200 guests attended Ricki-Lee Coulter’s recent wedding to long-term beau James Baddington. Her Australian Idol pals Casey Donovan, Amali Ward, and Marty Worrall were there. But where were her former band mates, the Young Divas?
The official word from the Young Divas’ management is that Paulini Curuenavuli, Kate DeAraugo, and Emily Williams all had performances scheduled on the night, and regretted missing the event. But according to Ricki-Lee, her former friends didn’t even bother to RSVP.
“I’d called the girls and texted them and emailed them, and hadn’t heard,” Ricki-Lee told the Woman’s Day.
“I thought everything was cool until they didn’t even turn up and didn’t bother to call me.”
Ouch! With bitchy behaviour like that, is it any wonder the Young Divas disbanded? But Ricki-Lee needn’t worry. Her solo single “Can’t Touch It” is still in the top 10, six weeks after its release. We can’t say the same for the other girls.
Aussie music royalty will turn out for a massive Max Merritt benefit show at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre on October 21.
The singer, best known for his hit “Slipping Away,” is suffering from Goodpastures Syndrome, a rare condition that has attacked his lungs and kidneys.
Concert for Max will feature an all-star line-up including Ross Wilson, James Reyne, Kevin Borich, Paul Norton, John Paul Young, Swanee, Normie Rowe, Peter Cupples, Dinah Lee, The Delltones, Doug Parkinson, Wilbur Wilde, Spectrum and Daryl Braithwaite. More performers will be announced before the show.
“I am finding it very difficult to adequately express my appreciation for the help and support during my time of extreme personal need,” Max said in a press statement. “Your help is absolutely overwhelming”.
Tickets for the show are available for $75 through Ticketmaster.
Sneaky Sound System has showed they’ll be a force to be reckoned with at this year’s Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Awards. The dance outfit has led the nominations, with nods in six categories including best group, best dance album, and album of the year.
The John Butler Trio isn’t far behind with five nominations. Their top 10 smash Grand National is up for album of the year and best independent release.
The groups will battle with Powderfinger, Silverchair, and Gotye for the best album title.
The best group nominees are some of the biggest names in the biz: Sneaky Sound System, Eskimo Joe, Powderfinger, Silverchair, and Wolfmother.
Singer-songwriters have dominated the solo categories. Dan Kelly, Gotye, John Butler, Josh Pyke, and Paul Kelly are all up for best male artist, while Kasey Chambers, Kate Miller-Heidke, Katie Noonan, Missy Higgins, and Sarah Blasko will battle for the best female crown.
The ARIA Awards will be held in Sydney on October 28. Channel Ten personality Rove McManus will host the awards for the fifth time. Powderfinger, Silverchair, Missy Higgins, and John Butler Trio will perform on the night, but expect more big names to join the bill closer to the date.
You may not have heard of Ry Cuming yet, but his laidback acoustic pop could just be the next big thing. Ry’s from Angourie, near Byron Bay, but he’s currently living in Los Angeles.
Ry’s spent his time in America songwriting with Maroon 5, Phantom Planet and Jude Cole, and he’s on the verge of signing with a major label. To get a taste of this fantastic new artist, I urge you to visit his MySpace. It features four brilliant tracks that I just can’t stop singing.
My Californian readers can catch Ry at the Hotel Café – he’s playing there every Sunday night until the end of the month. Unfortunately I’ll just have to wait until he gets big enough to come back to Australia!
To learn more about Ry, his music, and his charity work with the Quicksilver Foundatio watch the video below!
Brianna Carpenter is the second Idol hopeful to leave the reality talent quest, following a painful performance of Supertramp’s “The Logical Song.”
Rock was always going to be a stretch for the Brisbane music student, but it appeared that “sound issues” may have been her greatest challenge. Last night she assured the crowd last night they had not see the last of her.
“This isn’t the end for me by any means,” she said.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed that she’s right. I was entranced by Brianna from her first audition, and would love to hear more of her original material.
Marty Simpson and Jacob Butler were also in the bottom three, so they’ll need to lift their game for next week’s disco theme.
Last night the Australian Idols turned their hand to rock, but unfortunately the theme exposed the weaknesses of many of our contestants. The odd star shone, but it was a very dark night in the Idol studio indeed.
Matt Corby kicked off the night with a great rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “The Immigrant Song.” This is such a challenging song, but Matt kept his cool and rocked hard. While the song choice failed to impress Kyle, I was thrilled. Your average teenager knows “Stairway to Heaven,” and the like, but this more obscure option showed this kid’s got real musical depth. Very cool.
We all expected rock week to challenge swing king Carl Riseley. But it didn’t. Coldplay are about as rock as Michael Bublé. By choosing “Clocks,” Carl showed that his musical knowledge is sorely lacking. The vocals were adequate, but by copping out in the song choice I think he’s really in danger this week.
