Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Cardinals Join Gin Wigmore for Holy Smoke Tour

The Cardinals had so much fun recording Holy Smoke with Gin Wigmore, they’re travelling to Australia to tour with her. Neal Casal, Jon Graboff and Brad Pemberton will join Gin for shows in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane this December.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing and playing with Gin again. We had such a good time when we worked on the record… and it’s high time for round two,” Jon Groboff said.

“Gin Wigmore’s new album Holy Smoke completely rips balls, and us Cardinal types are beyond stoked that we got to play on it,” said Neal Casal. We’re also out of our minds with joy that we get come to Australia and New Zealand to be in her band and play some rock n’ roll for the fine folks there.”

You can catch Gin Wigmore and the Cardinals at the following venues.

1 December 2009 – East Brunswick Club, Melbourne
2 December 2009 – The Zoo, Brisbane
4 December 2009 – Gaelic, Sydney

Image used with permission from The White Agency

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

"TownHallSteps" – TownHallSteps

townhallstepsalbum

Sydney’s TownHallSteps are a band on the brink of making a real impression. Their self-titled debut album shows a band with a lot of promise, who are still trying to figure themselves out.

On popping the disc into my CD, I thought I was in for a chill-out dance album. The opener, imaginatively titled “Intro” is atmospheric and electronic. It’s an accomplished track, but if its job is to introduce the band it doesn’t do a very good job.

What follows is a disc which seems to have a bit of an identity crisis. On one hand there are singalong punk-pop anthems popularised by the likes of Good Charlotte, Fall Out Boy, and Panic at the Disco. TownHallSteps don’t bring anything new to songs like “Still Alive,” “Disco,” and the first single, “Anywhere But Here.” Although having said that, the tracks are solid, equal to anything the more seasoned bands like them have produced. They may be a little formulaic, but they’re a lot of fun.

It’s when Town Hall Steps walks to a different beat that things get really interesting. “Holding On,” “The Direction,” and the orchestral “Trouble Little Girl” show much more depth. They’re anchored in heart and passion, and that makes them some of the strongest tracks on this album. I’m also in love with the band’s sweet rock anti-love song “Jessie.” It may not be as dramatic as the other songs I’ve mentioned, but again it shows the band’s individuality.

TownHallSteps shows great potential with their debut album. They’ve intrigued me. I look forward to hearing what comes next.

Images used with permission from AAA Entertainment

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Download Free Amber Lawrence Track

Country starlet Amber Lawrence is offering fans a free download of her new song, “When It All Comes Down.” The tune is the title track from Amber’s sophomore album, which is in stores now.

The emotional song was penned as a tribute to her father, who died of leukaemia in 2008.

“This is the title track of the album, and the most truthful and heartfelt song on the album,” she explained. “This song asks some pretty hard questions about what life is all about. I wrote this song last year, as I spent the most part of 2008 walking Corridor 10 of the Prince of Wales hospital – visiting my dad as he battled leukaemia.

“Although we lost my Dad, the song has a happy ending – answering what my family and I found out to be the meaning of 2008 – that “When it all comes down to it … it all comes down to love.”

Visit Amber’s website to score the free track!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Australian Music Sales Steady Despite Economic Downturn

Despite all the financial doom and gloom, music sales have remained steady in Australia. In fact, sales in the first half of the year are up compared to the same period in 2008.

Digital sales are the biggest area of growth. Single track sales increased by 36.46% while digital album sales were up 56.81%. That corresponds to a 44.18% drop in CD single sales, and a 4.48% drop in album sales. Of course, the single sales may have been that much worse because singles are simple so hard to find!

Musical purists like myself may be happy to note the whopping growth in vinyl sales. 9680 vinyl units were sold in the first half of 2008, but in the first half of this year that rose to a massive 38, 364 units. It’s similarly pleasing for me to see ringtone sales fall from 2, 316, 864 to 1, 992, 231. Does that mean we’re finally done with fads like the Crazy Frog?

