Puff'n'Stuff

The City of Tea Tree Gully is hosting their second annual youth event Common Ground: The Gig on Fri 29 September at the Golden Grove Arts And Recreation Centre. The mini-fest will feature Adelaide based-bands Wendy Icon, Nazarite Vow, Blow Up Betty and Fallen Kings. The event is designed and managed by Youth Action, a group of young volunteers from the area and promises to be a "No-holds-barred explosion of sound, featuring local artists as well as professional bands getting people pumped up and in the mood for singing, shouting, turning in and hearing great music," according to member Lucas de Boer. The gig will be alcohol-free and tickets are only $10.00 at VenueTix or at the door.

If you're into Joy Division, David Bowie, Pink Floyd and The Police, then Puff suggests you head down and check out local boys Morals Of A Minor who are supporting The Pharaohs on their upcoming EP launch at Jive on Sat 30 September. Morals Of A Minor are currently getting solid airplay on both Triple J and Nova and are in the running for the Unearthed competition after a five star review from Richard Kingsmill. The band will be entering the studio this month to record their first mini-album and Puff hears that the guys have a single launch of their own coming up later next month, so stayed tuned for more details or suss them out for yourself at www.myspace.com/moralsofaminor.

'Damn And Damn Again' is the title of The Valentinos' sophomore release, but Puff reckons the boys won't be cursing for much longer seeing how well their psychedelic brand of dance is doing at the moment. On top of that, the guys will be supporting The Church at the Governor Hindmarsh on Fri 29 September, so make sure to catch them there.

Come along and also check out locals Running With Horses when they support multi-award winning Western Australian singer and songwriter Nathan Gaunt at the Exeter Hotel on Rundle Street this Fri 29 September. Puff hears rumours that the Adelaide duo are planning to soon finish recording their forthcoming EP which will be due for release sometime early next year. Bring it on!

Local rock'n'rollers The Bovines, who recently released their debut EP, are taking a bit of a hiatus due to certain band members shortly heading off to Western Australia. One of the last chances to see them in action will be on Thurs 5 October at the Jade Monkey along with the extraordinary sounds of Ricochet Pete and Rotting Mattress Symphony, so make sure to get down.

Also be sure to check out the manic addictive stylings of Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire!, who are set to tear the roof off the Rhino Room with another scintillating set leading up to their much-hyped EP launch. The guys will be playing with The Spires and Special Guest on Sat 30 September, so don't miss these three seriously promising acts.

The Semaphore Music Festival 2006 is taking place over six different locations from Fri 29 September to Mon 2 October, featuring artists such as The Dolls, Glenn Skuthorpe, The Rustlers, Tammy-Lee And Candy Latham, Chris Finnen and Problem Pony. The festival will showcase South Australian live music acts and take place at the Semaphore Workers Club, Semaphore Palais, Semaphore Hotel, Semaphore Port Adelaide RSL, Federal Hotel and the Exeter Hotel. Check out www.semaphoremusicfestival.com for specific dates and times.

Puff has also been hearing some news from the Little Ice Age camp who are currently on a break from gigging and concentrating on their new recording. Make sure you catch them at the Prince Albert Hotel on Sat 30 September because it'll be your last chance to see them until mid-November at the earliest.

Wanna dance better at parties? Then this one's for you - the Golden Grove Arts Center presents I Want To Dance Better At Parties, an event put together by Melbourne's freshest contemporary dance company Chunky Move which brings dance to the hearts, minds and senses. Inspired by the relationship Aussie blokes have with dance, artistic director Gideon Obarzanek has created a wild, thought-provoking and enthralling event which will take place at the Golden Grove Arts Center on Thurs 5 to Sat 7 October, so come along and get down.

Kate Miller-Heidke is bringing her Apartment tour to Adelaide after her 'Circular Breathing' EP took the media by storm and sold out shows all over Australia. Catch her at Jive on Fri 6 October and see what the critics are raving on about.

Likewise, following the huge success of their album 'Vessels', Wolf And Cub are on the road for a national headline album launch tour. They're set to give us a double dose of their dark, psychedelic indie-dance when they rock out at the Rocket Bar on Fri 6 and Sat 7 October, so head down and support our own.

Melbourne-based Romy Hoffman, a.k.a. Macromantics, is also heading down to Adelaide with My Disco. After starting off as the guitarist for Ben Lee's first band, Noise Addict, she discovered hip-hop, took on rapping and has never looked back since, check out this sassy lady at the Rocket Bar on Thurs 12 October.

The 2006 Taste Of Chaos is coming our way early next month, featuring Taking Back Sunday, Thursday, Anti-Flag, Underoath, Senses Fail, Saosin, Parkway Drive and Cold By Winter who are playing at the Entertainment Center on Thurs 12 October. Frontier Touring is currently looking to feature a selection of stalls external to the main arena areas which will feature offers, giveaways, games, signings, prizes and promotions - creating your own stall at the festival is a great chance to reach thousands of punters within a few hours. Items can only be sold for $5.00 or less, so if you want more info call Lucy O'Connor on (02) 9332 2411 or write tolucy@frontiertouring.com.au detailing your vision for the stall, possible activities and images for sale or giveaway.

