HARPER BLOOM SHARES DEBUT SINGLE & VIDEO ‘MARY’
Upcoming folkster Harper Bloom (otherwise known as Hayley De Pledge) has today announced her debut single Mary, a gorgeous, empowering romp about taking control back over your life, out April 2. Harper Bloom has also announced a moving clip to accompany the release, directed by David Hansen (notable for his short film Anija).
For fans of Alex The Astronaut, Courtney Barnett and Paul Kelly, Harper Bloom’s Mary is a wonderful example of brilliant Australian songwriting from beginning to end. Deeply personal, affecting and sweet, Mary shines with acoustic guitars, driving percussion and Harper Bloom’s wonderfully unique, gentle vocals. Working alongside Benjamin McCarthy (G Flip, Thelma Plum, Megan Washington) to bring Mary to life, Harper Bloom is sure to impress with this brilliant single. Speaking on the inspiration behind the track, Harper Bloom enthuses, “The single is essentially about not being afraid to be vulnerable and take risks, no matter who you are or how old you are. It’s about having the strength to leave a comfortable, mundane existence behind in search of enriching experiences and a new lease of life. The idea really came from observing people on trains and buses…some of the verses came from overheard conversations or things I saw on public transport, and watching the body language and expressions of people doing a job they didn’t really want to be doing.”
The clip for Mary is so well done, so touching, that it will absolutely stay with the viewer for hours after viewing. It follows the story of an elderly wife, who finally liberates herself from the hum-drum nature of daily life, bucking all expectations for what elderly people should and shouldn’t do and having a ball all throughout. It’s a beautiful, cinematic clip – every freeze frame looks like a spectacular photograph. Reflecting on the narrative of the video for Mary, Harper Bloom says, “The story begins in Mary’s run-down suburban home – which was my sharehouse at the time – with her husband drunk and unresponsive on the couch. After moments of taking in her life over the past 60 years, she gains clarity and decides to finally leave. The story then follows Mary on her journey of rediscovery.”
Mary is set for release on April 2.
“Loving this debut release from Harper Bloom. Good luck resisting this song’s stirring pull and Harper Bloom’s storytelling nous” Dave Ruby Howe, triple j unearthed
“Fans of Alex The Astronaut should keep an ear out for your charming, stream of consciousness, observant songwriting and the fun-as-hell musical bits and bobs that accompany it” Abby Butler, triple j unearthed
SARAH MCLEOD ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE KILLIN IT TIL I’M DEAD + NATIONAL SOLO ELECTRIC TOUR FOR APRIL + MAY
Aussie rock royalty Sarah McLeod has announced her new single Killin It Til I’m Dead, an absolute firecracker of a song about undying, unwavering confidence, out now. Killin It Til I’m Dead is the product of an ingenious new songwriting podcast Hatjam from Eskimo Joe’s Kav Temperley, on which Sarah was a guest and voila, the song was born. To celebrate the release, Sarah will be hitting the road in April and May, kicking off in Geelong at The Workers Club on April 2, then moving through regional and metropolitan cities in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales, wrapping up on May 2 at The Vanguard in Newtown, NSW.
Killin It Til I’m Dead is another classic cut from Sarah Mcleod, who first found fame in the late 1990s with 3X ARIA Award winning rock band The Superjesus. The wonderfully unique thing about this song is that fans can listen in on its conception, from beginning to end, on Hatjam. Inspired by Kim Wilde’s Kids In America, Sarah explains a little more about the songwriting process, saying, “Hatjam is a live songwriting game in which the guest and Kav write a song on the spot while being recorded for the podcast. I was Kav’s first guest and appeared on episode one . Killin It Till I’m Dead was the fruit of our labour. It’s a comedic look at using self-generated confidence to overcome the blues. You can hear the song being written from scratch on the podcast – amazing!”
Sarah will be performing solo on her extensive upcoming tour, and this powerhouse and self-confessed lover of touring has some seriously impressive plans for the shows, explaining, “Last year I put a unique show together for the Melbourne Guitar Festival. I had designed a guitar that plays bass as well, and curated a show around the new sound using triggers to create a full band sound. I love the idea of being able to put on a rock show totally solo – maybe it’s because I’m a self-confessed sonic power freak but I love the challenge of trying to do everything by myself. Fans of the softer acoustic numbers won’t be disappointed though, as I throw in a couple for diversity. It’s a very dynamic show. Killin It Til I’m Dead was not written with a release in mind, but it fit so well in my new electric set, so I decided to take it on the road and make it part of the family. I’m really excited to break away from the solo acoustic thing and stand up and rock a one-woman full production show. What’s the worst that can happen? I’ve already toured with a broken leg!”
