Interview: On The Pulse
August 27th 2010 06:08
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2010
FORTITUDE VALLEY PCYC & THE HIVE
All Ages and Drug & Alcohol Free
Tickets $25 and on sale now through Oztix.com.au or phone 1300 762 545 or from Rockinghorse Records, Kill The Music & Sunflower Music
Because of the wonders of the internet I have an opportunity here to get some serious answers to a fair question, what is punk in 2010? I've grabbed answers from a few of the musicians who are standing tall in the line-up for On The Pulse punk rock festival. Burning Brooklyn’s Alex offers the Wikipedia definition:
But then Alex adds These days punk rock could be anything with some distorted guitar, a good beat and some powerful angst lyrics, to me. Sure. Bixby Canyon’s Jake Wood says it’s, Dirty, fast and loud. Nice. Cam from The City Shake Up says Punk rock was originally about rebelling against establishment and authority, but that’s not really the case anymore. The lines are blurred soo much it’s hard to define it anymore...
David Jobling: What are the signs that say "The City Shake Up is a punk rock band"?
Cam: For me, a Punk Rock band is more about the entertainment than the sound - sweat, bleed and kill yourself on stage, and I'd say your Punk Rock...
Jake Wood: It’s mainly attitude.
David Jobling How about David Soole from The Monster Goes Rawrr How do you define punk rock?
David Soole: I think the definition of punk rock has changed so much over the past few decades. There are obviously still die-hard fans who will have a stringent definition and liken punk politically or socially activist type lyrical content and a sense of disdain for authority and believe that only bands like the Ramones classify as punk, but I also think more recently that there has been the development of sub-genres under the heading of punk, most noticeably pop-punk, courtesy of bands like Blink 182, Green Day and Fall Out Boy. This sub-genre tends to take itself less seriously and I think with it we've seen the amalgamation of even more genres including electronica and dance. So these days I'd say the definition of “punk” can be stretched pretty broadly depending on where your musical roots are.
David Jobling: And the signs that say “This is a punk rock band”?
David Soole: I think if you have an old-school view of what “punk” is then I'd say mohawks, black jeans, leather jackets, studded belts, drunk and disorderly behaviour, a rebellious nature and frenetic live show. I think those are the signs most people attribute to a punk rock band.
Between them all Trashqueen: Punk rock is a very broad term now days however to us it means aggression, power, speed and anti-establishment..
Sean: Jackson (Guitar/Vox) from Trashqueen: If there’s a punk band playing at a venue everyone will know they are there, they will be loud, outspoken and just don’t care what people’s opinions are- whole band
David Jobling: Why do you think festivals like this are good?
Sean: I believe any opportunity to showcase emerging local bands is great, the more people hear the more they will enjoy and the more they enjoy the music the more likely they are going come out to support our local talent-
Jake Wood: You get the chance to not only play to people to enjoy your music but you also get to play to people who not only haven't heard you but sometimes haven't even listened to your genre and they surprisingly find that they like what you are doing.
David Jobling: What opportunities do you think a festival like this gives you?
Jake Wood: It gives us an opportunity to be profiled and marketed. It really helps get our name out in the open.
Cam: Very few chances to put the best of all Brisbane local bands together in a show of strength and unity. A lot of the time fans write other bands off, but the truth is we're all here to support each other.
Alex: Festivals are great because they bring large groups of people together for a common purpose; music. If your passion is music, whether it is playing it, writing it or listening to it, a festival is going to be the ultimate experience. Plus, they’re the shizzz!
David Jobling: Good opportunity?
Alex: Great opportunity to gain exposure and play alongside some very popular acts. It’s also a great experience to be able to play a professionally organized show in front of a large crowd of music lovers.
David Soole A festival like On The Pulse gives us the opportunity to showcase our music to people who might not otherwise have heard of us and the ability to network with other bands with the hope of gigging more together in the future.
David Jobling: Can you be a nerd, and in a punk band, or a geek? I wonder, because these days there's so much you can do on line with your music, but you can't be one of those hard core punk rockers who just flings shit like computers out of the window if you want to use them aye?
Jake Wood: I'm just going to say it straight, I'm a pretty big nerd. Always have been. If I'm not working or doing music, I'm most likely playing computer games. So yes you can be. But then again on the stage I'm a different person to off of it. I would never fling my computer out the window, though I've wanted to. Yet on stage I'll go so far as to even throw my own body around the stage.
