The Gig: The Bedroom Philosopher with The Boat People and Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians
Where: Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
When: 4 September 2010
In One Word: Entertainment!

It’s not always that I arrive in time to catch the first of a three-band line-up, but when an evening’s opener features one of the key members of Aussie legends – fuck me, did I actually just say those two words? – Machine Gun Fellatio, I guess it’s worth the effort and, regrettably, expense…my customary disorganisation costing me a twenty buck cab ride.  Fortunately, Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians prove well worth it all.  I’d heard it opined, by the frontman himself among others, that his current outfit is a bit more “rock” than his old one…and sure enough, apart from the odd slightly “miserable” number, this band certainly kicks some formidable booty.  Not that I have a problem of any sort with miserabilism (viva la Morrissey!), and Pinky has always shown a great talent for holding one’s attention when it’s just him and a keyboard.  And while the less-familiar songs certainly strike a chord with yours truly – I too have a “thing” for Scarlet Johansson, in spite of my belief that she’s by and largely a talentless whore…whoops, did I say that out loud? – it’s the rather excellent renditions of “Pussy Town” and Mr. Beecroft’s all-time masterpiece, the gorgeously disfunctional “Unsent Letter”, that best appease we “old fans” in the audience; of which there’s a few, judging by the number of people singing along.  Fantastically entertaining from (unintentionally?) bumbling start to (yes, I do believe) abrupt finish, and let me just say, any man who feels the compulsion to bring hand sanitiser on-stage with him is definitely rock ‘n’ roll in my book.

The Boat People amp the “nerdy” quotient up suitably, though unfortunately, it’s not nearly so self-deprecating and endearing this time around.  Every bit as pretentious at their stupid name suggests, I have vague recollections of these guys from when I lived up in Brisbane, and understand now why I couldn’t quite remember what they even “sounded” like:  Kind of a poor man’s Bloc Party-meets-The Hives-meets any other hit “indie” band of recent years that you care to think of, with the additional “twist” of whiny Australian accents which bring nothing tantalising to this already well-worn table.  I mean, the music certainly ain’t half-bad at times, but the lyrics and vocals are kinda tiresome and the stage banter even more so, especially in the witty wake of Mr. Beecroft, a man who oozes awkward charisma no matter how LITTLE he tries.  Bad?  No.  Mediocre?  Yes, and fucking then some.  All quirky haircuts and “nerd-cool”, without the overwhelming talent to pull it off.  But then again, they are awful young, so who knows…uglier ducklings have certainly blossomed into quite beautiful swans.  Give ‘em time, maybe they’ll even grow a sense of humour.

Now I’ve spoken a tad about nerdiness and awkwardness and whatforth so far, so let me just say this:  The Bedroom Philosopher’s Justin Heazlewood must be swimming knee-deep in geek-girl pussy.  He does make some quip about having copped a solitary hand-job from some hippie chick in…somewhere or other, but I suspect he’s grossly understating the sordid reality of it all.  Let’s look at the facts:  He’s talented as buggery, both as a comedian and a musician…and perhaps more importantly, has a helluva “backing band” to, well, back him up.  The banter obviously rocks, and the inclusion of a sitar-player ALWAYS rocks…and heck, the fact that Mr. Heazlewood’s appearance and speech bear more than a passing resemblance to a good friend of mine doesn’t necessarily hurt to seal the deal of my being somewhat enamoured with him (in a non-gay, respect-for-another-man kinda way, of course).  His rapport with the audience is largely flawless – though some harsh words between himself and a very “blokey”-sounding heckler does have me fearing a little for his safety at one point! – but in a room full of fellow “geeks” he ultimately goes down a treat.  Brilliant stuff.

All up, a highly entertaining night out, it’s just a shame about them humourless motherfuckers in the middle pooping the party somewhat.

© Michael Bowser, Music Vice

“We pretty much just live music… it’s not a hobby, it’s not even a job… it’s a lifestyle; we live it, we breathe it, we eat it, we sleep it.” – Mike Wengren, Disturbed

Earlier this week Disturbed released their fifth studio album Asylum. I caught up with the American metal band while they were in Toronto last week to play a headlining slot at Uproar Festival. Backstage at Uproar, I spoke with guitarist Dan Donegan and drummer Mike Wengren about the new album.

Mike and Dan spoke openly about some of the heavier themes of Asylum. I asked them if they ‘practice what they preach’ when they sing songs about global warming and mass consumption (“Another Way To Die”), and I also asked why they chose to make a song about the holocaust (“Never Again”). The band talked in-depth about their life as a band of over 10 years, with Mike and Dan expressing their ever-burning hunger and passion for creating and playing music. I later quizzed the band more about the apoca…apocalyp…apocaylpti…end-of-world subject again, and whether they buy into the 2012 theories.

The entire interview can be heard below in this podcast.

”

(Please excuse the audio pops, especially during the first minute – the audio quality is not outstanding, but the band can be heard and that’s what matters.)

© Brian Banks, Editor, Music Vice

Asylum was released in North America and Europe on Tuesday 31 August, and Australia on 27 August, and seems set to top the charts in its first week of release.

Related internet links:
Disturbed

The Gig: Ra Ra Riot secret show
Where: The Mod Club, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
When: 30 August 2010
In One Word: Intimate

This Monday, August 30th 2010, Syracuse band Ra Ra Riot were in Toronto to play a secret show at the Mod Club. No tickets were sold for the event, but access was given to press and industry, as well as fans who’d entered to win tickets on Facebook.

The show was held by record label Arts & Crafts, as kind of welcome to the label party and celebration of the the release of RRR’s second album The Orchard. The Orchard was released last Tuesday, August 24th on Barsuk records in the US, and on the Arts & Crafts label in Canada. The doors opened at 8:30, and the venue filled up quickly before the band took to the stage at 9 PM sharp.

The band played a short set (about 42 minutes), including a one song encore. It was my first time hearing the band, although our editor Brian got a chance to chat with the band this past August at the Oshega music festival in Montreal. I think something Brian said to me after the show best describes how I felt about this band- they’re growing on me.

The band’s music is mix of baroque pop and British shoegaze. They sound just like a university aged, upstate New York, co-ed version of The Smiths, with cello and violin. Their music is soft but poetic, melancholy but very pretty. Overall the effect is very rich, like biting into a piece of chocolate cake.

Ra Ra Riot is perfect for a night spent at home brooding. The Mod Club on College Street was maybe not the perfect venue for the show as the live music wanted me to listen more than it wanted me to party. (I would’ve liked to see the band play in a church, or maybe an open field at a music festival). RRR’s music does also have a synthesized, almost bouncy element to it- and I think one thing the band could’ve done to make that show a great show would’ve been kicking up the tempo a little bit.

© Natascha Malta, Music Vice

Pictures of Ra Ra Riot at The Mod Club:

Related internet links:
Ra Ra Riot
Brian Banks Photography

Neil Young has announced a new album entitled Le Noise to be released 28 September 2010 on Reprise Records.

The eight-song album is a collaboration between the acclaimed rock icon and musician, songwriter, and producer Daniel Lanois, who has previously worked with many major artists including U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson and The Neville Brothers. As producer or co-producer Lanois won Grammy Awards in 1987, 1992, 1997, 2000, and 2001. Young and Lanois have worked together in the past, including Lanois’ performances at Young’s Bridge School Benefit Concert and Young’s performance at Farm Aid when Lanois was Willie Nelson’s music director, but this is the first time the two have recorded together.

“Neil was so appreciative of the sonics that we presented to him,” Lanois says. “He walked in the door and I put an acoustic guitar into his hands — one that I had been working on to build a new sound. That’s the multi-layered acoustic sound that you hear on the songs ‘Love and War’ and ‘Peaceful Valley Boulevard.’ I wanted him to understand that I’ve spent years dedicated to the sonics in my home and that I wanted to give him something he’d never heard before. He picked up that instrument, which had everything — an acoustic sound, electronica, bass sounds — and he knew as soon as he played it that we had taken the acoustic guitar to a new level. It’s hard to come up with a new sound at the back end of 50 years of rock and roll, but I think we did it.”

There’s no band, no overdubs, nothing fancy… just “a man on a stool and me doing a nice job on the recording,” as Lanois puts it.

