More news

My weekend in Melbourne was amazing. I could live there, but then I would be broke and tired because I would just go to every sports event and live music event I could find. But in the Brisbane music world, here's a few news pieces:

Amity Affliction tour (again)

Brisbane/Gympie's favourite post-hardcore sons have announced another tour, mere days after playing two packed shows at the HiFi with Misery Signals. It's not the usual venues, but it sees them playing some places that normally don't get much in the way of shows. I'll probably hit up Fitzys (I know a few people that work there) but I won't get excited until I see who their supports are.

Thursday September 2nd - High School, Byron Bay (AA)
Friday September 3rd - Albert Waterways, Gold Coast (AA)
Saturday September 4th - PCYC, Gladstone (AA)
Sunday September 5th - QRI Hall, Rockhampton (AA)
Wednesday September 8th - Fitzys MBar Loganholme, Logan City (18+)

MySpace

Chemical Brothers tour

This British duo has been putting out some amazing electronic music as long as I can remember, as well as one of the most annoying songs of the decade in the Salmon Dance. Their new album is less dance music and has more of a post-rock and ambient feel to it. And I really like it.

And apparently they will be playing the Riverstage March 4 next year. A great venue for a great band.

MySpace

Poison the Well (sad news)

Poison the Well have been one of the most innovative and leading hardcore bands over the course of the last 13 years. Their early albums, especially the Opposite of December, was some of the heaviest music I had ever heard at the time, even with their continual use of the splash through the album. As their albums came and went, they kept changing, with their last two albums (the Tropic Rot and the amazing album that is Versions) they've now honed in on an almost country-hardcore sound. There is nothing else like it.

And apparently there may be nothing else like it for a while. As of last week, they are now on indefinite hiatus. I was lucky enough to see them 3 or 4 times last year. I just hope it's not the last time I'll see them and that when they have a rest and get back together they will come up with an amazing new chapter in this iconic band's history.

MySpace

Another quick one

I'm on my way to Melbourne right now, killing a few minutes in the Qantas Club, so I thought it'd give me an opportunity to blog a few things that have been building up in my "todo" list. My new computer should be here by the end of the month, so there'll be much more in depth stuff then. And some code changes Clus has been helping me with.

Pat Benatar/The Bangles

Like your 80's music? I know I do. Catch songs like Love is a Battlefield and Walk Like an Egyptian live on October 20 at the Convention Centre.

Pixes

This is old hat now, but I just thought I'd rub it in that I scored tickets to go see the Pixies at the Zoo on the 31st of July. Capacity of the venue is 400 people and it sold out almost instantly. I guess I got lucky.

Cola Wars supports CKY

Apparently, heard from a mate that's friends with Cam in the band, Cola Wars (half of Bodyjar) will be supporting CKY on their Australian tour. Catch them both the 15th of August at the HiFi.

Sounds of Spring 2010
Despite no announcement yet, apparently the Sounds of Spring is returning to the RNA showgrounds this Spring. The Take Action 2010 tour featuring Attack! Attack! and Pierce the Veil are apparently visiting that festival. Although I don't like either of those bands, I'm intrigued to see what Sounds of Springs brings this year.

I was supposed to be going to see Strike Anywhere in Fitzroy tomorrow night, but that show's been canned. Sad times, but hopefully I'll see some of you people there on Thursday at 299!

Multiple concert details

I've ordered a new computer! Hopefully I'll have it within in the next week and I can get back to actually updating my blog, but for now, enjoy multiple announcements in one post!

Leatherface

British punk-rockers Leatherface are coming to Australia as part of some sort of show in Melbourne. But we're lucky enough to get them playing a solo gig. They've been a band for 22 years, mixing together gravelly vocals with folk-punk and touches of hardcore.

See them September 11 at Rosies for Thriller (18+)

Leatherface

Soilwork

No one does death metal like the scandinavians. Soilwork hails from Sweden, which might explain their slightly more melodic take on metal. You can catch them at the HiFi on the 21st of October. (18+)

Soilwork

Mary Jane Kelly

I first heard these guys on Triple J one afternoon and fell in love with them. How often does radio play heavy shit in primetime? The New South Welshmen's thrashier-hardcore earned them a spot on the Boys of Summer tour last year with Every Time I Die. I rocked up too late to see them, but I've heard lots of good things.

