It's My Kind of Interview - Julia and The Deep Sea Sirens

We recently sat down (via the internet?) for a chat with Canberra's most prominent red-headed Julia... Julia and The Deep Sea Sirens' leading lady, Julia Johnson!  You might remember her... we gave sophomore LP Family Pets a review earlier in the week.

JULIA AND THE DEEP SEA SIRENS

Interview by Matt Bond

You're currently embarking on an east coast tour in support of sophomore album Family Pets. The album's a fascinating collection of alt-folk songs that you can tell you've given a whole lot of loving to. How do you feel about taking the album on the road and introducing it to new listeners?


Julia: Family Pets has felt like a secret we've been sitting on, but we've been desperate to tell. Playing live shows is going to feel really satisfying, like being able to finally tell the secret to anyone who'll listen. Coming from Canberra, it's a small scene, so the other aspect we look forward to is playing to people who haven't heard of us before. I rarely get nervous before playing anymore, but new crowds give me this huge nervous rush and I always give a better show when I'm a little nervous.


If you could pick just one song on Family Pets that you think perfectly sums up Julia and The Deep Sea Sirens and what they bring to the table, which would it be and why?

Julia: Hmmm. Title track, Family Pets, is the best song in my opinion. I think sonically, Eyes So Blue touches on a lot of our sounds though - pop, folk, a little country twang, intensity and harmonies. Eyes So Blue also features my trademark emotion, longing and unluckiness in love.


Q. Do you prefer to write lyrics based on fact or fiction or are you happy to blend the two together?


Julia: I'm definitely in the 'fact' camp. Salt Clay Creek is one of the only fictional songs I've ever written. For me, the more honest and in touch with myself I can be during the songwriting process, the more potential there is for it to be unique. Sometimes if a song is written over a long period, it might become a song based on a few people rather than just one situation. Perhaps that's just a sign that Canberra is so plagued with cute fellas, I can't concentrate on crushing on one at a time!?


Q. I loved the quirky video you released last year for Little Surprises. What do you think makes for an entertaining and engaging music video and what are some of your personal favourites?

Julia: I love quirky videos, especially ones which tell a story. I have a terrible internet connection, so for me to watch a whole video, I need to have a reason to buffer it all the way to the end! I love videos which give new angles to the meaning of songs too. I think our upcoming video for Adeleine will do that - we're about to film it. It can be easy on a low budget to take the easy way out, and basically make a slightly artistic modelling showreel rather than a proper clip. I'm very lucky to have a friend who's a great writer, so even though our budget is $0, we've managed to develop a story that questions the angle from which the song is written. This all sounds very serious, but is quickly off-set by the huge amount of baking involved... I shall say no more!


Q. You hail from the nation's capital; Canberra! What do you think of the local live music scene? What's your favourite venue to perform in, who are you favourite local acts and what separates Canberra from other Australian music scenes (other than the fact it's your hometown!)?

Julia: I love the scene in Canberra, it can be hard to find, but it's bubbling away just under the surface. We play in venues, but we also have to be imaginative to find somewhere to play sometimes. There are bands that play in backyards, verandahs, the burnt out Stromlo Observatory telescope building, we recently did a guerilla gig in the middle of the city park. A fortnight ago some friends of mine discovered a hardcore festival in a garage down the street. 

 

Q. If you could take part in a songwriting session with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Julia: Gosh! I'm still glowing from my session with Wally de Backer and Adalita last year through TripleJ Unearthed, I can't think of who next! OK. Jonathan Richman from Modern Lovers would definitely be up there. He's a ridiculously versatile writer, and I've always felt that he oozes coolness.


Q. It's cliché to ask, but I'm going to do it anyway... what's next for both Julia Johnson and Julia and The Deep Sea Sirens?


Julia: I'm glad you asked, actually! I've just written a puppet show with live music, about me and my childhood pony called Pearl's Ode, which is showing as part of You Are Here festival in Canberra in March (yes, we are crazy, touring as well as premiering a production.) It sounds like a kid's show but it's really not. It's a show for anyone who has pets, horses or friends of any sort, really.

Julia and The Deep Sea Sirens are on tour in March and April...

03.03.13, 1:30pm @ The Worker's Club - Melbourne 

28.03.13 - 01.04.13 @ National Folk Festival - Canberra

05.03.13 @ Yours and Owls - Woolongong

07.03.13 @ The Lass O'Gowrie - Newcastle

21.03.13 @ Ric's Bar - Brisbane

Listen Or Die? #4 - The Wildest!...