Alex: To be honest everyone in our band is pretty much a computer geek except for me. Ha, only kidding. I think computers and the internet are an essential tool in promoting and running a band. There needs to be at least one tech savvy member unless you’re making enough money to pay someone else to do it! Unfortunately, we will need to stick to being geeks for the time being haha.
David Soole Haha! Yeah ... even nerds and geeks get the urge to throw shit out of the window every now and again!!
Cam: It’s not soo much being a nerd, as being sensible about the future of the industry. You can’t just shut your eyes to the internet - it’s a powerful tool that has not only opened up the industry, but localised and created smaller scenes to work within..
David Jobling: How are you using the internet?
Cam: Well we only really use it to keep people updated with what we're doing - the internet is only a tool - not a means to an end....
Alex: Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, iTunes, LastFM, FasterLouder we’ve got it all. As they say, “you’ve gotta be in it to win it”.
Jake Wood: Well these days internet is THE tool. If you don't use it then you may as well get out of the business. Luckily for us we've got a really strong management team helping us. Together we're using the internet to market our music, promote ourselves to venue organizers, remind our fans of upcoming shows and new demos available. It's amazing how much you can do for your band online.
David Soole The internet is glorious! The ability to reach fans on the other side of the world who, pre-internet days, would never have had a chance to hear your music is an amazing thing!!
David Jobling: As far as recording goes, how do you like to do it? Set up at home? Local recording studio? Just record live gigs? Who takes care of all of that at the moment?
Sean: We have a mate named Simon OConnor who runs a local studio (studio 956) in his shed at his house and we do all our work there because he's heaps easy to work with, we get a good sound, its affordable and it’s just really laid back and chilled.
Jake Wood: We've only recorded once so its hard to compare, but we seem pretty happy to keep doing it the way we have. Which is, set up the whole band in one room. Mic up all the instruments, and just play the songs.
Cam: Well me and Dave both met at Uni studying Audio Engineering, and between us have quite a decent recording studio set-up. I think most bands are recording at home now - it makes economic sense and means that bands are learning how a well produced song goes together - has to be a good thing!
Alex: We have recorded a few demos an EP, more recently, some new singles. All of the recording we have done so far has ranged from recording in bed rooms to semi-pro studios. It is surprising how you can get a quality sound out of a few microphones in your mate’s bedroom. More recently we have done a bit of recording at Tremor Studios in Pottsville, NSW. Which we have found is a great environment for producing some great quality music and recordings. In the future we will be looking to step it up even further and try our luck in a full on, professional recording studio.
David Soole We actually record all our music ourselves in the bedroom. We have a decent little set-up and have gotten better and better at it over the last year. Its great being able to record the music for free as it gives us a better opportunity to give away the music for free and let us be more accessible to fans.
David Jobling: What's next for the band - what are you hoping for?
David Soole The band is busy writing and recording new music and playing a few local shows. Our hope for the remainder of this year is just to continue growing our fan base and hopefully organise an east-coast tour later in 2010.
Alex: At the moment we are looking to gain more exposure in the Oz music scene by playing as many shows around the country as we can. We have a new single to be released and are looking at doing even more recording towards the end of the year. Our main goal at the moment is to try and gain some additional support from either a record label or booking agency to help get our music out there!
Cam: We're about to start work on a new single and clip, and we've just come off a 16 date tour, so it’s a chance now to write, record and start work on the next phase of our careers...
Jake Wood: Well at the moment we're really focused on playing as many shows as possible to grow a really strong supporting fan base. From there we're hoping to get back into the studio and smash out a really strong release.
Sean: We’re gradually recording our next release and just building our local fan base ...then world domination I guess haha.
Last word from Jake Wood Bixby Canyon
David Jobling: What can the crowds expect from you?
Jake Wood: To be surprised. A loud show full of energy and excitement. Sometimes I don’t even know what I’m going to do.
David Jobling: Is The City Shake Up going to still be at it in 50 years? like the stones and such?
Cam: Can’t live without music - guess we'll just write country music if all else fails!
David Soole's last word..
David Jobling: Why is Queensland so conservative but so full of hard line head banging hot musicians? How does that make sense?!!
