Rainbow Serpent Festival
27 August 2014
It may seem like Rainbow Serpent Festival is still a million miles away, but before you know it you’ll be packing up the car and making your way to Beaufort for four days of music, arts and lifestyle.
27 August 2014
It may seem like Rainbow Serpent Festival is still a million miles away, but before you know it you’ll be packing up the car and making your way to Beaufort for four days of music, arts and lifestyle.
26 August 2014
Here at Forte Mag we love fresh music, and if Melbourne hardcore band Hope In Hell were any fresher they would fall off the vine! Although they’ve been gigging around the city for a little while now – with a new drummer in the mix and the release of their debut EP – things are heating up for Hope In Hell.
25 August 2014
With the release of their latest single ‘Afterglow’, Sydney indie rockers Creo are hitting the road once again to play a stack of shows. With fearsome drumming, malicious guitar tones and devious indie-pop hooks thrown in the mix for good measure, over the next few weeks Creo are touring all around the country in support of their latest single. Hold fire though folks, because they are not your average indie-pop rock band.
24 August 2014
My friends, we’re on the eve of what will arguably be the biggest and best all-Australian hip hop tour of 2014. In a nod to the exceptional work by Melbourne photo-journalist Michelle Grace Hunder, our country’s brightest lights have joined forces to celebrate the launch of her debut book release ‘RISE – A photo-documentary of Hip Hop in Aus’.
22 August 2014
Independent Ocean Grove singer-songwriter Andrea Robertson has time on her hands. It’s About Time is her debut release, and one which dances from rocky, toe-tapping numbers to heart-warming ballads.
22 August 2014
Playing gigs and recording music aren’t always the be-all and end-all for a band. Some musicians just want to muck around and have a bit of fun with their mates. Aireys Inlet band The SPAT has precisely this attitude. The band consists of two couples – lead guitarist Paul Plecic and his wife, Anna, on drums, and Sharon Caon on rhythm and vocals and her husband, Tony, on bass – who says none of them ever really set out to create a band. It just happened.
22 August 2014
It’s been six long years since the Melbourne International Film Festival (or MIFF) hit the road and toured regional Victoria, but in 2014 MIFF is spreading its wings. With the Victorian State Government having stumped up some extra cash, this year sees the MIFF Premiere Showcase getting out and about showcasing Australian films with a string of weekend programs – including one at Geelong’s GPAC Septembet 12th to 14th.
21 August 2014
When you sit down to think about it, there are so many classic songs about Melbourne. From Paul Kelly’s ‘From St Kilda to Kings Cross’ to ‘The Boy Who Lost His Jocks on Flinders Street Station’, it’s no wonder that 4.5 million people choose to call it home. From the MCG to Federation Square, it is a very inspiring place, and the Bank of Melbourne is on the lookout for the next big thing courtesy of the Melbourne Music Bank.
21 August 2014
For those that love their music heavy and loud, Metal Down Under is a shot of 100 per cent proof metal. Featuring over 40 exclusive interviews with some of the most interesting characters in the game, Metal Down Under takes us on the metal journey that has been happening in this country since the late 1970s. Here, we speak with writer and director Nick Calpakdjian.
21 August 2014
It’s a setting we are not used to seeing him in, but Frenzal Rhomb frontman Jason Whalley will be taking the stage solo over the coming months armed with little more than an acoustic guitar and his famous wit.
21 August 2014
Massive by name and massive by sound, this Melbourne four-piece deliver some of the ballsiest rock and roll you’re likely to come across. So we brought out the hard liquor in order to have a chat with Massive drummer and founding member, Jarrod Medwin.
21 August 2014
It wasn’t long ago that I chatted to Ash Grunwald about his plans to take his unique style of gritty blues to the US to see how well it would be received, but he has already begun to make quite a name for himself on foreign soil. Playing alongside good friend Xavier Rudd, Grunwald has wowed American audiences and even collected an award for ‘Best International Act’ from the LA Music Critic Awards.