July 15 - Snitch (299), 18+
July 16 - The Fort, All ages

Death Before Dishonor

Hardcore from Boston. Lot's of people love these guys and it's easy to see why. I'm only just starting to listen to them, so I can't tell you much.

August 31 - 299, 18+
September 1 - The Fort, All Ages

Death Before Dishonor

Calling All Cars/Numbers Radio

It's good to see Australian bands do well and tour nationally together. I've seen both of these bands, with both being more heavier alternative rock. But both rock pretty hard. Brisbane locals Numbers Radio especially.

September 24 - Never Land (Gold Coast), 18+
September 25 - X&Y, 18+

Calling All Cars
Numbers Radio

New Sum 41 song

I miss Sum 41, I really do. I've been driving along to this all week:


Although their later albums have been solid, nothing has come close to the immature punk rock found on their first album.

Apparently they've got a new album coming out at the end of August and they've released the first single already. It's called Scumfuck and you can download it here.

I'm still plagued with computer problems, so I can only listen to it through crappy laptop speakers. Through this medium I get a faint My Chemical Romance on the Black Parade feel to it. Which is not good. Hopefully the rest of the album is punkier.

PIXIES CLUB SHOW!

Updates are going to be infrequent for the next few weeks. I started a new job, where I have no internet privelages yet, and my computer at home dies every 5 minutes, making it impossible to surf the internet.

However, I jumped on here just to say this: the Pixies are playing a Splendour Sideshow. At the Zoo. July 31. Capacity of like 800 people. Where I saw Mark Lanegan last night. For $61. If you aren't aroused by now, I am not sure if you actually like music.

Splendour cancellations

In sad times (not really, I'm not going), two bands have pulled out of the upcoming Splendour in the Grass festival. First up is my bet for a next one hit wonder band, the Ting Tings. They've cancelled due to recording their new album to be released later this year.

Queensland boys the Middle East are also pulling out due to extended recording commitments. No word yet on replacements.

Splendour. July 30-August 1. Woodford.

EDIT: They have been replaced with Art vs Science

Hot Water Music/Bouncing Souls tour

In my old blog (before it got taken down for copyright infringement) I mentioned this tour, as Chuck Ragan had let it slip during his Revival Tour when I was in Perth. But yes, the Bouncing Souls and Hot Water Music are coming down under! And I am pretty much the 2nd most excited person about this (Bek is even more excited).


The Bouncing Souls, now in their 20th year, are one of my favourite pop-punk bands. Their album How I Spent My Summer is the album that got me into pop-punk. It's an album full of up-beat, happy punk, which at the time I identified with as a 16 year old during the summer. Still remains one of the CDs I listen to while driving around in summer with the windows down. Manthem is the first song I heard on a compilation I had and it's still one of my all time favourites. Their new album, Ghosts on the Boardwalk, is one of my favourite albums of 2010 already.

Hot Water Music is a band I've only recently started listening to, probably 8 years too late. But if the full band is anything like the acoustic set done by their lead singer, Chuck Ragan, it will be absolutely amazing.

This is the punk tour of the year.
December 11th, the Zoo. 18+

The Bouncing Souls
Hot Water Music

Mourning Tide tour!

Have you always wanted your 80's glam-rock with a side of hardcore? Or maybe you've always wanted your hardcore to have bigger hair, blazing solos and (more recently) moustaches? Then the Gold Coast's Mourning Tide is for you:

Ignoring the fact that this is an old and one of their absolute cheesiest songs, Mourning Tide very successfully mix hardcore and 80's glam rock. Glam-core? Is that a sub-genre? Well, that's what they are.

They're about to embark on their headlining The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Tour. As a band, Mourning Tide are much better live. Their music, like a lot of 80's style rock, is made for playing loud to a crowd, with lots of showing off and band standing.

Catch them on a run of South East Queensland dates.

Fri 24th Sept - Brisbane All Ages - The Fort
Sat 25th Sept - Brisbane 18+ - Thriller ( Rosies )
Friday 1st Oct - Sunshine Coast 18+ - Diamond Nights ( 240 Nightclub )
Sat 2nd Oct - Gold Coast All Ages - Shed 5
Sun 3rd Oct - Sunshine Coast All Ages - The Blackbox Nambour ( Afternoon Show )

On this tour they'll be bringing two Sunshine Coast hardcore bands with them: Wish for Wings and Grace is Gone.

