All posts by Marshall Cullen

ONEDAY_SC_PACKSHOTweb
News and Touring

Slow Club – One Day All Of This Won’t Matter Anymore

Slow Club New Album “One Day All Of This Won’t Matter Anymore”
Available 19 August 2016
Out on Moshi Moshi/Planet

How do you keep a band interesting after ten years? It’s a question
Slow Club’s Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor must have asked
themselves as they started work on their fourth album.The answer
seems to be producer Matthew E. White, the master of Southern-
gothic folk, whose in-house band at Richmond’s Spacebomb Studios
provided the consistency and tone the album required. Almost every
track was played live in the studio, allowing the long-established
session band’s natural chemistry to augment Charles and Rebecca’s,
with the double advantage of recording being very effective, and also comparatively quick.
“One Day…” contains some of the best melodies they’ve yet created.
The duo’s knack for writing hooks and melody has, if anything,
become stronger. There are choruses here you instantly feel you’ve
known your whole life, like ‘Ancient Rolling Seas’ timeless, reassuring refrain of “I’ll Always Be By Your Side”, or ‘Champion‘s Dolly Parton via- Linda Ronstadt anthem of self-celebration through the darkest times.
Perhaps best of all are a pair of songs to be found at the top of what
traditionalists would call “side 2”- ‘Rebecca Casanova’, a slice of
widescreen, four-to-the-floor pop that recalls soft-rock giants
Fleetwood Mac in the way it channels heartbreak onto the dance floor, and ‘Tattoo Of The King’, a tale that takes Neil Young and the Doobie Brothers to the disco.
SlowClub3 - Laura McCluskey- low res
Josh Johnstone (AUS)
News and Touring

Josh Johnstone – Debut Album – Call In Whispers

‘Call In Whispers’ – Available NOW

Find it here: 

iTunes – itunes.apple.com/call-in-whispers

CD Baby – cdbaby.com/callinwhispers

Spotify – open.spotify.com/callinwhispers

About Josh Johnstone:

For the past 12 months Josh has been busy in the studio writing and recording his debut album ‘Call in Whispers’ with Eskimo Joe’s Joel Quartermaine Producing . The now completed album was released in April 2016 and is by far Josh’s best work to date. The first two singles from the album, ‘Rain Dancer’ and ‘Front Light,’ have been servicing radio and were added to various station playlists, including National and Local ABC shows.

Taking cues from the sounds of Boy & Bear, The Temper Trap, Matt Corby, and Bob Evans, Josh marries them with the pop sensibilities of acts like Foster The People and Empire Of The Sun. His experience writing for a range of stylistically different projects – as well as co-writing with Joel Quartermain (Eskimo Joe), Davey Lane (You Am I), Steve Parkin (Basement Birds), and Jen Chloer – has given him the perfect education to meld rock and pop together in sublimely diverse and catchy ways. Make sure to pick up a copy of ‘Call In Whispers’ today!

Heres a recent Interview with Josh –

QnA with Foghorn Media

Foghorn Media: What inspired you to become a singer/writer? Who are your early influences?

Josh Johnstone: I guess like many songwriters, it all began when you were growing up and maybe in the car going on family vacation and changing the words of popular songs on the radio to be about your own silly personal jokes.  I come from a long line of musicians on my father’s side of the family. Making up silly songs around the lounge room fire was one of the most fun, interactive, bonding, and mentally stimulating things you can do with your family and friends. Early influences would be my parents record collection; Tom Petty, The Rolling Stones, Kinks, Lovin’ Spoonful, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Cream, Leadbelly, Taj Mahal, Traveling Wilburys, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, John Lennon.

FM: Tell us a little about how you write. How do the songs come? What gets you going creatively?

JJ: My writing comes in bursts. Often I’m on tour/playing five or more shows a week for most of the year. During this time you see so many other bands, amazing performances at festivals, you meet hundreds of interesting and inspiring people, you experience all these different cultures. So there is so much inspiration for song writing. However, with the hectic tour schedule, I don’t really feel like writing much. When I finish a long tour and have a week or two off, it all comes out then. I pretty much wrote the crux of my album in two separate week bursts. I guess its all about giving yourself a lot of great experiences and people to draw creativity from, and then allowing yourself the space and time to let those things come out.

FM: What is the first record you bought and why?