21 August 2014
“We feel incredibly blessed to be part of the show – all these amazing artists coming to Australia. It’s going to fun!” Gary began when I sat down for a chat with the pair recently. “When we first heard who was on the bill, we thought ‘Is it real!?’” Natasha interjected excitedly. “It’s too good to be true.”
19 August 2014
Not all of us can pick up an instrument and perform a perfect blues song or grab a paintbrush and capture that moment forever. Luckily for Lincoln McAlister, while he can’t perform the song he can do sketch it out. We had a chat to Lincoln about his artistic ability and his love for the blues.
16 August 2014
Last year, Brisbane’s Joe Agius and Jarrod Mahon decided to record a song and make a video one weekend as a bit of a laugh, doing it under the name of The Creases. Little did they know that legendary UK label Rough Trade would soon have the band in their sights, and things were about to get a lot more serious.
12 August 2014
August 16, 1977 is a day that will be etched into the world’s memory forever. Most prominently, because it is the day that Elvis Presley died. Max Pellicano like most people can recall exactly where they were when the news came out across the radio. “Actually, believe it or not, I was going for a job interview that day. I didn’t want the job and I wanted to keep playing in my band.
10 August 2014
Armed with brightly coloured lips, a blonde pixie crop, dresses Twiggy would kill for and the perfect synth-laden pop tunes, Nussy is attacking the music industry head on. Though her life may seem perfect it hasn’t been without challenges. In 2012 her partner and footballer John McCarthy passed away. But it’s these challenges and pressures that have helped make her the musician and person that she is.
9 August 2014
Lucky us! Scottish rock legends Biffy Clyro are about to make their way back Down Under for the second time this year, following their impressive Soundwave performances. Bassist James Johnston expressed his excitement towards the September dates after having a ball on the Soundwave bill: “We’re the lucky ones,” he beamed. “It was incredible, it was just amazing fun. It was really nice to come back and play there with so many amazing bands! It was great to be a part of!”
9 August 2014
It’s hard for most of us to turn a negative into a positive, but for Melissa Nikolic after dealing with a few health issues it gave her the chance to pursue her passions. “For a long time I’ve been drawing on the side and then all these other things kind of happened, and I just needed time out to do the things I enjoy,” she says.
8 August 2014
As the frontwoman of classic Australian blues band Chubby Rae and the Elevators, Marisa Quigley has over the past fifteen years developed into one of the most recognisable voices in the music scene. Described as “Possibly the blackest white woman since Janis Joplin”, it is her energetic stage presence and distinctive vocal style that leaves you wanting more.
8 August 2014
For Michelle Grace Hunder, a career in photography was something she’d never considered – until a gift from her husband inspired her passion of capturing moments. When she unwrapped the DSLR camera, what soon followed was a competitive photography competition between the couple and the realisation that Michelle was a natural. By chance Michelle found her niche photographing Australian hip hop singers, and has put together Rise, a 112-page photography book filled with 118 portraits of 182 artists to showcase the musicians and work she’s done in the industry.
7 August 2014
Playing their first Victorian shows ever in October, The Weapon is Sound (TWIS) are very excited to be back out on the road again in support of their latest EP Direct Dub. With a gig at the Kennedys Creek Music Festival, I recently sat down with Dom Pearce, bass player from the band, to have a chat ahead of their east coast appearances.
7 August 2014
There have been many great frontmen throughout the years of Australian rock and roll. Few, however, came with more grit and rock menace than Doc Neeson. It only seems appropriate that Cherry Bar will play royal host to a tribute show for the late, great frontman. Rock… thy will be done.
7 August 2014
As the call connects whoops and hollers echo through the phone and Mike Finch greets me with a friendly hello. These are the sounds of a typical day in the “office” at Circus Oz, and something that Mike has enjoyed for the past 17 years. “I’m just looking across the rehearsal room with giant inflatable tube dudes with acrobats jumping all around them and hanging off the ceiling,” he says.
