25 July 2014
June saw the release of Best Kept Secret, the third solo album from Ballarat emcee Mr Esvee, and one partly dedicated to his sister. Given the sparse information on him to talent ratio, it is an appropriate title for him as well. Good thing then that we were able to steal a few minutes to learn a little more.
25 July 2014
In terribly sad news, original Ramones drummer Tommy Ramone, the last living original member of the Ramones, lost his battle…
25 July 2014
Brooklyn-based garage rockers Obits were every bit as chuffed to hear they’d be returning to our friendly shores as we were. Picture this: the year is 2012 and a quartet of exceptionally gifted musicians touch-down in Australia impressing even the most savvy rock ’n’ rollers with their stripped-down sound. Then, in the blink of an eye, they were gone, leaving thousands of Obits covets in their wake. I recently caught up with guitarist Sohrab Habibion who explained why they like to love audiences and leave them wanting more.
25 July 2014
Six years after the release of Acid Tongue, former Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis has returned with her new album, The Voyager. Co-produced by Ryan Adams, and featuring three tracks produced by Beck and her partner Jonathan Rice, the album was inspired by the death of her father. Lewis, who suffered a severe bout of insomnia following the release of Acid Tongue, calls The Voyager “the hardest one I ever made”.
25 July 2014
As you might have heard, DC is making a few changes to their titles. Gail Simone is off Batgirl, Brian Azzarello is finishing up on his excellent Wonder Woman run and Scott Lobdell is (rather controversially) back writing Red Hood and the Outlaws. Most controversially, however, DC decided to fake Dick Grayson’s death at the end of their annoyingly long Forever Evil arc. Yup, the vast majority of the DC heroes (sans Batman, naturally) think he’s dead. Nightwing is no more, replaced by the new series Grayson, written by Tim Seeley (Revival, Batman Eternal) and former counterterrorism officer Tom King.
25 July 2014
Fans of Curb Your Enthusiasm have at least faint hope that there will be more awkward times ahead. During a HBO summer press tour, programming president Michael Lombardo revealed a recent conversation between himself and series creator Larry David. Michael: “I said, ‘So, David, should I emotionally get Curb out of my head?’ And he goes, ‘No, no, no, no, no.’ … As long as he’s thinking about it, we still have a place for it.” Here’s hoping.
24 July 2014
We will finally get to here Sheezus the latest album by Brit superstar Lily Allen this weekend as she takes to the stage of Splendour and for some sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne. Admittedly, it’s taken a couple of listen to get into but this is a great album. The follow up to her previous album 2009’s It’s Not Me, It’s You and 2006’s Alright Still was always going to be a big task and on this release, we see some of the most intensive and personal lyrics of Allen’s career.
24 July 2014
Remember the time when sketch comedy was meant to be the kind of comedy Australia did well? We may never have had a Golden Age of sitcoms in this country, but there was a long, long stretch – from the late ’80s through to the early 21st century – when sketch comedy was a permanent part of our television diet.
24 July 2014
There are bands who have meteoric rises, and the English indie-rock quartet Circa Waves who are set to play Splendour in the Grass are one such band. When they wrote, recorded and uploaded their single ‘Young Chasers’ to SoundCloud in a single day, they didn’t expect much to happen. That very night, it was picked up and played on the biggest radio station in the UK, and the young band hasn’t looked back since.
24 July 2014
In celebration of the tenth anniversary of Eskimo Joe’s A Song is a City, frontman Kav Temperley is hitting the road and playing the entire album start to finish – just himself and an acoustic guitar. “I went down to a café called The X-Ray. I often go down there and do little anonymous acoustic sets or whatever I feel like doing and they are kind enough to let me take over from time to time,” says Temperley.
24 July 2014
If Matt Young ever decides to throw in the towel as frontman of the hardest-working thrash-metal band on the scene, he may stumble into the role of the country’s most unlikely anti-smoking advocate. “When we first started the band, I was smoking a lot of cigarettes! I soon realised once we started touring and singing like I do night after night that it was not an option.”
24 July 2014
It’s taken about seven years for Mietta’s debut album A Mad Distance to finally see the light of day; however, it has been worth the wait. When you release a record it is supposed to be a time for celebration, though Mietta isn’t popping the champagne just yet. “If I’m completely honest with you, it’s been a bloody stressful time. There have been so many things to organise for this tour but it is exciting.”