David Soole I think most people these days know there is a time and a place for maturity and being a grown-up. Your tight-laced barrister might like nothing more than chucking on his old faded Ramones shirt on the weekend and heading to a venue to jump in the mosh pit and listen to his favourite punk band!!
Burning Brooklyn’s Alex: Queensland conservative???Haha I don’t know about that. Queenslanders love their rock music, you should come to a show and see how “conservative” we are haha.
David Jobling: What can the crowds expect from you?
Alex: We really pride ourselves on our live show, if I may say so myself. Crowds can expect an energetic, tight and wholehearted performance from Burning Brooklyn. As I mentioned before each member in our band has a burning passion for music and I think that people can really see this when we get up on stage.
David Jobling: What can the crowds expect from Trashqueen?
Sean: A nonstop charismatic live show packed with great songs and heaps of fun.
Tickets $25 and on sale now through Oztix.com.au or phone 1300 762 545 or from Rockinghorse Records, Kill The Music & Sunflower Music
ABOUT THE BANDS
Finabah started out like many bands do - four kids bored with small-town summers, bashing out power chords in a backyard shed. Six years and over 500 shows later, Finabah have become one of the most recognised pop rock acts in Queensland rapidly building national profile.
Their latest EP release, ‘Sugarcoat’, has been a hit with old fans, new fans and industry alike. The most recent single “Everyone Jump (When They Tell You How High)” became a massive success with a #9 debut on the AIR Charts and #3 in the AIR Airplay Chart. The track was the #2 most added track to radio in Australia the first week of release and received high rotation airplay on NOVA, Triple M and B105 including a debut on the B105 HOT30 countdown at #21. No mean feat for a truly independent artist! Having played alongside acts from The Used and Rise Against, to Wolfmother and Spiderbait and more recently playing to over 30,000 people for the 2010 'Rock the Schools’ tour, these four musicians have come a long way since their humble beginnings.
Responding to a classified in Rave Magazine young singer/songwriter, Jake Wood completed the line-up that has become Bixby Canyon. After auditioning several vocalists Mitch Johnson (drums), John Jurkov (bass) and Brodie Pearce (guitar) had finally found the last piece of their puzzle, a vocalist with raw emotion and song writing abilities. After thumping away in a backyard shed, in the wilds of Spring Mountain, for the past six months this youthful four piece have melded their individual and shared influences into a unique blend of Indie Rock that tips its hat to Brand New, Jimmy Eat World, Manchester Orchestra, Green Day, and Nirvana.
There’s no punk rock breeding ground quite like high school. And from Clontarf High just north of Brisbane comes Autumn Heartache. This is not a punk band in that clichéd leather-jacket and mow hawk sense. Rather this is a rock band inspired by the attitude of bands that want to follow their own path, and have a great time in the process. Close mates, the band was born out a love for bands like The Living End, Green Day, The Used, The Getaway Plan, and Blink 182.
When you live in a boring, run down, Brisbane suburb there’s a only really couple of ways you can kill time. You can (A) steal cars, (B) sell dope or (c) play music... and considering that none of the band members know how to hotwire a car they chose option (C). TRASHQUEEN began bashing out loud distorted hard rock in late 2009 when Guitarist Sean Jackson and Drummer Wayne Jackson decided to recruit Nik Shulz to fill the position of bassist. Since then the band has been playing charismatic live shows around Brisbane and recorded a couple of tunes that just maybe worth checkin’ out.
Calais has that special ‘something’ - intangible, yet blatantly obvious at the same time. If you’ve seen them play live, you’ll know what we’re talking about. If you need convincing, then consider this. When Calais won Brisbane’s Rock School Challenge this year, they had only been playing together for just over a month. Six weeks to be exact. People who have heard their songs describe the band as a cross between the Kings of Leon and U2, but the band’s inspiration comes from spectrum of styles and ages, including Muse, Led Zeppelin and Karnivool to name a few. The band is planning to release new tracks later this year.
