Big Alternative Day Out

Back in the day, there was a Full Frontal sketch that was a fake ad for a music festival called the ‘Big Alternative Day Out’. At the time I think I was 10 years old or something, so most of the meaning was lost on me, however the name has stuck in my head for over a decade since and I’m now very, very glad to use it in an article on the Big Day Out.

For those of you who live in a shoe, here’s the first announcement:

• Neil Young
• My Morning Jacket
• Arctic Monkeys
• TV On The Radio
• The Prodigy
• Eddy Current Suppression Ring
• The Living End
• Cog
• The Grates
• Youth Group
• Cut Copy
• The Ting Tings
• Bullet For My Valentine
• Pendulum
• Simian Mobile Disco
• Sneaky Sound System
• TZU

So, as you can tell from that stellar lineup, the party will be at my place. I’ll be farting into a kazoo whilst my flatmates hit pots and pans with wooden spoons, and then you can drink overpriced beer and pass out on my balcony wrapped in an Australian flag that was made in China. I figure this is a viable alternative to the aforementioned Medium Day Out.

See you all at the TVOTR sideshow.

Competition Time!

Because we’re giving so much free shit away… Not.

We’re no HoboGestapo-like creatures who can give stuff away themselves! Holy shit no. Although, enter that comp. 

First of all, Canon have their Photo5 comp up and running again. Basically you get a box, then you take creative photos of it (black and white @ ISO 3200 always makes things ‘creative’), then you win $5000 to spend on Canon stuff. Pretty good deal. If nothing else, they send you a box full of stuff. Everyone’s a winner!

Another comp worth entering is UncharTED. If you’re a band and you’re good (it helps), then enter this. Why? Because you get to play at the Big Day Out. Now, you’re probably thinking that this is useless and most bands from Australia will play a BDO at some stage, but the fact is, you’re wrong. Neil Young is going to be there, and you will have VIP Artist passes or something, so you can keep on rocking in the free world away from the bogans. You can also win an Epiphone guitar, which is sweet, although if you’re like me, you’d sell it to pay for next week’s rent. Another perk is that Toohey’s Extra Dry are the main sponsor of the comp, so you’d more than likely get hooked up with beer, and ED is better than a lot of other shit out there. Maybe they might even give you some of that 7% Platinum stuff.

Our competition is that the first person to leave a comment naming the new members of Wolfmother gets a free ticket to my new band‘s first gig. Sweet deal. Hopefully we play Transit Bar first.

Hard Rockin’ in the Free World

For the best part of a decade Degrees of Freedom have been keeping the hard rock torch burning bright in the nations capital. And while the music industry has seen the rise of styles like electroclash, nu-metal and dance rock, the boys have stayed true to their alternative roots and have risen to become one of the more recognised and respected bands on the Canberra scene.
In 2003 (when the band was named ‘Serenade’), their debut EP ‘Guninmymouth’ recieved substantial airplay on Canberra’s 104.7FM station, and since, they have scored support spots for other hard rock acts such as COG, Karnivool and The Butterfly Effect.
September sees Degrees of Freedom gear up again to play another support, this time for Birds of Tokyo.
Singer/Guitarist Ben was gracious enough to give Loud Noise and Pictures some time, away from perfecting Neil Young tunes, to answer a few questions.

Loud Noise and Pictures: Without resorting to standard rock music cliches, briefly describe Degrees of Freedom.
Ben Dales: It is always difficult to describe our music. I think it fits into the fairly broad ‘Alternative rock’ label, which isn’t very useful. It is riff driven, hard rock with melody. There is a cross over audience of people who seem to like our stuff, people who like heavier music and people who like more melodic rock.

LNaP: What particular artists/bands does DoF look up to/aspire to be like?
BD: I don’t think we really aspire to be like anyone else, but we are certainly inspired by other acts. It is more that we just want to get together and make our own brand of music, which hopefully some people will enjoy. We have been inspired by some of the bands we’ve played with over the years such as COG, Karnivool and the Butterfly Effect. COG were really cool as well as being a great band, which is important. We’re also inspired by acts like Soundgarden, the Tea Party, and Muse. I think you can hear their influence in some of our tracks, a lot of people who like those bands would also probably appreciate our sound.

