Crypitus is Heavy, Death, Thrash and Black Metal influenced band but reach out to pull from genres such as jazz, punk and even hardcore based in Vermont

This article was inspired by The Planting Festival, Woodfordia, home of the famous Woodford Folk Music Festival.

We go for the music but we stay for the feels. And nothing feels better then the anticipation of packing your gear, driving across our flat, wide, hot brown land knowing you’ll be pitching a tent and your heart and soul inside the hessian hug of a multi-day camping festival.

The Woodford Folk Festival is a highlight of the festival calendar for countless music-lovers; and the Planting is it’s cooler (literally), smaller, hippy cousin. The Planting is unique in that its a festival that focuses on experiencing the environment first-hand by being part of replanting, learning and nourishing the Woodfordia site. Held each year over Queensland’s Labour Day long weekend in May, the Planting has been growing (literally) for over two decades. The original idea was to plant 10,001 trees and create a community to rebuild our environment.

The Planting creates a program of fantastic alternative and world  music, which this year featured the legendary Shellie Morris, relative newcomers like Neighbour, and old favourites like My Friend the Chocolate Cake. However it’s real draw are the mostly free workshops, talks and seminars for adults and kids on everything from bollywood dance to attracting butterflies to making a pinhole camera to building a DIY sewage treatment plant. For the full-immersion experience there’s also a week-long series of specialist workshops, Artisan Camp, held before the festival where you can learn everything from songwriting and gospel choir to traditional cheese, leather and breadmaking.

For Planting newbies, like me and my 9-year-old daughter, it felt like walking into a magical fairy village where every corner was an opportunity to listen, learn and do. Festivalling with kids can be tedious but the Planting is incredibly child and parent friendly – it doesn’t talk down to kids or force parents to hang around the edges, bored and frustrated.

So here’s a list of 20 free things to see and do:

1. Unplug at a folk circle

Open folk jams are happening day and night at the Planting Sessions Bar. Songs include some English and Gaelic folk classics. Held at the bar on the lake, it’s more than  worth taking the time to get in to the ye olde mood. Rediscovering the beauty in these traditional instruments, played beautifully outdoors, connects you to your musical tradition that spans generations and continents.

2. Stoke your fire

Years ago, you could light a campfire pretty much anywhere at multi-day events but safety rules means that now, in the dry tinderbox of the outdoors, you have only shared managed fire circles.

Discovering a new friend or talking about the days’ adventures while you nurse a hot drink or two around a communal fire has become a part of the festival experience – the Planting took it up a notch with a fire walking workshop.

3. Rediscover your story

Always throw a few real paper books into your bag. Festivals are often the only time you’ll want the space to crack open a cover. But finding a fully-fledged pop-up bookstore where you’re encouraged to sit and read for as long as you like? That’s just insanity!

In this case it’s Logical Unsanity, the 24-hour second-hand bookstore from Bardon that set up a printed oasis among the village mayhem. Walk slow and run your fingers along the spines of old books, feel the prick of memories, of stories long forgotten and then have new reading encounters of the best kind.

4. Experience the blues

The sky at Woodford is an incredible expansive blue. At festivals we’re always looking forward, and it’s a feast for our eyes and ears, and sometimes you need to chill.

The Woodford site means you also have the space to lie down, stretch out, and take in the incredible view overhead.

5. Find new rhythm

At the Planting, Woodford or any festival, exploring and discovering new music is why we’re all there. Seeing our favourites live is always memorable but it’s finding the unexpected new ‘favourite’ that you can follow or add to your spotify that’s like a surprise free gift from any event.

6. Join the crowd at closing

The Planting, like Woodford, had a wow closing ceremony with dance, bands and acts from diverse cultures including traditional  Bollywood and our First Peoples. The finale featured a giant bamboo sculpture floating and burning on the water to choreographed lights and music. The lake acts like a giant inky mirror to amp up the magic.

