Another year, another Darwin Festival. And the festival’s line up is looking bigger and better than last year’s frankly awesome line up. We managed not only to get a sneak preview on the festival’s program, we also managed to get an interview with Joe Duffy, the artistic director of the festival. There is also a snippet of what to expect from the festival as well, which we have put together into a short clip so you can see what Joe Duffy has to say and the interesting performance.

So what about the line up itself? Well, there are sorts of things, from the comedic genius of former ROVE Corinne Grant to the famous names of music like John Butler Trio and The Cat Empire, just to name a few. There are 75 events, 47 of them involve artists from around here! Similar to last year, there are plenty of free events, like Dancing in the sand, and the famous Teddy’s Bear picnic makes a return. There are dancers from all over the world as well as people from local areas. And aimed squarely at the youth of Darwin, events such as Silent Disco, Hip Hop battle and an all new event, En Route, based around mobile phones and IPods. All this will happen between 12th and the 29th August in Festival Park, otherwise known as Civic park, with the lighthouse, in the amphitheatre and other places. Tickets are to be sold online, and from box offices in DEC, Festival park and other places, so look out for places that sell tickets.

So watch, Grinders, and see you at the festival! And check out their website

And has found its way into Brownsmart. To every single person who enjoys listening to quality music by Darwin artists, this is big news.

The Happy Yess has been one of the few not for profit venues dedicated to the music scene.  Karaoke, choreographed gigs and everything in between have been hosted at the old venue – a grungy, dilapadated structure. The way everything was held together by a combination of ingenuity, improvisation and bits of old twine and duct tape will be sorely missed by many.

But that is in the past! The future for Happy Yess is its new home, Brownsmart. Brownsmart theatre, one of the oldest buildings in Darwin, has survived cyclones, bombing, looting and even temporary use as a brothel! It has been the site for many an event, from renowned plays to Darwin City Council’s very own BIG GIG. And now, Happy Yess has been given permission to move in.

The crew, led by the venerable Kris Keogh, consists of a variety of musicians, local tradespeople and locals willing to lend a hand, as well as the somewhat useless author of this article. Over the course of a few weeks, the new space has been painted and fitted by the crew, and the old Yess has been pulled apart. Now, as the move heads towards completion, there is plenty to like about what has been accomplished thus far.

The whole area has been painted in Yess colours. A whole new, carperted, stage has been constructed, almost entirely out of milk crates! The entrance booth has been crafted from former workstations out of an office. The bar itself has been sculpted anew from pine and ply, with the workmanship of Darwin’s best. And the seating, with a nod towards the ancient couches, has been renewed with bus seats, milk crate couches and a whole new arrangement for the booths.

So with much ado, next time you hear about a gig or similar local music event to be held at Happy Yess, head on over and see for yourself the wonderful new venue while enjoying the beats of local Darwin music.

BASSINTHEGRASS, this SATURDAY from 11am at Gardens Amphitheatre

BASSINTHEGRASS is back again in 2010.

This year’s line up boasts awesome Darwin bands like Sweet Amber, DJ Fish, Semishgure, Leigh Chisholm, the winner of the battle of the school bands Sleeve Heads.  Big name acts like Silverchair, Empire Of The Sun, Hilltop Hoods, Shortstack, Jessica Mauboy, Children Collide, Horrorshow and Redcoats are also playing.  I think the line up isn’t as good as it could be this year; they could have chosen a band other than Hilltop Hoods because they have played so many times at BASS.

