Tag Archives: album
Andrew Barnum’s New Album Dear Ancestor
Andrew Barnum’s New Album Dear Ancestor
Andrew Barnum is a singer-songwriter, whose music is a modern take on folk-blues based alt-rock. He has been recording and releasing his own original songs as a solo artist in Australia since the 1990s. With long-time collaborator Boris Hunt, they’ve now produced 8 albums. Their sound is a blend of the acoustic and electronic arcane – forgotten analogue technologies, merging with digital interfaces and an array of musicians. Boris and Andrew call it ‘Homefolktronics.’
The song-writing-performance duo of Andrew & Lissa Barnum, aka Vitabeats, had a national hit with ‘Boom Box’ (Hot/EMI) in 1985. This was followed by singles ‘Audrey’ and ‘Build it Right’ from the album ‘Spot the Spanner.’ YouTube clips: https://bit.ly/2Ctb1qo. The band stopped recording and touring in 1988. Andrew has never stopped writing, recording and performing his own songs since then.
Dear Ancestor is a letter to our past, asking for directions for the future. The songs have a dark smoky quality to them, musically they speak volumes, and have a sense of longing, lingering and meandering that is full of romance. There is a continual dark, menacing feel to the tracks that really captures the zeitgeist of today’s isolation.
The tracks were recorded live at Black Rabbit Big Room in Kanimbla NSW, Australia with Boris, Lucius Culliton (drums), Andy Gordon (bass) and Andrew (vocals guitar). Boris added more bass, keyboards and pedal steel, Andrew recorded the final vocals at home on the South Coast of NSW. 27 tracks were recorded, 11 made the cut, 9 released.
This album is part of a continuum of albums that began between Andrew and Boris starting in 1993. Dear Ancestor is their 8th album. The unique process required recording the initial 27 songs over 2 days. The final version of the album was mixed by Boris and mastered by Nat Love. Recorded before the Australian bushfires and then finalized during the arrival of the Pandemic.
Stream the new album here:
Social media links
www.facebook.com/andrewbarnumsongs
www.twitter.com/andrew_barnum
www.facebook.com/andrewbarnumsongs
www.twitter.com/andrew_barnum
Official site
www.andrew-barnum-songs.squarespace.com
Gareth Koch new album The Guitar Player
GARETH KOCH NEW ALBUM THE GUITAR PLAYER
Following the EP Code Blue earlier this year and taking time out from multiple Steve Kilbey projects, Gareth has put together this superb selection of his classical guitar work recorded in two European locations, a remote Austrian village chapel & a baroque Viennese monastery, while living in Europe for over two decades.
A curious & ancient bond unites the selections on this recording. Performed entirely on the ‘Spanish’ guitar, these works have been moulded by the traditions of Spanish classical music & the passionate folk art of flamenco. The musicological connection between folk & classical music is well documented, a phenomenon in which composers incorporate the spirit of folk music into their work. Spanish music is often imbued with the fire of ‘Gypsy song’, whose powerful artistic reach extends well beyond Spain.
ARIA Award winner Gareth Koch is uniquely placed as an interpreter of Spanish music. Trained in Vienna & Madrid, he brings both classical & flamenco perspectives to his interpretation. He is joined on tracks 3, 9 & 12 by Viennese cellist Herwig Tachezi – former Principal Cellist of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.
‘The Guitar Player’ is an entirely natural acoustic recording using direct source microphones and purely the ambient spaces of the chapel’s thereby avoiding any extra processing.
Gareth Koch is an ARIA Award winning recording artist, guitar soloist, composer & songwriter. He has recorded a diverse repertory across multiple albums spanning works for classical guitar, flamenco, original compositions, arrangements, medieval projects & songwriting. He has appeared at major festivals within Australia, Europe, Asia and North America.
Born in Milan, Koch 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 a scholarship for advanced guitar study at the Vienna Academy of Music. He holds a PhD in Music.
In 2002 Koch formed what might be termed the first guitar supergroup. Saffire – The Australian Guitar Quartet soared to number 1 on the classical music charts and appeared on the pop charts. The quartet released a total of 3 best-selling albums.
Gareth is involved with many cross genre projects & in 2020 released two collaborative albums with ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Kilbey (The Church).
