Friday, October 29, 2010

Free Music Friday 2!

With my discovery of orgcore this week, I've decided to bring back Free Music Friday with some orgcore.


Lie Captive are 3 guys from New York playing orgcore, definitely channeling a lot of Hot Water Music. Simple enough. You can get their demo for free right here.

The thing that blows me away is the quality of the demo. To me, demos are all about bad recording on a mate's 2 track in your basement. This though is awesomely produced and mastered showing what the band has to offer. I can't wait to hear more from them.

MySpace

Suprise Soundwave Announcement

It was supposed to happen today, but AJ let it be known last night that there's a new band added to the Soundwave lineup. And I for one am excited to see these guys:



This Town Needs Guns are a mathrock/indie band from the UK. I've been listening to them for the last year or so and am just in love with their sound. Lots of clean guitars played really fast that produce some great melodies. And now they're coming to Soundwave next year! I just hope there's some sideshows in the greater brisbane area for them.

MySpace

Thursday, October 28, 2010

That 1 Guy

Imagine Les Claypool (of Primus fame) playing pipes that he constructed himself. Like PVC plumbing pipes. And you get That 1 Guy:


Don and I saw him by accident play the Big Day Out a few years ago and ever since I've been totally enthralled. But that may also have something to do with how much he reminds me of Les Claypool and how rarely I get to see the mighty Les.



Apparently he's tweaked his instruments and added some new pipes and is coming to spend two months in Australia. We get him in our area on these dates:

Wednesday 1st December – Villa Noosa, Noosa
Thursday 2nd December – Miami Sharks, Gold Coast
Friday 3rd December – Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns
Saturday 4th December – Globe Theatre, Brisbane
Monday 27th December – Woodford Folk Festival, Woodfordia

Website

Amity Affliction do the 'burbs

Hailing from the mighty music centre that is Gympie (snigger), Amity Affliction are one of the biggest Brisbane area bands of the moment. They're putting together their first two EPs into a compilation (which is by far their best releases).


As part of the release, they are going to head out to the suburbs and play for areas that don't normally get shows (presumably for kids that don't like to travel very far).

20th November - Bar 240V, Moolooloba AA Day Show & Night 18+ show
26th November - Fitzys, Logan 19+
27th November - Runaway Bay Tavern 18+

Most of these shows include Gold Coast pop-punkers Skyway! and Byron Bay hardcore Word Up.

Amity
Skyway!
Word Up

Sausage fest!

Club 299 may have gone to shit lately, what with it's stopping of Snitch, it's Saturday indie and punk nights and now doing random dance music and club nights (booooooo). But they're going to make up for it on Sunday night with Sausagefest!


Starting at 4pm, $15 get's you a sausage sizzle and 15 pands. Including locals Paper and the Plane. Other bands include Burning Broolyn, Madisonfoxx and Draw the Lines. Sure, I don't know any of these other bands, but for $15 you get a feed and some music at an awesome club! Sunday, October 31.

Blowhard best of!

Brisbane's best ska band of the last few decades, without fail, has been Blowhard. Not that there's much competition.



On November 9 they will be releasing their best of compilation, with 34 awesome ska tracks. As part of the launch, they will be playing a show at the Jubilee on November 13,featuring bands such as Ringpull, Fun With Explosives and Vaginabillies! Go local ska!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

I don't know how I missed this...

I never caught an official announcement, but I saw this ad while looking at other websites:


We normally get passed over here in Brisbane for BDO sideshows, so Tool fans enjoy it while you can!

24th of January, Entertainment Centre.

28 Days cancel Halloween party

Time to put those costumes away punk kids, 28 Days have cancelled their appearance at the Halloween Thriller this Saturday.
Due to events beyond their control, 28 Days regret to inform that they are unable to play their Thriller date in Brisbane this Saturday night. The band sincerely apologise and will endeavor to return as soon as possible
The other bands will still be playing, although at 5 in the morning I can't remember who they are.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Darkest Hour tour

Over three years ago I went to a gig that was in my top 3 of all time: Norma Jean and Every Time I Die (although that list will be revised after the recent Baroness show). One of the opening bands that attributed to the greatnes of that show was an American metalcore band, the Darkest Hour. I knew none of the bands before that gig, but I came out in love with most of them (except for the local opening band). Now, Darkest Hour are coming back on tour.


They'll be shredding their way through the HiFi on January 4th (18+). Joining them will be another American band, this time deathcore, Carnifex.

Darkest Hour
Carnifex

Orgcore

So it turns out there's a subgenre of punk called orgcore, which I've only discovered today. According to wikihow, the look involves band shirts under plaid, beards, getting scruffy and ... crap. That's me.


The music itself is described as a mixture of punk, country, folk and blues. Basically all the things I like!

So it turns out I'm orgcore. As weird as that sounds. So here's some bands to get into orgcore with:

Lucero - More on the country than punk side of things, their song writing is just absoultely amazing.

Hot Water Music - Old school Chicago orgcore. One of the bands that came to define the genre (also playing in December).

Frank Turner - Acoustic punk. Keep an eye out for this guy, he'll be big soon.

The three lead singers of the afore mentioned bands came out and did the ultimate orgcore tour last year, the Revivial Tour. They basically got together (with Tim Barry from Avail) and played acoustic punk for a few hours. The above picture is from that gig. It was amazing. If only I knew that was orgcore at the time...

Against Me! - Their early albums are some of my favourite punk albums ever, not to mention some of the best orgcore.

The Gaslight Anthem - The ultimate orgcore band. They channel a punk Bruce Springsteen to a tee. And they've just released a new free song which covers...

Fake Problems - Their new album, Real Ghosts Caught on Tape, is a little bit more indie, but it's one of my favourites of the year. And also, that's the beauty of orgcore, it mashes everything into it's uniqueness!

There's plenty more bands you can throw into this melting pot of a genre. In fact, a lot of these appear to come from the Naples/Gainsville Florida area. It must be something in the water. This blog: http://carriedouttosea.blogspot.com/search?q=orgcore is a huge fan of orgcore and always puts up new bands.

