Posted on by Lauren Katulka

James Reyne Announces Year-Long Melbourne Residency

Music fans in Melbourne will have plenty of chances to see James Reyne next year, with the Aussie legend announcing he’ll play the Palms at Crown on the first Saturday night of every month.

The sets will include all the hits and some special treats from James Reyne’s vast solo career and Australian Crawl back catalogue. Make sure you arrive on time for the support acts, who are some of the best acts in the country.

“Very happy to be back playing the first Saturday of every month of 2019 at The Palms,” James said in a press statement. Fabulous rock and roll turf and almost our second home by now. At least we can say we’ve ‘gone a little Vegas.’ They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but I tell ya, what happens at The Palms you can scream from the mountain tops!”

Join in the fun at the following shows. Tickets are available now from Ticketmaster.

5 January, 2 February, 2 March – with Chantoozies
6 April, 4 May, 1 June – with Models
6 July, 3 August, 7 September – with Taxiride
5 October, 2 November, 7 December – with Boom Crash Opera

Image used with permission from Revolutions per Minute; credit: Robin Reidy

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Buoys Touring Ace New Single “Arm Wrestle”

I’ll warn you; once you listen to “Arm Wrestle,” the latest track from Sydney femme four-piece The Buoys you’ll be singing it all day. It’s irresistibly catchy, with grungy guitars and raw lyrics contrasting with those sweet vocals.

“‘Arm Wrestle’ came to be when I had to address the reality of a situation. I had to explore if my thoughts were rational, or if I was making things up in my head and self-sabotaging,” The Buoys’ frontwoman Zoe explained. “It details that inner voice argument of, ‘something really bad is going down’ vs ‘don’t be silly, it’s all in your head, you’re crazy’. It’s an exploration of what it’s like to gaslight yourself really, only to find out your gut was right and you weren’t paranoid after all.”

The Buoys might just be the best band to come out of a failed Tinder date. Zoe didn’t meet her match, but the date’s cousin Tess was the perfect drummer. They found guitarist Anthea through Gumtree, bassist Ros jumped on board, and the rest is history.

“Arm Wrestle” comes from The Buoys’ sophomore EP Split Lip, which will be released later this year. You’ll get a taste of the new material and all your old favourites from Soft Boy at the following shows.

24 October 2018 – The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
25 October 2018 – The Lansdowne, Sydney
28 October 2018 – Transit Bar, Canberra
10 November 2018 – Psyched As Festival, Sydney
11 November 2018 – Factory Floor, Sydney (with Rackett)

Image used with permission from the A&R Department

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Family Fold Remember Countdown With “Molly Meldrum’s Eyes” Single

Gathering around the TV to watch Countdown is a ritual many Australians still hold dear. Family Fold have celebrated that beloved time Aussie music history with their new song “Molly Meldrum’s Eyes.”

Family Fold frontman Paul Andrews actually wrote the song in his mid-twenties but rediscovered in just a couple of years ago.

“I was clearly pining for the old days when I was in my 20s! My old band Lazy Susan did an online release in 2016 of a couple of unreleased/demos/live albums and I rediscovered ‘Molly Meldrum’s Eyes’ when I was sorting through old boxes of tapes and CDs,” he explained. “I thought it was too good to throw away on a demos album, so put it aside for consideration for Ashfield Skyline and it ended up making the cut.”

Something tells me that if Countdown were still alive, Molly would give the clip a spin. It’s a gentle homage to Cold Chisel’s “Cheap Wine” video, filmed in a 1970s fibro house in Sydney’s west.

“Molly Meldrum’s Eyes” comes from Family Fold’s forthcoming sophomore album, Ashfield Skyline. They’ll launch the single tomorrow night in Marrickville, then play shows in New South Wales in the coming months, including some album launch dates.

15 September 2018 – Gasoline Pony, Marrickville (single launch)
30 September 2018 – Dashville Skyline Festival, Belford
4 October 2018 – Some Velvet Morning, Melbourne (album launch)
13 October 2018 – The Noble Hops, Redfern
25 November 2018 – The Union Hotel, Newtown (album launch)

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

SarahJ Releases “Safe” Single That’s Anything But

Following in the footsteps of strong female-fronted pop-punk acts like Paramore and Tonight Alive comes Sarahj, an exciting five-piece from Melbourne. “Safe” is the band’s heavy-hitting new single and our first taste of their EP Reaper.

