Get Notorious 28

 

 

December 2011

Welcome to the Summer Lovin’ edition of Get Notorious as we get all loved up and sunned up in anticipation of long days working up a (sunsafe) tan and indulging in some partying and maybe the odd music festival or three. We’re busy putting the final touches to the Laneway Festival and preparing for a bit of summer fun before we get ready to head in to 2012 with some new venues and new ways of keeping you entertained. In the meantime, pull up a banana lounge, put on a sombrero and have a little summer siesta with us.

Editorial and advertising – Jim Murray jim@getnotorious.com

BEN SALTER

Ben Salter is one of Australia’s most prolific songwriters and musicians, having released 22 albums as part of the Brisbane based bands the Gin Club, Giants of Science, Young Liberals, Hissy Fit and the Wilson Pickers. He also recently picked up the award for Most Popular Male Artist at the Queensland  Music Awards for his recent solo album The Cat. However, he’s not resting on his laurels in Brisbane – he’s currently in the middle of an Australian tour after which he’s taking up residence in Melbourne.

Speaking of the move, Townsville born Salter says “Well I never wanted to live in the same place for as long as I did in Brisbane – I think I was there for fourteen years which is the longest I have lived anywhere. It’s a pretty easy place to get attached to. But I think you need change of some sort in order to grow and I wasn’t planning on a career change so a move to Melbourne seemed like a good option. I wouldn’t say the music scene is any better or worse here than it is in Brisbane, but there are definitely more places to play and more opportunities for me. But I think from now on I am going to impose a two year limit! I’d like to live everywhere.  It’s a great luxury to be able to do what I do and play music all over the place because I get to visit Brisbane every couple of months anyway. So I have the best of both worlds.”

Salter acknowledges, however, that it might make rehearsing with his various bands quite tricky, but he sees an upside to that situation. He’s far from fond of rehearsing so this challenge is just another one for his musical outlets to overcome. He says “I hate rehearsal so that won’t be affected too much!  We rarely write together with Gin Club, and when we do it’s kind of all in one big block anyway – at the moment we have a member who lives in Stockholm, one who lives in Daylesford, four in Brisbane and two in Melbourne now. So it’s always been a bit fractured geographically.  I expect we’ll all decamp to the country at some stage next year and do some writing for the next album. It will affect Giants of Science a bit but we haven’t been very active for a while now so I can’t imagine it’ll make much difference. We seem to be pretty happy to just truck along doing a few gigs each year… all the members have commitments apart from music whereas I want to concentrate on music full -time so there’s that. We have about an albums worth of material that we’ve been working on so hopefully we can record that at some stage before I move even farther afield. The Young Liberals will probably do another album too soon, when Chris gets back from Cambodia in February. All of these bands have shows booked and stuff so nothing has stopped.”

Indeed, so eager is Salter to increase his number of musical outlets, he’s not even ruling out getting a new band together in Melbourne, although he’s planning to stick with the solo performances just for the moment. “I am really enjoying the solo thing at the moment,” he reveals. “I’d love to fool around with a band but yeah it would have to be a band band, not just my backing band or something.  I used to think that I would get incredibly bored just playing solo with an acoustic guitar but I have found ways of keeping it interesting for myself and hopefully for people watching. I think I am getting better at it. And it enables me to travel light, and travelling is something I want to do a lot more of.”

Salter’s travels took him to Victoria to work on his debut solo effort, The Cat, which he collaborated on with a stellar cast of accompanists, including Gareth Liddiard and Robert F. Cranny at Liddiard’s rural studio in Havilah, Victoria, former GOD frontman Joel Silbersher, The Nation Blue’s Tom Lyncolgn and Steve Hesketh. These artists would be at the forefront of what could be described as a search for more Australianness in local music. Is that something he himself is conscious of? Salter explains it thusly. “I am not sure… there is definitely an element of cultural cringe. And maybe I am just getting older.  But for me it has become more and more important to sing in a more natural way, more akin to my speaking voice.. I can’t explain exactly why, something to do with authenticity I suppose. And I also think that one of the most important functions for any artist is to mythologize the landscape that they inhabit. It always frustrates me that so many Australian bands adopt this sort of Americana thing and sing about Alabama and Louisiana or or something when that’s just not their culture.. but for some reason it doesn’t seem as cool as Brisbane or Perth or Townsville.  It must make American bands cringe. I know it makes me cringe, but I suppose I am guilty of it as well. When I listen to the recording of “Wylde Bitch” by The Gin Club and all the Giants stuff, all my inflections are totally kind of American or European! And a lot of them still are.  But our own culture is so rich and unique, it’s just ripe for artistic examination and manipulation. Especially when it comes to rock’n’roll.. I mean – this massive country inhabited by these deeply spiritual native people.. dreamtime and all that – no fixed addresses. Then Europeans come along and turn the whole place into a giant prison… these are all very rock and roll concepts, for better or worse. I remember when Australian hip hop first started getting played on the radio,  and people were kind of so taken aback by hearing their own accents singing at them, which is so strange. But that doesn’t seem to be such a big deal anymore. That’s got to be a good thing. I know I keep harping on about the accent thing but it seems to me that if you’re not comfortable expressing yourself in your natural voice then you’re always going to be a bit limited. Having said that I do love lots of singers and performers who don’t do that, so there are no rules or anything. It is Art, m8.”

As Salter prepares to complete his next move, it’s worth asking him if he is getting weary of touring and constantly getting up and going and shifting house, not to mention the sporadic income. However, surprisingly he has no complaints arguing “I have absolutely nothing to complain about  (Although anyone who knows me will know that I still do) I have worked very hard and been very dedicated in pursuing what I do, but I am also extremely fortunate to live in a country or society where I can even attempt to pursue music as a profession. A lot of people are starving and suffering in the world. I have it easy. I am very happy.”

 Josh Lefers – Free Sh!T Men

Josh Lefers is a busy man. Not only is he involved in Kill Rock Star Entertainment, Big Dog Creative and a myriad of films in various stages of production, he’s also been the driving force between a new show on Channel V with a name you know your grandma’s just going to love called Free Sh!t Men. The premise of the show is for Josh and his presenting partner Stephen Wools, is to take the business of creative persuasion one step further in to obtaining stuff for free.

Lefers has an interesting background to say the least. A writer by trade, he studied renaissance English history at Melbourne University during his 20’s and had a handy sideline making money as a stripper. He’s now an entrepreneur who reckons he’s been cooking up the idea of his ‘get anything free’ for a while. Lefers explains ‘Steve and I originally did this about six years ago together and we’ve been doing it off and on since then. And we just thought ‘what an awesome and exciting and interesting  and sort of revolutionary idea, about going for all the things you want but just asking for them for free and doing so in a polite and charming and fun way, which is how we like both to be and … you know just saying ‘is it possible?’ and being fine with no and even celebrating through the evening and letting them know that they’re still awesome.’ He explains their thought process – ‘what about just asking rather than assuming that it takes all this effort?’

He concedes, however, that it’s not possible for a utopian world to exist where everything is gratis to those who ask. However, he argues that ‘it does suggest that there’s room perhaps for a different style of interacting with the world and the material things you want’.

Let’s face it – Free Sh!t Men isn’t about going around looking for free hugs, love and acceptance. They’re out to obtain material goods and services … or even some that are services that are known to be some of the oldest in the world known to be provided for money. The boys started out small picking up free tattoos, and a free Brazilian (we assume of the wax crack n’ sack variety) before quickly obtaining a share of a racehorse. From then on it’s been on to things like having video games designed for them, but what has aroused the most interest has been when they score themselves a free root. Well, we can’t be sure that Wools, the single of the two protagonists, actually did the deed with the lady at St Kilda’s notorious bordello the California Club, but he certainly went in to the room!

Lefers describes himself as a social experimenter or social entrepreneur rather than a John Safran-esque prankster, citing Carlos Castaneda who wrote The Teachings ofDon Juan  – A Yaqui Way of Knowledge based on the supposed life of a Mexican shaman, and Luke Rhinehart, who wrote the book The Dice Man about a psychiatrist making life decisions based on rolling a dice as philosophical inspirations behind the show. Pausing for a minute, he says ‘all these sorts of ideas about social experimentation and personal experimentation, looking at what society’s currently doing and saying ‘okay, let’s try something different, even if it’s not perfect let’s give this a go and see what happens, it comes out of that space’.

