Musicadium Blog

Glenn Proudfoot is one talented man. A self-taught guitarist, he has conquered Australia and Europe as a solo artist, touring in popular covers band Dr Elephant and as the lead guitarist for one of Europe’s most respected rock bands, Prazsky Vyber.

Now he is set to release a solo album that is 20 years in the making. Covering every range of musical genres from heavy rock to blues to acoustic to country, the album was recorded and produced in Prague in 2009/2010 by Glenn and his team.

Recently Glenn kindly took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for the Musicadium team.

You began playing the guitar at age 11 and are self-taught which is an amazing feat,
what made you want to play the guitar to begin with?

It was Angus Young from AC/DC that got me hooked on guitar, just hearing that sound and the solo’s and watching the way he moved sent pure electricity through my body! Nothing had ever made me feel like that before; from that day onwards all I ever wanted to do was play!! At the time I was 10 or 11 and we never had much money growing up but my oldest brother had just started working and he spent his entire pay cheque to get me a guitar as a surprise. From that day I never put it down!!

You have toured extensively around Australia and worked with some of the best in the business, what
is your favourite memory from these tours?

There’s no specific moment, but being on stage alone playing a guitar solo in front of 40′000 people is something that I can’t describe. The energy and feeling you get is out of this world! Also having the privilege of meeting and spending time with some of my heroes like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Slash has been simply incredible.  Something I will never forget!

So how did you manage to find yourself on the other side of the world as the lead guitarist in a Czech rock band?

I was playing guitar for Brian Mannix from the Uncanny X-Men at the time, Brian was and still is a massive support in my life and music. Brian had told me about this drummer, Klaudius Kryspin, who
he had met. Klaudius was a big rock star in Europe. In turn Brian was talking me up to Klaudius. We eventually met in Melbourne and I had prepared a video of myself playing a 5 minute guitar solo
(great to watch hard to listen to…. hahaha!) which I gave to Klauda in the hope that he would watch it. Turns out he did watch it many times; so he took it with him to Europe and showed the other
guys in the band. But it wasn’t until 7 years later that they called me and asked if I would like to come and record with them. Before I knew it I was in the band and on stage in front of 40′000 people!
It was truly unbelievable.  The solo I wrote for that video took 3 months and had over 5′000 notes in it, people thought I was crazy but it worked!

You have said that you used to practice for 8 – 12 hours a day, how often do you practice now?

Yes that is true, I was very serious about guitar right from the start and figured the best way to be the best I could was to work the hardest I could, so everyday I would practice between 8 and 12 hours and sometimes even 14 hours! There were no exceptions for Christmas or Birthdays or anything! Now I spend most of my time playing shows and writing music, very rarely will you catch me without a guitar in my hands!  If I’m not touring or recording I will still practice between 2 and 4 hours everyday. The guitar for me is a release; some people go for a jog or play video games for release but I simply need to play.

What advice can you give for young aspiring musicians out there?

Never lose sight of the joy that music brings to yourself and others. Admire your peers and learn from them but be yourself, they are themselves thats why you love them so much! Practice makes perfect, a lot of people have natural talent but most of the time its the people who work the hardest that are the best!

Click below to buy Glenn Proudfoot’s album Lick ‘Em on iTunes:

Scott Spark

Scott Spark is one very talented musician and performer. Having been compared to Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright among others, he has taken the Australian music scene by storm over the last two years. His 2007 Ep Wet Behind The Ears saw him gain the honour of sharing the stage with Fergus Brown, An Horse and Last Dinosaurs. Between touring and completing a residency at The Empress in Melbourne, Scott has been busy working on his second Ep The Kathleen EP and his first full length album Fail Like You Mean It due out in June 2010. Scott protrays his versatile talent on both of these works, as he moves from the trombone to the bass to the toy piano to the wurlitzer as well as many other instruments while singing his heart out about everything from shift work to love and wanderlust at Christmas time. Other performers on the EP include: Megan Washington: backing vocals, Adele Pickvance: bass, Yeo Choong: beats, Roger González: cajón, shakers, Emerson Bavinton: guitar, claps, Sophie Weston: Flute. Recently Scott had a chat with Michelle from Musicadium and this is what he had to say.