Killin It Til I’m Dead is out now
Tickets to the Killin’ It Til I’m Dead tour are onsale now
SARAH MCLEOD ‘KILLIN IT TIL I’M DEAD’ NATIONAL TOUR
THURS 02 APRIL | THE WORKERS CLUB, GEELONG VIC | 18+
Tickets: http://sarahmcleod.oztix.com.au/?Event=114206
FRI 03 APRIL | SOOKI LOUNGE, BELGRAVE VIC | 18+
Tickets: http://sarahmcleod.oztix.com.au/?Event=114210
SAT 04 APRIL | THE WORKERS CLUB, FITZROY VIC | 18+
Tickets: http://sarahmcleod.oztix.com.au/?Event=114224
SAT 11 APRIL | THE LOUNGE, NUNDAH QLD | 18+
Tickets: http://sarahmcleod.oztix.com.au/?Event=113876
SUN 12 APRIL | WALLABY HOTEL, MUDGEERABA QLD | 18+
Free entry show
THURS 16 APRIL | GRACE EMILY HOTEL, ADELAIDE SA | 18+
Tickets: http://sarahmcleod.oztix.com.au/?Event=114217
FRI 17 APRIL | THE PANTRY, MOUNT GAMBIER SA | 18+
Tickets: http://sarahmcleod.oztix.com.au/?Event=114218
SUN 19 APRIL | SOUNDCITY, PORT LINCOLN SA | 18+
Tickets: https://www.soundcity.com.au/event-tix/
THURS 23 APRIL | SETTLERS TAVERN, MARGARET RIVER WA | 18+
Tickets: http://sarahmcleod.oztix.com.au/?Event=114220
FRI 24 APRIL | INDIAN OCEAN HOTEL, SCARBOROUGH WA | 18+
Tickets: http://sarahmcleod.oztix.com.au/?Event=114216
SAT 25 APRIL | LUCY’S LOVE SHACK, PERTH WA | 18+
Tickets: https://sarahmcleod.oztix.com.au/Default.aspx?Event=114215
THURS 30 APRIL | LA LA LA’S, WOLLONGONG NSW | 18+
Tickets: https://moshtix.com.au/v2/event/sarah-mcleod-w-special-guests/119983
FRI 01 MAY | HAMILTON STATION HOTEL , ISLINGTON NSW | 18+
Tickets: http://sarahmcleod.oztix.com.au/?Event=114211
SAT 02 MAY | THE VANGUARD, NEWTOWN NSW | 18+
Tickets: https://moshtix.com.au/v2/event/sarah-mcleod/120126
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT UNVEILS LONG AWAITED NEW ALBUM UNFOLLOW THE RULES SET FOR RELEASE APRIL 24 AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW NEW SINGLE DAMSEL IN DISTRESS STREAMING NOW
“Like the rarest and greatest artists, Rufus Wainwright captures life in all its reckless glory and painful beauty…sometimes even in a single song. Any Rufus fan knows this: as soon as you hear him, you can’t imagine a world without him.” – Cameron Crowe, Rolling Stone
Singer-songwriter supreme, Rufus Wainwright has announced the release of his long-awaited new album. UNFOLLOW THE RULES arrives on Friday April 24 via BMG and is available to preorder now.
Unfollow The Rules is heralded by today’s premiere of new single Damsel In Distress, available for streaming and download along with an official companion video, created by award-winning animator Josh Shaffner.
“Damsel In Distress is an homage to Joni Mitchell in some ways,” says Wainwright, “particularly the structure. My husband and I now live in Laurel Canyon. I wasn’t that familiar with Joni’s music but Jörn became obsessed and took me on a journey into her music. We ended up hanging out with her and I get now why she’s one of the greats. So it’s part Laurel Canyon, part a song about a personal relationship that I’m trying to come to terms with, but mostly my Mitchell virginity being broken.”
Wainwright’s ninth studio LP and first new pop album since 2012, Unfollow The Rules finds the artist at the peak of his powers, entering artistic maturity with passion, honesty, and a new-found fearlessness while remaining as creative, bold, and mischievous as ever. Produced by Mitchell Froom (Crowded House, Paul McCartney, Richard Thompson, Suzanne Vega, Randy Newman) at a variety of legendary Los Angeles studios – including Sound City Studios, United Recording, and EastWest Studios – the album serves as both bookend to Act I of an extraordinary career which, like Unfollow The Rules, began in the studios of Los Angeles, but also now as the first lines of a remarkable new chapter. Inspired by middle age, married life, fatherhood, friends, loss, London, and Laurel Canyon, songs like Only The People That Love and the spirited, symphonic Hatred find the gifted singer-songwriter ready to tackle new challenges, yet compelled to confront his past by making sense of how he has grown both as a musician and the contented family man he has become.
