Canadian sensation Basia Bulat is currently wowing crowds at Woodford Folk Festival, but if you haven’t got a ticket, you’re in luck. She’ll also play sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne once the festival wraps up.
If you’re not already acquainted with Basia’s music, let her latest single “Your Girl” be your introduction. Our first taste of her forthcoming album Are You in Love? it oozes with warmth and optimism. There’s a light about Basia’s voice that shines through, even when her songs have an element of pathos as this one does. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be hooked after one listen.
“I wrote ‘Your Girl’ during a snowstorm in Montreal and recorded it under the warm desert sun in Joshua Tree,” she recounted. “Someone once told me you can’t sing and cry at the same time but that wasn’t true for me when we were recording this one. There’s joy in finally being free from a painful situation, relief, laughter—even as it feels impossible to ever forget the pain or understand why that storm came through your life the way it did. And so, light on your feet, you dance with the memory instead. If you’re listening to this song and understand what I mean, know that I’m singing with you as we’re dancing in that swirling wind.”
Basia Bulat will play the following local venues while she’s in Australia. Don’t miss this superb Canadian act while she’s on our shores!
2 January 2020 – Low 302, Sydney
4 January 2020 – Wesley Anne, Melbourne
5 January 2020 – Esplanade Hotel, Melbourne
The New Year has a way of sneaking up on us. We get so focused making plans for Christmas that the next year is here before we know it, and our social calendars are bare. Don’t let it happen to you! 2020 is a leap year, which means you definitely want to make that rare February 29 a day to remember. That means you should definitely put the 2020 Grampians Music Festival on your radar.
The festival is in for a bumper year in 2020 with a diverse lineup including indie darling Julia Jacklin, Ecca Vandal, These New South Whales, DRMNGNOW, Maddy Jane, Raave Tapes, and heaps more.
“I’m very proud of this lineup and what it says about the Grampians Music Festival,” said festival organiser, Carly Fleckoe “We are blessed to have this much talent on our bill! Julia Jacklin has hit her straps both here and overseas, and her from-the-heart songwriting style is pure magic. Alongside Ecca Vandal and These New South Whales rounding out the top of the bill is a blend of an incredible mix of the artists that are making waves in Australia at the moment. It’s going to make for a very special weekend.”
The Grampians Music Festival will return to Halls Gap on February 28 and 29. Then on March 1, the GMF Emerging Artist Stages will return to local pubs and taverns, giving you plenty of reasons to extend your regional Victorian getaway. Tickets are on sale now through OzTix.
Summer is festival time, a time for welcoming some big international talents to our shores and discovering some brand new artists. The Brother Brothers fall into the latter category, but they’ve quickly become a favourite of mine with their beautiful folky music and the sort of sublime harmonies that only come when siblings join forces. Their debut album Some People I Know dropped in 2018, but the American identical twins are only just making it to our part of the world.
David Moss plays cello and guitar while his brother Adam plays the five-string fiddle. They both write and sing with an uncomplicated style that is such a welcome throwback. Take a listen to their song “Colorado” and just see if it doesn’t give you chills.
The Brother Brothers will play selected festivals and headlining shows over the next few weeks, starting with Woodford later this month. Catch them at all the following venues!
29 December 2019 – 1 January 2020 – Woodford Folk Festival, Woodford
3 January 2020 – Old Museum, Brisbane
4 January 2020 – Dorrigo Gazette Theatre, Dorrigo
5 January 2020 – Live n Cookin’ @ Lizotte’s, Newcastle
7 January 2020 – The Vanguard, Sydney
8 January 2020 – Smith’s Alternative, Canberra
9 January 2020 – The Spotted Mallard, Melbourne
10-12 January 2020 – Cygnet Folk Festival, Cygnet
14 January 2020 – Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart
15 January 2020 – Adventure Bay Hall, Adventure Bay
16 January 2020 – Mountain Mojo, Sheffield
17-19 January 2020 – Illawarra Folk Festival NSW, Illawarra
We’re all thinking about summer holidays, including Bootleg Rascal. They haven’t released any new material since selling out shows on their Yin & Yang Australian and New Zealand tour, but they’re already set to hit the road again on their Summer Vacay tour. This time around the lads will follow the sunshine and stop in more regional centres along with the familiar capitals, ensuring more Aussies can see them do what they do best.
