Author: Lauren Katulka

James Reyne is the latest Aussie music veteran to record a covers album. The former Australian Crawl frontman will release a collection of Elvis Presley songs next year.

“I wondered whether we could have the AUDACITY, PRESUMPTION and DAMN GALL to try and record an album of my versions of some Elvis songs,” James said in a statement. “We made a LONG list. I researched and rediscovered a lot of the songs that I already knew and a lot that I didn’t. From our LONG list we chose fourteen songs. It was not easy. My main criterion was that the originals had that certain, innate insouciance that grabbed you immediately and, therefore, might translate more easily”.

“The main aim was to try and make the songs my own, always aware of the stupidity of trying to imitate Elvis himself and the folly of even pretending to contend the brilliance of the originals, but keeping a sense of humour intact and still remaining true to any crucial rhythms or cadence or musical elements that existed on those first, seminal, exhilarating recordings. It is probably testament to the artful simplicity of these originals that our recording process was painless and, dare I say, easy,” he said.

James Reyne TCB will hit music stores on April 9. To coincide with the release, James will play two intimate theatre shows. Look out for him at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre on May 21, and Sydney’s State Theatre on May 22.

Image source: The Harbour Agency

Jimmy Barnes, Shannon Noll, and Adam Brand are going bush for one big Aussie tour. The Red Hot Summer tour will take in regional centres around the country this January.Jimmy Barnes is a bona fide legend of the biz, and Shannon and Adam are doing all the right things to earn that status. To see them all on the same bill, especially for these towns who are rarely treated to quality music acts, is something pretty special.These promise to be family affairs, with children under 12 gaining free admission when accompanied by a paying adult.Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster. The first 200 people who buy tickets to each show will receive a copy of Barnesy’s new single “Red Hot.” Here are all the dates!2 January 2010 – Bonnie Doon Hotel3 January 2010 – Victory Park Soundshell, Traralgon6 January 2010 – Morning Star Estate, Mount Eliza7 January 2010 – Waterski Club, Mulwala9 January 2010 – Mary Ann Reserve, Mannum10 January 2010 – Gol Gol Hotel, MilduraImage source: Ticketmaster

Melbourne power-pop trio Even are celeb rating the silly season with three very specially shows. Ash, Wally, and Matt will play three intimate shows at Fitzroy’s Workers Club under the banner of Xmas Even Classic EP Nights.

Fans are in for a real treat, with Even promising to play a different classic Even EP in its entirety each night along with a host of other classic tracks and newies from the forthcoming release, In Another Time.

The band says there’ll be a completely different set list each night, so why not ring in the festive season with all three shows?

See Xmas Even on December 21, 22, and 23 at The Workers Club, Fitzroy. Tickets cost $15 through Moshtix or $20 at the door.

Image source: Premier Artists

This week I was lucky enough to receive tickets to the final show of The Whitlams’ latest Sydney Opera House run. A night out at one of Australia’s most gorgeous live music venues with one of the country’s best bands backed by the state’s symphony orchestra. How could I say no?

I’ve seen The Whitlams at countless sweaty pubs and music festivals over the years, but this was a real step up. I’ve heard The Whitlams perform with orchestras on television before, but nothing can quite compare with seeing it for yourself. The songs take on a new life with soaring strings and resonating percussion.

The tracks from The Whitlams’ breakthrough, Eternal Nightcap, were the centerpiece of the show. The band played the album in its entirety, stretching across the first act and into the second. The album’s eclectic appeal means that unlike so many discs, there really aren’t any fillers. “No Aphrodisiac,” “You Sound Like Louis Burdett” and “Buy Now Pay Later” were obvious highlights, but the symphonic makeovers held us transfixed for the songs even Tim Freedman panned.

With that album out of the way The Whitlams treated us to highlights from the rest of their exhaustive back catalogue. I’ve heard “Blow Up The Pokies” so many times on the radio, but the symphonic backing made it particularly stirring this time around. I was also thrilled to hear personal favourites like “The Ease of the Midnight Visit” and “Fondness Makes the Heart Grow Absent” given the orchestral treatment.

