News:
· Puff 'n' Stuff
Everything that's happenin in Adelaide this fortnight.
· Industry
The latest from the music industry.
· Dance
Dance and electronica news.
· Metal
Updates from the wide world of metal.
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Puff 'n' Stuff.
Yeehaw! It's CD launch roundup time! First up, Newton's Laws
launch their CD at the Gov's balcony bar on Sat 27 March, with
9 1/2 Incas (who apparently might also be launching their new
CD) and Billy February (who's definitely not launching anything).
New pop kids The Sunroom launch their CD at the Jade Monkey
on Sat 17 April, and The Seeds Of Babylon are gearing up for
the launch of 'Indian Cabaret' at the Adelaide UniBar on Sat
1 May.
There are some more new faces on the block
with The Departure (featuring ex-members of 99 Reasons Why and
Threechainbreak), who'll be rocking it at Fowlers Live's Punkfest
on Sat 3 April supporting Horsell Common and Away From Now,
along with Mere Theory, Hi-End Audio, State Of Disorder and
Wendy Icon. Doors open at 4pm.
Click! Arghhh! That's the sound of Somersault's singer/guitarist Cobby slipping a fews discs and putting his band on involuntary hiatus for a while. On the plus side, they're using the break to write and record their third CD, which is a very when-life-gives-you-lemons sort of a solution.
Alex Paterson - the man who, to all intents
and purposes, is The Orb - is coming to Adelaide. The man is
a dance music legend ( 'Little Fluffy Clouds' is still considered
an ambient classic) and you'd be a damned fool to miss him.
He's hitting the decks on Sun 4 April at the Enigma Bar, and
The Orb's new album 'Bicycles And Tricycles' (their first new
album since 2001's 'Cydonia') is set for release right about
now.
Return Of The Indie Warhorses Part One: With the Pixies reformation going into full swing in May (gigs through Canada, the US and the UK have been confirmed, with rumours of an Australian visit in early 2005), word is that frontman Charles Thompson, aka Frank Black, will release a double solo CD in April entitled 'Frank Black Francis.' Since Black Francis was Thompson's nom de rock in his Pixies days, speculation about the album containing possible new Pixies tracks is already rife...
Planning to get along to see Sevendust at
Thebarton Theatre on Wed 24 March? Well, you'd best make other
plans: while the rest of the tour is going ahead, the Adelaide
show has been canned.
Speaking of cancellations, Luka Bloom's tour has been postponed for health reasons - apparently there'll be rescheduled dates for July shortly.
Skulker have just announced the departure
of guitarist Batti, who is leaving for "personal reasons." No
word yet as to a replacement, but the band are concentrating
on their forthcoming album and international touring commitments.
More ch-ch-ch-ch-changes: Sydney electro-metallers Jerk have announced the departure of lead singer Johnathan Devoy (naturally the split was "amicable" and was due to the band and Devoy "heading in different directions"). They're in the process of finding themselves a new frontman before heading off to the UK and Europe later in the year. Also, boy band Mercury 4 have issued a statement that Jarvier Perez has left ("personal reasons," again), but has already been replaced by Kevin Layton. Will this personnel shake-up radically change Mercury 4's musical direction? Only time will tell.
Touring rumours a-go-go: Air are said to
be popping down in the middle of the year and Britney Spears
is rumoured to be about to announce Australian dates for her
'Black Onyx' tour. On the other hand, we're getting snubbed
by Sonic Youth (who are set to do the east coast in support
of their forthcoming 'Nurse' CD), and The Brian Jonestown Massacre
neglect Adelaide in favour of Sydney and, er, Brisbane.
Remember Sat 3 April will be your last chance to see locals Career Girls (well, for a while at least): come wish guitarist Sasha Pazeski all the best for his relocation to Melbourne when the 'Girls play at Jive with guests Sal Paradise and Leigh Stardust. They'd come to your gig, after all.
End Of Fashion's Michael Hobbs is a forgetful
chap. Despite his band being part of the Australian contingent
for the ultra-impressive worldwide South By Southwest music
conference and festival, he apparently left his preparation
for the trip a little late and ended up not getting his US Visa
in time. However, they've lined up an alternative skinsman in
Silverchair's Ben Gillies, who'll fulfill their US commitments
before the band are rejoined by Hobbs for a run of UK shows.
Speaking of South By Southwest, are you curious about who's heading over there to represent your country? Well, you'll probably be pleased. Along with End Of Fashion, Australia's end is being held up by Powderfinger, Screamfeeder, Riff Random, Shane Nicholson, Women In Docs, Gelbison, Sodastream, Ground Components, Macromantics, Jason Walker & the Last Drinks, the John Butler Trio, Charles Jenkins, The Church, Tucker B's, Function, The Sleepy Jackson, Andy White and Architecture In Helsinki.
Fur Patrol are on something of a high at
the moment (an entirely natural one, of course - after all,
their song Precious is being thrashed in the Boost Juice
ads at the moment, so it's probably just a sugar thing) and
are coming to Adelaide with their brand-spanking new 'Collider'
album in their collective paw and a show at the Enigma Bar on
Sun 25 April.
White Stripes fans can breathe easy: Jack White is not going
to jail after pleading guily to the assault of Von Bondies singler
Jason Stollsteimer in a Detroit bar last year. He's been fined
$500 plus costs and will have to attend anger management classes.
The Von Bondies, meanwhile, will be rocking the Enigma Bar on
Wed 7 April.
