Falls Festival Feature Review: Fleet Foxes

January 13, 2012 at 14:18 (Festivals, Gigs, Reviews)
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Fleet Foxes by Stu BReview by KTBell, photos by Stu B

Fleet Foxes at the Falls Festival, Lorne VIC
The Valley Stage, Friday 30 December 2011

The sun was setting, the air temperature was dropping and glistening bubbles danced over the heads of the buzzing crowd. The reputation of the Fleet Foxes proceeded them and I was excited to see them having very little real idea of what their music was like. Judging by the crowd’s anticipation, I knew something special was about to occur.  Thumping double bass and a steely chords intro lead into harmonized ‘aahs’ to a song that filled the arena but the name of which eludes me. The drummer was wild on the cymbals but their beautiful harmonies among the beats were reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel. After a glowing opening, I was transfixed by “The Plains”, it was just enchanting.

Their third song, featuring an electric mandolin, was up beat and sounds like chimes. I was struck by the fact that they were such reserved performers but still sharing their energy and and bewitching the crowd. It was clear the entire valley was hooked, caught up in every chord and chorus. The audience was so enraptured by their enigmatic performance, there were girls were dancing and skipping all across the valley. With the audience frenetic with the energy of the performance, their hit song ”Helplessness Blues” chimed across the field and the place nearly exploded.

Fleet Foxes by Stu BEvery set of eyes was glued to the stage and we hung on their every word. Robin chimed in between songs with an intriguing introduction, saying “Just because I’m not wearing shoes, doesn’t mean I’m, like, carefree,” chattered with the audience a little more and broke in to “Sim Sala Bim”. The fiddle work just shone throughout the song creating eddies and flows to delight the mind. The popular “Your Protector” emerged next keeping the audience in the flow, followed by a much larger musical presence in the stunning “Winter White Hymnal”. All in all, for a first time experience of Fleet Foxes, their performance was nothing short of magical and I’ll be very keenly seeking out their recordings.

Take in the rest of our Falls Festival review Mid Stride, or have a look back over out first installment, In The Beginning.

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Falls Festival Review: Mid stride

January 13, 2012 at 08:30 (Festivals)
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After a late night, we woke up to a warmer morning on the third day of the Falls Festival and made our way first to The Village The Dad Horse Experience by Stu Bwhere the intriguingly named Dad Horse Experience were playing. What I expected to be a one man show was a 3 piece complete with banjo and kazoo who played ‘stupid country song[s]‘.  Dad‘s banter between songs was endearing and hilarious in it’s raw and honest delivery, the crowd was always chuckling. They whipped out a gospel song, but Dad commented that it’s weird that “gospel is usually about your dead mother and wanting to be in heaven with her”, so they sang an A.P. Carter gospel song, “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” which, by switching from the Banjo to a very beat up mandolin this rendition felt like a fouled up Regurgitator song… But maybe that’s a hangover from the previous night (Regurgitator played Unit in full). For their next song, Dad, in his thick and amusing German accent went on to discuss at length his thoughts on heaven and that “if my mama were dead, if she were in heaven, I wonder what would happen, because if it’s like immigration, they won’t let me in because of ‘all za shit you did’. If it’s the same in heaven, then I won’t see my mama again, and zat is shit”. That thought had inspired the song “Gates of Heaven”, a hilarious hillbilly style gospel lament full of swearing and the catch phrase, “bless this muthaf*cker, but won’t you please let me in.” Turns out it’s never too early in the day for a sing-a-long.

No doubt the whole audience could relate to that experience when you regret what you did the night before and promise never to do it again, only to wake up another morning and realise “oh shit I did it again!”. To the collective laughter, this was the introduction to “Lord Must Fix My Soul”. Dad took the time to teach us the chorus, “Lord must fix my soul, turn the shit in to gold”. The crowd was engaged and keen to sing and clap along. With lyrics like ”Mama taught me the bible, well I shot her with my rifle” and a break after each chorus to tell the story relating to each verse, this was the highlight of the set. We had to leave to make it to the next gig, but as we left we could hear the next song ramping up and punters singing along once again.

Lanie Lane by Stu BFriday was the first day that all stages were running, so we hiked it up the massive main arena hill to catch Lanie Lane at The Grand Theatre, a performance I had been hotly anticipating given Lanie‘s catapult to popularity and extensive list of festival performances for 2011. The crowd had assembled early and punters all claimed their seats on the grass eagerly anticipating her sultry tunes. I was amazed to see two kimono clad women distributing Japanese tea to the waiting audience and realised this festival truly has everything! Although Lanie was under the weather, her performance was strong and Stu commented just how well her music translates from recording to stage. There’s nothing more disappointing than loving an artist’s CD only to see them live and be disappointed. Lanie did not disappoint, in fact she wowed the huge crowd, had them all singing along and loving every second of her set. I left her set feeling so fulfilled and it was only the start of the day!

I can’t decide whether French 10 piece Babylon Circus is gypsy enough to include, or ska enough to omit. If you like upbeat jazzy tunes with huge brass sections a little like the Bamboos and the Cat Empire, then check them out, they certainly had the crowd swinging. Sitting watching The Valley Stage meant the sun was blazing down on us, so we quickly moved inside The Grand Theatre to see CANT, the side project of Grizzly Bear‘s Bass Player, Chris Taylor. Backed by a 3 piece band, he struggled through some sound issues and hit the crowd with an echoey pop ballad to open. Full of synth, ethereal meandering and some almost ‘Phill Collins at his best’ sounding moments, CANT provide a full sound experience, but certainly not a mini Grizzly Bear act.

