Adding Up The Statsmen Data

One of the most exciting bands going in Brisbane when I was "growing up" in my 20s was the stupid noise fury of Eat Laser Scumbag! Fast, furious, shouty, colour-coded - they were the ketamine Wiggles for the Ramones kids with ASD and middle ear infections. They tore everything apart, a cyclone of hypercolour decimation. The members of these bands went on to other endeavours (the slacker pop nous brilliance of Nova Scotia, the cartoon punk splurge of Undead Apes, the guttural pub punk of Eyes Ninety etceteraaaaaaaa).

But sometimes you gotta keep the dream alive.

Admittedly Champion Data, the throwaway album from 3/4 of ELS!, called here Statsmen, is decidedly different, more interested in Guided By Voices, Pedro The Lion and infinite other 90s guitar bands, taking the combustible energy of cassette-chewed lo-fi rock to all corners of the canvas (with some 8-bit Numan-highfiving-Devo magic on 'Candy', retrofuturist synth silliness on 'Indestructible Roger' and excellently warped motorik psycher 'Taken Over' thrown in to keep you on your toes). This may have been something to do to fill in time - but seriously, this is a great release that everyone should get into. I for one cannot get enough.

Woodboot's Doing The Crime Time

Seriously, can Woodboot get any more diseased? Since the Brisbane band started out some years ago as a passing concern, the core duo of Dan and Julien cranking out scuzzed out garage punk, they have grown like an Akira homunculus, sucking in Sam McKenzie (Sulphur Lights/Occults) on second axe bludgeoner duties and Donnie Miller (No Anchor/Roku Music/Forevr) eschewing guitars and smashing the kit like the reprobate Troglodyte that he is. Crime Time is the fetid result. Each song is all about brevity with a mainline blast of fuck-you punk, tearing viscera through their serrated sawing and heckling howls. Songs like ‘Trash Dump’ is the kind of punk we hear a lot of around Brisbane parts, from the 70s punch of The Leftovers to the cartoonish chaos of Undead Apes and everything in between, but then you get to the killer slack-jawed, legs-splayed power punk of ‘Prison Planet’, all jagged edges and dripping Neanderthal fangs, that the transmogrified remnants of the likes of Hank Wood, Circle Jerks and the Spits are ripping through the entrails of the four-piece, a chest-burster showing the diseased intent within. ‘Gut You’ is fucking feral, all blood-vessel searing feedback and three-chord torture, throats being shredded almost out of psychopathic glee. ‘I’m Gonna Push You In Front Of The Bus’ is, despite of its name, a more “pop-oriented” punk blast, a Ramones template lynched and dragged along the bitumen behind a busted-up V8, some semblance of attractive melody showing beneath the blood and gashes. I can even hear ‘Return Of The Rat’ in Crime Time’s insistence that there should be rhythm underneath the sledgehammer-and-kerosene debris, if somewhat used and abused.

I’m proud to know Woodboot – I'll do time for them for sure.

Grieg Retaliates Ferociously

Grieg are a newish band in Brisbane with some serious pedigree. John plays in Dick Nasty and Undead Apes; Alex plays in No Anchor and is involved in brilliant project A Savage God; and Tamara is from gargantuan party-starters/killers HITS. Their debut LP Retaliate First combines all the brutal elements from these backgrounds, presenting a triple-pronged assault on the senses. There is the acidic humour and hubris in the lyrics; the black riffs of 80s metal at its highest ebb; and thundering, deliberate drumming that controls as it pummels. The jacket once again emblazoned with Gillies' brilliant artwork, this is a record that is nests in your brain, with more to unlock with each listen, a hook to savour, a line to chuckle or cheer for, a break that halts the breath. Bring on the noise.

Getting Grieg On The Humpday

(Photo by Steven Schnorrer)

It's the middle of the week, and I'm keeping things decidedly Australian and heavy in this humpday. New band on the Brisbane block Grieg is ripe with hardcore knowledge and noisy neglect, and they have just announced that they finally have an album in the wings, recorded by Cameron Smith at Incremental Records and coming out in March. Named after the composer Edvard Grieg (but more likely named after the Grieg Funeral Home in seminal thriller Silence Of The Lambs, if I know Alex Gillies at all), the trio are taking all comers and ripping them new breathing holes - politely of course. And the acerbic wordsmithery of John Mercer shows no signs of slowing down if the name of the first taste of the album is anything to go by. Bring the filth and the fury - this sounds excellent.

