When I was a teenager, I was desperate to get into bars. I didn’t want to drink; I just wanted to see live music. Sadly opportunities to see bands outside local pubs and clubs were few and far between, and it’s still the case today. So I’m thrilled to see Ixara Dorizac, known as ixaras, is taking matters into her own hands. Not content with just making some incredible indie-rock music, the 16-year-old prodigy has launched her own label, Anti Dismal, to break down barriers and make live music more accessible for people of all ages.
“I, myself, have been limited from experiencing live music, and I just think that’s ridiculous. Kids need to hear and experience live things. They’re hormonal, and they need an outlet,” she said, and hell yes they do.
Anti Dismal aims to create, distribute, and promote music and manage and organise safe and engaging all-ages gigs. The label’s already partnered with DistroDirect in order to amplify its reach and impact.
“We’re thrilled to partner with DistroDirect,” Ixara said. “Together, we will continue to champion the importance of youth access to live music and provide a platform for emerging artists to thrive.”
We’ve all got our comfort artists. The ones that we go see every couple of years because we can count on them singing songs we want to hear and simply making us feel good. They’re probably musicians you grew up listening to, so they feel like home. Richard Clapton is definitely one of those artists for me. As I look back at my blog it seems I’ve somehow let almost nine years go by without seeing Richard live, so a show was long overdue. And when he’s playing locally, who can refuse?
Anyone planning on skipping the support act would have been sorely disappointed, because there wasn’t one. Richard was more than happy to just get on with things. After so many years away from his shows, the set had plenty of twists and turns for me. Excited by the reissues of The Great Escape, Goodbye Tiger, and Prussian Blue, he gleefully played lesser-known tracks from those releases. Although they weren’t lesser known for this crowd, who expressed their excitement over those deep cuts. I wasn’t familiar with a lot of it, but Richard’s the sort of artist that entertains you regardless of what they’re singing. He also sprinkled hits throughout the set, encouraging us to sing along. Goodness, he’s written some hits. “Capricorn Dancer,” “Glory Road,” “Deep Water,” what gems.
It’s funny, when you don’t see an artist for a while it can seem like no time has passed, but at the same time, you see reminders of those passing years. Richard’s voice wasn’t quite as strong as I remember, but it still commands a room. I noticed his guitarist giving him a supportive hand as he climbed the steps onto the stage. We get an intermission now, rather than the show moving straight through.
Richard admitted he was 76, but he doesn’t look like he really wants to slow down. He praised our crowd as one of the best, relished the espresso martinis the venue served him, and encouraged us to book tickets for his shows at the same venue next January. I just might. If it’s been too long since you’ve see Richard live, make sure you catch him at one of his upcoming gigs:
With gloomy weather descending on my part of the country, it seems the ideal time to introduce you to Renee Naccari’s latest single, “Perfect Storm.” It’s a gorgeous introspective pop ballad that I know will leave you spellbound.
“It was challenging, but I had so much fun writing ‘Perfect Storm’. Creating all the little metaphors that I had visualised, into written lyrics to align with the story I was aiming to convey, that being, the push and pull between two people who want nothing more than to be together but finding it hard to make it work, a storm with a ray of sunlight as the clouds part,” Renee explained.
“Perfect Storm” serves as a precursor for Renee’s debut album, slated for release later this year, and a string of live shows. Exciting times ahead!
Dust off your cowboy boots, grab your hat, and settle in for a whole lot of fun with Claudia Tripp’s latest track “Rodeo.” It’s brand new, but it already feels like a certified country-blues classic. If this song doesn’t get played at every country music festival until the end of time, there’s no justice.
“I wrote ‘Rodeo’ as a celebration of the small-town people I grew up with,” Claudia said. “I recently travelled back to my hometown of Kalgoorlie to perform at a rodeo, and when the possibility of unpredictable weather loomed, it didn’t seem to matter. It’s their weekend after a hard work week, and they’ll be dancing in the dirt come thunderstorm or heatwave. My producer Mason Vellios made this song come to life exactly how I imagined it. I hope the track becomes a weekend anthem for everybody who clocks off work and needs to let their hair down”.
Djilang/Geelong-based singer-songwriter Daisy Kilbourne has made a massive impression on me with her debut single “Mother.” Its simple melody and stripped-back production is the perfect vehicle for Daisy’s incredible lyrics which recount her experience watching her mother’s gradual unravelling after losing the love of her life. This depiction of grief is so personal, but it’s bound to resonate with anyone who’s been in the orbit of a deep loss.
“I wrote this song after the passing of my father, watching my mum lose parts of herself with him as he left,” Daisy explained. “You can’t help but wonder if they’ll ever come to be the person they were before, and you feel guilty that you can’t make their pain go away. It isn’t easy talking about these things, but if it’s something that can help people overcome their grief, then it’s worth it.”
“Since the song is so personal, we thought about adding a real personal touch to it. So at the end of the song, all the harmonies are actually sung by my siblings, Rose, Lily, and Ivory,” she added. “For something quite emotional, recording them was the funniest night of my life. It was nice to create a good memory to attach to this song, and also hear how much Ivory sounds like Dad when he sings.”
Instead of a traditional music video, Daisy has paired this release with a documentary. Directed by Nick Rae, it celebrates her father’s life and the passion for music she shared with him.
Daisy hopes to continue connecting with music lovers when she releases her forthcoming EP later this year. You can hear more of her original music at the following shows:
My Chérie has just dropped her exciting new single “Darkness & Gold.” I really appreciate the way My Chérie steps outside the box and expresses herself as a true original. Her ethereal brand of pop music is always interesting, with lyrics that so eloquently express the struggles we all face being vulnerable, imperfectly perfect humans.
