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MIDNIGHT OIL ANNOUNCE ‘RESIST’ FINAL TOUR AND NEW ALBUM 0
In 2017 Midnight Oil returned from a long hiatus with a sweat drenched pub gig at the legendary Sydney venue, Selinas. In the middle of that special set, frontman Peter Garrett borrowed some famous lines, exhorting “rage, rage, against the dying of the light”. And that’s exactly what they’ve done ever since. They sold out 77 shows in 16 countries on their epic “Great Circle” tour. They toured Europe again, did a memorable gig in the outback, then returned to the studio for the first time in over 18 years and recorded 20 new songs. The first batch of that material, The Makarrata Project, debuted at #1 on the same weekend that longtime bass player Bones Hillman sadly died. Despite that profound blow, and a global pandemic, the band and their First Nations Collaborators still mounted their acclaimed “Makarrata Live” shows early this year – championing the Uluru Statement and highlighting ongoing injustices suffered by First Nations people.
Today Midnight Oil announced that this chapter of their career will come to a memorable close next year with the release of the other 12 new songs they recorded with Bones and a series of big gigs. Both are aptly titled Resist.
The band also announced that this will be their final concert tour while making it clear that this does not mean the end of the Oils. Each of the members will continue their own projects over the years ahead. They remain very open to recording new music together in future and supporting causes in which they believe, but this will be their last tour.
Meanwhile Resist will be a fitting, forward-looking, statement for a band whose clarion call has always been “it’s better to die on your feet than live on your knees”. The tour will see them performing classic Midnight Oil songs from across their repertoire while also showcasing some urgent new works. As the title makes abundantly clear, Resist engages with the issues of today and tomorrow – like the lead single Rising Seas which tackles the climate crisis in typically uncompromising fashion.
The album pre-order and Australasian tickets will go on-sale from next Tuesday 30 November. Dates, venues and all other info is detailed below. A handful of international concerts is also being considered (subject to Covid restrictions).
Rob Hirst says: “If I look back, I see a blur of familiar names and faces: Jim, Pete, Martin, Bear and me, slamming loud prog-pop in a Chatswood garage; Giffo, magnificent, rocking back and forth at his first Royal Antler gig; Bonesy, headphones on, singing, lounging on the deck learning our catalogue.
“I see our managers in their offices – Gary, Zev and John; our tour managers in their cars and buses – Constance, Neil, and Willie Mac; our producers in their studios, Keith, Lez, Glyn, Nick and Warne; and our crew on countless stages, Michael, Oysters, Ozzy, Doc, Nick, Jock, Gerry – and so many more.
“I see our folks-in-the-engine-room that the outside world has never seen: Stephanie, Wayne, Diana, Arlene, Jonesy, Craig, Geoff H, Chris P, Peter T, and Mel C.
“I see our wives and trusted friends, and the tiny faces of the ‘Baby Oils’, watching us from side of stage, from Sydney to Sao Paulo to Saskatoon.
“But mostly, blinded by stage lights, I see the first two rows of a thousand gigs: Midnight Oil fans, pumping, jumping, singing louder than the band.
“But I don’t look back.”
Peter Garrett says: “We all know time refuses to stand still for anyone but after many years together the band’s spirit is deep, the music and words are strong, and our ideas and actions as bold as we can make them. We’ve reached people in ways we never could have imagined. Our desire to create and speak out is undimmed. We hope everyone who hears this album and gets to one of the shows will come away charged up about the planet’s future, saying ‘why stop now?’. Having always tackled every tour like it’s the last – this time it actually will be.”
Jim Moginie says: “We’ve played intensely physical gigs since our humble beginnings back in 1977 and we never want to take even the slightest risk of compromising that. A lot has happened over the last five years. Much has been achieved and with the passing of Bones much has been lost, so it now feels like we’re at the end of a cycle.
“These will be sad and beautiful gigs but luckily we’re still capable of blowing the roof off any stage and that’s what we intend to do. You could call this a farewell tour, but Midnight Oil will still continue in some form or other as we’re brothers, family. We stand as one, dependent on each other and grateful in all the important ways that make great bands great.”
Martin Rotsey says: “A huge thank you to all our fans around the world. We’ve shared so much together from the swelter of Sydney pubs to magical nights under starry skies. Your energy took us further than we could ever have dreamed.
