Kate Miller-Heidke…

… is a singer. SURPRISE!

She is actually a trained Operatic singer, but has migrated to the cooler side of the world, and does pop/operatic stuff in her songs. 

While she was still doing the opera thing, she actually did Gilbert and Sullivan operas – interesting.

She was formally part of a Brisbane band called Elsewhere, which broke up in 2001 (another great loss to the world.) and obviously she liked this side of music so much that she stayed with the (as Wikipedia puts it) ‘popular songs’ side of things.

I personally don’t particularly like her stuff, I mean, some of it is cool, but the opera thing kind of puts me off.

My mum, however LOVES it, and I gave her Kate’s latest cd (Little Eve) which she likes, and listens to at least once a day (or some parts thereof).

Kate is a not new, not old, artist and has a totoal of 4 cds out, she’s doing pretty well at the moment – she was nominated for 5 Arias, and performed *’Words’ at the Arias.

* ‘Words’ is probably one of her more popular songs, and if you’ve heard any of her songs, it’s likely that you’ve heard that. 

Well well well, look who’s here.

I really miss blogging about bands and doing research and learning stuff about them and whatnot, BUT I’m heaps busy and just don’t have the time at the moment, and I’m possibly going to the coast for a week or two, so it may be a while before I can actually get around to blogging.

But I have some exciting news and that is that Jack Johnson is coming to Australia and doing a few shows (and I might be going – YESSS).

Yeah, that’s all I have to say.

Bye

Tis the Season to sleep in…

Well, I’m just going to warn you, peoples, there’s a very low chance of me writing in the next week…. I’m working till Saturday, then I’ve got a heap of rellies who’ll be at my place for a week… and then I might be going away, so you’re welcome to keep checking to see if I’ve updated, but, (and I hate to disappoint you) I might not have.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great Christmas and New Year. Have a party, buy some stuff, do whaterver - just have some fun!

Legends, and not so legendary peoples.

Bob Marley, John Lennon, Louis Armstrong, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Carlos Santana, David Bowie, Frank Sinatra,  Elvis Presley…. the list goes on. They’re all legends.

It’s  weird how there are so many musical legends. And I was wondering the other day what makes them ‘legends’. Well, Bob Marley = political. John Lennon = The Beatles. Elvis Presley = cos he was weird?

I don’t really think there is a defining point in what makes someone a musical legend. There are certain things that are required – lots of publicity, not being middle of the road, having a style, helping third world countries… whatever.  But the thing that I reckon is weird, is that, at some point in our lives we have heard at least one of there songs – because they’re a legend and their songs get played over and over as ‘classics’.  So therefore, any musician is actually influenced by the legends. How come then, that even though we are all influenced, not every one gets to be a legend?

Now I wouldn’t exactly say Eva Cassidy was a legend as such, but she sure is a great, and beautiful singer. 

She died in 1996, at 43 (I believe it was cancer) but she is still one of my favourite singers.

She has over eight cds which is quite a lot for nowadays standards, and I think that’s great.  I only own one of them though – Songbird. 

I heard about Eva when my friend got Eva Cassidy as a birthday present, she played it to me, we raved to each other about how great she was then I stole the cd to put it into iTunes (mwahahaha).  My mum however is very ‘to the letter’ about copyright and had to make sure we owned all the cds on iTunes or anywhere else, so I now own it, which is nice, cos I like owning cds. It’s nice to know that if I wanted I could stick it in the cd player and listen to a whole cd without earphones stuck in my ears.

De Grussa Band is my Unearthed peoples for today. Now, they’re slightly weird, but I reckon their track is pretty easy to get into. They only have one song – A Shock, and the lyrics are really, well, strange. But I reckon they’re just funny!!! And I love the piano jazz in it!

