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News

Hello and welcome to Undercover Music News for August 2008.

This Month...

+  This Show Is About PeopleWins at the Australian Dance Awards!
+  Mic Conway's National Junk BandAlbum launches to sellout crowds
+  Eric BogleLatest Tour Dates!
+  Russell MorrisElevated into the ARIA Hall of Fame!
+  ForteGolden Fiddlers Airplay action
+  The LovetonesNew single, album & tour w Brian Jonestown Massacre

Undercover Radio currently features tracks from the brilliant new album Corporate Chook from Mic Conway's National Junk Band plus more from TSIAP described by SMH’s John Shand as the best soundtrack to an Australian show ever.

Check it out here!

Silent Recordings

This Show Is About People - Soundtrack

Described as 'the best Australian Soundtrack ever' by Sydney Morning Herald's John Shand, TSIAP won best independent work at the Australian Dance Awards held in June.

Listen to tracks from the soundtrack on Undercover Radio.

This Show Is About People Soundtrack (SIL016) is out on Silent Recordings through Vitamin

For more information: Artist Page

Rouseabout Records

Mic Conway's National Junk Band

Corporate Chook (RRR45) has been launched to sell-out crowds across Sydney, Wollongong and the Blue Mountains. Described by PBS FM Music Director Peter Merritt as Conway's greatest studio effort in a long and distinguished career, the album has been featured on ABC Radio nationally by the likes of Lucky Oceans (Daily Planet), Red Symonds (ABC Melbourne), Carole Whitelock (ABC Adelaide), Richard Glover (ABC Sydney) plus ABC Perth's Breakfast show. The Junk Band performed live on James Valentine's afternoon show on 2BL last week and the legendary Mic Conway was recently featured on ABC TV's Collectors programme.

Look and listen out for the Chook in Drum Media Sydney, The Brag, Trad & Now, ABC Local Radio nationally, 2RDJ, Blarney Bulletin, The Glebe, Illawarra Mercury, PBS FM, Huon FM, 2UUU and community radio nationally especially 3RRR, 2BLU, 2VTR and 4ZZZ.

Springboard Media editor Geoff Green writes...

"If you are old enough to remember when music could be fun, then this CD will remind you who the UK's Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and George Melley were. If you're not, then welcome to some light relief from the digitanal insertion rationale of contemporary pop and rock. It's called 'entertainment' - possibly a new experience for the under 40s.

Liberally laced with Aussie humour, even John Lennon would smile at the band's rendition of his thought-provoking 'Crippled Inside'. Irreverence and vaudeville aside, there are smatterings of social comment with the excellent Kane and Welch offering 'Just Like That', and Randy Newman's wry U.S.government dig 'Political Science'.
To blend such threads into one album that gels, it takes a bucketful of skills from sharp observation of humanity, through lyrical precision that bites, to what might seem throwaway musicianship. That last ingredient is deceptive. Musical virtuosity abounds here, ably moulded into production by Marcus Holden and the Bloody Dog studio crew as we've come to expect.
Corporate horseshit is rightly put to the sword in '(A High Standard Of) Mediocrity' and 'Corporate World', and the final track 'Race Call Of Life To Death' is blisteringly funny. The definitive track has to be 'Rubbish Wrap', taking the piss out of what is the only justification for genocide - Rap - and all who write and 'perform' it, record it, sell it, airplay it, and waste hours excusing it away as urban poetry.

Jeffrey (Lord) Archer was once asked by a smug literati interviewer why he thought his novels sold so well. "Because they're a bloody good read." the unflustered author replied.

Borrowing from Lord Jeff, "It's a bloody good listen." is how I’d describe this work.

Go buy it and cheer yourself up."
--

The National Junk Band live experience is also something to behold...

"Seeing the band for the first time today, I can imagine people being transfixed with a permanent smile on their faces. Every performance presents such an array of action on stage, there's no opportunity to get bored or divert your attention from the stage." (Trad & Now, June 2008).

It's little wonder then that the band has been confirmed to appear at the prestigious Cygnet Festival in Tasmania in January 2009.

Corporate Chook (RRR45) is now available on Rouseabout Records through MGM Distribution 5th July.

More Information:  Artist Page  |  Artist Website  |  Artist MySpace


Eric Bogle

Good news for fans of Eric Bogle...

Not only is he touring (see tour dates on this page) at present but there's a new studio album in the wings to be released on Rouseabout early in 2009.

Meanwhile Other People's Children (RRR39), At This Stage (RRR38) and The Colour of Dreams (RRR33) are all available on Rouseabout Records.

More Information:  Artist Page  |  Artist Website

 

Russell Morris

Congratulations to Russell Morris from the crew at Rouseabout Records on being inducted to ARIA's Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held at Melbourne Town Hall last month.

More Information:  Artist Page  |  Artist Website

 

FORTE - Golden Fiddlers

As Highland FM 107.1's Bob Cady pronounces...

"FORTE is a marvelous compilation that displays Australia's fiddling talent at its best. A great mixture of styles and performances. Will get a lot of airplay".

FORTE (RRR44) is also doing the rounds on 2AIR, 3CR, 3NOW, 5CST, 2BLU, 4CRM, 3ZZZ, 94.7 The Pulse, 3WAY, Triple R, 3RPP, 3RPC, 3PVR & 2BOB.

More Information:  Artist Page

Forte (RRR44) is out now on Rouseabout Records through MGM Distribution.

Yep! Records

The Lovetones

Internationally renowned The Lovetones hit the road later this month with good mates Brian Jonestown Massacre.

It's your first chance to hear songs from the band's fourth studio album Dimensions (YEP010) set for an October Australian release, including the first single 'Love and Redemption' which lands at radio in the coming weeks. The song is another fine example of the quality of frontman Matthew J Tow's craftsmanship as a songwriter of catchy 60s inspired psychadelica and will be soon available for download via iTunes.

More Information:  Artist Page  |  Artist MySpace

Axiom (YEP009), Meditations (YEP008) & Be What You Want (YEP006) are out on Yep! Records through MGM Distribution.

Big Pond Music

Undercover Music releases are also available online through BigPond Music

 

Eric Bogle

  1. Wed 6th August, Benalla PACC, Benalla VIC
  2. Thurs 7th August, Peninsula Lounge, Moorooduc VIC
  3. Fri 8th August, Milano's, Brighton VIC
  4. Sat 9th August, Northcote Social Club, Northcote VIC
  5. Sun 10th August, Capital Theatre, Bendigo VIC
  6. Fri 5th Spetember, Brolga Theatre, Maryborough QLD
  7. Sat 6th September, Venue TBA, Bundaberg QLD
  8. Sun 7th September, Venue TBA, Gladstone QLD

More Information: Artist Page

The Lovetones

  1. Wed 27th August, Arena, Brisbane QLD
  2. Fri 29th August, Metro, Sydney NSW
  3. Sat 30th August, Hi Fi Bar, Melbourne VIC

More Information: Artist Page