Get ready to experience some of the best original talent South Australia has to offer when the production of the eight-part television series of original music, The Music Room, is staged and produced in Adelaide, featuring performances from new, emerging and established local artists. Next month will see the filming of the series' pilot in front of a live audience during a two hour cabaret-style show featuring Emily Davis and Illicit Eve alongside Love Mussels and Don Morrison. Not only does the project serve to recruit the best local talent we have to offer, but also provides the chance for newcomers in film, television, sound and staging to get involved with the production team to gain more skills. Filming for The Music Room will be at Higher Ground on Thurs 12 and Fri 13 October and tickets are free, so there is no excuse for missing it!

MusicSA's live showcase series, Louder Than Words, is celebrating its first birthday this November and currently taking applications for bands of all ages and genres who want to get on the bill. The showcase is taking place at the Bridgeway Hotel and will be giving up-and-coming bands a chance to play in front of a live crowd and get paid for it! To be considered for Louder Than Words artists must be a band or solo act residing in the northern suburbs and applications can be downloaded at www.musicsa.au/news/articles/10231.asp

The Somerset Hotel has started up Band Wars in an attempt to find Adelaide's best new band and which will be running through until 17 December. The winner of the challenge will be presented with a $1,500 cash prize, so make sure to grab an entry form at the Somerset Hotel, any Derringers music store or call Deb for more info on 0403 949 723.

On Sun 14 October make sure to head down to the Loxton Oval for Jim Beam's Hand Picked Festival for a day of awesome homegrown bands and DJs, as well some international guests. Butterfingers, Bodyjar, The Hot Lies and The Spazzys are just some of the bands appearing on the day, while DJs will include Vandalism, DJ Bexta, JoSH, MPK, ATB and Cheeky B who will be joined by UK's H-Goblin. There will be plenty of Adeladians too, which is all the more reason to get down to the event, with Sector 7G and Third Best hitting the main stage also.

Laura are set to cover 6985 kilometers for the national launch of their brand new album, 'Radio Swan Is Down', so come and check them out at the Enigma Bar on Sat 14 October. Make sure to also mark in your diaries Sat 14 October as the Governor Hindmarsh will be featuring Robyn Hitchcock And The Venus 3 (made up of Scott McCaughey, Peter Buck and Bill Rieflin) who are launching their brand new album 'Ole! Tarantula', available in stores later on next month. The show will also feature special guest Vic Conrad And The First Third.

Swedish metal babes Crucified Barbara are set to bring their breed of LA-style retro rock'n'roll our way next month, following their hugely successful international tours with the likes of Guns'n'Roses, Motorhead, In Flames and Sepultura. Catch the four electric rock queens at Fowler's Live on Fri 20 October.

Rock/ska outfit The Resignators, featuring one-time members of bands like Addiction 64, Eulogy, Pixelated, Without Warning and User Friendly, are heading off on a national launch for their brand new EP 'Offbeat Feeling' which was recorded in Brisbane with producer Stuart Stuart. Catch their raw energy and catchy melodies at The Underground on Fri 20 October and The Jetty Bar on Sat 21 October.

Get ready for a shakedown baby! Puff is told that fresh from writing for their new album, and not to mention signing an international deal with Roadrunner Records, Behind Crimson Eyes are about to hit the road for a national tour which will see them in Adelaide on Sat 21 October at the Adelaide Uni Bar alongside Mere Theory, In Fiction and The Open Season. Woo-hoo!

The Scare are returning to Australia following the release of their second EP 'Vacuum Irony' late last year which saw them touring the UK. Catch them at Jive on Sat 28 October before they bunker down to a secret location and continue to write songs for their debut album.

The 13th annual Earthcore Global Carnival is also on its way to Goulburn River, Undera from Fri 24 to Sun 26 November and will see over a hundred acts, featuring 30 internationals and over 60 locals, perform across seven stages. Tickets are going for $110 for the early-birds who buy them before the end of September, while the rest will be at $120 until the end of October, but Puff suggests you check out www.earthcore.com.au for more info nonetheless.

The stellar line-up which is to feature at this year's Pyramid Rock Festival has finally been announce and it's sure to please just about everyone. Held at Pyramid Rock, Phillip Island from Fri 29 December to Mon 1 January, the event will include performances by Silverchair, The Living End, Xavier Rudd, Ugly Ducking, Evermore, The Freestylers, End Of Fashion, Mylo, The Beautiful Girls, Faker, Lior, Karnivool, Mia Dyson, Ash Grunwald and Bomba - and this is just the first line-up announcement, Puff is told! Tickets are on sale from 12 pm on Thurs 28 September fromwww.thepyramidrockfestival.com so get clicking!

You won't want to be anywhere else over the next two weeks as the festivals and music events just keep on coming our way - Common Ground: The Gig, the Sempahore Music Fest, Taste Of Chaos, Handpicked - what more could you ask for this September and October? Hmm, you better think up a damn good excuse not to...

Get Out Of The House!