LNaP: You’ve done some fairly varied and very well recieved covers (Massive Attack’s ‘Angel’ and Jeff Buckley’s ‘Dream Brother’ for example) in previous shows, how do you as a band, decide on what sort of songs you want to cover, and how do you choose on the night?
BD: We mostly try and do covers that are very different from the style we play in order to diversify the set. We also try and bring a bit of our own style to the songs. The Massive Attack cover [featured on the Serenade EP] was really the first time we had ever tried this and it seemed to work. I like to think that the audience would be surprised when they hear us playing a song they recognise, performed very differently from the original.  At the moment we are working on a Neil Young song from his acoustic work, we try and rock it up a bit so it should be interesting.

LNaP: How does an emerging band such as Degrees attempt to distinguish themselves from the other bands in a similar situation?
BD: It is difficult to differentiate yourself with so many other bands around. Basically we try and work on a sound that will stand out against the backdrop of all the different bands out there. There are a lot of other bands playing a similar style to us, but I don’t think there are many that fuse a hard rock groove with melody the way we do. I think the most important thing is to stand out musically first.
 
LNaP: How does a band such as yours gague ‘sucess’?
BD: For me the only real gauge for success is that we are happy with the work we are producing. Obviously it is great when other people enjoy your music as well and performing to good crowds with bands like Birds of Tokyo is really cool. But that is really like a bonus. If I didn’t feel like we producing quality music I would quit no matter how well we were doing.
 
LNaP: How did you manage to score the Birds of Tokyo support?
BD: We were lucky because we had played with Karnivool before, so we had a contact with the Birds of Tokyo. We sent them and email and asked if they wanted a support for the Canberra show. They were keen for us to play so it worked out well.
 
LNaP: Are you working on any new songs, can we expect to hear them at the Birds gig and when can we expect another album? 
BD: Yeah we are working on a couple of new songs at the moment and they are a bit of a departure from our last EP. There is still a strong groove running through them but I think they are much more dynamic and varied in tempo. There is a bit more experimentation in the feel and bigger choruses than the previous stuff. I don’t think they will be ready for the Birds of Tokyo gig, but we may just bring out the new Neil Young cover. As far as a new album is concerned, we are still promoting this one at the moment, but we are writing some new songs so it will probably happen sometime soon.

If you can – go and pick up a copy of Degrees of Freedom’s self titled EP, fans of COG, Karnivool etc will not be disappointed. Even better, catch Degrees at the ANU bar this Sunday when they rock out with Birds of Tokyo.

Sep 12 2008 8:00P	Greenroom	Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Sep 14 2008 8:00P	ANU Bar	Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Damn The Maps – and to hell with Unicorns.

Don’t you love it when you end up at a random bar and listen to some band you’ve never heard of before, and discover that they’re freakin’ brilliant?! So much so that not only do you pester them after the gig, buy one of their CDs, listen to it on repeat for the next week, but then hunt them down to do an interview for your website.

Well maybe not so much the last bit – but thats pretty much what I did after seeing the Melbourne trio Damn The Maps play live. I just couldn’t get enough of their debut release ‘Input Output,’ it’s just so addictively great. I dunno which is a more apt description of their work – catchy pop songs that rock, or good rockin’ songs that pop.
Anyway, I got in touch with singer/bassist Martin who was able to enlighten me a bit further on the inner workings of Damn the Maps.

