Interview: Chris Smither for Rave Magazine

Interview with Chris Smither for Rave Magazine issue 931.

Photo and online story: here.

ANNA ANGEL ponders the future with folk/blues veteran CHRIS SMITHER.

After over forty years of hauling his guitar all over the world, this all-American bluesman shows no signs of relenting. “Most people retire at around my age, and I’ve thought about it but it doesn’t really appeal to me, and I haven’t had anyone tell me I have to, yet,” 65-year-old Smither says.

He is taking five weeks away from his family – which now includes a five-year-old daughter – to tour Australia, playing a string of folk festivals and local solo gigs this month. Smither has said he wrote Time Stands Still, released late last year, so he’d have a fresh excuse to perform. “I consider myself a performer first, but if you want to do shows you need to have something new to sing,” he deadpans in a noticeable southern accent that is much too concise to be considered a drawl. These new tunes aren’t a mind-blowing deviation from Smither’s time-tested grizzly folk sound, with his classic man-and-a-guitar approach intact. “They’ll be recognisable shows to everyone who’s seen me before. Many of them won’t have heard the new record, but it’ll pretty much be a Chris Smither show.”

Etc. Digital edition here, page 19.

Column: 'Outside the box' for lip Magazine

Blogging for lip mag.

Photo: here.

Outside the Box

by Anna Angel

We’re a notoriously lazy bunch. For most Australians, entertainment comes from that box in the lounge room, or that other box in the study, bedroom, or wherever your computer is located. It is playing Xbox, or watching DVDs. None of these activities require company, and for the most part, they don’t require much thought or effort. But are we getting so lazy we’re missing out on things we’re bound to enjoy just because we can’t make the effort to attend?

I’m a massive advocate of Australian theatre,and live arts events. It might feel good to watch So You Think You Can Dance, and it’s great to see performance headlining our TV programmes, but nothing beats the real thing. Etc.

Interview: Tex Perkins for Rave Magazine

Did an interview piece with The Cruel Sea and an album review for the latest issue of Rave, issue 930 . Interview was interesting and frustrating.

CRUEL INTENTIONS

Amongst a small crowd of afternoon drunks, TEX
PERKINS assures ANNA ANGEL that THE CRUEL SEA hasn't tempered yet.

Tex Perkins has one of those charismatic voices that
defi es genre and logic, and even carries over the 1pm
din of a local pub – almost. Using his gruff , distinctly Australian
timbre, the one-man powerhouse has fronted a
number of successful outfi ts, including Beasts Of Bourbon
and The Cruel Sea.

While The Cruel Sea was born in late ‘80s Sydney as an
instrumental-only group, the unlikely addition of Perkin’s
rock swagger was an ARIA-winning, hit-producing fusion.
Ever since he fi rst put words to their music, other projects
have intersected The Cruel Sea’s releases – but they’re
borderline commitment-phobic nowadays. There ain’t
no ring on this fi nger, at least, and they’re content with
nothing resembling “a proper career”. After a fi ve year hiatus
in 2003, which Perkin’s attributes to “playing so much
we took the joy out of it”, they now only perform around
three gigs a year. Perkins, who is currently touring with The
Man In Black – The Johnny Cash Story, is taking a break in
March for a Gold Coast gigs with his Cruel Sea bandmates,
Jim Elliot, Dan Rumour, and Ken Gormley.
Impatient fans may have hoped these shows were
a signal to an upcoming release, an idea that Perkins
quickly dismisses. He blames their reluctance to write
new material on the tedium of releasing, promoting, and
touring that follows the initial creative burst, sounding
exhausted at even explaining the process. It may be a
while before the boys start honing another record, with
an elusive, if not quite reassuring promise from Perkins
that they will “eventually write some songs, and probably
record them”.

With a future that vague, what can The Cruel Sea’s
many wives and mistresses hold on to but memories of
the days of young, passionate love? “You’ll hear some
obscure tracks from our back catalogue – it’ll basically
be the songs we enjoy playing. I think that will correspond
with the songs that people expect us to play.”
Perkins says the tracks now come so naturally to them,
a quickie catch-up rehearsal is all they’ll need. “The
Cruel Sea is hard wired into our DNA; I think we’ve all
done it in our sleep.”

