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Max's Music Blog

Max Quinn

Well hello!

My name's Max and I like music. That's why I'm here and (presumably) that's why you're here too. 

With that in mind there are a few things you should know: I'm nineteen years old, I've been working in an independently owned record store (In Ballina, Lismore and Byron Bay in NSW) for five of those years and playing guitar for seven. I just purchased a Rickenbacker 620 from 1992 and it's the wisest investment I've ever made. 

I love pop music with all my heart. Working in the store, I listen to anything and everything, but singers who can turn a phrase and carve a really strong hook do it for me more than anything else. The great thing about pop music is that it's the perfect launching pad for anything else that you can name. 

I'm here to write about local music, and I have my thumb firmly stuck in the centre of any number of musical pies. I'll be heading out to gigs and trying to get ahold of some cool local bands for interviews for your general enjoyment.

Be sure to sign my petition and hit me up on facebook for a chat. I've just joined the twitter crowd as well: you can find (and follow) me as @Maxquinn. 

Cheers!

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'So What Have You Been Doing, Anyway?'

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Monday November 22nd 2010 / 0 comments

Good question, imaginary reader. Life as I know it has more or less returned to normal over the last few weeks. I'm back at the CD store pushing the new Good Charlotte record on unsuspecting customers and I've returned to my Monday afternoon gigs pushing electric guitars on unsupecting children whose parents pay top dollar for them to be there. With the exception of a pretty spectacular Friday night, I've been happy to just chew the meat of life and adjust to a world without rival blogs or bloggers, petition signatures, or (let's face it) the o Read the rest of this post

Birds Of Photyos

Posted by Max Quinn in Photos, Sunday November 21st 2010 / 0 comments

Howdy, partners. As promised, I'm going to use this space to share some of the wonderful photos from Friday Night's Birds of Tokyo gig in Ballina with you.  This first set come courtesy of my lovely friend and bandmate Simon Doe of notorious Queensland blogging team Fake Slug. You can view all of the photos over on Si's blog - for the minute, I've uploaded my favourites. This next set come courtesy of the fabulous Jane Munro of my alum, Southern Cross University. Read the rest of this post

It's Over!

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Saturday November 20th 2010 / 0 comments

WHAT a night! I'm going to be updating this blog with photographs as soon as I have them. Stay tuned. Firstly, some thankyous are (again) due: thanks to everybody for coming out and supporting in the adverse weather. Thanks to Adam and Lisa and Sophie and Lauren and everybody else at Peer Group for working tirelessly right through the gig to make sure that everything was running smoothly. (It did!). Thanks to Birds Of Tokyo for playing unfathomably good rock and roll and for being genuine and sincere and taking the time to take an interest in B Read the rest of this post

Birds Of Ballina: Tonight!

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Friday November 19th 2010 / 0 comments

Allow me to express my excitement for tonight's gig in exuberant song.  If the clip doesn't tip you off, I'm beyond excited. T minus three and a half hours until I'll be at the venue, and I'm positively brimming with anticipation and nerves and any number of other feelings that I don't have names for.  All I'll say is that it's going to be a great gig, and I can't wait. See you there, Ballina! Read the rest of this post

Just When You Thought I Was Finished!

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Thursday November 18th 2010 / 0 comments

BAM! KAPOW! KITTENS! Welcome back! With less than twenty four hours until Birds Of Tokyo take the stage in Ballina, Optus have re-opened the website to the competition's three finalists. Congrats to Jeremy and Jake (and to Leeton and Bendigo) for securing themselves a free gig in the upcoming weeks. Ballina and I get to be the inaugural Soundscribe guinea pigs, and we're more than ready for the challenge.  Now! On to the important stuff.  IF YOU HAVE WON TICKETS ALREADY ...  You should have been notified by now. Check y Read the rest of this post

Integrity

Posted by Max Quinn in Discovery, Monday November 1st 2010 / 0 comments

Optus have opened the polls for another twenty four hours, which gives you all one last chance to vote and to comment, and me one last chance to speak about something important. Today we're talking about integrity.  I was watching my petition signatures column rise until well after midnight last night, and I was overcome with gratitude for the twelve or so thousand people who had signed my petition up until about eight thirty. With a couple of hours to go, I watched as that figure more than tripled, literally at the eleventh hour. Part of Read the rest of this post

The Last Last One

Posted by Max Quinn in Discovery, Sunday October 31st 2010 / 0 comments

So. Here we are. Three months and nearly 100 blogs later, and I'm officially out of words.  Well, almost. In the movies, almost everyone gets a chance to say goodbye. Consider this last blog post as a eulogy before the fact: we're offline in three and a half hours, and I'm going to take the opportunity to say some thankyous while I can.  To Ballina. Thanks for your support. We're only 20, 000 strong, and we're competing against regional towns with populations in excess of 90 000. The support you've shown right throughout the comp Read the rest of this post

Max's Music Blog: By The Numbers

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Sunday October 31st 2010 / 0 comments

I thought it might be a bit of fun to do a by-the-numbers summary of my blogging experience as a part of this competition. Once again, you'll have to wait until a little later this evening for my final farewell, and settle for a bunch of digits to tide you over until after dinner. Here's your all-inclusive guide to everything we've discussed in the past three months, all in one convenient location. We'll start with the obvious stuff and go a little deeper as the list continues. MAX'S MUSIC BLOG: BY THE NUMBERS Petition Signatures To Date: 11, 9 Read the rest of this post

2010's Top Ten!

Posted by Max Quinn in Reviews, Sunday October 31st 2010 / 0 comments

And the final day is here! We've made it. I'll save all valedictiorian speeches until later this evening - right now, I've got a case to make! I figured that it might be fun to end the competition with my very own top ten: gun to my head, these are the ten best songs to have been released this year, and this is the order I'd place them in. Some won't supririse you very much if you've been reading since the get-go, but you never do know when a smash song by Devo will rear its head (spoilers: It won't in this list!). Mystery! Intrigue! List! 10. Read the rest of this post

Returning Some Favours!

Posted by Max Quinn in Discovery, Sunday October 31st 2010 / 0 comments

A quick shout out to my new friends in Sydney punk quartet Kids Of Yesterday, who I'm told have been doing their bit to promote my blog further south! I'm a big believer in supporting people who show you support, so in return, I'm going to take some time to advertise them a little bit here. Those, ladies and gentlemen, are two wildly impressive hairdos. Far be it from me to tell you to judge a book by it's luscious, shampooed cover, but if this looks like your thing, it's a safe bet that it probably is. It's melodic, riff-driven punk rock Read the rest of this post

New Releases: Weekend of 29/10/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Reviews, Sunday October 31st 2010 / 0 comments

Talk about your huge surprises! To all of Ballina and to all of the followers of my blog (hey, Bowling For Soup Nation!), your support has been overwhelming in the past 24 hours. The job's not done yet, and before ANYBODY gets ahead of themselves ... we've got a couple of fantastic new release CD's on our hands this weekend. You know the drill! Taylor Swift: Speak Now I'll put my (limited) manliness on the line here and go on record in saying that I LOVED T-Swizzle's last effort. To be blunt, Fearless was as close to flawless as Read the rest of this post

Optus Sound Scribe: The Theme Song

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Friday October 29th 2010 / 0 comments

I'm of the opinion that all of the best things in life should have a theme song. It's something I feel like this competition has been missing for a good while, and over the last couple of weeks I've taken the liberty of trying to correct this gross injustice.  I had a fair few false starts, mostly because I'm compulsive about narrative: I love to tell stories, and I was struggling for a long while about which direction I wanted to take the song in. I had my break yesterday morning when after months of trying, I finally lobbied local paper Read the rest of this post

Artist Interview: Jaret Reddick of Bowling For Soup

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Friday October 29th 2010 / 0 comments

