Extra Sequential Podcast Episode Fourteen

We’re joined again by Gianni from retailer Quality Comics, and the 3 of us yak on about a bunch of films and comics as well as evil transvestites, Lois Lane with a Tommy Gun and more.

LISTEN TO IT BELOW, DOWNLOAD IT HERE OR ON ITUNES OR MIXCLOUD

1:00 NEWS

The new Thunder Cats cartoon, upcoming films including Mission Impossible 4, and the 3D Spider-Man and Tron: Legacy, Legendary Pictures launches Legendary Comics and the return of webcomic The Perry Bible Fellowship.

12:00 WHAT WE’VE BEEN READING/WATCHING

Classic Van Damme, classic Arnie and classic Belushi, horror prequel Paranormal Activity 2 and the film everyone’s talking about, The Social Network.

As for comics, we review Abattoir #1 from Radical Publishing, Kick Ass 2 #1, the Viking era of Northlanders Volume 4, British comics magazine Clint, X’ed Out from Charles Burns, the whimsical Return of the Dapper Men, the great Fleischer Superman cartoons from the 1940s and the long awaited Serenity: The Shepherd’s Tale.

51:30 TRADE/SWAP

We all moan about the updated Man of Steel as seen in graphic novel Superman: Earth One from DC Comics.

70: 00 WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

The very cool movie/music remixes of Perth’s own Pogo.

November 8, 2010
Categories: Movies, Music, Reviews . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Kirby Krackle’s Wolverine Music Video

Nerdcore musical duo Kirby Krackle recently released the music video for their song On and On, all about everyone’s favourite hairy Canadian mutant. Apart from Wolverine, it also features subtle cameos from Nightcrawler, Rogue and other X-Men and even Sabretooth, Deadpool and a bunch of ninja. Sure, it’s low budget but it’s well made and looks good.

Kirby Krackle will be at Nerdaplooza on Saturday and at the San Diego Comic Con at the end of the month. Their new album, E for Everyone features a bunch of cool, musical odes to comics and is available now.

July 15, 2010
Categories: Music . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

500 International Hyper Roads of Summer

500 Days of Summer. Man, Juno has a lot to answer for, as my mate Mladen will gladly tell you. Though I did enjoy the film, I’m also unsurprised at its numerous imitators. 500 Days is very much one of them. It stars Zooey Deschanel, who amps up her irresistably cute girl shtick and indie star of the moment (and possible future Joker, though I hope Batman 3 moves to a different villain) Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Zooey plays arty, flighty and frankly selfish girl Summer who JGL seems drawn to. He is nowhere near as charismatic or as interesting as her, but she takes him into her heart, or her version of one anyway, and the film then flashes to and fro the titular number of days their ill-defined relationship goes through. I hoped for more from this film, but it appears to be a cobbled together script from a bunch of inspired art students who just want to make a quirky film. Yes, there’s songs from bands you’ve never heard of to add arty credence, “witty” dialogue and scenes like playing house in Ikea that get dangerously close to making this film what it should’ve been, but alas, the two leads just have no chemistry, and the finale makes Summer quite the dislikeable character. Then again, it does have a great dance number, complete with an animated blue bird and an interesting approach, but that’s undone by the obvious attempt at cool points. I seem to be one of the rare people who didn’t like it however.

The Road. Another film I’ve been looking to seeing, and one that didn’t disappoint. Based on the Cormac McCarthy novel, The Road is directed by John Hillcoat (great Aussie flick, The Proposition). It has little dialogue and rests on the weary shoulders of Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhhe, who both do a fine job as father and son in this inhospitable world. Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce appear as unrecognisable survivors, and Charlize Theron is seen only in flashback. The pair travel the wasteland that is now America thanks to some great war. Ash, empty buildings and falling tress fill the dangerous landscape, which dad and kid must navigate with fear and caution to find food and avoid the roaming gangs of armed cannibals. It’s like Mad Max by way of Lord of the Flies. Gripping, scary and edge of your seat stuff.

