Local Fidelity

Best of 2011

2011-12-26T14:45:00.014+11:00

This year, the local standouts for me have been …

BEST AUSTRALIAN ALBUMS
1. Unicycles, Tiger Choir (Hobart)
2. Hunter's Moon, Feathers (Brisbane)
3. Meditations On The Sun, Melodie Nelson (Sydney)
4. Hurtsville, Jack Ladder and the Dreamlanders (Sydney)
5. They Will Run, The Sea Thieves (Adelaide)

BEST EP
Dreams, Oliver Tank (Sydney)

BEST DEMO
Heavy Owen (Sydney)

BEST MIXTAPE
Hookz 4 by Fishing (Sydney)

TOP 20 AUSTRALIAN SONGS
1. "The Summer Is Done With Us", Palms (Sydney)
2. "Late and Sedated", Noceans (Adelaide)
3. "Last Night I Saw Everything In Slow Motion", Oliver Tank (Sydney)
4. "Over Under", Magic Silver White (Melbourne)
5. "Waiting", Melodie Nelson (Sydney)
6. "Horses", High Highs (Sydney/Brooklyn)
7. "Cold Feet", Jack Ladder (Sydney)
8. "Bird on Shoulder", Tiger Choir (Hobart)
9. "Alisa", Cut Copy (Melbourne)
10. "Coast To Coast", Twerps (Melbourne)
11. "All Night Long", The Frowning Clouds (Geelong)
12. "Your Love", Peak Twins (Adelaide)
13. "Japanese Cymbals", White Palms (Brisbane)
14. "Keys and Locks Don't Work" Cat Cat (Canberra/Melbourne)
15. "Starting At The End", The Sea Thieves (Adelaide)
16. "Romulus", Voltaire Twins (Perth)
17. "Speak of the Devil", Hermitude (Sydney)
18. "Big Cats", Outerwaves (Brisbane)
19. "Left To Fight", Oblako Lodka (Melbourne)
20. "A Boat?", Caitlin Park (Sydney)

Also noteworthy: "Tuki Bird", Flwrgn (Sydney); "Carpet Rash", Total Control (Melbourne); "Ghostwalking", New War (Melbourne); "Hell & High Water" by A Casual End Mile (Sydney) and "Masaya", Taku (Perth).

MOST FUN BAND TO SEE LIVE
Fishing (Sydney) on one end of the spectrum and Royal Headache (Sydney) on the other.

BAND TO KEEP AN EYE ON
High Highs (from Sydney, now based in Brooklyn - started out the year giving out tracks for free on Bandcamp and now they're looked after by Elton John's management company).

MOST PROMISING BAND
Noceans (Adelaide)

BEST OPENING/CLOSING TRACKS ON ANY ALBUM THIS YEAR
Twerps (Melbourne) - "Dreamin'" and "Coast To Coast"

Interview with Al Grigg (Palms)

2011-07-20T00:06:00.002+10:00

The very charming, witty and "literal" Al Grigg (ex-Red Riders, now of Palms) dropped by the FBi studio on Sunday. You can hear my interview with him right over here.

He was also kind enough to play a song live in the studio:

Interview with Al Grigg, part 5: Someone Mine (live) by Local Fidelity, Lee Tran Lam

Here are some of the songs he guest-programmed:

My Pal, God
Beginning And The End, Circle Pit
Girls, Royal Headache
Love Goes On, The Go-Betweens

And yes, Live It Up, Mental As Anything was one of the featured tracks.

Check out Palms' first gig this Thursday at FBi Social, presented by Local Fidelity, and also featuring Melodie Nelson and The Desks live. And me causing some low-level musical havoc by my entry-level DJing (non) skills. See you there!

Seekae to debut new music tonight on Local Fidelity!

2010-07-11T16:59:00.006+10:00

Photo by Will Reichelt, willreichelt.com

Tonight, Sydney beat-blitzers Seekae will be dropping on Local Fidelity to chat about what they've been up to & also debut snippets of their new album - never-before-played on-air! Huddle by your radio after 7pm (AEST), with the dial set on FBI 94.5FM to hear it, or stream from fbiradio.com.

Seja, Brisbane

2010-04-18T17:23:00.001+10:00

Current band rollcall?
Seja Vogel (keys,vox, guitar), Meredith McHugh (guitar, vox, keys) and Renae Collett (drums, keys).

Seja has been around since …
10-ish years? Starting playing in Sekiden when I was about 17. But, solo, Seja has only been around for a year or so.

Let's play Six Degrees of Seja. What are some interesting musical links you could come up with?
I played in a band with Stella Mozgawa, who once had a jam with Flea, Slash, Perry Farrell and Tom Morello.

First song ever written?
I wrote a song about a soy bean when I was 13 or 14.

Music making for you began when …
I started learning the violin and piano as a kid. And then - again - when I learnt how to use Pro Tools in high school.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
I used ripping-paper and sliding-paper on a desk as percussion in A Million Wheels.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
I got sprayed with a fire hose mid Sekiden show once. That was pretty strange. I was worried for my synthesisers.

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs? (Or put up other things in the studio for the same effect?)
I was surrounded by my little felt synthesisers while I made this album, which was lovely.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
Justin Timberlake.

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics?
Shhh, they're all secrets.

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer …
"Sit on the edge of my bed, sing me the song like you said".

Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song?
"Don’t shit where you eat my friend," Ween.

Do you think the country/city/town you live in affects your music in any way?
I think it does to a certain extent. Especially when you are growing up and you're more influenced and excited by bands. I would definitely think differently about music if I hadn't grown up to the local pop bands I listened to when I was in school.

You would love to record with …
Sean O'Hagan from the High Llamas.

Favourite person you have performed with/recorded with …
Being onstage with Spod is always fun because you have no idea what's going to happen.

Outside of playing music, you spend your time …
Sewing little felt instruments.

Next for you is …
The album tour!

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called …
Synth-soft-girlie-pop.

Seja has just released her excellent debut album, We Have Secrets But Nobody Cares, which features one of her signature felt instruments on the cover. Musically though, proper synthesisers are deployed throughout the album - turns out it only takes 14 of them to sound this good. For more details, visit here.

Britt Daniel from Spoon recommends

2010-03-29T23:22:00.002+11:00

Photo by Will Reichelt, willreichelt.com

In a feature called "50 Songs Every Man Should Be Listening To" in the latest Esquire magazine, Spoon frontman Britt Daniel recommends Sunday's Coming by Eddy Current Suppression Ring.

He says, "I'm having trouble deciding if Eddy Current Suppression Ring is the best Australian band since AC/DC or just the best rock band since AC/DC".

Otouto, Melbourne

2010-03-28T16:01:00.002+11:00

Current band rollcall?
Hazel Brown, Martha Brown and Kishore Ryan.

Otouto has been around since …
2008.

First song ever written?
Probably Autumn.

Music making for you began when …
We all started when we were younger, we all went to Steiner schools (Martha and Hazel in Melbourne, Kish in Mullumbimby) so I (Hazel) played violin and guitar, Martha played viola and guitar, Kish played recorder.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
In a song of ours called Twelve Ten, there is the sound of an amp blowing up on its own. We weren't even in the room but were luckily recording. We ended up keeping it as it was and reckon it sounds pretty nice.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
We played a gig at a university college to these lovely quiet smart kids who were sitting on the ground, I think they were really drunk and eating lolly frogs, also had no idea what we were doing. Martha had to ask one of them for a tampon and then dedicated a song to the girl when we played; we got some strange looks.

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs? (Or put up other things in the studio for the same effect?)
Nope, we don't but we might start! I had an idea once to draw some patterns and write songs based on the patterns, I drew the patterns but we never ended up using them.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
Margarine. It's shit, but not that shit.

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics?
Maybe old age? One of the few songs of ours that is fictional is about old age, it's called Walkie Talkie.

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer …
"Go past the pool in the middle of the night and breathe in the swimming smells."

Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song?
"There's hundreds of birds on the roof of the fitness centre, there's one hundred good ways to love" - Nick Huggins.

Do you think the country/city/town you live in affects your music in any way?
I think having lived in the same house for our whole lives (Martha and I), with a very creative mother, has definitely influenced our lyric writing. And being in Melbourne is a huge influence to us all creatively, the culture is so rich and is constantly presenting exciting resources and opportunities, giving rise to exciting artists of all kinds and hosting endless parties, gigs, dance flash mobs and exhibitions to be a part of.

You would love to record with …
Matthew Herbert, Nick Huggins, David Longstreth, Laurie Anderson, Beyonce.

Favourite person you have performed with/recorded with …
Nick Huggins is our favourite person to record with. He has a wonderful way with people and has a gift for guiding ideas. He also has great taste in sweets. The Casiotone For the Painfully Alone/Concern tour we did last year was extremely fun.

Outside of Otouto, you spend your time …
Hazel - works for our record label Two Bright Lakes and Polyester Records, plays in a band with Nick Huggins called The War Diaries of Frank Brown.
Martha - works at a clothing store called Kinki Gerlinki and Loose Joints, a dance night in Melbourne; also writes rounds with Oscar Slorach-Thorne.
Kish - Plays in Kid Sam, Seagull and Where Were You at Lunch, makes great chai.

Next for you is …
We're launching our album in Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney and saving money to go to America and tour with Casiotone For The Painfully Alone in September. I think we might make a video clip too, with dancing in it.

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called …
Birthday Sandwich.

Pip is the name of Otouto's debut album. It's full of zigzagging melodies and eccentric, minimal indie-pop. The vocals of the Brown sisters warm through what's there. Kishore sometimes taps out beats using items found in his kitchen. Read more on the band's MySpace.

City of Satellites, Sydney/Adelaide

2010-01-27T22:16:00.003+11:00

Current band rollcall?
Jarrod Manuel and Thomas Diakomichalis.

City of Satellites has been around since …
2007 – but we’ve played music together in different line-ups since our 1990s high school days.

Let's play Six Degrees of City of Satellites. What are some interesting musical links you could come up with?
Our friend Beth’s uncle plays guitar with Dragon. Yeah!

First song ever written?
Jarrod: Embarrassing - This Is The New Beat, the title says enough, come on people be fair, I was nine years old and obsessed with Michael Jackson.
Thomas: Hmm, probably one of these sombre, minimalist piano pieces I’d write as an angsty teen. Not sure what they were called, probably Untitled #13.

Music making for you began when …
Jarrod: I had always had an interest in music and my parents would have records playing all the time, but it wasn’t until we had a student, John, come and board with our family when I was four. I was annoying him (as usual), so he handed me a stereo speaker and told me to hold it and be quiet; then he played Beat It. From there I became obsessed with Michael Jackson, but more importantly, music/sounds/entertainment (although I didn’t realise it at the time). So while it would be years before I’d actually start writing my own music, I think it all started then.
Thomas: Well, I took piano lessons from a young age, but it all really began when I would set up arrays of empty, upside-down ice cream tubs in my parents’ lounge and try to emulate Def Leppard’s one-armed drummer, or Tommy Lee, circa Dr. Feelgood.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
Probably the warble sound at the end of Machine Is My Animal - the synth had way too many effects on it including a crazy sub-woofer effect (don’t really know why). We thought it sounded like a ghost, if a ghost made sound.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
Strangest AND first gig I believe - as young teens with dyed hair, we played in the front bar of a town called Wilmington in rural South Australia, during their rodeo weekend. We were heckled off stage for not playing enough AC/DC.

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs? (Or put up other things in the studio for the same effect?)
Jarrod: No, never - just listening to music is the best source of inspiration, but for me, it’s probably more based around emotion. Having said that, my recording room looks out over a garden, so I find nature can be very inspirational too.
Thomas: Don’t pin anything up, but I’ll sometimes indirectly use an image as inspiration – almost try to provide a soundtrack for the scene or the impression it’s left on me. My studio is pretty stark and looks onto Harris Street in Ultimo, so no inspiration in nature for me unfortunately, unless broke drunks stumbling away from the casino count as “nature”?

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
Jarrod: Guy Sebastian (no offence to the man, but it’s just very unlikely).
Thomas: Any track/album – whether I like the music or not – that’s obviously just a great performance committed to “tape”. Always serves to remind me that great music doesn’t need to be complicated.

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics?
Talking to Ian Curtis while watching skeletons and sketches in some other world …

Do you think the country/city/town you live in affects your music in any way?
Maybe not the country/city/town itself, but our geographical situation most definitely affects our music; in fact, with us living in entirely different cities, it is a significant defining factor in our songwriting process. What began as a technical nightmare of sending works in progress to one another through the mail, wrestling with incompatible plugins, and juggling files between PC and Mac, we finally got it all together, and now enjoy and even exploit the serendipitous nature of working on a track up to a certain point, and then releasing control of it to the other member to work on in isolation. Tracks often develop into things we couldn’t have conceived alone, or maybe even achieved if we were working in the same room together.

You would love to record with …
Skywalker Sound – we’re both suckers for new technology, and well, if anyone would have ALL the latest gadgets it would have to be George Lucas and crew! Also, Tony Doogan at Mogwai’s Castle of Doom Studios; Mogwai have been a big influence over the years, and Tony and Mogwai’s recordings strike a beautiful balance of raw guitar and drum sounds with an open-arms embrace of newer digital techniques/synths/plugins. Brian Eno. Iva Davies.

Favourite person you have performed with/recorded with …
Kathy Naunton at dB Mastering. She interprets our sounds and overall vision precisely, and is a really nice person to boot!

Outside of City of Satellites, you spend your time …
Working too much, and wishing we had more time for music. Jarrod works as a cinema usher and budding projectionist in Adelaide, and Thomas works as a PS3 video game designer in Sydney. We’re both football fans and watch games when we can - Jarrod is mildly obsessed with the Eagles in the SANFL, while Thomas is a passionate advocate of The Beautiful Game (aka soccer).

Next for you is …
We have the official CD release of our debut album Machine Is My Animal in late January; we're having a video for BMX directed by our friend Dael Oates, and we're working out how the hell the two of us are going to actually perform the music from our releases live. Having recorded both our EP and album totally independently in bedrooms and basements on opposite sides of the country, we suffered some pretty severe cabin fever, so we’re really eager to get back to (relative) basics, stand on the same stage, and play music live again!

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called … (feel free to come up with the craziest-sounding-yet-most-accurate name)
Hard to answer, as our music is basically just rock music. So no new genres, just put us under Rock’n’Roll - we know, boring, but that’s just what it is!

One of the first nights I played a track from the City of Satellites EP, my guest happened to be Aaron Curnow, who runs the Spunk record label (best-known for introducing bands like The Middle East and The Arcade Fire to Australian audiences). When he got home, he emailed me wanting to know who the track was by. I think City of Satellites' sleepy-eyed electronica has that definite "who was that?" effect on people. I've been playing the album, Machine Is My Animal since November, and it's nice to see that it's starting to get some fanfare, now that it's had a proper physical release. It'll be interesting to see how music – originally created as well-travelled 1s and 0s sent across two different states – will get translated onstage. Head to the band's MySpace for more info.

The Kritzlers, Brisbane

2010-01-09T15:56:00.006+11:00

Current band rollcall?
-Thomas Bullock
-John Kells (I think/hope)

The Kritzlers has been around since …
The Kritzlers are believed to have evolved in Cenozoic Era rock around the beginning of the 2nd Millennium AD. Or, less pretentiously, 2007.

Let's play Six Degrees of The Kritzlers. What are some interesting musical links you could come up with?
There was a cool shoegazer blog that allowed you to download entire albums but I can't find it
So …
www.myspace.com/blindmrjones
www.myspace.com/secretshine
www.myspace.com/realbrittlestars

First song ever written?
I never named it. It never graduated from the crusty old two-track reel to reel it was recorded on. Probably for the better.

Music making for you began when …
I stopped trying to copy Tool and started trying to copy The Cure.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
A competent drummer! Come back to Australia, John, you bastard! Others: a melodica, an $80 Bundaberg thrift shop Farfisa organ.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
At one gig I played, the bass player fell through the floor twice. Then people were waving through the floor at us.

