Industrial Strength: October 24

INXS MUSEUM SITE ANNOUNCED SOON?

The site for INXS’s music memorabilia museum is rumoured to be announced in the next few weeks.

A strong possibility is Ballna, on the NSW Northern Coast. It’s where the band’s Creative Director Chris M. Murphy has been living for the past two years.

Ballina councillors have expressed strong interest in housing the huge collection as a tourism and economic boost, especially if it was set up on council land near the airport.

Murphy has kept every award, platinum record, demo, letter, tour poster, magazine article and merchandising – even a tiny scale model of London’s Wembley Stadium given to commemorate their sell-out show before 74,000 on July 13 1991 which yielded the Live Baby Live album— since he began managing them.

He’s kept the stuff locked in a barn near Sydney and remembered the collection existed when he returned to reignite the INXS brand.

SUNDAY NIGHT WITH BARNES

Seven Network’s Sunday Night show which included a feature on Jimmy Barnes, drew 591,000 overnight metro viewers.

Barnes was spruiking his latest book Working Class Man. Despite being in the spotlight for 40 years, the singer revealed in the show previously untold revelations including almost committing suicide in his hotel room in Auckland after a Chisel gig and the time when growing up in the Glasgow tenements when he tried to escape his parents’ violence by seeking refuge in a friend’s house … only to flee from there when he was almost raped by his brother who’d just been released from jail.

HAS OPTUS GOT NAMING RIGHTS FOR PERTH STADIUM?

The naming rights for Perth’s new $1.5 billion 60,000 stadium is still officially a toss up between Optus and Bankwest.

But on Sunday, when the AFL, WA Football Commission and the WA Government finalised an agreement for teams to play there, the word was that Optus got the deal, worth $4 million over four years.

Whether its Singapore parent Singtel agrees to retain the name “Perth” in the name remains to be seen.

The first sports event is played there in February, with the first concert being by Ed “on yer bike” Sheeran.

ANOTHER MUSIC TV SHOW ON ITS WAY

A new music TV show The Four: Battle for Stardom is in development in America, in a partnership between iHeartMedia and FOX. There’s no reason why it’ll eventually find its way to Australia.

Using a format from Israel, it skips past the weeks of auditions straight to the final four finalists. The judges have yet to be announced.

Aside from FOX’s huge reach, the inclusion of iHeartMedia is also important. It has a quarter of a billion monthly listeners in the U.S., with 850 radio stations in 150 markets, 122 million social followers and podcasting and streaming platforms, part of the prize is a commitment to airplay and artist development.

Which means the winner has guaranteed exposure after the show, unlike many of the other music shows screened in Australia.

IS MARY SCHNEIDER AUSTRALIA’S OLDEST RECORDING ARTIST?

Tomorrow, Australia’s Queen Of Yodelling, Mary Schneider, turns 85. On Friday she releases a new album Yodelling The Big Bands globally through Universal Music.

The question is: is she the oldest Australian singer to release a new album?

There are others who are older overseas: 91-year old Tony Bennett comes immediately to mind. But in Australia?

Schneider began working on the album a few years ago, with her sister Rita and enlisting maestro Tommy Tycho to help with the band arrangements and managed to record four songs.

But Rita passed in March 2009 aged 81, and Tycho in April 2013 aged 85, and Schneider put the project on hold.

In 2016 she picked up the project with band arranger George Brodbeck and recording engineer Russell Finch.

GALLAGHER, SHEERAN, STORMZY WIN AT Q AWARDS

Liam Gallagher, Ed Sheeran and Stormzy were among winners at the Q Music Awards in London.

Gallagher who would celebrate his As You Were becoming the biggest seller and most streamed of that week, won Best Live Act and Icon.

Sheeran, who ironically had to cancel dates the same week due to his biking crash, took Best Act In The World Today.

Other wins were by Gorillaz’s Humanz (album), Rag‘N’Bone Man (breakthrough), Kasabian’s ‘You’re In Love With A Psycho’ (track), Viv Albertine (maverick), Manic Street Preachers (legacy) and Breeders’ Kelley Deal (Gibson Les Paul Award).

