Story and Photos by John Snelson
Top of the bill, Lloyd Spiegel took the middle set at Beaches Hotel at Thirroul on Sunday evening, coming on about 7-30pm to an excited and expectant crowd.
More photos right here of Lloyd Spiegel at Thirroul.
Lloyd Spiegel – On fire at Beaches Thirroul
We have seen Lloyd many times but Colin Briscoe (from 2RRR 88.5fm Ryde Radio) and I agreed that this was the best performance we had seen from him and his percussionist, Tim Burnham.
Tim Burnham on drums and Lloyd Spiegel rocking the joint
Lloyd seems to have somewhat regenerated himself – that is not to say his performances ever lacked energy – but on Sunday night he was out of the saddle and shredding that Cole Clarke guitar something rotten.
Lloyd Spiegel – Bitchin’ the Beach at Thirroul
On the night, his “Murder For Breakfast” (which is featured on Blues Explosion 4) stole the show. His stage performance was great – tons of attitude and action from this big guitarist, big time, big heart and big stuff that got the crowd off their seats, out of the betting ring and out of the sheds and onto the dance floor.
Out of the saddle – Lloyd Spiegel in action
Wow this is a different Lloyd Spiegel. Whatever he’s been smokin’, we want some. Give us more of this Lloyd – this entertainment adds to the undoubted fantastic guitar playing and songwriting for which you are already a legend. Woooof.
Get Shot Radio & Magazine
Laura Zarb
Story by Colin Briscoe :: Photos by John Snelson
Laura Zarb opened the proceedings at Beaches Hotel at Thirroul on Sunday Evening.
More photos right here of Laura Zarb at Thirroul.
Laura Zarb – outstanding, lovely new talent
Laura had a refreshing style about her playing and fine voice. I really enjoyed her own more hard hitting songs like “The Warning”, “Ode To Austin” and “No Brakin Blues”.
Classical Gas – Zarb with a barb – brave version of this great instrumental
The new album set for release mid June will feature all these tracks – with a total of 10 songs. Laura is an accomplished acoustic young guitarist who completed her set with an exquisite cover of “Classical Gas”.
Laura Zarb – what a gas – we’re looking forward to seeing her again …
We loved her performance and look forward to her appearance on Tony Cini’s Blues Explosion Volume 5 ! We hope “Summertime” and “Rhiannon” are on this. Great show Laura !
Jesse Valach & Blues Mountain
Story by Colin Briscoe and John Snelson :: Photos by John Snelson
Closing act on Sunday was taken by Jesse Valach & Blues Mountain at Beaches Hotel at Thirroul.
More photos right here of Jesse Valach & Blues Mountain.
Jesse Valach – A Mountain of Blues
Jesse Valach and Blues Mountain were outstanding – coming up from Victoria for this gig and having to follow Lloyd Spiegel at 8-30 pm on a Sunday night – that’s a tough ask – but these boys did it – holding on to most of the crowd – it would be a big win for any well known blues/rock outfit from Sydney never mind Melbourne.
Blues Mountain – on drums Anthony Murray
They did some covers and some of their own stuff including “Cold Shoulder” from Blues Explosion Vol 4. “Anything Is Possible”, “It Ain’t Wrong” were among the covers plus a splendid version of Robert Cray’s “Smokin’Gun” – this is the right stuff and really good and had the boppers on the dance floor.
Boppers on the dancefloor is always a good sign (although Sydney office workers after a few port and lemons will hit the dance floor on a Friday night even if the band is you know, arse-oh-pops). How do we know this, well we’ve been thrown out os some class joints ourselves.
Their debut album released in 2012 “Jesse Valach Presents Mountain” is a worthy addition to your blues collection. The band is set to release their 2nd album towards the end of 2013.
Blues Mountain – on the Hammond Keyboard Rowan Mumford
The band is very tight, in fact almost clinical. Not sure where this angle is going, but a few of us in the audience noticed that the band was so well disciplined – maybe they were knackered after a long trip – we were looking for some wild creativity and attitude. I guess it was just a very polished and professional performance.
Blues Mountain – on bass, Torren Dove
Heading up to Byron Bay (May 20) and then to Blues On Broadbeach May 23-26.
Dee Dee Lavell & Mama’s Boys
Story by Anthony Moulay & Mary Mackenzie, Photos by Anthony Moulay
More Photos right here of Dee Dee Lavell & Mama’s Boys
What does a girl have to do to get people out to a live music gig? The show in question was a performance by Dee Dee Lavell & Mama’s Boys at the Courthouse Hotel in Mullumbimby last Saturday 11th May.
Dee Dee had done all the work, new posters (by local graphic artist/drummer and all-round nice guy, Stu Eadie), a spot on local community radio, heaps of advertising – still not enough punters turned up on the night. Where are all the supporters of live music; was it too cold to come out and play?
Sadly, they were the ones who missed out. Dee Dee (Mama) with her new band, Mamas Boys comprised of Les Karski (ex- Bondi Cigars – on guitar), Dirk DuBois – Bass (ex Chain- Oz Blues Royalty), Jason Caspen – Drums (Starboard Cannons & Sara Tindley), Guy Kachel – Harp, were in great form.
Fresh from recording in Memphis (the only Australian woman on board) and recording the first International Blues Women – The Hopson Sessions and looking hotter than ever, she dedicated some tunes to her influences of the big voiced divas of the past including our very own Renee Geyer, Nina Simone and Etta James and Dee’s mother, who recently died; a percentage of CD sales and door takings go to a foundation for research into breast cancer.
The boys all behave under Mamas strict instructions and watchful eye. The guitar work of Les, with outstanding harp delivered by Guy and the tight as a drum rhythm section of Dirk and Jason, kept the songs humming along.