THE WILDEST!

by Louis Prima (1956)

Running Time: 32:00

1. Medley: Just A Gigolo - I Ain't Got Nobody

2. (Nothing's Too Good) For My Baby

3. The Lip

4. Body and Soul

5. Oh Marie

6. Medley: Basin Street Blues - When It's Sleepy Time Down South

7. Jump, Jive, An' Wail

8. Buona Sera

9. Night Train

10. (I'll Be Glad When You're Dead) You Rascal

Welcome back to the 1950s. That's right, we're still in that real swell decade and we're having a ball. Not completely true though... last week we were having a bit of a barf with The Louvin Brothers. Why am I talking like this? I found a 1950s slang site... that's why. I'll stop now, you filthy beatniks. I'm about to listen to Louis Prima's The Wildest! Going in, I know absolutely nothing about Mr Prima and his typical sound, so your guess is as good as mine as to whether or not this album will fall into the most excellent LISTEN category, or the dreaded DIE. 

Approaching opening medley 'Just A Gigolo - I Ain't Got Nobody' with a measurable quantity of apprehension (for the title has the word 'gigolo' in it - never a good sign), I find myself instantly warming to the jazzy big band music of Prima and his badass trumpet skills. You see, badass is a 50s word. A website told me. '(Nothing's Too Good) For My Baby' brings in vocalist, Keely Smith (Prima's wife and stage partner) for a duet that will please anyone that found some satisfaction in Tony Bennett's recent duets albums. Just try not to pay attention to the lyrics. "And just for you I'd hit you in the eye, and just for you I'd like to see you try, and just for you I'd learn to bake a pie." Domestic violence at its weirdest. Surprisingly, the majority of tracks on The Wildest! manage to put a smile on my face. Even 'The Lip' which I'm assuming was the 50s version of 'Boom Boom Pow.' It's annoying, but if it came on in 1956 at the box social on Friday night around 7pm, I'd be dancing to it. Next up is jazz standard 'Body and Soul.' You'll remember this one - it was the last track Amy Winehouse recorded, alongside the aforementioned legendary Bennett. You don't have to worry about comparing vocals as Prima's trumpet carries the melody in one pretty amazing solo. The second medley doesn't match the opening number, but not to worry, 'Jump, Jive, An' Wail' makes up for it with its crazy jazz piano solo and lyrics like, "Jack and Jill went up the hill to get a pail, Jack and Jill went up the hill to get a pail, Jill stayed up she wanted to learn to jive and wail." Outstanding. 

Unnecessary Spanish-orientated track 'Buona Sera' shows that just like today and the 90s, Latin flavoured tracks are best left to South Americans... not Americans from the South. Alright, it's not 'La Isla Bonita' bad and features another banging trumpet solo. '(I'll Be Glad When You're Dead) You Rascal You' is an automatic winner because of its title. And because Prima is so angry because someone tried to steal the man's meatballs. Not even joking. More songs should be about food.  So, my first encounter with The King of Swing and I don't really have anything bad to say at all. A sarcastic line here and there, but nothing truly negative. That may be strange, but congratulations are in order for the late Louis Prima. Give this one a LISTEN and swing the night away. Not the Sting and Trudi way, but if you're into that, good for you! 

It must be about time we started keeping a tally, yes? Four weeks in and we're at a tie...

LISTEN - 2

DIE - 2 

   

New Music Monday #41

Family Pets (Album)

by Julia and The Deep Sea Sirens

Blending airy folk touches with a distinct alternative Australian flavour, Julia Johnson and her Deep Sea Sirens have crafted an album that places them firmly at the top of the list of homegrown acts primed for a breakout 2013. Family Pets is the sophomore set from these Canberra locals and it showcases eleven separate, engaging tracks that weave both creative and relatable lyrics into stories that earn themselves multiple listens. That's without even mentioning the soothing wonders of Johnson's vocal performance throughout. She has a voice that matches some of the best storytellers in music today. 

Beginning with a brief introduction, the album segues into opening number 'Eyes So Blue.' "And while I was still waiting for the plot to unfurl he thought I moved on so he found another girl." Lady sings the folky blues and it sounds good, providing an excellent introduction to the ever present themes of love and loss. Title track 'Family Pets' explores the "growing pains of our bigger hearts," that we all experience as we get older. Lead single 'Little Surprises' turns that frown upside down with its playful and infectious nature. The music is catchy, the lyrics are smartly written - definitely an album favourite. 'Old Horse' works its way through your body; a calming force within the music putting you at ease with its vintage charms. 

