OzMusicReviews.com http://ozmusicreviews.com Australian Music Reviews Fri, 18 May 2012 06:23:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 Donna Summer Loses Her Battle with Cancer http://ozmusicreviews.com/donna-summer-loses-her-battle-with-cancer?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=donna-summer-loses-her-battle-with-cancer http://ozmusicreviews.com/donna-summer-loses-her-battle-with-cancer#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000 http://ozmusicreviews.com/?p=376

I promise to post some more uplifting news very soon, but The New York Times has reported tha passing of another great music icon today. Donna Summer, undeniably the Queen of Disco in the 1970's, lost her battle with cancer on Thursday. 

Donna Summer re-found her religion in later life and refused to perform some of her classic, suggestive hits like I Feel Love and Love to Love You Baby. But she remained a very popualr performer and no one could fail to move or hum along to her greatest hits, even the “I hate Disco” crowd. She was also a very glamorous lady, which obviously did not harm her popularity. 

 

The Queen of Disco, Who Transcended the Era

John McConnico/Associated Press

Donna Summer performed in Norway in 2009. More Photos »

By

 

Donna Summer, the multimillion-selling singer and songwriter whose hits captured both the giddy hedonism of the 1970s disco era and the feisty female solidarity of the early 1980s, died on Thursday at her home in Naples, Fla. She was 63.

The cause was cancer, her publicist, Brian Edwards, said.

With her doe eyes, cascade of hair and sinuous dance moves, Ms. Summer became the queen of disco — the music’s glamorous public face — as well as an idol with a substantial gay following. Her voice, airy and ethereal or brightly assertive, sailed over dance floors and leapt from radios from the mid-’70s well into the ’80s.

She riffled through styles as diverse as funk, electronica, rock and torch song as she piled up 14 Top 10 singles in the United States, among them “Love to Love You Baby,” “Bad Girls,” “Hot Stuff,” “Last Dance” and “She Works Hard for the Money.” In the late ’70s she had three double albums in a row that reached No. 1, and each sold more than a million copies.

Her combination of a church-rooted voice and up-to-the-minute dance beats was a template for 1970s disco, and, with her producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, she pioneered electronic dance music with the synthesizer pulse of “I Feel Love” in 1977, a sound that pervades 21st-century pop. Her own recordings have been sampled by, among others, Beyoncé, the Pet Shop Boys, Justice and Nas.

Ms. Summer won Grammy Awards for dance music, R&B, rock and gospel. Her recorded catalog spans the orgasmic moans of her first hit, “Love to Love You Baby,” the streetwalker chronicle of “Bad Girls,” the feminist moxie of “She Works Hard for the Money” and the religious devotion of “Forgive Me,” a gospel song that earned her another Grammy.

Through it all, Ms. Summer’s voice held on to an optimistic spirit and a determination to flourish. She garnered loyal fans. In 2009 she performed in Oslo at the concert honoring the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to President Obama….More at Donna Summer, 1948-2012: Donna Summer, Queen of Disco, Dies at 63

Rest in peace Donna you worked hard for the privilege. 

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]]> http://ozmusicreviews.com/donna-summer-loses-her-battle-with-cancer/feed 0 Stax Legend Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn Dies in Tokyo http://ozmusicreviews.com/stax-legend-donald-duck-dunn-dies-in-tokyo?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=stax-legend-donald-duck-dunn-dies-in-tokyo http://ozmusicreviews.com/stax-legend-donald-duck-dunn-dies-in-tokyo#comments Sun, 13 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000 http://ozmusicreviews.com/?p=369

A new week sadly another obituary. The New York Times reports that Donald 'Duck' Dunn died on Sunday in Tokyo. Although his name may seem humourous and unknown to many, it is very well known and revered among fans of the 60's Stax and Memphis Soul Sound. 

As the following article details Duck Dunn was the bassist and founder member of Booker T and The MG's and part of the Stax house band. He appeared on numerous hits where he laid down basslines for soul stars such as Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Albert King. He was also credited with writing many of the the Booker T and The MG's hits and is well known to a generation not around in the early 60's for playing himself in the backing band in the Blues Brothers movies. 

Duck Dunn, Bassist in Booker T. and the MG’s, Dies at 70

By PETER KEEPNEWS

Published: May 13, 2012
Duck Dunn, whose simple but inventive bass playing anchored numerous hit records and helped define the sound of Memphis soul music, died early Sunday in Tokyo, where he had been on tour. He was 70.

