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SUPPORT FOR ‘MR ZIL’
“Stupid Baby showing off a different side straight away with a spitty, snarling punk rock angle on this one. I’m hearing The Drones influence bleeding nicely into this.” – 4/5 stars
Declan Byrne – triple j (AUS)
“The growl Stupid Baby possess in this track is striking. It’s angsty and relentless and I love it.” – 4/5 stars
Claire Mooney – triple j (AUS)
“With relentless drums, scorching guitars and thumping bass, the angsty track leaves nothing up to the imagination.”
Hysteria Magazine (AUS)
Added to Apple Music’s ‘The New Rock’
Following on from the release of their critically praised follow-up single ‘Mr Zil’, NSW Central Coast-based indie-punk quartet Stupid Baby have returned with the accompanying video clip – edited by co-lead vocalists Jake Dobson and Liz Drummond, and Jack Stafford (re._stacks).
With the on-set of isolation in March-April, the band shot the whole video on their iPhones at each of their houses. Being unable to film something with a complex narrative, they instead each got dressed up and performed their own interpretations of the track, creating something hilarious, with just the right amount of weird.
Dobson explains the process behind filming ‘Mr. Zil’:
“The whole isolation experience has just confirmed you can still make a fairly entertaining video with no budget, using an iPhone. This song is fairly chaotic, and character driven, and we didn’t necessarily want to make a video that was aesthetically sophisticated or refined anyway. So, we think the DIY approach worked well considering the circumstances.”
While only in their infancy, the group have already toured and shared stages with the likes of The Chats, The Smith Street Band, Pist Idiots, Skegss, Ocean Alley, Polish Club and WAAX. The band also recently performed at the sold-out Rolling Sets festival held in January in Coffs Harbour, alongside Hilltop Hoods, The Rubens, Lime Cordiale, Mallrat and George Alice.
Both ‘Mr Zil’ and debut single ‘Feline’ have been warmly received by Australian radio including airplay from triple j, Double J, triple j Unearthed, FBi Radio, 2SER, 4ZZZ, SYN FM, Radio Adelaide and 2XX FM. Online music sites and tastemakers Pilerats, Life Without Andy, Hysteria Magazine, Music Feeds, The AU Review, AAA Backstage, The Soundcheck, Ear to the Ground Music (USA) and The Girls at the Rock Show (USA) have also featured the tracks.
‘Mr. Zil’ is available worldwide now
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | SOUNDCLOUD | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC
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“The film clip was recorded during isolation. So we had a small budget, limited resources and we also had to build our own set. We had to try and create a vast, ethereal landscape and create many locations using one studio space. To achieve that, we had to dress up the set in different ways. We threw in extra lighting and borrowed a smoke machine from friends at Lulie Tavern in Abbotsford. They told us we had to get our own ‘rave juice’. We didn’t know what that was so we went and got regular smoke machine juice from a local music shop.” – Benjamin Joel
Praise has already been pouring in for Vazer’s debut album released 29 May via Hotel Motel Records, garnering acclaim both at home and abroad from online publications, national broadcasters and community radio stations throughout the country, and selling out her first vinyl pressing in days. Do not miss your chance to catch Nat Vazer present songs from her stunning debut Is This Offensive And Loud?
Nat Vazer East Coast Album Launch Shows
Thursday 18 June – Leaps and Bounds Festival – Records and Refreshments
Airing on Rockhopper Records’ Youtube Channel and Facebook Page
FREE – Donations welcome and split between performing artists
Saturday 20 June – Small Time, Brunswick
Live-streamed to Facebook and cross-posted between Small Time & Nat Vazer
Free + tickets via Eventbrite – Donations welcome – 100% proceeds to Nat Vazer
Thursday 2 July – Music Farmers
Live streamed via Instagram @musicfarmers from 7:30pm
Wednesday 8 July – Jet Black Cat
Live streamed via Instagram @jetblackcatmusic from 7.30pm
Friday 10 July – Rocksteady Records
Live stream on Rocksteady’s Instagram @rocksteadyrecords
Full band show
Free
‘Higher Places’ video filmed, directed and edited by Benjamin Joel and Nat Vazer
Is This Offensive And Loud? is out now via Hotel Motel Records
Bandcamp / Spotify / iTunes / Apple Music
Vintage Culture amps up the crowd with the release of his remix of “Slow Down” featuring Maverick Sabre and Jorja Smith. The single has quickly accumulated over 30 million streams since its debut in April.
