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Open Frame: Room 40 Festival

Carriageworks

Sydney

June 30. 2017

Carriageworks, Sydney’s largest and one of its more eclective multi-arts centres, is stoically following its ambitious mission which is informed by a commitment to reflect social and cultural diversity by presenting the 2017 incarnation of Open Frame: Room40.

Being a biannual experimental music festival, curated by composer and artist Lawrence English, it features a geschmâcklerisches line-up of artists operating at the edge of contemporary sound practice, with emergent voices in electronic music such as Elysia Crampton, Sarah Davachi and Klara Lewis colliding head on with artists such as Xiu Xiu and Alessandro Cortini who are responsible for a take on music that is aesthetically more on the provocative end of the spectrum.

Your humble narrator saw the second night of the two-day festival, which included Swedish musician, Klara Lewis, known as a sculptor of dreamlike sounds rich in texture, which finds an aesthetic charge in the mundane – be it the hum of a fridge or distant laughter – and results in experimental sounds that on the surface might sound comforting, yet upon closer inspection show a distressing quality skirting the edge of the familiar.

Lewis does not overly rely on repeating loops but prefers a fluid, stream-of-consciousness open framework, with distant, swooning, watery climaxes drowned out by muffled drones and unintelligible voices while percussion taps ominously down below, creating a mélange that is strangely blissful and unnerving at the same time.

Sarah Davachi’s work belongs to a tradition of deep, shimmering drone music reminiscent of the likes of Kevin Drumm, and Marian Zazeela. 

What appears to be simple on the surface with not a whole lot happening in terms of melodic or rhythmic arrangements, her emissions work on a more subtle level combining long held tones and microtonal variations with a wealth of overtones, harmonics, and ghostly pulses produced by the friction between them.

What does not sound overly engaging and rather static on paper, unfolded its expressiveness in a live environment with Davachi’s carefully orchestrated tidal acoustic and electronic arrangements that sneak in, weaving themselves in and out of your head and taking you on a journey with the imperative being to keep moving and embracing disorientation.

Nine Inch Nails collaborator, Alessandro Cortini’s meditatively cohesive audio-visual work Avanti, was presented with cinematic fluidity, acquainting music with memory, i.e. (re-)living memory through sound. Using his family’s vintage Super 8 films, shot by his grandfather as an accompaniment to his music, Avanti created a dynamic self-portrait refracted by memory and the melancholy of remembrance.

A nostalgic requiem with fuzzy synths and melancholic drone textures against the backdrop of childhood memories that unfolds a very distinctive, emotive, poignant and melancholic narrative that was permeated with a sense of loss in combination with the sound eventually culminated in reaching a cathartic conclusion.

Carriageworks proved again to be an ideal venue that offered ample space for an eclectic evening with experimental and at times deliberately challenging sounds.

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Photos from Carriageworks

Boy George

Café del Mar

Sydney, AU

June 12, 2017

Despite the focus being on his recent stint as a judge on one of those castings shows down under, Boy George is still universally recognised from his time as the androgynous lead singer of the Grammy and Brit Award winning pop band Culture Club, whose soulful vocal delivery adorned hit songs such as “Do you really want to hurt me” and “Karma Chameleon” having entered the canon of 1980s evergreens. And rightly so.

What might not be on everyone’s radar is that in the 1990s, aside from other musical and non-musical endeavours, he pursued what he started in the 70ies and reinvented himself and embarked on a second career as a notable DJ, touring extensively across the globe.

With a background in house and what later on became known as acid house and informed by the groovy beats heralding from Chicago down to techno in the 1990s, Boy George has never not been active, no matter what rollercoaster rides his career was exposed to.

Being a producer, his collbatations and emissions include such labels like  Ministry of Sound, Sony, GU Music, Virgin, Polystar, Universal, Subliminal, EMI and artists as s diverse as Erick Morillo, Deep Dish, Afrika Bambaataa, Groove Armada and Faithless.

George descended upon Sydney waterfront’s Café del Mar’s rooftop terrace with a DJ set to provide the soundtrack to an illuminated Darling Harbour as part of Sydney’s Vivid Festival.

Warmed up since midday by a line-up of acts, e.g. Kate Monroe, Beth Yen, Mark Dynamix, Rodd Riches (ft Arrnott Olssen), Binary Live and Charlie & Jo., an enthusiastic audiences welcomed the man of the hour and celebrated his set geared towards cool, credible house tracks infused with quite a bit of esoteric flavour.

Boy George spinning the decks added yet another colourful façade to the smorgasbord of music performances, panels, art installations and more that make the three-week-long light, music and ideas festival that makes Vivid the event Sydneysiders look forward to all year.

