featuring;

Joe Algeri
The Atlantics
Brother Brick
Challenger 7
Deep Reduction
Deniz Tek Group
The Finkers
The Freeloaders
The (Fucken) Leftovers
Jed Whitey
The Killer Klowns
Kim Salmon
The Lucksmiths
The Onyas
The Orange Humble Band
The Radio Dolls
Rollerball
Shutterspeed
Three Orange Whips
Louis Tillett
Yes-Men
You Am I


Joe Algeri recently played 2 solo concerts in Finland with Finish pop band Ben’s Diapers. Both shows went really well with the crowds being really responsive and Joe managed to sell every copy of his solo CD that he had with him.


In response to the growing demand from surf music enthusiasts around the world, the original members of the legendary The Atlantics have come together for the first time in over 25 years to record a brand new CD, entitled "Flight of the Surf Guitar", which has been released through Canetoad Records. “Flight Of The Surf Guitar” contains 17 tracks, of which 14 are brand new originals and the remaining 3 are newly recorded versions of their classics - The Crusher, Rumble and Run and of course, Bombora.

For more information, visit The Atlantics webpage


Brother Brick have just finished playing around the country, which culminated with 3 very energentic and well received shows in Adelaide with the Bloodsucking Freaks, Repo, and Z-28. The band have a lot of shows in Sydney planned throughout February and march and should finally get to Brisbane(to play with Strutter) and Canberra in April.

Brother Brick are also likely to tour the East Coast with American combo Watts, who feature Estrus main man and former Mono-Men guitarist Dave Crider. The tour is set down for June and should be a killer dose of guitar rock mayhem with no-pretense and no bullshit.

On the release side of things, there should be the arrival of a new 7" from Spain called "See You Tonight" backed with cover versions of the Wipers - "Mystery" and the Replacements "Color Me Impressed". These tracks and 3 more new originals will also be released locally on CDep in June on a yet to be determined local label.

The 12 track CD album "A Portable Altamont" has been selling well and getting good reviews both here in Australia and overseas.


Candle Records have just released their new 22 track compilation CD entitled “Banter”, which features 11 bands (8 Candle acts plus 3 other acts - Darren Hanlon, Greenkeeper and Fibrotown) doing two songs each. All the bands have recorded new tracks for this CD. Mark from The Lucksmiths has done some liner notes for the CD and Helen from Golden Rough did the fantastic artwork. The CD is available from Candle Records for only $15 and was recently officially launched at the Candle Concert in Melbourne.

Track Listing:

THE LUCKSMITHS - 1. T-Shirt Weather 2. Tmrw vs Y’day
THE DEARHUNTERS - 3. Ambulance 4. Candle
DARREN HANLON - 5. Fun Park Fugitives 6. Beta Losers
THE MABELS - 7. Tullamarine 8. Still Finding
GOLDEN ROUGH - 9. King Apathy 10. Girl Who Loves Bridges
GREENKEEPER - 11. Well Wishing 12. Handy Man
RUCK ROVER - 13. Burnt Out 14. Christine
RICHARD EASTON - 15. Token Free 16. Free As A Bird
FIBROTOWN - 17. Country Girl Gone Wrong 18. Saddest Boy
WEAVE - 19. Welcome To Our House 20. The Apocalyptic Love Song
STELLA ONE ELEVEN - 21. Relative Madness 22. Three Nights And Three Days (original acoustic version)


The debut Challenger 7 album is entitled “Payola” and will be out by the end of March as a split label release between 1+2 Records from Japan and Sydney’s Tomboy Records. Payola contains 13 songs, including their cover of the Replacements “Left Of The Dial” that featured on the Mats tribute CD. All of the other songs all are unreleased except for Payola and Candlabra, two songs that were previously been available on 7"only. However, the two album versions have been re-recorded and are much better than the first recordings of these two songs.

In other news, Challenger 7 will be touring Melbourne on the weekend of the 1 & 2 of April, playing at the Tote on the massive launch night of the upcoming Freeloaders album. Also playing are the Powdermonkeys, Rocket Science, Stuntcardrivers, the Hands of time, the Yesmen, Cantackerous (ex Seminal Rats), and the Onyas. It'll be huge.


The second album by Deep Reduction (featuring Deniz Tek) is in final stages of production and a tour of Europe is booked for mid April though to mid May.