Viggo carries a gun at all times, ready to kill his only son if need be, rather than give him up to the cruel flesh eating killers that roam the land, and aims to get all naivete out of him so he can fend for himself when the time comes. It’s a stripped back film, with minimal action and direction, but is extremely effective, and at times depressing, though the end offers a glimmer of hope.

Uncity Nation. I have my younger brother to thank for expanding my musical horizons as of late. I never listen to the radio, and though I was involved in community radio for 5 years, those days are long behind me. Discovering a new band I like is therefore quite similar to picking up a new comic on a whim; it gives me the pleasure of discovering something fresh, and the fact that many, many people may have discovered it before me only really adds to the satisfaction. Good artists deserve an audience, no matter their choice of media.

French band International Hyper Rythmique consist of 3 siblings with an impressive and diverse background in all manner of art forms. They’ve been performing since 2007. Uncity Nation is their first full length album. Now, I’m not a music critic, but all I can say is that it’s perfectly chilled out, serene listening, and yes, it’s in English. Plug your ears into their site to hear more from their 11 song debut.

May 30, 2010
Categories: Movies, Music, Reviews . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Socalled Movie

I have been broadening my musical horizons lately, and this Canadian Jewish muso looks interesting. Dubbed Socalled, Josh Dolgin has released 4 albums and seems quite the talented individual. There’s not much more to say, but if the trailer below intrigues you (as it should) check out his site here. Yes, he looks like an accountant and loves music from before he was born, but seems to have the whole geek chic thing going for him. Oh, and the second clip is a great music video in which he takes off his face to reveal the robotics inside. So there you go.

Meet Socalled. He’s unstoppable. A pianist, singer, arranger, rapper, producer and composer (and also a magician, filmmaker and visual artist), he’s blasting through the boundaries that separate music from different cultures, eras, and generations.

Socalled is a musical alchemist, always looking for the next old thing to make new again. The “Socalled” Movie shows him introducing funk trombone legend Fred Wesley (of James Brown fame) to klezmer music, while wowing Wesley with his knowledge of funk. When Dolgin comes across LPs from the 1950s by lounge pianist Irving Fields, he looks up 94-year-old Fields and inspires him to pen a new hit song.

Shot in Socalled’s Montreal neighbourhood where Hasidic Jews and hipsters crowd the sidewalks, and in New York, France and the Ukraine, The “Socalled” Movie is a cinematic multi-faceted depiction of inspiration, collaboration and transformation.

Socalled defies category and refuses limitation. The “Socalled” Movie examines his energy from all angles and transmits the urgent creative spark to everyone watching: now’s your chance – go out there and make something!

April 10, 2010
Categories: Movies, Music . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

AC/DC Iron Man 2 Soundtrack Competition

I actually heard AC/DC during their sound check at my office a few weeks ago. It was…loud. Anyway, the Aussie rockers are hooking up with Ol’ Shellhead’s cinematic adventures once more for May 7’s sequel, Iron Man 2. If you’re a fan of the band or Tony Stark check out the official soundtrack Twitter page or become a friend on Facebook. There’s also a great competition running in which you can get your mits on some sweet goodies. Go here to fill out a quick form and register for the comp, and you may just win some of the goodies shown below!

The first prize in the competition is the full AC/DC back catalogue, a working Backtracks amplifier box set and the Iron Man 2 collector’s edition as well as tickets to an Iron Man 2 screening.

AC/DC Backtracks – The Ultimate AC/DC Box Set
Contents: Five discs of rare AC/DC in one brand new, never-before-released collection:
1CD of Studio rarities
2 CDs of Live rarities
2DVDs: Family Jewels Disc 3 + bonus videos & Live at Circus Krone in Munich,
180g LP of Studio rarities
164 page 12”x12” hard-back scrapbook-style book
Loads of collector’s items
and all contained in a working guitar amp !

