18 July 2014
Tripod has over the past fifteen years become Australian comedy legends. Known for their quick wit and ability to work with a myriad of people in whatever scenario, teaming up with Eddie Perfect the group is just one of the acts on the first announcement for Queenscliff Music Festival 2014. With such a stellar career and many different pursuits undertaken in their time as a comedy act, it’s hard to pinpoint where to start the interview with Gatesy.
18 July 2014
It’s been far from a quiet couple of years for the members of The Exploders, but various projects and living in different states has meant a two-year break from playing with each other – a break that will soon end at this year’s Kennedys Creek Music Festival.
15 July 2014
Readers of Forte would be well familiar with the name Shaun Kirk. With a knack for penning a catchy tune and with an enthusiasm that is infectious, his name continues to grow more familiar every day. Always on the go, we were thrilled he could spare a little time for us.
15 July 2014
Jackie Marshall, or the Peppercorn Queen as she is alternatively known, has experienced all aspects of the musician life. From composing music for Slovenian puppet theatre to rocking out on stage at the Chicken Shop in Ocean Grove, there are many facets and tales to tell from her illustrious career thus far. Having released two full-length albums under her name already, Marshall has just brought out a new EP, the subject matter of which was partially inspired by political activism.
15 July 2014
It’s time to get a little more familiar with Yoni Oshrat, the man behind Ace Ventura. The son of a famous Israeli composer and songwriter, Yoni discovered his musical path over fifteen years ago. Today he is one of Israel’s biggest electronic music exports.
13 July 2014
“The tour has been going fantastically. It’s a new aspect of being in a band for us, in terms of unfamiliar crowds, playing early in the afternoon (as apposed to late at night), and in general meeting new people and becoming accustom to playing in different scenarios. Thus far it’s been really insightful and enjoyable, and the fact we get to see bands that we wouldn’t normally get the chance to go watch is great. For example we saw the Libertines play Hyde Park a few days back.”
12 July 2014
In the late ’90s he owned the mike at the pubs and clubs of downtown Philly, PA. On any given night you could find him freestyling or beatboxing for local emcees, scatting at the jazz clubs or even singing a cappella on street corners. It was this unquenchable thirst to sing and perform that he says earned him his nickname – Musiq. “I later added Soulchild to pay homage to the musical greats I grew up listening to,” Musiq confided when he called in for a chat ahead of Soulfest this coming October.
11 July 2014
“A lot of tribute and cover bands of this [genre], you could come to expect pudgy, middle aged men dressed in badly fitting jumpsuits and wigs, putting on phoney American accents. We’ve built our idea on a genuine passion and influence of this music. Particular attention has been paid to how the music was originally recorded and we present it this way. The music is tied together with amazing stories and anecdotes that relate to the music, the artists and Sam Phillips- the man who discovered it all. The show is presented in an energetic and passionate way, infectious to all who come!”
11 July 2014
Becoming involved in music as a high school friend and bandmate of Kurt Cobain before forming grunge/metal legends the Melvins, Buzz ‘King Buzzo’ Osborne has accomplished most things in music. However, after a 31-year career involving over 30 albums of studio and live material, the singer-guitarist is still breaking new ground by going acoustic for the first time on new album, This Machine Kills Artists.
10 July 2014
The Angels need no introduction. At the forefront of the Australian music scene for the past 40 years, the band is currently on the road to celebrate. A couple of weeks ago, I got the opportunity to sit down with John Brewster, rhythm guitarist for the band, to chat about their illustrious history and how touring around has changed over the years. As you would expect, being a band for so long there has been quite a few highs and lows throughout their time together, most recently the sad passing of Doc Neeson. Yet Brewster feels that this touring line-up is up there with some of the best incarnations they’ve had over the years.
10 July 2014
“A thumbs-up with a smile and a beer goes a long way!” I couldn’t have said it any better myself, but that pearler was revealed in my recent interview with The Bennies’ magnetic and very wise frontman, Anty Horgan, when we were chatting about his band’s most recent trip to China. “We’ve been there once before and geographically it feels like the other side of Saturn, and culturally so different. But it was the best two weeks of my life.”
10 July 2014
“I’m more than happy to be doing an interview with such a cool, free magazine. It sounds like a human movement and I’d love to be of any help to you – we should keep in touch.” Bert McCracken happily announced when he called us to chat about his band’s upcoming national tour with Taking Back Sunday, and their latest album Imaginary Enemy. However, talk quickly turned to his passion for free press, his admiration for the works of Dostoevsky, Noam Chomsky and Stephen King, and his burgeoning initiative for the first “anti business” record label.
5 July 2014
If you’re hard pushed to find time to run your business, raise a family and write your next album all at once, what’s the solution? That’s easy: organise a national tour, invite Adalita along for the ride and let the pieces fall into place by themselves. At least, that’s what Clare Bowditch will be doing with her upcoming Winter Secrets Tour. “My other project, my business, has been a very incredible but demanding love child,” she says. “But I realised I write my best work after I’ve been talking with the people that I write for, which is my audience. So I needed to get back out on the road and hang out with them for a bit.”
