Are you a musician without a gig? Are you a singer/songwriter wanting to get your music out there? Do you just wanna jam with like minded people?

Come and check out the Bay Hotel Open Mic Night every Thursday Night from 9pm. This event is hosted by former Australian Fingerstyle Champion and Folk/Roots artist Dale Willis, who recently just returned to Australia after a year spent living and touring in Canada.

This is your chance to perform to a friendly crowd and get some good stage experience. This is a stress free environment to come and get your music heard! Email info@dalewillis.com or phone 0413828954 if you are wanting to secure a spot on the blackboard or just show up and put your name down on the night.

• What:The Bay Hotel Open Mic Night
• When: Every Thursday Night from 9pm starting Nov 15th
• Where:330 Fishery Point Road, Morisset East, NSW 2264

For more information visit myspace.com/bayhotelopenmic or www.dalewillis.com.

Newcastle based singer/songwriter Jason Lowe has released a new track titled “How We Let It Be” has just been getting into the rotations of Roots and All and Home and Hosed on Triple J.

Following on from his track “Faith” before it which got to number 1 in the roots chart and number 9 in the overall 100.

Jason launched his debut EP “Before We Chase The Sky” at the Lass O’Gowrie Hotel on the 25th of July supported by special guests Amy Vee and Daniel March. Jason will be touring Melbourne throughout the rest of August to promote his new EP and will be playing a steady stream of local gigs throughout September and beyond.

Upcoming gigs for Jason Lowe in the Newcastle region include:

• 12^th September 2007 9PM The Lass O Gowrie Hotel, Newcastle
• 14^th September 2007 8PM Kantara House, Central Coast
• 15^th September 2007 7PM Brackets And Jam Central Coast, Lake Munmorah
• 17^th September 2007 8PM Live On The Lockup Garage, Coast Fm 96.3, Gosford
• 21^st September 2007 9PM The Lass O Gowrie Hotel, Newcastle
• 22^nd September 2007 8PM The Dekk Bar Terrigal (Cancelled)
• 26^th September 2007 8PM Crown and Anchor Hotel, Newcastle
• 14^th October 2007 8PM Kantara House, Central Coast
• 28^th October 2007 12PM Boardwalk Sessions, Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle

Hear Jason’s latest track “How we let it be” on the Triple J Unearthed website at www.triplejunearthed.com/jasonlowe.

Coma Lies‘ music fuses hectic riffing with thundering rhythms and epic atmospheric swells. Influenced by bands such as Cult of Luna, The Red Chord and Converge, the band forges their own style of hardcore metal mixed with moments of ambience, resulting in what they describe as “noise“.

Since first forming in 2004, the band has undergone numerous lineup changes, with the only original member being vocalist Liam Christenson. Joining Liam is Andrew Stewart and Joshua Gibson on Guitars, Tynan Waring on Bass and Mitta Norath on Drums.

Coma Lies has been busily promoting their new EP entitled “A Churchwell Killing” which was released in March this year on Skull & Bones Records.

The EP was mixed by James Balderstrom from Studio 454 in Brisbane and mastered by Pelle Hendriksson from Tonteknik Recording in North Sweden. Pelle has also worked with dozens of bands including Cult of Luna and Poison the Well, he also recorded The Shape of Punk to Come by influential Swedish punk band Refused.

In an interview conducted only hours before devastating storms flooded Newcastle, drummer Mitta Norath described the recording process. “For me it was particularly painful,” Mitta recalled, “I had only been in the band for three weeks prior to the recording.” The 4 track EP was recorded over several late night sessions at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music at the end of 2006. “The recording schedule really turned us on our heads”, Mitta said.

Frustrated by high prices and poor service from several of the local recording studios, Mitta has recently launched Capulet Studios. The service is primarily aimed at recording EP’s and demos for young bands in the Newcastle hardcore metal/ambient/rock scene at realistic prices.

“The only way to get recognised in this scene is to travel constantly” Mitta points out, “we just want to get on the road and have fun.” Together, Coma Lies have toured almost continuously since late 2006.

The band’s manager, Mitch Beldon, accompanies Coma Lies on all their tours, including their recent event filled trip to Melbourne where managed to write off their van before a separate incident with their trailer left their gear strewn across the road.

