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Asleep at the wheel Recording industry loses control
Sorry for bending Polly's gender It has come to our attention that our Media Critique reviewer, W. Earl D' Moussec, mistakenly implied that Polly Coufos is female (Issue 1 Don't mention the music). Polly is, of course, a man, and doubtless a fine one. Ms D'Moussec has been severely disciplined and also fired. Her family have disowned her. She will never work again in this town. We hope you're all satisfied! Indie
Rock
By Nike Reikjavike If I were comparing Jess Cornelius to a wine, she'd be a big red, something out of the Penfolds stable perhaps, interesting, with touches of greatness already, needing a bit of cellar time to show her full potential. Originally from New Zealand, Cornelius is a singer/songwriter in the august tradition of the Patti Smith/PJ Harvey school. She has a far better voice than Patti Smith ever had, and certainly comes across on stage as more lushly beautiful - a touch of the Southern, dark wing of hair over one eye, Angelina Jolie playing trailer trash look. But it's her voice you keep coming back to. It is an amazing instrument, floating with a bit of air in the upper registers, growling with low-gear power at the bottom of her range. It is a big, chanteuse voice, and when Jess Cornelius really lets rip (which she did only briefly in this gig) it is astonishingly powerful and affecting. Her technique is also wonderful - plunging from the heights to the depths with rock solid control and pitching. She also knows how to play with pitching and get away with it, as so many other performers painfully don't. Jazz Vintage Miles a knockout
This is rock and roll as we have all wished it could be; and it is jazz as we could never have imagined it. Between February and June of 1970, Miles Davis re-entered the studios to record the sound track for a documentary on the life of boxer Jack Johnson. Apart from the Macero/Davis montage that made up the two tracks on the awesome resulting album, A Tribute to Jack Johnson, many of the takes made it to the light of day over the next several years on a variety of albums (Live Evil (1971), Big Fun (1974), Directions (1981)) in a variety of truncations and splicings. Country Urban
cowgirls I should start this review with a confession. I only stayed for the first set. No, it wasn't because the band was lousy, or because I'm a wanky reviewer what's heard two songs and thinks he knows everything! My friend was sick and I had to take her home. And that's all I have to say about that... Git are a four piece country band, featuring three guitars and double bass. Their sweet three-part country harmonies wouldn't sound out of place on a Dolly Parton record, but their touch, while just as cheerful, is lighter, more urban chic and wittier. They've also been compared to the Dixie Chicks and the Andrews Sisters, which gives you some idea of their range. Punk/ska Chicken
goes off in sun The weather set the mood at the Alley stage. With clear skies and the sun shining down on everyone, it was difficult not to enjoy the many fine performances that day. Set up as a part of The AGMF's Toowoomba street festival, the Alley stage consisted of a stage set up in a car park accessible only by two alleyways. Sounds Like Chicken were the last band to perform before a 3-hour break in shows. An individual band who describe themselves as hardcore ska, sLc managed to draw a considerable crowd despite their distance from their hometown of Melbourne, showing that they have a strong interstate fan base. Displaying their always impressive stage antics, they blew away most bands who'd played before them with a set of mainly older songs off their first two releases - songs like Loose Ends, Can't Sleep, Cannibals Will Eat Me, Flipside and 40 What?. Appalling record contract turns dream to nightmare In this second issue of The Dues we look at the experience of someone who has achieved what many aspiring musicians regard as the "dream": a number of Top 40 hits. This singer, who we call "Robbie" to conceal his identity, has been dealt with appallingly. Unfortunately, such experiences are more the norm than the exception, although there are some tricks used by the management/record company that seem unusually devious and heartless. Musicians are vulnerable. Their single-minded focus on achieving success leads to their being ruthlessly exploited by record companies and managers. It is hardly a new phenomenon: stories of musicians' hardship are almost as old as the industry itself. The answer to the question: "Why do industry people behave this way?" is simple enough: "Because they can." Disclaimer: |
How to make it to the top... ...and
end up $200,000 in debt.
Well, perhaps just
the fame. Because although Robbie has been able to sell records, he has
finished over $200,000 in debt. And he was only advanced $5,000 dollars
when he signed (all potentially repayable, of course).
By Peter Haydon Jess Cornelius, along with former Bic Runga drummer Tom Berteis and bassist Michael Sanders (formerly of Modern Day Prophets and Probe) forms the Jess Cornelius Disorder, a band that has been compared to PJ Harvey or Sonic Youth. In fact, Cornelius' influences are wide-ranging, including dub, triphop and 80's electro. Cornelius' guitar shows a rythmic blues influence, which sets off her powerful vocals. Jess got her start in music at high school in Wellington, New Zealand, studying trumpet and later guitar and singing. She entered the Smoke Free Rock Quest, making the regional finals. Her arrival in Melbourne was relationally complicated. "In 2000, I was in Nelson [New Zealand] doing a contemporary music course," says Cornelius. "My then boyfriend's band wanted to move to Melbourne. So I persuaded my band to come out to Melbourne with me, too! Of course, when we arrived, my boyfriend's band had decided not to come! I was stranded in Melbourne...which turned out to be a great thing." Jazz
By Neville Klotz always had pop posters in room but he didn't start to play guitar until he was 18. "I was into the band Counting Crows [a rock band famous for their (atypical) single 'Mr Jones'] Eventually I got to meet them and hang out with them. I keep in touch with the guitarist David Immurgluck" When he finished high school, Neville started guitar lessons. "I discovered the blues, progressed to jazz, then got interested in music theory," he says. Klotz regards jazz as the epitome of improvisation. "I love Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass for his great solo work, Russell Malone - he played for Harry Connick Jnr and Diana Krall." Born and raised in Johannesburg, Klotz got into the jazz scene in Capetown. "Bands would invite me to play at their gigs," he says "Jazz standards are an international language - you can go to Vienna and jazz players use the same songs still." When doing his first recordings on an 8-track at home, Klotz put down guitar tracks, then went into the bathroom to do the vocal tracks. "When I switched on the light, the fan started up, so I ended up singing in the dark!" he reminisces. Send us your email, notes, memos, random thoughts, trenchant complaints. Tell us about your adventures, strugggles, disasters, disappointments and successes as a musician. Reviewer changes gender Had a look [at
Issue 1]. Woudl [sic] have been good if your writer had checked
that Polly Coufos ["Don't Mention The Music"] is not
female. Phil Tripp, Newtown NSW In her
last words, W.Earl D'Moussec replies: It has been brought to your Dues
writer's attention that the esteemed musical journalist Polly Coufos is
male and not female as assumed in the my Media Critique review "Don't
mention the music!" (Issue 1). Your Dues writer apologises unreservedly
for any pain, discomfort or confusion caused by this error.
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. (Uncle Terry is a grumpy old man who lives in a cave in one of the less fashionable corners of the Yarra Valley. He is not a qualified legal practitioner and he does not dispense formal legal advice. Neither he nor the publishers of "The Dues" accept any liability for the results of acting on the opinions, statements or recommendations expressed in his column) You can email Uncle Terry on musosunion@aol.com. Can you manage without a manager? Dear Uncle Terry, Dear Jed Before you decide that you need a manager you need to know exactly what you expect that person to do. If by "the next level" you are talking about a recording deal, TV appearance and arena sized concerts then anyone who can help you get there is probably not interested in your band unless you have already made a big impact. You should also be aware that this "next level" is full of potential pitfalls and doesn't guarantee you any return (in fact you are quite likely to end up in debt - see our article How to make it to the top... in this issue)...
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JJJ takin' bacon ? By Theo Schulsus Pecs JJJ takes bacon ?
If you find this
hard to believe check out the TripleJ
registration site. No bull ...click here for more Intelligence Quote, and be damned Reviewer: Matthew
Westwood By Harold Lee Stricken In last month's edition of The Dues, readers were assaulted by a couple of pieces reviewing the print media's attempts to come to grips with writing about the branch of the beautiful least amenable to the written word. Some worthwhile points were made, especially with regard to mentioning the music (see Issue 1 review "Don't mention the music") and to confusing biographical fluff with appreciation: "N'Dour is 'very comfortable walking in his shoes'." At the same time, the review of the review pointed up the impossibility of giving a reader (any reader, neophyte or cognoscento) even the least glimmer of what it would be like to experience the music under consideration.
Gettler works the words Reviewer: Leon
Gettler By Beth Burnham-Woods Within the compass of 136 words, Gettler manages to compress seven separate pieces of factual information and one floating philosophical assertion and still have room for a longish descriptive passage of one piece of music from the CD under consideration. The tightness of the space available to Gettler restricts his use of purple prose; but he has an answer: borrowing tropes from the ante-post-deconstructionists, Gettler has it in mind to make the language work hard; and, frankly, it works. More
HARMONY Part Two in a series
by Welcome back! ...or if this is your first visit I strongly suggest that you check out Part 1 in the first edition of "The Dues". OK, we now know all of the notes used in traditional western music (like I said last time, there are some microtones but hoocairs!). Harmony is when two or more notes are played at the same time. A group of notes played at the same time is called a CHORD (pronounced "cord"). The Young Shark's Guide to Negotiation II Second in a three-part series By Verite Soon Stage 3 - Let the negotiations begin! 1.
Have you done your homework? How much can a microphone stand? By Steve Smith There comes a time in every musician's career when they are confronted with selecting a microphone for live or recorded work. For live work, durability is the key, and the ubiquitous Shure SM57 and SM58 microphones are almost a de facto standard, owing to their low price and near indestructable quality. Both are dynamic mics. SM57's are renowned for miking guitar amplifiers, snare drums, and for general purposes work where the use is not handheld, although Bono from U2 and several other male vocalists have used these for vocals, according to anecdotal accounts. While the SM58 boasts the same internal mic capsule as the SM57, its housing is designed for physical handling, and its frequency response is ideal for many vocalists, and even suits brass and reeds.
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This is the
true story of successful pop star 'Robbie' (not his real name). Robbie
has achieved what many young musicians dream of: a string of successful
songs. Over the last two years, he has had four Top 40 hits, and has managed
to achieve considerable popularity amongst the listening public. All the
elements of the "Great Musicians Dream". Fame and fortune, you
might think? 
Indie
Rock 
Neville
Klotz: tracing a tune
Er...trouble
is, few details of these two supposed "prizes" are given. Anyone
with a passing knowledge of the nature of music industry contracts could
reasonably conclude that these "prizes" are likely to be no
more than a conveniently packaged opportunity to get ripped off.
the
site will be used to erect yet another block of inner suburban apartments.
Could be that the Fitzroy Latin boom is finally experiencing a slow down.
Non-Latin specific venues in the same area such as the Night Cat
seem to be still doing well.
