Musicadium Blog

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!

This week we are catching up with a special band to feature - The Bastard Children.  Artist Relations Manager, Sarah, caught up with the boys and questioned them about their music and the hirsuite pursuits (namely, their beards.)

From their MySpace:

“The twisted offspring of junkyard folk, old-world gypsy, ragged celtic & dirty blues. A multi-instrumental globe-hopping jaunt through the Australian musical landscape. The Bastard Children bring the wheeze of the accordion, the spilled blood of a dirty harmonica, the tearing of guitars, the scrape of the mandolins, banjos and more. A fast paced live show that leaps through various styles and instruments with all the urgency of a thirsty drunkard. Sordid, scandalous and superbly attired, these lads are, like it or not, bastards of their own diverse cultural heritage.  Grafted from the gnarled and twisted branches of Australia’s musical family tree, theirs is a sound plundered from their foreign forebears. The soil is rich and the roots go deep and, although their sounds may have originated from foreign shores, The Bastard Children conjure the ignoble birth of something distinctly Australian and undeniably good fun.”

1.     There seems to be a lot of great bearded musicians out there at the moment. Who are your favourite bearded songwriters? Do you think there is a correlation between growing a beard and writing good songs?
As a band we seem to spend a disproportionate amount of time discussing facial hair. It was only natural to get together with a band called The Beards for the Adelaide leg of our tour. This is band who write and perform songs exclusively about beards, we got on well. I think you can really hear a bearded recording, it’s like vinyl, it has a certain quality to it that’s hard to define but just works. I believe The Beatles did some of their finer work whilst bearded. The same is also true of The Band, Santa and to a lesser extent, Celine Dion.

2.    You play a lot of old-fashioned and interesting instruments. Are there any new/old and exciting ones you’re going to bring into the fold?
We’re all a bit obsessive when it comes to collecting instruments and they always seem to find their way into our recordings. I’m on the look out for a Fox hunting bugle at the moment and I’ve always wanted a pipe-organ but taking it to gigs could become a problem. It’s a great part of the writing process we you work with an instrument that is unfamiliar – you tend write differently when out of your comfort zone and take less traditional directions.

3.    If you could collaborate with any musicians (living or dead) who would they be?
I would love to work with Tom Waits, I’d probably be a little bit scared but I’d love to work with him in a studio environment and explore some of his techniques. His recording always have such an experimental style, he captures moments, textures, emotions masterfully.

4.    Have you ever had any adverse reactions to your name?
When we played the Edinburgh fringe we had a few old Spanish ladies take us to task when we were doing some promo. Not sure what was said but the word ‘Bastardos’ was being used and they didn’t look happy. My mother wasn’t a huge fan at first but my grandmother thinks it’s great – she’s been calling us Bastards for years anyway!

5.    You’re playing at the Apollo Music Festival next year which is huge. Apart from this, what’s next for the Bastard Children?
We’re back in the Converted 1970s brothel recording studio working on a new album at the moment which is has been intensive on both ears and liver. And we’re off to the UK next year to do a bunch of shows and return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe which is exciting. We’re hoping to build on the great responses we had last time and maybe meet some more fiery old Spanish ladies.

You can check out The Bastard Children’s music on

With a name that has a cool story behind it, and a live performance that will knock your socks off, Melbourne lads Armen Firman are definitely earning their reputation of an Australian band-to-watch. Lead singer Tom caught up with Musicadium whiz-kid Jono to chat about the band’s recent shenanigans.

Photo by Mick Patrick

Armen Firman is a pretty unusual name, where does it originate?

Armen Firman was a guy who jumped out of a tower in 852AD with pieces of wood strapped to his arms and a giant cloak on. He basically wanted to fly, but obviously didn’t. Amazingly, his giant cloak acted as the first example of a parachute. I don’t know why, but we just felt this crazy story had some parallels with how we go about making music. We aim big, and generally don’t achieve exactly what we set out to, but the end result is still generally kind of cool. And we often come off stage with minor injuries too.

I see from your… interesting videos on Myspace that you guys are recording a new EP. How does it differ from your debut, Your Name In My Skin, and when can we expect the release?

