Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Top 3 for 13'



Three fav things for 2013 would have to be the
What U Want (Doesn't Exist) Video  & Just Like Fashion E.P launch (including the interviews with kelly, Josh & Anee)



Listening to Ms Mr on high rotation


& finding the inspiration for the next Stormset video

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Witness to Fitness | Roots Manuva


Are you worried about piling on all those extra Christmas calories? 
Looking to keep fit over the festive season? 

Well this could be just the motivation you need... Wishing you all a safe and happy Christmas & New Year!!!

Sunday, December 15, 2013

How I Live Now


For fans of the Tomorrow When series by John Marsden the new film How I Live Now based on the teenage fiction novel by Meg Rosoff is a must see. Set in a war torn future we hope never to have to live through, How I Live Now has many of the elements of suspense & the same panic driven terror of Children Of Men... not to mention a killer soundtrack by Jon Hopkins featuring Bat For Lashes & Daughter. Well worth seeing!

Friday, December 6, 2013

Summer Is Ready




"Summer is ready when you are"... 

& that pretty much sums up The Breeders, one of the ultimate summer bands. For the uninitiated their album Last Splash, featuring the hit single 'Cannonball' would be a great starting point. They played the Adelaide Big Day out around the same time of Last Splash, twin sisters Kim & Kelly Deal stealing the spotlight, both playing with huge smiles that made you feel like this was the best gig they'd ever played. I remember feeling like I could be crushed at any moment by the crowd which surged forward and swayed on the brink of panic. It wasn't until the next year that an artist friend Stickman (no you won't find him on fb or any other digital media) lent me their earlier album 'Pod', a more obscure record with an evolving line up including Tanya Donelly (Belly & Throwing Muses). I'm sure many of these songs were played at the BDO show? The drums and bass are solid and up front, with the perfect balance of clean against overdriven guitars, plus just the right amount of teenage angst vocals mixed in with spacious melodies... the standout track for me is 'Opened'... for some reason I always picture a young witch taking to the skies on her broom and flying low over the highways Wizard of Oz style as Kim Deal hits the Chorus 
"Robin flies again, Robin flies again"...




Friday, November 29, 2013

Catching Fire




Catching Fire second time round on the ExiMax was totally worth the wait... Sound is so important for the full experience, and while the midnight screening was fun the first cinema's sound system just didn't cut it. It's great to see Director Francis Lawrence is continuing to remain faithful to the books and by the sounds of things is planning to keep it that way, plus author Suzanne Collins is a co-producer, so that must help her keep the vision.

Some top moments were

Katniss and Peeta's artistic individual presentations to the game makers
The 75th Quarter Quell arena
& of course
Johanna Mason's entrance into the lift



Check out how Jena Malone prepared for the role of Johanna




Wednesday, November 20, 2013

The World Is Watching | Catching Fire




Tick tock, tick tock... the seconds are ticking closer towards the 
The Hunger Games - Catching Fire midnight screening

And may the odds be ever in your favour


Friday, November 15, 2013

Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer



One of the highlights of the recent Adelaide Film Festival would have to be the film Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer  a documentary about the Russian punk group Pussy Riot. 

Can you believe they still send people to Siberia?...





Thursday, October 31, 2013

Let Me In | Halloween






If your looking for the ultimate Vampire movie to watch for Halloween then 'Let Me In' would have to be it

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Halloween 13'


Halloween 13' is creeping up fast... last year I made these Ghosties and they haunted my hallway and have been ever since. So now they have become the stars of my new Trick Or Treat t-shirt design on Redbubble

How are you celebrating Halloween this year?

Thursday, September 26, 2013

CD or Vinyl?


There's always been something special about the experience of vinyl... searching out that elusive 12" Single, spending ages cleaning the dust as the record spins before dropping the needle, the warmth of the sound, the pop and crackle. The visual art is a huge part of it all too... 

It sounds like vinyl is becoming the new cool again with a recent increase in sales figures

Vinyal or CD - Which do you prefer?

What was the first record or CD or ever bought, what was it about the experience that made it special?

Monday, September 23, 2013

Purity Ring


Listening to these guys on high rotation everyday over the past week in the car... so refreshing!! 

Having gown up with a healthy Cocteau Twins obsession it's easy to draw some similarities with Purity Ring and their use of lyrics for the way they sound as much as for the visual imagery and stories their words create. It wasn't a suprise to then notice that Shrines is out on 4-AD, the same record label whose success was basically formed off the back of the Cocteau Twins music. It sounds like their live performances are visually dynamic as well with the use of lights and lanterns to merge with the sound. Can't wait to see them play one day.

Beautiful artwork too... you get more out of each listen



Tuesday, September 10, 2013

New Order | Movement


"It seems peculiar now, but we just wrote from instinct. The less we thought (we thought?) about it and the less we analysed it, the more songs we wrote. It's like, if you haven't grasped it 100%, every time you write a track it's like the first time you've written a track... looking at it now, i guess what we were doing was writing from the subconscious." 