God bless the country-influence, plaid wearing, gruff and working class punk!

Neil Diamond

If you don't know Neil Diamond, you don't know anything about pop music from the last 40 odd years. He's had great hits such as Sweet Caroline, I'm a Believer (most popular to our generation from Shrek), Girl You'll be a Woman Soon (most popular to our generation from Pulp Fiction), Forever in Blue Jeans, etc, etc, etc,... you get the point. He may be popular, but he's a damn good songwriter.

And he's played with Jack Black and R Lee Ermey:



And he's coming to play some songs for our mothers to get up and throw their panties on stage! (Eww, horrible picture in my head now)

March 21 and 23 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

Mind control (in music)

People. The future is here. You can now play music using just purely your mind (and it's brainwaves):



The Teletron was developed by the lead singer of the indie band Apples in Stereo using a kids toy and a Moog synthesiser. Wow. It gets my inner enginerd and musicnerd happy!

Sufjan rumours

My inner hipster is rejoicing today. But at the same time, he's crying. This is the reason:

Sufjan Stevens. The man who puts out album after album of great indie covering all styles, ideas and concepts. Although only 2 albums into his concept of an album for each state of America (Illionoise just blew him up massively), he's already taken a break and released a different strain of music, with his new album the Age of Adz. And for that album he will be coming to Australia.

For now, the dates apart from an Adelaide date are just rumoured. So why is the inner hipster crying? His date at the Tivoli is meant to be the same day as Laneway. The 4th of February. ARGHHHHHHH! Hipster Chuck barely gets out, and now he has 2 reasons on the same day! And I've alread bought my expensive Laneway tickets, so I'm just hurt now.

I hope they change it. It is only a strong rumour, I still have time to hope until the real announcement.

MySpace

Smoke or Fire free song

Do you like your gritty working class punk? I do. Smoke or Fire do it well.


They do working class punk, with some drawing similarities with Against Me, Hot Water Music, Gaslight Anthem, et al. Fat Mike signed them to Fat Wreck, so they've got a lot of punk respectability behind them.

With a new album out in a few weeks, they've let loose a song. Well I think they have. I'm not sure if this is "legit" or "pirate" so I'll just link to the brooklynvegan site for you if you want to get the song. http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2010/10/new_smore_or_fi.html

It's good.
MySpace

Monday, October 25, 2010

Weezer free stuff

One of my greatest concert regrets was not going to see Weezer. I had the choice of going (for free mind you) to see Weezer, or going to my girlfriend's senior prom. I made the wrong choice, following a girl, especially since we broke up the next day.

But since those days, circa 2002, Weezer has been slowly going downhill (if you're an old school fan like me and most of my friends).

Weezer has recently put out a new album, Hurley. Sure, it's not very good, but... Well, there is no but. They must realise it themselves as well, because they are about to release a whole bunch of stuff from their peak days, around the time of Pinkerton. As well as touring the whole album.

As part of this new Pinkerton era stuff, they've leaked a few songs, that we can get for free!
Grab them here:
Blowin' My Sack
Getting Up and Leaving

Now we've just got to get them back for some shows in Australia.

The Paper Scissors, Oct 21 2010, Tempo

I was going to write a review about this show, but I got lost on my way (due to their marketing guy telling me the wrong venue) and then this guy did a much better job of it then I ever would have. At least it appears that I wasn't the only person that went to the wrong place.

However, I'd like to use my blog to talk about one of the opening bands there, local boys The Belligerents.

And yeah, I took that picture. See more on my Flickr.

Anyway, the Belligerents play a synth led kind of dance punk. Think of the Rapture, if you want an idea. They had the whole crowd on Thursday night (albeit the 20 of them) up on their feet and dancing. That's a hard thing, especially with Brisbane's indie hipsters.

They've got some free music on Triple J unearthed, so give them a go if you like your dancier indie rock.

Unearthed

Sunday, October 24, 2010

*sigh* I'm going to have to go to Melbourne

If there's one thing you should know about me and music, it's that I'm obsessed with Primus. No matter what, they are always my number 1 band. Les Claypool and Ler LaLonde are my gods (with the addition of Buckethead of course).


I'm not sure what it is about their original mix of funk, metal, comedy and god knows what else, but it just drives me insane. So insane that I have driven long distances in the past to see them (Chicago Tour de Fromage was one of the best nights of my life).

With their announcement in the Soundwave festival you would think I would be appeased. But no. I want more. MORE! I want to see them play an intimate gig, not on a stage outside with hundreds of metal fans chanting out "WE WANT IRON MAIDEN".

So of course, being that we live in Brisbane, we're getting shit for sideshows. So it looks like I'm flying to Melbourne. 3rd of March, at the Palais theatre in Melbourne. And to make it even better, the Melvins are opening!

Vinyl record fair!

I am a vinyl nerd. I'm not afraid to admit it. For almost 10 years now I've been collecting and listening to music on vinyl records. There's something about it that just appeals to me. I think it's like the music takes on a personality and it becomes more of an experience. I have a very varied collection which you can view here.

I'm not a crazy collector, I buy it a lot just to listen to it. So I have no problems with buying used vinyl. And the best place to do it is at record fairs. Next Sunday in West End, there'll be one at the Rumpus Room:


They'll be selling a lot of random genres and have a few live DJ sets as well (if you want to see what "professionals" do with vinyl records). It's on the last Sunday of every month, so if you don't make it out next weekend, you can go back next month (and maybe pick up some Christmas presents for me).

Friday, October 22, 2010

Twitter

Fuck you Clus. I've been trying to avoid Twitter for ages now. But you just had to go and sign me up for one in your "internet guru" way telling me it'll help my blog. I still don't understand it or anything, but follow me and whatnot for updates and such. http://twitter.com/moshpitson I'm thinking I'll start putting my one sentence music reviews on there soon, when I finally figure it all out.

Free Music Friday!

HAPPY FRIDAY! Do you like free stuff? I do. I was once quoted in the University of Iowa newspaper, at an impromptu meeting with Hoobastank and Lostprophets, as saying
"I'm just here for the free stuff."
So I present to you free music Friday.

