Big Time Boy Seeking Small Time Bands

I make it no secret that I love music in almost all shapes and forms. Skimming through my iTunes you will find genres from Classical to Death Metal to Indie to Rap and all the things in between. You will also find that a lot of the music I listen to is not hugely mainstream (although of course I enjoy some of it as much as any other teenybopper), and that I am a big fan of the so-called 'local' bands who hang around for a few years, pop out a gem and disappear when they realise that despite making excellent music, there is simply not spot in the music industry for them to carve out a living. Too many bands are forced to accept this reality - and let's face it, sooner or later a hobby involving travelling across the country, or as some small bands are lucky enough to do, across the world, on a regular basis just doesn't fit in to the job/family life that is required to actually make a living.

So this time I will be focusing on a few small-time bands that have unfortunately capitulated due to a variety of reasons, whether it be real life calling, internal problems, or just the realisation that it's "that time".


Spitalfield (Chicago, US) 1998 - 2007

Most people outside the US probably wouldn't have heard of this band unless they by chance saw them at an Australian gig (they did do a couple of tours, including Boys of Summer 2007), however I chose to start with a US band to make an important distinction between the 'local music' scene in Australia and in the US. Most small-time bands in Australia would not continue to play for 8 years without breaking into at least the Australian mainstream charts, whereas the music industry in the US is that much bigger (and indeed, their population creates an immensely diverse audience) that local bands can be around for a decade without ever striking gold, so to speak.

Spitalfield's distinct rock sound is really what set them apart from what most other bands had to offer. Despite being quite similar to the usual medium/light rock, they maintained a melodic sound throughout their time playing, and were able to comfortably switch between easier listening and hard sounds not only within albums, but songs as well. Mark Rose's ability as a lyricist is to be regarded highly, especially when combined with the fact that he can actually hit the notes needed to make the song work (he is now performing as a solo act - proof of both his vocal and guitar abilities). Despite moving through several guitarists in their 8 years, including a few who only played with the band for a single tour, they consistently produced melodic rock riffs that formed a stable background for Rose's lyrics. Spitalfield will continue to be sorely missed by its fan-base in both the US, and worldwide.


Her Latest Flame (Adelaide, AUSTRALIA) 2005 - 2008

Her Latest Flame is a band that fits the typical notion of local band more than Spitalfield - they formed for a few years, played a few gigs and then due to internal troubles fell apart (the original vocalist left). However, in their time they did enjoy playing several relatively high-profile gigs, including the 2006 Taste of Chaos, opening on the 'V' stage at Big Day Out 2007, and being a support act for the 2007 Saosin/A Static Lullaby Australian Tour. They released two EPs in their time, and enjoyed an Australia-wide fan base.

HLF enjoyed a more alternative sound, probably best described as a punk/rock band, although their original vocalist did incorporate screaming into the majority of their songs in some shape or form. Josh Dunning is in fact one of the few small-time vocalists who could easily transfer from screaming to singing on-stage, often several times in a single song. How his voice survived is anyone's guess! Needless to say, Josh was ably supported by both a gifted guitarist (Matt) and a talented off-beat drummer (Brodie) that resulted in slightly melodic songs that still retained the teeth needed to support the screaming vox. Unfortunately, Josh's exodus from the band produced a downward spiral, and they hung up their instruments last year.


In Fiction (Adelaide, AUSTRALIA) 2004 - 2009

In Fiction holds a much more personal note for me as I have been a long-time fan of the band since their formation in early 2004. They definitely made a big impact on the Australian music scene, with their first EP, The Four Letter Failure, reaching No. 72 in the ARIA charts, where it remained for 5 weeks. Their second EP, Ghost, debuted at No. 14 in the ARIA charts. The recognition garnered from their records was obvious, with the band performing in both the 2006 and 2007 Boomtown Showdown Tours, as well as the 2007 Vans Boys of Summer Tour, and the 2008 Adelaide Soundwave Festival. When I interviewed front man Brad Gilbertson shortly before the band's final show earlier this year, the one thing he said that stuck in my head was when I asked him what his best memory was:
'Probably how everything was when we first started, it was the type of thing that doesn't really pay much but is so fun to do, like Steve [ex-drummer] and I grew up listening to Bodyjar, then all of a sudden we were playing on tour with them...'

IF were not just confined to Australia, either. Ghost caught the attention of Japanese label Pyropit Records, and prompted them to release an album combining the two EPs and including two extra songs.

IF were, if anything, most recognised for their diverse style and ability to combine complex melodies with a hard rock sound, although they moved more into a melodic style as the band matured. Gilbertson's flawless vocals were only enhanced by guitarists Paul Heitmann and Josh Burgan, who were able to smoothly switch between lead and rhythm roles depending on the song. However, Tom Crosby and his predecessor Steve Luscombe were respective maestros on the drum kit, despite having fairly different styles (I will go ahead here and push Steve over Tom, merely because of Steve's amazing left-footed ability, and the fact he could switch smoothly from an upbeat song such as Here in a Way to slow, off-beat song, Calendar Notes. Unfortunately, after 5 years of music-making, the band members decided to set off in different directions, with one of them getting married, another aiming to (finally) finish his degree and the rest just planning on "growing up" a little bit and seeing where life takes them.


Well, that's all for now, and I would encourage all of you to go out and enjoy some local music. You never know what gem you may find.

Age-Old Adages

Ever noticed how many ye olde sayings are still around today? Maybe it's a bit of an overestimation of their age, but haven't you ever had a moment where some older relative pops out a little nugget of their years, you polish it up expectantly in your head... And then discover as opposed to being a gold nugget, it's more likely to be comprised of that strange ear wax only 60+ year olds get. So I thought that this week/month/year? (There's no real regularity to these posts) we'd tear asunder some of the sayings that should have been left in a retirement home many, many years ago.

1. "I don't try to explain to people why I ride a Motorcycle."
I thought I'd start off with something simple. Firstly... what the hell? I mean, if you started but they didn't understand, then it would make sense not to try and explain further... But not trying at all? If kids of today went out to do something, and when asked by their parents what/where/why/when, and replied with "I don't try to explain why I do x", we'd either have a lot of dead kids or a lot of grounded ones. Hey, in fact - go for it! Either way, let's keep them off the streets.

2. "Come home early, nothing good ever happens after midnight."
Don't they know that most clubs don't even get started until after midnight? What about midnight snacks? Midnight sex? Sex at 3am? Sex in general, pretty much. This is what you get when your ancestors lived in a sexually repressed society; although the current situation where it has completely back flipped (i.e. the full-on sexually open) could be a little bit too far. At the rate we're going, my kids (if they ever come into being) will be learning about contraception around the same time they're learning to walk.

3. "When you say "I can't", you actually mean "I don't want to"."
Try saying that to the double amputee you want to run the 100m sprint.

4. "Never own ANYTHING you aren't willing to drill a hole in."
Now, now, remember, men and women are equals now, men don't own their wives...anymore. I'm sorry, that was just too easy. But still, if anyone, including me brings a drill near the Aston-Martin DB9 I 'own' for the sake of the conversation, I'll get them where they stand.

5. "Your enemies can hurt you, but only your fear defeats you! Only those who risk going too far will ever know how far they can go."
And remember kids, those who risk going too far are 100% more likely to die screaming as their parachute fails to open/bungee cord snaps (or as it was found recently, comes undone)/F1 car spontaneously explodes... Although in their slightly shorter lifespans, they probably have more fun, earn more, get some plastic trophy wife (not sure whether that's a plus or a minus), sleep with adoring teen fans (ditto to this one - some of those girls are probably about as safe to plug as a chemical toilet)... So it could balance out.

6. "Anyone who hasn't got a little bit of a temper is not worth killing."
That's just discrimination against people with anger problems.

7. "A young man is embarrassed to question an older one."
The older man has obviously never met me. My parents decided I was the most argumentative child in existence. They still hold this view, I believe (although my brother is catching up and will most likely overtake me).

8. "Live life to the fullest."
This saying differs in that whilst I agree with what it's trying to say (try and make your life mean something) it's missing a key part (try and make your life mean something to someone). Who's to say that a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, who started off as a bottle-cap collector, has lived a fuller life than a garbage collector with 3 kids and a mortgaged house? Admittedly, the CEO probably has several houses, various vehicles and many more opportunities, but taking a different approach, the garbage collector who never wanted to move on because he was looking after his kids, or simply because he loved his job - and before you wrinkle your nose in disgust, there probably are people out there doing the shitty jobs no-one else wants to do, and they enjoy them. Not because they love handling tonnes of garbage, or scrubbing hundreds of toilets, but because the job gives them something that is important to them, whether it be more time with their family, a host of colleagues who become good mates... Etc, etc.

9. "Oh isn't so-and-so sweet on you! [Or] You're rather sweet on so-and-so, aren't you?"
Oh yeah, every time we hug I just want to lick her off me. Or scrape it off and put it in my coffee. Seriously, where did this even originate? Was it traditional for lovers to cover themselves in honey and rub over each other? Because that could be kinda hot, if a little sticky.

And finally, my personal favourite:

10. " Such-and-such is the best thing since sliced bread."
Just putting it out there: sliced bread isn't that great. I mean, yeah, you save an extra 30 seconds making a sandwich, and you don't need to have the requisite knife skills. Excellent. Personally I'm a fan of cutting the slices myself, you can go thin for thin sandwiches, thick for packed sandwiches or thick-cut toast, or my personal favourite (and specialty) the wedge, which is both thick and thin, and results in every subsequent slice also being a wedge as the next person tries to correct my mistake. Still, there's something so down-to-earth about doing it yourself, one man, his knife and a loaf of bread waiting to be cut...
...sounds like the type of movie that would be released fairly soon.

Adieu!

Little help?

Sooooo...

I have decided to build a new computer. I am in need of either funds or cheap/free parts!

These are the specs:

Intel Core i7 920
ASUS P6T Motherboard
g.skill DDR3 8GB Kit
Hitachi 1TB HDD
GeForce GTX 275
Antec 900-2 Case
Seasonic PSR 650+ PSU
SATA LG DVD Burner

So if there are any generous people out there who want to help me out, let me know?

Also I have ceased my studies of Law - after 2 years of deliberation I have decided I am not corporate bastardy enough. As such, next year hopefully I'll be studying Psychology.

Ciao!

Exclusive!

It’s not very often that one can interview a band so recently after breaking up, especially a band so close to home. In Fiction was a band that dominated both the Adelaide and Australian music scene soon after their formation in 2005, being rated as one of Triple J’s up and coming artists. Their Ghost EP debuted at No. 14 in the Aria charts, earning the band spots on the 2007 Boomtown Showdown Tour, as Well as the 2008 Adelaide Soundwave Festival and the 2008 Push Over Festival. I caught up with vocalist and front man Brad Gilbertson to discuss the highs and lows of inspiration, band-life and venues in Newcastle.

TC: Okay, a big interest of mine because I’ve followed you for a fair while, where did the name come from?
Brad: Before we were called In Fiction, three of us were playing in a band called Short Term Gain, and it was going alright, but one night Darren Thompson, our manager at the time pulled us aside and said ‘Look, there’s no easy way to say this, but [your] name sucks, you need to change it.’ The next day we wrote down a list of words and fiction was on it, so we thought, how about chucking an 'in' on the front and just be In Fiction… It works well, as a lot of our songs are written almost as short stories. It was a necessity to change the name because it was terrible, so we just picked it out of random words.

TC: You wrote all of the lyrics didn’t you? Where does the inspiration come from?
Brad: Some of them were from personal experience, not necessarily the scenarios, but feelings you have about different things, you know what I mean? And as I said before, I’m always trying to tell a story through the song, so The Illusion [The Forecast (Album)] kind of talks about life as a band… 1945 [The Forecast (Album)] is a song that’s very important to me personally, as it’s actually talking about my Granddad, who served in the Second World War, so it’s almost a love letter, talking about how he’s gotten married then gone straight to war, and then come home again to try and start anew.

TC: What’s the best venue you’ve played at, and why?
Brad: That is a tough one. There are so many good venues… Particularly the larger, 1500 person stages, the atmosphere is intense. Fowler’s Live though, has the best backstage I have ever seen. I could list off the bad ones though.

TC: Alright, tell me about the bad ones.
Brad: Well, I don’t exactly remember names… But anywhere around Newcastle is bad. They’ve got places like, I don’t know, The Three Legged Dog. Actually that might actually be a place. But the music scene there needs a serious revamp… Once when we were playing a show in Newcastle, a guy was murdered on the stairs of the venue, the night before we were playing.

TC: Tell me about some of the crazy things you guys have done.
Brad: On our first tour, the Boomtown tour, we had played about 3 shows, then had a few days off, and we just went to the casino every night… Then all of a sudden our days off were gone and we had 8 shows left to play, I had completely lost my voice and we had to pull out of most of the next shows. We didn’t get offered any tours for a while.

Another time, we were doing a show in Melbourne and went out afterward… No joke at 3am we showed up at a place called the Honkey Tonk – surprisingly enough it wasn’t a gay bar – and there was this guy barbecuing shrimp. It was the only time I have ever seen an Aussie live up to that stereotype.

TC: The art you guys use - particularly the album art - is pretty fantastic, where did the inspiration come for that?
Brad: The Forecast was an interesting album, mainly because it was entirely written on tour. It was fairly unrealistic to produce an album in the time we did, but somehow we managed it. And the name was interesting, "to forecast" is to predict something with a certain degree of certainty. I spoke to our manager and suggested 'The Forecast' and he thought it was crap, but when I talked to the guys they all liked it. Originally we contacted a Brazilian art company, and they sent back these pictures of chicks in bikinis… Not really what we were after, so we got in touch with a Melbourne company called Robot Academy, what you see is what they gave us.

TC: What does the album art signify? Obviously it’s related to the assign of time, as everything is exploding out of a clock.
Brad: If you look at the whole picture, the closer to the clock is the more recent time, so at the other end, the start, there’s all the earthy type things, water, mountains and forests, then it becomes more industrialized, before moving to a gun and missiles, then eventually skulls. It’s designed as a circle, so the earthy nature things at the start eventually come around and kill off the development, and ready everything for a new beginning. It’s not intended to be religious at all.

TC: You’re now onto your 2nd bassist and 3rd drummer, was it difficult rotating through band members?
Brad: The hardest thing in Alistair’s [Bassist] case was that he had moved from Melbourne pretty much just to play in the band, so he had the whole relocation thing, and it was a huge leap of faith on his part. But, he’s liked it in Adelaide and actually met his lovely wife Courtney here, so that’s good. Drums were a little difficult because we actually switched drummers on tour; we ended up having Brodie [Her Latest Flame] play a lot of shows, which made the transition a lot easier for Tom [Drummer], although originally Tom signed on just for the album, but after recording that, he asked to stay on and we were stoked!

TC: So apart from replacing band members, what was the biggest challenge?
Brad: We were 5 individual people with 5 individual lives. It’s really, really hard to keep all that running smoothly. Everyone has their own ways of doing things, some people like this food, some people don’t, some people want to play at certain venues and not at others, some people have a big night out and rock up feeling crap, whilst others take an early one to be ready for the show. And the thing is, none of this can be shown on stage. There were times where Paul [Guitarist] and I wouldn’t have spoken for days, we’d go out on stage and play and be ‘normal’, then we’d go backstage and there would be this angry stand-off. I think we did a pretty good job of hiding that.

TC: What is the best memory you have from the band?
Brad: Probably how everything was when we first started, it’s was the type of thing that doesn’t really pay much but is so fun to do, like Steve [ex-drummer] and I grew up listening to Bodyjar, then all of a sudden we were playing on tour with them. Just the excitement of everything starting to come together. And then other things, like, touring all over the country and hearing the crowd sing along to Calendar Notes.

TC: Would you say Calendar Notes is your defining song?
Brad: As a band, I think so. It’s amazing, it was on our first EP [The Four Letter Failure], got no air-time at all, locally or nationally, and yet in every show we play, everyone somehow knows the words… We actually almost didn’t put it on the EP. It was written a couple of years before we recorded [The Four Letter Failure], and is a much more raw song than any of the other ones. Although, When The Camera’s Off [Ghost EP] is probably my favorite song to play, it’s just so much fun, there’s a real kick step to it and you can really get into it.

TC: Any last words?
Brad: The support we got was amazing, we are all so grateful for the support that everyone showed us throughout the time with In Fiction. On the breakup… It’s hard to explain that type of thing, because for us In Fiction had run its course, it wasn’t like the start anymore, but it’s really difficult because very few people see what’s going on internally. And we’re all still involved in music projects, so it’s not like we’re giving that up, it’s just more of a side project.

In Fiction are still maintaining their MySpace account, www.myspace.com/infictionband. Their music is also available for purchase via the iTunes Store.

Money, KRudd's Government, Uni Books & More!

I have decided I need more money.

I think in the current economic climate, if everyone was like me, there wouldn't be a problem. I have a wishlist that I have been working on since just after Christmas, full of lovely little things that I would love to spoil myself with. The current tally is:
- More ram for PC = $79ish
- New Graphics Card for PC
(1GB GTX280/ASUS) = $599ish
- Wii = $400 approx.
- Crumpler laptop case = $75
- Dawn of War 2 = $110
- Starcraft 2 = ????
= $1,263ish (+ SC2)

My current job brings in about $325/week after tax, however take out of this general expenses, such as food at work (I really should start taking a packed dinner), petrol (fortnightly), metrotickets (every few weeks or so), treats, current debts ($500), random acts of kindness... It all adds up.
PLUS I am trying to start saving for a trip... somewhere. I'm not sure exactly, but it will be fantastic.
Don't forget the drinking either.

Now, in my current position, you can see that a 'gift' of $950 from the government would be very welcome, to say the least. However this time I am reading the fine print that comes with it. Mr Downer wrote a formidable piece in today's Advertiser (I know it's a crock of shit, but he has a decent opinion, despite his occasional faux pas), which I will not repeat, mainly because I don't have a copy.

The general gist of it is that Rudd's $42 billion hand-out is the worst idea since the League of Nations' appeasement policy prior to World War 2. Not only will it result in an astronomical amount of national debt, which we really don't need, but the idea itself is flawed. I was forwarded this e-mail, which I think adequately describes the situation:
"Important Information on the Stimulus Payment

"This year, taxpayers will receive an Economic Stimulus Payment. This is a very exciting new program that I will explain using the Q and A format:

"Q. What is an Economic Stimulus Payment?

"A. It is money that the federal government will send to Taxpayers.

"Q. Where will the government get this money?

"A. From taxpayers.

"Q. So the government is giving me back my own money?

"A. Only a smidgen.

"Q. What is the purpose of this payment?

"A. The plan is that you will use the money to purchase a high-definition TV set, thus stimulating the economy.

"Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of China?

"A. Shut up."
_____________________________________________

Below is some helpful advice on how to best help the Economy by spending your stimulus check wisely:

If you spend that money at K-Mart, all the money will go to China.

If you spend it on petrol it will go to the Arabs.

If you purchase a computer it will go to India.

If you purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to South East Asia or New Zealand (unless you buy organic).

If you buy a car it will go to Japan.

If you purchase useless crap it will go to Taiwan.

And none of it will help the economy.

We need to keep that money here. You can keep the money here by spending it at garage sales, going to a football game, or spending it on prostitutes, beer or tattoos, since those are the only businesses still here."

Read the second part again.

There is very little that the Australian consumer can do to specifically stimulate the Australian economy. Buying Australian Owned & Made products is one - but in all honesty, who can be bothered? Following the advice of the above email is another, however on things like beer there is now a ridiculously high tax, so the government gets a lot of the money back anyway.

I know where mine will mainly be going - if indeed we get it: Uni Books! Not necessarily the store, however. With an estimated $450 needed for 1st Semester alone, I relish the opportunity to not have to fork out myself - although it is a little ironic, because it is our taxes that will be paying off the debt - at least 10 times over, it is estimated.

