Entertainment News

The JJJ Presented Fizard National Tour is continuing across the country.

March
31st Prince of Wales, Bunbury WA
April
1st Settlers Tavern, Margret River WA
2nd Rosemount Hotel, Perth WA
3rd Swan Hotel Basement, Fremantle WA
8th Karova Lounge, Ballarat VIC
9th Crown and Sceptre Hotel, Adelaide SA
15th Sol Bar, Gold Coast QLD
16th The Alley, Brisbane QLD
17th Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay NSW
22nd Evelyn, Melbourne VIC
23rd Apollo Bay Festival, Apollo Bay VIC
29th Yahoo Bar, Shepparton VIC
30th National Hotel, Geelong VIC

New Double A-Side single “Nuff Hype / Paranoid” OUT NOW (Cat# METHOD057)

Penny Drop presents
Laura Veirs and The Tortured Souls
Australian Tour May 2005

“‘Carbon Glacier’ is the unmistakable sound of a songwriter hitting their stride, pouring herself into each syllable, flexing into new life.”
Uncut - 5 Stars (Album of the Month)

Acclaimed Seattle songsmith Laura Veirs impressed many a critic and record buyer with last years Carbon Glacier album. Released in 2004 to gushing reviews including 5 stars from Uncut magazine, Veirs established herself as a true talent bound to stand the test of time.

Born at the edge of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, Laura Veirs grew up exploring the water, snow, stars, and craggy peaks of the American West.

Her first record, The Triumphs and Travails of Orphan Mae (2000) caught the attention of the Bella Union label who then released Trouble By The Fire (2003). That album saw the young songwriter pulled from obscurity to become one of the most promising artists to emerge in the new century.

The following year Laura Veirs released Carbon Glacier- an album of astonishingly well-crafted and bittersweet songs. Backed by haunting soundscapes, these winter laments reference shipwrecks and snowstorms, chimney sweeps, and mortality in dreamy stream-of-consciousness style lyrics. Unlike many who carry the ’singer-songwriters’ tag, Veirs actually writes really great songs. Produced by Tucker Martine of Modest Mouse, the album was licensed in the U.S by the notoriously selective Nonesuch records, home to Wilco and Brian Wilson.

The response to Carbon Glacier was overwhelmingly positive. In 2004 Independent wrote it “…has the air of an instant classic, a benchmark by which future Americana releases will be judged.” Uncut, in a five-star lead review, called Carbon Glacier Veirs’ “first masterpiece…the unmistakable sound of a songwriter hitting her stride, pouring herself into each syllable.” Time Out New York concurred, saying “Veirs’ talent borders on the transcendent.”

Joining her on her first Australian tour are Steve Moore (trombone, keyboards) and Pacific North West institution Karl Blau (bass, guitar) - frequent collaborator and mentor of The Microphones/Mt Eerie.

AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES AND TICKET INFORMATION

Thursday 26th May – Northcote Social Club, MELBOURNE
Doors at 9:30pm
Tickets from the NSC box office at 301 High St, Northcote (Mon-Fri 12-8). Phone 94861677 or online at http://www.northcotesocialclub.com

Friday 27th May – The Basement, SYDNEY
Doors at 8pm
Tickets from Moshtix, Phone 9209 4612, online at http://www.moshtix.com
Or from the venue, online at http://www.thebasement.com.au/club

Saturday 28th May – The Troubadour, BRISBANE
Doors at 8pm
Tickets from Rockinghorse and Skinnys Music.

Sunday 29th May – Manchester Lane, MELBOURNE
Doors at 8:00pm
Tickets available from the venue. Phone 9663 0630. Dinner bookings available.

The outstanding calibre of Australian blues is praised in the latest edition of Blues Revue.

Journalist and leading blues guitarist Bob Margolin praises Australian blues musicians in an interview with Melbourne Blues Queen Fiona Boyes.

Blues Revue is America’s most respected blues magazine with world wide distribution.

“For more than 30 years, I’ve been hearing and jamming with Australian blues players who deliver their original blues with depth and soul. They cannot be denied,” testifies Margolin.

Steve Sloan, editor of BluesWax (America’s leading Blues website, syndicated with Blues Revue) agrees: “Spending three weeks immersed in the blues scene in Australia only solidified our belief in the growth potential of the ‘Blues Down Under’…the quality players and the depth of their knowledge of what we often believe to be ‘our’ music was phenomenal…it is so exciting to see a fresh perspective on the blues from a place so far from the Delta,” he said.

The story follows Australia’s recent success in America, which confirms our place as a serious contender in the international blues scene.