The Guitar Player is OUT NOW – September 18 via MGM
All DSP’s and CD’s in store from October
Connect with Gareth Koch:
For further information, Files, CD and Interview Requests please contact:
Marshall Cullen at Foghorn Media
0416 143 030
marshall@foghornrecords.net
Steve Kilbey New Solo Album – Eleven Women
Steve Kilbey New Solo Album- Eleven Women
Update
Steve’s Next Live Venue show
‘STEVE KILBEY (THE CHURCH), AND HIS WINGED HEELS- GARETH KOCH (SAFFIRE) & ROGER MASON (ICEHOUSE) PERFORM
“SONGS FROM ANOTHER LIFE”
LIVE AT BRASS MONKEY CRONULLA
FRIDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 2020
Get tickets for the early session at 530pm DINNER AND SHOW
or the late session at 8:30pm DINNER AND SHOW
Steve Kilbey has created a fine new album for 2020. His first solo release for an astoundingly creative year reveals a dazzling array of songs brimming with ideas, personality & effervescence. The collection is at once whimsical yet personal, and in a masterful sleight of hand Kilbey’s Eleven Women are not quite as one might expect.
Eleven Women is full of melodic invention & lyrical surprises. Singling out tracks for special mention is frankly impossible since this album consists entirely of highlights. Amongst these bijous however the timelessly beautiful Think of You shines brightly. This song has the unmistakeable stamp of eternity & evokes a sense of having existed since music began.
September 4 Foghorn/MGM
Hear it now
Read the Rolling Stone Review
Plus the RS Interview
Watch the Zoom Interview with WhatsMyScene
and for some insights into #thechurch as well read this great interview from backseat mafia
Wanna see Steve play Sheba Chiba Live Acoustic- just click here
Connect with Steve
A chat with Adam Blacksmith
On the eve of the first single ‘I Hope I’m Wrong’ from his forthcoming album ‘Blind to the Sea’ we sat down (via zoom) to chat with Adam about all things musical -
Tell us about the moment you decided to become a song writer? What did your family/friends have to say about it?
I was driving in my car In 1999 when I heard”Asleep in Perfection” by Augie March on JJJ. I had to stop the car to take it all in. I had loved folk music for years but had lost faith in the radio to play bands with the lyrical substance of Dylan, Joni and The Tea Party until that moment. Hearing it renewed my faith in radio and music at the same time and it gave me the hope that I could transform my poetry into music.
All my friends at the time were in metal bands and were very supportive of my direction and my family felt the same, however, If I am honest, I don’t think they believed I’d stick with it.
Who are your early influences?
I tend to have an “all or nothing” approach to most things, not excluding music. I grew up listening to heavy metal (and still do). I was always drawn to death metal bands such as Carcass and Morbid Angel because they combined lyricism with aggression and technical mastery. I harbored a dream to either sing or play guitar in a grindcore band however didn’t really have the dexterity or disposition. I was simulaltaneously drawn to folk artists, such as Dylan, Joni Mitchel, George Harrison, Nick Drake and later Augie March as they sang about philosophy and expressed emotions through their music that I had trouble expressing myself.
Tell us a little about your writing process, how does a song come along? What gets you going creatively?
I always have a guitar with me in my loungeroom. Mostly I just muck around with chords and sounds and record anything that I like on my phone, about one in fifty ideas stick. When I’m stretched for ideas I attempt to learn a cover song and usually get some ideas from there.
Lyrically, I am inspired by my work in the jail system, from borrowed words I have jotted from Dickens novels or Audio books and from documentaries. I have a phone full of ideas and musings that may or may not find their way into a song. My latest album features two songs inspired from the plight of Aboriginal Austrlians which have a particular significance to me after learning of my own Aboriginality in more recent years.
What is the first record you bought and why?
Dr. Feelgood by Motley Crew. I had just started earning money with my first casual job at Target while I was still in high-school. I couldn’t afford the $26 for the CD so I convinced my sister to go halves. Given she was listening to U2 at the time, I always knew it was going to be mine. Technically I still owe my sister $13
What current/new Artists/Bands inspire you and why?
Augie March, The Drones, Marlon Williams, Julia Jacklin, CW Stoneking, Ben Howard and High Tension.
I absolutely love the lyrics of Glen Richards and Augie March and the Raw unapologetic energy replete with Australiana that the Drones bring to the table. I guess the commonality of all these artists is their brilliant lyricism. High Tension on the other hand are just phenominal live and a must see…
Stream the new single here – out Friday August 21 via MGM
Connect with Adam
Fiona Joy Hawkins New Album Moving Through Worlds
Fiona Joy Hawkin’s Presents New Album and Video
Moving Through Worlds
As the Australian Bushfires crept toward her rural home, Fiona Joy Hawkins turned to her Stuart & Sons piano to do what has always bought her solace: writing music. After crafting 4 songs that she later marketed as fundraisers for firefighters and wildlife rescue – and which are included on this album – she began final preparations on Moving Through Worlds.
Although she began recording and conceptualizing the album three years ago, one could say it is an album 44-years in the making. One of the more classical-crossover pieces is “For the Roses” which a 12-year-old Fiona wrote for her Grandmother’s funeral.
