All posts by Marshall Cullen

Fleur Wiber Releases ‘Orderves’ (Remaster 2024)

October 10, 2024 Marshall Cullen

Step into a musical odyssey where cosmic vibes meet the heartfelt twang of alt-country. Fleur Wiber, the luminary songstress, invites you on a celestial journey through her soul-stirring melodies and poetic lyrics. Her voice, a captivating blend of stardust and raw emotion, transports listeners to a cosmic frontier where love, longing and the vast mysteries of the universe converge.

About Fleur Wiber

Born in Hamilton, Victoria, and now based in the enchanting coastal town of Port Fairy, Fleur’s artistic roots trace back to her studies in sculpture, performance, and installation at Sydney College of the Arts, where she explored themes of self-determinism and freedom. Influenced by musical luminaries such as Cat Power, Sharon van Etten, Wilco, and Fiona Apple, Fleur’s music blends cosmic country, alt-country rock, and indie pop with a unique touch. Drawing from her personal adventures, Fleur infuses her songs with authenticity and depth, inviting listeners on a heartfelt and introspective journey.

Having graced stages like the Tamworth Country Music Festival and Nundle Rocks earlier this year, Fleur embarked on an exhilarating Southeast Asian tour in 2024, captivating audiences in Bangkok and beyond. Her performances are characterized by warmth, honesty, and a genuine connection with her audience.

Join Fleur Wiber as she invites you into a universe where heartfelt emotion meets cosmic exploration through music. Immerse yourself in her soul-stirring melodies and discover the magic of Fleur’s musical odyssey.

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Bob Pigott Releases EP ‘Still Moving’

October 4, 2024 Marshall Cullen

‘Still Moving’ is Bob Pigott’s 9th studio release and was recorded at Damien Gerard and Ears That Hear Studios on the picturesque Central Coast of NSW. The songs were written on an old stand-up piano while Bob took some time out to raise his young son.

The songs reflect light and shade with tracks ‘Like It’s Summer’ and ‘Pop Song’ pushing the beat while reflective moments come with ‘Glasgow’ and ‘Moving Day’. The toe tapping ‘Arlo’ is a note from a father to a son, and ‘Tired of Thinking About You’ goes straight to the heart strings. ‘Still Moving’ is another welcome offering from a singer- songwriter who just won’t stop moving…still.

Critically acclaimed and multi award winning singer/songwriter Bob Pigott bridges folk, pop and country with rich vocals and a gift for storytelling. His original blend of smooth acoustic rhythms and poetic lyrics has broad appeal that transcends genres.

Bob’s intimate style and ability to craft songs that are artful as well as commercial has seen Bob secure a raft of ABC Music Awards and gave him the opportunity to record at the famous Abbey Road studios in London.

Bob’s ability to discover the heart of a song and produce lyrics that sound like words we could hear ourselves speaking, continues to attract the discerning listener worldwide.

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The Gronks Release EP ‘The Gronks Go Bang’

October 4, 2024 Marshall Cullen

Bang Bang and Indie Darling were recorded by Luke Bert at Soundworks in Sydney, and feature special guest Gronks Paul Mason, Adam Griffiths and Tim Denny. The tracks were mixed by Steve Melville (Gronk adjacent) at the Burning Boat in Melbourne. Deidre Chambers Coincides and YSFR were recorded and mixed by Paul Scott and Ken Stewart at the Static Attractor II, Sydney. All songs are the product of Stewart and Scott’s imagination and any resemblance to historic ditties and/or dirges is purely coincidental.

So, what is Gronks? Well… Ken Stewart sings, plays guitar and writes most of the words, Paul Scott plays guitar and keyboards and writes most of the music. They record at various times and places, and honestly, don’t remember too much about the process except that there seems to have been one because these digital encodings of melodies and words exist… so there’s that. Drawing on their mutual roots in the Sydney indie scene of the early 2000’s and inspired by the possibilities of home recording, Ken and Paul have enjoyed a fruitful, if infrequent, collaboration over the last few years. Occasionally Gronks include Paul Mason, Tim Denny and Adam Griffiths.

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CB Ghost Releases Single ‘Beautiful Middle Finger’

September 26, 2024 Marshall Cullen

UPCOMING LIVE SHOWS!!

