Feeding the Frenzy...

Words by Nikki May

In 1992 Australian punk rock band Frenzal Rhomb threw themselves into the Australian music scene and over the last 20 years have certainly made a name for themselves both on the ARIA charts and for their controversy.

After seven albums and countless hits, their newest CD ‘Smoko at the Pet Food Factory’ was released in 2011 peaking into the top 20 of the ARIA charts.

Frenzal Rhomb members Jay Whalley, Lindsay McDougall, Tom Cease and Gordy Forman have made household names for themselves with controversy over their lyrics, cover art and on stage antics.

In 2003 McDougall organized a compilation album with various artists as a protest against [then current] Prime Minister John Howard.

In 2004 Frenzal Rhomb sparked further controversy at the Bass in the Grass festival after they started playing AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ over Jackie O, who was the festival MC and had arrived late, cutting their set short.

Frenzal Rhomb have toured multiple countries with big-name punk acts such as The Offspring, Bad Religion, NOFX and most recently The Descendants.

On the lead up to their Smoko at the Pet Food Factory tour SMAC got a chance to catch up with front man Jay Whalley and talked about recording with Bill Stevenson, his possible early onset alzheimers, Frenzal Rhomb's craziest fans and parenting tips.

SMAC - What was it like recording Smoko at the Pet Food Factory with Bill Stevenson?

Jay - It was very entertaining. It was good to work with people so committed to making that sort of music sound good and Bill didn’t smell very good but he was definitely a lovely fellow and all the guys who worked there were very helpful.

We actually rocked up there, a lot of the time we're pretty hands on with the production stuff we like to be involved, or I do anyway, and it was nice to be somewhere we don’t really have to think about it because everything that comes out of there sounds good so we just kinda called it, I don’t think we took anything. I think we took pics, I think there’s a pic but everything else we just used their stuff and expertise.

SMAC - I’ve read that the recording studio was actually a pet food factory?

Jay - We’ve been spreading all sorts of lies about that. Well my friend works at some shit job that he calls the pet food factory because you know you’re pretty much going in there and putting shit in cans and chucking it out the other end. I think a lot of jobs feel like that most of the time, I think everyone’s had a job like that where you go in there sort of not producing anything just working for a big organization where what they produce isn’t really helping anything and I like the idea of taking a break from that which is what Frenzal Rhomb is.

SMAC - You’ve opened up for some pretty big bands, which band was the best to tour with?

Jay - There has been so many bands, [sneezes] sorry that was a sneeze, you may publish that. What bands? I don’t know, name some bands we’ve played with and I'll tell you if they’re nice.

SMAC - You got to tour with Bill Stevenson of The Descendants so that would have been pretty cool.

Jay - Yeah they’re very good guys. NOFX, they’re about 70% good guys. Bad Religion, about 40% good guys. Pennywise, about 5% good guys. Yeah I don’t know, we’ve played with allot of really good bands that have supported us recently. We played with a band the other day at The Entrance called ‘Fat Guy Wears Mystic Wolf Shirt’ they were really great. You know those Mystic Wolf t-shirts? It’s a great image, a fat guy wearing those mystic wolf shirt. They’re a great band, they’re kind of a grind-core band with no bass player. We did pick them solely on the name if I can be honest.

SMAC - You played Moosick in Townsville in 2001, what was that gig like?

Jay - Someone said we played in 2009 in Townsville and I don’t remember that. 2001 you say? You can probably tell by the nature of my answer so far I can’t remember. I’m terrible with my memory and I wasn’t even drinking then I just have a shit memory. My dads the same actually, if my dad comes to one of parties or anything or have friends over he will stand next to me and whisper “Oh who’s that? What’s their name?” and I’ll tell him “That’s Robbo, you’ve met him like a thousand times.”

I don’t think its alzheimer’s maybe its early onset alzheimer’s for me, but I have real trouble remembering great slabs of my history. I should of researched but I do know we haven’t been to Townsville in a long time and we haven’t been to Cairns in a long time so I’m very much looking forward to going there. I feel like Townsville’s really Frenzal Rhombs spiritual home. Lindsay has a lot of family there, there’s lots of McDougalls living in Townsville so its always good to catch up with the clan and the good people of Townsville who come along to gigs are a bit notorious for getting loose. I like that in a community, I think its going to be a good show.

SMAC - In 2004 Frenzal Rhomb along with other bands released the ‘Rock Against Howard’ compilation album. Do you think you’ll be releasing any songs or albums about Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott any time soon?Jay - You’ll have to ask Lindsay about that but from memory John Howard is no longer our Prime Minister so put two and two together that could have worked even it was the election that he won he’s not there now so I think the forty copies that we sold had a big impact.

SMAC -Do you have any disgusting tour stories?

Jay - Most disgusting? You need special clearance for that sort of classified information and your clearance level is too low, I’m afraid, for access. My problem is I can only really remember the last two shows, which were quite disgusting I guess but still fun. I can’t really remember those little incidences its all twenty years of one kind of messy sort of night.

SMAC - What’s the weirdest type of fan you’ve ever encountered?

