Author: Lauren Katulka

The Rogue Traders are back, with a brand new singer and a new song! “Love Is A War” is the first track featuring vocals from Sydney-born Mindi Jackson.

Rogue Traders founding member James Ash found Mindi through her MySpace page and thought her a natural for stepping into Natalie Bassingthwaighte’s stilettos.

“Nothing really stopped when Nat left,” he explained in a statement. “I continued to write music, and looked around for a new singer, and didn’t settle until I found the right one. Mindi was that right singer.”

Understandably, Mindi says the call from James was a “massive shock.” Yet after a few early jitters, she’s settled comfortably in the band’s new vision and extensive back catalogue.

“Love Is A War” is the start of a new chapter for the band. It’s not just the first single from their as-yet-untitled fourth album. It’s also the first track Mindi penned with James. The song marks a return to The Rogue Traders’ club roots, without compromising the pop sensibilities which made them a national sensation.

“Love Is A War” will hit radio this Friday before its digital release on Christmas Day.

Image used with permission from Sony Music Australia

There must be something in the water on The Presets tour bus. Both Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes are expecting little ones!

Julian’s partner, SBS newsreader Janice Petersen excitedly told media that she’s 16 weeks along.

“I’m up the duff,” she gushed. “It’s been a dream run so far – I haven’t had any morning sickness.”

They’re looking forward to a delivery surprise, as the gender of the baby doesn’t matter to them one way or the other.

Kim and his long-term girlfriend are also expecting their first child next year.

“It was unexpected but they are really happy,” a source told The Daily Telegraph.

The band is currently working on their third studio album. Perhaps we’ll see a few lullabies on there!

Image source: Arthur Hanna @ Wikimedia Commons

ARIA Award winning Aussie Gurrumul has teamed up with Sting for a cover of “Every Breath You Take.” The collaboration will be shown on French music TV show Taratata next month.

Gurrumul also performed “Wiyathul” from his self-titled solo album on the program. He’s currently in France as part of his European tour. I’ll bet his life seems like a million miles away from his native Arnhem Land!

“There’s always something to learn from other musicians,” Sting said after the duet. “There’s always an exchange … They will surprise you with what they can do or what they can add to your own music. Or you can teach them.”

It sounds like a wonderful collaboration. Definitely one to track down on YouTube once it airs!

Image source: Neate Photos @ Flickr

TownHallSteps are an Aussie band on the up, with a killer debut album and a tour of the United States under their belt. They barely had time to unpack their suitcases before heading out on some Aussie dates. I recently caught up with drummer Ryan Lambert to chat about the band’s time abroad, playing big support slots, and what inspires the band’s eclectic sound.

You recently toured the United States. How did the crowds there respond to your music?
The response we received from audiences in the US was great! Very positive, we have a gained strong interest from a couple of US record companies and management. We are already making plans for an extended stay in 2010!

What’s it like to perform at iconic venues like The Viper Room and The Roxy?
Hearing about these venues, and who has played there over in the past I think you really expect something pretty amazing. Although if you have played or been to shows in venues like The Spectrum on Oxford Street in Sydney, you have already experienced a venue a similar size the Viper Room. It is very small, but being on Sunset Boulevarde in Hollywood playing on a stage that you know many iconic bands have played on in the past, plus sharing the stage with Kate Miller-Heidke the night we played, the experience was nothing short of amazing.

Has the trip inspired you to travel more?
Yes definitely. Our experiences overseas were amazing. Although we are heading back to Hollywood next year to record and do another tour, we hope we have the opportunity to visit lots of other countries in the future as well!
Continue reading “Q & A with Ryan Lambert from TownHallSteps” →

Have you got plans for New Years yet? Well if you’re in the Gold Coast, you might consider heading out to see Shannon Noll.

Nollsy has just announced a return to his home state to play a special New Year’s Eve show at the Boardwalk Tavern. Situated right on the Hope Island Marina, you can’t imagine a more picturesque spot to ring in the New Year.

Shannon’s still out promoting his current best of album, so you can expect to hear all the hits including “What About Me,” “Lift,” and “Shine.” He’ll be ably supported by Star Q.

Tickets to the show cost just $40. They’re on sale now through Oztix and the Boardwalk Tavern.

Image source: The Harbour Agency

Neighbours heartthrob Sam Clark is focusing on his singing career and heading on the road for an old fashioned instore tour. The singer, better known as Ringo, will play shopping centres around the country starting next week.

