Indholdsfortegnelse for Vol. 152 i Australian Guitar

WHERE SIDNEY MYER MUSIC BOWL NAARM/MELBOURNE, VIC WHEN FRIDAY DECEMBER 9TH, 2022 It’s a testament to Paul Kelly’s everstrengthening legacy that every holiday season, more than 10,000 Melbournites convene for a mini-festival based on a singular track he dropped in 1996. ‘How To Make Gravy’ is one of the most iconic tunes in Australian rock history - a little surprising when you consider its runtime (a scratch over five minutes), thematic basis (a melancholic letter penned by a prisoner) and structure (seven verses, no chorus) - and Kelly himself has long embraced this; for him, it offers a rare chance to unite the country and celebrate the good in us all, regardless of age, gender, social status or political leanings. Walking into the Sidney Myer Music Bowl for this year’s…

There was once a time, decades ago, when most reputable Australian rock bands would embark on months-long tours of the country, with itineraries sprawling far beyond the standard fare of the east coast hotspots and a few other capitals (if the promoter’s feeling generous). This partially came down to necessity: music wasn’t as widely accessible as it is now with streaming and social media, and heading to a gig was one of the only ways you could really engage in a band’s fandom. For the artists themselves, too, touring was a lot cheaper in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s than it is now. There are some artists that still insist on doing those insanely stacked road tours, but most aren’t your typical FM radio fare. Cue the Triple J darlings…

Few artists have played as many Bluesfests as Ash Grunwald. 2023 will mark his eleventh year on the bill for the Byron Bay staple (delivering his 20th and 21st sets), but it won’t just be the Byron Events Farm that Australian blues fans will be able to watch him shred up a storm - he’ll also help kick off the first-ever Bluesfest to be held in Melbourne. It’s a bit of a multifaceted full-circle moment for Grunwald, having cut his teeth in Melbourne’s scene before relocating to Byron Bay. So ahead of the monumental occasion, Australian Guitar sat down with the bluesman-slash-national-treasure to embrace every bit of the explosive excitement. So it’s been almost a year since you dropped your ripping last album, Shout Into The Noise - what have…

INTERVIEW More than five decades after she broke out as a trailblazirg blues-rocker in the early ‘70s, Bonnie Raitt is enjoying one of the most fruitful chapters in her career: last year, she earned a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the Icon Award at the Billboard Women In Music Awards, and already in 2023, she’s earned four Grammy nominations - including a monumental nod for Song Of The Year - all on the back of her stunning 18th album, Just Like That… Equally acclaimed by critics and fans, the album arrived last April and promptly topped six of the US’ Billboard Charts. Here, it peaked at #4 or the ARIA Jazz And Blues Albums chart, making for one of her most successful releases Down Under. So, just shy of a…

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD They’d made 20 albums in 10 years. Then they released three new albums - yes, three - in the last month. But there is method in this madness, as King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s affable vocalist, co-guitarist and head honcho Stu Mackenzie explains. “There’s always a plan when we make an album,” he says. “Sometimes it’s still being formulated throughout the process, and sometimes it’s more of a mission statement, a manifesto. Usually we’ll have a couple of songs that have one vibe and some that have another, so we join the ones that have similar themes then write more songs like that. It’s like we’re creating brothers and sisters for them.” Since their 2012 debut 12 Bar Bruise, this Melbournebased collective have…

STERLING BY MUSIC MAN JARED DINES ARTIST SERIES SINGRAY RRP: $2,250 • cmcmusic.com.au The Sterling by Music Man Jared Dines Artist Series StingRay guitar is engineered to specifically meet the demands of the multi-talented guitarist’s technique. The Dines StingRay is the only StingRay model with 24 frets and hot-rodded dual humbucking pickups. The guitar features a mahogany body, hard maple neck with a vintage-style tremolo bridge, and gold hardware — plus, the Dines is uniquely designed with a kill switch and a tone/volume dual control. Available in Black. MARKBASS MB58R 102 PURE RRP: $1,795 • cmcmusic.com.au The MB58R series is a further example of how Markbass is always one step ahead in innovating using state-of-the-art technologies. The MB58R 102 PURE features 2×10 inch Markbass Neodymium custom speakers and a new…

