osh10: Press

Osh10’s self-titled debut album runs the gamut of their evocative powers, gradually winding down from a headstrong kick-off to a fragile mortality.

Following vocal harmonies channeling a post-Women’s Lib Andrews Sisters, we are aurally pinballed through the teasing, chameleonic vocals of Aimee Chapman and bounced back on Mike MacGregor’s spine-bending bass line. A scuttling riff in the opening track may have rewired my cerebral cortex; any evidence of misfiring synapses in the following paragraphs is hereby excused.

From this sucker-punch start we suddenly resurface to find ourselves in altogether mellower territory. An ethereal, mirrored texture is the atmospheric result of a spare arrangement and an effective lack of emphasis on traditional form.

The transition to the reverberant, translucent twilight shimmer of the instrumental Sferics is like plunging off a bright island to sonically free-form through fluid light onto a darker and more isolated shore.

This cool fragility pervades the close of the album, with clear and delicate lyrics wrapped in the same gauzy, watery musical weave.

The album has faint echoes of Björk, Coco Rosie and Ani di Franco at their most reflective.

A supernova burning brightest before the star burns out, Osh10’s varied landscape and curious and alluring musical approach promises ever more intrigue.

Osh10 is now available from all online outlets. The album will be launched at the Paris Cat, Goldie Place, Melbourne, on December 2nd 2007 and will be available from selected music shops and online from cdbaby.com

“osh10” is a self-titled trip-hop album with elements of funk and jazz from a talented Australian duo. The group is made up of two people and one instrument – Mike Macgregor on the electronic bass and Aimee Chapman as the vocalist who unleashes beautiful melodies and harmonies with her big cute voice. All of the sounds you hear on “osh10,” with the exception of the closer “Lullaby,” are either made with Macgregor’s bass or Chapman’s vocals without any additional instruments. They are more stripped down than The White Stripes, yet they create a sound just as solid. The arrangements are excellent and interweave Chapman’s strong vocal performance with Macgregor’s funk and jazz-infused bass licks. At times the two play off one another and at other times they give one another the spotlight with an a cappella performance or a bass solo that would certainly impress the pants off of Les Claypool. This album is also well-recorded, the bass licks and the vocals sound clean and crisp and the album is ready to go to eleven - so to speak. “Mr Sheen” opens up the album with an outstanding funk bass line, great lyrics and an excellent vocal performance. “Sferics” is an instrumental track that loops Macgregor’s bass to give the track an ambient electronic sound. “Lullaby” closes things out by introducing the xylophone and piano to the instrumental picture to imitate a wind-up music box and back another outstanding lyrical and vocal performance. osh10 is a unique band with a unique sound created by a talented bassist and a great female vocalist with a big voice. Fans of trip-hop and great bass styling, check out osh10.
-Chris & the RadioIndy.com Review Team

My Fave: My favorite this month is the unusual duo, osh 10, that combines the creative bass talents of Mike Macgregor and the amazing vocals of Aimee Chapman. Using loops and effects, this duo creates a full band sound. Macgregor’s bass work is inventive and complements Chapman’s wide vocal range. Her delivery is very much her own, but it is reminiscent of Bjork or Canada’s Ember Swift, and her lyrics are pure poetry, dealing with relationships and inner awareness rather than Swift’s social-consciousness. This is definitely a group to watch. They have toured Canada, and there is hope that osh10 will find their way to the States soon.

Bass and vocals? Not a pairing that one would think of but osh10 (http://www.osh10.com/) does make it sound completely obvious, by combining seriously funky and inventive bass playing with vocals that range from intensely soulful and jazzy to very edgy and playful.

osh10 sent duggup a CD for review earlier this year and after having a listen to it (about a half a dozen times. on repeat. Yes, it’s really that good), I had to find out more about Aimee and Mike. The interview (it’s a long one) that follows shows two musicians who have are quite thoughtful, articulate and incredibly generous with their time. they play up a storm as well.
So Question 1 has to be - How did you first meet up and decide “this is a cool idea”?
Aimee: No it’s not the typical band line-up is it? I guess initially it was just a case of getting together to write songs and naturally turning to our primary instruments. While we both play guitar and a bit of piano, The more we wrote together, the more I felt like I wanted to really dig in and explore the vast capabilities of voice and bass to create a really satisfying sound.
Mike: We started this band as an experiment. We wanted a different sound, so by combining bass and vocals, which are extremely different registers, we have so much room to work with in the ensemble. It means we can create a very raw spatial sound or use vocal and bass loops to create the effect of a full band playing.

duggup: I honestly can’t think of another duo doing this, although there have been some jazz ballads that come close. So where does the inspiration come from? What other producers, songwriters and/or artists fire you up?
Mike: I draw from too many sources to mention. I take inspiration from every style of music and combine all these elements to my playing. So I guess what keeps me motivated is the fact that I can use all forms of musical influences enabling me to create songs and sounds which hopefully no one has experienced before. giving me a unique voice with everything I write and perform.
Aimee: It surprises me that it is such an uncommon combination. Some people are almost angry at you when you tell them the line-up, particularly guitarists & drummers!!!) They say ‘You can’t do that!’ But once they hear the diversity of sound that we produce without that rhythm section, they do start to come around.