Fiona says, “I believe music is a gift from another world, from ancestors of the past communicating to inspire and give us hope. Music is a universal language that connects us without prejudice, it speaks to us all equally, yet is received with great variation. My wish is to open a few more hearts to the power of music. Now more than ever we need the connection to our past to find the pathway to our future.”
The 14-track album was beautifully produced by Will Ackerman (Founder Windham Hill Records) and Tom Eaton. As per her usual style, Fiona defies genre by bringing Classical, Contemporary Piano, and New Age instrumentals together to create something uniquely her own, and reflective of all the worlds that she has moved through so elegantly while this powerful music gathered in her soul.
Fiona Joy Hawkins is an Australian Pianist, Composer and Singer who enjoys and regularly tours China and the USA and is also a member of the Contemporary instrumental group FLOW (Fiona Joy, Lawrence Blatt, Jeff Oster, Will Ackerman). Fiona Joy Hawkins is best known for her romantic, melodic songs and lush arrangements. A prolific composer, she has always been interested in creating music that evokes images, emotions and tells stories.
Fiona Joy is known for ‘Grace’, her song on a Grammy Winning album in 2014 and for her extensive catalogue produced by Will Ackerman (Founder Windham Hill Records). In 2016 she won two categories of the Independent Music Awards at the Lincoln Centre in New York and has been awarded Best Piano Album by International Radio (ZMR Awards) for several of her albums. Nominated alongside Pete Seeger for Best LIVE Performance Album in the Independent Music Awards,Fiona was an ARIA Finalist in Australia in 2008. Fiona works with Australian piano maker Stuart and Sons, and has several albums with Blue Coast Records (content partners with Sony Music for hi-resolution releases).
Watch the Video (Premiered on Scenstr) for Calling County Clare here
In the case of Fiona Joy Hawkins’ latest collection Moving Through Worlds, there are glorious exceptions where it’s not hyperbole in any sense and fits today, tomorrow and for all…let’s just say I can’t imagine there ever being a time in the future when listening to this deeply personal, socially conscious, stylistically expansive 14-track musical narrative would grip me any less than it does today, in the midst of world gone mad 2020. – Jonathan Widran, JWVibe
“Moving Through Worlds” is OUT NOW (July 7) via Little Hartley Music.
Streaming
Connect with Fiona Joy:
For further information, Files, CD and Interview Requests please contact:
Marshall Cullen at Foghorn Media
0416 143 030
marshall@foghornrecords.net
ARIA Winners Steve Kilbey & Gareth Koch LIVE & Streaming at Lizotte’s Restaurant
STEVE KILBEY AND GARETH KOCH PERFORM “SONGS FROM ANOTHER LIFE: (MUSIC OF ANTIQUITY)”
LIVE AT LIZOTTE’S RESTAURANT
24 JULY 2020
Get tickets HERE to book for
Steve Kilbey & Gareth Koch’s
“Songs From Another Life: Music of Antiquity Live at Lizottes”
And if you are stuck in another state or even overseas and can’t make it to the show don’t worry you can now stream it live –
One of Australia’s most loved and award-winning Live Music Venue’s, Lizotte’s Newcastle, is not only LIVE, but also STREAMING!
With the recent social gathering capacity restrictions in NSW lifted to 100 people, Lizotte’s Newcastle are re-opening their doors for LIVE, in-venue, dinner and show performances by some of Australia’s best Artists and Production shows. In addition to seeing a live show, the venue has now implemented a Streaming option for those that miss out on purchasing one of the limited available tickets, so you can sit back and watch the full show from your living room or where-ever you maybe on your TV, laptop or phone.
Steve & Gareth are joined onstage by music legends Barton Price(The Models) & Roger Mason(Icehouse)to render their unique musical creation. It is an entirely new and esoteric body of work, evoking a living connection to the past which resonates with us all.
The live performance includes pieces from both albums, reconstructed to suit the live format, and will be presented as a 1 hour set plus an encore. The chemistry of these four musicians is undeniable as they harness their diverse musical influences.
Songs from Another Life (Music of Antiquity) is the second collaborative album by Steve Kilbey and Gareth Koch. It follows their successful debut Chryse Planitia earlier this year.
These two artisans have produced a unique musical creation – an esoteric masterpiece which is difficult to define. It is an entirely new body of work, evoking a living connection to the past which resonates with us all.
In Steve’s words on the liner notes to the LP he says:
“Working with language scholars and local musicians, we have attempted to bring these ancient songs alive. They have rendered the songs in a manner that is comprehensible to the modern listener. The songs and recordings represent the thoughts and sounds of a distant antiquity. Here then is the past – and now the past is here.”