JJ: I was a 90’s kid; the first time I bought my own CDs was in my early teens. I got a five stacker CD player from Cash Converters and the nice guy there said “why don’t you pick five CDs from the rack to fill that new CD player of yours,” So I took ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magic’ by RHCP, ‘Nevermind’ by Nirvana, ‘The Real Thing’ by Faith no More, ‘Vs.’ by Pearl Jam, and ‘Gravediggers Union’ by Soul Asylum.

FM: What current OZ acts inspire you? International acts?

JJ: I really love Boy & Bear, The Temper Trap. But on an up and coming scale, The Elliott’s (Melbourne), Timothy Nelson (Perth), and Eli Schoen (Perth). We have a lot of talent out there. Go see a live a band, real music made by real musicians.

FM: Tell us a little about your music and what a crowd can expect at a live show.

JJ:  All I hope is that they enjoy themselves, the songs, the music, the band and the atmosphere.

FM: Favourite artists of all time?

JJ: Picking a favourite is too hard. It’s like asking a parent to pick a favourite child. I guess I would maybe say Tom Petty, John Lennon, or the collective works of the members of Traveling Wilburys

FM: Favourite film? Place? Animal or pet?

JJ: Films: ‘The Big Lebowski,’ I’ve seen it way too many times. As I have with ‘The Castle,’ I prefer comedy to drama. My favourite place to tour is Eastern Europe (Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania) and favourite pet is my parents’ dog, Millie.
FM: Where do you see Aussie music heading?

JJ: I think the general public needs to support local bands a lot more than they do. Xfactor, The Voice, and Idol are all continuing to destroy the music industry and creating short term throwaway gimmic songs and artists. Something needs to change if you ever want to see classic artists with 20 year careers and countless hit songs again.

FM: What are your future plans for 2016/2017?

JJ: I have just completed all of the launches around Western Australia for my album. The regional touring was a heap of fun and the city shows were more like massive parties with new and old friends than anything else! I am now in Melbourne about to play a launch here, and then I head off on a 2 and a half month tour of Europe, USA, and parts of Asia. It also looks like another tour is already being set up for the USA in March next year. Aside from that, I am planning to make a music video for every song on the new album: five down, five to go. I will be releasing them over the next few months so keep an eye out!

joshjohnstone.com

facebook.com/joshjohnstonemusic

soundcloud.com/joshjohnstonemusic

Instagram: joshjohnstonemusic

Skipping on Daisies
News and Touring

Chris Boscole – QnA with Foghorn Media

Get Christopher Boscole’s new album Skipping On Daisies now available!

Find it here:

iTunes – itunes.apple.com/Skipping-on-daisies

CDbaby – cdbaby.com/SkippingOnDaisies

Spotify – open.spotify.com/SkippingOnDaisies

QnA with Foghorn Media

Foghorn Media: What inspired you to become a pianist? Who are your early influences?

Chris Boscole: I actually started as a violinist and then switched to viola. While I had played around in the meantime on the piano in the house, I didn’t start studying piano seriously until my teenage years. My mother, who was a classically trained pianist, was a big early influence. I was also influenced by jazz artists, such as Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, and Keith Jarrett. I was lucky to be able to study at that time with the bassist/pianist Gary Peacock (of the Keith Jarrett trio). Later I found my own natural piano style was similar to David Lanz, Liz Story, and George Winston.  I met David Lanz and filled in occasionally at David’s piano bar gig in Seattle. I started doing my own shows around town, playing cover tunes, while working on my originals, and things progressed from there to my first album in 1986. Recently I performed at the Whisperings All Star Concert in Costa Mesa and got to meet Liz after all these years! Lately I listen to a lot of mellow classical piano and other contemporary pianists that come up on my Christopher Boscole Radio pandora channel.

FM: Tell us a little about how you write. How do the songs come? What gets you going creatively?

CB: While everything worth doing takes a measure of work and effort, I find that creativity comes when one stops trying and just relaxes into the music. This being said, one must set aside time everyday to practice, hone and refine their craft, and not rush the art, just let it be natural. The sound of an excellent piano is very important for me to be inspired, and I feel fortunate that life has rewarded me at this time with a 9’ Steinway model D Concert Grand to practice and record on at home.

FM: Your bio mentions a fun quiz, tell us about that.

CB: I took a “what musician are you in another life” quiz once and it came back as “rock guitarist -Jimi Hendrix,”

FM: What is the first record you bought and why?