Formerly known as 52 Flicks, Brisbane four-piece
Flicks have come a long way since forming in 2007 having played to thousands touring with Short Stack through North Queensland earlier in the year, signing a record label with Spitfire Music (home to COG) and now the release of their new single ‘Hayley’ – an ode to Paramore lead singer, Hayley Williams. Hayley was produced by Todd Morse (H20, The Offspring, Juliette Lewis) and Grant Wallis (Aneiki – Please to Meet You) chimed in with some string arrangements and the song began to take form. It was recorded at the Grove Studios in Sydney and was handed personally by the band to Hayley’s boyfriend Chad Gilbert of New Found Glory (who took it with no jealousy or animosity).
Since emerging onto the local Brisbane scene in late 2008, Burning Brooklyn have come a long way having released their debut EP ‘Where The Heart Stops’ in 2009 and more recently their current single ‘All About You’ earlier this year. The four-piece have also supported the likes of Haste The Day, Blessed By A Broken Heart and Fear Before.
When former Avalon Drive front man Damion Page paired up with guitarist Kevin Leggett in 2009, the Brisbane duo had no idea that this was the journey they would in fact take. Coming from varied music backgrounds, the pair experimented with different sounds and acoustics to create the original and organic sound of Words Versing Verses. Releasing their debut EP in May 2010, the band didn’t foresee their first ever live show to be a sell out – but that’s exactly what they did. Their live performance brings to life the soul of personal lyrics, and the intimacy of the bands acoustic core sound.
Formed in 2007, and combining former members of prolific bands Dr Octopus and The Vagrants, The City Shake Up has already become a Gold Coast icon. With over 25 years of stage experience between them, these 5 lads have set about making a name for themselves on a local and international scale. Having recorded their EP “Ticket to Pripyat’ in 2008, the boys have started work on a full length album, which is set to take the world by storm. Citing such rock, alternative and punk influences as Muse, Rise Against and the Foo Fighters, TheCityShakeUp have created their own unique heart pumping sound, combining mighty guitar riffs, heart-pounding rhythm and roaring, riotous vocals.
The twelve months from August 2008 were huge for Melbourne band Starting Sunday, having supported Bon Jovi on his Melbourne concert, became the first unsigned band to perform on an episode of Network Ten's 'Neighbours' in August [2008] which was broadcast throughout Australia and the UK, had sync placements throughout Channel 7's Beijing Olympic Games coverage [2008] and on Network Ten's Rove whilst ending the year with a special appearance at the 2008 ARIA Music Awards. Having supported bands including Behind Crimson Eyes (AUS), The Butterfly Effect (AUS), Dopamine (UK); a support slot on the Taste Of Chaos tour playing alongside bands including The Used, Rise Against, Aiden and the Gallows, and more recently joining Faker on the JD Set Tour in 2009, Starting Sunday are soon to unleash an EP twelve months in the making.
Brisbane four-piece Cold and Need formed in 2009 and have just finished recording tracks for their debut EP release which is expected to be released later this year.
The Monster Goes Rawrr has achieved a sound that takes electro-based rock to a new level. The quintet combines a diverse range of genres including powerpop, rock, dance, trance and electronica, while undeniably maintaining a pop-rock sensibility. With an energetic and professional stage show, The Monster Goes Rawrr is a band that catches both the eyes and ears of audiences. Since the release of their first single in July 2009, the band has accumulated over 500,000 plays and over 200,000 downloads on MySpace and Purevolume whilst also sharing the stage with international touring acts such as 3OH!3 (USA) and The Secret Handshake (USA), as well as numerous domestic acts including Closure In Moscow (Melb), Amy Meredith (Syd), Tonight Alive (Syd) and Heroes For Hire (Syd).
Extracting influences from artists such as Foo Fighters, Anberlin, Story of the Year, Saosin, Drawcard inject their own experiences and talent into a unique style which has been described as “new rock with all the sensibilities of catchy pop, but edgy enough to hold your interest”. To date the band secured a spot on the Taste of Chaos Tour, were involved in the FuelTV (AUS) “Mountain Dew Battle for Supremacy II” skate program, and were a featured band on Australia’s nationwide TripleM Radio with interviews and track rotation for the title track “Modern Rivalry”.
Having much success in Australia, they’ve also had a taste of it the States as well; with songs featured on MTV’s Real World-Road Rules Challenge, FuelTV (Fox Sports) and on Skratch Magazine’s Warped Tour compilation. On the road, DrawCard has paired up with Parkway Drive, Taking Back Sunday, Underoath, Thursday and Senses Fail.