Next in line in my series of interviews with some of my favourite musicians is Jaret Reddick, Singer and Songwriter of US Pop / Punk heroes Bowling For Soup. BFS are probably best known for their string of hit singles circa 2002-2006 ('Girl All The Bad Guys Want', '1985', 'High School Never Ends'), and have produced some of my favourite albums this decade. 2004's A Hangover You Don't Deserve is my undeniable favourite: it sees the band firing on all cylinders and they don't come close to delivering a poor performance.  After some trou Read the rest of this post

Artist Interview: Rhett Miller of Old 97's

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Thursday October 28th 2010 / 0 comments

In early August, I was beyond happy to find that there had been an October release date set for the new Old 97's album The Grand Theatre Volume One. They've been one of my favourite bands for a very long time (like a lot of people I know, I found their song 'Question' on the soundtrack to the second series of Scrubs), and I knew that if the new record was even half as good as 2008's Blame It On Gravity, I'd be in for a treat.  The weeks passed, various other new releases tricked in and out of relevance, the anticipation mounted, and Read the rest of this post

Cassettes In The Mailbox

Posted by Max Quinn in Reviews, Wednesday October 27th 2010 / 0 comments

You might remember me writing a couple of months ago about a blog maintained by Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem on the ubiquitous blogspot server. As we've learned, it's a fantastic blog, but it's also interesting to note its fantastic title. Cassettes In The Mailbox. It's kind of sweet and romantic and carries all of these connotations of the new and unexpected. The physical act of receiving music via domestic post is an idea that I'm absolutely enamoured with, and I'd like to steer today's discussion in that direction. I love the independ Read the rest of this post

The Best Bit

Posted by Max Quinn in Discovery, Tuesday October 26th 2010 / 0 comments

I had a full day of music today. I spent five hours in the CD Store in Byron Bay pushing new records onto unsuspecting customers, I spent half an hour chewing the fat in at Byron Music (I maintain that Byron Music is THE premier music store from Coffs Harbour in the south to Brisbane in the north), I came home for a guitar lesson of my own, and then I spent the wee hours of the afternoon rehearsing some new material with my covers band.  After all of that was over, it would be a fair assumption to make that I'd have been musically spent fo Read the rest of this post

Birds Of Tokyo Support: Nominee #4 - THE KAMIKAZI THUNDERKATS

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Monday October 25th 2010 / 0 comments

The Kamikazi Thunderkats Band Bio: "Coming together for the sheer love of Ska-Rock music (and the common desperation to play anything), The Kamikazi Thunderkats started playing together in 2007 while still in high school. The experiment was simple: grab four relatively untrained musicians, one enthusiastic but horrendously untrained vocalist and throw in a heaped spoonful of naivety, and see what happens. The result was a success, and through several line-up changes they have since enjoyed a prosperous few years playing many venues (both good Read the rest of this post

Birds Of Tokyo Support: Nominee #3 - THE JAYWALKS!!

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Monday October 25th 2010 / 0 comments

The Jaywalks Band Bio: "The Jaywalks, made up of Alex L'Estrange, Nick Broomham, Rob Raguse and Eddie L'Estrange, in their short history have already achieved some amazing and in some regards, absurd feats. Their careers were kicked off in mid 2004 when they won the band section for the Accelerator competition. This entitled the boys to get a song recorded professionally. I Like Fat Chicks was chosen and appeared on the Accelerator 2004 compilation CD. In the midst of all this excitement, a complication arose. "This song is politically incorre Read the rest of this post

Birds Of Tokyo Support: Nominee #2 - GLASS TOWERS!

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Monday October 25th 2010 / 0 comments

Glass Towers Band Bio: "Despite an average age of only 18, Alstonville/Byron Bay four piece Glass Towers have gone from strength to strength since their formation in early 2008. Sharing the stage with bands such as Tame Impala, Bluejuice, The Holidays and Cloud Control as well as a spot on the Splendour In The Grass 2009 bill opening the mainstage (Bloc Party, Flaming Lips, MGMT, Friendly Fires), 2010 saw Glass Towers chosen as a finalist in Triple J's Unearthed High Competition. Through the rest of 2010, the band has recorded their yet to be Read the rest of this post

Birds Of Tokyo Support: And The Nominees Are ...

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Monday October 25th 2010 / 0 comments

 Over the past week I've been collating the resumes of a bunch of local bands from around the local area in order to determine my nominees for the Birds Of Tokyo support slot IF the band are to come to Ballina over the coming weeks. I've settled on four nominees, each of whom I feel are worthy of the support and would do an outstanding job. Here, I'll outline who each of the nominees are, tell you a little bit about them, and then justify why they're deserving of the support. Let's get going with my first nominee! Jamhog Band Bio: "Jamhog Read the rest of this post

2011 Woodford Folk Festival Lineup Announcement!

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Sunday October 24th 2010 / 0 comments

About this time last year, I remember waiting up until the wee hours of the morning for the 2010 Woodford Folk Festival lineup announcement. Yes, it was a Saturday night, and yes, I'm aware of the underlying social implications: suffice to say, if you're committed enough to wait inside on a Saturday night for a festival announcement, you'd damn well better attend.  I ended up at the festival celebrating the new year in a drunken, muddy panache, and I can honestly say that in spite of the five hour drive to the festival and the limited camp Read the rest of this post

New Releases: Weekend Of 22/9/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Reviews, Saturday October 23rd 2010 / 0 comments

I was expecting a Taylor Swift bonanza this weekend, but it looks like the music gods have pushed Speak Now back by a week (again) to align with the U.S. release date. Once again, the Australian music market loses out by two days to the predominant US distribution conglomerates. I'm not going to beat the dead horse into submission: click the hyperlink above for my take on the issue Nonetheless, we press on. If last week was a quiet one on the release front, this weekend has been mute. I've had my ears to the ground, though, and I've come up wit Read the rest of this post

North Coast National Band Competition FINAL: 21/10/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Friday October 22nd 2010 / 0 comments

I'm going to direct your attention to my last blog for just a minute. It's required reading for your understanding of this one. If you haven't read it yet, do your homework and report back post haste. We'll be waiting. Last night was the final of the North Coast National Band Competition, held at the Lismore Showgrounds as a part of the North Coast National Lismore Show. It was a curious gig by all standards, and there was a less-than-spectacular crowd in attendance. There was just no promotion for the event to be found anywhere Read the rest of this post

What's a Jam Hog?

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Friday October 22nd 2010 / 0 comments

You should note that this blog serves as a precursor to my recap of the final of the North Coast National Band Competition held in Lismore last night. You'll need to read this one first to 'get' the reference I'm going to include in the forthcoming blog. A few weeks ago, I bumped into Callan Brunsdon, vocalist for local ska sextet The Kamikazi Thunderkats. It was a couple of days after the finals of Mary Gilhooley's 'Mother Of All Band Competitions' in Lismore, and the Thunderkats failed to place in the contest after coming second in the entire Read the rest of this post

Artist Interview: Ben 'Tokyo' Whiting of Brittle

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Thursday October 21st 2010 / 0 comments

Melbourne rockers Brittle are one of Ballina's proudest musical exports. Formed in Ballina more than a decade ago and based here for the majority of that time, the quartet have been making music (and headlines) together for as long as I've been listening to music seriously. Their edge rock sound has been hailed by critics from all over and the band have finally begun to break through the marker in the big city, working with legendary producer Mark Opitz (INXS, AC/DC, Cold Chisel, KISS) on their most recent EP The Owls.  I've known the Read the rest of this post

Jens Hannemann: Complicated Drumming Technique

Posted by Max Quinn in Video, Thursday October 21st 2010 / 0 comments

If you caught the video at the tail end of my most recent blog, you'll know that Jens Hannemann is the single greatest drum tutor you'll ever want or need. I stumbled across his 'Complicated Drumming Technique' series a couple of months ago and shelved it in my memory bank for future use. Ladies and Gentlemen, the future is now! If you haven't caught on, the series is a complete spoof on the Tutorial DVD format. Saturday Night Live comic Fred Armisen plays Jens Hannemann, the misinformed, bumbling drum tragic who walks you through all sort Read the rest of this post

Interview: Nicole Fossati, Editor In Cheif of The Music Network Magazine and Optus Sound Scribe Ambassador!!

