I was thinking back on some travel experiences of mine and thought it was interesting to see how different people from around the world often started a topic of conversation by refering to an Australian artist of some kind. For instance, when i was in the U.S, i was approached by a couple and when we started talking they said, “Oh, you’re from Australia. You know Crowded House? We love Crowded House”.
A similar thing happened in Canada, with one lady, when hearing my accent, came up to me and started talking about how much she loved Australian accents because they reminded her of Olivia Newton-John who she “absolutely adored”.
Even in Europe, when in a bar in Rome, Italy, the first thing the barman asked me was whether i had heard of an emerging Sydney band (which i hadn’t heard of) that he was a big fan of.
I guess from these little personal expriences, which i hadn’t really thought much of before, they show that there is some sign of appreciation and recognition of Australian music across the world.
There are few things (if anything) more “Australian” in the music world than the didgeridoo. While that may be a “tourist’s” perspective on things, the fact remains that the didgeridoo has left its mark on Australian music and Australia as a whole. Why else would souvenir shops be filled with nicely painted long wooden tubes? They represent the aboriginal culture and the history of this country.
While in Sydney (or I’d assume in any other touristy city in Australia), you can often find entertainers clad in traditional aboriginal garb playing the didgeridoo on the streets. If you’ve ever tried to play one (and I have…), you’d know how difficult it is…thus making the many noises these entertainers can make quite impressive! Take a look at this video to see a didgeridoo player in action:
When my family visited me in Sydney, we made a stop at the Outback Center near Darling Harbour. They offer free didgeridoo performances a few times a day, so we thought it would be fun to go and experience part of Australia’s vibrant culture. The show was quite good – a man played didgeridoo with a CD of drums and other such noises in the background, while images of Australia’s nature flashed on the large screen behind him. He told us a bit about himself and his aboriginal origins, about his family and where he came from. He then told us about the didgeridoo – how it is made from wood that is hollowed out by termites and can be used in all kinds of music. Finally, he told us the basics for playing a didgeridoo. We did alright buzzing our lips like he said, but when it came to the circular breathing, we failed horribly. He gave everyone a few tips on how to teach yourself circular breathing, and ended the session with a Q&A session.
Thought by some to have “spiritual and healing power”, the didgeridoo is a fascinating instrument. Listed below are some interesting things about the instrument:
It is a wind instrument originally found in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia.
Researchers have suggested it may be the world’s oldest musical instrument, over 40,000 years old.
There is some evidence of the didgeridoo being used as far south as the Alice Springs region of Australia, but traditionally never in the southern half of the country.
Traditionally didgeridoos were made from eucalyptus tree trunks and limbs hollowed out by termites (a small insect like an ant but a relative of the cockroach) or bamboo from the far north of the Northern Territory.
Traditionally the didgeridoo was cut to an average of 130cm and cleaned out with a stick or occasionally hot coals
Today didgeridoos are made from a large variety of materials such as glass, leather, hemp, ceramic, plastic, solid timbers carved out, logs drilled out, dried/hollowed cactus stems, aluminium and other metals and just about any material which can be formed into a hollow tube!
The didgeridoo was traditionally used as an accompaniment along with chants, singers and dancers, often in ceremonies.
Today the didgeridoo is heard in almost every style of music, rock, jazz, blues, pop, hip hop, electronic, techno, funk, punk, rap etc. There are truly no limits to the use of this awesome instrument.
In a few aboriginal groups in certain ceremonies the didgeridoo was only played by men, but in many groups, outside of ceremony, it was played by men, women and children.
In the same way the guitar originating in Europe, is now owned, made and played by people across the world, the Australian didgeridoo is now owned, made and played by many people all around the globe.
The word didgeridoo can be spelt many different ways, none of which are Aboriginal names for the instrument. The word “didgeridoo” was given to the instrument around 100 years ago. For more info see ‘The Word Didgeridoo‘.
Also interesting in the history of the didgeridoo, is the role of women. While women CAN play the didgeridoo in informal situations, they traditionally do NOT perform in ceremonies. While at first glance this may seem sexist, looking further into the matter shows a reasonable explanation. Linda Barwick of didgeridoobreath.com, wrote, “In discussions with women in the Belyuen community near Darwin in 1995. I was told that there was no prohibition on women playing and in fact several of the older women mentioned a women in the Daly River area who used to play the didgeridoo. In a discussion with men from Groote Eylandt, Numbulwar and Gunbalanya it was agreed that there was no explicit Dreaming Law that women should not play didgeridoo, it was more that women did not know how to. From Yirrkala, there are reports that while both boys and girls as young children play with toy instruments, within a few years, girls stop playing the instrument in public.” Seems fair enough to me!
