Today is Anzac Day, a day where in between the two-up and the cheap beers we stop to remember those who fought so bravely for our freedom. This is a day when it doesn’t matter whether you support our involvement in wars or you don’t. Those diggers are pretty bloody fantastic. So take a listen to this song, raise your glasses, and remember those courageous men and women. Lest we forget.
Category: Video
Upper Coomera State College Wins Kate Miller-Heidke Competition
You might remember me mentioning Kate Miller-Heidke’s “Caught in the Crowd” competition, which invited high school students to create their own music video.
The entries are in, and Upper Coomera State College in Queensland has emerged victorious. Their brilliant video highlights not just traditional bullying, but also the modern epidemic of cyberbullying. Check it out below!
The school has picked up a $2000 video hardware package and a live performance from Kate Miller-Heidke for their hard work.
If you’re not lucky enough to be a student, you can still see Kate as she embarks on her Caught in the Crowd tour. It kicks off at Melbourne’s Prince in Wales on April 30.
New Song Obsession: "Cassandra" by The Galvatrons
The Galvatrons are back with “Cassandra,” the latest single tiding us over until the lads release their debut album Laser Graffiti on June 5. The synthesisers give this a distinctly Van Halen feel, which is a very good thing. I have no clue how much the lads are spending on their clips these days, but the floating cubes in this one are impressive! Play it loud!
Shelley Harland Releases Wonder-Ful EP
Singer-songwriter Shelley Harland is definitely one to watch. The well travelled London-born musician spent the last few years in New York, and recently moved to Sydney. Lucky us! She’s wasted no time introducing herself to Aussie audiences, recently earning the support slot on The Fray’s national tour.
“Wonder” is the title track from her new EP, a cool breezy track that sits nicely with the sound she’s discovered here in Oz.
“The music I made changed when I moved to Australia,” Shelley said in a statement. “I wasn’t listening to anything different. My tastes have always been about The Beatles, Motown, The Carpenters, Bjork, Portishead and Fleetwood Mac. But while New York made me feel electric, Sydney was so laid back and beautiful that my music took on that flavour.”
If you love it you’ll be happy to know that there’s more where that came from. Shelley’s debut album Red Leaf is scheduled for release later this year through Albert Music.
Watch Ashleigh Mannix’s Amazing Cover of "Hallelujah" from Billabong’s Design for Humanity
You might remember me mentioning last month’s Billabong Design for Humanity event, a celebration of music, fashion, and art all for a good cause.
The night featured some top notch Australian entertainment including The Cassette Kids and DJ outfit Bag Raiders, but one of the standouts was young singer songwriter Ashleigh Mannix. You could have heard a pin drop as she opened the show with a stripped back version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” She performed to a backdrop of SurfAid International’s inspiring work with the people of the Mentawai Islands. It served as a poignant reminder why events like this are so important.
If you missed the event you can catch Ashleigh’s breathtaking performance here!
Music Community Unites for Sound Relief
45, 000 Sydneysiders and 80, 000 Melburnians crammed into their respective cricket grounds for yesterday’s massive Sound Relief concerts.
Crowds at both shows were treated to some extra special performances. Coldplay originally promised an acoustic set, but their electric numbers proved anything but ordinary with the surprise addition of John Farnham to the line-up. The Aussie music veteran joined Coldplay for “Fix You” and “You’re The Voice,” a song Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin called the “national anthem.”
Having living legend Barry Gibb close the show was exciting enough, but to have Olivia Newton-John join him for the Kenny Rogers Dolly Parton classic “Islands in the Stream” was something else. They might not admit it freely, but I’m convinced everyone has a soft spot for that song.
Melbourne didn’t miss out either, with some amazing reformations and international stars. One of the biggest was Midnight Oil, who closed the show.
Their 50-minute set included hit after hit, “Read About It,” “Beds Are Burning” and “Blue Sky Mining” among them.
“You are such a good crowd for such an important event,” Peter Garrett told the enthusiastic crowd.
Initial reports said Kylie wouldn’t sing, but she did anyway, wowing crowds with this beautiful acoustic rendition of “I Still Call Australia Home.” This is another of those songs eligible for the title of honorary anthem – it gets to me every time. This video is preceded by a moving minute’s silence in remembrance of the victims.
