classic and rare Australian popular music from the 1950's, 1960's. 1970's and beyond..including rock and roll, pop, beat, rock, surf and progressive, plus contemporary artists, new releases, reviews and other fun stuff

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Showing posts with label South Australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Australia. Show all posts

Monday, July 16, 2018

Adelaide-based alternative-rock band Mad Cactus new single "Big Game" and debut EP "Thirteen Dogs"


Adelaide-based  alternative-rock  band  Mad  Cactus  have  recently  unveiled  their  new  single  ‘Big  Game’, lifted  from their  debut  eight-track  LP  ‘Thirteen  Dogs', recorded  and  produced  by  Dan  Murtaghat of Debasement  Studios, Melbourne.

Big  Game’  takes  cues  from  the  likes  of  the  groups  staple  influences  Royal  Blood, The  Black  Keys and  SoundGarden.  Opening  with  compelling  melodic  piano  and  the  endearing  vocals  of  front-man  Tim  Mellonie,  the  song  builds  into  a  gradual  crescendo  of  brooding  guitars  and  drums,  before  hitting  its  monstrous  anthemic  chorus.
  



Mellonie  describes  the  motivation  behind  the  track:“Wildlife  conservation  is  something  I’m  very  passionate  about  and  consumes  a  huge  chunk  of  my  life  outside  of  Mad  Cactus.  As  a  Keeper  working  at  one  of  Australia’s  largest  zoological  parks,  a  strong  conservation  message  was  bound  to  come  through  somewhere  in  the  music.Throughout  my  career,  I’ve  had  the  unique  opportunity  to  work  closely  with  a  range  of  rare  and  endangered  species  including  the  Southern  White  Rhino.  I  wanted  to  do  something  a  little  different  with  our  song  Big  Game.  I  wanted  to  help  raise  awareness  regarding  the  plight  of  wild  rhinoceros  and  exposesome  of  the  brutality  that  comes  with  the  trade  of  rhino  horn.”



Since  their  inception  in  late-2014,  Mad  Cactus  have  released  their  debut  single  ‘Dream  Killer’that  earned  a  nomination  for  ‘Best  Heavy  Act’  by  the  South  Australian  Music  Awards(2016).  The  group  have  also  become  a  mainstay  on  the  local  Adelaide  scene  playing  a  slew  of  gigs  and  building  a  loyal  following.

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Monday, April 24, 2017

SA blues trio Lazy Eye new release "Pocket The Black"..soul drenched blues



Soul drenched blues. Think B.B. King sharing a scotch with Booker T at the crossroads after midnight. 

Lazy Eye kicked off 2016 off with a whirlwind trip across the South Pacific to the land where the Blues began. Upon reaching the quarter finals, the Hammond Organ Trio became the inaugural band to represent South Australia at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. Following the competition, the band played one show only at the legendary B.B. King’s Blues Club on Beale Street, a highlight of the trip, before heading home thoroughly grounded in the blues.

Having clocked up a multitude of miles in their tour van, the 2015 Group Of The Year (Australian Blues Music Awards) has not only developed a reputation as one of the hardest working bands in their home country but has also picked up a swag of accolades along the way including Best Blues Album for their debut release Move Me (2013 SA Blues & Roots), Best Blues Artist (2014 South Australian Music Awards) and nominations for Song Of The Year (Hole In My Pocket, 2015 Australian Blues Music Awards) and Most Popular Blues/Roots Artist (2016 South Australian Music Awards). 

On release, their brand new offering Pocket The Black has been judged the 2016 Blues Album Of The Year (Adelaide Roots & Blues Association) and has been nominated for Album Of The Year at the 2017 Australian Blues Music Awards.



Marty's reviewPocket the Black is Lazy Eye in a live studio setting that captures the true essence of their rootsy blues with soul and delivers it in a straight forward and down to earth way. Keeping the production to as close to their live show as they can, with minimal overdubs and being able to do extra takes, the album is a collection of all original soul-blues numbers with punch and vigor that showcases the professional talents of each member. 

Stream and download the album HERE:

Official website: https://www.lazyeyeband.com/


                            



“Pocket the black is an album firmly planted in the past, present and future of the blues, a brilliant
collusion of old and new” Made In The Shade

“It’s easy to see why Lazy Eye have been getting the plaudits they easily deserve. It’s the blues done well with soul and passion.” Music SA 

“Whetter’s vocals are gritty with a velvety smack of soul” Sydney Morning Herald 

“It’s a pleasure to see a weather-beaten Hammond fronting a band and even more so when it’s wielded with style. Such is the case with Adelaide blues outfit Lazy Eye” The Australian 

“The universal recognition is testament to the hard work and drive the three piece have applied since their formation just three years ago. Their throwback blend of electric blues and old school rock ‘n’ roll has earnt them festival spots all over the country”  Rip It Up

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Sunday, October 30, 2016

Gwyn Ashton, ex Adelaide (UK based) high-energy, blues performer, new album release



Gwyn Ashton, Chris Finnen and Peter Buelke's new album "Ragas, Jugs and Mojo Hands" is a beautifully crafted exotic blend of acoustic blues and world music, infused with an unmistakable Australian flavour.

Recorded in Noarlunga, South Australia, this foot-stompin’, hand-clappin’ celebration of roots music will draw the listener in on a mesmerizing cross-continental sonic journey.

album sampler promo video

Ashton and Finnen, two kindred-spirit musicians, both inductees of the South Australian Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame and friends for 35 years, join together for the first time on record. With Melbourne musician Peter Beulke on upright bass, they form a formidable partnership, evoking a tapestry of varied cultural influences, weaving the sounds of Indian, Arabic and African in traditions into the album. Recorded live, first or second take, this spontaneous session involved no rehearsal or pre-production.

