Tag Archives: australian music
Levi-X Releases Debut Single Amazing Grace (Grace Amazing)
Levi-X is a young singer/saxophonist (12 yo), based in Queensland. Levi has been performing at several markets in North Brisbane with his father since he was 11 years old, entertaining crowds with his saxophone and singing. He plays all genres of music but has a style that is rooted in light Jazz improvisation. His debut song, Amazing Grace (Grace Amazing) was recorded when he was 12 years old and is the first of a number of songs he is working on.
Watch The Video
Amazing Grace (Grace Amazing) is a new interpretation of the well know traditional song, and digs into the song’s history and meaning with the rawness and innocence of the 12 year old singer, Levi-X. The songs uncomplicated composition aims to delicately remind us of the youthful simplicity where we start life; a place that we often seek to return to along the tumultuous journey that life often unknowingly takes us. Amazing Grace (Grace Amazing) is Levi-X’s debut song, which he worked on with his father, and is played with his older brother (aged 15) on guitar. Levi-X both sings and plays saxophone on this single. With his young voice soaring in all the right places and carrying the heartfelt lyrics with feeling beyond his years this is a beautiful rendition of the timeless classic.
Amazing Grace (Grace Amazing) is OUT NOW – via MGM
Connect with Levi-X:
MrHarvey-New EP-It’s Kool to be Kind
MrHarvey New Ep It’s Kool to Be Kind
Release Date: October 23 (Foghorn/MGM) ALL Digital Platforms
MrHarvey is the stage name of singer-songwriter Nathan Harvey. Having only picked up a guitar in 2015 at 44 years old, his music is as interesting and diverse as his life! A blend of blues, folk, country and rock, Nathan’s music is very lyrics focused as he draws on a myriad of musical and life experiences.
Former Channel V host and media personality in the 90’s, Nathan retreated from the spotlight leaving his hometown of Sydney for the Gold Coast working as a show announcer and FOH mixer at SeaWorld. It was here that he literally learnt the ropes from scratch after befriending the Ski Captain to become a professional water skier.
In 2010 a near fatal water-skiing accident in Canada whilst skiing with old SeaWorld buddies saw Nathan return to Sydney with a titanium plate and 4 screws holding his neck together. Always loving music and being a drummer in his teens, Nathan played in a fun “pisstake” band during his V days called “The Velvet Underpants” alongside Ken Stewart from Mr Blonde and Anthony Ousback former MTV host. His debut single “Brand New Day” was played nationally on the Triple M / Austereo Network and reached No 3 on the overall Triple J Unearthed Charts.
Arranged and produced by Nathan Harvey with Magnus as co-producer the EP features Nathan on vocals, guitar, some keyboards and various other instruments, Magnus on Clarinet, BVs and lead keyboards along with Catrina Bargwanna, Tara Resch on Violin / BVs, Alex Gresley on lead and bass guitar, Luke Spies on drums and Brett Chapman on Harmonica.
It’s Kool to Be Kind is OUT NOW – via MGM
Connect with MrHarvey:
Jimmy C’s New Album The Entirely Unremarkable World of The Jimmy C
Melbourne one-man-band Releases his New Album – The Entirely Unremarkable World of The Jimmy C
Jamie Coghill is a musician and songwriter based in Melbourne, Australia, who has been recording solo under the moniker of ‘The Jimmy C’ since 2005. A multi-instrumentalist, The Jimmy C is Jamie’s primary creative outlet, in which he writes, records, engineers, produces, mixes and masters everything himself in his home studio, Casa de Kensington. Originally recording to four-track tape, and gradually moving to digital, Jamie’s ability to make his lo-fi gear produce hi-fi quality sound is part of The Jimmy C’s charm.
Playing primarily as a drummer in The Devilrock Four, Fez Perez and Luxedo prior to 2005, The Jimmy C was Jamie’s opportunity to showcase his unique style and abilities, and quickly became his main musical project. While still touring with Devilrock, including a tour of Europe in 2008, Jamie was working on what would end up being 2009’s Glamour and Fame. Recorded over two years “in lunch breaks and on weekends”, Glamour and Fame was a sprawling 20 track loose concept album, which established Jamie’s talent – as well as his penchant for genre hopping and very short songs.
The Jimmy C has since released three albums: 2014’s Orbital Debris, 2016’s Un Homme Orchestra (released as three EPs but spiritually one record) and 2018’s Songs For The Species; as well as recording original music for two American web series: The Adventures of Superseven and The Sandra West Diaries; and a feature film. He also released several EPs, a Christmas single, and produced a live album with The Jimmy C Group, out of which formed his latest side project: Lava Fangs.
2020 is shaping up to be a huge year for Jamie, with The Jimmy C releasing his latest album, The Entirely Unremarkable World of The Jimmy C, as well as Lava Fangs releasing their debut, self-titled long player.
Step into “The Entirely Unremarkable World of The Jimmy C” – a fantasy land of catchy pop songs, self-deprecation, and the struggle for normalcy in a world gone completely bonkers.
The Jimmy C returns with an album that surprised even himself. Despite featuring a few guest contributions from Jamie’s Lava Fangs bandmates: Wesley Fahey and Andrew Horne, and Stu Thomas (The Stu Thomas Paradox, Kim Salmon/Surrealists, Dave Graney), the vast majority of instruments on the record, as always, are performed by Jamie.
As Melbourne headed into lockdown in early 2020, Jamie found himself stuck at home: which conveniently also houses his home studio. With the studio becoming a place of therapy, “The Entirely Unremarkable World of The Jimmy C” became an album borne out of boredom. Continuing the DIY journey started with “Project E.G.O.” in 2005, “The Entirely Unremarkable World of The Jimmy C” is The Jimmy C’s most accomplished and fastest finished album to date with Stage 3 Coronavirus restrictions unexpectedly giving Jamie much more time to spend working on new songs.