If I was to play only one track to someone and say, "this is why you need to listen to Julia and The Deep Sea Sirens," it would be 'Beware New Lover.' "Beware my new lover for your idea of me, Could be what you want but not what you see." By the end of the song, Johnson's words of warning have built up a force behind them that completely commands your attention, her voice never once lost in the rising music circling around her. Closing track, 'Salt Clay Creek,' is the type of tale an act like The Waifs excel at telling; a true story from Australia's history ripe for exploration through song form. The story of the Cootamundra railway disaster will send a chill down your spine as told by Julia and The Deep Sea Sirens.   

I'm always surprised at how much I can instantly fall for a new artist. Julia and The Deep Sea Sirens deliver an essentially flawless album that more people need to discover. "I appreciate the good things, Cos I've learned to expect the bad, But it always comes with little surprises, Some of the best things I've ever had." Family Pets is most definitely a very pleasant surprise. 

Matt Bond gives Family Pets five Nick Cave's out of five...

Dirty Hercules

by Ngaiire ft. Nai Palm

Album: Lamentations (June, 2013)

Ngaiire is long overdue for the success she deserved in 2004, when she graced our television screens on the second season of Australian Idol (remember that show?). But the past is the past and now is the time for Ngaiire to make a huge impact on the Australian music scene. If new single, 'Dirty Hercules' is anything to go by, success is a guarantee. The light electronic beats frame the soulful voice that sets Ngaiire apart from practically every other act in Australian music. "If you want to pick a fight, why dontcha?" Ngairre asks, strongly standing her ground and making a crater sized mark in the 2013 music landscape. She has finally arrived, her moment is now. Lamentations could have suddenly become my most anticipated album of the year.

Matt Bond gives 'Dirty Hercules' four Missy Elliott's out of five...  

NEW MUSIC VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

Now

by Paramore

Album: Paramore (April 8, 2013)

Now, I'm not anti-Paramore. I'm not exactly pro-Paramore either. They exist in an area of music that finds itself sorely lacking at the moment; female fronted rock acts that have crossover potential. E.g. that are extremely popular with the kiddies of today. Sure the PJ Harvey's and Shirley Mansons of the world are rocking the 25+ age groups socks off. Gwen Stefani is playing in that pop/punk/ska world she likes to settle for sometimes too. But they aren't exactly setting the charts on fire. Paramore had the ability to do that for awhile there with their 'end of the emo era' appeal and the appeal of frontwoman, Hayley whats-her-name. Showing my age? Well guess what... I can identify one of the One Direction kids. I think one is called Harry. So there. Anyway, what point was I originally trying to make? It can't be that I'm hip to what the kids are liking today. Do people still say hip? Ah yes... there need to be more actual female rock stars (no, Australian mums - P!nk is not rock) that the young ones can get behind. Because Paramore just aren't cutting it anymore. New single 'Now' is like an attempt to replicate what made the early Yeah Yeah Yeahs albums so good, but with a basic Paramore chorus thrown in. And the video? It's the same uninspiring garbage that you'll find in the latest Muse and Ellie Goulding clips. In fact, this video is a combination of 'Madness' and 'Anything Could Happen.' Hayley whats-her-name... go back to taking inspiration from the Shirley Mansons and Gwen Stefanis. If you insist on replicating big name stars, go back to the kick ass female ones. 

Matt Bond gives the 'Now' video one Germaine Greer out of five... 

Soundwave - The Text Review

Soundwave 2013 

Reviewed through the wonders of text messaging 

24/02/2013, RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane

As another music festival tours Australia, we here at It's My Kind Of Scene take it on via the world's favourite form of communication and the only way we know how, text message style in our second text review of the year! This time, it's Australia's biggest rock festival, Soundwave. We discuss all sorts of topics in the only way music festivals should be reviewed; with limited characters and word count. You get to read all about the Soundwave patrons, how amazing Garbage were, the size of Metallica's egos and you get to see where texting technonology fails and makes up it's own characters when huge groups of people congregate in one place at the one time. 

It's Matt's white text bubbles on the left and Jo's multi-coloured text bubbles on the right. Welcome to Soundwave 2013, the text review!

 Mike Patton has been in lots of bands. Tomahawk is one. 
Just shut up about Faith No More.

