Ever since my music palate developed some character, from my early days of boy band popcorns to Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, I’ve always imagined listening to a record with a distinguishing feature that let’s you wallow at the peak of a melody, harmony and tune; constantly pushing the limits of the precipices.
A song that let’s you feel suspended, on free fall, while staring at the heavens in great detail. To be able to freeze that moment and produce all of its components into a song. The indie-disco quartet from Sydney, The Jezabels managed to compose an eleven-track album titled The Brink.
After listening to the ‘Look Of Love’ track of The Jezabels’ soundcloud page, I did not want to listen to anything else for the next three to four days. Once I got the album from iTunes, my soul felt joy.
From the time they began to pen their anthologies of creative collaborations, since three EP’s, Dark Storm, The Man Is Dead, She’s So hard, the ‘Prisoner’ album and a live performance recording at the Hordern Pavilion, The Brink is the latest collection of their emotional journey, colourfully described with their mesmerising melodies and lyrical perspectives.
Just when I thought it could not get any better, I was blindsided with pure bliss from musical fairy dust that engulfed my somewhat of an abyss of a heart, that the new album glimmered with in abundance. Perhaps I am merely exaggerating, but that is truly how I feel. I really cannot say which track is my favourite; I like them all too damn much!
‘The Brink’
1. The Brink
2. Time To Dance
3. Look of Love
4. Beat to Beat
5. Angels of Fire
6. No Country
7. The End
8. Got Velvet
9. Psychotherapy
10. All You Need
11. Marianne (Bonus Track)
As the list outlines the lineup of The Jezabels’ artistic and flavourful repertoire, every moment you listen to this record, you will surely enjoy. If you’re into good music.
RAIN (A Mini Festival for Bushfire Relief)
RAIN (A Mini Festival for Bushfire Relief)
15th of December
The Basement, Sydney.
29 Reiby Pl, Circular Quay
1pm – 1am
The Sydney Soul music community is uniting together for ONE NIGHT only, bringing together some of Sydney’s most revered musical acts for a special Bushfire and Wildlife Fundraiser mini festival.
RAIN boasts an eclectic array of artistic expression, with over 16 musicians, artists, and DJ’s donating their talents and energy for ongoing local emergency for those affected. The recent NSW bushfires have decimated regional communities throughout the state with tragic consequences. RAIN is more than a fundraiser. RAIN is for the people, a celebration of life, solidarity, and mateship.
Artists on the day will include ALPHAMAMA headlining the mini festival, Cumbiamuffin, P.Smurf + Big Village special guests, Milan, Monday OG’s, Rosïe and the Bees, Alice Terry, The Venusians, Ambre Hammond and Marcello Maio, Thandiwe Phoenix, Bravo Child, Phil Toke (Soul of Sydney), Shantan Wantan Ichiban, Daniel March, Billie McCarthy, Brian Campeau, Broken Thought Theory, street artists Stayfly Sydney, hosted by MC MIRRAH.
All proceeds from ticket sales for RAIN will be donated to charities working to provide bushfire relief. A smorgasbord of artists will be performing over two separate stages providing a constant array of entertainment throughout the day!
Tickets are available online through Moshtix and through The Basement
website www.thebasement.com.au or Moshtix:
http://www.moshtix.com.au/v2/event/rain-a-festival-for/69238
COST: $20 + booking fee
For any further information please contact the event organiser directly Billie McCarthy 0401237017 or billiemccarthymusic@gmail.com
FACEBOOK INVITE: https://www.facebook.com/events/428608860573891/
Australian Independent Music Awards – The Star, Sydney (07.11.13)
The MusicOz Australian Independent Music Awards for 2013 was heralded in on Thursday night. The night began with the red carpet in which each of the artists in the award’s shows 18 categories.
The big winners of the night were band I Am Sam taking out the award for the Australian Artist of the year. Other winners included Mama Kin taking out two awards on the night including the Blues and Roots Award. Silver Cities took out the award for Christian/ Spiritual. Battleships, who are currently touring with Boy and Bear, won the award for Alternative. Jono Fernandez took out the award for Producer of the Year.