Vintage Culture has quickly mastered the kind of beats that appeals to listeners within the dance genre. Lukas, AKA Vintage Culture has topped the Billboard Dance Club Charts, appeared on BBC Radio 1’s Dance Anthems, NRJ France, Slam FM Netherlands, Triple J Australia and Sirius XM USA.
The visuals project the party synth beats filled with mesmerizing drops, raw and honest lyrics and fun vibes that makes this a timeless piece that’ll turn up on an endless amount of playlists for many years to come.
Don’t miss out on “Slow Down” as it will quickly become one of your favorite remixes of the year after you listen to it for the first time! Make sure to follow Vintage Culture to keep up with his future releases.
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Box Hill Institute and City of Melbourne present: Music Industry Mentoring Edge (MIME)
A new mentorship program for start-up music businesses and emerging industry professionals
Introducing Music Industry Mentoring Edge (MIME): a unique and innovative, first of its kind in Australia mentoring program designed to support career progression, knowledge and connections for emerging to mid-level career music industry professionals in Melbourne and surrounding areas.
Presented and supported in partnership with Box Hill Institute and City of Melbourne, the inaugural program will deliver bespoke support to start-up businesses and industry professionals through a dedicated program of workshops, master-classes and one-on-one extended mentorship. The inaugural program will be backed by Box Hill Institute’s New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) funded by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment in an industry-first program tailored specifically to support music businesses.
Confirmed speakers include self-managed and major label artist and songwriter Olympia, Ariel Blum (Producer & Artist), Merida Sussex (Box Hill Institute, Tremoverse Records and Stolen Recordings, Merlin Network), Wenona Lok (Asia Pop Fest), Peter Luscombe (Musical Director RockWiz & Musician) and Nathan Bird (Artists, Birdz).
All successful business owners in their own right, the speakers represent a wide variety of positions across the music industry and show exemplary standards, work ethics and innovative global outlooks. The speakers look forward to sharing these insights with the NEIS applicants.
Chair of the City of Melbourne Arts, Culture and Heritage portfolio, Councillor Rohan Leppert, said council was excited to partner with Box Hill Institute to deliver this new unique mentoring program to develop Melbourne’s talented local music industry.
“Melbourne’s diverse music scene is world-renowned,” Cr Leppert said.
“It’s important that we continue to foster the growth of our local music industry and entrepreneurs. Through the City of Melbourne Music Plan, our investment in MIME will open a new set of opportunities for local music businesses to grow and make their mark on Australia and the world.”
Eligible candidates of the MIME program will be offered free, music-specific business training and mentor support for up to 12-months, culminating in the develop a personalised Business Plan that demonstrates the viability of their business concept as part of the NEIS program. The Business Plan can then be used to grant access for eligible participants to NEIS’ New Business Assistance, a Commonwealth funded financial assistance scheme offering support to business start-ups, for up to 39 weeks. This will be delivered through a 5-day workshop series, followed by a 5-week mentoring program through online platform Mentorloop who will act as a connection platform for MIME participants to enable networking, collaboration and knowledge sharing. The platform will also allow program managers to monitor individual progress and evaluate the overall program’s success.
