Published 4 November 2009 in BMA Magazine
Marduk seem to remain faithful to character-istics of black metal while progressing their own style within the genre. Their last effort, Rom 5:12, showed signs of ever-growing maturity - such as the jazz beats of Imago Mortis - and it seems that this new direction hasn't slowed down one little bit. What strikes me as worthy of noting is Marduk's developed structure and production quality. With each new album, the drums get tighter, the guitars get cleaner and more defined and Mortuus' vocals get more and more filled with hate and torment. Some will say legendary, others will dismiss it as 'norsecore'... but whatever your opinion, Marduk will never falter in their quest for black metal supremacy.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Wil Anderson, Australian Comedy Genius
Published 4 November 2009 in BMA Magazine
Wil Anderson is kicking off his latest tour,Wilosophy in Canberra this month. He talked toExhibitionistabout life, the universe and everything...
Friendly Fireis set to hit the shelves next month, and Wil went about writing it the same way he did with his last book,Survival of the Dumbest. "It was a compilation of writing I did for the Sunday Magazine. I give the publishers all this writing I have from my columns and other stuff, and it goes to the editor at Random House who makes it into a really cool book. Everyone goes 'Wow, you wrote an excellent book', but I really did the equivalent of providing the mystery box on Master Chef - I provided the ingredients and someone took it away and turned it into a delicious award winning meal. And then a fat guy with a cravat judges it."
Over the years, Anderson has had the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in comedy, including the two people who influenced him to start a career in comedy. "My two favourite TV shows were Ted Robinson's The Big Gig and the Andrew Denton's Money Or The Gun. I never imagined that I'd be working with them on The Glass House and The Gruen Transfer. They were the two shows that made me love comedy but it took another 6 or so years to ever have the courage to try it."
Recently, Wil has performed in the U.S.A., an environment where socio-political tensions run high. "I think as an external voice, I have a lot more leeway over there. If people are going to come out, pay money and sit in a room to see what you have to say, then you might as well have something to say."
Anderson has something to say about the state of the media. "There's a new conservatism in the media at the moment. Everyone wants to make everything a scandal; every day there's someone getting in trouble for a joke. It'll get to the point where electrical companies will complain about people making jokes about changing light bulbs, and animal rights activists will ask why we're discriminating against chickens with ridiculous motives to cross roads. Nothing is taboo, my material isn't necessarily offensive, but some people will be offended by it. I don't care that I offend people, but I care that I can back up my points when I'm confronted about them."
In Wilosophy, a recurring theme is politics. "When I first got into comedy, Howard was P.M. and I worked jokes out of that. It was important to me when Rudd came in that I found some jokes to make about him. You always make fun of who's in charge, but it's hard to make fun of someone who just gave everyone $900."
See Wil Anderson's Wilosophy at the Canberra Theatre from Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 October
Wil Anderson is kicking off his latest tour,Wilosophy in Canberra this month. He talked toExhibitionistabout life, the universe and everything...
Friendly Fireis set to hit the shelves next month, and Wil went about writing it the same way he did with his last book,Survival of the Dumbest. "It was a compilation of writing I did for the Sunday Magazine. I give the publishers all this writing I have from my columns and other stuff, and it goes to the editor at Random House who makes it into a really cool book. Everyone goes 'Wow, you wrote an excellent book', but I really did the equivalent of providing the mystery box on Master Chef - I provided the ingredients and someone took it away and turned it into a delicious award winning meal. And then a fat guy with a cravat judges it."
Over the years, Anderson has had the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in comedy, including the two people who influenced him to start a career in comedy. "My two favourite TV shows were Ted Robinson's The Big Gig and the Andrew Denton's Money Or The Gun. I never imagined that I'd be working with them on The Glass House and The Gruen Transfer. They were the two shows that made me love comedy but it took another 6 or so years to ever have the courage to try it."
Recently, Wil has performed in the U.S.A., an environment where socio-political tensions run high. "I think as an external voice, I have a lot more leeway over there. If people are going to come out, pay money and sit in a room to see what you have to say, then you might as well have something to say."
Anderson has something to say about the state of the media. "There's a new conservatism in the media at the moment. Everyone wants to make everything a scandal; every day there's someone getting in trouble for a joke. It'll get to the point where electrical companies will complain about people making jokes about changing light bulbs, and animal rights activists will ask why we're discriminating against chickens with ridiculous motives to cross roads. Nothing is taboo, my material isn't necessarily offensive, but some people will be offended by it. I don't care that I offend people, but I care that I can back up my points when I'm confronted about them."
In Wilosophy, a recurring theme is politics. "When I first got into comedy, Howard was P.M. and I worked jokes out of that. It was important to me when Rudd came in that I found some jokes to make about him. You always make fun of who's in charge, but it's hard to make fun of someone who just gave everyone $900."
