Sydney is now more expensive to live in than New York and LA. (It’s actually cheaper for me to fly there every week than live there)
1989's Macintosh Portable
I could spend the rest of my days watching old technology product releases and IK’d be a happy boy // this is from1989, the Macintosh Portable, being introduced by Jean-Louis Gassée who still today writes a really great email called the Monday Note Watch the Macintosh Portable launch
Love
Is this thing on?
Nine tweets radio staff should be tweeting in 2014
Broadcasters and content-creators have their own problems with Facebook’s newsfeed changes at the moment, and that’s why Twitter is a strong prospect for social sharing, building your brand, being amazing and encouraging your target demographic to #JoinTheConversation.
Most social media training that exists today is focused on brands that sell products or services, not brands that wholly and solely create content. So here’s my list of things that radio stations should be tweeting this year.
If you can tick off every item on this list in the next month you’re well on your way to 140 character success.
1. A tweet from your personal account
You listened to radio, and probably called into a radio station, long before you ever worked in radio didn’t you. So why should you, or anyone else, be given the keys to the station’s Twitter account if you aren’t actively following people, tweeting and retweeting?Start, or re-start, a personal Twitter account and actively use it. Simple. Follow people, unfollow people, search hashtags and local issues, find out who the popular Twitter users are in your town and say hi. Immerse yourself in the Twitterverse so you know what floats and what sinks in the firehose that is Twitter.
2. A tweet that no-one else could tweet
Your radio station has more resources, respect and a stronger brand than the average Twitter user. As a regular Joe I couldn't get Russell Crowe to call me, but on my first day on air at Star FM Port Macquarie I tweeted Russell Crowe from the station account and he called us right back.Above and beyond celebrity access you’ve got skilled journalists, media professionals that have lived in the area for years, reputable researchers and talented individuals, right inside your building with access to a Twitter account. Use those resources to craft a tweet that no-one else can tweet.
This includes historical items, longer form opinion on news pieces, breaking news, traffic information, contextual traffic information that delvers not only fact but reason. Music stations also have some of the world’s biggest music nerds, if a song’s on air, tweet a factoid about the song with a listen live link.
3. A tweet worth retweeting
Retweets are the number one way to get new followers. So tweet something that your followers will read and think “everyone else needs to see this as well”. Like in radio where we aim for CUME, in Twitter we aim for retweets.At the bottom of this post I'll share some of my most retweeted tweets, just as an example of 'retweetable tweets'. Not gloating, just sharing.
4. A tweet you’ve already tweeted
Twitter’s strength in it’s nowness (sound familiar radio people?).Twitter is a now medium, what was tweeted before now almost certainly does not have a long half-life. Very few tweets get on the retweet bandwagon that lasts for days or weeks.
So with that in mind, if you tweeted something amazing, even a link to some of your content, tweet it again later, later that day, later that week, later that month.
Start using a few of the tools that help you manage this service as well. Tweetdeck, Buffer, Hootsuite, Coschedule are just some of the tools you can use to help you ‘tweet later’.
5. A tweet that doesn't start with a @username
This is a simple one, that’s best explained in text. One of the following tweets will be seen by everyone that follows @joshuawithers and one of these tweets will be only be seen by people that also follow @joshuawithers:- In five minutes @joshuawithers has five tips on how to rock the Twitterverse. Listen live at [joshbeatingthedrum.com](http://joshbeatingthedrum.com)
- @joshuawithers has five tips to rock the Twitterverse in five minutes. Listen live at [joshebatingthedrum.com](http://joshebatingthedrum.com)
6. A #BREAKING tweet
I’m joking, never tweet #BREAKING. If the news you’re tweeting isn’t breaking, why are you tweeting it? Put the hashtags away unless absolutely necessary because every news piece you tweet should be breaking, so starting the tweet with BREAKING: is like starting the tweet with TWEET:.7. A grammatically correct tweet
Buy a dictionary, use Microsoft Word’s spellcheck, go back to school, it doesn’t matter what you need to do, just get your grammar right. Twitter is all about the text of the tweet and you’ve got to spell correctly, use good punctuation, correct you’re/rs and theirs/theres/they’res and learn what words need a capital letter and which ones don’t.Arfter all,if you can’t get it wright let someone else get they’re rocks off on Twiitter.
8. A severely local tweet
Everyone, seriously everyone, is already tweeting about that funny story in America, or that crazy thing that just happened on the other side of the country. But no-one is tweeting about the local mayor or that road issue. Tweet your beat, no-one else is.9. A paid tweet
This is an area to tread lightly, and carefully, and wisely, but you are allowed to tweet a commercial message from your Twitter account. There are millions of ideas here, and so many people have done it poorly already, this topic will probably make its way to another blogpost soon but I'll offer four tips on how to do this well:- Don't apologise for it
- Make it look like a normal and natural conversation
- Stay classy
- Charge for it
Examples of retweetable tweets, from my account
Here's a few tweets of mine that have gotten good traction in the Twitterverse. If you can spot aI wish I was that funny all of the time …
14 free radio ideas for 2014
Most people spend Boxing Day battling the sales or consuming mass amounts of sports on TV, but me, I drop my wife off at the shopping centre and have a few thoughts over a long black.
