eclectic and experimental australian music

NWA Podcast #20. Yolke, Live-to-air Set & Interview

Formed while field researching sound in 2008, Melbourne psych ambient four-piece Yolke released their debut album ‘Poppy Wash’ back in 2010, and it quickly drew references to shoe gaze, krautrock and folktronica, with some of the reviews citing the pop quirks of Caribou and Ariel Pink as influences.

In January 2012, Yolke embarked on an east-coast tour of Australia along with their ‘Fallopian Tunes’ label-mates Trjaeu, Wild Dog Creek, Document Swell and Red Hymns, which also saw them all and taking in an appearance at the inaugural Wormwoodstock Festival in NSW. The live-to-sir set – originally broadcast on FBi Radio on 26th January 2012 – includes three extended tracks from Yolke, including new and unreleased material – as well as a track from the ‘Poppy Wash’ album and from their road trip buddy, Document Swell.

DOWNLOADNWA Podcast #20. Yolke, Live-to-air Set & Interview (January 2012)

Subscribe to our podcast feed by using this URL:  http://newweirdaustralia.libsyn.com/rss or click here to subscribe directly in iTunes.  You can also download our Podcast App for iPhone or Android which includes an archive of all podcasts to date, plus automatic updates of all new podcasts as they are released.  Check the Podcast Archive for download links for all previous episodes.

NWA Podcast #19. Pollen Trio, Live-to-air Set & Interview

In January 2012, Canberra’s Pollen Trio were in Sydney for the Now Now annual festival of ‘exploratory music’ – a genuine feast for lovers of experimental, spontaneous and downright surprising music. The trio uncomfortably fit the genre of ‘avant jazz’, instead taking in a broad range of influences – most directly from their ‘day jobs’ as members of well-known Canberra bands, Spartak and Kasha. With a love of Flying Lotus and Autechre, blended with a reverence for non-trad jazz masters such as Morton Feldman and Ornette Coleman, there’s a lot to listen out for in this podcast, when the trio (masquerading as a duo) played a live-to-sir set on New Weird Australia, on Thursday January 19th 2012.

Pollen Trio site: pollentrio.wordpress.com

DOWNLOADNWA Podcast #19. Pollen Trio, Live-to-air Set & Interview (January 2012)

Subscribe to our podcast feed by using this URL:  http://newweirdaustralia.libsyn.com/rss or click here to subscribe directly in iTunes.  You can also download our Podcast App for iPhone or Android which includes an archive of all podcasts to date, plus automatic updates of all new podcasts as they are released.  Check the Podcast Archive for download links for all previous episodes.

NWA Podcast #18. Secret Birds, Live-to-air Set & Interview

Under the name Secret Birds, former Brisbane resident D. Black takes an astral-tinged journey through synth jams, float folk and fried psychedelia.  Although currently a solo project, Secret Birds has seen more than 30 musicians drafted as members of the experience over the years, supporting the likes as Ducktails, High Wolf, and Slug Guts.  In Sydney for an extended stopover before heading overseas, Secret Birds played an extended live-to-air set exclusively for New Weird Australia, on Thursday January 12th 2012.  This podcast features the full set from Secret Birds, plus an artist interview and tracks from his recent releases.

Official Secret Birds site: http://secretbirds.net/

DOWNLOADNWA Podcast #18. Secret Birds, Live-to-air Set & Interview (January 2012)

Subscribe to our podcast feed by using this URL:  http://newweirdaustralia.libsyn.com/rss or click here to subscribe directly in iTunes.  You can also download our Podcast App for iPhone or Android which includes an archive of all podcasts to date, plus automatic updates of all new podcasts as they are released.  Check the Podcast Archive for download links for all previous episodes.

Callout for contributors for the NWA Radio Show

We’re on the hunt for new contributors for the New Weird Australia radio show and podcast series – based anywhere in Australia, or indeed around the world. We’re looking for people who are interested in making pre-produced packages of material to be aired on the radio show, and featured in our podcasts.

