Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Opera Stars Headline Opera Romance in Brisbane

Queenslanders can enjoy a little culture at the QPAC’s Lyric Theatre on June 28, when Opera Queensland stages its very special one-off concert Opera Romance.

Acclaimed vocalists Antoinette Halloran and Rosario La Spina will headline the event which promises soaring arias, stunning duets, and the opportunity to hear more about the lives and passions of these revered entertainers. They’ll be joined on stage by members of Opera Queensland’s Open Stage Community Chorus.

Tickets are available now through the Opera Queensland website. At just $69 plus booking fee, they’re an absolute steal.

Image used with permission from Agency North

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Mustered Courage Countrify “Run to Paradise”

I know a bluegrass version of “Run to Paradise” sounds pretty far out, but open your ears and your minds to this cover from Melbourne’s Mustered Courage. Featuring none other than Mark Gable, it’s the cover you never knew you needed to hear.

It all came about after Mark had a chance meeting with the band during the 2012 Country Music Festival in Tamworth. He praised their work, and a fast friendship was formed.

“Being a young band and our first ever trip to the Festival, it really meant a lot to us,” explained guitarist Julian Abrahams. Their paths crossed paths for several years until the band “mustered the courage” to ask Mark to sit in on one of their sets in 2014. The crowd went wild, and they knew they were onto something special.

“The chord progression lends itself very well to the traditional bluegrass sound so it made a lot of sense and Aussies love this bloody song and we loved delivering a version that the country and bluegrass people could get into as well. That audience absolutely brought the house down after we played it with Mark.”

“Mustered Courage fans are no strangers to us doing left of centre cover versions, so we think this should be a nice addition to our repertoire. Maybe even a new country anthem that opens the doors of Aussie rock fans to a genre they don’t yet know they love. Time will tell … bluegrass paradise.”

It’s very different, but I think this cover is genius. How about you?

Image used with permission from AAA Entertainment

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Tipsy Scholars Announce Aussie and UK EP Shows

The Tipsy Scholars are shaking up the indie folk scene with their debut EP Nowhere to Be. It’s an exciting release with beautiful songs littered with pop culture references and rich harmonies. While the single “Cold Hands” was a crowd-pleaser, I think “Modern Anxiety” is my favourite track. It speaks so eloquently about our fast-paced tech-obsessed world and how the very devices that are meant to enhance our lives can make us long for a simpler time. Just make sure you heed that explicit lyrics warning; it’s not the sort of thing you want to crank in a conservative office!

The Tipsy Scholars are celebrating the Nowhere to Be’s recent release with their biggest tour yet. Not content with 12 dates along our east coast, the Aussies will follow up the local shows with dates across the United Kingdom.

16 June 2018 – Festival Allsorts, Canberra
29 June 2018 – Moonshine, Sydney
7 July 2018 – Bar 33, Melbourne
20 July 2018 – BMEC, Bathurst
26 July 2018 – UniBar, Wollongong
28 July 2018 – Polish Club, Canberra
2 August 2018 – Hamilton Station, Newcastle
3 August 2018 – The Brewery, Byron Bay
5 August 2018 – The Milk Factory, Brisbane
9 August 2018 – The Lansdowne, Sydney
10 August 2018 – The Lass O’Gowrie, Newcastle
17 August 2018 – Whelans, Dublin
24 August 2018 – The Bowery, Dublin
31 August – 1 September 2018 – Deeside Music Festival, Aberdeen
2 September 2018 – Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow
5 September 2018 – The George Orwell, Dundee
8 September 2018 – The Luna, London
14 September 2018 – The Eagle Inn, Manchester
15 September 2018 – The Spice of Life, London

Image used with permission from RiSH Publicity

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Press Club On Tour For Late Teens

Press Club haven’t long wrapped up a national tour with The Smith Street Band, but they’re already itching to get back on stage. The Melbourne indie punk-rock act will headline their own East Coast tour to celebrate the recent release of their debut album Late Teens and the single of the same name.

The song “Late Teens” drops with a music video celebrating the best of Australia. Featuring footage filmed on the band’s most recent lap of the nation, it’s the sort of thing that makes you pretty proud to hail from this wide brown land. It also shows you just what you can create from the back seat of touring vans and airport gate lounges!

If you missed them with The Smith Street Band or you’re ready for a second helping, catch Press Club at the following gigs.

6 July 2018 – The Chippo Hotel, Sydney
7 July 2018 – The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
26 July 2018 – Strawberry Boogie, Wollongong
27 July 2018 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
4 August 2018 – Bloodhound Bar, Brisbane

Image credit: Zoe Yeoman

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Club Yorke Open New Chapter With “Stop the Bleeding”

The release of “Stop the Bleeding” ushers in a new chapter for the Melbourne band formerly known as Residual. Now recording as Club Yorke, the four-piece rock act is making the kind of powerful, heart-on-sleeve music you can’t help but warm to.

“We wrote ‘Stop The Bleeding’ towards the end of what I guess was really an accidental hiatus,” lead singer Sam Burtt explained. “We had been writing lot of stuff that we were proud of and tweaking it here and there in preparation for a new single but one rehearsal, this song just happened. I remember having one kind of improvised run through of it and it all just fell into place from there, it was really one of those special rare moments where the song really writes itself. Discovering it rather than contriving it from nothing”

Club Yorke are currently touring the country with fellow Melbournians Empire Park. These are all the places you can catch them play.

14 June 2018 – Karova Lounge, Ballarat
23 June 2018 – The Workers Club, Geelong
30 June 2018 – The TAH, Hobart

Image used with permission from Beehive PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Coming Out Inspires Maribelle’s New Single “I’m a Mess Without You”

Working as a singer, songwriter, and producer, Melbourne’s Maribelle knows what it takes to create a smash single. No wonder her latest track “I’m a Mess Without You” is catchy as all get out.