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs? (Or put up other things in the studio for the same effect?)
No, but it's a good idea. Always wanted to put up a seizure-inducing bright red light to shine straight into the eyes of the person tracking to see where that would take things … but umm, haven't as yet been able coordinate that one.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
The feelings/atmosphere created by:
-Ralph Bakshi Films
-Totalitarian propaganda
-Working shit jobs for horrible companies
-World Travel

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics?
Nothing unconventional with us. Conformity is an obsession with me. Love, lust, drugs, new technology – whatever can be marketed to hedonistic young Y-genners.

Do you think the country/city/town you live in affects your music in any way?
Oh yes! Coming from a cultural sewer like Queensland motivates one to creative extremes.

You would love to record with …
People that can actually play - Like those dudes that played on the old Motown records (if they're still alive). Chris Isaak's guitarist. Fleetwood Mac's riddum section. The Peruvian flute band that used to play round Brisbane 10 years ago.

Favourite person you have performed with/recorded with …
Hasn't happened yet :(

Outside of The Kritzlers, you spend your time …
Making outrageous claims. Drinking. Reading. Thinking up new violent revenge fantasies.

Next for you is …
Finishing an album. Getting away from Queensland.

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called … (feel free to come up with the craziest-sounding-yet-most-accurate name)
"Helpthekritzlersoutofdeapfinancialshit-ica"

Despite the wiseguy responses, The Kritzlers make astoundingly dreamy music. Scarlet Sometimes was one of my favourite tracks of last year and I'm excited about 2010's promise of an album. Keep up with The Kritzlers at www.myspace.com/thekritzlers

Best of 2009: a rundown

2009-12-22T14:08:00.027+11:00

The downfall of lists is that they can be so microscopic – just a nano-view of one person's singular likes and dislikes. So, when doing my 2009 best-of, I wanted to expand it a little, so I badgered a lot of kind, patient and musically savvy people for their picks, too (most of which I played on-air). Not only did they put up with my list-hounding, they also selected a lot of awesome music. What I love about year-end reflecting is that you get to play catch-up on things you missed out on; and the best feeling is when you discover some great thing you knew near-zero about before hectoring someone about their 2009 favourites (cf. HTRK, Do The Robot).

So a mega thank-you to all the bands, bloggers, writers, listeners who were sweet enough to put up with my pestering (especially visual superstars Greedy Hen, who came up with a Top 5 mixtape). I've arranged this in vague order of most-wordy to least, and just to be a list-hog, I've started this with my favourites, accompanied by descriptions where I use way too many heart metaphors.

My 30 favourite Australian songs of the year
1. Close Your Eyes And It All Goes Black (recorded live at FBi) by Kid Sam
I know I'm committing about a million music-fan crimes by doing this. Citing a version of a song that hardly anyone owns. And then to put it at number one! Could you get any more indie-snob than that? But hear me out, I'm singling this out not to high-note my record collection or the fact I'm lucky enough to volunteer at a radio station, but because I sincerely love this version to bits. Not that the original on the album isn't great. It's just that the little differences that unfolded in the FBi studio make the song even more of a punch to the heart … the squeaky strings on the record are replaced by the quietest of strums, so Kieran's lyrics get full and bare spotlight; the cute glockenspiel twinkles are gone, instead Kishore plays the melodica, each note lingering and mood-sinking. I was a million kinds of fortunate to be sitting across the desk when this all happened. Close Your Eyes And It All Goes Black is about things disappearing, and yet the song makes the strongest case for not letting go of it.

Still from Blood videoclip by Greedy Hen

2. Blood by The Middle East
A song which I re-fell in love with many times this year. The part where the band turn up their voices, from hushed tones to loud, rowdy choir – and the song scatters into countless full-flight, wayward harmonies – it's such a stampede-charge to the heart. You can see how it transformed The Middle East from relative unknowns in January to music-festival veterans and best-of-list favourites by December. (And the hand-crafted video clip by Greedy Hen made the song even better.)

3. After All by Jonathan Boulet
If you were being a calendar-killjoy, you'd say that this technically came out in 2008 – and it did, on a hand-printed demo that was dropped into my FBi pigeonhole. But most people probably didn't hear it until it got a re-release this November, so I figure this can sneak in. I still love this track as much as I did when I first heard it last October though – the crazy bolts, snaps and shuffle of percussion filtering through this melody-shot song are actually drawers being slammed, and Jonathan Boulet making little scrapes and knocks on a desk. It's so rare that you would get a demo full of perfect, inventive indie-pop from someone little-known and that lottery-chance of discovering something that good in an anonymous-looking stack of records is about the best thing about being at FBi. (Also, this slot could easily belong to One Who Flys Two Who Dies and the wonderfully unavoidable A Community Service Announcement, both from the same record.)

4. Fox & A Prayer by A Casual End Mile
This was another demo discovery. And being a lazybones, here's what I wrote earlier on the blog: "Sometimes you hear a singer for the first time and your heart forgets itself entirely. Unskipped beats pile up, waiting for you to remember to unpause, but music has a funny way of playing cardiac traffic cop – it takes a while for everything to return to normal. It's rare to single out a moment like that, but when I first pulled A Casual End Mile's demo from the weekly mountain of CDs, it was like that completely. Madelaine Lucas' voice is the kind that rewires your memory. Like Hope Sandoval, her words are quiet and spellbinding, able to make the most unadorned songs sound dreamy. A Casual End Mile is one to keep listening to."

5. The Siren Sings by Red Riders
Sometimes you think you have a band all figured out. And then you hear a song that completely rewrites everything you know. If I wind back a while, I remember playing I Think You're Blind from the first Red Riders EP when I was doing my first all-nighters at FBi (that song = 3am for me), and there was that summer where Slide In Next To Me was almost as ubiquitous as Peter Bjorn & John's Young Folks. So the music-sorting part of my brain defined them as sharp-cut, angular rock and then, when I started zipping through tracks on Drown In Colour for the first time (to work out what to play on my show that night), I was stopped entirely by The Siren Sings. All fogged-out and wistful, there's something so hazy, dark and beautiful about it, and trying to mechanically size up why it works is like trying to make logical sense of a half-remembered dream. The song is all fuzzed out and perfectly in focus at the same time; it has the unstoppable pull of something you don't want to let out of your sight.

6. Scarlet Sometimes by The Kritzlers
7. Food Chain #2 by Dragging Pianos
8. Rescue by Black Cab
9. Old Faces by The Motifs
10. Absolute Truth by Shady Lane
11. Tiny Ants by Jane Woody & Angel Eyes
12. Listen Lovers by Castratii
13. Burden by Wolf & Cub
14. Colorado by Pivot
15. We Don't Believe It by Super Wild Horses
16. Beaches by Bridezilla
17. Kids by Sherlock's Daughter
18. Pool Party 2009 by Shazam
19. Kitten Gloves by Denim Owl
20. Mountain by Love of Diagrams
21. Greenwich Meantime by Galactic Empire
22. Mr Light by Royal Chord
23. Remember Me by Tame Impala
24. Betsy Remastered by Robert Luke
25. Time Means Nothing At All by Lisa Mitchell
26. Destination Part 1 by Damn Arms
27. Stranger Than Fiction by City of Satellites
28. Decide What You Want by The Morning Night
29. One Day (Clubfeet Remodel) by The Transients
30. Tables by Peach

My favourite Australian album of the year
Nowhere Forever by Love of Diagrams: hazed-out guitars at full-blast, with melody fracturing and out of each song. This is the album that converted me to the band (the previous two were a little too clean-edged for me), proving that getting pissed-off is the best kind of muse. Nowhere Forever is the album made after Matador rudely dropped the band from the label's roster, and the screw-you defiance of this record has translated into something urgent, entrancing – even kind of dazed-out and beautiful.

Honourable Mentions
Here We Go Down The Rabbit Hole by Shady Lane; Drown In Colour by Red Riders; The Good Fight by Royal Chord; The First Dance by Bridezilla; Marry Me Tonight by HTRK; Machine Is My Animal by City of Satellites. And, even though it came out last year (but then got a second life in 2009 on Rice Is Nice), The Sound of Trees Falling On People by Seekae.

My favourite Australian EP of the year
Dream Pocket by Denim Owl: this record's goofiness aims to distract you from how lush and gorgeous it is. Lucky that trick doesn't work, these songs are indie-pop sophistication gone undercover. Janita Foley can sing the silliest lyrics – and with that voice, all is forgiven.
Honourable Mentions
The Motifs; Sherlock's Daughter; Dragging Pianos.

My favourite demo of the year
Demo 1 & 2 by A Casual End Mile: Even the lo-fi nature of her very first demo couldn't disguise how hyper-talented Madelaine Lucas is. She played live while cursed with a cold in October, and she still sounded husky and enchanting. 2010 can only herald better things for her.
Honourable Mentions
The Kritzlers; No Art.

GREEDY HEN'S FAVOURITE AUSTRALIAN 2009 RELEASES

1. Dance Alone by The Twerps
The Twerps' self-titled EP (which is actually long enough to be an
album) is total bliss. It's D.I.Y calamity jams in its purest funnest form; messy slapstick garage-pop, humorously insightful lyrical gold. Basically whenever we listen to it, we want to hunt them down and be their best friends forever. BFFs!!!

2. Gold Canary by Cloud Control
We air-punch almost everyday just knowing that we get to work with Cloud Control so much. Gold Canary, the second single from their upcoming album (due for release early 2010!!! Wooohooo!) has the usual hauntingly beautiful vocal harmonies, nostalgic jangly guitars and organ that define the Cloud Control sound, but this one also has … wait for it … a winding African vibe! Seriously, who saw that coming?! It sends us straight to Graceland. I won't even mention how many iTunes playcounts it has had in the Greedy Hen studio. It's pure joy.

And what is most definitely the icing on the cake is that it will soon be available on a sweet looking 7" vinyl, too. Yes way! Did I mention we're enthusiastic nerds?

Jack Ladder photo by Will Reichelt, willreichelt.com

3. Case Closed by Jack Ladder (the version found on the Counterfeits EP)
OK, so it has come to our attention that Jack Ladder has evolved. Jack Ladder is the new Nick Cave, and the new Tom Waits, and the new howling preacher man, and the new Suicide … Basically, he gets compared to a lot of old things, but no one's mistaking those deep rich vocals and stage swagger for anyone else.

The Counterfeits EP is a re-working of five tracks from his recent soulful album Love Is Gone. It scratches the surface of what the recent live performances have been like and gives us a hint at things to come. His stage presence is electric, his lyrics are intelligent – basically what he's doing is exciting. We're excited!

4. Mirror Ball by Crayon Fields
A perfect twee pop song, this is what cardigans are made of, it's the colour of blushing cheeks. This song kills us! Seriously kills us! Ecstatic fumbling love, awkward lustful longing, we're spellbound. "I look at you and suddenly I'm a virgin in a dance hall", "can't tell if everyone's on heat or sunstroked" – my God! It's almost too much.

5. Blood The Middle East
This year, we spent many many hours cutting out paper trees and watercolouring skies, for an epic hand-made stop motion film clip for one of our most favourite bands, The Middle East. The song is called Blood, and we still get goosebumps from its mighty whistling solos – it's a powerfully climatic joy to behold. It's one of our favourite songs of 2009, in fact the whole EP just breaks our hearts every listen.

Still from Blood videoclip by Greedy Hen

Favourite Album: Crayon Fields - All The Pleasures Of The World. I know it's fey as hell and massively twee, but it's such a nice change from all the bombast and bravado of so much music these days. I love how it's charmingly gawky, while still being beautifully and confidently melodious.

Single: Royal Headache are one of the best new Sydney bands I've heard in ages, their songs Eloise and Honey Joy are awesome.

Demo: Bearhug. I love the way these guys sound. It reminds me of late '80s/early '90s indie rock (when 'indie' still meant something). Sloppy and sonic, like Pavement without a sense of humour.

Al Grigg, Red Riders

Hurt Me by The Jezabels (from She's So Hard)
This sounds ridiculous probably, but I find this song thrilling. Most times it ends, I have to immediately skip back to the beginning to experience that initial rollercoaster drop of the chugga-chugga-chugga Fleetwood Mac guitar dropping into the mix once more. The lyrics concern gender roles and masochism and some other things, but (and I know I’m usually a lyrics man) I find their meaning superfluous to the enjoyment of this song – because this song is about feeling. And my God, when Hayley sings, “Whole cities light up, but nothing can compare to you baby!”, I feel it like you wouldn’t believe.
Shag, presenter of Thursday & Friday Arvos on FBi

Marry Me Tonight by HTRK

I think this record might've been finished in 2006, that's how long it'd been waiting around for a release. Probably leaked early last year or so, but not many folks noticed. I guess it's been a couple of years since HTRK left our shores too. First moving to Berlin, then London (I think) and they've barely batted an eyelid or flashed flesh Australia's way since. Still, I feel like I gots to fly the flag with this record.

Anyway, the music … high-class sleaze, drug-den haze, unsavoury sorts exploiting whoever/whatever – that kind of thing. Impeccably (and I really mean it, the production/arrangements are flawless), crafted noise/atmospherics, grinding bass/drum machine, sexy/detatched and minimal vox. God it's all SO HOT. So messed up.

Special mention to … Dream Pocket by Denim Owl and self-titled releases by Psuche and Darren Sylvester.

Alex Nosek, ii & Oblako Lodka

Bridezilla photo by Will Reichelt, willreichelt.com

It's really hard to single out a single release for 2009 – artists that have really stood out for me include Cabins, Seekae, and the unreleased garage band demos of Desire The Horse. But as far as releases go, it would have to be the Tren Brothers/Bridezilla split 7".

Split releases, and particularly vinyl, don't seem to be as common here as in the US/UK, but this one is special for more reasons than just that. I am a big Mick Harvey fan, and the artwork is always a beautiful touch to the Tren Brothers' records. I loved the Bridezilla track the first time I heard it in its demo form – it's both strong and gentle, sad and hopefully, and so very melodic. I think this release really showcases original Australian music, in its past and present forms.
A Casual End Mile

Over The Stones, Under the Stars by Ned Collette + Wirewalker
I have been living overseas this year and even with the wide availability of music online, I still feel very disconnected from both the Melbourne and Sydney scenes. There are a bunch of bands playing regular shows that I have not heard yet. So this is a necessarily provisional selection – but what choice would not be? I like the tenacity and ruggedness of this album. There's also a lot of anger and resignation and disappointment in it. But Ned's music has always sounded consistent to me. There's something rewardingly unfashionable about it – it's not fickle or faddish, although it never repeats itself either. I guess you'd call that "honesty" – which is not so fashionable …
Ben Gook, music writer & musician

Without having to think about it too hard, I think the Australian release of the year is By The Throat by Ben Frost. An amazing follow-up to his brilliant Theory of Machines album from a few years back, and even though he's an expat he's still as Aussie as you'd like.
Peter Hollo, presenter of Utility Fog on FBi

My favourite song of 2009 is The Quest For Love Aboard the Belafonte from Love On The Second Stair by Telafonica. The whole song just sails along, so dreamy and hopeful. Amazing vocal performance, the whole thing is full of little bits and pieces of gold.
Jonathan Boulet

I have to admit nothing flew put instantly as an ultimate favourite for the year. But if I have to pick, Rainbow Kraut by John Steel Singers was pretty fun, with an infectious energy that lingers between the ears long after you've listened to it.
Alison, Glebe, FBi listener

Top 10
Aleks and the Ramps – Midnight Believer
The Dead Sea – The Dead Sea
AFXJim – Blackout Music
Brian Campeau – Mostly Winter, Sometimes Spring
Ghosts of Television – Forsaken Empire
Parades – Hunters EP
Broken Chip – Pow Wow 7
Ben Frost – By the Throat
Curse ov Dialect – Crisis Tales
Mr Maps – Mimicry of Lines and Light
Greg Stone, Underlapper

Kid Sam: album of the year. (Runner-up: Fergus Brown.)