1. You have an incredibly unique sound, what inspired you when you were creating your music?
Songs are like your mother - you love them more than life itself, but they have the uncanny habit of seeking you out, right when you’re in the middle of something (eg. getting crushed by rush-hour crowds at the train station, making out, throwing up, having a nap, remembering how to spell “accommodate”, flossing - all that). So, first it might be a lyric or a line of melody, but it really all starts coming together once I’m at the piano. As for genre and style, I’ll take a song wherever it wants to go - and that may also come down to whoever you’re mucking around with in the studio. In any case, how ever a song ends up in the studio, they’re pretty much all written at the piano. The instrument has an incredible way of carrying almost any song.

2. What was it like to work with such a versatile producer as Tucker Martine?
Tucker is a certified legend, and I’m entirely humbled and grateful for him stepping in at the very moment we’d given everything we had, and taking it that extra mile. He mixed 18 songs in total - Californian rock, late-night crestfallen strolls, 80s angst ballads, Glee-like showtunes, city folk, baroque pop - he took it all and not only made sense of it, but made it sing. Plus, he’s a super nice, genuinely awesome dude.

3. How did you come to be working with him?
He’d worked with a lot of artists I love - Laura Veirs, The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens, among others - and we got talking online. I sent him some earlish rough demos, and we took it from there.

4. You are doing a residency at The Empress Hotel in Melbourne at the moment, can you tell us a little about it and how you got into it?
I’ve been meaning to play Melbourne for quite some time now, so I really ought to get a kick up the arse. The Empress is an institution, and I didn’t want to simply come and go in the space of 24 hours, so I decided on a residency. The band won’t be with me for this stint; just keeping it intimate and minimalist, with supports from talented souls - Courtney Barnett (7th), James O’Brien (14th), Yeo (21st), D. Rogers (28th).

5. Amongst touring and releasing your debut album in June, which you are no doubt excited about, what else is happening in 2010 for you?
You always feel pretty alive playing solo - there’s nowhere to hide and no way of faking it - and that’s the way it’ll be for the Empress residency, but I’m also really enjoying transforming songs with Tim (bass) and Hik (drums). We’re playing a residency at the Brisbane Powerhouse Friday evenings throughout April. We’re shooting a couple of music videos soon. Sydney’s also on the cards. And, it looks as though songs from the album will end up being adapted into a theatre production, that’ll be staged next year. Apart from that, I’m pining for a mellotron. They’re making them again, right?

Visit Scott at his Myspace, Triple J Unearthed and Facebook for all the latest news and happenings and upcoming tours.

Last week, the Musicadium team were ecstatic to receive a phone call from Phil Buckle, member of Australian band from the 90’s, Southern Sons, who wanted to add Southern Sons’ catalogue to iTunes via Musicadium.  We thought that it would be interesting to get Phil’s perspective on the industry as it is right now. What we got was a fantastic interview with a great (and realistic) view on the industry with the benefit of hindsight. 

Tim Price interviews Phil Buckle:

Southern Sons experienced a great deal of exposure in the early 90’s and had a number of singles and albums that charted quite highly in the ARIA charts.  How do you believe that experience in that timeframe compares to today’s music industry?

I think the main difference is that it is no longer imperative to secure a recording deal with a major label. Although to achieve total world domination it probably still is. But if your aim is to make a living out of what you love doing then the internet has made it possible to do so……………but it’s still hard.

In those days the artist would leave it up to the Record Company to do all the “grunt” work. Publicity, liaising with the radio stations and keeping the members of the band financially solvent during that whole process. For this service they charged a premium…………and it was quite a premium. They got their pound of flesh. In the final analysis, when the math is done, our Record Company profited far in excess of what the band…..as a whole did. Far in excess.  And bear in mind that we had a very shrewd manager who cut us an exceptionally favorable deal with the record company. They made a lot of money on their investment. Don’t get me wrong, we were not ripped off at all in anyway but the deals are structured in such a way that the company will make millions while the artist will make thousands. In those days the artist would have to sell multi platinum and tour extensively to pay off their recording costs and advances. There are plenty of stories of well known bands who never recouped and worked themselves into the ground, eventually disbanding and still in debt.

