Melburnians, your Saturday night plans are sorted. Local indie-folk quartet Sleepy Dreamers will be officially launching their sophomore EP Local Football at The Penny Black in Brunswick on November 29, and they’d love to see you there.
The five-track recording features the stellar singles “Bike Song” and “Hunk.” Empty wallets are no excuse, as entry is free. The music kicks off at 9:30, so be there or be square!
Category: Album Releases
Paul Kelly Gets Soulful
If you’re stuck for Christmas gift ideas, either for your nearest and dearest or for yourself as a reward for all that time spent shopping, then consider some Paul Kelly swag. He’s about to release The Merri Soul Sessions, a soul and gospel album which sees Paul performing with some of his best friends in the business including Dan Sultan, Vika and Linda Bull, Kira Puru, and Clairy Browne. It’s something new for Paul, who’s better known for his folkier leanings, but with such talent on board you can’t go wrong.
The Merri Soul Sessions, Paul’s 20th studio release, is currently available for pre-order through his website, ahead of its December 12 release. However, if you really want to get something special I suggest heading to the PledgeMusic site where you can secure a 7” vinyl box set or 12” vinyl deluxe box set.
If you feel like buying a good night out, then why not grab some tickets for Paul’s national tour, happening this January? They’re on sale now.
9 January 2015 – Opening Party of Sydney Festival, Parramatta
10 January 2015 – Summer of Soul Festival, Mossvale
16 January 2015 – MONA FOMA @ Princes Wharf, Hobart
17 January 2015 – Sundown Sessions @ Scarborough Park, Scarborough
21 January 2015 – Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre, Tamworth
22 January 2015 – The Tivoli, Brisbane (seated)
23 January 2015 – The Tivoli, Brisbane (standing)
31 January 2015 – Norwood Concert Hall, Adelaide
6 February 2015 – Taronga Zoo, Sydney NSW
7 February 2015 – Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne VIC
10 & 11 February 2015 – Darwin Entertainment Centre, Darwin
Guy Pearce Flexes His Creative Muscles with “Broken Bones”
Most of us know Guy Pearce as Aussie acting royalty, but he’s actually a pretty decent musician. This Jack of all Trades has just released his debut album Broken Bones. It features a brand new single “Taste,” which showcases his husky vocals and knack for catchy melodies beautifully.
“‘Taste’ digs into that illusive thing we call “identity”, and who we think we are, versus who we actually are – whatever that even means,” he explained in a press release. “We’re so malleable and contradictory at times, it’s often hard to be objective.”
Guy will play two launch shows to promote the release of Broken Bones. Wednesday’s show at The Toff is all sold out, but there are a handful of general admission tickets for The Basement on Wednesday, November 19, still available.
Christine Anu Celebrates Festive Season with “Island Christmas”
I love Christmas. It’s only November but I’ve already started my Christmas shopping. I’ll be dragging out my decorations and Christmas CDs once my husband breaks down and decides it’s no longer too early. But I must admit, I feel about silly singing about winter wonderlands and sleigh bells in the snow when the mercury’s soaring. So I was thrilled to learn that Christine Anu is releasing her much more Aussie-friendly festive album Island Christmas tomorrow.
The album features duets with Steve Clisby and Jay Laga’aia, and even a cameo from her own kids Kuiam and Zipporah on the title track.
“I wrote the title track when my kids and their friends and cousins were quite young – we love singing – and I’d always get them to sing along with me. So even though they’re now a lot older, the inclusion of their voices on the album is incredibly nostalgic for me – it’s what Christmas is all about, in creating and recalling special memories each year,” said Christine in a press release.
“The song is a little tongue-in-cheek, with Aussie slang sound bites from Australian poetry and prose, conjuring up images of a unique summer Christmas spent at the beach, with family and friends, meeting up again for that one special time of the year.”
Look out for Island Christmas in stores tomorrow.
DXHeaven Goes Old School with “All The Time”
I’m an unashamed child of the 80s. Modern music might have generally moved on, but when I hear some synths and some earnest pop vocals I get weak at the knees. DXHeaven has delivered all that and more with his new single “All The Time.” The track is lifted from the Melbourne muso’s debut EP Aftertouch, which drops tomorrow.
I love its lush layers and the way DXHeaven’s smoother than chocolate vocals anchors it so beautifully. If you like what you hear too, get out and support DXHeaven when he launches the EP for his hometown fans at Hugs & Kisses on November 20.
Hamish Anderson Returns Home
It takes a special someone to score the support slot for a legend like BB King. Someone like Melbourne born guitarist and songwriter Hamish Anderson.
Before he warms up the stage for BB, Hamish will be back on home soil to support the release of his swampy, sexy new single “Burn” and his new EP Restless, which hits stores on November 7. Hamish said he “wanted the recording to capture the sound, to be like a Polaroid. Imperfections and all.” And isn’t that refreshing in this day of autotune?
Hamish is basing himself in the U.S. now, so this is a rare chance to see this Australian-born talent performing. Tickets are on sale now for the following shows.
13 November 2014 – Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne
20 November 2014 – Side Bar @ Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
21 November 2014 – Oaf Sydney, Sydney
26 November 2014 – The Bearded Lady, Brisbane (FREE)
The Riptides Finally Release Debut Album, 30 Years After Recording It
If ever there was a story about perseverance, it’s the story of The Riptides. The Brisbane-born band are preparing to release their debut album Tombs of Gold this week, 30 years after it was recorded.