REVIEW The clever folk at Markbass continue to push the boundaries of what a professional bass system should deliver. In this case, we’re talking about a punchy, full-featured, gig bag-sized amp head and a lightweight, rear-ported 2×10 cab. Both are dressed in Markbass’ usual orange-on-black livery, and both offer simple and practical features. The speaker cab heralds a new direction in weight reduction - even for Markbass. The previous 2×10 record holder, the Markbass 102P, weighs in at a very portable 14.5kgs. This new 400w 2×10 cab is just 10.5kgs and is still full featured. The 10 inch speakers are MB’s high-powered neodymium drivers, plus there’s a new hi-fidelity tweeter for the super-high end. If you’re after a more vintage tone, the tweeter can be easily bypassed via a rear-mounted…

“IT WAS ABOUT fucking time!” R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck exclaims on recalling the group finally achieving its first U.S Top 10 hit with 1987’s “The One I Love.” “In America, it was like radio stations just weren’t interested in whatever we did. It was never the right thing. But we Sold a lot of records, and that single definitely changed the way the world perceived us. And all of a sudden, our audiences doubled.” NOT LOVE, ACTUALLY It had been a long hard slog for the alt-rockers, who formed in 1980 and released four albums prior to 1987’s Document, which included “The One I Love.” Buck recalls coming up with the riff while on his front porch, noodling around on his guitar. “I remember just sitting there and playing almost…

David Crosby, guitarist and co-founder of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, has died at the age of 81. The singer’s death was confirmed by his wife, Jan, in a statement to Variety. “It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away,” the statement reads. “He was lovingly surrounded by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Django. Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us.” As a founding member and guitar player for the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash (and sometimes Young), David Crosby was a hugely influential figure in the development of rock in the ‘60s and ‘70s. His distinct songwriting and guitar playing…

BEC STEVENS HAILS FROM TYERRERNOTEPANNER/BEAUTY POINT, TASMANIA PLAYS SOLO SOUNDS LIKE SHARP AND SPIRITED POST-POISON CITY EMO LATEST DROP BIG WORRY (LP OUT MARCH 17TH VIA DAMAGED) How did you first discover the guitar? I My older brother, who I idolised, started learning it when I was super little and I just thought he was the coolest. When I turned about 11 or 12, he got a new guitar so I stole the shitty little nylon-string he’d been learning on and started to play. It was a solid year of me in primary school playing ‘Smoke In The Water’ - classic - in front of anyone who’d listen (probably just the dog). I’ll always consider my first real guitar to be a steel-string Tanglewood I got when I was 17.…

WHERE ROD LAVER ARENA, NAARM/MELBOU RNE, VIC WHEN DEC 13TH, 2022 Alot has happened since early 2020, when The Killers announced their latest tour of Australia. Not only did the Vegas-native pop-rock icons release their sixth album, Imploding The Mirage, that August, they followed it up with a seventh - the nostalgic concept album Pressure Machine - just a year later. The tour was initially set to go down in November of 2020, hot on the heels of that year’s drop - but for obvious reasons, that didn’t quite pan out. The obvious answer, then, would’ve been to cut their losses on Imploding The Mirage and, when borders opened (and big arena concerts were made legal) once more, head out on a tour to plug Pressure Machine. The Killers aren’t…

This year will mark four since Knocked Loose dropped their game-changing second album, A Different Shade Of Blue. And although they did release an EP in 2021 - A Tear In The Fabric Of Life, which alongside an ambitious animated short, marked a bold leap forward in the band’s artistry - fans have been clamouring for a new full-length effort from the Kentucky-native hardcore lords. Thankfully, as lead shredder Isaac Hale tells Australian Guitar, they won’t be waiting too much longer: Knocked Loose will complete their third studio album in 2023. Before then, they’ll make the trek Down Under for the inaugural Knotfest Australia, hitting showground stages in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane over the last weekend in March. As well as Slipknot - obviously - the festival will see Knocked…

Since the last time we saw Larkin Poe melt hearts on Australian shores - all the way back in April of 2019, when they debuted Down Under for that year’s Bluesfest - the roots-rockin’ sisters have released their fourth, fifth and sixth studio albums. Self Made Man dropped first in June of 2020, promptly soaring to the top of charts in the UK and the US, and even cracking the Top Ten in Scotland (it helped that it was a critical darling, too). The gals followed it up with Kindred Spirits just five months later, putting their bluesy alt-folk spin on classics by the likes of Elton John, Elvis Presley, Neil Young and Phil Collins. Never ores to slow down, Larkin Poe returned to the studio the following year to…

