Category Archives: Review

Live Review + Photos: Savannah in the Round 2024

October 18, 2024 LifeMusicMedia

Review and photos by Ant Ritz

Savannah in the Round 2024: A Must-Experience Music Festival in Mareeba, QLD

Tyler Hubbard

If you’re not from Far North Queensland (FNQ), Savannah in the Round should be high on your bucket list. Whether you’re planning a trip to explore Cape York, Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef, Cooktown and/or the lush rainforests of Daintree and Cape Tribulation, don’t miss this three-day music extravaganza in Mareeba. This year it was held from Friday, October 11th to Sunday, October 13th, 2024, it was the perfect blend of great weather, vibrant atmosphere, and a diverse lineup that will keep you coming back year after year. For FNQ locals, this is an annual event that you should never skip.

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Live Review, Photos, Review

Album Review: The Commoners – Restless

July 7, 2024 LifeMusicMedia

Review by Peter Coates – www.facebook.com/InsideEdgePhotography

THE COMMONERS – RESTLESS
Released – 5^th July 2024
Gypsy Soul Records

Canadian Roots-Rock quintet from Toronto, The Commoners have been on something of a rocket ride for the past few years since their critically acclaimed sophomore album Find A Better Way was released in 2022, with a string of tour dates across their homeland and regular tours to the UK. With their highly anticipated third album, Restless now released by Gypsy Soul Records, and yet more tours and festival appearances booked for the remainder of 2024, the pace doesn’t look like slowing anytime soon.

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Album Review, Peter Coates, Review

Live Review and Photos: CMA Fest 2024 – Nashville – Day 2

June 6, 2024 LifeMusicMedia

Words and Photos – LE / PC – @insideedgephotography

cmafest.com

LIFE MUSIC MEDIA is on the ground in Nashville, Tennessee for the 2024 CMA Fest week – bringing some highlights from the core festival events, and a taste of the myriad of other gigs, performances and experiences that see the Country Music world take over the city for a full week.

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Live Review, Peter Coates, Photos, Review

Album Review: COLLATERAL – Should’ve Known Better

June 5, 2024 LifeMusicMedia

Review by Peter Coates – www.facebook.com/InsideEdgePhotography

COLLATERAL
SHOULD’VE KNOWN BETTER

Released May 24^th 2024
Big Shot Records

Having blitzed their way onto the British rock scene in 2020, weeks before COVID appeared to shut the country down, and prevent any in-person touring to promote the record, Collateral was forced to cancel their highly successful tour with Phil X (Bon Jovi) halfway through. This made the band hungry to keep the momentum. With innovative ways to produce top quality live streams, the band became special guests supporting a range of artists through online events.

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Album Review, news, Peter Coates, Review

Live Review and Photos: CMA Fest 2024 – Nashville – Day 1

June 5, 2024 LifeMusicMedia

Words and Photos – LE / PC – @insideedgephotography

cmafest.com

LIFE MUSIC MEDIA is on the ground in Nashville, Tennessee for the 2024 CMA Fest week – bringing some highlights from the core festival events, and a taste of the myriad of other gigs, performances and experiences that see the Country Music world take over the city for a full week.

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Live Review, news, Photos, Review

Live Review + Photos: JAYNE DENHAM – Album Launch Show – 03 May 2024

May 6, 2024 LifeMusicMedia

Review and photos by Peter Coates – www.facebook.com/InsideEdgePhotography

JAYNE DENHAM
The Beer Shed Brewery – Campbelltown
May 3^rd 2024
Album Launch show for MOONSHINE.

Having reviewed the record last week, it was fantastic to be able to get to the live launch of the Moonshine album with Jayne Denham fronting her highly proficient band in a thoughtfully crafted and structured pair of sets, at the excellent venue within The Beer Shed Brewing Co premises in Leumeah, NSW. Boasting a great sound system, and better lights than many inner-city music venues, the venue was packed for this sold out show.

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Live Review, Peter Coates, Photos, Review

Album Review: Jayne Denham – Moonshine

April 29, 2024 LifeMusicMedia

Review by Peter Coates – www.facebook.com/InsideEdgePhotography

JAYNE DENHAM
MOONSHINE
Released – May 3^rd 2024

This is Australian country music at its peak – superbly crafted and produced, but displaying raw emotions while evoking a gritty sense of the prohibition era through a set of great songs, sourced from a number of the world’s finest current country music artists and songwriters, delivered by Jayne Denham in the next evolution of her era-inspired albums.

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Album Review, news, Peter Coates, Review

Album Review: The Milk Men – Holy Cow

April 15, 2024 LifeMusicMedia

Review by Peter Coates

THE MILK MEN – HOLY COW
Released – 3^rd May 2024

The Milk Men are: Adam Norsworthy (The Mustangs) on guitar, Jamie Smy on vocals, Lloyd Green (son of Mick Green – Johnny Kidd & The Pirates) on bass guitar, and Mike Roberts (from the excellent Pirates) on drums. The guys have been rocking around the UK for the past 14 years, with an exhilarating live show, and Holy Cow is their fifth studio album release.

