Release, Re-release

It’s a familiar scenario. New band self-releases an EP, everyone else realises how great they really are, band gets signed to label, label re-releases their EP (usually with one or two bonus tracks tacked onto the end and/or a bonus DVD, sometimes with new artwork and occasionally with tracks re-recorded). For new fans/those who missed out first time around, this is wonderful. They get the chance to buy into the band. But should their original fans feel ripped off?

I’ll admit that I have been suckered by this. There a quite a few CDs that I have brought more than one copy of, just for the sake of a few new tracks or a live DVD. I’m not sure if anyone else does, but then again I’m a fangirl, aren’t I?

The thing about re-releases is that they have to happen. It’s the easiest way for labels to quickly (and fairly cheaply) put out a release by a band that they’ve just signed, and to make these releases more readily available. Many self-released CDs take effort to purchase as you can’t just walk into a store and grab one off the shelf (except in the case of a few independents). You have to go online, or to a show. Re-releasing also gives the label a reason to put the band on the road, get their name on everyones lips. So if the product (for want of a better word; in this instance meaning band, release and buzz) is all there and ready to go, why go to the trouble of tacking on the extras?

I’d like to think that it’s to try and encourage people who like the band but haven’t brought their CD yet to buy it, especially in the case of people who may have already downloaded the songs. However, I can’t help but think that it’s for the benefit of people like me (and by benefit, I mean expense). I already have this CD. I love this band. But wait, there’s more! Two new songs? An acoustic track? A live DVD? How can I ever live without this? Ka-ching! As in the sound of my weekly paycheck disappearing into the cash drawer at the local CD retailer.

So it’s back to being broke again. But hey, I have about four new songs to put my mind off my hunger. Do I feel ripped off? Yes I do.

Free your mind with free music

Who managed to catch Adelle on their last tour? It’s a shame if you missed it, not only did you miss an awesome show, you missed out on getting a free copy of “When Your Vices Aren’t Vices”. We at Mission #1 though are very privledged to be able to offer our readers two exclusive downloads from the upcoming release “Hello Sane Age Sins”

The Attic & Lace 

They’ve Said Triage

Enjoy. We’re looking for new writers to take over some columns who writers have gone missing on us. Anyone interested? Hit me up on here, myspace.com/postopproductions or postopprod{at.]gmail.com

You’re lost, your mind’s in a whirl

First up, apologies for the late second post. Second of all...
 

New Band

A very quick mention of…

Princess 1.5

A slice of delightful Australian, girl-on-vocals indie pop.

Princess 1.5 is made up of Sarah-Jane Wentzk and Richard Andrew, usually accompanied by a assortment of musicians. They make delicate (indie) pop music weaving Sarah-Jane’s sweet, breathless and sometimes haunting vocals into the mix. Lately, they’ve just finished touring their third album ‘Vous Je Vous’.

Take a listen: http://www.myspace.com/princessonepointfive  

Old Band

The Saints

Right. The Saints are a classic Australian punk band and you need to hear them.

They emerged out of Brisbane in the early 70’s, with Chris Bailey on vocals, Ed Kuepper on guitar, Ivor Hay on drums and Kym Bradshaw on bass. Using their own label, Fatal Records, The Saints released their first single, (I’m) Stranded in September 1976. The song summed up the feeling of isolation, becoming an anthem of sorts for the Australian punk movement. Five hundred copies were pressed and sent out to various labels, record stores and journalists nationwide as well as overseas. The single got noticed in the UK, and shot up the charts, reaching the forty-fifth spot. The single was released before any of the major English punk singles, even beating the Sex Pistol’s infamous debut Anarchy In The UK. News of the single’s international success reached Australia, and even made the news, with the ABC radio announcing “an unknown band from Brisbane, by the name of The Saints, has earned rave reviews in England for a record it made itself.” EMI signed the band and brought them to London, but their plan to market them as “punk” backfired when the band refused to wear the new image presented to them by the label. In response, The Saints recorded This Perfect Day, which ironically reached the UK top 30 in 1977.

With raw and somewhat chaotic music, The Saints get named dropped and cited as an influence frequently, from bands and artists from Nick Cave to Sonic Youth.

Really, this has all been said before, so just go listen to them.

Songs to get you started:
(I’m) Stranded
Know Your Product
Demolition Girl
This Perfect Day

***

What are you favourite indie/alternative bands at the moment? Even have a few favourite older bands? Go for it, comment away! Because I have no idea what you like… I promise more on current bands next post. Well, maybe..

Jamison Inn R.I.P

Editors note: This is only about 8 months too late.

