Brisbane band Pigeon are back with another killer single, “Encounters”. They’ve brought back the sax that I loved in “All That Bad”, and a chorus you’ll find yourself singing along to by the time the video’s done. It’s not quite mellow enough to be chill-out music, but unless your head is really pounding you’ll find this is a perfect Sunday soundtrack.
Category: Video
Vaudeville Smash! Release Debut Album
Melbourne’s Vaudeville Smash! are bringing back New Wave sounds with the release of their debut album Dancing for the Girl.
The fun single “Look at Me” gives us a taste of the album, which hit stores yesterday. It’s got a gorgeous blend of dance and pop that makes children of the ‘80s like me feel all warm and nostalgic.
Vaudeville Smash! will kick off their Dancing for the Girl tour in Adelaide next month before they travel up and down the East Coast. With the band generating major buzz in North America, it might be our last chance to see them for a while!
8 June 2013 – Jive Bar, Adelaide
14 June 2013 – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
21 June 2013 – UTS Glasshouse Bar, Sydney
22 June 2013 – The Beresford, Sydney
27 June 2013 – The Loft, Chevron Island
28 June 2013 – Sol Bar, Maroochydore
29 June 2013 – The Joynt, Brisbane
30 June 2013 – Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Brittany Cairns Back with “Behind the Scenes”
All eyes are firmly on the new crop of The Voice contestants, but it’s worth noting that some of last year’s finalists are carving out credible careers away from the glare of the television cameras. One such talent is Brittany Cairns, who’s just released her new single “Behind the Scenes”.
If you’re a Taylor Swift fan, you’re going to love this. There are similar sweet vocals and the diary-style narrative recounting the optimism of young love feels very familiar. It’s pretty inoffensive stuff and it’s not likely to change the world, but that’s not a criticism. It takes real talent to create a song so accessible. Brittany’s had a little help from Rod Conley on that score, but she’s clearly got some songwriting chops. I’m looking forward to hearing more from Brittany when she releases her debut EP later this year.
Atlas Genius Poised to Conquer America
Adelaide double act Atlas Genius might just have what it takes to be our next big export. The lads are putting in the hard yards now after the recent release of their debut album When It Was Now.
The album showcases the pop sensibilities and synth-laden riffs that had crowds buzzing at South by Southwest. You can get a taste of all that with the band’s latest video “Centered on You”.
South by Southwest was months ago, but it seems Atlas Genius are in no rush to return to home shores either, as they’ve got a stack of shows coming up around the US and Europe. They’ll even appear on The Late Show with David Letterman on May 2 (or May 3 Australian time). Make sure you set your PVRs Aussies! Here are all the places music lovers abroad can see them play. Hopefully we won’t lose this hot new act permanently!
3 May 2013 – Penguin in Soho, New York (Free All Ages Acoustic Show)
4 May 2013 – The Piazza at Schmidt’s, Philadelphia
7 May 2013 – Electrowerzk, London
8 May 2013 – Prinzenbar, Hamburg
18 May 2013 – KROQ Weenie Roast, Irvine
19 May 2013 – Live 105 BFD Festival, Mountain View
20 May 2013 – Soho Restaurant and Music Club, Santa Barbara (SOLD OUT)
22 May 2013 – Harlow’s, Sacremento
24 May 2013 – Wonder Ballroom, Portland
25 May 2013 – Sasquatch Festival, Quincy
26 May 2013 – Venue, Vancouver
29 May 2013 – Kilby Court, Salt Lake City
31 May 2013 – Bluebird Theatre, Denver (SOLD OUT)
1 June 2013 – The Black Sheep, Colorado Springs
4 June 2013 – Fine Line Music Café, Minneapolis (SOLD OUT)
6 June 2013 – Deluxe at Old National Centre, Indianapolis
7 June 2013 – Newport Music Hall, Columbus
9 June 2013 – 3rd & Lindley, Nashville
11 June 2013 – The Norva, Norfolk
12 June 2013 – The Canal Club, Richmond
14 June 2013 – Bayou Café, Albany
15 June 2013 – The Sinclair, Cambridge (SOLD OUT)
17 June 2013 – Met Café, Providence
18 & 19 June 2013 – Bowery Ballroom, New York (SOLD OUT)
20 June 2013 – Wolf Den, Uncasville
21 June 2013 – Firefly Music Festival, Dover
23 June 2013 – The Opera House, Toronto
24 June 2013 – Shelter, Detroit
27 June 2013 – Summerfest, Milwaulkee
30 June 2013 – The Pagent, St Louis
6 July 2013 – Kelowna’s Waterfront Park, Vancouver
10 July 2013 – Ottawa Blues Festival, Ottawa
13 July 2013 – Bunbury Music Fest, Cincinnati
2 August 2013 – Lollapalooza, Chicago
4 August 2013 – Osheaga Music and Arts Festival, Montreal
11 August 2013 – Golden Gate Park Outside Lands Festival, San Francisco
20 September 2013 – Sleep Train Ampitheatre, Chula Vista
Remembering the Fallen with Mick Thomas
I don’t think it’s right to just let ANZAC Day go by without acknowledging it. It’s not just another day. It’s a day for us all to pause and remember those who lost our life fighting for the freedom that we take for granted, and the ones who came back but were never the same.
I’ve done it in the past by posting “I Was Only 19” and “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”. This year I needed to dig a little deeper, and it saw me discovering this song, “Gallipoli Rosemary” by Mick Thomas. The Weddings Parties Anything singer has always had such a gift for songwriting. This song might never have achieved mainstream attention but it’s still strong, imbued with the emotion fitting for a track recorded on ANZAC Day a couple of years.
Lest we forget.