So you don’t need to do that anymore. The downside being that you don’t have the weight of the company behind you so you miss out on the distribution networks and instant radio relations. The internet is not really going to replace those things. Why? Because EVERYONE has the same advantage. You are competing with everyone else who calls themselves an artist……..and their mums, brothers and sisters and pet dogs. Everyone is shouting for attention and all believe they are worthy of it.

There were benefits with the old system and there are benefits with the new system. Bottom line is that it’s still tough out there.

How do you think that the experience of releasing these albums independently now into the digital realm will differ from the first time round these albums were released, via a label?

The first time around we had the benefit of years of gigging and of course the power of a major label. Plus we were new. I’m not thinking of this as a “release” or even a “re release”. We are making the music available for those that never got to hear the whole albums and for the new generation who were too young to be interested. The real big difference is that the music is available internationally. We never had an international release even though we worked hard on it.

The band certainly contained some great names - Jack Jones, yourself and Virgil Donati.  You have all gone on to play in bands with and write songs with people like John Farnham, Rick Price, Gary Beers, Tina Arena and Steve Vai.   Are you still in contact with the rest of the band – are you all excited about getting your catalogue into iTunes?

From time to time we bump into each other. Sometimes I see Virgil if I’m in LA and I’ve met Jack at a couple of gigs. I haven’t seen Geoff in a very long time as he moved to Spain and only recently returned. We all came from very different musical backgrounds and we all dived in different directions when the band split. These albums have not been available for the last 10 years so I’m excited to get them out there again. We had to wait until all contracts had lapsed and the master recordings had returned to our company.

What were highlights of your years in Southern Sons?

Truly the whole thing was a highlight. I mean that sounds like a sucky answer but you have to understand how many years the band worked to achieve what it did and the musical climate of the times. We just didn’t fit in and everyone was telling us just that. I came from a background of  Dylan and Joni Mitchell and then years of Jazz guitar, Mahavishnu and Alan Holdsworth. Virgil came from Buddy Rich to Toto and Jack from Van Halen to Hendrix………in the alternative Australian culture we were seriously “not cool”. We defined “not cool”. We were not part of the street culture, we were practiced musicians.

Look at it this way……..at that time some popular bands were Hunters and Collecters, Spiderbait, The Screaming Jets, You Am I…………..all great bands in their own styles but here WE were singing “Heart In Danger” and “Hold Me In Your Arms” and Virgil was doing 10 minute drum solos that defied description.  I mean WE were the alternative band!!

So to have such success after the years of slogging and lineup changes and record company rejection etc etc was just very, very sweet.

Are you (Phil) playing live music at the moment?

Funnily enough I’m rehearsing at the moment for a show in Sydney in March. Some folks have talked me into performing a sort of “songwriter plays his stuff and has a chat” sort of night. I’ve got some guest vocalists singing and a little band as well. Apart from that I haven’t had time to play……or the inclination really. I still practice Jazz guitar a LOT!!! Mainly I write and produce and I do this 7 days a week.

You co-wrote a personal music favorite of ours in the office (and ARIA song of the year in 1990), Burn for You, with John Farnham.  How did that come about and was it a difficult song to get out?

That song was originally for the State (my band before the Southern Sons)……….well at least the part I had already written was. It was an idea I was working on for about 6 months. I had the guitar part and the “Burn For You” title and chorus melody. The problem was that I couldn’t sing it. It was way beyond my capabilities as a singer. So I kept putting it off and every now and then I’d come back to it and try again. Every time I sang the chorus I would get emotional…….I would actually well up with tears…….so I knew I was onto something and that there was a little bit of magic in that fragment. So then one day I get a call from John’s producer Ross Fraser (an old school friend of mine) and he asked me to go over and do some writing with John and him. I couldn’t believe it. Ross had just signed my band (The State) and had liked the songs so he was going to give me a go. This was truly a lucky break for me and I stayed up most of the night trying to come up with ideas. Around lunchtime on the first day of writing John asked me if I had any ballads I was working on. Remember that I was keeping this little idea for my own band,so I played him another idea that I had. It was a song with a girls name in the chorus so he wasn’t too keen on it. (it was called Analise) “What else have you got” he asked. So of course out came my very shaky chorus of Burn For You and John and Ross and I finished it off in the next couple of hours. We wrote the verses and bridge and recorded it then and there. John had the idea of writing about being away from Jill when he was touring. I learned a lot about song arrangement from those guys.  I wish I had that version we recorded that day. It was my first experience of working with a gifted singer and as part of a writing team. It was a great day and marked a turning point in my career. Not only had I been initiated in the art of co writing but I had heard how a good idea could be transformed by a great singer into something really special. How would my other songs sound, I thought, with a really good vocalist? I was about to find out. The next day I called my manager and we decided to fire me as the singer in the band. We were now looking for a good vocalist……and we were in the middle of recording an album!

