reverb magazine - coaster special
DESCRIPTION
Reverb Magazine - Coaster SpecialTRANSCRIPT
music, arts & culture monthly central coast|hunter|north coast
Also inside: John Butler trio + Jebediah + little red + Potbelleez + horrorshow
Coas
ter
2011
FRee
one dollAr shortsomething with numbers
mArked For CoAster
editoriAl
[email protected] or 0410 295 360
sAles, newCAstle & CentrAl CoAst
[email protected] or 0410 295 360
sAles, north CoAst
[email protected] or 0458 559 938
gig guide
ProduCtion
PostAl Address
PO Box 843, Woy Woy NSW 2256
Contents
The Potbelleez 4Horrorshow 4Something With Number & One Dollar Short 5Jebediah 6Little Red 6John Butler Trio 7Artist Profiles 8-9Past Coaster reviews 10
ContaCts
It is with great please that we present a very special online edition specifically for Coaster. On the cover we find Jake and Scott from SWN and ODS getting prepared to their return to the Coaster stage. Big thanks to local photographer, Linda Wales for taking the image, and also to Voodoo Tattoo at Gosford for providing the space to shoot. Inside this edition, we have brought together Coaster artist interviews that we have done over the past months, profiles on all the Coaster artists, and live reviews from the past three Coaster festivals. Hope you enjoy the read, and that it prepares you for Coaster 2011, Gosford Showground, Saturday September 12.
Much love guys, Kevin.
editoR’s letteR CRedits
Reverb Magazine is locally owned &
published by The Lockup Garage.
Printed by Spotpress, Marrickville: sales@
spotpress.com.au
editor
Kevin Bull
sub-editor
Kate Hamilton
Art direCtor
Cam Bennett
north CoAst mgr
Stephen Bocking
writers
Birdy
Cameron Clarke
Nick Milligan
Matt Petherbridge
Krystal Ryan
PhotogrAPhers
Kevin Bull
Linda Wales (Cover)
The C
oaster 2011 Special
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something With numbeRs - stRikebaCk 3, neWCastle FoReshoRe, sePtembeR 2006 ©kevin bull
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t h e P o t b e l l e e z - h o R R o R s h o W
On your latest album, Destination Now, you worked with two of my favourite producers — Paul Mac (The Dissociatives, Itch-ee & Scratch-ee) and Justin Shave (Darren Hayes). How did you tap them for the album?We threw Paul Mac’s name around as someone we’d possibly like to work alongside. You have to be careful what you wish for, because sometimes it comes true. We had a meeting with him and he said “Yeah, let’s do it!”, so we had eight weeks in his Panic Room studio. Same goes for Shave, he’s actually an old friend of Ilan’s (Kidron, singer) from way back. He’d been the musical director for Darren Hayes and he had a break in his schedule, so we locked him down to co-produce the rest of the album. It’s been a great experience learning off those two, they are legends.
A lot of the tracks have a dirtier, darker, club vibe than your first album. Can you tell me a bit about your writing process?We’re from a dance music background, so we were always coming from that angle. First of all, myself and Jonny (Sonic, DJ/producer) might come up with a backing track or a beat and then we’d start writing the lyrics. For instance, I wrote the lyrics to ‘Twitch’ and then I gave them to Ilan and he came back with some music to work with and we went from there. Each song is a different process.
I’m really enjoying the song, ‘From the Music’. How much did it change from the original demo?That song was written about two years ago. We had a version of it, but we thought that the current climate of dance music had changed considerably from when we first wrote and produced it. So we revisited the track and apart from the lyrics and the chorus, it’s completely different. We felt the track didn’t have a big strong hook line, so we came up with that big synth intro and changed the rhythm.
What’s your take on overseas dance cultures and how have they embraced The Potbelleez?In Europe, the dance culture has been there for over 25-30 years and I suppose, if you
can make it in Australian dance-floor rock, then it’s really quite easy to tame Europe. They really get into anything. For instance, in Ireland, you could play spoons and they’d have a dance... But the music is so ingrained into the culture of Europe that it’s a real pleasure to play. Each country is slightly different. We played in a club in China one night and everyone was just standing and staring at us — they didn’t move at all, and then they all applauded when I got off the decks! It was pretty weird, man! I’d never seen anything like it!
Do you find it hard taking your music out of the clubs, to festival stages, or even playing at half-time during rugby league matches?Yeah it’s a big difference. The thing about The Potbelleez is that we deliver a big, anthemic sound — so it really does translate quite well. Playing in a football stadium is weird, but you just have to remind yourself there are eyes on you from every angle. It’s pretty mad and you just have to dig in to the performance.
You recently just finished touring with Usher. What was it like to tour with such a huge artist?It was great to be involved with it, playing in front of thousands of people every night. The Newcastle gig was a really good one. It was awesome to see such a big and well-oiled professional machine. It’s a pretty amazing thing that Usher and the dancers do — they’re like athletes, night after night maxing out on stage.
Did you hit Usher up about writing and/or producing his next album?Yeah absolutely! By the end of the tour, we got to know each other quite well and he was really blown away by our style. We swapped details with his creative director and he actually name-checked us on stage at shows in Melbourne and New Zealand, telling the crowd to watch out for The Potbelleez and that he’ll be working with these cats in the future! So he put it out there… we’ll have to hold him to it!
