Cam's Gigs of the Week - August 8th

Woah, it's the 8th of the 8th of the 8th. That almost never happens!

Also, it's the Ekka holiday next Wednesday so there are a few shows the preceding night.

Friday 8th:
No Anchor (Album Launch), Lawrence English (Album Launch), Secret Birds, Innig @ The Hangar (151 Musgrave Rd, Red Hill) - GotW.
Kill Devil Hills (WA), Halfway, At Sea @ The Troubadour
8 Ball Aitken (Album Launch), The Reversals, The Long Green Beans, Jackie Marshall & The Black Alles Band @ The Globe

Saturday 9th:
Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side, Houlette (Vic) @ Ric's Bar
Bonefinger Masked Ball: Grand Atlantic, Idle Cranes, Skinny Jean, Drawn From Bees, The Surgeons @ The Zoo
Dirty From Dusk: The Fumes (NSW), Little Vegas & The Fuzz Parade, Black Mustang, The Hits, At Sea, Numbers Radio, The Blackwater Fever, The Fuss @ Step Inn
My Fiction (EP Launch), Captains (NSW), Art of the State, Impossible Odds @ Valley Studios

Sunday 10th:
Houlette (Vic), Table & Chair, To The North, Dan Van Zutphen, McKisko, Mapletons @ The Old Musem (3 - 8pm) - there have been a few changes to this lineup so I'm not totally sure who's playing as of right now. It's a cool venue and there are some cool bands though, so head along.
Live Spark: The Bell Divers (Album Launch), Carry Nation @ The Powerhouse (3pm)

Tuesday 12th:
Twist Oliver, Twist (EP Launch), Hunz, Blue Carousel, The Repetition @ The Zoo
Wind & Brackets, Deux Garcon @ Ric's Bar
Q Song Awards: The Gin Club, 8 Ball Aitken, The John Steel Singers, Asa Broomhall @ The Tivoli
Pineapples From The Dawn Of Time, Last Night's Tea @ The Pineapple Hotel

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Anonymeye, Ur @ Ric's Bar (23.7.08)

It's been two weeks since this show actually occurred, so I thought that I should write about it today or not at all.

Ur are an instrumental space-rock trio (comprised of three Rockinghorse staffers) that have been playing around Brisbane for a few months now. Usually they're loud and electrified, fusing almost 'classic rock' guitar with synths and repetitive (though non-standard) rhythms. For this particular show, however, they took a leaf from the headliner's book and played largely acoustic. The result of this was that their usual sound took a turn towards the middle-eastern; Exotic scales and droning riffs were the order of the evening, with clattering percussion underscoring it all. It sounded like some sort of sci-fi inflected ancient Egyptian music, or in other words, the perfect alternate score for the movie 'The Fifth Element'. I had only seen Ur once before (the previous time they played Ric's, supporting Del Toro), and I must say that I much preferred this version of the band; it sounded much more unique, and somehow more cohesive. I did find myself zoning out a little bit towards the end of the show, but that might have been more to do with lack of sleep on my behalf. I can imagine that such an experience would have been quite pleasurable when laying in the comfortable couches of somewhere like The Hangar.

Ur don't have a myspace or anything like that, but you can listen to their previous Ric's show via the awesome Brisbane bootleg blog at Turn It Up To 10.


Anonymeye (aka Andrew Tuttle) could technically be labelled as a Melbourne artist these days, but since he spent his formative years and started this project in Brisbane (as well as playing and organising many events here, such as last week's Decline Of Modern Civilisation show at the Tongue & Groove), I figure that we can stretch our metaphorical pages to talk about him [update: apparently he moved back to Brisbane a few months ago]. Tuttle mixes intricate bluegrass fingerpicking with sound manipulations to create a fairly unique atmosphere, since when the two are combined it creates a strange balance between comfortable familiarity and otherworldiness. This evening's set started with more acoustic melodies than electronic drones, easing everyone into Anonymeye's world. After a few minutes of this the electronic elements began to creep in, but they were still in the relative background and served more as a bed of noise on which the guitar lines sat. Gradually the drones took on a more upfront role, with Tuttle alternating between a few bars of picked guitar and a few bars of sound manipulation. I got the feeling that he was having a few technical difficulties, as the electronic elements of his sound weren't coming through clearly and at times the two disparate elements were not gelling - it almost seemed like two parallel sets that were competing for the audience's attention. At other times it all managed to fall into place, but these moments tended to make the more awkward parts even more frustrating. Ric's is also often not the best location for a show like this - as great as it is for a sweaty rock show, the chatter from the mall (and in the room itself) tends to distract when there's more subtle music coming from the stage.

