As the well-oiled rock machine that is Grand Atlantic finish up week two of their ambitious tri-state residency covering Brisbane (Tuesdays), Melbourne (Wednesdays) and Sydney (Thursdays) during May, the lads announce yet more overseas adventures with a four-date Japanese tour in July.

style=”text-align: center;”>The tri-state residency is the last chance for the East Coast to check out why US radio is logging solid plays of Grand Atlantic’s sophomore album ‘How We Survive’ before the Brissie four-piece take their power pop-rock sounds off to Japan, with a return tour of the US scheduled for October.

QUEENSLAND
The Troubadour – Brisbane
Tickets – $8 : www.gobookem.com

Tuesday May 18
with The Slow Push & Skarlet Blue

Tuesday May 25
with Steve Grady

VICTORIA
Workers Club – Melbourne
Tickets – $8 : www.gobookem.com

Wednesday May 19
With Skarlet Blue & Detective Social

Wednesday May 26
With Skarlet Blue & Sky Harbour

NEW SOUTH WALES (FREE ENTRY)
Lansdowne Hotel – Sydney

Thursday May 13
with Skarlet Blue, Karma Cops &  Only The Sea Slugs

Thursday May 20
with Skarlet Blue, Broadway Mile & The Virgin Thursdays

Thursday May 27
with The Prehistorics, Skarlet Blue & Frankie

‘Underground’ is the first single from Rocketsmiths forthcoming debut album The Bones, to be released nationally mid-year

ROCKETSMITHS – THE ‘UNDERGROUND’ TOUR

photo: Leah Robertson

Part Picnic at Hanging Rock, part 80’s Korean ghost movie, the ‘Soporific’ video reunites the team behind 2009’s ‘Echo Stick Guitars’ video (Tooth and Nail) with the addition of music and documentary photographer Leah Robertson (see the photo on the single cover) behind the lens.

While continuing a trend of difficult song titles (‘Awkward Orchid Orchard’ anyone?) The Boat People will no-doubt further confuse the expectations of those who claimed that last year’s ‘Echo Stick Guitars’ heralded an electro turn-about for the band.

‘Soporific’ treads some very different terrain, sounding more like… well, you’re the music connoisseur but certainly “different from the last one” is a good start and makes the release of their third album Dear Darkly in June an intriguing prospect.

While the word soporific may not get as much usage as LMAO, ROFL or LOL in  the present day vernacular, it made it into the song at least in part due to songwriter Robin Waters’ childhood exposure to “Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter.

To quote Beatrix: “It is said that the effect of eating too much lettuce is “soporific”. I have never felt sleepy after eating lettuces; but then I am not a rabbit. They certainly had a very soporific effect upon the Flopsy Bunnies! The Flopsy Bunnies simply stuffed lettuces. By degrees, one after another, they were overcome with slumber, and lay down in the mown grass.”

The track was recorded with Jonathon Burnside (Sleepy Jackson, Dappled Cities), John Castle (Washington) and Joe Hammond.

“Australian four piece The Boat People’s new single, ‘Soporific’, off their upcoming third album, Dearest Darkly, shows a whole lot of realized potential.” – thescene.com.au

‘Soporific’ – Available now via iTunes
with two exclusive tracks
myspace.com/theboatpeople

www.theboatpeople.com.au

As the freshest faces on the Brisbane rock block, Ball Park Music have quickly developed a reputation as one of the most exciting bands around. Just ask the likes of fellow pop-purveyors Philadelphia Grand Jury, Deep Sea Arcade, Boy & Bear, Hungry Kids of Hungary and The Boat People and they will tell you that the six-headed pop juggernaut are an onstage force to be reckoned with.

And now the band are about to put another EP release where their rock-chops are with the approaching launch of Conquer The Town, Easy As Cake – a five-track servicing of pop deliciousness that covers the musical spectrum. Bookended by the opening radio-bliss, naughtiness of ‘iFly’ (you’ll see) and the simply sublime strum of ‘Western Whirl’, the EP also features the clap-tastic ‘The Ghost I Saw When I Was Dreaming’, recent single ‘Sea Strangers (I Don’t Even Know You)’ and the four minute masterpiece ‘Hello Anais’, with a climax and brass solo bound to catch Tarantino attention.

Having produced their debut EP Rolling On The Floor, Laughing Ourselves To Sleep themselves, the band opted to work with Tristan Hoogland at Brisbane’s Psi-Fi Studios this time around, cutting over 15 songs. Partnering three of the resulting songs with brand new productions from frontman Sam Cromack, the EP shows the sextet’s impressive diversity, songwriting prowess and clever musicality.

Still a band in their infancy, Ball Park Music have quickly formed a strong fanbase around Brisbane, finally taking their crowd-pleasing affair to Sydney recently, opening for Hungry Kids of Hungary’s sell-out show at Oxford Arts Factory with Boy & Bear and Ernest Ellis. Previous single ‘Sea Strangers (I Don’t Really Know You)’ featured a voodoo-fest that quickly became a Home & Hosed blog feature as well as snaring Indie Of The Week title with Rage.

See what all the fuss is about when Ball Park Music launch Conquer The Town, Easy As Cake at the Zoo Friday May 21 with the able assistance of Blame Ringo and Tin Can Radio.

BALL PARK MUSIC
Conquer the Town, Easy as Cake EP Launch

Friday May 21 | The Zoo, Brisbane
with Tin Can Radio and Blame Ringo
Tix: pre-sales $12 / door $14 www.zoo.oztix.com.au/

www.myspace.com/drawnfrombees
www.bonefingerrecords.com

Brisbane’s hardest-working purveyors of melodic rock Drawn from Bees are this week packing their finest cufflinks and vintage suits in preparation for their debut international appearances – first stop USA, followed by Hong Kong and UK.

Drawn from Bees were handpicked to represent Queensland in the international music stakes, kicking off the expedition for new audiences at West Hollywood’s Whiskey A Go Go this Sunday April 25 as part of Musexpo LA. Following up with further showcase invitations at Music Matters Hong Kong and Musexpo London, 2010 is set to be the international year for the quartet who have already picked up airplay across various stations in the USA.

Drawn from Bees have spent the past two years sticking tight to a self-imposed schedule to write, record and release a body of work every six months, enjoying high rotation of hit single ‘Long Tooth Setting Sun’ across Australian radio including national youth broadcaster Triple J. With the fourth installment Fear Not The Footsteps Of The Departed due to be released on May 21, the mad goal-setting may have come to an end, though the prolific foursome are just reaching full stride on the live scene. Having just completed their third east-coast Australian tour, with an appearance at V Festival thrown in for good measure, Drawn from Bees will tour nationally around Australia in July to give audiences further afield a taste of their sharp, four-piece melodies which sit atop experimental indie-rock sounds.

“Look out for more from Drawn from Bees, there’s a good chance they’ll be Brisbane’s next great export.”
The Dwarf

“…a full smorgasboard of Australian rock and roll.”
The AU Review

“…an interesting study in how to write a deliciously infectious and winsome indie pop tune”
Dom Alessio, triple j – ‘Long Tooth Setting Sun’ review