Musicadium Blog

Streamer Bendy are a fantastic addition to the Musicadium Family, we were alerted to their music a little while ago now by Who The Hell Contributor, Sophie Benjamin, and we loved it straight away.  Since then, they have been getting a nice run of radio play on Triple J, but as yet, have not played any live shows.  Well, all that is about to change, as they will take the stage for the first time at our WITH DIGITAL LOVE Showcase June 10th at Brisbane’s BarSoma, with The Gallant and Moonjog!

Sarah and I (Tim) had a chat with front-rock-chick, Erinn Swan about Streamer Bendy, so far…

What’s the name of your band? What’s the origin of that name? Who came up with it?

Streamer Bendy was the name of my imaginary friend when I was little (Erinn).  From what I remember she had ribbons in her hair and sometimes she was in the mirror with me.  I think I may have been a strange child.

You have all been in bands in the past that have had great followings.  Do you feel like the combination of the members in the band has formed a creative Voltron, so to speak? As in, strong individually, but when combined, form an unstoppable force? Do you have a Blazing sword? (i.e. a secret weapon?)

Oh we are unstoppable!! We’re all really excited about Streamer Bendy, it’s so fresh still which is great fun because we haven’t been sitting in a van together for weeks on end and we don’t hate each other…yet.  Dane (drums) is definitely our secret weapon.  It’s his hair. Constantly changing colours, always looks good, blows about seductively when he plays..he’s a people magnet.

What’s your ultimate direction for your band? Are you seeking fame and fortune?

Like most musicians we’d just like to be able to keep doing this and get paid for it.  We all share a love for writing great songs and performing them live.  We just want to be able to sustain ourselves to continue doing that.  I personally love the reaction I get from someone who really identifies with something I have written.  It makes me feel in some strange way like I’ve made a small difference to the world.  If I can keep doing that, having that be my focus, I’ll be extremely happy.

Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers? Do you have a set play list?

Streamer Bendy have never played a show!! We are six months old.  We’ve all been in bands that have toured their asses off over the last few years and we decided we were going to be very selective about what and where we play.  So stay tuned!! In answer to your question regarding covers however, both Matt and Travis play in the Queen tribute band - they’re currently in canada, so in fact, they’re playing covers RIGHT NOW!!

You are about to record an album - Any new influences that you will be drawing into your next release?

Yes, definitely.  Matt and I have just been in Sweden writing music, and we learnt a lot from the producers we worked with over there, so we’ll definitely bring a lot of that to the record.  Matt discovered ’snus’ when he was in Sweden, I expect that will be a major influence (snus is tobacco in a little packet that you stick on your gum and absorb into your blood stream.  it’s completely legal but addictive and made me so dizzy i almost passed out).  We’re also very into ‘The Temper Trap’ at the moment we saw them play at sxsw.

What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?
They’ve been a bit spontaneous actually as we’ve all been in and out of the country so regularly.  They range from Matt and I in a room, to Matt and I on skype with Damon, to everyone in a room jamming it all out.  I hope we’ll fall into a routine but you know how these things go…

What inspires you? What makes you wake up and think “Wow! That really matters!” What makes you want to write songs that make people sit down and think?
I’m fairly political, and I like to comment when I think certain areas of society aren’t getting a good enough go, or are being taken advantage of.  I don’t think many young people take an interest in politics and the world around them and I’m keen to inspire them to do so.  Mostly though, I’m also a hopeless romantic, and the slightest romantic thought i have is a great place to start a song.  I’ve been having some crazy dreams lately, and I”m not sure how much they MATTER, but they’re great places to start writing a song from.

How do you promote your music that you have for sale in the digital outlets?
We will promote on myspace, triple j unearthed, and speak to various networks of kids we have about blog sites etc.

Streamer Bendy’s EP will be available on iTunes very soon and they will be playing at the Musicadium showcase June 10th!  Their Myspace is http://www.myspace.com/streamerbendy!

Congratulations have to go to one of our most popular artists, Ellington, who have been picked as one of the top artists in the running to take out this round of Toohey’s Extra Dry UncharTED Competition!

From The Music Network’s E-mail Newsletter:

The Music Network are a media partner for Tooheys Extra Dry uncharTED competition 1, 2009 and our media pick (which was announced a few weeks ago) went to Ellington. Hailing from Brisbane, this band are already doing big things in the national and international musical scene. Supporting the likes of Behind Crimson Eyes and Short Stack and recording their release More Like A Movie, Less Like Real Life in Atlanta USA, there is no doubt Ellington is a band you’ll be hearing more and more of.