In terms of inspiration I really lean toward the theatrical, so while I listen to anything and everything, it is the things with a quirky bent that really appeal to me. I like Jon Brion both as a producer and a songwriter, he swings between such fragile melancholic sounds to something hilarious and carnivalesque. I love Sigur Ros for the beautiful visual and emotional journey their music takes you on. There is just so much stuff, I love the random play function on Itunes!

duggup: When did you both start making music as individuals, what is/was your motivation to do it?
Aimee: I was obsessed with creating things as a kid. My mum really encouraged my imagination, and between the dress-up box, art and craft supplies, instruments aplenty and unlimited use of the record player, I was left to invent entire one-woman shows performed for friends, relatives and pets. I would use my old tape deck to record songs that I had written or I’d rewrite melodies for the songs I’d tape off the radio. It took me until my late teens to single out music as my main outlet, but choose I did and it’s been my 24/7 obsession since.
Mike: I found music at a young age. The ability to express myself though music and to be able to connect with the audience and have them experience the same feelings is awesome. People don’t always realize it, but music is connected with everything we do. Some suggest music is irrelevant to life. but they are often the same people that then go home and listen to their favorite CD. I’m in love with the fact that my career is constantly evolving to new heights depending on my situation in life. This means that the music I write now will be completely different in a year’s time. and for me that beats any repetitive day job straight up. I would rather have no money and do what I want then be rich and bored with life.

duggup: Can you describe, briefly, how you work on a musical project?
Aimee: I don’t think we have a set plan.yet. We still feel really new to the whole idea of producing a body of work and I think it will take a few albums worth of experimenting, to settle on something that feels like solid method. By using varying methods of writing, it means each song we create has a life of its own and can become a part of us however it wants. This means it has its own unique personality.Just like people are unique in their own ways.



duggup: I have been listening to your recent album. Could you tell us a little bit about it? Tell us how the new album developed, when did you start writing and recording the material?
Aimee: We started writing osh10 songs back at music school as part of our songwriting assessments and to perform as part of our recital exams. At the time, it was purely academic, somewhere along the line it evolved into a really fulfilling musical adventure worth the pursuit.

The songs on the album developed over about 4 years, before osh10 was a fully-fledged band. Rather than write songs in a short period, for the purpose of putting an album out, each song springs from where we were at musically, whether it be exploring new techniques we had learned at school, influences from projects we were involved in outside of osh10, as well as the ever-changing musical, cultural influences. It wasn’t until we got to the end of tertiary studies that we were able to look back on this body of work and think ‘hey, there’s an album in this!’

duggup: How did you approach creating the album’s material (i.e., did you start with the lyrics or a melody)?
Aimee: It really varies, often Mike will record a bass line that I will write a melody/lyrics to or vice versa, other times I might write a melody and bass line that Mike will then layer with other bass lines and we build it from there. Sometimes we write the complete song on our own. Each song just seems to have a predetermined destiny and we just choose the route that seems right.
Mike: Similar to what Aimee said. Every song we’ve written has been created in a different way. What has been recurring is the way we workshop songs. Once we have the ideas for a song. we workshop it and change structures together. By doing this we’ve achieved the creation of music that is relevant to both of us. This means when we perform a song the emotion is expressed though all of us, creating a much more intimate experience.
Aimee: Absolutely, it’s a team effort!

duggup: “Mr Sheen” and “Eight Hands” are currently my favourites, what about you both. Now that the album is finished and out there which track still surprises you when you hear it?
Mike: For me, I like a different song each time I hear it. This is because each song contains the mood I was in when I wrote it. So depending on what mood I’m in, there will be a song that connects to me on that level.
Aimee: Yeah “Mr Sheen” seems to be a popular choice both live and in terms of radio play, but we find that people let us know what song they’re digging the most from the album and there’s no consistency in the choice, which I guess is how I feel about it, it is a mixed bag. Now that time has passed since recording/mixing, I can listen to the album as a listener again, rather than a critical musician. I do love to listen to “‘Going.gone” and I will never get sick of hearing “Sferics“, it is just stunning- Mike at his best!

