The sharpened edges of the black, flat-brimmed Stetson hat glistened menacingly from the dark recesses of the bitterly cold, largely empty ANU Bar. Something important was going down, of that much I was certain. But what? Cowering as I was in a fit of shame and fright in the farthest, safest corner of this glorified university shed, closer inspection of the Stetson or, indeed, its owner, was proving impossible. The edges of the Stetson glistened with urgency but mercifully, perhaps, I could see little else. All the while the questions lingered, like memories of sweet love lost. Who was this demon? Why had it come? Or indeed, why had I? In the icy darkness little was being revealed and even less was making sense. Even in the gloom of this horrific bleak nothingness though I searched valiantly for clues, an eager young pro bono Wordsmith (though I hate U2) conquering his fears. I eyed the shadowy figure in a panicked grasp for clarity but I saw nothing, nothing at all. Perhaps it was for the best. The likely tell-tale stains of the bloody refuse of the prior slain remained hidden; submerged in darkness along with the violent history of its anonymous owner. I, along with the other frightened stragglers joining me in the dumbstruck audience, could do nothing but wait.

Mercifully, the sound signalling the beginning, as it were, of the end, came suddenly; a ukulele began to strum and a chain, heeding the call of its jauntily plucked Master, began to rattle alongside in a foreboding, unified rhythm. Above it all, the Stetson suddenly began a slow tilt towards the heavens above, the shadowy figure underneath seemingly positioning itself for some manner of stern address. It moved with slow and deliberate assurance, seeming confident of its authority among the few lost, desperate souls gathered in this funereal pit of visible breath and shivering trepidation. As the Stetson lifted, an untraceable light illuminated the form atop which it sat. I gasped deeply as the eyes appeared; piercing and alive, tinged with sadness. I was soon after clinging desperately to a stranger alongside as the face of a being weathered but composed, solemn but unbowed, loomed into view.  It was the face of a story teller, a messenger: a Man who had seen it all. An immortal.

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She has performed regularly with her mentor James Morrison, sung backing vocals for Michael Buble, and now, on the eve of headlining appearances at both the Stonnington and Melbourne International Jazz Festivals, Sarah McKenzie is releasing her first solo album. Produced by Chong Lim, the album entitled Don’t Tempt Me marks a crucial milestone in the rapidly-developing career of the Bendigo-born, Melbourne-raised, Perth-educated McKenzie, whom critics around the country have identified as a once-in-a-generation talent.

At 23 years of age, the pianist, vocalist and composer is a graduate of the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts where Hugh Jackman, Marcus Graham, Lisa McCune and many other leading Australian musical and theatre performers also trained.  While in Perth she completed a Bachelor of Jazz (Composition) degree, won the Jack Bendat Scholarship, the Hawaiian Award for ‘Most Outstanding Jazz Graduate’ and the Perth Jazz Societies Award for leading the ‘Most Outstanding Group of the Year for 2008’.

Now based back in Melbourne, her rise through the ranks of the Australian music scene has been spectacular, aided by frequent appearances at venues like Bennett’s Lane, The Paris Cat, and at major festivals. Her musical pedigree is impeccable, having been mentored by legends like Graeme Lyall, Jamie Oehlers, and especially James Morrison, whose Scholarship she won after six consecutive years of involvement in Morrison’s Generations in Jazz talent development programme, where she performed alongside him at major concert venues including The Basement in Sydney, The Stonnington Jazz Festival and The Stones of the Yarra Valley.

“Sarah McKenzie is a musical marvel. She sings with the kind of phrasing that only a true jazz singer can come up with while her groove of the piano is the stuff that makes people want to play jazz. Don’t miss a chance to hear this lady perform live!” James Morrison. Don’t Tempt Me contains extraordinary takes on classic pop, blues and jazz tunes, from the barnstorming first single You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To, through a smouldering rendition of the classic Summertime and onto a unique bossanova take on Elvis’ Love Me Tender which sounds as if it’s come straight from the soundtrack of an uber cool bar scene from TV show Hawaii Five-0.

Sarah McKenzie’s debut album ‘ Don’t Tempt Me ’ is now available.

The call is out for bands and filmmakers in the 2011 Music Video Mash Up – a yearly competition that pairs up and coming musicians and directors across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.  Following on from a huge inaugural year last year, The Music Video Mash Up filmmaking competition is back for 2011- and with the addition of Sydney and Melbourne to the competition,  bigger and better than ever.