Reunions are all the rage. ACDC, Guns and Roses, Cold Chisel.  Chances of a reunion?

If there was a compelling reason then perhaps. I can’t speak for the other members but I just couldn’t stop everything I’m doing and commit to it.

I truly miss the musicianship of that band though. It really was a bunch of shred heads disguised as a pop band and when that band cranked up it was a joy to be on stage.

But we had that time and it was great and it ran its course……………next.

Once again speaking for myself only, I’m addicted to making new music. I don’t feel any real desire to go back and visit the past.

What do you think of the new generation of Australian Rock? Any favourites?

At the moment I’m enjoying The Temper Trap and Empire Of The Sun and Lisa Mitchell. I’m also interested to see how Adelaide guitarist Orianthi does in the US as we did a lot of work together and well…….I do have a track on that album!

I’m also an admirer of Daniel Johns and look forward to anything he does.

I like bands that aren’t scared to nay say the mainstream……..and these days the mainstream is as much alternative as it is commercial. Originality is truly a scarce occurrence in the music world and just being different doesn’t equate to originality. In fact being different is the easy part. Being good…..however you care to interpret that……….is the hard part.

How do you purchase your music?

I buy everything……and I buy a lot of music…………..on iTunes.  Except for the rare guitar things like Wayne Krantz in which case I’ll buy from the artist’s web site.

Southern Sons’ catalogue of Zone, Nothing but the Truth and Self-Titled will be live on iTunes very soon.  In the meantime, read up about the band at Wikipedia or watch the filmclip for Hold me in your arms on YouTube.

Musicadium recently caught up with Husky Gawenda, lead singer and guitarist for Melbourne based band Husky. Mixing folk, blues, classical, pop and great melodies, this four-piece band are one to watch. Check them out at www.huskysongs.com.

1. You released your debut album “Quiet Little Rage” in September 2008, what have you been up to since then?

Since the release we’ve been playing in Melbourne and throughout Victoria and up and down the East Coast. I spent a lot of 2009 writing, at home in Melbourne and in various places by the sea, in the country, in the mountains - anywhere I could find to refresh the senses and get the imagination flowing. We have spent the last few months recording our new album, and released the first single, Dark Sea, with some shows up the East Coast towards the end of 2009. We are currently holed up in the studio finishing the record.

2. If you could play with any artist, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

It’s a difficult one to answer. I’m bad at making decisions at the best of times. I would probably have to say Leonard Cohen, because he’s been my biggest inspiration. I put him up there with the best song writers and the best poets of all time. Playing a gig with Ludwig Van Beethoven would be pretty interesting though!

3. You and fellow band member Gideon are cousins, what are the positives and negatives of working with a family member?

Well the obvious advantage is that there’s a love and trust between you, that is very hard to find, but so important in making music and working together so closely. We also have a lot in common, which is not necessarily the case with family members but is true in our case. The negatives haven’t really come up so far. So I’m not going to mention them for now and hope that we remain a rare case of perfect harmony!

4. You guys have scored a spot on the Laneway Festival Sideshow, what can audiences expect to see when you take the stage?

Yeah, we’re really looking forward to that one. We’re also doing the Queen Vic Night Market in February - it’s nice to have a couple of out door shows over summer. We work hard to really bring our songs to life on stage. Playing live is the essence of what we do and love. You can expect to see four guys digging deep and playing like there’s no tomorrow.

5. With your album release just around the corner, what can we expect from Husky in 2010?

We’ll finish recording the new album over the next couple of months. We’ll be releasing it mid year. Dark Sea is the first of a couple of singles we’re releasing. Then we’ll be spending a lot of time on the road, playing shows. I think that’s the plan for 2010 - Play lots of music!