SIDEBAR: Time for you all to hear what we are talking about. Have a listen to my favourite “Mr Sheen”

duggup: The CD has such a wonderful dynamic range, Adam Dempsey your mastering engineer did a great job of preserving the light and shade of the performances. Are you happy with how it turned out or in hindsight do you wish you had gone for a “louder is better” mix?
Mike: Not at all. I’m very happy with the album as it is. Generally, if you go for the louder is better option, you lose all dynamics and therefore the songs loose their impact.
Aimee: I think the ‘louder is better’ principle has taken a little too much precedent in music in the past few years and I’m glad we resisted. In previous bands, when I guess I was a little more naive, I was disappointed that the soul of the song was lost in mixing, and so we did a lot of research into finding an engineer who was going to understand the subtleties of our songs. I think we really found that in Adam.

duggup: What aspect of making music excites you the most right now?
Aimee: I feel like I’m just beginning to get my head around what my music is, what is unique to me, what I want to say with my music. and that makes me feel really excited about the future of my music making and the road ahead for osh10.
Mike: Right now I’m spending all my money on new gadgets that will expand the sounds I can produce on my bass ten-hundred-thousand fold. I’m so excited by this because it means my creative musical expression will almost be limitless. I now have so much to work with.but so little money

duggup: And what aspect of making music gets you the most discouraged?
Mike: The fact that people are so quick to judge other people’s music. It usually so open and shut too. It’s either brilliant or shithouse. Music is so subjective and that really is the great thing about it- There is a place for everyone with something to say musically, and an audience for just about everything, so I think less of the judgment and more of the exploration to find what does it for you is necessary.
Aimee: I think the perceived value of music, or rather lack of value in music is a real concern. Particularly in Australia, I think that there is a heavily ingrained notion that musicians should do what they do for free. It amazes me the general resistance to paying even a $5 cover charge for live music. It kills me the way that a lot of venues think that while they have every right to make a huge profit from alcohol sales and are happy to use live music, or recorded music for that matter as a means for increasing that profit, that they don’t need pay the musicians adequately. I think that there needs to be a major shift in people’s attitude of music as having a monetary value in addition to the accepted cultural and emotional value. I mean you don’t go have surgery and then say, ‘No I’m not paying, because you should just be doing this because you love your job’



duggup: What do think of “giving your music away” Any thoughts on Radiohead’s decision to release an album on its own? What do you think of the music industry today?
Aimee: It’s a really tough one, I think what Radiohead and Trent Reznor have done with their ‘Pay what you like’ model is to bring into public conscience the way in which music is distributed, who is getting what percentage of the pie and how much it is actually worth. While I don’t think that this would work for a band lacking in the profile that these artists have, I am definitely of the thought that major label domination as we have known it, is dead. Digital Distribution is the reality and the future of music and had the majors not feared it so much, they probably would have found better ways of harnessing the potential of the digital world. They didn’t though, and the power is now in the hands of the makers, the musicians. I think the difficult part is making the mental shift between how music is to be made and essentially paid for- it is a very different model to the old and musicians really need to do their homework and understand the new model.

For me, I think absolutely, if it cost you to make something, then rightfully you should be paid something for it. The nature of a song being digitally encoded means that it will inevitably be copied. The challenge for artists now is to accept that reality and work on the areas that cannot be copied, such as trust- gaining a fan’s loyalty is an enormous asset that will result in money being spent on attending live shows, purchasing merchandise, introducing new fans to your music because they trust you and your product. If this trust and subsequent income streams came from someone obtaining a downloaded mp3, then so be it. I think the whole musician-audience relationship is becoming much more personal and interactive and you have to earn a fan. I love that I can have a direct relationship with the people who connect to our music, through things such as myspace and facebook, it can’t be a bad thing can it?

duggup: So I notice on your websites, your solution to the independent distribution question is to use Paypal, CDBaby and of course the ubiquitous iTunes. How is that working for you?
Aimee: I wouldn’t say that one distribution method is winning out over another at this point, Paypal is great, it is so easy to set up and attach to our myspace and website without having to worry about internet security and setting up our own merchant facilities. I think that the majority of people are becoming very comfortable with the idea of purchasing music online whether in physical form or as mp3s from the likes of iTunes, and I love to be able to put in a little thank you note to people who buy it direct from the site, being a direct part of the transaction makes you feel very grateful and It’s so important to hold onto that humility.