Enlarge This Image

Donald 'Duck' Dunn

Booker T and the MG's
Associated Press

From left, Al Jackson, Booker T. Jones, Duck Dunn and Steve Cropper, who were also the core of the Stax studio band.

His death was announced online by the guitarist Steve Cropper, a longtime associate and fellow member of the instrumental quartet Booker T. and the MG’s, who said Mr. Dunn died in his sleep but did not specify a cause. Mr. Dunn and Mr. Cropper had been performing at the Tokyo Blue Note with a Stax Records alumni band.

As the resident bassist at Stax’s studio in Memphis for much of the 1960s, Mr. Dunn provided the solid, bluesy foundation for classic soul records like Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour,” Sam & Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Coming,” Albert King’s “Born Under a Bad Sign” and a long string of hits by Otis Redding, with whom he and other Stax studio musicians also performed at the Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967.

Stax recordings were known for their raw, down-home soulfulness, a striking contrast to the urbane slickness of Stax’s friendly rival, Motown. Mr. Dunn’s playing was an essential element of the Stax sound.

Booker T. and the MG’s (the initials stood for Memphis Group), whose members — Mr. Dunn, Mr. Cropper, the drummer Al Jackson and the organist Booker T. Jones — were also the core of the Stax studio band, had a few memorable hit singles on its own, among them “Hip Hug-Her” and “Time Is Tight.” (Mr. Dunn did not play on the group’s first and biggest hit, “Green Onions,” which reached No. 3 on the Billboard chart in 1962; at the time he was a member of another instrumental ensemble, the Mar-Keys, which had a No. 3 hit of its own in 1961 with “Last Night.”) The group was unusual for the era in that it was racially integrated: Mr. Dunn and Mr. Cropper were white, Mr. Jones and Mr. Jackson were black.

After Booker T. and the MG’s disbanded in the early 1970s, Mr. Dunn remained active at Stax as a session musician and occasional producer. He also performed or recorded with a long list of well-known artists, including Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Levon Helm, John Fogerty and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Reviewing a concert by Mr. Clapton in 1985, Robert Palmer of The New York Times praised Mr. Dunn as “perhaps rock’s most impeccably springy bassist” and said that his presence raised the band’s “level of playing all by itself.”

One of Mr. Dunn’s most high-profile sideman jobs was with the band that backed John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in their incarnation as the Blues Brothers, playing a repertory that mixed Chicago-style electric blues with Stax-style R&B. The members of the band, who also included Mr. Cropper, had speaking as well as musical roles in the 1980 movie “The Blues Brothers” and were also in the belated sequel, “Blues Brothers 2000” (1998), which starred Mr. Aykroyd and John Goodman.

“Other than Booker’s band, that’s the most fun band I’ve ever been in,” Mr. Dunn told Vintage Guitar magazine in 2007.

Booker T. and the MG’s reunited periodically, although they were without a regular drummer after Mr. Jackson was fatally shot in 1975. Their later appearances included a tour as Neil Young’s backing band in 1993. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and received a lifetime achievement Grammy Award in 2007.

Donald Dunn was born in Memphis on Nov. 24, 1941, and acquired his nickname as a child. After Mr. Cropper, a childhood friend, began playing guitar, Mr. Dunn took up the electric bass — because, he liked to say, it had two fewer strings than a guitar — and the two were working around town while still in high school with the band that would become the Mar-Keys. He followed Mr. Cropper into the Stax studios and was a member of Booker T. and the MG’s by the mid-1960s.

Survivors include his wife, June; his son, Jeff; and a grandson….More at Duck Dunn, Bassist in Booker T. and the MG’s, Dies at 70

Rest in peace Duck, people wil be dancing to your music forever. 

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]]> http://ozmusicreviews.com/stax-legend-donald-duck-dunn-dies-in-tokyo/feed 2 Pioneering White Rapper Loses Cancer Battle http://ozmusicreviews.com/pioneering-white-rapper-loses-cancer-battle?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pioneering-white-rapper-loses-cancer-battle http://ozmusicreviews.com/pioneering-white-rapper-loses-cancer-battle#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000 http://ozmusicreviews.com/?p=346

Sadly, obituaries are becoming all too common on this site this year. But the New York Times reports that the pioneering white rapper Adam Yauch, also known as MCA of the Beastie Boys, died on Friday aged 47 after a three year battle with cancer.   

