^{Nothing Grows on St Kilda Beach: Original Sacred Cowboys in their element.} 

Eclectic label Kasumen Records is marching past its 10^th anniversary with some compelling releases and the latest is “Cowboy Logic”, a compilation douible CD anthology of Sacred Cowboys live and studio material.

The band will return to live stages at Shotkickers in Thornbury, Melbourne, on October 11, trckets for which are here.

Founders Garry Gray (ex-Negatives) and Mark Ferrie(The Models) will be joined in the new line-up by Tim Deane (Ron Peno's Superstitions), Anthony Paine (Black Cab) and Damian Fitzgerald (Sore Eyes.) There are plans to record a new album and to play more shows.

Brash Sydney glam-pop-rockers Starcrazy are releasing their self-titled debut album on October 18 and have unveiled a teaser film clip. “I Ain’t That Crazy” was written by bassist Jack Barratt and produced by Mo Mayhem (Mucho Sonar, ex-Hell City Glamours). The video was shot by Connor Barratt. You can stream it here.

Announcing the album, the band says: “This release successfully transports the fire and glitter of our live performances into the recording studio with no loss of heat or dynamics. We’ve been a band for over four years now and feel that with this full length release, we’ve finally honed in on our own sound.

Brando Rising – Brando Rising (self-released)

Hello I-94 Barflies. Well folks, The Farmhouse has been rocking this last few days with Melbourne band Brando Rising’s self-titled album. It’s bloody good, folks, and some mighty fine musicians make up this band.

I’m talking about a lineage spanning Hitmen, Lime Spiders and Glen and The Peanut Butter Men, to name a few. Kelly Hewson is on guitar, Tony “The Kid” Robertson plays bass, Steve Whan is on the drums and it’s Ripley Hood on vocals and charisma.

Indie Sounds from Newy and The Hunter – Various Artists (Vi-Nil Records)

He’s never been seen in anything other than a T-shirt and one of his own label’s trucker caps, but it’s easy to picture Vi-Nil Records label boss Mark Fraser as the Pied Piper of the New South Wales Central Coast and Newcastle music scenes.

The analogy has to stick like baby shit to a blanket after the release of his second collection in the Indie Sounds series. Fraser is batting 2-0.

Picking a bunch of local bands and presenting two songs each on CD and vinyl is some brave/crazy idea in these days of diminishing economic returns.

Brut - Gentle Ben and his Shimmering Hands (Beast Records/Spooky Records)

You dug Six Foot Hick? Of course you did. Gentle Ben and his Sensitive Side? Sure. 

But it's 2024. And “Brut'” is here. 

The Shimmering Hands are Jhindu Pedro-Lawrie on drums, Dan Baebler on bass, and Tony Giacca on guitars. Ben Corbett handles the vocals... 

The Bandcamp blurb explains; “The themes of BRUT range from a fraught, taught exploration of the broken bodies, hearts and minds of our capitalist hellscape (‘Spices’) to wailing rock and roll eulogies (‘De Bliksem’, ‘No Encore’), a drifting death-country ode to colonialism (‘Five Stars’) to bloody kitchen sink drama (‘Tactical Empathy’).”

_{Photo by Emma Wand Photography.}

Sydney prodigies Pocketwatch will release their latest EP, “Break Out”, this Friday with a high-profile show at Marrickville Bowlo with supports Liquid Zoo and Overboard. Tickets are selling here.

“Break Out” is a four-track EP produced by multiple ARIA winner Wayne Connolly that continues to showcase the band’s established power pop sound while exploring new creative directions.

_{Photo by Emma Wand Photography.}

Sydney prodigies Pocketwatch will release their latest EP, “Break Out”, this Friday with a high-profile show at Marrickville Bowlo with supports Liquid Zoo and Overboard. Tickets are selling here.

“Break Out” is a four-track EP produced by multiple ARIA winner Wayne Connolly that continues to showcase the band’s established power pop sound while exploring new creative directions.

Grace Cummings and Band
Metro Social Club, Sydney
Saturday, August 3 2024
Photos: Sandra Kingston

Grace Cummings is a once-in-generation Australian artist.

It is two years since I first caught her at the Great Club in Marrickville in Sydney’s inner-west, with less than a hundred others on a cold Thursday night.

It was a show by a remarkable artist with swagger and brutally heart wrenching songs that left us in awe.

Accompanied by a band with attitude, she took her vocals from a whisper to paint-stripping level, leaving the hairs on your arms standing up.   

Her remarkable album “Storm Queen” has been on my turntable regularly since, but her records don’t fully capture the live experience.

 _{Onstage with the "Searching For Charlie Owen" show at Sydney's MoshPit Bar in 2023.}

Master guitarist Charlie Owen  - notably of Beasts of Bourbon, New Christs, Tendrils, Tex Don and Charlie, Divynils, Working Class Ringos and Louis Tillett among many others - is on the road along Australia's East Coast in August and September, touring his music and spoken word show "Searching for Charlie Owen", the dates for which are here.

It's an engrossing and emotional stroll through his own back pages. We decided to mark the occasion by pulling this nugget from our archives. It's was conducted in Melbourne in August 2022 by then I-94 Bar writer John McPharlin. 

* * * * *   

JM: Charlie, I guess the first thing that's going to knock most people out of their chairs when they start reading this interview is your interest in techno music. Can you tell us how you got into that and what you've been doing with it?

CO: I don't have an interest in techno music; I have an interest in all music. My reason for playing it recently is the same reason for any other music I've played. I hear it and hear what I'd like to do with it, not liking what I've heard... it's not because I like what I hear, it's what I'd like to do with the medium.