Industrial Strength: August 28

BIGSOUND #1: EXCLUSIVE BEER BY MOUNTAIN GOAT

BIGSOUND Brisbane has its own beer, crafted with Melbourne brewery Mountain Goat.

The BOB: Beer of BIGSOUND Hazy Pale Ale was brewed for the festival under its programmer Maggie Collins.

“In my years as an avid beer drinker, I thought I had a good grasp on my brewing knowledge,” Collins admits.

“That is, until I rolled up my sleeves and got in there to crack open a bag of malt, popped some hops in a kettle and watched the magic happen. Yeast is a beautiful thing.”

A malt bill of Pilsner and Wheat malts provide an easy-going backbeat to citrus and tropical fruit riffage courtesy of headliner hops Mandarina Bavaria and Calypso.

The light golden colour joins with the aroma of citrus and pineapple notes to create a full-strength quaffable favourite with a mild bitterness.

BIGSOUND #2: AMIN HOSTING SCIENCE OF CULTURE CHANGE SESSION

The Australian Music Industry Network (AMIN) is hosting a forum on the science of culture change at BIGSOUND on Thursday, September 6.

With the support of APRA AMCOS, it will be facilitated by Monash University’s Behaviourworks team, which has extensive experience in the research and delivery of change programs across multiple industries.

After the ending last year of Ministry of the Arts funding for its main professional development programs RELEASE and CONTROL, AMIN will focus on delivering initiatives to improve the capacity of music industry folks to instigate and embed the changes we all want to see to the social and commercial conditions under which they work.

The BIGSOUND session with Behaviourworks will reflect on current approaches to music industry change leadership, in the context of what research says about how change can be successfully implemented.

Monash University will then use data from the discussion to generate academic research about the change management issues currently facing the Australian music industry.

“We need a space in which all parties can come together in a genuine, non-judgmental discussion about the deeper issues at play and work out a way forward together,” said AMIN chair Joel Edmondson.

“This session will be a great opportunity for people who see themselves as change-makers in the Australian music industry to get the professional development they need to make the change they want to make,”

“AMIN is committed to providing these opportunities as a way of trying to work together to break the deadlock around some of the entrenched cultural challenges our industry has so far been unsuccessful in changing”.

AMIN is also working on a long-term plan to deliver leadership training to music industry professionals.

AUSTRALIAN MUSIC VAULT HITS 500,000 ATTENDANCE MARK

The Australian Music Vault, the interactive permanent exhibition of Australian music’s legacy which opened last December at Arts Centre Melbourne, has hit the 500,000 attendance mark.

The Vault made the announcement on its social media pages.

It has also proven to be a tourist attraction and one of music discovery.

Its latest two new exhibits are a dedication to the life of Peter Allen via the Production Company’s The Boy From Oz, and a personal memorabilia collection of Roger Knox to celebrate his induction this year into the National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA) hall of fame.

ROVE’S SATURDAY NIGHT DEBUTS WITH 297K

Rove McManus’ Bring Back Saturday Night made its debut on the weekend as part of Ten’s eight-strong pilot week.

Its national ratings were low, at 297,000 nationally 200,000 of the five capital cities, and lowest of the eight.

Yet it showed strong potential, adding freshness to the variety blueprint.

Highest rating of the eight was Sydney radio presenter Kyle Sandilands’ Trial By Kyle which marked his return to TV with a national 519,000 and 385,000 in the capital cities.

TASH SULTANA HEADS BACK OVERSEAS…

With her debut album Flow State due out on Friday, Tash Sultana is heading back overseas again early next week.

She’s doing 34 shows from September 6 with a five-date sold out run at Palladium Koln in Cologne, Germany.

The tour winds through Amsterdam, London, Paris, Zurich Milan, Canada, New York, Boston Nashville, Detroit, and winding up in LA on December 1.

14 of the 34 dates have sold out, and she pops back in between for Australian festival slots.

She then does an Australian/NZ run through January.