Plenty of booty shakin’ by the gals in attendance but the boys (of course with the exceptions of Ken and Anthony) let us down.
We got some special treats including an accapella single verse of Jealous Guy at the insistence of her gregarious two sons. Another favourite was the track ‘Broken Down’.
The set closed with just the duo of Les on acoustic guitar and Dee on vocals covering the beautiful ‘Will you still love me tomorrow’ after vigorous encore requests from the audience.
You can catch Dee Dee playing with the Andrew Baxter Band at Broadbeach Blues Festival at the Envy Hotel May 25th, 11 pm – see you all there.
Ginhouse Blues Band
Story and photos by John Snelson
Click here for more photos of the Ginhouse Blues Band at Towradgi show.
One of the best blues bands you’ll ever see … The Ginhouse Blues Band … and were they on fire Sunday afternoon at Towradgi ! I have seen the band several times, but Sunday in front of a modest crowd as it was Mother’s Day, they were on top form. When a band like this clicks – they click in spades. They were steamin’ !
T h e G i n h o u s e B l u e s B a n d
Jono Dallimore, Bruce Stephens, Tony Cini and Al Britton
The lineup is impressive of course, with Al Britton on bass, Bruce Stephens on drums and Jono Dallimore on lead guitar and the irrepressible Tony Cini singing his blue heart out. Trying to highlight the performance of each sort of trivialises their performance, but I shall try :
- Al Britton (from the Bondi Cigars and PJ Blues Band) is a stalwart of the profession and this afternoon his experience and stability anchored the band yet gave them all room to move and improvise.
Al Britton – bass
- This was one of the best performances I have seen from Bruce Stephens (Bellhops and Wards Xpress) – his pinpoint precision percussion was a joy to watch and appreciate with every rhythmic sequence from his sticks, no wild extravagant banging and crashing here – this was a drumming lesson on how it should be done.
Bruce Stephens – drums
- As for Jonathon Dallimore – I have seen him in his many personas with Cass Eager as a duo, with the exciting band Scratch, With the cabaret style of The Velvet Rope and with the folksy Big Erle – yet tonight, he was unplugged, uncompromising and you know, just into it. This is when Dallimore is at his best – when the shackles are off and he can be his own man, like it was his own band, that’s when you can see and appreciate the great talent he has.
Jonno Dallimore – lead guitar
- Then, up front, the main man, Tony was leading as always on the front foot – urging his band to the edge of their comfort zones with his stage presence and infectious, no-nonsene, show-business style of presenting the blues. He was there, embellishing the strident vocals with every trick in the book – Mick Jagger and Robert Plant wouldn’t attempt some of these manoeuvres with a mike stand !
Tony Cini – Blues singer
As an aside, Get Shot Magazine is a great supporter of Tony Cini’s Blues Explosion – and his attempts to get the Sydney blues scene out of its disgraceful, moribund state of sheltered, self-indulgent, inner-west lethargy – epitomised by the Society. I guess the way to get the changes needed and get some initiatives going is (as Leonard Cohen sings in “First We Take Manhattan“) to try and change the system from within. Then we take Berlin !
The setlist included such favourites as “Before You Accuse Me, Take a Look At Yourself“, “Walkin’ The Dog”, “All Along The Watchtower”, “Gloria“, “Spoonsful”, Little Red Rooster”, “Hey Joe”, “Don’t Start Me Talking”, “Born Under a Bad Sign” … you get the idea !
You can see The Ginhouse Blues Band performing in Picton at The George IV Inn on Sunday 5th June … Get Shot Magazine will be there – so see you then !
Interview – Jon Stevens
Story by Ant Ritz :: Photos by John Snelson
“Talking with the Flowers” – Interviews with the Dead Daisies … Get Shot Magazine and Radio had the opportunity to interview several of the band members.
First interview was with lead singer, Jon Stevens.
Over the last few months The Dead Daises have been touring Australia, mainly supporting Aerosmith. The Dead Daises are a new band made up of Jon Stevens (Noiseworks, INXS), David Lowy (Red Phoneix, Mink), Richard Fortus (Guns N Roses, Thin Lizzy, Psychedelic Furs), Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, Ted Nugent) and Charley Drayton (The Divinyls, Cold Chisel). They have recently released their first single called “Lock N Load” which features and was co-written with Slash.
Get Shot: “How did the forming of the band come about?”
Jon: “Myself and David Lowy wrote a bunch of songs and it all grew from there.”
Get Shot: “The band has a fantastic line up of great, experienced and well credentialed musicians. How did the members get chosen?
Jon: “We have managed to pull together a fantastic band. David Lowy asked Charley Drayton to join then band, and Charley then recommended Richard, with whom he’s good friends
Get Shot: “How did Slash become involved – Is he a friend of yours ?”
Jon: “Slash is a friend of mine and we wrote the Lock N Load demo together and we chose to go with that as the first single for The Dead Daisies.
Get Shot: Is the Dead Daisies project a long term venture or is it more a hobby between bigger gigs?
Jon: “Jesus Christ Superstar is the one off that takes up a month of my life! I’m already a year into The Dead Daisies and it’s definitely a long term project which i’m living.”
Get Shot: “The few Dead Daises songs that are so far available do sound great (we have played them a few times on our radio show Get Shot Radio) and yes very reminiscent of 70s & 80s music – I understand that Dave and yourself have been responsible for the song writing ?”
Jon: “Apart from David and I, Slash is the only other person who has written on the album. Of course David has written songs before, he’s a musician!”
Get Shot: “Has there been any interest from overseas?”
Jon: “There has definitely been a lot of interest overseas, we’re looking at touring abroad towards the end of the year.”
Get Shot: “When’s the release of ‘Lock N Load’?”
Jon: “Lock ‘N’ Load was released worldwide on iTunes on April 19 2013.”