CB: I was the last child of three and inherited most of the music in the house from my older siblings. I remember listening to a lot of heavy rock in the 70s and 80s with my friends, and going to big rock concerts. When I started buying music, it was every jazz pianist I could find for cheap at the used record store. We also had a great library and I listened to a lot of the music available there.

FM: What current Australian acts inspire you? International acts?

CB: I’m not familiar with much music in Australia, as I have never been there. Although I am aware of Fiona Joy’s music, which I really enjoy. As I live in Kauai, I follow most of music on the internet, and am inspired by good pianists like Rubinstein and music of impressionist composers, easily available on youtube.

FM: Tell us a little about your music and what a crowd can expect at a live show.

CB: Another of my loves is photography and recently video production, which I have combined with my music in some Youtube videos under my name.  When the venue has the facilities, I like to do my multimedia show combining my photography and music live.

FM: Favourite artists of all time?

CB: Keith Jarret, Bill Evans, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, George Winston, David Lanz, Michael Jones, Liz Story, David Nevue, Jim Brickman, David Benoit, Dave Grusin, Ralph Towner, John McLaughlin, Frederic Chopin, Claude Debussy, Erik Satie, J.S. Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven

FM: Favourite food or drink, and a story associated with it if there is one.

CB: Big salad for dinner! Not much into drinking at my age over 50…been there done that! After one beer I am a couch potato.

FM: What are your future plans for 2016/2017?

CB: I worked hard recently during the first part of the year to get out Skipping on Daisies. Now just got the piano tuned and currently working slowly on a new recording project, kind of a best of/favorites album for 2017.  Later this summer, traveling on the mainland, doing some hiking/camping and seeing some old friends. It’s good to find that balance. Some more sheet music is in the works for release this fall.

 

christopherboscole.com

facebook.com/Christopher-Boscole-Pianist-Composer

youtube.com/ChristopherBoscole

 

 

halfwait press shot
News and Touring

Halfwait QnA with Foghorn Media

Halfwait QnA with Foghorn Media

Foghorn Media: What inspired you to become a band? Who were your early influences?

Halfwait: We all grew up in the 90s listening to bands such as Nirvana, Silverchair, Offspring and Blink 182 and always admired them. We looked up towards the thought of playing on the big stage and connecting with people through our music.

FM: Tell us a little about how you write, how do the songs come? What gets you going creatively?

HW: Depending on our moods and what is happening in our lives at the time can determine on the feel and direction of the song. Usually Chris and I have created a good balance of teamwork with structuring songs, but in most cases I write something on guitar along with a melody and bring that into the studio and we build a song around that. With the lyrics, I write about topics that mean something to me or are around me at the time. I’ve been writing poems from a young age so it makes it a lot easier for me to convert it into lyrics for a song.

FM: What is the first record you bought and why?

Jon: ‘Nevermind’ by Nirvana. My brother was into it at the time and that’s the only CD we had in the house. I grew to like the sound of the recording and held it highly in sound quality.

Chris: ‘Follow The Leader’ by Korn. I wasn’t a big fan of Nu-Metal but I always admired people with long hair or dreadlocks, which ultimately drew me to the band. I also liked The Offspring which was my favorite band at the time.

Nathan: ‘Frogstomp’ by Silverchair. I thought it was really well put together.

FM: What current Australian and international acts are inspiring you?

HW: The Deadlove and Violent Soho as they are bringing the 90s scene back to Australia and we dig and admire that. For international artists, we are inspired by and have respect for Mallory Knox for their journey and growth in the international music scene. But also  bands that have been around for a while such as Metallica, Blink 182, Offspring, and Green Day.

FM: Tell us a little about your music and what a crowd can expect at a live show.

HW: Because we have the 90s built into our style the crowd should expect hard hitting drums, strong bass lines, and scratchy guitars with clean vocals. There’s a lot of energy in our performance creating a really great atmosphere.

FM: Favorite films?

Jon: ‘Step Brothers’
Chris: ‘Pulp Fiction,’ because no matter how many times I watch it, I always find something new that I haven’t noticed before about the movie.
Nathan: ‘Django Unchained,’

FM: Where do you see Australian music heading?

HW: With bands like Violent Soho on the rise, I think we will see the youth growing up listening to music similar to what we did. And with people who grew up in the 90s, like us, wanting the music that they heard in their youths back will revive the grunge scene.

