Queensland’s Cub Scouts are taking us back to our youth with the ’90s inspired video for their latest single “Told You So.”
Honestly I think the song’s a bit sleepy, but the clip featuring Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Bubble-O Bill totally saves it. Do you think it’s a winner?
Charlie Horse wowed me with their debut single “Dead Roses,” so I was thrilled to catch up with one half of the band recently. Read on to see what Paul McDonald had to say about his duo’s debut album, their musical influences, and the need for “creative isolation.”
When I heard your single “Dead Roses,” I was struck by its classic sound, so I wasn’t surprised to hear you were influenced by listening to your parents’ Johnny Cash and Neil Young records. What is it about that music that really revs you?
Well, you summed it up right there; it is timeless classic music. I spent most of the ’90s coming from that school of art, have a different guitar in a different tuning for every song and then carry nine guitars with you on tour and at least five of them had to be Fender Jazzmasters and Jaguars. I started to think, are we just being clever for the sake of it and is this just sonic posing? I am not sure if you know much about music theory and chord structures, but it is generally deemed uncool to write a song that goes E, A, D but any song that is considered “classic” tends to have very simple chord structures. And we didn’t go E, A, D with Dead Roses, we went D, A, E, so how avant garde are we?
What was it about “Dead Roses” that made you want to release it?
I suppose people hassling me saying “this has to be the single,” ha! I was looking at releasing something a bit more obscure but got out voted by the band. What would I know? I do really enjoy playing it live as it tends to connect with a lot of the fans. It’s nice to have people singing the lyrics with you.
The single comes from your album I Hope I’m Not a Monster. I love the title. What’s the story behind it?
I was getting the train up to the studio when I noticed somebody had scratched “I hope I am not a sea monster” into the back of the train seat. I mean who does that, and what does it even mean? It had to be the album title.
I hear that you recorded the album in your studio in the Blue Mountains, because “creative isolation” is really important for you. Why is that?
Well, we started the album in East Balmain on Darling St. Not a lot of isolation there. Then we did some writing in Bread St in Edinburgh near the castle. Not a lot of isolation there as it is in the seedy side of Edinburgh, lots of strip clubs and drunks. So we packed up and took to the Mountains. It is important to us not to listen to trends and the opinions of all the experts. Give somebody a laptop and an e-mail account and they will want to tell you what you shoulda, coulda and woulda be doing wrong or right. The music we play does not come from any scene or desire to be cool, so that kind of counts us out of the race for a lot of things now … hah. Nobody dictates to the Drones or Jack Ladder what they should sound and look like. Well maybe they do, but I am guessing they don’t listen either.
Saritah spreads good vibes with “Tears of Joy,” the lead single from her soon to be released debut album Dig Deep.
This is just the kind of song we all need to get out of the funk that’s come with this extended winter. It’s a gorgeous blend of reggae, pop, and soul that’s instantly accessible without being lightweight.
There’s much more of that to come on Dig Deep, an album which brings together tracks Saritah penned in a Mozambique beach shack, a caravan in Canada, and her hometown of Melbourne. With such global influences it’s only fitting that Saritah recorded it in California, her home away from home for the last two years.
Saritah’s been creating a real buzz in North America, and now it’s our chance to see what this homegrown talent’s all about. Saritah will return home to launch Dig Deep, which hits record stores on November 9.
1 November 2012 – The Beach Hotel, Byron Bay (FREE)
2 November 2012 – Mandala Organic Arts, Mermaid Beach
3 November 2012 – FullMoon Dance, Verrierdale Hall, Sunshine Coast
4 November 2012 – Call Out Collaboration Festival @ Greenslopes Bowls Club, Brisbane
9 November 2012 – The Fly By Night Club, Fremantle
10 November 2012 – Settlers Tavern, Margaret River (FREE)
15 November 2012 – Eclipse Festival, Far North QLD
22 November 2012 – Manly Boatshed, Manly
23 November 2012 – Rock Lily @ The Star, Sydney (FREE)
30 November 2012 – The Brunswick East, Melbourne
Today is Blog Action Day, a day when bloggers all around the world join forces to spread the word about social activism and global initiatves. As this year’s theme is The Power of We, I figured it was the perfect time to chat about the latest Key of Sea album. In 2010 we saw the release of the first Key of Sea album, a project which saw established Aussie artists paired with lesser known musicians that come from diverse cultural backgrounds but proudly call Australia home. This Friday, October 19, we’ll finally hear the second installment.