Grouplove by Stu BNext Grouplove took to The Valley Stage with a huge, excited crowd just ready to burst at the seams. Their opening number sounded almost like an Irish pub rock ballad with the ukulele strumming and sheer enthusiasm from the 5 piece. Followed by “Lovely Cup” had the crowd keeping time. Grouplove are synonymous with their clapping introduction to the huge hit “Itchin’ On A Photograph” that just two beats in, the crowd recognised and were clapping in time while, over the top of the crowds clapping, Hannah explained that the band had painted the back drop for the day an hoped the audience loved it as much as they did. It was pretty cool and the audience sure let them know it. Next up they played “Love Will Save Your Soul” with the trilling intro chords revving the audience up. After the applause had died down, Christian confided that Australia  was the bands favorite place to play and they were so excited to be back. Grouplove are a fantastic festival act, I can only imagine what their sideshows with The Head and the Heart would have been like!

The Jezabels by Stu BAfter a bit of a non-folk interlude, The Jezabels brought a new vibe to The Valley Stage. With the main arena covered top to bottom in revelers, the crowd erupted as they came onstage. Their thumping bass, drums and synth keys took precedence as their hit “Endless Summer” rolled out across the valley, much to the audience’s delight. The drum heavy opening to the slower ballad “Easy To Love” caressed the crowd as Hayley’s voice transcended the octaves and floated up the valley. Their set was solid from start to end, treating the ecstatic crowd to a cross section of their folk-rock back catalogue including “A Little Piece” and “Deep Wide Ocean”. With the audience moving as one and the blistering sun shining down on bare arms, backs and faces, it was clear The Jezabels were both a hit and having a great time on stage. Hayley went on to thank the crowd and tell them how great the looked. She said “Last year we played in The Grand Theatre, this is way better!” to which the crowd erupted and the set continued.

Fleet Foxes by Stu BAfter another brief folky lull in the line up, the crowd reformed for the much anticipated Fleet Foxes on The Valley Stage. Having not seen Fleet Foxes, and hardly having a chance to digest their back catalogue, even the sound check had me excited for what was to come. They took to the stage and in a humble tone, lead singer Robin said “Thanks so much for coming to watch us, we’re very happy to be back” and they were as equally happily received by the crowd. With a gentle demeanor and humility in their performance, their chords struck out across the crowd and wrapt each listener up within their stories. Their music is honest and subtle, even live on stage. And without lifting much of a finger, their calm and often still stature on stage still managed to deliver far more emotion and energy than anticipated to a very happy crowd.

Tim Finn by Stu BAs another chilly night set in, Tim Finn took over The Valley Stage like an esteemed gentleman with a point to make and a story to tell. A mellow start to the set with the Split Endz classic “Poor Boy” but an upbeat bridge gave him opportunity to take in the entire stage like a young lead singer or any other band of the day. Clearly those at the front were core fans, singing along with full gusto. Tim‘s voice isn’t what it used to be, but like a wise man with a glimmer in his eye, a cheeky tale and more spirit than any young upstart with attitude, he sang comfortably through “Made My Day”. Animatedly he announced he would pull one from  Woodface and the crowd pleaser “Only Natural” echoed out from his enigmatic smile. On a roll, Finn wooed the crowds further with “Persuasion” followed by a hugely popular and rousing performance that had the entire valley singing along, word for word, to “Weather With You”. You’d think that would be the end of such a set, but Finn continued the crowd high with “Six Months In A Leaky Boat”. We were flagging but the crowd wasn’t. As we headed off, the valley continued to sing along and Finn mastered the stage like a King watching over his court. Truly an inspired performance.

Read our feature reviews of Lanie Lane and Fleet Foxes from the day. Otherwise read the rest of our three part review, with opening piece In The Beginning and look out for our final installment The Countdown.

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Falls Festival Feature Review: Lanie Lane

January 11, 2012 at 15:19 (Festivals, Gigs, Reviews)
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Lanie Lane by Stu BReview by KTBell, photos by Stu B.

Lanie Lane at  The Falls Festival, Lorne VIC
The Grand Theatre, Friday 30 December 2011

For an early timeslot, The Grand Theatre was bustling with an eager audience, evidence that Lanie’s musical ascent in 2011 had not gone unnoticed. She graced the stage in a little black wiggle dress and welcomed us with a ” Hiya beautifuls!” before bounding straight in to the alluring “Jungle Man.” By no means a lazy performer, with the audience attentive, she moved straight in to a slower track, ” The Devil’s Sake” that had the crowd swaying in time. During a brief chat to the crowd, Lane revealled she was in fact recovering from a massive headache and head cold and had woken up with a terrible throat and she was hoping her voice would hold out for Marion Bay the following day. For someone who was feeling woeful, her performance did not hint at it at all. She introduces ”Don’t Cry”  as a song about embarrassing yourself in front of a boy you just met and rolled straight in to the song without losing a shred of conviction. An almost a reggae beat opening brought “Like Me Meaner” to life, returning to the album style we are familiar with for the chorus.

“My Man” is the B-side recorded with Jack White (of the White Stripes) and opened on stage ominously, building anticipation then smashing out a thumping beat intro while making way for her signature soulful vocals full of sultry, dark imagery and connotations to take over. Following on through the smoky haze created souly by her style and stage presence,  the huge hit “What Do I Do”, complete with chains on the snare drum, had the entire tent singing along. The crowd swayed in time and continued to grow in numbers. Between songs, Lane took a moment to thank the lighting and sound crew. She is very generous with her enthusiasm and treated the crowd to the very fun and rockabilly bop style hit ”Betty Baby”. Given she was under the weather, it was forgivable for her voice to begin to waiver during ”To The Horses” and we all hoped it would hold out for her Marion Bay show the next day.