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Album Review, Peter Coates, Review

Live Review: Joe Bonamassa at Royal Albert Hall, London – April 4th 2024

April 8, 2024 LifeMusicMedia

Review – Peter Coates
Photos – Marty Moffatt

Any Joe Bonamassa show is something of an event, and the now fairly regular occurrences at the Royal Albert Hall are on another level. This was the 11th show here in 15 years, and the first of two nights, and the local musician network was out in force to watch one of the masters at work. The lights dim, and the intro tape gets overtaken by the band, and then Joe hits the stage in sharp suit, shades and sneakers, and we are off and running.

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Live Review, Peter Coates, Photos, Review

Live Review + Photos: Byron Bay Bluesfest – Monday 01 April 2024

April 2, 2024 LifeMusicMedia

Review by Wanda Hill
Photos by Ant Ritz

Byron Bay Bluesfest

A vigorous end to the 35th Bluesfest was had with Californian band Infectious Grooves powering up the Mojo with unprecedented levels of exhilaration and raw energy. Front man Mike Muir (also from Suicidal Tendencies) spoke between songs, espousing living life your own way and the benefits of abstaining from alcohol. Hardcore motivational speaking between funk/metal masterpieces that are a rare treat stylistically for Bluesfest. Festival director Peter Noble was down the front enjoying the final night’s headline act. Clearly his passion for music across a diverse range of genres is what makes his musical curation such a success year after year. Bassist extraordinaire Rob Trujillo (current Metallica and former Suicidal Tendencies) brought his signature heavy yet deeply funky basslines to the show, and towards the end of the set his son Tye Trujillo (current Suicidal Tendencies) also a bass player of phenomenal skill, joined the band on stage for double delivery of bass brilliance.

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Ant Ritz, Live Review, Photos, Review, Wanda Hill

Live Review + Photos: Byron Bay Bluesfest – Sunday 31 March 2024

April 1, 2024 LifeMusicMedia

Review by Wanda Hill
Photos by Ant Ritz

Byron Bay Bluesfest

Great to witness some new to Bluesfest artists performing over the weekend. The Jambalaya was alive with powerful female vocalists this easter Sunday. Fresh Australian talent WILSN blew everyone away with the beauty and clarity of her tone. Citing a few years living in Nashville as seminal in her song writing development. She is back in Australia now sharing her contemporary soul music with new audiences. Don’t miss the opportunity to see her emerging brilliance 5pm today at the Delta stage.

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Ant Ritz, Live Review, Photos, Review, Wanda Hill

Live Review + Photos: Byron Bay Bluesfest – Saturday 30 March 2024

March 31, 2024 LifeMusicMedia

Review by Wanda Hill
Photos by Ant Ritz

Byron Bay Bluesfest

Saturday Night Bluesfest 2024

Big bands and big personalities were the flavour of Saturday night. Age is no impediment to pulling a crowd at Bluesfest. Tom Jones had the lion’s share of the festival crowd donning portable camp chairs at the Crossroads, while he sang Sex Bomb and other hits to the largest audience so far at this year’s festival. At 83, women are still throwing their underwear at him. The Blind Boys of Alabama joined him on stage for a few songs making the one man show a more collaborative experience. With that much love in the room for one man he must be able to float to his next show. An aeroplane is probably unnecessary.

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Ant Ritz, Live Review, Photos, Review, Wanda Hill

Live Review + Photos: Byron Bay Bluesfest – 28-29 March 2024

March 30, 2024 LifeMusicMedia

Review by Wanda Hill
Photos by Ant Ritz

Celebrating 35 years of Byron Bay Bluesfest

With recent seminal festival cancelations front of mind, celebrating 35 years of Byron Bay’s Bluesfest really is a remarkable achievement. In a press conference yesterday Peter Noble announced that the 36^th Byron Bay Bluesfest will be a four rather than a five day event next year, to help ease music industry pressures and ensure continued delivery of the regions premiere world class music event.

The 2024 iteration started in glorious sunshine and good vibes. The thinner crowds of Thursday night enabled friends to find each other easily amidst a sense of being in a magical place for a marathon of music. The sunset obliged filling the sky with golds and reds, illuminating the feelings of happiness oozing from the venue.

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Ant Ritz, Live Review, Photos, Review, Wanda Hill

Album Review: Walter Trout – Broken

February 29, 2024 LifeMusicMedia

Review and live photos by Peter Coates – www.facebook.com/InsideEdgePhotography

WALTER TROUT – BROKEN
PROVOGUE RECORDS / MASCOT LABEL GROUP
Release Date – 1^st March 2024

All of us are broken. But no-one is beyond repair. It’s a philosophy that Walter Trout has lived by during seven volatile decades at the heart of America’s society and blues-rock scene. Even now, with the world more fractured than ever – by politics, economics, social media and culture wars – the fabled US bluesman’s latest album, Broken, chronicles the bitter schisms of modern life but refuses to succumb to them.

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Album Review, Peter Coates, Review

Album Review: Bex Marshall – Fortuna

February 26, 2024 LifeMusicMedia

Review by Peter Coates – www.facebook.com/InsideEdgePhotography

BEX MARSHALL – FORTUNA

Released – 1^st March 2024
Dixie Frog Records

The long-awaited studio album from Bex Marshall, Fortuna, is a ten-track blues tapestry that bulges to the edges with addictive hooks and story lines. Bex is a writer of notability, she pushes the boundaries of blues and weaves the genre in and out of blues, funk, rock, and Americana.

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Album Review, Peter Coates, Review