RÜFÜS ANNOUNCE NAME CHANGE FOR NORTH AMERICA
Ahead of their debut appearance at SXSW, RÜFÜS have announced they are changing their name and will be known as RÜFÜS DU SOL in North America, remaining as RÜFÜS across the rest of the world.
The change comes after months of strongly worded letters and colourful internal debate regarding an existing US trademark on the name Rufus. Jon, James and Tyrone from the band did not want to make the name change, but came to the realisation that they would be forced to in order to officially release their #1 ARIA and J award nominated debut record, ATLAS in North America.
The album will be released by Columbia records in the US and Canada, making RÜFÜS just the second Aussie export to be signed to the US powerhouse label since 80’s legends, Men at Work and indie rock darlings, The Temper Trap. “It’s pretty humbling being on the same label as so many iconic artists,” explains vocalist Tyrone Lindqvist. “I still have my Fugees CD with the big Columbia stamp on it…. not sure if they are gonna try to do that to ATLAS,” he jokes.
RÜFÜS will be heading over to tour the US and Canada in March to play a run of fifteen shows set to kick off in San Francisco on March 7, heading through Austin for SXSW, up north to Calgary and Vancouver, finishing off in Denver in early April (tour dates listed far below). Excited for the international tour and particularly looking forward to playing at SXSW in March Lindqvist says, “we’ve been told all the creepy stories about not getting sound-checks and it taking an hour to carry all your gear from venue to venue on foot because of the crowds…so we’re expecting it to be like that time you fell off your skateboard bombing your local hill as a kid – it hurt a lot but all you remember is how good it felt!”
In other exciting news on home turf, RÜFÜS managed to chalk up an impressive three tracks in Triple J’s Hottest 100 on the weekend, including Tonight at #91, Desert Night at #34, Take Me at #21 and an additional two songs in the top 200 including Sundream at #184 and Unforgiven at #191.
And be sure to keep an ear out over the next few weeks for some very exciting tour news on the home front.
NOTABLE AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS JOIN FORCES TO SAVE THE ORANGUTAN
Some of Australia’s most talented musicians and artists have joined forces to release the exquisite Nightingale Floor single alongside two distinguished short films in a bid to raise funds for the Orangutan Land Trust and highlight the plight of the orangutans whose habitats are being destroyed with the development of palm oil plantations.
Brisbane musician Sallie Campbell kick-started the project last year, enlisting a host of gifted musician friends to join her (including Kate Miller-Heidke on vocals and producer Daniel Denholm (Powderfinger, Australian Chamber Orchestra)) to help raise awareness of the impact unsustainable palm oil is having on the world’s orangutan population.
“Nightingale Floors were cleverly built in ancient Japanese castles to creak and sing when walked upon to warn of intruders. Similarly, we need be the ‘new nightingales’ who signal danger to our fragile ecology,” explains Campbell. “The situation is urgent, the last wild orangutans on the earth live in Malaysia and Indonesia and their habitat is being threatened by the development of Palm Oil Plantations. Unsustainable Palm Oil is in 50% of supermarket items and if people knew the food and products they were consuming everyday were wiping out forests and all the beautiful creatures there, they wouldn’t buy them.”
Campbell said the most important thing people could do to save the orangutan was to insist that the palm oil used in products was produced in a sustainable way, and not at the expense of orangutans and their forests. “As consumers we can do so much. We must demand proper labelling on palm oil products and tell companies that use unsustainable palm oil that we won’t buy them until they change to a sustainable source… there is even a free application being developed for smart phones, a palm oil scanner which will be such a powerful tool”
Dedicated to the original ‘people of the forest’, Nightingale Floor is being released as a three minute single and a twenty-minute string orchestra opus written for an 11-piece string section, featuring three soloists and exotic folk instruments including Nyckelharpa, Baritone Bowed Psaltry, Hammered Dulcimer and 5 string Violin.
Written and directed by David Barker (MiniSumo) and starring exciting new film talent Sarah Snook (Predestination, Sisters of War), the film clip encourages people to believe in the idea of natural wonders. “We want to create a sense of hope while at the same time creating an emotive artistic statement that people will want to purchase”,” explains Barker.
People can visit www.nightingalefloor.com.au to educate themselves on palm oil and donate and download either the full piece, the short film or the instrumental clip. All funds raised will go to the Orangutan Land Trust.