Box Hill Institute and City of Melbourne
Music Industry Mentoring Edge (MIME) Key Dates
EOI’s open from Wednesday 17 – Friday 2 July 2020
All participants will be required to be available between the 8-15 July 2020
For more information and apply for MIME here: www.boxhill.edu.au/
Wednesday 8 July: Keynote + Panel + Q&A
Keynote: Olympia (self-managed artist)
Panel: Olympia, Ariel Blum, Merida Sussex, Peter Luscombe, Wenona Lok, Nathan Bird (Birdz)
Workshops
Thursday 9 July: NEIS Program Workshops
Monday 13 July: NEIS Program/developing your business strategy
Tuesday 14 July: NEIS Program/developing your business strategy
Wednesday 15 July: NEIS Program/developing your business strategy
Monday 20 July – Monday 31 August: Mentorloop
Box Hill Institute website: www.boxhill.edu.au/
City of Melbourne website: melbourne.vic.gov.au/music
Information on the NEIS Program: www.employment.gov.
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“Charlie knows how to make a compelling track AND how to wring the last drops of emotion out of it.” – Dave Ruby Howe
“Charlie Gradon’s talent is seemingly uncontainable.” – Life Without Andy
Sydney melancholic strummer Charlie Gradon takes a more upbeat approach on new single ‘Blurry Ones’ from his forthcoming sophomore EP.
‘Blurry Ones’ was written when Gradon bought his wife a vintage camera which took, as Gradon describes, “basically useless blurry photographs”. Born in his bedroom studio, the track sounds just like the blurry images Gradon sings of – nostalgic and reflective indie-rock.
Earlier this year Gradon resurfaced with the mellow single ‘Grieving’ which found a home on radio, reaching #3 on the AMRAP Metro Radio Charts along with adds on FBi Radio, 2SER and EDGE.
The products of a challenging period of change, both singles offer a glimpse of Gradon’s introspective upcoming sophomore EP – out later this year – which the talented multi-instrumentalist wrote and performed on his own.
This omnibus follows on from 2018’s ‘Self Doubt’ which intrigued audiences and garnered on-air support from Double J and FBi Radio and had him named in The Music Writer’s Poll for ‘Song of the Year’. Echoing this praise, he was recently a finalist in Happy Mag’s Needle in the Hay competition out of 2000 entries, and named in Life Without Andy’s Next Big Things for 2020.
With the world in an extended period of reflection Charlie Gradon is here with the perfect soundtrack.
CHARLIE GRADON
‘BLURRY ONES’
OUT NOW
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What is your name and role within The Mean Times?
My name is Tom Morgan and I’m on vocals and guitar. I also do all the shit that no one else in the band will do – like badly manage our finances or lack thereof.
Where are you currently based?
In Melbourne. Rock City.
What’s been happening recently?
You know, mostly just staying at home, ordering beer off the internet and cancelling gigs. Oh, we also released another EP the other day, which is exciting. Spewing we haven’t been able to play it live to anyone yet!
Your new EP ‘Stunned Mullet’ is out now, what influenced the sound and song writing?
We recorded ‘Stunned Mullet’ at the same time we recorded our last EP, ‘Raw Prawn’, which we released last year. We’d originally intended to do an album, but the more we got into the recording process and building on ideas, we realised we had two distinct sets of songs that needed to be split into different releases. We knew that each EP would retain a definite similarity, but that they were very different in style. While ‘Raw Prawn’ is a catchy, punk rock EP showing our lighter side, ‘Stunned Mullet’ is an angsty, dystopian rejection of traditional pop and indie norms, but also catchy, dancey and familiar. So we’ve kind of gone from influences like 70s and 90s oz punk rock, writing about life in general and self-deprecation, to a mixed bag of sludgy, grungy, stoner rock, indie pomp and acoustic ballads that all deal with death, depression, bad influences and dead bats.
How did you go about writing the music?