FORTITUDE VALLEY PCYC & THE HIVE
All Ages and Drug & Alcohol Free
Tickets $25 and on sale now through Oztix.com.au or phone 1300 762 545 or from Rockinghorse Records, Kill The Music & Sunflower Music
Because of the wonders of the internet I have an opportunity here to get some serious answers to a fair question, what is punk in 2010? I've grabbed answers from a few of the musicians who are standing tall in the line-up for On The Pulse punk rock festival. Burning Brooklyn’s Alex offers the Wikipedia definition:
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock. They created fast, hard-edged music, typically with short songs, stripped-down instrumentation, and often political, anti-establishment lyrics. - Wikipedia
But then Alex adds These days punk rock could be anything with some distorted guitar, a good beat and some powerful angst lyrics, to me. Sure. Bixby Canyon’s Jake Wood says it’s, Dirty, fast and loud. Nice. Cam from The City Shake Up says Punk rock was originally about rebelling against establishment and authority, but that’s not really the case anymore. The lines are blurred soo much it’s hard to define it anymore...
David Jobling: What are the signs that say "The City Shake Up is a punk rock band"?
Cam: For me, a Punk Rock band is more about the entertainment than the sound - sweat, bleed and kill yourself on stage, and I'd say your Punk Rock...
Jake Wood: It’s mainly attitude.
David Jobling How about David Soole from The Monster Goes Rawrr How do you define punk rock?
David Soole: I think the definition of punk rock has changed so much over the past few decades. There are obviously still die-hard fans who will have a stringent definition and liken punk politically or socially activist type lyrical content and a sense of disdain for authority and believe that only bands like the Ramones classify as punk, but I also think more recently that there has been the development of sub-genres under the heading of punk, most noticeably pop-punk, courtesy of bands like Blink 182, Green Day and Fall Out Boy. This sub-genre tends to take itself less seriously and I think with it we've seen the amalgamation of even more genres including electronica and dance. So these days I'd say the definition of “punk” can be stretched pretty broadly depending on where your musical roots are.
David Jobling: And the signs that say “This is a punk rock band”?
David Soole: I think if you have an old-school view of what “punk” is then I'd say mohawks, black jeans, leather jackets, studded belts, drunk and disorderly behaviour, a rebellious nature and frenetic live show. I think those are the signs most people attribute to a punk rock band.
Between them all Trashqueen: Punk rock is a very broad term now days however to us it means aggression, power, speed and anti-establishment..
Sean: Jackson (Guitar/Vox) from Trashqueen: If there’s a punk band playing at a venue everyone will know they are there, they will be loud, outspoken and just don’t care what people’s opinions are- whole band
David Jobling: Why do you think festivals like this are good?
Sean: I believe any opportunity to showcase emerging local bands is great, the more people hear the more they will enjoy and the more they enjoy the music the more likely they are going come out to support our local talent-
Jake Wood: You get the chance to not only play to people to enjoy your music but you also get to play to people who not only haven't heard you but sometimes haven't even listened to your genre and they surprisingly find that they like what you are doing.
David Jobling: What opportunities do you think a festival like this gives you?
Jake Wood: It gives us an opportunity to be profiled and marketed. It really helps get our name out in the open.
Cam: Very few chances to put the best of all Brisbane local bands together in a show of strength and unity. A lot of the time fans write other bands off, but the truth is we're all here to support each other.
Alex: Festivals are great because they bring large groups of people together for a common purpose; music. If your passion is music, whether it is playing it, writing it or listening to it, a festival is going to be the ultimate experience. Plus, they’re the shizzz!
David Jobling: Good opportunity?
Alex: Great opportunity to gain exposure and play alongside some very popular acts. It’s also a great experience to be able to play a professionally organized show in front of a large crowd of music lovers.
David Soole A festival like On The Pulse gives us the opportunity to showcase our music to people who might not otherwise have heard of us and the ability to network with other bands with the hope of gigging more together in the future.
David Jobling: Can you be a nerd, and in a punk band, or a geek? I wonder, because these days there's so much you can do on line with your music, but you can't be one of those hard core punk rockers who just flings shit like computers out of the window if you want to use them aye?