Summer Chill Music

Now, if you feel like just sitting down, reading a book, or are just about to start up the barbie, then these are my listening suggestions:

1. Paper Aeroplanes – Angus & Julia Stone
2. Between You and Steve McQueen – The Audreys
3. No Longer There – The Cat Empire
4. White Flag – Dido
5. Between The Tea and the Toast – Clare Bowditch
6. Staring Down the Sun – Josh Pyke
7. Chinese Translation – M. Ward
8. Salt To the Sea – Tim Finn
9. Don’t Look So Sad – Kasey Chambers
10.   Sing Sing Along – Margaret Helen King
11.   Belle – Jack Johnson
12.   Sugarcane – Missy Higgins
13.   Lonely Moon – The Cat Empire
14.   Thanks For Your Time – Gotye
15.   Swing - Form of Audio
16.   Knocked Up – Kings of Leon
17.   Littlest Things – Lily Allen
18.   Fidelity – Regina Spektor
19.   The Albatross – Sarah Blasko
20.   Better People – Xavier Rudd
21.   Sun Dirt Water – The Waifs
22.   Caroline – John Butler Trio
23.   The Flicker and The Spark - Jackson Jackson
24.   Making A Fire – Holly Throsby
25.   Anniversary Song – Eva Cassidy

 Hope you enjoy it!!!

Go the Empire!!!

Today, I just couldn’t hold out on blogging about The Cat Empire.

They are officially the coolest band EVER!!! (And if I ever say this about another band I mean besides the Cat Empire.)   With an absolutely amazing range of genres, the Melbourne band rocks the house! Not that I’ve ever been to a concert… but I do know people who have.  It’s been said (by the people who I know that have been to many a concert) that they’re the best live act to watch!

With a total of 4 EPs, and one single, which were recorded in all over the world, The Cat Empire have also been doing some massive tours this year. Including playing in Burnie, Tas, for the AWOL concert (which I missed by 5 days :*<),  and playing at many festivals this summer

My absolute favourite songs are The Darkness (play me any song with that Spanish/Russian/dark feel and I’ll love it!) Panama, One Four Five, The Wine Song,  Two Shoes, The Car Song, and a HEAP more.  

Their latest EP ‘So Many Nights’ reached #2 on the Australian charts.  Funnily enough I reckon it’s their best album that I’ve heard.

The members of the standard band are:Felix Riebl, Harry J Angus (also in Jackson Jackson), Will Hull-Brown, Ollie McGill (wish I could play like him) Ryan Monro, Jamshid Khadiwala (aka Jumps), Ross Irwin, and Kieran Conrau. I have been told though, that they’ll meet someone at a café or something, and then just invite them to play with them. I’m not sure if it’s true though.     

Unearthed personnel of the day:  Eleanor Dunlop. I REALLY like her style. It’s just so… something!I’m the kind of gal who either likes full-on, dance along music, or quite, eerie music, and sometimes, I like middle of nowhere music… and I think Eleanor kind of falls into all three categories – as many artists do.

Blue King Brown

Hiya all

Ya heard of Blue King Brown? They are almost as cool as the coolest band EVER!!! in fact, they probably come 1 1/2 in my list of coolest bands!

They do reggae/soul/afro/roots

And while I haven’t actually listened to a whole cd (yet) I’ve ordered one, but it’s still in the post, so that doesn’t really help me.

Stand Up is the name of one of their cds, and also a track, which is really really cool. Also Come and Check Your Head is another really cool one (actually they’re all I’ve heard).

Now, believe it or not, when I first got Triple J’s Hottest 100 vol. 14, I purposefully skipped Come and Check Your Head, purely because I could never remember how it sounded, and it wasn’t till I went through and listened to a lot of songs I hadn’t listened to that I discovered it.   I’ve been a fan ever since!!!

Also, I’m a big fan of their enviromentalism. Like, I don’t want to get into all that, but I really do support it.

They’re actually a pretty new band, with their debut EP in 2005, but they got an AIR chart award in 2006.  They’ve been getting a lot of air on Triple J since then, so quite a few people know about them, now.  Well, that few people being in the group of Triple J listeners that I know – we all go through stages of who is the coolest band.

The band really had two founders – Natalie Paapaa and Carlo Santone, then grew to a 5 piece, and now ranges from a 7-9 piece group.

They are doing a massive line up of festivals and tours this summer, including Homebake, The Cat Empire, and quite a few more.

Unearthed person.

Now, I have no idea why I haven’t mentioned Cathy Petocz (Pet-urtz) before. I guess just being that great a singer has made me forget that she is from unearthed.

