The Brag

It wasn’t always in San Cisco’s plans to record a full-length album. The Fremantle foursome are a product of the digital generation, in which songs can be sold and shared, even written and recorded, on handheld devices. “Gone are the days when [bands] sell millions of actual hard copy records,” says the band’s guitar and synth man Josh Biondillo. “People have access to the singles on iTunes, and when they’re presented with, like, $2 for a single or $15 for an album, they usually just buy the single.”

Posted: November 26th, 2012 under Brag 490, Music, Music - Interview, New.
Tags: Blondie, Emma Louise, Hilltop Hoods, Homebake Festival, Husky, Island City Records/MGM, Jinja Safari, Kimbra, Last Dinosaurs, Pond, San Cisco, Tame Impala, The Saints, Underlights

Blondie were one of the defining bands of the new wave era. Their singer, the pneumatic Debbie Harry, was a style icon who continues to inspire today, and their songs, from ‘Heart Of Glass’ to ‘Sunday Girl’, ran the gamut from spiky rock riffs to smooth, synthetic disco. The band originated in New York, and in many people’s minds the music and the city are inextricably linked. When I put this to drummer Clem Burke, he agrees that New York has been of huge importance to his group. “The people of the city, the different cultures all assimilating – those are the things that make the city unique, and they make for a big pool of influences,” he says. “Whether it’s rap or disco or The Velvet Underground, all those things have come out of New York, and we’ve taken inspiration from all of them.”

Posted: November 16th, 2012 under Brag 488, Music, Music - Interview, New.
Tags: Alasdair Duncan, Blondie, Clem Burke, Emma Louise, Hilltop Hoods, Homebake, Kimbra, Pond, Sonicanimation, The Enmore Theatre, The Saints, Tim Minchin, Tim Rogers

Age doesn’t really matter anymore. Countless young bedroom producers and DJ upstarts have proved that the vitality of youth can bring something to music that even years of recording can’t match. But when it comes to live performance, there’s no hiding a lack of experience, a fledgling nervousness, that stunned mullet look that sweeps across the face of a newbie when suddenly confronted with a room full of punters. At 20 years old, Brisbane local Emma Louise is an exception to the rule. Before a packed Oxford Art Factory, she delivered a show as poised and polished as an artist twice her age, lending significance to the Gold status her debut four-track EP Full Hearts and Empty Rooms recently won.

Posted: July 31st, 2012 under Brag 473, Live Reviews, Music.
Tags: David Seidler, Emma Louise, Full Hearts And Empty Rooms, Oxford Art Factory

First-time success can be nothing short of addictive – and once you find a niche and tap into something unexpected and rewarding, it can be easy to get caught in the trap of sticking with what works. For Cairns-born songstress Emma Louise, resting on the quick yet warranted success of her first single ‘Jungle’ simply wasn’t enough; the challenge was on to prove that she’s no one-hit wonder.

Posted: July 17th, 2012 under Brag 471, Music, Music - Interview.
Tags: Argentina, Dads, Emma Louise, Full Hearts And Empty Rooms, Kayla Clibborn, Oxford Art Factory, Splendour In The Grass