The Potbelleez are capping off a whirlwind tour with Usher by releasing their sophomore album, Destination Now. Full of heavy synth riffs and dirty club bangers, Destination Now is, creatively, a giant leap forward for the Australian dance-rock hybrid band. Matt Petherbridge speaks with DJ/producer Dave Goode about their writing process and how overseas fans, including Usher, have embraced the music of The Potbelleez.
destined For now
Horrorshow are one of those musical outfits that seem to capture collective sentiment remarkably well. Solo is a canny observationist and Adit is equally adept at cranking out ridiculously enchanting beats. One only has to listen to his work on Spit Syndicate’s latest album to gain an idea of his talent. The pair are, without doubt, making one solid move after another. Several months ago they accompanied Urthboy as well as Hilltop Hoods at a number of European shows. Both acts played sold-out shows in London on the same night.
With such lofty accolades under their belt, perhaps Solo would afford himself a measure of confidence when approaching ensuing tours in Australia? “I don’t know if I really think about it that way, nothing in this business is set in stone. We had a very successful tour with Spit Syndicate, we managed to sell out a lot of the shows. Seeing punters who’d come through the door specifically to see us — as opposed to encountering us as the opening act for someone else that they’d come to a show for — was an awesome feeling, seeing whole crowds of people mouthing lyrics and meeting so many people at the shows and stuff… but you know, the success of the last tour doesn’t necessarily mean that this upcoming one is in the bag already.”
Solo is decidedly more eager when describing the experience of touring and travelling around Europe. “We went to a few music festivals over there and it was amazing to see how they do things over there and the quality of the acts on the touring circuit. In particular we went to one festival in Switzerland which Urthboy and the Hoods were playing at where we saw Jay-Z, Eminem and Nas and Damian Marley in one weekend! Amazing shit. So, seeing all of that was very inspiring when we headed to London to play with the Hoods. It was a massive night.”
As much as any avid hater will say otherwise, the fact that Australian artists are beginning to find markets overseas in
previously uncharted live territory is testament to the vitality of the culture locally. However, overseas recognition is by no means an entirely novel concept for Australian artists; legendary Sydney group Def Wish Cast were receiving solid airplay in parts of Europe back in the 90s. Solo explains his take on the phenomenon, “Hip-hop has grown and grown within Australia and acts are pulling larger numbers at festivals and on their own tours, and I think at the end of the day people (and particularly promoters) have to take notice of that, even if they’re from countries on the other side of the world! But I think it’s also about the work ethic and the dedication there. A lot of people I would speak to in places like France or Germany or even the UK would tell me that so often they’d have American acts schedule big shows or tours there, only to cancel just before they’re supposed to play — apparently this happens quite a lot, or worse, to show up and do a really half-arsed show just to get paid.”
Whilst meandering around Europe, Solo also took full advantage of hip-hop’s capacity to immediately provide common ground between individuals of vastly different cultural backgrounds. “I spent some time with Pokerbeats, a German producer who did the beat for ‘She’s So Ugly’ on the Hilltop Hoods’ most recent album. We just chilled in the studio, listened to some stuff he’s been working on and drank, had a barbecue, etc. I wrote a verse while I was there but it was more for fun than anything. It was really cool to see people on the other side of the world doing pretty much exactly what heads in our local scene, and in my immediate circle, are doing here in Australia.”
Recently, Solo and Adit have been doing just that, getting busy playing a gang of shows all around the country, as well as supporting Sage Francis on the Melbourne leg of his tour, the duo recently played a set at Fat As Butter festival. No doubt the boys will be back in the area sooner rather than later.
Oh, The hOrrOr!Dynamic Sydney hip-hop duo, horrowshow have placed themselves firmly on the ‘ones to watch’ list. At just 22 years of age apiece, and with two albums under their belts, they’ve played to sold-out festivals around the country as well as toured internationally with hip-hop heavyweights the Hilltop Hoods and Urthboy. Cameron Clarke spoke with the emcee of the outfit, Solo as they prepare to embark on a national tour.
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While SWN frontman Jake Grigg has been running amok in the US with new project Maniac, ODS vocalist Scott Wood has been focusing on getting his daily fix (coffee, of course). “I have a café on the Coast because I became a total coffee nerd on tour with ODS!” Wood laughs. “I like good coffee
and café-style foods. I love cooking too, so it seemed like a cool idea to open a shop. I’m also running a studio and a graphic design business, which is in the same building complex as the coffee shop… I like to keep things convenient, as you can tell. I’ve been producing quite a bit since the band called it a day and I’m actually in the middle of recording with my other band, Sparrows. I guess I just got a fire in the belly about a year ago after being away from music for like six years. I got some riffs together, I got some guys together, and Sparrows was born.”
As for Grigg, escaping the hype of SWN after three albums seemed like the only option for getting his head straight after years of relentless touring, writing and recording. His other project, Maniac, with partner-in-crime Shawn Harris of The Matches, has taken off quicker than Grigg expected. But most importantly, he’s having fun.
“The whole thing with Something With Numbers really started to wear me down after a while,” he confesses. “It’s not that we were incredibly famous rock stars, it’s more that the cycle of writing, recording, touring… It can get really tiring and it can exhaust you. That’s what it did to me. I don’t want to say you become ‘over’ it, but
you kind of do. You never take it for granted, but the pressure does get to you on the inside. I made it very public… that I wasn’t in a great headspace around the period of our last album [Engineering The Soul, 2008]. There was a lot going on in my life and it was a very, very dark time for me.
