“Uptown Funk”, “Shallow”, “Valerie”, “Joanne,” “Late Night Feelings,” and the list goes on. Producer, songwriter, musician and singer, Mark Ronson has contributed to some of the biggest songs and records of modern times. In How to be Mark Ronson, fans are given a taste of the man behind the music and learn that this subject…
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Tokyo is an insane city. It’s beautiful, busy, bustling. It’s an insane, gleaming spiders web of interlocking streets, humming with life. But like any other city, it’s noisy. It’s really noisy. Which might be why Sony flew me there to road-test their new WF-1000XM3 earbuds. What better was to test their noise-cancelling capabilities? I’d never…
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Do you remember your first Walkman? I know I do. I recall feeling like I had a universe in my pocket. Well, not in my pocket. Clipped to the belt near my packet. Either way, I had a tiny, sleek box that would accept a cassette and click shut with a satisfying “schlick” noise. I’d…
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The name “Van Duren” may not mean much to most people. But to Greg Carey and Wade Jackson this Memphis musician is king. The pair went on a journey to discover more about this artist. The result, Waiting: The Van Duren Story is like Searching for Sugar Man, because it sees some fans searching for…
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Boom! A Film about the Sonics is a documentary that is cut from the same cloth as Searching for Sugar Man and Waiting: The Van Duren Story. You may not have heard about American group, The Sonics but chances are you’ve heard their influence through other people’s music. This film is an overwhelmingly positive one…
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Martin Phillipps is a brave, post-punk poet. The leader of the New Zealand band, The Chills has had a long and varied career writing heavenly pop tunes that are filled with dark undercurrents. The Chills: The Triumph and Tragedy of Martin Phillipps is a revealing look at an eccentric protagonist in his own tragicomic story….
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David Crosby was a Byrd who became a “difficult cat”. In Remember My Name he is an old dog armed with a guitar in one hand and a spliff in the other. This musician and artist is very candid about his full and colourful life in this feature-length documentary. This film is ultimately an entertaining…
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There is no question that the late, great Aretha Franklin was the Queen of Soul. But what you may not know is that she was also an accomplished gospel singer; the daughter of a preacher who first developed her musical chops at church. Amazing Grace is a homage to Franklin’s past, a 1972 concert film…
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Inspiration can strike at any time. But if you’re an artist like PJ Harvey you may choose to go in search of this illusiveness. A Dog Called Money is a music documentary that depicts the process that spawned the album, The Hope 6 Demolition Project. The result is a beautifully-shot film that can be uneven…
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The Adelaide Festival opens runs between the 1st and 17th March and there’s a full program which can make choosing what to see a daunting task. Here’s five suggestions that should help choosing easier. Opening night: National Geographic: Symphony for our world Elder park comes alive on Saturday 2nd March for this family-friendly free concert…
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The walrus was Paul, Clapton was God and Lennon is Legend. John Waters knows this because he’s had a lot of practice. Playing the tribute show, Lennon: Glass Onion since 1992, he sure knows how to live and breathe John Lennon. Oh, and that’s along with a little help from a friend called, Stewart D’Arrietta….