7. Take a chance on dance

You don’t need overalls, but it helps. The final night bushdance was unique in the enthusiasm from a crowd that had clearly never square danced before. We were immediately swept in from the sidelines to join a foursome. It’s not an activity I would ever try willingly but in the moment, surrounded by the Planting tribe,  dancing together was exhilarating.

8. Hold hands with a stranger

Several giant puppets roamed around the Planting a few times a day to the delight and (fright) of the children and adults. Easily three-times human height, the silent benevolent puppets, often gently swaying on spindly legs,  were some of the unexpected and free performances breaking up the schedule.

9. Connect with a craftsperson

It’s rare to see a Spinning Jenny (not a band!) in action. Festivals are often crammed with cheap goods for volume sales but at the Planting many of the stall owners were artists and craftspeople selling beautiful handmade and designed goods. Watching a master at work is a rare gift in a mass-produced era and these people are incredibly generous in talking about their work whether you buy something or not.

10. Follow the butterfly trail

Large full colour posters surrounded most of the major trees at the Planting. These explained the local butterflies and other insects and creatures supported by Woodfordia. Unlike visiting a zoo or museum, seeing these posters was a practical reminder that butterflies are natural in their environment and we are responsible for keeping them safe.

There was also a butterfly stall where you could speak with lepidopterists and ecologists as well as see living butterflies up close. The stall included kids art activities so you could really go in depth while they coloured.

11. Steam punk up close

Woodfordia has a permanent dedicated tinkers pavilion where you can get your steam punk on. Learn to solder, shave and circuit all kinds of mechanical objects. Work with metal and widgets, make tinker friends.  Tinkering is a skill worth recapturing if we’re to reuse as well as recycle.

12. Interact with the installations

There’s several gigantic sculptures at Woodfordia – a bamboo silo, large tent-like frames and huge flower light sculptures around the venue. These became instant wonderlands for both kids and grown ups as you listen to the music nearby. It’s a great hybrid between the natural and man-made environments.

13. Leave a legacy

The Planting had volunteer projects going all weekend – from weeding and revegetation, to building a permanent playground for future visitors. The playground building, or Kidfordia, was a project forkids 10 to 17. Each kid had to get their ‘licence’ stamped by a volunteer trainer before they could use the electrical and building equipment. It’s the ultimate experiential learning and a fun way to help.

14. Spontaneous playground

The giant and beautiful trees, creek beds, rocks and grassy areas all became playgrounds and science labs for the kids of the Planting. Watching them explore, navigate, make teams and help each other find a new place to climb or dig was a great reminder of what it was like to be a kid before urbanisation and commercial playgrounds. These areas meant the adults could also chill out and get to know each other.

15. Go deep in conversation

You’re here for days, away from routines and alarm clocks. Take the time, engage with people, meet someone new, talk to them, make it real not just superficial. Ask them questions about their lives. Listen to the answers. These new relationships can be as long as the conversation or as short as the festival. A moment can stay with you for a lifetime.

16. Remember Australia’s first people

All Australian festivals pay respect to our first peoples and some even mean it. At the Planting, indigenous culture, dance, art and traditional life is honoured in many ways. There’s a tent to visit and see artists creating work and there were some very accessible dance and performance events.

There’s always lip service paid to including Australia’s Indigenous people in an event and seeing how seamlessly this can be done, without the usual ‘othering’, was incredibly satisfying.

17. The kids are alright

To my daughter’s utter delight, the Planting had its own Children’s Festival across Saturday and Sunday. Interactive arts, jewelry-making, creating a mini cob house, storytime, music, theatre and parades.  The Planting themes of sustainability, natural materials, caring for our planet and ecology were all gently woven through the program. It felt neither fake nor forced.

18. Doorway to creativity

There are luckily plenty of toilet blocks around the Woodford site and each has intricately hand painted toilet door cubicles. Without realising it, we painted at least a dozen more over the days of the Planting.

