Mark Kozelek has been thrilling and inspiring his legion of devoted fans since 1989 over the course of 13 albums and a dizzying tally of shorter releases in his own name, under the banner of Sun Kil Moon and of course with his near-legendary outfit Red House Painters.

2008 sees the release of April, the new album from Sun Kil Moon - Mark Kozelek’s first original record since the acclaimed 2003 Sun Kil Moon debut Ghosts Of The Great Highway. 11 songs at almost 74 minutes, April is a collection of songs recorded between March and August 2007 in San Francisco (Hyde Street Studios) and Seattle (Well Recording). In the spirit of Sun Kil Moon’s Ghosts and Tiny Cities, Mark was joined by the same players as before, including drummer Anthony Koutsos (Red House Painters), bassist Geoff Stanfield (Black Lab), violist Michi Aceret, and percussionist David Revelli. April also finds Mark in the company of guest vocalists Bonnie Prince Billy, Ben Gibbard, and Eric Pollard (Retribution Gospel Choir).

Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon returns to Australia for his second tour in July: July
Thu 24: The Troubadour, Fortitude Valley, QLD
Fri 25: The Factory Theatre, Enmore, NSW
Sat 26: The East Brunswick Club, Brunswick, Vic
Sun 27: The East Brunswick Club, Brunswick, Vic

Tickets on sale Monday April 14th.
April is out in Australia through Spunk.
Mark Kozelek is proudly presented by Mobile Industries and Troy Horse Australia.

ANGIE HART (FRENTE) AND DAVID MCCORMACK (CUSTARD) LIVE AND INTIMATE ON THE EAST COAST

Angie Hart and David McCormack will be treading the boards this July with a series of intimate, inimitable shows performing works old and new from their extensive collective musical repertoires.

As household name with Frente, through to Splendid, Holidays on Ice and now as solo performer, Angie Hart possesses one of Australia’s best-loved voices. Her long-awaited debut long-player ‘Grounded Bird’ was many a critic’s short list choice for the last 12 months. Most recently at the invitation of Victoria’s Traffic Accident Commission, Angie lent her voice to a haunting cover of The Cure’s ‘Pictures of You’ for their biggest ever TV campaign, highlighting speed awareness.

Equally, David McCormack is a name synonymous with great Australian singing and songwriting. Through a decade with Custard and then onto the Titanics and The Polaroids, his catalogue remains past and present soulful, melodic and poptastic.

In celebration of these July dates Dave releases ‘Cassingle’, a clutch of songs (it says here) “stripped them down to their underwear and supplied them to you, dear listener, on this convenient digital disc”. ‘Cassingle’ is a forerunner to his new album and will be available for sale at these shows.

Having toured extensively with full band, Angie performs songs on this intimate run in duo mode. Like Angie, David will be performing in pared down back to bare bones basics mode.

Who knows? If the mood takes them and the stars align, they may even perform a couple of tracks together, but you’ll have to be there to catch that magic.

Due to the overwhelming response from fans and swag of sold out shows on the east coast in May, those dashing swamp monsters from the wild west, The Kill Devil Hills head east again this August. Described as “one of the best live bands this country has to offer” The Kill Devil Hills’ rickety, dirty, intense take on rock, folk, gospel, country and blues makes for a brooding and volatile live show. This is a band searching for the delicate balance between beauty and savagery: gristly electric guitar and overdriven violin vying against the fragile twang of a banjo; a heartaching drawl matched against the swelling cacophony. Don’t be dissuaded by the banjo, mandolin or fiddle though. This is a serious rock-and-roll band on their last journey east before they start work on their much anticipated third album, and as a treat for you all they’ll be road testing some new songs before setting them in stone. Make sure you get in early, their last shows sold out fast.