“To those down the front in the maelstrom, those at the back of the room singing their hearts out, and all of those onstage, backstage, and back home who helped make everything possible, we send our thanks.”
Resist will be Midnight Oil’s 15th studio release since the band exploded out of the post-punk scene back in 1978, blazing a singular trail of blistering gigs through Australia’s pubs and clubs. In the four decades since they have created an unparalleled string of classic tracks including I Don’t Wanna Be The One, Power & The Passion, US Forces, Best Of Both Worlds, The Dead Heart, Blue Sky Mine, Forgotten Years, Truganini, Redneck Wonderland, Say Your Prayers and the 2020 APRA Song of the Year, Gadigal Land (feat. Dan Sultan, Joel Davison, Kaleena Briggs and Bunna Lawrie). Their Diesel & Dust LP topped the critics’ “100 Best Australian Albums Of All Time” and its worldwide hit Beds Are Burning is one of the “500 Songs That Shaped Rock’n’Roll” according to the U.S. Rock’n’Roll Hall Of Fame. The band’s performance of that song at the Sydney Olympics is etched in the memory of billions.
From the northern beaches of Sydney to the streets of Manhattan, they have stopped traffic, inflamed passions, inspired fans, challenged the concepts of “business as usual” and broken much new ground. Seeing Midnight Oil in full flight is to experience the kinetic power of live rock’n’roll. They leave you inspired to live life more passionately and to Resist.
Midnight Oil calls for governments to urgently take serious actions that reduce carbon pollution. This tour will embrace best practices for emission reductions and offsetting. A portion of proceeds will be set aside for organisations seeking to elevate the existential threat posed by the climate crisis.
In addition to these shows, the band has already announced special appearances in Tasmania for Mona Foma 2022 and at Byron Bay Bluesfest next Easter. Details about those festival events at monafoma.net.au and bluesfest.com.au
Don’t miss a very special Midnight Oil performance on The Sound this Sunday 28 November at 5.30pm on ABC TV or ABC iview.
The a day on the green member pre-sale kicks off from 11.00am local time on Tuesday 30 November before the General Public on-sale starting 12noon local time on Wednesday 1 December. Tickets from adayonthegreen.com.au/midnightoil
TOUR DATES
MIDNIGHT OIL. RESIST. THE FINAL TOUR
A DAY ON THE GREEN
Sat 26 Feb 2022
Heifer Station, Orange, NSW (Lic. All Ages)
Sat 5 Mar 2022
Mt Duneed Estate, Geelong, VIC (Lic. All Ages)
Sat 12 Mar 2022
All Saints Estate, Rutherglen, VIC (Lic. All Ages)
Sat 26 Mar 2022
Nikola Estate, Swan Valley, WA (Lic. All Ages)
All event information www.adayonthegreen.com.au
FRONTIER TOURING
Wed 23 Feb 2022
Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle, NSW
Wed 2 Mar 2022
WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong, NSW
Wed 9 Mar 2022
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, VIC
Sat 30 Mar 2022
Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, SA
Sat 2 April 2022
Darwin Amphitheatre, Darwin, NT
Wed 6 April 2022
Convention Centre Arena, Cairns, NT
Sat 9 April 2022
Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast, QLD
Wed 13 April 2022
Riverstage, Brisbane, QLD
Tue 19 April 2022
Stage 88, Canberra, ACT
Thu 21 April 2022
Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, NSW
All event information www.frontiertouring.com
TICKETING
A DAY ON THE GREEN MEMBERS PRE-SALE
via adayonthegreen.com.au/midnightoil
Runs 24 hours from: Tuesday 30 November at 11am local time or until pre-sale allocation exhausted
FRONTIER TOURING MEMBERS PRE-SALE
via frontiertouring.com/midnightoil
Runs 24 hours from: Tuesday 30 November at 11am local time or until pre-sale allocation exhausted
GENERAL PUBLIC ON SALE
Tickets on sale Wednesday 1 December at 12noon local time
From ticketmaster.com.au | Ph: 136 100
- Dom DiSisto
Vote for Chance to Win a Strat! 0
Vote for Chance to Win a Strat!
VOTE NOW IN OUR MOST RESPECTED MUSICIAN POLL. WHO WILL IT BE? WIN A STRAT!