Jay - Yes, yes! All of the time. I feel like it’s always just this one guy who keeps coming back and he doesn’t have any teeth and his eyes are kind of looking in different directions. There’s one of them at every gig and he kind of spits in your ear and can be asking you questions about the lyrics but he can turn as well. He can absolutely love you, be your best friend and buy you gifts but then if you turn your back on him for more than a few seconds he can just snap and turn into a raging animal of hatred. You know that guy, you’ve met him as well, and he’s my favourite.

SMAC - I’m guessing you get people touching your dreads allot, does that piss you off?

Jay - It's pretty fucking annoying actually because I don’t do it to anyone else so people should just leave me the fuck alone, but people are people.

SMAC - And do fans try to touch you in other weird places?

Jay - Yes, someone tried to touch me on the penis the other night at the Coffs Harbor show from the front barrier and they kept trying to do it. It’s always a mess of people there so you never see who’s doing it. It’s just a mess of arms, hands, hair, faces and stuff. It’s inappropriate, I’m in the work place, if I went to their work place and did that I’d be arrested.

SMAC - How old is your little one now? Do you have any parenting tips you can share?

Jay - He’s 2.5 [years]. I’m probably not the best person to ask about parenting tips.
I hang out with him a lot, we spend our days together. I’m just trying to think of words of wisdom, probably none really. Its good fun, it’s very tiring. He’s going through this stage at the moment where he can be extremely violent with other children, but only other children who are heaps younger and weaker than him and the worst outcome of this is I then have to get in conversations with parents I would have otherwise chosen not to talk to. So any tip I can give is encourage your children not to be violent otherwise you end up having to talk to dickheads.

SMAC - Do you have any pre-tour rituals to help you prepare?

Jay - I do enjoy kicking a sheep to death just before I get on the bus.
No, not really. I try to do a little bit of walking to try and get a bit fit. Its always the same, I try and get a bit fit before the tour but then when I start the tour the first two shows I feel like I’m going to stroke in the first two song but then tend to get fitter after that. The preparation for a tour is rather negligible, we don’t practice actually.

SMAC -What can we expect from your upcoming Pet Food tour?

Jay - Big laughs, big stage show, lots of pyrotechnics, lots of fire, big inflatable bears, a lot of shenanigans... we’ve got the traveling casino with us if you want to have a bet you can come up, we’ve got pony rides those are always fun for the lighter people the horses don’t like it when you’re too heavy. It’s going to be good.

Fan question:

SMAC - If you could choose any musician (dead or alive) to join Frenzal, who would it be?

Jay - That would be Ben [Costello] our old guitarist, we’d convince him to come back and have a hand twin fisted attack because neither Lindsay nor Ben can play very well but I think the two of them together would be unstoppable... I just saw a fish jump out of the water, I'm sitting next to the water in the Harbor.

We asked Jay the random 5:
- Xbox or Play Station? What? Yeah no that was my answer, what?
- Beer, spirits or wine? Wine.
- Batman & Robin - gay or not? If they are gay I hope the same sex union will be recognized by the state.

- Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Wars.
- X-Ray vision or invisibility? Invisibility, without a doubt, much more opportunity for theft.

Frenzal Rhomb will be playing in Townsville at The Venue on Saturday 26^th May with special guests: Jobstopper (Cairns), Meanwhile, In Hell (Townsville) and Heathen Dogs (Townsville).

Tickets are available from OzTix here.

DevilDriver-ing with Dez


Words by Nikki May. Photo by Jade Kennedy.

Dez Fafara (far right) on tour in Australia with Coal Chamber

In 1993 Bradley James “Dez” Fafara was launched into the spotlight with his band Coal Chamber, where they produced three studio albums and two compilation albums and toured extensively around America and Europe. Sadly, after nearly 10 years, 2002 saw Coal Chamber disband. Later in 2002 Dez’s career went even further with the introduction of DevilDriver.

DevilDriver has been described as an amalgamation of groove metal and melodic death metal. After releasing albums Self Titled: DevilDriver, Fury Of Our Makers Hand, The Last Kind Words and Pray for Villains, the latest album Beast debuted at number nine on the Aria charts while they continue to tour playing to sold out crowds. In 2011 it was announced that Coal Chamber members Dez, Meegs, Mikal and new bassist Chela would reunite to tour Australia as a part of Soundwave 2012.

DevilDriver are currently touring America as apart of the Metal Alliance tour, then will be heading down under to Australia in May with Six Feet Under and Darkest Hour with shows in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

I got the opportunity to interview Dez about his recent tour with Coal Chamber, his upcoming DevilDriver tour and his side project with Mark Morton, band ‘Born Of The Storm’.

SMAC - I read that your bassist, Aaron ‘Bubbles’ Patrick, was recently released from hospital, how is his recovery going?

Dez - He is at home resting right now, he caught sever pneumonia and almost died so it was touch and go for a while there, he was in the hospital for about two weeks. He’s at home resting now and if all goes well we will have him come down and tour manage down in Australia but I don’t think he will be ready to play at that point.

Aaron is a very healthy guy, physically fit but still was hit hard by pneumonia. He is currently in LA resting and recovering hoping he gets better.

SMAC - Are you still on the Metal Alliance tour?