There’s a stack of info @ www.mvmu.com.au and below but in short: MVMU is a time-based music video making competition. It’s simple:

•    Bands and filmmakers register (for their respective city – Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane)
•    They are then paired up randomly and given just THREE days (Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend (June 10-13, 2011)) to create, shoot, edit and submit a music video.
•    Bands – all you need is a recorded original song (no covers)
•    Filmmakers – all you need is a camera and a crew

There are stacks of prizes to be won including the winning clip playing on Video Hits, PLUS a representative from the winning band and filmmakers will be flown to the Video Hits set to be interviewed on air!  All entries are also showcased at a special premiere at Palace cinemas in their respective cities.

On April 22 Universal Music Australia will release When I First Met Your Ma – a brand new compilation featuring Australia’s finest musicians, celebrating themes of motherhood, romance and relationships via song. The collection lifts its title from Australia’s musical poet laureate, Paul Kelly – the unforgettable acoustic ballad one of his most iconic love songs. From exclusive originals to captivating covers and brand new versions of much-loved tunes, across 16 tracks When I First Met Your Ma pays tribute to the women who inspire, nurture and amaze.

When I First Met Your Ma features an array of award winning Australian  Artists, including Paul Kelly, Julia Stone, Washington, Clare Bowditch, Bertie Blackman, Katy Steele, John Butler Trio, Gurrumul, Oh Mercy and many more.

New album – WHEN I FIRST MET YOUR MA – out 22 April 2011.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA: Yes, it’s hot. Yes, it’s wet. But Brisbane is also a city with one of the strongest independent music scenes you will find anywhere.

Believed to be a world first, soundslikebrisbane (SLB) is bringing together the citys indie labels under the one banner – already 17 independent labels are represented, with more to join the fold soon. They are giving you a taste of the collective with a free Brisbane music sampler available online now.

Covering every genre from garage rock and indie, to jazz, hip-hop, country and pop, the labels define the creative melting pot that Brisbane has become. Together these labels work with dozens of artists, promoting close to 100 releases each year.

Among them are some of the countrys most exciting new artists including DZ DEATHRAYS, Mr Maps, The Optimen, The Medics, Regurgitator and Jackie Marshall. Whether you’re a fan or a music industry type, discover new labels, new bands, make new connections in Australia and get your head around one of the world’s most exciting music cities at www.soundslikebrisbane.com .

The drinking and depravity continued throughout the day, into night, until I could no longer sit still. I was thinking thoughts a man shouldn’t think. The full moon was high and the mist was lurking, draping itself with seductive ease across the beautiful, dim night. I’d been listening to the debut album from Melbourne band The Graveyard Train for hours, possibly days. Who could be sure? I was hypnotised, entranced. I left the safety of home and lurched forward, shuffling down the street, towards the cemetery. All the while the words were ringing in my ears, rattling around my mind in the swirling oblivion of possibility:

I shuffle on down the street.
I can’t help dragging my feet.
Got my two arms leading the way.
And all the people there stop and say…
‘Let’s move like a mummy!’

And so it began; my night in the cemetery, esky of well-stocked beer held tight, howling at the moon about dancing to the devil’s drum, taking witches out dancing and children burning alive. It was tremendous fun, but maybe you had to be there. I was in another world, I was deep in The Graveyard Train and there was no way out. My raised head and out-stretched arms silhouetted against the murky, moon-lit cemetery as I cried out more of their words in wicked delight.

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They say travelling can be life-changing. It awakens you to so many new experiences, showcasing the world in all its infinite wonder. Furthermore, it has been said, travelling abroad can make you appreciate what you’ve left behind. After some time through the looking glass last year, I came to concur wholeheartedly with both points of view. I saw some beautiful, mind-buzzing things. Perspectives changed and confidence grew. Throughout this process though, memories of the land I had left behind remained, lurking in my subconscious, alluring and magnificent, beckoning my return. I made my return just in time, in November 2010: the icy UK winter was beginning to crank and my homesickness was rapidly evolving into desperate, fixated yearning.

Walking through the Brisbane airport on my return, over-indulged in free in-flight liquor, I felt an inescapable, cinematic sense of joy. I was home, draped in beautiful summer warmth, and local band The John Steel Singers were on the radio. Rainbow Kraut, I hazily recall, was the fine summer anthem filling the halls. I didn’t know who was playing it from what radio, but I instantly understood why. It’s a rollicking summer anthem: a thrilling, joyous burst of horn-infused, psychedelic pop. It’s a song I’d heard before, but I’d never heard it like that. In the version I was hearing, the version on their debut album Tangalooma, the drums thump the earth and the vocals kiss the sky. Everything else fits everywhere in between.

