Welcome Release - Review

March 7th 2011 04:38

The Dynamites
KABOOM!

Actually the title says it all, it's dynamite as in, it goes off, and it does go kaboom in a way, if you were speaking figuratively. Charles Walker is featured as vocalist and he sounds just hungry enough to make a real fine impression. Walker has the depth and scope to inject these funky classics with exactly the right groove. His pitch is great and funk singing sounds right for him. The messages of the songs are convincing with Walker expelling the details with emotionally coherent aplomb.

The style is familiar, funk in its nineteen seventies heyday. Derek Phillips' swift and soulful drumming bounds along with fruity precision adding a visceral glide to the music, it keeps on leaping. These beats make this listener feel like dripping silver sweat onto the dance floor, very nice.

Every band member is obviously putting intensely finetuned magic into their effort along with that jam sense, that quality of rambunctiousness that says "We’re having one hot shit of a time so you just relax and lilt to the vibe," and it is difficult to ignore.

I can imagine these dudes live. It would not simply be fun to watch, The Dynamites as far as I can tell. It would be the kaboom blast promised on the album. During a really enjoyable act like this I imagine you would draw on their energy to get as high as a funky beat will take you, and that’s a long way. The brass is always a special feature in these bands obviously, after all without the brass you do not get that full blooded sound. As exemplary as this brass is, what makes it perfect is the blend.

The production by Leo Black keeps it all real. One sad thing that comes up is the over produced album that sounds like it’s being played in a vacuum; sort of distant and muted on some level, enough to make it non-resonant. No problems like that here. I can taste the air, it’s sweeter for these vibes passing through. Many thanks to The Dynamites for being there. Come to Australia – gig wid us. Love it.

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Posted By: David Jobling - Category: Welcome Release, Review, CD/DVD

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101 Must see movies for Gay Men

May 12th 2010 04:52

MATURE CONTENT

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REVIEW * Iron Man 2

April 29th 2010 00:53

The review is at the bottom of the page.

Well the Press Kit certainly made a big splash on the bloggsphere. Quite a few folks are so excited about Iron Man 2 bursting into cinemas they simply had to report on how value packed the Press Kit was.

Evidently a full box, big enough to contain a portable television arrived, printed in full colour on the outside - the Iron Manhimself. Inside - lots of toys. Crap mainly, unless you are a kid, or a kid at heart - or a really geeky film buff who wants to salivate over the opening of a movie. I am looking forward to seeing the film myself, but I'm not getting too het up about it. I expect a good film based on the first.

Iron Man 2 will be a good film; it has no choice. The cast is like butter. Pure butter. Every one of them would melt in your mouth one way or another - but nothing will convince me, short of a really bad film, that Robert Downey Jr could possibly stay connected and involved if it were crap. He has had such a rocky career - good for him. Every difficulty etched into his beautiful handsome expressive face. The way he is aging at this stage of his life makes him all the more strong as a character actor, and he certainly is one great character actor. I'd put himself and Johnny depp up on the same shelf. Quite different in every respect, but both of them act well. Soapdish is my favourite Downey Jr film with Fur and Chaplin standing alonside. There's no way I can say there is one film that shines above all the others (that I've seen yet) individually. These three are my top favourites, and then seriously, pretty much everything I've seen him in, I've really enjoyed his work. Tropic Thunder is hilarious, I love it; I thought he was extremely funny. I didn't realise for most of the film that it was him. I saw it on DVD, not in cinema release. I'm expecting to catch Iron Man 2 pretty soon, so I'll post a review here later. Keep reading and see what you think of what I thought.

I'm glad they didn't go stupid and battle to push IRON MAN 2 into the 3D screen maze. It would be good if the series stayed away from all of that I think, however the market value of IRON MAN 3D is probably way too high to consider they'd steer clear of making us wear funny glasses and risk a headache for long, after all it's not the same, IRON MAN 4 in 3D would just look silly.

filmschoolrejects.com IRON MAN 2 Gallery

Well I had a feeling it was not going to be a bad movie and I was right. In fact as far as super hero movies go - I think IRON MAN 2 has lifted the whole game somewhat. It will one day be looked at by film buffs and writers as the shift in tone that provided a clue to anyone trying to crack the code of how to write a very good script for a blockbuster in this genre.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) spends the best part of the film trying to stay alive, but not because of bad guys - his own advanced life saving technology is killing him. This certainly makes for some tension, almost as much as you need really since Tony is such a crowd pleaser of a character. He is full of dry comment that simply stabs at the funny bone. Brought up in a wealthy environment, he knows nothing of waiting in line or being put on hold; his attitude rises every time anyone provides him with a reason to buck. The thought of him ending up dead so soon... well it is not a nice thought. He is however demonstrating a slightly too flippant devil-may-care attitude which does get him brought before a government hearing.