I have never been a major fan of rap music, but there were several tracks by the Beastie Boys that appealed to me. None more so than the defiant 1986 worldwide hit Fight for Your Right (To Party).

 
 
Adam Yauch, 1964-2012

Rapper Conquered Music World in ’80s With Beastie Boys

Chris Farina/Getty Images

The Beastie Boys performing in 2004: Michael Diamond, left, Adam Yauch and Adam Horovitz.

By

 

Adam Yauch, a rapper and founder of the pioneering and multimillion-selling hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, died on Friday in Manhattan. He was 47.

Related

Marko Djurica/Reuters

Mr. Yauch in 2007.

His mother, Frances Yauch, confirmed his death. He had been treated for cancer of the salivary gland for the last three years.

With a scratchy voice that grew scratchier through the years, Mr. Yauch rapped as MCA in the Beastie Boys, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. They offered many listeners in the 1980s their first exposure to hip-hop. They were vanguard white rappers who helped extend the art of sampling and gained the respect of their African-American peers.

While many hip-hop careers are brief, the Beastie Boys appealed not only to the fans they reached in the 1980s but to successive generations, making million-selling albums into the 2000s. They grew up without losing their sense of humor or their ear for a party beat.

Mr. Yauch (pronounced yowk) was a major factor in the Beastie Boys’ evolution from their early incarnation, as testosterone-driven pranksters, to their later years as sonic experimenters, as socially conscious rappers — championing the cause of freedom in Tibet — and as keepers of old-school hip-hop memories. The Beastie Boys became an institution — one that could have arisen only amid the artistic, social and accidental connections of New York City.

In the history of hip-hop, the Beastie Boys were both improbable and perhaps inevitable: appreciators, popularizers and extrapolators of a culture they weren’t born into.

“The Beasties opened hip-hop music up to the suburbs,” said Rick Rubin, who produced the group’s 1986 debut album, in a recent interview with The Plain Dealer of Cleveland. “As crazy as they were, they seemed safe to Middle America, in a way black artists hadn’t been up to that time.”

The rapper Eminem said in a statement, “I think it’s obvious to anyone how big of an influence the Beastie Boys were on me and so many others.”

The Beastie Boys started their major-label career with two pivotal albums: “Licensed to Ill” (1986), a cornerstone of rap-rock that became the first hip-hop album to top the Billboard chart, and “Paul’s Boutique” (1989), a wildly eclectic, sample-based production that became a template for experimental hip-hop.

The Beasties brand expanded well beyond music: with their own magazine and record label, Grand Royal; with the social activism of Mr. Yauch’s Milarepa Foundation, which produced an international series of Tibetan Freedom Concerts; and with work in film, as Mr. Yauch (calling himself Nathanial Hörnblowér) directed Beastie Boys videos and went on to start Oscilloscope Laboratories, an independent film production and distribution company….More at Adam Yauch, 1964-2012: Adam Yauch, a Founder of the Beastie Boys, Dies at 47

Rest in peace Adam, you fought for your right. 

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]]> http://ozmusicreviews.com/pioneering-white-rapper-loses-cancer-battle/feed 0 Oldies Convert Young Fans at Byron Bay Bluesfest http://ozmusicreviews.com/oldies-convert-young-fans-at-byron-bay-bluesfest?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=oldies-convert-young-fans-at-byron-bay-bluesfest http://ozmusicreviews.com/oldies-convert-young-fans-at-byron-bay-bluesfest#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000 http://ozmusicreviews.com/?p=327

The ABC reports that the annual Byron Bay Bluesfest was a huge success with the young and old, despite many of the songs being performed having been written long before many of the crowd were born. 
 
Some of the extremely established acts performing included Donovan, Crosby, Stills and Nash, John Fogerty and British Ska veterans The Specials.
 
The Bench - CSN

Crosby, Stills and Nash. many moons before their appearance at Bluesfest. Image by oddsock via Flickr

Big names shine at Byron’s


Bluesfest

By arts reporter Anne Maria Nicholson

Updated April 09, 2012 20:24:29

A brilliant full moon shone down on an enraptured crowd as John Fogerty belted out his signature 1968 hit Bad Moon Rising at the 23rd annual Byron Bay Bluesfest this Easter weekend.

People of all ages packed the Mojo marquee, the biggest venue at the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, for the Saturday night finale.

