Tag: Australia Day

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Happy Australia Day, Sort Of …

It’s January 26, a day when many Australians will be firing up their barbies and preparing to celebrate while others mourn. Australia Day has become a day of mixed emotions for me. I think it is important to celebrate this great nation of ours, but it doesn’t worry me when we do it. For that reason, I really hope the government gets on board and shifts the date in the coming years. I think this change is as inevitable as marriage equality, and the sooner we do it so we can all enjoy the festivities, the better.

It doesn’t feel right to let Australia Day go unacknowledged, but it also doesn’t feel right to do it by trotting out all the standard white Aussie rock. I’ll leave that to the commercial radio networks. So instead I thought I’d bring you “Together,” the latest single from rising First Nations artist Mitch Tambo. I usually try to avoid the Eurovision – Australia Decides songs until the big night, but when this landed in my inbox I couldn’t resist. I’m glad I have no self-control because this really is the perfect song to play today. I love the way he celebrates togetherness, especially by incorporating the Gamilaraay language with English and melding a didgeridoo bassline with the piano.

“’Together’ is a really important song to me. It’s the culmination of everything I want to do with my music – to bring people from all walks of life, cultures and creeds together with a message of love, especially when so many are going through such tough times,” Mitch explained. “It’s the perfect song for Eurovision, which is all about uniting people through music no matter what language they speak – or sing. I can’t wait to get out on that stage and perform this song for Australia, and the world.”

Mitch will perform “Together” on Eurovision – Australia Decides 2020 on February 8. Tune in to see his performance and vote on SBS. I haven’t heard the other songs yet, but I’m not going to be disappointed if this takes it out.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Steve Clisby Covers “I Still Call Australia Home”

I might be a little biased, since my husband is American, but I think there’s something so special about people who choose to live in our country. I love Australia, but I’ve also not known what it’s like to live anywhere else. I was taught my country was the best, and I never questioned it. But when people have lived abroad and they choose to make Australia home, they’re doing it because they’ve seen what else is out there and they truly know Australia is the country for them. Like me they were probably told the place they grew up is superior, but they explored beyond their immediate environment and rejected what they were told.

Perhaps that’s why I warm so much to Steve Clisby’s version of “I Still Call Australia Home.” I can truly feel his dedication to our country coming through this performance. And is there a more beautiful backdrop than Sydney Harbour?

Steve said he recorded the iconic Peter Allen song because he wanted to give back to the supporters he’s found in his adopted home. “I’m originally from California, but have lived in this beautiful country for over 16 years now – I fell in love with it the moment I arrived. I definitely call Australia my home and being able to do this now is very powerful for me,” he said in a press release.

I can’t think of a more appropriate time to share this single with you. Happy Australia Day!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

STREWTH! The Elephant Hotel Celebrating Australia Day Weekend

I don’t know about you, but I’m a little over this working thing. The Christmas holidays seemed to fly by, and I’m still not feeling rested enough. Thankfully Australia Day is just around the corner.

If you’re looking for a great way to spend the Saturday before the public holiday, head to The Elephant Hotel in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley for their second annual Australia Day weekend party STREWTH. The line-up’s looking fantastic, with Velociraptor, Babganouj, and WAAX already announced and more bands on the way. The venue is also cooking up their famous spit roast rolls and you could win a BBQ by purchasing a schooner of Coopers on the day. How Aussie is that?

STREWTH hits The Elephant Hotel from 2 pm on January 23. It’s all completely free, so there’s really no excuse for missing out.

Image used with permission from Mucho Bravado

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Frenzal Rhomb, Saskwatch, The Smith Street Band & More Play Australia Day Fundraisers

Now that those New Year shenanigans are behind us, we can start looking forward to the next big public holiday, right? Melbournians have their plans sorted with the fifth annual Australia Day weekend fundraiser concerts.

The first show, on January 25, will see Frenzal Rhomb, Saskwatch, Hoodlum Shouts, Hawaiian Islands, Rob Muinos, Have/Hold, Outright, and heaps more take the stage at Footscray’s Reverence Hotel. Then on January 26 The Smith Street Band, The Bennies, MC Joeslistics, Curse Ov Dialect, Fear Like Us, and others will play The Corner Hotel. These events look to fight ignorance, celebrate diversity, and rage against the negative attitudes so often exhibited on our national day.

The annual Australia Day weekend fundraisers have so far raised more than $25,000 for worthy charities. This year all profits will be shared amongst The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, The Refugee Council, and Oxfam.