APRIL
Wednesday 26th: Gleiss 22 - Münster (Germany)
Thursday 27th: Le Kobus - Strassbourg (France)
Friday 28th: Bulle - Ebullition (Switzerland)
Saturday 29th: Fonternay Festival (France)
Sunday 30th: Renne - tba (France)

MAY
Wednesday 3rd: Paris - tba (France)
Friday 5th: Madrid - Alien Club (Spain)
Saturday 6th: Bilbao - Festival (Spain)
Sunday 7th: Castellón - Ricoamor (Spain)
Wednesday 10th: Montpellier - La Pleine Lune (France)
Thursday 11th: Marseille - La Machine (France)
Friday 12th: Milano - Centro Sociale "Vittoria" (Italy)
Saturday 13th: Rome - tba (Italy)
Sunday 14th: Lamezia - Ayers Rock (Italy)

Prior to that however, the Deniz Tek group will be doing two special shows in Sydney on March 31st and April 1st.

Angie Pepper, Deniz, Jim Dickson and Nik Rieth are working with producer David Weyer on a new Angie Pepper ep.


The Finkers will be releasing a new 5 song cd-single "Last Thing On My Mind" on March 20th, which will comprise 2 tracks from their up-coming album, plus three exclusive tracks, including a cover of the Blue Ash song "Tonight's My Lucky Night"!

Their second album, “Double Back And Go” will hopefully be released in mid-May.

Always busy, the Finkers also have quite a few tracks appearing on numerous compilations. Their version of Radio Birdman’s I-94 can be found on the recently released Radio Birdman tribute “Flattery, Volume 2” through Washington’s No-Mango Records.

They have also recorded a rockin' version of Gene Clark’s "The Radio Song" for the upcoming Gene Clark tribute, which will be released in April through Colorado’s Not Lame Records.

Also due in April is a powerpop compilation "Popgun 2000" on Germany’s Screaming Apple Records....featuring such bands as DM3, The Shazam, The Yum Yums, The Barracudas and Paul Collins to name a few! The Finkers appear with a new song entitled "Pretty As A Picture".

In May the Finkers appear on a Flamin' Groovies tribute on Safety Pin Records from Spain... and also from Spain, the Finkers appear on the Muga Bar's 16th anniversary compilation cd with "This Time It's Love" from the "Fresh Set-O-Prints" album.


As mentioned earlier, The Freeloaders "posthumous" album will be launch thing is set down for the Tote on the 1st April.


Dropkick Records will be re-releasing “The (Fucken) Leftovers Hate You”, a 12”/CD reissue of the 3 song 7” from Brisbane’s Best Punk Band Bar One in 1978. Originally put forth by Dog Meat 10 years ago, this has all four studio songs, plus a stack of amazingly raw and belligerent live tracks from ‘77 - ‘78. It will also feature a stack of photos, flyers, hand-written lyrics, and liner notes from folks who were there (and some who weren’t).


Relatively new Perth stoner rock band Jed Whitey have scored a place on an upcoming 13 volume compilation - entitled "Fistfull ofRock and Roll" - that echoes the infamous "Pebbles" comps. Compiled by Electric Frankenstein’s Sal Canzonieri, the aim is to pull together "the 200 best punk rock and roll bands" currently kickin' out the jams and prove to everyone that rock ‘n’ roll is far from dead. Bands featured include Supersuckers, Dwarves, Zeke, Electric Frankenstein,Toilet Boys, Backyard Babies, Turbonegro, Gluecifer, Hellacopters and FuManchu. Other Australian bands included are the Powdermonkeys, Onyas, Brother Brick, Panadolls, Blood Sucking Freaks and Strutter.

Jed Whitey are featured on Volume 12. The comp will be distributed by Caroline in the US, and Cargo and House of Kicks in Europe. The likely release date is early 2001.

More immediate is another compilation appearance, this time on California's Devil Doll records (you may know Devil Doll from previous releases from Gluecifer, Electric Frankenstein and Toilet Boys). Jed Whitey will feature on an as-yet-untitled compilation, featuring the likes of Atomic Bitchwax (ex-MonsterMagnet), Angel Rot, and new bands from Scandenavia like The Lambs, The Sideburners, and Satellite Circle. Mid-2000 is the likely release date.

Even closer on the horizon is Jed Whitey's double 7" EP, entitled "Alrighty!" featuring six songs of rock mayhem that have already been likened by those in the know tothe masters of Black (uh, we're talkin' Flag and Sabbath). The pressing plant is on the case even as you read this. An US release for the EP through Devil Doll looks likely but is not confirmed at this point.

Finally, the chaps at Highbeam records in Melbourne will be issuing an all-Australian rock and roll compilation mid-year, which will include the Jed Whitey track "Mr. Hooper". A full CD release will follow on the label.


The Killer Klowns went into Sydney’s Zen studios on the 26th of February, to record 4 new songs for the band’s second ep. The band will also be heading to Melbourne mid-March if all goes well.