$28 presold

Pedro the Lion’s David Bazan, recently named #85 in Paste Magazine’s Top 100 Living Songwriters, makes his first visit to Australia in August. Here promoting his new debut solo Fewer Moving Parts, the EP takes it’s place as the next intriguing chapter by a writer internationally known for his involved lyrical narratives. More than just a live show, Bazan invites questions and interaction with the audience, often discussing meanings behind his songs filled with both spiritual & marital conflict. Making the rounds with him is fellow American Jefrey Siler of Clemente in support of his new album …Whilst Honey Hums. Hailing from Atlanta, GA Siler’s made his own name in the dirty south as the wordsmith behind Clemente & their “doll-house-bummer-rock-sound.”

Martin Martini doesn’t really trust humans – he prefers animals and chess. ‘I love a game where a horse can eat a bishop. There should be more of that. I love a game where a queen takes pawn. I think all queens should take a bit of pawn. The world would be a much better place if there was just a little more pawn…” His unconventional approach to life mirrors itself in his music. Nobody explained to him that you couldn’t make an orchestra with just a few freakishly talented misfits playing clarinet, trombone, guitar, bass, drums and keys. So in defiance he formed the Bone Palace Orchestra; fusing grooves of jazz, blues, and matchless show-tunes; with good old fashioned rock’n’roll. Bur Martini is uncomfortable with being reduced to such labels: ‘If you tell people you’re gypsy rock, they expect gypsy rock.’ So Martini avoids such expectations and seeks to keep his critics guessing. Indeed, such a reductive term fails to capture the gist of music that makes you want to dance, cry, laugh and yell in equal measures.

Martin Martini & The Bone Palace Orchestra’s second foray into the studio, We’re All Just Monkeys 2008, marks a progression; a real maturity and tightness in their work. Musically they have traded some of their chaos for depth but sacrificed none of their subversion. From a love story between a monkey and a sardine (Monkey and Sardine) to a song that Eddie Perfect has described as the kind of song you’d slow dance to at the wedding of a couple you just know aren’t going to make it (Knife), Martini’s music forces you to really listen rather than just let you take it in passively like a passenger. And like Goerge Orwell, the man he quotes in the liner notes of the album, he refuses to just sit down and shut up. Such an irreverent approach is bound to alienate people. But then, he never did want to waste his life being one of those men that just fitted in. When asked whether his brash, passionate, and at times obnoxious style might often people, and whether this bothers him, he simply smiles his big serial-killer smile and says: ‘we’re all just monkeys…’

Come, smile and play and be part of Martin Martini & The Bone Palace Orchestra’s second album launch at The Troubadour on August 17 w/special guest: Mikki Riss & Edward Guglielmino.

$25 + BF

Mistletone proudly presents the first ever Australian tour by Beach House, the Baltimore girl-boy duo of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally.

A devoted cult has sprung up around Beach House following their two gorgeously dark dreampop albums, Beach House and Devotion. Beach House’s gloriously intense live performances create an otherworldy space with organs, slide guitars, reverb, harmony, layers, echoes and melodies and Victoria’s extraordinary voice and presence. As a special treat for Australian audiences, the Beach House duo will be accompanied by drummer and percussionist Dave Bergander of Baltimore art-rockers Celebration. Intimate and warm, sensual and hazy, the dreamlike magic and compelling beauty of Beach House are the surefire antidote to the winter blues.

Tickets on sale Monday June 2.

Over the past few years Paul Greene has been given the thumbs up by John Butler, The Waifs & Ani DiFranco, hi-jacked by Midnight Oil’s Rob Hirst and served as the inspiration behind Ben Harper’s ‘Diamonds On The Inside’. He has sold nearly 30,000 albums; however, you won’t see his name on any charts, as Greene has taken a staunchly independent path which has led him on a journey through countless festivals, bar rooms and concert halls across Australia.