Lefers admits that the show flies on the seat of its pants, but like many television shows these days, it actively engages with its audience, taking cues from people making suggestions on Facebook and Twitter, with the result that ‘everything’s happening as we’re going … or if it is the seat of our pants it’s done in a way that we feel comfortable with and exited about and the results are what we want them to be, and it’s also nice to be fresh and offer stuff that’s happening currently, rather than having it all shot and just wait for the results’. With this approach, the show looks set to return next year in an even bigger and better format, as well as spreading its wings internationally.  ‘How isn’t set yet but there’s definitely been talks right from the beginning’, Lefers explains. ‘Given the popularity and support, I’d say it’s highly likely … and probably likely internationally’.

Free Sh!t Men screens on Channel V at 11am on Saturday mornings.

WHAT’S ON IN DECEMBER?

 

Meredith Music Festival

Victoria’s most beloved music festival is getting the keys to the door because she’s turning 21! Yes, from humble beginnings on the Nolan family farm in the Victorian countryside to being a rock n’ roll Christmas party for thousands while still maintaining a matey atmosphere and a strict ‘No Dickheads’ policy – it’s now one of the premier music events in Australia. This year sees the likes of grunge pioneers Mudhoney, local electro pop superstars Cut Copy, 80s legends Icehouse and the mesmerizing mid life crisis of Grinderman take to the stage for what will be more than your average suburban 21^st.

Meredith Music Festival – A Farm Near Meredith December  9 -11th

The Weekend

The creative and party animals at 360 Agency and Seven Nightclub have teamed up to launch a new Saturday night destination at the newly renovated venue. The nightclub has undergone a multi-million dollar renovation, which promises a new form of experiential clubbing never seen before in Melbourne. In addition to the weekly club night and its online and experiential components the plan is for it to roll over into national radio and television programs in January 2012, aiming to be one of the largest dance projects ever undertaken in Australia.

www.theweekend.tv

 

The Christmas Monologues – Seven Tasteless Tales Of The Silly Season

‘Thankfully Santa’s not going to press charges if I get counselling. So I do. They think I’m a nymphomaniac. I’m not. I can control myself. I don’t want to have sex with everyone and everything. I just want to have sex with Santa’

With an opening pitch like that, you’d probably be right in thinking that this is one Christmas production that’s  not for the kiddies. In fact you’d probably best stick with the Myer Christmas windows if you’re easily offended. Written by rising Kiwi playwright Thomas Sainsbury, this series of monologues is set to add a twist of the bizarre and downright smutty to your Christmas season.

Broken Mirror Studios 2C Staley Street. Brunswick 12th to the 17th Of December

 

Rooftop Cinema

The insanely popular Rooftop Cinema returns for the Summer to the rooftop bar of Curtin House on Swanston Street in Melbourne, with their usual grab bag of cult favourites. From 90s classics such as Clerks and Dazed & Confused to iconic films made long before you were born such as Jaws and Casablanca, the experience of watching a film on a rooftop amidst the Melbourne skyline is an unmatched experience.

Level 7, 252 Swanston Street Melbourne Until February – check www.rooftopcinema.com.au for full program and screening details.

Tom Stoppard

Tom Stoppard is an icon of British theatre and is one of the most performed and studied playwrights of his generation. With a career that spans nearly half a century, he’s dropping in to town to discuss his internationally lauded plays. With a body of work that has created classic works for stage and screen like Shakespeare in Love and Rosencratz & Guildenstern Are Dead; he’s managed to pick up TONY Awards in New York, a Gold Lion at Cannes and oh, an Academy Award along the way.

Athenaeum Theatre 188 Collins St 16^th December.

 

 

Laneway Festival Sideshows Tickets for the plethora of Laneway Festival sideshows are on sale now. From Feist at the Palais to Anna Calvi at The Corner, UK choral noiseniks Wu Lyf at the Prince Bandroom and Twin Shadow at the Corner hotel, Melbourne will be awash with some of the hottestup and coming international acts in the world. Tickets for the Laneway Festival itself are also selling fast, but we’ve got a small stash of them at two of our venues – 1000 £ Bend at 361 Little Lonsdale Street in Melbourne’s CBD, and at The Resurrection at 135 Lygon Street East Brunswick. You can also pick them up at Polyester Records in Melbourne’s CBD and on Brunswick Street Fitzroy, as well as at the Karova Lounge in Ballarat. Check out http://melbourne.lanewayfestival.com.au/sideshows/ for full details.

