Inspired by the sight of a ciggie packet being chucked off the side of a boat in Indonesia, Rubbish Throwers is the name of the latest musical venture from Tassie-bred Melbourne-based maverick Duncan Blachford.

A drummer by default, Blachford is an ex Witch Hat and a current member of Snawklor, Actual Holes and Miniature Submarines. Rubbish Throwers is a dangerous new splinter cell evolving out of his long-time solo project Drunk Hands.

The four tracks that comprise Rubbish Throwers’ stupendously noisy debut 7” were recorded by Blachford back in ’07. The actual band, however, only came together recently, popping up in various holes around Melbourne (next dates are April 3rd at The Empress and April 10th at Irene’s Warehouse) and making fresh recordings on a cassette deck they found in the street.

As a lover of rubbish and throwing stuff, UB.com’s Danger Coolidge couldn’t resist engaging in a little trash talk with Duncan Blachford…

So Dunc, is Rubbish Throwers a solo project, band, Transformer, anti-terrorist organisation, what?
I pressed a solo 7” of superfuzzed punkers and called it Rubbish Throwers. Now I’m getting my kicks recording with friends from Hobart and we’ve adopted the name. You could say it’s more like a 1980s Voltron, with some late-70s space-junk thrown in. The pressing came back from the plant the same day as our first show, so it worked out nice.

How is Rubbish Throwers different from your previous solo thingo Drunk Hands?
Drunk Hands was a solo project, whereas Rubbish Throwers is a band. The 7” confuses the theory, but that was just a matter of timing. When Drunk Hands became a live band, I was playing guitar. Although I did a Drunk Hands show in Brisbane playing drums while some folks from Blank Realm and Slug Guts made noise, so anything goes. Rubbish Throwers is a collaborative project, a real life band even. I wouldn’t release solo stuff as Rubbish Throwers again. I might do as Drunk Hands, but not at the moment.

Who is in Rubbish Throwers?
Patrick Cross is on guitar, Karl Von Bamberger on keys, Jesse Dimmick made a guest appearance on sax at our first show, so now he’s in, and I’m playing drums and percussion. We’ve added a ring-mod and microphone to round things out. It’s shape-shifting but that’s it for today.

Is Rubbish Throwers 7” the first thing you’ve released since leaving Witch Hats? Why did you leave Witch Hats – we like that band?
First release seeing as free downloads don’t count. Are punks really just a bunch of shopaholics? I left Witch Hats for a lot of reasons. I just had different ideas in the end. We were a pretty close family so there’s still some love. The US tour was awesome.

You are known throughout several states as a fine dancer. Who is your main inspiration?
Imagine Molly Meldrum staggering down a corridor trying to find the toilet before he shits himself, but falling into the wall and erupting in a pile of goop. He tries to find his dirty ‘ludes but his eyeballs fall out. You can guess what happens next. That’s the basis of all my moves. How did you hear about this?

What other bands are you in?
Snawklor is keeping me super busy. If you know Snawklor’s history, they’ve been around for about ten years as a duo doing a huge array of crazy shit, playing to 50,000 bats and the like. Now they’ve recruited me and it’s morphed into a whole new phase. We’ll be touring the country in June I think. I also play in Miniature Submarines with Mark Nelson (The Stabs), and record with Alison Bolger (Beaches/Panel of Judges) as Actual Holes. They’re the main ones. I’m also releasing solo stuff under my own name and there’s a few collaborations in the works.

The RT 7” was done a few years ago. Is this still indicative of the sound now?
I recorded it at home late 2007, straight to a shitty computer with one mic on borrowed gear. I had Ian Wadley’s Moody bass amp, Lauren Bamford’s old drum kit, a guitar and a shitty bass (I swapped my Playstation for it in ‘99). The record is 90% improvised, drums first then overdubs. It’s almost the antithesis of what we sound like now. The 7” was both an attempt at writing short pop songs very quickly, and being totally over the top, noisy and harsh. It’s very different to what we do now. I recently got obsessed with trying to play arrhythmical drums, and that’s when Rubbish Throwers got together. The parameters were: no beats, no riffs, no distortion, and keep the volume down. We’ve started doing a few rhythmically driven pieces now, so it’s impossible to say what you’ll get on any given day. Probably the closest we come to sounding like anything off the record would be “Downed”, first song on the B-side.

