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Welcome to Undercover Music News for January 2010...

This Month...

+  Eric BogleNational tour with latest album + first ever live DVD
+  Gary ShearstonTouring in February
+  Fiddlers FeastHappy 15th birthday!
+  Warren FaheyRooted in the country!
+  Mic Conway’s National Junk BandTour Dates
+  CODAVote for ‘Forces’ in Triple J’s hottest 100
+  Telemetry Orchestra'Behind the Scenes' for Trent Nathan
+  The LovetonesBoardwalk Empire!
+  sounditoutVideo all the Rage
+  Saints of IndiaThe ship has landed
+  SouthendBack behind the wheels of steel

This month’s edition of UCM Radio features new singles from CODA, Saints of India and sounditout. Plus Eric Bogle, Gary Shearston, Mic Conway’s National Junk Band, Fiddlers Feast, The Lovetones and Southend.

Check It Out Here!

Eric Bogle

‘National living treasure’ Eric Bogle is back in Australia after a mammoth 88 date tour of North America and the UK promoting his latest and possibly last studio album The Dreamer along with his first ever DVD Live at Stonyfell Winery which offers 21 songs including golden oldies and some newly written material.

The tour was a remarkable success with sold-out audiences everywhere he played. Australian audiences can now look forward to him gracing the stage in April/May 2010. As Capital News’ Jon Wolfe writes ‘if you haven’t seen him live, put it on your to-do list and immerse yourself in the majesty of Eric Bogle and his music’. Watch this space for more details.

Look and listen out for Eric Bogle in Messenger Community News, The Murray Pioneer, The Sunday Mail, JB Hi-Fi Mag, Country Update, Capital News, Trad & Now, WA’s Irish Scene, The Border Mail, Sydney Morning Herald, Blarney Bulletin, Tsunami Magazine, Simply Australia and on ABC Local Radio, Radio National and community radio nationwide especially 2BAY, 2OCN, 6NR, 3RRR, 2BLU, 3PVR, 2REM, 2BAB, 3INR, 4BAY, 3WYN, 2SEA, 2LVR, 2BAR, 2WET, 3SCB, 2EAR, 2RDJ, 6MKA, 1VFM, 1XXR, 2BAR, 7LTN, 4TTT, 4NSA, 4NAG, 4BCR, 3RPC, 3PBS, 3MBR, 3CH & 2CCC.

Both The Dreamer (RRR47) and Live at Stonyfell Winery (RRR48) are available at retail through MGM Distribution as well as Folk Trax, Trad & Now and directly from Undercover Music via mail order. Fans can also now download the best of Bogle’s back catalogue Singing The Spirit Home which has been released online through MGM.

More Information:  Artist Page

Gary Shearston

If you haven’t heard Gary Shearston’s latest double album The Best Of All Trades then to coin a phrase DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR.

As Capital News’ Keith Glass comments ‘Gary has here a document that should finally place him in the pantheon of our greatest song commentators.’ Sydney Morning Herald’s eminently respected Bruce Elder adds ‘Remarkable! Shearston’s songwriting and music have not been blunted by age’ whilst Simply Australia’s Jim Low concludesthe songs that make up this 2CD set are, as the title song says, definitely "sung from the heart". We live in uncertain times and these are songs of our time. They are honest responses to the world we live in and share.’ 

In some wonderful news for the Shearston faithful, Gary returns to the stage in February for some intimate acoustic performances commencing on Friday 5th February at a very special house concert at Lawson in the Blue Mountains put on by Greg & Lyn Hudson of Stairway to Kevin Records fame. For details or to book tickets, contact 0408 977 643 / 02 4759 1916 or stairwaytokevin@optusnet.com.au.

Gary then appears at the Museum of Sydney on Saturday 6th February at 2PM as part of the Martin Sharp Artist exhibition before returning to the reopened Harp Hotel in Tempe (the scene of his triumphant Anthology launch in November 2007) on Sunday afternoon 7th February.

Tour Dates: See the Gig Guide for dates and venues (top right).

More Information:  Artist Page

Warren Fahey

In 2010 Rouseabout will be releasing two restricted triple-R CDs of bawdy songs by Warren and some of his musical mates. Titled Rooted in the Country and Rooted in the Country – Again! 

The songs on the albums are very politically incorrect - racist, homophobic, sexist and every other taboo - and all collected from Australia’s rugby, bushwalking and rabblerousing past, and an important record of our disappearing colloquial language. These albums are sure to offend, shock (and entertain) whilst saluting our musical past – something Warren knows a thing or two about. The CDs will be released in conjunction with Warren Fahey's next book 'Sing Us Anothery, Dirty As Buggery', a detailed study of the bawdy song and poem in the Australian tradition.

Fresh from a Best World Music Album ARIA nomination for his 10 CD box set Australia: Folk Songs & Bush Verse released through ABC Music/Universal Music Australia Warren is also busy collaborating with video designer Mic Gruchy to produce six five minute films that will tell the story of Cockatoo Island from convict prison to dockyard and now parkland. They will be part of an installation in the old convict prison barracks on Cockatoo, and free to the public.

