4 The Love of Music

GRAMMY AWARDS

2011-02-14T22:15:00.000-08:00

What always promises to be a big night for the music industry, the Grammy Awards didn't disappoint.

The night's biggest (and most popular) surprise was the hotly contested Album of Year category. Taken out by Canadian indie band, The Arcade Fire for their third and highly acclaimed album, "The Suburbs", it was without a doubt the night's most talked about award.

Hailing from Montreal, The Arcade Fire, has been making huge waves in the music scene for a while now due to the hype surrounding their energetic and big live shows not to mention the tip of the hat from two of America's most powerful men, Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen. That couldn't hurt at all.

The Arcade Fire also had one of the coolest internet marketing tools thanks to Google Chrome - check it out HERE

CITY & COLOUR HEADLINE AUSTRALIA

2011-02-09T17:28:00.000-08:00

I am stoked that Dallas Green - A.K.A City & Colour - will be headlining a series of live shows in Australia in April 2011.

City & Colour has released two albums - "Sometimes" and "Bring Me Your Love" - both of which are on high rotation on my cd player. Yeah, I think Dallas is a music genius. Period.

Currently in the studio recording album #3 I am waiting with baited breath to hear the new record. Bring it.

While most of the shows are sold out - YAY! - you may be lucky in snagging a ticket at one of these shows:

Tues 5th April - ENMORE THEATRE, SYDNEY (SOLD OUT)
Wed 6th April - ENMORE THEATRE, SYDNEY
Thur 7th April - PALACE THEATRE, MELBOURNE (SOLD OUT)
Fri 8th April - THE TIVOLI, BRISBANE (SOLD OUT)
Sun 10th April - HQ, ADELAIDE (SOLD OUT)
Mon 11th April - ASTOR THEATRE, PERTH (SOLD OUT)

A DAY ON THE GREEN - INXS, TRAIN, BABY ANIMALS & SEAN KELLY

2011-02-09T16:39:00.001-08:00

At the end of January I caught one of the Day on The Green shows featuring INXS, Train, Baby Animals and former Model, Sean Kelly. It honestly was the best rock show I'd ever been to and I've been to a lot. We're talking even better than U2's 360 show. No joke.

Sean Kelly and band opened the event with a good cross section of solo material, songs he recorded with The Dukes and of course his hits from his days with The Models. Kelly was laid back and honest in his performance and reminded us just how darn talented this guy is.

Next up was the Baby Animals. Frontwoman, Suze Demarchi, had not lost any of the attitude she possessed in the 90's proving that even 20 years on she's still one of the coolest chicks in Aussie rock music.

San Francisco rockers Train showed they were not just "that band who sings Hey Soul Sister" ... wowing the crowd with their electrifying performance and frontman, Pat Monahan, winning over the crowd with not only his impressive vocal ability but also his down to earth persona.

The headline act was INXS with JD Fortune taking on vocal duties and proving he is THE man for the job. No one is saying he will ever replace Michael Hutchence. He never will because he is not Michael Hutchence. He is JD Fortune and credit must be given to the man who took on one of the toughest gigs in the world and is handling it well. He has brought INXS out of the funk they were in and created a whole new ground swell of younger fans for INXS' music. Fortune has a killer vocal. He oozes sexuality and all things that a rock star should possess. And you can see that Fortune loves INXS, loves their music and loves being on stage with them. I've seen INXS on numerous occasions with both Hutchence and Fortune as frontmen and this was the best I've ever seen them. Polished as always, yet you could sense INXS were having fun, loving music and enjoying performing again. I think what people forget when they criticise and say "INXS should not have continued when Michael died" ... is that there were five other members of INXS and all of them contribute equally to the sound and success of this great band. It's family. They were not Michael's songs. They are INXS songs. They deserve to live on forever.

While I've talked about Fortune I really do hate singling out any member as Tim, Andrew and Jon Farriss, Gary Beers and Kirk Pengilly are all incredible musicians and together on stage they are electrifying. Right now, Fortune is doing a great job filling the shoes of one of the world's greatest frontmen of all time. I personally thank and applaud INXS for continuing and I hope they keep releasing landmark albums in the future.

INXS' cool new album "Original Sin" is out now through Petrol Electric.

FILM COMPOSER KRISTEN BAUM

2011-02-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

While on holiday in Los Angeles last year, I met a highly talented film composer named Kristen Baum. During our conversion, I was instantly drawn in by how passionate, enthusiastic, driven and open she was about her work. For me, coming from Australia where people tend to keep to themselves and do their own thing, it was not only refreshing but extremely inspiring.

Her enthusiasm reignited my love for film music by reminding me how amazing music created especially for film can be and we both agreed that music is one of the most vital parts within a film. "It really can set a mood. It can really help an audience connect emotionally. It can help fill in blanks if there are blanks to be filled in. It's as important as cinematography and story and great acting. It's one of the big elements which goes into creating an overall package", says Kristen.

The role of a film composer is not as easy as people may imagine. The composer has to create something which not only compliments and highlights scenes but also enhances the overall experience. "If we make it too big, we're stepping on the scene and not allowing the scene to just be what it needs to be and if we don't make enough of it, then we may not be supporting it right", she says. "So what it comes down to is a thorough discussion with the director about what it is we are looking to accomplish in a scene to begin with and then coming to that scene with our sensibilities and sense of story and knowing where it falls in the overall picture of everything. It's just really important to remember that we are bringing our sensibility but within the direction that has been given and we're taking the emotion that the director has said this is what we really want to say. It could be something that is completely unstated in the dialogue but it may be something that we want to convey as a sort of an undertone. In that way, music can add an element that we're not even always aware of that can give you another layer of meaning."

