Still Got It

Went to see Roxette recently at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney. I was blown away by how good they were live. That is despite not touring together for many years. They hadn’t been to Australia since 1996. On top of that lead singer, Marie Frederickson, had recently overcome a brain tumour.

It initially appeared Marie had lost part of her vocal range. But she blew me away with a set of ballads early on in the show. She wasn’t as mobile as she used to be but the voice was still there.

They played all their classics, the crowd was thrilled. There was still a mix of new songs, which didn’t detract from the show as a whole. People came to relive the 90’s mainly but their new songs were as good as the old, just not as well known.

What I didn’t understand was that many in the crowd left for drinks during the show. While others were rowdy during the ballads. It was disappointing and disrespectful to fantastic performers. Plus tickets were naturally expensive so I thought one should want to get their money’s worth.

That said, we left happy and pumped up after seeing a great show.

Roxette, thanks for coming!

Groovy Worship Music

I am different when it comes to music in church. I have played in multiple church bands yet could now do without music altogether. Especially with the increase of performance based music, singing at the congregation rather than leading them in signing praise to God. I still like this music, in a concert or playing through my iPod.

There is one church band that I have found purely by accident when surfing through the Mars Hill Church website. Their ‘music’ link shows various bands that play at their campuses as well as the many bands that have since retired. One such band is aptly named The Mars Hillbillies.

Their sound is very bluegrass. Not everyone’s cup of tea I know, but I have really been getting into it lately.

Check it out for yourself here. While there check out the diverse range of bands from other genres. There is something to please everyone.

Making The Switch

As their slogan goes, “Make the Switch To Vega.” Well I have answered the call of the highway billboards pleading with me to reconsider my choice of frequency.


Why? Well initially it was just for a change. I tend to go in cycles between AM and FM stations anyway. My main choices being 2GB and a mixture of MMM, 2WS, 2CBA and Mix, not so much Mix though as they tend to play too much Delta for my liking.

So this new player comes into the game and I want to hear what it has to offer. I had recently turned off from talkback, as it became a huge whinge fest with no relief in sight. Not a fan of Mikey Robbins in the mornings but for the rest of the day it is very pleasant and satisfies my need to sing loudly in the car. They might need to work on differentiating themselves further from WSFM because at the moment it is easy to interchange between both without really knowing the difference. Day after day of listening will find repetition in the play list but it’s the same at every other FM station as well.

Wilburys Re-Released

The Traveling Wilburys, the super group of the late 80’s have finally had their albums re-released after years of what I understand to have been issue with royalties.

The Traveling Wilburys consisted of:

• George Harrison – the former Beatle, as if you needed to be told that
• Jeff Lynne – from the band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)
• Tom Petty – soloist, also performed with The Heartbreakers
• Roy Orbison – need I say more
• Bob Dylan – legendary lyricist and folk singer

Formed purely by chance the five friends got together and in 9 days had recorded their first album aptly titled ‘Volume 1.’ It was magical that five stars in their own right could collaborate on such a project and make it work. The finished product is exquisite.

The package also includes their second album named ‘Volume 3’, a documentary showing the making of ‘Volume 1’, as well as their five music videos, including those of their biggest hits ‘Handle With Care’ and ‘End of the Line’.

Great music, great story, and a fantastic affordable package. I first saw its availability on an iTunes Music Store email but I found it cheaper at JB’s. Do yourself a favour.

Superstitious Band

Sydney’s newest and funkiest covers band has been launched as of Wednesday the 9th May.

From their website:

Superstitious, the newest and freshest covers band in Sydney is ready to entertain. With experienced players from a range of musical backgrounds, you’ll be grooving to hits from the smooth sounds of Stevie and Aretha to the modern beats of Christina and Beyonce. Superstitious are an energetic 8 piece band with a line-up that features a funky four piece rhythm section of drums, guitar, bass and keyboard backing a dynamic male and female duo complimented by a smoking 3 piece horn section. The infectious energy of Superstitious will draw you to the floor and leave you wanting more. Check out our song list and contact us today.