Get Shot: “Are there plans for a cd, DVD &/or further touring?”
Jon: “We are planning to release an album somewhere down the line and yes we’re currently looking at locking away some tours.”
Get Shot: “We enjoyed the show at the Metro, how have the shows gone so far ?” (See Johns Snelson’s review at: The Dead Daisies at The Metro)
Jon: “It just keeps getting better! It’s awesome because the songs are better live…no smoke and mirrors.”
Stone Music Festival
Story & Photos by Ant Ritz
Originally promoted as a music festival based on the cult Australian motorbike movie “Stone”, the Stone Music Festival was held at ANZ Stadium Homebush a few days ago.
For some reason, some where along the way, the bikie link was quashed. In the run up to the festival there was much talk in the press and social media of the impending doom of the festival given the promoters lack of experience in running large festivals. The Baby Animals were one of the bands to pull out prior to the start. So, would the festival be a success?
The promoters were ambitious and brought the fans an incredible line up of talent and the ticket prices were very reasonable considering the depth of talent. Check out the line up just for the main stage:
Saturday :
Van Halen, Aerosmith, Jimmy Barnes, Kings of Chaos, The Living End, Noiseworks, Buckcherry, Richie Ramone, The Superjesus.
Sunday :
Billy Joel, Icehouse, Guy Sebastian, Diesel, Mark Seymour, Shannon Noll.
Aerosmith were the standout band by far – what a dynamic show they put on. The flamboyant Steve Tyler at 65 years old didn’t stop as they played most of their hits: “Sweet Emotion”, “Walk This Way’, “Back in the Saddle”, “Dude”, “Love in an Elevator” and “Janie’s Got a Gun”.
It was also great to hear Billy Joel sing all his hits, finishing up with “Piano Man” and the crowd singing along.
Apparently no one had told Billy it was no longer a “bikie festival” as he several times expressed his amazement at why he would be asked to headline a “bikie festival” – presumably thinking it should be headed by a thrash heavy metal band – maybe he eventually just concluded that Aussie bikies are wimps (his presumed thoughts – not mine).
Kings of Chaos were also a crowd favourite. Kings of Chaos are made up of ex members of Deep Purple, Guns N Roses, Billy Idol Band, Def Leppard and Skid Row and they sang songs from those bands: “Welcome to the Jungle”, “Highway Star”, “Burn”, “Rebel Yell” and “Youth Gone Wild”.
In addition to the bigger name acts on the main stage in the stadium, there was a much smaller stage with some quality performers such as Dallas Frascas, Chase the Sun and Choir Boys to name just a few.
The sound was good although there were a few minor problems with sound on the Saturday afternoon, but given the amount of rain experienced on the Friday & part of Saturday it was handled quickly and efficiently with minimal disruption. The facilities were good. The line up was amazingly good value with ticket prices very reasonable.
When it comes to the punters, the fans were unanimous – a brilliant festival, a total success. The music loving public hope that the organisers will be in a position where this was just the first Stone Festival with many more festivals to follow over the following years. We cant wait for and are hoping that there will be another brilliant Stone Music Festival next year….please!
Guy Sebastian
Story & Photos by Ant Ritz
Most people tend to think of Guy Sebastian as “a new kid on the block”. Yet you may be surprised to know that it was in 2003, 10 years ago, since Guy came to prominence as the first winner of Australian Idol. In that time he has become a seasoned professional.
There is little doubt why Guy won that first Idol show – he has a brilliant voice. Over the years he has further developed a good stage presence and has plenty of dance moves. He has surround himself with a talented group of musicians: Wendy Anggerani (keyboards), Terepai Richmond (drums), Adam Ventoura (bass), Sam Vincent (guitars), David Ryan Harris (guitar & back vocals – also a very good support act), Ludovic Louis,(Trumpet & backing vocals), Carmen “She’s Got Legs…” Smith (backing vocals) and Angel Tupai (backing vocals).
In two recent sell out shows at the Hordern Pavilion, he kept an enthusiastic audience enthralled right until the end. It was a very diversified performance. It started with even a touch of theatre and developed into a few dance tracks, rap inspired songs, duets, ballads and even a band up the front of the stage acoustic fireside feel set.
The duets Guy did with both Carmen “She’s Got Legs…” Smith and Angel Tupai were just another of the high points on an evening full of high points. In two sell out shows Guy demonstrated that he has come of age and is undoubtedly a consummate professional who will be around for many eyars to come.
Whole Lotta Love
Story & Photos by Ant Ritz
What a fantastic night of celebrating the music of Led Zeppelin on Saturday in Wollongong at the Whole Lotta Love show !
What made it such a great night and more than just a tribute band was the calibre of the musicians and the performers. There were five different artists who all took turns at singing and bringing their own unique talent to the songs we all know and love. Veteran Melbourne performer Jimmy Cupples (who was on The Voice in 2012), the wild woman of Aussie Rock Dallas Frasca …
… the pretty and talented Natasha Stewart (Richard Clapton Band), Simon Meli (The Widowbirds and man of the moment on the Voice 2013) and the irrepressible Steve Balbi (Noiseworks) all put on a brilliant nights entertainment.
In addition, the band included some of the cream of Australian musicians: Joseph Calderazzo (guitars), Gordon Rytmeister (drums); Greg Royal (bass), Stuart Fraser (Noiseworks, John Farnham Band – guitars), Robert Woolf (keyboards), Tony Azzopardi (percussion), Adrian Keating (violin), Rachel Thompson (viola) and Charlotte Roberts (cello).
This is the 10th anniversary of this show, so they have it mastered.
There’s still one more show left in the series, to be played at The State Theatre Sydney on 18th May 2013. Get there if you can!