I got my stuff and I went to the US and I’ve been working with Shawn on this other band [which] turned out to be exactly what I needed. It’s changed my perspective on things quite a lot.”
SWN fans will no doubt be ecstatic to know that for the first time in “a very long time,” Grigg has agreed to a one-off performance of the song he claims he hated for years and yet was always hassled to play — ‘Barnicles And Stripes’. “I got sick of saying no!” he laughs. “Yep, it’s true, we’ll do the song. But only because it’s a special occasion. I guess it’s time to stop torturing people and give them what they want!
I’ve been really enjoying being in the US. San Francisco is a crazy town, but it’s nice to reunite with these guys [SWN] again too. Yeah, it’s a little bit nerve-racking, not because of confidence though. It’s just because it’s been a little while. But it’s better to be at least a bit nervous than to not feel anything at all.”
Wood completely agrees with Grigg when it comes to having a slight case of the jitters — especially considering that, for One Dollar Short, it’s been a much longer absence. The idea of a possible reunion had been tossed around occasionally, Wood admits, but it always seemed to end up in
the too hard basket. Until, of course, the opportunity to play Coaster came up and the demand from fans was too strong to ignore.
“Our original booking agent came on board with the whole thing and all of a sudden my Facebook just started going crazy!” recalls Wood. “I didn’t even know we’d been confirmed and it was already going nuts! Sure enough, I went online and saw One Dollar Short on the bill so it was like, ‘surprise!’ — but a good surprise! We rehearsed last night and it was really nice… Adam (Check) the bassist was always too drunk to sing backing vocals and Trent (Crawford) was always too shy, so I did all the backing vocals — but now Adam doesn’t drink so much and Trent is more confident, so the back-up is working out better! That’s a joke, by the way. I guess it shows that we’ve grown even though we’ve been apart as a band.”
While Wood and Grigg are glad to see a resurgence in pop-punk and melodic rock, both are sketchy on the chances of a permanent comeback. “We had some really amazing times with ODS,” enthuses Wood. “We got to tour with some great bands. We toured Japan, which was incredible, and it’s definitely been a highlight for me. We got to see the modern side of Japan and we got a tour of traditional Japan, the record company
was chaperoning us everywhere, the food culture was amazing. We also met Morrissey at one point and I remember he had all these crazy white flowers, like lilies or something, and an entire entourage — everything had to be white. Yeah, we had some pretty crazy times. Meeting people in general was always the best part of touring for me. I don’t know if we could do it again, though.”
For Grigg, the 2009 Pyramid Rock Festival was the last time SWN hit the stage together for an unforgettable show that saw them execute mash-ups of Kings Of Leon’s ‘Sex On Fire’ and Cypress Hill’s ‘Hits From The Bong’. The crowds went ballistic, according to Grigg, and the singer is hoping for the same response from his hometown audience this time around.
“I’m thinking ‘Barnicles And Stripes’ should be enough to get them going!” he jokes. “We got a little bit overwhelmed with the constant touring a few years ago, but doing a show here and there has the opposite effect. It really brings back the enthusiasm and it reminds you why you started the band in the first place. In a lot of ways, you always get the best crowds when you’re playing your home town because there’s a sense of belonging, and there’s almost a sense of ownership from the audience. I mean that in a good way, obviously.”
Now in its fourth year, Aussie music extravaganza Coaster is one of the biggest events to take place on the Central Coast. While John Butler Trio, The Potbelleez, Bag Raiders and Drapht are sure to pull massive crowds in 2011, local acts Something With Numbers and One Dollar Short are proving to be the biggest drawcards, having left a massive void in Australia’s pop-punk scene during their long absence from the national stage. This September, SWN and ODS are back with a vengeance — both bands rejuvenated after a long hiatus and hungrier than ever to conquer the local crowds. By BIRDY.
returning home
o n e d o l l a R s h o R t & s o m e t h i n g W i t h n u m b e R s
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J e b e d i a h - l i t t l e R e d
Midnight Remember was one of Triple J’s feature albums during September. How does that make you feel?One of the reasons that we have gotten to where we are is because they’ve (Triple J) played our songs. They played ‘Waiting’, which was the single off our Get Ready EP. We did it independently, but they just picked up that song (through Triple J Unearthed). I’m grateful that Triple J cares about what we do.
Midnight Remember was produced by Scott Horscroft (The Presets, Silverchair, Sleepy Jackson). What was it like working with Scott?It was really fun! During our first pre-production meeting, the first thing Scott told us was, “We’re going to have fun making this record” and that’s exactly what it was like.
Little Red has four songwriters. How did
this inform the creative process for the new album?It’s almost barebones the way the four songwriters [Adrian Beltrame (guitar, vocals), Dominic Byrne, Quang Dinh (bass, vocals), Tom Hartney (piano, vocals)] make demos. They bring songs to the band, with the melody and the chord progression and then we just get up and play. For me, how I play drums on ‘Get a Life’, it’s got this lazy, French pop vibe going on and I was thinking Phoenix, but Adrian thought it was a bit more psychedelic. Each one of us
has different ideas on the song and sometimes it comes together very well.