This morning I was thinking about how radio could be different in 2014 and the Albert Einstein line “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” came to mind.
If you’ve worked with me before you might recognise some of these from conversations or proposals gone past. They all ended up in the “crazy ideas” bin, so feel free to take them if you like, these ideas are all yours.
Non-stop DJ mixed radio
On B105 this morning I heard an amazing DJ-style-mix by one of the most talented people to sit in a production studio in Australia, David Konsky.A great piece of programming that for a few seconds differentiated it from Nova, 973, Spotify, Pandora, iTunes Radio, 96five and whatever was on DAB.
Now that Nova has replaced Novanation with Coles Radio (is that what happened on Christmas Eve?) why not launch a new radio format in the face of ARN’s CHR attack, a DJ style nonstop mix, that happy and uplifting style of music that you hear on the Surfers Paradise Boulevard on Summer Saturday afternoons.
Heck, just give DJ Goodwill 24 hours a day, he’d rock it! In fact, give half to Konsky, half to Goodwill.
Take the studio outside of the studio
24 hour outside broadcasts. The studio becomes a mixing desk and the program director unplugs the microphone. If someone is on the air talking, then they’re at the “scene of the crime” broadcasting live.The high horse of the quality broadcasting studio is great, but what if your news guy is live from that crash that just happened for the 2pm bulletin, then one talent is hanging out with the families at that massive local park checking out what they’re doing and making a quick package out of it then your other talent is on a yacht for the Sydney to Hobart, or something absolutely crazy that breaks all the rules of radio but makes it more local than it’s ever been.
One of the rising stars of the 2013 radio industry is Nic Kelly and although he’s a shining star in studio you should see him on the streets. If you gave him a wage, a car, a camera guy, and a producer I think you’d be pleasantly surprised with his airchecks.
Actually interactive radio apps
Radio apps really suck, like, they are really bad.The Fairfax radio apps deliver the station’s content in an above-average manner and the new SCA apps are pretty cool, but they have all missed the mark on one main thing: two-way communication and delivering a better-than-radio experience.
If your radio station app doesn’t allow me to send a sound bite of my opinion, a video of that crash that just happened, a “text message” of feedback or to vote on a poll, why does it even exist? I can listen on the hundreds of other radio apps.
Also, the producer that’s producing the show on air right now should be able to put the poll up and receive the soundbites or other content. If an engineer or “web guy” needs to be involved you’re not doing it right.
Ads in-format
I remember reading something about KIIS FM producers going for a drive to hear an advertising spot on air to see how it sounds in-the-mix and on-air. Mind blowing commitment to advert quality.I don’t know if they do that with every ad but would the Good Guys, Harvey Norman and that guy from National Tiles get a run on a station sounding that good?
Here’s my little challenge: produce adverts in the mind that they’re getting played on a certain station and they sound at home on that station amongst the other ads that all have that same format.
Get with the podcasting times
Two points on podcasting: Get podcasters on your station, get your station on podcasts.Firstly, there are some amazing podcasters in your very city. In Melbourne hundreds of thousands of people listen to some of the city’s little known comedians on podcast. Even my and Steve’s podcast the “Thing Committee” has been listened to over 350,000 times. Those kind of numbers on commercial radio would warrant ears being raised. But on podcast it’s the normal. Our podcast isn’t even “popular” with those kind of numbers
Secondly, you’ve got some really talented people in your building and they might not be hosting breakfast. Almost everyone in the station has been behind the mic, or would like to be, so why not workshop some niche shows they could produce on a weekly basis, record in the spare studio and put out on the station website. Imagine the possibilities!
You’ve got the resources and the skills, so why not do it?
Sales need to start working harder
This is a simple point that reflects on a mini survey of my and other small businesses around Brisbane that I catch up with online and over lunch fairly often: no-one from commercial radio has presented a good case, or a case at all, for why we should spend money with them. Not a phone call, email or invitation to hear them out. So I spend thousands of dollars on Google and Facebook advertising plus I create my own content that seems to hit the spot.But with that said, we’d all like to increase our business traffic and revenue, so if your advertising makes us money, doesn’t cost us money, then we’d love to hear from you some time.
Seriously, who is sales talking to?
Talk radio for “kids these days”
I’m 32, male and I experienced a terrible thing the other day: I ran out of podcasts. All of the podcasts I had subscribed to, I’d listened to the most recent episodes. I was on the way back from Maleny for an afternoon wedding and my rationing of my mobile data had reached that “two days left and 300MB” stage. I had no more speaking left to listen to.I tuned into the talk stations and those particular presenters on that day felt way out of my care-factor space. They were people who bitched and moaned about “kids these days”.