Sam Rockwell, an actor with a devoted fan base plays one of the sods who causes Tony to buck a little - Justin Hammer. Hammer leads the weapons race, well, he's just behind Stark Enterprises, until he manages to get hold of one of the Iron Man suits. His answer to bringing world peace is to create robot drones who will fight, but of course it's not his idea; Hammer is a man short on ideas but generally very amusing when it comes to the silly walk stakes (he pulls some beauties). Arriving pretty much out of the blue is Ivan Vanko (played to perfection by Mickey Rourke) who builds his own version of the Iron Man suit - but I'm not going to spill too much and spoil it for everybody so read on fearlessly.

Add to this already impressive collection of actors some extremely beautiful and talented women, Gwyneth Paltrow is back as Virginia Pepper Potts, and she is assisted to some degree by the astonishingly agile Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) a.k.a. The Black Widow. Here is where the script and overall story arc is really smart - so smart it makes many of the previously released series of films (Superman, Batman cira. 1980's and X-Men) look a little stilted.

We know S.H.I.E.L.D. exists, it's in the comic books, it's quaintly tagged on to the end of IRON MAN the first film... well now there's a real interaction between S.H.I.E.L.D. Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division and Iron Man - but wait there's more, and it will all come out later - in other words - the scriptwriters, producers etc. have kept it subtle - there's no big reveal, just a scent of more to come.

I have no doubt we will see more of these films, and I am already betting that a time will come when Tony Stark is played by Downey Jr as a special guest in a range of Marvel Studios pictures that will soon be rolling out covering the many many tales of S.H.I.E.L.D. - It's a hunch, but a good one; and you know what that probably means? At least one TV Series in the not too distant - give it about a decade or so - that is what I think it means.

This well devised plotting, and the ever wise cracking Stark are the main reasons why I think this is such a tight script. They are not trying to over feed us in one big sitting, (or blow all their biggest bangs at once) they are getting us hooked, or showing restraint in the roll-out of the series. I'm happily hooked. I think I was hooked the minute I saw Downey Jr all suited up and having a lot of fun.

The special effects are of course something to see. Pretty amazing. I was a little stunned that they could manage to set some of the action in the Grand Prix in Monaco seamlessly intermingled with their own action sequences, however don't watch the crowd (as if) or you may start to feel a bit tetchy about it all. Don't get me wrong, the big set action scenes at Monaco are great, and it's fascinating to see such well blended and edited real life event footage being combined with outrageously fantastic sci-fi action stunts, but as is most often the way with such things, some of the background 'extras' are not really all that well intergrated or combined.

I don't want to spell this little flaw out because it is a piffle, a little flaw. So go ahead, look yourself - don't watch the action (if you can take your eyes off of it) watch the crowds in the background if you want to know what I mean - but I do warn you it may water the whole thing down a little if you do, sort of snap you back into reality for a minute. You may as well just watch the action and ignore my comment until your second or third viewing of the film. Yes, it is worthy of more than one viewing as far as I'm concerned. It's a wealth of material cut together really well so you can easily watch it again and again.

The movie soundtrack is also somewhat restrained but very gutsy - so again, the movie makers here are really keeping things under positive control. They are showing enough restraint to keep me happy.

The main issues in this story, to be continued, are sensible understandable and well directed. The continuing of the franchise should do very well at least for one more Iron Man film (probably in 3D) and then the other stories will start to come out.

It's a little intense to think about, but S.H.I.E.L.D. have a load of super heroes ready to bust into action, a little like the Justice League of America, only crunchy... What I mean is, there's a gritty quality to all the S.H.I.E.L.D. stuff in the comics, so why not bring it? I'm sure they will.

I say this is a very good follow up to the first film. They will sit nicely together on the DVD shelf eventually. You'd have to be a bit of a humbug to not enjoy it - but don't let your expectations run too wild - just go and see this film for some good laughs, based on wit, and some great action scenes, and a tinge of romance, but the palest tinge - which suits me fine.

