Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Busby Marou Announces Queensland Tour for Forthcoming Album

I have a lot of love for Busby Marou. They’re one of Australia’s most unassuming musical acts, but they’re stellar songwriters with harmonies that are second to none. I can’t wait to hear more of their music when their third studio album, Postcards from the Shell House, drops on February 17.

Until then we’ll just have to be content with the release of the lead single “Getaway Car.” Busby Marou isn’t a band that needs studio trickery, so it’s only fitting to bring you a stripped back version of this song recorded on Great Keppel Island, where the duo wrote and recorded much of the album. It’s an idyllic setting which is perfectly suited to Busby Marou’s laidback style of music.

You can hear more of it when Busby Marou take their new album around Queensland next year. Hopefully it won’t be too long before they announce shows around the rest of the country.

18 February 2017 – The Great Western Hotel, Rockhampton
23-25 February 2017 – The Reef Casino, Cairns
2 March 2017 – Mt Pleasant, Mackay
3 March 2017 – Magnums, Airlie Beach
4 March 2017 – Dalrymples, Townsville
9 March 2017 – The Spotted Cow, Toowoomba
10 March 2017 – Wharf Tavern, Mooloolaba
11 March 2017 – Bay Central Hotel, Hervey Bay

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

PLTS Announce More Summer Shows for Single Release

Byron Bay band PLTS are in for a busy few months. Not only will they tour the country supporting The Amity Affliction in January, they’ve just announced some headlining shows in February to celebrate the release of their brand new single “Call Me Out.”

I just love this song. I fell for its relatable lyrics and catchy chorus instantly. Yet with every subsequent listen I love it a little more. Its release is a great way to close out the year for PLTS, who played Splendour, supported Columbus, and sold out their own shows along the East Coast. They’ve also generated a lot of buzz from Spotify, Triple J, FBi Radio, and other tastemakers.

You can discover what all the fuss is about when PLTS plays the following shows.

21 January 2017 – Lake Kawana Community Centre, Sunshine Coast
23 January 2017 – Convention Centre, Gold Coast
25 January 2017 – Ex Services Club, Coffs Harbour
26 January 2017 – Bar On The Hill, Newcastle
27 January 2017 – Waves, Wollongong
4 February 2017 – The Northern, Byron Bay
9 February 2017 – The Foundry, Brisbane
16 February 2017 – The Workers Club, Melbourne
17 February 2017 – Brighton Up Bar, Sydney

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Paul Dempsey Tours Regional Towns This Summer

Not content with appearing in Sydney’s Celebrating David Bowie concert or his shows at Melbourne Zoo as part of the summer’s Twilight Sessions, Paul Dempsey will tour regional centers around the country this summer.

Expect to hear plenty of his solo hits and Something for Kate classics at the following gigs. Tickets are on sale now through Paul’s website.

19 January 2017 – Heritage Hotel, Bulli
20 January 2017 – Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
21 January 2017 – Entrance Leagues Club, The Entrance
25 January 2017 – Westernport Hotel, San Remo
27 January 2017 – Karova Lounge, Ballarat
3 February 2017 – The Studio @ Darwin Entertainment Centre, Darwin
9 February 2017 – Sol Bar, Maroochydore
10 February 2017 – NightQuarter, Gold Coast
11 February 2017 – Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns

Image used with permission from International Music Concepts

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Awesome Aussie Business Alert: The Muses

Last week my dad contacted me, wanting me to buy a Michael McDonald CD for Mum for Christmas. “Amazon has it,” he told me. I quickly told him that Amazon is based in America, and it would never arrive before the big day. I hit up the usual suspects, JB Hi Fi, Sanity, nothing.

My Googling took me to The Muses, a local online business that I’d never heard of but I wanted to tell you all about. I placed the order and crossed my fingers. I then realised we’d missed the Christmas cut-off date by a significant margin. Panicked, cursing my Dad for his disorganisation, I put in a call to The Muses. I was assured by Tori, one of the Muses co-founders, that they would do their best, but as they were a small company without the manpower of some of those big chains they couldn’t give us any guarantees.

