Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jakki Pollock Wins Orange Heat of Telstra Road to Tamworth

Jakki Pollock of Abbotsford is the latest singer ready to ship off to Boot Camp as part of the Telstra Road to Tamworth competition.

Jakki took out yesterday’s heat in Orange to qualify for the mentoring program in Sydney. As part of the camp, Jakki will perform with her fellow finalists alongside The McClymonts at the V8 Supercars this December.

Jakki fell for country music more when she visited the Tamworth Country Music festival more than a decade ago. Since that time she’s been working towards becoming a professional musician.

This win couldn’t have come at a better time, as Jakki is currently recording her debut album with Nash Chambers.

“Approaching Nash Chambers to produce my first album and walking through the process of recording it took every bit of courage I could find and even then I nearly fainted,” she said.

That courage no doubt served her well during the Telstra Road to Tamworth final, where she performed Miranda Lambert’s “More Like Her” and an original song, “Accelerate.”

If she does well at boot camp Jakki will receive $1000 cash and head to the competition finals at the Tamworth Country Music Festival next January. It sounds fitting for Jakki to return to the place that inspired her. I wish her the best of luck!

Image used with permission from Javelin Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Georgia Fair Tour Times Fly

Georgia Fair wowed us all last year with their cruisy tune “Picture Frames.” Now Jordan Wilson and Ben Riley are set to do it all over again with their new EP Times Fly.

“When we did that first EP we were pretty green to the whole industry,” explained Jordan. “We just wanted to get it out there. For this we focused on the value of the song and the shape of our sound. It’s a bit more up, I guess you could say, and it’s a sample of what’s to come from the album.”

The lads spent time in North Carolina recording the EP under the guidance of Bill Reynolds of Band of Horses before returning home to complete it with old friends Boy & Bear. Reynolds’ expertise helped the Sydney boys step up their game and really showcase their acoustic folk strengths.

You can hear all that acoustic goodness in the flesh when Georgia Fair plays the following shows to support the release of Times Fly.

30 & 31 October 2010 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne (with Basics)
5 November 2010 – Clubhouse, Brisbane (with Basics)
6 November 2010 – Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney (with Basics)
10-12 November 2010 – The Quarry, Perth (with Lisa Mitchell)
20 November 2010 – Hope Estate, Hunter Valley (with Crowded House)
14 & 15 December 2010 – The Vanguard, Sydney (with Gossling)
16 December 2010 – East Brunswick, Melbourne (with Gossling)
29 December 2010 – Peats Ridge Festival, Peats Ridge

Image source: The Harbour Agency

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Get “The Man in Black” on DVD

If you missed Tex Perkins’ turn as Johnny Cash, or just want to relive the magic all over again, you’re in luck. Sony Music will release The Man in Black on DVD and Blu-Ray next month.

The DVD was filmed at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre last month and features two hours of iconic Cash tunes including “Ring of Fire,” “I Walk the Line,” and “A Boy Named Sue.” There are also bonus tracks, interviews with Tex, his band and producers, and behind-the-scenes footage from rehearsals and Tex’s visit to Port Phillip Prison. It’s not quite Folsom, but the inmates loved his appearance nonetheless.

Look for The Man in Black in stores on November 5.

Image used with permission from Sony Music Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Enter the Theatrical Mind of Emma Dean

Emma Dean is one of those special artists that brings a sense of theatre to her music. She calls to mind such strong female performers as Kate Bush and Amanda Palmer with her sophomore album Dr Dream and The Imaginary Pop-Cabaret.

“Essentially, I think of my original music as being piano- based cabaret-tinged pop which is presented with a theatrical flair. In short, I call it pop-cabaret”, she explained in a statement.

“This particular body of work explores themes such as imagination, insanity, fear, obsession and dreams. Dr Dream is one of the characters from my Imaginary Friends tour and this album is all about me sitting in his office, on his big black chair and rambling on about the inner-most workings of my mind. It’s about letting go of all the things I’m normally too afraid and ashamed to speak of and unashamedly airing them in song. It’s been scary but therapeutic.”

This video for “Sincerely Fearful” gives you some idea of what you’re in for when you take a journey through Emma Dean’s mind. She brings this same sense of theatricality to her live performances, which also feature her corseted, dancing “Imaginary Friends.” If this sounds like something you want to experience, make sure you get to one of the upcoming album launch shows.

20 November 2010 – The Raval @ The Macquarie Hotel, Sydney (18+)
26 November 2010 – The Old Museum @ Studio One, Brisbane (All Ages)
27 November 2010 – The Toff In Town, Melbourne (18+)

Image used with permission from Stephen Green Consulting

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Chrissy Amphlett Diagnosed with Breast Cancer

I was saddened to hear the news this morning that Chrissy Amphlett has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She’s currently undergoing treatment in her New York City home, where she lives with her husband.

In typical Chrissy fashion, she’s pledged to fight the cancer, just as she has Multiple Sclerosis. That disease means she can’t have radiation treatment, so she’s in for one hell of a battle.

But if anyone’s up to it, it’s Chrissy. They don’t make them much tougher than her after all. My thoughts are with her and her family at this difficult time.

