Angus and Julia Stone Interview

While in Byron Bay for Bluesfest earlier this year MWT had a chance to catch up with Newport brother and sister folk duo, Angus and Julia Stone.  

  (Photo by Stereodan)

Bec: We’re here, Bluesfest Day 5, about to have a chat to Angus and Julia Stone, how are you guys?

Julia: Good thank you

Angus: yeah, Good.

B: You guys just played the west coast festival, how did that go and how was your performance?:

J: Yeah it was really fun it was really a great crowd and we had a fun night

B: And you guys have just released the most recent album Down the Way, how was you creative writing process in terms of in comparison to a Book Like This?

J: Ah, it actually was pretty much the same. I mean it’s just like we write songs and then when we get a chance between tours we record them. That’s what happened the same with Down The Way and a Book Like This. We wrote the songs and then when we had a couple of days or a couple of weeks here and there we would jump in the studio and let the songs unfold and yeah which is pretty much what we did for a Book Like This.

B: and what’s your kind of inspiration when you’re writing the songs?

A: our inspiration comes from all kinds of places

B: you don’t have any underlying themes or anything with this new album?

A: you know what, a lot of them, for me, are postcards. And the imagery of sailing through California and falling in love and all that stuff.

B: And you guys have recorded this most recent album in a whole load of different places, where was your favourite place to record and what was that experience like?

J: where was your favourite? (Looks as Angus) Well, Sawmills was pretty beautiful. We recorded down in Cornwall (UK) in a studio that was right on the river and it was just stunning. It was like we had to get there by boat, and it was a tidal river so it was amazing you know, it would rise and fall and it had an old china clay train that would go past during the night and would make these quite eerie noises. Yeah, it was real mysterious place and it was very isolating but also very beautiful.

B: How are you guys going, I mean brother and sister, you must have had a pretty musical upbringing, what was being played around the house as kids when you were growing up?

J: Oh gosh, anything and everything. I mean Dad is a music teacher so he was really into all different types of music. He took us to a lot of [concerts]. Mum and dad were members of all sorts of musical going groups where they would go and see ensembles of strings playing. And we both grew up playing horns so we went and played in and toured in orchestras and things like that. So it was a mix of classical music and then kind of anything from, mum was really in to Janis Ian and Carole King and that sort of stuff and dad played in a covers band so it was Bob Dylan and The Eagles, Neil Young. Everything from the sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties, like they just played whatever songs.

B: And how did you guys get together as a duo on stage, when did that come about?

A: Well it kind of just happened along the way. We grew up together so you know we would write and kind of share these things with one another and it was just a matter of time before we started doing anything.

B: (to Angus) And you’ve just started your solo career? You’ve got a solo album is that right?

A: Yeah we recorded an album at Coolangatta in an old water tank. It’s called Lady of The Sunshine 

B: Fantastic, (To Julia) and are there any plans for you to go solo, or to move away from this?

J: (laughs) I down know, I mean, we will see what happens. We’ve got a solid year of touring and you know I’m enjoying playing these songs. Angus and I write separately so I think there is always that possibility at some point that we will have some time apart, but I hope we always get to play together as well.

B: You guys are spending so much time on the road, I know me and my brother, if we are around each other too much we will absolutely kill each other. How do you guys go, how are fights on the road and the whole brother and sister touring thing?

J: I think it’s gotten easier over time. When we stared out it was a little bit harder because we didn’t really have any like filters you know. Now we’ve kind of figured out, just you know giving each other space and being respectful of each other and you know, just not acting like brother and sister, being a bit more like friends and looking out for each other. And I think that’s been a process you know and it will continue to be like that and evolution and us hopefully getting stronger as people and happier and all that stuff.

B: Fantastic well thank you so much for chatting with us today and we will catch you on stage tonight. 

Posted by Bec Clark (Reebajeeb)

The Snowdroppers Interview

Formed back in 2007, The Snowdroppers are a unruly quartet who, alternate to what your urban dictionary may suggest, have taken their name from 1920’s slang for a cocaine addict. Featured as ‘artists to watch’ on various music feeds the Sydney lads are certainly doing things differently. Combining the best of blues, soul, country and rock, Snowdroppers have introduced these styles to a whole new audience in a whole new light. 

