News Round Up: Week Ending 28th October 2005

[Revan]

Biggie & Tupac Reunited
Brooklyn rapper Notorious B.I.G. may have been shot dead in 1995, but the biggest names in hip-hop - including Eminem, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott and P. Diddy – have joined forces to contribute their talents to a 22-track, posthumous duets album, The Notorious B.I.G. Duets: The Final Chapter. The brainchild of Biggie’s good friend and label boss P. Diddy, the album features previously unreleased recordings from Biggie, as well as a surprising duet with Tupac Shakur, with whom he was feuding at the time of his death. Diddy is releasing the album through his label Bad Boy Records, and told Billboard that working on the album was “an emotional and therapeutic experience, one that finds us at the end of the road in terms of original releases for a great man”. The album will be released through Warner Music, with a bit of luck before Christmas.


BB King Bowing Out
Blues legend BB King – along with his beloved guitar, Lucille - has announced a five date farewell tour in the UK. Now 80 years old, King says he still finds the blues as relevant as ever. Speaking with the BBC, King said, "I'm trying to get people to see that we are our brother's keeper, I still work on it. Red, white, black, brown, yellow, rich, poor, we all have the blues," said King. "From my own experience, I would say to all people but maybe to young people especially black, white or whatever colour, follow your own feelings and trust them”. King’s latest album, 80 features duets of blues standards with Elton John and Eric Clapton.


Guerolito Tracklisting Revealed
Further to last week’s update, more details have emerged regarding the Beck remix album, Guerolito. As reported, the album will feature remixes by the Dust Brothers, the Beastie Boys' Ad-Rock, Boards of Canada, 8-bit, Röyksopp, Paza, French duo Octet and Homelife – now it seems French electronic act Air are also in on the act. So cue two turntables, a microphone and get your head around the final tracklisting:


01 Homelife - E-Pro
02 Islands - Que Onda Guero
03 Octet - Girl
04 Air - Missing
05 Ad-Rock - Black Tambourine
06 Mario C - Earthquake Weather
07 8-Bit - Hell Yes
08 Boards of Canada - Broken Drum
09 El-P - Scarecrow
10 Superthriller - Go It Alone
11 Subtle - Farewell Ride
12 John King - Rental Car
13 Th' Corn Gangg - Emergency Exit
14 Beck - Clap Hands


Madonna To Tour Australia
Madonna has revealed she hopes to include Australia on her world tour plans in support of her forthcoming album, Confessions On A Dance Floor. "It's just that Australia is so far away and for the last two tours I had to cram everything into my children's summer vacations”, the Material Girl revealed. “But I really don't want to pass Australia by (this) time." Madonna last toured Australia during 1993’s Girlie tour, but given the underwhelming international response to her last album, 2003’s American Life, we suspect the tour is more about consolidating her career than rewarding the support of her Australian fans.


Iceland’s Screaming Masterpiece

With a total population of just under 300,000, Iceland more than pulls her weight when it comes to producing exceptional musical acts. Bjork, the Sugarcubes and Sigur Ros, as well as a new crop of bands including Múm, Bang Gang, Mugison, Minus and Slowblow - all sound like no one else on the planet. Mixing ancient dirges and contemporary electronics, rock, pop and classical, their eclectic sound is the subject of a new documentary, Screaming Masterpiece, that explores the history of Icelandic music and its role in the nation’s current musical explosion. Released theatrically in Iceland earlier this year, it’s hoped an Australian distributor will pick up the film for a local DVD release. A 15-track soundtrack for the album is also available.


Axl Rose Is Teen Cool
It sounds bizarre but ex-Guns N’ Roses’ singer Axl Rose, now 43, has been voted the world’s second ‘Coolest Old Person’ by US teen magazine Ellegirl. Proof positive that America’s core family values are still intact, Rose was beaten to the pole position by the readers’ grandparents! What’s incredible about the survey is that Rose has not released any new material since GNR’s 1993 collection of punk covers, The Spaghetti Incident, and the much vaunted new GNR album, Chinese Democracy, has still not seen the light of day ten years after Rose began recording it. Other celebrities to feature on the list include such notable wrinklies as Clint Eastwood, Mick Jagger and Madonna.