AC/DC Iron Man 2: Collector’s Edition

Contents: CD/DVD inc 15 classic AC/DC songs plus over an hour of videos including the brand new video for ‘Shoot to Thrill’. Also includes an exclusive, limited edition Iron Man comic book reprint with a custom, variant cover by Adi Granov, AC/DC stickers, poster and 32 page booklet.

March 21, 2010
Categories: Movies, Music, New To Comics?, News . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Purge + Audit Blog

My mate Mladen has finally started a blog. The long haired man with a stranger name than me certainly has some eclectic interests and his awareness of quirky sci-fi films, classic novels and music I’ve never heard of is most impressive. He unleashed his blog, The Drowning Machine last month. Check it out now. He’s always been a good writer and it’s encouraging to see him put it to good use. Right now, you’ll see a deleted scene from Terminator 3, a review of Crime and Punishment and some dazzling videos. Yep, eclectic. You can also check some of his own music out right here. Yes, he’s a musician and a writer. Thankfully, he can’t dance and this keeps him humble.

March 3, 2010
Categories: Art, Movies, Music, News . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Kirby Krackle Strike Again

Nerdcore band Kirby Krackle (who I interviewed at Broken Frontier last year) have just released the first single from their upcoming second album, E For Everyone. The duo, consisting of Kyle Stevens and Jim Demonakos, specialise in writing songs that make fanboys and girls tap their toes and smile wryly at all the witty references. Their first album gained many fans in the comics community, and surely more will follow. The single, On and On centres on a day in the life of Wolverine and you can here it at their site right now.

I also suggest checking out the lyrics to On and On and the songs from their debut album. E For Everyone will be released via their site on March 9 and is able to be pre-ordered now. Below is the groovy cover art from comics artist Jim Mahfood, with colours by Justin Stewart. Yes, that’s a gree lantern generated guitar. Awesome.

February 23, 2010
Categories: Music, News . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

MAdM and Comics

I’ve always been intrigued by the relationship between music and comics, and that link is growing rapidly as more artists from both disciplines grasp a greater understanding of how the two artforms can splendidly co-existFor example, Canadian singer Lights launched  a motion comic to promote her new album, and I interviewed Coheed and Cambria’s frontman Claudio Sanchez about his Kill Audio comic (that interview should see print soon in the pages of Arcana #1 magazine) and I recently finished reading the sequel to Gerard Way’s (My Chemical Romance) adventurous and bombastic The Umbrella Academy. Now, Melissa Auf der Maur (better known as the awesome acronym MAdM) is unleashing a limited edition 20 page one-shot to go with her latest album, Out of Our Minds. The black, white and red artwork also extends to the sleeve, picture disc, a t-shirt and other buying options for the arty consumer. The artist Jack Forbes is a new name to me, but his delicate linework is golden, and his gallery is definitely worth a look. Official details below.

Melissa Auf der Maur To Release New Multimedia Project, Out of Our Minds, on March 30th

Limited Edition Comic Book Illustrated by Jack Forbes (HebrewGod) and Tony Stone-directed video included!

Former Hole/Smashing Pumpkins bassist, Melissa Auf der Maur is set to release Out of Our Minds (OOOM), on March 30th 2010. Consisting of 12 powerful tracks produced and mixed by top-flight collaborators including Chris Goss (QOTSA, UNKLE), Alan Molder (Depeche Mode, Smashing Pumpkins), and Mike Frazer (Franz Ferdinand, ACDC), the multimedia project album also extends into a 28-minute, HD film starring and conceived by MAdM, as well as a limited edition comic book and matching Picture Disc Vinyl illustrated by Jack Forbes.

MAdM has also premiered the first music video of the same name, “Out of Our Minds”, which you can watch here. Directed by Tony Stone, the stylishly noir video features MAdM on a mysterious journey into the woods after her car crashes.

