Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Emma Dean Named in New York Post It List

The New York Post always has its finger on the pulse, so when it names one of our musicians as someone to watch in 2011 you know they’re something pretty special. Quirky cabaret pop songstress Emma Dean is the only Aussie on the list of “Top 10 Artists to Know in 2011.”

That’s not bad for a girl from Queensland who only launched her second album, Dr Dream & the Imaginary Pop Cabaret, a couple of weeks ago!

“Singer, songwriter and self proclaimed ringmaster Emma Dean is a hobobag full of crazy pills. Like the really awesome hallucinogenic kind,” the New York Post gushed, before saying we should “Just sample her monster Broadway single ‘Sincerely Fearful,’ which is 50% Wicked and 50% Tori Amos and 100% addictive, and you will find an unavoidable sound worthy of the repeat button.”

So if you didn’t sample Emma’s song the last time I posted it, what are you waiting for? It’s only a matter of time before this unique Aussie talent makes it big.

Image used with permission from Stephen Green Consulting

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Earl Cole Does Disco for New Years Eve

Western Australian crooner Earl Cole will show us a very different side when he slips on his disco shoes this New Years Eve. He’s part of the Disco Inferno show taking over the South of Perth Yacht Club on December 31.

Earl will appear with Chelsea J Gibson, DJ Grandmaster Mac, and the Inferno Dangers for a boogielicious evening of 70s disco and funk. Make sure you dress in your best glad rags, as there’ll be prizes and giveaways for the hippest male and female.

Tickets cost $165, which isn’t bad at all when you consider that includes cocktail food, a cocktail on arrival, and all the beer, wine, bubbly, and soft drink you need. They’re available now through Heatseeker.

Image source: Alessandro Paiva @ Stock.xchng

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Kate Nash Announces Side Shows

Kate Nash fans who’ve missed out on Playground Weekender tickets need not fret; the British songstress has just announced a string of side shows.

Kate will play capital cities along the east coast in support of her new album My Best Friend is You. The disc sees Kate delving into new territory inspired by the swinging sixties. Big soulful brass sounds and a little surf guitar color her unique brand of pop.

My Best Friend is You also defies the notion that it takes heartache to create great music. The album unashamedly documents her relationship with Ryan Jarman of The Cribs, and she doesn’t care who knows it!

“I don’t want to be gushy and weird about it, but I am in love!,” she said in a statement. “I don’t worry about making myself too vulnerable: I always write with my heart on my sleeve. If you don’t then you’re not living.”

You can catch the romantic Kate Nash next year at the following venues. Tickets for the sideshows go on sale on December 13, and you can get your Playground Weekender tickets now.

16 February 2011 – The Metro Theatre, Sydney
18 February 2011 – Billboard, Melbourne
19 February 2011 –  Hi-Fi, Brisbane
20 February 2011 – Playground Weekender Festival, Wisemans Ferry

Image used with permission from Playground Weekender

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Hyperspace Clearance” – Dan Webb

Dan Webb takes his cues from the world of classic rock with his sophomore EP, Hyperspace Clearance.

It’s a suitably far out name for a disc which revels in the music of the 60s and 70s. It’s not a carbon copy of the acts that came before, but Dan certainly wears his influences on his sleeve. He allows the artists of the past to inform his music, adding a hint of psychedelia here and a whiff of progressive rock there.

Perhaps it’s my love of The Doors that makes “These Walls” the standout for me. I love its cool, rollicking bass line and lush Hammond organ. Vocally Dan Webb is a world away from Jim Morrison’s lush baritone, but if the band were to have gone in a different direction I imagine they’d have made a song like this.

Dan’s heavy handed piano style, quirky songwriting, and musical smarts make a big impression. He creates a really lush sound by layering up to six keyboards over one another; it’s reminiscent of Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound in the very best way. Clearly this is an artist who enjoys experimenting. On this disc we see him learning about his potential and sound. But rather than feeling simply like we’re listening to someone testing things out, we enjoy being taken on this musical journey.

In just four songs Dan Webb makes a big impression with Hyperspace Clearance, one which leaves me wondering where he’ll take us next.

Image source: JB HiFi website

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Telstra Road to Tamworth’s Top 10 Announced

The 17 finalists from the Telstra Road to Tamworth competition have been whittled down to just 10 after the recent boot camp in Sydney and a performance at the Telstra V8 Supercars.
Telstra Road to Tamworth Finalists
There are seven left in the performer’s category: Queenslanders Alan Boyle, Nikki Jenson, and Shandell Tosoni Benobble, Victoria’s Gena Rose Bruce and Harry Hookey, Codee-Lee Down of Western Australia, and Kirsty Elwell from New South Wales. The last three songwriters left standing are Queensland’s Amela Duheric, Western Australia’s Craig Sinclair, and Dave Garnham from the Northern Territory.

The final ten will compete at the Telstra Road to Tamworth finals, to be held on January 18 as part of the annual Tamworth Country Music Festival. A winner from each category will be announced, and that’s when the real fun starts. The victors will win a trip to Nashville and 12-months mentorship with some of the music industry’s biggest names. It sounds like massive things are ahead for the talented twosome!

If you want to get out and support them you can buy tickets for the final through the Telstra Country Music Festival website.

Image used with permission from Javelin Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Perth’s Rosemount Hotel Not So Silent for Christmas

Perth’s Rosemount Hotel will ring in the silly season next Saturday night with its Not So Silent Night party. This annual event is so big it’s going to take one stage inside the venue and another one in the street to get things done!

This year’s party is set to be one of the best ever with acts from all over the country. Local rockers Sugar Army heads up the bill, which also features Sydney indie act Cabins, Adelaide’s Coerce, Young Revelry, Grim Fandango, The Caballeros, and The Growl. And that’s just for starters.