CB Ghost & Pinky Ring Live

@ The Baso Canberra

Thursday 24th October 7pm

CB Ghost & Pinky Ring Live

@ The Vault Port Kembla

Friday 25th October 6pm

CB Ghost & Gene Gibson Live

@ Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville

Friday 6th December 7pm

CB Ghost & Special Guest

@ The Baroque Room, Katoomba

Saturday 7th December 7pm

Que catchy guitar riff, add harmonica, then a swinging beat, leads us to CB Ghost’s signature and original vocal style and we are away with Beautiful Middle Finger.

From the first line, images and themes are subconsciously drip fed into your mind and the folk-rock rhythm and country-like sway moves your hips. While the chorus is simply an elevated version of the same guitar riff it certainly lifts you and adds that needed meat to the musical bones.

Beautiful Middle Finger is a good time song, with a silly title from a serious song writer who obviously loves to have fun and not take things too seriously while putting his heart and soul out there.

CB Ghost, a songwriter with an honest simple folk-rock style that captures the essence of a complicated existence with singalong tunes and poetic lyrics and sometimes a banger beat. He has emerged from a close-nit coastal surfing village in Australia. His background provides him with a deep connection to toe tapping Celtic, country and straight-ahead heartfelt rock music mixed with salt water from the ocean.

A former pro surfer, CB Ghost is driven, bold and dedicated to his evolving sound and a deep love of blue-collar folk stories and sensibility – and most importantly playing live to crowds who love to drink, dance, sing and have fun.

Having recently toured Northern NSW and Queensland with Sydney band Pinky Ring, The Ghost is finding his feet live and now incorporating a full band at most shows (his solo shows are still a must see for that intimate intensity). His first single ‘Hollywood Hills’ was followed by ‘Hold Down Hymn’ and gives a strong idea of what is to come later this year.

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Gareth Koch Releases Single ‘Satie’

September 20, 2024 Marshall Cullen

The Gnossienne No. 1 by Satie (originally for piano) has a ghostly and ethereal quality, with the melody floating above a hypnotic chordal texture. The rhythm is almost dance-like, yet there are no bar lines in the score. The resultant swaying effect almost feels like an exotic waltz. The overall effect of the music is surreal & mysterious.

Satie is often credited as the pioneer of ambient music, a genre which allows the listener space for contemplation & reflection. Gareth’s transcription for classical guitar lends an intimate quality to the piece while adding a unique and plaintive soulfulness.

About Gareth

Gareth Koch is an ARIA Award winning multi-instrumentalist, recording artist, guitar soloist, composer & songwriter. He has recorded a sizeable repertory across multiple genres spanning works for classical guitar, flamenco, original compositions, arrangements, medieval projects, rock & songwriting. He has appeared at major festivals within Australia, Europe, Asia and North America.

Gareth is involved with many cross genre projects & has released a succession of collaborative albums with Martin Kennedy & with ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Kilbey (The Church). His recent release ‘The Guitar Player’ received a coveted 5 star review from The Sydney Morning Herald. Gareth’s current output has a strong rock bias with classical overtones & his writing is increasingly focussed on the ethereal nature of music.

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Extra Time ‘The Boy Who Dreamed Of The Stars’ (Official Video)

Video September 17, 2024 Marshall Cullen

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Extra Time Releases ‘The Boy Who Dreamed Of The Stars’

September 16, 2024 Marshall Cullen

NEW REVIEWS

JamSphere

https://jamsphere.com/newreleases/extra-times-single-the-boy-who-dreamed-of-the-stars-captivates-with-emotional-depth-and-cinematic-elegance

This Is Hip Hop HQ

https://www-thisishiphophq-com-ng.translate.goog/2024/09/the-boy-who-dreamed-of-stars-extra.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

The third single, with accompanying video, from Extra Time’s critically acclaimed album Songs With Long Titles is the thought provoking track The Boy Who Dreamed of the Stars. Extra Time strives to produce cinematic, harmonically complex pop music.

The song deals with the difficult subject of child abuse and reveals how predators target and lure young children. In this case with a telescope and an offer to see the stars. The sensitivity needed to address such a traumatic topic is skilfully handled by Brendan who draws on firsthand experience from his own childhood.

The accompanying film clip from renowned Animation Director Nikita Kibirev (based in Portland Oregon), tells the story beautifully with a digital collage that combines stunning 2D backgrounds with a stylized and expressionistic approach to 3D and inspired by German Expressionism. The visual interpretation speaks of turning a traumatic experience into something positive and healing through finding a group of people that can truly understand your experience.