Lanie Lane by Stu BIn her own words, the cheeky and infectious “That’s What You Get Falling In Love With A Cowboy” with it’s slow heady intro, bewitching vocals and her big grin is “a bit of fun, you can’t complain really” speaking of the woes detailed in the lyrics. Moving further towards the end of her set, it really was time for crowd participation as Lane introduced “Bang Bang” and taught the crowd how to sing the chorus summing up with “How easy is it? Just sing the same word lots of times”. She pumped out a rocking rendition and the crowd played their part well. In spite of illness, she certainly looked like she was having fun on stage as she dropped to her knees, jamming with rhythm guitarist and then with the crowd. Throughout the set had been some funky double bass which shone as a mellow cover of Muddy Waters’ “(I’m Your) Hoochie Coochie Man” oozed cool in spite of the temperatures. Lane rounded out the set by switching to an acoustic guitar for the much anticipated single “Ain’t Hungry”. It was clear she really enjoyed performing, her band got right in to it and filled the tent with the honky tonk rhythm and strummy lead guitar while her vocals were smooth as treacle, only occassionally hinting at the struggle with an upset throat.

I left Lanie Lane’s set impressed and satisfied to have finally seen her again live. I found myself humming her hits for days, she is truly an inspired performer and the future will only see her success bloom.

View our Falls Festival Review Part 1 by clicking here.

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Falls Festival Feature Review: John Butler Trio

January 9, 2012 at 15:38 (Festivals, Gigs, Reviews)
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John Butler Trio by Stu BReview by KTBell, photos by Stu B.

John Butler Trio at The Falls Festival, Lorne VIC
The Valley Stage, Thursday 29 December 2011

I haven’t seen the John Butler Trio perform live for a very long time and I, along with thousands of others, was chomping at the bit for their set. As mentioned in our full review, the trio were very well received by the crowd. One of the most respectful performers I’ve seen, after the first song John Butler took a moment to sincerely acknowledge and pay respect to the traditional owners of the land before taking off with a rousing rendition of “Gonna Be A Long Time”. A sure crowd favourite “Used To Get High” had the party erupting down the front and the rest of the crowd up the hill grooving along, not surprising given how much of the crowd identified with the lyrics!

The trio took a moment to comment on and thank those who have added their voice to the fight to save the Kimberly and dedicated “Revolution” to the people fighting for the land. A moving performance full of conviction. With a similar sentiment, John Butler then dedicated to Barack Obama, Shania Twain, KFC and a retinue of other influential world figures, a very driven and defiant performance of “Better Than”.

To bring the crowd back together as one voice, if you can imagine about 12,000 people singing ‘nah-nah-nanana, nana-nana’,well then you’d be close to knowing how well “Zebra” went down. Imagining it? Well, now imagine mid song, a scat type call and response with said crowd. It was a stirring performance that had the audience invested and engaged, so when a haunting steely opening revealed “Treat Yo Mama”, it was to an instant favorite and hit with the crowd.

Whipped in to a joyous fray, the crowd sang along to “One Way Round” and were brought back to earth with the finaJohn Butler by Stu B.le, “Close To You”. Once again during the bridge, while all three were in a multi-drum improvised jamming moment, they thanked organizers, staff and volunteers, snuck in a phrase of “Funky Cold Medina” and a cow bell medley, just for kicks.

Their set was one of the most enthralling, uplifting performances I have seen and they delivered it so effortlessly I felt we should have danced and sung together until dawn. We can only hope that there are plans or works in the pipes for a new album. No hint was made, but the crowd came away from that set so euphoric that I’m sure we all were hopeful for a new album to fall in love with soon.

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Falls Festival Feature Review: Missy Higgins

January 6, 2012 at 17:31 (Festivals, Gigs, Reviews)
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Missy Higgins by Stu BReview by KTBell, photos by Stu B.

Missy Higgins at The Falls Festival, Lorne VIC
The Valley Stage, Thursday 29 December 2011

As mentioned in our first installment of our Falls Festival Review, some performances were so inspiring, they deserved their own review, of which Missy Higgins is certainly one. Like the prodigal daughter returned, Higgins announced after her opening number that she has been recording a new album in Nashville, Tenessee USA much to the delight of the audience. She proceeded to play a new track from the album, “Hidden Ones”. With Higgins on lead piano, and support on guitar and keys, a melodic indie folk pop intro made way for a song that seemed to impart advice and affection for every listener. Higgins has a history with Falls, having played here a lot over the years and used to be a punter for a time as well. Her backing band came all the way from Nashville where she had assembled them for the album, but they seemed to have an old acquaintance with her music. With new music dispensed and approval given by the enraptured audience, a sure crowd favorite then had everyone singing along to “Ten Days”.

The crowd were treated to another new song, “Tricks”. It’s opening was full of attitude and acoustic guitar, but in totality, sounds like a moving on song, full of self realisation and empowerment. The harmonized chorus was the kind of chorus audiences will sing along too and I imagine that somewhere down the line I’ll be reviewing one of her performances and noting just how the crowd is singing along. “Peachy”, from her second album, had the crowd bopping along, but she trumped the enthusiastic crowd with the smash hit, “Scar” followed by the entire valley singing along word for word to “The Special Two” and rounded out with a gentle acoustic rendition of “Don’t Ever”.

