Tanzer has cast a spell over me with her truly original new single “Sleep.”
There isn’t a lot of music that’s as unique as this song. It defies convention. It’s like some kind of dark, trippy lullaby. I wasn’t sure I “got it” at first, and I’m still not sure I understand it completely but I’m drawn to it anyway. And Tanzer’s vocals, hushed and soothing at points, operatic at others, are undeniable. The film clip is also just as off-the-wall as the track.
Take a chance on this one. It’s really something special.
“Sleep” comes from Tanzer’s Four Love Songs by Tanzer EP, which is available for digital download or as a stunning red glittery heart-shaped vinyl album from Tanzer’s Bandcamp page.
Mondays are never kind at the best of times. But I’m having one of those Mondays that has me staring at my list of deadlines and thinking “Yeah, this cannot possibly get done.” If Monday is kicking your butt too, you’ll want to crank the Pierce Brothers‘ latest single.
“Take Me Out” is one of my favourite songs from The Pierce Brothers’ newie The Records Were Ours, a swampy, bluesy, foot-stomping track that has all the right ingredients to fire you up on this winter workday.
“We’ve been wanting to write a riff based blues track for a long time,” the Pierce Brothers said, “and ‘Take Me Out’ started with the riff first. We both got excited when we started it and we’re really happy with where we got it.”
The Pierce Brothers are just about the kick off their European tour. They’ll then head home for some shows before jetting off to the States. Where will you see them?
8 July 2017 – Cornbury Music Festival, Oxfordshire
9 July 2017 – Linton Music Festival, Ross-on-Wye
10 July 2017 – Thekla, Bristol
11 July 2017 – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
13 July 2017 – Studio 2, Liverpool
14 July 2017 – The Deaf Institute, Manchester
15 July 2017 – Zwarte Cross 2017, Lichtenvoorde
16 July 2017 – 4 Daagse, Nijmegen
22 July 2017 – Colours of Ostrava 2017, Ostrava
27 July 2017 – Dr Koncerthuset, Copenhagen
29 July 2019 – Stonerock Festival 2017, Bad Bentheim
6 August 2017 – Festival Esperanzah! 2017, Floreffe
11 August 2017 – Fairports Cropready Convention 2017, Banbury
25 August 2017 – Mojos, Fremantle
26 August 2017 – Settlers Tavern, Margaret River
31 August 2017 – Rocket Bar, Adelaide
1 September 2017 – Uno Bandroom, Geelong
2 September 2017 – Studio Theatre, Darwin
7 September 2017 – The Northern, Byron Bay
8 September 2017 – Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane
9 September 2017 – Solbar, Maroochydore
13 September 2017 – Sooki Lounge, Belgrave
14 September 2017 – The Grans, Mornington
15 September 2017 – 170 Russel, Melbourne
16 September 2017 – The Westernport Hotel, San Remo
22 September 2017 – The Warehouse, Newcastle
28 September 2017 – Danforth Music Hall, Toronto
29 September 2017 – Metropolis, Montreal
30 September 2017 – Paradise Rock Club, Boston
2 October 2017 – The Bowery Ballroom, New York
3 October 2017 – Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn
5 October 2017 – Union Transfer, Philadelphia
6 October 2017 – 9:30 Club, Washington
7 October 2017 – Newport Music Hall, Columbus
9 October 2017 – Thalia Hall, Chicago
10 October 2017 – Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis
11 October 2017 – The recordBar, Kansas City
16 October 2017 – Ogden Theater, Denver
18 October 2017 – The Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix
20 October 2017 – Fonda Theater, Hollywood
21 October 2017 – The Fillmore, San Francisco
23 October 2017 – Wonder Ballroom, Portland
24 October 2017 – Neptune Theater, Seattle
25 October 2017 – Commodore Theater, Vancouver
I’m feeling a little angsty this Saturday morning. I worked late last night and I’ve got so much on that I know I won’t get a chance to really enjoy my weekend the way they’re meant to be enjoyed. It’s not fun stuff either. Right now I’m wading my way through a rather depressing article on what a Trump presidency means for non-profit organisations in the United States. Moods like mine right now call for a song like “Coffee at Midnight” by Sydney trio Stand Atlantic.
With powerful vocals from frontwoman Bonnie Fraser and big crunchy chords, this is just the kind of attitude-filled number that I needed to hear right now. We’re likely to hear a lot more from the band too, because Stand Atlantic is the first Aussie act signed to Rude Records international roster.
“We are stoked and excited to welcome Stand Atlantic to the Rude Records family!” confirmed a Rude Records rep. “They are such talented young and ambitious artists, in addition to being super cool people. We are beyond thrilled that our paths have crossed and can’t wait to share their music with the world!”
Is “Coffee at Midnight” striking the right chord for your Saturday?
“At First Sight” is one of my favourite songs from the ‘80s. So I’m thrilled to see The Stems, the Perth band who brought it to you, are set to make a long-awaited return to the live scene this November.
The shows will celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Stems’ breakthrough debut First Sight Violets Are Blue, one of the best-selling albums of 1987 despite a lack of commercial airplay. Rediscover what made The Stems such an iconic Aussie act at the following shows.
9 November 2017 – Brisbane Hotel, Hobart
10 November 2017 – Croxton Bandroom, Melbourne
11 November 2017 – The Gov, Adelaide
17 November 2017 – Factory Theatre, Sydney
18 November 2017 – The Triffid, Brisbane
The band’s moniker might make you think of the United States, but Dear Seattle are proud to be part of Sydney’s music scene. The band creates punk rock that sounds as defiant as the genre should. The new single “Afterthought,” which comes from the band’s new EP, due out on July 14, is a glorious case in point.
