25 September 2014
Good Luck Charm, the second album from the Texas-based acoustic duo The Mastersons, is full of high moments, with some beautifully written songs that come courtesy from their touring life on the road in both this project and Steve Earle’s band The Dukes. This second release from the band sees a lot more collaborative effort than 2012’s Birds Fly South, where the songs were written by Chris and Eleanor individually and then brought to the table.
24 September 2014
Having shared a stage with some seriously big acts – we’re talking Aerosmith and Van Halen here, people – it’s no surprise that the lads from The Dead Love can crank out an awesome rock album. The three-piece from Sydney definitely fall in the alt-rock category, but there’s some punky undertones here and there that make vocalist/guitarist Stevie Knight’s riffs really stand out.
24 September 2014
Mildura jazz group, the Don Mayne Trio, formed when they were all studying at Uni, but it’s the boys who are the teaches now, bringing their love of jazz to the classroom. “The original trio started together at Uni. We went our separate ways for a few years doing musical projects, but then all ended up in Mildura teaching, so we decided to get the band back together and have been playing for the past three or four years as a trio,” says brassiest Don Mayne.
23 September 2014
I think that Lost in the Moment, the first EP from Daniel Lee Kendall, is one of the most played albums on my iTunes. It’s very exciting that his debut record, entitled Daniel Lee Kendall is Dead, was released last week. Opening with ‘Under a Spell’, this album is perfectly crafted with pop gems that are both mystically-sounding and able to be digested in one listen.
22 September 2014
A ukulele-playing and acoustic music lover myself, this Vance Joy album review was always bound to be a little biased. It’s no secret that he is one of the biggest musicians in the world scene today and is about to converge on a US tour before playing Falls and Southbound, as well as touring in March next year.
22 September 2014
There are music legends who keep touring, churning out slightly ragged ‘hits and memories’, pushing sonic limits to reach the high notes of yesteryear … and then there’s an exclusive club that’s home to the real deal. Joe Camilleri is a paid-up member of the latter. Loved him with the Falcons, both back in the day and gloriously resurrected on a more recent bill with Elvis Costello. Costello’s a major longtime fan. Me too.
22 September 2014
The Gretsch White Falcon needs no introduction. Seen and known by the music community worldwide, the White Falcon stands above the rest being the ultimate in high-end desirability.
22 September 2014
While everyone’s counting down the days to summer, here at Forte we’re counting down to Earthcore Music Festival. Who needs sunshine when you’re sweating it up under the tents and pumping beats? We had a chat with Stas from progressive psychedelic duo Da Vinci Code ahead of their performance at Earthcore.
21 September 2014
Engaging a crowd sitting at tables can be a hard feat for even the most experienced of musicians, and for a young performer it can almost be impossible. After carefully sneaking on stage with her acoustic guitar slung over her shoulder, Celia began to play, and though not everyone was listening straight away, as soon as she opened her mouth there wasn’t an eye in the crowd that wasn’t firmly fixed on the songstress.
20 September 2014
Step foot inside the Palais Theatre and the first thing people will do is look up. In life it’s often said to surround yourself with beautiful things, and Boy & Bear has certainly kept this is mind when they added the iconic venue to their tour.
20 September 2014
Last week I had the very unjoyous occasion of moving house. Between having to disconnect gas and electricity at one house and reconnect at another, pack your whole life into boxes and clean everything as you go … well, it’s exhausting – and I guess I’ll just have to live in this house forever because I certainly never want to move ever again! It did get me thinking about moving house though, especially overseas.
19 September 2014
We were going to put together a complete ‘What You Need to Know’ guide for Madonna’s upcoming fourteenth studio album release this fortnight, but have decided against it … at least for now. Whilst we are now being told not to expect the album until 2015, some believe Madge is going to ‘Beyoncé’ the record over the next month and surprise us with her latest collection of jams.
