Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Adele&Glenn’s Adele Pickvance

In the early naughties Adele Pickvance and Glenn Thompson were rocking Australia as part of the reunited Go-Betweens. These days they’re back together as a duo dubbed, what else, Adele&Glenn. With a new single gracing the airwaves, an album release looming, and a national tour booked in, it seemed like the right time to catch up with one half of the twosome, Adele Pickvance.

You worked together before in The Go-Betweens. What inspired you to create this new double act?
We wanted to do this years ago. Our first attempt was around  2005, but geography got in the way. We’ve been a rhythm section, or ‘engine room’ as one might say, together for around 17 years and this just felt like the right time to do it, to step out to the front together.

What does your previous experience in the industry bring to this new band?
I think the industry is still trying to work itself. I have learnt it all comes down to ‘the song’ at the end of the day. Good songs remain in the hearts and minds of folk.

You’ve just released a new single “I Dreamt I Was a Sparrow.” What was it about that song that inspired you to unleash it on the masses?
It wasn’t until we had finished recording the album that ‘I Dreamt I Was A Sparrow’ just leapt out as a great first single. It’s a pop song and a nice intro into the album.

It sounds really different from the music you made with The Go-Betweens. How would you describe your current sound?
This is just how we sound. We basically went about the recording process as we used to with Robert and Grant. We were lucky that we had a lot more time in the studio and we were able to experiment.

The single comes from your forthcoming album Carrington Street. What can you tell me about it?
I moved from Brisbane to Sydney (Glenn’s home town) a couple of years ago and as I had mentioned before, we had attempted to record previous to that, but now the geography was right, and now was the right time. We spent a lot time arranging the songs, then commenced recording in Glenn’s studio, Horses Of Australia in Marrickville. We were in a lovely situation of having no deadline, and as we both love the recording and mixing process, we could have kept going and going … but we decided to pull the baby out of the bath water late last year. The name Carrington Street is inspired  by the location of the studio.

You’ve announced some shows to launch the album. Are you looking forward to playing these songs for the people?
We are indeed. It will be the two of us on stage. No loop pedals, machines … just us two and the songs, and alittle bit of charm.

Those local shows are only along the East Coast. Will the rest of Australia get the chance to see you live soon?
We hope so. We don’t have anything in the pipeline as yet, but we hope so soon.

I believe you’ve also got some shows coming up in Germany. What inspired you to take the album that far afield?
The label is ‘Glitterhouse Records’  They asked us, and that was a wonderful surprise as this means we are able to tour Carrington Street in Europe this year. Germany and Australia have a kinship when it comes to music which is a wonderful thing.

Have you got anything else in the pipeline you can share?
New videos, still trying to embrace Facebook and Twitter. Any tips gratefully received with thanks.

Catch the technologically-challenged twosome as they travel about the country launching Carrington Street at the following shows next month.

23 May 2012 – The Standard Hotel, Fitzroy
24 May 2012 – The Vanguard, Newtown
31 May 2012 – Black Bear Lodge, Fortitude Valley

Image used with permission from Footstomp Music

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Mez Medallion

After catching up with his touring buddy Phia yesterday, it only seemed fair to talk to another Aussie ex-pat Mez Medallion. Read on to learn about his new life in Berlin, his shows with Phia, and of course, his music!

You’re living in Berlin, which is a long way from your Melbourne home. What made you leave Australia behind?
Well I guess you can never fully leave Australia, not that I would want to anyway, because the internet, especially Facebook, keeps you connected with friends, family and fans. But in terms of the timing of leaving Australia for a while, I had come to a point where I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do with music and my creativity. I had so many ideas, half finished songs, half recorded songs but I needed a clean canvas and to separate myself from all my home comforts to distill my ideas and take the good bits of my past and fuse with the freedom and fire that comes from living in a fresh vibrant cultural capital like Berlin.

I was drawn to Berlin having visited before and drawn to the rich cultural/artistic activity. There is just so much happening all the time and being able to cycle between all of it is an added bonus. I love having the opportunity to refine my vision in this fresh environment and having the whole of Europe at my doorstep. For example, last year I did a tour of Iceland and as you know, now we drive only three hours and we’re at our first stop in Poland.

You’re touring Poland with Aussie girl Phia who’s been there before. Did she given you any indication of what you can expect?
I heard from Phia and a few other friends (also Australian) that Poland is a really cool and beautiful place to visit and the audiences are keen to hear fresh new music, very open minded.