Listen to this one and see if you’re not fired up as lead vocalist and guitarist Brae Fisher sings “Hope tells me that I’m getting somewhere soon.”
Dear Seattle has spent the last three years touring up and down the East Coast, so expect a tight live set at the following shows.
6 July 2017 – Hotel Tasmania, Launceston (with Kingswood)
7 July 2017 – Republic Bar, Hobart (with Kingswood)
28 July 2017 – Home Tavern, Wagga Wagga (with Kingswood)
29 July 2017 – SS&A, Albury (with Kingswood)
4 August 2017 – Brighton Up Bar, Sydney
5 August 2017 – Yah Yah’s, Melbourne
17 August 2017 – Moonshine Bar, Manly
18 August 2017 – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
19 August 2017 – Shaka Fest, Gold Coast
20 August 2017 – Rad Bar, Wollongong (ALL AGES)
Perth MC Coin Banks has joined forces with the mighty WAAPA Gospel Choir for his latest single “Forgive Us.”
I love the way Coin Banks’ rhymes works with the choir’s slick soulful harmonies and the band’s tight horns. Combining genres doesn’t always work, but this is pretty special. If it doesn’t put a smile on your face this Humpday, I don’t know what will!
“I think something that holds us back as a society is the inability to apologise and forgive, it is something so simple but something we all struggle with. Pride and fear hold us back from apologising, and at the same time holds us back from forgiving the people that have wronged us,” Coin Banks explained. “The song takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to this fairly serious issue.”
“Forgive Me” comes from Coin Banks’ new EP Outside Looking In, which drops on June 30.
When I attempted to stream “Owls,” the new single from last year’s Bank of Melbourne ‘Melbourne Music Bank’ winners Tempus Sun, on Spotify, it came up on an album called Listen Up Australian Volume 1, which was listed as “featuring the top ten songwriters in Australia.” As you can imagine, my curiosity was piqued and my expectations set high!
At first I wasn’t sure about the song. It was quite nice, with its gentle acoustic guitar and delicate vocal delivery, but I wasn’t really seeing what distinguished from the glut of solid folk music we have in this country. But I gave it time, as you should with any song, and it built into something exceptional.
So I urge you, give it time. This song just keeps getting stronger as the harmonies kick in and the instruments intensify. The message is also one that anyone who’s battled mental illness or been close to someone who has will identify with.
“Owls is about speaking up about our struggles. It’s a tune relatable to anyone with troubles, be it in the past or ongoing,” explained Tempus Sun’s lead guitarist Ed Borreomeo. “It was created with mental illness in mind and the intention of influencing people to just have a chat about it with someone. Coming from personal experience, something as simple as having a chat is very easy to disregard as helpful, or is easy to procrastinate on, but I found it to be the first step in combatting almost anything.”
“Owls” is the first single from Tempus Sun’s self-titled debut EP, which will drop on August 4. The band will launch “Owls” with a show for hometown fans at The Toff in Town on June 30.
I love a performer who has the confidence in her voice to have it exposed. Artists like this don’t hide behind a symphony of sound or studio wizardry. They’re comfortable with delicate arrangements, because they know their talent speaks for itself.
Anita Lester is one of those special artists. Her voice is accompanied by just a gentle piano for much of her new single “Last Day.” The effect is mesmerizing. Even when the strings kick in, her voice stands proud, anchoring the track so beautifully.
Anita penned “Last Day” at the beginning of a goodbye, and its lyrics so effectively explore the emotions that come when you know the end is near. The video, directed by her brother Yoav, is the ideal accompaniment to this song about emotional struggle.
Anita originally hails from Melbourne but she’s currently making waves in her adopted city of London. “Last Day” comes from her soon-to-be-released debut album.
I reviewed it last month, but The Lyrical drops his fantastic new EP King of Me tomorrow. The EP features incredible songs brimming with wisdom, including the awesome new single “Teach Me.”
“Some of us, as artists and musicians, don’t have all the answers or knowledge about things happening around us, but we need to be open to learn,” he explained of the song’s message. “There is a world full of important issues, and powerful stories to tell. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the entertainment side of things, that we forget about the message … Which, in my humble opinion, is just as important.”
The Lyrical will bring music from his EP to the masses later this month with shows on the East Coast and South Australia.
22 June 2017 – The Jack, Cairns
23 & 24 June 2017 – Magnums, Airlie Beach
30 June 2017 – Alex SLSC, Alex Head
1 July 2017 – Mt Gravatt Marketta, Brisbane
2 July 2017 – Hotel Brunswick, Brunswick Heads
8 July 2017 – The Penny Black, Melbourne
12 July 2017 – The Bridge Hotel, Langhorne Creek
13 July 2017 – Beach Hotel, Seaford
14 July 2017 – The Elephant British Pub, Adelaide
15 July 2017 – Slug n’ Lettuce, Parafield Gardens
21 July 2017 – Moonshine Bar, Manly Sydney
22 July 2017 – Tapp Bar Panthers, Port Macquarie
28 July 2017 – Pacific Hotel, Yamba
She’s Canadian-born, now based in Auckland, and she’s bringing her live show to Australia. Meet Tami Neilson, the powerful voice behind the new single “Holy Moses.”
“Holy Moses” is just one of the retro-inspired tracks from Tami’s killer new album Don’t Be Afraid. It effortlessly crosses genre, with soul, blues, and jazz influences combined in the best possible way. After acclaimed performances at Woman NZ, Auckland City Limits, and Nashville Americana Fest recently, Tami is in fine form.
She’ll play just three shows along the East Coast in August. Discover her before the rest of the world knows what a talent Tami is!
18 August 2017 – The Flamin’ Galah, Brisbane
19 August 2017 – Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne
20 August 2017 – The Basement, Sydney