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Thursday October 21st 2010 / 0 comments

Take heed, fellow scribes: make yourselves familiar with Nicole Fossati. The name should be familiar enough: she's a former Triple J Drive Time host, a renowned Australian music Journo, and at the moment, she's the Editor In Cheif of The Music Network magazine. If you haven't connected the dots, this means that she's kind of potentially your boss over the summer. For the minute, don't sweat it too much. I can imagine you'll be doing plenty of sweating come January 2, 2011. Truth be told, Nicole Fossati is really lovely, and I'm really Read the rest of this post

Jam Night Etiquette

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Thursday October 21st 2010 / 0 comments

I was privy to yet another wonderful Jam Night last night at the Hotel Henry Rous in Ballina. The beauty of moving the Jam Night to a new venue, as organiser Isaac Frankham has done over the past month, is that you really do get the best of both worlds: all of the Jam Night regulars you get to plug in and play with every week, as well as a bunch of newcomers with their own ideas and repertoires.  Clearly, this can have its ups and downs. There's definitely nothing wrong with changing the status quo, and sometimes the most fun is to be had Read the rest of this post

Brat Pack DJ's: Great Northern Hotel, Saturday 16/10/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Wednesday October 20th 2010 / 0 comments

I did something a little bit out of character on Saturday night. I went to see a series of performers who didn't make use of electric guitars, real-life drum kits or, for that matter, live vocalists in any way shape or form. Instead of spending my Saturday watching a band (and doing my best to avoid second-hand lung cancer) at a local pub I went to see a bunch of DJ's known as The Brat Pack at a nightclub with my girlfriend.  Of course, The Great Northern Hotel isn't a nightclub in the traditional sense. If you've been readi Read the rest of this post

YOUR BAND Could Support Birds Of Tokyo!

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Tuesday October 19th 2010 / 0 comments

For the next week or so, I'm going to be on the hunt for the best Ballina bands to support Birds Of Tokyo in the event that I place in the competition and secure the free gig. If you think your band has what it takes, you need to get in contact with me! I'll be needing the following: Band Bio. A selection of demos. Bribe. A link to your myspace/triplej page. (I'm kidding about the bribe). You'll also need to have it to me by no later than Monday, October 25.   More or less, the way it will work is that you will send Read the rest of this post

Artist Interview: Christian Jacobs (MC Bat Commander) of The Aqubats!

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Monday October 18th 2010 / 0 comments

When the news broke that US Ska/Punk heroes Reel Big Fish and The Aquabats would be touring Australia in December, I went to work trying to secure an interview with Christian Jacobs, The Master of Ceremonies Bat Commander and The Aquabats' lead singer. I spent a while in talks with the band's manager, Nate Rogers, and was finally able to confirm an interview for late October, just after tickets have gone on sale. For those of you who don't know, The Aquabats are perhaps the world's foremost crime-fighting hi-fiving Ska quintet. They've been ho Read the rest of this post

Local Loose Ends!

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Sunday October 17th 2010 / 0 comments

I'm going to tie up some local loose ends in one fell swoop. For the sake of the actual information, brevity is the aim of the game tonight. Lucky for you, this means I'm going to be keeping my opinions to a minimum unless we wander into particularly juicy territory.  Let's start with last Saturday, and the North Coast National Battle Of The Bands preliminary heat. As I've confirmed in a previous entry, National Campus Band Competition  winners (and all-around naked guys) The Kamikazi Thunderkats will be performing alongside Mary Read the rest of this post

New Releases Recap: Weekend of 15/10/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Reviews, Saturday October 16th 2010 / 0 comments

With one really obvious exception, this week was the dictionary definition of a quiet week for new release CDs. As a matter of fact, if you looked up 'quiet week for new release CDs' in the dictionary, you'd see a picture of me shrugging and smiling kind of awkwardly, holding the new Marcia Hines record in one hand and gesturing that you'd make better use of your time reading up on 'Quid Pro Quo' (just above) or 'Quisling' (about half way down the page) with the other hand.  Kings Of Leon: 'Come Around Sundown'. The Stevens record is pret Read the rest of this post

Ball Park Music: New Single!

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Friday October 15th 2010 / 0 comments

At the start of this competition, I was really happy that I got that chance to play host to my friend Sam Cromack of Ball Park Music as the first major interview I conducted for the benefit of y'all out there on the interweb. At the moment, the band are on a national tour in support of the equally wonderful Hungry Kids of Hungary, who have just released their own stellar record. As I mentioned in the interview all of those months ago, Sam is a native to the Ballina Shire and an exemplar of the talent in the local area. For this reason, (well .. Read the rest of this post

Birds Of Tokyo: In Review

Posted by Max Quinn in Reviews, Thursday October 14th 2010 / 0 comments

Part of our scribe challenge for this week is to post a review of the new Birds Of Tokyo album as a part of our promotion for the massive gig up for grabs at the end of the competition.  Walking around Ballina over the past few days in a bid to capture my community and promote the competition, it seemed as if everybody who had heard of the band wanted to know the answer to one question in particular: "Would they play Plans??" Of course, I can't guarantee anything, but I think it's a fairly safe bet that the wildly successful second single Read the rest of this post

Chronologising My Community!

Posted by Max Quinn in Photos, Wednesday October 13th 2010 / 0 comments

 Here's the full list of community members I've captured over the past few weeks. I've drawn up a tentative points total at the end of the sheet as well. Bare in mind that nothing is certain until the folks at Optus have themselves a gander. Firstly, I'm exhausted. But this has been an unequivocal amount of fun. Kudos to the other scribes who have been capturing their communities over the past couple of weeks. It's been no mean feat. I'm really proud of myself for doing my best, and that's all I can ask for. I'll begin with the community m Read the rest of this post

Capturing My Community: Dusty Gems and Raw Nuggets

Posted by Max Quinn in Photos, Wednesday October 13th 2010 / 0 comments

I'll now post all of the photos I've taken with community members who weren't on the original list sent to the scribes by the Optus Sound Scribe crew, but who were kind enough to participate in the program anyway.  I've called it Dusty Gems and Raw Nuggets because it's the name of a B-Sides and rarities compilation by Weezer that was packaged in with the Deluxe edition of The Blue Album, which I featured in a blog a couple of weeks ago. I think it's fitting that the forty-odd community members I've captured here are the Dusty Gems and Raw Read the rest of this post

Capturing My Community: Day Five - Finishing The List

Posted by Max Quinn in Photos, Wednesday October 13th 2010 / 0 comments

I so nearly managed to cross every single required community member off of my CYC checklist today. In the end, I crossed thirty-three of the required thirty-five off of my list, and I also captured a bunch of others from the local community for the 'Dusty Gems and Raw Nuggets' section I mentioned yesterday. I'm not upset with 33/35 captures. Back in high school, this would have been a near-miracle mark to reach. I really did my best, but I couldn't track down a milkman, and I don't blame ANYBODY for not wanting to busk in the kind of rain we're Read the rest of this post

Capturing My Community: Day Four!

