Bob Evans | Best Of Album & Tour Dates

Bob Evans started with an accidental op shop find in 1998, well before Bob Evans the solo artist had been truly considered. In fact, it took five years of solo shows before his first solo album was released. Now, twenty years after Kevin Mitchell first donned, and became, Bob Evans is releasing new album Full Circle. Touted by some as a Best Of album, but as Mitchell explains, this doesn't fully sum up what he's trying to achieve. Instead, he's offering up both an introduction and allowing fans a sneak peak of what's to come on future records. The 15-strong track list pulls together the brightest of Bob Evans' 20 year career, before ending with new track Drowning.

Mitchell has stopped by to chat about the new album, his upcoming tour, and what's next for Bob Evans.

Narrowing down five albums to a track list of 14 is a pretty tall order, where did you start?
Well I started with the obvious ones. Half the record chose itself and the other half I kind of curated with specific ideas in mind. The first singles from each album and the popular radio songs obviously had to be there. But I also wanted to make sure it wasn't just that. I wanted there to be live favourites and deeper cuts that had a personal significance to me. I also wanted to make sure there was variation to the record. Some of my favourite songs aren't the most accessible ones so they don't always get mainstream attention. This was the perfect opportunity to shine a light on some songs that maybe didn't get the attention I would have liked them to have in a way.

You've said you wanted this album to be an introduction to new listeners, are there any particular tracks on Full Circle that you want more people to hear?
Yes, I think Wintersong is really beautifully produced and it's a duet too and I just love it. Having it on the record I think provides a nice counter point to the more upbeat stuff.

Do you feel that your most popular tracks, whether on radio or live, are actually your best songs?
No, and I wouldn't say that for any artist I love either. Songs that are chosen as singles for radio are chosen for how best they fit a mould, you know? Radio won't just play anything. It's very carefully constructed based on whatever their motives are. That's not to say they are rubbish songs either! I would never put a song on my album that I wouldn't be proud for people to hear. If you were to ask me my favourite Nirvana song, or favourite Beatles song, or favourite You Am I song, it would be a non-single.

Photo: Tajette O'Halloran

Are there any songs that would've made the album if you had a few more tracks available or are you satisfied with your choices?
I would have loved to have squeezed Power of Speech on there from Goodnight, Bull Creek! It's a lovingly recorded bossa nova song that I still really like. [I] would have liked to have added more songs from the last album Car Boot Sale too, like Old News or Ron Sexsmith.

Do you think any of your long-time fans will be surprised by some of the tracks that have made the cut?
Maybe. I want this album to be one that my long-term fans bur for their friend or family member who doesn't know my stuff to try and kind of turn them on to me. I tried to look at it like an Introduction record as much as a Best Of.

You've ended the album with new track, Drowning, what made you decide to round out the album with this song rather than purely an album of older tunes?
I needed a new song on there just to give people an extra reason to buy it, that's all. I was saving it for my next album. I like though that it serves as a taster of what's to come. The next album is going to be more of a rock record, less poppy. None of the new songs sound like the Beatles of Elliot Smith!

Having had such a lengthy career already, is there one moment that stands out?
There are loads. Recording in Nashville is one that kind of rises to the top. I made two albums there and it was the first time I'd ever made a record that I thought sounded really great, something that would hold its own internationally, not just in Australia.

You've already gone through huge changes as an artist, moving from working within a band to a soloist, what do you feel is the next change? Or is there no more changing?
Oh, the next Bob Evans record is going to be very different to all the previous ones. That's kind of why I wanted to do the Best Of thing now. I needed to cleanse the palate, so to speak. I needed to close a door, so that in my mind I could the next one.

And I have to ask, do you still have the original Bob Evans t-shirt?
No. I had it up until about 10 years ago. It was full of holes and eventually you just have to throw stuff out that's taking up space in your wardrobe.

