newcomer, it’s worth noting that the show will raise funds for The Starlight Foundation. Tickets cost just $12 through Moshtix.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jet and Iggy Pop Cover "The Wild One"

When Johnny O’Keefe released “The Wild One” 50 years ago it started an Australian rock and roll revolution. So it’s fitting that the song is being re-released next month with a rock and roll legend and one of Australia’s hottest bands.

Jet recently flew to Miami to record “The Wild One” with the one and only Iggy Pop. Iggy fans will remember his definitive 1980s cover, and the new version is set to introduce a whole new generation to the song.

“My introduction to Johnny O’Keefe came through Iggy Pop covering this song,” says Jet’s Nic Cester. “Although I don’t think we have been directly influenced by Johnny O’Keefe, the ripples that he created are enormous. If the only thing that comes of this is just alerting other Australians that this existed, that’s a good thing.”

The collaboration will be released as a single on 19 July, and as a bonus track on the forthcoming album Johnny O’Keefe – The Wild One. The best of recording features remastered version of JO’K’s biggest hits. Johnny O’Keefe – The Wild One is available in stores from 23 August.

Image credit: Jill Kahn/Supplied by Warner Music Australia 

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Age Names Top 50 Aussie Albums

On July 5, some fifty years ago Johnny O’Keefe released The Wild One and Aussie rock was born. To commemorate the event The Age assembled a panel to come up with the top 50 Australian albums of all time. Votes were cast by critics, music journos, musicians, record shop owners, and band managers. The only criteria was this – they had to choose the finest albums by Australian musicians.

Sadly they didn’t ask me. But maybe that’s a good thing. It makes it easier to point out the flaws and the glaring omissions. These lists are never going to be perfect after all, but they do inspire debate.

Midnight Oil, Skyhooks, INXS, and AC/DC all earned their places in the top 10. I can understand Midnight Oil claiming the top spot, but I would have given it to Cold Chisel’s East. I certainly can’t imagine why it’s limped in at number 23. Lyrically, musically, and vocally, Cold Chisel are first class and this album is their best.

But rather than quibble about the folks who should have scored higher, I’m more interested to see who didn’t make it. The list is about blokey rock. Australians might do this well, but it’s certainly not all we do.

There’s no Savage Garden. There’s no James Reyne, not even in his Australian Crawl days. There’s no Divinyls. There’s no Renee Geyer. There’s no Kylie. There’s not even any Farnsy.

But there is plenty of good music there. Maybe the omissions show us just how rich our musical landscape is. Browse the top 50, and tell me what you think of it!

  1. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – Midnight Oil
  2. Radios Appear – Radio Birdman
  3. Living in the 70s – Skyhooks
  4. Hi Fi Way – You Am I
  5. Stoneage Romeos – Hoodoo Gurus
  6. Gossip – Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls
  7. (I’m) Stranded – The Saints
  8. Kick – INXS
  9. Diesel and Dust – Midnight Oil
  10. Back in Black – AC/DC
  11. Magic Box – Loved Ones
  12. Easy – The Easybeats
  13. Born Sandy Devotional – The Triffids
  14. Crowded House – Crowded House
  15. Human Frailty – Hunters and Collectors
  16. High Voltage – AC/DC
  17. Sunnyboys – Sunnyboys
  18. Wait Long By The River and the Bodies of Your Enemies will Float By – The Drones
  19. 16 Lovers Lane – Go-Betweens
  20. Prehistoric Sounds – The Saints
  21. Circus Animals – Cold Chisel
  22. Hourly, Daily – You Am I
  23. East – Cold Chisel
  24. Doughboy Hollow – Died Pretty
  25. Goodbye Tiger – Richard Clapton
  26. Daddy Who – Daddy Cool
  27. Prayers on Fire – The Birthday Party
  28. Charcoal Lane – Archie Roach
  29. Rose Tattoo – Rose Tattoo
  30. Less is More – Even
  31. Let There Be Rock – AC/DC
  32. Since I Left You – The Avalanches
  33. Icehouse – Flowers
  34. Toward the Blues – Chain
  35. Anthology – The Easybeats
  36. The Good Son – Nick Cave
  37. Highway to Hell – AC/DC
  38. The Low Road – Beasts of Bourbon
  39. The Swing – INXS
  40. Lovetown – Stephen Cummings
  41. Face to Face – The Angels
  42. Post – Paul Kelly
  43. Woodface – Crowded house
  44. Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express – Go-Betweens
  45. Tu Plang – Regurgitator
  46. Eternal Nightcap – The Whitlams
  47. Diorama – Silverchair
  48. Starfish – The Church
  49. A Toast to Panama Red – Masters’ Apprentices
  50. Get Born – Jet

Image source: Lex @ Wikimedia Commons