This pop gem is a fun, feel-good number, but dig a little deeper and you’ll discover it’s more than just an upbeat earworm. The track’s deeply personal lyrics reveal Maribelle’s journey embarking on a new relationship and coming to terms with her sexuality.

“I was hiding my feelings for somebody, and hurting them because I wasn’t being honest with myself,” Maribelle explained. “It’s actually about my current girlfriend and the early stages of our relationship. I was out in the club one night and had a ‘Days Of Our Lives’ montage of all of our memories together, and just realised what a mess I was being.”

With such immense talent and a killer pop sensibility, expect to hear plenty more from Maribelle.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

White Summer Announce Album Launch Shows

They’ve supported the likes of British India, Holy Holy, and Kingswood, and made a splash on community radio with their singles “Zero in Tennis,” “Talk Me Through,” and “Out of Phase.” Now with the recent release of their debut album Soul Breaker, White Summer are showing music lovers why they’re a band worthy of the hype.

The singles might have had breakout success, but the whole album is so strong, with great rock riffs, powerful vocals, and the kind of songs that feel like old favourites from the first listen.

They’ve supported some massive acts, but now that Soul Breaker has dropped it’s only fitting that White Summer step into the spotlight. It’s out now, but they’ll officially launch it with the following shows.

23 June 2018 – The Toff, Melbourne
29 June 2018 – The Lass O’Gowrie, Newcastle
30 June 2018 – Frankies Pizza, Sydney

Image used with permission from RiSH Publicity

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Seas Embrace” – The Dreggs

Tuesdays which feel like Mondays are never fun. But I’m finding it extra difficult to just get on with things this morning. On Saturday morning my parents called and let me know our family dog Charlie had passed away. Charlie had been with us for 18 years. He’d regularly stay at my place for weeks at a time while my parents travelled overseas, most recently last month while my parents were in Greece. He’d visit every Wednesday when my parents would come to the coast for pub trivia. I miss him terribly. I was thankful for the long weekend, which gave me time to cry and veg out on the couch. But today it’s Tuesday, and I have deadlines, and I’m supposed to get back to business as usual. That’s a hard thing.

I’ve been trying to surround myself with positive things. I’ve been crying enough, so I don’t need more triggers. This weekend has been all about rom-coms, and now my morning has been all about The Dreggs’ and their new EP Seas Embrace. As its name suggests, this is an EP full of laidback summery tunes that take us to the beach.

I love the cool laidback reggae vibes of opening track “Thinkin’ Bout Tomorrow.” The follow-up “Blue” has such a sense of nostalgia about it. There’s yearning in this tale of lost love, but it’s imbued with a sense of wistfulness rather than wallowing. “Feel Alive” already impressed me, and it is every bit as endearing here. What a charmer this upbeat foot-stomper is.

After so many relaxed summer anthems, the power of “Simple Question” took me off guard. The simple question, “Are you okay?” is one the recent deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain have reminded us needs to be asked more often. It’s one which resonates with me now I’m coming to terms with the loss of my dog. Rather than just paying lip-service to a topic of social importance, this song comes from a place of real sincerity and honesty.

“Ocean and Earth” brings the EP back up. It’s perhaps the recording’s most cheerful song, a jaunty ray of sunshine that is guaranteed to make you smile. “Give Myself to You” continues to bring the good vibes. Just see if you’re not clapping along before the first chorus ends.

Bribie Island’s The Dreggs capture the optimistic spirit of their coastal home beautifully. Their EP is the perfect remedy to the blues. Whether you’re struggling with your own stuff or you’re simply praying for an end to these grey, gloomy winter skies Seas Embrace will make you feel better.

Image used with permission from the A&R Department

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Luca Brasi Offers Taste of New Album With “Let It Slip” Single

Luca Brasi, arguably Tasmania’s best rock act, have got me excited about their forthcoming new album Stay with the release of the single “Let it Slip.”

This track has everything you want from a rock track. Big bold guitars, driving drums, and passionate vocals. Tick, tick, tick. The film clip is also pretty fantastic. It’s a collaboration between the band, Taroona High, the school where Luca Brasi frontman Tyler Richardson teaches at when he’s not rocking out, and Canon Australia. In the clip, the tables are turned, with the band learning how to make a music video from the students. The video was shot as part of Canon’s youth development initiative.

Stay, Luca Brasi’s fourth studio album, hits stores on June 22. The band will celebrate its release with the following shows.

11 August 2018 – Club 54, Launceston
17 August 2018 – Triffid Bar, Brisbane
18 August 2018 – Manning Bar, Sydney
22 August 2018 – Rosemount Hotel, Perth
23 August 2018 – The Gov, Adelaide
24 August 2018 – The Croxton, Melbourne

Image credit: Kane Hibberd

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

AMVN Honours Mums Everywhere With “Mama Don’t Worry”

The hip hop scene has long been criticised for disrespecting women, but there’s no sign of misogynism in AMVN’s new single. The Melbourne urban artist has teamed up with Chelcee for “Mama Don’t Worry,” a tribute to not just the woman who raised him but all the mothers who’ve dedicated their lives to raising families, often in difficult circumstances.

“It’s important that we appreciate women and that we appreciate the amount of effort they put in, especially mothers, just to make our lives that much better. I want to acknowledge my mother and the struggles she went through to take care of us,” AMVN explained.

The music video is beyond sweet, with AMVN visiting his own mama and surprising her with flowers and a full choir. Awww!

Image used with permission from Beehive PR