With the sounds of new songs swimming in the air, she pulled out “Going North” from her second album and it was a delight to hear it with an undeniable Nashville twang and folky country feel to the musicality which was incredibly complimentary to her voice and style. Her acoustic solo was full of finger picking and twang in that countryish style. I know American country can have such a stigma surrounding it with some of the most cringe-worthy music coming from that genre, but with a more folk-country, alt-country tendency, Higgins’ new work is inspiring and mature, like the stories of a weary traveller returned home. She very proudly introduced Butterfly Boucher on bass, clearly a dear friend, who has been instrumental in producing the new album and proceeded with another new song, this one really having it’s debut at The Falls Festival. It was very bassy and called “Hello Hello” I think, but really fun for everyone, no matter the title.Missy Higgins by Stu B

The set was finished with the single from her second album, “Steer” which completed her set on a high note. The crowd had welcomed Missy Higgins home with open arms and full voices. It was wonderful to be reacquainted with a performer we speculated was lost to us, but it’s even more fulfilling to see the fruits of her labour in such a friendly, familiar and relaxed environment. Her sound has found new depth and verve with the new influences, her stage presence is enchanting as always and I can’t wait to hear her new album hopefully sometime in 2012.

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Falls Festival Review: In the Beginning

January 6, 2012 at 12:30 (Festivals)
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Review by KTBell, photos by Stu B.

What do a Matador, Pirate Princess, Bumble Bee and a Koala have in common? The Falls Festival, Lorne apparently. We arrived late in the afternoon on the first day of the festival only to feel like there was a costume party that no one had told us about. It seems dressing up with your mates is one of the key ingredients in the Falls Festival experience, we saw superheroes, all manner of animals, and too many body suits to mention.


Nouvelle Vague                            Lilikoi Kaos       Melbourne Ska Orchestra

Wednesday was the first afternoon of the 19th annual Falls Festival with the first and second days alternating between the two stages, Wednesday starting the festival off in The Grand Theatre at the top of the hill. The days line up was a bit light on the folk front, but Peter Combe helped wayward 20-30 something’s reclaim their youth complete with “Newspaper Mama” hats for the crowd. Anna’s Go-Go Academy taught the gathered crowd how to Go-Go and it was entertaining to see the whole audience dance in time with moves like the “Yay Titties” and the “Human Nature”. We caught French outfit Nouvelle Vague whose two female vocalists made me feel like I should be flying Pan Am and ordering Singapore Slings. Their take on popular songs were sassy, jazzy and a little bit Bossa Nova. Lilikoi Kaos, a circus and burlesque star, wowed the crowds with hula hoops, high heels, a seductive strip and a whole lotta splits. We rounded our night out with the huge numbers of the Melbourne Ska Orchestra who filled the half capacity theatre tent with cool, attitude, ska and wacky old school dancing. At one point the crowd faced off with the orchestra with the maestro controlling it all, very silly, but oh so fun. The cold got the better of us and we headed off to catch some hopefully warm sleep.

Heel Toe Express by KTBellThursday saw The Valley Stage spring to life while The Grand Theatre took a day off. While the stage opened with some heavier surf rock and grunge, we ambled over to The Village and stumbled across the delightful Melbourne based 5 piece, Heel Toe Express. Delivering exactly what you want from a folk band with a twinge of bluegrass rhythm, the crowds relaxed on the grass and were carried away by lilting fiddle, twanging banjo and plodding double bass. I know it’s a traditional song, but it was great to hear their rendition of “Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms” which I am more accustomed to in The Snowdroppers rockin’ blues style. Heel Toe Express transported me, and the whole crowd, to a completely different time and place away from the Falls Festival, I occasionally thought I should be at a fiddlers convention, barn dance or country show, but in a good way. They don’t restrict themselves performance wise, frequently switching between female and male lead vocals, whipping in some harmonies, harmonica and a bit of a honky-tonk vibe just to mix it all up, exactly the kind of band to relax through the afternoon with. Or perhaps the toe tapping, hoe down kind of wind up to kick off the day.

Clairy Browne and the Bangin Rackettes by Stu BBack at the Valley Stage, Guineafowl had the crowds bopping to their Indietronic, smooth grooves, they made me feel like U2 would be playing the same line up. One of my favorite swinging 60s style souls girl groups, Clairy Browne and the Bangin’ Rackettes hit the stage in their synchronized, mid set set tear away costume changing, take the audience by storm kind of way. Not folk but a whole lot of fun, kind of like a 60s soul singing Amy Winehouse with backup singers. The New York outfit Easy Star All-Stars‘ “Dub side of the Moon” reggae dub performance was great, entertaining and funky to boot.

Missy Higgins at the Falls Festival, Lorne VIC. By Stu BMissy Higgins was a sign that the stakes were raising with the the evening’s lineup stretching tantalisingly ahead of us. Her last releases were way back in 2007 so I was really keen to see what she had been up to in that time and gauge whether there’s anything exciting in the pipeline to get excited about. The crowd went wild as she took to the stage sporting a cute, short, blonde coiffed do. Higgins opened with a sweet rendition of “Secret”, oozing with a funky slow beat and a dash of Aussie soul. It was a gutsy full band sound but with her trademark acoustic guitar at the forefront. Her whole set was thoroughly enjoyed by the crowd, singing along at every opportunity. She later tweeted “Argh wow! Show was so amazing tonight, Nashville guys were blown away by how loud the crowd were singing!! So fun. So good to be back. Xx” and believe me, we are all very happy to see her back!

Beirut by Stu BAfter such a fulfilling performance, I was excited to finally catch Beirut live and they took to the stage with fans screaming. Having not had a chance to familiarise myself with their back catalogue, the accordian and xylophone opening was enchanting and the trumpets brought it all together for a harmony laced scene. I felt like an oom-pa band and folk band had a love child in Beirut, it’s chilled out fantasy kind of stuff! The ukulele made an appearance to many cheers from the audience and Zach’s voice floated liltingly across the huge crowd. While not everyone’s cup of tea, their set to me was like lullabies for adults, instantly calming, comforting and a sense of security. Their set was nothing short of beautiful and the crowd, blissed out across the vast sun drenched hill, were sated with the delicacies Beirut served up.

