Brisbane based six-piece Emma & The Hungry Truth can best be described as a combination of theatrical pop, tribal beats, soaring vocals and break-your-heart lyrics. With the launch of their debut EP “Feast” singer/songwriter Emma Dean took time out to answer a few questions for LifeMusicMedia.com
Melbourne based four piece The Solicitors are purveyors of fast paced, laconic New Wave pop. With the launch of their debut long-player ‘Blank Check’ the bands singer/songwriter Lee Jones took time out to answer a few questions for Life Music Media.
:: What track changed your life ::
‘Road To Nowhere’ by Talking Heads. I remember hearing it on the radio in the car when I lived in Newcastle, England, and my then manager saying “Talking Heads should be the band every band aspires to, take note” and I’d never heard of them before, after that I just listened to them non-stop. My manager was right.
There are some people out there who’d readily agree that the words “Radiohead” and ukulele should never be uttered in the same sentence. Not so if you’re Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls and Evelyn Evelyn fame. There was the potential for Palmer’s covers EP to be career suicide or simply oh-so-bad as diehard purists murmur things about sacred cows and masterpieces best left untouched but in her hands it is simply a collection reflecting her own effervescent personality – it’s full of theatrics, a DIY attitude and is brimming with creativity.
It is fitting that this is also Palmer’s first release after a less than amicable split with her record label. She adopted a Radiohead-esque user-pays-what-they-like system (save the 84 cent donation to cover administrative costs like filling Radiohead and PayPal’s coffers). But ultimately Palmer is the one that’s laughing after selling $15,000 worth of merchandise in the first three minutes of sale, in what was a perfect way to stick it to the former label and celebrate her newfound freedom and independence. Continue reading Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele – EP Review→
Review: Natalie Salvo Goodnight Owl started life in a bedroom, graduated to various recording studios and a church in Melbourne, and the result is a folktronica quartet content on blurring the lines between musical genres. Peel away the layers and you have five songs on a self-titled debut EP that have too many ambient noises and electronic beats to be strictly pop, yet also boast too many tender, heartfelt moments to be strictly the former.
The group have been likened to The Postal Service, Sigur Ros, Bon Iver and Band of Horses and they admit their music can take you in one of two directions. Like being faced with a road less travelled, on the one hand there is the promise of the embrace of the dawn while the alternative is an adventure into the dark Continue reading Goodnight Owl “Goodnight Owl” – EP Review→
“Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on her Magical Ukulele” 2.0 is on sale via
Bandcamp.
On July 20th, Amanda Palmer and her business collective – Sean Francis, Beth Hommel, and Hayley Rosenblum (lovingly dubbed “Team Chaos”) – released “Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on her Magical Ukulele” via Bandcamp to remarkable success. This was Palmer’s first experimental digital-and-vinyl only release independent of a record label, and strong proof that Palmer’s vision of “moving towards a patronage society” is indeed a workable – and profitable – solution for unsigned mid-level bands.
Available for a minimum donation of 84 cents (to cover Radiohead’s royalties and PayPal fees), the EP sold more than $15,000 worth in downloads and merchandise in under three minutes, but it didn’t stop there. Several different “bundle options” (including 450+ vinyl/t-shirt/button bundles, 100 packages that included hand-painted ukuleles, a one-on-one call with Amanda and more) and one thousand limited-edition vinyl LPs were sold out in under 24 hours. Less than a week later, all but one of the highest-end packages are gone.
The demand for vinyl is far more than the team expected & Palmer will be pressing another 1,000 copies – this time on transparent orange vinyl (the first edition of 1,000 were red). When those sell out, Palmer will field the fans’ demand and print another thousand on yellow, then green, going through the colors of the rainbow until they retire the project with a standard black release. The team will also, due to demand, unveil a new collection of bundles (including a new t-shirt design created by a fan, as well as digital download of a new music video of “No Surprises”, live performance footage, and more). In true DIY fashion, should a fan wish to add one of these new items to their pre-existing first-run-orders, Palmer’s team will be facilitating this personally via her message board, Twitter, and e-mail.
“Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on her Magical Ukulele” 2.0 is on sale via Bandcamp.
Amanda Palmer news & updates Twitter profile, @AFPwire.