What is it about Phia that made you want to join forces with her?
Well, I think we both bring a very contemporary version of the solo artist to our shows. People can often think of solo artists as being a person and their acoustic guitar, which is a totally cool and valid way to express yourself. But with my own background in live looping and now moving into the use of Ableton/laptop on stage with my guitar and voice I’m creating a big package but it’s my vision. Phia too has her unique way of storytelling, building textures and grooves with the most minimal of gear a Boss looper, kalimba and an octave pedal with voice and vocal percussion. I mean for a package of instruments that fit in a bag there is something intimate, sophisticated, honest and very cool coming through. So, yeah, we sound quite different but we are part of a new breed, I think.

The tour is well timed as you’ve just released your debut single in Europe, “Move Towards the Light.” What can you tell me about the song?
Well it’s got big beats, swirly synths, jangly guitars, and a friend of mine said it has “toms that would make Phil Collins envious.”  I think it is a really great balance between the familiar and unfamiliar both in its textures, catchy melodies and in the story behind it. When you see those movies like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the kid is drawn to the unfamiliar which then subsequently becomes the familiar. I just launched the film clip which you can check out on YouTube, which was filmed before I went away in an old farm in the Victorian countryside with the additional props of tennis balls and kerosene. I don’t want to give too much away to your readers but in the clip, there is a sport to it, an avoidance, a battle, but in the end the person submits to this light and is embraced by something quite alleviating and beautiful.

If you like what you see you can download the song for free here.

The track comes from your forthcoming EP. How’s that recording shaping up?
Well, actually I just got the final master last week and it’s six really fantastic tunes I’m very excited about sharing. The sounds are really cohesive despite reflecting my varied influences and point in the direction of where I’m going (album?). It moves from Fever Ray-esque slow tempo synth worlds, to Coolio in the Bermuda triangle, a bit of LCD Soundsystem meets Grizzly Bear and New Order melancholia. A friend who came to a show recently said that it was “thought-provoking pop but you can dance to it”. I like that.

I draw my sounds from a variety of sources in trying to paint just the right vision; some of it was over-driven drums recorded in a lounge room on my laptops in built mic, to phat analog synths, ’80s/’90s drum machine samples, lots of guitar pedals. I try to build something quite epic, yet somehow retain the intimacy of the songs’ bedroom workshop beginnings. I’ve been collaborating on the production of the EP with the Todd Brothers: Joe Franklin and Oscar Dawson from Planet Love Sound and previously Dukes of Windsor. We started working together when we were all in Berlin and then finished it off via the interwebz when they moved back to Melbourne.

I decided to release the single first and when the time is right release the full EP. I’m already brainstorming the next film clip with a friend of mine here in Berlin and hoping to find a label that understands where I’m coming from and what I want to achieve. If not I’ll just release it myself.
Continue reading “Q & A with Mez Medallion” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Phia

Melbourne born and German based singer-songwriter Phia is showing she’s truly a citizen of the world as she tours through Poland this month with fellow German based Aussie Mez Medallion. I caught up with her recently to chat about the European dates, her love of pop music, and life away from Oz. Tune in tomorrow for an interview with her touring partner Mez!

You’re currently based in Berlin, which is a world away from Melbourne. What inspired you to make the big move?
It was partly based on timing – I wanted to have lived some of my life in Europe, and suddenly it just seemed the right time. I didn’t have anything tying me down in Melbourne – no full time job, or mortgage, or university! It was also a career thing; I wanted to explore opportunities over here for my music. Berlin seemed an obvious choice: it’s cheap, there are heaps of artists here. I also have a German passport as my grandfather was born here, so that makes the visa side uncomplicated!

How does life in Berlin compare to living in Australia?
I find it hard answering this question. A lot of answers that I come up with, I wonder whether they are concrete differences, or rather, changes that have come about because my mindset/attitude has changed somewhat from moving overseas. There are some obvious differences of course. I love the travel I’ve done over the last eight months as everything is so close and affordable! I’ve been to Iceland, Poland, around Germany, the UK. In fact, last month someone from the south of France was in Berlin and saw one of my shows and invited me to play at their birthday party. That was fun! I also love not owning a car. It’s an easy city to get around. I ride my bike a lot, and also ride my bike to gigs which is so great. Now that I always play solo, I can fit my gear in a backpack. I’ve had some beautiful serene bike rides home at 3 am on a weeknight, riding down cobble-stoned roads, past canals and bridges, and some seriously old buildings.

You call your music pop, which is a term that’s almost fallen out of favour in recent years. Why do you embrace it?
Because I love pop songs! I grew up mainly listening to the Beatles and then got into contemporary music in the late ’90s, a really great period of mainstream pop music, in my opinion! Those early Britney Spears songs, the Spice Girls, early Destiny’s Child. They had some great songwriting teams. Now I listen to tune-yards, Lykke Li, Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear. Pop is such a broad church, and, at least, the first two have a hint of some of those ’90s influences. I’m not aspiring to be Lady Gaga, but a pop song is defined by being catchy, having a clear message and a hook.

