Rocking in the pub

 

I don’t know much about Newcastle music culture unfortunately, but I just give it a try.

One of the most important Australian music cultures is, I believe, live music in the pub.

Most of the live music in the pub is Rock or folk songs, actually Rock is the most…

There are a lot of famous pub rock songs in Australia and they are also sold as omnibus CDs.

Any professional musicians start playing in the pub or small studio.

 

The world-famous Hard Rock band AC/DC which formed in Sydney is also started playing in the pub. Maybe no one knows but their rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young started playing in Newcastle!!

Also Cold Chisel, Yothu Yindi, or The Church, they all started in local pub.

What is the meaning of pub rock in Australia? What does it call to people?

 

Well, playing in local place is very meaningful because they can share the local topic or local sub-culture in the place.

‘Place’ means a lot; space is a physical room that let you do something however ‘place’ is the room that involves your mental action, background, or cultural features. Playing local pub involves their things from everyday life and it calls a lot of sympathy from the local audience.

 

Australia had involved in to Vietnam war in early 70s and after that there were many depressed people and they put the unforgettable experience, loss of humanity or whatever, on to their songs and got sympathy in the pub where they share any feelings. Khe Sanh? Well, that’s heaps experimental song. Who can disagree to that song?

 

Even these days, pub music has a lot of meanings.

Why don’t you try to find out musicians’ background or feelings shared in the place when you go to the pub!

Reflections

I have just read Kate’s last post and think she raised a number of good points. I agree with her in that after doing this assignment, I have come to see that the Newcastle music scene is not under-represented on a local level. Perhaps on a state or national level, yes, but does this matter? I guess it does but I certainly think it’s more important and beneficial for everyone involved that it appears that local media does have an interest in the local music scene. With organisations like the ABC and their Music Awards, music is discovered and acknowledged on a local level, and then these organisations help the music to broaden their audience. I think that is really important, at least in terms of the Newcastle scene anyway – as long as people are interested and care about the music on a local level, then hopefully the rest of it will fall into place.

Admittedly I’ve not been as involved in the Newcastle music scene as I would like to be (note to self: must make the effort to head to a gig every now and then) so I hope to address this in the future. Since the last Music & Culture assignment I have kind of been obsessed with trying to discover new music and ‘think outside the box’ in relation to what I listen to, so it would appear that this assignment has given me the perfect platform! I’m with Kate in saying that I am glad that the Newcastle music scene is so healthy, not to mention proud of all the forces that care enough to make it happen, from the venue owners to the consumers, from folk like those at ABC radio who work so hard to unearth new talent, to the musicians themselves, for their talent and hard work in honing it, and their dedication to their craft.

OK, I’m signing off as well.
Until next time – ciao!

Ellie.

The Co-Ordinator’s Blog

While looking around and reading about the ABC Music Awards for my last post, I came across The Co-Ordinator’s Blog, written by…yes, you guessed it, the co-ordinator (who’da thought?!) of the Music Awards, Natasha Schaad. It looks like it has only been started recently but is interesting in that it gives a bit of insight and ‘behind the scenes’ action into how the awards are progressing. Natasha’s latest entry indicates that the talent is certainly still alive and kicking in and around Newcastle. There is also an entry about Local Music Month, which again strongly demonstrates ABC’s committment to unearthing local talent, for which they should be applauded. As Schaad mentions, Local Music Month involves eacg 1233 program playing tracks daily from local artists, ones that have not been unearthed yet, or have previously been finalists or winners in the Music Awards.

Again, this is a site that I will come back and have a look at again, and I’d recommend it to anyone who is interested in finding out more about local musicians. There are heaps of resources out there, but the ABC are right up there in terms of passion, and encouragment of local artists. So check it out. Three cheers for the ABC, I say!

ABC Newcastle Music Awards

I was reminded today about the upcoming Newcastle ABC Music Awards. I have heard about these awards but never really knew much about them, so I looked into it and found yet another splendid way of acknowledging and ‘getting out there’ the huge range of music talent in Newcastle.