I loved Fergus the minute I heard it, but Kid Sam crept up on me. The first time I saw them, I was so surprised to know so many songs (I'm AWFUL at matching band names to songs. I just don't hear back-announces when I'm at FBi), but it still took months for me to get into the album somehow. Then suddenly, it was kind of all I was listening to. It has the rare quality of making both being happy and sad better.

New Artist (tied): Home Is Where The Home Studio Is by The Desks. This just killed me, when I was about to collapse during Save FBi, this appeared on the Local Fidelity compilation; Winter People - I loved My Town, but the rest of the EP is just brilliant.
Julia Thomas, Marketing Manager, FBi

When Heavy Profession by St. Helens came out, I was suggesting it was album of the year full stop, local or otherwise. I dig the mood of the album, Jarrod's voice is very affecting and I've always liked his songs and his singing. The biggest hook for me is the chorus of the opener Don't Laugh, when he goes "Oh" and the guitar starts to pick a melody. I only need to hear it once and that bit is stuck in my head for days. It makes me feel funny on the inside.
Miniature Submarines

Sarah Blasko photo by Will Reichelt, willreichelt.com

2009 favourites
Bird On A Wire from As Day Follows Night by Sarah Blasko
Playground from Some People Have Real Problems by Sia
Recordings of Middle East by The Middle East -
King Hokum by C.W.Stoneking
Water and the Flame by Daniel Merriweather feat. Adele
The 13 by Polo Club
Sleeping On Your Style by Thundamentals
Jane Tyrell, The Herd/Firekites

My 2009 fave was called Last Days by Sydney rapper/producer called Fame. Surely Australia's first online mixtape 'leak', Last Days is perfection. You'll feel i) deeper ii) tougher and iii) happier for having downloaded it.
Peach

A Mouthful Of Gold EP by Ghoul
Definitely one of the most original and exciting releases to come out of Australia, let alone Sydney. Can't wait for the album.
John Hussell, Seekae

I'm going to go with Heavy Profession by St. Helens as I don't think it got the attention in 2009 that it deserved. I'm not sure if it was my favourite Australian album of the year but it's got this loose, vaguely claustrophobic vibe that I really dig.
Sean, A Reminder

FBi listeners tweet about their fave local releases of the year

Some short-and-sweet picks

Pick of 2009: Gold Canary by Cloud Control (with an honourable mention going to Super Wild Horses for their debut 7").
Dan Pash, Leader Cheetah

Street Bananas by Blank Realm – criminally overlooked kosmiche psych-drone from Brisbane, with an album on Digitalis.
Stuart Buchanan, presenter of New Weird Australia on FBi

My favourite Australian album of 2009 was Easy/House Music by Mum Smokes.
Steve Phillips, Sensory Projects

Here We Go Down The Black Hole by Shady Lane
This album is beautiful and heartbreaking.
Conrad from Richard In Your Mind

First Names by Do The Robot
Ambrose Nock, Apricot Rail

The 13 by Polo Club. Also, any of Aoi's demos from this year.
Brendan Webb, Baddums/ex-Sandpit

Favourite single: Silver Line by Faux Pas
Alexandra Savvides, presenter of Saturday Overhang on FBi

The Sound of Trees Falling on People by Seekae
This record is just an elegantly made album packed with soothing, ambient sounds – as if it’s almost soft to touch. Simply beautiful.
Ro, Those Walls Your Ears.

This Sunday: Best of 2009 Australian music

2009-12-16T23:27:00.006+11:00

Decoder Ring

FBi starts getting list-mad this week, with presenters refining their year-end favourites to the point of laser precision. Last-minute re-arranging and on-air still-deciding can be a common thing – it's the curse of people who take music hugely to heart.

My take on Australian music in 2009 is on this Sunday, 7-9pm AEST, and it will include a lot of picks selected by bands (Jonathan Boulet, Seekae, Red Riders to name a few), FBi folk and listeners. If you would like to add your two cents on your favourite local release(s) of this year, it's not too late! Just add your nomination in the comments section, along with your name, suburb, and why this record spun out your world so much, and hopefully I'll be able to play it and read out your answer!

Here are some visual reminders, if your memory needs some pixels to recall 2009, but if you are more of a words person, here are some bits of text to spark up your list.

All photos were taken at gigs this year, by the highly talented Will Reichelt.

Bridezilla

No Art

The Middle East

Tame Impala

Sherlock's Daughter

Royalchord, Melbourne

2009-12-10T19:43:00.012+11:00

Current band rollcall?
Eliza Hiscox, Tammy Haider, Tim Piccone, Ben Butcher.

royalchord has been around since …
We (Eliza and Tammy) started playing music together in 1997 and got serious in 1999. Ben and Tim have started playing with us this year.

Let's play Six Degrees of royalchord. What are some interesting musical links you could come up with?
Tammy: I recorded vocals at a house that Jarvis Cocker owns and, by pure accident, met him in the kitchen one morning whilst he was making toast for his son.

First song ever written?
Tammy: Gosh, I can't quite remember, no doubt it was about a guy, how it went wrong.
Eliza: First real song I wrote that doesn't make me cringe was on our first album, it was called Notion of Invisibility. It's about losing in a relationship, and learning to live alone, after your first heartbreak. There were some strange songs that I've written before which I, to this day, cannot make sense of.

Music making for you began when …
Tammy: I was in The Sound of Music at age six; ever since then, there's been no turning back.
Eliza: piano lessons when mastering A Whole New World, the theme song to Aladdin.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
Bottles on The Good Times, or the creaking door on Mr Light.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
We played a gig in New Orleans where a couple started dry-humping while we were playing our cover of Etta James' I'd Rather Go Blind; it wasn’t really that the gig was strange, more that we'd never thought of ourselves as making music to get down-and-dirty to (not that we mind this, of course). Probably even stranger was playing in Aimes, Iowa, at a Christian arts collective (we didn't know this beforehand). We ended up playing most of the show unplugged, and on the last song wearing wigs, standing in the centre of the room – it was surreal, beautiful, beyond words.

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs? (Or put up other things in the studio for the same effect?)
We like to pin lyrics up and tend to have pieces of disassembled equipment scattered round, empty beer bottles, pictures of dogs, trees, and always incense burning.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
Tammy: I feel like my nieces' reactions to our music influences me just because, right now, they are really into it, which I think is so sweet.
Eliza: Timbaland.

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics?
Sleaziness.

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer …
Life advice: “I will go go go, where my body will take me, I'll surround myself with the hope that’s left in me”

Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song?
Tammy: I'm sorry there are just too many to give one.
Eliza: I don't like songs with useful lyrics, or I don't take note of them at least! I love songs which have lyrics that hit you to your core, tell a story or express something so sad but is made beautiful in a song. I think pretty much everything Bill Callahan writes would fit that criteria. Also D.C. Berman of the Silver Jews: "You're a tower without a bell, you're a negative wishing well."

Do you think the country/city/town you live in affects your music in any way?
Definitely! For us, it's almost the opposite, I guess, as we are shifting around every couple of months, so the city we are in tends to have a transient effect on our music; it really takes us into our own world and mixes up the flavours.

You would love to record with …
Anyone from Hot Chip, Timbaland, Danger Mouse (dream on!).

Favourite person you have performed with/recorded with …
Tim Piccone and Ben Butcher, Andrew Spencer Goldman, Andrew Bencina – all such good, fun, creative, brilliant people.

Outside of royalchord, you spend your time …
Right now, pushing paper, daydreaming of travelling once more, playing tennis, walking the dog, playing with my friend's two-year-old daughter, walking, drinking, sleeping.

Next for you is …
A Sydney and Brisbane album launch, then U.S, U.K and European tours.

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called …
Fauxtronica Romantica.

Royalchord's album The Good Fight is full of quiet surprises, and contains one of my favourite songs this year (Mr Light, creaking door sound and all). You can catch the band launching the record this Friday at Serial Space in Chippendale. For more details (and general up-to-date info about the band), head to their MySpace.

Making a list, checking it twice

2009-12-06T17:44:00.012+11:00

Like a lot of people, I've totally fallen for list fever. With all this best-of reflecting that's happening everywhere, I'd love to hear people's thoughts on which Australian records were the keepers, the ones that survived the hype, (and people's hopeless memories). Which underrated gems deserved more of the spotlight?

So I'm doing two list-crazy shows on Local Fidelity - 'Best of 2009' on December 20 and 'Best of 2000-nowish' on December 27. It'd be awesome if you could somehow take part.

If you could single out your pick for 2009 favourite Australian record – it could be an album, single, EP, demo – as well as your utmost favourite of the last ten years, that would be amazing. (If you're able to add a line or two on why these releases have defined your year/decade, that'd also be brilliant.) Please everyone don't pick Since I Left You by The Avalanches (even though it is a killer record)!!

Just leave your suggestions, along with your name and suburb in the comments section and I'll announce & play as many as I can on-air on Dec 20 & Dec 27 from 7pm. I'll also blog about the responses here.

To jog your memory, here are a few names (though I'm sure I've missed lots, so please fill in the musical gaps, if you know any).

2009
A Casual End Mile. AFXJim. Aleks and the Ramps. An Horse. Angie Hart. Apricot Rail. Band Of The Free. Bearhug. Bird Automatic. Black Cab. Bluejuice. Brave Radar. Bridezilla. Broken Chip. Cameras. Castratii. City of Satellites. Cleptoclectics. Clubfeet. Convaire. Damn Arms. Danimals. Dave McCormack. Dappled Cities. Darren Hanlon. Decoder Ring. Denim Owl. Dick Diver. Dragging Pianos. Drama For Yamaha. El Mopa. Erasers. Faux Pas. Fourplay. G.L.O.V.E.S. Grand Salvo. Great Earthquake. Greyhound Lane. Harmonic 313. Holidays On Ice. Horrorshow. Howard. I Dream In Transit. I Heart Hiroshima. Jane Woody & Angel Eyes. Jessica Says. Jonathan Boulet. Kid Sam. Killaqueenz. Lisa Mitchell. Local Fidelity (ha). Lost Valentinos. Love Connection. Love of Diagrams. Martin Craft. Maxine Kauter. Megastick Fanfare. Miami Horror. Mum Smokes. Music Vs Physics. Namatoke. New Weird Australia 1, II & III. Nicola Lester. No Art. Oh Mercy. Orisha. Oto Uto. Peach. Record Producer. Red Riders. Royal Chord. Sailmaker. Sarah Blasko. Seekae. Shady Lane. Shazam. Shock! Horror! Sherlock’s Daughter. Snob Scrilla. Songs. Spunk Singles Club Compilation. St Helens. Super Melody. Super Wild Horses. Tara Simmons. Tarcutta. Telafonica. The Bon Scotts. The Church. The Crayon Fields. The Kritzlers. The Mess Hall. The Middle East. The Model School. The Native Cats. The Night Terrors. The Rational Academy. The Twerps. Umpire. Underlapper Remixes. Unkle Ho. Urthboy. Voltaire Twins. Washington. Williams Break. Wolf And Cub.

2000-2009
Adamsaidgalore. Aleks and the Ramps. AFXJim. An Horse. Angie Hart. Apricot Rail. Architecture in Helsinki. Art of Fighting. Bag Raiders. Barrage. Belles Will Ring. Big Heavy Stuff. Bird Automatic. Birth Glow. Bluejuice. Bluebottle Kiss. Brave Radar. Bridezilla. Broken Chip. City City City. City of Satellites. Cleptoclectics. Clubfeet. Coda. Cut Copy. Damn Arms. Dappled Cities. Darren Hanlon. Decoder Ring. Denim Owl. Dick Diver. Dragging Pianos. Drama For Yamaha. El Mopa. Expatriate. Faux Pas. Fdel. Firekites. Gaslight Radio. Gerling. Grand Salvo. Great Earthquake. Greyhound Lane. Guy Blackman. Harmonic 313. Hermitude. Holidays On Ice. Horrorshow. I Heart Hiroshima. ii. Jack Ladder. Jane Woody & Angel Eyes. Jessica Says. Jonathan Boulet. Julian Nation. Kid Sam. Laura Jean. Ladyhawke. Lisa Mitchell. Little Red. Lost Valentinos. Love Connection. Love of Diagrams. Luluc. Machine Translations. Martin Craft. Midnight Juggernauts. Minimum Chips. Mountains In The Sky. Namatoke. New Buffalo. Nick Cave. Nick Huggins. Ninetynine. Oh Mercy. Parades. Pikelet. Pivot. Pnau. Pretty Boy Crossover. Princess 1.5. Prop. Red Riders. Qua. Richard Easton. Richard In Your Mind. Robert Luke. Royal Chord. Sailmaker. Sarah Blasko. Seekae. School of Two. Shady Lane. Sherlock’s Daughter. Sly Hats. Sodastream. Songs. Sounds Like Sunset. Sui Zhen. Tame Impala. Tarcutta. Telafonica. Telemetry Orchestra. The Avalanches. The Church. The Crayon Fields. The Desks. The Devastations. The Go-Betweens. Thehead. The Lucksmiths. The Middle East. The Model School. The Motifs. The Presets. The Rectifiers. The Twerps. The Woods Themselves. Tim Koch. Tobias Cummings. Touch Typist. Tucker Bs. Unkle Ho. You Am I. Underlapper. Urthboy. Washington. Williams Break. Wolf And Cub. Youthgroup.

Red Riders acoustic-ish on FBi this Sunday

2009-11-30T23:27:00.005+11:00

Photo by Will Reichelt, willreichelt.com

One of my favourite favourite things this year has to be the XS-sized gig that Red Riders did for FBi last month. It took place in the Acca Dacca Room at Troy Horse Studios, to a roll call of 30 competition winners (and people who shamelessly snuck in, like me).

It was acoustic-ish ("ish" meaning there was still a bit of amp fuzz to rough up all the strums and percussive patter), and it was awesome to hear the band's songs retranslated this way. My Love Is Stronger Than Your Love, when triple-distilled into the quietest of sounds, actually makes you stop a little.

The epic highlight for me was finally hearing The Siren Sings live – it is my above-all favourite from latest album Drown In Colour and it'd never been performed outside of a studio before. There's something about spark and energy of a track suddenly coming to life that really is magic.

Photo by Will Reichelt, willreichelt.com

You can hear this all, finally, on the radio this coming Sunday, 2pm, as part of FBi's Live Feed (hopefully with some of the zingy inter-band banter intact, they are very entertaining guys).

P.S. These pics were taken from Will's blog and I find this comment someone left under the photos hilarious:
Is alex sure his mum didn’t make sweet love to bob dylan?
my god, he’s getting more handsome all the time :)

Another FBI fundraising compilation …

2009-11-23T22:54:00.006+11:00

This time, it's the Live Feed album. Not entirely Australian, but all tracks were especially recorded for the station and unavailable elsewhere (and, therefore music-nerd-perfect). Every penny you spend on it helps support FBi. Click here to see which bands made the record sleeve.

Halloween-ish special

2009-10-25T17:37:00.003+11:00

On Sun Nov 1, the night after Halloween, Local Fidelity is going to revisit the ghosts of the past and play two hours of great Australian bands that are sadly no longer kicking around. Some of them will be fresh casualties - Young & Restless, The Lucksmiths, Gameboy/Gamegirl, Damn Arms are some of the bands that called it quits this year - while others, such as Sandpit, would have departed a long while ago.

If you have any suggestions for favourite Australian bands that are now just bone-dust, please leave them in the comments & hopefully I can revive them briefly, on-air, on Sun Nov 1, 7pm-9pm AEST on FBI 94.5FM or www.fbiradio.com.