For Baum, the creation of the score is one of the most exciting parts of making the movie. While all composers have their own unique approach to writing a film score, she allows time to research and to absorb the characters and the storyline. "I like to do a lot of thinking because the more I think at that phase, the easier it is for me to create the score. I am living the story and living the characters and the more I've done the processing of that in my mind, the more ready I am to start creating the sound. Usually if I've thought enough, the sound will just start coming to me."

After years of intense music study, teaching music and working a day job in a law firm, the young composer realised she didn't belong in an office situation and that her heart truly yearned to follow her two passions - music and film. Just under three years ago, Kristen made the life changing decision to move to LA and become a film composer. "I really had no idea what I was in for. Within my first three weeks I was in Christopher Young's office. I had met and talked with him and then started working as an intern on the movie he was doing at that point which was "Untraceable". It was just fantastic. I learned the things I was ready to learn and one of the really big things that I learned was that you make a score one piece at a time. One minute at a time. One day at a time. It doesn't matter what exists in the world, if that's your focus, you can accomplish it. You set out from point A and you're going to point B and somehow a miracle happens and you come up with a score at the end of it."

Like all musicians, Kristen's musical tastes and influences are eclectic. She cites Fantasy as her favourite musical genre - both kids' stories and high fantasy - and one day would love to work with directors Peter Jackson and Clint Eastwood. Composer wise, she lists Alexandre Desplat, Christophe Beck, Cliff Martinez, James Newton Howard and Christopher Young as major influences. It was, however, James Horner and Danny Elfmann that really ignited her love for film music. "The first score that really lit me up was "The Pelican Brief". The car chase where James Horner is just playing all of this crazy orchestral stuff and then he's doing cluster chords on the piano and I'm just like that's so brilliant! Another was the first Batman that Keaton played Batman in. That score really brought my consciousness about scoring and about composers to light", says Kristen.

While a lot of hard work, love and careful thought goes into creating the music score for a film, the rewards are so fulfilling. For Baum, she absolutely relishes the fact that she gets to do this for a living. "For me, the opportunity to just sit at my computer at my workstation and write music to picture is so gratifying. They say it's not the destination it's the journey and for me the actual act of just sitting there and making the music note by note, line by line, just really is "it" for me." She also says experiencing the finished product in a cinema is extremely fulfilling. "When you are sitting, screening a movie that your music is in and you're in an audience of people and you can tell that they are completely in the movie. They laugh at the right moment. They scream and jump at the right moment. And to know that your music had something to do with that - that is a fantastic moment".

Besides her initial score co-ordinator work with Christopher Young on "Untraceable", impressed by her ability and talent, he selected Kristen as an orchestrator for his score for "When In Rome". She has also scored the short "Kill Your TV" and her first feature "My Wife is A Vampire", directed by Paul Marrin, has already earned a number of awards and played at a number of film festivals throughout the world. "Paul really has a vision which is really unique, very much his own vision and he is very fun to work with. Already he has been compared to a number of the big directors like Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson's early work. Another person I recently worked with is Amy Kernan-Bennett and I did her short film "The Things You Lose In The Ocean". Her story sensibility I find is fantastic. She tells a wonderful story and she pays attention to every single detail. She really is a phenomenal director to work with."

If there's one piece of advice that she'd share with other young composers wanting to break into scoring for film? "I'd have to quote Winston Churchill and just say never give up. You know when you go for that one thing that you are really passionate about, you know that it is going to test everything for you as a human being. It's the knowledge that it's not going to be easy but it is going to be completely rewarding and that it is going to give you the opportunity to explore your entire life as a human being, as a musician, as a storyteller, as a narrator - absolutely to the very furthest that you're able."

Kristen Baum is a refreshing, highly professional and uniquely talented film composer on the verge of very big things.

Check out her scoring work at her official website or her IMDB page

THE MUSIC OF ANGELO BADALAMENTI

2011-02-09T16:32:00.000-08:00

Even though it does not occur to many people, music is one of the most important ingredients in making a motion picture.

Many of the most memorable and talked about scenes in movies are the ones which feature a carefully selected piece or pieces of music. There are many examples which spring instantly to mind. If you mentioned the songs "Unchained Melody", "I've Had The Time of My Life" or "Mrs Robinson" ... most people would instantly remember the well known scene in "Ghost" between Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore at the pottery wheel, "Dirty Dancing" where Johnny and Baby dance publicly "their own way" for the first time and of course the famous ending of "The Graduate".

It's not just feature films which have great soundtracks. There are a handful of television shows which have successfully embraced music to define important and key scenes. The television show which really made me sit up and take note of the important role music plays with film was David Lynch's groundbreaking "Twin Peaks". Angelo Badalamenti's creepy yet romantic score was the very thing which set the mood of the show and also made us very aware of the power of music. 20 years later I still get goosebumps hearing the music from "Twin Peaks"!!

"Ally McBeal" is another of the great television shows which allowed the music to actually assist in telling the story. It was up front and prominent - not sitting in the background. Since then shows including "Grey's Anatomy", "True Blood", "Las Vegas", "CSI: NY" , "Glee" and "Cold Case" have all embraced music and actually edited the footage to fit the story or sound of the music. To the people behind these shows - I applaud & thank you for showing the true importance of great music!

MUSIC IN FILMS BY QUENTIN TARANTINO

2011-02-09T16:29:00.000-08:00

Quentin Tarantino is a genius when it comes to fusing music with the visual. It's evident that he puts a lot of thought into selecting the right piece of music for a certain scene. Music can certainly make a scene in a film - but it also has the power to break it. In all of Tarantino's films, music has played a hugely important role in maximizing the desired impact. Who could forget in "Pulp Fiction" when Uma Thurman shimmered to Urge Overkill's version of the Neil Diamond song, "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" or when Mr Blonde (Michael Madsen) did his sadistic ear cutting ritual to Steelers Wheel's "Stuck in The Middle With You" in "Reservoir Dogs".