Grime made its presence felt at the winner’s podium, with Stormzy (solo artist) and Wiley (innovation in sound).

MARK SEYMOUR DATES CHANGED

Frontier Touring has postponed four encore theatre shows by Mark Seymour & The Undertow – between July 28 and September 8 – “due to changed circumstances.”

ECCA VANDAL SCORES UK AIRPLAY BEFORE TOUR

Tracks from Melbourne based Ecca Vandal’s self titled debut album are getting airplay in the UK, weeks out from her tour there.

BBC1’s Annie Mac, Huw Stephens and Daniel P Carter have been long time supporters of her music.

The album was released globally last Friday through Island Records.

The five-date UK tour sees her opening for Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes across the country in December, and most likely include a headliner of her own.

Vandal co-directed the video for single ‘Future Heroine’ with Melbourne-based filmmaker/cinematographer Amy Dellar of Indoor Fountains.

She’s pleased that the extended crew for the shoot, found through Instagram were predominantly female.

“So far, I’ve only been on film sets where men dominate, so it was very exciting to see women ruling! I reckon every aspect of the process becomes sweeter when the team happens to be spearheaded by females.”

NZ MUSO FOUND NOT GUILTY OF BOMB SCARE …

44-year old Dene Barnes of Dunedin band L$D Fundraiser. Was found not guilty of threatening a building as part of a publicity campaign for his new cassette.

It constituted of leaving cassette copies in derelict buildings tied to a piece of poetry, which went:

“When there’s nothing left to lose.

“i will firebomb your car.

“i will hack into your computer. “i will leak trade & state

“SECRETS.

“i will hammer holes in your office windows.

“i will raise [sic] your buildings to

“the ground.”

After this was found in one building, the spamski hit the fanski. Dundedin CBD was evacuated and the bomb squad flown in by helicopter.

But the judge found that, in the context of the poem, Barnes had not done anything sinister.

…BUT TWO NZ DJS FOUND GUILTY OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

A jury in the Tauranga District Court found hip-hop music producers and DJs Mark Arona, 40, and Peter John Chambers, 46, guilty of charges of sexual violation by rape and sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection.

A woman told the jury she was drunk and blacked out after having a toke of a cannabis cigar. But she clearly remembered the two men violating her, she said.

Arona, CEO of Illegal Musik and known as MC Patriarch of Ill Semantics, insisted the woman had consented to a sexual threesome.

Chambers rejected the notions he had been involved in the threesome, or that the woman had blacked out and hence incapable of giving her consent.

The two men are remanded until they are sentenced on January18.

TIM ROGERS MUSICAL HEADS TO BRISBANE

The original cast and crew of Tim Rogers’ musical What Rhymes With Cars and Girls are being reconvened after 2 ½ years for a short season in Brisbane Oct 25 – Nov 4 at the Powerhouse.

Directed by Clare Watson and scripted by playwright Aidan Fennessy, Rogers is the show’s musical director and plonks away on stage as part of the three-piece band each night.

He says the two year break has benefitted the production

“The two actors (Johnny Carr and Sophie Ross) and their experiences over the past two-and-a-half-years have brought other things to the characters and the play as a whole and it’s richer.”

GINA TIMMS LAUDED AT TASSIE AWARDS

Tasmanian born Tamworth-based Gina Timms was lauded at the Tasmanian Independent Country Music Awards with a lifetime achievement award as well as one for Tasmanian female legend.

She dedicated the main win to her mother.

This year Timms released two recordings – an EP Heavy Heart of her late father’s favourite country songs, and new album Thank You which includes an anti-bullying song called ‘Do You Like What You See’ which she co-write with the late young SA entertainer Nathaniel O’Brien about his school days experiences

THREE D RADIO TO BE INDUCTED

Adelaide’s Three D Radio 93.7FM will be inducted into the South Australian Music Hall of Fame “for its tremendous work in supporting S.A. (and Australian), original independent music and related artists, since its inception nearly 40 years ago in 1979.”

The Induction is open to the public and takes place as a Three D live-to-air event at The Wheatsheaf on Thursday, Nov 2 from 6-10pm.