There were some stellar performances on the night from Aussie rock legends Irwin Thomas and Steve Balbi who were also recognized under the Aussie Rock Legends category. There were also some great performances from some of the nominated artists including Kid Mac, Blind Munkee, and Neon City. There was also a performance from former Australia’s Got Talent contestant Liam Burrows.
Former winners of AIMAs and all round success stories presented the awards throughout the night including Tania Doko, Bliss and Eso, Peking Duk and Mel Jade.
Although, the execution of the awards felt somewhat unorganized on the night, the awards show itself was a pure celebration of local talent; and the atmosphere in the room was one of local artists supporting each other.
The whole Australian Independent Music Awards has helped to launch up and coming faces of Australian music as well as provide them with a pedestal to have their music recognized locally and internationally.
Rating: 4/5
Photographs from the Australian Independent Music Awards are available at Mosca Media Australia
MusicOz: Australian Independent Music Awards Tonight!
Tonight will herald the 2013 Australian Independent Music Awards presented by MusicOz. Heading up the night will be a host of independent Australian artists including Steve Balbi (Noiseworks), Tania Doko, Peking Duk, Bernard Fanning and Jimmy Barnes. There will also be performances from Spirit of the Land and Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu.
The Australian Independent Music Awards work to provide a platform for unsigned artists with over 180 finalists in all genres and the Producer of the Year Finalists. You can party at the Star and get your tickets here: http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=MUSICAWA13
Running Times:
Red Carpet 5.00pm – 6.30pm
Pirrama Rd Entrance to The Star
Pre-Show Event 6.00pm – 7.30pm
The Deck – outside the Event Centre
Award Show 7.30pm – 9.45pm
Event Centre at The Star
EventAfter Party 10.00pm – 3.00am
Marquee Nightclub at The Star
Erykah Badu To Headline Sydney & Melbourne Shows 2014
Thanks to Niche Productions and Live Nation, Erykah Badu will be returning to Aussie shows to headline the Sydney and Melbourne shows following her Bluesfest performances.
Erykah Abi Wright better know as Erykah Badu is best known for her eccentric style and cerebral music, is a Grammy- award winning American soul singer and songwriter. Badu is ‘regarded as the Queen of Neo Soul. Her sound — a concoction of soul, hip-hop and jazz — cannot be contained to a single genre. Self-described as a “mother first”, Badu is a touring artist, dj, teacher, community activist, holistic healer, vegan, recycler, and conscious spirit.
Baduizm, Badu’s highly acclaimed debut album, was released in early 1997 went triple platinum and, along with “On & On“, won Grammy Awards at the 1998 ceremony. This spring, Badu released her fifth studio album, and second installment of a two-part New Amerykah series.
New Amerykah, Part 1: Fourth World War, a concept album that was digitally produced and political in tone, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and Rolling Stone named it one of the year’s best albums.
New Amerykah, Part II: Return of the Ahnk, which features lush live instrumentation and taps into Badu’s emotional side by thematically focusing on romance and relationships, made its debut at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Badu will be supported by the awesome local Melbourne-based folks Hiatus Kaiyote. Check out their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/hiatuskaiyote
Definitely a must-see show!
Badu will be performing at:
The Palais Theatre, Melbourne on Tuesday 15 April and;
The Star, Sydney on Thursday 17 April
Niche and My Live Nation pre-sale midday Friday November 8 until 5pm Sunday November 10. Become a member at www.nicheproductions.com.au & www.livenation.com.au
General release tickets on sale midday Monday November 11.
For more visit nicheproductions.com.au and livenation.com.au
HEATWAVE YOUTH MUSIC FESTIVAL TOMORROW EVENING!
Blacktown Youth Services, The Street University and Headspace have partnered up to create a FREE All-Ages music event HEATWAVE at Dawson Mall, Mount Druitt between 5pm to 8pm. The event’s target group is youth but is open to everyone. The aim of Heatwave is to raise awareness about Youth Mental Health and will feature recent X-Factor contests Zac Hakos, Stephanie Lambell, X & Hype and Tee!
For more information visit:
www.facebook.com/BYSA2
www.facebook.com/streetunimountdruitt
www.headspace.org.au
Film Review: Metallica – Through the Never 3D (2013)
Director and screenwriter, Nimród Antal and producer, Charlotte Huggins opens the door to the legendary heavy metal sensation, in this extraordinary 3D motion picture and rendition; ‘Metallica: Through the Never’.
Welcome to Metallica –James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo –the band that screams a triumph of menacing and exhilarating soundtracks that could never disappoint fans. Accordingly, ‘Metallica: Through the Never’, brings to life an epic 3D concert and adventure, upon a monstrous stage and through apocalyptic streets, to deliver the best musical performance ever.
The narrative progression within the film is transmitted through a series of music videos (and footage from previous concerts), where the lyrics from different Metallica song compilations translate into the story. The journey begins with Fuel, “Give me fuel, Give me fire, Give me that which I desire”, where a young roadie, Trip (Dane DeHaan) is sent on the road to collect a mysterious bag for the band, using a map and fuel canister.
In an effort to remain entertained, Trip consumes a pill that is half blue and red (definitely a Matrix drug), before starting his van and unknowingly venturing towards Never Never land. After an unsuspecting incident, Trip’s path dramatically changes and he must survive the rest of the night from the horrors of the dark horsemen with a noose, and the crowds of masked criminals rioting against the shielded police troops. One of the most mesmerising scenes in ‘Metallica: Through the Never’, is when Trip transforms into a man on fire, to escape the dangers obstructing him from returning the top-secret bag to the band.
I was extremely impressed with the stunning 3D visual projections and special sound effects from the monstrous stage floor, creating the perfect atmosphere to highlight the power of Metallica; with lightning, flames, explosions, shooting rays and constructed models of the electric chair and rotating Lady Justice Statue.
As the narrative events unfold, the intensity of Metallica soundtracks increase; Ride the Lightning, Creeping Death, Cyanide, Whiplash, For Whom the Bells Tolls, …And Justice for All. The overlay of chaos and hopelessness surrounding Trip and the defective equipment on stage signify the inevitable destruction between the concert and world beyond the music.
‘Metallica: Through the Never’ (3D) is a mind-blowing movie, that excels in terms of creating the first music-related action film to explore the visionary possibilities of Metallica, and ultimately achieves an unforgettable film for a remarkable band.
Rating: 4.5/5
Cirque Du Soleil: Michael Jackson The IMMORTAL World Tour (Opening Night) – All Phones Arena, Sydney (26.09.13)
Photo: OSA Images, costumes Zaldy Goco, 2013 Cirque Jackson I.P., LLC.
The famous acrobatic circus brings their new show to Australia, a celebration of the life and music of the King Of Pop – Michael Jackson.
As you would expect from a Cirque show, it is full of colour, creative sets and amazingly talented performers. The choreography was superb. Unlike normal Cirque shows, this one really focused on the music and less on the extraordinary human performance. Having said that, there was still plenty of moments that dropped jaws and make you gasp as trapeze artists flew across the sky and contortionists manipulated their bodies in breathtaking ways.
Each act in the show had a different Jackson song as its theme. ‘Wanna Be Starting Something’ was set at the gates of Jackson’s famed Neverland property with a large ensemble of dancers and acrobats. ‘Dancing Machine’ took on a more industrial setting with high flying trapeze and some stunning costumes and set designs. Gangsters took over for ‘Smooth Criminal’ and ‘Dangerous’ before a stunning trapeze display backed by the night sky, and complete with body LED light displays as the trapeze artists floated across the sky like shooting starts.
Photo: OSA Images, costumes Zaldy Goco, 2013 Cirque Jackson I.P., LLC.
‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’ was a beautiful piece with two artists on the high wire dancing through the air like two ballerinas which resembled Swan Lake in its performance. However the show stoppers were the hits of Michael Jackson. ‘Thriller’ was recreated with dancing zombies mimicking those famed dance moves. ‘Billie Jean’, ‘Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough’ and ‘Black Or White’ got the audience on their feet and ‘Man In The Mirror’ closed out the 90 minute performance.