I concur with this description. If I didn’t have a leg injury you may have even found me on the dance floor. That is saying something about the music that they played. You can’t help but move. Unfortunately sometimes I focus too much on the drumming and forget about the music as a whole.

Their influences are:
Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Blues Brothers, The Temptations, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, The Commitments, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Michael Jackson, Ray Charles and many more.

Just like every band around they have a MySpace website where you can here a funky sampler of their music.

Adam Brand Concert

A few of us went to The Mean Fiddler at Rouse Hill to watch a live performance of award winning country music artist, Adam Brand. His performance was way above our wildest expectations. He has such a stage presence (for a short bloke) and being a small venue he has the ability to connect well with his audience. It's perhaps another reason why people should keep their minds open to country music, it might just be different to what you imagine. I think Linda describes it best. Also check out the poster she made before and after the concert.

For those willing to open their minds to some rockin' country, Adam's latest albums are available everywhere: "What a Life" and "Get Loud". He has many other albums and DVD's available. By the way, that's me with the man himself, Adam Brand.

Country Music

For some reason many people have a negative view of country music. Most, I believe, have never listened to country music or even listened to it with an open mind. These people have shut themselves off from this beautiful genre of music all due to a pre conceived notion of what country music is all about.

Recently I was very excited to hear the tales of someone who had just discovered country music for the first time. As a result my interest in the genre has been re ignited.

It is a very ‘real’ musical genre as opposed to all the facadities and falsehoods of today’s hip-hop / pop world. I recommend that everyone listen to the music, but possibly more importantly, listen to the lyrics. You may just find that you are moved by some of them. Not a swear word in sight for the most part, just beautiful inspirational lyrics.

For a gentle introduction try some of these:

• The ANZAC – Adam Brand
• What My Heart Does – The McClymonts
• Forget About It – Alison Krauss
• Landslide – The Dixie Chicks
• True Blue – John Williamson
• Forever & Always – Shania Twain

If you want to rock it out a bit then try these:

• I’m Outta Here – Shania Twain
• Something Like That – Tim McGraw
• How Do You Like Me Now – Toby Keith
• Lubbock Or Leave It – The Dixie Chicks
• Boys From The Bush – Lee Kernaghan

All should be available on iTunes Music Store, and all feature on my iPod

Dixie Chicks

I have previously been embarrassed to talk about this (due to an unprecedented amount of ribbing), but not anymore. I am now proud to admit that I am a Dixie Chicks fan.

What is there not to like about them. To start with they are all beautiful, but there’s more. Each of them can play an array of instruments (that’s right, not just one) as well as being able to sing fantastically and harmonise with each other.

So what if they do have a multitude of serious “Chick Anthems.” Some examples are:

• Goodbye Earl
• Ready to Run
• Cowboy Take Me Away
• Wide Open Spaces – possibly their most popular and their first major hit worldwide
• The Long Way Around – from their new album

I’d say all girls could relate to some aspect of all these songs and many others in their now quite vast catalogue.

You have to admire their song writing. They put their heart on their sleeve, as is shown with their new album, “Taking the Long Way.” My favourite song from this album is called, “Not Ready to Make Nice.” It is a provocative stab at all the controversy that happened after some remarks by lead singer, Natalie Maines. People were boycotting their music and even sending death threats. There are some real uptight Americans, must be all that junk food. They are now releasing a Documentary Movie call “Shut Up and Sing.” To be released early 2007

Our family went to see them in concert for the second time and they don’t disappoint. We sat front on to the stage on the second tier. I found myself watching the big screen sometimes even though I could easily see everyone on stage. Simply put, it was worth the money (that dad spent).

The newly renamed ACER Arena is a top venue and the music sounded great. I thought with a bigger venue wreak havoc with the sound but the technicians worked some sort of magic as only they know how.

It felt kind of awkward going with mum and dad. It’s hard to really get into anything with them there. But then again, Dad payed for the tickets, so I appreciate that.