Loud Noise and Pictures: Describe the band as if you were making a trailer for a Hollywood blockbuster.
Martin Green: Nick, Mark and Martin formed in 2005 via a Melbourne musician’s website. Martin had about 80 songs written at the time and had split from two Australian based line-ups. After auditioning many guitarists and drummers, he was delighted to discover that both Mark and Nick could not only play well, but had very similar ideals to his own. Since then Damn The Maps have only gone forward. They recorded several EP’s and in 2008 they released their debut album ‘Input Output.’ They joined with Vent Music and Amphead and released physically in Australia and digitally worldwide. They share a love for a good song, that’s pretty much it in a nutshell.
Sound wise, Damn the maps have a relatively commercial sound with a little bit of distortion here and a little eeriness there. They are most commonly compared to Radiohead, Tool and Pink Floyd. They have an honest sound. I.e. they write about what’s going on around them day to day.
Their hopes are pretty simple, to write great albums and play great shows. Coming soon to grungy stadium near you… 

LNaP: To me, Damn the Maps music evokes the sounds of other notable Aussie pop/rock acts such as Jebediah, Something For Kate, Pollyanna and Eskimo Joe. Do other Australian bands influence your work, or does it come from somewhere else?
MG: Unfortunately I can’t say that we are influenced by much in the way of Australian music. We have been more drawn to international influences and a far more international sound than what I feel is produced in the southern hemisphere.
Our influences go as far back as The Byrds, Beatles, Zeppelin, Sabbath, Neil Young etc to The Decemberists, Deftones, Radiohead, The Shins, and Grandaddy. I’m personally heavily influenced by great lyricists – Roger Waters, Colin Meloy, even Eminem. I just don’t feel that the lyrics coming from our biggest musical exports are as influential as the best internationals. You won’t find any unicorn references on our album sorry.

LNaP: You’ve had a few of your songs get some rotation on JJJ, how hard is it for an up and coming Australian band to get enough recognition to receive airplay? Is it luck, hard work, or simply having the right connections?
MG: I think that it all comes down to a good song. Radio stations like Triple J have staff that are bombarded with hundreds and thousands of singles, EP’s and albums a week and they churn through what they can to try and find the good stuff. I’m sure that many songs make it for many reasons whether it be the reputation of the label, their producer, their artwork, their persistence or simply the quality of the songs. We have a small independent label, are self produced, have independent artwork and we have had a song from all three of our releases played on Triple J. So hopefully I can conclude that we must be doing something that they like and I hope that that something is being able to write a good song. 

LNaP: How would you describe the current Australian musical scene Damn the Maps are a part of?
MG: I think the biggest thing I’ve noticed is the reduction in major signed artists and a huge increase in independent music. Despite our obvious disdain for certain aspects of technology, I also think that the new software based studios and home set-ups along with services tailored specifically for the independent musician have given many artists the chance to realise their dream (or at least be able to release a product) This should in turn reduce the amount of unrecognised genius in the world. (I hope) I think it’s brilliant to see independent artists living off their work and winning awards at the mainstream events. Also I think that the internet has changed everything. It’s making the music industry a lot more interactive. Fans are able to vote online for all sorts of gig line-ups and awards. It’s not so much about who has simply sold the most physical records anymore.

LNaP: How important are websites like Myspace and Triple J Unearthed to new unsigned bands today? Do you think it is a reaction to shows like Popstars and Idol that people now think they can be successful via popularity rather than talent? Do things like Myspace friend numbers translate into record sales/increased numbers at gigs?
MG: Myspace is certainly a valuable tool for us for networking and allowing people to be exposed to our music. Rather than the old days of waiting forever to be picked up by a huge record company that then spends innumerable dollars promoting a band to the world and then waiting for people to come to that band, Myspace allows the band to go to the people. If you have plenty of time to browse people’s profiles and take the time to notice them, they in turn notice you. We get such amazing feedback from ‘friends’ from all around the world, simply because we took the time to find them. Whether this translates into record sales and gig attendance, we can’t yet say as it is still quite early. However it is definitely a great way to stay in contact. Also we notice that people that have seen us at gigs have rushed home and become our friends so as to stay in touch with us. This is very handy.
Some bands/people become very successful simply via exposure alone. It’s what they do next that decides how long they remain popular. OK GO was a brilliant example with their treadmill video on Youtube. Fortunately they could back up their video with a pretty catchy album.