WIN SHIT

Rooftop Cinema

We like to help you keep up the romance in your life here at Get Notorious and what more can you ask for than spending a balmy summer evening in one of Melbourne’s best locations knocking back a cider of three and watching cult movies on a city rooftop? Well we’ve got a double pass to win to a Rooftop Cinema session of your choice – simply  email howdy@getnotorious.com with Rooftop Cinema in the subject line. If you’re a winner we’ll be in touch to find out what 80s movie you secretly have a hankering to go on a date to.

 

 

WE WUZ THERE – REVIEWS

Queenscliff Music Festival – 25 – 27th November

Photo – Kimbra by Bianca Fioritti

For your average rock pig, the Queensliff Music Festival often flies under the radar, offering up a folkier and more family friendly vibe than many summer festivals. Thus while it may not have the attention grabbing international headliners of the Big Day Out or the cool cachet of the Laneway Festival or Meredith, it’s easy to forget the wealth of talent that it gathers in one of the most picturesque parts of Victoria. For 2011, the festival outdid itself with a lineup that gave a healthy nod to Australian acts of the past, while also booking a significant number of rising stars on the bill.

The balmy Friday night coupled with a picture perfect sunset over the Port Phillip Bay Heads paved the way for enthusiastic crowds for a potpourri of acts ranging from Pseudo Echo’s 80s throwbacks to The Herd engaging many of the younger punters in the crowd even in spite of some of the more bemused looks emanating from the older crowd members in the bleachers. The Delta Riggs are fast becoming a band to watch, and although their set on the Rip Stage wasn’t packed, the throng in attendance appeared to all be in agreeance that they’re set for big things, with the whisky soaked blues howl of front man Elliott Hammond echoing Jack White and the altar of stars at which he worshipped. Old and young, however, seem to be united by Eskimo Joe’s headline set, with ‘Older Than You’ the highlight, channelling The Replacements and Teenage Fanclub in an ode to power pop. Finishing off their set to a suitably hyped up mass, the far from challenging lyrics of ‘Love Is The Drug’ seemed oddly appropriate as the crowd floated out of the Lighthouse Stage and towards tents and rented accommodation.

In contrast to the perfect weather of Friday evening, Saturday is bleak, with torrential rain that grows increasingly torrid as the wind sets in for the afternoon. Rain jackets and ponchos and battered umbrellas are the order of the day in the teeming rain, with a fine mist rising from the crowd for The Skylines’ funk and soul revue in Rip Stage tent.  The performances go off without a hitch, however, as despite the storm, few if any technical or staging issues are apparent. By late afternoon the sodden masses set the steam rising on the Lighthouse Stage tent as The Triffids and friends arrive for one of the most anticipated performances of the weekend. For a band that has played a smattering of gigs over the last few years in tribute to the songwriting prowess of their late leader David McComb, but released their last studio recording in 1989, the crowd is remarkably varied in age. Performing their 1986 masterpiece Born Sandy Devotional in full with guest vocalists, Oh Mercy and vocalist Alex Gow see the introduction ‘Reverie’ tempered by a timid approach, however once they kick in to the feature album the set sparks to life and by the time UK visitor Simon Breed takes the stage for the incendiary triptych of ‘Lonely Stretch’, ‘Wide Open Road’ and ‘Stolen Property’ the Triffids are conducting a storm not unlike the one swirling outside the tent. Mark Snarski’s take on ‘Save What You Can’ is tender, while the finale of ‘Raining Pleasure’ is not only appropriate but elegiac.

Wagons pull out all stops with their stomping countrified rock, which indeed has many of the crowd nodding and grinning along, while The Cruel Sea perhaps seem a little flat or drowned out by the teeming rain outside. Front man Tex Perkins still maintains his cocksure swagger and his voice still rises above the mix with its molasses coated snarl.