Contributions would initially take the form of ‘NWA Profiles’ packages – interviews and recordings with people or groups who are active in the Australian underground & experimental music communities (artists, promoters, label managers, writers, venue owners, festival producers etc).

If you currently make radio, or are interested in producing packages of this kind, download the ‘Information for Contributors’ PDF for full details and submission guidelines.

January 2012 Events – The Low Light Social, Analogue To Digital, Wormwoodstock

New Weird Australia is supporting three unique Australian events this month, in Canberra, Perth and Sydney.

The Low Light Social on Saturday 14th January is a special evening of left field sound presented with Canberra’s hellosQuare Recordings, featuring six artists from around Australia and overseas who explore the common ground that sit nicely between electronic beat music, guitar folk forms, noise blasts and free jazz. The line-up features Tetras (Switzerland), Kangaroo Skull (Melbourne), Kasha (Canberra), Thomas William (Sydney), Spartak, Danger Beach + Mornings DJs. MORE INFO.

In Perth, Scitech, in partnership with New Weird Australia, presents a special pre-public holiday edition of their regular Analogue to Digital event on Wednesday 25th January. This mid-summer edition features a diverse line-up of Perth experimental musicians who all work towards developing a certain sonic intensity and ‘heat’ in their music, either through harsh distortion or spectral ambience. Acts playing at Scitech include Ourobonic Plague, Craig McElhinney, Furchick, No Hand Path, K Wilson, Brain Full of Light and guest speaker Adam Burgess, as well as a High Voltage Show in the Lottery West Science Theatre. MORE INFO.

Wormwoodstock, The Wormwood Festival runs from Friday 27th January at 1pm to Sunday 29th and over thirty inspiring DIY bands and solo artists from around Australia, in an intimate camping setting, 1.5 hours from Sydney. It’s designed to be an intimate festival for around 300 people, with DJs, performance artists and mind-blowing visuals from Wormwood regulars Optic Soup thrown into the mix. The line-up includes Scattered Order, Zeahorse, Brackets, Domeyko/Gonzalez, Thomas William, Nakagin, Feathers, Justice Yeldham, No Art, Nhomea, Kris Keogh, Kasha plus an array of acts from Melbourne label Fallopian Tunes – Document Swell, Trjaeu, Wild Dog Creek, Red Hymns & Yolke. MORE INFO.

Analogue to Digital 7: White Light/White Heat

Scitech, in partnership with New Weird Australia, presents a special pre-public holiday Analogue to Digital on Wednesday January 25th. This mid-summer edition features a diverse line-up of Perth experimental musicians who all work towards developing a certain sonic intensity and ‘heat’ in their music, either through harsh distortion or spectral ambience. Acts playing at Scitech include Ourobonic Plague, Craig McElhinney, Furchick, No Hand Path, K Wilson, Brain Full of Light and guest speaker Adam Burgess, as well as a High Voltage Show in the Lottery West Science Theatre.

Adam Burgess (Brown, Potato Stars, Hoi Polloi) is a leading figure in ‘D.I.Y instrument building’ in Perth. From recording Midland grunge kids Frozen Ocean onto VHS to holding a percussive protest performance inside an abandoned former iconic Independent Perth music venue, Adam is a true stalwart of the local experimental scene.

Brain Full Of Light is the laptop duo of Sam Gillies and Mitchell Mollison. Forming in 2011 at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Brain Full Of Light is a noise project that draws on multiple compositional approaches to free improvisation in a laptop context. Alternating between ambient and harsh sound worlds, Brain Full Of Light are guided by a joint interest in sound as texture, and music performance as a stream of consciousness.

Craig McElhinney’s output is prolific and his collaborations are many, yet a remarkable consistency marks everything that he does. Deeply inspired by Sir David Attenborough and Bruce Lee, Craig approaches his practice with the tranquillity of a humble village craftsmen. Craig does more with a 12-string acoustic guitar and a sampler than many five or six-piece bands dream of.

