Last Chance to See – The Tokyo String Quartet

After 40 years, the undisputed grand masters of the string quartet now bid a graceful farewell to the concert platform. The Tokyo String Quartet has made the decision that, after a long, stellar international career, they will turn their energies to other directions.

The Tokyo String Quartet appears in Australia exclusively for Musica Viva, and their Melbourne concerts will be at the Melbourne Recital Centre (Southbank) on Tuesday 28 May (7pm) and Thursday 30 May (8pm).

Tickets can be purchased by phoning 1800 688 482; or going online at www.musicaviva.com.au/TokyoSQ.

 

 

Telstra says ‘Thanks’ with Bon Jovi pre-sale tickets

Just posting this press release that arrived on the 2nd May 2013 in case you had missed it.  We’d be interested to hear from people who take up this option.

2 May 2013: South West Victoria residents have the chance to be the first in Australia able to purchase tickets to the Aussie leg of US rock legends Bon Jovi’s Because We Can – Australian Tour.

From 9am on Monday 13 May, all local Telstra customers will have access to a 48-hour pre-sale to purchase tickets as part of its Thanks Music program.

Telstra will also be offering its customers money can’t buy experiences including back stage tours, meet and greets with the band and the chance to be a ‘roadie for a day’.

Bon Jovi’s Because We Can tour marks the first time Telstra will be a presenting partner for a stadium tour and the first stadium tour Telstra has announced since it launched its Thanks Music program on 8 April this year.

Telstra Country Wide Area General Manager for South West Victoria, Bill Mundy, said one of the benefits of the program meant locals in regional Australia would have access to big shows without the need to travel to metro centres to line up for special pre-release ticket sales.

“Thanks Music puts hot tickets in the hands of our customers – no matter where they live. All they need to do is get to the show, something we’re sure true fans are already planning,” Mr Mundy said.

“As Bon Jovi’s presenting partner for their Australian tour, Telstra will also be offering customers the chance to meet the band backstage or join the Bon Jovi camp as a roadie for a day. Telstra will also have access to signed merchandise, exclusive behind the scenes footage for our social media channels, a free Bon Jovi track for customers to download via MOG and a range of other exciting initiatives we’ll announce before the band arrives Down Under.”

“Our research indicates that our customers rate live music among their highest categories of personal interest, so providing access to sought after concert tickets before they go on sale is a fantastic way to reward them for their loyalty.”

Promoter of the Bon Jovi tour, Paul Dainty said: “Telstra’s powerful entrance into the Australian live music landscape through this partnership with Bon Jovi is very exciting. We are very much looking forward to working with Telstra to deliver another incredible Bon Jovi tour this December.”

Mr Mundy said it was important that the Thanks Music program gave customers rewards that were tangible and immediately redeemable.

“Since launching ‘Thanks Music’ Telstra has announced pre-sale tickets for three concerts. These concerts highlight exactly why the ‘Thanks Music’ program was developed. We can offer our customers access to iconic Australian artists like Bernard Fanning, international chart toppers like Olly Murs and rock royalty like Bon Jovi,” Mr Mundy said.

“This is the next phase in Telstra’s strategy to put the customer at the center of everything we do and drive customer advocacy. Building a reward program that gives our customers unique access to the types of entertainment they value is vital. We began with movies, we are now well underway with music and we will have more exciting reward announcements to come.”

Telstra Thanks presents “BON JOVI Because We Can – The Tour”

Tour Dates:
Sat 7 Dec 2013 – Etihad Stadium Melbourne
Wed 11 Dec 2013 – AAMI Stadium Adelaide
Sat 14 Dec 2013 – ANZ Stadium Sydney
Tue 17 Dec 2013 – Suncorp Stadium Brisbane

Telstra Thanks Pre-Sale powered by BangTango -
9am Monday 13th May to 8:59am Wednesday 15th May 2013 (local time)
Visit www.telstra.com/music for more information

For further tour information and all things Bon Jovi visit: www.BonJovi.com or www.daintygroup.com

Purchase of Telstra pre-sale tickets are strictly subject to availability during the pre-sale window, and a maximum of 10 tickets may be purchased per customer.  Ticket prices and the ticket purchase terms are available on Telstra’s ticketing partner’s website, BangTango Australia Pty Ltd www.bangtango.com.au. Offer only available for Telstra customers.
Free Bon Jovi track is capped at 20,000 redemptions, with any additional redemptions charged at $1 per unit. Check Telstra.com/music for full details.

