Issue
4 Volume 1
November
2004
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Issue
4 Volume 1
November
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The kids aren't alright Underage gigs banned in the CBD
Benefit
gig By Peter Haydon
You can imagine, then, that I was in a somewhat jaded state when reviewing Rock for the Roses, and the crowd for the first act (consisting of about 60 performers, organisers, media reps, and partners, parents and very close friends of the bands) seemed much the same. Attending the virgin gig in the gigantic cathedral of the newly-redeveloped QBH, we sat silently nursing our orange juices, and waited with trepidation for the show to start.
Dance/rap Faithless
no bore By H.H. Pope Fred Have you ever seen a tennis arena FULL of people jumping up and down? Have you ever heard over three thousand people chanting "We are one"? Well if you haven't, you obviously weren't at the Vodaphone arena to see Faithless rock Melbourne last month. Indie/alternative rock Almost famous Album: treason season
Clinkerfield is a band of extraordinary musical sophistication and breadth, who manage to hide all that quite well under a loose, grungy, post-bloke cover of beer-drinking country boys. You just need to look at the cover of their album treason season to begin to sense some of the contradictions. One the cover is some brightly-pub or club toilet (an obvious visual reference to the cover of their previous album "Wrote your name on a toilet wall") with a tragic young queen sprawled on the toilet seat, roses strewn at his/her feet. The young queen in the photo is Jimmy Stewart, usually a dinky-di fella. Stewart, the driving force behind the band's songwriting, is himself a mass of contradictions. Putting together songs of harmonic and lyrical sophistication - this is obviously a young man in love with words - he then grinds them out in a rugged/sweet voice over a kick-and-kiss backing that lurches between grunge bloke and lyrical angel. The lyrics are shot with a sidelong vein of humour.
Art scene clues and underage blues In this issue of The Dues, we talk to a man who has become the public voice of art music in Australia, who has attracted and fascinated a wide audience with his wide interests, extraordinary knowledge and perception of all kinds of music, and enthusiastic style. That man is Andrew Ford, increasingly celebrated presenter of ABC Radio's The Music Show. An English-born composer, Andrew has trenchant things to say about the Australian art music scene, Australian culture, and Australian support for the arts. In addition, we examine the youth gig scene, struck a blow recently by the ban on underage shows in the Melbourne CBD. The proponents of this ban want to protect children from violence of the kind that broke out recently at a Metro underage gig. But have they created a more dangerous situation as a result, with frustrated gigless teenagers roaming the streets, looking for an outlet for their energy? There are complex issues surrounding this debate, and the proposed solutions may not be as effective as they might seem on the surface.
Disclaimer: Do you really know what you like? By Terry Noone
I recently heard two top executives discussing who chooses what is heard on radio. The first, from the record company side, complained that radio limited its formats and therefore what was broadcast. The second, from commercial radio, said "we only play what the public wants". This exchange raises the question: "What does the public actually want to hear?". Neither of the two people mentioned above could be described as a disinterested commentator. Both have an agenda. Both think that, even if they don't know what the public wants, they know what the public ought to want. For both, this is whatever their respective organisations are trying to sell, but do these two represent the only players in this game?
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Andrew Ford ...the
meaninglessness of music and the meanness of bureaucrats.
His media style is further proof, if proof were needed, that the best proponents for music are often its exponents. At the very least, a deep knowledge of music is a major advantage. If music is the dumb art - the poet T. S. Eliot said it lacked an "objective correlative" - then discussion tends to be either about technicalities or around the fringes: aesthetics, personalities, history.
By Peter Haydon The DeMarco name conjures up romance, and the life of Rosario DeMarco certainly has a touch of the romantic about it. "Someone once read the future in my palm," he says. "Though I don't really believe in such things. She said I had magic hands, and that I would win through in the end. We all have something magic within." DeMarco, a fine guitarist, has won through. He has opened for Omara Portuondo from The Buena Vista Social Club band and Ladysmith Black Mombazo. He has a music project that aims to unite the world, starting with Melbourne. Indie pop
By Girl Pilot may be a young band, but they are surprisingly mature for their year. Their oldest member is just seventeen, the youngest thirteen. They also boast strong family bonds: singer Sarah Maio and guitarist Rob are brother and sister, bassist Mike is their cousin, while drummer Joe is a childhood friend. Send us your email, notes, memos, random thoughts, trenchant complaints. Tell us about your adventures, strugggles, disasters, disappointments and successes as a musician. Reviewed dude Dear Nike Hi! You recently reviewed my stage performance at Dream nightclub in
the August edition of The Dues [Issue 3]. Anyway, I am sending you my demo CD. I will be performing the first 2 songs on the CD at a Charity Concert for Victims of Stalking. I am really trying to overcome my nerves and develop a better live presence. I now use a keyboard and I am tring to create lighting and DVD projected images on stage. I sound better and look better (I have been told).
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 local yokel...) Cover band dazed and confused about agent fees G'day Uncle Terry, Just a quick enquiry in regards to any laws that might govern the
Melbourne cover bands scene....Our band has heard whispers that in the
case of an ongoing residency ( in our case 3.5 years), the agent may have
limited entitlement to its regular commission after three months. The
understanding of this is that the band is responsible for the venue being
happy with their continued employment, and the subsequent lack of neccessary
agent intervention.....Is there any truth in this rumour? Dear Disgruntled and confused band, There must be something in the water, this is the second enquiry on this issue I has received recently! I'm is no lawyer so this ain't legal advice but as far as I can work out this situation is governed by the "Law of Agency" which says that whatever is in the contract between the band and the agent remains the deal until the contract is terminated. As long as the contract remains in existence then the agent can continue to charge the agreed percentage. New South Wales, unlike Victoria, has legislation governing agents. There, agents can charge up to 10% for the first five weeks and then it drops to a maximum of 5%. I have been sadly unable to find any evidence to corroborate your rumour. Uncle Terry
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Delta blues fade By Theo Schulsus Pecs Formerly ailing diva Delta Goodrem and parents have apparently resolved their legal blue with "Kool School" entrepreneur Paul Higgins over the fabled "lost first album" recorded when DG was 15. The agreement remains confidential. Not even intelligence can get to the bottom of this one; where does the ubiquitous but former DG manager Glenn Wheatley fit in?
...click here for more Intelligence What about the music? Reviewer: Nui
Te Koha By Xavier Kaikeneetitu
Not a bad job Nui, particularly when compared with some of the efforts we've seen reviewed in this section of The Dues in the past. You gave us a bit of back story about Benson's most recent album. You told us he can still sing. You even gave us the titles of a few of his past albums. Benson's guitar work received a mention as did a "scorching duet" with one of his back up singers (although it would have been nice to know if the duet had Benson playing guitar or singing).
Connors scores Reviewer: Matthew
Connors By Xavier
Kaikeneetitu HARMONY
Part Four in
a series by Here we go again! As I always say, if this is your first visit, I strongly suggest that you check out the Harmony series in previous issues of The Dues (click the Archive button at the top of this page). Last time your homework was to figure out what notes are in the flat keys by using the cycle. Here's the cycle again for those who didn't memorize it like I suggested (if you don't do what you are told you'll never get an elephant stamp!): How to get a properly-paid gig Part
I in a series by This series is about how to get gigs that pay decent money; sufficient to earn a living if you worked four or five per week. This series is not about self expression, changing the world with your vital political message or being cool like the musicians you have read about in music magazines. (I will show you how you might be able to sneak at least two of these in however!)
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You know how it is. You arrive at the venue (in my case, the Elsternwick
Lawn Bowls Club) at five pm, set up the PA and lights, then thrash, slide
and thump your way through forty five songs by actual count (including
four impromptu songs accompanying the gently inebriated dillettant guitarist
who is a blood relative of the guest of honour), playing to a dancin'
hollerin'crowd (average age 45 by actual count) who just won't quit. You
bump out, stagger home at two am, set the alarm to allow plenty of time
to get to the Rock for the Roses gig in the morning, get jangled into
wakefulness after six hours sleep, realise that jolly old daylight saving
has kicked in, then, feeling deadly, pedal the treadly desperately from
Northcote to the Queensbridge Hotel, South Melbourne.
British
compatriots Way Out West got the crowd warmed up before Faithless
launched into over an hour and a half of music that you just couldn't
stand still to. Most of the numbers were from their latest release No
Roots featuring a great live version of the charting track Weapons
of Mass Destruction, and an entrancing mix of I want more (the
most recent single from the album). Older fans were not left out: with
Insomnia, God is a DJ, I want my Family Back and
a very moving audience participation performance of We are One.
The first thing one notices about Andrew Ford is that he has an uncommonly
musical speaking voice. The second thing is that he has rather a lot to
say with it. Ford, an English born composer and host of The Music Show
on Radio National, has become one of the more important players in Australian
music, especially its classical tributary. His radio persona is suffused
with an enthusiasm, sometimes delight, that is both rare and animating.
Guitar/world
Girl
Pilot:
Who's that strange
man & why is he following me? 
Matthew
Connors is to be congratulated for this review. He has given readers a
clear description of the style of the music played at the reviewed event,
he has quoted sufficient references to allow even the most poorly informed
reader to easily access further information about, and examples of, that
music and he has painted a clear picture of the nature and quality of
the actual performance. Reviews that demonstrate all of these features
are rare indeed as regular readers of this section of The Dues
will be only too aware. Connors demonstrates that this is not all that
difficult to achieve and his review raises the question: why doesn't this
occur more often? 