Furchick is the alias of Dr Claire Pannell, certified local Science-Arts instigator/ring-leader. Through her extensive periods of residency in New York and New Zealand, Claire has played in bands with members of Gang Gang Dance, Jackie O Motherfucker and IUD, as well as playing drums for Air Traffic Controllers along with Matador Records co-founder Gerard Cosloy. Claire is a genuine musical treasure laying way under the radar of the West Australian public.

K Wilson is the most myserious and enigmatic performer on the line-up. Little is known of said ‘K’, other than their wonderful eery track ‘Boulder’s Theme’ up on the Artifactory’s bandcamp, as part of Noizemaschin!! #5’.

Ourobonic Plague is the moniker of a one Mr Nick Sweepah, a key player amongst a wave of challenging new electronic music in Perth. Associated with Perth electronic collective The Community as well as Good Company, Emerald Cabal and Owls (Label). Nick’s music has been described as “ambient doom bass drone attack ‘copters circling their prey on alien ice worlds for eternity.”

No Hand Path is the solo harsh noise project of Lee Yoresh; bass player of much-loved local hardcore ‘power violence’ punk band Suffer. Lee describes his music as “Vegan Straight Edge Noise for Children”. Brace yourself for a sonic onslaught.

Analogue to Digital is a sound art and experimental music event held at Scitech for adults. The event highlights sound artists working in the fields of music that intersect with science and technology. There are performances and a short talk, plus the Scitech exhibits are always open.

Date: Wednesday January 25th
Time: 7.00-11.00 pm
Location: Scitech, Sutherland St, West Perth
Cost: $10.00 from trybooking.com

Analogue to Digital 7 on Facebook

Wormwoodstock 2012

Since 2010, Octopus Pi has staged a monthly event in Sydney titled Wormwood (absinthe & psychedelia) -incorporating experimental music from Australian artists, curated visuals, performance art and a myriad of interactive elements. Wormwood has become a haven for curious and creative souls, as well as a welcoming platform for diverse and DIY bands, and later this month, it’s being taken to the next level. Wormwoodstock, The Wormwood Festival runs from Friday 27th January at 1pm to Sunday 29th and over thirty inspiring DIY bands and solo artists from around Australia, in an intimate camping setting, 1.5 hours from Sydney. It’s designed to be an intimate festival for around 300 people, with DJs, performance artists and mind-blowing visuals from Wormwood regulars Optic Soup thrown into the mix.

The line-up includes Scattered Order, Zeahorse, Brackets, Domeyko/Gonzalez, Thomas William, Nakagin, Feathers, Justice Yeldham, No Art, Nhomea, Kris Keogh, Kasha plus an array of acts from Melbourne label Fallopian Tunes – Document Swell, Trjaeu, Wild Dog Creek, Red Hymns & Yolke.

New Weird Australia is delighted to be supporting Wormwoodstock in its inaugural year, and will be documenting many of the performances for later release through the site.

Limited, final release tickets are now available from Greentix for only $45 (including camping) + BF.

You can also support this DIY event by donating and downloading the Wormwoodstock 2012 compilation, featuring 13 acts playing at the festival, available from octopuspi.bandcamp.com.

WORMWOODSTOCK ON FACEBOOK

Video: Pimmon, Black Vanilla & Rites Wild at Black Wire, November 2011

On 4th November 2011, New Weird Australia staged a show at Black Wire in Annandale, Sydney featuring performances from Pimmon, Black Vanilla & Rites Wild.

This video captures performances from all three artists, and was directed & edited by Tessa C. Stevens for The Pyramid Scheme.

the-pyramid-scheme.com

New on New Editions – Thomas William, Scissor Lock & Strange Forces

New Editions, the label imprint for New Weird Australia, winds up its first series of releases with two new albums on January 4th 2012 – from Thomas William vs Scissor Lock and Strange Forces.

Since launching in 2010, the series has released albums and EPs from Caught Ship, Blake Freele, Paneye, TANTRUMS, No Zu, Kris Keogh, Forenzics and Spartak.  Each release has been available in both physical and digital formats.  The final two releases in the current series see Sydney artists Thomas William and Scissor Lock coming together for their debut collaborative release, ‘Jewelz‘, as well as the first Australian physical release for Brisbane psych-rock ex-pats Strange Forces, who have been tearing up a storm in Berlin over the last two years. Listen to preview tracks from each release in the players below.