For the next album we may look at getting a distributor for the bricks and mortar stores nationally, as we are currently stocked in a few independent music stores in Melbourne only. As our fanbase grows (fingers crossed it will continue to grow!) it would be lovely to have the option for our fans to buy or order the cd from any record store if they do not feel comfortable with the online method, but that’s on the to-do list for album number 2.

duggup: Mike. tell me something about the instruments, technical equipment and tools you use? Mike: At the moment I play an Ibanez BTB 6-string bass.This gives me great sub sounds and also allows chordal playing in the guitar realm. I recently bought a Boss RC-50 loop station so I can layer bass lines and chords over each other to create the full rhythm section sound that you hear on the album. I then have a few pedals which allow me to play a full range of styles. I can create special audio scopes with reverb, delays, phasers and alike with my Digitech effects unit.or go the opposite, creating harsh gritty tunes with my Boss Oc3 distortion and ocata bass. All capped off with my Dunlop 95Q Wah pedal.because everyone loves wah! {in some circles this is none as “Gear Acquisition Syndrome” or GAS, it’s a common affliction among musicians. duggup}
I’m constantly updating my set up. The next step for me is incorporating my Mac laptop into the mix with Ableton Live. This will give me endless options of sounds and possibilities.

duggup: As you create more music, do you find yourself getting more or less interested in seeking out and listening to new music made by other people…and why do you think that is?
Mike: Like I said earlier. I take inspiration from all forms of music. I’m always listening to new music by other bands and composers. It expands my understanding of music also helps me define who I am.
Aimee: Wow, less music, that would be like starving myself - I can’t stop! Living in Fitzroy, I have such great access to live music and I regularly head out to see both friends bands as well as seeking out new things. I don’t see how a musician can make new music without some sort of context of where they are in the music landscape, I mean you can lock yourself in a room for 5 years and do nothing but practice, and sure you’re gonna have amazing chops, but what are you going to write about? How are you going to relate to your bandmates or your audience? I think musicians who become insular in relation to other music are really missing out.

duggup: How did you produce and finance your musical productions?
Aimee: We are totally independent and have paid for the entire project ourselves- any way that we could. We play in a couple of bands that do weddings and corporate gigs and the money we earn from those goes directly into the osh10 kitty and we each do a number part time jobs- We just did whatever we had to in order to raise funds and it’s amazing how hard you will work to achieve something you really believe in, totally makes the end product even more satisfying.

duggup: How hard is it for you to find gigs? Are you perceived as “too hard” to book?
Aimee: This project is still very young and I guess we are still trying to find a musical label for ourselves- we don’t fit neatly into a musical genre and so in that respect, I guess we have to think a little harder about which gigs we do. It isn’t hard to find gigs, but with such a different sounding band, it’s just a matter of playing a gig that has the right audience. That said, though we have been in some pretty diverse lineups from live drum & bass/electronica outfits, to more roots or jazz.

We have a definite wish list of bands that we would like to work with, and we are just going to play with around with it until we find the right mix.

duggup: What are you currently up to? And what can we expect from you next? What are your future plans or dreams as a musicians?
Aimee: We have been writing non stop since we wrapped up the recording on the last album and we are pretty keen to get into the studio and start getting them on tape- I think the sounds going to be a lot bigger, the dynamics are going to be even more defined. We have some pretty wild ideas about where we are headed, our challenge is to realize them now! I’m pretty darn psyched actually; putting the album out has really opened the flood gates for our creativity. We will also be ramping our live gigs up over the next few months and trying out the gizmos, I think we’re just gonna jump in headfirst in 2008 and see what we come up with!
Mike: As I described with my music equipment set up. Once it’s fully up and running the way I want it, I can effectively do anything I want. I may even be able to play drum beats on my bass…who knows? My music will always be constantly evolving to create new sounds never heard before. I will never get bored with my career choice in life. That’s the plan!



duggup: So, if you had to interview yourself what would you ask?
Mike: Do you like coffee? My answer is yes
Aimee: What does osh10 mean? I’m still waiting for someone to figure it out on their own- I’m not telling!!!

duggup: Lately what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener? (Old or new music? Music like yours or different from yours?)
Mike: Anything that expresses emotion.which I can find in almost every style/genre of music.
Aimee: I have to have variety, I refuse to listen to CD’s in my car because I think having the radio on is the best way to hear new stuff- for better or worse. I take risks on music and trawl places like CDBaby to seek out new independent music. I do constantly go back and revisit older music, like at that music I am obsessively going back and listening to my old Kate Bush and Beatles records as well as my Beck collection, because it doesn’t matter how much you listen to them, you always find something new in it, and good music is just good music, it’s ageless.

