Even with the rise of such Aussie superstars as Keith Urban, the country music scene down under is still a burgeoning one. It was for this reason that Tasmania native Audrey Auld made the move to Nashville a decade ago and finally found her niche. “I’ve lived in America 10 years now, and I think […]
Australia
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Oklahoma’s public defenders
I remember when public airwaves were made available for public good, to inform us about what was going on in the world, not to tell us what we were supposed to think about it. The celebrity culture of broadcasting has changed this, combing news and editorial comment (My Two Cents, et al.), along with the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Wish You Were Here
Jeremy’s girlfriend, Steph (Teresa Palmer, Warm Bodies), is the younger sister of Alice (Felicity Price), who also went on the trip with her husband, Dave (Joel Edgerton, Zero Dark Thirty). One of those three knows more than he/she lets on; furthermore, two of the three hold an additional secret from the other. Price co-wrote the […]
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Responsible gun control
Australian public support exceeded 90 percent for their new gun laws, which prohibited private sales, required individual registration of weapons to their owners and a reason why gun buyers needed each weapon at the time of purchase. What happened? Hostile takeover by the government? No. Increase in home invasions? No. End of personal freedom? No. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Wake in Fright
Gary Bond (Zulu) works wonders as John Grant, the only teacher in the Australian desert town of Tiboonda, where the tiny, single-room schoolhouse is surrounded by sand and dust. On Christmas break, Grant heads for Sydney, but must spend a night in Bundanyabba before catching a flight the next morning. At least that’s the plan. […]
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Hand job
The OKC-based Lips issued an emergency tweet Jan. 4 via its Twitter account, although the concise wording sure sounded like it had come from the elegant quill of Coyne: “Fuck!!!!!! Someone stole Laser Hands!!! Please please please!! At South Bound Festival !!!Fuck!! Help us!!!” Concert organizers even got in on the search, offering an award […]
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The Hunter
Willem Dafoe (John Carter) assumes the title role as Martin David, an expert hunter who’s hired by a shadowy mega-corporation in Europe to acquire the Tasmanian tiger for them in the Australia wilds. Although thought to be extinct, the animal is rumored to have been sighted recently, making it perhaps the last one in existence. […]
Posted inMusic
Steady as he goes
It’s hard work writing songs with characters vivid enough to fit a movie script or a novel. Bespectacled rocker Craig Finn’s been doing it for a little less than a decade as the front man for The Hold Steady, Brooklyn’s beloved bar band. Although he’s recently taken a brief detour as a solo artist to […]
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Craig Finn — Clear Heart Full Eyes
“Clear Heart Full Eyes” (yes, the title’s a play on the catchphrase from “Friday Night Lights,” of which Finn is admittedly an enormous fan) really seems to follow the groping, narcotized and promiscuous teenagers that characterize The Hold Steady’s discography, as it moves away, discovers integrity, grows up, and/or finds Jesus. It follows pretty logically […]
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Seeker Lover Keeper — Seeker Lover Keeper
That far in, it was the most interesting song sonically, having ditched the previous five tracks’ uniform dreary piano chords, muted drums and plaintive, stiff vocal melodies. Sarah Blasko’s voice turned girlish and alluring, more like that of Twin Sister singer Andrea Estella than her previous hopeful folk goddess. Despite the repeating starch of piano […]