25 July 2014
If you are up for a bit of the funny business, the Aireys Pub will be hosting an Open Mic Comedy Night this weekend. Forte spent a little time with the brains behind the gig, Tait Middleton, last issue where he filled us in about how the idea came about. “One of the guys I performed with put on an open mic comedy night in Ocean Grove in April and it was a massive success.
24 July 2014
Geelong vs Melbourne roller derby tournament makes history. Athletes from Geelong and Melbourne’s north have been battling it out on the pitch for nearly a century, but Australian sporting history will be made this year with the first-ever roller derby tournament played between leagues solely from the two rival cities.
24 July 2014
Black Coffee is the new pick-me-up album from alt-country singer-songwriter Lachlan Bryan. Recorded last year with The Wildes, the album is rich with elements of old-school country, rockabilly, folk balladry and gospel-tinged rockin’ soul. It has been doing pretty well, including snaring the ‘Best Alternative Country Album of the Year’ award at the CMA awards. Lachlan wrote the majority of the album while on a solo tour of the US in support of his solo album, Shadow of the Gun.
24 July 2014
The rock is strong with Aimee Francis. The Melbourne-born Sydney gal has being playing live since she was fifteen and has toured the world and played shows with the likes of Pat Benatar and Steel Panther. She had her ‘yep, this is what I want to do’ moment in 2001 when she won tickets to a Billy Idol concert. It was his guitarist Steve Stevens, however, that captivated her, and it has all been for the music since.
24 July 2014
Sometimes your music just has to find the right ears. And so it was that, at the age of 17, Warrnambool’s Jackson McLaren found a fan in Josh Pyke, who would produce McLaren’s self-titled debut. A move to Melbourne and a breakthrough hit with ‘A Whole Day Nearer’ would follow. Now McLaren, along with his band the Triple Threat, welcomes their debut full-length album, Songs to Greet the Dawn.
24 July 2014
“We make music that makes us feel good and that we enjoy playing. It may have been influenced by an eclectic myriad of artists we have listened to across our current existence here on this planet. We hope you can find something in our music and lyrics that make you feel something or take you to a better place.” That is what the Sunshine Coast’s Drawcard would like you to know, and it’s hard not to like them on that alone.
24 July 2014
REMINDER: Don’t forget that Coolio kicks off his Aussie tour with a date at The Karova, Ballarat on July 31. The artist, composer and actor (oh yeah, and chef) still holds the record for having one of the best-selling singles of all time with 1995’s ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’. The tour comes around a year after he was forced to cancel an Australian visit due to visa issues.
23 July 2014
Do you know Allday? If not, you probably should. Hailing from Blackwood (that would be the home of the Hilltop Hoods for those playing at home), Allday (Tom Gaynor) is part of Australia’s new era of hip hop. He began rapping at the age of ten, recorded his first track as a teenager and would build his case winning battle after battle in his hometown. He soon caught the attention of triple j, before a move to Melbourne paid dividends.
22 July 2014
With his debut EP set to drop in August, Danny Harley, the man behind indie-electro project The Kite String Tangle, is heading out on the road. And with a date at Splendour in the Grass, he is sure to be nicely warmed up. Danny launched The Kite String Tangle in 2012 and has been quick to find a loving audience. Vessel is the title of his forthcoming debut.
21 July 2014
The Queenscliff Music Festival has announced another round of acts for its bonza 2014 outing. To recap first, we already have The Bombay Royale, The Church. D.D Dumbo, Hiatus Kaiyote, The Jezabels, Kasey Chambers, Stonefield, The Waifs and Xavier Rudd; now, you can add soulful rocker Dan Sultan, WA’s blues and roots outfit Blue Shady, a trio of songbirds in Dyson Stringer Cloher, genre-benders The Delta Riggs, Gold Coast-based Tijuana Cartel, Adelaide rapper Tkay Maidza, Afro soulsters The Shaolin Afronauts and troubadour Steve Smyth to the mix.
20 July 2014
Don’t let their name fool you: driven by multi-layered grooves and inspired by the human spirit, NSW outfit Beaten Bodies is a fusion of jazz, soul, hip hop and electronica (side note: the band has lost gigs to booking agents who thought they were a hardcore band). Formed in 2012 for their bassist’s brother’s party, members found they enjoyed the company and decided to pursue things more seriously. The band’s new release is The Royal Road.
19 July 2014
Adelaide’s metalcore heavyweights I Killed the Prom Queen has announced a beefy run of shows with American outfit The Ghost Inside. Formed in 2000, the band performed their first gig at Reynella Youth Enterprise Centre in late 2001. A couple of albums followed before the band called time-out for a spell. Reformed in 2011, the band soon enough turned their focus to a new album. That came with this year’s Beloved.
