UnConvention Brisbane

If you’re in Brisbane this long weekend, come and check out UnConvention. From the presser:

Chartfixer

The biggest news in Australian music press today is the website chartfixer.com, whereby artists or labels can pay for the site’s services to move their songs up the ARIA charts. As ridiculous as this sounds, the reaction from all corners reminds us that chart rigging practices are not unheard of.

Fasterlouder has a good few comments for their coverage of the story. Today/Tonight even has a little vid you can watch here.

Meanwhile, industry writer Ben Butler sums up the financials of Australian major labels in 2009 on the Herald Sun

Hyperbole.tv

The last issue of JMag featured an angry quote from me regarding Google deleting music blogs. And that was before they deleted one of Australia’s finest.

Alas, last Friday we lost Mass Hyperbole, run by inthemix.com.au editor Dave Ruby Howe. As Dave points out, around four hundred posts, one million hits and three years of work disappeared at the hand of the almighty.

Fortunately, Dave has already picked up and started a new blog at hyperbole.tv (but sans the awesome banner of its previous incarnation). You should check it out and keep the dream alive. Hopefully (50% Australian) Rose Quartz doesn’t suffer a similar fate.

Aussies clean up at International Songwriting Awards

Sarah Blasko and Chris Cheney were part of the large scoop of Aussie undertakings at the recent International Songwriting Awards in the US.

Trumping competitors with the alluring ‘Bird On A Wire’, Blasko took out first place in the  Folk/Singer-Songwriter category.  Living End veteran Cheney scored first place in the Rock category for ‘White Noise’.

Geelong sibling duo Emma and Anthony Hewitt of Missing Hours won the adult contemporary award for ‘Missing You’, while the amiable Kevin Mitchell aka Bob Evans rounded out the winnings, earning best pop/top 40 artist for ‘Pasha Bulker’.

Aussies that took out third place gongs included Eskimo Joe in the Rock category for ‘Foreign Land’ and Alexander Gow and Thomas Savage of Oh Mercy for Adult Contemporary for ‘Get You Back’.

A massive list of honourable mentions acknowledged the talents of Andy Bull, Alexander Burnett (Sparkadia), Michael Tomlinson (YKB) , John Mackay (Children Collide), Tommaso Parisi (Tom Ugly) and Ryan Ritchie (True Live) to name a few.

This year’s judges included  Tom Waits, Ben Folds, Ben Harper, Jeff Beck and Robert Smith of The Cure.

Go team.

Gyroscope vs Warner

What is going on here? Got this in the email just before the weekend:

An important message from Gyroscope:

Zok, Daniel, Brad & Rob (Gyroscope)

How Much Do Music Artists Earn Online?

Amazing graph from www.informationisbeautiful.net

thanks Joel!

Glenn’s Guide to Brisbane Nightlife

While battling the massive time-suck that is Facebook, I stumbled across the group ‘Glenn’s Guide To Brisbane Nightlife’. I’m sure it was created as some sort of pisstake or in-joke, but it’s an outlet for a guy called Glenn Stewart  to vent his opinions and frustrations regarding Brisbane pubs, clubs and live music venues. Here are some highlights:

RICS

I’ve heard a lot of complaints that Rics is going to be shit now that RG’s has taken over. I’d like to talk on behalf of Brisbane’s finest indie kids. Fuck you RGs for keeping the place clean. Fuck you for hiring friendlier staff! Fuck you for conveniently putting an ATM inside your club so you don’t have to walk across the road! Fuck you for continuing the tradition of putting on free live music almost every day. And I heard you were getting beer on tap? That’s just such a fucking nightmare!

It’s also a very easy place to pick up chicks. Somehow indie girls think that if they listen to Nick Cave, it will cancel out them being a slut. Sorry ladies, doesn’t work.

Also, any guy or girl who wears an accessory to improve their self esteem or to look cool is a fucking idiot. Example – a necklace with a huge cassette tape on it. Or stupid, thick glasses when their vision is perfectly fine. You’re no less self absorbed than a 16 year old girl wanting comments on their newest myspace picture. Fuck you.

Rics gets 5/10. I have had a few good nights there.

THE FOX

The Fox is a stupid name for a pub/club (whatever the fuck it is). Their $2 bits of meat are a fucking joke, served with a side of salad they made in a bucket. I don’t understand why people think it’s good value paying $2 for scraps.

It seems the average age of the crowd are 15 – 19 year old girls, 19 – 21 year old engineering students, and fresh new business men who buy their suits from Lowes. I know that sounds like a few rape charges waiting to happen, but from what I can tell it’s pretty safe. There’s cheap beers, and plenty of fat chicks to share around if that’s your thing. For the ladies – there’s plenty of fresh tribal tatts, guys with new toyota’s and dudes who actually enjoy dancing (still don’t get it?!).

If you like walking up 5 stories to really bad music, and a weird mixture of annoying people than this place is probably for you. The cheap beer is definitely a bonus.

Another thing I’ll never understand is the attitude of some bar staff. You know the “I don’t smile, I don’t like anyone who orders a drink, I take my job very seriously, I am the best bar person ever” type of person? Well you’ll meet plenty at The Fox.

Again it’s a place where the toilets smell like vomit all the time…

3.5/10

I had a few giggles. Check out the group here. Sorry to exclude those of you without a Facebook account, but I’m sure the satisfaction of not being data-mined is enough consolation for you.

Makeover Triple Zed!

Brisbane community radio station 4ZzZ FM have put the call out to artists worldwide to sexify their building, once the home of the Brisbane arm of the Communist party. From the presser:

Banksy eat your heart out!!! The legendary Brisbane radio station, 4ZzZ, is looking for someone to unleash their creative juices on the biggest blank canvas they’ll ever have – the front of Zed Towers!!!

My housemates and I all did stints at ZzZ and none of us have ever heard the building referred to as Zed Towers, but maybe it’s a new thing they’re trying to get happening.  Anyway, if you’d like to paint something cool on a fuck-off big building on a main road in Brisbane, send an email with your design and why you’d like to do it to info@4zzzfm.org.au by 30 May.

Stephen Booth – Rock & Roll Exhibition

I’ve been really sick lately (not that any of you probably give a rats) so I’ve been holed up at home watching copious amounts of Aqua Teen Hunger Force and sleeping. I had a rare outing to the Brisbane Comedy Festival at the Powerhouse the other night, which came with the added perk of checking out Rock & Roll, an exhibition of Brisbane photographer Stephen Booth’s  favourite shots from his fifteen years of live music photography.

Unlike a couple of other live music photo exhibitions Brisbane has hosted recently, the pictures aren’t limited to acts from Brisbane or Australia. Some of Booth’s best work captures festival crowds, legends such as Iggy Pop and PJ Harvey and up-and-coming garage bands.

The exhibition is free and closes on April 5. Don’t miss out.

International Songwriting Competition- Aussie Finalists

The International Songwriting Competition’s list of finalists is out, boasting a very strong  Aussie showing. Maybe the judges are onto us now after Kate Miller-Heidke’s win last year, taking home US$25 000 in cash and a tonne of other prizes. We’ll be taking a look at artists from the list between now and the announcement of winners in April – there are just too many to do justice to in one post.

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