After releasing a pair of standout singles in 2018, Sydney-based indie-pop duo MONATOMIC have just released their first track of the year in ‘They’re Playing My Song’ – produced and recorded by the band themselves at their home studio.

‘They’re Playing My Song’ is an infectious and energetic indie-electro cut, bursting with a relentless and magnetising urgency. Driven by its walls of synth, fuzz-laden bass and steadfast beats, the song is made complete by the charismatic vocals of enigmatic front man Steffan Lazar.

So we decided to go for a bit of opulence and excess… It is called a dream rider for a reason!

1. Berg Water (water from a Canadian Iceberg) – Ok first things first, we need to be adequately hydrated. We are fancy water enthusiasts. But during our recent trip LA we took this passion for hydration to the next level. We went into one of LA’s most exclusive grocers (Erewhon) and purchased the most expensive bottled water on sale. All the shop assistants gathered around in awe as we seemed to be one of the first people to actually spend 25$ USD on this super deluxe 750ml glass bottle of water. We had enough for just two cups, one for both of us. We probably wouldn’t buy it again unless it was paid for by someone else. It tasted like snow.

2. Mountains of Nutella – for Tarran the Nutella addict. I think this one is self-explanatory.

3. Acupuncturist – Terrifying at first, but then you slowly get addicted to the sensation. If you believe the health benefits are true – it’s worth it. Would be epic to have a master acupuncturist on call!

4. If you can’t already tell, one of the band members (Steffan) is vegan. So copious amounts of vegan cheese in the form of fermented cashews (Byron Bay’s Peace Love and Veggies brand) is on the list because it tastes like and has the consistency of feta!

5. For the non-vegan in the band – Wagyu beef sushi, miso soup, and salmon sashimi are on order.

6. Iggy’s Sourdough bread – This is the BEST bread is Sydney. Need unlimited amounts of this too.

7. Our favorite alcoholic beverage happens to be the humble Margarita. So high quality margaritas made with super fancy tequila – and bowls of unlimited guac would be ideal.

8. Mark and Vinny’s chili oil – This is not just any type of chili oil, this is the best chili/paste oil ever. It tastes amazing and a jar of it will set you back $15.

9. Oh and a massage therapist would be good.

 

Prior to launching LOS LEO as a solo project, Tom Montesi performed with his band supporting the likes of San Cisco, Matt Corby and DMA’s, with his music racking up over 2.5 million streams online.

‘False Start’ is a spirited track is brimming with infectiously singable melodies and finger-clicking grooves reminiscent of HAIM and St. Vincent, with lyrics that take a sunny outlook on past heartbreak, expressing optimism for new beginnings and lessons learnt.

My Dream Rider by LOS LEO

The Lane Shiraz + 78 Degrees Gin

Growing up in Adelaide you’re pretty spoilt with incredible wine and alcohol. I had an insane bottle of shiraz from The Lane a few weeks back that would definitely be on the list. I’ve also been enjoying 78 Degrees Gin recently, so a bottle of that wouldn’t go to waste either.

Blue Mountains Sandwiches

I recently spent time in a studio in the Blue Mountains, and every day we would go and have lunch at this sandwich bar. I can’t remember the name of the shop but I’ve been thinking about those sandwiches a lot recently.

Basketball Ring

I once read that City & Colour toured with a basketball ring and they would set it up everywhere they stopped to play a show. That would bring something fun and different to being on the road.

Exchange Specialty Coffee

Some batch brew coffee. Coffee is love; coffee is life.

Seinfeld

I can’t function without Seinfeld in my life. There would definitely have to be a crazy entertainment system playing Seinfeld all night.

Masseuse

A masseuse to loosen me up before or after the show would be amazing. Also, a bed for power naps.

 

John Mayer, Rod Laver Arena
Melbourne

Its been a while since John Mayer has toured Australian shores, so not having a support act to open is a pretty gutsy move for the Connecticut native. Splitting the show into two halves,

Mayer has packed out the arena full to the brim; excited fans jubilantly screaming their love for him

With a large tie dye backdrop the only stage prop the singer opens with Queen of California’ flowing nicely into  single ‘I Guess I Just Feel Like’ with relative ease and professionalism. 