Bernard Sumner | New Order

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Sleep, the dream, called Awake - Artist Interview | with Lilaina

This weeks feature interview is with Lazed lyricist Lilaina. Laine first shared her poetry while we were studying visual art, and the ethereal imagery she creates through her writing became the inspiration for songs like Blurred Assumptions & Bitch'n. She sang on the original 4-track demo of Lazed, a song which has been a live favourite for a long time, with it's upbeat tempo and Art-School aesthetic that perfectly suites the inspiration behind the Stormset sound... 
"Sleep, the dream, called awake"

When did you first start to write poetry?
I first started writing poetry at age 14, got published at 14 in a Goth Magazine

What inspires your writing?
I am inspired by people and how we interact and our perceptions of one another, I love Psychology. Anything to do with human communication.

Can you tell us about some of the bands and other creative projects you have you been a part of in the past?
In the past I have written and made a short film called 'Made My Bed' and in 2000 I did stand up performance poetry at the Sunset Strip in Melbourne. Before that I was production designer in a feature film called 'Radio Samurai'... I'm not sure if it was ever released?

Do you have an anthem song or all time favourite band?


The bands; The Cure, The Smiths, Cosmic Baby. All time favourite bands are British India and All American Rejects.


I sifted through the dense forest inside my dream
Set adrift on the river forever my knowing untold but remembered
Should I wake to see once more?
Often scrambled and mislead unable to bear the burden
Of this day today just yet
So back to slumber I slip
And inside my peaceful warrior marches on again

Too much wandering I must do now
Midway between dark and dawn I fled
Back to the safety and the state of my forever
Sleep, the dream, called awake
Sleep, the dream, called awake

I sifted through the dense forest
Sleep, the dream, called awake
Sleep, the dream, called awake
Sleep, the dream, called awake



Friday, August 23, 2013

Charli XCX




Listening to Charli XCX on high rotation in my car stereo at the moment
Check out the review at Booming Music Scene 

Friday, August 16, 2013

Artist Interview | with Jeremy

The next interview is with Sound Engineer & Producer Jeremy Conlon of 
Left Of Elephant Sound

In the studio | Just Like Fashion session

I first crossed paths with Jeremy when he was working in a local record store, ordering cool records such as Three Imaginary Boys by The Cure & Blue Sunshine by The Glove. He was always really supportive of local bands and we ended up working together on Seesawtrace recordings. Most recently Jeremy has contributed his ear & engineering skills on the Stormset Just Like Fashion EP, a journey which began at his bushland studio (Berringa Vic) and then completed with mixdowns across the digital vortex between the new Left Of Elephant Sound studio (Darwin NT) & home. 


 Can you tell us how you started out in music and how you became a sound engineer?


I started by being exposed to great music early on, and great quality hi fi units, speakers, amps etc...so early on I had an understanding of what good music sounds like on a good system. I was lucky enough to work in record stores since I left school, got a head full of all kinds of music and genres, played in bands, The Violets, Cooperblack, became fascinated with the workings of a studio. I bought a simple set up, tascam porta 1  then the 244, did several courses in live mixing and music technology. I guess I just morphed into being a sound engineer, primarily by being a musician first.

What are you working on currently?


Currently working on Analechi, a new electro outfit with Lauren Day, very fun indeed, dirty electro stuff, producing some albums in the NT, Alice Springs and Darwin, meeting great musicians from all over Australia, very lucky.
 PC or Mac? 


Mac, because that's all i ever had access to...doesn't matter though, whatever tools you need to get the job done.




 Any advice for people who are starting out recording their own music?


Get the best gear you can afford..read about gear and how to set it up properly and look after it..so much info out there

AND

Listen, listen, read about people's process and inspiration, read some more, listen, do, make mistakes, make more mistakes, make fantastic mistakes, meet other musicians, don't be a hermit, be yourself and do it for you.






Thursday, August 15, 2013

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Artist Interview | with Anee



The next artist interview is with guest vocalist Anee Burton. 
Having previously worked with Anee as part of Seesawtrace, she has now contributed her ethereal voice on the songs 11M2, Red Steps & Lazed and helped bring 
the Stormset sound to life.



When did you first start singing?

I started singing from a young age just for my own entertainment around 10 years of age but really got interested in singing for others when I was 22 and met Simon and Chris through friends. I thought their music was really interesting and 
they inspired me to give it a go.

Can you share with us something about the process of recording vocals for the Stormset songs on Just Like Fashion

The process of recording was really relaxing and fun. I was pregnant at the time and loved that my baby could hear the music we were making, and it gave me a happy feeling every time we rehearsed or were recording.

Who are some of your favourite vocalists and musical insfluences?

My favourite vocalists and musical influences are varied. I love so many types of music, but I would say the lead singer from the band George, Dido, Sia, Sarah Blasco, Tracey Chapman, Nelly Furtado, Missy Higgins, Everything but the girl and Lamb. These are some of my favourite vocalists and influences.

What inspires you?

My inspiration is the wonders of nature, beautiful music, friends, and food. But at the moment my inspiration is my little boy, Mitchel, and how he interacts with the world and learns everyday.


Friday, August 2, 2013

Artist Interview | with Josh



Here's the next artist interview, this time with Josh - production assistant and camera on the new music video for What U Want (Doesn't Exist)

What are some of the creative artforms and projects you are involved with?