As a further special Induction, The Original 1965 Masters Apprentices will be Inducted into the S.A. Band Music Hall of Fame, during the evening’s transmission.

SEVEN TOURS HEAD TO THE BUSH

A live electronic music performance art piece which uses laundromats as a performance space, and a fund raising tour by a alt-country music artist are among seven productions sharing $282,000 in NSW Regional Touring Grants.

Shiny Shiny Productions (Ironing Maidens) received $16,661 for a live electronic music performance art piece which explores the topics of domesticity, technology and the history of women in electronic music.

The Ironing Maidens will tour NSW regional centres and utilise the town’s main laundromat as an experimental performance space.

The performance will be accompanied by a public workshop, focussing on electronic music production (EMP) and electronic instrument making.

Red Dirt Road Productions received %13,000 for The Country Halls Tour. Now in its sixth year, it will see alt-country artist, Fanny Lumsden and her band The Thrillseekers put on an ’all-in-community-night-out’ in halls throughout regional and remote Australia.

Raising funds for the halls as they go, Lumsden features local artists and acts, runs workshops and puts on a good old-fashioned show in places usually forgotten on the touring route.

SOUND ADVICE ON PRODUCTION, LEGAL, DIGITAL MARKETING

MusicNSW’s latest round of Sound Advice masterclasses covers basic sound production, legal and digital marketing.

Arts Law Centre of Australia holds Musicians And The Law on October 28 at 11 am at The Works Glebe. It covers rights, how to protect them, what to look for in contracts, and what you need when facing producer and publishing agreements.

Basic production techniques are provided by Andy Lyle (Technical Event Services) on Nov 14 between 6—9 pm at Studio in Marrickville. It’s meant for beginners wanting to know about gear, sound systems, mics, cables and more.

As for digital marketing, the beginners level is provided with tips by Mari Stuart (MusicNSW), Melody Forghani (twnty three) and Nikki Brogan (FBi Radio) on Sccial media basics, content creation and planning digital releases..

Vanessa Picken (Comes With Fries) conducts an intermediate class. Both are on November 18, 6-9pm at The Works Glebe.

All masterclasses are via application only. For more info and to apply head to www.musicnsw.com/soundadvice.

CUB SPORT HEAD TO NORTH

Cub Sport announced a North American tour, booked through Paradigm Agency. It follows the release of their Bats album. It takes in 20 dates, starting on April 3 in Atlanta, taking in places as Nashville, Boston, New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, San Francisco and ending up in Vancouver on May 2.

Meantime new single ‘Chasin’’ came after singer Tim Nelson returned to Sydney after a songwriting visit to Los Angeles in 2015.

It was a weird time for him. Not everyone was “getting” the band but the L.A. trip left him with mixed feelings: on the one hand he was working with some creative figures, on the other, he was missing his boyfriend Sam.

“It made me realise that I was in love with him which was equal parts exciting and distressing. I’d hardly come out to myself and the idea of coming out to anyone else was terrifying.”

SONY ISSUING CD FOR DARYL BRAITHWAITE INDUCTION

Sony Music Entertainment is issuing a Daryl Braithwaite greatest hits album Days Go By on November 24 to coincide with his November 28 induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

The set includes four new recordings exclusive to this album: ‘When We Were Kings’, ‘If You Leave Me Now’, ‘In Your Eyes’ and ‘Motor’s Too Fast’.

Upon hearing the news of the ARIA HOF induction, Braithwaite said, “I feel very honoured to be inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame, in an industry that I started out in because I was so passionate about it.

“I loved music, and being associated with my band members at the time. It’s been a great journey and life through music, and all it’s associated with, especially with the public that I get to perform to. I am just completely thrilled to be accepted.”

THEMUSIC GOES MOMNTHLY

From November Street Press Australia’s The Music’s is going monthly.

Currently the title is weekly in Victoria and NSW and fortnightly in Queensland. The new schedule will see the magazine return to a larger format.

TWO WINS FOR HILLSONG AT DOVE AWARDS

At the 48th Gospel Music Association Dove Awards in Nashville, Sydney based Hillsong Worship’s hit ‘What A Beautiful Name’ was named song of the year and worship song of the year.

