After how many years and how many incarnations of Blackchords?
We’ve lost count. But we have finally arrived at the point where the group becomes a band… It’s been an amazing journey to get to this point (releasing our debut album) but we made it. It has not been quick, it has not been easy, but we have finally got an album for the world to hear. We hope that you like it!
Throughout the life of Blackchords there have been a few musicians who, without their help Blackchords would not be here today so… To Peter James Spark, Tim Downey, Bindi Lobley, Scrappy Scrappy, Guy Kable, Ben Smith, Nick Lovell, Nick Batterham, Jimi Maroudis, and Turner and Hooch! Much love and many thanks to you all!
The official release date for “Blackchords” is April 18. We will be playing a special in store gig at Pure Pop records, St Kilda.
You will be able to buy the album in all good music stores throughout Australia and it will be available to order on blackchords.com and downloadable at itunes.com.
Triple R presents our official launch party at the Gershwin room, Esplanade hotel, St Kilda on Friday april 24. Doors open 8pm.
Very special guests Wellyn and The Holy Sea will also be playing at our launch.
We’ll keep you informed with more Blackchords over the coming days/weeks. So keep tuned!
XX
Blackchords
Saturday, 28 March 2009
Saturday, 21 March 2009
2300km's, old people fighting and the famous Jack Thompson bbq sauce?
We have arrived back in Melbourne after our little trip up to Sydney to play with the Church and we survived.
We started off in Geelong for an interview and an acoustic performance of our single “At Worlds End” at K-Rock radio and then a gig at The Nash. We pumped out a high-energy, rock heavy gig and I don’t think we have ever sweated so much. It was a great little crowd and a hot little stage (A nice start to our tour). After the gig there was no time to lose so we crammed all our gear and ourselves, miraculously into the Tarago and at 1am set off on our death defying friendship testing 13hr drive to the Blue Mountains in NSW. We arrived somewhere after 2pm exhausted and delirious unable string together 2 sentences and stinking of the sweat from the gig of the night before. As we were unpacking the van in our delirious states’ over the road a tourist bus pulled up and fists started swinging! It started off as a simple miss understanding as to where you could get the best local post cards and ended up with an all in brawl between the fat conductor and the elderly Brazilian tourists armed with soup strainer moustaches and hand bags. They were out of breath pretty quickly which was lucky and the fat conductor was able to scramble into the van and lock himself in along with the remaining tourists and their camera phones… It was time for sleep!
Friday nights gig was quite a contrast from the night before a chilled down tempo show to let us savour with a few glasses of Jack Thompsons’ very own branded wine and a nice bowl of chips covered in Jack Thompsons’ famous bbq sauce and after the show we grabbed a refreshing Jack Thompson ale and wandered around the bar to have a look at the photos of Jack in all his glory on the sets of his many different films?.. Nothing like a bit of self-promotion I say!
From Geelong to Kings cross… The next day we hit the road again detouring for the awe inspiring Blue Mountains outlook to cleanse the soul and then headed for Sydney. We arrived in Sydney with only 2 things on the to do list! Bondi beach, and to see what Paul Kelly was talking about, down at Kings Cross. Unfortunately tho it seemed that the US Navy had docked in Sydney Harbour and they had been given some R&R so Kings Cross was over run by sailors and we weren’t going to get anywhere near it!
Sunday night came and we were ready to play with a great Australian band that we had all grown up listening to. The Church. A fantastic show and fantastic welcome to Sydney. The Boys from the Church were great bunch and looked after us well and the crowd was as warm as we had been hoping for! The Church showed us that even when you are fully-grown up it is possible to still play rock’n’roll and do it with grace!!
To be continued……. 