 

According to the Award’s website, the awards are held each year with the aim of encouraging and supporting local talent in the Newcastle and Central Coast area. Any artist can enter, as an individual or part of a band (or both), as long as the music piece they are submitting is an original work. Entries can be submitted across many different genres, including urban, heavy rock, soundtrack, instrumental, jazz, pop, blues & roots, country, contemporary, folk and alternative.

The judging panel, comprised of 1233 ABC Broadcasters, genre and music industry specialists and musicians (who have obviously not entered the competition themselves this year…that goes without saying!), looks at song entries in terms of composition (structure, arrangement, lyrics and melody), performance (instrumental and vocal skills) and overall appeal. It is noted that radio ‘playability’ is also considered but is not a factor that ‘breaks the camel’s back.’
The Top 10 songs from each category are selected by the judging panel and listed on the ABC website, as well as being put on to a CD which is sent off to the Finalist Judges.

Judges give each song a rating out of 10 and the 5 songs that amass the most points form the Top 5 in each category. The winners are then announced at the awards ceremony which will be held on November 6th.

In addition to a winner in each genre category, there will be 3 major prizes given out, for the ABC Music Artist/Band of the Year, APRA/ABC Music Publishing Songwriter of the Year, and the 1233 Tour Support Prize.
The prizes for each of these are quite substantial – the Songwriter of the Year will receive $1000, the Band of the Year receives a recording deal with ABC Music valued at $5000, and the 1233 Tour Support Prize awards $1233 worth of tour support including half a day with an established music publicist.

I was really glad I looked into these awards; as I said I have heard about them in previous years but never really paid too much attention to it. We have talked in this class before about the struggles up-and-coming artists face in getting their music ‘out there’ and heard by the people that matter. Simon Frith himself recognises this problem, stating, “Individual artists and performers are rarely in a position themselves to get their work to the public. They need to contract other people – agents, promoters, publishers, record companies – to organise and promote concert tours, to manufacture scores and records of CD’s” (2001, p.34).
I think these awards are brilliant. Not only does it give any original* artist – regardless of background or genre – the chance to enter the competition and get their music out there, but it is actually a competition that matters and makes a difference. Even just being named as a finalist means your music will go on a CD to be heard by people that matter (i.e the judging panel, comprised of industry players). Also, all entrants are being asked to send their MySpace address, so their entry can be linked to their page. This is a great example of the awards organisers adapting to technology and the needs of its consumers and has advantages for both sides – the artist is able to publicise themselves that little bit more, and respondents have the chance to easily find their MySpace page and listen to more of the artist’s music.
The winners of the major prizes are lucky enough to get more than a piece of paper and a bit of cash – they get put directly in contact with people who have the ability to turn their talent into real success - get the album recorded, publicised and out there, or record a video.

I also really like that there is a huge emphasis on keeping these awards local. The entry form stipulates that entrants must be residents of Lake Macquarie, Newcastle, the Upper or Lower Hunter or Port Stephens, and to have lived in the area for the last 6 months (at least) or for at least 7 of the past 15 years. This shows that obviously the organisers are concerned with helping Newcastle-raised or based artists get their music out there, which is fantastic, and it also shows that media organisations in Newcastle, the ABC in particular, have faith in the talent and quality of music coming out of this area, and are keen to help that music reach its full potential. That, my friends, is something pretty cool indeed, and I will be making sure to follow the progress of the awards this year!

 

* While entries into these categories must be original, there is actually an award that has been introduced this year to recognise the talent of cover bands. I’m still undecided as to whether I’m a fan of cover bands or not, but I think this award is a fantastic idea. I was about to go into the reasons why, until I looked again at the site and realised I couldn’t say it better than the organisers:

“Newcastle is, unashamedly, a real Cover Band town, and many talented musicians earn an honest crust by playing the Greats and Favourites in pubs and clubs around the region. It takes considerable musical skill and creative nous to make a good cover, and many musos play covers to pay the bills – thereby funding their own original musical endeavours and honing their own songwriting, musical and performance skills. It would therefore be fair to say that (albeit indirectly) the covers scene in Newcastle is supporting local original music!”