How many copies of the 7” were done? Where’s the best place to buy it?
I pressed 150, the minimum run at Zenith. I’ve been really lazy sending them out, but I’ll try to get them around soon. Missing Link, Sunshine & Grease and Etheric Hymns already have them, or you can mail order direct thru Endless Melt. I’ve made next-to-no effort to shift them, so at this rate, I’ll have stock for the next four years.

The run-out groove features some inscriptions. Side-A says “Pop Hits” and Side-B says “Old Dog’s Home”. What’s the significance? “Jason PC” also carved his name in there on one side – why?!!! I hope you got a discount on the pressing.
I met Jason before the pressing. He must have been sniffing too much shellac and lost his fucking chops. That place is so bizarre, dreams really do happen. ‘Pop Hits’ is a joke, I don’t usually record pop songs and here they are. I thought ‘Old Dogs Home’ suited the B-Side, it’s also a tribute to the Dog House Hotel, a very formative place for a lot of Taswegians.

We hear you are an absolute whiz in the kitchen. What’s your specialty?
You’re starting to freak me out. Who have you been talking to? Yes, I can cook anything you want, it’s true. I started cooking when I was about five and could feed the family a three-course meal by the age of ten. I wanted to be a chef but discovered my teenage years and weekends. Lately it’s all about microwave lasagne served on corn chips. Did you read that article about fatty foods causing a cocaine-like addiction? Well, fatty foods are a lot cheaper than cocaine in Australia, so maybe there’s something in it.

Is Endless Melt your own label? Gonna release any other stuff by any other bands?
It’s purely a self-releaser. I just felt like releasing something again cause I record all the time and never do anything with it. I’d love to release other people’s stuff if I had the time and money, but I’d do a terrible job at the moment.

When was the last time you got into a heated argument or a punch up?
My last real punch-on was with Tom from Witch Hats while on tour in Sydney, about four years ago. We were on a bender and a muck-around nearly turned into murder. He’s a tough motherfucker. Actually, most of my fights have been in Sydney. That place must bring out the worst in me. I’m seriously not prone to violence. I argue about meaningless bullshit quite a lot, but mostly with myself.

Rubbish Throwers got any other recordings planned? Any gigs planned? Any military coups planned? Any plans whatsoever?!
I found a bunch of cassettes and a tape player on the road, so we record everything straight to tape. We’ll release a bunch of them soon. I like playing with people again, I’m pretty happy just doing that and hanging at home… We’ve got a few shows coming up. The venue we’re playing on Saturday has an upright piano, so we’re using that to take the faux jazz to the street. Wedged between two hard rock bands, there’s a very definite and perverse appeal in that.

Final thoughts?
My mind is as blank as Molly’s walls.

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Rubbish Throwers 7” is out through Endless Melt

Rubbish Throwers MySpace: www.myspace.com/rubbishthrowers

Holy shizer, Damen und Herren! German thrash hackers Sodom have just released the 20th Anniversary Edition of their ’89 masterwork, Agent Orange.

A watershed “Teutonic thrash” release, Sodom’s third full-length album was the first thrash metal album to enter the Deutsch hit parade and sold over 100,000 copies in the Fatherland alone.

The re-issue through SPV / Steamhammer features deluxe packaging and a bonus CD of live tracks. The LP comes as a double gatefold with three bonus tracks.

UB.com’s Danger Coolidge interviewed Sodom bassist/vocalist and mainstay, Tom Angelripper…

Of Agent Orange you recently said, “This album completely turned my life and the lives of my pals upside down.” How?
AO changed my life in one important way. That was the right album at the right time and got a good selling album. From that time I quit my job in the coalmine, were I have been since 1979. My dream came true to live just from the music and spent all my time for touring and rehearsing with the band.

Do you have any theory on why Agent Orange sold so well?
The songwriting was the same like it was on Persecution Mania, but the production was better and more powerful. We mixed the tracks in a different studio in Hannover (Horus Sound Studio), a state of the art recording in that times. But also SPV did a great job and they started a big promotion campaign that helped us to get more respect from the magazines and promoters.