The last Question every time. What’s on high rotation on your MP3 player at the moment that we should know about?
Aimee: I bought Sia’s new album 2 weeks ago and have been listening to it with an almost unhealthy obsession- I just LOVE it. I would really like to work with her one day. I am also loving Amon Tobin’s stuff, especially ‘Permutation’, it blows my mind that that album is 10 years old, it sounds so modern to my ears, the guy is a genius.
Mike: Again a lot of styles. At the moment I’m listening to a lot of electronic music by Squarepusher and Aphex Twin among others. I guess I like that genre of music because it is utilizing new technology and striving for new sounds. For example, it wasn’t until recently that I discovered the depths of unique composition that Aphex Twin uses. For his song ‘Window Licker’ he used Pd, a complex audio engine. With this program he was able to generate sound from images. I’m not going to go into full details about how he did it.because my it hurts my brain. However he created ‘Window Licker’ using warped images of himself.which is quite relevant to the film clip for it.

There are so many crazy ways to get new sounds. So when I look at Kyma, a piece of outboard audio hardware, I get excited. As far as I’m aware Kyma can change sound waves on a molecular level, rather than just warping a sine wav for example. This means that one can transform and create sounds in an entirely different way. I’m very interested in inventions like this because it shows just how limitless the possibilities are in sound and music design/creation.

duggup: Interesting choices guys. I have to admit to having a couple of Amon Tobin tracks on my MP3 player as well.

Thanks for your time and all your typing (this was an email interview). I look forward to catching you playing live.

Ok folks, you can get a feel for the album at http://www.myspace.com/osh10music and then head over and pick up a copy of the album from their website at http://www.osh10.com/.

News, Analysis and Comment
Cool kids on the block

by Venessa Paech
Arts Hub
Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Osh10 burn brightly in a world of gladwrapped Idol's and remixed reunion tours. The heart and soul of Osh10, Aimee Chapman and Mike Macgregor, boast nothing but a voice and a bass, but it's plenty enough to set the Australian contemporary music scene abuzz. Arts Hub caught up with the Melbourne duo to learn more about their creative beat.

What is your background and training? How did you end up here?
Aimee: Gee, you had to ask the lengthy one first didn’t you!

In the decade between 1995 and 2005, I completed a Bachelor of Creative Arts at the Victorian College of the Arts, a Diploma of Music Performance at Box Hill and the second year of the Bachelor of Music at Victoria University. I completed the journey with a Bachelor of Arts (Music Industry) at RMIT.

Tallying up my courses this way, it is a shock to realise that I have studied for so long. Considering the average wages earned by professional musicians, I would have been substantially better off (money-wise) studying medicine or law. In hindsight, I would not have changed any of those study choices, as they all played an integral part in my development as an artist and a person.

Throughout my childhood, until I graduated from secondary school in 1995, I believed that I was going to be an actress. I performed in any community play going around, got myself an agent, and had parts in film and television throughout my teenage years. In year 12 I slaved over my drama performance exams, but as I reached the end of Year 12 and all focus turned to university places, I found my aspirations shifting.

Parents, teachers and well-meaning friends advised me to "get a real job" or at least find "something to fall back on’. I thought perhaps I should at least spread my creative risk by enrolling in VCA’s Creative Arts Degree, a broad-based program offering streams of study in Theatre Studies/Drama, Creative Writing, Visual Art and Media Theory/Production.

Upon entering the course I still believed that I would complete a major in drama, but when I explored the other creative areas in offer, I found myself spending more time in creative writing, film production and media theory. By my final year I had switched to a double in these areas.

By giving myself the opportunity to explore new areas, I was able to develop skills I never knew I possessed. I think it is important for high school graduates to allow themselves this leeway, as it is far too easy to pigeonhole yourself into a career path that, once established, does not live up to the childhood dream.

After a few "study breaks" which I spent backpacking round Europe, I graduated from VCA in 2000, leaving the college with no real sense of a career path. I spent the next year working full time in soul-destroying jobs that atrophied the right side of my brain. I found my only joy in playing guitar, singing and writing songs. By now, I had started recording my original songs. I was also getting small solo gigs around town as a distraction from the nine-to-five grind. Soon I was daydreaming of sick days just so I could have more time to make music.

Realising how much music was driving me, I took a huge punt and auditioned for a place in the Diploma of Music Performance at Box Hill. To my enormous surprise, I was offered a place.
Embarking on this new course of study solidified my ambitions and fuelled all of my movements to follow, it is also where I found a great musical partner in Mike.

I found the TAFE environment so different to University. The classes were extremely hands-on and it was a constant struggle to grasp all the information. Terrifying for an ex-drama queen who’d barely learnt a scrap of music theory. I worked very hard to get up to speed with my fellow students, who had already done music theory up to VCE.