For this EP, it was mostly me writing the core song and bringing it to the band to make it good and point out what I was doing wrong. I actually wrote the first track, ‘She Lives on Oxygen’ when I lived in Amsterdam about 12 years ago. Most likely stoned. It was performed in a couple of bands I played in over there (Hand Bites Dog and Yakuza Smile), but it never felt finished. It only recently got a rewrite and a new chorus and became one of our favourite songs. ‘Miss Damascus 2008’ was written around a bass line that was looping around in my head for ages and layered from there by the rest of the band. Taxidermist came to me on a bike ride home from work one night when musing over the amount of songs that had the lyrics, ‘If you had wings you could fly’. And Faking Death is a dark one that just instantly came out on guitar when I was really tired and struggling with life. But we’ve moved away from that approach lately and are now really focussing on writing together as a band. It’s much more satisfying and enjoyable.
Where and when did you record/produce and who with?
‘Stunned Mullet’ and ‘Raw Prawn’ were mostly recorded and mixed at Rolling Stock Studios in Collingwood by Nao Anzai, who’s done a bunch of awesome stuff like Cash Savage and the Last Drinks. We actually started it way back in 2017 when we first laid down bass, drums and some guitars at Rolling Stock, but over the following year or two, we added a heap of guitars ourselves – mostly at Eoin’s house. We then sourced horns, strings and more guitar from musicians scattered across the internet, then came back to the studio to do vocals and mix it together with Nao. The whole lot was then mastered by Mikey Young from Eddy Current Suppression Ring.
What programs/instruments did you use?
Heaps of goddam guitars and effect pedals. At one point, when recording ‘She Lives on Oxygen’, we’d already recorded about 5 or 6 guitar layers, but we still wanted more! We asked our mate Cosmic from Brisbane band Death By Carrot to do a mad wah solo, then our former band mate Ant did another solo, then we went full bogan and roped in the craziest guitar soloist we could find in South America. We then changed tack and decided we wanted strings and horns for the second track, ‘Miss Damascus 2008’. We tracked down musicians offering these services on websites and worked with them collaboratively. We’d figure out the melodies or textures we wanted on the keyboard and send them a recording of what we were looking for and they’d make it sound good and send us their recordings to add to the mix. We also added our own keys to pretty much every song.
What did you find most challenging and rewarding during the writing/recording process?
Having no time was our biggest challenge. Having busy day jobs, families and other outside commitments is always what makes it hard for us, especially when recording. If we had more time, we would’ve busted out about 10 albums by now. We’re actually quite efficient when we get down to business. Also, at the time of recording, we didn’t actually have a full-time drummer, so we shipped in our mate Jonesy who’d been filling in for us occasionally to help out. That was a challenge in itself as he also had limited time and heaps of other bands.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
Right now I’m listening to Failure! I’m also liking Rolling Blackout Coastal Fever’s new album at the moment, but the one band I’m addicted to listening to this year is Viagra Boys from Sweden. They sound insane. Expect us to start ripping them off very soon.
What do you like to do away from music?
Outside of music, work and family, I don’t have a lot of time for much else. If I do, then I like to go camping, bike riding and put things in a slow cooker. During lockdown, I’ve also managed to step up an already worrying drinking habit and am becoming even more of a craft beer wanker.
What’s planned for the remainder of 2020?
Hopefully we can go back to the pub! First and foremost, I just want to go to the pub and get on the beers. But then, I want to play some goddamn gigs in the goddamn pub!
We had to cancel our single and EP launches during lockdown, so we’re hoping to put on a massive Melbourne show as soon as things go back to normal. Keep an eye out for that. Then we’ll play as many gigs as we can. We’ve actually been relatively productive with songwriting over the past few months at home, so it’d be great if we could get back to the studio and record it all. Hopefully it doesn’t take 3 years this time.
Favourite food and place to hangout?
Pub feeds and the pub. I don’t discriminate as to which.
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/themeantimes
Instagram @themeantimes
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Follow ABRACADABRA on Twitch & Tune In Friday!
