Laneous And the Family Yah (yet again)

Shit at Life, Good at Music Tour

Laneous and his Family Yah haven’t had a lot of spare time of late, but they still managed to find time to write, record, produce, master and press a brand-spanking new track in 5 days. Pretty straightforward really - their upcoming tour already had a name “Shit at Life, Good At Music” - so all that was missing was the anthem to accompany it.

As such, coming just three months after their hugely-successful album launch tour, Laneous and Family Yah are preparing to hit the road once again. Because indeed - they might be Shit at Life, but they’re Good At Music.

Their debut album St. Ill Regal hit shelves in August and was quickly added to rotation and ‘favourite’ lists right across Australia. Triple J added single Searing Life to high rotation, FBI added BubbleGum and the album swept straight into the Top 10 on 4ZzZ and countless other stations to boot.

Triple J, who had made the band Spotlight Unearthed Artists in June, picked them as the unearthed winners to play Parklife in Brisbane whilst their own headline east-coast album launch tour ripped through Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, including a 900 head sell-out at their hometown of Brisbane. With the first pressing of St. Ill Regal completely sold out, the band inked a deal with MGM to officially re-release the album nationally on November 13.

Check out more tunes from Ill Regal.

Download 'Shit at Life, Good at Music' here.



The “Shit at Life, Good at Music” Tour!

Proving they’re not lyrical liars, Laneous and the Family Yah are about to embark on their ‘Shit At Life, Good At Music’ Tour to wrap up 2009. Heading back on the road with the rag-tag monster ensemble including the beautiful Bird Fire choir, catch the Laneous crew:

Friday November 27 – The Macquarie Hotel, Sydney
(9pm, FREE)

Saturday November 28 – The High and Dry Festival, St Albans
(Tix/Info: www.highanddryfestival.net)

Sunday November 29 – Mullum Music Festival, Mullumbimby
(Venue: Ex-Services, 7pm, Tix: www.mullummusicfestival.com)

Wednesday December 2 – The View Factory Cafe, Newcastle
(8pm, FREE)

Thursday December 3 – Hotel Gearin, Katoomba
(8pm, $10 Entry)

Friday December 4 – The Beach Rd Hotel, Sydney
with Olmecha Supreme (NZ) and Pataphysics (Melb)

Saturday December 5 – The Annandale, Sydney
with The Phonies + Jimmy Swouse & The Angry Darts

Sunday December 6 – The Fringe Bar, Sydney

Thursday December 10 – Front Bar, The Esplanade Hotel, Melbourne
with Illzilla - (8pm, FREE)

Friday December 11 – The National Hotel, Geelong
with Olmecha Supreme (NZ) and Pataphysics (Melb)

Saturday December 12 – Bar Open, Melbourne
with Sietta
(10pm, FREE)

Thursday December 17 – The Hi Fi, Brisbane
with supports TBC
(Doors 8pm, Tix/Info: www.thehifi.com.au)

Saturday December 19 – Buddha Bar, Byron Bay

Sunday December 27 – Blah Blah Blah Festival, Brisbane

Sunday December 27 to Friday January 1 – Woodford Folk Festival, Sunshine Coast

People’s across the nation have been singing the praises of St. Ill Regal and L&TFY:

“Words like sprawling, epic, and opus are par for the course when describing some of the more ambitious double album projects of the 1960s and 1970s, but rarely in recent memory has a local act concocted a long-player worthy of such description, and on a debut album to boot.”
Kris Swales, Time Off

“... I crave music to make me feel good. That's where a band like Laneous and the Family Yah come into it. They blend styles at will, effortlessly moving from silky soul to beat-heavy hip-hop, never sounding contrived or overreaching.”
Dom Alessio, Triple J

“With tambourines smashing, a vocal ensemble crooning and the tightest of grooves, an unexpected rock-out into fiercely syncopated riffage leaves the crowd wondering if Faith No More frontman Mike Patton might have left an illegitimate child in his wake, such is the eclectic leap between Motown-inspired R7B, hip hop-inspired backbeat and straight up musical virtuosity…. There is nothing to fault the band.”
Dave Dri, Time Off

“The Band emerge in rare full sound and stage glory. Even on this ceremonious occasion Mr Laneous hesitates to be the centre of attention, although this plays well amongst a band so full of personality and talent…”
James Stafford, Rave Magazine

“The Family Yah take no time in belting out a plethora of old and new songs, each one running from the next with Duracell bunny precision. The flow is like warm honey on a hot day.”
Faster Louder

“Mr Laneous is already on to a good thing. His music is ingenious and its complexities are not lost on the audience. Laneous keeps us on our feet, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Fasterlouder.com

