Posted on by Lauren Katulka

David Guetta Works with Aussie Girl Indigo

David Guetta tends to work with big name acts like Rihanna and Kelly Rowland. So when he handpicks an Aussie girl for his next project, it’s pretty big news.

The lucky lady is Indigo, a Western Australian lass who’s just signed up with French indie dance label Summit. The deal will see her debut album The Colour of Dreams released through France, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, Belgium, and Italy later this year.

And then there’s the David Guetta connection. He’s remixed her song “She Knows Love,” and plans to release the tune later this year. We all know how everything Guetta touches turns to gold, so something tells me big things are in store for Indigo.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

President Obama Gets an Aussie iPod

If the art of the mix-tape was dead, someone forgot to tell Julia Gillard. She apparently gave President Barack Obama an iPod chockfull of Aussie music.

News.com.au was quick to slam its AC/DC omission, but I think whoever was compiling this playlist had the right idea. The beauty of the Australian music industry is that it’s so insular. Our heroes are performers that folks in the rest of the world would have no idea about. That’s pretty special.

So while there were a few artists with international profiles, including John Butler Trio, The Temper Trap, and Crowded House (they’re mostly Aussie, right?), the bulk of the musicians were performers that Obama were heard of. They also represented so many genres of Australian music: we had the jazzy James Morrison, funky Cat Empire, Paul Kelly, indie darling Washington, urban Bliss N Eso, and modern indigenous music of Saltwater Band to name a few.

It’s easy to bandy around the names that were missing. I’d have loved to see Obama learn about Richard Clapton, Slim Dusty, Human Nature, and James Reyne. But AC/DC? I reckon he’s already clued in.

What did you think of the president’s new Aussie playlist?

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Good Ship Tour Double A-Side Single

If celebrating the oft forgotten musical genre of pirate-rock wasn’t enough to set themselves apart, The Good Ship have decided to make an impact with a big double single. The band is celebrating the release of the double A-sider “Bury Me/I Can Make Her Laugh” with an Aussie tour.

If you love a good sea shanty with questionable lyrics, this is your kind of tour. If you’re still not convinced, feast your eyes on this awesome animated music video for “Bury Me.” It’s probably better that I show you this than the one for “I Can Make Her Laugh” with the bondage mistresses!

You can catch those lovable rogues from The Good Ship at the following shows.

19 March 2011 – Pacific Hotel, Yamba
20 March 2011 – Treehouse on Belongil, Byron Bay
25 March 2011 – Brisbane Hotel, Hobart
26 March 2011 – The Hub, Launceston
1 April 2011 – Ruby’s Lounge, Melbourne
2 April 2011 – The Evelyn, Melbourne
9 April 2011 – Joe’s Waterhole, Eumundi
10 April 2011 – Rics Bar, Brisbane
17 April 2011 – Peregian Originals, Peregian Beach
30 April 2011 – The Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide
7 May 2011 – Royal Mail Hotel, Goodna (3pm show)
7 May 2011 – The Joynt, South Brisbane (8 pm show)
20 May 2011 – The Great Northern, Newcastle
21 May 2011 – The Vanguard, Sydney
27 May 2011 – The Loft, Gold Coast

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Joshua Radin Returning to Australia

As a music blogger I tend to think I’ve got my finger on the pulse, but every now and then a tour sneaks up and surprises me. If I hadn’t been reading Joshua Radin’s Facebook messages today I never would have known he was heading back Down Under.

The gorgeous and talented Joshua was last here in 2009, and he gave one of my favorite concerts of that year. Even in the cramped Manning Bar with the sweatiness and standing up, I adored every single moment. This year though he’s got some venue upgrades as he promotes his new album The Rock and The Tide. Hopefully this tour means that album’s going to get a local release soon! Otherwise I’ll have to bite the bullet and hit up Amazon!

Presales are already underway ahead of the general sale on March 10. If you love acoustic folky brilliance (and who doesn’t?), you don’t want to miss these shows.

21 June 2011 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
22 June 2011 – Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide
23 June 2011 – Forum Theatre, Melbourne
25 June 2011 – The Zoo, Brisbane

Image source: own photo

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Paul Kelly Scores Bob Dylan Support

Bob Dylan’s upcoming Aussie tour just got a lot cooler with Paul Kelly’s addition to the line-up.

Paul will warm up the crowds at Dylan’s shows in Melbourne, Sydney, and Wollongong. The support job in Adelaide will be left in the more than capable hands of BB King. If you’ve got tickets for shows in Victoria or New South Wales, make sure you turn up early to catch what’s sure to be a stellar set from our homegrown troubadour.

20 & 21 April 2011 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
23 April 2011 – Entertainment Centre, Wollongong
27 & 28 April 2011 – Entertainment Centre, Sydney

Image source: Andrew Braithwaite @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Congratulations Jenn and Alana!

Congratulations Alana McDonald and Jenn Rasmussen! You’re both about to be inundated with The Trews!