The track-listing for Le Noise is as follows:

Walk With Me
Sign of Love
Rescue Me
Love And War
Angry World
Hitchhiker
Peaceful Valley Blvd.
Rumblin’

© Brian Banks, Music Vice

The Gig: The Maccabees and Holy Vessels
Where: Concorde 2, Brighton, United Kingdom
When: 26th August 2010
In One Word: Triumphant

As far as festival warm-up gigs go there have been some pretty big bands playing in small places lately, notably Kasabian for V Festival at Brixton Academy (which I was privileged enough to attend) and a recently reformed band called The Libertines playing the night before in London (which I wasn’t lucky enough to attend, grrr!), but tonight its the turn of the London via Brighton band The Maccabees who are playing at one of my favourite venues…the Concorde 2 in Brighton.

At 540 capacity its an intimate venue right by the sea that has played host to the legendary Foo Fighters, The White Stripes’ first ever UK show, Kaiser Chiefs and Jarvis Cocker’s first solo gig. It costs £3.50 for a decent pint of cider (and not those smaller glasses that venue staff pass off as ‘pints’ in London), there is a CCTV camera inside the main room that is pointed at the stage so when you’re at the bar you are technically still watching the band (or if you’re my Dad, my chaperone for this gig, you’re checking that I’m still in the photo pit – more on this later!) and its so loud that you can still hear the band if you go outside for some air. Whether you are going to a clubnight, seeing a tribute band or a gig live, the Concorde 2 is the place to be.

Local Brighton band Holy Vessels took to the stage and played a pleasing set in front of the audience. Similar to Mumford and Sons, the band have infectious country hooks and grooves that will have you humming their tunes for weeks on end.

The Maccabees kicked off their set with “William Powers” from their second album Wall of Arms. There is something about Orlando Weeks’ voice that I absolutely love, it is so heartfelt and passionate that words simply cannot describe it, but something that I can describe is the lighting situation. It was pitch black with either no front light or a red front light on the band’s faces which makes it incredibly difficult to take photos. So with all my settings on my camera to the highest they can go and I decide that the only route I can go down is to do something that is forbidden in the music photography world; that I’m going to use flash. I have to say I wasn’t told I could use flash but then we were told that the shoot would only last three songs (and its a good thing it didn’t) but the pit entrance was blocked by the audience so we ended up shooting the whole set – result!

The pace then picked up for “All In Your Rows” and “One Hand Holding” which sent one of the rubbish bins circulating around the audience which the security guards looked quite apprehensive about.

When I last saw the band at Brixton in February I can remember them being a lot more chatty with the audience than on this occasion but no-one really seemed to mind!  “First Love” is one of my favourite Maccabees songs along with “Precious Time” and “No Kind Words” which all receive rapturous sing-a-longs. The band then played “Child” and an as yet untitled song which sound fresh and exciting and bode well for the forthcoming release and which led into fan-favourite “X-Ray” and the incredible “Love You Better” to close what was a triumphant night for both the band and the fans.

© Lauren Towner, Music Vice

Pictures of The Maccabees at Brighton Concorde 2:

Related internet links:
The Maccabees
Lauren Towner Photography

Summer is coming to an end but the concert calendar is still chockablock with some wicked shows. Here’s Music Vice gig guide for September 2010, compiled with love by Music Vice writers. Spotlighting shows (and festivals) in our covered territories of Australia, Canada/USA and the UK. These are the concerts we think you should check out – some of which you might find us at too!!

Australia

Unknown Pleasures: A Joy Division Celebration Peter Hook and Friends
24 Sep Palais Theatre VIC
25 Sep Enmore Theatre NSW
27 Sep The Tivoli QLD
28 Sep Her Majesty’s Theatre (Adelaide Festival Centre) SA
30 Sep The Astor Theatre WA

Poison City Weekender
The annual shindig from Poison City Records in Melbourne. The 2010 Weekender is being headlined by Leatherface, who are on tour in Australia for the first time in five years.  This year’s line-up is as follows:

September 17th – The Arthouse
Break Even
Paper Arms
The Hawaiian Islands
Grenadiers
The Gun Runners
September 18th – East Brunswick Club
Leatherface (UK)
A Death In The Family
The Currency
Lungs
Arrows
Kill Whitey
September 19th – The Arthouse
Like… Alaska
Grand Fatal
Grim Fandango
Fires of Waco

The Bedroom Philosopher
As interviewed last month – clicky.
1 Sep 2010  Karova Lounge, Ballarat, Victoria
2 Sep 2010 The National Hotel, Geelong, Victoria
3 Sep 2010  The Palais,  Hepburn Springs, Victoria
4 Sep 2010  Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, Victoria
11 Sep 2010 Old Colonial, Melbourne, Victoria 

Mamushka
7 September – Open Studio, 204 High Street, Northcote, Melbourne, Victoria

ENNIS TOLA
9 Sep 2010 The Esplanade Hotel St. Kilda, Victoria (with Mandek Penha!)
17 Sep 2010 Casey’s Nightclub, Hawthorn, Vic
30 Sep 2010 Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood, VIC, AUSTRALIA

The Jacknives national tour:

3 September – The Old Bar, Melbourne
10 September – The Rocket Room, Perth
11 September – Mojo’s Bar, Fremantle
17 September – The Grand, Woollongong
18 September – The Excelsior, Sydney

And finally, Grim Fandango album launch mini-tour
Friday 10th September – Prince Of Wales, Bunbury
Saturday 11th September – Rosemount Hotel, Perth,
Sunday 12th September – Mojo’s Bar, Freo

Canada and US

M.I.A.
M.I.A. drops into the Great White North for two Canadian dates. Tickets available via Live Nation.
21 September – Métropolis, Montreal, QC
22 September – Sound Academy, Toronto, ON

Efterklang
Efterklang’s North America tour kicks off 7 September in Montreal and wraps up on 2 October in New York. Lots of dates already sold-out, but catch them if you can.
07.09 – Montreal, CA / La Sala Rossa / supp: Buke And Gass / Tickets
08.09 – Toronto, CA / Lee’s Palace / supp: Buke And Gass / Tickets
09.09 – Cleveland, US / Beachland Tavern / supp: Buke And Gass / Tickets
10.09 – Chicago, US / Empty Bottle / w. Buke And Gass + more / Tickets
11.09 – Minneapolis, US / Walker Arts / supp: Buke And Gass / Tickets
12.09 – Kansas City, US / Crosstown Station / supp: Buke And Gass
13.09 – Denver, US / Hi Dive / supp: Buke And Gass / Tickets
14.09 – Salt Lake City, US / Urban Lounge / supp: Buke And Gass / Tickets
16.09 – Vancouver, CA – Media Club / supp: Buke And Gass / Tickets
17.09 – Seattle, US / Chop Suey / supp: Buke And Gass / Tickets
18.09 – Portland, US / Doug Fir / supp: Buke And Gass / Tickets
20.09 – San Francisco, US / Bottom of The Hill / supp: Buke And Gass / Tickets
21.09 – Los Angeles, US / Troubadour / supp: Buke And Gass / Tickets
24.09 – Austin, US / Mohawk / w. Bowerbirds & Buke And Gass / Tickets
25.09 – Frisco, TX / Oysterfest / Tickets
26.09 – Memphis, US / Hi Tone / supp: Buke And Gass / Tickets
27.09 – Atlanta, US / Earl / w: Field Music & Buke And Gass / Tickets
29.09 – Washington, DC, US / DC9 / supp: Buke And Gass / Tickets
30.09 – Philadelphia, US / Johnny Brenda’s / supp: Buke And Gass / Tickets October
01.10 – New York, Manhattan, US / Santos / supp: Buke And Gass / Tickets
02.10 – New York, Brooklyn, US / Glasslands / supp: Buke And Gass / Tickets

The Most Serene Republic
The band with one of the most divine name’s in Canada release their new album Fantasick Impossibliss on Saturday 11 at the ‘Shoe, Toronto.
Thursday 9 – Hamilton, ON @ The Casbah
Saturday 11 – Toronto, ON @ The Horseshoe Tavern

The Charlatans
Onetime Britpop underdogs still going strong after 21 years. (I still remember purchasing their 1999 album Us And US Only after reading raves reviews in The Guardian and The Times – I didn’t like it, and I was only about 14 at the time, but it was the first album I’d ever bought on the basis of a review. – Brian)

The XX
One of the best British bands around…and, ergo, one of the best new bands in the world.

Holy Fuck
Holy Fuck are out on their Latin tour and will be playing Toronto the same night as The XX. Who do you see?
- 29 September, Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto
Full US and Canadian dates here.