FM: What are your future plans for 2016/2017?

HW: We will be finishing off this EP, which we are currently recording, followed by touring Australia, and in between that time we will re release our first EP and an acoustic EP. Then we are planning to go back into the studio in 2017 to record our debut album whilst playing various shows and promotions for a national tour after the completion of the album.

 

 

Socials

facebook.com/halfwait 

youtube.com/user/Halfwait

instagram.com/halfwaitofficial

twitter.com/halfwait

soundcloud.com/halfwait-fly-away

Alexi
News and Touring

Alexi Musnitsky – QnA with Foghorn Media

Alexi Musnitsky QnA with Foghorn Media

Foghorn Media: What inspired you to become a pianist? Who were your early influences?

 Alexi Musnitsky: I chose piano at an early age, four years old. After seeing my sister play, I wanted to try and I just stuck to it. I was raised with classical piano, but I was never one to adhere to the rigors of “solfege.” I was lucky that my teachers let me explore my own way to express the music and they were pleased with the results. I am also a fairly quiet person, as some people say “still waters run deep.” I don’t express my feelings or emotions in words. But I do have experiences, good and bad, happy and hurtful. These feelings come out in my playing. This is why I switched from playing others’ music such as classical and began composing my own pieces. To me this is not songwriting, but a form of communication – a way for me to express the feelings I have and to let out some of the memories I keep inside.

FM: Tell us a little about how you write, how do the songs come? What gets you going creatively?

 AM: This is a difficult question for me to answer because I do not have a method or process. There is no plan or template nor do I set aside any specific time to “sit and write.” Rather, I focus on my feelings. For example, a good friend was feeling a bit lost and going through something I went through myself. So, one rainy Paris morning I remembered my feelings at the time and sat down and played.

FM: Your bio mentions working with a French/Belgian project called Daybreak and then with Will Ackerman. Tell us about that.

AM: I was contacted by Will Ackerman and asked to go to his studio, Imaginary Road Studios, to record. This is a story I think other aspiring artists should hear because there is a real “dream come true” aspect to it. I simply started to compose at home on an upright piano with a digital system, an analog to digital converter, and a Mac with Garage Band. My father likened the style to his favorite Windham Hill artists. I posted some of the music on Soundcloud so my friends could hear it. Somehow the music caught peoples’ attention and this gave me the courage to write an e-mail to Will Ackerman. Will answered and, to me, that is the most amazing part. A cold call to world champion of my music style and he answers. It took the financial help of friends and family, crowd funding, borrowed money, frequent flyer mileage, and my Aunt and cousin in the US to get me to Vermont and the Imaginary Road Studios. I entered a studio with Platinum records on the wall and Grammy awards on the shelf and I sat down with Will Ackerman, Tom Eaton and Eugene Friesen and played.

FM: What is the first record you bought and why?

AM: My sister is 3 years older so I followed some her music, such as David Bowe. I had my own Classical piano training so I listened to Glenn Gould play Bach inventions and went to see Lang Lang and Krystian Zimmerman. And I am a big fan of ColdPlay.

FM: What current Australian acts inspire you? International acts?

AM: Well, I am still a fan of ColdPlay. However, since releasing ‘Zia’, I have gotten to know Fiona Joy from Australia – she won this year’s ZMR award for best piano solo album. When I listen to Ludovico Einaudi’s music, I sometimes think “I wish I wrote that.”

FM: Tell us a little about your music and what a crowd can expect at a live show?

AM: The crowd would not be what you would expect. When I was a young child I had played at some hotel resorts in Spain and even the Amstel Hotel in Amsterdam. As you could imagine, it was an older crowd and they seemed to appreciate the music from such a young person. But then I performed for a charity at a Paris university to a young crowd where other artists were definitely not my music style. The result was amazing. The place went silent and remained focused throughout my playing – and then wanted more.

FM: Favorite film? Book? Place?

AM: My favorite film is “The Green Mile,” Favorite place to be is on the ocean in a sailboat. I am certified as a French national sailing instructor and every summer I teach sailing on the Brittany Coast.

FM: Favorite food or drink and is there a story associated with that?

AM: Growing up in France really helped because I eat almost every kind of food. Right now I am thinking of Lasagna… Favorite drink comes from my American side and is Dr. Brown’s Black Cherry soda.