Dez - Yes we are, were two and a half weeks in. Were about three weeks left on this tour. Currently in the middle of 24 shows right now.

SMAC - That is a lot of shows.

Dez - Yeah definitely, I love to keep a brutal schedule. But at times you can obviously see it starts affecting you full stop. We have three more show then we got a day off, it’s going to be well worth it.

SMAC -DevilDriver last toured Australia in 2011 but you recently reformed with Coal Chamber for the 2012 Soundwave Festival. How did it feel touring with Coal Chamber after nearly 10 years?

Dez - Absolutely amazing to bring that down under for the first time, just incredible, I can't say enough about those shows, we had a great time. The crowd was feeling what the band was feeling which was pure excitement, so if the fans or the viewers can pick up on that, that we're feeling what they’re putting there, it was a pleaser all ways.

SMAC -The original bassist, Rayna, wasn’t apart of the lineup, so how was it touring with Chela on bass?

Dez - Rayna left the band a long time ago and when Chela just hit it she was a natural when it comes to being in Coal Chamber. She grew up listening to us and she’s a real good bass player. I found out working with her she had a great work ethic. 

SMAC- Mikal broke a few of his fingers while playing in Brisbane’s Soundwave, have you occurred any on stage injuries?

Dez - He went to go hit his symbol but it moved and he went to hit it full on and broke three fingers. He didn’t complain once. Finished the whole tour, went home got his fingers looked at and yeah it’s in a cast now. Have I suffered injuries? Yeah neck injuries, back injuries things like that from jumping off risers [drum platform] or whatever.

SMAC - You’ve toured Australia a few times now and Australia is known for its alcohol, have you found a favourite Aussie drink yet?

Dez - I like Coopers Green an awful lot.

SMAC - I’ve noticed you’re often asked about your favorite memories or moments on tour, I was wonder what is your worst touring horror story?

Dez - Let me think about that…We were coming out of Germany and we were driving for around six hours when we realized we didn’t have a trailer on our bus. We had to turn back around and look for it. It kind of ploughed into the side of a little curb, it could of very well of disappeared off into this forest. That kind of stuff you don’t want to see happen.

SMAC - You're no longer signed with Roadrunner Records, are you searching for a new label at the moment?

Dez - Yes, were free agents right now. Were talking to a few different labels and we will just see how that goes.

SMAC - In February, Jeff Kendrick announced on Twitter that himself, John Boecklin and Mike Spreitzer “begun to compose and demo songs for DevilDriver's 6th album”, when should we expect to hear more about an upcoming album? Is there an estimated release date?

Dez - We have no idea about a release date at the moment. We're just starting to get together to write, it can take a while for us to find that sound. We have to commit to when were going to put out and when were going to go in the studio also have to secure a record label and all that. 

SMAC - Recently you’ve teamed up with Mark Morton [Lamb of God] and Kevin Talley [Six Feet Under, Daath, Chimira] to form ‘Born of the Storm’, so far Dust and No Where Fast have been released online, can we expect to see more from Born of the Storm?

Dez - I'll tell you what I tell everyone else, Mark Morton is the boss. I really appreciate him and love him dearly. He decides what comes out, he will release out of no where, he called me and said “That’s it, we’ve been sitting on it for years I’m releasing it right now” and I’m like okay go ahead, so it's really up to Mark. We have about 12 songs around nine or 10 of them are really curved out for sound. I’m real proud of it, its more like the bands Trouble, Soundgarden, Circus of Power so it's not really metal, it's more rock so I can showcase more of my singing voice and Mark can showcase his playing, which is I think is absolutely fabulous working with a guy like that, not only a good friend of mine but an amazing player.

SMAC -Your vocal style is noticeably different in Born of the Storm compared to DevilDriver and Coal Chamber, some fans have compared it to the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and Soundgarden, were there any influences or a reason behind your vocal change?

Dez - I’m massively influenced by Chris Cornell, he is probably one of the best singers out there, he is definitely one I would compare myself to. Those are definitely big influences for me [Ozzy Osbourne and Soundgarden] but I would say more Soundgarden more Circus of Power, alot of classic rock for me personally. Mark will tell you Trouble is a big influence for him.

SMAC -What would you say the biggest difference is between the heavy metal scene in 1993 when Coal Chamber begun and heavy metal in 2012?

Dez - One difference is when Coal Chamber started heavy metal was pretty much dead. What alot of the bands like Coal Chamber, Korn, System, Static did was pretty much bring it back. Because what a lot of the hair metal bands did was pretty much kill the scene in LA. No one was going out to see bands. I think what we kind of helped bring it back a little. And the difference is nowdays everyone's heavy, there’s billions and billions of metal bands out and every ones going insane, we are getting very congregated and hopefully the cream will rise to the top over time and separate what’s happening right now. I think that’s the main difference between then and now.

SMAC -Do you have any DevilDriver ‘funny moments’?

Dez - Oh god…Our lives are hilarious together there’s just so many things that happen to us daily that are hilarious. There’s not really one main thing that comes to mind. We keep an open sense of humor about everything, so if the bus breaks down in the middle of the night chances are were laughing instead of being bummed out. Humor is everything with life especially when you’re on the road as much as we are

SMAC - With your birth name being Bradley James, how did you end up being known as Dez?