BRYAN FERRY’S NEW STUDIO ALBUM ‘OLYMPIA’ WILL BE RELEASED ON VIRGIN RECORDS ON OCTOBER 22, PRECEDED BY THE SINGLE “YOU CAN DANCE” ON AUGUST 6.
THE ALBUM FEATURES MUSICAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM NILE RODGERS, DAVID GILMOUR, GROOVE ARMADA, SCISSOR SISTERS, MARCUS MILLER, FLEA, MANI AND JONNY GREENWOOD. IT ALSO SEES BRYAN FERRY REUNITED ON RECORD WITH MEMBERS OF ROXY MUSIC, INCLUDING BRIAN ENO. Continue reading Bryan Ferry Announces New Studio Album ‘Olympia’→
Listening to UK band Anathema these days, it’s hard to believe that they once toured alongside groups such as Paradise Lost, Cathedral and Cannibal Corpse. Formed in 1990 under the moniker of Pagan Angel, the group signed to Peaceville Records – the same group that was home to other legendary doom metal bands of the time. Continue reading Album Review : Anathema – “We’re Here Because We’re Here”→
2nd May 2010: Nik Kaloper (NK) of The Jezabels tells Stuart Blythe (LMM) about band life, touring and lessons learnt along the way.
LMM: You’ll be touring with Tegan and Sara on their Australian visit throughout May. Tell us about the tour and how it came about.
NK:Well, we were lucky enough to tour with Tegan & Sara January 2009 and we seemed to be a good fit for the bill. We really enjoyed what they were doing, and apparently vice versa – we were able to keep in touch and jump back on the bill this time around. It’s even better this time though, because we get to go all the way out to Adelaide and Perth with them – even playing Groovin the Moo festival together, very exciting times. Despite the tour being longer than the last one – we’re looking forward to relaxing in some of the cities. Because there are two shows in Brisbane and Melbourne, we’ll have an afternoon that doesn’t involve driving (something to be cherished when you’re on tour). Continue reading Interview with Nik Kaloper of The Jezabels→
In a scene where many bands tend to follow the latest musical trend and the industry doesn’t know which way is up, The Dillinger Escape Plan stand clearly out from the crowd.
Formed in the late 1990s, the group has gone from strength to strength thanks to an unwavering self-reliance and unique ability to churn out some of the most twisted, ugly riffs available. Founder member and guitarist of the New Jersey band Ben Weinman (BW) talks to LifeMusicMedia’s Ben Hosking (LMM) about band dynamics, society’s relationship with technology, illegal downloading and their new album ‘Option Paralysis’.
LMM: How’s the tour going? BW:Pretty good. Everybody’s a little sick, but we’re holding it together.
LMM: Too much partying or more a case of ‘one guy gets sick, we all get sick’? BW:I think it’s the latter, man. We’re all on a bus together, so when one person starts hacking up a lung, it just spreads like wildfire. Continue reading Interview: Ben Weinman – The Dillinger Escape Plan→
The Zoo is filled with fresh faced lasses in floral dresses and boys with floppy hair and dance pants. As soon as the six members of Brisbane’s Ball Park Music hit the stage to room is on its feet and inching closer to the stage. It’s like were being sucked forward by the gloriously poppy sounds and irresistibly jangly guitars. And the trombone. How can anyone resist a trombone? This collective of shiny, happy young’uns have spent much of the year gigging around the city and attracting a little pack of supporters. They released an 8 track debut “Rolling on the floor, Laughing ourselves to sleep” early this year and some of the tracks have come to the attention of triple j heavyweights. Continue reading Live Review | Hungry Kids of Hungary @ The Zoo, Brisbane with Deep Sea Arcade and Ball Park Music – 14 November 2009→
Amanda Palmer embarked on a rock star journey from the age of four when her mother sat her on her lap and taught her to play piano by ear. With no formal musical training and a strong interest in drama, she explored dark cabaret, gothic burlesque and surreal musical theatre as the lead singer of The Dresden Dolls. Then embarked on a solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, which pays homage to David Lynch (Twin Peaks) from a girl who doesn’t watch TV. She is a walking contradiction, part truth, part fiction and always entertaining. Her shows are not so much gigs as an experience and once the audience have the “experience” they are happy to spread the word.