After witnessing one of the best gigs I have ever seen on Sunday night, watching Baroness of course, I thought I may go and find out a bit more about this interesting subgenre of metal known as sludge. In my "research" (aka Google, wikipedia and mediafire) I stumbled across a French band called I Pilot Daemon.

Not one to discriminate on the pure fact that they are from a country of cheese eating surrender monkeys I gave them a listen. And I enjoyed. Not purely sludge, these guys throw in a healthy dose of hardcore as well. At times I even pick up a bit of screamo. This fits my current mood and listening habits perfectly.

Here's the free stuff now: their new album. They've put it out on the internet for free, not even in the way that involves you having to go to dodgy websites and put up with ads for granny dating and penis enhancements (although that may just be the internet telling me something). Get it here: http://ipilotdaemon.antiheroes.org/

I'd recommend at least listening to the track El Salvaje. I had it on loop while writing this.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Rufio/Mest tour cancelled

Were you looking forward to getting your 90's pop punk groove on with Rufio and Mest? While unfortunately, you can't. Due to some visa issue (I think it's more the promoter messed up with applications) they can't get approval into our country in time for their tour! So it's been postponed.

So, here's a great cover Rufio do:


Jebediah new song

Jebediah were the staple of the Australian 90's music scene. Well one of them, but one of the most popular ones. Then they went AWOL for 5 or so years while the lead singer got his folk on as Bob Evans.


But watch out! They are back with a new album on the way. And they've released a free song from it right here. My thoughts? Hell yes! Kevin Mitchell appears to have lost his whiny voice from the 90s, and they've gotten faster, noiser and more distorted. Ticks a lot of boxes for me.

Mixtape: The history of punk

Through the ages there has always been the classic musical fight: which punk band came first? Did the British do it with the Sex Pistols? Or the Americans with the Ramones? My old boss and I used to get in verbal arguments about this with 2 bands in mind, he said Brisbane's own The Saints, I always maintained it was Iggy Pop and the Stooges from Michigan.


Hilary told me she enjoyed my last mix tape, the ones about the 90s, and she asked for one that was a history of punk. So I thought I'd do it scientifically: bands by the order of the year they formed. This should settle the argument once and for all, at least based off my poor internet research. Some of these songs aren't from the early days, but let's face it, how many bands first songs and demos are good? Especially back before there was any cheap way of recording them. So here it is, Chuck's history of punk.

1. ? and the Mysterians - 96 Tears

Formed in 1962, 96 Tears came out in 1966. Sure, it's not what we now know as punk, but back then it was new and exciting. It was raw garage rock and nothing like the country music of the time. This music was what your parents back then were never allowed to listen to. And to settle which country came first, they were from Michigan in the USA.

2. MC5 - Kick Out the Jams

Formed in 1965 and released in 1968. Their first album of the same name was recorded live. And how do you know it was punk? They were kind of tuning their guitars as this track gets going and then they kick it off with a swear word before unleashing their raw energy. Can you imagine, 45 years ago, an album starting with a swear word? And to settle the argument again, MC5 stands for Motor City Five. The Motor City being Detroit, Michigan. Do you see where I'm going with my punk history? It all started in Michigan.

3. The Stooges - Gimme Danger

Formed in 1967, this version is from 1974, the live album Metallic K.O., which was one of (if not) the last shows they performed before breaking up. The Stooges, with Iggy Pop as their frontman, were also from Michigan. I've become obsessed with Iggy since reading his biography and he is who I think took punk from the streets of Michigan to the world. They were like nothing of the time. Not only did they start the music of punk, they started the whole idea of putting on a show. Iggy is still known for his outrageous perfomances behind the microphone.

4. Devo - Uncontrollable Urge

Formed in 1973, this song is from their debut 1978 album Q:Are we Not Men? A: We Are Devo! Most of us know them for their slightly more new wave 80's-ness and their upside down flower pot hats. But they were still punk. But like a lot of early punks, they kept maturing with the times and updated their sounds. I guess that's why they are still alive these days. Also, I dreamt about Devo performing last night. It was weird. But that's because they were in a Futurama episode I saw the other day. And they are from Ohio, USA.

5. The Saints - (I'm) Stranded

Formed in 1974, this song blew them up (especially in Britain) in 1976. And the best part? They are from Brisbane! I know this is from Wikipedia, but Bob Geldof has been quoted as saying, "Rock music in the Seventies was changed by three bands — the Sex Pistols, the Ramones and The Saints" (I know it's a wanker saying it, but he speaks the truth).

6. Ramones - Blitzkreig Bop

Formed in 1974, this song is from 1976. Surely you all know about the Ramones. From New York (where are the Brits on this list?) most people will say they are punk. Anything before them just paved the way for the Ramones.

7. Radio Birdman - Non-Stop Girls

Formed in 1974, this song is from their 1977 album Radios Appear. Another Australian punk band, this time from Sydney, they pioneered indie rock and punk in Australia. To this day they still spontaneously perform, including a Big Day Out appearance a few years ago.

8. Talking Heads - Psycho Killer

Formed in 1974, this song is from the 1977 LP. Another early punk band in the style of Devo, who went on to change their style to match the changing times. David Byrne, the main creative output of Talking Heads, slowly went the way of art rock with non-sensical lyrics and put out some amazing LPs, which I still listen to regularly. From New York.

9. Blondie - Atomic

Formed in 1974, this song is from their 1979 album, Eat to the Beat, which was their 4th LP. Their early albums were very punk, but they quickly went the way of disco and new wave. Heck, they even had one of the earliest charting rap songs ever in Rapture. Two things you should know about them: Deborah Harry is hot and they are from New York.

10. Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the U.K.

Formed in 1975, this song is from the timeless album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, released in 1977. Finally! A UK band! We had to wait over a decade, but it was worth the wait. The Sex Pistols were everything that was punk. The lifestyle, the attitude, the music, the middle fingers in the air and the anarchy. Sure, they weren't the first, but they were the biggest, the best and the ones that made punk punk. Pretty much everyone that saw this band play formed a band. And the next few bands were all in attendance at the same concert.