Voltaire Twins, Perth

2009-10-18T18:00:00.001+11:00

Current band rollcall?
Current band rollcall (and what instruments/roles you play)?
Tegan Voltaire - synths and vocals
Jaymes Voltaire - synths and vocals
Jye Satti - live drums

Voltaire Twins has been around since …
Saturday morning mini synth jams suddenly got serious. Somewhere along the line, we became a band.

Let's play Six Degrees of Six Degrees of Voltaire Twins. What are some interesting musical links you could come up with?
Tegan once accidentally met the band The Eagles, but didn't realise it when she worked in a coffee trailer many many years ago.

First song ever written?
We wrote a song called Burn about brothers and sisters. We ditched it years ago, but we've recycled bits of it into a few different songs now.

Music making for you began when …
Primary school recorder was our first foray into music. After that, Jaymes played Trombone in the School band and Tegan sang in the school choir. We got a piano in year ten and learnt the keys.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
In primary school Jaymes once made an instrument out of a hose and a funnel and some other garden instruments. Tegan made a guitar with a shoebox and elastic bands. Jaymes did a remix that had this weird sound in it that sounded like a duck quacking backwards in a hallway.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
We once performed a Valentine's Day show dressed as Marie Antoinette and Louis the 14th. Wigs and everything.

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs? (Or put up other things in the studio for the same effect?)
We're actually in the studio recording as we write this. There is a big photo of Russell Crowe in the toilet. Ponder THAT.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
Billy Ray Cyrus.

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics?
In the early days we had a song about a postman - but it was the centre of much contention, so we dropped it.

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer ...
Fight then leave, never say please.

Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song?
Sing your life.

Do you think the country/city/town you live in affects your music in any way?
Perth's small - there aren't that many venues and big events going on all year round, so I think you do have to be a bit more creative and make things happen yourself, sometimes.

You would love to record with …
David Byrne, Giorgio Moroder, Arthur Russell

Favourite person you have performed with/recorded with …
Jerry Bouthier did a JBAG remix of our song D.I.L, which was really amazing.

Outside of Voltaire Twins, you spend your time …
Tegan: Mainly playing SNES, DS, making dress-up costumes, eating cheese Twisties in bed.
Jaymes: eBaying, DS, DJing, dressing up as various animals.

Next for you is …
A trip to Melbourne and glamorous Sydney just before Christmas!

Voltaire Twins were one of the many amazing bands who contributed to the Local Fidelity compilation fundraising CD earlier this year. The band has since released its first single, D.I.L., a punchy, whipsmart electro number which comes with some very fine remixes, such as the aforementioned JBAG makeover and the awesomely named Boy-Crazy Stacey mix. To find out more, head to the Voltaire Twins MySpace.

Jonathan Boulet, Sydney

2009-09-03T15:46:00.003+10:00

Current band rollcall?
Jono Boulet - Guitars/vocals
Ravi Gupta - Guitar/vocals
Rebecca Shave - Keys/vocals/percussion
Dave Rogers - Bass/vocals
Tim Watkins - Drums
You - handclaps/vocals

Jonathan Boulet has been (musically) around since …
Always been writing music, put first album together a couple years back just after high school was done. It was just a collection of songs I recorded over the years.

Let's play Six Degrees of Jonathan Boulet. What are some interesting musical links you could come up with?
The guitarist from my other band (Parades), his hairdresser is the the ex-girlfriend of one of the guys from the band Cult of Luna.

First song ever written?
I used to do a bunch of electronic stuff, and I've got hundreds of four-bar loops that I made with my keyboard during high school. But the first one I ever released to the public would be a song called Storm's A-Comin'. That was the first track I recorded properly, the first time I got some good microphones and an audio interface.

Music making for you began when …
When we started our first band with the guys from Parades, we were in a punk/hardcore band. All we ever wanted was to be known as the wildest, craziest band around. So the aim at every show was just go as nuts as our bodies would allow.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
Cupboards, doors, coconuts, cars driving by. I sampled a British cousin saying 'wicked' once just 'cos I really liked his accent.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
No strange gigs yet. Mainly because I haven't played any as yet. But I'm sure I'll have some kind of answer once I'm done with Tame Impala …

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs? (Or put up other things in the studio for the same effect?)
Not really. Sometimes it's fun having lava lamps and such. We've had this crazy star projection thing before, though. You turn all the lights off so it's totally dark, then when you turn this thing on, it projects thousands of stars onto the roof and walls. It's really crazy 'cos they're moving really slowly … but it doesn't help because you're too busy being blown away that you can't get anything done.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
Punk/hardcore music. I can't really cite specific songs or parts where the influence show through, but I know it's there. There's alot of great ideas and vibes in that style of music and it's always good to be open to anything.

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics?
That's a hard one because, for most of my lyrics, I'm not even sure what they are addressing.

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer …
Nil.

Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song?
"In the wake of our existence, in our parades and in our dances; touch, see and behold the wisdom of the party program. Essential in our lifetime and irresistible in our touch, the great spirits proclaim that capitalism is indeed organised crime and we're all the victims. This next one is called Refused Party Program."

Do you think the country/city/town you live in affects your music in any way?
Yeah, for sure. The environment you're in, in general. I'm getting really sick of this garage and I think it affects the way I write music. Like I can't get inspired to write fresh sounds when I'm in a place that I know so well. So when it comes to writing the next record, I'm definitely going to do it in another room.

You would love to record with ...
A massive crowd. Like, hundreds of people recording the vocals at the same time. That would be epic.

Favourite person you have performed with/recorded with …
Seekae, Megastick Fanfare, Ghoul, Bearhug and Sherlock's Daughter. All super-promising bands on the up and up.

Outside of your solo music, you spend your time …
Skating, writing music, Parades, Snake Face, trying to be artistic.

Next for you is ...
This Tame Impala tour, followed by some intimate Sydney shows, and the official release of the record.

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called ... (feel free to come up with the craziest-sounding-yet-most-accurate name)
"This music is OK."

A CD burn wrapped in an old journal called Modern Medical Counsellor was my introduction to Jonathan Boulet. Then 19 years old, he’d dropped off a demo at FBI’s Music Open Day late last year. It was sealed together with masky tape and had a computer-printed set list. After All was the first song I totally fell for and I loved it even more when I later discovered the shuffly percussion came from him jumbling cabinet drawers open and shut. Continue Calling, with its Animal Collective-esque pop-racuousness, was the single we played on FBI.

Earlier this year, his music got picked up by a New York label, Evident; made the run of coolsy music blogs, and Community Service Announcement became wonderfully unavoidable. A great great song that was part of the new self-titled album, repackaged with additional songs from that first demo. I asked him to come onto Local Fidelity for a chat and song and he brought an army of people, a kick drum and great stories to tell. (The coconuts referred to in one of the answers above are actually from a coconut bikini that his grandad wore at a Hawaiian-themed party. Perfect.) I’ve never seen so many people packed in the FBI studio, and they all hollered along beautifully to Continue Calling, it was a test-tube version of the live performance that he wanted to do on a real stage. And now, after shunning venues for so long – exiling himself so he could experiment with how to recreate his inviting music live (and I mean literally ‘inviting’, because he wants your voice to meld in the noise coming through the amps), Jonathan Boulet is finally doing a run of shows and what a start: supports with The Middle East and Dragging Pianos, Tame Impala and El Perro Del Mar. I cannot tell you how excited I am.

Head to his MySpace for all the essentials. You'll want to keep track.

Denim Owl, Melbourne

2009-08-02T17:47:00.001+10:00

Current band rollcall?
Organ/synth-playing and singing words: Denim Owl.
Real name: Janita Foley.
Drums, loops and samples: Brain Cobra.
Real (ish) name: Aleks Bryant.

Denim Owl has been around since ...
3rd November 2006. On that day, I was at my friend Simon’s house and whilst in the loo, I came up with the name Denim Owl. Then I went in to his studio and recorded a skeletal version of Kitten Gloves on a Bontempi air-powered organ and er … um … made a MySpace page.

Let's play Six Degrees of Denim Owl. What are some interesting musical links you could come up with?
I'm friends with this guy Jamie Mildren. You may have heard of his band Slo-mo Speedboat? A band to watch! Jamie plays pretty, slo-mo style kalimba on Chattering Face (When The Hammock Hits Quartz).

First song ever written?
A silly song called Tiger On A Holiday written with my younger siblings. It was about a tiger who flees the jungle to go on holiday but it sucks, he gets yelled at by people on a beach and also by a butcher. They freak out when he opens his mouth to speak, as he can only “roar” or “grrr”. It’s quite important on a political level.

Music making for you began when ...
My pop bought my sister and I a Yamaha Organ when I was about eight. We rocked Supercalafragilisticexpialadocious like bitches on wheels. About age 13, my parents bought me a keyboard and I started composing proggy keyboard pieces. Those were the days!

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
The sound of our cat Wind Panther “meowing” at the very start of Kitten Gloves. I had to give him a little squeeze to get him to perform. Sorry Windy, but you got to be on my record. That was the deal.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
We played in Tokyo last year, a set of Ramps and Denim Owl songs to backing tracks. It was quite strange to be doing it at all. At one of the shows, we wore white surgical masks and we drew sharks' mouths on them. Somebody pointed out afterward that we were wearing the masks upside down. Hilarity ensued.

Then all the indie kids lost their collective shit over our Omnichord. Which was strange given that they are made in Japan. We assumed they’d have thousands of Omnichords, clogging up waterways, etc etc. Apparently not!

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs?
We do have a picture of the cosmos (or a segment thereof) up in our studio. Last night, we were rehearsing and I was staring into it. And it was indeed inspiring. I think I will do this for the next record. (Some patterned wallpaper samples from the sixties might also rock.)

The best thing is nature. Staring at nature is top of my list for getting inspired. Especially gardens. But studios are always dark windowless places. Patterns and cosmos are more realistic image choices. And kittens. Kittens are a given.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
Reverb.

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics?
I recently wrote a song that was partly inspired by a story by Miranda July. It’s called The Swim Team. The story is about a woman who teaches old folks to swim in her house. It’s a gas. My song is about a couple creating a nautical fantasy in their living room. It’s about escapism, and the way pointless intellectualising can dilute another’s experience of joy. I think.

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer ...
“There’s bacteria in the water, so we must drink alcohol.”

Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song?
“He was smiling through his own personal hell
Dropped his last dime down a wishing well
But he was hoping too close
And then he fell
Now he’s Casper the friendly ghost”
That's Daniel Johnston unravelling one of life’s looming questions: who was Casper the friendly ghost, pre-death? When I read those comics as a wee 'un, it never occurred to me that he died penniless and in a desperate bid to gain respect from society. He was just a nice dead dude.

Do you think the town you live in affects your music in any way?
Yes. I was really glad to move to Brunswick (an inner suburb of Melbourne) and importantly, away from TRAM NOISE. I don’t mind it so long as I don’t have to hear it all the time. Silence is an enormous golden statue of an adorable fluffy penguin. It is a valuable lawn ornament. And Melbourne is a pretty stimulating place, compared to lovely laid back Launceston (Tasmania, where I come from).

Living in Melbourne, I appreciate the fact that I can feed off the city's energy, but still maintain a decent level of solitude. Also, there are many opportunities to perform here which raises the value of live shows; so Melbourne should, by that logic, be populated by amazing live bands. We are endeavouring to be at least an above-average live band!

You would love to record with ...
Yoshimi from OOIOO.

Favourite person you have performed/recorded with ...
Aleks and the (other) Ramps.

Outside of Denim Owl, you spend your time ...
The first rule of Denim Owl is, there is no outside of Denim Owl.

Next for you is ...
Writing songs for a feature-length extravaganza on ice.

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called ...
... Misc.

Somewhere along the way, 'quirky' got hijacked as polite codeword for 'annoying'. To me, the term still means 'endearingly eccentric' and is a compliment rather than a putdown, and I would apply it as I would a gold-star to Denim Owl's music. The goofy lyrics (particularly on songs like Red Leather) seem to act like a jokey decoy, aiming to distract you from how lush Janita's vocals are (like sticking a fake-moustache on a pretty woman's face). And all the about-turns and offbeat tricks in each song almost does sidetrack you from the main attraction, but her voice is this lovely haze that's hard to ignore. Dream Pocket is the name of Denim Owl's latest EP and it's been something of a stayer for the last few months. Click on her MySpace for more details.

A Casual End Mile, Sydney

2009-07-26T16:24:00.004+10:00

Current band rollcall?
At the moment it's all just me (Madelaine Lucas), live and recorded.

A Casual End Mile has been around since ...
February this year in a public sense, when I started played my first show. But I’ve been using the name for my collection of home recordings I’ve collected on and off for a year or so.

Let's play Six Degrees of A Casual End Mile. What are some interesting musical links you could come up with?
My dad, Steve Lucas, was/is the front man of the Australian band X. A lot of people have asked me how you’re supposed to rebel as teenager when your father is a punk rock musician. I guess I did it by making acoustic folk music.

In terms of the local music scene, I recently I played an FBi fundraiser show with Daisy M. Tulley (Bridezilla). Her music is inspiring and beautiful and makes me want to cry sometimes ... Even when she throws in the occasional ‘motherfucker’.

I've also played shows with And Then To Bed, and medieval music maestro Jack Colwell, who has also done a wonderful job setting me up with shows this year.

First song ever written?
I wish I could remember, but I was always making up little songs when I was younger. I’m sure it was awful! I think the first I put under the name of A Casual End Mile was called Too Little, Too Late. It was a three-chord country song that went for about two minutes.

Music making for you began when ...
I traded ballet for trumpet lessons when I was eight.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
Unintentionally, the noise of my little brothers creating chaos in the hallway outside my bedroom got trapped in a love song.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
I think every gig is strange in its own way. The first show I played this year was on a farm, on Valentine’s Day, and it rained the entire weekend. During my set, all this smoke appeared and I thought I was going to be electrocuted ... but it turned out that it was just a secret smoke machine, self-activating.

The gig I played at the Bridge Hotel in April was also strange, because it was my first in Sydney playing a lot of new stuff, and I was introduced by a comedian with a very bizarre sense of humour, which became quite awkward considering the intimate atmosphere of the evening.

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs?
Not really. My inspiration comes mostly from subconscious pickings of things that I have felt, or seen or read or heard about. If anything, I’m more likely to be inspired by beautiful combinations of words in books or poems, rather than pictures.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
I think I am influenced by pretty standard stuff – loving, breathing, heartache, death, boredom, the weather. I suppose I am inspired by a lot of different genres of music though, and listen to folk music less than bands like Pavement or Animal Collective at the moment.

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics?
Anthropomorphism.

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer ...
“Let me be your woman”!

Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song?
Maybe the lyrics in More Adventurous by Rilo Kiley, in terms of poignant advice. I also like the sentiment, "Someday, we’ll be dignified and old", from the Modern Lovers – there’s something comforting there. I guess any lyrics are useful if they can relate, or mean something to another person.

Do you think the town you live in affects your music in any way?
Definitely. Cities have souls, and things like the weather, buildings and people are definitely things that influence me. I love Sydney, with its beautiful cityscape, and the scene of creative people which expands all the time, but I would like to live somewhere else for awhile and see what I would come up with in a completely different environment.

You would love to record with ...
An entire symphony orchestra! Even though it would be incredibly difficult, I think it could be amazing.

Favourite person you have recorded with ...
I just did some home recordings with the lovely Ms. Pia May (Bridezilla). It’s been nice to record in someone else’s bedroom for a change, and it’s amazing how much just one other person can bring to a song, and make it come alive. Plus, our music dates always involve a lot of tea and caramel crowns.

Outside of A Casual End Mile, you spend your time ...
With my friends, running around the town, staying up too late, working in a kid's bookstore, drinking tea, talking ... And sometimes going to uni.

Next for you is ...
Recording another new project which I’m really excited about, and hopefully more A Casual End Mile gigs soon to keep me out of trouble!

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called ...
bedroom–folk.

Sometimes you hear a singer for the first time and your heart forgets itself entirely. Unskipped beats pile up, waiting for you to remember to unpause, but music has a funny way of playing cardiac traffic cop - it takes a while for everything to return to normal.

