Industrial Strength: May 16
Photo: Sinks
MUSIC TASMANIA APPOINTS NEW BOARD
New additions to peak music association Music Tasmania’s board are Edge Radio 99.3 FM’s Music Director Aaron Clark, musician and DJ Jack McLaine of Launceston act Sumner, music, art and theatre supporter Gerald Englebretsen and accountant/ musician Tim Lane.
Returning are Tim Kling, Tony Fox, Sarah Triffitt and Amy Fogarty.
Leaving were David Wedd (recognised with an honorary lifetime membership of Music Tasmania for his service to the organisation and contribution to the broader music community.), Brad Harbeck and Jed Appleton.
The President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary positions will be determined by the Board at its first meeting.
MELBOURNE’S SINKS WINS HILLTOP INITIATIVE
Melbourne’s MC Sinks (Alex Sinclair, pictured above) won the 2017 Hilltop Hoods Initiative, which the band created with APRA AMCOS. He’ll put the $10,000 towards making and promoting an album.
DJ Debris from the Hoods said, “He is a dope rapper with a great sound.”
DOUBLE WIN FOR STU HUNTER AT JAZZ AWARDS
Stu Hunter had two wins at the 15th Australian Jazz Bell Awards, held at Bird’s Basement in Melbourne last night. He took out Best Australian Jazz Ensemble of the Year while Eagle Fish from his remarkable album The Migration was lauded as Best Australian Jazz Song of the Year.
The rest of the winners were Michelle Nicolle and A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing (jazz vocal album), Andrea Keller and Tim Wilson Duo’s Consider This (instrumental jazz album), Jeremy Rose & The Earshift Orchestra’s Iron In The Blood (best produced album) and Harry Mitchell (young Australian jazz artist) while Ted Vining received the Graeme Bell Hall Of Fame Award.
The winners were decided by a judging panel of leading members of the Australian and international jazz community. The winner in each of the seven categories received $5000 as well as a statuette.
EUROVISION GRAND FINAL DOWN ON INITIAL NUMBERS
The grand final of the Eurovision song festival drew 308,000 overnight metro for the evening replay on SBS, while 148,000 were up for the early morning direct telecast from Ukraine. SBS is expected to reveal full metro and regional figures through the week.
The evening figures were 250,000 down from last year’s final when Dami Im came second. In this case, Australian entrant Isaiah Firebrace made it to #9 and Australian-born Anja Nissen,repping Denmark, was #20.
The Australian flag also made its presence known, wrapped around a Ukrainian serial pest as he mooned the audience. He’s currently discussing it with Ukraine police.
NAMES RALLY FOR QLD FLOOD VICTIMS
Guitar hero Kevin Borich, former AC/DC bassist Mark Evans, Tyrone Noonan of the band george and drummer Buzz Bidstrup have formed themselves into The Flood Aid Rock Legends to headline a benefit concert at Logan Village Hotel on June 4 to raise money for Logan, Queensland, flood victims.
Also performing to help out those affected badly by Cyclone Debbie are John Williamson, James Blundell & Band, Route 33 and Ruby Jo.
APIA GOOD TIMES SHOWS SELL OUT
As the APIA Good Times tour – with The Black Sorrows with Vika + Linda Bull, Colin Hay, Deborah Conway and Mental As Anything – kicks off this week, promoters announced that six of the 16 shows have sold out.
Those hitting full capacity were Darwin (where the tour starts tomorrow, Wednesday May 17 at Darwin Entertainment Centre), Brisbane, Tweed Heads, Thirroul, Sydney and Bendigo. The tour winds up on June 17 in Hobart at Wrest Point Entertainment Centre.
ARTS PRECINCT FOR TAMWORTH?
Musicians could see two new performance theatres and a recording studio in Tamworth if plans mooted by the Tamworth Regional Council to create a performing arts precinct within the CBD.
The idea is to cater for the growing demand for music and performance theatre and musicals. The Council also wants to position the town as a centre of music/arts and business tourism.
The plan, to be debated by the local community, includes a 600 seat main theatre (the Capitol Theatre is considered too small), 200 seat studio theatre, recording studio, café/restaurant, open air rooftop event space and would be a conference and seminar venue.
The idea is to have the precinct ready by 2023, just around the time the lease on the Capitol Theatre runs out.
MUSIC SA ANNOUNCES UNSIGNED SHOWCASE
In conjunction with Adelaide’s Umbrella: Winter City Sounds and the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR), Music SA has set up a showcase of South Australia’s best known unsigned acts.
Called Scouted, it is held on Friday July 28 in Adelaide’s East End, it is timed to coincide with the AIR awards and AIR’s inaugural two-day music industry conference on July 27 and 28.
