Boorloo/Perth-raised, Naarm/Melbourne-based artist Wesley Fuller has just released his trippy new single “The Velvet Affair.” This psychedelic inspired pop number is bound to make you nostalgic for the late 60s, whether you were there or not!
Wesley might not be a household name yet, but he’s making some serious waves around the planet. He was discovered by legendary English A&R man James Endeacott, the same guy who discovered The Strokes and The Libertines. He signed Wesley up to his 1965 Records label and released a critically acclaimed EP and album. On the strength of those he toured across Europe and the United Kingdom. Which brings us to the now!
“The Velvet Affair” is the latest track lifted from Wesley’s forthcoming album All Fuller No Filler, which drops on March 15.
It’s hard to believe I’ve been following the career of former Perch Creek singer-songwriter Eileen Hodgkins for roughly as long as this blog has been in existence. With her siblings they seemingly did it all, releasing a few albums, playing all the big festivals here and around the world, and even appearing on Spicks and Specks. But now she’s on to the next phase of her career with her latest band Eils & The Drip. Their latest single “Easy Rider” is a nostalgic alt-country tune that sounds like a classic from the first play.
Eils & The Drip are already on the right path to replicating Perch Creek’s success, releasing a few singles and playing key festivals like Boogie, Brunswick Music Festival, and Queenscliff. They’ll celebrate their latest single with a launch show at Shotkickers in Naarm/Melbourne on March 15.
Image used with permission from Dave Laing Publicity
As we watch another crop of Australian Idol hopefuls step up to impress the judges, it’s only natural to think back and wonder what became of some of the winners of the past? Are they still making music, or have they been forced to trade it in for a corporate career. Wes Carr is still living the dream, albeit under a brand-new moniker. Now recording as Wesley Dean, he relocated to Nashville a couple of years ago to hone a more country/Americana influenced sound. His latest single “Gunslinger” shows that he’s still got the goods.
“’Gunslinger’ is an exploration of what it means to be a man struggling with the masculine identity passed down from father to son,” Wesley explained. “The opening lyric, ‘Dead man walkin’ before his life begun, since his daddy taught him how to shoot a gun’, refers to the stoic mindset a man can be born into that’s perfectly portrayed by the outlaw archetype. On one hand, I identify with being an outsider and doing things my own way with all guns blazing, but on the other, the emotional isolation of an outlaw who isn’t allowed to acknowledge their vulnerability and ultimately ends up being ‘hung by the same rope that took his daddy’s life’ is something I wanted to highlight in this song.
“I believe isolating patterns of behavior can be broken when we become conscious of them, but sometimes we have to go through a dark night of the soul to wake up to our personal power. And I don’t mean macho, egoic power, I mean the empowerment that comes from having the ability to make a new choice when faced with old ways of being. Some men repeatedly surrender to what they know, which is where the line, ‘And there ain’t no turning back he was born in these bones’ comes from, but I hope the discussion around ‘Gunslinger’ will inspire men to take a deeper look at the intergenerational trauma impacting their lives, and initiate a self-awareness that gives them freedom to have more connected relationships with themselves and others.”
Wesley has just capped off his Crazy Hearts Across America tour, which saw his driving more than 5,000 miles from Nashville to Los Angeles in an RV. Footage captured on this epic journey will form his upcoming feature film, Crazy Hearts: The Documentary. Along the way he also took time to shoot the epic video for “Gunslinger” in Joshua Tree National Park and Pioneer Town. You might not have heard his music for a while, but releases like this let you know that this former Australian Idol still has plenty of musical tales to tell, no matter what name he’s recording under.
As a longtime Whitlams fan, I’ve really enjoyed hearing what the new Whitlams Black Stump act does with the band’s classic songs. Seeing them live in late 2022 was brilliant, and the releases just keep on coming. The latest is actually a revamped version of my all-time favourite Whitlams track, “You Sound Like Louis Burdett.” The Spaghetti Western style is a world away from the sound that made me fall for this song, but it surprisingly works!
This latest cut comes from the Whitlams Black Stump’s debut album Kookaburra, which is out on March 8. There are also plenty of full band gigs and shows with Tim and Ollie performing as the Black Stump Duo. If the date you’re interested in isn’t on sale yet, you’ll be able to get tickets from February 8.