The didgeridoo is an interesting and culturally relevant instrument that can be used in many different types of music. With classes and workshops available, along with various methods of “teaching yourself to play”, perhaps you too can learn to play didgeridoo!
Not knowing a whole lot about the Australian group, Savage Garden, I decided to look up a little bit about them. After all, I have many happy memories of listening to Savage Garden songs in the past. “Affirmation” used to be one of my favorite songs – and the lyrics still bring a smile to my face. So many truths in just a few minutes of song…it boggles my mind! “Truly Madly Deeply” and “I Knew I Loved You” had me holding on to romantic ideals and kept me dreaming of finding “Mr. Right”. “Crash and Burn” made me feel better when I was feeling down. Each of these songs could make me smile, but there was one Savage Garden song I would listen to and sometimes feel sad… “Two Beds and a Coffee Machine”. This particular song made me feel lucky for my personal situation – my amazing family and great friends – but want to cry out for everyone who didn’t have it as good as I did growing up.
When I stumbled upon a biography of Savage Garden’s singer, Darren Hayes, I was shocked by what it had to say. From the biography, I have developed the unfortunate theory that “Two Beds and a Coffee Machine” is actually an account of his childhood. I looked and couldn’t find any concrete evidence to back up my theory…which is why I am calling it a theory and not stating it as a fact. However, the things I read in his biography match up too perfectly with the lyrics for it to be an accident.
In the biography, Paul Flynn tells of Hayes’ past. One line in particular caught my attention – “In the early 80s, on the run from his Father’s violence and alcoholism he was just 10 when his Mother took him and his siblings to live in a caravan to escape regular scenes of violence.”
Flynn also describes a revelation Hayes had in 2004, “My whole career as a big commercial pop artist was fed through self-hatred, basically. It was all about escapism in a fraudulent way. I became a pop star because I knew I had to become something extraordinary to escape”.
Already taken aback by what I had read, Paul Flynn then pointed out that, “If you trace a line through the work of both Savage Garden and Darren Hayes solo, there is a recurring theme of being unloved and unlovable.” Surely that can’t be true! Savage Garden songs always make me smile – they must be happy and romantic, right? Not subtly depressing! But sure enough, listening closely to the lyrics again made me realize that the undertones of insecurity and pain were definitely there. It seems, though, that in some cases, the person Hayes is “singing to” is the one who is lonely, pained, and needing love. In these songs, he offers up love, comfort, and security in his words. Perhaps some of the lyrics he sings are actually things he wishes people would say to him.
After reading up a little bit on Darren Hayes and comparing what I had read to lyrics from some of the songs, I feel it’s safe to say he communicates some of his past through his music. The lyrics of “Two Beds and a Coffee Machine” tell a sad story about domestic abuse.
Two Beds and a Coffee Machine
And she takes another step
Slowly she opens the door
Check that he is sleeping
Pick up all the broken glass
And furniture on the floor
Been up half the night screaming
Now it’s time to get away
Pack up the kids in the car
Another bruise to try and hide
Another alibi to write
Another ditch in the road You keep moving
Another stop sign
You keep moving on
And the years go by so fast
Wonder how I ever made it through
And there are children to think of
Baby’s asleep in the back seat
Wonder how they’ll ever make it
Through this living nightmare
But the mind is an amazing thing
Full of candy dreams and new toys
And another cheap hotel
Two beds and a coffee machine
But there are groceries to buy
And she knows she’ll have to go home
Another ditch in the road
You keep moving
Another stop sign
You keep moving on
And the years go by so fast
Wonder how I ever made it through
Another bruise to try and hide
Another alibi to write
Another lonely highway in the black of night
There’s hope in the darkness
You know you’re gonna make it
Another ditch in the road
You keep moving
Another stop sign
You keep moving on
And the years go by so fast
Silent fortress built to last
Wonder how I ever made it
Comparing the lyrics to the fact that Hayes’ mother left her violent and alcoholic husband with Darren and his siblings to escape “regular scenes of violence” shows what I believe is an obvious relationship. In this song, there is the clear notion of sadness that goes along with domestic abuse and a mother having to take her children and escape. However, one line – “there’s hope in the darkness” – shines through. After dealing with the effects of domestic abuse, suppressing homosexuality, and being ridiculed as a child, Darren Hayes has made it. No one can just forget about a terrible childhood, but Hayes found his way in the dark and made his way to the top.