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Photos by KAVV

Fantastic Food and Drink and Naturally Good Shows

ICC Exhibition Centre

Sydney, AU

June 4-5

Premium. Gourmet. Handcrafted. Delicious. Unique. Extraordinary. Fantastic – a few adjectives and superlatives that came your way did you choose to familiarize with the The Fantastic Food and Drink Show, which is a new trade event for the booming specialty food business. Innovative food and beverage producers were to showcase their newest creations along with food artisans, purveyors, importers and entrepreneurs to bring craft and passion to the foods you sell. Co-located with the Naturally Good Expo at the new venue – the International Convention Centre in Sydney –the show blended fresh ideas, the latest trends and new distribution channels with two days of focused buying, selling and education.

More and more Australian farmers are creating their own premium and local brands, and they want to supply direct to retailers and chefs. Taste the Farm, a component of the FFD& NG shows, was a unique opportunity for you to meet these farmers and source premium meat, dairy and other farm-fresh produce. The dedicated area was packed full of up-and-coming artisan producers brimming with passion and entrepreneurial flair.

The Fantastic Taste Awards honored the best in specialty food and drink products. The Awards recognised the innovators and game-changers in their respective categories, and provided exposure to thousands of food buyers from supermarkets, specialty retailers, foodservice, distributors, and the press.

Olives of the World was The Olive Experience – an opportunity to learn while sampling a wide variety of olive oils and table olives. It showcased what Australia and the far-flung corners of the world have to offer and guided through what one needs to know about olive oil – from production, through regions, varieties, and types to the final use at your family dinner table.

Merely a few meters away, The Specialty Chocolate Showcase gathered the local and international chocolate producers in one place for the visitors to sample gourmet and handmade chocolates, tru?es and confectionery products.

A smellier adventure offered itself with The Specialty Cheese Providers area of the show that connected you directly with specialty cheesemakers and suppliers of local and international specialty cheese.

In terms of craft beers, artisan handcrafted spirits and specialty wine new varieties such as gluten-free beer or organic wine were proffered at the Craft Beverage Alley, which connected you with craft brewers, distillers and merchants.

The Naturally Good Expo, the biggest trade show in the Southern Hemisphere for Everything Healthy, was held simultaneously and seamlessly fused with the Fantastic Food and Drink Show to showcase everything from packaged foods, ingredients and beverages to natural beauty and living, vitamins and supplements – and for your humble narrator products and suppliers I never knew existed.

As questioning the use of harsh ingredients in conventional cosmetics and beauty products is on the rise, this expo offered ample opportunity to see what the established brands and start-ups have on offer in natural and organic beauty products – from organic skincare and non-toxic cosmetics to shampoos, soaps, lotions and other natural toiletries via supplements, herbal remedies and essential oils to eco household and sustainable living products, Naturally Good Expo had it covered when it came to products that are natural, organic, cruelty-free, and that will improve the health of your hide while contributing to a safer environment.

Some standout exhibitors that we came across were:

Gelatin Australia is the result of two Aussie brothers.  

Their Peptipro Super Greens combines Peptipro Collagen with a daily dose of Organic Australian produced greens, young leaves and cold pressed, not juiced to retain full nutrient spectrum and greens that are known to be alkalizing, nutrient dense and loaded with vitamins and minerals. John Joseph rejoice!

Let’s have a look at coffee and roasters that love what they do and are bit more than just finding and roasting beans, but bringing people great coffee experiences and see coffee as a part of culture.

Since 2002 DC has been committed to roasting specialty coffee. Based in Melbourne, they have incorporated a decidingly artistic edge when it comes to packaging their products and the narratives that underlie them.

A future feature on them shall shed lights on their range.

Let’s go healthy, shall we?

MetaBuz product developer John Charlick touts his product as a tasty tumeric herbal chai tea, made from quality herbs and manufactured in Western Australia. Cinnamon, turmeric, fennel, black pepper, kelp, stevia and vanilla are combined for a mélange that is much tastier than the sum of the individual ingredients – or turmeric by itself - would suggest.

The MetaBuz Ingredients Include: Kelp – Kelps are large brown seaweed grown in underwater forests. Kelp is used extensively in traditional Japanese cuisine. Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) is made from the underground stem of a member of the ginger family. It has a distinctly earthy, slightly bitter, slightly hot, peppery flavour and a mustard smell. Cinnamon – The unique flavour of cinnamon derives from an aromatic essential oil being 0.5-1% of its weight. Cinnamon is used in sweet and savory foods. It imparts a delicate aromatic smell to MetaBuz .Fennel – Fennel seed is an aromatic, anise flavoured spice. It also imparts a delicate aromatic smell to MetaBuz. Black Pepper – Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is the powder from the peppercorn. It is used as a spice and seasoning. Only a trace is added to MetaBuz. Vanilla – Vanilla adds a unique complex flavour to MetaBuz. It is native to Mexico and derives from the bean or seed of the vanilla flower. Stevia – Stevia comes from the leaf of the sunflower family native to America. As a sweetener and sugar substitute, stevia tastes great without the calories of sugar.

More into skincare?

An interesting new brand we came about is Native Man:

An all-natural, organic and accessible skin-and-shave care line formulated expressly for the physiology of men.