8 March 2024 – Lizotte’s, Mulubinba/Newcastle
9 March 2024 – Blazes @ Wests Tamworth, Kamilaroi Country/Tamworth
10 March 2024 – Avoca Beach Theatre, Darkinjung Country/Avoca Beach
31 March 2024 – Bluesfest, Cavanbah/Byron Bay
25 April 2024 – Hotel Victor, Ramong/Victor Harbour (Black Stump Duo)
26 April 2024 – Hopgood Theatre, Tainbarang/Noarlunga
27 April 2024 – The Gov, Tarntanya/Adelaide
1 May 2024 – Playhouse, Kabi Kabi and Jinibara Country/Caloundra (Black Stump Duo)
2 May 2024 – Springlake Hotel, Meeanjin/Brisbane (Black Stump Duo)
3 May 2024 – Imperial Hotel, Kabi Kabi Country/Eumundi
4 May 2024 – Princess Theatre, Meeanjin/Brisbane
7 May 2024 – Piano Room, Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung Country/Bendigo (Black Stump Duo)
8 May 2024 – Piano Room, Ballaarat/Ballarat (Black Stump Duo)
9 May 2024 – Piano Room, Djilang/Geelong (Black Stump Duo)
10 May 2024 – Kindred Bandroom, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong Country/Yarraville
11 May 2024 – Memo Music Hall, Euroe Yroke/St Kilda
16 May 2024 – Wilder, Palawa Country/Gowrie Park (Black Stump Duo)
17 May 2024 – Royal Oak, Kanamaluka Country/Launceston (Black Stump Duo)
18 May 2024 – Forth Pub, Tommeginne Country/Forth
19 May 2024 – Longley International Hotel, Palawa Country/Longley
23 May 2024 – Resin Brewery, Bulla Bulla/Bulli (Black Stump Duo)
24 May 2024 – Tallagandra Hill, Candariro/Gundaroo (Black Stump Duo)
25 May 2024 – Qirkz in the Hunter, Wonnarua Country/Abermain (Black Stump Duo)
26 May 2024 – Dangar Island Bowling Club, Darug and Darkinjung Country/Dangar Island (Black Stump Duo)
30 May 2024 – Avoca Beach Theatre, Darkinjung Country/Avoca Beach
31 May 2024 – Factory Theatre, Eora/Sydney
1 June 2024 – Avalon RSL, Guringai Country/Avalon
Image used with permission from Wildheart Publicity
Order of Owls are back with a rocking new track “What Becomes.” The follow-up to “Speak Up,” the band’s latest single builds upon their commitment to putting mental health front and centre.
“Where ‘Freedom(ination)’ presents the hopelessness and fragile state of mind one can find themselves in and ‘Speak Up’ is the first action one must take to overcome this adversity, ‘What Becomes’ is the next step on the mental health journey,” lead vocalist Tim Leopold explained. “It asks the question: We have overcome many issues and are on the path to our better selves. But what is next? What becomes of the healed? What choices do we make now, and how do we not fall again? But more importantly, now we have seen both sides. How can we stop that cycle from happening on a large scale?”
It spreads a powerful message, but beyond that it’s got an incredible sound. It’s been far too long since I heard a song with a great guitar solo, but special guest artist Jake Webber reminds us how incredible they can be. The band filmed the music video for “What Becomes” at Aradale Lunatic Asylum, rumoured to be the most haunted place in Australia.
“The first thing I was told when I turned up to the shoot was that the site didn’t have power, I couldn’t help but laugh,” recalled Order of Owls’ guitarist Nathan Mesiti. “Luckily, we were somewhat prepared for this situation and managed to squeeze enough out of a little petrol generator and Ramon’s van with an inverter. I really do mean squeeze. The generator kept cutting out and struggled to run the haze machine at half power with the lights. That made for a lot of fun when we lost the daylight and struggled through the dining hall shoots, plunging us into complete darkness every 20 minutes. When you’re in rural Australia and the light pollution is non-existent, that particular darkness was unsettling.”
Eora/Sydney-based bedroom creator Lee Sugar has just dropped the video for his dreamy single “One Too Many.” Take a moment to relax and settle into the groove of this one. It’s very cool.
Lee says the song is “a reminder to trust your gut and grow through the acceptance of both your strengths and weaknesses.” As for the film clip, which sees Lee living his best life enjoying the best choreographed karaoke ever, he said “Honesty is the directive for this music video. Sydney cops a lot of flack for being stale and I’m guilty of perpetuating the sentiment, but let’s flip the narrative. ‘One Too Many’ is an honest song that hits close to home so it only seemed right that the video romanticised my city in some way. Sydney, sorry for all the times I said I hated you, I actually love you, you just suck sometimes.”
If you’re admiring the cover art, take note: it’s Lee’s work too. Is there anything this guy can’t do?
