Entries for Australia’s only Truly Independent music awards, Musicoz 2010, are now open. Celebrating the best independent music from across the country, the Musicoz Awards are now in their 9th year with 2010 looking to be the best show yet.

The independent music scene in Australia is a thriving and ever-growing part of the wider music community with over 14,000 artists playing more than 75,000 shows a year and recording in excess of 85,000 songs. The Musicoz-Truly Independent Awards highlights the enormous amount of talent and diversity within the Australian music scene.

“Musicoz is a great initiative and gives many opportunities to young up and coming artists”, says Jonathan (Bliss ‘n Eso) who are just one of a long list of Musicoz Award winners who have enjoyed the exposure, credibility and developmental help that only these awards can deliver.

Other previous winners including, Cog, Bluejuice, Mammal, Borne and Felicity Urquhart , have all used the Musicoz Awards as a launch-pad to further their music careers and benefited from the largest prize pool for any Australian music awards program. These prizes range from studio time and musical gear through to airplay and marketing packages.

With judges from across the entire music industry and categories for virtually every genre of music, all independent acts have a chance to be recognised. Major sponsors and broadcast partners for this year include heavyweights such as MTV, NOVA, News Limited, The Music Network and Bigpond Music.

Entries close October 31st 2009 with all submissions via The Musicoz - Truly Independent website: www.musicoz.org

Blues music and comedy; at first sight it would seem to be a strange mix. One makes you cry, the other makes you laugh. However mixing them together is just what Comedian and Harmonica player Michael Connell is planning to do in a new comedy show. “I’ve been doing comedy for over eight years, and playing the Harmonica for the last four, and I’ve always kept my comedy and music very separate,” Michael explains. “However, recently I’ve begun to notice there’s a lot of similarities between the Blues and Comedy. For me, they’re both about taking something negative, like being poor or getting cheated on, and turning it into something positive like music or laughter.”

Titled, appropriately enough, “The Blues”, the show will run at The Street Theatre in mid September. As a comedian Michael has performed all over Australia and New Zealand, everywhere from the Her Majesty’s Theatre to sell out shows in the Melbourne Comedy Festival. As a harmonica player Michael has performed at The Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues and the Australian Blues Music Festival in Goulburn. However this show will be the first time Michael combines his two skills. “It’s certainly going to be a challenge,” says Michael, “but I’m really looking forward to it.”

Each night Michael will be joined by a different special guest. “I’ve managed to call in some favours and get some of Canberra’s best comedians and musicians to perform in the show,” says Michael. Guests include comedians Jay Sullivan and musical comedy duo “The Stevenson Experience” both of whom are Raw Comedy National Finalists, Green Faces Grand Finalist comedian Tom Gibson, and award winning young blues guitarist Jonno Zilber. Michael is very excited to be working with them; “Not only are these guys all very talented, they’re all really nice guys. It’s going to be a lot of fun having them in the show.”

During the show Michael will perform an eclectic mix of songs, everything from Blues standards such as Muddy Water’s “Mannish Boy” to Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing In The Name Of”. When asked about his unusual set list Michael explains; “I know there are some hard-core Blues traditionalists out there who don’t like anything written after the second World War. I’m not one of them. I’m a big fan of harmonica players like Little Walter and Howlin’ Wolf, who became great because they were innovators and broke from tradition. So while I’ll play a few old Blues songs, I’ll also be doing harmonica versions of songs by Metallica and Psuedo Echo. Plus, it’s a comedy show so all the songs are performed in a funny way.” This unusual choice of songs also helps widen the show’s appeal; “You can come to this show knowing nothing about The Blues and still have a great time,” says Michael. “I explain everything in a funny way as we go along, so you don’t have to be a professor of Blues history to get the jokes. It’s a fun show full of jokes and funny harmonica songs. I guarantee it’ll get your Mojo Working.”

The Blues will run from September 17th to 19th at The Street Theatre, Childers Street Canberra. Show starts at 8:00pm and tickets are $18/$16concession. Bookings essential: (02)6247 1223 www.thestreet.org.au

The Blues Poster

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DON’T LET OBAMA DOWN!!

Psyus have just been added to the line-up in replacement of Someplace Else for Ossuary 2 this Saturday 23 May at The Basement.

So come along and friend the Dan and download all your favorite funky rocky something………songs;)