… SO DO GOON SAX …

Brisbane nervy pop champs The Goon Sax, whose second album We’re Not Talking hits the world on September 14, are heading off to their biggest international tour yet, taking in UK, Europe and the US from September through November.

This weekend they play Auckland, Sydney and Brisbane.

… AND OCEAN ALLEY

After a regional run, Ocean Alley return to headline in the UK and Europe, and then to North America for dates with Tash Sultana. All dates HERE.

The Northern Beaches six-piece just dropped a video for Happy Sad, shot by four cameras of their last outing through Australia and North America.

Videographer Tyler Bell of local collective The Sauce created the video out of eight rolls of film and ten hours of footage.

BASTILLE RESCHEDULES TO JANUARY

Frontier Touring was forced to reschedule Bastille’s shows to Friday, January 18 at The Forum in Melbourne and Saturday, January 19 at Sydney’s Big Top.

Nicole Millar appears at both shows.

Out old friend, Mr. Unforeseen Circumstances was blamed.

SLEEPMAKESWAVES BRINGS GUITARIST BACK FOR TOUR

Sydney outfit sleepmakeswaves are bringing back founding member Jonathan ‘Kid’ Khor on guitar for their a 10th anniversary round of shows in September and October to mark the 2008 release of their debut EP.

The band also dropped a video of their cover of To Live Is To Die, the instrumental track from Metallica’s …And Justice For All which was released to the day in August 1989.

MULLUM MENTORS

Mullum Music Festival unveiled the 2018 mentors of its youth mentorship program.

They are Husky (band category), Lior (singer-songwriter), Shelly Brown (vocal) and William Crichton (under 15).

Applications are open for its program at HERE.

ARTS SA PUTS JENNIFER LAYTHER IN INTERIM ROLE

In the wake of the axing last week of Peter Louca as executive director of Arts SA, its director of arts program, organisations and initiatives Jennifer Layther will “until further notice be responsible for operational functions.”

Layther is on leave until Tuesday, September 4, so director of cultural heritage and assets Hannah Schultz will undertake that role in her absence.

NEW DIRECTOR/CEO FOR NEXT WAVE

The Next Wave festival hired artist, writer and director  Roslyn Helper as director/CEO from its 2020 event.

She was most recently artistic director of Electrofringe and, before that, at Underbelly Arts.

UK VISA RULES CAUSE GRIEF FOR ARTS FESTIVALS

A number of British arts festivals are complaining that some of their acts – mostly from the Middle East and Africa – are being denied or delayed entry to Britain by visa requirements which are described as “lengthy, opaque and costly.”  

A number of them have written a collective letter in The Guardian asking prime minister Theresa May to be more flexible and cheaper.

One of the festivals, WOMAD, lost three acts in that way. Its founder Peter Gabriel commented Britain risked becoming “a white-breaded Brexited flatland… losing the will to welcome the world.”

Festivals are worried that the situation will worsen when Britain leaves the European Union in Mach 2019.

A curb on immigration was one reason for the Brexit vote, and PM May is adamant that unrestricted visits by EU citizens will be stopped.

NOW KEVIN PARKER EYES DAFT PUNK

With Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker finally able to tick off Smilin’ Kanye West’s name off “the person I’d like to most collaborate with”, his attention has turned to French duo Daft Punk.

“I hold them in absolutely legendary regard,” he said. “They’re so god-like to me, but I don’t even know what I’d do or how I’d do it with them.”

Parker has worked with Mark Ronson and SZA, has a credit on the new Travis Scott album Astroworld and Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner and Dua Lipa have said they want to work with him.

WANT TO SHOWCASE OR HOST A PARTY AT EMCPLAY?

Electronic Music Conference is calling on electronic artists who want to showcase and, promoters, collectives and labels wanting to host an EMCPLAY event to apply.

The showcases are held at the Lansdowne on Wednesday, November 14 and Thursday 15, with artist applications closing on September 5.

Events are held from Friday November 16 to Sun day 18 at a number of venues.