Mark Wilkinson
Story by Regi Su
One Sunday, I found myself strolling down the main street of The Rocks Street Fair where lo and behold, I found myself tapping my foot to the tunes of busker Mark Wilkinson. Months later, I’m sitting in the audience of one of his Sydney gigs as he kicks off the promotional tour for his upcoming album. The night was a sell-out, to devoted fans of mixed ages, from university students to middle aged couples.
Mark Wilkinson :: Photo source : markwilkinsonmusic.com
The atmosphere is one of ease, there are about half a dozen couches and there’s a red glow about the place, the tea light candles just add that extra touch. Glebe Cafe Church was an interesting venue to choose, but it didn’t disappoint. Church by day- community space by night, the high ceilings and intimate space allowed room for him to breathe, and to glorify his music. For the past few years, Wilkinson has been busking in places like The Rocks to raise funds for his new album and now he’s in the later end of production, he’s giving fans a taste of the surprises he has for us ahead. In his repertoire, he played a number of times from his new album, mostly songs never before experienced, so he made the audience feel privy, even smug at the idea of listening to something before its been released, sings like Chasing Rainbows. As well as this, he gave each crowd member an EP, a short selection of songs from the new album, just making the audience hungry for more.
Mark Wilkinson :: Photo source : markwilkinsonmusic.com
Wilkinson knows how to command a room, his music has a current in an ocean, that is calm at times, then crashes in a wave, a cresendo. As a one-man band, the spotlight sat on him and his acoustic guitar and he lost track of time, playing new tracks and appearing the audience with accepting requests from old songs. His guitar work is exceptional and all his songs are original works, songs proving that he is a great singer/songwriter. Granted, his songs have mostly the same sound, but when aimed at the right audience, aimed this established artist takes flight. He fits nicely within the genre of soft pop, not really experimenting with sound, not really bashing it out on the drums, just standing on stage with a guitar, playing all the soft harmonies himself, crooning feel good songs of love and love lost.
Wilkinson sounds like a blend of Don McLean, James Blunt and Tracey Chapman and vocally, he is rather talented. For a bit of context, he perfumes a superb rendition of Tracey Chapman‘s Fast Car.
Wilkinson has two more performances at the Glebe Cafe Church, from the 10th-11th of May, then travels to Wollongong on the 17th of May, then finally leaves for a tour of Germany, Ireland and the UK.
TOUR DATES
May 10 Glebe Cafe Church, Sydney
May 11 Glebe Cafe Church, Sydney
May 17 Waves, Wollongong
For more information, place visit-
http://www.markwilkinsonmusic.com
Beatles Favourite Band
Last night on Get Shot Radio we ran a “special’ on The Roadrunners. The setlist from the radio program of the 6th May 2013 can be found here Get Shot Radio. You can listen to the original music here too. Yes, really. Just go to the set list and there are videos and the songs themselves too.
Have a listen there to “Cry, Cry, Cry”, “Roadrunner” and “You Can Make It If You Try” to get a feel for The Beatles’ favourite band and a sound that heralds the advent of The Rolling Stones who were as George Harrison suggested at the time, just a Richmond-based “R&B group, almost as good as our own Roadrunners!‘ .
Never heard of them ? Not surprising as they never “made it” big time. They were on the threshold, but refused to “go commercial”. They were The Beatles’ favourite band and the best Rhythm & Blues band in England after Alexis Korner and before The Rolling Stones.
Let’s get this all into perspective and context. The Roadrunners were a genuine pre-Stones Rhythm & Blues Band. They played some rock and roll in a blues style; they pumped out blues with a bit of raunch and ooomph; they put more soul into Arthur Alexander’s country blues. They were a great band – but at the time might have just appeared to be “not another Merseybeat band !”
With a line up featuring saxophones, guitars, piano, drums and occasionally iberian percusion, they were just “different”. The best way to get a feel for why this was the case, is to go to this website The Roadrunners … the following is taken from their story on that website :
Maybe because we refused to compromise on our music we never quite made it to the “big time” but George Harrison had respect for us. Bill Harry (of the local music newspaper “Mersey Beat” fame) confirms it in this story:
“In Liverpool there was a big beat contest taking place at the Philharmonic Hall. We were sitting behind George Harrison who was one of the judges. One of the other judges was Dick Rowe from Decca who was living under the stigma of ‘the man who turned The Beatles down’.Liverpool had an R&B group called The Roadrunners who were really good. George was saying to Dick Rowe, ‘Oh, we went to see this group in Richmond called The Rolling Stones. – they’re an R&B group, almost as good as our own Roadrunners!‘
Dick Rowe got up, left the contest straight away without participating in the judging, got on the train back to London and signed The Rolling Stones.”
The soul of the band was embodied in the enigmatic Mike Hart – known as “Henry”. He was the sultry, bag-eyed singer, sax player, guitarist and sometimes maracas man. “Henry” was the inspiration of and driver of the blues feel, with his emotive diction, phrasing and uncompromising individualism. It is a crying shame that his music and talent became lost in the turmoil that followed the commercialisation and abdication of The Beatles from the rhythm and blues scene.
They played as support for The Beatles in The Cavern many times and supported many blues artists who started to come over to England in the early sixties. I know – I was at the show on Wednesday night 26th August 1964, to see Sonny Boy Williamson and The Roadrunners. What a great night it was too … Sonny Boy Williamson seemed old beyond his years (he was 65 at the time) and died a year later .. but The Roadrunners were terrific, one of their best performances.
For the record, after the demise of The Roadrunners in 1966, Mike Hart went on to become a member of The Liverpool Scene with Andy Roberts, Adrian Henri, Roger McGough and Brian Patten.
Charlie A’Court
Story By Colin Briscoe
After completing another successful Australian tour over the past two months, Charlie A’Court has gained many more Australian followers that have witnessed a man of multiple talent as a singer and musician, playing acoustic and electric guitar. He was backed when I saw him by a solid and accomplished local band that had been recruited at very short notice.