11. The Undertones - Teenage Kicks

Formed in 1975, this song was a single in 1978. I'll be honest, I know very little about this band. This song was originally in my playlist as a Buzzcocks song, but I was proven incorrect. Apparently they are Irish.

12. Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love?

Formed in 1976, this song was on their second album Love Bites in 1978. They were the first punk band to come out of Manchester, which over time became one of Britain's hottest area for music from people pissed off at the world. They are most widely known for this song, which is a curse and a blessing. This song is amazing (especially for a break up song) but it also hides the other great songs they have written over the decades.

13. The Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go

Formed in 1976, this song is from the really popular 1982 album Combat Rock. Rumour has it that they met at a Sex Pistols gig, the same gig where most of the crowd went on to form punk bands, most of which formed the basis of British punk. They obviously went on to big, big things, with some of their songs featured on Triple M almost daily. Following their demise, Joe Strummer and Mick Jones went on to make some great music as solo artists too. If you get the chance, get Joe Strummer's album (with the Mescaleros) called Rock Art and the X-Ray Style. It's amazing. RIP Joe.

14. The Damned - Smash It Up

Formed in 1976, the song was released as a single in 1979. The Damned were another British band of the original punk scene, they used to play in bands with members of the Clash and Chrissy Hines from the Pretenders. When they first formed, they were even going to audition Sid Vicious for the lead singer position, but he never showed up. Over time they have become more of a rock band, incorporating cabaret and psychedelic rock.

15. Bad Brains - Attitude

Formed in 1977, this song is from the 1982 debut self-titled album. From Washington DC, they pioneered hardcore punk. Originally starting as a jazz fusion band (I shit you not) they are famous for combining reggae, dub, metal, punk and hardcore with their rastafarian religion. As a punk band they went places not many other punk bands went before them: they played faster, they played more technical and they didn't just limit themselves to one style. I was so disappointed when they cancelled their Australian tour earlier in the year.

16. Black Flag - Fix Me

Formed in 1977, this song is from their 1978 EP Nervous Breakdown. Probably best known for their lead singer who joined in 1981, Henry Rollins, Black Flag pioneered American hardcore as well as the punk do-it-yourself ethic. Everything they did was on their own label.

17. Dead Kennedys - Too Drunk to Fuck

Formed in 1978, this song is from the album Holiday In Cambodia from 1980. This song is the reason they didn't get signed to a label at an early age (obviously for it's profanity). From California, they mixed satire, politics and criticisms of life into their songs. For those of you playing at home, you may recognize the lead singer Jello Biafra from his announcements over a lot of the old Offspring albums (think Intermission).

18. Descendents - Bikeage

Formed in 1978, this song is from their 1982 absolute classic (I have the vinyl and love the shit out of it) album Milo Goes to College. From California, they were one of the first bands to mix hardcore sounds with a bit of melody and lyrics about everyday things. Basically, they invented pop-punk. I am so excited to see them on their first ever Australian tour in a few months!

19. The Exploited - I Hate You

Formed in 1979, this song is from their 1985 album Horror Epics. Formed by an ex-Scottish soldier they were a very political hardcore band. As the band went on, they became a crossover thrash band, showing that the anger never really left. They are still active and putting out music and I would love to see them. Even 31 years after they formed! For those of you playing at home, Lisbeth in the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo movies (the Swedish versions of course) wears a shirt bearing their distinctive logo: the skull with a mohawk.

I hope that settles it! Of course it won't, as this is purely my interpretation using my musical tastes and based off the years they formed. I'd like to hear what others think though.

Download

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The Strokes, a tribute

One of my all time favourite bands is the Strokes. And this is one of my all time favourite songs:


Reptilia - The Strokes
Uploaded by k_rhcp. - Watch more music videos, in HD!

Apparently, I'm not the only one. Although they were here recently, it was only for Splendour. And I was mad. But some others must have seen them and wanted to emulate them, as there is a tribute show coming around!

November 7 at X&Y there will be a show entitled Room on Fire: A Tribute to the Strokes. Featuring...
a bill of Brisbane’s finest including Running Guns, My
Own Pet Radio, Ivy May Dillon and Woodville House,
the bands will be performing a selection of re-worked
and re-imagined songs from The Strokes.
It should be an interesting night. At a good bar, I like X&Y a lot.

Mos Def

Most people probably know Mos Def for this:

Yes, the black guy in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I feel sorry for you. You should know him for his mad skillz (and yes, I typed it with a z, observe):



That's just him freestyling. "But Chuck" I hear you crying, "hip-hop is shit!" And yes, I will agree 89% of the time. Most hip-hop is absolutely crap. But like most music, there's someone out there that does it special and is not following the crowd. And Mos Def is one of those. He doesn't rap about pimps and hos, he uses his brain and has just an amazing delivery with a very distinct voice.

He'll be doing a tour for his new album and we can catch him playing the Tivoli on January 13. 18+

MySpace

Swans

Swans. You've probably never heard of them.

They emerged during the New York post-punk/no wave scene of the 80s (think Sonic Youth), but where as Thurston and Co went psychedelic garage rock, Swans got heavier. Heavier and avant garde.



They just kept getting heavier and laid the roots for all things heavy today, from hardcore to sludge to noise rock to industrial metal. A lot of modern sounds owe homage to Swans.

Swans broke up in 1997, but reformed and put out an album this year. I've yet to listen to it, but I'm hoping it's more heavy than post-punk. In support of the album, they'll be coming out to Australia for the first time ever.

11th of March, the HiFi. 18+.
Witness a living piece of musical history.

Baroness, October 17 2010, the Zoo

On Sunday night I saw Baroness play a sideshow to their Metallica tour at the Zoo. I'm not normally a metal gig fan (too many idiots), but I would just like to say this.

OH
MY
GOD.


Easily one of the best gigs I have ever been to. Top three without a doubt. Even the band thought it was amazing. They played about 30 minutes longer than they had to, came out and played a rare encore, and spent ages just thanking us. They were as humbled as we were.

