Category: News

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Yves Klein Blue Call it Quits

Brisbane band Yves Klein Blue have parted ways after five years together.

The indie act issued the following statement on their MySpace page to explain the split.

“Yves Klein Blue broke up because of creative differences some time in the second half of 2010, after 5 years together. We grew up and apart. We now live in different cities and pursue our respective vocations to our utmost capacity.
We leave behind one full length album and two EPs in the hope that you will remember us through that body of work. We are sad there won’t be anymore with all you guys. Thank you for singing along.
We remain hopeful for the future.
Thank you for your love and support.
We will not forget you.”

There’s no word yet on what any of the band members will do in future, but if they’re working in the industry I’ll be sure to let you know about it!

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Alana Skyring Leaves The Grates

Queensland trio The Grates has just become a duo. Drummer Alana Skyring has left the band to pursue a career in culinary arts, leaving Patience Hodgson and John Patterson to continue as a two-piece.

The duo says they’ll recruit additional members for touring and recording. Recently they’ve worked with Brooklyn drummer Ben Marshall and bassist Gus van Go from their new American base.

With recording well underway, a new Grates album should be released around June. It’ll be interesting to see whether the loss of Alana changes the sound dramatically. Either way, I’m definitely looking forward to the new material.

Image source: Nika Vee @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Town Hall Steps Play Queensland Flood Benefit Show in London

It’s been some time since we’ve heard from Town Hall Steps but rest assured, the Sydney rockers have been far from idle.

In 2010 the band, fronted by new lead singer Tyrone Bain, packed their bags and like so many Aussie acts before them moved to the Old Dart. After only two months on British soil they’d booked their first UK tour, inked a deal with Bizarre Management, and generated some major buzz.

This year is shaping up to be another big one for the band, as their new single “Hummingbird” will get a global release towards the middle of the year.

Town Hall Steps haven’t forgotten where they came from though. Tomorrow night they’ll play a Queensland flood relief show at The Walkabout in Shepherd’s Bush. In addition to the ticket sales, they’ll also donate one pound from every CD sold to the relief efforts.

“It’s the least we could do,” the band said in a statement. “We really felt for the families affected by the floods when we heard the news break here and wanted to help any way we could. We hope when we come back to Australia to tour in these areas everyone will be back on their feet again”

We’ll keep our fingers crossed, right? In the meantime, if you’re in London make sure you get out and support this ex-pat band at this charity show!

Image used with permission from AAA Entertainment

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Angus & Julia Stone Tops Triple J Hottest 100

Australia celebrated local music yesterday, putting Angus & Julia Stone at the top of the annual Triple J Hottest 100 chart with “Big Jet Plane.” The folky duo edged out fellow countrymen Little Red with “Rock It.”

It was a very patriotic looking chart this year, with Birds of Tokyo, Boy & Bear, and Art Vs. Science also finding a place in the top ten. In all there were 51 Aussie songs in the top 100, a phenomenal effort that’s only testimony to the bumper year in local music that was 2010. And how wonderful to hear all those homegrown tunes on Australia Day!

Click below for all the locals that made the countdown, and click here if you want to see the complete top 100!

Continue reading “Angus & Julia Stone Tops Triple J Hottest 100” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Dash & Will Back with “Animal”

Dash & Will are back with a rip-snorting new single “Animal.” This track is the first cut from the Melbourne pop duo’s forthcoming sophomore album.

This is just the kind of tune that makes me want to hear more. My husband would describe it as “angry girl” music, which is a very good thing. It’s got delicious pop overtones which only slightly tempering the girls’ ballsy attitude.

There’s no release date for the album as yet, but this tune should help to satisfy your hunger until then. Right click on the link to download a copy of this gutsy new tune!
Image used with permission from Delinquents

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Sony’s Flood Relief Album In Stores Today

Sony Music Australia is the latest group to put its hand up to help out flood victims in Queensland and Victoria. Today it releases Flood Relief, a bumper three-CD set featuring just about every inspirational tune you could hope to find from the Sony back catalogue.

Songs like Bruce Springsteen’s “Human Touch,” David Campbell’s version of “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” and Adam Brand’s “It’s Going to Be OK” have been carefully chosen to lift the spirits of a nation affected by this national disaster.

“The effect of this tragedy and its terrible toll on life, families, communities and property has touched many people both here and around the globe,” said Sony Music chairman and CEO Denis Handlin. “On behalf of Sony Music and the Sony Foundation, our thoughts and prayers are with those affected, and our immense gratitude goes to all the emergency service people and volunteers who have so generously given in this time of need.”

