DAVE STEWART AND FRIENDS

Photo Credit: Kristin Burns

DAVE STEWART called upon some Australian friends to help him out with a special  one off, sold out show DAVE STEWART AND FRIENDS.   

Joining guests vocalists Colbie Caillat and Amy Keys, was Delta Goodrem,  Orianthi and Vanessa Amorosi on stage  at a packed Troubadour Theatre in LA last night 

Dave was showcasing his latest album THE RINGMASTER GENERAL – the sequel to the highly acclaimed   BLACKBIRD DIARIES .  The packed theatre were treated with a selection of tracks from both albums along with some of his greatest hits including, Would I Lie To  You, Missionary Man and Sweet Dreams.

“It was such great fun to have all these amazing musicians and singers join me onstage at the Troubadour.   Very surprising and coincidental that three of them were from Australia;  Orianthi on guitar (I just produced her new album Heaven In This Hell), and we were also joined by Vanessa Amorosi who belted out "Would I Lie To You" like there was no tomorrow, and Delta Goodrem who sang along with me on acoustic guitar doing a really emotional rendition of "You Have Placed A Chill." I was also joined by Colbie Caillat to sing a duet, "Bulletproof Vest" from my album, The Blackbird Diaries. A very dapper looking John Mayer lept up for the encore to play an amazing blues guitar on "The Gypsy Girl and Me."

The Ringmaster General is available at all JB HiFi stores.

Kym Staton in Yulli's Attic

Candlelight Dinner & Music Night 

Enjoy dinner plus some wonderful music in a very intimate setting. Experience a purely acoustic performance by candlelight, as Kym Staton plays renditions of jazz, blues, celtic, baroque, and original songs on guitar/vocals, violin and cello. Dinner and music will be served In the small attic with lovely warm acoustics, which holds only 24 people. The night also includes an interactive element, where audience members are invited to write down an idea for a lyric for a song that Kym later creates into and song and performs "off the cuff" at the end of the night! 

Kym Staton has studied music from a young age, taking up the violin at age 7. He has performed more than 50 concerts as a violin soloist, and has recently begaun performing as a singer/songwriter. He has very diverse tastes in different musical styles and is a multi-instrumentalist.

Date: Thursday 4th Oct, 2012
Time: Dinner orders taken from 6pm - 7.30pm, music from 8pm - 9pm
Please order your meal by 7.30pm at the latest, so that you do not interrupt the music performance.
Venue: Yulli's Restaurant, 417 Crown St, Surry Hills
Cost: $40
Includes: Entree + Main + live music performance
Bookings: Bookings essential. Click here and follow the links to book: http://www.meetup.com/Dinner-Live-Music/events/83357032/
Menu: Yullis has a full vegetarian/ vegan menu http://yullis.com.au/lunchdinner/
Enquiries: Email Kym Staton: kjstaton@me.com

See you there - if you dare! :-)

***bookings essential***

DREAMING – ‘BLONDIE’ CONFIRMED TO TOUR AUSTRALIA IN 2012 WITH SPECIAL GUESTS ‘THE STRANGLERS’ AND ‘THE SAINTS’

                                                                                                  

McManus Entertainment is thrilled to announce the return to Australia of one of music’s most acclaimed bands Blondie. Boasting one of the most compelling front-women in music Deborah Harry, Blondie have enjoyed a stream of timeless top ten hits bursting with great hooks and brilliant iconic lyrics. Aussie fans can expect a stellar performance from this renowned group. Tickets go on sale Tuesday 9^th October at 9:00am.

Blondie’s tour will hit Australia in December. They will play to fans in Hobart, Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Townsville and Brisbane and will also grace the stage at this year’s Homebake Festival. Joining Blondie for these special shows will be special guests The Stranglers and The Saints. For the Sydney show special guests The Machinations will play to crowds in place of The Saints.

“I’m so excited to bring Blondie back to Australia. They enjoyed their first taste of success here back in the ‘70s and have a legion of fans awaiting their return, ” says promoter Andrew McManus. “Deborah Harry is like no other front-woman in the industry – fans can expect a first-class show.”

Blondie emerged from New York in the late ‘70s and quickly became music, style and pop culture icons selling over 40 million albums globally throughout their 37-year career. Scoring hits with reggae, rock/disco, hip-hop and pop songs alike, Blondie pioneered the early American new wave and punk scenes of the ‘70s.

The disco-infused track Heart of Glass was Blondie’s first US number one single which became a worldwide hit selling more than a million copies. Blondie repeatedly reached the top of the charts over the course of four decades with hits such as One Way Or Another, Rapture, The Tide Is High, Call Me, Picture This, Rip Her To Shreds, Hanging On The Telephone and Maria. The band landed a phenomenal five US and five UK number one singles cementing them as music royalty.

