The SoundLounge

Sarah Mcleod

SARAH MCLEOD is one of Australia’s most diverse performers and songwriters.

The ARIA award winning former lead singer of The Superjesus, not only solidified her reputation as a rock artist both here and overseas, but in recent years has also gained a huge notoriety on the dancefloor working with some of the biggest DJ’s and producers across the globe.

Sarah McLeod has been one busy woman over the last few years, after touring extensively with The Superjesus for so long she decided she wanted to try some different projects. She has been all round the world five times over writing songs for lots of different artists.

But it was her fans in Australia that have been demanding she bring back her acoustic guitar and for this reason Sarah will perform some very intimate stripped back shows throughout June and July.

She has not performed like this in many years and is very excited about showcasing her back catalogue in its rawest form. Performing songs from her early days with The Superjesus up until her latest solo work, it's her voice that really shines in this environment, the tender side of a rock n roll powerhouse performer, this is a show not to be missed.

Dan Parsons

Dan Parsons’ debut album is less a case of boy meets girl but rather boy meets world. It's a snapshot of someone who after spending his high school years emulating seventies heroes on a reel to reel eight track, leaves his bedroom and begins tumbling through one blinding, visceral experience after another.

The album’s title track, for example, is about a girl but it's also about a moment taken by surprise, that doesn't know whether or not it will be a one night stand or something more - the freedom, fear and elation that comes with giving someone else the power to choose your fate.

What Parsons could grab hold of and pin down from experiences such as this, and his first brushes with the Brisbane music scene after growing up in country Queensland, inspired a drastic change to the primarily acoustic sounds that were on his 2008 mini-album Old Brown Shoe.

These new experiences convinced him to, as he puts it "let go of the wheel" to some degree and he brought good friend James O'Brien (The Boat People) on board along with producer John Castle (Washington, The Boat People) to record the album. He was left with an album split in two in terms of material and, in what would prove to be a cathartic experience, he jettisoned his older material in favour of new. What wasn't lost with his acoustic tunes was the sense of someone singing from the heart.

The Firetree

Following in the tradition of Angus & Julia Stone and Stars, The Firetree are centered around the vocal duet of Dale Buchan and Josephine Cubis. Pairing sublime harmonies and contrasting yet complimentary vocals with superb songwriting, the folk/pop duo are have created an undeniably unique indie sound, showcased on their sophomore EP ‘Vega’ (1st July 2011, Independent/MGM). The Firetree have had an incredible 6 months following the release of their debut EP ‘The Space Between’ (November 2010, Independent). After performing a string of successful headline shows on their first international tour of Canada, the group were invited to perform on popular Canadian television program ‘Urban Rush’. Their sound is also being noticed in the US, placing 2nd in the Best of Pop charts for consistent results on popular US indie music site and MTV partner ourstage.com for 26 weeks in 2011. Back home their track ‘Sun And Moon’ was number one on the AMRAP ‘Most Ordered For Airplay’ chart for three weeks in December 2010. With regular radio play, a string of shows at some of Australias most iconic venues and their second EP ‘Vega’garnering rave reviews The Firetree are something special to watch in 2011. “Beautifully constructed indie pop” –