There has been lots of controversy on facebook about Shortstack playing BASS this year.  Groups like “don’t bring Shortstack to BASSINTHEGRASS” and “If Shortstack come to BASSINTHEGRASS we’ll bottle them,” while amusing could pose problems in the Darwin music scene.  Although I think that this is funny, as a musician myself I would not like the idea of people throwing bottles at me while on stage.  This can also cause OH&S problems such as water on stage (a slipping hazard); also with so much electrical equipment on the stage someone will be at high risk of getting electrocuted.  Because of this there have been rumours going around that there will not be any bottled water this year, these accusations are false.  There will, as always, be free bottled water but you are not aloud to bring bottles inside with you.  The producers of the show have also threatened, in years past, to shut down the festival.  This would be very bad, because that means no more really good music festivals in Darwin (other than The BIG GIG of course).  Please if you don’t want to listen to any band playing then you can bring an iPod OR if you’re over 18 then you can leave and come back after they finish their set.

There’s an encouraging amount of new music on the bill this year and I’m really excited about Melbourne band Redcoats.  They were picked up on Triple J Unearthed last year and have had a growing fan base ever since.  I was lucky enough to have a chat with their singer Emilio Mercuri last week and now I’m even more excited about what they will bring to the concert.

GRIND: “Hey Emilio, how are you mate?”
“Yeah, good mate.”
GRIND: “You’re playing at bass in the grass next Saturday, how are you guys looking forward to that?”
“Ah, mate we’re very excited about it, we’re just tailoring the set to hopefully bring something different to the day. Looking forward to seeing Darwin and playing to a lot of new people.”
GRIND: “Sounds great, I can’t wait to see you play, I’ve heard some of your music on Triple J Unearthed and it’s great.”
“You enjoyed it?”
GRIND: “Yeah it was… different”
“Yeah well, you know that’s the thing, that’s what we’re hopefully going to add to the bill, there’s a bit of diversity.  Yeah, like I said, we are really looking forward to it”
GRIND: “You released your first EP in September last year, how’d that go for you?”
“Mate it’s done really well for us, it’s really circulated quite significantly through the industry, and it’s helping to set us up quite well to do our album.  So it’s really established a good working team for us anyhow.”
GRIND: “You got you new guitarist in February last and you hit the road straight after that, how’d that go?”
“Yeah, no it went really well.  He came from a band called “The Escape Committee” and was playing quite significantly across town for a number of years, and as soon as he came in it was just kind of the fourth part of the square and it all just started moving a lot quicker and really working well and still to this day it’s still working.”
GRIND: “You are releasing your new LP do you know when it might creep out?”
“Well we’re writing our debut LP which is a full length album, and we’re hoping to record towards the end of this year, so right now we’re just in the writing process and it’s really shaping up well so you should be able to see it the start of next year.”
GRIND: “That’s honestly great and I’m differently going to buy your EP if I can find it.”
“Yeah, fantastic man! We’ll show you a few of the new ones on Saturday.”
GRIND: “Sweet, I’ll see you then man, have a good one”
“You too man take care,”

You should go, the gig will be fun and no doubt the bands will put on a great show.

Check out the BASSINTHEGRASS website HERE

In comparison to the band’s previous records, Alex Turner’s vocals are different on Humbug, lower, more restrained. His more mature tones suit the feel of Humbug, and rely more on melody than lyrics. The highlights of the album are the lead single ‘Crying Lightening,’ the slower ‘Secret Door’ and ‘Pretty Visitors.’ The new direction is a pleasant surprise for fans of the Arctic Monkeys, and is bound to pick up some new fans along the way.

The BIG GIG – Saturday 17 April

Brown’s Mart doors open 3pm – FREE ENTRY

New band, Black Market Rhythm Co.  are coming up for Darwin Youth week. They have a nice bluesy feel, with a heavy bass line and captivating guitar riffs.

Black Market Rhythm Co. do their best to get the crowd involved with their music and to keep everyone up beat with their funky Ozzy songs and lively feel. The fact that they’re coming up to Darwin to play at our youth festival is awesome. The up-and-coming band is just what the Darwin youth need because of their upbeat tunes on life. Even though they’re stuck behind microphones their stage presence is just as charismatic as their music. From watching their YouTube videos of live performances you can tell that the band love their songs and the crowd does as well. One of my particular favourites is “loving life”, an acoustic masterpiece with haunting vocals.