Quiet Little Rage and Dark Sea are now available to purchase on . You can also find Husky on Myspace and Facebook.

This week, Musicadium team member Trent Moody has interviewed Brisbane indie-pop sextet and recent addition to the Musicadium Family, Ball Park Music.

Check them out on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/musicfromtheballpark.

You’ve just released a new single Sea Strangers (I Don’t Really Know You), when’s the album coming out and what can we expect from it?

Sam Cromack: We’ve made plans to have a second EP released in late April/early May. I want people to have high expectations and I hope we deliver. We’re planning on five tracks and it will definitely be a more diverse release. We’ve sorted a few bouncy, poppy numbers - that’s come to be expected - but you can also look forward to some elaborate stuff, some wild stuff, some ambience and some melancholy.

Daniel Hanson: Our next release will be an EP that we plan to launch in mid-April, which will feature Sea Strangers, and 4 other tracks that we have been working on over the holiday period. The vibe of the record is mostly positive, with a few twists here and there that contribute to the bands developing sound. The songs will most likely all be hits, but that will be determined a little closer to the release date.

(This particular single was featured as the iTunes single of the week from the 19th January to the 26th.)

6 creative people in a band would be challenging at times, how do you deal with all that creativity when writing songs etc?

Sam Cromack: Sam just tells everyone what to do, and if they don’t obey they are made to prepare him a fresh, delicious meal followed by an hour-long foot massage.

Dean Hanson: We see six creative people in a band as an advantage. We all have quite contrasting taste in musical influence so when it comes to arranging our songs, everyone adds their own flavour to the tracks so to speak, obviously this comes together within reason so we don’t have heavy metal choruses in between folk versus. Often Sam will come up with the lyrics and basic structure to a song and we will build on that.

You have supported quite an impressive list of artists, who was your most memorable and why?

Sam Cromack: Touring with the Hungry Kids of Hungary was a blast, simply because we got to savour the good times over a series of shows. Their home gig at The Zoo was a particularly great gig. Also, I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of watching The Philly Jays: nice songs, nice beards, and instrument smashing.

Um, Jen’s house burnt down? Tell us some more about that.

Sam Cromack: Her younger sister Chloe left a tea-candle burning and the rest is history. I tried to drive through her street on the night it happened, but the roads were blocked and I was forced to take a different route. Sure enough, we received the disastrous phone call and learnt all the bad news. We lost about half our stash of EPs. But yeah, it’s no biggie.

Jennifer Boyce: My sister left a candle lit in her bedroom, which ended up burning the entire house down in about 15 minutes. It was only a few days after our first EP launch and all our CD’s were inside… they got nice and smoked/wet. So our number one advice is NO CANDLES IN THE HOUSE!! She also lost a couple of guitars and amps (as well as just most of her stuff in general). But lots of lovely people have chipped in to get some replacements. Oh and some more advice, have insurance!

Last but not least, what are the hopes and dreams for the future of Ball Park Music?

Sam Cromack: We want to play music, take all your monies and avoid real jobs for ever and ever, Amen.

Purchase Ball Park Music’s music on or follow them on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BallParkMusic!

This week’s featured artists describe themselves as being akin to monkeys in stylish 60’s threads. One thing we did notice at the musicadium office is their nostaglic 60’s rhythm and blues sound are bound to make us go ape! Musicadium’s own Sarah caught up with the The Frowning Clouds monkey man, Zak, to chat about turtlenecks, stripey shirts and a little music thrown in there for good measure.

When one first listens to the Frowning Clouds  there is definitely a nostalgic 60’s feel to the music. As a band, what is it about this era musically that appeals to you?

The girls.

This passion for the 60’s extends right down through to your threads, and reviewers have often commented on your turtleneck sweaters. What is it about turtlenecks that you love? Surely they get a bit hot at the summer festivals?

Yes we do love to dress as nice as possible, turtle necks being one of our favorites. Although, in summer we wear shirt’s and stripey t-shirts more often than not, turtle necks do bring the sweat glands into overdrive.

You’ve been playing a lot of festival gigs over the summer, including The Boroughs and Sandcastles. Do you prefer to play these larger events over smaller, more intimate gigs?

We enjoy playing both just the same, intimate gigs suit our music alot more though. Having said that, festivals are heaps of fun!