Australian Musician and Noise11.com join forces to find out who is Australia's and the World's Most Respected Musician. You've got until November 30 to vote. Names like Springsteen, McCartney, Tommy Emmanuel and Angus Young are doing well so far. Vote now for a chance to win a Fender Player Plus Strat, Boss JB2 Angry Driver pedal, or Ampeg merch pack. VOTE NOW
- Dom DiSisto
CARLOS SANTANA REMEMBERS CHICK COREA 0
In our Australian exclusive, Carlos Santana chats to Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips about the creation of his wonderful new album Blessings and Miracles and tells us that there are plans afoot for some of the album collaborators to join him on stage soon. He also opens up about some bucket list projects he’d like to get to one day, including a mood album he wishes to record with Eric Clapton and Derek Trucks based around UFOs, in the vein of soundtracks like The Good, the Bad and The Ugly. Photo by Jason Rosewarne
For more than five decades – from Santana’s earliest days as a groundbreaking Afro-Latin-blues-rock fusion outfit in San Francisco – Carlos Santana has been the visionary force behind artistry that transcends musical genres and generational, cultural and geographical boundaries.
Showing no signs of slowing down, Carlos has just released Blessings and Miracles, another magnificent recording to add to his already staggering discography. Blessings and Miracles presents Multi-Grammy Award-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Carlos Santana in all of his incarnations, playing in myriad styles featuring numerous alluring guitar tones. There are so many points of interest with this record, that it is difficult to know where to begin. From the beautiful short opening track Ghost of Future Pull/New Light, in the vein of Caravanserai’s Eternal Caravan of Reincarnation into the Soul Sacrifice-style Santana Celebration to the hook-laden latin influenced pop track Move with Rob Thomas, you’ll find multi-era splashes of Santana throughout this album. There’s the love song tribute to his wife, Song for Cindy, a poignant collaboration with the late great Chick Corea and his wife Gayle Moran, also a former Mahavishnu Orchestra member. Latin pop-rock fans will enjoy Rumbalero, a percussion-driven track with his son Salvador, joined by Ozomatali founder “Asdru” Sierra, and then daughter Stella Santana delivers a stunning vocal, along with Avi Snow on Breathing Underwater. A lifetime of ambitious ideas have been packed into this one extraordinary album.
As with many recent Santana projects, it’s very much a star studded affair. Steve Winwood performs a heartfelt version of the classic Procol Harum track Whiter Shade of Pale. Diane Warren and G-Easy join forces on the cruisy groove of She’s Fine. Living Colour’s Corey Glover unleashes a powerful vocal performance on the rocker Peace Power. Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and Death Angel’s Mark Osegueda get angry and political on the garage punk flavoured America For Sale. Sonically, Blessings and Miracles touches on many eras of the multi-dimensional musician’s career, there’s something here for all Carlos Santana fans.
Blessings and Miracles is out now. For more information please visit: Santana.com.
Santana, Chris Stapleton – Joy (Animated Lyric Video) from Blessings and Miracles
- Dom DiSisto
WATCH OUR EXCLUSIVE SANTANA 'BLESSINGS AND MIRACLES' INTERVIEW 0
In our Australian exclusive, Carlos Santana chats to Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips about the creation of his wonderful new album Blessings and Miracles and tells us that there are plans afoot for some of the album collaborators to join him on stage soon. He also opens up about some bucket list projects he’d like to get to one day, including a mood album he wishes to record with Eric Clapton and Derek Trucks based around UFOs, in the vein of soundtracks like The Good, the Bad and The Ugly. Photo by Jason Rosewarne
For more than five decades – from Santana’s earliest days as a groundbreaking Afro-Latin-blues-rock fusion outfit in San Francisco – Carlos Santana has been the visionary force behind artistry that transcends musical genres and generational, cultural and geographical boundaries.
