Industrial Strength: M-Phazes’ Grammy nod; Guvera pulls ads; Rudd’s bodyguard denies “hitman” offer

M-Phazes awaiting Grammy glam

Apart from Sia, Izzy Azalea (this week chuckling over internet rumours she was born a man), Keith Urban and pianist Fiona Joy Hawkins, producer M-Phazes may head for Grammy glory. He co-produced a track on Eminem’s MMLP2 which is up for Best Rap Album. A win would mean the fifth Grammy for a Melbourne resident (past and present) after AC/DC (2010), Olivia Newton John (1973), Kylie Minogue (2004) and Men At Work (1983).

It’s been a productive year for him, associated with double platinum sales for MMLP2 and platinum for Illy’s Tightrope and Bliss n Eso’s Circus In The Sky. He also landed placements on international releases as Keyshia Cole’s single NLY ft. 2 Chainz, two songs on Logic’s album Under Pressure, and a track on Lupe Fiasco’s January-due Tetsuo & Youth. M-Phazes is currently working on his sophomore solo album for late 2015 release.

 Guvera pulls video, banner ads

Australian music streaming service Guvera will take a dip in revenue by pulling its video and banner ads. Customer research indicates users find them annoying. It has opted to team customers and brands through its new ad-funded mobile app, where consumers are 30 times more likely to engage with a brand because they don’t feel they are being “hijacked”.

Phil Rudd bodyguard denies “hitman” offer

The man whom NZ police claimed – then backflipped on – was hired by AC/DC’s Phil Rudd to “hit” an ex-employee and his daughter, denied he was approached to kill anyone. Instead, he insisted Rudd offered him $250,000 and the pick of any of his $9 million luxury car collection to be his bodyguard.

Dolphin Awards yields 66-year old first time winner

The NCEIA Dolphin Music Awards of NSW’s North Coast had its oldest first-time winner. Ivan Perger, 66, took out the Folk category – after learning the ukulele only six years ago and releasing his first album Raw And Grizzled in 2012.  The awards, at Ballina RSL, was organised by the North Coast Entertainment Association.

Folk rock duo Two Lions had two wins, in the alt/indie category and song of the year for Heading Home. Ray Sorensen took the blues and production wins for his single Blue Haze. Grace Hughes got the pop and youth gongs.

Other winners included Strange Days On Earth (album of the year for Sign Of Life), CC The Cat (world/reggae), Blakboi (male vocal), Gabriel and Cecilia (female vocal), Ryan Slattery (rock), TLK (urban), SIV (heavy and hard), Loonaloop (electronic), Casey Barnes (country), Jo Satori (adult contemporary), Tim Tonkin & the late Jeff Joubert (music video for Love At First Sniff), Kellie Knight & The Daze (jazz) and Jurassic Joe (music for children). Best protest song was The Good Oil’s Out of Site, Out of Mine.

Tasmusic announces AGM date

Tasmanian association TasMusic holds its Annual General Meeting January 20 at 6 pm at the Republic Bar in Elizabeth Street. Ten people will be voted onto the board, with the positions of President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary open. Nominations to be sent to manager@musictasmania.org.

Perth station moves

Perth’s Forever Classic format station1080 6IX is now at Level 1, 46 King Edward Road, Osborne Park. It was formerly in East Perth’s Hay Street.

New festival added to summer picnic circuit

The Peninsula Picnic in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula is the latest addition to the summer festival circuit. It is a mix of music, food and wine, held Sunday March 29 at Mornington Racecourse. Debut acts announced were The Waifs, Paul Dempsey, Tinpan Orange, Pierce Brothers and Hayden Calnin.

 Support Act primes up Christmas Appeal

Donations to Support Act Ltd’s Christmas Appeal will ensure those who used its services get a supermarket gift card for food, essentials and even a present. Individuals will get a $50 voucher, and families $100. You can give online via supportact.org.au/donate/ or posting a cheque to Support Act, PO Box 805, Potts Point NSW 1335

Music For Refugees calls for instruments

Sydney volunteer music teacher Philip Feinstein who has been holding Music For Refugees classes for children and adults inside immigration detention centres since 2009, is expanding its reach. He is expanding the program to other detention centres including Manus Island, Christmas Island and Nauru. He needs musical instruments that are not being used any more, with drop-off points around the country listed at musicforrefugees.org.

Vale

Graeme Goodall, the Melbourne-born producer who helped take Jamaica’s reggae and ska to the world by setting up Island Records with Chris Blackwell and Leslie Kong, passed away at 82 in Atlanta, Georgia. Starting out as a technician and presenter on AM radio in Australia, he moved to London in the mid-50s. Helping Jamaican radio with technical issues, he got involved in its music as sound engineer, record producer and label exec. Island formed in 1962 just for the Jamaican market, but Bob Marley, Millie Small (My Boy Lollipop), Sly & Robbie and Peter Tosh made it a global brand . He left Island and set up the Dr. Bird and Pyramid labels. In 1969 Pyramid released Desmond Dekker's The Israelites, a hit in Australia, a #1 in the UK, Netherlands, Jamaica, South Africa, Canada, Sweden and West Germany,, and Top 10 in the U.S. Jamaica honoured Goodall in 2012.