19 July 2014
Regarded as the new voice in Australian bluegrass, Kristy Cox grew up in the hills of South Australia. The time between school and household chores was spent listening to music, a passion installed through her parents and grandparents. Always supportive, her parents would drive her all across Australia in order to take her to a festival or talent show.
16 July 2014
Does everyone know what time it is? It’s Meredith time. Yay! The ballot for this year’s festival is open so I don’t know why you’re still reading this. To enter the ballot, head across to mmf.com.au and do what you have to do before 9:47 p.m. on Monday, August 11. In terms of music, the early bird treat is The War on Drugs. Meredith takes place across December 12, 13 & 14. Hop to it.
16 July 2014
Sam Cooper, Monty Hartnett, Chris Jennings, Sophia Lubczenco, Casey Hartnett are five lifelong friends who decided that making music together was a pretty good way to go about things. Formed in early 2013, Bellarine/Surf Coast outfit Sagamore launched their self-titled debut album to a packed house at The Toff in December 2013.
15 July 2014
Born and bred in Ireland but now a proud Ocean Grove local, Aine Tyrrell has been sharing her tunes throughout Geelong and beyond for the past few years. Aine is now taking the next step in her career as a musician, and if recording a debut wasn’t daunting enough she’ll be doing it in a bus while touring Australia! Aine is clearly a free spirit, which is reflected in her music, and the bus recordings just sort of happened.
15 July 2014
Steve McEwan gets around. The passionate music soul is the musical director of the Sweethearts, the amazing all-girl band from Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College that recently toured the States. “Highlights included a trip to Graceland, checking out Booker T’s original Hammond at STAX and getting the girls a gig at B.B. King’s,” he said about the recent trip before talking up his own game.
15 July 2014
For those familiar with The Drew Carey Show, you may remember that Drew and his mates created Buzz Beer, a concoction of beer and coffee. Now, Southern Bay Brewing Co lead brewer Steve Walker has collaborated with Coffee Cartel’s Nathan Johnston to create a local buzz beer, Mr BIGS. Using Guji coffee from Ethiopia, the stout taps into a fickle industry. “The idea was to do a small release, which allowed us to be able to experiment and be very creative,” says Mr Walker.
15 July 2014
Since they introduced themselves around a year ago, Melbourne’s Jakubi have not put a foot wrong. With the recent release of latest single ‘Couch Potato’, the band has now struck gold four times, with their latest effort nearing 130,000 plays on SoundCloud at the time of writing. According to the band, the song is the “story about a girl (Couch Potato), who in her father’s eye, has her head in the clouds.
14 July 2014
Talk of the state of the live music scene can elicit a bit of a groan these days. Not because it continues to be a hot topic of debate, but because it has a stronger pulse than some would have you believe. It’s just sometimes we need to look to our regional cities. With The Karova family set to celebrate their tenth birthday, we thought we would gatecrash their celebrations and share a drink (more likely a few) with the Ballarat favourite.
14 July 2014
When Melbourne’s Circles released their breakthrough EP The Compass in 2011, metal fans immediately crossed their fingers that a follow-up wouldn’t be too far away. The wait wasn’t all that long, with the band releasing Infinitas in 2013. And it did not disappoint. Among its supporters was The Metal Forge, who wrote: “So here’s what you need to know – this album is worth your time and money.
14 July 2014
Keeping the spark alive in a relationship after ten-plus years can be difficult. And in the world of music it’s no different. When it comes to Adelaide duo The Yearlings (Robyn Chalklen and Chris Parkinson), however, they’re doing just fine. Having returned with their fifth album, All the Wandering, the duo showcases a quiet evolution in sound.
13 July 2014
Black Coffee is the new pick-me-up album from alt-country singer-songwriter Lachlan Bryan. Recorded last year with The Wildes, the album is rich with elements of old-school country, rockabilly, folk balladry and gospel-tinged rockin’ soul. It has been doing pretty well, including snaring the ‘Best Alternative Country Album of the Year’ award at the CMA awards. Lachlan wrote the majority of the album while on a solo tour of the US in support of his solo album, Shadow of the Gun.
12 July 2014
Geelong locals would know Andrea Robertson pretty well – they probably just don’t know it. Andrea and her friends have made Lt Malop Central their home since early last month, performing acoustic shows that showcase her new CD. This weekend the songbird takes in The Piping Hot Chicken Shop. The Geelong-born singer-songwriter, now based in Ocean Grove, has been playing music and writing songs since her early teens.