More crossing fingers. However, this morning, the CD arrived. A Christmas miracle.

It might seem strange for a blog with an ad for Sanity on the side to post about giving another online music store a go, but the truth is, if your tastes are a little left of centre you’re going to struggle with the big music chains. The Muses prides itself on carrying a broad, unique collection of music. If you want an album you can’t get elsewhere, you might find it here. If you want vinyl or limited edition stuff, this is the place. And I like that it’s small. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather support a couple running a music business for the love of it than a faceless corporation.

I know many of us approach online shopping with a healthy sense of trepidation. We’re nervous about handing over our credit card details to companies we don’t know, so we tend to stick with the tried and true. But after my experience with The Muses I’d love you to branch out a little and check out what they’re doing. You won’t be disappointed.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Montaigne Turns Superhero in “What You Mean to Me” Video

Montaigne shows why she was named this year’s breakthrough artist at the ARIA Awards, with another incredible single, “What You Mean to Me.” She truly is one of the most fascinating artists on the music scene at the moment, with a natural indie pop sensibility and one of the most interesting voices I’ve heard in some time.

The clip, directed by Guy Franklin and John Gavin, sees Montaigne realising her superhero fantasies.

“Guy Franklin and Pixel, have always been able to extract what’s in my heart and put it on screen! Shooting this video helped me realise my true dream: to become a parkour master,” she gushed in a press release. “My body double recently shot as stuntman on Ghost In The Shell. For the clip we put my face on his body, he got his hair shaved to my cut and everything! In the end, I got to be the video game hero I’ve always wanted to be. I want to properly be able to do what a game protagonist does physically now though. #Strongtaine2k17.”

Montaigne will pop up at the following festivals this summer.

27-29 December 2016 – Southbound, Busselton
28 December 2016 – 1 January 2017 – Beyond the Valley, Gippsland Parklands
29-31 December 2016 – Lost Paradise, Glenworth Valley

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Tinpan Orange Tour New Single in Europe and Oz

The beautiful songs from Love is a Dog just keep coming with the release of Tinpan Orange’s latest single, “See You In the Water.”

This is such a stunning song, with ethereal vocals and delicate strings. I definitely recommend taking a moment to stop what you’re doing and just listening to it, without distractions.

The Aussie trio has spent months touring, but they’re not done yet. Check out the following shows in Australia and abroad.

14 & 15 January 2017 – Illawarra Folk Festival, Wollongong
26 January 2017 – The Rocks Australia Day Festival, Sydney (FREE)
20 February 2017 – Haldern Pop, Haldern
21 February 2017 – Prinzenbar, Hamburg
22 February 2017 – Wohngemeinschaft, Köln
23 February 2017 – L’alimentation générale, Paris
25 February 2017 – Hafen 2, Offenbach/Frankfurt
26 February 2017 – Wohnzimmer Matinee, Dresden
27 February 2017 – Lido, Berlin
3 March 2017 – The Odd Fellow, Fremantle
4 & 5 March 2017 – Nannup Music Festival, Nannup
11 & 12 March 2017 – A Festival Called Panama, Golconda
24 & 25th March 2017 – Yackandandah Folk Festival, Yackandandah
26 March 2017 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne (matinee show 2pm)

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Hayley Jensen Releases Beautiful New Single “Young Years”

Hayley Jensen shows why she recently won the Southern Stars Award for Female Rising Star title at the Mildura Country Music Festival, with her brand new single “Young Years.”

It’s a tender ballad which reveals Hayley’s reflections on time spent with an abusive partner during her late teens and early twenties. The song is so intimate and personal, yet it speaks to everyone who has ever endured emotional manipulation.

Hayley will release an EP on 3 February 2017.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Australians Musicians Bring Tubular Bells to Live Venues

Tubular Bells is one of those albums that continues to endure. I remember Dad playing Mike Oldfield’s classic to me as a kid. Now decades later, my twenty-something sister and her boyfriend have discovered it. No matter when you first heard Tubular Bells, if you fell in love with it you’re going to want to see Tubular Bells for Two.