“Safe” is only the band’s second single, but they’ve been honing their craft in pubs around Melbourne for the last year and a half. That experience shows in this confident track, which explores the security that comes from a good relationship.

“The songs on our EP are very personal, but every song our listeners will be able to relate to,” explained the band’s frontwoman. “We like to talk about the ups and downs of love and heartbreak. Discussing mental illness is really important to us as well.”

Reaper drops on September 19. Hopefully the band will announce some dates to support its release so we can catch their much-lauded live show.

Image used with permission from AAA Entertainment

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Brayden Sibbald Releases Beautiful EP Title Track, “Float”

Western Australia’s own Brayden Sibbald has been a regular on the West Coast wedding and winery circuit for some time, but I can’t imagine he’ll be playing covers for too long. I’m so impressed with his dreamy new single “Float,” pulled from his forthcoming EP of the same name.

“Float” provides the perfect introduction for his EP, recorded with Matt Gio (Troy Sivan/Rudimental) as Brayden explained.

“’Float’ was the first song we worked on together, around mid-last year. It’s the title track of the EP, as it’s the most reflective of the central theme of the release – which is that if you are down, you can always get back up. It’s not too late to get help, or help yourself, no matter how hard things may seem.”

Brayden Sibbald’s EP drops on September 28. He’ll support its release with shows on the East and West Coast. Catch him at the following gigs.

4 October 2018 – The Bird, Perth
10 October 2018 – The Toff, Melbourne
14 October 2018 – The Record Crate, Sydney
3 November 2018 – WAMfest 2018 Lot Party, Perth

Image used with permission from Habit Music Company

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Hayley Marsten Tackles Painful Divorce in “Coming Home”

Gladstone country artist Hayley Marsten wears her heart on her sleeve in her new single “Coming Home,” a powerful track recalling her teenage experiences as a child of divorce and the way those formative years still impact her today.

The song has been some time in the making. She’d sketched out the bare bones of the song, but found it difficult to complete the emotional number. It wasn’t until she started collaborating with six-time Golden Guitar winner Lyn Bowtell on the DAG Songwriter’s Retreat that she figured out exactly what she wanted to say. The song has really resonated with fans, as Hayley recounts.

‘Coming Home’ is the song from Lonestar I get the most messages about,” she explained. People come up to me after gigs to tell me they identify with it or that it made them cry.” It’s rare for a song to move people to tears and Hayley is forever grateful for people sharing their own stories, believing “it’s extra special for that to happen on such a personal song.”

“Coming Home” comes from Hayley’s EP Lonestar. You can hear more when Hayley kicks off her Tour With No Name alongside Arna Georgia in Melbourne tomorrow.

12 September 2018 – Some Velvet Morning, Melbourne
13 September 2018 – Bayview Country Art Club, Bittern
14 September 2018 – Music Man Megastore, Bendigo
15 September 2018 – Commercial Hotel, Terang
16 September 2018 – The Loft, Warnambool
29 September 2018 – The Milk Factory, Brisbane
25 October 2018 – Oodies Café, Bundaberg
26 October 2018 – Willy Ed’s, Gladstone
27 October 2018 – Saleyards, Rockhampton
28 October 2018 – Captain Cook Caravan Park, 1770
1 November 2018 – The Green Owl, Brisbane

Image used with permissio from Wild Heart Publicity

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Indie Artist Mousewater Releases Brave Debut Single, “Panic Stations”

Melbourne singer songwriter Mousewater has released his psychedelic debut single “Panic Stations.”

It’s one hell of a way to introduce your music to the world. It’s ambitious, fearlessly so, with intimate lyrics exploring the way life’s pressures can trigger anxiety.

“I was riding to work on my scooter one morning, it’s about an hour commute, the ride always gives me time to think and sometimes song melodies pop into my head,” explained Mousewater. “Wearing a helmet, nobody can hear me, so I play with the melody and lyric. When I get to work I would find some secluded spot to sing the idea onto my phone before it disappeared forever. This was the genesis for a number of the songs on the album, including ‘Panic Stations.’”