I like the laughs and the action, which is why I think it's so great. Sexual tension a la X Men, Superman and Spider Man... Who needs it?

superherohype.com's
Iron Man 2 Stills

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Posted By: David Jobling - Category: Welcome Release, Review, Australia National

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Chamber Music Festival 2010

February 5th 2010 22:56

Chinese Gardens
Chamber Music Festival 2010

Musica Viva is pleased to support the Chinese Garden Chamber Music Festival

Following on from the success of the first ever Chinese music festival in Australia in February 2009, the 2010 Chinese Garden Chamber Music Festival will be held:

February 4th to 6th in Sydney’s Chinese Garden of Friendship (Download Brochure)

We are proud to announce that 2010 will feature three of China’s masters of the erhu, pipa and guqin, Xing Lu, Tong Ying and Jin Wei. These extraordinary, virtuosic musicians will join prominent Australian artists in performing Chinese and Australian works, both ancient and modern. You will hear some of the world’s best chamber musicians from both countries in the intimate and magical environment of the Chinese Garden including the Orava String Quartet, Chinese Australian Music Ensemble, cellist Patrick Murphy, percussionists Claire Edwards, Kevin Man and Timothy Constable and The Sydney Chinese Music Ensemble.

There will be six concerts over the three days – three ‘yum cha’ concerts, all beginning at 11.30am, and three evening concerts at 7pm each night. Tickets will also include stimulating pre-talks before evening concerts and an excellent Chinese meal. Wine will be available.

Only 147 tickets are available for each concert and bookings can be made through the Musica Viva box office on 1800 688 482

More information about the festival HERE

John Huie
Artistic Director

"John Huie is an Australian musician and arranger that has spent some considerable time in Hong Kong and China researching various world music styles, including film soundtracks for Golden Harvest and also a commemorative piece for the 1997 handover. Now based in Shanghai, he has put together a crack band of local musicians to recreate many of the 1930’s jazz songs that were the soundtrack to the city in its pre-war heyday. “Shanghai Jazz – Musical Seductions From China’s Age of Decadence” is the sublime result."

"After moving to Shanghai in 2002, he spent three years researching and reproducing the authentic songs and musical style of Shanghai in the 1930s. The albums Shanghai Jazz 1 and Shanghai Jazz 2, were released by EMI. Huie then continued to write for small ensembles using a combination of traditional European and Chinese instruments, which resulted in the release of New Shanghai, also with EMI.During this time he wrote a number of film scores including The White Countess by legendary New York based film duo Merchant Ivory." SOUNDPET

Read the review for last years festival by Peter McGill below

Venue: Chinese Gardens, Darling Harbour, Sydney

Dates: 5, 6, 7, & 8th February, 2009

Producers: Chinese Chamber Music Company | Musica Viva | Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority

February in Sydney is the perfect time to be sitting in the magical setting of the Chinese Gardens, Darling Harbour, and listening to chamber music. This was the inaugural festival which means that we will be treated to this event, hopefully, for many years to come. The music began just before dusk and on a gorgeous summer evening the Chinese Gardens couldn’t have looked more beautiful.

The proceedings began with a ‘Greeting to Country’ and the Festival was opened by the Governor of NSW Professor Marie Bashir AC. The Artistic Director of the Festival was John Z. Huie who is a graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium High School and has studied under Carl Vine. He lived for 15 years in Hong Kong, from 1991, studying the art of Chinese Chamber music. He was commissioned by the Hong Kong government to compose a piece, which he called “The Honourable Retreat”, for the handover from British rule back to China on 30th June, 1997. In 2002 he moved to Shanghai to research the complexities of that city's authentic songs of the 1930’s, later composing an album Shanghai Jazz, produced by EMI, and for which a tribute concert was held recently to honour his contributions. He has also written film scores, choral works, and produced, composed, and performed in various music ensembles.

Chinese instrumentalists performing with traditional instruments were a delightful highlight to the festival and the opening piece was Fang Yu on the ‘guqin’ which is one of the worlds oldest instruments.

The Shanghai Chinese Music Ensemble played a traditional Chinese folk song “Chun Jiang Hua Yue Ye”, (English translation “Night Along The River”) with other traditional instruments and Lulu Liu played a ‘pipa’ solo called “Ospreys Sporting with Water”. In the second half of evening The Chinese Australian Chamber Ensemble with guest artists Professor Wang Zheng Ting (sheng)and Tony Wheeler (zhong ruan) played a traditional Chinese New Year piece. To round out the evening Australian pianist Michael Kierin Harvey performed “Goldfish” by Debussy and “Mephisto Waltz No.1” by Liszt.

Not all the music on offer was instrumental. We were treated to the pentatonic sounds of ‘pingtan’, a traditional Suzhou (Chinese) Opera, which has harmonies in pentatonic scales that align with the ancient instruments of China. Sung in Chinese and a little foreign to the western ear it was accessible because of its use of the pentatonic scale, quite an experience.

The music in this festival is out of the ordinary and the opportunity to experience the worlds’ pre-eminent practitioners playing instruments thousands of years old in their design is exciting and new to Australia. If you missed the Inaugural Chinese Chamber Music Festival put it in your diary for next year. I doubt you will be disappointed.