Artist: Melissa Auf der Maur
Album: Out of Our Minds
Release: March 30 2010


February 21, 2010
Categories: Comic Art, Music, New To Comics? . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Lights Motion Comic

Lights Motion Comic 1I’ve been discovering some great music lately (Mute Math is my current band of the moment) and it looks like I can add another artist to my list. Lights is a young Canadian singer who likes Phil Collins and whose artwork for her latest album The Listening was inspired by Watchmen. What’s not to like? Yep, the love affair between music and comics continues. I recently interviewed nerdcore band Kirby Krackle and have an interview with Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez in January’s Arcana #1 magazine, and let’s not forget that Anthrax’s Scott Ian’s 2 issue Lobo series from DC Comics launches this week.

Well, below is a press release about Lights and her new collaboration with comics artist Tom Cokker on a motion comic (yes, they’re all the rage these days). This 4 part series is pretty good as a visually interesting nod to simple good vs evil comic tales. Check out the first one below.

Keytar-wielding synth-pop sensation, LIGHTS, is currently starring in Audio Quest: A Captain LIGHTS Adventure. The first episode of the ten-part short-form motion comic series premiered on MTV and three further episodes have now been released, following Captain LIGHTS on her galactic adventure to restore sound to the universe. Audio Quest is a natural evolution for LIGHTS – a talented visual artist herself, who remains no stranger to science fiction and the world of comics.

Featuring artwork of renowned visual artists, Tomm Coker, Audio Quest remains a stunning visual expression of a gifted pop star’s point of view. Experience the adventure and check out Audio Quest: A Captain LIGHTS Adventure Issues 1-4 below!

Lights Motion Comic 2

Lights The Listening Cover

November 4, 2009
Categories: Music, New To Comics?, News . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: 1 Comment

One eskimO Music Toon

Now this is a band I’ve never heard of, so it’s gotta be cool! The trailer below is definitely worth checking out with some lush animation, and music to go with it. Press release below.

WARNER PREMIERE TO DEBUT FIRST OF ITS KIND

‘VISUAL ALBUM’ “THE ADVENTURES OF ONE ESKIMO”

BLENDS MUSIC AND ANIMATION INTO A UNIQUE NEW DIGITAL CATEGORY

GRAPHIC STORY FEATURING THE MUSIC OF EMERGING BAND

“ONE ESKIMO”

Videos Feature Animation from Award-Winning Passion Films Best Known for Animating the Gorillaz Music Videos

10 Episode Video Series Debuts August 31 via iTunes and other Digital Channels

Cutting Edge Viral Campaign FindLittleFeather.com Launches Giving Fans a Chance to Help the Character from the Visual Album in his Search For His True Love

One eskimO Band Currently on Tour with Tori Amos in the U.S. Through August

One EskimOThe U.K.-based band “One Eskimo” and Warner Premiere have created an innovative new musical experience for consumers that brings a musical album together with groundbreaking animation and story to offer music fans a fully immersive musical and visual storytelling experience. The brainchild of lead singer Kristian Leontiou, “The Adventures of One Eskimo” is a visual album comprised of a series of animated musical story episodes jointly developed and produced by the band and Warner Premiere, and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Digital Distribution (WBDD). Warner Premiere and WBDD envision “The Adventures of One Eskimo” to be the first in a slate of visual album projects that offer musicians and consumers a new and compelling way to experience musical albums through the digital medium. “The Adventures of One eskimO” will debut August 31 on iTunes and other digital channels.

“We believe there is an opportunity for music and narrative to be combined into a new category of storytelling for digital mediums,” said Diane Nelson, president of Warner Premiere. “‘The Adventures of One eskimO’ is a wonderful love story using adorable characters to tell a story in a truly creative way. We’re looking forward to launching this series in September and working with additional artists on similar projects in the future.”

Produced by Passion Pictures, well known for their award-winning Gorillaz animation, “The Adventures of One eskimO” takes viewers on an animated journey through an epic love story starring our hero One eskimO and his band of animal friends that include Monkey, Giraffe and Penguin. The story begins with One eskimO and the love of his life Little Feather living peacefully in their igloo home, enjoying life as it passes by. One evening, Little Feather and One eskimO are torn apart by a dark force known as Mr. Top Hat who controls the world through his crystal ball. Our forlorn eskimO mopes around, pining for his lost love, imagining that she has left him for Mr. Top Hat. Through the help of a wise and brave owl he learns that she is in great peril. With only a knapsack and an enduring love, One eskimO sets out with his band of animal friends on an epic quest to rescue her.