 

Want more Soundwave? You can check out the patrons and more at the itsmykindofscene instagram pics via our facebook page here

Top 25 - 24 February, 2013

Songs of the Week, 24/02/13 from itsmykindofscene on 8tracks Radio.

1. Crystal Fighters - Separator (NEW)
2. Phoenix - Entertainment (NEW)
3. All The Colours - Second To None (NEW)
4. Ghost Beach ft. Noosa - Close Enough
5. MS MR - Bones (NEW)

6. Cub Scouts - Pool (NEW)




7. Eliza Hull - Echoes
8. Thelma Plum - Around Here
9. The Griswolds - The Courtship of Summer Preasley
10. British India - Summer Forgive Me (NEW)

11. 7 bit Hero - Come On. Stand Out. (NEW)
12. James Blake - Retrograde
13. Steve Mason and Emiliana Torrini - I Go Out
14. HAIM - Falling
15. Abbe May - T.R.O.U.B.L.E (NEW)
16. MKO - Snarly

17. Darwin Deez - You Can't Be My Girl (NEW)
18. Yelle - L'amour Parfait
19. London Grammar - Metal and Dust
20. Steady Sun - Actress (NEW)
21. The Postal Service - A Tattered Line of String
22. Atlas Genius - If So
23. The Knife - A Tooth For An Eye





24. Chrvches - Recover

25. Torres - Honey (NEW)

It's My Kind Of Interview - SLAM Day with My Fiction

SLAM Day with My Fiction

Interview by Jo Michelmore

You still haven't figured out what you're doing Saturday? Well, with SLAM Day fast approaching and after this weeks interview with Cherrywood, we thought you'd have your mind made up. No? Well, here's some more inspiration for you; another awesome band playing as part of SLAM Day, My Fiction are four piece indie band from Brisbane, who play super catchy tunes with super awesome lyrics and some addictive guitar and synths thrown in. They're playing The Zoo on Saturday night and are a band you'll probably want to see. In fact, trust us, you do want to see them. Luckily for you and for us, they were kind enough to answer some of our questions about live music and life in My Fiction.

1. Tell us about yourself. Who are you, what do you do and who do you hang out with?

I am a meat popsicle, trained in making obscene amounts of noise, with a fire in my belly & a mustache filtered voice in my head saying he wants to break free! I write music, play music, teach music & hang out with anyone my smile works on while I'm out.

    

2. SLAM day is all about live music. If you could play a gig, anywhere in the world, to anyone, where would it be and who would be watching?

 For some reason, maybe because of all the rain we've been having in Brisbane, I kinda want it to be at a Vegas pool party. Them parties is of da hook, & I would just love to play to anyone &/or everyone!

3. What’s been your favourite (and worst!) gig experience so far with your band?

 

Favourite has to be kicking out the jams in LA! Not only did we play a great show, but the amount of interesting cats that live in that city are phenomenal. Worst gig are blocked out from my memory, but there was one time ex brisbane party rockers Comic Sans stole our carton/cpt morgan/jager rider while we were playing a festival in Bundaberg... we didn't have to drive for at least 2 days after the show, so we were pretty bummed until we shared a few brews with Numbers Radio & Horrorshow.

   

 4. Tell us about your favourite live music moments and what does live music mean to you?

Live music is everything to me & My Fiction! It's such a huge form of inspiration, & I don't remember a single show, played or seen, that I didn't take something positive from. It's also a great ice breaker when you're in other states or cities - walk into a room with fuzzy hair, skinny jeans & a pocket full of dreams, if no one wants to talk to you just play them a god darned rock show!

    

5. Do you remember the first gig you ever went to and if so; who, where, when, why?

Smashing Pumpkins original line up when they said goodbye in 2001 at the Johannesburg Stadium... I only just started playing guitar then, & I remember them being absolute perfection!

    

6. I’m the artist, you’re the blogger; what do you ask me?

 

Does pop music make kids clever?

    

7. How will you spend SLAM day?

I usually wake up on gig day & treat myself to a hearty bacon & bits breakfast, then a good play with my sexy guitar, wash my hair to get it poofed & begin to slip into my skinny jeans. This Saturday we'll be live on 4zzz before sound check & the rest of the time we'll be trolling the streets of Fortitude Valley handing out love & free music! Don't miss out!




You can check out all about My Fiction here or on their facebook page here

...or, if you want to know where My Fiction and a whole bunch of other amazing bands are playing on Saturday you can find out all about SLAM Day here.