Peter McGill.

112

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Posted By: David Jobling - Category: Welcome Release, Review, Live, Sydney Scene, News, Qstage

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REVIEW | Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story

March 4th 2009 11:39

Fifty years to the day that Buddy Holly died in an airplane crash, 3rd February, Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story opened at the Star City Casino in the Lyric Theatre. Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley on 7th September, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas, U.S.A. His nickname came from his mother who said she called him Buddy because Charles Hardin was too long a name for such a little boy. As a child he learned to play the piano, violin, and guitar. When he was 13 years old he teamed up with school mate Bob Montgomery and they performed bluegrass locally as Buddy and Bob. Holly's break came when the duo performed as support artists for Bill Haley and his Comets resulting in Holly being contracted by Decca Records as a solo artist. His solo career was uneventful so he formed his band The Crickets and begun recording at Norman Petty's studios in Clovis, New Mexico where they recorded their early hit That’ll Be The Day, the phrase taken from the film The Searchers, a repeated phrase of John Wayne's.

Petty had a strong belief in Holly and contacted people he knew at Coral Records to sign him. Coral was a subsidiary of Decca and this put Holly in the unusual position of having two recording contracts at the same time. It was in one of these early contracts that Holley became known as Holly due to a spelling mistake and he stuck with it.

Buddy Holly was progressive for his time in that he used unusual instrumentations - e.g. the celesta on “Everyday”, vocal techniques - his use of “uh” in the middle of words, and he crossed the racial divide when mistakenly booked to play the Apollo Theatre, New York which was an all-black venue and successfully wooed the audience. His influence on popular music was integral to its’ development, he also instigated a higher level of engineering in the studio by layering his recordings with multiple vocal and instrumental lines before overdubbing became the norm. Examples of this can be heard on “Words of Love” and “Listen To Me”.

Buddy has been seen here in Sydney before and has been playing somewhere in the world for nineteen years, had over 16,000 performances and been seen by an estimated 20 million viewers.

In Australia the title role is played by Scott Cameron who does an amazing job of re-creating the Buddy Holly persona. He not only sings the songs with the characteristics that are synonymous with Holly he also plays the guitar riffs with blinding accuracy.

It is well known that Buddy Holly died in a plane crash with two other music luminaries of the day namely The Big Bopper, Jiles Perry Richardson Jnr, and Ritchie Valens, Richard Steven Valenzuela. The Big Bopper (known to friends as ‘Jape’) was a DJ who carved a career out of speaking most of his lyrics and had a hit with Chantilly Lace. Ritchie Valens was the first Hispanic, American born rock and roll star with hits “Donna” and “La Bamba”.

Luke Tonkin plays The Big Bopper with panache. Ritchie Valens is played by Sydney actor Flip Simmons, he sings superbly and moves around the stage deftly with all the gyrations that Valens was renowned for.

The show not only brings back all the wonderful well known hits but gives an insight into the journey that Buddy Holly and the Crickets went on. How they began playing country music, then rockabilly, and the development of their own distinctive style. The creative team of Director Craig Ilott, Musical Director Peter Laughton, Set Designer Christopher Smith, Lighting Designer Kevin Cawley, and Sound Designer John Taylor, have created an excellent evening of rock ‘n’ roll entertainment.

Peter McGill.

Performance Times
Tuesday 8pm
Wednesday 1pm & 8pm
Thursday 8pm
Friday 8pm
Saturday 2pm & 8pm
Sunday 5pm

Address:
Star City Pty Limited
80 Pyrmont Street,
Pyrmont NSW 2009

Telephone Enquiries:
General enquiries and Administration: (02) 9777 9000
International callers: 61 2 9777 9000

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You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story | BOOK REVIEW

February 6th 2009 07:57

Way back in 1923 brothers Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack L. Warner incorporated their new motion picture company which continues to this day to produce major films.

Warner Brothers

You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story

Warner Bros. (WB) Studios’ 85th anniversary was celebrated in 2008 and part of the celebration was the release of, You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story, an illuminating new documentary produced, written and directed by award-winning filmmaker and Time magazine Senior Film critic Richard Schickel. Clint Eastwood narrates.

The documentary You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story was broadcast in the USA in three-parts. Now you can have much of the detail on your lap in the form of this beautiful hard cover publication written by Richard Schickel & George Perry, with a Foreword by Clint Eastwood. It's a handsomely covered coffee table book spins-off and ties-in to the five-hour PBS doco that Schickel wrote and produced. Full of essays on the studio's history from its humble beginnings through a variety of changes in corporate ownership.