Serj Tankian
Adding to the who-to-see conundrum for Toronto concert-goers is Serj, who will also be in town on 29 September, playing the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Melvins
The new Melvins record The Bride Screamed Murder is magnificent.

Slash
Slash is playing select dates throughout North America this September, including Toronto. For other dates and tickets, visit Live Nation.
10 September – Kool Haus, Toronto

Dirty Projectors
09-07 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
09-08 Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero
09-11 New York, NY – Terminal 5
09-13 Boston, MA – Wilbur
09-14 Montreal, Quebec – Le National
09-15 Toronto, Ontario – Opera House
09-19 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
09-23 Pomona, CA – Glass House
09-24 Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern
09-25 San Francisco, CA – Fillmore
09-26 San Francisco, CA – Fillmore
09-28 Portland, OR – Aladdin
09-29 Portland, OR – Aladdin
09-30 Seattle, WA – Showbox

United Kingdom

Bestival
What a line-up… The Prodigy, The XX, Mumford and Sons, Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem are among the bands bringing a musical storm to the Isle of Wight from 9 to 12 September. Full deets at the Bestival website.

The New Pornographers
September 07, 2010  Oran Mor, Glasgow, UK  tickets
September 08, 2010 Ruby Lounge Manchester, UK tickets
September 09Concorde 2, Brighton, UK tickets
September 10-12 End Of The Road Festival @ Larmer Tree Gardens, Wiltshire, UK tickets

© Brian Banks, Music Vice

Kid Rock will release his eighth studio album Born Free on 16 November via Atlantic Records.

The new record is set to be devoid of the rap and metal elements of previous records, and seems set to be an altogether ‘more mature’ release.

Kid Rock said, “The catalyst for this record was Detroit, and my thoughts on the world through the lens of Detroit.  Watching everything go downhill over the past few years, the economy, the loss of jobs everywhere, I wanted to make a record that reflected the times but that still had soul.”

Keeping up with current trends, Kid Rock has collaborated with a whole host of artists on Born Free. Featured instrumentalists included Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ drummer Chad Smith, Benmont Tench (founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos.  Meanwhile, studios in Detroit, Nashville and Atlanta were used to incorporate collaborations with Bob Seger, Sheryl Crow, Zac Brown and Trace Adkins. Keeping things eclectic, country singer Martina McBride joins rapper T.I. to collaborate on the track “Care”.

Kid Rock’s last album “Rock ‘N Roll Jesus,” released in 2007, debuted at #1 and became the biggest selling Rock album of 2008 after over 100 weeks in the charts.

© James Shearer, Music Vice

]]> http://www.musicvice.com/news/kid-rocks-born-free-on-november-16th-300810/feed 0 http://www.musicvice.com/news/rekords-rekords-to-release-mini-mansions-debut-album-and-qotsa-reissue-300810 http://www.musicvice.com/news/rekords-rekords-to-release-mini-mansions-debut-album-and-qotsa-reissue-300810#comments Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:36:11 +0000 Brian Banks http://www.musicvice.com/?p=4299
Here’s some breaking news from Los Angeles to brighten up your Monday morning: Joshua Homme’s label Rekords Rekords is set to release three albums this Autumn, all with close ties to Homme and  the Queens of the Stoneage family.

Homme’s Rekords Rekords, through a partnership with Ipecac Recordings, will release:  Alain Johannes’ Spark (5 October), Mini Mansions (pictured above) self-titled debut (2 November) and a reissue of Queens of The Stone Age’s self-titled debut with three additional songs (26 November).

Mini Mansions line-up includes Michael Shuman of QOTSA, and their debut record has been eagerly awaited by many, ourselves included, especially after impressing us at North By Northeast festival in Toronto this year. Alain Johannes is co-founder of Eleven and a collaborator with Queens of The Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, Chris Cornell, Mark Lanegan and Spinnerette.

Rekords Rekords’ newly formed affiliation with Ipecac Recordings actually dates back to 2003 when Homme’s ongoing Desert Sessions series released an installment on Ipecac, re-connecting Homme with longtime friends and Ipecac co-owners Mike Patton and Greg Werckman.

“Reports on the death of the record label have been greatly exaggerated,” said Werckman.  “Record labels like Rekords Rekords and artists like Joshua Homme continue to wage an assault on mediocrity and complacency in the music industry.  We, at Ipecac, are stoked to work side by side with unique talents like Alain, Mini Mansions and el jefe Homme.  Keep art in the artists hands.”

Alain Johannes’ record is a tribute to his late wife and fellow Eleven founder Natasha Shneider. “Alain’s record is the total embodiment of what the label stands for,” explains Homme.  “The war against endorsing mediocrity and the uncensored attempt to take a leap off the musical cliff.  Spark is a stunning examination of figuring out what you do when someone’s gone, and it’s utterly breathtaking.”

A highly sought after, out of print album, the debut release from Queens of The Stone Age has been recreated by Homme as it was initially envisioned, with three tracks that were initially cut from the record reinstated.  Queens of The Stone Age will be reissued on Black Friday (a US holiday) as a 180 gram double-gatefold, coloured vinyl release packaged with a CD version.  The straight CD release arrives in-stores on Dec. 7.

© Brian Banks, Editor, Music Vice

]]> http://www.musicvice.com/news/rekords-rekords-to-release-mini-mansions-debut-album-and-qotsa-reissue-300810/feed 2 http://www.musicvice.com/reviews/live/sex-on-toast-at-the-empress-hotel-melbourne-290810 http://www.musicvice.com/reviews/live/sex-on-toast-at-the-empress-hotel-melbourne-290810#comments Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:44:37 +0000 Michael Bowser http://www.musicvice.com/?p=4283
The Gig: Sex On Toast and Mamushka
Where: The Empress Hotel, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
When: 25 August 2010
In One Word: Sensational

First question:  How many fucking bands is Melbourne’s Angus Leslie in?  Second question:  How the fuck does he always manage to get so many bloody people out to said bands’ shows on weekdays?  I recently compared this sonavabitch to Frank Zappa, but let’s be fair:  He actually has more vocal range than Zappa, ie. is arguably a better singer, but he’s not quite as sensational a guitarist.  But damn close.

Mamushka play first…a band I have never before had the pleasure of, but “pleasure” is the key word here.  All manner of “world”-y music and jazz, by way of a touch of metal and other less Conservatorium Of Music-friendly genres:  The sound of gypsies having accidentally wandered into Texas Chainsaw Massacre territory, in other words…always a good thing in my book.  So yeah, granted, they’re very Estradasphere an’ all, and no great shakes visually – sheer bloody-minded musicianship reigning supreme here – but fuck it, they’re pretty darned awesome.  And a quick Myspace hit tells me they even have members of the Doch Gypsy Orchestra and Bedroom Philosopher in their midst, along with that seemingly ubiquitous Angus fella, so their cup clearly runneth over with talent.

So who’s up next?  Oh fuck me, it’s Sex On Toast…

I’ve written about these guys before, so what more can I possibly say?  You like entertainment?  Well, you may well be in luck!  But what’s that…you don’t much care for Zappa/Patton/Zorn-esque perversions of the jazz and rock genres?  Well, my friend, you may well be shit outta luck.  Unless of course you like fairly faithful (if male-fronted) covers of Rihanna songs?  And snippets of George Michael songs chucked willy-nilly amongst all manner of other pop detritus?  Well, maybe you’ll enjoy this after all.  Sex On Toast quite genuinely fit the bill of “something for everyone” entertainment…seriously, if you don’t get at least one or two smiles out of their unashamedly smug antics, check yer pulse, ’cause you may already be among the living dead.  In this post-post(-post?)-modern age we unfortunately live in, this really is as good as it gets.  Good old-fashioned showmanship, motherfuckers…word.  If you live anywhere near Melbourne and have the chance to check ‘em out, do me a favour (and yourself, while you’re at it) and check ‘em out…and if you STILL don’t like ‘em, then I’ll personally kick you in the nuts, no extra charge.