19 September 2014
Martha Brown, or Banoffee as she is better known in musical circles, is about to release her debut EP. With a couple of shows at the BIGSOUND music conference in Brisbane as well as some headline dates in Sydney and Melbourne and a spot at Paradise Music Festival, things are heating up ahead of the tour. There is a mix of emotions in Brown’s voice as we begin to chat.
19 September 2014
While many of us are indoors staring blankly into our computer screens or watching TV, chances are Xavier Rudd is outside spending time with his red heeler and taking in the inspiration the outback offers. “I like to be in the scrub and listening to the silence and the sounds and, I guess, that’s always been a huge part of the music and always will be. Ever since I was young I was always writing about that. I draw a huge inspiration from the land and spirits in the land,” Xavier says.
19 September 2014
So, unless you’ve been living under a very large rock, chances are you’ve noticed that Marvel has put out a new movie: Guardians of the Galaxy. What’s unique about GotG is that chances are that when you first read the name, your first reaction was probably something along the lines of “Who?”
19 September 2014
So Doctor Who has been back for a few weeks now and depending on your circle of friends either this new season has been a triumph or just more of the same … which makes it pretty much the same as every other season, or part-season, or Christmas Special of the last few years.
19 September 2014
One of the most exciting musical events on the local gig calendar is indeed the annual Battle of the Bands. Recently held at the Courthouse ARTS in Gheringhap Street, it is a platform for young local bands on the rise to get up and showcase their talent. If you were sceptical about the lack of talent in Geelong, this article will shoot down your theory. This year saw Bound by Hound, Flawed Peace, Dayzed and The Ampersands take to the stage to fight it out for the crown, which was won by Jye Cannon.
19 September 2014
Off the back of their smash single ‘High’, the infectious boys of Peking Duk have announced a new single will be coming our way very shortly – and they’ve revealed a little of what we can expect from the track.
19 September 2014
As a part of Metal Hammer’s Discs Of Doom page, Philip Anselmo has answered the question of which album should have never seen the light of day with Metallica’s Load, and he’s been quoted as saying “It’s a terrible record”. Fans of Anselmo will probably agree with him, and almost most of the garbage that spills from his mouth, but it’s had to take someone seriously when their last solo album, Walk Through Exits Only, was one of the shittest albums of this century so far.
19 September 2014
As a fifteen-year-old, I remember hearing the rumours in the schoolyard about all my mates playing Guitar Hero and how far they had gotten in the game. ‘Through the Fire and Flames’ is considered the masterpiece to the game, and the last song that you play before completing it. Herman Li, lead guitarist for DragonForce, the band who made it famous, only achieved two per cent when he played the track on the game.
18 September 2014
If you are a regular reader of The Night Vibe column, you will remember that last fortnight I talked about how much of a struggle it is to make it in the Australian music scene and one of the most interesting things I discovered was that James Tidwell from Violent Soho had to apply for a job at McDonald’s because the band wasn’t turning over enough of a regular income. I then went on to discuss as a band or a local musician where the best place is to make a start in the scene and get noticed.
18 September 2014
Say it with me … “sprinter”. It’s that weird in between time when crossing over from winter into spring: not quite warm enough to crack out your thin flirty sun dresses, but not quite cold enough to warrant donning your chunkiest knit. It’s a very confusing time for fashion, what with there being no real rules or guidelines for what to do about this strange in between weather we experience in this transition time.
18 September 2014
They’re the Kiwi sweethearts who call Melbourne home and boy, are we happy to have them. For the past couple of months, Bonjah have been selling out venues wherever they go – from Darwin’s Railway Club to Hotel New York in Launceston and BIGSOUND in Brisbane.
18 September 2014
Three days of dirt drags, hot rods, customs, bobbers, 25+ bands, tiki, cocktail and craft beer bars, choppers, vintage speedway and more. There is a whole lot packed into next month’s Chopped Rod and Custom, so we revved our engines and took a ride down the Chopped highway with Kyle Ford.
