Tag Archives: Aussie Music

Gareth Koch Releases ‘A Christmas Album’

November 19, 2021 Marshall Cullen

Imagine timeless European Christmas music played instrumentally, as if upon a choir of lutes. Ancient & exquisite songs, deep within the human psyche, are now newly arranged by ARIA Award winning guitarist Gareth Koch. The interpretations reveal his signature blend of contemporary flair laced with medieval sensibilities.

The arrangements are both elegant & appealing, sidestepping any notion of commercialised Christmas clichés. Re-imagined as troubadour-like ballads or tender Austrian folk songs, each carol receives a unique treatment. The listener is invited into an array of soundworlds, ranging from the early medieval to English folk-revival.

The music of this album leads us away from the bustle of many modern realities. Instead, we are drawn into a gentler universe, filled with subtlety & nuance. In any year, at any time, this album presents a Christmas message we all need to hear.

Song Description
Little Drummer Boy
This timeless mid-tempo classic Christmas carol is dealt with not just using multiple classical guitar parts but with hand percussion and rice shakers.

Ding Dong Merrily On High
An up-tempo and superbly played Christmas piece dating right back to the 1800’s. Even some 12 string electric features in Gareth’s new arrangement.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
A very old piece, dated to the 16th century and referred to in Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’. Gareth recreates the vocal melody perfectly and becomes a terrific hum along piece. Bass guitar rounds out the arrangement featuring multiple guitars: acoustic, nylon string and electric creating a lush sonic tapestry.

About Gareth Koch
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 & song writing. He has appeared at major festivals within Australia, Europe, Asia and North America.
Gareth is involved with many cross genre projects. Over the past two years he has released two collaborative albums with ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Kilbey (The Church). Earlier this year a third collaboration with Steve saw the release of double album ‘The Hall of Counterfeits’ which was nominated in this years AMP Prize.

A Christmas Album is OUT NOW November 26th – via MGM
Pre order CDs in shrink wrapped double gatefold package below

Order CD from the Official Store or stream/download below

CD’s Also available at good retail record stores across Australia

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Daxton Releases New Single Otherside

November 12, 2021 Marshall Cullen

Producing and playing music since his early teens, Daxton’s passion has kept him continually creating new material both for his band and solo career. On stage, Daxton comes across like he was born to play, his unique guitar style blending perfectly with heart-warming vocals.

Daxton has appeared at major festivals including the Sydney Blues & Roots and Tamworth Country Music Festival where he supported artists such as Kasey Chambers and Beccy Cole. He also has had one of his tracks ‘Moody Liz’ featured in the popular American TV series Doll House.

Based in Sydney, Daxton is best described as a blues/rock artist with a twist of pop and rock. He plays slide guitar rock/blues songs with a fresh and innovative sound. The new album ‘Electric Satellite’ is a heavy, rustic blues rock album with psychedelic pop/rock sounds scheduled for release in 2022.

Daxton’s raw and bluesy acoustic guitar and harmonica begin this laid-back mid-tempo blues tune. The drums and bass come in from the chorus to fill out the mix and some subtle guitar riffs add to the hooks. Daxton’s vocal delivery is heartfelt and real, a perfect match to the music.

The song was recorded at home during the recent lockdown. Daxton and his collaborator guitarist Pat Dow, both working in isolation, found a new musician friendly digital recording software system which they both downloaded and were able to swap files back and forwards. The entire album was recorded in this way and just shows how far technology has come as the end result speaks for itself.

Daxton – Otherside is out NOW
Foghorn/MGM

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Halfway Homebuoy Release New Single The River

November 4, 2021 Marshall Cullen

It’s been a strange path for Halfway Homebuoy to finally end up as ‘based’ on the NSW Central Coast, an hour north of Sydney. The band was formed almost 10 years ago on the ski slopes of Switzerland where all of the (then) members were working the season and playing shows at night.

With three Englishmen and one Aussie the band moved out here and were recommended to Foghorn Records where they quickly found a home. As things happen after a few years the visa’s ran out, the Aussie moved back to Europe and the sole remaining member, principal writer and singer, Jack Davison, married an Aussie and stayed here. Unfortunately, he was left without a band.

