Puff'n'Stuff

First thing's first, Adelaide - a huge congrats to our very own hip-hop legends, The Hilltop Hoods, for managing to score not only Best Independent Release at this month's ARIA Awards, but also take home Best Urban Release for their triumph, 'The Hard Road'. Who said Adelaide doesn't rock the house yall? Incidentally, the 'Hoods have taken out their fair share of dBra Awards in previous years; will they be honoured again this year? The final nominations are now online via www.dbmagazine.com.au.

Likewise, local pride The Audreys took out the Best Blues And Roots award for their haunting little gem, 'Between Last Night And Us' and the news just gets better with the guys announcing a tour later this month. Local Favourite Liam Gerner will be accompanying the alt-country group when they play at the Governor Hindmarsh on Fri 17 November, hear exactly why the these Adelaideans are nothing less than deserving of their ARIA award.

Himself also a proud pappa of an ARIA, Bob Evans took home the Best Adult Contemporary award on the night for his hugely popular release 'Suburban Songbook'. Word has it that Evans is also currently preparing to hit the road over November and December for a national tour that will see him here at Jive on Fri 24 November.

Still on the subject of the ARIAS, and just in case you really do happen to be living under a rock (hey, it's possible!), let Puff give you the lowdown of the night...A big round of applause to Mr Bernard Fanning, he of the Powderfinger, for taking out Album Of The Year despite the entire nation betting on Eskimo Joe; 'Esky Joes for taking out Single Of The Year and Best Music DVD; Ms Clare Bowditch for winning Best Female Artist; mother-brothers Wolfmother who walked off with three awards for Best Group, Best Rock Album and Breakthrough Artist (Album); Youth Group for Breakthrough Artist (Single), and, last but not least, pop crooners Human Nature, who after 15 years finally got themselves an ARIA! Of course, special kudos go out to the legendary Midnight Oil who made their entrance into the 2006 ARIA Hall Of Fame and also Video Hits' Axl Whitehead who picked up Dickhead Of The Year - charming lad.

Ok, so the ARIAS may be over for another year, but that doesn't mean that you have to stop partying - celebrations continue with the AIR Charts Awards which recognise the outstanding achievements of Australian artists. The AIR Charts are the only weekly charts dedicated to profiling top-selling Aussie independent artists and they're on again for 2006 on Wed 29 November in Sydney. The official nominees this year include the likes of The Herd, Lior, Jen Cloher and Karnivool, so stay tuned for the announcement of winning acts soon!

It hasn't taken Melbourne's The Inches long to start missing Adelaide, has it? The boys are returning once again on Fri 1 December for a show at the Enigma Bar following on from their first smash hit Somewhere At The Party. The guys currently have a bunch of EP launches happening around the country, so make sure you catch them when they bring back their hooks and melodies along with special guests The Dukes Of Windsor.

It's tours-gallore in the coming months and it all kicks off with local jazzy quintet etypejazz who, after going through a rollercoaster of a year, have announced the release of a Christmas album, entitled 'Ho Ho Volume Two' - a follow-up to last year's national success that was 'Under The Influence' and which debuted at Number 2 on the Australian Independent Jazz Charts. The band have just returned from Sydney and Melbourne to perform at the Adelaide Festival Theatre on Fri 8 November and Sat 9 November alongside Tommy Tycho and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, as well as on Fri 17 December at the Carols By Candlelight at Elder Park.

On a more punky note, feel free to go bananas when The Spazzys roll back into town after a brief hiatus which saw the girls recording in LA to bring us back their break-neck new song Divorce. The Spazzys will hit the road later in the year for a full national tour, but in the meantime you can catch them supporting You Am I at HQ on Fri 10 November, alongside locals Straight To Video.

Special Patrol have also been busy little bees of late - the band have been supporting none other than The Whilams around the east coast of Australia recently and are coming back home to Adelaide for a special performance at Jive on Fri 10 November before taking off to tour the east coast all over again. Puff is told that the response to the band's new album, 'Handy Hints From The Undertaker' has been receiving some amazing feedback, so good on ya guys!

Still on the local front - Jam indie night is back! You may have noticed that it's been well over three months since the last event was held at the Jade Monkey, so this Sat 11 November make sure to head down to the venue for your chance to experience some of the coolest indie/'60s/rock/electronic tunes spun by DJs Craig (Gosh!) and Ross Phillips First-timers welcome!

Meanwhile, the Jetty Bar down at Glenelg will see The Dairy Brothers play a special free show on Sat 11 November alongside local punkers The Beards - a somewhat mysterious group, Puff has heard, who only play songs about beards and having beards, hmm...So grow some facial hair and get on down!

Having just finished recording their debut album in San Francisco with renowned producer Jeff Saltzman (The Killers, The Black Keys), The Vasco Era are heading back on the road for a national headlining tour which will see them at the Governor Hindmarsh on Sat 11 November. The album in question is rumoured to be out sometime in early 2007 and does not yet have a title.

Rolling through Adelaide is the Sweet Remedy Show which will feature together for the first time singer-songwriters and roots artists Tim Ireland, Jesse Younan and Lara Stephen doing back-to-back sets. Fresh from a successful album release on Vitamin Records, the three will play a concert that is said to traverse genres from Younan's impassioned acoustic guitar mastery, to Ireland's bittersweet folk/rock gems to Stephen's old-world folk/pop fusion. Make sure you check out this fresh take on old genres when the three perform at the Grace Emily Hotel on Sun 19 November.