We started off in Geelong for an interview and an acoustic performance of our single “At Worlds End” at K-Rock radio and then a gig at The Nash. We pumped out a high-energy, rock heavy gig and I don’t think we have ever sweated so much. It was a great little crowd and a hot little stage (A nice start to our tour). After the gig there was no time to lose so we crammed all our gear and ourselves, miraculously into the Tarago and at 1am set off on our death defying friendship testing 13hr drive to the Blue Mountains in NSW. We arrived somewhere after 2pm exhausted and delirious unable string together 2 sentences and stinking of the sweat from the gig of the night before. As we were unpacking the van in our delirious states’ over the road a tourist bus pulled up and fists started swinging! It started off as a simple miss understanding as to where you could get the best local post cards and ended up with an all in brawl between the fat conductor and the elderly Brazilian tourists armed with soup strainer moustaches and hand bags. They were out of breath pretty quickly which was lucky and the fat conductor was able to scramble into the van and lock himself in along with the remaining tourists and their camera phones… It was time for sleep!
Friday nights gig was quite a contrast from the night before a chilled down tempo show to let us savour with a few glasses of Jack Thompsons’ very own branded wine and a nice bowl of chips covered in Jack Thompsons’ famous bbq sauce and after the show we grabbed a refreshing Jack Thompson ale and wandered around the bar to have a look at the photos of Jack in all his glory on the sets of his many different films?.. Nothing like a bit of self-promotion I say!
From Geelong to Kings cross… The next day we hit the road again detouring for the awe inspiring Blue Mountains outlook to cleanse the soul and then headed for Sydney. We arrived in Sydney with only 2 things on the to do list! Bondi beach, and to see what Paul Kelly was talking about, down at Kings Cross. Unfortunately tho it seemed that the US Navy had docked in Sydney Harbour and they had been given some R&R so Kings Cross was over run by sailors and we weren’t going to get anywhere near it!
Sunday night came and we were ready to play with a great Australian band that we had all grown up listening to. The Church. A fantastic show and fantastic welcome to Sydney. The Boys from the Church were great bunch and looked after us well and the crowd was as warm as we had been hoping for! The Church showed us that even when you are fully-grown up it is possible to still play rock’n’roll and do it with grace!!
To be continued…….
Monday, 2 March 2009
International Songwriting Competition
Blackchords makes the finals of The International Songwriting Competition.
Yesterday I was informed that our song Broken Bones was nominated twice as a finalist for best rock and best film clip in the International Songwriting Competition. There have been 15,500 entrants from all across the world so we are pretty excited to have been chosen as one of the finalists!
We now need your help in getting the peoples choice award which is drawn at the start of April. All ya need to do is click on the link below and go and cast your vote for Broken Bones. You can vote once a day too. So from now until March 31st you can vote… Lots!
Click here to vote.
Yesterday I was informed that our song Broken Bones was nominated twice as a finalist for best rock and best film clip in the International Songwriting Competition. There have been 15,500 entrants from all across the world so we are pretty excited to have been chosen as one of the finalists!
We now need your help in getting the peoples choice award which is drawn at the start of April. All ya need to do is click on the link below and go and cast your vote for Broken Bones. You can vote once a day too. So from now until March 31st you can vote… Lots!
Click here to vote.
N.
Blackchords
Friday, 27 February 2009
And then it began
Last night was our first gig back for 2009 and the start of our tour.
It is great to be back and to shake out some of the cobwebs.
This has been the first time Blackchords has played as a full band at the retreat hotel and I must say it was a really nice vibe.
Here are a couple of photos from the gig.
Also if you haven’t already checked out the dates that we are playing please do. There are more gigs coming up in Melbourne too and it looks like we’ll be heading down down under to Tassie, which is going to be awesome! Unfortunately tho for the moment we wont be making it to Queensland and WA. Hopefully it will happen later in 2009.
We DO now have a release date for our album and a date for the launch but that will be under raps for a little bit longer.
Will let you know soon.
Take Care
N.
Blackchords
It is great to be back and to shake out some of the cobwebs.
This has been the first time Blackchords has played as a full band at the retreat hotel and I must say it was a really nice vibe.
Here are a couple of photos from the gig.
Also if you haven’t already checked out the dates that we are playing please do. There are more gigs coming up in Melbourne too and it looks like we’ll be heading down down under to Tassie, which is going to be awesome! Unfortunately tho for the moment we wont be making it to Queensland and WA. Hopefully it will happen later in 2009.