© Michael Bowser, Music Vice

Pictures of Sex On Toast at The Empress Hotel:

Related internet links:
Sex On Toast interview
Sex On Toast Myspace

]]> http://www.musicvice.com/reviews/live/sex-on-toast-at-the-empress-hotel-melbourne-290810/feed 5 http://www.musicvice.com/reviews/live/abandon-all-ships-at-the-opera-house-toronto-270810 http://www.musicvice.com/reviews/live/abandon-all-ships-at-the-opera-house-toronto-270810#comments Fri, 27 Aug 2010 19:38:23 +0000 Natascha Malta http://www.musicvice.com/?p=4272
The Gig: Abandon All Ships
Where: The Opera House, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
When: 25 August 2010
In One Word: Megawacko

Although the Opera House hasn’t really been my thing in years, there was definitely a time when a good weekend to me would’ve been moshing out in this palace of hardcore delights. Welcome to being a teenager again.

The line-up for the night features is some metal, some emo, and one genre that I’ve never heard of before- synthcore. Synthcore is the genre where screamo and synthesized music meet. The synth element can be techno, electro – or in the case of self-proclaimed “guidos” Abandon All Ships, gino beats.

The first set that we watch (although there were others before hand) is On Burning Shores - an act that tries to bridge the gap between metal and hardcore. Nevermind that they’re wearing shirts that ask Bukake? Or that they’re on stage spurring the crowd on with yells of “Let’s put someone in the hospital tonight!” when almost every hardcore act I’ve ever seen has asked people to mosh, but play nicely. On their MySpace they sound a bit generic but competent, but live they sound like a different band- lacking the tightness and virtuosity that makes listening to heavy music (at least for me) listenable.

Go Time are another act that are guilty of sounding quite better on their MySpace than they are in real life. Granted, their schtick of mixing a little bit of emo with a little bit of hip hop and the occasional screaming vocals could stand to produce an original sound if they hone it. But the band is going to need a hell of a lot more practice (and both of their vocalists, singing lessons) if they’re ever going to impress anyone, even as a fad band.

Finally the headlining act comes on, and the crowd is really pumped. They’re singing the hook to AAS’s “Maria” while they wait for the band to come on- and when they do the crowd (which at this point has swelled to fill the Opera House almost to capacity) lets out a collective roar. Let me spoil this now, the band does not disappoint.

Unlike the earlier acts this evening, Abandon All Ships can play their instruments. Like the 2 acts I saw earlier in the evening, this band mixes genres together that aren’t usually mixed- but they actually rock their sound (think Dance Mix 95 meets Fischer Spooner meets hardcore). They have stage presence, synchronized dancing, and even birthday cake because as it turns out, its lead singer Angelo’s birthday.

But every rose has its thorns, and I think the biggest and most obvious flaw is that AAS would be hard-pressed to appeal to many (any?) adults. Which brings me to flaw number 2 – fad. There’s some music you grow up with that sticks with you forever. Others fade away, and its hard to know what’s a fad and what’s not until some time has passed. The thing is, if an act wants to grow with their audience, they have to have some substance to them.

The suburban guido culture that this band promotes is about partying, and ultimately that’s pretty one dimensional. Just like the ginos, I think this too will fizzle out before being repackaged for another decade of teenagers with control over their parents’ credit cards.

Art music this is not. Still, this would get the crowd moving at any PCP (pop, chips, and pizza) party.

© Natascha Malta, Music Vice

Pictures of Abandon All Ships at The Opera House; credit and high-fives to Caroline Aksich for providing the wicked shots:

Related internet links:
Abandon All Ships

The Gig: Rockstar Uproar Festival
Where: Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
When: 25 August 2010
In One Word: Family

Forget The EX. If you were a parent wanting to plan a nice family evening out on a wet Wednesday night in Toronto, the real fun was happening on the other side of Lake Shore Boulevard, just south of the site of the Canadian National Exhibition. Who needs the same old lame merry-go-rounds, waltzers and big wheels? Rather than waste money on carnival games, overpriced cotton candy and getting fleeced by carnies who deny you your prize even when you clearly did hit the bullseye target multiple times, a near capacity crowd instead sought out their hump-day evening entertainment at Molson Amhitheatre, where some of the biggest bands in American metal turned up to put on a concert. Sure, over-priced refreshments could still be had – or at least until 10.30pm, when the beer vendors closed abruptly – but the entertainment factor was high, with Disturbed, A7X and co. putting on a high-octane show, with the music complimented by some rather elaborate stage set-ups and more pyrotechnics than you’d see on WWE.

Doors for Uproar were at 7pm, although I was already lucky enough to be backstage at the Amphitheatre at this time, having done an interview with the headliners Disturbed – look out for that soon. Walking around behind the scenes at Uproar had really got my pre-show buzz going, and I didn’t need to consume any of the festival sponsor’s energy drinks to get excited about the evening’s musical fare.

Halestorm opened the main stage. This four-piece hard rock group come from a small Pennsylvanian town called Red Lion, with the band’s name coming from the brother and sister duo Arejay and Elizabeth ‘Lzzy’ Hale who are the drummer and lead vocalist respectively. It’s Lzzy Hale who stole the audience’s attention by delivering a full throttle performance, with the loud pipes to go with all the wild rock star girl thing that she has going on stage.

I’m on the fence about this band. Halestorm did kick it with the proverbial, but right now the set list is just too middling to get excited about. Superstar rock goddess Brody Dalle or Joan Jett, Lzzy Hale is not. At least not yet, anyway. She may have the voice and looks, but as she howls the lyric “I’ve heard it all before” it really does smack of self-deprecating irony, because the bulk of Halestorm’s music barely registers at anything other than decent, and you’ve definitely heard it all before. This young band still gave a performance at Uproar which was one of the better ones – I found them more entertaining than Stone Sour, who came on after.

Hellyeah took me by surprise, creating a wicked little party over on the second stage. Their music is dumb, redneck metal but I think that’s what they’re aiming for, or that’s the end result anyway. The band’s name sums up their attitude to playing and making music ideally: it’s loud, fast and straight outta Texas. Led by an energetic Chad Gray (Mudvanyne) and the thundering drumming of Vinnie Paul (Pantera), Hellyeah played a loud and brisk set which was met by hearty applause, raised devil’s horns and plenty of “hell yeahs!” by the few hundred fans who made it over to the Jagermeister stage for their set. Gray caught air on several occasions during the set, as he jumped from the drum-kit and monitor platforms.

I spent the rest of my evening over at the mainstage where I watched the two headliners – unfortunately this meant I missed local boys Hail The Villain, who were actually the band I was most keen to see. It’s a shame they couldn’t have been squeezed onto the main stage for the Toronto leg of Uproar.

Avenged Sevenfold delivered a performance that really summed up the family vibe of the evening’s fare. With a set featuring material from the band’s latest record Nightmare, as well as choice tracks from the previous four albums, A7X entertained a crowd which had mostly turned out to see them. For all the fancy stage set-up, with the pyrotechnic flames and explosions, the most memorable moment by far came when the band spoke in memory of their late drummer Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan: with a giant flag of The Rev unfurled across the entire back of the Molson stage, a sea of mobile phones and lighters were raised around Molson Amphitheatre for a moving tribute which led into “Welcome To The Family”.

Headliners Disturbed came on shortly after 11pm and went on to play just beyond the midnight curfew. The last time I saw Disturbed they played at Mayhem Festival in Toronto with Slipknot in a big wide open field which led to a sell-out crowd creating some of the hugest and most violent circle pits I’d ever seen. Given tonight’s venue, it wasn’t a surprise that tonight’s performance lacked the intensity of that previous outing, but Disturbed managed to continue the US metal love-in vibe that A7X had created. The moshing in the floor area was pretty light, but there was an eye-catching moment when a guy in a wheelchair was hoisted up in the air for a few minutes to do a bit of crowd surfing.

I watched the start of Disturbed set’s from the close proximity of behind the barrier in the photo-pit/security area, and it was clear to see the high level of interaction that the band have with their fans, which is something Dan Donegan and Mike Wrengen had spoken to me about a few hours earlier during our interview. Donegan in particular was always looking for faces in the crowd, and willing to pose for fans near the barrier who were taking pictures, while he would also find faces in the crowd and throw glances and devil’s horns at them. Frontman David Draiman was as active and engaging as ever, encouraing the crowd to participate and be a part of the show; highlights were the resounding cries of “FUCK!” during the chorus of “Stupify”, while Draiman and the video-screen backdrop showing ‘The Guy’ encouraged the standing crowd inside the amphitheatre to do the obligatory during “Ten Thousand Fists”.

