ANYBODY that's tuned into Newcastle experimental electronic artist Romy Church, aka e4444e, knows he doesn't do conventional music.
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And it's worked for the bedroom producer. His records Mr Dover and The Endless Rovers (2018) and Highwaymusic (2019) have caught the attention of music fans outside Newcastle with their psychedelic soundscapes and innate weirdness.
On his latest single Wolves, e4444e attempted something new. Church wrote a more conventional song based around acoustic guitar, best described as electro-folk.
"It's part of a batch of songs I made recently where I kind of, at least when I was writing them, I just got out of the way of myself and stopped caring about what type of songs I was making," Church said.
"I reckon I ended up making much better stuff that way. I was writing heaps of songs on my acoustic guitar and I decided to record it pretty straightforward.
"It's still got it's own thing going on, but it's definitely a more 'songy' song than normal."
Wolves is the first taste off an forthcoming record, expected to be released later this year. The Wolves single tour kicked off at the Maitland Art Gallery last Saturday and continues with three dates in Sydney, Canberra and Wollongong from March 20 to 22.
OUTLAW RUN
NEWCASTLE-based Americana artist Rory Ellis has enjoyed stellar reviews of his ninth studio album Inner Outlaw since its October release and local fans will soon have the opportunity to hear the material live.
Ellis and his backing band The Devil's Right Hand play the Stag and Hunter Hotel on March 20, with support from Belligen's Luke Wilton.
Rhythms Magazine writers Chris Lambie and Billy Pinnell both named Inner Outlaw in their top-10 albums of 2019.
THE PITS DROP IN
MAKE sure you get along to The Drop early on Saturday because Newcastle band The Pits have been given the honour of opening the second edition of the Surfest-aligned music festival. The punk cabaret six-piece kick-off the Empire Park fun at 1.10pm.
CALYPSO RHYTHM
THE sounds of Cuban jazz will add a Caribbean flavour to the Newcastle Improvised Music Association's weekly Tuesday night showcase on March 17.
Caribé's Havana Return will perform at the Grand Hotel melding Cuban traditional jazz and classic forms in a contemporary mold.
Seeing Caribe live is a communal experience incorporating chants and percussive elements, deeply rooted in rumba and Afro-Cuban religions. The performance will be led by dancer Adrian Medina.