Here’s a tip: some “kids these days” like to listen to talk radio but we resort to podcasts to listen to our peers because the old fuddies on the radio quite often leave us with a sour taste in our mouth.
Open up the boys club
There was a segment on 4BC Breakfast last year, and for many years previous I assume, where a local identity joined the show every morning and talked about something interesting.I didn’t grow up in Brisbane but now call it home and I legitimately wanted to know who Obie was and why he had a segment every morning. And I worked there.
Obie’s probably a great bloke but I listened every morning and could never figure out who he was or what he did.
Listeners want to join the boys club, but we’d like an invitation.
Innovation on DAB
The greatest innovations on DAB in 2013 were a re-broadcast of Smooth FM into Brisbane, Fairfax starting a podcast/live sport station, ABC's donation of Dig to JJJ and 96five innovating in the Christian music space. There’s probably others, but no-one would know about them, DAB is the sleeping giant that keeps on being fed sleeping tablets.I challenge someone to do something absolutely crazy on DAB, something that would create talk and lead the charge on DAB receiver sales.
Non stop ad DAB channel
Here’s an idea for a new DAB channel: in the same way TV has gone, start a non-stop advertising channel. Companies can buy air-time and put whatever they want on air. Or maybe it’s nonstop local information that interests a certain demographic. Maybe there’s an opportunity there that no-one has even thought of?Get celebrity gossip news right
My wife is the prime candidate for everything SCA is trying to do with celeb gossip and the culture surrounding it, but she doesn’t care about it. She does however wake up every morning and before I even get a kiss or a cuddle she’s checking people.com on her mobile.She doesn’t even check the people.com app, it’s not as good as the website she tells me.
Britt is demographically right in the middle of the B105 target, she even likes radio, we met because she missed my breakfast radio show when I left, but she doesn’t care for Scoopla or anything of that feel on B105.
I don’t know what the answer is, but it’s not whatever is happening right now.
Recycle your radio content
That piece that you spent all day producing for that comedy segment is probably really good. Why can’t that get some airtime later on, over the next 6-12 months, 5-20 times? Package it up and keep it in the can.Here’s the key though: when you play it back don’t apologise about how it’s something old. Back yourself, just play it with no apologies. If it’s good content then it’s got legs for months.
Resource regional
Regional radio is the poor sister to metro as far as resources go, but when it comes to care-factor, the residents of Mackay rely on Sea FM’s Jay and Dave much much much more than any resident of Brisbane would rely on Spencer Howson. That's not to take away from Spencer, or anyone else on air in Brisbane, but they just have so many options. A Brisbane resident can go to the Brisbane Times website, the Courier Mail, anyone of the live and local radio and TV stations. Mackay residents have a much smaller media selection for ultra-local news.Regional radio is just so much more important to it’s community. Jay and Dave in Mackay, Wayne in Esperance or Glenney in Kalgoorlie are the underrated heroes of their communities and they deserve a pay-rise, extra resources and a promotions budget.
It’s just a damn shame if they don’t get it and end up in real estate like most regional radio superstars do.
Be useful on Facebook
There’s enough memes on Facebook to keep everyone busy for years. Here’s what’s lacking: actual useful information and entertainment.The greatest void on the Internet today is in original, relevant, relational, quality content.
Yep - what you do on air is missing online. You can connect the dots right?
What 'else' can radio learn from Breaking Bad
I don’t want to be the guy that upstages Brad March, I like his work.
I especially liked his recent blog post on RadioToday.com.au
But when I saw the headline “What can radio learn from Breaking Bad” I had a completely different set of dot points in mind.
So with full respect to Brad, here’s my list of ten things radio can learn from Breaking Bad.
- Breaking Bad cared about it’s viewers. The writing didn’t leave you angry or upset but it did leave you wanting more, like the last 5 seconds before we saw Vince Gilligan’s name appear in the credits. It reminds me of a coffee with a good friend where you share stories, cover off all bases, tie up loose ends and you’re brought up to speed. But then it’s time to go and you can’t wait to catch up again.
- Breaking Bad delivered the maximum amount of story it’s medium would allow. F%@k was censored whilst meth was cooked and whole gangs were brutally murdered on television. The writers, directors, producers, show runners all knew the limitations and the opportunities available to them in the realm of television and on-demand whether it was through DVD, iTunes or Bittorrent.
- People that found Breaking Bad late in the game, which is almost everyone, went back to the start and caught up. How many people are listening to old episodes of your show podcast?
- The story was satisfying. It went as long as it needed to and it was as short as it needed to. Although you enjoyed every last drop, it was satisfying to the end. It’s the kind of show Mick Jagger find satisfying. The system of rewards in regards to character development and story development delivered every time. As a character or a story element was introduced, you would get engaged and wonder what was happening, and then pow, the writers delivered.