Also as I was writing this I realized another reason I love pop is the diversity of great female artists who are out there making pop music, so inspiring.

What makes your pop music different from the stuff that made the term such a dirty word?
When I’m describing my music to people, I do always feel the need to add a precursor to the word “pop” with another, like “experimental-pop”, or “art-pop”. People often hear “pop”, and think you mean disposable music, or at least heavily produced. The songwriting of my music is pop, but the sounds I use are more diverse and intimate, a bit playful. I loop my kalimba on stage and layer my voice, which includes beat-boxing, hand claps and finger clicks, so it’s a bit DIY and a bit experimental at the same time.

Continue reading “Q & A with Phia” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Buckley Ward Tour Album Number 2

Buckley Ward will take their new album So Pretend to the masses this month.

The follow-up to Something in the Night is jampacked with perfect pop music with heart. The layered organic sounds and pitch perfect harmonies are what the genre should sound like. The singles “Into the Darkening Blue” and the title track sit amongst new favourites.

So Pretend hits stores on April 20, which gives fans at the first show in Adelaide a little more than a week to learn the words! Here are all the shows on Buckley Ward’s album tour.

28 April 2012 – Edinburgh Castle, Adelaide
11 May 2012 – X&Y, Brisbane
19 May 2012 – The Toff, Melbourne
27 May 2012 – Pure Pop Records, Melbourne
2 June 2012 – FBi Social, Sydney

Image used with permission from Show Off Services

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

My Thoughts on Prince Ticketing Woes

I’ve just returned home after a few days away, so I haven’t had time to weigh into the Prince ticketing debacle. That might be for the best, as it allowed me a few days to cool off!

You’ve probably already read about the dramas in the news, but I thought I’d chime in with my own perspective. I was nervous about scoring these tickets. It’s unusual for concerts to go on sale without a presale these days, and I was concerned about the volume of prospective purchasers flooding the site. I’d read the stories about Ticketek’s system crashing for other popular concerts, and I was anxoius I’d encounter something similar here. It turned out my fears were true.

The site was painfully slow from the get go, but eventually it spat out some great tickets. I attempted to pay for them, only to be told there was an “unspecified error.” And again, and again as the site’s timer counted me down before logging me out and releasing those coveted tickets back to the masses. And so I remained logged out, seeing only a message telling me of high traffic, for another 15 minutes. I called frantically on the phone at the same time with no success. Finally I was in the site again. And along it crawled until it spat out some nosebleed tickets. Disgusted, I threw them back and persevered until at 10:30, an hour and a half after my Prince concert ticket buying adventure began, I secured two reasonable tickets to the Brisbane show. They’re not as good as the ones I was first told were mine, but after reading some horror stories I feel like one of the lucky ones. My gal pal Lisa and I will undoubtedly have an awesome time at the show.

What troubles me most is the lack of responsibility Ticketek’s taken for the whole affair. Its managing director said “We are aware that some customers experienced a ‘timed out transaction’ and whilst we understand this can frustrate eager fans, it is important to understand that a limit on the time allowed per transaction is one of the key measures put in place to ensure fair access to as many fans as possible.” Fair call, but it says nothing of the way the site crawled and refused to accept the payment of countless fans. We all were doing our level best to complete our transactions in a timely fashion, but the site glitches made it an impossibility.

While Ticketek refuses to take any responsibilitybfor the whole affair it seems little will change. I’m admittedly a tech novice but it seems the site needs an upgrade to cope with those high demand days. Presales help ease the demand, but where there isn’t time to allow one offering different sale times for different cities seems a sensible measure. It’d also be nice to somehow see scalpers stamped out. I hated thinking they were buying the good seats while I was locked out of the site. eBay seems to suggest they were.

Infuriated fans have suggested a boycott, but while Ticketek continues to sell for some of the biggest local and international touring acts such measures seem like cutting off a proverbial nose. And so I’ll persevere, but I really hope Ticketek gets its act together soon. Music fans deserve better.

Image source: Scott Penner @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Royston Vasie Launch “You Want it Now” Single

Royston Vasie are riding the wave following their recent supporting slot on the Ben Kweller and Manchester Orchestra tour. If you enjoyed the band’s melodic sensibilities then, you’ll love their new single “You Want It Now.”

The song is our first taste of the band’s debut album Tanahmerah, which will hit stores in June. It features the irresistibly catchy guitar hooks and big singalong choruses the Melbourne quartet are famous for.