Headliner Fogerty performed one Credence Clearwater Revival classic after another, including mega-hit Proud Mary and the album Cosmo's Factory from start to finish.

The singer-songwriter belied his 66 years and bridged generations as he leapt about the stage – dark hair flying – performing hits written well before many in the audience were born.

Fogerty wasn't the only performer to bring wisdom and wrinkles to Bluesfest.

He followed his folk-pop contemporary Donovan, who served up chartbusting ballads including Catch The Wind and Jennifer Juniper.

Backstage, Scottish-born Donovan said he toured purely “for the fun of it”.

“The buzz!” he said. “When I stepped onto the stage it was extraordinary.”

Music has made Donovan wealthy, and his comments may well bring a tear to the eye of many of the other 60 bands at Bluesfest, who sometimes struggle to make ends meet.

“We're blessed as songwriters. The money rolls in,” he said.

“Plenty of money,” he added.

Donovan also spoke candidly about his friendship with The Beatles, recalling how he taught John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney his finger-picking guitar style in 1968.

He says the style “is all over the White Album”.

He travelled with the group to India to study meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, an experience that revolutionised the supergroup's music.

“We were there for six weeks and all they could bring were acoustic guitars. They watched me and asked me how was I playing.”

Donovan performs at Bluesfest. Photo: Donovan performs at the 2012 Byron Bay Bluesfest at Byron Bay in northern New South Wales (Evan Malcom Photography)

 

Kind weather

Bluesfest and its host town Byron Bay are renowned for wet Easter weather. But this year the gumboot salesmen were kept at bay as the sun beat down on capacity crowds over five hot days, and the moon and the stars over balmy nights.

“I've been coming here for 15 years and I've never seen the weather so good,” said Sydney artist Sallie Portnoy.

“The music is amazing. So much choice.”

But she shared gripes held by other festival-goers – too many police, too many deckchairs and too much commercialisation.

“There was no seating this year, so people are bringing their own chairs and they get in the way of dancing and getting around,” she said.

“I miss the stalls full of handmade food, clothing and artefacts. And buskers, they've disappeared.”

Sound problems plagued the early part of the festival, especially in the giant Mojo tent, interfering with sets by Seasick Steve and Brian Setzer's Rockabilly Riot.

But the problems were rectified.

Sniffer dogs checked people queuing to enter the site, but the smell of marijuana still lingered – as synonymous with music festivals as the songs and the hats.

Perky trilby hats are now the go, putting baseball caps into the hat museum, at least for now.

Revved up

On a clear Good Friday night, The Specials, an English ska revival band formed in 1977, brought back memories to long-term fans and won new ones with their punk energy and cute two-step dance moves.

“I remember seeing them for the first time in England in 1983,” recalled festivalgoer Tim Seres.

“It's great to see their music has transcended to a new generation,” he said.

The band revved up the crowd in time for the highly-polished '70s super funk group Earth, Wind And Fire.

White teeth flashing and long black tresses trailing, base guitarist Verdine White's tail-feather dance drew rapturous applause. He shook and boogied his way across the stage, blue cowboy chaps shimmering beneath the lights.

Across the way, Californian super-group Crosby, Still And Nash – with a combined age of 207 years – wowed the crowd at Bluesfest as part of an Australian tour.

There was more tail-feathering going on with African diva, the grammy-award winning Angelique Kidjo. A regular at Bluesfest, the Benin-born singer-songwriter with just a smattering of blonde hair atop her head, dazzled with her world fusion beat.

Aussies centre stage

Australian bands stood toe to toe with international headliners this year.

Cold Chisel pleased old fans and won new hearts on opening night, performing from their new album No Plans with new songs and old favourites.

The John Butler Trio kept crowds up late into Easter Sunday night with a two-hour upbeat show.

The Melbourne Ska Orchestra, fronted by skilled showman Nicky Bomba, won the prize for most musos on stage.

At one stage 36 were visible, though officially the fun-loving big band has 26 players. They've gained a solid festival following, with the Bluefest crowd relishing the chance to dance.

Sydney outfit The Backsliders, regarded as the country's best acoustic blues band, brought Rob Hirst back to Byron.

The drummer first played at the festival 30 years ago as part of Midnight Oil and has been coming back and forth ever since. Two years ago he performed with the “surfing music meets sci-fi” band The Break.