International Songwriting Competition (ISC) Winners

The International Songwriting Competition (ISC), widely recognized as the world’s premier songwriting event, today announced its 2012 winners. ISC’s Grand Prize is awarded to Joshua Hanson of Irvine, California, USA, for his song “Monsters With Misdemeanors,” entered in the Folk/Singer-Songwriter category. The Grand Prize winner is awarded $25,000 in cash (US) and an additional $40,000 in merchandise and services. A total of 68 winners from 119 countries worldwide were selected from over 20,000 entries, and for the first time ever, more than half of the winners are from outside the USA. Past ISC winners include Gotye, The Band Perry, Kasey Chambers, Amanda Palmer, Gin Wigmore, King Charles, Kimbra, Passenger, Andrew Bird, and many more.
“ISC’s mission is to inspire and promote greatness in the field of songwriting,” says Candace Avery, Founder and Director. “It is humbling to hear so many talented songwriters, and it is gratifying to play a part in the growth of the winners’ careers.” Established in 2002, ISC awards more than $150,000 in cash and prizes to amateur and professional songwriters around the world.
The complete list of ISC 2012 winners is as follows. To view the list of Honorable Mentions, please go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners

Grand Prize:- Monsters With Misdemeanors – Joshua Hanson (Yellow Red Sparks) – Yellow Pine, Idaho, USA

AAA (Adult Album Alternative)
First Place:- Love Letter – Clairy Browne, Darcy McNulty, Steven Schram (Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes) – Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Second Place:- Brother – Matt Corby – Sydney, NSW, Australia
Third Place:- Whispers – James David – Los Angeles, CA, USA

Adult Contemporary (AC)
First Place:- K.I.S.S. – Lara Johnston, Robbie Nevil, Mike Krompass – Novato, CA, USA
Second Place Drums – Alexander Gow (Oh Mercy) – Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Third Place:- What Makes Me Happy – Jehangir Aziz Hayat – Peshawar, Pakistan

Americana
First Place:- Love Inside A Jar – David Garnham (David Garnham & The Reasons To Live ) – Darwin, NT, Australia
Second Place:- You Might Come Around – Dale Boyle – Dorval, QC, Canada
Third Place:- When You’re Dreamin’ – Ed Romanoff, Josh Ritter – Brooklyn, NY, USA

Blues
First Place:-How Long To Heal – Nico Wayne Toussaint – Bayonne, France
Second Place:- Don’t Blow My Cover – William Troiani, Haykon Haye, Ian F. Johannessen, Alexander Pettersen (Billy T Band) – Oslo, Norway
Third Place:- High Gas Prices – William Morganfield (Big Bill Morganfield) – Stone Mountain, GA, USA

Children’s Music
First Place:- Always Be A Unicorn – Helen Austin – Comox Valley, BC, Canada
Second Place Wag More Feat. Indigo Girls – Franklin Bunn (Boxtop Jenkins), Glenn Matullo – Atlanta, GA, USA
Third Place:- Fairy Tale Love – Lisa Sniderman (Aoede) – San Francisco, CA, USA

Comedy/Novelty
First Place:- Handjob, Blandjob, I Don’t Understand Job – Kate Micucci, Riki Lindhome (Garfunkel and Oates) – Los Angeles, CA, USA
Second Place:- Mom Worked The Farm – Pat Godwin – Dallas, PA, USA
Third Place:-There’s A Picture – Eric Schwartz – Los Angeles, CA, USA

