We are currently doing a run of shows with our mates Ten Volt Shock from Germany. I urge you to check them out!! Here’s their itinerary/propaganda.

Hailing from The Black Forest, Germany.

Ten Volt Shock started in 2000. Fiercely independent and have now played countless DIY tours throughout Europe, UK and USA.
Playing alongside the likes of Obits, Melt Banana, A-Frames, McLusky, Vaz and many others with releases spanning 12 indie labels since 2001, the band are coming to Oz for a tour.
For fans of Shellac & the Hot Snakes and noise in general. Sets are fast and furious. Dont miss these shows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SHOWS!

SAT 23RD MARCH @ BARWON CLUB, Geelong (w/Dead, Kids of Zoo & The Underhanded)

SUN 24TH MARCH @ GASOMETER, Collingwood (w/Dead, Scul Hazzards & The Ruiner-feat’members of Christbait/Dern Rutlidge & Legends of Motorsport)

THU 28TH MARCH @ ESPY FRONT BAR, Stkilda w/ Oz punk legends ‘X’! Batpiss, Kids of Zoo plus very special guests TBA soon

FRI 29TH MARCH @ OLD BAR, Fitzroy w/Clowns (vinyl launch), Kids of Zoo & Battletruck (SA) *Good Friday folks, Old Bar will be open real late!

SAT 30TH MARCH @ NEWMARKET HOTEL, Bendigo (w/Dead)

SUN 31st MARCH @ BRIDGE HOTEL, Castlemaine (w/Dead)

WEDS 3RD APRIL @ LEETON HOTEL, Leeton

THU 4TH APRIL @ PHOENIX, Canberra (w/SuperBestFriends plus guests)

FRI 5TH APRIL @ BARCODE, Wollongong (w/SuperBestFriends plus guests)

SAT 6TH APRIL @ BRIGHTEN UP BAR, Sydney (w/SuperBestFriends plus guests)

JAPAN:
Last September we toured in Japan with our pals Cyberne and Knellt. The tour was incredible, and the bands we played with over there are outrageously good. The show at Hokage in Osaka goes down as one of my favourite gigs of all time. Playing with Realized in Sapporo was also outta this world! Impulse Records released a three way split cd to commemorate the tour, ya can grab a copy here; http://weemptyrooms.bandcamp.com/album/cyberne-dead-knellt-3-way-split

Thanks so much to everyone who helped us out on the tour, we received ridiculously rad hospitality wherever we went. Hopefully Cyberne will tour in Australia with us again this year!

In Osaka we recorded a live in the studio set at M4II Studio with Harada from Ryokuchi engineering and Akira from Cyberne assisting, those blokes really know how to pull a brutal sound! I got to use the famous Harada splitter box and run three amps….pretty sweet. The recording will come out later in the year with excessive arty packaging together with a couple of other projects we’ve been cooking up.

NATIONAL TOUR / VAZ:
In the last three months of 2012 with the help of an Oz Council grant we toured to every Australian state and territory, it was a pleasure to play places we aren’t normally able to get to. Alice Springs was a huge highlight, I hope we are able to get back there SOON! They really know how to throw a party up there!! Tamworth also rocked big time!

Part of the tour was with the unbelievably awesome VAZ from Brooklyn. We met Vaz in the US in 2011 and were immediately impressed and intimidated by them. Vaz were awesome EVERY show and although they don’t really like insects and have a heightened fear of dingos, sharks, snakes etc etc they were excellent tour mates. WeEmptyRooms released Vaz’s Chartreuse Bull album, you can check it out an buy it here; http://weemptyrooms.bandcamp.com/album/vaz-chartreuse-bull

Once again we are indebted to so many people/bands for helping us out, the network of awesome folks in diy music is incredible! Thanks everyone who supported the tour.

DEAD / BJ Morriszonkle:
We are currently writing and rehearsing material for a collaboration LP with our good friend and mad genius BJ Morriszonkle. It’s a challenge and a breath of fresh air to for us to be working with BJ, it’s an understatement to say we are excited about it, but we will let the music do the talking once it’s done.

Wed 24th Oct – Hobart – The Brisbane Hotel.
with Starmarker and M.O.1.O (words by Jem)

After years of failed attempts we made our first trip to Tassie. I haven’t been here since travelling with my mum and being denied service in a few place on account of our peculiar skin colour. I’m led to believe it’s changed a lot in that time. But essentially I was in no hurry to travel there unless I knew at least one person wanted us to play.