Dez - Dez is just a nickname that kind of stuck and it seams a bit more appropriate in the rock and roll world so I just kept it.

Please head here for all tour and ticket information.

Introducing...

Words by Jessy Rose

So, I am constantly being asked "Why do you fight, Jessy?".

My answer to this question is ALWAYS "because I freaking love my sport!".

Mixed Martial Arts isn't about blood and violence or trying to inflict pain against another person. MMA is about training your ass off, every single day of the week. Eating like a caveman (or woman) and never enjoying all those fine delicacies like donuts, chinese food or my all time favourite, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. Not going out with your friends on the weekend, but choosing to get an early night so your body is ready to go just as hard in the morning. It's about learning something new, and practicing, practicing, practicing until that skill becomes second nature to you.

And finally when it comes down to fight time, it is about taking all that hard work, missing out on parties and nice foods, getting hurt, pushing through injuries, battling physical and mental fatigue, and pitting everything you have against someone who has (hopefully) been working just as hard. 

It's like a game of chess. MMA is about strategy. Intelligence. Tactics. Having an MMA fight is having the chance to take all your knowledge and formulate a game plan, multiple game plans even, just to adjust to the direction the fight is going. You are constantly preempting your opponents moves. Thinking two, three or even four steps ahead AT ALL TIMES. And if your strategy and execution is effective, you get the big WIN. That makes it all worth it. 

Always thank your opponent at the end of your fight because without them, you would never have the chance to show off your skills and all the hard work and dedication that goes into it. I have months of preparation for my fights. And my opponents do too. A little bit of gratitude and mutual respect at the end of the game goes a long way. 

I love Mixed Martial Arts. I love every single aspect of this sport. I love the pain I go through at training. I love drilling the same tiny move one million times in order to perfect it. I love waking up to go for a run before training. And I love sitting at home playing X-box on the weekends instead of going out drinking with my buddies. I LOVE EVERYTHING!

This is why I fight.

** Jessy Rose is a female MMA fighter and conditioning trainer based in Sydney, NSW. If you have a question about fitness, nutrition, women's health or mixed martial arts for Jessy, send us an email here.

Gamer Girl: Twisted Metal Game Review


Words by Proxy

Hey Guys & Girls Proxy here, I am doing a review on the new release of the classic series Twisted Metal. Like the past games in the series that were released on the original Playstation and Playstation 2 consoles, Twisted Metal is based around a competition by the name of Twisted Metal. Go figure. The competition is run by Calypso who is the sinister puppeteer in the game. The best and worst of mankind enter the competition and the last one standing will win the prize of a single wish. The competition plays out in a variety of battles across the in-game world that uses cars equipped with brutal weapons in a modern day jousting festival.









Unlike past games, only three main contestants enrol in Calypso's contest: Sweet Tooth, Mr. Grimm, and Doll Face. Each of these crazy drivers bring along their henchmen to compete with, forming three gangs that wage war across suburbs and cities in game.


This means the single-player campaign is split up into three chapters. Each chapter comes filled with progressively difficult an interesting challenges that each end with a different boss encounter which all rock.


Twisted Metal celebrates a bizarre kind of action that shoves brutal game play down the throat of all those who play the game. It includes a, challenging single-player campaign and incredible multiplayer support for both on and offline.


Now a lot of people have said that the cinematic cut scenes and storytelling is the down fall of the game, well I say PFFFFFT to that. With a feel similar to the movie Sin City, it is not only dark but the game play is brutal & addictive which is complimented by a fearsome in game music soundtrack which includes music by artists such as Avenged Sevenfold, Sepultura & Rob Zombie.


Final words: I enjoyed the whole game and would give it a “Jawesome” 9/10


Proxy is

Welcome to Festival Season 2012

After seeing several spectacular festivals flop in recent months, it's a relief to know promoters are still willing to lay the big bucks on the line to get good headliners.

Groovin the Moo hits Townsville next Sunday, May 6, with a pretty colourful lineup including City & Colour (Can), Digitalism (Ger), Kaiser Chiefs (UK), Public Enemy (USA), Wavves (USA), The Maccabees (USA), Adrian Lux (Swe), 360, Andrew W.K. (USA), The Getaway Plan, Bluejuice, Parkway Drive, Hilltop Hoods, Kimbra and more. 

While tickets haven't yet sold out to the NQ event, there was a pretty healthy indication of locals' willingness to spend up on live music when Pete Murray attracted over 1000 punters into The Venue last weekend.

Tickets to the annual three-day fest (and my personal favourite) Splendour in the Grass officially go on sale tomorrow. With an initial lineup announcement including Jack White (USA), Bloc Party (UK), Smashing Pumpkins (USA), At the Drive In (USA), The Kooks (UK), The Shins (USA), Miike Snow (Swe), Gossip (USA), Dirty Three, Spiderbait, Shihad, Lanie Lane, Wolfmother and Missy Higgins, it looks like the three-day fiesta will give promoters yet another fruitful year.

For more info on either festival, head to the official GTM web site here or visit the Splendour web site here.