The cast of dancers and acrobats were superb. As were the stunning sets and costumes that add colour and vibrancy to enhance the performers unique talents. The highlight being Jean Sok, who with one leg on crutches displayed moves most two legged people could never imagine doing.
Photo: OSA Images, costumes Zaldy Goco, 2013 Cirque Jackson I.P., LLC.
A live band was employed behind Jackson’s vocals to add more of a concert feel to the production along with footage of film clips and video and audio archives throughout his life. The message was one close to Michael’s heart, unity. The dream of a world without hate or prejudice. A theme he used a lot in his music but I feel is sometimes over shadowed by the catchy pop tunes, the dancing and sadly his personal life. Those socio-political themes are quite unheard of in pop music. I try to imagine someone like Bieber or Miley singing about harmony and racism and I just can’t see it happening. I guess that’s why Michael Jackson was the King Of Pop and will forever be music’s immortal.
Rating (out of 5 stars): 
Written by Jason Strange for Mosca Media Australia
Michael Jackson The IMMORTAL World Tour: Cirque Du Soleil (Official Trailer)
Film review: Warm Bodies
After watching the trailer, I was looking forward to Warm Bodies. A zombie film that would have me caring about the zombie more than its victims? How refreshing.
A few minutes into the show, you get the gist that R (the lead character played by Nicholas Hoult) is not like the other zombies. He is young and insightful and the story is narrated from his point of view. The zombies have taken over the airport as their roaming ground, along with the Bonies, who are zombies wilted away. R occupied an airplane as his home.
They venture out to the city when they are hungry, and it is during one of these trips that R meets the girl (Julie) who would change the fate of their lives and, well, ‘undeath’, forever. Unlike other zombie movies I’ve seen, much less one that is told from the point of view of the zombie, the zombie experiences the memories of the victim when the victim’s brain is consumed. It is by killing and eating Julie’s boyfriend’s brain that R knows Julie (played by Teresa Palmer), the girl he saved from being attacked by other zombies. Teresa Palmer reminds me of Kristen Stewart (in Twilight) in terms of her looks and facial expressions (or lack thereof). I really wanted her to express herself more.
I didn’t think there was enough character development in this film. You get to meet R who couldn’t remember his past. You don’t get to know his character much before Julie was introduced. You feel the relationship develop a little, but the scenes fail to convey the depth of the relationship that supposedly have developed between the characters. Having said that, Nicholas Hoult played his character well. I must applaud his ability to not blink during scenes where he has long lines, and more importantly, the skill to deliver his lines slowly and purposefully as to not rush a scene.
The story continues… R helped Julie escape from the airport and she made it back to the safegrounds where his father leads the rest of the population in the fight against these zombies. R, having felt that Julie is changing him and the other zombies, left the airport and made their ways to the city. The Bonies found out about the zombies coming back to life and their plan, hence chased after them into the city.
A war broke out. The fighting scenes between the living humans, R and the zombies, and the Bonies had some funny and good moments. But I wasn’t drawn into the action as much as I expected to, or as I wanted to. The fight was over before I knew it, when R was brought back to life with a kiss, only to result in being shot by Julie’s father. But not to worry, R lives. The climax was more of an anti-climax to me. The beginning of the end till the end seems really short and the end came abruptly.
It is one of those films where the trailer is pretty much the whole film. I left the cinema asking myself “Is that it?”, feeling unsatisfied and wanting more.
Rating: 3/5
Chela – ‘Romanticise’
The classy French indie-music label has endorsed this rare vintage fashioned by a local Melbourne artist, Chela. The lo-fi sound quality of the keyboard synth oozes a flavourful fusion that compliments Chela’s snappy vocals.
This electro-indie pop bubble gum is pure creativity, from the faded animation colours to the classy interpretive dance moves; she definitely rocks her music video with a hip bohemian panache.
To be included in a ‘Kitsuné Maison’ record, it requires particular requisites; ‘Romanticise’ certainly showcases a unique musical taste. An original piece that is overwhelming with chic. This is one composition that is truly worthy of a nod from the house of Kitsuné.
Rating: 8.5/10