Latest News  June 2014

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This month’s edition of Undercover Radio features brand new songs from the Australian Gold Rush era by Warren Fahey & Luke Webb with Marcus Holden with Garry Steel, music from the forthcoming Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to AROUND THE BLOCK, some more ‘classics’ reinterpreted by Marcus Holden and also Fiddlers Feast.

Check It Out Here!

Warren Fahey

Warren Fahey is a regular on ABC Radio and one of our foremost cultural historians and pre-eminent folklorists not to mention author and performer who uses traditional songs as signposts to explore Australian history has teamed up with some extremely talented musicians to record & produce The World Turned Upside Down featuring songs from the Australian gold rush era.

Most of the songs in the collection come to us from anonymous writers however there are two exceptional contributors - Charles Thatcher, better known as ‘The Colonial Minstrel’and Joe Small, another well-known colonial singer and music publisher who used the non-de-plume of ‘George Chanson’. The role of these ‘popular’ songwriters and music publishers cannot be underestimated for their songs definitely travelled far and wide. We are also fortunate that both identified the tunes to their songs. Other songs came from newspapers, magazine and the oral tradition - many have never been recorded before, especially the songs about the early New South Wales gold rush.

The music features Luke Webb, a young Sydney-based musician with an interest in American old-timey and bluegrass music. His singing, banjo, guitar and singing on this album helped to illustrate the American minstrel influences. Marcus Holden is a multi instrumentalist playing fiddle, mandolin, cello, guitar and keyboard. Garry Steel is an accordion virtuoso and pianist. His colourful playing of the upright piano injected a sound that helped recreate the music of the goldfield hotels. Elsen Price is a highly talented, young bass player who happened to be passing by the studio one day and was roped into a session. Warren Fahey sings and plays concertina.
The World Turned Upside Down (RRR63) is OUT June 13th digitally through iTunes and on CD through MGM Distribution or directly from Undercover Music via mail order.

You can catch Garry Steel and Marcus Holden on Sunday afternoons at New Hampton Hotel Kings Cross.

More Information:  Album Page

Marcus Holden

“Really interesting”, “Great album”, “Delightful”, “Marcus Holden never fails to deliver something different!” These are just some of the adjectives music tastemakers are using to describe Marcus Holden’s Cicadas & Roses LP.

Country Harvest’s Raymond Phillips suggests … Whatever genre Cicadas & Roses is classified as, the musical works are brilliant. The release just shows the professionalism of Marcus as a Master a true musician. 

Conuntry Music Capital News’ Susan Jarvis adds “Marcus Holden’s best known in country circles as a fiddle player, having been involved in numerous projects, including the Fiddlers Feast and the Golden Fiddle Awards. But Marcus is also an accomplished classical violinist, and his new album draws on that as much as his folk and country sensibility. This is an exquisite album, which takes some of the great musical classics and brings them back to their roots, with a simpler, more folk sensibility that works beautifully. This album is stripped back and organic, but at the same time it conveys the subtleties of these timeless tunes in a warm, accessible way. My favourites included Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto In G Major, the ethereal Winter from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, the gentle Salut D’Amor and Marcus’s own wonderful composition, To Say Goodbye. Other standouts are Sicilienne and Song Of India. Marcus’s playing is superb, as is that of fellow musicians Raimondo Fioravanti, Garry Steel, Andrew Toner and Elsen Price. This album is a gorgeous, rich musical tapestry that is a sheer joy to listen to.”

In the meantime, look and listen out for Marcus Holden on Radio Eastern 98.1, EBI FM, Today’s Country 94One, OPus-Music Country Radio, BAY FM 100.3, 99.9 Voice FM, Highland FM 107.1, 2Bobradio 104.7FM, Radio 1629am Newcastle, VOX FM, ONE FM Shepparton, Country Harvest, 5GTR FM, 2SER, 90.1 Happy FM, 3MDR, 3RPP, ZuidWest FM (Netherlands) and in this month’s Country Music Capital News.

Cicadas & Roses (RRR62) is OUT NOW digitally through iTunes and on CD through MGM Distribution or directly from Undercover Music via mail order.

Always keeping busy Marcus recently did some wax cylinder recording for the Screen and Sound Archives at the National Folk Festival in Canberra. Check out the following links...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-Ev8j2dmp-vVkcyVlBWQ1hVbGM
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-Ev8j2dmp-vVWhvS3hNNk5nTVU
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-Ev8j2dmp-vdW9mcXJLQjI0M3c

More Information:  Artist Page    |    Artist SoundCloud    |    Artist Spotify

Fiddlers Feast

Fiddlers Feast’s ‘Eine Kleine Nutmusik’ from their Frenzee LP has been licensed for USA based Pointe West Performances’ production of “Alice in Wonderland”. The performance is the culmination of their student’s academic season of study -- and exposes them to professional dancers from around the world (from London, UK, to Portland Oregon).

Since Alice goes down under once she's down the rabbit hole, PWP are elated to have the music of Australian composers for at least two of the scenes having already secured usage of Andrew Skeoch's ‘Listening Earth’ nature recordings of the outback to bring the show closer to the magic of Australia.