Posted by Max Quinn in Photos, Tuesday October 12th 2010 / 0 comments

Hey everybody! A quick recap on the Optus Sound Scribe 'Capture Your Community' initiative so far: I've nearly finished the list provided to all forty scribes by the Optus crew, I'm hunting a further six individuals for my CYC collection. On top of these, I've collated a number of other photos of people who weren't on this list provided by Optus, and I'll post these after I've finished with my list (working title: 'Dusty Gems and Raw Nuggets'). I feel a bit like a real life Earl Hickey, or Dave Gorman for that matter. If you've never seen 'The Read the rest of this post

Capturing My Community: Day Three!

Posted by Max Quinn in Photos, Monday October 11th 2010 / 0 comments

I hit the beat in Ballina today en route to several new photos for my 'Capture Your Community' profile. I successfully crossed a further eleven targets off of my OSS list, and doubled up on a couple from prior postings to boost my total. But the action really began last night. Yesterday, I called Callan Brunsdon (second from left), vocalist for local Ska / Punk sextet The Kamikazi Thunderkats to see if I could tee up a photo for my collection of local artists. As it turns out, Thunderkats bass player Nick Fitzpatrick (far right) was turning twe Read the rest of this post

Capturing My Community: Day Two!

Posted by Max Quinn in Photos, Sunday October 10th 2010 / 0 comments

I woke up early this morning to get a head start on my bid to Capture My Community, as a part of the OSS Crew's most recent initiative. I was lucky enough to find ten community members across ten different categories today, lowering my required total from 32 to 24 community members. I'm on pace to complete the list by Wednesday evening, and, weather prevailing, I'm still confident I can complete the task. Speaking of weather; Ballina turned in a hideous display today. It's been raining since about midnight last night, and there are no signs of Read the rest of this post

SHINE Trio: Live At The Point Hotel, 10/10/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Sunday October 10th 2010 / 0 comments

I got out to see local band The SHINE Trio this afternoon at the Point Hotel in Ballina's main street. It was an indoor gig and it's raining cats and dogs, but that didn't dampen the spirits of the small crowd who had gathered for a quiet afternoon of wonderful musicianship. The trio are all accomplished musicians from around the area, led by local guru Sam Shine, the Guitar lecturer from Southern Cross University in Lismore. Sam's innovative use of a looping pedal supplemented the band's lack of a bottom end (they didn't have a bass player), Read the rest of this post

... And Here's One I Prepared Earlier!

Posted by Max Quinn in Photos, Sunday October 10th 2010 / 0 comments

If you followed my last blog, you'll know that Optus' Scribe Challenge -to 'Capture Your Community' - is now on for young and old. I gave myself a little bit of a head start today, crossing three out of thirty five community members off of my list. That means that for the next four days, I'm going to have to average eight community members per day if I'm to complete the list. To begin with, I touched base at the record store. I was able to speak to the Store Manager at All Music and Vision, Kim Zourkas, as well as the owner, Jacqueline Elder. H Read the rest of this post

Capturing My Community!

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Saturday October 9th 2010 / 0 comments

I'm Free! Ladies and Gentlemen, my tertiary studies have wrapped for 2010, which means I'll be dedicating the next three weeks of my life to poring over this blog, completing tasks, writing reviews, and accepting challenges from all comers.  First on my list: The Optus Sound Scribe 'Capture Your Community' Initiative. It's a great little initiative, and I'm going to get into gear over the next few days. I've been lucky enough to have been provided with enough time, thereabouts, to complete the task at hand. I'm aware that some of the othe Read the rest of this post

Back to Business! New Releases: Weekend of 8/10/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Reviews, Friday October 8th 2010 / 0 comments

Birds of Tokyo hysteria is in full swing, and I'm banking on Ballina and beyond to continue their immense support for my blog. It's flattering, and it would be easy to get caught in the moment. But for me, it's back to business. Literally. I've had myself a listen to some of the finest this weekend's pile of new releases has to offer. It might be because my expectations for this weekend were perilously low, but I've come out pleasantly surprised. I'm not a boy from the country, and to be blunt, I really don't like the down-home hillbilly direct Read the rest of this post

Birds Of Ballina!

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Thursday October 7th 2010 / 0 comments

This Just In! I've just received word of a major announcement from the kind folks at Soundscribe HQ (It's kind of like the Bat Cave, but I don't think I could pull off a legitimate Bruce Wayne)!  Ladies and Gentlemen, we now know what we're playing for, and it's a marvelous prize indeed! I'm pleased to announce that the three scribes with the highest number of votes when the competition closes will be visited by Birds Of Tokyo for a FREE GIG in their home town. Needless to say, this announcement is above and beyond the point of exciting. Read the rest of this post

Festival Fever!

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Wednesday October 6th 2010 / 0 comments

I will not be among the scores of New South Welshman pinching themselves to stay awake until 1:00AM this morning in pursuit of Gold Coast Big Day Out tickets. It's because I don't want another excuse to lose my shirt and show off my pasty white chest and shoulders. That's reserved for special occasions.  It might be the prolific hibernator in me speaking, but I can't understand why the tickets are going on sale at such an ungodly hour to begin with. I understand the trade-off. The punters are sacrificing two or three hours of sleep fo Read the rest of this post

'I Was Saying Boo-Urns': The Hans Moleman Law of Averages

Posted by Max Quinn in Discovery, Tuesday October 5th 2010 / 0 comments

Science class, today, gang.  Please, take your seats and sharpen your pencils. Prerequisite viewing is the video attached to the bottom of today's blog, so scroll on down if you weren't clued in by the title. Hans Moleman is unquestionably my favourite SImpsons character. That's a big call to make, but I'll stick with my choice over all of the Reinier Wolfcastles, Mr. Bergstroms and Hank Scorpios you can find. I just think he's the most unlikely hero you'll ever come across. I'm yet to meet a human being who doesn't think he's hilarious. Read the rest of this post

Rest In Peace: Alex Chilton of Big Star

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Monday October 4th 2010 / 0 comments

Today, I found out that Alex Chilton, singer and songwriter for focal 70's rock band Big Star had passed away. He died at sixty years old in March this year.  Fair call, observant reader. I'm about seven months late to the party and it's not exactly breaking news. So what? We live in a world of 'where were you when?'. In this day and age, when news breaks, there's an instant scope for it to reach into the lounge rooms of audiences around the world within seconds of the event occurring. Everybody remembers where they were when Michael Jack Read the rest of this post

Download This Song: An Open Letter To Tony Harlow, Managing Director, Warner Music Australia.

Posted by Max Quinn in Gossip, Sunday October 3rd 2010 / 0 comments

Dear sir, It has come to my attention that the Ben Folds and Nick Hornby collaboration Lonely Avenue has had its release pushed back by one week, from September 24, 2010 (last Friday) to October 1, 2010 (Friday coming). A nominally small delay, certainly, but a significant one nonetheless.  Before I continue, I should address my bias: I'm a big Ben Folds fan. I was quite looking forward to enjoying repeated spins of Lonely Avenue at work today. I work in a small, independently owned record store in Ballina, NSW. With this Read the rest of this post

New Releases Recap: Weekend of 1/10/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Reviews, Sunday October 3rd 2010 / 0 comments

I don't really have much of a witty sports analogy to begin today's blog. Mostly, that's because I don't do witty sports analogies, period, but it's also because whilst the rest of my family are more than a little bit miffed about a couple of dubious refereeing decisions, I'm a little bit miffed about what happened to Lior. The Israeli-come-Australian's debut LP, Autumn Flow, was stellar. ARIA Award winning, ever-present single with lots of radio airplay, big tour, bigger expectations. I won't disguise the way I feel about Corner of An Endless Read the rest of this post

Artist Interview: Local DJ Ryan Rushton

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Saturday October 2nd 2010 / 0 comments