What are your main memories from the recording?
I remember that there was a personal crisis brewing between the Frank [Blackfire, guitar] and Chris [Witchhunter, drums]. During the last days they didn’t had any conversation, cause Frank was pissed off about Witchhunter’s attitudes. It’s possible that he got the offer to join Kreator at this time, but he wants to finish the production. In this bad atmosphere we got drunk every day to get the same level. Harris [Johns, producer] was very disappointed about the situation, but he always pushed us to bring it to the end, but the problems got so massive and our anger discharged by destroying the whole hotel equipment. But anyway, we did it and finished the production so professional as possible.

Do you know what Harris is doing? He was one of the biggest producer’s in Europe back in the day but then he just seemed to disappear.
Sometimes, when I am in Berlin, I try to arrange a meeting with him, but we don’t have contact like in the early days. But he is still in the business and working for smaller bands. But in this times, where bands recording their albums at home with cheap digital equipment, producers like Harris are not more necessary. That is very sad, but I hope that Harris is still looking forward to produce younger bands who need somebody like him, directing him to the right way.

The album closes with “Don’t Walk Away”, a Tank cover. Tank are often cited as an influence on many bands yet they never really achieved big fame themselves. When did you discover Tank?
Tank was a big influence and still is! I saw them live when they toured in Germany together with Motörhead in 1981. And I was surprised, how much energy a three-piece band was able to release. That was awesome. I like the songwriting and Algy Ward’s vocals so much. In 1981 they released their first single “Don’t walk Away” and their first album Filth Hounds of Hades, but eight years later we start to cover Tank songs. My favourite Tank album is This Means War, but be sure, every album is a metal classic and have to find the way to every collection. Hammer on!!!!

Was it a surprise when Agent Orange entered the German pop charts?
I remember that we have been on tour that time and we got phone call from our label. They informed us about the chart entry. Yes we were surprised, because we entered the charts as the first metal band ever! That was awesome. Now we got the respect we deserved but we didn’t do the music for any labels or the music industry, we did it for the fans.

Many people consider Agent Orange Sodom’s “masterwork”. Do you feel it is your best?
No, I think that was the best album in that time and represents the spirit of the end of the ‘80s. I don’t have a favorite Sodom album and every album marks another step in our career and history.

Were you involved in putting the re-issue together? What bonus tracks  are on it – any studio outtakes?
Yes, was involved to help creating the setlist and the new booklet design. I remember that we had some original studio outtakes, but the original 24-track master tapes got lost and nobody knows where the stuff is gone, that very sad. In the ‘80s it was also usual to re-record over the tapes to spare money, that’s the business.

Chris Witchhunter died a few years ago. He had left Sodom, but do you think he still would have been proud of the fact that Agent Orange is being re-released?
Yes, I think so. He realised that Agent Orange was the most successful album in that times and it changed his live and gave him the respect that he deserved. It’s so sad that he died so young, but he always stay in my opinion.

Will you and Frank at least get together and have a beer to celebrate?
Yes, why not. I am still in contact with him. I think about to organise a class meeting once more. I like it so much to talk about the good old times with all the ex-members.

What is your favourite beer?
Diebels Alt. It’s a special dark brew and very popular in my area the Ruhr Valley.

Final thoughts?
I want to say “Thanks” to all the sodomaniacs for their loyal support all over the years and keep the band alive.

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The 20th Anniversary Edition of Agent Orange is out now through SPV / Steamhammer, distro’d locally through Riot!

Sodom MySpace: www.myspace.com/sodom

Mother And Father have got the grunge sound down and they’re bringing it from Bendigo via Melbourne to Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane next week.

Spruiking their latest full-length album, Nothin’, which came out a while ago on Z-Man, the band will play one final round of local dates [see below] ahead of a scheduled US tour in June.

Channelling Eddie Haskell, UB.com’s Danger Coolidge interviewed Mother And Father vocalist/guitarist Greg Kerslake…

Let’s start boring… the name Mother And Father… It has different connotations depending on what kind of mother and father you had. For instance, what would Oedipus think?
We try not to think about it too much. Though Oedipus never came to mind. I’m sure we’ve played to our fare share of modern day Oedipus’s. We’re all from backwater country towns… where most people’s family trees look like the silhouette of a rake.

