Going solo...

I love Something For Kate.

I mean a) they're from melbourne, b) a three peice and c) an indie band that got big so whats not to like! They capture my breath, my imagination and sometimes my heartache's and hopes. Thats what a good band can do sometimes! Paul Dempsey does solo gigs about the place from time to time and has a special one coming up actually.. see here... He could totally get away with releasing a live-solo album cos the shows are just that good but fans have beaten him to it. If you go here... you'll find a two-disc live bootleg from a solo show he did some time ago capturing all the clapping, chatting, tuning and singing you'd get at a show. Its pretty cool actually so go have a listen! Here's my favourite track ::> Captain (million miles an hour)

NB: SFK have a 'best of' release, would be a great introduction to new comers!

The other dude im gonna blog about, well dosn't exactly inspire me quite the way Paul and co. have been able to, but none the less is an artists who proudly flies the flag for indie bands! Im speaking of Ben Lee. For some reason he's hated by people as much as he is liked, i dont get it! He writes cheeky, happy pop songs that get stuck in ya head, he wins awards, makes people smile and he speaks his mind. I guess that must really piss people off....?? Anyway he's recently dropped a new album and its doing ok, single on the radio, name popping up around the place and all that BUT... have you heard the OTHER ALBUM he put out recently? Its great, political, challenging, anthemic and totally not even his songs!! He covered the new 'Against Me' album called 'New Wave' completely acoustic with ditsy keyboards and paper thin loop drums and all the Ben Lee trimmings. Its an interesting listen made all the more enjoyable by the fricking awsome songs. You can get it from Ben Lee's blog.. here...

This is the title track New Wave and you should go get the rest of Ben's version of the album (which is free!) and then buy the Against Me! version from a shop somewhere.

After all, it is said that plagiarism is the highest form of flattery!

From the Horsells mouth...

There's an awsome trio based in melbourne, they've been around for a good few years honing their craft with several blistering EP's, they play anthemic hard rock flavoured with hardcore ... they swing guitars about and make all sorts of angsty noises with the fury of The Nation Blue and the severity of The Mark of Cain but add to that the choruses of someone like Gyroscope.

Im talking about the mighty 'Horsell Common'. Probably like my favourite melboure band. Nay, one of my favourite aussie bands. They've FINALLY dropped their full length album 'The Rescue' and its great...
They have a blog too... http://horsellcommon.blogspot.com/ so go have a peek and tell what ya think about stuff! This track is from the record and it fully ripps... play it loud...

The Rescue

And since i gave the Mark of Cain' comparison.. (sadly many wont remember them!) i feel it only right to share the love: Retaliate (best song on the 2001 head smasher 'This is This'.) Now Antiskeptic (*and our previous bands) owe a lot to the stlyings of these boys from a-town. Big stoppy-starty 6/8 grooves, staggered 7/8 riffs and what not... mmm meaty. I dont know if Horsell also tip the hat to them but my ears hear some similarities and thats good to me!! More Than Kind

And thats my blogging done for today. Im feeling pretty excited at the mo' cos we just got some shows in Thailand next month and NewZealand in January. We're going O/S yall...here's hoping for more!

Townsville...bringin the goods

Townsville...
So far away and removed from the rest of the major cities on the east coast being so far north. I didnt know they had such amazing bands up there but it seems they do! One of my mates Carl Jackson came from up there, he was in a rockin punk rock band called 'Wishful Thinking'. They moved to Melbourne and rocked our faces off for a few years but broke up last year. He's doing solo stuff now...heaps 'not punk rock' and i really like it...have a listen.

This one of my favourite tracks Carl's done... Shining On You

And this is another one of my fav's from another project of his: Look up and point
He's got a site here: http://www.virb.com/carlwjackson
( and here http://www.myspace.com/prisonerslikesand )

PS: You'll find a stack of the old Wishful' tunes up here for your listening pleasure..
http://www.mp3.com.au/wishfulfthinking

And...now a band i'd mentioned previously in the blackstump blurb: The Middle East are also from Townsville. They're brilliant. Sounding a little bit like Sufjan Stevens dating Explosions in the Sky i am caught up and swept away in their music each time i listen to it. Amazing live, great recorded and i can't wait for the next release! So far they've only done a split ep with another amazing band (but from Cairns) called 'Sleeping in Trains' so until then...get this!

Song here: http://www.triplejunearthed.com/themiddleeast

( and http://www.myspace.com/visitthemiddleeast )
Buy it from ebay.. yeh they sell it on ebay and why not!

But also from: http://www.fist2face.com.au/

Sweet

Blackstump 07....

Let there be rock...

Stump 07 has wrapped again and what a weekend it was! I wasnt even there for the whole thing this year but still managed to take in the dust, sights n' sounds of several awsome acts i hadnt seen before as well as catch up with a few mates! The evtn atracts artists from as far as townsville to adeliade and all inbetween!! 'Antiskeptic' did its duty on the main stage Saturday evening and hopefully everyone enjoyed the set as much as we did!!!

There were many triumphant returns this year following the awsome '06' lineup which featured loads of unknowns and plenty of fresh new faces! They included 'The Middle East' & 'Sleeping On Trains' who totally wowed and stunned crowds last year and did it again for 07 ....but i am focussing this post on my friends in 'The Sundance Kids'. A top quality act from Adelaide who are going to be famous and get signed and get bloody massive. Its obvious really..the songs are just great. The band is just fantastic (made up of all star adelaide rock alumni) and the product is hot. Way hot...feel free to get on board now before you start hearing them on Nova and MMM and all that!!!

Im still working out the bnitty gritty of file hosting and what not so until i have a better grasp on the ins and outs... you 'll have to settle for some linkage...

You'll find three golden 'Sundance Kids' tracks over here...taken from the 2006 demo. Some of which were re-recorded for the amazing 'Including the Atmosphere EP' which features a whole band rather than the all acoustic approach.

http://www.triplejunearthed.com/thesundancekids

And try this .... if it works... is the first track off the EP...

http://www.mediamax.com/seaniam/Hosted/01%20Solutions%20-%20The%20Sundance%20Kids.mp3

It would go without saying that there's a myspaz page for them as well...but you knew that already right? Go ahead and make them your friends...but more importantly wrap your ears around some of the best bands to come out of adelaide in a fair while!