Fiddlers Feast

In 1996, on a stinking hot January afternoon, a line of impatient people queued up outside the tiny Uniting Church in Bridge Street. The hall quickly filled and the air-con groaned under the weight of the capacity audience. On stage, Pixie Jenkins, Marcus Holden, Andrew Clermont, Garry Steel and Ray Schloeffel whipped the crowd into a frenzy with their music and repartee.

It all started as a jam, a chance to play together; to explore the limits of fiddle music from around the world. Outside, while the twangs of the Tamworth Country Music Festival echoed down Peel St, the Fiddlers Festival (as it became known) took the audience on a musical journey to far off lands." We played everything from Bach to Bluegrass, Irish to Gypsy, Argentinean & Greek. We still do", says Marcus Holden. "How could we be called mainstream country? We don't even bother entering the Golden Guitar Awards these days!" The years rolled by and more fiddlers joined in. Marian Burns, from New Zealand, the Davidson Brothers (when they were just kids), Ian Cooper, Mike Kerin, Michael Lozin, Clare O'Meara, Mark Oats, George Washingmachine to name just a few. "We still have to limit the number of players; everyone wants to be part of the show!”

Then things kinda went berserk. We toured nationally for the Arts Council, went to Japan four times, Europe (met some fantastic French- Canadian fiddlers at this huge festival in Brittany), Malaysia, we even opened the Golden Guitar Awards in 2000! It's been a wild ride!

One of the saddest events was the passing of Ray Schoeffel. Ray's story is such a tale of triumph in the face of adversity. He was a ward of the state from birth and was taught by nuns. He was busking professionally at the age 13, having left his foster home. His ability to hold audiences in the palm of his hand was awe-inspiring. He said the fiddle was the only thing that kept him out of prison!

Various groups sprung up around what is now called Fiddlers Feast: The Golden Fiddle Awards, Hawkesbury National Fiddle Festival and Southern Cross Fiddlers to name a few and the FF started  collaborating with other artists; Graeme Connors, Jimmy Little, John Waters, Warren Fahey etc.

"We spend our lives in the recording studio, working on albums for lots of different people from Jimmy Barnes and Diesel to films like 'Australia' and even plays like Tim Finn's 'Poor Boy'. If you look at what we do outside the FF, it's amazing! We work in so many diverse musical situations".

These days scheduling gigs for the FF takes real planning! We nearly didn't get to Tamworth last year with a high profile gig that came up at the same time in Manila (the Philippines that is.. not just up the road). Andrew Clermont spends most of his time in Europe. George Washingmachine and Mark Oats are also there for several months of the year as well. Clare O'Meara, apart working with Brian Cadd gets to feature on Australian Idol (when she can fit it in) and while Marcus Holden has been performing with orchestras around Oz and the United States with Scotland the Brave, Mike Kerin tours to Europe every year with the ACO.

So, it's official. The FF turns 15 at the 2010 Tamworth CMF. "We've come along way from playing in a little church......we're back playing in a small room! (The Scully Room at the Southgate Inn holds about 200 people). Actually we love the intimacy of smaller venues but we hope we don't have to turn people away!" See you all ... it'll be huge!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FIDDLERS FEAST!

Tour Dates: See the Gig Guide for dates and venues (top right).

Mic Conway's National Junk Band

2010 is shaping up as another busy year for Mic Conway & the National Junk Band.

Mic will perform at The Vanguard in Newtown in DUO mode with Robbie Long on Wednesday 13th January. Mic has really been enjoying playing in a more intimate mode - telling stories and going back to some songs from the Matchbox days and beyond. Audiences can hear every word ... all the corniness of his lyrics and jokes. The material is quite different and he is even writing new songs for the duo!

After having recently played at the Peats Ridge Festival, the National Junk Band will be doing some traveling in March - to both Melbourne and Tasmania where they will perform at the Forth Valley Blues Festival. Stay tuned, and keep an eye on their myspace site for details www.myspace.com/nationaljunkband.

Tour Dates: See the Gig Guide for dates and venues (top right).

CODA

Art rock orchestra CODA has a new single out that is in the running for Triple J’s hottest 100!

‘Forces’ features their new vocalists Royce Doherty (Kiva) & Jessica O’Donoghue plus a whole new sound for CODA and was mixed by the wonderful Lee Groves of Depeche Mode, Goldfrapp & Bertie Blackman fame (just to name a few).

You can listen to ‘Forces’ on the CODA Artist Page and vote for CODA in JJJ’s Hottest 100 here. You can also request the song on Triple J’s super request.

‘Forces’ taken from CODA’s forthcoming album to be released later this year is now available on iTunes through Vitamin Records.

Listen out for CODA on Triple J, FBi, 2SER, Triple R & PBS FM.

