Black Bear Lodge

Formed between the peaceful green hills of Northern NSW and the hustle and bustle of inner city suburbia, Little Casino has had the attention and respect of the Brisbane musical community for almost 2 years now. Their music is an obvious result of their physical surroundings, gritty guitar pop with strong surf overtones, they can swing from haunting, emotive ambience to all-out rock and roll at the drop of a hat.

The band have been in a brief hibernation recording their second release, a batch of songs of a much darker and more mature nature blended with the driving melodies they are known for. The first single, Bow and Arrows was recorded by Matt Redlich at his studio and is a the perfect example of the direction Little Casino are moving in. It is being released at Black Bear Lodge on a Sunday afternoon in May. Joining them on stage will be the beautiful folk group Laneway and local psych-legends The Moses Gunn Collective, making for an unforgettable evening. 

In March 2011 Thomas Calder (aka The Trouble With Templeton), at the age of 20, gathered all the gear he could find and recorded a mini-album in his Brisbane home. It took all of 2 ½ weeks.

Even the most cursory airing of the striking debut will leave the listener with no doubt: The Trouble with Templeton is special.

It has been a massive 10 months for Thomas, a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition (for the 2^nd year), national radio support including Triple J for his smashing single “I Wrote A Novel”, his “Bleeders” video earning a top spot in Rage’s Top 50 videos of 2011, rave reviews nationally from both press & blogs, and tours with Husky, Matt Corby, Sparkadia, Big Scary and Dead Letter Chorus.

 “Critics of the younger generation’s work ethic need look no farther than brisbane’s Thomas Calder for comfort. The multi-talented 21 year old recorded this entire album from scratch using any instrument he could get his hands on, but his best asset is also his most obvious. Calder’s voice, unsullied by influence or expectation, is an adaptive, curious and wonderful thing.” 

4/5 Stars, The Sydney Morning Herald

“…the album has an incredibly raw and disarmingly honest quality to it… This recalls singers such as the late Elliot Smith in that, as a listener, one almost feels guilty to listen in that on both a sonic and lyrical level, you feel like you have inadvertently stumbled into Calderʼs bedroom and are listening to him perform these tracks for the first time.”
www.tonedeaf.com

I Wrote a Novel is an internally anguished melody cleverly written, both the lyrics and music. The song is dangerously pop-esque as it flirts with the ambitious creative genius of Thomas Calder. Calder’s ability to maintain control over the song is reminiscent of many singer/songwriter greats who take years to capture the complexity that is found in I wrote a Novel.” www.volumecity.co.uk

Bleeders by Trouble with Templeton

The Astro Travellers have been working together for over a year and having recently performed to sell out crowds at the Brisbane Jazz Club, Gold Coast Arts Centre, Gold Coast City Jazz Club as well as the Rockhampton Jazz Festival as part of the headlining act, the group has continued to create a fiery, animated and above all interesting sound. Playing a repertoire of tunes that addresses numerous approaches to jazz, the trio is always hungry to pay homage to their favourite jazz artists. Each member of the group brings to the table their experience, expertise and love of playing to produce a sound that is purely their own. These musicians strive to create a atmosphere within a venue where they can wail on the band stand and the audience come along for a ride, relax and ultimately have a great time!

Diefenbach returns in full-band mode – with Aidan Arnold on bass and Dan Hirsch on drums - to launch his dramatic sophomore LP Missing Person.

Missing Person is a naked and compellingly fragile maturation of Jake’s song writing.

Diefenbach’s latest release is not just a discrete collection of songs; it’s a journey. Each song plays cleverly into the hands of the next to form a whole that is riddled with sublime contradictions.

Missing Person is about the destruction and recovery of self.

Diefenbach has picked up a Green Room Award for Best Original Songs in Cabaret and a nomination for Best Original Production, Best Cabaret at Melbourne Fringe 08, and a Matilda Award nomination for his work in Lady of the House of Love with Sandro Collarelli.

The Age newspaper, likening him to prolific Australian acts Tim Minchin and Eddie Perfect, describes Diefenbach as a “pathological chronicler of the human condition.” Themes of identity, and the many and varied masks we wear in day-to-day life, resonate throughout.

Jake has performed alongside some of Australia’s most iconic performers, including Kate Miller-Heidke, Paul Capsis, Katie Noonan and Boston-based punk duo, The Dresden Dolls.

pre solds HERE

It’s been 10 years this year, since the rise of The Beautiful Girls and for Mat. McHugh – the man at its heart – he’s seen and tried it all. He’s recorded with the band live. He’s recorded with bits of instrumentation from band members. He’s recorded an album by himself and then taught the band how to play it. He has recorded by himself and remained by himself. He’s released under TBG and he’s released as Mat., he’s toured with horn sections and he’s toured alone. And at the end of each and every album – regardless of differences in the process – there has stood the same incredible element, the foundational purpose of the whole damn thing: the unfaltering support and love of those who have come, watched, listened and danced.

When Mat. recorded his latest album Love Come Save Me he wasn’t sure which way to go. All the elements that had once been separate had, over the past decade, merged into one. He is The Beautiful Girls, The Beautiful Girls are Mat. And as he pondered back and forth under just what banner to release these songs, thoughts of the hundreds of thousand of albums bought and cherished, the hundreds of thousands of faces, from thousands of gigs over many a year and the 75 000 facebook buddies, floated to the front of his mind. The decision was clear: the album would be released under his most honest of monikers, his own name, and it would be a gift. Free. No catch. No bullshit. To everyone who had made the journey possible and to everyone who would like to join him from here on in. The album has since been downloaded over 20 000 times world wide and in response to this unexpected digital flood, Mat. is taking LOVE COME SAVE ME out on the road across 5 states for just 5 intimate shows to connect, thank and absorb the love.

Pre solds tickets HERE

In a northern suburb of Brisbane in Queensland Australia, the Medicine Show was conceived, labored, born and then nurtured. The music is a true suburban jambalaya of influence ranging form Delta Blues through to post WWII Chicago Blues to REAL Country and Hillbilly music. Along with this is generous dash of Garage / Alternative vibe A trio of fine musicians in the tradition of the Dirty Three, the Bad Seeds, Tom Waits and Howlin’ Wolf, THE MEDICINE SHOW has thus far opened for Wolfmother,The Beasts of Bourbon,Nashville Pussy,Gentle Ben and his Sensitive Side, the Casino Rumblers and the calls keep coming.

Bad to the Bone By the Medicine Show