Mousewater took total control of the track, recording it in his home studio. All the engineering, instrumentation, and performance you hear comes from Mousewater.

Mousewater cut his teeth playing in indie rock acts touring along the country’s East Coast. However, the touring lifestyle left him physically and mentally exhausted, leading to an extended hiatus from the music industry. It seems the time away has done him good, because this is inspired music.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Stuart Coupe Celebrates Roadies with New Book, Panel Events

Roadies are the unsung heroes of the music industry, working tirelessly for the bands and solo artists who receive all the accolades. Until now. Stuart Coupe is giving roadies their due with his new book “Roadies – The Secret History of Australian Rock’n’Roll.” To celebrate its release, Chugg Entertainment and Support Act have joined forces for two very special lunchtime launch events in Sydney and Melbourne.

Each event will see Stuart in conversation with some of the roadies featured in the book. Sydney will hear from Nicky Campbell (The Rebels, Skyhooks, Renee Geyer, Cold Chisel) and Ross Ferguson (Little River Band, Tina Turner, Elton John, Beastie Boys), while Melbourne gets Howard Freeman (Sherbet, Dragon, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds) and Geoff Lloyd (Crowded House, Jimmy Barnes, Last Chance Café). The world’s first female roadie, Tana Douglas (AC/DC, Elton John, Status Quo), will fly from LA to speak on both panels.

The events will also feature special performances from Richard Clapton and Hoodoo Gurus’ Brad Faulker and Dave Shepherd in Sydney and Phil Manning in Melbourne.

The Sydney event will be held at The Factory on 26 September. The Thornbury Theatre will host Melbourne’s on October 4. Tickets are available now from the venues. Attendees will receive a signed copy of “Roadies – The Secret History of Australian Rock’n’Roll.” All money raised will benefit the Support Act Roadies Fund, administered in association with the Australian Road Crew Association.

Image used with permission from Chugg Entertainment

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Eliza Hull Returns to Music Scene With Rewind

Eliza Hull has a special way of tugging at your heart through her music. She seems to move the listener effortlessly with a turn of phrase, a melody, a note of her heavenly voice. Her 2015 debut The Bones of Us was so impressive, but she proves she’s got plenty more to say with “Rewind,” the first single lifted from her forthcoming follow-up EP, How We Disappeared.

Cowritten with Joel Quartermain, the song looks back at the past without ever losing focus of the present and future.

“‘Rewind’ is about how suddenly a person you loved can become a stranger,” Eliza explained. “I find that so unnatural and bizarre.”

I hadn’t realised how much I’d missed Eliza Hull’s music until I heard this song. Now I can’t wait to hear more when the EP drops on October 26. Eliza is playing the following shows over the coming months.

27 October 2018 – Kyneton Music Festival, Kyneton
8 November 2018 – Golden Age Cinema, Sydney (with Julia Johnson)
10 November 2018 – Boney, Melbourne (with Gena Rose Bruce and Julia Johnson)
11 November 2018 – The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine (with Julia Johnson)

Image used with permission from Eliza Hull

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Get Funky With Bootleg Rascal

Sydney ghetto dubsters Bootleg Rascal have just dropped a groovy new single “Mercy,” our first taste of their sophomore album Anònimo.

“Mercy” is so catchy, with a funky reggae core and a gospel-laden vocal hook. Those synthesisers are making me feel nostalgic, and I love the way the female harmonies complement the flawless vocals from Bootleg Rascal frontman Carlos Lara.

Bootleg Rascal will celebrate Anònimo’s October 5 release with shows along the East Coast. Tickets are on sale now.

19 October 2018 – Lansdowne Hotel, Sydney
25 October 2018 – Sol Bar, Sunshine Coast
27 October 2018 – The Northern, Byron Bay
2 November 2018 – UOW Uni Bar, Wollongong
4 November 2018 – Sooki Lounge, Belgrave
5 November 2018 – Howler, Melbourne
9 November 2018 – Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane

Image used with permission from The Neighbourhood