John Butler Trio by Stu BLater in the evening, after more indie, dance and DJ sets had infused the cold night with happy revellers, the tempo changed and with it, the anticipation increased. The legendary John Butler Trio was greeted with a huge roar from the crowd and they warmed the chilly night with the funk infused roots of “Don’t Wanna See Your Face No More”. The slapping base was phenomenal and could be felt all the way up the hill. As a huge crowd favourite, the trio looked completely at home onThe Valley Stage, I’m sure the entire crowd never wanted it to end. But alas, when their time was up the chill of the night had reallt set in and it was time for me to climb in to a warm sleeping bag for the night. What an amazing first couple of days and we were only half way through.

Check out our feature reviews of Missy Higgins and John Butler Trio, in an attempt to keep this review to a sensible length, we’ve decided to put together some more in depth reviews of our festival highlights.

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Guide to Summer Festivals Part 2: Look the Part

December 27, 2011 at 17:42 (Opinion)
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Photo courtesy of Bon Iver

Ok, ok, secretly, I’ve been dying to do a folky fashion story, and what better time than in preparation to hit up the festivals? It all started because of Timber and Steel’s own Evan Hughes who is rarely seen at any folk influenced festival or gig without a vest on. Wandering the roads of Woodford last year, I noticed some particular elements that identified musically like minded people. So let’s go top to toe on how to look your folky best during the festival season.

Bob Dylan Lanie Lane

I’ve spent the last few days looking at photos of some of our favorite Timber and Steel artists to really pin down the look, and to be honest, most of it is about choosing a base and accessorising. Obviously there is always going to be an element of your own tastes and flair or style that will determine your overall look, but here’s a few simpler pieces you can pull together possibly from your Christmas haul and Boxing Day sales if you want to get in the folky spirit of it.

John Butler and Mama Kin

For they guys, the base is easy, jeans and a t-shirt are staples with the shirt usually being plain, though wearing your favorite band shirt will always be acceptable. For the ladies, unsurprisingly the base has followed the recent retro/ vintage fashion trend and more often than not either a floating vintage style dress or a modern floral dress inspired by the retro look. Whack a pair of opaque stockings on underneath and you’re set. That or a high waisted skirts or shorts with a plain top would provide a perfectly suitable base too.

Kate Miller-Heidke at Bluesfest Skipping Girl Vinegar at Snowy Mountains Of Music Festival April Maze Snowy Mountains Of Music Festival

Then it’s time to accessorise. Let’s start at the top.

Hats are great, they protect you from the sun and the rain, keep your head warm at night and can cap off your look, excuse the pun. Broad brim hats are an easy choice for guys or girls, just take a look at Matt Corby and Florence Welsch of Florence and the Machine or even Jack Thompson in his Akubra for inspiration.
  Jack Thompson at Bluesfest

For guys, there’s a broad range of hat style to try until you find the one that suits you, Panama, Trilby and Fedora styles mainly differ in the brim size and shape. The ever popular Flat Cap has a cousin, the Ascot Cap of a very similar style, but rounder and more stiff. Or in a similar but roomier style, there’s always your classic variations of the Gatsby/ newsboy/ train driver cap which work for both guys and girls.

Eric Bibb at Bluesfest  Jeff Lang

For the girls, while you could pick any of the styles I’ve noted for guys, the more vintage looks are far more fun. For a very feminine look, try a cloche like Lisa Mitchell, a 50s style do-rag like Lanie Lane, or just a simple headband as Julia Stone often wears.

Lisa Mitchell Lanie Lane Julia Stone

Elvis Costello at Bluesfest If guys are after a very vintage addition, there’s always bowler and top hats, but it takes a bit of confidence and dedication to carry it off well. A bit zany, but a great look if you own it. And if you are going to own it, you can even go the whole hog with a three piece suit, but that’s not really convenient for Australian summers nor festivals.

CW StonekingWorking down for top to toe, the next item is mainly for the guys. If you’re going for an old style, the a bow tie is a fantastic edition, especially if you can tie a real one yourself rather than the clip on ones. Though I have it on good authority, they’re not terribly comfortable to start with. Not really practical for camping and festivals, it’s a good one to wear out for a night on the town, or as a feature of your look, much like CW Stoneking’s red and white check bow tie on his signature white ensemble.

If ties are not your style, then your options include the quintessential vest, in almost any material, but I know Evan Hughes likes his leather and suede options. Vest have been turning up across genres for years and are a feature for musos and punters both young and old.

Josh Pyke  Cat Empire at Bluesfest Snowdroppers at Bluesfest

If a vest is too warm or not quite your thing, try out the old school suspenders as Johnny Wishbone, lead singer of The Snowdroppers, is frequently seen wearing. Our modern ladies of folk have a true eye for style throwing cardigans and sweaters in to the mix, or using leather belts to create a classic cinched or high waist look.

Snowdroppers at Bluesfest Florence Welsch Secret Sisters at Bluesfest

Boy and BearWhile vintage is a strong theme, the folk style transcends conventional fashion rules, and borrows often from cousins in country genre. Take a leaf out of Henry Wagons’ book and style up every day with country flair. If you think I’m cheating by using alt-country as a folk example, instead take a good look at Boy & Bear who have had multiple members sport checkered shirts, plus a few other folkies teaming a checked shirt with a vest or other accessory. And it’s not just for guys, take a look at how Lisa Mitchell and Jen Cloher carry off bold checks for a country, folky feel.