- The visual and audio production elements were simple, but important and engaging. Scenes shot in Mexico had a slight yellow shade, so you knew you were in Mexico, even though it was the Albuquerque desert.
- The true story beneath the drugs and the murder, was about a man dealing with middle age. A school teacher who had his professional and personal dreams stolen and now has a wife that wants him to eat healthier, a son suffering with cerebral palsy, a newborn baby, and an under-satisfying job. [SPOILER ALERT] And the teacher's story ends where his story started, with his lab equipment, in his meth kitchen. As Jesse Pinkeman would say, Bitches love real stories, bitch.
- Breaking Bad created so many extra-curricular conversations, many out of reach of the show’s producers. From Talking Bad, the post-show talk-show, to memes, recaps, blogs about the show, blogs about what people could learn from the show … like this one, and even fan movies, Breaking Bad was a major conversation starter. Even in Australia, where only 10% of the country legally had access to the broadcast, we were the fourth biggest conversation starter online about Breaking Bad, with the UK and Canada ahead of us before America. The post-finale Talking Bad kept 44% of the audience. What if 44% of your Breakfast audience hung around for a 30 minute post-show-talkfest?
- The people involved in creating the show were all active on social media. All of the actors were involved in the online community, they weren't superstars, they were the show’s biggest fans. They presented opportunities for other fans to go to premieres with them, they posted memes and Instagram photos and replied to other fans online.
- Breaking Bad was the king of the call-back. Five series in and we’re still flashing back to episode one. This is obviously down to great writers, but don’t assume that people listening to your show today weren't listening five years ago and remember that story that relates. When you call-back to it you reward the listener for joining you on the same journey and also add context and breadth to your current story.
- Breaking Bad took all of us losers into an exciting and crazy world where we cooked meth, hired hookers, killed dealers and stood up to bad guys. None of us could cook meth, well almost none of us, but we all could be a school teacher with a wife and two kids. And we could all be diagnosed with cancer and want to provide for our family. All of us common-folk know Walt and we’re really impressed that he had the guts to do what we would never have the guts to do. It’s the common-man’s version of celebrity news. Celebrity news takes people into Kardashian world, Breaking Bad takes us into meth world.
And of course, radio is all about the chemistry in the end.
Ten things I learned in Bali
- Don't drink the water, or anything really, unless it's from a can or a sealed bottle
- The footpaths are designed for scooters, not feet. They should rename them to scooterpaths.
- Hecklers are best ignored, unless they make outrageous claims like "everything $1" or "hey I know you" then you are within your right to follow suit with a line of questioning that will daze and confuse the heckler, whilst also providing a distraction for your fellow traveller.
- Bintang shirts are a helpful hint as to who to avoid whilst in Bali. Many bars seriously don't let you in if you are wearing one. If someone is wearing a Bintang singlet, they, their 13 children and wife named Shazza, are to be avoided.
- Bali menus are never generous, but they are true. If the menu promised tomato, expect 4 pea sized chunks on the plate.
- Always use a Bluebird Taxi, or if desperate, use a taxi with a meter.
- Whenever asked how long you've been there, or when you're leaving, always reply "I've been here a week, I leave in a week"
- Bali road traffic is crazy, like organised chaos, and somehow it just works.
- 100% organic retro brand new genuine fake, is a thing, and is not to be questioned.
- Everything is sacred in Bali, except in Kuta, nothing is sacred in Kuta.
Some of my best friends are quitters
Some of my best friends are quitters.
And amongst most people I know that wouldn’t be a positive statement. To be a quitter in modern Australia goes against every little battler’s great Aussie Dream. ‘Quitters never win and winners never quit’ is the popular encouragement that you’ll hear coaches say, and even the cast members of Glee sing ‘Don’t stop believing’ as an encouragement to nerds worldwide.
But why is it so bad to quit?
I look over my close friends list on Facebook, think back over the coffees, lunches and dinners I’ve had recently, and skim through the text messages and phone calls I’ve received and my closest allies are quitters, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I think about my friend Ash who quit his working life two years ago to go to university, and Evan who’s recently done the same thing. Lawrence quit plumbing to go to mining, and he even quit his marriage. Britt quit buying more handbags for travel, and she quit calling me split-the-bill Josh and started calling me her husband. Scotty quit his lifetime dream to do something that he thought mattered. Téa quit Perth to go to Sydney and Andrew quit the single life to become a dad and a husband. From what I know, they’re all much happier now, especially Britt!
There’s something beautiful, strong, endearing and proud about admitting publicly that a thing is not the right thing, and now you’re choosing a different thing.
Why don’t you quit something today?
15 pieces of advice for my unborn son
- Your dad thinks the world of you and will support you through anything.
- Your mother is my greatest treasure and gets my utmost respect and trust. You should treat her even better than I do.
- Let music be your mistress.
