The Beasts are back. The band whose core membership is drawn from surviving members of The Beasts of Bourbon is undertaking an Australian tour...and have revealed that it’s under doctor’s orders. 

Richie Lewis is branching out from his best-known day job - that'd be frontman for Tumbleweed - to record his first album, under the name Richie Weed.  He's delivered the first taste of the recordings with a digital single, "Pure Evil", that you can stream right here.

While Tumbleweed continued to write, record and perform, Richie spent a large chunk of last year concentrating on solo endeavours, curating a captivating show titled "Spirit Songs and Stories", and recording.

He was a music writer, lawyer and most of all he was a family man, and a celebration of the life and times of Patrick Emerywill be held at Fitzroy Town Hall in Melbourne on Wednesday at 3pm. 

Patrick was the biographer of Spencer P Jones and a reviewer for many media outlets, including the I-94 Bar. He collapsed on December 24 and doctors diagnosed an inoperable brain cancer.

After four days on life support, Patrick passed away in hospital, surrounded by his family, aged 52. 

Wednesday's memorial service is open to all and a livestream will be active

There’s also an online fundraiser to help his family cover the costs of his funeral, and you can make a donation here.

Melbourne music writer and good friend of the I-94 Bar, Patrick Emery, has passed away suddenly, aged 52.

In a brief statement posted on Facebook earlier tonight, Spooky Records chief Loki Lockwood spoke on behalf of Patrick’s family.

On behalf of Patrick’s loving wife Bettina, and children Babette and Baptiste, I’ve been given the solemn task of sharing the untimely passing of my beautiful friend Patrick. On Christmas Eve at home, Patrick suddenly collapsed and was rushed to the Austin Hospital where he was diagnosed with a stage 4 inoperable brain tumor. He passed peacefully with his beloved family by his side. 

Patrick was a passionate and beautiful soul. There will be many from the music community around the world that will be shocked by this news. Patrick wrote for many publications across Australia over the years I knew him: Beat, The Australian, The Age and The I-94 Bar, to name a few. There’s no doubt that anyone with a passing interest in music will have read his music reviews and interviews for thousands of bands.  

For those that he wrote about, I know they will be overwhelmingly shocked by the news of his untimely passing. His greatest gift to us all was his belief in his beloved local music scene - always wanting to help elevate some little known artist through his writing because he could. 

Brisbane music stalwart Rod McLeod died last week after a short and aggressive bout of lung and liver cancer which went to his brain. LCMR Records head, Queensland underground music archivist and friend Donat Tahiraj has penned this remembrance. 

* * * * * 

I first met Rod McLeod sometime in the 1990s when record fairs in Brisbane happened only quarterly. It was a time when vinyl records weren’t exactly in the front of many music listener’s minds.

The occasion was in the sheds of the Mt Gravatt showgrounds. My fellow record-collecting friend Mick Baker and I had noticed a man wearing a seemingly homemade t-shirt with a white iron-on transfer among a sea of people.

Upon closer inspection, he was holding a small handful of 7” singles which, prior to the explosion of eBay, were only obtainable by chance or through want lists. Facing towards our line of sight was one by the Bodysnatchers – a Brisbane punk band that played one show in 1979 and happened to release a record that same year. Its cover with the band’s name done in spray paint in white on a black background was in fact inspired by the “Neu! ’75” shirt that Rod had thrown on that Saturday morning.

In the ever-evolving landscape of Australian rock and pop, Stu Wilson, the rhythmic backbone behind acts like Lime Spiders, Chris Masuak’s Dog Soldier, Aberration and New Christs, steps into the spotlight with his latest project, Stu & The Connections. 

Their new single, "Crawling Back to You" b/w "Best Of Me," marks a departure into a realm that's darker, moodier, yet unmistakably Stu.  

It intertwines Stu's signature pop sensibilities with a more brooding undercurrent, a blend that's as intoxicating as it is introspective. 

The flip side, "Best Of Me," offers a lyrical introspection matched with an acoustic backdrop that's both raw and refined. This release showcases the band's versatility, navigating the fine line between rock's ruggedness and pop's catchy melodies.

Both tracks are available digitally now on Bandcamp.

Check the video after the MORE link.