Country
First Place:- This Ain’t A Love Song – Denis Dufresne, Lynae Dufresne (Pear), Bryan Wayne – Calgary, AB, Canada
Second Place:- Anonymous – Rachel Honza – Nederland, TX, USA
Third Place:- The Suitcase – Liz Hengber, James Dean Hicks, Anthony Smith – Franklin, TN, USA

Dance/Electronica
First Place:- Crystallize – Lindsey Stirling, Marco Glodolja – Gilbert, AZ, USA
Second Place:- Unity – Thierry Matrat (Funk Embassy) – Montreal, QC, Canada
Third Place:- Urban Daemon – Jose Gustavo Gallo Aranibar (THEREMYN_4) – Lima, Peru

Folk/Singer-Songwriter
First Place:- Golden Hearts – Teejay Terblanche (Black Handed Kites) – Cape Town, South Africa
Second Place:- Blood And Bone – Wes Carr (Buffalo Tales), Eric Silver – Sydney, NSW, Australia
Third Place:- Festival Song – Tim Easton – Nashville, TN, USA

Gospel/Christian
First Place:- All Things New – Alan Thomas – Little Rock, AR, USA
Second Place:- Cross Of Love – Derek Henbest (The Waiting Kind), Phil Wickham – Boise, ID, USA
Third Place:- Chasing Me – Joseph Pfeifer, Jimmy Robeson – San Diego, CA, USA

Instrumental
First Place:- Auctioneering Everything – Jaron Freeman-Fox (Jaron Freeman-Fox & The Opposite Of Everything) – Toronto, ON, Canada
Second Place:- New Life – Valters Puce (DaGamba), Richard Cerenkov – Riga, Latvia
Third Place:- Remembrance – Jens Olav Haugen – Akkerhaugen, Norway

Jazz
First Place:- Angustia – Omar Sosa – Camagüey, Cuba
Second Place:- Benny’s Tune – Lionel Loueke – Brooklyn, NY, USA
Third Place:- Black Lace Freudian Slip – René Marie – Warrenton, VA, USA

Latin
First Place:- Ultimo Aire – Montserrat López Ros (Montse), Néstor Alejandro Martínez Lara – Mexico City, Mexico
Second Place:- Isabela – Oscar Jimenez – Sydney, NSW, Australia
Third Place:- Hasta Que Te Vi – Oscar Olavarria – Santiago, Chile

Lyrics Only
First Place:- I Wanted New York – Leonie Casanova – London, England
Second Place:- Grace Me With Your Love – Sukanya Sreedhar – New Delhi, India
Third Place:- The Boulevard – Richard Dames (Endless Naps) – New York, NY, USA Music

Video
First Place:- Honey – Kahn Morbee (The Parlotones) – Johannesburg, South Africa
Second Place:- Follow Me – Maïa Vidal – Ithaca, NY, USA
Third Place:- Building Houses – Wesley Jensen (Wesley Jensen And The Banquet) – Redding, CA, USA

Performance
First Place:- Separated – Stijn Cole (Stan Lee Cole) – Antwerp, Belgium
Second Place:- Fire Escape – Matthew Mayfield, John Paul White – Birmingham, AL, USA
Third Place:- Mr. No Regrets – Yohan Sung (John Sung) – Manila, Philippines

Pop/Top 40
First Place:- Good Intent – Kimbra Johnson (Kimbra), Francois Tetaz – Auckland, New Zealand / Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Second Place:- Lay Down Your Ghosts – Stephen Hughes, Ed Carlile, Andy McConkey, Leon Rossiter (MoRo) – London, England
Third Place:- Reaction – Acres Of Lions – Victoria, BC, Canada

R&B/Hip-Hop
First Place:- Battle Scars Ft. Lupe Fiasco – Guy Sebastian, Lupe Fiasco – Sydney, NSW, Australia / Chicago, IL, USA
Second Place:- Jay-Z Stole My Girl – John Davenport – Memphis, TN, USA
Third Place:- A Happy Day – Kaindu Chiluba (Blaze Blackheart) – Cape Town, South Africa