“This kind of blues festival gives major veteran musicians the chance to turn on a new generation with their music,” Hirst said, clearly loving still feeling top of his game after more than three decades.

As the 2012 festival draws to a close, thousands of music lovers and onsite campers are preparing to pull out and return home.

Though many may be exhausted, feet are still tapping and voices humming.

Bluesfest is the largest roots music event in the southern hemisphere….More at Big names shine at Byron's Bluesfest

Great to see that the weather was as good as the music, but not so good for us on the other side of the country that so few of these acts made it across here. Seasick Steve was due to play at the Perth Arts Festival, but was cancelled and I never saw an explanation. Brian Setzers Rockabilly Riot would have gone down a storm here, if the last appearance of the Stray Cats was anything to go by. On that night Setzer looked genuinely surprised at the great reception they received. Well these are the things we suffer for living in the most isolated capital city on the world. As usual WA will Wait Awhile

Plenty of recorded material is available from these great old musos.

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]]> http://ozmusicreviews.com/oldies-convert-young-fans-at-byron-bay-bluesfest/feed 1 Molly Meldrum’s life has changed forever. http://ozmusicreviews.com/molly-meldrums-life-has-changed-forever?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=molly-meldrums-life-has-changed-forever http://ozmusicreviews.com/molly-meldrums-life-has-changed-forever#comments Sun, 29 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 http://ozmusicreviews.com/?p=320

The ABC reports that Molly Meldrum's life has changed forever since his fall from a ladder at his home in Melbourne before Christmas last year. 

The veteran Australian music presenter sustained life threatening injuries while putting up Christmas decorations, but now seems to be firmly on the mend. 

Jeanie2 103

Molly Meldrum on the mend. Image by jeaneeem via Flickr

My life has changed forever,


Meldrum reveals

Molly Meldrum has opened up about how his life has changed forever following a fall at his Melbourne home last December.

In a personal letter published in The Herald Sun, Meldrum has spoken about his recovery from the life-threatening accident and of his gratitude for all the support he has received from family, friends and members of the public.

“As you know, I've been out on the tiles a number of times. But never like this. My life changed forever when I fell off the roof on December 15 last year,” he wrote.

“I can't say my life flashed before my eyes, but I have had plenty of time to reflect in the past few weeks, and I realise just how lucky I am.”

Meldrum says his maintenance man Joe saved his life on “that fateful day”.

“Joe rushed to my aid while my PA, Yael Cohn, called the ambulance.”

Meldrum revealed he received thousands of messages of support, including from Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Elton John.

“Lizzie (Meldrum's friend Lizzie Joyce) was a little fazed when she told me: 'There's someone on the phone claiming to be Elton John'.”

“'What happened, dear?' Elton asked. 'We were together at my concert in Melbourne and then I hear you're in a critical condition. Are you okay?'” Meldrum recalled….More at My life has changed forever, Meldrum reveals

It's great to hear that Molly is back up and about and working on a full recovery. We all know how damaging brain injuries can be. Even for those that survive, paralysis and brain impairment are frequent results. 

Fortunately Molly seems to have been spared any of those lasting horrors and has apparently sworn off of the demon drink since his recovery. 

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]]> http://ozmusicreviews.com/molly-meldrums-life-has-changed-forever/feed 0 Levon Helm Joins The Band in the Sky http://ozmusicreviews.com/levon-helm-joins-the-band-in-the-sky?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=levon-helm-joins-the-band-in-the-sky http://ozmusicreviews.com/levon-helm-joins-the-band-in-the-sky#comments Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 http://ozmusicreviews.com/?p=291
Levon Helm lost his battle with cancer yesterday and joined that great band in the sky. Not just his former band mates in the legendary 70's group The Band, but all those other great musicians who have died this year and before. 

This report from Forbes may not be the greatest tribute to Levon this week, but it does give some background information for those that are too young or unfamiliar with Levon and his former band mates. 

 

A Tribute to Levon Helm's
Departed Band Mates
Rick Danko and Richard Manuel

A friend sent me a Facebook message about the passing of Levon Helm, that he decided not to post on my wall for fear of it being misinterpreted.

This takes absolutely nothing away from the greatness of Levon Helm, who deserves all the tributes he’s getting, but I don’t remember Richard Manuel or Rick Danko getting nearly this level of attention when they died.

My friend is right, of course. Manuel, who died in 1986, and Danko, who passed away in 1999, didn’t receive tributes commensurate with their talent and influence, and no one would be quicker to acknowledge this than Levon.

