The first live gig I went to was a FReeZA all-ages at Moorrabin Town Hall. I was sixteen and lugged two reluctant mates two hours across the state to see Trial Kennedy, British India, Stealing O’ Neal and watch underage drongos ride a mechanical bull. The same two friends I dragged along ended up carrying me out of the venue after I got spin kicked in the face by an emo kid using the front row as a wall-of-death. Unfortunately my live music experiences waddling around on mouldy carpet these days don’t get as violent as they probably should. Discovering new bands and accessing new music via the INTERNET (lazy portal of convenience) is something that’s out of habit for most of us. But hey, nothing beats waking up with tinnitus and last night’s wrist stamp smeared onto your forehead after all. Without live music, Melb would probably be a wasteland of creatively frustrated people with nothing to harp on about except caffeine and Kerouac. Live music is important to a lot of people around here.

Today marks National SLAM Day and there’s plenty of extra stuff going on to show your support for the people that make this place sound good.

For all the full details of gigs going on around the country today – click HERE or visit www.slamrally.org

Do you like to have fun? Do you like to dance and Roll in good times? Drink merrily with your stylish friends while bathing in some of Australia’s finest music at one of Sydney’s greatest venues?

The answer is probably yes, ‘coz you’re here. The Lonely Kids Club are doing us all a favour and putting on a show at the Oxford Art Factory, featuring Rufus, Collarbones, Fishing and Albatross (alongside many others), launching their summer lineup.

October 16 is the date, Oxford Art is the place. I’ll be there, and I’m a charmer, so you should be there too. While you’re waiting, listen to/watch this stunning clip from Rüfüs. I’m in love.

You should check out Lonely Kids Club as well – their clothes are pretty and their attitude balling.

We want to know how you prefer to hear about band updates – Facebook, email, Twitter, websites etc. Go and vote and share amongst your friends and get them to vote. This is just for my/Matt’s personal interest and it would be cool to see what y’all think.

GO HERE TO VOTE.

Cheers

Stereosonic = pwned.
Photo from here.

This one gets released this Friday (12th Nov) but for your curious ears there’s a preview available on Youtube HERE.

www.facebook.com/HeWillHaveHisWay

I went to the ARIA awards for the first time yesterday. I had a great fun at the industry section, it was a pretty good cocktail party even though I missed out most of the ceremony itself due to the crowded viewing section. By the sound of it I was lucky not to have been watching this on tv, but I did see Megan Washington killing it with her show tunes / cabaret adapted performance of Sunday Best. Amazing!

Iconic Brisbane venue The Troubadour is closing at the end of the month. There had been rumblings around the Brisbane music scene about rising rents and the changing face of the Valley, but this is the biggest loss to the Valley’s live music precinct since The Rev became a dance club.

Here’s the presser from the venue’s website:

It’s news that will rock the Brisbane music community – the heart and soul of Brisbane’s music community, the iconic The Troubadour will be calling last drinks and closing its doors forever come the end of November.

In what will be a devastating blow to the town with a matter that has gone beyond the control of owners Jamie Trevaskis and Corinna Scanlon, the beloved music venue will close its doors on Sunday, November 21.

More information as to how the venue will be farewelled and why it is closing will be released in the very near future.  The Troub crew would like to extend gratitude to every single band, artist and punter who has graced the venue in the last seven and a half years.

The future of “The Troubadour” name and recognisable aesthetic remains uncertain but for now, the dream is over.

See the bullshit for yourself right here.

Since opening in 2003, The Troub has played host to bands too numerous to mention. Small-time local bands and big-name international touring acts have squeezed onto the small stage and squinted at the crowd through the red stage lights (a photographer’s nightmare).

Share your favourite Troub lineups and memories in the comments.

There are a few things I like about singer-songwriter Edward Guglielmino -  unfortunately, his music is not one of those things.
What I am a fan of are his occasional witticisms and bouts of trolling on the the internet. His list of 50 Ways To Get People to Care About Your Band In Australia is full of tips for aspiring musicians or alternatively, jokes for snide hipsters. Read on and pass judgment.