19. Explore the Labyrinth

Halfway up the hill, past the Tibetan musical cylinders, behind the Woodford maze, you’ll find the Labyrinth. Sometimes musicians played in the alter-stage to enhance your journey, sometimes mindful workshops were held, but always you could count on a moment of contemplation and beauty outside the main festival arena.

20. Make a zine

A dedicated crafting village, Fixation, straddled the kids festival and main area. Here you could work with clay, or do any of the other free art and craft workshops. The culmination was a giant zine crated by Jeremy Staples using old magazines, typewriters and photocopiers. The process of actually cutting and sticking, as opposed to using keystrokes, was liberating and fun in the extreme.

There’s at least another 20 fun, free things I could list but if you’re still reading you should just check it out for yourself.

Tickets for Woodford 27 December 2018 – 1 January 2019 are now on sale. The Planting 2019 will be on from 4-6 May with an artisan program a week earlier. Woodfordia hosts events and communities all year round, check it out.

Irena Bee is a membership and community strategist and writer. She runs the Green Drinks Brisbane and works with community groups, nonprofits and member organisations to build stronger communities and civil society. Irena and her daughter Sofia were guests of the Planting in 2018.

By Irena Bee

At the beginning of 2018 Hurst introduced audiences to their 90s nostalgia-meets-pop grit sound, teasing them with their latest anthems, ‘Rattle Kids’ and current single ‘Purple & Green’ – both of which have received airplay on Triple j.

TOP 5 TRACKS FROM THE 90s

1. Sunday Morning – No Doubt: I absolutely love Gwen Stefani’s balance of femininity and masculinity on and off-stage. This track is so fun and always manages to get me dancing real hard to it.

1. Here Comes Your Man – Pixies: Okay this ones from 1989, but close enough. I love how Pixies tread the fine line between angst and fun. The guitar line it’s so easy and unassuming. This ones perfect for a road trip.

1. Nirvana – In Bloom: One of my favourite Nirvana songs ever! No messing around just straight into it from the first chord, and what a great video.

1. Karma Police – Radiohead: A song you get lost in whilst listening to it. The beautiful melody and interesting lyrics are nothing short of genius.

1. …Baby One More Time – Britney Spears: Think what you want, I was 6 years old and this song honestly sparked that itch in me to make and create music.I was 6 years old and this song honestly sparked that itch in me to make and create music. You know deep down you love it and know it word for word

‘SADFACE.’ TOUR DATES

JUNE 30 – Botany View Hotel, Newtown NSW

JULY 8 – The Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale NSW

JULY 13 – Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington NSW

JULY 28 – Lust 4 Live, Dubbo NSW

AUGUST 4 – Hornsby Inn, Hornsby NSW

AUGUST 5 – Symposium, Sydney NSW

SEPTEMBER 14 – Lennox Groove, Lennox Head NSW

NOVEMBER 17 – The Vic Hotel, Orange NSW

Melbourne-via-Sydney artist Merpire has garnered acclaim across Melbourne’s indie pop scene for her cunning and charming singles ‘Hauntways’ and ‘Holding Breath’, with the first earning the number one spot on the triple j unearthed pop chart, and the latter being added to Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist and in-store rotation at fashion giant H&M. 

Here we talk to Merpire about CHIPS

Chips, crisps, what ever you call them, I love them. Here are my top 5 favourite chips .

1. Hickory BBQ by Boulder’s 

I was only very recently introduced to this chip, soon after I moved to Melbourne. They taste a lot like the Lays brand of BBQ that were discontinued in Australia some time ago – my previous number one flavour. They taste nostalgic of primary school days. They’re not your cheapest chip so I save them for indulgent days of reward after a hefty week spent in my brain organising music life.
 

