LIVE

Another local publication that strives to keep the community up-to-date on the local music scene is LIVE, a supplement that appears every Thursday in The Herald. I forget how many pages it is (will have to report back on that one; I’ll guess around six or eight) and contains information, reviews, articles and news of upcoming attractions on the Newcastle theatre and music scene as well as the latest offerings at the cinema.

Each week in the supplement is a short section called “Straight Up” which is a short series of questions answered by an artist. Although only short, there are advantages for both the musician and the reader: the musician can plug his/her upcoming gig in Newcastle, and readers of LIVE either become aware of a new artist that they might like to go along and see; and for musicians who already have a bit of a profile, readers usually find out a quirky fact or insight into their personality (last Thursday’s (22 May) edition featured James Ash from the Rogue Traders; who knew he would be happy to eat nothing but curry for the rest of his life and has been in the ‘biz for 20 years? I didn’t…). And, as we have discussed previously in this course, gaining an insight into an artist’s personality, values and views of the world assist music consumers in expressing their own identity and forming their own views. As Buckingham notes,

“the ideologies expressed by the musicians in which many…students indulge is felt to reflect their own ideologies. Many students…felt that their emotions and personal politics were expressed by musicians and treated as subject matters in their music. This creates identification through consumption of music that allows young people to express their own world views through mere fandom of a particular artist or genre of music…” (in Bark, 1999, p.5).

As I said, although it is only a short section, it can still be effective. A reader could pick it up and see that Ash has been in the business for 20 years and has been involved in many different styles and genres. Who’s to say that someone wouldn’t pick this tiny interview up and think to themselves, “Well, I’m interested to see and hear more about his music and where he is after 20 years”?

LIVE also contains short articles about little-known (or well-known, for that matter) artists about to release a CD or who are doing a gig in Newcastle; again, this is also useful to learn the story of the artist, how they got to where they are, influences on their music, views and opinions etc.
There is also a little box on one page called the “Music Box” which is another guide to new music, offering reviews, descriptions of music and gig details of an unknown artist or band.

Finally, there is a comprehensive (as in, 2-3 page) gig guide of all upcoming live music in Newcastle which is obviously an extremely handy ‘one stop shop’ of all the happenings in and around Newcastle.

LIVE is only a short publication but is definitely worth a look if you are interested in further immersing yourself in the Newcastle music scene and want to discover some new music. Something that I think would improve the quality and usefulness of the guide is to perhaps include more reviews, particularly of live performances.

Reference:

Bark, B. (1999) “Them” vs “Us” – Music, Youth and the Struggle for Identity [Online], Available http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/contributions/bethann1.html

27 March 2008

Chill-out

I have lived in Australia for over 4years, travelled around this huge island, I found this band is the most beautiful part of Australia, I mean the most beautiful band, the Beautiful Girls. They come to Newcastle every year and love the beaches around Newcastle.

The band members all have been friends each other since younger, went surfing together in Sydney and started a band in 2000. They had strong backup of radio programs and became famous very quick and they supported Jack Johnson Australian Tour.

Their music is often compared with Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, or Mason Jennings. Especially the first album ‘Learn Yourself’ is very relaxed and chill-out music through all songs. The lyrics are often about the ocean and appreciation to his life. The sound is very sensitive, sometimes it’s intense, sometimes it’s mellow, and sometimes it’s disconsolate…

“…I’ve grown old on this ocean, gave her all, my stronger years.
Gave my wife my devotion, when she died, the ocean my tears.

I’ve tried to teach you well son, all of everything I knew.
of how to live this life be true.

Don’t bow your head to no one, and no matter what you do,

if you start then see it through….” —lyric of ‘La Mar’

There are many good Australian bands but I could not found any other bands that loves their own land and ocean and feeling them with life-size of themselves. Australian beach culture produced them I believe.

They are THE band representing Australia…

local hero’s

Silverchair – the local boys from Newcastle High

Rockin’ around the streets of Newcastle with their baggy jeans and long hair in the 1990’s doesn’t seem that long ago. Since releasing their first album ‘Frog Stomp’ in 1995, the band and its members have come a long way. 

Front man and lead singer Daniel Johns, drummer Ben Gillies and base player Chris Joannou make up what has been accredited as one of Australia’s most successful bands. Being a massive fan myself makes this an interesting piece for me to write – especially when locals tell me that Silverchair (previously known as the Innocent Criminals) used to charge 20c to see them play during the lunch break at school (damn parents, why didn’t we move to Newcastle earlier?!). 

In 1995 the boys released their first track called ‘Tomorrow’. I wonder if they knew what type of response they would get because I am sure they didnt think that a garage band made up of 14 year olds would take the world and the charts by storm.

As a band, Silverchair has overcome highs and lows of being famous while dealing with personal issues of their own. Daniel Johns not only beat the darkness of Anorexia but also over came the crippling effects of Arthritis.

The album ‘Neon Ballroom’ was released in 1999 which I think really captured what was happening in the boys life at that time. Tracks like  ’Ana’s Song’ and ‘Emotion Sickness’ clearly reflect John’s battle with Anorexia, with lyrics such as: 

”And you’re my obsession
I love you to the bones
And Ana wrecks your life
Like an Anorexia life”

Overcoming all obstacles has shown this band was built for testing times. Their love for music and what they do has made them prevail.

”The way I see it the first album was naivety, the second one was anger, the third one was depression and the last one was escapism. Young Modern is all about acceptance. It’s about embracing who we are as band and just really enjoying ourselves because that’s all that really matters.” (Johns)

I remember reading an article where the boys were asked, if music wasnt your life, what would it be? Ben replied with, ”well, at the age of 25, id have to go and get my first job because this is all I have known to do!”. 

Thanks for the music xx