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News, February 2009
Friends, followers, fiends!
It's taken us a while to get the boulder rolling, but here it is: the very first Plus One Records Worldwide Electro Bulletin (aka newsletter).
2008 was a cracking year for all bands in the Plus One harem, with a stack of releases, shows, awards and tours. Several new additions flexed their damp wings and took flight like razor tipped, rock n roll moths, while some of the old warhorses pushed the front lines further into enemy territory.
Here's a rundown on what the guys and girls have been up to.
Brisbane's favoured sons (and daughter) had a hell of a year, releasing their
third full length album Junk, a double disc dose crammed to the absolute
rafters with some of the most highly regarded music of the year. Check out these reviews:
"With this third album, they've harnessed all that creative energy and ambition and crafted a recording with all the beauty and terror and inexorable force of rock music at its finest. Don't miss it."
**** 1/2 - Noel Mengel, The Courier Mail "
"..Junk is much more than a collection of brilliant songs. The Gin Club bring to mind legends such as The Band in the way that they work as a team to breathe life into each other's material, and their collective musicianship is breathtaking throughout... It's difficult to do justice to this sprawling epic using mere words, but suffice to say Junk is a peerless record of world class standard...Exquisite".
***** Steve Bell, Time Off
And that ain't all! The Ginners played a cavalcade of Festivals, including Splendour in the Grass, Woodford, Sounds of Spring and Big Day Out, and picked up a bunch of awards and accolades. They were nominated of the AIR Award for Best Independent Blues/Roots Album, received the Q Music Awards for Rock Song, Folk/Ballad Song and Song of the Year.
Junk also placed highly in both the Time Off and Courier Mail albums of the year. There was also the coveted Drones support, during which ringleader Ben Salter found himself in heaven on earth, joining the band on stage for 'Oh My'. If you want to catch the Gin Club live (as well you should!), they'll be at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane on February 13th.
You can pick up your own dose of Junk at any good record store, or online at Plus One Records. For a more personal experience, you can catch the Gin Club at:
• 13th Feb - Brisbane Gallery of Modern Art
• 2nd April – Karova Lounge Ballarat w/ Texas Tea
• 3rd April – East Brunswick Club w/ Texas Tea
• 4th April – The Hopetoun /w Texas Tea
• 5th April – The Brass Monkey in Cronulla
For a slightly more personal experience, you can catch Mr Ben Salter supporting Gareth Liddiard of The Drones in Solo pants at The Vanguard in Sydney on the 27th of Feb, and at the Troubadour in Brisbane on the 28th!
Throughout the outrageous fortune of 2008, Mary Trembles kicked serious arse! Releasing their debut album Borrowed Ears, Borrowed Eyes, which followed hard on the heels of the PS... Situation EP. The album blew minds in both Australia and beyond.Time Off made it album of the week. Check what they had to say:
"..an instantaneous impression of cavernous arenas filled with the soaring
melodies and cathartic releases of rage washing over masses of people. And
why? Because these 11 songs are completely flawless! That’s right, there’s
not one note that shouldn’t be there or one chorus that won’t rouse you
inside - every song on Borrowed Ears, Borrowed Eyes is perfect!
And again, that’s what makes this recorded document different from the live experience, for whilst the songs are immaculate and the sharp-dressed individuals on time every time, there’s grit on stage that’s missing from this album. It’s beautiful rock music with its fingernails kept clean and, while strange at first, there’s every chance that same grit would probably detract were it present
here. The unique caterwauling of singer/guitarist Skritch is both compelling and convincing - the impassioned screams in ‘Jump Like You Wanted To’ is like a triple-hook into your ear, while the explosive guitar throughout ‘Grand Central’ is dam-busting.. There’s some strange and awesome shadows cast by songs such as ‘Ugly Song’, with its frenzied and distorted Nirvana-esque mood or the repressed beauty of ‘Eating Through The Debauchery’, but ultimately an album brimming with this much confidence and skill can hardly be believed to be a debut." ****½
Their next show will be at Brisbane's Globe Theatre on 28th of February. Borrowed Ears, Borrowed Eyes can be found at record stores or the Plus One website.
If you'd like to see Skritch wielding something other than a guitar, check out his work behind the drums with The Smokestack Orchestra, further down.
Brisbane four piece Black Mustang secured their own slice of the pie by recording their first
full length with local producer Jeff Lovejoy (Tex Perkins, Powderfinger, Resin Dogs).