Your first album, Listen to Little Red, showcased the band’s exuberant love of vocal harmonies, garnering comparisons to The Beach Boys. Did the band approach the use of harmony in a different way this time around?On our first album, there were big harmonies everywhere… we were obsessed with it! The Beach Boys are the biggest influence on Dominic, who arranges our
harmonies. He studies their harmonies. We wanted to switch them on and off this time; by that I mean harmonies could come in halfway through the song, and some songs don’t use many at all. We spent a lot of time rehearsing harmonies. Because I don’t sing, half of the time at rehearsal I just sit behind the drum kit and listen to everyone do harmonies.
Was the album conceived as a night record?The recurring theme of Midnight Remember is that nothing lasts forever… this sort of melancholic idea, it’s very romantic. It’s a night time record, definitely.
What’s your favourite song on the record?My favourite song is ‘Going Wrong’. There’s something peaceful about the song, I really love the sentiment. Usually the band tells each other, “Why don’t you play it like this or that”. Tom had some chords and just said, “Play whatever you want to play” so we did, and it worked.
You guys are touring around Australia until the end of the year. Will you be touring overseas?We are definitely going overseas. We are heading to Asia, that’s something we actually requested. When you see our tour schedule, it is very packed; we’re going to some places you’ve never heard of. So many bands just compact their overseas shows into big cities. Financially, it’s far more viable doing that, but we just wanted to make sure we are going to small towns as well. That’s our main focus at the moment.
RemembeR me Two years after their infectious debut release, Listen to Little Red, Little Red have re-emerged with a more refined and soulful second album, Midnight Remember. On the eve of their upcoming Australian tour, Matt Petherbridge spoke with drummer Taka Honda.
How satisfying is it for you to release another Jebediah album?In so many ways, it feels like more of an accomplishment than any other record we’ve made. When we were signed to Murmur (an imprint of Sony Music), it was easy. They pretty much took care of everything and we had no responsibilities. With Kosciuszko, we did it ourselves. We produced it at Blackbird Studios with Dave Parkin (Karnivool, Sugar Army): it was a team production effort. We’re at a stage in our career where people wouldn’t have expected us to do anything more.
What inspired you to name the record Kosciuszko?The original idea came from a book about The Beatles, where they had planned to call their 1968 album, The Beatles (The White Album), Everest. During the making of this record, I thought this one could be Everest! But it seemed too impersonal to call it that. I started thinking about Kosciuszko, the tallest mountain in Australia as opposed to the tallest mountain in the world. It’s a cool name and it was about claiming the title for ourselves.
The great thing about Kosciuszko is that it doesn’t sound like a standard rock record at all. What inspired the band to experiment with the Jebediah sound?I don’t think you’re supposed to take yourself too seriously when you’re making a rock album. It’s supposed to be fun. Maybe we’ve been a little bit guilty of doing that in the past. But yeah, this record was all about messing around, doing things we’d previously thought we shouldn’t or weren’t allowed to do.
Did it feel liberating to cast away the shackles of sonic expectation?Yeah absolutely, it was what drove this whole album — that attitude of throwing out the rulebook, which is a dodgy cliché but it’s pretty much what we talked about doing. That rulebook is full of rules that we’d written for ourselves without even realising it. There are so many examples of things, as a band, we thought we had to do [in] a certain way. It was baggage and getting rid of all that baggage was how we came up with this record.
You’ve worked with Bob Evans and with Basement Birds over the past couple of years. How have these experiences helped you to grow as an artist?I [realised] I got a lot out of those other experiences when making Kosciuszko. Bob Evans, in particular, offered me all kinds of opportunities, that I wouldn’t have had with Jebediah, in terms of the types of gigs I’ve played, people I’ve recorded with. It’s a very easy thing to keep relying on the same old tricks, especially when you get to
30. I’ve been playing music since I was a teenager and I think it’s really important that you keep challenging yourself, keep pushing yourself to learn new things, and I think working with different people is one of the best ways — they throw you out of your comfort zone from time to time.
Speaking of collaboration, you recently recorded, with Newcastle country artist Kirsty Akers, a duet cover of John Prine’s ‘In Spite of Ourselves’. How did this collaboration come about?I think the story goes — she was at a local shopping mall and she heard a Bob Evans song ‘Hand Me Downs’, over the speakers and obviously she liked it! She just called me up said she’d like to do a duet with me, ‘In Spite of Ourselves’ — that was the clincher for it, I love that song! We played it four times in the space of two days at both of our gigs in Tamworth this year.
What can fans expect from your live shows?We’re looking at bringing in some samplers and stuff to trigger some of the effects that are on Kosciuszko. We’ve got to strike a balance. I think it’s important that we retain the essence of what we’ve always done live but we’re going to have to expand to make these new songs come alive. It’s also about rediscovering our audiences... I think we know who our audience is, but reconnecting with them again will be nice. The hardcore Jebediah fans were always waiting for the next record because we’d always given them every indication there was going to be another one.
ClimBing KosCiuszKoKids of the 90s, rejoice! Western Australian alt-rockers Jebediah are back from a seven-year hiatus with their latest album, Kosciuszko. But they’re not exactly the same band you remember. Front man Kevin Mitchell (who you may also know as Bob Evans), speaks to MATT PETHERBRIDGE about the revitalisation of the band.