Ruby Carter, the matriarch of Melbourne jazz who inspired and mentored generations of singers passed away at 77 after a ten year battle with cancer. Glasgow-born Carter migrated in 1974 and became “an essential ingredient in the Melbourne jazz scene, whether on stage or in the audience,"  Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues curator Adrian Jackson said. Plans are fo a New Orleans-style funeral jazz parade down St. Kilda’s Ackland Street.

David Blenkinsop, director of the Perth International Arts Festival  between 1977 to 1999, passed in Perth at 77. He had been fighting Alzheimers for five years. Yorkshire-born Blenkinsop who moved to WA in 1976, made the festival one of the world’s finest by promoting new and multi-cultural works during 23 years at the helm. Last year, Live Performance Australia honoured him at its Helpmans with the JC Williamson Award for contribution to the arts.

 Community radio’s Good Morning Country founder, host and Program Manager, Bob Spence, passed at 86. Heard on Sydney’s 2SER, 2SSR and 2RDJ, he was inducted into the Australian Country Music Broadcasters Hall Of Fame in 2004. He returned to GMC last year after a lengthy break.

Ross Lipson, who was behind Geelong Sweethearts music program passed rom cancer aged 57. He formed them in 1989 from students and teachers of Matthew Flinders College, where he taught. Sweethearts, who did their sixth international tour this year, posted on FB: “Thank you to Ross, the man who started it all and never gave up redefining what was possible.”

Chucky Xypolitos, sound monitor engineer at Palms at Crown Casino for the past ten years, died of a heart attack. He worked at Troy Balance and with Jimmy Barnes, Yothu Yindi, The Angels and Southern Sons.

First judges for WA’s Song of the Year

As the deadline for the WA Song of the Year closes on Friday, WAM announced its first round of judges. They are bluesman Dave Hole, Gyroscope and Hen House's Rob Nassif, Perfect Pitch Publishing's Clive Hodson, Dew Process' John Mullen, NYC Jazz Records Magazine's Laurence Donohue-Greene, 4ZZZ's Chris Cobcroft, RTRFM GM Jason Cleary, The Music Perth Editor Daniel Cribb, X-Press Editor Bob Gordon, Australian Institute of Country Music's Geoff Walden, manager Luke Rinaldi and publicist Chris Maric.

 3RRR apologises to Goldsmith

Melbourne community radio 3RRR apologized to businessman Charlie Goldsmith after defamatory statements about him were made during an interview with author and Teenage Mothers singer Raph Brous on its late night program on August 2. The station called the statements “unacceptable” and “do not in any way reflect the view of Triple R.” Goldsmith accepted the apology, it said. It has reviewed its training practices to avoid another blunder.

SA guitarist Orianthi honoured in home state

South Australian guitar prodigy Orianthi, who scored a role in Michael Jackson’s touring band after moving to Los Angeles, was honoured by the state’s music community. During a seasonal visit to Australia, she was inducted into the SA Music Hall of Fame by the Adelaide Music Collective. She also performed to 30,000 at the Carols By Candlelight and revealed that her beau, former Bon Jovi axeman Richie Sambora, would join her in SA.

New Zealand ‘Touring Australia’ pilot yields two tours

Creative New Zealand’s Touring Australia pilot will see two of its performing arts companies give 29 performances in 2015. The association mooted the idea in 2012, working with Arts Projects Australia (APA) to help build the tour schedule. The two companies are the NZ Dance Company and Jumpboard Productions’ Live Live Cinema which brings classic films back to life on stage.

Sakura Sky heats media and entertainment incubator

Sydney’s digital solutions company Sakura Sky opened its first Innovation Lab for innovation, technology and entrepreneurship. It wants to spur ventures in media and entertainment. Its CTO Andrew Stevens opines the lack of a facility focussed on the two sectors has hampered Australian technology’s rise to the world stage. “We hope to fill this gap,” he said. By providing co-working spaces, funding assistance, technical services, mentoring, feedback and support, it hopes to generate “outstanding opportunities for networking, growth and development for participants.” More details at sakurasky.com.

Adelaide’s Jam Room spreads to Creative Arts Collective

Adelaide business Jam Room’s operator Alice Fraser changed its name to Creative Arts Collective. She started Jam Room in 2012 finding unique spaces to hold folk-themed gigs including The Café Series and Band On Boat. Fraser changed her focus to larger events that "celebrate a collision of creatives." The first, The Mollusc Jamboree on Jan 11 is an open air photo exhibition and DJs sets from Sarah Howells, Bobby Alu and Nick Saxon. The Collective plans to involve arts markets and artist-run venues. Fraser will be in the UK for most of 2015, working at folk label Communion Music.