“Touring in more remote areas has always been something close to our hearts,” says guitarist Jimmy Young. “We get the chance to bring the show to music fans who might not get the opportunity to catch as much live music than those in major cities.”
Make sure you arrive early enough for the support acts, as Bootleg Rascal have handpicked some of the best up-and-comers you’ll ever year.
There’ll also be some “totally cooked” crowd participation games from Bobby Dazzler’s Sideshow Alley between artist sets. If you’ve ever wanted to play Pinger Pinata, Pin the Toupee on Trump, or Wheel of Misfortune, you know where to go.
Tickets are on sale now from Bootleg Rascal’s website. Given the enthusiastic reception for the last tour, you’ll want to get them sooner rather than later!
9 January 2020 – Sooki Lounge, Belgrave (with Fresh Violet and R.em.edy)
10 January 2020 – The Grand, Mornington (with Fresh Violet and R.em.edy)
11 January 2020 – SS&A, Albury (with support acts TBA)
17 January 2020 – Miranda Hotel, Miranda (with A.Girl and Timi Temple)
18 January 2020 – Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle (with A.Girl and Timi Temple)
19 January 2020 – Park House, Mona Vale (with A.Girl and Grace Grove)
24 January 2020 – Miama Marketta, Gold Coast (with Drop Legs and Saint Lane)
25 January 2020 – The Northern, Byron Bay (with Drop Legs and Saint Lane)
26 January 2020 – Sol Bar, Maroochydore (with Venice Queens and Saint Lane)
30 January 2020 – Jive Bar, Adelaide (with Richysand and Alex Hosking)
31 January 2020 – Settlers Tavern, Margaret River (with T$oko and The Bambuseae Rhythm Section)
1 February 2020 – Indi Bar, Perth (with T$oko and The Bambuseae Rhythm Section)
2 February 2020 – Mojos, Fremantle (with T$oko and The Bambuseae Rhythm Section)
7 February 2020 – The Beery, Terrigal (with Nelipot, Saint Spook, and Deadshowws)
8 February 2020 – Transit Bar, Canberra (with Liv Li and Muddy Wolfe)
Break, Rattle and Roll was one of my favourite releases of 2018. I still find myself coming back to it periodically, like an old friend that’s comforting, familiar, and so good to spend time with. Now Matt Joe Gow is reminding us just how good one of its tracks, “Light My Way” is with an acoustic reimagining.
If you’ve read my blog for any period of time, you’ll know just how up my alley this is. When you strip a song back you get to appreciate its essence, its lyrics, its simple melody without the big production. Recorded in Matt’s new studio “The Woolshed,” this single does down easy.
Matt Joe Gow is ringing in the new year with a string of headlining slots and festival appearances. Catch him at the following venues in the coming months.
6 December 2019 – Music On The Hill @ Red Hill Pavilion, Red Hill (with The Dusty Millers)
7 December 2019 – Bayview Country Art Club, Bittern (with Andrew Swift)
21 December 2019 – Buster Greens, Dunedin
3 January 2020 – Western Weekender @ Spotted Mallard, Melbourne
4 January 2020 – Bayview Country Picnic Festival @ Bayview Country Art Club, Bittern
14-16 February 2020 – Riverboats Festival, Echuca
Aussie expat Lucas Laufen casts a spell with his new single, “I Know Where Silence Lives.” It’s a beautiful folky number inspired by Lucas’s experience watching the ocean from a bird-watching tower on the border of the Netherlands and Germany.
“It was the first time I’d seen the sea in months and I remember thinking, ‘this is where silence lives’,” he recalled. “The wind was super strong so it wasn’t actually silent but I felt at home with the salt spray and no one around. So it’s silence relating to peace as opposed to real acoustic silence.”
Much like the song itself, the songwriting process was a bit of a slow-burn.