LNaP: Since Input Output’s release in May, the band has been touring pretty hard, how have audiences reacted to it all – and how are you all holding up considering you’re only about halfway through the tour?
MG: Actually we have been doing sporadic touring. I.e. travelling a few days at a time and returning home. However our full tour begins in October when we head to New Zealand. We should then start getting to know how successful things are going. At the recent shows, of the people that have been coming, the response has been fantastic. We now hope that word of mouth allows the Damn the Maps name to spread and in turn pull more people to the shows.

LNaP: The album seems to have a recurring theme – that of a more natural existence or better time. Songs cover topics addressing anti-technology, perceived beauty, and the good old days/simpler times etc. Was there a conscious effort to tackle these themes or am I way off the mark?
MG: There is definitely a recurring theme. A lot of this album was written when I was holding down a corporate day job. I was travelling into the city every day to show up and log on at places that were very different from how and where I grew up. I would find myself surrounded by these 40 something year old suits complaining about their jet skis and wardrobes being too small and how their air conditioning sucks far too much power from their aircraft carrier of a car. I eat in various cafes and watch them systematically install security cameras in every cornice and the ever popular LCD TV screen to distract you with product while you eat. I’m bombarded with meaningless emails and surrounded by mobile phones, media players and computers the whole day, all of which send us into a panic when they break down or buzz with a new trivial trick or text message. I grew up on a farm where I would cycle 18kms to my friend’s house with my $20 bass guitar on my back so we could sit on his deck and try and play Jimi Hendrix songs through his 6 watt champ.
There was not so much a conscious effort to create this theme, it’s more like I couldn’t help it because I was surrounded by it day in day out.

LNaP: Input Output features some beautifully quirky artwork from German artist Mateo, how did the band get turned onto his work?
MG: We were put into contact with Mateo via a very good friend of ours. We absolutely love his work and are delighted that we could use it for the album. We hope this is mutually beneficial as we feel that an album cover provides great exposure for artists of all levels and at the same time good artwork on an album can draw massive attention to a band. Shapeshifter by Marcy Playground or pretty much any cover done by Hypgnosis is a great example.

LNaP: Once the tour is done, what is in store for the band? Get the hell away from the other guys for a bit, or start working on some new material?
MG: Once we finish the tour, we hope to go straight into the studio. We have a substantial amount of album number 2 already written and we are keen as mustard to start recording again.

Thanks to Martin and the lads from Damn the Maps. Try and get out to one of their shows, or grab their CD ‘Input Output’ from JB or iTunes.

Sep 13 2008 8:00P	Idgaff Bar	Abbotsford, Victoria
Oct 15 2008 8:00P	The Espy, St Kilda	St Kilda, Victoria
Oct 22 2008 8:00P	San Francisco Bathhouse, Wellington, NZ	Wellington, Wellington
Oct 23 2008 8:00P	Kings Arms, Auckland, NZ	Newton, Auckland
Oct 24 2008 8:00P	Basement, New Plymouth, NZ	New Plymouth, Taranaki
Oct 25 2008 8:00P	Brewers Bar, Mt Maunganui, NZ	Mt Maunganui, Bay of Plenty
Nov 6 2008 8:00P	Red Room Bar, Qld Uni, Brisbane, QLD	Brisbane, Queensland
Nov 7 2008 8:00P	Bon Amici, Toowoomba, QLD	Toowoomba, Queensland
Nov 8 2008 8:00P	Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay, NSW	Byron Bay, New South Wales
Nov 12 2008 8:00P	Hopetoun Hotel, Sydney, NSW	Sydney, New South Wales
Nov 13 2008 8:00P	Oxford Tavern, Wollongong, NSW	Wollongong, New South Wales
Nov 14 2008 8:00P	The Sando, Newtown, Sydney, NSW	Sydney, New South Wales
Nov 20 2008 8:00P	Supper Club, Darlinghurst, Sydney NSW	Darlinghurst, Sydney, New South Wales
Nov 21 2008 8:00P	Tasmania – details soon	Hobart, Tasmania
Nov 25 2008 8:00P	The Espy, St Kilda	St Kilda, Victoria
Nov 26 2008 8:00P	The Foundry, Perth, WA	Perth, Western Australia
Nov 27 2008 8:00P	Prince of Wales, Bunbury, WA	Bunbury, Western Australia
Nov 28 2008 8:00P	The Dunsborough, Perth, WA	Perth, Western Australia
Nov 29 2008 8:00P	Rocket Room, Perth, WA	Perth, Western Australia
Nov 30 2008 8:00P	The Railway Hotel, Fremantle, WA	Fremantle, Western Australia
Jan 3 2009 8:00P	Barwon Club, Geelong	Geelong, Victoria