Showing no signs of slowing down, Carlos has just released Blessings and Miracles, another magnificent recording to add to his already staggering discography. Blessings and Miracles presents Multi-Grammy Award-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Carlos Santana in all of his incarnations, playing in myriad styles featuring numerous alluring guitar tones. There are so many points of interest with this record, that it is difficult to know where to begin. From the beautiful short opening track Ghost of Future Pull/New Light, in the vein of Caravanserai’s Eternal Caravan of Reincarnation into the Soul Sacrifice-style Santana Celebration to the hook-laden latin influenced pop track Move with Rob Thomas, you’ll find multi-era splashes of Santana throughout this album. There’s the love song tribute to his wife, Song for Cindy, a poignant collaboration with the late great Chick Corea and his wife Gayle Moran, also a former Mahavishnu Orchestra member. Latin pop-rock fans will enjoy Rumbalero, a percussion-driven track with his son Salvador, joined by Ozomatali founder “Asdru” Sierra, and then daughter Stella Santana delivers a stunning vocal, along with Avi Snow on Breathing Underwater. A lifetime of ambitious ideas have been packed into this one extraordinary album.
As with many recent Santana projects, it’s very much a star studded affair. Steve Winwood performs a heartfelt version of the classic Procol Harum track Whiter Shade of Pale. Diane Warren and G-Easy join forces on the cruisy groove of She’s Fine. Living Colour’s Corey Glover unleashes a powerful vocal performance on the rocker Peace Power. Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and Death Angel’s Mark Osegueda get angry and political on the garage punk flavoured America For Sale. Sonically, Blessings and Miracles touches on many eras of the multi-dimensional musician’s career, there’s something here for all Carlos Santana fans.
Blessings and Miracles is out now. For more information please visit: Santana.com.
Santana, Chris Stapleton – Joy (Animated Lyric Video) from Blessings and Miracles
- Dom DiSisto
THE DOORS ROBBY KRIEGER WANTS HIS ORIGINAL GIBSON SG BACK 0
News
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Robby’s iconic red Gibson SG Special was the guitar he used to audition for The Doors, to write “Light My Fire,” and to record the first two Doors albums. Tragically, it went missing many years ago. But hopefully you can help! If you have a ’63 or ’64 Gibson SG Special, check the back of the neck for serial number 952727. You might have Robby’s guitar! If you find it, and it can be authenticated, we will buy the guitar from you, and will also give you an exclusive hand-signed Gibson SG hand-painted by Robby Krieger, along with an autographed copy of his new book, SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE. WATCH ROBBY’S FACEBOOK VIDEO PLEA HERE
- Dom DiSisto
AUSTRALIAN KEYBOARD WIZ LACHY DOLEY TO JOIN ROGER WATERS BAND FOR US TOUR 0
Photo by Jason Rosewarne
Australian independent artist Lachy Doley is kicking some serious goals right now.
Lachy, who has just been announced to play the iconic Bluesfest next easter, is stoked to announce that Roger Waters of Pink Floyd has hand-picked him to play keyboards in his band for Waters’ upcoming ‘This is Not a Drill’ US tour.
Although he’s had very little mainstream or national media coverage in Australia, Lachy Doley’s online fan base is enormous and his high-octane Hammond organ and Clavinet playing is being enjoyed by millions around the world. Roger Waters saw Lachy play on YouTube and put out the call.
Says Lachy, “It felt like one of those scenes in a movie. The phone rang at about 7 pm when I was just getting ready to put my 5-year-old in the bath. It was a private number, so I didn’t answer it and it went to voice mail. I listened back. ‘Hi, it’s Roger Waters’ manager here. Roger would like to talk to you about possibly joining them on the next tour. Please call me back’ I was like ‘you can’t be serious!’ Anyway, I spoke to Roger and had an awesome chat and laugh and teed up some remote auditions. We were originally meant to tour in 2019 but now it’s all happening in 2022.”
Photo by Jason Rosewarne
The news of Roger Waters’ tour finally going ahead was just one of a series of wins for Doley this month; his brand-new album ‘Studios 301 Sessions’ debuted at 13 on the ARIA Top 50 albums chart, 1 on the ARIA Jazz and Blues charts, 3 on the ARIA top 20 Australian Albums charts. A couple of tracks having reached 300k plays on YouTube since release.
“I feel so incredibly thrilled that as an independent artist with zero commercial or Triple J radio play that I’ve managed to crack the top 20 in Australia. I really hope it gives some inspiration to other artists without any label backing that it can be done, it all came down to the support of my fans.”
The Studios 301 Sessions album is available from all places that music is available.
The video of the live album is on YouTube: www.youtube.com/Lachydoley
Details of upcoming live shows, including his Bluesfest dates are here: www.lachydoley.com
- Dom DiSisto