After releasing their debut LP Too Late To Pray, produced with the help of Azzy T and Dave Hammer, Snowdroppers have been touring around Australia and building quite a reputation for the live shows. On stage it’s the rogue charisma and stage presents of frontman Johnny Wishbone that will have you captivated. Snowdroppers put on a highly energetic set and if you don’t walk out dripping with sweat your doing something wrong. 

Lyrically the band touches on some heavy themes and are at times their verse is a little confronting but nevertheless get along to one of their shows and decide for your self. Currently on the Do The Stomp Tour you can catch them at the following locations:

June 4 - Crown and Anchor, Adelaide SA

June 5 - Grace Emily, Adelaide SA

June 11 - Grand Junction, Maitland NSW

June 12 - View Factory, Newcastle NSW

June 17 - Armidale Club, Armidale NSW

June 18 - Nimbin Hotel, Nimbin NSW

June 19 - Laurieton Hotel, Laurieton NSW

June 26 - Oxford Tavern, Wollongong NSW

July 2 - Old Manly Boatshed, Manly NSW

July 3 - Hotel Gearin, Katoomba NSW

July 9 - Brass Monkey, Cronulla NSW

Snowdroppers are doing what they do with a good sense of humour and a F load of jokes. I had a chance to catch up with the guys at Bluesfest for a bit of a chat. Freaking  hilarious...make sure you listen carefully!

VIDEO AND POST BY BEC CLARK (Reebajeeb)

Muse Pyramid VS Daft Punk Pyramid

(Photo By Reebajeeb)

After taking out headline spot for this year’s Big Day Out tour, UK trio Muse are back, and this time with a killer stadium show. 

I’m looking at it like this… they played Coachella and while they didn’t have the headline slot their set still included a massive lighting rig and a pyrotechnics show that would give the Harbour Bridge on NYE a run for its money (well not quite, but it was pretty impressive). So, given their own tour, in their own stadium we know the show will be epic.

Lead singer Matthew Bellamy has referenced George Orwell’s 1984 as an influence for the design of the set. This influence also surfaced during a Rolling Stones interview as inspiration, along with Nassium Nicholas Taleb’s 2007 Novel The Black Swan, for their most recent album The Resistance. 

Muse have always been very musically ambitious and while their performances have been the same, this time around they have taken things to a whole new level. In a recent interview about Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever) and its place as the lead single for the third Twilight film Bellamy commented “You know the all seeing eye with a big eye-ball on top? It basically looks like that…It’s supposed to be a cross between that and George Orwell’s ministry from 1984 – we’ve got a chrome UFO”

Well, you can just see for yourself….

Photographer: Danny North

by MuseAdmin

View the rest of the production rehearsals here

Tickets go on sale for Muse.mu members tomorrow (June 4) and tickets are around 120 bones. 

Playing: 

05.12.10 Brisbane Entertainment Centre

09.12.10 Sydney ACER Arena

14.12.10 Melbourne Rod Laver Arena

19.12.10 Perth Bassendean Oval

POST BY BEC CLARK (Reebajeeb)

The Holidays

Sydney indie four piece The Joysticks officially kicked off the Holidays Golden Sky single tour. Playing to a very empty crowed at the Oxford Art Factory their set was less than impressive. As people slowly trickled in out of the cold there was a better turn out for the second support band Ernest Ellis who were awesome and will be Joining the Holidays for the rest of their tour.

By the time Sydney darlings The Holidays took to the stage the room was filled. Since starting back in 2006 with a bass player who had no idea how to play, the quartet have evolved in to something very impressive. Two EP’s down and a host of international and local support slots including Ben Kweller, The Wombats, Jamie T and Lightspeed Champion, The Holidays have finally committed to a much anticipated full length album that will be out in August.

Moonlight Hours was the killer first single off their debut album followed by Golden Sky, which last nights performance was in aid of. Going off these two tracks we can expect big things from the rest of the album, recorded and produced by the guys and mixed by Tony Espie (Midnight Juggernauts).