We DO now have a release date for our album and a date for the launch but that will be under raps for a little bit longer.
Will let you know soon.
Take Care
N.
Blackchords
Photography by Sasufi
Thursday, 19 February 2009
Return to OZ
I have just touched down in the hot dry land of Australia, its a huge contrast with the sub zero temperatures and dark dark skies of London and Paris. Its been a busy few days, running around getting things organized for the up coming tour and release of the album and also hitting the studio for rehearsal with the band.
Today I've been able to be lazy and just wonder through Melbourne in a fuzzy jet lagged haze. Taking my pasty white sun starved body out into day light was a good feeling. Even if everybody I walked past had to shield their eyes away from my reflecting white skin.
For the next week while I get over my jet lag and get some color back into my skin we will be putting together the final details of our release and launch party. In the mean time I am adding details of our up coming gigs in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales.
We are very excited to be heading to Sydney, in march to play with a much loved Aussie band “The Church” at The Factory Theatre.
Another very important gig that we will be playing is a benefit show at The Wesley Anne, to raise money for the victims of the Victorian bush fires.
So check out the details in our gig guide and come down to the shows.
In other blackchords news we have also donated a previously unreleased track 'Pretty Little Thing' to Twestival, the global Twitter charity event.
It is a worldwide online music project which aims to raise an additional $20,000 USD for the Twestival Charity Water which aims to provide people around the world with access to clean safe drinking water.
You can also listen and download tracks from over 160 other artists including Bloc Party, Martha Wainwright, Erol Akan, Imogen Heap, Mystery Jets and The Rakes
Visit http://www.twestival.fm to have an exclusive listen and download our track 'Pretty Little Thing' taken from our forthcoming debut album.
Stay in touch cause there is much happening in the next few months.
N.
Today I've been able to be lazy and just wonder through Melbourne in a fuzzy jet lagged haze. Taking my pasty white sun starved body out into day light was a good feeling. Even if everybody I walked past had to shield their eyes away from my reflecting white skin.
For the next week while I get over my jet lag and get some color back into my skin we will be putting together the final details of our release and launch party. In the mean time I am adding details of our up coming gigs in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales.
We are very excited to be heading to Sydney, in march to play with a much loved Aussie band “The Church” at The Factory Theatre.
Another very important gig that we will be playing is a benefit show at The Wesley Anne, to raise money for the victims of the Victorian bush fires.
So check out the details in our gig guide and come down to the shows.
In other blackchords news we have also donated a previously unreleased track 'Pretty Little Thing' to Twestival, the global Twitter charity event.
It is a worldwide online music project which aims to raise an additional $20,000 USD for the Twestival Charity Water which aims to provide people around the world with access to clean safe drinking water.
You can also listen and download tracks from over 160 other artists including Bloc Party, Martha Wainwright, Erol Akan, Imogen Heap, Mystery Jets and The Rakes
Visit http://www.twestival.fm to have an exclusive listen and download our track 'Pretty Little Thing' taken from our forthcoming debut album.
Stay in touch cause there is much happening in the next few months.
N.
Sunday, 18 January 2009
1000
Dear all,
The Blackchords fanbase is growing fast and we are rapidly approaching 1,000 MySpace friends. To mark this milestone we want to reward you.
If you enjoy our music we need you to invite your friends to become our friends. Then send us a message with your name and the names of the friends you have recruited.
If you recruit our 1,000th friend we will reward both of you with an exclusive, previously unreleased two track Blackchords CD containing 'These Lights' & 'At World's End.' Both tracks are taken from our forthcoming debut album which is released in March.
Good luck and thank you for your continued support
We will announce the winners shortly!
Blackchords xx
The Blackchords fanbase is growing fast and we are rapidly approaching 1,000 MySpace friends. To mark this milestone we want to reward you.
If you enjoy our music we need you to invite your friends to become our friends. Then send us a message with your name and the names of the friends you have recruited.