- Never underestimate the power of doing chores unasked.
- Never miss a practice and I’ll never miss a game.
- Don’t ever start quitting; it’s a hard habit to break.
- Never say no to a breath mint or deodorant.
- Aim higher; no one accidentally became prime minister.
- You will fall in love and marry one day, so be discreet and save money.
- Become an expert in something.
- Don’t spend too much money on a haircut. They don’t last. But don’t tell your girlfriend or wife that.
- Dance with the prettiest girl there.
- Only flip your steak once and cook it until the blood rises on each side.
- In monopoly buy the orange properties.
- Always pack a pair of jeans. They go with everything.
15 pieces of advice for my unborn daughter
- Your dad loves you more than you could ever imagine.
- Read.
- I want you to dress however you want to, and go wherever you like, but I also don’t trust people around you, so we’ve got a tricky road to navigate, together.
- People will lie, hurt and betray you but the truth will set you free.
- Your mother is the most amazing person I have ever met.
- Master a second language.
- Every week, identify and eliminate your most used word.
- Keep your word.
- Collect things.
- Talent is learned. Learn a talent.
- Avoid gossip.
- Ask your mother all the questions. She has lots of answers.
- Go bushwalking on mountains.
- Ask me how a car works.
- Travel to at least three continents.
Year one
I’m arguably the most hopeless person you’ve met. Just ask Ash, or Lawrence or anyone else that knows me well. Hopeless.
I dream big though.
365 days ago, my dreams became words. And my words became messages. And those messages became a relationship. And that relationship became a marriage.
One year on I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I’ve never felt so fulfilled, content and loved.
We’ve still got about nine months until we celebrate our first wedding anniversary, but one year ago I wasn’t Britt’s boyfriend, and that all changed at 6pm on the 4th of December.
Since that moment she has occupied my every thought. She’s pretty cool.
I love you baby.
A year with Brittany
[gallery link="file" orderby="rand"]Like Ships In The Night
Ships in the night are not unlike the plethora of music today, always passing you by. Songs plastered across Youtube, Spotify, iTunes, in retail stores, on bittorrent, the radio and TV, it’s hard to trust someone even when you see the album being played on their Facebook page almost every day.
That’s Mat Kearney’s fourth album, “Young Love”. It’s all I’ve played on Spotify this week and I wanted to explain to all my friends why it’s worth a listen or ten.
So here’s my top ten reasons why Mat Kearney deserves your ear-time this month.
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On the songwriter scale of Carly Rae Jepsen to King David, Mat Kearney’s not far from the top. His songs are authentic and humble stories that will inspire you and leave you with that good feeling in your gut.
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He’s toured with John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, MuteMath, Keane and Owl City, performed on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno twice, and this summer in the United states he’s opening for Train!
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You’ve got to hear the track “Rochester”, it’s about Mat’s grandfather. Mat tells the story of his Dad growing up “I’m actually named Matthew William Kearney, my middle name is named after my grandfather. My grandfather raised my dad in Rochester, N.Y., and he had a fake cigar shop and he ran an illegal gambling ring out of the back of it” and meeting his mother who was “a mermaid on a glass-bottom boat”. A beautiful story that needs to be heard.
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On the opening track Mat pulls out a Roland 808 and drops the stereotypical singer-songwriter style and makes a rocking pop tune called Hey Mama.
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Ships in the Night has spent 14 weeks in the Hot 25 national music chart based on your votes and radio airplay!
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Before Mat was a singer-songwriter he was a poet and he didn’t even know it.
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There are no puns like the last point on the album.
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Mat’s songwriting is a very organic process “you can’t force them to come. They come as you listen, and meditate and pray, and wait for those songs, really. That’s the challenging part of what I do. You can’t just show up 9-5 and are guaranteed that a good song comes. Some of the songs fall out of the sky—they existed before I had it”
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Mat was married last year and the theme of many of the songs, and the title of the album is born out of his newly found “Young Love”.
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If you’re still not convinced or you haven’t heard of Mat Kearney yet then you’ve probably heard his songs on the soundtracks for Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill and Bones!
Get “Young Love” today online or at your lcoal music store and your must listen tracks are 1, 2, 9 & 10!
- Josh
The Vespers, under review
Bruno and Taylor, two brothers, saw two sisters with “ghostly, haunting and honey sweet” harmonies, playing at a campfire of all places. They talked, they jammed and now they play together in a band called The Vespers. If you didn’t know any better you would have imagined the storyline would include Bruno and Taylor courting Callie and Phoebe, just because that’s how these stories go, but I have it on good authority from the Bruno today that all four band members are single.
Normally the relationship status of band members isn’t something that would make it into one of my music reviews, but I wanted the question answered as much as you probably would have if I hadn’t of tweeted them to find out. While the band was tweeting me back and forth and I was listening to some early released tracks from the upcoming album “The Fourth Wall” I asked them what this latest album meant to them.