Chaingang, or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Post Punk

So when a band such as Pinky Tuscadero splits, what do you get? The thrashing and convulsing messes that are Lions At Your Door and Chaingang. Due to incompetance/being drunk or something, I missed LAYD when they came to Canberra, so I wasn’t planning on missing Chaingang, and thank fuck for that. Lead singer Hayley was throwing herself around the stage, onto seats, tables, and sometimes just sitting on the floor for no other reason than it just being there. Totally awesome, and certainly not the usual crowd they have at Transit for such gigs. Anyways, check them out, and check out Bridgemary Kiss, who opened for them, as they were pretty rad and their drummer is a maniac on the hi hats.

^ These guys just got announced for Foreshore: Attack of the Killer P’s. Pnau were awesome last time I saw them, so it will be good to (hopefully) shoot them again.

In other festival news, Neil Young has been all but confirmed for Big Day Out 2009. Not the most obvious choice. Will he headline, or will he be put before a popular hard rock/metal band ala Bjork and have to ‘cancel’ his appearance in Sydney due to ‘illness’? Put him on last, that way the people who matter (people like you and I) can appreciate him without the inevitable bogan influence.

Oh, and anyone bored on Saturday nights, come by Bar 32 on Northbourne Ave around midnight/0030 to catch myself and K-Rad from Bawley on the decks learning how to crossfade. Yeow! Good music, not so good transitions. Maybe I just speak for myself there.

Fleet Foxes – Self-Titled

Fleet Foxes

Self Titled

Sub Pop

 

                                                      

 

 

In the last few years America has produced some terrific indie rock bands. Since the slow demise of “Post Punk” and “New Wave”, it has been surprisingly the genre “Soft Rock” that has spurned the new crop of great bands.

 

Bands such as Midlake, My Morning Jacket, Band Of Horses and Dr Dog are all artists that have taken influences from 60’s/Baroque pop, folk and 70’s soft rock, most notably bands such as America, Fleetwood Mac, Harvest-era Neil Young and The Zombies taken as key direct influences on their easy listening music.

 

Now you can add a 5 piece out of Seattle to this growing list.

 

The first thing you notice listening to Fleet Foxes, are the vocal harmonies that the young band produce. Reminiscent and no doubt bringing a smile to Brian Wilson’s face (if he still knows where he is) are the Beach Boy’s like soaring harmonies that the young members (all in their early twenties) bring. Using this as a main focus, you almost tend to forget that there are instruments playing, such is the beautiful melancholy. Robin Pecknold is the “lead” singer with a voice that can’t help you thinking that you have mistakenly put on an early My Morning Jacket album because of the close similarities of their amazingly stunning voices.

 

White Winter Hymnal is an instant classic, with all band members joining in harmony interplay after the initial intro by Pecknold.  The almost jam filled track of Ragged Wood is a joy, with it almost feeling like it was made specifically for driving towards an exotic location.

 

Tiger Mountain Peasant Song is again just Pecknold’s dreamy vocals and a gently strummed acoustic guitar, really bringing out the Neil Young influences. Heard Them Stirring opens with a gospel choir feel, with the vocals combining with a simple tribal sounding drumbeat. It could actually be classified as an instrumental, with no lyrics attached to the song, just the gorgeous soaring voices.

 

Your Protector has an epic feel with the heartfelt lyrics of  ‘…would you wait for me and be the one for me?’ and when the last track of Oliver James rings out, it brings a close to one of the best albums this year. By the end of this record, you’ll be ready to start playing it again, as this is a band that you’ll quickly fall in love with.

 

8.5/10