The first single from Kim Salmon & The Business, “Saving Me From Me" enjoyed high rotation on JJJ. Their new single "Disconnected" will be released on 13th of March, with two re-mixes "Disco Neck Ted"and "Dubconnected" done by Justin and Stu from Southend/Antenna fame.


The Lucksmiths have nearly finished their Australian tour and apparently have played to large and enthusiastic crowds. After their remaining shows in Melbourne, they will play 3 shows at the Port fairy Festival and then head to New Zealand and Perth.

The Lucksmiths new CD called “Staring At The Sky”, which contains six songs, has also just been released by Candle Records. It will also be released on 10” as a co-release with Matinee Records in the US. This is their first release containing new tracks in 18 months.


A “new” album by the Onyas has been recorded, mixed & mastered!! It will be called “Heterospective” and is a mixture of original and re-recorded versions of the bands veritable avalanche of singles and compilation appearances. It will be released on the bands new home at Dropkick Records hopefully in March.

Also recently released was the Junk Records 7” single of “No Concessions”, whose cover will take pride of place in any blokes vinyl collection! The split single with the New Bomb Turks, intended as a tour Ep for their March ‘99 jaunt around Australia, has finally come out on Full Toss Records outta Tigerland! The Turks do a noisy as all get out version of X’s “Good On Ya Baby” while we do a decidedly low-tech and near-somnabulant once-through “Nightlife”, a two-chord, three-string screamer penned by Brisbane’s prodigal lush Charlie Gay-Pride.

The Onyas upcoming tour destinations include Japan in April, one gig in Moskow, all over Europe again for 6 weeks through April and May, then to the US in June/July with one final gig in Honolulu on the way home. THEN a full Aussie tour in August.


The second Orange Humble Band album "Humblin' (Across America)" has recently been finished, mixed and mastered and will be ready for release very, very soon. A four track EP will precede the LP in March with the title song "Any Way You Want It". Darryl Mather, Ken Stringfellow, Anthony Bautovich and Mitch Easter this time are joined by;

Jody Stephens: (formerly of Big Star) on drums.

Spooner Oldham: (piano legend with a heritage that goes back further years than most of us have been alive) on keyboards.

Plus a few others...

Despite being recorded on a minimal budget with no major label money-pot, Humblin (Across America) is set to be another classic and is a homage to the various and ecclectric sounds of America that have given rock and roll its roots. Darryl is a walking library of musical influences from straight up and down power pop, to soulful , gorgeous ballards with many different colours in between.


Last Friday, 3rd March, The Radio Dolls launched their new CD single "If You Want Me" with support from Hudson Lowboy.


Brisbane stoner-rock band Rollerball have received a lot of airplay on Triple J for their track Jonathon E from their debut EP Lost In Space.


The Stuntcar Drivers have just released new 7-inch "Science Fiction Mind/Like Your Style" which is out now on Full Toss Records and limited to 300 hand numbered copies only!!


Shutterspeed have quite a busy couple of months ahead of them.

On Saturday March 11, they’re playing at the new Moon Bar at The Empire Hotel with Golden Rough. A week later Shutterspeed they’re making an appearance at the Volume 2000 show in Fortitude Valley. They have another show at Ric's on Thursday 23rd March.

In April, the band will be touring with Brad Shepherd's new band, The Monarchs, who were by all accounts in fine form at the Big Day Out. That will include shows on the Gold Coast and Brisbane (Empire, Sat. 15th April) and four shows in NSW and Canberra.


Perth rock band, 3 Orange Whips have just sent their second CD, “3 Orange Whips Rock Up” over east for mastering by William Bowen. By all accounts it kicks arse over their debut. The cover art is likely to feature the band carrying cartons of beer like the “dumb” rockers they are. The band is also likely to be moving to Melbourne late July/early August.


According to his website, Louis Tillett’s current plans include recording a new album later in year as well as releasing the retrospective album “To Ride a Dead Pony” in the middle of this year. There are also plans for a retrospective solo piano album of 10 of his best songs. Finally, a recording of Louis and his full band live at the Basement in Sydney last year has been mixed but has not yet been mastered as there is plenty of live material on “To Ride A Dead Pony”.


The Yes-Men’s debut album album “Prosody” was released in Australia approximately 2 weeks ago. It has been released by Melbourne’s Stolen Records an distributed through International Trash. There is likely to be a 12" vinyl run of it too to in May. The album is also planned to be released in Europe through White Jazz Records again hopefully in May.


Australia’s perennial rock ‘n’ roll superstars You Am I are in the process of finishing their fifth album with Ed Buller. Hopefully there'll be a single in July and an LP in August/September.

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