The Fourth Wall will be The Vespers second release, and it reeks of the kind of unity only siblings can know, the kind that’s really going to get up the girdle of other bands that are still squabbling over riffs and beats. The quartet is well toured around North America and this live element of their sound is something that guitarist, banjoist, accordionist, ukulele player and singer Phoebe is excited about getting into their recorded album, she says The Fourth Wall is not just a collection of songs, but a sound, the collective efforts of the four band members equally.
The second music video from the album, for the song Flower Flower will leave you happier than a pig in mud, but bassist Bruno hopes that you’d see the song and the whole album as a showcase of what the whole band is capable of and what their message is, not just a great folk beat and some amazing harmonies from the two sisters.
What is their message you ask? Well the band is hoping to tour our golden soil soon but for now you’ll need to spend the time listening to this infectious, youthful and spiritual folk/pop album from The Vespers, it’s called “The Fourth Wall” and it’s out now.
Facebook // http://www.facebook.com/TheVespers Twitter // http://twitter.com/thevespers Website // http://thevespersband.com/
Music Review: Strahan
[quote]Everyone’s looking for something. Sometimes it is home. Sometimes it’s that long lost love. Sometimes it’s God [/quote]
The mysteries of God and life is the self-imposed description given to me by Auckland singer-songwriter Stahan Coleman. One of the highlights of the recent Parachute Music Fesitval in Hamilton, Strahan’s honest song of the mysteries of God and life is more an alm to a tattered soul than an instruction or a message to be preached.
When you first take the CD out of the handmade case and press play on the CD player the acoustic-folk tunes may remind you of Leeland, Jon Foreman or even a brighter side of Stu Larsen, but Strahan carries his own story and his own beat aptly. Recorded with the help of New Zealand’s Dave Baxter of pop-rock band Avalanche City, Strahan’s EP Water & Fire holds true to his raw style but sounds beautiful.
“The songs are an honest representation of where my hearts been at for some time, knowing that God can resurrect anyone and bring new life but waiting for him to bring it about” says Coleman.
Strahan continues on his Facebook page “These are not songs of a preacher. They’re not ballads to lilting love. These are just alms to that old, worn faith. Skin for the skeleton. The sound of someone looking for a resurrection. From the opening throes of ‘Hallelujah’ to the closing refrain of ‘Resurrection Song’, Water and Fire is the sound of someone who travels with dust on his feet, connected to the earth, but eyeing heaven. “
Expect an Australian tour from Strahan in the near future or grab his EP Water & Fire now and enjoy a passionate worship experience with this kiwi folk kid.
Hard to believe
"I was on the street and I saw a friend of a mine, all of a sudden, I hadn't seen in years. Guy named Dean. We went to high school together. Last time I saw him was like five years earlier when Dean and I were doing a roofing job together on top of a forty-story building. He started talking crazy that day, and he goes, 'I can't take it, man,' and he got up on the ledge, and he jumped. Just after he jumped I looked down, and I noticed that Trampoline Emporium was having a sidewalk sale that day. Dean landed right on one of the trampolines, and bounced back up forty stories to where I was standing. And just as he floated up he said to me, 'You know, I think a lot of your joke premises are contrived and hard to believe.'"
- Demetri Martin
Leaving Port
When I first started with the company now known as Southern Cross Austereo in early 2004 I was simply stoked to be working in the industry. Since then I’ve been given opportunity after opportunity on group and local levels and after 7 years that has culminated in me having my dream career in Port Macquarie at the successful Mid coast Media Centre.
But 7 years away from family has kept me away from every birthday party, anniversary, milestone, Easters and many Christmases with my closest friends and my family so I’m be leaving to be with my friends and family in Mackay. There’s no ill feelings towards the company nor the office in Port Macquarie.
On that note, there’s no job (at least not yet) in Mackay for me to go to. Sometimes you just need to have faith that you’re doing the right thing … and if you aren’t then it really doesn’t matter.
Thank you to everyone in Southern Cross Austereo, especially in recent times, the Esperance and Port Macquarie offices plus our respective hubs, for creating the company that let’s me have the most fun you can have while still getting paid a wage!
My interview with Tony Abbott
I had the recent opportunity to get Tony Abbott on the phone and on the air as he was in the area. His media advisor couldn’t get him to the studio though (I know a kilometre is a long way Tony, think of it like a marathon) so instead we had a phone call lined up for 8:15am of the morning Wednesday, 28th of September.
The 5 minute audio recording from SoundCloud is below, here is the transcript.
[toggle title_open=“Hide Transcript” title_closed=“View Full Transcript” hide=“yes” border=“yes” style=“default”]TRANSCRIPT OF THE HON. TONY ABBOTT MHR, INTERVIEW WITH JOSH AND STACE, STARFM, PORT MACQUARIE
Subjects: Visit to Port Macquarie; Julia Gillard.