It's rare to single out a moment like that, but when I first pulled A Casual End Mile's demo from the weekly mountain of CDs, it was like that completely. Madelaine Lucas' voice is the kind that rewires your memory. Like Hope Sandoval, her words are quiet and spellbinding, able to make the most unadorned songs sound dreamy. A Casual End Mile is one to keep listening to, pay attention here.

Williams Break, Sydney

2009-07-20T23:28:00.001+10:00

Current band rollcall?
Richard Seeney, Henry Wolfson & Tim Stroh.

Williams Break has been around since ...
We first formed in 2006, just after we finished school.

First song ever written?
Stantation of Astonishmentation.

Music making for you began when ...
Henry bought a laptop with Reason and Cubase.

I know it's cliched to ask, but how did you get your very unusual band name?
We came up with it one day when brainstorming and we stuck with it because it's very open to interpretation. So far, the most popular responses from people have been a place, a person or a "type of break" e.g. supper, brunch, that sort of thing. To us, it has a few of its own meanings but we prefer to leave it up to others to judge for themselves.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
We've listened to it all too many times to be able to tell anymore.

How do you come up with song titles when the music is mostly electronic instrumentals?
They’re usually made up from what words come to mind when we hear it, for example, Last Words Of A Dying Robot, because we thought that’s what it sounded like. But then again, a few of them are just completely random.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
As Williams Break, that’s yet to happen.

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs?
Not really, we do have posters up in the studio but most of our inspiration comes from the sounds and images of everyday life.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
The Catholic Church.

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics?
None of our lyrics are really what you would call "conventional".

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer ...
"Computer Marines": work that one out.

Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song?
"Pardon me while I burst into flames."

Do you think the country/city/town you live in affects your music in any way?
Definitely, music is the soundtrack to our lives, it evokes the feelings, smells, tastes and sounds around us.

You would love to record with ...
Any of the great symphony orchestras, Air, Trent Reznor, Josh Homme - this list could go on forever ...

Favourite person you have performed/recorded with ...
Ebony Naiun and Adelie Battam were both amazing artists.

Outside of Williams Break, you spend your time ...
We all have our little side projects that we work on, but most of our time is spent working so we can fund these projects. After that, there isn’t much time for anything more than just kicking back and relaxing.

Next for you is ...
Complete and total domination of the world.

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called ...
Ecclectronica.

It's hugely galvanising when you play a song on the radio and someone listening instantly needs to know what you're spinning. This happened with Would You Please by Williams Break, a song which pulses and stutters so precisely and beautifully, with notes and beats being batted back and forth at micro-distances, until the song relaxes and breezes to a game-over close.

It appears on the Local Fidelity FBI-fundraising compilation, on-sale online ($12) here and also the upcoming Williams Break album, out "around September-ish". If it's anything like past material - it should be endlessly listenable. Keep clicking for Williams Break news here.

Dragging Pianos, Townsville

2009-06-16T22:43:00.009+10:00

Current band rollcall?
I record most of it, but I'm a lousy performer so I get help from Bree (The Middle East) live. Some other Middle East guys have offered their services if I came on tour with them.

Dragging Pianos has been around since ...
2008.

Let's play Six Degrees of Dragging Pianos. What are some interesting musical links you could come up with?
I live with the Middle East. They practice downstairs. They don't play their hits much – it's usually a set of silly novelty songs inspired by Halo 2. Maybe they'll play them live if you request them (You will Respawn, Eagle for The Kill, Take A Bit of My Shield).

Nathan Roche (Marf Loth) is the most charming man in Sydney. I was going to release my records through his label Artgound Records but he's proven himself to be totally and utterly incompetent, which adds to the charm all the more.

The best man at my dad's wedding (and vice versa) is Phil Jamieson's father. It's unfortunate because I can't see Grinspoon fans having much love for my songs.

First song ever written?
Someone Else, a punk rock song in B minor. It was intended to be a profound statement against bullying. It was very very lame but I was only 13 at the time. I wrote a whole EP of songs similar in nature that I hope no one else in the universe has access to.

Music making for you began when...
I moved to an Aboriginal community in NT and wasn't into motorbikes like the other boys.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
Bees.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
Under 13s rugby league grand final.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
Ronn Moss's I'm Your Man. I don't know why, but the hit song One More Try just kills me. I wish I could have seen him at one of his shopping centre appearances when he was in Australia.

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics?
Preparation of food.

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer ...
I thought pretty hard about this and I've concluded that my songs are not practically applicable to life. Not even metaphorically.

Unless of course you want to go back 1999 (teenage punk rock days), where I had a reservoir of wisdom that I was more than willing to share in my songs. "Open up your eyes, forget those lies" (about racism); "You gotta see a friend's fortune as a blessing" (about jealousy) – the messages weren't very subtle.

Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song?
In Xmas Card From A Hooker in Minneapolis by Tom Waits:

"Wish I had all the money
We used to spend on dope
I'd buy me a used car lot
And I wouldn't sell any of them
Just drive a different car everyday
Depending on how I feel"

It's probably not that useful but it's a wonderful thought anyway.

OR

The story in The Gift by The Velvet Underground. Next time I need to get somewhere cheap, I'll know what to do.

Do you think the town you live in affects your music in any way?
Yes. I guess the isolation brings people together – the Townsville music scene is very close. People encourage creativity a whole lot. We put on our own shows in condemned warehouses and in art galleries – it's really great.

You would love to record with ...
A bunch of good songs, a lot of instruments, and good recording gear. (Maybe Mark Linkous as well).

Favourite person you have performed with/recorded with ...
Jake Core – he's a good friend and an excellent songwriter.

Outside of Dragging Pianos, you spend your time ...
Studying. Stacking shelves at Coles.

Next for you is ...
Finishing off a cardboard piano I've made for live shows. It will make a lousy little midi keyboard look like an old red piano. It's magnificent.

I'm also writing/recording songs about love at the moment. The EP is going to be called In The Desert.

Also I'm hoping to release The Food Chain which is an EP I recorded last year. It's based off a little story that appears in every song.

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called...
REDUCED FOR QUICK-SALE.

Dragging Pianos appears on the Local Fidelity compilation that I put together to help raise money for FBI. You can get it online here for $12 postage paid or $10 at certain Save FBI fundraiser gigs. All proceeds go to keeping FBI on-air.

Food Chain #2 by Dragging Pianos is one of the many great reasons to hunt it down – hushed and gorgeous, your heart would have to be deepfrozen to not like it, it's one of my favourite songs for a long time. It appears on the upcoming re-release of The Food Chain EP. You can find out more about Dragging Pianos here.

Save FBI 94.5FM at the Metro

2009-06-14T16:36:00.001+10:00

Photo of Sherlock's Daughter by Will Reichelt, willreichelt.com

Sometimes it's hard to know what to do with a public holiday. Wanting to maximise this bonus day off, you can get sidetracked by all the choices and end up doing nothing!

This Queen's Birthday, the decision was pretty easy. The music-savvy folks at Spunk Records had kindly organised a FBI 94.5FM fundraiser at the Metro with a brilliant line-up: New Buffalo, The Middle East, Machine Translations, Firekites, Sherlock's Daughter, Megastick Fanfare just to name some of the 30 bands who lugged their gear on stage and captivated the crowd.

Photo of Sherlock's Daughter by Will Reichelt, willreichelt.com

It was good to see Sherlock's Daughter again. I was a little sad that they didn't use the pumpkin thumb piano they mentioned on-air when they were on Local Fidelity the night before. They put on a pretty lively show though, lack of musical vegetables aside.

Photo of Tim from the Firekites by Will Reichelt, willreichelt.com

My major disappointment of the night? Learning - via Shag, from Arvos - that Firekites had done an incredible cover version of 16 Beats by New Buffalo while I was manning the FBI merch desk. I was crushed! Especially as I've been in love with that song since it appeared on Sally Seltmann's first EP back in 2001. One consolation though - Tim from Firekites says they will likely to play the song again live, because it worked so well.

Photo of New Buffalo by Will Reichelt, willreichelt.com

Semi-speaking of New Buffalo, it was great to see her play again after a long absence from Sydney stages. The good news is that she is recording a new album and we got a taste of it when New Buffalo played an incredibly upbeat song from it, dedicated to "all the ladies in the house". Apparently the record will have a much more poppier energy to it than previous New Buffalo albums.

Photo of The Middle East by Will Reichelt, willreichelt.com

The unmistakable highlight of the night was seeing The Middle East perform again. I saw them back in February - in the more squishy confines of a sold-out Hopetoun Hotel show - but it was great to see them span their wings on a much bigger stage.

The band seemed energised by the thrill of (possibly?) performing to one of the largest crowds they've played so far.

I re-fell in love with their song Blood again (a track that Shag is so smitten with, he wishes he could have a legal relationship with it - he would marry that song if he could!)

For me, watching the seven-piece band recreate it onstage was mesmerising. The part in Blood where the band becomes a racuous choir - and the song surges into full-flight harmonies - was joyously loud and heart-halting. It was one of the most amazing things I've seen live this year. I can't wait to see The Middle East again.

Photo of The Middle East by Will Reichelt, willreichelt.com

Thanks to the swarm of great people who came to the show, bought CDs, FBI bags and merch and let their coins clang into our donation buckets. Keep saving FBI through the many gigs yet to come.

Photo of The Middle East by Will Reichelt, willreichelt.com

You can also check out some more great photos of the night, taken by my boyfriend Will, who spent most of the show running from stage to stage, camera lens in hand.

Local Fidelity fundraising compilation for FBI 94.5FM

2009-05-30T11:09:00.003+10:00

As you may have heard (if you are a keen FBI Radio listener), there's a handmade Local Fidelity CDR doing the rounds. All the songs have been kindly donated by the artists and all proceeds go to help keeping FBI 94.5FM on air.

It's also currently Album of The Week at the moment, which is staggering and really wonderful for a small-scale DIY effort that I organised mostly from my dinky room.

The set list includes a new song by SUI ZHEN, a hard-to-get track by Garage2V finalists CLUBFEET (currently at work on a Yeasayer remix), an unreleased remix of THE DESKS and a new song by THE MOTIFS. You'll also get a sneak peek of upcoming albums by SHADY LANE, WILLIAMS BREAK, JANE WOODY & ANGEL EYES. Plus, a whole bunch of bands you're about to get a musical crush on: DRAGGING PIANOS from Townsville, VOLTAIRE TWINS from Perth, SHIVER LIKE TIMBER from Tamsworth and more.

Photo of The Desks by Will Reichelt, willreichelt.com

TRACK LISTING
1. Home Is Where The Home Studio Is (Risa Dickens and Matt Hiscock remix), The Desks
2. Food Chain #2, Dragging Pianos
3. It's About Loyalty, Jane Woody & Angel Eyes
4. First Dust, Kane Black
5. D.I.L., Voltaire Twins
6. Ouch My Head, Shady Lane
7. Brightlightsbigcity, Clubfeet
8. Goldtop Mountain, Galaxy Fuzz Band
9. Would You Please, Williams Break
10. Sternwall, Brave Radar
11. Old Faces, The Motifs
12. ET & Me, Shiver Like Timber
13. My New Friend (demo), Sui Zhen

You can buy the CD for a measly $10 (for 13 excellent tracks!) at the following FBI fundraiser shows (or online here for $12 postage paid):

MON 8 JUNE – METRO THEATRE

Spunk Presents: Another Night on Earth
Sarah Blasko
New Buffalo (solo)
Jack Ladder
Firekites
Machine Translations
Songs
Grand Salvo
Megastick Fanfare
Sherlock's Daughter
Fergus Brown
Ghoul
Parades
Caitlin Park
The Holy Soul
Bearhug
Hosted by Henry Wagons
and more to be announced

SPECIAL LONG WEEKEND START TIME - 5PM

Tickets $30 + BF available from www.metrotheatre.com.au or 02 9550 3666.

Photo of Sherlock's Daughter from Tanya Horo by Will Reichelt, willreichelt.com

FRI 26 JUNE – MUM, SYDNEY

Mum and The World Bar Present: Over 3 levels...

Jordy Lane
Parades
We Say Bamboulee
Waysiders
Fait Accompli
Zeahorse
Shakin Howls
Megastick Fanfare
Sherlock’s Daughter
Richard In Your Mind
One Glove
The Laurels
and more special guests to be announced

8PM til late

Tickets $15 on sale at the door

Photo of Richard Pike from Pivot by Will Reichelt, willreichelt.com

SAT 27 JUNE - METRO THEATRE

Midnight Juggernauts
MUSCLES
Bluejuice
Dappled Cities
Decoder Ring
Grafton Primary
AIH DJs
Pivot DJs
Cassette Kids
The Jezabels
Palace Of Fire
Catcall
Ernest Ellis
P.A.S.H
HOOPS
Dangerous Dan
Jack Shit
Kato
P*A*S*H
Purple Sneakers
Ro Sham Bo
Wax Motif

New playing times: Doors open 6:30pm - 1:30am
Tickets $40+bf available from www.moshtix.com.au or www.metrotheatre.com.au or $45 if available on the door.

Brave Radar, Sydney/Montreal/Halifax

2008-10-26T15:04:00.000+11:00

Current band rollcall?
Conor Prendergast, Tessa Smith, Gabriel Ng.

Brave Radar has been around since...
Conor: Let's say '06.

Let's play Six Degrees of Brave Radar. What are some interesting musical links you could come up with?
Conor: The drummer from the Easybeats, we used to use his cymbals apparently in my high school band.

First song ever written?
Conor: When I was 11 or 12, I wrote the first song I can remember, heavily inspired by Nirvana's Something in the way.
Tessa: The first one I can remember is a song called Winter that I wrote to the tune of a traditional Canadian canoeing song. It was for my first band, Julia and the Executors, at age 8. The first song I wrote with instruments was Something, the first track on Brave Radar's first album together, Distracting Strangers.

Music making for you began when...
Tessa: My dad taught me blues standards on the piano.
Conor: The first instrument I loved was the drums, I made a drumkit out of cardboard boxes in my living room.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
Conor: Me and my old roommate had a room full of blown up red helium balloons, we popped them in a frenzy and recorded it. It's at the end of a song Teton Ocean. Sounds like popcorn.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
Conor: Probably at South by Southwest at a clothing store. It was just really awkward - "who are these people? why are we here again?"

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs? (Or put up other things in the studio for the same effect?)
Conor: Heaps of slogans: you can win; be the future; always strive; beat your destiny.
Tessa: For our new EP Ultramarine, we pinned up life-sized portraits of our parents with speech bubbles saying things like, "Is this really what you're doing with your life?" and "Didn't I love you enough?". You have to push yourself to create art.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
Conor: Probably work. Work is good for lyrics and names and things.
Tessa: I listen to a lot of pop from every era, but modern pop is maybe an unexpected influence. Some of the taboo cheesy stuff is definitely in my blood.

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics?
Tessa: I tend to write from the experience of feelings. That's totally fresh, right? haha... Conor wrote a few songs from the point of view of different animals.
Conor: Probably not the most unconventional but i'm happy with the lyrics to They mean no harm. It's about bluebottles.

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer...
Conor: That's hard, I dont think any of them would work... Tessa?
Tessa: Yours are too abstract! Um, maybe the lyrics to Lava and Magma, though they're not really advice. They're about making the decision to be with somebody, trusting that the hidden part of them is there. I like that.

Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song?
Conor: Hmm. I've got a bad memory for lyrics... Brenden Orange has great lyrics... Tessa?
Tessa: I'm sort of averse to the idea of musicians as mass therapists... I would hate to think of singing as some kind of therapy session for the world. That's really depressing. It's worse in certain genres ...

Good lyrics snap me back to feeling things strongly, without saying like, "it's time to feel again, gurl". And that's useful, though it's very personal. Yeah, Brenden Orange and the guys that he listens to, Mount Eerie... I like Julie Doiron for sure.