Charlie A’Court @ The Sydney Blues Festival :: Photo by John Snelson
Charlie A’Court who hails from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, supported our own master Mark Lizotte (aka Diesel), for an east coast tour that included performances through regional Victoria and New South Wales together with major cities and country towns.
Recently accomplished performances by Charlie A’Court in and around Sydney included those at The Vanguard, The Brass Monkey and Coogee Diggers. I doubt whether these establishments have ever witnessed such originality together with such freshness and a skill that belie his years. Some of these gigs were shared on stage with our own Australian blues master, the incomparable, Ray Beadle, bringing together a combination of musicians that was a special partnership to witness.
Charlie A’Court came a close second in the International Blues Challenge in 2003 for the Solo / Duo competition to our own blues, singer/songwriter and guitarist Fiona Boyes. This contest brings musicians from all over the world, around 150 in each of the two categories of solo/duos and bands to compete every year in Memphis.
Charlie’s strengths lie in live performance – as evidenced by glowing reviews from festivals and other notable venues worldwide.
The 2013 tour also showcased his latest release “Sun Is Gonna Shine”. This album has thirteen original songs including a live version of “Take Me Down” originally released in late 2012.
Charlie A’Court’s new album displays an exquisite blend of powerful vocals and lead electric guitar work in “Sun Is Gonna Shine” though to “Big Dark Canyon” and deep and soulful ballads featuring some beautiful acoustic guitar on “Alone”.
Charlie A’Court @ The Sydney Blues Festival :: Photo by John Snelson
Rumour is that he’ll be back later this year – but until then, you can follow Charlie A’Court through his website, http://charlieacourt.com and weekly webcasts through http://www.stageit.com/charlieacourt every Tuesday on the program “Ain’t That A Tuesday”.
Stageit is an online concert performance for artists to get up close and personal with the audience to perform their music, chat and answer questions.
With this album, the sun is certainly going to continue to shine for one Charlie A’Court, a man with a wonderful gift and talent.
Steve Balbi’s Rainbow
Story and Photos by John Snelson
Steve Balbi will be appearing at The Sydney Opera House on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th June.
These appearances are to commemorate the launch of Steve’s new album, Black Rainbow.
If his performance at the recent “Rock For Doc” Concert is anything to go by, this will be a humdinger.
His new release “Why Did It Take So Long ?” is a reflective ballad – perhaps out of the ordinary for what we might expect from Steve – he has an engaging voice in this genre far removed from his normal rocky, theatrical offerings. His show at the Opera House should be something else – and he will be supported by Green Ham and Dave Horgan. Get Shot Magazine will be there, we wouldn’t miss it, so come on over and say “hello”.
For the record, Steve Balbi has an impressive pedigree, perhaps best known as the bass player with Noiseworks and and his time with Rose Tattoo.
We’ll be playing a track from Black Rainbow on Monday night at 9-00pm on Get Shot Radio, streaming around the world live from TripleH 100.1fm where you can listen to the radio show online – yes even if you live in London, Paris, Rome, Tokyo, Casablanca, Chad, Machu Pichu or Wollongong. Get into it !
He has received three ARIA Double Platinum records and three ARIA Gold records.
In 2006 Steve began a new original project — Move Trees — with Scott Aplin, Pete Skelton and Doug Aplin. In 2007 Move Trees joined Noiseworks on the road during their tour. 26 October 2009 saw the latest release from Steve. “I Found You” in a solo release, out on UK label Foundry Records. As indicated above, he is now fronting a newly reformed Mi-Sex.
Steve has also been singing in a series of concerts that celebrate the music of such legends as Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles and Led Zeppelin. So his versatility is unchallengeable.
His appearances, shows and tour dates are as follows :
- May 10 : Palais Theatre Melbourne : Whole Lotta Love
- May 18 : State Theatre Sydney : Whole Lotta Love
- Jun 15 : SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE : STEVE BALBI ALBUM LAUNCH
- Jun 16 : SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE : STEVE BALBI ALBUM LAUNCH
- Jul 12 : Lizottes Newcastle : Ziggy
- Jul 13 : Lizottes Newcastle : Ziggy
- Jul 14 : Beaches Thiroull ; Ziggy
- Jul 18 : SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE : Ziggy
- Jul 19 : SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE : Ziggy
- Jul 20 : SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE : Ziggy [ early show ]
- Jul 20 : SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE : Ziggy [ Late show ]
- Jul 26 : Castle Hill RSL : Ziggy
- Jul 27 : Dee Why RSL : Ziggy
Blues Artist Beyond Years
Story by Emmajean Murphy
Shaun Kirk admirably had his audience last night at the Cat & Fiddle Hotel, Balmain literally sitting on the side of their seats.
Shaun Kirk – Singing Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightnin’” :: Photo by John Snelson
The ever-growing and extraordinary young blues and soul multi-instrumentalist plays with accurate fever, as his songs weave a strong tapestry of love, loss, and the ability to live with true heart and soul.
Shaun Kirk’s new CD Wick Sessions includes Dutch Tilders’ “Going Back To The City” :: Photo by John Snelson
His music is larger than life. You are willingly consumed into a set of strong percussion and beautiful rhythms, it is hard to believe that such a huge sound could be coming from one man alone. Shaun Kirk is a must see blues artist for this time.