With how fiercely he owned the stage at last year’s Bluesfest, it’s no surprise that Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram will be returning for his second consecutive edition. The young virtuoso delivered a stonking four sets at Bluesfest ’22, and although he’ll only play half as many this time around, he’ll also appear at the inaugural Bluesfests in Perth and Melbourne. Not only that, he’ll also take to theatres for his own shows in Adelaide and Sydney, and open up for the iconic Buddy Guy - a close friend - in Sydney and Melbourne. Australian Guitar sat down with Kingfish to find out exactly what we can expect from the Mississippi maestro’s impending return, how Guy has had an immeasurable impact on his everevolving artistry, and what it’s been like to link…

INTERVIEW In an alternate reality, Steve Vai never kept winding down the rabbit hole of inventive and experimental techniques that birthed such mind-melting records as Flex-Able (1984) and Passion And Warfare (1990), and later The Story Of Light (2012). Instead, he pivoted down a more rocking and rolling path, taking the metallic cues we’d hear on Sex & Religion (1993) and cranking them way past 11. He did that with the assistance of Johnny “Gash” Sombrotto, the most chaotic and captivating hard-rock frontman you’ve never heard of - and sending them soaring up the charts was their eponymous debut album as the power-duo Vai/Gash. That reality remains alternate because in September of 1998, Gash died in a motorcycle accident. He and Vai actually did record their album, seven years prior…

REVIEW Yet another example of the escalating quality of Eastern Asian manufacturing, both of these Chinese-made double-cut Jet models are superbly put together. In fact, the only issues we had were from transit damage: guitars this good (irrespective of their price) need better packaging. But with our G5222’s three-way toggle switch replaced and resoldered, there’s not a hair out of place. So, what’s the deal? As you’ll know, back when Gretsch’s ‘solidbodies’ first appeared in the 50s, they used a chambered semi-solid design, despite looking like they were solid. It’s the same deal today. The mahogany back is routed out leaving a central block under the pickups and bridge; the pickup routs are really deep (the bridge pickup’s is 50mm, the neck’s slightly less), while more wood is removed in…

Blackstar’s rise to fame as one of the world’s leading guitar amplification manufacturers is well documented, and one of the reasons it’s arrived at the top and stayed there is that the team never seems to stop innovating. Almost every month, or so it seems, there’s something new to tempt us and now it’s the turn of Blackstar’s Dept. 10, its ‘blue sky’ research and development team. Hot on the heels of last year’s multi-award-winning valve Dual Drive, Dual Distortion and Boost pedals, the latest product to bear the Dept. 10 moniker is the Amped 1, a 100-watt multi-function amplifier in a package small enough to fit on your pedalboard. Like all Blackstar products, the Amped 1 is smartly presented with clean, uncluttered cosmetics. The electronics are contained inside a…

Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman has announced he’s temporarily stepping away from the band in order to focus on his “rapidly deteriorating” mental health. The band - shortly after announcing their new album, So Much (For) Stardust - posted a statement written by Trohman on their social media accounts, with the electric guitar star confirming he will be leaving the band for a spell. “Neil Young once howled that it’s better to burn out than to fade away. But I can tell you unequivocally that burning out is dreadful,” Trohman wrote. “Without divulging all the details, I must disclose that my mental health has rapidly deteriorated over the past several years. So, to avoid fading away and never returning,” he continued, “ will be taking a break from work…

AXES IN ACTION WHERE FLEMINGTON RACECOURSE NAARM/MELBOURNE, VICTORIA WHEN FRIDAY DECEMBER 2ND, 2022 Of all the smaller rock and metal festivals to crop up in this post-Soundwave landscape, none have come as close to matching that uniquely youthful, colour-drenched and adrenalised atmosphere as Good Things (which makes sense; organised by much of its alumni, it’s more or less a spiritual successor to Soundwave). Having been sidelined for the past three years - y’know, for obvious reasons - the festival made its grand return to Flemington Racecourse on Friday December 2nd, sporting a lineup that more than made up for its forced hiatus (even if a handful of the acts billed had to ditch it at the last second due to visa problems). Walking through the gates - our free (and…

