CLARE BOWDITCH - APRA

Andy “Sugarcane” Collins
BEBOP BROS featuring GARY
NORMAN (guitar) and GARY
COSTELLO (acoustic bass) play
instrumental jazz from the 40’s in
a more contemporary style. Their
self titled CD contains twelve of the
most influential compositions from
the era - see www.newmarketmusic.
com.au and www.myspace.com/
garynormanonline
Join the Dots is the debut
album by Melbourne’s TOBIAS
CUMMINGS and THE LONG
WAY HOME. The album is both
a continuation as well as a leap
forward from Tobias’ first release,
the EP You Incomplete Me. Join
The Dots is out now via In-Fidelity
Recordings/Inertia Distribution.
www.tobiascummings.com www.
myspace.com/tobiascummings
and www.infidelity.com.au
2004 Queensland Songwriter of
the Year ANDY “SUGARCANE”
COLLINS has recently returned
from the three month tour of
the USA, promoting the release
of his blues/roots album Way
Down The River. Andy has
followed up with a southern
tour featuring performances at
the Thredbo Legends of Blues
Festival and the Australian Blues
Music Festival in Goulburn - see
www.sugarcanecollins.com
>> Gisèle Scales
2006 has been a great year
for Perth independent label
BLAZING STRUMPET RECORDS.
They have released THE
PAINKILLERS’ first album Drunk
On A Train, featuring JAMES
BAKER (DUBROVNIKS/HOODOO
GURUS/SCIENTISTS/VICTIMS)
as well as EPs by bogan glam
rockers PYTHON and Perth’s
premier sleaze merchants THE
HOMICIDES. The label has
big plans for 2007 with a tour
by Queensland punks THE
PINTS booked for January; CD
releases by PROJECT MAYHEM,
STANDARD DEVIANTS, and
ZXSPECKY; and of course their
usual monthly grassroots shows
at both all ages and pub levels
– see www.blazingstrumpet.com
GISÈLE SCALES’s solo debut
is the dance/pop CD 2 Think
featuring electric violin breaks and
multilingual vocals over driving
beats. Eight tracks from the album
have been placed on local and
international compilations. For
further information and to listen
to music samples, please visit
www.giselescales.com and www.
myspace.com/wwwmyspacecomg
iselescales
ZIA’s debut single release
Underground features remixes by
DJ CRAIG OBEY and a film clip.
Underground 12” Remix peaked at
#29 on the ARIA Club Charts, is
spinning in clubs and is receiving
national airplay on specialist dance
shows. Underground - Original
Version and 32mm film clip (directed
by STUART MANNION) is the next
release - see www.zia.com.au
>> Mach Pelican >> James Stewart Keene Band
IAN SANDERCOE has released
Earthday independently through
MGM. The album is a powerful
collection of songs, predominantly
written by Ian, with help from
ROBERT PARDE, PAUL ELLIOTT
and JUSTIN BOLTH. Ian is
touring nationally – see www.
iansandercoe.com
Wollongong’s JAMES STEWART
KEENE BAND released their
debut EP You Want What I Got
on December 4 through James’
own label. The band is the
vehicle for James’ country blues
flavoured rock original material.
The band launched the EP at the
Lansdowne Hotel in Sydney in
early December.
Radio Action is MACH PELICAN’S
third full length album and was
recorded at Sing Sing Studios in
Melbourne with producer Matt
Maddock (SOMETHING FOR KATE,
BODYJAR, SEKIDEN, etc). It also
contains a highly catchy cover
of the 60’s NZ classic by RAY
COLUMBUS & THE INVADERS,
“She’s A Mod”. Special guests on
the album include Roman Tucker
(from ROCKET SCIENCE) on the
track “Not The Same”, and THE
SPAZZY’S on “Love Is Strange”.
AZTEC MUSIC is excited to be
reissuing the 1974 classic album,
Ball Power by LOBBY LOYDE &
THE COLOURED BALLS. It has been
digitally remastered with 7 bonus
tracks - see www.aztecmusic.net
>> Gigantic
Following on from a successful
promotional tour to the US and
Canada and a worldwide deal
with Los Angeles based Jetspeed
Records, Sydney hard rock band
NOBODY’S FOOL have released
their debut international album. It
was recorded at The Sonic Factory
and mastered in LA by Dave ‘Javu’
Morse. NOBODY’S FOOL head to
LA in the new year for a series of
live shows, radio interviews and
in-store appearances – see www.
nobodysfool.cjb.net and www.
myspace.com/nobodysfoolrock
Perth power popsters GIGANTIC
have released their long awaited
debut album Gigantaphonic
Sounds. The album has been coproduced
by Joel Quatermain of
ESKIMO JOE, Rodney Aravena
of END OF FASHION and Andy
Lawson of THE AVENUES and is
out on Popboomerang Records
through MGM. See www.gigantic.
com.au for tour dates.
LISA MAXWELL has released her
debut long player, Select Vacancy.
