Features
Notes From Down Under
50 Cent to headline Winterbeatz
50 Cent and G-Unit will headline the four-city
Paperchase Touring and Entertainment confirmed Fabolous, Lil’ Kim and Mario are also on the bill.
Paperchase earlier this year scored kudos for its
Photo: Jen Lowery
Club Nokia, Los Angeles, Calif.
Aussies Behind Buckley Flick
Two Australians are among those behind upcoming Jeff Buckley biopic “A Pure Drop.”
It will be directed by Brendan Fletcher, whose debut film “Mad Bastards” had its U.S. premiere this year at the Sundance Film Festival.
The script is based on the 2008 book “A Pure Drop: The Life of Jeff Buckley” by Aussie music journo Jeff Apter, one-time editor of Rolling Stone Australia.
The scriptwriter is California-based Train Houston who had tried to get a Buckley biopic off the ground in 2004 through Tobey Maguire’s Maguire Entertainment.
That was based on David Browne’s dual biography of Jeff Buckley and his father Tim Buckley.
Stonefield Builds On Glastonbury Festival
Victorian all-sister paisley-rock band Stonefield was invited to make its international debut at the
The band certainly made a splash.
Promoter Jim Fox declared to the crowd after their set, “It was worth coming to Glastonbury just for that.”
Reviewers from Q and the Daily Telegraph specifically name-checked the Warner-signed act.
When Stonefield did its first London club at the Enterprise in Camden, 34 industry types invited themselves. These included Steve Strange from X-Ray Touring, Angus Baskerville from 13 Artists and the UK heads of Warner, Atlantic, and Sony.
More Speakers For BigSound
More members of the global live sector have been added to the BigSound conference and showcase in September.
Making their way to Brisbane will be agents Dave Shapiro (The Agency Group, U.S.) Henning Ahrens (Four Artists Agency, Germany) and Lisa Whytock (Active Events, UK) as well as Brian Winton of Foundations Management.
Finn Tribute CDs Hit The Road
EMI Music Australia found multi-platinum success with 2005’s all-female She Will Have Her Way and 2010’s all-male He Will Have Her Way – both interpreting the works of Crowded House and Split Enz mainstays Neil and Tim Finn.
Now, seven artists are taking the concept on the road in spring: Clare Bowditch, Sarah Blasko, Holly Throsby, Lior, Sally Seltmann (formerly New Buffalo), Something For Kate’s Paul Dempsey and Alexander Gow of Oh Mercy.
They do five cities Nov. 6-17.
Tour coordinator John O’Donnell, former managing director of EMI Music downunder, told Pollstar he doubted the brothers would perform at the shows “as they hate to gatecrash other peoples’ parties,” but he hoped the New Zealand-based brothers would be in the country to check out the interpretations.
Photo: AP Photo / ddp
Essigfabrik, Cologne, Germany
New Box Office Record For Cabaret Festival
The 11th
It broke previous attendance records, with an 8 percent rise from last year to 95,000 in attendance.
The 50 international artists included Jimmy Webb, Natalie Cole and Olivia Newton-John.
R&B diva Kate Ceberano takes its artistic helm for 2012 and 2013.
Ukulele Bid Fails
A July 2 bid at the Cairns Ukulele Festival to set a new Guinness world record for Largest Ukulele Ensemble failed.
The previous record stood at 851, set in London two years ago. Only 811 turned up for the Cairns bid.
Obits
JD Springbett, one-time senior director of A&R for Sony Records Australia, died aged 36 of a heart attack.
UK-born Springbett toured Europe as a drum and bass MC in his teens before he managed Big Brovaz, Artful Dodger, and Jamelia.
In 2004 he moved to Sydney at the invitation of Sony chairman and CEO Denis Handlin who is setting up a trust for Springbett’s two young daughters. He also served as a judge on Australian Idol in 2009.
Melbourne music entrepreneur Rod de Gruchy died aged 63 from cancer. In the early ’70s, Rod was GM of Havoc Records, which had a chart-topper with the late Billy Thorpe’s “Most People I Know Think That I’m Crazy” before he managed the Coloured Balls and co-ran nightclubs.