Do you think the country/city/town you live in affects your music in any way?
Conor: Not really, I thought it might be the case. I think I'm more affected by music I'm listening to or movies or art.
Tessa: Only in the sense that I met Conor here in Montreal... We're imports anyway, like most people around us. On the East Coast, where I'm from originally, music is a given – everybody plays something. So choosing to "be a musician" is a serious endeavour; you take up this character and are perceived a certain way. Maybe that's true everywhere, or maybe it's just my weird paranoia. But I feel like living in Montreal – where rent is cheap and multitaskers abound – we're allowed to have a few different projects without any conflicts.

You would love to record with...
Tessa: A recording engineer. It might be good for us.
Conor: Maybe a five piece session rock band, me and Tessa could write the songs and sing but not play anything.
Tessa: Oh man, that'd be great. Like a Brill building kinda thing.

Favourite person you have performed with/recorded with...
Conor: We did a small tour with Dirty Beaches, Alex is one of the good ones.

Outside of Brave Radar, you spend your time...
Conor: Working in a kitchen, drawing...
Tessa: We run a label called Fixture Records. I also have a part-time job and I'm trying to finish my degree.

Next for you is...
Conor: A new album is right around the corner, then we're hoping to tour the states, and come to Australia in the new year.
Tessa: We've started writing stuff for a double EP that's one disc only drums, and one disc just bass. That's really fun.

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called...
Conor: Car-hole popular jangle.

Five things you currently love

Musically?
Conor: The Ohsees, Ariel Pink and Scott Walker. They're all so good I've been stuck on them all recently. They're winning.

In Print?
Conor: Comics by Yuichi Yokoyama.
Tessa: I love Duke Magazine, Worn Fashion Journal, The Believer, and lots of blogs.

Locally?
Conor: A great record store and comic shop are both just around the corner. When I have any money, which is rare, there are no better places to spend it.

Visually?
Conor: Posters by local artists Seripop, Leila Majeri and Tyler Rauman are always great and inspiring.

Cinematically?
Conor: Keen for Sukiyaki Western Django and Appaloosa and the Good, Bad and Weird one. Westerns!

Brave Radar write songs that swivel between sundazed pop and eclectic, shambolic charm. Tracks like Something and However have an instant brightening effect, like a million screen pixels lighting up around you. They've just released a new EP, Ultramarine, and you can catch up on their news on their MySpace.

Shiver Like Timber, Tamworth

2008-09-27T17:24:00.000+10:00

Current band roll call?
Just me and my guitar.

Shiver Like Timber has been around since...
2005, I think, officially. That's when I played my first show in a friend's lounge room in Brisbane.

Let's play Six Degrees of Shiver Like Timber...
Hummmmm. I'm not really sure if I am linked to anybody in particular! Most of the time it is just me freewheelin' on my own.

First song ever written?
Wander/Tumble was the first.

Music-making for you began when...
In high school, I taught myself to play guitar and spent my lunchtimes figuring out Cranberries songs.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
In the background of one of my first demos you can hear the fishtank
burbling...

Strangest gig you've ever played?
Maybe the show I played with Japanther at Urtext in Adelaide because of the interesting mix of bands playing on the night and also the fact that I had just driven overnight from Melbourne and was feeling somewhat delirious.

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs? (Or put up other things in the studio for the same effect?)
I usually make up songs in my bedroom, where I do have pictures on the walls, yes. Mostly drawings and photos by me and my friends, Polaroid photos and yellowed pictures from 1960s National Geographics. My attic bedroom at my parents' house still has all the posters that I put up when I was 14, posters of horses and teenage dreams.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
I think my music is influenced by everything I've ever come across, from train trips to crumpets, giraffe spots to trumpets.

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer...
On E.T. & Me: "Don't pull that broken-hearted face, because you know there is always outer space."

Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song?
All of Animal Collective's lyrics are useful because they make me very happy.

Do you think the country/city/town you live in affects your music in any way?
Yes, of course. I grew up in the countryside, in a big open space between Tamworth and Gunnedah and I think you can hear this in my songs.

You would love to record with... Tony Dupe... Soon hopefully.

Favourite person you have performed with/recorded with...
Playing a show with Beirut was pretty exciting.

Outside of Shiver Like Timber, you spend your time...
Riding my bicycle, drawing pictures of monsters and people, cooking dinner for friends, thinking about moving to Iceland.

Next for you is...
Travel and shows around Europe. More recordings.
New songs.

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called...
Galloping-asteroid-rumble-folk.

Five things you currently love

Musically?
Valet and Atlas Sound.

In Print?
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov... I am thinking about travelling to Russia sometime soon... This book is pure madness set in Moscow.

Locally?
The streets of East London... where I am spending my time these days.

Visually?
I keep looking at people's tattoos... Maybe it's time for me to get one... I've never paid such notice of them until now.

Cinematically?
Old Joy... Such big spaces of greenery and nice music!

Shiver Like Timber, ie Betony Dircks, writes feverish and fragile songs. The raw acoustic strums break away like twigs and her voice catches and burns like a tender flicker that's either about to flame out or start raging intensely. Her song, ET & Me, pretty much breaks my heart into uncollectable pieces everytime I hear it. You can keep up with all her songs and news here.

Clubfeet, Melbourne

2008-09-25T23:37:00.000+10:00

Current band rollcall?
Cohen plays guitars and sings, Cooper plays synthesizers and sings, Roberts plays bass and sings, and Nichol plays drums and sings. We use the term “sing” loosely, but If you had hair like Nichol you wouldn’t worry about how your voice sounded. We sometimes have guests who are good at human beatbox, giggling and who have access to boisterous children. This is the only boy band we’re in. We all play each others' instruments when someone leaves the room.

Clubfeet have been around since...
We met on an online dating forum in late 2007. Cohen said he liked saying “Maseltov” and then Roberts wrote to him and said “Maseltov”. It seemed more beautiful then than it does now.

Let's play Six Degrees of Clubfeet...
This sounds like the Kevin Bacon game. Our goal when we started Clubfeet was to be connectable to kevin bacon in six steps. um, we havent 'worked' with any heavyweights, but we have drunk with a few. We had a shandy with Steve Lillywhite (producer of U2's The Joshua Tree) at the Columbia hotel in London (He said the best thing about his label was, well, him. Then he giggled manically. True story) We downed many rounds of free vodka Red Bull at the Annex in NY with Victor Van Vugt, and hung out with the band Elefant and the crown prince of Monaco in a hotel bar playing Rodriguez covers on an acoustic guitar (until they said “play us one of your own songs” and then we were all like, “we can’t” and they were, like, then give us back our guitar. Also a true story) Oh and a friend Lauren McLean is the lead singer of a made-up band called Pool Party and she did some beatboxing on our song Die Yuppie Scum. Our dream is to work with Bob Rock...

First song ever written?
The Time in Paris Is...

Music making for you began when...
Cohen and Roberts played their own high school dance.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
We recorded seven minutes of silence at Martin Luther King Jnr's grave and we try to slip it into every track we do. Some trainspotters have picked it up.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
We have never played a gig because no one ever asks us. We'd like to though, we can do good Rodriguez covers.

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs? (Or put up other things in the studio for the same effect?)
We have a giant Helmut Newton nude on one wall – which Robert’s Melbourne housemate keeps taking down when she has guests. Also a picture of Samuel Beckett and a portrait of Elvis called Cut Me and I Bleed on the other which we stole from the good Samaritan bin next door to our Melbourne house.

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics...
Breaking down on a Ducatis – although actually that’s probably pretty common

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer...
"I never asked you for a miracle, I just wanted someone to help me get by."
Or, "Feels like I’m here, holding your hand, but you’re at the bar buying a round".
Both from Brightlightsbigcity.

Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song?
There’s a Beach Boys song called Busy Doing Nothing where Brian Wilson explains a memory trick on how to remember a phone number. It’s a pretty shitty trick.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
We all hate e-bow. Unless they want to sponsor us - in which case we all love e-bow. Whichever.

Do you think the country/city/town you live in affects your music in any way?
We spend about half our year in Biarritz in France and half in Melbourne. They are both fun - it's easier to get a suntan in France.

Favourite person you have performed with/recorded with...
Beirut said he was going to sing on a track but then he got sick when he was in town so instead we gave him whisky and a pep talk... You’ve got to keep some kids on the straight and narrow.

Outside of Clubfeet, you spend your time...
We are learning to play racquet ball. If anyone knows a good physio, we'd appreciate a hookup.

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called...
Instructional pop songs.

Five things you currently love
Ossa bucco, buying other artists’ platinum record plaques for our wall, Wardlow Art Residence, doing remixes for much better bands than us, and white anchovies.

Musically?
Enya, House of Love, Sting, Underworld, Tears for Fears.

In Print?
Lonely Planet: Monaco
Get the Edge, Anthony Robbins
The Stain Removal Guide
100 ways to eat a Truffle
Guinness Book of Records 1987

Locally?
Someone told us about an old man in Perth who has a disease that means he can't stop walking - so he just walks up and down the highway, like, ALWAYS. But we haven't met him so I don't want to talk about him here.

Visually?
Paisley Wallpaper, yellow neckties, Guy Bourdin.

Cinematically?
90210 Box-set.

Clubfeet play fast and loose with the truth and slow and wistful with their brand of danceable synth-pop. They do an incredibly awesome cover of Say Something by the 90s band James, complete with whistles and some giggly field recording at the end. Apparently "94 per cent" of the answers here are true, including the bit about Steve Lillywhite saying "well... ME rather!" and there being Helmut Newton nudes on their walls. Clubfeet don't really play racquetball but they recently did a track for the MTV Europe Awards and have a new album out soon. Follow their hijinks on Clubfeet's MySpace page.

Sui Zhen, Sydney

2008-08-22T23:23:00.000+10:00

Current band rollcall?
Becky Freeman - lead vocals, acoustic guitar and percussion.
(Also doing time writing an album with Jamie Lloyd for a project called Little Hat.)

Sui Zhen has been around since....
2003, when I performed my first solo show at Bar Broadway.

Let's play Six Degrees of Sui Zhen....
Darren Hanlon emailed me last year and I played a couple of shows with him, including one in his backyard where a jingles producer was eagerly watching. Not sure if it has helped with 'Sui Zhen' but it has helped my income a lot!

My ex-band member and brother Dan was in a rock band that was produced in LA by Limp Bizkit's DJ Lethal....
Getting to support bands like The Brunettes, CocoRosie, Kimya Dawson has definitely opened the ears of new fans and has helped get my CD out into the world.

I have worked with some of the guys on the electronic music label, Future Classic and have sung on a tracks for Jamie Lloyd, Trickski and Zwicker.

And last but not least, ... I have sung for the devil, I mean, an Unmentionable-Brand-That-Will-Likely-Sue-If-Referred-To-Slightly-Negatively.

First song ever written?
I distinctly remember hiding in my brother's room when my sister and all her 15 year old friends were downstairs. We got out the four track and old Yamaha keyboard and recorded a song about how scared we were of these noisy girls who did not have any alcohol but were naturally hyper and high and hysterical and scaring us into isolation... We made several songs on this subject matter - much to my sister's disgust and offence when the tape was discovered.

The first serious and complete song I wrote and performed was called It's Okay and I recently deleted a bedroom recording of it from the net, I fear it is still out there. It was about, surprise surprise, my first love and consequential first break up. Yay.

Music making for you began when....
Early music making began for me in my teens. Mostly at night, usually quite late, often after a day of solitude.

In my later teens, I would meet up with Jamie and we would make some nice electronic down-tempo stuff. Which has now developed into Little Hat! He was a big influence early on for new and interesting music, often electronic or with some experimental element.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
On my EP we used the sound of X's hands rubbing together, the sounds were soft but crunchy because X had incredibly dry and peeling skin due to dermatitis so it was a great rhythmic sound. That was on Big and Small.

Also on Big and Small there's the sound of me turning the pages to this Russian War time trilogy I was reading at the time and wanted it to be a part of the recording.

We also used gongs, bells, thumb pianos, marimba, vibraphone and all that kind of stuff which was pretty.

I did strike a match for the beginning of Full of You and we looped a section of the crackling flame sound which continues mixed low throughout the entire track.

And there is this massive crescendo at the beginning of Heat which is the sound of piano strings being played in a run, with a screw, reversed.

There's nothing else incredibly experimental because the songs didn't call for it. But I do try to make every sound I use in my music unusual, otherwise it just sounds like everything else!

I think my new project, Little Hat takes on Jamie's philosophy (which is shared by pioneer electronic producer Matthew Herbert), of using lots of found sounds - which I like because they are original and often have a lot of character.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
I have played two fairly odd shows in the 12 months.

One was recently at the Sydney Opera House, for Pierre Huyghe's art installation, Forest of Lines. I had to walk through the forest singing the same song on repeat for a couple of hours at a time, on two different days.

I did a late session and was often approached by drunk people or people offering compliments and I felt so rude because I had to ignore them as to not ruin the artist's intended aesthetic. Also I think the fake fog and my lack of glasses was making my vision skewed. Singing the same song for so long and so loud felt almost psychotic, like I was demanding attention whilst simultaneously being completely ignorant. Overall, it was a interesting experiment which I quite enjoyed.

The other strange gig was when I performed for the Adelaide Fringe Festival Poster Launch.

They had created this fake art gallery scenario in this massive warehouse, I was perched on a huge cube platform on a bicycle seat that rotated. I was covered in a three-metre-high and two-metre-wide recreation of the paper dress I wore on my EP cover. On top of this, I sung two songs with my guitar whilst revolving. There was ambient lighting and I had one of those Madonna headset mics. It was quite angelic and euphoric.

When it was over, I was wheeled on this cube to the corner of the room. Another performance was to begin to take the attention off me so I could discreetly undress and make a exit. Instead people kept watching and the stagehand accidentally ripped the paper dress in two, revealing an awkward me, scampering for cover in nude undergarments. People thought it was part of the performance.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
I often transcribe dialogue from reality TV shows or commercials and, out of context, it can take on a whole new meaning.

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics....
Mister Sakamoto, my guinea pig, and her deep inner struggle with gender identity and how she ran away to become a legend.

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer....
My lyrics don't really any wise advice, best I could think of was: "we are all made to procreate so, get, get, get used to it..."

Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song?
I can't remember a specific lyric, but Melbourne band The Brutals have some pretty entertainly stories to tell and I remembering nodding my head many times during their recent Sydney shows!

Do you think the country/city/town you live in affects your music in any way?
Definitely. I haven't been writing so much for the Sui Zhen album lately, but the songs I have written whilst living in my little old shop in Redfern have been directly inspired by the space.

Little Hat also reflects living in inner city amongst the pretty and not-so-pretty parts of life, which we all experience but might not often sing about.

You would love to record with....
Arthur Russell, if he were still around. Matthew Herbert, and some old blues musicians, an orchestra, animals in Africa, for a Bollywood film....

Favourite person you have performed with/recorded with....
I love performing with my brother, we started out playing shows together and it would turn into a stand up comic act.

My band is awesome to perform with.

And currently Jamie and I have been producing Little Hat together which is lots of fun, I hardly leave the house!

Outside of Sui Zhen, you spend your time....
Working to support this terrible music habit of mine and working on Little Hat with Jamie and select guests.

I also draw pictures and knit, and make felt people and objects.

Next for you is....
Completing Little Hat debut album and taking on the world!

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called...
For Sui Zhen, I think folk-tronic was the best description - or 'nu-folk' simple and true!

Five things you currently love

Musically?
Micachu aka Mica Levi. She is from London is ridiculously young, completely experimental and her debut album was produced by Matthew Herbert. It is the wonkiest pop I have heard for a long time.

In Print?
This worm book of my brother's from childhood, it has all sorts of pictures of cartoon worms with various predicaments eg. a worm suffering delusions of being a pencil. I love it and it has inspired a comic I am currently working on.

