Episode 16: October 27

Tracy Bartram is one of Australia's most loved radio personalities, comedians and jazz singers. She began her radio career in Perth before being picked up by FOX FM. For six years, "Tracy and Matt" was the highest rating breakfast show. In 2006, she spent two years with MIX 101.1 presenting "Tracy and Tim", and has since done work for ABC 774.

Tracy is also one of the country's most hilarious comedians, having performed countless one-woman, self-written shows around the country to great acclaim.

Tracy performing with her band members Michael Jordin (drums), Kim Kelaart (keyboards) and Sam Le Mann (guitars)

Tracy also sings jazz, and Petro caught up with her backstage during her month-long run at Pricilla's Bar, on Commercial Road. During the interview Tracy reveals how the jazz show came about, plans to record a studio album, her frightening celebrity experiences, why she won't go back to commercial radio, her Riverdell Retreat which was awarded "Best Gay and Lesbian Friendly Place To Stay", plus plenty of other nonsense. It's a hoot!

Tracy's season has been extended by two weeks. Catch her on Wednesday November 4 and Wednesday November 11. Visit her official website here.


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Episode 15: October 20

We spoke to Andrew Kitchen, Project Manager for FACE THE MUSIC 09 and The Push Artist Development Coordinator. He is promoting the upcoming music industry conference Face The Music which takes place at the Arts Centre on Saturday 31 October.

Face The Music will provide a forum for musicians and industry to workshop and explore song-writing, management, recording, publishing, touring, audience development and much more. Over 60 music industry professionals, including high profile artists, booking agents, publishers, record label directors, music lawyers, publicists and artist managers are generously sharing their time and experience. There will be representatives from Mushroom, Shock Records, Premier Artists, Triple J, triple j TV, to name a few, as well as musicians like Paul Dempsey, Megan Washington, Drew Goddard from Karnivool and hip hop artists Pez.

The day will cover sessions with musicians and producers sharing their experiences recording and producing albums, touring regional Victoria and Tasmania, record labels, music publishing and distribution, connecting with your fanbase, radio, business models, video making on the cheap and more. Of particular interest to your listeners might be the hands on workshops in the Sound House using Pro-Tools and Reason, as well as a panel about developing a career in hip hop, where the road starts, and what you need for the journey. There’s also an opportunity to seek one on one advice by booking appointments on the day.

Tickets for Face The Music 09 are selling fast. To book, head to the Arts Centre Box Office website website, or call 1300 182 183. The Push is a great resource for all ages gig and music industry resources, check them out here.


Last week we announced the ARIA Awards nominations. This week the AIR Awards (Australian Independent Record Labels Association) were announced. One of our favourites Bertie Blackman is up for four noms, and CW Stoneking and Sia have each been nominated for three awards. The awards ceremony will be hosted by The Chaser's Julian Morrow and will mark the event's fourth birthday. Winner will be revealed at the 2009 Jagermeister AIR Awards at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne on November 22.

For information, and a full list of categories and nominees, visit the official site.


We were also very pleased to announce that Vanessa Amorosi debuted at #1 on the Australian Singles Chart this week with her rockin' track "This Is Who I Am". After 10 years since debuting in the industry, this is Vanessa's first #1 single.

Her previous highest peaks where with "Shine" (2000) and "Perfect" (2008), both reaching #4. Vanessa is one of only two artists to debut at #1 this year (the other being Flo Rida), and joins Guy Sebastian and Jessica Mauboy has the three Australian acts to reach #1 this year. She is the first Australian female artist to debut at #1 since Kylie's "2 Hearts" back in 2007.

Congratulations Vanessa! The album "Hazardous" is due in stores November 6.

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Episode 14: October 13

The 23rd Annual ARIA Music Awards take place on November 26 at Acer Arena in Sydney. This year, the industry's night of nights will broadcast on the Nine Network (not Ten who have had it for the past eight years). Currently confirmed to perform are Jessica Mauboy, Empire Of The Sun, Keith Urban and Hilltop Hoods. British megastar Robbie Williams will be this year's international guest performer. Tonight we went through each of the categories, and were delighted to see some of our favorites (especially Kiwi gal Ladyhawke) up for a few nominations.

Artists with multiple nominations this year:
Empire of the Sun – 11 nominations
Jessica Mauboy – 7 nominations
Hilltop Hoods – 6 nominations
Ladyhawke – 6 nominations
C. W. Stoneking – 5 nominations
Sarah Blasko – 5 nominations
AC/DC – 4 nominations
Kate Miller-Heidke – 4 nominations
The Temper Trap – 4 nominations
Lisa Mitchell – 3 nominations

For all categories and nominations, visit the official website.