4 July 2014
On his SoundCloud page he is described as “an enigma, wrapped in a mystery; immersed in weed smoke. He is Geko, aka Phil Gektor, a purveyor of a sacred Lingua Franca long forgotten”. After reading that, we just had to get to know him a little better…
2 July 2014
If you’ve seen The Holidays’ latest video clip for ‘Tongue Talk’ (the 3rd single off Real Feel – out now), you may have spotted some familiar faces. Not wanting to name-drop, the always charming and humble frontman, Simon Jones played coy when pressed about the making: “Yeah, it has a fair few cameos in there, mainly friends of the producers that were roped into it! Who can you spot? Even one of the producer’s cameos is in it! With Real Feel we wanted to experiment and make some really interesting clips. It’s been so much fun.”
1 July 2014
The humble beard is currently in a renaissance, the likes of which we have never seen. Celebrities, sportsmen, musicians – the list goes on for those embracing the once oppressed facial feature, all thanks to the tireless work of four brave men. “We knew we were up against it spruiking for such a highly maligned attribute. Certainly at the time those were dark years; we’d walk down the street and people would spit at our feet,” says Facey McStubblington, lead guitarist of The Beards on the time the band formed 10 years ago.
29 June 2014
They’ve been hyped as a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, so when news came in that Tom (aka T, one half of the core duo behind the publicity-shy collective) called Forte Mag to dispel a few myths, jungle fever spread throughout the office. Not to be confused with American hip hoppers Jungle Brothers, heavy metal rockers Jungle Rot, UK girl band Neon Jungle or Brisbane’s own indie four-piece The Jungle Giants, the London-based collaborative Jungle were noticed by all the right people at this year’s SXSW Festival, toured Europe and the UK with Haim and are now heading our way for Splendour in the Grass and a one-off Melbourne sideshow.
27 June 2014
Surfcoast grunge group The Underhanded are about to release their debut EP, Superpsycho. The EP was recorded at Melbourne’s Birdland studios with producer Rob Long and is due for release later this year. The Underhanded features Patrick Doolan on vocals, Ian Hawkins on bass, Jarrah Taylor on drums and guitarist Cory Balloch, who says they all really enjoyed recording the EP.
27 June 2014
Among the celebrities who have admitted to bravely tapping their name into Google’s search engine is Reese Witherspoon, who said: “I know what I’m in for. You never read anything positive … You’re fat, you’re ugly, you’re tired, you’re worthless, you don’t have a career anymore, you’re a bad actor. It’s just an affirmation of every horrible feeling you have about yourself.” Though she admitted to such behaviour only during darker times, the web and anonymity has bred a playground for the cruellest of personal attacks, something that has been well documented. Then there are those who find themselves the centre of a death rumour – and they’re in a league of their own.
26 June 2014
Oozing colour and happiness, Morgan Connoley’s vibrant works are the perfect pieces to adorn your bare walls whilst effortlessly putting a smile on your face. Featuring wolves, typography, pineapples and flamingos, there’s a quirky artwork to suit the plainest or most eccentric of rooms. Unsurprisingly people love her work, as her pieces have been featured in such glossy magazines as Real Living, Shop, Fashion Journal and Sunday Style magazine.
26 June 2014
There’s no doubt that Angus and Julia Stone is one of the biggest folk-rock duos in the world (and will return with a new album in August). However, before we get too carried away, before all of the stardom and acclaim to their music, Angus Stone was just sitting around in his bedroom writing some of their biggest hits. If it wasn’t for Julia getting the duo out to open mic nights and eventually getting a record deal, we may never have heard of their music. If you are a young local musician in the same sort of scenario, be sure to bookmark Blues Boot Camp in your calendar, which is set to take place at Courthouse ARTS on the 2nd and 3rd of July.
26 June 2014
Some of the nation’s finest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entertainers are bringing their comedy, poetry, music and dance to Greater Geelong. Blak Cabaret artists will perform at the Potato Shed, Drysdale, at 4 pm on June 29. The experienced performers have been selected not only for their talent, but also their commitment in shaping Australia’s cultural identity.
26 June 2014
He once compared going out on tour with fellow bandmates as being like Christmas lunch with family: they drink too much and bicker. But these days frontman Nick Finch is singing a different tune. “So far everything’s been great! I just got back after being away for five days. The shows have all been really fun – we’ve had great crowds, but it’s been nuts! There’s still some heavy drinking going on but we’re not screaming at each other, we’re just having a really good time together. Hopefully it lasts!” Nick joked.
26 June 2014
It is with great excitement that I can announce the first line-up of the 2014 Queenscliff Music Festival. Chances are that some of the people reading this article will have already heard the first announcement which took place last Friday; however, this year sees Perfect Tripod, The Jezabels, Kasey Chambers and D.D Dumbo coming to the festival for the first time and Xavier Rudd and The Church returning for the first time since the early 2000s.
