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Watch and Listen to John Cale's Keynote Online
On February 15 underground rock royalty and founding member of the Velvet Underground, John Cale, cut the red ribbon for Modular and Sydney Festival's Circa 1979: Signal to Noise with a Keynote speech at the Seymour Centre.
Hipsters rubbed shoulders with electronic pioneers in a packed out York Theatre as Cale showed off a few snaps and described working with the likes of Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Happy Mondays, The Stooges and LCD Soundsystem before capping things off with a mind blowing rendition of "Heart Break Hotel."
If you missed the speech or want to listen/watch it again, ABC's Big Ideas are streaming it online.
January 28, 2010 at 10:23am in circa 1979: signal to noise
Fresh from loping in at #2 and #74 on triple j's Hottest 100, Sydney's ART vs SCIENCE have recently achieved Gold status in the ARIA Charts for their the eponymous debut EP (out through Green/MGM). The Hottest 100 result also effected the re-entry of the EP into the Top 5 on iTunes and back into the ARIA Top 40. It is currently sitting at no. 1 on the physical singles chart.
Released last May, the independently-released 5-track EP contains radio favourites Parlez-Vous Francais?, Hollywood, Flippers and Friend in the Field. Its performance in the charts was no doubt augmented by the three piece's scene-stealing live show, which has seen the band play at countless festivals and sold-out gigs around the country over the past 12 months.
ART vs SCIENCE have again teamed up with producer/engineer Berkfinger and are currently in the studio writing and recording their anticipated debut long-player. The album - to be released independently through Green/MGM, with label services assistance from Parallel Management - is due out in June 2010. Keep an ear out for the first single in April.
TOUR DATES
16 Feb 2010 ENMORE THEATRE supporting GOSSIP, Sydney - onstage 8.35pm
19 Feb 2010 ADELAIDE FRINGE FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT Adelaide
20 Feb 2010 GOOD VIBRATIONS @ PARKLANDS SHOWGROUNDS Gold Coast
21 Feb 2010 GOOD VIBRATIONS @ FLEMINGTON RACECOURSE Melbourne
11 Mar 2010 OFF THE RAILS @ PADDINGTON ALE HOUSE Perth
12 Mar 2010 OFF THE RAILS @ LIVE Adelaide
13 Mar 2010 OFF THE RAILS @ PADDY'S Albury
25 Mar 2010 BACARDI EXPRESS TOUR @ TIVOLI Queensland
26 Mar 2010 BACARDI EXPRESS TOUR @ CLUB COFFS Coffs Harbour
27 Mar 2010 BACARDI EXPRESS TOUR @ NEWCASTLE PANTHERS Newcastle
27 Mar 2010 BACARDI EXPRESS TOUR @ LUNA PARK Sydney
www.myspace.com/artvsscience
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www.artvsscience.net
SPIRIT of INDIA presents
The Killing of Dushasana
Kathakali Dance Drama 9 (Melb) & 11 (Syd) March 2010The epic and elaborate tale of war and succession, blood and lust - The Killing of Dushasana, reveals all the beauty and brutality of India’s alluring and elaborate history and culture. Catch the enthralling dance-drama for one night only at Sydney’s Seymour Centre on Thursday 11 March (7pm) and Melbourne’s Town Hall Tuesday 9 March (7pm).
Rarely seen outside of Kerela, Southern India’s stunning coastal state; this very special performance tells the story of two families - the Kauravas and the Pandavas, in traditional Kathakali dance style - one of India’s most elaborate and ancient forms of dance.
Performed by the world-renowned Kerala Kalamandalam Dance Company, The Killing of Dushasana is a central episode of the famous Sanskrit epic The Mahabhrata, one of India’s most significant cultural and religious tales. And tells of the great civil war in the kingdom of the Kurus, where modern Delhi now sits. With one hundred thousand verses, the poem is the longest in existence and a cornerstone of Hindu mythology and philosophical thought; the other being The Ramayana.
Brought to Australia by the Nataraj Cultural Centre for the 32nd SPIRIT of INDIA cultural tour, the powerfully artistic dance-drama comes direct from Womadelaide, and comprises 17 dancers, singers, actors, drummers, and make-up artists. Akin to and around as old as Japan’s Kabuki Theatre tradition, Kathakali developed over centuries in Kerala, with elaborate costumes and make up that can take up to four hours to prepare. The performance delivers an artistic impact that needs to be experienced to be fully understood.
The Killing of Dushasana begins with a dice-game - the Pandavas are lured to gamble with their cousins the Kauravas for succession to the throne they are supposed to be sharing. The stakes are high - the Kingdom, and then as a last desperate bid, Draupadi, wife of the five Pandava brothers (married to them all to avoid jealousies), are the ultimate prize. When the game is lost Draupadi is publicly disrobed. Exile for 13 years is punishment for the brothers. But when the Pandavas return the Kauravas refuse to give up a share of the Kingdom.
The centre-piece is the famed Bhagavadgita, containing Lord Krishna’s sermon on selfless action delivered to Arjuna (a Pandava), to urge him to fight when he begins to lose nerve. Considered one of the most important texts in the history of literature and philosophy, it sets out the Indian concept of Dharma, often described as a concise guide to Hindu theology, also considered a practical, self-contained guide to life.
The sermon leads to a great bloody war at Kurukshetra, near Delhi which rages until the Pandava brothers and Lord Krishna are the only contenders left. This is represented in the final scene where the angry Bhima (a Pandava) rips open Dushasana’s body (a Kaurava), drinking his blood.
A phenomenal display of music, culture and dance the performance lasts for two hours, with an interval; and is an Indian feast for the eyes and ears rarely seen at this level of authenticity in Australia. There are two performances at the Womadelaide Festival (6 and 7 March); one at Melbourne’s Town Hall (09 March) and Sydney’s Seymour Centre (11 March) 2010.
KEY INFORMATION:
SYDNEY CONCERT 11 March 2010 7PM
VENUE Seymour Centre, Everest Theatre
PRICE $25-70
BOOKINGS www.seymour.usyd.edu.au
P: 02 9352 7940
MELBOURNE CONCERT 09 March 2010 7PM
VENUE Melbourne Town Hall
PRICE $25-$70
BOOKINGS TICKETMASTER
P: 1300 136 166
The Nataraj Cultural Centre
The Centre, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2010 was set up in 1980 and incorporated as a non profit-making society in 1983. The Centre owes its inspiration to the magnificent India International Centre, New Delhi.
It aims to promote the study and performance of the classical music of India in order to create stronger cultural ties between Australia and New Zealand; and India; and to look after the cultural needs of settlers from South Asia and of other interested Australians and New Zealanders.
The Centre provides facilities for the study of both Hindustani and Carnatic music, by way of short-term courses and workshops by eminent visiting musicians. The Centre’s main arts activity is the SPIRIT of INDIA concerts, which presents India's classical music annually in Australia and New Zealand.
Indian music
Indian music, Hindustani and Carnatac, has been an integral part of the religious and cultural life of India for over two thousand years, with an elaborate musical theory and literature. It is purely melodic – it neither needs nor implies harmony. Unlike Western music, Indian music retains its roots in pure melody and rhythm. Indian classical music is based on the concepts of Raga – the melodic basis of composition and improvisation, and Tala – the rhythmic framework.
The rhythmic texture of this music is highly intricate and ornamented with grace notes. It is lyrical and sensual and aims at creating a definite mood. Since Indian music is not written down, every performance is virtually a new composition, but the musician has to improvise within a well-defined traditional Raga. “Perhaps the most moving and exciting quality of Indian music is the innocence of its rapture. However sophisticated the means… complex the structure... nothing is lost of the child's freshness of wonder.” Yehudi Menuhin
Kerala Kalamandalam
A major centre for learning Indian performing arts, especially those that developed in the southern state of Kerala, Kerala Kalamandalam is situated in the village of Cheruthuruthy in Thrissur district on the banks of the Bharathapuzha. The institution, now a deemed university, was founded in 1930 by poet Vallathol Narayana Menon and Manakkulam Mukunda Raja. Kalamandalam imparts training in classical dance and theatre forms like Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Kudiyattam, Thullal, Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam, and Nangiar Koothu, besides the traditional orchestra called Panchavadyam. Training is also given in various percussion instruments like chenda, maddalam and mizhavu.
Kalamandalam follows the gurukula sampradayam, the ancient Indian education system based on residential tutelage. The inception of Kalamandalam gave a second life to three major classical performing arts of Kerala, as Kathakali, Kudiyattam and Mohiniyattam were, by the turn of 20th century, facing the threat of extinction under various regulations of the colonial authorities. It was at this juncture, in 1927, that Vallathol Narayana Menon and Mukunda Raja came forward and formed a society called Kerala Kalamandalam.
