Jed Rowe : Peak experience

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Before Rowe headed overseas, he studied maths and physics in Brisbane, but at age 19, mind wrinkled with questions, he dumped Uni course and surf board and took off for the Rocky Mountains to snow-board. He sustained this extreme pastime by cooking at a Colorado ski resort. The overseas escape became something of a soul-searching exercise for Rowe, however, leading him to realise that song-writing was something he couldn't ignore. "There was a point where it all crystallised that I wanted to pursue music, and I sang these melodies into my dictaphone and when I got back [to Australia] finished them into songs."

After this trip, Rowe moved to the Dandenong Ranges, which he still calls home. With a dictaphone full of ideas, he put down his new songs onto a four-track. "I recorded demos of the songs and I played a few live gigs in the hills just doing my solo thing with some songs I'd had for a while. The songs grew through live performance."

In the hillside community he played at the vibrant local coffee house scene and it was at one of these cafes that he met Stuart Oliver, a bassist and engineer who encouraged him to form a band. Rowe called on mutual aqcaintances Josh Licht on drums (Xavier Rudd, Symbiosis) and multi-instrumentalist Michael Arvanitakis to fill out the sound.

"The recording itself was a quick process, recorded at a warehouse in Brunswick. In fact the drummer did all his songs in half and hour and I helped with his gear into the car because he had to rush off to the other side of town for another gig." After doing the album themselves with basic resources at their disposal, they took the songs to Atlantis Studios for a final mix from Dave McCluey (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Area 7) and master by Wes Prictor.

Rowe describes the content of his songs as "a combination of everyday stories and what goes on in everyday life, which I think gives the songs a sense of reality and aliveness. I'm also really into yoga and meditation and the parallels between your inner world and outer world - like when you're driving along and there's all this scenery going by and then there's what you're thinking at the same time."

He also counts the natural environment as a huge inspiration and draws imagery and metaphors from its landscape. He has a history of being drawn to hilly landscapes that echo his childhood and conceeds that it has probably influenced the pace and sound of his music. "I've pretty much always lived in the forest and in rural environments - it's where I feel most at home."

Jed also plays lapsteel on Life and now relishes playing it live with the band. "It's really good, because it frees me up to play lap steel, which I couldn't do before when it was just me."

Rowe has finally settled into the idea of a life in music and has found that utilising his skills to become a guitar and vocals teacher is paying off. I get the feeling talking to him that he's pretty excited by the year ahead after his slow-coming epiphany.

"I've come to the realisation - it was a gradual thing - that doing music is how I want to spend my time."

For more details about the EP Life, visit www.jedrowe.com.

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Devastated kittens

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The Young Professionals opened up with yelping songs about smug boys. The band take on the roles of the story of the song; they compare notes amongst themselves: They keyboardist is asked 'Hey Hannah! Whaddyou think about this smug boy?" and she replies in kind. This group of Amazonian babes (with one boy on drums) take a rocking slumber party scream-into-hairbrushes dress-up onto the stage, with smart lyrics, interesting song structures and a vibrant dynamic.

Hate Rock Trio (or as it is sometimes written HTRK3) throbbed hazily through a more average set. Their sound of guitar shattering and reforming over electric slinking beats and the restless groove of the bass seemed more indolent than usual and was confirmed by the usually palely lusty front girl lacking what flaking lustre is normally present, with a doomish bang of maracca on the trademark floor tom and mournful near-monotone voice.

Rowland always has a bit to contend with. His ailments, thirsty adulators, his reputation, and now his memory is failing him. "Now where was I up to?" He says, with mention of his forgetfulness, after fending off some eager heckling. The set's a selection from the rotating set of covers and from the long since album Teenage Snuff Film. Have people had enough of snuff? It seems not. The guitar (as mixed by Moro [I think]) has attack to match the tense rhythm of Rowland's playing. And Rowland's stories still carry their weight, though we've all heard them before, we want to hear them again. Tell us the one about when you burnt the clothes, Uncle Rowland.
When someone puts themself through this kind of hell and back, it's compelling.

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