Eat Chakra Fandangos!

One of the earliest memories I have of immersing myself in the Brisbane music scene was heading along to The Orient Hotel to watch bands. It was 2004-2005. Before then I went to gigs every month, but very rarely to anything that wasn't being played on the radio. When I say the radio, I mean Triple J, and as any old curmudgeon will tell you, "it was much better back then". So gigs were Magic Dirt, Custard, Rocket Science, Not From There, Pollyanna, Youth Group, Bluebottle Kiss, Even, Gota Cola...and so on. Anyway between Rics, the Orient and the beginnings of 610 a little while later, I moved into a different realm.

The first clear memory I have of the Orient included bands like Turnpike, HO2, Shuriken - and Eat Laser Scumbag! They had me at the name straight off the bat; they had me with the colour coordination (think The Wiggles for dropkicks); they had me with their raw, raucous rock that dealt in speed as much as melody. Over the decade I have gotten to know Ash, Nathan, Adam and Xavier fairly well - the guys have spread to be in bands as diverse as Undead Apes, Nova Scotia, Chinese Burns, Eyes Ninety and more, as well as having kids and spreading across the Australasian lands - but the helter skelter, fever-pitched radness of the band has always remained. They always play when the four of them are in the country together, so they haven't really officially gone anywhere - and here is a 10" to remind us what their brand of spontaneous combustion was all about. Chakras Aligned is a bit more considered then their EP Eat Laser Scumbag 1 Earth 0, but it still packs a punch. 'Vampires' and 'Fandango' in particular show a different side to the band that intimate what might have been and could still be. I believe the 10" is sold out, but you can grab it digitally below. Let's petition to get them back in orbit and smashing pubs, thus reminding us all that you aren't ever too old to get loose.

Dollar Bar (NOT At Paddington Workers Club...)

Brisbane's premier purveyors of sardonic yet whimsical guitar pop Dollar Bar have returned like the fabled phoenix. It seemed that you couldn't step out your front door in the early 2000's without falling over the band. Yet after a series of slick releases and a debut eponymous album, the boys left us in 2004. But the last three years has seen the fire back in the bellies of the four-piece - there is no sense of purpose here other than for the band to get back together again, hang out as mates, just like you're supposed to. Why be in a band if you hate everyone unless you are 90s Lou Barlow, amirite?

Dollar Bar are launching 2nd album ten years on from the debut, and it's called Paddington Workers Club after the now sadly defunct establishment that many a Brisbane band of the 90s and early 00s cut their teeth and drank their weight in the amber stuff. Its fitting that as their "comeback" record, unlike Farnesy, actually means something - its self referential as always, but is looking forward as well as looking back, and what made things tick. The boys are older, worldlier and (assumedly) wiser, yet the cheek, wit and cagey shambolism remains intact. Tattooed hipster Canadian girls on bikes, sterilised currency, overdue bills, people from Brisbane moving to Melbourne to hang with people from Brisbane, Pollard and Salter references - these things only skim the surface of why this album is the shit. And it's short, so it's a bliss bomb as well.



Dollar Bar launch Paddington Workers Club tonight in Brisbane at the Beetle Bar. The supports - Roku Music, Tape/Off and Undead Apes - is outta this world too. This is seriously going to be one of the most fun music nights of the year, so you better be there, fools. Here's their great new video too. It's good to have you back, lads.

Bow Down To God Bows To Math

Last year Sonic Masala put on a last-minute show for excellent Auckland noise rock trio God Bows To Math. It was underattended (due to time constraints and it being a Sunday), yet with blistering supports from Tiny Spiders and Quiet Steps was one of the best shows I saw in 2012. This Saturday April 28 they return, supported again by Tiny Spiders but also joined by Undead Apes and Roku Music (Innez Tulloch pulling double duties on the night). This will be the final stop on a whirlwind tour which begins in Newcastle on Thursday and also includes Sydney and Melbourne shows. Head over to their Facebook for full details. The band will be doing some recording in Brisbane with Donnie Miller (No Anchor/Roku Music) in preparation for their next album - killer. Go here to read what I thought of their electric self-titled album (one of my favourite albums of 2011), grab said album from here, and get damned excited. 