Henry Wagons at Rhythms Magazine Q&A at Bluesfest Lisa Mitchell Jen Cloher

So, once you’ve got your base, found the accessories that work for you, all that’s left is to throw on some sunnies (Rayban style is a staple) and for the ladies, grab a leather or leather/ animal print look small handbag to sling across your body, slap on some sunscreen and you’re set for a folkin’ good time.

Bob Dylan Florence Welsch Julia and Angus Stone

Once you’ve got the hang of it, you can start to mix and match pieces, create layers and get a group of friends together and take the scene by storm. Maybe some time down the track you’ll even turn up in a future folky fashion post right here!

Mumford and Sons at Laneway Festival SydneyMumford and Sons at Laneway Festival – I love the Panama hat, t-shirt, vest and overalls as shorts combination!

The Good Ship at WoodfordOh the combinations from The Good Ship! Loving the Fedora, bowtie and vest, plus a small gatsby and one out there shirt!

The Gum Ball 2011These two from the crowd at The Gum Ball look great!

TinPan Orange

TinPan Orange combined managed almost the entire shebang, get that group some hats!

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Guide to Summer Festivals Part 1: Preparation

December 22, 2011 at 08:59 (Opinion)
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The Gum Ball 2011 Story and photos by KT Bell

Everyone’s excited about Christmas, but here at Timber and Steel we’re gearing up for a huge Summer Festival season, especially for the New Years period. There have been 4 main festivals lining up loads of Timber and Steel friendly acts to get excited about, namely Woodford Folk Festival in QLD (you may remember my 35 Hour Woodford experience from last year), Peats Ridge Festival in NSW and two VIC festivals on either side of Port Phillip Bay, Pyramid Rock Festival and The Falls Festival (also on in Marion Bay, TAS). We’ve managed to rustle up a couple of reviewers to give you the wrap up of some of these festivals in the New Year. But in preparation, let’s take a look at how to make the most of the New Years festival experience.

Our four festivals are all multi-day festivals set in lush settings away from the hustle and bustle of the city, leaving festival goers two accommodation options. 1. pay for a hotel away from the site and drive to and from the event every day (access to some festivals are limited on 31 Dec) and limit your experience ,which is no fun, or, 2. camp. Having camped through a number of different scenarios, here’s a short list of tips which will make your camping festival experience that much better. Peats Ridge offers some sustainable camping tips to check out before the festival too.

Bluesfest Saturday
Tent Options
Woodford offers Tent City which is a great option for those who need to travel light – a tent, bed, light and basics are supplied for an additional fee, you just need to buy tickets with camping and bring your own bedding (pillow, blankets etc).  Peats Ridge has begun offering Tepee camping in recycled Tepees with both 2 person and up to 4-6 person camping options and you even get to take your Teepee sleeping bags home with you.  Both are a stress free, easy way to experience a camping festival, with none of the effort of camping.

For all the other camping events, either take a tent you can stand up right in, or be prepared to spend very little time in your tent, most of which will be in a half sitting/ laying position.

Dealing with Mud and Rain
Proof I was there, in my gumboots. Given the very unseasonal start to Summer, it would be wise to steel yourself for the likelihood of rain and eventual mud. Lots of mud. Best things to do are to take gumboots, extra socks (thick socks deal with chaffing better) and why not think about a gel or wool inner sole for your gumboots while you’re at it – I can say from days dancing in boots at Peats Ridge 2009, your feet will be worn out before the end of the festival.

Take a poncho or rain coat – not umbrellas. Alternately take a couple of heavier hoodies, they’re also quite good at keeping the rain off, but they do soak through. If you’re at Woodford, I did pick up a beautiful waterproof parasol from a vendor who I believe goes regularly and it’s gotten me through a number of both sunny and rainy days since.

Take extra changes of clothes and some gear that you don’t care if it’s ruined by mud. If you are going to go sliding in the mud, whether in clothes or not (yes, another fun Peats Ridge image yet to be removed from my memory), make plans to get through the shower or dip in a creek before your favourite act hits the stage, otherwise you’ll be sweaty, tired and still muddy.

Best tip: Take a bucket, an old towel and/ or a bathmat – leave them outside your tent and use them as a door mat and to rinse off your feet before climbing in to your tent to avoid the mud spread through all your belongings. And make sure to take your gumboots off outside before entering, leave them outside or just inside the door.

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Hygiene
There are a couple of elements to the whole multi-day camping festival and keeping yourself clean. Showers are often hugely sought after at the usual peak times, mornings and early evenings. Mind you at both Peats Ridge and Woodford, I walked past the shower blocks very late at night (as late as 2am) and they were well in use. Plan your showering/ bathing times ahead, have a look at the timetable and see if you can pop back from a quick shower before the next act.

Alternately, if you’re tough, you could forgo the showers altogether – in some locations there’s rivers to have a nice dip in and keep yourself fresher, but you will need to wear something in, be decent people. Even if you take to bathing, take along some baby wipes or wet ones and give yourself a good wipe down all over at least once a day and apply deodorant liberally. You might be able to cope with no showering, but the people around you might not cope with your odour.

Toilets at most of these festivals have moved towards the sustainable compostable toilets. No flush toilets can be challenging, especially after a few days in to a festival. Firstly, learn how the toilets work – usually there’s a tub or pile of sawdust available. If you’re heading for number 1s, just go without sawdust, and you can pop some toilet paper in after you if you need. If you’re going number 2s, take a cup/ handful of sawdust to throw in after you’ve finished. If it’s a big number 2, well, take some back up sawdust. ALWAYS close the lid no matter what number you’ve been to so that insects are not attracted to the contents – no one wants to use a fly infested loo. If everyone uses them properly, these toilets can work very well. And boys, you’re always welcome to take to the bushes if that’s easier.