Isn’t it classic punk rock to hate your mother and father? Aren’t they the fascist pricks that wouldn’t give Cyco Miko a Pepsi?
My parents raised me well, they would never give me Pepsi… they would always give me Coca Cola! I knew some kids who only ever got LA Ice… now that’s tough. My heart goes out to those guys.

Have you heard Mother & Son from Wollongong? Great band, named after the loveable sitcom. There are only two of them. Do you think you could ever fall in love and become one big, happy family?
We have heard of them. I think they do fine as a two-piece, less hassle. Besides, we’d have to call the band Family Ties if we merged… and that television show sucked.

You started off in Bendigo. I’ve never been there. What is a good Saturday night like in Bendigo?
A “good” Saturday night probably doesn’t exist anymore. I tried not to go out too much whilst I was there. Some friends and I would often go out at night and get up to no good… but generally the town is nice.

When someone calls you “grunge revivalists” do you want to hurt ‘em?
Not really. I have no interest in hurting anyone.

If your debut album Nothin’ was made into a TV series, what kind of show would it be and which actor should play you?
It would have to be a sketch show, or a parody of a sit com. Nothing would be serious… just gag after gag… zingers coming from all angles… and then an educational message at the end of the show for kids… but a weird confusing message. So it would be basically somewhere between “Wonder Showzen” with the editing qualities of “Garth Merengis Dark Place”. I’d want Matt Berry to play me… But I’m sure Tolley and Andy would want him too. We are actually a little sissy Matt Berry fan club.

My Chemical Romance are currently in the studio recoding a new album – what direction you reckon they’ll head in?
I’m sure those guys don’t worry about compasses and navigational devices anymore. What direction would you honestly need to go in…? Not to sound like a wanker but it’s just so far removed from where I am. It’s a different world. One I’ll never know.

Mother And Father are about to head to Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane for a couple of shows. What is the best you can hope for out of the shows?
The best we can hope for is to always just have fun… but we do have more fun when lots of people come. We have played in Sydney and Brisbane before but it’s always nice to keep going back. If anything I’d like to go back more frequently but it’s just expensive to travel.

In June, so the bio says, Mother And Father are heading to America. How are you gonna afford the time off work?
We’re all currently saving pretty hard. The jobs we have are all very understanding of our position. We all kind of have pretty hollow meaningless jobs anyway…

How did the American tour get organised? Seems like a hard thing to line-up long distance.
We’re organising it ourselves… and yes, it is terribly hard (due to wanky US venues not replying to emails). It is most likely going to be a tour / holiday. We want to aim to try and get about 10 – 15 shows along the west coast. It’s just going to be a bit of fun. We will be starting in Seattle and make our way to Los Angeles through Olympia, Portland, Eugene and San Francisco.

What’s the best gig you’ve seen so far in 2010?
1. Eddy Current Suppression Ring: at some bar in Newcastle and Homebake Festival
2. The Brian Jonestown Massacre: at the Hi-Fi
3. Straight Arrows: at Phoenix Bar in Canberra
4. Circle Pit: on the Yeah Yeah Yeahs tour, every show was great
5. The Horrors: at the Corner Hotel

Who’s gonna win the comp this year?
I don’t know but whoever does probably deserves it.

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DATES:
Thursday 25th March – Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle
Friday 26th March – World Bar, Sydney [w/Parading and Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys]
Saturday 27th March – Doldrums, Sydney [w/Parading and Whores]
Sunday 28th March – Phoenix, Canberra [w/Parading and Cat Cat]
Saturday 3rd April – Empress, Melbourne [w/Batrider and Rubbish Throwers]
Friday 9th April – Step Inn, Brisbane [w/Geese, Butcher Birds and Feathers]
Saturday 10th April – Cubbyhouse, Brisbane [w/Loomer]

Nothin’ is out now through Z-Man Records

Mother And Father myspace: www.myspace.com/motherandfathermusic

In issue #8 of UNBELIEVABLY Bad, Ben Brown unequivocally stated that The Hellmenn would never get back together again. “Rock is a young man’s game,” he said. “Rehearsals would be a nightmare,” he said. “I can’t remember any of the fuckin’ words,” he said.