The performance they put on blew me away. I was afraid their sludge metal would not be the best live (I should have remembered how much I loved them at Soundwave) but they were all such talented musicians and showmen. I was right in front of one of the guitarists the whole night and just stood there in a musical coma staring with the biggest, goofiest smile on my face.

Thank you Baroness. Thank you.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Laneway

St Jerome's Laneway is that festival I never go to, because I know none of the bands. However, the next year, I rue that decision because I finally have heard half of the bands that played, and they are hipster royalty. Well, this year I will break the drought.

So which bands are playing the indie-hipster festival of festivals this year? I've bolded the ones I really want to see:
!!! (Chk Chk Chk)
The Antlers
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
Beach House
Bear In Heaven
Blonde Redhead
Cloud Control
Cut Copy
Deerhunter
Foals
Gotye
The Holidays
Holy Fuck
Jenny & Johnny
Warpaint
Les Savy Fav
Local Natives
Yeasayer
Menomena
Pvt
Rat Vs Possum (Excluding Perth)
Stornoway
Two Door Cinema Club
Violent Soho
World’s End Press
Les Savy Fav and Menomena have put out two of my favourite albums of the year. So much so, that I was going to blog about Menomena today. As long as prices are reasonable, I'll be there. This has turned into the year of the festivals for me.

4th February, Alexandria St, Fortitude Valley.

Free Gotye song

Gotye is a man of interesting music. He takes samples and beats and what not and assembles them into new songs. He's also in the band the Basics, who've just graced us with an amazing, and free, album.


In the same vain as his band, hes releasing free shit. So for a limited time, you can get his new song free on his website: http://gotye.com/. He's got a full new album coming out soon, as well as some tours in the works.

Stick to your Guns

A few weeks ago I had never listened to Stick To Your Guns. I generally avoid bands with shit names, because I figure shit names = shit music. Eventually I was broken though. A lot of people said listen to them, so I eventually I did.


They are a good hardcore band. Sure they have that little singing parts in that a lot of crap "post-hardcore" bands do, but they aren't crap. Or post-hardcore.

They're coming down for a tour.
November 25 at Boys and Girls, which is the new Destroy All Lines club at X&Y. 18+
November 26 at the Fort. All Ages.

MySpace

Their Last.fm says similar artist is Deez Nuts, but ignore that. They're nothing like that crud.

Monday, October 11, 2010

John Steel Singers and the Australian music bonanza

Let's step back into my time machine right now. Wind the numbers back to 2008. Chuck had just returned from his first international work trip, 2 weeks spent at 5000 metres above sea level in Peru, struggling to work in the oxygen deprived environment where there was neither phone nor internet (but surprisingly a large number of heavily armed police officers). He had only been back for a few hours, struggling to adjust to being able to breathe and speak English again. When he got a text message from his girlfriend at the time breaking up with him.

Devastating.
Childish.

And for that reason alone, I've been avoiding the shit out of the John Steel Singers for the last few years. Given how the Brisbane live music scene works, with all the same bands playing with each other, it's been a hard slog.


What's that? You don't see the connection? Hmm, yeah, I should probably explain that. The girl is good friends with this band. Petty? Yes. Childish? Yes. But so is getting dumped via text message. But time heals all wounds and I actually have seen the Steelers (that's the name I've just decided to give them, let's hope it sticks) a few times, I have a few of their songs, and you know what, I like them. A lot. As discussed a lot recently, their guitar heavy (and jangly style) guitar indie is really tickling my musical bone this month.

Apparently I'm not the only one jumping on the band wagon. As Triple J has selected them to headline the Australian Music Month show at the HiFi! Good for them. They'll be sharing the stage with other Brisbanites such as Hungry Kids of Hungary and Ballpark Music.

Not only that, they're off around the country to launch their new album Tangalooma, named after the resort of dolphins just off the coast here.

Wed 17 Nov: THE HI-FI, BRISBANE
Triple J Australian Music Month show also starring
Hungry Kids From Hungary + Ball Park Music + special guests

Thu 18 Nov: COOLONGATTA HOTEL, GOLD COAST
Fri 19 Nov: GREAT NORTHERN HOTEL, BYRON BAY
Sat 20 Nov: SPOTTED COW, TOOWOOMBA


Here's their Unearthed page. Can anyone say free mp3s?

Burn the City

Apparently Melbourne's Burn the City are back together.
This makes me happy.

They barely made a beep in the metaphorical sonar of the music landscape of 2006, but for those of us who heard them (and went out of their way to buy their CD) it was awesome. Featuring a few guys from Bodyjar and now a guy from One Dollar Short (old-school Australian punk royalty cred) they just played excellent street punk that you knew you could sing along to and pump your fist in the air with.

They've got a show in Melbourne and apparently are writing new material. Can't wait to hear from them. As sad as I was when Bodyjar called it quits, I was mega excited by the idea of Burn the City coming back.

MySpace

Sting

This man does not need to be introduced.

But just in case you don't know Sting, he was the bass player and singer for a little, not very well known band from the 70s, the Police. He went on to do a bunch of solo stuff, some acting and apparently in his spare time he has tantric sex with his wife.

He's bringing his live solo show down under (unfortunately, not the Police, apparently Stewart and Andy don't get along with him anymore). February 7, Riverstage.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

90's Mixtape #4: Bands that got big

As many one hit wonders as there were in the 90s, there were plenty of bands that became huge, from genres that would normally not have gotten big. Imagine in 1990 seeing Green Day and thinking how huge they would become? It just boggles the mind. This selection is of bands that have become huge since then, maybe not to the level of being played on Nova, but to the level of being considered gods of their genres.

1. Ben Folds Five - One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces (3:54)

Ben Folds was the sound of university students of the 90s. This track, one of his heavier ones, was the opening track to the album that made him huge, the one that had that sobby song Brick on it.


2. Alice In Chains - We Die Young (2:32)

Nirvana was the biggest band in grunge, Pearl Jam possibly the second. And the third, without a doubt, was Alice in Chains. I still remember when the lead singer Layne Staley died in high school, most of my friends had to go home to mourn. It was a huge moment for us, as Alice in Chains was the working class rock music of our area.