As Jade Harley, Managing Editor of The Music Network states “We have chosen ‘Ellington’ as The Music Network pick as we believe they have all the makings of a successful Australian band (both locally and overseas), their sound is well developed with great hooks and will appeal to both commercial and independent radio, they have a strong look and show a great grasp of marketing with over 1 million plays of their tracks on MySpace. In today’s market all these factors come into play when determining a bands success and longevity.”

Check out Ellington at www.myspace.com/ellingtonrock and cast your vote for the Brisbane band at www.uncharted.com.au

You can buy their EP, “Less like Real Life, more like a Movie” on

This, to me, seems like a very interesting topic within the music community.  I have been meeting and playing music with a lot of bands lately.  All of whom I question endlessly about the way their band operates - how do they promote themselves, who does the work within the band, what services do they use to promote their band, how did they come up with the “image” of the band etc.

One thing that comes up in my mind is…what if the music doesn’t achieve the dizzying heights you imagined in the first band meeting you had?

What if sales aren’t rolling in?  What if the phone isn’t ringing? What if MySpace friend requests aren’t clogging up your email inbox? What if no-one is turning up to your shows, despite the amount of promotion you are doing?  You’ve tried everything.  You are becoming frustrated.  WHAT THEN?

What do you do? Do you gather the band, have a meeting, re-rally around the current band and try some new promotion methods and keep plugging away at the current band and trying to connect with people and turning them into fans?

OR…

Do you swallow your pride/”sell out”, have a band meeting, re-assess the influences in your bands, change the sound and image of your band (not necessarily to a more “pop” sound, just something different to what it was before)?

What can happen?  What are the pros and cons of such a move?

Here’s a few examples of the benefits and pitfalls of changing the band name/look/sound of your band….

Glasshouse/Drawn from Bees - A Brisbane band (of whom I am a big fan) who, after playing for numerousyears under the guise Glasshouse, decided that, as much as they loved their band and their music, it had gone as far as it could go - new releases did not gain any more momentum than the last and fan numbers were not increasing. The band decided to disappear for a little while, write, record and re-invent themselves as Drawn from Bees.  The original members remained, the ideologies remained, the sound shifted only slightly, if not a little more catchy and a touch les progg-y.  All promo released about the band and their releases did not mention Glasshouse or any of their previous efforts.  They were treated as an entirely new band and things have been rosy for the band ever since, attracting high rotation on Triple J for their song Long Tooth Setting Sun, they have been playing support for many touring bands, such as The Devoted Few, They played at VFestival earlier in 2009 and they attracted the attention of Brisbane Management/Publicity business Mucho Bravado. They are recording their next release - their goal, to write, record and release an EP every 6 months.

De Jah Dan Dah/Astralaliens - Originally from Brisbane, De Jah Dan Dah featured two brothers, Jake and Mablo Fehres.  They decided to export the band to Los Angeles, after attracting attention from Robie Porter. Once there, they found that the Martial arts and other parts of the band were not connecting with audiences in the way they hoped, reinventing themselves, with new band members as Astralaliens.  They stripped back their show to playing great rock and roll music and integrated a very choreographed stage show.  They embraced their webs presence, utilising their MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts. Since then, they have been playing at various prestigious venues in the LA scene, such as the Viper Room and Whiskey-a-Go-Go. They have won many band competitions in the LA area and their fandom has risen across the board.

Evermore/New Look Evermore - One example of how changing the look of the band may work monetarily, but doesn’t feel right, is Evermore’s new look and shift (sonically and in their image).  Check the links to see just how much their new album has changed their look.  It screams of their Record Label or Management telling the band that they should implement these changes to increase sales, not necessarily for the good of the band or their further career in the music industry.  A drastic shift such as this for “instant hits” and “truckloads” of money may serve a band well in the interim, but destroys credibility in the long run and can scuttle a band’s career.

Are there any interesting shifts in bands’ sounds/images that you can think of that are worth discussing?  More to the point, is it “selling out” to change your band’s image or sound or name?  Let us know.  We don’t think that there is anything wrong with it, as long as it is handled well, with respect to fans and with a very specific point in mind of how the “new” band will be portrayed and how the credibility of the band will be handled.