Jimi Hocking, from Melbourne, won first place in the International Blues Challenge (IBC) in February this year. On the same day Melbourne blues band Collard Greens and Gravy won the ‘Best Self-Produced CD’ competition (part of the IBC) with their album Silver Bird. Hocking is the fifth Australian artist to win at the IBC; Fiona Boyes, Andy Cowan, Collard Greens and Gravy and Geoff Achison have all placed. Organised by The Blues Foundation and held in Memphis, Tennessee, the competition is largely an all-American event.

BluesWax mentions acts like Dutch Tilders, Nick Charles, The Backsliders and the Bondi Cigars as responsible for making “live Blues accessible to audiences across Australia.” It also recognises our host of young blues talents; Lloyd Spiegel, Pete Cornelius and Ash Grunwald amongst others.

The article published in BluesWax can be found on www.blueswax.com

On April 11th The Casanovas are set to give you palpitations, with the release of their killer new single “Heartbeat”. In true Casanovas fashion “Heartbeat” is pure unadulterated rock and roll from the one of the BEST live bands in the country!

The international music industry has caught on fast, from top US record companies flying the guys over to showcase their rock moves late last year, to UK label Hellsquad releasing The Casanovas debut single ‘SHAKE IT’ on vinyl. Now “Shake It” is being used on a big budget ad campaign for Impulse’s new product “Thrill” in the UK.

With sales on their debut racking up in such diverse territories as Japan, Indonesia, Brazil, New Zealand, Spain, and the UK we hauled in American super star producer Sylvia Massey Shivy to deliver an explosive mix of their new single ‘Heartbeat’. Sylvia Massey Shivy has worked with bands such as the Chilli Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins, Tool and Foo Fighters and most recently mixed the biggest rock single of 2004 - Spiderbait’s cover of Black Bette.

The new mix of Heartbeat sounds amazing, it jumps out of the speakers & is accompanied by an awesome video!
May 2005 will see the band head overseas to tour the UK, Europe, Japan, Brazil and New Zealand before settling in America to commence the recording of their second album.

The Casanovas will be tearing up the stage at a venue near you throughout April. This will give punters one last chance to catch this amazing live show in Australia for 2005. Dates can also be found at www.majorbox.com.au

The Casanovas “Heartbeat” Tour Dates:
7th April - Newcastle Uni - Newcastle
8th April - Gaelic Club - Sydney
9th April - Woonona Bulli RSL - Wollongong
14th April - Barwon Club - Geelong
15th April - The Prince of Wales - Melbourne
16th April - Karova Lounge - Ballarat
17th April - Fowlers Live - Adelaide
20th April - The Foundry - Cannington
21st April - Settlers Tavern - Margaret River WA
Fri 22 April: Rosemount Hotel - Perth
Sat 23 April: 3 Bears Bar - Perth
Sun 24 April: Newport Hotel - Fremantle

Ross Wilson is headed your way with a totally new acoustic performance featuring his ex-Mondo Rock collaborator Eric McCusker on guitar and vocals and Chris Paraha on bass and vocals!

The Ross Wilson Trio will be performing at a very special dinner show at Wellers Restaurant & Bar, 150 Eltham/Yarra Glen Rd (Melway Ref 23D1) Kangaroo Ground. A three course meal will be served at 6.30PM and the performance starts at 8PM. Dinner tickets are available at $75 and limited standing room tickets are $32 from Wellers on 9712 0266.

Ross says “It¹s really a special show, because there¹s much more emphasis on vocal harmonies within the trio. We¹ve actually reinvented the songs and it¹s great to sing them in a new way-they feel brand new to us! The performances that we do are intimate, close to the audience and it feels terrific to make that almost one-on-one connection. It¹s also a lot of fun working with Eric and Chris. We¹ve worked together so much over the years that we¹ve evolved into this very tight blend that is quite unique.”

As a performer, Ross has constructed a show that is an absolute feast for the ears and features all of his greatest hits and his new classics in the making. His earliest songs sound as fresh as those he wrote last week and he never fails to entertain and charm his audiences with a slightly warped sense of humour (much of it at his own expense!) and his musical expertise, timeless voice and constant reinvention.

In a career that spans 40 years Ross remains one of this country’s most respected artists. Ross has chased his musical muse wherever it has taken him and along the way he has entertained legions of fans from every generation.

From Daddy Cool to Mondo Rock, as a solo artist, and as a songwriter of almost mythic proportion, Ross is responsible for penning songs that have etched themselves permanently into the Australian landscape and psyche, such as Eagle Rock, Come Back Again, Cool World and A Touch of Paradise. As a producer, he has given the world the legendary Skyhooks, Jo Jo Zep and more recently, The Screaming Jets. An honorary Wiggle aka King Mondo, Ross has also endeared himself to a whole new generation of kids who will be amazed one day to find his vinyl records and CDs in their parents’ music collections, too.