During June/July this year, the band will be touring with The Amity Affliction on the ‘Fruit and Nut Tour’. The extensive tour includes 25 gigs in 5 weeks beginning at Club 299 in Brisbane on the 22nd of June. After winding their way along the East Coast the band will perform at a series of shows in the Hunter Region beginning with an all ages show at the Beachcomber Hotel at Toukley on Thursday the 5^th of July. Early on the evening of Friday the 6^th of July Coma Lies will play alongside a host of local acts at The Crusade, an all ages show at Maitland PCYC, followed later that night at an over 18s show at the Cambridge Hotel. The tour continues South through Melbourne and Adelaide, returning to The Cambridge Hotel on Saturday the 28^th and finally winding up the tour at Ormsby House at Taree on Sunday the 29^th of July.

Coma Lies will be continuing their relentless touring schedule in September this year when they will tour with Every Man For Himself and Adelaide based band The Rivalry. In October they will head to New Zealand to continue touring with Every Man For Himself.

Whilst in Brisbane for some shows in February the band shot a film clip for their song “Paris Wide On” which will be released in the near future. Artistic direction for the clip was provided by Kingdom of Sad Machines.

Coma Lies are also busy writing new material for their full length album, scheduled to be released in early 2008. Meanwhile, their 4 track EP, “A Churchwell Killing” is available from gigs, can be ordered in music stores nationwide, and can also be purchased online from several sites including Chaos.com and CD Online and can also be ordered in most music stores.

For more information about the ‘Fruit and Nut’ Tour and to listen to samples of Come Lies’ Music visit their MySpace profile at myspace.com/comaliesnc.

One of Newcastle’s most accomplished young bands, Benjalu, will be performing an afternoon set at the Hunter Valley Gardens in Pokolbin as part of the inaugural Garden Party next month.

In just over a year, Benjalu’s achievements have exceeded their expectations. In April 2006 they won the annual YouthRock competition, also picking up a prestigious award presented by Silverchair acknowledging their songwriting abilities at the same time. Over the past year they have continued from strength to strength, receiving more recognition and continuing to evolve their distinct acoustic-roots style. “Our sound is always expanding” explains the band’s vocalist Ben Gumbleton.

Early last year, Ben teamed up with fellow classmate Luke Elsley (electric guitar, harmonica). “I was kind of into the metal and punk scene before … just playing guitar”, Ben said, “Luke introduced me to the whole roots side of music”. The pair were then joined by Kelsley Nathan on drums and Anthony Morris on bass through their high school music class to form Benjalu. All of the band members contribute to the songwriting, their diverse influences galvanised into a unique sound.

In November last year, the band won the Let There Be School Rock band competition final, held at the Civic Theatre. Now, with their HSC behind them, Benjalu are all prusing their dreams as full time musicians. They are currently in the process of recording their debut EP, which will be released later in the year.

The band has amassed an impressive list of performances at a broad range of venues and events. Their past gigs include:

• A regional tour with MusicOz winners Solver
• Strikeback III at Newcastle Foreshore
• New Years Eve gig at Warners Bay to an audience of over 5000 people.
• The Australian Body Boarding Championships at Dreamworld
• 2007 Royal Easter Show

Benjalu will be interviewed on 2CCC FM 96.3 on Monday 18^th June 7:00 PM on The Lockup Garage. The interview will be followed by a performance by the band which will be broadcast live.

In addition to The Garden Party, Benjalu has numerous gigs lined up in the coming months including:

• Thursday the 7^th of June at Walmo’s Babies at Tighes Hill Social Club
• Saturday the 23^rd of June at the Beaches Hotel, Supporting Montana Fire
• Saturday the 14^th of July at the Maitland Earth Festival at the Maitland City Bowling Club.
• Thursday the 26^th of July at the Queens Wharf Brewery supported by Mark Wells.

The Garden Party will be held on the 28^th July. Other performers at The Garden Party include Anthony Callea, Jon Stevens, Paul Greene and a solo set from local songstress Amy Vee. Tickets are $69.00 which entry into the Hunter Valley Gardens. Tickets to the event are available for purchase online at Ticketek.

Tickets to the event also include entry to the gardens themselves, so visitors are encouraged to bring some sun screen and a rug and make a day of it. Benjalu starts at 2PM, with the event will carry on into the evening.