Let us bow our heads in rememberence of one of the greatest live venues in canberra

On January 8th 2008 the last notes were played within the sacred walls of the jamison inn. Slowburn hosted the final show before managment changed hands and the doors were shut to many gig going faithfulls.

I may have only gone to the <i>Jamo</i>, as it was affectionatly called by the younglings, a handfull of times and in those few visits I found love, compassion and most of all really fucking loud music. Not only did they Jamo have low door prices (which possibly lead to it’s demise) but they also let you bring slabs of coke. Which I will always remember as the “can tower”.

The Jamison inn is also where I saw my first true love…. Strong Like Sam. I remember Jeremy paying out Simon, Kyle having to play with a santa hat over his face and Evan Rocking out with a tamborine.

Another thing I loved about the Jamo is it’s cose proximity to the jamison shops, a haven of cool beverages and hot food. Well I mean the place was ridden with hobbo’s offering to help carry your stuff and old people concerned you will attack them just because you’re wearing a hoodie… but no where else has this sort of character.

But with every death, bring new life.. as I have found the venue, the venue has proven to me to be a nice substitue to the late Jamison inn. Not only is it close to the shops.. but there are just as many bums waiting outside in the darkness, which always provides added entertainment to the music being pumped inside.

I’ve shared my memories with you, I want you to share yours with me. What did you love about the Jamo? What’s your fondest memory? and what is your new favourite venue?

Xavier

Have a sticky beak at Amber Calling

SPOTLIGHT ON

Amber Calling

This week I’ve decided to showcase one of Australia’s premiere bands, Amber Calling. In an Australian music scene, that, as of late, has been throwing up a great deal of samey rubbish; this outstanding South Australian 5-piece shatter the mould, and give us all one more reason to be proud Australians.

Getting together in 2005 under the name 919, the band quickly built up a strong following around their hometown Adelaide and the rest of Australia. After roughly a year of touring and writing, the band released the EP ‘Road Rage’ in late 2006, followed by an extensive tour.

As far as debuts go, ‘Road Rage’ is possibly the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing. There isn’t a single track on this disc, that you won’t want to listen to over and over and over again, and the cherry on top of this magnificent musical sundae is the jaw dropping “This Cell.” The strength of the song led to it’s inclusion on the Starving Kid Records, Scratch Records and Perisher Blue compilations, which provided the band with some well-deserved publicity.

The band went on to share the stage with big-name Australian groups Grinspoon and Something With Numbers, as well as appearing on the local stage at 2007’s Taste Of Chaos tour. 2007 also saw the band appear on the action sports channel Fuel TV, as well as scoring the feature spot on the MySpace Australia homepage. With a few high-profile gigs under their belt, and with the huge publicity of featuring on MySpace and national TV, the anticipation grew for the new release the band had been working on for quite some time, but the world would have to wait.

When Amber Calling began work on their second recorded effort, no one would have expected the trouble that lie ahead for the band. Shortly after work was finished on the record, vocalist Mike Porcaro ran into some hefty throat problems, which his doctor attributed to his smoking and drinking habits. After putting a stop to both, and still not seeing a notable improvement, Mike had no choice but to leave the band.

Left gasping for air, and looking where they should go next, the band attempted to patch up the gaping hole that Mike had left behind. Amber Calling recruited a stand-in vocalist, and headed out on the road. But, fortunately for the band, and all of us, it was only five months later when Mike was given the all clear, and rejoined the group. Back at full-strength, the future once again looked bright for Amber Calling.

The band originally had 11 tracks written for their second release, but decided after pre-production to whittle that number down to six. Mike defended the decision by saying “If we were to have done an album out of those 11 songs, we wouldn’t have been happy with it anyway. The songs that made it to the EP were the ones we were happy with.” The EP was released on 14^th April, 2008, on the newly formed independent label, Tenspeed Music.

The EP entitled “The Truth About Lies” features six tracks of audio heaven, and is available for purchase world-wide on iTunes right now. But, if that’s all too high-tech for you, then head on out to a show and pick up a copy in person. For a measly few dollars, you can get what is definite candidate for Aussie release of the year, and music that’ll stick with you for so long, you’ll still be singing it on your deathbed.

In recent news, Amber Calling were announced as the winners of a competition which, will see them perform alongside US giants Panic At The Disco at their Adelaide show, later this month.

With so many achievements in such a short period of time, Amber Calling look set to take over the Australian music scene, and it’s about bloody time. With a brand new, mind-blowing EP, and a live show that’ll kick you right in the face, Amber Calling will give you the most electric eargasm of your life, and you’ll always be coming back for more.

Clancy.

The Truth About Lies is out now on Tenspeed Music, and available for download on iTunes.