A 10 part short form animated series, “The Adventures of One eskimO” will debut on iTunes and other digital channels August 31. To download the One eskimO trailer and to pre-order the series go here.

Help One eskimO before it’s too late! By visiting http://www.findlittlefeather.com fans can join One eskimO and his band on a quest to track down his lost love. Users are confronted with a series of challenges and games set by the dastardly Mr. Top Hat which they have to overcome if they ever want One eskimO to see Little Feather again. Each game corresponds to major plot points from the animations themselves and employs the same unique look and feel. The online experience allows fans to delve deeper into the story and to feel part of the world of One eskimO.

August 11, 2009
Categories: Cartoons, Music . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Spider-Man Sings

I’m actually quite curious about this project. Spider-Man, as Marvel’s flagship character has the ultimate cross-over appeal, and Marvel are banking on that as he appears in his very own Broadway show next year, with music from Bono and The Edge from U2 and direction from the well respected Julie Taymor, who has read hundreds of comics in preparation. Click here for short, but revealing interviews with the 3 and hear how they brought Peter Parker and co. from the page to the stage, and go here to buy advance tickets by using the code 1MARVL.

Spider-Man On Broadway

June 9, 2009
Categories: Music, New To Comics?, News . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Newsboys’ New Line-Up

Well, it appears the hugely successful band, Newsboys are changing their line-up again. It’s happened a lot these last few years. This is how it stands now – Aussie Paul Colman has left, former bassist Jody Davis is back, and surprisingly, baldie frontman Peter Furler has left and is being replaced by dcTalk’s Michael Tait. All these changes are amicable by the way. Below is the farewell message from Mr. Furler himself. You can find out more at their official site. I think this is good news.

Hello Friends,

Sorry for the delay in getting this brief statement out. As we say around the nb camp, “I’ve been flat out like a lizard drinking.” It’s been a busy time helping the lads with this transition, while at  the same time finishing up the recording and mixing of the new CD in order to make the May 5th release date.

New Newsboys

As you know, I have come to a decision that it is time to stop.  I want  to thank you for your prayers and encouragement!  We have had many people write and call asking about my well-being.  Thank you for your  concern!  I am happy to let you know that I am not dying of some sickness or disease, nor am I in some sort of moral or spiritual crisis (Glory To God!). There has been no band bust-up or punch-out! All is well! (Although now that I think of it, I did accidently render Duncan unconscious one time in a play fight minutes before a concert!)  For me, the decision is that after traveling many thousands of miles across land and sea for over 22 years, along with needing to constantly keep writing and reach production deadlines-let alone feed my dog, It was time for something to give, and my booking agent and his GPS drew the  
short straw!

What are my plans you ask?  Well, at the moment, they are to encourage the lads in this here “passing of the baton” to Michael, as well as to continue songwriting, and most importantly, for Summer and I to continue doing what we are all called to do-that is reach the people that come across our path with the Love and Spirit of Jesus.

I want to thank YOU! For you have always welcomed me, from the early days of criss-crossing the USA in a beat-up, old dodge van, to traveling in trains, planes, ferries, ships, (and of course the occasional motorbike) into some of the most amazing places on this planet!  Let me think: Morocco, Israel, Asia, UK, Europe, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Russia and Uganda just to name a few.  Seeing your faces and hearing you sing has blessed me. Again, many thanks!

Now, I need to ask you a favor.  Please do the same for my friend, Michael Tait.  Welcome him.  Michael is a statesman in our industry, and he is who I have picked to carry on what I started as a teenager.

newsboys is more than a band to me.  It is a group of people: men and women, husbands and wives, sons and daughters pooling together their gifts and talents, making many sacrifices, and believing that together we are all making a difference in telling the good news of the saving power of our Lord Jesus Christ to our generation.  I am happy to say that this has not changed.