PRESENTER: Joining us on the show this morning, the Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott. Welcome to the show, sir.
TONY ABBOTT: Josh, it’s nice to be with you again.
PRESENTER: So tell us, Tony, we know you’re in our area but where are you right now?
TONY ABBOTT: Well, right now I’m on Hastings Drive heading out towards the bridge and I’m going up to Kempsey because there’s an iconic Australian business at Kempsey, it’s called Akubra hats and I’ll be visiting them to talk about the red tape burdens which under the current federal government are falling on businesses and what the next Coalition government I hope will do to ease them.
PRESENTER: So just another day but perhaps with a hat?
TONY ABBOTT:Yes, that’s right. I don’t quite think I’m going to have a Bob Katter hat on but no doubt I’ll get a chance to model a few Akubras.
PRESENTER: Very good and then are you heading back south or are you heading north?
TONY ABBOTT: I’m then off to Coffs Harbour because I’ve got a community forum up there in Coffs, a bit like the one I did yesterday here in Port.
PRESENTER: Very good and that was a successful night last night?
TONY ABBOTT: Yeah, I think it was. You know, the great thing about these community forums is that people can raise whatever is on their mind and that’s good because politicians spend a lot of time telling people what’s on our minds and I think it’s important that people get their chance to talk back at us
PRESENTER: Well, Tony, you’re on our radio programme this morning so I’m going to let you say what’s on your mind in a moment but I was hoping I could put a gateway challenge in, are you up for a challenge?
TONY ABBOTT: I’m always up for a challenge, mate. If it’s the half ironman or the full ironman in Port I’m always happy for a challenge.
PRESENTER: Oh mate, this might be a double ironman. Tony, we’ve got a 60 second timer here and I wanted to play a 60 second challenge with you.
TONY ABBOTT: Ok.
PRESENTER: And look, I don’t think it will be that hard because back in the day when both yourself and Julia Gillard weren’t in the leadership positions you are now you used to have a bit of friendly banter on the Today Show on Channel Nine.
TONY ABBOTT: That’s exactly right, we did.
PRESENTER: And then look you often had something nice to say about Julia. I was only watching, there was a video that was all mashed together of the nice things you both had to say about each other so I reckon you’ve got it in you. I’m going to let you speak politics if you can complete the 60 second challenge where for 60 seconds it’s you just complementing and saying nice things about Julia Gillard.
PRESENTER: Josh!
TONY ABBOTT: I’ve got 60 seconds?
PRESENTER: 60 seconds and the timer is here so you’ll know when it’s up, ok.
TONY ABBOTT: I’ve got to fill 60 seconds worth of airwaves with nice things about the Prime Minister?
PRESENTER: Yeah, well because, you know, I know you used to have nice things to say about her and often the only things that make it to the nightly news are the negative things but I’m sure you’ve got nice things to say about her.
TONY ABBOTT: So you want me to start off?
PRESENTER: Ok, I’ll count you in.
PRESENTER: And the thing is Tony if you can make it then we’re going to let you say whatever you want after that.
TONY ABBOTT: Alright, ok.
PRESENTER: Alright, 60 seconds starting now.
TONY ABBOTT: Ok, well look, I know Julia Gillard very well on a political basis and on a professional basis because I was the health minister when she was the shadow health minister, I was the leader of the House of Representatives when she was the manager of opposition business, she and I debated each other on the Today programme every Friday morning for most of 2007 and indeed for much of 2010. So I know her very well professionally and politically and there’s no doubt that as an opposition shadow minister and as a deputy prime minister she gave you the impression of being very much on top of her job, very much someone who you could do business with and I think the problem since she’s got the top job is that she has disappointed people who saw her in those earlier roles and assumed that she would just slot naturally into the top….
Have I run out of time?
PRESENTER: You made it!
PRESENTER: Although it wasn’t that nice, Tony.
PRESENTER: I thought you were going to take this opportunity to compliment her on perhaps her shoes…
PRESENTER: Hair colour…
TONY ABBOTT: I know better than to make any public comment whatsoever on what a woman wears.
PRESENTER: Well you did very well. This was Josh’s challenge and I was a little bit sceptical but you handled it really well, Tony, so thank you.
TONY ABBOTT: Well thank you so much, Stace, thank you so much. So now I can say what I really think!
PRESENTER: Now you can say whatever you like!
PRESENTER: Tony, upon getting the phone call from your media guy yesterday, and I was telling my friends, there are a lot of people who are keen to see you in the leadership. Mate, I’m going to wish you well and especially obviously over the next 12 months. I watch a little bit of the political stuff on the ABC and I know the next 12 months there are going to be a lot of change I reckon. Do you think we’re going to have a female prime minister for Christmas?
