A LOW HUM - OCTOBER NEWSLETTER
Disasteradio's new album (Out now free download) Secret Knives new album (Out now free download) Big City Dreams, The A LOW HUM NYE Party CALH2011 Update Blink in Melbourne
DISASTERADIO – CHARISMA
Online Now! Click here to just download immediately! Though you should also read below.
It’s been a long three years since DISASTERADIO released his last album Visions. He’s got an excuse though, in the three years since, he has toured New Zealand God knows how many times, Australia a couple of times, three tours of Europe, coast to coast around the US and played all manner of awesome events. He decided he needed to take a rest and work on a new record so took all of 2010 off from live shows. These album release parties will be his first shows of the year!
Charisma is the result of a change of focus in songwriting for DISASTERADIO. With his previous 7 (yes, 7!) albums, the tracks which featured vocals were always greatly outnumbered by his instrumentals, with hits like ‘Awesome Feelings’ and ‘Hotline’ surrounded by a soundtrack of 80s synth pop classics. Charisma has turned that on its head with only a couple of instrumental tracks on the whole record.
Songs like ‘Drop the Bomb’, ‘Electric Ecstasy’, ‘You Win’ and cyberspace ballad ‘Virtual Sunrise’ are destined to become instant D-rad classics.
DISASTERADIO’s last album Visions received almost unanimous praise here and abroad including Real Groove ranking it best New Zealand release of 2007. It only received one bad review that we know of, where it was trashed. I made sure that that same reviewer was the first to receive the new album, and amazingly it’s received a glowing review… so, either that means everyone else is gonna hate it, or it’s as awesome as we think it is. “Stupidly very good” were his exact words.
http://www.nerdy-frames.org/2010/10/disasteradio-charisma.html
This is not an album meant to be heard in the background. Clear some space in your post apocalyptic bedroom, pump that fist, learn the words on the supplied lyric sheet and dance your shit out.
The cover artwork, easily the best of any NZ release this year was created by Christina Hroch who also features as guest vocalist on an album standout track ‘No Pulse’. If you don’t think the album cover rules, challenge me on that call sure. (But you’re wrong)
Charisma is available to be downloaded NOW. Just head to www.disasteradio.org and pay-what-you-like, or if you’re broke, just download it for free!
Like the new A Low Hum tradition of releasing albums digitally with accompanying artwork I have organized something very special this time. Team DISASTERADIO have created an amazing a4 sized SCREEN PRINTED FRIDGE MAGNET. Click here to check it out! It's goooooood. We only have a very limited amount of these at only $10 NZD each including free postage anywhere in the World.
Man, this is a long message… but still the best news to come. DISASTERADIO is playing live the next two weekends at some very special album release shows!
Oct 15th: Goodbye Blue Monday, Christchurch with Bang Bang Eche (Facebook event with details)
Oct 16th: Refuel, Dunedin with Bang Bang Eche, Thundercub and Sonic Smith (Facebook event with details)
Oct 22nd: San Fran Bath House, Wellington with Monster Mash (Thought Creature Electro Set), 47 Diamantes, Bono (Me) and from 1am a HUGE afterparty with the Videotheque crew all night long. (Facebook event with details)
Oct 23rd: Whammy, Auckland with Golden Axe, Fistful of Gems (Ex-Tiger Tones) and Sweat City Heat Wave (Facebook event with details)
All shows, $10 on the door. Don’t be late, playing times on the facebook event pages.
SECRET KNIVES - AFFECTION
Secret Knives’ debut album was released on Oct 1st. Have you downloaded it yet? It’s free.
Just go to http://alowhum.com/secret-knives-affection/ to download your copy. You really should.
If you’d like to support Secret Knives and A Low Hum, you can purchase a special little package of prints and get a code for a cool little collection of remixes and demos that we are putting together. Just click “Donate” on that page to do so, costs just $10 with free postage anywhere in the World.
Some amazing things being said about AFFECTION already
“a gorgeously atmospheric body of work, this record is a veritable orchard of gorgeousness; at risk of sounding really fucking pretentious, it’s a landscape” – Cheeseontoast
“stark shoegazy guitars and princely pop rhythms to create a chimerical atmosphere… this is a masterpiece, written and composed by one of the country’s best young songwriters”- Einstein Music Journal
“Secret Knives make the kind of churning, swirling rock that seems timeless” - Tympanogram
“Get swallowed into this ocean of noise, pop, and vivid melody. This New Zealand act has captured my heart in one listen and I expect many more magical ventures into this perfect collage that beckons images of intrigue, mystery, and romance.” - Glow of the Cube
“steeped in shoegaze, guitar effects, dream-pop and adventurous melodies” - The Corner
BIG CITY DREAMS – A Low Hum NYE Party
My NYE parties have become something of a tradition in Wellington. I couldn’t be assed this year doing one outdoors like last year’s Fields of Dreams as it was looking like tickets would cost too much, instead decided to make an absolute ridiculous city event. Taking over the criminally under-utilized amazing venue that is The Garden Club, I’ll be running 3-4 stages, and having probably around 15-20 acts perform over this epic 12 hour event running from 6pm on Dec 31st to 6am.
Best thing is, I was able to keep the price down, so it’s just gonna be $30. Tickets are pretty limited though, I suggest picking one up pretty damn soon. Just goto: www.alowhum.com/nye to see how to get tickets.
I’ll be listing the acts playing, playing times etc at some stage on that webpage, but, really…is it that important? $30 for a mean as party on NYE – when I have I let you down in the past? You’re crazy to even think twice about it.
Even if you have something else you are considering doing that night… being this party runs for 12 hours, it can be your pre, mid and after party.
BTW. If you have a CALH 2010 ID you will get a free drink upon entry.
CALH 2011
I’m slowly starting to eek information on the website www.campusalh.com and over the past few weeks I’ve announced a few things, one of those I am SERIOUSLY excited about.
CALHTV. For the past three years at CALH I’ve had a radio station broadcasting live at the event for people to tune into. In 2011 I’m taking this one step further and we’re gonna build a TV studio! There will be TVs around the site that you can watch what’s happening, and if you wanna do your own show, you can..just email me. Details here: http://alowhum.com/camp-a-low-hum/calhtv/
To co-incide with CALHTV, I’m introducing The TV ROOM/SLUMBER PARTY. Though we will have a few different spaces around campus you can watch TV, there will be one main room with several TVs. Each night this room will remain open for people to grab their sleeping bags, some snacks and vege out watching whatever TV is being made that moment - and the beauty is, if what you’re watching sux, just run across the road and heckle whoever happens to be doing it… or get in it. Reality TV just got for realz.
As per tradition, each year a stage a couple of theme parties. At CALH these are held at the end of the night in the Gymnasium. The first one has been announced, and it’s a retirement party. So bring along your mobility scooter, Viagra and purple rinse – though, watch out…it's serious hip breaking territory.
BLINK IN MELBOURNE
Taking my booking of bands for CALH2011 extra hardout I'm making a final (for 2010) visit to Australia in two weeks and putting on a few shows to check out a few bands. I've helped put together a couple of line-ups during that time, so if you're looking for something to do in Melbourne, come hang out at one of these shows!...lots of bands playing short sets.
Oct 29th - The Bendigo Hotel (Doors 7pm, First act 7:30pm sharp)
Oct 30th - The Curtin (Doors 7pm, First act 8pm sharp)
Nov 1st & 2nd - Anytime Place (20 Ovens St, Brunswick)
I'm looking for a show to check out on Oct 31st, if you're playing, email me back and I'll try make it along.