While The Jimmy C’s previous releases have all spanned genres, “The Entirely Unremarkable World of The Jimmy C” showcases Jamie’s creativity and musical diversity on another level. No stranger to straight up rock’n’roll, he delivers that on ‘Standing in Doorways’, a track written for and about the Coghill family’s cats and kittens, while ‘Where Was She’ is perhaps the most straightforward pop jangle on any The Jimmy C record to date and melancholy album closer ‘Kings of the Earth’ departs from Jamie’s usual wheelhouse and introduces strings and a trumpet to The Jimmy C’s ever-expanding sound palate.
The Entirely Unremarkable World of The Jimmy C is out now on Foghorn/MGM.
RADIO DOWNLOADS/Stream
Connect with The Jimmy C:
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
Mr Blonde New Single In a Faze
MR BLONDE – IN A FAZE
Mr Blonde have come to the airwaves with this power pop epic, reminiscent of their Triple J ruling days. Sugar coated lyrics disguise a super well produced catchy tune, think Blur, Oasis, Brit Pop in general and coming in at 2mins42secs this is a winner.
The track is about the way we humans get caught up in the complicated maze we inhabit. From social media interaction through to rapid changes in technology. Our cultural norms are bombarded with aggressively targeted consumerism. That’s the verse, the chorus is a call to arms, to “stick it where the sun don’t shine.”
Complete with the signature Mr Blonde sound: jangly pop guitars, groovy bass, swirling hammond keyboards and a melodic vocal to sing to the stars. The song wasn’t so much “written” but was an ear worm without guitars. Ken couldn’t stop singing it, so finished the track to save his sanity.
Recorded at Big Studios in Crows Nest Sydney with tracking and mixing completed at Burning Boat Studios in Melbourne. Mixed by Steve Melville. Mastered by King Willy in Launceston.
Forget all the Mr Blonde “burst onto the scene” rhetoric there is a real story of how this band formed out of a dodgy terrace in Woolloomooloo. Two true believers in English Indie music decided to have a crack, spending evenings and weekends fine tuning raucous, pop driven riffs with motor-beat drumming, and guitars laden with distortion and reverb.
Songs were written, relentless rehearsals, early gigs at The Sando, The Hoey, Metro then interstate and beyond to touring mayhem, festivals, music videos and TV shows.
Perhaps the infamous line from Spinal Tap: “have a good time all the time” resonated a little too strongly for Mr Blonde. Their first single Sunday swung into high rotation at Triple J and set the band up for what was to follow. Relentless touring and ridiculous surreal moments spaced out between hundreds of amazing gigs and the best time of our lives. Fall off a cliff… fast forward to the first Mr Blonde single for 25 years “In a Faze”.
Video
In A Faze is OUT NOW – September 18th via MGM
All DSP’s
Connect with Mr Blonde
For further information, Files, CD and Interview Requests please contact:
Marshall Cullen at Foghorn Media
0416 143 030
marshall@foghornrecords.net
Big Merino’s New Single Something to Hide
Big Merino’s new single is OUT NOW.
Recorded in just one day at the new Damien Gerard Studios just out of Sydney,
this tune is a fine example of the bands songwriting ability.
Plus there’s a live show to support the release.
The official launch is on Sunday October 25 at Camelot
Due to COVID the venue is limiting numbers
so you have to book in groups of 2, 4 or 8.
‘Something To Hide was written after we heard about the destruction of the Juukan rock shelters in the Pilbara. It’s a little like blowing up the Sistine Chapel except the Sistine Chapel is less significant but at least we get to sell some iron ore, cheap, to the Chinese’ – Big Merino
Big Merino play songs that blur the lines between rock, blues, roots, and soul. Despite their passion for Americana their music also sounds quintessentially Australian, shaped by landscape and stories.
Despite an obvious passion for what’s often called ‘Americana’, Big Merino somehow still sound quintessentially Australian – the lyrics and sound shaped by the landscape and their own stories. The live sound is a classic combination of acoustic and electric guitars, vocals, bass and drums. But the album is fleshed out with multiple guitar layers, gospel style harmonies, Hammond organ, piano, horns and percussion.
In 2018 the newly formed Sydney-based band released their debut album ‘Suburban Wildlife’ thru the Foghorn label, made two cinematic film clips with director Alan Harca, and performed all around Sydney.
The band has done numerous Interviews & live-to-air performances including ABC 702 & RN, 2SER Dirt Music, Radio Skid Row, Eastside Radio, Aussie Music Weekly and 2BBB. The single ‘Black Cockatoos’ was top 10 on AMRAP Metro and Regional playlists in 2018.
To follow their well-received debut the band started work on the follow up early in 2019. ‘Sweet Little Angel’ was released in mid-year and the band toured and performed various festivals around the country, starting with Murringo and Quandialla in June.
Something to Hide is their newest single for 2020 and includes a home recorded B Side ‘Tell Me Something’
Something to Hide hits in quick with guitars and then band and vocals catching your attention. The Beatles-esque chorus features a 6 part harmony from gospel master Stu Davis. With hooks, riffs and even catchy bass and drums this one is a winner.
Something to Hide is out today September 25
on Foghorn Records through MGM.
Stream or Download:
Connect with Big Merino:
For further information, Cd’s and Interview requests please contact:
Marshall Cullen at Foghorn Media
0416 143 030
marshall@foghornrecords.net
Stuart Dwyer – Wait Another Day(official)
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