"Kill Bill Vol.1" also highlighted Tarantino's attention to music detail and showed just how passionate he is about acquiring the right sounds. He hand selected the Japanese band the 5,6,7,8's - who featured in the film - after he first heard them whilst browsing in a Tokyo clothing store - just hours before he was due to fly out of the country. He asked the store clerk if he could have the cd as he didn't have time to go to a cd store. She refused. So, Tarantino offered double the retail price and secured it. The music throughout the film provide an important soundscape for the characters and the creation of a mood. The entrance of the Crazy 88's and the dramatic siren which is featured throughout the film are brilliantly chosen pieces.

To create the mood for "Inglourious Basterds", Tarantino, had his heart set on Ennio Morricone to compose the entire soundtrack. Due to time restrictions, Morricone, was unable to accept the offer - however - eight of his pieces did end up in the Oscar nominated film.

The music selected for Tarantino's opening titles have all achieved cult status. Dick Dale's surf hit "Misirlou" from "Pulp Fiction", Nancy Sinatra's haunting opener "Bang Bang" from "Kill Bill Vol.1", the folk classic, "The Green Leaves of Summer", which introduced "Inglourious Basterds" and of course "Little Green Bag" by the George Baker Selection from "Reservoir Dogs". They are instantly recognized pieces of music which everyone now associates with Quentin Tarantino films.

To view Quentin Tarantino's filmography, please check out IMDB.COM

Beyond Amazing ...

2010-03-18T17:22:00.000-07:00

Here it is the middle of March ... wow time flies when you're having fun and keeping busy!

In January we had a great cd release party for Kristin Reitter's "Beyond Illusion" CD. Held at a cute little venue in Los Feliz, Los Angeles - the launch was a testament to the true healing power of this cd! Thanks to everyone who came along to support the cd and it was great to meet a lot of wonderful new friends!

I am extremely proud to be involved in the creation of this cd and to be working with such a wonderful Deva in Kristin Reitter. I am blessed to not only work with such a wonderfully talented and joyful human being - but also share amazing experiences and dreams with someone I truly call one of my best friends. Thanks sister for showing me the path and for your daily wisdom.

Everything in our World is vibration. Our thoughts, feelings, physical bodies, spiritual bodies, plant life, animal life, Mother Earth and Universe are a symphony of limitless expressions. It is that simple. I started exploring this specific area of “New Age” modalities of sound when I moved to Los Angeles in 2003. I got certified in Voice Bio Analysis and that cracked my understanding wide open. My next discovery was a Crystal Singing Bowl. From the moment I sang with it, Spirit has been nudging, if not bonking me on the head, to create music with healing intentions. Welcome to BEYOND ILLUSION.

The purpose of this cd is to bring vibrational healing into the conscious and subconscious bodies. We all are aware of the great changes happening upon our planet. In order to assist with the release of our limited past and clear humanity for a limitless future, I have humbly said yes to the cocreation of this type of music. It is holistic. It is pure. It shifts toxicity out of all levels of the body without introducing a different toxic, like pharmaceuticals often do.

The human voice has powers we have yet to rediscover in our evolution as a human race. Not ONE person on this planet has the same voice. NOT ONE. Similar in tones and textures, but ALWAYS something different. There is plenty of SPACE in our Universe to house each person’s voice. Might this also be true for our spirits, countries, cultures, ideas and philosophies? I feel SO. I encourage all to listen with open minds and hearts to BEYOND ILLUSION. I feel it will introduce a dormant sacredness we all feel when we are held in a safe place where we are free to be free. Sing with these songs and invite YOUR knowingness into your awareness and body temple. It WILL heal you. Believe. God does. Heartfelt Blessings, Kristin Reitter.

To order the cd of KRISTIN REITTER'S "BEYOND ILLUSION" CLICK HERE

KRISTIN REITTER "BEYOND ILLUSION"

2010-01-02T19:12:00.000-08:00

In September 2009 I also met an amazingly talented young lady by the name of Kristin Reitter. I was so impressed by not only her original music but her abundance of talent, passion and drive that I had to immediately sign her up!!

I signed Kristin in November and we had her sound healing cd, "Beyond Illusion", recorded and pressed before Christmas!!! "Beyond Illusion" is a collection of medicinal melodies featuring Kristin's beautiful voice along with crystal singing bowls. It's amazing stuff!! The album will be officially released on January 30, 2010.

Her first album of acoustic pop tunes is also in progress with recording scheduled for mid 2010.

For further information visit:
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
MYSPACE
YOUTUBE
TWITTER

STEPHEN ROWE "RESTLESS SOUL"

2010-01-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

As you can see it's been a while since our last blog ... the last few months of 2009 was hectic but amazing!!!

Stephen Rowe released his second album, "Restless Soul", in October - so we had a lot of pre-release work to do around the first single, "Country Kids In The City", and then of course for the album. This time around Stephen released the album independently and is going great guns.

He'll be performing at the 2010 Illawarra Folk Festival on 15th & 16th January - so if you are in the area, make sure you head along to this awesome festival and check out Stephen LIVE!!

Rowie is then heading up to Tamworth for the annual Tamworth Country Music Festival. He's doing an instore at the Big Golden Guitar with Bec Lavelle (McLeod's Daughters); Mitchell Shadlow and Lianna Rose. The instore is on Thursday 21st January at 10.30am. After the live performance all the stars will be signing autographs, meeting fans and posing for photos! Good fun.

