VELUDO ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE, EP AND NATIONAL TOUR DATE
Australian alt rockers, Veludo have announced the release of their new single, Stay Young and self-titled EP which is set to hit stores today. To celebrate, the band will be taking their impressive live show on the road kicking off at The Rosemount Hotel in Perth on February 21, moving through Bendigo, Albury and Sydney, before playing two homecoming shows in Melbourne at The Evelyn and Cherry Bar in April.
With a memorable melody, smooth vocal and an anthemic guitar hook, lead single, Stay Young “is about capturing the freedom of youth and being in the moment… it’s about living and not just merely existing,” explains vocalist Gabriel Vargas. “It’s a reminder that no matter your age you still have a choice to follow your dreams.” Though recorded in just two days across Melbourne, the video clip for Stay Young required a lot of preparation and research to acquire props. Directed by Holcomb brothers, Matt and Trevor at Holscope Productions, the clip is set in 1992 and captures the theme of the song perfectly. “It was a lot fun taking a trip down memory lane to the days of walkmans, snap-bands and Luke Perry!” jokes Vargas.
Recorded and produced by Jimi Maroudas (Eskimo Joe, Kimbra) at Sing Sing Studios and mixed by Tim Palmer (U2, Pearl Jam, David Bowie), Veludo are sure to impress with their epic stadium rock sound, as they take listeners on a powerful and uplifting journey, showcasing their versatility across the EP’s four unique tracks; Stay Young, Indigo, Are We On Fire and Endless Wonder. “One of the highlights from recording was that we got to work soo closely with Jimi Maroudas. Not only is he an amazing producer, but he has been a terrific mentor and friend,” beams Vargas. “We also got to work with former Living End drummer, Travis Demsey who had a massive impact on our drum sound. The last album he worked on was The Temper Trap’s Conditions, so it was great to have him onboard.”
The band is excited to hit the road and belt out their powerful and energetic live show for fans around the country with Vargas saying, “We really pride ourselves on making sure the live show exceeds what listeners hear on their iPods and CDs, after all you can’t download experience.”
Veludo – the Portuguese word for ‘velvet’ reflects both the heritage of Brazilian born singer Gabriel and the textured feel of the band’s sound. Veludo is Gabriel Vargas (vocals), Jason Millar (guitar), Jared Campbell (bass) and Leslie Stuart (drums).
Tickets to the national tour and the self-titled EP, featuring new single Stay Young are available now.
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.
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