Get the latest info about Benjalu at their MySpace page at myspace.com/benjalu

The Hudson Rockers formed about two years ago to play their favourite songs of the 60s and 70s. The band’s frontman Paul Harris started playing professionally in 1981 in ‘Newcastle’s Greatest Punk Band’, The Mansons. From there he went on to form The Ramjets, Ramones concept band The Marones and original punk rock band The Unwanted. “My musical roots have always been firmly planted in the great songs of my childhood”, Paul said, “… The Stones’ 19th Nervous Breakdown, Hot Love by T Rex, The Beatles’ Taxman and The Easybeats Women“. The Hudson Rockers reportoire reflects these influences.

Paul recruited drummer Mel Cook and bassist/backing vocalist Rob Hogan through an advertisement. “One audition was all it took to convince me”, Paul explains, “Mel is one of those rare drummers who seem to know what you’re going to do well before you do.”

‘Mighty’ Mel Cook is originally from Queensland but spent much of her life in Byron Bay before moving to Newcastle She has toured extensively with North Coast bands Shake Appeal and The Radio Dolls.

Rob ‘The Colonel’ Hogan started out playing lead guitar but decided to swap to a four string in the hope of finding more gigs. “Rob is a punchy and precise bassist with a great sense of timing” Paul points out.

The Hudson Rockers have been playing almost monthly at the Wickham Park Hotel since forming in 2005. “The legendary Wicko has been a great place to hone our act and build a following … very few Newcastle venues are interested in ‘purist’ bands like us”.

The band has just announced a series of gigs at the Wickham Croatian Sportsman’s Club, formerly The Wickham Park Bowling Club. The Club’s president saw The Hudson Rockers perform at a private function a few weeks ago and offered them a monthly Sunday evening gig.

Catch The Hudson Rockers at the Wickham Croatian Sportsman’s Club on Sunday May 13^th and June 3^rd from 6 - 10 PM. The band will also be performing at the Wickham Park Hotel on Friday May 25^th and Friday June 22^nd.

Special thanks to Mark Snelson for allowing the use of his photographs of the band.

Little St are an original rock outfit based in Newcastle, Australia. The band consists of John Fraser on vocals and keyboard, Jesse Nolan on guitar and vocals, Michael Fraser on bass and vocals and Josh Holliday on drums.

The band is currently in the process of recording their debut EP in their home studio. “We have laid down 4 complete songs and instruments for another 3″, the band says, “We recorded all of the instruments 100% live, no overdubbing and no fiddling”. They have uploaded 3 tracks from the recording session to their MySpace page at myspace.com/littlestreetband.

Here are a few of the band’s upcoming gigs:

Date: Friday 8^th June 2007
Venue: Wallsend Community Centre [AA]
Area: Newcastle
Time: 5pm
Cost: $10
With: Many local bands

Date: Friday 15^th June 2007
Venue: Metford Baptist Church [AA]
Area: Hunter Region
Time: 7:30pm
Cost: TBA
With: Apathetic

Date: Friday 3^rd August 2007
Venue: Lucky Country Hotel [18+]
Area: Newcastle
Time: 9pm
Cost: $5
With: Cotton Sidewalk

Find out more about the band at their new website at www.littlestreet.net.

The Hyenas began as a group of mates that formed a band in early 2006. “We want to bring back the idea of putting on a show, for the entertainment of the audience, not the indulgence of the band” they state. The Hyenas play their own brand of punk rock and are influences by the likes of The Cramps, The Clash, Chuck Berry, AC/DC, Rancid, Rose Tattoo, Motorhead and The Ramones.

Matthew Packer of MP Imagery has uploaded a set of photographs of The Hyenas playing at The Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle on Wednesday the 18^th of April. “[I] seriously wish there were more bands around like this” Matt said in his blog post about the shoot, “it makes being a rock photographer that much more fun”.

Catch the Hyenas at The Lass O’Gowrie on the 19^th of May and The Lucky Country on the 31^st of May and again on the 21^st of July for Rock for Refuge.

Powerage is a high-energy rock band with a youthful edge. With ages ranging from 12 to 16, the Crawford and Minett brothers have been performing the rock classics in venues in Newcastle and the Hunter since early 2005.

Powerage first came to musical prominence by winning the 2005 “No Talent Time Gold” segment of Channel 9s NRL Footy Show with a stirring rendition of AC/DCs classic TNT.Since the bands win, Powerage has continued to pay homage to their heroes AC/DC with the incredible “Let There Be Rock” Show. Powerage is also committed to pursuing their own sound and are currently writing material.