Supplies
Bluesfest Saturday Most festivals are no BYO and all would be No Glass – there’s nothing worse than some broken glass to ruin your day by slicing your foot, or worse, your butt, open. Some festivals have fire bans – check the FAQs for your festival and check what you can and can’t take in. If you can afford it, budget to buy your meals, it supports the vendors which in turn supports the festival and allows it to go ahead every year. The same goes with alcohol and festival bars, bringing your own alcohol might seem like a sneaky and clever idea but it jeopardises the festivals liquor licence and can have a detrimental effect on the bar provider which may lead them to choosing not to be involved in the future. Everyone likes to save a buck, but bars and food vendors are the life blood of funding for festivals and events, so spend with them to help your favourite festival continue year to year.

Check out your festival’s website for information about the dos and don’t's at your festival and travel information. Also don’t forget to take some important items that are often forgotten including sunscreen, a hat, jumper/ warm clothes, a water bottle, toothbrush and paste. It’s a good idea to invest in some ear plugs, they cancel out much of the noise and volume but none of the music, you can even hear the lyrics plus they save your hearing. Having now attended a few festivals with ear plugs, they’re a staple in my stash.

Woodford has both an Eating at Woodford and a What to Bring section available from their home page.
Falls Festival has a What to Bring section which reminds punters to bring tickets. Believe it or not, I’ve seen it happen.

If all of that planning and packing seems like too much trouble, you could check out a new venture called Festival Kits which is an online service able to deliver a package to your at home before you depart which contains all the essentials, and they’re catering to all of our festivals and more.

Get In To It!
The Gum Ball 2011 Plan your festival, work out who you want to see, and read the bios of acts you’ve never heard of and check them out, you might find a brand new favourite you would have otherwise missed. Make a note of what non musical things you want to see like arts, workshops, talks and displays so you don’t forget to catch them. A number of the festivals have lantern and New Year parades complete with fancy dress or masquerade themes which you can get right in to the thick of helping create and perform. If you don’t want to be involved, at least make sure you have your camera handy for some amazing photo opportunities.

Bluesfest Saturday If you’re taking technological devices like phones and iPhones, why not download relevant information to your phone, or if you’re lucky, there will be an app for that. However, think twice about how you’re going to power and recharge your device – it’s a good idea to take a car charger with you and plan some time recharging. Also keep an eye out for recharge bars seen at many festivals which allow you to plug in to solar power and recharge your devices. However, you’ll need to stick around and wait for your device to charge as the people running it sure aren’t going to babysit your phone for you.

If you’ve got some time free, or you’re not really feeling the festival experience, try volunteering. All of these festivals rely on volunteers to make the magic happen and being involved in helping the festival run can be really rewarding. All of the volunteering programs have closed except for Woodford, however no matter which festival you’re at, if you’re bored, find the volunteer tent/ center and ask about volunteering. If you do enough hours, you might even get your ticket price refunded – but you will definitely have a unique experience of the festival.

Tickets are still available to all of these festivals, except the Lorne edition of The Falls Festival, however if you feel like crossing the ditch to Tassie, you can still get tickets to The Falls Festival at Marion Bay. Why not treat yourself to an early Christmas present and grab yourself a ticket if you haven’t already!

Plan and prepare now, and stay tuned for our next installment of our Guide to Summer Festivals.

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Interview: Autumn Gray

November 12, 2011 at 17:10 (Interviews)
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Autumn Gray at the Lewisham Livehouse SydneyAutumn Gray at the Lewisham Livehouse, Sydney. Photo by KTBell

We’ve been watching Autumn Gray make their mark on the folk-rock world over the last 12 months, but Timber and Steel‘s KTBell has been watching their development since their very formation through an ongoing friendship with past beau and Autumn Gray pianist Jeff Clementson. In the lead up to this Friday’s album launch come collaborative concert ‘Kinfolk – Indie Symphony’, KT sat down with Jeff and caught up on what’s been happening for Autumn Gray and what’s next.

KT: It’s been a long time between drinks, the last time I saw you was at the Autumn Gray EP launch in Sydney. What’s been happening with the band since then, and did Sydney scar you at all, or will we see you again soon?

Jeff Clementson: We all loved our short Sydney trip back in February, and we’ll definitely be heading back up the Hume in 2012, hopefully with a new release to show off.

Since February we’ve been refining and recording a whole bunch of new songs, testing them out at the odd live show, and putting together our new live album release ‘Live at Fed Square’ (featuring Orchestre Nouveau), which was recorded live late last year. The last three months have been especially hectic, trying to get a lineup and a venue for the launch show. Luckily enough, indie legend Charles Jenkins (Icecream Hands / Mad Turks of Istanbul) was all too happy to jump on board, and the supremely talented Mark Lang (singer-songwriter for Skipping Girl Vinegar) will be opening the night. It’s all part of the wonderful journey of being in a truly independent band.

KT: We dated many years ago now, and Autumn Gray was yet to come together but you were heavily in to your music, writing and composing. At the time you made me a mix CD including some influential songs and acts like You Am I, Augie March, Elliot Smith, and particular favourites The Dandy Warhols. If you and Autumn Gray were to make me a mix CD now, what would it have on it?

