Angela & Penny   Website

Angela Moore and Penny Biggins launched their debut cd “Angela and Penny’s Holiday’ in July at the Powerhouse Museum. The cavernous Turbine Hall was pumping as children (and quite a few adults) danced to hits such as ‘Nippy Nippy Nippy Goes The Crab, ‘Hula Hoop’ and ‘Rockin’ Rock Pool’.
‘Angela and Penny’s Holiday’ began as a show for the Lord Mayor’s New Years Eve celebrations a couple of years ago. Penny was asked if she could play the piano accordion on roller skates. She said that sadly no she didn’t, but that she and her friend Angela could offer a fabulous half hour children’s show instead. The gig was theirs. However, she lied. There was no show. So they quickly had to get one together and it took off from there. The show was very popular and audiences always wanted to buy a CD after it. Luckily Risky Records stepped in after seeing Angela and Penny perform. They made Kris and Stephen laugh, as well as the kids and they thought that was unusual at a kid’s show. Obviously parents get great joy out of seeing their child enjoy something, but it’s a bonus if they can enjoy it too and not be bored out of their wits.
It may seem unusual to put out your first CD after having your own children, but that’s just the way things turned out and in the end Penny’s daughter Sarah was an invaluable source of the latest 6yr old jokes, words and dance moves. And of course there weren’t any other mothers flooding the children’s entertainment market so they felt there was a niche to be filled.
Angela and Penny have a working relationship that goes back 20 years when they were both members of the 12 piece musical/cabaret group ‘The Castanet Club’. Since then they have both worked on Play School for many years, Angela as a presenter and Penny as a pianist, and still tour regularly with the Play School live concerts.They also wrote songs together for ‘Playhouse Disney’ and are currently writing for Channel 9’s ‘New MacDonald’s Farm’.

 

Alan John

Risky Risky has released "Theatre Music", an anthology of the musical work of Australia's leading theatre composer, Alan John.
Best known as the composer of the opera THE EIGHTH WONDER (produced by Opera Australia in 1995 and revived in 2000) Alan has also worked as an actor, dramaturg, musician and musical director.
Over the last 15 years Alan has developed close working associations with director Jim Sharman (Lighthouse Company 1982-88, David Malouf� BLOOD RELATIONS, orchestrations and arrangements for CHESS), singer Robyn Archer (musical director 1984-88, THE LAST DECADE - A CABARET SONG CYCLE), writers John Romeril (the musical JONAH - 1985) and David Holman (FRANKIE - AN OPERA FOR YOUNG PEOPLE), and especially with Neil Armfield and Belvoir Street Theatre, including TWELFTH NIGHT, THE TEMPEST, DIARY OF A MADMAN, DIVING FOR PEARLS, THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR, DEATH AND THE MAIDEN, THE GOVERNOR� FAMILY, JUDAS KISS, SMALL POPPIES, EMMA'S NOSE, MY ZINC BED, WAITING FOR GODOT and THE UNDERPANTS.
Alan� projects for the Bell Shakespeare Company include ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, HENRY V, HENRY IV and THE WINTERS TALE, HAMLET. For the Sydney Theatre Company Alan composed the original music for HANGING MAN, A MAN WITH FIVE CHILDREN, A DOLL� HOUSE and MAJOR BARBARA. Alan also composed the music for Tyler Coppin� one man show TALES OF HELPMANN.
His film and TV credits include THE BANK (directed by Robert Connolly), LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI (director Kate Woods), TRAVELLING NORTH, the ABC mini series THE FARM (director Kate Woods), EDENS LOST (producer Margaret Fink, director Neil Armfield), CORAL ISLAND (part 1 of Jan Chapman� NAKED series) and for Film Australia's animation series HUMAN CONTRAPTIONS. Alan� latest work was the critically acclaimed ABC� mini series THE SHARK NET.
Alan was awarded for THE BANK the APRA/Screen Composers Award for Best Music in a Feature Film.

  

 

 

 

 

Days Like Stars   Website

   

Days Like Stars are on a roll. Their second EP, "Fight The SUnset" has garnered national radio airplay. The current fave track, "Devoted Youth", can be heard all over this great parched land. And there is a good chance you can see the band in action as well. Recently in Brisvegas, your town could be next.
After bursting onto the Sydney pub circuit in September of 2002 the Days Like Stars trio have been turning heads ever since. With an emotionally melodic style akin to fellow Aussie rockers, Something for Kate, Motor Ace and Gersey, the band's achievements have already begun to surpass their mere 19 years of age.
Once they won the school-aged division of the renowned national MusicOz competition and placed as one of the top five finalists for the APRA Songwriters award, they quickly ventured out into the Sydney live scene and have since been successfully honing their craft in prestigious venues such as the Annandale Hotel, the Gaelic Club, Vic on the Park, The Hopetoun Hotel, the New Caringbah Bizzos, The Harp Hotel, The Green Square Hotel, The Exchange Hotel, the Harbourview Hotel and Thurles Castle.
As a recent Risky signing, Days Like Stars are set to release their debut EP, "Sweet Raging Battles", in October 2004.