The discipline that was instilled in us by all of our teachers pushed us to produce quality in our performances and take risks beyond our conceived capabilities. We were constantly reminded that only the hardest working, most reliable performers would survive in the highly competitive music industry. I found my two years at Box Hill and the following year at Victoria University to be a huge turning point for me. I was able to plan a career path while being able to accept that it would not be a clearly defined road. Success and longevity would only come as a direct result of my own education and efforts.

It was hugely inspiring to work with the calibre of students and teachers (who I now consider team mates) in our unique work environment. Musicians expect the same commitment and ethics from each other as you would in any other workplace, and we have been able to create a network of support and resources for each other in what is for many an isolated occupation.

I decided to complete the Bachelor of Arts (Music Industry) at RMIT to consolidate all of my experiences in and out of study, and to help to focus on the future, bridging any remaining gaps that I may have had between art and commerce.

Mike: I chose music as a career because it is a life long journey that is constantly changing. This means I will never get bored doing it. Once upon a time I played lead guitar. I have since moved to the dark side and now play bass. The way I play kind of covers both lead and bass guitar. I play 6 string bass and I love pumping out the low sub frequencies but I also bash out a lot of higher chordal fragrances. Osh10 came about when Aimee and I decided to take a different approach to band setup. We figured that by using just a bass and vocal line up, which are such extremes of low and high frequencies, that we could create a very unique sound in the music we wrote. From there we also have the option to fill that space when we felt like it, so it also gave a lot more creative control.

How do you describe your music to people?
Aimee: A definitive description is something Mike and I are still trying to settle on. In terms of genre we blend elements of jazz, funk, soul, trip hop and electronic but no matter the tempo and style of the song, they are all held together by a sound that is defined by our choice of instrumentation.

We were watching the Aria’s and thought that if we were ever nominated for best Adult Contemporary release we would be very happy, that genre seems to have moved on from a Kenny G kind of domination to some really innovative performers like New Buffalo and Art of Fighting, who we admire a lot.

Mike: As with all original music it’s hard to place it in a specific catagory because it's an amalgamation of everyone’s musical influences mish mashed together to create something unique. But here I go: Our music creats soundscapes. The bass brings funk driven grit to melodious and almost dreamlike spaces with lush harmonies from the vocals.

What's your career highlight thus far?
Aimee: Even though I’ve been surrounded by music for so many years, I still feel like the little fish in the music world, but I guess the overwhelming highlight is the fact that I have the ability to make and perform music every day of my life, and this album really illustrates that for me I’m very proud to have realized it.

Mike: The realisation that my music is understood and enjoyed by others.

What's the best thing about your job? And the worst?
Aimee: The best thing is without a doubt that fact that I get to do what I love- that is making music. That I perform with people that I admire and that I learn from everyday and that I am producing music that connects with people. I am a firm believer in following your heart when it comes to your occupation- You are spending the majority of your waking life doing it, so you might as well be fulfilled and happy in the process.

The worst thing is an overwhelming perception that musicians and often artists should be doing what they do for free and that they should have to have a real job on the side! The reality is that for the majority, music is a full time occupation for a part-time pay packet.

Would I do what I do if there was no money involved? Absolutely, it is as necessary to me as breathing. But the fact remains that there is an enormous business built around the work of artists in which a great many people establish lucrative careers, I find the frustrating thing to be that those people are rarely the artists themselves- and yet so often the public perception is that those people are hard working individuals. It is this thinking that has definitely encouraged us to take the independent route thus far.

Mike: The best: Because I love music in all it’s forms I believe I have found a passion in life that will never be dull. Unlike a day job, I’m never tired or bitter about playing music. I’m not money driven…but if I can sustain myself sufficiently through music in all forms and quirks, I will always be happy.

The worst: For me the worst thing about working in the art industry that people will ALWAYS try to exploit you for there own personal gain. This means always having to be vigilant. The best thing to do is just push though all the bullshit and enjoy what you do, which I do…but it can be very hard at times.

Many don’t even understand that art takes a lot of work and suggest getting a real job, even though those people are constantly surrounded by it. After making such remarks they then go home and watch, listen to, or even eat artistic creation.

Some people would say forgetting the words when performing a song or breaking strings on stage is the worst thing. I’ve done most of these, but I just put that down to experience.

What's the first thing you do that's career related when you get up in the morning?
Aimee: I sing! I do a whole myriad of vocal warm ups in the shower, in the car, walking along the street- I certainly get odd looks, but I am quite the addict. Equal first would be checking my emails, it really is the most effective tool for communication within my industry.

Mike: Make a coffee. At the moment my life consists of early morning starts and late night gigs. So I’ve turned to coffee to keep me crankin’ in the evenings and get my heart started in the mornings.