God Bows To Math - The Only Good Fnord Is A Dead Fnord

1st Birthday of Live Celebrations



(poster by Matt Deasy)

Well here it is, the "Big" announcement. It's actually been floating around the traps and the social medias for a while, but it ain't official before it's launched here. This month marks one year since Sonic Masala started supporting the local bands of Brisbane, putting on DIY shows for friends and bands that I like and want to help out. We have had a single launch, an album launch, and even had a couple interstate and one NZ band join the fray. The future looks incredibly rosy for this arm of Planet Masala, with some bigger shows, niche shows and such planned for 2013, but let's forget about the future and party in the present! As part of local venue The Waiting Room (who are also celebrating its first year putting on amazing shows) we are putting on a three night extravaganza! Its mainly to thank everyone for supporting us over the past year, but also to see bands that we like and who like us. So its a big love in, basically!

THE LINEUP:

Thursday 25 October

Ghost Notes



Anonymeye



Feet Teeth




Friday 26 October

The Rational Academy



Tiny Spiders



Undead Apes



+ DJ Monster Monster

Saturday 27 October

Tiny Migrants



Go Violets



Do The Robot



+ DJs Don Candon & Pete Vegas

Three nights of awesome fun times, Im sure you'll agree! Tickets a $10 on the door, or for $20 you can go to all three nights! And of course its BYO, so you know it will be a cheap and easy night. Tiny Migrants promise to "blow y'all cocks off", so the bar has been set. See you there!

OK Smartie, Go To An Earthquake Party!

These kids are just crazy enough to make this Young MC reference legit. Those fine folks who brought us Young Mammals, Sippy Cup Everything, also pushed this Boston collective my way. Earthquake Party's brand of garage silliness has snagged them opening slots for Times New Viking, Surfer Blood, and Handsome Furs thus far, but just got a van and will be touring Stateside in 2012. Their first ever release is called vs. Pizza. Earthquake Party vs Pizza, geddit? OOOOOOOOO yeah!

This little blurb sums them up pretty nicely (plus I have a hangover from the Undead Apes show last night...)

“Since forming over an affinity for the Vaselines’ quick sonic attack, the Allston trio has evolved into pure donotgiveafuck-ness, armed with noisy indie-pop songs that clock in around two minutes, coating explosive pop hookage with fuzzed-out post-grunge sonic riffage and releasing unbridled punk energy on stage.”

Earthquake Party - Pretty Little Hand

Undead Apes' Mega Launch Of Death, This Friday!

Brisbane's finest purveyors snotty punk Undead Apes have had their second LP Killed By Deaf out for what seems like forever (it's only been a few months), but due to many reasons (chief amongst them, laziness) there has been no official launch. Sure, they killed January with four consecutive Thursdays at the Waiting Room, but that was for shits and giggles. The real deal comes on Friday night as they flood Fat Louie's (yes, they are still doing gigs! And dirty chicken wings!) with simian zombies. Also important are the supports, this time filled by SM faves Tiny Migrants, as well as Last Chaos and Shelby Cobra. And enough with the lame excuses (or flat out refusals, like the douches from last Friday's Sonic Masala show), cos this sucka be free, yo! Don't know why I'm speaking like this. Must be that this will be KILLER! So get there, for the love of your children (real, potential, illegitimate - just think of the children!)

Oh, and by Killed By Deaf here - it is loud and killer, so it speaks the truth. And all very quickly, so it's pretty painless death - quick and easy.

Undead Apes - Brain Drain
Undead Apes - Death Can Wait
Undead Apes - Stamp Out Thatcher

Deafened By Undead Apes

Its still two months until the Mere Noise Meltdown comes to our shores, but I thought Id spend each week looking at a band that will be playing it, giving them the individual work over that they deserve.

Brisbane has been a veritable hotbed for diseased, rabid punk in all its guises, and one of the greatest exponents of this in past few years has been Undead Apes. Their take on balls to the wall punk follows in the vein of NY idols The Ramones, and their debut album of last year Grave Consequences was pretty stellar, yet they have gone and pissed all over it with their newie, Killed By Deaf. It was recorded in the back rooms of Tym Guitars and mixed by Eddy Current Suppression Ring's Mikey Young. AS stated by the PR, "If Grave Consequences was a long black then Killed By Deaf is a double shot espresso and a kick in the nuts - 14 songs, 19 minutes you do the math." The coffee references aside - the band really do step up to the plate for some real genital roughhousing - expect many lineages to be abruptly ended when the needle drops.