3. At the Drive-In - Metronome Arthritis (4:01)

Probably one of the best bands, ever. They had a massive hard working ethic, and apparently gave the most legendary on-stage performances. This was a track that was recorded just before the sessions that gave them their critically acclaimed, and unfortunately last, album Relationship of Command. Before this song they were scrappyish post-hardcore. After this track they defined a style. They then broke up to form the bands Sparta and the Mars Volta.


4. Deftones - Root (3:41)

This track is off of their first album, when they were a burgeoning hardcore band. Still one of my favourite albums, I play this on guitar almost every day. Eventually they calmed down into an electronic/ambient hardcore band that they are now. They’ve become their own genre.


5. Blur - M.O.R. (3:27)

Woohoo! These guys made Brit-rock famous. Unfortunately they wrote the bogan anthem Song 2, but the rest of the album was full of amazing British rock. The lead singer is now the Gorillaz, amongst other bands.


6. Bush - Bubbles (3:02)

Another British band, but more of a grunge one. They hit the time huge in America with a song called Glycerine, but this song is off of the Mallrats soundtrack. The lead singer ended up marrying Gwen Stefani of No Doubt, got happy, stopped writing good music and is now an actor.


7. Fugazi - Give Me The Cure (2:59)

Fugazi formed from the ashes of the short-lived hardcore band that invented straight edge (they even wrote the song that NOFX covers): Minor Threat. Although not the relentless hardcore of Minor Threat, they introduced indie and melody to create some quiet, yet still hard songs. They still kept the hardcore ethic though, every concert they play is all ages and cheap as chips. That’s the only way they’ll play. They are truly in it for the music, even after 30 odd years.


8. System Of A Down - Sugar (2:33)

You know System of a Down. Their first album though, especially this song, was at the forefront of my drug days in the 90s. The album, this song too, was basically about bad drug trips. This one is about mushroom men.


9. A.F.I. - Malleus Maleficarum (4:01)

I also hope you know A.F.I. Before they were glam-punk, they were a great west coast hardcore band. I wish I had known them during these days.


10. Nine Inch Nails - Big Man With A Gun (1:36)

Nine Inch Nails were so huge in the 90s (and so feared) that I remember my teenage books (Animorphs in particular) always had the loners, the losers, or the trouble makers listening to their music.


11. Modest Mouse - Doin' the Cockroach (4:18)

Modest Mouse in the 90’s were a balls to the wall noise-rock band with existential lyrics that either made you think or got you lost. But halfway through each song the lead singer Isaac would just lose it, and play as much noise while yelling as he wanted to, until he pulled it up slow. Not as good these days, but still an amazing indie band.


12. REFUSED - New Noise (5:09)

The single off their groundbreaking album, the Shape of Punk to Come. They actually showed us in this album the music scene 10 years on, and like any great band releasing an amazing album, they broke up immediately afterwards. Oh, and Swedish. You should listen to this whole album, it is just hardcore royalty.


13. Poison The Well - Artists Rendering of Me (3:20)

There was nothing like the hardcore of today before Poison the Well. And they are still going strong.


14. Beastie Boys - Sabotage (2:58)

Yeah, they mainly do hip-hop. And got huge off it. But this is a great little track with an awesome video clip.


15. Incubus - You Will Be A Hot Dancer (4:17)

Incubus are now a pretty boring indie band. But when they started, they mixed together funk and metal in a brand new way. Their bass player is one of the few reasons I ever bought a bass guitar.


16. Maxïmo Park - Graffiti (2:46)

Ask girls my age about this band. They love them and so do I. But for some reason, their cabaret style just gets the girls.


17. Spiderbait - Shazam! (2:03)

Australia’s favourite band, whenever the drummer was singing they produced much better and heavier songs like Shazam!


18. Beck - Sexx Laws (3:41)

Beck is just one of those artists that is around a lot, and has been for years. He’s put out weird electronic music, he’s put out acoustic music, he’s put out rock music. But the album I best remember him for is where this track came from, full on big-band trumpet style music. Probably not your taste, but it’s just fun with a bit of a risqué subject.


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90's Mixtape #3: Poppier crap

I know it’s not quite your scene, but wasn’t the whole idea of this to expose you to new music? Some of this you will hate, that I can guarantee. But whatever, I like these songs dammit.

1. Diana Ah Naid - I Go Off (3:09)

An Australian one-hit wonder. I still see her touring these days, but I have no idea why. Apart from this song I doubt anyone knows her. But that doesn’t detract from this pissed-off chick with an acoustic guitar song.


2. bis - Action And Drama (Album Version) (2:28)

Thank you. I had forgotten how much I loved Bis until I was going through my 90’s music. This song was on Triple J years ago (they even played Hey Hey It’s Saturday), but they are probably known more for a song no one would put together with them: they wrote the Powerpuff Girls theme song. Remember that cartoon? It’s what is known as twee, which is basically happy pop music.


3. Days Of The New - Touch, Peel And Stand (4:57)

A post-grunge band. This song was huge in the states when I lived there. Post-grunge basically means grunge, but softer. Lots of acoustic guitars.


4. Harvey Danger - Flagpole Sitta (3:38)

For years I thought this was a cover of a 1960’s pop song. But no, it’s a 90’s indie band with a one hit wonder that you just know without ever knowing. If you know what I mean.


5. The Black Heart Procession - A Light So Dim (7:52)

I didn’t know these guys in the 90s. I didn’t know these guys for most of the last decade. I’ve just recently stumbled across them and their moody post-punk style indie. It’s gloomy. I can imagine they wear a lot of leather jackets and play in a lot of dingy bars.


6. The Cardigans - My Favourite Game (3:39)

Sweden is my favourite country by far, they just make some of the best music. Ask one day, I could make you hours upon hours of awesome Swedish mix CDs. This band got popular on a song in the Leonardo Di Caprio Romeo and Juliet Soundtrack. But they also released a lot of better rock songs like this one.