“This lot hale from good ol’ brisvegas and I tell ya, if they don’t take the Roman Empire by storm with their debut album then I’ll eat my terry towelling hat.”
Dom Fagan, AIR

“Superstar frontman, Laneous has united a band comprised of some of the funkiest that River City has to offer… The band gives off a raw energy together with very tight grooves and infectious beats. Besides a set of golden vocal chords, Laneous possesses rad rhymes and keen style.”
Leopard Lady, Virgin Music

St. Ill Regal re-released 2nd pressing is out through Bird Fire records and MGM Distribution on Friday November 13

Skipping Girl Vinegar announce new single and 'For the Birds' Interstate November Residency

Following on from their recent ‘Music From Cold Places Tour’, their largest and most successful national run to date, Melbourne alt acoustic popsters Skipping Girl Vinegar have just announced their ‘For The Birds’ dual Sydney / Melbourne November residency. The month-long run of shows is set to coincide with the release of their new single Sinking.

The Melbourne / Sydney ‘For The Birds’ November residency will see SGV play:

•Wednesday nights @ The Northcote Social Club (4th, 11th, 18th & 25th) - Melbourne

•Thursday nights @ RAVAL (upstairs at Macquarie Hotel ) (5th 12th &19th) - Sydney

(Please note the last Thursday night in November there will be no show in Sydney due to the ARIA awards).

All supports for the interstate residency have just been announced, namely:

Melbourne: Wednesdays @ The Northcote Social Club

Wed November 4th
BUCKLEY WARD

Wed November 11th
GEORGIA FIELDS

Wed November 18th
LEENA

Wed November 25th
DRUGS IN VEGAS

Sydney: Thursdays @ Raval (upstairs at Macquarie Hotel )

Thu November 5th
CHRIS ARNOTT

Thu November 12th
JESSE MORRIS & THE THREE BEANS

Thu November 19th
ASHLEIGH MANNIX (SOLO)


Sinking

Download Sinking

Or buy The single/album here

The residencies will be accompanied by the release of Sinking, the third single to be lifted from Skipping Girl Vinegar’s debut album Sift The Noise. The video clip for Sinking is also the third in a series of four animated film clips that coincide with the order of the singles being lifted from the album (ie each clip follows on from the previous one).

Picking up where the clip for title track Sift The Noise left off, the clip for Sinking sees the band enter outer space and is available for viewing online now:



All SGV clips to date have been awarded ‘Indie Clip Of the Week’ by ABC’s Rage and broadcast nationally.www.youtube.com/user/secretfoxanimation


“Share The Secret With Your Friends Group Discount”

The SGV ‘For The Birds’ November residencies will feature a few little points of difference. Firstly, to encourage people to bring a few friends along and ‘make a night of it’ there is a special “share the secret with your friends discount” available on all tickets purchased to any show through www.skippinggirlvinegar.oztix.com.au. Put simply - 1 ticket is $15 / 2 tickets - $25 / 3 tickets - $30 / 4 tickets - $40 meaning tix for all shows get cheaper the more you buy.

Melbourne / Sydney ‘For The Birds’ November Residencies

Melbourne Wednesdays – 4th, 11th, 18th & 25th November
NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB
301 High St, Northcote ph: 02 9486 1677
Doors: 8pm – 11pm
Tickets on sale from skippinggirlvinegar.oztix.com.au and from the venue box office, phonecharge 03 9486 1677 or www.northcotesocialclub.com


Sydney Thursdays – 5th 12th &19th November
RAVAL (upstairs at Macquarie Hotel )
42 Wentworth Ave, Sydney (near Corner of Oxford St) ph: 02 9213 3848
Doors: 7.30pm-10.45pm
Tickets on sale now from www.skippinggirlvinegar.oztix.com.au and from Moshtix outlets, phonecharge 1300 438 839 or www.moshtix.com.au

The Middle East @The Princess Theatre, Woolongabba

The Middle East

I'll be honest and say i didn't know much about this Townsville band before heading out to see them last night. After hearing a lot of hype I quickly checked out their myspace before heading out, saw the 300, 000+ views and a mention of a Pitchfork review and left the house with a picture in my mind of a well established and highly successful band. To my surprise though on arriving at the Princess Theater i discovered i had them all wrong. The Middle East are really just in their infancy, but have enjoyed an amazing amount of success based upon the strength of their single release to date, the EP 'The Recordings of the Middle East'. I wondered at first if the hype was well founded while walking into the all-ages gig - seeing 2/3 of the crowd seated and the church posters on the walls(a venue thing i'm guessing)...but despite some small hiccups i'll discuss below these guys blew me away with both talent and potential. They were great to watch and left me more eager for an album than any band has left me in a long time.