You’re playing on the Laneway bill this year – what can punters expect from your show? Who else are you looking forward to checking out?

Yeah we are lucky enough to have the pleasure of JJJ choosing us as Melbourne’s Unearthed winner to play laneway this year, it was quite a surprise ’cause the drummer and I had already bought tickets to go and then we got a call a few weeks later so I’ll have to sell my ticket to somebody. We are all REALLY REALLY looking forward to seeing The Black Lips and Daniel Johnstone.

Lovin’ You 7” has been released through Spanish label Monterrey Records. How did this come about?

We recorded the tracks nearly a year and half ago for a label called ‘Stained Circles’, but we were slack and never got the front cover finished or anything so in the time it took for us to get photos the label had spent all their money on the Jay Reatard anthology (R.I.P). So we had these 3 songs and nothing to do with them, when a friend of mine from Spain who’s in a group called ‘The Phantom Keys’ told us of a friends label who had just started up and wanted to put out a 7 inch. So I just sent him some photos and the songs through the mail and about 2 months later a got a large box filled with about 300 Frowning Clouds 45s.

What artists both nationally and internationally are you excited about at the moment?

I can’t speak for everyone but I’m really into The Black Lips, Thee Oh Sees, The Last Shaddow Puppets, and nationally, I have a friends band from Melbourne called ‘The Process’ and they are really really good.

Finally, what does 2010 hold for The Frowning Clouds?

2010 holds our debut album release, which will be next month, a Sydney tour in early Feb and hopefully if all goes well we COULD be going over to play a garage festival in spain and some shows around a few other european countries.

You can check out The Frowning Clouds through their MySpace or Facebook and their EP is available on

This week, we are featuring one of Brisbane’s newest and exciting acts - Felinedown.  They were one of the highlights of one of Musicadium’s live music showcases in 2009.

They are a fantastic, electro-and-rock outfit - check them out at http://www.myspace.com/felinedown.

To start with a typical question, what’s the story behind the name ‘Felinedown’?
In all honesty a computer offered this name suggestion during a temporary lapse in my ability to tackle the English language (thank you Spellcheck!;) – My lyrics are often inspired by turns of phrase so the play on words is relevant in many aspects. Also it hints I guess at the dark streak our songs tend to have while at the same time poking fun at those same assumptions…half our songs and half our personalities are definitely NOT depressed..more manic pop and sexy rock than shoegaze!

Your debut album mixes rock and electronica. What influenced you to tackle this intriguing sound?
Electronic music is I think for us the key to being endlessly creative; there are no limits to the sounds you can create and beats you can produce.  The Rock and Roll? – well that’s a given; it’s the reason we all found ourselves drawn to play music in the first place, Ashley has firm roots in punk rock but loves the challenge of blending that style with genres like drum & bass.  Glen, well he loves his industrial rock guitars but he also shares his B’day with Jimi Hendrix… need we say more?  Zac’s Indie Rock prowess allows him to fuse the rock and electronic pop elements of our music perfectly. Beau enjoys creating electronic soundscapes in real time which is helping with a more live jam type vibe. And I have been heavily influenced by artists from both Rock and Electronica; from Led Zeppelin to Bjork to the Sneakerpimps.

Is songwriting something that you have to sit down and work at or is it something that just spontaneously pops into your head?
Right now we are writing with our new line up and its changed the process a lot but its also made it much more exciting and reactive. We have more colours to paint with now. Sometimes a melody chases you around all day and at other times you have to really hunt for it with the other members of your band.

You guys are constantly credited for your live performances. What aspects of a gig make you guys pack up at the end of a night and think ‘yep, that was a great show’?
Live shows are such a funny beast. Nights your expecting to be amazing end up being hard work you have to push so hard the whole way through to pull the energy up and bring people in. But other nights when you least expect it the show becomes effortlessly electric and you find yourself beaming at each other like Cheshire Cats halfway through songs.. those are the nights that remind you why you wouldn’t want to do anything else with your life but create music together and connect with your audience. We love making people move so anytime we’ve had the crowd dancing is a great night by us and overrides any worries we might have had.  It makes for a sleepness night when you get home because your still buzzing from the show.