- May 09 – Grand Junction Hotel – Maitland, NSW
- May 10 – Pacific Hotel – Yamba, NSW
- May 11 – Kingston Harvest Festival – Carrun, VIC
- May 12 – The Joynt – Brisbane, QLD
- May 16 – Sol Bar – Maroochydore, QLD
- May 17 – Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, NSW
- May 19 – Hampton Frrod & Arts Festival, QLD
- May 21 – KC’s Chargrill Bar, Airlie Beach, QLD
- May 22 – KC’s Chargrill Bar, Airlie Beach, QLD
- May 23 – KC’s Chargrill Bar, Airlie Beach, QLD
- May 24 – Blues ON Broadbeach, Gold Coast, QLD
- May 25 – Blues ON Broadbeach, Gold Coast, QLD
- May 26 – Blues ON Broadbeach, Gold Coast, QLD
- May 31 – The Diamond House – Stawell, QLD
- Jun 04 – Kazbah Loundfe – Sale, VIC
Shaun Kirk is indeed a blues artist beyond his years. More information on his music and his tour dates can be found at his website http://shaunkirk.com/
We’ll be playing a track from The Wick Sessions on Monday night at 9-00pm on Get Shot Radio, streaming around the world live from TripleH 100.1fm where you can listen to the radio show online – yes even if you live in London, Paris, Rome, Tokyo, Casablanca, Chad, Machu Pichu or Wollongong. Get into it !
GTM 2013
Story & Photos by Geneva
On April 27th, with the blessing of sunshine and a stunning blue sky, 16,000 punters wreaked havoc upon the Maitland Showground for the annual Groovin’ The Moo. After navigating through the traffic and oceans of twelvies, I made it to the grounds of this glorious festival. The bag checks and ticketing were surprisingly efficient, and even the wristbands were cool.
The sold out festival was host to some incredible international names, Tegan and Sara (Canada), The Bronx (US), Yacht (US), The Kooks (UK) and many more, as well as some fresh bands, new and old, from our musically rich homeland.
An 8-piece from Newcastle kicked off festivities. Galleri brought their unique brand of nostalgic music to the early crowds of GTM. A rich, full-bodied sound, complete with a brass section, they won over plenty of fans with their happy, cheerful music. Perfectly suited to festival vibes, Galleri scored a home run at Groovin.
Another group of local cutie pies, The Owls have been grooving since 2008. Their opulent sound got the crowd dancing, and within the confines of a 20 minute set, they still managed to dazzle audiences.
Goldsmith took to the Triple J stage, looking absolutely wonderful and sounding even better! Another early morning band to rep the vintage pop feel, their sounds were reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac (particularly their song ‘Henry VIII’) and Dire Straits. This up and coming band have a bright future, and their pop tunes have the strength to go somewhere.
I have to commend Groovin’ on the smaller bands that played, Galleri, The Owls and Goldsmith, all hail from Newcastle, the organisers at Groovin did a top notch job of choosing promising local bands that perfectly showcased the talent that, past the Southern Cross tattoos and Nickelback fans, hides in pockets throughout this wonderful country.
Last Dinosaurs zoomed onto the Channel V stage, ready to captivate thousands of people with their shining melodies, and charming live performance. Sean Caskey, Lachlan Caskey, Sam Gethin-Jones and Dan Koyama are the indie rock darlings that make up the band.
Since their inception in 2008, Last Dinosaurs have soared through the Aussie indie scene. Their colourful live sound enthralled the crowd at GTM, but sadly, I personally did not see their set to the end because of a tragic clash with Hungry Kids Of Hungry.
The Moolin Rouge, a big, beautiful, blue circus tent, was filled with the Hungry Kids Of Hungary’s extraordinary pop. This consistently brilliant band have released 2 albums and 2 EPS, all of which are easy to fall in love with. The Hungry Kids’ magnetism and diversity perfectly transferred over to their live performance, and they certainly arrested hearts.
Sadly, for hardcore fans of HKOH, 40 minutes isn’t nearly enough time to cover all of their brilliant material, so some old favourites were missed, but tracks from their latest album, Twin Cities, were superb. The lighting was fantastic, and overall, Hungry Kids Of Hungary conjured up the most exciting 40 minutes of the day.
Matt and Kim are a duo (as described by Matt, ‘partners in sex and music) from the faraway lands of Brooklyn New York who worked the Channel V stage like you could never imagine.
Confetti sticks, remarkable showmanship and funny banter between songs, was a sweet concotion, that culminated in a pretty darn awesome set.
Seth Sentry, another Australian musician to go radically “global”, won over legions of fans with his performance on the Jimmy Kimmel show in the US. Another wizard of crowd participation, he kept the audience under his thumb throughout the whole performance.
His witty, intelligent music created a perfect festival buzz. A spectacular performer, and a international ambassador of true Aussie talent.
Alpine have been roaring through the scene for the past year, with an outstanding criticaly acclaimed debut, and an ARIA nomination, they’ve been carving out a homely spot on the face of Aussie music. Though they added diversity in style to the Groovin’ line up, their indie lullabies aren’t perfectly suited to a festival crowd.
Although I was personally unacquainted with their music, Frightened Rabbit still blew me away.
Despite the fact that their performance didn’t inspire a festival frenzy like many of the other acts, their musical artistry stood out on the line up. Their sound is a melting pot of influences, alike to Mumford and Sons and Arcade Fire. They weave stories through their lyrics and melodies that will warm your heart and sing to your soul. Even in the harsh afternoon sun, the pale Scotts still put everything into their performance, the drummers face, twisting and contorting in riveting expressions of passion. A 10/10 act, Frightened Rabbit is an exquisite band.
Tame Impala was definitely the most interesting act of the night. Fueled by the musical genius of Kevin Parker, this Perth outfit have taken the world by storm with their tales of isolation and weed.
Their trippy neo-psychedelia has attracted an army of fans (most of whom wear tie dye 60% of the time). Their mystery has provoked international hype, and the re-emergence of psychedelic music.
Sadly, their performance at GTM had some issues.