1. Pick your favorite overseas act and copy them exactly, give yourself a similar name, about put in your bio “Australia’s answer to”
2. Tell people you are all under 18.
3. Use “tokyo, russia, euro,” in your band name, make sure on paper your band name means nothing.
4. Sign to the first label that shows interest, hand over any chance you have of making any money to the company for a minimum of 25 years.
5. Use “Fresh, cool, straight out of, bluesy, roots” in your band bio.
6. Be an Aussie Hip Hop group.
7. Openly endorse a soft drink.
8. After two years tell everyone you’re quitting for good, only to reveal a new project which is identical, only with a very slightly different name.
9. Hire a young manager who will sign anything put in front of him or her.
10. Talk purely about music you really like, how awesome everything is, and never ever criticize anything openly.
11. After gigs in the backstage area openly bitch about every other act in Australia.
12. Find someone famous and start sleeping with them, pretend it is a secret to the public but tell every single person you can in private.
13. Listen to commercial radio for 48 straight and then write a song immediately.
14. Use awesome and wicked to describe everything.
15. Accept your aria and make a joke about how you are still the underdog and still have have no money in your bank account.
16. Have no cultural awareness, have no idea of music history.
17. Live in a share house with more than 10 other people in Northcote.
18. Live in your parents multi-million dollar house and have them bankroll you for 20 years.
19. Live in a share house in Newtown with 40 people, and 10 junkies.
20. Live in the Gap in Brisbane, be seen shopping at Gap Coles, tell people how much you hate fortitude valley, play acoustic guitar.
21. Make lists that people will pretend to like, but secretly they are infuriated.
22. Go to 1971 and copy.
23. Go to 1983 and copy.
24. Go to 1992 and copy.
25. Sound like “Television” (the band see rule 16).
26. Write negative things on forums about your band “Tokyo Russian Underground” Australia’s answer to Fleet Foxes.
27. Turn up to gigs after the band has finished and bitch about the bands performance.
28. Grow dreadlocks, play roots.
29. Be easy to pigeonhole, complain about being pigeonholed.
30. Use pigeonhole in every interview to describe your band, for example “I don’t want to be pigeonholed as Australia’s answer to Animal Collective but…”
31. Be ugly and write joke songs.
32. Continually act surprised that your are successful.
33. Move overseas, and play a couple of gigs, come back and claim that your famous in London, New York, Berlin ect. (note won’t work for 3rd world countries)
34. Go OP shopping before every photo shoot.
35. When being interviewed make ironic jokes that acknowledge that your currently famous.
36. If you are a woman, play up the girl next door thing until you are 45.
37. Talk about your fans as if you know them, if one approaches you in front of a camera act like you know him or her.
38. If a fan approaches you in Australia off camera, tell it to fuck off.
39. If a fan approaches you outside of Australia try not to act surprised.
40. Be from Melbourne.
41. Be from Brisbane
42. Be from Melbourne or Brisbane but play gigs in Sydney every other weekend.
43. Sleep with someone on the radio.
44. Put “despite only being around for 6 months” in your bio, even if you have been around for 10 years.
45. Never change a single thing about your band accept the the name.
46. Call any tour, the final tour ever.
47. After you turn 30 write a book.
48. After you turn 40 write another book.
49. After you turn 50 enter politics.
50. If a fan approaches you overseas, and they aren’t Australian, discount all rules above.

Various funding opportunities are available to industry and artists in NSW. If you’re interested in applying for any of the below please read through the guidelines carefully to make sure you’re eligible. If you’ve done that and still can’t skip through the bureacratic speak get in touch with us!