Melting together the classiest of classic rock influences, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a blast of real rock and roll, and pulled a nine out of ten from Tsunami Magazine:
"Every time a great album comes out of Brisbane it swells my heart with pride. Being a big advocator of the amazing talent we have sitting right here in our capital city, I can joyfully say Black Mustang have risen to the occasion. A true rock ’n’ roll vibe is entirely evident on ‘Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea’ and, if you close your eyes while listening, you can almost smell stale beer and feel the floor moving in time to the rhythm. I seriously wouldn’t be surprised if we were to see these boys at the ARIA’s next year. In fact, I would put money on it" - Jenliza
With a stack of interstate shows under their belts the band also managed to get a bunch of their songs featured on TV shows Greek and Californication, as well as scoring the Just Jeans campaign. Keep an ear out!
And keep an eye out for tour dates for 2009. To pick up a copy of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea get into a store or head on over to Plus One Records. They'll be at the Sands Tavern in Maroochydore with Numbers Radio on 20th Feb and the Zoo with Tame Impala and Intercooler on the 27th.
A new addition to the Plus One stable for '08, this gritty two piece has already
turned heads with their blistering live shows and their debut album Sweet
Misery.Made album of the week on Melbourne's PBS radio and managed to score support for The Black Keys.
Print reviews also lauded the record: "Sweet Misery's most obvious strong points are both its energy and gritty-yet-perfect production, while vocalist/guitar man Shane Hicks has a throaty roar and a guitar tone that'd make The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach shit. 'Good Night Darling, Sweet Dreams' and 'Better Off Dead' prove the fellas can handle the sultrier end of blues, as well as showing off Andrew Walter's seismic drumming.
The title track crops up at the end of "Side A"; a haunting country-flavoured tune laced with violin and wandering boldly into 16 Horsepower territory, before the second half of the album begins with a spaghetti western instrumental. And then it's off again into the storm of floor tom beats that is 'Lovesick'.
Across much of the album there's a dark river of vitriolic rock'n'roll; when it lets up for the sensitive stuff, such as 'Red', the grit doesn't fade away, nor does Hicks' voice fail to measure up.
Forget preconceived ideas about what two people in a rock band can achieve: Sweet Misery can bury albums by bands with three times as many members. Rock'n'roll at its best." ****˝ – TIME OFF
2009 is set to be The Blackwater Fever's year, with a national tour booked for February/March. Sweet Misery is available in stores or from Plus One Records.
February
• Fri 27- Rubys, Belgrave, VIC w/ Dallas Frasca
• Sat 28- Peninsula Lounge, Moorooduc, VIC w/ Dallas Frasca
March
• Fri 6- Council Club Hotel, Wangaratta. VIC w/ Dallas Frasca
• Fri 6- Karova Lounge, Ballarat, VIC w/ Dallas Frasca
• Sat 7- Venue TBC, Fitzroy, VIC
• Sat 7- The Pony, Melbourne, VIC
• Sun 8- National Hotel, Geelong VIC
• Fri 13- The Basement, Canberra, ACT w/ Dallas Frasca
• Sat 14- Brass Monkey, Cronulla, NSW w/ Dallas Frasca
• Sun 15- Annandale Hotel, Sydney, NSW w/ Dallas Frasca
• Thu 19- Bar on the Hill, Newcastle Uni, NSW w/ Dallas Frasca
• Fri 20- Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour, NSW w/ Dallas Frasca
• Sat 21-The Troubadour, Brisbane, QLD w/ Dallas Frasca & Texas Tea
• Fri 27- Soundlounge, Gold Coast, QLD w/ Dallas Frasca & Texas Tea
• Sat 28- Live @ Joes Eumundi, QLD w/ Dallas Frasca & Texas Tea
April
• Fri 3 Shane Hicks solo, Bon Amici, Toowoomba, QLD w/ Texas Tea
Another new weapon in the Plus One arsenal, this dynamo three piece
have been kicking up dust since 2001, but only recently got it together to
record and release their debut long player Salute Heavy Industry. RAVE magazine online reported like this:
"The macho growl of lead singer Scarecrow Wallace brims with classic rock leer while the band, staying true to the record’s title, pack an industrial-strength punch. Kicking off with the jittery Vincent Price, things only get better as the trio launch into the fiery salvo of Dustbowl, Something Electric and Tractor – crunchy garage-blues riffage abounds.
