OXFORD ART FACTORY

Dukes of Windsor found their first incarnation when Jack Weaving (vocals) and Cory Blight (drums/engineer/producer) spent several months writing songs in 2005. They soon enlisted Scott Targett (keyboard), Oscar Dawson (guitar), Joe Franklin (bass), and Dukes of Windsor were born.
The band has just returned from Sweden where they recorded their album at former lunatic asylum Tonteknik Studios with hardcore legends Pelle Henriccson and Eskil Lovstrom (Refused “The Shape of Punk to Come”).
A video for the first single from the new album ‘It’s A War’ was also shot during their time in Sweden. You can see it here: www.myspace.com/dukesofwindsor
"I like [Cousin Cole's stuff] because I can play it around other people, without boring them, making them want to cry, or ruining my reputation as the most gangster of gangster rappers." - MC Spank Rock
NYC party DJ and producer Cousin Cole is touring on the success of his 'Tambourine Dream' mixtape and remix project - a body of work that turned the business on its ear with an unexpected, yet evocative, blend of folk,psyche and indie, switching a new generation of party people on to these sounds with souped up reworks of Jose Gonzales, Joanna Newsom, Nico, Neil Young, John Lennon, Feist and a dozen other classics.
Cousin Cole stole the hearts and feet of clubbers worldwide with his 'Crank Dat' Soulja Boy remix last year, and at the same time fraternized with the mainstream with his cut programmed high rotation Hot 97 in NYC and Power 106 in LA, and still today played before Toronto Raptors basketball games.
Labelled the 2008 'blog king', a quick trawl of the blogs gives up close on 100 results that include Cole's exclusive edits of tracks by Wale, Peter Bjorn & John, R Kelly and The Killers, plus his banging rework of DJ Kool's '96 hit 'Let Me Clear My Throat'. These efforts sit alongside 12"s like the 'Ruffle Yo Featherz' and 'Tougher Than Featherz' EPs on his own Flagrant Fowl label, remixes of Bird Peterson and releases on Baltimore label Flamin' Hotz.
Earmarked as the next big cross-over producer, his rowdy DJ sets follow suite - kicking it with all things funk, Bmore, new wave, electro and rock!
www.myspace.com/cousincole
Much as Clark Kent donned a cape to save the world from the evil genius of Lex Luther, MC Sean Ray took up the moniker of Snob Scrilla to save the world from lyrical passivity and jam based muzak. Snob Scrilla is preparing to go to war with the powers that be to decide who will control the soundscapes of the universe.
Incorporating the grunge of indie rock, the rhymes of socially conscious hip hop and dance worthy synths reminiscent of the 80’s, Snob Scrilla has broken all the rules which have been enforced by the power for so long. The electronic hip-rock tractor beam pulls you into the party, while the lyrics force you to stand up and be counted.
Born and raised in Northern California and despite disapproval from his father, Snob Scrilla left for Australia in 2003 at the age of 18. Over the past five years Snob has MCed at countless clubs across Australia including supports for Jurassic 5 and Del La Soul. He has battled, hosted battles and co-hosted the Urban Takeover radio show with DJ Samurai. Forming an alliance with Sydney production team 'The Blueberry Think Tank', Snob Scrilla took up the arduous task of crafting an album of true freshness for people who don’t identify with the clichés of genres.
Snob's debut release is 'The Day Before', a seven-track EP that makes everything old new again by fusing rock-hop, electro and drum 'n' bass and a whole lot in between.
First track There You Go Again is an open letter to all the doubting girlfriends of Snob’s past. It's been flogged on Triple J, while the killer video landed a spot on Channel [V]'s playlist. The song is also the current intro theme music for Channel Nine's The Footy Show.
New single Mr Officer talks of police brutality upon a backdrop of grimy drum 'n' bass, and features the legendary Del The Funkyhomosapien. Known for his hit track Mr. Dobalina and his work as part of Gorillaz and Deltron 3030, Del adds his unique edge to the track. The Day Before features five original tracks as well as two remixes courtesy of the uber cool Hey Now DJs and CSK_OK.
Snob Scrilla will be touring throughout 2008, and is currently working on his debut album.
Hot off the heels of their brand new album Threads, Hermitude hit the road to show why they're one of Australia's most adored instrumental beats outfits.
Partnering Hermitude are Elefant Traks’ newest signings Horrorshow. Their debut album The Grey Space has been responsible for generating one of the biggest buzzes in the hip hop scene this year. They won legions of new fans after joining The Herd on a number of tour dates but their soldout launch party in September sealed the deal. These youngsters are definitely ones to watch.