Kevin Parker had a sore throat, the poor thing, and his vocal performance was really shocking. The fact that he still got up and performed even with such a bad illness, was admirable because it’s always better to get up and give an okay performance, than to leave eager fans with nothing at all. Kevin struggled during higher songs, letting the crowd sing the choruses to Feels Like We Only Go Backwards for him, but instrumentally, the band was exceptional.
The weakness of his voice, has lead people to doubting the band as performers, and Kevin’s ability to deliver as a lead singer. Parker isn’t particularly energetic onstage, but that suits his persona, and the lyrical content of his music. Jay and Dom and Julian (not so much Nick) are all incredibly vibrant, and kind of make up for Kevin’s lackluster energy. For artists like Matt and Kim, and Seth Sentry, crowd involvement and extravagant showmanship suits their genre and style of performance. That kind of crowd involvement would not suit a Tame Impala show.
Their happy-trippy fans would rather see them at a concert – maybe the average Maitland festival-goer is less likely to have the attention span to appreciate the band.
A major facet of the hype surrounding Tame Impala, is the atmosphere of their shows. As perfectly put by Georgia Ashworth: “That’s why Tame Impala concerts are significantly better than their festival appearances. It’s not the band, it’s the crowd. They’re not the kind of band you’d come across at a festival and be all excited over … their cute onstage personas and catchy lyrics, they’re a band that you have to be into and ‘get’, I think. Hence the masses of children leaving the Tame Impala stage when the instrumental lasted longer than… 20 secs.”
In summation, poor Kevin Parker had a terrible sore throat; his showmanship could be brighter; yetthe band’s musicality and instrumental talent is irresistible.
Now, onto British rockers, The Kooks. Magical.
Technical hiccups had them leave the stage after the first song, for quite a long wait. But as soon as they re-emerged they were greeted with screams of delight, and they sure did deliver. Luke Pritchard’s electric performance was absolutely hypnotic, and their live sound was even better than their records.
Logistics – traveling to Groovin’ by public transport was really difficult, it’d be great if in the future, GTM could work with Cityrail to organise more trains to cater to the ridiculous amount of people heading up for the festival.
Merchandise – affordable and varied (bracelets might be a good idea for the future).
Grounds – fairly easy to navigate
Big Negative – the trail of litter and destruction that the fest-goers left in their wake (more bins maybe?).
Summary – sensational day, with phenomenal weather and great music, Groovin’ The Moo was unforgettable, and arguably the best all ages festival in Australia.
Diva Disease
Story & Photos by John Snelson
We have been listening to a colourful new release from Diva Demolition – one of our favourite new bands.
Diva Demolition has just finished a tour in NZ with Aerosmith and also playing on the same bill as the imploding Wolfmother .. they seem to have quite enjoyed hanging out with Steve Tyler ! After the amazing Rock For Doc concert at The Enmore a couple of weeks ago with Suze DeMarchi and The Baby Animals, Dragon, Mi-Sex, Dead Daisies, Peter Garrett, Angels, Rose Tattoo, Melinda Schneider, Jon English et al – that adrenalin would have been hard to beat.
The first track “Diva Disease” is a cracker – it rocks along at a pace indeed. The lyrics are contrived around the title, and perhaps came after the idea for the song; hard to tell. The underlying music demolishes the title so that the “leave-me-alone” and “I’m a spaced-out, fully committed star” lyrics are almost incidental. The track’s strength lies in the riffs and the title itself – all of which eclipse the diva lyrics.
The stronger tracks come from the other three numbers on the EP with “Bitch” being the best. This song tells a tale of a broken relationship – one that has left some bitterness and feelings of betrayal. It is strongly put, so richly that some stations may choose other tracks more appropriate for radio. Nevertheless, this is the best track on the release and we loved it.
Interestingly, the sleeve notes on the CD we have seen only carry the words of the title track “Diva Disease“.
All up, an exciting release and we’re sure it will do pretty well for the girls.
Joan Baez
Story by John Snelson
In case you missed the announcements, Joan Baez is to tour Australia in August – for the first time in over 25 years.
Here in Sydney, she’ll be at The Opera House – I can’t wait to hear this superbly clear voice soaring in that auditorium. Should be sensational … here’s a utube of her singing another Bob Dylan song “It Ain’t Me Babe“. (NB Sorry if there are ads at the front of the video).
For those who don’t know much about her, she was the darling of the 60′s folk and activist protest movement – everything from nuclear power, animal welfare, gay rights, civil disobedience in support of the end to segregation in the USA. For a couple of years Bob Dylan was her boyfriend and she’d bring him on to sing a few of his protest style songs (Blowin’ In The Wind, Masters of War) during her show – at this time, she had already won 3 gold records for her first three albums before Dylan began his meteoric rise to fame.
For a long time, she was “very close” to Steve Jobs and perhaps was close to marrying him.
Joan Baez – Beautiful Voice & Defiant Political Activist For So Many Good Causes
She still has the clearest of voices, and striding range and beautiful delivery. Her tour should not be missed. Her songs for which she vecame famous were mainly covers of new songs or traditional folk based music. She has released more than 50 (yes, fifty) albums. Perhaps her most succesful song was “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down“.
Her pacifist and defiant opposition to the Vietnam was caused her to be jailed twice, once for not paying the proportion of her tax liability which she calculated was supporting the Defence budget.. She was extremely brave, travelling to Hanoi during the 1975 Christmas Bombings to address human rights and deliver Christmas mail to POWs.
She made an album of Dylan songs – which I have here – and I played a track “Love Minus Zero, No Limit” on Get Shot Radio last night.
Joan Baez – Photo by Matthew Rolston
If you get a chance, go and see her in August – beautiful voice even now it has lost some vibrato.