How do you both use technology and the net to self-promote and spread the word about your work?
Aimee: We use the internet in a lot of the now standard ways for bands, for example myspace, facebook and email to advertise gigs, and let people easily access our music and images. We have been able to utilize the net to sell our music in places like itunes, napster, sonyconnect and others as well as connecting with record stores all around the world willing to stock our cds. It has been instrumental in enabling us to access radio stations, streaming radio, music blogs, webzines, sites along the lines of artshub- a huge array of different mediums for reaching a wide variety of people who would otherwise never hear us.

We don’t shy away from the odd bit of crazy unproven marketing either - we are about to launch a bit of a treasure hunt around Melbourne which will give people a chance to bag a cd- stay tuned to our website for that one!

Mike: Mostly emails, sms, websites, myspace, radio, postering and other standards. I am pretty ignorant with itunes, napster or even the ringtone options and so forth - there are so many ways to promote yourselves. The main thing is researching all the methods of self-promotion and to choose the ones that work the best and also reach the right people who would enjoy our music.

What's the biggest challenge in your lives as young creative professionals?
Aimee: Ultimately this creative life of music is the most satisfying occupation I could choose for myself. The challenge, however, has been to connect the conceptual artist with the business woman. I often wish that I could just play music that I didn’t have to work five different part time jobs or do any of the administrative, accounting and managerial things that go with an independent act. It is often a juggle to balance everything and you need to rely on a lot of self-discipline which musicians are not renowned for, but luckily coming from a family of accountants and teachers, I have managed to acquire enough. The competitiveness and the fact that Australia is a relatively small music market can be an overwhelming thought, but our aim is to carve out a little place in the music world to call our own, we aim to put food on our table and pay the bills with our music, if we achieve that and make people happy with our music then I will feel content, anything over and above that will be a really lovely surprise.

Mike: As my musical career is just beginning it isn’t sustainable financially. I therefore have to work another job for income, which nearly all artists have to do. For me, music takes up at LEAST 30 hours a week. I then have to work a minimum of 30 hours in other fields to cover the cost of life and to invest in music expenses. My issue is that I feel I could easily devote another 50 hours a week for the rest of my life to my art, and even then I would just scratching the surface of my musical creativity. For now I guess it will have to do... At least I can do the simple things in life, such as eat :)




Venessa Paech

Venessa Paech has worked as an actor, producer, choreographer, director and writer in the NT and VIC. She earned her BFA in Theatre from New York University (Tisch School of the Arts), and after basing in Manhattan for a bit, returned home for more arts-shaped adventures. She served on the Steering Committee and Board of Australian Musicals Development Inc., the Executive Committee of the Green Room Awards Association and the Academic Advisory Board for the Wrirting Department of Deakin University. Venessa is Editor and Social Media Manager of Arts Hub Australia and the Founder and Editor of Geek Illustrated (www.geekillustrated.com)

IT IS NOISE
DESIGNED BY HUMANKIND
TO STRIKE YOU DOWN TO YOUR VERY SOULS AT BEST
IF YOU LET
THAT IS

I SAY ON MY PAGE
I AM DORK FOR MY LOVE OF HIFI
BUT THIS BACKED UP BY
SOUND IS JUST IN ITS HEARING
THIS MY FRIENDS IS TRUE

SO SAVE YOUR PENNIES TO MAKE A POUND OR SO.
THEN MAKE IT SOUND AS GOOD AS YOU CAN



OSH 10 AND THEIR MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

A SHORTISH REVIEW OF MYSPACE PAGE AND CD ALBUM

IN EARS AIMEE SOUNDING LOUD AND PROUD AS SHE 'LOOKS TO THE SKY'
MEAN WHILE MIKE THE OTHER
PLAYS A FUNKY LEAD
JUST BASS AND VOCAL FEEL THEIR RESONANCE ENTER YOUR VERY SOUL
A SOUNDSCAPE SO WELL DEVELOPED IT IS A REAL JOY

LIKE A CHILDS PLAY WITH NOTES AS IF TOYS


THERE IS MAGIC IN THEIR CORRELATION
'MR SHEEN' MUCH IN THE SAME VEIN AS LOOK TO SKY

CLEVER AND WITTY LYRICS, AS IN

'YOU ARE JUST A MEMORY LIKE THE CURTAIN AT THE END OF THE SHOW'