Sydney’s Tokenview have all of the ingredients for a phenomenal musical feast. Friends with Australia’s musical elite, extensive performing experience, a savvy approach to online marketing and social media and of course - brilliant songs. They have been showcased this week by iTunes as the free Single of the Week download for their track, ‘What Can I Do’ and if you have a listen, you’ll become as excited as we are for their upcoming album due in August.  We caught up with frontman Ed, for a chat about directions, musical discovery and obscure dancing styles.

1.    Congrats on your upcoming album which features the likes of Wally de Backer (Gotye and the Basics), Washington (JJJ Unearthed winner) and Midnight Oil’s Rob Hirst! How did these collaborations come about?
Just us inviting friends whose music we admire to come and help us make the best album possible.  We’ve toured with The Basics quite a bit – they’re good mates.  Our manager and I received a tip that Megan Washington was amazing, so we went and saw her in a little bar in Melbourne about a year ago.  She sang in front of roughly 15 people and it was completely mesmerising.  We needed a female voice for a couple of tunes, so we asked her and she said yes.  Thrilled to see her star rising so quickly as of late.  Rob Hirst is a close friend of DC (producer of our 2 EPs) and I’ve met him a bunch of times.  We needed a bombastic percussion solo on one song, so we gave him a buzz.  A consummate gentleman and a hero of mine.

2.    How would you describe Tokenview’s sound to someone that hasn’t listened to you yet? What can we expect from the upcoming LP and a Tokenview live show?
An exploration and celebration of rock music and its various forms.  We love 60s harmonies as much as we love all the decades that have followed.  We make pop music, but hopefully pop with a little thought behind it.  Most of the songs on our record segue into each other, and hopefully it’s a bit of a trip for the listener.  Although we take music extremely seriously, our live show is centered around being as much “fun” as possible.  Hard to describe.  Come say hello.

3.    I heard that there’s an interesting story behind the artwork for your upcoming album, can you tell us about that?
We’re still in talks with the photographer, but if it comes through it’ll be amazing.  My old man bought a print a couple of years ago in New York that I fell in love with.  I googled the photographer and found the whole series of photos.  They’re basically shots of these wild horses on an island off the coast of Nova Scotia that are among the most striking images I’ve ever seen.  We’ve chosen photos for the album booklet that, purely by coincidence, loosely match the themes and lyrics of the songs.  It’s difficult to explain but when you see the photos, you’ll immediately see the appeal.

4.    You’ve embraced twitter and other types of social media, have you found these platforms to be beneficial?
We were reluctant at first, because we didn’t like the idea of small bands being self-indulgent and telling people what they ate for breakfast.  But ultimately, these mediums are a great way of interacting with others in that direct, basic human-to-human connection kind of way.  Plus, they are what you make of them.  I could tweet about my breakfast, or I could tweet about a great film I’m really passionate about and want to share with people.

5.    What Aussie and International acts are exciting you at the moment? How do you find these acts – are you a fan of music blogs?
Can’t speak for the other boys but at the moment, in terms of larger international indie stuff, I’m really enjoying Passion Pit, Grizzly Bear, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Phoenix, Elbow, The National, M83, Silversun Pickups and so much more.  Locally, Bertie Blackman’s new album sounds really interesting.  I think Paul Dempsey and Sarah Blasko have really beautiful new songs.  Saw Tame Impala live recently and thought they were awesome.  Bought Leader Cheetah’s album and digging it.
As for the second part of your question – I am indeed a blog reader.  I read Pitchfork regularly, though mostly as a news source.  I don’t agree with their reviews all the time.  Joe Hardy and Angus @ Twelve Major Chords are two quite prominent Aussie bloggers who are friends of our’s.  I read their blogs.  There’s always so much good music to be found for those who seek it out!

6.    Finally, how should a punter dance to Tokenview’s music (if at all)?
Awkwardly, but completely without abandon! Many dancers have graced our shows, and non other impressed me more than the guy who cleared a space to start doing push-ups.

Get your copy of Tokenview’s EP and the free single, ‘What Can I Do’ from

Photography by Beck Cains

Richard Kingsmill is a fan, and with fantastic reason. Local singer-songwriter James Grehan showcased his brilliantly-crafted songs at the brand, spanking new Apple store in Robina on Thursday night. The new superstore is the first in Queensland, and judging by it’s opening day when over 5000 customers walked through the door, it should prove to be a popular spot for music and tech-loving folk.

