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mark fraser

  • adam and milly 2020MILLY D'ALTON AND ADAM BRZOZOWSKI
    Owners of Outtaspace Records
    Co-owners of Link and Pinlive venue
    Central Coast, NSW Australia

    Hiss & Crackle Records, Wallsend
    Old-school record shop with an owner who knows what you wanna hear before you’ve heard it; limited-edition local releases, live in stores and shitloads of support for non-mainstream artists.

    Celia Curtis’s (White Knuckle Fever, Stone Cold Fox) highly entertaining live stream and Facebook performances
    They kept us Covid-sane.

    Tequila-based beer.
    For when you’re torn between a frothy and and a marg, and Umina BWS shuts at 8pm on a Sunday.

    Thee Cha Cha Chas and Fuzztoon Studios
    They released a spookily prophetic 7” (‘It’s Coming After You’), always smiling despite hardcore Melbourne lockdown. And Lluis’s prolific art kicked 2020’s arse.

  •  mark fraser 2021Mark Fraser with Blackie of the Hard-Ons

    Ten best albums for 2021… no particular order.

    HARD ONS- “Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken”
    Is it pop? Is it Punk? Who cares, its fkn perfect.

    THE QUICK SIXES – “Swamped”
    Swampabilly meets surf in the most perfect of ways.

  • mark fraser 2023Top Tens for 2023: Mark Fraser of Vi-Nil Records and Redbackrock Surf & Snow Clothing. Former partner in Link & Pin Cafe, Woy Wo

    Fave releases:

    DMA’S – “How Many Dreams”
    A virtual hit factory from go to woe. Melodies. Feelgood. Pretty much perfect. 

    HARD ONS – “Ripper 23”
    Clever cover art. Clever songs. Pop-etched perennial punk from here to Punchbowl.

    LION ISLAND – “Pilot Termination Kiosk”
    Infectious and dangerously catchy indie rock with an A plus report card. 

    COUSIN BETTY – “Self Titled”
    Hard and fast, some softer moments that build and explode, some quirky side-tracks, and plenty of sheer aural insaniity. This thing is a beast. 

    OWEN GUNS – “Monks in Sexyland” 
    Beautiful irreverence that never ever holds back. That’s The Owen Guns. This eight-slab smacker is a doozie! 

  • indie sounds from newyIndie 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.