Locally?
The top of Prince Alfred Park, opposite George Street in Redfern (where I currently reside). I take Mister there for sun, grass and potential excitement. George Street is also a current favourite, I live in the weirdest block, which scares and intrigues me equally. It's part Eastern Block, part ghetto...

Visually?
I am very much excited by contemporary visual art at the moment, but Chinatown's Morning Glory has been visually exciting me most lately! The keyrings and bizarre characters they have for cheap-cheap-cheap never ceases to astound me!

Cinematically?
This entire week I have been horror/thriller obsessed! I love film and studied it at Uni, so for a long time was scarred with a constant habit of over analysing. Misery and Rosemary's Baby are two stand-outs from this week. I also loved The Dark Knight.

Sui Zhen writes songs that have the unrushed energy of slow-rising smoke. Each acoustic strum and lyric sparks all the emotional temperature of a high fever. It's a dangerous combination when she's wearing a paper origami dress, like on her self-titled EP! Keep close to the crackle of Sui Zhen news by looking up her website here.

The Small Hours, Sydney

2008-08-07T22:32:00.000+10:00

Current band rollcall? (Members and instruments/other bands they're in?)
Mark Smithers - vocals and guitar.
Harrison Lillis - bass and vocals.
Peter Watts - keyboards and wails.
Craig Lyons - drums (and blog-question-answerer).
Craig and Mark occasionally play drums and bass respectively in Sydney's infamous Quarteracre.

The Small Hours have been around since....
Roughly the end of 2005. But our current lineup was finalised at the beginning of last year.

Let's play Six Degrees of The Small Hours...
Our first ever gig was at our school disco supporting Dappled Cities, and we've played a number of shows with them since. Jake Stone from Bluejuice has always listened to our crappy demos and provided tons of help to us. The guys from John Columbus. Pete Kelly from Decoder Ring. Al Grigg from Red Riders was the first guy to give one of our demos to FBI 94.5FM, so he deserves a big pat on the back for that. And Stephen Malkmus, because he exists.

And as far as a weird musical link, when I was in New York, one night I found myself jamming with Shannon Noll. It was in my friend's East Village apartment, and he played a cover of Silverchair's Shade and then I played bongos and tambourine for a new song he was working on. I played him some of our demos, he said they were nice even though I'm guessing he didn't really know what to think.

First song ever written?
A track called Expecting What's Coming Next From You which floated around the Internet as Track 1 Demo for a while. We still listen to it occasionally, for a laugh. But we haven't played it in years.

Music making for you began when....
We got bored of playing other people's songs. Sometime between the ages of 14 and 15, I'd say. The moment Mark learnt how to play a bar chord was also pretty pivotal. Also when we bought our synthesizer. We realised you could make awesome sounds that didn't come from a guitar.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
In a version of our high school song that we recorded for a triple j competition in year 11, some mobile phone interference got in the middle of the song. We couldn't be bothered re-recording it, so we credited Mark with Mobile Phone Solo and sent it off.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
It's a toss up between supporting Dappled Cities at our school disco, and our first gig in sydney, which was when we were 17 and it was in the Hibernian House in Surry Hills. For a bunch of kids playing their first show in Sydney, that was something of an initiation.

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs?
In our living room in Petersham where we rehearse, we have a giant Life Aquatic poster, and channel Bill Murray's energy into everything we make.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
The poetic genius and all-round nice guy that is Will Smith.

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics...
Inefficient night-fillers at Wattle Grove Coles supermarket.

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer...
I probably wouldn't offer much. We're not a band to preach anything really. But if I was pressed to choose one line, it'd be "It's OK, I wasn't expecting you anyway," from Overlays & Underlays.

Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song?
Probably the entirety of Suzanne by Leonard Cohen. But in particular, "And you want to travel with her, and you want to travel blind, and you know she will trust you, cause you've touched her perfect body, with your mind".

Do you think the country/city/town you live in affects your music in any way?
Definitely - growing up in the suburbs, where not much happens, and having not much to do, and working shitty jobs when we were kids to save enough money to buy new guitar strings or an effects pedal. None of us are particularly well off and don't come from backgrounds with exorbitant amounts of money, and a lot of things we had to improvise, gear-wise. I think that comes through pretty strongly in our music. Also the current music situation in Sydney affects how we approach our music. We're not positioning ourselves as directly opposed to anything, but more saying "Hey, you don't have to wear fluoro and put trashy photos on Facebook to have a good time", if you know what I mean.

You would love to record with....
Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine or Stephen Malkmus, or if we had enough money, Brian Eno. But we don't have that much money.

Favourite person you have performed with/recorded with...
Recording our last batch of songs at Albert Studios with Wayne Connolly was pretty awesome. He's an amazing producer, and he got exactly the sound we wanted.

Outside of The Small Hours, the band members spend their time...
Harrison's life consists of working in a cafe in Bowral, driving there from the city at 6am and never sleeping.
Mark is a sound guy and can regularly be found at the Hopetoun Hotel or a similar haunt. He's also really good at sleeping.
Peter makes websites and is a master of Super Smash Bros.
And I study history, scan groceries in a supermarket and am currently trying to finish Grand Theft Auto 4. We can also often be seen drinking on our balcony and playing guitars in the house that three of us live in.

Next for you is....
Harrison's going overseas for six months, so we're writing and demoing, then when we gets back the plan is to record our debut album.

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called...
Guitar-synth indie dream-pop shoegazer bubblegum rock. Or alternatively, they can file it under "S," for The Small Hours.

Five things you currently love

Musically?
A band from New York called The Subjects, and their album With the Ease, Grace, Precision and Cleverness of Human Beings. Really awesome, rough-around-the edges indie rock. I'm trying to get them to tour here.

In Print?
Right now I'm ploughing through a lot of Bukowski. And Douglas Coupland. I think I'm gonna quit my job and become a postman.

Locally?
Palace Pantry, Petersham. Purveyors of fine coffee, Thai, sausage rolls, overpriced groceries, bread, milk, and fresh cat food. Because it's the closest place for us to get food, and it means we don't have to walk to Coles.

Visually?
The new guitar rack I made for our Guitar Hero guitars in our living room. I made it by banging some nails into the wall. Then I realised that the plaster walls probably weren't designed for holding Guitar Hero guitars, but I persisted. Four days and they seem to be holding up nicely. I'm still clinging to hope.

Cinematically?
I've been watching a lot of Woody Allen films, especially his early ones where there's a lot of slapstick and bad one-liners. It's pretty funny, even though they're really bad historical send-ups, Woody Allen is still wearing his glasses, and still has his Brooklyn Jew accent. Like he's eternal or something.

When I first heard The Small Hours, their jangly strums and melodic twists left this instant brain-lodging effect on me, triggering one of those "who ARE this band?" moments. Like that line in the first song FBi ever played of theirs - "these teeth are so lovely, I'll remember you" - there's something sweetly original and hard-to-shake about their music. Like Jordy Lane, they're another Sydney act I am always keyed up about. Keep by their website to hear what they're doing.

Jordy Lane, Sydney

2008-08-06T19:31:00.000+10:00

Current band rollcall?
Me, and Kaity Fox on keys and vocals. But I'm looking for a drummer and a second guitarist currently...so contact me!

Jordy Lane has been around (musically) since...
2002 - that's when I started working on my own music. I started playing in a little indie-rock band called D'arcy before that though and did a few other bits and pieces.

First song ever written?
Under my name, it was probably some wanky untitled ambient electronica track that I've since lost.

Music making for you began...
When my mum made me learn the piano when I was about six years old.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
A field recording of Japanese students and horny bogans on a train coming back from Wollongong. If you listen closely to a track called Have Some Patience - Life Is Long you can hear a bogan yell out "I am a lesbian trapped in a man's body" to a girl on the station.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
Probably Rock N Roll Circus - crazy warehouse party that I didn't really belong on the bill to. But it was still fun watching 600 people try to cram into a 200 capacity room.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
The computer voice on iMacs.

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics?
How useless my songs are.

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer...
"Don't lose faith, just look at what you have, a beautiful brain, so use it all you can."

Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song?
"Do you realize that everyone you know someday will die, but instead of saying all of your goodbyes, let them know you realise that life goes fast it's hard to make the good things last, you realize the sun doesn't go down, it's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round."

Do you think the country/city/town you live in affects your music in any way?
Of course.

You would love to record with...
Nigel Godrich/Steve Albini - although I'd probably been incredibly intimidated by both of them.

Favourite person you have performed with/recorded with...
Sarah Kelly.

Outside of making music, you spend your time....
Recording other bands, watching Arrested Development, drinking at the Courthouse, reading.

Next for you is....
Recording one more song and then releasing an album by the end of the year.

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called....
Noise pop. Well, it's not quite that yet, but maybe someday.

Five things you currently love

Musically?
Animal Collective.

In Print?
The Death Of Forever by Darryl Reanney- mind-blowing scientific-based book about why it's irrational to fear death.

Locally?
Campos coffee - expensive but hits the spot.

Visually?
Van Gogh - I got to see Starry Night in person a few months ago. Beautiful.

Cinematically?
Team America - "It's not about sex, it's about trust."

Stunning indie pop with an electronic heartbeat is what you can expect from Jordy Lane. Each song is sprinkled with thoughtful words and wistful voltages and sparks. I'm very excited that his debut album, Here We Go Down, The Black Hole will be out soon. Head to his website to keep up-to-date with everything he is doing.

Firekites, Newcastle/Sydney

2008-07-26T19:11:00.000+10:00

Current band rollcall? (Members and instruments/other bands that they are in?)
Tim McPhee (vox, acoustic guitar, keys, bass/The Instant), Jason Tampake (violin, bass/Charge Group/Josh Pyke), Rod Smith (acoustic guitar, vox, keys, bass, blog interview-answerer), Jane Tyrrell (special guest vox/The Herd and the Urthboy show) and Ben Howe (drums, percussion).

Firekites have been around since...
We began life as a two piece acoustic outfit in March 2005 but gradually grew into the current format.

Let's play Six Degrees of Firekites. Who have you collaborated with?
Andy Howe, Richard Pike and Matt Blackman among others.

First song ever written?
Finding Home.

Music making for you began when...
I found my sister’s acoustic guitar in the hall cupboard in 1989.

Most unusual sound/instrument you’ve used in your music?
Recording remnants of a broken wine glass for the track History. There have been many broken wine glasses! Ha!

Strangest gig you’ve ever played?
We once played a pub in two-piece acoustic mode and got heckled by bar flies with calls like,"You boys must have big hearts!" Classic.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
Brownies with rosemary.
Seeds and scotch finger biscuits.

Most unconventional topic you’ve covered in your lyrics...
Sleeping in your best clothes and courtroom juries judging old clothes.

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer...
If you’ve got something to say, then stroll out in the park.

Most useful lyrics you’ve heard in a song?
Should I take that risk or just smile?

Do you think where you live in affects your music in any way?
Yep, as does all your experiences in that place.

You would love to record with...
Nigel Godrich or Jim O’Rourke.

Favourite person you have performed with/recorded with...
Simon Connolly doing sound for our Northcote Social Club album launch. Great times!

Outside of Firekites, the band members are involved in...
Busy times...
Janey with Herd haps...
Tim with abacus duties...
Roddy holding down the law...
Benny chefing and chopping wood on the Kites' kit...
Jason with chargies, building an empire in World of Warcraft and otherwise slaying gents on the poker table.

Next for you is...
Some great supports, film clip, the Great Escape festival and a headline tour.

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called...
Folk’n’roll.

Five things you currently love

Musically?
Keyboards through guitar pedals, because the possibilities are endless.

In Print?
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, because of Frost at Midnight.

Locally?
Feast cafe in Bull street (Cooks hill), because of the relaxed vibe and smiles.

Visually?
Art deco, because it's quirky but classic.

Cinematically?
I haven't seen a movie in a very long time...

Firekites write beautiful, sleepy-eyed songs softly brushed with electro-folk touches. If I was going to apply one of those over-the-top musical equations to describe it, I'd say it's like Psapp meeting Sea and Cake in an empty school playground at sundown. You can find out more about their music and shows on their MySpace.

Cleptoclectics, Sydney

2008-07-07T22:20:00.000+10:00

Current band rollcall?
So far, Cleptoclectics has been a solo project, just me (Tom Smith), some synths, various keyboards, a microphone, two computers, an MPC1000, a saxophone, some home-cooked software, and lots of records.

Cleptoclectics has been around since....
I've been around for about 24 years, but I thought of the name four or five years ago, and it never went away. Even though I still find telling people embarrassing... "Cleptowhat?"

Let's play Six Degrees of Cleptoclectics - are there any note-worthy musicians you've worked with?
I'm fairly solitary as far as musicians go. There was talk of me doing a remix for The Paper Scissors at one point, which seems unlikely.

First song ever written?
I used to churn out beat tapes as a kid, on cassettes I stole from hi fi shops. But it's hard to say at what point the sketches I've been been tinkering with for years turned into songs, I'm still not sure they have.

Music making for you began when...
First song I can remember is Buffalo Soldier, I was wearing a nappy at the time. I grew up thinking music wasn't something people actually 'did'. At the school I went to, you were showered with praise for getting an accounting scholarship, not for making tunes. But I think when I was about 17 or 18 I realised there are paths open to people who want to make music in their own way, even if they're fairly protracted.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music?
My grandmother recently handed down her koto to me, which I've been playing lots lately, it's that twangy plucked string instrument you hear in Kabuki, and generally associate with Nippon stereotypes. I once made a tune out of black swan calls, if you put them through an amp they distort nicely.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
I played a party once which had a peacock theme and you weren't allowed to wear shoes, everyone was on drugs, not that strange I suppose, but it's one of the most memorable for some reason. The first legitimate 'gig' I ever played, I followed a 12 piece improv band who had stage props and stupid theatrics, I then climbed on stage by myself and bunted away at my sampler, to the bemusement of the 10 punters in attendance, also not that strange really. I've been turfed out of a couple of illegal type gigs before I even got to setup, which is just annoying.

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs? (Or put up other things in the studio for the same effect?)
I've got a poster of Antonioni's Blow Up, some King Kong posters, a collection of West African and Sepic ceremonial masks, a Bridget Riley print, a replica Sun Ra hat which - when you put it on - gives the effect of a solar system orbiting your head, I wear it whilst channeling the cosmos. I have a thing for kitsch sleeve designs too.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
Sometimes people struggle to believe that I actually like some of the crappy exotica records I buy.

When you're working with electronic music, is it easier or harder to get across a message or mood when you can't use lyrics?
Obviously if I wanted to write a polemical song about an issue, it would be hard to do without words, so it's lucky I'm not really interested in saying things consciously with my music. I find music with too much intention tiresome. As far as mood goes, maybe lyrics can obscure as much as create it, they can lock an experience down by making it 'about' something, obliterating the possibility of people formulating their own response. I'm interested in phenomenology, and by extension, people's unique responses to sound, which can become less important in lyric music because it's spelled out for people.

It's a good question, kind of leads to other questions though; like what is musical communication? Music is sort of impotent in lots of ways, that's probably what leads some people to approach music like an intellectual game, rather than a vehicle for emotions. I'm not quite at that stage, but I'm not really into 'message' music either.

Do you think the country/city/town you live in affects your music in any way?
In all sorts of ways. The relationship between music and geography is really interesting I think. I find Sydney isolates people a little, I've found it easier so far to get gigs in other cities. I've played almost as much in Melbourne, without really trying, even though I hardly knew anyone down there when I started. So my music isn't made with much consideration for my immediate context, which is I think something that a lot of music from Sydney has in common, a kind of spatial dislocation, which paradoxically comes from the city perhaps.

You would love to record with...
Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

Favourite person you have performed with/recorded with...
The most challenging performance I've ever done was at TINA last year: a bunch of friends, calling themselves DKDC, loosely connected to this site - www.whenpressed.net - asked me to score their performance live. It was a kind of absurdist theatre performance and I was pretty far out of my comfort zone, which made me feel embarrassed, but then thrilled and satisfied. Flying Lotus and Touch Typist were the two best support slots I've done.

