Word Up!
Hardcore band from Byron Bay, Australia. Released a Demo in 2007, Holy Moley Demo in 2008 and Chillmatic LP in 2009.
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Grong Grong
Following a support to the Dead Kennedys, Grong Grong impressed Jello Biafra so much that he offered them a deal with Alternative Tentacles. The self titled EP featured one studio side (recorded as part of winning a battle of the bands contest) and a live side recorded at the Seaview Ballroom in St-Kilda (Melbourne). Unfortunately, as luck would have it when the EP was released lead singer Michael was in a coma for a number of years following a drug overdose which put Grong Grong on hiatus.
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Vince Jones
Vince Jones (born 1954) is an Australian jazz artist. He is a singer, songwriter, and trumpet/flugelhorn player. His music includes both original music and new contemporary versions of jazz standards. He attributes his love of jazz to hearing a recording of Miles Davis's Sketches of Spain when he was about 14. He taught himself to play the trumpet. Vince was born in Glasgow, Scotland and his family moved to Wollongong, Australia when he was 11 years old. He began his career as a bebop trumpet player.
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Custard
Custard were a masterful band of pop craftsmen with an uncanny grasp of the two-minute-something single who seemed to have equal amounts of Devo, Pavement and, oddly, disco in their genetic makeup. They were also blessed with singer Dave McCormack, whose voice was innocent and boyish-sounding enough to get away with things that might ordinarily cause a fuss – from songs about speed labs to geeky dedications to Jim Henson and an infamous declaration that “music is crap”.
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Clue to Kalo
Clue to Kalo is a folktronica band from Adelaide, Australia. Originally a pseudonym for singer / producer Mark Mitchell, who still writes all of the material, the Clue To Kalo live band is a 3-piece. They have toured with Her Space Holiday and Architecture in Helsinki. Mark previously recorded as Super Science.
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Ranger Spacey
Ranger Spacey are a four piece Alternative Folk Rock n Roll band from Sydney, Australia. Ranger Spacey's debut E.P. titled World O' Wire was released in 2009. They are currently recording their second release.
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Talkshow Boy
Talkshow Boy describes his music as "Hyperactive Glitch Pop", and you couldn't think of a better name for it. Listening to one of his albums is like watching a bunch of rats on speed eat their way through a wall of fairy floss, or riding on the back of a killer whale 2,000 feet below the surface. The only thing surpassing his recordings in sheer energy levels are his live performances, in which he walks about the entire venue interacting with the audience, when he's not rolling around on the floor or dancing like a madman.
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Richard Clapton
Richard Clapton (1951?-) is an Australian singer/songwriter. His date of birth is somewhat elusive, but in an interview with the Melbourne Age in 2002, he described himself as 50 something. In an article in "Who" magazine his birthdate was given as 1951.
His albums include: "Prussian Blue" (1973)"Girls on the Avenue" (1975) "Main Street Jive" 1976 "Goodbye Tiger" 1977, "Past Hits and Previews" 1978 "Hearts on the Nightline" 1979 "Dark Spaces" 1980 "The Great Escape" 1982 "Solidarity" 1984 "Glory Road" 1987 "The Best Years of Our Lives" 1989 "Distant Thunder" 1993 "Angeltown" 1995, "Diamond Mine" 2004 and "Rewired" 2006.
Although not well-known outside Australia, a number of his songs such as "Girls On The Avenue", "Capricorn Dancer", "Deep Water", "Lucky Country", "The Best Years of Our Lives", and "I Am an Island" are staples of FM radio playlists in Australia.
The early 1970s are often regarded as a stagnant time for Australian rock music. In this context, the emergence of Richard Clapton as a talented and ambitious songwriter in the "troubadour" tradition of, for instance, Neil Young and Jackson Browne (both of whom later expressed their admiration for Clapton) was refreshing. Although no hit singles were on his first album, "Prussian Blue", by the time of his second album, "Girls on the Avenue," Clapton enjoyed a reasonable amount of mainstream success, with the title song from the album reaching #2 spot on the Australian top 40 charts. Clapton's first five albums were produced by Richard Batchens.
At the times of its release, "Goodbye Tiger" was one of the most critically acclaimed albums an Australian artist had produced. It was produced by Richard Batchens, who was one of the most prominent and successful producers of the era.(See articles collected on the fan site linked below for confirmation of this). Many Clapton fans continue to regard this notably melancholic record as Clapton's masterpiece.
Thereafter, Clapton played less of a central role in the music industry; although "The Great Escape" (featuring contributions from members of Cold Chisel and INXS) sold strongly and contained memorable singles in "I Am an Island" and "The Best Years of Our Life." During the early 1980s he was acknowledged as a mentor to several bands emerging from the then vigorous pub-rock scene, in particular INXS whose second LP, Underneath the Colours he produced.
On a 2006 album, Rewired, recorded at his home studio, Clapton produced "unplugged" acoustic versions of his early songs. This album contains many early Clapton Gems that have been reworked to fit in with the acoustic vibe of the album.
(From the Wikipedia entry for Richard Clapton) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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Eric Bogle
Scotland's greatest living Australian. Or the other way around, depending on how you look at it. Born in Peebles, Scotland, and emigrating to Australia in 1969, he currently resides near Adelaide, South Australia. Written in 1972, And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda is perhaps his best-known song, being a haunting evocation of the ANZAC experience fighting in the Battle of Gallipoli. It has also been interpreted as a reaction to the Vietnam War.
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Operator Please
Operator Please is a baroque pop band from Gold Coast, Australia that formed in early 2005 and their current line up consists of vocalist and guitarist Amandah Wilkinson, drummer Tim Commandeur, keyboardist Chris Holland, bassist Ashley McConnell, and violinist Taylor Henderson. Original keyboardist Sarah Gardiner left in April of 2008. Their adventure began when Elanora High School was holding its annual Battle of the Bands competition. Discovered through their MySpace profile, Operator Please is currently signed to Virgin/EMI for Australia and New Zealand and Brille in the United Kingdom.
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