Click HERE.

FORMER SCREAMING JETS DRUMMER HOSTS TV SHOW

Former Screaming Jets drummer Craig Rosevear has turned TV host.

On the weekend he made his debut on his NBN Newcastle show Location….Lifestyle….Living.

As the name sums up, it’s a lifestyle show focussing on the city and the Hunter Valley, at houses, landmarks, energy-saving tips, gardening and tradie tips and showing off the region’s best spots.

Rosevear used Screaming Jets royalty cheques to buy and sell houses, going through ten of them already.

Co-host of the show (Saturdays, 12.30 pm) is renovation expert Naomi Findlay while NBN producer Kerryn Scully came up with the concept.

BMG SETTLES COX LEGAL STOUSH

BMG has won a multi-million dollar settlement with America’s third biggest ISP, Cox Communications, for copyright infringement.

The figure that made BMG accountants smile was not revealed. But in 2015 BMG won $33.5 million in damages and legal costs although that was appealed.

Cox has more headaches: Universal, Sony and Warner have this month jointly sued the ISP with a damages claim expected to be over $1 billion.

ELTON JOHN BIOPIC DELAYED

The Elton John biopic Rocketman has delayed its release, but only by two weeks. Paramount now has it out in the US on May 31… which puts it against Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Kingsman actor Taron Egerton who plays Svelte Elt is also doing the singing, and recorded his numbers at London’s Abbey Road Studios.

CANBERRA UNI OFFERS OPPS FOR LOCAL ACTS

University of Canberra’s live music manager Kelsey Bagust who took over the role this year, has doubled the amount of acts at its two on-campus venues UC Hub and UC Refrectory from last year.

It’s now initiated a new initiative where each big name from outside Canberra play will get two emerging Canberra shows to open at each show.

BTS SET NEW TWITTER RECORD

South Korean boy band BTS appear twice in the 2019 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.

They have the most Twitter engagements, with each tweet having an average of 330,624 retweets, replies, likes or other interactions.

The previous record was held by Harry Styles, with an average of 147,653.

Their second world record achievement is for most viewed music video online in 24 hours by a K-pop group: the song DNA got 21 million views in that time space.

#HopeOnTheStreet in malta 얼쑤~#URSOO #IDOL #IDOLCHALLENGE pic.twitter.com/E9xRRuwDi5

— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) August 27, 2018

MUSIC VICTORIA CALLS FOR BOARD DIRECTOR

Music Victoria is seeking expressions of interest in filling a vacant seat on its board.

Go to their website for full selection criteria. Any queries contact CEO Patrick Donovan on (03) 9686 3411.

PACES ALBUM MAKES HIGH CHART DEBUT

ZAG, the second album by Mikey Perry’s project Paces,debuted at #1 on the iTunes Electronic Albums Chart and top 10 on the overall iTunes Albums chart.

Issued through Etc, its collaborators include Australia’s Guy Sebastian, Midas.Gold, CLYPSO, Jeida Woods, NYNE and Doolie and, from the US, Gladiator, Caly Bevier, Emmalyn and Raven Felix.

Since the release of his On My Mind’ EP in 2014, Paces has amassed over 22 million Spotify streams across his catalogue.

One of the ZAG tracks, Savages with NYNE, has generated 8 million Spotify plays and been picked up for release by Republic in the US, home to Drake and The Weeknd.

MIKE NOCK BENEFIT

The August 29 benefit for jazz pianist Mike Nock at the Foundry 616 in Ultimo, Sydney, features names he played with – like  Barney McAll, Stu Hunter, Phil Slater and Gordon Rytmeister –  and those he taught.

Nock, 77, is recovering from being run over in July by a four-wheel-drive in Ashfield, leading to a six-week stay in hospital.