Jake Wood: I'm just going to say it straight, I'm a pretty big nerd. Always have been. If I'm not working or doing music, I'm most likely playing computer games. So yes you can be. But then again on the stage I'm a different person to off of it. I would never fling my computer out the window, though I've wanted to. Yet on stage I'll go so far as to even throw my own body around the stage.
Alex: To be honest everyone in our band is pretty much a computer geek except for me. Ha, only kidding. I think computers and the internet are an essential tool in promoting and running a band. There needs to be at least one tech savvy member unless you’re making enough money to pay someone else to do it! Unfortunately, we will need to stick to being geeks for the time being haha.
David Soole Haha! Yeah ... even nerds and geeks get the urge to throw shit out of the window every now and again!!
Cam: It’s not soo much being a nerd, as being sensible about the future of the industry. You can’t just shut your eyes to the internet - it’s a powerful tool that has not only opened up the industry, but localised and created smaller scenes to work within..
David Jobling: How are you using the internet?
Cam: Well we only really use it to keep people updated with what we're doing - the internet is only a tool - not a means to an end....
Alex: Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, iTunes, LastFM, FasterLouder we’ve got it all. As they say, “you’ve gotta be in it to win it”.
Jake Wood: Well these days internet is THE tool. If you don't use it then you may as well get out of the business. Luckily for us we've got a really strong management team helping us. Together we're using the internet to market our music, promote ourselves to venue organizers, remind our fans of upcoming shows and new demos available. It's amazing how much you can do for your band online.
David Soole The internet is glorious! The ability to reach fans on the other side of the world who, pre-internet days, would never have had a chance to hear your music is an amazing thing!!
David Jobling: As far as recording goes, how do you like to do it? Set up at home? Local recording studio? Just record live gigs? Who takes care of all of that at the moment?
Sean: We have a mate named Simon OConnor who runs a local studio (studio 956) in his shed at his house and we do all our work there because he's heaps easy to work with, we get a good sound, its affordable and it’s just really laid back and chilled.
Jake Wood: We've only recorded once so its hard to compare, but we seem pretty happy to keep doing it the way we have. Which is, set up the whole band in one room. Mic up all the instruments, and just play the songs.
Cam: Well me and Dave both met at Uni studying Audio Engineering, and between us have quite a decent recording studio set-up. I think most bands are recording at home now - it makes economic sense and means that bands are learning how a well produced song goes together - has to be a good thing!
Alex: We have recorded a few demos an EP, more recently, some new singles. All of the recording we have done so far has ranged from recording in bed rooms to semi-pro studios. It is surprising how you can get a quality sound out of a few microphones in your mate’s bedroom. More recently we have done a bit of recording at Tremor Studios in Pottsville, NSW. Which we have found is a great environment for producing some great quality music and recordings. In the future we will be looking to step it up even further and try our luck in a full on, professional recording studio.
David Soole We actually record all our music ourselves in the bedroom. We have a decent little set-up and have gotten better and better at it over the last year. Its great being able to record the music for free as it gives us a better opportunity to give away the music for free and let us be more accessible to fans.
David Jobling: What's next for the band - what are you hoping for?
David Soole The band is busy writing and recording new music and playing a few local shows. Our hope for the remainder of this year is just to continue growing our fan base and hopefully organise an east-coast tour later in 2010.
Alex: At the moment we are looking to gain more exposure in the Oz music scene by playing as many shows around the country as we can. We have a new single to be released and are looking at doing even more recording towards the end of the year. Our main goal at the moment is to try and gain some additional support from either a record label or booking agency to help get our music out there!
Cam: We're about to start work on a new single and clip, and we've just come off a 16 date tour, so it’s a chance now to write, record and start work on the next phase of our careers...
Jake Wood: Well at the moment we're really focused on playing as many shows as possible to grow a really strong supporting fan base. From there we're hoping to get back into the studio and smash out a really strong release.
Sean: We’re gradually recording our next release and just building our local fan base ...then world domination I guess haha.
Last word from Jake Wood Bixby Canyon
David Jobling: What can the crowds expect from you?
Jake Wood: To be surprised. A loud show full of energy and excitement. Sometimes I don’t even know what I’m going to do.
David Jobling: Is The City Shake Up going to still be at it in 50 years? like the stones and such?
Cam: Can’t live without music - guess we'll just write country music if all else fails!
