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15 Volume 1
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Hands full with EMI New EMI owner Guy Hands might just provide the biggest shake-up that the industry has ever seen. By David James
Alt.
folk Images
By Daniel Smith
Boxing MilesMiles Davis: The Complete On the Corner Sessions By Peter Kelleher
Jazz Hear free play Tommas Capellato Quintet Text by Brae Grimes Every morning, when I begin my journey to work, I think about what the beginning of my day’s soundtrack will be. Sometimes it’s jazz, sometimes it’s metal, and somedays a touch of classical, but after Sunday nights performance I will be listening to home-grown jazz to liven my senses. In one of the most inspirational performances I have seen, Tommas Capellato (drums) and his quintet (which included local heroes such as Peter Knight on trumpet/electronics, Colin Hopkins on piano, Frank Di Sario on Double Bass and Steve Magnusson on guitar), fought through free-form structure to create a beautiful, intriguing and coherent performance. |
Jim Kelly: fire and fusion By Megan Albany
“I just wanted more space for music. I’m in the last quarter of my life and I didn’t want to just be tucked away teaching,” says Kelly. “I wanted to play while I still have this potency and still have something to say. It was close to 18 years that I was teaching at Southern Cross, but in the end I guess it was a variety of things that prompted my decision.”
Marc Mittag: Touring with Mike Clark By Megan Albany
We’ve all got our heroes. The person I would most like to meet before I die is Stevie Wonder. Even if I could just get close enough to have a bit of sweat flicked on me during a concert I’d be happy. But what if you could actually get to play music with your hero? What if you got to see the Clark Kent behind the Superman mask? Well, our featured rising star for this edition, guitarist Marc Mittag, got to do just that. “Growing up, my musical heroes were people like Herbie Hancock, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen and Mike Clark,” says Mittag. “I’ve always been attracted to people who are breaking new ground and that are not only great musicians but do whatever it takes to attract an audience into listening to what they have to say. All my heroes are not only great musicians but also great showmen.” Send us your email, notes, memos, random thoughts, trenchant complaints. Tell us about your adventures, strugggles, disasters, disappointments and successes as a musician. We give preference to letters of 200 words or less, but try your luck anyway. We may edit your letters for reasons of space, or possibly because we're just a bunch of interfering bastards. Despite that, we welcome your feedback, comments and observations. You can use a pseudonym if you wish, but please include your real name, suburb/town and, if you are writing from outside Victoria, your state/country. Email us at musosunion@aol.com.
Got
a problem or question relating to the music biz? Ask Uncle Terry. Email Uncle Terry on musosunion@aol.com. Please provide your name and suburb (& state/country, if you're not a Victorian yokel...) Charge! Dear Uncle Terry How do you work out what is a fair rate to change for as a band? Al Dear Al, There are awards which govern the minimum pay rates and conditions of
musicians just as there are for any other occupation. You can view a useful
rate summary at the Musicians' Union website. Many musicians think that the award only applies to people employed on a permanent basis. This is not correct. Awards apply to all employees whether they are permanent or casual. Awards are not enforceable if the musician is a contractor rather than an employee but musicians should not assume that this is normally the case for a casual engagement. In any case, contractors should expect to be paid more than employees because they assume many of the employer’s responsibilities. If you are offered less than the award rate as a contactor, you are not being offered a fair rate. It is also important to understand that the award rate is not set by the union, it is set independently by the Fair Pay Commission; you should always point this out in discussions about pay. You should also point out that the award rate is set as a minimum and it is normal to negotiate above it. If you need help working out how the award rate applies to your gig, contact the Musicians Union. Uncle Terry
Band Names - The Novel By Megan It's a Long Way To The Top If You Want To Rock n' Roll Albany
Consider me gone And now, the time is near. Something, face...the final curtain. Yes, I'm moving out of the editorial seat of The Dues. It has been a fascinating few years since this ezine began, and something tells me you ain't seen nothing yet. I'd like to thank my parents, my manager, but more seriously, all the superb writers who have contributed over the years, and who will, I trust, contribute even more vigorously in the future. And the many fascinating, talented, funny and smart musicians, both the famous and the obscure, who have been featured in our little red rag to all the bull out there. And, just because I can, just because maybe this will be the last time I ever get to write exactly what I want in such a self-indulgent way AND get it published as written, I'm going to write about what I like and don't like. Disclaimer:
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Eliot Spitzer dummy? By Theo Schulsospekz First he was the crusading New York State Attorney General
attacking corruption in the music industry (see Intelligence in Issue
14 of The Dues), then he was elected Governor of that state, now he
has resigned over his alleged involvement with prostitutes. Intelligence
makes no comment on Eliot Spitzer’s morals but
notes that payola practicing record companies and radio stations will
probably be breathing a sigh of relief.
Part
14 in a series by Hello my harmonical neoyphytes and initiates! If this is your first time - you know you're special, baby - check out previous articles in this series. There is a harmony column in most previous issues of this e-rag. Last time, I asked you to go away and work out the notes in the 12 minor major seventh chords (if the juxtaposition of "minor" and "major" bothers you, check out the last issue where all is explained!). The symbol for the minor/major seventh chord comes in various flavours:
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The
new owner of EMI Records, Guy Hands, head of the private equity firm Terra
Firma, certainly knows he has a fight on his hands. It was recently reported
by Graeme Philipson in The Age that when EMI sought to get the views of
its customers, it invited a group of teenagers into its London headquarters
to ask them about their purchasing habits. “At the end they were
thanked and asked to help themselves to a big pile of EMI CDs on the table,”
the report said. “None of the teenagers took any. They didn't want
them.”
Fresh
from taping the TV show Spicks and Specks in early March, Totally
Gourdgeous played their only other Melbourne gig at the East
Brunswick Club. This was a great evening for many reasons, not least of
which was the sound. The East Brunsick Club, when in intimate mode, has
one of Melbourne's best acoustics for medium-level bands. The acoustics
are very controllable, the desk, mics and PA are superb, and the in-house
mixer did a great job of dealing with Totally Gourdgeous' sometimes complex
sonic requirements.
Each
time a new boxed set of Miles Davis’ work comes out, I clasp my
hands together and thank Heaven. Each time, I dig out my wallet to dust
off the notes with which to make the new offering my own. Each time, I
anticipate eagerly the discovery of some hidden gems to make the outlay
worth it. And each time, I am rewarded with delights that make me join
my hands in thankfulness for the man Miles Davis.
The
times they are a-changing for the father of Australian fusion, Jim Kelly.
The virtuoso guitarist, best known for his work with fusion band Crossfire,
has now officially retired from his full-time gig teaching music degree
students at Southern Cross University. The Dues recently
caught up with him to find out what prompted the change.
Band
names seem to be getting longer and longer, in fact we’re sure it
won’t be long before there’s a band called War and Peace –
the band. Perhaps it’s because everytime you think of the perfect
adjective, the accompanying dot com is already taken or perhaps it’s
just because there’s way too many bands on myspace,
which incidentally should be renamed everyoneandtheirdogsspace.
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