Partying for a Purpose Raises Funds for Indigenous Music Programs

If you’re going to go out and party next month, why not do it for a good cause? Major Raiser will host Partying with a Purpose at Bondi’s Beach Road Hotel on May 5.

The event, the fourth of its kind, will raise funds for the Music Outback Foundation. This group donates musical instruments to outback schools to ensure our indigenous kids have the same opportunities for culture expression as those in the city.

Ticket holders will be entertained by Brisbane dance act Mitzi, Triple J darlings Glass Towers, as well as Toucan, Colour Coding, Conics, and Lancelot. If you can’t make it to the event you can also download Let’s Band Together, a compilation which features tracks from all contributing artists. You’ll find it at Major Raiser’s Bandcamp page. All proceeds from the digital release will also help the Music Outback Foundation.

If you can get along and support the event though, I suggest getting them early from Moshtix. Coopers Beer will give complementary ale to everyone who buys a pre-sale ticket, and Moshtix will donate a dollar for every pre-sale ticket to the cause.

Image used with permission from Positive Feedback

Jacob Butler Scores South African Deal

Things are on the up for Jacob Butler. Fresh from the release of his new single “Come My Way,” the X Factor and Australian Idol graduate has inked a record deal with South Africa’s The David Gresham Company, the same independent label that takes care of The Temper Trap, Placebo, Nickelback, and Bush.

The deal will expose Jacob’s work to music lovers in South Africa and its territories, including Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. “Come My Way” will hit the nation’s radio waves in the coming weeks.

“Come My Way” has also just hit radio after Munich based promoter Robert Larasser became interested in the track.

The “Come My Way” video has been viewed more than 125, 000 since its release two months ago, and it sounds like it’ll have plenty more hits in the months to come!

Hilltop Hoods Still Number One

Hilltop Hoods have maintained their grip on the ARIA album charts. For the second week the band’s latest offering Drinking from the Sun sits at the number one spot.

An Aussie release also rounds out the week’s top ten. 360’s fallen to number ten, from number six last week, with Falling & Flying. It’s a similar story on the singles charts where his track “Boys Like You,” the sole Aussie entry in the top ten, has dropped from number six to eight.

Click below for this week’s complete ARIA top ten charts.

Continue reading “Hilltop Hoods Still Number One” →

Morgan Joanel Fashion at Zara Stores

Fashion and music has always enjoyed a special relationship. Our favourite artists wear the best threads, many score the runway shows of leading designers, and some musicians even create their own collections. And if you’re Sydney singer-songwriter Morgan Joanel, you find your face on a T-shirt.

When she’s not creating music, Morgan maintains her fashion blog Mojomade. The T-shirt’s candid image is actually from one of the very first posts on that very blog. It was snapped on a humble Canon camera, yet now it graces a tee from designer store Zara. This isn’t just an Australian exclusive either; the T-shirts are available at Zara stores all over the world. Fashion fans across the globe might not know who Morgan is or what she does, but they’ll be wearing her face!

Global awareness may come yet though, as Morgan’s been busy in the studio. She’s also got a song writing trip to Los Angeles and New York in the works. But before all that she’ll play a few shows around her hometown to promote her current single “Devil’s in the Details.” Sydneysiders, you can catch this hot new talent at the following venues.

24 March 2012 – The Vanguard, Newtown (with Butterfly Boucher)
1 April 2012 – The Vault, Windsor (with Eilen Jewell)
24 April 2012 – Brass Monkey, Cronulla (with Blind River Running)
9 May 2012 – Notes, Newtown (with Tim Chaisson)
18 May 2012 – The Beresford, Surry Hills

Image used with permission from Revolutions per Minute

DaniElle DeLaite Cracks American Dance Charts

Kiama’s DaniElle DeLaite is a relative unknown here in Australia, but she’s burning up the American Billboard dance charts with her new single “Love Sex Goddess.”