The trio fire on all cylinders for the length of the album; the mining truck-sized guitar motif in Nowhere Fast would make Jon Spencer cry, while slower-paced Girl is menacing and – yes – sexy. The Smokestack Orchestra wear their influences with pride and rock like “almighty fuck” (©Billy Thorpe). Move over The Mess Hall, there’s a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on." - Denis Semchenko
Time Off gave the album a meaty four stars, and called it one of the best Brisbane releases of the year. Rip roaring live reviews followed, Jesse Hughes of Eagles of Death Metal added the track 'Heavy Rail' to his Triple J Unearthed Top Ten, and in 2009 the band a set to be a group to keep an eye on.
Pick up a copy of Salute Heavy Industry in shops or at the Plus One website.
Live Smokestack can be found on the 28th of Feb at The Valley Studios supporting the Exploders.
The final new faces in the Plus One family for 2008 were Texas Tea, a bittersweet country
blues duo comprised of Kate Jacobson (occasional Gentle Ben co-conspirator) and Ben
Dougherty (Vegas Kings). Their debut full length release, The Junkship Recordings also made Time Off's album of the week, and a European Tour brought the good word to the Northern Hemisphere.
RAVE said:
".. Although it could easily be a resurrected work song from the 19th century, hard livin’ opening track Cane Farmer’s Song is in fact one of the duo’s many impressively authentic originals, 10 of which are captured here, along with a suitably haunting rendition of The Triffids’ Raining Pleasure.
The seven-minute Autumn builds to a swirling horn-enhanced finale, while Don’t Believe In Jesus incorporates some spooky, minimalist and impeccably placed piano into the mix... With Jacobsen’s soaring vocals the emotive centre of the album, Dougherty also lays down his gruffer pipes on a few tracks, the duo’s sugar-and-spice duetting adding a further appealing dynamic to the sound.
You can actually hear the instrumentation unraveling as the album progresses, giving The Junkship Recordings an almost novelistic feel, with its subtly building dramatics. One of Oz’s finest roots releases of the year, no less! **** - Matt Thrower
The band has already kicked off '09 with a bang with a pile of dates at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, and plan to head to Victoria in March. Pick up The Junkship Recordings at Plus One Records or at your local record store.
• 7th Feb The Troubadour – Brisbane
• 27th March Soundlounge – Currumbin
• 28th March Live @ Joes – Eumundi
• 3rd April Bon Amici – Toowoomba
• 14th June Powerhouse Live Spark – Brisbane
See above for shows with Blackwater Fever too!
Already old hands at this rock and roll game, having released their first EP Big
Black Car in 2002 with Illustrious Artists, and second EP Lost Gospel (2003) and debut album
Black Comedy (2006) through Reverberation, Mexico City will be releasing their new album
in early '09 through Plus One Records. With the new-ish addition of Giants of Science and sometime Mary Trembles bassist Tanzie, Mexico City are now part of the family.
Their show with You Am I in '08 was referred to as “a bloody great racket” and “on the classy side of the swamp rock pool” by Time Off; if you want to see for yourself, the boys will be at the Troubadour on the 7th of February.
The Brisbane golden boys were a little quiet last year, with various members
globetrotting or working on other projects, or both! Damon is off to the States with An Horse.
They did manage to get themselves together to perform at the Sounds of Spring festival, and were invited to SXSW this year but have decided to give it a swerve.
Things will be pretty quiet for the lads in '09 too, but they do have some new songs in the bag and the odd show booked.
They'll be at the USQ in Toowoomba for O Week on 20th Feb and with Tame Impala and Black Mustang at the Zoo on the 27th. The day after (28th Feb) keep an eye out for them at Girls Day Out in Eagle Farm and the Powerhouse with Numbers Radio on 8th March.
• Keep your ears open for a possible big support for Black Mustang, and the dates for their North Queensland tour.
• The Plus One radio campaign begins early 2009. Get your requests into your favourite stations! Included in this is a US college radio campaign; all you Seppos, it's time to lend a hand!
• Whispers on the wind have Brisbane's favourite rock and roll sons, Giants of Science, playing together again and even writing some new tunes! Stay posted! They even claim to have a new album in the pipeline, and shows booked for 21st of Feb (this one's a secret! Shhh!) and 17th April at The Troubadour. Good news indeed!
• Check out Adelaide's Huckleberry Swedes, whose new album will be out early this year through Plus One. Stay posted for more details soon!
• Plus One Records merch is now available from the Website, including Texas Tea teaspoons! Head over here to spread the love.
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