Scouted is staged at Producers Bar, Crown & Anchor and the laneway between Tandanya & Producers Bar.
Acts chosen are Electric Fields, Young Offenders, Bec Stevens, Heaps Good Friends, Tom West, Mane, Alana Jagt & The Monotremes and Battlehounds.
BLISS N ESO DEATH LEADS TO SAFETY OVERHAUL
The January 2017 death of Gold Coast stuntman Johann Ofner on the Brisbane set of aBliss n Eso video shoot has led to an overhaul of the safety code of the Australian screen industry.
At a meeting between Screen Producers Australia and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, it was decided that the 1983 safety code be overhauled.
A draft providing a checklist for producers will be made available to the industry this month, with consultation as to what needs to be included expected to be finalised by July.
TRIPLE J SEEKS NEW FILM & TV REVIEWER
Triple j has begun a national search for a new movie & TV reviewer after Marc Fennell aka That Movie Guy, decided to move on after eleven years. During that time, he reviewed 724 movies and gave a collective 2,352 stars.
EMINEM LAWSUIT WINDS UP
Eminem’s copyright court case against the New Zealand Government has wound up after two weeks at the High Court in Wellington.
But the decision might not be made for another three or four months while Judge Helen Cull considers.
At issue is the National Party’s use of the allegedly soundalike song Eminemesque in a 2014 television campaign ad that was run 186 times before it was pulled off the air.
The defence had pointed out that La Bamba and Twist & Shout sounded similar but no lawsuits had been filed. “It doesn’t make it legitimate because somebody hasn’t yet sued,” the judge responded, quick-smart.
WA ARTS DEPT CHANGES
From July 1, as part of the new WA Government’s plan to reduce the number of departments from 41 to 25, the Dept. of Culture and the Arts (DCA) will undergo a change.
The DCA will be merged with the local government functions of the Dept. of Local Government and Communities, the Dept. of Sport and Recreation and the Dept of Racing, Gaming and Liquor to form the new Dept. of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.
DCA Director General, Duncan Ord, will lead the new department, which will see the state’s arts and culture sector collaborating with other divisions and deliver services with more efficiency and technology.
Ord said, “I see the reforms as providing new opportunities for the new department to further contribute to the lives of Western Australian communities and families.”
BURNS WINS NZ MANAGER AWARD
Melbourne-based NZ artist manager Alastair Burns was awarded the prestigious Recorded Music NZ ‘Manager of the Year’ award for his work with Marlon Williams and Julia Jacklin.
MUSIC AWARD TAKES BREAK
The Norfolk Island Country Music Festival will make some changes after it takes place through this week until May 21. It’ll return in 2018 for its 25th anniversary but the Norfolk Island Trans-Tasman Entertainer of the Year Award will be rested until further notice.
MUSIC COMMUNITY RALLIES AROUND ROSE SODY
The music community is rallying around Rose Sody,the filmmaker who is married to Adelaide record producer and owner of Norwood’s Sodypop Studios, Brett Sody.
Diagnosed in 2013 with a rare and deadly primary peritoneal cancer, Rose has been through seven cycles of chemotherapy and major surgery that have proven unsuccessful. A new revolutionary drug, pembrolizuman (Keytruda), could be the answer but it costs $4678 every three weeks – and the program can last for two years. Do the maths.
A crowd funding campaign is at www.gofundme.com/rosecancertreatment with a target of $18,000.
On June 14, the Governor Hindmarsh hosts The Sodypop Fundraiser Concert to K.O. Rosie’s Cancer with acts including Angry Anderson, The Borderers and Peter Combe.
TASMANIAN REGIONAL ARTS CLOSES
After 70 years, the Tasmanian Regional Arts willshutter on June 30, after a special general meeting attended by 50 voted to wind it up. The organisation felt to secure governing funding through Arts Tasmania.
Deputy Chair Travis Tiddy suggested that the loss of a state-wide regional association would be felt down the track, and that a new attitude would emerge within funding circles of the importance of keeping associations like that alive.
BILLBOARD AWARDS ON [V] HITS
The 2017 Billboard Music Awards is broadcast live to Australia from Las Vegas on Monday May 22 from 10am on [V] HITS or streamed via Foxtel Play.
This year’s performances are by Bruno Mars, Camila Cabello, Drake, Ed Sheeran, Florida Georgia Line, Imagine Dragons, John Legend, Lorde and Nicki Minaj.
Céline Dion will perform My Heart Will Go On as 2017 marks the 20th year of its release while Cher gets an ICON award for becoming the first artist to have a No. 1 single on a Billboard chart in each decade from the 1960s to the 2010s.
CANBERRA ARTS LEADER FORUM
A workshop for leaders of small to medium arts organisations is held in Canberra on June 1 to enhance governance skills which are critical to effective leadership and sustainability.
