Aug
25
Advice for bands starting out
Filed Under Feature, Local Feature | Leave a Comment
Cross post from www.mathewpacker.com
I was emailing a friend earlier today and she mentioned that the brother of another friend had just started a band and that they were pretty good, and she wanted to know if I was interested in signing the band. Obviously it’s a bit difficult to give an answer to that in an email, unless of course the band is Silverchair, so I asked a few ’standard’ questions like; what’s their name, who do they sound like, have they got anything recorded I can hear?
Her reply sparked this article as the band have no recordings, have managed to choose the same name as at least 4 other bands (source. myspace), and aren’t really sure what they should do next.
So here it is, this would be the advice I would give a band who are just starting out.
Jul
16
Here Come The Birds, and they’re ‘Splendourous’
Filed Under Australian News, Local Feature, Local News | Leave a Comment
We’re at the serious end of the 2008 UncharTED competition and Newcastle indie rockers Here Come The Birds have the competition all but sewn up. With only 5 days of voting left to go head on over to the UncharTED website and cast your vote.
Jun
20
Here Come The Birds, entering UncharTED waters
Filed Under Feature, Local Feature, Local News | Leave a Comment
Check this out Newcastle band Here Come the Birds have been selected by Sony/BMG as their media pick in the Tooheys Extra Dry UncharTED band competition (www.uncharted.com.au).
Here’s a quote from the guys, “We were selected as the first media pick from over 1300 bands across Australia, which lets us to go straight to the semi-final stage of the competition – bypassing the first public voting stage. There are 8 bands in the semi-final stage of the competition, divided into two pools of four bands: the public pool and the media pool. One band from each pool goes through to the grand final, with the winner going on to open the main stage at the Splendour in the Grass festival in Byron Bay in August, along with $20 000 to fund a do-it-yourself label package including studio time and legal consultancy.”
So what can I’m With The Band readers do to help you through to the finals? “In order for us to get through to the grand final we need people to vote for us, it’s that simple. Voting begins on 16th June and goes for eleven days, with the winner announced on 27th June.”
And what if Here Come The Birds won this, what would that mean to the band? “Winning this competition will provide us with the opportunity to get our music to audiences across the country, and hopefully throughout the world.”
You can check out the competition at www.uncharted.com.au All people need to do to help out Here Come The Birds is to log on to the website and click the ‘Register to Vote’ link. From there all you have to do is simply click on the ‘Vote’ button next to their name. You can vote once per hour until midnight on 26th June.
Here Come The Birds also have a few shows coming up, you can check them out at;
- Hopetoun Hotel (Sydney) on 21st June
- Lansdowne Hotel (Sydney) on 12th July
- The Cambridge Hotel (Newcastle) on 26th July
- World Bar (Sydney) on 15th August
Jun
18
Coaster, the first lineup!
Filed Under Local Feature, Local News, News | Leave a Comment
Central Coast, get ready.
Coaster is bringing the cream of Australia’s musical elite and a very special international guest to Gosford for Australia’s newest and most exciting all-ages one day music and arts extravaganza on Saturday 20 September. With this prestigious line-up, mark your diary, set your alarm and leave a thousand post-it notes around the house - whatever you do, make sure you get in early to secure your tickets when they go on sale on Wednesday 2 July.
We can finally let the cat out of the bag and announce the stellar line up for Coaster 2008:
It has been over 10 years since THE LIVING END recorded their breakout double A-side single, ‘Second Solution’/ ‘Prisoner of Society’- with many hit songs, gold and platinum albums, sold-out shows, festival-headlining appearances, world tours, award statuettes, magazine covers and many a satisfied punter in between. The Living End will be playing Coaster off the back of their new album White Noise which is available Sat 19 July. Among the best loved and most respected groups in the country, make sure you’re there when The Living End rip it up onstage at Coaster!
Formed in 2002, Melbourne’s hottest exports KISSCHASY promise to rock Coaster. This young quartet has been touring nationally for the last four years and accumulating fans everywhere they go. Their recent national headline tour solidified the band’s future in the annals of Australian rock. With two Gold selling records and over 100,000 albums sold Kisschasy have done their hometown of Melbourne proud and no doubt they’ll do the same for Coaster.
No one can ever accuse Australia’s favourite prog rock pioneers COG of doing things the easy way. Never catering to a formula or template or eschewing the safe or conventional in their song writing, the powerhouse Bondi trio have at heart always been a truly progressive band. With the release of their 2008 album, Sharing Space and a gruelling tour schedule, this year is definitely shaping up to be the year of Cog. Don’t miss your chance to see one of Australia’s hottest live acts at Coaster!