Melbourne-based pharmacists created native Man Anderson and Andrew, two clinical-cosmetic alchemists who sought men’s skin care that not only delivered smooth, clarified and freshly shaven skin but also leaves ample room in the wallet. Their products are organic and natural without any needless substances.

Wash and Shave is a lightly foaming formula meant to cleanse skin while acting as a shave gel. Peppermint oil delivers a cooling burst while drawing out breakout-causing gunk and oil out of pores. Vitamin C-rich Kakadu Plum boosts detoxification of skin, while Green Tea and Ginger extracts suffuse skin with antioxidant and age-defying benefits.

This clear gel transforms into a lightweight low-foaming texture once you apply it and its scent is reminiscent of mandarin and sandalwood.

Native Man’s Moisturizer and after-shave uses Kakadu Plum to strike against free radicals and Lemon Myrtle to help tighten pores.

What is nice about Native Man’s products is that they are lightweight and satisfying to touch while quickly being absorbed.

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Photos by KAVV

Hot Brown Honey

Opera House

Sydney, AU

June 9, 2017

Sass, empowerment and politics rooted in hip hop culture are the pillars that form the foundation of Hot Brown Honey – a platform the posse of unapologetically fierce women use to fight the power, weaponize comedy and question stereotypes, remix the system and celebrate our similarities and differences with a platter of dance, poetry, comedy, circus, striptease and song.

Hot Brown Honey creates a busy hive of circus and hip-hop, burlesque components and beat-boxing, dance and neo-soul cabaret -  all performed by a cast of "black, brown and mixed" beauties, and delivered with a political sting.

The mantra is to “make noise” and despite serious messages, a light heartedness and sense of humour when it comes to questioning white privileges is the red thread of the show.

Hosted by queen bee MC Busty Beatz, who gives the evening cohesion, the groovy show is heavy on feminism and civil rights shaped by all shades of lady.

Poignant circus numbers follow striptease, beat boxing and groovy dance parts all with a deeper message celebrating diversity, playing with discrimination in a bid to confront big political issues of the day – racism, sexism, cultural colonialisation, home- and xenophobia - while entertaining in spectacularly decadent ways.

Hot Brown Honey frames social commentary in vibrant and glamorous show while being repulsive and confronting at the same time and allowing room for identification.

A wild and vivid show that makes you groove along while it disrupts and unapologetically tackles uncomfortable truths with feminine disobedience and empowerment.

Metallica

Sports Authority Field at Mile High - Denver, Colorado 

June 7, 2017

The storm was supposed to roll through early - before opening acts Volbeat and Avenged Sevenfold took the stage. It did. But as is often the case in Colorado, Mother Nature always has a few tricks up her sleeve. This was to be a triumphant return for the band. It had been almost a decade since Hetfield, Ulrich, Trujillo and Hammett graced a stage in this town and the 60,000+ in attendance were primed and ready for action.

One thing that can always be counted on at a Metallica show - when those lights drop, and the strains of Ecstasy of Gold start coming through the PA, the surge of energy is palpable. They didn't write it, but the song is now as synonymous with Metallica as it is with Morricone. The band wasted no time in tearing through a double shot from their new album - title track Hardwired and Atlas, Rise! This defies what Metallica has often done in opening a show with a classic tune like say, Creeping Death but their new album Hardwired...to Self-Destruct is a beast of and album and they know it. 

The band then followed up with two from Ride The Lightning, For Whom The Bell Tolls and the aforementioned Creeping Death. This must have woke the heavens because as soon as The Unforgiven began, so did the rain. Sprinkles at first, but increasing as the song played on. Then came the Lightning. As soon as Unforgiven was done, the band cleared the stage and the announcement came up - everybody clear the outside area and get to shelter as soon as possible. This means tens of thousands of wet, annoyed people were now crammed into the concession area like the angriest sauna you've ever seen. None of this was the band's fault, of course - nor were they being overly cautious. The spring/summer storms here are no joke, and by the time everyone actually got undercover, it was pouring rain and the forks of Lightning coming down were quite spectacular. It was looking very close to the show being cancelled, but as tends to be the case in Colorado, the storm moved on rather quickly and within an hour, everyone was back out, drenched and ready to resume the festivities.

Hitting the stage once again with Now That We're Dead, complete with a Taiko drum battle between all the members, the rest of the show went off without any major hitches, aside from a couple of missed cues and timing issues. While the long wait between Metallica albums has become frustrating for fans, it's remarkable to see that in almost a decade, the band hasn't lost any of their power on stage. Hetfield still stalks the stage while Kirk runs around like a hyperactive kid - hammering through newer classics like One and old classics like Motorbreath. There's not a lot of stadium-worthy rock bands left in this world, but Metallica is worthy and then some. Sure there was some grumbling about the price of tickets of this tour, but see this show, and you'll know where the money went. State of the art sound, keeping the echoes to a minimum and screens as high as the stadium walls. They've come a long, long way from The Stone in San Francisco, but between the high standards of production and the good ol' snake pit, you can tell they still love what they do and it shows. Now if we can just get them back to town before my AARP membership kicks in.