Greene’s forthcoming release ‘Distance Over Time’ is poised to introduce his undeniable talents to the mainstream. From the radio friendly ‘Pretty Girls’ through to the timeless balladry of ‘Shine Like Gold’ there’s something on offer for both new and long-time fans. Throughout the album’s 18 tracks Greene morphs into the tongue in cheek pop poser (‘Let It Flow’, ‘Singalong’), the introspective tunesmith (‘Picture’, ‘Something To Talk About’); the devoted husband/lover (‘Whatever Happens’, ‘Shine Like Gold’) and the homesick troubadour (‘Jervis Bay’); then switches to the folk-hop groove of ‘Get Over It’ (which will be accompanied by a new video/surf clip), and the sublime pop of ‘This Way’. There are also studio recordings of the oft requested ‘Work Love Dance Trust’, ‘Some Simplicity’ and ‘Jervis Bay’ from his popular live album ‘Happy Here with You’. Never hesitant to put his own spin on classic songs, Greene’s also included stunning interpretations of The Waterboys’ ‘The Whole Of The Moon’ and Jeff Buckley’s ‘The Last Goodbye’ - a JJJ favourite lifted from the Buckley tribute album ‘Stars In Their Belly’.

‘Distance Over Time’ is a phenomenal showcase for Paul Greene’s songwriting skills, justifying the many critics who regard him as one of Australian music’s best-kept secrets. Sydney Morning Herald’s Bernard Zuel remarked how he moves effortlessly “from rustic folk-pop to unreconstructed rocker; from herbal roots ex-surfer type to intense singer-songwriter”. “Greene’s genuine songwriting stands above all else” proclaimed the Newcastle Herald; “You could be forgiven for thinking we may have our own Jack Johnson but Greene is more than that!” exclaims the Daily Telegraph. DIG radio says, “Paul Greene is growing into one of the best Australian singer songwriters” whilst Nova called his music “refreshingly honest and as catchy as you like” before anointing him Australia’s best unsigned acoustic act in 2007.

Greene has been performing with various bands live since the age of 12, and has been a full time musician since completing high school. He had a three year scholarship at the University of Southern California where he studied recording arts and began showcasing his songwriting at such venues as the Whisky Au Go Go and The Roxy on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip. As a hobby, Greene competed in track and field where he represented Australia at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic games, and was twice a Commonwealth Games finalist - leading somewhat of a double life - but supporting himself through music the whole time. He spent 2005 working with Midnight Oil’s Rob Hirst in the duo Hirst & Greene releasing the album ‘In the Stealth of Summer’ [ABC/Warner] and the DVD ‘Hirst & Greene - Live at the Basement’.

With 2008 shaping up as a big year for Paul Greene he will be hitting the road for a series of shows commencing mid March to promote the forthcoming album. Paul has been confirmed as the national support for the much loved, Grammy nominated U.S singer/songwriter Patty Griffin and on a number of dates with platinum selling country rocker Adam Brand whose recent work has seen him cross over into the pop charts.

$15

Retro has never been so confounding! (in a good way)

Melbourne band The Basics have thus-far made a living out of revisiting the sounds of yesteryear, but now they’re doing a retrospective of their own by re-releasing “Get Back” – their little-known debut album from 2002, remastered and repackaged.

The band played their first gigs under the name “The Big Nothing”, officially becoming known as The Basics in early 2002. At the time Wally De Backer (long before his emergence as Gotye) and Kris Schroeder were playing intense 4-hour Wednesday-night residencies at the infamous House of Fools in Footscray to an audience of skinheads and semi-professional wrestlers.

Michael Hubbard joined The Basics midway through 2002 as their on-and-off guitarist, and the group recorded the cheekily-titled “Get Back”, an album of all-original songs with heart and influence worn proudly on the sleeve (Hubbard, now of Downhills Home, left the group in mid-2004 and was replaced by Tim Heath).

Fast forward six years, and these original 1000 CDs sold out long ago. So it is that before the release of exciting new material that will see The Basics progress beyond their roots and into uncharted territory, the time seems right to stop and take a look back at their humble beginnings.

And as with the original pressing, MGM Distribution will proudly re-release “Get Back” on August 2nd through iTunes and all good record stores.