Rock
First Place:- Cold Heart – Tyler Bryant (Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown), Jaren Johnston – Nashville, TN, USA
Second Place:- Let It Live Free – Robert Kolar (He’s My Brother She’s My Sister) – Los Angeles, CA, USA
Third Place:- Six Months In A Cast – Thomas Calder (The Trouble With Templeton) – Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Teen
First Place:- You Would Know – Louis McDonald (Five Mile Town) – Auckland, New Zealand
Second Place:- Drift Away – Victoria Celestine – San Antonio, TX, USA
Third Place:- Backs Of Our Eyelids – Matt Jaffe (Matt Jaffe & The Distractions) – Mill Valley, CA, USA

Unsigned Only
First Place:- Misdiagnosed – Harry Hookey – Cowwarr, VIC, Australia
Second Place:- Swimming With Sharks – Ilya Lagutenko (Mumiy Troll) – Vladivostok, Russia
Third Place:- Broken Bones – Tommy Ashby – Peebles, Scotland

World
First Place:-  Bahlawan-Acrobat – Mira Awad – Rameh, Israel
Second Place:-  Sofrimento – Waldemar Bastos – Los Angeles, CA / Luanda, Angola
Third Place:- Boom Boom – Dachee – Maplewood, NJ, USA

People’s Voice Award:- Coming Home – Paul Cowderoy, David Carter, Jane E Robertson – Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Entries are now being accepted for ISC 2013. For more information or to enter, please visit http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/

Emma Dean – “White” – EP available now!

© Candyrat Records / Emma Dean (2013)
Off-kilter ballads about new beginnings

Emma Dean’s eccentric, effervescent pop toes the magical line between music and theatre. Named “one of ten artists to watch” by the NEW YORK POST, Dean’s singular sound is all her own. She has toured Australia and internationally with sold-out solo shows and festival appearances, as well as in support of Jesca Hoop (US), Kate Miller-Heidke, Katie Noonan, Amanda Palmer (US), and The Dresden Dolls (US). A Butterfly Club “Under Our Wing” award recipient, Emma Dean’s musical decadence is “a satisfying serve of warmth, humour and melancholy splashed over a little rock, served up oddball, and well worth a taste” (Jim Forbes, CRIKEY.COM.AU, Australia).

1. Last Night I Had A Hundred Dreams words and music by Emma Dean
2. Phoebe (With Her Whole Heart) words and music by Emma Dean
3. Beautiful Lies words and music by Emma Dean and Indigo Keane
4. Circus words and music by Emma Dean
5. Phoebe (With Her Whole Heart) {Youtube Version}
6. Beautiful Lies {Youtube Version}
7. Circus {Youtube Version}

**Arrangements by Emma Dean and Fronz Arp
**Front Cover Design: By Ben StewartCover Photo by KD Photography

“With an authentic voice and fresh perspectives to offer…[Emma Dean] is just right. Move over Rufus and Tori. You have company.” — Noel Mengel, COURIER MAIL, Australia

VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h56OosJrsEw

EMPRA dubbed ‘best band’ in the world by Livenation.

For Immediate Release Monday 15th April 2013

Australian rock band EMPRA have won the Livenation In House Artist Project Competition after ousting the international competition in the exciting finals held at the legendary House of Blues on Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles on Sunday 7 April.

The band came out on top in the judging criteria for originality, marketability and performance and have won for themselves a US$30,000 USA Touring & Marketing prize from Livenation Worldwide.

Performing newly composed original songs ‘Yours Sincerely’, ‘Strange Conditions’ and a track off their debut album ‘Only Love’. The band exploded onto the stage with an energy and passion that won over the Los Angeles audience at the House of Blues main stage, even two microphone failures during their set did not stop the band. EMPRA improvised while lead singer/guitarist Sanny Veloo walked off the stage and into the House of Blues audience and charmed them into singing the words of the chorus to Only Love while the sound crew rushed to swap the faulty microphones.