Most rock and roll bands consist of a leader, maybe two, and a bunch of supporting role players. Not The Band. Helm was one of three lead vocalists, along with Danko and Manuel, and they would not only trade parts over the course of a record, but often in the middle of a song. In the studio, Helm would often slip in on mandolin while Manuel took over drumming duties, and Danko often played guitar as well as bass.

(As for the surviving  members of The Band, Robbie Robertson was the group’s primary lyricist and guitar player, while the classically trained Garth Hudson was a multi-instrumentalist specializing in keyboards, accordion, as well as the occasional tasty sax part. Producer John Simon also made significant musical contributions and was considered the sixth member of The Band.)…More at A Tribute to Levon Helm's Departed Band Mates, Rick Danko and Richard Manuel

If you have not seen the film The Last Waltz, you really should. It is one of the best concert films of all time. Directed by Martin Scorsese it features a host of guest performances from many great legends of rock music, including Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Ronnie Hawkins, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Wood and Neil Young to name but a few. It also serves as a great tribute to Levon Helm, as well as Rick Danko and Richard Manuel. 

Here's a clip from the film and one of The Band's most well known songs: 

Elton John's song Levon also serves as a great tribute to Mr Helm. Apparently it was Helm’s name that inspired Bernie Taupin and Elton John to write this song. The Band was their favorite group at the time. Some of the the lyrics are really apt. 

 

You can find The Last Waltz at Amazon. Just Click Below.
 You can find The Last Waltz at Itunes. Just Click Below.

The Last Waltz - The Band

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]]> http://ozmusicreviews.com/levon-helm-joins-the-band-in-the-sky/feed 1 Make Music in May http://ozmusicreviews.com/make-music-in-may?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=make-music-in-may http://ozmusicreviews.com/make-music-in-may#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 http://ozmusicreviews.com/?p=283

Ninemsn reports that May is the month to make music, not just for your listening pleasure but because it can make you feel better and even cure some conditions. 

make-music-in-may

Image by donnaidh_sidhe via Flickr

Australians are being asked to sing and play music in May to promote song as a healing art that can banish depression and reduce pain.

Making Music Being Well 2012, an annual week-long initiative that starts on May 21, is designed to get school and community groups to celebrate links between making music and health benefits.

The Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA) says making music has been shown to be good for individuals and good for society.

AMTA president Felicity Baker says the brain's ability to regenerate and form new pathways when people learn new things is “exciting” where music is concerned.

“There's a lot of evidence now that music learning is great for the brain, whether in infancy or for older people,” she said in a statement.

Research has shown making music can help alleviate depression, reduce anxiety and help people build trust and social connections.

Learning a wind instrument can help people with asthma with breath control, and singing to people in even the most advanced stage of dementia can be beneficial, Ms Baker says.

The Music Council of Australia, which organises the event, said last year 50,000 people sang or played music in hospitals, schools, nursing homes, community centres, concert halls, markets, churches, universities, parks and shopping centres.

People can register to participate this year at www.makingmusicbeingwell.org.au.

Registered participants receive posters, flyers and other free support materials to help plan and promote their events….More at Make music in May, musicians say

 

I know from my own experience how slight changes in sound can change the way that people feel. And we all know that different types of music can make us feel sad, melancholy, happy, elated etc. It has long been established too, that learning to play a musical instrument improves the pathways in the brain and reaction speed of the synapses. This in turn can ward off memory deterioration and even Alzheimer’s disease.

This can be taken even further to improve brain capacity, aid meditation and increase energy using Brain Entrainment, you can find out much more on this subject at Mind Sync Review

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]]> http://ozmusicreviews.com/make-music-in-may/feed 0 Monkee Davy Jones Dies at 66 http://ozmusicreviews.com/monkee-davy-jones-dies-at-66?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=monkee-davy-jones-dies-at-66 http://ozmusicreviews.com/monkee-davy-jones-dies-at-66#comments Sun, 04 Mar 2012 05:39:11 +0000 http://ozmusicreviews.com/?p=258 Another star of the pop music world passed away this week. Davy Jones the “lead singer” and front man of the 1960’s TV group The Monkees suffered a massive heart attack at his home in Florida.

