MUSHROOM LABELS LAND 17 NOMINATIONS FOR 2020 ARIA AWARDS

DMA’S have been nominated for five awards, Violent Soho for four awards, The Teskey Brothers and Archie Roach for three awards, and The Rubens and Gordi with one nomination each.

DMA’S (I OH YOU/MUSHROOM)
Bringing home a massive 5 ARIA nominations for Album Of The Year, Best Group, Best Rock Album, Best Independent Release, and Best Australian Live Act is DMA’S with their critically acclaimed third studio album, THE GLOW. THE GLOW was recorded and mixed by multi-Grammy Award winning producer Stuart Price (The Killers, New Order, Madonna) at the historic Westlake Recording Studios in Hollywood and has been a step up for the band in every sense. The album debuted at #2 in Australia, #4 in the UK and took out the #1 spot in Scotland. With three top-10 ARIA albums, nine ARIA-nominations, and multiple ARIA Platinum and ARIA Gold singles now under their belt, these incredible achievements are a testament to the band’s unwavering vision to write albums that take their sound to a new level and new ears across the world. Earlier this year DMA’S sold out a headline show at O2 Academy Brixton (London) and in support of THE GLOW in July, sold out 18 COVID-19-safe Sydney shows. Later this month, the band will perform the pre-game entertainment for the 2020 AFL Grand Final, live from The Gabba on Saturday 24th October, before continuing their ‘Intimate & Unplugged’ tour in Brisbane.

Violent Soho (I OH YOU/MUSHROOM)
Violent Soho’s fifth studio album, Everything Is A-OK, which debuted at #1 on the ARIA album chart, has earned the band four ARIA nominations, including Best Rock Album, Best Video (presented by YouTube Music), Engineer of the Year (Greg Wales), and Best Cover Art (Luke Henerey). Everything Is A-OK marks the second time the band have snagged the top spot on the ARIA chart, after their previous release WACO (which scored two ARIA Awards for Best Group and Best Rock Album) topped the national chart in 2016 and became certified Gold. Everything Is A-OK was recorded by Australian producer Greg Wales (You Am I, Sandpit, Youth Group) and is a headlong cannonball-ride into the darkness of suburban abandonment and decay. It is an honest record that reflects a band who have found peace with who they are. It is a cathartic vent of our shared frustrations, which could not have come at a better time.

The Teskey Brothers (IVY LEAGUE/MUSHROOM)
Debuting at #1 on the ARIA charts, Live At The Forum is the latest release from The Teskey Brothers and has scored the band three ARIA nominations for Best Group, Best Australian Live Act, and Best Blues & Roots Album. In the tradition of some of history’s greatest live records (James Brown, Woodstock, Donny Hathaway, The Who), the band undertook the arduous task of recording to analogue tape during their sold-out four-night stand at the beloved Melbourne venue last November. Accompanying the live album has been the band’s ‘Stay Home Slow’ virtual tour – where in lieu of live shows, the band released a series of live videos from The Forum and a behind-the-scenes documentary of the live album recording experience. These new nominations follow a huge 2019, where the band picked up seven nominations for their critically acclaimed sophomore album Run Home Slow, taking home the awards for Best Group, Best Blues & Roots Album and Engineer of the Year on the night.  Run Home Slow also saw the band nominated for a Recording Academy Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

Archie Roach (BLOODLINES/MUSHROOM)
Music legend, Stolen Generations survivor and 2020 Victorian Australian Of The Year, Archie Roach AM, celebrates the 30 year anniversary of his debut album Charcoal Lane with the announcement of The Songs Of Charcoal Lane, alongside three ARIA Nominations for Best Male Artist, Best Independent Release, and Best Adult Contemporary Album, for Tell Me Why, the companion album to the memoir of the same name. About to embark on his final national tour for the much lauded Tell Me Why memoir and companion album, Archie had to cancel his plans due to COVID-19. Not one to sit idle, this paved the way for The Songs of Charcoal Lane to be recorded at his kitchen table in southwest Victoria during the lockdown. In July, in a year like no other, Archie brought trusted musicians Stephen Magnusson and Sam Anning, along with recording engineer Hadyn Buxton, to his home on Gunditjmara lands on his mother’s country, to re-record the timeless classic songs of Charcoal Lane. When Charcoal Lane was released in 1990, its impact was immediate. Critics were quick to realise Archie’s soulful vocals and heartfelt lyrics heralded the emergence of a major new artist. Charcoal Lane is certified Gold, and won two ARIA Awards. The Songs Of Charcoal Lane is yet another unique testament to the ten songs on Archie’s debut, nine of which were penned by Archie himself, with the tenth (‘Down City Streets’) written by Archie’s late partner and musical collaborator, Ruby Hunter.

The Rubens (IVY LEAGUE/MUSHROOM)
The Rubens are nominated for ARIA’s prestigious Song of The Year Award for their recent smash single ‘Live In Life’. ‘Live In Life’ is undeniably one of the biggest domestic releases of the last 12 months and is now certified Double Platinum – the band’s third single to receive this accreditation. The song has amassed 30+ million streams across various platforms, has spent close to two months in the top three of Spotify’s Hot Hits Australia playlist, including three weeks at #1, and has become a staple of the playlist over the last nine months. ‘Live In Life’ has also spent nine months and counting on Apple Music’s Today’s Hits and has been Shazamed more than 100,000 times in Australia alone. Never ones to slow down, the band have just followed up ‘Live In Life’ with summer anthem ‘Time Of My Life’. Plus, stay tuned for more incredibly exciting news from The Rubens soon.

Gordi (LIBERATION/MUSHROOM)
Nominated for Best Adult Contemporary Album, Our Two Skins was recorded in Gordi’s hometown of Canowindra, with the help of friends Chris Messina (Bon Iver, Bruce Hornsby, Big Red Machine) and Zach Hanson (Bon Iver, Hand Habits, Waxahatchee, Tallest Man). The remote and tiny town, where Gordi’s family has lived for over a century, proved the perfect location to capture her isolated internal state. The resultant ten track offering is a beautiful ode to this tumultuous period of Gordi’s life, as she renegotiated who she is and how she fits into the world, it is also the perfect soundscape to the realities of the present day. 2020 has seen Gordi receive a top 20 ARIA debut for Our Two Skins,  a triple j Feature Album, and an international virtual album launch from the Sydney Opera House. Recently, after having to put her international touring plans on hold, Gordi has returned to her life behind the stethoscope as a doctor working in COVID-19 clinics.

A big congratulations to our 2020 ARIA Award nominees! We look forward to the Awards ceremony on Wednesday 25 November.