Not to be deterred, Jack found local musicians, new songs were written, live shows booked, a new album released, the band continued on. With Eps, Albums and live recordings released, airplay on national radio including Triple M the boys were well received from the start.

Now based on the coast and with a new record almost finished the guys are ready to reboot post lockdown into 2022.

All the Homebuoy recordings have been made at Damien Gerard Studios, first in Balmain and now, the new album at the new facility in West Gosford. With Andrew Beck engineering and co-producing, Jack says, “DG’s has always made us sound magical, and the new spot is no exception, not to mention close to home”. The new record features new material, some penned by Jack and others written by the whole band in preparation for the recording session. The new songs continue the bands’ own UK/Euro/Aussie rock style with the additions of extra guitar and keys adding interesting layers. Russell Pilling is the mixing engineer and has just finished these two songs mastered by Andrew Beck – the first taste of the new album.

Song Descriptions
The River
The first single from Halfway Homebuoy for 2021 features a powerful guitar and drum intro along with some Chilli Pepper’s like bass runs. Jack’s power vocals soar over the mix and the solo guitar has some brilliant hooky riffs. An up-tempo rock song, closes out with some strong backing vocals.

Kick Me Out
Acoustic guitar and vocals begin this mid-tempo song that carries till the band kick in with a strong rhythm and guitar bed. The chorus is truly anthemic with backing vocal and keyboard layers intermingling to create a very catchy and memorable tune.

The River is OUT NOW – November 5th via MGM

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Jack Nolan Gabriel album launch Live Show

November 3, 2021 Marshall Cullen

‘The GABRIEL Album Launch’

Book here – Tickets

Friday 12 November,
8pm
The Red Velvet Room
Upstairs at The Coogee Diggers
2 Byron Street Coogee

Support Australian music & musicians

After all these crazy months, we’re finally live again.

Join me and the band at the Red Velvet Room – upstairs at the Coogee Diggers, 2 Byron Street, to release and celebrate the critically acclaimed LP ‘Gabriel’, released earlier this month.

Get your VINYL copy at the show.

Come and support Australian music and check out my great band.

Jack Nolan – Acoustic & electric Guitars

Travis New – Electric Guitars – Andrew Farris INXS, Mi-Sex, Imogen Clark

Andy Horvath – Drums – Casey Donovan, Adam Brand, Boney M, O’Shea, Jack Vidgen, Cyrus, Vanessa Amorosi, Kate DeAraugo, to name a few.

Tim Sampson – Base – Andrew Farris /Christine Anu

Check Out Jack Nolan’s New Website

Gabriel is Jack Nolan’s fifth solo album, and the first album he’s yielded to someone he trusted enough to produce: This is an album that mines its own carefully sculpted acoustic world with a profoundly atmospheric sense of place, and a depth of self-knowledge that speaks of arrival after a lifetime of sometimes hard, sometimes tender experience.

The genesis, Gabriel came to Jack a few years ago, sat at his side on a long desert drive that he wasn’t sure he’d come back from. The title track, in its own unhurried and roundabout way, eventually found itself in Nashville, USA, on an album completed just before COVID-19 wrought its havoc on the world.

Atonement is upfront in titles like The Hopeless Son and Restitution Song. Others — Tomorrow Came, Faster Than the Speed of Change, A Fool Would Follow Me — are deeper stocktakes, songs from life’s rear view mirror. Ghosts of people and places and other, maybe darker things, receding for sure, but too close to ignore.

Produced by Justin Weaver and captured on two-inch tape in the aptly named ‘Welcome to 1979’ Studios by engineer Chris Mara, the assembled band included drummer Jimmy Paxson, bassist Chris Autry, keys player Phil Towns and pedal steel player David Spires who were joined by backup singers Terri Lynn Weaver & Siobhan Maher Kennedy. Justin himself applied the deeply textured lead and electric guitars.

Gabriel, is a record offering up evocative, ethereal stories, perhaps best signalled on the album’s title track, with Nolan singing “Endless lanes /endless cars // In the absence /of stars” reminding us of this new world, turned on its axis in 2020/21.

Video

Gabriel is OUT NOW Oct 8 Quay Records/MGM.
Vinyl LP, CD and Digital

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The Insufferable Paul Scott – Reviews for Tea and Medals

October 29, 2021 Marshall Cullen

Paul Scott unleashes his ‘Insufferable’ Persona on the airwaves once again this time with a long play album Tea and Medals created in and out of the 2 big Aussie lockdowns ….