CONGRATULATIONS: STEPHEN ROWE

2009-08-31T23:02:00.001-07:00

Shout out to our good friend - Aussie ALT Country singer/songwriter, Stephen Rowe ... we're loving your new video "Country Kids In The City" and can't wait for the new album in October!!

And what a bonus getting Travis Fimmel to star in the video .... *drool*!! We've watched it about 5 million times ... seriously!

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: THE JACOB BUTLER PROJECT

2009-08-28T00:11:00.000-07:00

One of the best new singer/songwriters in Australia is without a doubt a young South Australian by the name of Jacob Butler. Butler has been paying his dues over the past few years only to emerge with one of the coolest songs of 2009 - the independently released - "Coma".

We managed to steal a few minutes from Butler's hectic schedule to talk about the single, good music and where to from here.

"Coma" is your debut independent release - it must be an exciting time for you having a song and clip hitting radio and tv screens around the country - knowing that it's 100% you and what you wanted to present musically?
Absolutely, it is a great feeling to know that its all in your own hands. At times it can be stressful, but i guess that it's all part of the fun. It has been a while coming so it's nice to finally get something out there.

You've been on the radar for a while working away quietly in the background - How hard was it to get from point A to point B for you?
I think that as long as you keep your head down and continue to work hard, that success will come... it's just a matter of when instead of if.

For a young guy you have a really broad taste in music - who are some of the main artists who have influenced your brand of music?
I'm a real fan of British Guitar bands really. Oasis, The Manic Street Preachers, Feeder, Teenage Fanclub, Elvis Costello... the list goes on!

All songwriters have different ways of creating "the song" - How do you approach your songwriting?
It really can vary.... there are no set rules for me personally, sometimes it just happens when you least expect it to, like three in the morning when i can't sleep.

I've been lucky enough to hear some of your demos and they're fantastic. What's the next step in the plan for The Jacob Butler Project?
I hope to get the album out early in the new year and do some shows to promote the album... from there who knows!

CONGRATULATIONS: SUZIE McNEIL

2009-08-11T23:40:00.000-07:00

A quick shout out to our friend Suzie McNeil ... her brilliant single "SuperGirl" has just been certified GOLD status in Canada!

Fire red ... you betcha! Congrats Suzie from your Aussie mates!

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: STEVE POLTZ

2009-06-04T16:43:00.000-07:00

Australians just love Steve Poltz. Why is that? Is it because he's one of the best songwriters to emerge in the past 20 years? Is it because of his quirky sense of humour? Is it because he doesn't take himself or anything too seriously? Probably a combination of all those things. He's currently touring the land of Aus once again - so we snapped on the white gloves, duct tapped him to a chair in his hotel room and gave him a thorough inspection. And no, he doesn't have Swine Flu.

For those people who are not familiar with the musical genius Steve Poltz ... how would you talk yourself up in a couple of sentences?

I'm thin and about 6 feet 1 inch. I like to take long walks on beaches and i love going to the movies in the middle of the day. I'm crazy like that. I've been in love a couple of times and i'm a pretty good cook and a great listener. One time i drank a can of this soft drink called Fresca and I had an allergic reaction and I broke out in hives and my balls swelled up to the size of a grapefruit until I thought they were going to explode. Thank god i still have them.

Your current album, Traveling, has a more stripped back organic feel compared to "Chinese Vaction" - was that something you consciously set about to achieve on this record ... to let the songs breathe?

No. I was just trying to learn how to download music illegally while in the studio so I spent most of my time online doing other things. Then I was like "are we recording? I don't have time for this - I'm trying to steal some Jonas Brothers. Let's just be lazy so I have more time to steal music from Metallica. Let's make this record stripped down"

In the past you have been signed to a major label ... but a few years ago you chose to do things your own way and also started your own label, 98 Pounder ... exactly how frustrated did you become with the overall workings of a major label?

I didn't really become frustrated. Those were good times but ever since my balls swelled up I've decided to be more of a loner. The label is called 98 pounder which coincidentally is the weight class I wrestled at in high school. I was a great wrestler. I'll wrestle any out there right now who's reading this.

What's the best thing about being an indie artist in this era of music?

Most indie artists get their own private jets and I'm really no different. I have servants and sycophants and a private chef and jet. Plus I'm best friends with Oprah so she and I usually hang out in the Hamptons with Billy Joel and Puffy Diddy Doo Dah Day.

You're back in Australia again ... us Aussies just seem to have this natural gravitation to you .... What keeps bringing you back here for shows?

You don't sell Fresca. The weather is nice and the people are pretty cool. I don't have to shower here as often because I don't know as many people and I can rob liquor stores with my handgun I bought in the USA one night while i was on a crack binge.

What's great about a Steve Poltz show is that you can usually walk away with a cd of that show you have just witnessed straight after the show ... does that add more pressure on you to always perform at your best and to give people something different each and everytime?

Not really. I just try to be honest which is hard when you're a compulsive liar. So usually every show I'm at odds with myself. It's a constant struggle just to get through a show but usually I feel much better when it's over. Kind of like going to the dentist or a painful smooth jazz concert.

What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever done or said to you?

"Hey Steve. I hate going to the dentist but I have this massive toothache. Will you pull my right maxillary lateral incisor out for me? You're the only person I trust because I've listened to your music and studied your lyrics and you seem pretty cool." So I did it backstage. There was more blood than I thought.

After your Aussie tour your off to Canada and then US and then back to Canada ... you always seem to be out and about playing shows ... where's Steve Poltz really call home?