2. Atomic Tomato bySamboy
   I must have a taste for discontinued products because Atomic Tomato was discontinued in Sydney many moons ago, but I don’t forget a good chip. I did find them in the Blue Mountains though when filming my music video for ‘Holding Breath’. The producer, Caz and I stopped at a humble servo on the way to where we were staying and there they were, shining bright red, ready to rest in my arms for the rest of the drive.‘Holding Breath’ video 

 3.Light and tangy by Thins
I ate these tangy delights while working my way around logic, adding production ideas to the songs that became the EP, ‘Endless Chatter’. Sometimes I’d even treat myself and put them in a bowl so I didn’t have salty knuckles that could drop salt on to my guitar or laptop. While writing the break-up song, ‘For The Best’ for instance, these chips were there.
 

4.Chicken by Smiths 

While these aren’t my favourite flavour of chip, I do have a very vivid image attached to them. One of my earliest memories of being very moved by modern music was during a dance routine at a school vacation day when I was maybe 7. The other kids and I were instructed to do a dance routine to Regurgitator’s ‘Polyester Girl’. In the break I bought a packet of Smiths chicken chips from the vending machine so now the song and chips are forever bonded. Whoever picked that song for the routine – thank you.  

5. Balsamic vinegar sea salt by Red Rock Deli
   These have always been a go-to flavour. I was very pleased when playing at Tamale Studios in Northcote not long ago, to see that the legends Ally and Tom who run the place, had them available. This gig was an especially magic time. Captured here perfectly by my housemate and very talented photographer, Nick McKk. 

‘Invitation’ live video

UP COMING SHOWS

Thursday 19 July
Waywards, Newtown
Supports: Matilda Abraham, Ben Panucci
Tickets via Oztix

Thursday 2 August
The Gaso Upstairs, Melbourne
Supports: The Attics (duo), Gena Rose Bruce
Tickets via Oztix

Much loved Melbourne nine-piece Echo Drama have today announced their new single Insanity, a heavy condemnation of the selfishness that rules in today’s society, out June 18. Hot on the heels of this massive track is the accompanying clip, directed by Carl Allison (Hilltop Hoods) and reflecting the band in an apocalyptic performance space. Insanity will be launched in style with a celebratory show at The Workers Club Melbourne on July 26, where fans will be able to catch Echo Drama in their element – on the stage.

We asked the gang what are the Top Five Insane things they have  done as a band…

Top 5 insane things we have done as a band 

1) We formed 

I guess I thought starting a 9 piece band doing a riffy Dub/Hip Hop crossover thing was a cruisy idea. Turned out to be really really hard to get together and sometimes I stop and wonder how I ever had the moxy to actually pursue the idea. Needless to say, I don’t regret it and I am damn thankful for the music I have been lucky enough to make with this band and the experiences that have been possible with such an insane group and ambition.

2) We recorded a 14 track album 

Kind of like above, not sure why I thought that would be a chill project. Our first full length album has taken years of hard work and twists and turns that I was probably insane to think wouldn’t pop up. But the finished product is something we are extremely proud of and looking forward to unveiling in full. For now, our first single Insanity is a great first glimpse of the insanity that was the making of this record.

3) We opened our mouths..a lot 

Some of the things I have heard this band chat about over the years, well, insane is probably an understatement. There’s no shortage of comedians amongst the group and anyone who has joined us around a campsite at a festival for a yarn knows it can get pretty crooked. Backstage, rehearsals, on tour, the insanity doesn’t really stop as long as the 9 mouths of Echo Drama are motoring away.

4) We played ‘air hockey’ with pint glasses on a wet pub table 

I actually only just remembered this story as it’s from very early Echo Drama days with a lot of the original lineup. But after a gig in Fitzroy a bunch of us kicked on well into the night, ending up at a bar I should probably leave unnamed so we stand a chance to go back there one day. What started as a bit of harmless clinking of pint glasses somehow escalated into sliding both empty and full glasses of beer at each other and laughing maniacally as they spilt and smashed. This really isn’t typical of our behaviour, not sure why at that moment we lost our sanity and thought it was ok.