Your striking costumes, Brodie-Ann, definitely grab attention. Do you do any of the design or creation yourself?
Why thank you! As someone with a background in art, theatre and dance the visual aspect of our shows is really important to me. I want the ‘costumes’ to be an extension of the music and for the show to an experience not just another gig.  I do sketch a lot of the designs and concepts out myself and have made pieces for both myself and the guys. I have also been lucky enough to collaborate with local designers and artists such as Lindsay Rose Wilkins and Shilo Englebrecht on pieces for Felinedown. I hope the freedom we feel in the way we dress extends to our fans and that people will come to  know that anything goes at a Felinedown show…One can never have enough leather, feathers  or glitter can one?…

Finally what can we expect from the album coming up next year?
As I mentioned before we are now writing with the new line up and with a year of gigging really hard we have a better idea of what we want to bring to our shows and our sound. The songs are looking faster, more intense and well …fun! Our plan is to combine all the very best things about Felinedown with a stronger more driving beat; then add sexy Moog keys, new Slinky bass lines and hopefully we will be in the business of creating some of the most decadent lush rock electro tunes of 2010!

Felinedown’s Digital EP “FelineDOWNLOAD” (Geddit?) is available on and you can check out their tunes at MySpace.

Born into a music-loving family, Susanna O’Leary has always been passionate about music. Her appreciation of all music genres allows her to create a unique and compelling sound. With local and international success, this talented singer/songwriter is one to watch!

How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it before?

It’s a combination of latin, pop, folk, rock and classical music, just depends what track you’re listening to. But it’s definitely the kind of music that would be enjoyed by fans of Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Katie Noonan and Sinead O’Connor.

Over the years you have performed in various duos, bands and solo acts around Brisbane, do you have a preference?

I definitely prefer playing with my band, it adds to the vibe, but in an intimate setting I really enjoy playing just piano and voice.

Earlier this year you won Folk Song of the Month from the international Song of the Year competition for your song “Always For You”. Just recently, four of your songs from your album “Somewhere In Between” also made it into the semifinals in the UK Song Contest 2009. How does it feel to have your songs recognised in that way?

It feels fantastic to have my music recognised on an international level, just gives you confidence that you’re on the right path.

You have recently collaborated with Sydney based DJ Daniel Comollatt. Does he feature on your latest EP “Somewhere In Between”?

Unfortunately there aren’t any tracks on this EP that I worked on with Daniel but hopefully in the future we’ll be able to produce an EP together.

So what’s on the cards now for Susanna O’Leary?

Fans can look forward to seeing regular performances over the next few months around cafes and music venues in Brisbane. Also I am excited to be planning a national tour with singer/songwriter Sarah Collyer.

Jules, Flawless and Arno collectively form the Gold Coast original reggae funksters known as Anarchist Duck, and have just released their EP Propaganda to the world through iTunes. Musicadium Intern Julia “Ju-ju Bean” Bridger caught up with Flawless between the band’s antics which include; rescuing baby ducks from train tracks, “funk”-ing the system and drinking herbal teas, to find out what being a “Duck” is all about.

The name Anarchist Duck is pretty attention-grabbing and describes your political slant pretty well - but why a duck?

Ducks are amazing creatures and we stared at two holes in the wall that we turned into a duck when we first started jamming. I guess there’s a double entendre for the literary minded also, in that if you question the laws in society, you better duck. Anarchy to us is about the absence of control, not about the absence of respect and probably isn’t intended with the typical connotations. We are all about harmony, community and psychic time travel.

Your style has been described as a mix of Rage Against The Machine, Bob Marley and The Red Hot Chili Peppers among others. That’s quite a mixture, how do you manage to come up with such an eclectic sound?

By listening to A LOT of music all the time and taking all our favourite parts and mixing them together. That mixture is kind of like the mixture of spices you might use for an amazing indian curry, you add the spices and when they blend a completely new flavour is created.

Your music definitely has a political activist sense about it, as people can probably guess from your name. What influences you to help create positive change?

People fighting for what they believe in and being open to what others believe, not being afraid to be different from the ‘norm’. People who can look beneath the facade of society and follow their intuition despite obstacles inspire me to do the same. The absolute beauty that lies within every person is the best inspiration along with nature in all its glory.