“‘Darkness & Gold’ is my candid portrayal and deep dive into my human experience of the internal struggles we all face,” My Chérie said. “In confronting themes of strength, vulnerability, and the pursuit of self-improvement, I want to acknowledge the efforts of trying and the tricky journey of figuring ourselves out.”
This is another fabulous release from My Chérie that makes me pretty excited for her debut album to come early next year.
Splitting his time between Naarm/Melbourne and Paris, Caspar Conrick is making beautiful music under the name Vanderlay. His latest release is “Triumph and Disaster,” a gorgeous slow burn of a track in the vein of Fleet Foxes and Patrick Watson. Take a moment out of your day to get a cup of tea, close your eyes, and let this one wash over you.
“The song is the internal battle, the dialogue with oneself when trying to process or alter circumstance,” Caspar explained. “It comes to a head, a point where everything must be laid out before you and examined without bias. The findings, and the process are found to be one and the same: triumph and disaster.”
“Triumph and Disaster” is the second single lifted from the upcoming Vanderlay EP, due later this year.
With an irresistible pop melody and searingly honest lyrics, GRAACE has captured my heart with her latest single “Love is Getting Wasted.” Following hot on the heels of last month’s release “Jealous Type,” it’s looking like 2024 might be a big year for GRAACE.
“’Love Is Getting Wasted’ is like diving into a whirlpool of emotions. It’s about feeling torn between sticking it out or calling it quits in a relationship” GRAACE explained. “You’re grappling with hope and resignation, trying to hold onto the last shreds of love, desperate for the attention they gave you in the beginning, but uncertainty looms about your future.”
GRAACE has already sold out headlining shows and toured with Stephen Sanchez this year, but she’s not stopping yet. She’ll be back on the road next month supporting The Dreggs at the following shows.
As I stepped into Lizotte’s on Saturday night, I realised that it’s been far too long. It’s the kind of venue that welcomes you back like an old friend, no matter how much time has passed though. It may be under new management, but other than the hosts wearing more sequins and the décor receiving a few more fairy lights, little has changed. The rotating menu still features old favourites like the salt and pepper squid with passionfruit sauce and classic fish and chips. If anything, the dishes were even better than we remembered. With bellies and glasses full, we settled in for a fantastic night of music.
Lachlan Edwards hit my radar back in 2020 with the release of his EP Once More, and I relished the opportunity to discover his new music. He was just 17 back then, a teen showing great promise but certainly green. He’s blossomed over the last few years, with European travel under his belt and a bunch of songs inspired by it set to be released later this year. While love songs dominated his EP, this set revealed some heartbreak. Never easy to navigate, but if you can come away from it with some great songs, so much the better. I loved hearing all this new material, stripped back and raw. Although it’s made me pretty excited for the new EP to come.
Lachlan warmed up the stage for Ian Moss, who delivered a similarly stripped-back show. I’ve seen Mossy more times than I can count now, and he never disappoints. This kind of acoustic show is my favourite. The set list can change on a dime, so you never know what’s coming, and he has the space to chat to the crowd. It’s so loose, easy, and lovely. We heard about his frustrations with his Apple Watch always wanting to give advice; it ended up on the floor after the first song. “Rivers Run Dry”, the title track from his new album, was so much more poignant after learning about the decades-long friendship that inspired it. We laughed hearing about the generous steak meal he enjoyed after volunteering to get a flat tyre fixed and leaving the rest of the Cold Chisel boys freezing in the middle of nowhere. It was one of those special nights where you didn’t feel that traditional divide between artist and audience; we were all just there to have a good time.
It almost goes without saying that the music was stellar. Mossy has a voice and presence that fills the room, and he’s one of the best guitarists we’ve got. The set was a rare treat, littered with songs from the fantastic new album Rivers Run Dry, hits from Matchbook and the Chisel days, and some unexpected treats. “Message from Baghdad” from Six Strings! A stunning cover of “Cry Me a River”! What a joy. And of course, there were those classic singalongs. Nothing makes me feel like I belong more than being in a room of Aussies belting out tracks like “When the War is Over”, “Flame Trees,” and “Tucker’s Daughter”.
After a pretty stressful week, this show was exactly what I needed. Two fantastic artists, one near the start of their journey, the other a seasoned veteran showing no signs of slowing down. Mossy wraps up his Solo & Acoustic Rivers Run Dry shows next weekend but he’s got gigs all through the rest of the year, including a few in the United Kingdom. If you can see him anywhere, make sure you do. You will not be disappointed.
After amassing an impressive following performing covers and some snippets of original songs on Instagram, Naarm/Melbourne singer-songwriter Amalia is ready to unleash her music on the world. Her first single “Electric Rush” is honestly one of the strongest debuts I’ve ever heard. I’m an instant fan.
“The song is a reflection of the emotional breakthrough one experiences at pivotal moments of their life – ironic as this is my debut single,” Amalia explained. “Whether it be love, heartbreak or freedom, we all have experienced that ‘rush’ as we embark on testing the waters, stretching the rules and taking a chance.”
If you’re into this song as much as I am, the good news is there’s a lot more to come. Amalia’s apparently created almost two albums worth of music with Julian Schweitzer of Red Door Sounds. Her single launch shows at Nighthawks on June 1 and 2 quickly sold out, so hopefully she’ll announce more shows all around the country soon so we can hear more of those soon-to-be released tracks.