Deborah Harry is unquestionably one of the most important and influential women to have graced the stage and a living punk icon. Blondie has continued to be a powerhouse live act, attracting audiences around the world. 2006 saw Blondie inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the band’s plaque situated right below The Beatles.

Australia has always had a special place in the band’s heart, being the first country in the world to give them commercial success.          

Blondie’s special guests are English punk rockers The Stranglers who scored 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums over a career spanning five decades. The Stranglers are the longest surviving and most continuously successful band to come out of the ‘70s UK punk scene. Top hits include Golden Brown, Always the Sun and Skin Deep.

Also joining Blondie is the Aussie rock band touted by Sir Bob Geldof himself as one of the first and most influential groups of the punk rock genre - The Saints. Evolving into one of the greatest Aussie bands of the ‘70s and ‘80s, singer Chris Bailey is constantly seeking new inspiration and always on the lookout for an unholy array of diverse musos to perform with. With 20 odd albums under their belt and a brand new album release this summer, The Saints will have you standing on your seats for more! Their legendary hits include (I’m) Stranded and Know Your Product.

The Saints will not be performing in Sydney. Instead, the popular Australian ‘80s dance-pop outfit Machinations will perform at the Enmore Theatre. The band’s hits include Pressure Sway, My Heart’s On Fire and No Say In It.

               

Proudly presented by Empire Touring, MAX, Heart 107.3, Gold 104.3, Cruise, WSFM, Zinc 100.7, 4KQ and FasterLouder.

                                                                                                             

                                  

AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL TOUR DATES: BLONDIE

Saturday 1^st December                      Derwent Entertainment Centre, HOBART                                                      ticketmaster.com.au 136 100

Monday 3^rd December                       Arts Centre Melbourne, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, MELBOURNE             ticketmaster.com.au 136 100

Tuesday 4^th December                       Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre, ADELAIDE                                   ticketek.com.au 132 849

Thursday 6^th December                     Enmore Theatre, SYDNEY                                                                                ticketek.com.au 132 849

Monday 10^th December                     Townsville Entertainment Centre, TOWNSVILLE                                         tecc.net.au 07 4771 4000

Thursday 13^th December                   Brisbane Riverstage, BRISBANE (18+)                                                          ticketmaster.com.au 136 100

Hellcat Records, Bombshellzine, Jacknife and Paperbag Music proudly presents: Revolution Rock - A Joe Strummer Tribute Night 2012

Revolution Rock - A Joe Strummer Tribute Night is back for 2012 and is now in its 6th successful year in commemorating and the life, music and times of Joe Strummer.

From front man of The Clash and the 101ers to his work with The Mescaleros, Joe Strummer was, and still is a massive influence to so many bands and people’s lives worldwide.

2012 marks the 10th anniversary of Joes untimely passing away in December 2002 at the premature age of 50.

Revolution Rock - A Joe Strummer Tribute Night is a charity event and all proceeds from the events will go to benefit Strummerville: The Joe Strummer Foundation for New Music. Strummerville is the official Joe Strummer charity set up in Joe's honour, which aims to offer support to young musicians. www.strummerville.com

To commemorate this occasion Hellcat Records has just released a digital album called ‘Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros, The Hellcat Years’. The album came out on August 21^st, which would have been the iconic artist’s 60th birthday. In addition to the digital release, Rock Art and the X-Ray Style, Global A Go-Go and Streetcore, will be re-issued on September 28^th. Giveaways of these albums will be happening at the shows as well as the albums being on sale there too.

In 2012 Revolution Rock will expand past the regular Sydney and Melbourne shows to also include for the first time Brisbane and Adelaide:

SYDNEY

Saturday 6th October - The Sando, Newtown

Streams Of Whiskey

The Strums

Sweet Teens

Steppin' Razor

MELBOURNE

Saturday 13th October - The Reverence, Melbourne

Streams Of Whiskey

Rise Of The Rat (tbc)

The Tearaways

Steppin' Razor

Sweet Teens

BRISBANE

Friday 19th October - Beetle Bar, Fortitude Valley

Grand Atlantic

The Strums

Brixton Rockers

Fifty Bags

ADELAIDE

Saturday 27th October - The Crown & Anchor

The Tearaways

Sweet Teens

Ben David & The Banned

Hightime

Tickets on sale shortly through usual outlets.

Let's rock again!

