Q&A with Neill Fraser of New Zealand band Villainy who are touring their new album Mode.Set.Clear for the first time in Australia around their performance at BIGSOUND in September.
Click Here for Villainy “Alligator Skin” Tour details.
:: What is your favourite Album ::
Radiohead – Ok Computer
Q&A with Caitlin von Berky, vocalist of alternative pop band Belltalk.
:: What is your favourite Album ::
Grizzly Bear – Vekatimest
Continue reading Q&A with Caitlin von Berky – Belltalk
Interview by Stuart Blythe
Life Music Media caught up with Kim for a chat.
LMM: Hi Kim, you’re heading to Australia to perform at Groovin’ The Moo along with your own headline shows. What can fans expect at the shows?
Kim: We want to give people a party. A night to let loose and forget about anything that has caused their day to be shitty.
LMM: What are you most looking forward to about doing Groovin’ In The Moo??
Continue reading Interview with Kim Schifino – Matt & Kim
Interview by Stuart Blythe
Guitar genius Joe Robinson has a list of credentials that would make most musicians three times his senior envious. Playing stages at prestigious gatherings like Bonnaroo Music Festival; being named Best New Talent in Guitar Player Magazine’s Readers Poll and making the Top 50 Best Guitarists list in Australian Guitar to name a few.
Life Music Media caught up with Joe for a chat.
Joe: I think it was hearing Eric Clapton’s music. My parents used to always play tapes of Cream and other Clapton stuff from back in the day. I was pretty good at air guitaring the Layla solo.
LMM: Did your parents influence your musical talents?
Continue reading Interview with Joe Robinson
Interview by Stuart Blythe
“Blow Your Own Trumpet – A Musician’s Guide to Publicity & Airplay” is a book for self-managed artists, budding music managers and music industry students, written by Stacey Piggott; publicist and director of Two Fish Out Of Water. Life Music Media caught up with Stacey for a chat…
Stacey: I was working as a freelance journalist and also in a Mexican Resturant in Bondi on the weekends, and I met Donna Simpson from The Waifs. They were self-managed, self-distributed, self-booked and self-publicized. They had a tour and a new album coming and I started doing their PR as a bit of a joke. I went and sat on the floor of the newsagency and started to make a list of names and numbers from the magazines and papers and then started calling people. Donna and I used to muse over how funny it would be if I ever got them in Rolling Stone or on JJJ, and then a couple of years later we were at the ARIA’s laughing about those conversations because JJJ and Rolling Stone had become such a regular part of their promo schedule. A few bands they were friends with asked me to work with them and things just steam rolled from there, with more and more clients coming from all over the place, labels, different genres, festivals etc.
LMM: Over the years you’ve worked with, nurtured and help build the careers of some very successful bands. Can you name a few that stand outs and your involvement in their success?
Continue reading Interview with Stacey Piggott – (Author) “Blow Your Own Trumpet – A Musician’s Guide to Publicity & Airplay”
Interview by Stuart Blythe
It’s been a busy year for Sydney duo Nantes and with their debut album on its way, they look set to be even busier. Life Music Media caught up with vocalist/bassist David Rogers for a chat…
David: It was a really relaxed process getting this album together, we weren’t stressing on making sure everything was perfect, we were trying to record as purely as possible, we were trying to capture the essence of how the songs were written. Working with Simon is great because he’s a good friend of mine so there are no awkward moments; he usually molests me at some point.
LMM: Singles ‘Fly’ and ‘Unsatisfy’ have been well received and been on high-rotation. For the uninitiated, how do you describe your sound?
Continue reading Interview with David Rogers – Nantes
Interview by Wanda De Verelle-Hill
Fyah Walk will be playing at the brilliant reggae, soul and dub event Island Vibe Festival on Stradbroke Island this October (2012). We caught up with lead singer (and guitarist) Simon Jerrems for a chat…
LMM: So you have a few new members in the band, can you introduce them?
Simon: Yes, on bass is Anando Bharti who is a long-standing player of over 40 years experience and performing with a multitude of bands in and outside Australia. Then Carla Versitano who is our backing vocalist who was the lead for band called The Witness and has also appeared on a host of Australian independent releases, she has great vocal tone and energy. On lead guitar is Tom Kelly, originally from the UK with a background in jazz and reggae…he has a great passion for guitarists like Ernest Ranglin and the early reggae pioneers of the 70s.
LMM: Your lyrics are always interesting and inspiring, what are you writing about at the moment?
Continue reading Interview with Simon Jerrems – Fyah Walk
Interview by Stuart Blythe
It’s been a busy year for singer/songwriter Mark Lowndes. Performing *and reaching the finals* on Australia’s Got Talent, recording his latest EP “Present”, running workshops for younger musicians and recently kicking off on an extensive tour. Life Music Media caught up with Mark for a chat.
LMM: Hi Mark, it was great to see you performing and reaching the finals on Australia’s Got Talent.
It must have been a great experience?
Mark: It was an experience that I will never forget.
So many things I learnt behind the scenes about the commercial world, things I’ll never forget.
LMM: Your song “Afternoon” received rave reviews from the judges. How did you feel about that and how much do you take on board from their comments?