Musicadium is extremely proud to be presenting the first five artists performing instore. The stellar lineup of singer-songwriters is definitely worth a squiz, so plan a roadtrip to Robina if you’re nearby for some brilliant tunes from Brisbane and the Gold Coast’s best.

Saturday 23rd May, 2 pm - Steve Grady

Saturday 30th May, 2 pm - Dan and Dilmah

Saturday 6th June, 2 pm - Casey Barnes

Saturday 13th June, 2 pm - Brianna Carpenter

You can purchase music from all artists on

Check out this great film clip from The City Shakeup and take a look at their myspace!

Their music is available on

Michaela, one of Musicadium’s Directors, has been approached to speak at the “Babes Bites Forum” on Tuesday, 19 May 2009 at the Brisbane Polo Club to discuss “How do you create a web of influence and success utilising traditional and new media networking strategies?”

4BC personality Alex Bernard will chair a panel of expert networkers including Vivienne Anthon from the Australian Institute of Management, Karl Scott from Hemming and Hart lawyers, as well as Michaela Tilse from SM2 and Musicadium to tackle the topic of networking in the new millennium.

The Babes Bites Forum Series brings together industry experts and social commentators for an informal panel style discussion to explore different topics and ideas.

They will provide Babes with ‘bites’ of information and advice to take with us into our professional and personal lives.

The Babes Bites Forum series takes place at the luxurious Brisbane Polo Club, and allows members and guests to join together and enjoy drinks, canapés and topical conversation.

Other speakers on the panel are Vivienne Anthon, Australian Institute of Management and Karl Scott, Partner Hemming and Hart Corporate+Commercial and the chair will be Kristin Devitt from Babes in Business.

How do you get the most out of a networking function? To Twitter or not to Twitter? Brandish your business cards or is subtly the key? Can Facebook really be counted as work?

Babes experts answer all these questions and more at the first Babes Bites in 2009 tackling traditional networking vs the new online culture.

Visit www.babesinbusiness.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

What’s the name of your band? What’s the origin of that name? Who came up with it?
Our band name is Epidemic…over.  Unfortunately there isn’t a really cool explanation as to why it’s our name but I suppose it came from reading a lot of newspapers and seeing the news the word epidemic was being used quite frequently and it just kind evolved from there - you know, wouldn’t it be nice if all the epidemics were just over .  Ben (guitarist) just said it one day and it just stuck.

We see you and fellow Musicadium artists, This Collision, are doing a run of shows together in May and June.  How did that come about?  Do you love touring?
We absolutely love touring!  We have been mates with This Collision for a while - actually we were fans first.  We travelled round just to see them play and got to know them and then just started playing shows with them.  This will be our second tour together and after having so much fun last time we really can’t wait to hit the road with them again.

What can you tell me about your instruments? (i.e., are you subject to brand loyalty or will you play with whatever’s available? What made you choose the instruments you have now? Was it cost or was it a style/model/brand/color preference?
Matt plays a Sonor SQ2 kit
Scott plays Warwick and fender basses and Gallien Kruger Amps / Cabs
Ben plays PRS and Schechter guitars, Hughes & Kettner amps and Orange cabs
Nathan uses Shure wireless microphones

The instruments we use aren’t just because we like them, but because of the quality and the particular sound they each give - it’s what makes epidemic…over what it is.

We are definitely loyal to the brand we like. You won’t see us rock up to a show and use a generic backline. I don’t know how anyone can do that - you would sound like a totally different band every night. There just wouldn’t be any continuity of sound.

You are from Central Queensland - what’s the scene like there?  Does it give you opportunities that you wouldn’t have got elsewhere?

The scene is growing and evolving.  Central Qld is a tough sort of area to get noticed, particularly when a lot of the people in the area are only fond of one genre etc, but one of the benefits is that with more bands on the road they are coming north and we have been getting some fantastic supports and tours.  I think it would be much harder in the capital cities - you’d just be a small fish in an even bigger pond.

This (Promise) is your second release, how does this one differ from the first self-titled release?  Where did you record it?  Are you 100% happy with it?

We recorded Promise at Mud hut studios on the gold coast with James Balderston (Amity Affliction / A Secret Death) in the producer’s seat, which was a great experience.  I suppose promise differs from the first EP in that our song writing (and playing) ability has greatly improved, we were more comfortable in the studio environment and we have a clearer indication of what type of band we want to be. With the first record we were sort of lost in the middle somewhere.

What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?