We flew over at a reasonable hour and made use of the new Musicians extra baggage deal (thanks Music Victoria). This was a completely new experience to us, it was pretty exciting. Then we picked up a hire car, again something I have never had the indulgence of experiencing in ten years of touring. “Bargain Car Rentals” seemed to make a point of being rude and unhelpful, an interesting policy to adopt in the customer service world.

Spare time on tour is not a concept we are used to. With a few hours to kill before the show we headed down the main drag of Hobart and tried unsuccessfully to sell some LPs to the local record store. Seems the dude in charge did not have his finger on the pulse or he’d have jumped at the chance, maybe even asked us for a quick photo. The ladies at the Country Women’s Association shop sorted me out with some reasonably priced fudge (for some reason fudge is everywhere in this state which would lead me to presume they also employ a lot of fudge packers to deal with the demand) so the trip could still be measured as a success.

Back at the venue we met up with Starmarker who are old mates from way back when they were in Adelaide, in different bands, playing shows with my band Fire Witch. They are unusually down to earth people and even if I’ve not seen them in a while it always feels very comfortable, like family. It was their first show and they were great.

M.O.1.O are also totally no bullshit dudes which is always a relief and made for a very cruisy show. I dunno how to describe their music and I’m sure that’s how they like it.

The show itself was very light on numbers wise. This is not really a problem for us. Playing to empty rooms (or emptying previously full rooms) has been the staple of both DEAD members since long before we even met each other. In fact I’d do it all the time if it could pay the travel bill. Played some of my best sets to near empty rooms.
Regardless the show was awesome. We sold a bunch of merch and people were very appreciative.

After the show Jamie Hay from Conation rocked up for some beers after his show down the road. We sat at the bar together feeling kinda old while locals smashed out a dance and karaoke session to tunes of varying quality.

The whole thing left us feeling very eager to come back and lucky to play such a great venue as The Brisbane. Can’t recommend that place enough.

The next day we had a full day off before flying home. We went to MONA and as a dude who generally struggles to appreciate art or handle long periods of time in galleries I can say that it was fucking sick. Probably everyone else already knows that though.

Next up is Alice Springs and Darwin……

The final touches are being made to our second album, it will be called IDIOTS and it will be good. We are making 50 special edition copies that will include hand screened art work and will generally be fancier than the rest.

Jem has been extremely busy booking shows, printing merch and dealing with the riffs I keep handing him. The good news is we will be touring with Vaz from Brooklyn in Nov/Dec, who if you don’t know yet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDj3Wa4tPzA&feature=related are INCREDIBLE!! This tour will see us play in Leeton NSW, a first for DEAD, I played there in 1992 and it was pretty good. I think Jem started school that year.

Firstly massive THANK YOU’s to everyone who contributed to our Pozible album fundraiser, it’s awesome and humbling that so many people wanted to take part and help us with the cost of our second album! Over the last month we recorded and mixed the album and it’s almost ready to be mastered. We recorded at Head Gap studio in Preston with Neil Thomason and did vocals at Cellar Sessions studio in Coburg with Max Ducker. Both these top blokes went above and beyond to help us achieve what we were after and I can’t thank them enough….actually I LOVE them! So far the tracks are sounding awesome and at this stage will be released in Nov.

For those who haven’t heard, our friend Blackie from Hard-Ons and Nunchukka Superfly was the victim of a serious physical assault while he was at work driving his cab. Apart from this being ridiculously shit, he won’t be able to work for at least a couple of months due to the head injuries he sustained. Also the Hard-Ons were forced to cancel their remaining tour dates which will see Blackie and the band further out of pocket. We will be playing at three benefit shows that will hopefully help Blackie get back on his feet. The shows are listed in our gigs section and can also be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/243644935742068/ In the meantime, anyone wishing to donate to Blackie to help get him through the next few months and help with medical bills etc can do so via the band’s Paypal address: rahn666@yahoo.com

The Australian version or our first album ‘Thundaaaaah!’ has now sold out, copies of the USA version are still available via http://www.wantageusa.com/

Cheers….Jace

http://www.Cellarsessionsstudio.com

http://www.headgap.com.au/

http://aquariusrecords.org/bin/search.cgi?searchfield=keyword&search_string=DEAD%20Thundaaaaah!

That warm fuzzy feeling that you previously thought could not be bought now can be purchased for as little as $7. And a few clicks of the keyboard and mouse is far less hassle than helping that struggling mum with a pram onto the tram, or the old bloke next door bring in his shopping.

After several failed attempts at gaining government funding for tours and records (which have all gone ahead and racked up a hefty bill) DEAD are joining the crowd funding bandwagon.