7. Björk - Hyperballad (5:21)

It’s oh so quiettttttttttt. Shhhh. Shhh. This is a more electronic and kind of sweet lyrics song by the crazy Icelander.


8. Blind Melon - No Rain (3:39)

My first year college roommate was obsessed with this band. And to be honest, I’ve still only heard this one song. I think this mix CD is full of one-hit wonders. This was a number 1 for a long time I’m pretty sure.


9. The Bloodhound Gang - I Wish I Was Queer So I Could Get Chicks (3:44)

I actually have this as a CD single I bought when I was a kid. Pure hilariousness.


10. Bruce Springsteen - The Ghost Of Tom Joad (4:27)

Bruce is normally known for his stadium style rock anthems. But this song, is just so quiet and haunting (now that’s a bad pun, but true). It’s another side of the Boss that you just don’t see. That and it’s been covered a lot, so you know it’s a good song.


11. Catch 22 - Dear Sergio (2:33)

It’s ska, but I find it more punk than ska. I actually wish more ska was like this instead of that Reel Big Fish crud.


12. Crash Test Dummies - Afternoons And Coffeespoons (3:54)

Another post-grunge band, best known for their annoying as fuck MMMMM song. You’d know it if you heard it.


13. Cruel Sea - The Honeymoon is Over (3:05)

Australian rock band featuring the very talented Tex Perkins on vocals. He is the voice of rock and blues in Australia in the last 20 years.


14. Everlast - Ends (4:33)

A white boy rapper, he started in a band called House of Pain that had a hit called “Jump Around.” I guess he then learnt how to play a guitar and write some more introspective songs.


15. King Missile - Cheesecake Truck (1:11)

Not really “music” King Missile do comedic spoken word poetry.


16. Lavish - Homosapien (3:00)

Another Triple J 90’s one hit wonder. I think it was in some movie, but I can’t quite remember.


17. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - The Rascal King (2:46)

A bigger ska band from the 90’s, but once again, these guys tended to lean more towards playing punk than ska. This song is actually from the Clueless soundtrack, which is what I was considering burning you instead, because it’s just full of damn good music from the 90s. And is one of my favourite movies.


18. Monster Magnet - Powertrip (3:31)

I thought I had missed my chance seeing these guys live, but it turns out they are yet another band brought from the dead to play at Soundwave next year. They do acid/stoner rock: I guess that means it is slightly nonsensical lyrics with more interesting sounds in their guitars instead of just distortion and heaviness.

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90's Mixtape #2: Punk

A lot of the punk bands from the 90s are still going strong these days. For some reason, probably people from the 80s becoming adults, punk became quite a profitable and popular genre. Just look at some of the concerts we’ve been to: Pennywise, NOFX, Bad Religion, Frenzal Rhomb, Against Me!, etc... they all came to popularity in the 90s. It’s like the Rolling Stones were to our parent’s generation I guess.

This mix starts off with a Chicago punk scene tribute. I was on the outskirts of it too late for some of these bands, but it was strong in the 90s. Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Fallout Boy, the Tossers, Local H, Smoking Popes and even (not really so punk) the Smashing Pumpkins.

1. Mach Pelican - Dance In Chicago (1:59)

Not from Chicago, but actually from Japan but playing out of Perth. These guys just worship the Ramones and try to be the Japanese version of them.


2. Lucky Boys Confusion - Fred Astaire (3:33)

Chicago reggae/punk/ska band that was actually mainly all of Indian descent. They played my old university town every few months and were much loved by all. I was at one of their final shows before they broke up in early 2004.


3. 88 Fingers Louie - Drunk & Ugly (1:43)

Chicago melodic hardcore punk band and one of Clus’s favourites. After they broke up, 2 band members helped form Rise Against.


4. Hot Water Music - Rooftops (2:53)

I saw the lead singer Chuck Ragan play an acoustic show earlier this year in Perth. Not as punk as most punk bands, but almost a working class rock and roll. I thought they were from Chicago, turns out they formed in Florida. Woops.


5. Lawrence Arms - A Guided Tour of Chicago (1:45)

Chicago pop-punk. These guys just have a lot of fun and sing about the most random shit. They opened for Frenzal Rhomb at the Arena about 4 years ago. Although they got booed off stage by Frenzal’s dipshit fans, I think they are a much better band.


6. Ace Troubleshooter - Punk Rock Chicks (2:05)

Christian pop-punk. I saw them open a ska show years ago, and they are reasonably good fun.


7. Fenix TX - All My Fault (2:50)

Originally called RiverFenix, they were sued by the dead actor’s estate. I only really know this song, as it was a bit of a one hit wonder in the late 90s.


8. Against All Authority - Daddy's Little Girl (1:21)

Hardcore/skatepunk ska. They do the kind of ska that has no horns, but is more of skate punk. One of the heavier ska bands there is. In fact, most people don’t consider them ska at all.


9. Propagandhi - Ska Sucks (1:51)

Canadian skate punk, quite political in their songs. They are still putting out albums but are now almost a metal band.


10. Suicidal Tendencies - Cyco Vision (1:49)

A punk/thrash metal band from California, although these days half of the band is married to Australians and live on the Sunshine Coast. They’ve gone through a lot of different sounds, from punk to metal to thrash, but this song is off their skate-punk album Freedumb. It was so much skate punk that it was on the soundtrack to the first Tony Hawk game.


11. Descendents - I'm Not a Loser (1:29)

The originators of nerd punk and probably pop-punk, they were one of the first punk bands to not take themselves seriously and just sing about fun things. They are about to embark on their first Autralian tour in their 30+ year career, I’m stoked. Barely a day goes by when you don’t see someone wearing one of their shirts, which have a quite distinctive caricature of the lead singer Milo as their recurring logo.


12. The Bouncing Souls - Kate Is Great (2:53)

One of my favourite pop-punk bands, in the 90s they were more of a melodic hardcore style. Amazingly fun live band, they are touring here with Hot Water Music in December.


13. The Vandals - Euro-Barge (1:54)

A band very much in the style of the Descendents, most of their songs are just jokes. Very skilled musicians, but this is the most serious song on their best album “Hitler Bad. Vandals Good.” The rest of the album is about the government reading their mind, mullets, dead girlfriends, people going to hell and even movie ideas. I think you saw them with me opening for Sum 41 once.