According to one of the judges, EMPRA won because “they had great songs with fantastic melodies, powerful and clear vocals, they are fantastic musicians and the band put on a tremendous show. The fact that the mics failed and the band still pulled it off made it even better!”

See for yourself here: http://youtu.be/XjvITjbdZWI

The hardworking rockers return to Melbourne, Australia next week and head straight back into the studio with producer Hadyn Ing (Calling All Cars) to complete work on a followup EP slated for a tentative release in May 2013. This will be followed by an Australian single release national tour in June/July 2013.

EMPRA will return to USA later in this year to promote the EP with their Livenation Touring & Marketing prize.

Celebrate with EMPRA at their homecoming show at Gertrude’s Brown Couch on Friday 9 April featuring a stellar lineup of interstate Australian acts Dividers (Syd) and Lipsmack (Ade) and The Furrows (Melb). Doors open 8.00pm. Tickets $10.00

For more information please visit www.empraonline.com

Apollo Bay music festival 2013

The Apollo Bay Music Festival is putting the finishing touches on its most eclectic and vibrant lineup to date. The mix tape is colourful, the lanterns are being hung up, the ginger beer is brewing and the autumn surf conditions are looking mighty fine.
In classic ABMF style, the lineup includes newcomers from here and around the globe, in addition to festival heavyweights that have travelled far and wide to deliver full-flavoured beats and old favourites to the crowd on the foreshore of the seaside wonder-treasure we call Apollo Bay.
The festival approaches its 21st birthday with a diverse and soulfully charged lineup in the works, programmed by music-lovers, for music-lovers. In addition to the independent tune-makers, punters will be able to enjoy a bounty of other sensory treats including yoga, home-grown art displays, local produce and hand-crafted brews (the ginger beer is our favourite); even a chance to get in on the creative energy with loads of interactive visual arts.
Turin Brakes (UK) is heading up the stellar first round of artists for the 21st birthday celebrations.
With a huge following in their home country and a swag of sellout tours under their belts, this will be their only festival appearance in the south of the country. We’re also stoked to announce that the legendary Skunkhour will be reforming for a one-time exclusive show at the Apollo Bay Music Festival.
Joining them in no particular order will be: Hiatus Kaiyote – fresh from killer sets at Meredith, St Kilda Fest, and White Night, Jess Ribeiro and the Bone Collectors – Winners of the Independent Music Awards for best country artist; acoustic folk genius Daniel Champagne; multi platinum multi instrumentalist troubadour Sandi Thom (Scotland); vocal wonderesses Aluka; the glowing Ghost Orkid; the architects of the most stunning rock debut of the year Redcoats; the huge voice of Hayward Williams (US) who will be joined onstage by the sweet sounds of The Yearlings, the Vintage-Mexi-Bourne-Mariachi-Soul-Rocanrol of Abbie Cardwell & the Chicano Rockers, the smooth sounds of Kingfisha, the band that went up against Missy Higgins at Queenscliff – and won! – Chase the Sun, ten piece all action killers of the European festival circuit Dubmarine; fingerpickin’ bluegrass boy band with all their teeth Mustered Courage, the delicious coconut juju cocktail of Bobby Alu, the sensationally shiny funkiness of Alex Bowen, and the loaded to eleven King of the
North!
The recently leaked second lineup has locked in Australian folk icon Jordie Lane, the unforgettable cultural celebrators Oka, fuzzed-out power-pop group The Livingstone Daisies, (Liz Stringer + Van Walker), the soaring sounds of Hussy Hicks, fresh from a double bill with James Blake – Aya Larkin, musical funny guys Men in Suits and Ryan Coffey, multi-genre masters Briagalong Bush Band, Music Oz 2012 Blues and Roots Artist of the Year Marshall Okell, soulful ukulele mistress Al Parkinson, the gritty Mal Webb, experimental newcomers Warchief, Country Music Australia 2012 Golden Guitar winner Pete Denahey, the oh-so-catchy Blue Eyes Cry, emerging folk wonderlady Katie Wighton, and without a doubt the all-time crowd favourite, DJ Eddy.
Come for the music, stay for the zen…over three days Apollo Bay will deliver the most  buzzing musical exports and imports, letting you soak up the festival vibe in one of the most glorious and peaceful places on the planet. Tickets can be purchased as day passes or for the full weekend, and are on sale now via www.apollobaymusicfestival.com.