They solicited donations from the public and conducted a lottery in order to raise funds for this society. Kerala Kalamandalam was inaugurated in November 1930 at Kunnamkulam, and was later shifted to the village of Cheruthuruthy, just south of Shoranur in 1933.The Maharaja of Cochin donated land and a building. Subsequently, a dance department was started to revive Mohiniyattom.
Kalamandalam was conceived to provide training to its students in the Gurukula Sampradaya, an ancient tradition of residential schooling where students stayed with the teachers, sharing the same atmosphere and learning from them the nuances of the arts. Eminent masters were brought to Kalamandalam.
Al Di Meola with World Sinfonia
Touring Australia & New Zealand
from March 2010
Legendary guitarist, Al Di Meola is bringing his 6-piece Latin Jazz Fusion band World Sinfonia to our shores in March 2010. One of the most prominent virtuosos in the contemporary instrumental jazz field, Al Di Meola’s dazzling technique on both acoustic and electric guitars is unmatched, extending to fluid arpeggios flying at breakneck speed and beautiful, slow vibrato-laden melodies.
The tour commences in Perth and extends through NSW, Queensland, New Zealand, Tasmania, South Australia and ACT. Provocative and enchanting, Al Di Meola’s intriguing union of complex rhythms, lyrical melodies and sophisticated harmonies ensures an unforgettable aural sensation.
Known for his guitar mastery, Al Di Meola has twenty one recordings, three gold albums and has recorded and played with a number of illustrious names including Paul Simon, Phil Collins, Santana, Luciano Pavarotti, Jimmy Page, Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa, Chick Corea, Steve Winwood, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Jaco Pastorius, Les Paul, Jean Luc Ponty, Steve Vai, Milton Naciemento, Egberto Gismonti, and many more.
Early in his career Al Di Meola was bestowed a Grammy, as part of Chick Corea’s Return To Forever. He has been voted World’s Best Guitarist several times by Guitar Player Magazine and has had sold out concerts across the world including Bulgaria and the United States.
Al Di Meola’s finds inspiration in music cultures across the world including sounds from Argentina, Brazil, Israel and the Mediterranean and in acoustic genres such as flamenco and the tango. The depth of his writing along with the soulfulness of his guitar expression have won this guitar virtuoso legions of fans worldwide, having played over many years to sell out shows across Europe, Canada and his native USA.
Of Di Meola, Guitar historian Robert Lynch said: “In the history of the electric guitar, no one figure has done more to advance the instrument in a purely technical manner than Al Di Meola. His total command of the various styles and scales is simply mind-boggling.”
Al Di Meola
with World Sinfonia
Australian & New Zealand Tour
MARCH & APRIL 2009
Perth Concert Hall
March 5
08 9231 9900
Sydney City Recital Hall Angel PlaceMarch 7
02 8256 2222
Bellingen Memorial Hall
March 9
02 6655 1522
Byron Bay High SchoolMarch 10
Enmore Theatre Sydney
March 12
02 9550 3666
The Basement, Sydney
March 13
02 9251 2797
Christchurch James Hay
BrisbaneMarch 15
136 246
Kuranda Amphitheatre
New ZealandMarch 16
1300 762 545
Auckland The Great Hall
March 18
0800 289 842
James Hay Theatre Christchurch
March 19
03366 8899
Wellington Opera House
March 22
04384 3840
Hobart City HallMarch 24
1300 762 545
Melbourne Hamer Hall
March 25
1300 182 183
Adelaide Her Majesty’s Theatre
March 26
08 8216 8600
Canberra Royal Theatre March 27
02 6243 5711
Newcastle Civic Theatre
March 29
02 4929 1977
Riverside Theatres, Parramatta
March 30
02 8839 3399
INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED AND GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING GUITARIST MARTIN TAYLOR TO TOUR AUSTRALIA WITH UK'S FASTEST RISING JAZZ SINGER ALISON BURNS IN MARCH 2009
When Grammy award winning guitarist Martin Taylor (pictured), who has collaborated with great singers including Peggy Lee, Martin Carthy, Jamie Cullum, Dionne Warwick and Bryn Terfel, chose to record a special duo album with a vocalist he chose the UKs fastest rising jazz singer Alison Burns.
[ Click here to read more ]
Quite a good deal of out and out fun from hostess with the mostess; I like to call her Dazzle, but really it's Daz Chandler doing her usual wonderful best interviewing a comedian notorious for being difficult to interview.
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