If you recruit our 1,000th friend we will reward both of you with an exclusive, previously unreleased two track Blackchords CD containing 'These Lights' & 'At World's End.' Both tracks are taken from our forthcoming debut album which is released in March.
Good luck and thank you for your continued support
We will announce the winners shortly!
Blackchords xx
Thursday, 1 January 2009
A Happy New Years!
2008 eh. It began I remember with Nick and myself both a bit disillusioned with the present. There were three amazing demos that we had done with Nick Batterham and the sound we’d been looking for was starting to come through. I was sick and tired of making coffee, serving bitter people and listening to hank williams every damn hour.
To just quit my job on faith of a better path was the calling.
Soon after saw us in the studio recording the album. with long days and nights between sing sing 2 and Mr Batterhams studio. To say I was naive and raw to the recording process would be an understatement and working with such talented minds as Nick Batterham and Adam Rhodes scared the shit outta me at the time, but what I’ve learnt and witnessed during that process has been truly incredible. July saw Nick disappearing to Paris with the talented Anne-sophie at his side… and I found myself walking the hallway of my house not really knowing what to do with myself. I had to fill my life with some company.. and that came in the form of one of the loves of my life. A new amp! The Vox AC30CC with 4X12 speakers affectionately known as ‘The cardi’. So with the return of Nick M and playing for the first time with the talented Nick C , I found myself amongst some great musical moments. with playing the songs for the first time since recording them, and now with keys in the live set for the first time in four years. It feels right, and I can’t wait to see out other chapter, the live shows unfolding and evolving in 2009.
Thanks to everyone involved in the blackchords trip in 08. especially those that volunteered their hours and time. Trevor, Katie, Anne Sophie, Tov, Caz… and Phoebe and S.J. for helping us haul our machines of music over Melbourne. We can’t thank you enough!
To sit here hungover, smiling, writing this with the knowledge we’re about to release our debut album and knowing I’ll be creating more sound with my best friends is a peace. To be remembering this evolution, with memories of nick coming to me with chords and scribbled lyrics of songs which would later become ‘switch’ and ‘22’. Waking up most days in february to the piano at the other end of the house, then to be around the strings being recorded and driving ‘disappear’ and ‘these lights’. The universe has been good to us..
Happy New Year
See you all soon.
Dim
To just quit my job on faith of a better path was the calling.
Soon after saw us in the studio recording the album. with long days and nights between sing sing 2 and Mr Batterhams studio. To say I was naive and raw to the recording process would be an understatement and working with such talented minds as Nick Batterham and Adam Rhodes scared the shit outta me at the time, but what I’ve learnt and witnessed during that process has been truly incredible. July saw Nick disappearing to Paris with the talented Anne-sophie at his side… and I found myself walking the hallway of my house not really knowing what to do with myself. I had to fill my life with some company.. and that came in the form of one of the loves of my life. A new amp! The Vox AC30CC with 4X12 speakers affectionately known as ‘The cardi’. So with the return of Nick M and playing for the first time with the talented Nick C , I found myself amongst some great musical moments. with playing the songs for the first time since recording them, and now with keys in the live set for the first time in four years. It feels right, and I can’t wait to see out other chapter, the live shows unfolding and evolving in 2009.
Thanks to everyone involved in the blackchords trip in 08. especially those that volunteered their hours and time. Trevor, Katie, Anne Sophie, Tov, Caz… and Phoebe and S.J. for helping us haul our machines of music over Melbourne. We can’t thank you enough!
To sit here hungover, smiling, writing this with the knowledge we’re about to release our debut album and knowing I’ll be creating more sound with my best friends is a peace. To be remembering this evolution, with memories of nick coming to me with chords and scribbled lyrics of songs which would later become ‘switch’ and ‘22’. Waking up most days in february to the piano at the other end of the house, then to be around the strings being recorded and driving ‘disappear’ and ‘these lights’. The universe has been good to us..
Happy New Year
See you all soon.
Dim
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