Of the new material, my pick of the set was “Another Way To Die”: A song which perhaps makes Disturbed’s most obvious social commentary to date, even if it is a bit self-contradictory to be singing a song about mass consumption and global warming at a music festival…where you are surrounded by advertising and merchandising, and very much encouraged to spend and indulge. Let’s just hope the message got across enough so that fans leaving Molson Amphitheatre with a complimentary can of Rockstar were mindful to deposit their empty in a recycling bin.

© Brian Banks, Editor, Music Vice

Uproar pictures including Disturbed, A7X and Hellyeah – I had a lot of fun shooting this one, hope you enjoy the pics! – Brian.

The calm before the Halestorm

Hellyeah

A7X

Disturbed

Related internet links:
Halestorm
Hellyeah
Avenged Sevenfold
Disturbed
Brian Banks Photography

Okay, catch up time… It’s been a while since my last installment of Editorial Pissings – over two months in fact! It’s just been a really busy summer, what with all the amazing concerts, the amazing weather (at least here in Canada) and oh yeah, the World Cup, remember that? I don’t blame you if you’ve forgotten about it already, it was hardly a classic.

Our new website and layout – Music Vice t-shirts could be coming soon…
First things first, I hope you dig our new look. After a few hitches and some testing, our new & improved website layout went live at the start of August. We’ve had some nice feedback about the new retro look, especially the logo, which is unashamedly inspired by a certain 80′s TV show.

To go along with our new retro look, I designed a new Music Vice t-shirt and had a couple made up. I’ve worn this new tee to a few shows, including Osheaga, and a few people have even asked me where I bought it. I’m considering making this t-shirt available for sale – it’s a fun shirt, and could be a great way for any interested readers to show some love for MV. I’m looking at a few options and this might happen; as long as the tee could be made and sold for something affordable.

Pinch me… an amazing summer of music
It’s been a great summer of music and wherever you are, I hope you’ve all been able to get out to as many concerts and festivals as possible. My highlights of the summer have been Iggy Pop, Eagles of Death Metal, Pavement and Arcade Fire – but these are just the pick of the bunch, and summer isn’t quite over yet. Tonight I’ll be attending Rockstar Uproar festival in Toronto, and I’m looking forward to seeing AX7 live for the first time – I’ll also be interviewing the headliners Disturbed, so look out for that soon on Music Vice, together with review and photo coverage from Uproar.

NXNE Football glory – a victory over the Rockers and over $10k raised for charity!
In my first four Editorial Pissings I gave updates on my preparation for the charity football match at this year’s NXNE festival in Toronto. That game took place on Sunday, June 20th at the end of NXNE and I’m pleased to say WE WON! My team, ‘The World’, made-up of media and other guests, defeated the ‘Rockers’ team of musicians by winning in a penalty shoot-out after the game had ended in a draw at 2-2 after 90 minutes.

It was a really fun match. We played at Toronto FC’s stadium BMO Field and I was playing in defence at right-back alongside Olympic champion kayaker Adam van Koeverden. The World were winning 2-1 but then in the second half Brendan Canning of Broken Social Scene took a shot that hit my arm and the ref awarded a penalty kick! I was gutted – it was ‘ball to hand’ and shouldn’t have been a pen because my arm was in front of my body. I had to remind myself that it was a charity match to avoid any remonstrations with the referee. Thankfully we still won the game, and hey, who else can say they’ve conceded a penalty kick to Brendan Canning?

Apart from that one dubious moment, I was happy with my own performance and it was all a great experience – definitely another postcard moment for me to write home about. Over $10,000 was raised for the charity Right To Play, which will help a lot of kids get the chance to play sport – fantastic! Thanks to those who sponsored my participation in the match and helped me to reach my own fund-raising goal.

Brendan Canning, I will have revenge!
In the aftermath of the NXNE football, I found myself well and truly hooked on playing football. I joined a recreational league and it’s been amazing fun. I’ve played more soccer this summer than I ever did through all my years growing up; Toronto has so many amazing playing fields that anyone can use – facilities like these are very rare in the UK. That NXNE game made me realise that I truly suck as a defender, but after some team training sessions I’ve discovered a knack for shooting and scoring goals. I play as a striker for my rec team and I’ve averaged a goal per game, so I’m pretty pleased with that. My team finished top of our c-oe league and last night we played a play-off match that we won 3-1, so next week we play for the championship! All this football practice means that by the time NXNE 2011 comes around next summer, I’ll be really prepared for a rematch with the Rockers and hopefully I’ll be able to avenge my Canning penalty by scoring a goal.

Music video shoots…hard work!

Step aside Ed Norton… my acting debut as an extra in a music video
Last Friday, I had the pleasure of taking part in a music video shoot for Bedouin Soundclash. My Friday was free and I thought it would be interesting to see a side of the music industry that I’ve never seen before. I also thought it would be fun to be part of a video shoot and see what it was all about – I was once asked out of the blue by a casting agent to play a role as an extra in a scene for the movie The Rocker, but there was a change of plans and it never happened.

The video shoot took place at Rancho Relaxo, a small venue on College Street in Toronto. I was among about 25 extras who took part in the video, with us all dressed up in retro garb with a 50’s and 60’s mods ‘n’ rockers theme. My outfit was easy… I turned up in my old leather jacket, jeans and Docs, which is standard attire for me, though not in summer. There were lots of girls and they had some amazing dresses, with everyone looking like they’d just done the Time Warp and come straight from the swinging ’60’s.

There were some really nice people at the shoot, and some had travelled from far and wide to take part in the video. There was a young guy called Colin who was visiting Canada from Bermuda – he was only 16, and because of his age he’d taken his mother along as guardian. There were other from less exotic places like Brampton and Missisauga. A few of the extras were aspiring actors and models, while the rest of us were a mix of fans and the plain curious.

The shoot was for the song “Mountain Top”. For the first part, we were upstairs inside the venue and acted as the crowd while the band performed the song again, and again, and again – not the greatest set-list ever! Rancho Relaxo is a notoriously hot venue, a fact I was soon reminded of as I stood wearing leather under all those hot lights and with dry ice smoke circling the air. We were always grateful for a waft of air when one of the film hands would fan wind in our direction with a giant board. The actual filming didn’t start till after 11am and by 3pm and over 15 takes it was time for a welcome lunch break and a chance to escape into daylight for some much needed oxygen.

For the second part of the shoot, we all walked as a group down to Kensington Market, which is a bit like a small version of London’s Camden Market. We drew attention from the people that we passed, though movie and video shoots are common in Toronto so it wasn’t anything too out of the ordinary. A camera crew from MuchMusic came along to film us for a bit. Eventually the cameras rolled in Kensington: the director told us to walk along Nassau Street behind Bedouin Soundclash, for a kind of “band and their gang” style shoot. After just one take the director said it was no good and said we looked “hokey” – we were all pretty taken aback by this and joked about our apparent in ability to walk.

So that was a wrap. I look forward to seeing how the final video turns out, and how much of the stuff from Rancho Relaxo makes it into the final cut.

Comfort in sound
We turn to music to both provide a soundtrack to the good times and as a crutch to lean on in the hard times. The ‘comfort in sound’ aspect of the latter was something I found myself reflecting on when I saw Interpol earlier this month.

Music can be a great healer but healing words only seem to come from people who have suffered a similar pain or hardship; people who have “been there”. In the hardest times, when we reach for music that is inherently real, usually it is the product of a troubled soul. Otherwise it’s just false. To me, I think of bands like Joy Division and Nirvana, and it is an absolute tragedy that the lives of Ian Curtis and Kurt Cobain were cut so short by them losing the will to cope. Before their respective deaths, both bands had already ‘made it’ and were very popular; but in death their music became immortalized, in a van Gogh sort of way, and has went on to provide music that has brought both enjoyment and comfort to millions.

The self-destruction of musicians is something that will always gather the spotlight, due to the media attention that rock stars get. Last Friday, 20 August, Charles Haddon of the British band Ou Est Le Swimming Pool climbed a telecommunications mast and then jumped to his death at Pukkelpop festival in Belgium. A statement on the Pukkelpop website read: “After performing with his band Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, singer Charles Haddon decided to take his own life.”

The death of Charles Haddon has plummeted Ou Est Le Swimming Pool into the spotlight, with the band finding new fans who had wished they’d known about the band earlier. For anyone to end their own life at 22 it could never be anything else but a tragedy.

