Hey everyone,
Just wanted to quickly let you know about Record Day Australia 2009.
“On April 18 2009 the only place to be is your local record store.
In these high-tech days of ipods and downloads, there’s still nothing to beat the thrill of immersing yourself in the atmosphere of a real CD and record shop, browsing the racks, talking to the staff and taking home an album that will become part of your personal history.
So why bother to have Record Store Day Australia?
Hear what the giants of the Australian music industry say about the importance of supporting your specialist music stores.
Daryl Braithwaite loves the excitement of big record store promotions and remembers the huge impact they had on him.
“I had the thrill of being around in The Beatles period, and I remember specifically Sgt Pepper and being able to walk into a store, seeing the big promotion with people queued up – it was great! You connected with the music. Then it was a thrill seeing my own stuff in the stores both in my Sherbert days and also with The Edge. People would look at the cover, then look at me and recognise me – you don’t get this shopping experience online,” Daryl reminisced.
Kram from Spiderbait is another passionate believer in record stores.
“I still like having things on vinyl and I love record stores. The whole experience of searching is probably more important than getting the stuff. I really dig record stores – I always will.”
And it’s not just the artists who are convinced of the value of Record Store Day Australia. Record store owners from Perth to Traralgon to Wollongong, and everywhere in between, love the fact that this is a chance to really celebrate the value of music in Australian stores and support the artists that create it.
Events like Record Store Day Australia don’t just happen by magic, and Australia is fortunate to have a strong Australian Music Retailers Association (AMRA) to represent the specialist recorded music stores of Australia.
Thanks to AMRA members, there is still a huge amount of music sold through specialist record stores:
· More than $9 of every $10 paid for music in Australia is spent on physical product
· Physical product remains the format of choice for music lovers and collectors. Albums are 65 times more popular on CD or DVD than as a download.
So many Australian independent record stores are involved in Record Store Day Australia that we can’t list them here, but you can check them out at www.recordstoreday.com.au
And for the latest news about Record Store Day Australia and interviews with artists, log on to www.undercover.com.au
A quick shout out to our mate and follower Barto for giving us a head’s up on this too!
Please get behind your local record store, even if it is a global mega chain, the artists and bands need our support to keep making music, get to gigs and keep buying their product cause that’s the only way the artist will ever get paid.
VB
"God chose me. He made a path for me. I am God's vessel. But my greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live."
We've seen you play Kanye. You were good. When you weren't telling a fan to "eat shit and die" (turn the other cheek, etc etc). But seriously - take it from us - don't beat yourself up about it.
He also told the TV Show why his ego is so out of control.
"I do have an ego and rightfully so. I think people should have an ego. Think about it - I don't offend people, I don't put anyone down. Do I name names or bring people down? That's not my thing. But I give myself big-ups. I feel good about the music I make."
Hi.
Here are some new tracks floating around we thought you might be interested in.
Enjoy!
VB
Month or so late album review #1 - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
0 comments Posted by TwoBears at 4:17 PMHello all you TwoBears readers!
In the interests of laziness, here is the first "month or so late album review". First off the rank is Franz Ferdinand's Tonight: Franz Ferdinand.
The Glasgow based band have held a coveted position as revolutionaries of rock, and have always prided themselves on the ability of making music for "girls to dance to." Their debut, self titled, effort had a stream of hits that found a huge and different fan base. The second album, You Could Have It So Much Better was well received, although a different direction was definitely being pushed. Personally, I love the second album - particularly the far from dancy Eleanor Put Your Boots On.
The third album shows a band that is comfortable enough in its ability to make good music that they have taken some risks, the vast majority of which have worked. Tonight is the most appropriate name for this album; the tracks take the listener through one long, sometimes seedy, sometimes romantic, and always rollicking night out with the Franz Ferdinand boys.
The album has clearly been crafted with live performances in mind, and speaking from the experience of having seen them break out Ulysses at the Falls Festival, this is a very good thing for those lucky enough to see a guy by these guys.
The first three songs of the album (Ulysses, Turn It On, No You Girls) set the pace for the album, and reveal just how much rockier the band has become for this outing - driving electric guitar riffs dominate in the tracks in the same way that they stood out in Take Me Out.
In the months leading up to the release of the album, Franz released Lucid Dreams. The track of the same name on the album bears very little resemblance to the single, and at first listen I thought this was something of a mistake. However, having had a month (see I knew there was logic in my tardiness!) to listen and re-listen to the album, this track has come way up the list to become my favourite track behind Ulysses. It is psychedelic and takes you on a journey that suits the title name, and the electro ending (from 4:30 onwards) is incredibly different from anything the boys have ever done, and I think it really works.
Tonight: Franz Ferdinand is another success for the band, and has given them a handful more dance hits to wow crowds with at gigs. Come back soon boys!
Ulysses - Franz Ferdinand
CB
In honour of U2’s latest album No Line On The Horizon leaking from its own record label 2 weeks before its released I present you with my U2 mixtape!
