Tuesday 3rd of July saw the sophomore appearance of Musicland at Events Uncovered, a trade show centred around the event and entertainment industries. It's a perfectly balanced mix of fun, teamwork and meeting new and interesting people for an office outing. This year was certainly no exception.
After the great response to The Mash Machine and our paint by numbers canvas last year, creating something as immersive and entertaining has been something we have been plugging away at. Creating new experiences though is what we all signed up for, and the 2018 iteration saw us host a take-home terrarium workshop to engage audiences with a tactile, face to face and fun experience.
The terrariums proved to be a real swag bag stuffer, with smiling faces crowded around the table, happy to make and take their very own creations as we showcased Musicland's new team building workshops. Most workshops are tailored to suit most occasions and scalable.
Events Uncovered 2018 also saw the launch of our Audio Posters. These interactive, portable sound boards can be used to trigger any kind of audio or video; voice commands on an interactive map, or sound loops that sync up to make and remix a song on the fly. The microphone allowed us to sample and loop patron's voices in real time and assign it to a button on the board that became integrated into the song being played.
DJs Naj and Krystie Steve provided the day's soundtrack throughout the entire venue and once the sun went down, it was out to the Argyle Courtyard for a live performance courtesy of the supremely talented Oyobi which kept the tailfeathers of our new roving entertainers, the Disco Vixens moving. These all shimmering, all dancing disco balls hot shoe shuffled their way into their fair share of IG feeds with plenty of pics and a bunch of boomys.
We really enjoy our day at Events Uncovered. It's great to see contacts, clients and friends, new and old, come together and is an opportunity for the team to step out from behind our phones and laptops to share what we have been cooking up live and loud.
Engaged by hospitality and brand activation company Yakusan to launch Coke Plus Coffee. The event was held on Level 7 at The Primus Hotel. We were asked to create a mural that would appeal to the industry types and influencers. Artist Shannon Crees created a striking portrait style mural using only coffee to create the piece.
We built a 15m x 15m hedge maze on the Optus campus plaza and filled it with a variety of creepy characters. A cello playing Maleficent, The Twins (inspired by Kubrick's Shining) - everyones favourite, an 8ft Slenderman,Freddy Kruger, Straitjacket Psycho, a contortionist clown who walked through the maze bent backwards on his hands and feet, and comic relief by a Vampire Magician.
We worked with Merivale to produce an event sponsored by Kirin called Tiny Tokyo.
The Ivy Pool was converted into their version of Shinjuku Golden Gai with the cabanas taking the form of cozy Japanese dining experiences; Sushi, Ramen, Yakatori
We conceptualised and supplied all the entertainment. with the twist that it all had to be Japanese based. The activities...
- Taiko Drummers - Large Scale Japanese Calligraphy - called SHODO by Ren Yano - Live Street art style mural of Hokusai's wave - Large Screen old school Mario Kart - Japanese dance crew - DJs
There are pubs, and there are "pubs". Pubs are chic, stainless steel and timber adorned bastions with more plants than a Flower Power and are inoffensively pleasant. "Pubs" have bar tops well worn from leaning locals, have housed more characters than the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the banter is usually the most colourful thing in there.
Courtesy of the wharfie working class who populated the peninsula, Balmain seemingly has more pubs than people, and sitting on the corner of Beattie and Mullins st since 1874 is DiCK's Hotel. While the landscape has changed around DiCK's, for the past 12 years DiCK's Hotel has established itself as a local legend by doing the opposite. With walls that have more stories than a library, if DiCK's authenticity and character were people they would have half poured your tipple of choice and hung shit on you within seconds of entering. Service, sport, community, food and drinks are the foundations that DiCK's is built upon with the venue recognized as an Anzac Day destination and 1 of only 4 preferred platinum Swans supporter venues in Australia.
Following the renovation of the upstairs area into a cocktail bar, functions and performance space, Musicland were engaged to oversee the live entertainment program and marketing activity. Named after the Godfather of Soul, The Brown's entertainment direction was punk music….no. With the vintage Rhodes in residence being tinkled by some of Sydney and Melbourne's finest purveyors, funk and soul was the heartbeat of The Brown. With three distinct spaces resonating to 3 different audiences, establishing identities to inform the visual communications for the three spaces under the overarching umbrella of DiCK's Hotel character was central in implementing consistency and continuity. Maintaining the venues character, while expanding the scope of communication, was key in broadening the appeal of the venue to a larger audience while avoiding any corrections to its existing audience.