In The Key of Sea Volume 2 we see acts like Paul Kelly, Lanie Lane, Chet Faker, and David Bridie joining the just discovered talents. The lead single “Silence of the Guns”, which sees Jinja Safari collaborating with East African asylum seeker Kinfe and members of the Sudanese Australian Integrated Learning Program, gives you an idea what’s in store.
This is an album of great music, but it’s about much more than that. So it’s only fitting that it’s not simply a money-making exercise. All profits from The Key of Sea Volume 2 will be distributed amongst the Asylum Seeker Resource Center, Human Rights Arts and Film Festival, and Sudanese Australian Integrated Learning. Talk about the power of we! With the might of some great performers and the music-loving public, we can truly make a difference!
Feel like seeing something that’s hilariously wrong? Well feast your eyes on the music video for “Got No Soul,” the latest single from The Harlots. In it we see one man’s search for Miss Right thwarted by his affections for a children’s rocking horse. Just your average love story, isn’t it?
The clip’s more than a little bizarre, but that only makes this song that much sweeter. I love the gritty vocals and swaggering bass line. Make sure you catch those offbeat lyrics too!
After taking some time out from the biz, Red Ink are back with gusto with their brand new single “Empty Town,” the first lifted from their new album The Colour Age.
It seems like the self-imposed hiatus was a smart move for the Melbourne band. They appear to have rediscovered their love of making music. There’s definitely passion and joy in this tune, one of many the band penned on reuniting in a secluded beach house. I appreciated Red Ink before, but this song really takes things up a notch.
It’s great to have you back lads!
Melbourne singer-songwriter Charles Baby has well and truly charmed me with “A Happy Affair (With a Terrible Consequence),” the first cut from his debut album The End of the Terror Lights.
The record is the follow-up to Charles’ acclaimed 2010 EP Has Quiet Choruses, and the result of a year holed up in abandoned school halls in the Victorian countryside. These aren’t the most conventional places to record an album, but Charles Baby isn’t a guy who likes to follow the crowd!
If you’re digging the quirky lyrics and banjo melodies of “A Happy Affair” as much as me, make sure you see Charles Baby launching the single at Carlton’s The John Curtin Bandroom on October 27.
Melbourne band Lowlakes are giving us a taste of their forthcoming debut album with the release of their new single “Cold Company.” The band hasn’t reinvented the wheel here, but when do what they do so well, why go changing?
It seems their haunting songs have hit the right note for American audiences too, as the band has been invited to play New York’s acclaimed CMJ Music Festival and some showcases. But before they spread their wings, Lowlakes will launch the single for their hometown fans at the Ding Dong Lounge.
Here are all the places Aussie and American music lovers can see Lowlakes play this month.
13 October 2012 – Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne
17 October 2012 – Parkside Lounge, New York City
20 October 2012 – The Delancey, New York City
22 October 2012 – Pianos, New York City
25 October 2012 – Silverlake Lounge, Los Angeles
Humpdays can be pretty hard to handle, but they’re made better with intriguing music videos. And so for your viewing pleasure I bring you the clip for “Felusine,” the latest single from Sydney group Cogel’s forthcoming EP Nowhere Near.
If you like heads on sticks and awesome imagery, this is the clip for you! The epic song’s far from bad either! Hometown fans can see Cogel launching the EP on November 2 at the Beresford. You haven’t been forgotten either Melbournians and Brisbanites. Cogel promise to announce some launch dates in your parts soon!
We’ll need to wait until October 12 to hear Lisa Mitchell’s brand new album Bless This Mess, but the release of the title track should tide fans over. Lisa’s voice is as delicate as ever, but there’s real strength about the way she wields her guitar in this clip. Vocally they couldn’t be more different, but there’s something about Lisa’s sassier side that’s reminiscent of Melissa Etheridge. Either way, this gutsier song has me anticipating the album even more!