Perkins is a hard man to pin down to one project or
musical style, and he’s moving on to more unfamiliar
territory after his stint as Cash. “For me, it’s a whole new
landscape out there, now I don’t have a record company;
I’m free of the shackles of Universal,” he says. “It’s a matter
of deciding what kind of record, and what kind of band
I’m creating. I just keep writing until I’ve got a big pile of
songs, and I’ll throw a match on it, and whatever burns,
I’ll record.”

With all the spontaneity and abandon of a true rock
legend, Perkins leaves me with that sentiment, resigned
to the fact that a pub, with what sounds like a growing
number of banshees in the background, is not an ideal
place to hold an interview. They sure know how to leave
you wanting more.

Digital edition here, page 12.

WHYTE ZEBRA – Double Or Nothing
(Independent)
Music for fly-swatting back-porch days

Before you get all angsty that Whyte Zebra got
the arts grant to make a CD/DVD single release that
your ‘indie-trip-bop-banana-core’ band deserved,
have a listen. Every member of this Central Queensland
pub staple fits together easily to bring a brand
of alternative rock that’s less ‘painfully hip’ and more
‘established, successful band that knows exactly
where they’re at musically’. The lead track, Double
Or Nothing is a sweeping, melodic number that benefits
from the outstanding vocals of Andy Stanhope.
The clip for the track is simple but effective, proving
that this outfit is a low-key, natural occurrence
against the backdrop of a country town. It also features
a cute dog. The bonus tracks, instead of being
fillers, seem to outshine the main event. Gorgeous
instrumental piece, Closer To Getting Close, demonstrates
the skill of Bec Romeo on violin, and Knock
Knock stands out as a memorable, drum-heavy track
reminiscent of Alice In Chains.

ANNA ANGEL

Digital edition here, page 28.

Review: 'Dear John' for Tom Magazine

For Tom Magazine. Sigh, made me cry like a baby.

Dear John
****
Director: Lasse Hallstrom

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Channing Tatum, Richard Jenkins

Reviewed by Anna Angel.

This Nicholas Sparks adaptation begins like The Notebook 2: Modern Era. Maybe I just noticed the connections more because The Notebook happens to be by the same author. Either way, it eventually separates itself as an equally tear-jerking and original story on its own. While on a summer break, the young, beautiful, and sweet Savannah (Amanda Seyfried) meets John (Channing Tatum), a soldier on leave, visiting his father. They begin a whirlwind romance, and fall spectacularly in love, spinning some corny lines that are delivered so expertly they feel natural. After only two weeks, they are condemned to a year apart, as John goes back to his mission. It may sound all-too familiar, but the main difference here is that the letters they send each other don’t go unanswered.

Etc.

Updates and inspirations: getmusic.com.au

It's hardly worth noting, but attempted my first foray into PR-type writing, reviewing for getmusic.com.au, which is run by universal. Once I figured out the 'reviews' were supposed to be posing as buyer comments, I decided not to expend too much effort doing their advertising. And now I just have... anyway, it can be found here. And I got MOS - Underground 2010 for free, at least.

Review: 'Our Own War' by Project 62 for Rave Magazine

Didn't even realise until just now this had gone to print already, but here's a review of Project 62's record, 'Our Own War' for Rave Magazine issue 929, which you can view online here, page 24. I was recently taken on as a freelance contributor with them, and have a few things coming up in the next issues as well. Watch this space!


PROJECT 62 – Our Own War
(Independent)

Grizzly rockers come together to gather an army

Our Own War, the first release for Toowoomba based
eclectic rock quintet Project 62, follows a burgeoning
reputation as a solid live act. It’s a record
of playful contradictions: deep vocals over bluestinged
tracks; the sweeter, melodic ballad Without;
and angrier, heavier rock tracks with political agendas
like God’s Gift. The record is driven lyrically by
a staunch, nearly religious rejection of passivity,
both personal and political. Project 62 presents
a raucous, self-aware but likeable meld of rock influences,
lined with the earnest ethos of old-soul
punk-rockers. Our Own War comes complete with
a handy appreciation guide for listeners: “1. Play it
loud. 2. Read the lyrics while you listen. 3. When the
album seems over, keep listening – you might be in
for a surprise!” Ideal listening would be live from a
dank, darkened country bar, but if that’s not possible,
try suggestion 5: “For best results, serve with
whiskey and/or beer.”
ANNA ANGEL

Review: 'Valentine's Day' for Tom Magazine

A generous review of Valentine's Day, taking into account the general standard of American RomComs, for Tom Magazine. I hear they're already planning a sequel, 'New Year's Eve'. Ouch.