Moments like this make me want to revisit some of the music and remember performers at their height of their power. For me, it doesn’t get much better than Chrissy belting out “Boys in Town.” What’s your favourite Divinyls track?

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Gena Rose Bruce Wins Geelong Telstra Road to Tamworth Heat

Victorian teen Gena Rose Bruce is the latest winner of a Telstra Road to Tamworth heat.

17-year-old Gena Rose impressed the judges with two original songs, “I Need a Boyfriend” and “Jackson.” She played the tunes on her acoustic guitar, which she’d only purchased a week earlier from the earnings of her part-time job.

“I wasn’t sure how it was going to sound and I was pretty nervous being last on stage in the competition, but I’m so excited to have won and be a step closer to my dream of Tamworth and potentially, Nashville!” Gena Rose said.

The girl from Mitcham won an Epiphone acoustic guitar and two-day mentoring experience in Sydney for taking out the Geelong heat. She’ll also perform with the other finalists at the Telstra 500 V8 Supercar event in Sydney this December.

I wish her the best of luck at boot camp; hopefully we’ll see her in the finals at Tamworth next year!

Image used with permission from Javelin Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Lonnie Lee Rocks with The Class of ’59 Tour

Australian music legend Lonnie Lee is bringing classic rock to the masses with his upcoming The Class of ‘59 tour.

These shows will transport you back to a time where rock and roll had the power to shock without relying on wild costumes or bad language. Lonnie will play his own big hits of course, alongside The Class of ‘59 band. They’ll stand in for some of rock’s pioneers including Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Bill Haley.

If you’re old enough to remember the music that rocked a generation of teens, or if you’ve been introduced to it along the way, this tour is promising to be a lot of fun.

1 April 2011 – Civic Centre, Ipswich
2 April 2011 – QPAC, Brisbane
9 April 2011 – State Theatre, Sydney
29 & 30 April 2011 – Palms At Crown, Melbourne
6 May 2011 – Burswood Theatre, Perth
7 May 2011 – Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide

Image used with permission from AAA Entertainment

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Mitchell Smith Exits The X Factor

Tonight I finally got my wish as Mitchell Smith departed The X Factor. That sounds kind of mean, but honestly I felt that under the guidance of Kyle Sandilands, Mitchell was as good as he was going to get. Kyle still didn’t seem to appreciate the kind of artist Mitchell really was, so we were never going to see him improve.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 24: Kyle Sandilands appears on the 2Day FM Kyle and Jackie O Breakfast show at World Square on September 24, 2008 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Gaye Gerard/Getty Images)


Having said that, I think Natalie needs to work fast to help India-Rose Madderom cut through. She seems like a lovely girl with a lovely voice, but there’s just something about her that isn’t really resonating. It’s all just a bit bland.

Next week the finalists will be tackling the brilliant theme of “Songs from the Movies.” Let’s just hope they can live up to it!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“TheStoryOfMyLife” – Tenda McFly

Just as you can’t judge a book by its cover you can’t judge a rapper by his name. The moniker Tenda McFly is a bit naff, but the Brisbane based rapper behind it is one of the most accessible and inventive I’ve heard in some time.

The use of indie pop tunes in his latest release TheStoryOfMyLife makes the music particularly different, whether he’s taking a small sample or remixing an entire song as with Regina Spektor’s “Fidelity” or “Popular” from the musical Wicked. I’d never have imagined a rapper would turn to Broadway for inspiration, but I’m thrilled that he did. It’s very cool. But Tenda McFly doesn’t have to look to the work of others to impress. His tune “Welcome” is a real standout, summery and playful.

It’ll probably take a few listens before I catch all the rapid-fire lyrics, but I have a feeling it’ll be worth the effort. Some of the sexual references get a bit tiresome, sounding almost like the diary entries of a hormonal teenage boy, but there’s enough other, more interesting content to divert our attentions.

Tenda McFly calls TheStoryOfMyLife a mixtape, which is perhaps a more fitting title than an album. Just like any good mixtape it reveals much about the creator and his place in the world, whether he’s buying fake Raybans from eBay or scouting for girls. So often rap music spends so much time commentating about the world around that it forgets the person in the center of it. There’s an intimacy here that I really warm to, and which makes TheStoryOfMyLife worth a few listens. It’s available for free download through Tenda McFly’s Bandcamp page.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The X Factor Rocks

This week The X Factor contestants came ready to rock. But did they succeed?

Sally Chatfield started the show with a bang with Paramore’s “Decode.” I agree with Ronan that it was a bit safe, but when she delivers it’s hard to be too critical. I thought she definitely brought her own flavour to it and sounded brilliant.

I was so inspired and hopeful while watching Mitchell Smith’s package, listening to him speak about how he’d gone walkabout and was coming back to the music he loved. But his performance of “Jessie’s Girl” let me down all over again. I am the biggest 80s loving Rick Springfield fan, but this just wasn’t the song for him. I can enjoy anyone doing this song, but it also felt cheesy and a bit artificial. It was just okay for me, and any points I gave it are mostly because I love the song.

Hayley Teal brought things back with Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” She’s such a sexy girl, but I felt like this is the first time we’ve had a performance to match that sex appeal. It was smouldering and natural and just sublime. She might have always envisioned herself as the soul girl, but I think there’s a rock chick begging to be explored.
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