Check Amber Calling out at: www.ambercalling.com.au for everything to do with the band.

A Sound to Remember

Some more old news, but with a message to come

Hands up those who have heard of a band from Brisbane called A Year to Remember? For those who haven’t, a brief introduction: (and sorry to bore those who have, but you know how it goes in this business)

About two months ago, A Year to Remember became the first Australian band to be signed to Melbourne powerhouse label Boomtown Records (home of The Getaway Plan, Horsell Common, In Fiction and Elora Danan, among others) this year. The Brisbane four-piece play catchy pop-rock and have been likened to Jebediah, Lo-Tel, The Get Up Kids and Motion City Soundtrack; although I would prefer to liken their songs to packets of skittles – sweet, colourful and finished all too soon.

And while this is great news for the band and their fans (Boomtowns re-release of their first EP Targets in early July will allow those who couldn’t get their hands on the release the first time around to check out A Year to Remember in all their CD glory while simultaneously presenting the band to many new ears), this is where the message comes in.

My first memory of hearing A Year to Remember comes only a few months ago, when I heard that they had been signed to Boomtown (a record label that I am a huge fan of). I downloaded one of their songs, listened to it and loved it. You can only imagine my surprise, then, when a few days later I came across another of their songs in my computers music collection. Understandably perplexed, I took it upon myself to do a bit of web searching to try to find out where this song had come from and why I had no memory of it.

After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, I was able to surmise that I must have downloaded this track from their triplejunearthed.com profile sometime in late 2006/early 2007, listened to it once, twice or not at all, put it in my media player library because I like it, but untimately forgotten about it.

This got me to thinking… what if A Year to Remember hadn’t been signed to Boomtown? Would I have ever re-discovered this great band? Most likely not. How many other great bands have I missed out on because there’s just so much out there? More than I even want to think about.

So my message is this:

If you find a a great new band that you like, make as much noise about them as you can, for as long as you can, so that as many people as possible can hear you. Maybe one or two of them will remember it.

Canberra’s Pop Punk Scene: Where art thou?

Over the past few years, the popularity of the true thinking man’s genre, pop punk, has been exploding all over the world. And as you should expect from a global popularity explosion (GPE), there have been hundreds upon hundreds of pop punk bands popping up all over the place. As you should also expect, being the music connoisseurs that I know you all are, the majority of these bands are absolute rubbish and should be avoided at all costs. But, don’t fret, as always, there are, in fact, some real diamonds, in this seemingly endless rough.

Canberra, our fair nation’s capital, home to such spectacular events as Floriade and.. Question Time; as well as the architectural marvels that are Parliament House, The National Museum and, the unforgettable Questacon. Now with a city as lovely and culutred as this, you would naturally expect this fine and respectable town to have a thriving pop punk scene, wouldn’t you? It’d make sense! But, unfortunately for all of us, your expectations would be cut dreadfully short. Not too long ago, I wasted hours of my life, trawling through band after band on our favourite social networking site Mysapce, in search of some, even half decent, pop punk bands, with very minimal success, plus a good serving of death metal.

After sifting through about ten, actual pop punk bands, I came up with a mind-boggling TWO bands that are actually worth your time and effort: Transmission Nowhere and Bedford Decision. Now, I may be trailing off a little here, but I just have to point out, that, as much as most instrumentalists would hate to admit it, it’s the vocals that make the band. And that’s the only thing that stood out among most of the bands that I came across. The horrible ones, had some bloke who sounded like an old man, imitating a crying baby; and the two groups that actually got a mention, had someone who could sing in key and in time, and it made a world of difference. So please, if you are considering starting, or have already started a band, FIND SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THEIR WAY AROUND THEIR OWN VOCAL CHORDS!!! And, just in case you think you’re far too “indie” for that thing we call musical talent, you can just give up now, and save us our sanity.

The first little gem I stumbled across go by the name Transmission Nowhere and are a 4-piece made up of workmates Stuart, Scotty, Paulie and Canon who got together sometime late in 2007. Fly-kicking their way on to the scene in January of this year, Transmission Nowhere have played only a handful of gigs, and at their best, their music displays talent that’d fool you into thinking they’d been playing together for years. And at their worst, well, let’s not go there. If you head on over to their Myspace page, you can hear the absolute belters “Dial” and “Man In Black,” both at the top of their player, and just as your getting your hopes up, their final three songs “Say Something,” “All You Need,” and “I Am,” sound like an entirely different band (I liken it to shockingly horrible early 90s emo). But, if you’d care to look past those small imperfections, there is some damn fine music just waiting to flow into your thirsty little ears, from one of the few promising Canberra bands. And just as a side note, these guys get major kudos for avoiding the temptation of donning fake American accents, applause please. Check them out at: www.myspace.com/transmissionnowhere.