“When I was growing up, my father would always wake up at 5:30 am to find a quiet place before the rest of the world woke up. I’d see him wandering down the beach by himself and I never really understood what he was doing. While writing this song I finally understood the reason for this and feel that I’ve grown to seek these moments out like my father did,” he added. “The song spans a one-year writing process, which is strange for me. I usually find it hard to hold onto an emotion for this long and a song will lose its meaning if it’s drawn out for this amount of time. It was my way of looking through his life and trying to understand him. I found that we are very similar people and hold this thought as an anchor when I’m trying to figure out when I’m going with my life.”
The film clip expands on Lucas’ original idea, telling the story of a woman who leaves city life to find her own quiet place in the Norwegian countryside.
“We purposefully begin the video with a greyish look and feel, the actress, Leona Grundig, is obviously sick of traffic and noise, the colours of her clothes are nondescript and she looks like she’s in the wrong place,” explained the director, Dennis Schischke. “Her mood lifts the closer she gets to her destination, the colours of her clothing changes and the colour grading is more saturated. Within the video there are three portraits of her, the last one shows the end of her journey and her reaction to finally finding her own silence.”
“I Know Where Silence Lives” is the title track from Lucas Laufen’s new album, which drops on December 6. He’ll play a string of shows around Europe in the coming months to support its release.
14 December 2019 – Privatclub, Berlin
30 January 2020 – L’Atelier, Basel
1 February 2020 – Chur Unplugged, Chur
3 February 2020 – Sofar Sounds, Paris
5 February 2020 – Cafe De Loge, Ghent
6 February 2020 – Cafe Litteraire Le Bovary, Luxembourg
9 February 2020 – Cafe de Witte, Assen
17 February 2020 – Viertal Bar, Wuppertal
18 February 2020 – Schlosskeller, Darmstadt
19 February 2020 – Lolita Bar, Kassel
20 February 2020 – Altes Wettburo, Dresden
21 February 2020 – Moritzhof, Magdeburg
22 February 2020 – Wohnzimmermucke, Bayreuth
24 February 2020 – Inspire, Chemnitz
25 February 2020 – Horns Erben, Leipzig
27 February 2020 – Stubenkonzerte, Aarau
28 February 2020 – La Cyma, Winterthur
2 March 2020 – Rififi, Innsbruck
3 March 2020 – Das Wohnzimmer, Klagenfurt
4 March 2020 – Guest Room, Graz
5 March 2020 – Rhiz, Wien
7 March 2020 – Foxis/Fuxbau, Freistadt
9 March 2020 – FOX, Munchen
10 March 2020 – Cafe Manheim, Nuremberg
11 March 2020 – Viertelkultur, Wurzburg
12 March 2020 – Kulturcafe Lichtung, Koln
16 March 2020 – Tonfink, Lubeck
17 March 2020 – Pony Bar, Hamburg
Image used with permission from Guerilla Music Promotion; credit: Jordan Kirk
As bushfires blaze and politicians squabble, it’s easy to get frustrated with the state of the world. However, Anna Smyrk offers some optimism in the dark times with her latest single “Alight.”
Anna wrote the song a couple of years ago while living in the Solomon Islands, but listening to her reminisce it seems not a lot has changed in the world.
“There was so much going on in world politics making me miserable, and in the Solomon Islands I was seeing first-hand what it looks like as the world starts to go underwater,” she explained. During that time she found solace in the book “Hope in the Dark,” by American activist Rebecca Solnit.
“I wanted to write a song that conveyed the feeling this book gave me,” Anna said. “It talks about how hope can be an axe we can use to break down doors. Hopeful actions can seem meaningless against all the darkness and uncertainty, but the book shows how, historically, those small acts have added up to huge changes.”
Anna recorded the track in a Central Victorian farmhouse on a hot summer’s day. The track features some of her oldest friends on violin, banjo, dobro, double bass and drums and her sister on backing vocals. They play supporting roles, but you can hear the influence of loved ones in the warmth of this song.
Making the song a truly global affair, Anna shot the video in an abandoned mansion in Tagaytay, Philippines, with award-winning Phillipino film-makers Sheron Dayoc and Sonny Calvento.
“Alight” comes from Anna’s second EP, Swim, which is available through all good digital platforms. She’s taking a break from her advocacy work abroad to play shows all around the country in the New Year.