Mark Fuller from Gold Fields visited the station today.

Mark Fuller lead singer from Gold Fields braved being a guest on “Unwrapped” hosted by Ekke Martini and Robert Bath.  Mark not only brought in a copy of their brand new cd  “Black Sun” released early in March 2013 but also stayed for the whole program and chatted about the band, their recent trip to America and the background behind some of the songs.

Here is the link to their Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/goldfieldsmusic

Dynamic Theatre making duo work with Ballarat Arts Academy Students

The Virtual Choir Project

You may have missed the photo opportunity – but look out for a photo in The Courier and why not think about taking up this great opportunity..
- Helen Bath, Operations Manager – Voice FM 99.9

Media Release – Tuesday 19th March 2013 – City of Ballarat

Photo opportunity:

What: Promotion of the Virtual Choir Project a partnership between the City of Ballarat, VicHealth and Regional Arts Victoria
Who: Dani Fry and Naz Avaz Choir
When: Today, Tuesday 19 March at 12.30pm
Where: Eureka Hall, Stawell Street, Ballarat

Can you hold a tune? Do you have an ok level of computer literacy? And do you live in Ballarat or the surrounding region?

The City of Ballarat, together with VicHealth and Regional Arts Victoria have launched the Virtual Choir project

Over March and April, up to 200 people can upload and learn part of the Paul Kelly song ‘Meet me in the middle of the air’ which has been especially arranged for the project.

To get involved, participants need to record a part of the song and upload it. Sheet music and how to guides for recording and uploading the audio files are available at www.artsatlas.com.au

The various parts will then be put together and turned into a mass choir recording of the song. The final version will then be synced to a film of an aerial flyover of the region and made available to view on www.artatlas.com.au

City of Ballarat Portfolio Councillor for Destination and Economy Peter Innes said the project aimed to bring the community and the surrounding regions together in song.

“The project is unique in that it sees an exciting use of the virtual creative space and brings people together to participate creatively regardless of distance.”

Dani Fry will offer singing workshops in Ballarat, Hepburn, Moorabool, Golden Plains and Pyrenees shires to help participants get involved.

The Ballarat workshop will be held on March 21 from 7.30 to 9pm at Ebenezer Hall, Armstrong Street South.

For more information on the project and how to get involved visit www.artsatlas.com.au

Walk Off The Earth R.E.V.O. Full Album Stream and ‘Red Hands’ (Big Guitar Version) Video

Email circulation courtesy of Amanda Vitucci from Sony Music Entertainment today: Wed 13th March 2013

Hi All,

What a year 2012 was for Walk Off The Earth, since becoming a viral sensation with their amazing YouTube covers, their fans have grown by the millions with over 300MM cumulative YouTube views for their videos and selling over 500K singles worldwide. Now their debut album R.E.V.O. is set for release in Australia on 22 March and will include original tracks ‘Red Hands’, ‘Gang of Rhythm’ and ‘Summer Vibe’.

We have secured an exclusive Australian stream for R.E.V.O where you can hear the album in its entirety on the music website Something You Said before its release on 22 March.

 http://bit.ly/WGswbp

Also, Watch Walk Off The Earth cover themselves – Click below to check out ‘Red Hands (Big Guitar Version)’.

 http://bit.ly/YZjcN6

 

 

Next Page »