Claire Anne Taylor has one of those female voices that you just don’t hear in 2024. It’s raw, earthy, weathered. Richly textured, hinting at a life that’s been lived. Above all, it’s utterly unforgettable. The press release describes it as “the voice of Tasmania.” If that’s the case, I’ve got to listen to more of the women making music in Tassie. Take a listen to her latest song “Lay You Down in the Cold Hard Ground” and you’ll hear exactly what I mean.
This song comes from Claire’s album Giving It Away, set for release on February 16. “This album is a deeply personal one for me, and comes from a huge time in my life; following my son’s diagnosis with Angelman Syndrome. I guess you could say I took all my grief and anger and put it into my music and this has been my therapy and an escape of sorts.”
Claire will give music lovers plenty of opportunities to see her play in the coming months. Make sure you catch her when she’s in your hometown.
It’s Imogen Clark’s birthday today but she’s giving us a gift: a brand new single. I feel like this every time I hear new Imogen Clark material, but “All Hard Feelings,” might just be her best one yet. It’s so relatable and catchy, I’ve already played it several times this morning. It sounds incredible, and well it should given her superstar collaborators. Imogen penned the track in Nashville with Sinead Burgess and Blake O’Connor, then recorded it with Grammy-winning bassist Davey Faragher and Rock’n’Roll Hall of Famer Pete Thomas on drums, who were both part of Elvis Costello’s band The Imposters.
“When I rocked up at Sinead and Blake’s apartment to write this song, I’d had a bit of a week. Someone had fucked me over and I resented how much it was getting to me,” Imogen recalls. “We decided to put that energy into a song about how I have never really gotten over anything in my whole life. I saw a meme once that said ‘Taylor Swift has never shaken anything off’ and I thought ‘Same queen’. It’s a really fun tune that also lets me burn off some of that bitter energy in a cathartic way”.
There are plenty of opportunities to see Imogen in the coming months as she’s landed some plum supporting slots. Once she wraps up her shows with BOWEN * YOUNG, she’ll warm up crowds for Andrew Farris and Steve Poltz. If you have tickets to any of these shows, make sure you get there early enough for her set.
Have you ever wanted to beatbox like Tom Thum? Now you can with the launch of his Basics 2 Basses masterclass series. This digital course is apparently designed for “anyone with a face,” no matter their experience level. It’ll also teach you a little about the history of beatbox and how its developed to become the cultural force it is today.
Tom is one of the best in the business. He won the first ever Beatbox World Championships, performed the world’s first 60-minute beatbox/orchestral concerto for the iconic BBC Proms, and holds the record for the highest viewed TEDx video of all time. He’s also supported absolute legends like Grandmaster Flash, Chali 2na from Jurassic 5, Hilltop Hoods, and the Cat Empire. So just think of what he could teach you!
“I have managed to corral a huge chunk of what I have learned over the past 20 years and have whittled it down to just over two hours of intensive learning for any skill level,” Tom explained. “Trying to succinctly explain a whole bunch of seemingly inexplicable noises was definitely one of the biggest challenges putting together this course. Trying to make inhuman noises, human, is definitely no easy feat but I feel like I (hopefully) explained it as simply as possible, so no level of detail was missed. In fact, breaking it down to the fundamentals of how the sounds are created taught me a lot about how to approach ways to learn in the future, so not only did I teach most of what I know, I also learned way more than what I thought I would.”
When I heard “Chapters,” the latest single from Eora/Sydney band 51st Avenue, a few days ago I was blown away by the way the band played with different sounds. Determined to learn more, I caught up with the band to learn more about the songs that helped inspire their latest single.
don’t sleep, repeat – 44phantom (feat. Machine Gun Kelly)
We really loved the upbeat nature of this track. Most of our tracks to date have had a slower sense of beat so when first creating this song we knew we wanted something more driving.
hurricane – 44phantom
Yeah so we were definitely going through a 44phantom phase but the tracks are too good! We loved the energy from the chorus. From this we drew inspiration and tried to create a chorus that was both driving and groovy.
love or chemistry – nothing, nowhere
We really liked the electronic verses for this song and this created the inspiration for our first verse. We thought it would be cool to have the song start like most of these tracks with a guitar part followed by an electronic drum beat.
acting like that – YUNGBLUD (feat. Machine Gun Kelly)
Once again this song has a similar vibe to the others, upbeat and driving. We really liked the double handed hi-hat groove for the chorus in this song. We ended up using the double handed-hit hat for the 2nd verse to help create more drive through the song and to give a contrast to the first verse.
“Chapters” by 51st Avenue is available now on all your favourite streaming services. Here it is again in case you missed it, or just want to hear it again!
Eora/Sydney-based bedroom creator 