 

Reference:

Frith, S. (2001). ‘The Popular Music Industry’ in Frith, S., Straw, W., and Street, J. (eds.) The Cambridge Companion to Pop and Rock. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 

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

On venues and concerts

As Jocelynn has already touched on, part of what makes the Newcastle music scene great and unique is the wide range of venues available to house live music performances. Consequently, Newcastle is able to accommodate various music genres and markets, from little-known indie or pub bands playing at the Cambridge or the Bar on the Hill, to sold-out arena shows by artists such as Pink or the Veronicas at the Newcastle ‘Ent Cent.’ Regardless of the band, artist, genre or amount of records sold, chances are that there will be a suitable venue for them in Newcastle.

All this live music obviously has many advantages and serves a wide range of purposes. One might wander down to the local pub on a Friday night to chill out to some tunes, wind down from the week or set the mood for the weekend. At the other end of the scale we consider shows by international artists held at the Entertainment Centre. In terms of bigger national and international acts, consumers from all over the state are usually only given the chance of travelling to Sydney or Newcastle to see such artists. In these cases, it could well be suggested that people travel long distances to see a show at the Entertainment Centre and perhaps make a bit of an event of their visit, and therefore the local economy is supported in terms of food, accommodation and other entertainment. Sure, this scenario might not be a common one, and concerts at the Ent Cent may well usually be comprised of a majority local audience, but when a consumer’s only other option is Sydney, I have no doubt that the tourism industry benefits from having big-name concerts here.
As I mentioned, for a long time Newcastle has had no competitor in this regard apart from Sydney in terms of attracting big-name concerts. Add to this, the fact that Newcastle is smaller, less of a ‘rat race’ than Sydney, and is cheaper and yet still offers considerable tourist drawcards (beaches, restaurants, surrounding areas), makes it worth an out-of-towner’s time to come and see a concert, and stay a few days here while they’re at it.

However, quite an interesting shift has presented itself in the last couple of years that would appear to threaten somewhat Newcastle’s position as only the second big-name music venue in NSW – the increasing popularity of venues up the Valley in ‘wine country’ such as Tempus Two and Bimbadgen Estate.

In the last couple of years, these venues have attracted some of the hugest names in music, including (but not limited to):

• Elton John
• Rod Stewart
• Carole King (in her first ever Australian concert)
• Matchbox Twenty
• Santana
• K.D. Lang
• INXS & Simple Minds
• Beach Boys, Daddy Cool and Christopher Cross
• Michael Crawford
• John Farnham
• Dame Kiri Te Kanawa
• Steely Dan
• Lionel Richie
• John Butler Trio
• Kate Ceberano
  (And just quietly, I have it on good authority that Alicia Keys will be playing in the vineyards later this year.)

Anyone would have to agree that there are some significant names on that list, with music spanning several different genres. I don’t know if I am reading too much into it, but it could be suggested that names such as these perhaps threatens Newcastle’s hold on being the only other venue in NSW for big names. The Hunter Valley has heaps to offer concert-goers: a relaxed, carefree outdoor environment in which to enjoy the show, the capacity to house as many people as the Entertainment Centre, and venues surrounded by high-calibre restaurants, wineries and accommodation – many within walking distance or a few minutes’ drive. Both Tempus Two and Bimbadgen have VIP packages available for concerts, which usually involve being served a restaurant meal, seated in the best seats in the house to watch the concert. This is certainly not something you can get at the Ent Cent! ‘Wine country’ also has the added bonus of being able to attract consumers from Sydney; therefore, while it could be suggested that Newcastle might struggle to attract music-goers from Sydney, the large number of tourist attractions in a relatively close vicinity up here has no problem attracting people from Sydney and all over the state.
And no one can question the popularity of vineyard concerts – both Elton John and Rod Stewart played two concerts up here recently, due to popular demand. To attempt to take a drive anywhere near Tempus Two or Bimbadgen and negotiate the traffic (one aspect that could certainly be improved on) on the day of a concert is testament to their popularity. And while previously it could be argued that winery concerts appealed only to ‘adults’, Matchbox Twenty’s decision to stage a show – one that would sell out – up here, shows that such concerts appeal to younger audiences as well. And as someone who has attended several of these concerts over the warmer months and was initially sceptical that the sound quality would be below-par compared to an indoor venue, I can safely say that the music sounds as good as it ever did!

