Category: News

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Win Keith Urban’s Shirt!

Ever wanted to take the shirt from Keith Urban’s back? Now you can, and it’s all for a good cause!

Keith is teaming up with some of country music’s biggest stars for the “You Look Good in my Old T-shirt” auction. Keith, Leanne Rimes, Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, and more will donate autographed shirts to the online auction. All monies raised will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“St. Jude is a charity that is very near and dear to my heart,” said Keith. “Our fans have always graciously offered their support in past fund-raisers we have done for St. Jude, so I think this auction will be a great success.”

Fans have two weeks to bid on the shirts at www.KeithUrbanAuction.com. Good luck everyone!

Image source: Frank Roche @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Star in Something with Numbers Music Video

Central Coast rockers Something with Numbers are giving fans the chance to appear in their next music video! They’ll need 100 extras to help them shoot the clip for the second single from their soon-to-be-released album Engineering the Soul.

It’s all happening in Newcastle from 10 am this Saturday, 23 August. The shoot will take until 5 pm. If you’ve got the time to spare make sure you e-mail tanya@selectmusic.com.au with all your details. They’re after people of all ages, from young kiddies to grandmas, so anyone can join in!

I’d love to hear from any of my readers who end up starring in the music video!

Image source: Pop Weasle @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Feature Post Roundup: Soundtracks for the Season

Yesterday I showed you my favourite songs for winter. Meanwhile my colleagues were chatting about the fabulous summers they’re all experiencing. If you’re looking for something to get you in the mood for the warmer weather ahead, look no further than these gems.

All this is making me crave summer! But you just watch me hate it when those 40 degree days rolls around!

Image source: Stephanie Berghaeuser @ Stock.xchng

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Teens Give Their Verdict at Dolly Awards

The Dolly Teen Choice Awards may not be the coolest ceremony around, but it is interesting to see who’s floating the collective boat of our nation’s teens.

Not-so-sweet songstress Gabriella Cilmi was named New Cool Kid on the Block which The Veronicas picked up the Most Played On My iPod prize. Sneaky Sound System showed a year off hasn’t hurt their popularity any, scoring the Hottest Homegrown music title.

But honestly, the awards weren’t the most exciting part of the night. Dean Geyer’s “No Comment” T-shirt showed he was giving nothing away about his split with The Veronicas’ Lisa Origliasso. But her twin Jess was a little more forthcoming, donning sunglasses which read “Love Sucks.” It sure can!

Image source: Lee Jordan @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Christie Allen Loses Cancer Fight

Australia has lost another pop pioneer with the passing of Christie Allen on Tuesday. At just 54 years of age theChristie Allen record British-born star succumbed to pancreatic cancer at her Western Australian home.

Christie will be remembered for her top 20 hits “Falling in Love,” “Goosebumps” and “He’s My Number One.” She was named Australia’s most popular female performer at the Countdown Awards in 1979 and 1980.

But she was plagued by illness which caused her to retire in the mid-80s. She made her last public performance at the Mushroom Records 25th Anniversary Concert in 1998, where she sang Goosebumps.

Christie was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March. She chose to live out her remaining days at home with her husband Mark and family around her.

Christie was an intensely private person, so it’s only fitting that her funeral will be attended by close friends and family. They have asked that rather than floral tributes, fans make a donation in Christie’s name to the Cancer Council of Australia.

Image source: TV Tonight

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Timbaland Tour Postponed

Well here’s some news that has been brewing for some time. Timbaland’s postponed his Australian tour. Again.

This unbelievable second postponement comes just days before the tour was scheduled to kick off in Sydney. What gets me is that he’s not even trying to come up with a flaky excuse. Yes he booked a show in Poland which clashed with the Melbourne gig, but that was right near the end of the tour! But given that, it made a lot more sense to postpone Poland than the entire Australian run. Surely Australian fans deserve better than being let down again and again (and again).

Ticket holders can hang on their tickets in the vain hope that this overhyped producer will eventually grace us with his presence. Or they can do the smart thing and hand them in to their ticket provider for a full refund.

Image source: Newscom

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Great Escape Is Off

Sydney’s Great Escape festival has been cancelled due to low ticket sales. But it’s not all bad news for music fans, as the planned sideshows will still go ahead.

“We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those people that have made the festival such a success in previous years. We’d also like to whole heartedly apologise to the bands, artists, agents, managers, suppliers, sponsors, media supporters and festival goers that have been let down by our decision. The decision to cancel has not been an easy one for the team behind the event,” event organisers said in a statement on The Great Escape website.

Sydneysiders can still catch some of the awesome bands like Ladytron, Supergrass, We Are Scientists, and The New Pornographers at gigs around the city. Ticket holders can get a refund from their place of purchase.

Image source: Musiclikedirt @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Wolfmother Split Official

It shouldn’t come as any surprise considering reports earlier this week, but Wolfmother has called it a day. Bass/keyboard player Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett cited long-standing personal and musical differences as the reason for the split.

“Wolfmother toured the world virtually non-stop through 2006 and early 2007 on the back of their acclaimed self titled debut album,” reads a statement on the band’s website.

“Longstanding frictions within the group then led them to take an extended break during the second half of 2007 to consider their future.”

Apparently the time apart didn’t diffuse the situation any, and Chris made the decision to quit the band after last week’s Splendour in the Grass performance.

“Following that show Chris Ross decided to announce that he was leaving the band due to irreconcilable personal and musical differences,” the statement continued.

“Myles Heskett has also decided to leave the band rather than continuing as part of a changed lineup. The pair has been working together on songs for some time and they plan to focus their energies on that new project in the future.”

Andrew Stockdale plans to recruit new musicians before commencing work on another Wolfmother album. Hopefully the new kids will find him a little easier to work with!

Image source: Nick Helderman @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Reg Lindsay Takes Final Bow

Country music star Reg Lindsay passed away in Newcastle Hospital after a battle with pneumonia. He was 79.

Young whippersnappers might not be aware of Reg’s work, but his influence on the modern country music industry was unmistakable. He won three Golden Guitars and wrote more than 500 songs during his enduring career. He also starred in two television programs: The Reg Lindsay Country Hour and Reg Lindsay Country Homestead.

Reg enjoyed moderate success in the United States, and was the first Aussie to be honoured with a plaque on Nashville’s Walkway of Stars.

In recent years he’s been plagued with ill health. He suffered a cerebral haemorrhage at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 1994, then recovered only to suffer a heat attack. He had a triple bypass and seemed to be hanging in there until he contracted pneumonia.

Reg is best remembered for 1971 hit “Armstrong,” his tribute to the American astronauts and their historic moon landing.   May he rest in peace.

Image source: State Library of NSW/Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Will Wolfmother Call It Quits?

Is it all over for Wolfmother? Rumour has it that the band’s performance at Splendour in the Grass last weekend may have been their last, at least with the original line-up.

The rumours all stem from a rift between Andrew Stockdale and the band’s other founding members, Chris Ross and Myles Heskett.

“That was their last show. It is all over for Wolfmother,” an insider told Undercover News.

And they might be right. While manager John Watson stopped short of confirming the split, he hasn’t done a lot to extinguish the rumours.

“Unfortunately I can`t make any comment other than to say that as soon as the band has clear future plans they will issue a statement and we hope to be able to do that in the next week or two,” he told Undercover.

Word is that Andrew Stockdale will join two American players and continue to perform under the Wolfmother name. Considering the average punter doesn’t know who the other two guys are anyway, it’s probably not such a bad move!

Image source: NRT Photos @ Flickr