Category: News

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

BeXta’s a V.I.P.

The world of DJing is a bit of a boys’ club, so I’m always happy to see an Aussie girl making waves. BeXta has been a big hitVIP Cover in the clubs for years, and she’s just released her hot new single “V.I.P.”

This sexy dance track has been described as “Kylie meets the Potbellyz.” It features Amii Jackson on vocals and production by ex-Pseudo Echo singer Brian Canham.

I know most us never bother with singles anymore, but this one offers real value. There’s six cool mixes, including the pop/electro radio version and some hot club remixes. If you were at the Big Day Out you might recognise the Soundgarden mix, as this was the opening track of her explosive set. And the ReRub mix is perfect for a chilled-out Sunday morning.

BeXta’s getting out there to support the release of “V.I.P.” with some dates all around the country. You can catch the queen of the Australian DJ scene at the following venues:

15 February 2008 – Sublime @ Home, Sydney
22 February 2008 – StarGarden @ Chasers, Melbourne
9 March 2008 – Future Music Festival, Melbourne
29 March 2008 – Family, Brisbane
4 April 2008 – Rise, Perth
18 April – King St Hotel, Newcastle

Image source: BeXta’s official website

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Carl Riseley Releases Debut Disc

Carl Riseley’s the latest graduate of the Australian Idol class of 2007 to make good. The swing king has quit the navy and signed a major record deal with Universal.

Carl’s debut album Your Imagination is due out in the next few months. It features cover versions of some of Carl’s favourite songs, including “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “The Letter.” The swinging version of “Waltzing Matilda” Carl performed on Australian Idol also appears on the CD.

“It’s a swing album with big band and strings, so it’s very classy,”Carl told The Sunday Telegraph. Sounds like it’ll be right up the alley of those fans that voted for Carl during the reality TV competition.

Your Imagination was produced by Australian Idol music man John Foreman, and features a special guest appearance by legendary jazz trumpeter James Morrison.

Image source: carlotteinaustralia @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Music Blog Spotlight: Feature Post Catch-Up

Last week I wrote about the Aussie musicians I wouldn’t want to switch places with. Unfortunately, on the very same day b5media suffered some serious server glitches, and I didn’t get to see which other music bloggers joined me in sharing their views.

Now that everything seems to be running smoothly again, I thought I’d point you to their brilliantly bitchy posts.

  • It’s no surprise that Amy Winehouse makes the Brit Music Scene list. But the rest of the list may shock you!
  • Apparently Scott at Metal Martyr likes his brain cells, because there’s no way he wants to switch lives with Ozzy Osbourne.
  • Bruce at Our Digital Music brings us even more music tragics, including Courtney Love, Gary Glitter, and Wacko Jacko.
  • Gilan at The Beatles Invasion weighs in with some more stars, living and dead
  • Arjun at The Good Musician gives us some food for thought with the inclusion of Joseph Haydn, Sean Callery, and Ringo Starr.
  • And I’ll never think of Tom Cochrane the same way after reading Toronto Unplugged’s list!
Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Keith Urban Bags a Grammy

Keith Urban has brought home Australia’s only award at the Grammys today.

Keith won the gong for best male country vocal performance for his song “Stupid Boy.”

Keith’s no stranger to the Grammys. He won the same award in 2006 for his song “You’ll Think of Me.”

Keith faced stiff competition this year from multi-award winning artists Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw, and George Strait, and Dierks Bentley.

Congratulations Keith!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Aussies Head to SXSW

A strong Aussie contingent will play this year’s South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas in March.

We’ll send big names like Paul Kelly, Old Man River, The Vines, and Ash Grunwald along with some hot up-comers including Kate Bradley and The Goodbye Horses, The Chevelles, Justice Yeldham, Naked on the Vague, and Xno Barbequex.

They’ll play as part of the diverse line up which includes Billy Bragg, Hanson, Dolly Parton, and Daryl Hall of Hall and Oates fame.

South by Southwest is one of America’s largest music festivals, with 1, 400 performers played all around Austin every spring. It’s an industry-based event, so it’s a great chance for our local artists to make international connections.

Image source: James Cridland @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Celebrate Aussie Rock in WA

Some of Australia’s hardest rockers will hit Perth later this month for the Aussie Rock Celebration Concert.

Line-ups don’t come much better than this, with Rose Tattoo, The Screaming Jets, Noiseworks, and The Party Boys heading up the bill. But that’s not all, with former AC/DC members Dave and Marck Evans, Kevin Borich, Buzz Bidstrup (The Angels), Paul Christie (Mondo Rock), and Dave Tice (Buffalo) all slated to appear.

And it’s only fitting on such an occasion that a statue honoring the late AC/DC frontman Bon Scott will also be unveiled on the day.

The Aussie Rock Celebration Concert will hit Claremont Showgrounds on February 24. Tickets are available from Moshtix. Adult tickets are $77 while under 18s can go for the bargain price of just $25.

Image source: Aussie Rock website

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Casey Goes Bald

Good on Casey Donovan! While most female stars spend thousands painstakingly styling their hair, Casey’s preparing to shave hers off!

The former Australian Idol winner will go bald next month as part of the World’s Greatest Shave.

I’ve always thought the hair dying option was a bit of a cop-out, so I really admire Casey’s gutsy move. Apparently she was inspired to raise cash for The Leukemia Foundation because she has friends suffering the disease.