AUSTRALIA COUNCIL: New Work New Work grants support one-off projects that involve the creation or development of music, new musical material or media arts projects. Closing Date 15 June 2010

AUSTRALIA COUNCIL: Presentation and Promotion Presentation and Promotion grants support one-off projects that present, publish, distribute or market quality music of any style. Closing Date 15 June 2010

BRITISH COUNCIL: Realise Your Dream The British Council Realise Your Dream Awards celebrate excellence in the arts and creative industries, offering talented Australians the chance to further their careers in the UK. Closing Date 18 June 2010

ARTS NSW: Arts Funding Program These programs aim to encourage high artistic merit, innovation, building existing and new audiences, support professional and sector development and increase access to the arts for all. Closing Dates vary – Project Funding closes June 28 2010.

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

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

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.

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.

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

An important message from Gyroscope:

Zok, Daniel, Brad & Rob (Gyroscope)

thanks Joel!

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.

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.

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.

Finalists:

Ben Stewart – ‘Love Is A Cruel Machine’ (Brisbane)
Sparkadia – ‘Mary’ (Sydney)
Garth Adam – ‘The Boat’ (Edgecliffe, NSW)
Oh Mercy – ‘Get You Back’ (Melbourne)
Missing Hours – ‘Not For You’ (Geelong, VIC)
Mama Kin – ‘Tore My Heart Out’ (Fremantle, WA)
Matt Gow Joe & The Dead Leaves – ‘Come What May’ (Melbourne)
Matt Ellis – ‘Heart of Mine’ (Sydney)
Daxton – ‘Moody Liz’ (Sydney)
8 Ball Aitken – ‘ Yellow Moon’ (Brisbane)
Nadia Sunde – ‘The Goat and The Goose’ (Gold Coast, QLD)
Scared Weird Little Guys – ‘1985′ (Melbourne)
Col Meredith – ‘Colostomy Bag’ (Noosa Heads, QLD)
Andrew Cochrane, Simon Boyce – ‘Don’t Come Over ’til I’m Over You’ (Brisbane)
Troy Cassar-Daley – ‘I Love This Place’ (Brisbane)
Metals – ‘Drop Ya Guard’ (Melbourne)
Diamond Trick – ‘I Like Girlz’ (Geelong, VIC)
Sarah Blasko – ‘Bird on A Wire’ (Sydney)
Sam Buckingham – ‘Feel Like Walking’ (Sydney)
Nicola Watson – ‘Windmills’ (Hotham Hill, VIC)
Tom Poulter, Angela Cox – ‘Every Time’ (Shellharbour, NSW)
Roma Waterman – ‘Footsteps Of My Father’ (Melbourne)
Marcela Taylor – ‘Sand Storm’ (Melbourne)
Mark Isaacs – ‘Minsk’ (Como, NSW)
Cam MacKellar – ‘Where I’m Calling From ‘ (Killcare, NSW)
The Paper Scissors – ‘Howl’ (Sydney)
Mason Rachinger ‘Seen Her b4′ (Palm Beach, QLD)
Yves Klien Blue – ‘Polka’ (Brisbane)
Philadelphia Grand Jury – ‘The Good News’ (Sydney)
Bob Evans – ‘Pasha Bulker’ (Melbourne)
Andy Bull – ‘Small Town Girl’ (Sydney)
Chasing Bailey – ‘The Right Time ‘ (Waverton, NSW)
Faker – ‘This Heart Attack’ (Sydney)
True Live – ‘Look To The Skies’ (Dingley, VIC)
Heartbreak Club – ‘Chin Up’ (Sydney)
Eskimo Joe – ‘Foreign Land’ (Perth)
The Medics – ‘Joseph’ (Cairns, QLD)
Shihad – ‘One Will Hear The Other’ (Melbourne)
Children Collide – ‘Social Currency’ (Melbourne)
The Living End – ‘White Noise’ (Melbourne)
The Basics – ‘With This Ship’ (Melbourne)
Tom Ugly – ‘Bad With Love’ (Sydney)
Andrew James Redford – ‘City’ (Maroochydore, QLD)