7 August 2014
Long nights and early mornings, cheap beer (and even cheaper food), beat-up cars carting banged-up gear, couch surfing, half-rehearsed songs, rooms filled with little more than roped-in family and friends, unreliable drummers and barely enough money at the end of the night to cover costs – the music world wouldn’t be the same without young, aspiring musicians scrapping for gigs.
7 August 2014
“I like reading interviews where people come across as stuck-up fools. It’s entertaining, and I reckon some people may need to be total wankers to feel like they are livin’ the dream somehow. Whatever floats one’s boat, really.” Diplomatically observed, Dave Kettley, guitarist for legendary Aussie outfit The New Christs.
7 August 2014
Here’s one for you – How many bricks can one man have smashed on his stomach while lying on a bed of nails? For the answer we enlisted the help of the one and only Great Gordo Gamsby. “I broke sixteen concrete bricks on my stomach, breaking my own World Record!” Gordo replied proudly. “I broke that one on The Guinness World Record Show over in Milan. I actually just got back.” This seasoned strongman has been at the vanguard of the modern sideshow scene, not only here in Australia but internationally, for almost a decade.
7 August 2014
Undoubtedly one of the biggest electronic and dance music festivals on the calendar, Earthcore is celebrating its 21st birthday in 2014. With the big event closing in, Forte caught up with main man Spiro Boursine to discover that Earthcore is far more than just a festival.
6 August 2014
While some of us may look to an hour-plus bus trip with groans and eye rolls, Áine is excited for her unusual take on the classic Australian road trip. Packed into an old white bus with only the basic necessities, and funded through a crowdfunding campaign, Áine plans to travel Australia whilst recording her debut album. Yes, you heard correctly. She plans to record her album ON THE BUS!
4 August 2014
Normally you wouldn’t associate an indie alternative band with a classic by F. Scott Fitzgerald, political statements or a much-awaited charity concert, but Dick Diver just so happens to be all three. Formed by Rupert Edwards and Alistair McKay, Dick Diver is a band full of surprises and their name is simply the first of many in what we assume will be a long career ahead.
31 July 2014
If you had the pleasure of catching the exceptionally talented and beautiful Melody Pool and her perfectly paired partner-in-crime, NZ’s Marlon Williams, at Geelong’s Beav’s Bar last week, then you’ll know their chemistry on stage is quite unique and rather enchanting. The coming together of two such musically in tune artists seems like kismet. Melody and Marlon possess the ability to harmonise and complement each other, while at the same time never overshadowing one another.
28 July 2014
After almost 50 years in the music business, Russell Morris is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance, with his last two albums reaching numbers six and four on the ARIA charts respectively. It’s all thanks to throwing a bit of caution to the wind and getting back to his roots, says the 65-year-old Victorian.
28 July 2014
The word ‘Freedom’ means different things to different people. It can be somewhat ambiguous and open to interpretation, but always elicits an emotional response. With that in mind, it seems the perfect choice of title for Geelong’s very own interstellar libertarians’ sophomore album. “Everybody has the opportunity, especially in this country, to be free – to live free and to have free thoughts,” affirmed The Space Keys’ TJ Richardson (vox and bass).
25 July 2014
Pretty City is bringing the balls back to Australian rock ’n’ roll. Most recently, the band has just released their latest single ‘Roll On’. With blues-influenced psychedelic riffs, it is a positive sign of what is to come from the group on their debut album which is set to be released by the end of the year. When we sat down to chat with Hugh Matthews, he was getting amped for their support set for Stonefield at the Gasometer that night.
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
398 years after his death, William Shakespeare is still inspiring generations beyond imagination. From paintings to tattoos, his wise words can be found almost everywhere. A long-time lover of Shakespeare’s work, Ildiko Susany was destined to land a role in Damien Ryan’s rendition of Henry V. While some people may completely shut down at the mere mention of Shakespeare, there are reasons why plays are still using his words hundreds of years later.
25 July 2014
Play readings mightn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but with the Remix Readings at Courthouse ARTS they’re mixing things up a bit so even those who cringe at the word should give it a go. This time around creator Mitch Cunningham has infused narrative, sound and performance to recreate the idea of traditional play readings. “Our goal is to take five scripts from five young writers and to chop, change, revise and remix those scripts into a unique series of performances,” Mitch says.
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
There are some of us who are void of inhibitions when it comes to letting loose on the dance floor. But for those of us who practice the Robot and dance along to the Spice Girls in our living rooms alone, we don’t get the same relief. That’s where No Lights No Lycra comes in, who work by the mantra “that everyone can dance” and everyone has the right to dance. Thanks to Charlotte Hamilton this phenomenon, that’s hit not only Melbourne but also the world, has now come to Geelong and will be coming to Ocean Grove on August 4.
25 July 2014
Anglesea’s Jessey Jackson simply loves music more than anything else on earth – the perfect motivation for her musical career. The singer-songwriter says that music means absolutely everything to her. “If I’m not a musician I’m nothing. It’s pretty much that simple. I can’t do or be anything else and if I don’t have music in my life I’m completely lost. “
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
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.
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
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.