Royston Vasie will celebrate the single release with two big launch shows. They’ll play for hometown audiences at the Northcote Social Club on April 28 before taking the stage at Sydney’s Oxford Arts Factory on May 11.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Bloodpoets Take Aim with “War” Single & Tour

Brisbane rock act The Bloodpoets are assaulting our ears with a brand new single called “War.”

The track is our first taste of The Bloodpoets’ second album, a disc which ups the energy to replicate the band’s famous live shows. It’s much rawer than Polarity, which should impress their faithful fans. That back to basics approach should serve the band well when they take the songs on the road.

The Bloodpoets will kick off their War Against the World tour with a hometown show on April 27 before they head around the country. Tickets are on sale now for the following dates.

27 April 2012 – The Hi-Fi, Brisbane
11 May 2012 – Pony, Melbourne
12 May 2012 – The Oak, Launceston
8 June 2012 – Andergrove Tavern, Mackay
15 June 2012 – The Burdekin Hotel, Sydney

Image used with permission from Red Mosquito Management

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Chance Waters

Sydney hip hop act Chance Waters is a star on the rise. His music has been celebrated as far afield as Europe, and he’s toured with some of the world’s biggest names including Method Man, De La Soul, and our own Bliss N Eso. As his Infinity tour approaches I caught up with Chance Waters to chat about his unique style of hip hop, the upcoming shows, and why he dropped his stage name.

You used to perform under the name Phatchance. What inspired you to drop that moniker and record under your real name?
I’d had the moniker since I was 16. I started out primarily as a battle rapper, mainly playing around with the freestyle element. The pun sort of suited what I was doing then, but getting older and moving away from that style of music I felt like it was time for a change. Heading into the second record it was a point of no return in terms of making a decision. I’m really happy to be away from it. It’s given me the opportunity to refresh a few things and I feel like working under my given name is a lot more flexible and doesn’t carry with it as many connotations as the Phatchance label did.

I was really struck by the sound of your single “Infinity,” the lush string section and these really moving lyrics. It feels really different to a lot of hip hop that’s on the market. What sort of music has influenced your sound?
Obviously much of the musical credit needs to go to One Above. We’ve been working together really closely to try and make something a little different on my second album. I find inspiration in a lot of places. Hip hop inspires me from a writing perspective, but musically I draw influence from all over the shop. I listen to a lot of alternative and independent music from a huge range of genres. In particular I’ve got a penchant for anything that blends genre lines and listen to a lot of acoustic, rock and electronic music and lift little things from here and there amongst that spread.

You’re about to release the album, also called Infinity. What can you tell me about it?
The album’s been a real labour of love. I started writing some of the songs in 2009 after I released Inkstains, but I’m still putting finishing touches on a couple of the tracks.

As I mentioned I’ve been working really closely with One Above, but also a lot of other talented local producers including Rahjconkas, Akouo, Cool Poindexter and Zeed The Mantis, mainly guys I’m also lucky enough to call friends. I’ve also worked with a heap of singers and songwriters, including Paris Wells, Rainbow Chan, Kate Martin and Lilian Blue, and a couple of my rapper friends have jumped on to break things up.

This is your second album. How have you grown between the making of the first album and this one?
I’ve tried to learn from my first release (Inkstains) and work as much diversity and pace into the tracks as I can. It’s a bit deviation from that album, but probably not as much of a deviation as the acoustic folk/hip hop side project I released in March last year. There’s some really personal songs and a few very existential tracks, probably as you’d expect from an album called Infinity, but I’ve made an effort to fight my melancholy instincts and blend a little light in with the shade this time around.

As you mentioned, the album sees you working again with One Above. What does he bring to the recording process that keeps you coming back?
Basically he’s just a great guy, really creative and progressive with what he’s doing and super prolific. Sometimes he’ll just subtly mention in conversation some work he’s doing with another act, and more often than not it’s a top tier artist from somewhere in the world, so I feel really privileged to get to work so closely with him. He also introduced me to Skype. Can’t complain about free calls, no sir.

When you tour the single this month fans will have their first taste of many of the album’s tracks. Are there any nerves about that?
Definitely! I never know how people are going to receive new material. It also creates a lot of pressure in terms of how I should ‘interpret’ the songs in a live setting. It takes at least a fistful of performances to really get comfortable with a song and learn what works, and I won’t have that luxury heading into this tour, so it’s going to be a big learning experience for me, hopefully without too steep a curve.