Her main influence is Regina Spektor – and you sure can tell.  She’s won a few Unearthed/triple j awards, and she sure did deserve them. She plays the keys, and her voice is just hauntingly beautiful.

With 3 songs, The Mountains They, Sylvia, and Wake Up O Sleeper, she is another of my heroes.

She’s from Canberra, which I think is heaps cool, cos one doesn’t really hear of many people from that area – they’re all from Syndey, Perth or Melbourne… kind of.

I’m back again

Woohoo. I’m back, and it’s raining, and I’m working, and appreciating the fact that I have so much music to listen to at home

You ever heard of Dido? Well, she’s an electronic/pop/indie singer…? I’m not sure about the genre, but anywho.

Her songs are just really ’sing your heart out along with her’ songs. I think it’s the chords. 

Her best known song (? maybe) is White Flag, and even though you could probably hum along and sing the chorus on second hearing, I love it.  Other good songs are Life For Rent (title track of her latest CD), Sand in My Shoes, Don’t Leave Home. Actually, looking at the track list, I just realized I like all her songs on Life For Rent, except for Stoned (it’s slightly creepy) and See the Sun (plus bonus track).

She has like 2 LPs, a couple of EPs and a couple more singles. 

Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong is her real name, (is it just me, or is there definitely sense in choosing a nickname?)  She’s from Britain, (strange, I always thought she was Aussie… amazing what you learn) and has won a few awards – wikipedia mentions Grammy’s, but I don’t know if she was just nominated….

Unearthed Person is (drumroll…)

~Zoe Elliot~ She’s another indie girl, but me not being at home, and not having a list of unearthed people limits me – she’s the only name I can remember at the moment. 

I downloaded the song Frangipani from unearthed.com, and I really like it. I guess mainly because it’s the kinda song I would write   Yeah, I don’t really know much about the girl. But I would definitely suggest checking out her Unearthed.com profile/myspace or whatever.

Actually, that reminds me, I should probably look at a few more people soon, I’m running out of people.

Anyway, have fun doing what you do.  Tonight, I’m gonna play my heart out, and bash the piano for a while. YESSSSS.   

Missy Higgins

Well, Missy Higgins, being a pretty famous gal at the moment, and if you live in Australia, then you’ve probably heard one of her songs, whether you knew it was one of her songs, I don’t know.

She has like, 4 or 5 EPs. 2 LPs, and I think about 3 singles.

Her latest release On a Clear Night certified platinum before it hit the stores.  Missy, only 23 years old recorded it in Los Angeles, then came back home, only to start out on an Australian wide tour.

The Sound of White was her first album, which she released after winning an Unearthed award when she was 16.  Since then, she has just always been there.

The Sound of White came out when I was around 7 or 8, and even though my friends where a similar age, they all got it.  Sadly for me, I wasn’t allowed it. But I still managed to listen to it, and when I went to my friends’ house, I would go, ‘can you play that one… the one where she’s at a doctors.’ so then they would play Scar, and I’d be like, ’yeah, don’t think it was this one, bit I still like it.’ Until when I was 13, I borrowed it from one of the aforementioned friends, then put into all the mp3 players and ipods I had access too, and now, this christmas, I’m giving it to my sister. (She already owns On a Clear Night)

So, she has always just been around me, played in shops, on the radio… on tv, at the Arias etc. Really, I grew up with her.  And I think that kind of developed my taste in music, and my own music quite a lot.  Anyway.

Missy, now 23, from Melbourne is doing a lot of tours/shows, and yeah, I can’t really think of anything else to say about her…. She’s single, said she’s happy that way. I would say that most of her ‘in town’ performances would be booked out, and (sigh) even though she came to Tamworth (only an hours drive from where I live), and all my friends were going, I wasn’t allowed :*(  

Moving on….

My unearthed girl of today is Caity Fowler.

I really don’t know why I haven’t put her up before.  While she has two or three songs up on her unearthed page, I only like one of them, but that one I like… I love it!!! It’s called Sunday Morning. I love the lyrics, and the whole feel to the piece.

NOTE: if you want to go to any sites now, go to the bibliography page.