Luckily for Carl, his performance was followed by Brianna Carpenter’s equally dismal attempt. “The Logical Song” should have been a great fit for her, but again she struggled with pitch problems. Brianna insists she’s deaf in one ear and struggling to hear herself. That may be so, but I wonder how long her fans can keep her around based on what she can do, rather than what she is doing. I love Brianna, but I really think her number may be up.
Marty Simpson did a respectable job with Paolo Nutini’s hit “Jenny Don’t Be Hasty.” However, I’m not sure it was as good as the judges believed. Perhaps it was just great compared to Carl and Brianna’s songs. I believe song choice let him down here. This is a fun song, but it really flatlines and doesn’t go anywhere. Still, I think he’s done enough to stay in the comp.
Lana Krost made a big improvement with her take on Little Birdy’s “Come On, Come On.” We saw a little grit in her voice, and a little spontaneity in her movements. There were a lot of things that could have been better, but it was a start. While the judges were still unmoved, I think this could be the turning point for her.
Jacob Butler gave the crowd the show stopper they were waiting for with his performance of “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory.” He was the first person to really rock the performance, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Tarisai Vushe got a rousing reception for her take on “Hard to Handle.” Technically I think this was closer to the soul-laden Otis Redding original than the rocking Black Crowes cover, but it didn’t seem to worry anyone. She’s a born performer, and her voice is stunning. My only criticism is that she seemed to be shouting in patches, but I can forgive that.
Ben McKenzie was the second performer to sing some Little Birdy; he chose “Bodies.” It was a really solid effort, especially considering he felt uncomfortable with the genre. His vocals really soared in places, and it was great to hear. However, I’m not sure about the song choice at all. This is a fairly obscure song, and I’m not sure he completely sold it.
Daniel Mifsud stepped up next with Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire.” It was a great song choice, combining rock with his soul background, and he gave an energetic and fun performance. I just wish he was less imitative. As a fan of the original, I was disappointed that Daniel delivered the song as Jimi did including all the same “ad libs.” He needs to learn who he is, rather than just rehashing someone else’s work.
Natalie Gauci then brought her own unique version of “Sweet Child of Mine.” I loved the way she built this, although I wasn’t as convinced by the performance once it amped up. Natalie really knows who she is though, and that’s great to watch.
Mark Da Costa closed the show with AC/DC’s “High Voltage.” The rocker was always going to be in his comfort zone on rock week, and it showed. I honestly think this was the best performance I’ve seen him do. For the first time I saw the rock god everyone always claimed he was. The vocal was particularly strong, matching his showmanship.
Tonight we’ll say goodbye to one of these contestants. My hunch is that it will be Brianna. After two pitchy performances, I’m not sure even her fans can stand up for her. Quirky performers always have to fight a bit harder for their place, and I’m not sure they can get away with the mistakes she’s been making. I guess we’ll see tonight!
Peter Garrett has announced the Labor government will commit $2.4 million over the next four years to the Australian Music Radio Airplay Project (AMRAP). As if you needed another reason to oust John Howard, right?
The organisation plays a key part in promoting Australian music by delivering local content to 350 community radio stations across the country.
“I could see that [continued funding for AMRAP] would be a great boon to Aussie music and to young songwriters and bands, and it seemed really dumb for the funding to just end, so we’re going to keep it going,” Peter Garrett said yesterday.
The former Midnight Oil frontman, now state MP announced the news on Sydney’s FBi radio. The station plays 50% Australian music, much more than your average commercial station, and half of that comes from local Sydney talent. It was responsible for introducing audiences to The Vines, Wolfmother, Expatriate, The Grates, and more.
If you’re interested in the full Peter Garrett interview, you can hear the podcast at FBi Radio’s website.
After plenty of speculation it’s official: Kylie Minogue will release her brand new single “2 Hearts” on November 10.
It was written and produced by cool British electro band Kish Mauve. And according to industry insiders, the track has hit written all over it.
“It is a surefire No. 1, a classic Kylie song you won’t stop humming,” raved Victoria Newton of The Sun. “Expect her to hit No. 1 in both charts when the single and album are released in November.”
The track is the first from Kylie’s new album, which is also scheduled for a November release. It is Kylie’s first release since she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The Metro will host two Ivy League birthday gigs in November. The ever reclusive rockers The Vines will make a rare performance to headline the show on November 2. Youth Group, The Silents, The Monarchs, and Hoolahan will also play that night.
The party will continue on November 3, when Josh Pyke, Red Riders, 78 Saab, The City Lights and Peabody take to the stage.
So get your tickets through The Metro and join in the celebrations!
Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is famous for delivering some of the most fabulous entertainment in Australia, and next year’s festivities will be no exception. 80s pop icon Cyndi Lauper will headline the 30th anniversary celebrations.
I’m really excited about this one. After all, with hits like “Girls Just Want to have Fun,” “True Colours,” “Time After Time,” what’s not to love? Now I just have to convince my husband to embrace his inner diva and come with me.
No official dates are available just yet, but expect Miss Lauper to grace our shores in February. This of course gives me plenty of time to twist my husband’s arm.
Last weekend I reported that 