Heres a bunch of international reviews just in – read all about the album below-

http://www.beachsloth.com/the-insufferable-paul-scott-tea-and-medals.html
https://blog.kedarofficial.com/2021/11/tea-and-medals-by-paul-scott.html
https://www.theartistscentral.com/post/the-insufferable-paul-scott-is-back-with-stunning-new-album-tea-and-medals
https://dancing-about-architecture.com/tea-and-medals-the-insufferable-paul-scott-reviewed-by-dave-franklin/
https://thebandcampdiaries.com/post/667393870687059968/the-insufferable-paul-scott-is-back-with-a-new

https://www.dailymusicroll.com/entertainment/take-your-tea-party-to-a-higher-notch-with-the-insufferable-paul-scotts-latest-album-tea-and-medals.html
https://just-fame.com/the-insufferable-paul-scotts-new-album-tea-and-medals/
https://warlockasyluminternationalnews.com/2021/11/14/the-insufferable-paul-scott-tea-and-medals/
https://skopemag.com/2021/11/15/the-insufferable-paul-scott-present-tea-and-medals

http://excessmag.de/musik/rock/the-insufferable-paul-scott-tea-and-medals-ein-episches-erlebnis-audio-tipp-indie-rock-experimental-rock-avant-garde-rock/

When we asked the ‘Insufferable’ Paul Scott to send us an update to his bio below we got some straight to the point words such as: “Well it is simple really I am Inedible, Incorrigible , Indescribable , Incredible, Incoherent , Indigestible, Intellectual , Indistinguishable , Intractable.”

And when asked to comment on the new album he said – “you can take the album any way you like but to me it’s Inscrutable , Insoluble , International , Incorruptible, Inspirational , Instructional, Industrial ,Invaluable, Intangible and Individual”

Working with a host of collaborators/producers and mixers including: Steve Melville (The Tea Party, Paolo Nutini, Regurgitator), Tim Powles (The Church), a team based in Los Angeles and many others ‘Tea and Medals’ was born from a set of home demo’s written during lockdown in 2020. With the brief hiatus between the two NSW lockdowns, studio time was booked at various facilities including Damien Gerard’s on the Central Coast where a specific Re Amp procedure was added to some of tracks prior to final mixing. The overall finished album was then mastered by Grammy Winner William Bowden (Gotye, You Am I) at his hi-end luxury suite in Tasmania.

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. More recently Scott has released ‘Surrender to Robots’ also under his ‘Insufferable’ moniker which found wide response and positive reviews which led to the creation of the new album Tea and Medals.

The Insufferable Paul Scott – Tea and Medals is out NOW Oct 29
Foghorn/MGM
Video Premiere

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Videos

The Jimmy C – Poor Boy(Official Video)

Video October 27, 2021 Marshall Cullen

1500-FOG562 The Jimmy C - Ducking 3000px

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The Jimmy C – New Album – Ducking

October 26, 2021 Marshall Cullen

Created during the longest lockdown in the world –
Melbourne’s irrepressible One Man Band records a full album
“From February to September of this year, with the pandemic still belligerently stomping through the living room like a toddler with a bucket on its head, I managed to use music as a way to “remain indoors” and focus on something that wasn’t terrible news in an attempt to preserve my sanity.

Ducking’ begins and ends with comic ‘bookends’ an almost Las Vegas lounge singer introduction and ‘Gateway Song’ that abruptly gives way to ‘Everything Is OK’ (something we all want to hear). A positive and up-beat acoustic guitar and glockenspiel tune with cheerful whistling that reassuringly squeezes your shoulder and says everything will be ok. Aaaahhh yes … I do hope so.

It’s an eclectic mix of up-beat rock, down-beat moody rock, tongue-in-cheek segues, power pop (and whatever Paranoia Grande is), that moves quickly in spite of the rather long 47-minute total playing time. Song durations range from 27 seconds to the cinematic and sprawling 5:07 of ‘Don’t Forget Me’ which is appropriate because it was actually written for a movie. “The Problem Y” was shot in California a few years ago and is yet to be released. Written & directed by Joe Bizarro with whom I spent 5 years making music for The Brides Of Satan grindhouse indie slasher which is now available to stream and buy.