Helpmann Awards 2012: Sydney, Australia

Australia's top female dramatic actors, Robyn Nevin and Cate Blanchett, won their categories in the national Helpmann Awards presented in Sydney last night, but unusually no single production dominated the ceremony.

While Nevin won for Belvoir St Theatre's Summer of the Seventeenth Doll and Blanchett for Sydney Theatre Company's Gross und Klein, the award for best play went to Ganesh Versus the Third Reich by the Geelong company for intellectually impaired performers, Back to Back Theatre.

This was the pattern for the night with glamour productions picking up individual awards but rarely clinching the top gong in their categories.

The most successful production was Opera Australia's first Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, La Traviata, which won four awards, including best female singer for Emma Matthews.

Best special event - Perth Festival's Place des Anges

Meow Meow's Little Match Girl at the Malthouse Theatre won three awards, including best cabaret performer.

Paul Capsis was best actor in a play for Angela's Kitchen. Also snatched the award for best new Australian work.

Melbourne's Production Company won three musical awards for Grey Gardens, with Pamela Rabe winning for best female actor in a musical, Nancye Hayes for her supporting role and Roger Hodgman for direction.

But the overall best musical award went to A Chorus Line.

Stephen Page won best dance choreography for ID from Bangarra's Belong, which also earned the award for best score for his brother, David, and Steve Francis.

English company DV8 won for best ballet or dance work for its verbatim theatre piece, Can We Talk About This? at the Opera House.

Opera Australia won seven awards, with Anthony Dean Griffey best male performer in Of Mice and Men and Mitchell Butel best actor in a musical for The Mikado.

But the best opera award went to the State Opera of South Australia's Moby Dick, which won three awards.

Background...

The Helpmann Awards recognize distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in Australia's live performing arts sectors. The recognized disciplines include musical and physical theatre, contemporary and classical music, opera, and dance, with a comedy category introduced in 2006. The Helpmann Awards also incorporates the JC Williamson award (formerly the James Cassius Award) for outstanding contribution to the Australian entertainment industry.

The award, named after Sir Robert Helpmann, was established by the Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). It is similar to Broadway's Tony Awards and London's Laurence Olivier Awards. The awards inaugurated in 2001 and are presented annually in Sydney Australia.

The official website lists the objectives of the awards 'to nationally and internationally serve and promote Australian live performing arts industry by recognising distinguished artistic achievement and excellence, ensuring the Awards are administered and made with integrity, ensuring the Awards are celebrated by the industry and the Australian community; and ensuring the Awards are the most prestigious awards in the industry and the highlight of each Season'.

The full name of the Awards is the Helpmann Awards for Performing Arts in Australia. The trophy was designed by silversmith Hendrik Forster.

The Helpmann Awards were hosted by Simon Burke from 2001-2006.

Since 2010, the awards have been broadcast live on arts channel STVDIO.

News Update...

Hours before the Australian theatre industry celebrates its success with the Helpmann Awards at the Opera House tonight, 100 top actors and directors have launched a campaign against the use of more foreign performers on Australian stages.

A long list of Helpmann award winners, including actors Richard Roxburgh, Rachel Griffiths and Geoffrey Rush, playwright David Williamson and director Neil Armfield, have signed an open letter to theatre and musical producers, calling on them to renegotiate a 20-year agreement on the use of foreign performers.

For two decades, the number of foreign performers hired for Australian productions has been controlled via the agreement between the producers' association, Live Performance Australia, and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, in a bid to protect local jobs.

Signatory against foreign performers ... actor Geoffrey Rush. 

LPA, which represents subsidised and commercial producers and organises the Helpmanns, abandoned the agreement in April and since then has, according to the union, refused to discuss the issue. (Fairfax Media)

Arts Minister Simon Crean, who was not at the awards ceremony last night but sent an adviser, has said the NCP will appear by the end of the year.

In LPA's submission to the discussion paper, Richardson spelled out the sector's need for policies that not only assist production of cultural events but also encourage demand. It also argued for funds to help develop new Australian work and for measures to promote private investment.

A note of discord surrounding this year's Helpmanns concerns the vexed issue of foreign performers working in this country. Earlier this year LPA unilaterally broke its agreement with the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, ending an arrangement to consult the union when producers want to engage foreign artists.

The MEAA yesterday published an open letter to LPA members -- among the signatories are Neil Armfield, Steven Heathcote, Emma Matthews and Rush -- warning that harmony between performers and producers is at risk over the issue.