With the success and improvement of venues our primary agenda, the recent decision to entertain expressions of interest for DiCK's Hotel for the first time in 12 years is reflective of the impact which our engagement has contributed to in the past 24-month period "The pub's never traded so well in the whole 12 years we've had it" With experience and intangibles being difficult elements to measure but forming integral parts of strategy, helping a "pub" that would be as comfortable in 1974 as it is in 2018 evolve while still holding firm to its character and ideals is something we are more than happy to hang our hat on.
They say that every actor secretly wants to be a rock star, and every rock star believes they can be an actor. The same can't be said for rock stars wanting to be sports stars. Sports stars wanting to be rock stars on the other hand, well...
With June shaping up to be a big month for major sporting events such as the NBA Finals, the State Of Origin and the FIFA World Cup, it's the perfect time to explore this cross cultural phenomenom in closer detail.
My first encounter with an "athlete" (with that term being a long stretch at the time) trading a golden boot for a golden mic was the 1981 LP record put out by The Tooth's Hotel entitled "Footy Favourites". You haven't lived until you've heard a front row forward murdering such classics as Blue Bayou, So You Win Again and (shudder) Danny Boy. When wild man Eric Grothe sang of "not having time to take a fast train, cos his baby just wrote him a letter", you'd best believe that time stood still, much like you wish your ears could for the following 3 minutes and 12 seconds
Australia has a long standing tradition of the sports/popstar crossover. In the early 70's, boxing champion Lionel Rose had a top 5 hit with "I Thank You", co-written by Johnny Young. 15 years later, who could forget the rally cry of AFL hard nut Mark "Jacko" Jackson on his hit single "I'm An Individual" which contained such poetic prose as "I've a basic sense of rhythm and a chronic sense of rhyme / I make my own tomato juice and drink it all the time". The fact that somebody bothered to annotate the chords to this song and post them online is even more disturbing than the song itself.
Over to the UK now, and those who lived through the 90's might remember the most infamous bit of rapping ever committed to wax, courtesy of John Barnes for the shouty electropop 1990 World Cup anthem "World In Motion" - a collaborative effort between Manchester dance legends New Order, anarcho comedian and all round geezer Keith Allen and the England Cup Squad.
The infamous "rap" was improvised on the day, in fact it was Aussie player Craig Johnston who came up with it - scribbling it down on a scrap of paper for Barnes. Johnston was not actually in the squad, but was hanging around the recording studio with the 10 England players who bothered to show up. Noted absentee was Gary Lineker, who had his own World Cup single on the backburner.
Cheekily, the song was originally titled by Keith Allen as "An E For England" but this was quickly nixed due to it's blatant ecstacy reference, the popular drug of choice on the terraces at the time. It's said to be the song on New Order's Greatest Hits that regularly has fans reaching for the skip button, but ironically, it gave New Order their first and only number one chart record to date.
When it comes to the high profile world of basketball, you surely can't go past the recording career of Shaquille O'Neal aka Shaq. In the early 90's Shaq signed to the Jive label and his first album was produced by hip hop heavyweights Eric Sermon, Def Jef and A Tribe Called Quest. Album number two, Shaq-Fu:The Return saw him collaborate with members of The Wu Tang Clan, as well as RnB hip hop kings Keith Murray and Warren G.
This isn't to suggest that Shaq was a great rapper. He was savvy enough to surround himself with the right people, but his lyrics were far from exemplary - "I'm super fly, TNT, Shaquille O'Neal // Watch out for me. I'll be there, you know the deal". Despite this, more than one of his albums went gold and bothered the charts for longer than perhaps they should have.
Other basket ballers who stepped into the booth include Kobe Bryant, whose K.O.B.E. album from 2000 regrettably saw him duet with none other than Tyra Banks on a track once heard, best forgotten.
The world of international boxing laying it down on wax is notable for Muhammad Ali's 1976 educational kids record Ali & His Gang VS Mr. Tooth Decay - surely one of his most challenging bouts ever. Amazingly, he is joined on this record by the Chairman Of The Board himself, Frank Sinatra. One can only wonder the thoughts that went through Frankie's mind as he was handed the lyrics to songs such as Fluoride or Ice Cream.
Roy Jones Jr fancied himself as a rapper for a hot minute, despite the fact that his song "Who Wanna Get Knocked Out" just seemed like a blatant ripoff of the LL Cool J classic, "Mama Said Knock You Out".
Now, if you heard the names Cat Power and Manny Pacquiao mentioned in the same sentence, youd be forgiven for thinking the person talking needed a good lie down and some cold water splashed on their face, but the two did indeed team up for the 2011 colaboration King Rides By, a Cat Power song re-recorded in aid of a Pacquiao helmed charity. Manny has released 3 of his own albums, a notable single of his goes by the name of Pac-Man Punch!