Return Of The Indie Warhorses Part Two: Morrissey
is to release his first album since 1997's (disappointingly
average) 'Maladjusted' in May. 'You Are The Quarry' is said
to be a strong return to form, and Puff is delighted to see
it contains The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores, a highlight
of his Thebarton Theatre show in 2002.
It's been a good couple of weeks for death: first up, it's farewell to former Dead Milkman (cf: Punk Rock Girl, The Thing That Only Eats Hippies) bassist Dave Blood. Blood (real surname Shulthise), who'd been suffering from severe tendonitis and had been unable to play music since the band's demise in 1995, seemingly took his own life. Also on the cheery subject of death, former Magazine/Banshees/PiL guitarist John McGeogh died in his sleep on Thurs 4 March at the age of 49. Despite battling depression and heroin addiction through the 80s (one of the reasons for his departure from the Banshees and subsequent replacement by The Cure's Robert Smith), he had apparently been happy and drug-free for a number of years, having given up music in 1990 to become a registered nurse. He is survived by his wife and child. Sleep well, chaps.
More happy news! Stephen Dewaele of Soulwax
and 2ManyDJs was allegedly beaten up by police at the Miami
Music Conference after stepping outside to call his girlfriend
- and then, to (literally) add insult to injury, wasn't permitted
back into the conference to DJ. Incidentally, the new Soulwax
album is due mid-year.
Tickets for Jet's 'Thee Get Well Gone Revue' are all-but-literally walking out the door, so if you want to catch them rocking out with The Pictures and Bit By Bats at Thebarton Theatre on Thurs 20 May you'd best grab a ticket while you still can...
Mad-as-a-stick country Henry Wagons returns
to Adelaide for a show at the Jade Monkey on Sun 4 April, with
equally-barking local No Through Road - who, as it happens,
has a brand new album out (entitled 'Someone Else's Song') which
you can download in its entirety for free from www.nothroughroad.com.
It's his unique take on some of his favourite tunes, including
Outkast's Hey Ya! and The Strokes' 12:51. Mr Wagons,
meanwhile, takes this issue's Seven Questions - Of Fame! challenge
at dbmagazine.com.au.
Remember, the best way to get to the Wildeloo Festival in Cummins on Sat 3 April (where you can see Spiderbait, the Testeagles, Frenzal Rhomb, Snap To Zero, The Vermen and lots, lots more) is to catch the Wildeloo Express, who'll take you all the way there and back for a mere $85 - give 0427 762 878 a call for all the details.
The Butterfly Effect: do they ever stop touring?
Apparently not: with 'Begins Here' still doing the business,
they're doing another lap of the country that will see them
at the Adelaide UniBar for two all-ages shows on Sat 24 April
and Sun 25 April.
Similarly, Mr Xavier Rudd is coming to Adelaide with his approximately 7 million didjeridoos for a show at the Norwood Concert Hall on Sat 17 April.
Want to see grown men hurting each other
- live on stage? Then you'd be a right, ahem, Jackass to miss
Steve O and a bunch of similarly demented folks doing stupid
things to themselves and each other at Thebarton Theatre on
Sun 18 April.
The pleasantly countrified folks of Royalchord have a brand new album out - it's called 'Nights On The Town,' and they're bringing it to Adelaide for a show at the Jade Monkey on Fri 2 April, along with fellow Melbournites Grand Salvo and locals The Yearlings.
The Gov are launching a new monthly slot
for solo/duo acoustic sorts on their balcony bar. The first
'Duck Duck Goose!' night is Fri 26 March with Amos Dunn, Liam
Freeman, Bowl Lipson and Linda Ramsay strumming up a collective
storm; and if you fancy being part of the lineup for next month,
give Ben a call on 0400 094 981. Tell him Puff sent you.
Melbourne folkie Rory Ellis is back on the touring trail: catch him at lunchtime at Flinders Uni on Fri 2 April, or that evening at the Church Of The Trinity, backed by ex-Adelaide boy (and Smokestack Lightning guitarist) Ron Tabuteau.
Speaking of returns, Ross Ryan (yes, I
Am Pegasus Ross Ryan) launches his new CD 'One Person Queue'
at Tanduna's Music Warehouse on Fri 2 April and at Jive on Sun
4 April.
Eskimo Joe have a brand new single that they'd like you to hear (it's called From The Sea) and it's the harbinger of their forthcoming album 'A Song Is A City' - and you can hear all sorts of metaphorical cities by getting to Fowlers Live on Sun 4 April and seeing the Joe kick it live, with guests Speedstar. In fact, if you buy the single from a Big Star store, you'll even get a ticket to the 'Joe's exclusive acoustic set/signing session at Jive that afternoon.
Still weighing up whether to head north-east
for the East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival in Byron Bay
over Easter? Well, the final lineup announcement has been made,
including Mick Hart, Mick Thomas & The Sure Thing, Xavier Rudd,
Bondi Cigars, Ash Grunwald, Kevin Borich, The Flood, Nessa Morgan,
Bill Chambers, The Re-mains, Custom Kings, and two representatives
from our own little burg: The Others and Abbie Cardwell. They
join the likes of James Brown, Michael Franti and Spearhead,
Solomon Burke, the John Butler Trio, Fun Lovin' Criminals, Femi
Kuti & The Positive Force and The Waifs, to name but a few.
Tickets are getting scarce so hop onto www.bluesfest.com.au
now.
Legendary guitarist Taj Mahal is also popping down to Adelaide while in the country for the East Coast Blues & Roots Festival - catch him at the Gov on Fri 2 April.
Well, we might have survived Fringe, Festival
and a very noisy car race - so now's the perfect time to celebrate
by ensuring that you...
Get Out Of The House!
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