“Love Sex Goddess” is the current number five breakout artist on the US chart, an honour which sees her placed with big names like Nicki Minaj and Paulina Rubio. However unlike these acts she doesn’t have the backing of a big record company. Instead DaniElle is going it along with her independent label Lizard E.D.

DaniElle honed her craft in Sydney’s nightclubs before heading to Paris with the promise of a dream licensing deal. When that fell through, DaniElle followed her brother to America. She was an instant hit in the clubs that nurtured Britney Spears, Katy Perry, and Lady GaGa, and with her current single’s success it seems her star is definitely on the up!

Image used with permission from DaniElle DeLaite

Hilltop Hoods Outsell Adele

Many acts have tried, but finally one has toppled Adele, and it’s an Aussie. Hilltop Hoods have ended the current Queen of Soul’s reign with their new number one album, Drinking From The Sun.

It’s been a big week for local urban acts, with 360 also inching up the charts with his album Falling & Flying. It’s moved from number seven to number six. No doubt that performance has been helped along by the success of the single “Boys Like You,” which has dropped one spot to sit at number six on the singles charts.

And let’s not forget Sia’s contribution to Flo Rida’s single “Wild Ones.” Surely her stellar vocals have something to do with its current number three spot on the singles charts!

Click below to see the rest of this week’s ARIA top ten!

Continue reading “Hilltop Hoods Outsell Adele” →

The Pajama Club Play Sydney

The Pajama Club will play a very special show at Sydney’s Oxford Arts Factory on March 14.

Fans might notice that Alana Skyring is absent from the band photo. That’s because she’s decided to leave the music industry to pursue her dream of becoming one of New York’s best bakers.

Not to worry though, because Neil and Sharron Finn’s kids Liam and Elroy will take a break from their own musical careers to appear alongside their mum and dad at the show. It’s the same Pajama Club you love with an added dose of Finn-ness!

Tickets are available now from Moshtix.

Image used with permission from Two Fish Out of Water

The Autumn Isles Lift my Mood

I’ve been having a bit of a blue week. My husband’s away on a business trip, and my cat and I don’t quite fill our house. I found the pick me up I was looking for in the music of The Autumn Isles, a five-piece rock pop act from Perth.

These guys have actually been kicking around the last six years, but it seems the east coast is a bit slow to catch on to their psychedelic charms. Their sound takes me back to Woodstock with its lush harmonies and big chords. It’s the sort of music my Dad would probably dig, yet it somehow feels fresh.

I’m particularly partial to “Sun Soaked Horizon” from their debut album Kaleidoscopes. It sounds like a pretty apt name for a disc from such a trippy band. Does it float your boat?

Image used with permission from The Autumn Isles

SLAM Rally Spreads Across Australia

You might remember thousands of music fans marching through Melbourne last February for the SLAM rally, an initiative designed to Save Live Australian Music. The protest hit out at the Victorian government and its policies which linked live music to violence. Now the event is going national.

To show your support head to the SLAM Rally website and see which venues in your local areas are hosting shows. Make sure you tell your friends about the event you’re going to see and spread the word on Facebook or other social networking spaces to drum up support. With the upcoming closure of East Brunswick Club we should all be thinking about how we can protect our local venues and keep live music alive in our communities.

Will you be attending a SLAM Rally event?

Image source: SLAM Rally website

PBS Celebrates New Talent with Drive Live

Melbourne community radio station PBS 106.7FM is showcasing local music with its annual Drive Live event.

From February 6 to 10, local acts will take over the station’s drive time shift. Three acts will play each day, with up and comers Graveyard Train, Stella Angelico, and Howl at the Moon already slated to appear.

You could listen to it from the comfort of your car, or if you’re a PBS member you could see the bands in the flesh. You can RSVP from tomorrow, so make sure you keep an eye on the PBS website to find out how.

The website also comes in handy if you’re not local as you can stream the Drive Live broadcasts from your computer anywhere in the world. So there’s no excuse for missing out on the fun!

Image used with permission from Show Off Recordings