Outside of Cleptoclectics, you spend your time....
Working in a gallery/artist agency, teaching at the College of Fine Arts, taking up space.

Next for you is...
Limited edition 3" release coming out through this label sometime in the not too distant future, just working on music generally.

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called...

Tonally Considered Rhythm Scapes
Variable Drone Beats
Swinging Interval Meditations
Syncopated Granulation Edits
Brick Wall of Sound Constructions

Five things you currently love

Musically? Alice Coltrane - it's next level amazing shit.
In Print? George E Lewis' various writings, Roland Barthes' A Lovers' Discourse
Locally? Pigeonground - right near my house, perfect thing to do on a lazy Sunday. Consolador de Dos Caras - crazy music, loud, awesome.
Satellite cafe - do yourself a favour and get a veggie breakfast.
Visually? Edward R Tufte's Envisioning Information - sort of information design 101.
Cinematically? Blade Runner - doom, gloom, synths and sax.

Cleptoclectics' electronic tinkering is as wistful, spaced-out and strangely beautiful as a constellation. His latest album is Poignancy Beats. When Jonathon Valenzuela and I used to do semi-neighbouring timeslots on FBI, we would fight over who would get to play Cleptoclectics. You can slink over to his MySpace to hear some tunes and check out Cleptoclectics' verbal stylings on his blog.

Catcall, Sydney

2008-07-02T21:42:00.000+10:00

Current band rollcall? (Members and instruments/roles?)
I'm Catherine Kelleher, the vocalist and songwriter. I collaborate mainly with Crumbs, who is Melbourne-based producer Max Kohane. I've also recently collaborated with Sydney producer Mailer Daemon.
Live, I perform my set with Sleater Brockman and have recently acquired a male back up dancer, "Jack Ass".

Catcall has been around since... January 2007.

Let's play Six Degrees of Catcall - who are some note-worthy musicians you've worked with?
Kiosk (for three years, I played in this punk band).
The Crayon Fields/Sly Hats (my EP was recorded by Geoff O'Connor).
Agents of Abbhorence (my producer plays in this grind band).
Sleater Brockman/Ro Sham Bo (DJs and friends).
Mailer Daemon and Peach (we recently collaborated).

First song ever written? Bodies was the first song I put on my MySpace. It was a downbeat, slow jam with a sparse organ and bassline. I wrote the beat myself, and the vocal was quite soft and breathy.

Music-making for you began when... I first had piano lessons at the age of five. But really it started when I met Jack and Angie and started playing in Kiosk when I was 17, at the end of 2003. We kept pretty busy until mid 2006 when we toured the USA. And then from early 2007, I was drawn towards making pop.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music? Probably my harmonica.

Strangest gig you've ever played? More bad ones than strange ones, haha. Me and Sleater got heckled at an Annandale show once. By Mogans (Modular-bogans).

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs? (Or put up other things in the studio for the same effect?) Not really!!! I mainly just listen to the same kinda tracks that are inspiring me at the moment. Right now, it's Neneh Cherry and The Go-Go's.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music? Party pix photographers.

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics... Baking!

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer... Not the best person to give love advice, hahaha!!

Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song? "I don't want the world, I only want what I deserve" - The Gossip.

Do you think where you live in affects your music in any way? Yes. Sydney has made me who I am. I think Catcall is definitely a product of the scene which surrounds DJs and performers like Ro Sham Bo and Hoops.

You would love to record with.... Bangladeshi, Switch, Sinden

Favourite person you have performed with/recorded with... THE GOSSIP.

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called... Hip pop.

Outside of Catcall, you also... work in film, most recently in independent film distribution. Film is my other great passion, especially arthouse, independent cinema.

Next for you is... Writing my album with Crumbs and collaborating with several other amazing Australian producers. Then touring the country and then the USA with Sleater Brockman.

Five things you currently love

Musically? Kid Cudi, hip hop perfection.
In Print? Lexicon Devil. The bio of Darby Crash and The Germs, my favourite punk band. Really intense life story.
Locally? Cafe Zoe, my actual local!
Visually? Photographs by Sophie Calle, the French artist.
Cinematically? City Of God/The Constant Gardener by Fernando Meirelles. Intense stories told in an incredible way.

Catcall's beat-spiked, ultra-feisty, and slick-yet-DIY-spirited hip hop is sharply and sassily-showcased on her recent EP Anniversary. You can find out more about it, plus details about her gigs and blog by clicking on her home page.

The Motifs, Melbourne

2008-06-28T22:21:00.000+10:00

Current band rollcall? (Members and instruments?)
The Motifs live band is...
Chris - keyboard, glockenspiel, hand claps and singing
May - keyboard, glockenspiel, hand claps and singing
Neil - drums, percussion, random instruments and singing
Alexis - guitar, singing
(The others swap instruments a lot, so the gaps between songs can be longer than the actual songs.)

The Motifs have been around since....
The Motifs have been around since I (Alexis) started recording songs at home, a few years ago. We played live for the first time in our friend's kitchen in Sydney, as a one-off show with a four-song set. Last year we started playing live shows more often with a more permanent band.

First song ever written?
When my sister and I were little and got bored on car trips, we made up songs. I don't know if they count, but there probably wasn't much difference in my songwriting then and my songwriting now.

Music making for you began when....
Other than singing in the car, I also had a toy glockenspiel when I was little, and I spent a lot of time pretending I could play the piano to my friends. I guess I still do that...

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music? In my really old songs, I recorded lots of different sounds - chickens, mortars and pestles, rain on the roof, ice cream vans, mathematical equations, ranting on the train, squeaking gates... though fortunately none of these songs were released to the public.

Strangest gig you've ever played? On the back seat of a bus at a music festival in Japan. It was a mobile live venue called 'Mobium' and they had turned all the seats around to face the back and made the middle doorway into a bar and mixing desk. It's good having those hanging handle things to hang on to if you're standing and watching a band - I wish normal venues had those.

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs? (Or put up other things in the studio for the same effect?) With recording or songwriting I'm just thinking about the music, not really what I'm looking at. In fact, I think it's probably easier for me to be imaginative if I have nothing visual to distract me, so maybe a blank wall is best. Maybe if there was a picture of something right in front of me, I'd manage to make all the songs somehow about that thing. Could be good for a theme album though.

Unlikeliest thing to influence your music? TV theme songs? Some of them are so good- I especially like Postman Pat, Noddy... Wait, that's not surprising at all, is it? I don't think any of my musical influences are unlikely. I like lots of kinds of pop music, especially songs with lots of ideas and not much repetition.

Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics... Probably most of my lyrics are about somewhat unconventional subjects. I think it's easier to write about things which haven't been written about heaps before (for example, hilarious knitwear) because you don't encounter so many clichés. Or if you do, they are kind of funny, given the subject matter.

If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer... "Stay away from that trapdoor." Sorry, that's not really my song. How cool was that show though?

Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song? We learnt this song in primary school called Minestrone which was basically the recipe for minestrone in Italian. So you gained multiple skills from singing it.

You would love to record with... A nice microphone. And an SK-1. And every type of Casiotone ever.

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called... Knit-core

Next for you is.... More recording, more records. We aren't playing live for a while because Chris is going overseas. But the rest of us will be cluttering up venues in other bands I'm sure.

Five things you currently love

Musically?
Rouge No Dengon by Yumi Arai.

In Print?
Educational Origami Activity Instruction Book

Locally?
A tie between Sydney Road and Northcote Shopping Plaza (for the bargain shops and general ambience).

Visually?
My 'Animals of the World' camera-Viewer' and 'Dazzling with Glamour' light-up glasses, both from Sydney Road.

Cinematically?
Anything on VHS.

The Motifs write cute and wistful synth-acoustico-pop songs about everything from umlauts to pine cones. Most songs sneak in under the two minute mark, meaning you could time the making of ramen to go with a track of theirs and have a nice steaming bowl of noodles by the time the song's done. You can check out news of their upcoming vinyl record, Cross Paths, and their latest adventures here.

Faux Pas, Melbourne

2008-06-23T21:44:00.000+10:00

Music making for you began when... My friends and I started a grunge band in high school. None of us knew how to play our instruments so we just figured it out as we went along. I guess I learnt to trust my gut instincts first and think about musicality and structure later. I used to record all these cassette tapes at home, just with a microphone plugged into a cassette deck, recording loops of guitar chords over the top of each other, just keeping records of chord progressions and fragments of ideas and melodies, so I think there was a lot of trial and error. There are hours and hours of tapes. Then I started recording things on to the computer, and then samples, and then synthesisers, and eventually I got to what I do now.

Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music? One of the tracks from my first album, Entropy Begins At Home is built around the muted guitar strums from the starts of about 4 or 5 songs from the album, Chutes Too Narrow by The Shins. I remember being in my sister's bedroom, flicking through that CD trying to find the one song I liked - Turn a Square, for the record - and realising that almost every song starts with a muted acoustic guitar strum! So I turned it into a song. Thanks Shins.

You're a musician and a visual artist. What came first? Does one hijack your interest more than the other or do they kind of work together like a two-part harmony?
I'm really not a visual artist so I'd say that being a musician comes first. I design my own artwork, website, T-shirts, not because of any aspirations as a visual artist but simply because it's frustrating trying to find someone else with the time and interest to come up with visual accompaniments to my music. It's something I can do, so I do it, it's pretty much been my attitude with everything I've done so far. I do enjoy it though.

Strangest gig you've ever played?
Haven't played a gig. People tend to find that pretty strange, for some reason.

Do you pin up images when recording to help inspire your songs? (Or put up other things in the studio for the same effect?)
Ahh no, but I do think about doing it... ? I'm in a rental so I get paranoid about sticking things to the walls. I have an action figure of Beverly Crusher sitting here in front of my monitor right now. Also sitting here is the album cover my friend made me for a forthcoming Faux Pas album called 7 wolves 1 shirt. It's a concept album about my favourite t-shirt.

I love the story of how you came to remix Pikelet's Bug In Mouth*. Are you ever overwhelmed by the possibilities when remixing a song? It's definitely easy to get overwhelmed, I try just to follow the first good idea I have to its conclusion, and not think too much about what might have been if I'd gone in another direction. It's meant that a couple of them haven't seen the light of day or haven't been finished, perhaps because I chose the wrong direction right at the start? I don't necessarily follow this approach when it comes to my own music, I've definitely taken some sharp left turns with some of my own tracks while they've been in development. I think it's 10x harder to come up with a good end result when you do that though, when you've gone a certain way down the path and then decided to turn back and go another route. It's way harder to get something that feels natural when you're bucking some of your initial gut feelings, but sometimes you end up with something great.

You would love to record with...
I don't fantasise about making music with anyone - I'm generally way too insecure about my own abilities to ever imagine myself working with the people whose music I idolise. I'd rather keep playing in my own corner of the sandpit.

If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called... I like the concept of "aleatoric music" or chance music. I don't know how much of my own material fits in to that category but it's a nice idea for a genre. It is music whose composition is, at least in some crucial part, random or left to chance. Aleatory comes from the Latin word for dice, which is appropriate for me because I love to play Dungeons and Dragons.

Next for you is....
I'm finishing the second Faux Pas album, which I started working on about 12 months ago. It's basically the best album of all time.

Things you currently love

Musically?
I've just started listening to the Moody Blues again. They are one of my dad's favourite bands, and I listened to them heaps as a kid, and then even more in high school, but I haven't in a little while. A Question of Balance is a great record. They're all good though.

In Print?
I'm reading the Terry Pratchett books for the first time. They are as good as everyone says! And also I am appraising the just-released 4th edition rulebooks for Dungeons and Dragons, and trying to figure out whether it's worth it for my current gaming group to upgrade our characters or not...

Locally?
The Title store on Gertrude St is a super exciting addition to Melbourne's record store roster. They only stock good music (and books) which is more than can be said of most stores.

Visually?
I don't know why, but the comments section on the MySpace page for Melbourne record label, Brothersister Records always has great weird photos.

*The story, in Faux Pas' words: I caught Pikelet's Bug In Mouth film clip on Rage late one night and was completely entranced, not so much by the clip but just by those hypnotic looped harmonies and intuitive almost primitive rhythms. Evelyn Morris's voice is pristine, and the melodies in this song are completely captivating.

I actually remixed the song without Evelyn's permission, working from an mp3 copy I had of the track (ie not working with separated parts). Weirdly, it all came together one Sunday afternoon while I was sitting in an edit suite 'working' for an ex-game show host...

I'm glad in the end that I was able to contact Evelyn and that it didn't have to take much convincing for her to let me put the remix out. I'm pretty proud of it, though really all it does is just play to the strengths of the original track, that being the amazing hypnotic melodies and voice of one (actually more than one) Evelyn Morris. The Faux Pas remix of Bug In Mouth is on my EP Changes.

Faux Pas has a couple of records out, the latest being the Changes EP, which mixes his musical DNA with songs by Pikelet, Zeal and Aleks and The Ramps to create some crazy scientic-lab remixes. It also features some wholly original cuts too. He's currently working on his next album and on his entirely understandable desire to become Christopher Willits. Keep an ear out for Faux Pas updates here.

Jane Woody, Alice Springs

2008-06-20T23:48:00.000+10:00

Current band rollcall? Jane Woody - plays everything, drums, guitar and bass
Jane Woody has been around since... 2006
First song ever written? 'Sit/Stand', recorded on a dictaphone years ago.
Music-making for you began when... I used to drum for my brother when he'd play Poison songs on his guitar. I'd use two school rulers and hit piles of books (dinting mum's good encyclopedias) in his bedroom when we were really young. We worshiped Poison and Def Leppard and Gunners. I didn't even wear a shirt whilst drumming, that's how seriously rock I was.
Most unusual sound/instrument you've used in your music? I'm always a fan of Casio keyboard beats put through a distortion pedal and guitar amp.
Strangest gig you've ever played?
Swingin Safari on the Gold Coast, it was just strange, there was a 'homely' vibe out the back - like a record player and a book shelf. After quite a few drinks, I found a book called Ten Poems To Change Your Life and I had a really intense reflective moment. I stole the book. When sober it didn't have quite the same impact...
Do you place things in the studio to inspire you?
With this album, Big Breaths, Little Lungs, I ate lots of dried apple and M&Ms and I had a pic up on the wall of a girl line dancing - I really like country music. We had a cat in the studio called Lilly and she was delightful to be around.
Unlikeliest thing to influence your music?
This is hard because absolutely everything that happens to me influences my music. Umm...I'd have to say A Current Affair, or Today Tonight. That stuff seriously doesn't influence my music.
Most unconventional topic you've covered in your lyrics....
Probably this stupid song about a shoe doctor I wrote with a friend when we were a little drunk. What the fuck is a shoe doctor?
If you had to offer any of your lyrics as love advice (or life advice), you would offer "How will you survive if you make it your plight to keep everyone else alive?"
Most useful lyrics you've heard in a song?
Most recently, Kimya Dawson, "I got good at feeling bad and that's why I'm still here."
You would love to record with... Prince
If record stores had to come up with a new genre name to file your music under, it would be called.... "Introverted-lovesick-obsessive-pop"
Next for you is... More recording and more dancin.

Five things you currently love

Musically? The Donnas - I love the simple lyrics about making out in cars.
In Print? Some excellent zines, namely Damki and a Melbourne one about Neighbours called Erinsborough Exploits - and also a magazine called Juxtaposition. Anything creative and interesting.
Locally? A place called the Tea Shrine in Alice Springs. Heaps of great tea and this amazing local coffee.
Visually? Some excellent Aboriginal artists around Alice.
Cinematically? La Vie En Rose - the Edith Piaf film. I loved it.

Jane Woody's sweet DIY synth-pop album, Big Breaths, Little Lungs was recently released on Valve. If you're sonically curious about her music, you can hear it here