But he lied.

This Saturday night, the North-side skate-surf-thrash-rock legends will re-unite for the Monster Session 2 benefit.

Coinciding with this momentous occasion is the release of the long-awaited Hellmenn compilation, Thermo Nuclear Sonic Burnout. Out through Missing Link’s new reissue label, Junkyard, the CD features 22-tracks including the unbeatable debut 12”, Herbal Lunacy, plus other rare selections from ‘87 – ‘93.

Monster Session is an annual Sydney-based event that raises money for sufferers of Multiple Sclerosis by resuscitating a bunch of long-forgotten acts from the eighties and nineties alternative scene.

Happening at Manning Bar, Sydney on March 13th, this year’s line-up will feature The Hellmenn alongside Depression, The Meanies, Hard-Ons, Frozen Doberman, Happy Hate Me Nots, Lime Spiders, Nunbait and heaps more.

With the gig just days away, UB.com’s Danger Coolidge confronted that dirty stinking liar Ben Brown…

You told us a Hellmenn reunion was never gonna happen! What the fuck happened?
We got asked a lot to do shows – and a lot of friends were reforming bands (or still playing) – I could see how much fun everyone was still having, and then when I put it to the other fellas, everyone was up for it. We have no reputation to lose. We were always all over the shop… so what the hell! (plus, rehearsals etc. get you out of the house drinking beers with your mates! making noise! beautiful!!).

The Hellmen always like to show support for “issues”. Did the fact that Monster Session is a benefit concert make it more appealing, or just that it’s gonna be full of old people who probably don’t expect much?
We always ran by the maxim ‘aim low, avoid disappointment’, so there is that. But it is definitely that it is a benefit show – all money goes to a good cause – and we were asked to do it. I think we need to be asked to do stuff. I can’t see us doing it off our own bat. And it was a great show last year, and of course it’s truly a worthwhile cause with a great vibe to the show.

Who is in the re-united Hellmenn line-up?
Everyone who was in the band is playing – except Steve [Healde], our drummer. We couldn’t contact him – although we do know he is up the coast somewhere. Grant Lawrence is playing drums for us. He is a veteran of many bands from up our way. We are all swapping around for different songs.

How have the rehearsals been?
Great fun. Only done two, one to go before the show, but we have been OK – we needed to have a listen back to a few tunes…

Will the setlist have from every period or are you favouring some stuff over other stuff?
Not really stuff from every record but leaning towards louder or popular songs – we will leave the weird stuff out this time around.

The Hellmenn CD has been coming for years now. Will it be out in time for the show?
It will be available at the show! It all came about by chance that is ready to coincide with this show – it is available now thru Missing Link. Mostly all early loud stuff with a couple of rare tracks added. 22 tracks all up. We still have more stuff that could make another ‘part 2’ CD – Missing Link are up for it – so the saga continues. Thermo Nuclear Sonic Burnout is available now!

Got any new T-shirt designs done for the show? Or will you have any classic T-shirt designs on sale?
We have done a classic tee print from about ‘87-‘88 that wasn’t available thru Waterfront at the time – we just did them ourselves – so we have done about 30 shirts with that old art, updated slightly to include details of the MS show.

Are you looking forward to seeing any of the other bands go round at Monster Session?
I always loved Daredevil – I sang four songs with them at a benefit show the other week, which was AWSOME fun – but it’s hard to single any out bands – probably the Meanies – haven’t seen them in a while… but fuck… Nunbait, Depression, Frozen Doberman… shit, it’s a sensory overload!

What is the worst reunion tour you’ve ever seen?
Almost all of them… why are we doing this?

