News
MUSICIANS SHARED THE JOY OF MUSIC AUSTRALIA-WIDE ON MAKE MUSIC DAY 0
With pandemic restrictions easing in many parts of the world, musicians around the world were able to get together for Make Music Day 2021 on June 21st. Those who couldn’t, still got into the Make Music Day spirit online. Here in Australia over 100 events had been registered on the Make Music Day Australia website and many were included in the main global livestream.
Australian Make Music Day ambassadors, contributed on their social media platforms and promoted the day in media interviews around the country. Thanks to Kate Ceberano, Lee Kernaghan, Jack Howard, Sarah Carroll, and Andy Baylor for endorsing the spirit of Make Music Day this year. Hunters and Collectors’ Jack Howard kicked things off with his Fanfare for the Unknown, a piece he made up on the spot.
Australian singer, songwriter legend Kate Ceberano was joined by guitarist Kathleen Halloran for a beautiful rendition of a song called Far from Home, while at the same time showing her artist skills by painting a guitar.
Australian music stores Mannys Music and Store DJ were certainly immersed in the Make Music Day vibe, posting staff performances to their social media pages throughout the day. Binary Music held a big Uke Jam instore and Bernies Musicland had a big open day to celebrate.
Australian Musician magazine favourites King Canyon, featuring James Ryan and Jimmy Cupples did their acoustic thing for Make Music Day too.
The folks at Jands, asked some of their artist friends what music meant to them and their answers were superb. Jands were able to entice comments from an incredible array of artists, including Liam from The Teskey Brothers, Gabriel Vargas, Gordi, Dan from The Amity Affliction, Havana Brown, Bliss from Bliss n Eso and more.
Our friends at the Sydney Symphony Orchestra have always been behind Make Music day and 2021 was no different with a magnificent performance of Vine’s Smith’s Alchemy
Another Sydney icon, the Sydney Opera House offered us a wonderful session on African and Indian Instruments, performed by the cast of Infusion, No Movement, No Sound.
In fact, NSW participation in general was excellent thanks to the support of Create NSW. You should also check out some wonderful performances from TAFE NSW. Here’s a live recording inside the Clock Tower of Sydney’s Central Station with Lily Savelli from TAFE NSW Wollongong, performing her own original composition entitled ‘Missing Myself’. You can see more on their channel HERE There were numerous events in various local government areas to celebrate the Festival of Place in NSW too.
While Monday June 21 was officially Make Music Day globally, many events took in the spirit of the event on the weekend prior, such as the debut Byron Music Festival. Organised by Byron Music’s Nick Sergi, the festival has been deemed by many to be a huge success. A bit further north in Brisbane, Opera Queensland reached out to the community to engage students in schools.
Wolfmother rock the Byron Music Festival
Make Music Day is a celebration for all levels of musicians from schools to institutions to local communities – shining examples were students from the National Music Academy performed a special show at Newcastle’s Museum, the Western Sydney Uni, TAFE colleges, a regional schools band competition, and free community events staged in all states A community concert was held to soothe the troubles suffered by the storms in Victoria at the Emerald Relief centre. it’s hard to mention all the events that happened around the country, but you can check out the huge variety that took place by viewing the program HERE
Sunrise Christian School in Whyalla had a ball too with several enthusiastic offerings, while Coomealla High School band presented their’ 7 Voices ‘ band.
It wasn’t just music associated groups that got involved, the staff at Opal Cove Resort in Coffs Harbour gave us this fun video presentation
There were international songwriting collaborations featuring Australian songwriters online, a young composers contest and many other collaborative events, culminating in the Global Livestream which you can view here:
Kudos to all who participated in Make Music Day 2021. Thanks to make Music Day Australia partners Create NSW, Community Music Victoria, Community Broadcasting Association of Australia,, Limelight magazine, and Clubs NSW. Also thank you to the music products industry supporters Kawai, Fender Guitars, Taylor Guitars, Yamaha Music and Hal Leonard.
We look forward to gathering again on June 21, 2022, to celebrate making music.
- Dom DiSisto
HOODOO GURUS ANNOUNCE 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR WITH THE DANDY WARHOLS 0
Hoodoo Gurus Shot 035 by Christopher Ferguson
Frontier Touring are thrilled to announce the return of legendary Australian rock group Hoodoo Gurus to stages across Australia this December. The announcement celebrates Hoodoo Gurus 40th Anniversary since their first live show in 1981 plus the release of their new single World Of Pain (out today via Universal Music Australia). With special guests, iconic US indie-darlings, The Dandy Warhols, on the bill, this is a stellar line-up you won’t want to miss.
“We are thrilled to be going around Australia to play for our fans again. Even better, we are honoured to be accompanied by our admirable friends, The Dandy Warhols from the US. Between the two of us, there are gonna be plenty of opportunities for crowd singalongs, and after the turmoil of the last year and a half, that’s gonna be incredibly therapeutic for everyone. You can be certain that both of our bands will be fired up and rarin’ to go.”
The Gurus kick off the tour at Brisbane’s Riverstage on Wednesday 1 December, before heading to Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Friday 3 December. Next up is Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on Saturday 4 December, before they head across to Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre on Thursday 9 December, and close out the tour at Perth at the Belvoir Homestead & Amphitheatre on Saturday December 11.
New single “World of Pain” is another hard-hitting new Gurus single and a perfect follow up to last year’s freshly-minted Gurus classics “Hung Out to Dry” and “Get Out Of Dodge”. Dave Faulkner describes “World Of Pain” as “a combination of glitzy glam rock and dirty barroom blues. It has a swagger and a cocky attitude, although the song’s narrator is clearly having a very bad night. The poor sap – he thinks he’s having fun!”
Faulkner continues: “‘World Of Pain’ is a slightly fictionalised story about the aftermath of a big night on the town that got way too big. I’ve personally lived out every thing described in the song (I’m not proud of that fact). Luckily for me, the events described in the lyrics didn’t occur in exactly this order or over the one night. Nevertheless, it’s all true. Oh, and before you ask, the answer is: yes, I have been punched in the face in a nightclub when I was a bit drunk one night.”
‘…Dave Faulkner’s crunching surf guitar riff took us straight back to the heaving beer barns of the 1980s in which the Gurus made their name. …Rick Grossman’s roiling bass, Brad Shepherd’s fanging rhythm guitar and Nik Rieth’s martial drumming kicked in… a tribute to the Gurus’ tightness, showmanship and sheer number of well-known tunes.’ – Sydney Morning Herald 2020
Since their formation in 1981, Hoodoo Gurus’ boast 9 x ARIA Top 20 albums, 9 x ARIA Top 40 singles and a swag of multi-platinum albums – they’re mainstays on the live scene, and perpetually influential to a new generation of artists.
2021 is of particular significance for the Hoodoo Gurus, marking an impressive 40 years recording and touring. December of this year will mark the release of the band’s first album in over a decade. It is Hoodoo Gurus evocative and relatable lyricism, peerless song writing – with a hint of punk attitude – placed in a distinctively Australian context that has provided a careful balance of critical success and enduring mainstream appeal for 40 years.
The Gurus’ special guests for the anniversary tour The Dandy Warhols hail from the US and are known worldwide for mega hits like ‘Bohemian Like You’ and pop culture classic, ‘We Used To Be Friends’. The band recently celebrated their own 25th anniversary in 2019. From countless global tours, to playing to over 100,000 punters at the 2000 Glastonbury Festival and even taking to the stage during the Greek riots, the Warhols are no stranger to putting on a show. With one hell of a back catalogue and a live presence that has stood the test of time, this pairing of forces is one you don’t want to miss.
Frontier Members can access their pre-sale from Wednesday 26 May, before tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday 28 May. Secure tickets early to avoid missing out!
HOODOO GURUS 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR DECEMBER 2021
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS THE DANDY WARHOLS
Presented by Frontier Touring and Triple M
Wednesday 1 December
Riverstage | Brisbane, QLD
All Ages
ticketmaster.com.au | Ph: 13 61 00
Friday 3 December
Sidney Myer Music Bowl | Melbourne, VIC
All Ages
ticketek.com.au | Ph: 13 38 49
Saturday 4 December
Hordern Pavilion | Sydney, NSW
All Ages
ticketek.com.au | Ph: 13 38 49
Thursday 9 December
Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre | Adelaide, SA
All Ages
ticketek.com.au | Ph: 13 38 49
Saturday 11 December
Belvoir Homestead & Amphitheatre | Perth, WA
All Ages
moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1300 438 849
TELSTRA PLUS PRE-SALE
Runs 48 hours from: Monday 24 May (2pm AEST) or until pre-sale allocation exhausted
FRONTIER MEMBERS PRE-SALE via frontiertouring.com/hoodoogurus
Runs 24 hours from: Wednesday 26 May (2pm AEST) or until pre-sale allocation exhausted
GENERAL PUBLIC ON SALE
Begins: Friday 28 May (2pm AEST)
- Dom DiSisto
Weekend Warriors COVID19 comeback... 0
Hello Music Lovers!
Discussions have been taking place over the last week to relaunch Weekend Warriors across Australia very soon, with SA currently taking registrations for their next round. As restrictions are being eased right around the country confidence is building that we will fully resume the program to its former glory during 2021.
At this stage we are planning dates for NSW next and we are not that far away with WA & Queensland. Potentially all setting dates for the later half of 2021.
So stay tuned as we will be updating the website and our social media as soon as we can confirm the locations and dates.
We are all so excited to getting you all back onboard.
Cheers from all the Team @ WW 🤘😎
Check out what some had to say...
- Dom DiSisto
MIDNIGHT OIL TO HEADLINE OPENING NIGHT OF BLUESFEST 0
Who would have thought after the cancellation of Bluesfest last Easter by a Public Health Order, less than 24 hours before the gates were due to open, due to one local case of transmission, that sent shockwaves through our industry, and traumatised everyone who had been working on presenting Bluesfest at Easter, that six weeks later they would be announcing a re-scheduled festival, and a week later, today the artists.
This October, Bluesfest will be the first major festival to return, since COVID-19 struck, with a multi-day, multi-stage, camping event and almost all the artists due to play at Easter will return to play.
PLUS, they’re thrilled to announce that MIDNIGHT OIL have agreed to join the All-Aussie lineup and headline the opening night – FRI 1st OCT 2021 and that PAUL KELLY will co-headline SAT 2nd OCT 2021, alongside TASH SULTANA.
MIDNIGHT OIL have announced that they will be following up last October’s collaborative album, “The Makarrata Project”, by launching their first Midnight Oil studio album in nearly 20 years around Bluesfest time…. and will be featuring these new songs plus a greatest hits set.
PAUL KELLY – ARIA Hall of Famer and National Treasure, Paul returns to co-headline Bluesfest for the 8th time. It’s a certainty that Paul, as always, will bring his full band and deliver a unique live set for our Bluesfest audience.
TASH SULTANA will be showcasing their latest album “Terra Firma”, which gave them their debut #1 on the ARIA album charts and has already spawned 5 singles. Tash, who has never failed to deliver a next-level performance, will be bringing their exciting new band to Bluesfest for the first time.
JIMMY BARNES will ‘Barnestorm’ Bluesfest with an explosive set jam-packed with songs from his new album, “Flesh and Blood” and his classic hits.
All the headliners will perform their full shows of between 90 and 120 minutes
These, plus so many other great artists, are headlining the October Long Weekend Bluesfest. For all the latest information on the line-up or artists please see here.
Bluesfest was recently named as a finalist in the Pollstar Awards nominations for ‘MUSIC FESTIVAL OF THE DECADE’, making us one of the Top Ten Festivals globally, alongside Glastonbury Festival, Coachella, Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, Lollapalooza USA & Brazil, Austin City Limits and others. What an honour it is to be the only Australian festival, event or venue to be nominated for this award, celebrating ‘the most artistically and commercially successful festival of the last decade providing the most rewarding experience for fans and artists’.
Season tickets on sale 09:00AM Thursday 20th may via Moshtix.
3 Day and 1 Day tickets plus camping and VIP on sale soon.
- Dom DiSisto
BLUESFEST RESCHEDULES FOR OCTOBER 2021 0
News
BLUESFEST RESCHEDULES FOR OCTOBER 2021
Bluesfest 2021 will be back this year over the October Long Weekend - Friday, 1st of October to Monday, 4th of October. The new October season is a jampacked 4 days... but this does not mean that current 5-day season ticketholders miss out. The team has something very special in store for you - this will be announced next Wednesday along with the full festival lineup announcement!
https://www.bluesfest.com.au/
- Dom DiSisto
INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC COMPETITION NOW OPEN TO AUSTRALIAN MUSICIANS 0
Greg Phillips May 03, 2021 Artists, Special Features
The music behind your favourite movies, TV shows, theatre shows or even video games is such a crucial element of the whole project and can often make or break the show. However I wonder how many of you take the time to check out who the composer or performer of the music actually is? The good people at FMC – Film Music Contest are well aware of the importance of music to the success of an entertainment project and have created a contest to honour and acknowledge the wonderful musicians who contribute so much enjoyment to our lives through their compositions.
FMC 2021 is a unique international music competition and awards and one of the largest competitions of its kind in Europe. This year the competition is expanding into Asia and has now opened online registration for 2021 competition categories. Composers have another opportunity to showcase their talent in an international competitive environment
For the first time in the competition’s history, there will be 7 contest categories:
1. Music for Film, TV, Ads, Video games
2. Instrumental Music (popular and regular contest category). The competition is for Composers, Soloists, Instrumentalists, Chamber Groups (of any kind) Ensembles and Orchestras.
The competition is unrestricted, and musicians and players who play a classical instrument such as brass (trumpet, trombone and baritone), piano, classical guitar, cello, clarinet, double bass, flute, violin or viola or any special cultural instrument may enter the competition.
Only original music compositions and works with a maximum length of six minutes may be entered in the competition.
3. Film Score for the Animated Sci-Fi film “To the Pathfinders of the universe” This film is a sequel to the successful film scoring category, where composers and sound designers will be able to compose an original composition for this visionary work.
4. Theatre Music
5. Trailer Music for professional travel documentary film about Iceland will be a new category. The task will be the same for everyone. To compose music for the travel documentary “The Way of Inspiration Iceland” in length 3:47.
6. Music for Video game HIND. If you have ever wanted to enter the world of video games and contribute to its success and attractiveness with your music, now is your chance. Compose music or sound design for one mission of the professional action video game ‘Air Missions HIND’
7. Films, TV series, Videos with original music.
Importantly and unlike some music competitions, the FMC contestant is the sole owner of his composition and also owns all of the Copyrights.
So what can you win by entering?
More than 58,000 Euros in prizes are up for grabs, offered by prestigious event partners such as : PSPaudioware, Native Instruments, D16 Group Audio Software and more. The annual FMC competition is also a great opportunity for unknown composers to get their works heard. Not only are there great physical and monetary prizes but winners can also enjoy media coverage from music and film magazines and websites from around the world. And by entering, you are contributing to the greater good of the industry.
“FMC 2021 is organised by the non-profit GONG art company. All entry fees from the contest help support new Children and Youth musical talents, future composers and activities for them. I am pleased that some of the winners are actively working in Hollywood and collaborating on different film, video game projects like previous winners Michael Firmont or Yi Zhang etc.” said FMC Director Vlado Zeleznak JR.
And who will be judging the entries?
FMC has entrusted an elite group of professionals to oversee the entries. Judges will hail from the EU, USA, Asia and Australia, made up of representatives from the music and film business who actively work for national TV broadcasters, the largest Asian and Hollywood film studios, cultural or theatre institutions, agencies as well as for Netflix. The list of jury members include names such as:
Vlado Meller (USA) a two-time GRAMMY Award winner. Vlado has been a mastering engineer for his entire 43-year career in the recording industry. Just a small sampling of his credits cut across multiple genres of music, including rock, hip hop, pop, jazz, metal, dance, opera, Broadway and classical. Artists that Vlado Meller has mastered include: Andrea Bocelli, Johnny Cash, Celine Dion, Duran Duran, Michael Jackson, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Kanye West, Paul McCartney, Metallica, George Michael, Oasis, Pink Floyd, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shakira, etc.
Roc Chen (China) is one of the biggest names in China’s film, television and video game industries. He scored over 200 projects both within and beyond China’s borders. He has worked with major Chinese and Hollywood film studios such as Dreamworks, Disney, Universal, Wanda, and China Film Group. He wrote scores for The Wandering Earth (China’s first sci-fi blockbuster. The film grossed $700 million worldwide).
Adam Balazs (Hungary) is a multi-award-winning film composer with a body of work that includes more than 50 feature films and over 800 episodes for television. He composed music for the 2017 Academy Award-winning short film ‘Sing’ and the 2018 Golden-Bear Winner and Academy-Award nominated feature ‘On Body and Soul’.
Australian musicians … has your music always been kind of cinematic? Always dreamed of scoring a film or TV show? Well here is your opportunity to introduce your music to the world and in doing so, be in the running for some great prizes too. For a small registration fee, your music dreams could come true.
Registration forms for all categories can be found on the official website www.fmcontest.com
Follow FMC-Film Music Contest on Social Media:
Facebook: facebook.com/FilmMusicContest
Instagram: instagram.com/fmcontest
YouTube: http://bit.ly/3oOaG48
#fmcfilmmusiccontest
Along with the opening of the competition, FMC 2021’s official video trailer was also unveiled:
- Dom DiSisto