“think a tiny smattering of John Butler Trio / Xavier Rudd mixed in with some Neil Young and maybe some James Taylor” Drum Media

“reminiscent of both early Bob Dylan and John Mayer” Rolling Stone

“Bob Dylan-inspired poetic enlightenment” Beat

Not many musicians are versed in the art of wilderness survival; Brett Dennen however is the exception. The Californian based home schooled laid-back folk rocker spent his early twenties as a camp counsellor in Yosemite. Brett Dennen has come a long way since those camp fire sessions.

His unique brand of relaxed roots rock has caught the attention of audiences worldwide but Dennen is not your usual pop singer. With his long red hair, headband and guitar held high on his stocky frame, he may seem like an unlikely front-man for 2008. The 28 year-old singer/songwriter/musician is an old soul with a fresh face, a rare performer that radiates confidence and ease in his own skin.

The strength of his honest heartfelt performances has earned him an increasingly devoted fan-base and tours with the likes of John Mayer, the John Butler Trio, Feist, Missy Higgins, Elvis Costello and Ben Folds.

The exquisite intimacy of Brett’s vocals and the finger-picked, jazz-influenced chord structures of his songs have seen comparisons drawn to Dave Matthews, John Mayer and Tracy Chapman. The strength of Brett’s soulful sound has seen his songs featured on Grey’s Anatomy, House and Scrubs. 2008 saw the release of his latest album So Much More. The album’s stripped back honest songs have struck a chord with audiences and critics alike. The Washington Post called the album “a folk rock revelation” and American Rolling Stone proclaimed him as “one of 10 Artists to Watch in 2008”.

Dennen has found inspiration for his music across a diverse range of experiences from his time as a camp counsellor, playing in Bay Area bands, starting out playing in little coffee shops. To now, touring the world. His music is truthful and from the heart allowing him to connect with audiences on his records and in live performances. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to witness this real and open young man live in concert on his first Australian tour.

In September Dennen will be joining Pete Murray on his national ‘Summer At Eureka’ tour as well as playing a few selected headline shows of his own.

triple j’s home & hosed, Yen Magazine & Street Press Australia Present… Holly Throsby – ‘A Loud Call Tour’

With a week to go before the release of her third album ‘A Loud Call’, Holly Throsby, Spunk Records and Lunatic Entertainment are very pleased to announce Holly’s most extensive Australian tour ever.

The Loud Call Tour starts in Alice Springs on August 22nd and winds up in Cairns in mid-October, taking in 20 cities and towns along the way.

Holly will be joined by her long time band Bree van Reyk and Jens Birchall. The three piece play eleven instruments between them. It is sure to be a musical adventure.

Holly will start this tour fresh from a string of solo shows in the UK & Ireland with the iconic Paul Kelly, as well as two dates in London supporting Australian sweetheart Tim Rogers.

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‘A Loud Call’ was recorded in Nashville with engineer and producer Mark Nevers [Lambchop, Will Oldham]. It includes guest performances by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, and members of Lambchop and Silver Jews. It also includes Holly’s latest single ‘A Heart Divided’ and the title track from last years’ ‘One of You For Me’ EP.

Leader of Melbourne based Country-rock sextet ‘Wagons’ - Henry Wagons will blaze a trail yet again and journey across our vast country, this time in the company of Australian music’s inimitable stalwart, Dave Graney. Henry will enthral his audiences while performing his daring stories laden with wry contradictions; mixing humour with pathos, tragedy with hope and irony with sincerity. With work on a new album underway he will be previewing songs from the pending release as well as performing crowd favourites from his critically acclaimed album, The Curse of Lightning (Spunk/EMI). Having recently toured with likes of John Hiatt, Bill Callahan and Dave Larkin, Henry Wagons is sure to impress with his voice of depth inspired by the drunk, dead-dog, haunted-house, family curse side of the country genre.