Eat Noise re-strings

Evan Read’s Melbourne based www.eatnoise.com, a social hub to cultivate and foster live music culture, has been relaunched. It lists 60 bands from Australia, 40 from abroad. Read is giving away a prize of a video shoot to a lucky band, and a photo shoot to the runner-up. Winner will be chosen by musicians including The Audreys, Brothers Grim, Wagons and Eddy Current Suppression Ring, and play at the EatNoise launch party in March.

New research: Regional WA committed to the arts

New research from Western Australia’s Department of Culture and the Arts (DCA) showed that regional communities are committed to the arts.  91% participate in the arts, 45% creatively participate in it, and 67% engaged in the arts online either creatively or through watching, downloading, researching or following the arts. These were in line with studies for the rest of Australia.

89% of WA regional residents see arts and culture as valuable to the community. Four out of five believe it should get public funding. 78% volunteer in the sector (compared to 63% in the state). 51% believe it attracts tourists to the state (compared to 40% of those in WA. 52% believe the arts have a major role in community pride and identity (compared to 43% of the WA total).

Kylie & Jase’s Especially For You hits 1 million in the UK

26 years after its release, Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan’s Especially For You hit 1 million sales in the UK. It is the 154th track to do so there. The two were knocking boots when it was released in 1988 after meeting on Neighbours. It was Minogue’s second UK chart topper and Donovan’s first. It was also a hit in Australia, NZ, Ireland, France, Finland and Switzerland. The pair finally sang it together live in 2012 at London’s 02 Arena. In 2001, La Min did it with Kermit The Frog on An Audience with... Kylie Minogue.

Adelaide act to represent Australia in world finals

Adelaide band Love Cream represents Australia at the international finals of the Emergenza International band competition final. These are held in Germany in August 2015 at the Taubertal Open-air Festival which draws an audience of 30,000. Love Cream took the Australian finals at Sydney’s Metro.

Deadline for Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarships

The Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarships offers $20,000 to each recipient for overseas travel for creatives aged 21 to 35. It covers singing, (three for this) acting, painting and sculpture. Deadline is today (Dec 17) see martenbequest.com.au. This year they distributed $300,000 of scholarships.

Martin Novosel gets award

Promoter Martin Novosel, founder of club night Purple Sneakers in 2005 and co-founder of Musica Copa, was given the industry award at the inaugural Au Awards for his support of the country’s live music scene.

More dramas for Melbourne’s Palace Theatre

An application by the owner of Melbourne’s Palace Theatre, Jinshan Investments, was rejected by City of Melbourne. Recently, Jinshan demolished interior fittings of the 1912 building, (which caused a public rally in protest) while Council was still pondering about giving it heritage protection. In the meantime, a British venue operator has indicated it will buy the building and restore it. It wants to turn it into a hub including a Hall of Fame, offices for associations and a performance space from which acts broadcast globally.

Carol Dowling wins Human Rights Award

Carol Dowling of Perth’s Noongar Radio won the radio category of the Human Rights Awards in Sydney. It was for Another Stolen Generation which highlighted the disproportionate placement of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care in Western Australia.

Arts organisation criticised top cop over licence

Perth’s Chamber of Arts and Culture hit back at WA’s Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan’s stance against allowing the State Theatre Centre to serve liquor to non-ticket holders. The Centre wanted to set up a café and restaurant to operate even when performances were not staged. WA Police rejected its argument that it would draw tourists to the area. The Chamber’s chairman Warwick Hemsley called the decision “disappointing” and that cultural venues should be allowed to attract people for as many hours as possible.

Aussie documentary maker gets US nominations

Australian writer-director Alan Hicks' documentary Keep On Keepin' On received nominations for the Oscars as well as for the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Image Awards. Tracing the relationship between elderly jazz trumpeter Clark Terry and blind piano prodigy Justin Kauflin, it opens in Melbourne's Cinema Nova on December 18 and Sydney's Chauvel Cinema on January 8.

The Stones and Katy Perry Viagogo’s most in demand

Viagogo has revealed the year in tickets and the numbers show that The Rolling Stones comeback tour is 2014's most-in-demand ticket. The Stones’ first Australian tour in over a decade attracted greater demand than international sensations Robbie Williams and Michael Bublé combined. Other hugely popular events in 2014 included Katy Perry’s Prismatic tour. Perry’s lengthy stay in Australia this year also caused a huge surge in ticket demand, cementing her spot as the most in-demand pop starlet of 2014. Rounding out the most popular Australian acts were 5 Seconds of Summer, Keith Urban, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Angus and Julia Stone and Tina Arena.