Final thought – Finding the balance between rock ‘n roll and real life
Some of the most inspired and thoughtful comments I’ve ever heard of about the topic of musicians self-destructing were made by The Dangerfields in an interview I did with the band in Glasgow, Scotland in 2007. It was an honest and memorable interview. Band leader Andrew Griswold said that: “Rock and roll is serious and important, and on the other hand it’s absolutely meaningless. And if you can find that balance then you’re sussed.”

You can see the full interview below, with the talk of self-destruction in rock music starting from around the 5 minute mark. Stay safe.

© Brian Banks, Editor, Music Vice

Pinky Beecroft used to be a member of the infamous Australian band/cabaret act that was Machine Gun Fellatio, but these days his pet project is called The White Russians.  Michael Bowser gets the low-down on milk-based drinks, the brilliance of Ween and the merits of writing for TV shows like Farscape (as one’s day job, no less)…

A first question, and one which I’ve always wanted to ask:  What are the dark and mysterious origins of the name “Pinky Beecroft”?

I needed a stupid name for a band I was in at the time.  So I came up with something appropriately stupid.  Unfortunately the name stuck.  The band didn’t.  But there you go.

Your current band is called The White Russians.  How did this particular name come about?

I always liked the phrase “White Russian.”  Both as a drink and a historical reference.  I think I was reading about Russian history at the time, and it felt cool and exotic and as far away from Machine Gun Felatio as it was possible to be.  And at that point in my life, that’s where I wanted to go.  Also…I have a penchant for milk-based drinks.

The White Russians is of course a whole ‘nother band to Machine Gun Fellatio.  In your own words, describe to punters how you think the sound/philosophy of the two bands differs?  Also, as someone who saw MGF a couple of times but is yet to experience the Russians live, what should I expect from your current live shows (apart from less nudity, haha)?!

In my own words?  Why do I have to use my own words?  Umm…I guess the simple answer is that MGF was not mine.  It was very much driven by other people.  I left to do something of my own, and for that purpose I started the WR.  It’s my own vision, I write the songs, but…it’s also very much a living thing.  It changes daily.  Some days it’s me, solo.  Some days it’s a trio.  On this tour, for example, there are gigs I’ll do solo and some gigs where I’m playing German Noise Music with a trio.  And in Brisbane it’s a completely different trio playing acoustic stuff from the Pretty Black album.  So it changes, every day, depending on how we feel.  “We” = a core group of musicians I love and trust.

I know it’s the most cliched and predictable question an interviewer could possibly ask, but seeing since this is for a site based out of Canada and has readers all over the globe, most people reading this have probably never heard of you, so forgive me as I ask this… could you tell us a bit about your musical “influences”?

Neil Young and Leonard Cohen are both musical heroes (and Canadians).  I’m not sure whether you can hear any influence in my own work, but I am inspired by their genius.  Ween is an inspiration, particularly in terms of playing live.  I think they are the best live band on the planet and I think a lot about their approach to live shows.  Joy Division is an influence on the current live show, particularly in terms of how I’m arranging/performing the songs.  The Rolling Stones and the The Cure are bands I think about often.  The Reverend Al Green’s gig this year in Melbourne was also a mind-expander.

As well as being an excellent songwriter within your own bands, Wikipedia (always an infallible source of information, heh) informs me that you co-wrote The Whitlams’ song “No Aphrodisiac”, co-wrote a book, and have done an enormous amount of writing for Australian television and feature films.  Do you think of yourself first and foremost as a writer, as opposed to a performer?  How do you find time for such a large and varied output, and more importantly, does it keep you out of a “day job”, hahaha?

I like writing.  I like performing.  I like both things, depending on my mood.  I guess writing is my way of making sense of my own mind, and performing provides an opportunity to get away from my thoughts/confusions and release a whole lot of tension.  Both activities are vital to keep me sane.  The television-writing thing is my day job.  It allows me to make money to pay the rent and buy food.

I was intrigued to read that one of the shows you wrote for was Farscape!  Are you a bit of a sci-fi geek, perchance?

No.  Not at all.

A final question, one which we always ask here at Music Vice:  Other than music, are there any current vices you’d like to share with us and the nice folks at home?

Yes, possibly, but I’d prefer to do that in person.  Come see me sometime and we’ll speak.

© Michael Bowser, Music Vice

Pinky Beecroft and the White Russians are supporting The Bedroom Philosopher on selected dates of the latter’s current national tour across Australia.

Related internet links: The White Russians

Avenged Sevenfold

Updated band performance times have been announced for the first annual Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival which will be held at Molson Canadian Amphitheatre in Toronto on Wednesday, 25 August.

As previously announced, doors will open at 7pm and the show starts at 8pm. Although the festival will begin later in the day in Toronto than in other cities and some performance times will overlap. The stages will be positioned so that the sound will not overlap.

Music Vice will be providing coverage from Uproar in Toronto, with a festival review and exclusive photographs. We will also be interviewing the headliners Disturbed.

Show Schedule:
Doors Open: 7:00pm

JÄGERMEISTER STAGE
Jäger Band 8pm
Hellyeah 8:35pm
New Medicine 9:25pm
White Cowbell Oklahoma 10:05pm
Hail The Villain 10:40pm

ROCKSTAR MAIN STAGE
Halestorm 8pm
Stone Sour 8:45pm
Avenged Sevenfold 9:40pm
Disturbed 10:55pm

We can now announce that they will be playing as part of the inaugural No Sleep Til… festival. The full line-up of bands appears below.

Line Up:

Megadeath performing Rust In Peace in its entirety
NOFX
Dropkick Murphys
Parkway Drive
Descendents (Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane only)
A Day To Remember
Gwar
Alkaline Trio
Katatonia
Atreyu
Frenzal Rhomb
Me First And The Gimme Gimmes
3 Inches Of Blood
Suicide Silence
August Burns Red
We Came As Romans
House Vs Hurricane
Break Even
Heroes For Hire
Confession
Antagonist Ad
The Outsiders
Shitripper
Leeches

Alkaline Trio! Megadeth! This looks to be a super exciting festival.

Dates as follows:

No Sleep Til Auckland
Friday 10 December, ASB Showground

No Sleep Til Perth
Sunday 12 December, Arena Jondalup

No Sleep Til Adelaide
Wednesday 15 December, Adelaide Entertainment Centre

No Sleep Til Melbourne
Friday 17 December, Melbourne Showgrounds

No Sleep Til Sydney
Saturday 18 December, The Entertainment Quarter

No Sleep Til Brisbane
Sunday 19 December, RNA Showgrounds

Not all bands are playing all dates, so check out http://www.nosleeptil.com.au for full details.

The Gig: Root! with The Rhetorics and The Loop
Where: Yah Yah’s, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
When: 20 August 2010
In One Word: Terrific

So here we are in the packed and already sweltering Yah Yah’s with The Loop opening up the final proceedings with a garage tinged set of stuff much like Question Mark, early Rolling Stones and a hint of The Troggs with a fantastic organ in the background.

 The quality of the musicianship is apparent and you can tell the boys are in their element warming up the already decent-sized crowd. “Republican Man” is the stand out track of their set but maybe borrowing too much from The Guess Who.

After a much needed feed and some fresh air (albeit smoke tainted) I sauntered back in to hear The Rhetorics whose set of angular-pop-hardcore was confrontational, ugly and melodic at the same time. I got a Buzzcocks meets Dischord feel from it and their vocalist Thomas Whiteside resembled Morrisey (if he sang in PIL, that is).

And here we are, the room fills up and the incessant bleating of people behind me nearly drives me mad until an intro tape of their best intro tapes begins, including the brilliant Celine Dion hit “I will Always Love Root!”.

 Root take to the stage and proceed with an incredible set that easily puts most of Melbourne to shame; It’s incredibly witty, as you’d expect from the former TISM front-man and the musicianship is just terrific.

I am somewhat of a country snob and have a great hatred towards neo-country mainly for my opinion that it’s a load of bollocks and will never match up to the greats but Root’s brand of this style (no matter how loose it became in the end) is just excellent. Anyone who can rap over relatively straight country (“I still call Australia Ho!”) is a legend in my eyes.

The set goes on with “Shazza and Michelle”, “Orange People” and “Famous for Being Famous” and towards the end there’s an angry look on DC’s face asking why people would pay to see their band if they were just going to talk at the back; I’m with ya there.

The rest of the set is taken by with flying stage costumes; I’m face-attacked by a pair of pyjamas and the band are noticeably pleased with their good aim, while DC Root’s constant movement around the venue ending up on tables, the bar and a strangely positioned indoor window in the middle of the venue.