Many Australians will recognise the enchanting voice and beautiful face of Lenka from her time as the lead vocalist for the electronic/ambient outfit Decoder Ring.
Chugg Entertainment is thrilled to announce that next month, Lenka will return to her homeland, Australia, for two very special show case performances.
Lenka will perform at Melbourne’s The Toff In Town on Monday 27th October and the Oxford Art Factory in Sydney on Wednesday 29th October. Tickets for both shows are limited and go on sale through Moshtix this Friday 3rd October.
Decoder Ring, and Lenka’s honest and dreamy vocals, are best known for the critically acclaimed soundtrack to the Australian film Somersault, and the stunning single of the same name.
Following the success of Somersault, Lenka recorded a second album with Decoder Ring before deciding to go solo and become, as she puts it, “a gypsy,” shuttling between the States, Europe and Australia, as work and her visa permitted.
Her part-time front woman status with the Sydney band and her early pursuits as a solo artist set her on a promising path, and cemented her plans for future in music. In 2007 she relocated to Los Angeles and in 2008 began recording what would become her self-titled debut album.
The lead track from the full-length album, entitled “The Show” has been making a big impact in the US market, already climbing the charts and being named iTunes “single of the week”.
The song has already been featured in American clothing line, Old Navy’s back-to-school television advertising campaign and in promotional spots for the hit US comedy series “Ugly Betty.”
Released in Australia just this month, “The Show” is also expected to be a big hit on home turf, pegged to be that playful tune that will have you dancing and toe-tapping all day long, and form the soundtrack to those beautiful summer days that are just around the corner.
These performances will be a rare opportunity to see Lenka performing the music from her debut album in an intimate setting. 

Defying legions of critics both personal and professional, Jay Brennan has managed to build a dedicated following in a very non-traditional way. Though kicked out of acting school for alleged lack of ability, he entered the film arena with a standout performance in 2005's controversial arthouse movie 'Shortbus', and achieved rising cult star status upon the film's worldwide release. Urged to "play it straight" during his Southern upbringing, he has become a lightning rod for castaways by simply being himself: a neurotic and inspiring mess.
A New Yorker by way of Texas and California, with several stops in between, and a (severely) failed Southern Baptist, Jay moved to L.A. to pursue acting at the turn of the century. He picked up his first guitar at age 20, just as he put down an alcohol addiction. With this new, healthier dependency, he began writing songs with no training but a collection of CDs by forlorn, female singers.
A few failed attempts at romance later, Brannan found himself in New York auditioning for John Cameron Mitchell's experimental film Shortbus. Landing the part, he fell into a world of performers who made him feel comfortable as a creative professional for the first time.
Jay's song ‘Soda Shop’ became the most downloaded track from the movie's soundtrack, released through Shock in Australia. He began performing his music at events surrounding the film. And then the Internet kissed him.
A passionate insomniac, Jay found himself spending countless hours on the Internet cultivating his online networks and answering emails. His burgeoning online following tipped when he posted a 3:00 a.m. laptop performance of Soda Shop on YouTube, which found itself featured on the website's homepage and has since been viewed 1.5 million times. "I was a random guy at home fucking around with his computer, thinking no one would ever watch the video if I posted it. I guess I was wrong." He has gone on to post every new song as it's been written. These videos have accumulated millions of plays and their response has given Brannan the confidence to take his musical ambitions full time.
Jay's online following was also taking physical form, as Jay began playing to sold-out crowds in his hometown of New York City. Deciding to try his luck with farther audiences, his first performances sold out in advance in cities as far flung as London, Paris, L.A., Toronto, Vancouver, Cape Town and Tel Aviv. Each show is peppered with a healthy amount of commentary. Within a year, Brannan jumped from playing small clubs and venues to sold-out Manhattan theatres.
His bare-bones, self-released EP ‘Unmastered’ has seen 30,000 downloads on iTunes. A 1000-piece CD companion sold out in a heartbeat, with a one-of-a-kind polaroid of Jay affixed to the cover of each copy. Running his own Great Depression label feels natural to Brannan.
“There’s a big change coming and it won’t be long, before we’re all in this together.”
For every up, there is a down. For black, there is white. For day, lurks night. Or so The Audreys discovered following the warm embrace garnered by their debut longplayer, Between Last Night and Us.
The album catapulted The Audreys on to the national stage and saw them collect the 2006 ARIA Award for Best Blues & Roots Album, but the accompanying success left them high and dry in a songwriting drought. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Taasha Coates says it took her and fellow songwriter/guitarist Tristan Goodall an age to get back to writing.