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Paul Scott Releases Single ‘It Shouldn’t Sound Like That’

September 12, 2024 Marshall Cullen

Insufferable Paul Scott: ‘It’s a love song through and through. A pean to the unreliable angels. The sirens of suburbia. Glowing golden and more than a little worse for wear. I saw a fox in the countryside, and it made me think of that kind of love, glimpsed, then gone, but unforgettable. Hence the memories. You can dance to this one. My handsome brother Kieran plays the lead guitar and the dashing Steve Melville made it sing.’

Paul Scott began his career in music, writing and playing bass in angular NZ group Pop Mechanix. Despite court cases, a revolving cast of singers and multiple record labels, their single ‘Jumping Out A Window’ became a staple of New Zealand pop culture.

Relocating to Australia, Paul formed Montana with Ken Stewart (Mr Blonde), Michelle Margherita and Steve Melville. Their first release featured ‘Koolest Band’ which received national airplay and high rotation on JJJ. A brief tour of the USA and a performance at SXSW, led to ‘Koolest Band’ being included in the Hollywood movie ‘You Drive Me Crazy’. The subsequent album ‘Bubblegum Love’ was released in Australia, Spain, France and the USA.

Scott has since plied bass for various Australian acts, playing everywhere from community halls and malls in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to the Sydney Opera House. Teaming up with Steve Melville (ex Mr Blonde and Montana) Paul and Steve have established a studio production relationship, playing on each other’s tracks (Stewart and Melville, The Likes of You) and coproducing The Insufferable Paul Scott’s well received 2021 album ‘Tea and Medals’ (which Melville also mixed).

Their most recent project is a closer collaboration with Melville adding drums, percussion and keyboards to Scott’s voice, guitar and bass, a line up very close in sound and feel to their youthful unit ‘Montana’. “I was looking for the kind of pop thrill I used to get from great Aussie indie bands such as The Falling Joys, Smudge, The Hummingbirds, pop thrills… you know?” says Scott. An album has been completed and tracks will be released over the next few months on Foghorn, home to most of their releases to date.

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BLJ Feat. LOZ C Releases Single ‘If You Don’t Know Me By Now’

September 6, 2024 Marshall Cullen

If You Don’t Know Me by Now exudes romance, love, and connection. First released by Philadelphia Soul band Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in 1972, and then covered by Simply Red in 1989, who brought a more romantic softness to the track. LOZ C brings a whole new feminine perspective to the song. Her dynamic emotionally charged performance fashions overtones of gospel at times.

The BLJ restomod pays homage to the soul roots of the original and leans into the romance with a big strings section, and his signature grande finale. We hope it plucks your heart strings.

The avatar of an unidentified Music Producer, Burger Legs Joe is on a mission to restomod (restore and modernise) outstanding retro songs for your grooving pleasure.

Treasuring the essence of what makes each track so fabulous, they’re re-energized to a modern perspective; weaving rhythms and melodies in BLJ’s distinctive ear grabbing style, that lingers in your head and puts beats in your feet. Burger Legs Joe is with Foghorn Records, and when he’s not arranging restomods, he focuses on original and collaborative music projects.

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Gareth Koch Releases New Single ‘Song For Stevie Nicks’

August 30, 2024 Marshall Cullen

Song for Stevie Nicks draws inspiration from the Rumours album by Fleetwood Mac, a band in which Stevie is a member and songwriter. Gareth’s guitar work on the track is reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsay Buckingham’s style, while the song itself is cast in the gentle yet intense mood of the ballad Landslide.

Gareth’s signature style pervades the song, with subtly nuanced playing & classical influences on display. Song for Stevie Nicks is imagined & created as a song which Stevie herself might have written.

About Gareth

Born in Milan, Gareth began his musical studies on piano and clarinet, and at age 12 was accepted into the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He received his Bachelor of Music degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music before winning scholarships for advanced guitar study at The Royal Madrid Conservatorium & the Vienna Academy of Music. He holds a PhD in Music & has lectured in music across Australian & European universities.

In 2002 Gareth formed the first guitar supergroup with Karin Schaupp & The Grigoryan Brothers, Slava & Leonard. Saffire – The Australian Guitar Quartet soared to #1 on the Classical Music Charts and even featured on ARIA pop charts. The quartet released a total of 3 best-selling albums & was Australia’s biggest selling classical act for several years.