WHERE THE FORUM NAARM/MELBOURNE, VICTORIA WHEN FRIDAY NOVEMBER 11TH, 2022 You’d be hard-pressed to find a band that wasn’t stung by the pandemic, but Enter Shikari were dealt an especially dull hand: their sixth album, Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible, marked a bold and boisterous return to form, drawing from all five of their previous eras - from the grisly, glitchinfected metalcore of Take To The Skies (2007), to the shimmery dance-pop of The Spark (2017) - and distilling them into the ultimate form of Enter Shikari. It was their most ambitious effort, intended to be launched with their most ambitious live show; the band slaved away on both for two years until the album was announced… In February of 2020. COVID-19 came scarily close to spelling the…

INTERVIEW Last year was a huge ore for Teenage Dads, with three momentous single releases - ‘Exit Sign’, ‘Teddy’ and ‘Hey, Diego!’ - sprinkled across a touring slate most up-and-coming bands could only dream of; in addition to lucrative spots opening for Lime Cordiale and Spacey Jane, they delivered two mammoth headline tours of their own, with 34 shows between them. The band would be excused for taking this year off to catch their breaths, but instead, they’re gearing up to make 2022 look like child’s play. At the start of March, Teenage Dads will drop the six-track Midnight Driving EP, which takes the indie-rock flair of their first few records - the most recent being 2021’s Club Echo EP - and nudges it into a smokier, more headstrong atmosphere…

INTERVIEW Four years after he first stunned Byron Bay with three soulful and searing performances, Marcus King is returning to Bluesfest this April (alongside a pair of headline shows in Sydney and Melbourne). He’s touring in support of his second solo album, last year’s ultra-poignant Young Blood, over which the 26-year-old blues prodigy bared his soul, warts and all, more poignantly than ever. Ahead of his return, Australian Guitar sat down with King to talk about the impact Young Blood has had on his live set, and why it all hinges on the chaotic camaraderie he has with his barnstorming band of brothers. We know your setlist at Bluesfest ‘23 will be quite different from last time - you’ve got two more phenomenal records of material to showcase - but…

INTERVIEW It’s official: we’re in the golden age of Eric Gales. Some four decades after cutting his teeth in the early ‘80s, the former child prodigy sometimes known as Raw Dawg has immortalised himself as one of the greatest bluesmen of our generation. And he’s only getting better with age, as proved by his recent nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards - the first time he’s earned such a nod. The record that did it for him, Crown, has also been dubbed by fans as one of his strongest efforts yet - a raw, bold and uncensored deep-dive into racism and sobriety via thick, tearing blues riffs - earning some of his career-best reviews and most impressive sales. And in April, Gales will take the…

Everything you need to know before playing ‘Run To The Hills’ A British Marshall-type distorted amp tone works best for RTTH. Be generous with the midrange on your amp to help cut through during the solo. Though single coil pickups were used on the recording, Bave Murray uses a humbucker-loaded Strat these days -and if you’re trying to get close to the sound of Maiden’s triple-axe attack, the two-coil approach is probably the better option for those galloping rhythm parts. An HSS configuration is ideal so that you can switch over to the creamier neck single coil pickup for the solo.…

INTERVIEW recording recording RECORDING It transpires that, even with all the talent involved, engineer Bruce Swedien never thought that Thriller would go on to be so successful. “I think anyone who would have the balls to say that is a liar because you don’t really know until it gets out in the public and they say ‘wow this is really good’,” he admits. “All we did was follow Quincy Jones down the path to the greatest music we could possibly make and with a passion for details. Quincy is such a remarkable man to work with - and Michael too. I mean, we had a ball. “Michael was never late for a session - if anything he would be early. Also, I never remember recording Michael with the lyrics in front…

REVIEW History tends to focus on London and Liverpool as the two main epicentres of British popular music in the late 1960s, but there were others, of course, and one of the most notable was the West Midlands. From this area came Black Sabbath, The Move (which evolved into Electric Light Orchestra) and glam-rock legends Slade, among others. Back then, Laney founder Lyndon Laney was playing in a group called Band Of Joy, a collective of Black Country musicians that included Robert Plant and John Bonham. Lyndon’s early interest in electronics and amplifiers led to him building his own - at first in his parent’s garden shed and then in a unit in Digbeth as the business took off. Ever since, Laney Amplification has successfully charted its own course through…