Another reason it could be argued that vineyard concerts are threatening Newcastle’s ability to attract the big names is that many of these artists have either
a) played in Newcastle before but have held subsequent concerts in ‘wine country’ – for example, Matchbox Twenty last played in Newcastle in 2003 before their concert in April ‘08; or
b) have played in Sydney and Pokolbin as opposed to Sydney and Newcastle – as far as I can remember, and Google can back me up, Rod Stewart’s and Elton John’s concerts represented both artists’ first foray up the freeway.

This has ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would be, so I’ll wrap it up. I don’t think the Newcastle music scene as a whole is being threatened by the increasing popularity of vineyard concerts, but I think it could definitely be suggested that winery concerts are encroaching on Newcastle’s position and ability to attract some of the bigger names, especially when it appears that wine country can offer everything Newcastle can in terms of tourism (except beaches, perhaps!) – we have good accommodation, countless restaurants, wine-tasting and vineyard tours (duh!) and countless tourist attractions such as Hunter Valley Gardens, hot-air ballooning and mini- and aqua-golf, among many others. All of these factors make it easy to see why consumers would come up here for a concert and could easily ‘make a weekend of it.’

I for one am really interested to see whether the popularity of concerts at places such as Tempus Two and Bimbadgen (which happen to only be ten minutes’ drive from my place – I’m not complaining!) continues to increase, and what other artists might be attracted to playing up here.

polymorphia – the live experience

Newcastle band, Polymorphia has been beating out the tunes since 2004. I first saw this band at one of their live gigs which was held at The Northern Star, Hamilton. I must say, they impacted on me significantly – their gig was vibrant, colourful and rich in sound. Due to the size of the venue, the performance was intimate and surprisingly moving.

I had a chance to talk with band member, Hayden Johns (lead guitarist) after the gig. Hayden was reluctant to ‘pigeon hole’ his band into a stereo type but thought Polymorphia had similarities with bands such as Cold Play and Death Cab for a Cutie.

I decided to check out their myspace site for more music and found that their live performance gave much more then listening to their recorded material. Without discrediting their ability and talent as musicians, I feel seeing the band in its true realm of performing live makes you appreciate their work more. I defiantly feel I got the most authentic experiencefrom this band from seeing them live. Auslander [1998] discusses the primary function of live (rock music) performances is to promote the sale of records. I believe in my situation of being exposed to this band before hearing their actual album increased the probability of me buying the album. If I had of heard the band on myspace first, chances are, I wouldn’t have gone to the gig based on the recording.

Looking at this from a production point of view – the local Newcastle music scene does promote alot of live venues (as Jocelynn has previously mentioned). In support of Auslanders [1998] argument, this is the best way for local Newcastle bands like Polymorphia to be exposed to future fans.

Polymorphia played a beautiful set of around 30 minutes which took you on a journey and let you experience their captivating bold melodies. The lead singer and bass player, Alex Caprararo, seemed to drift in and our of his own little head space- disappearing into bands energy. I think thats what created such a dynamic experience while watching this band, you could clearly see the musicians themselves enjoying what they were creating. With a luscious riffs extending from the double headed guitar and a mixture of percussion, Polymorphia really invites the audience to feel the energy of their music.

Newcastle hosts some great local live bands, and this is defiantly one to check out and tap your toes to. 

 

www.polymorphia.com