A relatively large crowd gather on the Sunday to watch new cowgirl sensation Lanie Lane, with her rockabilly charms seeing the crowd joining the rest of the crowd in its doe eyed love for the ‘Oh Well, That’s What You Get Falling In Love With A Cowboy’ singer. Over in the elegant Vue Grand hotel, Mick Harvey is joined by Rosie Westbrook on double bass and JP Shilo on additional guitar for a stunning rendition of songs from his recent solo outing Sketches From The Book Of The Dead which sees people sitting on the floor is the aisles, mouths agape.

Kimbra should be indulging in her ‘IT Girl’ of the moment status but perhaps it’s the lunchtime set that sees her projecting to the front rows rather than those at the back. However, despite eliciting cheers for songs like ‘Cameo Lover’ it becomes apparent that as she leaves the stage Kimbra may well have a few nerves as she is shuffled in to a waiting helicopter which whisks her away to perform with Gotye at that evening’s ARIA Awards in Sydney. She’s followed by four other ‘IT girls’; namely the four Findlay sisters who comprise Stonefield. These wunderkinds attack the stage with their blues driven psych rock and the mounting crowds suggest that they are not far from major success if they can find a ‘hit’ to join songs like ‘Through The Clover’ and ‘Black Water Rising’. The crowd maintains its relatively youthful nature for the soft electro rock of Gypsy & The Cat, their sunny and winsome tunes such as ‘Jona Vark’ and in particularly ‘Time To Wander’ soundtracking the return of the sun as the crowds drift off back up the peninsula towards Melbourne. Despite the unwelcome rain, Queenscliff Music Festival’s eclectic offerings and scenic location make for a weekend that ensures that having a family or a few years under your belt does not preclude you from being able to enjoy live music.

-          Jim Murray

John Farnham @ Palais Theatre Melbourne 19 November

 

The show was split over two halves, the first being acoustic arrangements of some classics like Two Strong Hearts, That’s Freedom and Chain Reaction.The band’s skills were formidable, though this was primarily a vocal showcase and a chance for Farnham to basically hang out on stage (this guy is notorious for having between song banter as long as the songs themselves).

After an intermission (very proper) we were treated to an astonishingly accurate performance of Farnham’s classic twelfth (!!!) studio album, Whispering Jack. If you’re looking for a definition of career rebirth, look no further. Its release in 1986 cemented Farnham as an iconic Australian artist, and was twenty-four times Platinum as of 2006.

For this occasion the original synths were dug up, guitar strings were tested for maximum pinch harmonics and the original backing vocalists were called upon. However, despite all that, John himself wasn’t as Eighties as I would’ve thought – yes, he did You’re the Voice twice, but there were also these beautiful Sam Cooke-esque soul moments that did not sound like they were coming from a man in his sixties.I really hope this isn’t his last time. Between now and the next time I will be spreading the gospel, and dragging every hater with me. You need to see this. And please, leave your cynicism at home, you fucking hipster.

 

-          Josh Hardy

GET NOTORIOUS WITH BLACK JOE LEWIS & THE HONEYBEARS

 

Who are you and how did you Get Notorious? My name is black JOE LEWIS and im notorious for never following the rules.

 

Where’s the best place to Get Notorious in Austin, Texas and how do

you do it? The best place is on Red River St – a lot of bands play there.

 

If you were a celebrity mugshot on The Smoking Gun or TMZ.com,

which one would you be? Glen Campbell

 

Next time you’re up to no good, who would be your ultimate get away

driver? Saddam Hussein

 

Where and how can we expect to see you Get Notorious next?

In Australia on our tour in December

10/12/2011

Meredith Music Festival

Meredith, Australia

11/12/2011

Caravan Music Club

Oakleigh, Australia

13/12/2011

Prince Bandroom

Melbourne, Australia

JOB OF THE MONTH – FASHION COP

The number of fraudulent hipsters populating Get Notorious venues and events is starting to drive us batty. We’re struggling to tell if they’re genuine hipsters living off trust funds while they spend their days blogging away and using up our free wi-fi when not pretending to be attending their art/design/photography course, or if they’re just suburban bogans impersonating them.  Hence we’re looking for a part time fashion cop to police our venues and who will be able to send them firmly packing if they’re not up to scratch. Send us a postcard or CV and experience to howdy@getnotorious.com