The encore was particularly touching. Tim took the stage without his bandmates to sing the poignant “The Curse Stops Here,” a tribute to the band’s other founding members Stevie Plunder and Andy Lewis. You could have heard a pin drop. But the band couldn’t leave us in that dark place for long, with Jak Housden, Warwick Hornby, and Terepai Richmond returning for a rollicking rendition of “Gough.”

I seem to be gushing about so many concerts these days, but I’ve been lucky enough to see some truly brilliant music. Saturday’s show was definitely up there with the best of them.

Image source: The Harbour Agency

Bacardi seems just as interested in beats as booze these days. Hot on the heels of the announcement of next year’s Bacardi Express comes the B-Live bat-box release of “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.”

Aussie electro outfit Van She has remixed the Blue Oyster Cult hit, which you can download for free here.

I’m not ordinarily a remix fan, but I don’t mind this one. It takes me back to my teens without tainting the memory, unlike so many of those doof-doof dance do-overs I’ve heard in recent years. The chilled-out vibe gets me in the mood for summer!

Image source: Peer Group Media

Reigning Australian Idol champ Stan Walker has been named an ambassador for the Sony Foundation.

The charity raises money for parts of the community in need. Its current focus is building specialised cancer wards for young people aged 15 to 30.It’s a cause close to Stan’s heart, as his family has a tragic history of battling the disease.

“Out of my grandmother’s 22 children, 18 have died from cancer. My cousin passed away from cancer last year, he was only 17. It was heartbreaking and the fact he was sharing a ward with old people made it worse,” he explained. “I feel privileged to be able to support the Sony Foundation in this important campaign.”

Dr Louise Messara, Executive Director, Sony Foundation, added “we are delighted to welcome Stan to the Sony Foundation family as an official ambassador. He captivated the public not only with his enormous talent but also with his big heart, honesty and colourful character. In many ways, Stan is the embodiment of what Sony Foundation stands for.”

You can support the Sony Foundation’s efforts through the Buy-a-Builder campaign. At the website you can purchase virtual builders, who will help build a real cancer ward.

How wonderful to see Stan giving back just a few short weeks after winning the crown. I hope his profile can encourage people to get involved with this great cause.

It seems that TownHallSteps’ recent tour of the United States has paid off. The band has just inked a deal with Arsenal Management, who will help the band crack America in 2010.

“The response we received from audiences in the US was very positive,” said drummer Ryan Lambert. “We have gained a strong interest from a couple US record companies and signed with a management company and we are already making plans for an extended stay in 2010!”

To celebrate the band will play a big New Years Eve bash at Sydney’s Trash Nightclub. Something tells me it’ll be a big night!

Image source: The Harbour Agency

Aussie rockers AC/DC and country star Keith Urban have all bagged Grammy nominations.

AC/DC’s Black Ice will go up against the likes of U2 and Green Day for the best rock album of the year. Their single “War Machine” is also a contender for best hard rock performance.

Meanwhile Keith’s got four nominations: best male country vocal performance for “Sweet Thing,” best country album for Defying Gravity, best long form music video for Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy World Tour Live, and best country collaboration with Brad Paisley for “Start a Band.” I’ll bet he’s glad a few of those are awards Taylor Swift can’t win!

The 52nd annual Grammy Awards will be held at Los Angeles’ Staples Centre on January 31. No doubt free to air TV will screw us over with the broadcasting yet again, but I’ll be cheering them on in spirit!

Image source: ZUMA Press

Congratulations to Aaron Priest. He’s the lucky winner of our competition to win a double pass to Saturday night’s Whitlams concert at the Sydney Opera House.

Keep an eye on your inbox Aaron for all the details about your tickets. And thanks to everyone else that entered!

Image source: David Siqueira @ Stock.xchng