News:
· Puff 'n' Stuff
Everything that's happening in Adelaide this fortnight.
· Industry
The latest from the music industry.
· Puffio
Theatre news.
· Dance
Dance and electronica news.
· Metal
Updates from the wide world of metal.
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Puff 'n' Stuff.
By the time this issue hits what we in the Biz call "the streets", the first announcement for the Big Day Out will have been released. Like this very issue, the first announcement came out on Wed 5 Oct and Puff tried plenty hard to get list a couple of days early in order to include it here - begging, cajoling, threatening, then finally breaking into the BDO office in a 'Mission: Impossible'-style wire harness with McDonalds drive-through headset - but it was all to no avail. Hence, we can't even reveal who one of the major stage headliners will be. Pity.
Speaking of which, it's worth keeping in mind that since dB
Magazine is a CIB ticket outlet, it'll be a place in which you'll
be able to get your BDO ticket. And might Puff suggest that
you get in early: not only is the line up looking like the best
in years, the recent sellouts for The Falls Festival, Sydney's
Homebake festival and now the Meredith Music Festival (yep,
it's just sold out too - there's not a single ticket available
anywhere, so don't go bothering Melbourne for one) all adds
up to one inescapable conclusion: there's going to be a whole
lot of disappointed punters who didn't grab their ticket early.
In fact, Puff's going to go out on a limb and predict a sellout
before Xmas: just you wait. Consider yourself warned.
And while you're at dB Magazine you'll be able to grab your
copy of Music Index of SA & Victoria: all the contacts anyone
in the music industry could possibly need, from artists to venues,
studios to agents, record companies to record shops in one handy
publication. It'll be available from Wed 12 Oct, and also includes
the fourth Sound Of MISA compilation, featuring new (and in
several cases unreleased) tracks from I Killed The Prom Queen,
Straight To Video, Later That Night, Blow Up Betty, Matt's Little
Brother, Pharaohs, Ianto Ware, Granny Flat, The Phobias, Beat
Smugglers, Problem Pony, Blame Jayne, Belittle League, Central
Deli Band, Little Ice Age and In Fiction! Hence, not only can
you grab all the information you'll need to get yourself ahead
in the Biz, but also the best compilation of what's happening
in SA music in 2005. That's reason enough to grab a copy in
itself, surely.
The final of Series One of Sky City's Open Mic Night in upon
us, with the 70-odd entrants whittled down the final eight contestants,
and they'll be showing off their chops on the Balcony Bar on
Sun 9 Oct.
Speaking of local talent, let's have a trawl around the city's record launches. First up, there's a double CD launch with a twist at the Exeter on Rundle St on Sat 15 Oct: No Through Road are launching their shambolic stop-gap album 'Lo-Fi Sandwich', which doesn't actually exist physically in disc form: it is, however, available as a free 11 song download from www.nothroughroad.com, which should tide you over until the next "proper" NTR release early next year.
Similarly the Central Deli Band are releasing 'Good Day, Good
times: Songs of Praise by Central Deli Band', which they describe
as "a collection of old hits, new misses, and completely ridiculous
shit designed as an excuse to avoid getting their expensive
yet useless pro-tools rig repaired." What's more, it'll ONLY
be available at the show, for the staggering sum of $2. The
Big Band are also playing, but they're not launching a damn
thing.
The Paddington Bear Affair have some bad news and some good news: they've announced that they're splitting up, but on the plus side they're leaving us something to remember them by in the form of a self-titled 7" single, which they're launching with two final shows. The first is at the Crown & Anchor on Thurs 6 Oct (with Die! Die! Die! and I'm Gonna Fucking Kill You), and then a final all-ages, all-star hurrah on Sat 8 Oct at the Avalon Gallery on Hindley Street with My Sister The Cop, This City Dynamite, Hit The Jackpot, Sweet Raxxx, Spacehorse, Apes of God(damn) and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Nervous Gerbal have also got their disc ready for launching,
which they'll be doing at Jive on Sat 8 Oct with Munchkin, the
Fraud Millionaires (the new band featuring former members of
Seeds Of Babylon, New White Sneakers and Ill Tempered, don't
you know?) and the Kim Roberts Band.
Ramonettes are also on the launching trail with their debut mini-album (cunningly called 'Ramonettes') which they're launching at the Grace Emily on Thurs 3 Oct. It's also the first screening of their 'I Wanna Be A Ramone' film, wich records their April show at the Crown & Anchor where they backed a number of Adelaide musical luminaries singing their favourite Ramones songs.
And don't for a minute think that the launchery ends there.
No, really, don't: Puff can't remember a time when there were
more CD launches happening around this glorious burg of ours.
In fact, you'll want to grab your biggest, phattest gig diary
and note CD launches for The Story Of (Crown & Anchor, Fri 21
Oct), Fighterpilot (launching their The World Can't Touch Me
single on Fri 21 Oct at the Enigma Bar), Joshua Spier (launching
'Suspended Between Radiance And Darkness' at Garage on Fri 21
Oct), Bluestone (Sat 22 Oct at the Fad Bar & Gallery), Concrete
Child (Jade Monkey, Sat 29 Oct), Line Of Departure (launching
'Ixora' at the Enigma Bar on Sat 5 Nov), Fear In Dakota (launching
the To My Knees single at the Wheatsheaf on Sat 5 Nov), Little
Ice Age (Jade Monkey, Sat 12 Nov) and the Silvermine Tapes (Jade
Monkey, Sat 19 Nov). I mean, come on: how rad is that?
The Devastations have just released their rather excellent new album 'Coal' and to celebrate they're doing a lap of the country with Silver Ray: and you can catch the full Devastations experience at the Grace Emily on Sat 15 Oct
Yes, yes, yes The Red Paintings, Puff knows that the swastika
has a rich and storied history as a symbol used in Hinduism,
Buddhism and Jainism, not to mention Indian and Native American
cultures, and usually depicts good fortune (and, in fact, is
derived from svastika, the Sanskrit word for a lucky or auspicious
object). And Puff also realises that anyone with neo-fascist
leanings probably wouldn't be dressing the rest of their band
in Kubuki costumes, or releasing gentle covers of Tears For
Fears' Mad World. But even so, can you keep your confronting
symbols to a minimum at your many launch shows with Matt Handley,
including Thurs 13 Oct at Shadows in Mount Gambier, Fri 14 Oct
at the Enigma Bar, and two shows at Mildura's Sandbar on Sat
15 Oct and Sun 16 Oct (an all-ages afternoon show at 1pm)? Is
that too much to ask?
The Australian Music Prize (or The AMP, as it's acronymially known) is an award in much the same vein as the UK's Mercury Music Prize, with a $25,000 pot for the artist deemed to have "produced and commercially released what specially appointed judges vote is the best contemporary music album in any one calendar year." And that, dear musically-active reader, could be you: check out the www.theamp2005.com.au for all the details, and watch for the inaugural shortlist in February 2006.
It's been a while since Matt Walker & Ashley Davies were in
our neck of the woods, but what with the new album and all Puff
expects we'll see them any minute now. In fact... there they
are, at Jive on Thurs 13 Oct with Sime Nugent!
Australia's premier vaguely Scottish-sounding brother/sister folk duo The McMenamins are playing at Missy Higgin's entirely, completely, utterly sold out show on Adelaide Uni's Barr Smith Lawns on Sat 15 Oct, but they're also playing their very own show at the Jade Monkey on Sun 9 Oct with the John Baker Duo (who tell Puff they've got a CD just about ready for release, incidentally). Here are the McMs, looking suitably rustic and folksy.
Stuff from Puff: Lastest cab off the reformation rank is En
Vogue: they've been coaxed back together by US music channel
VH1 and there are rumours of a new album in the works...
Meanwhile, Art Brut's guitarist Chris Chinchilla has quit the
latest mob to be cited as the future of UK rock'n'roll, to be
replaced by Jasper Future. Puff suspects these might be nom
de plumes, or every musician in Britain has a stupid surname...
"Yeeeeeoouuufghhhhhh!" As you've no doubt realized, that's the
unmistakable sound of Motley Crue's frontman Vince Neil tearing
a calf muscle on stage in Atlanta. A couple of shows were rescheduled,
but it looks like the injury shouldn't affect the upcoming Australian
tour... Speaking of rock'n'roll ill-health, Nine Inch
Nails' drummer Jerome Dillon is off the road and in hospital
with complications relating to a recently diagnosed heart condition...
And fans of Reel Big Fish should possibly
check up closer to their Fri 8 Oct show at the Gov, but multi-instrumentalist/singer
Scott Klopfenstein was hospitalized in New Zealand. It's looking
serious too: mtv.com reports that his symptoms - partial paralysis
and blurred vision - are looking like early signs of either
Guillain-Barre or Miller Fisher syndrome, both of which are
rare nerve diseases. That said, the band had already done a
few Australian shows when the news came through so it looks
like he's doing OK... Anyone wanting to know God's position
on file sharing should take note that all the copies of Switchfoot's
'Nothing Is Sound' sold through US Christian retailers had a
freak manufacturing error which prevented them being burnt or
transferred to iPod. The glitch was only on the shipment made
through the Sparrow Records imprint for Christian retail, not
the mainstream SonyBMG ones for the filthy heathen secular market
who could burn their CDs with godless impunity...
And to end on a sappy, lovey-dovey, girl-stuff note, Sheryl
Crow is set to tie the knot with cycling person Lance Armstrong
early next year. Awwww.
Crooked Fingers, aka Eric Bachmann, aka That Bloke What Used
To Be In The Archers Of Loaf, has decided to pay Australia a
visit and play a bunch of songs from his rather ace new album
'Dignity & Shame': and to that end, he'll be at the Jade Monkey
on Sat 15 Oct, with Sam Shinazzi and Sodastream.
New Melbourne-residents Colorblind are popping back to their
former hometown for a show at the Jade Monkey on Fri 7 Oct with
Krysalis and Deep Sea Guns.
Got your ticket for the Coke Live'n'Local gig at the EntCent on Sat 8 Oct? Guess you're not going then, since it's sold out. But you can experience something similar to the show by checking out the online-exclusive interview with Dallas Crane at www.dbmagazine.com.au right now, since they're playing along with The Living End, Spiderbait, P-Money, The Spazzys and MCs Weapon X & Ken Hell.
Melbourne ska-punk sorts Sounds Like Chicken are popping back
for a few shows: catch them doing an all-ages show at the Underground
on Fri 14 (with The Tall Poppies, The Jerks, The Travelling
Sacks), then they'll be at the Crown & Anchor on Sat 15 Oct
(with the Fraud Millionaires), then heading south-east for an
all-ages afternoon festival at Naracoorte's Wesley Hall (with
The Tall Poppies, RPM7 and All About Eve).
Kudos to The Hot Lies, whose 'Heart Attacks & Callous Acts'
CD debuted at #36 on the national ARIA charts. They've also
just informed Puff that their next headline show will be at
the Adelaide UniBar with Trial Kennedy and Wendy Icon on Fri
4 Nov: it's all ages and will sell out swiftly, so get in quick.
Just ask Dread Zeppelin: even the best tribute band concepts
hit a wall eventually. Hayseed Dixie have seemingly outlived
their original plan to play AC/DC songs in a bluegrass idiom,
which is why their new album 'A Hot Piece Of Grass' Dixies-up
songs by Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Neil Young, Van Halen,
Green Day and OutKast. And you'll hear them - and more, no doubt,
should attend the ominously-titled 'Any Last Requests' tour
at the Gov on Fri 14 Oct. Insert your own "one of the members
is a real horses' ass" joke here.
The Eve vocal trio will be raising their voices in sweet, sweet song as part of "Menage a 3" at the Wheatsheaf on on Thurs 6 Oct.
Like listening to three-d radio? Then why not subscribe during
their annual Radiothon and win yourself some prizes whilst supporting
community broadcasting? It's running until Sun 9 Oct, so if
you haven't put your money where your ears are, and there are
both punter and band subscriptions available: you know you want
to.
Ill Starred Captain are heading down from sunny Port Lincoln with copies of their new 'Yeh Nah!' CD in their hands and a gig at the Grace Emily on Thurs 6 Oct with Longhorn.
Since the whole Heaven licensing thing is no closer to resolution
more gigs have had to find new homes. The latest relocatees
are those sassy sorts of the Royal Crown Revue and The Mad Caddies,
who will now bring the swing to the Gov on Thurs 13 Oct.
Gracious, you can't tell Puff that there's nothing to do, surely? Quit yer whining, grab enough money for a taxi home and...
Get Out Of The House!
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