FM: You are backstage with Andrew Lloyd Weber –  what do you say?

AM: I would really like to write music to be used in film (or stage). I think that emotions being portrayed through imagery and music is special. I remember seeing Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and I went home and started playing that night.

FM: What are your future plans for 2016/2017?

AM: I honestly did not know what to expect from releasing an album nor anticipated the reaction of people listening to it. I can say that the positive feedback has been a huge motivator and I am now composing new music and planning to play concerts.

 

 

Social
www.aleximusnitsky.com

www.facebook.com/AlexiMmusic

www.soundcloud.com/AlexiMusnitsky

News and Touring

New Releases this May

Mexcaltones FOG393 1500

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mezcaltones – New EP

New self-titled EP from The Mezcaltones available May 20th

Sydney is a long way south of Mexico but The Mezcaltones still know a thing or two about sultry nights and dangerous days – not to mention sultry men and dangerous women.  Blend Tarantino vibes with a mix of sizzling Mexican nights, add some Mezcal tequila (the spirit of Mexico) and you have THE MEZCALTONES.

The Mezcaltones embody the style and attitude of those famous Tarantino flicks, with a little Robert Rodrigues Tex Mex, the 60’s surf rock guitar sounds of Dick Dale and Link Ray, the lavishness of Mexican dance, the sexiness of Salma Hayek From ‘Dusk Till Dawn’, and… you get the vibe.

Comprised of six experienced musicians who came together through their love of cool tones, The Mezcaltones create down and dirty Tex Mex sounds. Their unique style transports you on a journey of intoxicating nights.

Facebook – facebook.com/TheMezcaltones

Website – themezcaltones.com

 

Halfwait FOG395 Cover 1500

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Halfwait – New Single

New single “Fly Away” is available May 20th

Based in Sydney, Halfwait is a three piece post grunge band composed of Jon Barca, Chris Tallon, and Nathan Stalenberg. ‘Fly Away’ is the first single off their forthcoming EP, which they are in the process of recording. The EP will showcase a new dynamic sound from the band, showing their growth from when they started in 2012.

Facebook – facebook.com/halfwait

Youtube – youtube.com/halfwait

Soundcloud – soundcloud.com/halfwait

Reverbnation – reverbnation.com/halfwait

Spotify – spotify.com/halfwait

Instagram – @Halfwaitofficial

 

Lily Duval FOG394 Weatherman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lily Duval – New Single

New single titled ‘Weatherman’ available May 27th

Based in Sydney, Lily Duval has been performing in blues and folk clubs for many years and has now stepped out of the studio with two new original tunes. Taking her stage name from her Grandmother who was also a performer Lilly has developed a distinctive voice and style which has struck a chord with local community radio Blues Programs. Her writing comes from her own experiences and also long time influences such as Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell and Janis Joplin.

Her latest release, ‘Weatherman’ was recorded at Damien Gerard Studios with the talented Scott Bird playing electric and acoustic guitar and with Andrew Beck on Bass. The addition of an Indian drum gives the track a fuller earthier sound.

The song was written to express Lily’s concern for people who are homeless. The lyrics came from a conversation with a young homeless man who spoke of his disappointment and resignation with life and why he felt for him life was easier on the streets, provided the weather was good.

Facebook – facebook.com/lilyduval

iTunes – itunes.com/lilyduval

 

TDE just name
News and Touring

The Dirty Earth Announce New Lead Singer

The Dirty Earth Release New Music Video and Announce New Singer 

The Dirty Earth welcome new singer Tenille Rogers to the line up. Tenille brings new dynamics to the band and a youthful enthusiasm! Her powerhouse vocals and world class delivery are set to take The Dirty Earth to another planet. She has sung in cover bands, stage musicals, prog rock bands, and everything in between and sounds as comfortable belting out gritty rock anthems as she does steamy blues numbers.

Upcoming Shows:

28th May– Jane’s, Wollongong with The Dark Clouds and Dune Messiah
www.facebook.com/events/561980433983165

10th June — Townie, Newtwon with The Derros
www.facebook.com/events/211360579255783

Click the image below to watch the new music video for the single “Fierce Goddess”

Pick up a copy of their latest album ‘Ascendancy’ from a link below!
Reviewed by The Music: www.themusic.com.au/thedirtyearth