The show ends with a “Christopher Cross” cover with Henri Lee Root on vocals and DC on bongos as they audition him for Root 2.0; what? It’s extremely unclear what’s exactly happening with the band and notably DC; I have a strong feeling they won’t be away for long.

© Danny Crombie, Music Vice

Title: Nice, Nice, Very Nice
Artist: Dan Mangan
Label: Arts & Crafts/ABC/FUM
Released: 11 August 2009
In one word: Congenial

The Fifty-third Calypso [ 2 ]

Oh, a sleeping drunkard
Up in Central Park,
And a lion-hunter
In the jungle dark,
And a Chinese dentist,
And a British queen–
All fit together
In the same machine.
Nice, nice, very nice;
Nice, nice, very nice;
Nice, nice, very nice–
So many different people
In the same device.
-  Kurt Vonnegut, Cat’s Cradle

If you were to go onto the website for Canadian music label Arts & Crafts, you would see that the top 2 albums by sales right now are Forgiveness Rock Record, and the Forced to Love/ All to All single. Third in popularity, after the latest LP and EP from Broken Social Scene, is Dan Mangan with his first recording on this label.

Nice, Nice, Very Nice was first released onto the File Under Music label (FUM) August 11, 2009. 364 days and some critical acclaim later, it was rereleased by the Toronto label Arts & Crafts for distribution in the states.

A few days ago on August 20th, Dan Mangan marked his album’s stateside release with a tour that’ll take him through the States, The UK, and finally Canada before wrapping up in early December. Mangan is no stranger touring though. His first LP Postcards and Daydreaming was released independently in 2005 (later on FUM/ABC-Universal), and he hasn’t stopped touring since.

The first song on the album “Road Regrets” is about that, being on the road more than being home. It’s one of the louder songs on the album, and it’s a bittersweet one which sets the tone of the album. It’s the first single off of the LP (since the 2,3, and 4 songs appear as singles on a teaser EP) and it’s a good one for bringing the attention of the listener to one of Dan’s stronger sides, his songwriting. “It’s all business in the left hand lane. Drive there and then drive back again. Escape can’t be the only way, to escape. So I’ve gotten used to coffee sweats. Still getting used to road regrets. I took you up on all your threats, to leave.”

The next 3 songs are “Robots”, “The Indie Queens are Waiting”, and “Sold”.  Six months before the release of the LP, these songs were released as tracks 1,2, and 3 on an EP called Roboteering- as well as 2 others which are not included on Nice, Nice, Very Nice. “Robots” is catchy song with a silly music video where Mangan is captain of the yellow gang, who faces the captain of purple gang in a robot battle. It has nothing to do with the song, which seems to be about trying to not waste your emotions, but losing them as a result. And its not a cool enough video to make up for the fact that it doesn’t make sense. “The Indie Queens Are Waiting” takes us downtempo for a really clever tune that pokes fun of the indie kids, sitting around, waiting, and asking themselves “are we cool now?” It was the song that initially won me over to the album the first time I played it through. But it’s the fourth song on the album, “Sold”, that still gets me that 13th, 14th, 15th listen through. It’s quick, uptempo folk song that features handclapping while cheery singing about selling out for the so-called “good life”.

These three songs, as well as the opening track form the strongest part of the album. They’re earnest, but still hopeful, and they pack the most energy and feature some of the best songwriting on the album.

Up next are “Fair Verona” and “You Silly Git”. “Fair Verona” is a conundrum. On one hand, the lyrics are the kind of beautiful that the cliche would be tempted to put the word “hauntingly” in front of. On the other hand, it’s reminiscent of Broken Social Scene, and this makes me uneasy.

I love Broken Social Scene, they’re one of my all-time favourite Canadian bands,  so how is it possibly be bad that Mangan sounds a bit like them?

If Nice, Nice, Very Nice only sounded like Broken Social Scene, maybe I wouldn’t have such a problem with it. But as much as I enjoy the songwriting on Nice, Nice, Very Nice – and it sure is clever – this album just sounds like so many other albums and artists I’ve heard before. “Road Regrets” reminds me of Joel Plaskett’s album Three, one artist who surprisingly lost out on the XM Radio Verge Music award to Mangan earlier this year. It’s not just my ears though. On Nice, Nice, Very Nice, Mangan admits to influences of Chad VanGaaleen, Bon Iver, and Radiohead. As a fellow admirer of all three bands, it was easy to hear the musical influences- and I think the originality of this album suffers for it.

Yes, there are a few more strong songs on the album before it concludes. I took the time to rate “Tina’s Glorious Comeback”, “Some People”, and “Basket” on my itunes so I’m not going to act like I wasn’t interested in them. I think Mangan’s songwriting shows promise and I’d be interested to see how it develops.

But although there might be some that are ready to say that Mangan is a new Joel Plaskett, or Broken Social Scene, or Chad VanGaaleen, or Bon Iver- I say, hold your horses. Those releases last year by Joel Plaskett, Chad VanGaaleen, and Bon Iver were pretty original releases- and a year later, they have proved their place in my record collection. I’m still waiting for Mangan to come good on the investment.

I don’t know if he’ll make the cut though, because this album’s biggest crime is that it sounds generic. I worry that it’s genericness is part of what makes it so easy to listen to that first time through, and that it would make it so appealing to people who might be listening to indie for the first time. I think that’s a valid concern, it’s 11 years after Broken Social Scene formed, and it seems like indie rock and pop is garnering more and more attention all the time. I know it’s only a matter of time before any underground genre becomes mainstream and gets marketed to teenyboppers before becoming as dead as grunge- and when I hear this recording I wonder if it’s already starting? Has the downfall of indie started while I wasn’t paying attention?

As I question Mangan’s merits on this album, its garnering a lot of attention to be a favourite to win this prize. As for me, I’m three albums into this race for the Polaris Prize- still searching for a favourite.

© Natascha Malta, Music Vice

Final Frontier becomes the fourth studio album by Iron Maiden to top the UK album chart and becomes their first number one album in 18 years; previous number one albums were The Number Of The Beast (1982), Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son (1988) and Fear Of The Dark (1992).

Final Frontier also made it to #1 in Australia, while the record has enjoyed  further first-week chart success worldwide, also taking number one spot in Sweden and Finland.

The chart success for Final Frontier comes off the back off of North American and European tours for the album, with the last date of the 2010 tour being played in Valencia, Spain yesterday, 21 August. Iron Maiden go back on tour in 2011, with seven dates Australian scheduled in February, including five dates at Soundwave festival.

© Brian Banks, Music Vice

]]> http://www.musicvice.com/news/iron-maiden-top-the-charts-with-final-frontier-220810/feed 3 http://www.musicvice.com/interviews/the-bedroom-philosopher-interview-190810 http://www.musicvice.com/interviews/the-bedroom-philosopher-interview-190810#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:36:57 +0000 Michael Bowser http://www.musicvice.com/?p=4140

Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, The Bedroom Philosopher is the musical persona of one Justin Heazlewood, a multi-talented comedian/writer/whatever-the-hell-else-he-feels-like-doing who clearly has spent far too much of his time travelling on trams.  Michael Bowser drills him about his heady new concept album, Songs From The 86 Tram, among other hot topics such as the “nu-Australian” accent, borrowing money off one’s grandparents to finance an early record and, er, sharing crumpets with Young Talent Time veterans on Mexican space stations…

Okay, let’s start with a question you’ve probably weathered before, but not from me!  Accents:  You seem rather fond of them!  The accent on “Northcote (So Hungover)”…are you taking the piss out of private school kids or what?  And why do you sound British on “We Are Tramily”?  Finally, is the accent on “I’m So Post Modern” your “real” accent, perchance, and would you wanna punch me out if I said that was the funniest accent of all the songs on your Myspace?

Hello.  The Northcote voice is my attempt at the “nu-Australian” accent that Gen-Y and below have adopted.  I believe it is a result of being bombarded by American culture over the years, from Sesame Street to Gossip Girl.  It’s popping up more and more.  It’s all about saying “like” every third word, and having a consistently upward inflection on everything.  I don’t think it’s a private school thing, but it is an inner city thing.  I love it when people tell me how funny the song is and that they know a guy like that, while reproducing the accent quite authentically themselves…I guess they’re too close!  In that way I think the song is a push towards “post-irony” – it’s gone full circle, and there is actually something quite earnest about that character.