You can sponsor Casey through the World’s Greatest Shave icon on her MySpace page.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Olivia Newton-John Releases Opera House DVD

Olivia Newton-John played a historic concert at the Sydney Opera House backed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. She played hits that spanned her amazing four-decade career, and I heard so many people say how amazing it was. Now two years later, she’s releasing that concert on DVD so we can all enjoy it.

“This concert was very special to me as it combined my career as a singer with my personal roots growing up in Australia,” Olivia said in a press release. “I had the honour of performing at the Opera House for the Queen but, this night was even more special as it gave me the chance to perform all of my hits in this historic building – it’s hard to believe that I have been singing for so long!”

It is hard to believe when you look at her (does she ever age?), but there’s no denying it when you check out the track listing. It includes gems like “Xanadu,” “Physical,” “Suddenly,” “You’re the One That I Want,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” and “Summer Nights” for all you Grease fans, “I Honestly Love You,” and “Jolene,” and that’s just for starters! There’s two hours of concert on there, plus bonus footage of Olivia visiting her favourite spots in Sydney.

Olivia Newton-John and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (Live at the Sydney Opera House) will be on sale from March 1.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

10 Aussie Artists I Wouldn’t Trade Places With If You Paid Me

It probably comes as no surprise to you that the passionate writers in the b5media music channel would secretly love to trade places with our musical idols. I’m completely tone-deaf, but give me a SingStar and I can easily pretend I’m not. Of course we all know being a big star isn’t all glitz and glamour. There are plenty of musicians I wouldn’t trade places with as a bet. This post is dedicated to them.

Dannii Minogue
Fancy being “the other Minogue.” She’s lived in Kylie’s shadow all her life, with inferior pop songs, uglier boyfriends, and dodgier plastic surgery. Even the nice judge gigs on Australia’s Got Talent and the British X Factor couldn’t make the public like her!

Natalie Gauci
Beautiful girl, talented girl, but I wouldn’t be Natalie for quids. It seems like the poor thing won Idol just as everyone was getting over it. It’s a real shame because despite her brilliance, she’s always going to be that girl that won a reality TV show and didn’t sell a lot of albums.

Casey Donovan
While we’re talking of Australian Idol winners, I can’t go past Casey Donavan. Despite winning the competition she really didn’t have it easy, did she? While the media fawned all over Anthony Callea, the only comments about Casey were snarky remarks about her weight! Being a teenager’s hard enough – I’m glad I haven’t gone through what Casey has!

Wolfmother
Yes they won a Grammy, managed to tour the world, and their fans love them. But I reckon all that adulation must be pretty hollow when you know your music’s unoriginal. Surely they realise bands like Led Zep and Black Sabbath did exactly what they’re doing now, and they did it a zillion times better. That’s got to burn.

The Young Divas
They remain tight-lipped about it, but can you imagine how it must feel to be a Young Diva now? Your mate Ricki-Lee leaves you in the lurch and scores international record deals while you’re still singing disco covers and playing RSLs.

Nikki Webster
Try as she might, Nikki Webster will always be that annoying kid from the Olympic Games opening ceremony. She can strip off for FHM and she can vamp it up in Rent but it’s never going to give her an ounce of real cred.

Shannon Birchall and Michael Barker
Who? Exactly. You might know Shannon and Michael better as “the other guys” from the John Butler Trio. These lads are incredibly talented in their own right, but do you think anyone ever asks them for their autographs? It’s got to suck to be in one of the hottest bands in the country but be virtually invisible.

Delta Goodrem
Now like a whole lot of Australians, I love Delta. But I’d never want to trade places with her. I just couldn’t deal with the pressure of being Australia’s sweetheart. I truly believe she’s as pure as she seems, but if it were me I’d be dying for a boozy night out.

Mahalia Barnes
Mahalia’s another one of the super talented ladies on my list. But she’s here because I’ve gone to see Mahalia with my husband and some male friends. And I know exactly how much time men spend appreciating her music and how much time men spend drooling over her. I’ve got to tell you, a lot more of the latter goes on.

Paul Kelly
I’d love to have his talent, but I’m far too vain to ever want to trade places with him. As brilliant as he is, Paul’s not the most attractive guy. And let’s face it, if you’re too ugly for groupies why would you want to be a musician?

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Michael Bublé Show a Valentine’s Day Treat

Few performers make me swoon like Canadian crooner Michael Bublé. All that vintage charm is so incredibly romantic, and I’ve always been a sucker for a man in a suit.

Aussie audiences will have to wait until May to catch the man himself, but Perth men can score some major brownie points by taking their ladies to see Earl Cole’s Michael Bublé tribute show this Valentine’s Day.

Earl is known as Perth’s finest crooner, so he’s sure to do justice to Michael’s big hits including “Home,” “Fever,” “Everything,” “Sway” and more.

But the show’s not just about impressing the women. The Earl Cole Dancers will give the men some eye candy too.

Earl Cole’s Michael Bublé tribute show will play at 7:30 pm at Cicconi’s on Cambridge (353 Cambridge Street, Wembley). Tickets cost $75, and they include a romantic three-course meal and bubbly on arrival. You can book a table by calling Cicconi’s on (08) 9383 7888.