The Solomons are a rock band from down in Melbourne. You've probably heard of the place. I think it's near Sydney? Anyhow, Tim Rogers likes’em, so should you. They just got 13 Questions sexier below.
1. Who are your heroes?
Super Ted, Dylan, Gavan Brown (see Q10)
2. The first band you saw live?
Most likely a marching band
3. What's your favourite music venue?
The Forum in Melbourne
4. What's the best (or dumbest) thing that's been said to you at/after a show?
Tim Rogers said we were alright. Hopefully that wasn't a dumb thing to say
5. Why 'The Solomons' as your band name?
Because we're wise
6. What makes you cringe?
Lame offspring of good musicians. (Good offspring are okay)
7. Describe the raddest heist you've ever pulled off. What'd you steal?
A traffic cone on the Hume highway
8. What bands should people reading this be listening to?
Right now, to quote a once trendy London muso, "there's nothing on the TV nothing on the radio that means that much to me". It's not about bands and albums at the moment, it's all about "sounds" and internet singles by bands with ridiculous band names. And people wonder why album sales are dropping. Give the people what they want, rather than forcing them to want what they get.
9. The Beatles or Rolling Stones?
Yes
10. You are guilty of shameful things. What are these BAAAD things?
Cass and I support Collingwood
11. You can choose one musician, alive or dead, to perform with 'The Solomons' for one night only. Who do you choose?
Alive.
12. If someone wrote a biography for 'The Solomons' what would the title be?
Waiting For Something To Happen
13. What can we expect from 'The Solomons' in the near future?
Hopefully some interstate dates including Brisbane (which may already be announced by the time someone reads this)
The Solomons - Website
Alistar Richardson, Alfio Alivuzza, Reuben Schafer and Michael BC combine to form one of Brisbane's more hyped and talked about bands of recent times, The Cairos.
The Cairos started out in 2007, entering and winning the Brizband School Challenge competition whilst they attended Brisbane State High. From there, along with a band lineup change, they've gone on to release an EP and share a stage with the likes of Powderfinger, You Am I, The Temper Trap, Bob Evans, Custard, Wolf and Cub, Bertie Blackman, Paul Dempsey, Red Riders, Yves Klein Blue, The Middle East, John Steel Singers and Philadelphia Grand Jury.
Reportedly frequent listeners of groups like the Smiths and the Cure, those influences are obvious on their debut EP, "Lost at Sea", namely on the tracks Whales and New Balance. Despite their obvious influences The Cairos' sound manages to avoid sounding completely derivative, delivering enjoyable indie pop with a dark, danceable post-punk tilt.
The band are currently back in Brisbane after touring around Australia and are headlining an all ages show at The Hive this Saturday. $10 entry.
Chicago's Disappears (fronted by Brian Case, formerly of The Ponys) released their debut album, 'Lux' earlier this month. Up until this point the band had self-released a clutch of material, two singles and a limited live album, and followed the Anton Newcombe school of thought by releasing all their shit for free.
Lux is a solid debut, showcasing the band's reverb-heavy fuzzy guitars, punchy rhythms, and shoegaze aesthetic. At times it sounds like Lou Reed fronting My Bloody Valentine, reverb-heavy rock that leans heavily toward the distorted wall of sound of Kevin Shields' group, while not quite retaining Reed's lyrically incisive wit.
So if you haven't seen it yet Brisbane's own DZ have gotten around to recording a video for their song 'Teeth', released on their EP 'Ruined My Life' late last year. Its shot in and around Brisbane so you might just recognise a couple of spots. Anyhow have a look below.
"The Beehive & The Barracudas story is a sordid and twisted tale. Born in the frigid bayou's of Blight, Michigan the Cudas busted outta the Upper Peninsula and brought their plastic sound to San Diego. These Sturgeon River Wetbacks are committed to performing strange dreams and weak sounds. Armed with confrontational attitude and 15 Watt amps, the Cudas take no prisoners. Whether it's a thumping Tupperware, Blues infected stomp of fuzzed out, staccato shards pf synchronized musical exclamations, Beehive and the Barracudas are making some of the finest sounds of their time. An esoteric, alienating, molestation for everyone."
Beehive & the Barracudas are a garage rock band formed back in 1998 in San Diego, California. The core members of the group are Dustin "Dirty" Milsap, Gar "Dner" Wood, and Tracy "Haze" Wooley, though they are frequently joined live and on record by other San Diego musicians such as members of Rocket from the Crypt. The band use pseudoynms in connection with the band and maintain a fictitious backstory in which they claim to be originally from "Blight, Michigan", describing their sound as "Blight blues" and "plastic soul". To date they've released six albums on minor labels but are reportedly on hiatus at the moment.
Beehive & the Barracudas formed when Kerry Davis relocated from Long Beach, California to San Diego following the breakup of her band the Red Aunts. There she met Gar "Dner" Wood, formerly of Fishwife and Tanner, and Dustin "Dirty" Milsap, formerly of Rice and longtime roadie for Rocket from the Crypt. The three formed Beehive & the Barracudas while playing together in Wood's studio. Davis would eventually leave the band though and be replaced by Tracy Wooley, formerly of Tourette's Lautrec and Tammy Faye, under the pseudonym Tracy Haze.