Produced by Jamie Durrant
(DEGENERATES, KILLING HEIDI,
LILLIAN THOMS), Select Vacancy
is out now in stores Australia-wide
and available internationally on
Apple iTunes through Essential
Music Australia/Green Media
(MGM) - see www.lisamaxwell.net
>> Joel Smoker >> Brigitte Handley
BRIGITTE HANDLEY AND THE
DARK SHADOWS have a new EP,
Identity, released through MGM
locally, Revel Yell Music, Japan
and distributed through Raucous
(UK, Europe) and Collector’s
Choice (USA). The EP contains
5 rockin’ tracks and bonus film
clip! The title track has also been
included on the soundtrack for the
new Australian film 48 Shades -
see www.brigittehandley.com and
www.myspace.com/brigittehandley
WA musician and artist JOEL
SMOKER recently released a CD
of original songs titled Smile.
Produced by LUCKY OCEANS, and
recorded at Satellite Recording
Studio in Burswood, WA, the CD
is now available through local
distributors, direct from Red Dirt
Arts or from Joel’s web site at
www.joelsmoker.com
Gold Coast singer-songwriter
CASEY BARNES has come off an
amazing year in which he opened
for visiting Canadian rocker
BRYAN ADAMS and showcased his
radio-friendly rock style alongside
well-known Aussie acts such as
ESKIMO JOE, THE WHITLAMS and
DIESEL. Now Barnes has released
his second album, What The Hell
Are You Waiting For?, available
from www.caseybarnes.com.au
>> Anne McCue
>> Rachel Koster
Singer PEGGY VAN ZALM has toured
locally and in Europe to celebrate
the release of her latest CD (her
fourth solo release post MARTHA’S
VINEYARD) Light Diamond. Coproduced
with Geoff Nant in their
Elands Studio in regional NSW over
a period of two years, it features
a wealth of musical talent from the
rainforested Bulga Plateau - see
www.peggyvanzalm.com
US-based, APRA member ANNE
McCUE has released her new
album Koala Motel, featuring
special guests LUCINDA WILLIAMS,
NANCY WILSON, JIM LAUDERDALE
and JOHN DOE. In support of the
album, Anne has played shows
in the U.S.A., U.K., Germany and
Australia over the last few months
- see www.annemccue.com and
www.myspace.com/annemccue
Queensland singer-songwriter
RACHEL KOSTER has just released
her self-penned and funded debut
album, Deciduous, recorded at
Melbourne’s Woodstock Studios.
Produced in part by ARIA award
winning engineer, Robin Mai (John
Butler Trio) and mixed by Mai and
the legendary Chris Dickie - see
www.rachelkoster.com
Brisbane’s TWENTYSEVENS following
on from the release of
their debut album Songs From
the Middle Ages, are currently
supporting STAUS QUO on their
30 date, UK tour, playing at major
venues such as Wembley Arena,
Manchester MEN and others – see
www.twentysevens.com
BILL MCDONALD’s long and
unusual career as band member,
sideman extraordinaire and avantgarde
experimentalist is skilfully
woven into his Four Hours Sleep
project. The album Love Specifics
reconnects a cast of some of
Australia’s most well regarded
musicians, ten years on from
the debut long-player More of
Her. Based around the holy rock
trinity of guitar (DAN LUSCOMBE),
bass (BILL MCDONALD) and
drums (PETE LUSCOMBE); the
tracks combine freely with a
dazzling array of instruments,
mutated field recordings and
stellar vocal contributions (from
the likes of PAUL KELLY, ANGIE
HART, STEPHEN CUMMINGS,
CHARLES JENKINS and OLLIE
OLSEN) - see www.myspace.com/
fourhourssleepau
Independent Melbourne 5-piece
DURBEYFIELD have released their
new EP Across The Hollow to
glowing reviews. Characterised by
layered instrumentation, soaring
melodies and lyrics that recount
stories of human experience, the
EP is out now through MGM - see
www.durbeyfield.com
Sydney activists ANDORRA have
had a busy year, performing and
promoting the Baxter EP – live and
on radio and TV; recording some
new material; and performing at
the Marrickville and Peace Festivals
in Sydney and the Yaamma Festival
in Bourke. ANDORRA pride
themselves on making music and
organising shows for the things
they care about, “in a positive way
and with pro-active resilience” -
see www.andorramusic.com.au
MEGAN BOWMAN’s debut album
Wonderlust has finally seen the
light of day, through MGM and
Raw Love Records. Her live gigs
have included Bluesfest, The Metro
(Sydney), an Elliot Smith tribute
at The Corner Hotel (Melbourne)
and the Folk Alliance Australia
Convention in Canberra. Megan
also received a John Butler ‘JB
Seed’ management grant in
October and recently visited S-E
Asia to negotiate tour dates and
distribution of Wonderlust – see
www.meganbowman.com or www.
myspace.com/meganbowmanmusic
>> Psycho Zydeco
2006 marks a new chapter in the
history of Australia’s premier
zydeco band. PSYCHO ZYDECO
have released their fourth album,
Get On Board - a 16 track PSYCHO
ZYDECO time capsule spanning
the evolution of their music from
its rockin’ bluesy beginnings
right through to the funkier style
of “Zydeco Nouveaux” - see
www.zydeco.com.au
Contributions should be emailed
to bcampbell@apra.com.au
Deadline for the March 2007 issue
is 26 January.
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Compiled by Bowden Campbell and Milly Petriella
>> Megan Bowman