Keep an eye on your mailboxes for tickets to The Trews’ Aussie shows, a copy of the Canadian band’s album Friends and Total Strangers, and some extra Trews goodies.

Thanks to everyone that entered. Hopefully I’ll have another competition for you soon!

Image used with permission from Revolutions

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Blue King Brown Announce First Headline Tour

Blue King Brown have been a bright spot on the local music scene for several years, so it’s amazing to think they’ve never headlined a tour. They’re about to remedy the situation this May when they set off on their Worldwize national tour.

Blue King Brown should be in fine form as they’ve got shows scheduled at South by Southwest, Canadian Music Week, and Babel Med in France before they hit Oz. The band has enlisted some awesome supports for the local shows including Ash Grunwald, Zennith, and Diafrix. Tickets for the following gigs go on sale tomorrow.

12 May 2011 – ANU Bar, Canberra (with Diafrix)
13 May 2011 – Waves, Wollongong (with Diafrix)
14 May 2011 – Newcastle Panthers, Newcastle (with Diafrix)
15 May 2011 – Bellingen Memorial Hall, Bellingen (with Diafrix)
19 May 2011 – Beach Hotel, Byron Bay (with Diafrix)
20 May 2011 – The Forum, Melbourne (with Ash Grunwald and Diafrix)
21 May 2011 – Coolangatta Hotel, Coolangatta (with Diafrix)
22 May 2011 – Kings Beach Tavern, Caloundra (with Diafrix)
26 May 2011 – Uni of Tasmania, Hobart (with Diafrix)
27 May 2011 – The Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide (with Diafrix)
28 May 2011 – Tanks Art Centre, Cairns (with Zennith)
2 June 2011 – Metropolis, Fremantle (with Diafrix)
3 June 2011 – The Tivoli, Brisbane (with Diafrix)
4 June 2011 – The Metro, Sydney (with Diafrix)

Image source: Carlo Santone/AUM

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Carus Thompson Releases Amazing New Single “You Can’t Find Me”

I first heard Carus Thompson when he supported the wonderful Dave Matthews Band way back in 2005. So I’m thrilled to see that all these years later he’s still making great music. The latest taste is “You Can’t Find Me,” the infectious first single from his soon-to-be-released fourth album Caravan.

The song tells tales of Carus’ last year traveling around Europe, a journey which included encounters with psychos in London and mushrooms in Amsterdam! The song’s got such a spontaneous energy about it that by the end you just want to play it again.

When I first heard Carus I thought he was pretty good, but the years have been kind to him. His sound has really developed beautifully, so it’s no wonder he’s been well received in Europe. Hopefully we’ll see him playing some local shows when Caravan hits stores this April.

Image used with permission from Heapsaflash

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Katie Noonan Leaves Sony for Independent Projects

Katie Noonan has parted ways with Sony Music Australia after three years and two albums.

Katie worked with Sony on her Beatles cover album Blackbird and Emperors Box, the album with her band The Captains. But now she’s spreading her wings as she looks to stretch herself artistically in a more creative, independent environment.

“My creative musings have always been fairly left of centre and we just felt that, moving forward, this may be better housed in an independent environment,” she said in a statement.

Katie will leave The Captains, at least temporarily, as she returns again to Elixir. The trio plans to record an album inspired by the poetry of Thomas Shapcott. It sounds intriguing, as most Katie Noonan projects do, so I can’t wait to give it a listen when it hits stores around August!

Image source: The Harbour Agency

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with The Trews’ John-Angus MacDonald

Canadian rockers The Trews clearly love our country. They’re currently enjoying their second visit in 12 months with four solid weeks of local shows. I caught up with the band’s guitarist John-Angus MacDonald to chat about these gigs, The Trews’ new album Hope & Ruin, and why he loves Australia.

You’ve just kicked off a month-long stint in Australia. How are your shows going so far?
Good. We’ve had some great crowds so far and I feel like it can only get better from here. It took us a few days to get in the groove – we played our first show the day we flew in from Canada – but we feel like our internal clocks have now been reset and we’re ready to rock.

How do Australian audiences differ from the ones back home?
Not that different really, especially due to the huge number of Canadians turning out every night! I feel like our two countries have a lot in common which one of the reasons that I think we could have a good career here.

You were only just here last September. What encouraged you to come back so soon?
Back in the fall we feel like we caught a glimpse of what could be down here and wanted to get back soon to explore it further.

You’ve enjoyed real success in Canada, so it must be almost like starting over to come here where you don’t have that profile. What inspired you to try to crack the Australian market?
True, it’s a little like going back to our early club days in Canada but we feel that in order for the band to have longevity we have to break a few other markets. We can’t just have Canada or they’ll get sick of us!

Since you’re here for a month, are you planning on doing any sightseeing? What do you want to see?
Our drummer Sean and I have taken up surfing which has been great. I’d also like to tour the Opera House, climb the bridge, go to the zoo, swim with sharks … you know, the usual.
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