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You were born in April, and you announced a change of line-up in the month of April. The title of your new album is April Uprising. What is the significance of April for you? Yeah, I guess it’s something of a birth or re-birthing point for me. The fact of starting a new trio, starting an album and basically releasing all in the month of April definitely played a big part in using April Uprising as a title of the album. That along with what I learnt in the last year about my great grandfather taking part in the actual 1875 uprising in Koprivstitsa, Bulgaria, and a lot of the revolutionary sentiment of the album, both musically and lyrically, made the title an obvious choice. I guess the best way to convey it is that I’ve been going through a bit of a personal, spiritual, and musical revolution of late.
What impact did the experience of filming your episode for SBS TV genealogy program Who Do You Think You Are have on you? Where do I start? Yes, it had a huge impact on me. We’ve all heard the saying, “if you don’t know where you’re from, you don’t know where you’re going” and for me it just gave a great perspective of what has come before me as far as lineage and heritage goes. It reaffirmed my beliefs and convictions, that now, I see aren’t completely all my own, but have been passed down to me. As well as the hard
working tenacity of other ancestors in my line, I see I’m not just a product of just my generation or my parents, but a culmination of everything that’s come before me up to the present day. In short, it gave me a more powerful sense of who I am today.
‘Revolution’ the opening track to the album. Can you tell us the inspiration behind that song? Revolution is such an overused, impotent word nowadays. I just wanted to explore the subject and find out what it meant to me. We live in some pretty extreme times. I think a lot of people are considering living in a drastically different way on this planet and with each other. They have to. But the old ideas of reform and revolution are not applicable nor have many “revolutions” really ever brought about meaningful change before they turn into what they were fighting.
My idea of revolution is basically taking
the ‘r’ off the word. It’s evolution. It’s not gonna be some fanciful day that comes where everything is going honky dory utopia. That’s bullshit and a practise in futility. You can’t stop evolution. It’s sometimes painfully slow and other times brutally quick, but never the less it is on-going. You can rev it up however; accelerate it from time to time by being engaged in your community, by being compassionate.
I see that around me. That’s what I concentrate on when I’m being bombarded by the intense images and news of these times. Stay engaged but not inundated. By knowing that the revolution is underway and not some fantasy about to come, I’m able to have the energy and optimism to keep being part of this eternal, unstoppable revolution.
The decision to form a new line-up must have been a big one. How did the new trio come together?
The decision is one that took me by surprise really. I wanted to have a jam with my brother-in-law Nicky Bomba who drummed on the Sunrise Over Sea album. Nicky and I have always had a great musical connection and during some time off I wanted to explore that a bit more. What came of it was the surprising realisation that I had to make another album with Nicky and this time tour it together. I wanted to find the right flavour that would complement this new combination and we decided to audition bass players. Byron [Luiters] stood out amongst a great group of bassists and really gelled with and added to what Nicky and I were creating sonically. I was just being guided by my gut and looking for an ‘x’ factor, but not the TV version! By any means it wasn’t an easy decision and it was one that took a lot of soul searching and listening to gut intuition. I’ve always followed my heart when creating my band and music and if I didn’t keep doing that I wouldn’t be serving the art. I have had a realisation of late; the artist serves the art, not the other way around. I would like my band to stay the same forever but sometime members want to leave and other times it’s just time for us to go on separate journeys. It’s hard to accept but sometimes things don’t last forever and I’ve been extremely blessed with so many soulful brothers over the years to make this music and Nicky and Byron are no exception.
“ … I’m able to have the energy
and optimism
to keep being part
of this eternal, unstoppable
revolution.”
The John Butler Trio are on the brink of very big things. Having sold out the 8,500 capacity Red Rocks in Colorado and playing to 5,500 fans in New York City, John Butler and his new gang are returning for a massive tour of Australia. Reverb speaks with John Butler about his recent journeys.