5) Camped in subzero temperatures with minimal bedding 

We played a festival in NSW several hours inland from Sydney, and it got insanely cold at night, a few degrees below zero. We had flown up and didn’t pack sleeping gear as were of the impression the festival was providing ample sleeping facilities. We got there to find a couple of soggy old mats and a cotton sheet or two. It was literally freezing and the only option was to wear every single garment we had and drink in front of camp fires all night. Things got weird.  

Hey this is Jon, Nish, and Jeff from Black Bird Hum and our new tune “Say You Want” is a out now!   With our hearts firmly in the land of reggae we’ve offered up 5 songs that are great to smoke a spliff to (in states and territories it’s legal to do so).”

Legalise it – Peter Tosh.  So this one is the obvious selection.  I mean, c’mon, it’s the ultimate fkn anthem for weed. But it’s a great song in it’s own right.  It just happens to have an important message! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABc8ciT5QLs

Marihuana – Turbulence.  Gimme a break. As if there’s a better way to start your day than to chug some coffee, smoke a spliff, and do the robot in your skivvies to this jam full blast. If you don’t feel superior to your flat mates by the time it’s done, you didn’t have the bass turned up enough. Fix that and repeat steps 1-3. Foolproof.  

Kaya – Bob Marley and the Wailers.  Included for sentimental reasons. You’re 16.  Your friend passes you a joint. You inhale (unless you’re Bill Clinton).  You melt back into the couch and someone puts on Kaya. Once you get over the initial shock and paranoia from wondering who whispered “WAKE UP AND…” really loudly, you settle into the groove and it’s lights out.

Police in Helicopter – John Holt.  Great track. Not your typical laid back stoner song, more a resistance anthem.  Deserves a spot in the 5 though. 

Mile High Dub – Lotek.  Nish says: You’ve just finished up a crazy weekend away in Byron at harvest time. You wake up exactly 1 hour before your flight home, so you’re brain is working at 200% capacity to move your body. You have one little nug of bush left, which just seems such a shame to throw away for no good reason, so you pop it in your vaporizer and blaze it in the plane bathroom. Brah I’m telling you Ballina airport never has any dogs ay, my mate Stuzzy said so. 

TOUR DATES

Sunday 1 July – Steyne Hotel, Manly

Saturday 14 July – Spring St Social, Bondi

Tuesday 17 July – Duo Smiggins Hotel, Smiggins

Wednesday 18 July – Smiggins Hotel, Smiggins

Saturday 21 July – Jax Bar, Perisher Resort

Saturday 21 July – Station Resort, Jindabyne

Sunday 22 July – Blue Cow Deck, Perisher Resort

Saturday 28 July – Federal, Toowoomba

Friday 10 August – Venue 505, Sydney

Sunday 26 August – Liverpool Street FESTIVAL

Sunday 26 August -Steyne Hotel, Manly

Friday 14 September – Nimbin Roots FESTIVAL

Friday 14 September – SOL Bar, Maroochydoore

Saturday 15 September – Royal Mail Hotel, Goodna

Sunday 16 September – Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour

Alex Arpino has had a rich history in Perth music, with a decade fronting indie pop purveyors The Autumn Isles behind him, he now sets out on a solo escapade with his debut self-tilted record. Alex Arpino is the sum total of his musical experience to date, a love letter to his youth and a bold introduction to his artistry.    We asked Alex what his Top Five Childhood experiences were, growing up in Perth

Top 5 Perth Places/Experiences from my childhood with Alex Arpino

1. Pizza Showtime– I think I was 4 or 5 when my Dad took me there, the memory is vague and the place didn’t last long, so much so I thought it was a dream up until I found some evidence of it online a few years ago. It was basically a pizza place in the CBD with table top arcade machines built into the booths, with robotic animals singing songs from a big stage that looked like the intro to the Muppets! Enough said!!