Formed on the Central Coast of New South Wales, SOMETHING WITH NUMBERS have built their success from the ground up. The 2007 ARIA ‘Breakthrough Artist’ nominees kicked off this year with a bang, delivering some memorable main-stage appearances at Big Day Out before finishing their new album “Engineering The Soul’ with producer Tim O’Heir in New York. Be there when hometown heroes Something With Numbers take Coaster by storm!
Underscored by fiery vocals and political lyrics, BLUE KING BROWN bring their refreshing take on roots music to Coaster. Their debut album Stand Up was a Feature Album on Triple J and also received an illustrious J Award Nomination in 2006 – Triple J’s Australian Album of the year. Blue King Brown’s uniquely Australian afro-reggae, world and Latin influence will get you ripping up the Coaster dance floor like no one’s watching!
Superseding your average dance act, THE POTBELLEEZ are a musical tour de force, consisting of DJ-producers Dave Goode and Jonny Sonic, sassy singer Blue and Ilan Ikid Kidron, the voice behind the bands’ platinum selling debut single Don’t Hold Back. With the biggest dance single of summer under their belt, a non-stop touring schedule which sees them in high-demand all across Australia and Europe and a gargantuan debut album
due for imminent release, it’s a daunting thought to imagine where The Potbelleez will be in a year from now – be there when they bring the house down at Coaster!
Since 2002, hard working Californian rockers THE MATCHES have been on the road and playing over 200 shows per year. Having recently played a string of sold out shows around Australia, The Matches are back with a brand new record, A Band In Hope, their third on indie label Epitaph. The Matches’ raucous, sweat-drenched and aerobic live performances should be seen and experienced, not read about. Get ready to get sweaty with The Matches at Coaster!
Sporting a party-oriented mix of rock, hip hop, electro and disco, BLUEJUICE are a force to be reckoned with on the Australian music landscape. Their recent single Vitriol was the 2nd most played song on Triple J in 2007 and was voted number 11 in the 2007 Hottest 100. Problems, the aptly titled debut album from this rag-tag bunch of pirates was released in August 2007 through MGM and was recently short-listed for the 2007 Australian Music Prize and winner of the Red Bull Award. Party on down with Bluejuice at Coaster this year!
Terrigal lads THE LAZYS will deliver more local flavour with their blend of hard and obnoxious rock to Coaster 2008.
With the Central Coast embodying the third largest local area in NSW, the time is right for the Central Coast to have a major event of its very own. Coaster aims to be that event.
Do not miss out on the inaugural Coaster 2008.
TICKETS ON SALE FROM WEDNESDAY 2 JULY
All online tickets are available through www.coasterfestival.com.au
Tickets available from all Ticketmaster outlets, 136 100 or www.ticketmaster.com.au
Jun
18
Coaster Festival
Filed Under Local Feature, Local News, News | Leave a Comment
It’s unanimous. With the Central Coast embodying the third largest local area in NSW, the time is right for the Central Coast to have a major event of its very own. Too often and for too long, regional areas of Australia have been overlooked by touring bands and festivals, leaving Central Coast music lovers no choice but to travel for hours to see their favourite acts.
Not anymore. Welcome Coaster, Australia’s newest and most exciting one day music and arts extravaganza.
Coaster 2008 takes place on Saturday the 20th September at the Gosford Showgrounds in Gosford. Coaster is an all ages festival and is the place to be for anyone from 5 to 105 with a love of music, arts and the outdoors.
Pioneering and reinforcing the strong music, arts and creative culture of the Central Coast, Coaster will soon be one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the year.
The prestigious line-up has been confirmed and will feature 10 of the biggest and hottest acts in the country (& maybe some international friends) as well as featuring some good ol’ Central Coast home grown talent. From Rock to Hip Hop, Reggae to Dance Coaster has every base covered to whet your musical appetite.
The site will feature one stage in the main area as well as an undercover DJ area running from the late afternoon until the final curtain is drawn. Ensuring there’ll be something for everyone, Coaster will also be playing host to a wide variety of food stalls, fine wine and food, tea parties, arts and crafts.
Coaster wants you to have a good time. Coaster wants you to laugh, live and enjoy. Coaster wants you to leave with a smile on your face and a spring in your step. Coaster wants you to say, in 10 years from now, “Yeah, I was at the first one way back in 2008”
Want to know more?
Our lips are sealed for now…but in the meantime head to:
www.coasterfestival.com.au
Recent Comments: