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A room filled with facial hair is a wonderful thing! Although has a bearded man, the large number of fake beards is just as bad as not having a beard. A fake beard is someone who see this as a joke. Who sees The Beards as a joke. And this certainly no joke!
I caught the last half of Mojo Juju. A countrified folk band with some pretty good chops and a sound that suited being an opening band for The Beards. They were followed by The Crooked Fiddle Band and the hoedown kept on going. The full room were appreciative of The Crooked Fiddle Band and they suited the lubrication of more beer down our throats!
When four strong, astute men with big flowing beards ambled on stage, the crowd were in raptures. For the next hour and quarter was. Celebration of all things beard related. At the start of every song the band would quietly announce "this a song about beards" before launching into tracks like "Got Me A Beard", "If Your Dad Doesn't Have A Beard You've Got Two Mums" and "Weird Beard". The Beards gave us some tracks off their new album "Having A Beard Is The New Not Having A Beard" including new single "I'm In The Mood..For Beards" and ending the main set with the 80s synth riff-o-Rama of "You Should Consider Having Sex With A Bearded Man"
The Beards may have started as a joke band but with a rapid fan base, a joke they are no longer. The quality of songwriting and on stage performance improves with each album and tour and the band delivered the goods tonight. While myself and my mate criticized the fake beards adorned by the beardless, the reality is people just wanted to have some good silly fun and who better than 75 minutes of The Beards!
A room filled with facial hair is a wonderful thing! Although has a bearded man, the large number of fake beards is just as bad as not having a beard. A fake beard is someone who see this as a joke. Who sees The Beards as a joke. And this certainly no joke!
I caught the last half of Mojo Juju. A countrified folk band with some pretty good chops and a sound that suited being an opening band for The Beards. They were followed by The Crooked Fiddle Band and the hoedown kept on going. The full room were appreciative of The Crooked Fiddle Band and they suited the lubrication of more beer down our throats!
When four strong, astute men with big flowing beards ambled on stage, the crowd were in raptures. For the next hour and quarter was. Celebration of all things beard related. At the start of every song the band would quietly announce "this a song about beards" before launching into tracks like "Got Me A Beard", "If Your Dad Doesn't Have A Beard You've Got Two Mums" and "Weird Beard". The Beards gave us some tracks off their new album "Having A Beard Is The New Not Having A Beard" including new single "I'm In The Mood..For Beards" and ending the main set with the 80s synth riff-o-Rama of "You Should Consider Having Sex With A Bearded Man"
The Beards may have started as a joke band but with a rapid fan base, a joke they are no longer. The quality of songwriting and on stage performance improves with each album and tour and the band delivered the goods tonight. While myself and my mate criticized the fake beards adorned by the beardless, the reality is people just wanted to have some good silly fun and who better than 75 minutes of The Beards!
It took me a quite a few listens to form an opinion on Say Anything’s fifth record “Anarchy My Dear”. My first listen was to dismiss the record as nothing special. My second spin I concluded it was a mere angry record. By the time i hit play for the fifth and sixth time I finally started to appreciate the craft within the songs on this record and now, as it plays again in the background I think i get it. I think I get what this record is. A juxtaposition of calm and stormy. Making the beautiful ugly and the ugly beautiful.
Combining elements of indie pop melodies with venomous lyrical deliveries, it resembles more a street poet outpouring his deep seeded hatred backed by the happy, sappy bands that you see play on the host of a late night TV show.Vocalist/songwriter Max delivers a performance that seems like a man who is trying to keep a lid on his demons. (Bemis suffers from bi polar) He displays his anger in the track “Admit It Again” where he launches an attack on pretentious music critics with lines like ‘you claim you liked my band 2004/and we’re reared on The Stooges’ and ‘then you tell me the post modern brilliance/of the latest Rhianna single’.
Musically, the album is a complete opposite to Bemis spitting lyrics. There’s some beautifully crafted melodies and expanded use of instrumentation. A track like “Peace Out” has a lullaby feel to the music. “The Stephen Hawking” is a open, flowing jam piece ala Sunny Day Real Estate and is sadly overshadowed by Bemis screaming before flipping around into a punk/rock breakdown that has touches of Faith No More before settling back into Weezeresque territory. At best, it’s theatrical.
The album also features guest vocals from Bemis’ wife Sherri on three of the tracks, “Night’s Song”, “So Good” and “Overbiter”. The later sounding like Tegan & Sara track. I get the impression that Sherri is a source of inspiration and a calming influence on the manic Bemis. The title track, a almost contemporary adult rock song with a chorus made for holding up a lighter (or phone) and swaying gently side to side.
Max Bemis has said this record has a more edgy, DIY punk feel. Edgy at times, punk it is not. The band have moved away from the emo rock roots and moved into the same territory of say a Weezer. In fact, there’s a similarity between to the two bands. Critical acclaimed first/second album and then since then failed to live up to the expectations with every record since. This is not as bad as some of the reviews have been. Personally, I’m growing on this record but its bound to alienate old school fans.
Say Anything - Anarchy My Dear
The Basement played host to another beautiful music with the Katie Noonan led Elixir and support Brian Campeau. Campeau's songs have a sweet melancholy vibe. He has a sound that reminded me a little of Australia's Xavier Rudd or U.S singer/songwriter Kevin Devine. His between song banter was humorous and helped warm the crowd who were finishing off dinner. They were treated to an extremely talented guitarist, in the track "Montreal" he played like a six string bass a la Les Claypool from Primus. Definitely worth checking out.
I've said this about Katie Noonan in the past and will continue to until the day I die I think, she has the best voice this country has ever produced! In Elixir, with her husband Zac, their sound is more that classic jazz with a distinctive Australian flavor that paints the picture of the peace and tranquility of the Australian Bush where most of these songs were written. It's lullaby music, calming and peaceful.
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A mix up with the conference operator resulting this interview starting off with a voice mail. “Hey man this is Brett from Mission In Motion. I think there’s been a stuff up. Hope to talk to you soon” But finally we got connected and I spoke to Mission In Motion’s vocalist Brett Islaub about the upcoming “All Work No Play” tour, Soundwave, the progress of the new album and chatted about our love affair with The Menzingers.
Mission In Motion
Hey Brett how you doing?
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You could feel something special was in the air before you even walked in. And it was the lingering smell of marijuana! When Bradley passed away just after the release of the critically acclaimed self titled album, it meant, for many of us, the only way to hear this songs live would be through cover versions. Then a few years ago the surviving members were introduced to Rome Ramierez. A man whose guitar playing and voice sounding so much like Bradley, lead to the band reforming (as such) and bringing the Sublime classics out to everyone who felted cheated by Brad’s death, never getting to see the songs performed live.
Obviously the band had to play songs of last year debut Sublime With Rome record. Songs like “Panic” and “Murdera” are tracks I could easily hear Bradley would’ve written. But it was the Sublime songs that got the crowd into full voice. And to the guys credit, they played a lot of the “40 oz To Freedom” record. Tracks like “Badfish”, “Ball & Chain/5446”, “Date Rape”, “Smoke To Joints” and “Scarlet Begonias”. They even threw in a Descendents cover of “Myage”.
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Brisbane’s The Good Ship have returned to the docks of depravity to unleash their new single “Seven Seas” from their soon to be titled and released second album. The band have docked with some new members on board (having probably discarded the old ones overboard) and are hitting the road in preparation for the albums release. The band gave us some time to talk about the new single, touring with Gay Paris and why we should (or shouldn’t) go to Port Adelaide.
The Good Ship
Ahoy! Whats new on The Good Ship?
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I’ve got to hand it to Jack Carty. He is one hell of a songwriter. Upon first listen to his second album “Break Your Own Heart” I was hooked. Perhaps it was the similarity to the late Elliot Smith in his songs that I’ve always been able to identify with. Perhaps it was calming effect these songs have, even if the themes move into a more of the shadows, exposing some reflective realities. All I know is that the record I put on to listen to as I potted around my house, soon had me sitting down in front of my laptop, listening intently to the songs and doing google searches on Jack Carty.
Carty’s second record is more sombre and reflective affair. An underlining theme of the record is the choice to stay with a love or to follow a dream, even if that dream takes you away from the one you love. Carty explores, through self analysis, the realizations of the difficulties encountered when exploring a dream and the doubts that creep in and the longing for the past that sets in. This is typified by the track “Traveling Shoes”. A melancholy track reflecting on losing love in his pursuit of music and touring. This track has a great late night, solitude feel. “A Point On The Map” follows the same theme with the wonderful line ‘tears make me money’ as he once again reflects and tries to justify his decision to follow his passion and leave life behind.
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“Enslaved” is the 8th record for the Max Cavalera led Soulfly. A brutally heavy album which sonically has the same signatures as Sepultura’s “Chaos AD” album. It’s a heavy trash metal record full of aggression and grace and laced with enough of Max’s world music influences to stop it becoming boring and repetitive over the hour long journey of the record.
Soulfly have undergone another line up change with a brand new rhythm section in form of ex Static X/Ministry bassist Tony Campos and drummer David Kindale formerly of progressive black metallers, Borknagar. The new blood has created a more powerful sound for this record on back of Cavalera’s most aggressive songwriting to date since early Sepultura days. (see Cavalera Conspiracy’s record of last year as proof) Focused around the central theme of slavery, the album explores the plights of the enslaved races around the world in past, present and future tense.
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I think it’s fair to say Anti Flag lost their way a bit on the last couple of albums. They moved away from their punk roots and experimented more in song arrangements and structures. While the need for bands to do this some times pays dividends, I felt it alienated us fans from what we love about Anti Flag. A political charged machine that turns the world problems into a catchy two minute punk rock song. Thankfully the band have realised this as well and with “The General Strike” we get a record that almost harks back to “For Blood And Empire” and “The Terror State”.
The album opens with the short and fast “Controlled Opposition”. A short 20 second blast to set the tone of the record. “The Neoliberal Anthem” has that classic Anti Flag sound. Big singalong chorus and a hook to incite mosh pits. Lead single “This Is The New Sound” will certainly be a live favourite track with more ‘Woahs’ than an Offspring track and a real camaraderie feel to the track. “The Ranks Of The Masses Rising” has a very Clash sound to the verses in particular. The essence Joe Strummer really comes through in this track. “Turn A Blind Eye”, “1915” and “Ghosts Of Alexandria” has a distinct Rancid flavour. “Nothing Recedes Like Progress” is a venomous punk rock song that would have sat nicely on “For Blood And Empire” record.
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Comment by deathtoyourspeakers
on The Greatest Aussie Band of All Time?
Death To Your Speakers
The Mind Is A Wonderful Thing To Waste
Powderfinger
Cold Chisel
INXS
Frenzal Rhomb
I don't know if we can really count AC/DC as Australian anymore. They all have british accents and have lived in the UK for the past 25 years. Midnight Oil for me, and I hate to say it, were overrated. The political message was great but Garrett cannot sing (or dance or be a politician)
My first and last choices are purely self indulgent but the other three bands have had a huge impact on the local music industry and INXS internationally. For that alone they deserve recognition of being great Aussie rock bands.