16-19 January 2020 – Illawarra Folk Festival, Illawarra Jan 16-19, 2019
26 & 27 January 2020 – Newstead Live Music Festival, Newstead
6 February 2020 – Terang Live 2 Terang Commercial Hotel, Terang
7 February 2020 – Wheatsheaf Hotel, Adelaide
8 February 2020 – Stone Pony, Adelaide
Press Club can do no wrong in my eyes, or by my ears. Their energy and passion is absolutely infectious. Their lyrics are so relatable. In short, they’re bloody awesome. All of the things I love about them are showcased in their latest single “Separate Houses.”
The film clip was captured on the band’s recent UK and European tour. With guitarist Greg Rietwyk behind the camera, it takes you to Scotland, England, and continental Europe.
“Separate Houses” is the first track on Press Club’s recently-released sophomore album Wasted Energy. If you still haven’t got your ears around this one, what are you waiting for? Press Club are bringing punters songs from that album and some old favourites on their current tour. They’re in fine form, after recently wrapping up that UK and European tour, so make sure you catch them this time around.
8 November 2019 – The Gaso, Melbourne
9 November 2019 – Hobart Brewing Company, Hobart
15 November 2019 – Torquay Hotel, Torquay
16 November 2019 – The Westerport, San Remo
21 November 2019 – Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide
22 November 2019 – Pelly Bar, Frankston
29 November 2019 – Sooki Lounge, Belgrave
30 November 2019 – The Zoo, Brisbane
5 December 2019 – Dunsborough Hotel, Dunsborough
6 December 2019 – Lucy’s Love Shack, Perth
Image used with permission from Little Giant Agency; Photo credit: Ian Laidlaw
With The Carbons preparing to touch down for some East Coast shows next week, it’s the perfect time to introduce you to this Western Canadian rock act. Canada is a little like Australia with an insular music that often doesn’t break outside the nation. However, their new track “Comforts That Kill” is just the kind of raucous rock track that would go down a treat in any Aussie pub. While it’s perfectly paired with your bevvy of choice, the lyrics explore the darker side of addiction.
“Whether it’s alcohol or narcotics, substance addiction affects millions of people around the world,” the band explained. “Much like the effects of the substances, Comforts That Kill uncovers the topic of addiction in a multi-climactic, clean and distorted rock ride.”
While they haven’t broken here yet, The Carbons are known back home for their explosive live sets. See what all the fuss is about at the following gigs.
7 November 2019 – Footstomp Party @ El Sol, Cronulla
8 November 2019 – Australian Music Week Showcase @ El Sol, Cronulla
9 November 2019 – Frankies Pizza, Sydney
27 November 2019 – Triffid Beer Garden, Brisbane (SOLO)
Melbourne music maker Eaglemont unpacks queerness in her latest track, “Heteronormative Nightmare.” I love its insightful, witty lyrics and those fuzzy rock guitars.
Eaglemont sets the scene for the single. “Picture this. You’re in the back of a limousine, your mum’s taken you to Myer to get your makeup done, you have a corsage on your wrist and you’re seated next a handsome formal date surrounded by your peers, a more perfect picture could not be painted. Alas a stark realisation dawns upon you. You’re stuck in a Heteronormative Nightmare and you’re gay.”
Eaglemont is currently travelling all over the country supporting Bec Sandridge. Never one for sitting still, she’s also got her own single launch shows and a few other gigs besides ahead. Catch her in all the following places over the coming months.
18 October 2019 – Rocket Bar, Adelaide (supporting Bec Sandridge)
19 October 2019 – Howler, Melbourne (supporting Bec Sandridge)
25 October 2019 – The Lansdowne, Sydney (supporting Bec Sandridge)
26 October 2019 – UC Hub, Canberra (supporting Bec Sandridge)
8 – 10 November 2019 – Not Fest @ The Tote, Collingwood
8 November 2019 – UOW Unibar, Wollongong (supporting Bec Sandridge)
15 November 2019 – Major Toms, Kyneton (single launch)
16 November 2019 – The Eastern, Ballarat (single launch)
22 November 2019 – Howler, Brunswick (supporting Bugs)
30 November 2019 – The Grace Darling Basement, Collingwood (single launch)