14. Good Riddance - Hardest Part (1:44)

A very influential and political hardcore punk band. They were on the record label owned by NOFX, but were never overly famous outside of the punk scene. However, most modern hardcore punk bands owe a lot to their sound.


15. Dogbuoy - Mozzies (2:56)

This was a small one hit wonder on Triple J when I was in primary school. Came around about the same time as 28 Days, when we went through that rap/rock phase.


16. Guttermouth - What If? (2:25)

A very rude and crude American skate punk band. They are quite vulgar and every song is generally a joke or an innuendo. I really don’t like them too much, but this song is a great parody of the Doors and the B-52s and always makes me laugh.

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90's Mixtape #1: Heavy shit

A few months back I was at a party and I was more than inebriated. As happens a lot, I got ranting to my friend about music. My particular point of conversation this night was the 90s and how so much good music came from then. Apparently I told her I'd make her a mixtape of good stuff from the 90s that she may not have heard. Being that her background is mainly punk and hardcore from this millenium, there was lots to be put in! It's finished, but I thought I'd share.



I made my own liner notes too and it started like this:

Dear Lxxx,

With these CDs I tried to pick bands you may not have heard of, or listened to. So I avoided a lot of the stuff I’d figure you’d already know, hence no Pearl Jam or Nirvana. You probably won’t like half of the crap, but if you do, I can hook you up with more.

Also, was way too hard to make it a single CD, so I tried to group it into 4 categories.

Regards,

Chuck

#1 - 90's Heavy Shit

Ahh the nineties in heavy music, where it was just becoming a more popular genre. The hardcore punk of the 80’s got faster and heavier to start becoming hardcore like we know it now. The hair metal of the 80s was dying and the guitars were getting detuned while the vocalists started growling more. And how could we ever forget that wonderful thing that was nu-metal in its youth. As much as we hate it now, listening to bands like Korn and Limpbizkit got most people, including me, away from the radio and into less mainstream music.

1. Turbonegro - The Age Of Pamparius (5:59)

A Norwegian glam-punk band, these guys at times, especially in this song, are channelling bad 80’s glam rock. Every time I hear this song I imagine the mockumentary This is Spinal Tap, where they have a similar song with midgets dancing around a fake miniature stone henge. This song was also the theme for Wildboyz, one of the sequels to the Jackass TV show.


2. Danzig - Five Finger Crawl (3:43)

Danzig was the original lead singer of the horror-punk legends the Misfits. He left, formed his own band and made gloomy songs like this that sounded like a less-punk version of the Misfits rather unsurprisingly.


3. Filter - Welcome To The Fold (7:41)

Filter was formed by the touring guitarist from Nine Inch Nails in the mid 90s. They had a stream of charting hits in the 90s and 00s, but this song was the first I ever heard of them. They do a more stylised industrial rock sound, with some electronic songs and acoustic songs (which are the ones that got famous, of course).


4. Coal Chamber - Loco (4:09)

These guys have been blamed as pioneering the Nu-Metal sound. They were novel as they were one of the heaviest ones, even more depressing subject matter, and had a reasonably attractive female. Apart from that... well it’s nu-metal.


5. Fear Factory - Edgecrusher (3:39)

This band is still kicking around today and is a staple of most metal fans. They do industrial metal and are one of those bands not afraid to add electronic to their songs. In fact, a lot of their songs are about technology.


6. Dope - Everything Sucks (3:01)

Stoner industrial metal. They actually used to be drug dealers to finance their records. They do a pretty awesome cover of You Spin Me Right Round as well.


7. Ministry - Bad Blood (5:00)

As far as I’m concerned, these guys are the fathers and the best of industrial metal. They’ve been kicking around since the 80s, when they were actually a synth-pop band. Weird to think about.


8. Atari Teenage Riot - Digital hardcore (4:10)

ATR invented the genre digital hardcore and I guess this song is one of the better examples of it. Its dance music meets hardcore/metal basically. They try to produce as much noise as possible over a dance track.


9. Boysetsfire - In the Wilderness... No One can Hear You Scream (3:23)

I don’t actually know much about these guys, but they were a hardcore band which I downloaded after hearing a Metallica cover. This is one of their earlier songs, they are a lot more mellow after this album.


10. Coalesce - Burn Everything That Bears Our Name (2:23)

A metalcore band that many consider one of the first mathcore bands. Drummer on this album is James Dewees, the keyboardist/backup vocalist of the emo band Get Up Kids and the touring and recording keyboardist for New Found Glory and My Chemical Romance. Complete turn around from the start of his career.


11. Walls of Jericho - Changing Times (1:05)

A very extreme hardcore band with a female lead singer.


12. Zao - Savannah (2:46)

Christian death metal. This was one of the first self-proclaimed Christian bands I had ever heard. And they are brutal. Also one of those bands that have changed lineup about 100 times and have none of the original members.


13. Helmet - In The Meantime (3:08)

An old-school hardcore style, this song was the opening track to their acclaimed album Meantime, which debuted at number 63 in the USA. This wasn’t their hit single from the album (that was Unsung) but I like this song better. Evergreen Terrace has a song named after the lead singer/guitarist of Helmet (Chaney Can’t Quite Riff Like Helmet’s Page Hamilton). Still touring, they come out here every year or so. Page also guest stars on a lot of great albums, including a few Norma Jean songs.


14. Sevendust - Black (4:08)

The only band I have ever seen live in this list. They open nearly every concert with this song (hopefully at Soundwave next year). Although they came about during the nu-metal days, they were more of a radio friendly rock and have been very successful in the USA for the last 12 years.


15. Blindside - Superman (2:42)

Swedish Christian band that actually started as a Deftones cover band. This is from their first album when they were channelling the Deftones’ first album. Eventually they found their own sound which is a lot more punk than this. Still a great band. My mates in the states are obsessed with them. They generally play shows in Toowoomba when they come here, but never Brisbane, because of the Christian scene up there.


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