Insights into characters such as John Wayne, George Cukor, Gene Kelly, Judy Garland and John Ford (to name a few) are quite fascinating. The political piquancy of WB is quite evident as you sort through the hard boiled Detectives and zany crazy comics, the very drunk Elizabeth Taylor (in Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?) who have all featured heavily in one way or another in the company's history.

Warner Bros. like all film production companies tend to reflect edgy or deeply held values of society - they'll swing from one extreme to another; sometimes it's high moral ground other times it's kooky sexy strangeness they explore. Producing films for example like Driving Miss Daisy and The Witches of Eastwick in the 1980's they were not only encouraging great emerging Australian film making talent, they were giving out a vast amount of information about injustice and intolerance, a very worthy thing to do even embedded in a drama or a comedy.

WB sold us Bonnie and Clyde, Cool Hand Luke, Gypsy, Risky Business, and What's Up Doc? and Schickel & Perry cover the studio's entire history with fantastic photographs from many many films.

Poster art from films such as Yankee Doodle Dandy is beautifully reproduced with full page glossy pictures from WB's all time classic, and one of the most remembered WB films of all time Casablanca. More recent films recorded in this great history of the studio include The Matrix and The Polar Express, Sweeny Todd, of course I could go on but I think the best advice for film lovers is go out and find this book, add it to your library. It will be a great coffee table book because it is more than a nice picture book, it's got history, guts and glamor for sure.

For more information about Richard Schickel and his work, visit www.richardschickel.com

David Jobling

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REVIEW | NEIL YOUNG | BIG DAY OUT

February 3rd 2009 03:26

NEIL YOUNG AT THE BIG DAY OUT

It's difficult to find words for the emotional impact this concert took on me. What a fantastic musician, singer and personality Neil Young is. Why was I emotionally staggered seeing/hearing him? The simple answer is - he has been a constant all my life. In fact we used (my older sister) to have a green vinyl bootleg of a concert he gave in 1978 or thereabouts. It had his classics of the day on it, a good deal of rambling philosophy leaning towards preserving the natural world of the time... Mother Nature featured big then, and although she still does, it was his intense rocking soul that cracked through the generations.

Surrounded by younger folk who had spent hours and hours hearing all sorts of great music, Big Day Out crowds in Adelaide certainly took a little while to place Young's sound and appreciate it. A stinking hot day didn't really stop anyone from enjoying the day, it was awesome over all; not the least because so many of Young's songs have been part of the fabric of life for at least thirty years. When he sang Hurricane there was a swell of recognition - it was all on for the massive 30,000 strong crowd. Maybe 6000 of them were my age (mid 40's) and they mostly seemed to be sitting in the shade up the back quietly enjoying the view and the music.

Sure, down the front in the mosh pit some yelled disrespectfully "Play some rock and roll" but they didn't do that for long. Needle and the damage done caused a bit of a quiet riot. One 20-something lad who had been bagging the "old dude" on stage suddenly shut up and sat down on the cool grass. There's always been power and emotion in Young's work. Part of my excitement and enthusiasm was a direct result of watching many younger people hearing some of his classics in the flesh. The songs still mean as much, if not more, today as they did 30 years ago.

The set was dressed with a range of novel fans, hanging letters and golden light. All in all it was an excellent concert and I was just as excited at the end of it as my 15 year old was; and he was very skeptical about the whole idea of an elder statesman of folk rock (nearly as old as his grandfather) until the messages and emotional journeys.

Top quality, no holes barred - beautiful concert.

NEIL YOUNG at BIG DAY OUT? You better believe it. From the festival that brought you the likes of Iggy Pop, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica and Nick Cave. In 2009, BIG DAY OUT presents legendary guitarist and songwriter NEIL YOUNG –Anti-war protestor. Hall of Famer. Environmental crusader. Instantly recognisable vocalist. Father. Social activist. Filmmaker. Godfather of Grunge. Oscar-nominated songwriter. Crazy Horse. Buffalo Springfield. Crosby, Stills, Nash and…

YOUNG’s 90-minute BIG DAY OUT sets around the nation will crackle into life at 8.30pm on the main stage and are guaranteed to be full of classics. His electric band features long-time cohort and pedal steel guitarist Ben Keith, bassist Rick Rosas, drummer Chad Cromwell, guitarist Anthony Crawford and singer/guitarist (and wife) Pegi Young.

For a taste of what you’re in for, check out this hit-heavy setlist YOUNG played at Denmark’s Roskilde festival earlier this year: Love and Only Love; Hey Hey, My My; Powderfinger; Spirit Road; Cinnamon Girl; All Along the Watchtower; Oh, Lonesome Me; Mother Earth; The Needle and the Damage Done; Unknown Legend; Heart of Gold; Old Man; Get Back to the Country; Words; No Hidden Path; A Day in the Life.