The 7 strong cast must have rolled out 15-20 different instruments throughout the set, ranging from the standard guitars (playing from 1-4 at any one time) to mandolins, banjos, tambourines, rain sticks, keyboards, electronic synths, harmonicas and more. It was obvious that each player was accomplished in their own right, despite the fact that the two frontmen held most of the stage presence for the entire band. There were tight jeans and country-boy clothes everywhere, the bassist sporting a large akubra with all the trimmings to make you think you were watching a country show, until your eyes spanned to the edges and saw the electronic equipment, the trumpet and xylophone. The majority of their songs were downtempo, sometimes leaving you with a thrist for something just a little more upbeat (this was true especially towards the end) but each song commanded deep concentration from the crowd, rarely broken in the spaces between songs. These gaps at times stretched on like uncomfortable silences at a dinner party though - they didn't seem quite comfortable in the spotlight yet and maintained a minimal amount of crowd interaction except for their actual playing. I know there's a fine line between to much chat and too little, but when there's absolutely none coupled with amazingly sentimental songs, it left at times a slightly dry feeling to the experience.

Despite several relatively obvious technical glitches and some on stage stumbling as they played new songs though, the layers of melody intertwined beautifully with all 4 singers showcasing individual and highly harmonious voices. Each song was a real team effort, seeing instruments change hands frequently and lead singers become back-up singers until everything got shaken up all over again. Each song had everyone spellbound, combining all the good elements of alt-country, folk music and vague samplings of indie rock vibes coursing underneath lyrics that went deep into your reflective center, tackling deep issues in a heart touching way that never sounded cliche but just sounded perfect. 'The Darkest Side' appeared early without fanfare but the highpoint of the night was definitely when they played 'Blood' with it's the Arcade Fire-ish outro which gave everyone the body and intensity they'd been waiting for. I would wait in line for hours for a chance to see these guys play again and cannot wait to see what practice and experience breeds. I think youth here is a blessing for a band that already shows so much depth and heart.

Buy the 'Recordings of the Middle East' EP here

Laneous And the Family Yah (again)

I know i posted on these guys a few weeks ago but this album is still on my own high rotation and i seriously love this song. STRONGLY recommend you check out their myspace not least of all to check out more of the following pictures, but also to check out their tour starting today down in Sydney...

Download Searing Life - album version





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Bluejuice "Head of the Hawk' Tour Happening Now!

Bluejuice's last tour of the East Coast was their most successful tour ever...Stav got punched in the face in Frankston and threatened with a beating in Coffs. The band got to watch 'The Devil Wears Prada' in their first ever tour bus. In combination it was a tour that saw Bluejuice gargle enthusiastically at the sight of so many Jimmy Choo high heels whilst also soberly acknowledging the redemptive nature of renewed self-awareness.

It is this combination of violence and feminine emotional awakening that the band hope to bring once again after launching their brand new album, 'Head Of The Hawk' on September 18th,

'Head Of The Hawk' is Bluejuice's magnificent second album. It’s a mixture of old and new, pop and dance elements delivered with the melody, cheek and psychosis fans have come to expect.

Download 'Ain't Telling the Truth' from the album.

Buy a signed copy of 'Head of the Hawk'

Check out their website for full tour details.

The Drones Release New Live Album

A full year on the road is a scary proposition for most bands, but for The Drones it has become just another day at the office. Performing to sold out venues and receiving critical acclaim, the last six months has seen the band literally circumnavigate the world. This has included two huge tours of the USA, two tours apiece of both the UK and Europe and multiple festival appearances (including ATP in New York) on top of that. The reception overseas to both the bands current studio album “Havilah” and their live show has been extraordinary:

"What 'Havilah' does is jump up and down on the rotting carcasses of The Vines and Jet stabbing them again and again with a flag that says ‘Miles. Better. Than. You. Ever. Were."
NME

"Speaker-bleeding blues"
MOJO (4/5)

"Vocalist Gareth Liddiard is a songwriter of extraordinary power"
Time Out (5/6)

"An awesome proposition. Dirty and primal, tight and threatening...you need this band in your life."
Stool Pigeon (4/5)

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, The Drones made it home for an Australian tour last May, one show of which was the jam-packed opening night of The HI-FI Bar in Brisbane. The show was recorded and the band have just announced that “The Drones - Live At The HI-FI” will be released in stores Oct 1st as a ‘Limited Edition Live Bonus Disk’ accompanying any purchase of the band’s current studio album ‘Havilah’.

