Sydney’s Luna Park will host Australia’s leading local hip-hop event Come Together Festival on June 8. Organisers have assembled an amazing line-up, featuring Drapht, Illy, The Herd, and Spit Syndicate, to celebrate the festival’s tenth anniversary.
While there’s a solid line-up of established hip-hop talent, it’s also a great opportunity to discover some fresh new talent including 21-year-old Adelaide rapper Allday, Sydney duo Jackie Onassis, and the exciting Crochet Crooks.
The all-ages event offers plenty of entertainment. The doors to the Big Top don’t open until 3:30 pm, but you’re best getting their early as your ticket includes free rides from 11:30 am. Tickets cost $60 and are on sale now from the Come Together website.
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
If you’re in Victoria and looking for something to do this weekend, get yourself to the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum. From tomorrow, the museum will host a special exhibition celebrating the covers of Australia’s Rolling Stone magazine. This is the first time that the best covers from the last four decades have been on show in this country.
“The influence of Rolling Stone extends beyond music – this magazine has been the birthplace of some the greatest careers in photography, journalism, and design,” explained Kirsten Fitzpatrick, exhibition curator. “This exhibition chronicles the evolution of our cultural landscape and will trigger nostalgic memories of significant moments in the history of rock ‘n roll, and their associated personal memories for all that come to view it.”
The covers feature our own Michael Hutchence and Miranda Kerr as well as international megastars like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, and Blondie.
Entry is free, and the museum’s just 40 kays out of the Melbourne CBD. With a café on site, it sounds like a great little day trip to me! The exhibition will be on display at Yarra Ranges Regional Museum until July 7 before it heads to its next destination.
While we were on a tech-imposed hiatus Sounds of Oz was named one of the top 100 Music Blogs to follow by CouponAudit. Never heard of it? Me neither. And as it doesn’t seem to have any musical cred, you can take these results with a grain of salt. Still, I can’t recall being named in the top 100 anything before, so I’ll take my number 62 position. It’s a long list so I’ll keep it under the cut, but feel free to browse around. You might even find another cool blog to follow. Just make sure it doesn’t replace this one in your bookmarks, OK?
You might have noticed things have been a bit quiet over here at Sounds of Oz. Unfortunately I fell victim to some tech problems that I barely understand. It seems my IT working husband has righted the situation for now, although as it came from some hack attacks on a global scale problems may still occur. If you want to read more about what went on, you can do so here. And if you’d rather be spared the techspeak just know I’ve changed my password to something secure that I likely won’t remember, and I’m doing whatever I can to prevent further attacks. Fingers crossed we’re back in business for good. Now on to more music!
Did you know the legendary Bobby Womack is heading to our shores? After playing guitar for Sam Cooke and collaborating with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Sly & The Family Stone, Janis Joplin, and George Benson, Bobby’s announced his first headlining shows Down Under.
It’ll be a case of blink and you’ll miss him, but these shows have all the majesty you’d expect from someone of such class. Bobby and his thirteen-piece backup band will play Melbourne’s Hamer Hall on May 21 before heading to the Sydney Opera House as part of Vivid LIVE on May 24 and 25.
I listen to a lot of music. You probably do too. A lot of it’s good, but there’s not a lot that’s truly different. So I was thrilled to find something really unique in Sydney band Slumberhaze. Their name suggests they’re pretty sleepy, but there’s nothing drowsy about their music.
I love the intensity of their first single “Your Mind.” It’s got this relentless drive about it that marries beautifully with those dark, husky vocals. I love that Slumberhaze are generous enough to offer it as a free download through their Bandcamp page. I also love the ambition it springs from. The track is the first lifted from Slumberhaze’s debut EP. That recording, which will be released later this month, is the first in a trilogy of EPs.
Clearly this is a band that’s confident they’ll be sticking around for some time, and with good reason.
Image used with permission from Umbrella Artist Management
Jordan Millar is one of those rare artists that I fell in love with at first note. “Walking on Me” was just so ridiculously catchy, and its follow-up “Maps” was every bit as impressive. I knew I’d love his latest album Cold Lights On Curious Minds, and I wasn’t disappointed.
“Maps” really is the perfect opener, as it sets the scene for an album that’s instantly accessible. It’s an easy blend of pop and folk, two genres that underpin many of the album’s tracks. Not that Jordan is a one-note pony. He shows more edge with “High Horse”, a bluesy tune which wears its heart on its sleeve. I also felt the helplessness and hurt in the moving “Guilty”. “Losing Hope” is a poignant number made that much more beautiful with Elle May’s angelic guest vocals.
“More Time, More Money” is a fitting closer for an album that features guest appearances from many of Jordan’s friends including Elle, his touring buddy Jack Carty, Australian Idol graduate Amali Ward, and acclaimed keyboardist Beau Golden. This track feels like a jam, a coming together of voices and hand claps and instruments that truly reflects the collaborative nature of Cold Lights On Curious Minds.
It might have been a group effort, but Jordan is the star here. His acoustic guitar chops drive the tracks, and his warm voice has an honest, organic quality that immediately draws you in. This album is a really easy listen. Some might criticise it for being too easy, too pleasant, but since when has that been a bad thing?
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
Bruno Mars has put fans into a frenzy with news he’ll visit Australia next year for his The Moonshine Jungle tour. Bruno is riding high after rave reviews for his performance at the Logies, so it seems the perfect time to announce another visit.
Blink and you just might miss him though. Bruno’s playing arenas in four key capitals, although with plenty of time between gigs we might just see more shows announced when these inevitably sell well.
Tickets to the general public go on sale first thing on April 22.
28 February 2014 – Perth Arena, Perth
4 March 2014 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
7 March 2014 – Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
10 March 2014 – Allphones Arena, Sydney
While there’s a solid line-up of established hip-hop talent, it’s also a great opportunity to discover some fresh new talent including 21-year-old Adelaide rapper Allday, Sydney duo Jackie Onassis, and the exciting Crochet Crooks.
If you’re in Victoria and looking for something to do this weekend, get yourself to the 