DJ Renae Stanton   Website

DJ Renae Stanton 'Spin Cycle'

DJ Renae Stanton is hitting the early summer circuit in support of her debut release, 'Spin Cycle'. Recent appearances have included fearsome sets at the World Bar and Mylk in Sydney.

It's not commonplace for a DJ on the Sydney house music scene to land a record deal. Even more unusual is for a female to be given the opportunity. Local girl, DJ Renae Stanton, has broken the mould with her new compilation, 'Spin Cycle'. This CD is due for release mid-February and will be celebrated with a launch party at The Vault on Pitt St on Sunday, 12 February at 9pm to coincide with Renae's 30th birthday.

Kris Gale, executive producer of the CD and Managing Director of DJ Renae's Risky Records places high faith in Renae's talent and commitment. Kris discovered Renae's passion in a highly unlikely situation.

"I was at a dance party at a well-known theme park on the Gold Coast. The party was an outdoor event. I arrived to hear some of the talent on offer. That day has particularly strong memories attached as the rain was pelting relentlessly almost parallel with the ground and blocking clear vision, said Kris. "Yet to see this DJ still go on and play a wicked set of music in the middle of a theme park in torrential rain was very inspiring."

The planning and process of producing a CD has spanned nearly a year. From track selection and approval, to marketing and artwork, to production work and then into the shops, it is not an easy road to travel.

"Getting the approval for the tracks and putting the tracks together into a music journey that is somehow appealing to me and the listener is a huge challenge. Also, working within a budget for licensing costs adds another dimension to the process," said Renae. I am really happy with my first release, 'Spin Cycle', and I believe the punter is going to enjoy the listen as well."

Tracks on the CD include Krazy Female (of which DJ Renae is a shining example), Shine Down on You, Grooved Me and So So Disco.

'Spin Cycle' is due for release on Risky Records through all major record stores in the CBD, Darlinghurst and Newtown, distributed by MGM.

 

Stephen Rae

 

 

 


AFI award-winning composer Stephen Rae's debut solo album, "Feet Lift Off The Ground", was released in June 2004. The album is being distributed by MGM and has already garnered some amazing reviews.
The album confronts the very human issues of death and loss from a decidedly male perspective. This is most strikingly borne out in the title track, "Feet Lift Off The Ground". Using Pergolesi's "Stabat Mater" from the 18th Century as a melodic anchor, the song captures the essence of Stephen's album. We never are truly ready to lose those closest to us and when it happens, men, in particular, are often ill-equipped to deal with it.
Stephen's album features a stunning array of contemporary Australian talent. Three tracks feature spoken word performances from Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush ("Shine", "Pirates Of The Caribbean", "Intolerable Cruelty"). Tyrone Noonan from the ARIA-award winning band, george, provides lead vocals on "Summer Rain" (That's Tyrone with Steve in the picture below). Stephen duets with Luke Hanigan from Lo-Tel on "Into The Light".
The music is driven by some of Australia's leading rhythm exponents. Drummer Terepai Richmond (The Whitlams, Alex Lloyd and Multiball) teams up with bassist Sam Dixon (Beck, Alex Lloyd, Multiball) on several tracks. In addition, Jonathon Jones provides an array of electronic clicks and bleeps, returning to the time when he and Stephen were both members of the seminal Sydney dance band, The Rockmelons.
The album takes a unique slant on the modern culture of sampling. Many of the songs include sampled works with the source material often delving into centuries-old Renaissance music for melodic inspiration. The result is soaring choirs paired with swooping synths, spare ambient grooves sitting alongside lush orchestrations.
The title track is already taking on a life of its own. International success story, The Ten Tenors, have just commenced a tour of the USA and Canada to promote their upcoming release, "Larger Than Life". Their album features "Feet Lift Off The Ground" and this will result in its exposure in North America, Europe and Asia in 2004.
Biography
Stephen's successful career as a composer for film, television and theatre has seen his work receive the most prestigious visual music industry awards available in Australia. These include the Australian Film Institute (AFI), the Australian Performing Rights Association (APRA), the Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCC) and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) awards. "Feet Lift Off The Ground" is destined to make a similar impact in the recorded music world.

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