“...powerful gothic country sound – propelled by [Henry] Wagons deep Johnny Cash-like voice - dark country rock with a sense of humour and a heavy spirit – Henry Wagons has once more shown himself worthy of far greater acclaim”
****, Rolling Stone

“The sort of country where one hand is covered in dirt from working the fields and the other covered in blood from some sort of tragedy”
Rave Magazine

“Wagons are Gold!! Thriving like bloated parasites on the back of the blackened heart of country, they have brought out the best and darkest of its genre”
Drum Media

Yet to grace our shores, The Warlocks arrive this spring to give us a taste of the real underground psychedelic movement.

Having been around for 8 years, with lead singer Bobby Hecksher once playing with the Brian Jonestown Massacre and Beck, and playing festivals worldwide, it’s about time Australia got the chance to experience this 5 piece ensemble. Renound for taking everything we know about alternative music, destroying it and rebuilding it into something both enchanting and mind-blowing, The Warlocks are coming to give us, ‘art for art’s sake’, creating sounds and sights that have been long needed and long forgotten in these synthetic times, a look inside their powerful, hallucinatory world with amazing pop songs and addictive guitar mayhem anchoring their trip.

Having played alongside such acts as; Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Interpol, Kings of Leon and many more, The Warlocks are coming downunder to promote their 4th release ‘Heavy Deavy Skull Lover’

Playing in Australia for the very first time, don’t miss the chance to see one of the worlds most influential underground bands live.

Tickets on sale through Ticketmaster
13 6100

$25 presale
$30 door

“Giant Sand is a mood,” says Howe Gelb. The creative force behind the extended family that has comprised Giant Sand over the years, he speaks of happy accidents and musical auras that arise the soundscape that is Giant Sand. The musical family tree of the Tucson, AZ group is long and illustrious, spawning bands like Calexico and The Friends of Dean Martinez. Gelb has steadily amassed a prolific catalog of Giant Sand and solo material that spans the wealth of southwestern roots and lo-fi. Giant Sand’s new album proVISIONS is cinematic Americana at its most aching, an album of tremolo soaked guitars, moody piano and secrets whispered over desert winds. Recorded partly in Tucson and Denmark, this version of Giant Sand is comprised of Danish musicians and features talented friends/collaborators such as Neko Case, M. Ward and Isobell Campbell. A creeping cruise down a dark desert highway, these Provisions provide for the furthering ride of Giant Sand’s completely unique musical legacy.

Howe Gelb started out on his musical journeys some time in the late 70’s and has since amassed a catalogue of 40+ albums under the monikers of Giant Sand, OP8, The Band Of Blacky Ranchette, Arizona Amp and Alternator and of course, Howe Gelb. The roll call of artists who have contributed and collaborated with Howe over the years reads like a who’s who of alt-country/indie heaven – Joey Burns and John Covertino (of Calexico), Chan Marshall (Catpower), Kristin Hersh, M. Ward, Lucinda Williams, Scout Niblett, Jeremy Gara (Arcade Fire), Neko Case, Vic Chesnutt, John Parish, Granddaddy, Kurt Wagner (Lambchop)……. The list goes on….

Howe Gelb returns to Australia in 2008 for dates in October and November

Reviews for ‘Sno Angel Like You
“It’s remarkable how organic and right (as opposed to gimmicky) the church voices sound on these 14 melodic folk, spare soul and various-tempo blues songs.” Mojo, 5 stars

“Fans of Gelb’s have to be excited about this because it’s perfect, a career high. “ All Music Guide, 4 1/2 Stars

“Some of the best music of his career.” The Guardian, 4 Stars

“With its subtly joyous tones and lustrous songwriting, ‘Sno Angel Like You turns out to be a labor of love with endless rewards.” Pitchfork, 8.3

“The idea here is simple and brilliantly executed... The overall effect is the kind of relevatory experience that Gelb, who has been working on this project for three years, obviously hoped for.” Harp