Amateur Hour TV Brings Aussie Music and More to the Web

When I was younger, there was plenty of live music on TV. My parents weren’t into Countdown, but I remember tuning in to catch bands play on Hey Hey It’s Saturday. Later there was always a live performance on Rove Live and The Panel. I even remember seeing a lot of cool acts on Good Morning Australia and Midday. Today RocKwiz brings us live music when it’s on, The Loop’s started to give us live interviews and performances, and the morning shows and singing reality programs are happy to book acts once they’ve hit the mainstream, but we don’t see nearly as much live music. Where do young artists go when they release a single or album?

Well, next month they’ll probably start heading to Amateur Hour TV, a new half hour-ish web series created by Laura Imbruglia. Each episode promises to feature live performances, interviews, comedy skits, and other assorted entertainment filmed in Melbourne’s bars and rehearsal spaces.

Laura created the series after lamenting the lack of Australian variety shows. She insisted she’d make her own, and after asking for volunteers to join her quickly amassed a crew of more than 30 willing folks. They’ve pulled the show together on a shoestring, and it deserves your attention.

Episode one of the six episode pilot season will hit the web on September 1. New episodes will air every two weeks. Head to the Amateur Hour TV website and subscribe to the channel to stay up to date with everything Amateur Hour TV.

Laura Imbruglia Kicks Justin Bieber’s Ass!

I’m always quietly thrilled to hear that anyone’s kicked Justin Bieber’s ass, even if it’s only in a metaphorical sense. When an Aussie does it, so much the better. So Laura Imbruglia, we salute you!

In its first week on MySpace, Laura’s new film clip for “I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend” attracted more than 14, 000 views, which saw it hold the number one spot for the entire week. Take that Bieber!

If you still haven’t seen the clip, here it is for your viewing pleasure. And remember, if you like what you hear check out Laura playing at Surry Hills’ Excelsior Hotel every Wednesday in August!

Laura Imbruglia Shows Her Lighter Side

Natalie might grab all the headlines, but her sister Laura Imbruglia has been quietly plugging away at her musical career for years. Something tells me that’s exactly how she likes it.

She’ll release her new single “I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend” on July 5, the first cut from her second album Lighter Side Of … The single’s playful video sees the Catholic-raised Laura break every commandment in the book, and a few besides including Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbour’s boyfriend and Thou Shalt Not Play Handball with Poor Co-Ordination! We’ll get a sneak peek of the clip when it makes its debut on Laura’s MySpace page on July 2.

If you want to see more rule breaking from Laura Imbruglia check her out each Wednesday in August at the Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. She’ll be donning a different hat each night; see Country Laura, Karaoke Laura, and other alter egos at the following shows!

4 August 2010 – Acoustic Laura: Acoustic & Lonesome
11 August 2010 – Country Laura: Classic Country Covers
18 August 2010 – Band Laura: Rocken Like Dokken
25 August 2010 – Karaoke Laura: Hosting a night of Karaoke

Image used with permission from Reckoning Entertainment