Continue reading Interview with Mark Lowndes
Traveller & Fortune are touring in support of their latest single “Little Plastic People”, including a slot at BIGSOUND Live 2012. Tom West took time out for Life Music Media.
:: What is your favourite Album ::
Frengers by a Danish band called Mew
:: Name a band or artist we should checkout ::
Mew! Apparently not many people know of them
:: Favourite Quote ::
To be or not to be….. nah!
:: When on tour, you can’t live without ::
Internet
:: When you think of Australia, you think ::
Home… and kangaroos I suppose
Continue reading Q&A with Tom West – Traveller & Fortune
Sola Rosa are embarking on their first tour of Australia since 2010, playing coast to coast (including a stop at BIGSOUND 2012) in support of their new album Low and Behold, High and Beyond. Andrew Spraggon (Production, Keys, Percussion, Gadgets) of Sola Rosa took time out with Life Music Media.
:: What is your favourite Album ::
I have a few classic fav’s like Marvin Gayes ‘I Want You’ but I prefer to listen to new stuff as often as possible.
:: Name a band or artist we should checkout ::
Tall Black Guy. He’s my fav producer right now.
:: Favourite Quote ::
“The trick is to have a career and have a family. It’s like having two dogs that hate each other and you have to take them for a walk every night.” – Tom Waits
:: When on tour, you can’t live without ::
The occasional decent meal and eye masks, headphones and a neck pillow. Sleeping on the plane and in the van is impossible without them.
:: When you think of Australia, you think ::
Heat, good food, Coopers Sparkling Ale, Beaches, Nick Cave, good stand up comedy, great music festivals.
:: Worst thing to happen to music is ::
Commercial radio.
Continue reading Interview with Andrew Spraggon – Sola Rosa
We caught up with James Roden of The City Lights as they prepare for the launch of their new album ‘I Just Got To Believe’ this September with shows in Sydney and Brisbane.
:: What is your favourite Album ::
Exile on Main Street by The Rolling Stones
:: Name a band or artist we should checkout ::
For younger cats, please see The Sunnyboys at Meredith Festival this year. They were incredible at Dig It Up. For older dudes, please see The Straight Arrows or Royal Headache.
:: Favourite Quote ::
Christopher Hitchens in relation to religion and the supernatural – “”That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.””
:: When on tour, you can’t live without ::
Comedies on DVD. Non-fiction Books. Beer. Laughs. Phone.
:: When you think of Australia, you think ::
Fantastic animals. Incredible natural beauty. Some beautiful buildings that are always under threat from ‘developers’. A clash between those that appreciate Australia and being alive and those that want to exploit its resources, its animals and its people. But we are lucky to have a stable democracy given how insanely destructive and petty human beings can be. So in short, I think of the beach and that makes me smile.
Continue reading Interview with James Roden – The City Lights
Interview: Stuart Blythe
Legendary British soul funk pioneers The Brand New Heavies return to Australia this September *2012*, playing intimate venues in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The Brand New Heavies’ bassist Andrew Levy chats to LifeMusicMedia.com
Andrew: Australia can expect a High Gloss performances from the funk/soul band that delivers like a rock band. A taste of some new material too…. Don’t worry all the hits you know and love will be on the set list as usual!
LMM: Do you have any special memories of past Australian visits?
Continue reading Interview with Andrew Levy – The Brand New Heavies
Interview by Stuart Blythe
After three years in the US, Mia Dyson returns to Australia with her new album “The Moment”. We caught up with Mia as she prepares to kick off her national tour.
MIA: It was everything from exhilarating, inspiring, adventurous, to lonely, scary, challenging. I have done a lot of growing up having been away from my comfortable, familiar Australian life.
LMM: For the uninitiated, how do you describe your sound/music?
MIA: Rock and roll, bit bluesy bit country sometimes, bit soul— a very concise description!
LMM: I understand a fan funding campaign help get your new album “The Moment” up an running?
Continue reading Interview with MIA DYSON
Interview by Carl Dziunka
With a couple of successful singles under their belt, and a national tour about to kick off, we chat with Elliott Margin of THE RUBENS.
LMM: Having a group formed with your siblings, is there much rivalry between you?
Elliot: No not at all. Having spent our whole lives together we understand each other really well, what makes each of us tick. We’re great at knowing when to stick the knife in and when to back off.
LMM: What are the major influences for your music?
Continue reading Interview with Elliot Margin – The Rubens
Interview by Wanda De Verelle-Hill
OKA will be playing at the brilliant reggae, soul and dub event Island Vibe Festival 2012 on Stradbroke Island this October. We caught up with OKA’s Charles Wall for a chat…
LMM: How is your tour of Canada going?
Charles: EPIC – quite hectic but loving every bit of it. The weather has been perfect. We’ve managed to fly all over the country.
LMM: What is the music scene like over there?
Charles: It’s rich. There’s a lot of festivals in the summer. Canadians really make the most of their warm weather. So many different bands from all over the world hit North America. There’s a good vibe around with all the quality & different music.
Continue reading Interview with Charles Wall (aka Bobby Alu) – OKA