BOB EVANS NATIONAL ‘FULL CIRCLE’ TOUR

FRI 19 OCT | BLACK BEAR LODGE, BRISBANE QLD | 18+
Tickets available from www.bobevans.com.auor www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets

SAT 20 OCT | LEADBELLY, NEWTOWN NSW | 18+
Tickets available from www.bobevans.com.auor www.leadbelly.oztix.com.au

FRI 26 OCT | THE GOV, ADELAIDE SA | 18+
Tickets available from www.bobevans.com.auor www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets

SAT 27 OCT | THE ROSEMOUNT HOTEL, NORTH PERTH WA | 18+
Tickets available from www.bobevans.com.auor www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets

SAT 3 NOV | NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB, NORTHCOTE VIC | 18+
Tickets available from www.bobevans.com.auor www.eventbrite.com.au

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Caravana Sun | Silver Linings EP Review

Caravana Sun are here with an EP to make you sing, make you dance, and ultimately make you cherish life. The six-track offering is just ahead of the approaching warmer weather, but until then it's sure to make you long for summer just that little bit harder. Headed by an ode to a lost friend, Silver Linings is unafraid of reality. Instead Caravana Sun chose to face it head on with a "full body experience" collection that will make listeners feel just as much as it will make them boogie.

Dripping with heartfelt lyrics, indie saturated guitar and percussion, and a whole bowlful of soul, Caravana Sun have proved successful music doesn't need to show off, it just needs to show up. The foursome have hit a sweet spot between indie musicality and smart lyrics. These are stories you'll want to play again and again, with no time for the dust to settle. The title track, Silver Linings, is particularly impressive.

This is an EP of substance, and it's one that will stay relevant for years to come.

“Come Back is a heartfelt, honest and raw take on the loss of a loved one.  Amidst a sea of emotion surrounding the reality of losing something so precious, lies a pure human cry for that person to return.  To fill the space that nobody could replace.  The song was inspired when fellow musician and good friend of the band Jae Haydon, lost his life in the ocean, surfing the reefs of Indonesia.  Though he passed away doing something he loved, there was still such an overwhelmingly sad tone that had washed over everybody he touched.  Jae was a young, incredible musician and friend to so many.  This song is dedicated to Jae but also a song for his family and everybody who had the great fortune to know him.”

Silver Linings is available now.

‘SILVER LININGS’ NATIONAL EP TOUR

FRI 14 SEP | DENMARK CIVIC CENTRE, DENMARK WA | ALL AGES | Tickets

SAT 15 SEP | THE RIVER, MARGARET RIVER WA | 18+ | Tickets

FRI 21 SEP | DIVERS TAVERN, BROOME WA | 18+ | Tickets

SAT 22 SEP | MOJO’S, FREMANTLE WA | 18+ | Tickets

SUN 23 SEP | WAVE ROCK FESTIVAL, WA | 18+

FRI 28 SEP | THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY NSW | 18+ | Tickets

FRI 5 OCT | THE FOUNDRY, BRISBANE QLD | 18+ | Tickets

SAT 6 OCT | UNDER THE TREES FESTIVAL, BOYNE ISLAND QLD | ALL AGES

SUN 7 OCT | CELEBRATE GOLD COAST, CHEVRON ISLAND QLD | ALL AGES

FRI 12 OCT | THE JACK, CAIRNS QLD | 18+ | Tickets

SAT 13 OCT | MAGNUMS, AIRLIE BEACH QLD | 18+ | Tickets

FRI 19 OCT | OXFORD ART FACTORY, SYDNEY NSW | 18+ | Tickets

SAT 20 OCT | UOW UNIBAR, WOLLONGONG NSW | 18+ | Tickets

FRI 26 OCT | HOWLER, MELBOURNE VIC | 18+ | Tickets

SAT 27 OCT | TORQUAY HOTEL, TORQUAY VIC | 18+ | Tickets

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Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty || Review

Title: Nine Perfect Strangers
Author: Liane Moriarty
Release Date: 18th September 2018
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Source: Proof copy from the publisher

Masha repeated, 'In ten days you will not be the person you are now.'

No one moved.

Frances felt hope rise in the room like a delicate mist. Oh, to be transformed, to be someone else, to be someone better.

'You will leave Tranquillum House feeling happier, healthier, lighter, freer,' said Masha. Each word felt like a benediction.

Happier. Healthier. Lighter. Freer.

'On the last day of your stay with us, you will come to see me and you will say this: Masha, you were right! I am not the same person I was. I am healed. I am free of all the negative habits and chemicals and toxins and thoughts that were holding me back. My body and mind are clear. I am changed in ways I could never have imagined.'

What a load of crap, thought Frances, while simultaneously thinking, Please let it be true.