As Mayer describes it, playing one of his shows is like having a plate of chocolate, with some of your faves and then the weird jelly chocolates that you sorta like. Its a pretty apt description as he moves through the hits and the not so well known songs, showcasing an array from his catalogue

Where Mayer really shines though is during the guitar solos. Its here that he truly shines and the pure joy of playing an instrument he is so comfortable with shows so clearly on his face. You have to appreciate an artist that can change guitars without missing a beat, his guitar techs almost an extension of himself. Whilst the solos are captivating its the sweet little licks thrown in-between lyrics that are also worth a mention. This is guitar playing at its absolute best and Mayer, like a trained athlete is a delight to experience. 

The guitar duo of David Ryan Harris and Isaiah Sharkey perfectly compliment Mayer’s playing, filling in the notes where needed, adding the rhythm section for a balanced sound.  

Sharkey shines during the bridge of ‘Waiting On The World To Change’ his solo during the bridge highlighting his technique and ability. 

After a brief intermission Mayer gives the band a brief break whilst he takes on a few acoustic numbers solo. Covering Springsteen’s classic “ I’m on Fire” followed by “ Daughters”. Its during “ Daughters” that Mayer leading into “ Neon” which segways halfway through with a snippet of “Tom’s Diner” the Suzanne Vega hit. Its during “ Neon” where Mayer really lets loose on the acoustic, leaving jaws dropped and the audience awed. His technique is nothing short of pure genius and Mayer is a splendour to watch. 

The full band returns and its straight back to business, Mayer relaxing into his playing more and using the time to tell a few stories. He describes what its like to have an obsession when you have a talent “ Like being told you have to remember a phone number but you can’t write it down” and he’s pretty spot on. 

He does get a little excited when introducing “ New Light” a recent track he describes as having that “ new car smell” which gives him an excuse to “ dance like a schmuck” and dance like a schmuck he does, much to the delight of the audience. 

As the band leave the stage, they are welcomed back for the encore to a spontaneous lighting of phone torches and the arena is turned into a sea of small lights creating a magical atmosphere. Its  the perfect way to end what has been an incredible evening of music.

Words by Amanda Lee Starkey  

Sydney’s instrumental math-rock band SEIMS have released their EP ‘3.1’, a follow-up to 2017’s math-rock masterpiece ‘3’. The album follows on from the concept album ‘ 3’ and continues to explore light and color – themes where the band use music as a way to express various relationships with light and colour.

Where the previous musical offering 3 was a soundscape of experimental sounds, 3.1 is more of a sonic journey of a different kind.  It begins with ‘ Absolute Black’ coming through with some heaviness on the horn section building to a crescendo of solid guitar that transports the listener through time and space.  It weaves in and out for the almost six minuets of experimental sound that is intriguing and  thought provoking. Towards the end of the track it lifts to a high place, taking you on an almost roller coaster of sound before fading out to finish perfectly.

The array of different styles certainly is interesting to listen to and as the album progresses each track is slightly different, so as second track Translucence opens to a fade in, there is no feeling that each piece of music is the same as the last.  At times Translucence is a peaceful track, before knocking on your ears to remind you that this is a pure sonic delight.

There is a lot going on in this multi layered musical offering, at times it is slow and floating and thoughtful; at other times its a veritable wall of sound. A lot of technique and mastery has gone into the making of this music and its apparent as it winds throughout the album. The music is both unique, intriguing and breathtaking.

Finishing up with ‘Clarity’ the album is closed out with more of a prog infused styling that quickly transforms into a sensory delight. The sensational track weaves and winds through much like the rest of the album transforming to emerge from a chrysalis of prog music into piano laden beauty, ending up with a beautiful fade out that is a pure wall of sound.

The pieces of music on offer from SEIMS are like nothing else that you will listen to, and is a piece that will take the listener on a journey of auditory delight. Its beauty lies in the ability to transform the music throughout each piece so that where it begins is not where it ends and it is a display of music mastery.

3.1 is SEIMS’ fourth musical installment and was recorded and mixed by Tim Carr (Matt Corby, We Lost The Sea) at One Flight Up Studios and at Harry’s Sunbeam and mastered by Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering (Battles, Lightning Bolt, City & Color)

 

Bluesfest today announced the cancellation of paid parking at the 2019 festival, advising that paid parking will now be introduced for the 2020 festival.

All 2019 ticketholders will be refunded by 12 April 2019. Bluesfest apologised for any confusion caused and inconvenience it may have caused ticket purchasers.