That’s no typo. The band finally got the financing they needed to take their music to the masses after a successful PledgeMusic campaign. It’s stories like this that make me love the capabilities of the internet.
For those of you who don’t know, The Riptides quickly became darlings of the Sydney music scene when they relocated in 1980. They drew big crowds and gained a reputation as one of the nation’s best live music acts. They did it old school, funding time in the studio, booking and running their live shows, and even building their own PA system in their own truck. Then they signed a record deal and the metaphorical wheels fell off. Mark Callaghan moved on to GANGgajang and The Riptides became a distant memory.
Thankfully now it’s 2014, and the internet has helped musicians and their fans forge connections outside of the industry. Mark reacquired the rights to that album and set about finally getting it into the hands of those loyal fans. The PledgeMusic campaign helped not just to distribute the album, but to transfer those analogue tapes to a digital format for remixing.
“The album is finally finished and sounds just like I always wanted it to,” Mark explained. “It was recorded in our prime but thanks to these great mixes, it also sounds like it could have been recorded this year”.
The release of Tombs of Gold on October 31 should appeal to fans new and old, with digital, CD, and limited edition gold vinyl LP versions available. You can preorder your preferred version on the PledgeMusic campaign page.
Image used with permission from Revolutions per Minute
Citizen Kay Makes Powerful Statement with “Freedoom”
I was really impressed with Citizen Kay when he burst onto the scene a couple of years ago. Rap isn’t usually my genre of choice, but I loved the way he blended it with big funky brass and created tracks brimming with positivity. He’s gone a bit darker with his latest song “Freedoom,” but I really appreciate the message behind it. I don’t normally post big slabs of quotes but I think Citizen Kay explains how the song came about better than anything I could write.
“’Freedoom’ is a song I’d actually written around the same time as Manage but it was so, so different to anything else I’d ever written around that time because it was inspired so differently to any other track I’d written,” Citizen Kay explained in a press release. “I was searching the net pointlessly one day, watching news reports around the world and random videos etc. when I clicked on a news story from America about some gang on gang/black on black shootings that had happened in a local area and how they’d escalated to the point where innocent people were being shot and killed simply because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“Now being someone that’s lived in Australia for most of my life, I’ve always found these things almost unbelievable. As I was watching this news documentary there was one guy in particular being interviewed about his thoughts on everything and how the community could better itself and absolutely everything he talked about he used the word ‘we.’ After a bit the reporter picked up on it and asked why he kept saying ‘we’ and if it implied that he had any part of it and he responded with something along the lines of ‘Yeah, I have a part in it … you have a part in it and everyone on the planet has a part in it.’ He went on to explain that these things will never stop until ‘we’ make the true and conscious effort to strive for peace.
“There were more specifics about black people killing fellow ‘brothers’ as well for the most part of the video and from that I began writing lyrics but doing so from their perspective (particularly the one guy in the interview). I thought about what he might say if he was the one writing the song and ‘Freedoom’ is what came from it. It’s heart-breaking to see any sort of unnecessary violence anywhere or to anyone so although the song really had nothing to specifically do with me, it actually meant a lot more to me that a lot of other songs I’d written and that’s simply because it’s probably one of the only songs I’ve written completely from someone else’s shoes but still somehow, at the same time felt like it could have been me.”
“Freedoom” comes from Demokracy, a mini-album set for digital and CD release on November 7. Citizen Kay will celebrate its release with his own shows ahead of supporting Ice Cube on his sold-out shows around the country.
1 November 2014 – Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane
7 November 2014 – Cats @ Rocket Bar, Adelaide
8 November 2014 – Laundry Bar, Melbourne
21 November 2014 – Academy, Canberra
28 November 2014 – The Roller Den, Sydney
29 November 2014 – CoLAB Festival @ Oak Lawn, UWA, Nedlands
Inventions Do Things Differently
Melbourne band Inventions chose their name because they never want to sit still. It’s the brainchild of frontman Jake Leaney, who spent time auditioning musicians who could help bring his video to life. Together they honed their unique blend of alternative-rock, pop, and punk for 12 months before unleashing their debut EP.
The epic lead single “Shadows” gives you a taste of what this band’s all about. It’s big and gutsy, perhaps even to the point of being melodramatic. But it doesn’t do things by halves, and I like that.
Inventions will celebrate the EP and single releases with a string of shows that kick off tomorrow night in their home town.
2 October 2014 – The Curtin, Melbourne
8 October 2014 – The Rosemount Hotel, Perth
10 October 2014 – Ya-Ya’s, Perth
11 October 2014 – YMCA HQ, Perth
23 October 2014 – The Crown & Anchor, Adelaide
1 November 2014 – The Evelyn Hotel, Melbourne
2 November 2014 – Wrangler Studios, Melbourne (ALL AGES)
6 November 2014 – Rad, Wollongong
8 November 2014 – Valve Bar, Sydney
Twinsy Get us Through Monday with “Tear it Down”
Mondayitis can hit hard, but Ballarat trio Twinsy are here to help you get through it with their single “Tear It Down.” The anthemic single is a real winner, with melodic hooks, driving drumbeats, and a sing-along chorus. It’s our first taste of Twinsy’s new EP Espiritus, which is due out on October 31.
“’Tear It Down’ started coming together while on tour, somewhere between New York and Washington and we ended up finishing it in a tent the day before we played Splendour in the Grass,” explained one third of the group, Guy Chappell.
Has “Tear It Down” impressed you?
Image used with permission from Dew Process