1. City of Blinding Lights
2. Beautiful Day
3. Angel of Harlem
4. With or Without You
5. All Because of You
6. Vertigo
7. Desire
8. Mysterious Ways
9. Sunday Bloody SundayPride (In The Name)
U2 Mixtape
Mike Skinner, Forum Theatre, Sydney, 05/02/09
I am crouched in the front row of the Forum Theatre, being crushed by the crouching masses behind me, and I couldn't be happier. The beat comes back up, and our fearless leader, Mike Skinner, rises from the ground, setting off a frenzy of dancing from the crowd and, yes, me.
I have seen The Streets once before at Big Day Out 2007, and even then Mike and his talented support crew proved to me their ability to get a crowd going. But his performance at the Forum Theatre was a completely different beast and anyone at the gig who says they didn’t feel personally involved in the fun is a liar. FACT.
Unsurprisingly, about half of the track list for the night came from the latest album, Everything is Borrowed, with the title track leading the band out and other tracks such as The Escapist, Heaven for the Weather and On the Edge of a Cliff scattered throughout. The remainder of the set list comprised of a mix of the group's three previous albums, including crowd favourites Don't Mug Yourself, Let's Push Things Forward, Fit But You Know It, and Dry Your Eyes. Mike Skinner's vocally talented right hand man, Kevin Mark Trail, even pleased the crowd with a rendition of Glasvegas' Daddy’s Gone.
The Forum Theatre was a great venue for such a lively show, with the feeling of intimacy adding to the experience.
Mike Skinner has proven once again that he is a master of showmanship - whether it was a knowing look to a fan on the top balcony, or attempting to throw a full cup of beer two metres to the girl in the front row (and one time succeeding), he could do little wrong.
The good news is my fears were not to be realised, as the Sydney organisers had clearly learnt their lessons from the Melbourne fiasco, and worked hard to make sure things were running as smoothly as possible. That's not to say there weren't lines...The Basement, the famous jazz and blues club and one indoor stage for the day, was a bottleneck throughout the whole festival and you had to be pretty dedicated to a band to stick around and wait. But all in all, the crowds were nowhere near enough to put a dampener on the day.
The Sydney version of the St. Jerome's Laneway Festival, originally a strictly Melbourne item that has now become a national roadshow, is set in the heart of the city - tucked in behind Circular Quay at Reilby Place. The joy of this festival is that it relishes in the urban surroundings, and mixes together the grittiness and gloss of city living.
But of course the reason I was at the festival was for the music, and it was definitely worth the entry ticket. Philadelphia Grand Jury and The John Steel Singers were great bands to kick off the day, and other highlights for me were Tame Impala and Cut Off Your Hands.
The headliners for the festival were Architecture in Helsinki, followed by Girl Talk. Architecture put on a powerful and always energetic performance, bringing a new take to their hits songs from the back catalogue, a few interesting covers (Ain't Nothing Going To Break My Stride) as well as giving us a taste of things to come with That Beep.
With the energy running high, the crowd shifted into the laneway stage of Reilby Place for Girl Talk. I must confess I haven't been the biggest fan of Girl Talk when he has released albums, but the songs always have a 'party starter' feel to them. But as a live act, he was fantastic. Playing an hour long set, he brought together music from across a wide range of genres to make music that you just had to dance to...and he didn't stop playing for that full hour (which, of course, meant the dancing also was an hour long. By the end my legs were killing me, but it was some good exercise...maybe Girl Talk can bring out a workout album next?)
Despite a few minor drawbacks, the Laneway Festival lived up to, and in many ways exceeded my expectations. Food was typical festival fare, and alcohol was sold at a typical festival price, but I recommend it to anyone in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, or Perth, and you can bet that I will be back there again next year.
CB
Wolfmother returned to the Australian spotlight with a ‘secret’ gig last night in Sydney. It was a night of high anticipation, particularly considering that its been 3 years since we have heard any new material from Wolfmother and almost 6 months since the band was fractured just after Splendour in the Grass 2008. First let me say bravo to Die! Die! Die! for warming up a very edgy crowd beforehand. Kudos goes out to the lead singer who burned up the stage and even getting out into the crowd and jumping around. This all helped break down the barrier between band and patron. It’s hard to describe Die! Die! Die! but there are definitely shades of Rage Against The Machine, some punk and some real solid rock and roll , definitely a band that will make some noise in the local Sydney scene in 2009. Wolfmother hit the stage after a 40-minute wait, but that only heightened the anticipation. Bursting onto the stage with a brutal new track, its clear that Wolfmother are back and they want to blow you away. They are now a four-piece, with another guitarist being added. The set included the usual Colossal, White Unicorn, Woman, Dimension and Joker & The Thief. But what caught me off guard was the intensity and all out balls to the wall attitude that Wolfmother played with, it was as if they were a new band with something to prove. There is a new track of theirs that is soooo heavy it sounds like it could have been part of the Metallica back catalogue. Its going to be a big couple of months for this band as rumours are floating around that the new Wolfmother will record a new album very soon. I hope there is some truth to this because last night they were brilliant! VB.
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