Get tickets HERE to book for
Steve Kilbey & Gareth Koch’s
“Songs From Another Life: Music of Antiquity Live at Lizottes”
Songs From Another Life is OUT NOW via FOGHORN/MGM.
Video
Connect with Steve Kilbey:
Connect with Gareth Koch:
Steve Kilbey and Gareth Koch-Journey to Byzantium(Official)
Steve Kilbey And Gareth Koch New Album Songs From Another Life: Music Of Antiquity
Songs from Another Life (Music of Antiquity) is the second collaborative album by Steve Kilbey and Gareth Koch. It follows their successful debut Chryse Planitia earlier this year.
These two artisans have produced a unique musical creation – an esoteric masterpiece which is difficult to define. It is an entirely new body of work, evoking a living connection to the past which resonates with us all.
It is tantalising to reflect on how music of the ‘ancients’ might have sounded. Our clues lie in the iconography and artistic representations of the pre-Christian era, and within specific types of folk music which have a living tradition. This continuum provides a valuable framework for the attempt at reconstructing ancient music. Indian folk music and flamenco for example create an interesting template, since both these traditions merged and are further coloured by the Moorish invasions of Andalucia.
It is significant therefore that the earliest form of notation was created in Babylonia, probably in about 1400BC. The instructions are fragmentary, but the cuneiform tablets suggest that the music was composed using scales, harmonies and gestures not altogether unfamiliar to today’s listener.
In Steve’s words on the liner notes to the LP he says:
“Working with language scholars and local musicians, we have attempted to bring these ancient songs alive. They have rendered the songs in a manner that is comprehensible to the modern listener. The songs and recordings represent the thoughts and sounds of a distant antiquity. Here then is the past – and now the past is here.”
Out Now
Connect with Steve Kilbey:
Connect with Gareth Koch:
For further information, and Interview requests please contact:
Marshall@foghornrecords.net
0416 143 030
Tim Walker’s New Album Bridge of Angels Out Now
Ex-Sydney singer-songwriter Tim Walker moved back to his hometown of Adelaide earlier this year and immediately began recording this new album, his first for a while.
The album was inspired by a recent trip to Europe, where Tim was struck by a culture saturated with centuries of spiritual and religious symbols, strivings and sentiments. The new album has more universal themes than his first (Fellow Traveller), which was very Sydney-oriented.
Beginning in folk, he went into a country rock act, and now is a prolific soloist, doing gigs around Adelaide. He was a regular on the Sydney live circuit and played at several NSW festivals. He found a SA recording studio in Grange this year, and immediately began laying down tracks according to a careful plan, devised over many months.
Track list with Descriptions:
- On The Bridge (a prelude): This is a crossroad, of civilisation, of history, the course of your own life, a juncture, a leap. The “bridge” refers to Rome’s Bridge of Angels of the album’s title, which is lined with 10 angels and overlooked by a castle, on the River Tiber. A short classical piece, it provides the thematic underpinning of the entire album – a beautiful, floating spark of hope and redemption for a world in flux.
- The Loving Arms (those we love): The race is on from the day you are born as time and love play off against each other, and the kindness of strangers. The real currency of life, more valuable than gold or silver, never to be taken for granted.
- Every Story Tells a Picture (the plague): With 7.8 billion people on Earth and millions more being added every year, we are running out of everything, including our humanity and our judgement.
- Mirror of Love (a reflection):A photograph can lie, but love cannot lie. It is the ultimate mirror.
- Red Velvet Chair (a friend in need): When you sit in this chair you tell the truth, and the truth is told to you. It’s the advice of a friend, the helping hand. But hey, you can have some fun with it too!
- Streets of Rome (eyes are opened): The ancient capital was no stranger to the album’s themes. Without the benefit of science, its original citizensinvented their own answers to life, preserved today with respect and awe, embedded in every stone of the city. And they had to deal with the same spiritual questions as us. Rome was therefore the accidental epicentre of the album.
- The Bolshie Swing (the dance): Time for a break. This track started off as a playful riff and expanded into a mini-orchestra, was left on the shelf for a while, then rushed into action as track 7. It was the understudy.
- Face Without a Name (stare inside): Ultimately we are just one of the crowd. It’s a big world and that crowd is made up of billions. Not often can we roar; more often at most we can squeak. Not invisible -but maybe only a “hill of beans”, as Bogart said in one of his films.
- Fly into the Sunrise (flying home): You have been away, seen many things. Now you wing your way on a long flight home, from the nighttime behind (the past) to the sunrise ahead (the future). The huge jet streams past, its passengers look out and simultaneously look in, through half-asleep eyes; the moment is sublime.
- Star (inspiration): Maybe it’s love at first sight; maybe it’s the inspiration that keeps alive a distant flame. Perhaps it’s fate.
Listen on your favourite platform:
