News

MIDNIGHT OIL TO HEADLINE OPENING NIGHT OF BLUESFEST 0

Greg Phillips May 19, 2021 Blog

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.

Keep in touch via Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

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/

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:

YOUNG WARRIORS – GETTING KIDS INTO BANDS 0

Young Warriors is a successful band-based program with the aim of getting young people involved recreationally in making music. It’s generally a two-week program, ideal for school holiday periods (but has been tailored to suit alternative durations) and provides aspiring musicians aged 12-19 with the experience of rehearsing, playing in a band and performing in live gigs. It came out of its bigger brother program Weekend Warriors, an all-ages music program which has been creating bands and long-lasting friendships for over two decades.

With similar aspects to Weekend Warriors, Young Warriors is all about providing professionally supervised and mentored programs, which provide opportunities for youths to participate in live music. Experienced industry people mentor the musicians, through to performance with all equipment provided. Workshops in the past have included guest mentors such as Amy Shark, Bobby Alu, Casey Barnes, Racheal Bostock and many more.

Through the support and initiative of the Gold Coast City Council and the guidance of Dom Disisto of the Young Warriors, the concept has developed into an excellent model for teens to be able to make music together. “With the support of the Australian Music Association and the NAMM Foundation and members of the industry, the Young Warriors concept has clearly identified its value in a local government setting.”

Dom Disisto who has worked with the Australian Weekend Warriors program from the very beginning is also the Young Warriors facilitator. Dom is the owner of Holden Hill Music in South Australia and had been working with his 700 strong student roster there, placing them into bands and presenting concerts, without knowing it at the time, forming the framework of a Young Warriors style program.

“Gold Coast Council’s cultural development department has worked on teen music initiatives since the early 2000’s, many of those with me advising and in recent years the Young Warriors concept has honed its elements to a point where the result is fantastic for the kids and families” says Dom.

“In terms of a model which can engage with young people who have a passion for music, Young Warriors is great,” says Ross Devine of the Gold Coast Council. “We work with them to actually form bands. They can work on original music or covers and stage presence. I think Dom Disisto’s experience with Weekend Warriors … was instrumental. He has some great contacts in the music industry and was able to bring in amazing guest tutors like Amy Shark and Bobby Alu for a songwriting workshop. Dom has a great way of engaging with young people and helping with their confidence and he gives them a go and keeps encouraging them and we see them really blossom in what they can do and how they connect with each other.”

Active music making has been shown to provide significant benefits to participants. Young people can greatly benefit from making music together in a band. Among the individual benefits that collective music-making provides are confidence, development of a sense of aesthetics, teamwork, problem-solving skills and deep focus, discipline, striving for excellence, leadership, determination, self-worth, perseverance, cooperation and coexistence, competitive spirit, and academic success. These benefits can disseminate to families too and that many studies have revealed that music making can have benefits to a student’s overall learning and behaviour. Being a part of a musical program can make young people develop a heightened sense of self-esteem.

“They learn so much,” says Ross Devine about the Young Warriors program. “The exposure to working with professionals in the music industry and understanding the craft of it, how they are playing their instrument or how they are composing their songs and how they interact with each other… stage presence and how they get ready for the performance, checking their sound levels and that sort of thing. They get to perform on a professional stage with pro instruments, pro sound and lighting in an auditorium space. That’s amazing for them and they also get exposure to recording studios we have onsite as well and can do things in there and they can take away a recording of their stuff. We also work with the local TAFE, so we can discuss where to from here if they are interested in pursuing a career in the music industry. There are options for them locally and we try to package all of that up together. They all start out not knowing each other and they develop friendships with like-minded people. It really is one of those things where you are finding your own tribe. They start as strangers and finish as friends and hopefully that continues into the future.”

It’s not just entertainment industry knowledge that participants get out of the program either, many discover personal skills that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. For instance in the most recent run of the program, several of the participants possessed different levels of austism and through their time in Young Warriors, were able to break through some social barriers that had previously been a huge issue for them.

“One of the mothers, who is a nurse and carer said that they like to be put in a situation where they have to do things and they like the structure of it,” says Dom. “One of the guys is a really good guitar player. He is one of those people who can listen to a piece of music on a tape and play it back to you and it’s pretty close to the original. It’s amazing to see. He actually never communicated by email or text to anyone before. After this program, he started emailing and texting, something he normally wouldn’t do. And working in a team … it is a really good team building exercise.”

“That’s a huge life skill that he’s been able to develop and that has come from his core passion for music,” adds Ross. “Sometimes hearing those background stories, you don’t realise when you see people on stage what their life story is. You are blown away by how good some of these young people are then there’s sometimes this additional layer with background challenges that they have overcome to get there, which just makes it that little bit more special. I think the diversity of the people who participate is very special and it is very inclusive. They are all well supported and encouraging of each other and that’s a lovely thing too see, how they have each other’s back. They really celebrate what they are achieving together.”

Legendary Australian guitarist for Skyhooks, The Angels and Rose Tattoo, Bob Spencer has been a long-time advocate of music education and was a mentor in the recent run of Young Warriors on the Gold Coast. Bob has seen first hand the benefits and joy that participants get out of this program. “The benefits of music are now firmly established by science … better lateral thinking, social skills, problem solving, relief from depression and pain management,” says Bob. “The music industry has taken an enormous hit over the last two years through Covid. Our industry is really suffering at the moment. What I hope is that by speaking about music and song writing and recording with these kids, that it provides us with a very healthy music future in Australia”

The Gold Coast council is committed to the Young Warriors program and sees it as a mutually beneficial project. “Live music is very important to the Gold Coast city in terms of not only supporting local talent but attracting other people to the area too,” says Ross enthusiastically. “There’s a very vibrant culture and community and it’s the place to be at the moment with all of the stuff that is happening. Live music and live music venues is something we have our focus on now and into the future. That cultural economy contributes to the liveability of the city.”

Dom Disisto said, “with the example set and model established we look to more local government partners like the Gold Coast City Council, we can confidently promote the Young Warriors program to more local councils into the future with the bigger goal of scaling the program to all states and territories”

For more information about Young Warriors and to register, visit: https://www.youngwarriors.com.au/

ADELAIDE GUITAR FESTIVAL REVEALS 2021 PROGRAM 0

HUSSY HICKS

Adelaide Guitar Festival is bringing together some of Australia’s best guitarists in a thrilling mix of local talent and visiting musicians for its first-ever annual event, with tickets now on sale for an exciting range of shows at Adelaide Festival Centre venues from July 4 to 25.

The line-up includes chart-topping blues & roots musician Ash Grunwald with soulful songs from his extensive back catalogue and most recent releases. With five ARIA award nominations across nine studio albums, Grunwald will present an intimate concert experience supported by renowned local musician Nick Kipridis and the debut of his new side project History of Trees.

Adelaide’s own international cabaret star Carla Lippis makes her first Adelaide Guitar Festival appearance in 2021, performing her sultry vocals with a backing band including guitarist husband Geoff Crowther. Lippis will share the stage with a world premiere collaboration between homegrown jazz guitar giants Hugh Stuckey and James Muller.

Trailblazing classical ensemble Melbourne Guitar Quartet returns with its dynamic blend of innovative arrangements, contemporary compositions and newly commissioned works in a double bill with 2019 Adelaide International Classical Guitar Competition winner Andrew Blanch from Sydney.

Known for emotive lyricism and energetic live shows, acclaimed folk duo Hussy Hicks is teaming up with fellow Queenslander Lecia Louise, a guitar virtuoso and singer-songwriter who effortlessly moves through the styles of rock, pop, groove and blues. 

Adelaide Guitar Festival is also showcasing some of South Australia’s most respected bassists with The Lowdown – a celebration of the bass guitar across funk, jazz, rock, experimental and country. Dennis Kipridis will lead the concert with fellow bass guitarists Flik Freeman, Damien Steele Scott, Nick Sinclair and Ross McHenry, along with double bassist Lucinda Peters.

On the back of sold-out shows across the country, Paco Lara will highlight the flamenco guitar in all its authenticity, culture and artistry with The Andalusian Guitar. Across a career spanning more than 30 years, Lara has played with some of Spain’s most prestigious artists and has recently relocated to Sydney from Jerez de la Frontera – the birthplace of flamenco. He will share a double bill with Adelaide flamenco ensemble Compañía Alma Flamenca for an exhilarating evening of music and dance.

Adelaide Guitar Festival Artistic Director Slava Grigoryan: “We are very fortunate to have so many extraordinary guitarists living right here in Australia, and this year is the perfect opportunity to celebrate their artistic excellence with a selection of inspiring performances and unique collaborations.

“As always, we will shine a light on the guitar’s ability to star in any genre of music – everything from classical and jazz to rock, blues & roots and flamenco. It’s going to be a spectacular few weeks as we explore all the magnificent possibilities of this instrument, and the musicians who have spent years and even decades honing their skills.”

Today’s launch follows tickets already selling fast to recently announced headliner show The Stones’ Sticky Fingers, an exciting tribute concert boasting Australian rock royalty – Magic Dirt’s Adalita, Grinspoon’s Phil Jamieson, The Cruel Sea’s Tex Perkins and You Am I’s Tim Rogers – at Her Majesty’s Theatre.

Adelaide Guitar Festival has also co-commissioned The Bridge of San Luis Rey, a thrilling reimagining of the Pulitzer-winning novel of the same name, by Adelaide’s Brink Productions.

Previously held every two years, Adelaide Guitar Festival is the most significant festival of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Festival favourites including the Resonance program will return in 2021, along with a free concert from this year’s Adelaide International Classical Guitar Competition finalists and the Guitar Winter School, with students across all ages and skill levels welcome to register.

Directed by acclaimed guitarist Paul Svoboda, a classical intensive featuring tutorials and workshops from July 5-9 will culminate in a performance by the Adelaide Guitar Festival Orchestra as the support act for the Melbourne Guitar Quartet and Andrew Blanch.

A week-long blues & roots course will boast tutors Cal Williams Jr and Lecia Louise, along with special guests including Ash Grunwald and Julz Parker from July 12-16. The course will focus on chord progressions, creative songwriting and blues guitar techniques as students prepare for a performance with Hussy Hicks and Lecia Louise.

Adelaide Festival Centre CEO & Artistic Director Douglas Gautier AM: “Continuing Adelaide Guitar Festival’s growth, we are extending our ambition this year to become an annual event while also expanding our calendar of community engagement and outreach programs. We are committed to sharing our love of all things stringed with audiences across South Australia, and we greatly value their ongoing support.”

This year’s Adelaide Guitar Festival will reach more regional towns than ever before with its On the Road program, which already visited Hindmarsh and Lobethal in February and will bring free live music to Kangaroo Island on May 1, Clare and Gilbert Valleys on May 21-23 and Port Augusta on May 28. Even more town-wide activations will be held in Edithburgh on July 10, Tumby Bay on July 17 and Cleve on July 18. 

The Department for Innovation and Skills through the Music Development Office and the South Australian Tourism Commission through Events South Australia are the major sponsors of Adelaide Guitar Festival On the Road.

For more information, visit www.adelaideguitarfestival.com.au.

UNDER THE SOUTHERN STARS POSTPONED TO 2022 0

The Under the Southern Stars spectacular concert series featuring  Cheap Trick, Bush and Stone Temple Pilots has regrettably and unfortunately been postponed. Again.

Who would want to be a concert promoter at the moment? At the best of times, the job is akin to walking a tightrope. During the pandemic, despite their best efforts to bring music to the fans, these habitual risk-takers just can’t get a break. This was to be the first Australian tour featuring international acts since the pandemic began. All eyes were upon us, with the music world hoping like hell that finally a big international tour would proceed and succeed. Again, thoughts go out to all of the bands, the crew and everyone else associated with the tour.

In a statement today the organisers outlined their reasons for the postponement:

Given the disappointingly slow roll-out of the vaccine by the Government, there is no confidence that we can keep all safe and proceed as planned at our festivals this May. The continuing mismanagement of the Covid-19 situation at all levels of government has led to numerous inconsistencies and on-going broken promises by officials that ultimately affect the safety of our patrons, artists and our crews, both domestic and international. So much so that the situation presents too much to risk to go forward with the dates as planned at the end of April and into May 2021.

The very recent eleventh hour cancellation of Byron Bay Bluesfest by the NSW government on the eve of the landmark festivals start date over Easter was an incredibly disheartening display of what could possibly happen to our patrons, artists and crews – being left stranded high and dry only moments before one of our events is set to kick off.  We wish to protect all, and avoid a situation such as this.

To keep all involved as safe as we can and limit the possibility of getting stuck in the middle of further snap lockdowns, border closures and other knee-jerk reactions, we have to move Under The Southern Stars to a time that gives the series its best chance of running smoothly, as planned and ultimately allowing for the best experience possible to all ticket holders.

This is not a decision that we have taken lightly, but the safety of all is our motivation.

Under The Southern Stars promoter, Andrew McManus has issued the following statement.
‘We ask you all to continue to believe in us. We must protect our artists and patrons. We get it … how many times can the Australian system force another postponement? So we are making the hard decision to reschedule Under The Southern Stars to the first quarter of 2022 and ask that all our valued supporters hold on to their tickets and in return we will be announcing some truly exciting additions to the line-up and festival circuit!

We sincerely apologise for the situation and ask once again for our loyal patrons to #keepyourticket and stay tuned. Not only for new dates, but we are planning on making Under The Southern Stars bigger and better. It will absolutely be worth the wait.

A full announcement including the rescheduled dates, additions to the line-up and more will be shared in the coming weeks.

All tickets already purchased will be valid for new shows when they are announced.

Further information concerning rescheduled dates will be available via
www.underthesouthernstars.com.au

#keepyourticket
#UTSS2022

When we spoke with Cheap Trick’s guitar legend Rick Nielsen last month, he was looking forward to flying to Australia and didn’t mind the thought of two weeks in quarantine. Sadly, we won’t be seeing the band here this year. Just for fun, you can watch that interview with Rick below and learn about the band’s new album as well.