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Showing posts from 2015

Chest Thumping Hard Rock & Blues - The Floors

The Floors massive sound gave the audience a powerful aural assault from the first drum beat. This live performance was one of the best I have seen in a while. Right from the get-go, this crowd copped a good ol' helping of west-side love that was LOUD! Hailing from Perth, The Floors are brothers Luke & Ryan Dux with Drummer Ash Doodkorte...they describe their sound "Like a steam train through your chest"...I describe it as having bold yet intricate bass that is so sexy it floors you;  skins tighter than your Nanna's purse strings and a great variety in showing influences spanning Blues, Rock and little punk. One of the more recent tracks, 'Join the Fight' I feel is aimed a little more at the radio audience as it is a little softer than their other material...that's not to say it's not good, I love it. Reminds me of Grinspoon & other such rock bands with guts. My fave release so far though is 'Built From Bones'. They site influ

What's Your Top Tune This Year?

My favourite month of the year, Aus music month, has rolled around FINALLY and looking back on the superb quality of albums released this year it's going to be ... hard to pick only one that stands out...so here are 2 that impressed me, which gets your vote? Currents, from Tame Impala is another superb example of the production talents of psychedelic multi instrumentalist Kevin Parker. It is an honest expression of love, all the emotions, conditions & expectations that come with it. I can't go past "The Less I Know The Better" as my RMC pick. Gang of Youths caught my attention very early in the year and thoroughly excited me, more in fact than any new comer has for some time. The Positions is the release of the year as far as I am concerned. Donnie, Joji, Jung and Maximus are such a tight unit, bringing together lyrical genius with Dave's vocal conviction. Each live show I have experienced has given me goose bumps...I love the stories told with each so

Rockin' Dirty Royals...

Hit play on any one of their tunes on Unearthed, Soundcloud or their Facebook page & the big ballsy bass slaps you right in the face. The Royal Artillery have been tasty fodder on the Brisbane music scene for some time now & have a stack of festival performances under their belts to boot. I'm really digging their tunes, I find their stoner style well to my liking, they have skill & great technique in executing their fine auditory art. I have posted the Soundcloud link to their EP below & enthusiastically encourage you to lend your ear for a tantalizing burst of fat rockin' riffs. The story 'Pony Ride' appeals as my fave song on this EP, the sound is a true representation of a blues recipe in my book. The lads are skilled at meshing together blues melody & vocals with driven skins; the flippant lyrics meld into the at times cacophonous rhythms perfectly, with an arrogance that is just enough to be attractive rather than overbearing, much like the

Buck Dean & The Green Lips...Sunshine Coast's newest rock stars.

Good old rock and roll is not dead! That is definitely the vibe you feel when you grooving along to Sunny Coast local lads, Buck Dean & The Green Lips. Armed with a mutual passion for blues, rock, fun times & great tunes Nick, Brent, Tom & Trent make the most of the best rehearsal space on the coast to galvanise their special recipe of old school inspired songs. Tuning up over looking an immaculately beautiful Headland on the south side of the Sunshine Coast Queensland, there could be no better place to set the mood, feed the mind & get the creative juices flowing. Motivated by a mutual love for music, in particular rock ‘n’ roll, these mates got together to start a band & make some serious tunes. With a common thread of influences within the group of all the greats like Muddy Waters, BB King, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles (I know it’s all sounding very cliche’…but that is rock ‘n’ roll isn’t it?) Tom Petty, Guns ‘n’ Roses & our own sensational Silverc

Bare Bones...major game changers on the Punk/Rock scene.

  So I found this little group a few months ago and wrote up a little piece for Stagedive mag about them. Do have a read, I hope you decide to check out some of their tunes as they have worked hard for the wicked sound produced. Be sure to get amongst this tour that kicks off in September!   Not your typical punk rockers, smashing and gritty Bare Bones are so much more than awesome rock riffs held together with banging drums. Receiving great reviews and wrecking PA's everywhere, popping their profile up on Australia's own Triple J Unearthed website proved to be a major game changer for BB winning the opener spot on the Sydney leg of the Soundwave 2015 tour. These five young blokes from Sydney town have been playing sold out gigs in some of Australia's more musically historical haunts including Oxford Art Gallery, Newtown Social Club and The Manning Bar since 2013. In their own words BB write 'no frills, genuine music under the adage that music should first an

Transvaal Diamond Syndicate...dapper, dirty and oh sooo sweet.

  Transvaal Diamond Syndicate's solid, dirty, rockin' blues make me wanna do more than tap my damn toes! These dynamic, dapper gents sound sexy as hell with their rugged, red-blooded riffage and sassy, gravely vocals. Having a solid performance history since 2009, TDS hailing from Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia, have had folks stomping from Byron Bay to Bendigo, Launceston to Lewisham and everywhere in between. Recently returned from the studio, we can expect some high quality new tunes to be hitting our eardrums any day now.   It is with fire in the belly they explode onstage bringing all in attendance to witness the electric elements of the genre encompassing the characteristic instrumental improvisations, stylistic shifts and progressions of the classic blues artists we all love to date. At times ferocious, at times introspective, burning passion drives major talent enticing you to delve into the depths of groove only experienced when your whole body is enrap

Violent Soho - Mansfield's finest.

I remember exactly where I was when I heard Violent Soho for the first time...d riving along listening to my usual radio station, suddenly my ears are treated to melodic guitar accompanying a grungy voice that aroused my senses & made me pay  attention to the sonic explosion that is 'Covered In Chrome' from Violent Soho's third full length album. Wanting more I searched out this raucous, high energy bunch of lads from downtown Mansfield in QLD Australia.  The Making of 'Saramona Said' From humble beginnings back in the 90's, Luke Boerdam, James Tidswell, Luke Henery & Michael Richards have stuck together like brothers and produced a rare underground indie rock sound that has a reputation of awesome notoriety within the Aussie music scene. Live shows are outstanding in quality, energy & enthusiasm with crowds often happily out of control in all the excitement. Being privileged enough to have attended several of their performances, I can tell

KLP & Young Franco Talking all things KLParty.

A little apprehensive as I await the arrival of KLP & Young Franco with my colleague...I'm thinking, interviewing a well seasoned interviewer...awkward! As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about! KLP is one of the loveliest artists I have had the opportunity to meet so far...as is Young Franco. Talking about how they started this collaboration & much more, this very candid chat was one of the most fun I have to share with you...enjoy!     "I really like good vocals...I tend to be drawn to that." KLP "Usually the best ideas are the ones that flow naturally." Young Franco "...Before your sensor kicks in...if you just kinda let it flow, I think that's the most genuine...track." KLP   Alt J: So you come from a singer background? KLP: "I started singing literally...the day I was born. My Dad's a musician...so I grew up singing, I was in a girl group signed to Sony when I was a teenager and...travelled aroun

Meet Kallidad...The Fast & not so Furious

"If everyone does their thing...if everyone is true to themselves, then society would all fit into place perfectly. There is a possibility of peace on Earth." Jacinko I don't know about you, but I'm all for trying new things. So when I was offered the opportunity to watch a Mexican Flamenco Band play on a yacht on the beautiful Sunshine Coast of Queensland, how could I refuse? Before embarking on this rock star adventure I did some research as I'm none too familiar with this style of music; what I found was...Kallidad are a Mexican Mariachi metal band with a Flamenco twist like fast, furious phonic fire that quickly had my toes tapping. Senor Bang Bang, The Raven and Jacinko have a very individual style not mimicked by anyone, what they have created intuitively is something truly unique and amazing and here's how that all came about....   "it's the love of the guitar..."     Rellish: You've got a really unique genre that yo

Spicy chicken metal...The next big thing.

Spicy chicken metal band from Melbourne is how I, Valiance describe themselves...I describe them as frenzied, yet symphonic; heavenly yet hellish; to put it simply, take everything you love about any hardcore death metal you've ever heard and it might come close to the cacophonous crazy good sound these guys produce. Progressive & innovative, they are so far ahead of the pack in this genre, if you haven't heard them yet, you must've been hiding under a rock and must quickly remedy this! For band members Gabe Houben, Matias Morales, Krys Smith, David Freeland and last but not least, the mighty Vrillon, 2015 has been a massive year with their EP 'Reject of Humanity' being released in January, they have toured their home Australia relentlessly as well as being picked up on the bill for Melbourne's leg of the 'Soundwave' festival with some of the best in the business. They don't look like slowing down anytime soon either, with management confi

Loving Life Gracefully, Is Airling...

We always hear the term 'When  you find what makes you happy, do that and your life will be a success.' Talking frankly with Hannah Shepherd AKA Airling today, it is apparent this certainly rings true for her. Hannah's earliest memories are filled with musical influence from piano lessons with her beloved Grandmother to the constant tunes her Grandfather whistled, following a musical path was a natural way to quench Hannah's thirst for reaching her life's goals. It's on thing to set a goal...how do you make things happen? " I just am what I am...I would never try to be something I'm not."   ..."People seem to be quite touched with the music, which really made me happy." Alt: Let's go back to the start...why music? Airling: "I haven't found anything else that makes me this happy at all. Like writing songs is the most fulfilling & expressive thing that you know you can do...and I have some kind of thirst for.

Springsteen's Talent Goes Solo & Nails It!

Walking into a gig not having any expectations is something different for me; I usually know the artist or have done some research & am familiar with at least some of their catalogue. For Mr. Jake Clemons, however, it's a very different story. All I knew was that he has an impressive resume including touring with my first music crush, "The Boss" Bruce Springsteen, plus other heroes Eddie Vedder and The Roots. Of course, this information was enough to tweak my interest & make me very curious as to what an experience this evening would be.   As Jake walked on stage, he immediately commanded our undivided attention in the most humble way. From the very first chord, his passion and talent had the whole audience captivated. Engaging in banter between songs strengthened the connection with artist and punters, with participation imminent. His acoustic stories are both relevant and inspirational; true reflections of life experience with a score that is compelling.

Meet The Hi-Boys

  Oh my The Hi-Boys are so hot on stage, you can feel the canned heat in your heels from the minute they step onto it. To say they are high energy is an understatement, these boys are fiery, raw, rough and ready to knock your socks off with the rockabilly edge that is so undeniably their own. When you've seen them once, you will know that sound anywhere, like the smell of your favourite coffee house in the morning you'll be addicted. For a 4 piece, the intensity of sound that comes at you is an explosion of 50's style rock 'n' roll to leave you breathless but your body will not be able to stop the boogie.   Hailing from the talent-rich Noosa area, the boys have been making us shake, rattle and roll all over Queensland for some time now with their polished, tight sound. Having recently returned from a US tour through California and Nevada, they have been working hard on growing their international audience, so it wasn't all rock star shenanigans, they di

Backstage Brag with Sun City.

Get to know Sun City, look them up & #supportlocalmusic There aren't too many artists who release a single to have it hit 35,000 plays in a single day; not surprisingly that is exactly what Perth artists Dan & Toby AKA Sun City, achieved with their single 'High' from the 'Set Alight' EP back in 2012. Since then, they have played some of our biggest festivals here in Australia including Stereosonic, Future Music & Parklife. Their sweet electro indi beats are currently causing a raucous up the East Coast of Queensland on their 'Tour of the Tropics' & I was ever so grateful to meet the humble lads for a "Backstage Brag" session. Rellish: “Since embarking on this tour, what do Sun City envision for it?” Sun City: “It’s the first time we’ve been this far up in QLD…It’s amazing! We’re hoping to get around to a few more tropical places…to have a good time…to bring some tropical music to tropical places.” Rellish : ”You had som

Backstage Brag with The Brains Trust

New Sunny Coast discovery talk to me about everything Brains Trust in a little 'Backstage Brag' session after the show. Rellish: How did you all come together as The Brains Trust? Brains Trust: It started out mid 2013 as two mates (Jonny Boinkin & Brett Orr) getting together remixing and creating some great music. Then one day, I (Jess Lean) sent an email through to Brett asking him to give his opinion on a i was working on with a school friend. It must have been alright because they invited me up to the studio to have a session. A few months rolled by and the songs just kept on coming I was later inducted into The Brains Trust under a big red lamp and the green chandeliers. In January 2015, Brett was accepted into The Queensland Conservatorium of Music and unfortunately most of his time had to be dedicated to that.  The timing was pretty bad because the phone had just started ringing crazy and the momentum had begun to grow naturally. Stopping was not an op