I'll confess to being more than a little of a novice when it comes to contemporary dance music. Nightclubs are just not my scene; I much prefer the pub aesthetic, regardless of the absurd amount of second-hand smoke I'm resigned to inhale over the course of my adult life. With that said, I'm far from disinterested in dance music. In fact, I'm the complete opposite. Club music has really taken off from a commercial standpoint in the 00's, and something that has become so culturally ingrained into my generation has to have something good to say f Read the rest of this post

Review: Boy and Bear at the Great Northern Hotel, 30/9/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Friday October 1st 2010 / 0 comments

Earlier last month, when the kind folks at Soundscribe HQ offered me free tickets to one gig in the local area, I felt a little bit spoiled for choice. Byron Bay's Hotel Great Northern is a real hotspot for Australian touring artists, and I've been to see a lot of wonderful live music in the Northern's Back Room. After careful consideration, I decided upon Sydney Folk 5-Piece Boy and Bear on September 30, 2009.  Far be it from me to pat myself on the back, but it was a wonderful decision. I took my dad along as my +1 for the evening, and Read the rest of this post

Deluxe Editions

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Thursday September 30th 2010 / 0 comments

Unless I'm purchasing an album made by one of my favourite artists, I think that the concept of a 'Deluxe Edition', especially in the modern sense, is a complete waste of time.  Typically, the consumers of deluxe edition pressings receive a second disc of content at a nominal charge. Simple enough. Usually, the bonus features are pretty crappy. A remix of the single, the music video, and a cover song will just about cover your extra two or three bucks. Personally, I just don't see the point. From a sales perspective, as hard as we push del Read the rest of this post

Jam Night!

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Wednesday September 29th 2010 / 0 comments

It feels brilliant to be back at Jam Night. This evening, patrons at the Hotel Henry Rous experienced Jam Night as it's meant to be. It was fun, it was inclusive and for an inaugural evening, there was a remarkable turnout. I've got a couple of photos and I'll be trying to make them work tomorrow, so stay tuned. I'm gushing. Wednesday is officially the best night of the working week. If I could only find a way to tape Spicks and Specks for later viewing, I'd be comprehensively set.  It's the best that local musicians have to offer as far Read the rest of this post

Look! It's Another Blog About The Big Day Out!

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Tuesday September 28th 2010 / 0 comments

 Like everybody else, I waited on the Big Day Out lineup release last night. Unlike everybody else, I passed out in bed at about 10:30. The good news is that as of today, I don't have to think much about English Lit. for the final year of my degree.  The bad news is that I was soured a little by the Big Day Out lineup. To be honest, it made me feel a little bit like this: I'll come clean: I usually feel like this around this time every year. The Big Day Out has never been my kind of festival. I've only ever been once, and I didn't r Read the rest of this post

Jam Night Is Dead: Long Live Jam Night!

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Monday September 27th 2010 / 0 comments

For the past eighteen months, there's seldom been a Thursday night where I couldn't be found at Jam Night at the Lennox Point Hotel. During the first couple of weeks of the competition, I posted a blog about it.  Six weeks later, and I'm ashamed to admit I haven't returned. It's not due to laziness: The North Coast has seen the influx of band competitions over a few consecutive Thursdays come and go, and I've also managed to attend a couple of other great live gigs on Thursday evenings since that fateful day last August.  Little did I Read the rest of this post

This Weekend in Music: New Releases 24/9/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Reviews, Sunday September 26th 2010 / 0 comments

Salutations, comrades.  At present, I'm knee deep in my second-to-last assignment for my University degree this year. Two thousand words, comparative study, postmodernism in English Lit. Due date: 00:00 tomorrow evening. Ready, set, Go! As much as I love my degree, it's not a fun time to be a student of the Arts.  It's more fun to listen to music, and I've managed to do that all weekend in the CD store. I found something to get worked up about yesterday, so I'm going to temper my resounding disappointment with what was supposed to be Read the rest of this post

My Interview With Chris Collingwood Featured on SPIN.COM!!

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Friday September 24th 2010 / 0 comments

A little bit of cross-pollination for you thisevening courtesy of my good friend the internet. It's come to my attention that the interview I conducted with Chris Collingwood from Fountains of Wayne a few weeks back has made its way onto the spin.com website. Don't ask me how, or about the legalities of it, because I really don't know in either case. As it stands, it's a pretty cool feather in my cap. For those of you who aren't avid SPIN readers, they're a major, US-based music magazine (and website) dedicated to providing their readership wi Read the rest of this post

North Coast National Battle Of The Bands: UPDATE!!

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Thursday September 23rd 2010 / 0 comments

About a week ago I promised details on the 2010 North Coast National Battle of the bands. I am about to deliver in no small way.  Firstly, I'm stupidly curious as to why the competition has not been more publicised. We've had two teeny tiny articles run in two local publications by my count. If you do a google search, you'll note that this blog is listed as the second to top search result. That's absolutely bizarre. The Northern Rivers is an area with incredible musical talent, and there's finally a showcase for some of our finest l Read the rest of this post

A Little Something To Look Forward To

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Wednesday September 22nd 2010 / 0 comments

It seems like every year, a bunch of folks from record companies the world over get together at a convention, sink a few beers and put a big fat circle around one of fifty-two fridays in the calendar year, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey style. On that weekend, we, the listener, are absolutely spoiled for choice: some of the best and brightest, all coming out with new records all on the same day.  This weekend, the kind, drunk record execs have really stepped up to the mark and delivered with aplomb.  There really is something for everybod Read the rest of this post

The GFC And Your CD's

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Tuesday September 21st 2010 / 0 comments

GFC. Three letters that strike terror into the hearts of investment bankers and small business owners the world over. Over the last eighteen months, it's become somewhat of an all-inclusive excuse for any pseudo-plausible problem Kevin Rudd could shake a saucebottle at. Fairly, mind you. Are you picking up what I'm putting down?  "I lost my life savings because of the GFC". "My car broke because of the GFC". "There was a Global Financial Crisis because of the GFC". "I'm dyslexic because of the CGF".  "Yeah! I love the Geelong Footbal Read the rest of this post

Artist Interview: Eef Barzelay of Clem Snide

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Monday September 20th 2010 / 0 comments

It's been a bit of a bumper week for me. I've spoken to Chris Collingwood from Fountains of Wayne, I've confirmed an interview with Jaret Reddick of Bowling For Soup and today, I'm proud to present my interview with Eef Barzelay, singer and songwriter for the US Alt-Country Indie Rock trio Clem Snide.  Eef is another of my favourite modern day laureates, known as much for his clever wordplay as he is for his considerably distinctive voice. Click this button to see what I mean. The band found some fame on the back of single 'Moment in the Read the rest of this post

One Step Closer at the Lennox Point Hotel: 18/9/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Sunday September 19th 2010 / 0 comments

I got out to see local five-piece One Step Closer at the Lennox Point Hotel for a couple of hours last night. The pub was chock-a-block full with patrons, and the atmosphere was buoyed by a couple of big wins at local sporting finals during the day (I'll be shot if I make a mention of sporting finals and don't finish this sentence with something like 'Up The Bar!' or 'Go Trojans!').  There's been some considerable hype surrounding the band in the local area and I was really curious to see what sort of music they'd produce over the course o Read the rest of this post

New Releases: Weekend of 17/9/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Reviews, Saturday September 18th 2010 / 0 comments

 Hey gang, I've been hard at work today at All Music And Vision in Lismore. For the record, it was a quieter Saturday than we're used to having. In my opinion, you can chalk this up to two principal factors. Firstly, the sun came out. Murphy's law stipulates that a fine and sunny day outside usually equates to a porous one in retail and today the Lismore store was no exception to the rule. Presumably, the regular Saturday shoppers in Lismore took to the Bruxner highway and high-tailed it to the beach. Secondarily, in contrast to last weeke Read the rest of this post

North Coast National Battle Of The Bands: Coming Soon!