Your Name In My Skin is a great little snapshot of a young band just going at it, you know? We had 5 songs we dug, and we just wanted to put them down and play them to our friends. The result was really cool. The new EP is maybe a bit more layered and ambitious. We’ve really taken our time choosing what sounds and textures really suit the songs, and we’ve also gone way beyond just guitars/drums/keys. Whether or not it’ll be any better is anyone’s guess. But is has been fun trying to do something a bit bigger in sound. As for when you’ll get to hear it, that really depends on when the right producer falls into our lap. We’re picky when it comes to that sort of thing.

How does the writing process work for you? Is there a primary song writer or is it more of a group effort?

Each song is different, but generally I’ll come in with an idea and Jimmy Saunders (Armen Firman’s bass player and sometimes lead vocalist) will flesh it out before we bring it to the band where the final touches will be placed on it. Jimmy is the song-writer’s wet dream. He’s just a brilliant arranger and has that rare ability to see what is cool in an early draft of a song and really bring that out and let a lot of the filler drop away. Lately though Armen Firman has been writing some material as a band which has been cool.

Your video for In The Water documents you having a pretty good time on your trip to Sydney, are there any other interesting stories from that trip?

Ha! That was an interesting trip. We drove up to Sydney to play a gig one weekend and decided to shoot some material on our phones which I ended up banging together into a filmclip simply because we didn’t have a filmclip for that track. I think that clip really shows off the personalities in the band, because we were able to relax, as we were just filming each other for a bit of fun. As far as any other interesting stories from that trip goes, I think Sammy has a few secrets after that trip. He disappeared straight after the gig and we only found him the next morning walking around the middle of Kings Cross as we were about to head back to Melbourne. I’m not entirely sure what he got up to, but I don’t think sleep was involved.

Finally, what does the future hold for Armen Firman? Any chance of seeing you guys in Brisbane sometime soon?

The immediate future for Armen Firman will be interesting. We’re trying to find the right producer for the tracks we’ve just recorded. Once we have the new EP in our hands, we’ll be keen to play anywhere people will take us, Brisbane included! Can we stay at the Musicadium offices?

You can check out Armen Firman on MySpace Twitter and buy their EP Your Name In My Skin on

From making music, to making desserts, to making music again, it’s been a zigzagging journey for this week’s Musicadium Featured Artist, Sarah Collyer. But in finding her direction, this jazz-trained, onetime pastry chef has brought with her a sumptuous velvety voice and a delicious platter of honest-to-the-core original songs.

Sarah completed her tertiary music education with a Masters in Jazz Voice from The Queensland Conservatorium of Music and served her musical apprenticeship performing in jazz bands up and down the East Coast of Australia. There was a slight detour, when she followed her passion for baking, thinking that making pastries and desserts for a living would be a “nice, romantic affair”. However, the reality of having to “breathe in flour everyday” convinced her otherwise. She returned to music full-time, working as a voice coach and performing jazz standards at cafes, weddings and corporate gigs.

This is your first professionally recorded and produced EP how did you find the process?

I had recorded demos before, live recordings, but this time I wanted to do it all properly – so it was a completely professional package. I was recording backing vocals for a hip hop album and I really liked the work ethic and style of the guy who was recording all of that – Scott Mullane at Aisle 6 studios – so I asked him if he’d take on my project.  I think finding the right recording engineer/producer was the key to making the whole process really easy and flowing. Whilst during other recordings it had always been me saying – “no I think we could get that better” – this time it was Scott saying it – really pushing to get the best out of me and the band.  I feel like even just doing the recording pushed my whole vocal ability to a new level! It was great!

You have just released your debut EP ‘This Way’ and already the title track from this release was recently short listed for the 2009 QSong Awards, how did that feel?
That was really great. I was disappointed to not go further – but it was really great to make it that far!

You have been described as capturing a uniquely hypnotic blend of jazz, blues and Rnb. What musicians have influenced your style the most?
Well, influence is a really funny thing.  There are so many musicians that I love, but it’s hard to tell what makes it through into my style.  I love Nina Simone, Cassandra Wilson, Norah Jones, and Diana Krall as well as Tom Waits, Jeff Buckley, Jill Scott and Bill Withers. A pretty diverse group!

You are playing at the Powerhouse on the 17th of October, what can the audience expect from your live show?
I’m going to have the same line up for my band, just replacing Jeremy O’connor with Dave Galea.  We’ll be doing the songs from the EP plus some extra stuff that’s not on there, including “trouble” which I do solo at the Piano. It’s a really great venue  and  I think it will be a nice intimate show. I’m doing the show with Susanna O’Leary – and I think that’s going to give the audience a really good variety of sounds. It’s gonna be fun!