JC: Between all 7 of us in AG we’ve got quite an eclectic collective taste. Myself and each of the other band members have all contributed 2 or 3 tracks and this is what we’ve come up with – it’d be a double-cd of course:

Your Past Life As A Blast – Okkervil River
Art of Almost – Wilco
Not Too Amused – Sebadoh
First Breath After Coma – Explosions in the Sky
Red Lights – Holy Fuck
Nightingale – Low
In the Air Tonight – Phil Collins
Vincent O’Brien – M Ward
The Cowshed – Fionn Regan
Done – Built to Spill
The Glenorchy Bunyip – Augie March
Cheese Cake – Dexter Gordon
State of the Art – Gotye
Ritual Union – Little Dragon
I Might – Wilco
Captains of Industry – The Weekend People
46 & 2 – Tool
Cold Feet – Jack Ladder
Visitor – Laura
California Stars – Billy Bragg and Wilco
The Rescuing – Kikuyu
Finer Feelings – Spoon
Eye of the Needle – The Divine Comedy

KT: Speaking of Elliot Smith, I remember hearing the news of his death a few years ago, and I think I text you to share my condolences because I knew you were a fan. What impact did the loss of him and other great musicians over the last few years have on the music of Autumn Gray?

JC: I was very upset by the news of Elliot Smith’s death. I think most of us tend to think of the artists who make all of this music we love in a very abstract fashion – in effect they live in their music and in their clips on Rage. So when someone like that dies, and I remember feeling this acutely when Jeff Buckley died, it brings home the reality that the artist is just a mortal person. Some of us in the band have also lost family members over the last few years, and that sense of loss has definitely played a direct role in some of our newer material.

KT: Autumn Gray is about to do what a few truly great musicians have done, and collaborate with an entire orchestra. Why does this type of collaboration and show work for Autumn Gray’s music and what does it do for your performances?

JC: Most of all it’s a great honour to work with such a great bunch of really great musicians of Orchestre Nouveau, along with the composers and their dynamic young conductor, Zach Tay. I think our music lends itself well to this kind of classical / indie / folk crossover because we have already have a broad dynamic range in our material – for a 7-piece we can keep things quiet and restrained, but similar to an orchestra at the right moments we can make a lot of noise too. The performance with the orchestra last year was honestly one of the major highlights of my life. Standing on stage and hearing the string section kicking in behind me, I found myself almost frozen – I had to quickly remember to keep playing! I can’t wait for this next performance, and this time we’ve got 2 other great Australian songwriters joining us.

KT: Autumn Gray has two singers and a number of you write, what kind of dynamic does that bring to your music?

JC: Having two separate lead vocalists has proven to be most challenging for the music media – one review for our album said that the lead vocalist sounded ‘inconsistent’, not realising that we have 2 of them. I think it works pretty well for us despite the confusion

With the songwriting, we basically have a rule that if you bring a song into the band you need to be willing for it to be potentially torn apart and rearranged, if that’s the road we choose to go down. Most of the time though we get to a pretty swift consensus – there’s only been a couple of occasions where there have been heated words exchanged. The fact that anyone can bring material into the band and have it listened to and taken seriously is a great asset and certainly helps to keep things fresh for us, and hopefully that translates to better releases and more engaging performances for the audience.

KT: Now, I know I’m not the feature of any Autumn Gray song (or am I?) what kind of real life experiences shape and influence Autumn Gray songs? Any juices background stories to songs you care to share?

JC: The main songwriters usually keep their stories quite close to their chest, but you can hear Jim discussing the background of his song ‘Lullaby for the Hunters’ on ‘Live at Fed Square’. Basically he was out late one weekend night, close to closing time at a nightclub, and all of the young men who hadn’t ‘found love’ (Jim’s words) that evening were getting more angry, and starting to pick fights with each other as they got more desperate.

This made Jim want to write a Lullaby to send them all to off sleep when they’d arrived home, alone.

KT: Here at Timber and Steel, we’re always on the look out for new Folky acts to check out, got any suggestions for us to track down?

JC: Some of our recent favourites that can be classed as vaguely Folky are:

Grizzly Jim Lawrie – a great singer-songwriter, one of the most witty lyricists going around.
Lily Parker – she supported us solo a few weeks ago, and I really enjoyed her set. Beautiful vocals and some great piano and guitar work too.
The Winter Migration – their studio is literally 2 metres away from ours – great friends and old world melodies.

Oh, and last year we played a show with a Sydney band, The Dawn Collective, but they’ve broken up. I keep meaning to look into whether the songwriters are in any new bands. Fantastic band, and a pity that I got into them right at the end.

KT: Thanks Jeff, as always great to catch up and see what’s on the horizon and I’m so happy for you and Autumn Gray. All the best for this Friday’s album launch.

JC: Thanks for that KT! Always good talking with you. Oh, might be good to let people know that we’re streaming ‘Live at Fed Square’ in full leading up until the launch at www.liveatfedsquare.com.

Autumn Gray’s new album ‘Live at Fed Square’ recorded with Orchestre Nouveau, will be launched this Friday as a part of Kinfolk – Indie Symphony at Melbourne’s Thornbury Theatre. Tickets are still available for purchase online.

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Win free tickets to Wagons & Joe Pug at The Vanguard

November 2, 2011 at 10:56 (News, Timber and Steel Events)
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Wagons performing at Bluesfest 2011Photo by KT Bell

***ALL DOUBLE PASSES HAVE BEEN GIVEN AWAY. BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME!***

It’s competition time! We have 2 Double Passes to give away to the Wagons and Joe Pug show at The Vanguard in Newtown, Sydney on Sunday 13 November. All you have to do is be one of the first two people to e-mail us at timberandsteelaustralia@gmail.com with your name and we’ll put you on the door – it’s as simple as that. What are you waiting for? Get e-mailing!

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