TONY ABBOTT: Oh, that’s in the hands of the Labor Party. I think there’s a lot of unrest inside the Labor Party at the moment. I think a lot of people are looking both with apprehension and anticipation at Kevin Rudd. So look, who knows what’s going to happen. They gave Kevin Rudd the flick because they thought he was doing a lousy job before the last election and at the moment they think that Julia, if anything, is doing a worse job. So that’s why her position is so fragile at the moment.
PRESENTER: Tony Abbott, he’s Leader of the Opposition, mate enjoy your day on the Macleay and then on the way up to Coffs Harbour region and thank you very much for joining the Star Morning Crew.
TONY ABBOTT: Thanks so much Josh.
[ends][/toggle]
[soundcloud url="api.soundcloud.com/tracks/24…"]
My first thoughts are that Tony and my co-host Stacey is deaf “Well you did very well”. When Tony says “she has disappointed people”, that isn’t really all that nice. I’m also a fan of me “watching a little bit of the political stuff on ABC”. So bogan right now.
I had hopes we would have had real life Tony on the phone (well actually in the studio), not political gamer Tony.
Transcript source: http://tonyabbott.com.au
Deas Vail, a review.
The best recommendations in life come from good friends, so when Relient K’s Matt Hoopes tips his hat toward Deas Vail, wake up and realise that you’re not friends with Matt at all but would like to be, so take his new music advice on board and grab the free download of Deas Vail’s new single “Wake Up and Sleep” from www.freedeasvail.com
Mum always said you get what you pay for but ‘Wake Up and Sleep’ was worth so much more!
Deas Vail, pronounced ‘day-us vale”, is a rough translation of Latin and French meaning ‘servant of God’. The four boys plus Laura hail from Arkansas and they love music because it speaks to so many different people in so many different ways. The band is no stranger to the recording studio or the stage, having shared both with Owl City, John Reuben and Relient K in the past 8 years. They were signed by DC Talk’s Mark Lee Townsend in 2005 and more recently they moved to the infamous Gotee Records camp, under their Mono vs Stereo label headed up by the Matts from Relient K (Matt Hoopes and Matt Thiessen).
[quote float=“right”]are you waking up just to fall asleep again?[/quote] The most important thing you need to know about Deas Vail is how much you’re going to love them and their songs. Their October 11 album release is a 12-track voyage about life, freedom, love, hope, fear and transformation. Press play to get that instant positive uplift in the sweeping contours of the opening tracks, as ‘Desire’, ‘Sixteen’ and ‘Summer Forgets Me’ provide a powerful and emotional kick start to the record. Wesley’s vocals ride the guitars and drums like a bareback horse through the mountains, this is a beautiful recording. Their free release in “Wake Up and Sleep” is a friendly tune that leaves you with conviction and hope, something I think many of us could do with more of.
If you’re looking for that new album to fall in love with then catch Deas Vail’s self titled October 11 release. Or you can just wait and make hipster jokes about your friends that do. Did I mention it was being released on vinyl as well?
Water Colours by Swimming With Dolphins, a review
If you dreamt last night that Owl City composed the soundtrack for Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou then you’ve probably already heard a few of the tracks off the second release from Swimming With Dolphins, Water Colours.
Formed in chilly Minnesota, Swimming With Dolphins is the only band in Wikipedia that gets confused with a therapy technique which is ironic considering that Minnesota’s cold weather generally builds a platform for a melancholy performance but Water Colours is a surprisingly bright and warm EP.
Swimming With Dolphins originally consisted of current lead man Austin Tofte and Owl City’s Adam Young, since their first release Adam focused on his solo project Owl City which is touring Australia this year and Austin focused his efforts away from Owl City and onto Swimming With Dolphins.
Water Colours is a smiling and friendly album that is the result of the two years of hard work from Austin. “I feel like the story of this record is ‘challenge,’ right down to the lyrics and content, up to the actual release. We’re pushing every button we can,” says Tofte “It’s been an awesome ride, but I’m so ready to have it out and be able to look back and say, ‘Man, that was a heck of an effort.’”
See You Soon’s Sarah Beintker brings her beautiful voice to Holiday and Sleep to Dream, New York’s Sunsun also mixes up the chromosomes on the airy Happiness and Minnesota solo project Modsun joins Austin on the vocals track for the joyful final track on the EP Good Times.
Austin spent two years around Minnesota searching his soul and finding himself and Water Colours is the result of this reflection, Austin reflects “It was just a long process, and quite honestly, probably longer than it should have been. You start second-guessing things you have too much time to work on,”.
After years of touring with Owl City plus two years of writing Austin is ready to leave his Father’s farm “I’m ready to be on the road. I’ve spent a lot of time writing and in the studio, and I’ve got a band now, and we’re all excited about it. It’s awesome, I feel like we’re going to have fun on this record, for a while, and it’s been a long time coming. It feels like a new chapter.”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/swimmingwithdolphins Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Swimmingwithdolphins Twitter: http://twitter.com/swdmusic
Originally published in Enhance Magazine.