Not exactly ones to be pigeon-holed either are local boys Mr Wednesday who are back in town after recently playing shows in Melbourne and Geelong. The guys are playing a show at the Rocket Bar on Fri 17 November alongside the haunting operatic sounds of Melbourne's Long Walk Home and local rockers Loemax. Puff hears that while this show was going to actually be the band's last for the rest of 2006, Mr Wednesday have just been asked to play at the Peats Ridge Festival in New South Wales for New Year's Eve - an offer obviously too good to refuse.

Still on the local front, The Borderland are also bringing over good mates Sleigh Of Hand for a string of shows which will kick off at the Rocket Bar on Thurs 16 November along with Day On Fire. A gig at the Crown And Anchor Hotel is to follow on Fri 17 November, featuring the two bands as well as Echo Generation and headliners Impartial. Be sure to check out these two nights of musical mayhem people!

On the subject of mayhem, UK punks The Anti Nowhere League are finally making their way down under with a tour in support of their brand new release, 'Kings And Queens'. The band exploded on the UK punk scene way back in the 1980s after being arrested at their first ever gig - the guys have even had a tune covered by Metallica. 'Kings And Queens' is the band's first studio album in nine years and Puff hears that the guys are already gathering up new material for their next release - check them out at the Enigma Bar on Thurs 23 November.

Halloween also may have been and gone but there's still plenty of reason to get freaky and ghoulish when Witch Hats (that's right, without 'the') swing into town. Fast becoming famous around Melbourne and Sydney for their discordant, yet somewhat pop orchestrations and unscrupulous live approach, Witch Hats are hanging around for not one, but two shows which will take place at the Rocket Bar on Thurs 23 November and the Exeter Hotel on Rundle Street on Fri 24 November. The band are also about to release their debut EP 'Wounds Of A Little Horse' early on this month, so come on down and check these guys out - they're guaranteed to send you home with a wicked grin.

Could there be a more restless soul? Having lived in nine different locations and having produced music that has ranged from edgy, heart-felt starkness to uplifting, ragged and rollicking rock'n'roll, Jason Molina returns for an Australian tour four years after his last visit in support of Art Of Fighting. To coincide with the release of his brand new album, 'Fading Trails', you can catch Molina's performance at the Grace Emily Hotel on Tue 21 November alongside Aviator Lane.

A huge, huge From Autumn To Ashes show is coming up at Fowler's Live on Wed 29 November with The Bled and The Getaway Plan. If you're a fan of grinding, metallic guitars and plenty of hardcore rhythms, then you can't afford to miss this one when these New Yorkers come to town!

Speaking of hardcore, hum-along melodies and heart-on-sleeve vocals, the recently-signed-to-Roadrunner Aussie screamo outfit Behind Crimson Eyes are getting ready for an assault upon the Governor Hindmarsh on Fri 1 December as part of their Shakedown tour and in support of their debut album 'A Revelation For Despair' which hits stores later this month.

Touring and touring some more is just about the only thing Dappled Cities do these days. Having just returned from the 'States, the band are coming to Jive on Thurs 2 December in support of their upcoming new album, 'Granddance'. The guys are bringing The Red Sun Band and hot new kids, Operator Please and Puff hears that due to the success of their new single Fire Fire Fire, Dappled Cities' debut album 'A Smile' is being re-released as well as a very cool remix of their EP 'A Crooked Smile' as a bonus disc (featuring re-workings by the likes of Jack Ladder, Decoder Ring and Chris from Wolfmother).

Kim Beales is about to release his debut long player later this month - married with quiet, introspective moments with gutsy, all-in fanfares, the album has been described as one of the most genuinely unique blues/jazz albums we'll hear in 2006. To coincide with the release Beales is heading out on the road, so make sure to catch him at Jive on Thurs 7 December with Justin Grounds.

After making a name for herself in her native New York as the 'zeit-girl' of instrumental acoustic guitar, and described as being 'to the acoustic what Hendrix was to the electric', Kaki King is heading to the Adelaide Festival Center - this will be her first ever Adelaide performance on Fri 5 January so make sure not to miss her intimate cabaret show.

Can't get that damn I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker tune out of your head? Well, now you'll have an excuse to sing your little heart out because Sandi Thom has just announced an Australian tour. Thom's debut album 'Smile...It Confuses People' has been certified gold, with the ...Punk Rocker single selling over 100,000 units since its release this year. Check out Sandi Thom when she visits our shores on Tue 30 January at Thebarton Theatre.

If you, like Puff, can't wait for the Big Day Out to come around already, here's something to get you even more excited - event organisers are currently on the lookout for five die-hard fans aged between 16 and 25 to show off their diverse points of view of the festival and bring it to life by filming their own experience of the day. You and four friends will be given free tickets to attend the Big Day Out and will be handed a camera as well as a bag of tapes to capture the entire day on video while being followed by a film crew yourself, who will shoot you filming the day. If selected, you'll also get to win a video camera and attend the world premier screening at the 2007 Adelaide Film Festival. To enter just fill out an entry form (available at www.adelaidefilmfestival.org or www.bigdayout.com), pull out a video camera and explain in three minutes or less what excites you most about the festival and what exactly would make your experience so unique. Make sure you send you entry on VHS or DVD to the Adelaide Film Festival (12 King William Road, Unley SA 5061) by Fri 8 December.

So go on, get cracking - and until next time,

Get Out Of The House!