Although Bluesfest had full approval from Byron Shire Council, the NSW Police and the Roads & Maritime Services to include paid parking in the 2019 festival, Bluesfest has today decided to implement the introduction of this initiative when tickets go on sale for the 2020 festival.

Paid parking is being introduced due to increased costs in multiple areas of the live music business including artist fees, production, logistics, grounds maintenance and security. As the last major live music event within the region to introduce a parking fee, Bluesfest understands that it imposes a further cost for patrons, however as a business, the company needs to ensure the future of the festival.

Bluesfest encourages patrons travelling to the festival to consider the environment when making the trip to Byron Bay, and to car pool or use public transport where possible. Bluesfest is also asking patrons to bring re-usable water bottles to the site to eliminate plastic usage at the festival.

 

The Bluesfest 2019 line-up so far:

 

Jack Johnson – Iggy Pop – Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals – Paul Kelly

The Saboteurs (Jack White, Brendan Benson, Patrick Keeler, Jack Lawrence)

Tash Sultana – Hozier – David Gray – Ray La Montagne

Norah Jones – Julia Stone- Kasey Chambers

Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul

George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic – Mavis Staples

Gary Clark Jr. – Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

Imelda May – Tommy Emmanuel – Snarky Puppy 

Meshell Ndegeocello – Colin Hay

Kurt Vile and the Violators – Ocean Alley – Keb’ Mo’ – SIX60

Allen Stone – St. Paul and The Broken Bones 

Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real

Baker Boy – Melbourne Ska Orchestra – Archie Roach

Playing for Change – Shakey Graves – Arlo Guthrie

Nahko and Medicine for the People – Tex Perkins

I’m With Her – Ruthie Foster – Richard Clapton

Russell Morris – Flogging Molly – Backsliders

The Marcus King Band – Fantastic Negrito – Samantha Fish

The War and Treaty – Deva Mahal – Larkin Poe

The Black Sorrows – Vintage Trouble – Pierce Brothers

Mojo Juju – Trevor Hall – Irish Mythen – Anderson East

Melody Angel – Clarence Bekker Band – Ward Thomas

Hussy Hicks – Thando – The California Honeydrops

Elephant Sessions – Caiti Baker – Little Georgia

Miss Velvet and the Blue Wolf – Mama Mihirangi & the Mareikura

Mission Songs Project – Benny Walker – Dallas Woods – Lucy Gallant

Amaru Tribe – Dobby – Brotherhood of the Blues

Tenzin Choegyal – Sametime – Nocturnal Syndrome

Local area high school showcase

The Bluesfest Busking Competition Winners

RockWiz Live

 

Full Boomerang Festival (First Nations Festival within Bluesfest) 2019 line-up:

Baker Boy

Archie Roach

Yothu Yindi & The Treaty Project

Mojo Juju – Benny Walker

Dallas Woods – DOBBY

Mission Songs

Brotherhood Of The Blues

Malu Kiai Mura Buai

Rako – Tenzin Choegyal

Muggera

Te Kopere Maori Healers

Jugun Dandi Weavers

Saltwater Dubay

 

The 2019 playing schedule is available on bluesfest.com.au

 

Set on a hill in rural farmland The Hills are Alive is arguably one of the best  gatherings on the summer music festival line up . A combination of  beautiful weather, great vibing people and a stellar line-up including some hilarious comedians. Such a great vibe. Amazing people. Incredible sunset. Awesome music. Lots of glitter.  Its a weekend you won’t want to forget.

Ahead of this years festival, we are hitting up bands to find out what goods they’d like to have on their Dream Rider.

 

Garage-punk outfit Press Club have quickly garnered themselves a reputation as one of the country’s hardest gigging bands having racked up over 80 gigs in 2018, their set at Hills Are Alive will be the last for Victorian audiences before the band head off on the big jet plane of the sky for their first international tour, 5 weeks through Europe. 

 

My Dream Rider by Press Club

Press Club’s dream rider simply includes all the luxuries we miss while on the road, away from home. I don’t think we’d ever send this out to any festivals on the off chance they think we’re serious and give us the boot.

 

Alcohol:

Let get straight to it, we’re gonna need a lot of booze. We don’t always drink it all, but just having it  in the green room makes us happy. There’s nothing more effective than an empty esky in bringing down our collective vibe. A generous supply of beers, wine, spirits and mixers is preferred but honestly we’ll drink anything.