Welcome to 2012

The festival season has officially begun, footy season has kicked off and uni students are back in class. Which means it's time to welcome the new era of SMAC Magazine.

We've been in hiatus and undergoing some staffing changes, but we're BACK IN BUSINESS, folks.

If you would like to get involved with SMAC Magazine, drop us a line at smacmagazine@hotmail.com.

ARIA Award Nominations

The ARIA Awards have become quite the gala event of the year for many Australian musicians and artists and nominations for this year's event were announced at a ceremony held in Sydney this morning. With every year that passes, the talent and competition continues to grow tighter. This year sees outstanding local produce going head to head, battling it out for the cream of the Australian Music Industry awards.

Single of the Year:

Angus & Julia Stone – Big Jet Plane (Original Matters/EMI)
Birds of Tokyo – Plans (EMI)
Sia – Clap Your Hands (Monkey Puzzle/Inertia)
The Temper Trap – Love Lost (Liberation Music)
Washington – How To Tame Lions (Mercury/UMA)

Album of the Year:

Angus & Julia Stone – Down The Way (Original Matters/EMI)
Birds of Tokyo – Birds Of Tokyo (EMI)
Sia – We Are Born (Monkey Puzzle/Inertia)
Tame Impala – Innerspeaker (Modular Recordings)
Washington – I Believe You Liar (Mercury/UMA)

Best Female Artist:

Clare Bowditch – Modern Day Addiction (Island/UMA)
Kylie Minogue – Aphrodite (Mushroom Records/Warner Music)
Lisa Mitchell – Oh! Hark! (Warner Music Australia)
Sia – We Are Born (Monkey Puzzle/Inertia)
Washington – I Believe You Liar (Mercury/UMA)

Best Male Artist:

Dan Kelly – Dan Kelly’s Dream (Shock)
Dan Sultan – Get Out While You Can (MGM)
Guy Sebastian – Like It Like That (Sony Music)
John Butler – April Uprising (Jarrah Records/MGM)
Paul Dempsey – Fast Friends (EMI)

Best Group:

Angus & Julia Stone – Down The Way (Original Matters/EMI)
Birds of Tokyo – Birds Of Tokyo (EMI)
Powderfinger – Golden Rule (UMA)
Tame Impala – Innerspeaker (Modular Recordings)
The Temper Trap – Love Lost (Liberation Music)

Breakthrough Artist:

Amy Meredith – Restless (Sony Music)
Cloud Control – Bliss Release (Ivy League Records/Universal)
Philadelphia Grand Jury – Hope is for Hopers (Normal People Making Music/Boomtown/Shock)
Tame Impala- Innerspeaker (Modular Recordings)
Washington – I Believe You Liar (Mercury/UMA)

Best Independent Release:

Art vs Science – Magic Fountain (Green/MGM)
Dan Sultan – Get Out While You Can (MGM)
Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Rush to Relax (Suppression Records/Shock)
John Butler Trio – April Uprising (Jarrah Records/MGM)
Sia – We Are Born (Monkey Puzzle/Inertia)

Best Urban Album:

Bliss N Eso – Running on Air (Illusive Sounds)
Lowrider – Round the World (Illusive Sounds)
M-Phazes – Good Gracious (Obese Records)
Space Invadas – Soul-Fi (Invada/Inertia)
Urthboy – Spitshine (Elefant Traks/Inertia)

Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album:

Airbourne – No Guts, No Glory (EMI)
Dead Letter Circus – This is the Warning (Warner Music Australia)
Parkway Drive – Deep Blue (Resist Records/Shock)
The Amity Affliction – Youngbloods (Boomtown/Shock)
Violent Soho – Violent Soho (Liberation Music)

Best Pop Release:

Bluejuice – Head of the Hawk (Dew Process/Universal Music)
Empire of the Sun – Half Mast (EMI)
Guy Sebastian – Like It Like That (Sony Music)
Kylie Minogue – Aphrodite (Warner Music Australia)
Sia – We Are Born (Monkey Puzzle/Inertia)

Best Jazz Album:

Dick & Christa Hughes – Twenty First Century Blues (ABC Music)
James Morrison & The Idea Of North – Feels Like Spring (ABC Jazz)
Joe Chindamo – Another Place Some Other Time (Jazzhead/MGM)
Joseph Tawadros – The Hour of Separation (Independent/Planet)
The Necks – Silverwater (Fish of Milk/Shock)

Best Country Album:

Adam Harvey – Both Sides Now (Sony Music)
Catherine Britt – Catherine Britt (ABC Music)
Jason Walker – Ceiling Sun Letters (Laughing Outlaw/Inertia)
Lee Kernaghan – Planet Country (ABC Music)
The McClymonts – Wrapped Up Good (UMA)

Best Music DVD:

Birds of Tokyo – The Broken Strings Tour DVD (MGM)
Bliss N Eso- Flying Colours Live (Illusive Sounds)
Josh Pyke – The Lighthouse (Ivy League)
Various – Sound Relief (Liberation Music)
Various – Before Too Long: triple j’s Tribute to Paul Kelly (ABC Music)

Best Comedy:

Andrew Hanson, Chris Taylor & Craig Shuftan – The Blow Parade (ABC Music)
Arj Barker Forever (Beyond Home Entertainment, Punchline Comedy)
Heath Franklin – Heath Franklin’s Chopper: Make Deadsh*ts History (Beyond Home Entertainment, Punchline Comedy)
Jimeoin – Jimeoin on Ice Live (Beyond Home Entertainment, Punchline Comedy)
The Bedroom Philosopher – Songs from the 86 Tram (Nanpop Records/Shock)

Best Adult Alternative Album:

Angus & Julia Stone – Down The Way (Original Matters/EMI)
Basement Birds – Basement Birds (Basement Birds)
Clare Bowditch – Modern Day Addiction (Island/UMA)
The Cat Empire – Cinema (EMI)
Washington – I Believe You Liar (Mercury/UMA)
Whitley – Go Forth, Find Mammoth (Dew Process/Universal Music)

Best Dance Release:

Art vs Science – Magic Fountain (Green/MGM)
Miami Horror – Sometimes (EMI)
Midnight Juggernauts – The Crystal Axis (Siberia/Inertia)
Pendulum – Immersion (Warner Bros UK)
Yolanda Be Cool and Dcup – We No Speak Americano (Sweat it Out/Central

Best Rock Album:

Birds of Tokyo – Birds Of Tokyo (EMI)
Cloud Control – Bliss Release (Ivy League Records/Universal)
Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Rush to Relax (Suppression Records/Shock)
Powderfinger – Golden Rule (UMA)
Tame Impala – Innerspeaker (Modular Recordings)

Breakthrough Artist:
Amy Meredith – Restless (Sony Music)
Cloud Control – Bliss Release (Ivy League Records/Universal)
Philadelphia Grand Jury – Hope is for Hopers (Normal People Making Music/Boomtown/Shock)
Tame Impala- Innerspeaker (Modular Recordings)
Washington – I Believe You Liar (Mercury/UMA)

This year's event will be staged at the Sydney Opera House on November 7, however, due to the extensive list of gongs included in the awards list this year, ARIA organisers will announce winners of the genre-specific awards at events leading up to the main event. With the competition so hot, it will be interesting to see who takes out the top spots!

Big Day Out Lineup Announced

As per usual, the rumour mills have been in meltdown over the past few weeks as anticipation flared for who would be on the lineup of one of the biggest touring festivals in Australia. At midnight last night organisers, Lees & West announced the long awaited list which includes the cream of international punk, Iggy & The Stooges and synonymous prog-rockers currently holed up in the studio, Tool and original men of melancholy themselves, Grindermen. After a 'goodbye' tour of Australia not so long ago, LCD Soundsystem return as well as glitter-rapper M.I.A. Local bands include the likes of ARIA nominated Angus & Julia Stone, home-grown favourites, John Butler Trio and newly reformed Wolfmother.

Tool
Rammstein
Iggy & The Stooges
Grindermen
Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77
M.I.A
John Butler Trio
Deftones
Wolfmother
Lupe Fiasco
The Black Keys
Primal Scream - performing Screamedelica live
Die Antwoord
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
LCD Soundsystem
Angus & Julia Stone
Plan B
The Naked & Famous
Bliss n Eso
Booka Shade DJs
Airbourne
Andrew W.K
The Jim Jones Revue
PNAU
Crystal Castles (East Coast only)
Little Red
Dead Letter Circus
Sia
Gyroscope
Ratatat
CSS
Vitalic
Kid Kenobi & MC Shureshock
Operator Please
Children Collide
Blue King Brown
Kids of 88
Lowrider
Will Styles
Gypsy & The Cat
Sampology


For eager punters, tickets begin to go on sale October 7 for the Gold Coast leg of the tour. The dates of the tour itself are as follows;

Auckland Friday, January 21;
Gold Coast Sunday, January 23;
Sydney Wednesday, January 26;
Melbourne Sunday, January 30;
Adelaide Friday, February 4;
Perth Sunday, February 6

Tickets will be available at 12:01 a.m through the Big Day Out website, or at 9 a.m through Ticketmaster on the specified dates. For more info, visit the official BDO website at www.bigdayout.com

Australian Symphony in E Minor Movement I - Where will the Rockers Drink Now?

Words by Tim Pugh

Photos by Tanya Andersen

I walk from a bedroom through a lounge room, past a flat screen TV towards a sliding glass door. The sliding glass door opens into a big, dark backyard. I hear what sounds like faint knocks at the front door. I leave my partially-finished Pure Blonde stubby behind and walk around through a kitchen and towards the front door. I open it. A young woman has arrived. I let her in and she follows me outside where another young man is waiting with two more unopened Pure Blonde stubbies. I only drink Pure Blonde while I'm in North Queensland; I much prefer ales. However, when someone else is buying the beers I find it rude to turn them down based on preference. I check my watch. It's just before seven and it's not quite time to leave.

Tonight the Exchange Hotel is re-opening its doors to the public after a $2.7 million facelift. I'm reminded that in 1964, Columbia records released Bob Dylans's third studio album entitled 'The Times They Are a-Changin'.' Over the years, the title track has been covered by acts from Nina Simone and Phil Collins to Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Vedder. It was pretty obvious that Dylan was attempting to write an anthem symbolic of the transient nature of all things and people's perception of it. For the most part, it worked - at least in the Hollywood sense. I can't recall how many times I have heard this track dubbed over some disgusting slow-motion coming-of-age montage. Although it now seems slightly ironic that so many artists would make copies of a song specifically created to be a catalyst for change. I check my watch again. We are late. We get in the car and head towards the city.