J o h n b u t l e R t R i o
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JOHN BUTLER TRIO are one of the most successful Australian bands of the current era, both locally and on the world stage thanks to their phenomenal live shows and a consistent stream of chart busting album releases. The word multi is a constant precursor for the WA stalwarts, multi-platinum selling, multi-ARIA award winning, multi-APRA award winning, and multiple sell out tours. They are one of those rare acts who have managed to successfully straddle across mainstream and alternative radio airwaves, helping to shape the way independent music is released and received in Australia. They have graced the stage of every major festival in Australia and the world, and in 2011 will bring their grand jams to rock Coaster for the first time. www.myspace.com/johnbutlertrio
DRAPHT wordsmith, re-arranger, perfectionist, and the man who has delivered one of THE albums of 2011, The Life of Riley. Most of you should know Drapht, he is no new kid on the block, four albums and a slow rise to prominence from the underbelly of the Australian hip hop scene. His 2009 single ‘Jimmy Recard’ came in at # 10 in the Triple J Hottest 100, making serious inroads at radio and becoming one of those festival moments over the following year. ‘Jimmy Recard’ went on to spend an enormous 102 weeks in the AIR independent charts and the Brothers Grimm album was one of the biggest selling independent records of the year, so we just had to have him on our line up. www.myspace.com/drapht
JEBEDIAH were pioneers of the late ‘90s punk rock grunge scene. After four studio albums, countless tours and festival appearances and a four year hiatus, Jebediah are back with their fifth LP, Kosciuszko, catapulting this much loved Aussie outfit back into forefront of people’s musical concise. With a long history of hard work and dumbfounding success, the band have laid the foundations for another steep climb, Kosciuszko is the album that will see Jebediah at their peak, right in time for Coaster! www.myspace.com/jebediahmusic
LITTLE RED have had a rapid rise into the hearts and ears of music lovers since their local residency shows in Melbourne and the release of their debut EP, Get Ready in 2007. Their fresh upbeat sound resonated with fans, fast forward to 2011, and Little Red have sold out headline shows nationally, released two acclaimed LP’s, received a Triple J feature record and have appearances at all of the major festivals in the country under their belt. If that’s not enough, their recent appearance at the UK’s Great Escape Festival and Singapore’s Music Matters drew international attention and loads of positive praise, we welcome them and their happy sounds to Coaster. www.myspace.com/littleredmusic
BAG RAIDERS are the combined talents of Jack Glass and Chris Stracey. Together, they produce the sparks of light, aural gems and sonic booms that make up one of the most sought-after up and coming duos on the planet. After dropping singles on Bang Gang 12s (‘Fun Punch’, ‘Turbo Love)’ and remixing the likes Cut Copy, Midnight Juggernauts and Kid Sister, the two’s reputation grew internationally, and when they released a little ditty titled ‘Shooting Stars’ they reached every dangerous, dark and smokey corner of the world, making them a household name among in-the-know indie kids, the sweaty dance faithful and DJs across the globe. www.myspace.com/bagraiders
HORRORSHOW are two 22-year-olds from Inner West Sydney who embraced hip hop as a genre and made big strides in Australia around 2002. In 2007 and at 19 years of age, Horrorshow started recording material more purposefully, resulting in a collection of songs titled The Grey Space. It was not until 2008 that these songs caught the ear of Elefant Traks on the strength of a growing buzz and strong recommendations. The rest, as they say, is history. After a number of tours and festival appearances, Horrorshow have officially solidified their position in the Australian hip hop community. www.myspace.com/horrorshowcrew
THE POTBELLEEZ were proclaimed as the fastest rising stars of the dance scene in 2007 by Rolling Stone Magazine, right they were, within weeks they quickly exploded on the dance floors across the country. The Potbelleez first major single ‘Don’t Hold Back’ spent an incredible seventeen weeks at # 1 on the ARIA Dance Chart in 2008, selling Platinum in excess of 100,000 copies. Amidst the excitement of their massive debut single the band managed to produce an exceptional follow up single ‘Are You With Me’ which hit the ground running as Australian radio’s 1 Most Added Song to national playlists. This track was an instant hit on the ARIA Charts peaking at 15 and going Gold with sales over 50,000. They join the Coaster line up in 2011 to get the party started. www.myspace.com/thepotbelleez
SOMETHING WITH NUMBERS hit the Coaster stage for their first show in over two years, and their only show for 2011, a big deal in itself, but an even bigger deal having their return to the local live scene in their own backyard. Formed on the Central Coast of New South Wales seven years ago, Something With Numbers have built their success from the ground up. Largely unburdened by hype, their unique melodic rock vision has developed through the releases and constant touring, solidifying their loyal fan base and allowing them space to grow as songwriters, musicians and human beings. We can’t wait to throw them a welcome home party at Coaster 2011. www.myspace.com/somethingwithnumbers
ONE DOLLAR SHORT play melodic pun-rock with a clean and catchy edge that captured the attention of the punk world back in the late 1990’s. With a bunch of radio hits and ARIA charting LP’s the band called an indefinite hiatus in 2005, we have them back together for the first time, fresh out of hibernation for Coaster 2011. www.myspace.com/onedollarshorthero
TIM & JEAN have been playing in bands since they were very young; over the years they would occasionally see each other at various gigs. Then they bumped into each other at a local train station and decided they should try jamming together. They hit the National airwaves of Australia courtesy of Triple J when they became one of the station’s Unearthed finalists and later listed as part of Triple J’s Next Crop of acts most likely to succeed in 2010, sending international and local label suits into a spin. Tim and Jean’s sound is a mix of their combined musical influences and tastes; creating a synth heavy sound, with clear indie pop influence. www.myspace.com/wearetimandjean
