THE ever-prolific Ash Grunwald will follow the release of his eighth studio album with a huge 28-date national tour.
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Grunwald has returned to Australia from an extensive Canadian tour - which included shows alongside the likes of Wilco and Jose Gonzalez - to release the single Second Guess.
The song is the latest single from his album Now (due out on September 25) which was made with super producer Nick Didia (Pearl Jam/Springsteen/Rage Against the Machine) in Grunwald's home town of Byron Bay.
The roots musician has described the album as delving into a more experimental and modern approach, explaining his intention was to create a "modern psychedelic, sci-fi, swamp rock, blues album, if there is such a thing. Ha!"
Grunwald was inspired by collaborators Ian Peres (Wolfmother) on synth, Pete Wilkins (formerly Blue King Brown) and Didia himself.
"I wanted to go in there with a traditional power trio like Hendrix but use a synth player instead of a bass. Ian Peres brought that and a whole lot more, playing a fair bit of rock organ in there, which is something that he honed whilst playing in Wolfmother," he said.
"The effects were very much part of the music, which Nick encouraged. The aim was for the end product to be as close as possible to what we were delivering live in the studio."
The album was crowd-funded through a Pledge Music campaign which will run until its release on September 25, giving fans the opportunity to pledge on experiences and offers including meet and greets, music lessons, VIP packages, intimate house concerts and more. Grunwald is also donating 5 per cent of profits from the campaign to 350.org - an organisation working towards building a global climate movement to eradicate the use of fossil fuels.
Catch Grunwald at The Wickham Park Hotel on October 1. Tickets at bigtix.com.au.
Extreme metal coming
SALT Lake City "extreme metal titans" Chelsea Grin will play The Small Ballroom on August 19 as part of their first Australian headline tour.
The deathcore band released their third album Ashes To Ashes in July last year which reached No. 27 on the US charts and peaked at No. 3 and No. 4 on the US indie and hard rock charts respectively.
The band said they have achieved cohesive clarity on the record: "On this album, I feel like we've finally found who we are. This record is exactly what we wanted it to be," vocalist Alex Koehler said.
Chelsea Grin will be supported by Melbourne deathcore band Boris The Blade, who are fresh from a 65-date run in the US supporting the likes of Oceano and Sepultura as well as headlining their own shows. Catch Chelsea Grin at The Small Ballroom on August 19. Tickets at oztix.com.au.
LIVE has a double pass to Chelsea Grin's show to give away. To enter, send the words "Chelsea Grin" along with your name, address and telephone number to livefreebies@ theherald.com.au or SMS your details to 0427 842 179. Entries close at 9am Monday.
New Icehouse album
AFTER a 35-year career, Aussie legends Icehouse are still keeping fans on their toes with the release of their first live album ICEHOUSE: In Concert.
The album was produced by frontman Iva Davies and bass player Steve Bull, who with the rest of the band sorted through hours and hours of recordings to choose the best versions of each track to compile the album.
The album is due for release on August 28.
"I'm very excited by this release. We've been back playing live since 2011 and the In Concert recordings show the band at its strongest - it certainly sounds like us!
"Being our first true 'live' album, we're all very happy to share this with fans and friends," Davies said.
"While what people see on the In Concert Tour may not be exactly the same as the album, we can promise everyone it will be just as powerful. The band can't wait to hear everyone singing along."
Icehouse play The Civic Theatre on February 6. Tickets at Ticketek.
Stand up for Kinne
COMEDIAN Troy Kinne brings his stand-up comedy show to Newcastle Panthers on Thursday.
The comedian has his own TV show Kinne on 7mate and was nominated for Graham Kennedy Award for most outstanding newcomer at the 2015 Logie Awards.
You might have also seen Kinne as a regular guest on Have You Been Paying Attention?
Catch him at Newcastle Panthers on Thursday. Tickets at Moshtix.