Doors open at 4 pm for this big Christmas bash. Get your tickets from Planet Video, Mills Records, Star Perth, and Heatseeker.

Image source: Kym McLeod @ Stock.xchng

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Something Special from The Honey Month

It’s rare to come across a band that feels really original. After all, there are only so many different instruments, and so many different notes they can play. But after listening to The Honey Month’s new song “Foliage,” I’m beginning to think they might be one of those rare gems.

Their sound is so exciting. Synths combine with heavy drums and a bunch of other sounds I can’t quite put my finger on to create something so lush and organic. The film clip is also gorgeous with all those fairy lights.

The Honey Month have been creating a bit of buzz after recent support slots with Glenn Richards and You Am I. Something tells me it’s only a matter of time before they’re regular headliners.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Eagles @ Sydney Entertainment Centre, 2 December 2010

When I arrived at the Sydney Entertainment Centre last night, I wasn’t in the best mood. Our hotel had lost the reservation for one of our rooms, resulting in a good hour of drama. I’d gone without dinner after sending back my overcooked steak, only to have the replacement never arrive. I needed something special to turn the night around, and I got it in The Eagles show.

NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 12: (L-R) Musician Timothy B. Schmit, Glenn Frey, Don Henley and Joe Walsh of The Eagles perform on stage during the 42nd Annual CMA Awards at the Sommet Center on November 12, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images)


Few bands endure like The Eagles. Sure they’ve taken some time out, but over the decades together they’ve developed a chemistry like few others. They know their own instruments and each others, which results in flawless harmonies and one of the tightest sounds around.

And there are those hits. In the three hours they graced us with our presence, they delivered some of the greatest songs in musical history. When you can bring out a tune like “Hotel California” early in the first act, yet still have somewhere to go it’s impressive.

There were so many highlights for me. “I Can’t Tell You Why” has always been one of my favourite Eagles tunes, and to hear Timothy B. Schmidt sing it so beautifully was something really special. “Best Of My Love” was something I never expected to hear, but I’ve always held deep in my heart. “Heartache Tonight” was the first Eagles song I ever fell for as it was on one of my Dad’s favourite driving cassettes, and it absolutely rocked. My inner 80s fan girl went nuts for “Boys of Summer,” another song I didn’t expect being a solo hit for Don Henley. The Eagles back catalogue is so rich that those solo hits were rare, but I was thrilled to see Joe Walsh let loose on “Rocky Mountain Way” in the finale. And “Desperado” was of course, the perfect closer.

The Eagles really are in a class of their own, artists that write incredible songs and make incredible music. Those tunes hold up just as well today, just as their talents do. Age has not wearied them, thankfully for folks like me who weren’t around to see them when it all began. I know these guys are getting on, but they’re still in their prime. Hopefully they can squeeze out another tour, because one day on I’m ready to do it all again.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Eddie Vedder Goes Solo for Aussie Tour

Those killer concert announcements are coming through so quickly we’re all going to be broke before Christmas. The latest one is Eddie Vedder, who’s leaving his Pearl Jam band mates behind for a solo tour of Oz.

There are three big draw cards for me, beyond the obvious brilliance of Mr Vedder. Firstly there are those venues. The reason I’ve stayed away from Pearl Jam shows so long has been the ever-increasing size of the concert spots. After spending one night staring at dots on a stage I swore I’d never do it again. This time around though, Eddie’s keeping things small and intimate with shows at some of the country’s best concert halls and theatres.

Then there is Eddie’s incredibly body of solo work that we’ve never been treated to live. Think of the soundtracks for Dead Man Walking and Into The Wild amongst others, and all those delicious rarities. I’m sure we’ll get our fair share of Pearl Jam material, but it’s those other solo songs that are going to set these gigs apart from your average Pearl Jam gig.

And finally we’ve got Evil J & Saint Cecilia on support, an American based folk-pop outfit featuring our own Eliza Jane Barnes and Ceci Herbert. I’ve heard great things about these girls, and what better time to see what they’re all about?

Needless to say, I’m psyched. If you are too make sure you grab your tickets when they go on sale on December 10. They’re not going to last long!

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 25: Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam performs during day 1 of the Hard Rock Calling festival held in Hyde Park on June 25, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)


10 & 12 March 2011 – QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane
15 March 2011 – Royal Theatre, Canberra
16 March 2011 – Civic Theatre, Newcastle
18 & 19 March 2011 – State Theatre, Sydney
24 & 25 March 2011 – Palais Theatre, Melbourne
27 March 2011 – The Barton Theatre, Adelaide

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Free Montpelier Song Download

Brisbane four-piece Montpelier is giving us our first taste of their forthcoming EP by offering a free download of one song, “Last Boat.”

Click here to own the track, which features haunting vocals from Greg Chiapello and some incredible drum beats reminiscent of The Temper Trap. It’s no wonder Greg delivers such an amazing vocal performance, as he penned it about his difficult teenage years coming to terms with OCD.

“When I was in my late teens I got diagnosed with OCD. I had lived with it since I was quite young but never knew exactly what it was. Around the time of writing Last Boat I was really getting on top of the OCD and really learning how to manage and live with it,” he explained.

“This song for me does encapsulate the pretty extreme struggles experienced over those years, the isolation and helplessness an illness like that can make you feel, but it also reminds me of the wonderful liberation and strength I felt at the time knowing I could live with it, and knowing that it wasn’t going to be debilitating for the rest of my life.”

If you love the song make sure you look out for Montpelier’s EP next April.And make sure to check out its incredible animated video!