‘Ducking’ is a fun, light hearted and amusing album in places but gets serious and even a little scary in others – all part of the emotional rollercoaster of the pandemic era. I feel the title sums it all up. We all know what we meant to say when we tried to text ‘Ducking’ but autocorrect had other intentions … our frustration becomes humour and we find that we can still laugh at ourselves. ” –
Jamie Coghill September 23, 2021

As a band I am called The Jimmy C. As a human person I am called Jamie Coghill and am possibly known for (by people with very good memories specifically within the Melbourne pub rock scene) playing drums with The Devilrock Four, Fez Perez and Luxedo – going back more than 20 years now to the very late 90s so to be familiar with me is super niche and you would have to have very good taste!

Sometime around 2005 I decided to make an album of songs I’d recorded on a Tascam 4 track cassette recorder. I’d been experimenting with writing and recording since my teens but until then I hadn’t recorded anything I wanted people to hear.

Over the past 16 years I worked on my song writing, playing and recording techniques and released 7 albums, 4 soundtrack albums (2 for an American web series: The Adventures Of Superseven and The Sandra West Diaries, and one for an American indie grindhouse film: The Brides Of Satan), and a few EPs and singles. I also made a sort of 10 year anniversary live album/video roping in a few friends to play and record my songs live, which lead to the formation of Lava Fangs, a garage power pop punk band with an EP, an album and some singles – we’re very good and you should check us out!

As a one-person band I have found the pandemic era to be quite productive, and a welcome distraction from almost two years of terrible news (I’m writing this the day after the Melbourne earthquake – who saw that coming?!?!). From February 2021 to mid-September I worked on a new collection of songs as well as upgrading my recording setup – still with quite out of date gear but a huge step forward from the stuff I used to record my previous albums!

Comparisons Include
Super Furry Animals, Ween, Queens of the Stone Age, Sloan,

Ducking is out now on Foghorn/MGM.

Videos from the album

Stream/Download

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Steve Williams -New Album Surrey Road

October 26, 2021 Marshall Cullen

Steve Williams
Surrey Road
Collaborative Album
OUT NOW

Surrey Road is the culmination of over 20 years song writing and came from Steve’s desire to do an album of his own songs with various great singers that he knew or had worked with previously. Shelter Me was written by Steve and Pat Powell and features the smooth vocals of young up and coming Melbourne singer, Nic MC. Many of the other songs on the album are sung by Pat Powel himself, lending his legendary voice to the mix and pat also co write a number of the tunes.
Steve Played all instruments on the album himself other than guest appearances by Victor Rounds on bass and John prior on drums (selected songs). Steve produced, engineered and mixed the album at his studio in Melbourne with the exception of “when I see you dancing” which was mixed by John Prior at Unity Gain studios in Sydney.

The album is clocking strong metrics on digital platforms and the main single SHELTER ME is heading to radio via Play MPE

Steve Williams came to prominence as the lead guitarist in the 80’s pop group Wa Wa Nee, who had top 5 hits and ARIA Nominations in Australia and chart action in Europe and the USA. This prompted Steve to relocate to Europe after working with James Freud and Richard Clapton following Wa Wa Nee’s breakup. After working as a session musician in the UK and Europe he returned to Australia in 2005 and continued session and production work including musical theatre and television appearances. He has played in bands alongside Jon Lord from Deep Purple, Choirboys, Matt Finish, Ray Parker Jr, Real Life, and many more.

The Surry Road album was recorded in Steve’s Melbourne studio. Steve co-wrote all the tracks with musicians that he has worked with over many years of touring and recording :

Tracks feature guest vocals from Pat Powell(Melbourne Ska Orchestra and many more) and other well known vocalists such as: John Kenny (Rockmelons), Tim Watson(Taxiride), Vince Contarino, Terry Slesser(UK) and Louise Person as well up-coming Melbourne singer Nic MC.

The songs were co written with a host of writers including Mark Gable(Choriboys), Scott Smith and many of the singers above.

With the worldwide release of Surrey Road marking off this long span of writing and recording Steve’s new album for 2022 is already underway with a much more personalized and singular approach.