As I pondered the idea of “Australian Music”, I began to wonder what sorts of topics I could discuss. Being an international student, many of my friends are also non-Australians, so was asking them for ideas really an option? I know a few Australian artists, but even the ones I know I wouldn’t know enough about to write anything on. So I began to wonder if I was alone – perhaps I’d be surprised and my friends would know a lot about various Australian artists. And if not, I could just ask an Australian friend…surely they’d know a lot about different Aussie artists…right?
To satisfy my curiosity, I set off on a quest to find out about awareness of Australian music – Australians vs. Internationals.
I knew I’d need to find a quick and easy way to measure their exposure to Australian music – after all, with the semester wrapping up and finals just around the corner no one would be thrilled about sitting down for three hours and taking a 400 question test. So, I kept it simple. I asked two questions:
1)List as many Australian bands / music artists as you can.
2)What do you think of when you think of “Australian Music”?
I asked five Australians and five others from around the globe (one each from Canada, USA, England, Wales, and Ireland).
The results, not surprisingly, proved that Australians do indeed know more Australian artists than non-Australians. The five Australians each listed 15 – 32 artists, given them an average of 23.4 listed artists per participant. The internationals, on the other hand, only listed 7 – 14 artists each, giving them an average response of 9.2 artists per participant.
After compiling the responses, I made some comparisons between the responses of each group. The Australians listed a total of 82 individual bands and artists, and the international group listed 33. Of the artists listed, 18 appeared on both lists. This left the Australians with 64 additional Aussie bands / artists that the internationals couldn’t think of. I suppose this was to be expected since I was asking questions about musicians from their home country. What surprised me, however, was that the non-Australian group was able to come up with 15 bands / artists that the Australians didn’t! This may not seem like a high number (especially compared to the 64 additional musicians the Aussie group came up with), but I found it interesting.
The following shows a breakdown of the responses I received:
Both Groups Listed:
AC/DC
Dannii Minogue
Delta Goodrem
Gyroscope
Hilltop Hoods
Karnivool
Keith Urban
Kylie Minogue
Natalie Imbruglia
Powderfinger
Rogue Traders
Savage Garden
Shannon Noll
Silverchair
Sneaky Sound System
The Beautiful Girls
The Veronicas
Thirsty Merc
Only Australians Listed:
Adam Brand
After the Fall
Airbourne
Alchemist
Alex Lloyd
Arcane
Astriaal
Augie March
Bee Cartright
Be’lakor
Bernard Fanning
Berzerker
Beyond Terror Beyond Grace
Birds of Tokyo
Black Majesty
Blood Duster
Butterfly Effect
Casey Chambers
Christine Anou
COG
Cold Chisel
Colin Bullock
David Helfcott
Dead Letter Circus
Demolition
Destroyer 666
Ebone
Embodied
Evermore
Faker
Frensel Rum
Gina Sefferies
Grinspoon
Hobbs Angel of Death
Human Nature
Jimmy Barnes
John Butler Trio
Kaiser Chiefs
Knightmare
Lee Kernaghan
Lior
Lord
Midnight Juggernauts
Midnight Oil
Muscles
One Dollar Short
Paul Kelly
Pete Murray
Psycroptic
Regurgitator
Scissor Sisters
Something for Kate
Something with Numbers
The Amenta
The Cat Empire
The Furor
The Gas Giants
The Herd
The Living End
The Presets
The Waiff
Tonker
UMI
Vanishing Point
Only Internationals Listed:
Allan Fletcher
Holly Valance
INXS
Jason Donovan
Jet
Kim Valentine
Kisschasy
Men at Work
Panu
Pendulum
Russell Crowe (1 girl insisted he had a brief music career)
Stephanie Macintosh
Stephen Fry
The Australian Pink Floyd
The Grates
I found the results intriguing – particularly the artists that only the non-Australians came up with. What is it about these 15 musicians that non-Australians would know them but people from their own country wouldn’t be able to come up with names? Perhaps a look at the responses I got for the second question could help…
When I asked what specifically people think of when they think of “Australian Music”, a few answers came to the surface. From the Australian group, a few people said rock music, while one said they perceived Australian music to be an eclectic range of music, diverse, and open to interpretation. He continued to say that some Australian songs even incorporate the Australian experience. The international group had a different range of answers to this question. This group seemed to think of the pop, techno, and alternative genres. One participant said she thought of “bad rap” music, while two others think of failed soap stars turning to music (specifically from “Neighbours”). Others said that the didgeridoo comes to mind when they think of Australian music.