‘I’m back!’ I thought. ‘Summer!’

Little else on Tangalooma propels itself with the same intensity, but the inescapable feeling of summer remains throughout. While the album hints at Brit Pop (the querying social commentary of the lyrics suggests someone here is a big fan of early Blur and their English predecessors, The Kinks) with its horns, harmonies and omnipresent jangle, its sound remains uniquely Australian. Maybe it’s the Aussie-accented harmonies, but this album just goes with beers, barbecues and cricket, the perfect Welcome Home for any homesick Aussie.

It is also, in somewhat of an increasing rarity, an album you can listen to from start to finish. I have favourites, but there’s nothing I feel an overwhelming compulsion to skip. It’s all pleasant, clever and musical. Aside from the sweetly blissful summer air that flows throughout, the overwhelming impression one gets from listening to this album is that these guys love music. Having seen them live, I know that they’re multi-instrumentalists, the lot of them, and the charming mood of their free-spirited, instrument-swapping live shows is captured here. There’s layered vocal harmonies and clever guitar flourishes buried throughout the mix. Play it loud, on a good stereo, and you’ll be rewarded.

Rainbow Kraut, as I’ve touched on already, is my favourite track on the album. There is intent in that song that some of the others, particularly early on, seem to lack. But to imply that it is the only pleasure would be wrong. From the clever jangly pop of early tracks such as Your Favourite Perversion (the lyrics for which offer a good example of the band’s balance of humour: I’ll Have You in the Dark/Or in a Misty Park/The Thrill of Getting Caught with emotional sincerity: All I Really Want/Is Someone to Call Mine/By Mutual Design), Overpass and Evolution to the beautiful, lazy, darker psychedelic later tracks (which surround Rainbow Kraut) such as Once I, Dying Tree and classic album closer Sleep, there is much joy to behold.

So if you want my advice, buy this album, then drink a beer, eat a steak, enjoy the weather, and enjoy your friends. The John Steel Singers have provided the soundtrack, the rest is up to you.

Article written by Craig Tuck.

Our competition for Dubmarine’s album ‘Depth of Sound’ has now closed. Thank you to everyone that entered we had an overwhelming response. The winners are listed below and your prizes will be sent this week. Thanks again to Heapsaflash for your generous support!

B.McNeil – Preston VIC
F.Marcino – Kunda Park QLD
G.Samuels – Doonside NSW
G.Paine – Leura NSW
S.Taylor – Athol Park SA
P.Pardini – Glengowrie SA

Two Flat Whites in conjunction with our friends at Heapsaflash are giving six (6) lucky people the chance to win a copy of Dubmarine’s debut album ‘Depth of Sound’ which is in stores now!

Sound the alarm! Australia’s high-powered dub and dancehall sub-bass vessel Dubmarine are taking the wraps off their much-anticipated debut album Depth of Sound! The album’s release comes at the tail end of what’s already been a huge year for Dubmarine. Taking in Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and the Czech Republic, July saw them complete a massive European festival tour before turning in a pair of unforgettable sets at September’s BIGSOUND conference back on their home turf of Brisbane. On stage, led by the vocal gymnastics of indigenous superstar and Darumbal man D-Kazman, the nine piece create a deep dancehall, reggae, dub based musical pandemonium, producing the sound and fury of electronic music, in all of its hip shaking glory – but on live instruments.

For your chance to win this great prize, simply email your name, postal address and the code word to info . Remember you need to be signed up on the Two Flat Whites fan page on Facebook to win and also grab the code word.

Competition closes Sunday, 9th January 2011.

Musician Molly Contogeorge is heading to Cuba to represent Australia at the Romerías de Mayo Youths Arts Festival. Music has been Molly’s passion from a very young age. Molly has been to America and played at some of the best clubs in the world and is as ambitious as they come. Getting behind Australian music and in particular independent artists like Molly can be very rewarding. Support her in any way you can. You can hear some of this young ladies singer/ songwriting skills here .

Growing up in the same household as two music teachers and performers meant that most of my youth was spent falling asleep to the twang of Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water ; or to the sounds of singing students ascending their scales and to those evenings spent wishing I was old enough to attend my mother’s gigs. My family life has always revolved around writing, performing and teaching and this has contributed greatly to my love of music and my desire to build a career from it. I penned my first song at the age of ten and now at twenty, I’ve amassed ten years’ worth of writing, recording and performing experience.

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