Mourning Tide
Wish for Wings
Grace is Gone

Children Collide

I saw Children Collide a few months back on their "pre-album-release tour". I remember very little of it, as a night at the Zoo turned into a night of heavy drinking. They're a good band though, with a unique/futuristic almost sci-fi take on indie rock.


They're coming back around to celebrate the release of their new album, Theory of Everything. Hopefully this time I'll be a little bit more sober.

September 10th at the Zoo (18+), supported by Howl and Teen Archer

If you don't know them, their debut album the Long Now, was very good. In an Australian indie music landscape of bands sounding the same, they had a slightly heavier sound and a unique approach. Not to mention hard-working ethic, having seen them open for many different bands.

You can stream their new and old songs on their website.

Tetuzi Akiyama/UR Duo (IMA, July 1 2010)

I can't say no to free stuff. So when I found out an improvisational guitarist was playing a free show at the Institute of Modern Art, of course I had to go along. And when I got there, I found free art to look at and free booze! What a great start.

Eventually about 50 of us squeezed into the IMA projection room for microMONO9, to listen to some guitar music. First up was Melbourne's UR Duo, playing their first show together. UR Duo consisted of a nylon string acoustic guitar paired with a resonator guitar, which together worked quite well. The musician on the resonator started by slapping the strings to bring up a nice crescendo with the finger picking of the nylon guitar creating beautiful melodies over the top.

Their sounds went from loud, noise-rock inspired all the way to quiet, having-to-strain-your-ears to hear what was going on. The resonator guitar provided a lot of the noisy moments, with the player beating the living hell out of the strings instead of strumming them. He even used his slide as almost a hammer on the strings. Together they played for about 30 minutes in one big song, creating melodies from what sometimes seemed to be absolute randomness.

The curator of microMONO seemed to be a little bit of a fanboy of Tetuzi, gushing out praises as the scarecrow looking man took the stage. But it didn't take long to see why (I apologize for having no pictures, the whole room was backlit by a single lamp and it was very dark).

Tetuzi played a song he called Risk and Responsibility, which he claimed is exactly what improvisational music is all about. He started by striking an open note on his acoustic guitar and somehow causing it to feedback through the microphone, manipulating the sound to be as loud or as quiet as he wanted, and somehow adding new levels by barely moving his hands.

Eventually it quieted down to Tetuzi exploring the fretboard. Being completely improvisational, a lot of thought was put into each note or chord selection. You could see him think once or twice before placing his fingers and playing the sound. Some of the notes did not seem to fit in, while some of them created beautiful melodies. But never once was the music ugly.

On a chair next to him he had a plethora of implements to assist in his playing. At one stage he picked up a plastic hairbrush and started scratching the surface of the guitar, causing the notes to resonate and ring out. It was interesting and I was amazed at some of the sounds he produced from it, at one point it even sounded like a didgeridoo. Following the plastic hairbrush he grabbed what appeared to be a short piece of wooden dowel. Rubbing this not just on the surface of the guitar, but sliding it up and down the strings and over the nut of the guitar, he produced even more sounds, some of which sounded like a crescendo of violins. Eventually he finished the song by creating an open note feedback into the microphone again.

For his encore he brought a local friend on to stage, a man playing an electric hollow-body guitar (which was beautiful in itself). Tetuzi played more of a melodic role in this song, which they titled Sex in the Country. The other guitarist was truly a sight to see though. He was crazy and energetic all over the fretboard. Playing hammer on harmonics with his fingers seemingly flailing like mad, using the back of his hand to play notes, changing the volume, tone and tuning of his guitar mid-note, it was just absolute madness. But madness that created music. At some points, much to my surprise, both of the guitarists hit the same sequence of notes at the same time. I recorded the first half of Sex in the Country. Although the video is very dark, you can still hear the music and occassionally see the madness of the second guitarist.

All in all, my first experience with pure improvisational music (not just jam rock, I've seen a bit of that) was wonderous. I'm now inspired to pick up my guitars and see what random noises I can get out of them.