The back of a police car sedated and handcuffed.

You've written some fantastic songs over the years ... "You Were Meant For Me" which Jewel cut would have to be your most successful and well known ... but which do you hold closest to you and makes you proud to have written?

I wrote this song called Stairway to Heaven. It was kinda well known. You should check it out sometime.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: PLAYDEAF

2009-05-21T22:04:00.000-07:00

Toronto's Playdeaf has been one of my favourite alternative bands for a while now ... The band's new EP ... the three track monster "Anna Nicole" shows a darker, more melancholy side which would even make Kurt Cobain proud. While there are tinges of Nirvana ... this new EP would sit comfortably alongside any of the bands featured in Alex Proyas' goth rock masterpiece, The Crow. I can't wait for the new full length disc to follow up the delicious debut, "Alien Baby", so we tracked down Playdeaf's vocalist & guitarist, Jeff Payne for a chat.

Anna Nicole is a shift slightly in sound for Playdeaf - how do you feel your sound has matured and progressed since the Alien Baby album?

"Every album is going to shift in one way or another. Alien Baby, however, was more of me doing my thing with the album. In fact, we really look at that album more as a demo, something that we could get out quickly and use to help get us shows or simply something to leave behind while starting to take shape as a band. Anna Nicole was one of the first few songs where we all contributed equally as a band. I would say this song is more Playdeaf than anything on Alien Baby. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, it feels way better than it did a year ago. But, like a fine wine or cheese... shit always gets better with age."

As a songwriter, I'm sure one of your main hopes would be to move listeners ... I've played Anna Nicole to a few people and they all seem to have a different opinion on what the song is actually about ... is that something that you strive for in regards to your songs?

"Our songs always seem to have that value. You need to leave it open because everybody thinks and interprets differently. I know what the song is about in my mind. If it means something different to you, that's okay."

Musically - is there anyone you feel has the most influence on the band?

"I honestly can't pinpoint something/someone certain other than the fact that we appreciate musicians that are disciplined and passionate about their work and believe that it's a good thing. We're all in our 20's and yeah, we were all at that "easily influenced" or "impressionable age" during the early nineties grunge movement, but there's so much more than that. And I think you'll notice as we keep growing as a band. If its good, it doesn't matter what kind of music it is. Soak that shit up!"

Give me a background check - how did the Playdeaf story begin?

"Ever since my old college band broke up, I was kinda tied up in relationships and didn't have a lot of time for anything else over the course of 6 years. One relationship came to a hault and I became single and didn't know what to do with myself. I found music again and started writing and writing. There was literally no stop. I had so much material that I put a few favorite tracks together I recorded on my laptop, and cut a promo album. I just started a new job and of course, I handed my disc around to anybody I met. Sure enough, I came across a drummer. The drummer, that my boss at the time, said I should meet when he was interviewing me. I shit you not, it actually was incentive and definitely one reason why I took the job.

The drummer, Helder, was trying to form something with three other guys but found it wasn't going anywhere quickly. He had heard my music and was interested in having me out for a session. His current singer didn't like the idea and he never showed his face again - so that opened up a slot for me. We hacked around as a four piece for a few sessions and it just wasn't jiving. I explained to Helder what I wanted to do and if we were to do it, it'd need to be as a three piece outfit and an additional guitarist wouldn't be part of it. So Helder, Chowder and I agreed to kindly let the other guy go.

All of this light drama took place in the spring of '07. We practiced a bunch of songs that I had written with one track, Angel Wreck, we wrote as a band. By May 24, 2007, we played our first show at a little bar on College St in Toronto called, The Smiling Buddha. Our video release at Tattoo on May 20, 2009 pretty much marks two years for us. I can say, with great confidence, that we're officially a band. The next two years, I feel, will be really interesting for us."

The three of you seem a pretty tight unit - not only musically but also as far as friendship goes ... is this a vital ingredient to the band?

"I think as a three piece you have to be. It's also what's propelled us quickly to get to our current point in the game. We're all pretty resourceful guys and understand what goes around comes around. That's pretty much life in general if you think about it. All we've done is applied that theory to whatever it is we're doing and usually, good things happen as a result. We wouldn't be where we are now if the chemistry or dynamics weren't there in the beginning."

Your live shows are an important piece of the puzzle ... you're launching the video and EP for Anna Nicole at Toronto's Tattoo Rock Parlour this week .... is Playdeaf going to pull something out of it's bag of tricks to make it yet another memorable experience for the fans?

(laughs) "Live shows are where bands need to shine and most importantly win the hearts of fans. We always try to one up on our last show. And yes, usually for an event of this magnitude, something cool will probably happen. A wise man once said, "If something don't break, or set fire, it ain't a good show."

How would you describe Playdeaf in three words?

"Passionate, Determined & Sexy"

When can fans expect a full blown follow up album to Alien Baby?

"We can't really say when, but more so, what to expect. We've been fishing around for producers. With this nice self produced EP under our belts, there can't be any cheese caking the next step. It's go big or go home. We're looking for a producer that has recorded platinum selling albums because, we feel that our music has the potential to reach that kind of level with them behind us. Some people might think that's a bold thing to say but really, in our minds, it's merely one goal of ours. All we've done is stayed true to ourselves. I mean, it's gotten us this far and there's so much more distance to cover."

Playdeaf's new EP "Anna Nicole" and album, "Alien Baby", are both available at iTunes.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: CITY & COLOUR

2009-05-19T01:08:00.000-07:00

Dallas Green is the heavenly voice of City and Colour and Canadian alternative super group, Alexisonfire. Both acts have been awarded Juno Awards - the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy Award - and their success is spread right around the world. We caught up with the 2009 Juno Songwriter of The Year and my favourite singer/songwriter, Dallas Green, in Toronto.

When you decided to release your own songs - which are so different to Alexisonfire - under the banner of City and Colour - were you surprised at how well the album did?

"Yeah - first of all I kind of had to have my arm twisted into releasing the first solo record just because for me I kind of have a problem believing in myself - I write all of these songs in my bedroom and I don't necessarily think people are going to get them. So everybody like my friends and family were kind of like would you just put them out because there will be kids who'll like it. So I finally I just gave in and put it out. I honestly thought that a few kids who like Alexis would get into it just for the melodic side of Alexis but never did I imagine that so many people would identify with it."

Were people shocked with the differences between City and Colour and Alexisonfire?

"Oh yeah - some people still are! Some people don't realise that I'm the same guy from both acts but once they figure it out they're like "what!? I can't believe that's you in both" and I'm like "yep". But I think some people think I am George sometimes you know do the screaming and the singing. It's definitely funny to see people's reactions when they figure out I'm in that band as well."

Both acts have done so well sales wise and also won Juno awards - it must be nice to know you can get out there and do two completely different things but still know people appreciate it?

"Yeah it's great because all I can hope for as a songwriter is that people will get what I am going for. I just hope that people are effected in the same way I am effected by music so the fact that I can do both of these projects simultaneously and have people take to both sides of them it's a great honour and it's like a wonderful surprise that people took to the City and Colour stuff."

You just mentioned how people can be effected by music - one of City and Colour's most touching songs is "Hello, I'm In Delaware" - which has so many interpretations and ideas of what the song is about - everything from love to death. From the point of view of the song's writer - what is it really about?

"I wrote that about 2 after Alexis really started hitting the road and touring for most of the year. I had a really strong relationship with my family and I had a really strong relationship with a girl you know I was living with her at the time and when you're suddenly just uprooted and taken away from all that - it's a shock to your system. That was a song I wrote about just dealing with that like missing the people I love and that I had spent my whole life being close with and then suddenly 10 months out of a year I am not around them anymore and you hope that you could just hit the pause button on your life at home and then go on tour and then come home and just hit play and it will be the same. You stay the same but you're staying the same in a different city everyday but the people at home are changing and growing without you and that is what that song is about. I know the chorus could definitely be taken as a song about death and the idea of seeing someone further down the road if they pass and then you pass later on. I think that's the best part about music - you can write a song and it can mean something to you but then a hundred other people can take it a hundred different ways."

Your songs with both bands are so full of honesty and emotion - Alexisonfire is passionate about certain subjects whereas City and Colour is honest in a completely different way - where do you draw your inspiration from?

"The thing with Alexis is that we all write the songs together and same with the lyrics - we all try and sit down together and write them because the thing with us is that we are such a collective and we all want to be on the same page when we are performing the song. Like if I wrote this song about a girl who bummed me out and I say okay guys I want us to sing about that - it kind of doesn't work that way for us. Like a song like "Boiled Frogs" which George came up with about his parents and how they were treated over the years working their low paying long kind of jobs and I could totally identify with that because the same thing happened to my Mum. So, when he came up with that idea I was able to write my lyrics based on the idea. But with the City and Colour stuff I'm able to take a much more personal route because it's just me writing the songs and I can express my personal opinion and not have to ask the other guys to write about a personal experience."

You have released two full length City and Colour albums - how do you feel they differ to one another?

"The first record was basically just a compilation of songs I had written over the span of 5 or 6 years and I had recorded it over like 2 days - one day in January and one day in April and then we released it in November 2004. Like I said I kind of had to have my arm twisted into releasing the first record but I think if I had felt more strongly about it and been more confident - "Bring Me Your Love" would be the record I would've released first just because I feel this is how I would've wanted my first solo record to be like. I was kind of dipping my toes into the water with the first record and being like "yeah this is kind of okay" whereas with this record I'm kind of diving in head first and being like okay this is my solo stuff and this is what I'm about."

I guess too with "Bring Me Your Love" - you were not only able to spend more time like you said on it and add more layers but you also have some cool guests on it?

"Yeah I was able to sit with the songs over a year and a half to two years and I kind of knew I was going to make another record and I actually demoed a lot of the songs on the road touring. I listened to them a lot before I got into the studio and knew exactly what layers and instruments I wanted to add to them so I had a much stronger plan of attack once I got into the studio."

Tell me about working with Gord Downie from The Tragically Hip - that must've been cool?

"It was amazing - what an honour! You think of Canadian music you think of The Tragically Hip ... that's kind of what it's about up here. They're kind of like Canada's best band - they're like the Canadian U2 - so just to have him say yes to doing it let alone coming in and not wanting to change anything and sing what I had sent him and he was totally super into it ... it warms my heart."

Can you see yourself working with other acts in the future - either co writing or guesting on records?

"I like playing music and I like writing songs so I am sure that down the road if someone were to ask me I'd give it my best shot if I was interested in it. I definitely see myself doing it in the future."

City and Colour's "Bring Me Your Love" is out now through Dine Alone Records while Alexisonfire's new cd, "Old Crows/Young Cardinals" is out June 23rd.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: TROY MacCUBBIN

2009-05-19T00:59:00.000-07:00

Troy MacCubbin is an Aussie who's made good on the international arena - constantly touring the world as lead guitarist with Russian supergroup, t.A.T.u

It's a far cry from his early days living in country Victoria working as a fitter/turner which he quit in the late 90's and headed for the USA to follow his dream of becoming a rock star. The gamble certainly paid off - he's toured the world with t.A.T.u, performed on some of the biggest shows in the world and worked with some of the hottest acts around including Kelly Clarkson and Enrique Iglesias.

We caught up with a guy we affectionately call "Cubbo" from Gippsland!

How does a young guy from country Australia get the gig of touring the world with Russian supergroup, t.A.T.u?

Well that's a good question. I moved to Hollywood, LA in 1997 to further my studies in music. I was playing around LA with my band Life Death & Giants at the time. We had a friend who worked at Interscope Records and she asked the keyboard player & I to become the band for this Russian girl group they had just signed. Interscope Records came and watched us play a gig at Johnny Depp's Viper Room club on Sunset. They loved what we did and that was it. We were in t.A.T.u! That was in 2002.

You have dozens of dedicated fan sites and groups on the internet - that must blow you away?

It's amazing to me that I have so many fans in so many different countries around the world. I get constant e-mails & support from some of the craziest places. Kazakhstan, Iran, Japan, Russia, Siberia, Spain, Italy, France, Australia, London, Mexico, Brazil, you name it! The list goes on! Its really fantastic to hear from such a diverse group of fans.The drummer of t.A.T.u reminded me the other day that I have been to every continent in the world now. That blows my mind! The fans are really awesome and so supportive. I can't wait to get my album out there.

How hardcore are the fans?

Really hardcore!! I had fans in France go to the streets and get people together holding up signs with my name and my first single, "Never Walk Away", written across them. I have fans in Mexico and Brazil who dedicate web sites and videos to me & fans in Germany who make videos with montages of pictures of me. So I'm really blown away with how dedicated and supportive they are. Its fantastic! And I have only released one song so far! So I hope it keeps going when I release my album.

How rock n roll is Troy MacCubbin?

Mmmmmmm I guess I don't ever think about how rock n roll I am. In question to music, I love to Rock! But I also love to ballard, to country, to pop. It really depends on my mood and what kind of music I feel like writing. In question to personality and vibe. Well I hated school, all I ever did was skip school to go home and play guitar, I hate authority and being told I can't do something, I never wanted to have a 9-5 job, I have tattoo's, I love motorcycles, I love playing loud guitar and I want to be heard and have some sort of an opinion of what's going on in the world today. If that has anything to do with rock n roll then I'm all over it!

You've toured many different countries and done some crazy gigs - what's been the highlight for Troy MacCubbin?

Its sounds cliche but there have been so many highlights. From playing the 2003 MTV Movie Awards and killing the show, to playing in front of 150,000 people in some mining town in the middle of Kazakhstan or playing Moscow's Red Square. The fact that I'm surviving, touring the world playing music, recording my album and living out my dreams is a highlight to me everyday. I feel very blessed.

You've been recording some original solo material of late - was that the dream - to be a certified rock star in your own right?

When I was really young I think it was to be an actor first then a rock star. Then music just took over. Even though acting is still something I'd love to have a go at. And living in LA is a great place to die trying. But yes, as long as I can remember I have wanted to tour the world playing music. There was a time when being a rock star & being famous was important to me, but I was young and stupid then. Now I'm still quite stupid, but I know now that its not about any of that. Its really about being happy with what you do and what you put out there. Celebrity of celebrity-ism has really taken over here in the States, Its really sad. I think it would be awesome to be a rock star who makes a difference. That's the shit! Bono. Need I say anymore.

Who are the main musical influences on your music?

It changes all the time. It really comes back to what I listen to and what I'm listening to at the time. My standards are U2, Muse, Foo Fighters, Neil Finn, The Police, Duran Duran, of course the Beatles, Neil Diamond, Hendrix. The list goes on & on like any one really. No real surprises. A great song is a huge influence on me. There have been a lot written to learn & steal from. Every now and then you'll hear something new that makes you say, damn I wish I wrote that! I'm learning all the time. I'll just keep working towards writing a great song. Who knows, I might have a great song already written and I don't even realize it.

How's the album coming along and when can we expect it?

Its coming along. Work in progress that's for sure. It has been such a huge learning process because I've had to learn how to set up a studio, record, engineer & produce. All things i never really wanted to get too much into. But out of complete necessity I've had too. Which now has been really a great thing. Finally I'm making head way. So my album will be out this year. Sooner than later. I'll let you all know! I won't be quite about it!

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: KAHN BROTHERS

2009-05-19T00:54:00.001-07:00

The now defunct Sydney band, Gelbison, has evolved into the hot new duo of The Kahn Brothers - the pulsating heartbeat of simple feel good songs - a new craze which is sweeping the nation. We caught up with Edo Kahn about the mantra that is their sensational album,"Love Melts Fear".

The response to the album so far has been great – were you expecting how positive it’s been?

So far really great - it’s been really positive. We tried to approach it with as little expectation as possible and always try and always hope that people enjoy it. That’s the purpose … but you never know (laughs).

What was the overall motivation behind the album?

I guess just to be able to bring joy … that’s really the main goal. To sing and bring joy to ourselves and to other people. To just be able to do what we love and that’s sing, play and perform and develop a strong connection with an audience.

What does music mean to you, Edo?

Music and sound is everything. You need sound for anything pretty much in this world to exist and to communicate. You can without it but it plays such a huge role in everything that we do and from that music has the force. It has the power to liberate us and make us realize things as deep as the truth of this universe, to realize who we are, why we’ve come here and it also has a purpose of just relaxing us and basic stuff like enjoyment and sharing. It’s such a big part of this world.

Where do you draw influences from for your music?

