Ella Palij

ELENA KATS-CHERNIN & BAND

WHAT: SOUNDTRACKING FELIX’S EXPLOITS
WHERE: STREET THEATRE
WHEN: FRI MAY 9

Try something different - why not a late night, cat-inspired cabaret held as part of the Canberra International Music Festival? Up Late…The Cat’s Cabaret is set at a Sullivan family gathering, where Pat Sullivan, father of the famous feline Felix, shows his family the latest of his Felix animations. Leading the skilled musical team soundtracking the original Felix cartoons is Elena Kats-Chernin on keyboards. Trained in Australia, Moscow and Germany, her work extends from operas to chamber pieces, and has been featured at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games. Accompanying Elena are David Pereira, Rebecca Collins and the Clarity Clarinet Quartet. Up Late…The Cat’s Cabaret is showing at the ACR Theatre, National Film and Sound Archive, as part of the Canberra International Music Festival, from 10pm on May 9. Tickets are available from The Street Theatre Box Office, on 6247 1223, or from www.thestreet.org.au . The Canberra International Music Festival takes place in Canberra from May 7 to 18, more information is available from www.cimf.org.au .

Plastic Palace Alice - Plastic Fantastic

How would you feel about being given a few thousand dollars to do whatever the hell you wanted? Pretty good huh? In the case of Melbourne band PLASTIC PALACE ALICE , you’d feel that, um, well, “in terms of funding, you really don’t mind where you get the money from!”

I’m talking to Huw, guitarist and latest joining member of Plastic Palace Alice, who recently released their debut album The Great Depression in March. Huw admits, “It’s interesting to be the recipient of funding… if you’re writing grants you can’t think ‘is this good use of the government’s money?’ You sorta have to go ‘we need the money to complete this album – and it would be really nice if someone gave it to us!’” Seeing PPA aren’t bent on getting a record deal any time soon, they’re pleased with the grant money from Arts Victoria and their distribution deal with Inertia. “That’s what we’d always intended,” says Huw.

And what a way to go. Plastic Palace Alice was only formed around two years ago, with members joining along the way to create the flamboyant sextet it is today. Considering many bands take years to get out in the scene, find their own voice and produce an album, PPA have achieved a lot in a small time. Huw suggests this is simply because the band have done things backwards – releasing an album early in their career, and pushing advertising after the initial release. The band does hope to coincide the promotion of The Great Depression with their tour of Australia, but as Huw says, “It’s certainly not at the point where you’ll see life-size paper cut outs of us in Sanity or anything!”

With influences such as David Bowie, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and backgrounds meddling in indie and jazz, the complex ideas and structures that arise in their music are no surprise. Having six members in the band allows Plastic Palace Alice to layer their music as much as live as they do on the album. Huw finds this important and a great asset, though he does feel that the band’s sound has progressed to a slightly more stark, lean sound than what you may hear on The Great Depression. He feels the album is really a representation of where the band was at at that particular time.

Huw explains that the album should be treated as a whole, like a concept album (think The Wall or Space Odyssey!), an idea that is becoming exceedingly rare in this modern day of iPods and downloads. “We all have different opinions, and it’s very difficult because you earn from other jobs and you save money to put an album together then realise half the people who like it are gonna download it anyway.” He doesn’t disagree with the ideas of hit singles and one hit wonders per say, but he does feel that this album and its beautiful arrangements are to be taken in altogether – they’re an indie band, after all, so they don’t expect the album will be a hit all at once. “We always expected that if the album was a success it would be over in a couple of years; it’s more of a grower.”

Coming back to the received government grants, Huw does permit that musicians have real jobs too… a sound word of advice. After all, we can’t all be given money to do whatever the hell we want.

Gangbusters at Bar 32 sets in for winter early on Thursday May 8 with indie pop deities Plastic Palace Alice, supported by the rock stylings of The Trivs and the psych-outs of You Hang Up; No You Hang Up. $5 entry.

SIMON PHILLIPS

WHAT: SYDNEY TROUBADOUR
WHERE: THE PHOENIX
WHEN: SAT MAY 10

Despite acquiring a Bachelor of Music degree, busking for two years with Sydney Latin guitar duo Urban Gypsies to earn the money to record an album, and time spent in Aceh to provide Tsunami relief, Simon Phillips has somehow found the time to release his own EP Tree. To celebrate, he’s embarking on a tour of the Australian East Coast! Simon’s one to keep an eye on, being described as “one of Australia’s most promising up-and-coming singer/songwriters.” Although his musicianship has almost been crafted unto the point of perfection, his live shows share an inviting intimacy, which has thrilled audiences Australia-wide. Simon has previously released a solo concept album dedicated entirely to the great leaders of our time, which leaves no wonder that his lyrics are mainly of a political bearing, though beautifully fashioned all the same. With a talented group of musos along for the ride as his backing band, the tour promises to please. Simon will in Canberra performing at the Phoenix on Saturday May 10. For more on the man, visit www.myspace.com/simonphillips .

11th SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL

WHAT: THE BEST IN SPANISH CINEMA
WHERE: DENDY CINEMAS, CANBERRA CENTRE
WHEN: FROM MAY 7

Celebrating modern Spanish culture via film for ten years now, the Spanish Film Festival is back in town this May. Don’t be fooled, the 11th Spanish film festival is not merely a showcase of the best of Spanish Cinema - it also marks the beginning of an array of Spanish events, encompassing music, artwork, literature and theatre. The festival will feature 13 feature films and one documentary. The opening and closing nights will screen two of the most successful films fresh out of Spain in 2007: 7 Billiard Tables, about a woman who sets out to revitalise her dead feather’s ailing business, and The Orphanage; a thriller telling the story of a woman who, with her husband and son, moves into the orphanage in which she grew up, in order to begin a house for mentally and physically impaired children. So don’t be left out, make sure you’re part of the institution that is the 11th Spanish Film Festival, screening from May 7 to 11 at Dendy Cinemas in the Canberra Centre. For full details visit www.spanishfilmfestival.com