A Dandy Pair Of Boots
Dandy Warhols’ singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor is bringing more than his double hyphenated surname Down Under next month. He’ll also be packing the Dandy Warhol Boot, designed by Taylor-Taylor and American shoe designer, John Fluevog. The boot is described as a “Western styled boot that carries the classic styles and lines with a Fluevog twist. With a stacked, Cuban-inspired heel, rich analine leather and an adjustable buckle, the Dandy Warhol boot is perfect for riding from Fashion week to the Grammys!” Of his boot fetish, Taylor-Taylor says, “I was wearing Fluevogs when I was a kid (when Love and Rockets was still being played on the radio) and so I was really excited when John called. The boot itself was something that I always wanted SOMEBODY to make for as long as I can remember - a sort of Cowboy boot with the upper of an English Riding Boot." So if you’ve got a spare US $329 and want to get Dandy, head to www.fluevog.com.


INXS track listing revealed

Switch, the first album for INXS with new singer JD Fortune, will be released in Australia in November. The album was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Guy Chambers (Robbie Williams, Delta Goodrem), and if first single “Pretty Vegas” is anything to go by, the album doesn’t deviate from the band’s trademark funk-rock sound. Track listing for the album is:


1 - Devil's Party
2 - Pretty Vegas
3 - Afterglow
4 - Hot Girls
5 - Perfect Stranger
6 - Remember Who's Your Man
7 - Hungry
8 - Never Let You Go
9 - Like It Or Not
10 - Us
11 - God's Top Ten


Grinspoon Are Best In Show
Grinspoon have been blasting at the face of the local rock scene for a decade, so Sunday night’s ARIA for Best Rock Album for 2004’s Thrills, Kills & Sunday Pills was certainly overdue - especially given they’ve been nominated for an ARIA nine times previously! For singer Phil Jameson, the ARIA was sweet vindication of the band’s unified approach. “Since the start, Grinspoon have been four guys who’ve believed in ‘All for one and one for all’,” Phil says. “That’s the way it’s always been and always will be”. So it’s more than fitting that on November 7 the Grinners will release their first compilation, Best In Show. With a mighty back catalogue that includes classic heartstarters like “Just Ace”, “DCX3”, “More Than You Are”, “Black Friday”, the odd cracked ballad (“Chemical Heart”) and new single “Sweet As Sugar”, Best In Show is an essential Oz rock collection.


Kaiser Chief Conks Out
Ricky Wilson, singer with the UK’s Kaiser Chiefs – whose infectious debut album Employment is one of this year’s best - dramatically collapsed during a show at the Brixton Academy in London on Sunday night. "He got knackered and flaked out. There was first aid at the side of the stage and they gave him some water and then he was bright as a button two minutes later", said a witness. But fans on the band’s official site claim to have contacted the band’s drummer Nick Hodgson who says Ricky ‘was just thirsty and messing about’. So long as the band have their act together for their November/December Australian tour with the Foo Fighters, we don’t mind what they get up to. The band are also releasing a DVD called Enjoyment, which will include a 90-minute film, narrated by Bill Nighy, featuring a loosely plotted history of the band and their outlook on the world from childhood through to 25 years in the future. The DVD will also include rare live footage.


Delta & Brian To Cover Westlife
Since Delta Goodrem and Brian McFadden scored an ARIA No. 1 single with “Almost Here” from Delta’s Mistaken Identity album in March, it seems the pair are hoping to repeat the trick on McFadden’s second solo album - this time with a cover of a hit by his former band Westlife. According to a report on Contact Music, McFadden confirms both the song choice and the duet. "We did “Flying Without Wings” as a duet during [Delta’s Australian] shows. It turned out great - everybody loved it." As for Westlife, the indefatigable boyband look set to score yet another UK No.1 with “You Raise Me Up”, the first single from their seventh album Face To Face. An Australian release date has not been scheduled.


Justin Defends Britney
Britney Spears’ former flame Justin Timberlake has sprung to her defence following her threat to take legal action against tabloids and fan sites that published stolen photos of her first child last month. Timberlake said, “It's a little crazy. When a person like her, who's obviously a sweet person, is having their first child, it's like, 'Leave the girl alone, let her have the baby!' I do think that's crossing the line. That's her baby and those are her baby pictures."


Rivers Cuomo Goes Back To School
As reported in September, US geek rockers Weezer’s album Make Believe may or may not have been their last but what is certain is that singer and songwriter Rivers Cuomo is heading back to Harvard University. “I'm going back to school in February and I'll graduate in June with a degree in English”, said Cuomo. Cuomo also revealed that he’s been celibate since June 13, 2003. “I decided to try celibacy because I heard it would help the meditation, and I tried meditation because I heard it would help with the music”. But the big question is will it help his studies?!