Quick fisted Mexican American Oscar De La Hoya actually rose above the mediocrity of the sports/pop hybrid horrors to receive a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Latin pop Album for his successful 2001 self titled album.
Rapping wrestlers, golden throated golfers (hello, John Daly), singing sprinters (Carl Lewis), and tremelo-happy tennis terrors (John McEnroe learned to play guitar from Eddie Van Halen and Eric Clapton), there's simply not enough time to explore every example of these incredible vanity projects, but I hope you enjoyed sharing with us in those we mentioned.
Chad is our fearless leader here at Musicland. He loves cooking, making Spotify playlists, repeat pattern shirts, cover versions of songs, dad rock, yacht rock, wearing things on his head and piccolo latte's. Always ready to loan support and understanding to his team, Chad is the heart and soul of this wonderful place we call work. Here's a peek behind the curtain into his thoughts....
Earliest musical memory My dad playing Dutch Swing College Band records constantly.
What is your go to Sunday morning album of choice I do my best to sleep through as much of Sunday morning as possible but
otherwise I usually put on some Talking Heads to get going
Who is your hero In life - my wife. In business - Brendan and Jeremy at Innovative Production Services
Last movie you saw and rating out of 10 Avengers Infinity War - 8/10
What is your specialty meal when cooking Hainan Chicken Rice
Favourite meme My daughter is the `Why Not Both' taco girl ...
Favourite Aussie band or singer past or present Hoodoo Gurus
A song that makes you cry or melancholy Father's Day - Weddings, Parties, Anything
Favourite thing about working at Musicland The team I get to work with everyday and the projects that start as grand ideas that our amazing clients get us to execute
Do you have any hidden talents I am an amazing `air-drummer'
What's your personal motto Be Kind and grateful. Always.
Greatest fear My pants ripping while i'm dancing around on stage while i'm djing
Imogen Spong is Musicland's dynamo entertainment producer and much appreciated female presence in the office. Her sunny disposition and grounded attitude always manages to balance out the boys and their oh so silly ways. We put Immy to the test in the first in a series of mini interviews that will help you get to know the Musicland team in a semi intimate fashion.
What is your earliest musical memory? Singing `Away in a Manger' solo at my preschool Christmas Concert and singing "the cows in the bright sky" and everyone laughing
What is your go to Sunday morning album of choice? Either Khruangbin - The Universe Smiles Upon You or Sade - Diamond Life
Who is your hero? Cardi B #okkkurrrrrrrrrrrr
Last movie you saw and rating out of 10? Avengers Infinity War - 9.5/10!!
What is your specialty meal when cooking? Any kind of pasta
Favourite meme? "Basic Hoe" starter pack, or any starter pack for that matter
Favourite Aussie band or singer past or present? Silverchair
A song that makes you cry or extra melancholy? Fields of Gold - Eva Cassidy
Favourite thing about working at Musicland? Being able to witness and walk amongst `Glebe life' on a daily basis #blessed
Do you have any hidden talents? Eating copious amounts of cheese
When a chance to roll out something interesting at one of Sydney City's most well known haunts popped up, we were sure to leave safe in the banks where it belongs.
Having recently been given a make over fit to win a renno reality show, we have been busy cooking up a new night for our friends at Cargo Bar to give its new look an attitude to match.
Stepping out from under the long shadow of the ubiquitous "soloist on a stool", we looked to create a much needed outlet for our clever musical type mates to deliver an interesting and engaging addition to the Darling Harbour and Barangaroo precinct. Players and producers switch gears from their better known projects to give the familiar a freshen up by re-interpreting, re-inventing and re-invigorating some of their faves. Think DIY "Like a Version"
Talented types like card carrying member of party starting posse Motorik, For Life or Adam Bozzetto to his Mum, flexes his production chops with a Friday afternoon twist, with Ross Ferraro of The Goods also taking a turn to play good vibe traffic controller. An outlet to concoct different duo and trio configurations to deliver their set lists of same same but different, has left us with no shortage of folks excited to do fun things.
Providing platforms for creativity to diversify the scene, showcase local talent and help broaden audience experiences is important to us. With the support of the good sorts at Cargo, we are looking forward to serving up Friday nights with a pinch of interesting, a dash of engaging and a liberal dose of entertaining. One less cookie cutter Friday night anyone?
Another year of Yestival done and dusted! Thanks to the Optus crew and the extended Musicland fam and artists for making it all possible. We provided a DIY Disco, kinetic sand kits, make your own terrarium, live music and DJ's- something for everyone!
Tuesday 3rd of July saw the sophomore appearance of Musicland at Events Uncovered, a trade show centred around the event and entertainment industries. It's a perfectly balanced mix of fun, teamwork and meeting new and interesting people for an office outing. This year was certainly no exception.
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