Both releases will be available on January 4th 2012, with pre-release physical copies available in CD Digipak editions at the Unpopular Music 2011 event on Saturday 17th December. New Editions will launch a second series of releases in 2012.

THOMAS WILLIAM VS SCISSOR LOCK ‘Cadillic’ by newweirdaustralia

STRANGE FORCES ‘Shizer In The Shadows’ by newweirdaustralia

The Low Light Social

hellosQuare and New Weird Australia presents…

THE LOW LIGHT SOCIAL

Tetras (Switzerland)
Kangaroo Skull (Melbourne)
Kasha (Canberra)
Thomas William (Sydney)
Spartak (Canberra)
Danger Beach (Canberra)
+ Mornings DJs

DATE
Saturday 14th January 2012, 6pm

ADDRESS
15 Childers Street, Acton, CANBERRA

TICKETS
$30 presale from November 28th through the hellosQuare Bandcamp
$35 at the door

hellosQuare in association with New Weird Australia are proud to present THE LOW LIGHT SOCIAL, an evening of left field sound featuring six artists from around Australia and overseas who explore the common ground that sit nicely between electronic beat music, guitar folk forms, noise blasts and free jazz.

Full line-up details and accommodation info at hellosquare.wordpress.com/the-low-light-social.

Due to unforseen circumstances, sanso-xtro has had to pull out at short notice. In her absence, local Canberra band Kasha will now be taking her place in the line-up, fresh from recent recordings for an upcoming release in 2012.


Unpopular Music 2011

img: Secret Birds

Unpopular Music returns to Sydney on Saturday December 17th, raising cash for FBi and featuring eight bands over two venues. Unpopular Music 2011 sees four of Sydney’s underground & experimental music promoters working together for the first time – New Weird Australia, Octopus Pi, Sound Series and Refraction – staging two shows in one evening.

The late show (9pm) at Dirty Shirlows in Marrickville features Brisbane psych-rock ex-pats Strange Forces (back on Aussie soil after tearing up a storm in Berlin over the last two years), Sydney drone-grunge four piece Zeahorse, former Brisbane residents Secret Birds (one of the last artists, and few Australians, to feature on Pitchfork’s now defunct Altered Zones blog) and Scattered Order (fully re-energised and at a new creative peak, following the addition of Shane Fahey to the lineup earlier this year).

At 6pm, the early show at Hardware sees Thomas William and Scissor Lock launching their debut collaborative album ‘Jewelz‘, with support from Melbourne’s Monlith, Und and Anna Chase. The event also features DJs Paul Gough (Pimmon), Jack Shit and Octopus Pi, with a ‘Magical Audio Tour’ between venues, leaving Hardware at 8:45pm. Tickets are $12 on the door (which gets entry to both shows).

You can download a free compilation featuring all the artists playing at Unpopular Music 2011 – including exclusive unreleased tracks from Zeahorse and Thomas William vs Scissor Lock at newweirdaustralia.bandcamp.com.

FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE

Click on the image below to view flyer at full size:


Spartak Release Third Album ‘Nippon’ on New Editions

We’re delighted to welcome Canberra based duo Spartak to the New Weird Australia family - returning with their third album Nippon on the New Weird Australia imprint New Editions. Released on October 29th 2011, Nippon sees duo Shoeb Ahmad and Evan Dorrian continuing to explore a hybrid sound of ‘indie’ rock, improvised jazz, electronic music and modern composition.

Since 2006, they have travelled around Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan numerous times, playing alongside hardcore bands, sound artists and free improvisers alike. This new release sees the duo expand on the loose improvisations of their previous work by taking in a more brittle electronic edge, alongside a reclaimed punk attitude, with recordings edited from performances in Kyoto, Tokyo and Osaka on their recent tour of Japan.

Visit the New Editions page for more information on the release, to order the limited CD album or download the digital edition.

 

SPARTAK ‘Rail Star Mode’ by newweirdaustralia