Their beats and bass are much like The Neo; with bluesy vocals and a deep feeling of emotion in the lead singer’s voice. They also have a great sense of humour; I watched one of their videos on what appears to be a tour on YouTube, they seem to have a great time on and off the bus.

You can feel the emotion and energy that they put into writing their music and they do it in a way that many modern bands can’t.

visit their website at www.blackmarketrhythmco.com

they also have an awesome facebook page with heaps of Live Photos!

Why it’s the best and worst thing you will ever let into your life.

You’ve heard about it, you’ve seen it on your mate’s computer. A little button at the top of their screen that simply says ‘Stumble!’. The StumbleUpon toolbar is a mysterious and powerful tool, whose mystery is only exceeded by its power.

Be aware, for you have been warned. If you have the StumbleUpon toolbar on your computer, two things are likely to happen. One, you will discover total radical and awesome sites that will blow you away. Two, you will never sleep again. I’m telling you, it’s addictive.

“Just one more Stumble,” you say to yourself over and over and over, as the clock hands drift. Then you look and it’s three in the morning, and you haven’t moved in six or seven hours. “Oh no! I’ve got school/work tomorrow!” you think, “I’ll just have one more…”

So it goes, on and on. Yet, I have no regrets about Stumble. Since I signed up for a (free) account, I have seen areas of the internet that I would never have found. I have learned random and useless facts. I have seen amazing photos of events I would never have known about. The concept is so easy! All you do is go to www.stumbleupon.com, and sign up for an account. You tick a heap of boxes so Stumble (in all its mystery and power) knows which sites to drop you at, and then you put your like it, or  you don’t. After that it’s even easier. You can write a review of the site, you can friend and connect to people who like the same stuff you do, or you can sit for hours in front of your computer like a mindless drone… Or if you’re looking for a more positive spin, a sponge eager for information. So in a nutshell, Stumble is like channel surfing on the internet.

I know you want to know more, so go and check it out. And remember, Stumbling is less awkward on the internet.

Good work Bone Collectors: 4.75/5

GrassRoots Music Exchange

Every month GRIND receives a bunch of CD’s from local musicians, some new and some from their treasured back catalogue.  GRIND wants to spread the love and promote local music.  So if you like music and you love it local then email us and we’ll put you on the register, and we’ll send you some local original music free whenever new stuff comes in – that’s right FREE.

I replayed this CD a number of times before coming to a conclusion and each time I found something new and interesting either in the sounds or in the lyrics. This is an album that you will want to come back to and play over and over again. Each song tessellates into the next track almost seamlessly yet doesn’t make the CD sound like one huge “mega track”. Like the last release from Karnivool “Themata”, there are some tracks that will stand out from the rest of the album and undoubtedly become radio favourites while other tracks will be best appreciated with the rest of album. “Set fire to the hive” springs to mind as one that separate’s itself from the group and I imagine that before too long, we might be hearing this track on a hottest 100 compilation.

If you are already a fan of Karnivool, then you don’t need any encouragement to listen to this album. Likewise if you’re into anything “heavy” that’s been written in the last few years I urge to at least give this album a quick listen. You won’t regret it.

Augie March was formed back in 1996 in Victoria, when we were all still little kids playing out in our sandpits and chasing insects, oblivious to any form of music.  The band was put together by Glenn Richards (Vocals and Rhythm guitar), Adam Donovan (Lead Guitar), Edmondo Ammendola (Bass), David Williams (Drummer) with Kiernan Box (Keyboardist) replacing Rob Dawson who died in 2001.

I interviewed Mr. Edmondo Ammendola.

Hey dude!