TONITE ONLY’s two super-powered creators Sam La More and Groove Terminator both sport impeccable club pedigrees as well as never-ending personal discographies. After moving on from the moniker at the top of their game when the “electro bubble” showed signs of bursting, Tonite Only has been reborn in 2011 with La More and GT joining forces once again to decimate club-goers and cram some extra lightning into their already overstuffed bottle. As you’d expect from such a high profile reunion, Tonite Only are coming back stronger than ever, re-energised and rebuilt with an arsenal of fresh productions and the same spark that made them so on-point originally. It’s two producers at the top of their game making the no-holds-barred kind of dance tunes that only they can and they’ll be infiltrating your ears in no time. www.myspace.com/toniteonly
GOLD FIELDS reign from the small, historical town of Ballarat in rural Victoria and have been a band for little over nine months. In this time they have taken their self-produced, percussive-driven, dance orientated sound to places most bands merely dream of. Gold Fields have created a live reputation that has led them to play some of the countries biggest festivals and in September they will be playing ours! www.goldfields.tumblr.com
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AJAX used to be a teacher, and thank goodness he decided on a career change! After burning his whiteboard markers, and his books, Ajax made friends fast, although the dancefloor still wasn’t sure of his technique. So he and his few new friends created their own studio...The BANG GANG (Modular). Ajax is head honcho at Sweat It Out, Bang Gang founding member, acclaimed Dj, mix tape whizz kid, world tourer and club proprietor which, combined with his one stop party shop antics, have made him a ageless brat to reckon with. As subscriptions to Modern Painters and Frieze have long since expired, the battle for dominance between Ajax and Art continues. With the field wider and the arsenal larger, we expect an explosive and intriguing set for Coaster. www.myspace.com/ajaxbanggang
BALL PARK MUSIC began to crawl as an uneventful solo adventure for singer/songwriter Sam Cromack. In the eighth year of the naughties, equipped with a little collection of songs, his adventure took him to Brisbane, where, at a serendipitous pool-party he encountered the talented musicians that would make up the rest of the band, long story, short – they adopted the Ball Park Music moniker fulltime and began baking a unique pop recipe, full of sliding trombones and heart-breaking folk, jangly guitars and honky-tonk piano. Another one of Triple J’s Unearthed Next Crop, they spent the summer winning slots on festival lineups across the country. www.myspace.com/musicfromtheballpark
ANDY BULL released his impressive debut album We’re Too Young in 2009 to rave reviews from media and peers alike - a sprawling, imaginative collection of songs. Less than a year after releasing his debut, he returned with The Phantom Pains EP, a 7-track EP featuring the duet ‘Dog’ with indie darling Lisa Mitchell that flew into the Triple J Hottest 100 at #68. Andy will bring his elegant lyrics to the stages of Coaster this year. www.myspace.com/andybull
PURPLE SNEAKERS DJS are known as one of the countries most popular indie club outfits, the reason for the awesome house party atmosphere and packed out crowds in a variety of different cities. Born from the womb of the iconic indie club the Purple Sneakers DJs mix guitar-based indie tracks into dancefloor destroying bombs and prove that just because you play indie you don’t have to suck as a DJ – as dance music authority InTheMix puts it “those Purple Sneakers cats can really fucking mix!”.www.myspace.com/purplesneakers
TOM PIPER, some say he’s wanted in several cities for committing debauched acts of aural pleasure with multiple parties. Others say that he once drowned a procession of club goers in a pool of freshness but no jury in the land would convict him. Some even dare suggest he’s more machine than man, with bass bins where his lungs should be. Call him what you will; just tell him where the party’s at first! www.myspace.com/djtompiper
STRANGERS know how to stir the masses, rally them, make them feel like the band and the audience co exist on the same level and no matter what scene, class or walk of life you come from this band manages to break down those defences and hit you right in your heart and soul. Strangers have picked up fans all around Australia with their heavy rock encrusted catchy tunes, punk rock swagger and attitudinal stage presence. They are responsible for delivering the rock!www.myspace.com/strangersau
TAYLOR & THE MAKERS are one of the Central Coast’s most sort after acts thanks to their blend of reflective song writing, unadulterated melodies and a passionate mix of blues, roots and reggae. They’ll get your toes tapping with their irresistible mix of mellow tones and feel good beats, a little bit of chill out time on the Coaster grass perhaps? www.myspace.com/taylorandthemakers
NINA LAS VEGAS is the ebony haired goddess is in charge of spinning your Coaster into a frenzy of nonstop partying, she will be bringing a knap sack of sexy tunes to get you on your feet and swirling around the dance floor. www.myspace.com/oohninalasvegas
WOLFPACK are the # 1 DJ’s from the Central Coast. They join the Coaster 2011 line up to rock your socks off local style. Their huge hometown following bombarded the Coaster Facebook to make sure we were well aware these guys were a must for this years line up. www.facebook.com/WOLFPACKWOLFPACK
NAYSAYER & GILSUN love nothing more than mashing. The Melbourne mashup duo take the old and dusty and make it fresh. They mix and blend together the best parts of fifty years of pop music and jump between it as impatiently and energetically as a six year-old after a large glass of red cordial. One second you hear Paul Simon providing back-up for Missy Elliott, then it’s Atlanta gangster rappers jamming with The Who, climaxing in a dance floor remix of Mozart. Eeek! We can’t wait. www.facebook.com/naysayerandgilsun
CHEAP LETTUS played Coaster for the first time last year and aside from being some of the nicest kids on the block, they rocked the house with their tunes, so much so that we had to get them back this year. www.myspace.com/cheaplettus
TCDJ’s are a newly-formed duo that have been showcasing their skills around the Central Coast for the last year. Comprised of Dave McBeath, drummer for Something with Numbers and Shane Walker, long time DJ of 10 years in the Central Coast and Sydney clubs and parties, you’ll be rushing to get to the dance floor when your get a taste of their tech infused house, electro with a little funk breaks thrown in for good measure.
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live Reviews
CoasteR Festivalgosford showgroundssaturday, september 25, 2010
Two things strike you as you enter the Coaster festival. The first is how intimate it is — the three stages are all close together and easily accessible, with good sound separation. The second is how chilled-out and enthusiastic the crowd is. Any expectation of a wild, rough crowd of pissheads quickly evaporates.
