Wednesday 21 December 2011

‘The Muppets’ Australian Premiere To Be Hosted By Jason Segel and Kermit The Frog



Kermit The Frog has snuck into Australia to premiere 'The Muppets' movie on the green carpet at Bondi Junction's Event Cinemas.

Synopsis

On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10-million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit the Frog reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called The Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate. With secret, signature, celebrity cameos, "The Muppets" hits the big screen November 23, 2011.

Director: James Bobin
Writers: Jason Segel, Nick Stoller

Actors:
Jason Segel
Amy Adams
Chris Cooper
Rashida Jones
Alan Arkin
Jack Black
Zach Galifianakis (Cameo)
Ken Jeong (Cameo)
Jim Parsons (Cameo)
Kristen Schaal (Cameo)
Sarah Silverman (Cameo)
Emily Blunt (Cameo)
Whoopi Goldberg (Cameo)
Selena Gomez (Cameo)
Neil Patrick Harris (Cameo)
John Krasinski (Cameo)
Mickey Rooney (Cameo)

Producers: Jason Segel, Nick Stoller









Websites

The Muppets - Disney

Event Cinemas

Music News Australia

'Picasso to Warhol: Twelve Modern Masters' exhibition opens - Perth



Opening as part of an exclusive partnership between the Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, this exciting new exhibition will showcase more than 100 modern art masterpieces by 12 of the most iconic artists of the 20th century.

Venue: Art Gallery of Western Australia, 47 James Street Mall, Perth

Date: Saturday, June 16, 2012


The Art Gallery of Western Australia will launch its first, large-scale exhibition, Picasso to Warhol: Twelve Modern Masters, today. The exciting new exhibition is the result of an exclusive partnership between the gallery and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and will feature more than 100 modern art masterpieces from 12 of the world's most iconic artists of the 20th century.

Ranging from Picasso to Warhol (pictured), as suggested by the title, the exhibition will also include celebrated works by Henri Matisse, Constantin Brancusi, Piet Mondrian, Fernand Leger, Marcel Duchamp, Giorgio De Chirico, Joan Miro, Alexander Calder, Jasper Johns and Jackson Pollock.


Art Gallery of WA and The Museum of Modern Art, New York Form an Exclusive Australian Partnership

As part of the Art Gallery of Western Australia’s  Great Collections of the World series, AGWA and MoMA will present six world-class exhibitions over three years from June 2012, through a newly formed partnership series. 

The series will be an exclusive for Perth and is made possible by additional government funding as well as Eventscorp’s ongoing funding of the Great Collections series. 

Glenn D. Lowry, Director of MoMA said, “The Museum of Modern Art is thrilled to be entering into this partnership with the Art Gallery of Western Australia. Our two institutions have a long history of mutual interests, and we welcome the opportunity to share highlights of our collection with audiences in Perth.”  

It’s a sentiment shared by Stefano Carboni, Director of AGWA, “MoMA is one of the most highly respected and progressive art museums in the world. Beginning with the innovative European artists of the 1880s, the MoMA collection contains an unparalleled selection of major artists and movements to this day.  

“The opportunity to bring such high-calibre exhibitions to Perth, and Australia, was one we could not pass up. It will add incredible depth to WA’s cultural offering over the next three years.” 

The exciting partnership, which is a significant coup for the Gallery and for Western Australia, will launch its first, large-scale exhibition on 16 June 2012 entitled  Picasso to Warhol: Twelve Modern Masters.  The launch exhibition will feature over 100 modern art masterpieces by 12 of the most iconic artists of the 20th century.  

Ranging from Picasso to Warhol, as suggested by the title, the exhibition will also include celebrated works by Henri Matisse, Constantin Brancusi, Piet Mondrian, Fernand Léger, Marcel Duchamp, Giorgio De Chirico, Joan Miró, Alexander Calder, Jasper Johns and Jackson Pollock. 

“The launch exhibition will provide visitors  with a wonderful opportunity to experience works by the world’s great modern artists, each represented by some of their best and most distinctive pieces. It’s an excellent introduction to the six-exhibition series,” said Stefano Carboni. 

The five following exhibitions will draw from MoMA’s extensive collection and showcase a significant selection of works from each of MoMA’s curatorial departments including design and photography.