Posted by Max Quinn in Gossip, Friday September 17th 2010 / 0 comments

Calling all local bands to the Lismore Showgrounds over the weekends of October 9 and 16! Much like the pointing propaganda piece issues by the Americas during the first world war, The North Coast National Battle Of The Bands wants YOU! Admittedly, it's a little less life-threatening, but in my opinion, if you're a talented local musician, you shouldn't be caught dead missing out.  Apologies for the deadpan pun, I've been trying to work a good one in for weeks.  More details will be released in the not-too-distant future, and ba Read the rest of this post

Artist Interview: Local Producer Angus Fitz-Bugden

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Thursday September 16th 2010 / 0 comments

Sometimes I get envious of music producers. They're the sort of guys who are entrusted by your favourite bands to make what happens in a live format sound seamlessly good in the studio. You don't see on the front cover of your favourite CD's, but stewing in size six font somewhere toward the end of the liner notes. You could say that they're kind of omnipresent like that: simply put, they're the guys who bear inimitable influence over what you hear and why you hear it. They make a ton of money for doing what they love, they get t Read the rest of this post

The State Of The Nation

Posted by Max Quinn in Discovery, Wednesday September 15th 2010 / 0 comments

'Sup Brosefs and Brosephines? I had a really interesting (read: long) conversation with my boss at the CD store last week about the state of the industry as we know it. He's a pretty wise man (read: I hope to God he's reading this) and I drew a lot from the conversation. I'll start with the facts: Physical CD sales dropped 40% in the last year. Vinyl sales have increased by 40% over the last year. Now, when you put the two statistics side by side like that, it seems like there's a sort of logical mathematical principle to be applied. Read the rest of this post

Revealing My Tricks

Posted by Max Quinn in Discovery, Tuesday September 14th 2010 / 0 comments

 They say that a good magician never tells anybody his secrets. It's a pretty universal concept: everybody, everywhere, has one or two nuggets o' gold they'd kill to keep in because they'd die if they ever got out. The rule just applies more practically to the homies and homeesses who store rabbits in tophats and somehow manage to simultaneously escape persecution at the hands of PETA. Okay. Enough universalising.  I'm here today to tip my hand as a producer of the medium of music blog. Purveying music in all its forms (viral like thi Read the rest of this post

South Ballina Music Festival?

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Monday September 13th 2010 / 0 comments

There's a fantastic scene from an episode from season nine of The Simpsons called 'Trash of the Titans'  where a group of corporate bigwigs at the Hallmark Card Company are having a staff meeting in order to curve slumping revenue. They decide to invent a day of celebration that will sit between Mother's Day and Father's Day in order to sell more cards (and therefore increase profits). The CEO of the company says that it should be called 'Something like 'Love Day', but not as crappy'. The scene cuts to the Simpson family opening prese Read the rest of this post

New Releases: Weekend of 10/9/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Reviews, Sunday September 12th 2010 / 0 comments

 I spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday working hard to make a living in at the CD store. The best part about this kind rostering is that you get the whole weekend to become acclimated with the weekend's new releases. Probably the two biggest albums to drop were Linkin Park's 'A Thousand Suns' and Grinderman's second eponymous release, both of which did a really good job of not marketing to me. It's not like I really expected them to, but I did listen to both over the course of the weekend. After years of not really 'getting' Nick Cave, Read the rest of this post

Chris Collingwood of Fountains Of Wayne: Six Questions About Cats

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Saturday September 11th 2010 / 0 comments

 It's not every day of the week that you get to interview one of your favourite singer/songwriters of all time. As a matter of fact, it's only happened to me once ever. Prior to yesterday, the closest I'd come was gushing like a complete fool when I 'bumped into' (read: carefully executed plan) John K Samson of The Weakerthans backstage before their gig at the Annandale hotel in Sydney last February. It would be a fair understatement to say that yesterday was a little bit of a landmark day for me. When OSS' 'Artist of the Month' competitio Read the rest of this post

The Mother Of All Band Competitions, Mary Gilhooley's Irish Pub, Lismore: 9/9/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Friday September 10th 2010 / 0 comments

Firstly, a disclaimer. Tomorrow, I'll be posting my exclusive interview with Chris Collingwood, singer and songwriter for Grammy nominated Power Pop band Fountains of Wayne. I'm not going to blow my own horn, but I am going to blow his: It's going to be WELL worth your time to read. It's obvious to me, as it will be to you, that he's a very astute writer and musician. Now.  Last night I visited Mary Gilhooley's Irish Pub for the finals of The Mother Of All Band Competition. The heats have been running over the past few weeks, and with a $3 Read the rest of this post

Faithfully: A Cover Song

Posted by Max Quinn in Video, Thursday September 9th 2010 / 0 comments

 Hey y'all! I'm out of here in a couple of ticks. I'm off to the innaugural final of The Mother of All Band Comps, held at Mary Gilhooley's pub in Lismore. There are going to be a host of grant bands and you can expect a comprehensive wrap tomorrow evening. In the meantime, I leave you with a gift. It's a cover of 80's balladeers Journey, but surprisingly, it's not performed by the Glee Club on channel ten. Instead, it's a cover of their hit song Faithfully, by one of my favourite singer/songwriter of the modern era. His name is Eef Barzel Read the rest of this post

Hurley: Now Streaming!

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Wednesday September 8th 2010 / 0 comments

Typically, I'm a connoisseur of the physical product. We're talking CD's today. Something you can hold in your hands, scratch yourself with or, as is invariably the case, use to prop up the short leg of a poorly-constructed chair.  I make a willing exception to the rule for things like live bootlegs and (my limited) purchases from the iTunes store, but even then, I like to ensure I have a labelled hard copy in my wallet anthology. It's part of the reason why I'm not the world's greatest fan of social media music streaming. Not only am I a Read the rest of this post

My Favourite Video!

Posted by Max Quinn in Video, Tuesday September 7th 2010 / 0 comments

 They say the apple never falls far from the tree. Pen and paper at the ready, kids. Genetics. It's the reason why artists like Jakob Dylan, Jeff Buckley,  and Roseanne Cash have had copious successes in the music industry following (more or less) in the footsteps of their already famous fathers. It's the reason Drew Barrymore is as successful as she is. It's the reason why Matthew Newton ... oh. Nevermind. So, when it came time to choose my favourite music video, I took to my musical family tree. My best six or seven: the premier art Read the rest of this post

Artist Interview: Alex L'Estrange of The Jaywalks

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Monday September 6th 2010 / 0 comments

Yesterday I caught up with my friend Alex L'estrange, singer, songwriter and guitarist for local rock heroes The Jaywalks. The band's core trio of brothers Alex and Eddie L'Estrange (Guitar and Drums) and Rob Raguse (Bass) have been playing together for the best part of the last decade, and they've recently recruited renowned local guitarist Nicholas George Broomham to complete their lively quartet.  To begin with, some Jaywalks trivia: They're Guiness World Record Holders. The Jaywalks set a world record about six years ago for bein Read the rest of this post

Why Cats Paint: (Let's Get Theoretical)

Posted by Max Quinn in Discovery, Saturday September 4th 2010 / 0 comments

One of the most important questions that I think any wannabe music critic should ask themselves is the three-lettered doozy that shares a title with today's blog: Why?  If nothing else, 'why' is a basis for understanding and qualification of basic instinct. It's a step past the cut-and-dry adjudication of 'yes' or 'no' and into the territory of the investigative and the critical ear. It's the territory of 'maybe's', 'sort of's',and 'I guess so', of the wayward glance or the wry, knowing smile.  I'm a staunch advocate of asking 'why'. Read the rest of this post