“We were just a little Adelaide band that made an album, then suddenly we were touring constantly and playing on bigger and bigger stages. Everything was new,” Taasha explains. “It was all so overwhelming and took up so much of our time that is was 18 months before we wrote another song.”
But in a universe controlled by dynamic balance, the drought was broken by a flood. Rather than a metaphorical flood of songs, it was a soaking of sentiment – a darkness, a foreboding – that seeps into the corners of their sophomore album, When the Flood Comes.
“The flood as in the end of the world, you know, the apocalypse,” Taasha reveals.
Not exactly what you’d expect from the Adelaide five-piece, comprising Coates (voice, piano, melodica, ukulele), Goodall (acoustic and electric guitars, banjo), Michael Green (violin, lap steel, backing vocals), Lyndon Gray (upright and electric bass) and Toby Lang (drums).
Yet on When the Flood Comes, The Audreys shatter all expectations. They deliver an album of lyrical and sonic beauty that expands their musical template beyond the alt-country-tinged instrumentation and smoky pop of their gorgeous debut. Musically, it’s a revelation that almost defies categorisation. It aches. It breaks. And it drips with passion.
Don’t miss The Audreys live at the Oxford Art Factory – November 21st.
www.myspace.com/theaudreysband
www.theaudreys.com
Viking vaudeville! Manic Gypsy Jazz! However you describe them, the Man Man troupe swing into town this December for their frenzied debut tour.
Before the world came into existence, all was chaos, unimaginably limitless and without shape or form. Eon followed eon, particle became mass: then, lo! out of this boundless, shapeless mass something light and transparent rose up and formed the heavens. And from the heavens fell five shapes, loud and heavy and jumbled, and from these rough forms were shaped and sculpted the first firsts: Honus Honus (the High-August-First-Voice), Sergei Sogay (the Divine-Center-of-Four-Strings), Pow Pow (the August-Beat-Divinity), Critter Cat (the Divine-Twang-and-Everything-Else) and Chang Wang (the Other-Twang-and-Wondrous-Everything-Else).
From the wilds of Philadelphia, please enter Man Man. Five men. Many instruments. Lots of face paint. And a little bit of Honky Tonk. They bring their exuberant live show to town for the very first time, performing at the Meredith Music Festival, in support of their latest release “Rabbit Habbits” (Anti/ Shock). We are now pleased to announce two intimate sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne.
With comparisons to the usual avant-garde forefathers – Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, Tom Waits - Man Man are decidedly not identity thieving or even overtly referencing these spiritual godfathers in their music, but rather are acting as torchbearers of the unusual, the spontaneous and the plainly fucking funny in an increasingly homogenized world.
The famously riotous Man Man live show has captured the attention of many including ARCADE FIRE, MODEST MOUSE and CAT POWER who have all invited the band on tour. Centered on Honus Honus Honky Tonk style piano, the Man Men pick up and discard various instruments depending on where their mood takes them, including a clavinet, microKORG, sousaphone, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, flute, drum set, euphonium, Fender jazz bass, Danelectro guitar, xylophone, marimba, melodica and various percussive instruments including pots and pans and toy noise makers and horns. Anyone know what a sousaphone is?
Adam Green will be leaving his New York home this December to perform at the Meredith Music Festival, along with three headline shows around the country promoting his fifth solo album, “Sixes & Sevens”.
Adam’s irreverent wit and pop sensibilities were established early on as a teenager with his first band, the much loved Anti-Folk heroes MOLDY PEACHES. Formed with his bunnysuit-wearing-partner-in-crime Kimya Dawson (Adam sported a Robin Hood costume at the time), the band captivated critics and won fans around the world, while propelling New York’s Anti-Folk scene to international prominence. Both Adam and Kimya experienced a resurgence earlier this year when the Peaches were featured on the soundtrack of hit indie film, JUNO, including the anti-love song duet between Adam Green and Kimya Dawson, “Anyone Else But You”.
Adam went on to experience success as a solo artist, a career that is now five albums deep. It was Adam’s second solo album “Friend Of Mine” released in 2003 that revealed his innate ability to pen a truly off-kilter folk song, including the single “Jessica” a comic ode to Jessica Simpson that can still make you simultaneously chuckle and weep. It’s no wonder MOJO referred to him as an "unexpectedly rich talent". And Julian Casablancas of THE STROKES says of Adam: “It always amazes me how he can express such deep meaning with such twisted humor. Adam is eccentric and down-to-earth, with new found technical proficiency over a wider spectrum of styles. I love it.”