A 3-day Virtual Festival for Bye Bye Plastic, June 19th-21st LIVE on Twitch
ABRACADABRA & BLOND:ISH are also giving away 1 Bitcoin (worth around $9,500 at the time of announce) to a lucky winner
Hey presto, ABRACADABRA, the magic movement conjured up by Vivie-Ann Bakos aka BLOND:ISH and Liana Hillison, brings you music, magic, self love and sustainability roundtables in a festival to benefit Bye Bye Plastic Foundation. Get ready to depart; you are about to choose your own adventure…
What’s up their sleeve? Not just a highly curated mix of mindblowing sounds from Diplo, Nahko (Live), Nightmares on Wax, BLOND:ISH, Themba, Lunar Disco; not just magic from mentalist/illusionists; but an embodiment of our best possible selves, mirrored through self love, brain games, yoga, 3D sound exploration, meditation and more (‘The Class’’ Taryn Toomey and Jai Dev Singh will also feature)… with surprises to keep your inner child alive.
‘ABRA is all about creating your own reality, because magic is everywhere!’
Always forward thinking, ABRACADABRA is one of the first electronic music brands to run single-use plastic free events. Since 2017, their vibes have throbbed in Tulum, Tomorrowland, and Mykonos… Now they’re adapting their craft of putting on legendary parties in paradise and shifting to our current world; ABRA TV provides a one stop show to support artists and creatives, providing a space for them to connect and create magic with their talents and passions, ‘all around our beloved music, the glue that brings us all together.’
ABRACADABRA Virtual Festival has partnered with Bye Bye Plastic Foundation, the grass roots organisation on track to remove single-use plastic from the music industry by 2025. BBP, dreamed into being and led by Vivie-Ann, has inspired thousands of DJs and event promoters to join the #plasticfreeparty mission with their ‘Eco Rider’, onsite activations, beach cleans, and innovative research since launching in 2018. BBP officially became a Foundation in January 2020, and have partnered and consulted with industry giants such as International Music Summit (IMS) & SXM Festival and led sustainability panels at ADE Green, IMS, Brighton Music Conference and beyond.
Bye Bye Plastic will host experts and brands like Mogu’s Maurizio Montalti (‘Mycelium Magic’) and industry trailblazers like Elektrik Fantasy Festival and Ultra Music Festival (‘Miami’s Sustainable Party Fairies’) to thrash out new ideas and set a path for sustainable raving.
This is only the beginning for this adventure, as the channel will be developing into something increasingly inclusive. ABRACADABRA TV will be a hub to show you magic exists and show you how to create it in your own life so you can spread it far and wide. ‘We’re starting with this festival, and the channel will constantly be evolving, and we’ll be inviting our community to share their own passions with us and each other.’
And! To celebrate its first virtual festival and to give back to the community ABRACADABRA is giving 1 Bitcoin and lifetime subscriptions to ABRA TV on Twitch to a group of lucky friends. To enter the contest, Instagram users can tag 2 or more friends in the comments on ABRA’s lineup announcement post (@welcometoabracadabra) and anyone can RSVP at https://www.abracadabra.life/
Tune in to ABRACADABRA Festival on Twitch on Friday!
On Friday 25 September, IDLES will release their anticipated third album – Ultra Mono – via Partisan Records / Liberator Music. Accompanying today’s announcement, the band have shared album highlight and thunderous call-to-action ‘Grounds’ alongside a music video (dir. by Rob French).