It’s difficult to say what causes these differences in perspective on Australian music. Is it just that there isn’t the same level of exposure to Australian music across the globe? Or perhaps internationals know more Australian bands, but don’t realize that they ARE Australian (a few people were surprised to hear that AC/DC and Savage Garden were actually Australian bands)? And what of the musicians that only the internationals were able to name? It seemed like a few of those names were former “Neighbours” actors (listed by girls from England and Wales) – perhaps an indictor that the Australian soap opera is even bigger (or at least more obsessed over) in the UK than it is here in Australia?
The mystery may be unsolved, but the results remain intriguing…
Baz Palmer, former memebr of Australian rock band Hunter and Collectors, has put forward his version of how to write a hit Top 40 song:
“Your intro’s gotta be strong, your chorus has got to come in before one minute; by the third minute, you should be on the third repeat of the chorus, and around the 112 -minute mark you need to hit your middle eight”
The article “The Big Maybe” (The Age: 22/9/2005), is about Palmer’s views on making it big in the music world. He goes on to say:
“The promise is suggested by the industry at large, that you get the right song and the right look and it’s all there for the taking. I know that’s not the truth“.
Palmers vision was reflected in his short series tv program called “The Hit Game”, where four stories from inside Australia’s indie music scene were explored. It was emphasised during The Age article that Palmers “Game strategy has little to do with manufacturing product and everything to do with nurturing the organic stuff“, which was often contrasted with other programs such as Popstars and Idol.
A main point that Palmer seeks to promote is the difference between entertainment and the art of songwriting. He looks beyond the glitz and glamour that so many artists in the contmeporary wolrd are searching for, and pays more attention to the quality of the process and end product, which he sees as a sign of true talent.
Considering the rapid growth and popularity amongst youth and younger people, with the dense convergence of particular cultural groups, music festivals provide a fantastic marketing opportunity for companies aimed at these markets. A prime example of such marketing is the Virgin music festival, involving international and Australian musical acts coming together playing under huge TV screens with the ‘Virgin’ brand posters, Tents, and TV screens blotted throughout the arena’s.
I have recently been involved in the production of such an event and have seen that the building of a ‘sense of community’ creates a stronger association with the particular brand/ product marketed. As far as music is concerned, the ‘event’ staged involved performances from popular hip hop artists, whom the targeted audience all had an appreciation for. In combination of this musical festival/ event ‘new products’ were launched along with the production of a television commercial.
The growth of such events proves how powerful music culture is in terms of tapping into the tribalistic nature of people and bonding community. Whether you like it or not, you’ve gotta admit, its a clever way to promote (using music as a driving force).
Pic: Above the ‘Scion‘ music Event in the Nevada Desert
Continuing on from the theme discussed in my last post, of the struggles Australian artists have in establishing a name for themselves and the issue of money, there have been a number of programs set up to help out emerging artists.
The JB Seed project was established by John Butler and his partner Danielle, with the idea “to pull together the established and the emerging within the arts community to share resources and knowledge, subsequently creating a sense of community. This is achieved while maintaining the flexibility to operate in a responsive manner, to offer what artists in the establishment phase of their career require to assist them in becoming self sustained.” (John Butler)
Currently in its fourth year running, the project is supported by a number of fellow artists, including, Paul Kelly, Missy Higgns, The Waifs, Blue King Brown, as well as key music industry professionals. There are 4 categories that artists can apply to participate in:
Indigenous Recording: record a 5-track original EP, transport, accommodation & living expenses covered, artwork budget and manufacture of 1000 CDs
Professional & Skills Development: grants up to $3000, undertaking further study, residencies, mentoring relationships, seminars or conferences with recognised practitioner/s of excellence.
Social Activism through the Arts: grants up to $5000, projects or initiatives that serve to educate and/or create debate and awareness on current, socially relevant issues.
Management Workshop Initiative: 25 positions available, practical strategies for managing a band or performer in the establishment phase of their career.
“triple j Unearthed is all about fresh Australian music” (Triple J). Unearthed is a branch of Triple J (a radio & TV program that is all to do with music). Unearthed provides opportunities for mostly emerging and unknown artists to get their music heard. The Unearthed music charts run continually, with the artists position on the charts determined by what listeners and Triple J judges think.