I don’t see what you mean about sounding British on “We Are Tramily”.  That was my best attempt at mimicking Ozi Battler and Urthboy and doing that Australian “aggressive open vowels” hip-hop voice.  The “accent” on “I’m So Post Modern” is quite accurate to how I spoke in 2004, which still had tinges of my Tasmanian accent in there, but my general accent is much more “inner-city faux British” and smoother now.  Any suggestions that “I’m So Post Modern” is better than anything off “Songs From The 86 Tram” will anger me to the core.

You go by the name of The Bedroom Philosopher.  I know you’ve explained this elsewhere before, but for the enlightenment of those not yet in the know and frankly too lazy to Google it, tell us how the name came about…

When I was eighteen I dreamt I was having sex with Tina Arena on a Mexican space station, and that was the password she used to access her personal culinary settings (we had space crumpets).

Nice Dream!  Where The Bedroom Philosopher is concerned, do you see yourself foremost as a musician or a comedian?  How did you come upon those fine folk you call The Awkwardstra?

When I’m funny I’m a comedian, when I’m not I’m a musician, and when you don’t like my music I’m “Work For The Dole”.  I am an only child Gen-Y Gemini who has had their soul cleaved cleanly down the middle by the appalling amount of choices that naturally prodigious talent brings.  I met the Awkwardstra at a self-help group for displaced Melbourne musicians called “Indie Snobs Anonymous”.  We would sit around and talk about obscure references and beard lengths.  Together we put the funk in Simon & Garfunkle.

Your lyrics are certainly hilarious…I’d even go as far as to say you’re almost as funny as DC Root.  “In My Day (Nan)” earned me a lot of scared sideways looks from the other cheap bastards who go to the public library for free internet, I was laughing so hard.  Is this based on your own “nan”, and is she currently getting royalties from this song and/or sueing you for defamation?  And the “old man” at the end of the album…is he also based on anyone you know, specifically?

My record label is Nan & Pop Records, as I once had to borrow $1000 from my Nan & Pop in Wynyard in Tasmania to get 500 albums pressed.  They have been enormously supportive, except when Nan misplaces my contracts when tidying up.  The “Nan” voice is based on my childhood when I spent a lot of time around the elderly, and always adored them to pieces.  Their turn of phrases, like “at any rate”, and constant reinforcers like “oh yes” and “nice”.  I think the old man at the end is a tribute to my Pop who passed away in 2006.  While he didn’t speak that “Australian”, I do think of him every time I hear it.  That concept of lying there, an 84 year-old paper mill worker who escaped from a POW camp in World War Two, looking up at your family as they sing an awkward but earnest version of “Yellow Submarine”, paralysed and unable to speak as a solitary tear runs down your cheek.  The magnificence and the madness of it all.

The new album is of course entitled “Songs From The 86 Tram”, and trams (and getting nabbed by tram inspectors) are frequent lyrical concerns throughout.  Which begs a few questions, such as:  How frequently do you travel on trams?  How many times have you been booked for not having a “valid ticket” on your person?  And what special significance does the Route 86 tram, specifically, play in your life?

I have travelled on public transport all my life.  The 86 tram could easily transpose to other cities, as in, each town has their colourful “crazies” bus or train.  It could be Songs From The 423 Bus in Sydney, or Songs From The Racist Road-Train in Darwin.  I spent a good five years living on the 86 tram line, and appreciated that it was only that route that when mentioned evoked a certain bemused roll of the eyes.  It was the rock star tram, the one everyone kind of loved to hate but were fascinated by.  It seemed a valid petri dish of personalities to examine through satire so close to the bone it is more like performance journalism.  People are endlessly hilarious and twisted and dark and brilliant.  The album is an exercise in taking five or so years solid of people-watching and publishing those through comedic song.  There is a quote that “people-watching is like church for me”.  I relate to that.

You have an instrumental track on the album, which actually stands up very well on its own as a piece of music.  Is it possible that The Bedroom Philosopher may one day travel down a road (or tram track, if you’d prefer) toward a completely “serious” album with no humour whatsoever?

The longer BP (unfortunate initials) goes on, the more you’ll notice the musician in me taking the reigns.  I’ve always thought the charm of what I do is taking funny songs, but paying unparalleled attention to the songwriting and production.  I always wanted to strike a balance where the songs could be funny, but you could afford to listen to them more than once and not be compromised.  I feel like I’ve achieved that for the first time on this album. “Song To Nod Off To” is a high-concept musical joke, the best kind of all.  At the end, you are ripped out of it abruptly, representing what it’s like to nod off on the tram, but the gag is only worth it if the music is really good, not just some band-in-a-box ambient crap.  I think musical comedy can be a high art form, and that’s what I strive for.  That said, I have a Josh Pyke-ian back catalogue of serious songs lying around that keep pouring out of me, and if I don’t do something about them the next Philosopher album will sound like Nick Drake without a hint of irony.  I reckon I need a side project and a different name or people are gonna get cross.

A final question, one we always ask here at Music Vice:  Other than music, are there any current vices you wish to share with us?

Magnum Big Biscuit and “The Wire”, series five.

© Michael Bowser, Music Vice

The Bedroom Philosopher (and his Awkwardstra) are currently on a mammoth tour of Australia, and among other dates will be playing Melbourne on both the 4th and 5th of September.  Check their Myspace for further details!!

A short while back I reviewed the recent William Control album, and concluded that while it showed some definite promise, it ultimately failed to live up to the sheer loftiness of many of its influences:  Namely older-school “goth”, and the “darker” side of the original post-punk era.  Anyone who knows these genres as well as my misery-happy self knows darn well that it’s the British, not the Americans, who excel at this style of music…so perhaps it’s no surprise that it’s the debut album of an English band named O. Children (after a Nick Cave song, ‘natch) that actually succeeds in fulfilling such promise.

To be sure, there’s some more contemporary influences noticeable in the band’s sound – “Smile” and “Radio Waves”, for instance, sounding a tad Interpol in parts, and the unlisted bonus track definitely evoking the also-great (and also English) Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster – but on the whole the tracks on this album, and their frankly sublime arrangements, could easily have been written back in the late 70s/early-to-mid 80s (the inarguable Golden Era of music, fuck you all).  As well as the abovementioned Mr Cave, O. Children instantly, and effortlessly, brings to mind such classic gloom-pop acts as Sisters Of Mercy, The Cure, Bauhaus, Depeche Mode, Fields Of The Nephilim, Joy Division and Siouxsie and – more to the point – her Banshees.  Perhaps my biggest surprise herein was the revelation that the lead singer, and main songwriter, is a black gentleman named Tobi O’Kandi…this not exactly being a genre of music renowned for such frontmen!  While The Horrors’ Faris Badwan fits neatly into the stereotype of the tall, lanky, paler-than-pale goth singer of old – not through any fault of his own, of course! – it’s great to hear such a tremendously deep and resonant voice coming from a fellow you couldn’t easily mistaken for an anemic albino.

And there ain’t nothin’ wrong with O’Kandi’s backing band either, even if they do look more “the part” – albeit in a slightly more modern, Horrors-y kinda way – as the arrangements and performances on this album really are just FUCKING PERFECT.  I shit you not:  The “sound” on this album is as good as any record ever released, period.  Astonishing production, powerhouse beats and drum sound, doom-drenched guitars and keys, and the kinda bass sound that would make Kim Deal (of Pixies fame) proud.  Oh, and the album artwork just happens to be f-ing marvelous also.

If I have but one criticism it’s that some of the lyrics are a tad on the “ordinary” side, but having said that, it has its definite moments (love the anti-sentimental sentiment of “official” closer “Don’t Dig”) and contains one of my hands-down favourite lyrical/vocal combos of recent years:  Imagine the words “Now dry your eyes / Make a smile and go outside / When there’s nothing else to do / Find the fun inside of you” sung in a register which evokes Peter Steele of Type O Negative far more than it does, say, The Spice Girls (whom I love, incidentally, but I’ll save such girly gushing for a more appropriate forum)!  This may not sound like everyone’s idea of Musical Heaven, but it’s certainly mine, and puts this album right alongside The Horrors’ “Primary Colours” in the “best mopey British album of the last decade” stakes; and believe me, there are a good deal of people out there for whom these are very high stakes indeed.  Fucking majestic.

© Michael Bowser, Music Vice

Related links:
O. Children Myspace