So with several time changes for the interview, it was kick started with a phone call from Ben from Sony BMG (which I was totally crazy about and have saved the number as I feel very important that I received a call from them).  I was working that day and was given the thumbs up about hiding outback and taking the interview there. I switched on the MacBook ready to record and the interview was underway. I greeted Edmondo very casually with a ‘Hey dude’, and asked how he went.  It was like meeting any other person the street, but was it? No, I was talking to a musician from a well-known band!  I asked Edmondo where he was and he replied that he was in a rehearsal room in South Richmond, 2km’s southeast of Melbourne’s central business district.  After a couple milliseconds of awkward silence, the interview went on (obviously not a very strong phone connection).

Have you been to Darwin before?

Not knowing if Augie March had played in Darwin before, I asked if they had come up before “yes, the year before last, we played at a festival”. But he could not remember what it was called.  I went on, inquiring about any general influences that helped build their musical career, “everyone in the band has always wanted to play music, and sometimes you underestimate what that means” he says. “I’m just a massive music love, and everyone else in the band is as well”.  But Edmondo goes on saying if he was asked if he would be doing music in 13 years time, he would say “No, I’d be a meteorologist”.

Any dirty band secrets?

You heard it right here kiddos; a musician to a meteorologist! “That or an explorer” he continues. “I’ve been an explorer and adventurer since I was 18. Basically on my bicycle, discovering new suburbs and new towns.”  Which is definitely a significant contrast to music making “but I love going between the two, music and exploring that is”.  I followed on with asking if there were any major fallouts during tour.  He repeated the question as our phone connection was horrible, I mumbled a ‘mhm’, in agreement. “There’s probably one between every band member.  But it’s something that happens with all bands.  It’s just part of the territory really” which is a pretty safe answer for someone not to spill any dirty band secrets, which was my main intention!  Only to please the lovely readers of course.  I also asked if there is any band ritual prior going on stage. I listed a few examples such as praying, or drinking a ten litres of water. “Praying?” with a laugh. “No we pretty much just sit around and drink and usually ask, when are we going on? When are  we going on?  We’re always aiming to arrive at the venues a lot later. We hope get a spot where we just jump out of the van and go straight on stage”.  Then just when you thought there wasn’t going to be any dirty news, “because we hate each other so much, we don’t want to spend any more time together” with a hint of sarcasm.

What next?

Later this year, Augie March will be part of the Splendour In The Grass line up alongside Hilltop Hoods, Josh Pyke, Sarah Blasko and Little Birdy, who have all been to Darwin, as well as acts such as MGMT and Bloc Party. “Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it”.  At this point in the interview everything turned horrible as my lovely MacBook stopped recording.  I asked Edmondo about going to Crocosaurus Cove and chilling with the crocs.  He told me the crocs would probably be more scared of him.  He isn’t the type of person to be scared of anything, but he stopped and said “except horses”.  We ended the interview with a goodbye and an all the best, I hung up the phone and returned to the store and began my shift of selling clothes.

Definitely an experience to remember.

This month’s CD is from our good friends ‘The Aviators’ from their new EP ‘Here, There, Everywhere’. I found this album to be quite interesting because it hits me as a very Territory type of album and I can’t figure out why. The lead vocals lovingly given by GRIND’s own Shana Stringer weave through the listener and are a refreshing breath of air in the Territory scene, where most rock bands have male vocalists. The simple cord structures of the music complement Shana’s vocals extremely well for the shear fact that they both give the listener the feel that they can easily pick up the music and play it straight off the gun. As one would believe there is always the simplicity of the bass to complement the guitar. With a quick drum beat that keeps the listener from getting annoyed with everything being so simple and thinking that they aren’t good at what they do, the fact is quite the reverse, they are better then some bands that I have heard around Darwin, they love their music and put a lot of emotion into their music which gives them a extremely powerful feel to the music.

There was only one downer that I found about this CD; that’s the fact that it sounds like it was recorded in a bathroom.  This is not their fault it only highlights the need for a good recording studio in Darwin that is cheap and affordable.

4.5 stars for The Aviators for doing a good job on their CD.

Give them a listen and see what you think.