Category: News

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Telstra Road to Tamworth Paves Way for Country Music’s Next Stars

The inaugural Telstra Road to Tamworth is winding its way around Australia, and there’s still time to get involved. This exciting initiative helped to launch the careers of Kirsty Lee Akers, Luke Webb, and even Jessica Mauboy. This year’s competition has just kicked off in the Northern Territory, and will make stops in all other states and territories before the year is out.

The competition is open to undiscovered country singers and songwriters around the country who are Telstra customers, or who have family that are. The lucky winners will get some great opportunities, including the chance to rub shoulders with a veritable who’s who of the country music industry, perform here in Oz and abroad, and get into a studio to lay their tracks down.

These sort of competitions provide such great exposure and experience. If you’ve always thought about entering, why not make this your year? Head to the Telstra website to learn what’s required and get involved!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“We No Speak Americano” Tops UK Charts

Let’s have a hand for Sydney-based dance pairing of Yolanda Be Cool vs Dcup! Their track “We No Speak Americano” is sitting pretty at the top of the UK singles charts! Take that Eminem and Rihanna!

The song enjoyed great success here at home, so it’s great to see the rest of the world appreciating it. It’s also held the number one spot in Sweden, Ireland, Luxembourg, Denmark, and The Netherlands.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Bardot’s Sally Polihronas Back in Australia with New Sound

It seems Casey Donovan isn’t the only reality TV graduate carving out a successful career as an independent artist. Sally Polihronas, who shot to fame with the Popstars band Bardot, is back in the country after several years abroad.

Sally’s been living the life of a nomad with time spent in Los Angeles, New York, and London. But now she’s back on home soil and keen to share her new music with local fans.

I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised. The disposable pop music of old has been replaced with a more mature soul sound and honest ruminations on love, life, and spirituality.

Sally will play one show only at Sydney’s Vanguard on August 26. Pre-sale tickets cost just $16.20 plus booking fee, or $45.20 if you want to enjoy dinner as well. They’re on sale now through The Vanguard’s website.

Image used with permission from AKA Entertainment

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Move Over Avalon Drive, Damion Page Gets Acoustic with Words Versing Verses

Remember Avalon Drive? This Brisbane band was doing some great stuff, but then disappeared almost as quickly as they came on the scene. The band’s frontman Damion Page has happily moved on though as part of the new duo Words Versing Verses.

Damion has joined forces with guitarist Kevin Leggett for the acoustic driven double act.

“All of our old things, all of our roots have brought us to doing what we are doing now,” Words Versing Verses explained. “We haven’t just abandoned everything. We’ve just kind of moved on from it and taken what we’ve learnt. I think this is more of a release for us.”

It’s early days, with the band releasing their first EP earlier this month, but already they’re building a steady buzz with one sold-out show under their belt.

Words Versing Verses will play a home town show at The Zoo in Brisbane on August 12. Fans around the rest of the country should just sit tight, as the duo will announce national dates soon.

Image used with permission from Kieron Douglass Photography

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

General Pants’ Major Label Signs Up Three New Bands

General Pants’ Major Label record label has just signed up its latest batch of acts.

New to the Major Label roster are Sydney post punk surf rockers Step Panther, Melbourne garage rock act The Kremlin Succession, and 17-year-old singer songwriter The Harry Heart Chrysalis of Bundaberg.

“The accessibility to new, young unsigned talent online has given new life to the Australian music industry. Major Label capitalizes on online trends and local word of mouth to discover and give a leg up to unsigned Australian bands and these three new young acts are our most diverse signings to date” said Todd Wagstaff, General Manager of Major Label.

Head to the Major Label website to stream tracks from these hot new artists and learn more about them. And remember, if you want to get your band in on the Major Label action drop your demo into any General Pants store around the country.

Image used with permission from Peer Group Media

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Bateman’s Bay Great Southern Bluesfest Gets Big Names

It might not be as famous as Bluesfest in Byron Bay or Fremantle, but this year’s Great Southern Bluesfest in Bateman’s Bay is shaping up to be one impressive festival.

A third announcement has just seen Toni Childs, Mick Hart, Pink Martini, The Snowdroppers, and four more acts added to the bill. They join already confirmed starters like Todd Rundgren, Harry Manx, Dallas Frasca, Ben Kweller, and Lonnie Lee.

The Great Southern Bluesfest will take over Mackay Park from October 1 to 3. It sounds like an excellent excuse for a South Coast holiday to me!

Image source: The Harbour Agency

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Download Guy Sebastian for Free!

Life’s been hard lately for Guy Sebastian fans. We know he’ll be back soon for The X Factor, and we wish him every success on the international stage, but it’s pretty tough to have him spending so much time in the United States these days! To reward your patience, you can now download “Never Hold You Down,” one of the fab tracks from Guy’s massive Like It Like That album for free. Just click the widget below to get in on the fun!

That should make your Sunday so much sweeter!

<a href="http://guysebastian.bandcamp.com/track/never-hold-you-down">Never Hold You Down by Guy Sebastian</a>

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jonesez Needs Your Help To Make Best Basement Video for “Best Friends”

The singles are coming thick and fast from Jonesez. Just a month after releasing “Be That Guy,” he’s unleashing “Best Friends,” the second single from the album Betty’s Soup, which will hit stores on August 6.

The single is an ode to one of Jonesez’ pals who sold pot to pay his university fees. It’s a surprisingly charming tribute to the unlikeliest of drug dealers.

The film clip will be the third in Jonesez’s Basement Videos series. He’s asking for our help to make it the best ever. Head to Kickstarter or click the widget below to donate; a $5 pledge will see your name in the film clip’s credits, while one of $1750 will earn you Jonesez’s own beloved Fender Telecaster! There are plenty of other rewards up for grabs too, so give what you can to help Jonesez pay for props, lighting, and all the other stuff that signed artists get for free!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Triky Releases Two Albums and Scores Slot in New York Comp

Sydney DJ Triky must be one of the hardest working folks in the dance industry. He’s just released not one, but two, new albums and scored a slot in a major US competition.

The first album, Electric, features 12 high-energy tunes with thumping bass lines. It picks up where Triky’s first studio releases Tweaked and Permanent Damage left off, but pushes the dance envelope that much further. Then there’s Filtered, which is described as “an exploration in BPM with tracks ranging from 140 to 150 BPM.” The experimental project takes Triky in an exciting new direction. Both albums are released through Triky Entertainment and distributed via MGM/Green Media Distribution.

On the back of these album releases Triky has earned a spot at New York’s M.E.A.N.Y. Fest. This competition, which is staged in iconic venues like Gramercy Theater and the Bowery Poetry Club, could net Triky time in a recording studio, a digital distribution deal, and much more.

We wish him all the best of luck in the comp!

Image used with permission from Azure PR