JAZZILY VOICED CLEAR AND SHARP MIXED WITH A BASS LEAD AND RHYTHM

THAT LIFT AND BUILDS INTO SONIC PLEASURES

MUSIC TO YOUR EARS

THIS GIFT GIVEN YOU

'GOING GONE' SHE GOES

MIKE IS GONE TO A DREAM WORLD BASS TONES ENTER THIS SPIRIT

BREATHLESS

SOMETHING NOT SAID OFTEN THESE DAYS

BUT BREATHLESS IS HOW LOUIS FEELS TODAY

'SINK UNDER WATER

THE DEEPEST OF OCEANS COULD NOT
SNATCH THE AIR FROM MY LUNGS'

MASTERS OF MYSTIC MAJESTY THEY TRULY ARE
PURE THOUGHT WITH PURE HEART PLAYED OUT FOR ALL TO HEAR



SO BE SOOTHED BY ' A LULLABY'

AND SO IT IS

FLOAT YOUR BOAT TO DISTANT SHORES

ABOARD YOUR MOTHER LOVE ONCE MORE

AS TO BRING YOU TO A PLACE FORGOTTEN

A REMEMBRANCE OF TIMES GONE BEFORE

DARE TO SEE INTO YOUR MINDS EYE

INDESCRIBABLE WORLDS OPENED
A MAGIC TRIANGLE SINGS
JUST TO GIVE YOU ANGELS WINGS
TO SEAS IN YOU ONCE MORE

WONDERFUL

THE WORLD MADE OF NOISE AND A NEW ONE IS BORN INTO OUR HEADS

WE ARE THE LUCKY ONES BECAUSE NOW WE CAN BE FOUND

AIMEE FOUND ME AND SO IT IS I NEED TO PASS THIS JOY ON

A WIDER AUDIENCE I SEEK FOR THEM. I HAVE ONLY MENTIONED THE TRACKS ON THE MYSPACE SITE

TO DATE

BUT LET ME ASSURE YOU DEAR READER THE ENTIRE CD IS TANTALIZING BEYOND

YOUR WILDEST DREAMS. LISTEN OUT FOR AN OPUS CALLED 'AMNESIA' WITH PRODUCTION VALUES

RARELY HEARD MYLES MUMFORDS' WORK ON THIS ALBUM IS ASTOUNDING AND WORTHY OF MUCH MUCH PRAISE INDEED.

'EIGHT HANDS' INCLUDES THE VOICE OF GABRIELLE MACGREGOR AT ITS END.

SMILES AND LOVE ARE IN THE AIR. SO SURROUND YOURSELF IN THE WORLD OF 'OSH 10' ONE OF THE GREATEST GIFTS IN SOUND

THIS OLD BASTARD HAS EVER HEARD

OR SHOULD I SAY GIVEN FREELY FROM THE HEART

ART BY AIMEE

I'M PROUD TO KNOW THEM.

'SFERICS' GREAT SPEAKERS HELP BUT MIKE FINGERS STRINGS AS GENTLY AS ANY LOVER THEIR LOVE'S FACE.

MESMERIZED TRAPPED IN MY CHAIR. WAVE UPON WAVE WASHING OVER ME. AWESOME MUSIC YOU NEED TO HEAR

SO GO AND LISTEN IN TO A DEMO ON MYSPACE BUT IT IS BEST TO BUY THE REAL THING. A CD IN THE HAND
IS WORTH ITS WAIT. IT'S GOLD.

SO THANKS TO OSH10

AND IT'S GOOD BYE FROM HIM. LOUIS LAWL AND HIS DREAM IN.
..................................................

Musicians getting ripped off

Julia Irwin
21Apr08


Musicians are sick of getting ripped off. Picture: JOSIE HAYDEN

THE end of Victoria's pokies duopoly and a new ethical gigs program are striking the right note for Darebin musicians who say they are getting ripped off.

Local musicians claim the industry was "akin to slavery" with many playing for nothing and even paying to play.

But they are hopeful the State Government's move to break-up the Tabcorp and Tattersalls duopoly in 2012 may include incentives for successful bidders to put on live music.

They are also encouraged by a Musicians' Union of Australia bid to introduce an ethical gigs sponsorship program, where musicians are guaranteed at least $120 for a three hour call.

"There used to be an etiquette of not going out to play for under $100 but this has broken down.

"Now people (play) for nothing so more venues get in bands that play for nothing," said Jim Green, a professional musician.

Fellow musician Aimee Chapman said her electronica jazz duo Osh10 would walk away with $20 on a good night from most of the High St venues they played.

"Generally you do a door deal but people aren't willing to pay much more than $5 and this hasn't changed in 20 years," Chapman said.

When pokies were introduced in Victoria in 1992, many bigger venues stopped offering live music in preference to poker machines.

Now the Musicians Union of Australia wants live music to be a condition of the government granting new pokies licences.

Union secretary Terry Noone said the introduction of pokies had caused a 50 per cent drop in work for musicians.