People of earth can pre-order the vinyl version of this great new record in a limited edition pack right now from here, where you can get a range of awesome presents like an exclusive T-shirt, a hand screened and numbered "glow in the dark" poster and exclusive bonus tracks! PLUS you get an immediate download of the record!! That IS goddamn tasty! So have at it plebs!

Undead Apes - Brain Drain

Mere Noise Meltdown

The guys over at Brisbane label Mere Noise Records are holding their annual Mere Noise Meltdown this year on Saturday December 3rd. The venue has shifted to Woodland due to the shaky nature hanging over the future of the Step Inn, but Im sure it will be as awesome as ever (and the beers on tap won't taste like beer circa 1973 combined with detergent - hey, I love the Step Inn - but bottled booze was the only way to go...). Its gonna be the biggest of its kind, with three stages, a German sausage sizzle and one hell of a lot of noise! At just $32 + bf (grab them here - first 100 tickets get a free album from the Mere Noise catalogue - otherwise they are $40 on the door), and seeing as it's headlined by none other than Japanese garage rock gods Guitar Wolf, its going to be monumentally, retardedly amazeballs. Higher kudos you will not find...

See the current line-up below. Expect a rundown of these bands each week until the Meltdown...err...melts down.

Guitar Wolf (Japan)
Hits
The Horrortones
Texas Tea
No Anchor
Undead Apes
Keep On Dancin's
The Danger Men
Tiny Migrants
Cannon
The Chokes
Go Violets

And here is a video of Guitar Wolf playing in Croatia this year...


Guitar Wolf - Live In Zagreb, 2011. by velimirgrgic

Mercy Beating A Shampooed Yak

A few weeks ago I went along to the Step Inn here in Brisbane to watch Front End Loader. As always they were impressive - really got off on the new track 'Decisions Decisions Decisions' - but was equally enamoured with the support acts, one of which was locals The Mercy Beat. They didnt really appear to fit in on this bill - their modus operandi is aggressive stoner rock stylings that straddles both Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age - if Josh Homme took over the creative duties whilst John Garcia still ruled the mic, so to speak. That's a lofty summation of their sound, but they pulled off an electric show, really balls out rock with enough meat hanging off the bones to choke the vegans of this world.

The Mercy Beat arent new to the scene though, having released debut album How To Shampoo A Yak last year after playing incessantly all over the shop. They supported The Bronx, Trash Talk and H2O earlier this year, and with these touchstones the ferocious engine room that propels and pummels in equal measures will only rise in strength and (hopefully) arrogance. This is the type of sound that deserves to be flaunted with a recklessly flailed fist, raising a smile to your face even as they successfully pulp it to bits.

The Mercy Beat are off on a national tour later this month, playing in Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne, Woolongong, and (R)Adelaide, and then doing a few coast shows as well - get out and see what they are dishing out.

Latest tracks by The Mercy Beat

Sounding Out Brisbane

Seeing as Sonic Masala is ensconced in the sunny state of Australia (at least for the time being), and also seeing as Brisbane is technically my hometown, it makes sense that I would push the local music scene to breaking point and beyond. We have always had an interesting scene here, even though it has ebbed and flowed in terms of quality, yet never has it been anything less than engaging.

Sounds Like Brisbane is a project aimed at promoting and supporting the independent record labels that are the backbone of the music scene here. The aim of this project is to not only promote the incredible work done by Brisbane's indie labels, but promote their artists to the world. Brisbane has always had a strong DIY approach to music and without the efforts of indie labels and their bands, the music scene here (like just about everywhere else) just wouldn't be the same. These labels make sure great music gets heard.

So Sounds Like Brisbane has put out a 17 track sampler from most of the labels under this creative hub umbrella, showcasing much of what we have to offer here, covering all genres. I strongly suggest you check out the website - there are some amazing bands connected to these labels, and some that havent made this sampler (Nova Scotia, Turnpike, Tiny Migrants and Pastel Blaze are great bands that havent made the cut that really should be heard - and there are many many more!) Here are the list of labels - go for a search and find your new favourite Brisbane band!

DZ Deathrays - Blue Blood
I Heart Hiroshima - Washed Up
Mr Maps - Tennis Party
Lawrence English - Galaxies Of Dust
Undead Apes - Taxes
Jackie Marshall - Excuse Me Mister