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The Hellmenn MySpace: www.myspace.com/hellmenn

Monster Session 2 happens this Saturday, March 13th at the Manning Bar, Sydney Uni. Line-up as follows:
Daredevil                           1:50 – 2:15
Lunarcide                           2:30 – 5:55
Throwdown                           3:10 – 3:35
Tweezer                           3:50 – 4:20
Celibate Rifles                  4:35 – 5:05
Happy Hate Me Nots         5:20 – 5:50
Frozen Doberman                  6:10 – 6:40
Lime Spiders                   7:00 – 7:30
Nunbait                           7:50 – 8:20
Depression                           8:40 – 9:10
Hard-Ons                           9:30 – 10:00
Hellmenn                           10:20 – 11:00
Meanies                           11:20 – 12:00

Monster Session MySpace: www.myspace.com/monstersession

Who started the label and what were your general aspirations?
I (Lou Ridsdale) started up Z-Man Records clearly during a bout of insanity in the dead of the night during the winter of 2009. I obviously had too much to drink and thought I could take on the world. When I sobered up, I realized it was a reality, and I couldn’t look back. Actually, I started the label up when my part-time job of five years as publicist at Aztec Music (Melb-based reissue label) needed to become full-time, and I couldn’t commit to full-time due to Lance Rock Publicity (my music publicity business) and my work with Meredith Music Festival. So with the assistance of Ted Lethborg at Aztec, I set up Z-Man. The name is based on the character Ronnie “Z-Man” Barzell of Russ Meyer’s film Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls. I’m utterly obsessed with this film and highly recommend you watch it if you’ve not seen it. Fast dialogue, great music and sassy chicks wearing very cool threads. Ronnie is the A&R dude in the film, and Lance Rocke is the swindler/schmoozer of the film. So it made sense to call the record label Z-Man, and my music publicity company Lance Rock Publicity. So, I rolled up my sleeves and started signing bands that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. That’s my general guideline to signing artists to the label. My aspirations are to stay true to my indie philosophy and ethos I’ve instilled regarding my other music business, Lance Rock Publicity – I only work with musicians I admire both musically, and professionally. It’s not about commercial ability, but always about credibility. Being organised is also a must for bands too – I’m not here to wipe noses and tie shoelaces.

Where is the label’s homebase?
Z-Man HQ is, like all my other fave indie labels, in my loungeroom in my apartment in Nicholson Street, Nth Fitzroy. My warehouse is my hallway cupboards. True story. One day I’d love to move overseas (Berlin is a big possibility), but for now 3068 is just fine for me.

What kind of distribution does the label have?
Physical distribution of my CDs is via Aztec Music. Vinyl distribution is via the mighty folk at Missing Link. And overseas distribution of vinyl and CDs is via Shock Exports (a division of Shock Records and again another old workplace of mine). If shops don’t currently stock the CD/vinyl you can request to order it in. Or you can hit us up at www.zmanrecords.com for speedy and cheap mail orders worldwide. Digital distribution is via CD Baby: www.cdbaby.com.

How can a band get signed to your label?
Anyone can send their CD to me c/o PO Box 592, Nth Carlton, VIC, 3054 for me to listen to. And I do listen to all of them – that’s a promise. I’m a bit old and cranky these days and overdosed on music sometime ago, so I send out my A&R dude Mark Nelson (from The Stabs/Miniature Submarines) to hunt down new bands. He’s one of my best friends in the whole world and I’ve known him for over 10 years – we met at Triple R FM after bonding over The Stooges. Luckily we have similar musical tastes, which helps a lot, but we’re happy to thrash it out over something we disagree on too. I call him DJ Chucky, because years ago he DJ’d at my birthday party and was deathly ill with gastro (but the little sweetheart was determined to still DJ for me) and straight after of a special Dirtbombs track he played just for me, I noticed DJ Dead Air was in the house. Looking over to the abandoned DJ booth, I motioned to a mate to get on the turntable, and went in search of Marky. He was in the ladies toilets and the poor thing had chucked all over himself. He will kill me for telling that story. I can’t pinpoint what we are looking for: it just has to be AWESOME. I’d say I have a leaning towards rock and swampy-blues punk stuff, but my ears are open to all.