NZ MUSIC WELBEING CELEBRATES FIRST YEAR

The New Zealand Music Foundation Wellbeing Service celebrated its first 12 months by announcing it had received almost 90 phone calls from 40 musicians.

The telephone, online and in-person counselling service was set up last September after the Foundation’s survey found that people in the NZ music industry were twice as likely as the general population to try and kill themselves, three times as many had alcohol issues, and 84% experienced stress that prevented them from functioning on a daily basis.

The service was established in late September 2016 in response to the results of the foundation’s NZ Music Community Wellbeing Survey, which found that Kiwis in the music industry were more than twice as likely to have attempted suicide than the general population, more than three times as likely to indicate positively for problem alcohol use and that 84% had experienced stress in the preceding 12 months that affected their ability to function day to day.

The cases helped were divided into three.

Minor cases had one-hour conversations with the Foundation’s councillors.. Of medium cases, 21 went on to have 60 intensive counselling sessions. 21% had major distresses that needed to be referred to doctors and community health services.

TONIGHT ALIVE LOSE GUITARIST

On the eve of the release of their Underworld album and a bout of touring, Tonight Alive have parted ways with their guitarist of nine years, Whakaio Taah.

“Whak has made the decision to step back from touring and pursue his own career in songwriting and producing outside of the band,” the band said.

“We know his heart and gifts belong in the studio and we continue to love and support each other as a family. The four of us consider ourselves to be 1 part of a greater whole, and will always hold a place for our brother and best friend, whose energy will be known, heard and felt for lifetimes.”

After their current Australian shows, the band head off to Europe and the UK in March for 10 dates.

VALE

Bob Longwood was a highly respected lighting operator based in Perth who worked with some of the best local and international names. One of these was AC/DC, and he wryly revealed that one of his jobs was to accompany Bon Scott to a Kalgoorlie brothel. A senior member of the Australian Road Crew Association, Longwood passed away in his sleep at his home. He is survived by his wife Vicki and son Lee.

AND A FEW OTHER THINGS

US singer Kelly Rowland flew up to the Gold Coast 600 race Broadwater Sounds concert to hang out with her buddy Delta Goodrem who was playing. She toured the pits and posed for photos with the star drivers. One of them, Simona De Silvestro, told her she’d grown up listening to her music. Rowland could be playing next year’s concert.

Pink says that her feud with Christina Aguilera is now history – but recalls that it got so bad that one time Aguilera swung a punch at her in a nightclub.

After Hilltop Hoods wind up their November/ December American tour, MC Suffa will stay on for Christmas and probably visit Yosemite National Park with his partner and little daughter.

In the wake of Iain Shedden’s passing The Australian has retired his Spin Doctor column. The last one featured blank space where his copy would have been. Shedden is farewelled by friends inside and outside the music and media industries at the Marrickville Town Hall in Sydney at 3.30pm on Thursday.

Australian blues guitarist James Southwell’s latest album, The Dockside Sessions (Where The Wind Blows) looks like being a strong contender for inclusion in the Grammy nominations. It was recorded in Dockside Studios in Maurice, Louisiana, with bass player and producer Charlie Wooton of Royal Southern Brotherhood fame.

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s bassist Stu Cooke once told this columnist that WA is one of the biggest places in the world for CCR covers – mostly due, he said, to indigenous country rock acts. On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the US band’s formation, a number of Australian musicians have recorded a number of classic CCR tracks under the name A Sides Club. The resultant album Creedance is out through Universal Music Australia, due for streaming from November 24. During a three week period in July-August, members of Boy & Bear, All Our Exes Live In Texas, Hot Spoke and The Whitlams entered Forbes St Studios, Sydney and put down 13 tracks.

After Adelaide folk rockers The Audreys returned to the road to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the release of the ARIA winning debut album Between Last Night & Us (actually out in 2016 but, hey…) are they motivated to record new material?

TEG Live postponed Fifth Harmony’s ANZ tour this month to March 2018 due to “scheduling” issues.