Radiohead On A Roll
Radiohead, who are hard at work on the follow up to 2003’s Hail To The Thief, have revealed to fans on their official website that recording is going smashing. Singer Thom Yorke wrote, "It is the end of our two week session. We're splitting up. Its all s**t. We're washed up. Finished. Only kidding. It was fun. Some of it has been really great fun. And there were moments that stick in my head when I went 'TUNE!' 'TUNE!'", while guitarist Ed O’Brien says “"Had a couple of sticky days at the beginning of the week but saw it through. On a roll now. Lots of stuff to be done yet, but so far so good”.


Diamond Mines Rubin On 12 Songs
Pop icon Neil Diamond, who has sold more than 120 million albums worldwide, is set to release his first album of new material since 2001’s Three Chord Opera next month. 12 Songs was produced by Rick Rubin, who has worked with Slayer, Chilli Peppers, Jay Z and Johnny Cash. Although the pairing might seem odd, Diamond lounters “After the first few meetings, I realized [Rick] loved music in the same way I did. For both of us it was visceral, passionate and elevating experience. It turned out that we served the same mistress: music. That was to become our first real connection." The track-listing for 12 Songs is: "Oh Mary," "Hell Yeah," "Captain of a Shipwreck," "Evermore," "Save Me A Saturday Night," "Delirious Love," "I'm On To You," "What's It Gonna Be," "Man of God," "Create Me," "Face Me," and "We."


Cam’ron’s Killa Season
US rap artist Cam’ron, who was shot in both arms during an attempted car jacking (well, he does drive a Lamborghini) on the way home from a nightclub in Washington, DC, has been released from hospital and returned to his New York home. "People are foolish if they think I'm going to lose my head and give up anything to anyone just because someone threatens me," Cam'ron says. "I'm doing OK. It takes more than a botched carjacking to keep me down." Cam’ron, who is the leader of rap group The Diplomats, is releasing a new movie and album called Killa Season early next year.


Rod Stewart Goin' Sailing
Rod Stewart, whose fourth instalment of standards, Thanks For The Memory… Great American Songbook IV is released on October 30, has told American talk show host Ellen Degeneres that he’s taking a year off following the birth of his third child later this year. “With my other children, I was touring a lot, being a drunk rock and roller and wasn't home”, said Stewart. "The big difference with this baby is I'm going to be around a lot. I'm going to take next year off." With the American Songbook sessions proving a cash cow for Stewart, we think he can manage a year away from the office. For the record, Stewart’s new album includes duets with Diana Ross (“I’ve Got A Crush On You”) and Chaka Khan (“You Send Me”), as well as covers of “My Funny Valentine”, “Blue Skies”, “Makin’ Whoopee” and “Taking A Chance On Love”.


The Special Two clean up the ARIAS
As expected, Missy Higgins and Ben Lee were the Special Two at last night’s ARIA Awards. Missy capped off an incredible 12 months to take out five ARIA Awards in the categories of Best Female Artist, Breakthrough Artist Album, Highest Selling Album, Best Pop Release, and the coveted Album Of The Year award for her hugely successful The Sound Of White. Ben Lee won three ARIA Awards for Best Male Artist, Best Independent Release (for Awake is the New Sleep) and Single Of The Year for his contagious single “Catch My Disease”. But it wasn’t all about the Special Two – both Eskimo Joe and Grinspoon were surprise winners in the Best Group and Best Rock Album categories respectively. End Of Fashion nabbed the Breathrough Artist Award for their single “O Yeah!”, Mia Dyson collected the Best Blues & Roots Album ARIA, Keith Urban won Best Country Album, and Jimmy Barnes was inducted into the Hall of Fame. But the evening’s most emotional moment belonged to Neil Finn, who performed a heartfelt version of “Better Be Home Soon” in honour of his late friend and former Crowded House mate, Paul Hester.


The Mars Volta come alive!
A Mars Volta live show is about as dynamic, epic and intense as rock gets. And while we’re set to get a dose of their prog-punk in January when the band tour here as part of the Big Day Out, those who can’t wait that long are advised to get their hands on Scab Dates, a live album culled from shows recorded between 2003 and 2005. Clocking in at 72 mintues, the album features just seven songs, of which the final track “Cicatriz” accounts for a staggering 40 minutes! The full tracklisting for Scab Dates is: “Abrasions Mount The Timpani”, “Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt”, “Ghost Of Mutts / And Ghosted Pouts”, “Caviglia”, “Concertina”, “Haruspex”and “Cictatric (Parts I – V)”. But if you find the band’s sonic shifting template just too damn heavy and intense, why not check out The String Quartet Tribute To the Mars Volta, a 10-track chamber orchestra salute to a band beholden to none! It’s released through Vitamin Records.