We try to rehearse for 2hours 2-3times a week.  We can’t go too much longer than that, because we don’t want to annoy the nieghbours too much. The rehearsals aren’t always spontaneous but sometime you’re just over playing the set and just want to jam, which is when we write our best stuff

What inspires you? What makes you wake up and think “wow that really matters?” What makes you want to write songs that make people sit down and think?

Musically, it’s a song that makes me feel any sort of emotion or actively makes you think about the message - or when you hear it, you just go “wow…I wish I wrote that” hahaha!

We don’t actively write songs that have messages.  None of us have overly strong political views or views on society. Obviously everybody has opinions.  The lyrics aren’t a conscious decision. I don’t have a theme of the day or anything that I want to write about. The guys start jamming and as they are writing it’s the vibe of the song that determines my emotion and the words just flow from there. I don’t normally have an emotional attachment until after I have wrote down what’s come out and actually thought about it

How do you promote your music that you have for sale in the digital outlets?

Obviously social networking sites are a major part, but digital sales are your bread and butter these days so it’s making sure you let people know through all your media (old school and digital) that “Hey!  You don’t have to buy an actual CD if you don’t want to - just jump on ITunes”.

Also being a feature artist on certain sites or offering special incentives like bonus tracks to those who buy your product digitally is a HUGE help.

You recently played at the Coconet Classic Festival alongside The Living End and The Butterfly Effect.  Was it humbling or scary playing with such legendary artists?

I’ve never felt so inadequate in my life…hahaha!  Just being on the bill was amazing, but looking over to the side of the stage and seeing some of our heroes, like Kim from Dead Letter Circus, watching and tapping their feet was massive encouragement.

I don’t think the guys were too nervous - they just approached like any other show…but I (Nathan) was really nervous… I think the only thing that saved me was the awesome crowd response when we walked on stage.

Epidemic…Over’s New EP Promise will be available online from May 15th, but their Self-Titled release is available now on .

They can be found on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and their Website!

FROM http://bit.ly/qpacbuskingcomp

CALLING ALL BUSKERS SHARE IN $10,000 WORTH OF CASH AND PRIZES

We’re searching the shopping malls, street corners and parks of Australia for the most innovative, talented and audacious entertainers in the country.

Whether whimsical, witty, wonderful or wacky, buskers have an uncanny ability to grab our attention, delight us with their antics and then wrangle the loose change from our pockets while we cheer them on!

From amateur beat boxers to virtuosic violinists, clowns to contortionists, and statues to stilt-walkers, this unique breed of performers injects an unexpected burst of entertainment into the daily lives of pedestrians everywhere.

Queensland Performing Arts Centre is making a concerted effort to lure talented buskers from across the nation from the street to the stage as part of the inaugural Australian Busking Competition.

With $10,000 in cash and prizes, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fill your hat with more loose change than you can carry, balance or juggle.

PRIZES

HEATS/FINALS

GRAND FINAL SATURDAY 1 AUGUST 2009 2-6 pm

Competition entry is free. Entries close at 5pm on Monday 15 June 2009. All enquiries to busk@qpac.com.au or (07) 3840 7209.

ENTER THE COMPETITION

If you reckon you’ve got what it takes to be named Australia’s best busker and share in the big bucks on offer, then make a video of your performance, fill out the online application form, and submit a link to your video application.

Terms and Conditions can be viewed here.

Applications to perform in the competition can be accessed and submitted here.

Thanks to QMusic for this great information about a fantastic opportunity to have your music featured to new audiences!

Jim Beam Racing (also known as Dick Johnson Racing) is looking for local Brisbane/Gold Coast bands to feature in their new YouTube Channel, DickJohnsonRacing - www.youtube.com/profile?user=DickJohnsonRacing. For those not familiar with the team, Jim Beam Racing – JimBeamRacing.com.au - is a Gold Coast based V8 Supercars team headed up by Australian motorsport legend and Brisbane boy, Dick Johnson.

Specifically, the team are looking for local bands with an edgy rock pop/ punk pop flavour to feature in their YouTube videos. Their videos deal with a range of subject matter – everything from race reports from Dick himself to outtakes with Grant Denyer, one of our drivers, to a fly-on-the-wall look at the race team in action.

In return for the use of their music, Jim Beam Racing will include the band’s name and contact details in the credit section of the video. There is no money on offer, but there is an opportunity for your band to be connected with one of the most well respected and longest established brands in Australian motorsport. Please forward all enquiries or expressions of interest to Karah Edwards on kedwards@djr.com.au.