John Mayer Has A TV Show

Posted by Max Quinn in Video, Friday September 3rd 2010 / 0 comments

 I'm hitting the vaults thisevening to bring you some vintage John Mayer. This is pre-Continuum, pre Try, even, so you can rest assured that it's practically pre-John Mayer's public persona. I know a lot of people are irked by Mayer's ludicrously self-assured demeanour, but I have a real soft spot for his work. Room For Squares was the first album that I can remember making the conscious decision to buy. I was about twelve years old and I don't think I bought another record until the time I was fourteen. I learned to play every song o Read the rest of this post

National Campus Band Competition Finals: Southern Cross University, 2/9/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Friday September 3rd 2010 / 0 comments

Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting your Southern Cross University winners of the 2010 National Campus Band Competition! Many congratulations to The Kamikazi Thunderkats for their scintillating Ska/Punk display at the SCU Unibar in Lismore last night. The band had the closing twenty-minute set and fought off stiff competition from SCU Alum Charlotte Marshall and the '45's. Marshall and her band of boys put on a rousing performance of old-school soul, funk and doo wop as the second band on the evening's bill. In my opinion, they were but a hairline Read the rest of this post

Taylor Swift and her Chick Pop Chickadees

Posted by Max Quinn in Reviews, Wednesday September 1st 2010 / 0 comments

Yo homies.  I make no secrets of the fact that I'm a huge proponent of chick pop. Well, put it this way: I'm a huge proponent of pop music in general, and I ain't no bigot. 'Samatteroffact, the way I see it, purveyors of man pop are a dying breed. Sure, you have your Jonas' and your Beibers', but outside of now veteran performers like Mayer and Mraz, there's not much by way of good old fashioned commercial male pop.  Thus, we with sweet teeth inevitably turn our attention to the fairer sex, who are having a much better time of it. It' Read the rest of this post

National Campus Band Competition: Heat 5. 30/8/10, Southern Cross University

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Wednesday September 1st 2010 / 0 comments

To begin with, some big news. I've managed to secure myself an interview with Fountains of Wayne singer and songwriter Chris Collingwood. I could die a happy young man. Somehow, I've managed to score an interview with the lead singer of my favourite band. Hopefully I'll have it written up within the week. Now, to the NCBC.  We ventured to my alum on Monday night for the fifth and final heat of the NCBC at SCU. It was a bumper night for fans of local guitarist (and, as we came to find out, rad singer) Cameron Taberner, who was featured in t Read the rest of this post

Artist Interview: Ben Hannam of Glass Towrs

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Monday August 30th 2010 / 0 comments

 Alstonville indie quartet Glass Towers have been moving from strength to strength, accolade to accolade and venue to venue from Brisbane through to Sydney in the last twelve months. After scoring the opening set for last year's Splendour in the Grass festival, the band have won themselves a manager, a record deal, and hectic touring schedule which must stand as a significant obstacle to the completion of their schooling. The band are all completing their HSC at Alstonville High School this year, and have received well-deserved airpla Read the rest of this post

How To Be Interesting (And Please Everybody)

Posted by Max Quinn in Discovery, Sunday August 29th 2010 / 0 comments

 I'm so glad there's a Blog category marked 'Discovery', because I had an epiphany of enormous proportions last night. Backstory: We're in Byron Bay to celebrate my best friend Genna's Eighteenth birthday. It's about twelve thirty and I duck outside to make a phone call. Enter girl I've never met before in my life, stage left. Girl: You're that blog guy! Max: Sure! Girl: Can I give you some constructive criticism? Max: Go ahead. Now, before I continue with the story, I'm going to give you a little bit of advice. If anybody my age ever offe Read the rest of this post

Ebb N Flo, Lennox Point Hotel, 27/8/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Saturday August 28th 2010 / 0 comments

If you ask me, there are three undeniable ways to tell that you're at the Lennox Point Hotel on a Friday Night: 1: Beep Beep!' replaces 'Excuse Me' as the polite way to ask somebody to move out of your way.   2: You meed Fearless Freddie. Fearless Freddie is a mid forties man who frequents the pub on a Friday eve. Typically, he's too off his chops to remember that you actually shook hands, exchanged names and went through the exact same song and dance last week. It goes like this: Freddie, who sits near the bathroom makes a generic co Read the rest of this post

In Keeping With This Evening's Ska/Punk Theme...

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Friday August 27th 2010 / 0 comments

Turning our attention away from my favourite local Ska/Punk six piece to the unquestioned bastions of international upstroke, it has been announced this evening that Reel Big Fish are to tour in December alongside fellow veteran 3rd wave Ska outfit and sophomore-to-our-shores The Aquabats. Both bands toured in February with the Soundwave festival and will be making (if my rudimentary maths is correct) their second trip to our fair,  foreign shores in less than a year during the festive season. With this in mind, I'm going to leav Read the rest of this post

Radio Interview: Callan Brunsdon of The Kamikazi Thunderkats

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Friday August 27th 2010 / 0 comments

 A couple of weeks ago I hit the Southern Cross University radio studio with Callan Brunsdon, singer for local Ska band The Kamikazi Thunderkats. We talked all things Ska and local music, as well as their upcoming EP Birthday Cake, to be released independently over the coming months.  Congratulations also go out to the Thunderkats for advancing to the finals of The Mother Of All Band Comps. The regional heat was held last night at Mary Gilhooley's bar in central Lismore.  You can listen to the interview, which is interspersed wit Read the rest of this post

Foldsby?

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Thursday August 26th 2010 / 0 comments

It's not every day of the week that one of your favourite musicians and one of your favourite authors get together to make an album. 'Samatteroffact, unless you count the posthumous collaboration between Kate Bush and Emily Bronte on Wuthering Heights or musician Nick Cave's continual flirtation with the author Nick Cave (geddit?), then I'd wager that it's fairly safe to say that a collaboration the size of Foldsby is almost unprecedented in modern times. What is Foldsby? Foldsby is the nickname given to the partnership of acclaimed pianist and Read the rest of this post

More Peking Duck

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Thursday August 26th 2010 / 0 comments

I feel like in waging war against the promoters of Tuesday Night's Peking Duck gig at the Buddha Bar in Byron Bay, I lost sight of the music being played. What I want to do here is give serious kudos to the more-talented-than-I'll-ever-be musicians who played the gig in place of the Cat Empire members we expected to see. As I said yesterday, and as I know from experience, it's not easy to get up on stage and play your heart out to a restless audience. It's not easy to know full well that because of something that's out of your own control, they Read the rest of this post

Peking Duck at the Byron Bay Brewery Buddha Bar 24/8/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Wednesday August 25th 2010 / 0 comments

 Well ... sort of. Last night we ventured to Byron Bay's Buddha Bar in search of Cat Empire keyboardist and vocalist Ollie McGill's funk sideproject Peking Duck. Joining McGill in Peking Duck are fellow Empirians  bassist Ryan Monro and drummer Will Hull-Brown, as well as local virtuosic saxophonist David Ades.  We arrived, had some drinks and eventually paid the $20 cover to get inside the venue for the band's 7:30 start. It was only after having paid the cover charge that we realised that the band about to perform were not, in Read the rest of this post

Where In The World Is Taylor Hanson?

Posted by Max Quinn in Discovery, Monday August 23rd 2010 / 0 comments

Truth time, fair readers. I'll go first. Hold on to your hair, because it's a good'un.  See, fact is, I wasn't always the poorly-groomed (I tell my mum every second day that it's called 'hobo chic', but she just won't listen...) purveyor of fine music who sits before you today. Matter of fact, somewhere in the far reaches of our family garage sits what I can only presume is the entire Hanson discography crica 1997-2001. Count them: two studio efforts, countless singles, one re-release of a pre-success album, a live CD and even the glorious Read the rest of this post

Mr Speaker, Railway Hotel, 20/8/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Sunday August 22nd 2010 / 0 comments

I ducked out to the Railway Hotel in Byron Bay on Friday night to see local funk and roots band Mr. Speaker rock a full house on Election Day Eve. Based on what I'd heard of the band, and knowing drummer Mick Hidden personally (from way back, yo), I was expecting a little bit of Green Party propaganda just prior to a federal election and my expectations were met to a point; even if only from the restless Byron Bay crowd. That said, it was certainly the music that spoke the loudest over the course of the evening. The band is a six piece (Vocal Read the rest of this post

Updating A Previous Item...