“The Drones - Live At The HI-FI” is a candid snapshot of a band at the peak of their powers. Throughout the course of their career, The Drones have carved themselves out a veracious reputation for their live shows. Indeed many have touted them as arguably the best live band in Australia. It’s claim to which multiple live reviews bear witness:

“It’s seriously no major statement of hyperbole or aggrandisement to suggest that maybe – just possibly – The Drones are not just currently the best rock band in Australia, but the best rock band on the planet today.”
Time Off Magazine

“Does that power and genius of a show from The Drones even need to be questioned anymore? Gareth Liddiard remains an undisputed master of inebriated (even when sober) hellfire… We don’t ever want you to change either.”
Rave Magazine

Also available as a stand alone download through iTunes, “The Drones - Live At The HI-FI” showcases tracks from throughout the band's career, stretching as far back as their first LP release in 2002. Highlights include; The Minotaur from ‘Havilah’, Shark Fin Blues from the band’s award-winning 2005 release ’Wait Long By The River And The Bodies Of Your Enemies Will Float By’ and River Of Tears, a powerful song penned by Australian Aboriginal activist and singer/songwriter Kev Carmody.


“The Drones - Live At The HI-FI” is available Oct 1st through ATP / MGM

Download the live version of 'Shark Fin Blues' here.

Or check out the new clip for the Kev Carmody cover 'River of Tears' that appears on the album, performed at the Cannot Buy My Soul concert at The State Theatre in January 2008.

Special Patrol Album Release

Following Special Patrol's new album “The Stranger’s Dozen” released on August 14, the Adelaide 5 piece have just announced their National Album Launch Dates.



Proudly presenting their new album “The Strangers Dozen”, The follow up to their sophomore long player “Handy Hints From The Undertaker”, “The Strangers Dozen” was recorded at Eastern Bloc Studio in Melbourne with producer/engineer Jonathan Burnside.

The first taste of the new album, a double A side / album sampler Right On / New Year’s Eve was released in June to an emphatic response and sold out single launches. Beat Magazine made it their single of the week, FBI added it to rotation and strong alternative radio airplay was received right across the country (3RRR, 4ZZZ, RTR, Radio Adelaide, 3D and many more). On Triple J, both tracks were super requested following airplay, Zan Rowe made Right On her catch of the day and Dom Alessio highlighted New Years Eve in a post on his Home & Hosed Blog.

Who are Special Patrol: Released in 2007, their sophomore album “Handy Hints From The Undertaker” thrust Special Patrol directly into the Australian musical eye. Three tracks received strong triple J support and Nova crowned them a national unsigned feature act. Live, they made small work of the national circuit supporting the likes of Ben Kweller (USA), Paul Weller (UK), The Mountain Goats (USA), Turin Brakes (UK), Donovan Frankenreiter (USA), Powderfinger, Paul Kelly, Youthgroup, The Whitlam’s and Pete Murray to name but a few, all interspersed with their own headline shows to their loyal fans in each state. Special Patrol Festival appearances include Falls Festival main stage 2006 and 2008, Big Day Out 2007, Clipsal 500 Concert 2008, The Woodford Festival 2009 and many more. 2008 also saw Special Patrol win the SA final of The MTV Kick-start Awards, receiving some great exposure on MTV as a result.

“The Strangers Dozen” picks off where “Handy Hints” left off, but says front man Myles Mayo: “we wanted the album to have a consistent sound this time. With “Handy Hints” we recorded it and mixed it in a half dozen different studios and wrote it in two very separate halves, so this time we wanted to see what it was like to record the whole thing with one person - Jonathan Burnside. The result is an album that we feel has a distinct sound from start to finish”

In true Special Patrol form -“The Strangers Dozen” is devastatingly intuitive; radiant, full bodied, darkly undertoned and yet simultaneously bright eyed. From the street pop swagger of Ordinary Life and sultry lilt of In Between You and Me to
the inferred resolution of My Reason - this is a record that sees Myles Mayo and co back in full splendoured swing.

Download 'Right On' and New Year's Eve' from the new album here

Or head to their myspace page to check out more.

Catch Special Patrol Launching “The Stranger’s Dozen”

Saturday September 12 - The Vanguard, Sydney

Friday September 25 - The Gov, Adelaide with The Whitlams

Saturday September 26 - The Gov, Adelaide with The Whitlams

Friday October 2 - Jive, Adelaide

Saturday October 3 - Karova Lounge, Ballarat

Saturday October 10 - X and Y Bar, Brisbane

Saturday Oct 24 - The John Curtain Room, Melbourne

Friday November 6 - Fowlers Live, Adelaide

More Launch Dates TBA

www.specialpatrol.com.au


“The Stranger’s Dozen” Is In Stores Now Through MGM