 

Food:

Despite the amount of alcohol we demand, we actually consider ourselves to be quite healthy. No chips or lollies in our catering room thank you, we’ll have something slightly fresher.

Fish would be nice, sashimi if you have it, if not we’ll make do with a whole cooked salmon or similar. For entree we’ll have oysters, prepared any way. We’re not big sweets people so we’ll be very happy with a large platter of local fruits and cheeses for dessert.

Adequate coffee and tea making facilities are of supreme importance.

 

Dress room:

We will need to have a few services attached to our dress room in order for the show to run as smoothly as possible.

First of all we require a personal trainer to be on site no less than 3 hours before the show in case we feel like doing something active before we play. To be honest we may never call upon them, but just having asked for it makes us feel better about ourselves.

We’ll also need to have a hair and makeup team to give us a touch up right before we go on. We actually scrub up pretty well on good days, but those days seem to come few and far between on tour.

 

 

The Hills Are Alive is a 3-day, 2-night boutique music and camping festival for good-vibing, music-loving folk. It takes place in the beautifully picturesque rolling Hills of South Gippsland near Loch Village, 90mins from Melbourne, 25mins from Inverloch, 35mins from Phillip Island. Good times with great people in a stunning location.
This year will be the eleventh incarnation of THAA. Legs eleven, we’re going to heaven.
All past ten Hills Are Alive festivals have sold out well before the event and there’s a pretty darn good chance this one will to, so get in early to secure your spot.
Tickets this year will be $219 + booking fee (cheaper if you grab an early bird ticket or know The Farmer’s Secret Password) and include free camping, BYO alcohol, four licensed bars, over 30 amazing bands and performers, field games, street cart food, chill out areas, late night DJ’s, Mr Mooyagi’s Cowraoke, Dr. Pong, the Tiny Dancer, The Mystery Bus, art installations, morning yoga, good people and much more.

After wrapping up a stacked 2018, Sydney-based indie-electronic producer Billy Fox returns with his latest single offering, ‘Let’s Be Honest’, off his forthcoming EP ‘LUNG’ (due out early May).

Mixed by Chris Collins (Gang of Youths, Middle Kids, Ruby Fields) and mastered by Steve Smart (Vance Joy, Tash Sultana, Dean Lewis), ‘Let’s Be Honest’ combines sultry RNB grooves and slick brass with Billy’s emotive, crooning melodies to create a deliciously slinky mix that doesn’t skimp on the feels.

At this point, My Dream Rider might be a bit out of the budget, but if anyone wants to chip in, holla!

1. Sports physio/chiropractor for the pre/post show massage, back-crack and straighten to cure what ails us.

2. Sensory Deprivation pod, to clear my head.

3. Selection of beverages, including but not limited to: 1 x bottle of Jameson Whiskey, 2 x cases of ale (150 Lashes), fennel tea (organic, of course), Manuka Honey, boiled water supply, juices and herbal remedies.

4. 3x King beds with fresh linen

5. Netflix

6. A complete working replica of our live set-up.

7. Sushi Train.

8. Barista.

9. Bathroom complete with all mod cons.

10. Fresh towels.

11. 1 x solution for world peace and environmental solutions.

12. Fresh air.

BILLY FOX
LUNG EP TOUR
THU 25 APR | BAR OPEN, MELBOURNE VIC
FRI 3 MAY | THE VANGUARD, NEWTOWN NSW

 

 

Pulsating rhythm and production meet strong vocal melodies; a stirring debut single, ‘Stormy Weather’ is the perfect introduction to exciting new duo, FORCES & FURY. As the new project of Astrid Holz and Kat Ayala of Rackett fame, Forces & Fury is the culmination of a shared desire to explore the textured sonic soundscape of alternative electronica and rock music.

MY DREAM RIDER BY FORCES & FURY

The duo’s talent and musicianship has been proven through years of touring and shaking up of live venues around the country with Rackett, a band that has prided itself of producing unabashed raw music with weight behind it. Multiple sold out shows, impressive performances alongside massive acts including The Darkness, as well as praise across music publications and national community radio alike has provided Kat and Astrid with even more determination and vigour when it comes to the formation of their new collaborative project.