The Strokes not-so-secret Oz show
You may recall a few months back we quoted The Strokes' manager revealing the band were planning a secret, low key show in Australia prior to the January release of their third album, First Impressions Of Earth. Now it seems the plans are being put into action, with singer Julian Casablancas confirming the tour to Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph, saying: "We're not really going to play all our new stuff because the album won't be out yet - maybe we'll do half. I think we are going to be playing a small bar. It's all still being worked out." It’s speculated the band will play at Sydney’s spiritual home of indie rock, the 450-capacity Annandale Hotel.


Beck’s Guero goes Guerolito!
Beck is re-releasing his latest album, 2005’s Guero, as a remix album entitled Guerolito! Set for release in December, Guerolito will feature remixes by the Dust Brothers, the Beastie Boys' Ad-Rock, Boards of Canada, 8-bit, Röyksopp, Paza, French duo Octet and Homelife. Of course the concept of remixing is not new to Beck - he’s allowed his songs to be remixed by everyone for Cornelius to Aphex Twin. Continuing the album’s theme of reimagination, Guero’s artwork will also be reconfigured by Guero’s original artist, Marcel Dzama.


Warner Music acquires Festival Mushroom
Ed St John, President and CEO of Warner Music Australasia, has confirmed the company's acquisition of one of Australia’s oldest labels, Festival Mushroom Records. Operating in Australia and New Zealand since 1952, FMR has been home at one point or other to some of the biggest names in Australian music history, including Johnny O'Keefe, The Delltones, Olivia Newton John, Peter Allen, Rolf Harris, The Bee Gees, Col Joye & the Joyboys, Paul Kelly, Split Enz, Skyhooks, Kylie Minogue, Jimmy Barnes, Hunters and Collectors, George, Eskimo Joe and Scribe. St John said: “We are absolutely delighted to acquire this iconic Australian music company. FMR and its foundation labels have been the home for Australian music since the dawn of our industry. Joined with Warner’s own roster of local acts – which stretches from Thirsty Merc and Evermore through to The Whitlams and Cold Chisel – this company will have a leading domestic music division. The growth and continued success of Warner Music Australia is going to be built around the development of a truly outstanding domestic music roster.” It has not been revealed how many jobs will be lost in the merger.


Good Vibrations dates announced
Organisers for the annual Good Vibrations music festival have announced February dates for next year’s shows. Although a line-up is yet to be announced, organisers promise that it’s “incredible”. Given that last year’s event included performances by Scissor Sisters, Mylo, Arrested Development and Handsome Boy Modeling School, we’ll take them on their word. Members of Jam Music’s database will be offered tickets prior to the official release date, so this means you have ten days to get your act together. Dates for the festival are Brisbane - Saturday 11 February, Melbourne - Sunday 12 February, Sydney - Saturday 18 February, Perth - Sunday 19 February.

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Bono goes Bush
Nobel Peace Prize nominee and occassional rock star Bono had lunch with President Bush in Washington yesterday. Bush’s press secretary Scott McClennan revealed the meeting was a follow-up to their discussions in July at the G8 Summit. "They had a very good discussion about some of our common priorities," McClellan said. "Both share a deep commitment to combating AIDS, preventing malaria and expanding trade to lift people out of poverty." In other Bono news, Contact Music reports Bono’s equity firm, Elevation Partners, has made a hefty US $234 million bid for the publishing company Boosey and Hawkes, who own the publishing for classical maestros Stravinsky and Rachmaninov.


The Doors: Live In Philadelphia
A performance by The Doors on 1 May 1970 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia is being released as a double-CD in November. The Philadelphia concert was one of the final shows played on the band’s last ever tour and features recordings of “Break On Through", "Back Door Man", "When the Music's Over", "Light My Fire", "Roadhouse Blues" and, curiously, Elvis Presley’s Sun Records track “Mystery Train”. The album was digitally transferred from the original multi-track recordings, then mixed and mastered by original Doors engineer/co-producer Bruce Botnick.