The second group I’ll steer your attention towards, call themselves Bedford Decision and are a true pop-punk band, if ever there was one: catchy riffs, sing-a-long choruses and, unfortunately, (imitation) American accents. But, as crazy as it may sound, this band’s PP chops are so good, that you’ll find yourself completely over looking the faux accents, and instead find yourself grooving along in your seat. Started in 2007, this now drummer-less three-piece haven’t been tearing up the gigging scene all that regularly, and personally, nothing could be a worse shame. With their instantly catchy riffs, sing-a-long choruses, and dead simple structures, this is the band you’ll have stuck in your head for weeks on end, and I promise you won’t mind a bit. Definite highlights are: “Never” and “Neighbourhood Watch,” hit these guys up at their Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bedforddecision.

So there you have it folks, a wrap up of Canberra’s pop-punk scene, in all it’s miniature glory. Keep a look out for any pop punk gigs swinging into town in the future, and make sure you and your mates flock to them in droves, because if there’s an audience, the bands definitely won’t be far behind. And if you know how to throw a few power-chords together, why not give it a go yourself?

Stay classy San Diego,

Clancy – SOTI.

Hello Sane Age Sins

Forming in Brisbane in 2005, Adelle are quickly making a name for themselves. After independently releasing their debut EP “When Your Voices Aren’t Vices” in 2006 and touring extensively on the back of it throughout 2007, Adelle are back with “Hello Sane Age Sins.” Mission #1 caught up with Michael Parker, Vocialist and guitarist for this unique quartet.

How did the band form?

Adelle was formed in late 2005 during the moments of darkness that define the most interesting part of a solar eclipse. It was exhilarating but over much too soon, observers on the day used adjectives to the likes of captivating and mesmerizing when describing the unison. By late 2006 we had gathered enough intelligence and appropriate auditory material to reproduce discs in sizeable quantities. This first “hearing” was aptly named “When Your Vices Aren’t Vices” due to our large number of personal defects and an even more personal choice to disregard and ignore them. We toured compellingly on this release throughout 2007 assimilating fans in an assortment of environments and realities.

Is there much sadism in the Adelle camp?

Not really, we’re more about creeping you out. Inflicting pain or humiliation on someone is likely to trigger specific predictable reactions in return (namely fight or flight) and predictable equals boring. When threatened or engaged in conflict our actions are designed to induce that uncomfortable sinking feeling in the pits of our rivals stomachs. In fact the trick to this is sexual masochism.

How are you guys looking forward to the upcoming tour? Anything you’re particularly looking forward to or dreading?

The only thing we dread about touring is the fact that we can not log into Second Life every few hours to cause havoc on the B&D rooms with our clown hats and water pistols. Apart from that it is like a party 24/7. My average day on tour consists of waking up, drinks with lunch, chill, play a show, free drinks at venue, chill, party in the room, round of Ouija board then a cooked breakfast about 2-3am before bed. Please note, on travel days all of these event still occur to an absurd degree while in transit.

Tell me about recording Hello Sane Age Sins…

We recorded the tracks with Guy Cooper of Serotonin Productions [A Secret Death, The Combovers, Driven Fear]. After exhaustively doing all the production and recording on “Vices” ourselves this was a welcoming change. Working with talent like Guy and the new crew at Darther Music has not only made the whole project more professional but has given the rest of us a lot more time to lurk the Internet for things like the leaked Veronicas pictures. Words still out on whether they are real or not though. On the more professional note I mentioned above…

“Hello Sane Age Sins” LP is a rendering of raw sound with cunningly astute production, the songs have groove with thrashings of rock and moments of calm, the lyrics are clever yet sharp with shades of malevolence. To me this disc is an anti-movement, awe-inspiring insubordination, like dancing in the underworld, defiance personified.

What were some of the main ideas/themes/inspirations behind the album?

This CD is about doing whatever we feel like providing the vibe is right. However this is simply a reflection of how we write music. You get the feeling a lot of bands write songs and if they don’t turn out enough like their favourite songs at the time they scrap them. This results in a battering of standard sound upon my ear drums neither impressing nor upsetting me, just leaving me speculating about what it feels like to be a drone. In stark contrast to this we let everything fly in all areas of songwriting from pre to post production. Try everything, say anything; if you think it might work it probably will, if it doesn’t use a crazy effect and see where that leaves you. I guess if I had to cap it off it in a statement I’d say open your mind, awaken the senses, be well read and versed even better, don’t follow, thinking for yourself is a choice and you’d be sensible to make it sometime.