Each exhibition will differ both thematically and by medium, providing a highly varied series that will engage audiences time and again. There will be a mix of traditional ‘blockbuster’- type survey exhibitions, as well as more specific shows which will explore a singular idea or medium that has significantly impacted on the development of modern art.

Stefano Carboni finished by saying, “Continuing on from the success of Peggy Guggenheim: A Collection in Venice and the much anticipated upcoming  Princely Treasures: European Masterpieces 1600 - 1800 from the Victoria and Albert Museum, we have no doubt that the 
MoMA - AGWA collaboration will deliver ongoing success for the Gallery and delight everyone who visits the exhibitions.”  

About MoMA and MoMA PS1  
Founded in 1929 as an educational institution, The Museum of Modern Art is dedicated to being the foremost museum of modern art in the world.  

With extraordinary exhibitions and the world’s finest collection of modern and contemporary art, MoMA is dedicated to  the conversation between the past and the present, the established and the experimental, and to help visitors understand and enjoy the art of our time.  

Through the leadership of its Trustees and staff, The Museum of Modern Art manifests this commitment by establishing, preserving, and  documenting a permanent collection of the highest order that reflects the vitality, complexity and unfolding patterns of modern and contemporary art; by presenting exhibitions and educational programs of unparalleled significance; by sustaining a library, archives, and conservation laboratory that are recognised as internal centres of research; and by supporting scholarship and publications of preeminent intellectual merit. 

Websites

Art Gallery of Western Australia

The Museum of Modern Art

Music News Australia

Kermit The Frog

Via Flickr:
The Muppets’ Australian Premiere To Be Hosted By Jason Segel and Kermit The Frog

Kermit The Frog has snuck into Australia to premiere 'The Muppets' movie on the green carpet at Bondi Junction's Event Cinemas.

Synopsis

On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10-million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit the Frog reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called The Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate. With secret, signature, celebrity cameos, "The Muppets" hits the big screen November 23, 2011.

Director: James Bobin
Writers: Jason Segel, Nick Stoller

Actors:
Jason Segel
Amy Adams
Chris Cooper
Rashida Jones
Alan Arkin
Jack Black
Zach Galifianakis (Cameo)
Ken Jeong (Cameo)
Jim Parsons (Cameo)
Kristen Schaal (Cameo)
Sarah Silverman (Cameo)
Emily Blunt (Cameo)
Whoopi Goldberg (Cameo)
Selena Gomez (Cameo)
Neil Patrick Harris (Cameo)
John Krasinski (Cameo)
Mickey Rooney (Cameo)

Producers: Jason Segel, Nick Stoller

Websites

The Muppets - Disney
disney.go.com/muppets

Event Cinemas
www.eventcinemas.com.au

Music News Australia
www.musicnewsaustralia.com

19 Artists, Four Continents, Two Days And One Amazing Chipmusic Line-Up For The First Blip Festival Australia

Bit Shifter - Blip NY 2007. Photo by Chiptography
Melbourne, VIC – February  17 and 18, 2012: Following what many considered to be the surprise announcement in September of the first Australian chipmusic festival “Blip Festival Australia,” 8bitpeoples in association with Melbourne’s SoundBytes are excited to unveil the first round line up for this very special chipmusic event.  

Some of chipmusic’s best known names will be among the two day lineup of 19 audio-visual artists - including co-organisers Joshua Davis AKA Bit Shifter and Jeremiah Johnston AKA Nullsleep – cofounders of 8bitpeoples, one of the world’s best known chipmusic labels, and well known and loved performers in their own right. Co-founder of Blip Festival, Mike Rosenthal had the following to say "There is a really thriving chip scene in Australia that we've been admiring from afar for several years. We figured it was time to stop simply exporting their talent to the other Blip Festivals worldwide and instead come join the party". 

The majority of Australia’s first chipmusic festival will take place over the 17th and 18th of February, at one of Melbourne’s best known live music venues, The Evelyn Hotel in Brunswick.  Additionally, events that include workshops and an open mic will not only give up-and-coming chip musicians the opportunity to strut their stuff but to also allow those new to the emerging style the opportunity to learn for themselves the fundamentals of working with gaming consoles to create music. 