VALENTINE’S DAY

Director: Gary Marshall
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Julia Roberts, Jessica Biel, Jaime Foxx, Topher Grace, Jennifer Garner, Shirley MacLaine, Jessica Alba, Patrick Dempsey, Taylor Lautner, Queen Latifah, Taylor Swift, and more.
Reviewed by: Anna Angel

One morning, King of the RomCom, Gary Marshall said to himself, "How many celebrities can I fit into one movie and still attempt to build a heart wrenching story arc for each?" The answer was around nineteen, plus cameos. This film - essentially a ‘day in the life of’ interweaving narrative, set in LA on the big day itself - borrows a lot from the success of Love, Actually. While it features seemingly unrelated characters, throwing them together in unexpected ways, Valentine’s Day is more on the romance side than the comedy. Since they’re naturally going to be compared, I’m going to set it straight right now - Love, Actually wins hands down. This movie is cute, funny and clever at times, but nowhere near as frequently as its predecessor is.

Etc.

Column: 'Pop-stars are not just pretty faces' for lip Magazine

I've recently started up as a blogger for lip Magazine, my first entry can be found here.


pop-stars are not just pretty faces
by Anna Angel

Only a few years ago the words “female pop star” would conjure up images of scantily-clad, pouting sex kittens with a vocabulary limited to ‘ooh’, ‘baby’, and the occasional ‘oh, baby’. True to the ‘Ten Things I Hate About You’ classic deadpan, “I want you, I need you, oh, baby, oh, baby,” many of the artists on the airwaves were no more than synthesised hotties. Right now, more than ever, the music industry is making way for scantily clad and pouting female pop singers with a brain and personality behind them. Whether you like their music or not, and it’s evidenced that many do, the likes of Beth Ditto, and Lily Allen are leading a brigade of songstresses that have powerful voices and something to say with them.

Etc.

Review: Sunset Sounds 2010 for Tom Magazine

For Tom Magazine. Written by myself and Stephen Smith.

Sunset Sounds Festival
City Botanic Gardens - 6th & 7th January 2010

Sunset Sounds, held in the lush surrounds of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, may be a baby on the festival circuit, but it’s already come of age. The second year of Sunset saw a stellar line-up, both local and international, comprising most of the main acts to hit this year’s Falls Festival in Victoria. With the atmosphere the festival grounds provided and the eclectic mix of artists, Sunset Sounds was a relaxed summer’s day, a chance to be awestruck by tear-inducing performances, and a sweaty two-day party all at once. Given half the patrons’ lingering New Year’s Eve hangovers, it was whatever you wanted it to be. The line-up boasted acts such as Moby (pictured), Sarah Blasko, The Temper Trap, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Hilltop Hoods, Xavier Rudd and The Middle East. Even when spaced out over two days there was enough to test any music lover’s ability to decide who to see next.

Etc.

Interview: Hugh Sheridan for Tom Magazine

 Hugh Sheridan knows he has a lot to prove in order to shake off the negativity that normally follows the musical pursuits of Aussie actors-turned-singers. Luckily for the Packed to the Rafters star, he was destined to be a muso before he could walk. Born to a jazz singer father, and with musical siblings including radio announcer sister, Zoe Sheridan, performing seems to be in his blood. The NIDA, Australian Ballet School, and Victorian College of the Arts graduate has had a busy couple of years. Alongside the massive success of Packed to the Rafters, for which he picked up a Silver Logie, comes his debut album, Speak Love, a soft and uplifting pop record headed for strong airplay these holidays. Sheridan takes a breather from his hectic schedule to talk to TOM, before jetting off to Hong Kong for a gig - apparently as a favour to his landlord.

Ect. Ect, here.