Nightingale Floor Music credits – Sallie Campbell: Composer, Mandolin, Five-String Violin, Nyckelharpa, Hammered Dulcimer, Baritone Bowed Psaltry. John Rodgers: Violin and banjo. Rob Davidson: Double bass. Keir Nuttal: Electric guitar. Vocals: Kate Miller-Heidke. Music producer: Daniel Denholm (Australian Chamber Orchestra, Powderfinger). Engineer: Chris Kneehause. Recorded at: Judith Wright Centre Brisbane
MICHAEL PAYNTER ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE AND ALBUM, ‘WEARY STARS’ PLUS NATIONAL TOUR
Established singer and prolific songwriter Michael Paynter is back with a signature power pop rock smash, announcing the release of new single, Weary Stars and the highly anticipated and long awaited new album of the same title, set for release on January 31. Hitting the road to celebrate with a national tour through February and March, Paynter will be playing Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Newcastle and a few regional towns across NSW and Victoria.
Having spent the last seven years traveling and touring across almost every venue in Australia from major arenas to small bandrooms, being signed to one of the biggest record labels in the world and then appearing on the highest rating TV show in the country, The Voice, it’s no wonder Paynter is thrilled to finally be releasing his debut album. “I just can’t wait to for people to finally hear the sweat, the tears, the empty bank accounts, the tours, the late nights, the failures, the wonderful experiences, the trial and the victories put into twelve great songs,” explains Paynter.
Written shortly after parting ways with Sony Music, Weary Stars is a pertinent lead single and album title choice, as Paynter welcomes his audience in to his world, offering insight in to his personal feelings and struggles regarding his career. “It was such a tough time for me. I had poured my entire life into my career for the better part of a decade, and ended up with no album. For a while there I felt like I was defeated, but once the initial feelings wore away, I felt this huge sense of relief… like I’d lifted a huge boulder off my shoulders, I felt free. Sometimes you have to know when to walk away… And just as the stars come crashing down around you, you find yourself for the first time in a long time, REALLY alive,” exclaims Paynter!
Filmed over just one day in Avalon (Victoria), the video clip for Weary Stars was co-produced and directed by Pete Seamons from EPIK Films. “I’ve loved his work with The Paper Kites, New Empire and Simple Plan, so I was incredibility excited to work with Pete. We went down to scope out the location with one idea and as soon as we stepped out of the car, all these new concepts started floating to our heads … the location kinda told us what it wanted to say,” beams Paynter.
Buy the single Weary Stars – out now
Tickets to the national tour are on sale now through the below ticketing outlets
New album Weary Stars will be available from January 31
NATIONAL MICHAEL PAYNTER TOUR DATES
Fri 10 Jan The Palms, Melbourne with Icehouse
Tickets through www.ticketek.com.au
Sat 11 Jan The Palms, Melbourne with Icehouse
Tickets through www.ticketek.com.au
Tue 14 Jan The Palms, Melbourne with Icehouse
Tickets through www.ticketek.com.au
Wed 12 Feb Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
Tickets through www.oztix.com.au
Thu 13 Feb The Toff In Town, Melbourne
Tickets through www.thetoffintown.com
Fri 14 Feb The Basement, Sydney
Tickets through www.oztix.com.au
Thu 20 Feb Brass Monkey, Cronulla NSW
Tickets through www.brassmonkey.com.au
Fri 21 Feb Lizotte’s, Dee Why NSW
Tickets through www.lizottes.com.au
Sat 22 Feb Lizotte’s, Kincumber NSW
Tickets through www.lizottes.com.au
Sun 23 Feb Lizotte’s Newcastle
Tickets through www.lizottes.com.au
Fri 7 Mar Forest Edge Music Festival, Neerim East VIC
Tickets through www.forestedge.org.au
Wed 19 Mar Belmont Sailing Club, Belmont NSW with Icehouse
Tickets through www.16s.com.au
Thu 20 Mar Rooty Hill RSL, Rooty Hill NSW with Icehouse
Tickets through www.rootyhillrsl.com.au
Thu 27 Mar Jive, Adelaide
Tickets through www.moshtix.com.au
Note:: Perth date is currently being finalised (likely to sit between Rooty Hill and Adelaide shows) and will be confirmed within the week