Chipmusic is the art of using home computers and antiquated video game consoles to create fresh and innovative music in a wide variety of styles. Despite having its roots in video game music and then later in sample based synthesis utilising software such as the Commodore Amiga in the 80s, it has had a huge surge in popularity in Australia in recent years.  A big reason for the surge of popularity for this growing style is the regular chipmusic shows happening around Australia – the longest running of these being SoundBytes, the creators of which, Kristy Dossor and Eugene Davoren-Britton are also involved in bringing Blip Festival to Australia.
  
In addition to Bit Shifter and Nullsleep, a wide selection of international and local artists are heading to Melbourne to take part in the festival. From the US comes one of the best known chipmusic artists and veteran of multiple Blip Festival appearances Trash80 as well as first time Blip Festival visualist Batsly Adams. Several artists from Europe will also be making the long trip to Australia – the man of many monikers, Germany’s Patric Catani, a highlight of Blip festival New York in 2009 will be joined by the United Kingdom’s Lazerbeat and _ensnare_, both of whom will be performing at Blip Festival for the first time. A little closer to home will be Saitone and Hally from Japan. The two, who are some of Japan’s longest active performers, have both appeared at multiple Blip Festivals. 

These international artists join the cream of Australia’s local chipmusic crop: Ten Thousand Free Men & Their Families (SYD), Abortifacient (SYD), little-scale (ADE), Derris-Kharlan (MEL) and dot.AY (BNE) as well as Sydney visualist iLKke and the very exciting launch of the highly anticipated audio-visual experience 7bithero by Brisbane’s Hunz.

A second round of audio visual performers is expected in coming weeks to fill out the promised “19” artists.

SoundBytes co-founder, Eugene Davoren-Britton said “There are some exceptionally exciting artists on the line up, and we are especially excited to be bringing many of the artists not just to Australia for the first time, but also to their first Blip Festival performances. We have a bill full of heavy hitting veterans of multiple Blip Festivals as well as fresh new talent that Australian music fans are going to love”. Co-organiser Kristy Dossor added, “It’s a really exciting bill, we have such a variety of genres represented from such a wide variety of backgrounds and nationalities, that there is something to whet everyone’s appetite, even those who are new to chipmusic and may not have had exposure to specific artist’s bodies of work – some of which is quite honestly, prolific.” 

Davoren-Britton added, “Some of these guys have been making music since before there was a name for “chipmusic” and many of them are well known as leaders within the chip community. Bringing them all together for an event like this is not only going to make for a fantastic live music experience, it’s going to be a great learning experience for locals who may not have had this kind of exposure to so many talented artists at one time, not to mention the international audience who will be able to tune into our web stream.” 

Tickets for the Festival will go on sale through the Blip Festival Australia website on January 9th at 10am EDT More information about the festival, including updates on the satellite events taking place during  February will be made available on the Blip festival Australia website http://australia.blipfestival.org/

Up to the minute updates will be available on twitter @BlipFestival and on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/soundbytesoz and http://www.facebook.com/8bitpeoples

Nullsleep - Blip NY 2008. Photo by Chiptography
Ten Thousand Free Men & Their Families - Blip NY 2011. Photo by Chiptography

Patric Catani - Blip NY 2009. Photo by Chiptography
Hally - Blip NY 2009 - Backers Party. Photo by Chiptography