Blur to release EP
Damon Albarn has revealed to XFM in the UK that Blur will be recording a new EP before the year is out – a precursor to the new album proper that’s set for release next year. “We've got the songs but we're gonna record them in a few hours and just be very laid back about it. But not musically laid back. It'll be aggressive. Aggressively laid back. It's the total opposite of Gorillaz." Blur’s last album Think Tank was released in 2003.


Are Van Halen "Rock Stars"?
Rock Star, the reality show which snared INXS a new singer and put them back on the charts, is gearing up for season two… but the big question is which band will be involved? Rumours emanating from the States suggest that Alice In Chains, and even Queen (who have just wrapped touring with ex Free, Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers), are all possible contenders, but MTV.com is reporting that a source close to the show claims Van Halen will be the act involved. If the rumours are true, the band will be seeking their fourth singer, following on from former frontmen David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar and former Extreme singer Gary Cherone.


Alicia Keys goes Unplugged
American R&B soulstress Alicia Keys has notched her third consecutive US No. 1 album with Unplugged. Keys, whose two previous albums - Songs In A Minor and Diary Of Alicia Keys - have collectively sold 300,000 copies in Australia, is releasing Unplugged here on 30 October. Recorded live, the album sees Alicia backed by an 8-piece string section as well as guest artists including Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, Mos Def, Common and Damien Marley. As expected, the album features performances of some of her biggest hits - including "Fallin'", "Karma", "A Woman's Worth", "You Don't Know My Name" & "If I Ain't Got You", a few new songs – a soulful cover of The Rolling Stones' “Wild Horses” and a few new songs, including radio single “Unbreakable”.


Madonna begged ABBA for sample
Madonna has revealed to Attitude magazine that she had to beg and plead ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus in order to include the sample of “Gimme Gimme Gimme” on her new single “Hung Up”. "I had to send my emissary to Stockholm with a letter and the record begging them and imploring them and telling them how much I worship their music, telling them it was an homage to them, which is all true," said the singer. "And they had to think about it, Benny and Bjorn. They didn't say yes straight away. They never let anyone sample their music. They could have said no. Thank God they didn't." This is only the second time ABBA have allowed their music to be sampled – “The Name Of The Game” was sampled on The Fugees' “Rumble In the Jungle”.


Jack White changes Stripes
The White Stripes' Jack White has revealed to US Rolling Stone magazine that he’s taking a break from the band in 2006. Instead, he’ll focus his energies on The Raconteurs, his new project with long-time pal, Detroit singer/songwriter Brendan Benson. It’s not the first time White has collaborated with Benson – The White Stripes recorded Benson’s “Good To Me” in 2003. The Raconteurs have already recorded a number of tracks at Benson’s home studio, and a release for the album is slated for 2006. White, it seems, is intent on giving The Raconteurs his full attention, and stressed it’s not a mere side project. "I don't want it to sound anything like the White Stripes, this is a full-on band - dual songwriters coming together, building off one another, bouncing off each other.”


Party's over
Canadian trio The Tea Party are calling it a day after 15 years and seven studio albums together. Singer (and Jim Morrison clone) Jeff Martin, who is working on a solo album, has released a statement saying: "I am deeply appreciative of all the support Tea Party fans have shown both the band and me over the years. While I'm not ruling out a return of The Tea Party at some time in the future, I am focused for now on my acoustic solo record, and hope to release the new music this winter and tour in support of it. I am excited to embark on this new musical chapter of my life and wish all the best to my two former bandmates and friends, Jeff Burrows and Stuart Chatwood."


Gyroscope nominated for J Award
Punk tinged rockers Gyroscope have just been nominated for a coveted J Award for Album Of The Year for their sophomore release Are You Involved. Gyroscope join a list of nominees that includes Ben Lee’s Awake is the New Sleep, Faker’s Addicted Romantic, The Beautiful Girls' We’re Already Gone and The Panics' Sleeps Like a Curse. The J Award is distinguished by the fact that it will be judged by a select panel of industry leaders, led by Triple J’s music director, Richard Kingsmill. Nominees are selected throughout the year, and next month the panel will gather to select the winner. The award will be presented at a ceremony in the first week of December.


Green Day take on “Thriller”
Green Day have filmed a 14-minute epic video for the fifth American Idiot single, “Jesus Of Suburbia”. Speaking with MTV, singer Billie Joe Armstrong reveals the video is "the new 'Thriller'. You can't think of it as making a video, but a short film… There's dialogue”. The song charts the journey of a young man from "Jingletown USA" who yearns to escape his roots and move to the city.