Image source: The Global Panorama @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Celebrate Australia Day with Free Australian Crawl!

I hope you’re all enjoying a chilled out Australia Day! It seems iTunes is, because it’s set up a pretty cool Australia Day room to celebrate the occasion. Happily it includes a couple of free downloads, including Australian Crawl’s classic “Boys Light Up” lifted from their new greatest hits collection.

If you want to splash your cash around there’s also the rest of Australian Crawl’s greatest hits and albums from Kylie Minogue, INXS, and The 12th Man. Marvellous! You’ll also find a bunch of Aussie TV shows, movies, books, and Australian-made apps for your downloading pleasure, so your Australia Day entertainment is pretty much sorted!

This campaign runs until January 30, so make sure you download your free Australian Crawl track before then!

Image source: Tim Swinson @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Superjesus Celebrate Australia Day with Three Big Shows

After celebrating the festive season, you’re probably feeling all partied out. However, you’ll recover soon enough and you’ll be looking for some way to ring in Australia Day. The Superjesus are helping you get organised with three big shows of the Australia Day long weekend.

The Superjesus have been working hard on new material since reforming early in last year, and they can’t wait to roadtest it for their loyal fans. They’ll get all patriotic at the following New South Wales shows.

24 January 2014 – Waves, Wollongong
25 January 2014 – Bateau Bay Hotel, Bateau Bay
26 January 2014 – Australia Day concert @ Garrison Point, Bankstown (FREE)

Image used with permission from Revolutions per Minute

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Happy Australia Day!

This Australia Day I wanted to look at the Aussie songs my husband loves. That might seem like the sort of sappy thing married women do sometimes, but hear me out. My husband is an American. He moved to Australia a little over seven years ago to start our lives together. You’d be surprised how much culture shock you can have moving to another English speaking country. I remember taking him to Day on the Green shows, and seeing him bewildered as the crowds sang out iconic songs that had seeped into our consciousness. We didn’t even remember learning them, yet we knew every word.

Gradually though, he assimilated and those songs became a part of his story too. It’s unavoidable perhaps when you live with a music-mad woman like myself. I’ve loved watching as he found his favourite Aussie artists and songs that resonated. And so here’s an Aussie post for him, and for those of you out there that share his musical taste.

Happy Australia Day!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

ABC’s Australia Day Music Programs

The ABC is helping us celebrate Australia Day with some homegrown musical talent.

The main channel’s getting in early with the Australia Celebrates 2012 concert. The show features performances from INXS, The Potbelleez, Spiderbait, Sneaky Sound System, and Katie Noonan back with her Captains. See it on ABC on January 25 at 8:30 pm.

Then the following night make sure you tune in to ABC2. The channel will play Triple Js tribute to Nick Cave, which will see local artists like Dan Sultan, Adalita, Lisa Mitchell, Bertie Blackman, and Kram taking on Nick Cave classics. Now that sounds like it’s worth staying up for! If you’ve got work the next morning you may want to set your DVR for 9:30 pm on January 26.

Image source: Nick Bradsworth @ Stock.xchng

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Happy Australia Day!

Happy Australia Day Sounds of Oz readers! I hope that whatever you’re doing, whether it’s planning a big family barbeque or simply having a day off work, you’re enjoying it.

I always like to post a video on January 26 that makes me pause and think how good we’ve got it, and how special this country is. While watching Oprah’s Australian advertorials this month, I knew what I’d have to post in 2011. “I Still Call Australia Home” has always been a song that’s affected me. I honestly think it should be our national anthem, as it stirs me much more than “Advance Australia Fair.”

But that’s a discussion for another time. For now it’s just an amazing song made better by the presence of some of our best entertainers, and a great big Aussie flag.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Happy Australia Day!

I hope that wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, you’re having a wonderful Australia Day! Personally I’m planning on indulging in a few of the things that make this country so great. We’re visiting my parents to have a barbeque, knock back a few coldies, and listen to some great Aussie music. Does it get any better than that?

Here are a few top tunes to help you all feel just a little more patriotic!

An Australia Day cannot go past without listening to “Down Under” loudly and singing along, preferably after a few beers. Time marches on but this Men at Work classic never stops being fun.

GANGajang didn’t have a lot of hits, but they really didn’t need much more than this song to cement their place in Oz music history. “Sounds of Then” is often referred to as an unofficial anthem, with good reason!

Finally I’ll slow things down a little with Icehouse’s classic “Great Southern Land.” Doesn’t it just make you proud to be an Aussie?