I guess all over the place – there’s the obvious western music like the Beatles and singer songwriter music that we grew up listening to like Dylan and all of that kind of stuff. Then there’s been this whole introduction to Indian music that’s happened recently. Devotional music and that whole internal transcendental music that’s designed for your spirit to connect. We’ve also been listening to a lot of chanting music which is said to be the breath of nature which I think has influenced these songs which have that mantra kind of quality of repetitiveness which is all pop music but we were just conscious of just trying to create hooks that would loop around in your head with something positive. That’s the point of a mantra – it’s a positive affirmation that keeps channeling the mind to goodness and eventually cleans all impurities.

You just touched on how positive the album is. In a lot of music today that is certainly missing – is that something that you wanted to achieve and bring it back to the forefront of pop music?

I suppose. But it was also just where we were at. it was just how we were feeling, so, we’ve always just tried to express that in our music. When you feel good that’s what naturally comes out you know. I think we also just felt like there is so much indulgence in feeling miserable and it really doesn’t help – it just keeps you in that rut. So for me, if I am feeling down – I’d rather listen to stuff that can pick me up as opposed to wallow in. I had just done that for so long … just wallowed … and it was kind of “I don’t wanna do that any more” so I’m trying to break that pattern even though some of these songs explore sad emotions and doubts and all this other stuff but it’s just coming at it from the point of that’s part of the journey and part of the process and if you trust in that process you can break through.

Tell me about the recording process … you worked with some great producers and engineers … and you worked at Electric Lady Land – that must’ve been a great buzz for you guys?

Yeah! It started here at Electric Avenue in Sydney which is an amazing studio and filled with great vintage gear – it’s a really nice studio. The musicians were just great musicians who just lifted the whole standard you know … everyone was there because they wanted to be there because they loved the songs …it was just a fluid sort of process. Tony Buchen the producer just said “okay we’re going to do such and such” and it just happened. Everything had a real flow to it which made it really enjoyable and of course going to America to mix was a great experience.

How have you found the whole independent experience compared to being with a major label?

It just feels like we could be more selective about things. We chose the team around us to help us and again, everyone is there because they want to be whereas with a major label you meet people who like your music and stuff but you are more within the corporation - so people are working a lot of different things so they may not be into what you do or get what you do. So, it’s really been about aligning ourselves with people who are as passionate about who we are and what we do and yet just the freedom to do things our way. It’s funny … now we are somewhat more trusting of just everybody’s expertise coming out … maybe it would’ve been a different experience being on a major label now. There’s not one right way – you just have to find what works for you.

The Kahn Brothers' joyous album, "Love Melts Fear", is out now through Inertia.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: KRISTA POLVERE

2009-05-19T00:25:00.000-07:00

Krista Polvere is one of Australia's most exciting new singer/songwriters - thanks to her acclaimed debut album, "Here Be Dragons". She's worked with some of the most credible writers yet she remains humble - a rarity for an artist so young. We caught up with Krista to talk about the album.

You’re a relatively new artist on the Aussie music scene … tell me a bit about who Krista Polvere is and where you are from.

I’m from Adelaide originally and I suppose I have always liked music and my Dad was into managing bands when I was younger so I just grew up around it a lot. I just enjoyed singing really and writing so I just kept doing it and eventually it became an obsession!

Well the album is fantastic – you must be really pleased with it?

Aww thank you and thanks for the review too it was lovely … Yeah I am really happy with it. It is really reflective of me as a person so there’s some darkness in there and there’s the hope, there’s vulnerability and all of that kind of stuff. I’m capturing myself which is something I am really proud of … It may not be a multi award winning album in a sense of having a string of hits on there but I’m happy with it and it shows the honesty in there and that’s something that I just want to do – I want to be honest.

You seem to have a natural flair for writing beautiful and interesting lyrics. I just love the way you put words together and the melodies of your songs – what inspires you?

Hmmm what inspires me? My crazy love life which is pretty good at the moment (laughs). I have an amazing partner who’s in my band. I get a lot of inspiration from him and also other musicians, other albums, other writers. Lyrics are really important to me – poetry and all that sort of stuff. I love clever stuff that’s not too obvious.

You immersed yourself in the whole New York scene last year and did a lot of writing and met a lot of music people – tell me about your time there.

Yeah it was great, it was hard, but it was great – you know the whole story of living on the smell of an oily rag kind of thing that everyone kind of does – but I think – those times are often the best times because you are very resourceful and you just hang out with people who are very similar to you. You create interesting friendships and bonds with people when everyone is broke and just loves playing music. I had a really good time meeting lots of crazy people in that city. I actually met a lot of Australians over there actually.

You also met some other amazing people who we should mention like Ryan Adams who you met and eventually worked with. Tell me about that and the other great people you worked with.

Working with Ryan was so much fun and his band are really just great people. It was an interesting insight to the workings of such a prolific writer. Getting to see someone who’s taken their craft and really honed their skills and seeing how he worked in the studio. Yeah they’re just really nice people and funny … Ryan has a lot of ideas going on his brain – it just doesn’t stop. I just respect him as a writer and he gave me a lot of secret pointers!

You’ve worked with so many credible people on the album – besides Ryan you worked with Diesel, Monique Brumby, the guys from Mercury Rev … the list goes on and on … This album has pretty much been put out with not much fan fare where you’d expect it to have a whole stack of hype. How do you keep a level head?

I don’t know. I guess I just see them as normal people and never see things as a done deal. I had awesome opportunities to have people who are great play on the album and they happen to have names – but there are plenty of people I worked with who don’t have names who are great as well! I don’t get very star struck or easily freaked out about famous people or big names because everyone has their own talent and things to offer us in this world. I appreciate them though and it was a great opportunity – but it’s about the music.

Krista Polvere's delicious debut album "Here Be Dragons" is out now through Inertia.