Mia Dyson Heads Back to US For The Moment Release
All good things must come to an end, and it’s almost time to bid Mia Dyson adieu as she returns to her adopted home in the United States. However, she’s not leaving without a proper goodbye.
Mia will play her final Australian show for some time at the Bulli Hotel this Friday, April 26. She’s also leave us with one more single, “Fill Yourself”, an upbeat bluesy number which will launch The Moment in the US.
“Fill Yourself has been a favourite of many people on the record and is the track turning heads in the US,” said Mia. “It is bittersweet to be heading back over there. I have absolutely loved being home, so much so that I extended my stay, but it’s time to continue this journey that The Moment has become.”
The Moment hits American stores today.
R.I.P. Chrissy Amphlett
Australia has lost one of its most unique female voices with the passing of Chrissy Amphlett. The Divinyls frontwoman passed away in New York City following battles with breast cancer and multiple sclerosis. She was just 53 years old.
They broke the mould when they made Chrissy. As a young girl I remember being fascinated by her sexy schoolgirl outfits, fishnet stockings, and husky rasping voice. I couldn’t believe she could get away with singing “I Touch Myself”, and I still think “Boys in Town” is one of the greatest rock songs ever penned.
With her band The Divinyls she earned four top 10 albums locally and one in America. Funnily enough, that shocking “I Touch Myself” song was their biggest-selling single. It reached number one here and cracked the top 10 in the United States and Great Britain. Fittingly the band took their place in the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006.
Those facts are impressive, but it’s Chrissy’s sass that I’ll remember most. She was fierce, so different, so charismatic. She will be missed.
Daniel Champagne Tours “The Gypsy Moon”
The thing I missed most about not being able to log in and update my blog was being unable to share great music with you. So I’m taking this opportunity while everything’s working to tell you about Daniel Champagne.
Daniel’s just a young whippersnapper at 23, but he’s got more musical intuition than many older performers. It’s little wonder really as Daniel picked up the guitar at five and began writing songs at 12. Barely in to his twenties he’s just released his second album The Gypsy Moon (Volume 1), a collection of what he calls road songs which hints at more to come.
“Making The Gypsy Moon … was a really long and drawn out process,” he explained. “I had all these songs with me for ages but no time off the road to do anything with them so they mostly just sat in the back seat gathering dust for a long time.”
Eventually he picked those songs up and took them to Pirate Studios on the south coast of New South Wales, Daniel’s original stomping ground, where he reunited with producer Dave Sparks, who collaborated on Daniel’s EPs and debut album. “Once I got back in the studio with Dave it just felt right and I knew it was going to work. It all fell out pretty quickly from there.”
The Gypsy Moon (Volume 1) features the single “Heart Like This”, which got me excited enough to talk about him in the first place. This is such a gorgeous track, the right combination of emotion and melody with beautiful guest vocals from Mikaela Atkins. The album’s out now, and Daniel’s currently touring it around the country. Here are all the places you can see him playing over the next few months.
26–28 April 2013 – Apollo Bay Festival, Apollo Bay
2 May 2013 – Beav’s Bar, Geelong
3 May 2013 – Caravan Club, Oakleigh
4 May 2013 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
10 May 2013 – The Loft, Warrnambool
11 May 2013 – Culburra Beach Festival, Culburra Beach
12 May 2013 – Bottlerocket, Nowra
15 May 2013 – Indi Bar, Perth
16 May 2013 – Mojo’s Bar, Perth
18 May 2013 – Singing Gallery, McLaren Vale
19 May 2013 – Semaphore Workers Club, Adelaide
23 May 2013 – Front Gallery, Canberra
24 May 2013 – Mudgee Brewery, Mudgee
25 May 2013 – Taste Cafe, Canowindra
26 May 2013 – Beyond Q, Canberra
30 May 2013 – Sol Bar, Maroochydore
31 May 2013 – Bangalow Bowling Club, Bangalow
14 June 2013 – Mumbulla School Hall, Bega
15 June 2013 – City Diggers Club, Wollongong
16 June 2013 – Brisbane Jazz Club, Brisbane
20 June 2013 – Townsville Folk Club, Townsville
We All Want To Offer No Signs
Brisbane band We All Want To are helping us usher in our weekend with their latest single “No Signs”.
This is a real retro gem, with jangly guitars and heavy driving drum beats. It’s catchy, but listen closer and you’ll find a lot of depth. “No Signs” is the first cut to come from the band’s second album Come Up Invisible.
If you’re digging it, see We All Want To doing their thing in the flesh at the following shows.
19 April 2013 – Judith Wright Centre, Brisbane
25 April 2013 – Union Hotel, Newtown
26 April 2013 – Good God Small Club, Sydney
27 April 2013 – Love The Phoenix, Canberra
10 May 2013 – Edinburgh Hotel Front Bar, Brunswick (Early Acoustic Session)
10 May 2013 – Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
11 May 2013 – Public Bar, North Melbourne
24 May 2013 – Spotted Cow Hotel, Toowoomba
Kelly Dance Impresses with “Head in the Noose”
Kelly Dance offers us a delicious taste of her forthcoming debut album, Goodnight Berlin, with the lead single Head In The Noose.
As its title suggests, this is an unflinching, searing track. I love its raw honesty. What an incredible mix of lyric, stripped back melody, and compelling vocals. It’s got me very excited about Goodnight Berlin, which is due to hit stores on May 17.
I hear the album is “dark and nostalgic, sweet and unsettling”, which all sounds pretty perfect to me. Kelly recorded it over ten days and nights holed up in a German studio. She’s joined by guest vocalists Toby Martin of Youth Group and Adrian Roberts from The Maple Trail, who also wrote one of the album’s songs.
It’s early days, but I think Kelly’s going to be one to watch this year.