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The Smokestack Orchestra, New Jack Rubys, Little Vegas & The Fuzz Parade @ The Troubadour (02.08.08)

Last night saw an explosion of psychedelic blues rock with three of Brisbane's loudest bands doing their thing in the small confines of The Troubadour.

First up was Little Vegas & The Fuzz Parade, a band who seem to develop exponentially each time they play. Their combination of sixties-style blues rock (especially Big Brother & The Holding Company) and the sound of the desert rock bands of mid nineties. The most obvious standout of this five piece is vocalist Sabrina Lawrie, whose vocals are some of the most intense I've heard from any singer. Unfortunately, during this set, her vocals were too low in the mix and didn't cut through the music like they usually do. On the bright side, this technical fault meant that the rest of the band were able to showcase their increasing musical skill. Guitarist's Will O'Brien and Byron Dean had some excellent riffs and winding solos in their repertoire, while the rhythm section of Pete O'Brien on bass and Jordan Miller on drums had the punters go-go dancing around the Troubadour. 'Gifthorse' and 'Only Say It Once' were set highlights with their soaring vocals and breakneck rhythms, but the newer tracks Little Vegas were also a sign of how quickly this band can potentially grow.

The ever entertaining New Jack Ruby's were next. Their Cream-via-Mudhoney noise has a way of turning the listener comatose for 3 and a half minute, with the inability to focus on anything but the music. Older songs like 'Warship Colossus and Me' and 'Silver Tongue' were pulled off excellently, while new songs like 'Big! Sexy! Party!' show that the New Jack's aren't going to be taking their collective foot off the accelerator anytime soon. Closing song 'Tesla Coil' proved to be the highlight of the night however. Sounding like The Drones fronted by Nick Cave, drummer Doug's doom-laden monologue and apocalyptic vocals perfectly complement the screaming guitars and organ.

Headliners The Smokestack Orchestra are a band I hadn't previously had the chance to see previously. While song's like 'Girl' and 'The Wreck', as well as a cover of Dr. Dre and Tupac's 'California Love' (Or possibly Ronnie Hudson's 'West Coast Poplock' seeing as they only sung the lines sampled from that song') pleased the crowd, I personally was a little underwhelmed. Smokestack Orchestra's clean-cut blues-rock came off a little tame after Little Vegas' and New Jack Ruby's psych-freak outs. The band were undoubtedly tight, however, with Tal Wallace doing his best Joe Cocker impersonation vocally, Dean Hunt channeling the style of late 60's Jimmy Page, and Skritch (of Mary Trembles) banging away joyfully at the skins (he didn't stop grinning once!). Thus my opinion is torn on this band. While I constantly hoped for them to get a little messier as I heard the faint undertones of Hüsker Dü and Big Star, maybe on a different night I would have enjoyed the clean ring of their Led Zeppelin-style blues riffs. Smokestack Orchestra are definitely one for my "seek a second opinion"-pile.

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Cam's Gigs of the Week - July 31st

If you're not going to Splendour here's some other entertainment for you:

Thursday 31st:
Mr Rascal, Steve Grady & The Wild Pidgeons @ Ric's Bar
The Decline of Modern Civilisation: Toxic Lipstick, Taste of Teeth, DJ Lame, Brutal Hate Mosh, Potato Master, Peer Pressure @ Tongue & Groove

Friday 1st:
Death Cage, The Disables, Tear Gas, The Quickening, Meaningless Existence @ Rosie's
Mr Maps, Fickle Beasts, Dot.AY @ Tongue & Groove
Tara Simmons, Emma Dean @ The Spiegeltent
White Mansions, The Habits, Young Liberals @ The Troubadour - White Mansions launch their EP.

Saturday 2nd:
The Smokestack Orchestra, New Jack Rubys, At Sea, Little Vegas & The Fuzz Parade @ The Troubadour
Granite Lakes, Flying Squad @ Ric's Bar
Steve Grady & The Wild Pidgeons, The Live Room, Gladstone & Lochaber @ The Valley Studios

Sunday 3rd:
The Diamond Sea (Vic), Secret Birds @ Ric's Bar
Live Spark: Polaroid Fame, Kate Bradley @ The Powerhouse

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Cam's Gigs of the Week - July 24th

Back to regular business after that last announcement. There should be some reviews etc coming up in the next few days.