This book did not go at all in the direction I was expecting. I had sat myself down, prepared for something of a light-hearted romp through a health resort with a kooky alternative owner. Which I got, for about the first ten chapters. And then things got, well, there's no other way to say it except, things got kind of crazy.

Liane Moriarty's latest novel is told from multiple points of view, but Frances was without a doubt the main protagonist. I was personally a fan of this style; as there was so many characters - nine participants of the health retreat and four staff members - allowing all of them equal time would've meant a ridiculously long novel. And if I have one criticism, it would be that the book is 512 pages. While I did race through it, it's a heavy book and would definitely not have wanted to be any longer. BUT that is such a minute issue to pick up on, it barely counts as a complaint at all.

So let's get back to my favourite part of the book - Masha, the owner and operator of Tranquillum House. Perhaps one of the most interesting characters I've read in a contemporary novel in recent times, Masha was the perfect mix of believable and downright insane. The sad truth of that statement, which I won't unpack because it will absolutely spoil some of the big plot twists, is that the things Masha preached (and practiced on her unwitting guests) were realistic enough that I could accept everything that happened. With so many health retreats, diets, and fads available, Masha was not as surprising as she ought to have been.

The ending of Nine Perfect Strangers is best described as cheesy, but somehow Moriarty pulled it off. Potentially because every other near-ridiculous instance in the novel, having anything less than what was offered wouldn't have felt like the best ending. It needed a little bit of sweet to finish off, and that's exactly what Moriarty delivered.

Sannia | Go And Get Over

Sannia's debut track, Go And Get Over, has been making collecting fans since its release in mid-June. The tune, which is rapidly increasing 25,000 streams on Spotify, is a deeply personal delve into breaking up and moving on. While the minimalism of the song is a new direction in a highly produced music industry, it's exactly that which makes it so refreshing. Sannia expects nothing of her audience aside from the time it takes to listen. (Three minutes, 39 seconds to be precise.)

"This song developed really organically for me, I was actually driving home late one night and just sort of started singing the first words that came to mind to keep myself awake...Go And Get Over is about literally just that, the cyclical process of moving on from someone while at the same time reminiscing on everything that was and what it's become now, which I think a lot of people can relate to. You almost go through these sort of seven stages of grief - leaving them, missing them, going back, getting hurt, and trying to exact change - it takes its toll."

The song, and its accompanying video clip, follows a similar cyclical pattern, throwing listeners head first into the painful experience of starting over. Sannia shows no signs of the relative novice that she is to the music industry, instead presenting her voice as though this is another album and not a debut single. It's her self-assured and emotive vocals that really draw people in. There is no sign of naivety, and, despite her lyrics of beginning again, this is a girl who clearly knows who she is, what she's worth, and is ready to share it with the masses.

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The Paper Kites | On The Corner Where You Live teaser

The Papers Kites, Melbourne's indie folk quintet, have had a stellar few months. With their track Bloom going certified gold in the States and the announcement of their upcoming album, On The Corner Where You Live (set for release on 21st September). Without giving too much away - if you're as keen as you should be, pre-order the album here - the lovely folk of The Paper Kites have stopped by to spotlight some tracks off On The Corner Where You Live.

Red Light is one of my favourite tracks on the album. Although stylistically it's kind of a nod to our early days, this track sits in the pocket and has some real charm to it. In demo form, this track never really stood a chance to make it on the album. It took some re-working and adjustments to the melody, guitar parts, as well as an added bass and drum part to give it more life and to [take it to] a place where we were happy with the song.

This was the first track we decided to tackle in the studio, and we recorded it to tape.

Midtown Waitress tells the story of a person who has moved to the big city. It's a narrative about someone trying to be their own person and stand on their own two feet in a big city.

Buried at the end of this track is a little interlude. Make sure you listen out for the dulcet tones of a saxophonist busking late at night on a street corner. We included this at the end of the track to keep with the late night theme and to connect with the opening track, A Gathering on 57th.

Give Me Your Fire, Give Me Your Rain was one of the trickier songs recorded on the album. This track has the most instruments, layering, and texture. We agonised over each sound and part, only putting them in if they felt right and served a purpose. As well as the usual instruments we individually play, we added many more sounds to get that 80's feel, including drum samples and synth. It was a labour of love that quickly became a favourite song and took place as our second track on the album.

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PS. Stay tuned for an upcoming album review !