David Soole's last word..
David Jobling: Why is Queensland so conservative but so full of hard line head banging hot musicians? How does that make sense?!!
David Soole I think most people these days know there is a time and a place for maturity and being a grown-up. Your tight-laced barrister might like nothing more than chucking on his old faded Ramones shirt on the weekend and heading to a venue to jump in the mosh pit and listen to his favourite punk band!!
Burning Brooklyn’s Alex: Queensland conservative???Haha I don’t know about that. Queenslanders love their rock music, you should come to a show and see how “conservative” we are haha.
David Jobling: What can the crowds expect from you?
Alex: We really pride ourselves on our live show, if I may say so myself. Crowds can expect an energetic, tight and wholehearted performance from Burning Brooklyn. As I mentioned before each member in our band has a burning passion for music and I think that people can really see this when we get up on stage.
David Jobling: What can the crowds expect from Trashqueen?
Sean: A nonstop charismatic live show packed with great songs and heaps of fun.
ABOUT THE BANDS
Finabah started out like many bands do - four kids bored with small-town summers, bashing out power chords in a backyard shed. Six years and over 500 shows later, Finabah have become one of the most recognised pop rock acts in Queensland rapidly building national profile.
Their latest EP release, ‘Sugarcoat’, has been a hit with old fans, new fans and industry alike. The most recent single “Everyone Jump (When They Tell You How High)” became a massive success with a #9 debut on the AIR Charts and #3 in the AIR Airplay Chart. The track was the #2 most added track to radio in Australia the first week of release and received high rotation airplay on NOVA, Triple M and B105 including a debut on the B105 HOT30 countdown at #21. No mean feat for a truly independent artist! Having played alongside acts from The Used and Rise Against, to Wolfmother and Spiderbait and more recently playing to over 30,000 people for the 2010 'Rock the Schools’ tour, these four musicians have come a long way since their humble beginnings.
Responding to a classified in Rave Magazine young singer/songwriter, Jake Wood completed the line-up that has become Bixby Canyon. After auditioning several vocalists Mitch Johnson (drums), John Jurkov (bass) and Brodie Pearce (guitar) had finally found the last piece of their puzzle, a vocalist with raw emotion and song writing abilities. After thumping away in a backyard shed, in the wilds of Spring Mountain, for the past six months this youthful four piece have melded their individual and shared influences into a unique blend of Indie Rock that tips its hat to Brand New, Jimmy Eat World, Manchester Orchestra, Green Day, and Nirvana.
There’s no punk rock breeding ground quite like high school. And from Clontarf High just north of Brisbane comes Autumn Heartache. This is not a punk band in that clichéd leather-jacket and mow hawk sense. Rather this is a rock band inspired by the attitude of bands that want to follow their own path, and have a great time in the process. Close mates, the band was born out a love for bands like The Living End, Green Day, The Used, The Getaway Plan, and Blink 182.
When you live in a boring, run down, Brisbane suburb there’s a only really couple of ways you can kill time. You can (A) steal cars, (B) sell dope or (c) play music... and considering that none of the band members know how to hotwire a car they chose option (C). TRASHQUEEN began bashing out loud distorted hard rock in late 2009 when Guitarist Sean Jackson and Drummer Wayne Jackson decided to recruit Nik Shulz to fill the position of bassist. Since then the band has been playing charismatic live shows around Brisbane and recorded a couple of tunes that just maybe worth checkin’ out.
Calais has that special ‘something’ - intangible, yet blatantly obvious at the same time. If you’ve seen them play live, you’ll know what we’re talking about. If you need convincing, then consider this. When Calais won Brisbane’s Rock School Challenge this year, they had only been playing together for just over a month. Six weeks to be exact. People who have heard their songs describe the band as a cross between the Kings of Leon and U2, but the band’s inspiration comes from spectrum of styles and ages, including Muse, Led Zeppelin and Karnivool to name a few. The band is planning to release new tracks later this year.