Also CODA main man Nick Wales has teamed up with former band member Bree Van Reyk to compose a vibrant electro-acoustic score to Shaun Parker’s latest dance theatre work Happy As Larry which is part of Sydney Festival 2010. Parker’s work was last seen at Sydney Festival with his award-winning This Show is About People (2008) of which Wales also co-wrote the soundtrack available through Silent Recordings.

For more information and screening times visit the Sydney Festival website.

More Information:  Artist Page

Telemetry Orchestra

The T.O’s ‘Under the Cherry Tree’ from their Empire LP continues to be in demand in advertising circles having been licensed by Trent Nathan for their upcoming 'Behind The Scenes' Fashion video.

Listen to the track on this month’s edition of Undercover Radio or visit their artist page below.

More Information:  Artist Page

Saints of India

Yep! Records are very excited about the January 2010 release of ‘Mothership’ the debut single by Saints of India.

An adaptation of the writings of Mother Shipton who was burnt at the stake for practicing witchcraft in 1561, Saints’ Stu McCarthy came across her writings and painstakingly arranged them in the form they appear in 'Mothership'. It's amazing how much of what she wrote has come true and a little chilling if all of it eventually comes to pass!?

‘Mothership’ will be serviced to media later this month, in the meantime check it out in this month’s edition of UCM Radio. The ship has landed, 2010 watch it go to fire!

More Information:  Artist Page

sounditout

The video for latest single ‘The Russian’ directed by Jesse Allan who has previously worked on feature films like ‘Wolverine’ & ‘Australia’ is currently playing on ABC TV’s Rage and has been chosen to stream on their website.

The sounditout boys have remixed the likes of The Presets, Infusion & Zoot Woman and supported Peaches on her last tour.

3D World describes SOUNDITOUT as ‘in the mould of The Presets, these boys are a serious force to be reckoned with’. www.mediasearch.com.au goes further sounditout are in one word brilliant. Their EP is cool and unconventional and their sound is something we've never heard before while The Place declare their debut EP ‘dance release of the month for sure – amazingly high in quality and production’.

Look and listen out for SOUNDITOUT on RAGE, 3PBS, Triple R, Austereo’s Radar Radio & FBi.

More Information:  Artist Page  |  Artist MySpace

Southend

Techno rave legends Southend who brought you ‘The Winner Is…’, ‘Take Me Up’, ‘The Dream’ and the 2004 remix of Vagen’s ‘Buggin’ are finally back in the studio working on new material that will be released in 2010.
Southend has released their entire back catalogue (including previously unreleased material) online through iTunes. After launching the online release with a killer DJ set at ‘Sunrise’ a few months back, Southend will be back behind the wheels of steel in March 2010 playing alongside Black Box. Expect to hear some new remixes of ‘Take Me Up’ with Binary Finary and Australia’s leading lady of hard-house BeXta currently working hard in their studios! Binary Finary road tested their mix at Sensation in Melbourne on New Year’s Eve. Check out the footage here.
You can hear a selection of Southend tracks on their SoundCloud page including ‘If You Believe Revisited’ which they performed at Utopia NYE 2004 plus check out Southend on Myspace.

More Information:  Artist Page  |  MySpace

The Lovetones

In a massive coup for Matthew J Tow’s The Lovetones, ‘Navigator’ from their Axiom LP is being used in the promo campaign of HBO’s next smash TV series “Boardwalk Empire”.

Creators of cult TV shows such as “True Blood” & “Carnivale”, “Boardwalk Empire” – is based on the novel by Nelson Johnson and takes place in Atlantic City during the Roaring 20s. The first episode will be directed by none other than Martin Scorsese. The promotional campaign commences across the USA January 10, 2010.

Also, look out for a new show on ABC TV in 2010 called I ROCK which features our very own The Lovetones performing their hit 'Wintertime in Hollywood'. I ROCK tells the story of an up and coming young band that finally gets their first gig (supporting Matt Tow and his band) at the Annandale Hotel and is also set to be released on DVD.

More Information:  Artist Page

Big Pond Music

Undercover Music releases are also available online through BigPond Music

 

Fiddlers Feast:
Tamworth Country Music Festival:

  1. Tuesday January 19, Southgate Inn
  2. Wednesday January 20, Southgate Inn
  3. Thursday January 21, Southgate Inn
  4. Friday January 22, Southgate Inn
  5. Saturday January 23, Southgate Inn

Mic Conway's National Junk Band

  1. Wednesday January 13, The Vanguard, Newtown, NSW (Mic Conway + Robbie Long duo) with very special guests Frencham Smith
  2. Sunday March 21, Forth Valley Blues Festivfal, TAS

Southend

  1. Saturday March 13, Anthem @ SMC Function & Convention Centre, Sydney

Gary Shearston

  1. Friday February 5, The Lawson House Concert, Blue Mountains, NSW
  2. Saturday February 6, Museum of Sydney, NSW (Martin Sharp Artist exhibition) 2PM
  3. Sunday February 7, Harp Hotel, Tempe, NSW 2-5pm