MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW SET TO MAKE TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO CAULFIELD RACECOURSE ON AUGUST 6 & 7
After a triumphant showcase in 2015, the Australian Music Association has today announced the return of the Melbourne Guitar Show at the Caulfield Racecourse on August 6 and 7. Proudly presented by Triple M and Australian Musician, the monster exhibition will feature an unbeatable variety of electric and acoustic guitars, effects pedals, amps & more guitar technology and accessories, and the best in international brands and home-grown craftsmanship. In addition to this, the Melbourne Guitar Show will host information seminars, demonstrations, and live performances from Australia’s most talented guitarists, including legends such as Kevin Borich (The La De Das, John Paul Young) and Phil Manning (Laurie Allen Revue, Chain), and young up and comers such as Daniel Champagne and Dean Ray. Full first round artist announcement line up below.
Drawing almost 5000 guitar lovers to last year’s exhibit, the Melbourne Guitar Show is gearing up for an even bigger event this year. The voice of the Australian music products industry, the Australian Music Association (AMA) will be teaming up with Triple M, Australian Musician, Beat Magazine and Mixdown Magazine to present this year’s guitar-centric weekend. “It had such a great vibe – a really positive event. The exhibitors, the artists and the patrons were all enthusiastic about an incredibly friendly and well attended show,” recalls AMA CEO Rob Walker. “Last year, we had just over 50 exhibitors, including 20 local manufacturers and luthiers. This year we’ll have 70 exhibitors with more stands, and more great products.”
Despite only just entering its second year, the growth of the Melbourne Guitar Show is impressive. Not only will the 2016 MGS provide a hands-on chance to see, hear and play a broad range of the world’s favourite brands, it will also see exhibitors offering great show deals, plus an opportunity to get close to some hand-crafted, locally made instruments and epic guitar and gear collections. Describing the exciting developments, Rob continues, “We’re excited to present a section exclusively for acoustic instruments, so our patrons and exhibitors can see, try and buy acoustic instruments in an environment that is not competing with amps and electrics. We have focused on showcasing a great variety of live guitar styles presented by some of Australia’s best players. We have made a concerted decision to present more group concerts that highlight the acoustic and electric guitar, featuring performances by legends and soon-to-be legends.”
With two floors of fretted instrument fun, punters can immerse themselves in the electricity of loud guitars, amps and pedals on the ground floor, then head upstairs to the dedicated acoustic area featuring beautiful, finely crafted acoustic instruments and stripped back performances by some of Australia’s finest guitar pickers. Exhibitors and patrons will be treated to live performances and information seminars by expert guitarists across the entire weekend. Players such as Nick Charles, Simon Hosford, Jamie Pye and many more will each showcase their talent and share their knowledge. In addition to the solo acts, there will be a Melbourne Guitar Show SuperJam where, as Rob enthuses, “you never know who’s going to get up to play! It could easily be one of those rare ‘were you at the Melbourne Guitar Show when…’ moments.”
First artist line up announcement includes: Kevin Borich, Bob Spencer, Teramaze, The Delusion, Geoff Achison, Dean Ray, Wayne Jones, Brett Kingman, Phil Ceberano, James Ryan, Jimi Hocking, Matthew Fagan, Shannon Bourne, Simon Hosford, Nick Charles, Rod Bustos, Jamie Pye, Rohan Stevenson, Lucas Michailidis, Daniel Champagne, Sergio Ercole, Jon Delaney, Lachie Robertson, Phil Manning and learn from the Professors; Simon Patterson, Troy Male and Peter Hodgson.
The Melbourne Guitar Show will be held at Caulfield Racecourse on August 6 and 7. Online ticket prices when pre-ordered:: Adult day pass $16, adult weekend pass $25, family day pass for four $35, family weekend pass for four $45, concession day pass $10, concession weekend pass $15
‘PARLOUR GIGS’ EXPANDS FUTURE OF LIVE MUSIC WITH RELEASE OF ONLINE BOOKING PLATFORM
From May 19, Parlour Gigs will make hosting intimate live music even easier with the debut of their new online booking platform. This purpose-built web application allows hosts to create a new gig in minutes, complete with electronic ticketing and the choice of recommended local artists from curated lists based on location and genre specification.
Founded in early 2015 by Melbourne singer-songwriter Matt Walters, Parlour has created an opportunity for Australian music enthusiasts to host a show for friends and family in their own home. Originally created as a means of making live performance financially sustainable for emerging artists, Matt was also blown away by the beautiful, intimate shows uniquely realised by each host.
To date, Parlour has facilitated more than 150 performances all over Australia, having hosted shows for Harry James Angus (pic inset), Dan Kelly, Mia Dyson, Oh Mercy, Tinpan Orange, Lisa Mitchell and many more talented Australian artists. Now, one year down the track, the team aims to expand their reach by automating their booking, ticketing and artist selection process, giving more hosts and musicians the tools they need to share the magic of a Parlour performance.