Well for a very long time I've been a juggler and fire twirler and have travelled around a lot with my partner meeting people and performing world-wide. For a number of years we ran a festival in the Adelaide Hills called Common Ground (www.common-ground.netthat attracted jugglers and fire twirlers from all over Australia (and sometimes even from overseas). It was awesome but when we decided to have a baby, we had to let it go to give us a bit of space in our lives. Last year we worked in a team to produce a Blues and Roots festival called Common Roots (https://www.facebook.com/CommonRootsFestival) which was also very successful. 

Musically I play bass and drums, although my skills are pretty low level :)


What was it like working on the video shoot for What U Want (doesn't exist) and can you tell us a bit about the filmmaking process?

Working on this shoot was great fun although having our star living interstate certainly made planning shoots a bit trickier! Simon seemed to have the aesthetics of what he was looking for pretty well sorted in his mind, and through dialog we worked up a bit of a narrative. Once we had worked through the narrative a bit, we spent a day wandering around the West end of Adelaide CBD taking a lot of photos and scoping out possible places to shoot. It took a while but we eventually decided on most of the spots for the outdoor shooting. Simon also contacted The Reading Room (http://thereadingroom-renewadelaide.blogspot.com.au/) and secured it on a Sunday morning (I think) for the Pinata sequence. Eventually we shot all the outdoor and Pinata material in one epic day of shooting. Unfortunately we didn't get time to shoot all the material we needed for the cut up preparation sequences, so we had to wait a while until we could go out and visit Simon's parents farm and shoot the last bits there. I'm glad we didn't rush it though, I think the result was worth it.  





What kind of camera did you use for filming?

We used Sony gear, for most locations we shot on two cameras at the same time to give us a bit of flexibility in the edit. Usually we had both the HVR-Z1 and the HDR HC9 capturing at the same time. The HVR-Z1 was most often tripod mounted, while the HC9 was handheld. I don't think we could have achieved the look we got without shooting in this way.


What is your preferred platform... Mac or PC?

Its been a long time since I've given Windows a proper go for video editing. I've been a Final Cut fan since version 4, and I still really like it in version 10.0.8 - so Mac is really the only platform for me. 

Any advice for people making their own videos?

Just do it - get a team of similarly motivated people together. Don't expect it will happen overnight, be prepared to re-shoot or be flexible. Maintain a positive attitude and make sure you finish what you start. Things usually take a lot longer than you think, especially when you have to set up lights n stuff. Give yourself double at least the time you think it will take, and make sure you have a backup plan! Oh yeah - and time spent drinking coffee and talking through the ideas before running around the town with gear in your hands is time well spent (ie have some idea of what you want before you shoot).



Friday, July 26, 2013

Just Like Fashion | Give away competition


Congratulations to the winners of The Hanging Girls t-shirt giveaway competition. 
All prize winners have been contacted by email.

Thanks to everyone for supporting the video launch for What U Want (Doesn't Exist) and the release of the Just Like Fashion EP

Check out the artist interview with Kelly

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Artist Interview | with Kelly

Here's an interview with Kelly - star of the new video clip for What U Want (Doesn't Exist) & guest Stormset vocalist on the new Just Like Fashion EP


So kelly, how did you find the experience of recording vocals in the studio?

I absolutely enjoyed taking part in the studio, everything was completely new to me so was just a new experience of simply having fun! 


Can you tell us what it was like working on the film shoot for the What U Want video clip?

Working for the film clip was exciting, & working with Simon's creativity made it much more spectacular! Again was a new experience & I fully enjoyed it from start to finish & not forgetting how good it is to smash things... it's so therapeutic, haha 


What's the latest creative project you've been working on?

The latest creative project I've done would be more behind the scenes rather than in front of camera, i decided to try out prosthetics and get my own creative side out and put my own skills to the test. 


How do you feel about fashion in general?

 Fashion in general to me is more a personal signature I reckon, you can get a good hint of someones personality from what they wear.  My personal favourite would be good old pj's a baggy jumper and slippers on a cold winters night mmmmmm cosy!!! 


Check out the video clip 

Friday, July 19, 2013

JUST LIKE FASHION | VIDEO & EP LAUNCH


Lost and wandering in the consumerist mono-culture maze of fashion, a mysterious street artist explores the ephemeral nature of fashion through 
her unique paste up designs

Welcome to the online video clip launch for What U Want (Doesn't exist) 
& the Just Like Fashion EP
Congrats on being amongst the first to view the video and hear the new songs & thanks heaps for dropping by

For a chance to win a Stormset giveaway see details below



If for some reason you are having trouble viewing the vimeo clip try here



For your chance to win one of five free t-shirts of The Hanging Girls design and a physical copy of the Just Like Fashion EP leave a comment telling us which song is your favourite or something you like about the video clip, and whether you'd prefer a Labelstate t-shirt or  one from Redbubble. Entries close midnight this Sunday 21st July. 
Good luck!

Winners will be announced on this blog next Friday the 26th July so be sure to drop by again next week to see if you have won.

Mp3s are available for download through i-tunes & CD Baby