Massive Attack back in studio
Massive Attack, or more correctly Robert “3-D” Del Naja, is back in the studio working on the follow up to 2003’s unnerving 100th Window. In a posting, Del Naja has revealed the album has a “gothic soul direction” and that "we have recorded vocals on about five tracks and have vocals to put down on at least 15 before Xmas, which is drawing horrifically close." NME.com reports guest vocalists for the album include previous collaborators Beth Orton, Horace Andy and Liz Fraser.


The Beatles are top icons
US showbiz publication Variety has released its reader-voted list of the 100 most iconic entertainers from the 20th Century, and The Beatles have topped the list. Readers were asked to cast their vote with reference to an entertainer's commercial impact, their creative powers and their cultural legacy. The Top 10 list is: The Beatles; Louis Armstrong; Lucille Ball; Humphrey Bogart; Marlon Brando; Charlie Chaplin; James Dean; Marilyn Monroe; Mickey Mouse and Elvis Presley.


Justin Hawkins' bald truth
Justin Hawkins, lead singer for camp English hair metal act The Darkness, has a song on the band's new album One Way Ticket To Hell & Back that addresses every hard rock singer’s deepest fear: premature baldness. The song, fittingly titled "Bald", was inspired by his own experiences. “My dad went bald, my granddad went bald - I'm f#####d! I've written a song about it now, so I'm ok. But I could always shave it off, anyway, and wear a wig like several other members of the rock fraternity are rumoured to."

Unreleased Elliot Smith leaks online
New material from singer songwriter Elliott Smith, who died from a self-inflicted stab wound on 21 October 2003, has been leaked online. The 22 songs include outtakes from Smith’s posthumous final album, From A Basement On A Hill, but also contain tracks that are believed to date back to Smith’s mid-'90s Either/Or sessions. It’s believed Smith recorded anywhere between 34 and 50 tracks for his final album, but only 15 made the cut, so there’s plenty of material floating around. The leaked songs are available on a bootleg titled From A Basement On The Hill 2.


Fatboy Slim & David Byrne's Oz premiere
The BBC reports that Fatboy Slim – who’s heading to Sydney for an outdoor performance at Bondi Beach on New Years Eve – and former Talking Heads member David Byrne are collaborating on a musical about former Philippines First Lady, Imelda Marcos. The musical, which reportedly explores Marcos' love of nightclubs and music, will premiere at the Adelaide Festival in March 2006.


The Verve's Ashcroft prepares to rock
For some fans of the Verve, the two solo albums from former frontman Richard Ashcroft - 2000’s Alone With Everybody and 2002’s Human Conditions – have been over-produced, heartbreakingly dull, mid-tempo affairs. But things may be looking up for his forthcoming third solo set, with the singer telling a UK radio station the new record is “sounding s##t hot…, there's some good raw rock & roll on it, some moments of beauty and lushness, but there are some tracks that are pretty raw, pretty heavy”. Although a release date for the album has not been scheduled, Ashcroft’s plans to commence touring in January suggest a December or early 2006 release.


Ben Lee and Missy Higgins to duet
In a message to his fans, LA based roving troubadour Ben Lee has revealed his forthcoming Australian tour is set to hold some surprises: “October is going to be fun. I'm coming home to a country that has connected with my music in a way that feels real. I'm still in disbelief about the multiple ARIA nominations. For the shows with Missy, Ms Higgins and I have been planning to sing some ditties together. Should be interesting. I think we're going to do a pretty bizarre cover duet. I'll leave that as a surprise. For my headline shows, I've dug deep into my five solo albums to build a rockin' set list that will attempt to make strippers and preachers alike both feel at home. I've never had a band that sounds this good. I feel like the general of a strong army, but also like the mischievous youngest child with these musicians. They are supporting me and leaving me free to play. Good times.”


Something New for Kate
Something For Kate are heading back into the studio in the coming weeks to record their fifth album, the follow-up to their 2003 Number One album The Official Fiction. The band have spent 2005 writing new material for the album, which will be recorded in Los Angeles with renowned producer Brad Wood, who is best known for his work with Liz Phair, Ben Lee, Pete Yorn and Tortoise. Fans can keep up-to-date with the progress of the record via the band's studio diary on their official website. The new album is expected to be released early 2006. In the meantime, you can catch Something For Kate when they return to Australia later in the year to perform at the 2005 "Honours Year" Homebake on 3 December where punters can expect to hear some new material.