I’ve read that your style is like Parliament and you’re heavily influenced by George Clinton, which makes me think of the Mighty Boosh. Do you “got the funk”?

We got the funk, you gotta have the funk. We are perhaps more heavily influenced by the likes of Bjork, Ween, PJ Harvey, Ani diFranco, Rage Against the Machine and the Chili Peppers. The old funk stuff like the Meters, Tower of Power and there is also a strong Bob Marley and 10 ft Ganja plant influence, hence all our funky reggae.

On your MySpace, you say that one of your least favourite past-times is “being asked to play bad covers especially by drunk people who have never heard of burping and blowing it in the OTHER direction.” This quote leads me to two questions- What is the worst cover request you’ve had, and how many people have burped in your face when requesting one?

I guess it’s more that you’re playing your guts out to an audience and then someone asks you to play a cover and it’s like “Ok, I don’t really hear what you have to say, I want to hear something someone else has to say.” Usually we don’t even know the songs being requested and then we have to say no and feel bad. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve had a burp blown in my face and sometimes it’s by my own band members (or myself!)

You’re performing all the way down the East Coast of Australia in the coming months, what can people expect from your shows?

A worldly experience that blends beautiful harmonies with hard funk and reggae grooves, some rapping and a lot of laughs.

Check out “The Duck” on Facebook, Triple J’s Unearthed and their tour dates are all up on their MySpace

This week, Musicadium intern Tiffany caught up for a chat with Brianna Carpenter, one of Brisbane’s most exciting singer/songwriters and one of the most unique and talented people to go through Australian Idol.

1.    Back in 2007 you made it into the top 12 of Australian Idol, how did you find that whole process?
Well, you go from being a nobody…to not being able to walk down the street without people wanting your autograph or talk to you. Or just stare at you! Haha! So, that was intense. I learnt a lot and I got out of it what I wanted to. My song “Jacqueline” was played on the show numerous times and it got my name out there. I think it worked out okay for me because I wasn’t on the show for very long. I got booted off 11th but it seemed to be enough time for the public to understand that I was a songwriter and not at all into karaoke. The other contestants in my year were brilliant fun too. I really enjoyed hanging around with them and living in a multi-million dollar mansion with a chef and drivers and paparazzi! As I said…very ridiculous!

2.    This year you were announced as a finalist in the Adult Contemporary category of New Artist to Radio competition 2009 with your song “Jacqueline”. That’s a pretty big achievement, how did it feel to have your music recognized in that way?
That was a massive achievement. I’d forgotten that I’d entered it actually and had no idea what song had been picked so that was a surprise. I knew it’d take awhile to distance myself from the whole “I’ve been exploited on TV” thing, so it’s great that I’m being recognized for my songwriting potential. I was one of nine artists that got to go down to Sydney a few weeks ago and network with all the commercial radio music directors, so it’s been a great experience.

3.    Where do you draw your inspiration from?
People. Always people. I wonder about what they’re thinking. Like if I’m driving home from a night out and it’s 4am and there’s other drivers out there on the road that aren’t taxis and aren’t trucks. I drive along just wondering why they’re awake at this time. That sort of thing. People on the train. On a bus. My friends. People out jogging. I’m always wondering why they are the way they are.

4.    This is the first time you’ve recorded an album. How did you find the whole process? What can we expect from Harlequin?
Recording was great fun. I worked with producer Brendan Anthony. He’s a talented man and has been doing it for a loooong time. He’s worked with INXS, George, Wheatus, Wendy Matthews, Cold Chisel…so I was in good hands. I mixed the album in the hinterland of Byron Bay and basically chilled out for a week listening to the tunes and hanging with Jon Burnett (the lovely assistant engineer) playing ping pong. Harlequin is 10 years worth of what I think are my best and most loved songs. I had to do it. The first album was always going to be a reflection on how I started. So, it’s a bit of a mixture of styles but works well.

5.    What can we expect next from Brianna Carpenter?
I’m recording again now, working on pre-production for some new material. I’ve spent the last year just gigging. Gigging my brains out! I want to do more and more! Planning a tour with Melanie Horsnell and Kate Vigo for early next year along with a bit of a tour all to myself. Should have the new material finished by June next year. Exciting times!

Check out Brianna on , MySpace or at her website!