We arrive at just after half seven. We park up behind Melton Terrace and head down the hill towards the strip. The walk down along Flinders Street is bizarre. It's so far removed from all the imagery I already possess. I know where I am and have been there literally thousands of times; dodging the drunks and offering cigarettes to the bums - that's right, I'm a humanitarian.

I stop and look around again. This place is completely different. In the five years I've been gone the bulldozers and dump trucks and interior decorators don't seem to have stopped. The first thing I notice as we come down the hill towards the mall is brand new traffic lights leading into where McDonald's, and the mall itself, used to be. I can't say I'm disappointed to see the mall gone. For as long as I can remember it has been a filthy version of a former self that no one in my generation even remembers. Flinders Mall died the day David Jones moved out and the Townsville airport lost its international flights to Cairns. I know there were road blocks in place that left the local council unable to euthanize this terminal patient, however all of those seem to be gone now. The re-vamp has been finished for Flinders Street East and it seems the wrecking balls are heading west, towards the ever-cliched setting sun.

We wind our way into the old section of Flinders Street East. Its been converted into alfresco, which, combined with a seemingly conscious effort to have large windows and doors facing out of each building onto the street, makes walking into a bar more like walking into a big hug. I wonder how many dreamers this new warm and cosy atmosphere will turn into alcoholics and drug addicts and marketing managers and politicians. In short, it's absolutely mind-numbing and not something I believed I would ever see in Townsville.

We cautiously stroll towards the public bar entrance. But the public bar isn't the public bar anymore. The public bar is now a steakhouse looking like somewhere in North Texas where, at lunch time, people spit tobacco into their used coffee cups after eating brisket and potatoes and chilli. And what used to be Portraits is now a trendy-as-hell "Jade Bar" filled with couches, small tables, plush cubes and walls so new, no one has even bothered to pull out all the little annoying threads sticking out like tiny little reminders that new isn't necessarily perfect.

Other friends have already arrived and are sitting down with a couple of beers. I believe the"shock and awe" tactics of the US Government's offensive in Afghanistan were employed here. I swear I heard someone say that. The open mouths and wandering eyes spoke volumes. Everyone was a traumatized as I was. We all knew it would be different - but this? It hits home even harder when I realize I'm sitting at a table with several people who I'm either related to, or met at the old Exchange Hotel.

I try to juxtapose old and beautiful memories onto the bright room but I fail dismally. The images have already started to merge with the ones I'm creating right now. I'm standing in a place that has had such dramatic internal cosmetic surgery that it's absolutely unrecognisable.

At this realisation, and with the addition of several blue tongue lagers, I get just a little bit sentimental. Like so many others, especially those within the local Townsville music community, the Exchange was more than just a bar. When I was at university, if someone said they were going to "the pub" it was understood that the Exchange was where they meant. I knew where not to stand to avoid the notorious public bar drip, and I was part of a bunch of guys who built the upstairs stage early in 2004. Just after the turn of the century you could walk into the pub with a CD and have them play it in the public bar. This may not sound like much, but for those who felt nothing but disgust when hearing "Hot in Here" by Nelly over and over and over and over again, this was an ice cold beer for our collective ear mouth.

In 2002 they installed a jukebox in the public bar and in a single Saturday night the jukebox was ruined. If I remember correctly, someone jammed so many foreign coins in it that they started spewing out of the slot, and then others poured beer all over it. There was muso's night on Wednesday, and then upstairs on Friday and Saturday nights for rock'n'roll bands like Strapon, Ravene, Merlins Traffic or Reflux. It was where guys and girls with the long hair, tattoos, piercings and faded metal t-shirts used to feel comfortable; content not fitting in (or not being able to get in) on the rest of the strip. It was that quintessential "anything goes" vibe where the hippies and the musos and the students who couldn't afford anywhere more expensive would frequent.

Places like Molly's and Flynn's tried hard over the early years of the new millennium to bridge the gap by poaching Exchange bands. Which was understandable due to the week-in, week-out boredom found in the generic solo or duo acts of the day who played bad Fleetwood Mac or Stealers Wheel covers. In the end, they could never quite cut it.

On an online Townsville Bulletin article talking about the re-opening of the Exchange, "Simo" from Brisbane commented, "Oh no, they didn't destroy the Exchange did they? Now where will the rockers drink?" And to me, it's quite a valid question. Where will the rockers drink now?

I think about it for a while and come to the conclusion that I need to treat this as an entirely new place. It's no longer the place that the ever-trendy Mad Cow patrons call "full of rednecks and weirdos". It's a place that I've stepped into for the first time.