“What I would like this album to symbolise is a coming together of all the aspects of my life which have made me a seasoned artist,” says Wainwright. “My aim is to emulate the greats of yore whose second acts produced their finest work – Leonard Cohen when he made THE FUTURE, when Sinatra became Sinatra in his 40s, when Paul Simon put out GRACELAND. Pop music isn’t always about your waistline. Many songwriters improve with age. I’m flying the flag for staying alive!”
Unfollow The Rules was preceded late last year by the romping first single, Trouble In Paradise, available now on all DSPs and streaming services HERE. The rhythmically complex track arrived alongside a gender-blurring companion video, directed by award-winning Canadian photographer and filmmaker Mia Donovan and streaming now via YouTube. Trouble In Paradise was greeted by international media attention and unanimous critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone enthusing, “Over lush pop rock orchestration reminiscent of Billy Joel, Wainwright saunters through a vocal performance that lends a lavish edge to his wry lyrics.” “The new song dazzles, dances and blossoms into something altogether delightful,” declared Cool Hunting. “Wainwright fans will be pleased,” The Times of London hailed Trouble In Paradise for its “soaring harmonies and woozy romanticism.”
Unfollow The Rules has already been met with remarkable praise from some of Wainwright’s friends, fans, and fellow artists. “This is pop music on a grand scale; sweeping, symphonic, unabashedly emotional and fearlessly agnostic in style and delivery,” says Sting, while Cyndi Lauper described the album as “Rufus’ pet sounds. It sounds like a culmination of everything he has done. It’s a great album, catchy and intelligent.”
Long applauded as an ingenious, compellingly charismatic live artist, Wainwright has only just left Australian shores after charming audiences at Perth Festival and Odeon Theatre (Hobart) last week. He’s also slated a wide-ranging global tour schedule for 2020, including international headline dates, top-billed festival performances, and more, with a full-scale North American headline tour soon to be announced. For updates and additional information, please visit rufuswainwright.com/tour.
Praised by the New York Times for his “genuine originality,” Rufus Wainwright has established himself as one of the great male vocalists, songwriters and composers of his generation. The New York-born, Montreal-raised singer songwriter has released seven studio albums to date with, three DVDs, and three live albums, including the fantastic Grammy nominated Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall.
Musically Rufus has collaborated with artists including Elton John, Burt Bacharach, Robert Wilson, David Byrne, Boy George, Joni Mitchell, Pet Shop Boys, Heart, Robbie Williams, Jessye Norman, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Sting, and producer Mark Ronson, among many others.
Rufus has made a name for himself in the classical music world. His much acclaimed first opera, titled Prima Donna, premiered at the Manchester International Festival in July 2009 and was performed in London, New York, Paris, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong among others. Rufus’ second opera based on the on the story of the Roman Emperor Hadrian and Antinous premiered in October 2018 at the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto and won a Dora Award for Outstanding New Opera.
Rufus has also distinguished himself by playing original orchestrated pop songs, his orchestral settings of 5 Shakespeare Sonnets and pieces from an extensive classical repertoire with orchestras around the world such as the Chicago Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Residentie Orchestra, Orchestre National de lIle de France, the orchestra of the Teatro Real.
He has appeared at many of the world’s greatest concert halls and festivals including Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera, Teatro Colon, Hollywood Bowl, the Elbphilharmonie, the Olympia, Glastonbury, Roskilde, and the Kennedy Honors
He has written and recorded songs for a wide variety of movies and TV shows including Brokeback Mountain, Shrek, Judy, Meet the Robinsons, The Aviator, Moulin Rouge, and Boardwalk Empire.
He and his sister Martha Wainwright continue the legacy of their mother, Canadian folk icon Kate McGarrigle, and raise funds for the Kate McGarrigle Fund funding sarcoma research and a music therapy program.
Wainwright is currently working on a number of films, podcasts and musical projects and lives in Los Angeles with husband Jörn Weisbrodt and shares custody for his daughter Viva with her mother Lorca Cohen.
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT UNFOLLOW THE RULES
Release Date: Friday, April 24 (BMG)
TRACKLISTING
(written track by track available on request)
ACT I
1. Trouble in Paradise
2. Damsel in Distress
3. Unfollow The Rules
4. You Ain’t Big
ACT II
5. Romantical Man
6. Peaceful Afternoon
7. Only The People That Love
8. This One’s For The Ladies (That Lunge)
ACT III
9. My Little You
10. Early Morning Madness
11. Hatred
12. Alone Time