Bandcamp Wrap-up #1 - Free Hobart music

Because everyone loves free stuff.

I figure with Bandcamp being pretty popular with Hobart bands/musicians, it'd be nice to collect a bunch of this newly released digitalia and present it in a blog post every now and again. There is already a whole slew of Hobart releases on Bandcamp - it's pretty easy to track with their tagging system (just explore Hobart -> new releases) - so here is 10 local releases you can download for free. Click on the band name to get to their page and find more releases/information:

Moe Grizzly - Eye Sore / myblackson - Jam

Moe Grizzly are so fucking good.

I mean, they're better live, but whatever, isn't that always the case? Here's a great track found on last year's Clones And Clones: Hobart + Melbourne compilation. It's called 'Eye Sore'. It was probably meant for some completed-but-never-released album that's still sitting around in some Hobart house.

Edit: "Eyesore was recorded exclusively for the C&C comp - no other material exists from this session. The other, older, lying-around-a-house session is being worked on constantly and will see a release well before the end of 2011." More details in comment section below.

If you haven't heard Moe Grizzly before, think a fuzzier, less intelligible Drones. But really, just listen to the song already:

   Moe Grizzly - Eye Sore by Noise, Etc.


Being myblackson's 'final' show - which was one of their best ever, let the record be known - it feels fitting to feature something from them here. You can already listen to most of their back catalogue on Bandcamp (and download the majority of that for free), but here's a song from the limited single they released at their final gig on 22 July 2011. It's titled 'Jam', which is the same name as one of their old songs, but whatever. Punk.

They'll be back, just you watch 'em. And they'll play Pop Song, too.

In the meantime, while we all pretend they're dead forever - R.I.P. myblackson. You were good to us. Really, really good. To my favourite Tasmanian punk band: thank you.

   myblackson - Jam by Noise, Etc.

Noise, Etc. Live #1 with Peter Escott, Carl Higgs, Splash Mountain

I'm happy to present the inaugural Noise, Etc. Live show, featuring the talents of...

Peter Escott
Carl Higgs
Splash Mountain  

Noise, Etc. Live #1 is on Wednesday August 17th at the Brisbane Hotel from 8pm. $5 entry. Be there. Facebook event here. Poster, wanky bios and mission statement below:

"Underground pop hits from Hobart" mixtape via K Mason

Hobart-born musician Keith Mason (White Woods / K Mason) has put together a little mixtape of Hobart music, ranging from 1996 to ~2005. It features a few bands who have played live shows in the past few years (The Frustrations, Kind Winds, Rentboy), but otherwise is made up of many Consumer Productions associated bands such as The Gentlemen, hMAS, Avoidable Droid, End Show, Karaoke For My Shadow, et al.

Interview: Manchester Mourning

Hobart's Manchester Mourning are a young Courier New Wave four-piece who have been making their post-punk racket for a few years, releasing one EP (which you can download for pay-what-you-want) and a few limited CD-R singles. A year after finishing recording, they have finally gotten around to launching their debut album Immediacy, firstly at the Grand Poobah in Hobart this Friday night and then at Skinny Geans #8 in Launceston on this Saturday night.

I spoke to Steve Wright (keys, vocals) and Sam Upton (bass, vocals, synth) from the band about Immediacy, Rosny College 'rock culture', and their place in Hobart music scene. While you're reading, have a listen to Wedding Cake from Immediacy below:

Manchester Mourning - Wedding Cake by Noise, Etc.

Gutter Parties - Glow Slowli

Gutter Parties - Glow Slowli by Noise, Etc.

Glow Slowli is a new track from Hobart world-pop practitioner Gutter Parties, taken from his upcoming debut cassette released on Wonder Beard Tapes. Its one of his most melodic songs yet, a track he explains as "about being haunted and about wanting lobotomy or something." Glow Slowli's optimistic keyboard probably comes from the fact the song was originally written (with different lyrics) for two friends who were hating on each other at the time. Trivia!

The self-titled cassette is available to order now for $5 plus postage, or otherwise will be available to buy in Hobart in a few weeks time. Keep an eye out for a possible vinyl version of the album in the future, too.

Drunk Elk - Seneca's Last Breath / Dark Blue Almost Black

Two videos of great Drunk Elk songs - Seneca's Last Breath from their newly released 7" and Dark Blue Almost Black from their 2010 album on CD.

Seneca's Last Breath (studio version here) is the A-side to a self-titled 7" released by Quemada Records this month. The 7" sounds much better than last year's Pieces Of People We Have Known CD, which I gave a bit of a gutting for its sound quality in a review. It's pretty damn close to live Drunk Elk, which is a great thing. The B-side, I Want To Be Your Pet replaces an Elk staple, the bass guitar, with a basic toy keyboard, offsetting the melancholic nature of the song. It's good. 

Splash Mountain / St. Bernard / Mess O' Reds / Manchester Mourning live footage @ Brisbane Hotel

This is some live footage of an all ages show at The Brisbane Hotel on the 27th April 2011. The show featured the debut performances of Splash Mountain and St. Bernard, plus sets from Mess O' Reds and Manchester Mourning. Huge thanks to Sam Upton who filmed these sets.

Splash Mountain

St. Bernard

Mess O' Reds

Nerves / Treehouse @ The Grand Poobah, 14th May 2011

Videos of Nerves and Treehouse from last night, who played at The Grand Poobah with Naked and myblackson. I didn't manage to get any video of Naked or myblackson this time, but I know somebody else in the audience with a better video camera did, so some more might surface later.

This was Nerves' debut show. I didn't film their best song but this is still pretty representative of their style. Guitar-driven punk with group vocals.

Treehouse are a pretty popular young band, but until now there has only been one decent video of them performing live available online. So I took two videos. The above video is a song they've been playing around for a few months with a cool-ass bass part, pretty wicked. The below video is a new song, without vocals (for now?).

Que - Sunglare

Que - Sunglare by Noise, Etc.

They don't exist any more. Back in 2009, my pre-18 year old self was pretty bummed when Que decided to part ways. The members of Que have gone on to feature in some pretty fantastic stuff since (Drunk Elk, The Breeze, Wendy In The Mountains, The Love In), but there is still a little more to the Que story that has until now been left unheard.

New Hobart DIY label Wormwood Grasshopper have released their first CD-R, a two song single/EP/thing from Que. These tracks were recorded back in November 2008 at the Fern Tree Community Hall, a recording session for their planned second album. A second Que album doesn't exist.

Sunglare is a melodic shoegaze piece that swells for nearly eight minutes before coming to a halt. Just listen to it. The CD-R is backed with Simple Fun, a 16-minute jam similar in composition to the band's Community compilation inclusion.

Sunglare/Simple Fun is available from Tommygun Records in Hobart for $5.