Checkout the Album

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Jack Nolan Releases Album Gabriel

October 8, 2021 Marshall Cullen

In true analog fashion following on from the Tape Based Recording the album is available on LP Vinyl format as well as CD and Digital.

Jack Nolan is a singer songwriter based in Sydney, Australia, who’s been performing and releasing music and albums since the mid 90’s. Along with a five-album solo catalogue Jack also fronted The Kelly Gang, with Rick Grossman, bassist for The Divinyls and Hoodoo Gurus along with Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst and guitar player Martin Rotsey. Their 2004 album Looking for the Sun was critically adored along with their energetic live shows of the time.

Within Nolan’s music, mysterious and shimmering chords unite his sound with that of the Americana genre, once quaintly described as ‘Darlinghurst Country’, uniting elements of folk, country, rock ‘n’ roll and ambient atmospheres fusing Nolan’s passion for intensely charged electric guitar and finger-picked acoustic guitar.

And so it is, Jack’s latest album, Gabriel, releasing October 2021, keeps the wheels moving on the meaningful passion of this writer and performer.

Recent Article on Gabriel:

https://beat.com.au/jack-nolans-gabriel-takes-you-from-la-to-death-valley-to-nashville/

Credits:
Written by Jack Nolan
Recorded at ‘Welcome to 1979’ in Nashville TN 2020
Produced by Justin Weaver
Engineered by Chris Mara
Mixed by Chris Mara & Justin Weaver
Mastered by Ryan Smith, Sterling Sound Nashville TN
Jack Nolan – Vocals & guitars
Justin Weaver – Electric Guitars, slide, banjo & backing vocals
Jimmy Paxson – Drums
Chris Autry – Bass

Title Track Video

Gabriel is OUT NOW October 8 Quay Records/MGM.

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Grander Things bring back the rock on new release EP Supermoon

September 24, 2021 Marshall Cullen

Update

New article from Scenestr

Original Press Release

Following on from the release of their first ep MASH in 2020 and unable to play live with the sporadic Sydney shutdowns for the better part of the year, Grander Things went back into their burrow and got busy.

From a riff here or there, the lads played around with some ideas in the rehearsal room and started sending recordings for vocalist, Liz Clear to find the ones that inspired the lyrics and melodies to fall onto the page. After some months of blending music and lyrics, Grander Things had five tracks to put down.

Recorded at Damien Gerard Studios on the Central Coast, you can tell Grander Things love wearing their pop-rock hearts firmly on their sleeves. This ep has gentle moments of angst and vulnerability but then surprises you by colliding into epic rock. Keys were added post recording by Gino Campagnaro to the opening track You Said, but the band have stayed true to their roots with guitars that soar.

Recorded with Andrew Beck, co-produced with Marshall Cullen, mixed by Russell Pilling and mastered by William Bowden, the result is Supermoon out now on Foghorn Records.

Brent Williams /Liz Clear / Rhys Lewis-Smith/ Bruce Thomas

Song Descriptions:
You Said
A tale of the broken hearted that builds on anger and crescendos with the pain of broken promises.

Loopholes
The future is fresh with positive feels and the knowledge that love is in the air tonight.

Supermoon
With a driving bass beat and sultry invitation this is no time for sleeping. Get your freak on board the Supermoon party.

Greta
In a sea of ineptitude and pollie-speak our best hopes are pinned on a teenage girl screaming the truth and trying to save the planet.

The Push and Pull
We always hurt the ones we love the most; we know they’ll always be there even when we’re at our worst.

Supermoon is OUT NOW – September 24th via MGM
All DSP’s

Video

Streaming:

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Daxton – Otherside is out NOW Foghorn/MGM

‘The GABRIEL Album Launch’

Book here – Tickets

Friday 12 November, 8pm The Red Velvet Room Upstairs at The Coogee Diggers 2 Byron Street Coogee

Video

Recent Article on Gabriel:

Supermoon is OUT NOW – September 24th via MGM All DSP’s

Daxton – Otherside is out NOW
Foghorn/MGM

Friday 12 November,
8pm
The Red Velvet Room
Upstairs at The Coogee Diggers
2 Byron Street Coogee

Supermoon is OUT NOW – September 24th via MGM
All DSP’s