They have evolved from their simpler indie past to something much more colourful and musically complex. Last nights gig delivered an energetic performance from the band that was heavy with vocal melodies and upbeat rhythms. With a stronger pop sensibility than their earlier material this new album will appeal to mainstream and should ensure big things for the Holidays. Dense with layers that showcase the groups growing technical ability their performance was faultless. Filled with “summer vibes, electropical dance numbers & mellow, breezy melodies” the Holidays always ensure a wicked set so try get along to one of their gigs sometime. Check out their website for details.

POST BY BEC CLARK (Reebajeeb)

Tomorrow In A Year Review

Finally got my hands on this little gem….

Industrial groans and electronic squeaks, which initially sound like workings of machine, pave the way into the sonic wonderland that is Tomorrow In A Year.

Swedish brother and sister duo Karin Dreijer Andersson (Fever Ray) and Olof Dreijer (aka The Knife) were commissioned by the Danish performance group, Hotel Pro Forma, to write the music for an opera based on the life and work of Charles Darwin. When reminded of the context of this project these groans clearly transform into an interpretation of animal life. Tomorrow is an intriguing, conceptual album that requires a certain level of concentration to appreciate the work. Simply listening to this album in your car will do it no justice, and will probably result in the disks being Frisbeed out the window.

Tomorrow cannot be experienced from the assumption that it is a follow on from any of The Knifes earlier works. Firstly, it has been classed as an electro-opera and therefore an entirely new set of elements and technique have been employed to make this piece work.  The album is divided into two disks, the first of which will leave many Knife fans feeling alienated and frustrated, assuming the same for fans of traditional opera, who may find the avant-garde electronics abrupt and ill suited to this domain. In an attempt to reach a more collaborative way of working the siblings invited post-punk solo artist Mt.Sims and experimental/pop, multi-instrumentalist Planningtorock to produce the album.

The duel disk album is a studio version of the opera, and therefore slight musical alterations have been made. Upon first listen disk one is hard to adapt to but as the music evolves it is by the second CD that Knife fans finally reap their reward. This album may even take a few listens in its entirety and while each time rewards the listener with a stronger appreciation of the epic aural landscape some tracks will leave you feeling discouraged such as Variation of Birds and Letter to Henslow.

The entire album switches between Darwin’s personal life and his scientific observations and disk one seems to be heavy with the latter. It is not until track two that we are introduced to mezzo soprano, Kristina Wahlin, who becomes one of the vehicles for the narrative of the opera.

Getting used to the operatic styles was a slow process, but I have come to appreciate the earlier tracks for what they are. In contrast I am yet to warm to Variation of Birds. Endless minutes of distorted baselines and screeching electronics that make you assume the CD is skipping. This song is actually hard to listen to.  By the time the beautiful vocals of pop artist Jonathan Johansson are introduced, the song has evolved enough to tolerate. Letter to Henslow on the other hand is a cross between children discovering an echo and an entire floor of an insane asylum mimicking bird calls and chimp noises. It seems uncanny, but you must keep in mind the piece is written to support a performance and you can not entirely discount until it you have seen the work live.

Lyrically, the work is very straight forward, musically, The Knife is very experimental. Recording outdoor ambience at the Mamori Artlab Workshop along the Amazon in Brazil, they have incorporated much of this throughout the album, chiefly on the track Social Swarm Orchestra.

The Second CD is less bizarre and the abrupt ambiance is replaced by rhythm, melody and even some pop hooks.

Annie’s box opens again with animal recordings before beautiful cello and orchestral movements perfectly encapsulate the morbid tone of the track. Sung from the perspective of Darwin the piece is a eulogy written for his 10yr old granddaughter and Wahlins operatic vocals are powerfully evocative.  This track is then juxtaposed against Tumult, an experimental ambient track that ever so slowly evolves into the tribal percussions that introduced us to Colouring of Pigeons, the first release off the album. Over 11 minutes of organised mayhem, this track seems to be the link between the earlier confusions and the forward direction.  Strong with elegant beauty and contemporary appeal it is in this track that we finally hear the unmistakable vocals Karen Dreijer. Less electronic and more percussive, this method really works for The Knife and I sincerely hope they continue to flirt with this style in the future.   

With electro-pop making its first appearance onto this album Seeds, delivers a building beat that establishes a new instrument or element every 10 or so seconds. As the fastest track on the album this is something you could see work in a club. For me this song was ruined by the vocals of Johansson. Although his performance is faultless, Seeds is clearly screaming for the eerie vocals of Karin or Olof. The title track is again heavy with the dark yet compelling rhythmical drums which are warmed with the layered vocals of Wahlin, Johansson and Laerke Winther who the opera was specifically written for being singers of different domains: popular music; classical opera; and the performing arts. By the final track the entire album feels complete.

This album will most likely not appeal to mainstream and if fans are expecting The Knife they will be alienated. It’s an opera, complex with experimentation and ambition, that has successfully challenged the pre-existing perception of what opera music should be. Tomorrow In A Year will polarise people. The raw power of traditional mezzo soprano against the electronic playground of The Knife, Mt. Sims and Planningtorock has created a cacophony of sound that is dense in aural imagery. It was compelling to listen to and I am curious to see what elements The Knife will borrow for their next album. 

Image source: Tomorrow In A Year, Hotel Pro Forma, 2009

A bit about the performance:

Directed by Ralf Richardt Strøbech and Kirsten Dehlholm the opera has been confirmed for the Melbourne International Arts Festival, 8 - 23 October 2010.

“Here there are all kinds of performance: Song and drama and dance. Here there is everything for the eye: green laser and writing in the air and video in slow motion. And here there is also everything for the ear: rock drawl and grating metal and opera trills.
Everything on this peepshow stage breaks out in 3D, what is more. The clouds of the video projections even mutate from virtual reality to stage reality, as smoke machines cause the clouds to glide through the film screens. Even the sound appears to come at you in 3D, because the one electronic layer of sound is superimposed on the other, so that this surround sound in Anders Jørgensen’s excitingly different sound design finally has a visual effect”  Information, Danish daily, 5 September 2009

POST BY BEC CLARK (Reebajeeb)

Acceptable In The 80's

Sydney locals, if you find yourself with a bit of free time on your hands I highly recommend checking out The 80's Are Back exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum. This little time warp takes you though a decade of fashion, art, music, movies, parties, politics and icons of Australia.

 

  

 

PHOTOS AND POST BY BEC CLARK (Reebajeeb)

R.E.M, Snow Patrol & Belle and Sebastian Fans'.....

Bit of an unusuall role call...

New bands on the scene are always an exciting thing, all the more so when the line up looks like this:  Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody, Peter Buck (R.E.M) and Belle and Sebastian drummer Richard Colburn.  

Tired Pony  began recording back in January and have enlisted the help of both Zoe Deschanel and M Ward  (She and Him) and Tom Smith (Editors). We can expect the album, titled The Place We Ran From, to be out sometime in July.

Following his studio time with Tired Poney Lightbody will go back to working on his electronic side project Listen... Tank!. The duo, Lightbody and producer Garret 'Jacknife' Lee (Bloc Party, Editors, U2), released Black and Silver back in 2007 and have had their hands full with other projects since. We should be expecting some new stuff from the duo shortly.

Make sure you have a gander at Tired Pony's website to get a glimpse of their stuff

POSTED BY REEBAJEEB

Coming To A Festival Near You

I Wish

You have probably already seen or heard about Ruth Flowers (AKA Dj Mamy Rock) who, at age 69, has been taking the European club scene by storm. I hate to say it but this British Granny is about 100 times cooler than I will ever be. And with get ups to match. Think Grandma Yeta only behind a set of decks.

Getting over being your average senior citizen and living life off a pension Flowers took up her new hobby after at night out for her Grandsons birthday in London. She got introduced to producer Aurelien Simon who showed her the ropes and the rest is history. 

Why I love Mamy Rock

1. "have had a very lively youth, I used to go to balls all the time..."

2.

3. "I’d rather sign a contract with a record company than to sign up for the nursing home"

So what would happen if we got say 100,000 members to join a facebook group or sign a petition to try and get DJ Mamy Rock to play at Big Day Out 2011?

POST BY BEC CLARK (Reebajeeb) 

Ozomatli Interview

POSTED BY REEBAJEEB
VIDEO BY STEREODAN

Burning Man Australia

The rumors are true! Burning Man has come to our shores.... 

Not exactly sure how it will be in comparison to the original that takes place in Black Rock Desert, Nevada but if your around for the June long weekend then this is a must. 

The concept behind this event is pretty unique as thousands of people gather in the Desert and create a community that celebrates art and self-expression. People are invited to create their own themed camps or villages to enhance the atmosphere and the experience for all involved. 

The event started back in 1986 near San Francisco and was originally a beach party. There are heaps of stories going around about WHY a 8ft high figure of a man was ignited but this has become the icon of and name behind the famous event. Today the figure of the man that is set alight has even reached 4 stories. 

The original Burning Man is top of my list of festivals I want to go too and check out this vid to see why

For information on the Australian Seed check it out here!

I would love to hear how this event goes! My World Tour please add this festival to your list for next years winners!!

POSTED BY REEBAJEEB

1,2,3

Lately I have been hearing a bit of banter about a stellar indie two piece from Pittsburgh called 1,2,3 and have become a massive fan. Their debut single Confetti was only released in February and features B-Side track Cant Bribe God which is equally, if not more, awesome. Nic Snyder and Josh Sickels who preciously played in The Takeover UK  are the talented souls behind this band that seems to be popping up on blogs everywhere. Rightly so, they are something to keep your eyes on and make sure you get your ears around Going Away Party. 

Couldn't find a legitimate film clip from the guys so I hope you like kittens....

POSTED BY REEBAJEEB

Festival Fashions (Or Lack Of)

Thanks to Lady GaGa it is now acceptable to not wear pants. This was more than apparent with both punters and artists (Little Boots) at Coachella. I thought some of our festivals were bordering on incident but after the amount of flesh we saw this weekend I'm singing a different tune.  

As much as you want to turn and look away big ups to the few size 18's that had the confidence to get around in just a bikini or the Canadian girl who only wore her bikini bottoms. 

With all the weird fashions that were going around I'm surprised none of the unusual bikinis I later spotted in Venice Beach made an appearance. 

PHOTOS AND POST BY REEBAJEEB

Coachella Day 3 Review

Yet another late start to the festival thanks to Dan and his disappearing act but thankfully I made it in time for Julian Casablancas! Surely you’re up to speed on the solo career of The Strokes frontman. Speaking of which they are touring in July – hope you got your tickets.  I missed out so was stoked that he did at least play Hard To Explain.

Yes, he’s going to hell in a leather jacket! Well at least with the scorching desert heat and thick air in the Mojave stage it would have felt like he was already there. Less rock and more synth pop Casablancas played Out Of The Blue and 11th Dimension before slowing the tempo for the latter half of his set. Trying to get as close to the stage as possible was an epic fail, American audiences do not budge when you ask politely to move to the gap in front of them. 

I have to say I was pretty unimpressed when Casablancas closed with I Wish It Was Christmas Today

Spoooooon! (remind anyone else of that kids cartoon The Tick?) but seriously, American indie rock four piece were one of my weekend highlights. Despite coming out in a cowboy hat Britt Daniel quickly redeemed himself with a phenomenal performance that was perfectly suited to its late afternoon time slot.

The French are good for a few things, one of which being their recent musical export Phoenix. Opening with Lisztomania these guys filled the audience as far as they eye could see. With a set list that featured the best of their four album back catalogue their set was highly energetic and "all about the music". With their lighting guy stuck elsewhere (thanks again volcano) Phoenix proved that you don't need wicked lighting rigs to put on a good show.

Run Run Run, Rome, Lasso, Long Distance and Consolation Prizes were among the many being played with 1901 featuring as the final track. 

Heading to Little Boots (albeit against my will) I was pretty surprised looking around at the rest of the audience at the Gobi stage. I'm going to liken Victoria Hesketh to a contemporary Kylie Monogue. Adding a over the top lazer show to the mix, which would have been just as effective if she lent half to Phoenix (not that they needed it), Little Boots was scarcely clad, sparkly and seemed to draw in a large number of flamboyant males.

Missed some huge electronic beats coming from the Sahara tent where the recently regrouped brothers from Orbital seemed to be ripping up a storm. Having seen them before I was content to miss them in exchange for a good spot for Thom Yorke! (This needs its own blog) 

PHOTOS AND POST BY REEBAJEEB