The band has released videos of the band performing the AC/DC somgs Jailbreak, It’s A Long Way To The Top, Let There Be Rock and Thunderstruck. The videos feature vocalist (and ring in) Jarrod Daunt. Jarrod has performed as the front man in many local bands including Hound and V8 Swine.

Powerage will perform a free outdoors concert at The Hinton Hotel at 2PM Saturday 26^th May as part of Pubfest 2007. Poweragewill be joined by special guests Stark Raving Mad.

Formerly known as Matt Purcell The Band, Remedial View are a dynamic three-piece rock outfit from Newcastle with a passion creating music. With roots in numerous musical genres such as jazz and modern punk, the bands songs vary from mellowed out heartbreakers to frenetic alternative epics.

Even though the members of Remdial View are still in their teens, they have a memorable debut album under their belts, Goodbye Tonight, which has featured on Channel Nines Today Extra and has been featured on www.youthmark.com.au. The first single from the album, Hypnotised, has received positive response on national radio and the film clip is BEING AIRED on Foxtel music channels and made the “TOP 20″ songs of 2006 on Rhema FM countdown.

Remedial View features Matt Purcell on vocals and guitar, Rhys Zacher on druns and vocals and Mitch Ryan on bass.

While still only 18, musician Matt Purcell already has experience and achievements under his belt that many older artists still strive for. In his time performing, he has played everything from intimate acoustic sets at local cafes to large venues such as playing at The Newcastle Entertainment Centre at Hunter Harvest 05 and performing in front of over 9000 people at Energy Australia Stadium with Gian and his band ‘The Heat’. Matt’s song My all, My Everything reached the finals of Best Young Artist in the 2006 ABC Newcastle Music Awards. Matt will be performing a series of acoustic sets at the Bean Palace Cafe at Westfield Kotara at 11AM on Saturday the 28^th of April and Saturday the 5^th of May 2007.

Remedial View’s drummer Rhys Zacher is a multi instrumentalist songwriter in his own right. Rhys releases his music through a side project called ‘Searching Within’. Listen to Rhys’ music at myspace.com/searchingwithin.

Remedial View will be launching their new album in CCC Eastside , 4 Lingard Street Merewether, on the 23^rd of June 2007. They will be supported by Sydney band Stanfield. Entry to the CD launch is $5.

Bob Hudson was essentially a folk singer, although the comedy monologues he incorporated into his act proved too much for the purists. Hudson came to the attention of ABC musical director Chris Neal who arranged for him to record the in-concert album The Newcastle Song. Chris Neal produced and played on the album. The album spawned the national #1 hit single `The Newcastle Song’/`Ventriloquist Love’ (March 1975), which had been edited down from the ten-minute album version.

The album is available for purchase from Press Play Music. The song is also available for purchase as one of the tracks on the compilation album triple j - Archive Range: 1975 available from the ABC Shop.

The songs lyrics describe the actions of novocastrian males driving along Hunter Street Newcastle. The car of choice is of course, the FJ Holden with “drive down Hunter Street in their hot FJ Holdens with chrome plated grease nipples and double reverse overhead twin cam door handles”.

Aside from its topical humour and catchy chorus, the song was an incisive piece of social commentary. Hudson had been performing the song for several years before recording it. Hudson wrote a straight novelty sequel to `The Newcastle Song’ called `Rak Off Normie’, which Maureen Elkner recorded. The single reached #6 in June. Folk/blues singer Margret Roadknight covered another of Hudson’s social-observations-set-in-song, `Girls in our Town’ (from The Newcastle Song) and scored a minor hit in the process. Hudson and Roadknight later toured together.

Hudson was reluctant to become a full-time performer, however, opting instead to concentrate on his job as producer/announcer for Sydney community radio station Double J (the precursor to the national youth radio network Triple J). Meanwhile, as a follow-up to `The Newcastle Song’, Hudson issued the album After Me Cat Left Home and the single `Waltzing Matilda Rock’/`Heartsmasher’. Hudson issued his third album, Party Pieces, in 1980. Since then, he has concentrated on writing and DJ work.

Update: 12/6/2007 Hear the song online at esnips.com. The song will surely be receiving a takedown notice before long, so get in quick!