In other news, I have opened an e-Bay account to try and raise funds for my wishlist, so please, look at my wares! (Mainly PC games and crap music).

Until next time, amigos.

~Coops

We drank wine in the matinée...

Yes, well. I am currently sitting in Sydney airport feeling quite drowsy. There is a lot of hustle and bustle considering it is 10.13 am on a Sunday. But still, FREE INTERNET.

Yes my friends, if you are in Sydney airport, and you have a MacBook of any description (I'm sure it would work on Windows machine) connect to 'The Lounge Sydney', and you will be provided with free internet, courtesy of Virgin Blue.

Gotta love it.

My flight here was really enjoyable, I sat next to a Mr McDonald (I do know his first name, I just don't want to fail at spelling it - Yewen? Something Scottish like that) and we had a great chat about his experiences with people, work and life in general. He works in the oil industry, primarily testing desposits, and has worked in Canada, the US, and more recently, Iran. He had a lot of great viewpoints, came from farming stock, and passe don some advice that I will remember for a long time.

Thank you, Mr McDonald, for making my flight so enjoyable. I wish you all the best in Canada, and hope that your business fulfills both its own potential and your dreams. And who knows, if I do become a lawyer, despite not being my preference at the moment, maybe we'll cross paths! (Not in a bad way.)

Unwanted Attention

In today's world, sexuality is a constantly debated topic. Gays of both gender face a fair amount of difficulty in both professional and social aspects of their lives. A lot of this is unfair, and often unprovoked. However, there is a percentage of the population that does bring themselves down, and invites some of the flak that they receive.

Before I continue, let me put one thing straight: I don't have a problem with gay people. I know some fantastic gay people. My brother would be one of them; I have a few friends who are wonderful, and a few of his friends who are wonderful. However, there have been a few incidents which are complete hand-pulling-shirt-collar situations. I won't describe all of them, but let's just say if I for some reason wanted to start a vendetta against gay men, I would have ample reason to.

This particular incident is fairly recent. i have several friends who, despite being relatively sure about their heterosexuality, have at one time or another leaned into a Scrubs-like moment of contemplation and just wondered. As it turns out, one of those friends made a tiny faux pas when we were out for a few drinks. He had been pushing me to go out, I hadn't seen him in a while, it all sounded like a good idea. I had some other things to do, but the night started really well, so I decided to keep going. It was around the 3rd bar, and the 7th drink that we took a walk to hunt down a Savings & Loans hole in the wall.

It was on the walk back that things took a little spin. My friend decided - perhaps because his sensibilities had been lowered or even removed by alcohol - to tell me that whilst he wasn't bisexual, I was someone that he would make an exception for.

I'll just let that sink in.

At first, that could be slightly flattering. But then the reality of the situation sets in. I am a slightly younger friend, who is in a very happy relationship with his girlfriend of 18 months. He is a fairly close friend, with no current or recent relationships that I know of. This makes me just a teensy bit uncomfortable.

More to the point, as far as he concerned, same-sex occurrences did not equal cheating. This was even more worrying. I put the message out there that I wasn't interested, thank you, and can we just leave it at that.

This issue does tie in to my previous post. What is one supposed to do when 'no' is not enough? And when your morals and personal standpoints are utterly in conflict with someone else?

I think the main problem here is not so much the actual informing of the attraction, but the actions that followed it. I have had men before tell me that they were interested. One was very sweet, one of the nicest people you could possibly meet, who just told me that when I was 18 (I was underage at the time), if I ever decided to follow that path, he would be interested. Another, slightly unpleasant experience was when I was out for a run a few months later, and a 30-something year old man tried to convince me to go home with him, and that despite my feelings about men (or rather, lack of them) all that would change I "have [my] dick in his mouth".

My friend could have decided to leave it, but he pressed on. Hopefully now he will, and we can resume the friendship with boundaries as just friends. But it needs to be understood, not just by him, but by others; sometimes what you want is not what someone else does. Whether you're straight, gay, bi, experimenting or just confused, people have limits and boundaries and these need to be respected.

Otherwise all that could happen is something everyone regrets.