Silversun Pickups deliver a blistering set, which has a surprisingly large audience clapping and singing along to each of their anthems. ‘Lazy Eye’, ‘Panic Switch’ and ‘The Royal We’ are performed with a sincere and palpable energy.
Supergroup Basement Birds provide a mellow interlude with their masterfully crafted folk-pop songs and harmonies, which both come in handy when they re-work The Presets’ ‘My People’.
Bluejuice, in trademark wild costumes, get the adrenaline pumping again, before Art Vs Science hit the stage on dusk. There’s very few surprises in Art Vs Science’s set — those that have seen them can probably guess the set list, which is a collection of high-energy electro-rock anthems. However, the trio whip out a note-perfect cover of ‘Gay Bar’ by Electric Six.
On a side stage, Illy draws a large group of hip-hop fanatics, performing his Like A Version cover of ‘Where is my Mind?’, as
well as his popular radio singles. When he asks someone in the crowd to tell him the result of the AFL grand final, he believes they’re joking when they tell him it’s a draw.
Birds Of Tokyo prove again why they’re one of the best live rock acts in the country. They’re newest songs don’t seem to hold up quite as well as the material from Universes and their debut, but nevertheless, this is a loud, emotive set. ‘Broken Bones’, ‘Wild Eyed Boy’, ‘Wayside’, ‘Silhouettic’ and ‘Off Kilter’ all make appearances.
For the finale of this year’s Coaster, we’re treated to an epic performance from a legendary group. Cypress Hill arrive on stage, drawing every punter to the main stage area. When they drop songs like ‘How I Could Just Kill a Man’, ‘Insane in the Brain’, ‘When the Shit Goes Down’ and ‘Hits From the Bong’, there are punters everywhere leaping in the air — trying to get high. Their set finishes with ‘(Rock) Superstar’ — a mammoth ending to a memorable day. ~Nick Milligan
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CoasteR Festivalgosford showgroundssaturday, september 12, 2009
Being surrounded by up to 10,000 people at this year’s Coaster Festival may sound a little scary however, there was enough space to escape the craziness and heat if even for a few cold ones. Although, I don’t think anyone even noticed the heat with the stellar line up of over 29 exciting bands.
A highlight of the day were ARIA nominees British India, they had bodies moving at the Main stage with tunes from their latest album Thieves. They delighted the crowd with songs such as ‘God Is Dead (Meet The Kids)’ which proved to be a favourite especially with their accessible beat and lyrics. On stage this band has the kind of energy that seemed to rub off on the crowd keeping them wanting more and more.
Los Angeles based band The Bronx set the mood for the night with crazy, but fun, tunes. The Bronx is one of the best live bands I have ever witnessed. With lots of energy, lots of screaming and lots of rock and roll! As thrashing bodies and a stray shoe greets the band they get straight into
their heavy set of sounds. Playing songs such as ‘Cell Mates’ and ‘Young Bloods’ the crowd moshed their way into the night.
The amped-up crowd exploded when Grafton Primary emerged onto the stage. Their music flowed effortlessly and it was clear to see they were having as much fun as we were. Performing songs such as ‘All Stars’ and ‘Change’ to the much delighted crowd. Their tunes allowed the audience to dance as well as connect with the band through their poetic lyrics.
Showing later in the evening was PEZ. To be honest not one of my must sees of the day however, I was really impressed with this Melbournian hip-hop artist. PEZ had everyone (even me) bouncing, whilst busting out old-school tunes to the delighted crowd and yes, ‘The Festival Song’ was awesome!
They always save the best till last and Eskimo Joe did not disappoint, playing favourites such as ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’ and ‘Sarah’ to the ecstatic crowd. It’s easy to see why this band are one of Australia’s best. They delighted the crowd and proved it was well worth the wait to see them perform. ~Krystal Ryan
CoasteR Festivalgosford showgroundssaturday, september 20, 2008
How bloody hot was it at Coaster. Summer weather had hit Gosford as the sellout crowd made an early entrance. Gates opened at midday and by 1pm it was packed. Tried to catch everything, but space in print is just not big enough. Congrats to The Seabellies, The Steel, We Are Grace, The Lazys, Eclectic Dreams, The Inheritors, Blue King Brown and Kisschasy. All sets were good, wish I had more space.
Gin Wigmore was an unfortunate withdrawal. Wisdom teeth I am told. Our sympathies go out. Bluejuice put on their typical frantic performance. So much fun to watch, while having too much fun on stage. Big smiles all round. The big surprise was the frenzy that Snob Scrilla produced on the small stage. It was madness out there for 40 minutes with the big crowd loving it. Big highlight.
The Potbelleez brought dance to the ,main stage. The sweaty kids loved it. Hometown champs Something With Numbers shared the love around. Their stage presence is so assured, and playing in front of locals on such a big stage was great to see.
It was all force and intensity for Cog.
They are a three-man beast and I never stop enjoying seeing them live. Once again, loved it.
The Living End are a powerful machine on stage, and are on top of their game at the moment. Aussie anthems kept coming, and it was a fine was to finish off Coaster 2008. Can’t wait for Coaster 2009. ~Kevin Bull
the bRonx
the living end
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