It simple; pledge cash, receive cool stuff in return.

Full details can be found here:

http://www.pozible.com.au/index.php/archive/index/4794/description/0/0

And a digital live album found here:
http://weemptyrooms.bandcamp.com/album/dead-live-at-old-bar-24-11-2011

And finally a bake sale/market/record fair type event to be announced in the next month or so.

A more in depth explanation can be found at the link above. Oh and you can suggest other “incentives” you’d like to see from us.
Elisa Bryant has donated a portrait of DEAD (above) that featured (and sold) in her recent exhibition at The Old Bar Gallery
http://elisabryant.com/

If anyone else has stuff they think would be good to donate please get in contact.

Thank you in advance to all the supporters!

A lot has happened in camp WER this year, mainly it involved DEAD and their foolhardy attempt to cover the globe with their riffs. One of the better outcomes of this relentless and unsustainable tour regime was getting to meet great people and bands along the way. So in no order of hierarchy I present to you some of my musical highlights of the year. It’s not all of them, I can’t be expected to remember them all at once. And fuck mate……we’ll be here all day.

Carburetor Dung in Kuala Lumpur put on one of the best punk shows i’ve ever seen. Turns out punk bands can have melody. My auntie came to the show and rather than be disgusted at what I do with my life she cried after we played. Career highlight right there.
http://carburetordung.kerbau.com/

Ghaust in Jakarta hosted a packed show in a great venue and managed to play an innovative and engaging set despite its’ post rock tendencies. A win in my book.
http://soundofghaust.blogspot.com/

Vrosk in Jogjakarta and Jakarta were flat out menacing, a beast of a drummer and a scary vocalist.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vrosk/185534081491008

Throughout this tour we met Cher from the DIY booking collective 7x0x7 who turned out to be a champion and a tireless upholder and active promoter of decent and humane ethics. She also found our harsh accents endearing which was a welcome surprise and cause of confusion.
http://7x0x7.blogspot.com/

In my mum’s old stomping ground, Batu Pahat, we played one of my favourite DIY venues to date called The Wall. I can’t remember the names of the awesome local bands but the organisers and promoters (like all on that tour) were exceptional hosts.

Unstoppable Death Machines proved that relentless touring equals having helpful mates in every little pocket of the country. They showed that audience participation can be fun and not daggy every night for a month in between driving ten hours a day, booking more tours and doing touristy shit with the wide eyed Aussies. They waste no time in waiting around for shit to happen for them, I’m expecting their hard work to pay off in the form of a much larger fanbase any day now.
http://theunstoppabledeathmachines.net/

Catacombz from Milwaukee were the best answer i’ve seen to Trans Am so far. Maximum good times, maximum nudity and tight as players. Their LP is exceptional road trip material.
http://catacombz.bandcamp.com/

In Minneapolis Gay Witch Abortion were quite simply one of the best live bands i’ve had the pleasure of watching. Guitar/Drums units often fall short of the mark for me. Too often the guitarist tries to re-create a wall of bass and it turns to mud. Much like local legends Hotel Wrecking City Traders these guys maintained a killer guitar tone with some very tasteful use of effects pedals. And the drummer….FUCK OFF! Fans of Pure Evil Trio’s John Irish would do well to check this guy out. Their album ‘Maverick’ is fantastic.
http://www.learningcurverecords.com/bands/view/33

In Minot, North Dakota we played an exceptionally awesome DIY festival called Why Not? The orgnaniser of the festival played a great set, standing up with a broken leg or knee or something. He also presented me with a birthday cake on stage. Career highlights are piling up.

TOTAL FEST!!!! Um……I need a separate email for this thing entirely. Imagine the ultimate festival, hosted by the ultimate dudes in a great town and multiply it by 1000:

Vaz blew my mind to a fairly empty room. The heavyness to empty room ration had not been this high since I first witnessed Nunchukka Superfly in 2004. Upon return i tracked down their entire discography and it is all fucking great and quite varied which may explain why a fanbase has eluded them for a decade or so. Remind me of a more poppy and more brutal (yes the two can co-exist) version of our very own Deep Where All Drown. I will have some of their stuff for sale soon too.
http://vazmusic.bandcamp.com/

Hammerhead (who feature 2/3 Vaz Members) breached the capacity of the bandroom and live music license of the venue. Some of you fools gotta discover Vaz.

Pygmy Shrews I was told had just got a new drummer. I dunno who the old guy was but this guy totally ran the show. Maximum power, minimal fucking about.
http://pygmyshrews.blogspot.com/

Big Business exceeded all expectations both times which, in hindsight, was a near impossible feat.