The tour dates are :
08/06/13 – Adelaide Festival Theatre
08/08/13 – Hamer Hall – The Arts Centre, Melbourne
08/09/13 – Hamer Hall – The Arts Centre, Melbourne
08/12/13 – Concert Hall – Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane
08/16/13 – Perth Concert Hall, Perth
08/20/13 – Sydney Opera House, Sydney
08/24/13 – Royal Theatre – National Convention Centre, Canberra
Love Hate Rebellion
Story and photos by Martina McGrath
Once again I find myself lured to The Tempo Hotel to see another local Brisbane band perform as part of Heart Grenade Promotions, regular Sunday sessions aimed purely to provide an opportunity to showcase and promote local talent.
The Tempo is fast becoming a popular venue for live acts given it is a full-throttle, geared venue with awesome lighting, a sweet sound system and a stage that can grace everything from solo artists to super-sized bands.
Love Hate Rebellion is a four piece band consisting of: Ariana Pelser, on bass and vocal backing to support James (aka Jimmy) Trevor Sky, lead singer and guitarist. Making up this awesome foursome is Andrew Darveniza on drums and last but by no way least Ariana’s sister, Rachel Pelser to complete the band on guitar and keys.
They met about a year ago and formed this band that is on the rise. The band’s music is a well-blended fusion of hard rock and alternative music. Their released track ‘Sweet Orchid’ is receiving nice airplay from local radio stations and international attention.
I met the band briefly before they hit the stage and had the pleasure of again saying sweaty, puffed-out but happy farewells to the band after their gig. So, as a teaser clue, this band delivers, just as I like it, show-no-mercy and kick-butt style music. Whilst the audience size this night was down a little, none-the-less, Love Hate Rebellion served it up as if the house was full. Oh yeah, I like it like that.
Their music is tight and with Jimmy leading the way on vocals and lead guitar. For me I was surprised deliciously to see the range of songs. It isn’t just hard-hitting, great belter rock songs. The band is able to shift gears seamlessly and deliver ballads that again seem to drill down to the sweet spot.
This review describes the vibe and energy I felt whilst enjoying an earful of their music. Perhaps consider this one a ‘mood review’. In other words “how did their music make me feel ?”. Put simply, it rocked me, it shocked me, as transfixed I watched them go from belting hard rock songs through to cruisy ballads with ease. To finish the set, all four were spent, adrenalin still pumping as Ariana fell to the ground guitar in hand laughing gleefully with her band mates looking on. Now that is nothing short of a stellar way to finish a smack-you-in-the-gob, performance.
What do I suggest you do next ?
Simple, check them out via their Facebook Page, website and a few other great online websites and then get ya skates on and go see this band live. I am going to keep an eye on this no-attitude, humble band and follow their musical upwards thrust.
Shaun Kirk
Story by Colin Briscoe – Photos by John Snelson
The Wick Sessions – Shaun Kirk
Melbourne originated singer, song writer and musician Shaun Kirk has released a third album CD/DVD package. The reason I say “originated” is because Shaun’s passion is performing live.
He has a full program of constant touring right across Australia at venues and festivals with noted recent performances at Bluesfest, Port Fairy and the Gumball Music Festivals.
The Wick Sessions encompasses this passion in a live recorded studio session without the interruptions or distractions from a live audience and gaining the far reaching benefits of an excellent production of the recorded sound. The album is a follow-up to “Thank You For Giving Me The Blues” and his highly awarded 2010 first album, “Cruisin” that received the Best Debut Album award at the Victoria/Tas Blues Awards.
The new album contains songs from both previous releases and captures a spontaneity that proves Shaun’s ability as a singer, guitarist together with skills on harmonic and percussion that has won audiences over since making the decision to devote his career in performing late in his teenage years much to the benefit of the Australian blues/roots music.
It features an excellent rendition of the late Australian master, Dutch Tilder’s “Going Back To The City” and includes covers from both Keb Mo and Howling Wolf, together with a new song, “Every Dog Will Have It’s Day”.
The Wick Sessions CD / DVD demonstrates Shaun Kirk’s talents and exemplifies what he can do to prove he is a musician that has come of age in the Australian blues and roots circles.
Blues Explosion 4
Story by John Snelson
Monday night, 29th April 2013, will be something really special.
Tony Cini will be right right here in the studio on Get Shot Radio to tell us all all about his Blues Explosion concept.
We have been playing tracks from Blues Explosion Volume 4 for weeks – and we’ll be playing a few more tracks tonight. There are 13 tracks on this great album from Bad Penny Records : -
- Vdelli
- Jesse Valach & Blues Mountain *
- Minnie Marks
- Pete Cornelius
- Hat Fitz & Cara
- Cath Butler’s Joynt Venture
- Lloyd Spiegel
- Fiona Boyes
- The Mojo Webb Band
- Mark Easton
- Eli Wolfe
- Nick and Liesl
* Jesse Valach & Blues Mountain are appearing at Beaches Hotel, Thirroul, Sunday 19th May 2013
Hey – what a line up. As the sleeve says. this is a “Celebration of Australian Blues and Roots Music“.
If you like quality Australian blues music, get on to these Blues Explosion compilations from Tony Cini. Volumes 1, 2 and 3 are getting scarce but Tony tells me he has put a few sets away for people who want to catch up quickly and get the lot – you can find out more at Blues Explosion or drop a line to montrosemusicmgmt@bigpond.net .
Love the art work too on the CDs – by Cass Eager (TwiceasEager) … you will know Cass from The Velvet Rope and the Rhythm Section lads. Ahem, also loved the inclusion of the Get Shot Magazine logo … well, we are big supporters here of Tony Cini and his generous and unfaltering support of good Australian music and live entertainment. That’s what you get on these Blues Explosion volumes.
Anyway, be sure to listen in to Get Shot Radio on Monday night and you’ll here some tracks from the Blues Explosion Volumes 1, 2, 3 and 4.