Reviews from YOUNG’s string of festival appearances this past European summer have singled the shows out as some of his best in years – pointing to the feelgood singalong moments, the band’s awe-inspiring rock playing and “full-on electric assault”, the moving and “simply harmonious” nature of the “quieter section” of the set, the frontman’s good mood, and the great atmosphere in the crowd.

“NEIL YOUNG is… NEIL YOUNG. How else can it be put? No one else can do this. Live, he’s the greatest, hands down. A cathartic and primal musical experience.” (Epoch Times, July 2008)

Back in the States in October, Spin witnessed this elder statesman of rock kick off his US tour by breathing “new vitality into songs more than three decades old… his set became a veritable greatest hits collection”.

It’s been five years since YOUNG last toured Down Under – and even longer since he delivered such a dream setlist for fans. Who knows when he will be back again? So whether you’ve followed him for years, or you’re in need of a rock’n’roll history lesson, NEIL YOUNG at BIG DAY OUT 2009 is a rarefied experience you can’t afford to miss.

Tickets to his Sydney and Melbourne solo shows and to the Sydney and Gold Coast BIG DAY OUTs were snapped up within hours of going on sale but if you’re quick you may still be able to experience one of the greatest rock and roll experiences of your lifetime at one of the following shows.

NEIL YOUNG SOLO SHOWS

supported by My Morning Jacket

BRISBANE l Wednesday 21 January l BRISBANE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE

Tickets: Ticketek www.ticketek.com.au Outlets and Phonecharge 132 849

SYDNEY l Sat 24 January l SYDNEY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE

Tickets: Ticketmaster www.tickemaster.com.au Outlets and Phone charge 136 100

MELBOURNE l Wednesday 28 January l MYER MUSIC BOWL l SOLD OUT!!!

Please go to bigdayout.com for all ticketing details.

NEIL YOUNG AT THE BIG DAY OUT 2009

GOLD COAST l Sunday 18 January l Parklands

SOLD OUT ticket ballot in place

SYDNEY l Friday 23 January l Sydney Showground

SOLD OUT ticket ballot in place

MELBOURNE l Monday 26 January l Flemington Racecourse

BDO website SOLD OUT

Available from Ticketmaster outlets/Phonecharge 136 100, www.ticketmaster.com.au

ADELAIDE lFriday 30 January l Adelaide Showground

Available from Krypton Discs (Glenelg), Mr V Music (Semaphore), Elevator Music (Seaford), Globalize (Rundle Mall, Elizabeth, Noarlunga), Ticketmaster outlets/Phonecharge 136 100, www.ticketmaster.com.au and from our website www.bigdayout.com

PERTH l Sunday 1 February l Claremont Showground

Available from 78 Records (Perth), Mills Records (Fremantle), Planet Video (Mt Lawley), Live Clothing, Malibu Dive (Perth), Bassendean Newsagency (Bassendean), Cellarbrations (Bayswater), Trax (Mandurah), Collins Music (Bunbury), Blue 62 (Busselton), Geraldton CD Centre (Geraldton), Kalgoorlie Sound (Kalgoorlie), Vibes (Albany), Chinatown Music (Broome), Ticketmaster outlets/Phonecharge 136 100, ticketmaster.com.au or go to bigdayout.com for all ticketing details.

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Posted By: David Jobling - Category: Welcome Release, Review, Adelaide Scene, Australia National , Qstage

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Review | All Tomorrows Parties

January 24th 2009 23:56

All Tomorrows Parties

Cockatoo Island, Sydney Harbour
18th & 19th January, 2009.
Sydney Festival 2009

The Sydney Festival 2009 brought an awesome event to east coast Australia by way of ALL TOMORROWS PARTIES (ATP) which is a development in the staging of music festivals. The name itself comes from the Velvet Underground album and song of the same name which was written by Lou Reed. The song was written in response to Reed’s observations of the hangers on in Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable multimedia event tour in 1966 of which The Velvet Underground were taking part. (1)

The first of these events was held at Camber Sands, England in 1999 as an alternative to the larger more conventional events on offer. The main ideas were that it would be held in an intimate venue (usually outdoor) and the headline artists, be they musician or occasionally visual, would curate the festival by inviting their favorite performers to perform. In essence it was to be like an insight into the headlining acts own music collection, per se. Another aspect of the event was that originally, being in an intimate outdoor environment, there was an attempt to blur the personal distinctions between artists, producers, and punters. They would all stay in the same accommodation, (2) and they were to be a sponsorship free event.