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STATE CHAMPS
ANNOUNCE STATE CHAMPS UNPLUGGED EP
DUE OUT AUGUST 14 VIA PURE NOISE RECORDS
10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY VARIETY SHOW ON JUNE 22
TICKETS, EP PRE-ORDERS AND EXCLUSIVE T-SHIRT WITH 100% PROCEEDS GOING TO BLACK LIVES MATTER AVAILABLE NOW
“We’re excited to Celebrate our 10th Birthday as a band in the best fashion: An interactive online variety show where we get to hang out with fans, perform, reminisce, and tell stories from the past 10 years,” shares vocalist Derek DiScanio. “We’ll be bringing in some surprise guests, and even premiering new music. That’s right, those who purchase tickets to the event will be the first to hear some brand new tunes and music videos from our upcoming Unplugged EP. There will be exclusive merch deals right on the event page and we’ll top the night off with a live Q&A hangout with everyone. This is the most unique event we’ve ever thrown and we can’t wait to share it with everyone as we ring in the next chapter of Champs.“
Given that this is a very important election year, State Champs has partnered with HeadCount to offer a 50% discount on tickets for all fans who register to vote. For those that are not of age to register, they can pledge with HeadCount and still receive the discount. For more information, please visit HeadCount.org/StateChamps.
In addition to this partnership with HeadCount, State Champs recently unveiled ways they will be helping to use their platform to champion the Black Lives Matter movement. “There’s an incredible movement happening right now in our country and throughout the world. Black voices that are tired of the injustice, the discrimination, the inequality, louder than ever in a choir fighting to be seen and accepted without prejudice, and it’s long overdue,” shared the band on social media. “We are excited to lend our voices and support alongside those protesting, donating, making petitions, gathering and distributing resources, and raising awareness. It’s time to listen, learn and act, because it’s time for a change.” Fans can head to https://www.statechampsny.com/ for a limited edition t-shirt and the opportunity to win unique pieces of State Champs memorabilia through raffles.
State Champs Unplugged, dropping in time for the band’s 10-year anniversary, is much more than a set of stripped-down reimagined bangers. Instead, the EP offers up four brand new tracks crafted specifically for this setting, plus a surprising reworking of “Criminal” and a moving new take on “Dead and Gone.” It’s a record that’s reflective of the diverse listening habits of the foursome, unapologetic about their love of everything from Pop to Country without sacrificing the upbeat enthusiasm of the central influences that first moved their collective souls.
“The Unplugged EP is special for us for many reasons, one main reason being the writing process. We feel like we really went back to our roots, you know, just the band, in a room with an acoustic guitar, writing songs and having fun,” shared DiScanio on the upcoming EP. “We tend to execute our best material in an environment that is stress free and organic. Our fans have been asking for new acoustic, stripped down material for quite some time, we’re happy to say it’s here.”
This will be the first taste of new music from State Champs since their 2018 release Living Proof. The 13-track collection is the most ambitious and cohesive work in the band’s catalog. While securing the #9 Top Current Albums, #28 Top 200 and #3 Rock Billboard charting positions, this album has seen impressive praise from fans and press alike.
State Champs has always embraced the idea of getting their music in front of as many people as possible. They aren’t running away from the sound they’ve established; if anything, it’s that scrappy punk spirit that drives them to continue to reach further and further. They’ve done pop arena tours, metal tours; they’ve even played a show on a beach. Wherever they turn up, they are going to be sincere and passionate. They are going to have fun. And moreover, so will you. This is an arena-ready band, capable of moving any kind of crowd, with the heart and soul of DIY freedom.
State Champs is Derek DiScanio (Vocals), Tyler Szalkowski (Guitar), Ryan Scott Graham (Bass) and Evan Ambrosio (Drums).
About HeadCount:
HeadCount is a non-partisan organization that promotes participation in democracy through music, culture, and digital media. Since 2004 the organization has registered over 650,000 voters and worked with a long list of musicians and partners including Ariana Grande, Dave Matthews Band, JAY-Z, Beyonce, March for Our Lives, RuPaul’s DragCon, MTV, and Dead & Company. HeadCount also organizes “Participation Row” activism villages at over a dozen major music festivals and concert tours. With 40,000 volunteers, street teams in most major U.S. cities, and presence at more than 1,000 events each year, HeadCount ranks as one of the most active grassroots civic participation organizations in the United States.
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