The instores will promote Sam’s new single, “Broken.” It’s the first track to come from Sam’s debut album, which is expected to hit stores in the New Year.

19 November 2009 – Sanity @ Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre, Richmond (4 pm)
20 November 2009 – Sanity @ Knox City Shopping Centre, Wantirna South (4 pm)
22 November 2009 – Virgin Megastore @ Chapel St, South Yarra (1:30 pm)
26 November 2009 – Sanity @ Macarthur Square Shopping Centre (7 pm)
28 November 2009 – Sanity @ Greenhills Shopping Centre, East Maitland (1 pm)
29 November 2009 – HMV @ Queen Street Mall, Brisbane (3 pm)
3 December 2009 – Sanity @ Castle Towers, Castle Hill (7 pm)
9 December 2009 – Sanity @ , Langtree Mall, Mildura (4 pm)
10 December 2009 – Sanity @ Westfield Marion Shopping Centre (7 pm)
11 December 2009 – Sanity @ Rundle Mall, Adelaide (4 pm)
12 December 2009 – Sanity @ Mt Barker Central Shopping Centre (1:30 pm)
13 December 2009 – Sanity @ Lakes Village, Mt Gambier (1:30 pm)

Image source: The Harbour Agency

Back in 2007 Tin Alley released their catchy debut album, Everyturn. What a difference a couple of years makes. Following their drummer’s brush with death, the band has honed everything that was good about that album and made it better. They seem more focused, and more driven. With that kind of can-do attitude, it seems the world is their oyster. I caught up with the band’s lead singer and guitarist Jim Siourthas to chat about their reinvention, the band’s brand new EP, and the international opportunities that are knocking at their door.

Your new single “Out of Control” has just exploded, with number one downloads on BigPond music and some solid airplay. What can you tell me about the song?
The first thing I’ll tell you is a little bit about what it’s about. A couple of years ago our drummer, Peter Hofbauer, had quite a serious motorbike accident. He was in intensive care for almost three weeks and he shattered his collarbone and so on, so it was a pretty close call. And he was 27 years old at the time. So we were just playing with the idea of dying at the age of 27, and doing a bit of a search on the internet we found out that there was a club called the 27 Club. So that’s basically what “Out of Control” talks about. The idea was spawned out of Peter’s accident, but it actually talks about Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and other members of the 27 Club, and what their lives would have been like, and the reason why they died, and so on. So that’s what the song deals with lyrically.

And in terms of the musical side of things, we recorded the track in Brisbane with a producer by the name of Stuart Stuart, who has previously worked with The Veronicas and The Small Mercies. So we went up to Brisbane for a couple of weeks, and out came “Out of Control.”

Why do you think it’s resonated so much with the music-buying public?
I think the song has got some strong, catchy hooks, in terms of the choruses. The start of the song is immediately grabbing. It has high impact. I think there isn’t much of that around these days, and obviously people are getting turned on by it.

You mentioned that you worked with Stuart Stuart on the song. What did he bring to your sound?
He definitely brought a bit more of the commercial sound to us, to make it a bit more radio friendly. And it seems to have worked a treat because radio is absolutely loving it.
Continue reading “Q & A with Jim Siourthas from Tin Alley” →

James Taylor has announced the Australian dates for his highly-anticipated world tour with Carole King.

While there’s been no official media announcement yet, James Taylor’s site says the music icons will play shows along the Australian East Coast before heading to New Zealand and Japan.

“When James and I first played together in the early seventies we connected almost immediately, both musically and personally, with an effortless, comfortable familiarity,” explained Carole King. “After we reunited in 2007 with Danny Kortchmar, Russ Kunkel and Lee Sklar, the original band from our early Troubadour shows, none of us wanted the fun to stop. We can’t wait to bring our Troubadour Reunion tour to Australia.”

“This tour, our Troubadour Reunion has been waiting to happen for a long time but the years seem to have vanished. Where does the time go? When we reunited for the Troubadour’s 50th Anniversary celebration in 2007, it was, and still is, all about the music and the celebration of performing together,” added James Taylor.

There’s no word yet on when tickets will go on sale, but these dates should help music fans plan their concert calendar!

27 March 2010 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
31 March 2010 – Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
3 April 2010 – Hope Arena, Hunter Valley
6 April 2010 – Entertainment Centre, Sydney