14 September 2014
Fresh from a tour overseas the twins and indie-folk musicians, Jack and Pat Pierce, took some time out to chat to Forte magazine ahead of their performance at the Birregurra festival and their Northern Lights tour.
13 September 2014
Since his first release towards the end of 2008, DJ, producer and remixer, Ben Coda has released music on a slew of labels including Tribal Vision, Flow Records, Iboga, Unreleased Digital, Black Hole and Echoes. With an appearance pencilled in at Rainbow Serpent, we felt the time was just right to strike up a conversation.
12 September 2014
When you think of big Australian blues artists, Lloyd Spiegel, Dutch Tilders, Geoff Achison and probably Phil Manning cross your mind, but there is an industry heavyweight that you are forgetting and that is the one and only Harper. Originally from WA, Harper has spent the past decade crafting his own original blues/roots sound and is kicking goals in the US with his music.
12 September 2014
People don’t often think that playing in a cover band is something that is hard for musicians to do, but according to the guys from Surf Coast cover band Driver, it can be harder than playing your own original material. The band’s line-up consists of bass player Stewart Tyrer, guitarist Nathan Bennett, keyboardist Robbie Dalziel and drummer Adam Gilliver, four musos who says they’re just a part-time band playing “basic meat and potatoes rock ’n’ roll”.
11 September 2014
Regardless of whatever preconceived idea you have of Sticky Fingers, you’ve got to admire their ability to give it their all. “We’ve put it all on the line, if this doesn’t work out we’re all fucked,” says bass guitarist Paddy Cornwall. “If you’re going to go for it you have to put all in, otherwise there’s no point doing it half-assed. Because so many bands that do it half-assed you can smell it a mile away.”
9 September 2014
It’s quite a moment when you say goodbye to one festival as you welcome another one which takes its place. With Pyramid Rock now reserved to the memory bank, this year Phillip Island welcomes Beyond the Valley. With a new vision, this could well become the new “It” festival for the New Year period.
9 September 2014
It’s a long way from the sleepy town of Forbes, NSW (population: 7000) to the stage of TV talent show The Voice, but it’s a psychological leap Celia Pavey has seemingly taken in her stride. Having won over a national TV audience and judge Delta Goodrem, the 19-year-old folkie is now embarking on a national tour in support of her new EP, Bodies.
8 September 2014
Upon returning home from his last tour of Australia, Hayward Williams thought he was going to die. Tired and feeling gaunt, he battled through the terminal to reach his connecting flight and then something started to feel very wrong. “I got to the airport and I was having a panic attack, but I didn’t know that at the time.
7 September 2014
For someone who is an ARIA Hall of Fame member, a holder of a Medal of the Order of Australia, and is often called an icon of Australian music, former Australian Crawl vocalist and songwriter James Reyne is a refreshingly laid-back character. Perhaps it’s because he’s happy with what he’s achieved in music, or maybe he’s simply enjoying life and the freedom that being his own boss gives him.
6 September 2014
Reigning kings of the circle pit, DevilDriver know better than anyone how brutal winter can be. On the back of their sixth studio album Winter Kills, DevilDriver, together with deathcore band Whitechapel, has spent the better part of 2014 whipping crowds into a frenzy at sold-out gigs across North America. So now that the snow has melted and spring has sprung Down Under, it’s our turn to come out and play with these two metal giants – after dark.
5 September 2014
Graeme Heard mightn’t be a household name, but the Geelong West artist sure knows how to name-drop. After painting portraits of John Howard, Ricky Ponting, Cathy Freeman and Gough Whitlam, there’s few prolific Australians Graeme hasn’t captured on canvas. Though from his impressive list, Graeme looks on the late and well-respected Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe as a highlight.
5 September 2014
Marvin Gaye can easily be put down as one of the greatest soul singers of our time, and it seems only fitting that Vika Bull help tell his story in the biographic show Let’s Get It On. Vika is no newbie to the tribute show scene, as she’s helped tell the story of Etta James for the past year and a half. Rather than adding another notch to her achievements, Vika is an admirer of the artists’ work and relishes in the chance to help tell their story.
5 September 2014
Cat Canteri may describe herself as a drummer/singer/songwriter from west of Ruckers Hill, east of Merri Creek, north of Northcote High School, south of Arthurton Rd, Northcote, Melbourne, but after a chinwag with the affable brunette (on the side of the highway on her way to a gig in Adelaide) I could tell she is finally right where she wants to be.
4 September 2014
If Mavis Staples had a lovechild with The Black Keys, it’d sound pretty damn close to the tunes of Cisco Caesar. With fuzzed-out electric guitars and some cracking beats, the band is flying the flag for Australian ballsy rock ’n’ roll. In the lead up to the release of their debut album Burnt and Broken, I got the opportunity to sit down with James Cisco to chat about life on the road. In the thick of it leading up to the album launch, Cisco can’t wait to tour around the country playing shows.
4 September 2014
You may recognise her as the winner of Channel 7’s show ‘The One’ a few years back when she was crowned Australia’s best psychic. Charmaine tragically lost her brother, four-year-old daughter and beloved grandfather in the space of just five years, all before she was 23. This immense amount of grief combined with the ending of her 12-year relationship with her boys’ father sent her off the rails – enough was enough.
4 September 2014
It wasn’t long ago that Sam Cromack was standing in the crowd at Splendour in the Grass dreaming of one day having the chance to get up and play on the stage: just a few years on, not only has his band Ball Park Music played the festival twice, they were also one of the most talked about bands for the whole festival.
4 September 2014
Until the moment he stepped on stage, the general public of Geelong had not heard Jye Cannon sing. The performance that followed was flawless and left the audience with goose bumps. Armed with just his electric piano and vocals, Cannon showed why he is one of Geelong’s hidden talents and will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
4 September 2014
It’s been a busy year for Danny Harley since his solo project The Kite String Tangle’s release of ‘Given the Chance’. The song took the internet by storm, amassing over one million plays on SoundCloud; he also played two sold-out tours of the country, as well as local festivals, and even made it to the US to play at the massive South by South West and Coachella music festivals. Yet somehow he still found time to record and release his debut EP, Vessel.
4 September 2014
It’s Eze Walters’ birthday as we begin to chat about Woodlock, the delightful success story of three boys from Yarrawonga in regional Victoria making it in the big time, and as we chat about the band’s rise to stardom, it’s easy to hear from the nerves creeping through. The band is about to converge on their second and biggest tour of Australia yet, and as their fan base grows, the group is playing bigger venues as well – and that is an idea that scares Walters a little bit.
4 September 2014
If I was the gambling type, odds are that my bet would be on this guy. Word is he’s the frontrunner in this year’s Cleo Bachelor of the Year award – but more importantly, Vance Joy is a strong contender to take out the title of Forte’s favourite interviewee of 2014.
4 September 2014
These days live music addicts might feel like a kid in a candy store with the smorgasbord of talent on show, but surely when writing the recipe for the strawberry sundae that is Australian hip-hop Illy would undoubtedly be the cherry on top – and worth every penny.
29 August 2014
Lacey corsets, body contortionists, circus tricks and top hats sounds like descriptions of scenes in a movie, but they’re a firm reality at the Gangsters’ Ball. Forte had a chat to MC extraordinaire, Aurora Kurth, ahead of the event.
29 August 2014
Moments before calling, The Delta Riggs frontman Elliot Hammond shared a sauna with Steve Kilbey, lead singer-songwriter and bass guitarist from The Church, where they talked about their upcoming performances at Queenscliff Music Festival later this year. If that wasn’t enough coincidence, whilst touring London the band hung out with Kilbey’s daughters, who formed a pop band called Say Lou Lou.
27 August 2014
A simple smile can work wonders. It can make someone’s day, soften the heart of the cruellest dictator and set your brain abuzz with endorphins. Paul Hogan is just one of the people making all these things possible in his stand-up show touring regional Australia. Put simply, Paul knows his work is done once every face in the crowd has a smile from cheek to cheek.