Websites

Helpmann Awards official website

www.helpmannawards.com.au

Sydney Opera House

www.sydneyoperahouse.com

Eva Rinaldi Photography

www.evarinaldi.com

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

www.flickr.com/evarinaldiphotography

Music News Australia

www.musicnewsaustralia.com

MGM Publicity and Promotions

www.mgmpublicity.com.au

Killing Then Softly movie premiere at Dendy Opera Quays

'Killing Them Softly' enjoyed its Sydney, Australia movie premiere at Dendy Opera Quays this evening.

Writer/ director Andrew Dominik (Chopper, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) and star of the film Ben Mendelsohn (The Dark Knight Rises, Animal Kingdom) will attend the Australian premiere of KILLING

THEM SOFTLY on Monday 24 September.

Other guests attending include Bella Heathcote, Aaron Glenane, Brenna Harding, Elizabeth Blackmore, Felix Willamson, Gillian Armstrong, James Frecheville, John Jarratt Khan Chittenden, Krew Boylan, Leanna Walsman, Mary

Coustas, Matthew Nable, Peter Phelps, Sacha Horler, Samara Weaving, Sarah Snook, Sean Keenan and Toby Schmitz.

Adapted from George V. Higgins novel and set in New Orleans, Killing Them Softly follows professional enforcer, Jackie Cogan (Pitt), who investigates a heist that occurs during a high stakes, mob-protected poker game.

Plot:

Jackie Cogan is a professional enforcer who investigates a heist that went down during a mob-protected poker game.

Director: Andrew Dominik

Writers: Andrew Dominik (screenplay), George V. Higgins (novel)

Stars: Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta and Richard Jenkins

IN CINEMAS 11 OCTOBER 2012

Websites

Killing Them Softly

www.killingthemsoftlymovie.com

Dendy Cinemas

www.dendy.com.au

Eva Rinaldi Photography

www.evarinaldi.com

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

www.flickr.com/evarinaldiphotography

Music News Australia

www.musicnewsaustralia.com

Nixco

www.nixco.com.au

Gerry & The Pacemakers 2013 You’ll Never Walk Alone Tour

Showcase Entertainment Group, in association with The Harbour Agency, are thrilled to announce British pop rock icons Gerry and the Pacemakers 50^th anniversary Farewell Tour of Australia, simply titled You’ll Never Walk Alone. Gerry and the Pacemakers were a major part of ‘The ‘60s British Invasion’, along with their friends the Beatles, with smash hit songs like How do you do it, I like it, Ferry ‘cross the Mersey and You’ll never walk alone.

These simple melodies were the soundtracks to a generation and are the reason why Gerry has achieved such longevity as a popular drawcard on stages worldwide. The tour kicks off in Ipswichfor what promises to be a trip down memory lane, and the end of an era for one of the British Invasion’s most enduring artists. Tickets are on sale from September 24 – Gerry’s 70^thBirthday. Don’t miss out – book today!

Fat As Butter Festival, Newcastle

Newcastle got another taste of the Fat As Butter festival this September with an eclectic mix of acts announced as part of the first line up.

Festival organisers promised "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue" for this year's bill and created a solid card with Grinspoon, 360, Mystery Jets, Good Charlotte and Eiffel 65 just some of the names that appear on the line up.

Urthboy, Hungry Kids of Hungary, Pond, Seth Sentry, The Rubens, Hunting Grounds and a stack of other Australian acts also performed.

Full list:

360

GRINSPOON

MYSTERY JETS

URTHBOY

HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY

POND

GOOD CHARLOTTE

SETH SENTRY

THE RUBENS

HUNTING GROUNDS

RUFUS

ART OF SLEEPING 

HEY GERONIMO

KILL CITY CREEPS

WHEATUS

YELLOWCARD

MARIANAS TRENCH

EIFFEL 65

N-TRANCE

YACHT CLUBS DJ'S [LIVE]

BOMBS AWAY

REBECCA and FIONA

SHOCKONE

NICK THAYER

FEENIXPAWL

DJs:

THE ONLY 

TENZIN

DR DON DON

JAMXPRESS

DOCTOR WEREWOLF

Once again the festival was held across four stages, with a selection of international and local talent, spanning from dance, hip hop, rock, punk and everything in between. 

Websites

Fat As Butter

www.fatasbutter.com.au

Music News Australia

www.musicnewsaustralia.com

Good Charlotte performs at The Big Top, Luna Park, Sydney

Good Charlotte performed strongly at The Big Top at Sydney's Luna Park earlier this evening.

It was jam packed and Joel Madden looked and sounded as good as ever.

News media was rushed on this busy Friday night but we will have more follow up information published soon.

Thanks to everyone who made the event possible.