Websites

Blip Festival Australia

Dpad Productions web blog

Music News Australia

Media Man News

KASEY CHAMBERS 2012 Tour Dates

KASEY CHAMBERS 2012 Tour Dates

KC8213hi
Kasey Chambers will head back out on the road for some select tour dates in early 2012.
Kasey has taken a break from touring and recording whilst she and Shane, Talon & Arlo have been enjoying  some time out with the latest member of the Chambers/Nicholson family; daughter Poet born in October.
Just recently Kasey’s ‘Little Bird’ album was awarded the ARIA for Best Country Album of 2011 – Her 6th one of these and 10th career ARIA.   Kasey’s first ARIA award was back in 1996 for Best Country with her family ‘The Dead Ringer Band’.  3 years later she won for her first solo album ARIA’s for Best Country and Best Female for ‘The Captain’.  In 2002 she won Best Country, Best Female and Album Of The Year for her ‘Barricades & Brickwalls’ album.  In 2004 she won Best Country and Best Female for ‘Wayward Angel’ and in 2008 Kasey & Shane won Best Country for ‘Rattlin’ Bones’.
In August 2011, Kasey’s autobiography ‘A Little Bird Told Me’ co-written with Jeff Apter was published by Harper Collins and remains on the top selling book lists nationally.  To accompany the book, Kasey recorded and released an album of cover versions of songs that she loves and that have inspired her during the course of her life and recording career.  The album titled ‘Storybook’ was released on September 23rd, 2011 through Liberation Music/Australia.
Kasey will be doing select shows early 2012 including a one off show with The Dead Ringer Band up at Tamworth. Tickets for all shows are on sale now.
Kasey will be available for phone interviews on Thursday January 5th in support of the following shows.
Sat Jan 21st – 7.30pm         Sydney Festival    FREE gig!
With  Dan Sultan & Busby Marou
Old Kings School, O’Connell St & Marsden St, Parramatta
Weds Jan 25th                       The Dead Ringer Band 20thAnniversary Reunion ShowT.R.E.C.C.  Greg Norman Drive, Tamworth
Box Office Phone:(02)6767 5300
Fri Jan 27th                              Kasey Chambers – Blazes AuditoriumWest Tamworth Leagues Club, Philip St, West Tamworth
Show starts at 5pm
Tickets: (02)6765 7588  or http://www.wtlc.com.au/
*****CD and Book signing after show.
Sat 4th Feb – 5:30pm          Zoo Twilights 2012
Royal Melbourne Zoo
Melbourne VIC
Tickets from  http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/
Sat 11th Feb                         Mundaring Weir Hotel Outdoor concert series WATickets from the venue Ph 08 92956098 mdgweirh@vianet.net.au
Sun 12th Feb                        Mandurah Offshore Fishing Sailing Club, WATwilight concert series
Tickets from venue Ph 08 95356251 & BOCS Ph 08 94841133  http://www.bocsticketing.com.au/

For further information, please visit:  
www.kaseychambers.com

Basick Records release FREE 2012 sampler



 BASICK RECORDS, an independent record label from the UK specialising in progressive metal - has released a free mp3 label sampler, with over forty minutes of music, encompassing twelve different releases from their international artist roster including bands from Australia, India, France, America, Canada and the UK.

The sampler featuring the talents of Circles, Ion Dissonance, Chimp Spanner, Blotted Science, The Arusha Accord, SkyHarbor, Monuments, Aliases, The Algorithm, Uneven Structure, 7 Horns 7 Eyes and Visions, is free to download internationally from Bandcamp. It includes new tracks featured on forthcoming releases from Chimp Spanner, The Algorithm and SkyHarbor which are due out in the first quarter of 2012.

Tracklisting:

1. CHIMP SPANNER - Dark Age Of Technology 04:15
2. CIRCLES - Act III 05:40
3. MONUMENTS - The Uncollective (instrumental) 03:51
4. SKYHARBOR - Celestial (edit) 04:03
5. UNEVEN STRUCTURE - Awaken (edit) 04:40
6. 7 HORNS 7 EYES - The Winnowing 05:35
7. BLOTTED SCIENCE - A Sting Operation - Human Barbequed 02:21
8. ION DISSONANCE - This Is The Last Time I Repeat Myself 04:36
9. THE ARUSHA ACCORD - The Resurgent 03:26
10. ALIASES - The Reality Of Beliefs 03:40
11. VISIONS - Oceans 04:59
12. THE ALGORITHM - Isometry 03:06


BASICK will also host their first label showcase, in conjunction with HMV, in London on February 6th with live sets from Chimp Spanner, Uneven Structure and The Algorithm. For more information on the show and where to buy tickets, please click here.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
About Basick Records
Formed in 2005 by Nathan 'Barley' Phillips, BASICK has quickly established itself as one of the most important up and coming labels in the UK. From releasing Enter Shikari’s first ever material to leading the way with the new wave of progressive metal, BASICK strives to put out only the best in new, exciting, fresh heavy music. Now a fully fledged international label, BASICK’s roster currently includes bands from all over the globe including:  Aliases, A Dark Orbit, Blotted Science, Chimp Spanner, Circles, Ion Dissonance, No Consequence, SkyHarbor, The Algorithm, The Arusha Accord, Uneven Structure, 7 Horns 7 Eyes, and Visions.