This tour takes in the East Coast. Are there are any plans to hit the rest of Australia soon?
I find myself touring the East Coast a lot more regularly than the rest of Australia. It’s really just a distance thing. It’s so much more expensive to try and drag a band over to Perth than to somewhere like Melbourne or Brisbane, and I happen to have my largest followings in those places. But I really enjoy touring properly, especially rurally, and some of my shows in Perth or various small towns have been the best I’ve played, so I’ll definitely be trying my luck to throw the net a little wider later this year, probably for the album tours.

You spend so much time on the road so you must love it. What’s your favourite thing about being on stage?
Probably getting to jam out with whatever band I take with me. I try to always have at least a few people as part of the show and interacting with them in a touring environment is always great. I’m really lucky to work with some fun and interesting people. I also have a following of really cool people who take the time to come out to most of my shows and catching up with them is always awesome. Lots of shenanigans.

I believe your music’s been getting some attention in Europe. Do you have any plans to visit and explore that?
It’s been really weird. Firstly my tracks were on a BMX video for Dane Searls (R.I.P.) which went very viral throughout Europe. Apparently they’re crazy about BMX. And then my Gotye remix got picked up by a lot of radio stations over there, particularly in Sweden and Berlin, none of which I ever expected. To be honest I don’t really know how to capitalise on it. It’s very rare for hip hop acts of my size in Australia to take their music overseas, even though international touring is quite common for acts in other genres. I’d love to sort out something, but I guess I’m focusing primarily on opening a few doors properly in Australia first. I get requests all the time though so it’s in the back of my mind.

Do you have anything else on the horizon?
As soon as the album’s finished I’m launching straight into working on more music. I’d love to knock out a free mixtape, maybe another acoustic project with renditions of some of the songs on Infinity, and obviously I’ll be touring properly and making some videos for Infinity. One Above and myself have been discussing the possibility of working on a release together exclusively too, so that will probably go into the works, and I’d like the gap between this album and the next to be much shorter. Basically if I’m lucky I’ll be just as busy as usual!

You can catch Chance Waters at the following venues this month and the next.

27 April 2012 – Plantation Hotel, Coffs Harbour
28 April 2012 – Brewery, Byron Bay (Free)
5 May 2012 – First Floor, Melbourne
11 May 2012 – Chatswood Club, Chatswood
18 May 2012 – Beaches Hotel, Newcastle (Free)
19 May 2012 – FBi Social, Sydney

Image used with permission from Reckoning Entertainment

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Eliza Hull Offers Delicious Taste of Debut EP

Eliza Hull has created a sultry slice of soulful pop with her new single “Without Words.” The empassioned track is the first lifted from her forthcoming EP Dawn.

Dawn is the culmination of three years of commitment to her craft. It shows that she’s put in the hard yards. The song is so hypnotic, with vocals that draw you in and one of the prettiest electronic melodies I’ve heard in some time.

“‘Without Words’ is about the pull and shift within a relationship and the questioning that can often happen,” Eliza explained in a press release. “It captures the beautiful confusion love can stir inside us.”

Eliza will celebrate her EP’s launch at Melbourne’s The Toff on May 31. The wonderful Sophie Koh is also on the bill, so it should be a pretty amazing night!

Image used with permission from Show Off Recordings

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Ben Wells & The Middle Names & Kate Martin Tour Together

Hobart’s Ben Wells & The Middle Names and Townsville’s Kate Martin hail from opposite ends of the country, but they’ll come together this May for one big tour.

Ben Wells & The Middle Names are no strangers to life on the road after clocking up some 10, 000 kays in the past year alone. Along the way they’ve supported Little Red, Art vs Science, and San Cisco and were handpicked by Triple J’s Unearthed initiative to take the stage at Falls.

You couldn’t blame Kate Martin for being a little gun-shy, after she almost died with her band on the road last year. Somewhere between Brisbane and Sydney the semi-trailer ahead of them burst a tire. Having a tire hurtling towards you and an out of control vehicle ahead sounds pretty hair-raising! No doubt Kate Martin and crew will rally to support their current album Hand Me My Bow and Arrow.

You can see both acts at the following shows next month.

3 May 2012 – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
4 May 2012 – Byron Bay Brewery, Byron Bay
5 May 2012 – The Loft, Gold Coast (Kate Martin not appearing)
6 May 2012 – Livespark @ The Powerhouse, Brisbane (with Oceanics)
10 May 2012 – The Toff, Melbourne
12 May 2012 – Pure Pop Records, St Kilda (Acoustic)
16 May 2012 – Cambridge, Newcastle
17 May 2012 – Good God, Sydney
18 May 2012 – Yours & Owls, Wollongong
19 May 2012 – The Phoenix, Canberra (Kate Martin not appearing, Oceanics in support)