Category: News

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Katie Noonan Leaves Sony for Independent Projects

Katie Noonan has parted ways with Sony Music Australia after three years and two albums.

Katie worked with Sony on her Beatles cover album Blackbird and Emperors Box, the album with her band The Captains. But now she’s spreading her wings as she looks to stretch herself artistically in a more creative, independent environment.

“My creative musings have always been fairly left of centre and we just felt that, moving forward, this may be better housed in an independent environment,” she said in a statement.

Katie will leave The Captains, at least temporarily, as she returns again to Elixir. The trio plans to record an album inspired by the poetry of Thomas Shapcott. It sounds intriguing, as most Katie Noonan projects do, so I can’t wait to give it a listen when it hits stores around August!

Image source: The Harbour Agency

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Dan Sultan & Archie Roach Play Bilyana

Two of Australia’s leading indigenous performers, Dan Sultan and Archie Roach, will come together for one special show on April 9.

These two talents will play at Bilyana, a natural amphitheatre nestled in Mount Pilot National Park, just outside the small Victorian town of Eldorado. It’s a beautiful spot, where families can come together to appreciate music. So it seems fitting that in Dan and Archie we see two generations coming together to entertain the masses.

Show tickets are available from the Try Booking website for $55 for adults, $38 for children, and $165 for families. This price includes use of a camp site at Bilyana, so it’s a great deal for music lovers looking for a show that’s a bit different.

Image used with permission from AUM

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Win The Trews Prize Packs Including Concert Tickets & CDs

Canadian rockers The Trews are enjoying an extended holiday in our fair land as they take up residency at pubs and clubs in Sydney and Melbourne. I’m giving two lucky Sounds of Oz readers the chance to catch the band in the flesh, plus a whole lot more.

I have two prize packs to give away which are jampacked with Trews goodness. The winners will each get a double pass to The Trews show of their choice, a copy of the band’s album Friends and Total Strangers, a Trews sticker, and a badge.

Simply leave your details in the comments below, including the show you want to see and your e-mail address so I can tell you if you’ve won (no one else will see it, I promise!). Entries close at 5 pm AEDST on Sunday March 6, and I’ll announce the winners next Monday. Here is the list of remaining shows so you can choose the one which suits you best!

9 March 2011 – Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills
10 March 2011 – Sandringham Hotel, Newtown
11 March 2011 – Old Manly Boatshed, Manly
12 March 2011 – Bridge Hotel, Rozelle
13 March 2011 – The Brass Monkey, Cronulla
17 March 2011 – The National, Geelong
18 March 2011 – Cherry Bar, Melbourne
19 March 2011 – Cherry Bar, Melbourne
20 March 2011 – Cherry Bar, Melbourne
23 March 2011 – Annandale Hotel, Annandale

Image used with permission from Revolutions

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Evil Eddie Covers Geto Boys’ Protest Song

I was saddened this week to hear of the death of 21-year-old soldier Jamie Larcombe in Afghanistan. He’s the 23rd digger we’ve lost in the country since 2002, and it makes me wonder why we’re still there protecting a nation with which we have little real ties to.

Brisbane’s Evil Eddie seems just as frustrated as I do, because he’s just released a cover of the Geto Boys’ 1991 underground hit “Fuck A War.” I could have added those polite asterisks I saw in the press release, but we all know what the song’s called!

If your ears aren’t too delicate, you can own a copy of this foul-mouthed protest song for free. Just sign up to Evil’s mailing list by March 11 and he’ll send the MP3 straight to your inbox!

Such generosity isn’t very evil, is it?

Image used with permission from Reckoning Entertainment

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Laneous and the Family Yah Announce Scissors EP Tour

Goodness those folks from Laneous and the Family Yah work hard! Barely five months have passed since the release of their second album Found Things, but they’re already preparing to release a new EP called Scissors tomorrow.