I need to treat it like stepping off a plane for the first time in a new city or country. First, you feel the annoying temperature-controlled cabin explode into the new reality you have found yourself in. Then, you notice the strange novelties available at the duty-free counters. After trying to reason why not to buy a bottle of cognac or wine which you could absolutely not justify buying back home, you look around and make a statement to the effect of, "my god, airports aren't actually all the same." You collect your baggage and make your way outside. Though seldom these days does one have a choice, when choosing a cab you try to choose a driver who doesn't look like he'll roll you for your sneakers. On your way to the hotel you observe the roads and how they are connected to all the buildings that seem to have sprouted like sugar cane all over the place. You try to count the lights still on in the high rises but you are distracted by the people. Their mannerisms, while similar, hold subtle differences, which once again remind you that you are all the way down the rabbit hole.

And as I walk into the front door of a place that was once as special to me as tea to the mad hatter, I am reminded that this particular rabbit hole has been gutted. The only question now is whether or not I can deal with the change.

The bright lights of the Jade Bar are getting a bit much so we decide to relocate to the Hill Garden outside area. We walk past an open kitchen, an open bar, and a bunch of middle-aged people sitting around having dinner. A guy sits by himself in the back corner on a small stage, playing his guitar. It's out of tune, and the sound grates against my spine. Apparently I'm not the only one who's noticed, as various members of my party look up, wincing. I don't mind though. He is making up for lack of ability with passion. I don't mind that.

I'm getting a bit hungry by this stage but when we enquire about the food we are told that the restaurant is not yet officially open to the general public, albeit tonight it was open specifically for the owner and his family and friends. I'm slightly perplexed and just a little disgusted by this, however I lose interest pretty quickly as I spot the only remaining remnants of the old Exchange. The smoking and non-smoking areas in the beer garden are divided by a series of polycarbonate panels forming a transparent barrier. In the smoking area, along with smokers, industrial rubbish bins, cleaning tools, ladders and other miscellaneous items, which can usually be found in a shed, I can clearly make out the familiar outline of the beloved upstairs barrels. What I notice now, though, is that they have become the proverbial fish out of water. After many years of faithful service, their worn and tatty appearance has rendered them redundant in this new sleek and stylish manifestation of the Exchange. I think I know how they feel.

The upstairs section, which now consists of the Tiger Lounge, Zanzi Bar and the Water's Edge Balcony, opens and we again relocate. As I walk up the back stairs into the new rear entrance I am completely disoriented. I can't even place the old upstairs here. Walls have been knocked down, bars have been erected, and pool tables replaced with zebra-print couches. I spend a bit of time watching the band in Zanzi Bar and then make my way out to the balcony. Upon inspection I'm relieved to find that no serious modifications have been made out here. Of course, all the old chairs and tables are gone, replaced with cane easy-chairs (whose durability I have concerns about). Strange tropical fans have been added, and while sitting in an easy chair I notice it is very hard to have a normal conversation with someone who isn't.

I check my watch and my wallet and realize that in three hours I've already spent nearly $80 on beer alone - and the fact that I'm able to still do that kind of math means I've not had nearly enough. It was time for tequila shots.

Four tequila shots with mojito chasers later, I ditch my friends and wander around by myself. I feel like a tourist in my own home town, like someone has bulldozed my childhood home and replaced it with a used car yard. I look around and find myself surrounded by young guys wearing button-up shirts with vertical stripes. They have trendy haircuts and expensive leather shoes. The girls wear high heels and tight dresses with sequins. It's hard to say whether or not these are the old crew dressed to the nines, or whether the new has inevitably replaced the old. Could it really be that the whole sub-culture has become extinct?

Someone commented earlier in the night that it's an amazing bar, but it's just not The Exchange. But what does that really mean? And is that really such a bad thing? Is it really such a problem that young Townsvillians choose to spend more money on overpriced alcohol and clothes and haircuts than on cars and records and plane tickets? Is it really such a problem now that when you see a band, they may have played Coachella or SXSW? Is it really so disappointing that when a guy meets a cute girl in a bar, she may have been Miss Indy or Miss Universe Australia? Is it really so shocking that when a girl meets a cute guy, he may be a painter, or going to NIDA?

I'm inclined to think that what has happened to the Exchange is just an example of a transformation that the whole city has undergone in the last five years. Townsville has finally transcended its sporting-centric mentality and is producing talent, which is being showcased on national and international stages (whether it knows it or not). The spotlight is on Townsville a lot more these days than it used to be, so why shouldn't people pretty themselves up a little bit for the camera? The lenses shift north to where the weather is warm, the sun is always shining and the beer is always ice-cold, and when the mirror is raised, it's important that we reflect the true nature of our beautiful city. We all have our favourites and tastes and style but we would all do well to remember the everyone is someone else's "redneck".

So if this is indeed the death of one of Townsville's most iconic pubs of the late 90s and early 00s and the sub-culture has died along with it, then we should stop, take a deep breath, play 'Stairway to Heaven' at full volume and have a minute's silence during Jimmy Page's legendary solo. We should pay homage to what it has produced and what it has influenced. And when we exhale, we must breathe life into this new place, which one day will quite possibly become greater than its father.

I can only speculate whether all of these changes are for the best or not, but in the end, does it really even matter? To me it's neither good nor bad. It just is. And for those who seek to reason how and why these things happen, I recommend you look to Dylan from back in '64, because just as he said, "the times they are a-changin'."