I will continue on with the band as friend, songwriter, cheerleader, and prayer partner.

Please enjoy the new CD, In The Hands of God.  We poured our souls into it. I sang at the top of my lungs! It is for you!

Love and Peace,

Peter Furler
March 2009

April 9, 2009
Categories: Music, News . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Newsboys Live: Houston We Are Go Review

Newsboys Live CD/DVDI’ve bought every Newsboys live release from the VHS Step Up To The Microphone tour from a decade ago. I don’t buy every new album of theirs. Only delirious holds that honour for me, but Newsboys are a truly great band, and one of Australia’s most successful exports. Probably somewhere up with Hugh Jackman and The Wiggles. Newboys are one of the world’s longest lasting Christian bands. Of course, that label isn’t the best, as labels never are, but that’s the business of “Christian” music for you. Newsboys are a great band. They’re not a worship band, just a band that anyone can tap their toes to, with funky betas and quotable lyrics.

There have been a few line-up changes in the years they’ve been together, most noticeably the recent departures of Jody Davis and New Zealand bassist Phil Joel, to pursue family and mission interests. However, now they have the addition of Paul Colman, from the former band PC3, or the Paul Colman Trio. They managed to do quite well in the US before they split, and it’s great to see Colman on stage again, with his fellow Aussies, drummer Duncan Phillips and lead singer Peter Furler.  I saw the Paul Colman Trio live in Perth twice and it’s just awesome to see him strut his stuff once more, with much larger crowds than he was used to. That means the only Yank left is keyboardist Jeff Frankenstein.

Newsboys still have that larrikin nature about them. They’re the funnest and funniest band to watch, and its great to see Peter interact with the huge Houston, Texas audience, making them laugh with his recountings of the band’s humble beginnings, and later cry with his heartfelt testimony. The preacher’s kid has done good.

Frankenstein looks as awkward as ever on stage, but since he’s a Mac user, he gets extra points. Phillips is as madcap as ever, with his cheeky grin, Mohawk and the fantastic return of the spinning drum platform. Colman fits in beautifully and Furler’s voice sounds just like it does on the albums.

The 14 track DVD/CD combo presents the same songs, a mix of old and new, including a few from their recent Go release. Classics like Shine, Entertaining Angels, He Reigns and Breakfast are my faves. The show’s production standards are great, and the fairly young audience really get into it. How could you not? I imagine the fellas must lose a fair amount of weight after each show after the three huge screens, on stage lights and two spotlights must make them sweat like maniacs, especially considering they’re all covered in black. But for them, and us, it’s all worth it. Check out the trailer below.

January 4, 2009
Categories: Music, Reviews . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Purge + Audit Free CD

Purge + AuditI have a friend (yes, it’s true) named Mladen who’s quite the talented young man. The kind of guy that women want to be with and men want to be. No, wait. That’s James Bond. Anyway, Mladen has just released his debut CD, Purge + Audit for download on-line. I’ve shared it with a few people and they all seem impressed. It’s kind of a chill out vibe, with smooth beats, sonic rhythms and hooks to die for. Actually I just threw all those words in because I’m not a music reviewer. It is good though. You can listen to it here, or download it here. (Just enter the 3 letter code at the top of the screen) It takes a lot of work to make something like this, so I admire his determination, so become his friend and tell him what you think. He’s also a huge indie comics fan and Track No. 6 entitled Ampersand is surely a Y: The Last Man reference. Battlescar Spectacular’s a cool name too. Most of these trip-hop songs are vocal free and are good for just chillaxin’, especially Sky Marshall, which I used on my 24 Hour Comic Day video. So, give the young fella a chance, and when he becomes rich and famous I can live in one of his Malibu apartments. Thank you.

December 23, 2008
Categories: Music . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

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