Australia’s premier fiddle band Fiddlers Feast has also been invited back to Skagen Music Festival in Denmark in July 0214. They will also be performing at the 'Memmingen Meile' in Southern Germany as well as house concerts and gigs in Aarhus and Copenhagen.

Limelight magazine suggests “If you could have only one live band on your desert island, then choose Fiddler's Feast. They are rollicking fun, with plenty of fiddles, and a tight rhythm section playing with precision and power.”

More Information:  Artist Page

Around The Block

AROUND THE BLOCK starring Jack Thompson and Golden Globe® and Emmy Award® nominee Christina Ricci will release across Australia on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital platforms on July 16 but consumers will first have the opportunity to see the film on the big screen with a short window of theatrical screenings kicking off on June 16th at the Cremorne Orpheum. Following the local Australian release, US distributor Random Media are excited to release the film in North America in August.

Directed by first-time feature film director Sarah Spillane, Around the Block also features a breakout performance from newcomer Hunter Page-Lochard and an outstanding Australian supporting cast including Damien Walshe-Howling (Underbelly, Mystery Road), Daniel Henshall (Not Suitable for Children, Snowtown), Matt Nable (Underbelly, Bikie Wars) and media celebrity, Ruby Rose.

AROUND THE BLOCK is about breaking cycles and building dreams. Set in a contemporary, tough, inner-city precinct, this is a story of revenge and triumph, as a teenage boy is torn between his unexpected love of theatre and the disintegration of his family. With encouragement from his unconventional American drama teacher, he confronts his past and eventually takes control of his future.

AROUND THE BLOCK premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival with critics calling it ‘Aussie’s film triumph’ ‘magical’ and "a powerful drama’. AROUND THE BLOCK was also the closing night film at the Canberra Film Festival in November 2013. On both occasions everyone commented on the strength of the music in the film.

AROUND THE BLOCK (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) features a stellar line-up that includes Aussie Hip-Hop sensations Thundamentals (whose new album So We Can Remember was recently Triple J’s feature album of the week) , Horrorshow, Spit Syndicate, Astronomy Class & Tuka, Canadian indie darlings Half Moon Run, plus Matt & Kim, Jenny Morris, Ngaiire and CODA’s Nick Wales who also scored the film.

The first single from the soundtrack is Ngaiire & Nick Wales’ beautiful cover version of ‘Broken Wings’ which will be serviced to radio, television & online this month.

AROUND THE BLOCK will screen at the Beijing International Film Festival and Newport Beach Film Festival in April followed by the San Francisco Frameline Film Festival in June.

Theatrical screenings of the film will begin on June 16th at Cremorne Orpheum followed by a screening at The Randwick Ritz on the June 23rd. In Melbourne it will screen on June 24th at Nova in Carlton followed by Canberra at the Limelight Cinema on June 25th.

Pinnacle Films will release the film on DVD, Blu-ray and all major Digital platforms on July 16. Around the Block will be available from major retailers including JB HiFi, Big W and Sanity and on digital.

Look & listen out for AROUND THE BLOCK on Facebook, YouTube, 1VFM, 2XX, 2BAB, 2BAY, 2BBB, 2BLU, 2BOB, 2CCC, FBiRadio, 2HHH, Koori Radio (2LND), 2MCE, 2MCR, Monaro FM, 2MTM, 2NCR, 2NVR, 2OCB, 2OOO, 2RDJ, 2RRR, Radio Skid Row, 2SEA, 2SER, TUNE! FM 106.9, Triple U FM, Highland FM 107.1, WOW FM 100.7, Gove FM (8EAR), CAAMA Radio (8KIN), Katherine Community Radio (8KTR), Territory FM 104.1, 4BAY, 4BI, 4BVR, 4CCR, 4DDD, Fraser Coast FM 107.5, 92.9 Voice FM, 4K1G - Too Deadly!, 4ZZZ, 5BBB, Fresh 92.7, 5PBA, ROX FM, Radio Adelaide, Edge Radio 99.3 FM, 7LTN, Tasman FM, 99.9 Voice FM, 3CH, 3CR, Triple H 96.5 FM, JOY 94.9, 3KND - Kool and Deadly, 3MDR, North West FM, 3NRG 99.3FM, 3OCR, PBS FM, Plenty Valley FM 88.6, 3RPC FM, 3RPP, Triple R, Radio Upper Murray, Casey Radio, Smart FM 99.1, SYN Media, Yarra Valley FM 99.1, 3WBC 94.1 Your FM Station, 3ZZZ, WMA FM (Castlemaine District Radio Inc), Wangki Yupurnanupurru Radio, Radio Goolarri (6GME), 6KCR FM, Noongar Radio (6NME), Puranyangu-Rangka Kerrem / 6PRK, RTR FM, and Voice of the Avon (6YCR).

Around The Block (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (SIL018) is OUT July 11th digitally through iTunes and on limited edition CD directly from Undercover Music via mail order.

More Information:  Album Page

Undercover Music

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- Ron Graves, Canada

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