24 July 2014
A lifetime of passion can be heard in the sounds of Switzerland’s Nicola Capobianco, otherwise known as Liquid Soul. Addicted to electronic music from an early age, Nicola made his first steps into the progressive trance world over twenty years ago.
24 July 2014
Andy Bull has been performing in Sydney for over a decade and gained enough attention early on that he supported Norah Jones on her 2007 tour. That opportunity came before he even released a single. His debut, ‘Small Town Girl’, would not be released until August 2008. He has since released two albums, including this year’s Sea of Approval. And approval it has received. The Corner – September 27.
24 July 2014
Melbourne-based songwoman Ree Nay has a few dates lined up next month as the warmness of her EP Seen You Before continues to be felt. Recorded with James Kempster, the EP was released late 2013. With country as its heart and folk as its soul, the EP tells stories of life growing up in Darwin. Ree Nay is inspired by artists including Joni Mitchell, Regina Spektor and Dolly Parton. Whole Lotta Love – August 9.
24 July 2014
It’s the event where style is everything. The event where playing it cool will keep you alive. Where men are fellas and women are dames. Leading up to its seventh birthday, we put on our best three-piece suit to have a chat with Graham Coupland, founder of the Gangsters’ Ball.
24 July 2014
If you’ve dreamed of cruising the Greek Islands or the Mediterranean whilst gorging yourself on delicious cuisines but can’t seem to get beyond the confines of Geelong, then Ambrosia is your best stop. Owned by Joubin Mahmoudi, Ambrosia offers locals somewhere for a quick bite to eat with friends or a spot to sit down and waste the night away. The restaurant also adds a new culture to the food scene of the area.
22 July 2014
Lance Ferguson is most well known for his work with the Melbourne soul/funk outfit The Bamboos. However, during his busy schedule he has found time to somehow put together a side project album, and get the majority of the Melbourne music scene to sing along on it. Blind Bet by Cookin’ on 3 Burners, (by far the coolest band name I’ve heard in recent times) is a cracking set of tracks.
20 July 2014
South Australian folk duo The Yearlings have just released their fifth album, a stunning release from the first track. The duo is set to tour around the country in support over the next month taking in shows in all major and regional centres of Australia. One half of the band, Chris Parkinson, sat down with Forte ahead of the tour to chat about the recording and release of the album, as well as what it’s like to hang out with Steve Earle.
20 July 2014
Ryan Adams has released ‘Gimme Something Good’, the first taste of his forthcoming new album. Adams has kept busy since the release of 2011’s Ashes & Fire. Not only has he produced an EP for Fall Out Boy, but he also started a heavy metal side-project called Pornography with Make Out singer Leah Hennessy and singer-songwriter Johnny T. Yerington. His new album is looking at a September release.
20 July 2014
It seems like his incredibly loyal and ever-expanding fan base wants Allday, every day – and then some. Tens of thousands of followers bombard his multiple social media accounts habitually to get their daily dose of the art school dropout from the Adelaide Hills. You can’t buy that kind of publicity, so it was kinda nice to hear he wanted to chat with Forte again -– this time about his debut album, aiding and abetting an escapee and falling off the wagon.
20 July 2014
It’s pretty exciting that finally in 2014 we’re able to get our ears around Shy Glow, the debut album from Sydney duo Fishing. It’s been a couple of years in the making, but trust me on this one, it’s been well worth the wait. Having seen the group play once in Geelong, back in 2010 supporting The John Steel Singers at the Nash, I was immediately entranced with the luscious electro beats that were being thrown down.
19 July 2014
After signing their first record contract in 2008, sister duo Johanna and Klara have proved with their third release that they’ve got what it takes to stick around. Stay Gold is filled with chiming vocals in the sweet folk/country tunes that we’ve fallen in love with. The 10-tracks are so infectiously happy that you’ll be seeing little furry creatures frolicking through green pastures in no time.
19 July 2014
It’s a big year for Britpop, what with the 20-year anniversary of Blur’s Parklife and Oasis’ Definitely Maybe and all that. While nostalgia is at a high, the BBC announced that they will be releasing the three-disc set Britpop at the BBC this month. One CD will feature previously unreleased material recorded for Radio 1’s The Evening Session while the other two discs will feature a collection of Evening Session-curated Britpop singles.