This unique show has sold out in festivals around the world, and it’s finally coming to Australia. Mike Oldfield had the benefit of some of the world’s first multi-tracking technology when he recorded this classic album. But to bring it to life, this show has just two guys – Austalia’s Aidan Roberts and Daniel Holdsworth – juggling more than 20 instruments, all live.

Tickets are available from the Tubular Bells for Two website for these spellbinding shows.

17 & 18 February 2017 – Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide
10 & 11 March 2017 – York Theatre @ Seymour Centre, Sydney
24 March 2017 – Glasshouse, Port Macquarie
25 March 2017 – Lismore City Hall, Lismore
30 March 2017 – Armitage Centre @ HBA, Toowoomba
31 March 2017 – Redland PAC, Cleveland
1 April 2017 – Ipswich Civic Centre, Ipswich
2 April 2017 – Majestic Theatre, Pomona
6 April 2017 – Dubbo Regional Theatre, Dubbo
7 April 2017 – The Capitol, Tamworth
8 April 2017 – Orange Civic Theatre, Orange
22 April 2017 – Laycock Street Theatre, Gosford
5-7 May 2017 – Street Theatre, Canberra

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Essie Releases Stunning Debut Single, “Electric Wires”

Melbourne songbird Essie has released her beautiful debut single “Electric Wires.”

The song reflects on Essie’s travels and the people and places she’s discovered on her journeys. I love Essie’s angelic vocals which are laid over lush synths, which give the song a hint of 80s nostalgia.

“When writing, a song usually grabs hold of me and my subconscious takes over. Sometimes it’s a very therapeutic process, other times it can be a little daunting to really address those deepest inner thoughts. I get bored pretty easily so creating something that is unique to each song is really important to me,” Essie explained.

After spending time writing and recording in the UK over the past few years, Essie is excited to release her debut EP in 2017.

Image used with permission from the A&R Department

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Silhouettes of Song” – Murry Rhodes

Just in time for Christmas, the Territory’s own Murry Rhodes has released his debut album Silhouettes of Song.

Murry is a relative newcomer to the music industry, having worked most his life as an electrician in the Outback. He honed his craft traveling across the country for the last two years, playing everywhere from cocktail bars to caravan parks. This album draws on that experience. When you’re there to entertain a crowd that doesn’t know who you are, you typically play covers, and they make up the bulk of this release.

I was drawn in from the first song, a flawless cover of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In the Wind.” Some covers reminded me of all that I loved about the original, like his take on “Hallelujah.” So many people have covered this song over the years, but his version was every bit as good as the best I’ve heard. I haven’t listened to “Seven Spanish Angels” in years; this version brought tears to my eyes. Other tracks made me see the songs in a new way. For example, I don’t think I’d heard the pain and struggle in “Drift Away” before. There were a couple of missteps for me though. “Makin’ Whoopee” and “Hey Good Lookin’” probably went down a treat in the country’s piano bars. They seem effortless, perhaps too effortless. There’s nothing to fault per se, but they don’t quite stir me in the same way as some of the more unconventional choices.

Murry has included two original songs here, and they really showcase his gift as a songwriter. These two numbers are as powerful as any of the more established songs included on this release. “Lifetime,” which reflects on the impact of depression as the years pass, is particularly moving.

Murry Rhodes has a voice that is so rich and beautiful. It’s not a perfect voice, but one that drips with emotion. It adds extra weight to this already stellar collection of songs. I love that this is a minimalist album; with just a man and his piano the songs have the right amount of room to breathe. The instrument isn’t just used as accompaniment either. There are moments where his skills on the keys shine, as they should. Murry Rhodes is a complete artist, not just a singer that plays a little piano. He might be late to the music game, but I’m thrilled he’s downed electrical tools and decided to share his gift with us.

Silhouettes of Song is out now. Murry Rhodes will play Darwin at the Hub in Palmerston on December 23 and 30.