“It is extremely heartening to see the market leveling out like this when, given the economic climate, people may have expected to see a general decline,” ARIA Chairman and Warner CEO Ed St. John said in a statement.

He adds that digital is the way of the future. “It’s the most positive sign we’ve witnessed in a long time that the digital format is firmly established and well on it’s way to replacing any value lost via the physical format decline. What we are seeing is the first tentative evidence of a return to growth.”

Image source: Paulo Correa @ Stock.xchng

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Kram Sells Vodka and Video Games

Kram may be poised for international stardom after his solo songs have been added to several global media ventures.

The most lucrative deal sees Kram’s song “Silk Suits” used for the next Smirnoff Vodka marketing campaign. The song will be used in a 12-month campaign which will be seen in several countries including the United States.

“Good Love” will be used in a television campaign for the racing game Dirt 2. Meanwhile “The Best Thing” has attracted the ears of Hollywood. The song will feature in two upcoming American films.

All tracks come from Kram’s first solo album, Mix Tape.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Guy Sebastian Album Sneak Peek

Here’s our first look at Guy Sebastian’s new album Like it Like That. The cover shows Guy embracing his current New York City base, with the Empire State Building standing proudly in the background.

This sneak peek does come with some bad news though. The album, featuring the number one single of the same name, has been pushed back to an October 23 release. I’m sure it’ll all be worth the wait though!

Image used with permission from Sony Music Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jet Announce More Shows for Aussie Return

Jet are currently Stateside spruiking their new album Shaka Kula, but the band hasn’t forgotten about their fans back home.

Since Homebake sold out, the band will also perform sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne in December. They’ll play The Metro on December 4, the day before Homebake, before hitting Melbourne’s The Palace on December 9.

While visiting the US of A the band recently performed “She’s a Genius” on Late Night with David Letterman. Here’s the performance for those of you who were sleeping soundly when it aired!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Peter Andre Makes UK Chart Splash

And here I was thinking Peter Andre’s career comeback was destined to fail. But it seems that the Brits are still mad about the impossibly tanned Aussie expat and his perfect six-pack.

His new album Revelation has made an impressive number three debut on the UK charts. That sees our Peter outselling the likes of Jay-Z, Kings of Leon, and all those reissued Beatles albums. Something’s just not quite right about that!

But seriously, good luck to him. With his divorce from Jordan starting to get messy, Mr Andre will probably need all the extra cash he can get!

Image source: Newscom

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Casey Barnes Bows Out of Australian Idol on Top 10 Night

Tonight the Australian Idol top 10 sang top 10 hits. But first of all we had to get to just 10 by eliminating one of our contestants. I was honestly shocked to see Kim Cooper and Sabrina Batshon sharing the bottom three spots with serial offender Casey Barnes. While I love Casey, when compared with those two girls he really deserved to go.

Sabrina Batshon kicked it off with “When Love Takes Over.” I really liked her enthusiasm, and the different approach she took on this song compared to the serious numbers we’ve had in the past. But I don’t think this was her best vocal performance. It was a little pitchy, and shrieky in places. It’s a shame, because I liked seeing this different side of her.

Toby Moulton stripped back and slowed down the ‘80s classic “Take On Me.” I love love love this song, and while it was a very different version, I loved it too. It felt very intimate, and to get that across to a television audience is very special indeed. This was just beautiful.

Kim Cooper embraced her pop roots with Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance.” This has never been one of my favourite songs, but I think she brought a new depth and edge to this track. I also appreciated that her vocals didn’t suffer with her dancing. Achieving that balance is a tricky one, and I think Kim managed it.

Continue reading “Casey Barnes Bows Out of Australian Idol on Top 10 Night” →
Posted on by Lauren Katulka

John Paul Young Does Greatest Hits

The hits of recent ARIA Hall of Fame inductee John Paul Young come together in a new greatest hits album cheekily titled I Hate the Music.

The album features many of JPY’s top 40 hits, including the title track, “Yesterday’s Hero,” “The Love Game,” “Standing in the Rain” and the always popular “Love Is In the Air.”

I Hate the Music hits record store shelves around the country this weekend.