Having put out six albums the bands sound does vary. Their first couple of albums focusing on dance-ready gargage rock full of raw, driving, pounding rhythms and attitude-laced vocals. Think early of Jack White or The Gories but where the musicians swap lead vocals at will, sometimes even in the middle of the song, and guitar leads or organ breaks have a tendency to leap out of the woodwork. Most of the tracks even begin with a brief burst of the musicians jabbering before launching into the song proper.
From there Beehive and the Barracudas took a more subdued, smoldering and angular approach. Still no less raw though and certainly no less immediate, featuring a mix of live drums and old drum machines, dingy guitars and squidgy analog synths. But enough typing, check out Stuck on the Bus and Gospel Truth/Thirsty for Some Blood Below.
That's the meaning behind the name of Brisbane outfit Disco Nap, a project started by Ross Hope after his then band Iron On went on hiatus in late 2008. Disco Nap becoming his 'disco nap' between Iron On outings.
You may have noticed there's two somewhat disinterested looking chaps in the picture above so you'd be right to think that Disco Nap isn't just a fancy moniker for a singer-songwriter. Ross teams with Darek Mudge to form the nucleus of the band along with appearances from Dean Shwereb on drums (Screamfeeder, The Whats), Pip Branson on violin (Something For Kate, Pip Branson Corporation, Infusion), Scott Bromiley on trumpet (The John Steel Singers), Seja Vogel on backing vocals (Sekiden, Regurgitator), Jane Elliott on the cello (Ed Kuepper, The Gin Club) on various tracks from the band.
The band have had a reasonable amount of attention for a local act so far, winning a Triple J Unearthed comp to grab themselves a spot on the Sounds of Spring Festival roster last year.
Disco Nap's sound is that of earnest indie soft-rock that's at times reminiscent of Hope's previous band. Songs released so far by the group show a willful variation in themes, ranging all the way from depressed weariness to youthful hopefulness.
Check out the video for their new single 'The Soft Sell' below, along with demo 'Home Karaoke'. Debut album "Running Red Lights" is scheduled for release August of this year.
New Black Keys album 'Brothers' scheduled for release next month has been leaked online. So if you're feeling piratey and want an early listen have a look because it's not too hard to find.
Texas psych rock band The Black Angels are set to release their third album 'Phosphene Dreams' this winter. They've reportedly finished recording but as of yet no exact release date had been settled on but a June release is expected.
Sadly no recordings have been previewed or leaked yet but hopefully it'll be up to the standards of their previous efforts. In the meantime have a listen to 'Bloodhounds on My Trail' from their 2006 debut 'Passover'
In a new era for Brisbane Music, Hellen Black will be hosting Wednesday Nights at Club 299 with bands set to be on from 8:30 till late every week. Check out the news from Stephen -
"Wednesday night at 299 is now open for live gigs! We want local bands UNI, Tafe, College bands that have yet to perform and/or be recognised, the chance to get on stage and show Brisbane who they are and what they are about! All genres, all styles are welcome. Some amazing bands have played this room over the many years of 299’s lengthy reputation, Wednesday night is for the underdog! Even better for all your UNI mates, its free entry! Get onboard for the first run of shows by contacting info@hellenblack.com"
This was going to read 'Gig of the Week - Die! Die! Die! / Villains Of Wilhelm @ X&Y, Saturday Apr 24' but with Villains of Wilhelm pulling out because of their guitarist Liam 'Shine Bone' Keats' health, ol' Henry Rollins has been bumped up a spot.
In 1980, Henry Rollins was a teenager living in Arlington, Virginia, USA, just over the river from Washington, DC. He worked as the shift manager for a Haagen-Dazs ice cream shop near Georgetown University, and was a huge fan of a Southern California punk rock band called Black Flag. One day, Henry and his friend Ian MacKaye (who later formed Fugazi) drove to New York City to see Black Flag play at the Peppermint Lounge. They played later at a small club down the street, and Henry jumped on stage and took the mike for a song. A few days later, Henry was called back to New York to audition for the band. Henry spent the next six years riding in vans, sleeping in the back of trucks, getting beaten and mauled on stage, and fronting the baddest, most primal rock and roll band in the history of the world.
When Henry talks about traveling the world, he’s not referring to plush resorts and genteel European cities. Henry’s most recent travels include stops in Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, China, and Senegal. These global experiences – like past excursions to such vacation hotspots as Pakistan, Myanmar, and Siberia – not only supply humorous anecdotes for Henry’s talking shows, but they inform his worldview. As the Shepherd Fairey tour poster bills it, “Knowledge without mileage equals bullshit.”
"Since I was last on tour, I have been working in television and radio, traveling all over the world,” says Henry. “And like everyone else, dealing with the changes America – and the world – is going through. I thought America would become a more peaceful place in 2009. I had no idea the country had so many lunatics. There's a lot to remark upon, of course. There always is."
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