Kings of Leon wouldn’t play “Sex on Fire” lest it offend the bushfire victims, yet their mammoth hit “Use Somebody” was well received. From the pop tunes of Gabriella Cilmi to the laidback sounds of Jack Johnson, and the country-tinged duets of Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson, it was a concert that delivered something for everybody.
Wolfmother and Jet worked double-time, appearing at both Sydney and Melbourne shows. But they didn’t mind, with Wolfmother singer Andrew Stockdale adding that the event was one of the most significant in Australian music history.
“It just shows what this country does – it gets behind people when they’re down and out,” he told The Sunday Telegraph.
Organisers expect the event to raise more than $5 million for the Victorian Bushfire Appeal and Queensland flood victims.
New Song Obsession: "Feels Like Woah" – Wes Carr
It wasn’t that long ago that my husband I were lamenting the lack of “Woahs” in songs. Yes, we have such conversations. So I’m thrilled to see Australia’s reigning Idol Wes Carr bringing the “Woahs” back with his new single “Feelss like Woah.” This feels like an instant classic, channeling old 1980s rock in the vein of Bruce Springsteen or Bryan Adams. And you can sing along immediately, even if it’s just to the “Woahs”!
The single is in stores today with the album The Way the World Looks set to follow on March 20. If the songs we’ve heard are any indication, the CD should be sensational.
The Basics Strip Off for a Song
The Basics are revealing a little more of themselves in the music video for their new single “With This Ship.” This clever clip features the boys in the buff! It’s apparently an experience they enjoyed, because they’ve also stripped off for their latest publicity shots! Ooo-er!
I can’t promise nudity when the lads hit the road next month, but there will be good music. The indie popstars will visit the following East Coast venues.
18 April 2009 – St Martins, Randall Theatre, Melbourne
23 April 2009 – Transit Bar, Canberra
24 April 2009 – The Globe, Brisbane
25 & 26 April 2009 – The Vanguard, Sydney
Kate Miller-Heidke’s Caught in the Crowd
Kate Miller-Heidke is showing her sensitive side with her latest single “Caught in the Crowd.” This moving song about bullying is a world away from her most recent anti-dance hit “Can’t Shake It.”
The tune is currently featured in a nation-wide anti-bullying campaign in conjunction with MySpace, the Department of Education, The Daily Telegraph and Kids Helpline. In conjunction with the awareness campaign, students have the chance to win some awesome prizes including a Kate Miller-Heidke concert at their school and a Sony professional video hardware pack. To enter students should make a video for “Caught in the Crowd” and upload it to www.myspace.com/caughtinthecrowd.
But the MySpace profile is about more than this competition. It’s also a forum for people of any age to share their stories about bullying.With one in six Australian students bullied every week, it sounds like a great cause.
Kate will play shows in support of the single in April and May. You can catch the “Caught in the Crowd” tour at the following venues.
30 April 2009 – Prince of Wales Bandroom, Melbourne
1 May 2009 – Hi Fi Bar, Melbourne
2 May 2009 – Hi Fi Bar, Brisbane
7 May 2009 – The Metro, Sydney
8 May 2009 – The Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Love it or loathe it, Valentine’s Day is here. If you’re attached, I hope that special someone is treating you right. And if you’re single, I hope you’re spoiling yourself and rejoicing in your singledom! Whichever side you stand, everyone loves a good love song (no matter how much they protest!) Aussie blokes have an image of being ocker kockabout blokes, but the truth is that local lads have penned some of my favourite love songs.
Here are three of my favourites to help you celebrate this special day!
I love Keith Urban’s “You’re My Better Half” so much I actually used it at my wedding reception. For me this one will forever remind me of cutting my cake and posing for cheesy photos. This acoustic version is my favourite take on the song.
Say what you want about Savage Garden, but Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones could craft a brilliant pop song. There’s a reason why “Truly Madly Deeply” was such a big hit; it’s just that good. When it was on high rotation you might have sworn you never wanted to hear it again, but trust me, it really is worth another spin.
“Message to My Girl” is an absolute classic, one of those love songs that is cool enough for even the lads to admit liking. It was released in 1983, a fact which just blows my mind. While so many early 80s stuff sounds stuck in the past, this Split Enz tune sounds as fresh as the time I first heard it.