Tell me about the voice-overs you use in your songs…

I assume this question pertains to the “new” song on the myspace. Scott recorded this song titled “The Big Picture” using Reason and his laptop; essentially it is a bridging track for between now and when the album is released. It goes well with long winding roads at night or banned substances. The voice over your referring too is that of Edgar Mitchell who is an astronaut that walked on the moon. In this particular snippet he is discussing the occasions when he was briefed by NASA about the existence of extraterrestrials.

Plans for the rest of the year?

When we get home from tour we will be finishing up three new motion picture projections for the album with possibilities for a fourth somewhere in the stratosphere. There are tour follow up shows in NSW planned for October, a weekend up north in the works and a big 2 week tour in Nov/Dec right round to Adelaide. As far as SE QLD is concerned there is a whole stack of shows planned across the city and the coast when we are once again blips on the radar. On the song writing front we have started pre-production on the 3^rd album and are due to start recording later this year. Meanwhile we are shopping “Hello Sane Age Sins” LP to labels and promoters domestic and abroad before its release.

Anything else you’d like to talk about that I haven’t asked?

Sure, at our shows you can get free download cards. You receive a username and password off the card (emblazoned with the CD artwork) and are directed to www.thoughtcoercion.org where you can download 2 unreleased songs off the new album… You can also get them by becoming a field representative; contact us via myspace www.myspace.com/adellegroup for more information.

Adelle are on tour now, hitting Newcastle, Sydney, Canberra, the Central Coast and Brisbane. For more information hit up their myspace,   http://www.myspace.com/adellegroup

Introducing Music+Mayhem

This is the first official column of Music+Mayhem!! In this column I will be discussing the latest music news, who might be paying us a visit here is aus, who to look out for, and much much more! So let’s get down to the nitty!

Hello, my name is Tayra, and ill be your entertainer this evening;)

Aha, 2008 is set to be a great year on the hard rock calendar. British metal legends, ‘Dragonforce’ are expected to grace our Aussie stages around October, so for all those metal fans, this is the gig for you! For all the abstract music lovers, who are into minor chord progression, all-so-wrong-and-yet-so-right lyrics and crazy arsed costumes, ‘Lola the Vamp’ may be paying us a visit again later this year!

As well as some awesome hard rock bands visiting aus, Alternative emo rock is said to make a dent in the charts, with heaps of new bands already fighting for a piece of the limelight. A surprise appearance from Miley Cyruss’ brother, Trace Cyrus, playing in the band ‘MetroStation’ has so far left fans aching for more of the emo-alternative wonder! Be prepared however, you won’t find any shredding in this playlist, instead think ‘HelloGoodbye’ style electronic beats, and simply odd lyrics.

One band that keeps jumping out from my iTunes Library is “Within Temptation”. If you haven’t already heard of them, hit them up on their myspace at

www.myspace.com/withintemptation.

Within temptation focus on gothic rock, with an excellent vocal artist and heavy rock instrumentals. This band are slightly more heavy metal than Evanescence, which I for one, think is refreshing, it is rare to find a band with as much talent as Evanescence, but who use it to the full potential, so check it out!NEWS FLASH! Sunshine Coast hard rock band, ‘From the Hearts Of Heroes’ have just released their new EP. The disk has six awsome tracks that the band have selected and recorded just for the Screamo lovers in society. If your into hard rock and screamo, hit them up on their myspace, or alternatively, you can purchase their EP from Mosh Pit Music, located in Queenslands sunshine coast.

Enough of the headlines, what’s been happening around Australia in the music scene? Actually, something very worrying has been brought to the attention of this aussie hardcore reporter (that’s me:p). Everywhere I turn there seems to be some show of disrespect to the music-loving community. Bands such as ‘Enolas Secret” have been getting their gear stolen from right under their noses, while Other bands are forced to witness violent attacks on their fans from the ‘haters’ in our society. Come on, enough is enough! Sure, we get it that so called ‘emos (generally music loving people)’ are becoming a large part of Australia’s youth, and we also accept that there are some people out there that would rather dig their ear drums out with a toothpick than listen to our beats, BUT WHY RESORT TO PETTY THEIVING AND VIOLENCE! Come on guys, enough is enough. Respect our music, and respect our equipment!

Finally, I’d like to give a shout out to the members of Enolas Secret, who have suffered greatly from this thieving wave. Its just great to see the support of the community on their myspace blog. Want to know more about Enolas secret? Check out our exclusive interview now!

Well, that’s it from me this fortnight my pretties, if you would like any of your topics to be discussed in my next column drop me a comment

, and leave some suggestions! ill be sure to get back to you..