Thrones proved why he is the king of whatever you call that genre he dwells within/created. Never before has a rock band really only needed one person.

White Shit managed to put the fun back into hardcore (or perhaps for the first time?) which i’m sure would have upset any hardcore fans in the audience. Jared Warren proved to be an exceptional front man.

In Richmond Hex Machine were nerdy/clunky/riffy bliss. The large empty room didn’t faze them one bit, I always respect this. I picked up their album Omen Mass and it’s a corker.
http://hexmachine.bandcamp.com/

In Philadelphia we played what turned out to be our last show of the tour and managed to play with two of the best bands of said tour:
Drums Like Machine Guns reminded me of our own Dead Boomers. Two piece noise unit who actually listen to eachother! And have “songs”.
Bubonic Bear pulled off the drummer/guitarist combo with the earlier mentioned wall of sound approach from the guitar. Double points for nailing that approach boys. Reminded me of Black Cobra but not in a derivitive way at all.
http://bubonicbear.blogspot.com/

In New York (and earlier in Melbourne) Night Toilet were the only noise/ambient band I would ever want to be in. And this is no joke, they are exceptional in their ability to feed off eachother. A self described “fake band” it is apt that they have no website but i found this one instead
http://www.nyrestroom.com/

We didn’t manage to play a gig with water temples but they looked after us when we needed it. I hope they come back to Australia soon.
http://soundcloud.com/water-temples

I got to see onion play live a lot this year and even got to play with her in Darwin. She brings a kind of stripped back approach to noise/ambient/drone stuff that eludes most who can’t see the riff for the pedals. Hopefully I can release something of hers next year so more of you can hear it. – get a website Lara.

Cyberne upheld the tradition of Japanese bands who tour Australia being tight as all fuck, total shredders and top human beings. They also released an album that is fierce from start to finish.
http://cyberne.zombie.jp/

Mr Sterile Assembly (New Zealand) visited us and played to a frustratingly small audience in a shit venue but still put on a primo set.
http://mrsterileassembly.wordpress.com/

No Anchor raised eyebrows across the country and gave other underground/sludgey/noisy bands hope that maybe, just maybe we could get enough people to shows to cover the cost of the mixer! Another band who seem to press forward with their sound rather than dwell in one place.
http://www.noanchorband.blogspot.com/

The Reverend Jessie Custer destroyed a living room in Canberra on the last show of the Cyberne/DEAD tour. For me what sets this band apart from others of their ilk is an exceptionally tight and creative drummer. He really puts in those 1 percenters. They have a record out via Less Talk Records who rule.
http://thereverendjessecuster.bandcamp.com/

Adelaide: what the fuck? Has been totally punching above its’ weight in the form of bands like Hydromedusa, Death Cult Jock, Poisonous Viper Gang, She’s The Band, Sex Wizard, Prison Bitch, Night Hag and of course Space Bong and others i can’t recall just this minute. Melbourne may have more gigs but Adelaide is delivering the high quality riffs in bucket loads.

Wicked City went to europe where for once they got to play to packed rooms, an elusive yet totally deserved occurrence back at home. They are better than ever.

Bone stepped it up a notch with a batch of new songs and a tour of China. Seriously one of my fave new(ish) bands going round.

Blacklevel Embassy did much the same as newest drummer Joel Ellis (Nunchukka) got used to his role. The heaviness factor got a lot higher but they don’t play nearly enough.

Babymachine from Wollongong released a record and it is a rock-n-rolling machine that bears many repeated listens.

Hotel Wrecking City Traders released a collab. e.p with Gary Arce of Yawning Man fame. Apart from it being a dream come true for the band the pairing proved, unsurprisingly, a total win.

I’m sure i’ve missed out on double what I just wrote. The world may be going to shit but good music spews forth at an alarming rate.

Thanks to everyone who has supported WER this year. Next year I hope to release a few more great records and host some sweet tours.

Jem/WER

If for some unforeseen reason you cannot make our launch show then please check out or gig page or the poster below and come to one of the shows on our tour. These will be DEAD’s first shows in Brisbane, Byron Bay AND Tamworth! We are stoked! We will have copies of our LP for sale at all shows and a new batch of T-shirts hot off the Hardy St presses. Also for sale will be a limited edition 3 colour screen print of the tour poster below, please contact us if you would like us to hold one for you as there are only 22 in existence. As usual all or merch is hand made/printed and comes with that caring personal touch that we can all feel special about.