1. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, www.dailytelegraph.com.au September 20, 2007
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SY
SY
Back in business
It’s been a long time between piano
tinkers for Alicia Keys, but the
songstress will finally air a new
album worldwide on November 13.
As I Am is the first studio set for the
nine-time Grammy winner since
2003’s The Diary Of Alicia Keys.
She may have taken the
production reins, but Keys
(pictured) still has plenty of
friends along for the ride. Hit
songwriter Linda Perry, John
Mayer and longtime pal and
collaborator Kerry Brothers
are all on board for the record
Keys describes as “Janis Joplin
meets Aretha Franklin”.
Clearly she’s modest too.
Original and the best
With Zack de la Rocha returning to
his rightful place out front of Rage
Against The Machine, rock fans
would be mad to miss the band
when they come to town.
The original and best RATM,
featuring the mighty force of guitarist
Tom Morello, drummer Brad Wilk
and bassist Tim Commerford,
rock the Sydney Entertainment
Centre on January 22. Tickets are
on sale next Thursday.
But is it really just a coincidence
that RATM will hit town around
the same time as a very popular
summer music festival?
League of their own
Did the thought of big footy blokes
give Scottish punkish rockers 1990s
a scare? Their scheduled Sydney
show on Sunday, September 30 was
brought forward three days, soon
after frontman Jackie McKeown
learnt about his gig’s clash with the
NRL Grand Final.
While the record label blames
international tour commitments,
it’s a convenient excuse.
No indie band in their right minds
would schedule a gig on the same
night as the city’s biggest annual
sporting event.
“Every time that happens, no
one comes to see you. It happened
when we went to Milan,” McKeown
says, recounting the night a 1990s
gig clashed with AC Milan winning
a major championship.
“It was the most dreadful night.”
Firing up the fans
While The Cat Empire prepare for
their eight-show record attempt at
The Metro, Felix Riebl has some
other sky-high ambitions. The
well-travelled frontman will
chair free pre-show Sustainability
Sessions, teaching fans easy
ways to reduce their carbon
footprints and sharing info on
global warming.
“They’re based on my
interest in the issue and it’s
also the topic No Longer There
was written about,” Riebl
says. “It’s a world issue
and people have to start
considering themselves
members of the world, not
just their country.”
The sessions run 5pm-6.30pm
at The Metro, October 15-20. Each is
limited to 200 people, so register at
the band’s official website.
Snow buddies
Gary Lightbody should keep an eye
on his Snow Patrol boys. Bassist Paul
“Pablo” Wilson has gotten so close
to tour buddies Silversun Pickups
he recently flew from Glasgow to
California just to play backing guitar
on the LA band’s hit single, Lazy Eye,
during a tiny showcase gig.
The Pickups “adopted” him as
their own while on tour in Australia.
“They’re the most fun people to
hang out with,” says frontman
Brian Aubert. “Say what you will
about Snow Patrol, I think it’s a very
rare thing what they do. They choose
the bands they like to go out on tour
with them, the bands they listen to.”
After a run of their own sold-out
east coast club shows, Silversun
Pickups don’t need much more
help from Snow Patrol.
“This is a big fat perk, being able to
come out here and have it be like it is.
It’s messing us up a little bit,” laughs
Aubert. The band are so taken aback
by the response, they’re eager to
return to play larger gigs.
Ears in high places
Local brother-sister duo Angus &
Julia Stone (pictured) have hit a real
purple patch. Following on from their
first album’s Top 10 debut comes the
news their single Paper Aeroplane
has scored a prime position on the
latest Hotel Costes collection.
The acclaimed lounge series’
producer Stephane Pompougnac
was drawn to the beautiful tune after
hearing it at a party in Paris.
● Kathy McCabe is on annual leave
K
elly Clarkson will be
out to please when
she hits Australia
next year for a round
of arena shows. The
international Idol megastar will
touch down in early 2008, playing
the Sydney Entertainment Centre
on March 6 and the Newcastle
Entertainment Centre on March 8.
“I hate when you go to shows
and it’s just the new record. We’re
definitely playing the hits,” she
says. “There are songs from all
the albums, some songs are fused
together – like mash-ups.”
Clarkson will bring with her
three huge albums – the biggest
being 2004’s 11 million-selling
Breakaway. While the latest set,
My December, has been panned
as commercial suicide in the
US, Aussie fans can’t seem to
get enough. Angry single Never
Again went gangbusters on the
airwaves, and Clarkson approved
the catchy One Minute as a
video-free radio single because,
“Y’all wanted it so fast in Australia
and I love y’all in Australia”.
The 25-year-old singer,
who downsized her US tour
to theatres, is relishing the
opportunity to command the
arena stage again. And despite
her diverse catalogue and
My December’s quite different
style, Clarkson is certain the
shows are going to rock.
“It’s more of an intimate record,
so it will be more of an intimate
show,” she says.
“It’s pretty rocked out with
the big songs and pretty intense
with the sweet acoustic songs.
There’s a lot of stuff that’s harder
like Hole, Judas, Never Again,
and sweet songs like Sober,
Be Still and Irvine.
“But regardless of it’s harder
or softer, it’s very intense.”
Clarkson will get the chance
to prove her mettle at an
invite-only Take 40 Lounge
Live gig at The Forum in Sydney
on September 30. Tickets for her
March shows are on sale October
8 through Ticketmaster (Sydney)
and Ticketek (Newcastle).
I will rock you:
Kelly Clarkson
promises to
please her fans
Doing the
mega mash