The program structure covers topics such as: board composition, succession planning and diversity; the board’s role in artistic governance; optimising risk for an arts organisation; and board effectiveness. The program aims to provide participants with greater confidence in managing board performance and a greater understanding of contemporary good governance practices in the arts sector.
For more information or to register for a webinar or workshop visit ICDA or contact [email protected]
VALE
- Rob Jackson started his radio career in South Australia, at 5RM and 5AU Port Augusta before moving to stations in regional Hamilton, Deniliquin, Wagga and Bega. Friends described a wicked humour and down to earth manner for the way he got the best out of a political story, later moving into politics as a ministerial press secretary.
- Steve Carter was Director of International Marketing at PolyGram Records between September 1, 1979 to November 30, 1999. At a memorial held in his hometown of Tamworth, he was remembered as “a man who loved life, music, and fast cars” and took on the challenges of lung cancer.
NZ MUSIC EXHIBITION A HIT FOR MUSEUM
Auckland Museum announced that its award-winning Volume: Making Music in Aotearoa exhibition was a huge success, drawing 200,000 visitors. Its 200 exhibited objects included costumes, instruments, handwritten lyrics and images loaned by musicians.
Volume was developed in partnership with the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame Trust (Recorded Music New Zealand and APRA AMCOS). The free exhibition runs until Sunday May 21.
CREATE NSW CALLS FOR REGIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS
Create NSW is calling on young musicians and artists aged 18-25 across the state to apply for one of 25 Young Regional Artist Scholarships for 2017.
Each scholarship will offer NSW-based artists a grant of $10,000 to progress their respective artistic experience and development. Round 1 closes on Monday June 19, more info on how to apply, email [email protected].
AND A FEW OTHER THINGS …
- Melbourne-based (inter)national LGBTI station JOY FM has chosen as the theme to its 2017 radiothon “We still need JOY”. It emphasises how this year homophobia behaviour against the station itself has included an evacuation-causing bomb call, threatening and abusive phone calls to volunteers “and a massive backlash over the station’s support of the same school coalition, marriage equality and fighting to recognise LGBTI people as equal members of society.”
- At Groovin’ The Moo’s tour finale, in Bunbury, WA before 20,000 pumped-up fans, Will Wagner leapt into the moshpit delivering high-fives at the end of The Smith Street Band’s set while headliners Violent Soho marked the occasion by trashing the stage with their guitars.
- The Melbourne lineup of the Reclink Community Cup (June 25) has expanded with the addition of Remi and Boxwars.
- Our cousins across the Tasman are already pissed at how Australia seems to grab NZ products – including Phar Lap the racing champion, the pavlova dessert, and various Finns. So it was nice to see how well Australia has rewritten Russell Crowe as “our own”. When Lorde, a person of immense Kiwi-ness, was doing an on-air chat in Sydney on triple j, Crowe popped up in the conversation. “Is he from New Zealand – Russell Crowe? I thought he was as Australian as they come.”
- Country Arts WA has made membership free, as a result of changes to its membership constitution, and a strategy to increase membership numbers.
- Xavier Rudd’s Byron Bay retreat, which comes with a recording studio, is listed on the market for between $2.45 million to $2.6 million and marketed as “the ultimate professional musician’s home”, the Sunday Telegraph noted. Rudd paid $722,500 for the land in 2012.
- Also in rock’n’real estate news, Queensland-born, UK-based songwriter and producer Mike Chapman slashed the price of his 35ha Cintamani estate in the Noosa hinterland to $5.7 million for a quick sale, as it has not been snapped up since it went on the market last November. It comes with Wimbledon-standard tennis court, chef’s kitchen, gym and infinity pool. Chapman has not been in Australia for five years.
- Emerging Los Angeles-based Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joel Taylor had his new music video for his single Two Sides directed by none other than actress Courteney Cox. They met when he attended one of the jam sessions she conducts regularly at her home.
- Another newcomers to the scene, Auckland hip-pop outfit Balu Brigada, who’re are eying a possible spring tour to Australia, have seen their new single Could You Not not only picked up by NZ commercial radio but programmed on the Spotify charts in Australia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Debut single Weekend late last year got played on Oz and UK radio and aired on MTV in Australia.
- DD Dumbo and Tash Sultana are the latest to announce lengthy summer/autumn festival and club runs in the northern hemisphere, while classical performer Mark Vincent will join Katherine Jenkins’ UK tour in December.
- At the May 4 commemoration in New York of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea before Australian and American survivor and dignitaries as PM Turnbull and President Trump, two Australian country music artists performed. Beccy Cole sang her award winning Poster Girl and Amber Lawrence her 100 Year Handshake which she describes as “a song that celebrates the first 100 years of Mateship between USA and Australia.