Aussie News 10/22

Jezabels Head Indie Awards

The Jezabels confirmed their standing by winning awards for best independent artist and best independent single (“Dark Storms”) at the Jagermeister Independent Music Awards in Melbourne Oct. 12.

Other winners included Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (best blues and roots album), Pnau (dance/electronica), Drapht (hip hop/urban), My Disco (hard rock/punk), Sandy Evans (jazz), Wagons (country) and hip-hop act 360 (people’s choice).

Magic Dirt singer Adalita took best album for her solo debut, while Seekae and Tommy Trash & Tom Piper tied for dance/electronica single. The awards moved this year to a smaller club, which drew a packed 550 guests and exhibited paintings by indie musicians.

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Gotye, Drapht Lead ARIA Noms

Independent acts Goyte, Boy & Bear and hip-hopper Drapht pulled seven nominations for next month’s ARIA awards.

Other nominees include indigenous blues singer Geoffry Gurrumul Yunipingu, who records for Darwin label Skinnyfish, with six. Also nominated are rock bands Warner-signed Eskimo Joe with six, EMI’s Birds of Tokyo with five, the late Billy Thorpe with four and Sony’s Guy Sebastian with four.

The nominations announcement in Sydney Oct. 12 also released the winners of the Artisan and Fine Arts categories.
Winners included Goyte and his associates in the producer, video and engineer categories, Cut Copy (cover art), Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (world) and AC/DC (music DVD for “Live At River Plate”).

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Mona Foma Channels AC/DC

Brian Ritchie, of the Violent Femmes, now lives in Tasmania where he curates the experimental Mona Foma festival. Next year’s event, Jan. 13-22 and headlined by PJ Harvey, has bagpipes as one of its sub-themes.

When the Tasmanian festival was launched nationally under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Ritchie got an all-girl band to recreate the original Australian video of AC/DC’s “It’s A Long Way To The Top” – including playing on the back of a moving flat-bed truck complete with the original bagpipers used by AC/DC.

Ritchie told Pollstar that one of the original pipers forgot recording the track 35 years ago until being unearthed by journalists during AC/DC’s huge tour last year.

“Then the significance of the original clip and song hit home [to the festival organisers],” he said. “The sweet part was mixing young girl pipers in with the veterans for the MOFO launch.”

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Short Notes
David Guetta, in the country to promote his Nothing But The Beat album, let slip that he’s returning next year to headline the Creamfields festival.

Sydney band Bluejuice was banned from the Caloundra Music Festival on the Sunshine Coast after singer Jake Stone angered promoters of the “family friendly” event by swearing onstage and climbing up the scaffolding.

A woman thrown out of Parklife festival in Sydney for homophobic behaviour against Gossip’s Beth Ditto told gay site Same Same she was a lesbian herself and had arrived holding a placard with “Dyke Whore” and “Equal Rights/God Hates Your Soul” to make a point about gay rights and religious intolerance.

The Deniliquin Ute Muster, which drew 18,000 over two days, claims two world records – for drawing 6,998 utility trucks (utes) and 1,728 patrons sporting blue T-singlets.

The family of classical performer and promoter Chris Doig set up a foundation in the wake of his death in Christchurch, New Zealand. It will develop the potential of young leaders in the fields of academia, sport, community and the arts, said his wife Suzanne. Doig, 63, died Oct. 13 after a two-year battle with cancer. In early October he brought Placido Domingo to Christchurch for a show that raised more than $300,000 for Canterbury arts organisations.