The headline act and curators for ATP Australia 2009 were Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Australia’s seminal eclectic punk rock outfit and there choice of cohorts was inspiring.

Though it wasn’t possible to see everything on the bill there was plenty to choose from. A diverse mix including electronica - Spiritualized, visual art – Louis Wain, bluesman – James Blood Ulmer, and heavy soul – Afrirampo to name a few.

For the whole line up you can go to the Sydney Festival 2009 homepage. What I can tell you about are the acts I did get to see.

First up was Hoss, a Melbourne hard-rock outfit that pumped up the volume from the start and delivered an abundantly driven rock set, they were powerful and gusty. The Geyer Zone was an instillation in a tunnel which consisted of minimal lighting and a soundtrack that could barely be heard over the bands outside, so for me that was a bit of a lost experience. Michael Gira comes from New York City and was a founding member of the industrial-rock band Swans. In this incarnation he was without a band and performed solo with guitar and vocals. Don’t be fooled by that description though, he’s solo performance consisted of loud and gritty vocals accompanied by distorted gutsy six string brutality. His emotive delivery was well received. Harmonia are a mesh of ex-members of German bands such as Kraftwerk, Neu!, and Cluster. As you can guess their set was resplendent with electronica. They were a welcomed separation to the hard rock on offer. Robert Foster of the Go-Betweens provided an entertaining set with some fine memories of the eighties.

The Saints had not been seen together by Australian audiences since 1977. They rejoined to do a gig celebrating Brisbane’s music in 2008. With the original line-up of Chris Bailey, Ed Kuepper, and Ivor Hay, joined on bass by Archie Larizza. They played exactly what the crowd had come to hear, playing ‘(I’m) Stranded’ and other well known favourites.

The band we all came to see, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, gave a blistering performance delivering all the songs they are celebrated for including “All Tomorrows Parties” and “The Weeping Song”. They were all in fine form and brought the festival to a satisfying crescendo.

That wasn’t the end of the night though. Some stayed on to catch the latter performances that went on until 1:00 a.m. including The Reels.

It must be said that this was an event that will go down in the memories of the lucky few who got to experience it. The Sydney Festival 2009 not only pulled off this coup d'état in festival composition but the support arrangements were also first class. The venue, who could beat Cockatoo Island in the middle of Sydney Harbour on one of Sydney’s glorious summer days, the food was way out of the ordinary, the beverages were affordable and of high quality, and there wasn’t a line-up of more than 10 people for any of these necessities as well as the amenities and most of the time there was no line-up. I congratulate Sydney Festival 2009 for achieving such a high standard in celebration – it was an excellent event and a huge success!

Peter McGill.

(1) Wiki:

(2) Wiki:

Sydney Festival 2009

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Posted By: David Jobling - Category: Welcome Release, Review, Sydney Scene, Qstage

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REVIEW | Phillip Johnston & the Coolerators

October 9th 2008 01:06

Phillip Johnston and the Coolerators

VENUE: Riverside Theatres

DATE: Sunday 4 October at 7.30pm 2008

Parramatta Riverside Theatres

Phillip Johnston is originally from the U.S.A. and now lives in Australia. He is an accomplished saxophonist as well as being an arranger and composer of jazz and contemporary music; he has also composed for a multitude of genres such as silent film, theatre, and dance and been the force behind the ensembles the Microscopic Septet (whose back catalogue was re-released in 2006 by Cuniform Records), Big Trouble, and The Transparent Quartet. He recently collaborated with Hilary Bell, who wrote lyrics, on the silent film soundtrack Faust by F.W. Mumau, and has taught composition at the Steinhardt School of Music at New York University.

Sam Golding on the tuba adds a dynamic bass note that accentuates the swing elements and balances the timbre of the group. His musical interests include Senegalese Mbalax, Cuban Son, Caribbean Steel Pans, Cabaret, Symphony Orchestras, Classical Brass Trios and Classical Hindustani Bansouri, and Reggae. Other groups he has performed with are Jackie Orszaczky’s Budget Orchestra, Chosani Afrique, Monsieur Camembert, Sydney Conservatorium Big Band, Nadya Golski and the 101 Candles Orkestra, The S-Bend, and the Sydney University Orchestra.

jazz and swing with a splattering of funk
that is all class
Peter McGill

Toby Hall's percussion provides an abundant backbone for the quartet. Highly sort after as a drummer he has worked with the cream of Australian jazz musicians, Don Burrows, Paul Grabowsky, Bernie McGann, Phil Slater, and Vince Jones amongst the mix. He has also been engaged by top international artists such as Charles Mingus, Doug Cameron, and Sheila Jordan. Hall’s ability to play intuitive intricate rhythms and time signatures on the backbeat with distinctive and stylish elegance is an exciting feature of the group. His personality on stage also brought a welcome element of humour to the night’s entertainment.