The EP is the first from the Found Things Collection, a kind of companion series to the Found Things album. Yes, we can expect to see Paper and Rock join it on record store shelves in the coming months. Scissors features a melodic soulful sound, while we can expect some quirky indie pop from Paper and a bit of afro punk and hip hop from Rock.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before all that the band will tour Scissors with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it East Coast tour. Here are the places you can catch this inventive Queensland act.

24 March 2011 – The Zoo, Brisbane
25 March 2011 – The Evelyn Hotel, Melbourne
26 March 2011 – The Annandale Hotel, Sydney

Image used with permission from Heapsaflash

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Evil Eddie Announces East Coast Tour

After wooing crowds at the Peats Ridge and Woodford festivals late last year, Evil Eddie figures it’s about time to head out on his own. The proud Queenslander will play a string of headliner dates along the East Coast this February and March.

The quickie tour sees Evil Eddie share the stage with an all-star band, which features members of his former band Butterfingers, Laneous and the Family Yah, and Spitfireliar. You can catch him at the following venues.

25 February 2011 – X&Y Bar, Brisbane
26 February 2011 – Gaelic Club, Sydney
4 March 2011 – East Brunswick Club, Melbourne

Image used with permission from Reckoning Entertainment

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Keith Urban Wins Fourth Grammy Award

Way to go Keith Urban! While I was reminiscing about using one of his older songs during my wedding, he was preparing to accept his fourth Grammy Award!

Keith was named best male country vocal performer over Toby Keith, David Nailand, Chris Young, and Jamey Johnson.

It hasn’t been a great year for Aussies getting noticed at the big music awards, so it’s awesome to see Keith flying the flag for us!

Image source: Jeaneeem @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Living End Back in the Studio

The Living End’s last album White Noise was massive, so it’s exciting to hear that the lads are back in the studio some three years after its release.

Not that they’ve been resting on their laurels during that time. Chris Cheney recently wrote on The Living End website that the band spent most of last year writing, and they’ve now got a short list of 40 songs! Double CD, anyone? It seems the final votes will come down to public opinion though.

“As usual for TLE we did a week’s worth of gigs playing only new songs to see which ones would sink or swim,” he explained. “We also just wanted people to hear what we are up to. There are some really different ideas kicking around this time but the emphasis has been on creating a cohesive album that is heavy, melodic and overall very anthemic.”

The band are currently working with Nick Didia at a studio in Byron Bay ahead of an anticipated spring 2011 release. Do the band have another White Noise on their hand? With that many songs to choose from, surely this album is going to be quality stuff!

Image source: Yana Amur @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Kind Acts of Randomness Raises Money for Flood Victims

Is your social calendar looking a bit bare this weekend? Well get yourself down to Deck 23 in Dee Why tomorrow night for the Kind Acts of Randomness flood fundraiser.

Kind Acts of Randomness

And random it is, with a mixed bag of music, comedy, trivia, and even live art. Well you’re certainly not going to get bored! The bill is understandably eclectic, with singer-songwriter Andrew Morris, Lindsay “The Doctor” McDougall, The Cloud Girls, Versions, and even ABC reporter Lucy Carter all scheduled to make an appearance.

Tickets are just $25, which includes the entertainment, a complementary drink and canapés. All of that money’s going to the Queensland Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal too, so why not come along?

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Kids at Risk do “Griff The Invisible” Soundtrack

I don’t normally write about movies here, but I’m pretty excited about Griff the Invisible. It’s a sweet little Aussie film, with a solid romance to keep me happy and super hero themes for the lads. It’s already being described as “Kick Ass meets Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” which sounds pretty brilliant in my opinion. What a great contrast to all those glossy, action packed, and ultimately unsatisfying Hollywood comic remakes! Here’s the trailer for the movie, starring local boy made good Ryan Kwanten, for your viewing pleasure!

Griff the Invisible is hitting theatres on March 17, but before that we’ll get the first song from the soundtrack penned by our own Kids at Risk. The track called “Doing the Best That We Can” hits the web on March 4. With the band described as being a mix of pop, punk, and indie sounds I’m looking forward to hearing the song!

You can follow Kids at Risk on their own adventures to film premieres and the like at the brand new blog. Check it out at the Kids at Risk website!