Posted by Max Quinn in Gossip, Friday August 20th 2010 / 0 comments

Rotten fruit at the ready? Good. It's time for the conclusion of the list began thismorning. It is no less than the third and final installment of THE BEST LIST OF THE BEST ALBUMS EVER (Who's a big man now?!?!! Oh, that's ME!!). Please note that I make no apologies for the exclusion of (*Insert your favourite album here*) from my completely biased, beautiful (in an 'only-a-mother-could-love-it' kind of way)' brainchild. Promise not to aim for the face, I have a deviated septum. 4. Old 97’s- Too Far To Care (1997) Texas rockers Old 97’s we Read the rest of this post

Jam Night, Lennox Point Hotel, 19/8/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Friday August 20th 2010 / 0 comments

If you want local musicians in their collective element, the place to be is Jam Night at the Lennox Point Hotel. Jam Night is run by local musicians and for local musicians every Thursday night at what we've affectionately termed the Lenno and usually attracts a rotating cast of regulars as well as musicians from throughout the area who stop in periodically. It's the place where you can catch the members of all of the best local bands swapping instruments, trading vocals and banding (if you'll pardon the pun) together onstage for three and a ha Read the rest of this post

... Aaaaand We're Back!

Posted by Max Quinn in Gossip, Thursday August 19th 2010 / 0 comments

Howdy y'all.  Horror flight, awake for eighteen straight hours, pulled over and breath tested about forty metres (I'm not even joking) from home after three hours of Fijiian public transport, two idle hours in an airport, four and a quarter hours in flight and three hours through night roadworks home from Brisbane. To be blunt, I'm a little tired. But never fear, friends! Yesterday we began counting down what I like to call THE BEST LIST OF THE BEST ALBUMS EVER (Who's a big man now?!?! Oh, That's ME!) and today we're going to dig Read the rest of this post

THE BEST LIST OF THE BEST ALBUMS EVER (Who's a big man now?!?! Oh, That's ME!): PART ONE.

Posted by Max Quinn in Reviews, Wednesday August 18th 2010 / 0 comments

Today is indeed the day we board the rickety boat, hope to God that it has enough petrol to shuffle all the way to the mainland, wait for stupendous amounts of time at the airport, perform the required safety checks, ensure our seatbacks and traytables have been returned to the upright position and finally (hopefully) check safely into the waiting arms of the international terminal of the Brisbane Airport. Point being: I'm going to be in transit today, so I thought I'd provide you all with some fat to chew in my absence. With this in mind, I'v Read the rest of this post

Interview: Aseri Natubasei of Treasure Island Resort Band

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Monday August 16th 2010 / 0 comments

As promised, I lined up an interview with Aseri Natubasei, the bassist from the Treasure Island Resort Band, who have been gracious  (or foolish) enough to ask me to join them onstage for the past few nights here in Fiji. The current band lineup (Two Guitars, Bass, Drums, Vocals) has been performing together on the island for about three years, but various members have been performing on the island for more than ten years. He had some really eye-opening things to say about fijiian music and the industry in general. MQ: Tell me a little abo Read the rest of this post

A Little More From Fiji

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Saturday August 14th 2010 / 0 comments

Last night I was lucky enough to run through a couple of songs with the house band here at the Treasure Island Resort. Reportedly, they've been playing together in some capacity for more than thirty years, so I was quite honoured and certainly on my best behaviour. Hopefully, I'll be able to line up an interview with the band for a little later in the week. I also have some nice snaps for you and they'll be up as soon as I have access. Strangely enough, I also found myself seated at the Takia Bar at the resort during happy hour last night havin Read the rest of this post

The Good News

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Saturday August 14th 2010 / 0 comments

So! I'm not one to keep y'all waiting, so I'll begin today with the best news in recent memory: we have a date for the new Old 97's album The Grand Theatre, and that date is October 12. The 97's are what I like to call soundtrack specialists. They've been featured on any number of television shows, name dropped in feature films, and even had a 5 minute spot on Jen Antiston's film The Break Up a couple of years ago. Those who claim not to have heard the Texas quartet simply haven't dug deep enough into the pop-culture memory bank. The scene in S Read the rest of this post

Scribing From Abroad, 13/8/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Friday August 13th 2010 / 0 comments

What's up, universe? Today I'm writing you from Treasure Island, FijI. Suffice to say, the famous (well ... ) Quinn Family Holiday is well and truly underway. Let's start with a rundown of my last 24 hours before we get to the good stuff: the music. 7:00AM, Brisbane airport. Mcdonalds for breakfast. Had something a little bit fancy, and felt a little bit sick shortly thereafter. Plane departs at 9:40, so we stock up on duty-free goodies and board our flight. Three hours later (add another two for good measure/equatorial differences) and we arr Read the rest of this post

Artist Interview: Sam Cromack of Ball Park Music

Posted by Max Quinn in Local, Wednesday August 11th 2010 / 0 comments

If you haven't heard Ball Park Music's insatiably catchy single 'iFLY' spun on triple j in the last couple of weeks, you clearly haven't been listening full stop. The Brisbane six-piece have been vaulted into the public eye on the back of their wonderful second EP Conquer The Town, Easy As Cake. What you might not know is that singer, guitarist and principle songwriter Sam Cromack is a former resident of the North Coast of New South Wales (Lennox Head, to be specific) who moved to Brisbane in search of greener musical pastures. I've known Sam f Read the rest of this post

New Weezer Album, September 14!

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Tuesday August 10th 2010 / 0 comments

  This is the new face of Weezer.  I'm not joking. Jorge Garcia, 'Hurley' of TV's Lost, IS the cover image for Weezer's impending 8th studio album, which also shares the name Hurley.  Not only this, but they've defected from Geffen records (as fellow '90's superstars Counting Crows did last year) and signed with Indie Label Epitaph Records. This means no more distribution through Warner Music; here in Australia you can expect the album to be released by Shock Records, who deal with most of Epitaph's catalogue.   Person Read the rest of this post

The Kamikazi Thunderkats at the Great Northern Hotel, 6/8/10

Posted by Max Quinn in Live, Tuesday August 10th 2010 / 0 comments

My girlfriend and I got out to see local Ska band The Kamikazi Thunderkats at the Great Northern Hotel in Byron Bay last Friday night. The band are close friends of ours, but I can say without bias that they're one of THE most fun live acts that I've seen around these traps. We were lucky enough to be privy to a backstage prayer with the band, led by bassist/topless model Nick Fitzpatrick  directed to the Ska God, Aaron Barrett (of Reel Big Fish), before the set began with new track 'Carl's African Safari'. The song gets its Read the rest of this post

Live From New York, It's Saturday Night!

Posted by Max Quinn in News, Monday August 9th 2010 / 0 comments

Hey hey! Welcome to my home on the internet for the next three months. Feel free to kick off your shoes and make your collective selves at home. If you'd like, take some time to catch up on all things Max Quinn, sign my petition, read my blog, give me an imaginary hug, whatever works for you.  Patrons caught throwing anything over the balcony will be evicted immediately. The minibar has been replenished for your convenience and beds will be made daily at eleven. Now that the housekeeping is out of the way, we'll start with the basic Read the rest of this post