You now have a debut EP under your belt, what’s next for Sarah Collyer?
Ahh.. well, I’ve been talking to Susanna about maybe doing a solo Australian tour – as we both play keyboard and sing  - and it would be great to take the music on the road! I’m also starting to think about the next Album!

Check out Sarah’s music on

With their melodic bass and synth-tastic sound, Musicadium artists Polaroid Fame rocked out at Splendour this year and are coming to a stage near you on their tri-state tour in October and November. Musicadium intern Ashley Roulston caught up with the band so keen to share and get people involved in their music that, until November 8, they’re offering it for only a dollar – yes ONE dollar!

In July you took the stage at Splendour in The Grass - that must have been an amazing experience! Tell us a bit more about it.

It was truly amazing. I can still remember walking on stage & feeling that electricity running through my body when the crowd went nuts as we started. It was so awesome to play on a stage that big, considering all the hype & press leading up to the festival & the fact it was our biggest gig to date, we all rose to the occasion & had such a memorable gig. We also enjoyed being able to mingle with some of our favorite bands in the artist area. You see some crazy stuff going on back there. It definitely took all of us a few days to float back down to earth after Splendour.

This month will see the release of your debut album ‘We Live Your Life’, can you tell us about the writing process behind the album and what it was like working with ARIA nominated Anthony Lycenko?

We had so much fun making this record. Too much at times. The songs really compliment each other and it definitely has this overall theme. When I wrote these songs, I was listening to a lot of my mums old vinyl- eighties/pop kind of stuff with big reverbs & chorus on everything. So there was this heavy heart nostalgic feeling flowing, that definitely came through on the record. The real magic happens when we all get together & give the songs a second life. Mitch has a great knack of coming up with epic bass-lines & I still remember the first bend Damo played on We Live Your Life it was so cool & hasn’t changed. Zoe seems to put these huge beds of Synth around us all kind of coating us in sugar, and Guy played some huge drum fills and counter groove type stuff that sounds so good. Working with Anthony or “The Chief” as we call him is easy & fun. We’ve worked with him before on our EP Another Place To Live. Most of the time we are all thinking the same thing, so there’s lots of laughing and giving shit to each other. Anthony has such a good ear for things, it’s quiet amazing actually. Just when you think you’ve hit a wall he comes up with the coolest idea & we’re all like “Yeah! That’s it!” To be honest, I think he’s probably the most underrated producer/engineer around.

Last week you started shooting a new video for your 2nd single ‘Face Off’. When can we expect it and what is the concept behind the video?

“Face Off” is a bit of a favorite amongst the band. It’s got this really bangin groove that just makes you want to move. Its dark message is that argument you have between what your heart feels/wants & what your misleading mind is whispering to you. We had some students that are studying film at SAE in Byron Bay get in contact with us after they’d checked out our music on MySpace. We sent them the song & asked them to paint a picture of what they saw. What they come up with was spot on. It pictures us all shot in front of a green screen. One take we shoot us all dressed in white being “Good” then again in black “Evil” & they have this “Face Off” It’s like a bent take on Dueling Banjos? We should have it done in the next couple of months I’d say. We have also just shot the clip for the 1st single “We Live Your Life” so I guess that needs to drop first. We are good at doing things back to front.

You’re also touring the album nationally over the next two months, what can we expect from you live?

Yeah we have some kick ass shows lined up for this tour & we cant wait to hit the stage & get into peoples heads. I’d say you could expect a modern Australian pop rock, 80’s-esque synth with warm melodic vocals, catchy bass-lines & danceable grooves textured by spacious twin intergalactic guitar riffs.

Finally, what does the future hold for Polaroid Fame?

Who knows really? We hope the tour is a success. We’d like to keep this momentum rolling at a steady pace. In celebration, an interesting thing we are doing, is letting people for a limited time download our entire album for $1 from our website polaroidfame.com As great as this album is & its worth we didn’t want to be too precious with it & thought we’d much rather get it out there & have more people enjoying it. So it will be interesting to see how that does? Ultimately I think we would all love to leave our day jobs & spend more time touring & playing music.

Check out Polaroid Fame through their MySpace

on

and download their album We Live Your Life for only $1 through their website