Australian News 5/10

Check out the latest news from downunder.

 

Bluesfest Eyes Another City

Peter Noble, co-founder and director of the International East Coast Blues and Roots festival, revealed he’s negotiating to introduce the festival to another country.

"I’m now really excited to be heading overseas, looking to take the festival to new lands," he said. "I can pretty much guarantee there will one or two satellite events coinciding with Bluesfest next year – it might be New Zealand, it might be Singapore, it might be South Africa."

Noble founded the festival 18 years ago in the picturesque New South Wales location of Byron Bay. In recent times he expanded the concept across the country. But this has not hurt sales.

Over the Easter weekend, it drew a record 80,000 people, according to Noble. Acts included Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals, John Mayer, Missy Higgins, Wolfmother, Bonnie Raitt, Bo Diddley, Taj Mahal, Tony Joe White, The Roots, Lee Scratch Perry, and Kasey Chambers.

At the same time, in Western Australia, the fourth annual West Coast Blues and Roots festival took place with 30,000 tickets sold over that event’s four days. It’s the second year the Byron Bay festival team partnered with the West Coast event. This year the Byron Bay festival partnered with the promoters of the Point Nepean Music Experience, outside Melbourne, and drew 15,000 over two days.

Noble said many of the headline artists are shared across all three events, "delivering better economies of scale to all concerned."

 

Shots Out In Clubland

Shots rang out literally and figuratively in clubland around the country.

Three men were shot in a drive-by attack at 3 a.m. on a group of 100 people standing outside the UN Club on Sydney’s Oxford Street. Two were hospitalised.

Police refused to comment on what caused the shooting. But it’s rumoured that a bike gang is trying to intimidate club owners on the entertainment strip.

A row has broken out over some Sydney venues’ unofficial policies of keeping Asians and Pacific Islanders out "beause they cause trouble."

Scruffy Murphys, a Sydney venue, is being sued by a patron for being excluded because of his race.

In Adelaide, district court judge Paul Rice created legal history by banning three members of the Hells Angels for entering HQ nightclub for six months, saying they posed a security risk to staff and to other clubbers.

The decision would allow other clubs to also ban members of biker gangs, whom police allege operate clubs or their security as a front for their drug activities.

 

Powder Burns

The Queensland Attorney General confirmed no legal action will be taken against rock band Powderfinger for lyrics to the song "Black Tears" from the forthcoming Dream Days At The Hotel Existence album.

The song is actually about the abuse of indigenous people in Australia. But lawyers for police officer Chris Hurley said lines like "An island watch-house bed, a black man’s lying dead" could prejudice his trial, which begins June 12.

Hurley is charged with the manslaughter and assault of 36-year-old Mulrunji Doomadgee at Palm Island, in north Queensland, in 2004 while in police custody. His death caused a riot by the indigenous community on the island.

Powderfinger and their management Secret Service tossed around three options –drop "Black Tears" from the album, delay the album’s release (set for June 2), or rewrite the lyrics. They opted for the latter.

 

Airbourne Signs O/S Pub Deal

Melbourne-based hard rock band Airbourne signed a publishing deal for the rest of the world with Artwerk Publishing, a new joint venture between Nettwerk Publishing and EA Games.

Airbourne will be featured in multiple global EA video games later this year, said band manager Gregg Donovan.

The band is published in Australia/NZ by Mushroom Music Publishing.

Its debut album Runnin’ Wild is out on EMI Music Australia June 23 and the band is touring through May and June.

 

Kaisers, Cooper Head Back

British band Kaiser Chiefs will make its third visit in less than 18 months.

After the band’s August 4 headlining set at Secret Service and Village Sounds’ Splendour In The Grass festival in Byron Bay, the group will do five arena/theatre shows for Frontier Touring July 31 to August 6.

Alice Cooper returns for Lennard Promotions for eight theatre and arena dates July 6-21.

Blue Murder has teamed Chicago’s The Academy Is… and Cobra Starship for a five-date club run August 2-7. It’ll be a homecoming for The Academy Is…’s Australian-born new guitarist, Michael Guy Chislett, who joined last year.

British DJ Lisa Lashes returns after a two-year absence for mid-May stops in clubs in Brisbane and Adelaide.

New Zealand electronic funk / dub / hip-hop group Rhombus will stop in for four dates May 24-27, before heading to Japan for its first visit May 31 to June 8.

This leg of the tour sees Rhombus play five dates, in Tokyo and Gunma.

 

Aussies Abroad

Augie March’s award-winning Moo, You Bloody Choir album is being released in the U.S. August 7 via Jive Zomba.

The band is in the U.S. for a whistlestop tour in May playing Los Angeles and New York showcases, then a more extensive run through many states in August and September.

After a successful Musexpo in ‘06 Brisbane roots band Soma Rasa sealed releases in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Sydney band Sex Panther is on its first international tour. The band’s two-week stint through the U.K. and the Netherlands began May 11.

Melbourne garage rockers 84 was added to the NXNE Music Conference in Canada for this June. They will play the official Australian Showcase at Ranch Relaxo in Toronto Friday June 8th.

Sydney band The Devoted Few are staying in Nashville with their new best buddies, Kings of Leon. Producer and mixer Jacquire King invited them to join him in his Nashville studio to mix their forthcoming record Baby You’re A Vampire.

Melbourne-based Winston Giles Orchestra will undertake a second tour of the U.K. after signing a record deal with Liverpool-based 3 Beat.

Sydney’s Faker is spending two months in Los Angeles working with producer Paul Fox.

 

Short Notes

The Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) has announced three of its six inductees in this year’s Hall of Fame – the Hoodoo Gurus, Marcia Hines, and Frank Ifield.

The other three will be announced closer to the event. Two are tipped to be punk pioneers Radio Birdman and singer/songwriter Brian Cadd.

Geoff Jones is new chief executive at the Packer family-owned PBL’s Ticketek business. He was sales director at Foster’s brewery. He replaces Scott Lorson, who is chief executive at Packer’s ACP Magazines division.

Rose Tattoo singer Angry Anderson is music director of this year’s all-star jam at the May 15 Jack Awards in Sydney. The awards celebrate achievements of the live sector.

Anderson has chosen to join him Divinyls guitarist Mark McEntee on slide, Pat Davern of Grinspoon, You Am I’s Andy Kent on bass and The Sleepy Jackson’s Malcolm Clarke on drums.

The National Jazz Awards spotlights a different instrument each year, and this year it’s young guitarists. The awards are part of the November 2-5 TAC Wangaratta Festival of Jazz. The winner gets $6,000, a radio session, and an invitation to play a series of shows in Melbourne.

Crude Management, Melbourne’s newest live music company, was set up by Will Borland and Steve Murphy. It offers artist management, event management, artist and dj bookings, promotions, music development, makeup, graphic design and photography.

They can be contacted at will@inertia-ent.com or steve@inertia-ent.com or through myspace.com/crude_records.