Opportunities available include:
airplay on Triple J national radio
free promotion through being a feature artist
chance to perform at a number of leading Australian festivals including: Big Day Out, Homebake, One Night Stand, Falls Festival & Come Together Festival
Some artists who have benefited from unearthed include Missy Higgins, Grinspoon & Killing Heidi
My boyfriends band have also benefited from Triple J Unearthed by winning the chance to perform at Come Together Festival 2007 along side a number of national and international artists. Due to this they received airplay on the radio
The article begins by talking about the renewed interest in signing Australian artists due to the overseas success of bands such as The Vines & the Avalanches. While this may sound all good, it has turned out to be somewhat deceptive. Kirileigh Lynch, Triple J’s Assistant Music Director, states in the article:
“A million dollar deal looks good on paper but the reality is this thing called re-couping. That basically means when the record company gives you a million dollars, you’re welcome to live on that million dollars and use that million dollars to record your album but when the album starts selling you have to pay that advance back before you make a cent.”
It is this hidden cost of ‘pay-back’ that the public and even some artists are ignorant to. Solicitor John Kelly, of Kelly & Co in Adelaide specialises in media and entertainment law and represents Mushroom Records and several local music artists. In the ABC article he states,
“The advice I give to clients is that if you sign a record deal, it’s a good opportunity. It’s a great start but you have to work really hard and you have to be comfortable that you’ve got a good relationship with the party you’ve signed with and you believe in each other.”
This issue can be reflected by the experiences of Australian band Machine Gun Fellatio, who have calucalated their average hourly wage. Band member and manager Chit Chat says,“Some of us have been doing this for 15 years. It’s ridiculous that it’s taken this long. If you put it down to an hourly rate we’re making 4 cents an hour. In the last year and a half we’ve been able to make a decent living. We are in the top ten bands in Australia … it’s crazy that you’ve got to get to that level before you can support yourself.”
As was discussed in Cassidy’s post below, it is crucial for emerging artists to establish a local fan base and following before they start dreaming of the $$$$.
… the list could go on and on, yet changes in the hospitality industry as well as progression in the Australian music industry could see the end to our iconic rock music, or “pub rock”, hell it could seriously stunt the emergence of all new Australian music, live or otherwise! ABC story about Pub Rock
In 2000, Kerry O’Brien with the 7.30 Report (ABC) reported that poker machines were threatening access to live music (Pokies threaten live pub music – www.abc.net.au)because of the space being refurbished to accommodate the gambling machines. Also publicans, who used to earn their dollars by filling their venues with rock fans, found that they could scrap paying for the entertainment and invest in the machines.
Alcohol abuse and violence on our streets is forcing closure on many licences premises that are the backbone for emerging artists. Only recently Newcastle has been the subject of a 3am curfew that rules that all pubs and clubs in the CBD close their doors to the public at 1am and then turf out everyone left in the joint at 3am. This has seriously affected Newcastle musicians that use the weekend to pitch their tunes to the public and as a means to fund their passions, as well as the affordability of clubs to support unknown and new acts. Ducks Nuts Hotel used to provide late night entertainment (and in turn income for the performing artists) yet the loss of crowd numbers has led to an even earlier closure of the hotel. And one of the most popular live entertainment venues for original bands in Australia, (Cambridge Hotel MySpace) The Cambridge Hotel is also threatened by the curfew. In fact it appears at least three local premises will have to close due to this new curfew, which will definitely dint Newcastle live band music as did the closure of The Star Hotel in 1979. Link to info about Star Hotel riots 1979
The question of music for love or money also arises in the case of DJs. New computer programs and DJ equipment has introduced many novices into a world where timing, skill and taste was highly valued. As a result we have seen a decrease in the standard of tunes we hear in our local pubs and clubs as under-skilled and under-practiced DJs are taking advantage of the high level of pay offered to musical entertainers. (Sinnreich, 2007)
We can only wonder how new bands and artists will get their break especially if poker machines take up space, curfews cut down hours, and new computer programs provide sought after skills.
Watch the video below for a taste of the music that saw Australian pubs and clubs crowded and crazy on the weekends.
INXS – New Sensation
Sinnreich, A. A., Configurable culture: Mainstreaming the remix, remixing the mainstream, University of Southern California, 2007, 351 pages;
Well hello world! Welcome to the Hidden Track… my first blog, and thus my very first post! Oooooh! This is where us cool kids will address one of the perceived gaps in the mainstream music press coverage. Sounds pretty bland, but it gets better… We predominantly assess this “gap” through our observations, meaning we get to go see shows and bands etc without the guilty conscious that we are supposed to be doing uni work. Hip hip hooray!
Hidden Track 
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