See Wil Anderson's Wilosophy at the Canberra Theatre from Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 October
50 Lions [AUSTRALIA]
Published 28th October 2009 in BMA Magazine
50 LIONS have the talent, the vision and the balls to make it in the hardcore scene, not just in Australia but internationally as well. They have escaped the bonds of metalcore and have become an entirely unique band. They are set to team up with Trapped Under Ice for the upcoming Where Life Expires tour, and they're surely going to make some waves.
"We're a hardcore band and always have been. In saying that, we aren't trying to segregate ourselves at all. We play similar venues to metalcore bands - we play alongside them." It seems that there is a substantial dichotomy between modern hardcore and metalcore, a different kind of mentality that separates the two genres but also illuminates their similarities. "Hardcore is more based around energy and interaction with the crowd rather than playing on a massive stage with a barricade and matching stage moves and stage props."
50 Lions is a lucky name for a lucky bunch of guys. They took the name from a poker machine they would regularly win on and the luck carried over to the band when they released their first self-titled demo, which sold out in under three months. They've also shared the stage with some of their biggest influences, including Terror and Madball. "It's always good to play with awesome bands, especially older bands and ones that have influenced your music. You learn a lot from them by watching them live and how they play and carry themselves. You also find that they're not superheroes, they're usually just down to earth people who have put in a lot of time and effort to get where they're at."
Aside from breaking away from the current hardcore trends, they also diverge from the slew of MySpace-orientated bands that have popped up in the last few years. "MySpace can only take you so far as a band. You may have a million friends and plays but if you can't get kids to your shows and sell records, then it seems to be missing the real point. Personally I think we're at the place we are right now from hard work and a good work ethic when it comes to touring and putting out new material on a regular basis so kids don't get bored of us."
After the national tour, they're taking a month off and then heading out to the highway on the Boys of Summer tour, then doing a few shows in southeast Asia. "In general we're going to be on the road a lot more and trying to tour more on an international level as well."
What do the Byron Bay boys have to say about Canberra? "Canberra has always been a town that we need to play more and missed on a lot of tours. These days there is a lot of cool bands coming out of Canberra, some good venues and people working hard to make it what it is today. 'Support your localbands and shows' is the only real thing that needs to be said."
50 Lions and Trapped Under Ice (USA) will play the Tuggeranong Youth Centre on Sunday November 8. Tickets through Moshtix.
50 LIONS have the talent, the vision and the balls to make it in the hardcore scene, not just in Australia but internationally as well. They have escaped the bonds of metalcore and have become an entirely unique band. They are set to team up with Trapped Under Ice for the upcoming Where Life Expires tour, and they're surely going to make some waves.
"We're a hardcore band and always have been. In saying that, we aren't trying to segregate ourselves at all. We play similar venues to metalcore bands - we play alongside them." It seems that there is a substantial dichotomy between modern hardcore and metalcore, a different kind of mentality that separates the two genres but also illuminates their similarities. "Hardcore is more based around energy and interaction with the crowd rather than playing on a massive stage with a barricade and matching stage moves and stage props."
50 Lions is a lucky name for a lucky bunch of guys. They took the name from a poker machine they would regularly win on and the luck carried over to the band when they released their first self-titled demo, which sold out in under three months. They've also shared the stage with some of their biggest influences, including Terror and Madball. "It's always good to play with awesome bands, especially older bands and ones that have influenced your music. You learn a lot from them by watching them live and how they play and carry themselves. You also find that they're not superheroes, they're usually just down to earth people who have put in a lot of time and effort to get where they're at."
Aside from breaking away from the current hardcore trends, they also diverge from the slew of MySpace-orientated bands that have popped up in the last few years. "MySpace can only take you so far as a band. You may have a million friends and plays but if you can't get kids to your shows and sell records, then it seems to be missing the real point. Personally I think we're at the place we are right now from hard work and a good work ethic when it comes to touring and putting out new material on a regular basis so kids don't get bored of us."
After the national tour, they're taking a month off and then heading out to the highway on the Boys of Summer tour, then doing a few shows in southeast Asia. "In general we're going to be on the road a lot more and trying to tour more on an international level as well."
What do the Byron Bay boys have to say about Canberra? "Canberra has always been a town that we need to play more and missed on a lot of tours. These days there is a lot of cool bands coming out of Canberra, some good venues and people working hard to make it what it is today. 'Support your localbands and shows' is the only real thing that needs to be said."
50 Lions and Trapped Under Ice (USA) will play the Tuggeranong Youth Centre on Sunday November 8. Tickets through Moshtix.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)