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It had been a long time coming, but Little May returned to Sydney for a headline gig on Friday night, with the venue being the Oxford Art Factory. On the cusp of their album being released, Blame My Body, a number of the new songs were showcased to an enthusiastic audience. 8 of the songs…
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The fourteenth edition of In The Round was held last night at the Vanguard in Newtown, Sydney. It was a great combination of instruments and vocals in the unique and intimate setting which governs these shows. Elska from the Gold Coast was the curator of this edition. She plays the harps, employing loops and had…
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The Hoodoo Gurus hit the stage at Taronga Zoo on Saturday night, a sold-out gig playing to a crowd that many would have been at some of their earliest gigs, some 35 years ago. Many of these were reliving the fervour of those early times with exceptional enthusiasm. It was a crowd pleasing set, drawing…
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Stevie Jean passed through Sydney last night on her way through to Launceston for the Party in the Paddock festival. We were treated to an intimate show at the Golden Age Cinema and Bar in Surry Hills. Stevie is a treat to see live – effortlessly charming, joyful and with a strong versatile voice. She…
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The Laneway Festival hit Sydney for the 14th time on Sunday, and it was a triumphant day. Brilliant sunshine and outstanding performances from the local and overseas acts graced Callan Park. Amongst the many highlights were Mitski, Courtney Barnett, The Smith Street Band, Parquet Courts, Camp Cope, Middle Kids and bringing home the finale for…
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Fifty years in the music business and Phil Collins is adamant that he’s not dead yet. His current Australian tour – named after his memoir that is also marking over 20 years between drinks – may be designed for people to lower their expectations. The English multi-instrumentalist seems older than his 67 years but while…
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Paul Capsis is a performer who appreciates artists who are both unique and true to their real selves. You could argue that he too fits into this distinctive mould. His Sydney Festival show at the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent was an eclectic love letter to his many inspirations. The repertoire for the night was arranged by…
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Day 3 of the Falls Festival at Byron Bay featured Chvrches, Amy Shark, Interpol and Vance Joy. Toto had the crowd singing along to Africa, The Vaccines rocked and LPX – the side project of Lizzy Plapinger from MS MR delivered a truly joyous set. Other highlights included Bishop Briggs, Jack River and Tired Lion from…
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Day 2 of the Falls Festival at Byron Bay was New Years Day. There was no lethargy on display though, with West Thebarton putting on a blistering performance early in the day. Ruel enthralled his adoring audience, and Little May charmed theirs. Briggs delivered the goods in spades, and Soccer Mommy captured everyones hearts. King…
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Taking place at Cronulla Beach between the 7th and 9th November, Australian Music Week is Australia’s most accessible grassroots music industry conference. Bringing together an 80-strong speaker line-up, Australian Music Week is about discovering real music and relevant industry knowledge from the artists and insider professionals who live and breathe all things musical. Conference manager…
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It’s worthwhile taking Brisbane Festival Artistic Director David Berthold’s advice on how to attack this year’s just announced stellar line up of art and entertainment, “It’s a feast not a snack, don’t just taste one little tit-bit dive in and sample the whole range, use both hands and take risks!” Brisbane Festival launched on Tuesday morning over coffees and pastries,…
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Music streaming platform Pandora has always been a popular destination for music fans who just want to hear some tunes with a minimum of fuss. Its users are less fussy that than of Spotify, Tidal or Apple Music, preferring to let Pandora shuffle up the tunes on its own. Having said all of that, users who…
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Sonos’ smartphone app is pretty neat. It lets you control your Sonos speakers and what is playing on them all from one convenient location. How many times, however, have you been browsing Spotify in its own app, forgetting that it isn’t connected to your Sonos speakers? If you’re like is, you do this at least…
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A celebration of iconic Aussie musician Kylie Minogue will open at Arts Centre Melbourne in September. The free exhibition, Kylie On Stage, will focus on some of the singer’s most magical moments from concert tours throughout her career, featuring costumes dating as far back as 1989. “Touring and live performance has been such a big…
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Splendour in the Grass 2016 is almost upon us, and with that comes the announcement of its arts programs – Splendour Arts and Splendour in the Craft. This year’s Splendour Arts will feature six major pieces scattered across the events site, curated by artist Craig Walsh. The Arch Tunnel Response, a site responsive painting by Melbourne…
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For more than twenty years, a locked wooden dresser sat ignored in the home of broadcaster and musician Joel Carnegie. When it was finally opened, a treasure trove belonging to Joel’s grandfather, swing musician Col Brain, was revealed. Now, in a unique event as part of Geelong After Dark, Joel, along with the Geelong West Brass…
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The first weekend of April saw the inaugural Rock And Roll Writers Festival take over Brisbane music venue The Brightside for two days of discussion and debate, devoted to the strong relationship between music and literature. A coup for the Brisbane arts scene, festival organisers Leanne de Souza and Joe Woolley brought together a killer line-up of…
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The inaugural Rock & Roll Writers Festival takes over Brisbane’s Brightside on the first weekend of April. With events staggered across the two days, you won’t have to miss a single moment of the action, but just in case you need a beer break in between all the sex, drugs, and rock and roll, here’s our…
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Eurovision has long been a cultural institution in the music world, aired to much fanfare on SBS each year. With 2015 being the first year that Australia will officially compete in the competition (go Guy Sebastian!!), SBS are pleased to announce that the first Australian Eurovision Jury has been officially called to order. Although the…
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