Thursday 24th:
The Rogues (EP Launch), New Jack Rubies, Capital @ The Zoo
The Legand aka Everett True (UK), Young Liberals @ Ric's Bar

Friday 25th:
Angie Hart (Vic), Dave McCormac, Kristy London @ The Troubadour
The John Steel Singers, The Kahn Brothers (NSW), Turtle Creek, McKisko @ The Globe
Nikko, Major Major (Vic), Stemford Hiss @ The Valley Studios
The Oyster Murders, Blue Carousel, Mikowai @ The Zoo
Tear Gas, Useless Children, The Focus, Dick Nasty @ Hotel Broadway

Saturday 26th:
Tragic/Athletic (10" Launch), Major Major (Vic), Do The Robot @ The Troubadour - This would be the gig of the week.
Brisindie Fest: Pink Bullets, The Moderns, Numbers Radio, Kissy Trouble Company, The Cairos, The Surgeons, Buick Six, Lair Eon @ QUT Guild Bar
The Greenmatics, Re:Enactment, The Repetition @ Step Inn

Sunday 27th:
Stemford Hiss, Vanguard Tic, Reichelt & The Concealed Knives, Piers @ Kitty O'Shea's

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Stranded: A Compilation of Brisbane Music 2007-2008

So it's time to announce Brisbane's worst kept secret! Over the last two months you may have noticed a bit of a drop off in the post rate here at Before Hollywood. That's because we've been hard at work putting together 'Stranded: A Compilation of Brisbane Music 2007-2008'.

This idea of putting together a compilation of local bands began as a way to celebrate Before Hollywood's first birthday (which was actually a while ago now), but has evolved into a behemoth 3-CD album featuring 42 of this city's most talented artists. 'Stranded' is a celebration of Brisbane's ever evolving music scene, and in this spirit it spans numerous genres and aesthetics.

It also a celebration of the community and, with this in mind, we invite everyone to join us in launching 'Stranded' on Friday August 15th at The Zoo. Along for the ride will be The Rational Academy, Tragic/Athletic, Nova Scotia, Ambitious Lovers and Monster Monster. With tickets only $8, you'll have no excuse not to purchase a copy of 'Stranded' as the album will sell for $15 on the night. All the proceeds from 'Stranded' will be going to the Red Cross' soon to be established Centre for Young People to be situated in Fortitude Valley.

Have a look at the tracklisting, the poster for the launch gig, and the press release after the jump. And a million thank-yous to the bands and artists who have been involved with this, as well as to Samantha Norman and Mel Tickle for producing such beautiful artwork for the album cover and the gig poster.


Disc 1
1. Yeow Meow - Boredoms
2. Tragic Athletic - Three Months At Sea
3. The Rational Academy - White Bears of Norway
4. Ambitious Lovers - Deer (The Rational Academy cover)
5. Saint Surly - Into The Wind (The Surly Instrumental Version)
6. Yeo & The Freshgoods - Two Sides Of A Door
7. Dot.AY - Default To Paranoia
8. I Heart Hiroshima - The Cover
9. Monster Monster - Sunday Before Basketball
10. Joel Saunders - Take Off Your Dress
11. Shiver Like Timber - ET And Me
12. Mt Augustus - The Warmest Winter
13. Little Scout - Dead Loss
14. Iron On - The Red Thread

Disc 2
1. Turnpike - Easy Choices For Bad People
2. Nova Scotia - Last Boy Band
3. No Anchor - Four Keys
4. Mass Migration - Sepia
5. Nikko - Unnamed
6. Arrows - Don't Interrupt Me While I'm Working
7. Buildings Melt - Sad Faces
8. Do The Robot - Six Dreams And Counting
9. Feathers - No Features No Control
10. To The North - Harm's Way
11. Rialto Decibel Choir - Packages And Postcards
12. Willows - You Said You'd Leave But Our Houses Are Still Haunted

Disc 3
1. Violent Soho - Muscle Junkie
2. Butcher Birds - Tiger Paw
3. Vegas Kings - Good Soldier
4. Del Toro - Huevos Del Oro
5. Little Vegas & The Fuzz Parade - Only Say It Once
6. The Sips - Baby Back Down
7. New Jack Rubys - Big Sexy Party
8. At Sea - Scream Like A Queen
9. The Rocketsmiths - The Boy Who Cried Wolf
10. The John Steel Singers - Evolution
11. Mr Rascal - Let It Roll
12. Capital - Horoscope
13. The Gin Club - On A Mountain
14. Texas Tea & Orville Brody - You Are My Sunshine
15. Chris Pickering - You Don't Know
16. BigStrongBrute - Birds And Elephants

Press Release

Launch Show Poster

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Cam's Gigs of the Week - July 16th

Wednesday 16th:
Mr Maps, Toy Balloon @ Ric's Bar

Thursday 17th:
SixFtHick @ Ric's Bar
Hazards of Swiming Naked, The Surrogate, From Whence It Came, Sleepmakeswaves @ The Globe

Friday 18th:
Pineapples From The Dawn Of Time, The Ripz @ Tabu Nightclub
Turtle Creek, The Surgeons, The Cairos, Comic Sans @ The Valley Studios
Quiet Steps, Hanna Coffey, Marl Karx, The Kettleheads, Piers @ Rosie's Upstairs

Saturday 19th:
Connect Four Art Party: Little Vegas & The Fuzz Parade, The Strange Attractors, Little Scout, Ma Sheen, Darstardly Nuts @ The Valley Studios (5pm)
Chris Pickering, McKisko, James Parry @ Tongue & Groove
Hot Liquid Sex, Ed Guglielmino @ Ric's Bar
Ryu Vs Ken, Apex Null, Ghost Town, Jet Set Ready @ Fat Louie's Pool Hall
Skinny Jean, The Grove, Re:Enactment, The Smart @ The Globe
Nights Outside: Tex Perkins, James Cruickshank, Mike Noga, Pat Bourke, Gus Agars, Fi Claus @ QPAC Cascade Court

Sunday 20th:
Andrew Morris, Dan Parsons @ Brisbane Powerhouse

There's also Stature::Statue supporting Snowman and Baseball on Wednesday, Yeo & The Freshgoods supporting The Paper Scissors and Seabellies on Thursday, and No Anchor supporting Children Collide and Spod on Friday.

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Weekly News - July 15th

• The second lineup for Sounds of Spring Festival have been announced. British India, Parkway Drive, Resin Dogs, Behind Crimson Eyes, Rocket Science, Children Collide, Final Days Of Autumn, Blue Juice, Trial Kennedy, Calling All Cars, Laura Imbruglia, The John Steel Singers, Vegas Kings and The Mercy Dolls will all join the lineup, with a third round of acts still to be announced.

• At Sea are putting the finishing touches to their debut EP. The band have an excellent live show so this will be one to look out for.
  

• Brisbane's bootleg industry is in good order. Just have a look at new blog, Turn It Up To 10, if you don't believe me.
  

• New Music from The Cairos ("Seventeen") and The Bloodpoets ("Tryst").
  

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The Boat People's 'Awkward Orchid Orchard' clip

Here's the new video clip for The Boat People's single from their new album, Chandeliers. The song is 'Awkward Orchid Orchard' and the video contains references to 52 other bands, so even if you're not such a fan of the band you might still find the clip kind of interesting.

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Cam's Gigs of the Week - July 9th

Not quite so many gigs on this week as there was last week, but there's still a good quantity to choose from.

Wednesday 9th:
Monster Monster, Prince Nod @ Ric's Bar - Some left-of-centre hip hop.

Thursday 10th:
Del Toro, Ur @ Ric's Bar - Some instrumental space rock for you.

Friday 11th:
Grey Daturas (Vic), Secret Birds, Roshambo, No Anchor, Candlesnuffer (Vic) @ The Globe - The Grey Dats release their new album with support from a whole bunch of great local bands (and one Victorian act).
Flamingo Crash, Do The Robot @ The Troubadour - Ex-locals return.
Mr Rascal, The Granite Lakes, Carry Nation @ QPAC Cremorne Theatre - Mr Rascal release their debut album.
The Gallant, The Faze, The Frets, The Surgeons @ The Zoo - The The show.

Saturday 12th:
The Danger Bunnies @ The Powerhouse (3pm) - 'primary school kids playing power grunge' Joel
Violent Soho, The Reptiles (Vic), Side Effects @ The Troubadour - Local (grunge revival) band releases anticipated album.
Nova Scotia, Restream (Album launch), Hazards of Swimming Naked, Fickle Beasts @ Lofly Hangar (151 Musgrave Rd) - Electronic artist restream launches his latest with a great local lineup.
The Gin Club, Tim Steward, Jimmy Stewart @ The Zoo - The Gin Clum re-launch their Junk album.
Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side, Z-Rays @ Ric's Bar
Mt Augustus, Reichelt & The Concealed Knives @ Ric's Bar (4pm Cheesboard) - some indie/folk/pop.
Wind & Brackets, Stature::Statue, Idle Cranes @ Valley Studios
Willows, Our Anatomy (Vic), In Sepia, Ghost Town @ Fat Louie's Pool Hall

Sunday 13th:
Live Spark: Halfday, Art of the State @ The Powerhouse
Fi Claus, Merry-May Gill @ Ric's Bar (3pm)

There's also the Women In Voice thing that seems to be on every night until Sunday at the QPAC Playhouse, with Katie Noonan, Pearly Black, Lil' Fi, Melissa Western, Liz Buchanan, Georgia Corowa.

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