The Scoop

PEEPING PATTON

Already an early contender for our album of the year, Mike Patton will finally be unleashing his long awaited Peeping Tom album on May 29th. More than seven years since he first exclusively revealed this project to us, Patton’s massive pop project is about to see the light of day and will include a whole swag of special guest appearances. Massive Attack, Dan The Automator, Norah Jones, Kool Keith, Bebel Gilberto and a stack of others make an appearance on the upcoming 11 track CD which is bound to get Patton back into the pop charts in a major way! We will be celebrating the Peeping Tom release at the massive ‘Mike Patton-A-Thon’ at a Sydney venue on May 27th. The night will also be a tribute to Patton’s other projects including Faith No More, Mr Bungle, Fantomas, Tomahawk and more. For further information or to purchase tickets for this exclusive event (or the upcoming U2-A-THON), email industryscoop@yahoo.com

THE VINES RETURN

The album that almost never saw the light of day is here. ‘Vision Valley’, the blistering, stripped-down third album from the Vines has just been released. Produced by Wayne Connolly (You Am I), the album is a blast of pure rock and roll led by first single ‘Don’t Listen to the Radio’ which is an anthemic slab of garage pop and cheery handclaps belying a mountain of guitar crunch and sweetly shredded vocals. It’s a miracle that it’s here after the much publicised problems of 2004 when lead singer Craig Nicholls was charged with assault after an onstage incident at Sydney’s Annandale Hotel, which resulted in the departure of bassist Patrick Matthews and the probable demise of the trio. But they arose from the ashes to record at a variety of locations in Sydney and have come away with an album that sees The Vines come full circle with 13 tremendous new songs that veer from gorgeous summer pop to blistering garage stomp to scattergun punk to epic psychedelia.

SLEEPING WITH VANDALISM

New Australian group Vandalism might just be liking Warner Music a whole better after announcing that they’ll be ‘sleeping together’ – in other words, they have just signed an international deal with the company. With their current single ‘Never Say Never’ still pumping hard across dance floors around the country, the electro house trio will release the single overseas just in time for the European summer. Vandalism are producer/DJs Andy Van (formerly of Madison Avenue) and Kam Denny with Cassie on vocals. With another single and album to follow later this year and a US deal to be announced, Vandalism are definitely the band to watch in 2006!

MORE SIGNINGS

Sydney art rockers The Follow have become the first signing to the newly formed Mushroom Records through Warner Music Australia. After months of deliberation, the Sydney four piece, led by front man Azaria (who you may remember from the now defunct TV show Popstars), will enter the studio this month with critically acclaimed ARIA award winning producer Nick Launay to work on their long awaited EP which is due mid year. Australian Singer/Songwriter/Producer Che’nelle has also just signed a deal with Virgin Records America. Formerly dubbed “The Perth Diva” by West Coast hip-hop DJ’s, Che’nelle is setting the example to be the first “Australian Urban Diva” with silky-surprising vocals that can rival Mariah Carey and even Beyonce. Creating an infectious r’n’b sound, she is also very diverse in the different rhythms of soul, reggae and dance, delivering a unique form of “NuUrban”. She recently supported Kanye West on his Australian tour:

BANANARAMA BACK

Glamour pop queens Bananarama are back with a new album this month - a quarter of a century since they first began! The album, titled 'Drama', is a slice of gorgeous glitter ball disco-house and electro flavoured pop that is set to re-launch them right back into the pop charts. The girls have had quite a career: more hits than the Spice Girls, more albums sold than Atomic Kitten, more Band Aid appearances than the Sugababes, and an entry in the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest girl group since The Supremes. But now signed to independent label A&G Productions, Sara and Keren feel at their most invigorated for over a decade. The new album will feature a bunch of new tracks such as first single 'Move In My Direction' as well as new remixes of the girls' classics - 'Venus' & 'Really Saying Something.' It will be in stores on April 17th.

BLUE EYED SON

Blue-Eyed Son (aka Andrew Heilprin), best known for stripped-down, melancholy surf pop, recently gained attention with music placement on the hit TV shows, Grey’s Anatomy and Weeds. Grey’s Anatomy featured ‘Step Away From The Cliff’ and ‘When I Come Home’ in episodes which will be screened in the next series on Australian network TV and Weeds highlighted ‘Step Away From The Cliff’ in its first season. Both songs are from ‘West of Lincoln’, Blue-Eyed Son’s debut album which draws on a wide variety of influences and was described as “hushed but ambitious” by Performing Songwriter.

CHUGG WINS

Massive congratulations go to Michael Chugg who picked up the best promoter award at the prestigious 18th International Live Music Conference (ILMC) recently held in London. Significantly, this is the first time an Australian has been bestowed this award. Michael Chugg was voted Promoters Promoter by the more than 2500 industry professionals attending the 2006 conference with an overwhelming 70% majority of votes. This is fantastic recognition for an Australian who has been working tirelessly in the music industry for more than forty years. Chuggie said, “I’m really humbled by this award from a group of my peers I respect immensely. The event this year was great fun, exceptionally well staged and I do think the ILMC is the best music industry conference in the world.”

J AWARDS 2006

With 2005 a distant memory, triple j have just announced the first nominees for the 2006 J Award for album of the year - Augie March and The Living End. Augie March are still 'blushing' at the news that they are the first nomination for their album ‘Moo, You Bloody Choir’. Even though the title contains the contentious word 'bloody', triple j are gonna keep playing it! On hearing the news, Augie March singer-songwriter Glenn Richards said, "triple j has supported Augie March from its very early stages. To our minds there is no more worthy award in Australian broadcasting." The Living End’s nomination comes for their fourth album ‘State of Emergency’ which debuted at #1 on the ARIA charts. Front man Chris Cheney said, "We put everything we had into this album, we really wanted it to stand out from the rest of the albums and to be really special for us, and it was." More nominees will be announced over the course of the year.

AUSTRALIAN COMMERCIAL RADIO AWARDS

Commercial Radio Australia have announced that this year’s Australian Commercial Radio Awards (ACRA) will be held at Luna Park in Sydney on October 14 and will include a new format with statues presented over dinner. Having become a highlight of the radio industry’s yearly calendar, the event will again attract radio personalities and stars from around Australia and will include 29 categories covering all areas of radio broadcasting. The peer judged awards have previously been presented at a theatrette-style ceremony prior to dinner but this year will be awarded over a sit-down dinner. Last year’s big winners included well-known radio personalities Alan Jones and Ray Hadley from 2GB; and Merrick and Rosso and Bianca Dye from Nova 96.9 in Sydney. Entries, which are now open, close on Friday May 5th.

Danny Canak

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The Scoop

April 2006