Matt and co-founder Glenn Luck are extremely passionate about the platforms’ expansion. The duo explains, “We love the idea that your next favourite artist could be in your postcode. Also most hosts that sign up now want us to recommend great local talent to them…we know there is so much amazing music available to people locally – but there are so many barriers. The fact is, fans don’t always want to go out to clubs and see headliners come on at 11.30 PM. We want to connect music lovers with these great local artists in their area – and, of course, host them in their house and showcase them to their friends.”
True to their intention, the benefit to both emerging and established Australian artists has been huge. Since Parlour’s inception, impassioned local musicians wanting to contribute have inundated the pair. The new platform encourages artists of all walks to sign in directly, curating a profile similar to Bandcamp or Soundcloud before being recommended to potential hosts in their area.
Musicians in Australia make just $7200 on average per annum (http://artfacts.australiacouncil.gov.au/music/), but with the expansion of Parlour, Matt and Glenn hope to work towards a rise in this figure over the next few years. Parlour artists take 78% of ticket sales and are currently paid a minimum of $300 per show, and there is no maximum, with artists receiving an average fee of $550 for a 45-60 minute set. A recent show at a church in the small regional Victorian town of Birregurra saw a band leave with $2,500, and in future Parlour aspire to create more opportunities like this for musicians to make a fair wage.
Parlour is about paying artists properly to do what they love best, while connecting Australia’s music loving community with new and talented performers. Giving control of this ground-breaking event management platform to the community that gave it life is the next step towards an industry that musicians and music lovers can be proud of.
For more information and to check out the new online booking platform, head to www.parlourgigs.com
HOLY HOLY DROP LIVE VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE ‘A HEROINE’ + EMBARK ON EU / UK TOUR THIS WEEK
What a year it’s been for our favourite nostalgic indie rockers, Holy Holy! Now armed with their hugely successful, critically acclaimed debut album, When The Storms Would Come, they’ve wowed audiences at every leg of their extensive, sold-out national tour of Aus, played a killer set at Splendour In The Grass, created a massive buzz abroad with their international album release, and will next week embark on their second tour of Europe and the UK for the year. And before they head off, they’ve today gifted fans with a video for new single, A Heroine, filmed during the weekend of their two sold out headline shows at Howler, in Melbourne.
Explaining the inspiration behind the song, lead singer and songwriter Tim Carroll says, “I was listening to a Melvin Bragg podcast about the Ming Dynasty and I was struck with this idea about how over time and place it’s the same few struggles and triumphs that people have. It’s love and loss and death. It’s rivers and roads and moving. It’s trust, betrayal and growing old. Whether in China in 1310 or Ireland in 1970 or us, now.”
The clip for A Heroine was a collaboration between producer/sound engineer Jonathan Steer and film maker Drew Dunlop. “We’ve been working with Jonathan for a while now, he comes on the road to do sound for us and we’ve grown close. He’s very thoughtful and knowledgeable and we like his bold approach to live mixing,” says Carroll. “It’s nice to capture a bit of what the live show is like.”
Holy Holy is fronted by the songwriting team, vocalist/composer Timothy Carroll and guitarist/composer Oscar Dawson. They are joined on the road by permanent drummer Ryan Strathie (Hungry Kids Of Hungary, Andy Bull), touring bassist Graham Ritchie (Airling, Emma Louise), and Brisbane-based producer Matt Redlich as their touring keys player.
What the critics are saying about When The Storms Would Come:
“One of the standout albums to be released this year…Almost perfect” The Daily Telegraph
“When they’re fully engaged, they go at songs like Arcade Fire, 120 per cent committed.” news.com.au
“A killer of a record” Indieshuffle
“This is a brave debut album – a dense, sophisticated effort that attempts to blend Bowie with Band Of Horses, or Springsteen with Midlake. and ends up succeeding” Best Before
UK / EU ‘WHEN THE STORMS WOULD COME’ TOUR DATES
FRI 23 OCT | BRUSSELLS, BE | BOTANIQUE / WITLOOFBAR
SAT 24 OCT | SWOLLE, NE | LET’S GET LOST
SUN 25 OCT | HAMBURG, GER | MOLOTOW SKY BAR
TUE 27 OCT | BERLIN, GER | COMET CLUB
THU 29 OCT | UTRECHT, NL | EKKO
FRI 30 OCT | AMSTERDAM, NL | LONDON CALLING, PARADISO
SAT 31 OCT | LIVERPOOL, UK | LIVERPOOL MUSIC WEEK
MON 02 NOV | LONDON, UK | LEXINGTON
TU 03 NOV | MANCHESTER, UK | SOUNDCONTROL