Alister Spence is well known on the Australian jazz circuit with his group the Alister Spence Trio. He is a pianist and composer of renown and has also worked with Don Burrows and Bernie McGann, as well as a diverse range of Australian music luminaries like Ed Kuepper, Archie Roach, Paul Capsis, and Dale Barlow. He co-led the internationally recognised Clarion Fracture Zone and has contributed richly to the Australian recording industry with many of his contributions winning Australian Jazz Album of the Year.

Phillip Johnston and the Coolerators are consummate musical artists, they present a unique style of jazz performance that is relaxed, smooth, and eloquent with phrasing that bursts forth intricate improvisations in jazz and swing with a splattering of funk that is all class - for the uninitiated and jazz aficionados alike a delight to imbibe.

Peter McGill

Band Website

Band Members
Phillip Johnston: alto, soprano saxophones
Alister Spence: organ
Steve Arie: bass
Toby Hall: drums
The Coolerators is a Sydney-based quartet, led by New York expatriate Phillip Johnston, combining the organ-based “groove jazz” style identified with Jimmy Smith, Brother Jack Macduff & Dr. Lonnie Smith with more contemporary and idiosyncratic influences.

The repertoire features originals and reinvented cover tunes. It features some of Sydney’s best-loved jazz musicians: Alister Spence, organ, Steve Arie, bass, and Toby Hall, drums.

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Posted By: David Jobling - Category: Welcome Release, Review, Live, Sydney Scene, News, Qstage

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WICKED | Vale | Rob Guest

October 3rd 2008 22:04

VALE | Rob Guest (1950 - 2008)

Much loved and greatly talented thespian Rob Guest has passed away. He had been at home with his partner Kellie Dickerson, Wicked's musical director, when he collapsed about 10pm on Tuesday. In true theatre style, the show must go on, and so the Wicked cast did it with 'Guesty' in heart and mind as understudy Rodney Dobson played the Wizard, the role Guest had been performing.

Guest, 58, suffered a massive stroke on Tuesday evening in Melbourne and died early Thursday in St Vincent's Hospital after he was taken off life support, surrounded by family and friends.

The first unexpected news reports revealed his condition to be extremely grave; family, friends and fans drew their best attentions towards the well traveled actor and singer who started his life journey in England and was awarded an OBE for his services to the New Zealand entertainment industry later in life. Guest found success in USA then New Zealand as a pop star before arriving in Australia to perform in Les Miserables some years ago.

As well as Les Miserables and roles in many other shows, Guest spent seven years in the lead role as the Phantom of the Opera, performing over 2,000 performances.

Guest, relocated to Melbourne from the Gold Coast when he took the role in Wicked.

When he shall die
Take him and cut him out in little stars
And he will make the face of heav'n so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun.
~William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

The inaugural WICKED DAY will be held on Sunday 26 October 2008 at the Regent Theatre. WICKED will join forces with ANZ and Starlight Children's Foundation to create some WICKED magic for seriously ill children and their families.

This exclusive event includes a never been seen before pre-show experience hosted by Australian Producer John Frost & a ticket to the 1pm performance of WICKED (children are welcome).

Limited tickets available at $250 per head, subject to availability. Proceeds donated to the Starlight Children's Foundation. To book, please contact Ticketek Groups on (03) 9299 9030.

The official companion to the Broadway Musical
Wicked:The Grimmerie
By David Cote

This Hyperion Book is the readers master class to Wicked the stage
musical; it contains the story of the show, how it came together, the songs, the characters in breakdown and a great deal of excellent photography showing various props and set elements. It's more than a superficial look and will delight those already planning to travel
East for the Australian cast version of the show. New musicals are not exactly rare – but ones that actually entertain an audience and provide something new and engaging don't come around all that often. As one follows the yellow brick road to Wicked early on in the book it's made clear The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum is the initial
inspiration to Wicked (first the novel, then the stage musical) and
much is made of the timeless characteristics of that original font of
all things Oz.

The question 'Are people born wicked?' drives the subtext of the musical and to some degree it begs the answer 'Are people born American?!' which is not to suggest that Americans are wicked, but that the story is very American, and a fascinating reflection on the shifting standards and morals between the satirical original Oz stories and today's inspired revisiting of that wondrous place.

Wicked: The Grimmerie will provide solid insights for High School Drama students as well as anyone who wants to study theatre production or get swept up in the strikingly green world of Elphaba (she destined to become the Wicked Witch) and her salad days.

David Jobling

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