2. Perth Entertainment Centre: This is an obvious choice but boy did it mesmerize me as a kid. My school mates father was a manager there so we got to hang out and go to concerts and basketball games. My first concert experience was Johnny Diesel and the Injectors, they were quite big at the time, it was in 89 I believe. The list of bands that went through that place over its life time is incredible.

3. Michael Jackson’s appearance on Telethon: 1985, Michael Jackson appeared on Telethon! The story is it was wrangled during negotiations to buy the Beatles catalogue from Robert Holmes à Court, who owned channel 7 at the time. I believe there were contractual requirements that shrouded the whole thing in secrecy outside of Perth, so it was a Perth secret for years, or so I’m told.

4. Atlantis: It may be hard to believe but Perth once had its own Sea World equivalent, Atlantis, with distressed marine mammals in captivity to boot. Situated about an hour and a half north of Perth, it was a popular destination for families. Not that I would condone such exploitation today but it was a pretty amazing place as a kid. There was a giant Neptune statue that is still standing today, it’s been used by countless bands for photo shoots, myself included! Atlantis met it’s demise in 1990.

5. Cinema City: Perth CBD was always enchanting to me as a kid, but a stand out was Cinema City, the biggest cinema complex in town. It was a regular destination to watch all that late 80’s -90’s cinema had to offer. It was also a regular haunt for local graffiti writers/b-boys/girls to hang out, so it was a great place to people watch and meet some of the local hip hop celebs. Cinema City was demolished in 2007.

Honourable mention: Observation City: The only place on my list that still exists, now called Rendezvous, (one of the last monuments from the Alan Bond empire) the only high rise hotel on the coast at Scarborough Beach in 87. As a kid it was a pretty impressive place, and the cherry on the top was literally that, a restaurant that specialised in Ice Cream Sundaes, with names like Sticky Chewy Chocolate, Earthquaker, and bubble gum flavored ice cream (with actual gum balls in it), Swensen’s was a serious place as a kid. I’ve seen the chain of restaurants on my travels overseas but sadly it is no longer in Perth.

Check out Alex’s music here:

Melbourne rockers Zenith Moon have today announced their ripping debut single Inhibition, an inspiring track about overcoming a negative experience and coming out the other side a stronger person, out now. The group have also dropped a clever clip to accompany the track, showcasing the fun, high-energy nature of a Zenith Moon performance.

We caught up with the guys to ask them TOP 5 MOMENTS WHEN INHIBITION RUINED THE DAY and here is what they said..

When Mum buys you an ugly item of clothing and you’re forced to wear it all day to not hurt her feelings.

‘Th-thanks Mum…’ You say as you confront the reality of not going outside once for the next week to stave off the questions like ‘Why aren’t you wearing that new thing I got you?’

2. When you have to fart during an important business meeting.

Maintain eye contact, make sure you don’t tense too hard, don’t stop talking otherwise they’ll know somethings up. You can’t handle that pressure as well – just play it cool.

3. When you’re at a friend’s house and they only buy one pizza to feed 5 people.

This is when you’re counting every. Single. Slice. But you’re torn between ravenous hunger and having your friends not resenting you for the rest of the night because you had three slices instead of two.

4. When you want to bang on ‘Inhibition’ by Zenith Moon as loud as you can but your friends aren’t into rock.

Sometimes you have to risk it to get the biscuit, they’ll come around anyway.

5. When you’re not paying attention and you snap back in to someone saying ‘…do you know what I mean?’

This is when you strap yourself in, and commit wholeheartedly to saying ‘yes’ with unbroken eye contact, all the while crossing your fingers and hoping they don’t ask you ‘well then what did I say?’ And if they do… well we’ll get back to you on that one.

THU 28 JUN | THE GRACE DARLING, MELBOURNE VIC | 18+

Tickets available from www.eventbrite.com.au