What are the biggest challenges you face as a record label owner right now?
I hate to be negative, but fuck it’s tough. I’m an avid vinyl collector, have been for over twenty years, so this whole digital stuff has me beat. But I know we have to cater to all, and so we do. CD manufacturing really is not cheap in this country, and vinyl is a killer (although I LOVE the work of Vinyl Factory in Sydney! Thanks Laura!). Problem is, once you sort out CD manufacturing costs, then sell to retail stores for not much more, but they have the right to put whatever price they want on your product. Record labels have no say, so if it appears expensive: don’t point the finger at the label, it’s the store. And it’s not the stores fault either, because not many people are coming through the door. They have to earn a living. We are all struggling. Because physical sales are so dismal these days, it’s really hard – you have to do short runs, which means it’s more expensive, because there’s no way in Australia you will shift large amounts. I got a bit jaded a while back and so along with the awesome Loki Lockwood of Spooky Records, set up a collective of indie record labels. We have started meeting regularly, so hopefully we can all help each other. We have to – or it’s not looking too good for us all.

Why do you do it?
That feeling of ripping off that plastic cover on stock that has just been delivered to me prior to it going to the stores is something I can’t describe. Blasting it out on my stereo speakers and a little bit of wee coming out of me, is just utter joy. Working with artists I love, and the sense of pride when I can deliver what they want. I liken myself to a curator at an art gallery: they are the creative ones, and I’m merely there to showcase their art. They have complete creative license over what they do. I’m just the dopey music fan, who coughs up the dough to help them release it because I freaking love it. It’s certainly not the ‘rolling-around-on-the-bed-naked-with-piles-of-cash-around-me’ part of the film. I think I have a clear advantage being a music publicist because that obviously helps shitloads in promoting the artist as well. I also think, to the best of my knowledge that I’m the only Australian woman to solely run a record label (maybe ever). There have been others in collaboration with partners, but never a woman sole operator. I’m happy to be corrected if wrong – but I think it may be the case. And possibly the world – but I reckon there has to be other women out there doing it surely? I’m pretty proud of that stat.

What else do you do?
I’ve been a music publicist for the past nine years running my own publicity company Lance Rock Publicity with my business partner Adele Spence. Check us out at www.lancerock.com.au – (typical bloody publicist, always pushing something). Actually the website is new and it’s the first time in years I’m happy to acknowledge it’s existence. Previous to that it was like a plumbers’ toilet: always broken! I also am the Artist Production Manager for Meredith Music Festival; Golden Plains Festival and also Laneway Festival (Melb only). Adele took over my old job a few years ago as Volunteers Manager – we always work together and joke that we’ll be buried together. I’ve been involved with Meredith for 9 years, and I’ve been to every single festival since it started 19 years ago. Best job in the world! I just started with Laneway this year, and had a ball. I love looking after artists backstage – really not work at all…just loads of fun. I’m completely musically retarded. I tried to play guitar years ago and my guitar teacher just turned to me and said, “Best you don’t”. The old adage, ‘Those who can’t…. teach’, applies here.

Favourite holiday destination?
Paris, France without a doubt. Have been four times and have an ongoing love affair with that city and have some very dear friends there. Second option would be Sardinia (small island off Italy) – amazing people and seafood, and a nice quiet getaway which doesn’t hurt the wallet too much.

What is your most recent release and what’s on for the short-term future?
In 2009 I released three artists’ titles: Mother & Father – Nothin’ LP and CD, Witch Hats – Solarium Down The Causeway EP and 10” vinyl, Mark Steiner – Broken + Fallen Little Birds Special Edition CD and Broken LP. My first release for 2010 is coming up in April and will be Melbourne band The Coralinas (a two-piece featuring Cam Butler & Mark Dawson). Cam is a brilliant musician; he was the driving force of Silver Ray and one of the best-dressed men in Melbourne by far. He is ridiculously under-rated in this country and it’s a crying shame. The man is awesome. Mark is equally talented, and was Ed Kuepper’s drummer through the late 80s and 90s. He now plays with The Blackeyed Susans and J.P. Shilo, as well as in The Coralinas. Most of my artists are happy to spread their tentacles overseas which is a damn good thing: Cam is off to tour Europe in April; Witch Hats toured the US in 2008 and are planning a European tour very soon; Mark Steiner lives in Norway and spends a lot of time in New York and relentlessly tours both continents, and has toured Australia twice now; and Mother And Father are off on their maiden voyage to tour America in June.

Long-term future?
Let’s just sit back and see what happens hey? I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.

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