VALE

• Richard Pacholski was one of Australia’s foremost lighting designer and production. He started at the Adelaide Festival Centre and then moved to Sydney to join Cameron Mackintosh Australia and toured with its major musicals productions. He went freelance and became a global name.
• Respected East New Britain and Papua New Guinea performer Gideon Kakabin was signed to Australian collective Wantok Music. After completing a four-week residency at the Australian War Memorial, and set to go home, he suffered a heart attack and was admitted to a hospital in Canberra where he suffered another massive heart attack and passed away. The Papua New Guinea Association of Australia is collecting donations for his family.

AND A FEW OTHER THINGS …

Couples got engaged onstage at a Katy Perry show in Auckland and during Wolf Alice set at the Reading festival.

And as spring is upon us, Red FM WA’s breakfast team Alana McLean and Robbie Klitzing revealed yesterday that they’ve been a couple for the last nine months.

Still on the same theme – and boy, do we know we’re stretching it – Global Creatures is bringing Muriel’s Wedding The Musical to Melbourne for a brief season at Her Majesty’s Theatre from March 2019 before returning to Sydney in July at the Lyric Theatre.

Marshmello & Anne-Marie‘s Friends is certified Platinum in the US, although it never got into the US Top 10, peaking at #11.

Steve Tyler’s lawyer sent off a cease-and-desist letter to Prez Trump after he used the Aerosmith 1993 song Livin’ On The Edge at a campaign rally in West Virginia.

The Gold Coast Bulletin reported that a court was told that

the mother of Johann Ofner, the Gold Coast stuntman killed during a Bliss N Eso video shoot,  allegedly tried to claim money from a trust fund set up for the man’s daughter.

Melbourne rapper Ivan Ooze had to reschedule his Newcastle and Canberra to December after doctors banned him from travelling or performing. He was hospitalised after he started coughing up blood.

Bodyjar returns to Canberra after 13 years to headline Gingerfest, set up in memory of murdered punk identity Nicky Sofer-Schreiber, and held December 15 at the ANU.

The Money War’s latest single Hollywood is not about the US glamour city says writer and producer Dylan Ollivierre.“In the past year, Carmen (Pepper, singer) and I both had people close to us pass away. There’s a hospital in Perth called ‘Hollywood’ and I always pondered its ironic name. We were in LA when I got the news that a family member was passing away and the lyrics starting forming from there. We wanted the song to sound like a  movie and we took production cues from that idea.”

Adelaide outfit The Winter Gypsy are now known as Tales, releasing their new single So Blue under that moniker. Lead vocalist Tushar Singh explains, “We wanted to change our name for a few reasons – ‘gypsy’ is an outdated term and we want to stay relevant and respectful. We also felt that being locked down by our name to an indie-folk image wasn’t something we wanted in the long term.” The band won an SA Music Award for best folk artists.

Two men were arrested at the Pontoon Bar in Sydney when a paramedic was assaulted while treating a woman.

After its successful debut last year, One Hot Night returns to  Rockhampton on December 29 with Busby Marou, Dean Lewis, Tia Gostelow and Silky Fuzz.

5.23 million Americans tuned into the MTV Video Music Awards, arresting the rapid decline in recent years. There were 141.6 million video streams from the show, a rise from last year’s 76 million.

A Pennsylvania’s court upheld the conviction of rapper Jamal Knox for threatening two cops on a track after they busted him for drugs. Knox claimed his track was protected by free speech. The judge argued that it had specifically named the men and hence constituted harassment and threatening.

Live music venue The Palais Theatre in Hepburn Springs in country Victoria could open after a period of restoration by November, in time for the Live.Life.Love festival.

Perth nightclub photographer Victor Amaya was found not guilty of stabbing to death Perth DJ Suave, aka, Jaime Rodolpho Fernandez. The court had heard that the DJ’s body was found under a running shower after four days with eight stab wounds. Amaya successfully argued in the Supreme Court that a wild argument had broken out between the two men during which the DJ accused the clicker of stealing his drug clients. Amaya testified, “I thought he was going to kill me. I was just trying to push (the knife) into him to try and stop him. I just wanted to stop him using the knife on me.”