David Lim from Diff'rent Strokes (every Wednesday from 10pm) caught up with British pop sensation Little Boots, who was in the country recently for the Parklife festivals. She's achieved mainstream success on the electro-pop scene with hits "New In Town" and "Remedy" from her debut album Hands. We played the full interview which detailed her rise to fame, the making of her album, and a moment of Rachel Stevens gushing. A big thanks to David for letting us play the interview.

Check out David's blog: Show & Tell

We also paid tribute to Boyzone singer Stephen Gately, who passed away on the weekend at the age of 33. In 1999, Stephen came out as gay, being the first boyband member to ever do so. May he R.I.P.

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Episode 13: October 6

Last week, Johno was joined by JOY boys Elliot and JB. This week I'm back, and give a little report on La Roux's energetic gig at The Palace.

We had an interview with Scott Murphy, one of the Australian music industry's most respected and established executives. Scott began working at Mushroom Records at the age of 18 and remained with the iconic label for 15 years. Mushroom, created by Michael Guidinski in 1972, was responsible for some of the biggest locals acts - Split Enz, Kylie, Youth Yindi, Jimmy Barnes, Kate Ceberano, Renée Geyer and Skyhooks amongst others. In 1999, he helped set up Australian headquarters for international giant Zomba Records. Zomba was largely responsible for the American teen pop revival of the late 90s with its acts Britney Spears, N*Sync and Backstreet Boys.

Scott is currently developing new technological ways of increasing the value of payed music, and in 2005, established the prestigious Australian Music Prize, an award based on creative excellence. The prize is open to any Australian act who has commercially released an album. Past winners include Eddy Current Suppression Ring, The Mess Hall, Augie March, and The Drones. Entries for the 2009 award are now open, with a cash prize of $30,000! For details and entry conditions, visit the official site.

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Episode 11: September 22

We're leading up to the busy Christmas season which means the record companies are pumping out the Greatest Hits compilations, hoping to fill stockings. The rest of the year will see new ones from Madonna, Aqua, Britney, Michael Jackson, Jay Z, Foo Fighters, Bee Gees, Queen, Fall Out Boy and Snow Patrol, just to name a few. Tonight we have an in depth discussion about the the concept of the greatest hits album – why they are released, what we like about them, what we don’t like about them, who has sold plenty of them, and artists who have released them prematurely. The playlist is made up of classics from some of the huge selling Greatest Hits albums.

ARIA have released the mid-year sales figures and we analyse the stats. Mixed results, but things are looking up in the digital market. Click here for the report.

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Episode 10: September 5

Our 10th anniversary on the air (as in episodes, not years...we have a long way to go for that milestone!). This week we spoke to entertainer Lucy Holmes. She is most famous for her highly acclaimed 100% KYLIE tribute show. Being a die-hard Kylie fan myself, I caught the show a couple of years ago and was truly amazed by the attention to detail, from the impeccable costumes taken from different photo shoots, music videos and live shows to the mind-blowing tour renditions used throughout the show. Lucy does an incredible job playing the role of our much-loved gay icon. In the interview she gives us insight into how the show came about, the kind of research that was required, and how it has developed over last seven years.

But Lucy is more than just a Kylie look and sound-a-like. She has worked extensively in the local industry, performing on shows such as Dancing With The Stars, It Takes two, The Footy Show, The Singing Bee and Big Brother. She has performed at prestigious events such as the AFL Grand Final, the Men's Final of the Australian Open, the Logie Awards and performs annually at Vision Australia's Carols By Candlelight. She has shared the stage with many big names.

Check Lucy out at her official site. For the 100% KYLIE show, click here.

We also went through the winners, highlights and controversies of this years MTV Video Music Awards. Playlist theme, we played classic pop tracks that have been re-recorded by the original artist in other languages.

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Episode 9: September 8

Johno was in Sydney this week so I had the pleasure of sharing company with the adorable Jenny O'Joy from Local & Vocal (every Sunday from 1pm). Local and Vocal has been on the air for three years and is a chance for local artists to have their music played. Jenny is also the Youth Coordinator at JOY and runs the "Taste of Radio" course, of which both Johno and I are graduates. We discussed her love for local and independent music, her roles as an event manager for "Girl Interpreted", a show featuring a line up of female performers with sign language interpretation, as well as her stint as a band manager for a local female group.

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