Bio (short)

Good Charlotte is an American pop punk band from Waldorf, Maryland, that formed in 1996. Since 1998, the band's constant members have been lead vocalist Joel Madden, lead guitarist and back-up vocalist Benji Madden, bass guitarist Paul Thomas, and rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Billy Martin. Their latest drummer and percussionist is Dean Butterworth, who has been a member of the band since 2005. The band has released five studio albums: Good Charlotte (2000), The Young and the Hopeless (2002), The Chronicles of Life and Death (2004), Good Morning Revival (2007), and Cardiology (2010) as well as two compilations: Greatest Remixes (2008) and Greatest Hits (2010). (Wikipedia)

Websites

Good Charlotte

www.goodcharlotte.com

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

www.flickr.com/evarinaldiphotography

Eva Rinaldi Photography

www.evarinaldi.com

Music News Australia

www.musicnewsaustralia.com

Legally Blonde The Musical to open at The Star, Sydney tonight

News Media Update...

Theatre production 'Legally Blonde' enjoyed a media call this morning at Sydney Lyric Theatre at Pyrmont in Sydney.

The play comes with much fanfare so it will be interesting to see if the show lives up to its reputation and hype once it plays to live audiences at the Sydney Lyric Theatre, which is part of The Star (formally known as Star City Casino).

The Star and its business partners have taken a calculated gamble on running with 'Legally Blonde', and you can bet that they will be hoping for similar outstanding results that they received with musicals such as 'Annie' (which was considerable helped along with a strong performance and some wonderful publicity from Sydney radio icon Alan Jones).

Sydney continues to secure world class entertainment thanks to our friends at The Star and Lyric, and we encourage you to check out what all the fuss is about.

Update...

News Media has been notified that short segments of four musical numbers from the show will be performed, and afterwards producers Howard Panter and John Frost and lead cast members Lucy Durack (Elle Woods), Rob Mills (Warner), David Harris (Emmett), Helen Dallimore (Paulette), Erika Heynatz (Brooke Wyndham) and Cameron Daddo (Professor Callahan) will be available for interview and photographs.

The musical numbers will be:

Serious

So Much Better

Whipped Into Shape

Legally Blonde Remix

Based on the hit movie of the same name starring Reese Witherspoon, LEGALLY BLONDE is the award-winning London and Broadway sensation created by a top-of-their-class creative team, led by Tony Award-winning director and Olivier Award-nominated choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray). LEGALLY BLONDE ran for three triumphant years in the West End, over two years on Broadway and is currently on a major UK Tour playing to packed houses. Winner of seven major awards including the coveted Best New Musical 2011 (Olivier Awards®) this all singing, all dancing romantic comedy is about knowing who you are and showing what you’ve got! 

The Australian Premiere of this award-winning Broadway and West End sensation was secured for Sydney with the assistance of the NSW Government through Destination NSW and the City of Sydney.

Legally Blonde To Open Tonight...

The Sydney Lyric Theatre is going to be host to the famous musical 'Legally Blonde'.

Legally Blonde The Musical is the hilarious story of college sweetheart and homecoming queen, Elle Woods - a girl who doesn't take no for an answer. When her boyfriend dumps her for someone "serious", Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books and heads for Harvard Law School! Along the way, she proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style.

Legally Blonde The Musical - Winner of Best Musical 2011 Olivier Awards and a smash hit running into its third year on the West End was created by a world-class creative team led by Tony Award-winning director Jerry Mitchell.

Based on the movie starring Reese Witherspoon and remaining true to the script, Legally Blonde the Musical is a feel-good number with a '90s feel.

College sweetheart Elle heads off to law school to win back her boyfriend Warner after he dumps her for someone more serious, only to graduate top of her class and find a far better love interest.

Warner, too, finds the courage to dump family expectations of a career in law and politics and pursue his true calling as a model.

"I've seen it on Broadway and the West End and it's great. It really does do the movie justice," leading actress Lucy Durack says.

"I love the role of Elle. As much as she looks like she hasn't a care in the world, people are unkind to her and judge her and she struggles with that.

"But she takes a positive path and rises above it. She doesn't take the low road, ever. The whole show is a celebration - be who you are, the best version of yourself, and be proud."

LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL opens in 'Sin City' Sydney tonight!

Websites

Legally Blonde The Musical (Australia)

www.legallyblonde.com.au

The Star

www.star.com.au

Sydney Lyric Theatre

www.sydneylyric.com.au

Echo Entertainment

www.echoentertainment.com.au

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

www.flickr.com/evarinaldiphotography

Eva Rinaldi Photography

www.evarinaldi.com

Music News Australia

www.musicnewsaustralia.com

IP Publicity

www.ippublicity.com.au