Formerly known as 52 Flicks, Brisbane four-piece
Flicks have come a long way since forming in 2007 having played to thousands touring with Short Stack through North Queensland earlier in the year, signing a record label with Spitfire Music (home to COG) and now the release of their new single ‘Hayley’ – an ode to Paramore lead singer, Hayley Williams. Hayley was produced by Todd Morse (H20, The Offspring, Juliette Lewis) and Grant Wallis (Aneiki – Please to Meet You) chimed in with some string arrangements and the song began to take form. It was recorded at the Grove Studios in Sydney and was handed personally by the band to Hayley’s boyfriend Chad Gilbert of New Found Glory (who took it with no jealousy or animosity).
Since emerging onto the local Brisbane scene in late 2008, Burning Brooklyn have come a long way having released their debut EP ‘Where The Heart Stops’ in 2009 and more recently their current single ‘All About You’ earlier this year. The four-piece have also supported the likes of Haste The Day, Blessed By A Broken Heart and Fear Before.
When former Avalon Drive front man Damion Page paired up with guitarist Kevin Leggett in 2009, the Brisbane duo had no idea that this was the journey they would in fact take. Coming from varied music backgrounds, the pair experimented with different sounds and acoustics to create the original and organic sound of Words Versing Verses. Releasing their debut EP in May 2010, the band didn’t foresee their first ever live show to be a sell out – but that’s exactly what they did. Their live performance brings to life the soul of personal lyrics, and the intimacy of the bands acoustic core sound.
Formed in 2007, and combining former members of prolific bands Dr Octopus and The Vagrants, The City Shake Up has already become a Gold Coast icon. With over 25 years of stage experience between them, these 5 lads have set about making a name for themselves on a local and international scale. Having recorded their EP “Ticket to Pripyat’ in 2008, the boys have started work on a full length album, which is set to take the world by storm. Citing such rock, alternative and punk influences as Muse, Rise Against and the Foo Fighters, TheCityShakeUp have created their own unique heart pumping sound, combining mighty guitar riffs, heart-pounding rhythm and roaring, riotous vocals.
The twelve months from August 2008 were huge for Melbourne band Starting Sunday, having supported Bon Jovi on his Melbourne concert, became the first unsigned band to perform on an episode of Network Ten's 'Neighbours' in August [2008] which was broadcast throughout Australia and the UK, had sync placements throughout Channel 7's Beijing Olympic Games coverage [2008] and on Network Ten's Rove whilst ending the year with a special appearance at the 2008 ARIA Music Awards. Having supported bands including Behind Crimson Eyes (AUS), The Butterfly Effect (AUS), Dopamine (UK); a support slot on the Taste Of Chaos tour playing alongside bands including The Used, Rise Against, Aiden and the Gallows, and more recently joining Faker on the JD Set Tour in 2009, Starting Sunday are soon to unleash an EP twelve months in the making.
Brisbane four-piece Cold and Need formed in 2009 and have just finished recording tracks for their debut EP release which is expected to be released later this year.
The Monster Goes Rawrr has achieved a sound that takes electro-based rock to a new level. The quintet combines a diverse range of genres including powerpop, rock, dance, trance and electronica, while undeniably maintaining a pop-rock sensibility. With an energetic and professional stage show, The Monster Goes Rawrr is a band that catches both the eyes and ears of audiences. Since the release of their first single in July 2009, the band has accumulated over 500,000 plays and over 200,000 downloads on MySpace and Purevolume whilst also sharing the stage with international touring acts such as 3OH!3 (USA) and The Secret Handshake (USA), as well as numerous domestic acts including Closure In Moscow (Melb), Amy Meredith (Syd), Tonight Alive (Syd) and Heroes For Hire (Syd).
Extracting influences from artists such as Foo Fighters, Anberlin, Story of the Year, Saosin, Drawcard inject their own experiences and talent into a unique style which has been described as “new rock with all the sensibilities of catchy pop, but edgy enough to hold your interest”. To date the band secured a spot on the Taste of Chaos Tour, were involved in the FuelTV (AUS) “Mountain Dew Battle for Supremacy II” skate program, and were a featured band on Australia’s nationwide TripleM Radio with interviews and track rotation for the title track “Modern Rivalry”.
Having much success in Australia, they’ve also had a taste of it the States as well; with songs featured on MTV’s Real World-Road Rules Challenge, FuelTV (Fox Sports) and on Skratch Magazine’s Warped Tour compilation. On the road, DrawCard has paired up with Parkway Drive, Taking Back Sunday, Underoath, Thursday and Senses Fail.
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