Ashton has spent the past 30 years touring Australia and Europe, recording with some of the biggest names in blues and rock including musicians from Deep Purple, Robert Plant’s and Rory Gallagher’s bands and touring with artists such as Buddy Guy, Mick Taylor, Peter Green and many more. His contribution to this album includes material written on the road through Poland, the Czech Republic and the UK.


Find out more on WEBSITE HERE 

jamming with Kevin Borich

download FREE 6 minute album sampler HERE

December tour dates:

11 - Vic, St Kilda, Elwood Blues Club (solo)

12 - Vic, Frankston, Bar 12 (solo)

15 - NSW, Sydney, Frankie's Pizza (solo)

17 - NSW, Wollongong, Beaches (solo)

18 - NSW, Sydney, Lazybones (solo)

22 - Vic, St Kilda, Dog's Bar (solo)


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Friday, September 4, 2015

Stars...Paradise...debut album from 1977



Stars were a country and rock band formed in Adelaide, South Australia in 1975 and disbanded in 1979. Founding members were Glyn Dowding on drums; Malcolm Eastick on guitar and vocals; Mick Pealing on vocals; and Graham Thompson on bass guitar. They were joined by guitarist, songwriter, Andrew Durant in 1976 and relocated to Melbourne. Thompson then left and was replaced by a succession of bass guitarists including Roger McLachlan (ex-Little River Band) and Ian McDonald.

They were touted as the "rock'n'roll cowboys" and played the local pub and club circuit. They were noticed by Little River Band's guitarist Beeb Birtles and were signed to Mushroom Records. Birtles produced their debut single, "Quick on the Draw" which reached the Australian Kent Music Report top 30 in July 1976. Their second single, "With a Winning Hand" peaked into the top 40 in October.

The band's debut album, Paradise, peaked at No. 11 on the Australian Kent Music Report in 1978 and included their highest charting single "Look After Yourself" which reached No. 21 on the related singles chart. Their second album, Land of Fortune, was released in 1979 but did not reach the Top 50. By that time Durant had been diagnosed with cancer, the band had their last performance on 5 November and Durant died on 6 May 1980 at age 25. A tribute performance by Stars members and other Australian acts followed in August and a double-LP, Andrew Durant Memorial Concert was released in 1981. It peaked at No. 8 on the albums chart with proceeds donated to Andrew Durant Cancer Research Foundation.

Post Stars, Eastick joined Broderick Smith's Big Combo (1979–1982) and later provided guitar for different artists including Max Merritt and Jimmy Barnes. Pealing formed his own band Mick Pealing and the Ideals (1980–1981), they were also a backing band for Renée Geyer, he then formed The Spaniards (1983–1986) and worked with other artists including Eastick. McLachlan toured with Cliff Richard in 1978, worked with John Farnham (1987–1988), briefly rejoined Little River Band (1998–1999) and was a member of Mighty Oz Rock with Pealing in 2004.

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Saturday, August 2, 2014

From Mustangs to Masters..First Year Apprentices...garage, beat, blues and R'n'B


The Masters' story began in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in early '65, with The Mustangs, a dance band formed by four Adelaide teenagers: Mick Bower, Brian Vaughton, Gavin Webb and Rick Morrison. The Mustangs were a typical example of an early-60s instrumental band, playing the obligatory Shadows and Ventures covers. The cataclysmic visit by the Beatles in 1964 rendered all that passe overnight. The Mustangs were canny enough to realise that the surf/instrumental craze was past its 'use-by' date, and they decided to change their style to incorporate the new "beat' music, so they placed a "singer wanted" ad on the noticeboard at a local music centre. On his third (and last) visit there, the ad was spotted by a young would-be bass player called Jim Keays, who was taking lessons from musician and guitar teacher John Bywaters (who was a member of one of Adelaide's most popular and accomplished beat groups). The Mustangs began to established themselves on the dance circuit around Adelaide, in suburban halls and migrant hostels. 

They built up a strong following with the local teenagers, many of whom were, like Jim, migrants from the UK (Adelaide was a major destination for UK migrants in the 50s and 60s). Their audiences were also an important influence for the band - some of these kids were very recent arrivals, who had seen the top UK bands in action only weeks before, and they had a strong effect on the band's "look", since they were directly in touch with current 'mod' fashions, a trend which was still not very well known in Australia. The next step was a name change, and because they regarded themselves, at least for a while, as apprentices to those musical "masters" like Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, their new name (suggested by Bowers) paid homage to these heroes. They decided early on to dispense with the apostrophe.

Towards the end of 1965 they found their home-base at an Adelaide club called The Beat Basement. Before long they were they regularly packing out the club, and they graduated from the less prestigious spots to the prized Saturday afternoon residency. They also became a prime attraction at the Octagon Ballroom in the Adelaide suburb of Elizabeth (The Twilights' home turf) which was located near another large migrant hostel. Keays recalls that the regulars included two young Scots migrant boys, John "Swanee" Swan and his brother Jimmy Barnes. The band also played at a dance in Salisbury, promoted by a young Doc Neeson, later the lead singer of The Angels.

By early in the new year the Masters were one of the most popular bands in town and regularly packed out gigs across the city, as well as making mini-tours to outlying towns and cities like Murray Bridge, Mt Gambier and Whyalla. The Masters' first big break was their appearance on the Channel 7 Good Friday telethon hosted by Adelaide TV celebrity Ernie Sigley. The Masters played four songs, to a rousing reception, and by the next day they were the talk of the town.

..text courtesy of Milesago