BOMBA is now touring and playing songs from their brand new CD Learn To Breathe, which is just beginning to enjoy national airplay. The band has just returned from a Tasmanian tour that sold out twice in Hobart and are now on their way to play the East Coast Blues & Roots Festival in Byron Bay.

If you haven’t got your copy of Learn To Breathe just put your hand up and I’ll get it over to you for review or airplay!

In the meantime, for your gig listings Bomba will be performing at:

Apr 1: Ruby¹s Love Lounge, Belgrave VIC

Apr 9: Union Hotel, Chapel St, Windsor VIC

Apr 29: Prince of Wales, St Kilda VIC

May 6: Governor Hindmarsh

May 27: The Nash, Geelong VIC

May 28: Ruby¹s, Belgrave VIC

June 13: Headlining the Darling Harbour Jazz Festival and further dates tba in NSW

BOMBA ­ LEARN TO BREATHE

The secret of BOMBAs success has always been their eclectic and righteous party blend of riddems, beats, dubs and funky soul! Learn To Breathe blends all these sounds with their impeccable reggae sensibilities and finds them poised to convert new fans not only in Australia, but overseas as well.

The irrepressible master of groove and multi-instrumentalist Nicky Bomba leads Australia¹s funkiest dance/reggae band BOMBA.

BOMBA are recognised around the globe for their energetic live shows and passionate performances. If you’ve got thirsty ears and itchy feet come out and sample some of the most intense dance grooves, rich harmonies, powerful horns and soulful original material this side of the equator.

BOMBA has been touring nationally and creating huge vibe-osity with every performance- including a quick trip to Singapore for the first official Reggae Sunsplash in Singapore in 2004!

BOMBA was voted best band at the Queenscliff Music Festival in 2003!

BOMBA caused a stir at the 2004 Narooma Great Southern Blues and Rockabilly Festival as a frenzied crowd formed an impromptu and inspired conga line when Nicky and the band joined them for some righteous chanting and heavy percussive rhythms.

BOMBA most recently played at the Melbourne International Music Festival along with Michael Franti and Spearhead and Roachford and supported international reggae star Alpha Blondy at his only Melbourne show.

BOMBA is:
Nicky Bomba: Guitar, Theremin, Percussion, vocals
Paul Coyle: Trumpet, Trombone, Flugelhorn, percussion and vocals
Dorian West: Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Guitar, Theremin, Percussion and vocals
Barry Deenick: Bass, percussion and vocals
George Servanis: Drums, percussion and vocals
Michael Caruana: Keyboards, percussion and vocals

Learn To Breathe was recorded and mixed at Woodstock studios on the Transmitter Records label, is being distributed by MGM and was produced by BOMBA.

The NEW MoNDo RoCK VIDEO is

Title: Winds Light To Variable

CD: Mondo Rock ­ The Greatest
Distribution: Sony/BMG
Director: Anthony Scrinis
Production: Tones Australia
Exec Prod: Ross Wilson for Mondo Rock

Mondo Rock ­ The Greatest

Christmas 2004 saw the release of Mondo Rock ­ The Greatest a fantastic
compilation by one of the few Australian 80s era groups to have stood the
audio test of time MoNDo RoCK.

Kicking off with an undisputed classic Come Said The Boy & concluding 17
tracks later with The First Time, Damon Boyd¹s 2004 Boy sampled dance
anthem, Mondo Rock ­ The Greatest includes all the Mondos hits plus other
tracks personally selected by Mondo creator Ross Wilson that represent this
group at its absolute best.

Amongst that selection are powerful lesser known cuts such as Cost Of
Living, I¹m Free, A Woman Like You & the trippy instrumental Winds Light To
Variable.

The Good, The Extreme, & The Mondo

Melbourne director Anthony Scrinis was struck by Winds Light To Variable¹s
tongue-in-cheek blend of spaghetti western themes & surf music ­ “its Ennio
Morricone meets The Atlantics” he says - & using the tune¹s title as
inspiration he edited together a video composed of rhythmically cut 2 second
shots of surf, kite-boarding, para-gliding, ballooning, jet-ski and other
extreme wind & water action that personify our Australian sport love affair
with the sea, wind, beach, & sky. Scrinis¹s video of Winds Light To Variable
accents the elemental excitement by its unique use of a multi-imaging effect
­ kind of psychedelic trip-op ­ that sets this video apart from the pop
pack.

Soundtrack highlights are the twin twang of Eric McCusker & James Black¹s
guitars (James is MD on SBS¹s current Saturday night success RocKwiz) &
J.J.Hackett¹s incessant surfside drums & bongos. Winds Light To Variable
sits strikingly among the hits on Mondo Rock ­ The Greatest, & with the
release of the new video can be redefined as an Aussie surf classic of the
highest order.

Vision includes exclusive kite-boarding footage & even shots of Ross
Wilson¹s beloved St Kilda footy team on a beach workout.

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