Davy Jones of The Monkees

Davy Jones The British Monkee

The Monkees were highly criticised in “serious” music circles and deemed to be the first manufactured group, they were nicknamed the Pre-Fab Four in deference to the Beatles alias of the Fab Four. They were put together by a TV producer and fan of the Beatles movies. All of the members who were auditioned were some time actors and musicians, with Davy and Mickey Dolenz having some degree of fame as child actors. Davy appeared on the well known English soap opera Coronation Street and played the Artful Dodger in a stage production of Oliver that traveled to the States. Coincidentally it was a roll that was also played by future rock stars Phil Collins and Steve Marriott of the Small Faces and Humble Pie.


A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You

In the long run none of the criticism of the band mattered, as the TV shows that they made were huge fun and highly popular in their era and many years later. You can always find re-runs somewhere. And the music was none too shabby either. There were 4 number one albums, 3 number one singles and 7 other top 30 singles (US Billboard charts), They were popular all over the world and Jones and the other Monkees have lived on that fame ever since.

It was of course because of Davy’s popularity that another 60′s singer called David Jones was forced to change his name to David Bowie.

Although Davy Jones played the lead singer on TV, Mickey Dolenz actually took care of lead vocals on most of their singles. But Davy did sing lead on the hits Daydream Believer, A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You, and Valleri and was probably the most popular with the teenage girl fans. In fact he retained his boyish looks throughout his life.


Daydream Believer – One of The Monkees most popular songs and certainly my favourite.

Davy married three times, the last of his wives being half his age and younger than his two daughters from his first marriage. He also had two daughters from his second marriage. I last saw him on a TV show called Soundtrack To My Life where he sang some of his old hits and a newer song written by one of his daughters. I’m not sure when it was recorded, but he was still looking youthful, healthy and happy.

Davy Jones

Davy Jones December 30, 1945 - February 29, 2012

Thanks for the music and the fun Davy. Rest in Peace.

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]]> http://ozmusicreviews.com/monkee-davy-jones-dies-at-66/feed 0 Whitney Houston Dies in the LA Hilton http://ozmusicreviews.com/whitney-houston-dies-in-the-la-hilton?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=whitney-houston-dies-in-the-la-hilton http://ozmusicreviews.com/whitney-houston-dies-in-the-la-hilton#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:31:33 +0000 http://ozmusicreviews.com/?p=253 Another great music artist has passed this week, once again, it seems, due to addiction to drugs. Unkind comments have been popping up in various places on the web and other media, by people that seem to have no understanding or empathy for those that suffer with addiction. Whitney Houston was only 48 and but for her addiction and other emotional issues I am sure she could have had a career for at least another 20 years, like her aunt Dionne Warwick and her Godmother Aretha Franklin.

Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston August 9th 1963 - February 11th 2012

Sadly in recent years her health has not allowed her to reach the great heights of her early career. So let’s remember her with a few of the songs that sold in the millions around the world, illustrated that great voice and brought happiness to so many.

Saving All My Love For You was the first hit that I was aware of and sold more than a million copies, topping the R&B, pop, and adult contemporary charts in the summer of 1985. It earned Houston a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance.

Whitney’s 1993 Dolly Parton cover I Will Always Love You became nothing less than the biggest hit single in rock history. I was loathe to include it here, as it has been done to death and slaughtered on many a Pop Idol contest on several continents. But you can not have a Whitney tribute without it and no one really hit those big notes like she did.

Just as a comparison I have included Dolly’s gentle country original, the only other version worth listening to.

And just to show it was not all sappy ballads and she could dance it up with the best of them, here’s Miss Huston‘s international hit I Wanna Dance with Somebody from her 1985 album Whitney, which made her an international star and included a string of hit singles.

Rest in peace Whitney, we miss you already.

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]]> http://ozmusicreviews.com/whitney-houston-dies-in-the-la-hilton/feed 0 Easy Home Recording http://ozmusicreviews.com/easy-home-recording?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=easy-home-recording http://ozmusicreviews.com/easy-home-recording#comments Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:44:49 +0000 http://ozmusicreviews.com/?p=233 Easy Home Recording Blueprint


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I could go on about the benefits of this Ebook and Video home recording instruction set, but it is probably easiest if you check out the author for your self and he will explain in a brief video and give you some free tips right away.

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In addition to the Easy Home Recording Blueprint you can also pick up the Musicians Guide to Getting Heard for free, so that you will know the best places to distribute your music so that it is heard by the right people.

Easy Home Recording Blueprint

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