Sony has a proven track record with this kind of thing. In 2009 its Bushfire AID – Artists for the Bushfire Appeal raised $1.7 million. Let’s hope this new album can top that. All monies raised with benefit the Salvation Army Flood Appeal.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Re:enactment Raise Funds for Flooded Queensland RSPCA

One thing that’s really troubled me as I’ve watched coverage of the Queensland floods over the past few weeks is the plight of our animal friends. I’ve seen images of horses and cows wading through the water, and kangaroos struggling to hop through the deluge. It’s heartbreaking.

If you care about animals as much as I do, you’ll be interested in Brisbane electro-dance punksters re:enactment, and their efforts to rebuild their home state’s flooded RSPCA headquarters.

Thankfully all the animals were evacuated from the premises, but the RSPCA desperately needs funds to rebuild their shelter so they can continue their vital good work. The RSPCA is ineligible for a share of the flood relief funds, so they rely on direct donations from you.

So point your browser to http://re-e.bandcamp.com/track/scraps and choose how much you want to donate. You’ll get a healthy dose of good karma, and a copy of re:enactment’s track “Scraps” to boot!

Image used with permission from Shiny Entertainment

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Gimme That Guitar Becomes Harvey James Tribute

The forthcoming Gimme that Guitar concert, which was to be a fundraiser for the late Sherbet guitarist Harvey James, will now be a tribute show celebrating the music he played and loved.

“This is such a sad time, especially for Harvey’s family,” the remaining members of Sherbet said in a statement. “We were all hoping that he’d be with us for Gimme That Guitar; sadly it was not to be.  Harvey stepped into Sherbet at a critical time, and his stunning talent and infectious personality immediately shone through. After all these years, his wonderful solos still shine. It will never be the same again without Harv. RIP old mate.”

The remaining members of Sherbet will pay their respects, along with musical friends Richard Clapton, Renee Geyer, Ian Moss, Swanee, and more. Harvey’s sons Gabriel and Joshua will play guitar in the Band of Friends, and Gabriel will also take his father’s place in the Sherbet line-up. Longtime Sherbet fan and pal Libbi Gorr will act as MC.

If you want to go and don’t have a ticket you’re fresh out of luck. Tickets to the February 17 gig at Sydney’s Factory Theatre sold out in just two days. If you’d still like to make a donation to Harvey’s family and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, you can do it through the Gimme That Guitar website.

Image source: Gimme that Guitar website

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Harry Hookey and David Garnham Win Telstra Road to Tamworth Competition

Harry Hookey of Cowwarr in Victoria and David Garnham of Darwin have taken out the major prizes in this year’s Telstra Road to Tamworth finals.

Harry was named best performer, after performing a cover of Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” and an original tune, “Don’t You Ever Treat Me Like a Fool.”

“I feel like a very lucky man tonight in Tamworth,” he said after his win. “This is really overwhelming, I don’t have enough words to say how awesome my fellow performers were, and each one of them has a career in the industry if they want it.”

David was named best songwriter after he wowed the judges with two original songs, “Father Drinks Too Much” and “Sobering Up, Settling Down.” The win caps off a big 12 months for David, who was also named a Triple J Unearthed artist in June.

“I’m trying not to swear right now and am full of clichés with no good words to give you,” David said last night. “This is the second time I’ve come through the Road to Tamworth and I was determined to show how much I wanted it – it’s such a well run program and I’m stoked.”

Both artists take home a bunch of prizes including a trip to Nashville with studio time, domestic and international gigs, publicity, and 12 months of mentoring designed to increase their profiles and take them to the next level. Here’s hoping this opportunity leads to bigger and better things for them both!

Image source: Ted Sealey

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

DanceAID Goes National, Plans Flood Relief CD

Floods in ToowoombaDue to overwhelming support, the DanceAID concert to benefit the Queensland flood relief efforts has become a national event. The dance music community will now play in Byron Bay, the Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Darwin, in addition to the already announced Melbourne event.

The line-up is also getting stronger, with international acts Malente, James Curd, and Mark Brown joining the already announced local artists including Kaz James, the Nervo sisters, Ruby Rose, Zoe Badwi, TV Rock, The Potbelleez, and heaps more.

If you can’t get to any of the shows don’t worry; you can still show your support. A DanceAID CD will also be released featuring tracks from the involved artists, including previously unreleased acoustic versions of singles from Dirty Sound and Zoe Badwi. Look for it on iTunes from Friday January 21.

If you want to see the DanceAID artists doing their thing in the flesh though, and raise some money for the Queensland flood relief efforts, here are the places you need to be.

19 January 2011 – Prince of Wales, Melbourne
20 January 2011 – La La Land, Byron Bay
20 January 2011 – Platinum, Gold Coast
21 January 2011 – Red Square, Adelaide
23 January 2011 – Discovery, Darwin

Image source: Timothy @ Flickr